English teacher Sarah Taber’s recent read is “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki.

Story and graphics by Mara Callahan | Editor in Chief

Choosing one book to recommend is an incredibly difficult task for Englih teacher Sarah Taber; she simply loves so many. Among her favorites are “Great Expectations,” “Never Let Me Go,” “The Elegance of the Hedgehog,” “The Round House,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Hamlet,” “Life on Mars,” “Mrs. Dalloway” and “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Her most recent remarkable read is Ruth Ozeki’s “A Tale for the Time Being.”

“This novel follows two characters, one in Japan and one on a remote Canadian island,” Taber said. “Their paths intersect via a Hello Kitty lunchbox that has a journal in it. We learn about both of them in alternating chapters.”

The relatability of the writing and content is the main aspect that leads Taber to recommend this novel to all STA students.

“It is a story of growing up, of dealing with a father who’s lost his job, of finding strength in the natural world and also through a really cute Buddhist grandmother, one of my favorite characters in the novel,” Taber said. “It’s about learning to be comfortable with the present moment, not worried about other times [in the past or future].”

Taber enjoys the self-reflection she finds drawn out by the character’s and storyline taking place within the novel.

“My favorite part of the book is when the young protagonist goes to stay with her grandmother at a Buddhist temple,” Taber said. “She shifts her sense of time, and that made me think about my own perspective on time. You’ll like this novel if you enjoy thinking about philosophy. I often find myself drawn to stories that also explore questions of existence, time, memory, or identity.” B