Regarding Reading

What To Do On Cold Wintry Days

There is something about winter that makes the reader in me content.  When the thermometer dips below freezing (heck even when it goes below 45 degrees) I long to stay indoors and find my fun with a book, a blanket and a mug of rich coffee. Reading seldom fails to lift my spirits, even when the skies are so gray and the trees so bare you feel like you just want to hide until spring.

Stephen King once wrote: Books are a uniquely portable magic. I couldn't agree more. Within the pages of a book, I can live for awhile in a place I've only imagined, ( a family-owned vineyard in California, for example as in Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave) or be the person I often wished to be, ( a confident, enthusiastic, motivating writer such as Claire Cook in her self-improvement book Never Too Late: Your Roadmap to Reinvention), or lead a life I've only dreamed about  ( as Sara does when she opens a bookstore and introduces a community to the joys of reading in The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald) .

So during these next few wintry months...Indulge. Go places. Try on new identities. Live a dream or two. Browse your bookshelves, download a new title on your Kindle, run to the library if you dare; but for goodness sake...get a book  and cuddle up.

Reading Round-up: January

January was a great month for curling up in front of the fire with a blanket and a book.  The skies may have been gray and the wind may have been chilling, but my spirit was warmed by the stories I read about lovers, orphans, immigrants, and displaced children of war. Here's the list:

The Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline
   
This was my favorite book this month.  I was unaware of the historical event around which this novel revolved: the orphan trains of the 1920's and 30's.  To alleviate the awful problem of orphaned and homeless children who populated the large cities like NYC during this era,  children's aid societies  transported thousands of orphans by train to the Midwest to places like Kansas.  There the orphans were put on display like cattle at an auction and given to just about anyone who wanted one, for better or worse! Some people were kind and just wanted to help a child, but others, as you can imagine, were depraved and cruel and simply wanted free labor. One of the main characters of the novel is Vivian, a 91-year-old survivor of an orphan train. She gives a job to Molly, a 17-year -old foster child, who needs to do 50 hours of service to avoid juvie after she stole a book (Jane Eyre, I ask you... how can that be a crime!) from the library.Vivian needs her attic cleaned out, and Molly needs the hours:  a perfect match.  But the job turns into much more. As each box in the attic is opened, a piece of Vivian's long life is revealed and the two discover much about themselves and each other.

Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin
 This book begins in post-WWII Ireland and follows a bright, young Irish girl, Eilis, as she emigrates to America where she begins a new life in Brooklyn. Her Irish family believe that America can provide a hopeful future for her, a future that she will not be able to find if she stays in Ireland. In America, Eilis blossoms under the strict guidance and generosity of a parish priest and a boarding house "mother." Here, she has been carefully placed through the efforts of her older sister. The priest selects a respectable place for her to work and even assists her in registering for college courses.  Of course, life is not all rosy for Eilis as she tries to assimilate into a strange new place. The best thing about this novel is the peek it gives the reader into the flavor of life during this period of American history when Irish and Italian immigrants added to the fabric of our country with their rich and vibrant cultures.

 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

I had never read this classic fantasy, but decided it was time to do so, as I am taking a course on the works of C.S. Lewis.  Of course, the story can be read on many levels and by just about any age group...it has such a classic appeal.  The setting takes place during the blitzkrieg of London during WWII.  Four children are sent from the beleaguered city to the country estate home of a wealthy professor.  However, most of the story takes place in the fantasy world of Narnia that the children enter when they step through the depths of a wardrobe which stands in one of the many rooms of the mansion.  Here they are faced with the very embodiment of good and evil.  Much has been written about the symbolic aspect of the novel and the Narnia series.

Persuasion, by Jane Austen
Ahhh...Jane Austen!  What else can I say...just divine.  I think Persuasion is just as delightful as Pride and Prejudice (must be something about "P" words that bring the best out in Austen).  I love the way Jane pokes a finger in the eye of the entitled titled class...what a bunch of shallow baffoons.  Thank goodness the heroine in Persuasion is a humble, nice, likable person, because all of her relatives and most of her acquaintances are insufferable.  And what better book to read during a series of cold, gray days than one that presents a heart-wrenching love dilemma that is not resolved until the last two pages of the novel.  Delightful!

Where's Waldo

I've been meaning to write this post for quite some time, but have always kept putting it off in deference to something of more "importance."  Where's Waldo is such a silly thing, but then again in times of constant terrorist attacks, a continuing failed economy, self-important politicians who care more about re-election than improving the country, arrogant leaders who ignore the Constitution, and foreign governments who humiliate our military, I guess a little levity is not such a bad thing :)

Now that I have that off my chest.....

Meet Lilly:

Lilly is one of our four grand-dogs.  Lilly lived with us the first two years of her life, and then moved off with her "mommy", our daughter Allison, when Alli started a home of her own. Lilly is a spunky beagle with a huge personality. Lilly is like most beagles:

she loves to sleep on top of things...

she loves to eat...this is her please give me some of your food or I will die face...

and she loves to get into trouble!










I've read that beagles are like perpetual toddlers.  Imagine chasing after your two-year old, remember the energy that requires?  They are always getting into something and they never quit... it's exhausting, but they are also adorable... that's what life with Lilly is like all the time.  When she comes to visit, the first thing she does is beg for a peanut butter bone, then once that goal has been achieved , it's on to playing!  Sometimes she races outside to play with her friend Sudsy next door; sometimes she grabs the kitchen towel off of the oven door handle and runs around the dining room table hoping you will play chase with her. We always tire of that game before she does.  Sometimes she grabs a toy out of her toy basket and brings it to you to play a game of tug or throw and fetch; sometimes she steals dirty laundry out of the bin and races off with you chasing her frantically in tow.  By far, my favorite Lilly activity is Where's Waldo.  What's that you say?  She's a dog so she can't search for Waldo?  Well, that is true, but Lilly invented her own version of the puzzle.

Lilly has a favorite bone (I have to confess she first stole this bone from Sudsy...Lilly, unfortunately is also a thief) that she likes to hide.  We didn't notice at first that this was a game, until we began to find the hidden bone by happenstance after her visits.  Once we realized this was a game, we would watch her pick the bone out of the toy basket and race off with it.  We knew she was going to hide it somewhere; it became our mission to search it out after she left.  We have found that bone in just about every corner of our house:

under the bed in the spare room...

under the pillow of the day bed in the exercise room...

under the dining room table...

behind the couch...

then for the longest time we couldn't find it... we thought maybe she forgot about it, until... I was stripping the cushion covers from the wicker couch in the sun room the other day ( my grand-dogs got muddy on Christmas day and so did the couch) and...

There it was in all it's beagle-bone glory!!!

I laughed my you-know-what off... Where's Waldo is alive and well.

Oh...and just so that I don't get into grandmotherly trouble....Here is a look at all of my grand-dogs:

This is Lilly in front, with her sister Rexie

and here are my daughter Suzie's dogs, handsome Radar on the left, and pretty Emma on the right.

Dogs are wonderful people, don't you think!  I'd love to hear your dog tales...leave a comment!

Continued Learning, Key to Happy Retirement

Keeping Young of Heart

In an earlier post I proffered the thought that retirement is the time to do what makes you happy. (see my post: Retirement Means ) One of the things on my happy list was "learning new things."  I firmly believe that learning new things and exploring uncharted territory keeps you young of heart and fulfilled.  And this is true for all retirees, no matter what shape, age, race, gender, or marital status. Follow your heart...what did you always wish you knew more about? If you like history, do a quick online search of local history spots and jump in the car for a visit, or if time and money allow plan something more elaborate and spend a weekend in Gettysburg or Washington D.C. (see my post: A Walk With History).

Interested in music?  Find a local piano teacher and take some lessons. Curious about backyard birds?  Check out some bird books from your local library. Often times as we age, it gets more difficult to get out and about.  But this shouldn't stop us from keeping the grey matter from getting some exercise! There are lots of things one can do right from the comfort of an armchair: take an online course, or explore a subject through books. Even your cell phone provides opportunities for learning.  Did you ever use the free app Duolingo?  I brush up on my French with this free phone app;  it brings me back to my high school days and makes me long to read The Paris Wife again.

The Fear of Nothing to Do

Many soon-to-be retirees dread the day they will retire because they feel they will have nothing to do once they have cleaned out every closet and cupboard in the house. Are you one of those?  Can't see a full life without work? Believe me when I say that truly is not the case...as long as you take charge of your retired life and make the most of every moment. Retirement can be the best part of the journey we call life.  Continuing your learning is key to maintaining a happy healthy retired life.  In fact, if you approach your retirement from this perspective, you will find you don't have enough hours in the day to do all those interesting and entertaining things you always dreamed of doing. If you are the procrastinating type, get yourself a planner and schedule in things to do, places to go, people to see...you get the picture? If you put it in writing, it is more likely you will do it!

Find Your Passion

I'm starting my third online course this week since I retired two and a half years ago. I am passionate about many things and would love to learn more about them. For example, I love America and feel that many of our young people today do not know what a great country we have.  They just don't know how unique and grand our country is!  Hillsdale College (this isn't a paid promo, strictly my opinion) offers free online courses on the Constitution to any and all who are interested.  They believe that not enough people really know the founding principles of our nation. So they try to do their little part in educating the country by opening their online courses to the general public.  Free! Here is the link if you want to check it out: Constitution 101. You really do not need any advanced computer skills to take this course; it is easy!  It is filled with guest lecturers, primary documents and much, much more.  There are tests available if you want to see how well you are understanding the material, but you are not required to take the tests ever.  What could be better than that?  Learning for learning's sake.

I also took their free course on The Federalist Papers and learned so much more about the wisdom of our Founding Fathers...I am humbled at the brilliance and wisdom of Hamilton, Madison and Jay.

 And now, I've just enrolled in Hillsdale's most recent course offering:  An Introduction to C.S. Lewis: Writings and Significance.  You can check out the course description at this link: CS Lewis .  Lewis is best known for his Chronicles of Narnia, and I must admit, I have not read them all, nor have I ever studied about Lewis himself, so I am quite anxious to plumb the depths of this revered writer and philosopher.

AND!!! When I finish this, I am going to sign up for Winston Churchill and Statesmanship.  Can't wait!!!!  I don't earn any credits for these courses, but then at this point in my life, that's not my goal. I just find these subjects fascinating and am following my passions.

Your Turn

Retirement can be an amazing and fascinating experience.  However, if you wait for the amazing and fascinating to knock on your door, you are likely to be highly disappointed.  As in all things, you must take charge of your days.  I strongly recommend you keep on learning new things, follow your passions, and explore areas you never had time to explore while you were working.

I'd love to here what new things you are learning!  What subjects interest you? What explorations are you making in your retirement?  Leave a comment. 

November Reading Round-up

"I'm late! I'm late! I'm late for a very important date!"  What the heck happened to November?  I was just making preparations for Thanksgiving and the next thing I know it's December. YIKES!

So, I apologize for getting my November reading list out late, but truly, someone must have wiped a week out of my calendar. I'm sure everyone is feeling the same  at this time of year. So much to do; so little time to do it all.  And to top it all off, half of the books I read this month were duds.  Here's my review:

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

This historical fiction book was one of my favorite reads this month. The story flips back and forth between Civil War era and present day America.  It follows the story of Sarah Brown, daughter of John Brown of Harper's Ferry fame. Sarah was a talented artist who painted secret code maps for the Underground Railroad--a little known fact. These maps were thought to sometimes be hidden in the heads of dolls to be carried by the children of escaping slaves.  As Sarah's story unfolds, so does the twin plot line of Eden, a modern day woman who is emotionally ravaged by years of failed attempts to conceive a child.  Eden and her husband try to restart their life in a new home in West Virginia near Harper's Ferry.   This Civil War era house just happens to be the very home where Sarah stayed while her father was executed after his attack on Harper's Ferry.  When Eden unearth's a doll in a secret root cellar in the home, the secrets of the house begin to unravel.  I loved the coincidences the author creates between the two time periods and how the author shows that the actions of one generation can affect the lives of many generations to follow.

Bed and Breakfast by Lois Battle

I chose this book because of the title.  I just love bed and breakfast places. Bob and I have a favorite B&B that we patronize whenever we visit Cape May.  It's called Inn at the Park, and it is owned and operated by two very lovely people, Jay and MaryAnn.  Unfortunately, they just announced their retirement and will no longer be hosting their B&B after January.  Just wanted to give them a shout out and to let the blogworld know what truly welcoming and sweet people they are.  Here are just a couple of shots of them and their beautiful Victorian home:

MaryAnn, an avid tennis player at age 70, was dressed for a big tourney that was to take place immediately after breakfast.  You go girl!

The parlor where hors d'oeuvres are served to guests every day at 5:00.

Back to the book... the setting for Bed and Breakfast is Hilton Head, South Carolina.  The main character is Josie, a close-to-seventy-year-old woman who tenaciously runs a B&B that she insisted she and her husband buy after years of nomadic wandering as her husband "Bear" pursued his military career.  Josie has been widowed for many years when the story opens and the reader can see how much the B&B gives meaning to her life.  The plot is complicated by the sibling rivalries of her three grown daughters. Life is never dull when you have nosy guests, and even nosier friends, not to mention a sister who lives next door.  A fun read.

Ruth's Journey:  the Authorized Novel of Mammy from Gone With the Wind by Donald McCaig

This sounded like a fascinating story, but was such a disappointment.  I couldn't get past the first two chapters.  The setting begins in the Caribbean Islands of the slave trade days where the French are unsuccessfully trying to quell a slave uprising.  The graphic violence and history book reporting was too much.  I wanted to get into the mind of Mammy and hear her thoughts of Tara and the O'Hara's but that never happened...I peaked at the ending (Oh Horrors, yes I did)

 and still didn't see any glimpses of the Mammy of Gone With the Wind. 

Lesson Plans by Suzanne Greenberg

This one also made the loser list. I thought I would be so interested in a book whose characters decided to homeschool their children, but the two families who were the focus of the story were so messed up and dysfunctional, I just couldn't stand reading any more about them! The main character was a father who mourned the loss of his liberal, activist lifestyle of his youth after being forced to do the adult thing, like go to work and support his family. So, since wifey made big bucks, he decides to quit the workforce and homeschool his three girls in a completely free environment.  Just imagine what that looks like...Montessori in hyper-drive!  Kids with no limits, no schedules, no plans!!! Hmmm...no comment.  Then there was the other homeschool novice, a mother (recently separated from hubby) who has become so overprotective of her highly allergic and asthmatic daughter that she might as well have put the girl in one of those John Travolta Bubble Boy glass domes.  This woman seriously needed help, and hubby just walks out because he can't cope with his wife's phobias.  Hello?? there is a child here in need of an education and guidance...Step up man and take charge!  I had to leave these guys to muddle to the end of the book alone. I just don't have patience for irresponsible adults. I was especially disappointed because I really think homeschooling can work for many kids and was hoping this book would paint that picture for me...alas not to be.

That's it for November...gotta get shoppin'...Let me know what you have been reading.  Take a stab at reading my two duds, maybe you can change my mind.  Any disagreements about my reviews are welcome too.

Saying Goodbye to Autumn

I'm pretty certain that there are cold and snowy days right around the corner.
Thanksgiving is next week.  November is flying. Christmas is coming up fast.  So this past Monday when the weatherman predicted warm and sunny, Bob and I hitched the bikes to the back of the Jeep one last time before we dismantled the bike rack and tucked the bikes into the garage until spring.

We wanted to try a new venue and settled on Duke Farms, (as in Duke University and Doris Duke).  Her estate covers 2,700 acres, and is populated by lush landscapes  and nine man-made lakes such as this one we stopped to view along our way:

JB Duke, Doris's father, made his millions in tobacco as head of the American Tobacco Company.  But JB Duke also had a love of nature and a special soft spot for creating dramatic landscapes and using hydro electric power.  He had the nine lakes dredged on his vast property and even installed huge waterfalls. As we tooled along the narrow roads that wound through the park-like farm, we spied quite a few of these lakes and even one waterfall.  The farm is no longer a private residence but has been opened to the public and is run by a foundation for preserving the pristine land.

 During the Dukes' lifetimes the farm was run by dozens of workers both inside and outside of the mansion.  The staff actually had their own residences on the farm.  Bob and I passed many of these cottages on our tour.  In fact, Bob use to work with a guy who lived in one of them when his friend was a security guard for the Duke property. I sure wanted to get a peak inside one of these sweet looking cottages.  Some are still occupied by workers, so I settled for a quick picture from the front lawn.  Looks like something out of a fairy tale!

Some structures have suffered the ravages of time, like the Hay Barn.  Only the stone walls were left after a devastating fire, but Doris turned it into a sculpture garden.  She loved the arts and we got to reap the benefits of the lovely views she created.

The most stunning surprise on our adventure was the orchid conservatory.  Doris Duke was quite an eccentric lady.  Later in her life she became a horticulturist.  She was devoted to growing hothouse orchids. Luckily, the greenhouse is open to  the public and it put on a spectacular show.

Inside, the variety of orchids was amazing.  Take a look!

Spanish moss dripped from the branches that housed the potted flowers, and the fragrance was so sweet and intoxicating, I didn't want to leave.

What a lovely way to end our biking excursions for the season.  Bob and I can't wait to return to Duke Farms again in the spring when everything will be blooming and coming to life.  I know it will be spectacular and almost an entirely different experience.

Now the question is....what do we do in the winter?  Any suggestions?  What do you do for some extra fun when the snow starts? (PS.  we don't ski, skate, or snowboard!)  We old folks!

October Reading Roundup (Part 3)

This month I have been sharing with you, the places and resources for books to read.  Reading can be costly if you feel you must purchase and own every book you read.  I've tried, in these October posts, to share with you ways you can economize and still read, read, read.

The last resource is the most obvious...your local library.  I signed out all of the books below from my county library.  Sometimes, I just look up titles in the online card catalog and add them to my reserve list. The library calls me when they've gathered them and all I have to do is go pick them up. A great time saver if you are busy.

Here are the titles I read this month:

Belong To Me by Maria de los Santos

 

This was a follow up to Santos's Love Walked In and as most follow ups go, it wasn't quite as good. It follows Cornelia, the main character from LWI as she and her husband Teo move from the big city to the suburbs in hopes of starting a family. The sub -story of Lake (a single mom) who tries to find the perfect school for her genius son Dev is interesting and provides surprising connections to Cornelia and Teo, but the inclusion of Cornelia's bitchy, Stepford wife, neighbor Piper seems unnecessary. The message of the book is in the title.  Everyone needs someone to belong to them, just as much as everyone needs to belong to someone else.

The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza

This was my favorite read of the month. The Knockoff is a fun look at the fashion industry and how much social media and technology has impacted the traditional ways of advertising especially in fashion magazines. The main character, Imogen Tate, editor-in-chief of Glossy Magazine returns from medical leave to find her magazine has gone digital and has been taken over by millennial-bitch -personified Eve Morton. Millennials do not come across in a favorable light in this book.  They have the attention span of a gnat and speak (or rather not speak) in text bites like LOL, ROFL and FOMO. At one point Imogen wonders, "have we all become so desperate to share everything that we've stopped enjoying our lives?" Though super entertaining, the book makes one stop and think.

Two books by Sarah Addison Allen

Whenever I need a relaxing yet interesting read, I turn to Sarah Addison Allen.  Her books never fail to capture my imagination.  They are always set in the South and are filled with mystery and a little bit of magic.  The two I read this month are no exception...delightful.  I'm glad she is a prolific writer. This month I read...

The Peach Keeper

and Lost Lake

 

Airs and Graces by Erica James

I love books set in England.  This story takes place in Cheshire England and follows Ellen, a recent divorcee who was duped and then blackmailed by her philandering husband.  The story seems to be a cliche, but it is made fresh by the mix of characters.  Ellen is best friends with her neighbor, a very elderly Hermione, who is as feisty and independent as can be.  Ellen also befriends a young homeless girl, who was turned out of her parents home because she was pregnant.The lives of these three generations intertwine and provoke much thought from the reader about life and the contributions each stage of life has to offer.

That's it for October...Where do you find books to read?  I'd love to hear how you manage to find books to read without breaking the bank.  Leave a comment.