Today I had lunch with my Mom and her friend Joanne here at Aston Gardens at Pelican Marsh. We discussed tomorrow’s Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and I learned a couple interesting tidbits from my mom. My mom was born on April 4, 1938 so she would have been almost 4 when it occurred. However, she did remember a few pieces of that time, whether from her own memory or from hearing from her family later on I don’t know. My mom has a much better memory than I do of the past and our history. She said she mainly remembered how fearful she was after they learned of the bombing. That she had nightmares of riding her dad’s shoulders while they were running away from Hitler’s army. At that time they lived in California, so I am sure they felt very vulnerable on that coast. She also talked about how her mom worked for the factory that made B-29 bombers, very interesting! She remembered that because her day care worker liked to cook hot tomatoes with bread and she really, really didn’t like it. Now that I believe! I remember food before anything. She said how one day she had to eat the tomatoes or she was going to have to just sit at the table until she was done. So she sat and waited until grandma came to pick her up. Just a measure of how stubborn she is! My comment, it kind of runs in the family. Today was a good visit with my mom, I love it when she talks about her past.
An Early Wake – A Book Review
This is the third book in the County Cork series by Sheila Connolly and I have to say I learned quite a bit about the history of music in Irish pubs. This book really leaves me wanting to visit Ireland and experience some of these pubs in the small towns that dot the landscape. In this book, expat Maura is trying to find ways to keep the pub she has inherited afloat. A visitor brings in the idea of opening her back room up for musicians as the former owner had done many years ago. By word of mouth the news travels and musicians, and music-goers, show up leaving her to think this may be a way to keep her business going. But, this is a mystery and one of the musicians who shows up is murdered and the mystery of why and by whom begins. I really do love this series and is a good one for a quick, fun read. I have read a couple of Ms. Connolly’s Museum Mysteries and did enjoy them, but I haven’t read any of her others. For some reason this series just spoke to me more.
Breaking Creed – A Book Review
Alex Kava has a number of books in her Maggie O’Dell series that sounded like a really good read, but a series I never had the pleasure of reading. However, when I heard that she was starting a NEW series, the Ryder Creed Novels, I jumped at the chance to try it out. Being about K9 search and rescue dogs as a central feature of the book, even better. We selected this for our Mystery Book Club and all who read it agreed it was a good pick. Some of us have already read the second one and I definitely planning on doing so myself. Now, if only I could find the time!
There is a cross-over with Maggie O’Dell in this book, so if you have read that series I would definitely recommend picking this up.
The Ice Princess – A Book Review
I just finished The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg from Sweden. I am unsure why the sudden interest in Swedish authors, and I definitely wouldn’t compare this to the Stieg Larsson series, but it was a hit for me. You know what I enjoyed? The main character (Erica) actually talked to the police and shared information! Very refreshing. Although I did guess a portion of the mystery, and a good part of the rest by the end, I didn’t figure it all out. The book was inhaled in the space of one day and over lunch and then dinner (yes, I read while I eat when I am alone). This was a sad tale, one that really shows what choices can do to your family and friends. How these choices can result in such odd detours to and from happiness, or even just being comfortable with your life or future. Sad, but satisfying ending in some ways. I recommend giving it a try, I know I plan on reading the next one! Left me thinking about moving to Spain when I retire!
A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara Henry – A Book Review
This is the second book by Sara J. Henry, her first in this series was “Learning to Swim” which I reviewed for my book club in 2011. This year, the vote was unanimous and we decided to read the second one for November 2014. We all loved the first one and we were hopeful that the high quality writing would continue.
I must say I was very much taken with the style of her writing in this book. It was very thought-provoking, a tale of looking beyond first impressions as you may be surprised by what you learn. The core mystery comes out right away, but there is so much beyond this. Who is Tobin Winslow? Why was he in Saranac? What is the story behind Jessamyn? Those are the true mysteries. The pace is a bit slower, a bit more thoughtful but I liked it more than the first. Admittedly, the rest of the book club liked the first one best. So, I recommend reading them both and forming your own opinion!
You can read this story without having read the first book, but it does help you understand some of the side story lines if you read Learning to Swim first.
The Martian by Andy Weir – Book Review
Every now and then a book comes along that grabs your attention and really leaves an impression. This is one of those books! Andy Weir has written a very thought-provoking book on the what could happen when we start to explore Mars and about man’s ability to adapt and survive impossible odds.
What would happen if an intrepid astronaut is accidentally left for dead on Mars after a mission is prematurely aborted due to adverse weather conditions. How he survives and the work that he does to get off Mars and back home is just gripping. I don’t believe this is really a spoiler, I mean really that is the whole point of the book! It is the how that is so entertaining and engrossing. He incorporates technical details with a sense of humor, providing an engaging story with the data you need to understand what the astronaut is doing and yet a storyline that leaves you caring for, and rooting for, him. If you are at all a “space geek” and believe in the need to move beyond our planet and strike out to other worlds, then this is definitely for you. Even the story of how this book was published is a fascinating read!
Charleston 2014
I had 2 goals when I left for Charleston. One was to find the small alleyways mentioned by Laura Childs in her books and I found them! My favorite was the Philadelphia Alley between Church and State Streets. I also found Unity, Lodge and Longitude. My second was to try Poogan’s Porch, which is supposed to be haunted. This place was awesome! But I didn’t see any ghosts.
So what else happened during my week in Charleston? I had biscuits at least once a day (yum) and ate a lot of really good food. My favorites were Gaubert & Michet Cafe, Social (pizza), Minero’s (chicken taco), Toast (scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon on a biscuit), Queology (pulled chicken sandwich), Blossom (crab cake with asparagus and shrimp coolie) and of course Poogan’s Porch (shrimp pasta with a biscuit). Good thing I didn’t rent a car and walked a lot!
I also did a harbor boat tour, a carriage ride (with Lindsey, the guide and Miley, the horse), three church tours (2nd Presbyterian, First Scots Presbyterian and Unitarian), a historic walking tour (Beth the guide), and 2 house tours (Nathaniel Russel (Ken Brody the guide) and Edmonston-Alston). I also went to the Unitarian church service on Sunday morning and had a wonderful breakfast (they really put on a spread there after the service).
All in all it was a whirlwind week and I had a great time. BUT no plantation tours and I also wasn’t able to get up and visit my niece in Myrtle Beach. I do plan on coming back in a couple of years just to visit Myrtle Beach though, I hope. 🙂
Going Back to Charleston!
It has been 5 years, and I am finally going back to visit Charleston, South Carolina. I am very much looking forward to the food, especially the biscuits. I am looking forward to visiting more of the area than the last time I visited. And did I mention the biscuits? Not that I dream of them or anything.
I am also thinking it might be time to revive my blog a bit. I enjoyed working on it in the past, but I was finding that I had less and less energy to keep up with it as time went on. When did I start feeling so worn out and old?!?
A Beautiful Blue Death – A Book Review
A Beautiful Blue Death is one of many books I picked up at a nice discount when Borders went into bankruptcy. I managed to pick up a number of books that I normally wouldn’t buy as they were so inexpensive. Anyway, this book was a nice surprise. It evoked a sense of Victorian England and the operations of a very early Scotland Yard. This is the first in a series by Charles Finch. This weekend I went out and bought the second one!
Charles Lenox is an armchair detective, and a very charming one. He is second in line to his brother who is a baron and a member of the House of Lords. He is intelligent, inquisitive and very well off. In the manner of Sherlock Holmes, he is often restless and bored and takes on all manner of cases to help out his associates and occasionally those less well off. This case starts with the death of a young house maid who used to work for his neighbor, his childhood friend Lady Jane. After a number of intriguing twists and turns, the mystery is solved. I have to admit it was a puzzle to me and didn’t turn out exactly as I thought. I was close, but not quite close enough. 🙂
The other fun part of this story is the description of medical science at this time, the food they ate and of course the tea time each day! It was a great book.
Baker Street Letters – A Book Review
This is a fun mystery, the first book in a new series by a new author, Michael Robertson. The premise centers on two brothers who have rented the building which includes 221b Baker Street in London. Reggie is the older brother, the lawyer, and is a little uptight and very clueless. Nigel is the younger brother and is a bit of a drifter. Nigel has recently been suspended, spent some time in a sanitarium for a nervous breakdown, and has just come back to work for his brother. One of his jobs, open and respond to the letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. As I am sure you can guess, he finds one that intriques him from a young girl in Los Angeles. So off he goes, the game is afoot! Very fun read and I learned a smattering about geological excavations for subways. 🙂
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