Hello again, friends. We are finally back in Connecticut, but the photo above was taken earlier this month in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. We hadn't planned to stop, but a short travel day allowed for a spontaneous detour. This beautiful spot is at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. It's also the site of abolitionist John Brown's historic 1859 raid on the federal armory. We parked at the Harper's Ferry National Historic Park, and took a shuttle bus into the historic town.
We had time to explore the museums, shops, sip an afternoon coffee, and enjoy the natural beauty of the area. Definitely the highlight of an otherwise uninspired few days of travel!
After a couple days of unpacking and laundry at home, our next stop was a surprise Mother's Day visit to central New York. I told Mom we' be arriving Monday, but our CT daughter scheduled my Mother's Day brunch on Saturday so we were able to pull off the surprise!
As far as reading goes, there hasn't been much of that this month.
Recent reading//
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
This proved to be exactly the right book at the right time for me. I needed a page-turning plot, an unexpected twist or two, plus interesting, well-developed characters. Sally Hepworth delivered on all three counts. Plus, I just loved 81-year-old Mabel!
Mabel is a curmudgeonly old woman who keeps to herself, but seems to know about everything that happens on her street. When she discovers the dead body of an elderly neighbor, rumors from her past resurface. So many people around her died during her childhood. Did she really kill them all?
The story is told in dual timelines by young Mabel and present-day Mabel. When I was nearing the halfway point, the audio edition narrated by Hannah Fredericksen and Jenny Seedsman became available. It definitely added to my overall enjoyment.
This my second Sally Hepworth novel. (The Mother-in-Law was a solid 4-star read for me back in 2019 but, unfortunately, I never reviewed it here.) Now I'm officially a fan.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Current reading//
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The year-long slow read with Footnotes and Tangents continues and, despite our travels, I've managed to keep up with the schedule.
Yesterday I read a particularly vivid and moving chapter in which the character Natasha danced a classic Russian folk dance. From our daily recap/newsletter, I learned that the chapter is so notable that it inspired the title of Orlando Figes 2002 classic Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia... a title which has been on my tbr list for years.
About to start//
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
I pre-ordered this in hardcover and plan to get started this afternoon.
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
I'm not a big mystery reader, but Lippman is a reliable choice when the mood strikes. This will be my evening/kindle read.
The week ahead//
I can't believe Memorial Day is a week away. We have several chores and appointments scheduled this week. The most important is a getting our SUV serviced. It's one of the big tune-ups they do every 30,000 miles... and we've certainly put on a lot of miles lately!
On Saturday we'll celebrate our son-in-law's birthday. Then we're considering another trip to central NY on Sunday. We'll have a traditional Memorial Day cookout and I'll get to see the siblings I missed last weekend. I know my parents will appreciate another visit!
How have you been lately? What are you reading?
Enjoy your time in Connecticut! I have never been but it is a bucket list item. Memorial Day seems early this year, so I agree, hard to believe it is next week! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteCindy - Memorial Day seems so early this year, but I'm ready for summer! We love being on the CT coast... it's such a beautiful area.
DeleteI think I would like to visit Harper's Ferry. My mom went and told me I would enjoy it. I need to go! It sounds like you had a great week!
ReplyDeleteErin - There's so much history around Harper's Ferry, and it is just gorgeous in the spring!
DeleteLovely photos, JoAnn! Glad you guys have made it to CT and also glad you're getting to spend time with family. Hope you have a good week!
ReplyDeleteKay - I'm happy to be close to family again! It was harder for people to travel this winter, so we didn't have quite a many guests in FL. Hope your week is off to a good start.
DeleteYay you're there! Pretty photos and glad you stopped off in Harpers Ferry, which is a pretty interesting historical place. (I've been to when I lived in the DC area.) And I've heard great things about the new Strout novel ... so you can vet it for us. I'm on the long library wait list for it. I've also seen various good reviews of the Hepworth novel ... so good to hear as well. Enjoy your Memorial Day plans.
ReplyDeleteSusan - How long did you live in the DC area? We spent several months there when my husband was taking a class at Walter Reed and both loved it! I mostly read the Post and visited Museums (took a leave from work) and we traveled to surrounding areas every weekend. That was back in the late 80s and we still like to visit.
DeleteYes I had a great time too living in the DC area ... and lived in Arlington from 1993 to 2008 ... about 15 years full-time and another 2 years for part of the year. It's a dynamic place ... and I made lots of friends while at the Post. I'm glad you were there & continue to visit.
DeleteSusan - You were in the DC area for quite a while! My son-in-law lived there for a couple of years shortly after he graduated from college and loved it. What an exciting, vibrant city!
DeleteHarper's Ferry looks beautiful! I'm reading the Strout now, and it's devastating (in the best way).
ReplyDeleteAmy - I started the Strout today. So good... loved the shout out to Olive Kitteridge! I want to read it slowly to make it last longer.
DeleteMe too (read it slowly, and also the shoutout to Olive). She's such a great writer.
DeleteThat is a fantastic surprise for the visit to see your folks for Mother's Day. Great planning. The stop in West Virginia looks like a fun time.
ReplyDeleteDoug and I have realized we like travel in theory but not in reality. This week we have been bounced the ideas back and forth between flying or driving to Nebraska. Loki gets kenneled less time if we fly, but we'd have to rent a car.
Driving takes a long time and we'd eat out more...ugh.
I am enjoying reading YesterYear with Susan and finished a very light womens fiction genre called The Mudlarkers Club by Jane Riley. Also picked up The Young Will Remember by Eve Chung from the lkibrary . AND the Classic Club Spin came up with Hotel Du Lac for my next book. It's hot here so I am in quite a bit anyway reading.
Tina - That's a tough travel decision, but I bet Loki would vote for flying, lol. We enjoy our drives to/from FL and seeing new places, but sometimes flying seems like it would be easier.
DeleteHope you enjoy Hotel du Lac. It's a quiet novel that really grew on me, though it's been years since I read it. Can't decide whether to try Yesteryear or not... I'll see what you and Susan have to say about it.
Loved the pictures of Harpers Ferry--I loved visiting the area as well. Glad you were able to fit it in.
ReplyDeleteMad Mabel sounds terrific--the premise reminds me of the Vera Wong stories, which I loved.
I'm intrigued by Natasha's Dance--thanks for the link. I don't remember that chapter--I wish I did. One a related note, if you haven't seen a production of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, I can highly recommend it.
I am relistening to Murder Takes a Vacation and it is so fun and light and silly. Very light on the mystery and totally implausible for the most part, but fun. Hope you enjoy it.
JanesGS - I enjoyed the first Vera Wong book a couple of months ago and hope to read the second later this year. I think Mabel is a more interesting and complicated character. I'll be curious to hear what you think if you decide to try Mad Mabel.
DeleteThe W&P chapter with Natasha's dance is Book 2, part 4, chapter 7. I'm considering a slow read of Natasha's Dance starting in the fall.
I started Murder Takes a Vacation last night - fun so far!
Love a right book at the right time! I do really want to read Mad Mabel. It sounds so intriguing. Harper's Ferry is on my To Visit list. It looks fascinating and beautiful. I hope you have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I really enjoy Mad Mabel and want to read more by Sally Hepworth. The detour to Harper's Ferry was such a pleasant surprise... I tend to be a planner when it comes to travel and it was a new experience to make an unplanned stop!
DeleteI can't wait to read the new Elizabeth Strout. I need to request it soon. And I'm glad to see how much you enjoyed Mad Mabel. I got it in from the library, but I had to return it before I got a chance to read it.
ReplyDeleteDeb - I'm sure I could tear through the new Elizabeth Strout in a day or two, but am slowing down to make it last. So good!!
DeleteI'm so glad to hear that you are enjoying it!
DeleteWelcome home! I'll bet you're happy to be closer to family. Love the photo of Harper's Ferry. I like spontaneous stops on road trips like that. It looks like the weather was lovely, too. I'll bet your mom loved your surprise visit at brunch! Mad Mabel seems to be hitting a lot of blogs this month. I'll look for it on audio (and The Mother-in-Law, which has been on my TBR list for a long time!). I gave my mom the new Strout book for Mother's Day, so I'm excited to read it after we get home from our road trip. I finished Heart the Lover last night, and while I was lukewarm about it at the halfway mark (Sam and Yash both annoyed me so much!), I couldn't stop reading the last 100 pages and read for two hours after Rod fell asleep, finishing around midnight. The ending just about gutted me. I silently cried, and would have sobbed, but didn't want to wake Rod and scare him! We'll be in the Olympic National Forest over Memorial Day Weekend (which is so early this year!) We might go over to the Lake Quinault Lodge for lunch on Monday. They have a lovely dining room in the lodge. We're currently in Port Townsend, enjoying the gorgeous view of the water and the Cascades. Just spotted a couple of HUGE cruise ships heading out from Seattle, probably going up to Alaska. Take care, JoAnn! Sorry this is such a long comment. ;)
ReplyDeleteLes - The spontaneous detour to Harper's Ferry was something new for us. I tend to carefully plan stops and activities on our trips, though this time it was mostly about getting from point A to point B. It was quite a memorable day.
DeleteMad Mabel and The Mother-in-Law were both so good! I don't remember whether I read or listened to The MIL, but the audio for Mad Mabel made the book even better for me. I'll definitely explore more of her backlist.
Heart the Lover was one of my top two novels last year. I read it immediately after The Correspondent and both made me cry.... ugly tears in the case of Heart the Lover. I'm not sure I've ever had back-to-back books that made me cry like that!
Sounds like you're having a wonderful trip. I would love to see Port Townsend some day!! Enjoy the rest of your travels!
Harper’s Ferry is one of my favorite places to visit - although, it’s a lot more touristy these days than it was when I first stumbled onto it a few decades much like you guys decided to stop for a look while passing through the area. So much history there. I’m about to begin the new Strout book, too, and I’m really looking forward to it because she’s never let me down. And it looks like I’m going to have to take a look at Mad Mabel; sounds like a fun book.
ReplyDeleteSam - It's good to hear from you...I thought you'd stopped blogging! Harper's Ferry was such a pleasant surprise. We'd like to plan a stop there again and spend a little more time. I finished Strout's new book this afternoon and loved it. Easily my favorite book so far this year! She gets political in a way she has not in the past, but never mentions the current president by name. There's also a delightful reference to Olive Kitteridge. Hope you love it, too!
DeleteThat little side adventure looks really interesting and I'll bet your mom loved her surprise.
ReplyDeleteJinjer - My mom did love the surprise. It's been over a decade since I've had the opportunity to visit her on Mother's Day.
DeleteI quite like the idea of spending part of the year in a different part of the country. And I also loved Mad Mabel!
ReplyDeleteHelen - It's not what we had planned to do, but seems to be working out pretty well. I can't stop thinking about Mad Mabel - what a great character!
DeleteLovely pix as always. Didn't even know there was a new Elizabeth Strout! I must be slipping.
ReplyDeleteNicola - This one was just released and is classic Elizabeth Strout! It's set in Massachusetts, rather than Maine, and features an entirely new cast of characters. The novel does get political in a way none of her previous books have but, given the current state of our country, I understand why these themes are on her mind.
DeleteJoann,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear you're back and getting settled. I put Mad Mabel on hold at the library. Thanks!
Judith - I hope you enjoy Mad Mabel. It's been a couple of weeks and I still find myself thinking about her. My mother and sister both put holds on it, too.
Delete