If it's raining I'll be in the kitchen with a book

This week I have gotten quite a bit of reading time in.  We had storms for several days with unrelenting rain causing mini ponds to form in our field. I can hear the frogs in the evening now, enjoying themselves with so much standing water. 

Besides more reading time, the rain kept me inside making hot lunches and cookies. 

Here is a carmelized onion and chedder quiche loaded with chives from Mary McCartney's cookbook Food. Easy enough and fun to look through this cookbook.

In book news....

Currently reading / Backyard Bird Chronicles, Brideshead Revisited and The Snow Goose.

The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico is an older book the library was taking out of circulation.  I like old books, the feel of them and the bent pages where previous readers marked a passage.  On the sale trolley for $1 so how could I resist, especially as it's on my Classics Club list.

Brideshead Revisited is also on my Classics Club list and happens to be the one picked by their game The Spin. 

Armchair travel this week is California, Oxford and Essex England.   That's about it.  Not a crazy exciting week here but I am getting some good reading in.  I hope your week is a good one.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday.

Pastoral Song by James Rebanks

 Pastoral Song is the second book I've read by James Rebanks and I enjoyed it.

What initally drew me to the author is his location in Cumbria as well as the stories about farming and family heritage.  My GG grandparents lived in the same area but they were not farmers; they worked at the cotton mills.  Many of the names he mentions such as Ullswater, Windermere, Solway Firth and others are familiar to me from my ancestors obits and writings so that was indeed an attraction for me to read about the land as he sees it.

Rebanks grew up learning from his grandfather about the ancient ways of farming, methods which worked then and had done for many generations.  Then came the global revolution of a new way of farming using chemicals and "modern" ways of rotating field crops.  His methods blend the two and this is what he talks about in this book.  Well, anong other things and sharing personal anecdotes.

In his childhood he remembers a family friend called Anne telling his mother about how many grocery items she was able to purchase for less than it costs to grow them or purchase locally.  The first large supermarket opened in Kendal and sold many items at low cost.  She teased his mother about home baking as you could just buy a cake for less time and enegry spent.  That's the way it is now with people wanting to support local businesses and do things for themselves but the tempting big stores make it so easy to buy for less.  That said, she still had her vegetable garden, much to his father's irritation at digging it.

There are heartbreaking parts about animals killed by police snipers because of hoof and mouth disease.  Some farmers felt they didn't exist because their identity and existence were tied to the daily work, markets and talking to other farmers about their livestock.  They had no livestock to take care of and thus, no money coming in to support the farms. 

Rebanks mentions a few classic farming books titled A.G. Street's Farmer's Glory and Henry Williamson's The Story of a Norfolk Farm. I may look for those at a later date but will be taking a "farming" break right now in my reading lineup.

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday.

What a week......

I ended up behind this week in everything. Blogging, correspondence and the house is a  tip. 

Tuesday my husband had a dentist appointment and he was turned away because the blood pressure was something like 200/100 - stroke territory.  He's on BP meds so next day we went to the primary care. New meds. There are other reasons for this but suffice it to say he ought to be back to "normal" much later in the year.

Thursday I had my annual opththalmologist appointment - cataract followup and pressure checks.  Once I am dilated I am pretty much done for hours as to looking at a tablet or phone.  Can't even read. Ugh.  OK, old lady talk finished now. haha

Book chat

 So....this week I finished Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain.  My third book for the Classics Club - review HERE. It was a tough read for me and thankfully I had JoAnn laboring along with me to complete a buddy read.

I also finished The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks. Very much enjoyed hearing about fell farming life and reading Rebank's memoir.

Library acquisitions

The series Blue Lights, set in Belfast Ireland.  It's been a while since we've watched a police drama and we are enjoying this one very much.  It has six episodes per season.  The tensions in northern Ireland are well represented.

Also plan to start Pastoral Song by James Rebanks, the secord book he has written about farming the fells in Cumbria.

Later today I hope to catch up on emails and do some visiting!

 Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Joy for British Isles Friday

Testment of Youth by Vera Brittain#ClassicsClub #BriFri

 This book was challenging for me and I could only read about 25 pages per day.  I felt my educational level was lacking for that sort of reading/subject matter but it could also be the stilted language of the author.  I admire how she stood up for her beliefs and all she attained. I was in awe of her perserverance in just about anything she set her mind to accomplish.

Here is a passage:

 "There is still, I think, not enough recognition by teachers of the fact that the desire to think – which is fundamentally a moral problem - must be induced before the power is developed. Most people, whether men or women, wish above all else to be comfortable, and  thought is pre-eminently uncomfortable process; it brings to the individual far more suffering than happiness in a semi-civilized world which still goes to war, Still encourages the production of unwanted children by exhausted, mothers, and still compels married partners who hate one another to live together in the name of morality." 

The misogynistic treatment of women was par for the times, something I think our current U.S. government would love to see return. Alas. It took courage to continue fighting for women's rights, to continue a university education and attempts at publishing her writing in that era.

Equal rights:

"Thus, it was in St. Monica's garden, beside a little overgrown pool, where the plump goldfish slid idly in and out of the shadows, and the feathered grasses drooped their heavy heads to the water's edge, that I first visualized in rapt childish ecstasy a world in which women would no longer be the second-rate, unimportant creatures that they were now considered, but the equal and respected companions of men."

I'm not sure how to rate the book.  For me it's a  3.5 for the material as well as my reading pleasure.  I know there are rave reviews of this historical account but it was a labor to finish this book.  Had it not been for JoAnn and our buddy read I may well have abandoned this very early on. Thank you, friend!

The time period is WW I and settings in England, Malta, Italy and France.

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

Reading, watching and library loot

This has been a good week for book and movie arrivals here.  

Currently Reading / Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain (buddy read with JoAnn)

Just finished The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks - review here  and plan to read Pastoral Song soon.  

Also in bookish updates, The Classics Club. announced their Spin so I made my list of 20 possibilities.  It's my first time participating and it was fun making my list. My Spin List is HERE and I see (as of Sunday) the book I'll be reading is Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh.

Book Accessories / When I am not reading on a Kindle I can read anywhere but physical books require sufficient light in the evenings.  Recently I broke out my pretty book light and it's helping me get more book time late.

The horizontal position of this light works better than an older one I had with a vertical drop.  It also provides more light across both page surfaces.

Watching

Part of my library loot this week was Force of Nature and Severance.  In the mailbox was Cosmos.  Force of Nature followed the Jane Harper book of the same name, the second one in the Aaron Falk series. Set in Australia and I am looking forward to the next one.

Severance was completely weird and in the beginning we almost stopped watching.  But wow, after about 15 minutes or so things start coming together and we were hooked.  Such cliff hangers. Looking forward to season 2 when the library can order it...I am probably looking at waiting a year so please, no spoilers!

Cosmos was an independent film made on a shoe string budget about amateur astronomers.  The newest member of a team makes a discovery using radio signals from an unexpected origin.  This is set in England.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Joy for British Isles Friday

The Story of a Heart by Dr. Rachel Clarke

 Two families, one heart and the medical miracle that saved a child’s life

A girl from Devon and a boy from Cheshire became intertwined by the most tragic circumstances. In 2017 nine-year old Keira Ball was in a car accident which left her brain dead. For several months prior to that accident nine-year old Max Johnson's heart was slowly failing him.  He'd contracted a virus which weaked his heart causing acute cardiomyopothy.

This book is a page turner and takes you on the journey of Keira and Max's lives when they were both happy and healthy children. The experiences of both sets of parents, before the accident and afterwards, will leave you with such empathy for both familes. I did shed a tear or two while reading.

I found this a fascinating book, learned so much such as how ventilators were invented, the beginnings of the first I.C.U. and so much more.  It was explained in laymans terms so I was never lost, it was never a dry narrative.  The coordination between hospitals, doctors and those working with matching the urgent needs for organ donation  is amazing.  I never knew how very detailed this process was.

"Grief, as nurses know better than anyone, is the form love takes when someone dies.  Perhaps grief hurts as much as it ought to - as much and as fiercely as the person who has died was loved."

Here is part of the letter Max's family gave to the anonymous donor family:

"To the donor family, We are writing to you as you hold a very special place in our hearts.  Our son, Max, is 9 and he had a heart transplant.  He was very poorly and a heart transplant was his only chance of coming home and starting a new life.

We are so very sorry that you lost your loved one, but we would like to thank you for the incredibly kind, courageous decison that allowed organs to be donated. We do not know the circumstances, but we can only imagine what a dreadful, harrowing time you have been through and are doubtless still going through, with the loss.

Even in your grief, you have made a selfless decision to help others and we are indescribably  grateful to you....."

Dr. Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor and the author of many books. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and children.

This book are shared with:

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Category: Health

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

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Book travel to Australia, England and a nonfiction on deck #ClassicClub #Nonfiction #BuddyRead

1Here we are Friday already and my week has flown past.  Trying to stay informed  with world events while minimizing the articles about the mentally deficient criminal in chief.  So that means more reading and I can't complain about that :-)

Currently reading /  I am engrossed with two chunksters right now.  Both are on my Classic Club list as well as being buddy reads. Sweet.

Earlier in the month I started The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, with Deb at Readerbuzz. The publication year is 1977, 692 pages.  I'm around the 70% mark now. Such tragedy in this family saga.

Wednesday I started reading Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, an autobiographical historical account of Brittain's early life and encompassing the first world war.  Publication date of 1933, 688 pages.  I am buddy reading with JoAnn at Gulfside Musing. 

Upcoming / On deck after those two books is The Story of a Heart by Dr. Rachel Clarke. Just picked it up from the library.  It's about two families, two nine year old children and a transplant.  When Keira Ball is in a horrific car accident her body shut down, except her heart kept beating. Her parents allowed her to be an organ donor. 

Nine year old Max Johnson was fighting a virus causing his heart to fail.  When Max's family got the call they knew it came at a terrible cost to another family. He received Keira's heart.  I bet this book makes me cry.

📚 Also, if anyine is interested, Kate Quinn's book The Rose Code is on sale for Kindle for $1.99 today.  Not sure is that price is good outside the U.S. or if it's a today-only kind of deal but....if you like books about codebreakers during WW II this one is great. 📚

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Snow and books and comfort food

This week we saw unusual snowfall in northern Florida.  See post and more photos HERE.  Below is a photo of our field.  I grew up in Pennsylvania and Michigan so I experienced snowy winters but this is so very unusual for Florida.

Foodie stuff /   JoAnn posted about Chicken Tortellini soup HERE.  So I have made that, very hearty.

I also made a Curtis Stone recipe which is always satisfying. Chicken and Sausage Paella.

Reading

Upcoming for one of my classics is Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, a buddy read with JoAnn for February.  Currently reading The Thorn Birds with Deb at Readerbuzz, also for my classic club list. 

For Mailbox Monday I picked up the following - Orbital by Samantha Harvey, Pastoral Song by James Rebanks and the final season of Madam Secretary.

James Rebanks has a farm in Cumbria England and may be found on IG at Herdyshepherd1.  The photos and videos are fantastic and I am looking forward to his book.

Finally, here is Loki soaking up some sun from his bedroom.  I think about moving the furniture around but the placement of this bed near the window allows him to get a good view of the field.  Spoiled...just a bit.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Reading and Watching

I know I have mentioned being appreciative for having access to such a good library in previous posts.  They keep me in entertainment and I don't spend any money.  If a book or movie isn't for me, I just return it.  This week's bounty has been good.

This week I finished Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. Review HERE.  My husband wanted the latest Godzilla movie and we watched/read that.  It's all subtitled and the special effects were cool.

Into season 5 now of Madam Secretary and will finish that series before the end of January. Alas, I did not get to Moonflower Murders in time but have returned it and placed a new hold.

Today I watched The Quiet Girl, an Irish film based on the book Foster by Claire Keegan.  As I said in the review of the book, the themes of kindness, hopefulness and love bring this short story to life, both on film as well as the book.

The Irish country setting was beautiful and reminded me of places we'd visited many years ago. 

That's it for the week. Hope your week was good.

Loki‘s in there somewhere!

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Reading and Watching

 

Reading / I have been inside reading quite a bit and finished several books, all of which I enjoyed.  No DNF books so far 😀.

I've joined in for the Nonfiction Reading Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out and read two memoirs so far.  This week I finished The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins which took us to a remote setting in Scotland.  It had quite an intriguing plot.

From Goodreads: Welcome to Eris: An island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

So Eris Island is not a true island but it is very isolated. With a dangerously thin road connecting Eris to the mainland only a mile in length. It's possible to go walk or drive from the small village during a six hour window.  Once the tide comes in you are stuck.

The story weaves back-and-forth between present day and the past.  There are three main points of view involving current day perspectives and flashbacks to events in the past.  

Vanessa Chapman was a brillant artist who died of cancer, leaving her entire collection of art to The Fairburn Foundation.  This was a surprise as she'd had a huge falling out with Douglas Fairburn, pulling her show out at the last minute and thus, starting a lengthy legal battle. Besides being famous for her artwork she is also associated with the mysterious disappearance of her ex husband Julian Chapman.  He visited her island one day and afterwards, vanished without a trace.

Grace is a pivital character in the novel.  Grace is a doctor and met Vanessa when she struggled into the practice with a broken wrist.  You could say they became friends or you could also see Grace positioning herself into Vanessa's life as friend/caretaker/medical professional.

As more of the character development is revealed you will come to realize Grace had a very lonely life. In one flashback to her college life I felt very sorry for her when she was put in the hospital and no one came to visit.  Her roommates disappeared. Abandonment. But there is more to Grace than meets the eye.

Becker is the third narrator.  He is a curator for the Fairburn Foundation and obessesed with Vanessa's work. He is in an awkward position at the foundation, a down to earth type who wants to do the right thing.  Then he discovers some sordid secrets.

Without spoilers I will say this is a slow burn and the revelations sometimes contradict each other, depending on perspective of the character narrating. Toward the end you see all the pieces fit together.   I was never tempted to bail but I didn't like how it ended. 3.5 stars

Watching / A series new to us is Madam Secretary and we are enjoying it.  Just finished season four and looking forward to the last two seasons.  Please don't give me spoilers!  We tend to lose interest in series after a while but this one has kept our attention.

No books in the mail but a Kindle purchase at good sale price and of course my wonderful public library providing me with loads of book, magazines and DVDs.

I hope your week was a good one. Thoughts out to all those in California who are experiencing devastating fire damage.  Horrible what is on the news.  I am very worried about Jinjer.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Olive, Mabel and me by Andrew Cotter & be Ready When Luck Happens by Ina Garten

My first book of the year was Olive, Mabel and Me by Andrew Cotter.  Reading wise this was the perfect start of the year as I like books about dogs.  The adventures Mr. Cotter described with his two labradors, especially the mountain climbing, was so well written.  

During the pandemic when everyone was on lockdown Mr. Cotter, a sports broadcaster, found himself out of work as all events were cancelled.  So he posted a YouTube video of Olive and Mabel.   The first video had many hits but the second one called Game of Bones was an overwhelming success.  I think I read it is still getting views and is over the 2 million mark on hits now.  

 There are so many observations about his time with Olive and Mabel and the quirks which any dog owner/pet parent can relate.  He delivers with humor and an excellent writing. Very down to earth, relatable narrative.

Mr. Cotter lives in Scotland and often takes the dogs on long hikes much to their mutual enjoyment.  There is quite a bit about the mountain climbing and hiking relayed here which I also found interesting.  It was explained in a way anyone could understand.  

There are loads of photos in the book and I sure hope he writes another one. 4.5 stars

 📚📚📚

Be Ready When Luck Happens by Ina Garten

I had been hearing good things about Ina Gartens's memoir and was pleased when the library had my copy available.  

If I'd had that childhood and such awful parents I don't think I would have succeeded  in much of anything.  They were demeaning, cruel and honestly should never have had children.  That said, she rose above the negativity despite the lack of support from her parents, obviously succeeding with most ventures she tackled.

The more negative reviews point out what a privileged upbringing she had with well-to-do parents in a Connecticut suburb. Money never being an issue doesn't mean you have a happy childhood nor does it mean you glide through life without strife.

There were many things I never knew about the famous cookbook author and the narrative moves smoothly through childhood to present day.  The fateful day she impulsively made an offer on the food shop Barefoot Contessa was interesting. 

Ina was in a fairly impressive position working on nuclear energy policy at the White House yet walked away to pursue something which made her happy - cooking.  Who would think someone with that gig would abandon it to work long exhausting hours preparing large quantities of baked goods and casseroles in a little shop?  That isn't saying she didn't burn the candle at both ends working for the government.  High stress there and all nighters for sure.

Ina is a type A personality and had the drive to make all of her endeavours succeed.  Cooking, gardening, business ventures.....I got tired just reading about all the work she put in.  Overall I found this to be an interesting memoir.  The parts about her husband were quite interesting to me as well. 4 stars

These books are shared with:

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Category: Memoirs

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

A list of books within Crooked Heart and V for Victory by Lissa Evans

Book titles mentioned within a novel:

I have a couple of books which I classify as comfort reads. Despite the fact that I rarely reread books...there are a few. Lissa Evans' novels Crooked Heart and V for Victory are among those and I finished those this week.  

As I have reviewed them before I won't get into that now, however you can click on the titles to see my Goodreads review if interested. 👆

What I thought I'd write about today were the many book titles mentioned in both novels.

Have you ever been reading a book and one of the characters is reading something, causing you to check out that book on Goodreads? Well there are many titles within these two novels.

If you are a fan of British classics or detective novels then you will find quite a few embedded in the storyline.  Some are books Noel read when he was younger as well as the literature and nonfiction he reads for his educational tutoring in the second book.

The time periods are perfect for those who like WW II historical fiction, older mysteries as well fans of George Eliot books :-)  Here are a few I have noted as I read:

The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell

Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household 

Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Middlemarch by George Eliot

 Silas Marner by George Eliot 

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot

The Complete Saki by Saki, an Edwardian author

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler 

Noel's love of detective stories in Crooked Heart included Dorothy Sayer's series about Lord Peter Wimsey as well as other detective series such as Edward Wallace, Dashiell Hammett, Albert Campion and Eric Ambler.

Evans also includes a few nonfiction titles which were written by air-raid wardens and published during the war which inspired her for one character's storyline:

Raiders overhead: A Diary of the London Blitz by Barbara Nixon

Post D by John Strachey

The Orwell book is on my classics list but Ministry of Fear ought to be added as well.

On a sad note, I no longer have my copy of Crooked Heart as I loaned it out to a former workmate and she has moved away. Ugh.  I checked the copy out of the library for my reread. Wah-wa 😞

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day is a story about a seemingly cold unfeeling butler named Stevens and his reminiscing of days past.  It's more than that as you'll realize his memories are not so much flawed but, for him, a realization of what he missed out in his life. 

I know there is a movie based on this book but I have not seen it.  That said, knowing Anthony Hopkins stars as our main character Stevens, I heard his voice and accent throughout the book.

In 1956 Stevens' current employer, Mr. Farraday, insists he take a holiday, giving persmission to use his car while he is on  a trip to the U.S.  While Stevens drives through the English countryside he thinks back to war time when he was employed by Lord Darlington. The language is very formal and you get a clear image of the character displaying the utmost self control, even as he reminisces.  I enjoyed reading about his working relationship with head housekeeper Miss Kenton as he travels toward her home in south England. It's been decades since he'd worked with her but he has fond memories. He is about to be enlightened by what "could have been" when he finally arrives in her village.

If a person is shaped by their upbringing then Stevens is the ultimate example of controlling his emotions and showing zero empathy. Loyalty to the man he served is of the utmost importance, something he learned from his father who was considered one of the best butlers of his day.  Sadly, this transfers to personal relationships as well.  

When his father's health takes a turn for the worse you won't find any warmth between father and son.  I could feel the cold exchange between Stevens and his elderly father regarding the change of duties and thought it very sad. It’s hard enough to let a parent know their health or memory is failing but I’ve had warmer conversations with strangers.  

Dignity is clearly one of the cornerstones of Stevens' profession and his explanation of what distinguishes a butler from a manservant was interesting. 

"It is sometimes said that butlers only truly exist in England.  Other countries, whatever title is actually used, have only manservants.  I tend to believe this is true. Continentals are unable to be butlers because they are a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of."

Regret comes with reflection and sadly for Stevens, he makes this realization so very late in life.

"Looking back so much...I should adopt a more postive outlook and try and make the best of what remains of my day. After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as might have wished?"

This is not a fast paced book but one which captures the memories and considerations of an aged man who gave his life entirely to serving his employer. 

 This is the third book I have read by Ishiguro and my first for the Classics Club.

Sharing Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

Reading and watching

So far this month has been fairly laid back.  We watched season four of Van Der Valk so we are all caught up on that.  Just picked up Madam Secretary series from the library so we'll see if we like it enough continue with six or so seasons. Christmas movies are in the lineup soon.

This week I joined The Classics Club and added a tab at the top of my blog. 👆 I can link each book as I finish and started with The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. As I have been inside quite a bit I've made good progress with this book.  The setting is wartime England.

I also added a tab for apocalyptic/dystopian books with links for the ones I have read and reviewed.  Other titles will be added as I learn of them from Goodreads or suggestions by others.  Please feel free to share some of your favorites if you like that genre.

That's the weekly excitement around here, haha.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger and I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Two books this week.  Let's start with I Cheerfully Refuse as it was the better of the two I read.

Rainy is a musician living with Lark, a women he loved before he saw her face. He would hear her read aloud to others at a library and this introduced him to reading classics. Lark brought the stories to life for him. They have a good life and while money was tight thay made ends meet - he playing his bass guitar in a band and Lark forming a library and book store for those who still care about reading. Apparently in this dystopian time there are those who protest the shop, thinking reading is an evil thing. Geez....a little close to what some folks think today with the book banning. (Scary)

 

There are numerous passages I bookmarked in this dystopian/apocalyptic novel by Leif Enger.  In spite of society collapsing, there were still very good people, just ordinary people who didn't know wealth or privilege, going that extra mile to help others.

The early part sets the scene with Rainy describing a ruined road.  

Driving down the road that was described as level once it is now full of holes, shoulders of the pavement sagging into a ditch. There’s a spot where two flash floods in a month blew out a culvert. Technically, it’s still a state highway , but the state ignores their compliance saying they were going to “allocate funds“ but they never did repair it. 

Here is an example of people helping others when they didn’t have to:

“After more than a year, a pair of loggers, a basement contractor, and a retired mining engineer showed up with their skidders and chainsaws and cement truck and they rebuilt the missing section with pine logs and concrete.”  

A helping hand for those who didn't have the skills.  A small segment of the society who looked out for each other, helped when needed and knew they could count on their neighbors when they needed something.

In the beginning Rainy and Lark took in a boarder named Kellan.  He had his own secrets as he had escaped a “medicine ship."  People willingly signed on to live on the pharmaceutical ship  to be used for drug/medicine experiments.  They were working on a cure for something obscure, never quite sure what it was exactly.  After so much time they were allowed to leave and return to their families. You did what you had to for survival.  Apparently the trials were so bad that some people escaped and this was Kellan's situation.  That and some drugs he absconded with which meant....some one would come looking.

 Kellan warned Rainey about this mythical bad man named Werryck and true to form, Werryck was definitely one bad guy to be avoided. He warned Rainy, “You think he won’t come but he will. You’re big and strong? Doesn’t matter. Listen to me. When you see him standing in your kitchen, you slip out the back. Be quiet, be quick. Don’t hunt for your wallet. Don’t grab a coat. Go out the window if you have to.” 

Werryck did arrive and brought destruction, crushed Rainy's dreams and life, causing our narrator to flee in a ship he and Lark had once sailed.  The story takes us on a voyage across Lake Superior with Rainy doing what he can to survive, helping others even when it puts him in danger, giving hope to the humanity left when they choose to accept it.

The lake itself seemed like a character on it's own with the vivid descriptions of waves, the storms, the unpredictability of the weather and how a man can challenge it and still survive.

I would read more by this author. 4 stars

📚📚📚📚

This book - I Let You Go - is a hard one to rate.  I have enjoyed previous books by Clare Mackintosh and while this wasn't boring or dull it did deal with the death of child in the beginning. The settings are Bristol England and coastal Wales.  

Jenna is walking five year old Jacob home from school on a rainy evening.  While they are happily chattering away, despite the rain and cold, it seems like an ideal evening is in store for them.  Then he says, "race you home" and pulls away from her hand, running straight into the path of a car.  Every parents nightmare.  This is not a spoiler as it's stated in the book description straight away.

 

Jenna moves away from Bristol to a place she has never been to start over and leave memories behind.  She arrives in a remote town in Wales with zero possessions and rents a cottage well off the beaten track.  Meanwhile the police in Bristol are frantically searching for her as she was the only witness.  There is quite a bit more to the plot and story but suffice it to say, she is hiding a big secret.  It's sort of like Gone Girl where you read the first part of the story then go over the waterfall with all this information falling into place very quickly.  Themes of domestic abuse could be triggers for some readers.  As I said, I have enjoyed her other books but this wasn't my favorite. Rounded to 3 stars.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday for Long Island and The Life Impossible.

November Reading Roundup

I can't believe I am getting my November reading round up posted in November! I read four books this month and made plans for some great challenges next year.   Looking forward to more buddy reads, classics and nonfiction....but for now let's get this short post started.

📚📚   Books read  📚

 

Bullfighting by Roddy Doyle

The Woman Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

November book travel took me to Rhode Island, Ireland and Italy.

📚 Currently Reading 📚

That's it for the November round up.   Looking forward to more good reading in December. I'd love to know what books you favored this month and what reading goals you may have for next year.  Hope life is good for you all :-)

Here’s a snap of Loki soaking up the sunshine.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

Roddy Doyle and Elena Ferrante {Armchair travel to Ireland and Italy}

When it rains I end up inside reading quite a bit.  No complaints about that!  First up is a trip to Ireland with Roddy Doyle's book of short stories titled Bullfighting.

In this collection of short stories the meandering stream of consciousness of an older man dominates the narrative.  I can see things from the female point of view when he wonders at what point in time did his wife move to another room.  When did certain things occur when he was, apparently, not paying attention.

The stories take you into a middle aged man's life in Ireland.

Getting older wasn’t too bad. The baldness suited Martin. Everyone said it. He’d had to change his trouser size from 34 to 36. It was a bit of a shock, but it was kind of nice wearing loose trousers again, hitching them up when he stood up to go to the jacks, or whatever. He was fooling himself; he knew that. But that was the point—he was fooling himself. He’d put on weight but felt a bit thinner.

The story Bullfighting is about four male friends in Spain and their honest conversations.  They are all middle aged and facing the realities that life is half over for them.  Admitting loneliness and being honest...for once.

Not my favorite book by Doyle by a longshot but a nice respite to read something short between anything else I am currently doing.  Themes of aging and loneliness with some humor and a great deal of Irish culture. 

*******************

Next up we visit Naples Italy in the 1950's with My Brillant Friend by Elena Ferrante.  This was an enjoyable buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.

This book starts off in Turin Italy, present time with Elena getting a frantic phone call from Rino, her best friend Lila's son.  His mother is missing. Lila and Elena had been friends for over 60 years and more than 30 years ago, Lila had confessed to Elena she wanted to disappear one day.  Leave without a trace. Apparently this is what happened.

The book is about Elena's account of friendship with Lila growing up in 1950's poverty stricken Naples. Lila was from a poor family, her father a shoemaker with little money to spare on a girl's eduaction...or anything else.  She was very intelligent and headstrong, teaching herself to read and educate herself  despite being held back by her family and financial standing.  That said, she never let anything dampen her spirit for life and learning.

Elena and Lila crossed paths in school at a young age but it wasn't an immediate or tender friendship. In the era described, their lives were filled with misogeny and violence, something they didn't find appalling as it was predominent in their culture and upbringing.  It was just life.

I think each girl challenged the other to do better.  Possibly from Elena's point of view she was motivated by Lila's  strong will and refusal to conform to the norms of their society.  Lila was intrigued by Elena's stubbornness and her refusal to capitulate to her bullying.  Not many stood up to Lila's strong personality.  That is my opinion on the ongoing relationship.

If you have read the synopsis this won't be a spoiler - it ends with Lila's wedding.  I was half expecting it to end with her appearance in the story, finding out where the 66 year old went and some resolution to her disappearance.  Book 2 will no doubt continue the story and I am looking forward to that eventually.

This would make a good series of books to read in August for the Women in Translation month/project but I can't wait that long to tackle books 2 and 3.

Currently I am working on a list of bookish goals for next year and hope to post about that next week. Happy reading to you all!

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday for Long Island and The Life Impossible.

September Reading Roundup

Hello October!  Yesterday we drove to a park where Loki likes to walk and saw the parking was roped off to a small area.  The National Guard was set up, available to give people ready made meals and tarps.  It was astonishing to see the number of vehicles coming through to pick something up. What a horrible path of devastation this storm left. I am hoping, as are we all, the rest of the hurricane season is quieter.

We lost water for a bit and are still using bottled water for cooking, brushing our teeth, etc.  Water is back and we have a boil notice but that's just a minor inconvenience.

September reading was quite varied in location and genres. I  did not have a DNF this time :-)  Thanks to hurricane Helene I finished two books in record time.  This knocks out four books I had listed for my fall reading.

📚📚   Books read  📚

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

The Orchard by Peter Heller

Burn by Peter Heller

Long Island by Colm Toibin

Trust by Hernan Diaz

September book travel took me to Vermont, Maine, New York, Long Island, Ireland, England and Ibiza.

 That's it for the September round up.   Looking forward to more good reading in October. I'd love to know what books you favored this month.  Hope life is good for you all :-)

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday for Long Island and The Life Impossible.