Hello friends, we are back in Connecticut after a long weekend in NYC. No touristy photos were taken, but we had a wonderful time with both city daughters and their partners. There were several amazing dinners, a birthday celebration, time spent with my new grandpuppy Winnie-the-Whippet, and a post-pandemic return to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I especially enjoyed the current Tudor exhibit!
Despite all that activity, a recurrent knee injury has kept me relatively inactive for several days and provided the perfect excuse for uninterrupted reading time.
Finished last week//
Dinosaurs: A Novel by Lydia Millet
I picked up this odd little novel after hearing it mentioned on a podcast. Very broadly, it's about people, mostly trying to do the right thing, and relationships. It begins with a man who walks across the country to start a new life in Arizona after a break-up with his girlfriend, and then expands to include the family next door, a few friends, and more neighbors. There isn't really a lot of action, but I still found it to be a compelling read.
Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
audio edition narrated by Ginnifer Goodwin
Wilson's last novel, Nothing to See Here, was my favorite audiobook of 2019 so there was no doubt I'd read his latest. Once again, he's written an unusual story... this time a coming-of-age story featuring the power of art, friendship, and young love. I had both the ebook and audio from the library, but the audio version was excellent so I mostly listened. I won't say more about the plot, but do recommend you give it a try.
Foster by Claire Keegan
What an absolutely gorgeous novella this is! I read it yesterday evening (just 90 pages) and can't stop thinking about it. Several months ago I listened to Keegan's Small Things Like These, but was left wanting more. Now I'm considering a reread (rather than listening) to see what I missed there. Do yourself a favor and try Foster.
Current reading//
by Rosamunde Pilcher, narrated by Jilly Bond
I've been planning to read this at Christmastime for the past couple of years, but this year the timing is finally right! I sank right into this read/listen combination and am thoroughly enjoying every sentence.
On the blog//
The week ahead//
The holiday begins for us on Tuesday when our oldest daughter and fiancé arrive for a weeklong visit. Twin A and her partner come in Friday night, also for a week, so we'll all be together for a long Christmas weekend. I have plenty of cookies to bake, meals to plan, and presents to wrap in the meantime. Wish me luck!
I'll be back around the end of the year with a reading wrap-up and list of my favorite books. Wishing you all peace and joy this holiday season.
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
Your Christmas tree looks lovely — I hope your holidays are wonderful,
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks, Mae. Happy holidays!
DeleteMerry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your family!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Cindy!
DeleteGreat photos of your Christmas. I loved Rosamunde Pilcher's Winter Solstice...and other books she wrote, too.
DeleteLaurel-Rain Snow - I've been a fan of Rosamunde Pilcher for decades! All of her novels are wonderful and I'm enjoying Winter Solstice very much!
DeleteSounds like you had a great trip!
ReplyDeleteI see some books I want to check out more.
I hope you have a great time with your oldest daughter.
Your tree is beautiful!
Vicki - Thank you. I hope you have a Merry Christmas!
DeleteI have Foster on my Christmas week reading list, glad to hear you loved it. Enjoy your visit with your family, it's always great to have the kids home.
ReplyDeleteDiane - After not loving Small Things Like These, my expectations were low... but I was bowled over by Foster! Hope you love it, too. Merry Christmas... hope you can squeeze in a little FL sunshine over the holiday season!
DeleteJoAnn, it's good to hear from you! It sounds like you will have a lovely holiday. Beautiful tree.
ReplyDeleteI have both Now is Not the Time to Panic and Dinosaurs here from the library right now. What to choose? What to choose?
Both! I'm starting Dinosaurs print/hardcover soon and will audio the Wilson. :D (Care aka BkClubCare)
DeleteYes, Deb... what Care said! They are both well worth reading and both on the short side, too. Hope you enjoy them!
DeleteMerry Christmas JoAnn! and Fam
ReplyDeleteThanks, Care. Merry Christmas to you, too. Hope all's well..how' s it going with the new pup?
DeleteI'm glad you had a good time in NYC. I love visiting there. I'm sorry about the knee injury, but more reading time sounds like a good thing :) Have a very Merry Christmas and a great week!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - We love NYC, but visiting at Christmas-time is even more special! Merry Christmas!
DeleteEnjoy your Christmas preps, JoAnn, and may you and family have a merry and joyful Christmas! ;)
ReplyDeleteFanda - Thank you> Merry Christmas to you and your family!
DeleteIt sounds like you had a great time in NYC, JoAnn. I've been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art a couple of times and think it's one of the best! I'll bet the Tudor exhibit was fabulous. What a shame that your knee is still giving you trouble. Is a knee replacement in your future or is it a problem with the tendons? I've had minor problems with one of mine over the years, but since I've been riding the Peloton on a fairly regular basis, all pain seems to have disappeared.
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to listening to Kevin Wilson's latest, but I'm so very rarely listening to audiobooks these days. I need to make time to get outside and walk, so I can listen to my books more often than I have this past fall. Foster is another book that I can't wait to read. And, oooh, you're reading one of my favorite books! Winter Solstice is a perfect book to read right now. I have Coming Home on my shelf and plan to start it in early 2023. I have a mass market edition, but the print is so small, so I bought a trade paperback edition this summer, which should make it much easier to read.
We'll have a quiet Christmas this year, but we've invited some good friends over for dinner on Christmas Eve. We also hosted a small cocktail party a few nights ago, which was a lot of fun, and not too stressful. :) Have a wonderful time with your family and I'll look forward to your year-end wrap-up. Merry Christmas, dear friend! xoxo
Les - NYC is the best and it was so good to get back to the Met! We used to be members when we visited more frequently, but let it lapse during the pandemic. Maybe we'll renew in the spring.
DeleteAs for the knee, it used to be tendons but I'd like to get it checked again when we get back to FL. I thought about getting a Peloton a couple of years ago and it's probably time to give it another look.
Rosamunde Pilcher is such a pleasure to read! The Shell Seekers was just as wonderful to reread as it was when I discovered it decades ago. I thought I read Winter Solstice back then, but so far it does not seem at all familiar. Hmm...
This will be a different kind of Christmas for us, but at least we'll all be together. Your cocktail party sounds like fun, as does a quiet Christmas with friends. Wishing you, Rod, and you mom a very Merry Christmas!
I'll bet you can get a good deal on a used Peloton, JoAnn! There are a lot of people who bought one during the pandemic and are no longer enthusiastic about working out at home. I went many months without riding, but now I'm in a groove, riding 4-5 days a week.
DeleteGreat idea, Les... thanks!
DeleteI certainly did enjoy Foster and it had me thinking about it long afterwards. Small Things Like These is on hold at my library and I'm looking forward to that. Winter Solstice is also on my bookshelf but I'd read it years ago. Pilcher is so wonderful. I especially like her book Coming Home.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas and enjoy the family gatherings!
Tina - I reread The Shell Seekers a couple of summers ago and loved it just as much as I did decades ago... so far Winter Solstice is wonderful! I'm planning to reread Small Things Like These in the new year. Merry Christmas to you and Doug!
DeleteMerry Christmas to you! I am tempted to go to NYC just for the Tudor exhibit--looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by both Dinosaurs and Now is Not the Time to Panic--I like the notion of walking to AZ, that in itself would make this book a must read. I love the cover of Foster and may need to read it based on that...as well as your recommendation.
I am also listening to Winter Solstice--I listened to it last year and loved it, and found myself wanting to go back to Creagan and spend the holidays with Oscar and Elfrida and the rest of the gang. So good!
JaneGS - The Tudor exhibit is only at the Met until 1/8, so you'd need to get there soon. It well worth a trip, I think! I thought I'd read Winter Solstice decades ago, but so far it does not seem familiar. When I reread The Shell Seekers a couple of summers ago, I remembere the characters immediately... so maybe I never read WS. I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!
DeleteI am glad you had a nice time in New York and got to the Tudor exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I bet Winnie is adorable. Whippets are so cute (and have so much energy!). I hope you got some good rest time in for your knee. I have been overdoing it the last couple days, lifting things and bending in ways my physical therapist will chew me out for tomorrow. I am icing my knee now.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a Happy Christmas and enjoy your time with your family!
Wendy - My knee is steadily getting better... those days of inactivity definitely helped. Hope your knee is improving, too. Winnie is adorable. She reminds me of a miniature version of our old greyhound, Zelda. We're going to have to do something to protect the Christmas tree when she gets here though, lol! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
DeleteWhat a pretty tree! I think Winter Solstice is one of my favorite books. Wishing you a lovely Christmas and a very very happy new year.
ReplyDeleteAudrey - I'm loving Winter Solstice. Nearly 30% in and all I want to do is read... not good considering all that needs to get done around here. Merry Christmas, my friend!
DeleteLove your tree. Happy reading with a good knee!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Harvee. Merry Christmas!
DeleteSounds like you are having a wonderful time building up to the holidays with family and travel. I hope you have a lovely visit with kids and partners. I love your tree!
ReplyDeleteHelen - It's been great to see relatives throughout the season and then have Christmas on a slightly smaller scale in CT. Hope you continue to enjoy your travels and have a very Merry Christmas!
DeleteHi JoAnn,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though you are all set up for a joyous Christmas. Best wishes!! And thanks so much for posting the link to the Tudors exhibit at the Met. Much appreciated. I'm fascinated!!
And as you know probably, I adored Pilcher's Winter Solstice, but you probably don't know that I read Small Things Like These last Christmas, and I'm hoping to get a hold of Foster. Small Things Like These really grabbed me, in a way I did not expect.
Judith - I'm pretty sure your praise inspired me to finally read Winter Solstice. It's taken a couple of year to get to it, so thank you. Merry Christmas!
DeleteIt looks like you've chosen some excellent books lately! I really liked Nothing to See Here too so I'll be sure to look up Now Is Not the Time to Panic.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a good time with your family in NYC, despite the knee pain, and wish you all a Merry Christmas!
Jen - I've definitely been on a roll with good books lately... feels like I was due! Merry Christmas!
DeleteWhat a pretty tree. Sounds like a happy Christmas there. I'm glad for your reviews and plan to listen to Foster this week! Also I will put my name in for the Wilson novel too. Both sound good. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSusan - Foster was wonderful. I hope you love it, too! Merry Christmas!
DeleteSo glad you had a nice visit with your daughters in NYC. I would love to see the Tudor exhibit! Hope your knee is feeling better soon. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteDiana - Hope you had a Merry Christmas! One of my daughters got me the book the Met was selling to go with the exhibit.. it's beautiful! Unfortunately the exhibit closes in early January. I'd love to see it again.
DeleteI hope you're having a lovely, ongoing Christmastime with your family! I put the Kevin Wilson books on my TBR. They sound good!
ReplyDeleteJinjer - We're having a great time, but I feel ready to sleep for a week! The last guests leave tomorrow, so I may do just that. Hope you enjoy Kevin Wilson's books as much as I do.
DeleteWhat a beautiful tree! So happy to hear you've been enjoying the holidays (knee injury aside!). You've been reading some books I've been interested in. I keep hearing great things about Claire Keegan and just need to get to one of her books!
ReplyDeleteIliana - Keegan is such a talented writer! I loved Foster and wonder if my more lukewarm response to Small Things Like These had to do with listening rather than reading in print. I'd suggest going with a hard copy.
Delete