Hello December....❄

Hello world. I've been absent for a bit but probably haven't missed anything crucial.  I guess.  Life got mad at us in November.   Earlier in November my husband had to go to the emergency room. They transported him to a larger hospital and kept him a night so that was stressful all the way around, for all of us. He is doing well now.  Then I was violently ill from some stomach bug. Knocked me for a loop.  Also had other things come up and frankly, besides a little bit of reading and starting a puzzle - nothing worth getting on the keyboard to share.

Apologies for my lack of visitation and response. Hope to catch up soon.

Thanksgiving was quiet as it's just the two of us.  We were able to talk to our son for a bit and hear how his turkey roasting was going.  Doug and I had meatloaf, potatoes and gravy, veggies and I had also made a pumpkin pie.  You can't beat Libby's recipe for pumpkin pie.  I hope you all had a nice holiday if it's one you partipate in.

Books //   Recently I finished  The Art Thief by Michael Finkel and it was a buddy read with Susan.  (Review in link)

Also read a novel by John Boyne which was well done, in my opinion.  Review of All the Broken Places HERE on Goodreads with spoilers mentioned but hidden. I will be looking for more John Boyne novels in 2026.

I was reading The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller.  This is set in 1962, rural west England shortly after WW II.  Apparently there actually was a severely frigid winter in that year.  It's slow but I thought it would pick up soon with some revelations about our main characters. Perhaps I am an unsophisticated reader as it was nominated for book awards but...just didn't resonate with me.  The extreme detail and minutiae in some passages had me wanting to flip ahead.  But again, I am probably in the minority about this book.

As I get older I tend to DNF something I'm not loving because i have so many other books I want to read.

Currently reading Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks. Sad and absorbing, can't put it down.

Watching / We finished season one of Bad Monkey starring Vince Vaughn. A good mixture of crime, drama and humor.  

Also finished season 5 of Slow Horses.  Love Gary Oldman.

First Christmas movie of the year was It's a Wonderful Life and that was a treat for me.

Wishing you all well, good health and plenty of whatever makes you happy. 

Sharing with:

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday  for Slow Horses

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

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans{ a good epistolary book with great book suggestions}

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans was a 5 star buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.   I loved this book and the epistolary style appealed to me.  From decades back I have been a letter writer.  You can create a history of your relationships through your letters, if you save them over the years.

You will meet our letter writer, Sybil Van Antwerp aged 73, and follow her through her from 2012 to 2021.  She writes to family, friends, authors and anyone she wants to share an opinion.  I love Sybil.  She has regrets as I'm sure we all do .  The themes of friendship, grief, love and growth are found within her tale.  Sybil is a strong woman and tries her best with some challenging situations.  I love her letters to Rosalie - her best friend and sister-in-law.  They usually end with "what are you reading, I am reading XX."

There are many characters so in the beginning I would write down the name and relationship so  wouldn't be confused.

I couldn't resist writing down all the books mentioned within her letters.  Some were letters to the authors expressing thoughts on the books and most of the others were a "I'm reading this, what are you reading" between friends.  Have you read any of these?

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• Round House by Louise Erdrich
• Inferno by Dan Brown
• Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
• The World Below by Sue Miller
• To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• State of Wonder by Ann Pachett
• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
• Blue Nights by Joan Didion
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
• Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
• The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
• Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
• Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
• Ulysses by James Joyce
• 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
• Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Some I've read and some have been on my to-read list.  Maybe this is a good list to start for winter reading. Hmmm...

Please check out Susan's excellent review HERE.

FYI - This book is on sale for Kindle today for $1.99. Check here.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

Weekly Update

My weekly update is a bit disjointed today so I'll just ramble on. I somehow strained my back and neck muscles. Probably the yard work we have tackled. It hurt to hold a Kindle or book up or for me to look down at the book, as I usually do.  No heating pad in the house so I ordered one from Amazon.  It is helping but if anyone has any ideas I'm all ears.

Question: Has anyone been in contact with Nan of Letters from a Hill Farm? I have not seen her post since March. I had a card to send her and realized I did not have her address.

Monday Mailbox - I'd not had many incoming books so have not been linking with Monday Mailbox hosted by Vicki.  I did receive this cookbook from awesome Jinjer and made a rice dish.  This week I am making a lentil soup.  

Also have the nonfiction by Daphne du Maurier Vanishing Cornwall. This is a memoir/history and myth and legend kinda book.  I've Cornwall but I love shows and book with the setting. 

Just finished a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and loved it. Review coming up.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon 

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Vicki for Monday Mailbox

Good reading and recipes this first week of September

The first week of September almost behind us and I sometimes marvel we have been in our "city" home for almost three months.  I love the quiet street we live on, talking to people who are walking or doing gardening, being close to the library, pizza, ammenities....and no more 25 mile trip to get to the grocery store. Bliss.

Books // This week I finished a Graham Norton book called Forever Home.  The setting is Ireland, as are most of his books, and the subject matter of dementia and relationships are the main themes.   I've read three of Graham Norton's books so far and can say I enjoyed the others more than this one. Most of the characters were believable and well described but there is a subplot about three quarters of the way in that's ridiculous, in my opinion. 3.5 stars

Here are previous Norton books which I enjoyed. Holding, Home Stretch and A Keeper.

For what it's worth I very much enjoyed Holding and could recommend that one for those interested in Irish village life and interactions with the community.

Currently reading The Correspondent as a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card. The epistolary style is very appealing to me as I still like writing letters.  

What's for dinner //  Thank you to Jinjer for sending me a cookbook!  First recipe that grabbed me was the rice dish with mushrooms, onions and peas.  This rounded out the honeyed lemon chicken dish.  Recipe for the chicken here if interested.

This dish could be the main event for vegetarians (just swap out the chicken broth) or as a filling side.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon 

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

August Reading, Watching and Lightning Strike

The end of August already.  As the heat was extreme, I was in quite a bit and so my reading time increased.  We did have a severe storm blow in and a lightning strike so close to the house that we had damage. 

It fried our DVD player, 5 outlets in the house and the gas water heater.  Xfinity went out for a bit but I will say I was impressed by the quick response time by a technician.  Thirty minutes after the storm a tech was outside our house hooking us up. Many people in our area were without electricty and Internet for days.  Our neighbor had to have a new air conditioner replaced- yikes!  So while I will complain about a $3,800 gas water heater, it was less expensive than a new AC unit.

Here are the books I finished this month  (Reviews are in the links)

For Nonfiction-  The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

The Atlas of Abandoned Places

📚  Three Fiction Reads 📚

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Heartland by Amity Gaige

The Quiet American by Graham Greene (Classics Club)

Watching

We abandoned The Terminal List with Chris Pratt after almost finishing the first episode. He is completely unbelievable as a Navy Seal.  What we did find and like is an older show called Person of Interest   starring  Jim Caviezel. It's an interesting concept and we are up into season 2 now.  Loving the slow character reveals and development.  That said, I don't see us watching all 5 seasons.

Shrinking with Harrison Ford and Jason Segal. Love this show and the dialogue between the characters.  Just finished season 2 and I can't wait for season 3 to release! Thank you Les for recommending.  🤎 It brought a tear to my eye at the end of season 2.

Armchair Travel this month took me to Newfoundland, Maine, Australia, Vietnam and many remote places around the world with the Atlas of Abandoned Places :-)

What books and shows did you enjoy this month?  Suggestions are always very welcome.

Sharing with Deb at 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.

Hemingway, Cleeves and Bosch

 This has been a good reading week for me.  

This week I posted A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway and Untold Paris by John Baxter.

When I was at the library I picked up The Dark Wives, the eleventh in her Vera series. The setting is Northumberland and Vera is investigating the murder of a young man who worked at a children's care home.  The children housed there are either troubled, orphaned or have a parent missing in their lives. Fourteen year old Chloe is missing and when the detectives find her diary, they wonder if she is the killer or if she is in danger and went into hiding.

Interesting article HERE about Ann Cleeves working as a social worker and how a radio programme about a few unscrupulous care homes inspired her to write this mystery.  Apparently there are some who run the care homes strictly as a business without regard to caring for teens in need of love, counseling and more. Yikes. 

Next up is The Atlas of Abandoned Places. If you read and liked my post about Hidden Libraries by Lonely Planet, I think you would like this book. The photography is fantastic and the stories are equally engaging.  More on it later.

Watching / We have watched a season of Goliath and two seasons of Bosch. I also I have been watching a few baseball games using free access.  Can't bring myself to pay for MLB, so expensive.  I also keep track of the Phillies on my phone and they have had some great games, especially with the Red Sox going into extra innings two games in a row

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Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

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.