Books
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February 2021: Beautiful writing is its own kind of joy
Hello everyone, This month, I think I may have hit a saturation point for pure comfort reading, and I found myself reaching out for other books. What I discovered (remembered?, rediscovered?) is that while there is joy in simple, easy stories and mysteries, there is another level of joy to be found in beautifully written books. The three books/series that I want to highlight today share very little except for this fact: they are all exceptionally written and their language enchanted and delighted me. Non Fiction Essays – Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver Barbara Kingsolver is an wonderful novelist who has written some of the most haunting and beautiful books…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: February 26th
Hello and happy weekend to you all! This week, I have some great audio listens and some interesting reads for you all. I’m sorry this is so late – I’ve been putting in some catch up work days on Fridays, and so my weekends have been starting a bit later! 1.) This podcast was absolutely brilliant 2.) Do you ever find yourself thinking that something in the 1990s was “just a few years ago?”. You are in good company. 3.) Ever been tempted to ring up your organic apples as a cheaper variety? Apparently, you are not alone. 4.) These words are really cool! Also, they come from a beautiful…
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Miss Marple: The Moving Finger
“You know,” she observed pensively. “To commit a successful murder must be very much like bringing off a conjuring trick….You’ve got to make people look at the wrong thing and in the wrong place” Hello! The more books I read, the more I realize that with some exceptions, my love from Miss Marple has likely stemmed from the fact that I have watched all of Agatha Christie’s Marple at least twice. That being said, I am really enjoying the books, and this is probably my favorite full length novel so far, despite one very large quibble (more on that later), and the fact that Miss Marple’s role in the story…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: February 19th
Hello everyone, It feels like unseasonably cold temperatures are the norm for most of us this week, and I know for a lot of places, this also means systems that are unprepared for it! For us, this has meant a lot of skiing and postholing over the past couple weeks, and a LOT of photos shared as well! I hope these take you into the weekend with some fun, interesting and new (or old?) discoveries! 1.) The Library of Congress recently finished digitizing the papers of every president from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge, and there are some great things to look at! You can see a draft of the…
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30 Interesting Award Winning 2019-2020 Books
Hello Everyone, I recently updated my current book award winners, and wanted to share an eclectic mix of weird and intriguing books with you all. I have worked hard to find book awards that are not as publicized, as that is such a fun way to discover new authors, new genres and especially stories from other places and countries! By all means, please check out the full updated list for your own genres, and check out my list below as well. Recent Award Winning Books I Want to Check Out The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell – This won a…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: February 12th
Happy Lunar New Year! Welcome to the Year of the Golden Ox today. There are some really cool (and free) ways to celebrate Chinese New Year online this year! This week has been a weird one for me, but had ended happily and well despite the challenges. I am excited to share some great links with you today – these are yummy, fun and thought provoking in turn. 1.) We make this recipe quite often in our house, and it is a big hit (so is this!) 2.) This might be worth getting Hulu just to watch it. I highly recommend going in knowing as little as possible (there are…
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Miss Marple: The Body in the Library
“I must say,” said Sir Henry ruefully, “that I do dislike the way you reduce us all to a general common denominator.” Miss Marple shook her head sadly. “Human nature is very much the same anywhere, Sir Henry.” p84 Hello! Welcome to the third installment in my Miss Marple blog series. Today, I have the first reread (for me) in The Body in the Library. I liked quite a bit more this time than the first time I read it, and I really enjoyed it! The Book This book is the story of Miss Marple’s friends who wake to find the body of an unknown woman on their library floor.…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: February 5th
Hello and happy weekend! In a week that has sometimes felt endless, I am counting my joys as well. I was able to get vaccinated last Thursday (!) and we FINALLY got enough snow to actually play in it. Enjoy the links below, and I’ll be with you next Wednesday with another installment in my Miss Marple reread, The Body in the Library. 1.) My old roommate had this book, and it made me laugh every time. Apparently there are sequels too. If you want to see some of the images in the book, this blog has a few of them. 2.) It’s not too late to think about Valentine’s…
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January 2021: A Month Full of Cozy, Comfy Reads
Hello everyone, My reading year got off to an OK start this year. It has honestly been great, but I am aware of the fact that I am focusing mostly on comfort reading that doesn’t have a ton of substance. I did try and pick up a more serious book at one point, and ultimately decided to give into my need for comfort reading of all kinds. I got to start my Miss Marple books (HERE and HERE), and I really enjoyed some great cozy reading. Great Comfort Reads Of course I have comfort reads to share with you this month! The two favorites I have to share with you…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: January 29th
Hello everyone! First things first, HOW is it almost February already? This past week went by incredibly fast. I feel like I’m always on the verge of having everything unravel underneath me these days, so a lot of the things I have to share below are more about holding it together than anything else. 1.) This is one of the sweetest and most honest biographies (about a dog) I have ever read. 2.) This had some of the more interesting questions I have seen about reading and returned what felt like a realistic result 3.) I don’t know if I have fully shared my undying love for Rupaul’s Drag Race…
