Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh #BriFri # ClassicsClub

 Brideshead Revisited was on my spin list for the Classics Club but I wasn't able to finish it in time.  It was interesting n some parts but other parts I found it a slog.  This would cause me distraction and I'd read something else. Hence my lengthy reading time with a 400+ page book.

The book starts in the WW II time period with Captain Charles Ryder moving his troops along the English countryside. When his company comes upon an estate to set up their camp it's revealed to be Brideshead, a vast property and mansion owned by the wealthy Flyte family. Charles is very much familiar with the home and property as he spent a good deal of time there, in what seems to him, a lifetime ago when he was a student at Oxford.

Immediately after arriving at Brideshead Captain Ryder, as the narrator, recollects how he met fellow student Lord Sebastian Flyte at Oxford roughly twenty years earlier. It's a very rude introduction as Charles is hosting a party in his rooms and Sebastian walks by, drunk, leans into the window to speak and vomits all over the floor. To make amends he invites Charles to his home for a lunch and apologizes.  This ignited a deep friendship between Charles and Sebastian. As they spent more time together Charles was embraced by the Flyte family and became close to Sebastian's sisters - Lady Julia and Lady Cordelia.

As Evelyn Waugh embraced Catholicism in the 1930s it influenced his writing, making religion a prominent theme with this particular book.  As you read about Charles' relationships with Lady Marchmain, Julia and Sebastian you'll see how Catholicism becomes rather it's own character, a cape of guilt for Julia when her father suggests she is living in sin.  The sin was her leaving the church to marry Rex and then her affair with Charles. There are many other instances where faith, guilt and life styles  are explored.

“I've always been bad. Probably I shall be bad again, punished again. But the worse I am, the more I need God. I can't shut myself out from His mercy. ... Or it may be a private bargain between me and God, that if I give up this one thing I want so much, however bad I am, He won't quite despair of me in the end.”

There are many sections to this book.  The Oxford years, Sebastian leaving England for Venice, his alcoholism, Charles and the Flyte family and of course the war.

Overall, I wasn't crazy about the book but I am most likely in the minority. 3.5 stars

Linking up with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and The Classics Club.

The whirlwind of this week.....

Just a quick post taking a break from packing. After 33 years in this house I am still amazed by how much we have accumulated.  Car loads have been taken to a charity shop yet there is still all this...stuff.   I posted about the sale of our home Here and since then we've managed to get a moving quote, pack up the immense quantity of music CDs, just about all the DVDs and many books. 

It will certainly be weird yet cool to have access to the Internet but in the meantime, this is what I have entertainment wise this week.

 Library Loot - I'd not seen either of these series and but started Poldark last night and like it. Poldark's time period is just after the American Revolutionary War and the setting is Cornwall.  Ross Poldark returns to his home in Cornwall after serving as a soldier only to find his father has died and the woman he loves engaged to his cousin.

Does your library sell magazines?  People kindly donate magazines, books and DVDs for the library sale table.  It's like shopping locally :-) I picked up this issue of Better Homes and Gardens called Global Flavors.  We tried the steak and snow pea yakisoba.

Next time I will add water chestnuts.  It was good and I see you could replace the sirloin with boneless chicken if desired.

Sharing with 

Vicki for Mailbox Monday.

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Moving and Shaking

I am very behind on my posting and yet I have many books to share and compare.  Hoping this week I can finish writing up the Brideshead Revisited review for my Classics Club list and then I will be very sporadic posting.

The reason for my preoccupation is we have sold our house.  Yea! But that also means the clock is ticking on closing and finalizing the purchase/contract of another house so we have been busy. My week has been a mission of finding boxes and packing things I don't need now such as puzzles, winter clothing, photo albums, etc.

That said, I need the mental escape of reading (even if it's not as much as I usually read) and I'm still on for planned buddy reads for Ferrante and Pilcher upcoming.  📚

I may be slow answering comments but be assured I will.  Love my book buddies and keeping up so I'll see you when I see you!

I leave you with photo of Loki enjoying his dental treat.  He tends to hold them upright to get maximum chew.

Chat with you later...........

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

Book Rambling

This week my reading time has been off as I've been up in the wee hours of the morning with a sick dog.  Which means a much needed nap was in order over several days.  Hoping to get things resolved so life goes back to my usual uneventful average.  The only book post I made was about Stanley Tucci's latest book here.

Anyway....on a visit to the library I saw the April issue of Book Page is out so picked that up. I found so many to add to my very long to-read list.

Here are a few that caught my attention.

I'm a fan of Ann Cleeves and see the first book in her Inspector Ramsay series, titled A Lesson in Dying, will be released here soon.  Funny thing about that is it was first released in the U.K. in 1990. Thirty-five years later it's now available here.  I wonder why the huge gap in release for the U.S. as her other series such as Shetland and Vera have been available.

Birding to Change the World by Trish O'Kane looks like a perfect companion to the Amy Tan book I read recently.

Emma Donoghue is featured in an interview about her latest book The Paris Express.  She and was moving to the Paris neighborhood of Montparnassee  with her partner and she came across a photo of a 1895 train crash at the Montparnassee station.  After reading about it it inspired her to write a book.  It sounds like one I would enjoy.  The interview with this Dublin born author is interesting.

Rooms For Vanishing by Stuart Nadler is a family saga and I like those very much. This one is unique as it examines how some of the innocent dead of the Holocaust would have gone on to live their lives, had they not been killed.  It's apparently a nonlinear narrative and I bet emotionally charged.  It's a fat 464 pages and I will get to it much later in the year.

Has anyone read one of the titles I mentioned here?  There are many more in Book Page but these attracted me straight off.  I hope your week was filled with good books and happiness.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon and Joy for British Isles Friday.

What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci{2025 Nonfiction Reading Challenge}

This book is filled with food (hence the title), love of family and travel stories.  I very much enjoyed this book. 

Straight off I wanted the salad of cannellini beans, canned tuna, red onion, tomatoes, basil and olive oil.  I wish I had added cucumbers but I will do that next time. (please excuse my poor photograhy skills)

His love of soups - "it's the greatest culinary invention which can be made with two ingredients or twenty ingredients.  It can be served hot or cold. It can be cooked fast or slow. It can be vegan, vegetarian, paleo, pescatarian or carnivorian.  Soup is life in a pot."

The entry for April 27 was poignant with the memories of his former home, the life he and his first wife Kate created with their children. Memories of raising their children there until her death in 2009.  "The house he watched his children leave for the first days of school, where they learned of their mother's illness, where Kate passed away and where the magnolia tree where some of her ashes are scattered."

The stories in the October entry about working with Ukrainian refugees was very moving to me.  Hearing the women talk about what was left behind and how they are managing with young children but wanting nothing more than to be home. 

So much food and so many ideas I am inspired to prepare from reading this.  It is after all called What I Ate in One Year.  I liked the diary like format and descriptions of life with his family and his working projects as well.

This book is shared with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Category: Food

Jane Austen puzzle#JaneAusten #BriFri

 If you like puzzles this is a very good one.  If you are also a fan of Jane Austen you will love it.

The back of the photo page, which came along with the puzzle, has information about each character depicted along with which book each character belongs.

This was a thoughtful gift from my kids when we visited them in Nebraska.  I had stowed it away as we planned to move and I knew there wasn't time for a puzzle. Now that the move isn't happening I could get started. 

If you have a fan of both puzzles and Jane Austen this would make an ideal gift.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Mailbox Monday

 I received Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, shown here with one of my spider plants and ferns. It's one of the titles on my classics list so I will get to that in the next few months for sure.  Perhaps I'll watch the movie afterwards. 

In the mail I received Rick Steves book On the Hippie Trail. Very much looking forward to that nonfiction. Thank you to Deb at Readerbuzz :-)

That's my week's Mailbox Monday.  Hope you received some goodies this week.

Sharing with Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Reading and puzzling

First off,  my sympathies to Susan for the loss of your father. I am so sorry for your loss, you remain in my thoughts. 

Here at home I have been inside a bit due to a 200 acre controlled burn which was choking. That meant reading and puzzling.  No complaints there but not getting a proper walk in was disappointing.  Prior to the fires we did manage a short trip to St Mark's Lighthouse with Loki. Photos later...

This week I finished two books.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

As advertised, it's a family drama in a Sonoma California setting featuring a family vineyard.  I enjoyed this book very much.  A close family with  believeable disagreements and interactions. The reviews for this book are all over the place but I read it every chance I got.  The workings of the vineyard, what it meant to the children growing up there and how they feel about it as adults when it looks like the father is about to give it all up. 

There is also the drama of Georgia getting thrown for a loop when she sees her fiance walking down the street with his former girlfriend (a superstar actress) and a 5 year old little girl. Obviously there is an explanation. Some good quotes within and I liked this one:

"You really shouldn't live your life doing what you think you should do."

Perfect time for every family member to evaluate where they are with current life choices and make changes. 4.5 stars

Currently Reading 

 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

 and Stanley Tucci's What I Ate in One Year.

Abandoned:  The Postman by David Brin.  It was on my classics list and it's also apocalyptic so I was going to add that to my Apocalyptic tab page above. 👆 I read up to the 29% point when an organized dog fighting scene was introduced.  Possibly it's just the one scene but considering the descriptions of the people gathered and betting, considering the fall of society, I thought I'd just stop.  I am a tender hearted person regarding animals, fiction or not, I don't want to read about abuse.

I'll need to replace that title on my Classics Club list.

That's it for me right now.  I hope you had a good reading week.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

A puzzle, a fox and lots of books

Sunday already.  This week has flown by for me. The temps have been up and down so one day we are sitting on the porch while Loki suns himself and the next I have the heater going and I'm inside working on a puzzle.

I have a new puzzle, courtesy of my son, so I started sorting the colors on Monday evening. It's the World of Jane Austen with a photo key on the back describing each character and which book they belong with. Very cool.

A fox visited us this week to eat the birdseed.  Sometimes I think I am feeding everyone but birds here :-)

Books finished this week

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico

The Book Club by Roisin Meaney

Currently reading / Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave.

Mailbox Monday brought me the latest issue of Book Page and JoAnn sent me Three Days in June by Anne Tyler.

That's it for the week. Hoping for a little outing next week to get photos of birds and alligators.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico#ClassicsClub #BriFri

The Snow Goose is a short classic by Paul Gallico, published in January 1941. I sought this title out after reading Peter Heller's book The Orchard as his well educated main character and narrator was named Frith, one of the main characters in The Snow Goose.

Here is the plot of The Snow Goose - Philip Rhayader is a hunchback with dark hair and a beard, a hump, and a crooked hand resembling a claw. He had much love and empathy to give, but everyone was repelled by his appearance.  He was was shunned by all in the town and so heartbroken and lonely, he retreated to an abandoned lighthouse on the salt marshes in Essex.  His company was nature and the various wildlife which he captured in paintings.

Then a wild looking little girl called Frith came to his island. She was very brave. She carried an injured snow goose, not knowing what it was, wanting to save it. She had heard of Rhayader's ability to heal and shelter animals. While wary of this large man she had a good heart and wanted to save the bird.

Once the goose heals it flys north but returns every October to visit with Rhayader.  Frith, while brave and headstrong, is also a very lonely girl. Her friendship with Rhayader is good for them both.  She returns and visits over the years and he shares his knowledge of the marshes, birds and books.  They enjoy talking over the seven winters they visit and the healed snow goose returns each year as well.

After a hearing of the battle at Dunkirk Rhayader realizes he can help using his little boat, possibly saving trapped soldiers.  Frith begs him not to go as it would be dangerous with Germans still bombing the waters but he sees at last he can contribute and tells her to stay on the island, sailing away to help. The themes are compassion, acceptance, love and friendship.

Sharing with:

The Classics Club

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

J

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan is a stunning book. It’s not one you’d read through very quickly but one you would want to pick up over time. It’s filled with delightful stories about birds, nature and personal observations.

Naturally I needed to use my favorite bird mug for sipping while reading.  (That mug made it through many years with me at work and brought me happiness in a Dilbert world)

I like the forward of the book written by David Sibley where he’s talking about early birding memories and starting a life list of birds he has seen.

When I was reading the forward I noticed she mentioned not driving and I wondered why.  Turns out she has Lyme Disease and I read about that on her website HERE.  It's a very interesting article.

Besides the commentary about the birds and observations, she also sketches the birds and does the artwork.  This labor of love is a result of our author needing escape from the state of our country and racism she encountered.  What a lovely way to channel distress into something positive.

In the back of the book, there is a selected reading list, sharing many authors and resources during the writing of this book.

If you have a bird lover in your family this would make a wonderful gift.

This book is shared with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Category: Garden