A High-Flying Hodgepodge

Hello Hodgepodgers. Come on in. I've got the a.c. running on high. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then hop over and leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1. August 19th is National Aviation Day...do you like to fly? Last time you were on an airplane? The date is chosen in honor of the history and development of aviation, and celebrated on the birthday of Orville Wright. Have you ever been to the Kitty Hawk area of North Carolina? The city of Dayton in Ohio (their birthplace)

I don't love to fly, but it is often the best way to get from point A to point B so I deal. The last time I was on an airplane was back in February when I flew from South Carolina to Philadelphia to spend time with my mama. She lives just a car ride away now which makes visiting much easier. 

I've never been to Dayton, but I have been to Kitty Hawk. We spent some of our summer holidays in the Outer Banks when my girls were growing up, and we stayed in Kill Devil Hills one time which is right beside Kitty Hawk. 

The first flight actually took place in Kill Devil Hills but Kitty Hawk was the nearest post office so got the claim to fame. We saw the monument there on one of our trips, but mostly spent our time on the beach, in the water, climbing the dunes, and checking out the little shops. We love the area but getting in and out is always a bit of a nightmare in terms of traffic. 

2. In what area of your life do you tend to 'wing it'? Is this an area you should be winging? 

Lately it's been dinner, or maybe cooking in general. There's been a lot of 'let's see what I can make with what's on hand, is low labor, and won't heat up the kitchen to excess'. Honestly it's been working out okay but come fall I need to get back to better meal planning. 

3. A favorite book, song, or movie that relates to flight in some way?   

Book-The Huntress by Kate Quinn. The novel follows three storylines across WW2 and into 1950. Nina the Soviet pilot, Ian the war correspondent turned Nazi hunter, and Jordan a Boston teen and aspiring photographer whose father marries a soft spoken German woman Jordan suspects is a Nazi murderess. I like Kate Quinn's writing and this was a good read. 

Song-Watching Airplanes by Gary Allan. He's a country artist I think is underrated. He's had some great songs and I like his voice. We saw him as the opening act for Brooks and Dunn many many years ago and he played without breaks. Really good, and this particular song is one of my favorites of his. 

Movie-Fly Away Home This one is about geese in flight, but also the young girl who helped them 'fly away home'. If you've never seen this film its a really good one, and is based on a true story. 

4. Soft serve, gelato, sherbet, frozen yogurt, or good old fashioned ice cream...what's your pleasure? Your favorite flavor? How often do you indulge? 

My answer would depend on my mood. I'm not big on frozen yogurt because I feel like it sometimes has a bitterness to it, and the texture is a little bit off for me. I love soft serve and gelato and would say those are my favorite. 

It's hard to choose a favorite flavor but if we're talking ice cream I love strawberry, rocky road, and coconut. If we're having gelato I love the stracciatella, which is a sweet milk or vanilla base with shards of dark chocolate throughout. 

I do like to go out for ice cream, but I never just sit down with a bowl of ice cream at home. 

I eat ice cream very rarely. Hubs on the other hand.... 

5. I never get tired of______________________. 

Seeing our flag flying against a bright blue sky...

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm in the very early planning stages for a trip out west. Has anyone been to the Little Bighorn Battlefield? How about the new Roosevelt library in North Dakota? The Tetons? If so send your travel tips my way. Thanks! 

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. Here's what I read in July-

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff-

I loved this one. This is the author's second novel and I love her writing. Her first novel The Bright Years was also really good, but I liked this one more. 

An emotional family drama that begins with a house on fire, both literally and figuratively. Leo and April Torres flee their burning home with their two small children and the problems of their troubled marriage. They set up temporary living in April's childhood home with her parents whom they adore. I don't want to say too much more about the plot as this is a book that unfolds gradually, in a way that feels natural and satisfying to the reader. 

The novel is told from the perspectives of both April and Leo as well as April's mother Deb. The characters are complex and woven together in a way that's tender and moving. Themes of abandonment, caregiving, parenting, forgiveness, the meaning of home, and lasting love are all part of this well written novel. 

Mad Mabel  by Sally Hepworth  

Set in Australia and told in a dual timeline format, this is the story of Mabel at age 81, and of the child and adolescent Mabel, as told from her point of view. At the age of fifteen Mabel was the youngest Australian to be convicted of murder. 

In the present day, when Mabel's elderly neighbor dies in his kitchen and she discovers the body, she is once again thrust into the spotlight and once again becomes the object of much unwanted attention and suspicion. When a pair of Youtube journalists approach Mabel with an offer to tell her story she accepts. She hopes that by telling her story in her own words she'll put the attention to rest. 

I enjoyed this one a lot, there are some unexpected pieces to the story, humor mixed with sadness, and overall I found it to be a great read. 

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

Travels With Charley was one of the books mentioned in The Correspondent, and I've been working my way through the the 40 or so titles mentioned in that novel that I hadn't previously read. This was one of them. In fact, I'd never heard of this particular book, although I've read a lot of Steinbeck.  

In 1960 author John Steinbeck drove a customized camper truck he named Rocinante (a nod to Don Quixote) approximately 10,000 miles around the outer edges of the US of A. His traveling companion was a standard poodle named Charley. 

Steinbeck's purpose in taking the road trip was to reconnect with real Americans and the landscape of a country he felt he'd lost touch with in recent years. He explains that much of what he knew of America was specific to major cities and he wanted to really earn the title 'American author'. 

The book reads like a travelogue and leaves you wanting a road trip, although maybe not one that lasts 75 days. After finishing the book I discovered there are some elements of fiction (maybe embellishement is a better word) added for the sake of making it more readable, but I didn't mind that. 

The book is engaging and in some ways dated, but not so much that it's not enjoyable. 

Share Your Shelf-May/June

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've been reading. I had a busy spring, draining in many ways, so didn't read as much as I would have liked. I didn't post my May books so am lumping them in with June in today's post. Here we go-

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

A somewhat confusing fictional tale that follows author Grady Green after his wife, Abby, disappears on the very night his newly published novel reaches the bestseller list. A year later, he's gifted a stay on a remote Scottish island, where nothing is quite as it seems. Grady becomes convinced he's seen Abby, despite believing she's dead. The story unfolds through alternating perspectives, with chapters told from both Grady's and Abby's points of view.

This is the kind of psychological thriller that's incredibly popular right now, but it's not a style I particularly enjoy. The story started off strong, and I was genuinely excited to see where it was going. Unfortunately, the second half completely lost me. 

This was my book club's June pick, and while some members really enjoyed it, we all found ourselves scratching our heads as we tried to connect the dots and make sense of what had actually happened.  

Like Mother Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight

Billed as a domestic thriller, and I'd say the description fits. NYU student Cleo arrives home to find her seemingly perfect mother, Kat, missing and blood on the kitchen floor. As the police search for Kat, Cleo begins investigating on her own. In the process, she uncovers secrets about her mother's past, including her childhood in a series of foster homes before being placed at a home for teens called Haven House, as well as the truth about her current job as a fixer for a powerful corporate law firm.

The story is told through alternating first-person perspectives from both Cleo and Kat, with news articles and therapy transcripts woven throughout. I was drawn into the mystery from the very beginning, and with so many possible suspects, the story kept me guessing until almost the very end.

I enjoyed this one. It's a fast-paced, engaging domestic thriller with plenty of twists. 

Lost, Found, Kept: A Memoir by Deborah Derrickson Kossmann

I went to high school with the author and when her book was released several months ago she let us know on our class Facebook page. Our high school was huge and we weren't close friends back then, but everyone knew everyone at least a little bit, and it's been fun reconnecting with classmates-turned-adults online. 

I found the topic intriguing and added the Audible version to my library right away. I didn't get around to listening until this past weekend, and found the book well-written and the story gripping. I listened start to finish in almost one sitting.  

When her fiercely independent, aging mother is involved in an accident and suddenly needs help, the author returns to the childhood home she has not set foot in for more than two decades. There, she discovers the staggering extent of her mother's hoarding and is faced not only with the daunting task of emptying the house, but also with confronting long held family secrets and the pain of her past.

Told with gentle yet unflinching honesty, Lost Found Kept reads like fiction. Kossman's voice is compassionate and engaging,  drawing readers into both the literal and emotional mess as she navigates grief, memory, and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters.

The Nowhere Child by Christian White

When Kim, a photography teacher living in Melbourne, Australia, is approached by a man who claims she may be the victim of a U.S. child kidnapping case from 26 years earlier, her life is thrown into turmoil. As she investigates the striking connections, it becomes increasingly apparent that she could be the missing toddler, Sammy Went. Desperate for answers, she travels to the small town of Manson, Kentucky, determined to uncover the truth.

I expected this to be more of a mystery, but it leans instead toward a story of family dysfunction and the fallout from that. Parts of the plot felt cliche to me, so I didn't love it. I did want to see the mystery unraveled so stuck with it, and was rewarded with a twist I hadn't anticipated. 

 

The Shepherd's Life:A People's History of the Lake District  by James Rebanks

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know I have a bit of a love affair with the English countryside. A book about a sheep farmer set in England's Lake District? Yes, please.

Born in 1974, the author grew up on a small sheep farm owned by his grandfather and worked by both his father and grandfather. In this memoir, he chronicles a year in the life of a traditional sheep farmer in northern England. Organized by season, the book captures both the harsh realities and the quiet beauty of farming in the Lake District.

Throughout the book, the author defends the increasingly rare way of life of upland sheep farming. He writes about his determination to remain connected to his family's heritage, preserve the landscape, and pass down generations of agricultural knowledge and traditions to his own children.

This won't be a book for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. It's a slow, thoughtful read rather than one to race through in a single sitting. It offers a glimpse into a way of life that's completely different from my own, and now I need a trip to the English countryside.

Summit Lake by Charlie Donlea 

This book was excellent, but it's also incredibly heavy. A sense of sadness lingers throughout the entire story, making it an emotionally intense read. I don't usually include content warnings in my reviews, but the rape scene is especially difficult to read. Despite that, the writing is beautiful, the characters are richly developed, and I was completely invested in the story. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

Set on Summit Lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, the novel unfolds in a place that seems far too beautiful and peaceful to be the setting for such a horrific crime. Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student and the daughter of a powerful attorney, has been brutally murdered, leaving the police with more questions than answers.

Investigative journalist Kelsey Castle, still recovering from a violent assault of her own, arrives in Summit Lake to uncover the truth behind Becca's vicious rape and murder. As she digs deeper, she's drawn into a tangled web of secrets and what feels like a cover-up of some sort.

I really enjoyed the structure of the novel. The chapters are short, which kept the story moving at a great pace, and the narrative alternates between two perspectives. We follow Becca in the months leading up to her death and Kelsey in the present as she investigates the case. Through Becca's perspective, we also get to know her college friends, and those flashbacks add depth to both the mystery and the characters. Altogether, it made for a compelling and engrossing read.

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

This checks two boxes in terms of my current reading goals, as it's both a classic and one of the titles mentioned in The Correspondent. 

To the Lighthouse is a 1927 novel by Virginia Woolf, and centers on the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920. 

The story centers on the Ramsay family and their guests during visits to their summer home on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Much of the novel focuses on the characters' inner thoughts and emotions rather than external events. A planned trip to a nearby lighthouse is delayed, and over the years the family experiences loss, change, and the effects of time. When they finally make the journey to the lighthouse, the trip symbolizes acceptance, reconciliation, and the enduring power of memory.

The novel is known for its stream-of-consciousness style and its exploration of themes such as time, perception, family, art, and the search for meaning.

I say it with every classic I read, but the writing in these novels always feels so elevated. When I sit down to summarize the plot, it often seems as though not much actually happened, yet that isn't how the novel feels while I'm reading it. It's rich with depth and emotion, and leaves me with plenty to think about.

If you've read something you loved recently send it my way. Share Your Shelf is hosted by Joanne (Slices of Life) and Dara (Not In Jersey) , so hop over there for some recommendations and reviews and to add your own books to the link. 

Happy 4th everyone! 

Pomp And Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of 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. Or all the bloggers if you've got the time. Here we go...

 

1. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate? 

Congratulations! You don't have to have your whole life figured out. 

You may have to take a job that is something less than your dream job, and that's okay. Your first job is a stepping stone to your next job.  Prioritize your relationship with Christ in this season of enormous growth and change. 

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain. 

I'm going with courage. I want more of it. Moral courage in particular, which feels essential in these turbulent times we find ourselves caught up in, where truth is relative and everything is polarized.

3.  "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

Every time I travel I have this thought. I love getting away, whether for a long weekend or an extended holiday, but it always feels good to be back home, to sleep in my own bed. 

Actually sometimes it doesn't even have to be a trip. When I've been out of the house for a full day I might also have this thought. 

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

Do we own a grill? Ha! We have a Big Green Egg used primarily for steaks and large entrees like pork butts, ribs, brisket, 50 chicken wings, that sort of thing. We have a gas grill we use when we just want to grill a couple of chicken breasts or burgers, a piece of salmon, etc., and we have a griddle we use for a variety of things...smashburgers, fried rice, fajitas and my favorite...

...making pancakes when the grands are all here. Hubs and I were just discussing the griddle the other night saying we want to do more griddling this summer. 

Hubs does the grilling here and also the cleaning of the grill after cooking. My favorite thing to throw on the grill would be a burger, but the last thing we grilled was a ribeye steak on Mother's Day. 

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

There are many, but one of the first things that popped in to my head was daughter1 meeting daughter2 the day she was born. 

My parents brought her to the hospital and it was one of the sweetest moments of my life. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

"The earth laughs in flowers." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 653

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (May 13th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate? 

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain. 

3.  "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Share Your Shelf-April

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we read the month prior. Between all the blogging and all the life-living, I didn't read as much as I would have liked. Here's how April looked-

The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd

This was our book club selection for May and I mostly enjoyed it. The author normally writes contemporary romantic fiction, and she couldn't quite get away from that style as much as she needed to in this book. Overall though an interesting read about a historical figure previously unknown to me. Here's a bit of trivia for you-George Washington asked to be a pall bearer at her funeral. 

The Indigo Girl is a work of historical fiction based on real life horticulturalist Eliza Lucas, who learns  how to grow and extract dye from indigo plants on her family's South Carolina plantation. 

Eliza is sixteen when her father leaves her in charge of his three South Carolina plantations. Her father was mortgaging the properties to further his military career and soon her family is in danger of losing everything. When Eliza learns how much the French are willing to pay for indigo dye she thinks this might be the answer she's looking for. 

Eliza finds allies in an aging horticulturalist, a married gentleman lawyer and a slave with whom she makes a dangerous deal. He'll teach her how to make the 1000 year old dye and in return she'll break the law and teach him to read. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I continue to try for a classic each month and in April it was Jane Eyre. My favorite thing about reading these classic novels is the precision of the language and the deliberate word choice.  That alone usually makes me bump up my rating, and while this novel met that criteria the storyline here wasn't my favorite. My daughter told me she read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys which is something like a prequel to Jane Eyre and she liked that much better. 

The novel Jane Eyre follows an orphaned girl, Jane, who endures a harsh childhood before becoming a governess at Thornfield Hall. There she falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, but discovers he's hiding a dark secret that upends their relationship. 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 

This is an older book (1989), one that was extremely popular when it was released, yet somehow I missed it. I had a one year old in 1989 so Goodnight Moon was likely more my speed. 

The Remains of the Day won The Booker Prize that same year, and was made into a feature film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. This is also one of the books mentioned in The Correspondent and I'm working my way through that list this year. 

The story is told in the first-person narration of an English butler named Stevens. Stevens lives and has worked as a butler for more than thirty years in a stately home called Darlington Hall. In 1956 he takes a road trip from Darlington Hall to the west country of England, with his primary purpose being a visit to Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper who left twenty years earlier to get married. 

Stevens has received a letter from Miss Kenton, and believes it hints that her marriage is failing and she might like to return to her post as housekeeper. Though Stevens never says so outright, the reader knows without a doubt he has held on to repressed romantic feelings for Miss Kenton. 

Much of the novel is comprised of Stevens's memories of his work as a butler during and just after WWII.  He's an  unreliable narrator who lies to himself most of all, yet he's also a likable character which is not an easy balance for an author to achieve. 

Upon Lord Darlington's death the  house is sold to an American gentleman (Mr. Farraday) and Stevens realizes he is unable to interact with his new employer in the way  Mr. Farraday would like. He needs to learn to banter. 

"Perhaps it is indeed time I began to look at this whole matter of bantering more enthusiastically. After all, when one thinks about it, it is not such a foolish thing to indulge in-particularly if it is the case that in bantering lies the key to human warmth." from The Remains of the Day 

The voice of the butler never wears on the reader and the writing is exquisite. Stevens is stoic and ever proper in word and deed, but it's what's left unsaid that feels so profound. Feelings of regret, of love lost or missed altogether are written about in a way that's subtle, but the reader feels them nonetheless.  

The novel is quiet and moves at a very gentle pace. I liked that. It's not anything like most of what we read today, and while not a lot actually happens, the story is poignant. When I turned that last page the emotion lingered. 

This won't be everyone's cup of tea (pun intended) but it's definitely mine. Five stars for me. 

'What is pertinent is the calmness of beauty, its sense of restraint. It is as though the land knows of its own beauty, it's own greatness, and feels no need to shout it." Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day 

Hop over to (Slices of Life) or (Not In Jersey) to see what others are reading. 

Home On The 'Range'

I am definitely winging the April A-Z challenge aka writing the posts the day before, but I'm still here so that's something. It's been kind of fun to think about the things I keep and try to match them with each day's letter.  Here's today's-

Day 18-R is for Recipes

How did you learn to cook? Well, first I suppose I should ask do you cook? I'm always surprised when I meet someone who says they don't cook. How do they eat? Lots of take out apparently, but that would be really tough where I live. 

I learned to cook by watching and helping my mama cook. And she learned to cook by watching and helping her mama, and my girls learned to cook by watching and helping me. I'm enjoying doing some simple cooking now with my grands and I hope they learn to cook by helping too. 

Circle of life. 

Growing up we rarely ate out. We were a family of six and dining out was a real treat. My mom cooked dinner pretty much every night and she was an excellent cook. I don't know if she started out that way, but her mom (my grandma) was also an excellent cook so I imagine she came into her marriage with some kitchen skills. 

One of my first 'cooking' assignments at home was making salad dressing. Good Seasons Italian which didn't involve any actual cooking, but you did need to read the directions, measure, and mix, all of which are a part of cooking. We had salad every night because my mom was ahead of her time in terms of healthy meals. She made almost everything from scratch too. 

When I was a young wife finding my way in my own kitchen I quite often called my mom mid-recipe to ask a question or  confirm some note written on the instructions. My own girls do the same and I love it.

Circle of life. 

I have always loved cookbooks and still enjoy browsing them for inspiration. I know when it comes to cooking we're all about the internet now, and of course I use that too. But there's something about holding a recipe card in my hand and thinking about the person who shared it with me, remembering when I've eaten the dish and the event or occasion it's associated with, that makes the cards feels extra special. 

I have a nice collection of cookbooks but my most consulted is the binder filled with hand written cards, recipes primarily from my mom's kitchen, but also from my sisters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  I refer to this collection so often that the binding is coming loose and I need to move the pages to a new book. 

I wish I had more recipes written in my mom's hand, but most of the time I would copy the recipe while she was cooking, or she'd tell it to me and I'd transcribe. 

A few years ago for Christmas I put all of our family holiday recipes in binders for my daughters. I wrote those recipes out by hand and it was a true labor of love. 

I won't part with my favorites. They're keepers. And now I feel the urge to make my mama's blueberry pie. 

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays

A Bookish Post

Sometimes a letter in the April A-Z blog challenge lands on just the right day and today is one of those. It's the first Thursday of the month and I usually share what I've read the month prior on this date, joining Joanne (Slices of Life) and Dara (Not In Jersey) for Share Your Shelf. 

Conveniently my word of the day going along with my theme of The Things We Keep is books. 

 Day 2-B is for Books 

I used to buy a lot of books, but it's rare these days I actually purchase one. I love the public library and that's mostly the way I read. I also subscribe to Audible because we're on the road a lot and I like to have something to listen to when I drive. 

I don't typically hang on to novels unless they have some special meaning. I have some here on my bookshelves that guests can pick up if they're so inclined, but usually I read and then pass them on. 

Most of the books I hold on to are older and spark a memory. 

Many relate to travel. 

We've traveled a lot and I love buying books, coffee table or otherwise, from the places we visit. When we lived abroad I especially loved getting my hands on the DK Eyewitness Guides to various cities and countries we were visiting. Seeing them lined up on my book shelf makes me smile still. 

I have a lot of books that would fall under the category of 'religious' too, commentaries, Bible Study aides, lots of topical books, and these I hold on to because I sometimes want to refer back to them or because they taught me something. I have the Bible I was given when I was nine years old and its another book treasure I hold on to. It's the KJV so not my go-to on the daily, plus the cover is coming apart, but I won't part with it. 

I have a collection of children's books too, many of which belonged to my girls when they were little that I now read to my grandchildren. Some of the series we owned I've passed on to them to have in their own homes, but it's nice to have books here to read when there are littles in the house. 

I'm so glad my girls both love to read, and sometimes one of us will tell the others they need to read a particular book because it must be talked about with someone asap. Part of the fun of reading for me is talking about the book with other readers when I'm through. 

I think books are meant to be shared. But! There are some books that hold the memory of a place in time, or the person who gave it to me, read it to me, or lived it with me, that I cherish and those books are for keeps. 

Now let's talk about what I read in March, all from the local library-

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 

I feel like I was on the wait list for this one forever, but finally snagged a copy and read it in a day and a half. Then I gave it to my daughter and she read it in a day. And, my younger daughter also happened to be reading it at the same time too. I was a little worried that by the time I read this one I'd find it over hyped, but that was not the case at all. Five stars for me. 

Such a wonderfully original story told in the form of letters written by a woman who had a successful career in law and now spends her days corresponding with all manner of people-family members, authors, corporations, university deans and more. I loved it. 

I'm not going to spoil anything for those who haven't read it yet (I definitely recommend), but in her letters to various people she and the recipient of the letter often share what book they happen to be reading. This appealed to me, and I found a list of the books mentioned. My plan is to read them all. Most are well known, some are classics, and there are about forty in total. As it happens I've read quite a few on the list already, but I'm going to see if I can get to them all. 

Also, read The Correspondent. So good! 

Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

This is one of the novels mentioned in The Correspondent and since I like Anne Patchett's writing and hadn't read this one I thought I'd start here. It was published in 2001. 

I loved this book. Ann Patchett writes beautifully and her characters are fully known.The novel is very loosely based on an actual event, when terrorists took over the Japanese ambassador's residence in Peru in 1996/1997. I didn't remember that happening so it didn't impact my reading, but there are some who have strong feelings about basing a novel on the incident. 

Bel Canto (beautiful singing) tells the story of a group of party goers taken hostage in an unnamed South American country. The group were guests in the Vice-President's home where a birthday party was being held for a wealthy Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosokawa. The world renowned and much loved soprano, Roxanne Coss, was also there as the invited entertainment. Mr. Hosokawa has a love of opera, and the voice of Roxanne Coss in particular. 

Terrorists storm the party with a plan to kidnap the country's president, not realizing he was a no-show at the event. They now have a large group of captives, and end up releasing all but the wealthiest men and also Miss Coss, so are left with about 50 in total. 

The hostages are held for four months and in that time bonds are formed, relationships develop, and above all we see music connect people very different from one another. 

The Engine House by Rhys Dylan 

I think there are about twenty books in the series featuring this same detective and I plan to read more. This one came out in 2021 and had been on my Goodreads list ever since. I need to read a good mystery now and then and this fit the bill. 

A landslide on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales reveals the remains of two bodies, and as a result DCI Evan Warlow is called out of quiet retirement back in to police work. He was the original investigator on the case of the missing persons eight years prior. 

He's working with a new young team now, and carries the burden of wondering what he might have missed in his earlier investigation. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, plus the Welsh coastline makes the perfect backdrop for this slightly dark, atmospheric mystery. 

James by Percival Everett 

This is a reimagining of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn told from the point of view of Jim, an escaped slave. In this telling Jim becomes the central figure and we hear about his experiences as a slave, and his life as he journeys down the Mississippi.   

I revisited Huck Finn last month in anticipation of reading this one, and I liked having read the two close together. The first half of James follows the Huck Finn storyline pretty closely, but then takes a very different turn a little more than halfway through. 

While I enjoyed the story it felt like something was missing. The women were not given enough attention (based on the little bit we are told there should have been more) and there was a depth of emotion overall that I was missing. Still a clever flip on a classic tale. 

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox

A debut novel that kept me reading til the very end. At times it felt like a YA novel, but it was still a very good read. Party of Liars is described as a psychological thriller with a broad audience. The plot centers around a death that occurs at an over the top sweet sixteen party in the Texas hill country. 

Sophie Matthews wealthy father (and his young second wife) are throwing a huge party to celebrate her big day in their supposedly haunted mansion. There's a large cast of characters, and the whodunit aspect of this one kept me guessing.  The story is told using multiple points of view, which in this instance I really enjoyed. The author has another book releasing in July (Pretty Dead Things) and I'll definitely read that too. 

Et Tu Hodgepodge?

Welcome to another week in 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. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or 'gut instinct'? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Elaborate. 

I'm a naturally trusting person for the most part. I like being given a second chance myself and I want to extend one whenever it seems like the right thing to do. That being said I do think a second chance might depend on the nature of 'the initial crime/offense'. We can forgive wrongdoing while also setting boundaries to prevent being taken advantage of, lied to, hurt in some way a second time. Or third, fourth, whatever the case may be. 

Wow, that got deep fast. 

Is trust built on logic or gut instinct? Hmmm... a bit of both I'd say, but I'm going to lean more towards gut instinct. Like I said. I'm a naturally trusting person. 

2. 'Beware the Ides of March'...March 15th on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar.  Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favorite? Have you ever been to Rome? 

When I was in the 6th grade, which was still elementary school where I grew up, we put on the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I think was my first exposure to Shakespeare. I remember not quite understanding it all, but also having so much fun with the play. 

I feel like I want to re-read some Shakespeare as I don't know it well and probably haven't read any since high school. I started thinking about some of his well known titles and realized I've been to more than a few of their settings...

The Merry Wives of Windsor-

Only one of of us was actually a wife when this was taken-ha! We spent a lot of time in this town when we lived very nearby. 

Romeo and Juliet aka Verona-

Celebrating our birthdays with pottery, opera, and amazing food in the beautiful city of Verona 

The Globe...

And his birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon to name just a few. Quick sidebar-Daughter2 went on an overnight with her grade 8 classmates to Stratford and they did some cool things like a wig workshop and a sword fighting demo. I know she remembers it well because there was also a little mischief made, which the moms remember. Hi Daughter2 teehee. 

I've been to Rome and loved it. 

Europe has changed so much since we lived abroad and I don't have a burning desire to go to some of the bigger cities there anymore. I adore the countryside and village life and wouldn't mind more of that in terms of European travel. 

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between a garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What's your favorite salad dressing? 

I love a Caesar salad and will most often opt for that if there's a choice. I do not like it (or any salad for that matter) swimming in dressing, but I do like Caesar dressing. 

With or without anchovies? Either way is fine. 

My favorite dressing is currently a champagne vinaigrette. I like Hidden Valley Light Ranch too, but again I go really light on the dressing. My family always wants to add more.. 

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that's easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated home office space? Are you happy with that space? 

Right here whenever possible-

I do have a semi-dedicated office where I sometimes work and sometimes blog. It's mostly where bills are paid but I do blog there now and then too. I like the space, it's roomy and I can see the lake so there's that. We had a Murphy bed added to the room for the overflowing houseguests we often have here. The room is mostly an office, but also serves as additional sleeping space when needed, which is useful. 

I often blog from the couch in the evenings while watching tv. I really like blogging while sitting at my dining room table with a view to the front yard. It's a sunny spot and there's something about the order in this particular room I find helps with my concentration. 

5. Snow drops, daffodils, lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips...what's your favorite early Spring flower? 

Impossible to choose! If you make me pick I suppose I'll say daffodils because they're generally the first ones up here and are bright and cheery against the gray skies we so often see in February. I have iris popping up now and they usually arrive on the early side of spring too. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My March mantra-

Happy Wednesday everyone!