Breakfast to a chorus of birds, toads, crickets, etc. 😌 (Rhubarb scone)

Love love loving Haynes!

Apparently I‘m on a bailing spree. 😳😩 And such a beautiful cover too.

Another fruitful visit to my Indie.😊

😢 This is not spoiler for the memoir, but I was so sad to learn Bauby died 2 days after his book was published. He was diligently searching for the keys to unlock the diving bell.

This is a bail - headed back to the library. I am 3/4 in and finding myself skimming, which isn‘t a good sign.

I‘m thinking it‘s just not the right time.

B&N was a bust for books top on my list. But, I did pull these two off the shelves. I really enjoyed Petry‘s The Street and these editions are eye catching! 👀

I‘ve been meaning to read this for far too long.

Is there a lot more to this story than a tortured romance for Geeta? My 🙄 alarm just went off.

This is not a perfect novel, but it is heart warming, particularly in its emphasis on the right to the pursuit of happiness. 😊 On reread it is just as engaging!

Loads of snort worthy humor amongst serious themes. I was going to say something critical about the cover art for the American & UK editions, but on second thought it reflects a lesson about prejudice, as in prejudging based on appearances. Something E.Z. knows all too well.

This reminded me of my daughter, though she disagreed because this girl has green eyes. But I had to have it!

This is the second succulent arrangement I‘ve purchased this spring, so I‘m thinking I‘d best do some reading to have any chance of keeping them alive. 😅

For those of you who have read this…..laugh out loud! Those pesky precocious kindergarteners.

I‘m picking up far more of the humor and sarcasm this time around.
😆

I love the southwestern editions of these Golden West cookbooks. But, I think I‘m going to pass on this recipe for tamales. I would try them if they were made for me, but I think finding 4 cups of sheep blood in my corner of the world would be a task. 😏

Reread for work book club. 😁 Enjoying it in print this time around.

💚💚💚💚💚 This is a story of love, of many different loves, and not all are beautiful. This is life itself.

What‘s for dinner?

This was an interesting factoid about Tikka Masala. It‘s akin to “curry.” I‘m sure every family & restaurant has its own variation. I didn‘t know tikka is typically a dry dish; the masala makes it saucy. 😋 My husband requested saucy!

Donated 7 sacks of books to my indie and purchased only 1. That‘s a win for restraint! ☺️

Any US member of #PersephoneClub interested this gently used copy of the upcoming June read? (No cost.)Not in perfect condition, but “good.” I accidentally ordered a second. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Gratuitous dog pic. Just because Coopy Doopy is very spoiled. 🐾

Wow, loving the writing, setting, characters, the whole works!

What a fantastic line quoted above! MYOB

😳 That is shame on Teddy.

Despite this particular passage, so far this account is personable and laugh/snort out loud amusing!

This book is a great example why I love novellas. ♥️

Economy of writing means each word is thoughtfully chosen, there are no meaningless plot diversions, it strongly imprints a snapshot of the MC, and it leaves the reader with ideas to think about long after turning the final page.

If I find this in print, I‘m going to add it to my shelves. It‘s worth a second read.

P.S. We in northern climes dream of days like this 10 months out a year. 🌞

Ooofta! The first chapter had me hooked - ominous & foreboding. 🥺

Ugh, not only do I regret buying this book new, but also wasting my time reading it to nearly the end. I just couldn‘t manage the last few pages.

I will spare everyone the rant, other than to say it wasn‘t the big relationship twist that was the problem. 👎🏾👎🏾

This novel portrays the damaging ripple effect of child sexual abuse among a family. Not that the novel is graphic, quite the opposite. Hjorth in fact circles & circles & circles around it before the MC (now an adult) actually lands on it. The roles each family member plays in the drama strikes me as painfully realistic.

There are odd places where sentences are repeated, the intent of which isn‘t clear.

A house & secrets? Yes please!

The best descriptor of this piece is HARROWING. 😳 What ever could happen to a ship & its crew on the high seas did happen. Simply unbelievable any one of them made it home.

I learned the word origin of limey!

Such gorgeous prose! 💙 By happenstance a young man discovers his path out of a provincial coal mining village and into the expanse of the world via a tragedy and the written word.

If you are a fan of nature writing, you‘ll love the lush descriptions of the landscape, not to mention the delectable edibles!

Offing: the more distant part of the sea in view.

This absolutely fits the American Midwest too! Weather obsessed: A. it‘s farm country; B. It‘s constantly changing & swings between extremes; C. definitely used as chit-chat to grease polite conversation.

The opening of this novel has sucked me right in. First sentence reads, “Where did life go?”

There is more here than the happy romance one might expect. I would have liked more of Lucy to better understand her character beyond mere “shrew.” Henry was a riot when he tried to use Virginia to get out of school. 😆

Oh my, what fun it could have been had Great Uncle Henry and Cousin Charlotte stayed on! 🧨 ☄️

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

This is the second or third time I‘ve tried to listen to this novel and it isn‘t sticking. The historical tidbits are interesting enough, but the characters and plot aren‘t getting any traction.

Moving on…….

I‘ve had this book and the vegetarian companion for many years. Highly recommend because the recipes are easy & straightforward.

Nancies‘s recipe taught me how to make Tom Yum with homemade roasted chili paste. I used to make it religiously every Friday night. Alas, though not as tasty, I‘ve discovered the ease of commercial Tom Yum pastes.

I have a request for fried rice tonight. 😋

#EuropaCollective cast your vote for December 2024!

Links to book blurbs below.

@jlhammar @LeahBergen @squirrelbrain @mcctrish @GatheringBooks @DrexEdit @Aimeesue @charl08 @Deblovestoread @lauraisntwilder @BarbaraBB @CSeydel @TheKidUpstairs @Sapphire @Adventures-of-a-French-Reader @Cathythoughts

Spent some leisure time this afternoon at my local bookshop. 😊

“The winter rushes bend and break, fall down in exhausted clumps; and young green shoots strike up with a delicate vigor among these old straw men. The old reeds creak in the wind, sink lower and gradually disappear. The cattails break off and float away, wads of soggy brown cotton.”

This King Arthur pizza dough recipe using 00 flour is heavenly!

Recipe at the link. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/neapolitan-style-pizza-crust-recipe

This book has several different dough recipes, but when you find something you love it‘s hard to stray! Nonetheless the photos in this book with the variety of toppings will make you drool. 😋🤤

Tom Kha Gai was dinner last night & oh yesssssss leftovers are tonight! My kids have spied several other recipes to try as well, like Cajun Shrimp Po‘Boys. 😋

My kids who claim they don‘t read for fun are now playing rock paper scissors over this book. 🤣

Highly recommend this series well beyond the recommended age range.

Ok, this is one of the more gross things I‘ve encountered in a library book, even though apropos to the genre. 😜 I suppose a flosser would be worse.

I have to say the food in this book looks super delicious, but not exactly on the health menu.

🤔 I think I need to try this in print. For some reason the narration is slightly grating (don‘t know why), which is impacting my enjoyment of the text.

Gossip, the 8th deadly sin? 🗣️🗣️

I can totally see & hear Fremlin‘s novels as 60‘s era films! Love her writing, especially the ability to depict how women are constantly juggling the many hats they wear. (Sometimes they fall off. 🫣)

Ahhhh yes. It‘s a delight to ignore housekeeping tasks in someone else‘s home. MC also mentions the chief attraction of the laundromat is 20 minutes of uninterrupted guilt free reading. 😆 Spot on!

Unbelievable, the punch this novel packs. And it‘s a debut?!

This story covers 10 months of war time living and I‘m gutted to think of those who suffer through far more. Heartbreaking.

Came home to tea mail, which is almost but not quite as great as book mail! ☕️

Daughter is celebrating her 13th birthday at a resort with enough activities to keep her & friends occupied, which means I get to simply read! ☺️

Riveting so far, frightening.

My lucky day! I wasn‘t expecting this hold to come in so quickly. 👏🏾

I‘m struggling with this one half way in - it feels sloooowwwwww and repetitive in the moralizing. Novellas & essays are fabulous so I don‘t understand why publishers & writers feel compelled to pad the stories.

Messy sibling drama ostensibly revolving around the inheritance of the mother‘s home, but of course that isn‘t ever really the issue. It was fine, but the resolution seemed nothing more than a convenient way to end the novel. Suddenly the family drama was just over, which doesn‘t seem to comport with reality.

Great characterization of the women though.

If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove, you‘ll probably like this novel. A tad too twee, but the message is a good one.

Babb does an excellent job humanizing the dust bowl & depression. I learned quite a bit, especially about the migrant camps and how exploitive & dangerous they could be. 😞

Pretty crappy how her research was likely used by Steinbeck without credit and then she couldn‘t get her book published after Grapes of Wrath was released.