Monthly Archives: August 2023

Books I Read in July 2023 (& some gardening thoughts)

Books & Reading, Cooking, Country Life, Gardens, , , , , ,
Flowers
Flowers in the garden.

This photo sums up a large part of the reason why I have been behind on posting my lists of books read. Watering, weeding, fertilizing, pruning and deadheading. That’s why. With this post I will be caught up. At least until the calendar flips at the end of the month. So follows my list of books read for July.

  1. Forever and a Day-Jill Shalvis

Grace Brooks arrives in Lucky Harbor to figure out what will make her life happy. Answering an accidental call from Dr. Josh Scott, she agrees to be the dog walker and then temporary nanny to his five year old son. Grace takes care of the son Toby and paraplegic sister Anna. Grace is there for Josh too. Some families are built rather than born and they are worth the work.

2. Send a Ranger-Tom Habecker (Non-fiction)

A summary of a 32 year career as a ranger serving the National Parks system. From Washington D.C. to Gettysburg, then Yosemite to Glacier to Denali National Park, it was quite a career. The book covers day to day functions such as maintenance, law enforcement, and rescues. The author also shared the beauty and grandeur of the scenery and wildlife.  It was interesting to hear what the life of a ranger is really like.

3. OMFG, Bees!-Matt Kracht (Non/fiction)

A hand-illustrated guide with everything you ever wanted to know about bees. The drawings are adorable and the information is presented in a lighthearted, funny way.

4. Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year-Rochelle Bilow

Ruby quits her high-powered job and moves to Scotland for a year to write a cookbook. She rents a tiny cottage and helps with cooking at the adjacent local pub to help pay her rent. Ruby becomes part of the local community and feels that she has come home, especially after meeting a village Scotsman. It was fun being immersed in this bit of Scottish life.

5. The Café at Beach End-RaeAnne Thayer

Meredith Collins is trying to get her life in order after her ex-husband swindles many people out of their retirement savings. Most people feel she was involved even though she was as surprised as everyone else. Meredith moves from Chicago to a small beach cottage she inherited from her grandmother. It’s all she has left. Her estranged cousin Tori still lives nearby. Her undercover neighbor is looking for clues as to where Meredith’s ex-husband hid the money before he died in prison. Lots of storylines going on here. It made for an enjoyable read.

6. Subpar Parks-Amber Share (Non-fiction)

This book is humorous, informative, and has nice graphic art. Each of America’s National Parks has a chapter starting with the worst and most humorous review. Ie. Crater National Park,”Just something to look at and leave”. I think some people should just stay home. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned a lot about our parks.

Magazines:  Dogster, Cottages and Bungalows, The English Home, AARP, Country Living, Down East

Garden veggies
Yesterday’s vegetables!

This picture also illustrates the comment about why I am behind with posting my book lists and posting in general. I gave about half of these away to my daughter and mother-in-law. This evening, we are having sweet and sour eggplant with peppers and a few green beans served on Jasmine rice for dinner.

I keep four different varieties of rice on hand. Jasmine, brown Basmati, long grain, and short grain. They all have a different taste and texture that makes them preferable for different dishes. Sometimes, I buy long grain and wild rice too. Not bad for a girl whose only exposure to rice growing up was the occasional Minute Rice for our canned La Choy “Chinese food”. My tastes have expanded from when I was growing up and our winter vegetables consisted of canned corn, peas, or green beans. I don’t think our family was all that unusual for the times. The variety of foods that we have now were not as readily available then. At least not where I lived. This may be part of the reason I enjoy growing and cooking such a wide range of things now.

My friends, I hope you are enjoying the bounty of summer as well. Until next time…Peace be with you.

Books I Read in June 2023

Books & Reading, Gardens, , , ,
Reading a book is like taking your mind for a walk down a long path.

One day I will get caught up on posting my Books Read lists. Today is not that day, but here is the next one. Only one month behind now. In addition to watering and weeding, my days are now consumed with harvesting, cooking, and freezing. Not a bad thing. It was the desired end goal of all the watering and weeding. I am also searching things on-line like “Different Ways to Use Cucumbers”. We must have 30 pounds of cucumbers. The output is slowing down. Meanwhile, we have a plethora of cucumbers. I feel like George’s mother in Seinfeld. “What am I going to do with all this paella?” (Insert cucumbers for paella.) According to Pinterest, you can sauté and even bake cucumbers. If I get brave enough, we will find out how well this works.

On to my book list:

  1. The Sisters of Sea View-Julie Klassen

Sarah Summers and her sisters must find a way to make money if they want to keep their home. They begin taking in paying guests. One sister prefers a job reading to the disadvantaged. Her first assignment is reading to Major Hutton next door. The Major suffered military injuries and is not elderly as she expected. Between the boarders and other characters, there are many likable people in the book, and some are less so. The setting is Victorian England. An enjoyable story.

2. Afternoon Tea Is the New Happy Hour-Gail Greco (Cookbook)

This is a fun book. It has general information about tea and accessories. There are also fun recipes for various teas and foods to go with.

3. I’m So Effing Hungry-Amy Shah, MD (Non-fiction)

A book about why we crave what we crave and what to do about it. Useful and enlightening information. The answer isn’t just one thing, it’s many things from diet to 12 hour fasts, correct sleep, type of exercise, and circadian rhythms. Changes are explained through changes in various hunger hormones and studies are cited. As with anything, it’s not an all or none approach. I am of the opinion that if we learn one worthwhile thing from a book, it was worth our time.

4. The Plant Love Kitchen-Marisa Moore (Cookbook)

Information about transitioning to a plant based diet with small amounts of other foods. Good information and some interesting recipes.

5. Rescue Dogs-Sally Muir (Non-fiction)

This is a book featuring paintings of rescue dogs accompanied by a few sentences about the dogs. The dogs are from multiple countries, many from Britain. Lots of sight hounds and terriers. Very cute.

6. The Comfort Book-Matt Haig (Non-fiction)

This is a compilation of thoughts, ideas, and stories that Haig has recorded for himself to be used during difficult times. It is a wonderfully uplifting book. The words are also good input and inspiration for those who are not currently experiencing rough times. I think it could have also been called The Hope Book.

7. Forest Walking-Peter Wohlleben & Jane Billinghurst (Non-fiction)

This is a book about the life cycle of forests from the large to the microscopic. It also contains tips to make hiking more pleasurable. I spent my career working as an environmental scientist and still learned a lot from this book. Not the most exciting book I’ve ever read, but informative.

8. Under the Whispering Door-TJ Klune

A science fiction book that examines life and death. Wallace dies and is retrieved from his own funeral then delivered to a whimsical house. He is to spend time here until he is ready to cross over to what is next. Along the way, he builds loyalty to new friends and forms a family-worthy bond. Wallace transforms from a nasty man into a caring person before it is time to set off on his next phase. In this story, death is not the end. This book is awesome! It was slow to get going. At page 40, I didn’t know if I would finish it. By page 200 I couldn’t put it down.

9. The Stand-Stephen King (pages 500-749)

I should have included this on last month’s list, but I forgot. The book is well over 1,000 pages, so I’m reading it in installments. Between the fact that it is long, and I have to take breaks because it is depressing, it will take me a while to get through this one. Also, I had to return it to the library, so I will have to check it out again later. I am reading this one, because it is on so many “best of” lists.

Magazines:  Taste of Home (2 issues), Grit, Naturally, Danny Seo, The Seasonal Home

My number one recommendation from this month’s list? Under the Whispering Door! If you are not tolerant of books that do not have a Christian outlook, this book may not be for you. The fact that the main character is not Christian is only referenced a couple times, and the book has so much to offer, I think it is well worth the read.

Peace to you.