The Sunday Salon: September 28, 2025

Here we are... the final Sunday of September and the first Sunday of fall. This photo was taken alongside the Lieutenant River two weeks ago, and I'm certain the view from that spot is much more colorful today. I'd planned to take a current photo for comparison, but was thwarted by the (much needed!) rain. Maybe this week.

We had some old friends visit for a few days last week. He's a childhood friend of my husband's and I have known them for over forty years. We haven't spend such a big chunk of time together in several years - it was so much fun!

It was also a good reading week and I managed to finish three books.

Recent reading//

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

Writers & Lovers was a favorite back in 2021 and I wanted to reread it before Lily King's new novel, Heart the Lover, comes out. It was just as enjoyable the second time around! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

This book hooked me immediately and kept me completely engrossed until the final sentence. As I turned the pages, my growing anger progressed to fury and outrage. For many years J&J has enjoyed the type of impeccable reputation most companies only dream about. Journalist Gardiner Harris says it time to set the record straight.  

Harris divides this exposé into four sections: Consumer Products (Johnson's Baby Powder and Tylenol), Prescription Drugs, Medical Devices (joint implants, etc.), and Vaccines. He details a decades-long pattern of putting profitability over patient safety, illegal sales and marketing tactics, and withholding critical information/outright lying to the FDA. All of this has resulted in staggering patient morbidity and mortality leading to lawsuits and judgements which are considered merely part of the cost of doing business. Harris goes on to offer a series of reasonable changes which would ensure a safer path forward. 

There is a fair amount of medical and technical detail presented here and, as a former hospital pharmacist, I was interested in every bit of it. Less medically-oriented readers may opt to skim some sections. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

narrated by Barbara Rosenblat and John Franklyn-Robbins

This cozy, feel-good reread was the perfect remedy for No More Tears! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

 

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker

The ongoing real time read-along continues... and it's getting really good!

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

I just started this book yesterday and love it already, despite the somber tone.

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

The Sunday Salon: The Last Day of Summer

 

Hello, friends. It's hard to believe today is the last full day of summer. As much as I love fall, I'm still sad to see it end. This has been such a pleasant, low-stress summer for us - and after the past few years, we've appreciated it so much! We're back home after spending ten days in central NY visiting  my parents, celebrating my mother's 90th birthday, and catching up with old friends. It was a wonderful trip, but it took most of this past week to get caught up. Here are the books I've finished since my last post...

Recent reading//

Good Morning Comrades by Onjake

This was the latest selection of my World Lit book club. It's a short novel set in 1990 Angola and told through the eyes of a 12-year-old schoolboy. At that time Angola was no longer a Portuguese colony, but is  in the midst of civil war. The boy tells of a criminal gang randomly attacking schools, pokes fun at his Cuban teachers, and is amazed that his visiting Portuguese aunt does not live with rationing. Viewing a political situation from a child's perspective made this an interesting read. I didn't know much about Angola's history, so spent a little time reading up on it first. That was very helpful. 

⭐⭐⭐

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower

 The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s

Have you heard about the Emma M. Lions series? They seem to be developing quite a following and I thought the first installment was a delight. My plan is to read the rest of the series, one per month, for the next seven months. Fans say these books just get better as the series progresses. The audio edition is available on hoopla and definitely added to my enjoyment.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

This is the September selection of the MMD book club and I loved it! Set in Nigeria and London from the 1970s - 1990s, it's billed as a modern retelling of Mansfield Park  by Jane Austen (which I reread last month) but you don't need to know anything about Austen's story to appreciate this one.

This is a novel that highlights family dynamics, race, culture, identity, and belonging. Funke, the quiet, studious daughter of a wealthy British mother (disowned by her family) and a Nigerian father, is sent to live with her mother's relatives in London after a tragic accident. The family is cold and distant with the exception of her cousin Liv. They develop a close relationship that is tested as the novel unfolds.

The story is at turns beautiful and gut-wrenching. It was a read/listen combination for me and the dual-narrator audio production is outstanding!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Current reading//

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

Another read/listen combination, this is both unputdownable and infuriating.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (reread)

I'm enjoying this book just as much the second time around.

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker

An ongoing, real time readalong... it's getting good now!

The week ahead//

We have some friends coming to visit for a few days midweek. We'll probably hit some of the more touristy attractions - always a good time. Our new gas fireplace unit is being installed Thursday. The mornings are getting a little chilly, so I'll be glad to see the old broken unit go! We may even get some much-needed rain. Fingers crossed!

How was your week? What have you been reading?

August Reading Wrap-Up and a List of September Possibilities

Hello, friends, and happy September! Fall is definitely on the way, but before I settle in with autumnal reading, here's a quick wrap-up of my August books.

August was a good reading month for me. I only read four books, but they were all winners. Two were  backlist titles from favorite authors, one was a classic reread (a long annotated edition this time) and I enjoyed one popular new release.

Books Read in August

Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout

literary fiction, I'm an Elizabeth Strout completist! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman

literary fiction, a favorite author,  backlist ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Annotated Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, David M. Shapard

classic, reread,  MMD Austen in August ⭐⭐⭐⭐

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

contemporary fiction, new release ⭐⭐⭐⭐

September Reading Possibilities

Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki 

World Lit Digital PBC, in translation (completed)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1 by Beth Brower 

historical fiction, buddy read project, (completed)

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

MMD September selection (in progress)

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

literary fiction, in translation, new release

Writers & Lovers by Lily King 

reread, literary fiction

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

nonfiction, read/listen combination

I finished the two short books already, so my September reading is already off to a good start. What was your favorite August book? What are you looking forward to reading this month?