Book Lovers

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Read July 2022

Okay, I listened to this one in the pool and it was laugh out loud funny!  Brianna gave me the paperback version for my birthday and I started reading it but my book club books kept knocking it 'out of line'.  So I started listening in the pool.  I'm so glad, too!  I was hooked completely by 3 chapters in.  

Nora Stephens is a literary agent in New York City who finds that far too ofte, in her own real life, she is the 'other woman' in those Hallmark movies.  The one who gets dumped when her boyfriend goes to a small town to do some cutthroat business and instead falls in love with the sweet local baker, or inn owner, or florist, or... you get the picture.  We have all seen those Hallmark movies.  She recognizes she is the one back in the city sitting on her Peloton barking at the (soon to be ex) boyfriend.  Pretty fun setup for a book, really.  

Like any good Hallmark movie, though, you can see it all coming.  Within the first chapter I knew that the guy, Charlie Lestra, was going to be from the small town in North Carolina, Sunshine Falls.  But, the beauty of a book like this is that it doesn't matter.  You are truly along for the ride.  And it was a delightful one indeed. 

Side note about the audio version of this book... as I said I was listening to it in the pool.  I must admit that more than once I found myself lowering the volume just in case anyone was near enough to hear it!  ha!  

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Read July 2022 - Zoom Reading Circle

This was a book for my Zoom Reading Circle group.  I'm so glad we chose this to read.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was a slow moving book - truly one that is about the journey - but I sailed right along with it cherishing each bit.  

It is one of those books that goes back and forth in time from the 1940's World War 2 years to the mid-1980's.  I love that type of book so that never puts me off.  The story is told from the eyes of Henry Lee, a chinese man who lives in Seattle - in the same general neighborhood where he grew up.  Henry is a gentle quiet man who seems unassuming and always does the right thing.  As the story goes on and we see more of his childhood experiences, we discover that he has a true strength of character and has since he was a young boy.  We learn about his first love, a Japanese girl named Keiko Okabe who, along with her family, was sent to a Japanese internment campe in Idaho during the war.  This book does a good job of illuminating that period in our nations dark history.  I was aware of this because my own Mama grew up in Powell, WY where the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp was located and she remembers well the Japanese men who would be allowed out in the community by day to work for area farmers - including her own father. 

The author stated in an interview that he did not set out to write a morality book explicitly stating what is right and what is wrong.  He felt he could simply tell the story with the facts and allow the reader to discern.  I think that is a powerful way to get the story, and all its pain and sorrow, through to people.  It is also true that in any bitter, there is always some sweet.  This is a Chinese confucian saying, apparently, but I have always found that to be true in my own life.  This book touched my heart.  I felt the joys and the sorrows of the characters and also felt that it was so true to life.  Things aren't always wrapped up neatly - but there can always be hope.  I feel Jamie Ford left us with a great deal of hope at the end of this book. 

I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars.  Zoom Reading Circle rated it 4.2. 

Below are some things I shared with the Zoom Reading Circle group...

 
I'll share this video link here because it is too long to play for the group tomorrow. But some of you might be interested in it - I was! It is about Oscar Holden and the jazz scene in Seattle in the 1940's. I didn't realize, until I went looking for videos, that Oscar Holden was a real person and not just a great character in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. https://youtu.be/ISj4ObElhG0

And one more link to an NPR interview with author Jamie Ford. While the story itself is not 'true' it is certainly based on true events and has some elements of the author's family life woven into it.  So interesting.  

https://www.npr.org/2009/02/07/100377332/jamie-fords-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet

Another link...

https://www.knkx.org/artscape/2014-09-15/panama-hotel-jazz-music-project-tells-story-of-the-historic-seattle-landmark

And just one more

https://historylink.org/file/11074

Mary Jane

Mary Jane by Jessica Anne Blau

Read July 2022 

Oh my goodness, I loved this book!  It is a little trashy but in a totally wholesome way.  Is that even a thing?  It must be because it perfectly describes this book!  :D 

The story is about a 14 year old girl in Baltimore during one fateful summer in the 1970's.  She is from a very uptight, conservative, staid family but she gets a summer job as a nanny in a freewheeling but extremely loving household.  Mary Jane quickly goes through many phases of confusion about this exciting new family (their house is messy, they don't eat regular menu planned meals, and they are clearly more liberal in their thinking - AND their dress!)  But as summer goes on she learns what it means to feel loved and seen and accepted into this big rollicking family. 

Add in the fact that a famous movie star and her rock star husband are also there for the summer - he is drying out and working through his issues with the psychiatrist dad - and that is to be kept a secret from everyone in the neighborhood, including Mary Jane's parents... you have a truly charming coming of age story that I would read again! 

This is a perfect summertime read.  Great fun and you will fall in love with all the characters. 

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Side note - 

As I was reading the book I couldn't help but think the movie star wife is a weird composite of Marie Osmond & Cher and the husband was similar to Greg Allman.  Also note - if you read her Q&A at the end of the book she basically says she really did get hired to write the biography of a famous movie star and it didn’t work out so she just poured a lot of that into this book.  

Broken Horses

Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile

Read July 2022

Wow!  I fell completely in love with Brandi Carlile while listening to this book!  Dear Jennifer first recommended I read it last summer and it took me a whole year to get around to it.  But when I finally did, I couldn’t get enough of it.  I will say that I listened to it in the pool and I would highly recommend that you do the same.  Brandi is the narrator so it feels like she is just sitting in the room with you telling you her story.  And then at the end of each chapter she sings to you.  What a fantastic experience!  I laughed and I cried... so cliche but so true with this book.  She is funny, she shares her pain and her joys so well and makes you feel what she has felt.  I was rooting for her the whole way.  She is humble and honest and owns her faults.  And what drew me in the most is she is a stellar singer and uniquely brilliant songwriter.  I used to love country music.  Heck, I moved to Nashville because I wanted to get into publishing.  But that was many years ago.  Back when every song on the radio didn’t sound exactly the same and songs had real meaning.  You could listen to songs that went along with whatever you were going through in your life - they had meaning.  I’m afraid that by and large I just don’t find that in today’s country music.  

But, Brandi Carlile (and the twins - LOVE them) are the real deal.  The songs she sings have meaning and tell stories about real life - hers but so many apply to everyone else, too.  Good stories are like that - they transcend any differences we might have and get to the root of our humanness.  That is what Brandi does.  After listening to this book I bought every single one of her albums and have listened to them all several times through.  And I am now a lifelong forever fan.  

Puzzle #50 - White Mountain - Summer Breeze - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #50 - White Mountain - Summer Breeze - 1000 pieces

Large, solid (mostly) pieces.  Several pieces had paper in the little pockets/slots - sloppily cut, I guess.  I think this happens with White Mountain.  Not a deal breaker but noticeable.  Also noticeable and I remember happening once before so will try to determine if it is a WM issue... there was a teensy tiny bug crawling in the puzzle dust.  Ugh.  Almost too small to see.  Made me think about how many more and in how many boxes and can it spread from box to box and what is it??  sigh.  The poster is nice but is actually a tad bit smaller than the image on the box.  MasterPieces and Buffalo Games still win on poster size, I think.  But the overall size of this puzzle is nice to work with.  It completely fills my jumbo size puzzle caddy.  Been looking forward to doing this puzzle for awhile.  Love this scene.

Taking photos to show progression - difficulty - what was last to go together

This puzzle was an absolute dream!!  I was a little gun shy on White Mountain after Beach Vacation was SO much fun until it became pure drudgery at the end... putting a damper on things.  This one never did that.  It was challenging, to be sure, but never frustrating.  It was such a lovely and relaxing image and had so many interesting aspects to it.  I had to sit and finish it not because I wanted to move on but because I was so enjoying myself.  Wonderful puzzle!  White Mountain pieces do tend to have small (almost insignificant) damage to pieces - bent places, top lifting off... but not bad at all.  Just not as strong as say, Ravensburger or even Cobble Hill I think.  Still, it is definitely a puzzle company I really enjoy.  And you just can't beat a good David MacLean image!

Finished on July 27, 2022

Puzzle #50 - White Mountain - Summer Breeze - 1000 pieces - David MacLean

Puzzle #49 - Galison - Painted Desert- 500 pieces

Puzzle #49 - Galison - Painted Desert- 500 pieces

Very nice puzzle.  My first ever Galison brand.  Square, not rectangle.  Not that that matters - just noting.  Sturdy pieces, good image color, very interesting poster.  Made note to self - you don't necessarily sort by cactus on this one.  :D  ha!  I mean you can... but... even those varied cactus puzzle pieces really look a lot alike!

Will definitely get more of this brand.  Small poster - smaller than the box.  Sometimes had to look at the box to get a  (slightly) better view.  But, still like having a poster included.

I really loved the picture on this one - looking closely at details of the Painted Desert - interesting and engaging.  

Finished on July 24, 2022

Puzzle #49 - Galison - Painted Desert- 500 pieces - Amy Peppler Adams

Puzzle #48 - SunsOut - Spools and Bolts - 300 pieces

Puzzle #48 - SunsOut - Spools and Bolts - 300 pieces by Chris Bigelow - Here it is in 1000 pieces...

This was just a 300 piece puzzle but I enjoyed it greatly.  This image was one I had been wanting to do.  I could have gotten it in a 1000 piece (and might have had I ordered it more recently) but this was one of the first puzzles I ordered back when I was still doing primarily 300 piece puzzles.  As it turns out, 300 was a lovely way to enjoy the image in just an hour or so.  Fun puzzle.  Sturdy pieces, but some were a bit bent.  No big deal, though.

Finished on July 23, 2022

Puzzle #48 - SunsOut - Spools and Bolts - 300 pieces by Chris Bigelow - Here it is in 1000 pieces...

Puzzle #47 - MasterPieces Americana - School Days - EZ Grip 500 pieces

Puzzle #47 - MasterPieces Americana - School Days - EZ Grip 500 pieces

I enjoy these puzzles but they aren't my favorite.  However, they are easy to do even without looking too much at the picture or box.  (but you have to look for the little people).  They are pleasant and relaxing but the images aren't as impactful as others.  Apple Pie Kitchen was memory inducing.  These are just cute puzzle images (and there is a place for that).  The quality is good.  MasterPieces does seem to have an issue with some of their pieces being a little beat up... but it isn't awful and they don't break.  The EZ Grip pieces are large which I think is not a bad thing.  So not a bad puzzle, but not a favorite either.  Pleasant and bland.  :)

In wine club speak, this puzzle would be the equivalent of an "I'd still drink that" Pinot Grigio.  :D ha!!  Although, I paired this puzzle with a Rose from Provence.   :) 

Finished on July 23, 2022

Puzzle #47 - MasterPieces Americana - School Days - EZ Grip 500 pieces - Bob Pettes

Puzzle #46 - Cobble Hill - Apple Pie Kitchen - 500 pieces

Puzzle #46 - Cobble Hill - Apple Pie Kitchen - 500 pieces

What a truly lovely puzzle!  Large sturdy pieces feel good in the hand.  I like large pieces (I know some don't).  Relaxing and enjoyable image and the pieces are clear.  Only 500 pieces but not simple.  Just good puzzle fun.  The dog was the hardest!  Ha!  Stove was the next most difficult part.

Paired nicely with a 2020 Maddalena Pinot Grigio.  4 stars 

Finished on July 21, 2022

Puzzle #46 - Cobble Hill - Apple Pie Kitchen - 500 pieces

Puzzle #45 - Buffalo Games - Cities in Color Raining in Paris - 750 pieces

Puzzle #45 - Buffalo Games - Cities in Color Raining in Paris - 750 pieces

I almost gave up on this one.  Glad I persevered.  Turned out to be pretty and even enjoyable.  But early on I had a bad feeling about it.  Buffalo does that thing where pieces fit more than one place which is super obnoxious.  And it all looked pink and purple except for a few areas.  I came as close as getting the box open to start putting the puzzle away then I decided to just try a little bit more.  I was able to fill in the sky and upper right quadrant and that helped me keep going.  Should have taken a photo today of final progress... the last bits were the rain covered sidewalk/road and the building upper right side.  But I got it.  Buffalo does that dumb piece thing, but they do have a nice, large poster which is important to me.

Finished on July 19, 2022

Puzzle #45 - Buffalo Games - Cities in Color Raining in Paris - 750 pieces