Hey It's Monday

Good Monday morning friends. How was your weekend? Ours was pretty good, the weather was wacky, our Vols won, our Tigers eked out a win too, and we spent time with friends, family, and at home which is my favorite place to be. I didn't take a lot of photos this weekend, but c'est la vie. 

Friday hubs golfed with some guys and I trekked into the nearby city for my mammogram followed by a Costco run. Good times, right? Costco was an absolute zoo which is why I try never to be there on a Friday afternoon. Since I was in the neighborhood it made sense to brave it this week. 

I didn't get home until after 5 PM and was glad I'd made dinner before I left home that morning. We had chicken pot pie and watched a movie, then called it a night pretty early. 

Saturday morning hubs popped over to the baseball field to watch the mancub practice and to hang out with the grands for a little while too. Daughter1's inlaws had come out to the lake for the weekend and brought us an assorted pepper haul from their garden. I'm going to pickle the jalapenos and probably the tabasco peppers too. 

We had a party to go to later that afternoon so I spent the morning making something to add to the meal. I'd kind of forgotten about this recipe which I used to make a lot a couple of decades ago, but it popped up online recently and I decided to bring it back. Veggie pizzas. A crescent roll crust topped with an herbed cream cheese-sour cream 'sauce' then whatever veggies you like. So pretty and really tasty too.

We left around 3 to go to a friend's house for an oyster roast. They were also grilling brats and burgers for the non-oyster eaters, and it was a big group so lots of delicious sides. 

Right around the time our host was going to light the grill, the sky grew black and then opened up with the craziest wind and rain. 

The local college football game had started and they had to stop play due to lightning. Not really a bad thing as they were taking a beating, and that break seemed to help a little.  

There was plenty of room for everyone inside and eventually the rain moved out and it turned into a pretty night. 

Sunday we went to church, then out to breakfast-lunch with daughter1 and her kiddos. Her hubs was on call this weekend so didn't make it to church, but managed to meet us for lunch which was nice.

I spent the afternoon blogging, dozing, and reading as I had five books on hold at the library and they all came in on Friday. I was number 18 in the queue for one of them, so not sure how I moved up on the list so quickly, but of course this is not a bad problem to have. 

So how did you spend your weekend? 

If you'd like to share, hop over to add your own link with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) today. Have a nice week! 

Share Your Shelf-August

It's the first Thursday of the month, which means it's time to share what we read the month prior. If you want to add your own list link, or read what others are reading visit Tanya, Marilyn, Joanne, or Jenn who host this monthly book party. Here's what I read in August-

I had a lot of company this month and as a result did less reading than I normally would. I had two wins and two that were something less than a win. Actually one was a DNF (did not finish) which rarely happens for me. Here we go...

1. Among Friends by Hal Ebbot

Amos and Emerson have been friends for decades, since they were college students. Close friends who lean on one another for emotional support, advice, and camaraderie, and their long friendship seems to have stood the test of time. Emerson comes from a privileged background, Amos does not although he has become a successful adult. Their wives are friends and they each have a sixteen year old daughter. The families have spent a lot of time together through the years and the men are especially close. 

The story is set around the weekend gathering of both families to celebrate Emerson's 52nd birthday. A very serious and traumatic event occurs during the weekend, and the aftermath of that event makes up the remainder of the book. There are some flashbacks in the story which aren't always clear as flashbacks. 

As the weekend unravels deep seated resentments are revealed, and class tensions come to the surface. The men are forced to confront the choices they must make about friendship, loyalty, and truth. 

In my mind, there was no choice to be made, the right way forward was abundantly clear, yet somehow it was agonized over and considered from absolutely every conceivable angle. And as to 'why' the event occurred the reader is left to mostly figure that out for him/herself. 

I'm not sure how this ended up on my to-read list, but it wasn't worth the time I spent reading. I gave it two stars because I did read all the way to the end waiting for some big revelation, which sadly did not materialize. 

2. Holiness by J. C. Ryle

I absolutely loved this book. In my top ten. I was reading it on the beach and hubs asked me if I was studying for an exam lol. I had highlighter in hand and was furiously underlining what felt like every other sentence. So full of wisdom and insightful commentary. 

Ryle was an evangelical Anglican bishop who came to faith while attending Oxford. His book was first published in 1877, but feels like it could have been written today. I found myself reading and nodding my head and then would suddenly remember it was written more than a hundred years ago. 

Each chapter is a separate paper, some of which were sermons, all focused on scriptural holiness and what that means. Without overstating things this book felt life changing to me. I wanted to take my time with it, and I did. I will go back to what I've highlighted and read again from time to time. It's challenging, convicting, encouraging, and easy to read in spite of the date of publication. 

If you're a Christian and haven't read this one I highly highly recommend. If you're not a Christian I still recommend. Five stars for me. 

3. Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Gray 

This might seem an odd choice, but I really enjoyed this one. Hubs wanted to read it so I downloaded on Audible and we tried listening on our drive to Hilton Head. He found it too slow moving with a lot of description initially, but I stuck with it and was glad I did. We have to be in the right frame of mind to read certain books and classics for sure fall into that category. They tend to be more descriptive, so you have to be patient and get the rhythm the author is going for. The pace on this one definitely picked up. 

Riders of the Purple Sage is considered the first novel in the western genre. Not my normal pick, although I did love Lonesome Dove and all the Tony Hillerman mysteries set on the Navajo reservation. 

I didn't know anything about the plot of Riders before hitting play, but in a nutshell it's the story of a devout Mormon woman named Jane Withersteen who has inherited a sprawling ranch from her father. Jane is under pressure from the church to marry an elder and add her land, herd, and particularly her water/spring to the Mormon settlement there. When she resists the elder resorts to threats, intimidation, and more. A mysterious gunman named Lassiter, and another prominent character by the name of Vetners, have both been on the receiving end of persecution by the Mormons in the fictional town of Cottonwood in southern Utah, and they strive to come to the aid of Jane.  

I am not a Mormon, and I have to wonder what the Mormon reaction was to this book when it first came out? I read that during WW2 it was rejected for publication as an Armed Services Edition because of it's perceived bias towards Mormons. The fictional community in this story are fundamentalists with multiple wives. 

Also, this hit me as more of a romance with a western setting as opposed to a real western, but then maybe the best westerns have a little romance in them too? 4 stars for me. 

4. So Far Gone by Jess Walter

I was all over the map this month it seems. This one was a DNF. Ugh. It starts with the main character Kinnick, a former journalist, reluctantly having Thanksgiving dinner at his daughter's home where he ends up punching her 'Trumper' husband before taking off to live off the grid. All the cliches are unleased here. Not for me. I don't mind reading a book that reflects current culture, but I hate the sterotyping that so often goes along with it. 

September Hodgepodging

Welcome to September and The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions, add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

We've had a busy August so I'm trying to catch up now on some of the business of life that gets set aside when you have houseguests coming and going. Let's just go with one of my favorite pictures here for now-

My precious grandmother, known as GiGi to her grandgirls (it stands for great-grandma), but she was Grandma to me. Here she is with my daughter2 and the sweetness of this photo can make me cry.

We lived with her when I was a year old and my dad was overseas and my mama had an 8 year old, a 6-year old, me, and my baby sister who got off to a rocky start in life. I spent a lot of time with my grandma and loved her so much. 

I'm so thankful my girls got to know her and I had her in my life well into my adult years. I'm thankful for her wisdom, her prayers, her made from scratch dinner rolls, and her love. 

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

I could write a book with quotes I love from books I've read, and how do you choose an answer here? Pat Conroy is one of my favorite authors so I'm going with one of his-

"I could bear the memory, but I could not bear the music that made the memory such a killing thing." Pat Conroy in Beach Music

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

Someone talking with food in their mouth. 

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

I still love books, walking barefoot, sweet treats, and a full table with family and friends gathered round. I'm still an optimist, and it takes a lot to make me angry. 

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

We do not currently have an official emergency plan, but we are also not totally unprepared for an emergency. We've had plans in the past, mostly when the girls were single and we were all living in different parts of the country, but circumstances change and we don't have a firm plan in place in this house. 

It's become something we all laugh about (except me because I'm serious about this sort of thing), but my girls will tell you I give them some sort of emergency preparedness gift every Christmas. Everything from weather radios and fire starters to an earthquake evacuation kit for Daughter1 when she lived in Washington State. She was living there as a newlywed when the scary New Yorker article about the risk of earthquakes along the Cascadia Fault came out. The article was called The Big One and the title alone was enough to make me hit purchase.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

My basil has absolutely exploded this year. I think it's loved all the summer rain we've had and it has thrived. My grands love it right off the stem and they snatch a leaf to snack on every time they walk past. 

I harvested a big bowl full over the weekend and made pesto with it. I used this recipe  and it is delicious. 

For dinner Sunday evening I sauteéd some tomatoes from our tomato 'tree' (seriously, it's a tree, not a plant) and a little bit of onion and garlic, and then boiled some pasta. I stirred the tomatoes and pesto into the noodles, topped it with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and it was molto delizioso!

It's also good topped with some shrimp or grilled chicken, but we'd had a big late breakfast after church and wanted a lighter dinner.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 618

Here are the questions to our middle of the week Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (9/3) to share your answers. See you there! 

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Share Your Shelf-July

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've read the month prior. I had some good reads in July, although I didn't get to a classic. I have one on tap for August and to be honest reading Don Quixote in May should count as two. Linking with Jenn, Joanne, Marilyn, and Tanya today. If you'd like to add your titles or see what others are reading hop over to one of the blogs linked here.  

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

"I've learned how big of a dream it is to have a small life." 

This was definitely a favorite. A multi-generational family saga that explores themes of love, loss, addiction, and the enduring power of family ties. Various parts of the story are told by three different members of the Bright family spanning four decades. Each person's voice adds depth to what we already know. I loved the writing. 

Lillian and Ryan fall in love, marry, and have a daughter they name Georgette (Jet). Their happiness is complicated by a number of issues, some born in the past and some present day. The characters are complex, richly drawn, and flawed. You are rooting for them all. 

I don't want to spoil anyone's read, but this one definitely tugs at your heartstrings. Five stars for me. 

"I didn't know happiness could feel so sad'

Heartwood by Amity Gage

The fictional story of 42-year old Valerie Gillis, a nurse who vanishes somewhere in Maine, while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Her disappearance triggers a wide-scale search operation led by Beverly Miller, a female lieutenant with the Maine Warden Service. 

The narration is handled via excerpts from Valerie's journal, Beverly's perspective, and an additional character, 76-year old Lena Kucharski, a retired scientist who acts as armchair detective. Lena has a story  of her own too. While I understand the use of Valerie's journal, I think there would have been a bit more mystery without that piece. 

Is it just me or are there suddenly a slew of books about people disappearing in the woods? 

In this instance I was expecting more intrigue, a thriller even, but that wasn't the case. The author uses the lost hiker as a means to explore the unexpected theme of motherhood. Valerie writes letters to her mother in her journal. Bev the warden has a mother who is dying and there are complicated feelings there. Lena has a daughter who doesn't speak to her. 

Yes there's the search to find Valerie, but mothers and daughters and how they relate are at the heart of the story. Three stars for me. 

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet  by Jamie Ford

I've been trying every month to read something that's been sitting on my Goodreads 'to be read' list for a long while and this one fit the bill. 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a work of historical fiction that tells the story of Henry Lee, a Chinese-American boy, and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese-American girl, who form an unlikely friendship in Seattle during WW2. 

The tale is told using a dual timeline and the format works well. We meet 50-something Henry in his present day life, a recent widower and father to a young adult son with whom he struggles to communicate. The story opens with Henry standing in front of the Panama Hotel which has been shuttered since the war, but has recently been purchased and is undergoing refurbishment. It's a spot that holds memories both bitter and sweet for him. 

In the clean up process, suitcases and other items that belonged to Japanese Americans sent to internment camps during the war are discovered in the basement. The story alternates between the 1980s (present day) and Henry's experiences in the 1940s. I enjoyed both timelines. 

I'll be honest and say that while I knew there were Japanese internment camps in the US during the war,  I didn't know much more than that. A poignant, tender, well-told story. Loved it. Four stars for me. 

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian 

This book y'all. It's intense and had me from the word go. It's original and I'm a fan of original. The author has done a lot of research into the geo-political climate of Africa in the 1960's and it's woven in to the story in a way that's engaging. It feels like a thriller and it is, but there's history on the pages too. This is not a keep you up at night with the covers pulled over your head  kind of thriller. 

Unless you've got an African Safari on the calendar, and then all bets are off. 

It's 1964 and a popular actress (Katie Barstow) and her new husband (David Hill) decide to bring a group of their Hollywood friends to Tanzania to join them for the second leg of their honeymoon. For most of the group this will be a photo safari and the first few days start off gently enough. Things go awry pretty quickly and by awry I mean yikes! 

This was a page turner for me. You should know going in there's some violence of both the two-legged and four-legged variety. Four stars for me. 

Parent's Weekend by Alex Finlay 

Five college students go missing during Parent's Weekend at a California university. All are pretty much a mess in some way, or at least they come from messy families. There are some cliches here which grate, but the plot grabs you. 

There are a lot of people in this book and I found myself flipping back to the intro page often to re-check the helpful cast list. On the plus side, I really liked the lead FBI agent Sarah Keller with her nice kids and her smart, caring husband. She felt relatable, capable without being over the top, and also really likable. 

I read this in a day with my toes in the sand. It was a good beach read and held my interest to the end. An easy read, maybe not memorable, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

So what have you been reading? Send any new favorites my way!

A Beachy Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then be sure to leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time past quickly for you? 

Slowly? I could answer this in a number of ways but let's go with the obvious...time passes slowly while  wearing a boot in the middle of summer in order to heal a stress fracture. 'nuff said. 

Quickly? Now. This season of life. After a certain age you are just hyper aware of the passing of time, or at least I am. 

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite 'beach' activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag.

I wrote a post on Tuesday about my favorite beach. I love many beaches but if I have to pick a favorite the one I wrote about would be numero uno. Marco Island Florida. You can read the post here-Just Beachy

My favorite beach activity-a low beach chair at the edge of the water,  just far enough in to the surf to feel it wash over my feet, but not so far in that the water swamps me and the book on my lap. 

In my beach bag-sunscreen, a towel, a book, snacks, goggles, a coverup, chapstick with spf,  diving rings for the kids, a comb, a pair of quick dry shorts, and my accupressure bands for any unanticipated rocky boat rides.  

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting? 

Book-The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher...if you've never read this one I recommend. 

4. What's a food you love, but find it's a pain to eat? Is it worth it? 

Steamed blue crabs coated in Old Bay. Is it worth it? 1000% yes. Now look at these babies...

This picture was taken the day we met our now son-in-law for the very first time. He was doing a stint at Walter Reed Hospital, daughter1 lived in D.C,  and we were in Annapolis for something, so we all met to spend the day together. You should know we lived in Annapolis for nine years and are crab snobs. 

Maryland blue crabs (they're blue before they're steamed) eaten beside the water are the best and I won't argue about this. 

Anyway, we walked around town and made him  asked him to pose in front of the Naval Academy sign, much to his dismay (he was Army). Afterwards we had a crab feast at one of our favorite places on one of the hottest days of the year. And now here we are twelve years later, they have three kids and are living 4 miles from us in a South Carolina lake town. Time is funny. 

5.  Do you like roller coasters? What's the best (or worst) roller coaster you've been on? 

I am not a fan of roller coasters. I have never been a fan of roller coasters. In fact, I will go so far as to say if I never get talked into taking a ride another roller coaster ever ever ever it's all good. 

I liked The Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney. Is that considered a coaster? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We've been living on tomato sandwiches this month. Daughter1's mother-in-law brought us a big bag full from their garden,  and now we're dining on some from our own plant too...

I know I'm breaking one of the cardinal rules of tomato sandwiches here by making ours on wheat bread, but we don't eat white bread and wheat, very lightly toasted, is delish.  I do use the required mayo which is a no-brainer since I live in the land of Dukes. 

Also it's the best. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 612

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday, July 23rd to share answers with all your friends and neighbors. See you there! 

1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time past quickly for you? 

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite 'beach' activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag.

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting? 

4. What's a food you love, but find it's a pain to eat? Is it worth it? 

5.  Do you like roller coasters? What's the best (or worst) roller coaster you've been on? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The Weekend Re-Boot

We had a pretty low key weekend which is code for me spending much of it plopped and propped on the couch resting my ankle.  Slow and steady wins the boot race, right? 

I missed the monthly share your shelf book link up this month, so thought today I'd combine the weekend recap with my June books reviews. I didn't read as much in the month of June as I would have liked, but we were busy going and doing and that was fun too. 

Fun of course until I learned I'd been walking on a fracture, but I'm on the road to recovery now. 

So first the weekend...

Friday I rested. I was going to meet two college friends for lunch but then I remembered I'm not driving, so they came here. It was nice, and afterwards we sat on the porch for a few hours catching up and making plans. I didn't think to take a picture. 

Hubs and I did make a delicious pasta for dinner, all from memory-ha. Our collective memory I should say. He'd seen the recipe online somewhere and was certain he'd sent it to me, but I went through all the many, many, many things he sends me and couldn't find it. 

Anyway it was simple and I think we were close to correct. It was basically garlic, onion, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, shrimp, and a diced red chili with tagliatelle, which I didn't have so we used Fettucine. It was all topped with freshly grated parm and tasted so good. Definitely got the spice from the chili but we like spicy. 

Saturday I rested. Some. Hubs made us breakfast on the griddle (bacon and eggs) and he carried everything up and down the stairs so I didn't have to. Once we'd eaten he got the grill ready and some ribs prepped for smoking. 

Daughter1's hubs was on call this weekend so she came over late morning to swim in the lake with her kiddos. I made one trip to the dock and one trip back to dry land. It was hot and the lake felt good. Hubs got the paddle boards out and the boys (and little miss too) had a grand time paddling around the cove. 

It goes without saying I did not paddle board. 

We had lunch then they went back to their house and I returned to the couch. We had the most delicious ribs for dinner...

Afterwards we popped over to Daughter1's house for dessert. We brought them ribs and they treated us to their fantastic homemade peach ice cream. It was so yummy hubs and I decided to put peach picking on our to do list this week. Depending on the orchard set up it might be more peach buying but we'll see. 

We came home and watched a couple more episodes of our current show-Department Q. Hubs thought it got off to a slow start, but he's hooked now too. Maybe not hooked, but he's watching. I'm hooked. 

Sunday we went to church, then out to breakfast with the kids and their momma. My son-in-law was still on call, which on a weekend pretty much means you'll be operating. We came home and I propped my leg up once more.  Sunday night we finished Department Q-it's so good. Hubs agrees. It's a little raw, lots of language, and pretty intense, but I recommend and hope there's a season 2 in the works. 

And look at me now...ten paragraphs talking about pretty much nothing. It's my superpower. Let's change topic and talk books. Here's what I read in June-

1. Drunkish: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Alcohol by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

This was our July book club selection and a different sort of read for us. This is a candid account of one woman 'breaking up' with alcohol for good. After spending a lifetime wrestling with the question of whether or not she's a real alcoholic, one night brings Stefanie close to the edge of losing it all. The event wakes her up and she decides she doesn't need to hit actual rock bottom before deciding to stop drinking. She wants a better life and if sobriety is what gets her there she's all in.   

I don't like to rate a memoir, as it's someone's personal story. That being said, this wasn't a bad read, there's language (she comes from the world of stand up comedy), and I admire someone who admits and confronts a difficult problem.  

2. The Favorites by Layne Fargo

Childhood friends Katerina Shaw and Heath Rocha rise through the ranks of ice dancing to become Olympic stars. Their tumultuous relationship is fueled by love, ambition, and a desire to flee from their painful shared past. An incident at the Olympics ends their partnership, and then a documentary ten years later forces Kat to confront the past and tell her side of the story. 

The story is told in a documentary interview style format, with multiple characters talking about Katerina's and Heath's careers ten years after the Olympics. Initially I wasn't sure I would like the format, but ended up loving it. In this case it definitely worked, and I think helped the story along. 

I kinda loved this one and also kinda didn't. I found the world of skating interesting and really fun to read about. I'd never given a lot of thought to ice dancing and feel like the author really did her homework here. I think she captured the drive, focus, and ambition Olympic athletes in any sport must have and the story moved.  That being said, I think maybe I'm just a little too old for the 'coming of age' storyline when that's the focus. This one teetered on too much of that for me, but it also had enough of the skating-competition/friendship piece to keep me reading. 

3.  The Southern Trial (Joe Hennessey legal thriller #4) by Peter O'Mahoney

This is the fourth in a six-book series featuring Charleston lawyer Joe Hennessey. Hubs and I have listened to this series on Audible and we've both enjoyed all of the books to date. 

While I liked this one a lot, I thought the first three were better. This one wraps up a personal story line that's been running throughout, and while that was satisfying I missed the way he incorporated other cases into the previous books alongside the personal tale. 

I gave the first three in the series four stars, but this fourth book just three. Still a good read and I will happily read the last two in the series. 

4.  Speak To Me Of Home by Jeanine Cummins

Did you read American Dirt? I really liked it, and this book is by the same author. Enjoyed it a lot, but probably not quite as much as American Dirt. 

Speak To Me Of Home is the story of mothers and daughters, of three generations of Puerto Rican women whose family secrets are revealed as the story unfolds. Rafaela is the matriarch who left Puerto Rico for the midwest and the promise of a new life in the 1970's. We also meet Rafaela's daughter Ruth and Ruth's daughter Daisy, whose accident brings the three women together in Puerto Rico where those secrets come to light.  Themes of displacement, identity, prejudice, and the need to belong are all addressed in this touching story. 

I gave it four stars. There are multiple timelines happening, or maybe multiple multiple multiple timelines would be a more accurate description, and I did find that confusing at times. Hence the four stars as opposed to five. 

I missed the link up in June, but you can see what others read last month by visiting the host blogs listed here-

And for more weekend recap fun visit Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) to see what others have been up to. 

Have a great week everyone! 

Share Your Shelf-May

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we read the month prior. May was a mix of fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and classic. I listened to one (very long) book on Audible, but the rest were read in hardback copy. 

I'm still trying to read one classic each month, and I've also inventoried my Goodreads 'want-to-read' list, and am reading at least one that's been sitting there a while too. Years in some cases. Okay, here we go-

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 

Starting off with a doozy, so strap in.

A few months ago, I bought tickets for my daughter and me to see the ballet Don Quixote as part of her birthday gift. My husband has had the novel Don Quixote on his to-read list for a while now—he’s big on biographies, particularly of presidents, world leaders, and military figures. Oddly enough, this fictional Spanish knight keeps popping up in those circles. According to my source, aka the Internet, leaders admire Don Quixote for his unwavering commitment to his ideals—even when those ideals seem ridiculous, misguided, or doomed to fail. Interesting.

Especially because the book is actually quite funny.

I don’t remember ever reading Don Quixote before, but I knew I wanted to experience the story before seeing the ballet. Given its reputation and historical context—not to mention that it's set in 17th-century Spain—I figured audio was the way to go. It's 40 hours long, so there's that.

I chose to listen solo since my husband and I weren’t going to have enough shared car time to get through it before the ballet. (He can start it whenever he wants now—I’ve done the heavy lifting.)

Often described as the first modern fictional hero, Don Quixote debuted in two parts, published in 1605 and 1615. The novel is not only one of the most translated books in the world but also among the best-selling. It’s widely considered the first modern novel.

The story follows the adventures—or more accurately, the misadventures—of Alonso Quixano, a minor nobleman who reads so many tales of chivalry that he loses touch with reality. Believing himself a knight-errant, he dons an old suit of armor, renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha, and sets out to revive knighthood and serve his country. He’s accompanied by Sancho Panza, a down-to-earth farm laborer who becomes his squire and constant foil. The contrast between Quixote’s lofty delusions and Sancho’s dry pragmatism is the heart of the book’s wit.

The first part of the novel does require some sticktoitiveness—but it’s worth it. As an aside, I'm really glad to have read the book prior to seeing the ballet, although I think you could enjoy the ballet either way. My daughter and I both loved the show and felt they captured the essence of the book very well. The ballet, including intermissions, was a little over two hours. 

The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison

This is the story of a long marriage with all its ups, downs and sideways. The author weaves past and present together as we follow Abe and Ruth, a couple who've been married for seventy years, and who've called Bainbridge Island their home for nearly all of that time. Through a series of present day events and past experiences we watch as they navigate parenthood, tragedy, infidelity, sickness, and more in their long life together. Abe and Ruth are opposites in nearly every way, yet their marriage has endured. 

This book came with a lot of hype and five star reviews but it was just okay for me. I loved the premise and there was a lot of honesty I thought when it came to how aging was portrayed, but I didn't find Ruth or Abe all that endearing. Especially Ruth.  

Also, the kids? I didn't think we were given enough of their back story to really care about any of them. They were lacking something. 

I definitely enjoyed the present day storyline more than the look back. This one started off strong, but felt flat in the middle. The author wrapped it up pretty nicely in the end. Three stars for me.  

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This is one that's been sitting on my Goodreads 'to-be-read' list since 2012. Yup. A long time. Coincidentally my book club is reading this book for our June meeting so it was an easy pick from my long list. 

Question for you...how does your book club choose books? We vote on ours after everyone has submitted two or three titles for consideration, and then will have the entire year's calendar laid out up front. We like this format which allows you to read ahead if you want to do that. Unless it's a classic we don't normally read something I'll call newly old. But someone suggested it, and the title received a lot of votes since it seemed most in our group had not read it. We do try to read one non-fiction book each year so this one also fit that bill. 

Henrietta Lacks or He La as she's known to scientists, was a poor African American tobacco farmer who,  while a cancer patient at Johns Hopkins back in 1951, had her cells taken from her without her knowledge. These cells became the first 'immortal' cells grown in culture and are still alive today, decades after Henrietta's death. Her cells became one of the most important tools in medicine and were key to developing the polio vaccine. In addition her cells have led to advances in cancer treatments, cloning, and gene mapping, along with many other gains in the fields of virology, medicine, and science. 

The family has not benefited in any way from the use of their mother's cells, and the issues of informed consent, patents and profits, and medical ethics are all things we continue to grapple with today. 

In terms of non fiction the book is written in a relatively easy to read fashion. There was more science than I was expecting, but it held my interest. There are essentially three parts to the book, although they're not labeled as such. We have Henrietta's personal family history, there's the medical piece, and finally there is the author chasing down the story. Skloot developed a close relationship with one of Henrietta's daughters, and she inserts herself into the story in a way that didn't feel quite right to me. 

Interesting, thought provoking, and still very relevant...four stars for me. 

Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love by Rebecca St. James and Cubbie Fink

I've liked the music of Rebecca St. James since she first became popular way back in the 1990's. I'm also a fan of her brother's music (King and Country).  I saw her book as I was checking out of Hobby Lobby recently, and hubs and I had just watched the movie about their family (Unsung Hero) so it caught my attention. 

I will say up front I'm not the demographic for this book, Their story is aimed more at young adults, women especially, who are navigating the world of relationships and also singleness. Rebecca and her husband both delve in to what it has meant to lean in to God's promises and His love for us, in both the good times and the hard times too. Their book details how they met, and we hear Cubbie's side of the story too. In some spots it felt a little saccharine, but they seem genuine so that didn't bother me. Many who know them in real life say they are exactly as they come across in the book. 

Rebecca was at one time, more or less the face of the True Love Waits movement, a movement that was g was taken to extremes by some, and was used in harmful ways by others.  All of that is addressed in the book.   

Three Days In June by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler has a gift for taking the ordinary experiences of life and making them feel a little less ordinary. She creates stories you enjoy reading and this 165 page novella is no exception. 

Gail Baines is a 61 year old woman who walks out on her job after she's passed over for a promotion mostly, she's told, because she lacks 'people skills'. She's never been told this before and it both surprises and wounds her. 

That's day one of three days in June, which will also include her daughter's wedding, and her ex-husband turning up with a cat, but no wedding suit. Just before the rehearsal the bride shares with her parents something about her fiance that has them feeling conflicted, and this all combines for a heart warming humorous tale with far more depth than expected. 

I love Anne Tyler's writing and this novella with it's quirky yet relatable characters, managing life amidst a wedding weekend, is another winner.  Four stars for me. 

So what have you been reading? What's next on your to-read list? Hop over to the host blogs (My Joyful Life , Memphis Bridges, The Other Side Of The Road, and Slices of Life) to see what others are reading too. 

It May Be The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week of Wednesday Hodgepodge-ing. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then be sure to say hi to your neighbor there. Here we go... 

1. Let's compare this May to last May. What's changed? What remains very much the same? 

I looked back over my blog from last May and it seems life is not all that different than it was one year ago in terms of the month itself. As far as what has changed in the last year, the biggest would be my oldest daughter's geography. 

She and her hubs and kids were living in Cincy last May, moved to the UK for six months, and are now living literally right down the road from us in SC so that's one big change. 

The grands are all a year older and so are we. 

2. What's something you may do this month? 

I may visit a farmer's market. They're opening up in our area now and that's something I like to do this time of year especially. We have a few weekend happenings on the calendar already, but hoping I can make it to the market some Saturday. 

Our town has a Thursday night music thing, where they close the main road and there's a band and food trucks, and it's just a fun night out. It runs April-October, but we haven't made it to one yet. Hoping to get there in May. 

3. Mother's Day is approaching (in the US of A)...in what way(s) are you like your mother? 

I've always been a lot like my mom. For starters we're both stubborn-ha! I'm gonna own it because it's true. We both love Jesus, books, shoes, beautiful gardens, and time in the kitchen. We see motherhood as a calling, we're independent, and we love our people and also our space. 

My mom will turn 95 on her birthday this year, so not all of these are part of her life now, but they're definitely what I associate with her and how I picture her in my head. 

4. Did you have a favorite book as a child? What was it and why was it a favorite. 

I had several favorites...Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne,  and Crow Boy by Taro Yashima are definitely at the top of my list. My mom read aloud to my younger sister and I all throughout our childhood, well past the point we could have read those same books ourselves. 

Growing up we had a formal living room and a den in our house, and we never played in the living room. That space was for grown up gatherings and holidays, but my mom would read to us there which made the time feel extra special. 

My sister and I would sit on either side of her on the couch and through those books we developed a real and lasting love of reading, as well as a shared language and a closeness with our mom that carries weight. There are several expressions from the books I mentioned that we still use today. They gave us lots of 'scope for the imagination', and if you don't know that expression then you've never met Anne. With an e. 

If you've never read Crow Boy by Taro Yashima, check it out. 

5. Are you more of a tortoise or a hare? Explain. 

I have always been a hare, but these days I'd say I'm 'a little more tortoise. I'm savoring slower mornings and a slower pace in general. Pretty sure people might still say hubs and I are a couple of hares though. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

In honor of Mother's Day I'm linking to a post I wrote back in 2012, a sort of ode to motherhood. You'll find it linked here -K is for The Keepers.  

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas reading here today...

...most especially to my own sweet girls who are now mothers themselves, and who continue to teach me so much about so many things.

"For all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you."-Author unknown