Another excellent writer whose books I enjoy

A Long Petal of the Sea ~ by Isabel Allende, translated by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson, 2020, historical fiction, 336 pages

In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain.  When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border.  Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love.  In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires.

Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda, to Chile:  “the long petal of sea and wine and snow.”  As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war.  Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home.  Through it all, their hope of returning to Spain keeps them going.  Destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world, Roser and Victor will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along.

Week in Review

• On TWOsday, HERE, I learned about the second book in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series.
• My Friday Snippets, HERE, came from Jodi Picoult's newest book.
• Jackie's Caturday post yesterday was an apology to me, HERE.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

Being catty today

Last week, HERE, I wrote about a book I want about cats and kittens.  Bonnie wouldn't buy it for me, so I complained to the whole world.  Okay, I apologize because it turns out that we already have books about cats and kittens in our apartment.  She showed them to me, so I could look at the pictures.  This is a magazine, not a book, so I started with it.  I will tell you about the books some other time, so let's just say that I'm being catty today, as usual.

Signed,

          Jackie

Friday Book Snippets ~ from a 2026 novel

Two bloggers have combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56 with a new name Friday Book Snippets.  Anne and Olivia are co-hosting this weekly blogging event (click to enlarge the illustration above to access their blogs).  We can link up at either of their sites and then visit and comment on other people's blogs.  Here are their directions:

"Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading.  But no spoilers, please."

Okay, I'm ready to try this new version of sharing our book blog posts with:  

Hollow Bones ~ by Jodi Picoult, 2026, literary fiction, 464 pages, 10/10

Opening: 

September 2026 ... An unexpected wind picks up from the north and the wall of fire becomes a living thing, a dragon roaring toward the first responders who try to tame it.

Page 56:

The door to the exam room opened.  "Congratulations," Dr. Mantillard said.  She was small and birdlike, with hair that frizzed and eternally cold hands.  "You are incontrovertibly pregnant."

Book Two ~ for TWOsday

The Book Woman's Daughter (Book 2 of 2 of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek) ~ by Kim Michele Richardson, 2022, historical fiction (Appalachia), 352 pages

Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free.

In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.

Picking up her mother's old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. Honey is looking to prove that she doesn't need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous, and some folks aren't as keen to let a woman pave her own way.

If Honey wants to bring the freedom books provide to the families who need it most, she's going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.

Bonnie's note:  I hadn't heard of this until last night, when my friend Joanne in Chattanooga recommended it to me.

Hospice care and death

Death Is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life's End ~ by Christopher Kerr and Carine Mardorossian, 2020, hospice care, 254 pages

This is the first book to validate the meaningful dreams and visions that bring comfort as death nears.  Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor, so all of his patients die.  Yet he has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love and grace.  Beyond the physical realities of dying are unseen processes that are remarkably life-affirming.  These include dreams that are unlike any regular dream.  Described as "more real than real," these end-of-life experiences resurrect past relationships, meaningful events and themes of love and forgiveness; they restore life's meaning and mark the transition from distress to comfort and acceptance.

Drawing on interviews with over 1,400 patients and more than a decade of quantified data, Dr. Kerr reveals that pre-death dreams and visions are extraordinary occurrences that humanize the dying process.  He shares how his patients' stories point to death as not solely about the end of life, but as the final chapter of humanity's transcendence.  Kerr's book also illuminates the benefits of these phenomena for the bereaved, who find solace in seeing their loved ones pass with a sense of calm closure.

With real-life characters and stories, this book is at its heart a celebration of our power to reclaim the dying process as a very meaningful one.  Death Is But a Dream is an important contribution to our understanding of medicine's and humanity's greatest mystery.

Week in Review

• On Monday, HERE, I mused about re-reading Cold Mountain.
• My Wednesday Word was "generations," HERE.
• Thursday was the beginning of Optimistic October, HERE.
• My Book Beginnings on Friday, HERE, was from Jodi Picoult's newest book.
• My cat Jackie posted HERE, saying she wants this book about cats.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

I want this book ~ Signed, Jackie

My Book of Cats and Kittens looks like fun.  I want it.  Now.  Bonnie should get it for me.  Now.  It's not fair that I can't buy it myself because she won't let me use that plastic card in her pocket.  Not fair!  Anyway, what'cha think of this?

Okay, that isn't really me, but that's how I smile when I get to blog on Caturdays.

Signed,

          Jackie

P.S.  Today is CATURDAY, the day after Friday.

Beginning ~ in September 2026

Hollow Bones ~ by Jodi Picoult, 2026, literary fiction, 464 pages

When Jodi Picoult came to St. Louis a few years ago, my friend Donna Carey and I went to hear her speak and met her afterwards.  This photo shows Jodi with us on September 25, 2019.  I now have Jodi's latest book from the library and am reading it.  I was surprised that the first lines of this book are preceeded by the date "September 2026."  That's the month the book was first published, which ended two days ago.  Now I am even more excited about reading this latest book by my favorite author.

September 2026

An unexpected wind picks up from the north and the wall of fire becomes a living thing, a dragon roaring toward the first responders who try to tame it.  I'm frozen in place, watching this hellscape.  These thirty-mile-per-hour gusts have seemingly arrived out of, well, thin air.