Hello, friends. As May winds down, my husband and I were talking about how long this month has seemed! It's hard to believe we started it off in Florida... that seems like ages ago. We took several days to drive back to CT, and have visited my parents in central NY - twice. No wonder we're exhausted!
We're done with travel for a while now, but this weekend has still been full of family. Our NYC daughter, son-in-law, and Winnie the Whippet are here for a long visit. My Pennsylvania brother and sister-in-law stopped for lunch yesterday on their way to Providence, and later today we'll see our CT daughter and her husband, too. It will be the first time the seven of us been together since Christmas!
As far as reading goes, I finished a couple of books, am enjoying my current read, and continue to make progress on War and Peace.
Recent reading//
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout is back with a new, stand-alone novel. This one is set in Massachusetts, rather than Maine, and features an entirely new cast of characters. Fifty-something Artie Dam is a popular high school history teacher. While appearing to be friendly and jovial, he inwardly harbors growing feelings of isolation and loneliness. After discovering a long-held family secret, Artie loses his precarious balance. Once again, Strout offers the reader a masterful portrayal of the human condition. She even includes an oblique reference to Olive Kitteridge, which I found delightful.
One notable surprise... this novel gets political in a way none of her previous books have. Given the current state of our country, it's not surprising these topics are on her mind. Strout never mentions the current president by name, but some readers may find it a bit heavy-handed. This is not my favorite Elizabeth Strout novel, but I still loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
Ready for some lighter entertainment, I turned to Laura Lippman's new cozy mystery. I'm hoping it the first in a series featuring 68-year-old Muriel Blossom, a former employee of Lippman's detective Tess Monaghan. Mrs. Blossom, a widow, has recently won the lottery and sets off an adventure - her first trip abroad, followed by a cruise with her best friend. Instead she finds herself entangled in an art theft/fraud scheme, a potential romance, and an unexpected death or two. This read/listen combo was a lot of fun, and I particularly recommend the audio.
⭐⭐⭐💫
Current reading//
The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen
Have you seen Ann Patchett's Friday videos on instagram? This was a recent New-to-You pick and I was "influenced" to pick up a 418-page 1938 novel by Irish author Elizabeth Bowen. It starts slowly, took me a minute to adjust to the language and writing style, but now I don't want to put it down! 52%
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The yearlong slow read with Footnotes & Tangents continues. This week we hit the 600 page mark! I really like reading just one chapter per day and am not sure I could get through this tome any other way.
How was your week? What have you been reading?
That is a lot of road tripping! But it sounds like it was all fun though. Hopefully you get some good rest days in now, full of books!
ReplyDeleteErin - It was a lot of fun, but so tiring.I'm happy to be able to sleep in my own bed for a while now!
DeleteI had to laugh when I read your opening paragraph here. Doug said exactly the same thing about May...why did it take so long?! Well this is the last day of it and onwards to June.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are having lots of family time, visits and enjoying being with your daughters. Currently wish I could teleport to Nebraska to see our kiddo....maybe some cooler temperatures.
Today I have shaping up my list of books for the next few months. Love making a list.
Tina - Happy June! We made through May, but it really was a long month. We'll have family in and out for the next couple of weeks, so the fun continues. Hope you can make it out to Nebraska soon. I'm making my June reading list, too.
DeleteLooks like good stories. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNas - Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI'm hoping that Lippman makes a series for Muriel Bloom. I think her story has legs! Glad you enjoyed it, and I agree that the audio was the way to go with this one.
ReplyDeleteI was in the habit of listening to Ann Patchett's weekly audio recommendations, and then for some reason it fell off my radar. Lovely that you found a winner with her. I am eager to read her new book.
Sounds like fun family times in May. Enjoy your summer up north!
JaneGS - I noticed that goodreads has this book labeled Mrs. Blossom Mystery #1and hope that means more are planned.
DeleteI've gotten some good recommendations from Ann Patchett's Friday videos. Years ago I read Bowen's The House in Paris and liked it well enough, but am surprised by how this one has drawn me in. Great writing!
I have The Death of the Heart on my Classics Club longlist. I'm glad to see that you are enjoying it so much. And I'm delighted that you liked the new Elizabeth Strout book. I can't wait to read that one.
ReplyDeleteDeb - I'm surprised by my reaction to The Death of the Heart. Bowen's writing is so good!
DeleteYou guys have really been busy, but it all sounds like great family fun. Hard to believe we are moving into official Hurricane Season tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed. I’m a little behind on my book reviews right now, but I’ll have my thoughts out there soon (I don’t use star ratings, but I woud unofficially call this one a 4-star book if I did.)
ReplyDeleteI’ve never read Bowen, so I’ll be watching for your thoughts on her work. Looks like your War and Peace reading is kind of like mine of the long Mark Twain bio…gonna be a while.
Sam - I read Bowen's A House in Paris over a decade ago and it was fine, but didn't make me want to read more of her work. Ann Patchett convinced me to give her another try and I''m glad I did. Her writing, especially landscape descriptions and general proclamations on human behavior, is just so good.
DeleteWar and Peace is a long haul book, for sure, but I'm enjoying the slow reading experience. It's starting to feel like the characters are old friends, lol!
I looked at Chernow's bio at the Mark Twain House in Hartford last fall... it was tremendously heavy!! Are you reading on a kindle??
Hi JoAnn,
ReplyDeleteI've just started reading The Things We Never Say and have forced myself to slow my reading speed way, way down. The book warrants that. So much to consider!
And! I had no idea that Elizabeth Bowen wrote this novel!! I am surprised I don't know it at all, and am so interested to hear that you're deeply into it.
And I have so many reading plans for the summer, my favorite season for delving and diving ever so deeply into books.
Judith - The Things We Never Say made me slow down and savor, too. Strout is such a good writer and her insights into what makes people tick always amaze me. The political bent was unexpected, but understandable. Sigh.
DeleteHope to finish Bowen's book this week and will have more to say soon.... it's been a very pleasant surprise!
I loved the Strout. I guess I'm getting to that stage of life where reading about older people (my age, heh) engages and moves me more and more. I'm interested to see what you think when you finish the Bowen. I haven't read it, but now I'm curious about it.
ReplyDeleteAmy - Ha! I'm enjoying older protagonists more and more these days, too... most recently Mad Mabel. Hope to finish the Bowen this week
DeleteGreat update and lovely picture. You have me curious about Elizabeth Bowen, who I don't know at all, so I will add to my fall TBR. And great news about Strout's latest another 5 stars, woohoo! I guess I'm ok the politics in it are heavy-handed -- I feel heavy-handed too about what's going on. I can't help it. It's bleak to have everyday and a must to limit the intake. Keep reading and enjoying your walks & sights. Yay.
ReplyDeleteSusan - Bowen was pretty well-known in her day. She was shortlisted the Booker Prize toward the end of her career and served as a judge, too. Her writing is impressive, though it did take time for me to adjust. More next week...
DeleteMay did feel longer than most months this year, didn't it? We have family visiting this month, so I have a couple of weeks to get ready for that, as well as catching up around the house & yard since being away for a few weeks in the RV. Finally finished all of our laundry last night. Phew!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that Strout's new book is a winner. I've read a couple of reviews on Goodreads in which the reader didn't care for the political slant, but that won't bother me. I think Tell Me Everything touched on our current administration, too, didn't it? Maybe not as much as this one. Or maybe I'm thinking of an entirely different book & author!
I'm glad to hear you are still plugging away with your long book (War and Peace). I didn't take The Winds of War with me on our trip, so I need to get back to it. Fortunately, it's the sort of novel that I can put down and pick up again and not forget what's going on.
I made progress with The House of Special Purpose (John Boyne) yesterday, while doing laundry. Today will be busy, but I hope to spend at least an hour this afternoon reading more of the book.
Have a lovely week, JoAnn!
Les - I was trying to remember if Tell Me Everything touched on politics! It may have, but probably in passing or it would have made more of an impression. This one was a lot. I'll be curious to see what you think.
DeleteI'm not familiar with The House of Special Purpose, but have Boyne's The Elements on my list.
Glad you're home and unpacked, but it sounds like you've got another busy month ahead. Enjoy the time with family!
Sounds like a busy month! The Strout and the Lippman are both on my TBR. I will definitely pick up the audio for the Lippman. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - The Lippman book was a lot of fun. I don't read many mysteries, but I sure enjoyed this one. Audio is definitely the way to go!
DeleteLove that very interesting picture! Rain coming in? Glad you have been able to spend time with family. Enjoy your June reading!!
ReplyDeleteKay - Yes, rain coming in and quickly passing. This was taken at our town beach on the Long Island Sound. I love being near the water!
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