Birdbaths and Paper Cranes

Birdbaths and Paper Cranes: A Family Tale by Sharon Randall
Nonfiction - Essays
2001 Plume Books (Penguin Group)
Finished on November 8, 2018
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From the nationally syndicated columnist Sharon Randall, Birdbaths and Paper Cranes is a new collection of heartfelt essays on life and family. Among the many poignant topics she tells us about are her blind brother's first attempt at driving a car, her daughter's penchant for tea parties, and her husband's courageous battle with a deadly disease. In Randall's hands, even a simple story about a birdbath has meaning. Through laughter and tears, all those who read Birdbaths and Paper Cranes will look at life in a different way.

This is my second reading of Birdbaths and Paper Cranes. I don't remember when I first discovered this collection of columns by Sharon Randall, but it's been on my "keeper" shelf for many years and it's one that I remember loving the first time I read it. Many of the stories made me laugh out loud and others tugged at my heartstrings, bringing a lump to my throat. I enjoy reading nonfiction when life is hectic or stressful and Randall's stories are the perfect in length, allowing me to read a half-dozen or so each evening before bedtime. I enjoy stories about family, motherhood, love and grief and this collection didn't disappoint and will appeal to readers who enjoy similar essays by Joyce Maynard, Anna Quindlen and Kelly Corrigan.

17 years have passed since Sharon's book was published and I was curious to see if she had anything else I could read. I didn't find anymore books, but I did come across her website and blog, which is just as entertaining (and more current) as the columns in Birdbaths and Paper Cranes.