It's Memorial Day weekend and summer is unofficially here. The sun is even shining and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a rain-free day... it's been a while! The docks are in but, the boat is not. Maybe by next weekend...
Finished this week//
The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman
A somewhat predictable, yet thoroughly enjoyable story that kept me reading well into the night. Two brothers, their wives, and children live together in a two-family house in Brooklyn in the late 1940s - one family with all daughters, the other with all sons. The wives become pregnant, and both deliver at home during a blizzard, unable to reach the hospital, while their husbands are out of town on business. From there, things get complicated. The story is told through multiple viewpoints in short chapters. A very good debut novel.My rating:
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
This was a reread for me and I loved it just as much the second time around. I started to read Strout's new book Anything is Possible and, while the character in the first story was familiar, I couldn't remember any details. Since Lucy Barton is so short and still on my kindle, I decided to reread it. Five stars, again!
Current reading//
Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout is one of my favorite authors. I started her latest novel, which is really a series of stories about characters mentioned in My Name is Lucy Barton, yesterday afternoon and ended up reading almost half of it before bedtime. So good!
by David M. Oshinsky
This book is fairly dense, but it gets more interesting with each chapter. This week I read about Nellie Bly's adventures (my thoughts on Ten Day in a Mad-House are here), the beginnings of germ theory and antiseptic procedures, and the early days of professional nursing. I'm hoping to finish this week.Up next//
Audrey and I are almost ready to resume our #PalliserParty. The plan is to begin Book 2, Phineas Finn, in early June. Want to read along with us?
In the kitchen//
This week's new recipe... Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa Salad from Cookie and Kate was a delicious accompaniment to the turkey burgers we had for dinner. The leftovers made a perfect lunch, too.
Last night we enjoyed a favorite, Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil from Damn Delicious. I discovered this recipe last winter and have made it several times... always a treat.
Going to the dogs//
As Zelda approaches her tenth birthday, she celebrated her 7th Anniversary - or "Gotcha Day"- with us last week. Her muzzle is now mostly white, but that's the only visible evidence of time passing. We will be "grey-b-sitting" Angus again for the next week or two. He's four, and Zelda has no problem keeping up with him, or his antics. They seem to enjoy each other's company... should be an interesting couple of weeks.
How was your week? What are you reading this long holiday weekend?
I reread Lucy Barton before starting Anything is Possible, and loved it even more the second time, I think. Possible didn't quite live up to Barton, for me anyway, but it was still good.
ReplyDeleteAmy - I finished Anything is Possible this morning and absolutely loved it. So glad I reread Lucy Barton first!
DeleteAlways love your lake pictures. Hope you guys have a great weekend and a good time 'sitting'. You've almost convinced me to read Lucy Barton. We'll see. LOL
ReplyDeleteKay - We're having a wonderful weekend... despite the clouds, cold, and rain, lol! Not as many outdoor activities as we'd hoped, but there's plenty of summer ahead for all that. If you decide to try Lucy Barton, be sure to follow up with Anything is Possible. Finished this morning and it's another 5 star read for me!
DeleteI'm so happy it's finally summer! Those books and that salad sound delicious! Enjoy Angus!
ReplyDeleteKathy - Summer is always a little slow getting started around here, but this is getting crazy! We're all looking forward to Angus' visit :)
DeleteAnything Is Possible is on my radar. I didn't love Lucy Barton...but I'm willing to give this one a go.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed The Two-Family House.
Wonderful looking salad! Now I'm hungry for one. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.
Laurel-Rain Snow - I finished Anything is Possible this morning and it is excellent! I liked it even better than Lucy Barton and it'll definitely neon my list of favorites this year. Hope you decide to give it a try!
DeleteZelda is the cutest. My 9-year-old Daisy has a similarly gray schnozzle, but she's still full of energy. And isn't it the best when a re-read is just as good as the first go-round? Yay!
ReplyDeleteAndi - I don't reread nearly enough. Lucy Barton may be my first reread in five years (yikes!)... thinking I should do it more often now. Especially for my yearly favorites.
DeleteNice photos and high hopes for your sunny, fun Memorial Day weekend! I didn't read Lucy Barton yet, and folks are divided on whether it appeals to them or not-- not that that would ever stop me :) Zelda is a lovebug! We tried to adopt a greyhound from rescue but we always have cats, and they wouldn't adopt out to families with cats, too bad. We do have an Italian Greyhound, all 12 lbs. of her! She's going on 14 this September and her mind is kind of fuzzy, which makes her neurotic and hard to live with now. They're nothing like regular Greyhounds in personality, unfortunately, but we adopted her on impulse at age 2 and she'd been neglected.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the week ahead!
Rita - I can see where some readers would not appreciate Lucy Barton, but rereading it and following up with Anything is Possible has been an outstanding reading experience! Some greyhounds have such a high prey drive and can't be in homes with cats or other small animals. Luckily we've never had a problem with Zelda, but sometimes taking her for a walk can seem like a squirrel hunt! The Italian greyhounds I've met have been the sweetest little dogs, although I remember one that was very high strung. Sometimes I wish Zelda could be a lap dog. Hope you're able to take time out from packing to enjoy the holiday weekend!
DeleteI love the dogs, both Zelda and Angus. My dog Stella has a little white on her face at 4.5 years old, which surprises me. Glad to hear you are liking the most recent Strout book; like her writing! I'm reading a novel called The Idiot by Elif Batuman, a bit different so I will see where it goes. Enjoy the holiday!
ReplyDeleteSusan - I finished Anything is Possible this morning and loved it... even more than Lucy Barton. Strout has such an amazing talent! Haven't heard about The Idiot, so will look forward to your opinion.
DeleteHappy birthday, Zelda! Grey is beautiful. :) I'm glad you're enjoying Bellevue - it was a bit of a slog though fascinating. :) Looking forward to our #PalliserParty.
ReplyDeleteAudrey - I'm becoming a lot more tolerant of grey myself these days ;-) Sometimes it seems like Bellevue is trying to do too much, or provide a history of too many things. It's certainly interesting, but can see where it would be a slog for someone not in 'the industry'. I should be ready for the PalliserParty by the weekend :)
DeletePhineas Finn in June? That would definitely be a yes! Thanks for reminding me that I need to read My Name is Lucy Barton. Elizabeth Strout is one of my favorite authors too!
ReplyDeleteBibliophiliac - Hooray! So glad you'll be joining us for Phineas Finn. I can't wait to spend more time in Trollope's world. When you do read Lucy Barton, be sure you have a copy of Anything is Possible, too. Reading them together was a wonderful reading experience... Strout is so talented!
DeleteI can't imagine anyone not liking the writing of Elizabeth Strout. So intense and thought-provoking. Things I like when it's what I call a "people book." Still floundering for a really good read, but I have two ordered, and a couple waitlisted at the library. Meanwhile, tonight I'm trying on for size a PB copy I picked up of The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende. Haven't read any of her books in a very long time. Happy Birthday to Zelda, currently my favorite IG dog! In July I will be staying for two weeks with my favorite German Shorthaired Pointer named Ladybug--sweetest dog in the world. I really must have a few books lined up for then. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteJudyMac - Haven't read Isabel Allende in a long time either. Hope The Japanese Lover 'sticks'... one of my friends from book club recently recommended it. I finished Anything is Possible this morning and think it's going to be hard to move on to another novel. I may just try to loose myself in something light and beachy. We'll see... I'll be looking forward to Ladybug photos on IG this summer!
DeleteHooray for Elizabeth Strout books! I now need to go back and read Olive Kitteridge.
ReplyDeleteSarah - You know, I finished Anything is Possible this morning and it made me want to reread Olive Kitteridge, too!
DeleteLovely photos! Glad to hear you had such a great reading week. I hope you have a terrific weekend and summer!
ReplyDeletePat - All the yucky weather has made for plenty of reading time. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday weekend!
DeleteLove the photos of the lake...and it looks as though you are all settled in and ready for summer! It's still chilly here...we are frantically yearning for sun!
ReplyDeletePatty - We're finally settled back in, now if it would only warm up a little! It seems like we haven't seen the sun all month. I think I might pick up a beachy novel and try to remember what it was like, lol!
DeleteYou didn't get Zelda until she was 3? Was she a retired racer?
ReplyDeleteLisa - Yes, Zelda was a retired racer, but not a very good one I'm afraid. They got her off the track when she was only 2 and we got her before her ors birthday. She's a much better pet!
DeleteVicki - Strout may just be my favorite author! Hope you're enjoying the holiday weekend :)
ReplyDeleteWe've also had a long weekend (bank holiday) here in the UK too, I took some of that extra time to finish reading the wonderfully gothic My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier :-)
ReplyDeleteJessica - I really wanted to read My Cousin Rachel during RIP last year... even downloaded a kindle version, but it was mislabeled and turned out to be an abridged/young reader version. Hopefully this year I'll get the real thing. Yesterday I entered a goodreads giveaway. Fingers crossed!
DeleteHappy Memorial Day to you! Hope you're having a great weekend and that the rain held off! And happy almost birthday to Zelda. Looks like abeautiful dog. :)
ReplyDeleteHope she enjoys Angus' visit. Have a super week!
Hi Greg - It's been a good week so far. Angus arrived yesterday and settled right in. Zelda probably feels like he's getting too much attention! ;-)
DeleteI always wanted to name a dog Angus. I thought I might read Lucy Barton again before Anything Is Possible. Have a great week.
ReplyDelete