Books read by year

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

A friend says these are her two favorite books

Out of Africa
~ by Isak Dinesen, 1937, nonfiction, 416 pages

In this book, the author of Seven Gothic Tales gives a true account of her life on her plantation in Kenya.  She tells with classic sim-plicity of the ways of the country and the natives, of the beauty of the Ngong Hills and coffee trees in blossom, of her guests, from the Prince of Wales to Knudsen, the old charcoal burner, who visited her, of primitive festivals, of big game that were her near neighbors lions, rhinos, elephants, zebras, buffaloes and of Lulu, the little gazelle who came to live with her, unbelievably ladylike and beautiful.

A Gentleman in Moscow ~ by Amor Towles, 2019, political fiction, 496 pages

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Table for Two wrote this novel about a man who's ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel.

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin.  Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors.  Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery, and the count endeavors to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Library Loot

Arrivals and Departures ~ by Amanda Eyre Ward, 2026, literary fiction, 288 pages

The Perkins family has problems.  They’re scattered across the globe.
  • Lee, a glamorous reality-TV star, is struggling with her mental health in the spotlight.
  • Reagan, her younger sister, has fallen for a romance scammer.
  • Cord, their charming brother, is one drink away from losing it all.
  • And their mother, Charlotte, still longs for the love she let slip away a decade ago, a lover who sailed off with her heart to a remote island in Greece.
When Reagan disappears, Lee flies first-class to Athens to save her family — again.  There, against the glittering Mediterranean and the shadow of the Acropolis, Lee contends with emotional nieces, relentless paparazzi, and her own fragile heart.  Lee is desperately searching — for her sister, and for the hope and joy she thought was gone forever.  Across continents and their crises, each member of the Perkins family must face the same question:  is it ever too late to choose love?  It’s the story of a family finding the courage to say the only words that can save us — I love you.

Week in Review
  • On Monday, I wrote about two kinds of people, HERE.
  • My subject on Wednesday was troublesome words, HERE.
  • Friday's post, HERE, was about my new book about alien encounters.
Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon, a place for us to link up and share what we have been reading and doing during the week.

Friday, August 14, 2026

Two beginnings

Beginning of the Introduction
"Are we alone?"  This short but profound question has been repeatedly posed by us on Earth as we attempt to discover if there is life on other planets.
Beginning of Chapter One
Has human history been influenced by extraterrestrials for up to 12,000 years?  There are a group of authors and academics who say there is strong evidence this is the case, and aliens have walked the Earth, helping to build the iconic pyramids in Egypt, the holy site of Puma Punku in Bolivia, and even had a role with the Ark of the Covenant.
World of the Unexplained: Alien Encounters ~ by Sam Pilger and Leo Moynihan, 2024, unidentified flying objects, 176 pages

Take a journey into the world of the unexplained to discover the extraterrestrial mysteries of history:  tales of alien encounters across the centuries, from those who have witnessed mysterious lights in the sky to those with tales of time spent on alien spacecraft.  Whether you are a doubter, a believer, or simply curious, here you will find accounts that explore ancient tales of aliens before tracking the many UFO sightings that have been reported across the world.

The book is divided into four themed chapters:  (1) Ancient Aliens, (2)  UFO Conspiracies, (3)  UFO Sightings, and (4)  Alien Abductions.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Is "supposably" a word?

AI tells me, "Yes, 'supposably' is a real word listed in major dictionaries like Merriam-Webster and Cambridge Dictionary.  However, it has a different meaning from the much more common word 'supposedly,' even though the two are frequently mixed up in daily speech."  Here are the differences:
  • Supposably:  Means conceivably or potentially possible (e.g., We could supposably finish today).
  • Supposedly:  Means reportedly or by reputation, often with doubt (e.g., He is supposedly rich).

Monday, August 10, 2026

Two kinds of people

"There are two kinds of people in the world — those who walk into a room and say 'There you are' and those who say, 'Here I am!'" ~ a quote from Abigail van Buren

Sunday, August 9, 2026

A book and a review of my blogging week

From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life ~ by Arthur C. Brooks, 2022, aging, 272 pages

This #1 New York Times Bestseller is a roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age.  This bestselling author is a Harvard professor and the Atlantic's happiness columnist.

Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that frequently accompanies aging.  But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs.  So what can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and success?

At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress.  This book is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life.

By drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach.  By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn (such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress), we can set ourselves up for increased happiness.  You, too, can go from strength to strength.

Week in Review
  • On Monday, HERE, I mused about butt dialing (also called pocket dialing).
  • "Negative Nellie" were the words I chose for Wednesday Words, HERE.
  • Book Beginnings on Friday was from a book showing a black cat, HERE.
  • Saturday's post, HERE, was full of cats to celebrate International Cat Day.  So it really WAS Caturday that day!

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

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Today is International Cat Day


Clawdia at her window, and Kiki kissing me.  They are my most recent cats, so I have photos of them online (and on the sidebar to the right).  I'm also celebrating Duchess, the gray cat I rescued from a mud puddle when she was a kitten and I was only nine years old.  And then there's Jack, the gray and white cat who lived on the mountain with us.  I don't have a photo of him to share.  Sorry.  If you have (or ever had) a cat, please share a name or something about your cat in the comments.

Friday, August 7, 2026

Beginning ~ with the black cat superstition

Beginning
I can't think of a better way to kick things off than with a discussion of black cats and all the superstitions swirling around them.  Whether you are a cat person or a dog person, super religious or a stone-cold atheist, you've probably heard that seeing a black cat is a bad omen.
The Book of Superstitions: Black Cats, Yellow Flowers, Broken Mirrors, Cracked Sidewalks, and More Cultural Behaviors and Myths Explained ~ by Shelby El Otman, 2023, folk lore, 192 pages, 10/10

You'll learn the cultural histories behind some of the world's supernatural beliefs with this book:  things like Friday the 13th, rabbit feet, knocking on wood, walking under a ladder, and the curse of the evil eye.  I guess we all have a superstition or two.  The author unveils the origins of some of the most universal and and the little known superstitions that have influenced cultures around the world for centuries.  These include beliefs that gained a foothold in African and European folklore, notions from ancient Greece, and legends of the British Isles.  It's a captivating read that shows how superstitions vary from country to country.

I guess this could be called Caturday, a day early.  Clawdia would disagree with the idea that black cats are a bad omen, if she were still alive to still blog on Caturdays.  Click HERE to read about my little black cat named Clawdia (and what she posted on our blog).

Added later:  If you run into me today, you'll see I'm wearing black cat socks.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

My negative neighbor

al·lit·er·a·tion /əˌlidəˈrāSHən/noun = the occurrence of the same letter or
sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

One of my neighbors is a Negative Nellie.  Whenever she sees me, she likes to point out every negative thing about me that she can think of, from how I look to how I walk.  That's why I usually find another way to go if I see her.  She caught me at the elevator on Monday.

I've decided I need to learn how to be rude (sorry, Mom) and walk rapidly away from her, even when she is talking to me.  As I fumed in bed that night, I came up with the negative Nellie alliteration.  Looking for an illustration for this post, I learned I am not the first to notice that "negative" goes nicely with "Nellie."

Monday, August 3, 2026

Monday morning misery

My phone woke me at 6:43 a.m.  It was a friend, but nobody was on the line when I answered.  Not a good way for a retired elderly person to wake up on a Monday morning.  Was it a case of butt dialing?  AI quotes Wikipedia with this definition:

"Butt dialing (also called pocket dialing) is the accidental phone call made when a mobile phone in a pocket or bag is pressed by body movement."

When I answered, ready to talk to her, no one was there.  Maybe the phone call was an accident, but not the text from my cardiologist's office 28 minutes later, wanting me to confirm my appointment for next week.

Come on, people!  Retired folks, especially now that I'm 86, don't bounce out of bed that early to get ready for the workday.  I had read until after midnight and would have gotten a full night's sleep without those notifications.  I guess I'll go to bed early tonight.

Sunday, August 2, 2026

National Friendship Day

Thursday's post was about International Friendship Day,
HERE.
That's one day to celebrate our friends.  In the United States,
the first Sunday in August is National Friendship Day, so
let's enjoy all the possible days to celebrate friendships.

Dear Author
: Students Write about the Books that Changed Their Lives ~ collected by Weekly Reader's Read Magazine, introduction by Lois Lowry, 1995, children's literature, xii + 188 pages, 5/5
A collection of letters from students to an assortment of authors both past and present about the impact of their work on the lives of their readers.  One person who commented on Amazon (after giving it a 5 of 5 rating) wrote:  "This book provides a brilliant reading list for young readers.  I highly recommend it and intend to pass on to my fourth grader."
Week in Review
  • My subject for TWOsday was two rolls, HERE.
  • Thursday was International Friendship Day, HERE.
  • On Saturday, I shared the Action for Happiness calendar for August, HERE.
we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time
zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Saturday, August 1, 2026

Make someone’s day brighter

I give you permission to pick ANY of these actions today, so you can brighten another person's day.  It will also make your own day a bit brighter.  Click on the calendar to enlarge it.

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Friendship Day ~ international or national? Hmm

In the United States, National Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August, which is August 2nd this year.  So you may ask why I'm posting about it today, which is neither Sunday nor quite yet August.  Well, the official date for the International Day of Friendship is July 30 every year, as proclaimed by the United Nations in 2011.  However, different countries celebrate it on other dates, such as the first Sunday of August in places like India and the United States.

Okay, that's confusing.  Now what?  I suggest we celebrate it twice, if possible.  Call or get together with a friend (or two or three) today, and then do it again on Sunday.  What should you do when you get together?  Well, what would you like to do?  You could share memories or do something fun together.  If you live near me in St. Louis, text me and maybe we can meet in our Circle@Crown Café here.  (If you want a few other ideas, click to enlarge the illustration above.)

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Two rolls for TWOsday


Life is like a roll of toilet paper:
the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Oh, no! I missed National Ice Cream Day!

"The third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day the United States.  It was established by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, who also declared the entire month of July as National Ice Cream Month."

Oh, good.  That means I can eat some ice cream right now, because we are still at the peak of summer heat (which was the whole point).  Yes, of course I have some ice cream in my freezer.  My favorite is Coyote Tracks from Schnucks, a grocery store near me.

Animal: Portraits of Eighty-Eight Animals & One Shy Enchanted Boy ~ by Tein Lucasson, 2022, animal photography, 192 pages, 8/10
What would an animal look like if it were a human?  The question is actually a contradiction in terms, and Tein Lucasson's answer is as humorous as it is creative.  With digital photo technology, he combines pet portraits with human poses, celebrating each animal's unique personality, while drawing on his passion for costume and art history.  Open up Animal and discover a raccoon sporting a sailor's suit, an aristocratic pig enthroned above a roulette table, and a giraffe grinning in its thick wool sweater.  (And if you don't speak English, each page has translations in English, German, and Italian.)

Week in Review

  • On Tuesday, my post was about a book by Rachel Maddow, HERE.
  • On Wednesday, I wrote about three homophones, HERE.
  • My Book Beginning on Friday, HERE, was about a book by Alice Sebold.

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time 
 zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Friday, July 24, 2026

Beginning ~ with killing mother

Beginning
When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily.  Dementia, as it descends, has a way of revealing the core of the person affected by it.  My mother's core was rotten like the brackish water at the bottom of a weeksold vase of flowers. 
The Almost Moon ~ by Alice Sebold, 2007, fiction, 291 pages

I like what one reviewer on Amazon wrote about this book:  "This is a story about mental illness, in this case, the pervasive illness of the main protagonist's parents, which leaves Helen lost in the miasma of lifelong dread and obligation.  While we get the sense of there having been many earlier, and good, years of happy marriage and the mothering of her two girls, where things are now is empty  kids grown, marriage over, life occupied by the care of her deeply damaged mother, with no real prospects for happiness.  This bleakness leads to an impulsive decision that slams Helen's life into a wall of no return."

From the back cover:  "For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others:  to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate. It is a challenging, moving, gripping story, written with the fluidity and strength of voice that only Alice Sebold can bring to the page."

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Three homophones: rain, rein, reign

I'm writing about these homophones because of an email announcement:  "I will be taking over the ... reigns ..."  Oh, is he becoming royalty?  No, but I hope he finds a good editor.  What he meant to say was that he is taking over the REINS.  He will be guiding this entity, like a rider guides a horse, using reins.

While "rain," "rein," and "reign" sound exactly the same (homophones), their meanings differ completely.  Let's define these three very different words:
  • rain = water falling from the sky.
  • rein = a strap used to guide a horse.
  • reign = the period of time when a monarch rules.
We might say about the first one, "It looks like it will rain today, so take your umbrella."

The second one is used mostly in the plural sense ("take the reins"), meaning to take control of something.  Why?  Beause the leather straps attached to a horse's bit is used by a horse's rider to control and guide it.  A family might say:  "We're low on money until payday, so we need to reign in our spending."

Reign (the third meaning) is the time during which a king or queen rules a country.  As a verb, it means to hold royal power.  It specifically pertains to monarchies, authority, or dominance.  Examples:"Queen Elizabeth II had a remarkably long reign."

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

A book by Rachel Maddow

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism ~ by Raachel Maddow, 2023, history, 416 pages

Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century.  Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.  It was a sophisticated and well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens’ confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule.

That effort worked — tongue and groove — alongside an ultra-right paramilitary movement that stockpiled bombs and weapons and trained for mass murder and violent insurrection.

At the same time, a handful of extraordinary activists and journalists were tracking the scheme, exposing it even as it was unfolding.  In 1941 the U.S. Department of Justice finally made a frontal attack, identifying the key plotters, finding their backers, and prosecuting dozens in federal court.  None of it went as planned.

While the scheme has been remembered in history — if at all — as the work of fringe players, in reality it involved a large number of some of the country’s most influential elected officials.  Their interference in law enforcement efforts against the plot is a dark story of the rule of law bending and then breaking under the weight of political intimidation. 
 
That failure of the legal system had consequences.  The tentacles of that unslain beast have reached forward into our history for decades.  But the heroic efforts of the activists, journalists, prosecutors, and regular citizens who sought to expose the insurrectionists also make for a deeply resonant, deeply relevant tale in our own disquieting times.

I've mentioned Rachel Maddow a couple of other times on this blog.  To read those, click HERE.  This is one of the books donated to the Crown Center's library after a resident died.  I don't think I want to read this heavy tome, even though the New York Times said, "The parallels to the present day are strong, even startling."

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Having owned one, I'm rather partial to book stores

The Lost Bookshop ~ by Evie Woods, 2023, fiction (Ireland), 411 pages

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found.  For too long, Opaline, Martha, and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.  But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books.  And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder — where nothing is as it seems.

Week in Review
  • My Twosday post was about TWO books by the same author, HERE.
  • My words for Wednesday, HERE, were related to the book I was reading.
  • I hope my Thursday Thoughts, HERE, made you think.
  • My Book Beginning on Friday post was about a surrogate mother, HERE.
  • On Saturday, I wrote about an unexpected love story, HERE.
we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time 
 zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Saturday, July 18, 2026

An unexpected love story

The Other Side of Disappearing ~ by Kate Clayborn, 2024, fiction, pages

Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half-sister, Tegan — and keeping a shocking secret.  Ever since their reckless mother ran off with a boyfriend she’d known only a few months, Jess has been aware that he’s the same accomplished con man who was the subject of a wildly popular podcast, "The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore."

Now thirty-one, Jess didn’t bargain on Tegan eventually piecing together the connection for herself.  But Tegan plans to do exactly what Jess has always feared — leave their safe, stable home to search for their mother — and she’ll be accompanied by the prying podcast host and her watchful, handsome producer, Adam Hawkins.  Unwilling to let the sister she’s spent so much of her life protecting go it alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.

Together, the four make their way across the country, unraveling the mystery of where the couple disappeared to and why.  But soon Jess is discovering other things too.  Like a renewed sense of vulnerability and curiosity, and a willingness to expand beyond the walls she’s so carefully built.  And in Adam, she finds an unexpected connection she didn’t even know was missing, if only she can let go and let him in.

Friday, July 17, 2026

Beginning ~ wait, why would she be arrested?

Beginning with the Prologue
In the next twenty-four hours, I will be arrested for first-degree murder.
Surrogate Mother ~ by Freida McFadden, 2025, literary fiction, 313 pages, 9/10

She was promised a miracle.  She got more than she bargained for.  Abby wants a baby more than anything.  But after years of failed infertility treatments and adoptions that have fallen through, it seems like motherhood is not in her future.  That is, until her personal assistant Monica makes a generous offer to serve as a surrogate.  It's an offer that will make all of Abby's dreams come true.  But soon, strange things start happening, and it turns out Monica isn't who she says she is.  The woman now carrying Abby's child has an unspeakable secret.  And she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.  Bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a page turner that will redefine what it means to be in the family way.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Thinking about rules, empathy, and decisions

I read a BuzzFeed article (dated July 15, 2026) about sentences that changed people's lives and found two that I want to share here for us to think about today:

12.  "Rules are meant to maintain order, but empathy is meant to maintain humanity."  chellebelle079

24.  "When you are born, you look like your parents.  When you die, you look like your decisions." allegra918