April 21: Tuesday of Vacation Week and Pouring Rain!

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After I binge-read Cuckoo's Calling, I knew I wanted to read the second Strike novel, but I couldn't give my life over to it, so. . . . . I got it as an audio. Good call--but it was nearly as irresistible as an audiobook as it had been as a paper version. The reader is amazing, the story engrossing, the plot fast-paced: all in all, it provided me with a fast-paced two weeks or so of imagination. Brava/bravo!

Notes: the one bit I couldn't figure out in the story was why Leonora and Owen ended up together in the first place. She was such a resolutely flat character that I never got a real sense of her personality. Maybe I'll have to reread the book at another time and see if I just missed some details there. However, Strike and Robin have personality to spare, so I still stick by my five star rating!

Uneasy Money by P.G. Wodehouse
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Chose this as a quick commute filler after I finished "Silkworm," so I suppose some letdown was inevitable, but still: Uneasy Money is *not* one of Wodehouse's best. There are a few guffaw-inducing lines, but overall, it's a mere nothing of a story that is not redeemed by enough of his usual wit. I'm glad it was a freebie from the good people at Librivox!

**Note: I did NOT listen to this edition of the audio; mine was read by Tim Someone of "Big Bible" through Librivox.**

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anne R lent me this one, and I found it interesting and quick. The tone is a little unclear: does Moriarty mean it to be a comedic send-up of over-involved parenting or an honest revelation about domestic abuse in the upper classes? I felt that it teetered a bit precariously on the line, but overall, it was a good pre-vacation entertainment. Reminded me a bit of "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?", set in a different country.

How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read and loved "How to Build a Girl," so I fell upon "How to Be a Woman" with delight. And. . . found it funny, interesting, and thought-provoking. Mostly. There are some really useful ideas in it: first, the idea of using politeness vs. "correctness" to combat sexism: "That seems a little. . . uncivil," offers a good way to challenge some of the offensive stuff I've heard, and it shifts the debate. Brava, Moran. In addition, using the "does it apply to men, too?" rule codifies a lot of my distress about various crap girls and women have to deal with in many guises: synchronized swimming, cheerleading, survivalist cults I see in the grocery store where the little boys are racing around looking regular but the little girls have 5' long braids and are wearing skirts OVER their jeans, and, Moran's example: burkas. Also shaving various body parts. AND her riff on over-eating/obesity as a "carer's addiction" was enlightening. BAM!

I'm 95% on board with her statement that part of what women are dealing with is the fact that we were losers for a lot of history. Also, some of her stuff on pornography seems reasonable, as well--but the first few chapters were full-on cringeworthy, and I felt a bit like she was cranked up to make a point, to piss people off, and to create a brand for herself. Soon enough that died away and I was shouting "SISTER!" and reading lines out to Andy, but the opening was not where I'd've chosen for her start. Ah well.

I have a LOT of pages dogeared, and I'd like to copy out several of them on my FB status. . . . and mostly I'd like to do a book group with this book. Maybe that's a goal for this summer. :)

Highly recommended as a sometimes-difficult but always-interesting read. I think I'm going to buy a few copies and share them out.

Lost & Found by Brooke Davis
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Warm reviews from the librarian for this one, and a great cover, but I gave up after about an hour. Several objections:

1. too much unknown stuff. I am not a fan of books that carry around a huge mystery that is alluded to but never truly answered.
2. too many weird characters. Really: could three so-bizarre people (four, if you count the disappeared mother) meet up?
3. too much effort to present the child's view and ONLY the child's view. Kids do have social antennae, and they DO know more than Millie does--unless they are three. She's seven.


All in all, the book was just annoying me too much to bear, so I quit reading it, read the extremely long and detailed acknowledgements and author's info/confessional, and will return it to the library ASAP.

View all my reviews

Well, it's the Tuesday of vacation, and we've had a good run already. Nate is in Budapest, and Andy and I had a lovely day and overnight in Portland after we dropped him and a classmate at the Logan bus. Now we're home and in the middle of a howling storm, with wind, rain, thunder!!!!, and general weather craziness. Yikes!

Highlight: we had a chance to see Craig and the twins yesterday, spending a lovely 90 mins or so playing with those cheery little girls and their dad.

Time passing reminder:

We lost Miranda, stalwart and beloved cat of 15+ years, on Sunday. She just stopped. We buried her when we got home on Monday. It was the best possible end to a good, extremely long life. Sleep well, Mander Cat! 

April 11: At Long, Long Last. . . .

Laughter on the Stairs by Beverley Nichols
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second of the Merry Hall series, Laughter on the Stairs has a bit more narrative flow than the first volume, the eponymous "Merry Hall," (whew--look at those vocabulary chops! Eponymous. . . step back!) but it still possesses the scatterbrained, amiable "I'm just telling you a few fun stories" approach that makes these books perfect reading material for a busy, cold, stressful April. I could read it a bit, put it down, pick it up again to distract myself from school thoughts, chuckle a bit, and then neglect it for a few days--no harm done. Like the Angela Thirkell books, Beverley Nichols's books are peculiar to a certain type of taste--and at this point, they match mine.

I have heard BN's name, often from British writers, so I've been interested in him for a bit, and finding these three books at a book sale was a perfect stroke of luck, as my $3 investment has been well returned. In this outing, it's interesting to see Nichols's progress in redoing Merry Hall (I do wish there were photos in this re-released edition), and also to see his personality and opinions about his neighbors, his "frenemies," and, especially, the entrance of "Miss Mint," one neighbor whom he truly seems to respect and admire. Seeing how he casts her as opposed to the other women whom he satirizes quite acidly at times is fascinating, and made me like Miss Mint even more because she was clearly unique in the esteem she evoked!

One more book in this series left. . . and I may not rush it, but leave it for another "I need some downtime" stretch. We'll see.

View all my reviews


Well. Long long last: it's sunny, due to hit 50, and it actually *just rained* for two days, so the snow banks have receded in a big way. We still have no gardens and no lawn, but beyond the trees the grass is beginning to show up and the melt water is substantial. Last night Andy and I watched the Sox play, our minds still challenged by the blanket of white we could see outside the windows every time we got up from our chairs, but clearly things are warming up and moving toward spring.

Last weekend was a blur of Nate being home, prepping for his trip to Hungary and the Czech Republic, prepping for the Easter sunrise b'fast, prepping for our Easter celebrations, and doing some schoolwork to boot. This weekend is a little less fraught, with a tad more time in between, and certainly nicer weather. One week till April vacation. We can do this, right?

April 1, Wednesday: Melting, Sunshine, and a good book!

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this book, which handled multiple character lines with aplomb, though the Lorelei emails were a bit tiresome--necessary to the plot, but she annoyed me as a character, so I didn't like reading her gushing. Certainly there was an element of reality TV as Jewell unfolded the hoarding elements of the plot, and the unpacking made a satisfying theme. A trifle overwrought at the very end: I don't think people can change quite as whole-heartedly as Megan does (or at least not so quickly), but my optimistic self didn't quibble. An interesting and well-written "peopley book," as a former student used to say.

View all my reviews

March 28, Saturday: Some Thoughts on New Eateries

Well, it's nearly April, and so far March has lived up to my hopes by being much less snowy than February, though it has been bitterly cold. Lately, we've gotten up to the 40's, had some rain and melting, and have begun to see some reduction of the snow--some. We'll take it. Today I am participating in the Flattop 5K, my first race since. . . . the Memorial Mile? My goal is "have fun, and 32 or under." We'll see.

I have been thinking about restaurant start ups, since there have been several new places opening Ellsworth--which is a relief, because there have been a flood of closings! Andy and I in our newly free status, have been able to try a lot of them, and here is the big suggestion I'd have for anyone opening a new restaurant, especially in a small(ish) town or city: request feedback. Offer $1 off the bill or a free dessert for anyone who will fill out anonymous feedback. Ask questions like "How was the service?" (Answer, for last night: slow, and it was really frustrating to watch at least two waitresses drinking soda at the service station while we waited 10 mins for our water and bread. Get your house to work together so that it's not "that's my table, and that's yours," but "These are our customers.") and "How was the food: taste, quality, portion size?" (Answer for last night: just okay. I could make it as good at home, and that, for me, is the kiss of death. I won't pay money to have someone else make me my own food unless I am very, very tired. Portion size: quite good. Not stupidly enormous, not tiny. Quality: okay, but my medium burger was really more rare in the middle. As a steak house, you might want to get that down.) and "How was the presentation?" (Answer for last night: a bit bleak. My husband's excellent scallops and vegs. were on one side of an otherwise empty plate. As in--empty. No garnish, no cheap but pleasant pile of rice. A little odd.).

You really need to wow us--or else before long we'll be going to another new restaurant in the same place yours is now.

March 21: Silverstreak Saturday!

Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott books are always an easy, pleasurable read, and Designated Daughters is no exception. Deborah has an easy narrative style, sharing various insights of judicial and family life, and her voice makes any of the novels interesting. However, with the theme and title of this effort, I expected some kind of insight about the demands of care-taking, the issues of an aging population, or health care costs, and Maron didn't really deliver. She has several plots going in this story, and, as a result, the book is a little uneven. I think Maron/Knott would've had some good points to share, and, without them, the effort was a little disappointing, though still a pleasant read.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wish I could five-star this one without calling it "amazing"--it was compelling, addictive, and led to sleep deprivation and a huge stack of overdue correcting on my desk, but it was, at the bottom, an extremely readable private eye novel, and not "amazing" at all. However: there is so much to praise in this one! Cormoran Strike is a likable, interesting character, and his interaction with his temporary (or not) secretary is fun to watch, as she's a lively character well; "Cuckoo" comes alive through these pages, as do many of her friends and family. There is an element of People-magazine-esque star-gazing in the story, but Cormoran and his adventures are what kept me up and neglecting my work. The writing is effective, tight, and clear: I noticed no Harry Potter-isms creeping in and clogging up the works.

One question: why bother to adopt a pseudonym if one is going to out oneself anyway? I was a bit confused by that. But: I really disliked the Casual Vacancy, but I *loved* Cuckoo's Calling. I've gotten The Silkworm on audiobook, partially to insure that I don't binge read it and mess up my orderly life!

View all my reviews


Well: it's Saturday evening, and Andy and I are back home after a Silverstreak visit down to Lewiston to see Nate and the Bates Choir sing Mozart's "Requiem." We stayed at the Ramada right off the highway, and we had a lovely dinner at DaVinci's (I was expecting standard large scale Italian, but it was locally grown and deliciously unique!) with Nate, pre-concert, and made it to Olin in easy time. To our surprise, Mom and Anita came too (we hadn't made plans with them as we didn't really decide to come down until Thursday!), and seeing them so casually made us feel like we were real locals! The concert was lovely--I forget how exciting and fun it is to see live classical music, and Bates has a wonderful soprano soloist whose voice is transcendent--and we all ooh'd and ahh'd afterwards, and then A and I headed for bed!

Today, we had breakfast with Nate at Forage, and then did some errands, ending up at the Bates bookstore, where we had a lovely moment: a mom and her daughter came in, and the mom announced that her daughter had just been accepted, after having been deferred in December. They were from Waterville, and everyone in the bookstore at that moment was from Maine, so it was a very down-home, pro-Bates, rah-rah celebration. The girl didn't even look embarrassed. It was great.
We headed home soon after, and got home around 1. I've done some laundry, scored some (very poorly done) masks for OMM, and done some b'day errands AND gotten ice cream to go at the Moo. What a nice way to kick off a weekend. Tomorrow I plan to skip church (sorry; I super-duper need the time!) and crank through more correcting.

We also had a nice week with Lyle home/at UMO with Sam/around. He is clearly beginning to think about next year (woooooooo), and has lost some of his edginess about home, and us, and such. We'll see how things unfold. It was certainly nice to have a chance to talk to him occasionally!

We have had snow today! Aieee! But at least the piles of snow have shrunk somewhat. So far, March has followed its instructions (from me) and has been less intensely wintery than February. YAY!

I may post some pics. We've been busy lately: Nate's play two weeks ago, Incoming Parents' Night and Parent Conferences during two weeks, one of those weekends that simply disappears last weekend, and then a late night watching the One-Act for me on Wednesday, AND a good deal of avoidance of work due to "The Cuckoo's Calling". . . I am hoping to reset the balance this weekend and enter Monday with a little more organization under my belt.

March 10, Tuesday: Busy Day, Busy Week, Great Book

Althea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Memorable, original, and brilliantly written. There is much troubling/disturbing in this book, but Moracho is a stunning writer.

The picture she paints of adolescence is unnerving; Althea is a character who's hard to root for, and the Red Hook scenario is a bit unrealistic. Still: I read it in three busy school days and found the voice, pacing, and, especially, the writing outstanding.

View all my reviews


Weekend seeing Nate's play and my family; time change; warmer weather; Parent Conferences coming up on Thursday: I think I'll be happy to see Friday, 2:15 roll around!

March 3: Tuesday Afternoon Reading. . . Pre-storm?

We're potentially due for 5 - 7" of snow, turning to rain in the morning. . .Could it be another Wednesday bites the dust? Yikes. In any case, thanks to my Lenten avoidance of FB during the week, I am getting a lot of reading done. Three cheers!


Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this YA novel by the author of The Interestings. It did bear some resemblances to The Interestings, but in this outing, Wolitzer crafts a well-paced and original YA novel that contains some fantasy elements but still serves to illuminate important truths about literature, life, and (to continue the alliteration in an annoying way) loss. One plot line is a bit thin and, oddly enough, I found the character of Ms. Q disappointingly flat, but overall the book was a well-written and thought-provoking flight of imagination based in some valid insights about human nature. Enjoyable!

View all my reviews