June 2024 TBR

May beginning TBR: 393
May ending TBR: 424 (hello summer reading guides!)

I’m hoping to get this back down under 300 by the end of the summer. There are so many good books that came out this summer! The TBR creep couldn’t be avoided.

20 Books I Want To Read In June 2024:

1) My Own Country by Abraham Verghese

2) The Exchange by John Grisham

3) Cultures of Growth by Mary Murphy

4) Clear by Carys Davies

5) Butter by Asako Yuzuki

6) Betrayal by Lilja Sigurdardottir

7) Orphans of Bliss (Short Stories)

8) Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

9) It’s Up To The Women by Eleanor Roosevelt

10) All We Can Save (Various authors)

11) Songs In Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris

12) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

13) The Guncle by Steven Rowley

14) The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

15) The Silence of the Library by Miranda James

16) Wolf Trap by Connor Sullivan

17) Litsy Mark Up Postal Book Club

18) Little Women Chapter A Day

19) Nancy’s Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene

20) Dead Upon Arrival by Kat Bellemore

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On My Nightstand February 24 2023

My neighbor’s cat supervised me while i read outside a few days ago

Happy weekend everyone! We’re on another wild weather roller coaster. It was 80 Thursday, and we have snow in the forecast this weekend. I hope the flowers survive.

My daughter’s party was fun last weekend, and we ate so much cake. We all gave up sweets for Lent and we were all so overloaded on sugar no one misses them yet!

This weekend I’m hoping for some quality reading time in between kid’s sports which started again last week. Work has also been a lot which makes it hard to concentrate on reading at night.

Have a great week everyone.

What’s on my nightstand this week:

What The Moon Saw by Laura Resau - I’m reading this for a book club. It’s not what I would pick out on my own, but that’s what books clubs are for!

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings - I’ve only listened to about the first 20 minutes of this when I was walking this morning, but wow! I am into it!

Murder With Fried Chicken and Waffles by A.L. Herbert - This cozy mystery takes place about 10 minutes from where I live otherwise I probably would have bailed. Cozies just don’t seem to be my thing any more.

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On My Nightstand February 19, 2023

Good morning everyone! It’s a long weekend, but our schedules are starting to get packed with sports again. My son has lacrosse and my daughter has ice skating on Monday. I truly love watching them practice and play, but all the driving cuts into my reading time! We’re also celebrating my daughter’s birthday. It was in December, but so close to Christmas we haven’t been able to have a party until now. This is her first party in two years due to Covid, so when she wanted to order a two tier cake that feeds 46 for a party of 12 people I said yes! So it will be a rush to eat 46 servings of cake between now and Ash Wednesday. Goals!

Have a great week everyone.

What’s on my nightstand this week:

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead - One of my kids insisted on having this at a book fair a few years ago, and then never read it. I decided I should at least read it before we give it away!

Dearie by Bob Spitz - Julia Child is so fascinating, and I’m enjoying this biography.

Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi - This just came in from the library so I haven’t started it yet, but the premise sounded so relatable. A woman in a mostly male office fakes a pregnancy so that she doesn’t get roped into all of the extra chores.

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Show Us Your Books October 2020

Reading along the shores of Lake Michigan

It’s my favorite day of the month, Show Us Your Books day! September was a good reading month for me. I read a lot of mysteries which appeal to 2020 me. There’s a problem, everything seems so messed up, then in about 300 pages the mystery is solved. If only.

It’s impossible to read these books without some sort of baked good.

Best of September

All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny - No surprise that the new Louise Penny book was my favorite this month. After so many books you’d think Penny would start to dial it in and depend on a formula to churn out these books, but in this one she takes it to another level. The Gamaches are in Paris when a close family friend gets struck by a car. Gamache must solve the mystery and save the good name of his family. Usual disclaimer: If you haven’t read anything from this series you’ll get a lot more out of it if you start at the beginning!

More Great Reads

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward - Heartbreaking and beautifully written. This book took my breath away.

The Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills - I’m always there for a book about Harper Lee. This wasn’t really the biography I was expecting, but more like snapshots of the lives of Harper and her sister Alice as they grew old in their small Alabama town. I liked it a lot.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - I almost bailed on this about 60% of the way through, but ended up sticking with it and loving it. It starts as a look at the show girl life in a struggling theater in 1940’s New York, which is interesting, but in my opinion the best part is when Vivian gets older and learns to make her own way.

Lake Superior near the Porcupine Mountains

And Some More Mysteries

A Killer in King’s Cove by Iona Whishaw - This post WWII Canadian mystery really worked. The characters were fun without being over the top, and the mystery was compelling. I’ll read more from this series.

Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger - In this one Cork gets himself tangled up in a missing persons case that leads him on a freezing cold trip through the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. I read this when I was in Michigan and the similarities of the scenes was a great experience for me, but I think I would have liked it at home too. This is a solid series so far.

Back To Pemberly

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Reading Jane Austen’s books a chapter a day has been the saving grace of my reading year. Even though I’ve read P&P many times I still got a lot out of it reading it this way.

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow - This starts off as P&P as told by Mary Bennet, but then moves forward to the future and imagines what might have become of her. I really liked this - it felt true to the original but was a satisfying imagining of Mary’s point of view.

With The Kids

From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - Why didn’t I read this as a kid, and why isn’t there a sequel? This was a read-out-loud with my daughter and we both enjoyed it very much.

I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis - I read all of these with my son when he was in 2nd grade. He’s a big 7th grader now so way too old for these, but recently we were stuck in the car for three hours with this as our only audiobook option and we actually didn’t mind it.

Also linking to Book Blogger Link Up at Lovely Audiobooks and Quick Lit at Modern Mrs Darcy

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In 2020 We All Need To Listen To This Quote From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

“I think you should learn, of course, and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up inside of you until it touches everything. And you can feel it inside of you. If you never take time out to let that happen, then you must accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you. You can make noise with them, but never really feel anything with them. It’s hollow.”

— From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

June Show Us Your Books

25 year old beach chairs in heavy rotation here now that it’s summer.

In May I finally got my reading mojo back. I’ve been reading a lot this year, but because I felt like I should, not because I was particularly interested in anything. In May I got interested again.

I’ve been watching a lot more TV than usual as well, trying to make sense of what’s going on in the world. Local (Washington, DC) news had become something of a joke, but now seeing the reporters filming scenes live and broadcasting them has totally changed my opinion on them. There are so many awful and sad images coming out, but also images of hope and change. It’s been leading me to read a lot of books from and about the 1960’s.

Note: I’m trying to move away from using amazon.com affiliate links, and using bookshop.org instead. This is my first experiment. I miss the little pictures amazon gives you, but am having fun taking my own. Here’s my shop if anyone is interested. Definitely a work in progress.

The Best of May (And Maybe The Year)

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes - This novel about the Bravo Company, a unit of young Marines during the Vietnam War, is unforgettable. Karl Marlantes is a veteran himself, and the details he incorporated into this book were visceral and captivating.

Books About Travel and Other Means of Escape

All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth Church

The Good House by Ann Leary - Someone described this to me as unreliable narrator without all the murder which is a good and accurate description. I listened to this on audio and loved the pitch perfect Massachusetts accent.

All The Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth Church - Vegas show girls in the late 1960’s- loved it. Loved the descriptions of the costumes and the behind the scenes drama. (Trigger warning sexual and physical abuse)

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck - In 1960 John Steinbeck took his dog Charley around the country in a motor home to reconnect with the American people. This book was surprisingly relevant: living life as the only Democrat in a family of Republicans, racial tensions, and good found in surprising places. A short book that was worth reading.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold - Mim Malone runs away from home in order to save her mother in Cleveland. I hated the father in this book, but loved the main character Mim and her little band of helpers she meets along the way.

Kids Books I Read To Keep My Mind Calm

My Daily Routine According To My Daughter

Anne of the Island by LM Mongomery - I’m reading one of these a month for a book club I’m in. This one I thought started out slow, but I loved the ending.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend - I started listening to this with my kids, and when they bailed I kept going. I quite enjoyed Morrigan and her adventures. Typical of books like this none of the grown ups ever tell the kids anything so they have to figure it out on their own.

The Moffats by Eleanor Estes - A sweet old-fashioned book reminiscent of The Five Little Peppers or The Railway Children.

May Show Us Your Books

April shower + May flowers

Where the heck did this month go? Hard to believe time could go by so fast when I haven’t really been outside my house. I did read a whopping 19 books last month, so I guess my concentration issues are officially over. Here are some of my favorites from the month.

My Favorites

Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery - This book didn’t get great reviews, but the stuck alone dreaming of all the food I couldn’t have vibe was quite relatable. Sometimes you just find the right book at the right time, you know?

Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes - Another right book at the right time. This short verse YA book reminded me to take interest in what my kids are interested in, not just what I want them to be interested in. This was a super important lesson for this first time homeschooler.

Comfort Reads

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maude Montgomery - Another Anne book, and I loved it just as much as the first. It’s been hard to keep myself to just one of these a month so I can stay on schedule with my buddy read!

Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary - I love, love, love listening to the Ramona books read by Stockard Channing. These were the first chapter books I read as a kid, and listening to one I hadn’t read before was like crawling under a warm blanket.

Devotions by Mary Oliver - Another right book at the right time- when there aren’t that many places to go beyond my backyard Mary Oliver’s poetry about the birds and other creatures in her yard were very soothing.

“And who will care, who will chide you if you wander away from wherever you are, to look for your soul?
Quickly, then, get up, put on your coat, leave your desk!”

— Have You Ever Tried to Enter the Long Black Branches by Mary Oliver

And Other Ways To Pass The Time

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner - This novel covered everything from the 1950’s to just before the 2016 election. At times it felt a bit like Weiner was trying too hard to fit everything in, but overall a good story.

The Lost Boys of London by Mary Lawrence - This was a good sit on the couch with tea mystery. See my full review here.

The Time Between by Karen White - I originally thought I would be reading this book on my vacation to Edisto Island, but since it was April 2020 I ended up reading it in my basement huddled under a blanket. Still, it would have made a good beach book- love story, cute kid, misunderstood family dynamics, etc. My only issue was that the male love interest who happened to be the main character’s boss thought nothing of giving her the day off to baby-sit his kid. There’s no way he could do that and not have full on office wide revolt.

I can’t wait to see what everyone else has been reading to pass the time!

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I am well in body although considerably rumpled up in spirit

Flowers from my walk

What a week. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying my reading life has taken a turn while I have been busy building contingency plans for my contingency plans. As of now I am telecommuting full time for the next month while I am homeschooling my two kids. It’s a lot, but I know I’m really lucky to have a good telecommutable job.

The one reading goal I did get done last week is to start a buddy read for Anne of Green Gables. I only have time for about five pages a day, but any really enjoying those five pages. Anne Shirley is new to me, and I can say for sure that she is a kindred spirit!

Books I'm Gifting This Year

Getting up at 4 am isn’t so bad when you get to look at this.

The elves have been busy buying books for the people in my family. Here’s what they got:

My 9 year old loves these books, and I was happy to find one about Lucille Ball who seems to be a kindred spirit.

My 11 year old son is a budding cook, so I am trying to encourage that since I get dinner out of it once a week at least.

It’s a weird thing when I’ve read a history book that my husband hasn’t, so I got it for him for Christmas.

Happy holidays all!

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The Baby-sitters Club Is Available On Audible Today!

Audible.com is dropping audio versions of all 131 original Baby-sitter’s Club books today! I’m still hoping they’ll record Super Special #4 which was my very favorite childhood read, but that doesn’t mean I won’t indulge in a little Boy Crazy Stacey sometime soon. Dibble!

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Road Trip Audiobooks For Kids 8-12 and the Grownups Driving The Car

I brought my two kids on an epic East Coast road trip last week, and as the only driver I really wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for audiobooks. The problem with family road trips though is you have to be selective about the books you pick. Here are several that have been acceptable for all the kids ages 8-42 in my family.

Leave recommendations for our next trip in the comments section!

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Bookish Gifts I'm Giving This Year

It's no surprise that I give a lot of books for gifts. (Note: I rarely get books because everyone says I have read them all. My TBR says differently! Is this a common book worm problem?)

Here's what I'm giving this year:

For my history loving husband:

Grant by Ron Chernow -- I got him both the hardcover and the audio versions. It would drive me crazy to go back and forth, but this is his new preferred way.

For my reluctant reader son:

Guinness Book of World Records -- My son isn't a big reader, but he loves trivia. I think he'll love finding obscure facts (and might even try to break an obscure record or two!)

For my bookworm jr. daughter:

I know she is going to go nuts over this personal library kit. I predict a lot of playing library in my future. Let's hope she doesn't charge late fees! (She'll be getting several books as well, of course.)

For My Secret Santa:

Food Anatomy by Julia Rothman -- An illustrated history of food- doesn't it sound just perfect for snow day reading? I hope she enjoys it.

What are you gifting this year?

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My favorite fiction from 2016

I read a lot of good books this year, books that had me ignoring my family, missing stops on trains, and hoping that my plane would be delayed just a little bit longer. Here are the stand outs.

End of Watch by Stephen King - This book, the last one in the Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King, pushed all my good book buttons. I loved the rsolution, and the call backs to King's earlier books.

The Farm by Tom Rob Smith - It's been a long time since I felt like I was actually in a book, but The Farm took me to Sweden in the snow. This book had a great ending too.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne - Yeah, I know there's a lot wrong with the timelines, depction of the characters, etc. I just loved being back at Hogwarts.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - An amazing audiobook loved by my whole family. Would be great for a family road trip.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein - My favorite read out loud all year. Had us up reading way past bed time. The first book that ever made my son say "Just one more chapter, please???"

Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry - The circumstances of this working mom's day to day were kind of far fetched, but I feel like this is one of the few books that got the details of my experience right.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - I just finished this not too long ago, and loved it. The only thing that made me give it 4 1/2 stars instead of 5 was that it dragged on just a bit too long at the end. Other than that, this is the kind of book that will make you want to curl up and just keep reading.

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng - A powerful story about a part of World War II you don't often hear about.

And some re-reads...

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King - A must read after a crazy trip to Maine - still good, and a trip down memory lane to the years before the Red Sox finally won the World Series.

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder - My favorite of the series. I'm so glad I got to read it again.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume - I read this for a reading challenge, and it still holds up after all these years.

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Reading in the Bathtub

My dear daughter has a strong personality. I have no doubt she will rule the world one day.

I admire her drive so much. She is the girl that couldn't make it past one monkey bar at kindergarten orientation, and made it her goal to get across by the end of the year. As of now we are a month in and she has been to the nurse twice, but she can make it to 5 monkey bars. She will not give up until it's done.

Unfortunately she can also use her drive in ways that drive me nuts. The latest? She hates the bathtub, and bed time has become a bit of a challenge.

My solution? Same as always. Read.

We have brokered a deal where I will read her story books while she takes her bath. Win win.

Some bath time books we've enjoyed:

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My Five Star Summer Reads

I read a bunch this summer, and I'm happy to say I had six five star reads - pictured above. Click on any of the images to see a description on amazon.

I'm trying to think if there's any common theme among them, and can't come up with anything. They're just awesome books.

What was the best book you read this summer?

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September's Audiobooks

I listened to five audiobooks this month. Some awesome, some not so awesome.

The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey was full of quotable lines: "Parenting is more than a duty to make your kids happy." Wow. Something I always knew, but I appreciated the reminder via this audiobook. This was a great option for the weeks before my kids went back to school.

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud was not such a great option. I don't recommend the mentally unstable 3rd grade teacher genre as an option for any parent's back to school reading. I probably would have stopped, but had a lot of laundry to do and nothing else to listen to.

I wasn't a huge fan of The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan, but my son who "hates reading" couldn't get enough of this audiobook. As soon as we finished he started begging for the next one. I guess I'm in for a whole lot of Percy Jackson this year.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan was not a favorite for my kids, but I bawled through most of it. In a good way. Glenn Close was the narrator and I thought she did a great job.

I listened to the free version of O Pioneers by Willa Cather, and the story lost something from that. Still, this was a pleasant story that I would have never appreciated had I been forced to read it in high school.

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Pa is getting on my nerves

We took an epic road trip last week through Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. We got pretty close to Little House territory, and I even saw a sign for a slough at one point. I had plenty of time for car reading on this trip, and given the setting I decided to catch up on my favorite pioneer family.

I forgot just how much Pa annoys me in this book. I know it was a different time, but man. He really just does what he wants doesn't he? His only concession to his wife and girls is that he is only moving them to a shack in DeSmet instead of Oregon.

I think I need to keep reading to the next book (The Long Winter), because I like when Ma finally loses her patience and lets Pa have it. Rosin your fiddle with that Ingalls.

Best books about World War II

Like a lot of people I read a lot of books about World War II. It's an interesting subject, and there's a lot of material. Here are some of my favorites.

Novels

Margot by Jillian Cantor

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Diaries

Mr. Brown's War Ed. by Helen D. Millgate

The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

Non-Fiction

No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin

D-Day by Stephen Ambrose

Kids and YA

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wain

World War II Spies (Choose Your Own Adventure)

Cookbooks

Cooking on the Home Front by Hugh and Judy Gowan

Lost Recipes by Marion Cunningham

What am I missing? What are your favorite books about this fascinating time period?

Books for little gardners

As any good parent would, I'm trying to brainwash my kids into liking all of the things I do -- mostly the Red Sox, hiking, reading, and gardening.  These books about the garden and vegetables help with the last two.

Cheers for a Dozen Ears: A Summer Crop of Counting is a rhyming book with vibrant pictures.  It makes for a great read aloud.

A Cottage Garden Alphabet doesn't have much of a story, but is wonderful to flip though on a rainy day with your favorite little person.

Eating the Alphabet has long been a favorite of ours -- and my go to baby shower or 1st birthday gift.  The pictures are so lovely, I sometimes find myself looking through it when my kids aren't around.

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The Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook

I've been hunting around for kid's cook books at my local library, and I really like what I see in this Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook.  The recipes are fun without being too out there -- although I was surprised that their recipe for Roast Beast used chicken instead of beef.

This book would also be great for birthday party food.

Have you tried anything from this book?  Do your kids have a favorite cook book?

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