Sun. Glorious sun. It visited me here on the Cutoff. It warmed my bones as it cast its rays over a precarious pile of TBR books, and illustrated the need to chase the dust motes away.
I have been spending time reading Willem Lange, who wrote a favorite story of mine, Favor Johnson, can also be found in Lange’s Tales From the Edge of the Woods. A compilation of stories from radio broadcasts, “Where Does the Wild Goose Go”, sits on the top of this pile. It has kept company on these bitter, cold days.
Just under Lange’s autobiographical book of essays is a reader’s copy of a book I loved. You will, too. “Not Without My Father” by Andra Watkins is a companion book to her breakthrough adventure/mystery/ghostly book, “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis”. I wrote about here.
“Not Without My Father” is about Andra, and her father Roy, an engaging, larger-than-life, storyteller extraordinaire. Roy was Andra’s “wingman” as she hiked the Natchez Trace in 2014. It was a remarkable personal achievement, and an arduous trek, to promote “To Live Forever. . . “.
“Not Without My Father” is their story; a father and a daughter and their lifelong journey, as well as their very personal adventure along the Natchez Trace. More information can be found here,
“Half Broke Horses”, midway down the stack, is by Jeannette Walls. It is my book discussion group’s January selection. Does anyone else cram for their book discussions? Here I am, in the winter of my life, still pulling “all nighters”. I know it will be a lively discussion later this week, but, I do need to get cracking on it. Our little book group has been meeting for 27 years! We are pre-Oprah – and still going strong. We read Walls’ autobiographical work, “The Glass Castle”, a few years ago. It kept us chatting well into the night. I’m sure we will have a similar discussion with “Half Broke Horses”.
“All The Light We Cannot See”, by Anthony Doer, is on loan from my dear friend, Marilyn, who keeps me challenged with insightful reads. Highly acclaimed, this is certain to keep me turning the pages; soon. I hope. Have you read it?
There are a few Pulitzer’s on my pile, as well as a biography I brought home from the library; “Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her Life”, by Susan Hertog. I will need to renew it soon. So it goes with my best intentions – they are forever being renewed. How marvelously convenient it is that library books can be renewed in the middle of the night in the comforts of home.
“The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on forty dollars a week)”, is doing its best to hold up two-thirds of the pile. It came home with me last fall when I discovered it in the Morton Arboretum’s gift shop. I was rather intrigued by such a long title, and, of course, it IS about food. I have read a bit of it and can’t wait to take a bigger bite.
Enough, already, about dust motes and the best intentions of this sluggish reader. I think I will pour myself a cup of some freshly brewed coffee, whose aroma is as intriguing as “The Feast Nearby …”, and maybe savor an Ethel cookie from the diminishing Christmas stash.
What are you reading? What awaits you on your literary pile? Do you always read what is in your pile of books?
Penny, nice to start catching up with your blog after my time off-line. I have hardly read anything lately as I’ve been spending so much time outside in our beautiful summer – the best for many years. I am reminded how perfect a good store of books is when winter comes along.
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Wonderful to know you are having a nice summer, Juliet. 🙂 I hope you will post some photos of all the beautiful flowers growing there. Please, do. Winter does make for time to read. You might imagine that this isn’t my only pile. Enjoy that warmth and sunshine. Good to see you back online.
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I want that Ethel cookie!
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I would send you, Katy, but, we know how my package sending abilities have been flagging. 🙂
I must admit, they were very tasty this year.
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Which pile, Penny? I have several! 🙂 I ordered my copy of Andra’s book today.
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Ha! I do, too, Karen. I’ll never read them all, but, I will try to.
I have “Not Without My Father” in my online shopping cart. Need to hit buy. 🙂
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How wonderful that your book club has such a long history together, Penny!! The quiet, winter weeks ahead will be just perfect for reading the books in our piles, while sipping tea. I’m enjoying ‘Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life’ at the moment. My stack is filled with gardening books, travel books, and some classics that I missed along the way. I’ll have to check out ‘Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her Life’ (when you are finished, of course!). Happy reading! ♡
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I’ve had my eye on “Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life”, Dawn. I love reading about her and, of course, how she cared for the land. These cold, winter months are the best times for gardening books, aren’t they?
It is pretty wonderful to have such a long history and I consider myself so fortunate to have this reading group in my life. Enjoy your time sipping tea with Miss Potter. 🙂
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So many books, so little time! Not only do I have piles of books, but now it is samples piled into my Kindle! All your books listed here sound intriguing but I have to admit the one I will most likely look for is, “The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on forty dollars a week)”! I just love books about people surviving big changes in their lives, as well as, books about living simpler.
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Even with technology, these books keep piling up. 🙂 Love it, Janet.
Isn’t that just about the longest title for a book ever? I do want to get back to it, soon and find out more about how she simplified her life. I enjoyed the first chapter and know I will like the rest.
PS Looking forward to more posts from Loop Head. Thanks for the link.
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Sounds like you have enough books to keep you busy all thru winter!!!
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That I do, Roz. I’ll never get to all of them, but, love having them around and do get to most of them – eventually.
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You’ve got a lot of reading to do! The radio broadcast stories sound interesting. I’m reading The Wind in the Willows.
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They are interesting little stories, Jennifer. I wish our local PBS would run his stories here.
I LOVE The Wind in the Willows. I still have the copy that my “bestest” friend Janet gave me for my birthday way back in our college days. 🙂
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That is definitely an ambitious TBR pile. I enjoy memoirs and you gave me several good leads here. (I’ve read Jeannette Walls memoir and also your reading-club selection ‘..horses’….. and enjoyed both.) I still have Audra’s first book on my Kindle (the virtual TBR pile). Right now I am reading a library copy of ‘Prayrie Earth’ by William Least-Heat Moon and the latest Christopher Fowler Bryant and May mystery (set in London and I love them for the place and the characters, who are ‘of a certain age’).
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Just took a break from “Half Broke Horse”, which is hard to put down, and here you are, Sallie. 🙂 Glad to know you enjoyed it and think our group will have quite a discussion. At least the Kindle TBR doesn’t take up much space. “Prayrie Earth” has been on my reading radar for a bit. Note to self to check into it. Your mystery sounds “certain age” interesting. 🙂
Oh, Sallie, my pile is ambitious, but, I’m rather like a kids in a candy store; I want it all.
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I meant to add that I read your wintery post and enjoyed it and all the comments very much But … um … didn’t leave a comment, because it would have just made me look like both a wimp and a really horrible person. At least one of which I definitely am.
Stay warm.
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You could never be a horrible person, Sallie, and anyone who spends a summer in Alaska is not a wimp. 🙂 It has been fun reading how everyone approaches the weather and Floridians have had a bit of unseasonably cold weather in some parts this winter.
Thanks. I am staying toasty and warm and decided to defy the snow and got the car washed this afternoon. With all the slush, it won’t last long, but, sure does look clean right now.
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We have had sunshine too, but I am stuck in the house with some kind of stomach virus. I think it will pass. You find the most interesting books to read and share with us. You share them so well and make them sound so interesting. I want to look for them myself.
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Oh, no. Sorry to hear that, Janet. I hope you are feeling much better soon.
Thank you for taking the time to comment -especially while under-the-weather.
I think you would like “Half Broke Horses”. I read a bit more this afternoon (when I was supposed to be doing other stuff 🙂 ) and had trouble putting it down. The chapters are short. Very short. The story is very interesting.
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Once again you have a superb selection of books to tempt me! I look to you for recommendations all the time.
I have stacks of New Yorkers and the Oxford American in the sun room. On the bedside table there is Brooklyn by Colm Toibin that I am wanting to keep reading forever as it is so beautiful. Next up is The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls. In my study I am deep in Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. Also have Going Home, Finding Peace When Pets Die by Jon Katz that I seem to need to return to way too often. The Shadow of the Moon has been languishing forever.
I don’t have dust motes. I take my glasses off and they disappear!
What is an Ethel Cookie? It looks like it would be fun to eat, one section of the star at a time. Stay warm and toasty.
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Thank you, Marilyn.
You have a pretty good selection of reading materials yourself. From the New Yorkers to Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, and more. I would be quite comfortable in any room in your house – and that is a good way to make those pesky dust motes disappear. 🙂
Ethel Cookie is what we call molasses cookies, similar to a gingerbread cookie. The recipe was from Tom’s Great Aunt Ethel. At some point we referred to them as Ethel cookies and it stuck. That is exactly how I ate it; one point at a time, savoring the center with the cinnamon red hot as my last bite. I set it on my coffee cup, which warmed it up just a tad. Bliss.
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What a fun pile of books, Penny! I have a large pile right by my bed, as well as a Kindle that continues to collect, and yes, I eventually read the pile, but I add to it faster than I could possibly read. I think in this regard I’m hopeless. I am waiting for Andra’s book, and very excited about it. In your pile I think I’d like the Anne Morrow Lindbergh biography. I don’t really need another book in that pile, but… 🙂
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You are a dedicated book collector, then, Debra. I try to get them all read, but, the library books often go back unread – and then, I check them out again. 🙂 Did you read “The Aviator’s Wife”? It is a novel about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, in the same vein as “The Paris Wife” and a few others that have been recently popular reads. Anyways, “The Aviator’s Wife” really spurred a great discussion and I’ve wanted to read more about AML ever since. I will definitely renew it -at least once. 🙂
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J.Walls book was Glass Castle…
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Thanks, Sharon. It is corrected, as well as her name, which I misspelled.
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What an interesting selection awaits you, Penny My pile of TBR books has been sitting there undiminished ever since I broke my wrist, as I found reading on my Nook so much easier. Now my wrist is improving, I’ll have to decide which to read first. 🙂
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Would you believe that I just returned home from the library with three more books? I’m hopeless, Perpetua. 🙂 Small pleasures that we take for granted, like holding a book. It is such wonderful news that you are slowly getting back to yourself, dear one. 🙂
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[…] Robin Mather’s book, “The Feast Nearby”, had been napping on my bedside pile for so long that I wondered if it had started to ripen. It is one of those books whose cover called to me in the gift shop at the Morton Arboretum. Actually, it called to me on several occasions until I finally gave in to temptation, figuring it had fewer calories than a bar of chocolate. (I can rationalize anything, especially a good looking book.) I plucked it up and brought it home, where it languished, as books often do. It even posed for a photo shoot once before. […]
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