Sisters, Oregon
April 2025
April felt like a whirlwind of travel, what with four events for Rod's latest book. We came home on the 1st (from a book talk in Seattle), headed out on the 4th for the first event of the month in Seaside, OR. We were home for a week after that, then back out again to Sisters and Bend for three more events. It was fun to get back out in the RV for this "book tour" and the weather couldn't have been nicer.
With all of our travels, April seemed like a slower month of reading, but looking back on my numbers, I read as much as in March and just one less than February. Two of my April books were super short, so maybe that's why I feel like I wasn't reading a lot. Interestingly, my favorite books in April were those two short novels. They're keepers and I hope to read them again someday.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell (3.5/5)
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (4.5/5)
We Spread by Iain Reid (4.5/5)
I've Tried Being Nice by Ann Leary (3.5/5)
The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons (4/5)
Movies & TV Series:
Becoming Katharine Graham - We thought this was an excellent and timely documentary. I found the following on the Internet: "For some Americans, the right to free speech and a free press are almost synonymous. However, in recent years, Trump has tried to use the courts to punish nearly every major U.S. TV news network in reaction to interview questions or coverage he doesn’t like." Watching the documentary The Making of Katherine Graham, there are significant parallels between Nixon's treatment (specifically of The Washington Post) of the press and Trump's. "A federal judge yesterday [4/9/2025] ordered the Trump administration to immediately allow Associated Press journalists back into the Oval Office and other spaces to cover the news. The judge ruled that blocking the agency's access over disagreements about its word choices was unlawful."
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Ludwig - Cute and entertaining. We'll watch the second season once it's released.
Churchill at War - Quite good, but we didn't care for Christian McKay as Churchill. Gary Oldman was much better in Darkest Hour.
Number 24 - This was a tough movie to watch during these troubling times. It hit too close to home.
Travels:
Me and Robin (A Fondness For Reading)
Cheers to spring weather!
Great monthly wrapup. I will need to check on a few of the shows you mentioned now that we will have Internet! My reading for April wasn't extensive as some months but we've had a bit going on.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tina. You've had a lot going on so it's understandable that your reading has taken a backseat. Happy moving!
DeleteLove the pictures! Glad you guys got to get out and around for Rod's events and also you saw Robin and some lovely flowers. Hope May turns out to be just as much fun!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks Kay. It was so great to see Robin, as well as get back out in the RV for a little travel adventures. We're home all this month, but look forward to heading out again in June!
DeleteYou really got around in April! I am glad the weather cooperated for you. We're getting rain right now--always much needed here. It looks like you had a good reading month! I really want to read Ann Leary's book. We will likely get to season 2 of Severance sometime this summer. We don't subscribe to Apple +, but will likely sign up for a month or two to catch up on shows we like through that service and then let it lapse again. I hope you have a wonderful May!
ReplyDeleteWendy, we are so happy to see the sun shining after a long, rainy winter! The Leary book is quite good. Very relatable! Season 2 of Severance starts off a little bit slow, but it wasn't long before I was engrossed. Strange show, but I loved it. :)
DeleteI love it that you got to meet up with Robin. It's always a happy experience to meet online friends in real life. Maybe one day I'll make it back to Oregon and we can meet up, Les.
ReplyDeleteNow I want to see the second season of Severance more than ever.
Deb, it's always nice to meet up with Robin. She and I have coordinated lunch dates a few times over the years (once with Kay!), as she lives less than 2 hours away. If you make it back to Oregon, we can all meet up somewhere. Julie (SuziQ) is also nearby in Vancouver, WA. Hope you get to watch season two of Severance before too long. The acting is great!
DeleteTraveling for Rod's book tour sounds like so much fun and how great to meet up with a blogging friend!
ReplyDeleteI've hardly read anything recently as vacation and saying yes to too many things has gotten in the way. Learn to say no, Helen. Learn to say no.
Helen, it has been fun. We head out again next month for an event in Port Townsend, WA. We'll extend that trip for about 2 weeks total.
DeleteGood luck learning to say no. It's a fine balance, isn't it?
I have always been a huge Anne Tyler fan, yet have yet to read Three Junes. Glad to see the number of stars you gave it.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to see you and Robin together! I remember you doing that before, and it just brings friendship from blog land to the most personal level. What a blessing that must be for the both of you!
Meredith, I loved Three Days in June and plan to read it a second time, hopefully later this year.
DeleteIt was wonderful to see Robin, and yes, we've gotten together a few times over the years. Once with Kay (from Texas), which was lovely, too.
It looks like you had some good touring and stops for Rod's book. So glad you got to meet up with Robin too, how awesome. I didn't realize her blog was still ongoing. Becoming Katharine Graham is something high on our list -- but it hasn't been in Canada, so we might need a VPN. I did hear her speak while I was at The Post. And her autobiography was really good. I would like to read the Anne Tyler and Ian Reid books. I hope you have a great May!
ReplyDeleteSusan, we had a fun time on "book tour." We're looking forward to upcoming trip to Port Townsend next month. How cool that your heard Katharine Graham speak when you were at The Post. I think Rod's read her autobiography. I may give it a listen on audio someday. I hope you get to Tyler and Reid's books. They're gems! Enjoy that California sunshine!
DeleteWow! You got to meet Robin!! That is so cool. It's been so long since I've met up with other bloggers.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great month in summary. So much good stuff. I am getting back into the swing of things. Work has just been a lot lately. It's requiring all of my brain capacity these days.
I finished such a great book. I will write up the review this week. The Imagine Life. Wow.
It's been a long time since I've met up with other bloggers, too. Robin lives less than 2 hours away and we've gotten together a few times over the years since we moved to Oregon.
DeleteLooking forward to your book review. Don't work too hard, Ti!