Adventure!

I came across an interesting book recently - called "HumanKind." It's a study of "kindness" - a "hopeful history."

The early chapters question whether - left to our own devices - humans would be kind, or cruel - like the boys in the novel "Lord of the Flies."

Hunting for a real life account of shipwrecked teens to compare with the shipwrecked youths in Lord of the Flies, the author of Humankind came upon an old news story (from the 1960's) about of a group of Tongan teens, ages 13 to 15, who "borrowed" a sailboat - then were shipwrecked in a storm. The boat was washed ashore on an uninhabited island, where the boys lived for 15 months before being rescued.

Reading their story in Humankind - then watching (on YouTube) the 1960's documentary made after they were found - made my day! They did so well in compassion and empathy...

What an adventure!

Permission to Read - Or Not!

I have always loved books. As a child, I regularly went to the public library to borrow the maximum number allowable. Then on weekends, I'd finish one children's novel on Saturday, another on Sunday. Another one or two would be my bedtime reading for the rest of the week.

Now, as a much older adult, I still read - but not as much. I like books that teach me things - which is why I enjoy the Botswana detective novels. (The Ladies No. 1 Detective Series) I've never lived in Botswana and I find it so interesting.

I tend to read slowly - so I buy most books I read. That way I don't have to finish them quickly. And I love a book with short chapters!

All this to say that these "rights" of readers really resonated with me when I came across them on the side of a "little library", reminding me that it's okay 

1. To not read
2. To skip pages or even chapters in a book
3. To not finish it
4. To re-read it 
5. To read anything
6. To mistake a book for real life
7. To read anywhere
8. To just dip into a book and not read it all
9. To read out loud or quietly

For those of us who tend to be compulsive about reading, this "permission slip" is a good reminder that there are many ways to enjoy reading.

Chatting With Strangers...

I came across a book that reminds me of my parents...

It's about chatting with strangers.

The author - a psychology professor in the UK - lists a lot of benefits of "small talk" with people we don't know, people we will probably never see again.

My parents were good at it. I remember one of my students saying that old people waiting at bus stops were the only people she practiced talking English to. And that the weather was the most common topic.

Is it a lost art in the current generation - so that now professors are writing and talking about this strange phenomenon?!

You Never Know...

I bought this book for my daughter...

She is a fan of the author and often sends me links to the author's podcasts.

I started to read it... and now I can't put it down! A lot of wisdom from someone my daughter's age...

(Now I may need to get a second copy - one to give away and one to keep!!)

You never know when a book will grab your attention! 

Latest Ladies Detective Agency Novel

In August (or was it September?) - I placed a hold on the most recent "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" novel. 

The wait list at the public library was long - but a few days before Christmas I was notified that the book was mine to pick up.

It was a busy time of the year - yet I managed to finish it in three days! 

As usual - it was a fun read! I enjoyed it so much - like a visit from an old friend!

Unplanned BOOK Surprise

Friends of the Almonte (Mississippi Mills) public library currently have a book sale at a mall next to the Tim Horton's coffee shop.

It will be on for a few more days...

We didn't plan to buy anything... But we went in to look around.

With winter coming, we'll probably be home a lot more... so looking for things to do.

I picked up a few books for myself, mostly crafting books, but also one about the Rideau Canal. Ivy got some cook books in excellent condition. Terry chose a few memoirs... The price was right: No set price. Pay what you want - a donation!

A great way to share books!

Interesting Books...

Our family recently visited an Almonte bookstore...

There I discovered some interesting books for cat-lovers. (There are a few in my family...)

My grandson was drawn to this book...

He loved the picture on the cover.

Maybe another time... (It's a diary and, at 5, he hasn't learned to write yet... Something to look forward to, though!)

Interesting Book

I recently borrowed this book from the public library.

The title intrigued me...

I'm not sure that I completely understand the answer to the riddle posed by the book's title. (I did skip pages here and there!) 

I THINK the answer is that some macroingredients in food, like fiber, (and hence their calories) pass through the body undigested without "adding" calories.

But I did find the book "life changing" in a way because it brought home the importance of eating fruits and vegetables in their natural state, (i.e, without added sugar) because they provide the body with lots of fiber. I used to think of fiber mostly in terms of "bran" - but I no longer do. Fruits and veggies have fiber too.

I have started to add a greater variety of fruits and vegetables - hence "fiber" - to my diet.

I've also decided to try to avoid "ultra-processed" food, though it can be so convenient - partly because it's pre-packaged, too.

My new "test" for untra-processed food: Do I have the last 3-5 ingredients listed on the package in my kitchen cupboards?

Planned Reading

Every year in September, I wonder if Alexander McCall Smith has published a new No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel - and, if so, what the title is. The books come out in October.

Then I go online to our public library and put a hold on both the ebook and the large print versions. The books are listed in the library catalog, though they're only on order by then.

I don't expect to get the book for a while - there are usually a lot of holds. But the work is done and I can forget about it!

So I was surprised, a few days ago, to get an email notice from the library that the large print version of his latest was mine to pick up! Already?! 

So I have it - a delightful diversion! I read a few pages in the evening before I go to bed. It starts out slow - but after a few chapters, I usually find it hard to put down. It's become part of my winter tradition... (though it’s a great series to read any time of the year).

Every time I start to read one, I feel as if I'm visiting old friends.

To Wait ... Or...?!

A friend mentioned that she was enjoying a murder mystery series called the "Thursday Murder Club."

It's about a group of seniors living in a retirement community, who decide to form a club to work on unsolved crimes. This is how the library describes it - when I looked up the title...

Sounds interesting! But there are a lot of people in line, waiting for the two large print copies - 98!

Hmmm. Maybe I should just go out and buy a copy!

Tough Decisions!

Once a year, I like to take all our books off their shelves, take them outside, flip their pages to get rid of dust - and rearrange the book shelves.

It's a big job - but it reminds me which books I've forgotten I have ... and which ones I don't want any more... (Confession: There aren't too many of those!)

This year, I've dusted Terry's books as well - but instead of putting them back on the shelves, I've piled them up between the sofa and the TV - where he will see them.

Decide which you want to get rid of and which you plan to read again, I said.

Many haven't  been moved too far!

It's a tough decision to make - when every book reminds him of ideas he's mulled over - and courses he once took.

Latest Ladies Detective Novel

I wasn't feeling great - "under the weather" a bit - as often happens when cold weather arrives in fall and I get the sniffles. My mind and body suddenly had to adjust to wearing a winter hat and coat - all that extra "baggage" that comes with winter.

So I was really happy that I had a good book to hunker down with - the latest "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" novel - that was released in October.

Alexander McCall Smith, the author, usually releases only one book a year in this series. I'm not the only one who looks forward to it. By the time I discover its title (sometime in summer) and put a hold on it at the library, there are usually already dozens of holds on the soon-to-be purchased 20 books.

I won't reveal the story, but it doesn't disappoint. It occurred to me that this slow-paced mystery story is totally charming not because of the action, but because it reveals the thoughts of a wise woman from another culture.

I'm already waiting for the next one to come!

Too Many Books?!

I came across this sign... (outside a bookstore).

It totally resonates with me... I love books!

But my shelves are overflowing! (So I guess I need more shelving!)

Latest Read

I recently read an interesting book entitled "Make Your Bed."

I was drawn to the book because I wondered how the act of making one's bed was so mysteriously powerful that it became a book title!

I should add that I do regularly make my bed. I started years ago - not because of any philosophical purpose - but because I once found a daddy-long-legs spider sitting on the pillow of my unmade bed. It left me so traumatized, wondering what I'd have done had I discovered him later, in the crevice of a sheet!

I immediately began making my bed, so as not to leave crevices for spiders!

But this book was interesting, not because of bed making, but because it reminded me how different we all are!  Written by a successful US Navy SEAL, it highlights the life lessons he learned in the navy.

As I read about him sitting, shivering, in a cold muddy swamp for five hours - just to prove that he was tough enough to do it. Or diving under a ship in the dark of night to remove a (practice) explosive - and LOVING the challenge, I thought: There is NO WAY I would ever choose to do any of that! 

But when I had finished the book, it did leave me wondering: What daily challenges should I set for myself to give me a sense of accomplishment every day.

Holding On to Things

I have really been enjoying reading about the relationship between well-known knitwear designers and their stashes of yarns - in the anthology, A Stash of One's Own.

One chapter I found interesting was about sweater designer Amy Herzog, whose books about knitting sweaters that fit - and flatter - are very interesting.

She writes that she no longer has a stash that she holds on to year after year. Since becoming a designer, she gets rid of all her old yarn annually. After each season's sweaters are knit - and their patterns created - she gives away the yarn that she hasn't used - in part because she doesn't want to recommend yarns and colours that are no longer found in stores .

Reading this made me reflect on my collection of books - which reflects a broad spectrum of interests I've had over the years. Some are no longer of interest to me. Maybe it's time for me cull them, too!

An Old Knitting "Friend"

The knitting anthology I'm currently enjoying - A Stash of One's Own - is reacquainting me with some of my old knitting "friends": famous knitters whose books have mentored me over the years.

One such mentor is Elizabeth Zimmermann, who had a PBS knitting series in the 1950's... which I watched in re-runs years later, when I found some VHS copies in my public library.

Now I'm discovering how she - and other well-known knitters - dealt or deal with their "stashes" of yarn...

One astounding Elizabeth Zimmermann knitting trick was to snip into a completed sweater to create an "afterthought pocket." (Even her daughter gasped when she did that on TV!) 

She was a fearless knitter who must have taken her knitting along everywhere. She was once stopped by a police officer for knitting as she rode as a passenger behind her husband on his motorcycle.

Sir, do you realize your passenger is knitting?(!!)

 

Her books have the same conversational style as her televised knitting program.

Fortunately I've also been able to collect a lot of her books.

Knitting Stash

My winter indoor organizing has included dealing with my yarn stash - bringing all my various bits and skeins together - so that I can see what I actually have and find what I'm looking for more easily.

This Mari Kondo tip (keeping items that are the same together in one place) has been a great organizing tool in other areas of my life as well.

It has also made me realize that I have a yarn "stash"!

Interestingly, I am also reading an anthology of knitters writing about their personal yarn "stashes." The book is entitled: A Stash of One's Own: Knitters on Loving, Living With, and Letting Go of Yarn.

I never really gave much thought to the meaning of having a "stash" of anything - whether it be yarn, fabric, books... or whatever. In fact, I've sometimes viewed my collection as a weakness. (One minimalist in my family views it as akin to hoarding,  hinting that I may need an intervention!!)

So it was liberating to read: "the relationship between stitcher and yarn goes far beyond simply being prepared. A yarn stash is a declaration of self-esteem."' It is a stake in the ground that says "My passion is worthwhile."

(Wow! I may have found my community - others who understand my "need" to collect!)

"Lost Villages" Mystery Writer

A while back, I came across a newspaper article about a mystery writer whose stories take place in the Lost Villages - the communities that were flooded in the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950's.

My neighbor Mary grew up the area, so I asked her if she had ever heard of the writer.

She had. They had both grown up in the same town. Mary had been friends with the writer's sister. 

Mary went on to say:

What I remember the most about Maggie was that she loved to read.  Long Sault didn't actually have an official library building so they used the basement of the Anglican Church.  At one point she said she was going to read every book there.   If she did actually accomplish this, it would not have surprised me. 

Hearing about this young girl's determination to read every book in her small town library made me think of all the books I have yet to read in my own personal library.

I definitely need some of that same determination!

It would be interesting to read more about the Lost Villages as well.

Interesting Book

One of my Christmas presents this year was Michele Obama's latest book, The Light We Carry.

A product of the pandemic and Michelle Obama's life experiences, the book talks about dealing with fear, maintaining optimism in face of criticism, keeping a sense of balance.

I even picked up a gardening tip I'd like to try - if the neighbourhood squirrels let me!

Based - I would guess - on talks she has probably given to young people, especially young women, the book is a cheerful and interesting read.

I'm really enjoying it! 

Latest FUN Read!

I don’t read much fiction these days… But I’m always excited to add my name to the waitlist of people wanting to borrow Alexander McCall Smith’s latest Ladies Detective Agency novel from the library, once the title comes out.

Not long ago, I brought the book home. It’s always a fun, cheerful read. I usually finish it in less than a week. 

I'm always a little sad when I'm done - knowing I'll have to wait a whole year to get the next one.