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//
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.
I agree with you on Team of Rivals! And I like your reference to Melville — I have read Moby Dick and I am reading some of his earlier sea stories. The way you read the chapters of Austen first, then the notes, sounds usefu.
ReplyDeletebest,mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - I'm still contemplating Moby Dick and wondering if starting with Melville's shorter novel or stores might be better.
DeleteGlad you are feeling better and have a quiet weekend to relax and recharge! Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cindy. Covid is no joke.
DeleteI'm glad your bout with Covid is over. The Rosamunde Pilcher book looks good. I hope you enjoy it and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - I spent some time this afternoon reading Pilcher... just delightful.
DeleteHow exciting about going for a final fitting! The wedding must be soon! Have a relaxing week ahead JoAnn!
ReplyDeleteJodie - The wedding is Sept 14th. We can't wait!
DeleteI'm glad you're getting over COVID and I'm glad that Team of Rivals was as awesome as I would expect a Doris Kearns Goodwin book TO be.
ReplyDeleteJinjer - DKG is just an amazing writer and storyteller. She makes history positively riveting! I'm trying to decide whether I'll try her new book or the one about LBJ next.
DeleteWe had Something this summer---we never tested---that lingered on and on. We plan to get the new vaccine soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to see how much you enjoyed Team of Rivals. It made a perfect Big Book for you this summer. I'm tempted.
Deb - My husband never tested either, but I'm pretty sure I got it from him! I seem to read a Big Book every summer and really should join Sue's challenge... next year I will.
DeleteTeam of Rivals would make a good selection for Shelleyrae's nonfiction challenge next year. I will write that down. Loving September already and it seems Pilcher does very well with her fat epic stories.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet your daughter is excited about the wedding. Is it in late September or earlier?
That trout sure looks great. Saving the recipe. Glad you are over the Covid. Wicked thing it was and i am getting a vaccine after the three month period is up. Back to reading today!
Tina - Team of Rivals is a real time commitment, but well worth it. I've read a little over 100 pages of September and am loving it. Pilcher is just so comforting to read!
DeleteI prepare fish frequently and the trout was so easy to prepare. I don't know why I've never tried it before!
The wedding is coming up on September 14th. We'll probably head up early in the week. I'll need to get a haircut and take care of a few last minute details. It's all so exciting!
Hope you and Doug are completely over Covid soon.
Glad to hear your COVID is over. I'm not happy about this new variant.
ReplyDeleteVicki - This variant was tough! I'm going to wait three months and get one of the new vaccines. Don't want to go through that again!
DeleteI"m glad to know that you are over Covid. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get it before (or during!) our big road trip next month!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing Team of Rivals. There's something about reading a big book like that over several months that's so appealing. I think I would retain more that way rather than trying to read it quickly. I have her latest book ready to order for my husband for Christmas. I'll read it in 2025.
Moby Dick is my husband's all-time favorite book. I've tried to read it, but have never finished. Maybe a buddy read in 2025?
That trout looks delicious. My favorite seafood is halibut and I had it with grilled peaches last night at a local restaurant (Local Oceans).
Somehow, I'm a week behind mentally. I keep thinking I have a few weeks before our trip, but we leave a week from Thursday. As always, there's a lot to accomplish before we head out, so the next week is going to be busy. I've started September and am taking a lot of notes for our chats. Off to hike with a couple of friends this morning. It's probably the longest hike I've done since Glacier NP. Hope I can keep up! :)
Have a good week, JoAnn!
Les - I think there is a lot of Covid around us right now. Lots of people are masking again... especially in the grocery stores. Hope you and Rod avoid it!
DeleteDKG's latest book looks really good. I'm probably going to read it sometime next year, too.
I'm not surprised Moby Dick is Rod's favorite book! I've never attempted it and have never even been tempted before reading Dayswork. Mellville seems to be an interesting person, and I'm curious about his relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne! I'd definitely consider a buddy read if I'm feeling ambition... might be the only way I can get through it!
Halibut is one of my favorites, too. Serving it with grilled peaches sounds delicious!
Hope you enjoyed the hike today. You live in such a beautiful place! I've read just over 100 pages of September, but haven't stopped to take any notes... I need to get with the program, lol! Hope you have a wonderful trip!
I'm glad that you're feeling better after COVID. I enjoy annotated versions of classic novels -- I learn so much! Sometimes, the annotations are the only thing that gets me through. Dubliners by James Joyce was one of those.
ReplyDeleteJoy - I love classics, but this is the first time I've read an annotated edition. It added to much to the experience, that I will look for one next time. I can see where it would be a huge help with Joyce... wonder if there's one for Moby Dick?!
DeleteTeam of Rivals is pretty spectacular. You may have had the right idea about reading it at the pace you did because there's so much information to absorb in that fat book. That's an interesting approach to the annotated version of Persuasion. I've only tried one annotated novel, one of Willa Cather's, and it didn't really work that well for me because the notes kept distracting me from the flow of the novel. Maybe I can try another one and take a chapter to chapter approach similar to what you describe here.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe it's almost Labor Day, but happy to see the approach of the end of another Hurricane Season. Hopefully, I'll have my in-house generator installed before the next one...
Sam - I think Team of Rivals is even more remarkable than Goodwin's books about The Kennedys and Fitzgerald's or FDR... what an achievement! I'd like to read her latest next year.
DeleteAs far as the annotations go, I almost gave up on them. First I tried reading them as they came up, but that took me away from the story too much. The Austen editions are set up so the text is on the left pages with notes on the right pages. Even saving them for the end of the chapter, I still found them distracting in the paperback. I finally settled on reading a chapter on my kindle, then going back to the paperback for the notes... it worked SO much better and the notes were both interesting and enriching.
I'll be glad when hurricane season ends, too. Even up here, we still keep such a close eye on things. It seems like the "I" storms have been particularly tough on the FL gulf coast for the past decade and we're not quite there yet. I'm sure it will be a relief to have your generator installed!
I'm glad you're on the mend! We spent the weekend in NYC. I spent one day there 9 years ago but we were just spending the night with my husband's cousin, who lived there, while attending our friend's funeral in New Jersey. Cuz showed us around a bit on our second day but it was all a grief-filled blur. I'm not a fan of crowds so I haven't felt the need to go back but my husband talked me into it since we're so close. I actually had a good time and only got overwhelmed by the sheer number of people twice. I don't think I got too cranky either time :-) I would be open to going back for another long weekend at some point.
ReplyDeleteI like your approach to the annotated Persuasion. Footnotes and annotations drive me crazy because I can't settle into the plot but I can't just ignore them either. I'll have to try it your way the next time I read one.
Enjoy your week!
Jen - There are certain areas of Manhattan I try to avoid, Times Square for one. For some museums, etc you just can't avoid the crowds, but I try to mentally prepare before going, lol!
DeleteThe annotations were not distracting when I read them after each chapter. Sometimes I wanted to just start in on the following chapter, but pausing to reflect and read annotations is not a bad thing.
I am glad you're feeling better, they fatigue is so tough because it stops one from doing almost everything.
ReplyDeleteAt least you got in some really good reading! I feel like my reading is taking a back burner these days.
Helen - Between travel and your heavy work load, I can understand how reading has to take a back seat for a while. Hope you get some time over the Labor Day weekend to read and relax!
DeleteSo glad that you enjoyed Team of Rivals--the more I learn about Lincoln the more in awe I am of his political saavy (it's actually more genius than saavy, I think). I hope to read this book this fall.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the annotated Persuasion was worthwhile. Such a wonderful book!
Enjoy September - the book and the month!
JaneGS - I think Lincoln really was a political genius and plan to read more about him. I also learned a lot about Seward in ToR and am pretty impressed with him, too. His Auburn, NY home is not too far from where we lived and we've taken several tours over the years, but this book gave a much fuller picture of his relationship with Lincoln.
DeleteSeptember the book is just delightful so far, and a nice change of pace from Lincoln and Austen. This morning I noticed a definite change in the air and the hint of leaves about to start changing... September the month is practically here!
Congrats on finishing Team of Rivals. It sounds fascinating and a wonderful big read. And the annotated Austen book helps to explain it but doesn't slow you up too much? I want to know if it makes it more accessible. I just finished James and the House of Doors and both were excellent. Have fun with the Pilcher book and I hope you get some down time now.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. Finishing Team of Rivals felt like an accomplishment. As for the Austen, the notes took up nearly as much page space as the actual text, so it did take quite a bit more time to read. I've read Austen enough so it already feels accessible. I just skimmed over notes pertaining to language/word usage, but I did pick up some interesting historical context and facts. Loving the Pilcher book already!
DeleteSo glad you're feeling better and that the lingering cough has gone away. That always seems to take forever regardless of what the illness was and it is not fun. I really need to try an annotated Austen story. I think I would really enjoy that and I am definitely in the mood for some Pilcher coziness. I hope you're having a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I just finished the Pilcher novel today and it was perfect coziness! Just love her novels!
DeleteI am so glad you are feeling better, JoAnn. I just heard from a friend who just returned from a trip to Europe that she's tested positive. A few people at work have it now too and others seem to have caught a bad flu bug that's going around as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience reading the annotated version of Persuasion with us. It sounds like a great way to delve deeper into a favorite classic.
I hope you are enjoying your current read and enjoying your Labor Day holiday! Have a great week, JoAnn!
Thanks, Wendy. It seems like everyone who has traveled this summer came home with Covid. I'm seeing a lot more masks here in CT, especially in the grocery stores. I just finished up September by Rosamunde Pilcher this weekend ... so, so good.
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