Tall Tales from Kansas

satisfying on so many levels

Oh me, Oh my, what a book.

My latest finish was a story that is really several stories wrapped up in one. It has so much in it - a harsh father, an evil step-mother, star crossed lovers, the plague, the death of a wonderful boy, and on and on. It is the story of William Shakespeare (though he is never named in the book) and his wife Agnes, in a novel form, so loosely based on a part of their lives. 

Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell, is written so beautifully. The words and sentences are structured in a way that is almost musical, though that may not make sense unless you listen to it read perfectly by Ell Potter. I enjoyed this one immensely. It is satisfying on so many levels - characters, language, setting, story, all hit the mark for me.

Highly recommended. 

I thought at the time "this is something I will like"

As is often the case with books, the memory of who told me about them, or where I read about them is forgotten. BUT I do recall, when I add them to my list of books to read, that I thought at the time, "this is something I will like". This was true as well with Love & Saffron by Kim Fay. 

It's a different sort of story, about 2 women who begin a correspondence in the early 1960's, after one of them reads a column written by the other. They each get something from this relationship that causes the correspondence to continue over the course of some years. It is lovely for the discussions of food, the evolution of a friendship, and what it was like being a woman in the 1960's. It's a quick read, if you want it to be. I lingered over it slowly. One of the women lives in LA and the other in the Seattle area. If you are like me, you enjoy seeing in your mind's eye, the places that are visited in a novel.

A pleasurable little read. It made me want to be a better letter writer. 

he becomes forever entwined in their rich, full, messy, beautiful lives.

When I completed Rebecca a few weeks back, I felt certain I would have to muddle through a less than good next read in return for that gift of an excellent literary experience. But somehow the God's smiled on me and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano came up as available on my library request list.

Before I dive into my feelings about the book, can we just talk about that amazing painting on the cover? Wow, wow, wow! Jessica Miller is the artist and I just absolutely love her style. 

So, back to the book.  This is the story of William Waters, a young man who was brought up in a home with no love or attention from his parents.  When he goes to college he collides with Julia, one of the close knit Padovano sisters and he becomes forever entwined in their rich, full, messy, beautiful lives. This story is told, by turns, from the perspective of all the major characters. I was fully immeshed from the get go. 

Read by Maura Tierney, who voiced these characters perfectly. 

Highly recommended. 

a good history lesson while spending time with a most likable character

I just left Maisie Dobbs at her apartment in London, having wrapped up her last case about a cartographer from America who was killed in the war and his body was just discovered. His parents needed some things cleared up and so sought Maisie's services. She and Billy got down to business and and figured out who did what and why and as usual it was a satisfying visit. Tea was drunk, biscuits were eaten.

A new relationship begins, someone's health improves, and someone dies. There, I gave you a taste without giving anything away. Probably all of you have read this already anyway. I tend to move through a series slowly, savoring the experience. I like a good history lesson, in a story format, while getting to spend time with a most likable character.

Recommended. 

following along in suspense as the tale unfolded so magnificently

Just today I finished Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. Oh, what a glorious 15 hours of listening it was. From the famous first line  "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..." to the final moments, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I read an article a few months ago, about how a book written 80 (or so) years ago can still be so widely read all these years later. Based on that, I got on quite a long waiting list on Libby through my local library and was really blown away by how quickly I was hooked the moment I began to listen. The good news is, if you are one of the friends I talk with regularly, I am about to be done telling you how FANTASTIC it is. At least I promise to try. 

I listened to the audiobook version that is narrated by Anna Massey, who did a stellar job. Chris won't say this out loud, but he is going to be extremely sorry when I stop walking around the house speaking in the voice of the new Mrs. de Winter, referring to Rebecca, Maxim, and Mrs. Danvers, using my very best English accent. 

Happily, I had not seen the movie and was following along through the passages of Manderley, out into the woods, down to the cove below the headlands, into the morning room, the gardens, the library, and the west wing... all in suspense as the tale unfolded so magnificently.

Do check it out if you haven't read it. I give this one the highest recommendation possible. 

Please do me the favor of suggesting what classic I should tackle next. I have most certainly put Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier on my list already. Sister says I should read the original Dracula, what say you?

I want to know yet I don't want to know how this is going to play out

Book # 8 in the Inspector Gamache series does not take place in Three Pines and it does not involve a full team of investigators from the Sûreté du Québec. Instead, this story unfolds in a monastery, where they specialize in Gregorian chants and aside from that live in isolation and silence. Until one of the monks is murdered.

Then Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir are dispatched to solve the crime. We are given a deeper look into the corruption in the top ranks of the Sûreté and the sense of optimism that we feel near the beginning of the story has disappeared by the end. It is a turn I did not see coming. 

I'm not sure how long I will be able to wait until I dive into installment #9. I want to know, yet I don't want to know how this is going to play out.

I also want to listen to some Gregorian Chants. 

As always, very highly recommended.

the reader by turns empathizes with both perspectives

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is, as the name implies, the story of a marriage and what happens when the husband is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.  It does not focus on the crime or the legal battle, but rather, as the title implies, what happens between a husband and a wife under these circumstances. We are shown their relationship as a couple, but also hear the individual voices of Roy and Celestial.  

This book is very well written, and the reader by turns empathizes with both perspectives as well as with Andre - the third character in the triangle. The author manages to bring the story to a conclusion which does not leave the reader (at least not this one) irritated by the use of some kind of formulaic ending. 

Highly recommended.

though it is not literary greatness, you do feel something for the characters

This is my latest read, I have been listening to it on CD while I sit upstairs, in a comfy chair, with my back to the window to allow the light to shine directly on my stitching. The Life we Bury, by Allen Eskens, is one of those books you sort of race through (though when you are listening you really can't race) to find out what happens.

The story is one you have heard before, with characters you know from the familiar roles they fill, but nonetheless you listen. Because though it is not literary greatness, you do feel something for the characters and hope that things will turn out like they should, with wrongs being righted and a path for good things to happen in the future. On that basis I will say have a listen. It would make a good book to read on a plane, or a train, but not alone in a cabin in the woods. 

Plus... I swear it made me stitch faster while I was listening. And that, is a very good thing.

... so that she may have a voice

I just finished listening to The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abe Daré. The main character in this novel is Adunni, a 14 year old girl living in Nigeria, trying to do everything she can to get her education, so that she may "have a voice". She was told about the importance of education by her mother, who has been dead for a number of years as the story opens. Though her father promised his wife, as she was dying, that Adunni would continue her schooling, this does not happen. 

This is a story of much hardship, suffering, and throughout the story a spirit that refuses to give up despite the odds. I was struck by Adunni's innate sense of right and wrong and her struggle to understand how the world is different if you have money and are a man as opposed to poor and a woman. 

This book has a wonderful main character, the settings are well described, and you are very invested in wanting to find out what happens to Adunni. It is written in the vernacular and the use of language brings Adunni to life fully. 

Very highly recommended.

Clara is finally wising up

I just finished listening to A Trick of the Light, book # 7 in the Three Pines series with Inspector Armand Gamache, by Louise Penny. I do enjoy a quick visit to the Eastern Townships and a chance to catch up with a most interesting group of characters. I love how they continue to develop as the stories unfold. This particular book involves the murder of a woman Clara knew when she was young but had fallen out with long ago.  

As they work on the case, flushing out all possible suspects, we find the Chief Inspector and Jean-Guy Beauvoir continuing to recover from past injuries.  The culinary delights served at the bistro remain tantalizing to read about, and it appears that Clara is finally wising up about that no-good (in my opinion) husband of her’s, Peter. 

A most satisfying listen, and of course it is highly recommended. 

a story of hardship, faith, tragedy, love, and miracles

When I look back in December at all the books I have finished in 2023, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger will be a top contender for my best read of the year.  I have completed many good books this year, but this is one of those in a class by itself.  Reuben, Swede, Jeremiah, and Davy are characters written in a way that stay with a reader. It's a complex (and yet simple) story of hardship, faith, tragedy, love, and miracles. Leif Enger knows how to turn a phrase. I found myself re-reading things, sometimes out loud, to more fully enjoy how he puts words together. 

I am giving this a quadruple highly recommended rating, and am glad I have my own copy to keep on the shelf for a re-read in the years to come. 

treated unfairly at every turn

Since the beginning of May, the Kansas Summer Reading camp has finished 9 books. The last selection, was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I could not stop listening to it, in the car, on my walks, while needlepointing, unloading the dishwasher - you get the idea. It drew me in from the first few pages, kept my attention, and I really liked Elizabeth Zott (the main character). Elizabeth is a chemist in the 1950's/60's and is treated unfairly at every turn based solely on the fact that she is a woman. 

I feel certain that many of you have read it, and I will want to know what your thoughts were. I don't think it will spoil anything to tell you that all the things got wrapped up pretty neatly at the end.  Endings are hard. When they are all tidied up that sometimes feels the same as when too many things are left for the reader to figure out. All that said, I highly recommend this book.  If you have one last trip to take this summer pack it in your bag, you will not regret it. 

Girl, Boy, Woody Nickel, Red, and the old man

Here is the latest finish for the membership of the Kansas Summer Reading Camp.  West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. My sister in law, Cheryl Jean, told me about it ages ago and I have finally gotten around to it.  It made for good front porch reading this week. 

It's the story of 2 giraffes who survived a hurricane and were driven across country, from New York Harbor to the San Diego Zoo, where the first female zoo director in the world (Belle Benchley) awaited their arrival. Twelve days on the roads of the US in 1938, with a ramshackle sort of trailer for the giraffes, makes for an adventure to be sure. Especially with a young man from Oklahoma escaping the dust bowl, a young woman dreaming of being the next Margaret Bourke-White, the animal loving zoo keeper trying to pull off the feat when he can't drive the truck, and of course... Boy and Girl - the giraffes. 

It is fiction but based on an actual event. I enjoyed the story and thought it was wrapped up really really well. There was a bit too much constant building to an event that happened in Woody Nickels past which made it hard to enjoy the journey at times. That said, I will recommend it easily. Especially if you love animals. 

When I asked Dottie if she wanted me to send it to her to read, she said YES, and also sent a photo of a giraffe she took while in Africa in 2010.  Our sister gets around.

Mother Nature at work

I am now up to the year 1932 in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. In this installment - Among the Mad - Maisie is working with Scotland Yard and Detective Chief Superintendent Robbie McFarland to identify the person threatening to wreak havoc on the city of London, if the British government doesn’t do something to help the soldiers from the First World War, who have not been able to return to their “normal” lives after their experiences at war. They are under a timeline and the plot moves quickly. 

I remain a fan of this quite enjoyable series. Maisie’s character continues to evolve as she settles more deeply into her work and home. Her assistant Billie Beale, her friend Pricilla, and her dear father also make appearances in the story.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Above are yesterdays morning snippings. There is nothing more fun than arranging flowers harvested on a stroll through the garden.

These sunflowers are from the friendship garden by the school near our home.  All these blooms are on one thick “jack in the beanstalk” type of stem.

Here’s a leaf that wandered into my path on a morning walk. The architecture of this specimen is amazing. Mother nature at work.  

all the twists and turn of life

The Kansas summer reading camp, with just one member, that meets on the front porch of my house, on an irregularly regular basis, is going strong. For some reason, the reading bug has hit me hard and shows no signs of stopping. This is my latest finish. Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark, 576 pages of pure enjoyment, read nightly until I just couldn't stand it and had to carry it outside with me for a daytime reading session in addition to before bed. 

Recommended to me by both Sharron and Marti, I felt relatively certain I would like it. It's the story of Agnes and Polly, two women whose friendship began as children and has continued into their 80's. It's about their families and their lives split between Philadelphia and the coast of Maine, but mostly it's about Agnes and Polly and all the twists and turns of life. This is one of those books you love for the story, the characters, the setting, and the writing. 

Highly recommended. 

a spiffy little summer read

Oh I just hate that I am done listening to The Maid by Nita Prose. This is the story of Molly, a maid at the Regency Grand hotel in NYC. Her gram, who raised her, died recently and she is adapting to living on her own. She is a uniquely delightful, quirky, character, who see's the world through a very literal lens. 

She finds Mr. Black, a hotel guest, who is not a very nice person, dead in his bed. Then we are left trying to find out how to absolve Molly of the crime, which she is most certainly innocent of. There is a great cast of supporting characters including Juan Manuel the dishwasher, Mr. Preston the doorman, Giselle - wife #2 of the dead man, and Rodney Stiles the bartender - who may or may not be her friend but Molly has a hard time seeing beyond the "blue pools of his eyes". 

Wonderful main character first and foremost, fast moving story with short visits to the past to get to know Molly better, and just a spiffy little summer read. Highly recommended. If you can listen, do so. The narrator really adds to the personality of Molly. 

the sort of book that got me hooked on reading when I was young

This is my latest listen on the Libby app from the Lawrence Public Library. The Lions 0f Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis. I finished it in about 5 days because I could not stop listening. It's one of those back and forth stories - alternating between the early 1900's where a woman is living with her husband in an apartment in the NYC public library (he's the superintendent and it came with the job), and the 1990's with a librarian trying to find her way in work and life. There is a connection between the women, which you suspect, but aren't informed of right away. 

What I liked about this book is I wanted to keep listening to find out what happened. It's the sort of book that got me hooked on reading when I was young, plot driven, but with good characters and an interesting setting. A very enjoyable summer read if I do say so myself.

Recommended. 

... our hopes, needs, and desires, shape what we see in the world...

This is my latest non-fiction read. Not something I would have probably picked up on my own but a colleague mentioned it to me and it sounded really interesting. 

Shankar Vedanta does a wonderful job providing evidence in the forms of studies and specific examples of how self deception can at times play a functional role in our lives. At the same time, all forms of self deception will not be helpful and the bottom line is the book provides a great framework for understanding the beliefs of others and how they shape choices in life. 

It sounds really simple to say that our hopes, needs, and desires shape what we see in the world but somehow reading this book provided insight on a deeper level and has made me think more about what is behind some of the decisions that I see made in end of life care especially.

Another part of the book that was interesting to me was a part which described how normal individuals have unrealistically positive views of themselves and exaggerated beliefs in their abilities to control the environment around them.  So reading this you might think that would be a bad thing, but it can also lead to less fatalism.

So much to think about in this book. I am going to return it to the library today, but it may be one that I need on my shelves to re-read every so often. Highly recommended.  

a fun adventure with a kindred spirit that clearly loves food

If you like talking about food, thinking about food, making things to eat, going places to explore new culinary trends, and have more cookbooks than you know what to do with... you are going to want to read Stanley Tucci's Taste: My Life Through Food.

It is a fun romp through his life in food - including his family's roots in cooking and food, his recollections about eating growing up, cooking for family, memorable meals in places where he was working at the time, just a fun adventure with a kindred spirit who clearly loves food as much as I do. Some of his recipe's are included. The book also covers Stanley Tucci's diagnosis of, and treatment for, cancer of the mouth/salivary gland, and how difficult this was for him. Radiation and chemotherapy can really wreak havoc on one's ability to eat. 

My friend Peggy sent it to Annette and I, and said we would talk about it when all three of us were done reading. Intimating a need to take a food centered trip somewhere? I am always up for a trip, and every good trip in my mind involves sitting around a table passing your plates around for tasting, moaning over the pure deliciousness of it all.  

Warning: do not get this book if you will be offended by the occasional use of a good curse word.  I devoured it, swearing and all. 

the collective voice of young women/girls from Japan

I just finished listening to The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. It was recommended to me by a colleague when I mentioned I learned many things, from a cultural perspective, after listening to Pachinko. I had no idea what it was about. On faith, I just got it on Libby and started listening. 

I was blown away.

It is the collective voice of young women/girls from Japan, in the early 1900's, who travel by boat to America.  Holding in their hands photos and letters from the men they are coming to marry based on words and images that are far from reality. But they don't know that until they get to San Fransisco. 

Again, it is not the story of one woman, but many women, with many different experiences as they become wives, workers, mothers... all in a strange land where they are viewed with some degree of mistrust. Then came Pearl Harbor.  I don't want to spoil the story but we all know about the internment of Japanese in America during WWII, the majority of whom were American citizens.

The last chapter in the book is narrated from the perspective of the people who where the neighbors, friends, employers, customers, teachers of the Japanese women and their families, reflecting on what happened and what they could/should have done about it. 

Highly recommended reading.

try my best to resist going right away to the library

When last I visited the fictional village of Three Pines, Olivier Brulé had been found guilty of murder, leaving me sad at the thought of how the bistro could survive without him. The bistro where all the main characters in the books meet and wonderful descriptions of the meals they share are provided to the reader. The descriptions that have me ready to book my stay in the village. If only.

I just closed the last page of Bury Your Dead (#6 in the Inspector Armand Gamache series), where another look is taken at the murder of the hermit in the woods (that Olivier firmly denies committing), in addition to a killing in Quebec City, along with flashbacks of a recent case in which both Inspector Gamache and his second in command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, were left with physical and emotional scars they are trying to deal with.

The format sounds confusing, but is very easy to follow, gives the reader greater insight into these characters, and provides a quick visit to the beloved village of Three Pines to check in with our friends there.

Highly recommended. I am going to try my best to resist going right away to the library and reserving A Trick of the Light, the next in the series.

...she makes her own journey

My latest read is Maureen by Rachel Joyce. Sister told me about it. It is the 3rd (and last I think) installment in the Harold Fry series of books. Maureen is Harold's wife and in this novel she makes her own journey.  She is going to see Queen Hennessy's garden. You will recall that Queenie is the woman Harold used to work with, that he set off on foot to see as she was dying, in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. 

Book #2, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, was probably my favorite of the 3 novels, but Maureen is very readable, and fleshes out the whole story a bit. It was a good story to read during my recovery from surgery, nothing too deep, easy to follow, and it was nice to check back in with the Fry's, and to have more insight into Maureen. 

Recommended, especially for those who liked the books centered on Harold and Queenie.

I knew who the villain was

This week I finished up a visit with my old friend Maise Dobbs. It's been a bit since last we visited. In Incomplete Revenge as a new case is investigated, Maisie closes out some of the chapters in her life, mends some fences, keeps close to her father, remains fast friends with Pricilla, and we are forewarned about troubles to come in Europe. 

The case she is investigating in this story kept me guessing. I mean I knew who the villain was but I did not fully appreciate the extent of what he had done and at what cost. I very much look forward to continuing to visit this character and see what her future holds.  

If you like a series, and you haven't tried this one, you may want to give it a try. Definitely recommended.  Especially for lovers of historical fiction. 

Thanks once again to the fabulous Lawrence Public Library for getting this for me from the Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence Missouri! 

making a life in an inhospitable world

Last night I bid a fond farewell to my Arctic explorer as I read the last chapter of The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven. You all know that I am a fan of the unexpected, unusual, unpredictable story and this novel checked all those boxes. This is the story of a person who doesn't "fit" where he is and goes looking for that big adventure, out of necessity more than anything... and without a well formed plan. 

It's about a man making a life in an inhospitable world, somehow connecting with the people who are able to see through to his inner spirit and show him the ways. This book contains a whole cast of unusual characters, each with unique stories that contribute to the overall richness of this story. The events in this story take place between roughly 1910 and 1946 and letter writing is the way of communicating across long distances, which also lends a certain air to the story. I feel for generations of "kids" who will never know the magic of a letter.

Thank you Sharron for telling me about this book.  Highly recommended. 

time to breathe, reflect, and just plain enjoy

Today I said goodbye again, for a time, to Lucy Barton. In Anything is Possible, we get to know her brother Pete, sister Vickie, and cousins Abel and Dottie. The thing about Elizabeth Strout is she has created this wonderful cast of characters, centered around Lucy Barton, but I as the reader, never feel out of sorts for dwelling on someone else who somehow has a connection to Lucy. I actually feel I know Lucy better for having met the other characters and read about their circumstances. 

It all leaves me wanting to go back and read My Name is Lucy Barton again, as well as anticipating diving into Lucy by the Sea. Anything is Possible, like all the novels I have read by Elizabeth Strout, was a sheer pleasure to read. The characters, the setting, the way she puts words together... all so comforting. When I am reading her books I feel like they are always at the perfect pace. There is time to breathe, reflect, and just plain enjoy. The pure pleasure of being engrossed in the whole experience. It takes me back to why I fell in love with reading long ago. 

Very highly recommended. 

 

read eagerly this morning, over coffee

Happy last Monday in January. Six days goes by fast when one works part time, especially if a chunk of those shifts are all together in a row. It leaves little time for anything but working, sleeping, and eating. I sometimes ask myself how did I used to work that much? Just like everything else in life though, we adapt to what we are currently doing, and it becomes the norm.  

Sewing triangles together is occupying my time when not at work. Sewing individual triangles one to the other is addictive. Which is a good thing, because I have a lot of them. But triangles is not the purpose of this post. Nope. An article from the Sunday NYT is. I read it eagerly this morning over coffee and the last piece of frozen pumpkin bread from Thanksgiving.

Some of you may recall I did  a post about American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins a few months ago. I thought it was an important book that should be read, no matter all the hullabaloo that ensued while the author was at the beginning of her book tour. This is an excellent opinion piece about that controversy and some of the problems with the publishing industry these days. Pardon my French, but it really pisses me off when someone gets a bee in their bonnet about something and somehow manages to go unchecked by the rest of their peers. What I LOVE about this article is that it mentions how regular book lovers - LIKE US, can continue to wield our influence by reading what appeals to us and then telling everyone else about it. 

Here is a link if you want to read the article for yourself, which I highly recommend.  The Long Shadow of American Dirt

And now I resume my shift at the sewing machine, after which I hope to get the bathroom cleaned, followed by some solid knitting time, and after that finishing up the Sunday paper. 

everyone is on their own journey

Thanks to Jacki Long for recommending Between Two Kingdoms, by Suleika Jaouad to me. It's likely I would not have picked it out on my own. As a palliative care nurse working with seriously ill patients currently, and a former oncology nurse, caring for many patients with various cancers over the years, I wondered if this was something I "needed" to read. It's the story of a young woman diagnosed with leukemia and how this disease alters the life she thought she would have.  

The author's story is compelling, well written, gives voice to her unique experiences which of course are similar, but not the same, as any person I have cared for in the past. The book spans the time from pre-diagnosis to the present, and her reflections on all she has been through related to the illness. There are specifics about side effects, the people she meets, reactions to her illness by others, things that were helpful/not helpful, and just what it is like to live in the uncertain world of serious illness.  All of it so very thoughtful. A reminder that everyone is on their own journey, carrying things none of us can know. 

Highly recommended. 

he dies suddenly and a reaper comes to get him

This year I hope to read many great, diverse, captivating books. Stories that make me want to just sit and read, or listen, for hours on end. As you see from the varied titles I have told you about in the past, I like many types of books. However, I just finished a very different, for me, book. I heard about it on a blog where a woman was doing a guest post and happened to mention what she was reading. I looked it up, it sounded interesting, boom. 

This is the story of Wallace Price who, let's face it, is not the best person in the world. Kind of a bonehead, focused on work, sort of mean to people in his life, you get the picture.  He dies suddenly and a reaper comes to get him to help him move on... yes, yes, it sounds strange... it is classified as contemporary fantasy/fantasy fiction/gay fiction/ and a romance novel. Hmmm. I don't like classifications. Whatever.  It's an interesting take on what the end of a life may be like. There are parts of it that I sure wish were/are true, it took a turn near the end it maybe shouldn't have, and I liked the characters very much. You decide if it's right for you. I liked it.

an interesting perspective of what someone in these circumstances might experience

My latest literary finish is the story of a young boy who is the only survivor of a plane crash in which his brother and parents also die. The format of Dear Edward takes the reader back and forth between moments in the airport, on the plane, and his life post crash. 

It was an interesting perspective of what someone in these circumstances might experience. Overall, a good listen. I found myself wanting to run an errand to catch up on what was happening with Edward. Getting to "know" some of the other passengers on the plane and their life experiences made the story richer as well. 

Recommended. 

a compelling story written with compassion

I just finished American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It has been on my list for a few years, but I could not bring myself to listen to it during the pandemic. It's a novel about a woman from Acapulco and her son who are one day ripped out of the routine of their Mexican middle-class life into the world of migrants fleeing for their lives. Lydia, the main character, is married to a journalist and he and her entire family of sixteen are murdered after he writes a story about a leader of one of the drug cartels. Lydia and her son Luca manage to escape, and must flee the country to survive. 

When this book first came out there was controversy over the author, who identifies as white, writing this story. I simply read it for what it was. A fictional story that puts faces on this treacherous journey undertaken by so many. It was hard to read because I kept thinking every minute that something terrible was going to happen to the main characters.  

It was read by Yareli Arizmendi, she gave voice in a most familiar way to the terms and endearments my mom and her sisters and brothers used with us and especially when they were all together.  The story is filled with details and descriptions that make you feel like you are right there on the journey. 

Highly recommended. In retrospect, I do not understand how some could have found fault on the part of the writer because she was not Mexican.  This is a compelling story written with compassion, a story we should not look away from, no matter who it is written by.  

before we were old enough to walk to the library

Over the last three nights, right before drifting off to sleep, I have been reading Baby Island. First published in 1937, it's the story of two sisters, Mary and Jean, who are on an ocean liner on the way to Australia to meet up with their dad. The ship starts to sink so they are put on a lifeboat and somehow end up with 4 babies as well. So there they are, alone in a boat, on the open sea, with 4 babies to take care of. You can figure it out from there.

But here's the deal, it took me right back to 1967 or so, walking to the library to check out books, racing home to read them. Stuff like Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, the Bobbsey Twins, you get the idea. Simple stories where things worked out in the end. My great appetite for reading began with simple stories. Before we were old enough to walk to the library, mom would read us short stories/fairy tales from books that I still have. 

Most of you will NOT enjoy reading this, unless - like me, you want to be transported back to the past and can tolerate a lot of unbelievable scenarios. I thought it was great fun. Thank you Diane Perin for mentioning it on your blog where it caught my attention. 

a little snippet of a story

After listening to Ann Patchett recently, on a quick instagram post from Parnassus books in Nashville (I thoroughly enjoy listening to her thoughts on books), I got The Shell Collector from the library. It's a collection of short stories by Anthony Doerr, author of All The Light We Cannot See. 

What I love about a short story is that it's just a little snippet of a story, a quick glimpse, and then the door closes. You don't really know what comes after, but you wonder... more than I usually do with a complete novel that generally has an "ending" of sorts. I enjoyed some of these stories more than others. My absolute favorites were The Hunter's Wife and Mkondo. Such unusual stories, so well written, such interesting characters.

If you like a short story, check this collection out. Let me know what you think. 

we are presented with the possibility that Billy may still be alive

I just finished listening to Watch me Disappear by Janelle Brown. It held my attention through all 13.5 hours. So much so in fact, that I brought it in from the car and listened to the last 2 CD's on my portable CD player. Yes they do still make such a thing.

In short, it's the story of Billy Flanagan, her husband Jonathan, and their 15 year old daughter Olive. Billy disappears while on a solo hiking expedition and we arrive on the scene at about the one year anniversary of her disappearance. Jonathan and Olive are grieving, there are some money troubles that would be aided by the issuing of a formal death certificate, and we are presented with the possibility that Billy may still be alive. 

This is the first Janelle Brown novel I have read. You will tell me of course if you have read others and think I should give them a try. The thing about this story is it could have gone down a winding road to a disappointing ending. But it did not. For me, that is always a sign of a good writer. 

Recommended. 

for someone who loves words for the sake of words

For the person who loves the pictures as much as the words, who likes to run their hands over the pages and read very slowly, right before going to bed... here is a suggestion for you. The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane, illustrated by Jackie Morris. This is not a lengthy book, I made myself space it out and savor it, and even so was through it in 3 nights. 

Just for a quick glimpse of what you are in store for, some of my favorite pages are below.

Be warned it is a large and heavy book, but with a pillow to prop it up in bed, it was perfect. Thank you Sharron for this recommendation. I would not have found it on my own.

P.S.  This is a book for someone who loves words for the sake of words more than words being strictly for making sense and following rules. 

one day a stranger knocks on the door

My latest audiobook listen is We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It's an oldie. Written in 1962, it was Jackson's last work before her death in 1965. 

It is the story of Constance, Mary Catherine, and Uncle Julian who live in a big old mansion and are essentially cut off from the world after an incident that occurred 6 years prior. Mary Catherine ventures into town for supplies twice a week and is teased mercilessly by the people in town. One day a "stranger" knocks on the door and life as they know it changes. This is an interesting, well written, unusual story, and I enjoyed it very much. It kept me well entertained on my drive to and from Salina last weekend. AND it has me wanting to read some of Shirley Jackson's short stories and other works. 

one of the owners is not coming clean about what he knows

The conclusion of The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny has left me with a bit of inner turmoil. This is book # 5 in the Three Pines series, featuring Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of agents from the Sûrete du Québec. Don't get me wrong, it's a well written ending. It had me guessing and hoping until the very, very, very, last sentence. Hoping for a different outcome even though I knew this was the way it had to go. 

Those of you who know the series know there is always a murder and a search for the perpetrator of the crime. In this book the main suspect seems to be one of the townspeople we know and love. In a nutshell - a hermit is found murdered in our favorite bistro where we, as the reader, feel we have consumed numerous wonderful meals with our friends, and one of the owners is not coming clean about what he knows. We want the murderer to be someone we don't know as well, we don't like so much... I will stop there. 

Another wonderful addition to this excellent series. I love learning a bit about Canada through these stories. Very highly recommended. 

a very "readable" story

While on my way to and from California recently, I entertained myself with Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout. I first met Lucy Barton, the main character in this story, when I read My Name is Lucy Barton a number of years ago. In this current novel, she references that time and some of the events from that book as well.  I liked that sense of history with this character. 

In a nutshell, Lucy and William used to be married, have 2 kid together, he is now newly divorced again and a little shell shocked by it all. Lucy's second husband has recently died as well. They are helping each other through some stuff. 

This is a very "readable" novel, with pauses to give you time to digest and consider what's just happened and how that fits in to the whole story. There is also some back and forth in time with revelations from the past sprinkled in as well as hints of what you will learn more about later... if not in this book, maybe in a future story, or one from the past. 

I liked it very much. Highly Recommended. It is not necessary, in my opinion to read these books in any particular order. Lucy by the Sea is her latest novel, and picks up the tale of William and Lucy during the pandemic. It will be released later this month. 

maybe it's just me, what did you think?

This book (Anxious People) started out as one of the most irritating works I have ever listened to. Ridiculous dialogue between characters so annoying they made me roll my eyes, grit my teeth, and talk back to my car stereo system.  It seemed to me the author was trying way too hard to be overly clever in the way the characters interacted with each other. 

I am not entirely certain why I persevered. Except, I did sort of want to find out how it was going to end. About 3/4 of the way through, when there was a light at the end of the tunnel, I got less fussy. 

In the end it took a turn and moved from complete chaos to a complete fairytale where everything worked out like it should. Glass slipper fits the foot, you get the idea. 

So what I have to say is this, if you have a low threshold for irritation don’t even start this book you won’t be able to get past the first few chapters. I certainly did appreciate this authors previous works (A Man Called Ove, Britt-Marie was Here, my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry) so I’m not sure what happened to Frederik Backman with this book. It just didn’t quite hit the mark. Maybe it's just me? What did you think?

…working on several cases while dealing with a bad tooth

I just read my first book on the Libby app from the library. I was prepared to find reading on a phone to be NOT one bit enjoyable. That's not how things turned out. But let me back up. Chrissy West has given me some great book tips through the years and this was another one of those. 

Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson, is the first book in the Jackson Brodie series. He’s former police, now investigator, recently divorced, living in Scotland, dreaming of France, working on several cases, while dealing with a bad tooth. There. That’s how the series begins. I found myself quite invested in the cases he is working on. The chapters skip back and forth in time and between cases which takes a minute to get used to, but then evens out nicely.

I am glad to have met Jackson Brodie and will look forward to checking in on him from time. There are currently 5 books in the series.  Recommended.  

So back to the phone thing... reading on it, as it turns out, is quite handy, since lots us have one with us most of the time. For example if you stumble across a nice bench in a shady spot 1/2 way through a walk, a reading break might be just the ticket.  It’s also not uncomfortable from an ergonomic standpoint which I was certain it would be. Just my 2 cents on that. Feel free to add your opinion about this series and reading on a phone. 

if you don't have a friend who is almost 99 years old

Things I am appreciating, enjoying, investigating. That's what this post is about. 

If you don't have a friend who is almost 99 years old, can I suggest you go out and find one? Then be sure and schedule regular meet-ups to talk about important stuff - like getting over the part of us that always thinks we should be "doing" something. Marti Huff makes life better and I am grateful to this day that she wrote up a contract to make me an honorary member of the family.  

In the enjoying arena, unless you have a field of zinnia's of your own (though other flowers would also work),  you can not imagine the sheer pleasure of going out to cut every few days and putting together fresh arrangements. Whatever strikes your fancy gets cut.

Below I am appreciating AND enjoying this short cooler spell we are having which makes needlepoint on the front porch wonderful. At all times of the day. The natural light is the best. 

It's about to be full on bougainvillea time here. When it's hot and sticky and things are melting and fading, it is at it's finest. 



I requested my local library buy Finna by Nate Marshall, sometime in the last year. I think I mentioned it here before. You know how when you read a poem that touches something in you, a shared experience that somehow the poet has found a way to say that makes you want to shout YES! This isn't that book or that poem. This is a collection of words and sentences put together in a way that touch you for a whole lot of other reasons. I do not have the words to do it justice. Just go get it.

Then settle in for a lesson on language. HIGHLY recommended. 

Sharron recommended it

With some trepidation, but trusting the recommendation of a friend, I recently picked up Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, from the library. 

I am certainly glad I listened. On my own, this would have most likely passed me by. I am not typically a fan of futuristic tales of the world ending and what life is like for survivors, but Sharron recommended it, and we tend to have similar tastes in books. 

I'll not go into great detail about who's who and what's what. There's a pandemic, the world as we know it changes drastically, most people die, some survive, they get on with life the best they can. It follows a group of characters over a span of years, allowing the reader to see how some cope with death and some with survival. There are some unbelievable/coincidental connections through the years (it's a book, that's allowed). 

In the middle of a pandemic, it's quite interesting to read a book written in 2014 about a fictional pandemic. 

Recommended. Thanks Sharron for the heads up about it. 

 

the pure beauty of the way Helen Oyeyemi puts words together

Below is my first contender for the best book I have read in 2022. That's what I thought when I was halfway through it. Today I finished it. I am not sure I will read another book this year that makes me feel like this one did. I hope so. I surely do hope so.

I do not recall where I read about this book. But when I put it on my list of books to read, I made a notation that it must be listened to. I am SO GLAD I made that note and that I followed the advice. 

Gingerbread is a book that is:

A. a complete fairytale spun from the imagination of a most unique individual
B. a story wrapped in magic that uses a parallel language to allow the reader to see how a life that is challenging can take your breath away with the love it also contains over and over again
C. constantly catching you off guard with where it is going, while at the same time holding your hand so you don't ever get lost
D. enchanting
E. all of the above

There is so much to say about this book, but I will stop here. Maybe you will want to give it a listen. In the meantime, though it is not the season for gingerbread, I am feeling compelled to make a batch. This is a book that will have to be listened to again for the pure beauty of the way Helen Oyeyemi puts words together. As it is, I listened to the last 20 minutes twice. This book is not for someone who believes that stories should follow rules and make sense on a practical level. 

Please tell us what you thought if you have read/listened to it. 

people it would be a relief to be with

Today I finished reading Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónón Hession.  One of you recommended it a few years back, and now seemed like just the right time to settle in with it.  

This book is about two friends, Leonard and Hungry Paul.  We never learn the story behind the name Hungry Paul by the way, it's just his name, and no one thinks it's unusual in the context of the book. These are 2 very ordinary fellows, living under the radar, but each with a special talent of sorts that has not really been celebrated. Their gifts are quiet, like they are. They seem to me to be people it would be a relief to be with. If you are looking for a book about friends, living regular lives, without too much nonsense going on, THIS is a story for you. Perfect bedtime reading. I enjoyed it immensely. 

I will be open to exploring more of her work

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley is my latest drive-time/commute listen. It is classified as a "suspense/thriller" and as usual I have no memory of where I heard about it. It held my interest, contained an unusual cast of characters, was set in Paris with both French and British accents by narrators, and the ending surprised me. 

All of those things lead me to recommend it if you like a suspense story. Lucy Foley is a a British author who has written many other books, none of which I have read, but I will be open to exploring more of her work. Let me know if you have favorites by her that I should start with. 

Here is the stack I picked up when I took The Paris Apartment back to the library.

Oh, iced coffee season is open here. I dropped by my favorite cold brew maker in town today to pick up a growler. I have become a fan of oat creamer, especially in iced coffee. It's rich and creamy. Add a splash of dark chocolate liqueur if you are feeling adventurous. Which I was today. 

what the heck

Playing around with scraps to make this pillow sham was good fun. Though it's hard to tell from these photos, I practiced some quilting. I also tried folding over the back of the sham to make the "binding" instead of making bias binding and attaching it separately. That was a mistake, but you have to try it to know that right? This method does not lay down as smoothly, at least it didn't for me. 

I am not 100% sold on the "matching" of a sham to a quilt, but what the heck. 

In other news, this dianthus, planted at least 10 years ago, has returned yet again.

It just hangs on to the rock wall and does its thing every year. A wonderful little plant for mini flower arrangements, that also provides plenty of pleasure as I look at it from the window over my sink. 

All the flowers are done for the year from the Rising Sun redbud but aren't the leaves just beautiful? 

I also finally went through the burpee catalog and ordered zinnia seeds to plant. It feels like maybe it's a bit later than last year but you can plant them all summer long so why not whenever you get around to it?

On the reading front, I finished the first of the Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell - Faceless Killers. As in the previous book I read by him,  The Shadow Girls (not part of the Kurt Wallander series), I was irritated at times by the main character and yet was compelled to see how it turned out. I will likely try the second in the series... to see if Kurt gets any smarter in his personal life as he is in his professional work. Actually, "smarter" is not the right word. He just struggles so, as we all do, with what seems to the reader (anyway) like the obvious best choices. If you've read the series do weigh in. This was the first book I have listened to on a library app (Hoopla) as opposed to an actual CD, which has opened up my listening options greatly. Plus, it makes me feel savvy. 

some parts that seemed far fetched

Below is my latest drive-time listen. Once There were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy. My college roommate told me about it and since we have similar "likes" in the book world, I checked it out, despite Sister's dislike of the ending. While we both enjoy many of the same books we also have dissenting opinions at times.  

The BEST part of this book is what it taught me about the role of wolves in forests, and how important they are for our fragile eco-system. It made me want to read more about projects to reintroduce them into the wild, and what the results of those efforts have been.

There are also some parts that seem far-fetched (I will not spoil the story by listing the 3 main ones), but this is after all a novel, not a documentary of fact. So I went with it, though not without providing oral commentary as I drove in the car all by myself. In the end, I would recommend it because of the wolves. The audio version also has a wonderful narrator and I thoroughly a story read with a good accent. 

Do round out the discussion with your thoughts on the book if you have read it. 

long and tall and that's not all

Tonight it’s a mish-mash of links, updates, photos, recommendations... take what you need and leave the rest for someone else. 

In the event that you have never heard of Lusia Harris, please do yourself the favor of watching this documentary.  It's only 20 minutes and is the story of an ordinary woman who did amazing things and I LOVE that the NYT had this in the paper last weekend to pique my interest. 
Link to the story: Long and Tall and That's not all 
She is the first woman to make a basket in the history of women's basketball in the olympics. Did I say she was ordinary? I meant extraordinary. 

It's shamrock season. Get one! You can put it on your porch as soon as it's warm enough. It will flourish with very little care all summer. Doesn't like too much sun. 

This is a lovely story which takes about 10 minutes to read, if you stretch it out. It is the perfect encapsulation of the joy of simple things.

Baking the bananas for 30 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit made delicious banana bread.  I think the baking amps up the flavor of the bananas. Poke them with a fork before you put them in the oven so they won't explode. 

We watched "This is Us" Friday night and the song below was featured. I haven't stopped humming it all day.  Oh the power of music from certain periods of your life... especially high school... enough said. 

Our dear friends Johnny and Annette were traveling through KC this weekend and Chris and I hopped over to swoop them up for a few hours before they had to catch a flight home. It was most excellent. Will we ever again take for granted the ability to see the people we love? I hope not. 

2 sisters, a bad guy, chicken pot pie, emu's, and Uncle Tinsley

My latest listen on the commute to and from work, has been The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls.  She narrated this audio version as well.  Maybe you read her 2005 memoir The Glass Castle, about growing up with a mom and a dad with very different ideas about raising children, as well as some mental health issues. When discussing this with a friend I could not remember if it was a true story or a novel, because some parts of it are so unbelievable. But it is in fact, as noted above, a memoir.  This story, in a similar fashion, focuses on 2 sisters growing up with a mom who is struggling to "find herself", and leaves the girls (ages 12 and 15) on their own quite a bit.  

It is a bit formulaic, but somehow that didn't bother me too much. I guess there are just seasons in life when you want to read something with a beginning, middle, and end. A story where issues are mostly resolved though there is still room for a whole lot of guessing about how life turns out for "Bean" and her sister Liz.  This is a good story to listen to in the car on a cross country trek. It will hold your interest but not have you going off the road with unexpected twists and turn. 

on a pendulum swinging between total irritation with the main character and can't stop listening because the story line is so good

Recently, I heard it said "you have to do something ALOT to get good at it". That's true about many things in life. Why is it that we think we will achieve perfection without the work of repetition? Luckily I am having an amazingly good time continuing to try my hand at improving this little pouch thingy. Turning it into the best little squeeze pouch I am capable of. 

What I have figured out, is my favorite part may be sewing together teeny bits of fabric to decorate the bag. I have NOT hit my stride yet, but the practice will continue. What else am I to do with all these scraps?





The logical side of my brain also continues to contemplate ways to make the construction better. 

At this exact moment I have a pair of old, very thin, jeans, waiting to be cut up for use with my leftover spots and stripes quilt material. They are going to turn into a pillow sham. I think. A good "medium sized project" to go along with this small scale bag. 

On the literary front, I just finished The Shadow Girls by Henning Mankell.  It has had me on a pendulum swing between total irritation with the main character, and can't stop listening because the story line is so good.  I got this at the library because it was available on CD and I have had "Faceless Killers", the author's first in the Wallender series, on my "to read" list for years. It was not available on CD, but this was. As good a reason as any to pick a book. This is NO crime novel. Which is amusing because the main character, Jesper Humlin, is a poet whose last book didn't do so well and his publisher wants him to write a crime novel. 

 

What made this book very worth a listen, are the stories of the three refugee girls  (Tea-Bag, Leyla, and Tanya) and their individual journeys from Nigeria, Iran, and Russia. Their struggles to be seen and survive are real and their narratives difficult to hear at times.  There are so many things we don't know about what people are going through, have been through, etc. I want to read more by this author.

wherever you are in the world

Happy Saturday ( or maybe Sunday by the time you read this) from Tall Tales Headquarters. I treated myself to the 12 dollar tulip bouquet from the grocery store today. Because I, like the rest of the world, am in need of comfort.  

I finished reading Crying in the H Mart last night. A memoir by Michelle Zauner, whose mom died when the author was in her early 20's. I think it was so insightful, at her young age, to realize that she may only have a short time with her mother, and she chose to go be with her for the last months of her life. I don't see a lot of people who do that. No judgement here, it's just hard when we are caught up in our own lives filled with work, kids, spouses, obligations... to just put all that on hold. 

Also, this book made me want to explore the entire world of Korean food. She describes it all so vividly, including how her mom taught her to appreciate it.  The book is recommended, if you are in a place where you are able to read about a daughter losing her mom to a terminal illness. Not everyone is right now. 

Is this photo below not the MOST adorable picture ever? I think it's the authors mother and aunt. 

On this regular Saturday there was a visit from my dearest of dear neighbor cats, Harvey. Talk about comfort. 

He was just enjoying the sun, sniffing the grasses, and was up for a giant squeezer hug from me. 

That's it tonight friends. Be well wherever you are in the world.