Sunday, June 27, 2021

A robin, dark skies, and the books I'm reading

I saw this robin when I was out walking on Monday.  He's on the fence between our driveway and the apartments next door.

I saw this dark sky today, while also hearing rumbling.  It has been hot here in St. Louis with a high of 90°F.  But the worst part is been that today's thunderstorms are in the forecast all week long.

I finished reading One True Thing by Anna Quindlen (1994, fiction, 8/10), but I didn't love it as much as the first time I read it — maybe because I'm now a quarter of a century older.  I'm old now, the age of the book's dying generation.  A favorite quote from the book:  "My father . . . did what so many men do:  he divided women into groups . . . the intellectual twins, the woman of the mind and the one of the heart. . . . I had the misfortune to be designated the heartless one, my mother the mindless one.  It was a disservice to us both but, on balance, I think she got the better deal" (p. 281).

The book I'm reading now is The Old Girls' Network by Judy Leigh (2020, fiction).  It's never too late to change.  After a health scare, 77-year-old Barbara goes to convalesce in the English country village of Winsley Green where her sister Pauline lives.  The sisters are very different — Barbara is outspoken and aloof, and Pauline is good-natured — so tensions rise.  When Pauline accidentally knocks down a man named Bisto Mulligan, she finds herself with a second house-guest.  It becomes apparent as he is recovering that Bisto is not who he first seemed and, as they get to know the kind of man he really is, it’s clear he could change their lives.


    Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon
    a place for us to link up and share what 
    we have been doing during the week.

6 comments:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

We saw many robins last spring. Then, nothing. Until we walked yesterday. One robin. Where did all of those robins go?

Rain is supposed to be here for most of the week, too.

The Old Girls' Network looks like fun. I pick fun over serious every time these days.

Miaismine said...

One True Things sounds fabulous, but a bit too close to home. I love the sound of The Old Girls' Network and added it to my want to read list! Thank you for sharing!

Mae Travels said...

I grew up quite near there: the now-torn-down building wasn't even there in my memories. That's a very busy area. If I'm not mistaken there's a good Indian restaurant on Delmar more or less across the street.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

R's Rue said...

I want to read The Old Girls’Network. It sounds like it might be a good one. I think it’s supposed to rain in my neck of the woods. Have a beautiful day.
www.rsrue.blogspot.com

Helen's Book Blog said...

I kind of miss thunder storms since we never get them. If we got rain we'd all be ecstatic since we're in the middle of (another) drought.

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Yes, the House of India is beyond the demolished building between my building and Delmar Blvd. Here are the latest plans for construction at the site on the corner between my apartment building and Delmar. Residents on the other side can now see that Indian restaurant.
https://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2021/06/delcrest-plaza-next-door-to-crown-center.html