Differences

I've recently read two very different books, and both were quite good. The first one I finished was another Norse mystery by Hakan Nesser, Borkmann's Point, and the second was A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball.


Well, the Nesser book was again a very good, slow-paced story, with a surprise ending. I've enjoyed his writing, and find it very interesting that most of the Scandinavian mysteries I've read are usually less violent than American "thrillers."  


A Year on Ladybug Farm is very funny and fun. I was expecting a fluffy read, but while it isn't terribly deep, it has lots of episodes that had me laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheeks, and had to keep wiping my eyes so that I could continue reading! 


When I was first learning to read back in the olden days, we had Readers in school with Tom, Dick and Jane. One of my favorite stories has stayed with me for years. It was about the three or four young people wanting to help a struggling family. I expect the story was written during the Depression. The children gathered up food to take to the family, as well as helping them out in other ways. That reading experience gave to me the idea of not just helping, but "making do" with what was available. Ladybug Farm is the adult version of helping out and making do - with lots of humor thrown in. 

There are two more Ladybug books, and I can hardly wait to read them. Laughter is such a necessary part of life, and such fun to find it in writing!

Purple

One of the plants that does very well on the coast in Oregon is the hydrangea. This is one of my favorites. It starts out as a light mauve, then darkens to a real purple and eventually turns to a metallic blue. We do get some hard frosts in the winter, and the plants suffer, but come back in the spring. Because of the frosts, however, we don't get blooms until late in the year. One year we had beautiful blooms in December - and then it snowed!

Blogging and Books

I'm finding it difficult to write reviews of the books I'm reading. I've read four books recently, and don't really have too much to say about any of them. So I think I'll just write a sentence or two, and leave the real reviewing to Les! 


Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult - Lesley has written an excellent review of this book so I won't even attempt one! As usual Picoult has written an engrossing story, and I found the book to be as good as most of her others, with interesting topics. A Plus read.


Burnt Mountain - Anne Rivers Siddons - This is not one of my favorites of hers. It was a quick read, and entertaining, but not something that will stay with me for very long.


The American Heiress - Daisy Goodwin - Something of a fluff book, but it kept my interest enough that I finished it! Tale of a very rich American woman who goes to England to "catch a Duke." Modeled after Consuelo Vanderbilt's era of titled husband-hunting in Europe.


Breaking Silence - Linda Castillo - Mystery in Amish country in Ohio. The Chief of Police in the community is an excommunicated Amish woman. This is part of a series, and I got into it after the first two books, so there were some spoilers. I liked this book, and will look for more of hers.


So my blogging will now be shorter, and even more infrequent than it has been! I hope to be able to add pictures from some of our trips some day, and do a Wordless Wednesday!

Roofing

We have been under attack for a week with much pounding on the roof. Our shake roof only lasted a bit over 13 years, thanks to the dampness and the towering trees shedding their needles. So this is the summer to re-roof, and it has taken quite a while. The rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat is becoming a real distraction. I'm finding it difficult to read for more than a few minutes at a time, and have had to do most of my reading in bed. So it took me a long time to finish These Lovers Fled Away but it was worth every minute of reading. 


I know I read Spring's book years and years ago, but didn't remember any of it. It is somewhat reminiscent of Delderfield's books in that the characters develop along the way in a detailed plot. The descriptions of England are fantastic. This is not the England we saw when we traveled there  ten years ago, but the England of the 1910s to 1940s. I most definitely recommend reading These Lovers Fled Away, if you want to immerse yourself in a "jolly good tale."

Family Reunion 2011

We had a lovely time with a good number of the families represented. The weather was very nice - for a change!

A part of the family  celebrating Bill's 80th!

If all had been able to come, there would have been twelve more of our children and grandchildren. 

Maybe next time!

HOOKED ON NOOK

I recently got a Nook for my birthday, and I'm saving the books I've downloaded to read on our trip to Alaska. We'll be away for fourteen days, and normally I would have at least ten books in my suitcase. Of course I wouldn't read them all, but I'd be sure to have something to read just in case the first five weren't exactly what I wanted to read! Now with the Nook I have seven books available, and can download new ones if necessary!!

My Nook also has the feature of getting my emails, so I won't be wondering what catalog has arrived - or maybe even an email from one of my children. I could even download some music from my iTunes and not take along my iPod! What riches! I'm very happy with my new toy.

This week - the week after our family reunion week - has been quiet. Almost too much so. I've started a new book after not reading for quite a while. I found it hard to get started on These Lovers Fled Away, by Howard Spring, but I'm enjoying it very much now. It is a comfortable story set in Cornwall and Yorkshire at the time of the Boer War and on into the 20th century. I love the descriptions of the countryside. Spring makes you really see what the moors, glens and all the flowers and animals look like. A lovely book - so far.

And the Last Two

I don't understand blogging. I saved the last reviews to come back to, but wasn't able to tack on the next two, so will start anew!

Two Rivers - t. greenwood - An involving story of a young widower with a twelve-year-old daughter. He is trying, but not very hard, to get over the death of his wife. He has loved her since they were twelve years old.
The book goes back and forth from the present to the past telling the story of Betsy and Harper and their growing up together, and the story of today when a train derails in the town of Two Rivers and brings a young pregnant woman into Harper's life. This was somewhat slow going in spots, but picks up the pace later in the story.

Mind's Eye - Hakan Nesser - And now for another Scandinavian mystery! This author also has a middle-aged, overweight and overworked Detective Chief Inspector. In this case he is Van Veeteren. He and his team set out to solve the murder of a beautiful teacher whose husband remembers nothing of the night in which she died. The case becomes more involved as the book progresses. Do they have the right suspect? Why would the victim become a victim? The twists and turns make this a good quick read.