On My Nightstand April 6, 2024

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We were in Georgia last week for spring break. It was so nice and WARM. I know in another 6 weeks or so I’ll be complaining about the heat, but it felt great to be outside in a bathing suit. I did a ton of reading and a ton of hiking. It wasn’t the greatest place for vegetarians, but a week of grilled cheese sandwiches never killed anyone.

My favorite spot was Cumberland Island National Seashore. We had to take a boat there, and there was an abandoned old mansion. The beach was desolate, clean, and lovely. Plus we saw armadillos and horses wandering around.

Have a great week!

Quote of the week

“I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first love.”
— Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

What I’m Reading This Week

On Kindle - Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane - This wasn’t on my list for the month but it came in on Libby and I couldn’t resist!

On Paper - The Women by Kristin Hannah - I CANNOT WAIT to start this tomorrow night!

On Audio- The Stand by Stephen King - Still listening to this one! The last time I read this? February 2020 yikes.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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On My Nightstand March 30, 2024

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Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Our plan is to go out for a nice lunch then a hike. I gave up bringing new books into the house for Lent so bookstore and library trips are in my near future! I’m also looking forward to getting started on my April reading list, and planning for summer reading. (Yes I’m a little bit intense with my reading lists.)

Have a great week!

Quote of the week

“Wasn’t that the definition of home? Not where you are from, but where you are wanted.”
— Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone

What I’m Reading This Week

On Kindle - If Nuns Ruled The World by Jo Piazza - Because Nuns get stuff done.

On Paper - The Birthday of Eternity by A.D. Price - This is an ARC from LibraryThing. I really need to catch up on my reviews!

On Audio- The Stand by Stephen King - Been listening to this for going on two weeks now. I forgot how long it is!

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Show Us Your Books September 2023

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August was not the greatest reading month for me. I was getting used to a new schedule and distracted. Looking back though I did have some good reads including some really memorable memoirs.

Here’s the best of the best from August.

Five Stars:

Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver - Talk about managing expectations- this book blew mine out of the water. Even if you’re like me and haven’t seen Minnie Driver since Good Will Hunting you really should read this book, and go audio if you can. It was really, really good.

Four Stars:

Mud Rocks Blazes by Heather "Anish" Anderson -- I usually really enjoy armchair hiking books and this one about setting the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail was no exception. It was surprising that Anderson could complete such a goal while doubting herself the entire time. Just goes to show!

Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond -- I have a feeling this book is only going to be read by people that already agree with Desmond, but I did appreciate the message.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros -- I didn‘t love love this like so many others, but I did like it. The twist at the end (there‘s a book two you know there‘s going to be a twist) was not what I expected.

Three Stars:

Dispatches From Pluto by Richard Grant -- An interesting book about a couple who fled New York City to seek a simpler life in the Mississippi Delta. It wasn‘t that simple after all, and I found Grant‘s treatment of the issues in the area to be nuanced. I wish there was an update.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld -- I didn’t love this book like I did some of her others, but it was a good enough read during a vacation. It’s interesting to see how authors are starting to work the pandemic into their books.

The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller -- Another plague book. I was saying “huh??” through a lot of this, but liked it well enough in the end.

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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.

On My Nightstand August 27, 2023

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As of tomorrow I’ll have two kids back in school. Hooray! Love those kids, but teen and tween summers are a lot of work! There are so many cool camps for elementary school kids, but it seems like once they get to middle school the city just says raise yourself now.

I didn’t get much reading done last week, but I did spend some time pulling out books to read in October. I can’t wait for spooky reading season.

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“If Lenore had been a country, I would have married North Korea...”
— My Losing Season by Pat Conroy

What I’m Reading This Week

A Day of Fire by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Vicky Alvear -- I’m reading this for a challenge, and I’m enjoying the different but related stories written by six authors set in the day or so before the Pompeii volcano explosion.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune -- This came in from the library this morning, and I thought it looked like the perfect last week of unofficial summer read.

A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain -- This is for a book club, and I must admit as a vegetarian I am a little worried about many descriptions of eating strange meat. I’ll give it a try though.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand August 20, 2023

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August 20th? How did that happen? As hot as it is, it’s starting to be noticeable that fall is coming. It’s not even light any more when I leave for work in the morning. I for one can’t wait!

Aside from reading this week I’ve been watching TV and listening to podcasts. I watched the entire season of Is It Cake Too, and loved it all. I also listened to the entire season of Serial: The Retrievals. If you’re interested in drug addiction rehabilitation or women’s health care issues I highly recommend it.

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“Life teaches us beautiful lessons. Why not a haircut?”
— Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver

What I’m Reading This Week

The Nix by Nathan Hill -- I’ve had this on my shelf for a long time. I kept putting it off because it’s long, but I promised myself I would read it this summer. Summer’s almost over so the time is now!

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros -- I’m giving into the hype! Just started this on audio.

Dispatches from Pluto by Richard Grant -- Another book I’ve been looking at for a while. I’m really looking forward to this memoir from a couple who moved to Mississippi.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand August 13, 2023

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An image of a yellow butterfly on a white flower

I’ve been on summer vacation for two weeks, and I am ready to be back to normal! Love to travel; love to come home even more.

I can’t wait to share my reading with you all again, and to see what you’ve been up to. I hope everyone is having a decent summer, and is safe from all the storms, heat, and fires.

Have a great week everyone. Can’t wait to catch up!

Quote of the week

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
— To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

What I’m Reading This Week

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton -- I still love this book, and re-read it every few years.

Pompeii by Robert Harris -- I’m having a hard time getting into this one, but I love volcanoes so I’ll keep trying.

Mud Rocks Blazes by Heather Anderson -- I’m mentally gearing up for fall hiking!

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Show Us Your Books July 2023

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Summer flowers

I read 19 books in June. Four of them were re-reads, which is always fun. A lot of people don’t like to re-read, but to me it’s like visiting old friends. Besides that reading is just better when I’m sitting on the porch with a glass of wine and baseball on the radio.

Five Stars

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu - In 1938 Meilin and Renshu had to flee their home in China. For years they searched for some place to grow roots and finally found it in Taiwan. Eventually they each found stability- Meilin in Taiwan and Renshu in the states. Neither really ever felt safe though until they learned to confront the past. This book was heartbreaking, but in the very best way. You all should read it.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - This audiobook was 31 hours long, and I wish it could have gone for another 31 hours. I loved it so much. It all came together beautifully and I loved the characters. Five stars.

Four Stars

Foster by Claire Keegan - This was a great short story, but I wish I knew more about the families (family?) involved.

The Not-Quite States of America - I read this for a book club, and I wasn’t sure what to expect due to mixed reviews. I ended up enjoying it though I thought some parts were needlessly padded with background information. It seems that this one is better to read than listen from the reviews.

Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid - Yet another book I would have never heard about if not for Litsy challenges! This short book has a lot to say about growing up, the expectations we put on kids, and mother/daughter relationships.

Untangled by Lisa Damour, Ph.D. - This book was excellent. Highly recommend for anyone with a daughter 12 or older.

Our Stories Carried Us Here (Anthology) - A powerful and moving graphic novel anthology about the refugee experience. I‘m going to pass this on to the library at our school’s international academy.

Exiles by Jane Harper - I thought I had figured out the mystery halfway through and I was annoyed that Falk was taking so long to catch up. Then it turned out it was someone I hadn’t suspected at all and I loved the ending.

Three Stars

The Last Word by Taylor Adams - I loved the premise of this book- deranged author goes after lone woman who gave him a one star review on Goodreads. However it seemed to take forever for anything to happen. It was entertaining enough to listen over a busy weekend full of chores though so I’m giving it 3 stars.

Feet in the Clouds by Richard Askwith - Part memoir part history of Fell-Running- aka running up and down mountains in Britain usually in terrible weather. I enjoyed the parts about the author’s pursuits, but wasn‘t as engaged in the historical parts.

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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.

On My Nightstand July 9, 2023

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A heavy rain storm as seen from my back yard.

I think this week might actually be a normal week- 5 days of work, no holidays, no appointments. I love holidays and travel but it will be nice to get back into a normal routine for a bit.

Weather here has been wild, and that has been cutting down on my walking and gardening time. Sometimes it has rained so hard I can’t even sit on my covered porch without my library book getting wet.

I can’t believe it’s almost mid-July. Summer is going too fast. I have a few weeks of reading other’s posts to catch up on, so I look forward to “seeing” you all this week.

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“He has taught his daughter how to ride a bike, how to swim.
Isn’t each of these a victory in itself?”
— Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

What I’m Reading This Week

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann - I bought this on kindle for a reading challenge, but I’ve heard it’s pretty intense. We’ll see how that goes. I feel no shame in not finishing books if I’m not enjoying them.

The Outsider by Stephen King - Classic Stephen King summer reading. I’m still re-reading for when Holly comes out in September.

Breathless by Amy McCulloch - I read a lot of books that take place in the Himalayas. Some are better done than others. So far so good with this one.

I Know Your Secret by Daphne Benedis-Grab - My daughter and I picked this as a book we could both read while she’s away at camp. She omes back on Saturday so I need to get a move on!

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand July 2, 2023

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I wasn’t around last week because I was dropping my daughter off at summer camp four hours away. I miss her, but I know she is having the time of her life. I’ll pick her up in three weeks, and then it’s time for my family reunion in New Hampshire. I can’t wait for that!

Meanwhile I’ve been working a lot outside between thunder showers and unhealthy air indices. What a weird summer! The sharing garden I’ve been working on has been producing pretty well despite the number of weeds we’ve had to pull. We started harvesting carrots this week, and you wouldn’t expect a carrot to smell good, but they really did. Fresh food is the best.

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“We can forgive without understanding. Sometimes we must. Maybe that’s what forgiveness is - accepting someone’s actions, even if there are no good explanations.”
— Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

What I’m Reading This Week

An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof - One of the best parts of the #ReadingTheAmericas2023 challenge is all of the great travelogues I’ve been reading. This one features a couple sailing through the Caribbean, and it’s making me hungry!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang - I’m reading this for a big buddy read on Litsy, and it’s really started off strong. It doesn’t hurt that it takes places near where I live so all of the places are familiar.

Hang The Moon by Jeanette Walls - I haven’t started this yet, but it’s next on my pile of books. I’ve seen it on a bunch of summer reading lists so I’m excited.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand June 18, 2023

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A small vegetable garden growing squash and beans.

Last week we had a dance recital, two parties at our house, a ton of packing for camp, and a evening talk and reception for a group I belong to. This week there’s nothing. You know what that means! Time to read!

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“A dog lives for you. A cat just lives with you.”
— The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

What I’m Reading This Week

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - Still working on this - the epitome of summer reading.

Exiles by Jane Harper - I started this during the week, but quickly realized I would need to put it off until the weekend so I could read it all in one sitting.

End of Watch by Stephen King - Re-reading all of the Holly books before the new one comes out in the fall. She’s on of my favorite fictional characters.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand June 11, 2023

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Thursday June 8, 2023 on the Potomac River

It’s been a stressful week here near DC. It started with a mysterious sonic boom, and ended with dangerous levels of air pollution from the Canadian wildfires. The picture above was from my metro trip into DC for work on Thursday. I have no experience with wildfires, and if I had known how much my breathing and sinuses would have been impacted I would have never gone. My thoughts go out to the people of Canada who have had to evacuate. This is just horrible.

We are in the last days of school finally, and are busy prepping for trips and camps. It’s a weird thing to do when it feels like the world is ending outside, but we gotta just keep swimming right?

In good news I have a giant stack of promising summer reading to get to, so I’m looking forward to that!

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“Fiction is the great lie that tells the truth about how the world lives!”
— The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

What I’m Reading This Week

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson - I’m not loving this one. Has anyone read it and loved it? Maybe it’s just a slow start?

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - This is a re-read for me. It’s a chunkster, but I’m flying through. This book is perfect summer reading in my opinion.

Untangled by Lisa Damour - All of my mom friends have been reading this, and I have it cued up next in Libby.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand June 4, 2023

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How is June going for everyone? We’re in the last two weeks of end of school year messiness. Seems like every day it’s a new party or activity to prep for. It’s all fun stuff once we get there, but there’s a lot of logistics involved!

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“The best things that happen in life rarely make good sense.”
— The Coal Tattoo by Silas House

What I’m Reading This Week

Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid - Loving this short book set in the Caribbean so far. I will probably find someplace to hide on this busy day so that I can finish it in peace.

The Not-Quite States of America by Doug Mack - I’m reading this for my work book club, and it’s pretty good. It’s about the US territories - part history and part travelog.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - I love this audiobook so much. It’s really long and I’m glad because I don’t want it to ever end.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

My Summer Reading List 2023

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Summer reading season is almost here! I simply can’t wait. I’ve been making lists since about March, and I wanted to share what I came up with.

New Releases:

I was never a big new releases in the summer person until last summer when I read six of them for a challenge, and now I pay attention. This year I poured over to what’s coming out, and picked these six books to splurge on.

The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin

Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

Backlist

To me you can’t have summer reading without re-reading some favorites. Here are the three I picked for summer 2023.

End of Watch by Stephen King

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

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My Summer Reading List - Physical Books

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Summer Reading Season is here!!

This summer I am throwing all of my reading goals out the window and just reading what looks fun. This summer I’m in the mood for travelogues, thrillers, and new books by favorite authors.

Here’s my stack for the next few months. These are a mix of library books and some I had on my shelves.

I haven’t read any of these, so I can’t vouch!

The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich - This lovely yellow used copy called to me from my shelf because it promises to be a forty-year saga brimming with unforgettable characters. Bring it!

The Deep Blue Between by Ayesha Harruna Attah - This YA novel drew me in with its pretty cover, but the story about sisters separated and living worlds apart got me to buy it.

Bad Tourist by Suzanne Roberts - This book bills itself as an anti-guidebook and I am all about that. Flipping through this book I see short essays about varied places such as Peru, India, Mongolia, and England.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo - This book set in small town Maine has been on my list FOREVER, and I really want to get to it this summer.

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon - This has a burning house on the cover, dual timelines, a fictional podcast, and monsters. Perfect summer reading.

Bleaker House by Nell Stevens - An author wins an award to go anywhere in the world to write and she picks someplace called Bleaker Island in the Falklands. It sounds terrible; I can’t wait. Bonus points because there’s a penguin on the cover.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry - Buying a paperback copy of Emily Henry’s new book to read at the pool has become an annual summertime treat for me.

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani - I can’t wait to see what Trigiani does with WWII Italy.

The Last by Hanna Jameson - Every summer needs a good end of the world novel, except if it seems like the end of the world is actually happening I might skip this one.

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Show Us Your Books July 2021

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July.jpg

Is anyone else reading more now than ever because you know your quarantine time is coming to an end? It looks like my office is opening back up in the fall and the kids will be going back to school, and I am appreciating my cocoon time in a way that I couldn’t before when it seemed like I would be trapped here forever. I don’t know. Life is strange. Anyway, June was another very prolific reading month, and the pools opened so I got to go back to my favorite hobby- poolside reading. My son asked me if I get a pool pass just so I’ll have a nice place to read. PRETTY MUCH.

Four Star Reads

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - Grief through Shakespeare‘s wife‘s eyes. This was an incredible book.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King - One of my goals this summer is to re-read the first three books of the Dark Tower series. I just finished the first and this is one of those books that‘s better the second time through because you know what happens with the rest of the series. “Go then. There are other worlds than these.”

Backpack by Emily Barr - Tansy decides to take a year off after the death of her mother to backpack in Asia. Everything is great until a serial killer starts killing people who look like her, and leaving them with her belongings.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline - Compelling historical fiction about women sent to Australia as convicts.

No One's Home by D. M. Pulley - A great summer ghost story with a satisfying ending. Recommend. (Right now this is free on Kindle for Prime members if you’re interested.)

All Adults Here by Emma Straub - I liked this family saga more than I thought I would. Straub somehow made the characters likable even as they messed up over and over.

Three Star Reads

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry - I liked this romance meets armchair travel. Perfect summer fun.

The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison - This wasn‘t earth shattering groundbreaking Literature, but it was a nice happy story I read in a day.

Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu - This murder mystery set in Singapore was a ton of fun. I can‘t wait to read the rest of the series.

One Life by Megan Rapino - I picked this audiobook because my daughter is really getting into soccer and I wanted to understand it better. I still don‘t understand what offsides is, but I liked Megan.

Life According to Steph

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Book Recommendations For Visiting The National Parks This Summer

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Arches National Park Stock Image

Arches National Park Stock Image

Like so many other Americans I plan on visiting a National Park or two this summer. We have an incredible array right here in our area, and I might even take advantage of my vaccination status and fly somewhere.

If you’re visiting the parks this summer and reading up ahead of your trip here are some books I recommend.

The Best Books About National Parks

Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell - Between the Civil War and the government’s creation of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park lives were lived in Cataloochee, a town in the mountains of North Carolina. The book begins with gunshots. In the chapters that follow we go back and learn the story of Ezra Banks, and the years of hard work and darkness that brought the shots on. This book is everything I love in a novel. It’s a slow build of a multi-generational classic.

The Road To Paradise by Karen Barnett - I love a book about mountains, and when you combine mountains with historical romance you really can't go wrong. Margie went to Mt. Rainer both to indulge her love of nature, and to escape her shady ex-fiance. Of course there's a hunky ranger on the mountain. I'm telling you; it's everything good for a cozy day of reading.

A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson - This thriller was fast paced from the beginning, and then 3/4 of the way through something totally bonkers happens. I really loved it.

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery - Grandma Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail in her late 60's. Part of the time she couldn't see due to broken glasses, and she kept going any way. I don't even go to the bathroom in the middle of the night if I can't find my glasses. Plus her equipment was lacking. She hiked from Georgia to Maine with little more than some food, a shower curtain, an umbrella, and a pair of Keds on her feet. Her amazing athletic accomplishments don't even account for the serious abuse she had to overcome before she hit the trail.

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Summer Reading Plans

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It’s summer reading season!

It’s summer reading season!

I am so excited for summer reading. There’s nothing I love more than reading a book outside on a hot summer afternoon. Of course, me being me, I already have stacks and stacks of books picked out to read. I don’t really gravitate to the the new best sellers. Instead I like to re-read, concentrate on the back list titles I have at home, and dip my toes in a little bit of romance- something i don’t usually read the rest of the year.

A Few Titles From My (Very Long) Summer Reading List:

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I Feel You Emma

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In Emma Mr. Knightley complains about Emma and her long, well developed reading lists created at the expense of actual reading:

“Emma has been meaning to read more ever since she was twelve years old. I have seen many a great lists of her drawing-up at various times of books that she meant to read regularly through- and very good lists they were- very well chosen, and very neatly arranged- sometimes alphabetically, and sometimes by some other rule.”
— Emma by Jane Austen

For me summer is a great season of drawing up lists of books I will never read. There is so much temptation with summer reading guides stuffing my mailbox every day. But what Mr. Knightley will never understand is that for some of us making these lists is almost as much fun and nearly as rewarding as doing the reading itself.

Here I sit in my office with my shelves literally overflowing with books I bought last summer that I still haven’t read wondering what’s new this summer. And you know what? Mr. Knightley probably wouldn’t like it, but it sure makes me happy.

Show Us Your Books September 2020

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Shamelessly stolen from Litsy

Shamelessly stolen from Litsy

August wasn’t a stellar reading month for me. The best part has been reading a chapter a day from Pride and Prejudice with the #PemberLittens group on Litsy. But, we won’t finish that until this month.

Until then know that my reviews below may sound grumpy and halfhearted and it is all me, not them.

PS I’m hosting a giveaway in honor of the National Parks if you’re interested.

Best of the Month

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Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid — This short book covers so much territory about race and class in America. I’m still thinking about it. The part that struck me the most was how everyone was talking, but no one accurately heard what the other person was trying to say. Really, I think about that once a day at least. Despite my August mood this will probably be one of my top books from 2020.

Three From The Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide

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Beach Read by Emily Henry - This would normally be right up my alley, but because of my August mood all I could think was, “You two better learn to communicate soon because when you’re in quarantine together you’re gonna have some real problems.”

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner - This was a ridiculous yet fun look at the world of influencers, and when the twist happens it gets even more entertaining. Just if something sounds familiar in this book don’t google it because you will get spoiled.

The Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler - This was my favorite of the three. A solitary man who lives by his rigid routines gets his life tossed around when a teenager shows up claiming to be his son. I’m not sure how I’ve never read a book by Anne Tyler before, and I’m excited for all that I have to catch up on.

And Three More Worth Reading

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Universe of Two by Stephen P. Kiernan- I enjoyed this WWII novel, and how he tied organ music in to the making of the atomic bomb. (It works; you’ll see.) A little bit repetitive at certain points, but worth the read. (ARC from LibraryThing.)

A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir - Sometimes the second book in a series suffers a bit, but not so with this one. Tahir kept up the pace, and I can’t wait to read more.

The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay - An extended Bengali family and all of the politics and ghosts that come into that sort of thing. I enjoyed the audiobook.

Life According to Steph

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