My Head Is Full of Books: Sunday Salon --- A time of grief and saying goodbye

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Sunday Salon --- A time of grief and saying goodbye

Weather: Lovely. Sunny. Not too hot.

Family Reunion: Tomorrow (Sunday) we start a family reunion which has become a family tradition. one of my daughters and her family, my mom, all my siblings and their spouses, and some of nieces and nephews will join Don and I for a week long reunion in the warm climes of Central Oregon for swimming, hiking, golfing, game-playing, eating, gabbing, more eating, and just plain fun. Since we are leaving tomorrow, I am posting this Sunday update one day early.

Saying goodbye: This week a friend and Christian brother died after a very fast growing cancer tumor was discovered. Dave was just about the kindest guy one could ever meet. He was always so thoughtful and helpful. As a deacon at our church he often took on tasks requiring much patience and tact. He had both in spades. The week before his death, our church was poised ready to bring in meals and to have members sit with him so his family could get some rest and do other things, but he passed so quickly that never happened. Tomorrow the church will honor him and his family with a memorial service. Unfortunately we will have to miss it since the family reunion was already planned. Both Don and I were profoundly touched by Dave's life and now by his peaceful death. R.I.P. Dave.

Saying goodbye (2): My best friend's mother passed away last Friday and we drove down to Oregon this week to help the family say goodbye to Donna on a warm day, in a peaceful old cemetery overlooking the small village where she grew up. The service/gathering was a beautiful tribute to her life. Donna was a remarkably kind and thoughtful person. Of all the mothers of my friends from high school, she was my favorite. In fact, over the years, I'd say she became my friend, not just my friend's mother. I learned, as I listened to others reminisce about her life, that others felt the same way. R.I.P. Donna.

Life goes on: Even in the midst of our grief, life goes on. It always does. On the way home from the service we got tangled up in a huge traffic jam; a friend and I went out for lunch and had boba tea for the first time; the grandkids came over and played -- first in the hot tub and then with the sprinkler in the yard; tonight Don and I are attending a John Legend concert at an outdoor venue where we can sip wine as we sing along. Joy!

Books I recently finished and those for the trip:

What I plan/hope to read/listen to:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Don and I listened to half of this LONG book on our trip to Oregon and back. Now we hope to finish it on this second trip to our neighboring state. Not sure I care that much about Thomas Cromwell, but I do have a fascination with the Henry VIII court. When finished I will knock off another big book for the summer challenge,. It is over 600 pages long. It is also my One Big Book of the Year challenge book. (48%, audio)
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. The NYT named this book as the best fiction book of the 21st Century. I had a copy sitting around the house so I decided to read it. No time like NOW!. (16%, print)
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. This is a book club selection for a future meeting (October?). It came in from the library so I thought I'd better try to cram it in between all the information on Cromwell. (22%, audio)
North Woods by Daniel Mason. Another library book I've been waiting for. If, by miracle, we finish Wolf Hall, this may be what we listen to on the way home from Oregon. (Audio)
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. Another book club selection. If I finish My Brilliant Friend with much poolside reading time, I'll start this book.

Recently completed:

Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler. A very weird story set in Washington Territory in the 1800s. It was such a strange book few book club members finished it. I found it quite intriguing. 3.75 stars.
The Women by Kristin Hannah. A story about women who serves as nurses during the Vietnam conflict. Audio. 4.25 stars.

Summer reading challenges update:

20 Books of Summer Challenge: After completing The Women, I've finished 15 out of 20 books so far this summer.
Big Book Summer Challenge: My goal to finish four books over 400 pages long. So far, I've finished two long books, Wolf Hall makes three.
Women's Prize Challenge: I've read two of the five winners and past winners with the completion of Brotherless Night.

Reading the classics: This time for the Classics Club #38 Spin event I will read one of the past Pulitzer Prize winners I haven't read yet. See my post about the Spin here. I will learn what decade/half decade I'll be reading from tomorrow!

Politics: I don't know what to make of it. The little I watched of the RNC convention makes me even more amazed that anyone in their right mind could vote for Trump. And so it also amazes me that Democrats are so quick to want to jump off the Biden ship. Eek!