Hello, friends... remember me? It's been way too long since my last check-in, but that's the pattern I've settled into this winter. We've had a lot of visitors since my last update and I'm loving every minute - plenty of day trips, biking, new restaurants, and, of course, long walks on the beach. Winter storm Stella wreaked havoc with travel plans... my sister extended her time in Florida, while my daughter ended up taking the train from New Orleans to NYC after her flight was cancelled. Hopefully, that was the end of winter weather.
Yesterday I attended the Southwest Florida Reading Festival. The highlight was hearing author Nathan Hill... what an engaging, funny speaker! I had him sign my daughter's book afterward. She loved The Nix and left it here for me to read. I've already added next year's event to my calendar.
Recently finished//
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
I kept turning the pages, but was only mildly entertained by this thriller. Maybe I should have listened instead? Most readers seem to love it... I'm definitely the exception.
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
What a treat to read Trollope with Audrey again! We read The Barsetshire Chronicles with a few friends back in 2015, but I didn't return to Trollope at all last year. Now we're tackling the Palliser novels. Can You Forgive Her?, the first in the series, is basically a love story, but the backdrop is politics, rather than the churches of Barsetshire. As usual, I approached the novel as a read/listen combination. Listening to Simon Vance on my morning walk and reading in the evening, the 800 plus pages flew.We'll watch the 1974 BBC adaptation of The Pallisers next... episodes 1-6 cover Can You Forgive Her? If you'd like to watch, too, we're using the hashtag #PalliserParty on twitter.
Current reading//
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
On New Year's Eve 1984, 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish takes a walk - a ten mile walk around Manhattan - and contemplates her life. This is such a good book! I'm enjoying it even more since learning that it's based on a real person. I'll finish today or tomorrow.
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, is 34th in line for the throne of England, penniless, and such a fun character! The novel is set in 1930s London and is the first in a cozy series. I'm listening to it and Katherine Kellgren's narration is perfect! She reads the next few books, too. We'll see if I decide to commit to the series.What's new with you? Do you have any good books to recommend?
I've been out of the loop for too long...
