Hidden Libraries from Lonely Planet{2025 Nonfiction Reading Challenge}

When I saw this book by Lonely Planet titled Hidden Libraries I couldn't resist checking it out. There are 50 libraries here that would make a good international travel list for those of us who love books.  Exotic locations and more.

"Book swap your latest read in a cool 1950s style fridge in New Zealand or hike through the ethereal woodlands of Eas Mor in Scotland where a hidden library in a small log cabin awaits. Each entry shares the library's mission and impact on the local community and offers fascinating stories from its resident caretaker."

Here is an excerpt from the Kenyan mobile library:

"Every morning the Kenyan Library Service prepare three camels for travel.  The party consists of a librarian in charge, two assistants and a skilled camel herdsman who knew how to keep the moody beasts healthy and in check. One camel is tasked with carrying a whopping 400 books, another is packed with a tent, reading mat and chairs. The third just waits for one of the other two to fall apart so it could sub for it.  They work Monday through Thursday and travel 7 miles in any direction from home base."

Nice photos accompany the stories and it's well worth a browse if you like books and travel.  I particularly liked this one of a phone booth library.  This one is in Somerset England and according to the book, Queen Camilla has been known to drop off books at these unique box libraries for others to enjoy.  There are many other locations in the British Isles which would make a good U.K. travel vacation for a few weeks.

This one below - the Bethnal Green Underground Library in London is labeled as In Memoriam.  During the second world war this subway was used as a bomb shelter.  When the bombing started librarians scrambled to save the books, digging through debris and brought them here. While over 5,000 East Enders sheltered there, librarians brought in thousands of books hoping to preserve them from the destruction.

There are locations complete with addresses (and some in memorium for those not existing anymore) in remote areas of China, Afghanistan and even the South Pole. Great book for those who love libraries and travel ideas.

This book is shared with:

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

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Vicki for Monday Mailbox

Joy for British Isles Friday

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!

Paris in July

Paris in July would be lovely.  I visited many decades ago but it wasn't in July.  So much to see, experience, taste and enjoy.  I will be enjoying things French and particularly Parisian from home instead of in person, getting creative cooking, reading and visiting others for inspiration.

Paris in July is hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.  Check out the info for joining in HERE.  

Some things I have on tap are Hemingway's A Moveable Feast,  a few French recipes, DeBussy's music for one of our listening evenings, and a couple of novels set in France.  

If you are joining in let me know what titles or subjects you have in mind.  This will be a fun activity for hot old July here :-)

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.

Sharing with:

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay #ClassicsClub

 Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay was my spin pick for The Classics Club. I read the lenghty forward and it seems there was a question about the author's first hand knowledge, or is it entirely a work of fiction.  It is labeled as historical fiction with a setting in 1900 at a girl's college in Victoria Australia. The locations Hanging Rock and Macedon ranges are real.

Mrs. Appleyard established a girls college and boarding school insisting on a very English "uniform" and forms of etiquette. When the story begins it's Valentine's day, the girls exchanging cards and planning a picnic at Hanging Rock. Mrs. Appleyard is a strict head mistress and very unyielding, trying to keep with "proper" English customs in an unsuitable environment regarding clothing.

 It is mentioned how the governess, teacher and young ladies are required to wear gloves, voluminous dresses and hats in spite of the scorching Australian heat.  Appleyard did not believe in adapting for the heat. The description of the landscape, flora and heat are well written, placing you in the scene.

" Insulated from natural contacts with earth, air and sunlight, by corsets pressing on the solar plexus, by volumious petticoats, cotton stockings and kid boots, the drowsy well-fed girls lounging in the shade were no more a part of their environment than figures in a  photograph album, arbitrarily posed against a backcloth of cork rocks and cardboard trees."

A few of the girls napped while several of the senior girls decided they would like to walk and get closer to the Rock. Miss McGraw, the mathmatics teacher, wanted to take measurements and so it was agreed they could walk but be gone no more than one hour. It should be noted everyone's time pieces stopped at noon.

Over an hour later one girl came screaming down the path and couldn't recall what had actually happened but the senior girls and Miss Mcgraw were missing.  After searching as long as possible the coachman returned to the college. From there on, the scandal of it blackened the college until it's ruin.

There are many more characters who played a large part; Albert the stableman and Michael, a young artistocrat living with his aunt and uncle, forming an unlikely friendship with Albert. The two of them went lookng for the missing girls independent of the police investigation. One of the girls was found, close to death, but she could not remember a single thing about the walk after the picnic or anything about the missing girls and teacher.

There is an otherworldly and eerie atmosphere about the disappearances and the subsequent events which seemed to touch on the lives of anyone involved with this picnic.

As Joan Lindsay attended a girl's boarding school in the same vicinity it has been suggested this is very loosely based on a true story.  That is never revealed to be true and I think this novel was a brilliant fiction Lindsay created.  As the author stated when asked, "Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is fact or fiction, the reader must decide for themselves...it hardly matters."

It should be noted there was a final chapter which the editor asked Lindsay to delete, leaving things ambiguous rather than explaining.  I'll be looking for that version called The Secret of Hanging Rock, it would include chapter 18, to see how our author wanted to end this.

4 stars

Sharing with The Classics Club for the spin.

Monday Mailbox

 Monday Mailbox is hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be at the Beach.  This is a weekly event to share books we added to our collections. 

Last week I bought Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay for the Classic Club Spin and started it a few days ago.

From the library I received Time of The Child by Niall Williams for Kindle checkout and hope to get to it before it's due back.

Did you get any books this week?  Check out Monday Mailbox to see who linked up this week.

Home is where the rabbits roam

First off, apologies for not answering emails or visiting blogs for a bit.  I will be catching up soon!

🐇What a week. We have finally moved and unpacked most of the 75 boxes and set up furniture. Last night we were listening to music and realized how relaxed we felt ...it feels like home.  We wondered if there would be an adjustment after spending 33 years in our previous home but we are very happy.

One thing I did not expect was seeing so many rabbits in this closed in neighborhood.  The previous owner said she'd get rabbits and squirrels in the yard and I wondered about that.  We see several loping about across lawns, sitting under trees in the front yards - it's so cool!  We opened the front door to get Loki out for a walk and one was apparently sitting in the flower bed just off the entrance.  Amazing that Loki never saw it run into the bushes.

Books

This past week I posted about the Classic Club Spin and the number that came up is 11 so I will be reading Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. This is an Australian author with a setting in Australia.

Among the many books I've unpacked I came across these two gems. The Mike Biles book is a fabulous easy to read history about England. 

Bored Of the Rings is a parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's book. It's probably out of print. Doug has had it since he was in high school so it's amazing it's not been lost in any of our moves. 

Just wanted to share those for British Isles Friday.

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Classic Club Spin time!

 It's the Classic Club Spin Time!  Here's my book list for spin #41

1. A Room with a View by E.M. Forester
2. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
3. Agnes Grey by Ann Bronte
4. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
5. Daisy Miller by Henry James
6. Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
7. Goodnight, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
8. Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
9. It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
10. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
11. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
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 Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
17. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
18. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
19. The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell
20. To Sir with Love by E.R. Braithwaite

When the spin number is announced on Sunday June 15 I will (hopefully) read that book before August 25, 2025.  

Sharing With

The Classics Club

Italian drama and Typhoid Mary

 Happy Tuesday!  I thought I would take some time to catch up on the blog for tv and book chat. Here a few I finished.

Finished a buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card - The Story of a New Name by Elena  Ferrante. This is book two in the series. I rounded up to 4 stars.  The characters are complicated and you want to read more about the interactions between Lila and Elena but wow, what a vile bunch of characters surrounding them.  

Elena and Lila have been friends since they were very young and always had a tempetuous relationship.  At times they are fiercely loyal to one another and other times, barely controlling their jealousy with sharp comments or snubs.  Definitely a different friendship than any I have ever experienced.  They are young women now, Lila married at 16 to the overbearing Stefano.  He beats her, he buys her the best of everything but he will never break her spirit.  Sadly, Lila realizes too late she should have not married him.

Elena continues with her studies and excels with her educational pursuits. While she has a bit of envy about Lila's financial stabilty and standing in their community, Lila in turn has some envy about Elena being able to continue school and escaping the life in the neighborhood.

Jealousy, barbed comments, love and more in this novel.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

I also finished Fever by Mary Beth Keane.

This is a historical fiction relying heavy on facts about Mary Mallon,  an Irish woman, also known as Typhoid Mary.  She was arrested in 1907 because she was suspected of spreading disease.  The story details historical facts about her incarceration, testing ad nauseum, her employers and more. After her arrest she was held at a hospital for medical testing then moved to North Brother Island where she remained in quarantine for decades.

It's quite an interesting story and the author keeps you engaged with the personal details about Mary's life. 

Other books I have read by Keane are Ask Again, Yes and The Half Moon.  Looking forward to The Walking People.

As for watching, we have finished season one of Landman and Billy Bob Thorton is fantastic in the lead role.

It's spin time at the Classics Club so I will get my spin post up or scheduled before the weekend. I'm hoping for one of the British authors such as Graham Greene, Ann Bronte, Forester or Hardy.  We will see.

As I write we have two more nights in our home and then off to a hotel with Loki, then closing on the new place. Catch up with you later :-)

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

If it's rainy I'll be reading.....

It's been raining  off and on for days and my flowers are thriving. I suppose I will plant more at the new house next week as I love the vibrant colors.

Library Loot

I was not expecting Frozen River to be available to me for weeks as I was number 22 on the hold list so I didn't think to suspend it.  The library does rent books when one is popular so I suppose that's what happened here.  Either way, I will tuck into this fat novel and hope to finish in my timeframe allotted.

Landman starring Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm and Demi Moore was also available so we started watching it as we are done with season one of Jack Irish.  It's great so far but if you are offended by the F bomb, be warned.

A new addition of Book Page is available and I found several books for my TBR.  A highlight is Daughters of the Bamboo Grove,  a nonfiction by Barbara Demick.  There is an interview with the author and I found it interesting.

"Daughters of the Bamboo Grove tells the gripping story of separated twins, their respective fates in China and the USA, and Barbara Demick's role in reuniting them against huge odds. Painting a rich portrait of China's history and culture, it asks questions about the roots, impact and consequences of China's one-child policy, the ethics of international adoption, and, ultimately, the assumptions and narratives we hold about the quality of lives lived in the East and the West."

I don't usually drop the money for a new publication but I am mighty tempted for this one.

That's my week's Mailbox Monday and Sunday Salon.  Hope you received some goodies this week.

Sharing with Vicki for Mailbox Monday and Deb at Readerbuzz. 

Mailbox Monday

 Mailbox Monday is hosted by Vicki and gives us a chance to share what we have gotten in this week.

Katherine at I Wish I Lived in a Library had posted about this book But Have You Read the Book?  See her post here.  Fortunately my library had a copy.

It was fun going through the titles and seeing which ones I'd read, which I had watched but not read and which ones I'd read and watched.

As for DVDs in Mailbox Monday I grabbed sets one and two of Jack Irish and season one of Jack Irish.  If you are ever going to watch this series it starts with Set 1 and 2 then follows with Seasons 1, 2 and 3.

That's my week's Mailbox Monday.  Hope you received some goodies this week.

Sharing with Vicki for Mailbox Monday