The Sunday Salon: January 26, 2020

Hello from Florida! It's been a wonderful, albeit chilly, week. Highlights included a book discussion at the library, a lecture on shorebird banding, and drinks with college friends I hadn't seen in decades. Friday evening we hauled our chairs and a cooler across the street to the beach for a sunset picnic. It was the perfect ending to a nearly perfect week.

Current reading//

The Way We Live Now

by Anthony Trollope

I'm still plugging away at this 800+ page tome... and enjoying every sentence. It's almost eerie how much of what Trollope has to say about society still rings true today. I reached the 88% mark on my walk this morning and hope to finish within the next few days.


Book club//

Chances Are...

by Richard Russo

Over twenty readers gathered at the local library to discuss Richard Russo's latest novel. The group was lead by a long-time member rather than a library employee this month. The leader  began with a brief biography of the author, followed with a short introduction of the main characters, then posed a series of well-timed, thoughtful questions as the lively, wide-ranging discussion progressed. Impressive! The book ended up on my list of 2019 favorites and it was a hit with nearly all of the other participants, too.

Next month we will discuss The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, another 2019 favorite. I listened to the audio version narrated by Tom Hanks, but will try to get a print copy and reread before the meeting.


Up next//
I'm not quite sure what I'll pick up next, but can guarantee both my upcoming print and audio books will be short!!


Viewing//

One of the reasons I didn't get much reading done this week was that I spent a ridiculous amount of time in front of the television!  In additions to the long, late hours of the Impeachment proceedings, I started (and caught up) with two Masterpiece shows -  Sanditon and Howards End. Tonight I'll watch them in real time. Both books were favorites years ago... the latter is on my Classics Club list  for a reread. This may be the year!


That's it for my week. How was yours? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

It's Monday... What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.

The Sunday Salon 1/12/20: Sunny Days

It's a beautiful, sunny morning in southwest Florida. The island is in that quiet post-holiday, pre-winter break lull... and I'm loving every moment!

Finished this week//

Southern Lady Code

by Helen Ellis, narrated by the author

While I laughed out loud at "Peggy Sue Got Marijuana," this essay collection mostly missed the mark for me. Like her short story collection, American Housewife (my review) I found it to be very uneven. Some of the humor simply didn't work for me. The author's narration, however, was pitch perfect and kept me listening. This might have been a DNF in print.
 2.5 / 5 stars


Current reading//

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

I've finally settled into Timothy West's narration, but ended up reading more than listening last week. Either way, I love spending time in Trollope's world. What I don't appreciate is goodreads telling me I've only finished one book this year! [note to self: avoid starting 2021 with an 800+ page book] Closing in on the 40% mark, this could take another week or two.


On the blog//
Back to the Classics 2020


In the kitchen//

I had a couple of new recipe successes last week. First I took this White Chicken Chili Dip from Heartbeet Kitchen to a neighborhood gathering kicking off the winter season. It disappeared quickly!

Midweek I tried Butternut Farro Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette from allrecipes. My plan was to make this Pear and Farro Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash, but I couldn't find a delicata squash anywhere... not even Whole Foods! So I bought a butternut squash instead and searched for recipes using it along with the farro I'd already purchased. We liked this quite a bit and it will make another appearance on our table soon. The recipe suggests chilling the salad before serving, but I preferred it warm.


Home renovation//
I mentioned last week that our project came to a complete halt over the holidays, but there were signs of life again last week. The cabinets have been ordered and this week we will select plumbing fixtures.


The week ahead//
In addition to shopping for those plumbing fixtures and a hair appointment, it's shaping up to be a wonderfully routine week. I'll take it!!

How was your week? What are you reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

It's Monday... What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.

Back to the Classics Challenge 2020

One challenge. That's all I can commit to this year... and it's Back to the Classics 2020, sponsored by Karen at Books and Chocolate. I've been a member of The Classics Club since it's inception, completed my first list of 50 classics in 5 years, signed up for round two, and my classics reading inexplicably stopped. The 2019 Back to the Classics Challenge was a bust, but I'm going to give it another try.

Here are this year's categories, along with  a few possible selections:

1. 19th Century Classic
The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy

2. 20th Century Classic (originally published between 1900 and 1970).
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Them by Joyce Carol Oates
The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins

3. Classic by a Woman Author
filling in this category won't be a problem ;-)

4. Classic in Translation
The Magic Mountain or Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

5. Classic by a Person of Color
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

6. A Genre Classic
several authors in mind, but no specific titles:
Wilkie Collins
Daphne DuMaurier
Georgette Heyer

7. Classic with a Person's Name in the Title
Miss Marjoribanks by Mrs. Oliphant
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (reread)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (reread)

8. Classic with a Place in the Title
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (reread)

9. Classic with Nature in the Title  
(so many possibilities here!)
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (a reread)

10. Classic About a Family
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

11. Abandoned Classic
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

12. Classic Adaptation
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay


We'll see how this goes the second time around. Will you be reading classics this year? Did you join any challenges?

The Sunday Salon: Recent Reading and Goals for 2020

The holidays are over and it's time to get back into a reading and blogging routine. To get started, let's take a look at the books I finished in late December...

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

by Ruth Reichl, narrated by Bernadette Dunne

Reichl's narration added so much to my enjoyment of Save Me the Plums, I was disappointed to discover she did not read this one. (She narrates the abridged version... I didn't want to go there.) Though I've been on a roll with author-read memoirs and was expecting on one more, Bernadette Dunne did a fine job.

Garlic and Sapphires  is about Reichl's time as restaurant critic for The New York Times  and the disguises she employed in order to dine anonymously in NYC's top restaurants. These disguises were so elaborate, she became unrecognizable to her own husband and son. Interestingly, Reichl also strived to take on a new persona as she donned the costumes. Her descriptions of the many meals and restaurants practically had me drooling as I listened! Recipes are also included.

Chances Are... by Richard Russo

Nobody can tell a story like Richard Russo! I've read nearly all of his novels  and he never disappoints. This one is set on Martha's Vineyard and tells of three 66-year-old men, friends since college, gathering for a reunion of sorts. It included an element of suspense, which I don't generally associate with his novels. I enjoyed this book very much and will be discussing it with the library book club later this month. It was the final addition to my 2019 favorites list.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, John Franklyn-Robbins, and others

I closed out 2019 with an audio reread of an old favorite. A full cast narration lasting about 2 hours... it was delightful!

Current reading//

Southern Lady Code 

by Helen Ellis, narrated by the author

Susan had this essay collection listed an an audio favorite of 2019... and it was available via Overdrive from my library. I'll likely finish it on my walk this morning.

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

This is going to be a read/listen combination, but at this point I'm mostly reading. Simon Vance has always been my "voice of Trollope" but, unfortunately, he has not read this one. The audio version I selected (all 32+ hours) is narrated by Timothy West and it's taking a while to adjust. I'm on Chapter 14 now (15%) and still getting to know the characters. A couple of "old friends" have made brief appearances. Unfortunately I can't remember where we met them before and my Oxford Reader's Companion to Trollope is in storage!


GOALS FOR 2020

I've spent some time over the past couple of weeks thinking about my 2020 reading. Like 2019, my priority will be quality over quantity. In addition, I'd like to...

• keep reading a high percentage of nonfiction (30-40%)
• read back list of new author discoveries
• read more classics (think about joining Back to the Classics 2020)
• keep track of book sources (library, personal copy, etc.)
• read the books I already own, especially the ebooks
• try to write a few sentences about each book read

Are you joining any challenges this year? Have you set reading goals?


The week ahead//

We don't have anything major planned this week. Our renovation project at the new house has been at a complete standstill for the past 2 weeks due to the holidays. We should be able to order the kitchen cabinets/counter and start looking at backsplashes.

I'm planning to attend a native landscape walking tour. It's time to start learning more about which plants will thrive in this subtropical climate. We're also having lunch with a new friend later in the week.

How is 2020 going for you so far? What are you reading this week?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
It's Monday... What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.

Closing the Book on 2019: Favorites and Stats

With my First Book of 2020 well underway, it's time to recap 2019. I've waited a little longer than usual because the last book of 2019, a strong contender for my favorites list, was not finished until New Year's Eve.

I only read 45 books this year, but had a record number of 5-star ratings. I'm not sure whether to attribute that to making better choices or becoming an easier marker... but I'll go with the former.

Nonfiction accounted for 42% of my reading this year. I read quite a few memoirs, plus three biographies of Supreme Court Justices. Unfortunately, my classics total was way down - I only read two.

I listened to a lot of audiobooks in 2019! Audiobooks account for 40% of my reading, read/listen combinations come in at 27%, while print alone is 33% of the total. It seems that whenever I start a book, I almost always try to find an audio copy.

Another statistic of note this year is that 81% of the books I read were written by women! I usually read slightly more female authors anyway, but never this many more. Do you suppose that has anything to do with all the 5-star ratings?

On to the favorites...

They are divided into fiction and nonfiction, and listed in no particular order. All of my nonfiction favorites were audiobooks this year. The fiction, except for May Sarton, were read/listen combinations. I listened to If Beale Street Could Talk.

FICTION FAVORITES

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

If Beale Street Could Talk  (audio)

by James Baldwin,narrated by Bahni Turpin

As We Are Now by May Sarton

Chances Are... by Richard Russo

NONFICTION FAVORITES

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir (audio)

by Ruth Reichl, narrated by the author

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (audio)

by Lori Gottlieb, narrated by Brittany Pressley

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love (audio)

 by Dani Shapiro, narrated by the author

Devotion: A Memoir (audio)

by Dani Shapiro, narrated by the author

A few more notables:

The funniest book I read this year was An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten. The dark humor won't suit everyone, but it was a 5-star read for me.

The saddest book I read this year is The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. I had a couple complaints, but still rated it 4.5 stars... and it has stuck with me.


Kudos to audiobooks:

There were several outstanding audiobook productions I'd like to mention. They significantly added to my overall enjoyment and reading experience, and I highly recommend listening to these titles.

• Normal People by Sally Rooney, narrated by Aoife McMahon
• My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, narrated by Adepero Oduye
• My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Et al., narrated by Linda Lavin
• memoirs narrated by the author  - Save Me the Plums, Inheritance, Devotion

So that's my year in reading. I can't wait to see what 2020 brings!
What was your favorite book of 2019?

First Book of the Year: 2020

Happy New Year! For the seventh year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

Here we go – year 7.   I am THRILLED to continue this tradition, even when I don’t stay as well connected as I once did on this space. Thank you to those who have messaged me to ask if I will be doing it again. 

The answer is… Of course we are doing it...

So what is First Book?  First Book to me, is that first book you plan on reading for the New Year.  It can be a long-coveted read you have not had time for, a guilty pleasure read like a re-read of a favorite…  really it can be anything – it is, after all, YOUR First Book. 

Make it AWESOME.

My First Book...

One of my reading goals for 2020 is to get back to reading classics. Without really meaning to, I ignored them almost completely in 2019. So I will begin 2020 with my 13th  Trollope novel, The Way We Live Now.   As with the previous twelve Trollpe novels (The Barsetshire and Palliser series) I will be reading with our friend Audrey. We are just getting started and you're more than welcome to join us!

If you need a little more convincing, here's a sentence from the first paragraph. It's a perfect example of why I love Trollope:

"She spoke of herself in these days as a woman devoted to Literature, always spelling the word with a big L."

Have you selected your First Book of the Year?

First Book of the Year 2019
First Book of the Year 2018
First Book of the Year 2017
First Book of the Year 2016

My Favorite Books of the Decade: Nonfiction

2010: My Life in France by Julia Child (my thoughts)

2011: A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates by Blake Bailey

2012: Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen (my thoughts)

2013: The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy 
by David Nasaw (my thoughts)

2014: This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett (my thoughts)

2015: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (my thoughts)

2016: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
(my thoughts)

2017: Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Bianca Bosker

2018: Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner (my thoughts)

2019:... coming soon!