Category: Reading Lifestyle (Page 2 of 3)

The New York Public Library, the setting of my most recent read. Photo Credit: Mandy Burkhart.

BOOKS SET IN LIBRARIES

September 30, 2020 /

I love my local library and use it to borrow many the books I read and write about on this blog. Just recently I borrowed a book about a library from my library:

The Lions of Fifth Avenue: A Novel by Fiona Davis

The title refers to the lion statues outside the New York Public Library. Not being familiar with New York City, I didn’t even realize the setting when I put this book on my late summer reading list but added it because I have previously enjoyed Fiona Davis books.

BOOKS INSPIRED BY HEMINGWAY AND HIS WIVES

September 10, 2020 /

I just finished a really good book about Hemingway in Key West from the perspective of a fictional maid/girlfriend while he was married to Pauline:

Hemingway’s Girl by Erika Robuck

The story also covered the 1935 hurricane that I learned about recently in another book.

I love the setting of Key West and the other places Hemingway lived, Cuba, Paris, etc., and with his four wives, there is plenty of drama to inspire historical fiction. I LOVED the Paula McLain books, one is about Hadley and the other about Martha, and I got to wondering if I have missed any other good books based on these lives.

So, I put together this list of historical fiction inspired by Hemingway and his wives, some of these I have read and some I am putting on my list now.

NEW BOOKS I’VE ENJOYED

August 6, 2020 /

Usually, I like to write a separate post on each book I enjoy and want to recommend…but I’ve been reading so much lately, partly due to being on vacation and because we have been using our motorhome a lot, I’ve gotten way behind on my posts. So I need to tell you about several books right now to get caught up! Hopefully you didn’t miss my last post on the best book I read on vacation.

READING ‘CHESAPEAKE’ ON THE CHESAPEAKE – SUMMER VACATION PART 1

July 19, 2020 /

I’m back with some vacation and book recommendations after traveling to the East Coast during early July.

Earlier this year, we purchased an RV (motorhome) for travel and fun. It has been one of the best decision we’ve made, and even during the pandemic we have still been comfortable traveling because we can keep to ourselves both on the road and at campsites.

CLEANING OUT MY BOOKCASE

July 1, 2020 /

I recently found myself drawn towards this book:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

I have watched a couple of episodes of her show on Netflix and knew I was included in her target audience…

A PAT CONROY BOOK’S JOURNEY FULL CIRCLE

July 28, 2019 /

A family friend “Fred” often recorded his reflections in the back of his books. “MY BOOK, MY NOTES” he announced before noting reflections, disagreements, favorite paragraphs etc. I do this with a dog-ear to a page and on this blog but not to Fred’s detail.

Fred and my dad would exchange books, several at once. My friends do this too. Recently, my parents passed me a book of Fred’s they found while cleaning out shelves. They thought I might enjoy reading Fred’s notes in the back of The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son before I was to pass it along to Fred’s daughter. Fred had also noted in the front of the book that it had been a gift from her, Christmas ’13.

And yes I did enjoy Fred’s notes in the back – so much so that I ended up reading the book itself. I loved this book. How Conroy writes about both the horror and humor of his dysfunctional family is completely fascinating.

A GUIDE TO THE 2019 OSCAR AWARDS – How & where to see all the movies before the awards show

January 27, 2019 /

The 91st Academy Awards will be televised on Sunday, February 24. This gives us a few weeks to watch the movies that will be honored.

Keep reading to find out how to see all the nominees for best picture.

Unless you go to the movie theater regularly, seeing all the films nominated for “best picture” can be a challenge. By the time the nominees are announced, some movies are already out of theaters and may have entered a blackout period where they are not yet available through other providers.

Luckily, this year with some careful planning we can have access to all the movies in time for the awards show. Not many are available for rent yet so you will have to purchase some of them, but keep in mind that $15 is still cheaper than two people going to the theater!

Although the list of nominations is by no means a complete list of all the movies worth seeing from the year, I have found this project a good way to see a diverse group of movies, many of which I would not have seen otherwise.

Below is my guide for how you can see all the movies before Feb. 24. I will be filling in my thoughts about all as I work through the list myself.

SUMMER CONCERTS & A BOOK SIGNING

September 16, 2018 /

I need to cover a few events in one post; this must mean I had a great summer!!

Though it may seem strange to lump concerts and book signings together, last year I realized they have many similarities for me and sometimes book signings are even better!

Both types of events support the artists we love and allow us to enjoy their work in a different experience – outside of our headphones and off of our couches!

THE BEAT MUSEUM & CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE

July 27, 2018 /

On the Road is one of my most tattered books. It is underlined and dog-eared; it is not in good shape.

I love the freedom and excitement written in this book: the open road, the jazz, the late nights, every day as an adventure. This is a lifestyle I never could have lived (in my more nervous reality), but I have loved living it through Kerouac and the other beat writers I have been fascinated by, especially Neal Cassady who inspired many other works of literature and drove the Merry Pranksters bus.

So while visiting San Francisco, I had to visit the Beat Museum. I actually didn’t know this museum existed until I saw it listed on a Kerouac bookmark I picked up at the American Writers Museum, another great literary stop.

A second legendary attraction in San Francisco that had been calling to me for many years is the City Lights Bookstore, which comes up time and time again in the stories of beat culture and more recently in my Writer’s Almanac emails.

‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’ & the meaning of life

May 15, 2018 /

I hate that it took Tom Wolfe’s death today for me to break out my tattered copy of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test but so it goes.

Though this book hasn’t been out of my shelf in a few years…(In it I found a menu for ordering fresh fruit on my honeymoon – 2007 – and 2 ticket stubs to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum – from 2013 – which is a funny place to have this book LOL!!??), this book contains a passage I think of often and fondly…

This memorable and favorite passage is on finding the meaning of life, on finding this meaning when in a certain “state of mind.” I hadn’t read this passage in several years but today I did…

Category: Reading Lifestyle (Page 2 of 3)

BOOKS SET IN LIBRARIES

The Lions of Fifth Avenue: A Novel by Fiona Davis

BOOKS INSPIRED BY HEMINGWAY AND HIS WIVES

Hemingway’s Girl by Erika Robuck

NEW BOOKS I’VE ENJOYED

READING ‘CHESAPEAKE’ ON THE CHESAPEAKE – SUMMER VACATION PART 1

CLEANING OUT MY BOOKCASE

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

A PAT CONROY BOOK’S JOURNEY FULL CIRCLE

A GUIDE TO THE 2019 OSCAR AWARDS – How & where to see all the movies before the awards show

SUMMER CONCERTS & A BOOK SIGNING

THE BEAT MUSEUM & CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE

‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’ & the meaning of life

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