The Sunday Salon: February 26, 2023

 

Hello, friends. It's been a couple of weeks since my last update and, overall, the island is still slowly recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Ian. A couple more businesses have opened, FEMA debris haulers are everywhere, and there seems to be an uptick in building demolitions. 

This past week my sister and BIL were over on the east coast, so we decided to take a break from the destruction and drive across Alligator Alley to join them. A couple nights at a hotel on the beach with warm weather, cool breezes, and lush vegetation was just what we needed! The photo above is an east coast sunrise.

Recent reading//

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt: A Memoir

by Anonymous

narrated by Gabra Zackman, Lyle Lovett, J. Smith-Cameron

Part memoir and part joyful romp through the fields of imagination, the story behind a beloved pseudonymous Twitter account reveals how a writer deep in grief rebuilt a life worth living.

Do you follow Duchess Goldblatt on twitter? This is a lovely memoir, but one which would have been even more enjoyable if I'd been a DG follower from the very beginning. In case you're unfamiliar with her, this New York Times article will bring you up to speed. I listened to this one and Lyle Lovett narrating his own texts, letters, and conversation was an added bonus.

A Brother's Blood by Michael C. White

In the final days of World War II, Dieter Kallick, one of 200 German prisoners of war pressed into service at a Maine logging village, escaped into the woods. His body would later be found washed up on the shore of Moosehead Lake. Decades later, Wolfgang Kallick arrives in this same rural town, hoping to unravel the mystery of his brother's death. His questions trigger disturbing, long-dormant memories in Libby, a flinty Yankee store owner, and she is drawn inexorably into the drama when she realizes that her own family is involved in the case. Then Libby's own brother is killed. Suspecting that the two deaths, though nearly a half-century apart, are somehow linked, she undertakes her own investigation, not realizing that behind the sullen silence of her close-knit town lies a festering secret darker than she ever imagined.

This WWII historical fiction with a mystery is not my typical fare, but I decided to pick it up after meeting the author and his wife. We all had an enjoyable dinner and, naturally, talked a lot about books. At one point, the conversation turned to WWII POW camps in Maine... something I'd only learned about through reading  Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout. Turns out a Maine POW camp figures prominently in Micheal's first novel (published in 1996) so I decided to give it a try.

I've spent time in that part of Maine, so particularly enjoyed the setting. I also appreciated gradually coming to understand the characters and their motivations, the building suspense, and finally, the unexpected resolution. 

Current reading//

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This author's books are often mentioned during Nonfiction November, and last night I discovered this ebook on my library's website. Just 15% in, but I can already see why so many bloggers love her work.

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

by Patrick Bringly, narrated by the author

A fascinating, revelatory portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard.

I love the Met and just used an audible credit for this new release. Not sure whether I'll get started now or wait until my library hold of the print edition is available...

The week ahead//

We don't have any big plans this week, just a couple of meetings and appointments. Maybe that means I'll be able to finish another book before the end of the month... fingers crossed!

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.