Hi bookworms. How was your week? Are you staying warm? We had another nippy week here and both my husband and I were sick with head colds (bahhh), which in addition to my knee recovery was not too fun. I hope we’ll be able to throw off the illness this coming week and get into the holiday spirit.
Has it even felt like Christmas yet? I’m not even sure because I’ve been quite sequestered at home. I have watched a couple drippy holiday Hallmark movies from the couch, lol, but I haven’t done much shopping, decorating, or holiday gathering yet. I’m not supposed to drive till six weeks post-surgery, but Monday will be five weeks so the end line is nearing. Santa might just come in the nick of time.
Meanwhile in book news, I just saw this article on the best literary or book podcasts for 2025 — none of which I knew about. Do you listen and like any book podcasts or book Youtubers? Sometimes I’ll listen to Sarah’s Bookshelves live podcast, or NPR’s Book of the Day. I might also check out Open Book With Jenna, the Book Club Review, or BBC’s A Good Read, or the NYT’s Book Review. But I’m open to hearing which you like either as a podcast or booktube; do you like any good ones? Here’s a couple more book podcast lists here and here.
And now I’ll leave you with a couple reviews of what I finished lately.
Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa /Knopf Canada /188 pgs /2025
3 stars. Granted this slim first novel has garnered much acclaim since it came out, including the 2025 Giller Prize, and there are several passages worth taking note … but overall the story didn’t do too much for me.
It takes place in a nail salon and follows the life of Ning, 42, the salon’s owner, who lives above the salon. She banters with a few of her hired girls who all wear the same black uniforms and the same length black hair. They work hard to give manicures and pedicures and drum up business to returning clients and walk-ins, who tell Ning about their lives though she likes her quiet. Her customers are often loud or uppity and Ning seems to mock them behind their backs with the staff in their foreign language.
She previously had been let go by a rival nail salon and that boss got under her skin. Much of her observations reflect on her own lonely life and you wish you knew a bit more to figure her out. There’s some intriguing passages of her former life as a boxer and what happened to her then and her coach’s tips to her that still come to her throughout the day. But unfortunately I found it a bit of work to stay invested in the day at the nail salon amid the ladies’ often snide banter that grows a bit wearisome. Still the setting felt ripe as an exploration of class and character interactions and blue collar lives on the periphery.
Shepherd’s Sight: A Farming Life by Barbara McLean/ ECW/ 240 pgs / 2024
4 stars. I enjoyed reading this nonfiction book about the author’s life as a sheep farmer for over 50 years, which is organized in the book by months and seasons. She has good info to share about her raising and caring for sheep, and as a weaver, and living on her and her husband’s farm in rural Ontario, Canada.
She has Border Leicester sheep — which are a bit different — known for their high-quality wool, which is prized by handspinners and weavers such as her. She uses the sheep mostly for wool on her farm but also sells them when they are no longer productive for their meat.
She describes about how when she first started out she and her husband (a doctor) bought the dilapidated farm — they named Lambquarters — but knew nothing about sheep farming or weaving wool and spent the first year just improving the house and facilities there. Her husband was away all the time delivering babies, while she learned the ropes from neighbors and agricultural courses about what to do. Over the years, she gained a remarkable amount of experience and knowledge about the sheep, which she closely monitors and are very dear to her.
The book entails much about the hard work (and also the joy) of raising and breeding sheep and keeping them healthy and safe from predators. The way she helps with breached lamb births and a variety of sheep ailments was eye-opening. I also marked many notes in the book and like how the author spoke about the agricultural changes she’s seen in farming over the years and the trends happening now. For instance, ploughing fields is used a lot less … and many farmers are farming into their 80s since younger people are moving to the cities … as small farms sadly can’t make enough for families to live on.
The author looks back on her life describing various farm incidents and droughts and storms that were particularly challenging. She also speaks about aging on the farm and worries that now in her 70s she won’t be able to keep going for much longer, but she loves it — the land they live on seems beautiful — and she doesn’t want to give it up. I sympathized with her and hope she will be able to stick with it for years to come. Her life and work from the book seem quite inspiring.
This was my second nonfiction farming book in a row … the first being Sue Hubbell’s book A Country Life about her years as a beekeeper … and now this one about raising sheep. I’m enjoying learning a bit about the pastural ways of life, which is where we are living now. Here is a cool video of author Barbara McLean with her sheep.
That’s all for now. What about you — do you know these books and what do you think? Happy holidays.
I used to love reading Essie Summers’ books, many of which were set on sheep stations in New Zealand. I’ve been thinking about them lately because my sister and her family are going to New Zealand for Christmas and I think I am going to buy one on Kindle for my niece to read on the plane. Shepherd’s Sight sounds less romantic but just as entertaining (although before I read your post I thought it was going to be a Christmas book!).
Awww, too bad about the head cold. I hope you are on the mend. My reading has fallen off the wayside; I had to return Sonia and Sunny 85% into it and now I’m waiting for my turn again to borrow anew. Haven’t finished a book yet in December and I’m already 2 books behind. I’m also waiting for Raja the Gullible to come through but whoever is reading it is taking its sweet time.
I still would like to read Pick a Color, if only to claim I read the Giller’s winner. I’ll temper my expectations though. Shepherd’s Sight sounds fascinating. Reading your review reminded me of a TV show my father used to watch—Dr. Pol—, about a veterinarian in a country setting where he tended all sorts of farm animals, skirting breached births and stuff like that. I think I could do that and love it, as I get on well with animals. Anyway, glad that you enjoyed the latter, if not the former so much.