My Head Is Full of Books: Sunday Salon -- May!

"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Sunday Salon -- May!

Weather: a mixed bag: Sunny and lovely one minute, overcast and light rain the next. Right this moment (Saturday evening) it is lovely, with temperatures quite cool for this time of year.

This weekend: Sunday we will attend a concert of the Northwest Repertory Singers. Our daughter is a soprano in the choir and we always enjoy the concerts so much. Often the music is on a theme and includes songs we aren't familiar with or at least arranged differently. Afterwards the family will gather for a birthday dinner for Don, who is now as old as I am. I am posting a shortened Sunday Salon today since I will be busy all day tomorrow.

An artsy view of the front of Mom's church in Eugene (1st United Methodist)

Last weekend: We were in Eugene with my mother for Mother's Day. All week long I've been floating around, thinking how lovely our visit was. I know I am blessed to still have my mother. I treasure every moment with her.

Another blessing: We had lunch with my cousin and his wife this week. She is recovering from brain surgery and seems to be doing well. The marvels of modern medicine and the answer to prayers.

Books:

Currently reading:

Be Ready When the Luck Happens: a Memoir by Ina Garten. This year has been unusual. This is tenth memoir I've read this year. I ordinarily will read one or two. But ten. What has gotten into me. I was attracted to this book because a. I love the advice so simply highlighted in the title, and b. I have one of her cookbooks and every recipe has worked. Audio, read by the author. 20% complete.
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang. My daughter, Carly, turned me on to the monthly challenges on Goodreads, which I didn't even know existed. Now I'm all about finishing them in the alloted period of time. One current challenge is to read a book by Asian authors. A set list of books is provided. This graphic novel, by a favorite author/illustrator, was on both the list and my TBR. YA. e-Book. 52% complete.

Completed this week:

The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. The 1919 Pulitzer Prize winner. I didn't care for the story or for the characters but it did make me think about all the changes my grandparents lived through. Review pending. e-book. 3 stars.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. A fictional story about actual, historical people, Martha Ballard and her family. I read her journal, A Midwife's Tale, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1991, so it was fun to visit this person again in a fictional novel based on her life. A book club selection. Review pending.Audio. Rating: 4.75
Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays by Mary Oliver. Love this poet and her work. Print. Rating: 4 stars.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. Set in The Netherland in the early 1960s, just 15 years after the end of WWII but the trauma of the holocaust on its citizen is not healed. On the 2025 Women's Prize shortlist. Review pending. Audio. Rating: 4 stars.

Blogging, posts and reviews from the past two weeks (click on links to read more):