tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-224152342024-03-18T16:42:35.941-07:00Coastal Horizons... books, beaches, and backroad adventures<b>Nature & Books belong to the eyes that see them.</b><br>
- <i>Emerson</i><br>Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08345657431432380804noreply@blogger.comBlogger2523125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-72277713533056362662024-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-17T07:48:41.542-07:00Day<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIFomN9Fw81jE_2bi0nKi-KWdp5at_JGA6w0gg-39t_D2wTW2IKKWtKv4kFUatCir3f2jhzFn_ZhlcD4CWyXSlAzs1E-3hsxTeZgXDp0ODSinCVEg0UAfTSnVRQ-HdqpVtguF6RCXAxPEkBtRtiv4C9FPLu5oUXK0YG-Is2uHs-qT5ajV45JJ/s400/123033397.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIFomN9Fw81jE_2bi0nKi-KWdp5at_JGA6w0gg-39t_D2wTW2IKKWtKv4kFUatCir3f2jhzFn_ZhlcD4CWyXSlAzs1E-3hsxTeZgXDp0ODSinCVEg0UAfTSnVRQ-HdqpVtguF6RCXAxPEkBtRtiv4C9FPLu5oUXK0YG-Is2uHs-qT5ajV45JJ/w268-h400/123033397.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Day</b> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cunningham" target="_blank">Michael Cunningham</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2023</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on March 15, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 3/5 (Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">As the world changes around them, a family weathers the storms of growing up, growing older, falling in and out of love, losing the things that are most precious—and learning to go on—from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of <b>The Hours</b>.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">April 5, 2019 : In a cozy brownstone in Brooklyn, the veneer of domestic bliss is beginning to crack. Dan and Isabel, troubled husband and wife, are both a little bit in love with Isabel’s younger brother, Robbie. Robbie, wayward soul of the family, who still lives in the attic loft; Robbie, who, trying to get over his most recent boyfriend, has created a glamorous avatar online; Robbie, who now has to move out of the house—and whose departure threatens to break the family apart. Meanwhile Nathan, age ten, is taking his first uncertain steps toward independence, while Violet, five, does her best not to notice the growing rift between her parents.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">April 5, 2020: As the world goes into lockdown, the brownstone is feeling more like a prison. Violet is terrified of leaving the windows open, obsessed with keeping her family safe, while Nathan attempts to skirt her rules. Isabel and Dan communicate mostly in veiled jabs and frustrated sighs. And beloved Robbie is stranded in Iceland, alone in a mountain cabin with nothing but his thoughts—and his secret Instagram life—for company.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">April 5, 2021: Emerging from the worst of the crisis, the family reckons with a new, very different reality—with what they’ve learned, what they’ve lost, and how they might go on.
From the brilliant mind of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham, <b>Day</b> is a searing, exquisitely crafted meditation on love and loss and the struggles and limitations of family life—how to live together and apart.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">It's been over twenty years since I read Michael Cunningham's award winning novel, <i>The Hours</i>, which I picked up shortly after reading Virginia Woolf's classic, <i>Mrs. Dalloway</i>. </span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">T</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">old from multiple points of view, </span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Cunningham's latest novel, </span><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Day</i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">, follows a Brooklyn family on the same date (April 5th) in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I don't remember much about the author's writing style for </span><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">The Hours</i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">, but </span><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Day</i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"> is most certainly an erudite literary work and not one to breeze through. The first section required close reading, and as I reread passages and sought the definition of several words, I grew impatient, eager for the hook to propel me into Cunningham's story. The deeper into the work I read, I realized that I didn't care about the characters (five-year-old Violet is far too precocious), and it wasn't until the final segment (set in 2021) that I was unable to put the book down. I feel I'm fairly well-read, but there are certain authors' works (Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Toni Morrison) with which I struggle, asking myself if I'm smart enough to "get" the underlying meaning of their prose. I wanted to love this novel, but it fell short of my expectations. However, I do plan to reread <i>The Hours</i> later this year. I may even add <i>Mrs. Dalloway</i> to my reread stack, as well.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-27040155837085264822024-03-15T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-15T00:00:00.344-07:00Looking Back - The Lake of Dead Languages<div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">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.</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XuV83jgd3LA6WpjW6Vlyp23n640Hg6iFhG-vvuOHnleafjpCDpbibhbpvNAeUlGFeqSav46HF7wF-DtZDUoL8AGcMURtOPlvk7pZAUHH6YFIF6qubynRG39aJ1C3LqHNqFbJXvP07HxMlfXmW3-ih_aRg9WFlNt51fRoXwoampz6AiIGm0bz/s450/120274.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="274" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XuV83jgd3LA6WpjW6Vlyp23n640Hg6iFhG-vvuOHnleafjpCDpbibhbpvNAeUlGFeqSav46HF7wF-DtZDUoL8AGcMURtOPlvk7pZAUHH6YFIF6qubynRG39aJ1C3LqHNqFbJXvP07HxMlfXmW3-ih_aRg9WFlNt51fRoXwoampz6AiIGm0bz/w244-h400/120274.jpg" width="244" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Lake of Dead Languages</b> by <a href="https://carolgoodman.com/" target="_blank">Carol Goodman</a></span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2002</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 24, 2002</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4.5/5 (Terrific!)</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the evocative tradition of Donna Tartt’s first novel, <b>The Secret History</b>, comes this accomplished debut of youthful innocence drowned by dark sins. Twenty years ago, Jane Hudson left the Heart Lake School for Girls in the Adirondacks after a terrible tragedy. Now she has returned to the placid, isolated shores of the lakeside school as a Latin teacher, recently separated and hoping to make a fresh start with her young daughter. But ominous messages from the past dredge up forgotten memories that will become a living nightmare.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since freshmen year, Jane and her two roommates, Lucy Toller and Deirdre Hall, were inseparable–studying the classics, performing school girl rituals on the lake, and sneaking out after curfew to meet Lucy’s charismatic brother Matt. However, the last winter before graduation, everything changed. For in that sheltered, ice-encrusted wonderland, three lives were taken, all victims of senseless suicide. Only Jane was left to carry the burden of a mystery that has stayed hidden for more than two decades in the dark depths of Heart Lake.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now pages from Jane’s missing journal, written during that tragic time, have reappeared, revealing shocking, long-buried secrets. And suddenly, young, troubled girls are beginning to die again . . . as piece by piece the shattering truth slowly floats to the surface.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">At once compelling, sensuous, and intelligent, <b>The Lake of Dead Languages</b> is an eloquent thriller, an intricate balance of suspense and fine storytelling that proves Carol Goodman is a rare new talent with a brilliant future.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Original Thoughts (2002):</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Intricately plotted tale. Absorbing. A bit predictable? No, not predictable, but I did figure out part of the mystery early on, although there were still several surprises. Stayed up late reading. Engrossing.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Current Thoughts:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I believe this is the only book that I've read by Carol Goodman. If I thought it was so terrific, why haven't I read more by her? She's written over a dozen thriller/suspense novels, so I have plenty from which to choose.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-7635214395758335472024-03-12T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-12T15:22:55.388-07:00The Samurai's Garden - Updated<div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvRKIukIGL50KBHuJVC-YmWvoz1l0jgcdm9jf448KprtEEZqfMMEFpK0bJ-XgteR7V22Jqs4_pW3oducvvAmujpQ6p7WeOylR-73cEUC2AhEDHR2BG8esPDrAaIZ-megblEAVZjQ0rS4S_8UxhBz7og_yr4srruKcZ2ZZl6-nYmX4SwHzKg/s350/90fd22adc62b7d6bc235adc0e53e3d2c54e2f549.jpg" style="color: #bb2139; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="228" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvRKIukIGL50KBHuJVC-YmWvoz1l0jgcdm9jf448KprtEEZqfMMEFpK0bJ-XgteR7V22Jqs4_pW3oducvvAmujpQ6p7WeOylR-73cEUC2AhEDHR2BG8esPDrAaIZ-megblEAVZjQ0rS4S_8UxhBz7og_yr4srruKcZ2ZZl6-nYmX4SwHzKg/w260-h400/90fd22adc62b7d6bc235adc0e53e3d2c54e2f549.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="260" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Samurais-Garden-Novel-Gail-Tsukiyama/dp/0312144075" style="color: #bb2139; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Samurai's Garden</a> by <a href="https://www.gailtsukiyama.com/" style="color: #bb2139; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Gail Tsukiyama</a></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Fiction</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">1994 St. Martin's Griffin</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">First Reading: January 13, 2002</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Second Reading: Mary 10, 2024</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Original Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding!)</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>New Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Publisher's Blurb:</b></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Critics nationwide have praised Gail Tsukiyama for her vivid characters and crystalline prose. They have acclaimed the exquisite beauty of her serene settings. But more than anything, readers have celebrated finding themselves in the hands of a strong storyteller with the wisdom and warm heart of an ancient soul.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>On the eve of the Second World War, a young Chinese man is sent to his family's summer home in Japan to recover from tuberculosis. He will rest, swim in the salubrious sea, and paint in the brilliant shoreside light. It will be quiet and solitary. </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>But he also meets four local residents--a beautiful Japanese girl and three older people. What then ensues is a tale that readers will find at once classical yet utterly unique. Young Stephen has his own adventure, but it is the unfolding story of Matsu, Sachi, and Kenzo that seizes your attention and will stay with you forever.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Tsukiyama, with lines as clean, simple, telling, and dazzling as the best of Oriental art, has created a small, moving masterpiece.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Update:</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">After posting about <i>The Samurai's Garden</i> last year, I was eager to give it another read, and it finally made its way to my nightstand this past month. I'd forgotten so much about the story and thoroughly enjoyed it this second time around. This novel would make such a lovely movie. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Original Thoughts (2002):</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">The perfect indication of a great book is one that you hug to your chest and whisper, "Great book!" upon completion. It's also the type of book you are tempted to read again the minute you've finished. This is one of those books! Beautifully written. Lyrical. Touching. Simply lovely. I didn't want it to end, so I read slowly, savoring each sentence. Closed the book with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. I want to read everything else that Tsukiyama has written. I'll give this as a gift to my book-loving friends and relatives. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Honor, duty, loyalty. Unspoken love. Zen-like. A soothing, calm book. Beautifully "painted" images. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Current Thoughts:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Josefin Sans"; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I read this with two online book groups (The Book Spot and On the Porch Swing) and as I recall, everyone loved the book. I plan to read it again this summer while on our trip to Canada.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-29201443812020654802024-03-09T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-09T00:00:00.141-08:00The Benefit of Hindsight<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDugz-TAckRwP4BKfpIZwkxGmtAet7VRBUytUGPV8p3DHTjSOv0RQ7fVBoNhkztbZUHSPJqM0jn75c8lI_XJagYVbKrhTIbYAf5hRlW798BsiUuteYk1cnrHhukZnvx-4oIXUg9lM9T5a_LEdYomhApof8Skej07zcVOBHjhBdm1q3EnKzF3V/s1503/50157603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1002" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDugz-TAckRwP4BKfpIZwkxGmtAet7VRBUytUGPV8p3DHTjSOv0RQ7fVBoNhkztbZUHSPJqM0jn75c8lI_XJagYVbKrhTIbYAf5hRlW798BsiUuteYk1cnrHhukZnvx-4oIXUg9lM9T5a_LEdYomhApof8Skej07zcVOBHjhBdm1q3EnKzF3V/w266-h400/50157603.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Benefit of Hindsight</b> by Susan Hill</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Simon Serrailler #10</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction - Mystery</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2019 The Overlook Press</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on March 3, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Serrailler must confront his demons as Lafferton experiences a series of shocking crimes in this 10th book in Susan Hill’s shattering crime series.</span></i></b><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Susan Hill stuns readers once again in <b>The Benefit of Hindsight</b>, the 10th book in her celebrated mystery series. Now recuperated after the violent incident that cost him his arm—and nearly his life—DCS Serrailler has returned to work, though he prefers to spend his spare time sketching the medieval angels being restored on the cathedral roof. With crime rates down, Lafferton has been quiet, until one night when two men open their front door to a distressing scene. Serrailler makes a serious error of judgment when handling the incident, and the stress of this, combined with the ongoing trauma of losing his arm, takes its toll. In the tradition of the fabulous mysteries of Ruth Rendell and P. D. James, <b>The Benefit of Hindsight</b> is Susan Hill’s best work yet—a chilling new addition to a highly acclaimed series.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">A decent installment in Susan Hill's ongoing series. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't as impressive as a few of her other recent works. There were a few loose ends, but I haven't reached the end of the series, so maybe those wil be resolved in the next book. </span></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-46806475431460268902024-03-08T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-08T00:00:00.365-08:00Looking Back - Snow Island<div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">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.</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gEhtq93nNL0-KNcz9YjDbTJmoLRKvGKZpn-exxJl6-Ekcjtmy5jkkXC2C_oABqzZQbdbwDiDEi-_zGJuaMU_eOB1rYyapZ5AHG2XOo2yNqSyK8Ixvb3V-t_UVX5uohqQyZwgNkJ91S180OYA9jbESy0rpmQFvU30DkEU3IrYWgk4MXW6fZEt/s400/3281161.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="253" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gEhtq93nNL0-KNcz9YjDbTJmoLRKvGKZpn-exxJl6-Ekcjtmy5jkkXC2C_oABqzZQbdbwDiDEi-_zGJuaMU_eOB1rYyapZ5AHG2XOo2yNqSyK8Ixvb3V-t_UVX5uohqQyZwgNkJ91S180OYA9jbESy0rpmQFvU30DkEU3IrYWgk4MXW6fZEt/w253-h400/3281161.jpg" width="253" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>Snow Island</b> by <a href="https://katherinetowler.com/">Katherine Towler</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2002</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 18, 2002</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 2/5 (OK)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">What is life like for a girl coming of age in the shadow of World War II, a girl who lives on a small, isolated island populated by quahoggers and eccentrics?</span></i><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">This tender first novel follows the fate of sixteen-year-old Alice Daggett, who still feels the presence of her father who died six years earlier, and of George Tibbit, a reclusive loner who returns to the island each year in an excessive act of homage to the two women who raised him there.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Snow Island</b> tells of their isolated lives and the impact that WWII has on all of their worlds. Both Alice and George find their lives linked, and changed, forever by the events that happen far from the small New England community that defines them.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Original Review (2002):</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Disappointing. One-dimensional characters. Simplistic plot. Predictable. Reads like a YA romance novel. Probably won't read more by this author.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Current Thoughts:</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I don't remember reading this book. Even the cover art is unfamiliar to me. I wonder what prompted me to read it. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Was it an ARC? Recommended by a friend? Who knows!</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-46412951971226094442024-03-06T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-06T00:00:00.185-08:00The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - Updated<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiQwiiOQn_-q9rSe4YLDYg_Tj6xXHV8ddrDDz_yFxod43eayK1wV52zLAOoOoQpJyIJL4diKGjCRPxuiPmc3YDgd-fjMY4EKiFptskhMK1d1NABGscGweHytP6IGgPIaDKsWIyJeWph-JZ1rsAIS5H2_170ACJhOi01hL857qG5__UWGtgMj-/s470/2731276.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiQwiiOQn_-q9rSe4YLDYg_Tj6xXHV8ddrDDz_yFxod43eayK1wV52zLAOoOoQpJyIJL4diKGjCRPxuiPmc3YDgd-fjMY4EKiFptskhMK1d1NABGscGweHytP6IGgPIaDKsWIyJeWph-JZ1rsAIS5H2_170ACJhOi01hL857qG5__UWGtgMj-/w271-h400/2731276.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Story of Edgar Sawtelle</b> by <a href="https://www.davidwroblewski.com/" target="_blank">David Wroblewski</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2008</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Narrated by Richard Poe</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">21 hours and 39 minutes</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">First Reading: July 14, 2010</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Second Reading: </span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">March 3, 2024</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Original Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding!)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>New Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Publisher's Blurb:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm—and into Edgar's mother's affections.</i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires—spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him. But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>David Wroblewski is a master storyteller, and his breathtaking scenes—the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a fateful vision rendered in the falling rain—create a riveting family saga, a brilliant exploration of the limits of language, and a compulsively readable modern classic.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Early this year, I learned that David Wroblewski has written a sequel to <i>The Story of Edgar Sawtelle</i>, a book that I read over a dozen years ago. I've always intended to give the book a second reading, so I downloaded the audio and spent seven weeks listening at every opportunity. It's a long story (21+ hours or 576 pages), and with all the rain we've recently experienced, I didn't get out for my regular walks, so it took even longer to reach the end. I enjoyed the story, but not as much as the first time I heard it. Some plot details were very familiar, and yet some (including the finale) were a complete surprise. I can't believe I'd forgotten how the story ended! </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3STg2GtPjCAsD2uyA0UpJn9xw33poeBnZmmOlxBJbIpR1jL5halRq9qniD4Pc_ISjWUcu4SdFCoXuXdsdS-pJZP0wAvZN8pCGiT3MzxzMpz_BYh1u7m38RjL0MAyLPxw7wJpYe0DVxVwqwyhDZ5lLHjBOKrathoacdx_5QeBpGKJL_dsvFxD/s648/Familiaris+Cover+size+matched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="437" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3STg2GtPjCAsD2uyA0UpJn9xw33poeBnZmmOlxBJbIpR1jL5halRq9qniD4Pc_ISjWUcu4SdFCoXuXdsdS-pJZP0wAvZN8pCGiT3MzxzMpz_BYh1u7m38RjL0MAyLPxw7wJpYe0DVxVwqwyhDZ5lLHjBOKrathoacdx_5QeBpGKJL_dsvFxD/w270-h400/Familiaris+Cover+size+matched.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I'm looking forward to reading <i>Familiaris</i> later this year (it's due out on June 4th), but it's even longer than Wroblewski's debut, clocking in at 980 pages! That's 33 1/2 hours on audio, which to compare, is about 3 hours fewer than <i>Lonesome Dove</i>. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rather than link to my previous review, I'm including it below in full. I'm a little sad that I didn't love this one as much as the first time around, but it's still a great story.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Review of July 14, 2010</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;">I loved this book! I loved it so much that after listening to the audio, I was compelled to buy a copy for future readings. The writing is beyond lyrical; it's exquisite! The characters (human and canine) touched my heart, and Edgar and Almondine have joined the ranks of all-time favorite characters, keeping company with Scout, Owen, Leisel & Rudy, and Perry. I actually found myself thinking of Owen Meany a lot during this book; probably due to the manner in which he speaks...and the manner in which Edgar is unable to do so.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;">I found myself completely absorbed in the sto</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;">ry, sitting in my parked car (both in my driveway or the parking lot at work) long after my car engine had cooled, unable to pull myself away from the narrative. The pacing is even, the suspense and foreshadowing perfectly tuned. Richard Poe is an exceptional reader and his performance of this heartfelt coming-of-age novel is to be applauded.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>On man's (or boy's) best friend:</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">This will be his earliest memory.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Red light, morning light. High ceiling canted overhead. Lazy click of toenails on wood. Between the honey-colored slats of the crib a whiskery muzzle slides forward until its cheeks pull back and a row of dainty front teeth bare themselves in a ridiculous grin.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />The nose quivers. The velvet snout dimples.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />All the house is quiet. Be still. Stay still.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Fine, dark muzzle fur. Black nose, leather of lacework creases, comma of nostrils flexing with each breath. A breeze shushes up the field and pillows the curtains inward. The apple tree near the kitchen window caresses the house with a tick-tickety-tick-tick. As slowly as he can, he exhales, feigning sleep, but despite himself his breath hitches. At once, the muzzle knows he is awake. It snorts. Angles right and left. Withdraws. Outside the crib, Almondine's forequarters appear. Her head is reared back, her ears cocked forward.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />A cherry-brindled eye peers back at him.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Whoosh of her tail.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Be still. Stay still.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />The muzzle comes hunting again, tunnels beneath his blanket, below the farmers and pigs and chicks and cows dyed into that cotton world. His hand rises on fingers and spider-walks across the surprised farmyard residents to challenge the intruder. It becomes a bird, hovering before their eyes. Thumb and index finger squeeze the crinkled black nose. The pink of her tongue darts out but the bird flies away before Almondine can lick it. Her tail is switching harder now. Her body sways, her breath envelops him. He tugs the blackest whisker on her chin and this time her tongue catches the palm of his hand ever so slightly. He pitches to his side, rubs his hand across the blanket, blows a breath in her face. Her ears flick back. She stomps a foot. He blows again and she withdraws and bows and woofs, low in her chest, quiet and deep, the boom of an uncontainable heartbeat. Hearing it, he forgets and presses his face against the rails to see her, all of her, take her inside him with his eyes, and before he can move, she smears her tongue across his nose and forehead! He claps a hand to his face but it's too late—she's away, spinning, biting her tail, dancing in the moted sunlight that spills through the window glass.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>and</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">Wandering through the kennel, holding a book: Winnie-the-Pooh. He opens a whelping pen, sits. The puppies surge through the underbrush of loose straw, kicking up fine white dust as they come along. He captures them between his legs and reads to them, hands in motion before their upturned muzzles. The mother comes over and they peep like chicks when they see her. One by one she carries them back to the whelping box; they hang black and bean-shaped from her mouth. When she has finished, she stands over them, looking at Edgar in reproach.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />They </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">wanted</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"> to hear, he signs at her, but the mother won't settle with her pups until he leaves.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">Winnie-the-Pooh</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"> is a good story for puppies.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">If only she would let him tell it.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">I'm not sure what I expected when I first picked up this debut novel, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by Wroblewski's beautiful prose:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">Inside was a calamity of plywood and mossy bedsprings and vast spider webs hanging like spinnakers between the timbers.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>On trained dogs:</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">And the dogs, in turn, discovered that if they waited after he'd asked them to stay and disappeared into a cabin, he would always return. Together they practiced new skills he devised. They had long understood what was being asked of them during a stay, whether in the training in the yard or in town; now he asked if they would stay in a forest glade when they were hungry and the flickers pounded the ground, thumping up millipedes, or squirrels harassed them, or a rock sailed over their heads and rattled the dead leaves. Several times each day he found a likely spot shielded by sumac or bracken fern, and he placed them in guard over something small—a stick he'd been carrying that morning, say, or a bit of rag. Then he walked off into the forest, careful not to push them past the breaking point since he had no way to correct them. Later, he tied a length of fishing line to the guarded thing and asked them to move only when it moved, keeping it surrounded. When they got that right, he'd sail back into their midst signing, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">release</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">! and throw himself at them to roll and tickle, toss the thing for them to catch, see to each of them in whatever way he'd learned was the greatest delight for that dog.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />He learned, too, the limits of their patience, different for each of them. In a stay, Baboo was as immovable as the hills, and likely to fall asleep. Essay, ever alert, was the most tempted of any of them by the skitter of a rock pitched through the ferns. And Tinder, equally likely to stick or bolt, who twice jumped up when Essay broke her stay and licked her muzzle and coaxed her back into a sit.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;">I've yet to read <i>Where the Red Fern Grows</i> or <i>Old Yeller</i>, but recently I've become drawn to novels about dogs. I loved Garth Stein's <a href="http://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2010/05/art-of-racing-in-rain.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><i>The Art of Racing in the Rain</i></a> and now <i>The Story of Edgar Sawtelle</i> has found its way into my heart. Looks like I'm in good company, too:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px; font-weight: bold;">Praise from Stephen King:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">I flat-out loved </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>The Story of Edgar Sawtelle</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">, and spent twelve happy evenings immersed in the world David Wroblewski has created. As I neared the end, I kept finding excuses to put the book aside for a little, not because I didn't like it, but because I liked it too much; I didn't want it to end. Dog-lovers in particular will find themselves riveted by this story, because the canine world has never been explored with such imagination and emotional resonance. Yet in the end, this isn't a novel about dogs or heartland America--although it is a deeply American work of literature. It's a novel about the human heart, and the mysteries that live there, understood but impossible to articulate. Yet in the person of Edgar Sawtelle, a mute boy who takes three of his dogs on a brave and dangerous odyssey, Wroblewski </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">does </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">articulate them, and splendidly. I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">It's over, <span style="font-style: italic;">you think</span>, and I won't read another one this good for a long, long time</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">In truth, there's never been a book quite like </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>The Story of Edgar Sawtelle</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">. I thought of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>Hamlet</b> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">when I was reading it, and</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"> <b>Watership Down</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>The Night of the Hunter</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b>The Life of Pi</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">--but halfway through, I put all comparisons aside and let it just be itself.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;"><br /><br />I'm pretty sure this book is going to be a bestseller, but unlike some, it deserves to be. It's also going to be the subject of a great many reading groups, and when the members take up </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">Edgar</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">, I think they will be apt to stick to the book and forget the neighborhood gossip.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: italic;">Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying: readers who pick up this novel are going to enter a richer world. I envy them the trip. I don't re-read many books, because life is too short. I will be re-reading this one.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final thoughts:</span> Do not be put off by the size of this book. You will <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>want it to end!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;">Did I say I loved it?!</span></span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-27835791167610549712024-03-02T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-02T07:58:06.771-08:00A Month In Summary - February 2024<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxlX16JE2qDTlr_F56fpWH7LYvsIOMGKMW9RgEtcUN3EqlPSjo_iglzVM3lgG2AdVxquXjn38g6exSrAyVXiWViEZJ08jiGD8rjdM-UqjBEXY65ddOuqi50hTSZqqTH6shZK-UViVEbuMwSimmxOuM-HqAl7Ie9LaaKUyWBQc6c4OxV7dy1QP/s4032/2024-02-29%2016.08.51.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxlX16JE2qDTlr_F56fpWH7LYvsIOMGKMW9RgEtcUN3EqlPSjo_iglzVM3lgG2AdVxquXjn38g6exSrAyVXiWViEZJ08jiGD8rjdM-UqjBEXY65ddOuqi50hTSZqqTH6shZK-UViVEbuMwSimmxOuM-HqAl7Ie9LaaKUyWBQc6c4OxV7dy1QP/w640-h480/2024-02-29%2016.08.51.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Little Whale Cove</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Depoe Bay, Oregon</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>February 29, 2024</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I took the above photo between heavy showers and gusty winds yesterday afternoon. And now, as I sit at my desk, getting ready to post this monthly summary, the temperature has dropped and snow has begun to gently fall. I think it may be a while before it starts to feel like spring!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I had an outstanding month of reading with several winners. Actually, they were all winners, as you can see by the high ratings. I've been on a roll with mysteries and thrillers, re-read a favorite classic, finished two 400+ page chunksters, and thoroughly enjoyed my book club selection for February. Have you read any of these?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1udApINxLBDPwzLSudBnQxqqWEJbID-fI1rR9D5h90TdX9GwG0ZP-eKEIwRCsTmJNa4ZqSJu5Q6pBFFMQ4LAlG1y0QeTcZG2NRGtLJWg7ijSxrN4h6iRgvAKeKLl4VRAzbPA9fNbCXIatD5iJ6Wu2H8fAVfHfi5Y0o4WauOruFPNBxadgetOr/s1024/February%202024%20Wrap-Up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="712" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1udApINxLBDPwzLSudBnQxqqWEJbID-fI1rR9D5h90TdX9GwG0ZP-eKEIwRCsTmJNa4ZqSJu5Q6pBFFMQ4LAlG1y0QeTcZG2NRGtLJWg7ijSxrN4h6iRgvAKeKLl4VRAzbPA9fNbCXIatD5iJ6Wu2H8fAVfHfi5Y0o4WauOruFPNBxadgetOr/w446-h640/February%202024%20Wrap-Up.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Read</b> (click on the title for my review)<b>:</b></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/02/tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow.html" target="_blank">Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow</a></i> by Gabrielle Zevin <b>(4.5/5)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-comforts-of-home.html" target="_blank">The Comforts of Home</a></i> by Susan Hill <b>(4.5/5)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-weight-of-silence.html" target="_blank">The Weight of Silence</a></i> by Heather Gudenkauf <b>(4.5/5)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/02/nine-lives.html" target="_blank">Nine Lives</a></i> by Peter Swanson (4/5)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-giver.html" target="_blank">The Giver</a></i> by Lois Lowry (4/5)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/02/since-we-fell.html" target="_blank">Since We Fell</a></i> by Dennis Lehane <b>(5/5)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px; font-weight: 700;">Movies & TV Series</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px; font-weight: 700;">:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBLoPjg-TwW9MU2yB-5Jj7-pvBLrKWmN46RjbCfvyjX8N_0_IVGfqsWwrh1BHyezOEeuS8pMFCXM8moAhBZOKT3RzXvXGU3lgPFgGIoQyfSsPwBo4F_F4ZNtEYpfjegKGTc5ijEpiSRF8KoEqgAFGnxu7pFMwfBDaN-7HG8-UBvRXqiZ085j/s1080/image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="788" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBLoPjg-TwW9MU2yB-5Jj7-pvBLrKWmN46RjbCfvyjX8N_0_IVGfqsWwrh1BHyezOEeuS8pMFCXM8moAhBZOKT3RzXvXGU3lgPFgGIoQyfSsPwBo4F_F4ZNtEYpfjegKGTc5ijEpiSRF8KoEqgAFGnxu7pFMwfBDaN-7HG8-UBvRXqiZ085j/w466-h640/image.jpg" width="466" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anatomy of a Fall</b> - I enjoyed this quite well, although it was a bit long. Great acting. Kept me guessing!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9S61z8em3q3nX9r8haBknca53u23KUjV8fuTeZbwkkVzYVz4oCKwOWiT7QMe55iubh_EJn0Px7w0ztIqytx5GfNHRdXa9i05PqUwDC0PyS6lhVAKn0CMgyxr4KZ4genBHcLsKuX3p1GZokAkBQoGa3Y6ilwFsRThHRPyOpWz6mJBVTdGIb7fl/s1200/091423_Apple_Unveils_Trailer_Lessons_Chemistry_news_16_9_regular.jpg.latest_news_og.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9S61z8em3q3nX9r8haBknca53u23KUjV8fuTeZbwkkVzYVz4oCKwOWiT7QMe55iubh_EJn0Px7w0ztIqytx5GfNHRdXa9i05PqUwDC0PyS6lhVAKn0CMgyxr4KZ4genBHcLsKuX3p1GZokAkBQoGa3Y6ilwFsRThHRPyOpWz6mJBVTdGIb7fl/w640-h336/091423_Apple_Unveils_Trailer_Lessons_Chemistry_news_16_9_regular.jpg.latest_news_og.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Lessons in Chemistry</b> - I read the <a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2022/05/lessons-in-chemistry.html" target="_blank">book</a> in 2022 and thought it was good, but not great. The miniseries, however, is very good. My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough! I could have watched eight more episodes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbDLvJTE_kO0-OhbHuQaY5X920LRRCh4pUlw4SWGzVPtKMNTWA7FSGetCJj2d9lIeRslt4Zmp5d1Fz0DS4Tcem3XI3a-MztY_DRf31JxFVVQCzjSXsH4GgzFsuD4oyVWYA98LFikI99I4MoaAM1qHezzEzrvP2zP7Er6AEeG7-DlHFcnn4mIn/s1960/120523_Masters_of_the_Air_Trailer_Post_Big_Image_01_big_image_post.jpg.slideshow_large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbDLvJTE_kO0-OhbHuQaY5X920LRRCh4pUlw4SWGzVPtKMNTWA7FSGetCJj2d9lIeRslt4Zmp5d1Fz0DS4Tcem3XI3a-MztY_DRf31JxFVVQCzjSXsH4GgzFsuD4oyVWYA98LFikI99I4MoaAM1qHezzEzrvP2zP7Er6AEeG7-DlHFcnn4mIn/w640-h360/120523_Masters_of_the_Air_Trailer_Post_Big_Image_01_big_image_post.jpg.slideshow_large.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Masters of the Air</b> - Based on Donald Miller's book, this was an okay program to watch each week as a new episode dropped, but it doesn't compare to Stephen Ambrose's <i>Band of Brothers</i>. Time to watch <i>that</i> one again.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvtwCPtBk3bqztRv4fXlv0hP6w8d-OvaG2MMhl21BBGa4ESH9Fc1luAJIgmaDiZnMsDIk4rVqn_FLc2R6T4HeXCRlF8vV7c1iW5KOCFrKTo_-ov2hHrUdjwc5Xz2bxSMxZHoiE3frIEWyh2fLZNuHNzjrd_Z11w-VsCg4ONmk4DrGOpQYA07z/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvtwCPtBk3bqztRv4fXlv0hP6w8d-OvaG2MMhl21BBGa4ESH9Fc1luAJIgmaDiZnMsDIk4rVqn_FLc2R6T4HeXCRlF8vV7c1iW5KOCFrKTo_-ov2hHrUdjwc5Xz2bxSMxZHoiE3frIEWyh2fLZNuHNzjrd_Z11w-VsCg4ONmk4DrGOpQYA07z/w640-h360/maxresdefault.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Monsieur Spade</b> - I enjoyed watching Clive Owen in this mystery, but the show was confusing, and the translated dialogue kept getting hidden beneath the closed captions (for non-essential descriptions of birds chirping or music playing, for example). Overall, this is one to watch back-to-back and not once a week!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Fb7O1g978JTKNy1cdXD63PY1-DgrZbY2DSW8I_t7hyphenhyphen3XPb8zw5VeOZsota9e_DbrRWvlCfdMk-jFvEj3Yzyhs5nPYJknS4Iv3xuUElK5IIMXuWzhxwzV-_MqrpOOrrmhcaKEvS70f7CF4RcGGa571kQm8sROUiO5EWoaw0A5m1hSx-G2_yaY/s3840/p16302897_b_h8_aa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Fb7O1g978JTKNy1cdXD63PY1-DgrZbY2DSW8I_t7hyphenhyphen3XPb8zw5VeOZsota9e_DbrRWvlCfdMk-jFvEj3Yzyhs5nPYJknS4Iv3xuUElK5IIMXuWzhxwzV-_MqrpOOrrmhcaKEvS70f7CF4RcGGa571kQm8sROUiO5EWoaw0A5m1hSx-G2_yaY/w640-h360/p16302897_b_h8_aa.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Vera (Season 9-12)</b> - Such a reliable show! I do, however, wish that DS Aiden Healy had a bigger role as an true investigator and not just as Vera's sarcastic sidekick. He's become annoying with his three expressions of irritation, surprise or anger.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GF69_KZ54EmUAALaxabPdHxkdBlC1sBODO4H_r4TzLdT_d8EntzGP-sDF0-LW_O3Ux6Chpkm2fAZfmoxU4CKvPVHklfD3F7diN_RK9TUbppRWeuDVMjtKMXpELrsXejS02Qp31R8CpY43IP1vDflERFSBKuuedqLRxO5a6rwY-poIJxOzfGD/s970/f9a53749-9d4d-403c-b499-a98b64c21d17_970x600.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="970" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GF69_KZ54EmUAALaxabPdHxkdBlC1sBODO4H_r4TzLdT_d8EntzGP-sDF0-LW_O3Ux6Chpkm2fAZfmoxU4CKvPVHklfD3F7diN_RK9TUbppRWeuDVMjtKMXpELrsXejS02Qp31R8CpY43IP1vDflERFSBKuuedqLRxO5a6rwY-poIJxOzfGD/w640-h396/f9a53749-9d4d-403c-b499-a98b64c21d17_970x600.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Living</b> - I love Bill Nighy! </span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Don't be put off by the slow pace. </span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">This is a wonderful, albeit quiet film. Beautiful cinematography. Outstanding performance by supporting cast. Bravo!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Puzzlemania:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyTm1qAxo6Jk5Te1gjhcucBc4bT1WtIuyQvm6queurQ_UFTwoH1cuShEqK_qwdVo-K6ELRyjXWo3T_JGd4BJ2EB6TT2rjWvrQSVdVPSOB63ANi_2MbhaRttbqQSB64wkg6QYVmdCgomQ5ucs-3ViiheqJvVWNLXFZnkTZVhdo-USgpHmKeH29/s4032/2024-02-07%2009.31.34.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyTm1qAxo6Jk5Te1gjhcucBc4bT1WtIuyQvm6queurQ_UFTwoH1cuShEqK_qwdVo-K6ELRyjXWo3T_JGd4BJ2EB6TT2rjWvrQSVdVPSOB63ANi_2MbhaRttbqQSB64wkg6QYVmdCgomQ5ucs-3ViiheqJvVWNLXFZnkTZVhdo-USgpHmKeH29/w640-h480/2024-02-07%2009.31.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aQwRkJ_RzkVnd-xocW4z-y5y1NiX1P0Tj7iVxuuoMexp9xrxC9GOBClRutwmgxra-ZGyxzxtI0Xr77okd9aDoJz1tNx-NRrkCR61P17FOOQ606fD73Mcyi7J4meTImCx3OFJKPNP7sbwT28nEQzwsdkTEiVPOZW7z-Atzh3ImfGh99jVXVQZ/s4032/2024-02-07%2009.31.49.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aQwRkJ_RzkVnd-xocW4z-y5y1NiX1P0Tj7iVxuuoMexp9xrxC9GOBClRutwmgxra-ZGyxzxtI0Xr77okd9aDoJz1tNx-NRrkCR61P17FOOQ606fD73Mcyi7J4meTImCx3OFJKPNP7sbwT28nEQzwsdkTEiVPOZW7z-Atzh3ImfGh99jVXVQZ/w640-h480/2024-02-07%2009.31.49.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Other News:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Last year I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try "Dry January." It wasn't too difficult to give up my daily glass (or two) of red wine, but as soon as the calendar page turned to February, I was back to my regular evening drink. This year, after reading about the Oregon Health Authority initiative "<a href="https://www.rethinkthedrink.com/" target="_blank">Rethink the Drink</a>," I made the decision to stop drinking 99% of the time. I still enjoy a glass of wine with my Mah Jong pals, or when we're out with friends celebrating a birthday or retirement, but my daily wine consumption has ended as of January 1st. And to be completely honest, I don't miss it. I either have a seltzer with a slice of lime or plain old water. I'm sleeping more soundly and have shed a few pounds, as a result. I doubt I'll ever quit completely, but moderation in all things, right? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">No power outages this month, but we sure have had some rainy weather. 8.51 inches in February brings our "yearly" (beginning in September) total a whopping 58.93 inches! The ground is saturated and we are getting some gusty winds (up to 63 mph on Wednesday), but we haven't had any trees fall, which is a good thing!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My blogiversary came and went without any fanfare this month. More and more of my blogging friends have stepped away from their blogs (which makes me sad, but I understand), but I've been at it for 18 years and have no plans to stop. Thank you all who continue to read and comment on my posts. I appreciate each and every one of you!</span></div></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-52136046238716032422024-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-01T00:00:00.135-08:00Looking Back - The Secret Life of Bees<div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">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.</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ6B0dtHpmwRciUAcdGM2BqQLdVwR0JzmYGeyGgWByI_KWOmefbXaYFmEvBSuSyONV3Zrou4ZP-7UhSTk5gyWVNmqQvvz9stPcUyhUPQTC6tEwcXUld7SsuHapk-ldWbxeocspQJmF3gCbowxefw9g4Y_I2oB4S1yIbnw42Of7B1KK24vFO1W/s2317/37435.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2317" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ6B0dtHpmwRciUAcdGM2BqQLdVwR0JzmYGeyGgWByI_KWOmefbXaYFmEvBSuSyONV3Zrou4ZP-7UhSTk5gyWVNmqQvvz9stPcUyhUPQTC6tEwcXUld7SsuHapk-ldWbxeocspQJmF3gCbowxefw9g4Y_I2oB4S1yIbnw42Of7B1KK24vFO1W/w259-h400/37435.jpg" width="259" /></span></a></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Secret Life of Bees</b> by <a href="https://suemonkkidd.com/" target="_blank">Sue Monk Kidd</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2002</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 11, 2002</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Set in South Carolina during 1964, <b>The Secret Life of Bees</b> tells the story of a fourteen year old white girl, Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily’s fierce-hearted “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three racists in town, they escape to Tiburon, South Carolina—a town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily finds refuge in their mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna.</span></i><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world, as about the mystery surrounding her mother. <b>The Secret Life of Bees</b> is a major literary triumph about the search for love and belonging, a novel that possesses a rare wisdom about life and the power and divinity of the female spirit.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>My Original Thoughts (2002):</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Strong southern storytelling! One of those page-turners that you try to read slowly, prolonging the finale as long as possible. Has all the ingredients for a "woe-is-me" Oprah selection, but it's several notches above those depressing, worn-out stories of women down on their luck. Sure, there's a bit of that, but nobody's life is perfect and this first-time novelist has created a winner! I need to own this book so I can mark my favorite passages. Definitely worthy of a second (or third!) reading. Beautiful cover art, too. Humorous and poignant. I would love a sequel to this story.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>My Current Thoughts:</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I enjoyed this so well that I bought a hardcover copy for my keeper shelf. I've read it twice and have watched the movie, as well. Might be time for a third read. It's a winner! </span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-44577084549757148222024-02-29T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-29T07:48:20.126-08:00Since We Fell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VeNGaSN_KvJqBgCUlYqi_7uvgWVQQ-UH1AKGIvPL0uD7OcLJxJFhmK77AaLEgn43TLbANxwjxo8QMjFcw_ghSHopGj90UDNXQaYBp5BBl1MCNokWRcIp1YooOKSYXv1FdpP2qGuFNWw0NNSnQswNZRETQdotg_p3sLoHNPHVCo3ymbuoRzZg/s2560/31751571.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VeNGaSN_KvJqBgCUlYqi_7uvgWVQQ-UH1AKGIvPL0uD7OcLJxJFhmK77AaLEgn43TLbANxwjxo8QMjFcw_ghSHopGj90UDNXQaYBp5BBl1MCNokWRcIp1YooOKSYXv1FdpP2qGuFNWw0NNSnQswNZRETQdotg_p3sLoHNPHVCo3ymbuoRzZg/w265-h400/31751571.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Since We Fell</b> by <a href="https://dennislehane.com/" target="_blank">Dennis Lehane</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction - Suspense/Thriller</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2017</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 26, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 5/5 (Excellent!)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b>Since We Fell</b> follows Rachel Childs, a former journalist who, after an on-air mental breakdown, now lives as a virtual shut-in. In all other respects, however, she enjoys an ideal life with an ideal husband. Until a chance encounter on a rainy afternoon causes that ideal life to fray. As does Rachel’s marriage. As does Rachel herself. Sucked into a conspiracy thick with deception, violence, and possibly madness, Rachel must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and mind-altering truths. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>By turns heart-breaking, suspenseful, romantic, and sophisticated, <b>Since We Fell</b> is a novel of profound psychological insight and tension. It is Dennis Lehane at his very best.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Phew! I almost missed out on a great thriller. I've had <i>Since We Fell</i> by Dennis Lehane on my shelves since April <b>2017!</b> I was working at Barnes & Noble in Lincoln, Nebraska when I brought the ARC home, only to pack it up with the rest of my books, move it to Oregon, unpack it and place it on a shelf where it remained untouched until this month. I don't know why I ignored it for seven years, but had I read the buyer's sell sheet when I first got the ARC, I would have immediately begun reading the book. (<i>I was about to share part of that sell sheet to entice you to read Lehane's page-turner, but this is one to go into cold.</i>)</span></div><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">A word of warning, though. After reading over 50 pages, I considered calling it quits, not really caring about the main character and her quest to find her father. I'm not sure what pushed me to read further, but I did, and truthfully it still took another 100 pages before I was completely sucked into this riveting story, but by that point, I knew I was in for something great. I set the book aside and turned out my reading light, but woke up a few hours later, realizing that I had been trying to solve a part of the mystery in my sleep. I even had an ah-ha moment from my nocturnal sleuthing when I knew that I had figured out the motivation behind one of the characters' actions. In spite of the late hour, I turned my light back on, flipped back through the book to confirm my assumptions, then read for another hour! I know I'm being obtuse, but this is the kind of book that could be completely ruined by the revelation of spoilers. Don't read any reviews if you aren't certain that they're spoiler-free. The twists and turns in the final chapters kept me engrossed and marveling at Lehane's imagination. And, yes, I would love to see this book made into a movie. The intensity of at least a half dozen scenes would be so satisfying to watch on a big screen. Dreamworks optioned the rights, but don't get too excited. That was back in 2015.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I typically knock off half a point if I struggle with the beginning of a book, but the remainder of this one was so entertaining that I'm going with a full 5-star rating. Highly recommend!</span></p>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-26530779870613089442024-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-28T07:18:51.487-08:00The Giver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe4yY02agMz55Gon8CoXw1e2wuOYIyrjVzI7_E3tH0q7W3BGLiOxQK5ry6k3MMwnnFfnctLo-3lUVpdhguB5o_FqPHZ7rO0tmV-tZjGT0O9hGdk_zXgyXKpoGNPAMo9MAT09vGe_yTSI5NG3Ohy5GGCLiF4w9O-HB64YtKqFp2flFZkwLcTjG/s475/3636.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="289" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe4yY02agMz55Gon8CoXw1e2wuOYIyrjVzI7_E3tH0q7W3BGLiOxQK5ry6k3MMwnnFfnctLo-3lUVpdhguB5o_FqPHZ7rO0tmV-tZjGT0O9hGdk_zXgyXKpoGNPAMo9MAT09vGe_yTSI5NG3Ohy5GGCLiF4w9O-HB64YtKqFp2flFZkwLcTjG/w244-h400/3636.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Giver</b> by <a href="https://loislowry.com/" target="_blank">Lois Lowry</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Children's Fiction - Classic</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">1993 Houghton Mifflin<br /></span><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">First reading: February 6, 2002</span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Second reading: February 22, 2024</b></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Original rating: 5/5 (Excellent)</span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>New rating: 4/5 (Very good)</b></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>"It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened."</i></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Thus opens this haunting novel in which a boy inhabits a seemingly idea world; a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. It is a time in which family values are paramount, teenage rebellion is unheard of, and even good manners are a way of life.</i></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>December is a time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve year old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man--the man called only the Giver--he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world. </i></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.</i></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Original Thoughts (2002):</span></b></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I loved this thought-provoking story of a not-so-perfect world. Image a world without snow, sunshine or wind. This climate-controlled society seems like a good idea?? "In order to gain control of many things, certain things had to be let go of." "Sameness" eliminates the use of color, "real" parents, books, etc. This is a meticulously ordered community that, from first appearances, seems like a great idea. But when Jonas learns the true meaning of "release," it no longer seems like an ideal life. Ambiguous ending was ok with me.</span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Current Thoughts:</span></b></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I've had this book on my "keeper" shelf for more than two decades with great intentions of reading it a second time. Maybe it's time.</span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>My Latest Thoughts (2024):</b></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">After writing my "looking back" post, I decided to follow through with my desire to re-read this book. I'd forgotten a lot of specific details pertaining to Jonas' "seemingly ideal world," but certain aspects of the tale disturbed me, both then and now. I read <b>The Giver</b> when I was 40 and again at 62, so my reactions are based on my life experiences as an adult. It would be interesting to hear what young readers think of Lowry's story.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I haven't read the follow-up stories, but am interested in giving <b>Gathering Blue</b> a read.</span></div></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-22879457482661876192024-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-23T00:00:00.136-08:00Looking Back - Pope Joan<b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">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.</span></i></b><div><div><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3nkh9rKH2bqrxaDoxK8t0xACQzCV1tYDaMStJGVr0OlbJflFy5AKx_Zfl7DFSK0eby2d-Dq_7Jgq108B4kcICnmnr-UFbNJRV-x2RXbmIXSsJHsZSwLNmWycYc3bqLYPrG3hlKtvkfJ1LCrnjpiaFDov6ZWcZ3D7AWWDLDQMwEjAfs8d9673/s475/6587628.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3nkh9rKH2bqrxaDoxK8t0xACQzCV1tYDaMStJGVr0OlbJflFy5AKx_Zfl7DFSK0eby2d-Dq_7Jgq108B4kcICnmnr-UFbNJRV-x2RXbmIXSsJHsZSwLNmWycYc3bqLYPrG3hlKtvkfJ1LCrnjpiaFDov6ZWcZ3D7AWWDLDQMwEjAfs8d9673/w261-h400/6587628.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Pope Joan</b> by <a href="https://www.popejoan.com/author.htm" target="_blank">Donna Woolfolk Cross</a></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">1996</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 7, 2002</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>For a thousand years men have denied her existence--Pope Joan, the woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to rule Christianity for two years. Now this compelling novel animates the legend with a portrait of an unforgettable woman who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>When her older brother dies in a Viking attack, the brilliant young Joan assumes his identity and enters a Benedictine monastery where, as Brother John Anglicus, she distinguishes herself as a scholar and healer. Eventually drawn to Rome, she soon becomes enmeshed in a dangerous mix of powerful passion and explosive politics that threatens her life even as it elevates her to the highest throne in the Western world.</i></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>My Original Thoughts (2002):</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I read this for The Book Spot group read [an online Yahoo group]. Informative and entertaining. A provocative work of historical fiction. Based on the legend of a female pope back in the 800s. Doesn't sound too exciting, does it? But the characters are well-drawn and the plot is a non-stop adventure. It's extremely readable (not a dry, boring paragraph to be found!), thought-provoking, and educational. There's a bit of romance that keeps things moving along, too. There is a significant amount of "near misses" for Joan and the reader must have a willingness to suspend disbelief in order to not be put off by Joan's incredible luck. I caught myself shaking my head several times, whispering, "Phew! That was close!" A real page-turner. Will read more by this author. Highly recommend.
</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>My Current Thoughts:</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I re-read Pope Joan a several years ago and was a little concerned it wouldn't be as good as the first time I read it. I was pleasantly surprised that it was just as entertaining. This is a wonderful book. Definitely a keeper!</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i></i></span><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Joan unwrapped the strips of linen, then gasped as she saw what they had concealed. It was a book, bound in the Eastern fashion with leather-covered wooden boards.</span></i><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">"It is my own," said Aesculapius. "I made it myself, some years ago. It is an edition of Homer—the original Greek in the front half of the book, and a Latin translation in the back. It will help you keep your knowledge of the language fresh until the time you can begin your studies again."</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Joan was speechless. A book of her own! Such a privilege was enjoyed only by monks and scholars of the highest rank. She opened it, looking at line after line of Aesculapius's neat uncial letters, filling the pages with words of inexpressible beauty. Aesculapius watched her, his eyes filled with tender sadness.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Do not forget, Joan. Do not ever forget."</span></i></div></blockquote><div><i></i></div></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-22185041724826801982024-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-27T12:51:35.742-08:00Nine Lives<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnnhx6HKHSQX-fZw2pKu1DWl08T0RSV2vrP7REcJjsCJQuEhYkN6RcecyJFN2Kj5TfWTu0bak8NN79F9cgwDdES6Hu8WJiOIS9v2v9nzFtkvchBGBph6AZvegLj_fsTatGJEt3OA_Cs6jC99FNOB14R2qVxydEbNGJ3p5sxcZ0WGggzmq-vmx/s400/58385688.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnnhx6HKHSQX-fZw2pKu1DWl08T0RSV2vrP7REcJjsCJQuEhYkN6RcecyJFN2Kj5TfWTu0bak8NN79F9cgwDdES6Hu8WJiOIS9v2v9nzFtkvchBGBph6AZvegLj_fsTatGJEt3OA_Cs6jC99FNOB14R2qVxydEbNGJ3p5sxcZ0WGggzmq-vmx/w264-h400/58385688.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Nine Lives</b> by <a href="https://www.peter-swanson.com/" target="_blank">Peter Swanson</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction - Suspense/Thriller</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2022</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 21, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">From the <b>New York Times</b> bestselling author of <b>Eight Perfect Murders</b> comes the heart-pounding story of nine strangers who receive a cryptic list with their names on it--and then begin to die under highly unusual circumstances.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke - until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list. First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor. </span></i><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next....</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I loved this book! I started it one night and quickly read the first 100 pages, completely hooked, eager to see how the mystery would unfold. I know some readers have complained about the multiple points-of-view, but I never felt that the multi-character narrative became tedious. And, for once, I didn't have any trouble keeping track of the individual characters' personal stories. I kept telling my husband that it would make a great TV series. I've read two of Peter Swanson's earlier works (<i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2017/11/her-every-fear.html" target="_blank">Her Every Fear</a></i> and <i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-kind-worth-killing.html" target="_blank">The Kind Worth Killing</a>)</i>, and while I enjoyed those two, <i>Nine Lives</i> is my favorite. I was going to give it a 4.5 rating, but the final chapter, which was completely unnecessary and ridiculous, forced me to knock my rating down half a point. Looks like there are six more books by Swanson that I have yet to read. All I need to do is decide which one to choose next. Highly recommend.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-64614217847215593182024-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-16T09:00:19.315-08:00Looking Back - The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter<div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">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.</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqUyR4EetvbYgA_j5DHhamksz6j3NVXIdv19xMer5akPTrR7uh4Cgs8NmgsmnxHPg432ejPRmof1c5JUGRbnSHJhtVI95Nw14Z3Y9B_W8svyzqAVb2YKecOtnGWEcqLXFwcMaRu_M2ROiG27HAC3G30QtPTT-1bDlyrNYstQoLrhJlwNDY0nP/s475/37380.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqUyR4EetvbYgA_j5DHhamksz6j3NVXIdv19xMer5akPTrR7uh4Cgs8NmgsmnxHPg432ejPRmof1c5JUGRbnSHJhtVI95Nw14Z3Y9B_W8svyzqAVb2YKecOtnGWEcqLXFwcMaRu_M2ROiG27HAC3G30QtPTT-1bDlyrNYstQoLrhJlwNDY0nP/w261-h400/37380.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter</b> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carson_McCullers" target="_blank">Carson McCullers</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction - Classic</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">1940</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 27, 2002</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 3/5 (Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Carson McCullers’ prodigious first novel was published to instant acclaim when she was just twenty-three. Set in a small town in the middle of the deep South, it is the story of John Singer, a lonely deaf-mute, and a disparate group of people who are drawn towards his kind, sympathetic nature. The owner of the café where Singer eats every day, a young girl desperate to grow up, an angry drunkard, a frustrated black doctor: each pours their heart out to Singer, their silent confidant, and he in turn changes their disenchanted lives in ways they could never imagine.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Original Thoughts (2002):</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I read this with an online book group (Books on the Fence). I thought the writing was good, but not breathtaking or lyrical. I'm glad I read it, but I didn't love it. It's pretty depressing. Toward the end, all I could think is that I was glad I was almost finished and could start something more fun!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Current Thoughts:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I don't remember much about this book other than that it was terribly bleak. It's probably one of those classics that's best read in a literature class. Underwhelming.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-54061435093773732462024-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-27T12:51:50.076-08:00The Weight of Silence<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3qZ4mncsE9A1nQUd2Z9bDjGKl4X7M_e9IuTdG6UtOe5rVUqh2n1Uonh6GWtsES9JXGYeVARPaaPGB6-PSV07BA2HdCHCIFU1EbBjibdQ4WJw0abScdF1b1YnryRwB-v7DPGetVIf1lbvnTM0tXZlp_y2chn6GqsGh9mlxFnmvgq_gm2B7b8r/s400/6335026.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="256" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3qZ4mncsE9A1nQUd2Z9bDjGKl4X7M_e9IuTdG6UtOe5rVUqh2n1Uonh6GWtsES9JXGYeVARPaaPGB6-PSV07BA2HdCHCIFU1EbBjibdQ4WJw0abScdF1b1YnryRwB-v7DPGetVIf1lbvnTM0tXZlp_y2chn6GqsGh9mlxFnmvgq_gm2B7b8r/w256-h400/6335026.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Weight of Silence</b> by <a href="https://heathergudenkauf.com/" target="_blank">Heather Gudenkauf</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction - Mystery/Thriller</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2009</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 12, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Masterfully written and beautifully told, Heather Gudenkauf's debut is a stunning novel of family devotion, honesty and regret that will linger long after the last page is turned.</i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by a tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler. Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.
</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Unputdownable! I literally couldn't read this one fast enough. The suspense didn't build slowly over the course of the novel, but began with the prologue. I had to force myself to ignore the temptation to flip to the ending to see whodunnit. I'm glad I decided to overlook the newer books on my top shelf and delve into some of those that have been languishing in my bookshelf for many years. (This debut is 15 years old!) Alternating between the voices of six characters, the short chapters made it easy to keep reading late into the night. <i>Just one more chapter. OK, one more... </i>Gudenkauf kept me guessing, throwing out a red herring or two, but I was very satisfied with her conclusion, and look forward to reading more from her backlist. This particular novel would make a great Netflix series! Recommend.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-78744534695857154232024-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-27T12:52:03.245-08:00The Comforts of Home<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVuom1FPg5X_J6ZKfiprZ3rN47fZzZyzFup_C_jAkA0jPaN4m-p2mbAp5k88BRdrycbfy3-IRUcmIRt3gebo90-pDcfkvqtM46amHmIYebRQiY3mKrG-quWsyrqJgurn86Op_Boj-QQmfG-1zkzXlm2czy2qNxuoX0paXbeDPYj7i0nHiGs2s/s1503/43909022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVuom1FPg5X_J6ZKfiprZ3rN47fZzZyzFup_C_jAkA0jPaN4m-p2mbAp5k88BRdrycbfy3-IRUcmIRt3gebo90-pDcfkvqtM46amHmIYebRQiY3mKrG-quWsyrqJgurn86Op_Boj-QQmfG-1zkzXlm2czy2qNxuoX0paXbeDPYj7i0nHiGs2s/w266-h400/43909022.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Comforts of Home</b> by Susan Hill</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Simon Serrailler #9</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction - Mystery</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2018 The Overlook Press</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 9, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Following his near-fatal injury dealt by his last case, Chief Superintendent Serrailler is recuperating on a remote Scottish island when the local police pull him into a murder inquiry: a newcomer has died in perplexing circumstances. Chief Constable Kieron Bright, Serrailler's new brother-in-law, calls him in to perform a cold case review. But when events take an unfavorable turn for the superintendent and an arsonist goes on a deadly rampage, Serrailler's personal and professional lives intertwine in more complex and devastating ways than ever before. <b>The Comforts of Home</b>, the ninth book in Susan Hill's acclaimed crime series, will terrify and astonish readers until the final, thrilling page. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Another winner! The mysteries in each of Hill's books, and the Serrailler family relationships, continue to entertain this reader. There are only three remaining in this series, so I need to start thinking about what I want to try next.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Note: There are so many spoilers in this installment. Definitely not a stand-alone!</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-24274650476848790082024-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-11T00:00:00.262-08:00Favorite Audiobooks 2023<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4IOOgv8WCySxZr45JLDyW6hkBB7TF1GHxeDrX-CKKtZi72EEaJcqWnbmY2GGlQX32ZtGsUtXy-WqqaLdek34n3cGqYblwV6OQRRU3bLsNHRyb7pDZi48MsQ-ILCTA2w-fkZQgGcOlGGdKXkzZ9Wvvv2aTJj-eiLeavacUpkCcTmERhLHleYn/s1024/Favorite%20Audiobooks%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4IOOgv8WCySxZr45JLDyW6hkBB7TF1GHxeDrX-CKKtZi72EEaJcqWnbmY2GGlQX32ZtGsUtXy-WqqaLdek34n3cGqYblwV6OQRRU3bLsNHRyb7pDZi48MsQ-ILCTA2w-fkZQgGcOlGGdKXkzZ9Wvvv2aTJj-eiLeavacUpkCcTmERhLHleYn/w426-h640/Favorite%20Audiobooks%202023.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I feel as if I didn't listen to as many audiobooks in 2023 as I usually do. But, looking at previous years' stats, I wasn't too far behind, given that I listened to two <i>very </i>long novels. <i>Lonesome Dove</i> is almost 37 hours in length, and <i>Cutting for Stone</i> is close to 24.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/09/lonesome-dove.html" target="_blank">Lonesome Dove</a></i> by Larry McMurtry (Narrated by Lee Horsley) 4/5</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/12/wrong-place-wrong-time.html" target="_blank">Wrong Place Wrong Time</a></i> by Gillian McAllister (Narrated by Lesley Sharp) 4/5</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-push.html" target="_blank">The Push</a></i> by Ashley Audrain (Narrated by Marin Ireland) <b>4.5/5</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-fixed-stars.html" target="_blank">The Fixed Stars</a></i> by Molly Wizenberg (Narrated by Erin Mallon) 4/5</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/07/thank-you-for-listening.html" target="_blank">Thank You for Listening</a></i> by Julia Whelan (Narrated by Julia Whelan) 4/5</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-anthropocene-reviewed.html" target="_blank">The Anthropocene Reviewed</a></i> by John Green (Narrated by John Green) <b>4.5/5</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">For more of my audiobook favorites, click <a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/search/label/Favorite%20Audios" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-47165212607369277942024-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-12T11:36:03.375-08:00Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBCz2r3e3adxb47k_QZQx1bWr4Syby0tVgAslRLyc_jNThXbGVFv1Tdw0Hd1GncAJMx3T85U5PMCM4ORvCVTUqELMz79iu4GbEASdcOGzZqgERltfwDr6txfYhf92ogsHjvgsaKKVfDGXNmM2sgrQdZV4fgui7rTX3TKAtLrg2rTdtP1Lzh03/s400/58784475.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBCz2r3e3adxb47k_QZQx1bWr4Syby0tVgAslRLyc_jNThXbGVFv1Tdw0Hd1GncAJMx3T85U5PMCM4ORvCVTUqELMz79iu4GbEASdcOGzZqgERltfwDr6txfYhf92ogsHjvgsaKKVfDGXNmM2sgrQdZV4fgui7rTX3TKAtLrg2rTdtP1Lzh03/w263-h400/58784475.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow</b> by <a href="https://gabriellezevin.com/" target="_blank">Gabrielle Zevin</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2022</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on February 3, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">In this exhilarating novel, two friends--often in love, but never lovers--come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.</span></i><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's <b>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</b> is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.</span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Wow! I was hesitant to read this novel, worried that it was going to be a case of an over-hyped book, but it lives up to all the accolades and recognition. I loved it! I'm not a gamer, but I didn't feel compelled to skim over those details, but rather enjoyed learning a little bit about the gaming world. (I felt the same way about <i>Ready Player One</i>, which turned out to be an absolute favorite the year I read it.) While not a gamer, I'm of an age where names such as <i>The Oregon Trail</i>, <i>Donkey Kong</i>, <i>Super Mario Brothers</i>, <i>Sims</i>, <i>Warcraft</i>, <i>Doom</i>, and <i>Final Fantasy</i> are familiar. I loved the nostalgia these games bring to the narrative.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I've read two other books by Zevin (<i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/search?q=the+storied+life+of+a.j.+fikry" target="_blank">The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry</a></i> and <i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2021/02/young-jane-young.html" target="_blank">Young Jane Young</a></i>), each of which are very good, but <i>Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow </i>surpasses both in depth and creativity. And, just as I was beginning to think that the novel was </span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">losing momentum, getting</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"> bogged down in relationship dramas, Zevin threw in a startling event that pulled me back to the edge of my seat. Great dialogue, sophisticated and imaginative plotting, and loveable characters. A very satisfying (and engrossing) read that you'll want to discuss with others. I can't wait for my husband to give it a read! Highly recommend.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-8165898011192448522024-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-05T00:00:00.132-08:00Favorite Movies & TV Series Viewed in 2023<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUK97rrB7jvsGJSBm0DF8bGW2chbbGIbt4ruOWySQNqe2k3Bc1nJeheEOqWJcY7FLVjSyultGAz1LEECAfSNF0OykxL4Uk1yDPZ3N0IsQWfUg7p222jKd8YWs4GBX-RaAxwS_VSum7hRSyWjQ8tUqFBGlOVtHBhpNwBfNBIsXwgViaDZ8UKZq/s1024/Favorite%20TV%20Series%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1024" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUK97rrB7jvsGJSBm0DF8bGW2chbbGIbt4ruOWySQNqe2k3Bc1nJeheEOqWJcY7FLVjSyultGAz1LEECAfSNF0OykxL4Uk1yDPZ3N0IsQWfUg7p222jKd8YWs4GBX-RaAxwS_VSum7hRSyWjQ8tUqFBGlOVtHBhpNwBfNBIsXwgViaDZ8UKZq/w640-h616/Favorite%20TV%20Series%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3W9q2spA9qLf4-VX_rnE6C8rtyG9akFEccm7-qwj6156QcGFPWDQjWgJYvfl82Ze31uUjUg88lpN2v37zh5tQcQyF_6xFH3pZ8VNFmZ5mnZrCyUioPtXj0bpd4Xo7wlpWoHrvw4OPje8OqR9e9B3GGERj0wP3ZElWWT6dtbRpPjJFTVL3ck8g/s1024/Favorite%20Movies%20of%202023.2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="612" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3W9q2spA9qLf4-VX_rnE6C8rtyG9akFEccm7-qwj6156QcGFPWDQjWgJYvfl82Ze31uUjUg88lpN2v37zh5tQcQyF_6xFH3pZ8VNFmZ5mnZrCyUioPtXj0bpd4Xo7wlpWoHrvw4OPje8OqR9e9B3GGERj0wP3ZElWWT6dtbRpPjJFTVL3ck8g/w382-h640/Favorite%20Movies%20of%202023.2.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">We stream a lot more TV series than movies throughout the year, but this past year we had winners in both categories. <b>The Bear</b> is probably my favorite of the lot, and I'm thrilled that there will be a third season. I've written about each of these shows and movies in my monthly summaries. You can find those <a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/search/label/Monthly%20Summary" target="_blank">here</a> (as well as in the link in the sidebar).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Click <a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/search/label/Favorite%20TV%20Series" target="_blank">here</a> for favorites from previous years.</span></div></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-11391447598824772142024-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-02T08:57:18.600-08:00A Month in Summary - January 2024<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyc7KRKNI32iyAdJnraNqf2TcPDKWAWEJ3sFth4XIOd0zLT4THRE2XO87wb4jKWTqlxUy-A9_TQPXzgj1F6xEDXlcLI6rnbNLSmrpgobsU4XCJEQOXZLBWAb_tW6sVK1lv2Bn7a02tVdo_keZHKTg9PvaevcbzS3_ugV8oAhDe68mHsidU6_J/s4032/2024-01-15%2008.15.03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyc7KRKNI32iyAdJnraNqf2TcPDKWAWEJ3sFth4XIOd0zLT4THRE2XO87wb4jKWTqlxUy-A9_TQPXzgj1F6xEDXlcLI6rnbNLSmrpgobsU4XCJEQOXZLBWAb_tW6sVK1lv2Bn7a02tVdo_keZHKTg9PvaevcbzS3_ugV8oAhDe68mHsidU6_J/w480-h640/2024-01-15%2008.15.03.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Little Whale Cove</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Depoe Bay, Oregon</b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">January 2024</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div>With regard to our social calendar, January was a little more quiet than last December, but it was not without excitement. We had three power outages, the most severe lasting 52 hours! With outside temps dropping into the low 20s, the house became very cold (49 degrees), but we have a fireplace that isn't simply decorative, but burns actual wood, so we were able to keep the living room somewhat liveable. Our two power stations provided us with back-up energy for the refrigerator and various devices (we were even able to stream a show before our cable went out), but we now know what improvements need to be made, should we experience a similar storm. It's not a question of if, but when. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, I read several books, and while I enjoyed a few quite well, there's only one that might land on my best of 2024 list. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDheAWBi8F_g5nZlEsOv7mCCVvYYVI5Egy1C1jPJuFWG7oTEk36xSz_Gj246KxENw5Z9znfmb6TFUpadjYOsfTHLU6lS_r2SrhAf1K4_eCCrsffRZGCqs9ZD0xcfbRHncdGHNJ0Mmcsb8MTfMydpp37ExxSiGeqZaMKPjsG4ldfKcsd2CIG27/s1024/January%202024%20Wrap-Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDheAWBi8F_g5nZlEsOv7mCCVvYYVI5Egy1C1jPJuFWG7oTEk36xSz_Gj246KxENw5Z9znfmb6TFUpadjYOsfTHLU6lS_r2SrhAf1K4_eCCrsffRZGCqs9ZD0xcfbRHncdGHNJ0Mmcsb8MTfMydpp37ExxSiGeqZaMKPjsG4ldfKcsd2CIG27/w426-h640/January%202024%20Wrap-Up.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div></span><div><div><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Read</b> (click on the title for my review)<b>:</b></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-soul-of-discretion.html" target="_blank">The Soul of Discretion</a></i> by Susan Hill <b>(4.5/5)</b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/meet-me-at-museum.html" target="_blank">Meet Me at the Museum</a></i> by Anne Youngson (4/5)</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-house-on-mango-street.html" target="_blank">The House on Mango Street</a></i> by Sandra Cisneros (3/5)</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-collected-regrets-of-clover.html" target="_blank">The Collected Regrets of Clover</a></i> by Mikki Brammer (3.5/5)</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/in-kitchen-with-good-appetite.html" target="_blank">In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite</a></i> by Melissa Clark (4/5)</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/nothing-more-dangerous.html" target="_blank">Nothing More Dangerous</a></i> by Allen Eskens (4/5)</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/riding-white-horse-home.html" target="_blank">Riding the White Horse Home</a></i> by Teresa Jordan (3/5)</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2024/01/small-mercies.html" target="_blank">Small Mercies</a></i> by Dennis Lehane <b>(4.5/5)</b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px; font-weight: 700;">Movies & TV Series </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px;">(only including those we finished)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px; font-weight: 700;">:</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEThkBGn2PxjTVhTesyA2A9zawKU_qzI9rF-ZxP-21VfenyJsRPZLdjp1Kr9-egKUQKGPZQsfp6SOEN21QzAL48n6BeEVqOtgQgafJFLF0s29Cc4kLOhHB0SPjFUcyK_xulP237JF_ck_XP6seuCPeVsfoLx2t7PJS2DHyjnnLAztp47ch28D/s1690/MV5BNDgwODEwOTYtODYwMS00MzE5LTg3ODktOTU2YjExYWEzMmQ2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjYxNjc0OTc@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1690" data-original-width="1160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEThkBGn2PxjTVhTesyA2A9zawKU_qzI9rF-ZxP-21VfenyJsRPZLdjp1Kr9-egKUQKGPZQsfp6SOEN21QzAL48n6BeEVqOtgQgafJFLF0s29Cc4kLOhHB0SPjFUcyK_xulP237JF_ck_XP6seuCPeVsfoLx2t7PJS2DHyjnnLAztp47ch28D/w440-h640/MV5BNDgwODEwOTYtODYwMS00MzE5LTg3ODktOTU2YjExYWEzMmQ2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjYxNjc0OTc@._V1_.jpg" width="440" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Slow Horses (Season 3)</b> - Intense! I held my breath during the last two episodes! So happy to know there's at least one more season coming.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSHTom4VH1qxFaoYwTq3XYvaQjPa19JKe3lPbTdyfozo6_CBbsGnYF3FC9xTePOdHgHnogScOzrmIASn6DjCX2xtodyoklLChfmXHknh3ulpDniQm8JwACEa-hFcX_TpHQksJ_KCAx5f4a7bjMAwzxwTPEHPob66kbVu6pK4Q3v0G9wB34oVf/s1600/crown_ver32_xlg-1-jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSHTom4VH1qxFaoYwTq3XYvaQjPa19JKe3lPbTdyfozo6_CBbsGnYF3FC9xTePOdHgHnogScOzrmIASn6DjCX2xtodyoklLChfmXHknh3ulpDniQm8JwACEa-hFcX_TpHQksJ_KCAx5f4a7bjMAwzxwTPEHPob66kbVu6pK4Q3v0G9wB34oVf/w512-h640/crown_ver32_xlg-1-jpg.webp" width="512" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Crown -</b> I loved this final season and thought the last episode was a lovely tribute to the Queen (who passed away during the filming of the final season). I also thought Princess Di's death was handled well, and I enjoyed the glimpses into William and Kate's courtship. </span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJXG1J3KUrF3fslJY2FJfQFkQFNZLoNlQr0r_SRzcrk9HudNIQI9_sGKq-ZiYUOjP3E6mkIJUH0HqOnI27QWXgIFluK1YnA5pi-0JOB5ycwwd-zZnJRlpjEMDQM0kA2MEz2Kd_CvtlQfLk8BCzo_Nk4NGU8g5Sjk1inyT8UaJQA7tOcWKbuxp/s2560/bfc8d900904e844c8ad91989be8ae63208c995b976cc7386207850d4d42194ab.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJXG1J3KUrF3fslJY2FJfQFkQFNZLoNlQr0r_SRzcrk9HudNIQI9_sGKq-ZiYUOjP3E6mkIJUH0HqOnI27QWXgIFluK1YnA5pi-0JOB5ycwwd-zZnJRlpjEMDQM0kA2MEz2Kd_CvtlQfLk8BCzo_Nk4NGU8g5Sjk1inyT8UaJQA7tOcWKbuxp/w640-h480/bfc8d900904e844c8ad91989be8ae63208c995b976cc7386207850d4d42194ab.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Shetland (Season 8) - </b>It wasn't until the last few episodes that I finally came to care about this storyline. I wonder if there's going to be another season with the same cast...</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TXGQu8zGaZ9D2rTPQYHVLMmbQzhCUxutjKdNNONW4V0qCozKXg3nhWGV1yQ2nhsIXtWzTPMsiei0HMmPULbpnjDdOPHUi7dz2AUSlkIT0q_SrH4PiH1umdxbKjQpyGNgswXCwl2TZG3nJf13BIWSE0hr6D3737Ypwh8gvyQe8CAeaTtU0seM/s352/p26046898_b_h9_ab.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="352" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TXGQu8zGaZ9D2rTPQYHVLMmbQzhCUxutjKdNNONW4V0qCozKXg3nhWGV1yQ2nhsIXtWzTPMsiei0HMmPULbpnjDdOPHUi7dz2AUSlkIT0q_SrH4PiH1umdxbKjQpyGNgswXCwl2TZG3nJf13BIWSE0hr6D3737Ypwh8gvyQe8CAeaTtU0seM/w640-h480/p26046898_b_h9_ab.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Reacher (Season 2)</b> - So good, but so unbelievable!</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifE5rV6z58w31cYyUIXZ7PUQmsX59wu6RpDyWVgt93YwoFmP5vS6lzYmzKb6OE-Ty1QGHG1F2R7mLxDIGi-0sy-Erym-LPWYf9TVP3P2-za1cYG2CIayUhaUVm7ahmLk1UtZIjtV3Y-0Reib1gDlr_GAZJWWj_yLCwVoL6N6xWTRz4j8-nS0z-/s378/Nyad_film_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifE5rV6z58w31cYyUIXZ7PUQmsX59wu6RpDyWVgt93YwoFmP5vS6lzYmzKb6OE-Ty1QGHG1F2R7mLxDIGi-0sy-Erym-LPWYf9TVP3P2-za1cYG2CIayUhaUVm7ahmLk1UtZIjtV3Y-0Reib1gDlr_GAZJWWj_yLCwVoL6N6xWTRz4j8-nS0z-/w432-h640/Nyad_film_poster.jpg" width="432" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Nyad</b> - I didn't care for Diana Nyad's attitude (superiority complex, selfish, but driven), but Annette Bening gives an outstanding performance. Jodie Foster is also excellent. I have to admit that I got choked up while watching the final scenes. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aJxfIl3ZULDuDGXaLoyMdM8qyQulBZNMO6NQcIIagIy5QZeBULsC3Yvxw6WpUVoeal8RDooBVlPYm48LfAqc77xJOWYFFhiItgMg6LzLSOEGawIy5VTAGDKZsGLFxSbkBbaRR8fh5ZDvlc8DaudWbbIfKaSBZ7Y9gE-LEZ7nW42xEtg7tkc0/s400/episode-image-400x225.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aJxfIl3ZULDuDGXaLoyMdM8qyQulBZNMO6NQcIIagIy5QZeBULsC3Yvxw6WpUVoeal8RDooBVlPYm48LfAqc77xJOWYFFhiItgMg6LzLSOEGawIy5VTAGDKZsGLFxSbkBbaRR8fh5ZDvlc8DaudWbbIfKaSBZ7Y9gE-LEZ7nW42xEtg7tkc0/w640-h360/episode-image-400x225.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Vera (Season 7 & 8) - </b>Some of the episodes are pretty convoluted, but I still love this program!</span></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTymsUslzEJG_lEKP4eeFK6XZxivLe_7XrOIbUeh2xzyeF2lwzlAcneYAMjajOcQCNzlspWvFs-CyEXqU6LRqWDVmbJT-vT1bGG9D9mUpWeOt1P29LTqTJKk-NQuyZxUjx4D43AD9KmxjuLFIWYiKFVEeSoZKfe0rpq2XMMj8EKI5K6gV-teeU/s2048/MV5BOGI2MzQ1NzQtMmVkOC00ZGI0LWI3YjQtN2FjMzQ1NmRhNzFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1383" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTymsUslzEJG_lEKP4eeFK6XZxivLe_7XrOIbUeh2xzyeF2lwzlAcneYAMjajOcQCNzlspWvFs-CyEXqU6LRqWDVmbJT-vT1bGG9D9mUpWeOt1P29LTqTJKk-NQuyZxUjx4D43AD9KmxjuLFIWYiKFVEeSoZKfe0rpq2XMMj8EKI5K6gV-teeU/w432-h640/MV5BOGI2MzQ1NzQtMmVkOC00ZGI0LWI3YjQtN2FjMzQ1NmRhNzFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE@._V1_.jpg" width="432" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Maestro - </b>I enjoyed the second half of this movie much better than the first half. Bradley Cooper delivers a fine performance, but Carey Mulligan is the star of the film!</span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Puzzlemania:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiNTUfgkdaOCRTYXiMOlX__nBXXNbJ04qo1XcppN9dtX_EBZ5VMV7_4O_GuG2ewNSTU_fdUFIiDqyhWEQ8NWX4CDqbPu4yr-d3UtRIFK0-in7-a89soYwfjeylHHD5gzaAN-WxJk28AthRGtniUpWyR7S77UR6cM4JjGo1DViDxufzAN9cKKt/s4032/2024-01-01%2011.40.12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiNTUfgkdaOCRTYXiMOlX__nBXXNbJ04qo1XcppN9dtX_EBZ5VMV7_4O_GuG2ewNSTU_fdUFIiDqyhWEQ8NWX4CDqbPu4yr-d3UtRIFK0-in7-a89soYwfjeylHHD5gzaAN-WxJk28AthRGtniUpWyR7S77UR6cM4JjGo1DViDxufzAN9cKKt/w640-h480/2024-01-01%2011.40.12.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">First puzzle since last March! Only 500 pieces, so it didn't take us too long.</span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>Survival Test:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">As mentioned above, we relied heavily on our emergency supplies during our power outage. Our area got hit with an ice storm, which caused downed trees and power lines. We were lucky to lose power for only 52 hours. Some folks were without power for a full week!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmGQMLEg-e9mpapfbUcQh9_ADl8MParSs2ZsQDxh-RttbqL2CTbC9dxJX7_6OdhGKk3ClO5eZirhRy23ewMfxZjttJADTbBU5i4mMyfygUudjNCYCElQKLlnM8zZ_CQMaqvtpw565VNM5W4eF16dC8LNetV67zVRd230zAWSO6ITJh5XtCbn9/s4032/2024-01-13%2017.56.43.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmGQMLEg-e9mpapfbUcQh9_ADl8MParSs2ZsQDxh-RttbqL2CTbC9dxJX7_6OdhGKk3ClO5eZirhRy23ewMfxZjttJADTbBU5i4mMyfygUudjNCYCElQKLlnM8zZ_CQMaqvtpw565VNM5W4eF16dC8LNetV67zVRd230zAWSO6ITJh5XtCbn9/w640-h480/2024-01-13%2017.56.43.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">We used this power station to watch an episode of Reacher before we needed to hook it up to our refrigerator. We have since purchased a second <a href="https://vtoman.com/products/vtoman-jump-1800-portable-power-station-1800w-1548wh-capacity-expandable?variant=43370745725097" target="_blank">Vtoman</a> for our furnace. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsosbuWAN-yKfW1PmPXiNSXSwbOMYkHi_sAX0gMTWWnbDf9QxPU8mXlOYQDQnyqyewXj3v2yVwfI_ki_ApmP0C8K1Uv_9Sfk3DJLTrmK0RpOfGrXt2wlGkSxJzpX52pGU1H-3QJHFopT7FsdRJYLEHgQjUc076oY9eTPWX3pGXPKZInuxhRrS/s4032/2024-01-15%2009.41.35.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsosbuWAN-yKfW1PmPXiNSXSwbOMYkHi_sAX0gMTWWnbDf9QxPU8mXlOYQDQnyqyewXj3v2yVwfI_ki_ApmP0C8K1Uv_9Sfk3DJLTrmK0RpOfGrXt2wlGkSxJzpX52pGU1H-3QJHFopT7FsdRJYLEHgQjUc076oY9eTPWX3pGXPKZInuxhRrS/w480-h640/2024-01-15%2009.41.35.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>Our tea kettle is in the RV, so I boiled water on our gas stove (thankful for that!) in order to make our morning coffee.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fNKyBpFEla9DGPHw2xIL1ktBzm07mZd9Eh2VGASKhyjEyhaahz_N4iWLL6ioBjJCLC3w6dnKxeN59m1Sflb9h1VIwOGPZkCPAbwTpKsaXq8fdweK9b3Dn-FgGYJcX98Wpx7IOETH27F361TSr79IBjwBwRx9hry5PMzlwZqHEYW9vxke5SZy/s4032/2024-01-15%2009.02.51.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fNKyBpFEla9DGPHw2xIL1ktBzm07mZd9Eh2VGASKhyjEyhaahz_N4iWLL6ioBjJCLC3w6dnKxeN59m1Sflb9h1VIwOGPZkCPAbwTpKsaXq8fdweK9b3Dn-FgGYJcX98Wpx7IOETH27F361TSr79IBjwBwRx9hry5PMzlwZqHEYW9vxke5SZy/w480-h640/2024-01-15%2009.02.51.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">The sun came out, but it was still cold outside. Our poor peace lily didn't care for the indoor temps, but bounced back a few days later.</span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rxYxtVxT1iz5eN9a_U5xbYQDu63DJk6QCHw4866ZdjvxNcHfF9Hj8H9BIN0lx14qVP8FtRi6Mi_DSg-x6Vzzm9_CeElshIBJgBlE4msFtJwKMj8g3xcOKx4x06sCB4GlyqiYs21WW2Rv4B30VAa7n__5w_c9i6_00m3fhI7MOqQLye-ekUWR/s4032/2024-01-15%2008.15.02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rxYxtVxT1iz5eN9a_U5xbYQDu63DJk6QCHw4866ZdjvxNcHfF9Hj8H9BIN0lx14qVP8FtRi6Mi_DSg-x6Vzzm9_CeElshIBJgBlE4msFtJwKMj8g3xcOKx4x06sCB4GlyqiYs21WW2Rv4B30VAa7n__5w_c9i6_00m3fhI7MOqQLye-ekUWR/w480-h640/2024-01-15%2008.15.02.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Pretty cozy in front of the fire, but cold everywhere else in the house!</span></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HJSTgnPQVUTRRx631S0KDCWsxjEDigbla_4T61q4mV_y70NwnY6g-C1tQ5bhGYnCGXPrAuDXthOYxabkF3JEmBu0d6gsVCrm5fg_eYMAuPv2Ab-BtSYHSNeFumvRKklCjxG9D-kD1PB3k8gDmLP6mjxt7ESc3EIc_QxndvZhBswDbJia1lRz/s4032/2024-01-14%2017.48.13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HJSTgnPQVUTRRx631S0KDCWsxjEDigbla_4T61q4mV_y70NwnY6g-C1tQ5bhGYnCGXPrAuDXthOYxabkF3JEmBu0d6gsVCrm5fg_eYMAuPv2Ab-BtSYHSNeFumvRKklCjxG9D-kD1PB3k8gDmLP6mjxt7ESc3EIc_QxndvZhBswDbJia1lRz/w480-h640/2024-01-14%2017.48.13.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>With all that went wrong that day, I was grateful for this perfect avocado. Quesadillas and guacamole for dinner!</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYjuEUA1bGni_oMc30X7PMSdXD7P1OjdgBx8kbye7dSccXFwuu36uJAqNQC4_Ak_WlLRrC97Alfv9mx_6be2uhfno_3imCJ1XoR7jI2mnLdGFrWOHVEpOlF3leMAwMD9EGSFbShP8GWiJWCzxudRcCdxaKrlfjQfpvMiWJYKBZFzm0fZCbi2b/s4032/2024-01-15%2019.10.40.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYjuEUA1bGni_oMc30X7PMSdXD7P1OjdgBx8kbye7dSccXFwuu36uJAqNQC4_Ak_WlLRrC97Alfv9mx_6be2uhfno_3imCJ1XoR7jI2mnLdGFrWOHVEpOlF3leMAwMD9EGSFbShP8GWiJWCzxudRcCdxaKrlfjQfpvMiWJYKBZFzm0fZCbi2b/w480-h640/2024-01-15%2019.10.40.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>This smaller power station (<a href="https://rocksolar.io/collections/portable-power-stations/products/nomad-400w-portable-power-station" target="_blank">Rocksolar</a>) is handy for charging our various devices and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Portable-26800mah-Ultra-High-High-Performance-Smartphone/dp/B07ZX22KJS/ref=asc_df_B07ZX22KJS/?tag=&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385312224622&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13895219215782534261&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032984&hvtargid=pla-843315111769&mcid=cc7b3b59166735d29c5e691aa9c7fcb1&ref=&adgrpid=78266341186&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2eKtBhDcARIsAEGTG43nIh4G4cNyaDrMu0gMt_o7jBoBDKUJoxagpQ1nmu2I52U0EIz5Cs8aAjBUEALw_wcB&th=1" target="_blank">portable charger power banks</a>.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx01rD1rAo99ljcYRVRxEEsLmK0-QbTjGDsxL43AYSBKJ1Go4k5uOG5dmx2Ga3VGx2_rR5v6jP3BDEbAoTLav0zbtHZyJi2H-4pCEeukxQWIMbxWGeqKA2qwGOrt4SLVph8uVk_8eMIwCQfB9TDHALac7Ql64JwRNpZuB8rewljn59HWSw-m5/s4032/2024-01-15%2019.10.52.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx01rD1rAo99ljcYRVRxEEsLmK0-QbTjGDsxL43AYSBKJ1Go4k5uOG5dmx2Ga3VGx2_rR5v6jP3BDEbAoTLav0zbtHZyJi2H-4pCEeukxQWIMbxWGeqKA2qwGOrt4SLVph8uVk_8eMIwCQfB9TDHALac7Ql64JwRNpZuB8rewljn59HWSw-m5/w480-h640/2024-01-15%2019.10.52.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><div><br /></div><div>We have a safety committee in our neighborhood, and it was great to get updates about the power situation via our <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-Handheld-Rechargeable-18-8inch-Tactical/dp/B071XGQHH5/ref=sr_1_4?hvadid=570568271504&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9032984&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2935000935848847410&hvtargid=kwd-11079842135&hydadcr=8777_13524902&keywords=baofeng&qid=1706658571&sr=8-4&th=1" target="_blank">BaoFeng radio</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>How was your month? Are you prepared for a natural disaster? </div></span></div></div></div></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-45031778496720465132024-01-31T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-31T08:37:39.214-08:00Small Mercies<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUeJhCU4zeQLxFh_k851Bxavbl_nJ0R51sWopwcZWYYpfx-3zVXblp4Z-wDrHNZz8Nynkvkm0nZOPrJ1w7JgYWopNH_ZLaFNAJ5AXCuWfZ80jgOO-Ok0yGR860aXSjksUWNBGX6okybrtwvfPIjJvs4dmpFq0mfFU_35QOgXiXnEAtLKCbSv-/s400/61812308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUeJhCU4zeQLxFh_k851Bxavbl_nJ0R51sWopwcZWYYpfx-3zVXblp4Z-wDrHNZz8Nynkvkm0nZOPrJ1w7JgYWopNH_ZLaFNAJ5AXCuWfZ80jgOO-Ok0yGR860aXSjksUWNBGX6okybrtwvfPIjJvs4dmpFq0mfFU_35QOgXiXnEAtLKCbSv-/w265-h400/61812308.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Small Mercies</b> by <a href="https://dennislehane.com/" target="_blank">Dennis Lehane</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Fiction - Mystery/Crime</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2023</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on January 27, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Publisher's Blurb:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">The acclaimed <b>New York Times</b> bestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rival <b>Mystic River</b> —an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.</span></i><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances. The two events seem unconnected. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Set against the hot, tumultuous months when the city’s desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence, <b>Small Mercies</b> is a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism. It is a mesmerizing and wrenching work that only Dennis Lehane could write.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Years ago, I was a huge fan of Dennis Lehane, reading the entire Kenzie-Gennaro series, which I loved, although the final installment (<i>Moonlight Mile)</i> was a disappointment. I don't think I read <i>Mystic River</i>, but I loved the movie. And <i>Shutter Island</i> (book and movie) is outstanding. But it's been a long time since I've picked up any of Lehane's works. I went into <i>Small Mercies</i> cold, not even reading the publisher's blurb on the book jacket. This stand-alone would make a great movie, and I found myself picturing a few of the cast members from <i>The Sopranos</i>. The book is gritty, and Mary Pat is a kick-ass Southie whom I wouldn't want to cross! The racist attitudes and ugly language are especially hard to read, and sadly, so much of Lehane's commentary is still a part of this country's ills. And yet, while difficult to read, I couldn't stop. The pacing is tight, and I could feel my blood pressure creeping up as Mary Pat dealt with her demons, both visible and invisible. The issue of busing is more of a backdrop than a central theme, but Lehane gives us a lot to think about with regard to racism, and the novel would be an excellent choice for a book group discussion. Highly recommend.</span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-14664385343326053792024-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-29T08:03:01.769-08:00Riding the White Horse Home<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlsUpD4kyTqyZG0VrOZytcwEfQfbLejq6UhCIf33wNGG-1wKaOpk_Ss5_y9lqVgNz14Rn_fI2AqkqeskJGqGTYHx0QvJnJ0THxQarOBgDWmHp_CrfN7b6ySSFOgIopF2CLgodxMc2COqTqXZd0Stk8f5mtwfGev05NKinqnSH6DfqEJUUf83A/s500/129089240.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlsUpD4kyTqyZG0VrOZytcwEfQfbLejq6UhCIf33wNGG-1wKaOpk_Ss5_y9lqVgNz14Rn_fI2AqkqeskJGqGTYHx0QvJnJ0THxQarOBgDWmHp_CrfN7b6ySSFOgIopF2CLgodxMc2COqTqXZd0Stk8f5mtwfGev05NKinqnSH6DfqEJUUf83A/w259-h400/129089240.jpg" width="259" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/riding-the-white-horse-home-teresa-jordan/1111638266" style="color: #bb2139; text-decoration-line: none;">Riding the White Horse Home: A Western Family Album</a> by <a href="http://www.teresajordan.com/" style="color: #bb2139; text-decoration-line: none;">Teresa Jordan</a></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;">Nonfiction - Memoir</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;">1993 </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;">Finished on January 26, 2024</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: verdana;">First read on March 4, 1997</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: blue;">New Rating for 2024: 3/5 (Good)<br style="background-color: white;" /></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;">Original Rating for 1997: 4.5/5 (Very Good)</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">"A haunting and elegant memoir, evoking the ghosts of... family and those spirits inherent in the landscape.... <i>Riding the White Horse Home</i> becomes the story of us all. ~ Terry Tempest Williams</span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">In 1887 Teresa Jordan's great-grandfather bought a ranch in the Iron Mountain country of southeast Wyoming. Four generations later her father sold it, under the economic pressures that have made ranching a dying way of life. This superbly evocative book is at once Teresa Jordan's family chronicle and a eulogy for the West her people helped shape.</span></span></span></i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">Riding the White Horse Home<i> is about generations of women who coped with physical hardship and killing loneliness in a landscape at once beautiful and inhospitable. It is a book of practical information--how to keep a cold from shying; how to tell when a cow is about to calf--conveyed with such precision that reading it is like a fast gallop across the prairie. Teresa Jordan has made a gift of her heritage--and has taught us something about our own.</i> </span></span><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="color: blue;">My Original Notes (1997):</span></b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;"><br />Marvelous! I love this book. Makes me want to write my own memoirs. I identified with so much of the author's views and feelings. Very sad in places - brought tears to my eyes, yet also humorous. Great look at life on a cattle ranch in contemporary time. Insightful. Touching. Spellbinding.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="color: blue;">My Thoughts in 2017 (for my Looking Back post):</span></b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;">Yes, I still own a copy of this wonderful memoir and plan to read it again. I read it for my Great Plains Lit class, many years ago, but still remember how much I enjoyed it. Flipping through my copy, I see a lot of underlined passages and notes jotted down on the pages<i>...</i> far too many to share here, but this particular passage caught my eye and I think it speaks to the author's love of the land she grew up on:</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /></span><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><i><span style="color: black;">When my family tells the story of the ranch, we say we left because we had to--we could not afford to pay the estate taxes after my grandfather's death. This is true, but it is only part of the story. My family left the land because for four generations we had yearned to leave. We had lived in a culture that taught us that a professional life is more respectable than one tied to the land. This attitude shaped the decisions my family made, and it continues to shape the larger political and economic decisions, made by educators and policymakers far removed from the land, that affect the few who still hold on.</span></i></span><br /><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><i><span style="color: black;">My sadness over the loss of the homeplace is my dark side, my grief, but it is also the source of my deepest knowledge. Perhaps it is only through this experience of loss that I can value a sense of place, that I can question how thoughtlessly--even how contemptuously--we are taught to cast it aside.</span></i></span></span></blockquote><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: verdana;">I'm willing to bet that none of you have heard of Teresa Jordan or this book. If you enjoy memoirs or novels such as <i>A River Runs Through It</i> (Norman Maclean), <i>Dancing at the Rascal Farm</i> (Ivan Doig) or <i>All the Pretty Horses</i> (Cormac McCarthy), this is sure to be one you will love. I'm so happy to see that it's still available for purchase </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: verdana;"><b>Update in 2024: </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: verdana;">After blogging about this book in 2017, I finally made time to re-read it this past month. I wish I could say that I loved it as much as I did in 1997, but I didn't. I enjoyed revisiting Jordan's memoir, and I didn't skim the familiar passages, but it didn't strike me as a great book this time around.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><i><blockquote>Snow doesn't melt, people say, it just wears out. Someone who asked if the wind ever quits is likely to be told that it does, long enough to change directions. I once ran across a list of nearly four hundred winds from around the world and wondered why Wyoming, so dominated by wind, has so few names for its variations. The only one that came to mind was chinook. "I can think of a few more," our neighbor, Wayne Bonham, suggested. "There's the wind, the damned wind, and the goddamned wind." </blockquote></i></span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-20248827797537316532024-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-26T08:46:02.597-08:00Looking Back - The Diary of Anne Frank: The Definitive Edition<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>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.</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM15CZXPk4qXO_ILq4N0lfLbU5LMPeYYYhMd1V30oyocnBxTufhhy0lg-rSgVChARqHvl2QH3qyprJeva9Pt4pDgC57bCaRHPTT_TqqMrfU3lmHYcNhyphenhyphenlo7XIcdKllnV2_EgnKjYWFwxivUfs2xoYRoZDM3jT4n1Z7j5QX5-wEUoT6YSlLl_TU/s522/61fJAMNt5LL._SY522_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="355" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM15CZXPk4qXO_ILq4N0lfLbU5LMPeYYYhMd1V30oyocnBxTufhhy0lg-rSgVChARqHvl2QH3qyprJeva9Pt4pDgC57bCaRHPTT_TqqMrfU3lmHYcNhyphenhyphenlo7XIcdKllnV2_EgnKjYWFwxivUfs2xoYRoZDM3jT4n1Z7j5QX5-wEUoT6YSlLl_TU/w273-h400/61fJAMNt5LL._SY522_.jpg" width="273" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Diary of Anne Frank (The Definitive Edition)</b> by Anne Frank</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Nonfiction</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">1947/1995</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on January 28, 2002</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">The diary as Anne Frank wrote it: “The single most compelling personal account of the Holocaust ... remains astonishing and excruciating" (<b>The New York Times Book Review</b>).</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a modern translation, this definitive edition contains entries about Anne’s burgeoning sexuality and confrontations with her mother that were cut from previous editions. Anne Frank’s <b>The Diary of a Young Girl </b>is among the most enduring documents of the twentieth century. Since its publication in 1947, it has been a beloved and deeply admired monument to the indestructible nature of the human spirit, read by millions of people and translated into more than fifty-five languages. Doubleday, which published the first English translation of the diary in 1952, now offers a new translation that captures Anne’s youthful spirit and restores the original material omitted by Anne’s father, Otto—approximately thirty percent of the diary. The elder Frank excised details about Anne’s emerging sexuality, and about the often-stormy relations between Anne and her mother.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of Nazi occupation forces, hid in the back of an Amsterdam office building for two years. This is Anne’s record of that time. She was thirteen when the family went into the “Secret Annex,” and in these pages, she grows to be a young woman and proves to be an insightful observer of human nature as well. A timeless story discovered by each new generation, <b>The Diary of a Young Girl </b>stands without peer. For young readers and adults, it continues to bring to life this young woman, who for a time survived the worst horrors the modern world had seen—and who remained triumphantly and heartbreakingly human throughout her ordeal.</span></i></div></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">My Original Thoughts (2002):</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I know I've read <i>The Diary of Anne Frank</i> in the past, but it wasn't the definitive edition; this one isn't quite as wholesome as the former! Anne is much more open and honest about feelings toward her parents and the other residents of the Secret Annex, including her romance with Peter. More sexuality is discussed, as well. Would love to have diaries written by Margot and Peter, which would be a great way to compare views of their time in hiding. Anne is wise beyond her years. Her writing seems so mature and insightful for such a young girl! </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Current Thoughts:</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">A timeless and important read. I wish I had been able to visit the museum in Amsterdam when we were there in 2015, but we didn't have enough time. </span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PqKuUG-yLeBLQu7nTSzQVZ5kub664Wwh0f9I-JXiScTMMjrOEFoCt3oGWeBSRQ_AXJd1QT1GXCixfzW78ztKON-QaP2GUPfUkTv_no9y3K8U06gqHCGBV-pne9Gm0OCW5BjKhe7yvHooH3J3xU9lsnHjkZy-W5zOxBweS9r_hkWUDRTXbfye/s3264/2015-10-13%2009.54.14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PqKuUG-yLeBLQu7nTSzQVZ5kub664Wwh0f9I-JXiScTMMjrOEFoCt3oGWeBSRQ_AXJd1QT1GXCixfzW78ztKON-QaP2GUPfUkTv_no9y3K8U06gqHCGBV-pne9Gm0OCW5BjKhe7yvHooH3J3xU9lsnHjkZy-W5zOxBweS9r_hkWUDRTXbfye/w360-h640/2015-10-13%2009.54.14.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div><div><br /></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-70738803879930741032024-01-24T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-24T00:00:00.375-08:00Nothing More Dangerous<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpodZc-407aVeBF3zeI7EE9yW7vVt8ESfA4dq0hhLGTVN697tw0hDDS9V4xppOgB_tbZDzQ42HpDsxFguowtJG5o2SHk39Ys6XjAmwfqg3LeaMyS1jSf9P6EB87ydnmgEqFN2FJtpig4HiIS8FDbRbUE1wUxzOjOUe7umd6h3F4oCIWuxFw4p/s500/44284637.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="323" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpodZc-407aVeBF3zeI7EE9yW7vVt8ESfA4dq0hhLGTVN697tw0hDDS9V4xppOgB_tbZDzQ42HpDsxFguowtJG5o2SHk39Ys6XjAmwfqg3LeaMyS1jSf9P6EB87ydnmgEqFN2FJtpig4HiIS8FDbRbUE1wUxzOjOUe7umd6h3F4oCIWuxFw4p/w259-h400/44284637.jpg" width="259" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>Nothing More Dangerous</b> by Allen Eskens</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Boady Sanden #1</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Mystery</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2019</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on January 21, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a small town where loyalty to family and to “your people” carries the weight of a sacred oath, defying those unspoken rules can be a deadly proposition.</span></i></b></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">After fifteen years of growing up in the Ozark hills with his widowed mother, high-school freshman Boady Sanden is beyond ready to move on. He dreams of glass towers and cityscapes, driven by his desire to be anywhere other than Jessup, Missouri. The new kid at St. Ignatius High School, if he isn’t being pushed around, he is being completely ignored. Even his beloved woods, his playground as a child and his sanctuary as he grew older, seem to be closing in on him, suffocating him.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then Thomas Elgin moves in across the road, and Boady’s life begins to twist and turn. Coming to know the Elgins--a black family settling into a community where notions of “us” and “them” carry the weight of history--forces Boady to rethink his understanding of the world he’s taken for granted. Secrets hidden in plain sight begin to unfold: the mother who wraps herself in the loss of her husband, the neighbor who carries the wounds of a mysterious past that he holds close, the quiet boss who is fighting his own hidden battle.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the biggest secret of all is the disappearance of Lida Poe, the African-American woman who keeps the books at the local plastics factory. Word has it that Ms. Poe left town, along with a hundred thousand dollars of company money. Although Boady has never met the missing woman, he discovers that the threads of her life are woven into the deepest fabric of his world.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">As the mystery of her fate plays out, Boady begins to see the stark lines of race and class that both bind and divide this small town, and he is forced to choose sides.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">After reading two of Allen Eskens' books back-to-back last month, I was eager to try another and picked up a copy of <i>Nothing More Dangerous</i> at the library. Shelved in the mystery section, I was surprised that this prequel to the Boady Sanden series reads more like a coming-of-age tale rather than a whodunnit. At least, initially. The introductory chapters failed to pull me in as quickly as either <i><a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/12/saving-emma.html" target="_blank">Saving Emma</a></i> or <a href="https://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com/2023/12/forsaken-country.html" target="_blank"><i>Forsaken Country</i></a>, and it wasn't until well over a hundred pages when the story propelled Boady into a full-fledged mystery, that I became hooked. The foreshadowing had me on the edge of my seat, with bullying, race, and prejudice at front and center. Eskens' characters are well-drawn and I was rooting for Boady and Thomas as I read the final chapters. Exciting stuff! Recommend.</span></div></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-37709668883670484752024-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-22T09:01:22.342-08:00In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2d55gybUVVVztkf6-mCtSkf4gQeRTE6H6mU2eIYYG81Lfzqrr7cqjcSz9Tpr91QvM6-SIFxLqopO9VKmxzKXwK8zl7joUFkuQ3bwFTpcQbS1QRCMsXl9lXMrJReGTMQgfzTds8vuIoJAj9mEsg_KGPxLUlROst905tf46VgqOc7TbRr6MYKA/s500/8296231.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="386" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2d55gybUVVVztkf6-mCtSkf4gQeRTE6H6mU2eIYYG81Lfzqrr7cqjcSz9Tpr91QvM6-SIFxLqopO9VKmxzKXwK8zl7joUFkuQ3bwFTpcQbS1QRCMsXl9lXMrJReGTMQgfzTds8vuIoJAj9mEsg_KGPxLUlROst905tf46VgqOc7TbRr6MYKA/w309-h400/8296231.jpg" width="309" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite: 150 Recipes & Stories About the Food You Love</b> by <a href="https://www.melissaclark.net/" target="_blank">Melissa Clark</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Nonfiction - Cooking</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">2010</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Finished on January 14, 2024</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Publisher's Blurb:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Melissa Clark’s recipes are as lively and diverse as ever, drawing on influences from Marrakech to Madrid to the Mississippi Delta. She has her finger on the pulse of how and what America likes to eat.”</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">—Tom Colicchio, author of <b>Craft of Cooking</b></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">“A Good Appetite,” Melissa Clark’s weekly feature in the <b>New York Times</b> Dining Section, is about dishes that are easy to cook and that speak to everyone, either stirring a memory or creating one. Now, Clark takes the same freewheeling yet well-informed approach that has won her countless fans and applies it to one hundred and fifty delicious, simply sophisticated recipes.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Clark prefaces each recipe with the story of its creation—the missteps as well as the strokes of genius—to inspire improvisation in her readers. So when discussing her recipe for Crisp Chicken Schnitzel, she offers plenty of tried-and-true tips learned from an Austrian chef; and in My Mother’s Lemon Pot Roast, she gives the same high-quality advice, but culled from her own family’s kitchen.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Memorable chapters reflect the way so many of us like to eat: Things with Cheese (think Baked Camembert with Walnut Crumble and Ginger Marmalade), The Farmers’ Market and Me (Roasted Spiced Cauliflower and Almonds), It Tastes Like Chicken (Garlic and Thyme–Roasted Chicken with Crispy Drippings Croutons), and many more delectable but not overly complicated dishes.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">In addition, Clark writes with Laurie Colwin–esque warmth and humor about the relationship that we have with our favorite foods, about the satisfaction of cooking a meal where everyone wants seconds, and about the pleasures of eating. From stories of trips to France with her parents, growing up (where she and her sister were required to sit on unwieldy tuna Nicoise sandwiches to make them more manageable), to bribing a fellow customer for the last piece of dessert at the farmers’ market, Melissa’s stories will delight any reader who starts thinking about what’s for dinner as soon as breakfast is cleared away. This is a cookbook to read, to savor, and most important, to cook delicious, rewarding meals from.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">I don't have a huge collection of cookbooks, but the ones that I have appeal to me most because of their glossy pages, full of beautiful photographs for each recipe. Some of my favorites include those written by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman), Trisha Yearwood, Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen), and Gina Homolka (Skinnytaste). When I received a copy of Melissa Clark's cookbook, I wasn't sure it would be for me since other than a few black-and-white photos (marking the beginning of a new chapter), it lacks any colorful photographs. I would have to use my imagination, rather than rely on a photograph, to envision the end result of each recipe. So, instead of flipping through to see if I could find something to make for dinner, I decided to start at the beginning and spend a year reading each recipe and accompanying anecdote. What a treat! Not only do I have roughly three dozen recipes marked to sample, but I was thoroughly entertained by Clark's stories. <i>In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite</i> not only has twelve chapters of recipes, but her essays (which run anywhere between one to three pages in length) read like those of Laurie Colwin, Molly Wizenberg, and Ann Hood's foodie memoirs. Now to try out some of those recipes!</span></div></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22415234.post-14908950106601474792024-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-20T00:00:00.337-08:00Books Over 400 Pages Read in 2023 <div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9D_44QAJNDa8cmhqOSbfium-n3LZZLE5jEaKSsQ7HHdT7Fi1WHjS2lk_3Kc1vkf2RVsteofCayhaxl25l980OLEvDuSfqv8Rd41v0tpaI0RDgGxqmhmULM2a4EdKUIsh74lD2FLw_tb2Dn4mXdmEpWeS-98NZk1sONDkybevfTEcvtYRVozj0/s1024/400+%20Page%20Books%20in%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9D_44QAJNDa8cmhqOSbfium-n3LZZLE5jEaKSsQ7HHdT7Fi1WHjS2lk_3Kc1vkf2RVsteofCayhaxl25l980OLEvDuSfqv8Rd41v0tpaI0RDgGxqmhmULM2a4EdKUIsh74lD2FLw_tb2Dn4mXdmEpWeS-98NZk1sONDkybevfTEcvtYRVozj0/w426-h640/400+%20Page%20Books%20in%202023.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">Do you avoid big books? I do, but once I get immersed in one, I don't want it to end! Forget your Goodreads goal and sink into a chunky story. Here are mine from 2023. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ <i>Fellowship Point</i> by Alice Elliott Dark </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐ <i>Lonesome Dove</i> by Larry McMurtry (so good on audio!)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ <i>Coming Home</i> by Rosamunde Pilcher</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ <i>Count the Ways</i> by Joyce Maynard</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 <i>Mad Honey</i> by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐ <i>Damnation Spring</i> by Ash Davidson</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐ <i>Wrong Place Wrong Time</i> by Gillian McAllister (excellent on audio)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐ <i>Hello Beautiful </i>by Ann Napolitano</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐💫 The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (not as good as A Gentleman in Moscow)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐💫 Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (re-read for book club; better the first time around)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (another re-read for book club)</span></span></div>Les in Oregonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15053880852764886416noreply@blogger.com8