A Month in Summary - February 2020

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

February 2020

Another good month of reading, with regard to the number of books I read. Only two of the six were remarkable, though. I was a little disappointed with Louise Penny's tenth installment in her Inspector Gamache series, but I understand the next will be better, so I'm not worried. I listened to two audiobooks and neither was wonderful, but they held my interest. Speaking of audiobooks, I discovered Libro.fm a month or so ago while listening to the podcast He Read She Read. It works the same way as Audible, but supports independent bookstores rather than Amazon. I'm sold! 

Returning to my reading, none were from my personal stacks. Every thing I read was either borrowed or an audiobook, and those don't take up any physical space on my shelves. However, The Snow Child, which was my favorite literary novel, has been on my TBR list for years, so I'm glad I finally made time to read it. The Things You Save in a Fire was my favorite comfort read and I can't wait to read more of Katherine Center's backlist.


Books Read (click on the title for my review):

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (3/5)

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan (3/5)

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (3/5)

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro (3/5)

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (4/5)

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center (4/5)

First Lines:

On the day Charles Barrett died, James MacNally closed the door to his study, sat down in his chair, and laid his head on the thick edge of his desk so he could weep. His wife, Nan, did not knock to be let in, though his rough, heavy sobs hit her like stones. She knew James’s own death would wring the same sounds from her, if he went first and left her adrift in the world, unmoored. (The Dearly Beloved)

"Next!"
The customs agent beckons the person in front of me and I approach the big red line, absently toeing the curling tape, resting my hand on the gleaming pipe railing. No adjustable ropes at Heathrow, apparently; these lines must always be long if they require a permanent demarcation. (My Oxford Year)

As Clara Morrow approached, she wondered if he'd repeat the same small gesture he'd done every morning.  (The Long Way Home)

When I was a girl I would sneak down the hall late at night once my parents were asleep. I would lock myself in the bathroom, climb onto the Formica counter, and get as close as possible to the mirror until I was nose to nose with my own reflection. (Inheritance)

Mabel had known there would be silence. That was the point, after all. No infants cooing or wailing. No neighbor children playfully hollering down the lane. No pad of small feet on wooden stairs worn smooth by generations, or clackety-clack of toys along the kitchen floor. All those sounds of her failure and regret would be left behind, and in their place there would be silence. (The Snow Child)

The night I became the youngest person--and the only female ever--to win the Austin Fire Department's valor award, I got propositioned by my partner. (Things You Save in a Fire)

Podcasts:

I'm still listening to What Should I Read Next and He Read She Read, but I haven't added any other podcasts to my favorites list. Maybe once I work my way through all of the archives on these two, but that will take me a while!

Movies & TV Series:

Ad Astra - Too boring for me!

This Is Us - I'm into Season Two and still loving this show. I'm so impressed with the writing and the way in which the details of each family member's history unfolds ever so slowly in each episode.

Puzzlemania:

  

Other Fun Activities:

I taught some of my girlfriends how to make lumpia one afternoon. We had a great time and went home with full bellies and plenty of lumpia to store in our freezers. Delicious!!

We're getting ready to head out on another roadtrip in April, so I've been busy researching campgrounds, travel routes, places to see, etc. If you have any recommendations for the southwest corner of Utah, I'd love to hear them. We plan to spend a few weeks in and around Zion, Bryce, Grand Staircase Escalante, and Capitol Reef. We're saving Moab, Canyonlands and Arches for another trip. We'll also be at Joshua Tree, Lake Mead and Valley of Fire prior to our arrival in Utah. Should be fun as long as we don't have to deal with any late spring snowstorms!