May 2025 -- Second Half

 

Back to print books and there are some good ones here.  Two road trips with mixed up families. Both were a mixture of light and dark; serious subjects given a light touch. In fact most of what I read during the last half of May dealt with dark themes. Interesting how they were all given different treatments.

And I managed to continue collecting the word "last" in titles. (See February 28, 2025 post.). One was pretty good the other was a DNF dud. 

Fiction: 

The Names by Knapp, Florence 

Three tellings of the same lives.  All rather dark.

The Red House by Morris, Mary

Jews in WW2 Italy. More darkness.

Old School Indian by Curtis, Aaron John 
An ailing Akwesasne (St. Regis Mohawk Tribe) man returns to the Rez after living in Virginia and Florida.

Awake in the Floating City by Kwan, Susanna

Dystopian novel. San Francisco flooded. Artist/caregiver. debut novel

Run for the Hills by Wilson, Kevin

Newly found half siblings go on a road trip.

The Road to Tender Hearts by Hartnett, Annie 

A 60 something man, his single daughter, his newly found orphaned grand niece and nephew, and a cat go on a road trip. 

 

Famous Last Words by McAllister, Gillian 

Some suspense, some twists, some police procedures, family relationships, maybe too many notes. But I'll probably give this author anther try.

 

Target Island a story by Mariah Rigg

Nonfiction:

Mijn Land, Zuid-Holland, Vol. 3 (of 11) by G. J. Nijland; Jan Godefroy, illustrator. (1929)

Just for the pictures, I don't read Dutch. 

 

Eat the City: A Tale of the Fishers, Foragers, Butchers, Farmers, Poultry Minders, Sugar Refiners, Cane Cutters, Beekeepers, Winemakers, and Brewers Who Built New York by Shulman, Robin

Interesting subject but the structure within each was choppy. It would have been nice to have some pictures,

 

Notes on Jacaranda Season an essay by Evelyn Fok

 

DNF:

The Book Eaters by Dean, Sunyi
It's rare for me to give up on a book when I'm half-way through but at page 157 I quit. 

Play the Fool by Chern, Lina 

Too many dumb choices in too few pages. Only read three (short) chapters.

Upon a Starlit Tide by Woods, Kell 

Read 122 of 432 pages and not much happened. The pace was way too slow.

The Last Ferry Out by Bartz, Andrea

Read the first fifty pages, got bored, skipped and read the end. I have no interest in what's in between.

May 2025 -- Weekend Online Intermission

Except for a few minutes of bedtime reading of actual physical books each night, my mid-May weekend was spent online.

On Saturday the 17th I did my usual morning puzzles and stuff and then went Net surfing.

I explored TSLR (The Shanghai Literary Review) Online which publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, reviews, criticism, art, and interviews. 

Another lit magazine I spent some time with is Hazlitt which includes "journalism, fiction, columns, interviews, comics and more...."

A random Gutenberg search turned up some fun picture books and some oddities.

After a token amount of housework the exploring continued on Sunday....

Emma Sloley's web site led me to another lit magazine - Craft - which includes  fiction, creative nonfiction, essays and interviews. "All published creative pieces include an author’s note and an editorial introduction that both discuss stylistics in the work."  Also JMWW a weekly journal of fiction, poetry, flash, essays, and interviews.

A visit to one of my favorite sites The Good Life France revealed that I was a tad late for a special saint's day.  Saint Honoré | A French cake & Patron Saint of bakers  an essay by Ally Mitchell reminded me that it was Friday, May 16. As always, TGLF has gorgeous food pictures.  Cake!

Not to worry as my housemate did go bakery shopping that day and came home with muffins, scones, and croissants. But I don't have pictures because...there were snacks and breakfasts between then and my discovery of the article.

Fiction: 

Three Punky Dunk Books:

Published P. F. Volland, Chicago, 1912 with no author/illustrator credit. According to Wikipedia Charlotte B. Herr was the author. The illustrator was probably Frances Beem.

Punky Dunk and the Spotted Pup   (Illustration above is from this book)
Punky Dunk and the Mouse
Punky Dunk and the Gold Fish

 

Other works  by Herr on  Gutenberg: 

The Wise Mamma Goose (Volland, 1913) Illustrated by Beem
How Freckle Frog Made Herself Pretty (Volland 1913) Illustrated by Beem

 

Their Mariposa Legend: A Romance of Santa Catalina (no publisher nor date given on the Gutenberg edition; The Library of Congress record has:  Pasadena, Calif. : Post Printing and Binding Co., c1921. LOC also credits an illustrator but the Gutenberg file has no illustration.)

This a longer work and is not a picture book. I am struggling to read this and doubt that I'll get any further than these opening paragraphs

   " It began to happen a long time ago, centuries ago, when, in a fragrant rush of rain, spring came one day to Punagwandah, fairest of the Channel Islands. Beneath the golden mists of sunrise danced a radiant sea. On steeply sloping hillsides where thickets of wild lilac bloomed, the lark shook from his tiny throat a tumult of glad music. In shadowed niches of the canyons lilies waited to fill with light their gleaming ivory cups. Spring in very truth was there.

And looking down upon it from her cavern bower high above the beach, watched the Princess Wildenai. Kneeling there, the light of dawn shining on her long black hair, she was, herself, the sweetest blossom of the spring. Loveliest was she among all the maidens of the Mariposa and of royal blood besides; although of this the great chief Torquam, who even at that moment lay sleeping in his lodge of deerskin on the crescent beach below, knew more than he had ever told.

With eyes rapt, her breath scarcely stirring the folds of softest fawnskin drawn across her breast, the princess bent her gaze to where the waves ran silver on the ocean's distant rim. There she knew the sun must rise and, as the first dazzling ray sparkled across the water, she rose slowly until she stood erect, a slender, graceful figure against the dim, gray rocks, and stretching her arms toward the East, spoke in the musical words of her people. "

 

Other works illustrated by Beem on Gutenberg:

Bully Bull Frog and His Home in Rainbow Valley by Elizabeth Stafford Fry (Rand McNally, 1921)
Dolly and Molly and the Farmer Man by Elizabeth Gordon (Rand McNally, 1914)

And now for something a little more serious...

A Simple Soul  a novella by Flaubert, Gustave

 

Two from TSLR:

 “Quarantine Hotel”  a story by Zhou Hau Liew

 Nan a story  by Alyson McDevitt

 

from Craft:

The Sand Nests a story by Emma Sloley

because if something no right, you no suppose sit down and look a story by Ayotola Tehingbola

 

Nonfiction:

From Gutenberg:

The Russian Ballet by Ellen Terry ; illustrated with drawings by Pamela Colman Smith (Bobbs-Merrill, 1913)

 

From Hazlitt:

The Women Who Speak For the Gods by By Juli Min 

shamanism in Korea

Mourning My Dad, the Identical Twin By Allison LaSorda 

From JMWW:

Things I Wish I’d Bought essay by Emma Sloley

Your Lebanon: Four Sides an essay by Sandra Carlson Khalil

May 2025 -- First Half

“Waddle for your life!” squeaked Puddle, hanging on tight.

Started the month by finishing Outermark which was a great read. Then I started and rejected The Champagne Letters (not listed below because I only read a few chapters). Then the excellent A House for Miss Pauline. Then the so-so Sweet Vidalia. Is this how the month will go? Back and forth between great and notso great?

Looked up Dianna McCaulay which led me to PREE an online magazine for new contemporary writing from and about the Caribbean. It includes  fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, interviews and experimental writing. Also poked around a bit on the website of  The Jamaica Environment Trust which McCaulay founded.

Actually the first half of May delivered some fine reading!

Fiction:   

Outermark by Brown, Jason 

One Fifth Avenue by Bushnell, Candace

New Yorkers being at the center of their little universes.

Things Don't Break on Their Own by Collins, Sarah Easter 

Lots of things are broken in this tale of a dysfunctional family.

A House for Miss Pauline by McCaulay, Diana

Are there ghosts in this Jamaican house built from the rubble of a slaveowner's plantation? 

David Golder, The Ball, Snow in Autumn, The Courilof Affair by Némirovsky, Irène; translated from the French by Smith, Sandra; introduction by Messud, Claire

Perspective(s) by Binet, Laurent; translated from the French by Taylor, Sam

Yes! Loved this investigation of a murder in 16th Century Florence.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Hooper, Elise 

Another good one!

Elektra by Saint, Jennifer 

A good retelling.

The Lilac People by Todd, Milo 

A different look at WW2 in Germany. LGBT+

Midnight at the Dragon Café by Bates, Judy Fong 

Got a slow start on this but stayed with it and ended up liking it.

Red Clay by Fancher, Charles B. 

A promising debut.

Sweet Vidalia by Sandlin, Lisa 

soso

The Usual Desire to Kill by Barnes, Camilla 

Tedious.

 

The Dinky Ducklings by Lang Campbell (Algonquin Publishing Company, 1928) 

Fun artwork, some racist language typical of the times.

The Last Lady of Mulberry: A Story of Italian New York by Thomas, Henry Wilton; illustrated by Pollak, Emil

First published in 1900. I don't think it aged well.

 

Preservation a story by by Andrew Cominelli

Bouyon a story by Savannah Balmir

Cassiopeia a story by Gabriel Urza

 

Poetry:

Water, Water: Poems by Collins, Billy 

 

Nonfiction:

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Dalton, Chloe; illustrated by Nestor, Denise

Excellent! 

Irene Nemirovsky: Her Life And Works by Weiss, Jonathan; translated from the French by Weiss, Dace

Informative discussion. Sheds some light on Nimirovsky's depiction of Jews.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Garten, Ina

A pleasant read

Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive by Stein, Eliot 

Too much padding, too much of the author.  After the first two or three essays they all sounded alike.

Domestic life in New England in the seventeenth century: A Discourse Delivered in the Lecture Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, it being one of a Series designed to mark the Opening of the American Wing. By George Francis Dow. [1925}

 

I Know I’ll Be OK as Long as I Have a Bag of Frozen Peas in My Freezer short essay by by Rachel Perlmutter

Do we have peas in our freezer? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.

 

The Sutter County Museum  has a searchable archive of the Hustorical Society's Bulletin.

Sutter County Historical Society News Bulletin,  Vol. XXXV No. 4 Yuba City, California October. 1994

This publication interests me because I spent some formative years in the area. This issue contains an article by Marian Regli ("Teaching in a Rural School"). Her wedding in June 1947 is the first wedding I can remember attending.

 

Rejects These were returned to library unread (decided not to read after a chapter or less):

Checkout 19 by Bennett, Claire-Louise

Experimental novel that didn't work for me--didn't get far at all
The cure for women : Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi and the challenge to Victorian medicine that changed women's lives forever  by Reeder, Lydia

Boring and not worth my time
The fact checker : a novel by Kelley, Austin

This "laugh-out-loud funny" book isn't --it doesn't even make me smile.
The big fix by James, Holly

Can't remember why I ditched this

Raw dog : the naked truth about hot dogs by Loftus, Jamie

Might be the worst book I tried to read this year.

April 2025 - Fourth Week

 

 

 

This week's reading started out badly with a book I hated. It got better when some of my holds arrived at the library.  Two by Némirovsky (read one, saved the other for next month), and Theft by Gurnah. Also a nonfiction about hot dogs (I won't get to that one this week).

 

In today's Goodreads givaways there is a book by Lily King and I remembered liking her short story collection so I added her novels to my TBR list and looked at her web site to see if she had any short works available online. She does. Her web site section "Short Works" list several so I spent the morning exploring her work and some sites it led me to.  Some are behind pay walls and others didn't have much that interested me.

 

Here is what I read this week.

 

Fiction: 

The Wine of Solitude by Némirovsky, Irène translated from the French by Smith, Sandra

Theft by Gurnah, Abdulrazak 

Ruth Run by Kaufman, Elizabeth 

A cyber criminal on the run in Northern California. Who are the good guys & who are the baddies?  It doesn't matter, the chase is the thing.  An OK book.

The Change by Miller, Kirsten 

Yuck! Read about 1/3 through and started skimming and skipping hoping it would get better. What a mess! All the men are bad, the women are too. Also the writing.

 

The Last Word a story by Dorfman, Ariel

 

Nonfiction: 

Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star by Sen, Mayukh

OK biography

Artists’ Things: Rediscovering Lost Property from Eighteenth-Century France by  Scott, Katie and Williams, Hannah

Fun to dip into now and again but not meant to be read straight through.  Indexed by Artist, Type of Thing, Theme, and Material. Glad this is online.

 

Dislocation an essay by King, Lily

 Nice illustrations by  Calla King-Clements

When My Father Fell Apart, My Stepfather Was There For Me—And Him an essay by King, Lily

 

April 2025 - Third Week

 

 K 'alyaan Totem Pole

 

A nice week of reading. When I was at the library to pick up several holds I glanced at the new nonfiction shelf and found a couple of books with "last" in the titles. I read one and am saving the other for next week. I'm really glad I picked up The Last Stand of the Raven Clan. It was interesting, informative, and well written. My "Last" prompt pays off again!

One disappointment in the fiction but otherwise a good reading and surfing week.

 

Fiction:

Landfalls by Williams, Naomi J.

Excellent debut!  Linked stories  make a novel based on the Lapérouse Expedition. (Chapters 4 & 5 deal with the Expedition's June/July 1786 experience at Lituya Bay, Alaska, near Sitka, where they lost 21 men to the sea. They also made contact with the Tinglet people.)

Stone Yard Devotional by Wood, Charlotte 

Must read more by Charlotte Wood.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Oakley, Colleen

A fun read.

Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1) by Kidd, Jess

Nora is an ex-nun searching for a friend in a seaside town in Kent. An OK start to a series which I probably won't follow. 

Audition by Kitamura, Katie

Yawn. I think I've read enough of Kitamura.

 

Nonfiction:

What I Saw in California by Bryant, Edwin (pub. 1849)

Culture & politics in California just prior to statehood.

 

The Last Stand of the Raven Clan: A Story of Imperial Ambition, Native Resistance and How the Tlingit-Russian War Shaped a Continent by Easter, Gerald and Vorhees, Mara.

 

Online:

Mesdames by Williams, Naomi J.

short story

The Woman Upstairs by Tan, Audrey

short story

Searching for Salvation at Antioch by Savage, Jodi
biographical essay

 April Gertler
 collage, drawing, photography, performance, and social practice

 A Conversation with April Gertler

 

Aaliyah Gupta
Painting, mixed media, installation

 

Retsina: A 2,000-Year Legacy of Greece’s People’s Wine by Kokkinidis, Tasos 

I do like Retsina--but only when accompanied by Greek food.

 

The Louis Shotridge Digital Archive

"The Louis Shotridge Digital Archive makes available, for the first time, 4,000 high resolution digital images of Louis Shotridge’s objects, papers, photographs, and sound recordings. The Penn Museum initiated this project in 2006, in response to the interest expressed by members of the Tlingit community who were striving to regain knowledge of their Tlingit history and heritage and to engage in conversations with the Penn Museum around the Shotridge collections." 

 

Sitka National Historical Park

K 'alyaan Totem Pole 

April 2025 - Second Week

 

Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889, 1888–early1890s, James Ensor, oil on canvas. The J. Paul Getty Museum.

 

I haven't browsed Getty Publications Virtual Library recently so I decided to stop by. I found a book about the painting featured above. It was a very informative read. It also had me Googling a lot, which is how I came upon the Balzac short story. I'll probably be reading more about Ensor and his contemporaries.

 

In fiction there was a nice romance (may read the other two in the series) and a couple of good family stories. I've read others by Huynh and liked them. Smith is new to me, I'll look for more by her.

 

Also in fiction, I had some more fun with the "last" thing. (See my February and March 2025 posts).  The one by Gonzalez was a Christmas gift from my daughter, purchased before I embarked on the "last" reading prompt. On my library trip on April 10th I picked up two more (Lazarides and Chokshi). I liked them all! I'm on a roll!

 

Fiction:

Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3) by Jimenez, Abby 

The Family Recipe Huynh, Carolyn

Fun for the Whole Family by Smith, Jennifer E.

Christ in Flanders a short story by Honoré de Balzac; translated from the French by Ellen Marriage. Dated 1831.

 

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Gonzalez, Xochitl 

I really liked this! 

Last Days in Plaka by Lazaridis, Henriette

Yes!
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Chokshi, Roshani 

Another good one.

Nonfiction:

James Ensor: Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889 by   Berman, Patricia G.

 

Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance by Dunthorne, Joe

Rather disorganized but I did learn something.

 

Tame Animals (Anonymous) No. 33 of Routledge's three-penny toy books 

 

A History of the Toy Book: The Aesthetic, Creative, and Technological Aspects of Victorian Popular Picture Books Through the Publications of the Firm of Routledge 1852-1893.
Tomoko. Masaki
University of Surrey
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Surrey (United Kingdom).
2000

April 2025 - First Week

So on the first day of April I did an annoying, non-reading, annual household management task. After completing it with a little less stress than usual I found that I wasn't in the mood to focus on any of the books on hand so I spent the afternoon and evening poking around online. 

I did manage to get a bit of organization to the online reading. I decided to explore the web sites of some of the authors I've recently read and enjoyed. I was hoping to find some links to some of their online writings--short stories, essays, blogs, etc.  I actually managed to stick to this plan and avoid wandering off on tangents until I came to the Wiley Cash site. I had to find some of Jaki Shelton Green's poetry, explore Walter Magazine, find more work by Mallory Cash....

 

...and so the surfing begins....I found some things about Green but then...got distracted by other things in the magazine....

 

I was going to look for more of this type of local magazine but....I decided to check on one of my regular online journal reads and found the Altadena stories... Then something drew my attention to Eid/Ramadan...

 

On the second day of April I read an OK book and was reminded of Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry, a favorite of mine. I found the film on YouTube (pirated?)  but resisted the temptation to watch it. Instead I decided to clear out some things that have been lingering on my "Currently Reading" list. Some of these really stretch the definition of "current" but I have been reading them in bits and pieces.

 

By the sixth day of April  I had rejected an ARC, read three library books, read a short story about a little man, finished a book of Forster short stories, read a bit of John Muir's  Our National Parks, and decided to concentrate on another ARC which I managed to finish. Then I started another ARC (Sacramento Noir). After reading two stories I got sidetracked because I wondered if the author of one of the stories (Naomi J .Williams) had anything available online....she does.... I also went to a library site to place a hold on her novel (Landfalls).

 

On the seventh day of April I finished the noir ARC and researched some more of its contributors. 

I realized that this entry was getting rather lengthy.  It's been a while since I've written this much on the blog! I decided to post the week and see what happens for the rest of the month.  

 

Here is what I read:

 

Fiction:

Drop Dead Sisters (The Finch Sisters, #1) by Coombs, Amelia Diane 

This was OK but not enough to make me care to read the next in the series. (Love the Tahoe area setting.)

Who killed Guy? and where's the body? 

 

Maigret's Secret (Inspector Maigret) by Simenon, Georges; translated from the French by Watson, David

I'd never read a Simenon book before. It was OK, I may  read another.

To Save the Man by Sayles, John 

A good subject - Native Americans forced into boarding school coupled with the Ghost 

dance movement - but something about this novel fell flat. I was a bit bored and felt like I was reading a dull textbook.

Lucky Night by Kennedy, Eliza 

A Goodreads giveaway that I couldn't stand to read. Abandoned after five attempts only got me to page 30.

 

The Colors of April: Fiction on the Vietnam War’s Legacy 50 Years Later edited by Ha, Quan Manh and Tran, Cab

This was an ARC via LibraryThing. Well worth reading. 

 

 Sacramento Noir  (Akashic Noir Series) edited by Freeman, John 

A good anthology.  I liked most of the stories. This was another ARC via LibraryThing.
Contents: Take as needed / Shelley Blanton-Stroud -- Sakura City / Naomi J. Williams -- A significant action / Maceo Montoya -- The fomer detective / Jamil Jan Kochai -- The Sacrament / Reyna Grande -- Ghost boy / Jen Soong -- Downriver, November 1949 / José Vadi -- The key in the Tignanello bag / Janet Rodriguez -- Intersections / John Freeman -- One thing about blue / Maureen O'Leary -- A reflection of the public / Willliam T. Vollmann -- A textbook example / Luis Avalos -- Painted ladies / Nora Rodriguez Camagna.

The Little Match Man by Luigi Barzini, Sr.; Illustrations by Hattie Longstreet; Translated from the Italian by S. F. Woodruff. The Penn Publishing Company, 1917

 The Eternal Moment and Other Stories by Forster, E.M. 

Contents: The Machine Stops, The Point of It, Mr. Andrews, Co-ordination, The Story of the Siren, The Eternal Moment

 

Nonfiction:

 

Our National Parks by by John Muir
" In this book, made up of sketches first published in the Atlantic Monthly, I have done the best I could to show forth the beauty, grandeur, and all-embracing usefulness of our wild mountain forest reservations and parks, with a view to inciting the people to come and enjoy them, and get them into their hearts, that so at length their preservation and right use might be made sure.

Martinez, California
September, 1901"

Online: 

 

 I Can’t Believe Readers Are Still Getting Upset Over F*cking Swearing By Amy Poeppel
"In Which Amy Poeppel Uses Some Very Bad Words"

 

 Leftovers A Story by Nickolas Butler

(requires free registration) 

Cook New England by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith

 

The Collectables by Julia Armfield

 

The Great Sister Birthday Bake-Off by Karen Dukess
"Is there a winner when all three Opera Cakes are a little off-key?"

 

Red Clay & Jewels by Wiley Cash; photography by Mallory Cash
A visit with Jaki Shelton Green, the ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina 

 

I Want to Undie You by Jaki Shelton Green

A reading by the poet available with or without musical background.

The River Speaks of Thirst by by Jaki Shelton Green
Selections from Green's debut album. Very nice, some selections feature musical interpretations by others.

Slant of Light: Poetic Vignettes
"As fall turned to winter, photographer Juli Leonard visited the
JC Raulston Arboretum. North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green
created poetic vignettes inspired by the images she captured."
from the November 1, 2020 issue of Walter Magazine. A search  for "Jaki Shelton Green" st Walter Magazine resulted in some more of her poetry and an interview. 

 

WALTER

The magazine (named for Sir Walter Raleigh) covers life in Raleigh, North Carolina including: food & drink, people, art & culture, Travel (not limited to NC), history, home & garden, events, and attractions. It's a really nice regional magazine with super photography. Past issues (from founding December 2012) are archived and searchable.  Fun to explore.

 “Altadena: Four Stories,”  by Myriam Gurba, Moriah Ulinskas, Carolyn Castaño, Merrill Feitell, Places Journal, March 2025. Accessed 01 Apr 2025

 

 ‘This Is the War Version’: How Gazans Are Observing Ramadan This Year by Laila El-Haddad
"alestinians in Gaza break their fast with wartime iterations of malfouf and sumagiyya and gather together amid the destruction."

 

Reconnecting With Eid Traditions in a New Home by Sumayya Usmani

"When I relocated from Pakistan to London, I knew Eid would be different and that was OK—until I realized the things that I missed, including the festive foods."

 

 Pandemic Story Problems by Williams, Naomi

 

I Hope Haruki Murakami Wins the Nobel Prize—and Will Be Thrilled When He Doesn’t by Williams, Naomi J. 

Boysenberry Girls by Nora Rodriguez Camagna 

Jen Soong Author's web site with links to her online writing (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction). Also has some of her art work (collage)

March 2025

Plenty of good reading this month. I continued a bit with books with "last" in the title. Two (not giving the titles here) went back to the library unread but four were read. The Jenoff was a sorry mess from a author I usually like. The Irving and the Cash were fine but not the best works from either of these authors, Tropper was new to me and I enjoyed it and may look for more. 

The rest of the fiction was good. In the nonfiction the Eden book was so-so, Baker was historically interesting, and McFadden was disturbing but good. As for the shoes, a random picture....

from: Ladies’ Dress Shoes of the Nineteenth Century

Fiction:

The Garden by Newman, Nick

The Fisherman's Gift by Kelly, Julia R

Killer Potential by Deitch, Hannah

The Covenant of Water by Verghese, Abraham

Wild Dark Shore by McConaghy, Charlotte 

33 Place Brugmann by Austen, Alice

Private Rites by Armfield, Julia

Idle Grounds by Bamford, Krystlle

The Sweet Spot by Poeppel, Amy

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Khan, Shubnum
Forty Year Kiss by Butler, Nickolas
Mutual Interest by Wofgang-Smith, Olivia
Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories by Peters, Amanda

The Night Ship by Kidd, Jess 

The Story She Left Behind by Henry, Patti Callahan,

 

The Last Ballad by Cash, Wiley

Last Night in Twisted River by Irving, John

One Last Thing Before I Go by Tropper, Jonathan  

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Jenoff, Pam

 

Poetry/Verse:

Porridge poetry : Cooked up, ornamented and served up by Hugh Lofting 

 

Nonfiction:

Firstborn Girls: A Memoir by McFadden, Bernice L.

Fearless and Free: A Memoir by Baker, Josephine. Contributors: Zafar, Anam, translator; Lewis, Sophie, translator; Oluo, Ijeoma, author of introduction, etc.; Sauvage, Marcel, author of introduction, etc.; Bouillon-Baker, Jean-Claude, author of afterword, colophon, etc.

Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels by Eden, Caroline

Her travels include Central Asia, Turkey, Ukraine, the South Caucasus, Russia, the Baltics, and Poland. Her home kitchen is in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Ladies' dress shoes of the nineteenth century (With Sixty-three Illustrations) by T. Watson Greig

Online:

​The Kindness of Strangers by D'Stair, Sarah

 

February 2025

from: The Story of Miss Moppet

 

 

 

I didn't plan it but somehow I ended up reading a bunch (six) books with titles starting with "The Last..." or, in one case, "Last..." plus "Mr. Flood's last...." Most of them were pretty good so I purposely picked up another one to read next month--John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River.  I also  have The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash to read next month. Will this become a thing?

 

None of the "last" books were the best books I read (though most got 3 stars). The first four book listed below were my best (4 star) fiction reads. All four of the nonfiction were worthwhile reads. Looking forward to Josephine Baker's memoir next month. 

Fiction:

Good Dirt by Wilkerson, Charmaine

Time of the Child by Williams, Niall

Isola by Goodman, Allegra

Homeseeking by Chen, Karissa

 

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Turton, Stuart  

The Last Bookstore on Earth by Braun-Arnold, Lily 

Last Twilight in Paris by Jenoff, Pam

The Last Book Party by Dukess, Karen  

The Last Train to Key West (The Perez Family, #3) by Cleeton, Chanel

Nothing in the book indicates that this part of a series. It definitely stands alone.  

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Fox, Hester

Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Kidd, Jess 

Not my cuppa...but parts were very good so I'll try more from this author

 

The Music Shop by Joyce, Rachel

About listeners

Musical Chairs by Poeppel, Amy

About music makers 

Loving Donovan by McFadden, Bernice L.

Three Days in June by Tyler, Anne

The Story of Miss Moppet by Potter, Beatrix

 

Nonfiction:

Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021 by Merkel, Angela with contributor author Baumann, Beate, author. translated from the German by Tetley-Paul, Alice; Searle, Jamie Lee; Heinrich, Jo; Jones, Lucy Renner; Martin, Ruth; Howe, Sharon; Whiteside, Shaun; and Pare, Simon.

Code Noir: Afro-Caribbean Stories and Recipes by Lewis, Lelani

Gorgeous photos, helpful info about ingredients, and loads of recipes I'll probably never try but might order in a restaurant now that I know what they are.

Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Perry, Imani

In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space by Weathersby Jr., Irvin

Not what I expected but well worth the read. This is a very personal (almost a memoir) look at monuments and art in public spaces.

 

Online:

In Each, Every Direction by Martin Piñol

The Last Straw by Vámos, Miklos; translated from the Hungarian by Bori, Ági 

 

January 2025

 

 

A good reading month with lots of variety. Also some nice cover art so I chose three that I thought were especially relevant to the book content.

Fiction:

Going Home by Lamont, Tom

Young orphan boy is unexpectedly put in the care of a single thirty year old man.

All That Is Solid Melts Into Air by McKeon, Darragh 

Chernobyl 

Glassworks by Wolfgang-Smith, Olivia

Apartment Women by Gu, Byeong-mo; translated from the Korean by Kim, Chi-Young

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Mayne, Kerryn
The Estate by Jost, Sarah

Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Ford, Olivia 

Baking competition

Beyond Summerland by Lecoat, Jenny  

Jersey immediately post WW2. Some dark themes of collaboration, black marketing, and other crimes.

The Narrowboat Summer by Youngson, Anne

 

The Bishop’s Villa by Naspini, Sacha; translated from the Italian by Botsford, Clarissa

Italy, WW2

Rosarita by Desai, Anita 

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Fagan, Kate
The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Burges, Audrey   

I See You Everywhere by Glass, Julia   

The Humble Lover by White, Edmund

 

The House with Twelve Rooms: stories by Christova, Stefani

Bulgaria

Contents:  Mrs. Ripley's Exit -- She Believes Me...She Believes Me Not... -- The Coffin with the Eleven-Year-Old Myself -- Richard and Julia -- Suzie Wants to Know the Truth -- Anna's Hair -- Paraskeva's Ghost -- The House With Twelve Rooms.

 

Nonfiction: 

Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape by Jonnes, Jill
Sisters in Science by Campbell, Olivia
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Bremzen, Anya von

 Online: 
Pickled by Sebauer, Johanna translated from the German by Banks, Lillian M. and Sayne, Aaron