Books I Read in June, 2025

 Books I read in June, 2025

Books I read in June, 2025

Nicolas and Alexandra by Robert Massie⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Wow! Incredible history of the last Czar of Russia and his family during the First World War and the Russian revolution.  What a story, well written. I learned so much. Read it!!

The Dark Horse by Rumer Godden. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Well written story about a racehorses in India in the waning days of the Raj. It didn’t really tickle my fancy because I’m not into horses and racing. The setting was interesting and informative though. 

Audio: Woodrow Wilson by A. Scott Berg. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Excellent biography of an interesting man in an interesting time.  Well, worth reading. 

Currently reading:

Read aloud FM: Winston Churchill: Defender of the Realm by William Manchester.  This is the third and final volume. This volume deals with Churchill during and after World War II. It is loooong but every page is enthralling.  But will I ever finish the 1587 pages of this volume???

A Wilder way by Poppy Okotcha

The World without Us by Alan Weisman

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome 

Books I Read in September

 

Books I read in September, 2024

Fever by Laurie Anderson. Historical fiction about the Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793. Very well done. A good read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. Fiction, set during the Pandemic, interesting but not brilliant. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Nonfiction. Very interesting.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh. History, ecology, climate change. I should have really liked this book but I didn’t.  He makes his points about 5000 times and by about one third of the way through the book, I’d had enough. Not up to his usual standard. ⭐️⭐️

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Post Apocalyptic fiction. Well done but I didn’t care to read the sequel.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audiobook: Countdown by Alan Weismann ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Currently reading

The Last Lion: Winston S. Churchill, Defender of the Realm by William Manchester. (My read aloud book.)

Never Call Retreat by Bruce Catton. (JMM’s read aloud book.)

Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson

Fire Weather by John Vaillant

 Reading, July 2024

Despite the heat and despite Hurricane Beryl, there was a lot of good reading done. 

Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand. A nice summer read. Interesting but not heavy. A good read. 

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone, 1932-1940 by William Manchester. There is no word other than magnificent to describe Manchester’s Churchill trilogy. This is volume 2 and it is truly a work for the ages. Now on to volume 3, Defender of the Realm. 

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan. We all know what a great writer of fiction Amy Tan is but did you know that she is an artist and keen backyard bird watcher? A lovely book about a lovely subject written by a talented artist/writer. A good read. 

Life Ascending by Nick Lane.  This may be an excellent book for people with a serious background in biochemistry and genetics. But it was simply over my head.  I am disappointed because I would like to find out more about the subject. I wish the book had been written more for a layman. I didn’t finish it. 

Currently Reading:

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 by William Manchester and Paul Reid. 

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh.

Fever, 1793 by Laurie Anderson. 

Wage Peace by Mary Oliver

 Wage Peace

Wage peace with your breath.

Breathe in firemen and rubble,

breathe out whole buildings

and flocks of redwing blackbirds.

Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.

Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.

Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.

Wage peace with your listening:

hearing sirens, pray loud.

Remember your tools:

flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.

Make soup.

Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.

Learn to knit, and make a hat.

Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,

imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty

or the gesture of fish.

Swim for the other side.

Wage peace.

Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.

Have a cup of tea and rejoice.

Act as if armistice has already arrived.

Don't wait another minute.

~ by Mary Oliver

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

 

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

What did I read in April:

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams.  A well-written story with relatable characters. A good read. 

The Nature of Oaks by Douglas Tallamy. I have always loved oaks but really had no idea of the depth of their nurturing effect on the environment. A good read. 

This Ain’t Normal by Joel Saladin. (Audiobook) Some good information but he is just too radical to be taken seriously. IMHO. 

The Coming Fury by Bruce Catton. This is the first volume of Bruce Catton’s magnificent trilogy of the American Civil War. This volume deals with the events leading up to the war. Excellent history, terrific writing. 

Currently Reading:

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-1940 by William Manchester. (My read aloud book)

Terrible Swift Sword by Bruce Catton. (Joe’s read aloud book

The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl

Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley 

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy

.

 

Mary Oliver

 

My work is loving the world.

Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —

equal seekers of sweetness.

Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.

Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?

Am I no longer young, and still half-perfect? Let me

keep my mind on what matters,

which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be

astonished.

The phoebe, the delphinium.

The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.

Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart

and these body-clothes,

a mouth with which to give shouts of joy

to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,

telling them all, over and over, how it is

that we live forever.”

~ Mary Oliver

What’s on my To Read list???

 

What’s on my to read list?

I have to chuckle at myself when I think back to when I thought that once I was retired, I could clean out my To Read list.  Ha!! That surely didn’t happen.  

Top 10 books on my Nonfiction To Read list:

  Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution by Nick Lane

  Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper

  Brining Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy

  The Quaker Way by Rex Ambler

  Lincoln by David H. Donald

  The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh

  Power by Richard Heinberg

  To Speak for the Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

  Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy

  Under the Sea Wind by Rachel Carson

Top 10 books on my Fiction to Read List:

  The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams

  The Secret History by Donna Tartt

  Birnam Woods by Eleanor Catton

  Lessons in Chemisty by Bonnie Garmus

  After You by JoJo Moyes 

  The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

  Homecoming by Kate Morton

  Old Filth by Jane Gardam

  Still Life by Louise Penny

  Miss Clare Remembers by Miss Read

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

So many books, so little time

What did I read in March?

The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Excellent for anyone interested in cellular biology, immunology in particular. To really understand the subject you really need a background in biology. Long. 

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce. Historical fiction. Set in London during the Blitz. 

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. Interesting information about her family, her life, and her personal philosophy.

What am I reading now?

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone, 1932-1940 by William Manchester. (FM read aloud book)

The Coming Fury by Bruce Catton (JMM read aloud book)

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley

The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl

 

Signs of Spring

 

Redbud Tree

Fringe Tree

Barn Swallows

Redbud Tree

Bridal Wreath Bush

What I am not showing is the thick layer of yellow oak pollen which has JMM’s allergies astir. 

Things I Like

 

Sunrise this morning

Things I like

Susan Branch admonishes us to find as many things to love as possible. She’s absolutely right. 

Books

   Way, way too many to list

Kittens/Cats

Puppies/Dogs

Food

   Cookies right out of the oven

   The bread and salad at The Olive Garden 

   My son-in-law’s burgers

Movies

   Miss Potter

   The Harry Potter series

   The Godfather series (Totally out of character for me, but true.)

My home

   Folding warm clothes right out of the drier

   Organizing a drawer or shelf 

   A clean kitchen

My family

Places

   Anywhere in Italy

   Anywhere in the UK

   Anywhere along the California, Oregon, Washington Coast

Sounds

   Classical music

    Bees on flowers

   Waves on the seashore

   Morning birdsong

Art

   Impressionists-Monet and Van Gogh

   Vermeer 

Botanical Gardens 

Birding especially in the Rio Grande Valley or the Texas Gulf Coast

Quilting

Smells

   Almost anything in the oven

   Roses

   Fresh Linens

   Fresh sea air

I’m a bit late in posting my reading for February but better late than never. 

   Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus by David Quammen ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It is a bit dated and doesn’t go much into the clinical aspects but was very interesting in the hunt for the reservoir of the virus. It was heartbreaking in the parts about the deaths of the great apes from the virus. 

   Honest Aging by Rosanne Leipzig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Excellent lists of resources. Much of the book I was already familiar with (eat right, exercise, get enough sleep) but learned several helpful things (kidneys don’t concentrate urine as well, need to consume more protein as we age).

   Graceland, at Last by Ruth Renkl. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️How I enjoy her essays on life in the U.S. South in the NTTimes! Having a whole collection of them to read at my leisure was a real treat. The book came out a couple of years ago and she now has another book of essays out that I am looking forward to reading. 

 

Book Lists

 

The lovely Brenda @ It’s A Beautiful Life had a blog post on Book Lists and since I am a very listy person, I couldn’t resist making my own lists. 

Book Lists

1. A favorite (or 2 or 3) from your childhood

  The Little House books (all of them)

  The Louisa May Alcott books (all of them)

  The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace

2. A book you read once but couldn’t stop thinking about

3. A book that shaped your life

     Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

     Today Matters by John Maxwell

     Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez & Vicky Robin

4. A book you couldn’t put down

5. A book with a favorite heroine

6. A book that creates a safe place 

     All of the Miss Read books. I go to Caxley or Thrush Green or to Fairacre to have tea with Miss Clare. 

7. A book that lifts your spirits and makes you feel happy 

8. A book you like to read over and over 

     I have read the Miss Read books countless times.

9. A book you just finished and loved

     Tom Lake by Ann Pachett

10. A book you just started and know you’re going to like

     The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

     

Imagine

 

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there’s no heaven

it’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us 

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions 

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one 

I hope someday you’ll join us 

And the world will be as one. 

Around Oak Meadows

This was the Fall Back time change week. As usual, it just throws my sleep/wake schedule off. It takes at least two weeks to get back to normal. It seems like it’s midnight when it’s only time for the 6pm news. 

We’ve been doing our part to help pay off the veterinarian’s student loans this week. Henry went in for his annual exam and shots. He had a minor ear infection—>topical antibiotic, lab panel—>all is well, and he needs his teeth cleaned. And he is worth every penny of it. 

We gone back to Kristy’s Pet Salon for Angie’s grooming. It’s inconvenient but they do a much, much better job.  She looks so much better. 

Thursday we Brazos Lakes Old Timers got together for lunch at Chili’s. It was so nice to see everyone. Sherry Heitzenrater called everyone and got it all together. We ended up sitting with all the men at one table and women at another. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. 

The Monarchs arrived with the cold front. It is so beautiful to see all the butterflies on the blue mist blooms. As much as the blue mist annoys me 11 months out of the year, but it is spectacular for that one month from the middle of October until the Monarchs leave  in addition to the Monarchs, we’ve had Queens, Gulf Fritillaries, & American Ladies. We haven’t had any Longtailed Skippers at all this year. 

I’m still cutting out the pieces for the 3 lap quilts. I hope to finish getting everything cut in the next week.  Then I can start piecing. I have decided that I’m going to use up my stash and buy only the fabric needed for backing. (We’ll see how that works out…)

 

Around OakMeadows

Journal

Last week we went to see A Haunting in Venice. I was looking forward to seeing Kenneth Branaugh as Hercule Poirot. It was to say the least a disappointment. Over the top melodrama. We watched 30 minutes of previews and 30 minutes of the movie and left. The hot dog was very good though. 

JMM took Angie to the groomer at CBW. We switched from Kristy’s to CBW because it is so much more convenient but I am going back to Kristy’s. CBW charges $80 plus a tip and if I’m going to pay that much money, I want a much better cut than what CBW does. Kristy’s does a much, much better cut. 

I got my latest quilt back from Karen Shively and I must say that it turned out even better than anticipated. Speaking of quilts, I am sending one to Cecelia to be auctioned at their church’s silent auction in October. I was planning to send it to Sue Silverstein for her immigrant families but I’ll send her another one. I’m working on cutting out for 3 lap quilts. The fabric is from a package of French General fat quarters. After that, I want to make table runners. 

We’ve had more hummingbirds than usual this year. Maybe because of the drought, there isn’t as much blooming. Speaking of blooming, we have had bumblebees all over our purple salvia and our plumbago is outdoing itself this year since it loves the heat. JMM planted several more purple salvia and 3 more plumbagos. 

I think my 19 year old clothes dryer is on its last go round. Of course it would go out on a Saturday when it is impossible to get someone out to take a look at it on the weekend. (Just like the dog always gets sick on Friday evenings.) Monday morning, I will see how soon someone can come out. We currently are drying clothes by spreading them out on chair backs and around the house. JMM is looking online for the best new dryers in case this would cost too much to repair. To be continued.  

•  

Books I Read in January, 2023

 

Books I read in January, 2023

The Puppetmaker’s Daughter by Karla M. Jay⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Complete Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(JMM read aloud)

Katie, Up and Down the Hall by Glen Plaskin⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes (audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Life Around OakMeadows in January,2023

 

Life Around OakMeadows in January, 2023

Birds

Bluejays 

Crows

Goldfinches 

Cardinals

Turkey Vulture

Black Vulture 

Caracaras 

Red-tailed Hawk

Mourning Doves

Collared Doves

Blue-headed Vireo <<== New addition to Life List!!

Red-bellied Woodpecker 

Carolina Wren

Meadowlarks 

Mammals 

Raccoons 

Squirrels 

Around OakMeadows

 

 

Angie

Our sweet Angie has been sick. JMM took her to the vet Monday. She has an infection which the vet says probably started in her gums or teeth. From there it moved into her throat and ears. She’s been on Augmentin since Monday and is noticeably better. Even though we had her teeth cleaned last April, in a couple of weeks after the infection clears up, we’ll have her teeth cleaned again. 

We had a terrific rainstorm yesterday. For the first time in our 50+ years of marriage, JMM headed us all to the closet because of tornado warnings. The storm didn’t last long but the wind and rain was terrible. We didn’t have any damage but I see from the news that there were several tornadoes in the Deer Park/Pasadena area. Today has been beautifully clear, sunny, and crisp.  

I’m taking a week off from my Tovala dinners to cook for JMM. We made the Shrimp Chowder this evening and toasted some sourdough bread. Very good. Yesterday we made a loaf of banana nut bread for JMM. 

Still cutting out pieces for the next quilt. I love French General fabrics that I’m using.  After I get it all cut out, I have to take the sewing machine in for a cleaning and adjusting the tension. It’s not a difficult pattern to cut out but I don’t have the energy to do much at the time. 

Life Around OakMeadows - December, 2022

 

Life Around OakMeadows in December, 2022

Birds

Cardinals 

Bluejays 

Mockingbirds 

Chickadees 

Goldfinches 

Black Vulture 

Killdeer 

Crow

Meadowlarks 

Barred Owl

Grackles 

Caracara 

Red-tailed Hawk

Great Egret

Laughing Gull (Galveston)

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove 

Collared Dove

Carolina Wren

Insects

Cloudless Sulphur 

Gulf Fritillaries 

Monarchs 

Queens

Longtailed Skippers 

Common Buckeyes 

Little Sulphurs 

Giant Swallowtail 

Mammals 

Raccoons 

Deer

Armadillo 

Squirrels