Herman Diaz, Mario Batali and Peter Heller

Earlier this month Deb at Readerbuzz posted Armchair Foodie Travel Books which I found interesting.  Several I had previously read but the Batali book about Spain was one I sought out. Luckily the library had a copy.

I will go through this nonfiction while I read Trust by Herman Diaz. Trust is on my fall reading list (which is still shaping up), won a Pulitzer prize in 2023 and is grabbing me from the start. 

Finished last night - The Orchard by Peter Heller was on sale for one dollar for Kindle so I couldn't pass that up. Check that out HERE.  That's a great price for a Peter Heller novel.  I'd told a friend about it but I think this price might only apply to U.S. based accounts.

This is an interesting book as it's told from a woman’s perspective.  All the other books I have read by Heller focus on male characters in a wilderness setting, outdoorsy men who have deep thoughts, some insecurties about life choices/relationships being a key component.  The Vermont setting here features a defunct orchard, nature and living off the land.

There are haunting characters, the mother with a sad and educated background.  Frith is the daughter, named for a character in The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico.

Frith refers to her mother as Haley; this is a bit of a coming of age story.  Something which doesn't usually appeal to me.  Haley is a translater of Chinese poetry and rears her daughter in a wooden cabin with a wood stove for heat and very little money.  Haley and Frith are very well read - anything from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Treasure Island, The Old Man in the Sea, We Die Alone (about the Norwegian commando who outskied a Nazi division)  to Grendel.

There is quite a bit of poetry in this book, there are some wonderful reflective passages from Frith as an adult, an educator who teaches at Amherst, and the memories of her unusal childhood with an amazing woman.

Heller brings you straight into this unusual family situation and pulls at your heartstrings at the end. 4.5 stars 📚

On this rainy day in north Florida I am working on book lists, baking bread and reading of course :-) Hope your week is going well.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

Peter Heller and Nigel Slater

Last week's post inspired me to make a new reading list for fall.  More on that later as I round it out.

Here is my update of Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries.  Funny I started up with this again in the middle of the year. 

I finished reading the diary entries for August and decided to make a white bean soup. Nigel has an entry with photo of a white bean salad sitting on greens with lots of garlic.  No matter that it's quite hot where I am, I have always liked soup so I thought I'd adapt the ingredients.  Today it's rainy so this worked out well.

I used great northern beans, garlic, onion, spinach and oregano. Loved it and everything was in the pantry and fortuitously a bag of baby spinach in the fridge. Now I am reading his September entries.  It's getting cool in his London garden and I'll take some of that weather here please.

Reading: This week I read Burn by Peter Heller.

Jess and Storey grew up together with Jess spending more time at Storey's home than his own.  They are more brothers than friends, going off on hunting and fishing trips several times a year.  The beginning of this plot has them coming off a two week moose hunt in Maine, far out in the wilderness with no knowledge an uprising has taken place.

The first town they come to is burned to the ground, houses smoking, bridges blown up and a few bodies strewn in the streets as they were shot down trying to escape something. Boats in the harbor remained untouched so they cautiously look for supplies in the boats.  As they move on, carefully sticking to the woods and staying off the road, they search for a cell signal and news of what could have happened.  Eventually from their hidden spot in the wood line on a hill, they see a woman in a small boat, obviously rowing as fast as she can when a black helicopter appears and cuts her down.  What is going on?

This is a dystopian novel yet a plot involving a succesionist movement that could have been all too real during the trump presidency. It plays out slowly and in my opinion didn't have an end to give you resolution.  The excellent author that he is, perhaps he left it to us as readers to figure out the many possible outcomes.  I didn't give away the story here and there are some surprises in store.  The flashbacks gave us Jess and Storey's background, lots of ruminating on Jess's part about why his marriage failed and unnecessary memories about a situation involving Storey's mother.  That last part added nothing to the development of the story in my opinion. Rounded up to 4 stars.

Finally, Loki using his stuffed tiger as a makeshift pillow.

Sharing with:

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday. and Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

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The River and The Guide - two books by Peter Heller

“They had paddled many rivers together in the two years they’ve known each other, and climbed a lot of peaks. Sometimes one had more appetite for danger, sometimes the other. There was a delicate but strong balance of risk versus caution in their team thinking, with the rules often fluid, and that’s what made them such good partners.”

This is the first book I'd read by Peter Heller.  I was initially attracted to The Guide but Beth Fish Reads made the suggestion I start with this one. Great suggestion as you need the background of Jack and Wynn for the followup book.

They are two adventuresome young men, friends with so much in commmon and a bond that makes them feel like brothers.  A disaster happens while they are fishing, away from civilization and phone contact.  There is a possible murder, a missing woman and  a forest fire rapidly approaching their area. Jack has already experienced tragedy in his life and the way his character is written, you can just feel it.  Loss, grief, love and endurance are themes here.  Excellent book. I then grabbed a copy of the next book, The Guide.

The Guide - You can read it as a stand alone novel because the tragedy Jack had experienced is rehashed a little bit.  But, would highly recommend starting with The River.

Jack is contracted as a guide at an exclusive fishing lodge and his assigned client is a famous singer. She is down to earth and grew up in the country fishing and hunting so, no diva behavior from Allison.

It's soon apparent this is a very expensive lodge where the very rich come to relax, be it fishing or enjoying the country setting.  The rules are rather strict about leaving the property and where the boundaries of the property end.  There is a point near a bridge where you could get shot by the adjacent land owner or mauled by dogs.  

Something sinister is going on and Jack unwittingly gets himself caught in the middle. There is quite a bit about fly fishing and descriptions of the natural beauty surrounding the property.  Not a fast paced book until the very end but I enjoyed it.