The Sunday Salon: August 23, 2026

August is winding down... I'm not even sure how that's possible. We had a nice long weekend visit with my parents last weekend, got to see our new grandniece again (she's two months old and changing so fast!) and spend some time with our kids. We went out to dinner with friends last week and I was even able to spend an afternoon reading in the sunroom on my zero-gravity lounger!

Recent reading//

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, David Shapard

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels. I'm not sure how many times I've read it, but it's always a delight. This year for Austen in August, I read an annotated edition slowly over three weeks with a group from Modern Mrs. Darcy. Shapard includes many historical facts and illustrations, plus he explains references Austen makes which she would have expected readers of that era to get. Naturally it takes longer to read these annotated editions (this one was 780 pages!) but I settled into a comfortable pattern of reading the notes after every chapter or two. This was my third Shapard-annotated Austen novel and I'm already planning to tackle another next summer.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley

I'm wrapping up Austen in August with a biography.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The great read-along continues... 900 pages/70% in and counting!

In the kitchen//

My sister sent me this Baked Pineapple Salmon recipe a couple of years ago, and maybe I've even shared it here before. Since it's easy, delicious, and looks really special on a serving platter (perfect for guests) it's become a favorite.  I made it again a couple of nights ago... increasing the oven temperature to 425 degrees and baking just a little longer.  It's always a winner!

Coming up soon//

We will head to NYC next Sunday to await the birth of our grandson. The current plan calls for our daughter to be induced on Monday 8/31. We were fortunate to find a short-term furnished rental just a block from their apartment and have made arrangements to stay for a month. We can help out as much as needed, plus my husband has always wanted to spend an extended period of time in the City. I've renewed my Met membership and look forward to frequent walks in Central Park! 

Today I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this relentless rain stops soon. One of our favorite local bands is playing in the final outdoor concert of the summer. 🤞🤞🤞

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Years of August Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. It's been a while since I played along, but this week's prompt was too interesting to skip! 

What did your last ten years of August reading look like? I chose one memorable August book from each of the last ten summers.

2025 - Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout

Last summer I became an Elizabeth Strout completist!

2024 - The Annotated Persuasion by Jane Austen, David Shapard

Another year of Austen in August

2023 - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

When Ann Patchett publishes a new novel, I read it immediately!

2022 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I loved this audio production and can still hear the voice of Marcellus!

2021 - The Street by Ann Petry

What a memorable experience it was to read this classic in the author's hometown!

2020 - Beach Read by Emily Henry

If ever there was a summer that called for light reading, 2020 was it!

2019 - The Leavers by Lisa Ko

I still think about this book and, sadly, it's still relevant.

2018 - The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

If it's summer, there must be a new Elin Hiderbrand novel!

2017 - My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul

Delightfully bookish memoir from the former editor of the NYTimes Book Review.

2016 - Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Very funny... in a passive-aggressive kind of way!

This topic was suggested by Anne at Head Full of Books.

Find other Top Ten Tuesday posts here.

 

July Reading Wrap -Up and A List of August Possibilities

It's August and still very much summer around here. We've had way too much heat and humidity (along with much of the country) punctuated by frequent thunderstorms. This past week our NYC daughter, son-in-law, and Winnie the Whippet have been here - their last visit before the baby arrives at the end of the month. Meanwhile our CT daughter and son-in-law are looking at an early October due date. It's going to be an exciting fall!

July highlights included spending the 4th with family, celebrating my birthday, a long weekend in  NYC, and a baby shower. July also turned out to be a very good reading month with a mix of new releases, a book club selection, and a classic. I enjoyed three new-to-me authors, plus a novel/memoir by an old favorite.

BOOKS READ IN JULY

Sisters of a Halved Heart by Nayantara Roy

New release, literary fiction, MMD book club selection,

my thoughts here, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Departure(s) by Julian Barnes

Literary fiction that reads more like a memoir, purported final novel by a favorite author

My thoughts are here, ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Kin by Tayari Jones

new release literary fiction, new-to-me author

My thoughts are here,  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster

Classic, YA epistolary novel, from my shelves

My thoughts are here,  ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

ONGOING GROUP READ

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The chapter-a-day slow read with Footnotes and Tangents continues. I'm loving this experience!

AUGUST READING POSSIBILITIES

I'm going all in for Austen in August this year!

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, David Shapard

(in progress)

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow

Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley (nonfiction)

Troika: Three Generations, Three Days, and a Very American Road Trip

by Irena Smith (memoir)

How was your July? What was your favorite book?

 

The Sunday Salon : August 2, 2026

Hello friends, Happy August! We ended July with a whirlwind of activities which included another birthday celebration and a weekend in NYC for our daughter's baby shower. We tried to get back to a normal routine this week, but spent a couple of days at home midweek due to all the rain. Friday it cleared up long enough for a drive to Stonington, CT where we toured The Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House, ate lobster rolls by the water, and walked around Stonington Point. We got home just in time for another round of thunderstorms!

Recent reading//

Kin by Tayari Jones

Wow. This was my first Tayari Jones novel, but now I want to read her entire backlist. Initially I was reminded of The Vanishing Half  by Britt Bennett, but Jones quickly moved into a space all her own. Kin is a story about two motherless girls growing up together in rural Honeysuckle, Louisiana in the 1950s and 60s. By high school it's apparent that Vernice (Niecy) and Annie's life trajectories will be very different, yet their "cradle friend" bond remains unshakable. Jones tackles issues of family, race, class, civil rights, identity, sexuality, and more. 

This was a read/listen combination for me. The story is told from Vernice and Annie's alternating points-of-view and the dual-narrator audio production was excellent. This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

This short, epistolary YA classic was originally published in 1912. Judy Abbot has lived in an orphanage for as long as she can remember and at the end of her senior year, she is selected by an anonymous trustee to receive a full college scholarship. The only stipulation is that she write him a monthly letter detailing her college life. Daddy Long-Legs is her nickname for this unknown benefactor and the novel consists of her four years of correspondence. Judy shares details of her classes, friends, travel, and aspirations, plus some deep feelings. The story is certainly dated and, when held up to modern sensibilities, possesses a certain "ick factor". Yet it is also charming, sweet, and so evocative of a by-gone era. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Current reading//

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, David Shapard

Pride and Prejudice  has long been one of my favorite novels and I'm happy to be reading this annotated edition with a small group from the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club for Austen in August.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Are you getting tired of seeing this cover yet?  I'm 65% in and the yearlong chapter-a-day slow read continues...

The week ahead//

I finally have an eye exam this week! Last spring (2025) I was getting a lot of headaches and an exam showed that my glasses were too strong. My eye had improved!? After dialing back the prescription a couple of notches, all was well. Now, just over a year later, I'm having trouble seeing and getting headaches again. We'll see what happens this time...

We're having dinner with a group of friends later in the week. And it looks like the NYC "kids" are planning to visit for one last long weekend before the baby arrives. My heart is full!

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

The Sunday Salon: July 19, 2026

Hello, friends. We're well into the back half of July and summer seems to be flying. We had a good week, despite a few days of very warm temperatures and a few more of smoke-filled air. Early in the week we enjoyed an evening concert on the town green, but were mostly indoors after that. Last night's storms ushered in cooler, cleaner air today along with a nice breeze - perfect for a walk and then maybe sunset at the beach!

Recent reading//

Departure(s) by Julian Barnes

I'm glad I gave this quiet, introspective novel (which reads more like a memoir) a second chance. Barnes, now 80 and with health concerns, says this is his final novel. He opens with a discussion of memory that's sprinkled with Proustian references, but initially I just wasn't feeling it. A month or so later I tried the audio, which Barnes narrates himself, and was enchanted! 

Barnes goes on to talk about his illness, and grief following the loss of his wife and later his dog Jimmie, but there's also a parallel story about a rekindled romance between two old friends. He continues to weave in aspects of the initial memory essay throughout the book, and I loved his self-deprecating sense of humor. 

I've been a fan of Barnes for years, but have only read a couple of his novels and essay collections. My favorite is The Sense of an Ending, which won the Booker Prize in 2011, and I also enjoyed his essay collection, The Pedant in the Kitchen. The Only Story is waiting on my shelf.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Current reading//

Kin by Tayari Jones

Read/listen combination - so good! 70%

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The yearlong chapter-a-day slow read continues...

On the blog//

Mid-Year Reading Questionnaire

The week ahead//

Wednesday is my birthday! I'm planning to browse the bookstore in the afternoon, have dinner at a favorite restaurant and then, if the rain holds off, go to a concert on the town green. Thursday I'm looking forward to a mani/pedi, then we're off to NYC for the weekend. Fingers crossed it isn't oppressively hot!

How was your week? What are you reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Mid-Year Reading Questionnaire

I never got around to posting mid-year reading reflections this year, but I've seen this reading questionnaire circulating online and thought I'd do that instead. Let me know if you decide to play along!

1. Best book so far in 2026?  Whistler by Ann Patchett

2. Favorite Sequel of the 1st half of 2026?  The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Volume 8 by Beth Brower

3. A new release that you are excited for but haven’t read yet?  Kin by Tayari Jones 

4. Most anticipated release of the second half of 2026?  The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw

5. Biggest (reading) disappointment so far?  Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer (set aside at 20%, probably a case of bad timing)

6. Biggest (reading) surprise so far? The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen

7. Who is your favorite new-to-you or debut author this year?  Allegra Goodman (This is Not About Us)

8. Your favorite character so far this year?  Eddie Triplett (Whistler)

9. A book that made you cry?  none so far this year

10. A book that made you happy?  Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

11. What is the most beautiful book cover you have bought this year?   Whistler by Ann Patchett

12. What book(s) do you want to read by the end of the year?   Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the annotated edition this time

 

The Sunday Salon: An Update At Last!

Hello, friends. Has it really been nearly a month? Life has gotten a bit crazy lately. We've either been away or had guests for the past five weekends, but now we have two weeks at home before we're on the road again.

The big news is that we are going to be grandparents - twice! Two of our daughters are expecting their first babies. Our NYC daughter is due September 5 and our CT daughter is due October 12. In addition, the NYC couple has decided to move to CT and have been spending more time with us as they begin their search for a house. 

We've also spent a good amount of time in central NY lately. My father had a mild heart attack at the end of June. He is fine now and back home, but we were happy to provide a little extra support when it was needed.

Recent reading//

Sisters of a Halved Heart by Nayantara Roy

This new release is the July selection at Modern Mrs. Darcy book club and I was lucky to get a library copy right away. It's a messy, complicated family drama which features a love triangle involving two sisters at its core. Set primarily in Brooklyn and Manhattan, none of the characters were particularly likable, but I kept turning the pages anyway. The novel was more interesting than enjoyable and I cringed as several characters repeatedly made bad decisions. And what an ending - I literally gasped at the final page! The discussion forums are already buzzing and I'm looking forward to the live author chat later in the month.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

Departures by Julian Barnes

I've been a fan of Julian Barnes for years. Now, at 80, he is calling this his final novel. I'm over halfway through, but it sure feels more like a memoir to me.... and it's so good!

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The year-long slow read continues. Now wonder people still read this novel... it's got everything!

On the blog//

Three Overdue Reviews:

  - The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen

  - Whistler by Ann Patchett

  - Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

In the kitchen//

Despite not being at home much lately, I have tried a few recipes worth mentioning. First is a Blueberry Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bake from Taste of Home. I am NOT a fan of cottage cheese, but have made this at least three times and it's delicious! The 8x8 size is a plus when it's just the three of us.

Another recent discovery is this Asian Chicken Chopped Salad from Skinnytaste. It's been hot lately and I've been craving lighter dinners. My husband generally isn't a fan of dinner salads, but even he really liked this one. You could also serve it in lettuce wraps or over rice.

And finally, we've been grilling a lot of veggies. This easy marinade from Gimme Some Oven has added a tasty new twist ... I think it's the smoked paprika!

That's about it from here. At long last, I am anticipating a quiet week at home. Hopefully it will be cool enough to get back to my morning walks.

How have you been? What have you been reading lately?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.