Sunday, August 7, 2022

The Sunday Salon: August 7, 2022


 Hello from hot and sunny Connecticut. Are you sizzling today, too? It seems like no matter how early I get out to walk, it's never early enough!  I've stuck with a more shaded route on neighborhood sidewalks for the past week, but they seem to be getting shorter and shorter.

Heat aside, it's still been a good week. I had a quick solo overnight trip to NY to see my parents, with the added bonus of having dinner with my sister, brother, and cousin! The rest of the week was pretty low key, so no complaints here.


Finished last week//

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

I've had a signed first edition of Groff's debut novel on my shelf since 2008. (Has it really been 14 years?!)  I added in the audio version and listened on the drive to upstate NY.  Look for a mini-review later this week.




by Julian Barnes, narrated by Simon Vance

I've wanted to read this short essay collection for years and never managed to find a copy. An audio version was finally produced last year and I was surprised to find it available on hoopla. I loved this collection and recognized myself in many of Barnes stories. Look a brief review later in the week.


Currently reading//


Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

This wasn't on my August TBR list, but my mother gave it her highest recommendation and my library hold came in. I read nearly a third of the book yesterday... very good so far.


On the blog//


In the kitchen//

I seem to have lost my culinary mojo this summer. Maybe it's just the heat, but even the Julian Barnes book didn't help. We're mostly sticking to simple grilled fish or chicken, roasted vegetables, and local sweet corn... tasty, but not especially inspired. Maybe this week?


The week ahead//

The early part of the week should be quiet, but then we're traveling to rural northern NY for my father-in-law's memorial service. It will be for immediate family only, and I'm looking forward to spending time with my SIL and my BIL and his family. We'll be staying at a beautiful old inn in Vermont - another plus! Hopefully it will be cooler by then...


How was your week? 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.

44 comments:

  1. Ugh, it has been way too hot this summer! I'm always up early with the baby, but by the time we do breakfast and all our other stuff, it always seems to hot to take him out.

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    1. Angela - The heat and humidity has been ridiculous this week. It feels like we're still in Florida! I'll walk 15 earlier tomorrow and see if that helps. Having a good audiobook I'm eager to get back to sure helps...

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  2. Let's talk about hot weather - no, let's not. Ha! I feel your 'heat'. Fall cannot arrive soon enough for me and I don't usually complain so much, but I don't really have an indoor place to walk in our new town. There is a mall of sorts, but I don't really like walking there and it doesn't open until 8:00 AM. I'm usually out walking by 6:45-7:00. Ah well. Hope you guys have nice week and big hugs about the memorial service. A little cool would help. Enjoy your family though.

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    1. Kay - I can't even tell you how many times I've thought longingly of your indoor walking space... can still see the photo of that track in my mind's eye! Our community in FL spends a ton of money on our rec center and I'm hoping they'll put in an indoor track one day. It would see a lot of use, especially in summer/rainy season! Thankfully, it looks like we'll have cooler weather next weekend for the memorial service.

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  3. So sorry to hear of your loss. I hope that you have a wonderful family visit and enjoy your stay at the Inn. I’ve heard wonderful things about Memphis and glad you are enjoying it. Have a wonderful week ahead!

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    1. thathappyreader - Thank you. My FIL died in January, but we are all able to be together now. He lived near us in FL and was with us often... big hole there now. Memphis is very good and the audio production is excellent.

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  4. Glad you had a good week, I traveled last weekend to see my sister and her family, it is always good to see family. I am hoping for a fairly low-key week this week. Hope you have a great one!

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    1. Cindy - It's so good that we can all get together again! It's been a long couple years. We'll be meeting my nephew's long-time girlfriend for the first time!

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  5. Hi JoAnn,
    Comforting weather news--We are expecting much lower humidity and temps in the 70s for this coming weekend, according to the NWS on point forecasts for the area. I wish you and all of your extended family the best.

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    1. Judith - Thank you, and that is good news! I just checked the forecast, too, and am already looking forward to the cool overnight temps. Despite the sad occasion, it will be good to have my husband's family all together. It's been too many years since our three girls, plus the nephews have all been in the same place. It will also be the first opportunity for the 'significant others' to meet.

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  6. The heat has my brain so fried I had to look up the word "pedant".

    Sorry about the circumstances, but staying in an old Vermont Inn sounds wonderful.

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    1. Jinjer - I'm afraid being a clinical pharmacist in my previous life has made me a pendant in the kitchen, too... must have exact measurements and follow directions precisely, lol! I've wanted to stay at that VT inn for decades, it will be a nice treat during an emotional weekend.

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  7. It sounds like being in CT is going well for you! I've been thinking about you and your condo since I'm in the middle of buying one. I hate packing and earlier today realized that I have to do all the unpacking at the other end. :-)

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    1. Helen - Yes, we're loving the summer months in CT. It's easy to forget about all the unpacking on the back end of a move, lol. My best advice is to label all the boxes in detail!

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  8. It's boiling here as well and I'm a bit done with it - and I'm normally a fan of heat! It's definitely too hot to cook. I've heard good things about Memphis as well. I hope you have a wonderful week.

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    1. Katherine - It seems like this heat is getting to be a bit much ever for those not usually bothered by it... sigh. I convinced myself to try a new recipe for dinner tonight. We'll see how that goes. Hope Will is doing well this week.

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  9. It’s still quite chilly here, but probably not for much longer.
    I’m sorry for the loss of your FIL but I hope you find comfort spending time with family.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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    1. Shelleyrae - It's always hard to remember it's actually winter in part of the world! My FIL died in January, but we are all just able to get together for his memorial... bittersweet.

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  10. I don't think the temperature reached 60 yesterday and it's 57 as I'm writing this. Heat isn't a problem here in Northern Minnesota! I'm glad I'm not the only one with unread books on my shelf from 2008. I'm trying to read a couple of them this week. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. Kathy - I'd be thrilled with 60 for an overnight low, lol! I'm also happy to know you, and I'm sure others, have unread books from 2008 still on your shelves. Have a good week!

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  11. Isn't it great to finally read a book that has been on the shelves a while? I finished two like that last month...but they weren't from 2008. Impressive.

    I'm curious about Memphis. Here are my WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - It does feel like more of an accomplishment when a book has been on the shelf for so long, lol! I'm halfway through Memphis now and it's still very good.

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  12. Happy Reading! http://www.lyndonperrywriter.com/2022/08/book-date-monday-aug-8-2022.html

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  13. In Florida, it's hot and humid and I don't think it matters what time of day you try to walk. I know I can't do it. Too humid for me.

    I'm so sorry for your loss. Have a safe trip.

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    1. Yvonne - The humidity here feels just like FL at the moment. I didn't even walk this morning and will probably skip tomorrow, too... should be some improvement after that. Fingers crossed!

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  14. This summer has been so hot. I feel like I have lost my mojo for everything! I am more than ready for fall.

    Enjoy Vermont!

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    1. Erin - I'm looking forward to fall, too. We're going to stay up here long enough to enjoy the foliage... something I've really missed the last few years.

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  15. I do hope it is cooler up north for the memorial service. It sounds like you will be staying in a lovely place.

    I will enjoy hearing more about Memphis when you finish it. It certainly came highly recommended.

    I haven't been motivated to do a lot of cooking this summer either. Maybe I'll try a cold pasta salad this week. I do love it.

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    1. Deb - The forecasters are predicting much cooler weather up there this weekend... I sure hope they're right! I'm halfway through Memphis now and still enjoying it very much. Cold pasta salad sounds like a great idea!

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  16. I'm a big Julian Barnes and Simon Vance fan, but hadn't heard of The Pedant in the Kitchen, so thank you! I have access to Hoopla through the library, so I will definitely be looking for this one.

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    1. Laurie - I hope you enjoy The Pedant in the Kitchen! Barnes and Vance are both favorites of mine, too... but who knew Barnes liked to cook??

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  17. You have me putting the Memphis book on my list. I will get on the wait list for it at the library. Sounds pretty good. I hope you have a good get-together in Vermont ... even though for a sad reason. And it's still hot all over.

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    1. Susan - I finished Memphis last night... very good. If you have access to the audio, it's an excellent production. Looks like we'll have cooler weather for the weekend in Vermont - yay!

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  18. It's terribly hot here in Kansas too. I told my husband that I want to move to New England, but it sounds like you guys are suffering too! Glad to hear you had a lovely visit with your family. The Monsters of Templeton is intriguing. I have books like that, ones that have been on my TBR shelf forever.

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    1. Diana - Today (Wednesday) the heat wave has finally broken and I went for a longer walk... at last! I think we all have books on our tbr shelves that have been there far longer than we'd like to admit ;-)

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  19. Sorry to hear that it's been so hot! We're in Santa Rosa and it was hot today (80), but I don't mind. It's not humid and I'm happy to be in shorts and flipflops, if only for a few days. It will probably feel like winter when we get back to Oregon! ;)

    I've hardly read a thing since the start of our road trip. The purpose of this visit was mainly to attend my uncle's memorial (which was supposed to take place last August - he died in June 2021 - but was postponed due to covid), but it's been great catching up with family. I even got to spend some time getting to know one of my adult cousins whom I hadn't seen since I was five or six!

    Hope your trip to Vermont goes well. Memorials are filled with so much emotion, both happy & sad. Take care, JoAnn!

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    1. Les - The humidity has finally broken - hooray! It'll still be in the 80s, but at least I was able to walk this morning and even started a new audio. It's Remarkably Bright Creatures... Marin Ireland is one of the narrators and I love the male voice of the octopus, too. Already know I'm going to love this one.

      Glad you're spending time with family, but sorry for the reason behind it. Seems like we're all catching up on covid-postponed weddings and memorials. Sigh. Hope you continue to enjoy your travels... it's fun keeping up with your adventures on instagram! Take care.

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  20. I feel like we've been sizzling here in Texas since May! I'm ready for the hot days to be over. I hope the memorial service is lovely and a comfort to be surrounded by family!

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    1. Iliana - The memorial service was beautiful, but very emotional. We came back yesterday to much cooler temperatures... thankfully.

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  21. I've read some Julian Barnes but had not heard of the book of essays. Thanks for turning me on to Lessons in Chemistry. Our library didn't have a digital version so I suggested they purchase it. They did and put me on the wait list! I am deep into it now and it's a good book. Thank you for the suggestion.

    Vermont sounds nice and it will be good to have a quiet family gathering to remember your FIL.

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    1. Tina - I'm so glad you're enjoying Lessons in Chemistry. I still think about Elizabeth Zott - what a great character. We got back from VT last night.... some leaves are starting to change up there!

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  22. I confess I was not able to complete Monsters of Templeton but I've loved all the other books by Lauren Groff that I've read. Arcadia is my favorite. I'm currently enjoying Trust by Hernan Dias and playing with a new Bassett puppy. Think about restarting my blog, too.

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    1. James - So good to see you! The main reason I was able to complete The Monsters of Templeton is because Cooperstown, NY is practically local (at least to our old NY home) and I enjoyed reading about familiar locations and landmarks.Thanks for mentioning Arcadia... trying to decide whether to read more of her work. Hope you decide to restart your blog. Congrats on your new puppy and your retirement!!

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