Nan of Letters from a Hill Farm

 

A few days ago, I learned that my dear friend, Nan of Letters from a Hill Farm passed away on Sunday, September 21st. The last day of summer.

I am heartbroken.

I've known Nan since sometime between 1996/1997. We met in an online book group called Bookstacks.com (which eventually became Books.com). We were instant friends, exchanging private emails with two others (Kay of Kay's Reading Life, and Teri, who is not a blogger). Our friendship began with our love of reading, but evolved into that of friends who shared the joys and sorrows of life. We wrote about raising our children, home life, spouses, careers, retirement, health issues, aging parents, the joys of grandparenthood, and everything else that close friends share. I only spoke with Nan on the phone a handful of times, and we never met in person, but we were kindred spirits. Nearly 30 years of a very special and meaningful friendship.

Last year, Nan wrote on her blog:

If you have been blogging for a long time, you have made friends who mean as much to you as people you know in "real life". And the long time of blogging means that we have all gotten older, with the sad facts that may go along with it. Sickness. Death. 

Some of my beloved blogging friends have lost their husbands  And today I read that a woman I have been in touch with for a long time died. Her daughter posted on her blog. 

I cried as if I had known her in my everyday life, because of course I did. It is made even harder because I have been away so much in the past year. If she was sick, I didn't even know. I've emailed her daughter.

I know a lot of you have been through this, too. The blogging world is slower, quieter than what came after it. That is why I love it and continue on. It lifts me up, teaches me, offers friendships, and sometimes brings sadness.

I could write pages about Nan's love of music, and our shared love for singer songwriters such as Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, and Van Morrison. About Van the Man:

If I had to choose just one musician to listen to throughout eternity, it would be Van. I believe someday, long, long after I have departed this earth, he will be taught in colleges along with Yeats and all the other great poets who have ever lived. His work encompasses all human emotion from the depths of melancholy to the heights of ecstasy. He writes love songs and loss songs and spiritual songs and nostalgic songs.

Nan also wrote about George Winston's beautiful album, December, and she and I would both listen to it every year on the 1st of December. I will think of her with love each and every time I listen to Winston's beautiful music.

Nan blogged regularly about her love of baking, posting 371 "Food & Drink" posts over the years.  I could easily picture her in her kitchen since she so often shared photos as she baked or of the final treat on her lovely Fiesta dinnerware.

She was a lover of animals, often sharing photos and stories of her dogs, cats, and farm animals (chickens, sheep, goats, and donkeys!). 

She enjoyed the simple pleasures of hanging laundry outside on a clothesline, or working in her vegetable and flower gardens. She had such a green thumb, and I especially enjoyed seeing photos of her daylilies.

Her evenings were quietly spent watching TV while enjoying a Cosmopolitan. She was the first to recommend to me shows such as As Time Goes By and New Tricks, as well as many others.

And of course, there was her wonderful take on "Mrs. Bayle's weather report." She was a cold weather girl, and was always happy to let us know when the first snow fell.

Nan often shared photos of her cozy home, with full bookshelves and comfortable furniture. I've never been to Windy Poplars Farm, but I feel as if I have spent many hours there, chatting with Nan over a cup of coffee or tea.

She and I didn't have similar taste in books or movies - she preferred older works to my contemporary authors - but we occasionally agreed (Stuart O'Nan, Rosamunde Pilcher, Rick Bragg, Fannie Flagg, Laurie Colwin, Helene Hanff, Susan Hill, and Deborah Crombie, to name a few), swapping books back and forth through the mail. She gave me a copy of Evenings at Five, which I recently re-read. The cover art is so Nan!

And of course, the most important thing to Nan was her family. Her life with her husband, Tom, her children, Margaret & Michael, and her grandchildren brought her the greatest joy. Oh, how her love for all of them shone through in her emails and blog posts!

The Cuddihy Family 1996

(Taken around the time I first met Nan)

Nan was so appreciative of thoughtful and meaningful comments on her blog, always expressing that appreciation with a reply like, "your words mean the world to me!!!"

Nan enriched my life not only through her love of good books and music, but also poetry and wonderful quotations.

Warm be the love that surrounds you,

Good be your friends, and true,

Constant be hope and promise,

Useful the work you do,

Close be your family around you,

Good health be yours day by day,

Long be the life you're living,

And full of much joy on the way. 

She also loved Gladys Taber, Tasha Tudor, and Susan Branch.

When I get to Heaven, I am not going to put on golden shoes or cast down golden crowns around a glassy sea or play on my harp. No, I am going to eat all the hot bread and potatoes I want. Cinnamon rolls, pinwheel biscuits, nut muffins, French-fried potatoes, baked potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes. Potato fluff. Butter will go well, too. And fresh-made jam. Or clear amber honey. Gladys Taber

'I suppose I am a sparrow, a stay-at-home bird.'  Gladys Taber

On her 3rd blogging anniversary, Nan wrote:

I'm not a 'book blogger' or a 'food blogger' or a 'garden blogger.' I just write my letters. I'm still spending my time writing book reports or posting recipes or poems or quotes or music. Occasionally Mrs. Bale pops in when there is something interesting in the 'Irish Sea' - oops I mean northern New England. The thing I love the very most is connecting with all of you. I love your comments and your emails. I'm so pleased when you take time out of your busy day to say hi, or recommend a book, or tell me you love the music or the recipe. Blogging has brought me incredible joy and knowledge. I thank each of you. (November 22, 2009)

Thank you, Nan, for bringing me, and our fellow bloggers, so much incredible joy, knowledge, and love. 

Ta-ta, my beautiful friend. You will be missed beyond measure.

In one of her last comments to me, Nan wrote, "It was the most amazing thing to come upon people who thought as I did, especially about reading and books and life. It felt like a little miracle. It was like, whew, someone understands."

Project Hail Mary

 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Science Fiction

2021

Finished on September 19, 2025

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction (2021)

Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2022)

Audie Award for Best Audiobook and Science Fiction (2022)

Publisher's Blurb:

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

Project Hail Mary is an outstanding audiobook! Had I read the print edition, my eyes might have glazed over in an attempt to read and understand the scientific details Weir incorporates throughout the novel. But listening to Ray Porter, who does a superb job with the narration, kept me interested without requiring too much attention to those complex details. I took biology and chemistry in high school, but physics was not required. I loved biology, but loathed chemistry, so I decided I'd had enough of science. I don't know how much of Weir's science is based on fact, but he certainly includes A LOT in Project Hail Mary! Chemistry, molecular biology, astrobiology, relativistic physics, particle physics, astronomy, as well as engineering and complex math. And yet, the story doesn't get bogged down in the science. There's humor, which had me laughing out loud, especially with Ray Porter's narration. I don't remember listening to him on other audiobooks, but he was perfect for this novel. He sounds very much like Tom Hanks, and thus, I pictured Hanks in the role of Ryland Grace. Can't you just hear Hanks say this:

“I want to spend the rest of my life studying Eridian biology! But I have to save humanity first. Stupid humanity. Getting in the way of my hobbies.” 

Grace isn't the only one with humorous lines:

“Work fast."
"Yeah." I point at the screen. "First I have to wait for my computer to wake up."
"Hurry."
"Okay, I'll wait faster."
"Sarcasm.”

Several years ago, I tried to read The Martian, but couldn't get past all those pesky scientific details. Maybe I should try the audiobook, especially since Wil Wheaton (who narrated Ready Player One, which I loved) is the reader. And, it's been a long time since I watched the movie, so it won't feel too familiar. 

Speaking of movies, Project Hail Mary, due out in theaters on March 20, 2026, stars Ryan Gosling and James Ortiz. I haven't seen a movie in a theater in a very long time, but this one may be worth it.

Project Hail Mary will most definitely hit my Top Ten list for 2025. To quote a character from the book, "Yes. Yes. Yes. Amaze!"

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My Fall 2025 To-Read List

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic focuses on our fall reading lists. Oh, how I love list-making! I like to work my way through a specific stack of books and creating a list helps keep me on track. 

I doubt I'll read all of these this fall since I usually spend November reading nonfiction. A few of these books are carry-overs from my summer reading challenge. It would be nice to knock them off my list, but they're pretty long and I'm tempted to start with some shorter books.

Have you read any of these, and if so, which do you recommend? I know The Correspondent has been very popular and I may start with that.

The Ride of Her Life

 

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

Nonfiction

2021

Finished on September 14, 2025

Rating: 3.5/5

Publisher's Blurb:

The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion.

“The gift Elizabeth Letts has is that she makes you feel you are the one taking this trip. This is a book we can enjoy always but especially need now.”—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Story of Arthur Truluv

In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn’t even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness.

Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, the three travelers pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities—from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers—a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television’s influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world.

Until now, I hadn't read anything by Elizabeth Letts, but I recognized her name and the title of her popular book, The Eighty-Dollar Champion, from my days as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble. I love to travel, so when my book group chose The Ride of Her Life, my curiosity was piqued, wondering how in the world a sixty-three-year-old woman (with a serious health condition) could possibly ride a horse from Maine to California. It took me far too long to get engrossed (and I admit to counting the remaining pages, which is never a good sign), but I eventually found myself looking forward to returning to the story. I'm glad I persevered. I decided if Annie Wilkins could keep going, so could I.

If you've been following me here (or on Instagram) for even a short time, you know that I love to travel. However, I'm not sure what it is about reading travel stories, at least those about traveling around the United States, that fails to impress me. I've read Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, The Longest Road by Philip Caputo, Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon, and The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck. None of these resonated with me as I would have thought, and I find it interesting that I gave each of these the same low rating of 2 stars! Curiously, the travel stories that have entertained me are those set in France, specifically Paris. 

What I liked about this particular book wasn't necessarily the details or route Annie and her menagerie traveled, but the tidbits of historical trivia Letts weaves into her narrative, creating a richer reading experience. (Coincidentally, my husband utilizes the same parenthetical style in his nautical books.) I learned that Lincoln Logs were created by Frank Lloyd Wright's son. I also discovered that AAA (American Automotive Association) issued the first road map for drivers (a map of Vermont), and that Duncan Hines was a former traveling salesman who put together restaurant and lodging guides for travelers. There's also a bit of a "Forest Gump" tone to Annie's adventures, with her crossing paths with Andrew Wyeth, Casey Jones' widow, and Art Linkletter, as she makes her way across the country.

I was reminded of Cheryl Strayed's memoir, Wild, and how ill-prepared she was to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Like Strayed (who had no experience in backpacking), Annie never looked at a map of the entire United States, relying solely on gas station maps for the surrounding areas, piecing together her route bit by bit. She certainly didn't take the most logical route from one coast to other! It's a wonder Strayed and Wilkins survived their journeys.

At the time of her departure for California, Annie was sixty-three-years-old. Not only am I the same age as she was, but we share the same birthday. I was a little miffed that she was referred to as an old lady, but it was 1954, and 60 is now the new 50, right?

I mentioned that Letts' writing style reminded me that of my husband's. The following can also be compared to one of Rod's books, Sailing by Starlight, in which Marv Creamer sailed around the world without any instruments. No sextant, no compass, no chart-plotter, no GPS, no radar. Not even a stopwatch. But Annie's lack of tools was less to prove a point and due more to nonexistent technologies and simply being unaware of what might help her on her journey:

In November 1954, Annie took her dog and got on a horse and started riding. Destination: California. From a modern perspective, her journey seems almost bewildering--imagine trying to navigate without the benefit of GPS, to travel with no cellphone, no credit or debit card, not even a bank account to draw from. In fact, when she first set off, Annie didn't even have the kinds of tools that were available in 1954: road maps, a flashlight and batteries, a waterproof raincoat. Annie headed south, a Quixote in the company of her Rocinante, a run-down ex-racehorse, and her Sancho Panza, a little mutt. Society had called these people by different names: vagabonds and drifters, pilgrims, hoboes, and hippies. She called herself a tramp.

The Ride of Her Life took longer to grab me than I like, and it began to feel repetitious toward the end, but it's a heartwarming and uplifting story, which I appreciate during these distressing times in our country. I'm not a horse person, but Tarzan (and his little buddy, Depeche Toi) stole my heart. 

Annie had spent the past year on less-traveled roads and in small towns. From her own perspective on horseback, the country she had traveled across had seemed vast, yet still welcoming and friendly, a pace where neighbors greeted each other in local diners and a visiting stranger would attract friendly notice. Annie still traveled at the speed of hoofbeats, but the world she had encountered, one of roadside diners on quiet byways, would soon become more obsolete than she could have imagined.

By the way, the overall reaction at yesterday's book group meeting was resounding praise for the book. With my lackluster 3.5 rating,I was definitely in the minority.

The Rose Code

 

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Historical Fiction

2021

Finished on September 6, 2025

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of East-End London poverty, works the legendary code-breaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter—the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger—and their true enemy...

The Rose Code is a marvelous novel! I enjoyed each thread of the tale, never once feeling that the 600+ pages were too much, unable to put it down. I grew to care about the three main characters, and enjoyed the glimpse into the historical elements of Bletchley Park. The dual timelines are well-executed, and the characters fully fleshed out. I did have a tough time envisioning the British bombe machine, and an even harder time understanding how it worked, but found some videos that helped clarify how they functioned. 

In addition to the elements of World War II, the romantic stories were both tender and heartbreaking. The mystery thread kept me guessing, but the final scenes of the arrest were too mad cap, reminding me of the Laurel & Hardy screwball comedies. 

Two years ago, I tried to listen to The Huntress (also by Kate Quinn), but gave up after a couple of hours. I simply couldn't get interested. Now having read and loved The Rose Code, I wonder if I should try The Huntress in the print format. I do know that I want to read The Alice Network, so maybe I'll give that one a read first. Oh, and her latest, The Briar Club, is getting rave reviews, too. Guess I'll have to read that one, as well.

I love shows about World War II and think The Rose Code would make a great TV series. Now I'm inspired to re-watch The Imitation Game (starring Benedict Cumberbatch). Hmmm... I did a quick search to see if the book has been optioned for a film or limited TV series and found the following:

Black Bear Pictures is developing The Rose Code into a TV series. Black Bear Pictures previously developed the movie The Imitation Game, also about Bletchley Park codebreakers.

Yay!! 

Looking Back - The Handmaid's Tale

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Fiction

1985

Finished on May 19, 2002

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

The Handmaid's Tale is an instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from "the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction" (New York Times). 

The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid’s Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.

IN THE WORLD OF THE NEAR FUTURE, WHO WILL CONTROL WOMEN'S BODIES?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now... everything has changed.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

Terrific! Couldn't put it down. Much better than The Blind Assassin. I will be more apt to read more by Atwood now that I've read this engaging and imaginative novel. It's quite disturbing, at times. Highly recommend.

My Current Thoughts:

It's funny to read my past thoughts on this book since I've always thought I didn't like it. Huh. I'm really tempted to read it again now that I'm watching the Hulu TV series, starring Elizabeth Moss (which is outstanding!).

Top Ten Tuesday - Occupations

 

Today's theme is "Books With Occupations in the Title." It took a little time scanning my shelves, but I came up with  ten. Links to my reviews are at the end of the post, and all but one were winners. Have you read any of these?

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (4.5/5) - read twice

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (4/5 and 5/5) - read twice

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - (pre-blogging days)

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (4/5) - lots of my photographs of the area in this post

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (this should count as two!) (4.5/5)

The Midwife by Jennifer Worth (4/5)

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (4.75/5)

The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg (4/5)

The Fireman by Joe Hill (3/5)

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (4.5/5)

A Month in Summary - August 2025

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

August, 2025

It's been really hot in the valley (Salem, Portland, etc.), and when that occurs we get a lot of fog (or marine layer) on the coast. It may look chilly, but it's very humid, so 60 degrees here feels warmer than it sounds.

August has slipped away without much in the way of notable activities on my calendar. We had dinner out a couple of times with friends, and had some neighbors in for an enjoyable dinner on another night. We finally bought a new mattress (Saavta), which seems to have helped alleviate our morning aches & pains. I taught a group of my mom's friends how to play Mah Jong (Chinese version), so they're having fun with that. I'm still addicted to the American version of the game, playing mostly online here, but would love to find a couple of other people to join me and my friend, Anne, for face-to-face games. Meanwhile, Rod & I are getting ready for a road trip down to Northern California (Sonoma County) for my aunt's memorial picnic. We'll camp along the way with Bodega Bay as our destination for a few nights. The forecast looks pretty nice with temps a little warmer than here, but not super hot, which is a relief. 

My reading was pretty good this month, but there weren't any outstanding books to add to my keeper shelves. I usually wait until after Labor Day to wrap up my Summer Reading challenge, and with the holiday falling on the first day of September, I'm losing a week or so of reading time. I didn't do as well as in previous years, but I'll save those details for a separate post.

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

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard (3.5/5)

My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell (4/5)

Under the Influence by Joyce Maynard (3.5/5)

Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith (4/5)

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (4/5) - re-read

Movies & TV Series:

Person of Interest (Season One) - This first season has A LOT of episodes! We're enjoying it, but after 23 episodes, I think we'll take a break and watch something else. Thanks for the recommendation, Tina!

The Handmaid's Tale (Season 3 ) - I'm still enjoying this series, and I'm considering a re-read of the book, which I read in 2002.

Local Oceans With My Mah Jong Pals:

Online Mah Jong:

I hope you're enjoying the three-day weekend. Happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday - Wildlife

This week's topic is a non-bookish freebie, so I've chosen ten of my favorite photographs from a few of our road trips. They were all shot with my Canon EOS R.

Yellowstone National Park

September 2024

Jenny Lake Trail

Grand Teton National Park

September 2025

Signal Mountain Campground

Grand Teton National Park

September 2025

Grand Teton National Park

September 2025

Icefields Parkway

Banff National Park

Alberta, Canada

June 2023

Hidden Lake Trail

Glacier National Park

September 2022

Elk Falls Provincial Park

Campbell River, British Columbia

September 2023