Tag: Hobbies

Books · Hobbies

Reading just for fun

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Since Easter in early April this year, I’ve been reading for fun. Here are a couple of books I finished and why you should read them:

When in Rome

The first one I picked up was a gift from my sister-in-law for Christmas. Boy, does she *get* me. This charming rom-com, “When in Rome” by Sarah Adams, featured a stressed-out pop singer (think Taylor Swift) who was hooked on Audrey Hepburn movies, especially Roman Holiday. When Audrey’s character had too much to cope with, she escaped to Rome, Italy. When the lead character in the book, singer Rae Rose took off for the nearest Rome she could find to her home in Nashville – Rome, Georgia. Of course, there she meets the charming and handsome single man, unlucky in love, who is carrying on tradition by running the family pie shop. You can guess it all from there – it’s a delightful combination of Roman Holiday and every Hallmark movie. Plus Rae’s witchy manager who makes her life a torment!

The Guest List

Next up was another gift from my sister-in-law, and again, she did not disappoint. “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley was a Reese’s Book Club pick as well as a New York Times bestseller. This mystery keeps you guessing until the last chapter – the person you think will be killed isn’t. And the person you think did it, didn’t. Set on an island off the coast of Ireland, the scene is a celebrity destination wedding. The bridesmaid, the plus-one, the best man, and the wedding planner all have secrets. And the bride and groom both have character flaws that are slowly revealed through the story. This is a fascinating thriller in the style of Agatha Christie.

Sex and Vanity: A Novel

Lastly, I read a book that wasn’t nearly as trashy as the title makes it sound: “Sex and Vanity: A Novel” by Kevin Kwan, the author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. This one starts with a wedding also – but this time on the fashionable island of Capri. Half the fun is the description of the lavish, over-the-top, week-long wedding celebration of a high-society couple. All the parties, bridal shower, special concert and pre-wedding activities are lovingly detailed, as well as the wedding itself. Kwan grew up in the rich Singaporean society he wrote about in his Crazy Rich series, so he speaks from authority when he addresses the clothes, hobbies, and preoccupations of the one percent. One amusing aspect: when each character is introduced in the narrative, Kwan gives the person’s educational background, starting with exclusive primary school and private secondary school, then on to top league college and grad school. It’s a fluffy look at how the creme de la creme live, play, and spend the money. And of course, there’s a happy ending. It’s like indulging in a delightful chocolate bon bon!

Whatcha Reading Wednesday
Books

Whatcha Reading Wednesday

AuntGemLeave a comment

It’s WWW Wednesday again! This round-up is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Today I answer the three questions:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you just finish reading?
  • What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

Thanks to the gift of a TV, I’ve spent my time watching Amazon Prime videos instead of reading. So I’m still making my way through the books I picked out for Lent: Revelation for Everyone by N.T. Wright and What if it’s True: A Storyteller’s Journey with Jesus by Charlie Martin. The first is a good verse by verse guide to the most mysterious book of the Bible. The second is a good look at one man’s experiences with faith. I’m reading this one because the title struck me so hard in the bookstore* and I’m thinking I’ll give this one to a friend I know after I’m done. (*Yes, an actual bookstore. I still go to those!)

What did you recently finish reading?

Love, love, love Dame Agatha Christie

These two books from Agatha Christie are a cherished pleasure. I had a lot of stress this past month, and a good Christie is something that takes away that stress. Both of these are slightly different: there’s no Hercule Poirot, for one (how I love that funny Belgian detective) or Miss Marple (equally beloved.) Instead, Christie uses the thoughts of the different dramatis personae to tell the story of Sparkling Cyanide. The protagonist of Passenger to Frankfurt, one of Christie’s last works, is the hero and the tale is told focusing on him.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I’ve gotta be real with myself: I’m not going to get around to Dante’s Purgatory. As Twain said, a classic is a book everyone wants to have read but hasn’t.

Whatcha Reading Wednesday
Books

Whatcha Reading Wednesday

AuntGemLeave a comment

It’s WWW Wednesday again! This round-up is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Today I answer the three questions:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you just finish reading?
  • What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

During the last few weeks of Lent I’m adding in more religious reading. Below are two of the books I’ve been reading through right now: Revelation for Everyone by N.T. Wright and What if it’s True: A Storyteller’s Journey with Jesus by Charlie Martin. The first is a good verse by verse guide to the most mysterious book of the Bible. The second is a good look at one man’s experiences with faith. I’m reading this one because the title struck me so hard in the bookstore* and I’m thinking I’ll give this one to a friend I know after I’m done. (*Yes, an actual bookstore. I still go to those!)

What did you recently finish reading?

I’ve loved each book I read in the Liturgical Mystery series. Organist/choir director Hayden Konig gets to investigate a crime – when he’s not trying to write hard-boiled detective fiction in the manner of Raymond Chandler. Oh, and he’s also the town’s chief of police. It all works out with a cast of characters every bit as lovable and eccentric as those in Mitford. It’s a cosy read, just perfect for relaxing with after a long day at work. This one was perfect for the lead-up to St. Patrick’s and during Lent – because the characters are going through the same season.

More Cosy Reads

I’ve also wanted to “escape” more – and these two old favorites from Agatha Christie certainly fit the bill for that. I can’t believe publishers are changing her words in the name of sensitivity. I don’t think anyone should tamper with her words.

What do you think you’ll read next?

At this rate – who knows if I’ll get around to reading Dante’s Purgatory. Prediction: 20% probability.

Whatcha Reading Wednesday
Books

Whatcha Reading Wednesday

AuntGemLeave a comment

It’s WWW Wednesday again! This round-up is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Today I answer the three questions:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you just finish reading?
  • What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

I adore these “liturgical mysteries.” They’re not about the dogmas or doctrines of the church; they’re about all the crazy characters in a small N.C. mountain town. Everyone from a small-town police chief/choir director who dreams of being the next Raymond Chandler, to the belly-dancing waitress/town mayor. It’s a hoot. This one is perfect for the lead-up to St. Patrick’s and during Lent – because the characters are going through the same season.

What did you recently finish reading?

I’ve loved each book I read in the Liturgical Mystery series. “The Organist Wore Pumps” is the eighth time organist/choir director Hayden Konig gets to investigate a crime – when he’s not trying to write hard-boiled detective fiction in the manner of Raymond Chandler. Oh, and he’s also the town’s chief of police. It all works out with a cast of characters every bit as lovable and eccentric as those in Mitford. It’s a cosy read, just perfect for relaxing with after a long day at work.

This wonderful book has caused me to rethink the way I eat. I posted a full review earlier this week.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I am trying to get to around to reading Dante’s Purgatory. But I’ve just not been ready to put aside my cosy mysteries. Perhaps next week!

It’s WWW Wednesday
Books

It’s WWW Wednesday

AuntGemLeave a comment

It’s WWW Wednesday again! This round-up is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Here are my answers to the three “W’s”.

What are you currently reading?

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the first seven books in the Liturgical Mystery series, and now I’m happy to finally get back to it. “The Organist Wore Pumps” is the eighth time organist/choir director Hayden Konig gets to investigate a crime – when he’s not trying to write hard-boiled detective fiction in the manner of Raymond Chandler. Oh, and he’s also the town’s chief of police. It all works out with a cast of characters every bit as lovable and eccentric as those in Mitford.

What did you recently finish reading?

I said that Kira Davis could exhort anyone, challenge anyone and convince anyone to take up arms in defense of ideas. Her book “Drawing Lines: Why Conservatives Must Begin to Battle Fiercely in the Arena of Ideas” proved me right. Check out my full review of her book.

The Gentleman Farmers read like a cosy, but without a murder! So I suppose it wasn’t a real cozy after all. The heroine, Maggie Kingsbury, is the narrator of the tale. Actually, the book is presented as her diary or journal – she’s continually saying she’ll burn the manuscript after she says something embarrassing about a family member. The novel begins in the “Old World” – upstate New York of recent years, beset by falling home prices, rising crime, and worsening quality of life. Maggie recounts how she’s spent her life in her hometown, which is turning into a slum. After being mugged, Maggie’s sister Molly and her husband, Maggie’s friend Kevin, set off for the “New World” – a gentleman’s farm outside Asheville, N.C. The second half of the book focuses on how the three, with Molly and Kevin’s children, set up on their 10-acre “family compound” with hens, sheep, and goats. Everything that can go wrong does – and then, Maggie is accused of being a Nazi, because she defends a monument of Robert E. Lee. How the sisters and Kevin become true “Gentlemen Farmers” will captivate and charm you.

Robert Velarde imagined an ill man, lying in a hospital bed, suddenly seeing and having conversations with C.S. Lewis. The story borrows elements from Dicken’s Christmas Carol, as Lewis serves the protagonist as his Spirit of the Past. Lewis takes Clerk through scenes from his life, into scenes from his imagination – Narnia, Purgatory, and even Hell. All throughout he talks with Clerk, an atheist, and presents to Clerk his beliefs in the Christian faith. A beautiful work of apologetics – one any Christian could lend or give to an atheist or agnostic friend.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Long ago I read Dante’s Inferno. Then I put started Purgatory and put it down at the seventh canto. I figured Lent is a good time to finish it.

It’s WWW Wednesday
Books

It’s WWW Wednesday

AuntGemLeave a comment

It’s WWW Wednesday again! This round-up is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Here are my answers to the three “W’s”.

What are you currently reading?

Today I got a new book in the mail, written by one of my favorite people – Kira Davis. Her book “Drawing Lines: Why Conservatives Must Begin to Battle Fiercely in the Arena of Ideas” looks like a wonderful discussion on the current moment. From the inside cover: “Kira Davis has built a brand on reaching out to the other side, on giving people space to be wrong, the space to discuss, the space to tolerate. She sincerely believes there are many reasonable people in America from all ideologies who are still willing to talk with ech other, people who are quite happy to live and let live. Unfortunately, none of those people are controlling the conversation right now.”

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished tonight “Dipped, Stripped & Dead,” by Elise Hyatt (a pen name for Sarah A. Hoyt.) It’s the first in a series featuring Dyce Dare, a clumsy young girl who though she wanted to be a ballerina, ended up refinishing furniture and dumpster diving to supply her business. Then she stumbled over a dead body…. This is the perfect light-hearted read, an entertaining yarn which takes you away from the craziness of today. Dyce is both independent entrepreneur and slightly ditzy dame, who doesn’t want to realize the gorgeous cop is in love with her, and also keeps mum about the antique coffee table she found next to the body. See, she’s got to raise her young son, and find a way to make more money from refinishing furniture to keep them in something other than pancakes.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I know I said after Dipped, Stripped, and Dead I’d read this book, a mystery with some political overtones, set in a farming community: The Gentleman Farmers. But it’s going to have to wait until I can finish Kira’s book.

It’s WWW Wednesday
Books

It’s WWW Wednesday

AuntGemLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. As a book lover I’m glad to take part. Here are my answers to the three “W’s”.

What are you currently reading?

I am just starting “Dipped, Stripped & Dead,” by Elise Hyatt (a pen name for Sarah A. Hoyt.) It’s the first in a series featuring Dyce Dare, a clumsy young girl who though she wanted to be a ballerina, ended up refinishing furniture and dumpster diving to supply her business. Then she stumbled over a dead body….

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished “Beyond Tears: A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Son in Nazi Germany” by Irmgard Litten. This book is heartbreaking – the story of how one man incurred the everlasting enmity of Adolf Hitler by issuing a subpoena to him in 1931, and cross-examining hm on the witness stand in a trial of several SA thugs. Hitler never forgave Hans Litten, and when he came to power, threw him into a succession of concentration camps in 1933. I published my review earlier this week.

What do you think you’ll read next?

After Dipped, Stripped, and Dead I think I’ll be ready to tackle something serious again. But I probably won’t – I’ve been reading so many serious books! I think my next book will be a mystery with some political overtones, set in a farming community. I think I’ll read The Gentleman Farmers.

My first WWW Wednesday
Books

My first WWW Wednesday

AuntGemLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. As a book lover I’m glad to take part. Here are my answers to the three “W’s”.

What are you currently reading?

I am LOVING my current book, “The Hounds and the Fury” by Rita Mae Brown. It’s a murder whodunit set among the people, hounds, horses and foxes of a Virginia hunt club. I adore how the author brings every aspect of fox hunting to life – it’s entering a different world. And as I’ve seen in other Rita Mae Brown books – the animals speak to each other, often more intelligently than the humans.

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished the memoir “In the Valley of Achor” by Patricia Gaddis Brandon. This book made me appreciate how much I take my health for granted. Patricia lost the use of her legs overnight – one day an active person; the next, she couldn’t walk. The way she approached this incredible challenge and overcame this is a triumph. I wrote a review of the book recently on the blog.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I think I’m going to go with “Beyond Tears: A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Son in Nazi Germany” by Irmgard Litten. It’s been on my “Want to Read” list for some time in Goodreads, and when I finally bought the Kindle version that just moved it up to the Currently Reading shelf. I need to get on this – an entirely different book from what I have been reading.

Seed delivery means garden daydreams
Gardening · Hobbies

Seed delivery means garden daydreams

AuntGem1 Comment

Note to my new followers: If you’ve followed for Keto posts recently, don’t worry, more are on the way! But my blog also focuses on the books I’m reading, what I’m writing (coming soon!), and my rough attempts at gardening. Today is a gardening post; so if you’re here for the Keto, just check out the Keto category linked under Cooking on top menu.

Excited to think about spring planting

My first set of seeds is here! This year I’ll be starting several veggies from seed in the biodome under the grow lamp. This year I’m trying tomatoes from seeds. I’ll probably end up buying some tomato plants to put in as well – I’m not too confident in my capabilities of starting seeds. But hope springs eternal: I’m also trying basil and jalapenos from seeds, both of which I grew from small plants last year. This Thursday, if the USPS is correct, my flower seeds will be here: marigold, zinnias, black-eyed Susan vines and morning glory. My new vegetable picks for the 2023 season are cucumbers and bush beans. I can’t wait to watch those climb trellises or poles.

…leafing through the Parks catalog, looking for more garden tools to buy is one of the best parts about being a gardener in the winter.

Which reminds me – I need to buy a new trellis. Scrolling through the garden website or leafing through the Parks catalog, looking for garden tools to buy is one of the best parts about being a gardener in the winter. I’m sipping hot chocolate, watching drenched squirrels dashing around the backyard as the wintry rain splashes the den windows, wrapped in my Snuggie and toasty warm. Catalogs lay on my lap and the website is pulled up on my iPhone. My dog is lying on the rug in front of me, content to snooze. It’s not a bad way to spend an afternoon or evening. I’m mentally planning the rows of plants I’ll put in my current raised beds, and trying to decide if I should add one, two or three more.

It will be fun seeing if I can coax life from these seeds… wish me luck!
“The Magician’s Nephew”
Books

“The Magician’s Nephew”

AuntGem1 Comment

Revisiting a beloved book

When my book club chose “The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis for our next book, I was unsure. How were we adults supposed to enjoy this book, and stretch discussion out over several weeks? Isn’t the book for children?

It may have been written for children, but the book has so much to offer on second reading as an adult. Our first meeting (which I had to miss due to a cold) was devoted to talking about just chapters 1 and 2. In them we meet the children at the heart of the story: Polly and Digory, and Digory’s wretched Uncle Andrew, who entices them into a magical land far away. In those first two chapters Lewis builds out the characters of each child, and Uncle Andrew with careful descriptions. The children are written as children, who after meeting each other find an empty attic to explore, with a long corridor over their attached rowhouses. Lewis writes their daring and egging each other on to explore as anyone who remembers their tweens would:

“Shall we go and try it now?” said Digory.

“All right,” said Polly.

“Don’t if you’d rather not,” said Digory.

“I’m game if you are.” said she.

Uncle Andrew thinks so highly of himself he tells Digory:

“Men like me, who possess hidden wisdom, are freed from common rules just as we are cut off from common pleasures. Ours, my boy, is a high and lonely destiny.”

…while Diggory shows his native 12-year-old smarts as he “saw through Uncle Andrew’s grand words:”

“All it means, he said to himself, is that he thinks he can do anything he likes to get anything he wants.”

Lewis closes each chapter with a cliffhanger designed to keep even his youngest reader following the story. At the end of Chapter One Polly vanishes; at end of Chapter Two, Diggory follows. And the pattern continues; at the end of one, Lewis ends with the characters thinking the trouble was over, “but they had never been more mistaken in their lives.” The depictions of the different worlds are so rich that it was easy for illustrator Pauline Baynes to create the beautiful artwork in the book (2001 HarperCollins edition.) The descriptions are not only visual; you can almost hear the songs that created Narnia as you read the chapter “The Founding of Narnia.” And to find what becomes of Uncle Andrew – that is a delight!

Aslan with Lucy and Susan from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, illustrated by Pauline Baynes

If I had one quibble with this book it is the description of Aslan. The description isn’t as rich, or full, as the careful description that Lewis gives Aslan in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” It makes sense that Lewis would describe Aslan more fully in the that book – since it was the first time he’d written about Aslan. To me, that is an indicator that the reader should start with “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” then read all the other books in the publication order. No matter that Lewis himself said that he preferred the chronological order, which makes this Book 1 in the series. I’ll always prefer the introduction to this wonderful world in that first published book.