I wasn't planning on listing my non-reading, used to be routine, activities but getting my hair professionally cut for the first time in sixteen months was a really Big Deal! I cut it myself three times (with in between trims on the bangs) during quarantine: the first time I did a really good job but who could see it? the second time was so-so but it looked OK for a medical visit; the third time was a real mess and by the time I was fully vaccinated it looked terrible!
Another biggie! I resumed my water exercise class. Ahh, did it feel good to be back in the pool!
As for the reading...some surprises, a couple of disappointments, but mostly good reading.
Fiction:
Abide with Me by Strout, Elizabeth
Always reliable Ms Strout
Always reliable Ms Strout
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Zapata, Michael
I loved this!
Summer : a novel by Wharton, Edith
One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"
Unusual Wharton - it's not about the gilded privileged set.
Checkmate to Murder: A Second World War Mystery by Lorac, E.C.R.
So enjoyable to read the classic mysteries from the British Library/Poisoned Pen Press. Ah the world without smartphones!
So enjoyable to read the classic mysteries from the British Library/Poisoned Pen Press. Ah the world without smartphones!
Maids by Skelly, Katie
A graphic interpretation of a real crime (murder) that took place in France in 1933. Grisly but good.
They Were Found Wanting - They Were Divided (The Writing on the Wall: The Transylvania Trilogy #2-3) by Bánffy, Miklós; translated from the Hungarian by Thursfield, Patrick and Bánffy-Jelen, Kathy
The Trilogy has been on my to-read list for ages, I'm glad I finally got to it.
Turbulence by Szalay, David
Linked short stories. One of my favorite reads this month.
A Passage North by Arudpragasam, Anuk
I really liked the author's The Story of a Brief Marriage so I was looking forward to this. I received an electronic review copy from the publisher and it was a real struggle to read in that formatI think I need to get a print copy and read it again.
I really liked the author's The Story of a Brief Marriage so I was looking forward to this. I received an electronic review copy from the publisher and it was a real struggle to read in that formatI think I need to get a print copy and read it again.
The Charmed Wife by Grushin, Olga
I enjoyed this modern day look at the aftermath of the Cinderella story, but I liked Grushin's Forty Rooms more.
Migrations by McConaghy, Charlotte
An Irish/Australian woman breaks her parole to follow the migration of arctic terns from Greenland to Antarctica.
How Beautiful We Were by Mbue, Imbolo
An African village vs American Oil interests. This one fell flat for me.
Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Penzler, Otto
Seventeen short mystery stories, each by a different author, set in and around Penzler's Manhattan bookshop. A fun "summer" read.
Authors: Charles Ardai, Lisa Atkinson, George Baxt, Lawrence Block, Mary Higgins Clark, Thomas H. Cook, Ron Goulart, Jeremiah Healy, Edward D. Hoch, Rupert Holmes, Andrew Klavan, Michael Malone, Ed McBain, Anne Perry, S. J. Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, Donald E. Westlake.
Juvenile fiction:
A Tale of the Summer Holidays by Mockler, Geraldine
One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"
I was surprised. This was written in the 1890s. I expected tame and sedate. I got a contest the resembled the grass-bomb wars we had defending our "forts" in 1940s rural California. Good fun.
Poetry:
Mortal Summer by Van Doren, Mark
One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"
What a mishmash! Greek deities and Christian archangels journey to America and mess with rural (hillbilly?) society. Why? Not Van Doren's best effort. It made little sense.
Nonfiction:
Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way by Gaines, Caseen
Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way by Gaines, Caseen
A learning experience.
The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History by Givhan, Robin
High fashion never made much sense to me. Still doesn't.
Letters to Camondo by Waal, Edmund de
Well worth the read..
Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America’s Most Exclusive Shoreline by Kahrl, Andrew W.
Some Connecticut history. Wish it had been better organized because it's an important story.
Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook by Lipe, Mi Ae
Great book but its 4.1 pound weight overwhelmed me even more then the overabundance of collards, chard, lettuce & other greens in our very own CSA box!
My Summer in a Garden, and Calvin: A Study of Character by Warner, Charles Dudley
One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"
Warner was a neighbor of Stowe and Twain in the Nook Farm area of Hartford. Similar writing style to Twain. Fun to read. Gardening is not easy in these parts which is why I don't do it.
Online:
Six Degrees of Wikipedia: Find the shortest path between any two Wikipedia pages
Several short pieces at New World Writing (published on June 11):
Mary Grimm ~ Her Sketchbook, Found Among Her Things
Maria Robinson ~ The Requirement
Mike Itaya ~ Rasthole Flats
Laurie Blauner ~ Four Pieces
Daniel Adler ~ The Lion Tamer
Maria Robinson ~ The Requirement
Mike Itaya ~ Rasthole Flats
Laurie Blauner ~ Four Pieces
Daniel Adler ~ The Lion Tamer
The Filing Cabinet by Craig Robertson "The filing cabinet was critical to the information infrastructure of the 20th-century. Like most infrastructure, it was usually overlooked."
20 Best Zucchini Recipes We signed up for a CSA subscription and expect the zucchini will soon be filling the box. I do know lots of zucchini dishes but more is more. In addition to the recipes, this site has tips for handling (including freezing) the squash.
