It’s the last week before the election, and I’ve been doing a lot of nervous walking. My neighbors’ Halloween decorations continue to amuse me. I got downtown to see the new Eisenhower memorial (parking and social distancing not a problem when it’s 40 and raining!) Still listening to 11/22/63! It’s a long one!
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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I’m slowly trying to catch up with my 2020 goal to cook from 20 new-to-me cookbooks. Last week’s choice was The Pioneer Woman Cooks A Year of Holidays. I love the idea of this book, but in the end the step by step instructions with a picture of each step drove me nuts. For some reason when recipes are laid out like that I just can’t follow.
I was inspired to break out my smoothie maker, and I’m looking forward to frying eggs in a tortilla. I just won’t be baking the delicious looking carrot cake because there’s no way I’d be able to follow the recipe.
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I’ve gotten a lot of walking in this week including a pilgrimage to a local cemetery, nervous pacing around my son’s baseball game, and some random wandering to see my neighborhood’s Halloween decorations. I’ve been flying through audiobooks this month so I started in on a re-read of 11/22/63. At 30 hours that should take me a while!
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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Reading along the shores of Lake Michigan
It’s my favorite day of the month, Show Us Your Books day! September was a good reading month for me. I read a lot of mysteries which appeal to 2020 me. There’s a problem, everything seems so messed up, then in about 300 pages the mystery is solved. If only.
It’s impossible to read these books without some sort of baked good.
All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny - No surprise that the new Louise Penny book was my favorite this month. After so many books you’d think Penny would start to dial it in and depend on a formula to churn out these books, but in this one she takes it to another level. The Gamaches are in Paris when a close family friend gets struck by a car. Gamache must solve the mystery and save the good name of his family. Usual disclaimer: If you haven’t read anything from this series you’ll get a lot more out of it if you start at the beginning!
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward - Heartbreaking and beautifully written. This book took my breath away.
The Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills - I’m always there for a book about Harper Lee. This wasn’t really the biography I was expecting, but more like snapshots of the lives of Harper and her sister Alice as they grew old in their small Alabama town. I liked it a lot.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - I almost bailed on this about 60% of the way through, but ended up sticking with it and loving it. It starts as a look at the show girl life in a struggling theater in 1940’s New York, which is interesting, but in my opinion the best part is when Vivian gets older and learns to make her own way.
Lake Superior near the Porcupine Mountains
A Killer in King’s Cove by Iona Whishaw - This post WWII Canadian mystery really worked. The characters were fun without being over the top, and the mystery was compelling. I’ll read more from this series.
Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger - In this one Cork gets himself tangled up in a missing persons case that leads him on a freezing cold trip through the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. I read this when I was in Michigan and the similarities of the scenes was a great experience for me, but I think I would have liked it at home too. This is a solid series so far.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Reading Jane Austen’s books a chapter a day has been the saving grace of my reading year. Even though I’ve read P&P many times I still got a lot out of it reading it this way.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow - This starts off as P&P as told by Mary Bennet, but then moves forward to the future and imagines what might have become of her. I really liked this - it felt true to the original but was a satisfying imagining of Mary’s point of view.
From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - Why didn’t I read this as a kid, and why isn’t there a sequel? This was a read-out-loud with my daughter and we both enjoyed it very much.
I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis - I read all of these with my son when he was in 2nd grade. He’s a big 7th grader now so way too old for these, but recently we were stuck in the car for three hours with this as our only audiobook option and we actually didn’t mind it.
Also linking to Book Blogger Link Up at Lovely Audiobooks and Quick Lit at Modern Mrs Darcy
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We usually get a second summer heatwave this time of year, but in 2020 apparently we’re getting an actual Fall. I don’t know if we’re all just bored, or if it’s the weather but the neighborhood Halloween decorations are on point.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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I learned at a scout meeting last night that camp grounds everywhere are filling up at unprecedented rates. I love that so many people are sleeping under the stars! And with sleeping under the stars comes reading under the stars. Tent reading is one of my favorite types of reading. If you’re new to sleeping on the ground here are five books that are perfect for reading while camping:
In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware- A sinister tale of a bachelorette party gone wrong. A closed door spooky thriller perfect for reading in isolation.
Bird Box by Josh Malerman is a really good book if you’re willing to go with it. If you think too much about it you’ll think it’s dumb. Put yourself in a tent in the woods, and you’ll have one of the best, creepiest reading experiences you’ve ever had.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the start of a masterful trilogy. It’s the type of book you’ll want to read all at once in solitude, and when you finally figure out what’s going on, hang on!
Devotions by Mary Oliver is a gorgeous book of poetry that celebrates the little things that happen outside. Read it by the fire or in the hammock.
The River by Peter Heller is a charged and atmospheric wilderness survival story perfect for reading outside. Just don’t start too late at night because you’ll burn out the batteries in your head lamp reading all night.
Happy camping!
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It’s been a wonderful week for walking here in the neighborhood. I even took a new route and met some new cats!
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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“I think you should learn, of course, and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up inside of you until it touches everything. And you can feel it inside of you. If you never take time out to let that happen, then you must accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you. You can make noise with them, but never really feel anything with them. It’s hollow.”
I decided to start doing a weekly Friday Top Five to have a place to talk about all of the random bookish nonsense I get up to during the week.
We’re settling in to our new normal that will probably change again in November.
I bought my daughter a e.l. konigsburg box set for Christmas last year, and we happily read this book all summer thinking that there would be two more after. We finished this week and were devastated to find out there is no sequel. We want to know what happens next!
I’m doing another readathon this weekend- this time I’m focusing on my stack of ARCs. They all look great, so it should be a good weekend!
I’ve been flying through audiobooks while doing my garden chores these last few weeks. Where did the summer go?
I started my latest book club pick. I’m loving this one!
I love spooky book season!
Linking to The Sunday Post - a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.
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They’ve been re-paving my road (again) this week, so it’s slowed my walking down. It’s okay though because we’ve been having a lot of back yard fun, including school in tents. I’ve been audiogardening and am thinking about totally re-landscaping the back.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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When the school board announced that we would be full time remote this fall at least I knew a little bit what I was in for. I have learned so much about my kids and their work habits in the last seven months, and I wasn’t about to kid myself about what kind of time on my part supporting their learning would take. However, unlike the spring I was not about to let myself go this time.
I really wanted to find a way to get back into my reading projects, primarily my non-fiction interests. In before times I used to read non-fiction on the metro while commuting into work.
So I made the decision that I would get up even earlier and do what I could to recreate commuting conditions in a more sanitary way. It wasn’t easy to trade sleep for me time, but after a few weeks I’ve settled in. When I first wake up I replace my walk to the bus with stretching, strength training, and basic yoga. Then for 45 glorious and silent minutes I read non-fiction. It has made a huge difference to my mental health to spend that time in the morning when my thinking is clear learning about things that have absolutely nothing to do with my kids or my job.
This is what’s working for me right now. Someday I’m sure life will change again, and I’ll need to find some other way!
I decided to start doing a weekly Friday Top Five to have a place to talk about all of the random bookish nonsense I get up to during the week.
This week has been a giant cluster. I just don’t have the mind for juggling all day. School, home, and work all at once is driving me crazy. (And yes I know I’m lucky to have a job still. It’s just a lot.) Somehow though through it all it’s been one of my better reading weeks this year.
Closing in a week! Check it out here!
The #SuperSeptember Readathon is the first one I’ve done in a while, and it’s really keeping me going!
There are so many reading events next month. I can’t wait for October!
The Scarathlon on Litsy is my favorite, but I’ll probably sign up for others as well. Do you have any to recommend?
This garden got just a bit out of control! Cleaning it took up one trash can and five lawn and leaf bags. The whole time I worked I listened to Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
This book is so good so far! I can’t wait to spend some quality time with it this weekend!
Linking to The Sunday Post - a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.
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I’ve been loving all the purple flowers this week. Yay September!
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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“The Gates of Hell Have Opened
And All the Devils Are Here”
One night I was scrolling through my phone thinking about how the world was sure going to end (as we do these days) when I came across an ad from the DC bookstore Politics and Prose featuring an even where Louise Penny was going to be interviewed by Hillary Clinton. It was so out of the blue and random I figured I must have dozed off and dreamed it. But the next day I decided to look at the Politics and Prose website and sure enough it was a real event. I immediately bought a ticket, and my faith in humanity was restored.
This event (via Zoom) was wonderful. When it started Clinton didn’t have her video on and Penny was on mute, which is such a 2020 issue. But once they got going, wow. Hearing tales of a young Hillary Clinton devouring Nancy Drew novels, and a 22 year old Clinton in Paris was heartbreaking at first (what could have been!) but soon I was drawn in by the pure loveliness of these two women. It turns out that Clinton is a huge mystery reader, and they met in 2016 after Penny’s husband died and Clinton wrote her a letter.
In the discussion the two women got into poetry, how to write a book, and why they love mysteries (Clinton said, “The bad guy gets it in the end which hasn’t always been my experience in life.”) My favorite exchange was Clinton’s one sentence review of Penny’s books:
Clinton: They always delight me and make me hungry.
Penny: My hips are a tribute
Clinton even kicked off the Q&A by asking about the odd print of emus on Penny’s wall which I’m sure all of us were wondering about.
One of the most amazing parts of the whole thing was the chat. Thousands upon thousands of fans were just gushing about the event, how healing it was, and how none of us had felt that happy in a while. It was zoom magic. And a little comic relief- about 3/4 of the way through one genuinely confused person said “Wait, that’s Hillary Clinton interviewing Louise?”
Towards the end the moderator commented on the chat, and asked the two women what their advice is to overcome the despair so many of us are feeling right now. Clinton’s advice?
(I got to see Louise Penny in person last year. My notes are here if you’re interested.)
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I decided to start doing a weekly Friday Top Five to have a place to talk about all of the random bookish nonsense I get up to during the week.
When I’m in the zone I can get a tremendous amount of reading done while others drive. I had planned on a long spree on Monday, but the weather didn’t cooperate. By the way, Google weather called this partly cloudy.
I love having family along the Great Lakes! Hooray for socially distant get aways. The mental break was much needed, and I read so much!
I’d do this at home if it didn’t mean sacrificing books!
I was so happy to find some of my favorite reading snacks at a gas station in Ohio!
Linking to The Sunday Post - a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.
Note: Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
Last week’s walking is brought to you by the great state of Michigan where we spent some time exploring the coast line. Turns out the shore of Lake Superior are nicely socially distant when it’s 59 degrees and windy.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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I decided to start doing a weekly Friday Top Five to have a place to talk about all of the random bookish nonsense I get up to during the week.
The news, work, and back to school have all conspired to make me a giant ball of stress. There’s nothing better than a fun summer read on the porch to remedy that. (I know it’s September, but school doesn’t officially start until Tuesday so it’s still summer in my mind.)
This one has had some health problems, so when she’s feeling like stealing my bookmarks or chewing on the side of the book while I read I just scratch her ears and tell her good girl.
I have about a million unread books to get to, but I just can’t help re-reading the Gamache books every time a new one comes out.
Picking the books to read during a readathon is almost as much fun as actually reading isn’t it?
Here’s my stacks for September’s #BookspinBINGO on Litsy. September’s mood: mysteries, graphic novels, and a lot more non-fiction.
Linking to The Sunday Post - a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.
Note: Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
Not much walking for me this week unless you count to the fridge and back :(
Here’s what I’ve been listening to and seeing this week.
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I don’t know if it’s the weather or that I can reliably get flour again, but I’ve been having a great time getting back into my 20 cookbooks in 2020 project.
Weeknight Baking is billed as a book of recipes for the end of the day when you want a little treat. I suggest that it also be modernized to include the 30 minuted between Zoom calls when you really can’t possibly concentrate on anything but cookies. Ahem.
This book has a nice selection of recipes with tons of variations so it’s likely you’ll find something to make that doesn’t involve a trip to the store. I made the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to rave reviews, and I’m looking forward to mixing up a batch of seriously spicy pumpkin spice for fall gift giving.
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