Coastal Road and other books

Hello book buddies.  It's crazy that we are a week away from November and the time change. I am hoping to get out today for early voting. It was in the local news that ICE parked in our library parking lot, a location for early voting that's huge and always busy. Thankfully law enforcement, both local and state, ran them off. Hopefully they weren't able to intimidate anyone.

I am just back from a reconnaissance trip to Nebraska where we visited our son. After recovering from the activity and airline travel I have made a list of all  the book reviews to catch up on. 

Today I will start with The Coast Road by Alan Murrin. 

 

The Coast Road is set in a small town in Ireland where everyone knows one another and their personal business as well.  Hard to believe there wasn't a single happy healthy marriage represented but I suppose that was the point of the book.  It was depicting the sad situation women were in before divorce was legalized in the late 1990s. Yes....in 1995 divorce was finally legal.

The storyline centers mostly on three women and their unfortunate marital situation. Delores is married to Donal, a man who cheats.  She has three children and is pregnant with another.  They have a vacant cottage on this coast road near their home but it doesn't usually rent out during the off season. This cottage comes into play soon.

Enter Colette into the storyline.  She is from this same little town in Donegal and fled her marriage to live in Dublin with her lover. Now Colette has returned alone and wants to rent the cottage.  While Delores isn't sure about it, she rents to this "disgraced woman."  

Finally we meet Izzy.  She is not happy with her politician husband's narrow-minded views and seeks activities to keep herself busy and happy.  She takes writing classes taught by Colette and they renew the "friendship," such as it was. After Colette left her husband he wouldn't allow her to see her children. She hopes Izzy will arrange for her to see her sons as both Izzy and Collete's sons attend the same school...maybe a visit could be arranged.

This reminded me somewhat of A Family Matter by Claire Lynch in regard to Irish laws and how men could control the terms of a marriage.  Are you happy?  No? Well too bad because this is how things are. Period. That's not to say a man can't be unhappy in a  marriage but he is not without options.  He couldn't file for divorce either but the law was on his side to keep the children if he wished or exile the wife as unfit.

There is a good twist at the end of this book. Some resolution, a bit of justice but with any Irish story....some sadness. Good writing and could be slow at times but you get a good solid snapshot the characters and their daily life. 3.75 stars

Other books I have read but not reviewed are: 

The things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout  (finished on my the flight up to NE.)

Thirty Below by Cassidy Randall (nonfiction buddy read with Susan)

Good People by Patmeena Sabit 

At this point I may write a review for these but will likely just rate them on Goodreads.

Finally,  Mr. Loki was one happy camper to get picked up from boarding.  We missed him and we may never leave him again for boarding.  Apparently I am a fan of travel in theory but not in real life. 

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

A list of books featuring older charactersand Kate Morton and Peter Heller have new books on the horizon!

Hello all.  I've been slacking on visiting and blogging but it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about you...just distracted. Honest. 💗

Last week I wrote up a post about my last category in the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge here.  Getting ready to firm up my completion post for that challenge. I've been loving nonfiction this year more than ever. Much thanks to Shelleyrae for hosting and giving us good suggestions for nonfiction. 

New books coming out / I am a subscriber to Kate Morton's newsletter and received the great news she is publishing a new book.  Yea!  It's called Christabel set to come out early next year.  

Also learned Peter Heller has one coming out called The Far Blue, also set to publish early next year.

Books with older characters / Recently I read an article about books featuring older characters and thought I would share that here.  Some I've read, some I plan to read.

Some books featured in this article are:

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

That had me looking at some other titles with older characters - here are some I've read and some I would like to.

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney 

How to Read a Book by Monica 

Still Alice by Lida Genova

The Ferryman and his Wife by Frode Grytten

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (a favorite)

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (I've read it and watched it)

Two Old Women by Velma Wallis - set in the Arctic

 I enjoy armchair travel, particularly to the U.K., so if you are in the mood for a book with an older character in an English setting, here are a few more titles:

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

 Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (apparently it's a series)

If anyone has some other suggestions please feel free to share the titles. 

That's all I have.....just wanted a bit of conviviaity with book minded bloggers. 

I leave you with a photo of our recent rabbit visitor who comes straight up to the porch. I love the little white star on the forehead. 

Hope you week is going well and you are enjoying life.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday 

Mozart in the Jungle{2026 Nonfiction Readng Challenge}

Nonfiction has been rocking my reading world this year.  I had signed up for six categories but ended up doing all twelve and a few more besides. Here is one for the final category  - Subculture.

 Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs and Classical Music by Blair Tindell

I ended up getting this book after watching four seasons of the TV show, supposedly based on this book. They certainly took liberties with the plot but I will say I enjoyed the show more than the book. That's unusual as the books are usually much better than a tv show or movie.

In the series, Blair was depicted as passionately wanting an oboe since she was a little girl.  Not the case at all.  Musical instruments were handed out in class when she was a schoolgirl.  The teacher had instruments and called students up by last name, allowing them to pick which they'd like to try.  By the time they got to students with the last name starting with T, Blair was presented with a bassoon or an oboe.  She took the smaller of the two.

The show made classical music and the career with these great orchestras seem glamorous to some degree.  The book showed how most of the musicians were underpaid with the exception of those freelance superstar cellists, pianists, violinists, etc. The superstars wrote their own ticket and if they took a fancy to you and started a sexual relationship, your career was boosted.  You got better parts, more solos. Until the relationship ended.

"I was too naive to understand how freelance musicians landed gigs through networking."

The schools oversold the prestige and ability to get a position in an orchestra.

“Will there be jobs for that many?” one Raleigh women’s club member wondered, pointing out that New York already overflowed with aspiring performers who worked at menial positions outside the arts to make ends meet."

The subculture of musicans and how they vied for jobs, some doing drugs, some sleeping around for a chance at a better position within an orchestra was a real tell-all. Blair started considering the mistake of following that idea of being a successful musician. 

"Probably the kids from my grade-school classes had careers that offered health benefits and retirement funds. They probably strove to excel in nine-to-five jobs where they were rewarded with promotions. My life felt very wrong. I didn’t know how I was going to survive."

Oh, what an eye-opener about the musicians working in orchestra pits for Broadway productions. Horrific conditions !

"Stage fog had become a health issue for theatrical productions. At Beauty and the Beast, musicians had developed eye and lung irritation, sinusitis, nausea, flulike symptoms, rashes, and asthma attacks. Woodwind players’ reeds tasted of smoke and chemicals the next day. Many musicians wore gas masks, as recommended by doctors at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine who had studied their work environment."

Another book I had considered for Subculture was a reread of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.  There are many similarities with the behind-the-curtain look of low paying jobs, grueling hours and a drug culture. 

For this book I will rate it a 3.  Lots of slow parts and uninspiring yet an eye opener for the life of an aspiring musician.

Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. Category: Subculture

🥀 Flowers, allergies and a nonfiction to share....Homeless by Liyana Dhamirah{2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge}

I had an appointment at an allergy clinic this week to see if I am allergic to seafood, crustations or mollusks.  Big surprise - I am not allergic to any of those, in spite of the reaction I had which required Prednisone.   The culprit is coconut 🥥. Funny thing as I had eaten coconut before but now it gives me hives. I can easily live without coconut and am happy it wasn't olives, coffee or chocolate.

In the front garden my Cosmos are still blooming but the season will end soon. Still getting quite a few bees visiting.

Loki isn't about to mess about with bees. "I'll just observe from inside, thank you very much!"

Book chat / Here is another nonfiction for the challenge for the South East Asia category. 

Homeless: The Untold Story of a Mother's Struggle in Crazy Rich Singapore by Liyana Dhamirah is a very short memoir. The author takes us on a journey of how she ended up homeless and living in a tent on the beach with her small children. 

Singapore has two faces - the rich side and the poverty side. Through a set of circumstances, which were a combination of Liyana's limited and sometimes poor choices,  the author ended up living in a tent on the beach. There she learned there was a community of others like her.  The homeless people ended up there in a "tent city" due to varying situations. Despite their hardships and challenges most supported one another best they could.

She made the tent a home for her children and did her best, keeping a more positive attitude than most could.  Can't imagine getting pregnant at 16 after being raped at a party, then marrying but ultimimately beng kicked out of her mother-in-law's home.  It was such a sad set of cirmcumstances.

Being intelligent she found some solutions, ended up being interviewed and turned her life around.  She also brought attention to the lack of infrastructure in the society to assist those facing homelessness. 

Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. Category: South East Asia 

This will make fifteen nonfictions I have read so far in 2026. 📚😀

Next up is another nonficton for the Subculture category and a possible fall reading list (which I hope I can stick to!).  

Nothing but book chat for Sunday Salon

It's been a while since I posted....time got away and life happens so....better late than never!

It's officially  Fall so of course I am going to talk about my summer reading and how that went.   My summer reading goal of getting to all my library holds didn't go as well as I hoped.  Different books arrived and I got distracted by a new book, or one on my Kindle, but hey, I'm still reading.

Of the original titles on my list beginning in June I have read nine and a half.  Yeah...the half book is Brawler as I read more than 50% but didn't finish it out. 

Overall I did read sixteen books from June to the end of August. 

Five of those were from my Classic Club list.

Here are the titles I managed from the original list. Five fiction and four nonfiction books. 

Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah

Under Water by Tara Menon (buddy read with Susan)

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise (I liked this enough to purchase another of her books)

Whistler by Ann Patchett - Favorite 🏆 (buddy read with Susan)

This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman

Believe by Jeremy Egner Nonfiction 

Priceless by Robert Wittman Nonfiction 

Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love Nonfiction 

Strangers by Belle Burden Nonfiction (buddy read with Susan)

Two DNF

The News From Dublin by Colm Toibin - I like his novels way better.  Give me Brooklyn, Long Island and Nora Webster any day.

Brawler by Lauren Groff - I read over half of this one.  Short stories aren't usually my thing.  The first one was brutally sad. Since I read more than half the book I suppose I don't have to count it as DNF, but I will.

Roaring into fall I finished two more for my 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.  Will post that in a few days. 

It's just been a while since I was on the keyboard and wanted to do an update. Tomorrow I go to an allergist for testing to see what I should avoid in the future. Yea, two hours of needles!  But I want to avoid that Prednisone in the future so...let's see what is going on.

Hope all is well in your world.  

Sharing with Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

A fractured marriage, classical musicians and trip to the nursery

Hello friends.  What is going on in your part of the world?  I have been filling my time reading, walking around a nursery looking at plants and looking forward to a trip next month to see family. 

One of my latest books was a nonfiction by Belle Burden titled Strangers.  This was a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card  and also meets one of my nonfiction challenge categories hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out. (published in 2026)

While I knew going into this book it was a memoir that mostly concentrated on Belle Burden's divorce, there was something a bit disingenuous about the reporting of "events" in my opinion.

I have a long review and more thoughts about this fractured relationship on Goodreads. If interested click HERE to read.    My rating is a solid 3.5 stars. The writing was good and only a few times did I think it came across as whiney. 

Anyone who has read in the beginning or the book flap knows the premise. Belle and James are hunkering down in isolation during Covid at their Martha's Vineyard home when Belle gets a text from a stranger.  "Your husband is having an affair with my wife"...whaaat?  Terrible way to find out about infidelity.  James confirms it's true, states the affair has gone on one month and it's over.  Belle double checks with the unknown wronged husband to see if that time frame is accurate...because that seemed to make a difference to her...the time frame. James states it's nothing Belle did or didn't do and he's sorry.

Then, an about face  over night with James' saying he isn't happy and turns icy cold telling her he will file for divorce. 

"Without warning or explanations, her husband of twenty years announced he was leaving her."  Suddenly he was a stranger to her. As readers, are we now prepared to hate on James.  I'm not totally convinced we have all the facts.  Again, if you want to read the longer review check it out on Goodreads.

📚📚📚📚

The next book is Mozart in the Jungle by Blair Tindell.  We watched all four seasons of the series on Amazon and I wanted to compare the book. Turned out the book is very different. Barely anything in common with the show but there are a couple of overlaps. I'll add a short review this week.

Watching/ Mozart in the Jungle on Amazon Prime. We enjoyed the orchestral scenes and look at the lives of some of the celebrated veteran musicians.  There are behind the scenes with scheming, sex, drugs and the relationships in addition to the concerts and practices for the orchestra..  They had guest appearances in later seasons such as violnist Joshua Bell and pianists Emanual Ax and Lang Lang. Bernadette Peters was a hoot in this show. This is not a documentary, fictional but loosely based on some true scenarios.

Lucky was also a hit for us.  This is a crime thriller with loads of action and lots of twists. The end of this - wow! Timothy Olyphant, Annette Benning and the star Anya Taylor-Joy played off each other well. This is wrapped up in one season and based off a book by Marissa Stapley. 

I leave you with a photo of one of the resident kittens at the nursery.  This guy is very curious and has loads of personality.   He is interested in Loki and makes careful approaches while his siblings flee as soon as they see my big-eared pup.

Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. Category: Published in 2026

Also sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

Another Classic - The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier

Well I have done it again.  Too many library holds have arrived before I was ready to balance them all.  Currently was reading the nonfiction Strangers by Belle Burden as a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card and just finished it yesterday.   Review upcoming on this one.

My latest classic finished is The Scapegoat by Daphne DuMaurier.  I was hoping to read at least three more from my list before the end of the year.  It's a balancing act with all  the library books I am getting, wanting to get to them all.

What a story.   A nice English history professor named John, vacationing in Le Mans, is considering his life and how to change it when he meets a Frenchman named Jean.  This man Jean holds an artistocratic title, is almost a twin in physical resemblance to English John but their ethics and personalities are quite different.  Jean is a true scoundrel.  They may look identical but there is a vast difference in their morals and lifestyle.

"We did not speak: we went on staring at one another. I had heard of these things happening, of people who meet casually and turn out to be long-lost cousins, or twins parted at birth; and the idea is amusing, or perhaps fraught with tragedy, like the Man in the Iron Mask."

After getting John drunk Jean absconds  with English John's identity papers, money and possessions.  He goes to England to assume John's life.  Upon awakening from a drunken sleep,  John feels he can not contact the police with zero proof of his true identity so he assumes Jean's identity and heads for the chateau.   Well...of course, that makes sense.

John walks into a family situation where no one expects him to be good or kind.  Remember,  Jean was/is a scoundrel and left a wake of misery behind. It was interesting to see John with his decent values change the dynamics of that family's situation, repairing relationships and financial dealings. The end leaves one wondering which path these two men will take. Jean will never change, but I don't think John will either.  

Linking with:

 Joy for British Isles Friday

The Classics Club

Women in Translation month and Souvlaki :-)

 August is Women in Translation Month and I had a few titles in mind but only managed one book.  Maybe next year I can organize a better plan with the titles I have noted.  Check out the link and read more about this annual global event.

A favorite of mine is Valérie Perrin and I have her newest book Tata translated by Hildegarde Serle .  She isn't everyone's cup of tea but she is mine. I've read three of her previous publications.

Her books start slowly but as the characters and stories weave together there are solid connections. Stories within stories. Agatha is one of our main characters, a film writer and quite famous in France and the U.S. She receives a call from the police in France informing her Aunt Collette has died. Impossible, she says, as she buried her aunt three years ago. Positive identification reveals it truely is her aunt.  So who is buried in Collette's grave?

"The captain from the gendarmerie told me they’re going to compare Colette’s DNA with mine, and they’ll be exhuming ‘the person.’” “It’s not right to disturb the dead,” Adèle whispers. “But we need to know the truth.”

As you read you will hear Collette's backstory about a mother who didn't love her, a brother named Jean she was devoted to and how she ended up in an untenable situation. She supported Jean's musical genius in spite of their mother's attempts to thwart them at every turn. She sacrificed and supported a friend who had been abused. Collette harbored some deep secrets. The way these story lines weave in and out and make connections is brilliant. Nothing is what it seems at face value.

By the 65% mark revelations unfold. For me, her books are like eating a piece of luscious cake and saving  that icing until last. It unfolds. It comes together and there's the big finish.  The friendships from Agatha's past in the small French town are renewed and she has so much support.  You get the friends' stories as well and there were many surprises. I enjoyed the book.  That said, my favorites by Perrin are Three and Fresh Water for Flowers.

Foodie stuff / I modified a Skinnytaste recipe for Chicken Souvlaki and we loved it. First we tried stuffing it into the warm pita pockets. What a mess, especially after the tzatziki was added on top.  Like a messy taco.

Then we just piled the chicken, garlic and onion mixture over the salad mix.  This works out much better. Very good and we will have it again sometime.

Coming up I will do a roundup of my summer reading goals and see how many I finished. Plan a good list to focus on for Fall.

Last post I made compared two teachers from books on my Classic Club list. Jean Brodie and E.R. Braithwaite.  🏛📚

Loki says hi.  My reading buddy here having his snack.

Sharing with Sunday Salon.

Mr. Braithwaite vs Miss Brodie{Two from my classic club list}

Hello bookish friends. My posting has suffered from a disheartening lack of motivation. Let's hope this is a reboot by writing about what I am reading.

This month I have tackled a few from my classics club list and also a book for the Women in Translation event.  For now I want to record the two classics about teachers with many similarities. 

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark and To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite.

Both were made into movies, both are short and well written, both teachers employ unconventional teaching practices and are influencial with the students.

The Prime of Miss Brodie is set at a girls school in Edinburgh. Miss Brodie teaches the junior level at a private school, girls aged 10-12 who are quite impressionable. 

We may have had teachers in our lives who we looked up to and in turn have influenced us.  Miss Brodie was an impressive teacher but not a good one, in my humble opinion.  She set up her own clique of young ladies who were easily affected, molding them to her values rather than teaching them critical thinking skills or encouraging their own opinions. She treated these select young girls as confidantes rather than keeping the professional boundaries needed in a teacher-student relationship. 

Miss Brodie inappropriately shared stories about her love life from an earlier time in her life, belittled one of her Brodie set girl, Mary MacGregor, yet keeping her within the group because she neeeded that scapegoat. This made the other girls, the Brodie girls, keep poor Mary at arm's length as they didn't want to stand out and found wanting.

Miss Jean Brodie - a supporter and admirer of Hitler and Mussolini, a strong willed teacher living some of her sexual dreams by sharing the meanderings of her romantic mind (in her prime or not) through the children.  As she is in a custodial position of trust I found that most inappropriate.   She unwittingly (or not) created her own little Fascist following with her set of girls.

Our main character here is actually the narrator, not Miss Brodie as one would think from the title. Keep an eye on young Sandy as she experiences and relates all of the "teachings" in this book.  She ends up betrayed by a student yet she kept a relationship with her "Brodie set" into their adult lives as they stayed in touch. 

Why would they stay in touch, was my question? 3 stars from me on this one and that is being rounded up.

Next is To Sir, With Love.  This one is set in a tough London school.  His students are a challenge and his perserverance pays off.

The narrative was smooth and I was impressed with the language, the premise and the outcome.  This book gave you food for thought about the racial climate in the 1960s as well.  Braithwaite served in the Royal Air Force and was brilliant with electronics, serving  as an engineer.  While he was born in Guyana he grew up in England, was well educated and eventually received a masters degree in physics.

Once out of the service he was told he was very well qualified for professional positions in his field.  While he was a good candidate it was his race that figured into the decision making.  Being black made him nearly unemployable and he became very bitter. It was suggested he apply to Greenslade school in a rougher poorer part of London as they needed teachers desperately. Braithwaite needed to live, to eat and pay a rent so he accepted this position teaching seniors. At first, it was just a job.

As an extraordinarily intelligent and well dressed man he stood out at this school, especially as he was the first black teacher there. The children were a nightmare, always pushing the limits, using poor language,  having zero expectation of him staying.  

The turning point came when he'd had it with their behavior and disrespect and announced some rules for the class.  He would be addressed as Mr. Braithwaite or Sir.  In turn he would address the young ladies as Miss and expect the boys to do the same.  The boys were treated to respect as well and this, among other reasonable rules, changed the young adults for the better. The children wrote weekly reports about what they learned, allowing them to air any grievences they may have without fear of reprisal.  

"Nonetheless, one thing clearly emerged: they were very pleased to be treated like grown-ups, to be talked to like equals. Fernman wrote: “He speaks to us as if we understand all the words he uses, and most of us try to look as if we do.” I smiled at this; they were already showing their stuff."

This modification of teaching tactics changed the students' interest regarding everything from active classroom discussions/interactions, exposure to cultural events by going to museums and concerts on field trips and even their hygiene.  They were treated with a respect never known before and in turn, became respectful of others. Mr. Braithwaite also experienced growth in character after negotiating the social norms and prejudices he can not change.  He becomes empathetic toward his charges and it is reciprocated.

I liked this book very much as it was well written and had my complete attention. Afterwards I sought out more of his books and have those to look forward to in the future. 4.5 Stars

Sharing with The Classics Club and Joy's British Isles Friday.

The Collector by John Fowles

 This week I have been tackling some of the books on my Classics Club list.   The first one I finished was John Fowles book The Collector.  

Next up I hope to read both To Sir, With Love and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie as they are both on my list and are about school teachers.  That will be fun to compare the two.

The Collector is about a young man named Fred Clegg who lives in small town in England with his old aunt. He works in an office, is socially awkward and I believe he's a psychopath. He is a collector of butterflies, scouting the more rare and beautiful ones and then adding them to his collection for display. He doesn't have mates to go to the pub with or socialize and is often ridiculed for his solitary lifestyle.

Then Fred enters the pools (like a lottery) and wins big. Substantial amount of money at his disposable so he resigns from work.

Now we introduce Miranda Grey. She is a beautiful young woman from an upper class family, attending an impressive school, studying art. Her friends are upper class as well and we learn of all this through Fred as he spies on her from afar.

Fred is obsessed with Miranda and thinks she is his ideal mate. He can not speak to her directly  as he is socially awkward. Once you get to know Miranda you will realize she is snobby and wouldn't have given Fred the time of day.

But now Fred has money, a lot of money, and buys a remote farmhouse in Sussex and has the basement fitted up with locks rendering it a jail house. Then Fred buys furniture, clothes that he thinks will fit Miranda and a gramophone. You can see where this may be going in a very creepy way.

After careful planning Fred awaits Miranda walking home one evening and asks her if she knows anything about dogs. He tells her he has just hit one with his van and it's injured. She leans in to see, he places a cloth with chloroform over her mouth and abducts her.

The first 120 or so pages are all Fred's thoughts. He wants Miranda as his wife, but never tries for sex as that isn't even proper unless you are married. He wants to keep her as he kept butterflies as she is, to him, rare and beautiful and something he can possess. He tells her she will grow to love him and they will be together always. She can have her own bedroom, she just has to love him and be his wife.

The next part of the book are Miranda's thoughts and her day dreams about a man she thinks she loves in her real life. She is snobby but shrewd, talking down to Fred and then trying to trick him so she can escape. Well, wouldn't you try and escape? She isn't likeable but I have empathy about her untenable situation.

There is a resolution to this kidnapping situation and then a very chilling ending. I won't give a spoiler but it's probably not the end you may imagine.

Themes about mental health issues, class distinctions.

Linking with 

The Classics Club

Joy's book Blog for British Isles Friday

Under Water by Tara Menon

Let me start by apologizing to anyone who has commented and didn't see it published.  Today I recognized I had over 10 comments in Spam awaiting approval.  Many from friends and I don't know why on earth they went to Spam.  In my haste, I clicked on "delete forever" instead of publish.  So...some I won't know about as I only briefly scanned the list. Apologies.

Book chat / Under Water by Tara Menon.  Look at that cover - it's visually stunning. 

n

This is a story about Marissa and Arielle's deep friendship and the insurmountable grief that occurs with Arielle's death. This is not a spoiler as this is described in the book flap.

Marissa has PTSD.  The beginning depicts a vile dream sequence, obviously symbolic of the loss of her dear friend Arielle.  

The chapters of this book take us back and forth from Thailand in 2004 to New York in 2012.  Disastrous events occured in both years, a tsunami  and a hurricane, both involving catastrophic damage and death by water and wind.  Marissa experiences both.

In present time Marissa starts her day writing copy for travel destinations to exotic places.  I like the jar of words she has to evoke imagery such as secluded, sparkly, gleaming, cinematic,  etc. I liked the ritual of her pulling a slip of paper with a description out of that jar. As you read about her life it's clear she hasn't reconciled her friend's death these many years later as it affects so many things in her daily rituals and thoughts.

In the 2004 time period in Thailand, and years as they grow up together, the narrative establishes their wonderful friendship.  Both of their parents were marine biologists and this plays a part in their experiences and activities, especially in the water where they spend quite a bit of time.

There is much sadness in this book as Marissa dwells on environmental catastrophes and death.  It's not a constant but it's enlightening.  You will read about the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami  as well as Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

I liked the vivid descriptions of marine life, the colors of everything from the sky to the beach and visuals you could just inhale as you read. The story was good but it would have been a stronger book if it didn't skip from 2004 to 2012 every other chapter.  Let us read several chapters and really get into this friendship and their experiences and then take us to 2012 for a few chapters of that time line.  

Based on the writing I would read another by this author. 3.75 stars

This was a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.

📚📚📚

Next up is The Collector by John Fowles for my Classics Club goal and more of the library books to work on my summer goal.

I think when I start a new reading goal end of August I'll try and keep the reviews here short and elaborate more on Goodreads. 

Oh, Women in Translation month is August and I plan to read Tata by Valérie Perrin.  Are you going to participate in the WIT month?  Any book suggestions you can share?

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

Saoirse is engaging and Ivan Ilyich dies

It's been a week of storms and reading. Last Friday we had plans to pick up takeaway and watch a movie.  A big storm blew in rapidly with straight line winds, caused damage and knocked out electricity.  It was rather scary to be honest and I watched the neighbor's porch awning torn off the wall of his home.  Another neighbor had a tree fall on their house, knocking the chimney off their roof and into another home. Sadly two people died in the adjoining neighborhood when a tree fell across their car.

Electric was out until 2:30 a.m. which made sleeping a real treat. It was 80 F/26 C in the house and we were trapped.  The garage door is electric and the emergency manual pull was not aligned, which we didn't know beforehand so...yeah...trapped at home.  But I should not complain as so many had it worse and we only experienced discomfort.  These storms seem to be getting worse every year. 

 Let's get to the books I read this week with Loki, my reading buddy. 

The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a very short and introspective book. 

This novella is about a man who has regrets during the end of his life. Ivan Ilych attained a good position in society and had a respectable career as a prosecutor.  He married well and you'd think he could be happy with his life.  But as soon as things aren't smooth in his marriage after his first child is born, he is irritated and displeased.  He spends less time at home to avoid conflict instead of being a partner in marriage, helping with any difficulties.  That may not have been the way life works for a man of that time period or how it goes in Russia.

"He now realized that matrimony – at any rate with Praskovya Fedorovna – was not always conducive to the pleasures and amenities of life, but on the contrary often infringed both comfort and propriety, and that he must therefore entrench himself against such infringement."

Upon hearing of Ivan's death his colleagues thoughts turn to promotion, now that a vacancy has occured they will all move "up the ladder."

"So on receiving the news of Ivan Ilych’s death the first thought of each of the gentlemen in that private room was of the changes and promotions it might occasion among themselves or their acquaintances."

It's a mystery why Ivan died.  He was hanging curtains and fell.  After that his health declined slowly.  His brother-in-law noticed this decline when he visited and urged Ivan to go to a doctor but no specific treatment was mentioned.  As he faded Ivan thought about all the things he wished he had done as he knew death was near.  He should have read more.  He should have been kinder and so on.  Regrets as he circled the drain.

I didn't feel sorry for him as he allowed pride and vanity to come before kindness and understanding. He wasn't a mean man but, if things weren't great for him, his irritation showed and he removed himself from a situation.

What happens after you die?  Well a lot of things happen after you die.  They just don't involve you.  Life goes on.

This is one from my Classics Club list.  3 stars.

📚📚📚📚

Next up is Saoirse. I liked this better than Ivan's story.

 An author new to me is Charleen Hurtbuise.  I would certainly read another of her books.  Saoirse was a page turner for me.  The end chapters were a bit intense and I stayed up late to finish the book.  The setting is 90% in Ireland and the back story is set in Michigan and Florida.  Two places I have lived :-)

Our main character's real name is Sarah Roy and she is living a secret life.  Sarah/Saoirse has fled a horrific past in the U.S.   She had grown up with a drug addict mother, a manipulative step father, neglect and crime.

Using a stolen passport she gets on a flight to Ireland.  Her seatmate Paul is overly solictious, helping her when she doesn't want it and after they land, kindly offers her a place to stay with his family...just for a few nights until she gets organized.  But Paul is not a good man. Paul is a creep and this is revealed later. Paul's mother makes room for her and over time things get out of hand. 

The Irish name Saoirse is bestowed on her by an admirer named Daithi (pronounced Dah Hee) when she is on a camping trip with Paul and his friends. I loved his character and Daithi is a good man. The wild coastline of Donegal county is where Daithi lives and it's so appealing in the descriptions.

Saoire is a talented artist but not a professional until, eventually,  her work gains great  attention.  The publicity she is getting makes her nervous as she fears her past will be revealed. She refuses interviews and doesn't attend any of her art showings. This only makes her more appealing and mysterious. 

Interspersed between some of the chapters are descriptions of Saorise's art.  It gives the title of the piece and the medium used such as charcoal, acrylic  etc. This is followed by one of her memories which inspired the art.  The thing is, the memories are not public, this is for us readers to hear her backstory and it isn't pretty.  Her trauma is expressed through art.

All she wants to do is reinvent her life and hopes the past will never catch up.  4.25 stars

Upcoming is Under Water by Tara Menon.  It was a good buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card .  Very descriptive prose about female friendship.  More later....

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday (for Saoirse)

The Classics Club

Be Curious, Not Judgmental{2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge}

This is a book for Ted Lasso fans.  If you have not watched the show the book will give you spoilers about some of the characters such as their emotional growth, both tragic and hilarious moments and certain key developments.  Of course if you have not watched the show you probably wouldn't read this book.

There are 12 chapters cleverly divided between sections titled Warmups, First Half, Second Half and Stoppage Time.

This takes you through the series from beginning, history of how the show was created, the making of season one during covid and the lockdown,  interviews with everyone involved.  The writers, the characters...all of them.  The format may not appeal to everyone but I was fine with it.

This is not a show about soccer.  It's about human decency, personal growth, relationships and touches on sensitive subjects such as mental health and anxiety.  

A few quotes:

• "The concept was simple: Take all the antiheroes that had dominated TV for years, from Tony Soprano to Walter White to Larry David, and do basically the opposite. 'Treat others with kindness. Greet setbacks with grace. Be curious, not judgmental. "I personally didn't want to do the arc of son of a bitch to saint," Sudeikis recalled "I was like, What about just playing a good guy," Jason Sudeikis
• 
  

•  "Brendan's football reference knowledge is unreal, like, its unprecedented. Its verging on concerning. He is the sage with that stuff" quote by Phil Dunster/Jamie Tartt. Page 132

• 
  

• "It’s mad that this was normal, people being fucking horrible to each other… It felt revolutionary to see someone being nice… And it shouldn’t have.” Brett Goldstein/Roy Kent

One of the chapters focuses on the music used in the show.  I had no idea there were so many hoops to jump through to get permissions to use a song.  Did you notice during the Rolling Stones song Like a Rainbow the different colors imposed on the scenes? Keely showed up in gold when that color was sung, when Leslie Higgins sees his wife "she's all in blue" and this song was Higgins' ringtone for his wife well. 

Roy Kent realizing what his heart wants, running through the London streets to Nelson Road. All the while the Stones are playing in the background.

The Father and Son song is still in my head.  That fits so well with sooooo many characters.  Jamie and his dad, Ted and his father, Ted and Henry, Rebecca, Nate Shelley and Sam Obisanya. 

* screenshot off Facebook (I'm not on FB but this was available to me)

All three seasons are set in England with one episode in Amsterdam. Ted, his family and Beard are the only Americans in the show.  Most all the other actors are British.

Obviously I am a big fan.  We watched it a second time a month ago.  Caught some other things we didn't notice before.  The Believe sign is on my wall at home. The water bottle is Loki's for the car.

Themes of forgiveness, healing, love

Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. Category: Television

Also sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday