What I Read December

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit.  Check out what everyone has been reading.

Well I have an unusual title this month. I leaned on into the non fiction. Don't let it being non fiction scare you off. This non fiction book is a great read.

Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C Slaght

Truthfully I picked up this book off the hot reads table because my friend is a big fan of owls plus there were like 8 copies in a stack. I thought it must be a decent read if my library was willing to invest in that many copies.  This story follows Jonathan Slaght as he researches the fish owl. The fish owl is huge and elusive owl found in Russia along the sea of Japan and in Japan. The fish owl looks like a small bear with decorative feathers with a wing span of 6 feet and height of 2 feet. The owls like to nest in broken off trees that are hallow when they are nesting. Jonathan concentrates his research in eastern Russia .  There was so little research on the fish owl prior to Jonathan's research and one of the stories Jonathan found was how a hunter was bit in the testicles by a fish owl. I don't know why that tidbit hooked me. I enjoyed his story as he well as the colorful Russians he interacted with. There are some real characters. 

Book it November

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone else is reading.

Wahoo!  I finally got the last of the books I had on hold for the Summer Reading List.  We haven't even made it to winter yet.  I am living my best library hold life.

While Justice Sleeps by Stacy Abrams

I could see this book being turned into a movie.  I know the perfect actor for Major Vance. The characters in this book are strong. I found it a bit wordy. I found myself re reading quite a bit at the beginning to get use to this author's writing style. I generally read before bed so maybe it was just because I was over tired.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

This I believe is the perfect vacation read.  I could not put down.  I literally stayed up past my bedtime to finish. Good fast paced story with interesting characters.  I see this is going to be turned into a movie. 

Broken by Jenny Lawson

I didn't complete.  I did read a couple chapters and I did laugh at the finger cot. Right now, right now this wasn't the book for me.  This is a book I might revisit. It was my final hold from my Summer Reading List

What I Read October

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit.  Check out what everyone else is reading.

My reading is a little heavy on the non fiction this month. It is undeniably fall here in the Pacific Northwest. Time to hunker down with some good reads. 

Group by Christie Tate - This book I picked up out of the newer non fiction section. Christie starts Group therapy after law school. She is a recovering from an eating disorder and a driven lawyer/student. She has intimacy issues. Her psychologist has a interesting group therapy practice with some unusual assignments for his group members. I definitely don't think this book is for everyone. It is a little more on the graphic side than I usually like my non fiction reads. I preferred Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Chasing the Thrill by Daniel Barbarisi 

This book goes into depth about Fenn Treasure Hunt. The treasure was hidden by Forest Fenn.  It was a literal treasure chest with treasure. Forest wrote a book and poem that would lead the hunter to the treasure. Five people lost their lives looking for the treasure. Forest Fenn himself became a polarizing figure accused of asking for nude pictures in exchange for treasure hints from some female searchers. The treasure was eventually found but the finder at first didn't disclose who they were and what state the treasure was found in.  Daniel himself with his friend Beep aka Jay became involved in the hunt. He gives a real insight into the treasure hunters and the community of treasure hunters. This book also goes into other arm chair treasure hunts and other treasure hunts to really understand the attraction.  This book is well done and a quite enjoyable read. Modern Mrs Darcy's Review and also part of her podcast One Great Book

I am a long time geocacher with my family.  Our geocaching name is 2manwreckingcrew.  We have 2,361 geocaching finds.  We started with letterboxing but eventually joined the geocaching world.  We have been to many geocaching events . We have a yard geocache. There is a definite culture in the geocaching community much like Daniel found in the Fenn Treasure Hunting community.  If you are interested in treasure hunting but not on a large scale like Fenn Treasure hunt.  Then geocaching is great way to scratch the treasure hunting itch with various levels of difficulty. There is really something for everyone.

House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister

This our county read for the year. Erica Bauermeister lives in Port Townsend WA.  Erica and her family buy a run down house in Port Townsend. They renovate. It is a project.  Erica Bauermeister has also the author of  The Scent Keeper and The School of Essential Ingredients.  It was a bit on the dry side for me.   Some really good deep stuff in there though - "You need a reason to go and a reason to leave."  and "The problem with imagination is that while we like to think of it like a boat, sailing free across an infinite ocean, the reality is that it will be moored to the dock of what we already know."

Cold Case North by Michael Nest

I read this right before Indigenous People's Day.  The story is about the Cold case involving James Brady and Absolom "Abbie" Halkett.  They are both natives and were dropped off to do some mining survey in Northern Saskatchewan Canada at a remote lake.  James Brady was a Metis leader and Absolom Halkett was a Cree Band Councilor both were activists. When the plane came back to drop supplies there was no signs of either James or Abbie.  This book relooks at this 50 year old missing cold case and discovers new clues.  The investigation by the local authorities was extremely lacking. I thought this was written and researched so well. I thought this was excellent read and I hope one day this can be solved. The Co Authors of this book Deanna Reder and Eric Bell belong to the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. 

This cold case also reminds me of the Podcast Missing in Alaska about the Congressman Hale Boggs and Nick Begich whose plane vanished in Alaska in 1972.  These were two very politically active people and of course their search was more intense than the one for James Brady and Abbie Halkett but the political intrigue and unanswered questions are similar. If only James and Abbie had received half the press this received. 

The State of My Library Hold Life

Well, I have wrapped up what I am doing for summer reading. It seems appropriate to share what I have read on the first day of fall. I  even colored my library's summer reading log. Do you like?

I ended up reading 11 books for June, July, August and part of September. I didn't think that was too shabby.

My top Reads

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts- I read this while waiting to get my hands on the Thrill of the Chase- the real life treasure hunt of Forest Fenn. My review

This Tender Land - My Review

Sparks Like Stars - My Review - This is a completely current topic read as this was about the soviet invasion of Afghanistan- though a fictional account. Read what Nadia has to say about the Taliban takeover - here

The Comfort Book - My Review

Books that still are on my hold list

Broken by Jenny Lawson

While Justice sleep by Stacey Abrams

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

What I Read September

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone else is reading.

Well, I didn't make it through my summer reading list. I am living the library hold life.

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts

This quirky book was really enjoyable. The characters were really well written and who doesn't like a high stakes treasure hunt.

Tuesday Mooney is a loner. She keeps to herself, begrudgingly socializes, and spends much of her time watching old Twin Peaks and X-Files DVDs. But when Vincent Pryce, Boston’s most eccentric billionaire, dies—leaving behind an epic treasure hunt through the city, with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allan Poe—Tuesday’s adventure finally begins. - Amazon

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

This kept getting recommended to me. If I were to retell this in modern times, it is a girl trip with all strangers to Airbnb in Italy. The castle Airbnb has some kind of restorative effect on the girls/women on the trip.  I can see why many were inspired by the book to travel to Italy. It was an interesting read. I read it on vacation. * Free to Kindle

What I Read August

I am linking up with the Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit Linky. Check out what everyone else is reading.

 Well the library holds have become a trickle. I got some popular reads on my hold list. I guess it is to be expected. But then BAM everything seems to arrive at once. You can't win at the library hold game I guess.

Books are better with garden bouquets, right.

Revival Season by Monica West

I haven't ever been to a revival but this book is about a preacher's kid, Miriam,  and how they are traveling the revival circuit. She is told only men have the power to heal.  There is a lot to drill down into this book - domestic abuse, faith, healing, patriarch. There is an interesting story here. 

Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First

This book really left me wanting to get out a notebook and really journal. I think this is a book that will stick with me for a while. She covers a wide variety of questions to dive deeper with yourself and friends - Who are you?, Who was there?, What are you afraid of?, When did you belong? , What broke you? etc.

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

When I first picked this up and thumbed through this. I wasn't overly impressed. Then I was going through some personal stuff and I picked this up. It was comforting to read these little stories and quotes. I felt uplifted. I think this would be a good book to give as a gift.  There were a couple that really resonated with me - Doors and Negative Capability. I liked this quote - "Curiosity and passion are the enemies of anxiety."  and the quote by Joy Harjo - " There is no poetry where there are no mistakes."

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

This book was one of Reese Witherspoon book picks. It is a YA book. The book is set in Atlanta in 1890 and Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid during the day and works at night as the Agony Column author Miss Sweetie. It was a decent read. 

What I read July

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Working on the Summer Reading Guide and living the library hold life. I had been pleasantly surprised at the pace my holds have been arriving. 

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

Quinn the main character in the book loses her journal that contains sensitive information about her life.  The journal is found and the black mail begins. I thought this was a good YA book. It wasn't necessarily my cup of tea but I appreciated the way the topics of racism were covered. This book is by a black author.  

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Michelle talks about losing her Aunt and Mom in a short span of time. She talks about how food was love to her Mom. How she found her Mom in cooking Korean food. I found myself wanting to try Korean food. I even looked up where the closest H Mart to me was. 

What I Read June

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 I have been on a roll of reading in part spurred on by The Summer Reading Guide by Modern Mrs Darcy. I have been working my way through the Guide. I am at the mercy of the library hold list.

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Sitaria is raised in Kabul and has privileged a very life. All of that comes crumbling down when the Soviets invade. The story has many twists and turns as she escapes Afghanistan with  help. Later she is confronted by her past. This book has a great story. I could not put it down.  It is beautifully written.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

In the summer of 1932, on the banks of Minnesota’s Gilead River, Odie O’Banion is an orphan confined to the Lincoln Indian Training School, a pitiless place where his lively nature earns him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee after committing a terrible crime, he and his brother, Albert, their best friend, Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

Over the course of one summer, these four orphans journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole. (Amazon Review)

One of the locations in the book the flats in Minneapolis is area that my husband's ancestors lived so I have been part of the my genealogy research.

I guess this read was timely though 2 of the main characters are not Indian. They did attend a Indian School. This came out while I was reading this. 

Mass Grave of 215 children in Canada - This happened at a Indian Boarding School

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah books always make me cry. This book will make you shed a few tears. I thought this was a decent book with a good story line. I think I read it over the course of one day. The setting is the dust bowl and I think the part of the story set in Oklahoma is probably the strongest part of the story. 

What I Read May

The most welcome sign. Last week, I went inside the library for the first time since March 2020. The majority of my reads I get from the library. I have to say the library is the main hub of our small town. There is no parks and recreation department so the library puts on a lot of programing. When it shut down, I was sad and though I realized the reason it was a loss. I love how my library really rallied and were creative with curbside pick up and some pretty unique programming. 

I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone else is reading.

Nomandland by Jessica Bruder

This was the unlimited e read for the month at my library. I find people who live in RV's full time fascinating. Nomadland really explores why many adult and those of retirement age are choosing to live in RV's and work as camp hosts or as camperforce at Amazon even at amusement parks. These are the new modern day gyspy's.  I love how people weren't described as homeless but as houseless. Nomandland was also turned into a movie which I haven't seen. 

What I Read April

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone else is reading

I read American Dirt which seemed especially topical considering our current border crisis. The book follows Lydia and her son Luca as they flee Acapulco and head to the United States. The book grips you from the very beginning and I just had to find out what happens to Lydia and her son. Along the way they meet others heading to the United States. I thought this was incredibly well written. I devoured this book in like 2 days. 

Booking It February

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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This is probably a appropriate read in honor of black history month. I finally got my hands on a copy. It is an interesting story. 

The Vignes twins grew up inseparable in the ’60s in Mallard, Louisiana, a small town reserved for black residents with light skin. Stella and Desiree Vignes are tall and beautiful, and they dream of lives beyond the lynching of their father and housekeeping for white people, like their mother does. When they flee to New Orleans as teenagers, Stella discovers that she can pass as white, and so begins the fracture that will forever separate the twins. Stella disappears in California and continues to play the part of a white woman, keeping her past a secret from her husband and daughter. After leaving her abusive marriage, Desiree returns to Mallard with her daughter, Jude, who is “black as tar.” Jude, desperate to find a place where she fits in, goes to college in California and discovers she was searching not just for herself but for her mother’s sister. Told in flashbacks and alternating points of view, this novel asks what is personal identity, if not your past. A riveting and sympathetic story about the bonds of sisterhood and just how strong they are, even at their weakest. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Book Review

Walking - One Step at a Time by Erling Kagge

I probably wouldn't of picked this on my own but this was on Modern Mrs Darcy's read list last time. This book is part philosophical and the story of Erling 's own stories about his walks or his extreme walks. I really enjoyed it but I was trying to describe it to my friend and I feel like I fell short on describing it accurately. 

Why do we walk? Where do we walk from and what is our destination? We all have our own answers. Even if you and I walk next to each other, we can experience the walk differently. After having put my shoes on and let my thoughts wander, I am sure of one thing—to put one foot in front of the other is one of the most important things we do. - Erling Kagge

Atomic Love by Jennie Fields

This is a book about post World War II . There is atomic secrets, love, and spies. I thought this easy read book was good. I wasn't super fond of the ending but overall I enjoyed.

What I Read January

 I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit.  

My reading once again has slowed to a trickle. The books below I finished in December

All Adults Here  by Emma Straub

I struggled with this one a bit. This family drama story got lost in all the side stories which covered everything from coming out of the closet as an older woman, transgender, bullying, unwed mother, artificial insemination, adultery. It was a lot.  Truth be told I didn't enjoy it.

Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo

This story about immigration and assimilation. How do you retain your culture living in a new culture? This book was on the spicy side so if you that isn't you type of book it is probably not for you. Azere promised her dying father to marry a Nigerian man but immigrates to Canada. Her mother keeps setting her up with Nigerian men but she falls for a man not of her culture . This also a man who she had a one night stand with. This was a quick read and I think has important message about maintaining our culture but also embracing a new one. It was an okay read for me.