Hello, friends, it's another sunny Sunday in southwest Florida! The entire week has been sunny and breezy with rising (now tropical) humidity... perfect pre-rainy season weather. The steady winds have brought in great masses of shells up and down the island, and I've heard about several coveted junonia finds. My search began in the 90s...
Here is a sample of what I picked up from a single shell mound (left to right):
fighting conch
paper fig
lightning whelk
banded tulip
It's been a pretty good week on the reading front, too. I finished two books and started another. Also, that bathroom vanity I mentioned last week got delivered... now we wait for the installer.
Recent Reading//
Ladies' Lunch and Other Stories by Lore Segal
This slim short story collection by New Yorker writer Lore Segal focuses on a a group of elderly women in NYC who have been lunching together for forty years.The stories deal with aging, loss, etc., are tightly written, and bittersweet. As a whole, the collection has a melancholy feel to it. I'm glad I read it, but don't especially recommend it.
⭐⭐⭐
Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier
I didn't expect to enjoy this, the May MMD book club selection, as much as I did. Mysteries and thrillers are not my usual genre, but this turned out to be a welcome change of pace following James. I loved horses when I was a girl, and the time I spent in this soap opera-ish equestrian world of the ultra-wealthy was a lot of fun! Reminiscent of a Lucy Foley novel, the reader doesn't even know who has been murdered until close to the end of the story. This is not great literature by any means and the writing felt like it was geared toward a YA audience at times, but I really enjoyed my time with this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Current reading//
Absolution by Alice McDermott
I started another book for my Vietnam project on Friday and am happy to be reading with Tina again.
The week ahead//
It's getting close to that time when we start thinking about all the things we still want to do before heading north. With our daughter's wedding coming up in September and two other family weddings before that, we're cutting the Florida season short again. I hope I can check at least a few items off that list in the upcoming week!
That's it for me, how was your week? What have you been reading?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
The shells are beautiful. I hope that you can end your Florida season in a satisfying way.
ReplyDeleteJoy - We've stuck close to home most of the winter while repairs continued, but now we have nearly a month left to enjoy the area. We plan to make the most of it!
DeleteYour pictures are pretty! Where up north do you go? Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cindy. We spend the other half of our year in CT, so we can be close to our daughters and their partners.
DeleteOur part of Florida has really been nice this week. Not too humid, although they are calling for warmer temps. I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - I'm glad you've been enjoying this glorious weather, too! Fingers crossed it lasts another week.
DeleteOh, those shells are beautiful. I've never collected them, but now you make me want to look at them more closely and pick up some the next time I am at the beach in Freeport or Galveston.
ReplyDeleteLadies' Lunch and Other Stories sounds like a collection of stories that I would like, but if you don't especially recommend it, I think I'll pass on it.
Deb - If Ladies' Lunch appeals to you, by all means give it a try. I'm glad I read it, but hesitate to recommend it because it is on the sad side.
DeleteI haven’t seen any shells on a beach in ages — I think they are all swiftly collected and taken away. Nice that you found them.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - This is the most shells we've seen in several years... it used to be like tis all the time!
DeleteI didn't know those shells were so rare. They are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteErin - There are so many beautiful shells! The ones shown here aren't all that rare, but a junonia ....
DeleteThose shells are exquisite!
ReplyDeleteI didn't remember that you're doing a Vietnam project. May I recommend Kristin Hannah's The Women and Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (which I know you plan to read).
Helen - I just started the Vietnam project last month. I was thinking about adding The Women, and will do that given your recommendation. There is also nonfiction book recommended by a MMD friend that might pair perfectly with it, Healing Wounds by Diane Carlson Evans.
DeleteJoAnn, I didin't know there were so many names for shells, they are beautiful. The beach photos are always lovely.
ReplyDeleteVery happy to be reading Absolution with you. I wish it had chapter numbers but I think by the page numbers we can compare where we are. As for your Vietnam project I was wondering which other books you were thhinking about. Any nonfiction?
Tina - There are SO many different varieties of shells. I had no Idea before we moved here! I wish there were more chapters with Absolution, too, but the page numbers on my kindle seem to coincide with the hardcover. I think that should work for us. The two nonfiction titles I'd like to investigate are Healing Wounds by Diane Carlson Evans (might be a perfect pairing with The Women) and When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip. Let me know if you have any others I should look at.
DeleteI sent you an email with a few more nonfiction suhc as Dispatches and A Time Remembered. Definitely added Healing Wounds, thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteThanks, Tina!
DeleteThose are gorgeous shells - what a treat to find them. Good luck with the upcoming wedding. September is a great month to marry in 😉
ReplyDeleteJodie - We haven't had as many shells the last couple of years, so this past week has been a huge treat. We're all so excited about the upcoming wedding! Hope you have a great week.
DeleteI just added Absolution to my reading list. I don't have a Vietnam reading project but want to read more about the country and the people. I love the shells. What a cool project.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the colors of the tulips I visited this week! My Sunday Salon is so colorful this week
Anne - I'd been considering a Vietnam project for a while, but reading The Mountains Sing last month convinced me it was time to get started.
DeleteYour shells are lovely! Hope all goes well in the next little while as you guys prepare to head north again. Bet you are excited about the wedding and hope goes well in that regard too. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kay! It's going to be an exciting summer and early fall, but I certainly hope things settle down after that.
DeleteLove the shells!!! The Ladies Lunch makes me think of my sister who died a year and a half ago. We often talked about how when we were old we would be "Ladies who lunch" together. I added that book to my TBR. I will read it and imagine what could've been. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteJinjer - I hope you like the book if you decide to give it a try. Sending a hug...
DeleteWow, JoAnn, looks like nature has delivered the jackpot of all shell jackpots. Those are beautiful. Glad to hear that you had a productive week. Absolution sits squarely atop a stack of books an arm's length away from me right now, but I can't seem to get started on it for some reason. I did finish one today, so maybe now's the time to give it a go.
ReplyDeleteSam - We used to get masses of shells like this much more frequently than we have the last few years... it was like old times! I'm enjoying Absolution quite a bit, but find myself wishing for chapter breaks. Makes it tough to find a good stopping place without them...
DeleteThose shells are beautiful! I didn't realize there were names for the different kinds. I didn't realize you don't live in Florida year round, but winter/spring would be a perfect time to stay there! I really enjoyed The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Sounds like that's the book you're referring to. Have a wonderful week, JoAnn!
ReplyDeleteRachel - We were snowbirds from NY for several years before becoming full-time Floridians in 2019. In addition to our house here, we also owned the condo where my inlaws once lived. We sold it in 2022 (just months before the hurricane!) and bought a smaller place in CT for summers. Since the storm, we've spent more time up there than originally planned. Yes, The Guest List is the Lucy Foley novel I was thinking about. Really liked that one, The Hunting Party, too!
DeleteThe shells are amazing. I like looking for shells. Sanibel is definitely the best for shells anywhere. When are you headed back north? It's hard to believe it's already that time.
ReplyDeleteSusan - Those shells really are pretty special! We'll head north around mid-May... bridal showers, baby shower (nephew's wife) and three weddings coming up. Going to be a busy summer! Hope you're holding up with all you're dealing with now. Thinking of you.
DeleteThe shells are beautiful. I'm still reading The Emperor of All Maladies which is fascinating and then a Deanna Raybourn mystery which are always fun. I hope you really enjoy your current books and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Pairing The Emperor of All Maladies with a fun mystery is a great idea! That's been on my list for years and you've convinced me that reading it in small doses, alongside lighter books is the way to do it.
DeleteWhat a difference between the east and west coast. We never see shells like those! Sand dollars, yes, but not the gorgeous shells you are fortunate to find. What a find a junonia would be! I remember reading a book called Junonia by Kevin Henkes with my granddaughter. As I recall, it's quite charming.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy these final weeks in Florida. I know you're excited to get back for all the festivities this summer/fall. We're winding down our road trip (home on Friday), but have a short trip planned for the end of May. Then, in September/October, we head to Wyoming! We'll be away for 5 weeks. I can hardly wait!
Les - And I haven't seen as many sand dollars the past few years. Funny how many of the shells, etc seem to be cyclical. It's been years since I've seen a starfish, too. The local bookstore still sells that junonia book. Would love to find one some day! Sounds like your road trip has been another good one... love the look of your current campsite! We have so many weddings, showers, etc this summer. My nephew's wedding will involve a trip to Santa Fe! We haven't been there since pre-pandemic, so that should be fun. September/October is the perfect time to visit Wyoming - what a great trip!!
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