One of the main things I got from this book is an understanding of a primary difference that I have been aware of but never understood the 'why'. There are two types of Christians - those who see sin, and that sin is the lens they view everything through. So their main goal is to rescue people from sin - it is next life focused... "Come to Jesus." Other Christians primarily see pain. That is their lens and they seek to bring restoration in the here and now. They use the eyes of Christ to try to expand the table. Jesus is shown over and over in the Bible as being most concerned with meeting the needs of people that prevent them from knowing Him and their belovedness. That distinction between 'sin' and 'suffering' is huge. Jesus's default toward humanity was compassion - not contempt.
This is the 3rd book in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. I enjoy this series mainly because it is set in Edinburgh, Scotland. But the stories are not the greatest. This one was a bit dark with the murders and knew who the killer was very early on. I finished it to finish. Truly, I enjoyed books one and two far more than this one. I will still read the next in the series because the author does a wonderful job of immersing the reader in Scotland, and I really like that. But hopefully the mystery will be a bit better on the next go-around.
I must be very far off the norm, but I did not like this book. I could appreciate the way of writing from a historical standpoint. But I didn't like the story and felt it shouldn't be a children's book. I think only city folks would enjoy this - no actual connection to real rural life, as far as my experiences show. I did not like the agony and torture of raccoons (even though I am not a fan of raccoons!) I didn't like the brutality with, and to, the dogs. There was no need for that. It is not the way to manliness. I remember seeing a movie version of this book, probably back in school at some point, and hating it. Same feeling now that I have read the book.
This is such a lovely, hopeful, beautiful book to hold in your hand and page through. It is a book about friendship and truly being there for others. It would make a wonderful gift. I greatly enjoyed reading this book as a December book club selection - it truly fit the season. It was a quick read in some ways, but is meant to be savored and read over and over. As Anita shared in our meeting, "the script causes one to slow down and read more carefully, slowly... and to fully consider the words." Yes, exactly.
Quote from the book...
Is your glass half full or half empty, asked the Mole. I think I am grateful to have a glass, said the boy.
Isn't it odd. We can only see our outsides, but nearly everything happens on the inside.
Everyone is a bit scared, said the horse. But we are less scared together.
I really loved this book! And it sure makes me want to visit Denmark. The author, Helen Russell, and her husband move from England to Denmark for his new job with Lego corporation. Helen discovers that Denmark is considered the happiest nation in the world so decides to spend their year there figuring out exactly why that is so. Each month she sets out to learn about one aspect of happiness such as Hygge, letting go of a typical 9-5 schedule, and embracing tradition. Along the way she gives us great insight into the country of Denmark and the culture there and so often makes the reader (at least this reader) laugh out loud! I was reading the March section about their 'adventure at evening pool time' and almost had to get out of bed and leave the room, I was laughing so hard... thought I would wake up my husband! Others in my book club listened to the audiobook and highly recommend that version since it is narrated by the author herself and she is just so darn funny!
When reading this book, it is impossible not to make comparisons to the US - where Denmark is the good opposite. It unfortunately illuminates our shortfalls in education, universal healthcare, equity, safety net for all, and caring about community as much as (or more than) self. However, I also appreciated that she added at the end of the book that there are problems in Denmark, too. And sadly, racism is one. On the flip side, the complete lack of faith in God was apparent and gnawed at me. The total humanist element of Denmark made me uneasy. I don't believe you must choose between the two sides, though. In fact, caring for others IS a Christian quality (or it should be). I definitely plan to go through this book again - and will listen to the audio version next time. :)
Quote from the book...
What Danes really cared about, Christian told me, was trust: "In Denmark, we trust not only family and friends, but also the man or woman on the street - and this makes a big difference to our lives and happiness levels."
They don't choose a profession based on how much they're going to earn. They choose it based on what interests them. Education is free to anyone can train in whatever they want. You know you're going to get taxed a lot anyway, so you may as well just focus on doing what you love, rather than what's going to land you a massive salary.
It turns out it is easier to live 'the American Dream' here than it's ever likely to be in the US.
Diversity enhances us, rather than diminishing us. Diversity has been shown time and again to be good for the economy and there's a strong relationship between diversity, inclusivity, and wellbeing.
Denmark is considered one of the happiest places in the world - Today
How trust contributes to Danish happiness - Helen Russell
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle Read November 2021 - Zoom Reading Circle
I listened to this audiobook and enjoyed it a lot. British author Peter Mayle and his wife realized their long held dream of buying an old farmhouse in Provence, France. This book is a chronicle of their first year of renovating the 200 year old farmhouse and all the travails and experiences. In the midst of the slow workers, leaky pipes and disappointments, we hear about all the luscious food and drink Mayle and his wife encounter. That alone is a reason to read this book! All the food and dinner descriptions are so tempting... you find yourself getting very hungry throughout this book! I was intrigued by the aperitif or digestif that was mentioned as being one complete course of a meal. Shortly after reading this book my friend, Dana, had a digestif at a restaurant in New York City - and then we tried one at wine club. Full circle! :) The digestif did indeed sort of settle the stomach and allow you to not feel as full, just as Peter Mayle shared was his experience in the book.
Quote from the book...
The two areas of endeavor in which France leads the world - bureaucracy and gastronomy - had combined to put us in our place.
I loved this book and look forward to re-reading it again in the future. It is gentle and beautiful, but also filled with many important points. The author points out how the everyday moments of our days can and should help us become more aware of God's presence... that there is sacred in the ordinary and ordinary in the sacred. She uses everyday occurrences such as making the bed, brushing your teeth, eating leftovers, calling a friend, and drinking tea to bring home the idea that all of these things, and more, can become spiritual practices... there is holiness in every day.
Quotes from the book...
There is no task too small or too routine to reflect God's glory and worth.
How I spend this ordinary day in Christ is how I will spend my Christian life.
The kind of spiritual life and disciplines needed to sustain the Christian life are quiet, repetitive, and ordinary. I often want to skip the boring, daily stuff and get to the thrill of an edgy faith. But it's in the dailiness of the Christian faith - the making of the bed, the doing the dishes, the praying for our enemies, the reading the Bible, the quiet, the small - that God's transformation takes root and grows.
This was an interesting book, albeit a bit slow in places. Some in the book club thought it was a bit boring but I found it utterly charming. I loved the history of all the libraries, librarians, and random tidbits of book information thrown in. Of course, I come from a family who would stop at libraries while traveling. :) The author weaves all these historical tidbits in alongside a mystery surrounding the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love of books - you will learn a lot and might even create a new list of libraries you might like to visit in the process. :)
Why a library fire feels like 'an attack on humanity' - PBS Newshour
This was our second novel under the theme of 'Southern Fiction' and while it was quite enjoyable, it also had a male character who caused so much pain and sorrow... that recurring theme in this book and also Call Your Daughter Home made for a heavy month of reading in some ways. However, this book also had strong female characters that you just couldn't help but root for. The premise of the story is the arrival of a houseguest, Layla Beck, into the home of 12 year old Willa Romeyn and her family. Layla is the spoiled daughter of a US Senator who has come to the small West Virginia mill town of Macedonia as part of the New Deal Federal Writer's Project to record the history of the town. Her arrival, and quest for a story, stirs up many secrets in the Romeyn family and the community of Macedonia. The author, Annie Barrows, was also co-author with her aunt of the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I loved!
Quotes from the book...
Why, I can be more ladylike than anyone, as long as I can keep myself from saying the first thing that pops into my mind.
To be clever in a town like Macedonia is something of a social hazard.
I've learned that history is the autobiography of the historian, that ignoring the past is the act of a fool, and that loyalty does not mean falling into line, but stepping out of it for the people you love.
It was forgiveness, but it sounded like good-bye, too.
This book definitely made me want to know more about the WPA and Federal Writer's Project.
Soul of a People: Writing America's Story
In case you are interested, here is a link to The American Guide Series by the WPA Federal Writer's Project. You can search alphabetically for all cities and states.
This has been called an unforgettable story of motherhood and I would not argue with that assessment. The book is about three women whose lives become entwined in a small southern community as they struggle to keep their families together and fight against injustices - of all kinds. The 'voices' of these women do stand out. In fact, those in our book club who listened to the audiobook highly recommended that version for that very reason. I enjoyed the book but found myself so frustrated by it at times, too. I kept wanting Annie to wake up and realize what a beast her husband was. And Gertrude made me crazy. I loved Oretta, though. Note that this is an extremely heavy book...
Quotes from the book...
Worry is something I've never understood. What good does it do except drain possibility from the day?
Children are such a wave, the birthing and caring and rearing. When you're in the throes it all seems interminable. Then, whoosh, it's over. I don't know why I was surprised when the children grew up, but I was. I thought, in their youth, it would last forever. Now I see it was my own youth, not theirs that was speaking. The past is now and now and now.
Call Your Daughter Home Has Deep Roots in Real Life - NPR article
I am so glad I read this book! This is one of those books that I recommend you read (the book is chockfull of photos from throughout David Attenborough's life and career) and also listen to as he is the narrator of his story. The book is laid out over the course of his own lifetime. He includes snippets of information showing how much forest is left at each point in his life (going down with each year) and how many extinctions of animals and plants (going up with each year). Those little snippets at the start of each chapter are powerful in their own right. He outlines the effects of climate change in ways that are obvious and not so obvious. It feels like a heavy weight... but he doesn't leave us there. He gives good hopeful suggestions for how nations are addressing the issues effectively and how individual people can also participate in turning things around, or at least slowing the decline. If only we would all listen to him.
Quotes from the book...
By the end of the twentieth century, mankind had removed 90% of the large fish from all the oceans of the world.
To restore stability to our planet, therefore, we must restore its biodiversity, the very thing we have removed. It is the only way out of this crisis that we ourselves have created. We must rewild the world.
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet - official trailer for the Netflix documentary
Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd performs live readings of newspapers throughout small northern Texas towns. After one reading he is offered money to deliver a young girl to her relatives near San Antonio and he accepts. The girl, Johanna, was kidnapped by Kiowa raiders 4 years earlier after he family was killed and she no longer remembers that life. She is determined to escape and return to the only people she has ever known, the Kiowa. But throughout the treacherous journey south the Captain and the girl, Johanna, eventually bond as they escape dangers of all kinds. The 71 year old Captain is determined to get the 10 year old girl safely to her long lost relatives, but there will be more decisions for him to make when they reach their destination. Throughout my reading of this book I saw and heard Captain Kidd as Tom Hanks (the movie had been released, although I have yet to see it.)
Quotes from book...
More than ever knowing in his fragile bones that it was the duty of men who aspired to the condition of humanity to protect children and kill for them if necessary.
Life was not safe and nothing could make it so, neither fashionable dresses nor bank accounts. The baseline of human life was courage.
Book Trailer - News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Wow! This book sort of horrified me, to be honest! It reminded me of that movie Jennifer and I watched called Seeking a Friend For the End of the World where, when it was over, we were horrified that the world ended! ha!
And Then There Were None is fast paced and has more than one shiver-inducing scene. Agatha Christie truly was the master of mystery and her descriptions of location and her fleshing out of character is unmatched. How she was able to create such a huge cast of characters that stand out and are easy to remember, is astonishing. I never got anyone mixed up. There are so many twists and turns right up to the very end.
And Then There Were None - 2015 AcornTV movie trailer (but I believe this movie diverges from the book a fair amount?)
There is a truly interesting series of videos called The Essence of Agatha Christie - featuring her grandson sharing personal glimpses into her life and work. Click the link below to see the full playlist.
I am sooooo hooked on this series! Everyone gushing over it is correct. It is so well written. The characters are strong, the mystery is solid (although I did figure this one out pretty early), and I love, LOVE Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. He stays with you! Like a real person that you feel you know. I'm trying to schedule out the books to enjoy a year or two of reading them, but I could totally just binge them all right now. :)
Book 2 finds Inspector Gamache called back to Three Pines to investigate the death of a lady no one in town really liked. She was killed in front of the entire village during a curling tournament on the frozen lake, so everyone is a suspect. Except for the per capita murder rate in Three Pines being so high (reminiscent of another favorite of mine, Cabot Cove!) I love everything about this quaint little town and its quirky inhabitants.
Quotes from the book...
Clara saw good. Which was itself pretty scary. So much more comforting to see bad in others; gives us all sorts of excuses for our own bad behavior. But good? No, only really remarkable people see the good in others.
She had been crying and Clara knew why. At Christmas homes were full of the people there and the people not there.
Living in the wreckage of her future sure took the joy out of the present. The only comfort was that almost none of her fears had come true.
A wonderful book. Kind of a mix of Huckleberry Finn and The Odyssey with some Dickensian elements thrown in for good measure. :) A story of a journey of 4 children, escaping evil and hardship and heading toward a brighter future (they hope). They canoe down the Mississippi River intending to get to family in St. Louis. They encounter many people along the way - some good and some not - and some a very strange mix. What a fascinating story and journey. It was also a good book to read after The Beekeeper of Aleppo - not quite as intense. However, both books follow people on perilous journeys toward what they hope will be a better life. I now want to read more books by William Kent Krueger.
Quotes from the book...
I've always thought of her the way I think of a precious gem: the beauty isn't in the jewel itself, but in the way the light shines through it.
Of all that we're asked to give others in this life, the most difficult to offer may be forgiveness.
But I believe if you tell a story, it's like sending a nightingale into the air with the hope that its song will never be forgotten.
From author William Kent Krueger's website - photos that inspired the story
This was a powerful book. I read it very quickly and yet it has stuck with me. It was not an easy read and at first I disliked the main character, Nuri, because of his attitude toward his wife, Afra. But as the book goes on and traces their journey, you gain an understanding of 'why'. This book brought into focus the horrors of the Syrian war, highlighting the dire situation of refugees from Syria (and anywhere, really). It is a well written story by a woman who has worked in the refugee camps in Athens and whose own parents were refugees. This book just touched me deeply. It made me feel for the characters and truly feel their pain - and their joy. A moving, and ultimately hopeful, book. I am very glad I read it.
Quotes from the book...
In Syria there is a saying, "Inside the person you know, there is a person you don't know."
Oh Allah, keep me alive as long as is good for me, and when death is better for me, take me.
But love was people's way out of the darkness. I could see this clearly.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo wins 2020 Aspen Words Literary Prize
What an informative book. This is not your standard tour guide of destinations... this is a book designed to open our eyes and our hearts to other countries and cultures. And to have a better awareness of what travel can offer us beyond just having a good experience in an exotic locale. Rick Steves has been a travel expert for years and I have used his books in my own travels abroad. But in this book he opens up our minds to the ways that we can be changed by our travels - we can gain empathy for people and recognize connections we have with people we perhaps thought we never could. Traveling with an open mind (and heart) is truly a way toward peace. We could all do well to travel more - outside of the United States. And this book is a great guide toward that endeavor.
Quote from book...
Mark Twain wrote, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."
Thoughtful travelers do it to have enlightening experiences, to meet inspirational people, to be stimulated, to learn, and to grow.
This was a very good book - but a hard story to read about. Just another reminder of the systemic racism this nation was built on. These are stories that need to be told... white people don't know these stories and there are, sadly, so many. My reading circle group read this book the same month as The Day the World Came to Town. We reflected that those two books showed the best of humanity and the worst of humanity. Thank goodness there are good people with courage and wisdom and curiosity to follow through...
Killers of the Flower Moon tells about a time and place in history that I really knew nothing about. In the 1920's the members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma were the richest people, per capita, in the world. The US had relegated the people of the Osage Nation to what was considered worthless land, but when it became incredibly valuable with the discovery of oil, nearby townspeople literally killed to take it over. A former Texas ranger named Tom White came to the area to investigate and was able to expose, and arrest, many of those responsible for the heinous crimes. But oh, the damage that was done.
Quote from the book...
I don't know a single Osage family which didn't lose at least one family member because of the head rights.
Killers of the Flower Moon - book trailer
Reign of Terror - Murder and Mayhem in the Osage Hills - OETP
Killers of the Flower Moon author David Grann answers your questions - PBS Newshour
Oh my goodness, I loved this book! It was so fascinating to 'meet' all the people - both the locals from Gander and the 'plane people' who ended up there. This is the kind of book that restores your faith in humanity. It was inspiring to read and pulled at me to 'do better'. It also makes me really want to travel to Gander! :) Reading this book brought me right back to 9/11. We all have our story and our memories of that day and those events. It is hard to believe that is over 20 years ago... I remember it all so vividly. This book tells the true story of how the small Canadian town of Gander welcomed 6,132 passengers, plus the crew members, from 38 flights from across the world on the spur of the moment when airspace over the United States was shut down. All those planes were forced to land quickly and this small town had a large enough airfield, left over from WW2 years, to accommodate them. However, once the 'plane people' landed, they nearly outnumbered the residents of Gander - and yet were their guests for several days until the planes could all take off again. What a story of hope, community, love & loss, and the power of hospitality to bring good to the world. Everyone should read this! And then follow up by watching the Broadway musical Come From Away that airs on AppleTV and is based on this same event. You won't be sorry!
Quotes from the book...
The passengers weren't treated like refugees, but like long-lost relatives, and the more he thought about it, the more it moved him.
Nevertheless, given all those human frailties, what happened in Gander is still remarkable. And perhaps the lesson isn't that these acts of kindness occurred because Gander is a magical place, but rather that these people came together in a time of crisis regardless of their own personal shortcoming. And if that's the case, then it offers hope that all of us have that ability within us.
I didn't quite finish this book... a lot happened in May 2021. But I enjoyed the parts I did read. I was interested in the author's childhood in small town Iowa and how we shared similarities and yet great differences in our upbringing. She had a scientist father who worked at colleges, but her family was cold and her small town was not comforting. The book had a lot of good information about science, and particularly women in science. But personally, the author annoyed me a bit. :) I was intrigued by her relationship with Bill, but never finished the book so know that I missed a lot.
Quotes from the book...
The more I handled things and learned their names and uses, the more joyous and confident grew my sense of kinship with the rest of the world - Helen Keller
(this reminded me so much of Maverick)
We had long since established the habit of not speaking as we walked the two miles home; silent togetherness is what Scandinavian families do naturally, and it may be what they do best.
People slice up tree trunks, nail the pieces together into boxy shapes, and then go inside to sleep.
I followed up #9 in the series with this one, #10 in the Passport to Peril series. A cheesy, easy, cozy mystery. I do enjoy this author although I realize they are not the best written books in the world. But I like them. :) This time Emily takes the Iowa senior citizens, including her own parents, to travel through Germany. This author does make me laugh out loud and she definitely has small town midwestern humor. In this book I realized I have more 'in common' with Emily's Mom, than Emily... which provided me with a few cringe inducing moments. (see quote below) :D I guess I really am 'that woman' and definitely am getting older. ugh.
Quote from the book...
Mom was practicing her people skills by giving everyone in the room a big squishy hug. She could have limited it to band members only, but to her way of thinking, overkill was a much less grievous sin than discrimination.
I needed something light to balance out Caste. This is the 9th book in an old cozy mystery series that I have enjoyed over the years. I am seeing now that the last 6 volumes are mighty hard to come by. That is a shame. They are all clever little mysteries and are all pretty dog-gone funny! The stories all revolve around travel company owner, Emily, who leads a group of senior citizens (including her very own Grandmother) from their small town in Iowa on trips to various exotic locales. Trouble is, there is always murder included on these trips! This one takes place in France on a cruise down the Seine River. I would actually like to do that! Reminds me of the Nile cruise I was on - very nice to have a home base (the boat) but be able to visit different towns and sites. This is a humor packed mystery series that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Quote from the book...
She smiled impishly. "Do you know why the French have become such great connoisseurs of wine?" "Superb vineyards?" "American tourists!"
What a powerful book. So hard to read (for the content) but so important to read. This book connected so many dots for me under the thesis of caste. The US having a caste system sine our very beginning makes sense. Whiteness is the thing that must be preserved at all costs (in this thesis) including if it goes against personal interests (economic, health, etc). There have been three caste systems in world history - India (ongoing), US (ongoing) and Nazism (12 years). Horrifying. As mentioned in the book, this statement got me... Africans say they don't 'become black' until they come to the United States. Everywhere else they are Nigerian, Ghanan, etc. But 'black' in the US is the bottom rung no matter what else exists. Also, Europeans become 'white' in the US - so can be a way to 'rise up'. Wow. So much. Such an important book. I also note that it is so important to read this book all the way to the very end. There is so much horror in the book but at the end the author helps us by providing us with tangible ways of moving forward... things we can actually do. To read the book and not get to that part would leave you with a weight far too heavy.
Okay, so who knew this book would be like ecology porn?? How very strange! I'll admit I was a bit startled by how much sex was in this book - I did not expect that! I suppose it was partly making a point about how all species are basically the same - procreate, eat, survive, die. I kept at this book even though in other circumstances I probably would have stopped. I also disliked most of the characters. However, by about ⅔ through I was more into the stories and interested in outcomes. By the end of the book I even sort of enjoyed the story and liked the characters a bit more. But I still had several 'ewwww' moments (like Lusa and her nephew???). Overall it was an interesting book - and it has left an impression on me about living things - cycles, interconnectedness, predators, etc. It was just kind of a strange book.
Quote from the book...
Everything alive is connected to every other thing by fine, invisible threads. Things you don't see can help you plenty, and things you try to control will often rear back and bite you, and that's the moral of the story.
This book had true 'laugh out loud' parts. It was hard to read when I was holding a sleeping baby! :D I truly enjoyed this book although I have a sneaking suspicion I might get annoyed with the author in real life. Some of the people he mocks really remind me of myself!! :) I enjoyed the relationship between him and Katz and was fascinated by both their adventures and experiences alone the trail and the historic and scientific background information. I would be interested in a follow up on more recent times about the trail, forest service, national parks and etc. So in some ways it did feel dated (written in 1998). One interesting note - since I read this book the same month as The Prodigal Summer, all the talk about the chestnut trees and the horrible blight that killed them definitely connected those two reads. I really wish I could have seen those magnificent trees. And this book adds to the grave concern about climate change, extinction of species, and mismanagement of lands and nature.
Quote from the book...
In America, alas, beauty has become something you drive to, and nature and either/or proposition - either you ruthlessly subjugate it, as at Tocks Dam and a million other places, or you deify it, treat it as something holy and remote, a thing apart, as along the Appalachian Trail. Seldom would it occur to anyone on either side that people and nature could coexist to their mutual benefit - that, say, a more graceful bridge across the Delaware river might actually set off the grandeur around it, or that the AT might be more interesting and rewarding if it wasn't all wilderness, if from time to time it purposely took you past grazing cows and tilled fields.
Reader's Digest interviews Bill Bryson - A Walk in the Woods
A Walk in the Woods - official movie trailer
A Walk in the Woods - Hike with the cast featurette
I really did enjoy this story. It is different from other books by Lucy Foley in that it is more historical fiction than hard core mystery. Following the deaths of her mother and grandmother, Kate discovers a portrait that greatly resembles her mother and she sets out to discover all she can about the woman in the portrait. The story is told from through different characters voices across decades from the 1920's to current days. Much of the story takes place in Corsica and the author truly brings that locale to life with vivid imagery. The last part of the book, I will admit, felt a bit like a whole other book that tacked on and then sprinted through. But overall the book was quite engaging.
Quote from the book...
"That view, out there, it's the same as it has been for centuries, perhaps even millennia, give or take a couple of the boats. When you are confronted with the permanence of other things in that way way..." he paused. "Well, it heightens the sense of ones own short span here."
The book begins with a box almost falling off a train seat but being caught by a man who takes it home and carefully catalogues it - placing it in a huge room of other 'lost things'. We get some of his story and then the book turns to the young woman he leaves everything to - who he also entreats to return all the lost items to their owners. It was a good story and is one of those books that I like even better now thinking back than when I first read it! ha!
Quote from the book -
At the bottom of the tree, she was tiny and the tree was an invincible giant. At the top, the tree was still huge, but tiny though she was, she had climbed it.
This book is simply a collection of quotes and stories of Mister Rogers. Simple yet profound wisdom. I do love Mister Rogers so much and so very much enjoyed the book. What is not to like? It is a lovely little pocket book or a small coffee table book and would make a very nice gift.
The Best of Mister Rogers - Charlie Rose Interview
