Books I read in June and July.........

 The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer

MARSEILLE, 1940. Varian Fry, a Harvard-educated journalist and editor, arrives in France. Recognizing the darkness descending over Europe, he and a group of like-minded New Yorkers formed the Emergency Rescue Committee, helping artists and writers escape from the Nazis and immigrate to the United States. 

Amid the chaos of World War II, and in defiance of restrictive U.S. immigration policies, Fry must procure false passports, secure visas, seek out escape routes through the Pyrenees and by sea, and make impossible decisions about who should be saved, all while under profound pressure—and in a state of irrevocable personal change.

In this dazzling work of historical fiction—one that illuminates previously unexplored elements of Fry’s story, and has, since its publication, brought us new insight into his life.

Super good book and very interesting...............

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.
As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.
A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.
Really good, with a surprising twist at the end.
Sandpiper Island by Donna Kaufmann

Ford Maddox was running from his past when he came back to Blueberry Cove, Maine, where he'd tasted both heartache and comfort. With feisty Delia O'Reilly there to cheer him on, he couldn't have picked a better place to start over--even if he's determined to do it alone in his island tree house, working to save endangered seabirds. . .and himself.  But when he finds Delia fighting to hold on to her local diner, and all that's best about their little seaside town, Ford has to lend a hand. Suddenly two fiercely independent people are building something sweeter than they ever imagined. . .together.

DIY is so much better with two. . .

I did not enjoy this book, it was just an okay read for me.

Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille, Alex Demille

Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor have been separated for five months following their last assignment, a dangerous mission in Venezuela to locate and detain an infamous Army deserter. Now, in Berlin, they are reunited and tasked with investigating the murder of one of their own: CID Special Agent Harry Vance of the 5th MP Battalion, an accomplished counterterrorism agent who had been stationed in western Germany, and whose body was discovered in a city park in the heart of Berlin’s Arab refugee community.

The authorities suspect this is an act of Islamic terrorism, but Brodie and Taylor soon believe there is more to this case. The reason for Vance’s presence in Berlin is unknown, and as Brodie and Taylor work to discover what the murder victim was doing in the days and weeks preceding his death, they become immersed in the many conflicts and contradictions of modern Germany—the Arab refugee crisis, the dark legacy of the Cold War and the Stasi secret police, and the imminent threats of a rising neo-Nazi movement. At the same time, they are butting heads with the authorities—both German and American—and facing a possible threat from American intelligence agents who fear that Brodie and Taylor might have learned too much about US clandestine operations during their mission in Venezuela.

Ultimately, Brodie and Taylor realize that the murder of Harry Vance was merely the prelude to a much more sinister future event—unless they can unravel the mystery in time to stop it.

This had me on the edge of my seat, especially closer to the end.  Really good book, never read anything by this author before.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war.
The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France—a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

My mother brought three books over by Kristin Hannah with her when she visited.  She left me this one to read and it was so good.  I was in tears in parts of this.  Very moving.

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then a deployment sends Jolene deep into harm's way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider, she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own—for everything that matters to his family.

Another book my mother left me to read.  Again such a lovely sad book, again had me in tears.

Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes

Take a grand English country house, one (heartbroken) American divorcee, three rich wives, two tycoons, a pair of miniature sausage dogs and one (bereaved) butler; put them all into the blender and out comes the impossibly funny romantic comedy Wives Like Us, the new novel from the best-selling author of Bergdorf Blondes and Party Girls Die In Pearls, Plum Sykes.

If you think the English countryside is all green wellies, muddy Land Rovers and grey-haired ladies in tweed, then you’ve never visited ‘The Bottoms.’

Welcome to the rose-strewn county of Oxfordshire, and the tony Cotswold villages of Little Bottom, Middle Bottom, Great Bottom, and Monkton Bottom, recently annexed by a glittering new breed of female in this witty social satire: the Country Princess. 

Following a ghastly row about a missing suite of diamonds, Tata Hawkins has flounced out of Monkton Bottom Manor with her daughter, Minty, and Executive Butler Ian Palmer in tow, decamping to The Old Coach House to teach her husband Bryan a lesson.

But things don’t go to plan: Bryan disappears to Venice with a bikini designer; Selby Fairfax, the glamorous American divorcée who has inherited the beautiful estate next door, is refusing Tata’s overtures at friendship; Tata’s best friends, Sophie Thompson and Fernanda Ovington-Williams, are distracted by their own heartache, and the posh Pennybacker-Hoare sisters are plotting to prevent Tata regaining her crown as Queen of the Bottoms. Worst of all, in a classic case of rich people problems, Ian has nowhere to store his collection of vintage Gucci loafers.

Will Tata ever return to the comforts of the Manor? Will Selby find her Prince Charming? Will the Pennybacker-Hoares prevail? With the help of a pig farmer-ess moonlighting as a Personal Assistant, a male model moonlighting as a stable hand and a London barrister moonlighting as a gentleman farmer, can Ian restore harmony to The Bottoms?

Loved, loved this book.  Made me laugh so much.  Read it super fast.  You can't help but roll your eyes at some of the antics.

Dream Harbor Box Set by Laurie Gilmore

I bought this boxed set during a Prime Amazon day, so got them cheap.  I had been wanting to read these books for a while.  I did enjoy them, but they were pretty easy to predict storylines, nothing taxing on the brain.  

Spy by Ted Bell

When a mysterious explosion destroys his research vessel in the middle of the Amazon, Alex Hawke is captured by Indigenous cannibals. Before he manages to escape, he learns that a fearsome foe is preparing for war—but against whom?
When he regains contact with his American and British intelligence counterparts, Alex’s worst fears are confirmed. In the jungle are highly trained Hezbollah warriors who are planning an unspeakably violent jihad against America. While the United States focuses its efforts on the escalating border disputes with Mexico, Alex vows to put a stop to the deadly plot—no matter the cost.

This is a sitting on the edge of your seat good.  I will say though, I thought the ending was wrapped up too quickly and neatly for me.

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

Abducted as an 11-year-old child from her village in West Africa and forced to walk for months to the sea in a coffle—a string of slaves— Aminata Diallo is sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. But years later, she forges her way to freedom, serving the British in the Revolutionary War and registering her name in the historic “Book of Negroes.” This book, an actual document, provides a short but immensely revealing record of freed Loyalist slaves who requested permission to leave the US for resettlement in Nova Scotia, only to find that the haven they sought was steeped in an oppression all of its own.

Aminata’s eventual return to Sierra Leone—passing ships carrying thousands of slaves bound for America—is an engrossing account of an obscure but important chapter in history that saw 1,200 former slaves embark on a harrowing back-to-Africa odyssey. Lawrence Hill is a master at transforming the neglected corners of history into brilliant imaginings, as engaging and revealing as only the best historical fiction can be. A sweeping story that transports the reader from a tribal African village to a plantation in the southern United States, from the teeming Halifax docks to the manor houses of London, The Book of Negroes introduces one of the strongest female characters in recent Canadian fiction, one who cuts a swath through a world hostile to her colour and her sex.

This was so good I could not put it down.  Well worth the read.

So a lot of different books read by me over June and July.  I hope you find some that you may want to read at some point.

Two weeks since my last post......

 I know what on earth is going on with me!!

Well I am sick, AGAIN.  Not sure which small grandchild gave it too me this time, but I have narrowed it down to the two boys who live down the road!!!  One is coughing up a storm and one has a green snotty nose.....SIGH!

Then I was back at the dentist just over a week ago, as the tooth I had filled back in September was giving me so much pain whenever anything hot or cold touched it.  So she refilled it with a medicated temporary filling and I have to go back in January to see if it has settled down.

Now as I write this, it has settled down, BUT, for how long who knows.  What I do know if it flares up again it's being pulled, so I will have no back molars, either top or bottom on my left hand side.

I have been busy setting up the house for Christmas.  I am hosting a get together on December 2nd, so needed to get things ready a little earlier than normal.

When I went to put up the tree, only 2 strings of lights were working:

Now I will say that tree owed us nothing.  We had swapped out our old tree with son and his wife for their smaller tree five years ago.  So it was a few years old.

So we ended up going to Canadian Tire and getting this tree:

It's this tree from Canadian Tire.  Now it is 7 feet tall which is a bit big, but it is quite narrow in width which I like, as it has to go into a small space.  I was not happy paying $300, so it had better last us the rest of our days!!

I have gone with a red and gold theme this year.

I have just posted some more book reviews, as I have been busy reading as had no energy to do most things.  It took me a couple of days to sort out the Christmas tree and hubby assembled it for me......that is so unlike me.

Anyhow, I am going to sit down after lunch and prep some more posts, so you should be hearing more from me, fingers, toes and everything crossed.

Answering some questions..........

 from this past week.

Both Linda and JJ, asked if there was a link to the auction site.  It does have a site, BUT they do not ship, you have to pick up: King of the North Auction (kotnauction.com)

Cheryl, mentioned the price of the chicken in Costco was only $5 USD, which is more or less around the same price as $7.99 CDN with the exchange.

Re: the dentist.  I am so sorry other people have had to go through the same as I have.  My mouth is feeling a lot better so that's good.  BUT, hubby has now been back and forward on another issue with his denture plate.  He has had to get a tooth replaced on his denture as it had a hole in it????  I have never heard of that happening before?  Have you?

We are still waiting to hear back regarding the pension.  No idea how long that will take?

I have read and posted a review here of the book, "Room, by Emma Donoghue.

This week seems to have flown by again.  Is it me, but the older you get the faster the days fly by?  

Trying a new recipe tonight for dessert.  Got this book from the Auction Site:

It's such a lovely looking book.  I have a number of recipes tagged that I would like to try.  If I were one of those people who had to have "coffee table" books, this one would be on the top!!

Eating Out

We finally "ate out" last week in a restaurant.  Well we had a breakfast sandwich, hash brown and coffee at McDonalds, so really a fast food joint.  Now I have to say it worked out well, as here in Ontario, you have to show proof of vaccination and identification to the restaurant before you are allowed to dine in.  You need to keep your mask on other than when you are eating or drinking as well.

Normally this McDonalds is pretty busy; the drive thru was, but inside the restaurant there was probably less than 10 people dining in.  We felt safe and quickly ate our meal, and then left.

We are hoping to eat out this week at Red Lobster, as they have really good fish and chips.  We will see how it goes.

I posted two book reviews over the weekend, here. Neither were the best of books.  One slightly better than the other.  I do not like posting negative reviews, but sometimes it can't be helped.

I remember reading a book detailing local history.  Now I think it was a self published book, as there were so many grammatical errors, it drove me crazy.  I am not perfect with my grammar myself, but when reading a book, I do expect the spelling to be correct and things to make sense!

Have you eaten out recently and did you have to show proof of vaccination?

Funny little bits for Yarn Along this week........

This is what I got done this past week in knitting:

Those are all the bits knitted up for two more gnomes.  I have a third one on my needles as these are all gifts for a neighbours grandkids who are coming to visit next week.  Just need to sew them together and stuff.

I read and reviewed this book:

and this book which I reviewed also:

I am starting this book; it's our book club choice for September "The Chaperone," by Laura Moriarty:

For more Yarn Along posts with Ginny, please click on this link.

Another couple of small finishes for Yarn Along.

I made another Gnome for a baby girl who is due in October.  I used US #6 needles and the yarn pictured in the photo.  It is pink with a light brown face.

 I also completed this newborn hat for the same little one.

Neither are perfect but they are made with love.

I did get the following two books read and reviewed this past week also.  You can read my reviews here.

I have started this book:

Award-winning writer Ntozake Shange and real-life sister, award-winning playwright Ifa Bayeza achieve nothing less than a modern classic in this epic story of the Mayfield family. Opening dramatically at Sweet Tamarind, a rice and cotton plantation on an island off South Carolina's coast, we watch as recently emancipated Bette Mayfield says her goodbyes before fleeing for the mainland. With her granddaughter, Eudora, in tow, she heads to Charleston. There, they carve out lives for themselves as fortune-teller and seamstress. Dora will marry, the Mayfield line will grow, and we will follow them on an journey through the watershed events of America's troubled, vibrant history—from Reconstruction to both World Wars, from the Harlem Renaissance to Vietnam and the modern day. Shange and Bayeza give us a monumental story of a family and of America, of songs and why we have to sing them, of home and of heartbreak, of the past and of the future, bright and blazing ahead. 

I picked it up for 99 cents, so at that price I couldn't say no.

For more Yarn Along with Ginny posts, please click on this link.

Book Club Meeting.....

Photos from the book club meeting.  I served gingerbread, scones and watermelon slices.

 I used this recipe for the scones.  It's a tried and true recipe.

 This is my Nana's recipe for gingerbread, and the only recipe I do not share.....sorry. 

 Can't remember where I got these napkins, very appropriate don't you think?

Cups and saucer's all ready for the tea.  Denby Sweet Pea, out of production now.

 Even managed to cut up some lemon wedges for the tea.

 Made up a jug of Crystal Light for those who wanted a cold drink.
Had a great meeting, 13 out of the 14 members turned up.  Have chosen books for the next 14 months, I will let you know what we will be reading when the list is all written up.  Next month's book is "The Vagrant's."  I have already read it and reviewed it here.  I posted another book review: Rosewater and Soda Bread," which is the sequel to "Pomegranate Soup."  Both are super books and well worth reading.

I won't be hosting again until December for the Christmas pot luck.  I will be only hosting that one in future, unless someone else can't host a month, then I will step up again.

What are you reading at the moment?

So what did I do on Monday?

As I am feeling a lot better, I decided to get some jobs done around the house.  Started off with cleaning the bathrooms, which is a typical Monday and Friday morning job.  Threw in a load of laundry.  Our laundry room is in our powder room behind two large doors, on the main floor.

I decided to do some cooking and made fishcakes, fish in parsley sauce with peas and, cauliflower and cheese sauce.  There was enough fish cakes for one meal for Monday nights supper and one meal to put in the freezer:

Prepared some fruit to put into dh's lunches and for our dessert:

Made out our menu plan.  I see I spelled parsley wrong on the menu, just couldn't be bothered to take another photo.

I posted three book reviews here of the books below in the photo.

Along with tidying up parts of the house along the way, by the time I got to the book reviews I was getting tired.  So after posting the book reviews I didn't do much.  There's always tomorrow.

Did you have a busy Monday?

Book Club and more about Spring?

I am a member of a book club called Book Ends.  We have 12 or 13 members all who live in our subdivision.  I have been a  member since July.  I have yet to go to a meeting where every member attends as like everyone we all have busy lives and especially during the winter people want to escape the weather.  In summer we also have members with cottages who also go away for the summer.  Overall though we are a great mix of ladies who have something in common, we all enjoy reading books.  

I am probably one of the weaker members as the majority of the books we read I would never ever have thought of picking up and reading, but this is what I love about the club it makes me read things I normally wouldn't have.  I have yet to see a book that we all agreed we loved, but again that's what makes this fun.

I thought I would list what we are going to read over the next few months, so if you want to join in feel free.  We meet the second Monday of every month, so if you want to post a review feel free to do it on my book review blog, where I post all my reviews. I usually read the month's book ahead of time and review it well before the meeting.

There is a link on my main page of my regular blog, or here is a link.

Just so you know if you click on the title of the book it will take you to Amazon where you can read more about the book.  All members take turns choosing a book.  I haven't chosen one yet, but I do have this one in mind as it sounds good for when it comes to my turn.

March: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - you can read my review here

April: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

May: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

June: The Rosie Project By Graeme Simsion

July: The Vagrants by Yiyun Li

I think we will choose the next few months worth of books around June.

In February 2015 the book was: Tomorrow Their Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer - I did not attend this meeting nor did I read the book for various reasons.  It got mixed reviews by the members.

January 2015: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. You can read my review here.

December 2014: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. You can read my review here.

November 2014: The Storied Life of A.J. Firky by Gabrielle Zevin. You can read my review here.

October 2014: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. You can read my review here.

September 2014: No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay.  You can read my review here.

August 2014: A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews.  You can read my review here.

July 2014: The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell. You can read my review here.

I posted another book review yesterday here; this is for the regular books I review.

I know a lot of information to take in at once, but you know the post is here so you can come back to it again and again.

Okay when I watched this I wasn't overly happy.  By the way if you live in the Great Lakes area of the States, you will be no more happier than me either!!  I love an hour and a bit North, North West of Toronto.

I guess what this is telling us we need to be patient.  The better weather will come it's just delayed.

So I am guessing you're all ready to strangle me with my lack of posts?

I would love to say I have been super, super busy but I haven't.  Well I have been busy but can always be busier if you know what I mean. So lets catch you up with what has been going on.

House:

No grass.........which = lots of dust and stupid me went off my allergy pills.  Suffice to say I am suffering royally with allergies and am now back on allergy pills for the foreseeable!  I am hoping we will see grass by the end of September........it if comes before hand it will be a bonus.  If I look out of our back windows today this is what I see:

I think I have shares in the Swiffer company, with the amount of their product I use at the moment!

Got the basement organized and tidied up a bit, so we don't have to step over boxes to go from A to B.  I now know where everything is, sort of, and that in itself is a huge help.

Dh has got the central vac working and the garage door opener installed and running.  Still don't have my car parked in the garage as it needs a tidy up, but that is dh's domain, so I leave it well alone.  Talking of my car, Betsy is looking worse for the wear, due to the dust.  Now me making this comment must mean it's bloody bad, as I NEVER clean/wash my car, but even I am fed up with how she is looking!

The Central Vac we purchases is a Beam Electrolux Alliance Special Spring Edition (it's white not black). It cost us just over $1,100 (including all taxes) and was well worth the money, very pleased with how it works.  Plus I got a "vac pan" installed under the sink cupboard, so I can sweep the kitchen floor, kick the lever and all the dust/crumbs etc, is sucked up through the vac pan.

The garage door opener was a Craftsman from Sears.  We have one double garage door and I got a 1/2 hp opener and it works fine.  I picked it up on sale for well under $200, and it came with two car openers, a key pad and an opener to put by the door to the house.  We have purchased this type of opener before and have always had good luck with them.

I have to say the way the builder finished off the garage makes it look immaculate.  Never had such a good looking garage interior....LOL

Dh's next job will be installing a custom closet organizer we got from Solutions.  We are big fans of their systems and had done a few closets using their product.  I will post about that when we put it up.

We, actually dh is helping renovate our daughter and son-in-laws basement, so that is also taking up a little bit of time.  My job is to take care of our little munchkin.  Here is her 8 month old photo which was taken last week:

She is of course sitting up, she is crawling and she can pull herself up to standing and walk around furniture.  She has got her four top teeth in all at once, so the poor thing hasn't been awfully happy, but she is over the worst as three of the four are through.  So that will be six teeth in all.  She is a grand eater and dd has been teaching her how to pick up pieces of cracker herself.  She will also "kiss" you when asked.  Do I sound like a proud Nana?  I know shut up!!

I have been busy reading.  As not only have I been reviewing books, I also attended my first book club meeting.  Thoroughly enjoyed it and a great set of ladies.  The book club with max out at 12 members and we have 11 members at the moment.  To read my book reviews you can click on this link.  If you have read any of the books I have reviewed I would love to hear your opinion.

I have much more to talk about, as it's been quite an eye opening experience moving from the country to a community where the average age is probably at least 60 to 70.  I know you will not only laugh at but also commiserate with me about some of the daft things that happen around here.

On that note I will sign off and try and get another post written for tomorrow.

Oh, and please feel free to yell at me for not writing more posts...LOL!

Photo's done, first people viewing today.........

After a busy Thursday morning, the photographer came in along with Sarah and her assistant and they did their magic.  I did not hang about as I was stressed.  You wonder if you have done enough?  Is it clean enough?  Will it show well?  Sarah said we would be very pleased with the pictures.  I will share them with you all when I get them.  Sarah has clients viewing the property today, so that's a good start.

I went into town and sat in MacDonald's and had a coffee and a muffin and posted a couple of book reviews.  I also sat and people watched for a while.  It's always interesting to watch what other people do and say I think.  They have an employee working there who is mentally disabled, but what a good worker she is.  I was a bit thrown at first as I wondered who she was talking to.  She talks to herself all the time.  However that didn't matter as she worked so hard while I was there.

I also got talking to the lady at the next table and ended up giving her this book.  It turned out she had visited both Alaska and the Yukon and had very fond memories from there.  So the book was perfect.  Also turned out she lived in the subdivision that we are hoping to move into.  The community centre there has a library and so she was going to donate the book there when she had read it.

While I was in town I called in at the hairdressers for a trim.  While the hairdresser was cutting my hair I had a coughing attack.  I have them a few times a day.  She was saying this cough that is going around is being "named" the 100 day cough {{{SIGH}}}  I really don't want this cough hanging around for 100 days.