I spent some time in Charlottesville, VA over the long weekend. I walked more than I had in months which was a great feeling.
I’m about to start The Longest Line on the Map by Eric Rutkow. I’ve been in a bit of a slump so I’m hoping some good old geography will knock me out of it.
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How is June going for everyone? We’re in the last two weeks of end of school year messiness. Seems like every day it’s a new party or activity to prep for. It’s all fun stuff once we get there, but there’s a lot of logistics involved!
Have a great week everyone.
“The best things that happen in life rarely make good sense.”
Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid - Loving this short book set in the Caribbean so far. I will probably find someplace to hide on this busy day so that I can finish it in peace.
The Not-Quite States of America by Doug Mack - I’m reading this for my work book club, and it’s pretty good. It’s about the US territories - part history and part travelog.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - I love this audiobook so much. It’s really long and I’m glad because I don’t want it to ever end.
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
I gave up most social media for lent, and I must admit I had much more focus and reading time in March. Will I remember that lesson now that Easter is over? That remains to be seen. I almost never do.
I opened my summer reading spot this week, and am looking forward to much time outside in the months to come! Anyone else already planning for summer reading season?
Here are my favorite reads from last month.
Down City by Leah Carrol -- This was billed as true crime, but it was so much more than that. I am so glad that I finally read this after it sat on my shelf for years. I started this one afternoon and couldn’t stop until I finished.
Lark Ascending by Silas House -- This was a grim dystopian story line, but the underlying message was hope in the face of grief. I loved this book. My first Silas House- won‘t be my last!
What I Found In A Thousand Towns by Dar Williams -- I thought this would be a modern folk singer take on Travels With Charley, but it was actually a thoughtful examination of city planning. It was so interesting to hear about Williams’ thoughts about what she’s seen that works from her travels. Plus she reads the audiobook herself and she sings. Recommend.
The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane -- This is the type of book you just want to read a little at a time while drinking tea. It was a great travel/nature book and inspired wanderlust.
The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Dreilinger -- I read this for a book club, and it was one of those super interesting books that I would have never sought out on my own.
A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church -- I’ve never read a detective novel that took place in North Korea before. I enjoyed the story even if I did have to flip back to the beginning once I finished to figure out what happened.
Rivals by Katherine McGee -- I absolutely love this series as a light read/(not so) guilty pleasure. This one ends on a pretty big cliffhanger so the count is on for the next one.
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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.
Last Tuesday instead of taking the metro to work I took it to the Smithsonian station and had myself a field trip.
Late February can be touchy weather wise in Washington, DC, but it turned out to be a perfect day for strolling through museums. There were no lines to get in, and the exhibits weren’t crowded at all.
My initial thought was to see the Nature of the Book exhibit at the Natural History Museum. I had high hopes, but this was really just two cases of books and other artifacts. Pretty, but it took me ten minutes to see.
After looking at the rest of the Natural History Museum I went next door to the National Gallery of Art. I almost had it to myself and spent hours there. I enjoyed all the exhibits, and made sure to snap a pic of Young Girl Reading by Jean Honore Fragonard (pictured above.) The National Gallery has about three or four cafes and I was grateful to sit for a while at one of them. I ordered avocado toast and read my book. My reading choice for a day in DC? It was Rivals by Katherine McGee.
By about 2 pm I was ready to head home, but decided to duck in The American History Museum. They know what they’re doing, and put a huge gift shop right by the entrance. I didn’t buy anything, but I did add Never Panic Early by Fred Haise to my TBR.
Upstairs I hit the highlights. A new addition to the culture section was a costume from The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.
After that it was time to head home and meet the school bus. It was only a day, but I felt like I had been away for a week. I’m adding it to my to-do list to do this kind of thing more often!
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Happy weekend! I had a great week. I took a day off and took myself on a field trip to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. It’s been a long time (like 20 years) since I spent a day wandering through museums by myself like that. I went specifically to see a certain bookish display, and I’ll post more about that later this week.
This week it’s back to normal working for the man and reading as much as possible!
Have a great week everyone.
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King -- I’m re-reading this series in anticipation of Stephen King’s new book Holly which is coming out in September.
Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck -- I read and loved this at the suggestion of a friend a few years ago. John Steinbeck is our Author A Month on Litsy this month, and I’m looking forward to re-reading this one.
A Corpse in the Koryo -- This is for my work book club, and it’s actually not bad! Work book club can be hit or miss.
I’ve found that while a grilled cheese won’t solve my problems for me, it makes them a bit easier to manage.
From Rivals by Katherine McGee
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
I’ve had a good start to my reading year, and even made some progress on clearing some space on my to be read shelf.
Here are the best of the best from last month.
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue - My first five star read of the year. I absolutely loved this historical fiction set in Dublin‘s Maternity/Fever ward during the worst days of the Spanish flu. It was written in 2019, but so much of it rang true given our recent experiences since then.
The Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera - This little book about Sri Lanka’s civil war packed a mighty punch. I was a little confused by the characters at first, but I went with it and this book swept me away.
Annapurna: A Woman's Place by Arlene Blum - I was stranded without books and started listening to this just because it was on my phone. To my surprise it was really good! I read a lot of mountaineering books, and this one was so interesting. It was written by a woman expedition leader and she focused on logistics and leadership in a way that others usually don’t. Highly recommend (and I‘m pretty sure I got it for free on audible.)
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng - Sad and hopeful at the same time. Celeste Ng is so good.
The Huntress by Kate Quinn - Kate Quinn is so good at these historical novels. I really enjoyed this one about post WWII war criminals. My only complaint was I thought she could have ended it a bit sooner.
Braver Than You Think by Maggie Downs - It’s always weird rating someone’s memoirs because it’s hard to unravel the person’s life decisions from the writing. The writing here is really good- it will make you want to sell all your belongings and travel the world.
A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro - This was a fun mystery featuring the descendants of Watson and Holmes solving mysteries at a Connecticut boarding school.
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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.
I usually only read on my Kindle when I’m traveling, but since I’m traveling so much this summer it’s good timing to read a chunk of the free e-books and library books I have clogging my e-reader.
If I was able to get a free or inexpensive version I bolded my tips in the notes below.
Here’s what I have going on:
Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews - This was a Litsy award winner last year, so of course I bought it for $1.99 on Kindle and promptly forgot about it.
The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi - I am all about this P&P retelling set in the dorm of a boarding school. This is free for Prime Members on Kindle.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - I’ve read this before, but now that I know what happens at the end I want to read it again.
The Tanglewood Tea Shop by Lilac Mills - This seems like a Hallmark-like small town romance perfect for summer. This was free on Kindle.
Last Summer Boys by Bill Rivers - The cover of this coming of age story reminded me of The Body, one of life’s most perfect summer reads. Free with Kindle Unlimited.
Where The Desert Meets The Sea by Werner Sonne - A book about post WWII Palestine is heavier than what I usually go for in the summer, but I was drawn in by this cover. This is free for Prime members on Kindle.
The Last Summer At The Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland - I am currently racing to finish the e-book copy of this I checked out from the library. It is so good and very reminiscent of Dirty Dancing.
Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds by Paul Farmer - This is another book I checked out from the library when I was in the midst of my Ebola obsession. I’ve been reading it a few pages at a time because it is very heavy.
Wandering in Strange Lands by Morgan Jerkins - I picked this up for my book club a few weeks ago when it was on sale. I’m really looking forward to this travelogue/ social commentary book about the American South.
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Summer Reading Season is here!!
This summer I am throwing all of my reading goals out the window and just reading what looks fun. This summer I’m in the mood for travelogues, thrillers, and new books by favorite authors.
Here’s my stack for the next few months. These are a mix of library books and some I had on my shelves.
I haven’t read any of these, so I can’t vouch!
The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich - This lovely yellow used copy called to me from my shelf because it promises to be a forty-year saga brimming with unforgettable characters. Bring it!
The Deep Blue Between by Ayesha Harruna Attah - This YA novel drew me in with its pretty cover, but the story about sisters separated and living worlds apart got me to buy it.
Bad Tourist by Suzanne Roberts - This book bills itself as an anti-guidebook and I am all about that. Flipping through this book I see short essays about varied places such as Peru, India, Mongolia, and England.
Empire Falls by Richard Russo - This book set in small town Maine has been on my list FOREVER, and I really want to get to it this summer.
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon - This has a burning house on the cover, dual timelines, a fictional podcast, and monsters. Perfect summer reading.
Bleaker House by Nell Stevens - An author wins an award to go anywhere in the world to write and she picks someplace called Bleaker Island in the Falklands. It sounds terrible; I can’t wait. Bonus points because there’s a penguin on the cover.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry - Buying a paperback copy of Emily Henry’s new book to read at the pool has become an annual summertime treat for me.
The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani - I can’t wait to see what Trigiani does with WWII Italy.
The Last by Hanna Jameson - Every summer needs a good end of the world novel, except if it seems like the end of the world is actually happening I might skip this one.
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Arches National Park Stock Image
Like so many other Americans I plan on visiting a National Park or two this summer. We have an incredible array right here in our area, and I might even take advantage of my vaccination status and fly somewhere.
If you’re visiting the parks this summer and reading up ahead of your trip here are some books I recommend.
Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell - Between the Civil War and the government’s creation of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park lives were lived in Cataloochee, a town in the mountains of North Carolina. The book begins with gunshots. In the chapters that follow we go back and learn the story of Ezra Banks, and the years of hard work and darkness that brought the shots on. This book is everything I love in a novel. It’s a slow build of a multi-generational classic.
The Road To Paradise by Karen Barnett - I love a book about mountains, and when you combine mountains with historical romance you really can't go wrong. Margie went to Mt. Rainer both to indulge her love of nature, and to escape her shady ex-fiance. Of course there's a hunky ranger on the mountain. I'm telling you; it's everything good for a cozy day of reading.
A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson - This thriller was fast paced from the beginning, and then 3/4 of the way through something totally bonkers happens. I really loved it.
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery - Grandma Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail in her late 60's. Part of the time she couldn't see due to broken glasses, and she kept going any way. I don't even go to the bathroom in the middle of the night if I can't find my glasses. Plus her equipment was lacking. She hiked from Georgia to Maine with little more than some food, a shower curtain, an umbrella, and a pair of Keds on her feet. Her amazing athletic accomplishments don't even account for the serious abuse she had to overcome before she hit the trail.
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It’s easy to walk and walk when you have interesting things to look at! We took a very weird, isolated, socially distant road trip last week. It was different and fun!
We saw:
We listened to:
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I learned at a scout meeting last night that camp grounds everywhere are filling up at unprecedented rates. I love that so many people are sleeping under the stars! And with sleeping under the stars comes reading under the stars. Tent reading is one of my favorite types of reading. If you’re new to sleeping on the ground here are five books that are perfect for reading while camping:
In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware- A sinister tale of a bachelorette party gone wrong. A closed door spooky thriller perfect for reading in isolation.
Bird Box by Josh Malerman is a really good book if you’re willing to go with it. If you think too much about it you’ll think it’s dumb. Put yourself in a tent in the woods, and you’ll have one of the best, creepiest reading experiences you’ve ever had.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the start of a masterful trilogy. It’s the type of book you’ll want to read all at once in solitude, and when you finally figure out what’s going on, hang on!
Devotions by Mary Oliver is a gorgeous book of poetry that celebrates the little things that happen outside. Read it by the fire or in the hammock.
The River by Peter Heller is a charged and atmospheric wilderness survival story perfect for reading outside. Just don’t start too late at night because you’ll burn out the batteries in your head lamp reading all night.
Happy camping!
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July was a slow reading month for me, but between the adoption of two kittens and the new Baby-Sitters Club Netflix release who can blame me?
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon - This is a travel diary from the late 1970’s, and like in Travels With Charley I was struck by how many problems in America then are still problems now. I usually am a fast reader, but took my time with this one so I could savor Least Heat-Moon’s observations. He had a really observant yet non-judgemental way of looking at the people he met on his travels.
“I’d traveled ten thousand miles and had not encountered a single hoodlum. But I’d been taken for one several times. ”
In The Woods by Tana French - I FINALLY got around to reading a Tana French book. I really liked this mystery that was really more about the detectives than it was about the actual mystery. The detectives in this book were very different than my favorite series by Louise Penny, but the feel was similar.
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescot - I love me a good Cold War spy novel, especially when the spy is a woman. The background of how Dr. Zhivago came to be published, and the race to release it as anti-Russia propaganda was also interesting. This was also the first library book I read post quarantine, so it holds a spot in my heart for that alone!
Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger - This was another new to me mystery series that I’m excited to catch up on. The former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota is at a bit of a loose end when this book starts. A mysterious death and a missing Boy Scout pull him back to his old job.
One Crazy Summer and PS Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia - The three sisters in these books were some of my favorite characters that I’ve read in a long time. These books touch on so many topics I want my kids to think about at a level they can understand. Great, great historical fictions for middle graders, and excellent on audio. I can’t wait to listen to the third one when we have a reason to be in the car again.
The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan - I can’t really get into these books, but my kids love them for road trips.
Back in June there was a chain letter going around town where kids tell other kids to buy books and send them and somehow they were supposed to get 36 books each in the mail. My daughter got three of these chain letters, and while I only let her send out one set of extortion letters in return we did end up buying books for four different kids because I felt bad thinking about them waiting for books in the mail that never came. So that’s why when I went to buy some books for myself the address of a member of my daughter’s girl scout troop was in the ship to field instead of mine. And my brain has been kind of mush this year, so I didn’t notice. And because the bookseller was swamped at the time I couldn’t cancel. And the girl in question had just moved a state away. But, happy ending to a long story I ordered myself a second set of books, and the original books made their way back to me last week. So now I have a set to give away! Just enter your email below, and I’ll pick on person to ship the books to! (US only, sorry.)
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My favorite book of 2020 so far
I’ve read some great books in 2020 so far, but the one that I liked the best, the one that reminded me why Iove/need to read was Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. This book is truly unforgettable.
Best Re-read of 2020
I started The Stand on the beach last July, and finished it in February of this year, just before everything fell apart. It was a pretty weird experience to feel like I was living the Stephen King book I just read.
My favorite audiobook so far
This is another book from early this year. I really hope that after this mess is over we consider how our low wage workers are being treated, and how much we need them.
A great 2020 non-fiction read
This spring and summer it’s been all the books from and about the 60’s and 70’s that have appealed to me. Travels With Charley is one of those. I’s amazing to me how many battles we’re still fighting now that our parents were fighting then.
I’m nervous to see what the rest of this year brings, but I’m interested to see what turns my reading life will take. I wonder if any of these will be on my best of 2020 lists?
Over the past month or so I've been savoring The New York Times' Footsteps. It's an awesome collection of pieces on literary pilgrimages that have been printed in the Times over the years. The short stories are perfect for dipping in and out of in between phone call or while on a train. My only complaint about this book is that it's adding to my already too long to-be-read list.
Note: A copy of this book was provided by Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.
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