Not a cookbook I‘ll purchase, but I really like this chart! It would make a terrific poster for the kitchen or pantry.

I guess Christie and I just aren‘t a great fit. I‘ve tried a handful now and I just don‘t get invested in the characters or mysteries. I do though enjoy the Ms. Marple TV adaptations - go figure.

Strange combo this morning: Tom Yum soup & “Of Wearing Clothes” by Montaigne. 😏

I have to say, I‘m enjoying Montaigne‘s musings.

My son has gobbled up this series! If you have a tween, they may like it too.

This essay “ Of Books” isn‘t assigned, but which one of us wouldn‘t open to it immediately? I will have to mark and come back to it!

My reading buddy this morning. I‘m venturing into Montaigne this week for my class. I‘m sure I‘ll enjoy him better than Machiavelli. 🤞🏾🐝

Banking this moment for February & March. 😁

Sorry to say, I only skimmed this to the end to find out what happened to the jerk cop. 😑

Absorbing break from academic gobbledygook! Sucked into the mystery & medieval setting, enough that I just paid to download the second in the series. The mystery in the second is touched upon in the first and involves the sacrifice of young girls to God. 😮

I hated the narrator‘s voice, but I held on for the bizarre story that I enjoyed. I didn‘t see the twist coming. 🗡

We‘ve been working on this story bit by bit and we loved every minute! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 from the Graham bedtime readers! No fantasy, just real kids with a real goal and real challenges. Affirming messages just like in the first installment, can‘t wait for the next to come out in September!

My assigned reading - this irreverent comedy. By chance I found this illustrated hardback at Half Price Books, which greatly enhances the absurdity. (Yes, I mark up my course required books - even nice books. I view them as tools.) 🤓

I really enjoyed this on audio - I always looked forward to getting back to it! No Greek mythology background required as it‘s a fresh look at the sacking of Troy, or really the waiting for the sacking of Troy, from the perspective of a female slave of royal background won by Achilles. The end is perhaps a little unrealistic, but its definitely a pick!

This is my first Pat Barker book, need to do some investigating!

New Renaissance course is a serious infringement on my recreational reading. 😖 This week is especially tortuous since most of the poetry assigned revolves around love themes. What was with Shakespeare‘s reproductive obsession in his sonnets? I could understand sex, but these are admonishments to have offspring. Weird.

Pondering the element of beauty in natural landscapes.

Not the tagged book, must be too new, but my daughter loved this picture book. It has lots of diversity and you get to pick your clothing, food, activities, places etc. on each page that represents part of the day. A book that is fun multiple times around and friends can “play” together by asking each other‘s choices.

By Julie Morstad

*waiting on son to get out of school

Really amazing book for anyone who likes factoids about animals. Beautiful photos and heavy weight paper that is a sensory delight. I am super tempted to buy this one - either that or I‘ll have to keep checking it out from the library!

Daughter is home sick so together we‘ve learned some fascinating facts, e.g. starfish have no brains, heart, or blood. 😲

Audio baking this morning with Don Quixote - 36 hr audio version. 😳

Reflection after the government in all its wisdom killed the last grizzly on Escudilla mountain in AZ. They made it safe for cattle, despite the bear only killing one cow each spring. Certainly seemed a fair enough price for sharing the same space.

Related, but from a different book, today I read the Hopis (AZ) traditionally plant more corn than needed for human consumption because animals need to eat too. Seems a reasonable solution to me.

Male mayflies live a long 30 min! 😲 I guess I‘m not that pressed for time after all.

It‘s been many years since I‘ve read and watched Lonesome Dove. Now‘s the time! If you haven‘t watched the movie, Duvall is something else. 💚

Not a novel for readers who are sensitive about fertility issues & loss of children.

Very strong writing voice; well conveyed a sense of place & culture. Could have been edited down as the story sprawled - bit like Mahler & Wagner (GASP) with too many climaxes and the end was not believable. But, with all that the audio narrator made it a great listen.

If you are a fan of Mo Willems, check out this book by Santat! 😂😆 👍🏾👍🏾 Brilliant! All the humor and sweetness of Willems. My daughter is going to love it when she gets home today.

Harold & Hog tell their friend “pigeon” he can drive the bus in their game of pretend. If you know the real Pigeon, you‘ll know why this is hilarious. Fits the whole story.

I‘m only in the middle of listening to this novel and holy cow! What writing and narration. Completely drawn into the MC.

I wish this sentiment was embraced today. #catherbuddyread

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😳 I had no idea! I would think twice about exploring the Everglades. 🐍

Ahhh, the much maligned dandelion.

A highly descriptive coming of age epistolary adventure western. The end is satisfying in that it‘s not tied up with a pretty bow. Definitely not a saccharine family saga; Crook writes some raw honesty into the relationships.

Narration is well done. 🎤

I love the title and it‘s use in context is perfect too.

3.5⭐️ The extra half star for the narration, Vance is terrific!

The story had all the gothic elements to be fantastic: big crumbling house, atmospheric, ghostly unexplainable goings-on, mental illness (or is it?) but it kinda fizzled out a bit. I was expecting some kind of brilliant twist at the end.

I do admire the feminist strength of one of the MCs - resisting societal expectations.

Everything else about the writing was very good.

My finds for today, along with variegated basil which I hadn‘t seen before. Smells sooo good!

Cottonwood leaves talking about rain.....love this description. They do indeed chatter! 🌿🌨

Finished Part I, but I‘m fearful I‘ll miss the nature writing. #catherbuddyread

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Morning nature reading with favorite breakfast: eggs, beans, & salsa. 😋

Not quite as richly atmospheric as Dark Matter, but there was some good tension built up on the mountain by the end. Quick & easy read if you are looking for a ghostly story. I‘d say this was 3⭐️.

The puzzle is a totally incongruent background. 😜

2 finds today. I LOVED/ADORED Donoghue‘s short story collection Astray, so I picked the tagged book up without hesitation.

I might be the last reader on earth to finally pick up a copy of Housekeeping. I‘ve had Gilead on my shelf for years, but didn‘t want to read it before this one.

Coffee shop reading with some new blooms! Blustery & cool today, otherwise I would have come away with more. 😬

3.5⭐️ There are some gems in this collection. They are reminiscent of Ted Kooser in that Wanek examines the ordinary in lovely ways, but there is only one of him so that‘s not a fair comparison, I know.

Shopping my shelves. I loved Dark Matter by Paver so my hopes are up. If it‘s similar, I read it long ago enough that that would be okay.

It‘s in Hagar‘s nature to be a holy terror and she is self aware enough to know and accept it.

This classic Canadian novel is an unsentimental look at the life of a fierce uncompromising prairie woman and aging out of independence.

Terrifying the passage about the intentional public hate speech whipping up bigotry. Sounds all too familiar.

Same issues today, different names and years & sometimes tactics.

I have always loved these kinds of riddles. 😄 I‘m going to pose it to my kids - let‘s see how long I can get away with not giving them the answer. 😜

Raising my blood pressure. 😡 The culture of blatant racism and and willful disregard is disgusting me.

This is the reward when it finally hits 80 again after 6 months and the winter we‘ve endured!

And when my grading is done!

Well that was a mistake - reading reviews after buying a book. The one saving grace is I supported our one & only Indie bookstore.

On a happy note, there is this pretty bloom.

Another 5⭐️! What a clever & inventive feminist story that breathes life into Penelope, past and present. The humor too! The passage quoted above is a “video clip” from a modern day court hearing wherein Odysseus is having to defend himself against charges of murder. That last paragraph 😂😂😆

“A stick used to beat other women with.”

Oh Penelope! 😫

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Two strangers trapped together in a tiny forest village by a brutal winter, dependent upon each other for survival. Trust is a fickle thing.

I had to force myself to slow down! I‘m so glad I picked this book up on a whim. The writing is poetic, which means the translation is excellent!

What‘s not to like about Bittman‘s cookbooks? His style suits me perfectly - recipes that are simple & tasty. This is a new one I borrowed from the library that I would like to buy and add to my home collection.

Anyone else partial to paper books for cooking? Ebooks are certainly have their pros, but I find it difficult to browse and cook from ebooks.

This is a unique little piece about self discovery and sense of belonging. I am guessing the MC is a voice on the autism spectrum.

😂 I snorted out loud.

Quiet read with some lyrical writing, but I wasn‘t particularly drawn into the story or captivated by the characters.