Hello friends, and happy fall! We're back from our 5-week stay in NYC and resettled at home in CT. I love this time of year. The leaves are changing, the nights are a little chilly, and the days have been gorgeous. Plus we now have a new granddaughter, Lucy!
The photo above was taken in NYC, obviously. The evening before the recent Nor'easter hit, the sky turned an otherworldly pink ahead of an exceptionally stunning sunset. I think nearly everyone in the city posted a photo. It was truly exceptional.
Recent reading//
Summerland Cove by Ellen Baker
My last summer book, I finished it just before fall officially arrived. This novel features three generations, multiple perspectives, and is set in a coastal Maine summer colony over the course of two weeks (with flashbacks)... all catnip for me! There were so many secrets, some outright lies, and a mystery that fueled momentum. I read the second half in a single sitting! Remember this one when you make your 2027 summer reading list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Frog: And Other Essays by Anne Fadiman
Anne Fadiman is a favorite essayist. Her writing, of course, is excellent but her intelligence, and humor make these essays a pleasure to read. From the titular essay about a 16-year-old pet frog named Bunky who spent years in a zip lock bag in her freezer awaiting a proper burial, to a hilarious essay about Fadiman's archaic printer, and one about Ernest Shackleton's founding and editing The South Polar Times, I savored these essays. They weren't all standouts, of course, but I loved enough of them to purchase a copy for my shelves... and add her older collections to my rereading list. Nonfiction November is coming up!
The audio, narrated by the author, is outstanding. I found it available for immediate download from my library via hoopla.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
One I set aside//
The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
This was disappointing. After loving The Death of the Heart earlier in the summer (my review), I ended up abandoning this one... bored at 20%. I read The House in Paris sometime around 2010 and, generously, rated it 3.5 stars. I was also surprised to discover that I read Bowen's The Hotel in 2014 and liked it even less (my review). It's now safe to say that Elizabeth Bowen is hit or miss for me.
Current reading//
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
I'm just over 20% in and loving this book!
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The great slow read continues - 82%! Footnotes & Tangents recently announced their 2027 slow read schedule. A new War and Peace slow read group will be forming... just in case anyone is interested.
On the blog//
The week ahead//
We're planning to visit Lucy (and her parents) tomorrow. I'm making soup in the crockpot today so we can bring them lunch... soup weather is here! On Tuesday we head up to central NY to spend a few days with my parents. We also need to get started on our list of "winterizing" chores. It's that time of year again...
I hope your fall is off to a good start. What have you been reading lately?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
I have Bowen's Death of the Heart on my Classics Club list, but it will be the first Bowen book I have read (when I finally get around to reading it). That's a gorgeous picture of the sky in NYC. I'm glad you had a great time with granddaughter, Lucy. We love our own Lucy!
ReplyDeleteDeb - Bowen's writing is just so beautiful! I hope The Death of the Heart is a winner for you whenever you get to it. I thought of your Lucy when we learned our granddaughter's name. It's a family name I've always loved!
DeleteI did see pics of that sunset posted elsewhere, and wow, was that amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up about the slow reads on footnotesandtangents. I haven't read most of the books listed on their site. And if I did, it was so very long ago that a re-read is needed. I added American Hagwon to my list. I've worked with a couple of Korean-Americans. It will be nice to learn more about their culture. Have a great week.
Cheryl - I'm not surprised you saw pics of that sunset... they were everywhere!
DeleteThe slow read of W&P has been such a memorable reading experience and I doubt I'd be able to get through the book without it. Simon's summaries and 'tangents' are fascinating and it's been great seeing fellow readers' reactions to daily chapters. It's a great group this year! I'm considering some of the James Joyce for next year. We'll see.
Beautiful sunset in NYC! It's beginning to feel like fall here, too. Today was the first day in a long time that it was below 50 when we woke up. Still lots of sunshine, though.
ReplyDeleteSummerland Cove sounds like my kind of book. So many of my favorites have been set in Maine. I really need to visit someday! Should I read or listen to the book?
I'm enjoying Buckeye, which took a little while to get hooked, but now I'm completely engrossed. Re-reading The Time Traveler's Wife (on audio) and realize I'd forgotten so much about the story. I'll dive into Life Out of Order (the sequel) in December. Nonfiction November is just around the corner!
I hope you have a wonderful visit with Lucy (and her parents). When do you head to Florida?
Les - I have a hard time resisting a Maine setting, too, and love visiting the state. Summerland Cove was definitely my kind of summer read. Sometimes it felt like there were too many secrets/too much drama, but I still couldn't put it down. I read the ebook, but see that the audio uses three narrators. I'll bet it's good that way, too.
DeleteThanks for the heads up on Buckeye. I previewed the first chapter or two and liked it, but didn't get hooked right away. I want to love it (really liked Patrick Ryan when I saw him in conversation with Ann Patchett a couple of years ago in NYC) so will be more patient next time.
We're still trying to figure out when to go to FL. The "kids" would like us to stay here through the holidays. They won't be traveling with the babies this winter. We will likely host both Thanksgiving and Christmas with the NYC family coming to stay with us and the CT family visiting for the day. We'll see...
Love the sky in the photo! I love NYC and I can't wait to go back. But since we were there not long ago there are a few other places I want to go first.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to get a copy of Summerland Cove since I'm a cover snob and love the cover. I'll get the Frog book too. We had a pond in our backyard where we used to live and it had tons of tiny tree frogs in it. When it rained our yard filled with water and frogs. My daughter in law is terrified of frogs, even the tiny ones and my son had to carry her into the house and back to the car. I think they're cute!
Grandchildren are such a Blessing, I hope you have an amazing visit and a safe trip.
Vicki - Isn't the cover of Summerland Cove great? I love it, too. The frog in the essay grew from a tadpole and wasn't supposed to stick around very long. So funny that Bunky ended up living for 16 years! We are enjoying the two new grandbabies so much. Blessings, indeed.
DeleteI hope this isn't a repeat. Something happened to my comment half way through. Fall is a fantastic time on the east coast with sweater weather and the changing beautiful leaves. I wish we got the crisp air our here in southern California.
ReplyDeleteI just got a copy of Min Jin Lee's book and am so glad you're loving it. I want to read it before the end of the year.
Helen - Fall has always been my favorite time of year! It starts a little later on the CT coast than it did in central NY, but that also means that winter doesn't come as soon - fine by me!! I'm still loving American Hagwon. Hope you enjoy it, too.
DeleteCongratulations on the safe arrival of Lucy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your week, happy reading!
Thank you, Shelleyrae. Being a grandmother is so much fun!
DeleteCongrats on your newest family member! And Frog looks like a good book!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Erin. We could not be happier with the new babies.
DeleteSummerland Cove with three generations featured. Absolutely my catnip as well. I don't blame you for staying in CT over the holidays. With two babies close by I wouldn't leave now. This will be a great holiday season with so much family around.
ReplyDeleteGreat view of NYC. When I was growing up in PA. I was so much closer to NY but never wanted to go. I was such a homebody when my friends would go ahead and take the train up there but never felt like I missed out. We were always forbidden to travel so far as teens but we did it anyway. I liked the trains (also forbidden to go to Germantown) and yes, I went to Germantown.
Tina - Summerland Cove should be fun for you, too, especially if you love multi-generational stories. Sometimes there seemed to be too much going on, but I still couldn't put it down!
DeleteI didn't like NYC much in the 80s... that was a tough time in the city. When our oldest daughter got her first summer internship there in 2010, I was so nervous. When we finally got her there, I couldn't believe how much the city had changed and I've loved it ever since!
That pink NYC skyline is dynamite! So wonderful that Baby Aaron and Baby Lucy are now here. Wow what a fall for you! We had a snowy weekend so it's definitely getting chilly. And that's good you are enjoying Hagwon ... it was more revealing to me about education & Koreans than anything. If you enjoy the first parts you'll likely enjoy it the whole way through ... Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteSusan - This has been the most amazing fall and we're so thankful for Aaron and Lucy! Seems so early for snow, but we often saw flakes my mid-October in CNY and had more snowy Halloweens than I would have liked!
DeleteLooking forward to my time with American Hagwon tonight. Really enjoying it so far and hope that continues!
What a beautiful sunset picture! Love the reflections off the buildings. I'm sure you're enjoying Lucy time. There's nothing quite like newborn snuggles! That's too bad about the Elizabeth Bowen book. It's so disappointing when a previously enjoyable author doesn't live up to expectations. It makes it even worse than just a disappointing read!
ReplyDelete