Bel Lamington by D.E. Stevenson, Upbeat Novel, and Wildfire Smoke

 I read Bel Lamington by D.E. Stevenson recently and recommend it to anyone who enjoys an upbeat charming novel wherein the main character is a young woman who faces challenges. This novel is set in about 1950, first in London and then in Drumburly, Scotland.

Bel was orphaned when a child and raised by her kind aunt in an English village. When the aunt died Bel had to sell the house and take the small amount of money from the sale and move to London to find a job. She found a job as a secretary in a shipping company where several potential suitors meet her. Bel is innocent and runs into a big problem. She flees to the tiny outpost of Drumburly in Scotland where her friend and her father are on vacation fishing. 

I liked this book so much I was happy to hear there is a sequel, so I bought it and will soon learn more about Bel and her adventures.

I discovered D.E. Stevenson only a few years ago. We fans call ourselves Dessies. My very favorite of her novels is Miss Buncle's Book, which is very humorous. I am glad many of her books are back in print and also available as ebooks. If you like immersing yourself in stories set in 1940s and 1950s in rural England and Scotish border towns and people facing problem and even falling in love, these novels provide that. Humor too.

By the way, I have very eclectic taste in reading. For example I enjoy the Murderbot series by Martha Wells and just bought the third book in her series, Rogue Protocol. "Sci-Fi's favorite anti-social AI is back on a mission." "Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?" I will review the Murderbot series in a future post. I recently discovered two authors new to me, Jamie Buckingham and Sean Dietrich "Sean of the South." So many good books out there. What are you reading today?

 Smoke from Wild Fires in Canada and Northern USA

June 30 2023. I am adding this note to say I am concerned about all the poor air quality and smoke in much of eastern Canada and eastern USA and in northern states including Michigan, Wisconsin and New York. My sister says the air in western Wisconsin where she lives is very smokey and in the unhealthy zone. She has developed a cough from going out in her garden. I am praying that the fires in Canada go out today! Does everyone know that room air purifiers with HEPA filters remove smoke? I got two of them (for living room and for bedroom) to remove pollen and dust and during California smoke hazard days learned that they help clean the air from smoke too. Love you guys.

The Reading Woman and Paintings and my House Needs a New Roof

A quote on reading: "When I only begin to read, I forget I'm on this world. It lifts me on wings with high thoughts." Anzia Yezierska. "Wings" from "Hungry Hearts" 1920.

 

These illustrations are from the address book I bought, "The Reading Woman", published by Pomegranate.The book has about 40 paintings in it. My favorite school of painting is PreRaphaelite and all those whose art has a resonance with that style, like the first painting above by Frederic, Lord Leighton "The Maid with the Golden Hair". The second painting is "Summertime: Portrait of the Artist's Wife" by Edward Killingworth and the third is "In the Library, St. James Square" attributed to Thomas Pole.

New Roof Needed

In the first week of May I learned that the roof on my house needs replacing. No leaks but just aging. The ocean side especially is worn. The roof is original with the house so about 65 years old, that is a long life for a roof.  The new roof will have composition shingles and a 50 year warranty. Making decisions for this project is hard for me being a senior and a widow, I miss my husband a lot, he handled projects like this. I will not shock you by telling you how much it will cost in this part of California but a hint is that I could buy a new car for that price. I got bids from 3 companies and selected one. They are booked up until mid-August, just letting you know what I have been doing, so I am on their project list for August.

Knee Cap Dislocation for Bounce, Boba Ice Cream Bars, and Book Cartoon

 

Ha ha, whoever created this cartoon above must know me. I even use Little Free Libraries to give away and receive more books in addition to buying.

Above is a painting of Bounce, my darling companion. A few days ago he was peacefully standing at the patio door looking outside when he shrieked in pain. I was standing right next to him at that time. That was at 10:30 a.m.. Then at 1:30 he was standing still and again yelped with pain. I called the vet and they said bring him in in two days to our next available appointment. I said two days is a long time when he is is pain. The receptionist was kind and talked to the staff and they said I could bring in Bounce at 3:30 that day. At 3:00 he again yelped in pain. 

[Jennifer asked how old is Bounce, he is 10 so that is considered a senior dog. I adopted him, or he chose me, at a shelter 5 years ago and vets estimated he was five then. Bounce has plenty of pep for walks and he is feeling good now after several days of rest and meds.] It turns out many small senior dogs and large dogs too can have a knee cap dislocation. It is caused by genetics or injury. He was put on anti-inflammatory meds, and must rest for about a week. Rather boring, no two times a day walks. Below is Bounce in a box before the knee problem.

Here is a fun new ice cream bar I discovered at Safeway. The box says Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar and Made in Taiwan. Most of the box including company name is in Chinese. This is a yummy treat with the Boba in it. Three other tasty Boba flavors are Matcha, Pudding and Oolong Tea. A nice way to cool down on a summer day.

A Deep Reading Habit and 3 Books I Like

  As many of you know, I love reading.

 I bought "Laugh Like a Kid Again" when I thought of the author Phil Callaway. He was the key note speaker at a Christian writers conference I attended, and got me to laugh and to think. His light hearted true stories in this book include a prodigal dog and Callaway's unexpected afternoon in a prison. 

 Above is "An Enchanted April" by Elizabeth Von Arnim, one of my all time favorite novels. This edition is only $10 for paperback and $1.99 on Kindle. Four English ladies meet via a newspaper ad to rent a villa in Italy. Each is desperate in her own way to have a peaceful interlude in her life.

The two books I suggest above are easy to read and An Enchanted April is a wonderful story with a bit of romance in it. I recently read an article about how to get good reading habits and you can find the article at A Deep Reading Habit

Can you tell I am a librarian and a writer? I wrote two books with a traditional publisher and I also wrote 1,000 or more articles and magazine columns. Yup, reading and writing, I love em.

The article has tips to help us enjoy reading; two tips are to read physical books and to read for at least 30 minutes. Of course ebooks are also favorites of mine, and sometimes I read for just a couple of  minutes. I think the key is to find books you like! If you tell me in a comment or email what kind of topics or books you like I will recommend some to you that might suit you. 

Above shows a page in a book a friend gave me recently, titled 100 Illustrated Bible Verses, by Workman Publishing. As Jesus says in John 15:12 "Love one another, just as I have loved you."

I'd Rather Be Reading, this author gets me and Rules for Visiting novel

 Hi Anne Bogel, can we hang out? You get me, and I get you, as your book shows.

I don't know anyone who loves to read as much as I do. Reading is a bit like oxygen to me. I have friends who read, and we trade books. Yet, when Anne Bogel wrote of a Reading Twin, I was a bit jealous. She met her reading twin after many years. They share titles that mean a lot to them, fiction and nonfiction, of many genres. I keep acquiring books and work hard to give them away, and aim to have my book collection grow smaller, not larger. My favorite book that I read this year is The Splendid and the Vile. I don't know how Anne (yes, we are on a first name basis, on my side) would like this book, but perhaps it is a wowser of a read for her too.

Does Anne love Anthony Trollope, C.S. Lewis and P.G. Wodehouse as I do? Perhaps so. How could she not? Ha ha.

Here is quote from her book. "People read for a multiplicity of reasons. Nearly forty years in, I can tell you why I inhale books like oxygen: I'm grateful for my one life, but I'd prefer to live a thousand - and my favorite books allow me to experience more on the page than I ever could in my actual life. A good book allows me to step into another world, to experience people and places and situations foreign to my own day-to-day existence." 

I laughed at some of the stories she shares. Any other bookaholics out there? I have a list of novels I want to read, and now that our library is open (you can request books and pick them up outside the library) I am reading them. 

 

I just read "Rules for Visiting" by Jessica Kane and found it a delight. A lonely 40 year old single woman who is a landscape gardener at a university is given a month off of work and she has a brilliant idea to visit her four friends from long ago and re-connect. This involves quite a lot of traveling as they live around the USA and in England. Along the way, at the request of her father, she searches for the ideal tree to plant. I enjoyed this book and give it 4 stars. I just put "House of Trelawney" by Hannah Rothschild on request at the library, a story of an eccentric English aristocratic family, their crumbling home, and the ties of family and love. Hey, does that sound good? Others I want to read are "Ordinary Grace" and "The Church of Small Things." How about you and your reading?

2020 is really here! Some Bits and Bobs

• "All of us invent ourselves. Some of us just have more imagination than others. " Quote by Cher, living legend. This is the January 2 page on the daily calendar I bought for myself and also for my niece, and the calendar is titled "Wild Words from Wild Women".

• My January aim is to buy no books in bookstores or online in January, because I have hundreds of books on my TBR (to be read) shelves, enough to last me for many years. So far I am keeping this resolution.

• I am reading "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles and "Miss Budge in Love" by Daphne Simpkins, a Kindle book.

• In the first week of January I went to a movie theater and saw "Little Women" and enjoyed it immensely. I was very happy to be in a theater and plan to do that many more times in 2020. Number of times I saw a movie in a theater in 2019, Zero. I bought bottled water and buttered popcorn, our local Indie theater uses real butter. I read that theaters make their money not on the movies but on the food. I am picky about what films I watch and will have to keep a look out for good films when they are in town. Give me suggestions!

• On December 21 a friend and I saw "The Nutcracker Ballet" by our local ballet company. It was accompanied by a 52 piece orchestra. I have seen the production about 15 times. It is always new, colorful and upbeat. In 2017 I bought a sparkly red nutcracker there to add to my collection, which is in the photo above.

• I am still praying asking God to send rain to put out the raging bush fires in Australia. I am so worried about the people, the trees, and the wildlife. The poor little koalas can't run fast. Also I am praying that rain will end the severe droughts in South Africa, Zimbabwe and other African countries. 

• Women's Bible studies begins January 16 and the book we will use is "Discovering Joy in Philippians". It has book marks to color in it and suggestions for creativity. We like studies that are fun and not severe sombre activities.  Usually about 30 women show up and we divide into groups of around eight ladies.

These bits and bobs are getting rather extensive. I hope 2020 will be a joyful year for all of us.

Pieces of Happiness, a novel

I haven't posted about books in a while, and I am a dedicated book reader, nay, book fanatic. Ha ha.

A book I think many of you would like is Pieces of Happiness: A Novel of Friendship, Hope and Chocolate, written by Anne Ostby and translated to English by one of her daughters. Five 66 year old school friends from Norway move to Fiji to the cocoa farm where one of them lives. They reinvent their lives and face hard times and fun times together. Will one of the ladies find romance with a local man? Some of the chapters are written with the point of view of Ateca, their all important Fijian house keeper who shows them the ropes of Fiji's customs and each of those chapters closes with a prayer from Ateca for "her ladies" and her teenage son. The author lived in Fiji and it seems very authentic; she lives in East Timor now.

The photo above is of a nearby Little Free Library, I visit these on my dog walks.
I quickly gave "Pieces of Happiness" to a neighborhood Little Free Library, gave 5 other books to the public library and then bought 3 books at the library used book store. All 3 are in series I am reading:
"Enter Sir Robert" by Angela Thirkell,  "Glass Houses" by Louise Penny, and "Dreaming Spies" by Laurie R. King. I can definitely buy books faster than I can read them. I won't even mention my Kindle books waiting to be read! I haven't looked to see how many of them I have.

 

Ooops, I have more books to read

Yes, I do have a reading habit. Ha ha. Sometimes books end up in my house and I almost don't know why. I am still moving a lot of books out of my house, giving them to the public library and to Little Free Libraries, but when I visit these dens of iniquity some (most) times I leave with a book or two.
I "accidentally" bought 5 books on Kindle last week: "Angling Bumateurs", the fifth in a trilogy (yes, you read correctly)  by Tottie Limejuice, "Amberwell" by D. E. Stevenson, and "Squirting Milk on Chameleons: An Accidental African" by Simon Penton, his memoir of living in Senegal, "We Have Lost the President" by Paul Mathews, and "Old Age Private Eye" by W. Blakely.
 Then at an aforementioned Little Free Library while giving away some of my books, I took "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood, and am reading it as fast as I can because the plot grabs me. [I finished it quickly and found I am disappointed in the book as there was no hero, no character to cheer for or to admire. The narrator, Crake and Oryx were losers, in my opinion and the near future was full of evil and lack of hope. I know many people like this book, so that is just my take on it.]
Then today while working as a volunteer at a retirement home library I saw the fascinating "Mistress of Nothing" by Kate Pullinger. I like to read books set in Cairo and this novel is based on the true story of Lady Duff Gordon and her lady's maid, Sally Naldrett, in the 1860s, so I am borrowing this one.[I read "Mistress of Nothing" quickly and enjoyed it. The maid had a tough turn of events in Egypt. I also read "Old Age Private Eye", a short book, with the bored and retired senior citizen on a whim putting up a sign saying he is a P.I. for hire. Humorous bits and a mystery of a missing body to solve.]
Since I wrote this I got another book at a neighbor's Little Free Library, "The Woman in Cabin Ten" by Ruth Ware, and I am reading it. It is exciting, the narrator is a troubled woman who thinks she saw a body fall into the sea while on a luxury cruise. But all passengers and staff are still aboard. That is as far as I have gotten.
In my Bible study group we are reading Colossians so I bought a book "Paul: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon" by N.T. Wright. Imagine Paul writing those letters while he was in prison.
Oh, and at the beginning of my post is a photo of my brand new Star Magnolia tree's first flower.

Best Books I Read in 2016

Some of you bloggers count the books you read each year. I have not counted them before, but since 2011 I have been writing down each title I read, so I decided to look at my list and found I read 92 books in 2016. That is a nice number of books. Now that I am retired I have time to indulge my reading passion.
The list includes several 500 page Anthony Trollope novels and the Bible which I read in a year.
Reading Highlights
"The Belton Estate" by Anthony Trollope. I love this book: who will Clara marry?
"Bilbury Grange" by Vernon Coleman, the memoirs of a U.K. country doctor. I read the first two in this series before figuring out it is fiction. It is fun to read and very realistic.
"God's Smuggler" by Brother Andrew. One of my top 20 all time favorite books, this is the true story of how Brother Andrew smuggled Bibles to countries where it was illegal to buy or give away Bibles. He was in dangerous situations, fell in love, had almost no money, but a lot of faith and courage.
"The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper" by Phaedra Patrick. Upbeat book about an older widower who uses his wife's charm bracelet to track down more about her past. I reviewed this on my blog recently.
"Cruelest Month" by Louise Penny. This is the third in the series about Inspector Gamache, a mystery set in Canada in a small town south of Quebec. Gamache is a man of high character and his own unorthodox ways of solving mysteries.

"The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine" by Alexander McCall Smith. Number 16 in this series about Mma Ramotswe, a lady detective who lives in Botswana. I give all in this series 5 stars.
"The Enchanted April" by Elizabeth von Arnim. Another book on my 20 all time favorites book list.
"Even Dogs in the Wild" by Ian Rankin. Rebus, Fox and Shiobhan are back in this great detective series.
"A Man Named Ove", a curmudgeon at age 59. One of my favorite books this year.
"Pursuit of Love" by Nancy Mitford. Witty, upper class England between the wars.
"The Three Clerks" by Anthony Trollope. I like all 15 of his novels I have read. The 3 clerks all take wildly divergent paths in life, careers, and love.
"Ralph the Heir" by Anthony Trollope. There is more than one Ralph in this novel, which one will be the heir?

"Is He Popenjoy" by Anthony Trollope. Love and inheritance. Is the child legitimate? Is the man a pretender to a title and an estate? This novel echoes an actual scandal in England in the 1870s of a pretender to a title.
"Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson. Brilliant, dark memoir by young woman who copes with mental illness. I bought her next book "Furiously Happy", haven't read the new one yet.
"Mother Was It Worth It?", number 3 in humorous memoirs by Tottie Limejuice, who moved to Auvergne in rural France from England with her ill mother and troubled brother. Start the series with the first book so it makes sense.
I like reading books other bloggers enjoyed and hope you like my list of reading highlights from 2016. I recommend all of the above.

16 books from library benefit book sale

I came home from the book sale to benefit our public libraries smiling like a satisfied cheshire cat and told my husband "It feels like Christmas". I had a bag of books I bought with me, 16 of them.
One is for my friend who is a life long piano teacher, and it is titled "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank", and two are for a three year old friend of mine, "Jonah" about Jonah in the Bible, and "When We Were Very Young", wonderful poems by A.A. Milne.

Here are the titles of the rest. I am not recommending them because I have not read them yet.
Memoirs
I do like memoirs, especially those of people living in other countries. Humor in memoirs is nice too.
"Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper" by Fuchsia Dunlop. Supposed to be an insightful memoir of living and cooking in China. I hope she does NOT use shark's fin in her cooking; that is a horrible thing to do, as fishermen cut the fin off live sharks, throw them back in the water and the sharks die.
"Paris I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down", memoir by Rosecrans Baldwin.
"Living In a Foreign Language" memoir of living in Italy, by Michael Tucker.
"Travels with Alice" by Calvin Trillin. I like other books by Trillin.
"Solomon Time: An Unlikely Quest in the South Pacific". A young American teacher brings chickens to a Pacific Island to help people there.
"Nomad's Hotel: Travels in Time and Space", the author's collected articles about places including Isfahan, Mali, Australia and Munich.
"Elizabeth and Her German Garden" by Elizabeth von Arnim, a writer new to me that several bloggers recommend.
"Long Way Down", a motorcycle journey. I will offer this book to our younger son.

Next a book about Jesus and then novels that sound grand.
"Killing Jesus" by Bill O'Reilly.
Novels
"The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate" by Nancy Mitford. I read the fascinating biography of the Mitford sisters, called "Sisters" and have been meaning to read these titles, two in one volume.
"Come Rain or Come Shine" by Jan Karon. I love this series and read each one.
"Wit's End" by Karen Joy Fowler.
"Saint Odd" by Dean Koontz. I like this series and this is the final volume.

One thing I do successfully to keep our home in balance is that for each book I bring in to the house, I move one book out of our house. I give the books to friends, to the public library or to the Little Free Libraries all around town. I do the same with clothes, when I buy a top or pair of shorts, I give one away to charity. As of today, 3 weeks after the sale, I have given away 35 books, so I am in good shape on that. That keeps our home's book shelves in balance and not looking like one of those crazed hoarders on a reality tv program. LOL.
I was surprised to learn that our church had a huge book sale the next day!!! So I bought five books there, and that will be in another post. I have to laugh at myself buying these books, but I do love to read good books.

Summer reading

Here's a peek at a few of the books I am reading this summer, just to give you some reading ideas. I love reading lists other bloggers share.
Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen. The third in her Royal Spyness Mystery series, set in England and Scotland in 1932. A bit of humor as Lady Georgiana, 34th in line to the British throne and penniless, finds mysterious accidents and deaths happening in her circle.
Question of Belief by Donna Leon. Number 19 in this mystery series set in today's Venice. The police detective is a happily married family man, a nice difference from many other police series.
And Venice is a big part of these books.
At Home in France by Ann Barry. Her memoir of being an American single woman who buys a home in an out of the way area of France.
My Mom Was Nuts by Penny Marshall. A memoir with fascinating mentions of many well known tv stars and actors and directors, plus family tales. Penny was married to Rob Reiner when his show All In the Family was on tv, and her show Laverne and Shirley was also on tv.
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou. On the day this noted author died I bought this book which gives you a glimpse into her life. The second half of the book takes place in Cairo and in Liberia. Years ago I read her I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and this book was new to me; Maya wrote seven memoirs. I loved hearing her speak, her voice was melodic and hypnotic, especially as she read poems. I never met her but she and I worked in the Civil Rights movement at the same time, me in a modest way and she in a more leading role.
A lovely addition to my book shelves is the NIV God's Word For Gardeners Bible. I have long wanted an NIV Bible, and this one is the entire Bible PLUS 52 meditations and Scriptures gathered with the focus on gardening.
What are you reading this summer? Any movies or books you recommend?
Part Two, two days later. Help, I got more books yesterday! I bought Anne Lamott's Grace (Eventually) Thoughts on Faith, borrowed Jill McCorkle's Life After Life: A Novel from the library (it sounds humorous), and The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt (about Venice) and on impulse a Kindle book "Bury Me with My Pearls: Humor with a Spiritual Twist." Obviously I buy faster than I read! And now I am going out to exercise in a pool. Have a great day, every one. 

My Reading This Week

I do love me some reading. Are you with me on this?

This is a painting by Fragonard.
I almost time travel when reading certain books. In that way I recently returned from Egypt in 1922, whilst reading "The Visitors", a novel by Sally Beauman, with a 12 year old girl as the center of the story, and the discovery of King Tut's tomb the exciting story line. I give this book five stars and reviewed it on Amazon.
Although fiction the author did a lot of research and many actual historical figures are in the novel, including Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, two men who toiled for years looking for the tomb.
There is even a connection to the Downton Abbey series, since Lord Carnarvon and his family lived in Highclere Castle, the estate where Downton Abbey is filmed.
Now I am reading "Destroyer Angel" by Nevada Barr, a book that is very fast paced and that I don't want to put down. Two women and their two teen daughters are kidnapped by thugs while on a wilderness trip, and Anna must try to save them.
Soon I aim to read "The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar" by Martin Windrow, a true account of a man and his owl, and "Have a Nice Guilt Trip" by Lisa Scottoline and her daughter, Francesca Serritella, which sounds like it will induce laughs. I hope so.
What are y'all reading?
May 28, afternoon. I was sad to hear that Maya Angelou died today. To honor her today I bought the 4th book in her autobiography, "The Heart of a Woman", and the few pages I read show it to be fascinating. She was someone I would love to have lunch and a chat with.