Page 8 of 29

VIRGINIA’S “HISTORIC TRIANGLE” – SUMMER VACATION PART 2

July 23, 2020 /

After four amazing days camping at Virginia Beach, which I already blogged about, we moved on to the “Historic Triangle” to immerse ourselves in American history (with masks and social distancing).

The Historic Triangle includes Jamestowne (first English settlement), Yorktown (site of Revolutionary war battle) and Colonial Williamsburg (a living history interpretation of the colonial town).

We stayed at Anvil Campground which was conveniently located to all of these sights (Yorktown was the farthest, at about 20 mins) and lots of restaurants etc. I’ll talk about the campground more at the end in case any readers are RVers as well.

I had no idea how to approach all of these activities and locations including BOTH Jamestowns with only two full days in the area, so I did my research and did my best to plan it out. It worked out OK (mostly)…so I will share our experiences and what I learned:

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…

‘AMERICANAH’

June 5, 2020 /

I just finished a book that is timely and relevant to issues of race in America, a book I loved and recommend wholeheartedly.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This book follows the lives of Ifemelu and Obinze, two Nigerians who fall in love as teenagers but then take separate paths to America and Britain.

‘ANOTHER WOMAN’S HUSBAND’

May 13, 2020 /

I dislike the title of this book I’m going to recommend because (I feel) it incorrectly characterizes the genre and story. Though there is certainly infidelity in this book; it is based on two well-known scandals related to the British Monarchy:

Another Woman’s Husband: A Novel by Gill Paul

The book, in a dual timeline, ties together two women who “rocked the crown” in British history: Princess Diana (the modern day part of the story is based around her death) and the relationship between Wallis Simpson and the Prince of Wales that led to him abdicating the throne.

‘THE GRACE KELLY DRESS’

May 9, 2020 /

Yesterday I finished an enjoyable story about three generations of women living their lives and making a wedding dress their own.

The Grace Kelly Dress: A Novel by Brenda Janowitz

‘THE WORDS I NEVER WROTE’

May 2, 2020 /

This should not shock anyone who reads my posts regularly…I read and am recommending another WWII novel:

The Words I Never Wrote: A Novel by Jane Thynne

This book was featured on my early 2020 reading list.

In our standard dual timeline, it’s 2016 and Juno is looking for a typewriter as a prop for a photo shoot. She finds a Hermes 3000 that the seller says belonged to Cordelia Capel, a famous journalist. The timewriter case contains half of an unpublished novel.

Juno reads the novel which details Cordelia and her sister Irene’s lives before and during WWII, then the novel abruptly ends.

Cordelia works as a journalist in Paris and later for the British intelligence. Irene has married a German (in 1936) and is living in pre-war Berlin married to a highly respected man among the Nazi-party.

‘MODERN LOVE’

April 17, 2020 /

Years ago I stumbled across a column in the New York Times, Modern Love. It’s a weekly submission about some aspect of “love,” how people met, how they broke up, but also other aspects of relationships, having kids, etc. I haven’t kept up with this column fully over the years, but I always thoroughly enjoyed these stories, which came from who I thought were regular people. Well, now I realize they are not necessarily regular people, but more on this later…

‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’

April 11, 2020 /

I get a lot of the books I read from the library (love my library!!) so with our local library being closed for COVID-19, I’ve had to change up my reading routine.

First, I re-read a favorite book and then a couple of other older books I had sitting on my shelf at home, including this WWII novel set in Korea: White Chrysanthemum. And I’ve started a couple of books that will take me longer to read. See my post on reading more than one book at a time.

I do prefer ” real” books because I spend so much time on screens anyway, but eventually I was driven to my ipad and kindle account to see what I had available there. Luckily I have a couple waiting for me including this new thriller:

You Are Not Alone: A Novel by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

RE-READING A FAVORITE – ‘ATONEMENT’

April 2, 2020 /

I took the opportunity of “COVID-19 shelter in place” to re-read a favorite book that I was feeling called towards again:

Atonement: A Novel by Ian McEwan

I first read this book in a grad school class, “modern 20th century literature.” I loved that class!! And this book was my favorite of the class. I remember exactly where I was sitting when I finished this book – with my jaw dropped!

Time and experience make for a different experience with the same book.

Leslie's Bookcase