pickI really loved the other two books written by this author: Fresh Water for Flowers and Three. Recommended them to everyone. This book just didn‘t grab meโฆuntil a huge twist in the middle! And then I couldn‘t put it down. Our narrator works in a nursing home where she writes down the stories told to her by the residents. One story is the gist of the book while the narrator‘s story is a parallel one. Two terrific stories for the price of one.
pickI agree with @TrishB that we should organize a Valérie Perrin fan club โฅ๏ธ How does she write such beautiful books? I think it must be magic. Fresh Water will always be my favorite (and I still haven‘t read Three), but I loved this one almost as much. What a great way to start 2024!
#12daysofChristmas #12Booksof2023
August was my best reading month with three 5โญ๏ธ reads. This one obviously, I have mentioned it everywhere, but also The Passengers by John Marrs and Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Ricky Onda.
pickIs there an author out there writing more beautiful books than Perrin? If so, I‘d like to know because Perrin is effing perfect at evoking quiet joy and sorrow. 5โญ๏ธ Shout out to the translator, too!
Justine works at a nursing home and is particularly close with a resident, who spins a tale of love and survival in the face of WWII. The book goes between this story and Justine‘s investigation into the death of her parents, who died years ago.
@BarbaraBB thank you for such wonderful Just Because presents! ๐ฅฐ I really appreciate you thinking of me, and now that I‘m on the mend, I can truly enjoy reading these! I can‘t even buy the Perrin yet here. ๐๐ป๐ You are such a thoughtful friend. ๐๐๐ plus, I love the wrapping paper!
My favorite book of September would be Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin, which will not be a surprise to those who follow me. She understands my need for emotionally intelligent writing. The Tender Bar came in a very close second.
October brings the peak fall colors in my neck of the woods and lots of reading time. @The_Penniless_Author Are you going to the Burlington Book Festival this weekend?
#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView
pickPerrin does it again. A week after reading it I come back to images and memories of the characters & their stories. A young caretaker at a nursing home befriends patients & listens to their stories. One patient in particular has a story that captures the universal theme of love, loss, and faith. Other than one section that seemed unnecessary, the rest was brilliant. This is her debut novel & I‘m so happy they finally translated it.
Well โฆ Perrin is doing it to me again. I‘m on page 21 and I‘ve already gotten misty-eyed twice and my heart hurts. This woman is amazing! Like Fresh Water for Flowers, I think I‘m going to read this book very slowly so I can treat these words with the respect they deserve.
pickJustine is a carer in a nursing home who listens to a patient‘s love story while also discovering her own family‘s story. Fresh Water for Flowers is still my favorite but I loved this debut novel. Looking forward to whatever she writes next.
#WeeklyForecast
These are all in various states of progress. I know I‘ll finish the top 3 but might put the bottom 2 back on the shelf.
pickAnother 5 star read by Valerie Perrin. This is her debut and it is terrific. Justine works as a carer in a retirement home in the small village where she grew up, listening to the stories of the residents. Those stories, her own past and the present: it‘s all woven together so neatly. It made me want to read on and on while on the other hand I wanted to cherish every beautiful sentence and wanted it to never end.
Photo: Vathi, Ithaca, Greece
Still down from Covid. Sad part is I can‘t read. My mind feels very scrambled. Yesterday was better in that I ran out and cut some flowers, received this book in the mail, and got off Paxlovid which had kept me from sleeping for two days. Super happy it works for so many folks - and it sure does - but it did me wrong. ๐
pickCan‘t believe this was her debut novel. So glad it got translated. It‘s another beautiful, melancholy, lovely novel โฅ๏ธ Do we have a Perrin fan club yet!
And the title ๐ข
Have a day off today, this is my plan ๐ค๐ป
I am impressed with the speed of my first Blackwells order! 5 days from dispatch isn‘t bad - I figured it would at least 10 days if not two weeks.
Besides that, I feel like a kid at Christmas. ๐คฉ I have a couple of auto buy authors and Perrin has become one.
Forgotten on Sunday | 
