Sunday Salon...August 17

Weather: Light breeze, temperature in the high 70s, beautiful blue skies, humidity low.

On our trip to Italy we bought the lovely etching which reminds us of the Italian countryside (see above.) We just hung it on the wall in the dining room and sighed, happy and content in our memories.

Dog Days of Summer: where did that phrase come from? It is such an odd saying that doesn't seem to relate to anything. I looked it up. Don't you love the Internet for things like this? Dog days run from July 6 to August 17 (some calendars say from July 24-August 24) and are associated with the rising of the dog star, Sirius. These are typically the hottest, driest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. These are the days that I am reminded of a Barbara Kingsolver quote about the flowers looking tired of growing.

2200 books plus: I went in to school every day last week and starting processing the 2000+ that the district has sent to the school over the summer for the new English curricula. I not only have to scan the books in to accept them, but also must find space for them on the textbook shelves. No easy task.

Family vacation: the week before last we spent a family-full vacation in Central Oregon. The weather was warm (not too hot) and the fellowship was wonderful. We suspect that this will be the last such vacation with my parents since they are the ones who have cobbled together all the vacation points to make this level of vacationing possible. In the photo, below, I am reading driving the golf cart while my husband and brother-in-law are playing golf.

Summer reading challenge: making progress on my goal of 30 books. I am currently reading book #22, and listening to #23. Summer ends on Labor Day. It will be a push to finish 8 books in two weeks, can I do it? Go. Go. Go.

Classic Club Spin: I joined the spin this year because I want to force myself to read more of the classics. The directions were to create a list of 20 classics and then on October 11 there would be a spin to determine which number would be the book to read. It was suggested to choose books from the list from those highly desirable and also dreaded ones.  I added a few of those "dreaded" books and even identified one book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, as one I especially dreaded. Guess which one I got? Correct. I will now be reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and hope to have it finished by October 6th. Look for my weekly updates.

Books read this week:

• Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer---my favorite YA book read this summer. Check out my review here.
• The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely---A YA novel about the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church. A tough topic. Read my review here.
• The Golem and Jinni by Helene Wecker---I finally finished this book after listening to over 20 hours of the audiobook. Review pending.
• Shackleton: An Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi---a graphic biography of this famous explorer and his famous trip to Antarctica in 1915. Review pending.

Currently reading:

• Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn---another YA novel about a troubled teen.
• In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson---nonfiction about an American diplomat in Germany as Hitler is coming to power.
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez---here I go. 10 pages down out of 490.

I totally want this: Encyclopedia Britannica 61 volume set of classics of Western culture. So booky of me.

Love the message of this hymn: For the Beauty of the Earth. Here is verse four which reminds me of the week I just spent with my family:

For the joy of human love, 
brother, sister, parent, child, 
friends on earth and friends above, 
for all gentle thoughts and mild; 
Lord of all, to thee we raise 
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Have a lovely week!