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

Flight Behavior

 

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Fiction

2012

Finished on August 21, 2025

Rating: 4/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious subjects of our time: climate change. With a deft and versatile empathy Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world.

Flight Behavior transfixes from its opening scene, when a young woman's narrow experience of life is thrown wide with the force of a raging fire. In the lyrical language of her native Appalachia, Barbara Kingsolver bares the rich, tarnished humanity of her novel's inhabitants and unearths the modern complexities of rural existence. Characters and reader alike are quickly carried beyond familiar territory here, into the unsettled ground of science, faith, and everyday truces between reason and conviction.

Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she accidentally became pregnant at seventeen. Now, after a decade of domestic disharmony on a failing farm, she has settled for permanent disappointment but seeks momentary escape through an obsessive flirtation with a younger man. As she hikes up a mountain road behind her house to a secret tryst, she encounters a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what looks like a lake of fire. She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media. The bewildering emergency draws rural farmers into unexpected acquaintance with urbane journalists, opportunists, sightseers, and a striking biologist with his own stake in the outcome. As the community lines up to judge the woman and her miracle, Dellarobia confronts her family, her church, her town, and a larger world, in a flight toward truth that could undo all she has ever believed.

It's been a dozen years since I first read Flight Behavior, one of several books by Barbara Kingsolver that I've loved. I recommended the novel to my book group, as I have always hoped to read it a second time. I'm not sorry I did, but I had forgotten so much about the plot, thinking the novel was mostly about the migration of Monarch butterflies. There is so much more packed in to Delorobia's story, and I had a hard time getting interested in her domestic conflicts. I wound up enjoying the book, but not quite as well as the first time around. The following is from my 2012 post:

Flight Behavior was a wonderful read and, I believe, Kingsolver's best yet. The writing is exquisite and captivating and after two months, I'm still thinking about Dellarobia, Ovid Byron and the Monarch butterflies. I marked several passages in my book, but then made the decision to give up blogging and loaned my ARC to a friend. Now I don't have any to share with you, but perhaps that's for the best. This is a novel you will want to discover on your own. 

With the exception of The Lacuna and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I've read all of Kingsolver's novels and essay collections. I've enjoyed each book, but my favorites are The Poisonwood Bible and High Tide In Tucson, both of which I'd love to re-read someday. Flight Behavior is now at the top of the list. Highly recommend!

I've read nine books by Barbara Kingsolver, and The Lucana remains on my TBR shelf. What am I waiting for??

Fiction:

The Bean Trees (5/5)

Animal Dreams (pre-blogging days)

Pigs in Heaven (4/5)

The Poisonwood Bible (4.5/5)

Prodigal Summer (pre-blogging days)

Unsheltered (4/5)

Demon Copperhead (5/5)

Nonfiction:

High Tide in Tucson (4.5/5 and 2/5)

Small Wonder (3.5/5)

Favorite Tomes

Several bloggers have been sharing their favorite tomes for TTT (Top Ten Thursday), a weekly meme hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. I used to participate in memes back in the early days of blogging, but it's been ages since I've shared any of my favorites. I love a huge book, so I couldn't resist this week's theme ("Books with a High Page Count"). 

Have you read any of these? So far this year, I've read seven books with over 400 pages, and expect there will be more before the arrival of the holidays. 

Looking Back - Step.Ball.Change

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.

Step.Ball.Change by Jeanne Ray

Fiction

2002

Finished on May 12, 2002

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Caroline and Tom are looking forward to retirement. He's been practicing law, she's been running a dance studio, and together they've raised four great kids. It's time to enjoy the fruits of their labor...Suddenly, though, their empty nest is filling up. Caroline's sister arrives with a load of luggage, a bad-tempered terrier, and a broken heart. A contractor finds cracks in the foundation, and sets up camp indefinitely. And their daughter Kay brings home her fiance, the richest boy in Raleigh--and plans a high-society wedding that could wipe out their savings. Filled with the warmth and wit that delighted readers of Julie and Romeo, this tale of a family caught in a whirlwind of change reminds us that life is what happens while we're making other plans--and that having loved ones along for the ride is the greatest blessing of all.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

A nice "fluff" read. Good for a gloomy weekend or an airplane flight. A couple of nice passages about love and marriage.

I leaned over and kissed him. I tried to make it count. A person had to be diligent about kissing. Kissing was the affirmation of the union, the secret handshake that identified its members. And even knowing how important it was, it was easy to let it slide altogether, and suddenly one day you wake up and realize that it has been weeks since you've kissed your husband while you've had your clothes on. Worse still were the kisses that became mere gestures of kissing, those hard little pecks like the kind you got from a great-aunt when you were five, kisses that weren't kisses at all but said instead, I used to kiss you and this is the symbol that now stands in its place. It was the difference between eating a great meal and looking at a picture of food in a magazine: One made you feel full and the other only reminded you that you were hungry.

and

Was I sure about love, that this was the person I would be eating my meals with and raising children with and making love to for so many years. I had no idea. I wanted to tell my daughter that I had been absolutely certain, but I think what I had been is absolutely lucky. I don't think that I knew Tom's middle name when I married him. It didn't matter. We had been full of a dreamy sort of romance then. Maybe we had excellent intuition about each other, but the real love came later. I think, probably, the real love always comes later.

My Current Thoughts:

I don't read much in the way of romance or fluff these days, but I might re-read this one since I still own a copy. 

Fun fact: Jeanne Ray is Anne Patchett's mother.

Keep Moving

Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith

Nonfiction

2020

Finished on August 16, 2025

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

For fans of Anne Lamott and Cleo Wade, a collection of quotes and essays on facing life’s challenges with creativity, courage, and resilience.

When Maggie Smith, the award-winning author of the viral poem “Good Bones,” started writing daily Twitter posts in the wake of her divorce, they unexpectedly caught fire. In this deeply moving book of quotes and essays, Maggie writes about new beginnings as opportunities for transformation. Like kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with gold, Keep Moving celebrates the beauty and strength on the other side of loss. This is a book for anyone who has gone through a difficult time and is wondering: What comes next?

Last winter I was introduced to Maggie Smith's writing when I encountered her outstanding memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful. I was so captivated with her writing that I immediately ordered a copy of Keep Moving, Smith's earlier book of essays and quotations. Rather than read it cover-to-cover in a few days, I decided to devote several months to the book, reading two or three pages at a time. It's a wonderful book for anyone dealing with loss, whether that be due to divorce or the death of a loved one.

Under the Influence

 

Under the Influence by Joyce Maynard

Fiction

2016

Finished on August 11, 2025

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

When Helen meets Swift and Ava Havilland at an art gallery opening, her life is at an all-time low. A DUI conviction caused her to lose her driver's license and custody of her eight-year-old son, Oliver. Now she sees Ollie on Saturdays, but he hasn't forgiven his mother for messing up their life. She's got a dead-end job and goes on occasional dates, but spends most evenings at AA meetings. The Havillands change all that.

Ava and Swift are wealthy, charismatic philanthropists who fill their home with valuable art, unlikely friends, and over-the-top parties. The Havillands quickly become the center of Helen's world, as she takes on jobs for them and joins their glamorous inner circle. Then Helen meets Elliot--a quiet, uncool accountant the Havillands dismiss as boring. Helen might be falling in love with him, but her new best friends disapprove--and cause Helen to distrust her own heart.

Most compelling, for Helen, is what her friendship with the Havillands has meant to her relationship with her son. Ollie looks up to the larger-than-life man who treats him like a second son. And Swift has promised Helen the services of a high-powered attorney to help her regain custody. But when tragedy strikes, Helen and Ollie must pay for the generosity of Helen's new friends. Or pay dearly if they refuse.

Oh, Helen. Why didn't you trust your gut? Why were you so blind to how your so-called friends were treating you. The writing was right there on the wall, but you chose to ignore the red flags. Sigh.

Under the Influence is the proverbial train wreck. I could see where Maynard was leading her readers, and I distrusted Ava and Swift from the get-go, but I couldn't stop reading despite my impatience with the sluggish plotting. Thankfully, it's a quick read, and somewhat satisfying, but the heavy foreshadowing dragged on far too long before the finale. Unlikeable characters in an unrealistic situation. This is one to borrow from the library. 

How the Light Gets In (3.5/5)

The Bird Hotel (4.5/5)

Count the Ways (5/5)

After Her (4/5)

Where Love Goes (4/5)

Labor Day (4.5/5)

The Usual Rules (5/5)

My Lover's Lover

 

My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell

Fiction

2002

Finished on August 5, 2025

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage Portrait and Hamnet comes an intense, unnerving and passionate story of betrayal, loss and love, with all the frisson and psychological intensity of Rebecca.

When Lily moves into new boyfriend Marcus's apartment and plunges headlong into their relationship, she must contend with an intangible, hostile presence—Marcus’s ex-girlfriend, Sinead. As Lily and Marcus become more deeply involved, Lily becomes obsessed with Sinead's fate and thinks she sees her everywhere. She must question not only her sanity, but whether the man she loves is someone she can, or should, be with at all.

I have now read seven of Maggie O'Farrell's novels, and while My Lover's Lover may not be my favorite, I certainly enjoyed reading it. The plot wasn't as confusing as those in some of her other novels, which tend to have alternating timelines with multiple points of view. This one did have flashbacks, but it was easy to keep track of the characters and their individual stories. That is not always the case with O'Farrell's books.

My Lover's Lover has creepy elements that gave it a ghost story feel, and it also brought to mind the obsessive and calculating nature of The Talented Mr. Ripley. It's not one I'll read again, but I did enjoy it, and find myself thinking about the characters. It would make a good movie!

The Trap

 

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard

Mystery

Narrated by John Keating and Alana Kerr Collins

2023

Finished on August 4, 2025

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the nineties, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.

One year ago, Lucy's sister, Nicki, left to meet friends at a pub in Dublin and never came home. The third Irish woman to vanish inexplicably in as many years, the agony of not knowing what happened that night has turned Lucy's life into a waking nightmare. So, she's going to take matters into her own hands. 

Angela works as a civilian paper-pusher in the Missing Persons Unit, but wants nothing more than to be a fully fledged member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force. With the official investigation into the missing women stalled, she begins pulling on a thread that could break the case wide open -- and destroy her chances of ever joining the force. A nameless man drives through the night, his latest victim in the back seat. He's going to tell her everything, from the beginning. And soon, she'll realize: what you don't know can hurt you...

Nonlinear timelines and misdirection kept me guessing, and even shaking my head in disbelief, as the final pages drew near. This was my first read of Catherine Ryan Howard's thrillers, and it won't be my last. I enjoyed the audio narration, although the nameless abductor was creepy to listen to as he shared details of his process with one of the victims. It's been years since I've read anything by Mo Hayder, but there is something about The Trap that brought her Jack Caffery thrillers (Birdman, The Treatment, and Gone) to mind. Thankfully, this book didn't give me nightmares! 

Catherine Ryan Howard is an award-winning, no. 1 bestselling thriller writer from Cork, Ireland.

Her work has been shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Novel, the UK Crime Writers Association John Creasey/New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Awards, and the An Post Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year multiple times. Her novels have been included in the New York Times Best Thrillers of the Year, the Washington Post’s Best Mysteries and Thrillers of the Year and the Sunday Times Best Thrillers of the Year. She is published in 20 languages and a number of her titles have been optioned for screen.

I received a complimentary copy from Libro.fm. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Month in Summary - July 2025

 

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

July 2025

Another page flipped on the calendar and summer is winding down. For many, it's been a long hot summer and I'm hearing that you're eager for cooler temps and fall activities. Here on the Oregon coast, we're just entering our nicest time of the year. The chilly, overcast days aren't nearly as frequent as in June and July, and the temps are climbing into the mid-60s. We typically travel in September, which everyone says is the best month of the year, but I'm hoping August will prove to be just as lovely.

My reading felt a bit off in July, mainly due to two lackluster novels, one of which was far too long. The two books I read in print were over 400 pages, and the two audios were between 8 and 10 hours. I spent two weeks reading The Frozen River, and while I enjoyed it, I began to get impatient, eager to make more headway on my Summer Reading challenge. My reading has also suffered due to my new interest in watching a couple of episodes of The Handmaid's Tale each night. I also used to read for about an hour in the afternoon before fixing dinner, but my new obsession interest in American Mah Jong has me playing several games on my computer. 

 

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

How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard (3.5/5)

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick (2/5)

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (4/5)

So Far Gone by Jess Walter (4.5/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Missing - An ok show, but I've already forgotten the plot. 

Place of Execution - Another decent show, but not at all memorable.

Force of Nature: The Dry 2 - I read Jane Harper's book in 2018 and thought it was decent, but the series wasn't as good.

The Residence - Silly, although I did enjoy the main character. 

The Handmaid's Tale (Season 2) - I've watched two seasons and will continue despite the unsettling themes about women's rights that feel far too prescient in today's world. 

Visitors:

My aunt and uncle (Alison & Brian) came up from Manhattan Beach for a few days. We had a wonderful visit with them!

Hiking:

Molly and I hiked Cascade Head for the second year in a row. It was a beautiful, sunny day!

New Obsession:

As mentioned above, I've started play American Mah Jong with a friend in my neighborhood. In addition to our face-to-face games, I've started playing online, which is a great way to improve my skills. I love it!

New Car!

Yes, we bought a new car. We traded in the Miata, which after owning for less than two years proved to be somewhat impractical. It looked cute, especially with the top down, but it wasn't very comfortable for either of us. We started looking at Subarus and I fell in love with the Outback Limited. It has more bells & whistles than my 2010 Forester (which we sold to some good friends before moving to Oregon), and I think it will be a better fit for us than the Miata.

Lastly, we received our second tsunami alert since moving to the Oregon coast in 2017. Thankfully, nothing came of the advisory. Phew!

Hope you're all enjoying your summer! Happy reading!