Sunday, April 25, 2021

A Journey Toward Normalcy


It's been a big week... I reached full immunity Thursday. To celebrate, my SIL treated me to an iced coffee drink at our favorite cafe. We sat outside on their patio and soaked up the late afternoon sunshine. What a treat! Next, we browsed a local art gallery and planned a second outing, which happened yesterday. We visited two local independent bookstores, had lunch outdoors at a restaurant, and checked out a couple of new shops. It feels like life is starting to return to normal!


Finished this week//


This book was quite an undertaking, but well worth the time and effort. After hitting the 30% mark, I could hardly put it down. It focuses on Churchill's first year as Prime Minister. Larson offers an interesting look at the political landscape, the resiliency of Londoners during the Blitz, and domestic life of the Churchill family. As usual with nonfiction, I made it a read/listen combination and enjoyed John Lee's narration on my morning walks. 

After avoiding the topic for years, it looks like I'm on a WWII kick. The Splendid and the Vile  was a good follow-up to Code GirlsYesterday I  picked up a copy of Kate Quinn's new novel, The Rose Code  and I'm also wondering about adding Larson's In the Garden of Beasts  to my tbr list. Have any of you read it? 



Current Reading//

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel

This short (under 200 pages) book pulled me in at the first sentence; "It was her idea to tie up the nun." It's a novel about a family that finds itself split between two countries, Colombia and the US, and their struggle to reunite. I'm about a third of the way in and it's very good so far.


Viewing//


We watched Ken Burn's Hemingway documentary on PBS last week. I really enjoyed it, but found the last two episodes rather depressing. As others have said, the first (of three) episode was by far the most enjoyable.


In the kitchen//

It was another mostly uninspired week in the kitchen. I prepared recipes from our regular rotation and made Laurie Colwin's Gingerbread for a Friday treat.

Now that I'm fully vaccinated, I look forward to visiting the first Trader Joe's in our area and returning to Whole Foods for a few specialty items.


The week ahead//

I'm finally getting a haircut! And highlights, too. Only 48 hours to go. It also seems strange to  have two social events on the calendar this week. Both are small groups and outdoors, but I'm still a little apprehensive.


How was your week? What have you been reading?

Independent Bookstore Day haul!

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It's Monday... What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date


51 comments:

  1. Love the photo, it's beautiful! I want to see if I can find the Hemingway documentary, it sounds good.

    Glad you're getting out and about! Have a great week!

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    1. Vicki - The Hemingway documentary was so interesting, but the last two episodes were pretty depressing.

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  2. It does feel good doesn't it? We celebrated our granddaughters birthdays with an outdoor lunch on Tuesday - our first restaurant sit down meal out since 2/2020. Also visited Indie book shop. Infinite Country was good - quite the opening, I agree. Enjoy your week.

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    1. Diane - Going out and seeing family again feels so good! I'm glad you were able to celebrate your granddaughters birthdays... and eat at a restaurant, too. I finished Infinite Country last night and loved it.

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  3. Yeah the Hemingway series was quite bleak but interesting. I still plan to get to the Splendid and the Vile and glad you liked it much! Years ago my husband & I listened to the audio of In the Garden of Beasts while on a road trip. And we were very caught up in it. And I still think it's perhaps Larson's best book! The story was unreal. Creepy too! Have a great week.

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    1. Susan - Thanks for the input on In the Garden of Beasts. I almost added it to my stack at the bookstore on Saturday... next time I will!

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  4. Congratulations on achieving full immunity! What a happy feeling that is.

    I think I have read everything Erik Larson has written. My husband first pointed me to him with his book Isaac's Storm, a book about the 1900 Storm in Galveston, a spot near us. Then I was sent toward Devil in the White City about the World's Fair in Chicago. I think my favorite is Splendid and the Vile. Our book club is reading it in June. Glad to see you loved it so much.

    I enjoyed Infinite Country a lot. I showed me how complex the issue of immigration is.

    I got a haircut last week. It felt wonderful to sit in a chair and have someone else cutting my hair.

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    1. Deb - This was my third and favorite Larson book. Isaac's Storm and Devil in the White City are the first two I read.

      Infinite Country was excellent! I loved how it put faces to the immigration problem and highlighted some issues I'd never considered. Such an impactful story.

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  5. I loved THE ROSE CODE! My daughter and I read it together and neither of us could not put it down.

    We also watched Hemingway and thought it was very good. The interviews with his son Patrick were very interesting. We are loving Atlantic Crossing on Masterpiece. Are you watching?

    Laurie Colin taught me to squeeze a little lemon juice in my chicken soup to brighten. Her cookbooks are gems.

    Congrats on full immunity. We just got shot 1 on Friday so we have a way to go.

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    1. Sharon - So glad to hear you loved The Rose Code. It certainly sounds like one I'm going to love, too. Hope to start it this evening.

      I'd planned to start Atlantic Crossing after Hemingway, but the first four episodes don't seem to be available on PBS without a "passport" membership... which I'm considering.

      Glad you are now on the road to immunity. It is such a relief!

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  6. Yay for full immunity! And for normalcy! I just learned today that my oldest niece is going to get married in July, in a pandemic-approproiate small outdoor wedding, but it's still a return-to-normal boost that I really needed. I hope you enjoy all your treats!

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    1. Audrey - How wonderful to have a family wedding to look forward to! Congratulations to your niece. Is the wedding in Boston?

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    2. No, somewhere in New Hampshire. But it should be lovely!

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    3. New Hampshire is beautiful!

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  7. The first time I ever had gingerbread that wasn't those hard little cookies was at the Souplantation...or Corner Baker...or one of those places. It was eye.opening! I have never tried to make it myself but maybe I'll try this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. Jinjer - Oh, I remember those little cookies! This recipe is an entirely different league ;-)

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  8. I haven't yet been to the hair salon. My daughter had a plan for it, including doing my purple highlights, but so far, it is still a thing of the future. LOL.

    I felt nervous the first time I went out, but now I've been to restaurants four times! They were all 25% capacity, so I felt safe.

    Congrats on getting immunity!

    I like that feeling, too, especially since this residence has lifted a lot of our restrictions as a result.

    Enjoy your week and your books!

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - Hope you can get your highlights soon. Not sure if I'm more excited about the cut or the highlights... T minus 22 hours now!

      It's good that your restaurants are at 25% capacity. Everything is 100% here, so I don't know when we'll feel comfortable eating inside. We had a very late lunch Saturday and there was only one other party on the patio then... a relief for me.

      Hope your week is off to a good start.

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  9. I also bought The Rose Code! It felt so good to actually go into a store, didn't it? I haven't eaten at a restaurant yet....

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    1. Helen - I was ridiculously happy to be in a store again! Thankfully it wasn't busy when we were there (Florida is 100% capacity) and everyone was wearing a mask. I'm hoping to start The Rose Code this evening.

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  10. A day to remember: bookshops, Art and a restaurant. Fun.

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    1. Tea - Doing all of those things made me so happy.... it's been such a long year!

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  11. That's so great that you're now fully vaccinated! Making plans and getting out of the house sounds really nice.

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    1. Angela - I don't want to ever take all those little things for granted again... so much to be thankful for!

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  12. Yay for full vaccination!! I reached full vaccination as well! We had a small birthday party for my mom yesterday at my brother's, as all of us are fully vaccinated, except the two little kids. It was so nice to be back together, even just outside. :)

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    1. Erin - Congratulations on your vaccination, too. Isn't it wonderful to be together with family again!?

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  13. There’s plenty of WWII fiction to indulge in.
    I’m glad you are now fully vaccinated and able to embrace normal activities again.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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    1. Shelleyrae - I was on a big WWII fiction kick maybe five years ago, then got tired of it. The Rose Code will be the first in ages and I'm sure there are plenty of other good choices out there, too.

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  14. I find that when I choose to read something WWII related I also add on others at the same time. I do get tired of the time period and long gaps happen between my WWII binges. I'm glad your life is gradually returning to a more normal pattern. Our area is still a hot spot and, even though I'm fully vaccinated, I'm still staying close to home. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. Kathy - That's exactly how my WWII reading tends to go... we'll see how long it lasts this time.

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  15. After the first weekend when we dared to go more than we did over the last one year, I haven't actually been out much. I still need to get that haircut - it's been so busy during last two weeks that it slipped off my mind completely. Glad that it feels like things are getting to normal!

    I have only read one Erik Larson book and sadly I can't remember what I thought of it. I need to return back to his books - the come highly recommended.

    Have a good week!

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    1. Athira - It was so much fun going to places I haven't been in a year. I probably won't keep going out at this pace, but it's good to know that I can do it safely if I want to. So excited for my haircut tomorrow.

      I'm thinking of putting In the Garden of Beasts on my May reading list. We'll see...

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  16. Even though I just got my second vaccination on Friday, my husband and I went out that night to eat at a nice Italian restaurant downtown to celebrate the anniversary of the day he proposed. It was nice to sit outside and linger over a glass of wine and a good meal and feel like we were living our normal lives again. I'm holding out for the two-week mark to get my hair cut but I can't wait!

    I like Erik Larson's books and I've read In the Garden of Beasts. It's good and I think you'll like it. I listened to it though and I just don't absorb nonfiction on audio very well, so that detracted from the experience for me personally.

    Enjoy your week!

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    1. Jen - What a happy anniversary to celebrate... and safe, too, being outdoors. I'm at T minus 22 hours for my haircut - woo hoo!

      Thanks for the input on In the Garden of Beasts. I'd probably make it a read/listen combination. I must be more of an audio learner... love doing that with nonfiction, especially. It may end up on my May reading list.

      Have a good week!

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  17. Hi JoAnn,
    Congrats on all of your post-vax activities! Sounds like loads of fun. As I probably told you, I loved The Splendid and the Vile. It hit all the right notes for me. And it's interesting that as much as I already had read about that year and about Churchill, the narrative was new and fresh with all that Larson had researched. Amazing to me. (I didn't want it to end, frankly.)
    Wishing you many more outings into the wider world!

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    1. Judith - Thank you! I've enjoyed the past few days SO much and today I finally got my hair cut and highlighted. What a relief. The Splendid and the Vile was such a great read. My husband surprised me when he asked if I could renew the book so he could read it, too. He is a history buff and is enjoying Larson's framing of that year. I'm seriously considering reading In the Garden of Beasts next month.

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    2. Yes, JoAnn, because of the appeal of The Splendid and the Vile, I am considering reading another of Erik Larson's books. Will be interested to see where you go with this line of reading.

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  18. I'm really, really hoping that the Massachusetts governor will lift the mask mandate for outdoors soon. Code Girls has been on my radar for a bit, but I'll probably never read it unless it's for book club!

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    1. Laurie - I'm sure you've already heard that the CDC says vaccinated people do not need masks outdoors. There are plenty of books I would never pick up without my book club... you never know!

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  19. Yay for full immunity! I'm just over a week to go and have already planned on celebrating by going to the used bookstore nearby. The Larson book has been calling me. I've read by two by him and one I loved and one I loved half of. This one sounds really fascinating. Hope you're having a great week!

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    1. Katherine - I hope your last week passes quickly ... hooray for a used bookstore trip! I'm curious about the Larson book you only loved half of. The Splendid and the Vile was very good and it moved very quickly for me after the first 30%. Hope you get a chance to read it.

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  20. I'm just now a little over halfway through the first Hemmingway episode and I'm enjoying it...and surprised by what a good-looking guy he was as a young man. Trivial, but I don't remember really looking at all that many pre-beard pictures of the guy. Sorry to hear it's downhill from here, though, but his overall life really was kind of depressing in so many ways that I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

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    1. Sam - I agree, and we rarely see those early pre-beard photos. He seemed to age very quickly, especially be his late 40s. Thought I already knew a fair amount about Hemingway's life, but I learned quite a bit from this series. It is a downer, but so interesting.

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  21. I became interested in Churchill after watching seasons one and two of The Crown. I love Larson too so I am not sure why I haven't read Splendid yet.

    I like how you are fully vaccinated but still making safe choices by eating outside and the like. I know two people who were fully vaccinated and got COVID. Both, not too serious but took a week of downtime to remedy.

    I've not been myself lately. Feeling too panicked about the future. I need to get a grip. I don't usually feel this way for long but this feeling has outstayed its welcome.

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    1. Ti - It's time for me to get back to The Crown... it would fit in well with the books I've been reading lately. Thanks for mentioning it!

      It's scary to hear about people who get Covid after being vaccinated, but I wonder if they get milder cases than they would without it. Either way, we're still being pretty careful and going overboard with activities. The future seems unclear for so many, so I understand the panicky feeling... plus you've got some changes ahead. Hope you feel calmer after you're all vaccinated.

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  22. Hooray for immunity and a return to a somewhat normal life! We are fully immunized and are spending a week camping at one of our favorite campgrounds on the coast. It's still pretty quiet here, so camping doesn't really feel like we've returned to our previous lives, but we both feel a sense of liberation. Before we headed out, I got together with three friends and played Mah Jong inside without masks! These friends have been in my "pod" since the beginning of the pandemic and we're all fully vaccinated, so we felt safe shedding our masks. There might have been a couple of bottles of Proseco involved, too. ;) I'm looking forward to visiting some bookstores and restaurants when we head south in June for a 5-week roadtrip. What a year!

    I'll probably start in on The Splendid and the Vile once I finish The Oregon Trail. I do a lot of walking when we're on the road, so I listen to more audiobooks than when I'm at home. So glad you enjoyed it!

    I'm also getting highlights later in May, but have already had my hair cut once, so maybe I'll just have her do a baby trim to clean it up. Enjoy your pampering!

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    1. Les - So happy you can enjoy pre-covid activities, too! There's nothing like an evening with friends - Prosecco an added bonus!! Hope you enjoy your camping and I know it will be fun planning your 5 week roadtrip. We're starting to think about what stopes we'd like to make on our drive north at the end of June. So many possibilities!!

      I really enjoyed The Splendid and the Vile. Think I mentioned that it picked up quite a bit for me around the 30% point. I was enjoying it before that, but then didn't want to put it down.

      It was SO good to finally get highlights and a cut! Now I'm giving some serious consideration to a mani/pedi... but that's nowhere near as urgent, lol!

      Hope you're having a good week.

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  23. Congratulations on reaching full immunity! I only have five days to go. And so exciting to have Trader Joe's in your area, one of my favorite shops. I'm particularly fond of their dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

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    1. Thanks, Karen. So glad you're almost there, too... it's been a long haul. My daughter loves TJ's dark chocolate peanut butter cups, too. I'm planning a leisurely shop/browse one day next week.

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  24. Yay for the return to normalcy even if it's small steps. We received our second doses two and just counting the days so we can at least go back out a bit. Still very hesitant as well but can't wait to go out a bit more!

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    1. Iliana - It's such a big step to start going out again! Small steps made us less nervous and we're still pretty cautious... but what a relief!

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