Hi, remember me? I'm still here, but can't seem to manage any kind of blogging consistency lately. The summer seems to be flying by and it's been a hot, humid, and relatively dry one in our corner of CT. Friday we had a brief respite from the humidity, but still nothing in the way of rain. Overall, we've kept things low-key the last couple of months, and I couldn't be happier. There have been no major trips, weddings, or remodeling projects and as a result, it's been a pretty relaxing summer.
So what have we been doing? We visited central NY a couple of times to see my family and attend a bridal shower for my nephew's fiancé. Our oldest daughter and son-in-law moved into their house in West Hartford, so we've been trying to help them as much as possible. (We still have one more daughter and son-in-law left in NYC.) My morning walks, when they happen, have been early and we've been exploring historic sites, gardens, and lobster shacks all around the state. July was also a decent reading month.
Books Read in July
Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven
Speak to Me of Home by Jeanine Cummins
The Jane Austen Insult Guide for Well-Bred Women by Emily Reed
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison
Recent Reading//
Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout
This was my only unread Elizabeth Strout novel, and now I'm a completist! Originally published in 2006, it is a somber story about a Congregational minister in a small, rural Maine town trying to hold it all together after his wife's untimely death. He has two young daughters, parishioners with complex problems who look to him for guidance, and is also dealing with his own crisis of faith. As he tries to work through it all, the local gossip mill churns mercilessly painting an unfavorable, largely inaccurate portrait of Reverend Tyler Caskey.
As always, I loved Strout's writing, but this book will not go down as one of my favorites. It's worth a read especially if, like me, you're angling to become a Strout completist, but I much preferred the Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge novels.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Current Reading//
The Annotated Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, David Shapard
This year for Austen in August, I'm reading a couple chapters a day of Jane's longest novel and discussing with a small group over at Modern Mrs. Darcy book club. This annotated edition is nearly 900 pages long and I'm just past the midpoint.
The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman
A backlist (2020) title from a new favorite author, I've read just over a third of this one.
Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker
The real-time reading of this epistolary novel continues. It's getting creepy!
How is your summer going? What have you been reading lately?
