July Reading Wrap-Up

 

July is blueberry time!  I was able to go blueberry picking with my daughter-in-law.  It had been many years since I had picked berries.  I kept thinking of the picture book Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey.  When little Sal is dropping the berries into her pail they go "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk".  Mine didn't make that sound because I didn't have a tin pail and thankfully there were no bears to be seen.  It was early in the season so there were still plenty of berries that were not yet ripe.  The ripe ones were delicious.  We ate some straight up, I froze some and made blueberry muffins.

Our weather has been very hot and humid which is surprising because it is so dry.  The meteorologists tell me that is because the humidity is in the air, but hasn't reached the ground.  Go figure!  

I read 11 books in July.  Here's the breakdown:

Historical fiction: 1

Mystery/Cozy Mystery: 3

Suspense: 1

Contemporary Fiction: 2

Non-fiction: 3

Classic: 1

Historical Fiction:

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin - Alice Ripley's perfect life changes abruptly and she has no idea what to do.  She has been collecting book donations for a library in Kentucky and decides to hand deliver them.  She is unprepared for the poverty that greets her there.  She stays a while to help out and ends up riding the trails delivering books for the library.  A great story with great characters.

Mystery/Cozy Mystery:

Murder on Gramercy Park (Gaslight Mystery #3) by Victoria Thompson - Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy is called to a residence on Gramercy Park to deal with an apparent suicide.  The deceased's wife is quite upset and quite pregnant.  Frank calls his friend and midwife Sarah Brandt to assist with the wife.  It is soon clear that this was no suicide, but rather, a murder.  Frank and Sarah work together to catch the killer.  A great addition to the series. 

Death in Bloom (Flower House Mystery #1) by Jess Dylan - Sierra Ravenswood has been working at the Flower House.  While working there she has been learning the art of flower arranging from her boss.  She is surprised when her boss leaves town and puts her in charge of the next flower arranging workshop.  She is even more surprised when one of the attendees drops dead near the snack table.  This was a well-paced story with interesting characters and few twists to keep me guessing.  And it definitely wins for the prettiest cover!

Bruno, Chief of Police (Bruno, Chief of Police #1) by Martin Walker - Bruno is chief of police for the small town of St. Denis in the south of France.  Not much happens in St. Denis and that is how Bruno prefers it.  When the grandfather of a member of the town is murdered, it causes quite a disruption in town.  The man lived up in the mountains and kept to himself.  Because of the circumstances of the murder, Bruno must work with the National Police.  His quiet life quickly becomes less quiet.  But he still finds time to enjoy his home in the country, play tennis and enjoy good food with friends.  This was a good mystery, but my favorite part was the countryside of France and the delicious descriptions of the food.  Oh, and did I mention Bruno was a great guy as well.

Suspense:

Night Fall (Quantico Files #1) by Nancy Mehl - Someone is killing people and leaving them in train cars.  Along with the bodies, he leaves notes that appear to be quotes from a book with chapter and verse.  FBI Behavior Analysts Alex Donovan and Logan Hart are called in to work the case.  As soon as Alex sees the quotes she recognizes them.  She was raised by an Aunt who was part of a cult that followed the teachings of what was called "The Book".  Alex's aunt constantly read quotes to her.  Alex hoped to never have to think about that book or those quotes again.  But now her expertise can help catch a killer.  Nancy Mehl is a favorite author of mine and had that not been the case, I probably wouldn't have finished this one. She is a Christian author and that perspective added to the story, but it was creepy!  I'm glad I stuck with it.

Contemporary Fiction:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - Eleanor goes to work everyday, pays her rent on time, eats the same thing for dinner everyday, she is completely fine.  But, she spends every weekend completely alone.  By Monday morning she is starved for human contact.  When a co-worker strikes up a conversation with her, she is surprised how much she enjoys it.  As the two become friends, Eleanor finds something that was missing in her life and ultimately that friendship saves her life.  I really liked this one.  It sounds depressing and there are difficult situations in the book, but ultimately I found it to be a very hopeful read.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley - Piper Parrish's happy life is shattered when her husband goes missing at sea.  She is devastated.  Soon, she begins coping by pretending that her husband is still with her.  She has conversations with him in public, she walks him to the docks in the morning and the people of the town love her so much that they go along with it.  Reporter Anders Caldwell is sent to the island to cover the annual cake-walk.  When he is there he meets Piper, but when he discovers what is going on, he becomes determined to find out why nobody says anything to Piper.  However, he has some secrets of his own which could jeopardize his growing relationship with Piper.  This was an enjoyable read.

Nonfiction:

Keep it Shut by Karen Ehman - The author explores what to say, how to say it and when it is better to say nothing at all.  She examines what the Bible has to say about our words and also includes examples from her own life.  The book was very thorough and served as a good reminder.

The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris - The author spent time in a monastery while becoming a Benedictine oblate.  This book relates some of her experiences along with reflections on monastic life, and the liturgy of the church.  A fascinating read.

Keep Going by Austin Kleon -  Motivation to stay creative in ten different ways.  This was written specifically with artists in mind, but all of us are creators.  We plan menus, decorate rooms, organize fundraisers or closets.  We need creativity for all of those things and sometimes we just don't have it.   I found lots of good reminders in this book.  Review coming soon.

Classic:

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy -  Ivan Ilyich was a good person living a decent life.  When he becomes ill after an accident and begins to see that he will not recover, he has a chance to examine his life and the choices he made. I was struck by how Tolstoy was able to get to the heart of the human condition.  A short, but powerful work.

Well, that is all for me.  I hope you all had a July filled with good books!

~ Gretchen

I am linking up with The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. 

Book Review: The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Leo Tolstoy (translated by Peter Carson). W.W. Norton (2014) (first published 1886). 84 pages. Genre:  Classic

First Line: "During a break in the hearing of the Melvinsky case, the members of the court and the prosecutor met in Ivan Yegorovich Shebek's room in the big law courts building and began talking about the famous Krasovsky case."

Summary:  Ivan Ilyich was a good person living a decent life.  When he becomes ill after an accident and begins to see that he will not recover, he has a chance to examine his life and the choices he made. 

My thoughts:  This is a short, but powerful work.  I was struck by how real the situations drawn in the book were.  Tolstoy was able to get to the heart of the human condition.  If you switched out the clothing, and added cell phones, the story could have taken place today.  

Another thing that struck me was the way that Tolstoy told the story.  He never tells the reader what to think, instead he just gives the facts and lets the reader draw his or her own conclusions. As Tolstoy began describing Ivan Ilyich,  I realized that he was very ordinary.  He wasn't a bad man, but there was nothing exemplary or endearing about him.  He liked the feeling of power his job gave him, but knew he would never abuse it.  At one point he is decorating an apartment before his wife and kids move in and is delighted by the results.  The narrator says this, 

"In actual fact it was the same as the houses of all the people who are not so rich but want to be like the rich and so are only like one another: brocade, ebony, flowers, carpets, and bronzes, everything dark and shiny - everything that all people of a certain type do to be like all people of a certain type."

As Ivan Ilyich becomes more and more ill, he begins to reflect on his life and wonders whether he had not lived in the way he should have.  This part of the story made me think of A Christmas Carol.  However, Ivan Ilyich does not have a guide through these dark thoughts.  In that way this is a darker and heavier look at this type of meditation.  Also, Ivan Ilyich realizes that he is dying, he is not going to recover and he struggles with this.  Thankfully he does find some relief in the company of one of the servants.  The man is always cheerful and willing to do whatever is asked of him.  He never complains and Ivan Ilyich wants to spend time in his presence.  He also finds some solace in the tenderness shown to him by his son.

I enjoyed reading this and know that I will continue to think about Ivan Ilyich for some time.

This book satisfied the something Russian category of The Literary Life Reading Challenge.

Book Review: Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker

Bruno, Chief of Police (Bruno, Chief of Police #1). Martin Walker. Alfred A. Knopf (2008). 273 pages. Genre:  Mystery.

First Line: "On a bright May morning, so early that the last of the mist was still lingering low over a bend in the Vezere River, a white van drew to a halt on the ridge that overlooked the small French town."

Summary:  Benoit Courreges, aka Bruno, is chief of police for the small town of St. Denis. Not much happens there and that is just how Bruno likes it.  He is currently working with the members of the town who offer their wares at the local market to head off the European Union health inspectors.  So, when Bruno receives a frantic call from Karim stating that there may have been a murder, he is shocked.  But he quickly shifts into the mode of calm, collected chief of police that he is.  The murdered man is the grandfather of Karim.  He kept to himself, usually only visiting with his son and grandson.  The unusual way he has been murdered causes Bruno to dig through the history of France to uncover who might have murdered the man and why.

My thoughts:  Cathy at Kittling: Books highly recommended this series, so I thought I would give it a try.  I am so glad I did!  It only took a page or two for me to become enveloped in Bruno's world of southwest France.  And what a delicious world it is, full of wonderful descriptions of the countryside and sumptuous meals. 

Readers will find it difficult not to like Bruno.  While he is Chief of Police, he is also a member of the community.  He is well-liked and is known as the most eligible bachelor in town.  He plays tennis and rugby and teaches young people to play.  But mostly, he enjoys spending time at his home in the country with his dog.  He gardens, makes wine and hunts.  What I liked most about him was his sense of justice and right and wrong. He listens to others and can often understand where they are coming from, but he is not easily swayed from the law.  

"I follow the law, and not only because it's my job. And the law says anybody who is born here is French, whether they are white or black or brown or purple. And if they're French, they're just the same as everybody else in the eyes of the law, and that means in my eyes."

The National Police get involved in the investigation because of the nature of the murder.  So, really, Bruno is not the chief investigator on this case.  I loved the way in which he was willing to allow them to take the lead.  However, he does plenty of investigating and his knowledge of the local people is very helpful.  In order to solve the murder, he must go all the way back to World War II.  It was interesting to learn about the war from this perspective.  I found it interesting that the people of the town were often still identifying themselves with their role in WWII.  At one point, I had to go back and check to make sure the novel was taking place currently and not just after the war.  The inclusion of cell phones and computers got my thinking straight.  

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Bruno and am looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

Book Review: The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris

The Cloister Walk. Kathleen Norris. Riverhead Books (1997). 385 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction, Memoir.

First Lines of Preface:  "Ten years ago, when I became a Benedictine oblate, I knew two things: I didn't feel ready to do it, but I had to act, to take the plunge.  I also had no idea where it would lead."

Summary:  Kathleen Norris, a poet by trade, took steps to become a Benedictine oblate.  This book relates some of her experiences while on that journey along with her reflections on life inside the monastery, the liturgical world of the church, life outside the monastery, what it means to be a writer and all the things that went on in her life during this time period.  It is a memoir, but it is not told in a linear fashion.  Rather, it follows the liturgical year of the church. 

My thoughts:  If the number of quotes copied into my commonplace book is any indication of how much I enjoyed a book, this one would be near the top of the list. And I did enjoy this one.  However, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a more linear story of her experience.  I found myself with lots of questions I wanted answered.  When I was able to just get over that, I enjoyed the journey.

I have always been fascinated with stories of people who choose to live differently than the majority of those around them.  Kathleen Norris applied to become an oblate after an encounter with Benedictines at a conference.  The St. John's Abbey website explains an oblate like this:

Saint Benedict founded his first monastery about 1,500 years ago. Over time, men and women, friends and neighbors outside the monasteries wanted to be affiliated with the work and prayer of the monks. These individuals were often married, had family obligations, and employment. They lived outside of the monastery but offered themselves to God, dedicating their lives to the guidance of the Rule of Saint Benedict as oblates. The word “oblate" comes from the Latin oblatus, which means someone who is offered up or dedicated to something.

Norris is married and has an outside job. However, she chose to become an oblate and spent two nine-month terms at St. John's Abbey. The framework for her story is the church's liturgical year. Immersing herself in this by living at the Abbey had a deep affect on her. As she tells her story, she also reflects on the liturgy and rituals of the church and Benedictine life. We are introduced to monks and nuns that she associates with as well as those from the past along with lives of the saints. Interwoven into this is the reality of her life with her husband and the difficulty of being apart for many months. We also learn something about her past, the family she grew up in, and the decision she and her husband made to move to her ancestral home in South Dakota.

Something else that made this especially interesting to me is that all of my life I have driven by the location of St. John's Abbey. St. John's Abbey is on the campus of St. John's University near St. Joseph, MN, located just off of busy Interstate 94. My family would pass it on the way to my grandparent's home. Later, my parents lived just north of St. Joseph, MN. The sister school of St. John's is St. Benedict's University. The campuses are separated by the Interstate. As a young person I attended danceline camp at St. Benedict's. Both St. John's and St. Benedict's are used for camps and retreats during the summer. However, I have never been to the Abbey!

This book was beautifully written and fascinating. Something that struck me was that those living the cloistered life as monks and nuns deal with the same struggles, temptations and difficulties that the rest of us do. Somehow I have always thought that removing yourself from "normal" life would also remove some of the difficulties. The difference is that monastics are living among people who have the same beliefs and are trying to life their lives in the same way. I guess in some ways that would make dealing with struggles a bit easier. If you enjoy memoirs or are interested in Benedictine life, you might enjoy this book.

Quotes:

"To eat in a monastery refectory is an exercise in humility; daily, one is reminded to put communal necessity before individual preference. While consumer culture speaks only to preferences, treating even whims as needs to be granted (and the sooner the better), monastics sense that this pandering to delusions of self-importance weakens the true self, and diminishes our ability to distinguish desires from needs. It's a price they're not willing to pay."

"One year at the American Benedictine Academy convention, an abbot, speaking on the subject of 'The Monastic Archetype,' suddenly dropped all pretense to objectivity and said he was troubled by the growing number of cereals made available for breakfast in his community. 'How many kinds of cereals do we need,' he asked, 'in order to meet genuine health needs without falling into thoughtless consumerism?'"

"I find it a blessing that monks still respect the slow way that words work on the human psyche."

"Moments like this are when the congregation is reminded of something that all pastors know; that listening is often the major part of ministry, that people in crisis need to tell their story, from beginning to end, and the best thing - often the only thing - that you can do is to sit there and take it."

"Metaphor is valuable to us precisely because it is not vapid, not a blank word such as 'reality' that has no grounding in the five senses. Metaphor draws on images from the natural world, from our senses, and from the world of human social structures, and yokes them to psychological and spiritual realities in such a way that we are often left gasping: we have no way to fully explain a metaphor's power, it simply is."

"The fact that the translators imagine 'night' to be an adequate substitute for 'darkness' only proves that they have a seriously impoverished understanding of metaphor and the nature of language."

Book Review: The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island. Colleen Oakley. Berkley (2021). 368 pages. Genre:  Fiction, Contemporary.

First Line: "At first when Piper scanned the docks and didn't see the familiar rickety white-pine-and-fir fisherman's trawler, she thought nothing of it."

Summary:  Piper Parrish has a near perfect life.  She is married to her best friend, lives on a small island in Chesapeake Bay and is surrounded by people who love her.  When her husband's boat is found after a storm with no trace of him, she is devastated.  She knows that Tom would never leave her, so she copes the only way she knows how.  She imagines that he is with her and goes about her daily life as it was before Tom disappeared.  The townspeople love her so much, and realize that everyone grieves differently, so they go along with the charade.  One day, reporter Anders Caldwell, is sent to the island to cover their annual cake-walk.  While there he befriends Piper and becomes fascinated with the island.  He returns to the island under the cover of doing research for a podcast, and soon befriends many of the residents.  However, Anders is hiding something and when the people of Frick Island discover his secret, they have a hard time forgiving him.

My thoughts:  When I heard about this book some of the things that caught my attention were: quirky characters, an island in Chesapeake Bay, the fascinating premise and several reviewers who said they loved it. I have to admit, I really enjoyed this one. 

While the story does include some difficult topics - death, grief, mental illness, inclusion - it never gets heavy. Along with those difficult topics were themes of friendship, found family, love, kindness, and patience with others.  I loved the hopeful thread that wound its way through the entire story.  And the island itself captured my imagination.  Once I started reading the book I found it hard to put down.  I just had to know what happened.  Why did the townspeople go along with Piper's charade?  What was going to happen when they found out about Ander's secret?

While this is not a mystery, it does contain several mystery elements.  Some reviewers have called this a romance.  There is some romance in the story, but it is just a part of the full story.  It is a well-written novel with interesting characters that will steal your heart.  I don't want to give too much away.  The less you know going in the better, I think.

Don't miss the author's note at the end of the book talking about her inspiration for the island.

If you are in the mood for a light-hearted, captivating read, I highly recommend The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.

Book Review: Death in Bloom by Jess Dylan

Death in Bloom (Flower House Mystery #1). Jess Dylan. St. Martin's Press (2021). 320 pages. Genre: Cozy Mystery.

First Lines: "I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm a Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter, blissfully married to me true love, an Italian model..."

Summary:  Sierra Ravenswood has returned to her hometown of Aerieville, Tennessee.  She has been working at the Flower House, the local flower shop, where she is definitely still learning the art of flower arranging.  So, when her boss puts her in charge of the next bouquet-arranging workshop, she is a bit intimidated.  However, she has no choice but to proceed as her boss leaves town.  Several people show up for the class and all is going well until an argument breaks out near the snack table.  As Sierra approaches the snack table one of the men involved in the argument collapses.  Before the paramedics arrive, he has expired.  It is soon discovered that the man was poisoned.  If that isn't bad enough, Sierra's boss left town suddenly and no one seems to know where he is.

My thoughts:  It was pretty hard to resist that gorgeous cover!  Fortunately, the book proved to be equally well done.  

I liked Sierra right away.  She is trying to start over after struggling to make her dream of becoming a singer a reality.  She is a big believer in positive affirmation and tries to practice it daily.  Her boss, Felix, the owner of The Flower House, has more confidence in her than she has in herself.  He leaves town and trusts her to do what she thinks is best for the shop.  Sierra's family lives in town as well and brought an interesting dynamic to the story.  The family consists of her mom, dad and brother.  Her parents own an athletic club, which Sierra has never been interested in.  I enjoyed the closeness that she shared with her family and the concern they all showed for her.  Some of my favorite scenes were when they all had dinner together. 

The supporting characters were strong as well.  Deena is a friend from high school that is back in town temporarily.  She and Sierra rekindle their friendship.  Deena becomes Sierra's partner in trying to solve the mystery.  Calvin is someone who shows up unexpectedly stating that Felix had agreed to rent the apartment above the shop to him.  We are not quite sure what to think of him through most of the story.

The killer has to be someone who was at the workshop.  At first Sierra can't believe that any of them could be capable of killing someone.  But, as the story progresses, she begins to have her doubts and soon finds herself suspecting everyone.  The sheriff has plenty to investigate as threats and break-ins continue to happen and seem to be connected to the murder.  The story was well-paced and kept me turning the pages.  The secondary mystery, of where Felix has gone, is not solved in this book.  Hopefully we will learn more in the next installment.

I enjoyed the flower shop setting.  It was unique and I actually learned a little about flower arranging and what flowers go well together.  

The author found the right balance of mystery and small town life.  I enjoyed it all and am looking forward to catching up with these characters in the next book.

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