Maybe you recognize Smith‘s music from Good Will Hunting. I was a fan of Elliot‘s from the start and saw him several times in person. Certainly not music to dance to but music that meant a lot to me. I couldn‘t listen to his music for almost 20 years following his death because it made me so sad that he was gone. But he‘s back on my playlist.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8bxmk09lCzk&list=RDn5g-91mwiNs&index=6&pp=8AUBoAcB

#TuesdayTunes

There are only a few stories of his acting career here. This is a book of his early years growing up in Ireland, his time struggling with alcohol, and his horrible self-esteem. It is very well written and evokes a sensory experience of an Ireland of old. #TenBeforetheEnd

A three day trip that included visiting Bennington Bookstore in Vermont, Odyssey Bookstore in South Hadley, Massachusetts and the Book Mill in Montague, Massachusetts. All were great stores and the Book Mill was a huge old mill on a river filled with books in all the books and crannies. I purchased many books, all new to me except The Five Wounds which I wanted to have a copy of because I liked it so much. A great trip.

I just read the author's answers to the Oldster questionnaire and chuckled a number of times - thought I'd share. Also, I really appreciate this Substack column a lot. If you don't know of it, you might be interested in checking it out.

https://oldster.substack.com/p/this-is-57-bestselling-author-catherine

Color me happy. In between each of Keegan‘s brilliant stories I take a turn with Gabriel Byrne‘s brilliant life story. Nothing better than reading the writing of two Irish authors.

This is the author‘s debut published in 1995. It‘s published as a novel but feels like it has to be a memoir. A section on the character‘s father, one on the mother, one on the experience of ballet dancers, and one on falling for a married Russian immigrant. As I was reading it I thought the writing was too simple, but by the end I realized how impactful the descriptions were and how close I felt to the characters. #10BeforetheEnd #offtheshelf

Chris Whitaker said glowing things about this novel at the National Book Festival so I purchased it immediately. This story spans decades & centers around characters I grew to care for. The damage that war creates, the need to hide your sexual identity, the repercussions of being an orphan, a woman who talks with spirits, & an affair that ties two families together are all part of the story. Forgiveness is the ultimate message. I really liked it.

Okay, I‘m going to try to finish these books that have been hanging around in my stacks of books by the end of the year. No pressure, just a goal.

#10BeforetheEnd @ChaoticMissAdventures

And again Jennifer surprises me with book mail. You are so generous. It‘s been quite a week and I was faltering a bit and you‘ve raised my spirits with this unexpected surprise. Thank you!!

This author can do no wrong. He brings together characters I won‘t soon forget - Nicholas, a young man whose father is instructed by God to paint and off he goes, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. His father, a tortured soul who paints and tries to hear God again. Isabel, a young woman who grieves for her brother and finds an unworthy man to be with. This book is lyrical, partially magical, very Irish, and thoroughly engrossing.

Oh my! If you‘ve read this book, you‘re going to want to see the film that‘s coming out soon. I got chills watching it.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPvhC5diNye/?igsh=Y3c4ajF2djFqamt2

Toews is a must read author for me. However, I would suggest this not be the first book you read of hers. This is a memoir, filled with snippets of events which involve the silence of her father and her sister- before and after their deaths - stories of her mother who I swear has to be the basis for the grandmother in Fight Night, & stories of other family members. Why she writes is a never ending subject matter. There is humor amidst the many 🔽

I need no convincing to read a book by Niall Williams, but reviews by Edna O‘Brien, Paulo Coelho, and Marianne Faithfull on his debut novel would definitely have convinced me.

One thing I love about Alison‘s books are the drawings. For example, City Hall is perfectly captured here. I can‘t tell you how many times I‘ve walked up and down those stairs during my many years of working there and when Bernie was Mayor the lights in the building were always lit up. This book covers many topics - goat rearing, politics, polyamory (which made me chuckle), Alison‘s constant questioning and concerns. It was a delight.

Second book in a row I could not put down. A baby magpie falls from a tree and Marnie rescues it, much to the annoyance of her husband. Tama becomes a household pet and a viral sensation. Tama is ostracized by her magpie family but adored by Marnie and barely tolerated by hubby. This is a surprisingly tense story and, as the author always manages to do, it was a reading-race-to-the-end for me. A very complete & enjoyable read. TW:DV. #offtheshelf

I cannot tell you how many times I‘ve watched this video of Prince knocking it out of the park and bringing a song to life. He takes a sleepy version of a sweet song and enlivens it. He starts at 3:30.

https://youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c

#tuesdaytunes @TieDyeDude

Thanks to @JillR for her recommendation of this book. Found it on Book Outlet and it‘s the next book I‘ll be reading. #bookmail

I went to a tiny bookstore in the bottom part of the state and they had so many books, new and very old, that I‘ve read and loved. It felt like my own personal library. After talking with the bookseller, she suggested I might like this one and considering we seem to have the same taste I purchased it. I loved it. Magical realism is not generally my jam, but this involved a mute boy and his loving mother and grandmother who have suffered losses. 🔽

I‘m catsitting in my old neighborhood. The house is on a street backed up against a large swath of woods. Lake Champlain is just around the corner. Several porches on different levels of the house with comfy couches, one of which I‘m on right now napping and reading, napping and reading. It‘s a glorious day.

Is this book a mystery? Is it a character study in morality and culpability? Is it a warning about AI? Yes to all of it. I‘m glad that Oprah pushed the book so that people could start thinking more about the dangers of where we go with AI. Unfortunately, though, it was a low pick for me.

I only know about this author because of Litsy. He‘s coming to Burlington so I‘ll be going. What book should I read of his?

Finished this a week ago & scenes come back to me randomly. It‘s epic in scope. Family trauma, family hopes, cultural shifts from North Korea to Japan to the US, misunderstandings, painful departures. It sounds so depressing but it‘s a journey I was willing to go on. If you‘ve read any memoirs by people who have escaped North Korea you‘ll know that parts of this book do not stray from the truth. Yes, it could be shorter but it‘s worth it. #booker

Shoot. I really wanted the tagged book to be on the short list. #Booker2025

As I mentioned previously, Jenny of Reading Envy gave this book five stars. It was a local book seller who handed it to me and said I had to read it. This was delightful. Short stories involving women dipping into alternative settings, where a certain injection could turn you into a horse to be wild forever, where women in their 60s review their friendships, where a statue of Mary and Jesus offer comfort and sarcasm. Great to dip in and out of. 🔽

I‘m alternating reading these two books, both story collections. They could not be further apart in tone and content. 😂😂😂 if you know, you know. One is a Booker prize winner and one was given 5 stars by Jenny of Reading Envy.

This is my tiny Village of Hyde Park, VT, 130 years old this year. Each year we have Home Day where school bands, community bands, trucks & tractors, & kids on bicycles participate in a parade that goes down a short Main Street, turns around and comes right back again. Food trucks, raffles, face painters and artists all have booths on the side of the road. After this week of political chaos today felt particularly sweet and a treasured event.

In this story, a woman is taking an experimental drug that will turn her into a horse. A horse that will be completely wild, with no restraints, no language, no laws, no riders. What you end up caring about sounds pretty good to me right now.

This cracked me up.

Bo is quite elderly and lives alone with caregivers coming and going. His wife lives in a home with other dementia patients. Over the months that we know him we experience his decline. We learn of his relationships with his father and his son as he struggles with memories of his father and anger at his son who is just trying his best to care for his father. His love for his wife is an ever present theme. I could not put this book down. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A mother, her two daughters, and an ex-husband of one of the daughters are struggling: one coping with an end of life issue and the others dealing with an infidelity and a reckoning. I appreciated the writing and, honestly, I related strongly with all the characters. There should have been a ‘bad guy‘ but I found myself able to empathize with all of them. Not sure who decided this cover though. Thanks to @Jeg and @Centique for the recommendation.

Sadly, this book is starting to bug me. This grandfather is explaining each painting in the museums they visit to his granddaughter who is 10 years old. His explanations are even hard for me to follow. Not sure how we‘re supposed to believe she understands what he‘s talking about. I suppose if you‘re going to visit the museums the commentary would be helpful though.

1. A son & his wife & daughter planned a sleepover even though they live only an hour away. We spent time at a lake, ate out with other family members, and relaxed.
2. Charley and her new friend, Tenzi, that my Tibetan friend gave me ages ago.
3. A mural in Bellows Falls, VT taken during my bookstore travels.
4. The Captain and his sister on the 1st day of 6th and 2nd grade
#5JoysFriday
@DebinHawaii
5. Flowers everywhere.

Miller is an author who has a farm in Vermont. I really enjoyed his first book so I had high hopes for this one. This is a story of a young man watching his father farm in Iceland and helping him to take on the duties of the farm as his father falls into a depression. I feel as if I learned so much about Iceland and about farming through this book. It wasn‘t quite as good as The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven but a worthwhile read, for sure.

The dedication page of this book. As a grandparent of children of all ages I say thank you very much. This book is giving me lots of ideas of additional things I can offer to my grandkids.

Also, the paper cover of the hardcover book opens to a large foldout with pictures of all the paintings highlighted in the book. 🔥

Folks may remember I‘m attempting to complete my Vermont Independent Bookstore Passport program. While there are a great deal of independent bookstores in Vermont only 20 are part of this program this year. Yesterday I drove 5 hours in total to visit 2 bookstores. One store was in a town I‘d never visited and I spent a good deal of time exploring. I‘ve now gone to 19 stores - one more to go to complete this fantastic adventure.

Roman comes back to his hometown when he hears his father has been badly injured. He reunites with his siblings to find that his youngest brother is involved in a bad drug dealing scheme which may have been the reason for the father now being close to death. Roman takes on the mission to get his brother out of this situation. This book is not my favorite of Cosby‘s and, as usual, it‘s violent, but I could not put it down. #CampLitsy25

A Ukrainian woman seeking to find snails before they become extinct & two sisters participating in the bridal tourism industry meet up & become embroiled in a journey with 13 men they‘ve abducted & placed in their mobile van. In the middle of the story things change, the Russian invasion begins, and the author begins to speak of her ancestry and her feelings about the invasion. Then we return to the story already in progress. A five star read.

I‘m not sure where I heard about this book but I knew at once I needed to own it. Organizers and movement-builders offer more than fifty rituals, prayers, and liturgies to support and sustain us in the work we need to do to work against a fascist regime, to help the unhoused, to feed the hungry, and to move forward toward social justice.

A little porch read and a little dig at the former and current White House resident.

This is referencing the text that provides details on why men would want to go to Ukraine to find a bride.

Thanks to @Cathythoughts for her review, I was reminded to look for this book at the library. At 400+ pages, very small type, long sentences and very few paragraphs, it would seem to be a challenge to get through. Yet I was enthralled even when I wanted Mauvignier to get to the point. The suspense builds throughout as three men invade a household during a birthday celebration. It has a series of terrific character studies that will stay with me.

I have no idea how I was lucky enough to win a free copy of this book from Europa. I can‘t wait to read it.

Book 2 in this trilogy brings us inside Kristin and Erland‘s home life in the 14th century. Childbirth (so many children!), the death of Kristin‘s parents and the management of their property are all wearing Kristin down. And Erland isn‘t much help. In fact, he becomes involved in a political scheme that nearly does him in. Simon rises in every instance to help Kristin. Undset writes a great story. #KLBR @BarbaraJean

A story unlike any I‘ve read before that brings you inside the experience of being trans, of coming out as trans, of hiding that you‘re trans. The characters are all richly drawn and ones I‘ll remember for quite some time.

Thank you to #camplitsy25 for selecting this one as a summer read.

This is about domestic violence & how it affects each member of a family. Cora goes to register the name of her baby with 3 options being suggested. What she decides to name him then affects the rest of their lives. However, rest assured that the DV affects all members of the family no matter what name is chosen. It‘s an interesting approach to telling the story & I appreciated her writing but it was a bit hard to keep track of each storyline.

Alison Bechdel and Harry Bliss, both Vermont cartoonists, interview each other in our local independent newspaper.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/arts-culture/cartoonist-interview-alison-bechdel-and...

On the left, the book jacket. On the right, the book. The story is as creative as the book design. A novel I only read because of #CampLitsy25 and one I‘m so glad I didn‘t miss out on. Immersive, page turning, and layered.

I remember borrowing this book from the library but I never had the chance to read it. I‘d forgotten all about it until this prompt came up!

@Jas16 interested in participating?

#tagyourit

Yesterday I drove about 6 hours round trip to hit up two more bookstores in order to try to complete my Vermont Independent Bookstore Passport. I visited two stores: one in the beautiful tourist town of Woodstock and the other in Ludlow, home to Okemo Mountain. The Book Nook in Ludlow was definitely a little nook but it had so many of my obscure favorites-ones I thought no one read anymore-that I felt truly seen. Three more stores to go!

Thanks to @BarbaraBB for recommending this book and thanks to Evans for writing it. A story told through letters is always a pleasure to read and the main character is a pleasure to meet. We meet her in her early 70‘s. We experience her frustration as her eyesight begins to fail, we root her on when several men seem interested in her, and we share her sadness as she writes of some past events. I really enjoyed this.

If you know of Tiffany then you‘ll appreciate her recounting of her experience being a drug addict and navigating life in and out of prison.

(Photo from a nearby river on my walk where I tried to wrap my head around the cruelty of the country I live in. I‘m devastated.)