Sunday, September 12, 2021

The Sunday Salon: Our Time in CT Winds Down

Mystic Seaport, Mystic CT


It's Sunday again and this is my last update from Connecticut. How is it that we've been here for two month and it feels more like two weeks?? We've enjoyed time with our daughters, reuniting with old friends, walks along the shoreline, exploring the towns around us, reading and relaxing on the porches, and eating more than a few lobster rolls. We already want to come back next summer!


My reading, unfortunately, has been slow this month. Numerous distractions plus too many days spent on a book I wasn't completely invested in are behind that. The book in question, Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau, is not  a bad book, just a case of bad timing. I finally set it aside around the 40% mark with plans to pick it up again later. 


Current reading//

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The combination of Novel Pairings two-part podcast discussion and RIP made this seem like the perfect time to revisit this book. My favorite approach to classics lately is a read/listen combination and Thandiwe Newton's audiobook narration is adding to the overall experience. Just past the halfway mark, I'm enjoying the journey... but somehow forgot the book is nearly 600 pages long!

 

The week ahead//
...probably won't be too exciting. Main events include cleaning, organizing, packing, maybe a pedicure, and driving to central NY. Next weekend is my mother's birthday!


That's it for my week. How was yours? 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.

50 comments:

  1. I'm glad we gave you some lovely September weather for a day or two at least! I've never read Jane Eyre...but I have an Audible credit to use up so I'm tempted to listen!

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    1. Audrey - We've had gorgeous weather here lately! Almost hate to leave, but looking forward to gorgeous fall colors in NY before we head south. Jane Eyre isn't quite one of my favorites, but I am enjoying the audio version. If you have audible plus, it is included in your membership.

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  2. Jane Eyre is so famous -- it seems like everyone wants to write a new version. I admire you for rereading the original! I should do that too.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Mae - There are so many "retellings" of popular classics now. I do like to read the originals... a few I'll even reread.

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  3. Time spent somewhere so beautiful & having a relaxing time always goes so fast. I’ve enjoyed your photos. Be careful heading back to Florida!

    My reading has been fairing consistent but I’ve been behind in reviews. Sometimes I get a book from Netgalley which I requested but it is so dull. I feel I should review as it was an ARC.
    Happy birthday to your mother! 🎉🎂

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    1. Tina - We have enjoyed our time here so much and are hoping things work out so we can come back next year. It's tough keeping up on reviews... that's one of the reasons I gave up on Netgalley.

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  4. Your time in Connecticut sounds magical. Great photo at the top of the post, making me want to go there.

    A pedicure sounds good, too! I haven't had one since the Pandemic lockdown last year!

    Every time I think about it, the salons are closed again. Even the clubhouse where I now live, which has a salon, is closed.

    Enjoy the upcoming week...and going home.

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - Connecticut has been perfect! I haven't had a pedicure since last year either. I know it will be much safer to get one here than in FL, but am still weighing the risk. Sure could use one...

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  5. Wow, that went fast. It turns out our CT visit will not happen until sometime in October now. Sorry Mary Jane wasn't working for you. I really liked the print edition. I just stated a memoir called Made in China; Anna Wu. Pretty good so far. I still haven't gone back to the nail salon since pre-COVID. Take care and have a good week.

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    1. Diane - What I read of Mary Jane was fun... even laughed out loud a few times. I will get back to it one of these days. I haven't been to the nail salon in SO long! It will certainly be safer here. I'm still weighing the risks, but hope to go.

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  6. What a lovely photo! It makes me want to visit.

    I like the read/listen approach to classics too. I have done it with Shakespeare and The Iliad. I feel like I get a lot more out of them than if I just read them. It's been a while since I read Jane Eyre.

    Have a good week!

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    1. Thanks, Gretchen. Coastal Connecticut is so beautiful! Glad you appreciate the read/listen approach for classics, too. I'ver never read The Iliad, but am sure it's the only way I'd ever get all the way through.

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  7. Hard to believe your time in Conn is now over. How did you find that rental place? Was it on Airbnb? Looks like a good place to return to. Jane Eyre will be good to fall back to. Have a good week.

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    1. Susan - We found this place through vrbo... after a series of email exchanges with the owner. I'd love to come back to this house, but they will be here themselves next year. We'll probably sell the FL condo (now that the house is finished) and buy something here. We'll see...

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    2. that's great news JoAnn. So beautiful there ... and a condo would be perfect.

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  8. Love the photo! Enjoy your visit with your mom and have a safe trip to NY.

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    1. Thanks, Vicki. I'm so happy to be able to celebrate with her this year :)

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  9. Jane Eyre is such a good choice for a R.I.P. XVI book. There is nothing like the first line for setting the mood: “There was no possibility of us taking a walk that day.” It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it, and all that is to come. I love the classics, and began Nick Senger’s Chapter A Day for David Copperfield, but if I don’t keep the momentum going, I’m lost. It’s a good idea to add audio as you do.

    So glad you have had a precious time in Connecticut!

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    1. Bellezza - I made note of Nick's David Copperfield read-along at the beginning of the year, but somehow thought it was Oct-Dec! Trollope is more my style, but I did want to read this Dickens.

      It's been a decade or more since I last read Jane Eyre. You're so right about the opening! I'd forgotten how long it is, but love the added dimension the audio gives.

      CT has been just perfect this summer! We lived here in the late 80s (closer to NYC in Fairfield County) but never spent much time this far up the coast. Hope we can come back next year.

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  10. Rita - We love CT, too... used to live here in the late 80s before moving to NY. We're planning to go to Gillette Castle this week. It will be our final 'field trip' of the summer. It's in Lyme, across the river from where we're staying. Hope we'll be back again next summer!

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  11. Such a shame that you had to set aside Mary Jane, but I get the timing thing. Sometimes we need time away from a book and it works for us the next time (this is what I hope will happen for me when I finally get around to reading All the Light We Cannot See).

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    1. Helen - I'm pretty sure I'll finish Mary Jane at some point, but this was just the wrong time. Loved the 70s setting and references, appreciated the characters, but just wasn't in the mood to read. Better to save it for later when I can continue to enjoy it instead of forcing myself to power through. I still haven't read All the Light We Cannot See...

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  12. We had plans to visit the northeast this fall to take in the colors (my first time) of autumn, but Covid waylaid our plans, sadly. Connecticut sounds like an ideal place for summer---reading, relaxing, visiting.

    I think you are right; a read/listen combination is perfect for classics. I read Jane Eyre when I was in high school, but I think it's a book I should read again. It might be a book that would qualify for RIP that wouldn't be too scary for me.

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    1. Deb - Covid changed some of our plans here, too, but we still had a great time. Now we're trying to figure out the safest way to get back to Florida... ugh.

      Read/listen combinations have been perefect for a lot of longer classics. I think I'd still be trying to finish all those Trollope novels if just reading in print, lol!

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  13. I am ready for September like weather, we usually get it towards the end of October LOL

    Here is my link:
    https://twogirlsandtheirbookishlife.blogspot.com/2021/09/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-place.html

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    1. Tee - That's how it is in Florida, too... only more like November! I'm very happy to be here in CT now:)

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  14. Happy Monday! I need to reread Jane Eyre, enjoy!

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    1. Thanks, Cindy. I'm enjoying revisiting Jane Eyre, especially the audio experience.

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  15. Happy birthday to your mom! Enjoy the last of your vacation, it sounds like it has been wonderful. :)

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    1. Thanks, Erin. I'm so happy to be able to celebrate with her this year!

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  16. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics and one I've re-read numerous times. I didn't like Wuthering Heights as much (I do realize that it was written by a different Bronte sister) and haven't actually read anything by Anne Bronte. I'm pretty sure I added one of Anne's books to my Classics Club list to round out the family though.

    Your pictures in CT have been lovely!

    Enjoy your week and your time with your mom!

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    1. Jen - It's been so long since I last read Jane Eyre that, even though I remember the ending, I don't quite remember the details in the middle... it's been fun rereading! I read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte for my first Classics Club list... highly recommended!!

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  17. Happy September. I am so sad that we didn't make it to New England this summer. Hurricanes and Covid. But I will be setting a new year record for books read - now I need to get back into my blog reviews.

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    1. Care - I'm still shaking my head over the fact that we left FL for the summer to avoid hurricanes and ended up evacuating prior to Henri in CT! Glad you're having such a great reading year. I've already passed last year't total, but last year was a bust for me. I've been keeping an eye on all the titles you're reading on goodreads - so many are new to me!

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  18. I'll bet you'll be sad to leave CT and that gorgeous location near the beach. But you have a lovely place to return to in Florida once you're finished visiting your family in NY. Happy Birthday to your mama!

    I loved Jane Eyre both times I've read it. It's a perfect read for the RIP challenge. Enjoy!

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    1. Les - We had the best summer in CT! And you're right, it was tough to leave. We are with my parents now. Had a lovely birthday celebration for my mother yesterday... and now it will be tough to leave here in a week or two. I think I have trouble with transitions!

      I think I loved Jane Eyre even more this time around! I finished late last night and the read/listen approach added so much to the experience.

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  19. I hope your drive to NY goes very well. Glad you get to enjoy the best of many states and climates year-long. Before you know it, next Spring will be here soon.

    Sounds like a good reason to put a book down. A change in book or surroundings can help sometimes, so I hope it picks back up again.

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    1. Athira - We're in NY with my parents now and the trip here went fine. Haven't been reading much this week, but I did finish Jane Eyre. Loved it!

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  20. Hi JoAnn,
    Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite classic! I've read it over the years three times, but it's been decades, and I think I'm due for a re-read. It has been so interesting how differently I've viewed the novel at each stage of life--age 16, age 22, age 45, and what now? So good...
    Enjoy!

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    1. Judith - I finished rereading Jane Eyre last night and absolutely loved it. I think it's been about 15 years since I read it last... had forgotten many details of the middle section. The read/listen combination made it even more enjoyable!

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  21. Jane Eyre is a perfect R.I.P. book.

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    1. JaneGS - It was perfect!! I was planning to read Villette for Classics Club, but am glad I got sidetracked by rereading Jane Eyre.

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  22. I haven't had a great lobster roll in years - I'm jealous!

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    1. Lisa - This was definitely my summer for lobster rolls!

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  23. I am so sorry to hear about you Brother-in-law's niece. It is especially maddening when vaccinated people die of covid, probably infected by an unvaccinated person. Sad, sad news. Thanks for dropping by my blog.

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    1. Thanks so much, Anne. It's been a difficult time for the family.

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  24. Reading on a porch with a lovely water view sounds amazing. I wouldn't get much reading done though. :)

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    1. Ti - It was pretty distracting... never managed to read quite as many pages as expected while sitting there.

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  25. I'm so behind but I hope you've had a wonderful time celebrating your mom's birthday. It's been ages since I've read Jane Eyre and I think that is one classic I would like to re-read. Take care!

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    1. Iliana - We had a wonderful birthday celebration for my mom! All of my siblings were there... so much fun. I'd forgotten how much I love Jane Eyre, too. The read/listen combination was the best experience yet.

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