Good Monday… evening to you, my friends! Sorry for the belated post today. I had a rough night of sleep and couldn’t get myself out of bed to blog this morning. Anyway – how were your weekends? We had a gorgeous one here, and we packed it full of activities. Sunday morning found us huddled for warmth at the splash pad. Steve remarked, “You know you’re southerners when 75 degrees is too cold for water play.” Ha! He’s right, though. We moved over to the playground and the carousel, and everyone was happy. We’d made plans to meet up with one of Peanut’s school friends – the same friend that joined us for blueberry picking a few weeks ago – and the girls had a great time, as always. Saturday evening found me running a race – a beer mile, which was a first for me. Let’s just say it was more intense than I was expecting, and leave it at that. Also, I no longer drink beer. On Sunday, we were all a little tired, so obviously we went kayaking. It was a bit overcast, but the cooler weather made it very comfortable out on the river. I’m hoping to make it out there a few more times this summer and into the fall – as long as the weather holds. It’s been a lot of fun to mix up our outdoor activities this summer. I love how many more things we can do, now that the kids are a bit older!
Reading. Bit of a slow reading week. I finished Behold the Dreamers – which was riveting; Oprah has chosen well, as usual. Then I started …And Ladies of the Club, which a work friend highly recommended. I enjoyed the first couple of chapters, but it’s over 1,000 pages long (!!!) and I had to admit to myself that now is not the time. Back to the library it went – I’ll return to it in September – and I picked up A Room With a View, which I’ve moved from house to house since high school, always intending to read it. I’ve just finished the first section and am finding it funny, charming and wise.
Watching. Steve and I are still going strong on our weekly movie nights. Look at us doing grown-up things! But not too grown-up… this week, we watched Jurassic World. (Steve loves dinosaurs, and I love Chris Pratt and disaster movies.) I’ve also noticed that putting movie nights on the schedule has the effect that I only watch TV on those nights. I’ve never been a big TV watcher anyway, but one night a week is – for now at least – really feeling like the right amount for me.
Listening. Still lots of podcast time. I’m gradually cleaning up the podcatcher – again. Down to about 11 hours now, and I have about 12 hours in my current Audible selection. The best thing I listened to this week was an old (from spring!) episode of Sorta Awesome, which had me literally LOLing on my way to work as Laura talked about her pet turtles.
Moving. I’ve had the most active week since putting this category onto my weekly check-in list! As you know, I bought a new student pass to my yoga studio. Nothing motivates me as much as getting my money’s worth (apparently) and last week I went four times. Tuesday and Friday power yoga at 5:30 a.m.; Wednesday night restorative yoga; and Saturday afternoon flow. I also ran the aforementioned beer mile on Saturday evening and kayaked on Sunday. I’m exhausted, in the best way.
Loving. Is it just me, or does it seem like Bookstagram is having a major Miss Read lovefest at the moment? My feed recently blew up with shots of vintage Miss Read novels, and I can’t get enough. I only own one vintage Miss Read – Village Centenary, a sweet gift from my friend Katie – and it’s been such fun to drool over some really gorgeous collections.
Blogging. Telling you about my “summer places” on Wednesday, and paying tribute to the Adirondacks – which turned the big 125 this year! – on Friday. Check back in!
Asking. What are you reading lately?
The Brandons (Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire #7), by Angela Thirkell – Funny to go back to the series in order after accidentally reading Northbridge Rectory outside its proper place, and to find myself in another story in which a younger male character fancies himself in love with an older woman who is blissfully ignorant of her effect on the younger generation. (Coincidence, or is this a thing with Thirkell? August Folly had a similar plot.) Anyway, I loved meeting the Brandon family – flirtatious Mrs Brandon and her adult or near-adult children Francis and Delia. Delia is one of my favorite Thirkell creations ever (she’s Lydia Keith, without being irritating – and unsurprisingly Lydia is a friend of Delia’s and makes an appearance). I also loved seeing Mrs Morland and Tony again. Such a fun romp!
In This Grave Hour (Maisie Dobbs #13), by Jacqueline Winspear – I’ve been waiting and waiting for the Maisie Dobbs series to work itself up to World War II, and while there have been hints of the coming conflict since book #8, In This Grave Hour finds Britain officially at war. Maisie’s friends and family are preparing for the next war – Priscilla and Billy worrying about sending their sons to fight, Sandra preparing to welcome a baby into an uncertain world, Frankie and Brenda taking in young refugee Londoners – and meanwhile, an old acquaintance requests Maisie’s help in unraveling the murder of a Belgian refugee from World War I (now “the last war”) who had settled permanently in England. Before Maisie has time to do much digging, another former Belgian refugee is murdered. So while Maisie’s circle is turning their attention to the next conflict, Maisie herself continues to work on making sense of the last one.
Jane of Lantern Hill, by L.M. Montgomery – Although it’s one of my favorite summer books, I hadn’t read Jane of Lantern Hill in many seasons. One of Montgomery’s lesser-known heroines, Jane is a Torontonian who lives unhappily with her mother and grandmother in a big, opulent, dismal house. One day she discovers that her father, who she had always believed dead, is actually alive and living on Prince Edward Island. Not long after, Jane’s mother receives a letter from her estranged husband, summoning Jane for the summer. Jane reluctantly goes, but it’s not long before she falls in love first with “Dad” himself, and then with Prince Edward Island. Over two summers on P.E.I., Jane grows from an awkward and miserably unhappy child into a confident young woman. But while Jane is capable of fixing up a house and cooking anything Dad wants to eat, is she capable of mending her parents’ broken relationship? You’ll have to read this joyful book and find out.
Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome – I’d never heard of this book, and only vaguely heard of the unfortunately named author, until The Folio Society reprinted it as part of their May collection. One glance and I knew it was a book in the grand Wodehouse style (although it actually predated my friend P.G., who was almost certainly influenced by it) and I had to have it. J. and his two friends Harris and George, along with their incorrigible dog Montmorency, embark on a rowing vacation up the Thames. Along the way, J. treats the reader to his musings on everything from English history (oh those unfortunate souls who found themselves running into Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn “spooning all over England”) to the trick behind getting a kettle to boil in a boat (act like you don’t want tea) and everything in between. Aside from one offensive word that was very jarring to this modern reader, it’s a perfect book.
The Age of Orphans (The Age of Orphans #1), by Laleh Khadivi – A young Kurdish boy witnesses the massacre of his village’s entire menfolk during his first battle with the forces of the new Shah of Iran. As is the policy with all battle-made orphans, the boy is conscripted into the Iranian army and given a name – Reza Khourdi. (Reza for the Shah, and Khourdi after his tribe.) Reza grows to manhood in the army, rises through the ranks and marries a well-off Tehrani woman. However, his proficiency is noticed and he receives a plum assignment to return to the region of his birth and assist in putting down Kurdish rebellions. As Reza sees more and more of himself in the Kurds, his marriage and family – and his own identity – feel the strain. I thought this was a gorgeously written book, although parts of it were very brutal. (Always in a way that served the story, but it’s hard to read.)
Queen Lucia (Mapp & Lucia #1) – Lucia is the doyenne and cultural ruler over her little kingdom – a small English village called Riseholme. With her husband Peppino and faithful subordinate Georgie by her side, Lucia aims to set the standard for all art, culture and entertaining in the area. But when a young, beautiful and talented opera singer moves to town, Lucia has a revolt on her hands. Georgie switches allegiances to Olga, the opera singer, and another local resident watches with relish as it appears Lucia is going to fall from her throne. So, I liked – but didn’t love – this. Lucia irritated me (as I think she was supposed to) although less so after one scene in which she is thoroughly embarrassed and exposed as (gasp!) unable to speak fluent Italian. I was also vaguely uncomfortable with Mrs Quantock and Lucia’s battle over “the Guru” – although I can’t put my finger on why, and I loved the image of Lucia dressing in goddess robes and teaching yoga. I’m invested in the characters now, so I will definitely continue on with the series – hopefully the next book is even better.
covered in flour 