Life: It Goes On - December 5

Happy Sunday-Monday (well, let's be honest, it's actually almost Tuesday)! Spent several days last week under the weather and this is most definitely not the time of year to fall behind on the to-do list. Have most of the bins up to decorate and, finally, figured out where to put the two new trees I have this year and how I want to decorate the top of the piano. I'm sure you're thinking to yourself that I spend entirely too much time thinking about how I'm going to decorate and should just do the same thing every year. And I would, if I had the same things every year. No. No I wouldn't. I like pondering what I'm going to do. I just don't want to put the lights and the bed garland on the trees. I would pay you to come to my house and do that for me!

Last Week I: 

Listened To: Mohsin Hamid's The Last White Man. Interesting premise, but not at all the way I thought it was going to play out. 

Watched: Lots of college football, basketball, and volleyball. 

Read: I'm finally back to Demon Copperhead, which is due back to the library soon. But which they are not getting back until they threaten to take my first born. And maybe not even then. 

Made: Not much cooking has been going on around here this week, with leftovers still on the menu. The Big Guy did make a really good turkey and rice soup that we ate for a couple of evenings. 

Enjoyed: Is it wrong to say I enjoyed TBG being under the weather, too? When he's down, he's content to stay at home and you know how much I love to do that. 

Lots of cat snuggles this 
week helped me feel 
better. 

This Week I’m:  

Planning: I need to get Christmas decorating done before the weekend, I have to get Christmas cards put together and ordered, and I need to do some cleaning around here before company arrives this weekend. 

Thinking About: I found a button stash at my parents' house and, because there is so much extra time this time of the year, I'm thinking about doing a couple of craft projects using those buttons. We'll see what time allows. 

Feeling: Yesterday we went to Lincoln to work on my parents' home. It was a tough day, emotionally, and I was drained by the time I went to bed. As I lay there thinking about how hard it is to slowly say goodbye to the house, it occurred to me that I am so lucky that there are so many wonderful, wonderful memories in that house that make the saying goodbye so difficult. I am blessed to have 54 years worth of memories. 

Looking forward to: Seeing family this weekend.

Question of the week: Do you still send Christmas cards? 

Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Strout

304 Pages

Published September 2022 by Random House Publishing Group

Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley

Publisher's Summary: 

As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it’s just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea. 

Rich with empathy and emotion, Lucy by the Sea vividly captures the fear and struggles that come with isolation, as well as the hope, peace, and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart—the pain of a beloved daughter’s suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love.

My Thoughts: 

“One proof of Elizabeth Strout’s greatness is the sleight of hand with which she injects sneaky subterranean power into seemingly transparent prose. Strout works in the realm of everyday speech, conjuring repetitions, gaps and awkwardness with plain language and forthright diction, yet at the same time unleashing a tidal urgency that seems to come out of nowhere even as it operates in plain sight.”—The New York Times Book Review

If you've been around any time at all here, you already know that I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Strout's work. I was introduced to her with Olive Kitteridge, thirteen years ago; and I've since read five more of her books between that one and this one. You wouldn't' have to have read those same six books before reading this one; but it does make reading it that much more fun, as Strout routinely references characters from previous books in her current books. Here the Burgess brothers(The Burgess Boys), Olive Kitteridge (also from Olive Again) and several other characters from those books reappear, as well as the characters from the three Lucy Barton books that proceeded this one. It's one of the things I so enjoy about Strout's books. It's like catching up with old friends when you come upon them in other books, old friends it is clear that Strout isn't ready to say goodbye to just yet. Rightly so - they are marvelous, nuanced, relatable characters. 

But what I most love about Strout's books is her completely unique writing style, a style that, as the quote above says, incorporates everyday speech, repetitions, gaps, awkwardness. There is nothing flowery about Strout's writing and yet it manages to paint every bit as vivid a picture of her characters and settings as books twice as long. 

Just when I thought that I was beginning to agree with Kirkus Reviews on the regular, I, once again, find myself completely disagreeing with them about this one. They called this book a "disappointment" and said Strout's voice was "positively worn out." To be fair, at this point we know these characters - that initial spark that readers feel when they find new characters they grow fond of is gone. Which feels a little bit like the point to me. 

William and Lucy have known each other for decades, they've been married and divorced and they're girls are grown adults. The spark of new love is gone. But there is a comfort, when they find themselves isolated together, with being with someone you know so well. Especially when there are, in fact, some new things to learn about that person. I learned new things about these characters in Lucy By The Sea, while being comforted by meeting these old friends again. There was nothing disappointing about this book for me. 

Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby

Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby

416 Pages

Published November 2022 by Pegasus Books

Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher, through Austenprose PR

Publisher's Summary: 

On January 21, 1804, Anne Sharpe arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess. At thirty-one years old, she has no previous experience of either teaching or fine country houses. Her mother has died, and she has nowhere else to go. Anne is left with no choice. For her new charge—twelve-year-old Fanny Austen—Anne's arrival is all novelty and excitement.

The governess role is a uniquely awkward one. Anne is neither one of the servants, nor one of the family, and to balance a position between the "upstairs" and "downstairs" members of the household is a diplomatic chess game. One wrong move may result in instant dismissal. Anne knows that she must never let down her guard.

When Mr. Edward Austen's family comes to stay, Anne forms an immediate attachment to Jane. They write plays together, and enjoy long discussions. However, in the process, Anne reveals herself as not merely pretty, charming, and competent; she is clever too. Even her sleepy, complacent, mistress can hardly fail to notice.

Meanwhile Jane's brother, Henry, begins to take an unusually strong interest in the lovely young governess. And from now on, Anne's days at Godmersham Park are numbered.

My Thoughts: 

As those of you who have been around a while know, I'm not a huge fan of books that play off of the classics, especially my beloved Jane Austen. But because this one picks up a tangential thread from Jane's life, rather than her books, I decided to give it a chance. 

Godmersham Park

Godmersham Park is based on the real experiences of Anne Sharpe during her time at Godmersham Park, home of Edward Austen, Jane's brother. During her time there, her young charge, Fanny, kept a diary detailing the small details of life in the home; there were, as well, letters between Fanny and Jane, Hornby had a wealth of information to build her story from. Little is known of Anne's life before her arrival at Godmersham Park, leaving it entirely to Hornby's imagination as to how a woman of Anne's education and polish ended up working as a governess. 

I was drawn into this book immediately because of Hornby's writing style, which so closely resembles writers of the period in which the story is set. Hornby brings to the book some of the wit I so enjoy in Austen's books, as well as the details of life at that time that plop me right down into the story (the clothing, food, setting, and politics of life in a monied home). As much as I enjoyed reading Anne's story, I was equally taken with the chance to "get to know" Jane better - her struggles with life as a single woman without money, her first forays into writing, her relationships with her family. 

My one quibble with the book (don't you just hate that I always use that word to describe the things I have issues with in a book - I wish I could come up with another word that described my feelings as well) is that it sometimes went on a bit too long for me when Anne returned to visit her former nurse. But those visits resulted in a payoff that made perfect sense for how Anne came to find herself unsupported by her father, after having turned down marriage proposals. 

Gill Hornby

I don't think I'm giving anything away when I tell you that Anne's tenure at Godmersham Park was short lived; certainly readers will see that coming - Mrs. Edward Austen was bound to find fault in some way. But good golly did I want Anne to find a place to call home, to be able to stay with her dear Fanny and educate the other Austen children, to continue to be able to spend time with Jane. 

Thank you so much to Laurel, of Austenprose PR, for inviting me to join the tour for this book. And my apologies to her for entirely missing my tour date. As I've thoroughly enjoyed every book I've read and reviewed for Austenprose PR, I do hope she'll forgive me! 

Life: It Goes On - November 28

Happy Monday! Yeah, I know these are meant to be posted on Sundays but Sunday just got away from me. I'd like to say it's because I was so busy taking down Thanksgiving and putting up Christmas or spending the whole day with family or, even, enjoying the first of many holiday events. But the truth of the matter is that from mid-afternoon on, I spent most of the day vegging out, unable to make myself move. While I was feeling guilty about that, The Big Guy assured me that I deserved to have a day of rest. Which made me feel marginally less guilty. And I did appreciate the support. 

Last Week I: 

Listened To: I started the week listening to A Snake Falls To Earth but didn't get it finished before it was grasped out of my hands (ok, returned automatically off of my phone) by the library. And now I won't get it back for something like 16 weeks. To avoid having that happen again, I've started Mohsin Hamid's latest, The Last White Man, which runs at just 3 hours. Surely I can get that finished soon, right? I certainly hope so because next up I have Anthony Marra's latest, Mercury Pictures Presents, which I most assuredly want to be able to finish before I have to return it. 

Watched: My beloved Husker football team win their final game of the season and my beloved Husker volleyball team unexpectedly get dominated, at home, in two matches. 

Read: I started Barbara Kingsolver's latest, Demon Copperhead. At over 800 pages, I see very little chance that this one will get finished before the library threatens to fine me for not returning it. Still, I refuse to rush it; because at just 25 pages in, I'm, once again, blown away by Kingsolver's writing. 

Made: Breakfast pastry (yum), a new cranberry recipe (thanks, Kim - another yum), pumpkin pies (forgot to double the sugar so only a yum because of whipped cream), gravy (I'm told it was a yum), and stuffing (most decidedly not a yum). BG did the turkey, using a method we saw on Pioneer Woman. It cooks beautifully and in a fraction of the time so we'll definitely be doing that again. 

Celtic symbol for 
strength

Enjoyed: So much time with family, including Thanksgiving dinner Thursday with my dad, Mini-him, and BG at my dad's place (those folks put on a terrific spread); three days with my sister and brother-in-law; Thanksgiving dinner a day late at our place; and a short visit with Miss H, who had to work Thursday and then had to head back home Saturday morning. At least she was here long enough to go with me and hold my hand when I got my tattoo on Friday. Yep, I didn't chicken out! Did it hurt? Yes, it did. Did it hurt as much as tearing my meniscus? Not even close. 

This Week I’m:  

Planning: The calendar is very clear this week so I'll be getting the house decorated for Christmas. 

Thinking About: Christmas shopping. It's taken up a lot of my free time since Friday. The scramble is on to get the shopping done for my Alaskans so I can get their package mailed soon. Do you all remember the year I waited until the last minute to mail their package to Milwaukee and ended up spending $95 to get it there on time? Can you even imagine what it would cost to ship a package last minute to Anchorage??

Feeling: Tired. 

Looking forward to: Hopefully getting time to see friends this week. 

Question of the week: How did you spend the holiday? 

The Book of Maps by Ernest Thompson * Guest Review

The Book of Maps by Ernest Thompson 

480 pages 

Published October 2022 by Global Collective Publishers

Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher, through TLC Book Tours, in exchange for an honest review

Publisher's Summary: 

In the summer of 2002, Brendan Tibbet, a filmmaker whose luck has run low, takes his ten-year-old son Brenlyn on a raucous road trip across America. Following a 1930s travel guide Brendan purchased at a yard sale, the two-week trek from LA to New Hampshire covers 16 states, hitting the iconic stops along the way, Yosemite, the Great Salt Lake, Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, replete with wild exploits both hilarious and perilous, but it’s the interior journey that is enlightening, deeply poignant and life-changing. 

Brendan assures the boy that each state will be an adventure, and on the second day proves it, seeing the kid washed away in fast-moving rapids, then foolishly putting them both in danger by refusing to back down to the massive black bear invading their campsite. That’s Brendan, impetuous and foolhardy, inciting trouble wherever he goes, a man with demons and bubbling angst. But neither of those missteps, or the many and scarier ones to follow, can begin to compare to the threatening storm cloud hanging over the expedition: the father’s struggle to find the perfect, worst time to reveal to his son the news that will break his heart and affect everything to follow. 

Ernest Thompson’s debut novel is a skillful, magical piece of 20th-century fin de siècle writing depicting a United States that, even in the aftermath of 9-11, seems almost innocent contrasted to the horrors and divisions, racism and rage challenging us now. The Book of Maps, with its powerful father-son relationship and one man’s relentless albeit unintentional quest to evolve into the better angel we all aspire to be, will capture the imagination of readers and leave them wanting to relive this mad, irresistibly moving, ridiculously funny, reflective and inspiring cross-country odyssey again and again.

Guest Review:

My husband loves travel novels so I knew this was one of him when it was offered to me for review. Here are his thoughts: 

The Book of Maps, appears to be, from its cover, a normal travel story between a father and his son; but it ends up going many different directions along the way.  Not quite as nuts as Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; but plenty of excitement, fun and danger, especially if you are a parent.  

Other travel stories I've enjoyed include Blue Highways and a number of Paul Theroux books that were high on my list.  The Flashman Chronicles would, I think,  would be considered a strong contender for some of my favorite travel tales and of course a good many of Mark Twain's stories.  

The first thing you notice is that Ernest Thompson has tremendous control of the English language.  It takes a bit of getting used to at first, as his prose is pretty thick with his ability to use All of the English Language.  But from the guy that wrote On Golden Pond, Thompson has great credentials, a strong grip on the human condition and the ability to create, build and expand relationships. 

I presume the story comes, at least somewhat, from personal experience as Brenden and his son Brenlyn take us on a journey across the US from Southern California up to his home in New Hampshire.  Lurking in the background is his crumbling marriage to Lynsay, that Brenden is slowly figuring out was destined to fail from the beginning.  But the couple still have love, however incompatible.  However, like is often the case in a break-up, they have a boy in the middle of it all. Brenden is going to take Brenlyn on a last big trip with using the Book of Maps as a bible.  Brenden knows he is going to miss his son a great deal, not being around all of the time and being located across the country.  

Brenden has had some strong success in his past but that's gone a bit dormant; on this trip he is beginning to hash some of this out.  When Brenden gets back, and after weeks with his son where he knows this is the end of a normal family life,k we really don't know where Brenden is going to be in his life.  Will he become a lazy drunk that circles the drain and dies lonely or will he get is mojo back and find some of the success he had early in life?  

Of course, the other obvious element of the story is the question of what will become of the relationship between Brenden and Brenlyn.  Early in the trip there is quite a bit of strife between the two; but they begin to find some common ground.  Will they stay close after this long strange trip together or does Brenlyn find out things about his father that pull them further apart? Brenden has to spring the concept of divorce on him at some point along or at the end of the trip.  When they separate will they have developed a bond that will last a lifetime and carry them forward or just visit once in the summer and over the holidays?  

The Book of Maps is a very well written story, a nice read the flows well, has deep character building of characters who you care about and plenty of good and bad surprises along the way.  Like on On Golden Pond, the story and characters feel real and the reader is convinced that the encounters along the way could be and may well have happened and they most people can relate to these slices of life.  I really enjoyed the ride along.  

Thanks, Big Guy!

About The Author:

Ernest Thompson has written numerous films, plays and songs, and has worked extensively as an actor and director. In addition to his Oscar for On Golden Pond, Ernest’s work has won two Golden Globes, a Writers Guild Award, a Broadway Drama Guild Award and been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy and a British Academy Award. His plays have been seen in theaters around the world, his most enduring, On Golden Pond, translated into 30 languages and presented in more than 40 countries. He currently is developing Cries of Valor in Defiance, depicting life in the pandemic and, with his writer wife Kerrin Thompson, has established Rescind Recidivism, a prison writing program designed to give inmates a chance to feel creative as well as human, capable and worthy.