Show Us Your Books February 2024

I had a great start to my reading year in January including books set in the Himalayas, Ghana, Kiribati, and Azerbaijan. I love traveling even when it is between the pages of a book.

Five Stars

All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby - This book was so gripping that I found myself sneaking any bit of time I could to read it. The way Cosby writes about small towns in the South reminds me of how Stephen King writes about Derry. Great story. It all came together impeccably.

Four Stars

Mobility by Lydia Kiesling - This book is being billed as coming of age, but to me it was more of a warning about what will happen if we don’t all make changes. That said it was probably a warning that was too drawn out and kind of up and down. The interesting setting in Azerbaijan bumped it up a bit in my opinion though.

High By Erika Fatland - This chunkster took me all month to read, but it was worth it. Fatland visited such interesting places, and her description of Everest base camp is one of the best I’ve ever read. I just wish she had tied her journey together or made some conclusions at the end because after a while it kind of seemed like Himalayan resident speed dating.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie - This book was good, but also sad. I felt for all of the women (except maybe Aunty.) I loved the peek into life in Ghana.

Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary - Despite being a huge fan of Ramona Quimby as a kid, and reading all of the Ramona Quimby books to my own kids, last month was the first time I read a Henry Huggins book. I loved it! I listened to the audiobook narrated by Neil Patrick Harris and was delighted that it had an intro read by Cleary herself.

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This post will be shared with Quick Lit on ModernMrsDarcy.com

On My Nightstand August 27, 2023

As of tomorrow I’ll have two kids back in school. Hooray! Love those kids, but teen and tween summers are a lot of work! There are so many cool camps for elementary school kids, but it seems like once they get to middle school the city just says raise yourself now.

I didn’t get much reading done last week, but I did spend some time pulling out books to read in October. I can’t wait for spooky reading season.

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“If Lenore had been a country, I would have married North Korea...”

— My Losing Season by Pat Conroy

What I’m Reading This Week

A Day of Fire by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Vicky Alvear -- I’m reading this for a challenge, and I’m enjoying the different but related stories written by six authors set in the day or so before the Pompeii volcano explosion.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune -- This came in from the library this morning, and I thought it looked like the perfect last week of unofficial summer read.

A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain -- This is for a book club, and I must admit as a vegetarian I am a little worried about many descriptions of eating strange meat. I’ll give it a try though.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand August 20, 2023

August 20th? How did that happen? As hot as it is, it’s starting to be noticeable that fall is coming. It’s not even light any more when I leave for work in the morning. I for one can’t wait!

Aside from reading this week I’ve been watching TV and listening to podcasts. I watched the entire season of Is It Cake Too, and loved it all. I also listened to the entire season of Serial: The Retrievals. If you’re interested in drug addiction rehabilitation or women’s health care issues I highly recommend it.

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“Life teaches us beautiful lessons. Why not a haircut?”

— Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver

What I’m Reading This Week

The Nix by Nathan Hill -- I’ve had this on my shelf for a long time. I kept putting it off because it’s long, but I promised myself I would read it this summer. Summer’s almost over so the time is now!

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros -- I’m giving into the hype! Just started this on audio.

Dispatches from Pluto by Richard Grant -- Another book I’ve been looking at for a while. I’m really looking forward to this memoir from a couple who moved to Mississippi.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand August 13, 2023

I’ve been on summer vacation for two weeks, and I am ready to be back to normal! Love to travel; love to come home even more.

I can’t wait to share my reading with you all again, and to see what you’ve been up to. I hope everyone is having a decent summer, and is safe from all the storms, heat, and fires.

Have a great week everyone. Can’t wait to catch up!

Quote of the week

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

— To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

What I’m Reading This Week

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton -- I still love this book, and re-read it every few years.

Pompeii by Robert Harris -- I’m having a hard time getting into this one, but I love volcanoes so I’ll keep trying.

Mud Rocks Blazes by Heather Anderson -- I’m mentally gearing up for fall hiking!

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand July 9, 2023

I think this week might actually be a normal week- 5 days of work, no holidays, no appointments. I love holidays and travel but it will be nice to get back into a normal routine for a bit.

Weather here has been wild, and that has been cutting down on my walking and gardening time. Sometimes it has rained so hard I can’t even sit on my covered porch without my library book getting wet.

I can’t believe it’s almost mid-July. Summer is going too fast. I have a few weeks of reading other’s posts to catch up on, so I look forward to “seeing” you all this week.

Have a great week everyone.

Quote of the week

“He has taught his daughter how to ride a bike, how to swim.
Isn’t each of these a victory in itself?”

— Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

What I’m Reading This Week

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann - I bought this on kindle for a reading challenge, but I’ve heard it’s pretty intense. We’ll see how that goes. I feel no shame in not finishing books if I’m not enjoying them.

The Outsider by Stephen King - Classic Stephen King summer reading. I’m still re-reading for when Holly comes out in September.

Breathless by Amy McCulloch - I read a lot of books that take place in the Himalayas. Some are better done than others. So far so good with this one.

I Know Your Secret by Daphne Benedis-Grab - My daughter and I picked this as a book we could both read while she’s away at camp. She omes back on Saturday so I need to get a move on!

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Walking Wednesday March 1, 2023

Despite snow last weekend the flowers are really starting to bloom around here now. Love to see it! I’ve been spending more and more time outside and less and less time in the gym. That’s as it should be!

I bailed on the Julia Child biography I was listening to, and have moved on to A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende.

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Walking Wednesday Feb 21, 2023

We had a three day weekend which meant I actually got to go walking in the mountains! I used to do that every weekend, but now that my kids are older it’s harder to get away. It was so nice to be back. I also took a few walks in the neighborhood when work wasn’t so crazy I was glued to my chair all day. Soon it will be light at night again, and it will be much easier to fit these walks in!

I just started listening to Dearie by Bob Spitz. It’s a biography of Julia Child that my library had available in the Libby app.

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Thrilling Books That Take Place In The Great Outdoors

I love thrillers where the characters are fighting against each other but also natural elements. It adds such tension when someone has to fight their enemy and mother nature at the same time.

Do you like these books too? Here are a few of my favorites.

The Alex Carter series by Alice Henderson features a badass heroine who saves the earth while fighting the bad guys. I’ve really enjoyed both books in this series so far, and am looking forward to the next one.

The River by Peter Heller had my heart in my throat the whole time. A book about buddies on an easy paddle in Canada quickly turns to life and death as they flee wildfires and killers.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King — Baseball can’t solve all your problems, but it sure can help a lot as Trisha found out when she had the bad luck to get lost in the woods.

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Non-Fiction November

Of all the challenges I do each year #NonfictionNovember is one of my favorites. It’s low key and casual, and keeps my brain awake during a season where all I really want to do is sleep. Here’s what I read for the challenge this year.

Four Star Reads

A Promised Land by Barack Obama - The audiobook was great. I appreciated the care and deliberation President Obama seemed to put into each decision he outlined in the book. To be honest after everything we‘ve been through since March 2020 I was kind of nostalgic for some of the crises he talked about here. I can‘t wait for volume 2.

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold - A in depth look at Jack The Ripper’s victims. This was such a fascinating book. I really appreciated how it gave voice to the previously voiceless.

The Third Pole by Mark Synnott - I really enjoyed this memoir of a 2019 Everest climb combined with the history of the Mallory/Irvine climb post WWI. If you like Everest books this one is worth the read even if it seems like you‘ve read enough books about Mallory.

Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar - This is a great book that not enough people know about. It‘s about a group of students who died in the Ural Mountains in Russia in the 1950‘s. Recommend for fans of Serial and Into Thin Air.

The New Wild West by Blaire Briody - During the oil boom years in Williston, ND Blaire Briody immersed herself in the everyday lives of oil workers and their families. This was a great book.

Three Stars

Big Girls Don't Cry by Rebecca Traister - This book brought me right back to the 2008 election and all of the mess that went down against women in the US election. I would love to see an update.

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell - I had it on my mental to-do list to learn more about the history of Hawaii this year, and this was an entertaining way to do it.

Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt - I‘m not even sure what I just read, but I enjoyed it, and I really want to travel to Savannah. This was billed as true crime. If even half of it is true it‘s a great story.

The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips - This book examines how modern day Pirates and hackers operate, and the lessons we can learn from them. It was a quick read with some interesting parts, but I wish it had more substance.

Show Us Your Books December 2020

My TBR Shelf

November was a really weird reading month for me. It started with the election (no ability to concentrate whatsoever) and ended with a Covid exposure (complete cocooning with Thanksgiving food for ten people that of course we couldn’t see and tons of reading.) It was really about three months in one. So now it’s December, my house is a complete mess, but at least I have stopped scouring Twitter all night for election news and my reading mojo is back.

Three Great Books

Normally I just pick one favorite book per month, but I liked all three of these in such different ways I couldn’t choose.

Above Us Only Sky by Michele Young-Stone - This book was magical, mystical, and musical. I read it over Thanksgiving and the story of a girl being born with wings tracing the roots of her family with her cranky grandfather was perfect for that holiday.

She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh - Dolly is everywhere these days! This short book about Dolly as a nontraditional feminist and business woman really made me like her even more. They tried to turn her into a boob joke, but the joke is on them.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - This Jane Austen classic is really underrated. It’s funny and Catherine is a heroine you can relate to and root for. If you’re doing a classics challenge in 2021 you can’t go wrong with Northanger!

More Good Reads

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes - This historical novel about a horseback lending library in rural Kentucky had me on the edge of my seat worrying for the ladies in the book. I really liked it, but thought the ending was rushed.

American Royals by Katherine McGee - I surprised myself by how much I liked this alternate history of George Washington’s royal descendants. I didn’t even mind when my dishwasher broke on Thanksgiving and I had to spend hours hand washing because it meant more hours with this on audio. If you read it be ready to turn to part two right away! My copy just came in from Libby and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Savage Summit by Jennifer Jordan - A non-fiction book about the first five women to climb K2. You find out in the first few pages that none survived very long after summiting, and I was left with the question of how someone can be so driven they’re willing to throw their life away to climb a mountain.

That’s it for November reads, but SUYB Best of 2020 is coming on Dec. 29! It’s been such a weird year, I’m not really sure how I can do a wrap up, but I’ll give it my best!

Linked to: Show Us Your Books and Quick Lit

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Non-Fiction Books For September

September is for new pencils, graph paper, and non-fiction reading.

There’s something about seeing kids go back to school that makes me want to learn everything all at once. I’m sure I can’t be the only book worm reading my kids’ texts after they go to bed at night. With that in mind, here are 16 non-fiction books that will get you in the September back-to-school reading spirit.

Books That Teach You To Do Things

On Writing by Stephen King - Stephen King writes so much he makes it look easy. In this book though you get the background into the hours and hours he puts into his craft. Part how-to and part memoir of a great American writer, he reads the audiobook himself, and it it superb.

100 Recipes: The Absolute Best Ways To Make The True Essentials By America's Test Kitchen - This book is exactly as promised. The best way to cook almost everything you’d want to cook. I love it, and check it out of the library at least once a year.

The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith - This book is a good antidote to my personal decorating style which is “It doesn’t have to be beautiful to be good enough.” Give it a try if you need a change in your house, but don’t have tons of time or money.

Random Facts About Things You May Never Have Thought Much About

A Clearing In The Distance by Witold Rybczynski - You may not think you care about the trials and tribulations of Frederick Law Olmsted, but this book is super fascinating. I read it when I was visiting the Biltmore Estate, but that’s not required to enjoy it.

The Residence by Kate Andersen - A look at the presidents that you won’t get anywhere else. You can have feelings about politics and campaign promises, but can you really trust a politician if they don’t teat their pastry chef well?

The Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong by David Orr - A deep dive into one of America’s most quoted poems. It’s a short book well worth the time.

Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson - One of my earliest school memories was my teacher bringing in a glass jar of ashes from Mt. St. Helens. Then it seemed like I didn’t hear another thing about it until I read this really interesting book. Now I’m obsessed.

Leaving Home

Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery - This is a good one for East Coast hikers who are feeling their years. Anything you’re worried about doing, this lady in her 60’s did it in keds.

Walking With Plato by Gary Hayden - I liked the intermingling of philosophy and walking, and I really liked the relationship of the walkers. This is a nice, soothing book if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau - Everyone needs a quest, and this book will help you realize that. Plus it’s fun to read about what other people are doing in the name of pursuit.

Apollo 8 by Jeffrey Kluger - This is a great book about man’s first Moon orbit, and if you get the audiobook the recordings of the chatter between Houston and Apollo 8 will take your breath away. This was one of my favorite listening experiences ever.

Braving It by James Campbell - This father and daughter adventure story was sweet, and made me realize my kids are capable of more than I give them credit for.

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Backlist Review: Cataloochee

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.

You can visit when the roads are open. It’s a great alternative to the crowded main parts of the park. And if you do go read this book, because the multi-generational family saga is the perfect compliment to a day spent exploring the trails, crossing the creek, and exploring abandoned homesteads.

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.

For fans of Cataloochee:

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November Quick Lit

Reading in a tent, just a few short weeks ago.

Each month I link with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit as a way to talk about the books I liked, but didn't review.

For three quarters of the year I am a very mindful, list driven reader. This time of year I use reading as a form of self-care, and pick up whatever feels good. This is what has felt good lately.

I really enjoyed Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry. It's about a woman working on Wall Street in 2008. I have never made $500k a year, or had anyone grab my butt at work, but other than that this book reflected my experience more than any other working mom book I've read. I loved the tangent at the end that seemed to say the financial crisis would have never been so bad if a few more women had been in leadership positions.

I'm getting ready to host a family Thanksgiving dinner for the first time, and Immoveable Feast by John Baxter really got me in the mood. It's about a family's Christmas feast in Paris, and the background of each of the courses. If you really love putting together huge dinners, and sourcing each ingredient, read this book.

My son and I are reading through this series by Lauren Tarshis, and we both love it. We started with I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980, and quickly followed that with I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic. My son claims to "hate reading" but he begs me for one more chapter each night for like five chapters. (I can't wait until I can hand him Into Thin Air!)

Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs wasn't the best book I've ever read, and I don't think I'd seek out anything else from this series, BUT when I needed something simple to read on a dark night it fit the bill. It's a classic bad boy meets good girl and she makes him believe in Christmas and fall in love type story.

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REVIEW: Left For Dead by Beck Weathers

I have a high threshold for scary stuff in books. I can read Stephen King books by the dozen and sleep well at night. So when the first section of Left For Dead by Beck Weathers had my heart pounding, I couldn't wait to read the rest. But sadly, it was just, meh.

I can't think of anything scarier than being alone near the summit of Mt. Everest. Weathers' vivid descriptions of what it was like to wake up and realize he was alone, and most likely going to die were like nothing I've read before. The premise of the rest of the book (how depression led him to take such crazy risks, and how his mountain climbing left a scar on his family life) sounded just as interesting. The book didn't deliver though, and I just barely finished. Sadly, I can't recommend this one, but if you find yourself with a copy the first section is worth a look.

If you too have a fondness for books about disasters on high mountains may I suggest:

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