finished reading

This is a whimsical romance revolving around "book boyfriends," answering the question: what if you could have a relationship with your favorite fictional character?  What I particularly liked about this premise is how Zoe Knight, the main female character, grows from an underdog to empowered.  Zoe dreams of life as a romance author, while the male main character, bookstore owner Nick, doesn't stock that genre.  Through magic, Zoe is able to read Mr. Darcy to life from an old copy of Pride and Prejudice. What ensues is a fanciful exploration of time travel and Mr. Darcy's bewildering discovery of modern life.  

With a nod to different romance tropes, especially fated mates, the story pays homage to romances from Pride and Prejudice to contemporary novels--celebrating the power of love.

From the publisher:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of many romance novels, must be in want of a book boyfriend."

Zoe Knight, a struggling romance writer, has sworn off men for good. At least…the ones in real life. Once a believer in a happily ever after, she now curbs her loneliness with the help of the best book boyfriends in literature – and there is no better man than Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy. So when she stumbles into a classic London bookshop and argues with the annoyingly attractive store owner, Nick, who refuses to sell romance novels, she decides to liberate him of a dusty copy of Pride & Prejudice abandoned on a top shelf.

But this is no ordinary book.

After reading from the pages, Zoe finds herself in a remarkable situation: she has accidentally summoned the Mr. Darcy to the real world. Now, she's face-to-face with the man she's loved forever, and he's everything she dreamed he would be. Handsome? Check. Brooding? Check. Talks like he swallowed a thesaurus? Check and check. But even in all his regency perfection, can he ever be as good as in the novel? And if he's here, in her London apartment trying to figure out how to work a shower , what will happen to the literary world he came from? With Nick—the last man she could ever be prevailed upon to work with—urging her to send the fictional Darcy back to his own story, Zoe will have to decide what she really wants from a happy ending, before it's too late.

finished reading

Even though Death is the main character in this book, the story is gentle and rather hopeful.  It's the story of death and grief and the beauty in ordinary life.  Travis Smith is modern-day Death, a solitary, handsome man who's intrigued by deep feelings.  He can't change a person's fate and doesn't judge, but he can listen and offer awareness of the transitions of life. Travis befriends his neighbor, Dalia, a midwife, and her precocious daughter, Layla; it becomes more difficult for Travis to remain detached when he is challenged by Layla's boisterous curiosity.

The book offers value to ordinary moments, as seen through the characters that Travis encounters in his professional capacity.  I think the book balances the heavy theme of mortality with a hopeful tone.  This book left me with a lot to think about.  There are moments of profound sadness and the unfairness of death and grief, but it's beautifully written.

From the publisher:

Travis is Death in the modern world. He wears jeans and a T-shirt and lives in a small, grey town. His job is to offer people comfort in their final hours of life. He’s stoic, gentle, and a little naive, despite everything he knows. He’s young and handsome, despite who he is. Each death he witnesses is meaningful to him; he listens, never judges, and most importantly, never tries to change anyone’s fate. He knows that every life must eventually end to maintain the balance of the universe and he respects the cycle.

Then he meets Dalia, a midwife, and her boisterous eight-year-old daughter Layla, who live across the hall. As Dalia and Layla come to embrace Travis, it becomes more difficult to maintain the detachment that’s allowed him to function for so long. Their time together teaches him what’s truly important in life—and what might be irrevocably lost in death.

Written with radiant warmth, wisdom, and compassion, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt is a timeless story about appreciating life, accepting its end, and finding our place in the universe—especially when it feels most impossible—that will resonate with anyone who has ever loved and lost or worried at time’s passing.

happy day 10 & 11

 8/10: I was able to troubleshoot my internet outage.  It took some finagling, but I got it back in working order.

8/11:  I spent the day doing small chores (like replacing the toilet seat and emptying trash) and reading.  I was able to finish Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson.

currently

I am...

Reading: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves

Listening to:  the fan

Thinking:  this is the last week of summer vacation

Feeling:  I just realized that this is the last week of my last summer vacation!  

Celebrating:  I actually am excited for this school year, even though I am not doing any prep work for it outside of our workshop days

Grateful for:  really good friends; our breakfast this morning lasted for a few hours, but the time flew

Enjoying:  this season of Big Brother--it's one of the best!

Weather:  76° and partly cloudy

A quote I want to share: 

happy day 9

8/9:  A spontaneous trip with my bestie for lunch at Brookside in Smyrna.  The meatloaf was divine!

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

sunday stealing

 

Click the icon to play along

Why Not Just Meme?

When You Can't Think of Anything to Blog About ...

1) Describe your typical weekend, and tell us how this weekend has been different. a typical weekend includes some kind of friend outing (like brunch or coffee) and errand running or laundry on Saturday afternoon as well as Saturday 9; Sunday is for hurkle durkle time and Sunday Stealing and Postsecret.  This weekend has been no different.

2) What food hits your bliss spot? lately it's Biscoff biscuits

 

3) Where did you stay on your last vacation (hotel, Airbnb/Vrbo, friends/family)? with my sister, her husband, and Gus the awesome doggo, who has since been placed on a diet

4) If you had a personality eraser, what part of yours would you erase? sometimes I catch myself being a know-it-all and I detest that part of my personality

 

5) Think of your friends. Tell us about the first one who popped into your head. my teacher bestie, Jess is 30 years younger (I am older than her parents!!!!) and we get along swimmingly and that is where #4 comes in

happy day 8

8/8:  I tackled most of a project I've been putting off.  Starting was the big thing.

saturday 9

Sugar, Sugar

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month Saturday 9 will be tasty, featuring songs with food in the title.

1) This week's song is credited to The Archies, a band that never actually existed. The song is performed by singer Ron Dante and studio musicians and backup singers hired on behalf of the five members of the popular Saturday morning Archie Show. Were you a fan of this animated series? oh, man--my sisters and I were nuts for the comic books and the series!

2) Archie was Archibald Andrews, a character first introduced in the 1941 comic strip. Archie was the linchpin, the leader of the band, and the center of his social group. Tell us about one of the popular kids from your school days. I didn't really pay attention to people outside my social circle of theater kids -so I suppose we were the popular kids!

3) The Archies' drummer was Jughead Jones. He was smart, funny, and had a fondness for headwear. Do you often wear hats or caps? no, I do not often wear hats or caps

4) Reggie was the lead singer and bass player. He was a gifted athlete who liked to come in first. If he couldn't win with his natural talents, he was not above cheating. Have you ever cheated in a friendly game? oh, heck yeah--always in an obvious manner, though

5) Blonde Betty Cooper was on the tambourine. Her hobbies include playing baseball, caring for her cat, and helping Archie work on his car. Tell us three of your favorite pastimes.  I am a voracious reader, a knitter, and shopper

 

6) Raven-haired Veronica Lodge was the keyboardist and joined Betty for backup vocals. She was a fashion plate, known and loved by Riverdale store owners because of her willingness to spend big bucks to stay on trend. What's the latest thing you've added to your wardrobe? I added an army green t-shirt with three pines on it, in homage to the Three Pines series by Louise Penny (I also got a blue shirt as a Christmas present for a friend)

7) The biggest news story of 1969 was one of the biggest stories in history. On July 21, man first stepped onto the moon. Without looking it up, do you remember the astronaut's name? Neil Armstrong

8) Also in 1969, Triple H was born and today he's in the WWE Hall of Fame. Do you follow professional wrestling? no and I didn't know what Triple H was

9) Random question – Would you prefer to be: a) super successful in business or b) a politician elected to an influential office or c) a champion athlete? super successful in business

BONUS #10: Mister Linky has become extremely hard to navigate and no one is home at the Help Desk. How do you feel about leaving your link in the comments? I have no strong feelings

finished reading

A fascinating glimpse at Abraham Lincoln's pre-presidential career.  It reads like historical fiction but is based on court transcripts--and pieces together the strategies used by both sides to create Lincoln in action.  Even his mannerisms are captured.  I didn't realize that lawyers didn't necessarily have specialties, and that they would take on a wide variety of cases.  

In this case, the question at hand examines self-defense and use of force for personal protection.  As the lawyers recreate the setting, directing witnesses to describe and point out the movements of those involved, chaos and false memory play out.  A compelling look at the case that divided Springfield and happened to be the last major trial of Lincoln's career.  

From the publisher:

The true story of Abraham Lincoln's last murder trial, a strange case in which he had a deep personal involvement--and which was played out in the nation's newspapers as he began his presidential campaign.

At the end of the summer of 1859, twenty-two-year-old Peachy Quinn Harrison went on trial for murder in Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, who had been involved in more than three thousand cases--including more than twenty-five murder trials--during his two-decades-long career, was hired to defend him. This was to be his last great case as a lawyer. What normally would have been a local case took on momentous meaning. 

Lincoln's debates with Senator Stephen Douglas the previous fall had gained him a national following, transforming the little-known, self-taught lawyer into a respected politician. He was being urged to make a dark-horse run for the presidency in 1860. Taking this case involved great risk. His reputation was untarnished, but should he lose this trial, should Harrison be convicted of murder, the spotlight now focused so brightly on him might be dimmed. He had won his most recent murder trial with a daring and dramatic maneuver that had become a local legend, but another had ended with his client dangling from the end of a rope. The case posed painful personal challenges for Lincoln. The murder victim had trained for the law in his office, and Lincoln had been his friend and his mentor. His accused killer, the young man Lincoln would defend, was the son of a close friend and loyal supporter. And to win this trial he would have to form an unholy allegiance with a longtime enemy, a revivalist preacher he had twice run against for political office--and who had bitterly slandered Lincoln as an "infidel...too lacking in faith" to be elected. 

Lincoln's Last Trial captures the presidential hopeful's dramatic courtroom confrontations in vivid detail as he fights for his client--but also for his own blossoming political future. It is a moment in history that shines a light on our legal system, as in this case Lincoln fought a legal battle that remains incredibly relevant today.

happy day 7

8/7: Today, my PCP high-fived me!  My lab work is phenomenal. I have lowered my sugars and cholesterol, and my liver panels are indicating a reversal of liver damage.  Plus, the ultrasound showed improvement in the liver.  This is significant!  I'm not sure what I've done differently, but I'll certainly take it!  So--take that, NAFLD / MASLD!

finished reading

This cozy mystery surprised me because the main character is depicted as an old woman--but Vera's 60.  My age.  And I hardly describe myself as old.  Realizing that she's my age skews the book--when I thought she was a sprightly octogenarian, I was all in.  Anyhow...

The premise is that Vera Wong is a meddlesome old woman who discovers a dead man in her tea shop and decides she can solve the mystery more satisfactorily than the police can.  She uses traditional, conventional wisdom and a "what would Agatha Christie do" mentality and sets to work.  The book is less about the murder and more about how the suspects band together, and how Vera susses out the culprit--all the while doling out meddlesome advice.

From the publisher:

Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…

Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?

Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).

But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.

Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.

happy day 6

8/6: Today's happy is an out with the old/in with the new.  An underwear refresh.  Lots of colorful patterns to replace the old, stretched-out pairs.

finished reading

Every now and then, I need a cozy old people read.  I don't know if there's a specific name for this genre, but there's a trend in recent years of books about curmudgeonly old people finding purpose and vigor at the end of life.  I consider them cozy stories.  They usually involve found families.

Eudora Honeysett has lived a sad and lonely life, constantly being let down by the people closest to her.  And now, at age 85, she's determined to reach the end of her life on her terms.  With plans in place, her life is transformed by a precocious new neighbor, Rose, and her family.  Some moments reminded me of A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman, which is not a bad thing.

From the publisher:

Eudora Honeysett is done with this noisy, moronic world—all of it. She has witnessed the indignities and suffering of old age and has lived a full life. At eighty-five, she isn’t going to leave things to chance. Her end will be on her terms. With one call to a clinic in Switzerland, a plan is set in motion. 

Then she meets ten-year-old Rose Trewidney, a whirling, pint-sized rainbow of color and sparkling cheer. All Eudora wants is to be left alone to set her affairs in order. Instead, she finds herself embarking on a series of adventures with the irrepressible Rose and their affable neighbor, the recently widowed Stanley—afternoon tea, shopping sprees, trips to the beach, birthday celebrations, pizza parties. 

While the trio of unlikely BFFs grow closer and anxiously await the arrival of Rose’s new baby sister, Eudora is reminded of her own childhood—of losing her father during World War II and the devastating impact it had on her entire family. In reflecting on her past, Eudora realizes she must come to terms with what lies ahead. 

But now that her joy for life has been rekindled, how can she possibly say goodbye? 

happy day 5

8/5:  I wasn't sure my book group meeting would be a good one since the book was very slim.  But The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Volume One) was a big hit.  We ended up talking and laughing and speculating about what happens next.  I love being in a book group.

finished reading

I think I've now read everything Jojo Moyes has written after finishing this book.  This is a departure for Moyes, exploring historical fiction--particularly because it is set in Great Depression-era Kentucky.  The themes are familiar territory: female friendship and empowerment, found family, and self-discovery.

What's typical of Moyes is vivid characters.  Even secondary characters are fleshed out. I liked gruff Margery's vulnerability when she is away from the town's scrutiny and stereotyping.  I liked Alice's fish-out-of-water growth from outsider to insider.  I liked Izzy's pampered can't-do attitude morphing into done and done.  And I could go on and on about Sophia's bravery.

I am well aware of the plagiarism controversy surrounding this book, which is partly what delayed me from reading it sooner.  But while it shares the Packhorse Librarians premise with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, the focus and storytelling style of Moyes' book is quite distinct.

From the publisher:

Set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond

When Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve, she escapes her stifling life in England, but small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books on horseback as part of Eleanor Roosevelt's new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. What happens to these women—and to the men they love—becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion.

Based on a true story rooted in America's past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic—a richly rewarding novel of women's friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.