An enlightening read!

As Mother's bookshelves were emptied and the books were sorted, lots of interesting books tumbled out. Not all were excellent or well-written, but they all seemed to have a story to tell.

A Lion and A Lamb by Rand H. Packer was one such book.  A young married couple was called to serve a mission at the former Joseph Smith farm.  The Church was interested in acquiring places like the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah, but there was still a lot of anti-Mormon sentiment in the area.  (This was the around 1915.)

The couple was called to serve at a stake conference in Richfield, Utah - by President Joseph F. Smith. Right out of the audience!

They went, no questions asked - and served for 24 years!

It's not especially well-written - that is, the writer isn't a professional writer.  But the story and the events are compelling enough that it doesn't matter.

And the story carries a special spirit with it too.

It is also a very quick read.

Since I enjoyed A Man Called Ove so much, I decided to try another book by Mr. Backman.  I was not disappointed! The author's style is definite, but it's not overwhelming - seems to go with the story.

And this is a great story - in fact, it's a story about stories.

The twists and turns in the plot are engaging.  The individual portraits are very telling.  And like all great stories, you can really see it all!

I wish I had a book group to talk about it with - let me know if you've read it - and what you thought!

Some adolescent lit for your reading pleasure!!

We spent a few days at Eliza's last week - and I found these treasures in the Little Free Library on her street.  They were perfect for reading on the plane ride home - read them both in the 5 1/2 hours it took to fly back.

Stealing Freedom was about the Underground Railroad - and after our visit to the Museum of African American History and Culture, it was certainly pertinent.

Because it's based on a true story, the details seem even more compelling - this story deals with a free slave who has been promised by his wife's master that the family will never be split up and sold - and that the father can save to buy their freedoms.

Of course the master does not keep his word - and that's when the drama begins.  This books seems like an especially good way to introduce a young person to all the issues surrounding slavery and the Underground Railroad.  

 I found it informative too - and I thought I knew a lot about these historical issues.

Give it a read!!

 

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is also based on a true story.  In fact, the author, whose father was a well-known writer and journalist in Berlin in 1933,  has based the story on a two-year period in her own life when her father was prescient enough to recognize the threat that Hitler was to all Jews.

The story details their escape to Switzerland, then France, and finally England.

The story would be good for even younger readers, since there is nothing very graphic or scary.

Give it a look-see too!

Latest read - what I do when I ought to be doing other things!

Saw this on the shelf at Target and thought it sounded intriguing.  It sounded better than it was.  Not sure if it's the translation? Or the subject matter?  

The story line is a good one - you want to know how it all turns out - but that is mostly what kept me reading!

Not the best recommendation!

A Time to Read!

Phoebe was mentioning this book - and then I saw it at Target and went ahead and bought it.  It was 20% off at least (I have been known to advocate not buying more books - easier said than done!)

Turns out I'm way behind - everyone I have mentioned it to seems to have read it! I need to keep up a little better I guess.

This was a charming story to read. It is not great art - but it is well-told. And I frankly felt that the characters - though definitely one-dimensional - were true to life.  I could think of someone I know to match everyone of them!

If you are like me and are behind the times, give this one a look-see - and let me know what you think!

Latest read

Needed something to read for my recent plane trip - and got this on Kindle.  Then, somehow, the formatting didn't allow it to be read on my Kindle.  I could read it directly on my iPad, which I did - but it was a little more convoluted to bring it up. Frustrating to say the least!

But I read it when I got home - and it started slow - as other books of Ann Patchett's do - but it did become compelling.

The author weaves a great story - long, circuitous, complex, sometimes a little difficult to sort out - that is ultimately satisfying.

A review I read issued a caveat about the story - it involves a death from a bee sting - and suggests that if you or a loved one has bee allergies, you might not want to read it.  The death is actually not represented as factually as is apparently true about bee stings. But I thought it added a certain level of complexity to the story.  Didn't know about the medical inaccuracies when I read it!

What I've Been Reading Lately

Harry alerted me to this really excellent read!  The premise - this is a novel - is that Charles Lindbergh has run against and defeated FDR for a 3rd term in office.  The results are chilling - especially in light of today's political climate.  It is a good read!

 

Needed a book to read after my flight was delayed yesterday - fun to browse in the Sam Weller Bookstore at SLC Airport.  This was not a literary masterpiece - it was even a little hackneyed - but it was great airplane fiction.  I got home with over half of it read - and instead of unpacking, doing laundry, sorting mail, and even fixing lunch for myself - I read!

Sometimes you just need a book that keeps you in your chair with your feet up - it's out there in my Little Free Library now!

A must-see!!

What a great film!!  I ordered the book - no waiting around for the library to get it or have it - our library never seems to have anything!!

And I ordered a physical copy - I want to share it once I'm done.

I was proud to be a woman after seeing this!

One feature that truly impressed me was the scene where Katherine explains to her irate boss why she is gone for over 40 minutes every day - to walk - usually run actually - to the closest colored bathroom - which is 1/2 mile away! When I read about this scene in a review, it got me thinking about how dehumanizing it must be to be unable to take care of such a basic human need because society says you aren't good enough to use the available bathroom.  There was a similar passage in Road to Memphis, one in the series of novels following Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry.  

I'm not sure how people can be so unfeeling. And I loved how Kevin Costner said, after taking down the "Colored Restroom" sign, "At NASA, we all pee the same color!"

Latest read

After my Poldark reading binge, I was left with nothing to read!!  Saw this book in the Friends of the Library bookstore - and since I'd enjoyed reading Drowning Ruth by the same author, I plunked down my $2!

It was a good read - a well-told story with a surprise ending - something I always appreciate. It covers a lot of interests - California Indians, lighthouse lore, sailing stories, and sea life. 

It was also easy to read in parts - I could read it each day with my lunch for one thing - always a plus in my book.

Let me know what you think!

What I've Been Reading! And Watching!

After finishing all 12 novels in the Poldark series, I was convinced there wasn't anything else to read!!  I went to the library and looked under Anne Tyler - who's usually good for a readable novel.  Got The Tin Can Tree.  It was her second novel. It was pretty well-written, but the storyline was not very compelling - or believable for that matter.  Wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

I saw a novel called The Wall on a display at the Arcadia Library.  The premise sounded compelling - one woman left alone as the last human being on earth.  It was translated from the German.  I read maybe half of it - then read the end and called it good.  Wouldn't recommend it either.

Did luck out with the latest John Grisham - bought it at LAX - and it kept me engrossed for the whole 4 1/2 hour plane ride - the best airplane fiction I'd had in a while.

It's great to be able to count on the John Grishams in this world!

For the plane ride home, I bought 4 magazines - they kept me engrossed!

For the trip to Portland, I had The Condition by Jennifer Heigh.  Someone left it in my little free library. It was not great literature - and not really excellent airplane fare.  But it sufficed.  I wouldn't particularly recommend it either.  And I couldn't find a photo of it online either!!

I could do with some recommendations folks!

This Week!

I love the New Yorker magazine. We have subscribed for many years, and I would not be truthful if I said I read it all the time. I do peruse the cartoons each week. Always check out the movie reviews. Often check the book recommendations. Sometimes read the fiction. Don't always get through the very long articles - which at least have the distinction of going "straight through" - you don't have to skip ahead to pages at the end to finish an article.

They had this great cover - but the content was still pre-election. In "The Talk of the Town" there was a blurb on Karen Civil - of whom I had never heard - but then I have never heard of quite a few people - my popular culture score is a low one - and she said "It's really about continuing the legacy that Obama started. I know we still deal with racism and being divided, but he makes you feel like this is one nation, with his demeanor, his swag."

I felt like "Bingo" she said what I have been thinking. I admire President Obama - I am an unabashed fan. I have read his books, I have watched his speeches and his press conferences, and I feel strongly that history will bear me out.

Just wanted to get that out there. If you disagree, I don't want to hear about it. I don't even know if anyone reads this blog.  Thought of going on FB but decided not to.  This isn't a forum for collecting amens, I just wanted to go on record!

The end of the line . . .

The Poldark novels - in order - are:

Ross Poldark

Demelza

Jeremy Poldark

Warleggan

The Black Moon

The Four Swans

The Angry Tide

The Stranger From the Sea

The Miller's Dance

The Loving Cup

The Twisted Sword

Bella Poldark

And last night I finished the last one!  I knew I'd regret it - now what will I read??

A great saga - replete with romance, history, culture, the American Revolution and the War of 1812, Napoleon, the French Revolution, the Cornwall Coast, the history of mining in Great Britain, ad infinitum!!

Not to mention a stunning cast of characters that are fully-formed and who seem like people we wished we had known!!  (Watching the show helps give them shape and form - although I just don't picture George Warleggan the way they show him in the series.)

A friend commented that what she loved about the novels was the way it painted a true picture of familial relationships - the good and the bad, the successes and the failures - and I have to agree with her.

Won't go into details - because that would be full of spoilers - above all else, it is a well-told story!

Go ahead and start!

Forging ahead with Poldark!!

  

I have been forging ahead with the Poldark novels - and am thinking that they are getting less compelling as I go along.

Although they are still a great read. I would not want to put anyone off.

 

I was reading some reviews - actually trying to get some answers - and noticed that many fans are in agreement with me.  And it makes sense - writing a 12 novel series takes a lot of time, skill, and talent.

 

Reminds me of the Hornblower series - every novel was not great and compelling - but as a body of work, they were.  The plus here that overrides Hornblower for me is that there are many more well-developed characters and sub-plots - a wonderful ingredient when you are plowing through a stack of novels.

And I'm still convinced that the best way to learn history is through some well-researched novels!!

I heartily recommend these books.  

And can someone tell me just what potion Elizabeth took??

Getting back to Poldark!

So, last August - as in August 2015 - I reviewed the first two Poldark novels.  Actually, I had not finished number 2 - it was still on my Kindle.  It was called Demelza - I finished it - wondered why I hadn't finished it before??

Then I went to the library to see if I could get number 3, Jeremy Poldark, but it was not to be had! So I bought it on Kindle too - and really couldn't put it down!! Finished it today - and started number 4!! Starting with number 5, the library had copies, so I can stop spending money on Kindle!!

It was a good read - these are kind of like Horatio Hornblower - truly another time and place that a fine author has recreated - and it makes for really great reading.

It is a saga -which is why I think I find it so compelling.  And it's a romance.  Another plus.  And it's at the time of the French Revolution - and I have always affirmed the notion that the best way to study history is to read a great historical novel.

And there are quite a few more where this came from!

And, yes, I want to take a trip to the Cornwall coast of England!!

Some beach reading!

Spent a few days at Bonny's while she and Bruce took Ella up to Idaho.  And the days were long and lovely and Esme and Annika were at school all day, so reading was definitely on the agenda!!

Decided not to buy more Kindle books, so I went to the library - and thought I'd pick up any Anny Tyler books I had not read.  That can be a tricky course of action, because I often think I haven't read a book - but then I get into it and realize that I have indeed read it already.

Not so with either of these - this one was a little forgettable - but deftly written and a great "beach read!"

 

This story was an audio book Harry and I started on a trip once.  Harry didn't like it, so we stopped listening.  I think maybe he's just not the Anne Tyler type!  I'd always wanted to see how it came out, so I was glad to finish it.  The story has a lot of merit - mostly about communication - or the lack of it in our lives.

I recommend it!

Friday night at the movies!

So we have discovered VidAngel - and are now cleaning up movies we've wanted to watch! It's pretty easy to take out the sexual innuendo, nudity, violence, profanity, and anything else objectionable.  At first I thought maybe the movies would come out all hackneyed - but they don't.  Which leads me to wonder why they need all the bad stuff anyway - doesn't really seem to be all that essential!

I had read a review of this film in the AARP magazine of all places! And was sort of intrigued. It's sad in some ways, almost pathetic - as in you want to just cringe when you see the sorrow and heartache Doris endures! But Doris triumphs - so all's well that ends well I guess.

Their treatment of hoarders and greedy siblings after a death is a little "glossy" in that it doesn't really address the issue.  But it's actually not the main issue.

And it has a lot to say about social media and popular culture that is really "spot on" as they say!

Give it a look/see and tell me what you think!

I have been reading - just not as much as I was at this time last year!

I thought Phoebe had recommended this to me - but Bonny said her girls had to read it for school - so I guess she mentioned it and somehow I remembered the title and ordered it on Kindle.  It was sometimes gripping - oftentimes not - it's part of a series - and I don't think I will read the others - the summaries were sufficient!

Enough said I guess! I think teens would enjoy it though.

 

I decided to quit buying so much on Kindle, so I went to the library - and decided to try an Anne Tyler I hadn't read.  That's tough - I often bring one home, start to read it, and realize I've already read it! I need to keep better track!

It is early Anne Tyler - her third published novel - so many of the reviews focused on how much better her later work is.  But other reviewers talked about how basic it was - how it captured family and motherhood and parenting and love and daily life.  

One quote was very touching - I will paraphrase it - it talked about how small Pamela's life really was, but Elizabeth - the main character really - pointed out that she got up every day and dressed up and even pulled her tummy in!

That's what I like about Anne Tyler - the ordinaryness of it all - and how she paints such a great picture of it.

Another reviewer admires the fact that she never seems to pass judgment.  I hadn't thought of that before - but she doesn't really - you have to make up your own mind.

That may be a plus!

It will always catch up with you!

Using Commercial jars for canning; Reusing or recycling pasta, mayonnaise, jelly, baby food or any commercial jars are highly susceptible to breakage. These jars should NOT be used

The above is one of the cardinal rules of canning.  A rule I know well - also a rule I have rather cavalierly broken for almost 50 years.

 And there have been no repercussions.

Until tonight!

I was whipping up a batch of strawberry jam - I keep frozen fruit in the freezer and make jam as needed - and I screwed the lid on tight and flipped the jar over to seal - and heard a loud "crack!"

A pint of strawberry jam gone to the trash.

It was a mayonnaise jar.

I think I won't try it again!

Sometimes we have to learn the hard way!

Even if it takes almost 50 years!

I'd give it a 10!

Phoebe recommended this book to me - got it on my Kindle but didn't read it right away.  Finally remembered I had it and read it!  

Shouldn't have waited - it was great! An adolescent novel about a girl on the spectrum - sounds like an old plotline.  But it's not; it's a great read!  Smiles on every page.  It's not so much funny as real and very endearing.

Not even sure if kids would like it - but I know you adults will!!

And it takes place in Bakersfield!!!

I am a pretty dyed-in-the-wool Anne Tyler fan, so when I saw a new book by her, I got it to read.  I did not even notice that it was part of the Hogarth Series - a series I know little about, but one that attempts to re-write Shakespeare in modern times and terms.

The story starts out slowly, and it is a little stilted - not the usual Anne Tyler style that I love so much.  But I persevered - it is summer after all, and I do need something to read with my lunch! And I was rewarded for my efforts - the story got better.  The premise always seemed strange, but that faded as other events came forward.

The characters of Aunt Thelma, Uncle Theron, and Uncle Barclay helped the story get some flavor and color.  And a strange plot twist sent it into the arena of "I don't know what's going on but I think I want to find out" and then it all ended just like you thought it would! (Like you thought it would if you were familiar with Taming of the Shrew that is!)

A good summer read - or fall read curled up on the couch with a fire going in case you have to wait that long!

Give it a try - you will probably be glad you did!