Reading list #5 Happy New Years Eve

  

1. Christy by Catherine Marshall about a young woman teaching in an interdenominational missionary school in the mountains of Tennessee in 1912. The story was inspired by the author’s mother and her experiences teaching in Tennessee. Many of the Tennessee mountain people were of Scottish descent if you have read or watched the Outlander series the Scottish history will be familiar.  The book was published over fifty years ago and I remember my grandmother reading it. I kinda remember my grandmother suggesting I read it. Fifty some years later………I finally read it and it was very good.
2. Color by Victoria Finlay a history and search for artist pigments and dyes before  synthetic dyes were available. What were the raw materials that artist used and how were they processed. It was a book to keep my kindle streak going when I was reading a paper book. Interesting.
3. What Child is This by Rhys Bowen Christmas story set in London during WW 2. Very short story, less than an hour to read.
4. Wild Mountain Thyme by Rosamunde Pilcher modern day romance the book was published in 1987, just for fun. The story takes place on England and Scotland, a writer steals his son from his deceased ex wife’s parents then he drops in on the girl he dumped when he married his ex wife and they take a road trip to the Highlands of Scotland.
5. Less by Andrew Sean Greer for book club don’t bother everyone hated it, I couldn’t finish it. Read the reviews on amazon that have 3 stars or fewer.
6. That Wintery Feeling by Debbie Macomber I had to read some romantic fluff just for fun to get the previous book out of my head.
7. The Silver Ladies do Lunch by Judy Leigh about life long friendships feel good story
8. The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy a book of short stories.
9. Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger book#11 inspired by a real wind storm that blew through northern Minnesota and Canada in 1999, a derecho. I don’t remember hearing that word until one hit Iowa 2 or 3 years ago and one hit here in 2022. Another good story.
10. Winners by Fredrik Backman book 3 of his hockey series this story involves a straight line wind storm but does not call it a derecho. It’s about hockey and competition between two towns, it’s about family and rising above one’s past, surviving and not surviving depending on one’s supporters or lack of supporters.  A very good story. I will be thinking about some of the characters for a very long time.
11. The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford about Charles Dickens writing A Christmas Carol. A lot of information about the socioeconomics and culture of the time and the publishing industry. Interesting but a chapter a day was enough. 
12. The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli a duel timeline story about Leonardo da Vinci, his painting The Lady with the Ermine, the woman who posed for the painting and a WW2 story about a young German woman who documented the art seized by the Nazis and Italian American soldier who was part of the Monuments Men preserving and retrieving the art. Very good.

Disclaimer the watercolor was done on the Waterlogue app. Another quiet New Year’s Eve celebration at our house and that’s okay. What did I do this past year?? Read lots of books, lots of books I didn’t include all the picture books I read….. I didn’t sew as many quilts as I could/should have sewn judging from the fabrics on the shelves…..there is next year. I knit most of the sweaters twice because I wanted them to fit right, I could have spent twice as much on yarn if I had done it right the first time. Ha ha.  We spent as many weekends at the river as we could with the grands because they were only 2 for a year and plan to do the same next year because they will only be 3 for 11 more months and then they will be 4.  Slow down and let’s enjoy the moment.  Happy New Year!!  Ann