This Memorial Day weekend…perhaps in a cemetery near you…
I SPY a parking meter!
“EXPIRED”
Then there is the Navy Veteran…
There is a soul who loved his service.
God Bless You!
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Book Review: The Bookshop of Yesterdays
5 MarThis is an amazing book! The setting is LosAngelos, which didn’t appeal to me until the storyline developed fully. Short quotes from classic books (of different genres starting with Shakespeare) expertly punctuated the narrative. Cause of death and paternity was a mystery for Mira, who had been misled. She also processed the enormity of inheriting a struggling bookshop 3000 miles from her new home and teaching career on the east coast…learning the financial record keeping, personnel/staffing, business cycles and plan to turn a profit.
Anyone involved with handling an estate with a significant number of books will appreciate this novel!
Books Review: Seven Days in Utopia, Golf’s Sacred Journey and The Sequel
18 Feb
We saw the movie. I knew I needed to read the book, bonus found the sequel.
The movie starring Robert DuVall and Lucas Black is warm, genuine and inspiring. In my youth, I took golf lessons and followed tournament play. As an adult, I played in a golf league after work. I’m fond of movies about baseball…Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, The Natural… Frankly, it never occurred to me that there were great stories and lessons to be told about golf. (I don’t count Caddy Shack.)
Seven Days in Utopia narrative differs between the movie and the book. (Both are equally time well spent.) The book has more details on honing technical golf skills. There is an opportunity loss, if practice is dominated by driving range parameters. Improving skills means practicing with up and downhill lies, behind trees, bare ground, deep grass…and more…
What is extraordinary about the lessons? The originality, experiential and spiritual nature of the situations. Watch or read for yourself.
Book Reviews: 2 in 1 This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness
17 SepOver 2 million sold.
Written in 1986 and 1989 respectively. These novels are bold, elegant and powerful. I much prefer these over Harry Potter books. One reviewer described the books as “Christian thrillers.” Smile 🙂 Each narrative is set in a small U.S. town with complex problems.
These books were brought to my attention in a Twitter post by Qanon EyetheSpy.
Book Review: Origin, A Novel by Dan Brown
26 AugBook 5 of 5 featuring Professor Robert Langdon
I have been a Dan Brown fan for years. I was delighted to find this at a used book store. Was there no fanfare on the release? If there was, I missed it.
The dramatic adventure set in Spain includes outstanding narrative of art, architecture, literature, history, science and technology. I had 2 years of Spanish in high school and appreciated Spanish speaking characters speaking Spanish (English translations keeps one from getting confused).
Not only is reading Origin compelling entertainment, but it is also refreshingly educational as Dan Brown does so expertly.
Book Review: The History of Bees, A Novel
2 JulMy interest in bee keeping is shown on the Beehaven@OwlCreek tab above.
I struggled with this book. I also appreciate the story. Well over half way thru the book, I felt that I was reading multiple Twitter feeds. Some characters lived in the 1800s, some in the present and some in the future. The author does bring it together in the end. If I had first read the Reading Group Guide on page 340 of my digital version, I would not have been so frustrated.
The contents include valuable information about commercial hives and the highly productive, delicate life cycle of bees.
Book Review: The Music of the Deep
11 JulI chose The Music of the Deep because the author ‘Elizabeth Hall’ grabbed my attention (and I read her work Miramont’s Ghost last year). Elizabeth is my middle name and Hall is my maiden name…I answered to ‘Elizabeth Hall” for over 30 years….no I am not the author….I like seeing my name on the cover.
The narratives on domestic violence as well as marine biology research of orca whales are both VERY well done! This small Pacific Northwest community has a circle of friends whose love of spinning and knitting created a safe place for Alexandra.
Toward the end of the book the narrative on the character “Robin” seemed misplaced. My opinion: It would have been better as a sequel.
I recommend this book.
Book Review (plus) The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie
13 Mar
Love this! “One sewing machine, two families, three secrets, four generations and millions of stitches”.
This book was funded by readers through a new website: Unbound.com…a modern version of Samuel Johnson’s idea funding publishing of his dictionary in 1755 in today’s jargon…crowd sourcing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language
- Elfcroft loves sewing and posts about charity projects about a dozen times a year.
- The owners of this very special sewing machine kept notebooks/journals/log of every task. This created a marvelous record (including thread and fabric samples) of the needs and wants of life during the 20th century Scotland.
- I loved the inside story of Singer’s major manufacturing operation circa 1911. Sewing machines empowered their owners to unleash talent and progress.
- Natalie brings the family legacy to the present with two paths…one using the machine as is, the second-recycling machine parts into art projects.
- The personal stories are as poignant as sewing is important.
Recommended!
Seven Global Concepts
10 JanSeven Global Concepts…inspiration for the New Year?
By Starre Vartan Dec 30, 2014
Very thoughtful blog post, beautifully illustrated concepts
Friluftsliv Norwegian being outside is good for mind and spirit
Shinrin-yoku Japanese forest bathing
Hygge Denmark togetherness, coziness
Wabi-sabi Japanese embracing imperfections
Kaizen Japanese continuous improvement
Gemutlichkeit German means more than cozy (peak in winter)
Jugaad Hindi innovative fix (frugal)
I read about “forest bathing” in the American Way magazine (Dec 2016). https://americanwaymagazine.com/woodland-cureThey claim 25 percent of the Japanese population walk in wooded areas. The author forecasts doctors writing a prescription to get outdoors…instead of blood pressure medication!
Being outdoors: good for the mind and spirit…I think of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, understatement-walking the Appalachian Trail. This same article refers to wabi-sabi which finds beauty imperfections. (Growing up, we called it “character”.)
The Kaizen concept is familiar to me thru my career in manufacturing. I like the “jugaad” notion. Many times that comes up when you least expect it trying to extend the life of clothing, furnishings, appliances, etc. https://www.graphicproducts.com/articles/what-is-kaizen/
Explore the links included. Great information. Happy New Year!
