Nope on Ford Madox Ford but yes on Plath

Catching up on book reviews and making plans.

Epic fail on my Classic Club Spin.  I just couldn't get on with A Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford so it's a DNF.  Having planned to knock out one of my titles on the list I chose The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.  Now I need to edit my Classic Club list on the tab.

I'm sure Sylvia Plath used much of her own thoughts in writing the character of Esther Greenwood.

This novel was before the pill, medical knowledge of mental illness, women's studies and a bit like that TV series Mad Men in regard how women were viewed. The character  Esther recognized this despite her mental illness, or perhaps because of it.

She wanted more from life than the traditional path expected and having depression and suicidal thoughts didn't help with her mental state and decision making.

Noting how it would turn out if she married - "And I knew that in spite of all the roses and kisses and restaurant dinners a man showered on a woman before he married her, what he secetly wanted when the wedding ended was for her to flatten out underneath his feet like Mrs. Willard's kitchen mat."

She just wanted more out of life.

 The character mentions she should be grateful for the friend of her mother, Mrs. Guinea, for affording Esther to stay at a nicer sanatorium during her treatment.  But she was no more grateful than being gifted a ticket to Europe, or a world cruise or trip to Paris to sit and enjoy a sidewalk cafe...she'd still be under that vacuum, that Bell Jar, feeling nothing but misery. It wasn' that she was an ingrate, she was mentally paralyzed.

Medical knowledge and treatment were woefully lacking in those days regarding depression. Esther's mother was always asking her why was she like this, as if it were her fault. Knowing Plath's true life story made this a sad read. 4 stars

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Frankie by Graham Norton

I've read a few of Graham Norton's fiction and this one, true to form, gives us a setting in Ireland and lots to think about.  The plot centers around Frances Howe and how her very sad childhood changed her path in life.  The different time periods are well described, in my opinion. We start with Damien who is a care giver living in London.

Frances, dubbed Frankie once she arrived in New York, is now in her eighties and has broken ankle.  Damien is sent to her for the temporay care she needs.  As they are both Irish and Damien knows the area Frankie grew up in this opens a window for them to reminisce.  He's great at getting his clients to chat and this opens up a flood of memories from Frankie as she slowly tells him her life story.  From county Cork in Ireland to London, Frankie finds happiness for a while and it's an interesting journey.  

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This week I posted and tried to join in on Nonfiction November Here. Upcoming I have a stack of books and need to decide which to tackle first, some depend on library due dates.

Hope your reading week is a good one!

 Linking up with:

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Nonfiction November - week one

This is my first time participating in Nonfiction November although I do participate in an annual nonfiction challenge at Book'd Out.  

Our host for the first week here is Heather at Based on a True Story.

 Week 1 (10/27 – 11/2) Your Year in Nonfiction: Celebrate your year of nonfiction. What books have you read? What were your favorites? Have you had a favorite topic? Is there a topic you want to read about more?  What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November? 

So far this year I have read thirteen nonfiction books with various topics such as Food, Health, Travel, Garden, Myths/Legends and Memoir/Biography.  I am about to start The Art Thief by Michael Finkel which is true crime, also a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.

Favorites / One of my absolute favorite for 2025 is The Story of a Heart by Dr. Rachel Clarke. That book could well have landed under the science category but I chose health.  

Here is a list of the nonfiction completed so far in 2025.

Olive, Mabel and Me by Andrew Cotter

Be Ready When Luck Happens by Ina Garten

Atlas of Abandoned Places

Hidden Libraries

On the Hippie Trail by Rick Steves

Vanishing Cornwall by Daphne du Maurier

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

Pastoral Song by James Rebanks

The Story of a Heart by Dr. Rachel Clarke ★

I have been reading nonfiction all year as I participate in Shelleyrae's Nonfiction Reading Challenge .  You can find more about this annual challenge at Book'd Out.

Sharing with the hosts Heather at Nonfiction November and Readerbuzz.

UPDATE - I am not on Facebook and can not sign in to participate in the link on Heather's blog.  So...yeah.

Book chat and Loki's dental escapade

Happy Wednesday my bookish friends!  I am gearing up for our first Halloween in a neighborhood since 1991 - yikes!  We haven't had trick-or-treaters in so long so we have been buying candy on each of our grocery trips.  Decorating was fun.

Loki had a dental procedure on Friday and he took forever to get back to normal.  We were worried because he was supposed to bounce back the next day.  He wouldn't eat or drink for 2 days. Here he is making my life easy in the kitchen...my foot makes a decent pillow.

📚 Book Chat 📚

I finished The Elements by John Boyne. A page turner of a novel and I am glad I didn't discover these individual stories until he put them all together.  Unbeknownst to me, these four stories Air, Fire, Earth and Water were previously published as novellas.  Putting them all together links up certain characters throughout each "Element."  

I liked the settings in Ireland, especially in the first story titled Water where a woman took time to heal and evaluate her life on a remote island off Ireland's west coast . The stories are disturbing but not graphic.  Triggers for rape, spousal abuse and revenge are present.  The writing is fantastic. 

Thank you Jackie at Junkboat Travels for alerting me to another Graham Norton book.  I am reading Frankie and may be caught up with Norton's fiction.

📚Upcoming 📚

I played along with the Classic Club Spin which I listed HERE and my book will be The  Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford.

My next nonfiction is  The Art Thief  by Michael Finkel and eventually a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.

What is on your reading agenda for the rest of the month?

  Linking up with:

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Classics Club Spin Time!

 Here's my book list for the Classics Club Spin 

1. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
2. Agnes Grey by Ann Bronte
3. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
5. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
6. Daisy Miller by Henry James
7. Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
8. Goodnight, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
9. Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
10. It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
11. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
12. Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier
13. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
14. Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
15. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
16. The Covenant by James Michener
17. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
19. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
20. The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell

When the spin number is announced on Sunday 19 October I will read that book before December  21, 2025.  Will you be joining in?  Check out the announcement post HERE.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

The Classics Club

Reading, CrocktoberFest and Planting

Hello bookish friends.  First week of October has me reading outside thanks to cooler temps, using the slow cooker and planting pollinators. I hope your week is going well.

Currently reading The Elements by John Boyne.  

From Goodreads - "The narrative follows a mother on the run from her past, a young soccer star facing a trial, a successful surgeon grappling with childhood trauma, and a father on a transformative journey with his son. Each is somehow connected to the next, and as the story unfolds, their lives intersect in unimaginable ways."

I'm over halfway through with this book and it's quite a page turner.  Set in Ireland and England, there are triggers on rape and abuse but nothing graphic. 

Four different stories and circumstances with the point of view of a perpetrator, a victim and I am not so sure about the enabler label on one story. Anyway, Boyne is linking up these stories and people in each section titled Air, Earth, Water and Fire. I can't put it down.

Surprise in the mail - Thank you to Deb at Readerbuzz for the seed packet and lovely card!  I have planted them and hope for some pollinators to visit.  I also planted my Seed Pop but so far, only a few sprouts.  Maybe I am overwatering.  We will see.

Here is the one I planted.  They come in different varieties for butterfly, bees and birds.

CrocktoberFest time.  This slow cooker isn't mine but I thought it looked so cute .

First thing I wanted to do was make this Peach and Pear Cobbler (click on link for recipe).  I made it ages ago and posted on my defunct food blog.  Dessert in a slow cooker - yes please.  Next crock effort is a lentil soup.  We are starting to get cooler temps.  Very excited.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

September reading and October plans

 Well we got through September.  While I am longing for fall temperatures here, my friends in the southern hemisphere are about to experience Springtime :-)  Clearly I need a home is two  parts of this world, haha.

So a wrap up of September reading and watching.  

I was saddened to learn of Nan's passing.  She wrote at Letter from a Hill Farm and will be missed.  Les wrote a lovely tribute to Nan and you can read that HERE. 

📚 Books read 📚

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (a buddy read with Susan at the Cue Card)

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth by Barbara O'Neal

Forever Home by Graham Norton

Vanishing Cornwall by Daphne du Maurier - a nonfiction for my 2025 Nonfiction Reading Challenge at Book's Out. and British Isles Friday.

I enjoyed the book and learning so much about the history of Cornwall.  It was a place du Maurier had such a passion for and influenced so many authors we have read in classic literature.  The part about Yorkshire and the Bronte sisters and family was very interesting to me.  Reading about their Cornish mother and aunt and how it sparked their imaginations, inspiring the plots and locale in their books.

The myths and legends about Arthur, King Mark and Tristan were page turners as well.  Too many stories in here to address all but if you have an interest in the history, landscape,  myths and legends about Cornwall, please check your local library for a copy of this book.

As a few commenters stated they didn't know Daphne du Maurier wrote any nonfiction.   I thought I would include a screen shot of the book listing her books.  She wrote many about Francis Bacon, I suppose her big interest, as well as memoirs.

Category for the nonfiction challenge is Myths and Legends.

Watching

We have enjoyed all three of these shows.  You can't go wrong with Gary Oldman in Slow Horses and while I have not read the book series by Mick Herron I like the show.  Looking forward to the next season as it airs.

Chief of War is almost entirely in Hawaiian and is subtitled so be prepared to read it. 

Slow Horses

Chief of War

Friends and Neighbors

Sharing with

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2025 Nonfiction Challenge 

Joy for British Isles Friday 

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

If I'm stuck inside, I'll be reading...

Only a week and a half into the month and I have some books to share with you.  Some I finished in the last 4 days and the Jim DeFede book I started the end of July. Lots going on here but mostly I am inside because of extreme temperatures, so reading is my go-to for entertainment.

 The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

This nonfiction was a fast read.  I had no idea about the coordination involved getting scores of planes to land as quickly as possible, steering clear of U.S. airspace after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. After a certain point crossing the Atlantic from Europe a pilot could turn back and return to their original airport or make that decision to push on. Unbeknowst to the pilots, they would be stranded in Canada for many days, with uncertainty about moving on to the original destinations.

Imagine thousands of unscheduled flights finding an airport in Canada.   This book focused on Gander in Newfoundland, the many passengers from all over the world.  The people of Gander coming together to provide food, towels, linens and cots, opening their homes to strangers to give them a place to shower or to stay with them instead of a makeshift shelter.  The spirit of community is a credit to the people in Gander and I wish more people around this conflicted world could be as kind.

There are may reviews on this book and many quotes already but the individual stories about where some came from, friendships made and the back story on handling such as unexpected large scale event made for fascinating reading. You'll read about a few families returning to the US after many weeks traveling to Kazakhstan with their adopted child, a couple who are worried about their NYFD son who is missing while on duty at the towers, refugees,  and so many more personal stories.  5 stars.

The Atlas of Abandoned Places

Places I will never get to and some I would love to see.  What a cool book.  In addition to the locations, including latitude and longitude, there is history and many photos.  Here is an example below 👇 As you can see from the photo they estimate roughly 750,000 of these garden shed sized bunkers all over Albania.  Many are completely abandoned but some have been repurposed as museums, storage for livestock feed and more. They are from the Cold War era.

In England you can see some very interesting forts along the Kent coastal area.  Guy Maunsell designed these forts, sometimes called Maunsell Forts or His Majesty's Forts, during WW II.  They were desgined to guard Thames estuary and the coastal region

They look like they belong in a Star Wars movie.  What a fascinating sight this must be along the Kent coast in England.  

Currently finishing up the Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Wow, what a page turner. I need more of her books but I wonder if any of the others can top this one.

Next up I plan to read another off my Classic Club list, The Quiet American by British author Graham Greene. That's the plan anyway but you never know when a different book will lure me away.

It's still extremely hot in north Florida so Loki says

Yes, please, to a cold Pupcup.

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Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

July was a busy month...books, visits and food

This past month has been a good one for me reading, armchair traveling and a few days with our Nebraska granddaughter.  

I joined in on the Paris in July at Words and Peace. Prepared many French dishes HERE and read books with the French theme  which were new to me. Much thanks to Emma at Word and Peace for hosting this event. 

✔ Read two from my Classics Club list - A Moveable Feast and Picnic at Hanging Rock.

✔ Completed another nonfiction for Shelleyrae's Nonfiction Reader Challenge -  Hidden Libraries 

🤔 Learning about streaming and Internet after living rural for 33 years.  Wow.  What a world that's been opened for us.

My granddaughter is in town visiting her mother so we've been able to get some visiting in, go for some lunches and school shopping. Fun stuff.

Armchair travel took me to France, England, Australia, Maine and all over the globe thanks to Hidden Libraries.

And now it's August...July went by so quickly.  Hope you had a good month of reading and joyful experiences.

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Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Books for Paris in July ... a wrap up post

This was my first time participating in Paris in July and I had a blast.  While I thought I may do two posts I found myself immersed in the books, food and music.  Check out our host Emma at Words and Peace for info and great suggestions.  

I will round up my virtual time spent in France with a post about books. 

My introduction to French author Valérie Perrin was through the Women in Translation website. There are so many wonderful resources and lists there to help you sort according to your interest.  If it's a particular author or certain countries you are interested in - this site has it.  In August they host an event to read women authors via translation.  I plan to join in and hoped for another book by Perrin, translated by Hildegard Serle.   Alas, I don't think there is a new one out yet.

Previously I have read these by Perrin, reviews are in the links:

Fresh Water for Flowers
Three
Forgotten on Sunday

Other books I've enjoyed which fit our French theme are as follows. (some reviews in the link)

Memoirs 🍷 

The Olive Farm: A memoir of life, love and olive oil in the South of France by Carol Drinkwater

On Rue Tatin by Susan Hermann Loomis (loved this one!)

French Toast by Harriet Welty Rochefort

French Lessons: Adventure with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

Fiction ( besides French author Valérie Perrin) - there were many more on my old book blog but I can't access it anymore. Alas.

The French Gift by Kirsty Manning

The French Girl by Lexie Elliott

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

Thank you Emma for hosting and sharing so many books, albums and more.  It's been a blast;

Sharing with Emma at Words and Peace and Deb at Readerbuzz.

Palmiers, Chicken Chasseur, Steak au Poivre and baguettes! {Paris in July 🥖 }

Food is my inspiration for this week in the Paris in July  event hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.  Palmiers were on my radar and that made me think about all the other recipes I have prepared from my Williams Sonoma Essentials of French Cooking.

Here are the Sun Dried Tomato and Tapenade Palmiers I made yesterday and the recipe many be found Here on my old food blog.

That made me think of all the other menus we have enjoyed, and continue to prepare, so I will post the links to our favorite recipes from this book. (recipes in the links)

Seared Tuna with Piperade from the Aquitaine region

Sea Scallops in Tangerine Sauce from the Pays-de-la-Loire region. Very tasty.

Steak au Poivre from Lyon - this is on the menu this upcoming week again. So easy.🥖

 Here is one I make quite a bit - Chicken Chasseur

We haven't had the scallops in a while but now I want them again after seeing the photo. What I do make often is bread -  here is my latest baguette.  

For a bit more foodie inspiration check out my post on Patricia Wells's The Provence Cookbook for roasted chicken with rice and figs. 

We enjoy so many from these cookbooks and they make a fairly regular appearance.  Do you have any favorite French recipes?

Sharing with Emma at Words and Peace. Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.  

Afternoon in Paris with Sacha Distel and Comme Toi with Ishtar #ParisInJuly

Let's share some music today for Paris in July hosted my Emma at Words and Peace.

Afternoon in Paris is a fantastic album and we listened to it again last night.  Read about it here in Jazz Messengers.  It's a beautifully recorded album from 1956, recorded in Paris and the only collaboration between John Lewis and Sacha Distel.

To listen click HERE and I think you'll love it.

Check out this song Comme Toi by the French-Israeli singer called Ishtar.  She sings with a French based band called Alabina.  We have a Buddha Bar CD with various selections.  We particularly like Ishtar's version of this song in French -   Listen HERE.  

Sorry but I don't know how to embed the YouTube links...but if you click on that link you'll hear the song.

 Buddha Bar is famous for it's restaurant and music, based in Paris France.  Not all the albums appealed to us but they have a unique catalogue and following.  I'd love to eat there!

Sharing this Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon and with Words and Peace for Paris in July.  Upcoming are some book reviews and foodie posts. Au Revoir for now!

Storms, Internet and some good reading#SundaySalon #BriFri

Here we are into the first week of July. We've had a few big storms blow in this past week and had hail one evening.  The winds were so strong that day my wind chimes blew sideways and stayed vertical for a bit.  I thought they may blow into my neighbor's yard, yikes.  Welcome to the hurricane season and the almost daily summer rains.

 Loki has had his Heartgard and Nexgard meds and I need to get the next 6 months worth from the vet now.  The time passes so quickly. He is settling in nicely in our new home, probably helpful that much of our furniture was moved with us so...familar items and scents.  Here he is napping by the CD shelves.

Let us get to bookish chat //   I finished my Classics Club Spin and read Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, review Here.  I liked it and plan to find the version with the author's deleted final chapter.

Did a DNF on Niall Williams book The Time of the Child.  Reviews are good for it and from the plot description I thought I'd love it.  It was too lyrical and not enough dialogue for me. That said, I believe I am in the minority on not liking this one.

Currently reading The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck and enjoying it.  This one I have not put down nor been distracted.  I will look for more of his work.

So...we have Internet  now!  It's like being in a space age for us and we called our son in Nebraska for some tips.  Apparently our tv being 6 years old needed a few updates, something we could never do without Internet access.  Now all is working within normal parameters.  I grew up with this 👇

I'm now combing through some friend's blog posts (especially Les at Coastal Horizons posts for her Month in Review) for suggestions about shows and movies to add to our list.

Last night we watched The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare with some English actors such as Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Henry Cavill.   Rory Kinnear played Churchhill very well, in my opinion.  Perfect movie for British Isles Friday.

If anyone has suggestions for movies or shows please do leave a comment.  For the last few decades our entertainment has come from VHS and DVDs, bought or borrowed from the library. My list is growing and I can't wait to see the British Baking Show.

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Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday