Greetings. How’s everyone’s May going? It’s getting pretty busy here. We are trying to whip the yard into shape and put in some tomato plants and vegetables now that our snowstorms appear to be over. And we are looking into putting some fencing around the lower garden to keep out the deer since they especially liked the zucchinis and cucumbers last year. The good news is the leaves on the trees are coming out and everything is turning green right now. Unfortunately we had our first gray “smoke day” on Saturday from wildfires in the north, which I hope will be helped by rain later this week. Cross your fingers. It seems so early to be starting with the dreadful fires again.
I joined a ladies golf league once a week and I took this photo above while I was on my way to the course. It features the beginning of the splendid Canadian Rockies with a bit of snow on them.
My reading sputtered last month with everything, but after we arrived back a couple weeks ago, I took my library holds off pause thinking that they would come in as usual sporadically, but no, they came in all at once!
So I have much library loot to behold. What do you think of these novels to the left? Which ones would you read first? I hate to lose some of these and have to go back on the library wait list … but that’s the brakes. I’ve actually started the novel Welcome Home, Stranger since it seems shortest and I can move onto others after, but I have no idea where I heard of it from. They all look pretty enticing.
And now I’ll leave you with a couple reviews of what I finished lately.
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook / Doubleday / 432 pages / 2024
My husband and I listened to the nonfiction audiobook of this narrated superbly by Peter Noble on the 1,600 mile road trip we took to California in April, and it didn’t disappoint. Over hill and dale, we closely followed the legendary explorer Captain James Cook as he took his third and final voyage, which started in 1776 in England, with his crew arriving back in 1780.
The purpose was ultimately to find the elusive Northwest Passage. The expedition took two ships — one called the Resolution with Cook onboard — and the other the Discovery with Charles Clerke in command. Interestingly William Bligh, who later commanded the ship the Bounty when it was mutinied, was one of the officers aboard. Perhaps that was an omen?
Cook’s third expedition was a long, hair-raising voyage as the ships set sail from Plymouth stopping in Cape Town before going onto New Zealand and the islands in the Pacific then up along the North American coast all the way to the Bering Strait and Alaska until they encountered sea ice and turned back. I won’t spoil the particulars for you of where and what misfortune exactly took place, but the return trip is where things took a troubled turn for the legendary explorer.
Up until then, I was struck by how well things went for Cook. His encounters with the Indigenous peoples were usually friendly and he was making great progress on discovering and mapping new lands. But there were also a handful of dangerous times when he was unbelievably lucky to get out of situations alive and when he was harsh to the crew. Though all in all, he seemed well respected for the great explorer he was. The Indigenous Hawaiians saw him as the god Lono, which apparently might have contributed to his fate … as well as other lapses Cook made late in the journey.
I was caught up in the epic voyage as told by Hampton Sides — who uses many of the diaries and sea accounts of the times to recount what happens. Despite them, Sides remarks how you never really see the inner Cook or his emotions, rather he emerges more as a “navigational machine.” In addition to Cook, various chapters delve into a Polynesian man named Mai — the first in England — who Cook was commissioned to return to Polynesia. Mai is quite a colorful character and his cultural foray into London life and on the expedition with the crew is quite an interesting side thread.
Hampton Sides is an elegant writer who breathes life into the adventures of Cook and what the crew face along the way. Cook had a big impact on the places he landed and named many of them too. I think I was looking for a little more analysis at the end in the epilogue, but otherwise I found it a fascinating sea voyage to think about. It certainly was epic.
PS. My family lived in Oahu in the late 1960s since my Dad worked at Tripler Army Medical Center, so that is why I’ve always been a bit curious of the history of Cook and what happened to him amid the islands.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty / Holt / 474 pages / 2021
The novel features an Australian tennis family — the Delaneys — and was a read recently for my book club. The parents Joy and Stan have been married 50 years and are unhappy in their recent retirement. Their four adult kids grew up playing competitive tennis and are still shaped by those days. Then a young female stranger ingratiates herself into the parents’ lives, staying at their house and cooking for them, while later Joy goes missing and various suspects from within and out come to light.
This novel is sort of a doozy. Moriarty’s storytelling abilities are full of quirky details about the family and their relations … where “apples never fall far from the tree” (hence the title). And when the mother goes missing, the family takes a turn. You begin to look at cracks in the retired couple’s marriage, their adult kids, and who the damaged stranger is who comes to stay with them. Moriarty keeps you invested enough in the plot and characters with only an eye-roll or two, but it does go on a bit too long. Like other of Moriarty’s novels, a bit less would have been better. But I was happy enough with the ending and glad it veered positive.
I’ve only read one other of hers — Big Little Lies — as well as watched the TV series of it along with Nine Perfect Strangers. The plots all get a bit crazy — but that’s supposedly some of the fun of it. Her next novel Here One Moment is coming in September, and it’s another 512 pages. So I guess she’s not going any shorter.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read these authors and what did you think?
I watched this TV series and quite enjoyed it. I thought The Women was excellent and I have heard really wonderful things about James. It’s on my TBR list.
Hi Helen, you watched Apples Never Fall? I wish I had access to it but we’re not on Peacock. Annette Bening is always a bit fun. I’m glad you liked The Women too and I hope to get to it this summer. So much out to read. Cheers, enjoy your week.
I was interested in your thoughts on Apples Never Fall. Someday I may read it but I am wary of her books. I am never sure if I want to read them and the length would deter me. The only book I have read by her was Nine Perfect Strangers which I liked a lot, much more than I expected to. I tried to watch the adaptation but I felt that they changed it too much, plus my husband did not like it, so we gave up after two episodes. Anyway, I may give Apples May Fall a try someday if I run into a copy at the right time.
I hope you don’t have problems with forest fires. I know how bad it is to feel like they are always threatening, either the fires or the smoke. For a few years there it seemed like the fires in California never stopped.
Hi Tracy — yeah I really hope the fires don’t get Calif or Western Canada as badly this year — that’s what I’m hoping for. Right now it’s sleeting outside so perhaps that will help up north of us.
After two books of Moriarty’s over the years, I can’t say her books are really for me — but she’s sort of a diversion — every five years or so. The Apples novel might not have been as interesting as Nine Perfect Strangers. We watched the series and Nicole Kidman was pretty coo coo. lol.
Enjoy your reading!
What a majestic view from that mountain road! Great reviews, Susan. The load from the library seems overwhelming; I recommend James, which I liked a lot, and The Women has been a buzzy book this year. Since Erasure is a backread, maybe you could request it at some other time and focus on this year’s releases, to make things easier. I saw the TV adaptations of Nine Perfect Strangers (3*) and Big Little Lies, whose first season was fantastic. I wasn’t crazy about the second season but it had some good moments. I still have to watch Apples Never Fall; I hope I like it as well.
Thanks Carmen. I thought I’d share the photo which is about 15 mins down the road. I like your thoughts about how to go about the large library loot. I ended up buying a copy of James to support the small bookstore in Montana so that one is a cheater in the library loot pile. I think I’m trying to read the shorter ones first, ha. But things are still going very slowly for me in the reading dept. And I have a PW book coming up too to read. A good author – so we’ll see.
I think the TV versions of Moriarty’s books might be more enjoyable than the books. ? The actresses and such make them just plain fun crazy plots. Not too serious just a diversion, which we surely need. I hope your reading is going well. Have a great week.
You did indeed get loads of library loot! I have only read The Women and the Apples Never Fall books. Liked them both. I suspend things all the time at the library but sometimes the dates creep up on me and they arrive, unexpected. I have a bit of a stack now.
Right now I am reading The Rachel Incident and surfing around on Goodreads while I visit blogs and drink coffee.
Stunning photo, what a view of the Canadian Rockies.
Thanks Tina. The photo from not far down the road from here is a keeper. We are getting some rain and sleet today so that should be good for the earth.
I hope to get to The Women this summer. It’s a longer one and I have to be ready to go to Vietnam, lol. I will be soon as the topic is one that interests me.
I listened to The Rachel Incident on audio I think last year … parts were good. I need to revisit my review of it. Enjoy your morning with your coffee & reading. Your flowers there are really nice to see.
It happens that way every time, doesn’t it? All at the same time. Of all the books you have on the left, the one I’m most envious of is James. I can’t wait to get my hands on that one, but since I’m trying to buy fewer books these days, it will be a while before I get my copy from the library. Very slow line there.
Before I forget to mention it, that’s a beautiful photo. Every time I see one of your pictures, I try to imagine what life would be like living in that geography and climate…haven’t managed it yet though. It’s just all so alien to me.
I hadn’t realized that Moriarty’s books were that long. My only experience with her stories is the television series based on this one. My main takeaway is that the plot was a complicated one, and that I really disliked almost everyone in the family…a lot. But what a great storyteller she seems to be.
The Cook Book (that doesn’t sound quite right) sounds fascinating. I really don’t know much about Cook other than the “incident” you hint at. I like reading Hampton Sides, so I’ll have to look for this one.
Thanks Sam. The photo of the mountains makes me feel peaceful. Over time I have grown accustomed to the climate here … about 3 hot months per year, lol.
I ended up buying a copy of James and throwing it in with my library loot … but I haven’t started it yet. I’m glad I have more time with it. I have more library loot on the way. I might need to do another pause!
The Moriarty books seem to have many characters not very likable. I haven’t seen the recent TV series but her books are somewhat similar. I think I’m done for awhile. I’ll pick up another in about 3 to 5 years as a diversion. lol.
The Hampton Sides book is a good one! I forgot what a great writer he is. He is wonderful … and I should pick up another of his. He made me visualize Cook’s expedition.
Cheers. Enjoy your reading.
I love your mountains. Captain Cook is a favorite of mine, though it’s been a while since my reading about him. I wrote about what I read here:
https://maefood.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-did-captain-cook-eat.html
The book you read sounds good too, though I have not read that one.
best, mae
Thanks Mae. I’m glad you left me the link. I will check it out. I wonder what you will think of the new book? I too am fascinated by Cook’s voyages. The amount of places he sailed to is pretty staggering. I learned a bit in this book.
Have a great week.
Hi Susan, sorry about this. I seem to have placed my comment at the post you wrote before this one so reposting it here.
Welcome Home Stranger by Kate Christensen sounds interesting. I liked the cover and then when I went to Amazon to check out the plot I realized that years ago I read her first novel In The Drink and she writes very well.
Regarding Captain Cook Tony Horowitz wrote Blue Latitudes about taking the voyage that Cook took. Haven’t read it but Tony is also very talented which I know from reading Confederattes in the Attic. Sadly he passed away a few years ago. His books definitely worth checking out.
Hi Kathy, no problem about the comment placement.
I’m glad you told me you’ve read Kate Christensen. I had not heard of her before, but I’m almost done with her recent book. It is holding my interest and I will see what I think. And Blue Latitudes is a book my husband has had in the past but I haven’t read it. I’m glad you mentioned it because it would be a good one to read after this recent Cook book. It is sad he passed as his wife Geraldine Brooks is an author whose books I’ve read. Retracing Cook’s voyage would be quite amazing. Enjoy your weekend.
That photo is full of serenity. I recently noticed, on a street I frequent, that if one looks into the distance instead of at the traffic, one can see downtown Boston, which I find quite beautiful. I had to make a mental note to notice that instead of just becoming irritated that it takes me so long to get to work (although driving still seems faster than public transportation, which I mostly do).
Although I live in Boston proper, I am on the outskirts where there are trees and yards. Still, I was surprised yesterday when my neighbor sent a picture of a deer running through our back yards!
As I just commented in my blog, those Moriarty sisters are very talented! I tried listening to one of Liane’s books recently and it didn’t work on audio but I think they are entertaining in book form.
Hi Constance, it is neat to hear of a deer in the outskirts of Boston. And your view of downtown must be pretty. My sister and niece were there last month as my niece ran the Boston Marathon in a good time! We are all super proud and I think she will be back next year. How long is your commute to work?
I tried a sample of the Moriarty novel on audio but it didn’t work for me either. The accent was a bit much so I just read the ebook.
Enjoy your weekend & happy reading.
We’re trying to get the yard into shape, too, but there has been so much rain lately that it seems a losing effort. No vegetables planted as yet as we have so many squirrels and other critters that eat things. Have a good week.
Hi Harvee, sorry to hear it’s raining so much there. We too are waiting to plant the vegetables as some cooler weather has moved in with overnight temps 33-37. But I think next week planting should begin. I hope you can commence with your garden soon. Begone squirrels!
It is too early for wildfires. Here’s hoping you have less fires this year than you did last year! And my library holds always seem to come in all at once, too. Even when I try to space them out. It’s one of the reasons I never seem to get around to reading any of my own books; I’m always trying to read my too-tall stack of library books before they’re due. 😀 Have a good weekend!
Hi Lark, isn’t that the truth about the stack of library books … in a race to get to them before they’re due, argh.
And thanks. I’m hopeful that the summer won’t be as terrible as last in terms of wildfires since last year was truly record breaking in a terrible way. Since El Nino is said to be weakening I’m hopeful for a wetter north this season, but we will see. Happy reading!
You have deer eating your zucchinis and cucumbers? Such different problems you have to deal with, when living in the countryside. Lovely photo of the Canadian Rockies. I love the mountains so much, my favourite landscape is snowclad mountain tops.
Quite a library haul you got there. If I were you, I would pick up James, mostly because I could imagine it has a long waitlist. Also, it is meant to be an interesting novel. I don’t know if it’s best to have read Huckleberry Finn (which I haven’t) before attempting James.
Fingers crossed, you won’t have too much trouble with wild fires this year.
Thanks Stargazer. The fires are always a worry. I’m hopeful this year will be a bit better … since last summer’s fires were record breaking. And the mountains this past week got a bit more snow, so they are especially neat to see now.
I read Huckleberry Finn in March so I’m ready for James which everyone is saying is great. I ended up buying a copy so I wouldn’t have to rush. lol. I don’t like the rush feeling with books. I hope all is well in London with your spring. Have a nice weekend.
That is ALWAYS the way with the library books! I think I need to take a break from the library and read only books I own.
Hi Cindy, good idea about reading your own books. The library books gang up and come at once. Argh. I think I can only get to 2 or 3 of these before I need to get the whole stack back, crazy. Thx for stopping by. Enjoy your reads.
Beautiful photo of the snow-capped Canadian Rockies! I’m so sorry to hear that the wildfires have already started causing problems. September is a long way off, but I hope we don’t have smokey skies when we’re in the Tetons.
I’m currently listening to The Women, which has kept me entertained, but I’m probably in the minority with regards to my opinion of the overall story.
The Wide Wide Sea is one that I think Rod would really enjoy. It sounds like it was a great audiobook for your road trip.
Hi Lesley, thanks the view where the photo was shot is one I like to look at and one of our bicycle routes. It’s on the way to the Knox pub where we met you all. That’s great news you’re going to the Tetons this summer. Terrific there.
And I had to get a nonfiction audio for Robert & one we could agree upon for our road trip, so Wide Wide Sea fit the bill. Rod would like it much I think.
I’ll look for your review of The Women. I probably will read it at some point but I don’t think it will be soon. The library books are still coming in, lol.
Enjoy your days at the Cove. & happy reading.
That’s a lot of library books! I’ve heard the most about James and The Women, so I’d probably start with those. Of course, the library will get them back to you, eventually.
Hi Joy, yeah it’s a crazy stack from the library. I ended up buying a copy of James so I won’t have to rush — and I can get many of the others back. I do like that there’s a history of one’s library checkouts so you can always return to see books you took out if you don’t get to them. Enjoy your weekend.
I’ve been astonished to have two people in my town recommend James to me recently. I’d pick that one next based on those recommendations and the recommendations of a couple of bloggers who loved that book.
The Wide Wide Sea is a book I hope to read soon. It’s in my stack right now. Maybe I will start it tonight.
Hi Deb, that’s good you have a copy of The Wide Wide Sea. I hope you enjoy it. It’s quite an epic voyage. It took us many hours on the car trip! lol.
People are really liking James from what I hear — so it’s great two people in your town recommended it. I ended up buying a copy of James so I didn’t have to rush on that one from the library. I think it’s going to be good. Enjoy! & happy reading.
I hope the fires get under control soon and that it isn’t a bad fire year.
In relation to your loot, I really need to read Kristin Hannah, whether it by The Women, or one of her other books.
As an Australian, Cook obviously paid a key role in the colonisation of the country. I don’t know if you will be able to find it or not, but the History Channel here had a documentary where actor Sam Neill followed in the footsteps of Cook. It was very interesting.
Hi Marg, thanks the fires are always a worry. I’m hopeful they won’t be as bad this year, though they are starting way too early. We’ve had some good rain this past week, which has slowed their progression.
Also I’m glad you mentioned the Cook documentary … I will try to find it. I’m very interested now. I can imagine Cook’s big in Australia … as in the Pacific isles. The Wide Wide Sea only touches on his third voyage so it’s just a tip of the iceberg — but the final one.
I’ve only read one Kristin Hannah novel — The Nightingale — which was pretty vivid. But I’m curious about the nurses in Vietnam so The Women is on my list. I’d be curious what you think of Hannah … Cheers. Have a great week.
Good luck getting all those library books read. It’s frustrating when they all come in at once, isn’t it?
Hi Mark, yes it is frustrating! It’s impossible. I think I’ll only get to 2 or 3 of the stack and have to return the others. Argh. But someday I’ll get them back, lol. Happy reading to you. And thx for stopping by.
That photo of the road to the Canadian Rockies!!! How far away are they? I know the eye is deceiving. I remember being on a Greyhound bus with a lady once and we were looking out at South Mountain in Phoenix from the freeway and she goes “When my son was young he decided he could walk to South Mountain. It turned out to be a lot longer walk than he thought and he didn’t get very far.”
Hi Jinjer, good question. The foothills go on for quite a bit before you’re in the mountains but I’d say about 45 mins by car. Sort of an estimate. I’m glad you like the view. It’s a nice spot to bicycle. Walking would take awhile, lol.
Enjoy your week.
Looks like a fascinating haul! I’m drawn to King Nyx, though I couldn’t tell you why. Maybe just because I wonder what the title means.
Hi Nicky, good pick! I need to get to King Nyx and then I will let you know. My time is running out on library books. yikes. Enjoy your week.
Haha, I can relate to the library books thing. I either have no library books or every single library book. There’s no reasonable in-between!
Yep. Me too AJ. It’s a dearth or a flood. And the incoming books seem to know and gang up on me, lol. They will have to return and wait their turn! Darn.
Enjoy your weekend.
I hope May has been going well for you! Oh those views of the mountains are amazing. Isn’t it funny how library holds always seem to come in at once. I haven’t read any of the books you got but curious about some of those titles. Happy gardening and looking forward to hearing how that is going!
Hi Iliana, thanks. The library has been flooding me lately … and there’s no way to get to all the books. So I will have to get them back. The gardening has been good, many hours. I will visit your site to see how you’re doing. Thanks for stopping by. Happy reading.