Summer Reading Revisited

Friends, I am going to be honest with you, I honestly thought Autumn would never get here, and now, I am a bit concerned we may never see cooler temperatures for more than a day or so.   I am one of those who is distressed when seasons and holidays are rushed.   Though Autumn is my favorite season, I refuse to welcome it before summer takes her last bow.  

Now that Autumn is officially here, it is time to look back on this past summer's books.  Early in the season, after listening to a podcast questioning the definition of "literary fiction", I made the decision to mostly read authors new to me, genres I normally do not gravitate to and books I could find at my local library.  It was a great reading summer!

With a To Be Read list several pages long, I always had a book ready to be opened.  I am not an exceptionally fast reader... I read about 20 books over the summer.  I found new authors, a mystery series I fell in love with and now want to read from the beginning to the end (I will never catch-up),  and I discovered books so moving I had difficulty recuperating.

Here is a recap of books I most enjoyed over the summer.

Gods in Alabama, Joshilyn Jackson

What would you do for those you love?

Plot driven, strong character development.

There is a bit of a mystery, and a twist at the end.

The Night Circus, Erin Morganstern

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Atmospheric, strong character development,

beautifully crafted.  I can't believe I kept moving this

book down on my TBR list.

Reading People, Anne Bogel

non-fiction

A simple yet enlightening look at why we do the things we do

and why some folks drive us crazy.  A good reference for deciphering the

many personality test available.   Find someone to read along with you.

Take some of the tests.... loved this one.

The Lost for Words Bookshop, Stephanie Butland

For anyone who loved Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine, will

enjoy this one.   It begins a little slow...

layers are gradually peeled away, making this a really good read.

Southernmost, Silas House

This one is at the top of my favorites for the year.

It grabbed my attention from page one, and slowly

stole my heart.   A profound statement on just loving.

Into the Water, Paula Hawkins

I enjoy how this book started slow and

gradually, gained speed.   This mystery is not solved until

the very last page.

Where the Crawdad's Sing, Delia Owens

 I loved this book!  Oh my gosh, from page one I felt as if someone

was holding my heart in their fist and squeezing.   Heartbreaking, but so full of hope.

Perennials, Julia Cantrell

The perfect ending to my summer reading.  

Set in one of my favorite towns, Oxford, Mississippi, this is a story of

family bonds, what cements them and what shatters those bonds.  
Perennials is not a fast paced tale... 

do you really want to rush a beautiful sunrise?  
One word description....

Bittersweet. 

Now the series that hooked me?  
Louis Penny's Three Pines Mysteries.

     

I have been hearing about this series for awhile; not wanting to get tied up waiting, I have avoided anything labeled number "whatever" in a series.   I actually began somewhere around #7 and realized I probably should go back to the beginning, #1,  Still Life.  I am still a newbie to "Three Pines", but I am loving them.  As I moved from one to another a nostalgia I can't explain enveloped me...  I not only want to read them.... seriously?  I just want to move to Three Pines and be a character in these books.

  My summer reading was an eye opener and ever so enjoyable.  There are a lot of good, entertaining, well-written books to be picked up and read, not considered literary fiction.  I believe there is a book out there for everyone (let me know if you need help finding it).

So... Autumn is here.  I've finished my first book, bought a pumpkin scented candle and baked pumpkin bread.  Now I just need Mother Nature to kick it into gear and give us some autumn like temperatures. 

Happy Reading friends!

  

Procrastinating

Fear of failure is a great road block. 

 Fear of ridicule is an even bigger hurdle. 

I more often than not find myself facing both. 

Failure...isn't so bad if you jump up, brush yourself off and get back on the horse that threw you.  Ridicule isn't so easy to overcome.  We all want to be liked.  We want to be appreciated for our talents and our efforts.  This fear is paralyzing.

When I am paralyzed, I find other things to do.  Not all are unproductive.  In other words
I am often the Queen of procrastination. 

I thought I would share a bit of what I found to do this week, instead...

Another closet cleaned.

School work up-to-date... almost.

Tested a Pinterest recipe and added my "best guacamole

in the world".

Photographed opened tulips

Harvested the last of the meyer lemons.

Photographed a lemon in my hand for
size comparison.

Baked a lemon and cream cake; had to begin using those lemons.

 More photos of tulips.

Have I ever mentioned, I love tulips?

Played around on Pinterest, and may have posted a few photos on 

instagram (livingbeeslife...just getting started).  

Picked up a book my daughter introduced to me.  I'm almost finished.  I

   love this book about tackling obstacles we allow to cloud our thoughts, and finding one's own unique creative voice.   Okay, it may also be about creating a home that is authentic to the way we live.  Work with me here please, I'm trying tie this into my subject; the interpretation of text is in the mind of the reader.    

On a positive writing note.... 

I did sign up for a writing webinar this past week.  I was so excited.  I downloaded the app needed, readied my notebook and pen, and prepped my husband to sign in for me.  I would be home from school just in time to slip behind the computer and participate.   I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.  This was a productive step in the right direction.  Then around three in the morning I woke with a "what were you thinking" moment.  I am in the central time zone, the webinar was to take place at noon eastern time.  There was no way I would be home.   There will be another....something ... sometime.

And, on a serious note...

A great big thanks to all who have encouraged me after my post on writing.  I honestly don't know where this desire, this love of words, will take me.  I ask God to lead me to a purpose and to quell my fears daily.  It is true, fear is probably one of my strongest enemies.  It is the reason I haven't shared my blog with many who are close to me.

You my friends lift me up; I am grateful,

and I am blessed.

Do you let fear get in your way of something important?
How do you get past it?
I would love to hear from you.

Book Ramblings

"When you saw her every day, you could forget that Nelle's novel was something so many people had in common...not just having read it but having been taken by it.  That kind of influence, of connection, is hard to grasp.  How do you measure the reach of a book that goes beyond staggering sales figures and Top Ten Favorite Books of all Time lists to something more profound, to the connection of readers to the story, of readers to one another, of one generation to the next?" 

                                                                                                Marja Mills 

                                                                                    The Mockingbird Next Door

There was never a question I would purchase it.   There was never a doubt I would read it.  My copy of Go Set a Watchman arrived wrapped in a brown paper package days after I left to help my daughter.  It was two and a half weeks before I would return, and three before I would unwrap it and begin reading.

Controversy has followed Harper Lee since the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Many have long believed her dear friend, Truman Capote,  either authored or heavily edited "Mockingbird".  Lee most likely contributed to these rumors by staying away from the public eye and never having another book published.

Now, fifty-five years later another Harper Lee controversy.  Go Set a Watchman has been under the microscope from the day HarperCollins announced it would publish a newly found manuscript penned by none other than the reclusive Harper Lee.

Did Lee write this new find?
Did she authorize its publication?

Are these the reasons we want to dislike this book?
 Or, maybe we heard Atticus Finch is not the man we have admired for so many decades.

No matter, there was never a doubt I would read this book from the beginning word..."Since" to the very last..."head".  I did not love it.  The story is okay.  The writing is somewhat elementary, though we were warned this would be an unedited publication.  I couldn't embrace any of the characters.

After all the chatter about Atticus having a dark side, I awaited his fall from grace with each turn of the page.  For me, it didn't happen.   The Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird is a good man, a good father.  Yes, the Atticus Finch of Go Set a Watchman is fallible.  He is a man of his time and environment, and yet is able to set aside these prejudices to step up for what is right.  Who is most admirable?  The man who has no demons, or the man who, in spite of his beliefs, is able to put them behind and step up for what is just?

The above is a post I began in late July just after reading, Go Set a Watchman. 

One morning just before school began I met a good friend for coffee to catch-up with life.  After talking about our latest travels and families, our discussion, as always, turned to books.  We exchanged our respective book group lists for the new reading year, and discussed our latest book finds.  We had both reread To Kill a Mockingbird, and just finished Go Set a Watchman.    She shared her unswayable opinion of the newest release, and suggested I read The Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills.

A few weeks ago I found the time to read The Mockingbird Next Door, and found it throughly enjoyable.  Opening this book we are given intimate access to an author who has spent her life staying out of the public eye.   There is so much more within the pages of this book than just a biography of a reclusive writer.  I leave you with Elizabeth Berg's beautifully written review with hopes it might entice you to read this delightful book.

“You might come to The Mockingbird Next Door to find out why Harper Lee never wrote another novel. But you’ll stay with it for its lush evocation of the South, and for the insight into what made this reclusive author the person she became. In these pages, you’ll see the book-crowded house where Harper Lee lives with her sister, Alice. You’ll go along on outings, sit in living rooms and at restaurant tables with the Lees, read faxes they and the author send back and forth, and appreciate the small and not-so-small revelations they offer: life when they were growing up with their father, who was the model for Atticus Finch; how reading sustains a person for a lifetime, how deeply embedded values don’t change just because the times do, why it’s a good idea to regularly count the ducks you feed. I suppose we all thrill to the notion of learning personal things about a deeply private but world-famous person. What we don’t necessarily expect to see is how gently, respectfully and, above all, naturally it can be done. While I appreciated getting to see and hear the ‘real’ Harper Lee, I enjoyed as well the chance to meet Marja Mills, the woman who did what no one before her had because of her guileless trustworthiness, kindness, and care."


Happy Reading!
    

Plans Derailed

I had plans today.
 After storms passed through the state Thursday evening, we had a beautiful albeit humid day yesterday.  We sat outside into the night planning our saturday strategy.  The meteorologists were predicting rain and possible storms moving in during the afternoon. 

Our plan was to go to the Farmer's Markets early early to allow time to work in the garden before the weather changed.  I have  a garden border needing attention and containers pleading to be filled.  Roger had his own plans.   I woke up at 5:45 to the sound of rain against the windows.

"Best laid plans!"  

Checking the radar we decided we probably had time before the really bad stuff hit to make it to the Farmer's Market.   We stopped for our usual coffee and headed across the bridge to our favorite group of farmers.   The weather kept a few away, but we were still quite successful.

Squash, beets, purple hull peas

farm fresh eggs, and my favorite

strawberries...

one of the few things I like about summer.

We had just put the last purchase in the market bag when both cell phones went off simultaneously; severe thunderstorms were in the area of our home.  We headed home knowing Willie was probably hiding upstairs scared.  The severe storms didn't develop, but we have had a day of rain with a few rumbles here and there keeping us inside.

A perfect day for opening a book!

My thoughts and prayers are with all those in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas who have lost so much during the past few weeks due to severe weather.

Stay safe everyone!  

A Favorite Thing

Last summer while browsing the magazine section, at the bookstore, in search of something fresh and exciting I happened upon Hoffman Media's "cottage" publication.  Always a handsome cover, quality papers and published seasonally, it has become a favorite.

Yesterday I came home with the Autumn issue, found a cool place to sit and escaped for a bit.

  

I never tire of the beautiful photographs.

There is something on every page to delight me.

I can imagine finding a cozy spot to spend a cool autumn afternoon
 with a good book and a cup of tea.  Would you like to join me?

I'm already dreaming of transitioning the containers.
It will soon be time to change out the impatiens
for mums and pansies.

The peaches and summer squash will disappear from the bins at the Farmer's Market,
 to be replaced with crisp apples and butternut squash.
Oh I can smell the apple pie baking (it is my one weakness).

Cooler days and approaching holidays mean it's time to head back into the studio.
Are your creative juices beginning to flow?

Are you dreaming of Autumn?
Share your thoughts with me.

Viewing Genius

Several years ago I took a twelve week workshop designed to help discover or rediscover your creativity.  It is a class that can be used by writers, painters, or anyone who wants to live a more creative life.  Each week there is a reading and various tasks to complete, or attack, as the case may be.  You're instructed to write three pages each day about anything on your mind.  The only other consistent assignment is to take yourself on an "artist date".   

Through the years I have continued to write in journals.   I may not write consistently, but I write.  I have book journals, travel journals, cooking journals, knitting journals and journals just for occasional musings.

I have also kept up with taking myself out.  My date maybe a trip to the bookstore, the nursery, the knit shop or simply out for a quiet lunch.  Usually it is never anything extraordinary, but it is almost always peaceful and healing.

Today I took myself to view genius, the work of Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Giselle.  I spent two hours reading about his career and viewing his delightful art.   I will leave you with a few things that caught my fancy.   Enjoy!

 

You recognize this fellow

Okay, I so want to own this one!

Preparations

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."  Louis Carroll

Yesterday the state was preparing for what was being called the snow event of the season.  The up to the minute models were showing we could double our present snow totals.  Warnings and watches were announced by noon.  Schools made their decision to close by five o'clock news time.  Store shelves were emptied. 

I spent the morning getting my children ready for Valentine's Day, knowing there was a  possibility I would not see them again until February 14th.  We cut out hearts for our cards.  Wrote "Happy Valentine's Day!  Love...".  We painted and glittered our treat bags.   We practiced writing our names;  we even had time to don our coats and play outside.  We took our time and had a very good day.   I sent the children home with Friday papers (we had a snow day last Friday and this Friday's attendance has yet to be determined) and hopes  of snowman building and sledding fun.

 On my way home, like my little friend above, I needed a few provisions to get through the anticipated snow storm.   

 

I have my priorities straight.  I first visited my favorite yarn store, because I needed this...

 

 To finish this.

sh-h-h it's a surprise

I also found my favorite knitting magazine to add to another little treasure I found last week. 

so many projects to ponder

So  while sitting in my sun room looking out at this

I may choose
to finish reading A Woman in White,
knit,
browse a magazine
or just sit and daydream,
because

I am assured
I will, soon enough, be sitting here
with beverage in hand,

once again, enjoying this view.

Enjoy today, tomorrow will come.

What is a memory?

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it".  Gabriel Garcia Marguez

One of my favorite children's books is "Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox.   Wilfrid Gordon is a little boy.  He lives near an "old folk's home" and is friends with many of the residents.  His favorite is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, because she has four names just as he does.  Hearing  his mom and dad talking about how sad it is that Miss Nancy has lost her memory, he sets out to help her find  it.   He visits the other residents of the home and asks the question, "What is a memory?"  Each person gives him an answer, "something long ago...something that makes you laugh...something warm". ... He then collects "things" to match the descriptions he was given.  He finds seashells from a trip to the beach a long time ago, a puppet that makes him laugh, a warm egg fresh from the nest.  As he shares his treasures with Miss Nancy, she shares a memory with him. 

I cannot read this story without getting misty eyed.  

What is a memory?

 I love listening to family and friends telling stories from their past.  My dad has a terrific memory and is a wonderful story teller.   I love telling stories.  I love that the way I remember something may not be the same as someone else who shares my story.  Who has it right?  

A memory is like a work of art.  Two people seldom view it the same way.  Everyone one has their own point of view.  I love it!  Just think of the wonderful stories to be told.

What is a memory?

A memory is something solid to hold on to.  Something that keeps you standing when you've had your feet kicked out from under you.

Dear friends,  

What is a memory?