Books, doctors and an anniversary!

These past few weeks have been a little busy but more like those hurry-up-and-wait  situations. We are both trying to change doctors which is taking way longer than it should. Then last week was a CT scan for my husband; we are scheduled for the results at a neurosurgeon this week. Friday I'll see a podiatrist and I sure hope I don't need that awkward boot on my foot.  It's my driving foot!  And I need to walk....ok, I am borrowing trouble early here, lol.

The good things are today is our 42nd wedding anniversary I think we are going out to lunch.  Also, I've been putting a dent in my summer reading plans as I've been inside quite a bit.  That equals more reading so, without further ado...here are some the books I finished. 

The News From Dublin. This Colm Tóibín book is a set of seven short stories set primarily in Dublin. There is sadness of course because that's what you get with Irish literature.  The first story was good, the second was confusing to me as to what was going on until read over half of that one.  Then  after a few more I was tired of the short stories so I count this as a DNF. 

I very much liked his books Brooklyn, Long Island and Nora Webster but I could have given this one a miss.  Just my opinion. I would read more by this author in the future.

Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah.  The setting is Montreal in 1986. I heard about this book from Jackie at Junkboat Travels, her post HERE.

This is about an immigrant from Lebanon trying to make a new life for herself and her young son Omar.  In 1984 Muna Heddad lived in Beirut with her beloved husband and son Omar. During the civil war her husband was kidnapped.  Her husband's family took care of her for a while but then "encouraged" her to follow through with the plans she and hubby made to immigrate to Montreal. Muna didn't really have a choice.

Muna is fluent in French and was a qualified teacher in her home country.  As there were a good number of French language teaching positions she thought she'd be able to get a good job in Montreal.  The postions always went to someone else who were either Canadian citizens or were just not Lebanese.

Finding housing and a job proved very difficult.  She was discriminated against for her nationality as well as having a child.  No one wanted to rent to her and have a noisy child around (he was not noisy).

Muna was forced to accept a job as hotline operator for a weight loss center.  You know the ones selling packaged foods and pitching the positive lifestyle? It was a paycheck and she needed to provide for her son.  The experience was sad watching her stretch her money to afford decent food, shop at thrift shops for warm clothes all the while missing her husband.  Always holding out hope he survived. 

The positive part of her job was connecting with people, realizing her "clients" were also experiencing hardships and her calls helped them, just by lending an ear and being positive.  Sometimes that's all someone needs - a kind word.

This story is inspired by the author's experience as his mother moved them to Montreal and scraped together a  life for them.  I can't imagine  being in that position, moving to a foreign country where my options were limited only by others prejudices and trying to make ends meet. Overall a positive and heartwarming story. 

I would read more by this author. 4.5 stars

This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman.

This is one of those family drama novels I like with an interesting cast of characters.

After I had read this book I saw some reviews saying it was like short stories but I didn't find it to be that way.  The first chapter had so many characters mentioned I was getting confused about relationships until I bookmarked the family tree in the front.  After that, I had no trouble keeping the relationships straight.

First off it starts with the youngest sister Jeanne in hospice and all the family members making visits. Some heartfelt and loving, others obligatory visits. After that chapter each one after focuses on one person's point of view as life goes on. 

In one chapter where Pam is telling her boyfriend about the Isabella Gardner art museum and how you get in free if your name is Isabella, I had to look that up.  Yep, it's a lifetime free pass if your name is Isabella. (That's the boyfriend's daughter's name).

I had many bookmarked pages on the kindle and highlights which can be read on Goodreads. 4.25 stars

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So, that's one book off the library holds list and two from my shelves,  I am just about finished with Priceless, a nonfiction about art theft. 

How is your summer or winter reading going, depending on your hemisphere? 

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Books and flowers and rabbits

 Hello fellow bookworms! I hope life has been good and you have lots of good reading material on hand.  Mornings I've been outside fiddling with the flowers, inside reading during the hottest part of the day and have had a couple of surprisingly pleasant evenings on the back porch.

It's not usually cool enough to sit out but we did have two nights.  Doug had his bourbon and I had my fizzy water.  Loki enjoyed some treats and stared out into the yard. He was asleep by the time this rabbit visited.

Let's talk books.  Recently I finished the Midnight Train by Matt Haig.

You can't change the past but you can witness it unfold on The Midnight Train.   The catch is, if you're on the Midnight Train you have just died.  You look on as a spectator at both the wonderful moments and the painful ones.

Our main character is Wilber Budd and after he dies he has this experience. The long dead Mrs. Bagsdale is his guide, a bookshop owner he liked and respected in his youth. She is with him on this journey as the train makes stops during the key moments in Wilber's life. 

Wilber's father died in WW II and he grew up poor, watching his Mam counting coins to see what groceries she could afford. It imprinted a sense of financial insecurity that stuck with him.  

As a young boy he was very well read, lots of classic books reminding me of Noel in Crooked Heart and V for Victory.  Wilber would haunt Bagsdale's Bookstore and read, standing there wanting to buy the book but having no money.   He strived to do all he could to afford good things in life, but it came at a dear expense with relationships.

There is tragedy, moments of celebration and of course regret he has for the-road-not-taken.  His dead self would like to alter things and he continually asks Mrs. Bagsdale if he may interact, change the path of his life.  

Way into the book towards the end the character Nora Seed pops up.  She has a small part and was the main character in The Midnight Library.  I was delighted to see her for those fleeting moments.  If you are a fan of Matt Haig's you'll enjoy this book.  I think I enjoyed The Midnight Library more but I liked this book. 

I suppose the theme is take a look at your life as it is and while you can't change the past, you can  be mindful of your choices here and now. 

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Currently reading Hotline by Dimirti Nasrallah, one of the books on my kindle I'd planned to get to.  Actually I am almost done so I will be starting my list for the next goal, the library holds list. That can be summer reading.

I just got in these three, one is an interlibrary Loan so I need to be mindful of that due date.

What is on your reading list currently?  Any challenges for the summer?  Wishing you all the best.

Sharing this post with Joy for British Isles Friday as British author Matt Haig book set this book primarily in London.  

Hotel Du Lac and Two Old Women (two very short books)

The Classic Club Spin number was 9 so I read Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner.

This book is short at 184 pages but it felt long....because nothing significant happened. I found myself starting to skim and who does that with a book under 200 pages. I'm in the minority as I see its gotten good reviews but this one didn't do it for me.

Our main character is Edith Hope and she finds herself leaving London and spending time at Hotel Du Lac in Switzerland.  An exile of sorts.  She abandoned her fiancé as well as the married man she was diddling around with.  A faithful woman she is not. There are many descriptive chapters but not a lot of dialogue.

 With her ruminating about her situation, she finally settles on a life decision.  She is knowingly settling and accepting how her life will be with neither enthusiasm or regret, just acceptance. Some people loved this book but I did not.

Anita Brookner was an English novelist with many publications. Maybe I'll try another book of hers in the future.

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I also read Two Old Women (Anniversary Edition) by Velma Wallis. Publication date 1993, 140 pages. #oldercharacters

This is a story about a migrating group of indigenous people, trying to survive the harsh Arctic conditons without starving or dying of hypothermia.  It was survival of the fittest and with food scarce, it was decided to leave two elderly women behind as they continued their trek to find shelter and good hunting.  

Some tribesmen didn't want to leave the women to freeze or starve while others knew the burden of slowing their pace or sharing the little food they had. The women, both over 75 years of age, were heartbroken by this betrayal.  They decided they would die trying before giving up and surprised themselves.  After some introspective thoughts they started hiking towards a area where fishing was plentiful.  They set snares to capture rabbits, they worked together and while it was slow progress, they weren't ready to lie down and die.

We have learned much during our long lives. Yet there we were in our old age, thinking that we had done our share in life. So we stopped, just like that. No more working like we used to, even though our bodies are still healthy enough to do a little more than we expect of ourselves.”

This short book was packed with themes of resilience and determination. 4 stars

Armchair travel took me to Alaska, France and England.

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Upcoming a list of books to get off the shelves and kindle and a monthly wrapup.

Sharing with:

 Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday (for the Anita Brookner book)

The Classics Club

Mudlarking would be a fun hobby

The Mudlarkers Club by Jane Riley is a very light positive read.  This women's fiction is predictable in many ways with cosy descriptions of friendship and personal growth.    This is set in London where our main character, Gemma, learns about trust and self discovery after her husband abandons her.  

I'm not usually drawn to cosy type books but I liked the connection with a group who share a passion for mudlarking... which sent me down that rabbit hole.

The topic had me look up mudlarking which led me to follow an Instagram account to see the treasures people find.  Here are snaps of two Instagram accounts with their mudlarking finds.

Just finished YesterYear with Susan at The Cue Card and just... wow. Review upcoming but I'll say this was a surprise ending. Funny how captivated I was by a book with awful characters.  Well written and I'll post a review here and on Goodreads.

Currently reading The Young Will Remember by Eve Chung.  Well I just started it this morning so, not too far in.

The Classic Club spin number indicates I will read Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner.  This is a short book so I may add another title from my classics list. Knock out two, why not.   

Other than that, I am still fiddling with flowers, seeds and weeding early in the day.  It gets awfully hot after 10:30 so I am in...reading. Hope your life is full of good things and great books.

Linking with:

Joy for British Isles Friday 

British Breakfasts, Classics and bookish plans

Hello to my bookish friends!  I am inside for a very rainy day and getting some good reading in.  Taking a break to post about books and have more coffee. 

Currently I am reading YesterYear by Caro Claire Burke with Susan at The Cue Card. The start of this leads me to believe we are getting a snapshot of events from our main character's future, us being dropped in the middle of a crazy situation.  I read on to see what happened beforehand.  She isn't a very likeable person yet I am interested to see how events unfold, before and after. It's a page turner.

Recently I finished a nonfiction by Felicity Cloake titled Red Sauce, Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey.

This was a fun book about traveling through England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the Isle of Man, in search of regional breakfast preferences.  Felicity Cloake rides her bike, meeting up with other cycling enthusiasts and samples a traditional breakfast from the area. The end of the chapters, after eating, they state their preferences for using a red or brown sauce, or nothing added at all.

I grew up using ketchup on eggs, still do. That is apparently a regional thing as I witness anything from raised eyebrows to revulsion here in the south.  Completely unsolicited opinion on MY breakfast.  I grew up in the Philadelphia area and that's what I was used to.

They stop at pubs, tour farms and are educated about honey and bread making, disappointed by being turned away at the Marmite factory as it was during lockdown/covid times.  They ride in beautiful weather as well as rainy gloomy conditons. Felicty suffered a hamstring injury early on but managed to adapt, making her way across the British Isles.  This is a story about cycling. friendship with a detailed foodie element. Oh, there are also some recipes included.

The English-speaking peoples are differentiated from the other nations of the earth by the peculiar and substantial character of their breakfast … to the nation as a whole the British breakfast remains as sacrosanct as the British constitution. – F. Marian McNeill, 1932

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Last but not least, the Classics Club has announced another Spin event HERE and I will write up a post about it next.  Hope to participate with a book from my list.

I hope you are well, have a stack of great books and enjoying life.

Linking with:

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge for the Food category

Joy for British Isles Friday for British author Felicity Cloake

John Green and Chloe Dalton captivated me this week

I had two excellent nonfiction books this past week.  Let's start with John Green's book.

This was my first John Green book and I found it very informative and sad at times.  The explanations for medical resources and discoveries were written in laymans terms, easy enough for me to understand, saddened by the lack of medical care where it is needed most, yet hopeful for those suffering from tuberculosis.

The disease was where the cure was not, and the cure was where the disease was not.

Not all who suffer from the disease have options for treatment. It's like chasing your tail in Sierra Leone with rates of tuberculosis remaining high because of poverty and malnutrition. There is foremost the issue of affordability for food and medicine, not to mention the costs of transporation to a facility to receive treatment.

Where there is a wealthy population elsewhere in the world, the cure is readily available.   Therefore, the disease is not is not an issue.

"We could reimagine the allocation of global healthcare resources to better align them with the burden of global suffering."

In chapter 11 it was interesting to read about superstitions in the ages past and how the disease changed fashion. In 1916 a magazine article discusses how hemlines were shortened so women's dresses didn't drag through dirt, thus bringing bacteria into the home.  Men's whiskers were trimmed, or shaved completely, in attempts at cleanliness. 

There is great information in this book for the health category and I'm glad I read it.

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Next was the book Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.  I couldn't put this one down.

Chloe Dalton, a British foreign policy writer in a fast paced environment is suddenly thrust into a solitary life style when the pandemic hit. Remember that, when we all wore masks and avoided people because of Covid?  She sheltered and worked remotely from her rural home in the English countryside when she crossed paths with a leveret.

A leveret, a baby hare, was trying to be invisible in the path.  She wisely left it alone as the mother hare wouldn't accept it, or find it, if she moved it out of harms way.  But it was there hours later and she took it to shelter before it was found by predators or crushed by a vehicle.   That moment changed her life.

She took care of it and against all odds it survived.  In doing so she never tried to domesticate it, never named it and allowed it the freedom to go back to the wild when it was ready. The relationship evolved and caused Dalton to look at nature differently. She became more attuned to the seasons, wildlife and how man and nature sometimes did not exist harmoniously.  She made great accommodations for the hare as it grew, being there for safety but allowing it to be wild. I very much enjoyed reading her thoughts over the three year period she researched, provided and observed the hare and other creatures in nature.

Some of this book reminded of James Rebanks' Pastoral Song in regard to being stewards of the land.  That was a very good book as well.

This story is a 5 star for me. 

Linking with:

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge for the Health category on the Green book and the Memoir category on the Dalton book. 

Joy for British Isles Friday for British author Chloe Dalton and Raising Hare

Lots and lots of books....

Saturday already.  I've been trying to get myself organized with the books I want to review as well as the next books in queue.  Let's talk books first.

Currently reading two nonfictions. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green and Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.

My reading buddy, Loki, enjoying some sunshine while I sit in the shade. 

Raising Hare is hard to put down and I'll most likely be done with both nonfictions before the end of the weekend.

Finished Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (review in link).  This is a good one for a book club discussion.  

Here is my list of books I hope to get off the shelf or read on Kindle.

Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan

The Coast Road by Alan Murrin

Red Sauce, Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey by Felicity Cloake - Nonfiction

But wait! ....the library holds came in so...here is what I received. 

The Rest of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovits and More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen.  Let's see how I can balance these with due dates and length of books. Yikes.

Watching

We don't subscribe to Britbox but we did manage to get season 3 of Blue Lights from the library on DVD. Police (Peelers as they are called in Northern Ireland) work the streets in Belfast.  Gritty and tense, great police drama if you like them.  We had the previous two seasons from the library as well.  Hope they do a fourth season.

Linking up with:

A Good Book and a Cup of Tea

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

Watching, reading and sneezing

I've come to realize this online diary connects me to people all over the globe, when I link up to socialize. Otherwise it's just nice to sit at my keyboard and get some thoughts out.  

Even though I use a lovely planner and write just about everything in it, it's nice to post what I am reading and watching. Observations. Disgust and embarrassment about my country.  Plans for books, shows and flowers in the garden. 

Almost done reading Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.  A buddy read with Susan which has generated much discussion about events unfolding in this long drama. I'll add a review next week but I am sure I will add some spoilers to be hidden via Goodreads as well.

Reading plans are always fluid....even when I write out a few titles in my notebook to keep me on track. As I was fortunate enough to win a couple of books from LibraryThing I will add those to the list. I finished Should Have Told You Sooner by Jane Ward. Thank you, LibraryThing for the book.  Complimentary books are always appreciated.

The main character here is Noel Enfield, a woman with secrets. She was named for her grandfather, by the way.  She is working at a museum in Massachusetts and has the career opportunity of a lifetime at a gallery in London. Here is the complication (one of many) - she is going through divorce from Andy and she has a young stepdaughter Alice. Noel wants to retain the relationship with Alice but the acrimonious nature of this divorce has Alice picking sides and it's not Noel's.

This one statement from her husband Andy made her decide to end her marriage. "For someone who's never been pregnant you sure know a lot." That was in reference to a woman feeling ill at their party. It was a big secret she kept from Andy; she had a baby and gave it up for adoption.

Noel couldn't continue to live a lie. After 7 years of marriage it's a bit late to explain you had a baby and gave it away. She never did tell Andy so I imagine he was blindsided by the divorce with zero explanation.  Starting a marriage with such a big secret was definitely a bad idea.

Back story: Bryn was Noel's partner when she lived in London, also the father of the adopted out baby, and she never stopped caring for him. Before you cast hate at Bryn know that he was never aware of the pregnancy.  That is another story woven in  explaining the situation. Their relationship started and ended in London and here she is, about to immerse herself on a path that crosses her past and future.

Near the end of the book I liked the what if thoughts Noel had. A mental checklist of things that may have turned out differently.  Who among us hasn't had those thoughts?  "What if I had stayed in my old life, what if I left Andy but stayed closer, what if I stayed in London, or come back to London sooner...so many different life scenarios.

Main setting is London and Wales.  The book touches on Covid, loss, grief, love and forgiveness.  It's a book about second chances.

Watching

Shrinking has been one of our favorites and we just finished season 3. The cast work well, the banter is natural and you have some tearful moments in this season.  Heck, I had tearful moments in the previous two seasons!  I can see how they could end the series here but I hope they will have another season.  We will tune in for sure. 

We started watching Colony starring Josh Holloway (you may remember him from Lost). Not sure how to describe it, only 2 seasons and so far we like it.

Very much lookiing forward to a few shows we are waiting for all episodes to drop.  Hate waiting for the weekly show one at a time.

Nice surprise in the mail.  Thank you Vicki! You know me well :-)  Really cheered me up!

I wish everyone good health, good reading and whatever makes you happy.

Sharing with"

Joy for British Isles Friday

Boondock Ramblings for  A Good Book and a Cup of Tea

Aussie tragedy and Labradors

Hello...(tapping on screen). I was posting regularly for a while but have been hibernating with some miserable allergies as well as some healing from the dermatolgist cutting on me. Nothing like stitches on the face to make one feel pretty, lol. Results back show some precancer areas which can be handled by a prescription cream. Yea for that.

Enough complaining.  Let's talk about books.  I can share two I have finished and a few reading plans.

Currently Reading / Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.  This is a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card. Just started part two and this is a good read, in my opinion.

Finished

I had been looking forward to another book by M.L. Stedman for well over a decade.  I thought The Light Between Oceans was amazing, filled with love, grief and much emotion.  (click on the title link for review on my old book blog, if interested).

This book hit me the same way.  No one writes tragedy like Stedman, pulling you in with empathy and compassion for the characters as they navigate life with secrets and hardships.  Set in the far-flung reaches of Australia on a sheep station, the McBride family had been farming, called pastoralists, for generations.

The beginning: Phil McBride is the father, driving his truck with his eldest son Warren and youngest Matt.  The truck crashes, killing Phil and Warren almost instantly.  Matt is flung through the window with grave injuries and has a long recuperation with a head injury which caused significant memory loss.

Everything changes then, for so many people.  Lorna McBride loses Phil, her husband and love of her life.  Matt didn't have the responsibility of inheriting the family business and had dreams of traveling as Warren would take over the station ...but Warren is dead.  Rosie is the middle child and only daughter, helping run things best she can while also visiting Matt in rehab until he comes home.

Is that enough tragedy? Nope. Something unspeakable happens which will turn off some readers and they will quit the book (I saw that voiced in a few reviews) but if you do, you will miss out on a good story.  One of my favorite characters is Pete Peachy, a roo hunter who works for the McBrides.  He is a good man and I wanted to know more about him.

Great character development, lots of side stories, themes of compassion, love, guilt and duty. 5 stars.  Well done.

Next up is Dog Days by Andrew Cotter.  

This is a second book about the adorable labs Olive and Mabel in a diary type accounting told by Andrew Cotter.  I will admit to loving his first book Olive, Mabel and Me more.  That said, if you like following this trio, you'll be amused by this accounting of post Covid activities and appearances. Amazing how popular these canines are and the following they have on social media. 

The first book had lots of background on the dogs, Cotter's experiences with mountain climbing and the lockdown from Covid.  Also photos which were great.   This second book does not compare. If you can get Dog Days from the library or on a good sale it would be worth it.  If you have an interest in Olive and Mabel then grab this one pictured below.

Rounded up to 3 stars.

This is a nonfiction I could place under the memoirs category but I will add it to my Grazing Category.  I've some other books in mind for memoirs for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge.

Up next in no particular order - Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green, The Astral Library by Kate Quinn and Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk.

Linking with:

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge for the grazing category. 

Joy for British Isles Friday for Scottish author Andrew Cotter

Lost Gardens of the World

 Best laid plans....I wanted to write about M.L. Stedman's long awaited book A Far Flung Life but life got in my way.   It's a five star for me and I will write about it soon.

Between some rather serious allergies this Spring and a nasty visit to the dermatologist (resulting in stitches on my face ) I have been unable to motivate myself to write much.  Reading is a solace for me so I have been chilling out with books. Best medicine I can think of right now.

Here is one for the 2026 nonfiction reading challenge.

Lost Gardens of the World is a cool little coffee table book you can flip through and then get lost down the rabbit hole looking up the actual locale.  There are lovely illustrations of the gardens as they once were (or as perceived) as well as historical information telling us about the families who owned the land.

Some of my favorites were in England. The garden in Pentewan England was one that had me looking up the Tremayne family and how this beautiful estate and gardens were abandoned. Eighty years after the first World War it is slowly being restored. Most of the young men went off to war and never returned, taking the heart out of those left behind.

In 1991 a team of volunteers starting cutting through the tangled overgrown area, finding remains of water features, paths and a lake. 

Another very interesting story is about Cougar Annie's Garden on Vancouver Island.  Well, it was of interest to me. Annie was quite a character and what a determined woman. She cleared land herself and built up an orchard business, started the Boat Basin Post Office and shot cougars, yes...real cougars.

This is a good armchair travel book with the featured neglected or abandoned gardens in Italy, The Netherlands, Canada, Morocco, Nepal and more.

Sharing with:

 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge
Category: Lost and Found

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte(Classics Club Spin)

 The pick for my Classic Club Spin was Agnes Grey and while it was one on my classics bucket list, I didn't love it. That said, I completed the book. 

Agnes Grey wasn't what I thought it might be and I didn't find this book particularly engaging. I've heard from friends Anne Bronte's second book, Tenant of Wildfell Hall, is much better.  So I will try that book one day.  Won't be soon though.....

 As the youngest Bronte daughter Anne's experiences, personality and insecurities came through in this novel. The fictional Grey family face financial difficulties so Agnes decides she wants to help by becoming a governess.  Her mother and sister are surprised and don't show her any encouragement but Agnes persists.  

Agnes accepts a position with the Bloomfields, a heinous family who are snobby,  rude and cruel. The children are absolutely horrid! Straight off, that child Tom is a serial killer in the making with talk of hurting his pony and cutting up birds. Wicked child who follows his father and uncle's way of thinking.  Pure evil the lot of them.  Agnes only lasts a short time, is dismissed and moves on to the next position. 

Our author interjects religion and moralizing into Agnes' character,  complaining away while trying to enlighten the reader about the indignities of being a governess. 

Complain. Rinse. Repeat.  The romance between Agnes and Mr. Weston, a man of the cloth of course,  was tepid at best. 

Happy ending...kinda...but I won't think about this book and the nonexistant depth of the character developments later on.

I'm surely in the minority with my 2 star review of a Bronte classic but we all have different takes on a story.  It's one I wanted to knock off my classic club bucket list and ✔...it's done. 

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

Mid February Update

Hello February. So far this month has been productive in regards to reading and other pursuits. Lots of walking, cleaning out the house and ridding outselves of superfluous items and watching some of the Olympics.

Here's the midmonth roundup.

Read / Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty

Stella and Gerry have been married over 35 years so they know each others habits, have comfortable silences and their own little secrets.

The book starts with the minutiae of the evening as Stella is preparing them for their trip to Amsterdam the next day. When I say the minutiae of their activities I mean just that - it's all the little almost inconsequential details of turning down the heat, turning down the bedclothes, putting on lotion and being sure the toiletries bag is packed....like that.

The entire book is like this with normal conversations between the two.  There are also  flashbacks to the past where you learn about life changing events in their marriage,  They are a Northern Irish couple living in the north when violence touches their lives.  In their older years they live in Scotland, their son grown and living with his family in Canada.

I wrote a more detailed review on Goodreads HERE. Settings are Scotland but most of the book takes place in Amsterdam.

Crux by Gabriel Tallent

This book was a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card. I will admit the teemage chatter between two best friends, Tamma and Dan, was annoying at first but quickly gave way to the excellent writing and plot.  I was very much invested in the lives of our main characters.

Two teens living in poverty; one with opportunties for college, the other written off.  You'll notice when reading that Dan is described as a scholar and good looking.  Tamma is described by her deformities (mind you, her father caused them) and how she is perceived to be stupid. She is not.  She is a powerhouse of ambition and tenacity. 

Neither one has scenes with friends other than each other. There is a loneliness for both of them, Tamma gives it the middle finger but Dan has depression he tamps down. Both are alive and happy when climbing or planning a climb. They trust each other implicitly.

This story is about perserverance, friendship and loyalty.  I wrote up a longish review but realized I ought to mark it as spoilers so that's on Goodreads HERE. You will come to seriously dislike one of the mothers. 

📚 Currently Reading 📚 

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte as it was my Classics Club spin book and a nonfiction, titled  Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz.

Today......

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday  with Irish author Bernard MacLaverty

Books read and goals accomplished!

In my previous post I talked about making some short term goals and listing a few books I have on hand.  It's working well for me as I have finished two books I own.  One fiction and the other a nonfiction. 

After reading Cecile Pin's book Celestial Lights I found myself a fan of her writing style.  As I own Wandering Souls I thought I'd start with that one on Kindle.

This is the story of a family, broken apart while fleeing Vietman after the war ended. 

I can't imagine the fear and obstacles of leaving your country, grasping at an escape so scary, possibly unreliable  smugglers transporting you and loved ones..... hoping it will be safe. Hoping to escape horrid living conditions in exchange for a good life.

The story is told with multiple narrators.

"Because Anh, Minh Thanh were the 3 oldest children, their parents decided they would travel ahead on a separate boat, dividing the family in two. It hadn't occurred to Anh that this breaking in half was the first sign of peril. The first clue that her father knew that one of the halves might fall."

When Anh's parents and siblings don't arrive when planned she knows things went wrong.  Now at 16 years of age she is the care taker of her younger brothers.  She must keep them safe and fed while living with uncertainties in resettlement camps.

In between her story and viewpoint are passages from the deceased brother named Dao.  Seeing his sister and brothers from a ghostly existence.   Sounds odd but it worked, especially in explanations about their culture.

For a more my review is here on Goodreads.  #Historical Fiction #Asia #War

📚📚📚 Nonfiction

Next on my list was Hayley Arceneaux's book Wild Ride. A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships.

This is an inspiring story of a pediatric cancer survivor, how she handled the treatment and how it gave her a different outlook on life. That sums it up. She went into some good detail about the emotional side of cancer treatment, her adventurous spirit and how incredibly driven she was; however I would have liked more detail on how she was selected for the civilian spot for space travel and the mission training.

She traveled as much as could, learned another language and eventually got her dream job.  It's an easy read of 208 pages, listed as a memoir.  Could have been a Readers Digest short series rather than a book, in my opinion.  3 stars

Currently reading / Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty. This is about Gerry and Stella Gilmore, a retired Irish couple who now live in Scotland and their midwinter trip to Amsterdam. As I'm not too far into the book it appears there will be reflections on their 40+ year marriage and uncertainties about past events.  I like books featuring older adults...probably because I am one. :-)

Upcoming will be a buddy read with the book Crux by Gabriel Tallent in February.

That's all I have this week book related. Otherwise it was just a few medical apointments, Loki going crazy and havng a seizure because I snuck out early to get blood work, made a beef stew and homemade baguette for the comfort food needed in this weather.  Still covering the plants as lows are 23 F/ -5 C for the week.

Hope your reading week was fantastic.

Linking up with:

Joy for British Isles Friday (for Northern Irish author Bernard MacLaverty)

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge (using the Wild Ride book for the Nonfiction Grazer category as I have another book in mind for Memoir)

Reading and fussing....

This week I finished the last book in the Dalton trilogy by Shannon Bowring.

In a Distant Valley by Shannon Bowring, a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.  This is the last book in the Dalton trilogy and what a wonderful series.  Bowring brings the characters to life.  You can visualize them, hear them, anticipate what they may say or do and hope to encourage them.  She made them real.  Can't wait to see what she comes out with next. I'll do a more detailed review on Goodreads.

Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin is scheduled to be published in March 2026.  I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC from LibraryThing. 

This book starts in 1986 with the explosion of the Challenger and  Oliver Ines' birth. Little Ollie is growing up in a small English town, his bedroom ceiling and wallpaper are covered with stars which glow at night.  Around age 10 he cycles to a neighbor's home at the request of his mother to trade off produce and meets a girl named Philly.  The children have a connection and become friends, their lives weaving in and out of each others paths after a chance meeting at a London College.

Between the chapters are log book entries from Commander Oliver Ines as he is on a ten year mission, in charge of a spaceship and crew headed to Jupiter.

Ines is an astronaut employed by a private company owned by a billionaire. Hmmm....

 He reflects on events in his life, his childhood, university days, the career in the Navy and his love of Philly and family.  It's introspective as he considers his relationships and regrets, reconciling choices he made.  This is a well fleshed out character study of a man who wonders if he made the correct choices and if they were worth it.

Themes are family, friendship, belonging and compassion. 4 stars.

This is a book blog...mostly.  I try to keep frustrations on the state of our country out of my writing but this week was bad.  So....rant.

Rant..............

Political news - this sums it up. I honestly hope the damage can be reversed one day.  Hopefully in my lifetime.

The Agriculture Secretary actually suggested Americans can save money on food by eating "one piece of chicken, one piece of broccoli and a tortilla" - see here.

You know what I suggest?  These politicians who enjoy free health care and have financial security have to trade places with a family trying to make ends meet for an entire month.   Trade places with individuals experiencing financial insecurity during the days of rising costs, those experiencing food insecurity, without health care or the cush benefits these politicians enjoy and take for granted.

Put the names in bowl and draw = making sure a quarter of those names are those who are struggling with homelessness,  those who sleep in their cars, those who struggle to feed their children especially when some states have pulled the free lunches for kids.  See what they think about some real life issues.

Don't get me started on Greenland.....

Rant over.

Ok, let's end with more book chat. Just picked up The Ferryman and His Wife, a translated book by Norwegian author Frode Grytten and started it yesterday.  As you can see by the photo I was able to sit outside a bit.

  Tonight brings a wintery mix, as the weather station calls it, so I will be once again covering my plants as freezing temps are back again.  All week apparently.  Being inside means bread making, puzzles and reading.

Hope your week will be a good one. Lots of good reading and anything that makes you happy.

Linking up with:

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday (for Celestial Lights)