This is the second book by Mary Laura Philpott that I've read and is, if anything, even better. If you are in the mood for a funny honest moving account of the family life of a slightly neurotic (my take) New York woman, then this is for you.
You'll understand why there is a turtle on the cover – don't worry.
The subtitle is "Love, Time and Other Explosives"
I found it wonderful. I posted about her first book here.
Unchain my heart
Baby, let, let me be
'Cause you don't care
Well, please
Set me free
Unchain my heart
Baby, let me go
Unchain my heart
'Cause you don't love me no more
Joe Cocker wasn't the first to record this song. But he did a great job of it. The song was originally released in 1961 by Ray Charles
Joe's version was in the late 80's. Unfortunately we lost him in 2014 to lung cancer at the age of 80.
Every day we are learning.
How we live with essence, not ease.
How to move with haste, never hate.
How to leave this pain that is beyond us ― behind us.
Just like a skill or any art, we cannot possess hope without practicing it.
It is the most fundamental craft we demand of ourselves.
I am not a total fan of the Marie Kondo tidying method but I did get Spark Joy out of the library and found it as inspirational as her first book – The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I was inspired to get rid of a few unwanted presents, some cd's I don't like and a few books. Or at least they are now in a pile waiting to be transported to the Charity Shop.
I'm indulging my love for contemporary New Zealand art again. This time it's Robin White's Mangaweka.
Thanks to Elizabeth of Silver's Book Reviews I read The German Wife. I have had a bit of a glut of WWII books lately but this one was a cracker – and different from the others I have read.
It is a dual time line book (which normally gets my goat) but it worked for this story. You learn about a scientist and his family just before and during the war – it shows how step by step they got dragged into doing dreadful things all the time because they wanted to protect their family.
You meet them again in the 50's when they have been taken to the US to work on the rocket programme. How the Germans and their families were treated was a bit of an eye opener to me.
You also follow some people who lived in the US in the dusty depression and were based in the same town as the Germans.
You will understand the moral dilemmas these people faced (without necessarily agreeing with their choices).
4 of my friends' blogs recommended this one (https://booksithinkyoushouldread.blogspot.com/2022/06/book-review-mad-honey-by-jodi-picoult.html
https://www.amazon.com/review/R37RS3Y783PCE/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
https://silversolara.blogspot.com/2022/10/mad-honey-by-jodi-picoult-and-jennifer.html
https://susan-thebookbag.blogspot.com/2022/11/mad-honey-by-jodi-picoult-jennifer.html)
so getting it from the library was a no brainer. None of these reviews spoiled the surprise in the book. So don't read the blurb or the author descriptions before giving this a go.
This book is so well written (and you would never guess that it was a collaboration) that you end up learning about bees and other things almost by accident. I agree with Liz that this one deserves to rate 5 out of 5.
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn't get much higher
Come on,
baby, light my fire
Come on, baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
It's back to 1966/7 today. The Doors perfomed this live on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967.
Jim Morrison was the lead singer of The Doors but a guitarist Bobby Krieger wrote most of the song.
This song was pretty out there for the late 60's You may have also heard the José Feliciano cover from 1968.
Jama's Alphabet Soup does a weekly post called "nine cool things on a Tuesday" – always interesting. In the last one she featured this children's book
So, having got in from my trusty library, I can recommend it. Of course, anything that both the Dalai Lama and the late Desmon Tutu have put their name to has to be special.
This may be aimed at children but its message is universal. As they say, " If you just focus on the thing that is making you sad, then the sadness is all you see. But if you look around, you will see that joy is everywhere."
The illustrations are accomplished as well.
I don't remember how I found out about this book, but am I glad. It was a standout
It's a debut novel by a 64 year old – hope for us all yet!
It is very well written, funny and sad and perfectly set in its time (late 50's and the 60s)
You'll love the main character Elizabeth Zott – a true scientist who doesn't understand people who don't operate on logic. She is treated poorly by several people – including one woman – these were the days when women were definitely regarded as not equal to men.
If you only read one book this year, make it this one.
