Presently reading......

My tablet basically died. It was locking up, going to black screen and I couldn't turn it off.  As the tablet and blogging are my only interaction with book sites & friends, news, etc.....I had to get a new one.  It interfered with some posts I was hoping to get done but...now I am all set.

Very irritating to have to spend the money on it as I was digging in to No Buy 2025.  Here are a couple of articles about that Here and Here. 

In book news....

Just finished  The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough which was a buddy read with Deb at Readerbuzz.  It's always nice to read with someone :-)

Currently reading / Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain with JoAnn. Also started The Story of a Heart by Dr. Rachel Clarke, a page turner in nonfiction. Fascinating so far.

Sharing a couple of "new" books for Mailbox Monday (hosted by Vicki).  I have The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks from the library and  I purchased White Oleander by Janet Fitch for $2 from their sale shelves.  Not sure when I will get started on the Rebanks book as I am finishing up the nonfiction right now.

Other posts this week besides the Thorn Birds review was about Loki's birthday/ gotcha day

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

Vicki for Mailbox Monday

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough#ClassicsClub #BuddyRead

 The Thorn Birds was a buddy read with Deb at Readerbuzz.  This was an interesting journey through decades with the Cleary family and getting myself immersed in Australian outback conditions. 

Below is a general summary of the book but spoilers are in my Goodreads review HERE.   

This is a multi-generational saga spanning from 1915 to 1969.  The Cleary family, Paddy and Fiona, along with their seven children, are trying to make ends meet on a farm in New Zealand.  You will read about the hardships of the family and how they eventually move to Australia when Paddy's sister (Mary Carson) offers them a home on her vast property called Drogheda.

Paddy is Mary's only heir and he will eventually be assumed to inherit her estate. The sons flourish working on the sheep ranch and the women are sequestered at home doing the usual mundane work of cooking, laundry, childcare etc.  Yet another perk of being a female in that time period.

A central character to this story is Father Ralph de Bricassart, the Catholic priest who visits Mary Carson, hoping to advance his position with the church and relocate to Sydney or perhaps, one day...Rome. He becomes very involved with the Cleary family, much to Mary's dismay, but her vindictive nature will eventually turn the tables.

The descriptions of the birds, landscape and the flora are very richly described; such vivid colors and atmosphere.  The weather conditions are so well depicted you can feel it, easily imagining hot breezes, the sticky humidity and bitter cold in each season.

There is so much tragedy, sadness as well as love in this novel.  

This was a buddy read with Deb at Readerbuzz and also one of the books on my Classics Club list.  Publication date 1977.

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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

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.

First book of the year hosted at Book Journey

 I'm joining in on the First Book of the Year hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  Check out the link HERE and join in if you like. It's easy....you send Sheila a photo of yourself with the first book you plan to start in 2025.

I'm going with a memoir by Andrew Cotter titled Olive, Mabel & Me.  Many of us were introduced to Mr. Cotter when he used his Scottish broadcasting skills to describe Olive and Mabel in humorous narrative during the pandemic lockdown.  

If you've not seen the video please click HERE to watch Game of Bones.  It's about one minute in length.

This book will also be my first in the nonfiction challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out and I hope to start reading it the first week of January.

Do you have a particular book picked out to start the new year?

Thank you, Sheila, for hosting!

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon and Sheila at Book Journey.

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.

Thoughts about bookish goals.....

 Here we are ushering in the end of November with December creeping up rapidly.  Or so it seems.  Time for me to think about reading goals for the upcoming year and deciding what is....achievable.  I have an ambitious list so far but some of the goals entwine with others.  

 #1 The Classics Club 

This has been a fascination for quite some time as I have seen it on bookish friends' blogs. Step one is making my list of 50 books and with a five year goal in mind, that seems like something I could accomplish.   Still making the list at present ....

#2 The Nonfiction Reader Challenge

This Challenge has been hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out. and so next year I plan to join in.  Already have a few titles listed.

#3 Read what I own

A personal challenge/goal to get through stacks on my shelf and on my Kindle. I like that my Kindle has a feature to sort by newly owned books or those unread so, that part will be easy to select from.

 It's early for the goals but I wanted to get my list started.  Have any of you bookish friends started a list yet or have something new in mind for 2025?  I love new ideas so please make a suggestion and let me know about other reading groups.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

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. 

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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.

October round up

First off, a big shout out to Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.  I was so happy to see her posting again and hope to join her for an event next year :-)

The election - I am glad it's over and frankly, I was surprised by the results. I remember way back in the day when things were civil between people, regardless of which party you supported.  If your candiate lost you'd say, oh well...maybe next time, and life went on.

Not so much anymore.  The outward gloating with new yard signs here is unbelievable. 

Reading and travel - Last month I didn't get much reading done because of travel but staying in a hotel we were able to watch two games of the World Series!  

Here is Loki balancing on a chair while he watches me, him on the bed while we watch the baseball game and a photo of delicious fish tacos and black beans from  Bahama Breeze restaurant.

He was kenneled for a day while we toured houses and had a meal out.

October reading consists of only two books but no DNF this time.  One book was on my fall reading.

📚📚   Books read  📚

The Woman Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle

Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano

October book travel took me to New Jersey and Ireland.  Currently reading My Brillant Friend with Susan at The Cue Card so I am immersed in an Italian town.

Currently doing a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.  We are immersed in 1950's Italian culture with My Brilliant Friend by  Elena Ferrante.

 That's it for the round up.   Looking forward to more good reading in November. I'd love to know what books you favored this month.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. 

Nebraska trip and catching up

I never. Want to fly. Again. ✈    Getting to Nebraska wasn't too awful, except the exceptionally high prices for food in the airport. It was so good to see the kids and my sweet granddaughter after a year and we sure had fun.

Getting home had it's challenges with delays in a flight and more babies and young children on one flight from Atlanta to Tallahassee than we have ever experienced. A late flight means cranky kids.....yikes!

I know most folks have cable or some tv feed but as we don't, I was so happy to watch baseball at the hotel one evening!

Before we left we had a good DVD from the library.  It's a PBS show titled Pompeii: The New Dig.  It's in three one hour segments and was very interesting.

I posted about Crocktober fest earlier, check that out HERE if interested in slow cooker meals.

I only finished one book this month - Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano

That's it.  Driving to Memphis to look at that area this week. Hope you all are well, have good books and loving life!

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

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.

Working on Trust and Sipsworth from my reading list{and preparing for hurricane Helene}

Earlier this month we had my husband's birthday and some surprisingly nice weather.  He has been able to get out with his solar telescope in the daytime and a few evening sessions with his other scope.  Perfect.  

Now we are prepping for Hurricane Helene.  Getting the Kindle, phones, etc all charged for the loss of electricty. 

My week has been a dermatologist appointment, biopsy, bread making and a slow cooker recipe my son sent. The excitement never ends :-)

While looking at a news story on my phone I saw there was an Instagram post embedded and I couldn't access it.  So I dusted off my old Instagram account to have a look.  Then I tried to follow a few book blogs and authors.  Apparently you have to get permission now even if the accounts are public. 

Currently reading Trust and while very well written it's more narrative than dialogue. Thus I took a short break to read Sipsworth.  I finished this in a day and it's a sweet story.  Helen Cartwright is in her eighties and returned to England to live out her last years quietly and alone.

She had a full life in Australia with her husband and son but they are gone now.  She isn't ill but she knows at her age the end is coming.  Without friends or family she decides to settle in the English neighborhood where she grew up over 60 years ago.  Helen finds that life still has a few surprises for her.

Simon Van Booy is an author new to me. He grew up in rural Wales and currently lives in New York, writing and volunteering as an E.M.T.  I will seek out more of his work.

Once I finish Trust I am starting Long Island by Colm Tóibín.

All three of these books are on my fall reading list.  Has anyone else read books by Simon Van Booy and if so, recommendations?  I hope you have nice weather and good reading.

 Sharing with:

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

📚📚📚📚📚📚

Fall reading and list making

First off, a shout out to ShelleyRae at Book'd Out.  I haven't seen you post in a while, you've been in my thoughts and I miss you. 

Let's talk fall reading.  Or Spring reading if you are in the southern hemisphere :-)

I enjoy making lists as it keeps me focused.  Sometimes I deviate but overall, it's helpful. Here's what I have so far but some could get swapped out depending on interest.

Trust by Herman Diaz (currently reading)

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy (currently reading) #BriFri

Long Island by Colm Toibin  #BriFri

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig #BriFri

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante  (a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card)

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger 

The Woman Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle #BriFri

This is a list in progress so I welcome suggestions and comments on any of these you have enjoyed.  Four of my books will be linked with Joy's British Isles Friday.  Love my U.K. authors :-)

 Sharing with:

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

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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.