RebaRelishesReading 2016 - part 2

I was going to wait until June 1 to start a new thread but 321 really is getting out of hand so here we go.

For those new to my thread, I'm a retired city planner living in San Diego. I spend summers at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state. When in San Diego I spend my time volunteering with Knitting4Peace and the Assistance League, going to the symphony, enjoying the many wonderful restaurants in our neighborhood, doing needlework and, of course, reading. My favorite genre's are fiction, biography and history. I'm working on reading all of the winners of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and at least one work by each of the Nobel winners for literature. I've been on Library Thing for over eight years and this is my 5th year with the 75er's. I enjoy meeting my LT friends, have had seven meet-up's so far and am looking for more.

Books read in 2016 (I hope to do better than last year!)

1. The Men Who Lost America by Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy****1/2
2. Finding Perfect by Susan Mallery*** 1/2 (audio)
3. Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery*** 1/2 (audio)
4. What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada****1/2
5. Sister of the Bride by Susan Mallery***1/2
6. War of Two by John Sedgwick****1/2
7. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell**
8. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez*****
9. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny****1/2
10. Outpost of Occupation:How the Channel Islands Survived Nazi Rule 1940-45 by Barry Turner***1/2
11. Home BY Marilynne Robinson*****
12. Potsdam by Michael Newberg****(audio)
13. Dubliners by James Joyce****
14. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson****
15. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante**** (audio)
16. The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante****(audio)
17. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker****(audio)
18. The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker****(audio)
19. Black Diamond by Martin Walker****(audio)
20. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen**
21. The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker****(audio)
26. Honey in the Horn by H. L. Davis****
27. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante**** (audio)
28. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith****(audio)
29. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante****(audio)
30. The Devil's Cave by Martin Walker****(audio)
31. The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks ****1/2
32. Killing a King by Dan Ephron***
33. Euphoria by Lily King*****
34. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George****1/2
35. When Books Went to War by Molly Guptiall Manning****(audio)
36. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal ****1/2
37. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi*****+
38. Strangers Drowning by Larissa MacFarquhar****
39. The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante*** (audio)
40. Behind the Scenes by Judi Dench****
41. Aimless Love by Billy Collins*****
42. The Resistance Man by Martin Walker**** (audio)
43. Lucky Us by Amy Bloom****
44. Elizabeth of York by Allison Weir****(audio)
45. Fatal Pursuit by Martin Walker****(audio)
46. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly****(audio)
47. Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves****1/2
48. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny*****
49. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver*****
50. History's People by Margaret MacMillan****1/2
51. The End of Your Life Bookclub by Will Schwalbe****
52. Ragtime by E.L.Doctorow***
53. The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre***
54. The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson****1/2
55. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro*****
56. The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway*****
57. Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout****1/2
58. Precious and Grace by Alexander McCall Smith ****
59. The Lost Tudor Princess by Alison Weir***
60. Mohawk by Richard Russo****1/2
61. The Sellout by Paul Beatty****
62. The Vagrants by Yijan Li****
63. The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan***
64. Clementine by Sonia Purnell****
65. U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh****
66. The Risk Pool by Richard Russo****1/2
67. The Pigeon Tunnel by John LeCarre****
68. The Night in Question by Tobias Wolff****
69. The Holy Sinner by Thomas Mann****
70. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meachan****
71. Pioneers of Geography by Time Marshall***
72. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope****1/2
73. Light in August by William Faulkner****
74. Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas****(audio)
75. Genetics for Dummies by Tara Rodden Robinson
76. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda****
77. What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan****(kindle)
78. The Children Return by Martin Walker**** (audio)
79. Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington***1/2 (Kindle)
80. Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery***(Kindle)
81. Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck*** (audio)

PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS (for fiction) read in 2016:
68. The Sympathizer (2016) by Viet Thanh Nguyen
69. Honey in the Horn (1936) by H.L. Davis

Pulitzer Prize Winners read before 2016:
1. The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1928) by Thornton Wilder
2. The Magnificent Ambersons (1919) by Booth Tarkington
3. The Stories of John Cheever (1979)
4. The Optimist’s Daughter (1973) by Eudora Welty
5. The Able McLaughlins (1924) by Margaret Wilson
6. His Family (1918 – first award) by Ernest Poole
7. Early Autumn (1927) by Louis Bromfield
8. The Reivers (1963) by William Faulkner
9. A Death in the Family (1958) by James Agee
10.The Good Earth (1932) by Pearl Buck
11.Angle of Repose (1972) by Wallace Stegner
12. A Visit from the Goon Squad (2011) by Jennifer Egan
13. Tinkers (2010) by Paul Harding
14. Olive Kitteridge (2009) by Elizabeth Strout
15. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2008) by Junot Diaz
16. The Road (2007) by Cormac McCarthy
17. March (2006) by Geraldine Brooks
18. Gilead (2005) by Marilynne Robinson
19. The Known World (2004) by Edward P. Jones
20. Middlesex (2003) by Jeffrey Eugenides
21. Empire Falls (2002) by Richard Russo
22. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2001) by Michael Chabon
23. Interpreter of Maladies (2000) by Jhumpa Lagiri
24. The Hours (1999) by Michael Cunningham
25. American Pastoral (1998) by Philip Roth
26. Independence Day (1996) by Richard Ford
27. The Stone Diaries (1995) by Carol Shields
28. The Shipping News (1994) by E. Annie Proulx
29. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (1993) by Robert Olen Butler
30. A Thousand Acres (1992) by Jane Smiley
31. Rabbit at Rest (1991) by John Updike
32. The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (1990) by Oscar Hijuelos
33. Breathing Lessons (1989) by Anne Tyler
34. Beloved (1988) by Toni Morrison
35. A Summons to Memphis (1987) by Peter Taylor
36. Lonesome Dove (1986) by Larry Mcmurtry
37. Foreign Affairs (1985) by Alison Lurie
38. Ironweed (1984) by William Kennedy
39. The Color Purple (1983) by Alice Walker
40. Rabbit is Rich (1982) by John Updike
41. A Confederacy of Dunces (1961) by John Kennedy Toole
42.Humboldt’s Gift (1976) by Saul Bellow
43. House Made of Dawn (1969) by N. Scott Momaday
44. To Kill a Mockingbird (1961) by Harper Lee
45. The Old Man and the Sea (1953) by Ernest Hemingway
46. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) by John Steinbeck
47. The Yearling (1939) by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
48. Gone With the Wind (1937) by Margaret Mitchell
49. Arrowsmith (1926) by Sinclair Lewis
50. So Big (1925) by Edna Ferber
51. One of Ours (1923) by Willa Silbert Cather
52. Alice Adams (1922) by Booth Tarkington
53. The Age of Innocence (1921) by Edith Wharton
54. The Orphan Master's Son (2013)
55. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (1947)
56. The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (1966)
57. The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau (1965)
58. Martin Dressler: A Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser (1997)
59. The Fixer by Bernard Malamud(1967)
60. Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson (1978)
61. A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (1945)
62. The Late George Apley by John P. Marquand
63. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (1975)
64. The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk (1952)
65. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (2014)
66. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2015)
67. The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron (1968)
68. Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington (1922)

My reading goals for 2016:
- read more than I buy
- read at least 75 books
- enjoy what I read and don't stress over the numbers

If this list looks familiar, it's because I didn't do well in 2015 and am repeating the goals in hopes of meeting them this year.

And now, the rest are yours....

Marvelous! I'm #1! You are reading up a storm!

Hi Lucy!! Thanks for stopping by first :)

We're in Cheyenne, Wyoming tonight. Weather is beautiful and we went downtown to walk around and see if the decorated boots we saw when last here (in 2005) were still there. They are. Such a fun and creative twist on the "local artists decorate a ____" theme. I got my 10,000 steps in but I must say it was more difficult than usual. Cheyenne is at a little over 6000' (1800+ meters) which is a big change for a sea-level girl like me!

Happy new thread, Reba - and great picture!

Reba, I love traveling along with you and your hubby. At least I feel like I'm part of the trip with your descriptions and pictures. And I'm very impressed that you started a new thread while on the road. I tend to keep my computer use as simple as possible while traveling as I rely on my phone and iPad.

Happy new thread, Reba! I read a book yesterday that was set in Wyoming, and for a short time the two main characters were in Cheyenne. There was also a passage describing I-80, which made me think of you. It sounds like the trip is going well. That's a great picture, although I couldn't see the boot on the lady statue to start with. Then I looked more closely...

Happy new thread, and love the picture!

Happy new thread, Reba! LOVE the topper - so very true.

Happy new thread. I like the travel photo - looks warm. Not that warm here but then that feeling could be because I have been sitting in a bus with over active AC for about 40 minutes. Enjoy your travels.

Happy new thread Reba.

>11 katiekrug: Hi Katie -- thanks!

>12 Donna828: Hi Donna. How nice that you travel with us :) I wouldn't be doing much with my thread if I didn't have my computer with me but since I do and there is good WiFi in the room it isn't a problem.

>13 susanj67: How fun that you were in Cheyenne with us, Susan :) We spent all of today on the I-80 mostly going through Nebraska. It's fairly flat farm country but was pretty because it was so green right now. It's spring plus they just had a lot of rain although it was sunny and about 90 degrees (32 C) today. There was a nice breeze so it felt wonderful.

>14 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda! >15 Crazymamie: and Mamie >16 Familyhistorian: and Meg >17 PaulCranswick: and Paul :0

Hi Reba! Lovely picture of you in Cheyenne -- safe travels to you!

Happy new thread, Reba!

Morning, Reba!

Thank you Anne, Amber and Mamie! Hope you're all having a good Memorial Day.

We had a long day in the car yesterday, driving from Cheyenne to Council Bluffs, Iowa but only a fairly short drive on to Cedar Rapids today. Tomorrow we're going to go see the Grant Woods collection at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and then we move on to Chicago on Wednesday.

>22 RebaRelishesReading: Ooooh, which route are you taking from Cedar Rapids to Chicago, Reba? You may pass quite close to me...

Not sure -- maybe I-80 to I-84 (hope that's right0

Oh right, of course, 80! Well, you were sort of close...

Too bad :(

I know, right?! Clearly it would have been the highlight of your trip. *SNORK!*

>27 scaifea: It would have been nice to see if a meet-up was possible. We always enjoy meeting LT people.

We spent Tuesday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The main purpose was to see the Grant Wood art at the museum there but it turned out to be a nice town in other ways too. One thing we enjoyed was walking around town spotting the statues based on American Gothic that they used in one of those art fund raiser projects. This one is in front of the Art Museum.

This is the Art Museum

The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith**** (audio)

Hubby has become fond of these charming stories too so we listened to this latest one on the drive east. In it, Mme. Ramotswe takes a vacation leaving staff in charge o the office. She has a hard time letting go, however, leading to some ruffled feathers. A perfect vacation drive book.

For the first time since we left home, I have been completely pain free today!! Hooray! I wish my phone felt as well though. Since yesterday I can't get photos to upload to Facebook and because of that I don't know how to post them here. Once I get that worked out I'll share our fun days in Cedar Rapids and Chicago with you.

Glad your back has finally decided to behave, Reba. Do you use a lumbar pillow in the car? That always helps me.

Yay for being pain-free!
And yes, the next time your out this way, let me know and we'll try to meet up!

Looks like you had a beautiful day in Cedar Rapids. Yay for being pain free - hope it continues!

Hooray for pain free, Reba! That is great! Can't wait to see your photos.

Reba, I hope your back is still co-operating. I love the photos of Cedar Rapids!

Iowa! You are practically here! If I do make it to Geneseo while you are still here, I promise I will come down to see you!

We've been without WiFi for a couple of days but it was just installed in the "new" house so, hooray, I'm connected again.

Hi Roni. The car we use on the road has lumbar support (and heat) in the seats. I'm very comfortable in the car. It was walking around and lying down that were the problem. Still doing well now though :)

Amber, it would be fun to meet you. We usually cross the country further south but I'll keep it unmanned for the next time we use the northern route.

Joanne -- we had a great trip east this year...except for the back but it's fine now.

Mamie -- back is still well. I haven't been able to upload any photos for almost a week now. Need to call Facebook or Apple and figure out what the problem is.

Susan -- I have some nice ones of Chicago too...if I can ever get them uploaded.

Lucy -- YES, please do. We would love to see you here. We plan to be here until early October so you have plenty of time :)

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante**** (audio)

This final book in the Neapolitan series covers the last half of the characters' lives. I really have enjoyed this series in two ways. First, the characters are compelling and I like following them as their lives develop. Second, the author does a very good job of reflecting the changes in Italian, especially Neapolitan, society through the last half of the 20th (and very early 21t0 century. I really recommend this series.

Glad you are safely arrived and looking forward to hearing all about your literary adventures this summer.

Thanks Lucy. I hope to be full of things to report soon. At the moment I'm buried in moving activities. We got here a week ago Sunday and spent the first two nights at our old place. A week ago today we had three strong young folks come to move furniture from old place to new and within the new place. Then I started cleaning out cupboards, sorting things I found there, cleaning and moving in. There was a LOT of "stuff" in cupboards here. We have taken three car loads to donate and removed countless bags of trash. Today I have four workmen busy in here mostly making improvements we want but some of it is also things that just need fixing. We basically have to be done with everything by a week from Friday because no construction work is allowed during "season". Today's big job for me is shortening some curtains we bought for our bedroom so we won't be blinded by the sun coming through our east-facing windows early each morning. The shades that were there just aren't doing the job. Tomorrow I hope to hang pictures. Thursday the plan is to go into Erie, PA (nearest city -- about 30 minutes away) to look for a small chest of drawers that can accommodate the TV on top. That and a small table for the end of the couch should take care of things for now...I hope...but then I was just talking to the heating/air conditioning guy about the problems with that system which may mean we need a new one of those now. Anyway, I hope to read a book again sometime soon :)

I know what you mean---we've been so busy with the front yard project that I've scarcely touched a book! Glad you are safely there, but sounds like there is a lot of settling in work. Have you sold the other place yet, or are you planning on renting it out?

>42 ronincats: Isn't it awful when life gets in the way of reading :) Your front yard project is looking great. Are you planting yet?

At the end of our trip east my phone stopped being able to upload photos. It's fixed now so here are some we took when in Chicago -- one of my very favorite cities.



We had lunch at Berghoff's -- an old favorite



Spent a few hours at The Art Institute -- another Chicago "must"



Isn't the face on the wall of the water feature in Millennium Park cool??

LOVE the photos, Reba! Chicago is such a fun city!

Oh, yes, love the photos!

Hi Mamie and Amber -- thanks. I love Chicago.

I had a glorious afternoon. The weather is perfect today -- around 80, delightful breeze, sunshine -- and I spent over 2 hours reading on the porch! Wish you could all have been there with me...but we wouldn't have fit...but I like the thought anyway.

I like that thought, too, Reba! For both the company and the weather - it was 98F here today. I hate summer.

Thanks for sharing the photos from Chicago - I've only been there once, but my husband and I both loved it and want to go back....

Have a great weekend!

It was 87 here today, but instead of sitting outside reading I've been making jewelry for tomorrow's show.

Well, it's only going to 86F here today, and I am thrilled with that. A break from the 90s weather we have been enduring.

Hoping you get another day of perfect, Reba!

Hi Katie -- boy am I with you in hating 98 degrees, no matter what season it occurs in.

Hi Roni - sounds like S.D. is warming up to summer. Hope you do really well at the show today.

Hi Mamie -- 86 isn't that far from what we're having but it's been nice and dry here...probably not so dry in Georgia, I'm thinking.

Nope. More like soup.

>53 Crazymamie: pretty much what I thought -- stay cool

>44 RebaRelishesReading: Impressive, Reba. The Windy City is a must for me and mine when we eventually get stateside.

Have a great Sunday.

>55 PaulCranswick: Yes, Paul you really should include Chicago. It's a great city.

One of our Chautauqua neighbors but up this Little Free Library yesterday :)

Cool!

Great photos of Chicago, I enjoyed my one and only visit there and the weather looks about the same in your pics. Those Little Free Libraries are great. I visit the one by my house frequently - all those books have to go somewhere when they are read!

Hi Jim and Meg. Thanks for stopping by. It's a warm day here at Chautauqua so we walked first thing and still came home dripping. I was glad I had waited with the shower until we got back. Now sitting in a fairly cool dining room under a ceiling fan so it isn't too bad but I sure hope it cools off to more seasonable weather soon.

Thanks, Diana. I'm just hoping we don't have too many heat waves like the one just ended here!

So. How are you liking the new place? Definitely roomier, I know. ARe you settled in? Is it turning out to be a convenient location? I can't remember--did you sell or rent the other one? How did you get through Chicago without a meet-up with our resident beermeisters and Debby? Our 2 day heat wave just ended, set all kinds of records from El Cajon on east and a major fire going down by the border at Potrero. Right now it's 70--still comfortable summer temps for this time of day.

>57 RebaRelishesReading: How fun! I may need to get my nephew to make me one eventually. We don't have many in our area.

Oh drat!! I just answered 63 & 64, with a nice long note to Roni, added one photo and then went to the get second one and accidentally closed LT!! Here we go again then....

Hi Lori -- I've never actually used one of the little libraries but I like the idea a lot.

Hi Roni -- I read and posted on your thread before I read this so it turns out you've answered many of my questions already. Glad the heat has broken. It was quite hot and muggy here over the weekend but yesterday and today have been beautiful. We were on a pretty tight schedule by the time we got to Chicago so I didn't try to set up any meet-ups. Maybe next time. Yes, we're pretty much settled in. We went to Erie last Saturday and bought the last two pieces of furniture that we need (a media cabinet with drawers for the TV and for me to keep my electronics and paperwork) and a round table for next to the couch. Friday someone is coming to measure the skylight for a shade. It's west-facing and REALLY heats the house up when it's sunny -- like getting into a car that has been parked in the sun for hours. Living room carpet will be cleaned this week. We really like the place and are enjoying the space (about 3 times what we had). It's rather like living in the suburbs. Our townhouse complex is surrounded by medium to very-large single-family homes. Nearly all built in the second half of the 20th century. It's green and quiet and feels rather different that the much denser historic center of Chautauqua which is much livelier. The distance isn't too bad and will help to keep the step count up so it will be fine.

Here are some pictures of the new place. The first is the view from our kitchen window



This is our new front porch

Reba, the new place looks lovely! And what a great porch for sitting outside but not frying in the sun. Your Chicago pictures look great too.

Well, I just answered your questions again on my thread before coming here. Love the pictures--so GREEN!

>65 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, beautiful!!

Hi Susan -- it is a lovely place to sit outside and there's another one on the other side :) I'm about to head out there with a book. Chicago is a great city. I recommend it highly for a visit.

Thanks, Roni. I just read them. (btw, "so green" seems to be the universal California reaction lol)

Thank you Amber. Nice to see you.

LOVE the setting of your new Chataqua home! Just lovely...

I'm glad you're settled in to your new place, Reba. I love the front porch and the trees. I also love skylights but would hate one in Missouri. We've been having mid-90s here to begin summer. I worked outside in the shade this morning and was dripping with sweat after a short time. So humid. How cool having your own local Little Free Library. You chose a good setting!

Hi Katie and Donna -- nice to see you and thanks for your kind comments. We love Chautauqua and are really enjoying the extra space we have in our new place. It's going to be a great summer (although it can cool down as far as I'm concerned :) )

Reba, that looks so peaceful. Very pretty - I love the view from the kitchen window!

Hi Mamie -- yes, it's lovely isn't it?

Over Here: The First World War and American Society by David M Kennedy ***

This actually is a very good book but I gave it only three stars because it wasn't quite what I had expected when I bought it. Maybe that's not fair, but so it is. Mr. Kennedy is a serious scholar who is the Donald McLachlan Professor of History at Stanford University (emeritus) which is reflected in this work. I was looking for something a bit lighter. All of that said, it is a thorough look at all aspects of how WWI affected American society and I learned a lot from it starting with how little actual involvement American forces had in the fighting. The book also explained a lot about why Wilson was so unsuccessful with his attempts at peace diplomacy and what went wrong with the early 20th century liberal movement(s). One reason I like reading history is that it often serves to make me feel better about things happening in current times by reminding me what we have survived in the past. Politically, morally, economically, etc. things weren't all that wonderful back then either.

Morning, Reba! You have been keeping me on my toes with the stepping - thanks for that!

"Season" started yesterday and we now live pretty far from where everything takes place so I should be getting more now. I think I set a new personal best today but I can't get Fitbit to sync so haven't proven that yet.

Week 1 of 2016 Chautauqua season. The theme is "creative expression" and each morning Roger Rosenblatt is interviewing people in creative professions. Monday it was Jane Pauley and Gary Trudeau. Yesterday, editors Lorin Stein of The Paris Review, Pamela Paul of The New York Times Book Review, and David Lynn of The Kenyan Review.

Today was lyricist Alan Bergman.(Wife/partner Marilyn was sick so stayed in the guest house). As a surprise, Jane Pauley was there to sing three of the Bergman's many well known songs. In the photo above she is singing 'The Way We Were". She isn't a professional singer but she did a very fine job.

Tomorrow Mr. Rosenblatt will interview Ann Patchett and Friday he'll talk to Alan and Arlene Alda.Another highlight of the week for me is that Bishop John Shelby Spong is speaking every afternoon this week.

I'm also busy trying to keep up my step count (not too hard since we now live about 3/4 of a mile from most of the venues!) and with three choir practices and two performances per week. I plan to play Mahjongg at the Women's Club on Friday afternoon too. Then there's the small matter of a large bag of books TBR that I brought along plus a bunch I've bought since we arrived.

Reba, that all sounds very good for the steps! I'm also having trouble syncing - it's annoying. I can't even seem to get the app off my BlackBerry to reinstall it. I'll have to wait till the roomie gets back next week and fixes it for me :-) Meanwhile, I have to start up my computer at home every night and do it that way.

>78 RebaRelishesReading: - Sounds wonderful! All of it!

Oooh, the Kenyon Review! I've been there! Ha!

Roger Rosenblatt's conversation with Ann Patchett yesterday was really, really good. At one point she described herself as seeking invisibility by dressing and acting in ways that don't stand out but admitted that she isn't shy on the stage. She's right, she appeared very out-going and fun yesterday, giving full, interesting answers to all of his questions. Here are a few of her comments that I liked best:

He asked her what inspires her and she said that her analogy is a "match" but she no longer finds inspiration so important.. "You've got to have a match, but, at 52 years old, I have spent my life in a warm house. You don't spend your life in a warm house because of a match. You spend your life in a warm house because of your ability to get up and split wood." "I think if I sit around waiting for someone to whisper in my ears, I would get a lot of knitting done."

When she wrote The Magician's Assistant she was looking for two characters who were in a primary and secondary relationship where the secondary character would need to do the job of the primary. She chose a magician and his assistant because she thought they would be glamorous. "He would wear tuxedos and she would wear dresses with sequins", etc. Half way through the book she realized she didn't know much about magic and needed to do research which led her to conclude that she really hates magic and its misogynistic world. Since then she only writes about things she likes and wants to know more about.

She sets herself a problem to solve with each of her books. For example, what happens if each of the characters speaks a different language (Bel Canto)? What happens if the main character dies in the first sentence (The Magician's Assistant)?

She also likes to play with different time lines, for example Run takes place in 24-hours while Commonwealth (coming out September 2016) takes 52 years. She chooses her characters first and then decides what the best location for them is.

Rosenblatt asked her about story line development and things that might foretell or relate together and she suggested there was too much made of that by saying "have you ever had one of your stories put in an anthology for students and at the end there are teachers questions and you can't answer them?"

All by all, a very enjoyable interview.

In the afternoon Geraldine Brooks made a presentation which I was really looking forward to also. Unfortunately, with her Australian accent and rather soft voice I only understood about 1/3 of what she said :( I did get her to sign my book though :)

Sounds wonderful. I love Roger Rosenblatt, and he's interviewing an impressive array of personalities. And, of course, you know how I feel about John Shelby Spong! I am so envious.

Guess you'll just have to come visit sometime :)

We went to the movies last night and saw The Meddler staring Susan Sarandon. It's a lovely film about recovery from loss/frief (mostly but there are some other themes too). It's one I would recommend.

Bummer about Geraldine Brooks--I would have thought she'd be interesting. I heard Ann Patchett speak a few years ago, and she was super-engaging. Just the kind of person you'd want to invite over for dinner.

Hi Rhonda. Yes, I was really looking forward to Geraldine Brooks and was disappointed I couldn't understand much because I'm sure it would have been interesting. She seems like a lovely person as does Ann Patchett who was so relaxed and out-going you just had to pay attention. It was also a relaxed format with Roger engaging her in conversation whereas Geraldine Brooks gave a talk. All by all a great opening week.

The Patchett interview sounds quite marvelous!

Your house looks beyond charming. I hope things are settling down in it now?

Thank you, Lucy. Yes, we are pretty much finished for this year. There are some things we want to do next year, or soon after that, like replacing old vertical blinds with drapes in the LR/DR and, maybe, getting new hard-surface flooring downstairs. There's a new AC/heater coming in the fall and the dish washer (original to house in 1988) is making odd noises even though it still works fine so...but for now...

Happy 4th of July dear American friends!!

Thanks Paul. The 4th of July at Chautauqua is my favorite. We had a community picnic with concert by the Community Band at lunch then a "pops" concert in the evening followed by fireworks all around the lake. Plus people put red flares all along the shore so the share of the lake is outlined in red. Also the bell tower plays patriotic songs while the fireworks go. It's really great.

The Devil's Cave by Martin Walker**** (audio)

This Bruno the detective episode begins with a naked woman floating face-up in a boat down the river. When she's brought to shore it turns out she's dead and there are signs of satanic ritual with her in the boat. Who is she? How did she die? Another fun story from the French countryside.

>92 RebaRelishesReading: - Wow! The 4th of July at Chautauqua sounds amazing, Reba! We didn't take in any fireworks this year, but my son Ben got to play at the 4th Fest nearby. It was about an hour before fireworks, so he had his biggest crowd yet!

Hi Amy. How cool for Ben!! I'll bet he enjoyed that.

Last night the Capital Steps were here. I love them and thought they would have a TON of material this time. In a newspaper interview yesterday morning they said, however, that much of their humor is based on exaggeration and it's very difficult to exaggerate Trump. They were right. The Trump sketches were funny but not the best. Imho the best of all was one about the transgender bathroom issue which linked it to the lines for ladies restrooms. I almost needed to leave and go find one myself before they finished that one!!

The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks' latest novel is once again based on real historical characters, this time King David of the Old Testament. She portrays David with all of his beauty and warts in a story that is probably as historically accurate as is possible. It isn't my favorite Brooks (that would be either March of People of the Book, but none the less a thoroughly enjoyable book imho.

Reba, spending the 4th of July at Chautauqua sounded like a wonderful experience. As did the Ann Patchett interview with Roger Rosenblatt. It sounds like you are having a terrific time!

*wave* I think a summer at Chautauqua sounds like something I need to put on my bucket list.

Hi Donna -- nice to see you. Yep, we're having a great time.

Great idea Jenn!! We'd love to see you here some time :)

I have been wanting to read The Secret Chord. It sounds like I shouldn't get my hopes too high, though...

Hi Rhonda. Don't let me put you off. I liked it a lot just not as much as a couple of her other books which I truly loved.

I will give it a try. I read a really interesting non-fiction book about David a few years ago= -- King David by Jonathan Kirsch and I am interested to see how this compares.

>96 RebaRelishesReading: That one has been on my list for awhile. It will eventually get checked out of the library.

Hi Rhonda and Lori! I hope you both enjoy it.

Reba, it sounds like your summer is going well, humidity notwithstanding!

Hi Susan -- yes it is!! Today is cool and cloudy and we may get some rain. I read the paper out on the porch this morning just like I dream about doing when I'm not here :)

Killing a King by Dan Ephron****

Dan Ephron (no relation to Nora as far as I can tell) was a newsman who spent many years in Israel. In fact, he covered the pro-Oslo Accord demonstration at which Yitzhak Rabin was killed. He was working for Newsweek when it closed and decided to write a book to "reconstruct the twin narratives of Rabin's endeavor to forge peach with Issrael's neighbors and Yigal Amir's fanatical effort to stop him". Ephors takes the story further to discuss what happened to the peace process after Rabin died.

I remember the event well but knew little about the assassin nor had I closely followed the politics in Israel since Rabin so I definitely found the book interesting and worthwhile. My only caution is that sometimes it leans to the "more than I really need to know" side.

Euphoria by Lily King*****

NYTimes Book Review lists this book as one of the 10 best for 2014 and it also won The Kirkus Prize. It's my second five star book for the year. It's a novel "inspired by events in the life of revolutionary anthropologist Margaret Mead". Taking place in the 1930's and set in the territory of New Guinea, it's the story of three young anthropologists: a young American woman, her Australian husband and an Englishman they have met professionally. While in New Guinea studying tribes along the Sepik River their lives become entwined. While the book provides insight into tribal cultures in the area and into the challenges of cultural anthropology, it is also a love story. I found it engaging from start to finish and read it in a day.

Hi Reba! I hope you get some more porch time in. I've been stepping, but nothing particularly heroic so far. I need to run on the spot to get my steps for the corporate challenge, which is a higher total today.

I'm not supposed to run because I have artificial knees -- never did like to run anyway so it's fine with me :) It's been hot and muggy here so I've had a hard time doing much more than the minimum steps ... it's cooler today though so I need to get at it :)

>108 RebaRelishesReading: - I enjoyed Euphoria too, Reba! I liked the plot, but was especially fascinated by the peek into cultural anthropology. Hope you are enjoying some cooler weather. We are getting ready for a warm week here in Iowa - highs in the 90s, ugh!

Hi Amy, Glad to hear you enjoyed Euphoria. That keeps up our tradition of liking similar books :) I'm afraid our few days of lovely cool, (fairly) dry weather is over. Today is 80 and very humid and our forecast is for temps in the 90's this week too. I'm afraid I can relate to "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" though.

Hi Reba! Wow -- love your new Chautauqua place! It looks like a lovely place to spend the summer. Hope you are well!

Thanks, Anne. We are well and hope you are too. Nice to "see" you here :)

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George ****1/2

The title bookshop is a barge in the Seine operated by a man who is skilled at pointing customers to just the right book to help them with life's problems (need to sleep better? suffering from a broken heart?) but he himself is a broken man, mourning a love he lost 21 years before. Other characters enter the story, each suffering in a somewhat different way. It's a charming book about pain and healing and I loved it.

>115 RebaRelishesReading: Nice. I've read several good reviews of that book, so I'll add it to my wish list.

Hi Darryl. Hope you like it.

So Susan, I've finished Th Little Paris Bookshop and Kitchens of the Great Midwest has come so as soon as I get off the computer I'm going to go out to the shady porch and start it :)

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptiall Manning****(audio)

Thank you Susan for pointing the way to this most interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had no idea that the U. S. government provided books for U. S. Soldiers and Sailors during WWII. What a great idea to help morale, provide stress relief and provide the opportunity for further education. It turns out that a movement which began with universities gathering books for the military forces as a demonstration in response to Nazi book burnings ultimately led to a program which distributed literally millions of books and even to tailor-made editions. Apparently one of the most popular titles was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which I have never read but have now ordered and will read soon.

Morning, Reba! I have that last one on my WL, and I am wanting to get to it. I knew about the government providing books because in Maureen Corrigan's So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures, she talks about that program and how it contributed to Fitzgerald's writing enjoying a resurgence.

Hi Reba! You've recently read two books that I also enjoyed! I completely agree that The Little Paris Bookshop was charming, and I learned a lot from When Books Went to War. Good reading here!

Hi Mamie -- When Books Went to War mentions that The Great Gatsby was considered a flop until it was chosen for the Armed Forces Editions and was very popular with the soldiers. Now it's considered a classic :)

Hi Amy -- glad to hear we're keeping up our similar book taste :) I've been enjoying a week with time to read for a change and I'm loving it.

Morning, Reba!

Kitcchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal****1/2

Yes, Susan, I liked this book very much. I don't think I was quite as head-over-heels as you, but I like it a lot.

In brief, this is a novel about interconnected, dysfunctional families. Interesting in how it links them all together in a semi-short story format. A good read.

Happy Saturday, Reba! I have Kitchens of the Great Midwest out from the library, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

>124 RebaRelishesReading: I wouldn't have expected Kitchens of the Great Midwest to be about "interconnected dysfunctional families". - interesting.

Have a lovely weekend, Reba.

Hi Mamie -- hope your rain comes and offers some relief. We're having an unusually hot and humid summer here and I am definitely not a fan!! I'm interested to see what you think about Kitchens of the Great Midwest.

Hi Paul -- guess it goes to show you can't judge a book by it's title :)

Ever since Olive Kitteridge, I've loved books of linked stories. Although not quite as good as Olive, I liked Kitchens of the Great Midwest a lot too!

Hi Reba! You're read three on my radar: I saw The Little Paris Bookshop recently at the Tattered Cover but ultimately ended passing it up. I may re-think that one. I have When Books Went to War on my WL, and I did buy (at the Tattered Cover) The Kitchens of the Great Midwest for my mom's birthday. Glad to see you enjoyed all of them!

Reba, I'm glad you enjoyed Kitchens of the Great Midwest :-) But When Books Went to War wasn't me, if I was the Susan you're referring to in that post. I do now want to read it, however ;-)

Morning, Reba! We did not get the rain. *sigh*

>130 susanj67: I have When Books Went to War on my LT recommended list, and I have Amy listed as the one who warbled about it - so maybe it was Amy?

Hi Amy -- once again our tastes are similar :) and I guess I have you to thank for When Books Went to war -- thank you!

Hi Anne -- The Little Paris Bookshop was my favorite of the three. Are you going to be at The Tattered Cover again soon? :)

Hi Susan -- I clearly need to stop trusting my memory and start writing down where I hear about books I want to read (I do it sometimes but not often enough). It's funny because it just seemed to me like exactly the kind of non-fiction I hear about from you and enjoy a lot. Hope it works in the opposite direction tool

Mamie, so sorry you didn't get the rain. This summer is brutal all over the country if you believe the weather reporters, which I do. Thanks for telling me where I got the When Books Went to War recommendation from.

The Bully of Order by Brian Hart ***

The 3 starts reflects my taste more than the merits of this book. It's well written but it's a violent, dark story that takes place in late 19th century Washington state. It's gripping but, at the same time, given the setting you know what's going to happen from the beginning. I would recommend it for people who like tough stories of the old west (way west, not cowboys and indians) but it really wasn't quite my cuppa.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi*****+

This may possibly be the most beautiful book I have ever read. The book was written by a young neurosurgery resident who was diagnosed with lung cancer just as he was about to finish his residency and embark on what promised to be a brilliant career. His undergraduate degree in literature shows in the beauty of his writing and the depth and serenity of his philosophy of life and death. I cried and I smiled and I doubt I will ever forget this book.

Here are a couple of quotes from the jacket:

"Rattling, heartbreaking, and ultimately beautiful, the too-young Dr. Kalanithi's memoir is proof that the dying are the ones who have the most to teach us about life." Atal Gawande

"Thanks to When Breath Becomes Air, those of us who never met Paul Kalanithi will both mourn his death and benefit from his life. This is one of a handful of books I consider to be a universal donor--I would recommend it to anyone, everyone." Ann Pathett

We enjoy going to the movies at the Chautauqua Cinema. So far this season we’ve seen: The Meddler, A Hologram for the King, Love and Friendship and Spotlight.

In the midst of all of the disturbing news in the world, a friend posted this on her Facebook page and made me smile....thought I would share.

>136 RebaRelishesReading: Ha! Love that!

Your theater looks charming, Reba.

Hi Mamie -- the theater is really cute. Inside it has a wooden peaked ceiling with beams -- just lovely.

Glad you A/C woes are almost over.

>135 RebaRelishesReading: Such a cute building!

Reba, it looks so leafy and green where you are. And the theatre is so cute! I bet there are no teenagers eating nachos all through the films, and texting all the time either.

Hi Lori -- It is leafy and green although we're having a drought here so lawns aren't as green as usual.

You're right, Susan. There are teenagers there but there are no nachos (just popcorn) and they don't have their phones out. You get a more comfortable seat in a multiplex and a better view but this theater is just so sweet I can't resist it.

Hi Reba! Yes, I did get back to the Tattered Cover, but I resisted buying anything -- I'm sure you can imagine how my unread piles are out of control, and I decided I did not need another book. Well. Then my mom came home last night from Germany where she lives. She had traveled earlier this year to Paris, and decided when she was in Shakespeare and Company that I needed a book about Paris from Paris, so I got the book after all!

Hi Reba! What a cute little theater. I want to see Love and Friendship, but haven't managed yet. Did you like it?

>142 AMQS: Serendipity!

>143 nittnut: I know, right? The cover of the non-US version is different, too:


So excited!

Hi Ann -- how appropriate to get The Little Paris Bookshop and a gift from Paris!

Hi Jenn - yes we liked it a lot. It's pure Austin:)

We have house guests this week so I'm not getting much reading or walking done. We did see "The Profane" yesterday -- a most thought-provoking plan -- and a wild and wacky production of "The Mikado" this evening.

Both the new Lily King and the Little Paris Bookshop sound very tempting!

Give them a try :) We were talking about you this morning. We have visitors who will leave tomorrow to visit family in Vermont who live in the countryside down an unpaved road. I told them what I know about your off-the-grid house and we all commented with admiration about the Vermont ethic (as we see it :)).

We have a robin nesting just outside our dining room window. At dinner the other night we were shocked to see a hawk trying to get the egg. We smacked the window and he flew away, we can still one egg in there and mom still sits on the nest so we're hoping everything is OK. We know hawks have to eat too...but still....

Thank you Diana :) Hope you have one too.

Mama bird was away from the nest for a couple of minutes yesterday afternoon so I took a peek. I'm pretty sure that's baby bird half-hatched in there. If I notice her away again today I'll try to get another photo.

Oh my goodness, that is a great picture, but that birdlet does not look like a baby robin to me. Of course, I have never seen one at that stage. Good on you scaring away the hawk. We have lots of baby rabbits this year after almost a complete absence in past years. I have noticed more hawks recently. Mother Nature at work.

That little cinema is so cute. Reba, you make a great cheerleader for Chautauqua. Like Jenn, I might have to put it on my bucket list. It looks like a great place for an LT meet up!

>152 RebaRelishesReading: There is a nest up in the gutter of my roof. I'll have to see if I can find someone with a big ladder to remove it when the birds have migrated north.

Donna, I would LOVE an LT meet-up at Chautauqua. Great idea!!

Lori -- it would be hard to see much of the "goings-on" with the nest in the gutter. This one is in a big shrub and very conveniently placed for peeks from the dining room or the back porch.

We were just feeling really sorry for Mama bird being, we thought, a single parent when a second adult robin arrived with a worm in his/her mouth so it seems there have been two parents taking turns and we never noticed. It's such fun to watch them. Next time I see the adults gone I'm going to go out onto the porch and see how the little one is doing.

Strangers Drowning by Larissa MacFarquhar****

This is a book about people helping others. The title refers to the question "if your loved-one is drowning and there are also strangers drowning whom do you choose to save? What if you can only save one person if you choose your loved-one but you could save two if you chose the strangers?" Part of it is quite philosophical, comparing "heroes" with "do-gooders" for example and discussing questions like "if you send food aid abroad do you hurt local food producers and, if so, should you send the food?" or "does aid sometimes allow civil wars to go on longer and, if so, ...?" Very thoughtful, sometimes difficult topics. The rest of the book provides descriptions of people who have gone to extraordinary lengths to help others. A most interesting book.

Our morning speaker today was Fareed Zakaria. I'm always impressed with his ability to analyze and present the facts in a logical and reasonable manner. Today he gave a most interesting talk on technology and what it means to be human. He ended with some interesting thoughts about what work may look like in 20 or 30 years, with examples of how we could divide things so that machines do the technical things while humans do the truly human things like art, music, supporting other humans in times of trouble, etc. I only listened to his talk, however, because he didn't stand at the podium as I expected but instead came out and stood directly behind that pillar where I couldn't see even an inch of him lol.

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante***(audio)

I bought this book thinking it was one of the Neapolitan series but it isn't part of a series. I have rather mixed feelings about it as I did with the Neapolitan books. It's the story of a thirty-something woman with two young children who is suddenly left by her husband for another, much younger, woman. She is devastated by his abandonment and the book follows her to the depths of despair, and edge of insanity, as she learns to survive. It's a powerful book in ways and, imho, rather unbelievable in other ways. I didn't dislike it but didn't think it was worth over three stars either.

Hi Reba! The Fareed Zakaria talk sounds interesting, but how frustrating not to see him.

Hi Rhonda -- it was OK...more funny than frustrating. He's been here twice before and I've actually seen him both times so I was OK with just listening to him this time. :)

Morning, Reba!

Morning, Mamie! Hope you're having an OK day. It's hot and humid here (weather report says it's the end of the storm that hit Louisiana) and I really agree with you saying you're ready for fall!!

Behind the Scenes by Judi Dench****

I really enjoyed this quick read which is a book of memories and photos by Judi Dench, one of my favorite actors.

Aimless Love by Billy Collins *****

I'm not a big poetry fan but I do like Billy Collins very much. He will be at Chautauqua next week and I'm anxious to hear him speak. Meanwhile, I picked a couple of my shorter favorite poems to share with you. Hope you enjoy them.

ABSENCE

This morning as low clouds
skidded over the spires of the city

I found next to a bench
in a park an ivory chess piece--

the white knight as it turned out--
and in the pigeon-ruffling wind

I wondered where all the others were,
lined up somewhere

on their red and black squares,
many of them feeling uneasy

about the salt shaker
that was taking his place,

and all of them secretly longing
for the moment

when the white horse
would reappear out of nowhere

and advance toward the board
with his distinctive motion

stepping forward, then sideways
before advancing again,

the same moves I was making him do
over and over in the sunny field of my palm.

NO TIME

In a rush this weekday morning,
I tap the horn as I speed past the cemetery
where my parents lie buried
side by side under a smooth slab of granite.

Then, all day long, I think of him rising up
to give me that look
of knowing disapproval
while my mother calmly tells him to lie back down.

Hi Reba. I love that picture with the speaker hidden behind the pillar. The ONE seat... :-) It sounds like it's all fun, though, save for the weather. One of my Facebook gaming pals lives in Baton Rouge and evacuated herself to Mississippi with her baby daughter a few days ago. The whole ground floor (by which I mean street level - the US first floor) of their apartment block in Baton Rouge is underwater and no-one else has electricity. Scary. I'm glad it's less terrible where you are.

Lucky you, Reba, to hear Billy Collins in person! Abby and I both loved Aimless Love.

Billy Collins, lucky you!

Hi Susan -- i thought it was pretty funny that he chose to stand right behind the pillar but I could hear him fine so all was good.

Hi Mamie and Lucy -- I can't wait to hear him. It'll be next Thursday I think and I'll report.

I just looked at the clock and found that it's noon. I'm still in my morning caftan and think I just decided I'm not going to get dressed today :) I'm listening to a Bruno Chief of Police audio book and ripping apart a quilt and I think I'll just keep doing that all day :)

Good plan, Reba! I am also indulging in a jammie day. Just finished the sixth book in the Ruth Galloway series, and I was thinking about Bruno...

Hope you enjoyed your jammie day -- I surely did. Finished Bruno and made good progress on taking the quilt apart.

The Resistance Man by Martin Walker (audio)****

In this Bruno, Chief of Police there are several burglaries in the area where antiques and art are stolen from vacant vacation homes. At the same time there is a murder that may or may not be connected to the burglaries. A typically charming Bruno book :)

I did indeed, Reba! We ended up ordering carryout for dinner and watching two movies, so the entire day was a treat.

You are now two books ahead of me in the Bruno series - I am ready for The Devil's Cave.

>173 Crazymamie: My husband has decided he wants to experience Bruno (since I've been telling him a bit about the series) so I'm going to save the last three to listen two on up-coming cross-country drives. The first will be over Labor Day so it isn't THAT long to wait...which is good because I really would like to start today :)

Today is the day that the Chautauqua books for next year start being announced. I'm not familiar with one of them (and will have to go to the bookstore to get the title/author right) but Ann Patchet will be here to interview that author (happy news because she was here this year and is delightful in person). Even more exciting, Richard Russo is coming to present Everybody's Fool. It's his first time at Chautauqua and, given that he's one of my all time favorite authors, I'm really excited!!

>174 RebaRelishesReading: Oh - I am really no good at waiting. I would be re-listening to them with him. Heh.

>175 RebaRelishesReading: What fun, Reba! I goggled to see the list, but I was even more impressed with the young reader's list - what excellent selections they made. BUT Richard Russo!! Be still my heart!

Hi Reba! Happy weekend to you.

>175 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, it's handy that they announce the books so far in advance. But no excuse for not reading them all :-)

>176 Crazymamie: The thought crossed my mind to listen now and relisten later but the first trip will be over Labor Day so it isn't so long to wait.

Yes, I generally like the CLSC book selections which are often books I wouldn't hear of or read otherwise. But Russo...can't wait. Maybe you should come and hear him too :)

>177 AMQS: Thank you. I hope you had a good one too.

>178 susanj67: They've only announced three (of 10) so far. The rest will be announced as the authors' visits are confirmed but it is nice to know what they are early on although I often try to wait and read them closer to the date the author will be here.

WEATHER
Since I've been complaining a lot about weather this summer I wee obliged to note that today was just about perfect. Sky was blue, air fairly dry and high temperature was 73. I sat out on the porch all afternoon. It was heaven!!

Yesterday was one of the highlights of the Chautauqua season for me when Billy Collins read his poetry and talked briefly about several of the poems. I'm not a big poetry fan but I DO love his stuff and it was fun to hear and see him read it himself.

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom****

The opening line of this book is "My father's wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us". Once there, the mother abandons Eva on her father's doorstep and she must come to terms with the fact that her father has another family, including a half-sister a few years older than she is. The wild tale really begins as the sister graduates from high school and the two take off for Hollywood to pursue the sister's goal of stardom. Their lives never get close to a straight path which may be intended to reflect the turbulence of the 1940's in which much of the book is set. It's a somewhat unusual book and I notice that the reviews are all over the place but I'm among those who enjoyed it.

Can't wait to hear about Rick Russo's visit!

You can be sure I will report :)

>180 RebaRelishesReading: How cool that you got to see and hear Billy Collins read his poetry. I'm like you, poetry is a bit out of my comfort zone except for BC, Mary Oliver, and a few others.

And Richard Russo will be there next year. Why aren't we all spending our summers at Chautauqua. At least we have a great on-the-scene reporter to let us know what we are missing. Good work, Reba!

Hi Donna -- as always we seem to share a lot in our reading tastes :) You should come visit Chautauqua sometime :)

Morning, Reba! What Donna said. You are our own roving reporter.

Elizabeth of York by Allison Weir****(audio)

I enjoy biography, especially of historic figures, and this was no exception. I've read a fair bit about the later Tudors but really knew very little about Elizabeth of York so this was new, interesting territory. It also led me to want to know more about the War of the Roses and the British royalty before Henry VII so I'll be doing some (more) book shopping soon :)

>187 RebaRelishesReading: I'm glad to see a review on that one. I saw something about the print version about that one the other day. I don't remember if I added it to my wish list or not, but I'm going to make sure it is there after reading your comments.

ETA: It's there! In fact it's been there since December 2013. I think it needs to be bumped up!

REBA!! I LOVE that topper!

We're leaving in a little while to drive to Michigan where we plan to walk across the Macinac Bridge on Monday. Once a year, on Labor Day, they close one side of the bridge and allow people to walk across. We've talked about doing this for years but before my knees were replaced it really was a non-starter for me but now my knees are looking forward to it :) Look out FitBitters, I should have great numbers on Monday :)

Hi Lori -- you probably got it from the same source I did -- although I don't remember now who it was that talked about it. It broadened my interest in English history to include a whole new era.

Thanks, Mamie :)

Morning, Reba! Happy Saturday!

>190 RebaRelishesReading: Oh. My. Word. Don't look down, Reba!

>190 RebaRelishesReading: - So you're starting the trek home from Chataqua? Any other fun stops planned along the way?

>190 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, that sounds like so much fun! And two hours of steps - you're going to beat me on Monday :-)

>191 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I read Elizabeth of York a while a and loved it, so it might have been me :-) The library has a book called Blood Sisters which I also want to read, and you might like that one too.

Walking across the Mackinac Bridge sounds like a fabulous experience. I can't wait to hear about it!

>190 RebaRelishesReading: Enjoy Monday's walk. I hope the weather cooperates.

Hi Reba! Sounds like you are having tons of fun at the Chataqua!

>190 RebaRelishesReading: Enjoy your walk, Reba!

Sunrise over Lake Huron from the Mackinac Bridge.

Hi Mamie, Katie, Susan, Amy, Meg, Rhonda and Diana! Nice to see you here and thanks for the good wishes.

Today Hubby and I checked another item off of our bucket list by walking over the Mackinac Bridge. We got up early and were in line to start at the 7:00 a.m. beginning giving us a lovely view of the sunrise from the bridge. We had perfect weather -- sunny, cool and breezy. So breezy, in fact, that the bridge was swaying enough near the top to make walking a little awkward. The crowd was projected to be 50,000 which was easy to believe with two lanes being totally filled with walkers from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 and then one lane until after 2:00 p.m. Once off the bridge we bought tee-shirts and then had breakfast before heading to the line for the bus back to our car near the starting point. We were in line for over 2 hours and then squished into a school bus for over an hour creeping back over the bridge. Not fun!! However the walk was fun, the people friendly and we had a good time. My ADVICE, should anyone want to do this walk (which is from north to south), would be to stay in Mackinaw City (which is on the south end of the bridge) then take an early morning bus to the beginning. That way when you finish the walk you're where your car/room are and you don't have to deal with the way over-crowded afternoon bus service.

No, Katie, we aren't headed back to California now. Tomorrow we will go back to Chautauqua where we are going to stay until mid-October when we'll head down to Florida. After a short visit to s-i-l we will board the m.s. Rotterdam for a cruise to the Mediterranean and back. Then another quick visit to s-i-l before heading back to CA. We expect to be back in San Diego about Dec. 20.

Yes, Susan, I probably got Elizabeth of York from you and I'll be on the look-out for Blood Sisters. Right now I'm reading Work Like Any Other, listening to Lilac Girls and listening to a Bruno, Chief of Police with hubby while we're driving. I will probably end up with all three plots scrambled in my head as it is and certainly can't start anything else until I get those finished lol.

This is the sun rising over Lake Huron, taken as we started up the Mackinac Bridge this morning.

Hi Mamie, Katie, Susan, Amy, Meg, Rhonda and Diana -- Thanks for your good wishes. We had a great time. The weather was perfect. We opted to go early so were in line to start right at 7:00 a.m. It was cool and breezy but clear. The walk itself is a bit over 5 miles with a very gentle uphill, then downhill, slope. Toward the middle we had the odd experience that the bridge was moving enough (from the wind I think) that it felt like trying to walk on a deck in stormy seas. Quite odd. The crowd was estimated at 50,000 so you definitely had to watch where you walked and tear a path between people walking more slowly than you but everyone was in a festive mood and very friendly. We were impressed by several people with physical challenges, including a 95-year-old woman with a walker, who were taking part.

We reached the south side a little after 9:00 by which time it was in the upper 60's and sunny. Once off the bridge we bought tee-shirts and then headed off to find the buses to go back to our car near the start. On the way we decided to have breakfast which may have been a mistake since by the time we got to the bus line it was HUGE. It took over two hours to went our way to the bus and then over an hour, squished into a school bus, to make our way back over the bridge. On the way we decided that instead of returning to our over-priced, very basic, motel in St. Ignace we would head south to a much nicer, less expensive place in Midland, MI. (which also gives us a head start on getting back to Chautauqua tomorrow) so we're now showered, comfy and happy in the Midland SpringHill Suites.

ADVICE -- if you want to walk the bridge I would advise staying the night before in a hotel in Mackinaw City (at the south end of the bridge) and then The walk is from north to south so you can

From this last sentence you'll see that we aren't on our way back to California. This is just a quick weekend trip to tick something off of our bucket list. We'll head back to Chautauqua tomorrow and stay there until mid-October when we head to Florida. We'll visit my sister-in-law for a few days and then board the m.s.Rotterdam for a cruise to the Mediterranean. We'll be back in Florida on Dec. 9 for another short visit to s-i-l before heading back to California (expect to be home about Dec 20).

>200 RebaRelishesReading: Beautiful sunrise picture, Reba. What's that they say about red sky at morning?

>199 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, that does sound like fun (apart from the queuing*). Your autumn/winter itinerary sounds action packed too. Your books seem different enough to keep the stories straight, but I am reading too many myself at the moment so I sympathise.

*That reminds me, I was walking behind an American lady who was on the phone outside the London Eye a couple of weeks ago, and she was saying "We got the tickets that mean you don't have to wait in line so long. And they don't call it a line here! Guess what they call it?" I didn't hear any more, but it did make me giggle. I didn't realise "queue" was such a British word.

>201 Familyhistorian: Red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning. This link explains why. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/learn-about-the-weather/how-weather-works/r...

Fatal Pursuit by Martin Walker**** (audio)

Oops, I somehow got my Bruno, Chief of Police books out of order and found reference to several things I didn't know about in this book. Still I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hubby and I listened to it on our road trip to Mackinac Bridge and he enjoyed it too.

I didn't realize you weren't going to be back in San Diego this fall!

Well, plans change. We have a friend who is in late stages of cancer and his wife has decided to have a little birthday party for him. Since they're very close friends and we may not see him again we've decided to go so we will actually be back for a week later this month. Since our cruise leaves from Florida we'll be leaving the car here and will come back for about three weeks of October. Back to CA just before Christmas.

Wow! That's a fabulous trip you have planned, Reba. I look forward to following along on your journey.

Hi Darryl -- It'll be a while before the "real" trip (the cruise) starts and I may not have a lot of contact opportunities but I'll do my best to report in :)

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly **** (audio)

I didn't realize it until the end but Lilac Girls is based on real people and real historic events which made me like it more than I already did. The book takes three main characters through WWII and into the 1950's. One is Carolyn Ferriday a New York socialite and Broadway actress who devoted much of her life to helping victims of WWII. Her home in Connecticut, "the Hay", is now a museum. A second real character is Herta, a German medical student who finds that her options are very limited as a woman doctor and accepts a job at Ravensbrück, a Nazi concentration camp for women. The third main character is Kasia. Unlike Carolyn and Herta who were real people, the Kasia character is fictional although based somewhat on an actual Ravensbrück inmate. The three stories are told in alternating chapters.

The book presents a female, civilian perspective on the war which is an approach not often taken. The author did extensive research including reviewing letters written by the women as well as other documents such as transcripts from the war crimes trials following the war.

I found the book compelling and the audio version easy to listen to.

Reba - I read about your walk across the Mackinac Bridge with interest. That is something that I'd like to do someday, so I'm filing away your tip on how to avoid the hassles. Safe travels this fall - it sounds like you've got some adventures in front of you!

I think I would like that walk across the Mackinac Bridge, too. I like how you are working on a bucket list for real. I joke about mine, but time's a wasting! I'd best get busy and get started on it. I'm sorry for the reason for your quick trip back to CA. I'm sure your friends appreciate your loyalty and kindness. I think I would be tempted to just stay home at that point, but I am not the traveler you are. I thought Lilac Girls looked like light reading and took it back to the library unread. Hmmm, how did I miss that it was historical fiction? I may rethink that one. Thanks for the information, Reba.

Hi Amy and Donna -- Glad you found the info about the Mackinac Bridge walk useful. The walk itself was fun and the whole experience would be good if you didn't get caught up in the mob scene trying to get back to the north end of the bridge.

We are pretty hard-core travelers I'm afraid. I sometimes think I would like to be home more but then someone mentions someplace I haven't been, or someplace I have been and really liked, or I read about someplace interesting, or see a program and TV and I'm dying to go.

I'll be interested to see what you think of Lilac Girls if you decide to try it again, Donna.

Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves****1/2

Set in Alabama in the 1920's, Work Like Any Other follows Roscoe Martin through about 10 years of a difficult life. He is the son of a miner who was expected to become a miner but escaped that fate (his opinion) to become an electrician, work he loves. He marries a teacher and they have a son but the marriage, which starts out very happily, becomes an empty shell after his wife inherits her father's farm and they move there. Roscoe misses his job, hates farming and misses the warm of his early marriage as they try to keep the struggling farm going.

As Philipp Meyer is quoted on the cover as saying: "A striking debut about love and redemption, the heavy burdens of family and guilt, and learning how to escape them. Powerfully told and lyrically written..." Thank you Darryl for your fine review which prompted to read this book.

>212 RebaRelishesReading: Seems like the general consensus is that one is one of the better Booker nominees.

I'm glad that you also enjoyed Work Like Any Other, Reba. I'll be very interested to see if it's chosen for the Booker Prize longlist, which will be announced tomorrow.

Hi Lori and Darryl -- nice to see you here :)

Sorry to see that Work Like Any Other didn't make the shortlist but, truth be told, I've actively disliked at least two previous Booker winners and, perhaps as a result, tend not to focus too much on their lists anyway.

>216 RebaRelishesReading: I suspected Work Like Any Other wouldn't make it because everyone liked it.

House guests left yesterday after a really enjoyable 4-day visit, it's raining today and my back has been bothering me all week so today is Pajama Day which allowed me to finish the new Louise Penny.



A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny****

I agree with the others who have already reported on Louise Penny's latest in the Inspector Gamache series, this is the best one in a while. Gamache accepts the job as head of the police cadet training school because he continues to be worried about the quality and attitude of recent graduates and wants to clean it up and that effort is the background for a story that is more cerebral and introspective than the previous books. A great read.

I was sorry to read in the acknowledgments that Ms. Penny's husband is suffering from dementia. It must be especially difficult to write while dealing with that.

Reba - So glad to see that you got to enjoy A Great Reckoning. I always look forward to the latest Penny. I was really touched by her acknowledgements. It was clear that this has been a difficult year for her.

>219 porch_reader: sure looks like it.

I like the new topper, Reba. I skipped your Penny review because you are way ahead of me in that series - now I am wondering if there is any way I can squeeze one of those into this month.

Hi Mamie -- Well, if you catch up slowly you'll have a shorter wait until the next one comes out lol. I pre-order her books and read them soon after I get them.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver*****

I hadn't read a book by Barbara Kingsolver for a year or so and forgot how much of an impact her books can have. Now that's I've recovered from reading Animal Dreams I can tell you that it's wonderful.

Main character Codi is in her early 30's and still trying to find her place in life. When she was three her mother died giving birth to her younger sister and they were raised by their father, a doctor on a northern Arizona indian reservation who raised them strictly and with the belief that they are "different" from other children in the community. Codi goes to medical school but drops out during her internship and then moves from place to place and job to job looking for someplace where she "fits in". When a neighbor lets her know that her father is starting to suffer dementia, she moves back to her home town with a one-year contract to teach science at the high school.

Animal Dreams is one of Kingsolver's books that I haven't read, but I picked up a used copy at The Haunted Bookshop not long ago. Your synopsis and reaction makes me want to get to it soon. I like Kingsolver's newer books a lot, but my favorite is still her first novel, The Bean Trees.

*lurk*

Hi Amy -- This one may just be my favorite Kingsolver yet...but then that may be because it's the most recent one I've read

Hi Katie -- thanks for lurking :)

We're flying to San Diego tomorrow to spend a week. The main reason is to celebrate the birthday of a close friend who almost certainly will not have another one. But a happier side reason is to see my son who just returned from a year's deployment in Kuwait. He and his girl friend have been celebrating his return with a 10-day cruise in the Mediterranean so can't wait to hear about that.

We have our WiFi at home on "vacation" (i.e. turned off) so I won't be on line until we get back.

We arrived back from San Diego at midnight last night after an uneventful day of travel. It was 102 in downtown San Diego on Saturday (where it rarely even reaches 80) and 97 on Sunday. Have I mentioned that I hate heat? Back in New York today it's about 60 and raining...much more my kind of day :) I did get some reading done while we were gone although I'm still a long way from 75.

Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow***

The story begins in 1906 and follows an affluent suburban New York family up to WWI weaving many well-known people into the story as it goes including Houdini, Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J. P Morgan, Sigmund Freud and Emiliano Zapata. It's an interesting approach to describing an era but unfortunately it just didn't grab me.

History's People by Margaret MacMillan****1/2

Margaret MacMillan is one of my favorite historians. In her newest book, she choses to focus on individuals who have played a part in marking or recording history, dividing them by the personality characteristic which defined their actions: hubris, daring, curiosity and observers. She points out that "as soon as we try to assess the impact of individuals or single events on history we are, whether we realize it or not, thinking of an alternative outcome in the past. Let us imagine how things might have turned out differently on that sunny summer day in June 1914 in Sarajevo" and uses that standpoint to look at the change makers she discusses.
In summary, Dr. MacMillan says:
"If history is, as I believe, a feast, the savor comes from its people. Some I have considered in this book were at the heart of great events and changed the course of history and so shaped our world. Others I have chosen for qualities I admire, such as courage, open-mindedness, and curiosity, or simply because I find them interesting. Our understanding and enjoyment of the past would be impoverished without its individuals, even though we know that history's currents -- its underlying forces and shifts, whether of technology or political structures or social values -- must never be ignored."

An interesting, very readable, book.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe****

When Schwalbe's mother is diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer he joins the family rotation to take his mother to medical appointments. They have always been readers and often discussed what they read but in the course of the many hours of one-on-one time spent in waiting rooms and during chemotherapy, they decide to form a "two-person bookclub", reading the same book at the same time and then discussing it. The works they choose range from The Miracle at Speedy Motors and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to Murder in the Cathedral and The Painted Veil. The story itself is heart-warming but the book is especially entertaining for the book obsessed. I have read almost half of the books they chose and it was interesting to read their perspectives on those buy I also enjoyed reading their take on books that were new to me.

I'm glad you are back to cooler New York, Reba. Thanks to your son for his service in Kuwait. I hope you had a lovely visit with him and your sick friend.

I will have to check out Margaret MacMillan. She has an interesting approach in History's People. I'm not acquainted with her work. Would you recommend that as a starter book or do you have another favorite to tell us about? I haven't been able to get into Ragtime. I'm glad it's not just me. As a 'book obsessed' person, I enjoyed the Schwalbe book for the same reasons you did. Thanks for the reviews.

Still 90 when we arrived back in San Diego today, Reba, but it is supposed to drop back into the 70s tomorrow. Of course, when I checked the forecast on Tuesday before we started back, that was supposed to happen a few days ago.

Hi Donna! Happy to hear we're on the same track as usual. As to MacMillan, I read her The War that Ended Peace first, then Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World and third Nixon in China. They're all interesting, thorough, well-written histories but they're more traditional in approach than History's People which is also shorter than the others. All of that said, I think I would suggest starting with History's People and, if you like it, choosing the second one based on the era you're most interested in.

Hi Roni - welcome home. The day after we arrived it was only 72 and I kept walking around wondering "what's wrong with this picture -- it's September in So. Cal. and the weather is wonderful" -- didn't have that question the next two days lol. But today is October so in a couple of weeks it should start to get better. Meanwhile, I'm very happy to be in cool, moist New York :)

We're putting an Elfa system in our hall closet this weekend. Yesterday we took out the old shelf and rod (spending over an hour trying to get one screw out and finally got the shelf around it out and just pounded in back into the wall), filled the holes and hung the support bar. This morning I'm supposed to paint but can't seem to get it in gear. Once paint has dried I can hang the shelves and put the stuff back. I'll be really happy to have the organization and extra shelf space but can't get motivated this morning :(

The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre***

I feel like I should have liked this book better than I did but to me it was too slow, had too much detail (may be the same thing) and had an excess of navel gazing. It's a rather sad story about a 30-something professor who is obsessed with "freedom" but doesn't really know what it is. His lady friend becomes pregnant and most of the book is taken up with his trying to arrange for an abortion and find the money to pay for it. There are several friends/students/others in his life but he doesn't seem to like any of the much. Neither did I, actually. Everyone, including the protagonist, seemed excessively self-absorbed imho.

Hi Reba! Great reviews.

>235 RebaRelishesReading: I hear ya. I've got a bathroom 90% remodeled that I could finish up in about a day if I got motivated. Fortunately, mrsdrneutron is pretty good at motivation, so it'll get done this week, I think. :)

Hi Rhonda -- thanks :)

Hi Jim -- my hubby isn't much interested in home improvement so isn't very motivating I'm afraid. I did manage to get it together about noon and we now have a wonderfully organized closet. I'm so happy. Also got a quote on new flooring for the main floor and it's less than we expected so that's been ordered now too. Happy about that too.

>227 RebaRelishesReading: Sad note. Awoke this morning to the news that our friend died during the night. It's been a difficult year for him and his wife and in many ways a relief, but still sad. RIP John.

Oh, goodness, I'm sorry about your friend, Reba.

Thank you Katie. The last year had been a real battle, trying everything his excellent doctors could think of, so it wasn't unexpected and is, in reality, a blessing. Still sad.

We're starting to get some fall color although very few trees are this bright. Rumor has it that the drought means there won't be much color this year :(

I'm hoping we have some good color by the time our fall break rolls along. I'm probably heading over to Raleigh, but I'll be heading through the mountains. I might even decide to detour through the main road through the National Park to get a bit more color.

I'm sorry for your loss and that of your friend's wife. Even when we are ready to let them go, there is still a hole in our lives. I'm glad you could be back with him last month.

Hi Lori -- hope you find some lovely color :)

Thank you, Roni. Even though everyone realizes it was for the best, it still hurts, especially for his wife. I wish I could be there with her but she has a lot of family who are taking good care of her and, as she said, she really needs me for the longer term when the family has gone home so our coming home in December will probably be timely.

WooHoo -- just got a call that the dirtiest, ugliest carpet in the world is going to be replaced starting tomorrow with some lovely vinyl planks that look like wood. I'm so excited :)

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson****1/2

On the 20th anniversary of Bryson's Notes from a Small Island his publisher suggested he write an update of it. He decided that, rather than revisiting the same places, he would write a similar book visiting (mostly) new places. He calculated the two places in the U. K. that were farthest apart (measured in a straight line), called that the "Bryson Line" and arranged his itinerary very loosely along it.

On his travels, Bryson visited places I have lived (Staines), worked (Virginia Water) and visited (many) and described them with his usual wonderful sense of humor on display. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read several sections to my husband to share them and even photocopied one section to send to a friend because it reminded me so strongly of a wonderful trip we took together.

It was a totally wonderful read!

The wonderful new floor will be finished up this morning. Hubby and I installed some shelves in the kitchen yesterday so now we have enough storage there. The hall closet was finished a few days ago. On Friday we bought three new ("comfort height") toilets and a new dishwasher which will be delivered tomorrow and installed on Monday. Now to replace the broken, 28-year-old vertical blinds with drapes in the living/dining room and we will have our new little Chautauqua home all finished :) There's a nip in the air and the leaves are turning so it must be about time to leave :(

We want pictures of the final results!!!

So sorry about your friend, Reba. Thank you for that picture of a bright spot in your life. Sounds like the home improvements are moving right along.

>249 ronincats: I will as soon as I can figure out why my phone is refusing to post anything!! I got sent email from an account that had been hacked so decided to change my password "just to be sure" and now my phone keeps asking me to input my password even though I've done it at least 5 times!! If I was home I would drive the two miles down to the Apple store and get sorted but there nearest Apple store here is in Buffalo...about 1 1/2 hours away.

Hi Diana -- thank you. Hope you have a good one too.

Thank you Donna. I guess we're getting to the age where we'd better get used to these things :(

The old "turn it off and turn it back on" worked. Here's hubby in the living room of our Chautauqua place complete with the new floor. Now we need to find a nice area rug to warm it up a bit.

>247 RebaRelishesReading: You liked that one much better than I did.

Hi Lori. One big reason I liked it was because he wrote about a lot of places I'm familiar with but I also find him quite funny.

The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro*****

A couple of years ago Hubby and I drove up to Buffalo and had lunch with Bonnie who was still active on LT. She gave me three books that day, including this one. I had never read Alice Munro and she had just won the Nobel Prize for Literature, so it was a perfect choice. I finally read it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The book jacket says that these stories are "more personal than any that she's written before" and that she "pieces her family's history into gloriously imagined fiction". I'm not sure where the actual history stops and the imagination begins but these stories, which are so connected that they seem more like a novel than a collection of short stories, provide a captivating view of 19th and 20th century life in rural Canada. I loved every minute of it.

The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway*****

The delightful memoir provides a fascinating picture of mid-20th century life on a sheep/cattle "station" in Australia. Jill Conway's father grew up an orphan with limited prospects. A few years after he returned from WWI he married a young woman who had also had to make her own way in life from a young age and in 1929 they bought a "soldier settler's" allotment in western New South Wales and began to build a life there. Their daughter, Jill, was born there in 1934. The life was extremely difficult with few creature comforts plus there were droughts and the depression to deal with. When Jill was 11 her father drowned while working to extend water pipes to try to keep the flock alive during a long drought. Her two older brothers were at boarding school in Sydney and, reluctantly, Jill and her mother moved there too. Although Jill had had little formal schooling before the move to the city, she turned out to be an excellent student and ultimately earned a Ph.D. from Harvard. From 1964 to 1975 she taught at the University of Toronto and then became president of Smith College from 1975 to 1985.

This is the story of an amazing life, very well told and interesting to read.

Hi Reba! I love your new floor! Bill Bryson spoke at Iowa's graduation last spring, and he was great! I've never read anything by him. I may have to try The Road to Little Dribbling.

Hi Amy -- I'm a big fan of Bryson's and would love to hear him in person. You might also consider A Walk in the Woods about walking the Appalachian Trail or In a Sunburned Country about Australia or Notes From a Big Country about moving back to the U. S. after living in the U.K. for 20 years.

Reba, I'm tempted by lots of your recent finishes. And the new floor looks great. How's the rug shopping going?

Hi Susan! It's only fair you're tempted by some of my reading since I'm so often tempted by yours :) I'm glad you like the floor too. I love it. We looked at one store for rugs but nothing "spoke" to me. I know that I get a catalog at home a couple of times a year that has a lot of rugs I like in it so we're waiting until we get home and have a chance to look at what they have. If they have something we'll have it shipped here and it can be waiting for us when we arrive next year.

Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout****1/2

In a small New England town in the late 1950's a Congregational minister is struggling to deal with loss and raise two daughters on his own. The baby spends the week with the minister's mother while he has his troubled 5-year old at home all of the time. This is a beautifully written story of pain, loss, hope and love.

Well, I'm all packed and nearly ready to go. Tomorrow we will leave Chautauqua and head south visiting some interesting towns and friends on the way. On Oct. 28 we will board ship and head for the Mediterranean. I hope to be doing a lot of stepping and reading while we travel but I won't have regular WiFi so may be rather scarce around here until we get home around Christmas (maybe even ON Christmas). I'll miss you all and hope I find a TON of messages when I do get to log on.

Happy trails, Reba! I'm envious....

Wishing you safe travels, Reba! You'll be missed.

Thank you Katie and Mamie.

We closed up the Chautauqua house this morning and got on the road at 9:45. We had an easy and beautiful drive down to Marietta, Ohio where Hubby is now napping and I'm enjoying pleasant temperatures on the patio of our hotel. Marietta was listed in a recent "House Beautiful" article on charming small towns so we'll go exploring when the Hubs wakes up.

Safe travels, Reba and have a beautiful cruise!

Thank you Diana.

Happy trails!

Thanks, Rhonda. So far we're having a lovely trip :)

Bon voyage, Reba!

Reba, your road trip sounds like fun. I hope you get to see some interesting places before the heavy-duty stepping starts on the ship :-)

Precious and Grace by Alexander McCall Smith (audio) ****

Hubby and I listened to this latest Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency novel as we drove south from New York to Florida. It's a perfect book for a drive -- entertaining and light. As the title would suggest this one had more to do with the relationship between the two lady detectives than previous books. As always, it's charming.

I have not read any of those, Reba. I might have to give them a go sometime, although cozy mysteries are not usually my cuppa. Happy Wednesday to you!

Hi Mamie! I find it a bit of a stretch to even call them mysteries, actually, but they are charming stories of Botswana. We learned, when we were there and did the Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency Tour a couple of years ago, that most of the stories are based on actual people and events that McCall Smith experienced when he was living there. I just love them and have now hooked my Hubby (at least for listening to on road trips).

Happy Wednesday to you too.

We arrived at my s-i-l's in Sarasota, FL yesterday and I was relieved to find our ballots waiting for us. Good job San Diego County Registrar's Office!! I'm pretty sure CA will do OK with or without our votes but I really wanted to be able to vote in this election, even though we had three (count them!! 3!!!) pages of propositions to work our way through including one which would require actors being filmed performing sexual intercourse to wear condoms...we need to vote on an initiative for this? Anyway, we made our way through the entire thing and will take them to the post office this morning :)

We're off to the ship in a couple of hours. Until we return to the U.S. on Dec. 19 I will have little, if any, LT contact. I hope to have a lot of books to report when I return and will promptly get my 2017 thread in order at the end of the year.

Wishing you safe travels, Reba. We will miss you!

Have a great trip, Reba!

Bon voyage!

Once again, Bon Voyage!!

Bin voyage, Reba! Can't wait to hear all about your trip and your reading!

Reba, so sorry I didn't get here in time to wish you a good journey in "person". I have had family visiting and it seems like I lost almost two weeks out of my life. I know you will have a wonderful time touring the Mediterranean. Think of us…as we'll be thinking of you. ((Hugs))

Hope you are enjoying the trip. Just getting away from the constant onslaught of political ads would be a good thing about now!

Mamie, Susan, Kati, Roni, Amy, Donna, and Lori

Thank you all for the good wishes. We arrived in Horta in the Azores this morning after six restful days at sea. We found good WiFi in a cafe so are able to be in touch while enjoying a cup of tea.

I finished two books. One is The Lost Tudor Princess by Alison Weir which I listened to in audio. It'/ the story of Henry VIII's sister who married a Scottish lore and spent much of her life torn between Scottish and English politics. She was the mother of James V of Scotland. It's a most interesting story although I didn't like the narration. Once again someone who puts on very irritating pseudo-accents for all of the quoted parts of the text (and there are MANY). Which brings me to a second thing I didn't care for...way too many poems and letters quoted entirely for my taste. Still, all by all, I'm glad I read it.

Arrival in Horta, the Azores

Hello Reba and Mr Reba! The Azores look sunny. And six restful days at sea sounds just perfect :-)

Lovely photo, Reba! Hoping that your travels are full of fabulous!

60. Paradise Now: The Story of American Utopianism by Chris Jennings****

As the title says, this book describes the history of Utopianism in America. While I was aware of some of these groups I hadn't heard of all of them and learned a great deal from this very interesting book. Mr. Jennings discusses the Shakers, New Harmony, the Fourierists, Icaria and Oneida. if you like social history I would recommend this book.

We're on a different Island in the Azores today in the largest city, Ponta Delgado. The mosaic sidewalks and black and white buildings are very attractive and I would share them with you if Facebook would cooperate. 😬

Mohawk by Richard Russo**** 1/2
Russo's first novel is as good as his later ones imho. Mohawk is the story of people in a town (Mohawk) where a leather works has. Even polluting the river for years. As usual in Russo works, the characters are normal people with life's usual challenges. I,love his books.

The Sellout by Paul Beatty. This book is an excellently written satire about race relations in America which I found difficult to enjoy in the current political situation.

The Vagrants by Yijun Li****1/2
Set in 1979 China, with the cultural revolution mostly over, the characters struggle with survival and moral choices. The characters are vibrant and compelling. If it wasn't so long I. Outdoor have read it in one sitting.

The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan *** (audio). If you want a detailed review of WW I in the Middle East, this is your. Ok. I was hoping for a more. Ultural discussion. There was some, but not enough for me.

Clementine by Sonia Purnell**** (audio)
A thoroughly enjoyable le biography of Mrs. Winston Churchill. It not only portrayed a most interesting woman but gave great insight into her husband as well.

Hi Reba! I thought I'd write quickly, while you're still online. It looks like you're getting through some good books.

I haven't got the time or bandwidth to visit everyone but hope all of you in the US have a happy Thanksgiving!

We're in Sicily today and will be in Sardinia tomorrow. I can't post photos now but will try to get some up after we return to US on Dec. 19

Happy Thanksgiving, Reba

U. S. Grand: American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh****

The first half of this book "chronicles Grant's life and career, interweaving history, memory and memorialization introducing the man, the soldiers and the politician. Taken together, their purpose is to provide just enough of a background for understanding how and why Grant became a major American hero, and how and why Grant cam to occupy such a guy place in American myth and memory." It's a most interesting book and perspective on his life.

The Risk Pool by Richard Russo**** 1/2

Ned Hall is growing up in a troubled world. His dad is messed up and often absent. His mother is nervous and high strung. A typical Russo book of human problems in a small town, Mohawk, New York.

The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre (audio) ****

Thanks you Mamie for making me aware of this book. I really enjoyed hearing Mr. Le Carre talk about his interesting life.

The Night in Question by Tobias Wolff **** A short story collection -- I'm not a big fan of short stories but this was pretty good.

The Holy Sinner by Thomas Mann***

This 1951 translation from German was based on a verse by Hartmann von Aue (1165-1210) and written by Nobel winner Thomas Mann. Medieval incest and intrigue.

Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meachan ****

An interesting book of the life and times of G.H.W. Bush. It was a bit of a walk down memory lane for me and a very enjoyable book.

We're in Fort Lauderdale today taking advantage of good WiFi and phone connections to try to catch up on banking, friends, etc. I'm ready to go back to the ship and hide at this point lol. We leave this afternoon for the Caribbean so will be out of touch for another 10 days and then back in the U.S. until further notice :)

I'm missing my daily LT fix.

Hi Reba! The Caribbean sounds like fun. And look at all your reading!

I was just thinking of you yesterday and wondering where you were--and here you are!

Hi Reba! Can't wait to hear about the latest leg of your journey.

We're back on land. We docked in Fort Lauderdale this morning and checked in to a hotel in Plantation, FL for the night. Tomorrow we're going to drive down to Key West for a couple of days and then back up to Sarasota for Christmas with s-i-l and cousins before heading back west on the 26th. It's been quite a trip!!

Hi Reba! Welcome back :-)

I've been keeping track of the books I've read on a little card and now I can't find the card.
I hope it will turn up before the end of the year!

Thanks for remembering me Susan, Roni and Amy!! It was so nice to open LT and find messages on my thread :)

We spent a couple of hours today reorganizing so that the big suitcase (which were along on the cruise) now contain only clothes not needed for the road trip and the mid-size suitcases have only things needed for the road trip. That done we reorganized the trunk of the car so that the big ones and a lot of miscellaneous bags and boxes and items are all in the trunk which need not be opened again until we get to San Diego and the mid-size can ride on the back seat in the day time and go into the hotels at night.

My reward for all of this hard work (other than a great feeling of being organized0 is that I found my list of books :) So here is my update:

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall -- a mediocre discussion of national boundaries and how they affect and are affected by things other than geography.

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope -- a huge book which was described as "one of the greatest and most relevant works of Victorian literature". It was delicious in true Trollope style.

Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas. I listened to this one on an Audible recording. It was well read and very interesting. I didn't know much about the life of the wife of our 6th president. She was a most interesting woman and, along with her life's story, I learned a lot about John Quincy Adams too.

Genetics for Dummies by Tara Rodden Robinson. I had a basic introduction to genetics as part of another course (Psychology 101 I think) back in 1963 when I was a freshman in college. Needless to say there is WAY more known now and I wanted to have at least a little understanding of what has been learned which I got from this book which is typical of it's series.

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda. Mr. & Mrs. Alda appeared at Chautauqua this summer and he read a couple of pages from this book which I found quite amusing. Yesterday I was looking for something to read after I finished packing to leave the ship and found this in the library. It was great and I ended up reading right through to the end with only a short break for dinner. One surprise was I learned that as a child he lived near to me for a few years and even went to the same junior high school I did (although some years earlier). He did a book signing at Chautauqua. I wish I had known then so I could have made the connection while he was signing.

Oops, forgot one ...

What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan

An interesting analysis of various topics as used by Jane Austen. What clues can the reader get from: age; names characters address others by class, games, blunders and many other factors.

Sounds like a busy holidays for you after your disembarkment, Reba! We are getting ready for our first visit to Symphony Towers to see Chanticleer perform--that should get us in the mood.

I'll bet it was wonderful. We heard them several years ago in an auditorium at Stanford. They were excellent.

Enjoy your Sarasota. Christmas, Reba! I'm glad you are so organized for the long drive home, but even more glad that you found your book list! That could have been a real tragedy. Looking forward to pictures whenever you have the time and inclination...

Hi Donna. Thanks for stopping by. If you really want pictures I guessI will. I'm sitting in the shade by the hotel pool while hubby naps upstairs so now's as good a time as any :)

OK -- here come the photos.

Our first port of call on the cruise was Horta in the Azores. They're Portuguese which shows especially in the mosaic walkways throughout the city.

Next stop was Ponta DelGada on a different Azores island -- even more elaborate sidewalks





We love visiting local markets to see the produce

A couple of days later we were in Malaga. I've been to Spain a couple of times but never to Malaga. It's a lovely city plus near some "white villages". We joined a ship "shore excursion" to one, probably not the most authentic but very nice just the same.



Here's downtown Malaga where an amazing array of Christmas lights was being installed. I would have loved to be there in the evening after they finished.

In Alicante, Spain we took a public bus up to visit the fort and then took a train to "Paradise" which turned out to be much further into the countryside that we had expected. It was a cool adventure.

On to Barcelona. I was here once before, in 1965! At that time only the parts of the Sagrada Familia where the stone looks darker in this photo were there. Now it's finished enough that it has been consecrated and services are held there. It's breathtaking -- I especially love the stained glass.

We were in Barcelona for two days. The first day we went to Monserrat -- a monastery i the near-by mountains. (Sorry I have the two Barcelona in reverse order)

On November 13 we docked in Livorno, Italy which is the port for Tuscany. We've spent time in Florence, Pisa and the Cinque Terra so we decided to join a ship excursion to Lucca where we had never been. It was a rainy, cold day but Lucca was still a charming town.

Second stop in Italy was Civitavecchia (port for Rome). We've also spent time in Rome so decided to explore Civitaveccia itself this time. It's a nice place.



If you don't have a front yard you can always garden on the sidewalk in pots :)

I spent a lovely day in Lucca several years ago, Reba. Charming little town....

We were in Naples on November 15 but since we've also spent some time in that area and my cousin and his family were in Naples on a visit we asked them to join us for lunch on the ship and just stayed "home".

Two days later we were in Corfu. I didn't post any photos from there on Facebook and can't manage to do it now so you can just imagine a delightful Greek island with a charming city on top of a hill -- OK? Can you see it?

The day after Corfu we were in Kotakolon on the Olympic Peninsula. I guess the reason for the stop was for people to visit the site of the original Olympics but that didn't really interest us so we had a lazy day, mostly on board. Kotakolon isn't much except a block of tee-shirt shops and another of lovely cafes where we did spend some time doing email.

The next day, November 19, we were in Athens. I was there 51 years ago too. I was most impressed by what a nice, modern city it has become. Hubby had never been on the Acropolis so that was a "must" and beyond that we just looked around the city. Sadly, I didn't get any of those to post on Facebook either but you know what the Acropolis looks like, right?

On to Palermo, Sicily next. It's another very nice city. We were docked right downtown and just walked around, had some lunch and walked some more.

Oops, out of order again. We actually visited Malta before Sicily. Our first stop in the nation of Malta was on a smaller island, Gozo. We took the Hop-on-hop-off around the island and got a pretty good look at the whole thing.

View of the main city from the ship



Gozo village

On to the main island...my favorite stop of the trip.

Valletta from the ship



Main street



Main street at night



They provide an elevator (you have to pay a little) to get you from water level to the upper city -- thank heavens!!



The interior of the cathedral is spectacular

On Thanksgiving we were in Cagliari, Sardinia. In the evening we got our turkey dinner on board :)

From Sardinia we went to Gibraltar where we had another semi-rainy day. We took the aerial tram to the top of the mountain where the view is spectacular and the monkeys entertaining. As we were standing in line to get the tram back down one came along and used the back of the woman two ahead of me as a springboard to get onto a nearby wall. Startled the heck out of her and happened way to fast to get a photo -- too bad because it was a great shot on the monkey's part lol







The city of Gibraltar is quite nice and very British.

In Cadiz, Spain we took a ship's excursion to a sherry factory in Jerez and then in the afternoon had churros con chocolate in the main square. Pleasant day but not a lot of photos.

Our final port on the original cruise was Madeira. We'd been there once before and rode the aerial tram to the top of the mountain and rode the baskets down -- it was fun but we didn't feel the need to do it again so we just enjoyed walking around town. It's a lovely place and ranked as my Hubby's favorite port.

It took us 7 days to travel west across the Atlantic. We stopped at a "private island" in the Bahamas that is owned by Holland America Line for the use of their ships on the last full day of the cruise and then docked in Fort Lauderdale. We left the ship to get some things from the drug store and to make phone calls, mail Christmas cards, etc. but went right back on for a 10 day cruise to the Caribbean. Reasons for the extension were that it included four new ports for us and also because it meant I got to spend my 70th birthday at sea with spa appointments in the morning and dinner in the on-board steak house. It couldn't have been a nicer day!!

Birthday dinner



birthday cake

In the Caribbean we visited:

San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was a new port for us and we were impressed with what a nice city it is;

Sint Maarten. We'd been there before. There were 5 cruise ships in port, of which 3 were huge, and the place was over whelmed so we walked to the end of the pier, tried briefly to get a taxi, gave up and went back for a quiet day on the ship;

St. Kitts. We took a train around about 60% of the island while being served as many alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks as we wanted (free) and being sung to by a very nice trio of local ladies (great day);

Antigua. It's fine but rather full of aggressive taxi drivers and tee-shirt shops;

Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Our pick for the Caribbean. We took a truck-taxi on a "ridge line tour". The views were beautiful. The downtown looks like a place where people actually live and do normal shopping and the area near the dock is very nicely done with shops with nice wares.

I'll spare you the photos :)

What an amazing trip, Reba! Thanks so much for sharing it with us - I loved all of the photos. Welcome home to land!

Thank you! It was a good one :)

Reba, I love all your photos! What a lovely trip, and it sounds like you saw a lot. But we're glad to have you back :-)

Thanks for sharing the photos!

Thanks Susan -- it's good to be back

and you too, Katie. Looking forward to hearing about you becoming a New Yorker again :)

What a fun trip!

I feel like I was on the trip with you, Reba!!! Thanks for sharing your pictures!

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

Hi Lori -- it was a good trip. Easy because it was cruising and interesting because many of the places we visited were new to us

Thanks Amy -- I wish you could have been with us :)

Thank you Paul -- season's greetings to you too!

Merry Christmas Reba! Thank you for your time, your kind words and the books we enjoy together. I hope your holidays are full of joy!

Love the photos from your trip!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, Reba!

This is the Christmas tree at the end of the Pacific Beach Pier here in San Diego, a Christmas tradition.

To all my friends here at Library Thing, I want you to know how much I value you and how much I wish you a very happy holiday, whatever one you celebrate, and the very best of New Years!

Thank you so much, Jenn, Lucy, Mamie and Roni! Hope you're having a wonderful day.

Happy Christmas, Reba! I hope you have a lovely Florida Christmas Day.

What an amzing trip! Love your pics, especially those in Barcelona.

Thank you Rhonda. Have you been to Barcelona?

Today is Hubby's birthday so we started the day by meeting his sister, cousin and cousin's wife for brunch at a favorite Sarasota haunt, C'est La Vie. We left directly from there to start home and are now spending the night in Tallahassee. On the way we finished listening to The Children Return by Martin Walker. This episode of the Bruno, Chief of Police series deals with Islamic terrorism and revolves around the return of a young French citizen who disappeared 4 years earlier from a special needs school at a mosque and, it turns out, has been in Afghanistan with jihadis. Of course the usual recipes, village activities and episodes in Bruno's love life lighten the mix.

What wonderful photos of your trip, Reba. I hope that you are enjoying the Christmas time festivities.

Thank you, Meg. Hope your holidays are good too.

Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington ***1/2

This 1922 Pulitzer winner was made into a film staring Katherine Hepburn in 1935. It's the story of a young woman who tries to be part of a socially prominent family even though her father is just a clerk. She is encouraged in this by her mother who keeps nagging the father to find a way to make more money. It's an interesting character study but was tainted by its very unpleasant treatment of African American characters.

Christmas on 4th Street by susan Mallery***

Thanks to Susan for calling my attention to another fun novel in the Fools Gold series. This romance takes place around Christmas making it a good holiday read.

The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck*** (audio)

In 2011 Rinker Buck, a 60 year old journalist, embarked on a journey to travel the Oregon Trail (what's left of it) from eastern Nebraska to Oregon and to write a book about the trip. He was joined by a younger brother who was a skilled mechanic and team driver while Rinker supplied the funds and the research. The main wagon and a small supply cart that was towed behind were ordered from an Amish maker of reproduction wagons and a team of mules was purchased over the telephone, sight unseen, from a supplier in Kansas.

The book is very well written with some language more literary than one might expect from a journalist. The story of the trip is very interesting as is much of the historical context provided. Nevertheless the book failed to rise above *** for me because Mr. Buck has an unfortunate tendency to pontificate and, worse yet, treats many people he meets along the way with an arrogant distain. Police in general (in spite of the ones who of out of their way to help him), RVer's, people who drive mini-vans, and anyone who inconveniences him, no matter how unintentionally, are "idiots", "morons", "boneheads" and worse. Hubby and I were listening to the book as we drove west on our trip home and several times he was so put-off by these tirades that he wanted to just stop listening. We did finish the book and I'm glad we did in spite of it's faults.

>352 RebaRelishesReading: That one is wish-listed, but I did not prioritize it for next year. Seeing your comments about his tirades makes me realize I don't want to do the audio version when and if I get around to it.

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Reba

Hope you like it Lori -- I had mixed feelings (as I hope I conveyed)

Thanks Paul -- likewise