The Sunday Salon: The Last Lazy Days of Summer

Hello, friends! After a whirlwind 24-hour midweek trip to NYC for our daughter's final wedding gown fitting, I'm happy to be spending a quiet weekend at home. Yesterday we attended a local parade/celebration in honor of the Fire Department's 100th anniversary and today I'm hoping to just read and relax. 

Covid is behind me at last, but it took a full two weeks to get rid of the lingering cough and fatigue this time. At least the recovery period allowed for time to finish off a few books.

RECENT READING//

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln 

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

I started this book at the end of May. My plan was to read it slowly over the course of a couple of months, but travel and Covid stretched that timeline. It feels like I've been talking about Goodwin and Lincoln here all summer so, now that I'm finished, I'll just add that this is one of the most amazing books I've ever read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

The Annotated Persuasion by Jane Austen, David M. Shapard 

I've read Persuasion before, but this was the first time I've ever read an annotated edition of an Austen novel. After a bit of experimentation, I settled into a routine of reading the unannotated chapter on my kindle, then picking up my annotated paperback to read the notes. Even though I am familiar with Austen's language, the notes still added plenty of interesting historical context and enhanced my overall reading experience. I plan to look for another annotated edition when it's time for my next Austen reread.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dayswork by Chris Bachelder, Jennifer Habel 

This was unlike any novel I’ve ever read. In fact, I had to keep reminding myself that it actually was  a novel! It read more like the pandemic memoir of a Herman Melville enthusiast. Overall Dayswork  proved more interesting than enjoyable but, for the first time in my life, I briefly considered reading Moby Dick. And that's something! This is the September selection for MMD book club.

⭐⭐⭐

CURRENT READING//

 

September by Rosamunde Pilcher

I thought about waiting until September to get started, but I'm ready for a dose of Pilcher's coziness and comfort right now!  This will be a buddy read with Tina and Les.😀

In the kitchen//

I have a new recipe to share... finally! My favorite dish at one of our favorite Sanibel restaurants is Trout Amandine. I've been ordering it for years, but have never tried preparing trout at home... until last night. The trout was on sale at a local grocery, so I searched for a recipe and settled on this one from allrecipes. It was quick, simple, and tasted almost  as good as the restaurant! I'll definitely make it again.

The week ahead//

Next weekend is Labor Day?! Most of the local schools start classes this week but other than a couple of lunches with friends, I don't have much planned. One thing I would like to do is review my summer reading, figure out what I still might finish by the end Labor Day weekend, and start working on a fall plan. September is coming...

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

The Sunday Salon: Covid... again!

With all of our activities lately, I suppose it was bound to happen... and it did. I got Covid, again. I started feeling rotten Monday, tested Wednesday morning, and finally began feeling more like myself again by Friday night. Today I'm almost back to normal, but it's been a long week.

Recent Reading//

Elena Knows

by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle

This novel really got to me. Several days have passed and I can't seem to shake it. The author was able to do so much in just 150 pages - truly masterful. Let me warn you thought, it's a difficult novel to read, especially if Parkinson's Disease has impacted someone in your life. 

Elena is an elderly widow suffering from Parkinson's Disease. Her daughter, and full-time caregiver, is  found hanging in the church bell tower one morning. The death is ruled a suicide, but Elena knows this can't be true and sets out to prove it. I thought this was going to be a murder mystery, but the novel evolves into an examination of their mother-daughter relationship instead.

I read this book for Women in Translation month. The ebook and audio are both available on hoopla.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

The Annotated Persuasion

by Jane Austen, David M. Shapard

This is a reread for me, but the first time I've ever read an annotated edition. 

Dayswork by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel

This is such an unusual novel! Strangely interesting, but I have to keep reminding myself that it's fiction. I've read about a third of it.

In the endless days of the pandemic, a woman spends her time sorting fact from fiction in the life and work of Herman Melville....

Absorbing, charming, and intimate, Dayswork considers the blurry lines between life and literature, the slippage between what happens and what gets recorded, and the ways we locate ourselves in the lives of others. In wry, epigrammatic prose, Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel have crafted an exquisite and daring novel.

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

I didn't had the brain power for this book while I was sick, so set it aside for most of the week. With about 200 pages to go, I'm hoping to finish this week.

The week ahead//

This will hopefully be a low-key week. I'll be happy get the basics accomplished (grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, etc.) and spend the afternoons reading.

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

July Reading Wrap-Up and List of August Possibilities

Happy August, friend. This is not a month I usually look forward to, but after a June and July filled with travel, weddings, and family celebrations,  I am happily anticipating a slower paced, relaxed month at home.  

Despite our July travels, it turned out to be a better reading month than I was expecting. I finished four novels, plus made some progress  on my Team of Rivals nonfiction project. The novels were mostly light and easy to read... exactly what the month called for!

BOOKS READ IN JULY

Olga Dies Dreaming by  by Xóchitl González

fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

my brief comments

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

 fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

my brief comments 

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

romance, ⭐⭐⭐

my brief comments

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

my brief comments

The above graphic is a new feature at The Storygraph. As far as I can tell, Storygraph is a goodreads alternative which offers better statistics and lots of graphics. Last January I decided to test it out for a year, but so far it hasn't been quite as useful for me... probably because my friends are all on goodreads. Have you explored The Storygraph?

AUGUST READING POSSIBILITIES

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

in progress, I'll finish this month

The Annotated Persuasion

by Jane Austen, David M. Shapard 

in progress - a community read with MMD 

Elena Knows

by Claudia Piñeiro,  Frances Riddle (Translator)

August is Women in Translation Month

Fresh Water for Flowers

by Valérie Perrin, Hildegarde Serle (Translator)

from my Summer Reading List, another WiT possibility

Dayswork

by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel

MMD September selection

September by Rosamunde Pilcher

a buddy read beginning in late August

How was your month? What was your favorite July book?