Some good reading this month

The end of May already....wow. Nothing new here except catching up on some emails and errands. We finished watching the series Firefly and I sure wish they had continued it. Next week is my birthday so we will get a pizza and watch The Martian that evening. Loki has been looking a bit unhappy about the lack of furniture in the house these days but that will all change soon.

On to book chat.  I have been very behind in writing anything or linking up.

I read Rick Steves On the Hippie Trail but never linked up. Review in the link.

I also finished Where the Forest Meets the River.   This picks up five years after the first book with all the same characters and I loved it.  Can't wait for her to publish the last one in this series because I need to know what happens with Greg, Rose, Nate, Richard and ...well, all of the characters in this small town.  There have been some revelations, some closure and lots of hope but she sure left us with a few cliff hangers!

Most recently there was The Distance Between Us by Maggie O'Farrell, a recommendation by Les at Coastal Horizons.   As with any O'Farrell book I've read this one grabbed me straight away.  There isn't a lot of dialogue, especially in the beginning chapters, but the descriptive writing drops you right into the middle of Jake's Hong Kong new year celebration and resulting tragedy.  The other storyline, which will eventually merge, takes us into Stella and Nina's world in London, Wales and Scotland. All three of our main characters have big secrets.

Next up will be a roundup for Elena Ferrante and Rosamunde Pilcher books.

I hope you have gotten some good reading in this May.  Thinking of Shelleyrae at Book'd Out where she is dealing with severe flooding.  Thoughts are with you!

Armchair travel for May has taken me to Maine, Scotland, England, Hong Kong, Italy and Ireland.

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

 

Rick Steves on the hippie trail(2025 Nonfiction Reading Challenge}

Rick Steves' travel books and shows are always informative and entertaining.  This publication isn't a typical guide book.  Actually, it's not a guide book at all. It's a memoir and diary of an amazing trip he and his friend endured when they were in their twenties.

I did say endured as it was described as an primitive adventure with total lack of refinement. Filthy conditions for sleeping, dangerous border guards and at times meals with questionable concern regarding preparation. That said, it's exactly what he and his friend wanted to check off the bucket list.  The Hippie Trail. You know straight off you'd have rough conditions but it's the adventure of a lifetime.

This is actually the diary of two 23 year old friends who make this trip work on a showstring budget.  They controlled themselves by limiting photos to 11 per day.  These were the days of film and no cell phone snaps. 

The appeal to me was reading about the youthful carefree attitude regarding travel.  Something I have done, but wouldn't repeat now.

I was in Europe the same year Steves arrived to start this journey but my loose itinerary was all about seeing western Europe (and as much of it as possible) before money ran out. A one way ticket from Miami to Luxembourg and savings lasted me (and the now ex-husband) for a year and a half before returning home.  I interject this because I get the youthful sense of adventurous traveling, sleeping in a van, discovering new foods and cultures with zero responsibilities. 

Much thanks to Deb at Readerbuzz for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is shared with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Category: Published in 2025

Also sharing with Vicki for Mailbox Monday.

Boxing and Reading

Hello fellow book bloggers. The whirlwind of putting the house on the market, selling in two days and getting in contract for another put my head in a spin. While I had finished two books prior I've yet to get it together for reviews.  Those two are coming up next week as I have to have a goal.  And I need some fun time that doesn't involve boxes, bubble wrap and labels  😊

Currently reading Elena Ferrante's book The Story of a New Name, the second in the trilogy, with Susan as a buddy read. I like it better than the first book and the story picks up where book one left off.

I had finished The Book Club by Roisin Meaney and couldn't remember if I posted it so...here it is.

The Book Club by Roisin Meaney grabbed me by the name of the book as well as the setting. A book club and it's in Ireland - yes, please. Just about all of it takes place in Ireland with some London memories thrown in. I enjoyed the mentions of Doolin, Cliffs of Moher and Nenagh, all places we have visited years past.

The main characters are listed in the front so I bookmarked that page for reference as I read. A makeshift library was created by Beth Sullivan as the town didn't have a library for the residents and the book club met in this cozy book filled cabin. The location was near the Sullivan home off a cliff with ocean views. That might be a deal breaker for me - moving to a town without a library. Good for Beth creating an impressive collection for the readers in town.

Beth is a 72 year old retired widow who has had her share of tragedy. Her only daughter, son-in-law and a granddaughter were killed in a car accident. Immediately after the accident her other granddaughter named Lil dropped out of college, stopped speaking then then moved in with her grandmother. This is important to the entire story line.

The story weaves in and out with several characters overlapping each other's lives. Not one single unlikable character in the book. Next door to Beth we have Tom, the newest addition to the community who has moved from Dublin to the Kerry coast. He is renting a house from Beth located next to hers. The empty house was her deceased daugher's so you know there will be emotional moments over that. Tom also has a secret and he doesn't reveal that to his new community.

The characters are well developed so I had a good mental picture of them and the dialogue was smooth. A coastal Kerry setting, a book club, a pub, a gift shop and nice people made this a feel-good book. While I wasn't tempted to abandon the book there were things that I wish had panned out differently near the end.

For instance, we eventually learn what Tom was hiding but it doesn't come up until near the end of the book. It's something people may not be comfortable with had they known about it without understanding the circumstances. Also Lil's constant writing in a notebook to communicate, as it's evident she has no medical reason to remain silent, got a little contrived. Things wrap up quite neatly but so quickly at the very end...meaning a few pages from the end. All the secrets and turmoil could have been introduced earlier, in my opinion, instead of a rushed ending. It leaves the reader to come up with their own conclusions to what happens to certain characters.

That said, I would read another of Irish author Roisin Meany's books as I was kept interested and love the setting. 3.5 stars

Loki

Last but not least - have a look at unbridled joy.  Loki rolling in the sunshine.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon and Joy for British Isles Friday.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh #BriFri # ClassicsClub

 Brideshead Revisited was on my spin list for the Classics Club but I wasn't able to finish it in time.  It was interesting n some parts but other parts I found it a slog.  This would cause me distraction and I'd read something else. Hence my lengthy reading time with a 400+ page book.

The book starts in the WW II time period with Captain Charles Ryder moving his troops along the English countryside. When his company comes upon an estate to set up their camp it's revealed to be Brideshead, a vast property and mansion owned by the wealthy Flyte family. Charles is very much familiar with the home and property as he spent a good deal of time there, in what seems to him, a lifetime ago when he was a student at Oxford.

Immediately after arriving at Brideshead Captain Ryder, as the narrator, recollects how he met fellow student Lord Sebastian Flyte at Oxford roughly twenty years earlier. It's a very rude introduction as Charles is hosting a party in his rooms and Sebastian walks by, drunk, leans into the window to speak and vomits all over the floor. To make amends he invites Charles to his home for a lunch and apologizes.  This ignited a deep friendship between Charles and Sebastian. As they spent more time together Charles was embraced by the Flyte family and became close to Sebastian's sisters - Lady Julia and Lady Cordelia.

As Evelyn Waugh embraced Catholicism in the 1930s it influenced his writing, making religion a prominent theme with this particular book.  As you read about Charles' relationships with Lady Marchmain, Julia and Sebastian you'll see how Catholicism becomes rather it's own character, a cape of guilt for Julia when her father suggests she is living in sin.  The sin was her leaving the church to marry Rex and then her affair with Charles. There are many other instances where faith, guilt and life styles  are explored.

“I've always been bad. Probably I shall be bad again, punished again. But the worse I am, the more I need God. I can't shut myself out from His mercy. ... Or it may be a private bargain between me and God, that if I give up this one thing I want so much, however bad I am, He won't quite despair of me in the end.”

There are many sections to this book.  The Oxford years, Sebastian leaving England for Venice, his alcoholism, Charles and the Flyte family and of course the war.

Overall, I wasn't crazy about the book but I am most likely in the minority. 3.5 stars

Linking up with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and The Classics Club.

The whirlwind of this week.....

Just a quick post taking a break from packing. After 33 years in this house I am still amazed by how much we have accumulated.  Car loads have been taken to a charity shop yet there is still all this...stuff.   I posted about the sale of our home Here and since then we've managed to get a moving quote, pack up the immense quantity of music CDs, just about all the DVDs and many books. 

It will certainly be weird yet cool to have access to the Internet but in the meantime, this is what I have entertainment wise this week.

 Library Loot - I'd not seen either of these series and but started Poldark last night and like it. Poldark's time period is just after the American Revolutionary War and the setting is Cornwall.  Ross Poldark returns to his home in Cornwall after serving as a soldier only to find his father has died and the woman he loves engaged to his cousin.

Does your library sell magazines?  People kindly donate magazines, books and DVDs for the library sale table.  It's like shopping locally :-) I picked up this issue of Better Homes and Gardens called Global Flavors.  We tried the steak and snow pea yakisoba.

Next time I will add water chestnuts.  It was good and I see you could replace the sirloin with boneless chicken if desired.

Sharing with 

Vicki for Mailbox Monday.

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Moving and Shaking

I am very behind on my posting and yet I have many books to share and compare.  Hoping this week I can finish writing up the Brideshead Revisited review for my Classics Club list and then I will be very sporadic posting.

The reason for my preoccupation is we have sold our house.  Yea! But that also means the clock is ticking on closing and finalizing the purchase/contract of another house so we have been busy. My week has been a mission of finding boxes and packing things I don't need now such as puzzles, winter clothing, photo albums, etc.

That said, I need the mental escape of reading (even if it's not as much as I usually read) and I'm still on for planned buddy reads for Ferrante and Pilcher upcoming.  📚

I may be slow answering comments but be assured I will.  Love my book buddies and keeping up so I'll see you when I see you!

I leave you with photo of Loki enjoying his dental treat.  He tends to hold them upright to get maximum chew.

Chat with you later...........

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

Book Rambling

This week my reading time has been off as I've been up in the wee hours of the morning with a sick dog.  Which means a much needed nap was in order over several days.  Hoping to get things resolved so life goes back to my usual uneventful average.  The only book post I made was about Stanley Tucci's latest book here.

Anyway....on a visit to the library I saw the April issue of Book Page is out so picked that up. I found so many to add to my very long to-read list.

Here are a few that caught my attention.

I'm a fan of Ann Cleeves and see the first book in her Inspector Ramsay series, titled A Lesson in Dying, will be released here soon.  Funny thing about that is it was first released in the U.K. in 1990. Thirty-five years later it's now available here.  I wonder why the huge gap in release for the U.S. as her other series such as Shetland and Vera have been available.

Birding to Change the World by Trish O'Kane looks like a perfect companion to the Amy Tan book I read recently.

Emma Donoghue is featured in an interview about her latest book The Paris Express.  She and was moving to the Paris neighborhood of Montparnassee  with her partner and she came across a photo of a 1895 train crash at the Montparnassee station.  After reading about it it inspired her to write a book.  It sounds like one I would enjoy.  The interview with this Dublin born author is interesting.

Rooms For Vanishing by Stuart Nadler is a family saga and I like those very much. This one is unique as it examines how some of the innocent dead of the Holocaust would have gone on to live their lives, had they not been killed.  It's apparently a nonlinear narrative and I bet emotionally charged.  It's a fat 464 pages and I will get to it much later in the year.

Has anyone read one of the titles I mentioned here?  There are many more in Book Page but these attracted me straight off.  I hope your week was filled with good books and happiness.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon and Joy for British Isles Friday.

What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci{2025 Nonfiction Reading Challenge}

This book is filled with food (hence the title), love of family and travel stories.  I very much enjoyed this book. 

Straight off I wanted the salad of cannellini beans, canned tuna, red onion, tomatoes, basil and olive oil.  I wish I had added cucumbers but I will do that next time. (please excuse my poor photograhy skills)

His love of soups - "it's the greatest culinary invention which can be made with two ingredients or twenty ingredients.  It can be served hot or cold. It can be cooked fast or slow. It can be vegan, vegetarian, paleo, pescatarian or carnivorian.  Soup is life in a pot."

The entry for April 27 was poignant with the memories of his former home, the life he and his first wife Kate created with their children. Memories of raising their children there until her death in 2009.  "The house he watched his children leave for the first days of school, where they learned of their mother's illness, where Kate passed away and where the magnolia tree where some of her ashes are scattered."

The stories in the October entry about working with Ukrainian refugees was very moving to me.  Hearing the women talk about what was left behind and how they are managing with young children but wanting nothing more than to be home. 

So much food and so many ideas I am inspired to prepare from reading this.  It is after all called What I Ate in One Year.  I liked the diary like format and descriptions of life with his family and his working projects as well.

This book is shared with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Category: Food

Jane Austen puzzle#JaneAusten #BriFri

 If you like puzzles this is a very good one.  If you are also a fan of Jane Austen you will love it.

The back of the photo page, which came along with the puzzle, has information about each character depicted along with which book each character belongs.

This was a thoughtful gift from my kids when we visited them in Nebraska.  I had stowed it away as we planned to move and I knew there wasn't time for a puzzle. Now that the move isn't happening I could get started. 

If you have a fan of both puzzles and Jane Austen this would make an ideal gift.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Mailbox Monday

 I received Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, shown here with one of my spider plants and ferns. It's one of the titles on my classics list so I will get to that in the next few months for sure.  Perhaps I'll watch the movie afterwards. 

In the mail I received Rick Steves book On the Hippie Trail. Very much looking forward to that nonfiction. Thank you to Deb at Readerbuzz :-)

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

Sharing with Vicki for Mailbox Monday

Reading and puzzling

First off,  my sympathies to Susan for the loss of your father. I am so sorry for your loss, you remain in my thoughts. 

Here at home I have been inside a bit due to a 200 acre controlled burn which was choking. That meant reading and puzzling.  No complaints there but not getting a proper walk in was disappointing.  Prior to the fires we did manage a short trip to St Mark's Lighthouse with Loki. Photos later...

This week I finished two books.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

As advertised, it's a family drama in a Sonoma California setting featuring a family vineyard.  I enjoyed this book very much.  A close family with  believeable disagreements and interactions. The reviews for this book are all over the place but I read it every chance I got.  The workings of the vineyard, what it meant to the children growing up there and how they feel about it as adults when it looks like the father is about to give it all up. 

There is also the drama of Georgia getting thrown for a loop when she sees her fiance walking down the street with his former girlfriend (a superstar actress) and a 5 year old little girl. Obviously there is an explanation. Some good quotes within and I liked this one:

"You really shouldn't live your life doing what you think you should do."

Perfect time for every family member to evaluate where they are with current life choices and make changes. 4.5 stars

Currently Reading 

 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

 and Stanley Tucci's What I Ate in One Year.

Abandoned:  The Postman by David Brin.  It was on my classics list and it's also apocalyptic so I was going to add that to my Apocalyptic tab page above. 👆 I read up to the 29% point when an organized dog fighting scene was introduced.  Possibly it's just the one scene but considering the descriptions of the people gathered and betting, considering the fall of society, I thought I'd just stop.  I am a tender hearted person regarding animals, fiction or not, I don't want to read about abuse.

I'll need to replace that title on my Classics Club list.

That's it for me right now.  I hope you had a good reading week.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.