Cat with a Purrl Earring ~ plus a jokester

This is especially funny if you have ever read Girl with a Pearl Earring, a novel by Tracy Chevalier about one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings.  The book was later made into a movie.

It's almost Thanksgiving, so be very careful how you ask a relative to save you "a little bit of everything" if you have to work on that day when families gather to eat.  He or she may be like one man's jokester brother and do this:

Maybe you should say "save me a plateful of everything."

Today I am thankful for...  

While we're talking "thanksgiving," here's something you might try.  Every day until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for.  Write it down.  Maybe share it with someone.  Don't say the same thing every day, but be thankful for more and more things.  Some days may not be easy, but let's develop thankful hearts.  Today, I'm thankful for all my friends, especially since I've lost SEVEN of them in the past couple of years.  I'm thankful that I had those seven in my life, too.

Nonfiction November ~ Week 2: Book Pairing

The second week of Nonfiction November (November 8-12) is hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey.  This week, we are to pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title.  It can be an "If you loved this book, read this!" or just two titles that you think would go well together.  Maybe it’s a historical novel, and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.  I'm not on Instagram, so I can't really link up with her #NonficNov, which is frustrating.  Anyway, here are the two books I suggest for a pairing:

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World ~ by Matthew Goodman, 2013, history

On November 14, 1889, Nellie Bly, the crusading young female reporter for Joseph Pulitzer’s World newspaper, left New York City by steamship on a quest to break the record for the fastest trip around the world.  Also departing from New York that day — and heading in the opposite direction by train — was a young journalist from The Cosmopolitan magazine, Elizabeth Bisland.  Each woman was determined to outdo Jules Verne’s fictional hero Phileas Fogg and circle the globe in less than eighty days.  The dramatic race that ensued would span twenty-eight thousand miles, captivate the nation, and change both competitors’ lives forever.

The two women were a study in contrasts.  Nellie Bly was a scrappy, hard-driving, ambitious reporter from Pennsylvania coal country who sought out the most sensational news stories, often going undercover to expose social injustice.  Genteel and elegant, Elizabeth Bisland had been born into an aristocratic Southern family, preferred novels and poetry to newspapers, and was widely referred to as the most beautiful woman in metropolitan journalism.  Both women, though, were talented writers who had carved out successful careers in the hyper-competitive, male-dominated world of big-city newspapers.  Eighty Days brings these trailblazing women to life as they race against time and each other, unaided and alone, ever aware that the slightest delay could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

A vivid real-life re-creation of the race and its aftermath, from its frenzied start to the nail-biting dash at its finish, Eighty Days is history with the heart of a great adventure novel.  Here’s the journey that takes us behind the walls of Jules Verne’s Amiens estate, into the back alleys of Hong Kong, onto the grounds of a Ceylon tea plantation, through storm-tossed ocean crossings and mountains blocked by snowdrifts twenty feet deep, and to many more unexpected and exotic locales from London to Yokohama.  Along the way, we are treated to fascinating glimpses of everyday life in the late nineteenth century — an era of unprecedented technological advances, newly remade in the image of the steamship, the railroad, and the telegraph.  For Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland — two women ahead of their time in every sense of the word — were not only racing around the world.  They were also racing through the very heart of the Victorian age.

The Girl Puzzle: A Story of Nellie Bly ~ by Kate Braithwaite, 2019, historical biographical fiction

Her published story is well known.  But did she tell the whole truth about her ten days in the madhouse?  Down to her last dime and offered the chance of a job of a lifetime at The New York World, twenty-three-year old Elizabeth Cochrane agrees to get herself admitted to Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum and report on conditions from the inside.  But what happened to her poor friend, Tilly Mayard?  Was there more to her high praise of Dr Frank Ingram than everyone knew?

Thirty years later, Elizabeth, known as Nellie Bly, is no longer a celebrated trailblazer and the toast of Newspaper Row.  Instead, she lives in a suite in the Hotel McAlpin, writes a column for The New York Journal and runs an informal adoption agency for the city’s orphans.  Beatrice Alexander is her secretary, fascinated by Miss Bly and her causes and crusades.  Asked to type up a manuscript revisiting her employer’s experiences in the asylum in 1887, Beatrice believes she’s been given the key to understanding one of the most innovative and daring figures of the age.

I haven't read either of these books.  I found the nonfiction/history book (at the top) online and bought the novel for my Kindle in April of this year.  An alternate that I could have substituted for the fiction is another novel about Nellie Bly, one that I read in 2015 (#25).

No Job for a Lady ~ by Carol McCleary, 2014, fiction (Mexico), 7/10

History, mystery, and murder are the traveling companions of Nellie Bly, the world's first female investigative reporter.  In this novel, Nellie defies the wrath of her editor and vengeful ancient gods while setting out to prove a woman has what it takes to be a foreign correspondent in dangerous Victorian times.  Pyramids, dark magic, and dead bodies are what the intrepid Nellie encounters when she takes off for Mexico after her editor refuses to let her work as a foreign correspondent because "it's no job for a lady."

It's 1886 and Mexico has not cast off all its bloodthirsty Aztec past.  Among the towering pyramids in the ghost city of Teotihuacán, Nellie is stalked by ruthless killers seeking Montezuma's legendary treasure and an ancient cult that resorts to the murderous Way of the Aztec to protect it.  Nellie travels with Gertrude Bell, who will go on to be called Queen of the Desert for her later exploits in Egypt, as well as the most glamorous and beautiful woman of the era, Lily Langtry, consort to the Prince of Wales.  Along for the ride is a young gunfighter called the Sundance Kid.  And there's the mysterious Roger Watkins, who romantically and physically challenges Nellie's determination to be an independent woman in a man's world.

I didn't choose this one, because I rated it only 7 of 10.  The subject fascinated me, but not this particular book.  I do like the cover, though.  The other two pair better, anyway, since both are about her trip around the world.  If you want to read more about Nellie Bly, take a look at what Wikipedia offers.

Sunday Salon ~ it's all good

Would you take this road "less traveled by" (to quote from the famous poem by Robert Frost)? This road is called the W Road.  Can you see why?  In case you never had to read or memorize Robert Frost's poem, as we did back in the olden days, here it is for you to ponder:

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay 

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

My youngest great-grandchild turned five this week.  How do you like her furry, black cushion?  I wonder what she's playing on that device.

Ten Keys to Happier Living: A Practical Handbook for Happiness ~ by Vanessa King, 2016, self-help, 9/10

I've written about this before, but this seems like a good time to re-read this nonfiction book about happiness during Nonfiction November.  "Happiness is not something ready made; it comes from your own actions," says the Dalai Lama, who is the patron of Action for Happiness.  Vanessa King, expert on positive psychology, has created ten key evidence-based actions that have been shown to increase well-being — at home, at work, and in the world around you.  We all want to be happy, but what does that actually mean and what can we do in our everyday lives to be happier?  Fortunately, psychologists now have evidence of what really makes a difference and helps us to be happier and more resilient to life's ups and downs.  The author has drawn on the latest scientific studies to create a set of evidence-based practical actions.  These will help you connect with people, nurture your relationships, and find purpose.

Donna kept a Good Things Jar during 2019 and, after she died, I asked her sister if I could have that jar full of good things Donna wrote about that year.  Yesterday, I unfolded a note she wrote during September; one sentence about that week says:  "On Sunday, I went to dinner at Granite City Diner with Bonnie and Marie."  Oh, my.  That's bittersweet to read, since Marie and Donna both died this year.  I opened another one randomly, and once again Donna mentioned Marie, who was going to her son's wedding in Israel the following week.  I don't want to open them all at once, so I may share one or two here occasionally.

I think I'll start a new thing in my Sunday Salon posts, patterned after Deb of Readerbuzz, who made the buzzy bee headers I've been using.

Good Thing #1

The girl had an exciting birthday this year.

Good Thing #2

I got my booster shot a week ago.

Good Thing #3

Reading the "good things" Donna wrote in 2019.

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

Other Sunday Salon musings are linked at the bottom of Deb's Readerbuzz post.

Sleep an extra hour tonight

Nonfiction November ~ Week 1: Your Year in Nonfiction ~ A Look Back

The kickoff of Nonfiction November (Nov. 1 through Dec. 3) is hosted by Rennie at What's Nonfiction?  This week, we take a look back at the nonfiction we have read this year and reflect on four questions:

1.  What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?

Inside Animal Hearts and Minds: Bears That Count, Goats That Surf, and Other True Stories of Animal Intelligence and Emotion by Belinda Recio. a 2017 book about the psychology of animals that I rated 10/10.  Here's a quote from the book:  "If a cat and an iguana can nuzzle each other and nap together, and a dog and fish can 'kiss' upon meeting at the boundary between their terrestrial and aquatic worlds, then it's time for humans to take a lesson from other animals in how to get along" (loc. 632).  Click here to read about this book.

2.  Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year?

As I read down my list, I was surprised to see lots of children's books this year.  The best was Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten Larson, a 2020 children's picture book illustrated by Tracy Subisak.  It's only 48 pages long, but I rated it 10/10.  I had never heard of Emma Lilian Todd, who really DID invent an airplane.  Click here to read about this little known engineer, who tackled one of the greatest challenges of the early 1900s:  designing an airplane.

3.  What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?

I haven't been out a lot in over a year, so I haven't recommended many books to anyone.  I know I have told several people about the two above, though, so I'll just say those are my most recommended nonfiction.

4.  What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

I hope it inspires me to finish the nonfiction I'm currently reading before the end of November.  One is John Pavlovitz's 2021 book on social issues If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans.  I checked it out of the library, but it's so good that I've already downloaded in onto my Kindle.  The other is a book I'm re-reading with my Sunday school class (by Zoom):  John Shelby Spong's 2018 book of theology Unbelievable: Why Neither Ancient Creeds Nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today.  I rated it 10/10 when I first read it, and it is still very much worth perusing.  Click here to read about both of these books.

New Ways November 2021

The New Ways November 2021 calendar from the folks at Action for Happiness has daily actions to help us find news ways of moving forward.  Being playful and trying new things is important; so is remembering that it's okay not to get it right first time.  Change "I can't do it" into "I can't do it ... yet!"  This month's calendar is full of ideas to help you decide what to try next.

November 1 ~ Make a list of new things you want to do this month.

November 2 ~ Respond to a difficult situation in a different way.

November 3 ~ Get outside and observe the changes in nature around you.

November 4 ~ Sign up to join a new course, activity, or online community.

November 5 ~ Change your normal routine today and notice how you feel.

November 6 ~ Try out a new way of being physically active.

November 7 ~ Be creative.  Cook, draw, write, paint, make, or inspire.

November 8 ~ Plan a new activity or idea you want to try out this week.

November 9 ~ When you feel you can't do something, ass the word "yet."

November 10 ~ Be curious.  Learn about a new topic or an inspiring idea.

November 11 ~ Choose a different route, and see what you notice on the way.

November 12 ~ Find out something new about someone you care about.

November 13 ~ Do something playful outdoors — walk, run, explore, relax.

November 14 ~ Find a new way to help or support a cause you care about.

November 15 ~ Build on new ideas by thinking, "Yes, and what if..."

November 16 ~ Look at life through someone else's eyes, and see their perspective.

November 17 ~ Try a new way to practice self-care and be kind to yourself.

November 18 ~ Connect with someone from a different generation.

November 19 ~ Broaden your perspective:  read a different paper, magazine, or site.

November 20 ~ Make a meal using a recipe or ingredient you have not tried before.

November 21 ~ Learn a new skill from a friend, or share one of yours with them.

November 22 ~ Find a new way to tell someone you appreciate them.

November 23 ~ Set aside a regular time to pursue an activity you love.

November 24 ~ Share with a friend something helpful you learned recently.

November 25 ~ Use one of your strengths in a new or creative way.

November 26 ~ Try out a different radio station or new TV show.

November 27 ~ Join a friend doing their hobby, and find out why they love it.

November 28 ~ Discover your artistic side.  Design a friendly greeting card.

November 29 ~ Enjoy new music today.  Play, sing, dance, or listen.

November 30 ~ Look for new reasons to be hopeful, even in tough times.

The wisdom of trees