Sunday Salon...

Sunday Salon finds me "still" reading

I've gone back to my e reader.  It just seemed every book I had been reading was a hardcover,  too heavy to carry around.  As I get older the carrying is killing me.  I'm feeling increasingly like a bag lady, nice bags, but bags nonetheless.


On tap this week is the completion of a painting, (by Wednesday) and I'm not liking it yet.  I'll post,  if I remember when I'm done.  and a few dozen bulbs to put in, before the soil is frozen.  Of course I'll be battling the squirrels to keep them there.   I've gone hybrid this year,  not sure why, just liked the tangerine colour, I'm liking pink and orange together, hopefully the effort will bring forth a flourish of colour, announcing Spring.  Funny to think that far ahead when we are just now cooling to "winterish" temperatures.

It's Election day tomorrow  here in Canada, we shall see how things turn out. 

Sunday Salon...The Ice Queen

Sunday Salon finds me still reading The Ice Queen, it's quite intense, and certainly a genre I enjoy, so what's taking so long... I think I need to find a beach...

Sunday Salon, The Outcast

I'm somewhat confused today... thought it was Sunday, it's only Saturday.
Don't tell my kids, they'll put me on a list for a Nursing Home.

 This past week I've been reading   The Outcast, by Sadie Jones, beautifully written, heart wrenching story of a young man struggling with life.   I think the most ridiculous thing/feeling someone could have said to this young man was that "he was loved too much as a young child" is there such a thing.  Can you love your child too much. I'm so glad we've come out of that stiff parenting style.  I can't identify with Lewis, I don't think I've ever felt unloved, and what a horrible feeling that must be.

From Publishers Weekly....Set in post WWII suburban London, this superb debut novel charts the downward spiral and tortured redemption of a young man shattered by loss. The war is over, and Lewis Aldridge is getting used to having his father, Gilbert, back in the house. Things hum along splendidly until Lewis's mother drowns, casting the 10-year-old into deep isolation. Lewis is ignored by grief-stricken Gilbert, who remarries a year after the death, and Lewis's sadness festers during his adolescence until he boils over and torches a church. After serving two years in prison, Lewis returns home seeking redemption and forgiveness, only to find himself ostracized. The town's most prominent family, the Carmichaels, poses particular danger: terrifying, abusive patriarch Dicky (who is also Gilbert's boss) wants to humiliate him; beautiful 21-year-old Tamsin possesses an insidious coquettishness; and patient, innocent Kit—not quite 16 years old—confounds him with her youthful affection. Mutual distrust between Lewis and the locals grows, but Kit may be able to save Lewis. Jones's prose is fluid, and Lewis's suffering comes across as achingly real.

Theme Thursday... birds

I missed posting this week on "Monday, What are you Reading" as I was almost finished this book.  I like historical romance/murder mysteries.  This was not really either of those.  However, it does illustrate quite clearly how fine lines are drawn between enemies  One day you are studying in Oxford, the next you are the Komandant of a POW camp. Trust is a big issue here, as well.

I've been clearing and cleaning most of my adult life, and I'm not sure I'll ever be done, but this week as I was looking (and organizing) I discovered that I must like birds more than I knew, I knew I liked flowers, but birds would have not been on my most favorite thing, and yet I've painted quite a few pieces of birds or bird houses, and now I was reading about a bird man, in a prisoner of war camp.  Hmmm... maybe I'll get some binoculars.   There was a small part in  the book that sort of jolted me, regarding a young soldier whistling (something I have never been able to do).  I guess you could like to listen or NOT.

this is a little piece I did back in April.  Who knew, I liked birds.

When we were growing up we always had a canary in the house.  I can remember one time my mom was translating a document for my husband's court case and the bird just loved her so much he sang as soon as she entered the room.  I don't know in which room we were in, but the darn bird kept singing his heart out, and  on tape you can clearly hear him singing.  The judge had questions?  I can imagine my husband stuttering along trying to explain.

Anyway,  Evening Song, is a quick read, the story moves along very well, it's a sad story, a difficult time in the lives of all concerned.  The birds are the  gift.

from amazon.ca

Resigned to living out the Second World War in a German POW camp, James Hunter, an English officer, begins studying a pair of redstarts near the camp. His interest in the birds captures the attention of the Kommandant and gives James cause to fear for his life.

It's Monday What are you Reading?

Gone Girl is on the TBR pile along with Letters from Skye.  My reading is very slow these last few weeks.  But these two books need to be read so I can reduce the stack at the bedside.  Unfortunately by the time it's bed time, my eyes don't seem to stay open long enough to do anything.  GETTING OLD SUCKS!

I now understand when some of the ladies in the Long Term Care (where I volunteer) carry a book around for months.  There is some comfort in that, not much, but some.

I haven't pulled my camera out of it's case for months as well.  Maybe now that the snow has finally melted that can change too.  I don't know what's happening, but I get up all enthusiastic and get rolling, and then I flop.  I've actually pulled the blinds, so as not to look out at my messy yard.  The Dandelions are BACK with a vengeance., and the battle continues.  I want to be one of those people that say they are bored and have "nothing to do" just for one week, and not because I'm sick.

On the plus side, the winter was so wet that my evergreens have almost doubled in size.  BRAVO Mother Nature, that means I can hide the car parts from my neighbors view and we can still be friends, she works very hard in her yard, and I hate for her to see the awful mess.

Anyway... What are you reading and how are you spending this wonderful long weekend?

I

It's Monday What are You Reading?

This past week I managed to finish two books, in spite of the reno going on in my basement, we are no where near finished.  Maus and this is where my troubles begin, meh!  I committed to reading a graphic novel at least twice a year and that was the reason I chose this one.  It's the second book of author Spieglman a prize winner.  I can't say this is the best  story about the Holocaust I've read, but I do understand why it won a BIG prize.  It would be a story (true) that readers of graphic novels would and could manage.  I'm not a big fan of this genre, but it certainly has it's place in the literary world, not sure where but...I found the first book a little more interesting.  I sure hope my son's don't feel about me the way this son felt about his father.  And I did find this very stereotypical as far as character development.  It didn't make me love Artie, or Vladek because of the stereo type, and it didn't really tell the whole story, so once again ... Prize winner?  It's short, as a matter of fact I read the whole thing while having my hair done.  So I'm sure this is one of the reasons it would appeal to a younger reader.

And the other book I finished was Five Little Pigs, previously released as Murder in Retrospect.  Well you know I love Agatha, but this one in particular kept me guessing, maybe I'm losing my Poirot mojo, but I seriously didn't know who did it until he layed it out on the table, so to speak.  I don't know if Agatha was drawing on her experience of a "tolerant " wife or wheather this was purely fiction, but I'm sure I couldn't be so tolerant.  Anyway, I did like this one, took me a little longer to read, for no apparent reason.  The story of a gifted painter, and his women and guess what someone murders him.  And the little grey cells begin to work.  

Sunday Salon...

Sunday Salon finds me winding down from a lovely day spent with family and friends.  We celebrated the baptism of our Grand Niece.  She was lovely, her siblings, were very lively today.  Delicious food, good company and lovely weather.  EXCEPT I forgot my camera. So no pics.  I finished reading The Welsh Girl.  

Summary

Set in the stunning landscape of North Wales just after D-Day, Peter Ho Davies's profoundly moving first novel traces the intersection of disparate lives in wartime. When a POW camp is established near her village, seventeen-year-old barmaid Esther Evans finds herself strangely drawn to the camp and its forlorn captives. She is exploring the camp boundary when the astonishing occurs: Karsten, a young German corporal, calls out to her from behind the fence. From that moment on, the two foster a secret relationship that will ultimately put them both at risk. Meanwhile, another foreigner, the German-Jewish interrogator Rotherham, travels to Wales to investigate Britain's most notorious Nazi prisoner, Rudolf Hess. In this richly drawn and thought-provoking work, all will come to question where they belong and where their loyalties lie.

While I find the summary of the book somewhat accurate, it does not mention the evacuees, or the family that surround Esther, or her trials.  I enjoyed this book, because you do know that there must be two sides to a story, well here Ho actually shows us more sides.  A good crossection of "views" of the war and the difficulties everyone must have felt. 

I can't remember who recommended this book, but thank you. 

It's Monday what are you reading...

Sheila at Book Journey hosts this weekly event where we celebrate what we are reading for the week as well as books completed the previous week.

Although I got a nice little delivery last week, I didn't receive any books this week.  I'm trying to clear up my stack of books from the library.

Up next is The Welsh Girl:

Summary

Set in the stunning landscape of North Wales just after D-Day, Peter Ho Davies's profoundly moving first novel traces the intersection of disparate lives in wartime. When a POW camp is established near her village, seventeen-year-old barmaid Esther Evans finds herself strangely drawn to the camp and its forlorn captives. She is exploring the camp boundary when the astonishing occurs: Karsten, a young German corporal, calls out to her from behind the fence. From that moment on, the two foster a secret relationship that will ultimately put them both at risk. Meanwhile, another foreigner, the German-Jewish interrogator Rotherham, travels to Wales to investigate Britain's most notorious Nazi prisoner, Rudolf Hess. In this richly drawn and thought-provoking work, all will come to question where they belong and where their loyalties lie. (from library description)

I just finished reading Once, Morris Gleitzman.  This is a short YA novel, written from the point of view of a young boy, who apparently has no clue that there is a war on.  His parents have placed him in a Catholic orphanage to hide him from the Nazi's.  One day he gets a whole carrot in his soup, this is very unusual, and he takes this as a sign that he is to search out and find his parents.  As he sets out to do so, he encounters the war elements and is soon engaged in survival tactics.

my thoughts:  I enjoyed this short novel.  Perhaps enjoyed is the wrong word, but I suppose we never think of how young children view the horrors they witnessed and how did this affect them.  I am always amazed at the strength that comes forth in these difficult times.  I'm also always amazed at how uncivilized some behavior becomes in difficult times.  Fighting for survival is ugly, no two ways about it. I saw the review for this book on one of the book blogs, and thought I'd give it a try.  When my mom and I visited Poland we walked through the area known as the Warsaw Ghetto, it's hard to believe such things existed, but they did. 

Sunday Salon...

Sunday Salon finds me feeling like crap.  I've gotten this cold back again, and can't seem to shake it.  I ache, and blow my nose most of the day and night. I sound like I'm going to cough up a lung. 

It's a beautiful day here in Ontario, and I'm going to catch my breath and get out there.  I'd love to cut my hydrangeas for a door wreath, but last time I did that my plant didn't bloom for several years.  We are at the end of September, when did that happen?  

The books I enjoyed this week were Chains, and I'm presently reading Once.  Once is a short little book, written from the perspective of a Jewish child in Poland.  I'm about half way through and with coughing and such, am having a difficult time reading, but maybe today.  

I'm getting old.  On Tuesday I returned to my furniture refinishing class and I have a locker there, can't remember the combination, isn't that silly.  I had it written down someplace if I could only remember where?  I'll be chopping off that lock, and getting another. 

My companion in the "sick room" is looking out and keeping the birds in check.  He's such a sissy, the birds could have their way with him any day of the week.
Have a good week, I'm going to try.

P.S. I've been down and out for about 3 days now, and never in my married life have I sat/layed around not worrying about "stuff", it's a wonderful feeling.

Sunday Salon...

 Sunday Salon finds me with a sore hip today, I've been ripping up sod/or what's left of it.  Handy Andy used excessive amounts of Killex on the "weeds" lawn, and thought lovely grass would sprout back.  Well it didn't, and I didn't really want to replace the lawn while I had workers digging and throwing dirt on it, so now the work is done, and reconstruction of the yard can begin.  It's a perfect day, cool no sun, but it looks like it might rain.

I'm almost finished the Postmistress, and I must say I'm feeling like Frankie Bard, with all that is happening in Syria.  My parents lived through WWII, my father was POW in Majdanek, and they were transported in one of those cattle train cars to Siberia.  Have we learned nothing? I guess not.   I'm reading this book for my Postal Reading Challenge.

It's back to school for my boys this week, (men) so it's a good thing.  I NEED to bake a cake today, something with chocolate.  I always feel like my hard work is rewarded if I can come in, make a pot of tea and enjoy a slice of something that's not so healthy for me.

I’m going…

To be sore, I'm sure, so going someplace may not play into the schedule. Although I feel I need to go to the High Park Area.

A favorite quote…

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

Winston Churchill 

Wendy's rocker, that I stripped and began a re-upholstery on, Wendy will finish it!

I dropped off some items,  Handy Andy has outgrown, to the Goodwill yesterday, and saw one of those gigantic rockers being donated.  I've dying to buy one just so I could rock on... but I always think of Edith Ann (Lilly Tomlin).

The House at Tyneford... Part one

Welcome to our first read-along discussion of The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read the first ten chapters. If you’re still considering joining us, it’s not too late – you can see the read-along schedule here.
Let’s start with our first impressions. You can leave your thoughts, answers to my questions, or a link to your own post in the comments section.

What do you think of the writing?
I've  not read this authors previous works, but I'm enjoying her descriptions and easy flow style.

Have you learned anything surprising?
I'm always surprised to learn of the pecking order of servants in upper class homes. I think this probably why I am so stunned by the "tell all" biographies we read about the royals today.  Does this mean that loyalty and confidentiality to ones Mistress/Master is no longer the demand  among the serving class. (if there is such a thing?) I have watched Downton Abbey, finally caught up, and am surprised at the levels authority involved.

What are your first impressions of Elise?
I agrre, that the author has made her likeable, but just for me.  I do think she is a rather spoiled brat, for lack of a better word.  She is certainly suffering from culture shock.  I even think the staff a Tyneford are kind enough, considering she is a foreigner, I'm not sure that is all that truthful.  I've heard real stories quite to the contrary.  But, I believe she thinks she is there only temporarily, and I understand why she doesn't think she needs to read that book on how to.  She thinks she will never need to know.

Do you think Elise will ever see her parents or her sister, Margot, again?

I’m not sure.  I'm having a hard time believing her parents will get out of Vienna.

Want to make any predictions?
I think it’s fairly obvious that we’re headed for a romantic storyline involving Elise and ? not sure if it might not be Mr. Rivers.  I don't know about Kit.

Thanks to Carrie of Books and Movies for hosting this read a long.