I turned to trusty random.org and drew the winner of my contribution to the first Non-Fction Giveaway Blog Hop hosted by Rikki’s Teleidoscope.
Congratulations to
Julie Roddy
who has elected to receive Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff.
A big THANK YOU to all who entered this giveaway.
Welcome to the first Non-Fiction Giveaway Blog Hop, hosted by Rikki at Rikki’s Teleidoscope. The list of bloggers participating is small, but if you’re interested in being in the roll call next time, I’m sure Rikki would be pleased to hear from you.
The best book I read in 2012 was non-fiction but I don’t read as much NF as I’d like to think I do, so I have a goal to read at least one each month in 2013.
My giveaway is any one of the books on the list below, drawn from my non-fiction reading over the past two years. I think that any of these books is worth your time investment.
The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
A Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World by Edward Dolnick
Winter: Five Windows on the Season by Adam Gopnik
The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Beston
To enter:
1. Be a subscriber to my blog posts, either by email or RSS. (Orange ‘subscribe’ buttons are at the top right of this page.)
2. Leave me a comment, telling me which book you think you’d like (you can always change your mind if you win), AND the method & name you use to subscribe to my blog.
3. Limit of one entry per person. Contest closes 5 pm Atlantic Daylight Time Monday April 29th. Winner will be chosen from the comments, using random.org
This giveaway is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY, to anywhere in the world that Book Depository delivers.
Now – hop on over Rikki’s where you’ll find a list of the other giveaway participants!
A year or so ago, I ran a series of pictures with the view from my office window every Friday afternoon. I stopped because I thought there wasn’t enough change week to week to bear recording.
What I’ve decided to do now is to post a picture from the last Friday afternoon of each month. Since tomorrow I have a Giveaway Hop post scheduled, I decided to start for April with this Thursday view.
It’s April in Nova Scotia. We’ve had a milder winter than a lot of places but spring is still slow to come. The tree in the right foreground is a pear. No buds. The trees at the end of the driveway are tamaracks. No buds. There’s a birch tree across the driveway. No buds.
But just you wait. May is coming – and May’s the month that summer comes to Nova Scotia. Be sure to check in for the May 31st photo!
The month is nearly over and I almost missed it!
The United States Postal Service has named April to be National Card and Letter-Writing Month. The USPS’s goal is to boost written—and mailed—communications to build relationships through cards and letters. “Touch them with a letter they can feel – and keep,” they say.
Maya Angelou is widely attributed with saying, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
How long has it been since you’ve received a real card or letter in the mail? Snail mail? Probably far too long. But if it’s recent enough to recall, perhaps you can remember that it did indeed ‘touch you’.
Wouldn’t you like to make someone else feel that way? Maya says they’ll never forget it.
I’ve said before: I love mail. While the USPS’s goal of increasing snail mail is admittedly self-serving, I endorse it whole-heartedly. Here’s what I want to say:
1. Stop right now and think of someone in your life who needs to be appreciated. Send him or her a card or letter today.
Say thank-you, say I love you, say I’m thinking of you, I miss you, get well, happy anniversary, I appreciate you, I’m sorry, welcome to the neighbourhood, have a good trip, good work, it was nice to meet you . . .you get the picture. Just say something and get it in the mail!
2. No matter where you are in the world (I want to take mail-sending international), if you’d like to get some snail mail yourself, just send an email (the irony is not lost on me) to debbie at Exurbanis (dot) com and give me your name and snail mail address. I’d love to send you a note to say ‘hi’.
This is my first blogging award: Trish at Desktop Retreat has selected me as one of her Sunshine Award recipients. I can’t count the beautiful pictures on Trish’s blog that I’ve put on my Reading Women Board on Pinterest. Thank you, Trish!
I’m supposed to answer these ten questions and then forward the award on.
1. Who is your favourite philosopher? I’m not a big fan of philosophy but I’ve found many nuggets of wisdom in the art of Mark Twain. If you tell the truth you won’t have to remember anything.
2. What is your favourite number? If I have to choose, then eleven. It’s symmetrical. Besides that, it’s my birth date.
3. What is your favourite animal? I’ve never met an animal I didn’t like. But then, I’ve never met a camel. I’ve heard they spit. Or a hippo. I’ve heard they charge. Or a . . . okay, let’s go with dogs – they’re the animal I know the best.
4. What are your Facebook and Twitter URLs? Like Trish, I keep my Facebook account for family and friends. If you find me and tell me you read my blog, I’ll likely accept your friend request – but you may get bored with my niece’s wedding plans and my husband’s music gigs. My Twitter handle is @DebbieRodgers
5. What is your favourite time of day? The afternoon. Email has been checked, daily chores taken care of, and now I can get to projects or, even, reading! I think Henry James “summer afternoon” quote is one of loveliest thoughts I’ve ever heard. {sigh} All too soon, it’s time to make supper.
6. What was your favourite vacation? Our honeymoon in Vermont. It was a magical week in October: the trees were still gorgeous but it was after the long holiday weekends, both American and Canadian, so it felt like we were the only people there.
7. What is your favourite physical activity? I overheat really easily, so anything that’s in water is for me. I particularly like aqua-fitness classes.
8. What is your favourite non-alcoholic drink? When I’m hot, ice water. When I’m cold, herbal tea. My current favourite is Celestial Seasonings’ Country Peach Passion. mmmm. . .
9. What is your favourite flower? Tulips, ideally pink. But I’ve been blown away by black ones interplanted with fierce orange. Then there’s peach and pale yellow and clear yellow and purples of all descriptions. . .anything but red. I don’t know why, but red tulips irk me.
10. What is your passion? Sending cards. Real cards. In the mail. Snail mail. From my computer. You can too.
TEN MORE WINNERS
I had such a hard time narrowing this list of worthy recipients to ten. I would have included Trish at Desktop Retreat if I hadn’t already mentioned her in this post. Without any set criteria, I’ve tried to include a variety of world location and types of blogs. I hope you’ll find at least one or two that will appeal to you.
1. In So Many Words I especially enjoy Yvette’s Sunday Salon collections of art on a theme. And be sure to scroll to the bottom of her page and visit her Pinterest universe!
2. Fleur Fisher in her World You’ll find Jane’s thoughts on an eclectic mix of books, and the occasional “dog’s blog”.
3. Dwell in Possibility Bonnie comments gently and intelligently on some lesser known works including some that talk about her faith.
4. Heavenali “Book reviews by someone who loves books”. Vintage books. Lovely vintage books.
5. Mary Okeke Reviews Mary will feed your passion for African literature.
6. A Penguin a Week It’s always delightful for me to see what vintage gem in Penguin’s diverse library Karyn will show us.
7. Diary of a Word Nerd As Julia says: “Enriching your mind with tips on words, books, and reading”.
8. Amy Reads “Diverse books for your balanced life” including quite a bit of non-fiction. I appreciate Amy’s decisive ratings and I have a number of books on my TBR wish list because of her reviews.
9. Rebecca Reads Rebecca is a home-schooling mom who reviews “classics, nonfiction, and children’s literature”. I discovered a number of books on Rebecca’s blog for reading to my grandson.
10. Kittling: Books I hesitated to include this link since Cathy has taken a hiatus from blogging – and, as bloggers, we all know that can mean odds are even that she’ll not be coming back. But even without current posts, there is a wealth of history here for anyone who reads mystery or crime novels (and Cathy clearly differentiates which any one book is). I really enjoyed her series Scene of the Crime interviews with authors.
11., 12., 13. . . I’m so sorry to have to left out so many other wonderful bloggers, but this has given me an incentive to get working on my blogroll links over the next month.
I love mail! Cards & letters – and POSTCARDS!
Beth over at The Best Hearts are Crunchy (I just love that name – Beth explains on her blog how she chose it) collects vintage postcards, most from the 1880s on into the 1950s.
Every Friday she shares one in Postcard Friendship Friday. Anyone can join in and link to her post. Each Friday has a theme – but you don’t have to follow it. And “Friday” lasts all week, so you can link-up any time until next Thursday.
This week’s theme is look-alikes since April 20th is Look Alike Day.
These girls might be twins but, if not, they certainly look very much alike.
I found my card in the Send Out Cards catalogue. Want to send one to your sister? Go ahead, no matter where you are in the world – do it on me.
P.S. Search the card catalogue using the term “sisters”.
The forecast isn’t for sunny today, but it’s (way!!) above zero – 15C, 60F – so I’m hanging out at least one load of laundry on the line.
Today is National Hanging Out Day, an initiative of Project Laundry List to promote cheap, low-tech, and easy to install solar clothes dryers – that is, hanging out laundry to dry.
As I’ve discussed on this blog before, in urban & suburban areas, clotheslines can be considered eyesores and are often banned.
In many rural areas, though, hanging clothes is regarded as an art form of sorts. At the very least, it’s just the way things are done: it saves energy (and therefore money) and the clothes smell terrific and last longer.
Clotheslines are definitely part of country living. Whether you participate or not, chances are you’ll be looking at your neighbours’ lines.
Postscript: According to Project Laundry List, the average American uses more energy running a clothes dryer than the average African uses in a year for all her energy needs. Is this fair to the planet?! Yikes, don’t get me started on The Story of Stuff.
On Tuesday, Meredith at Dolce Bellezza posted about the pockets that the children in her class are making for Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 18th, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.
The idea is to select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others throughout the day. You can also share your poem selection on Twitter by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.
Poems from pockets will be unfolded throughout the day with events in parks, libraries, schools, workplaces, and bookstores.
Poem in your Pocket Day began in 2002 when the Mayor of NYC, in partnership with NYC Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education initiated it as part of the city’s National Poetry Month celebration. In 2008, The Academy of American Poets took the initiative National across the USA.
Although I really know don’t much about poetry, I’d like to make this celebration international by sharing this scrap of verse by American poet Strickland Gillilan that I actually carry around in my pocket every day. This is just the last stanza; you can see the entire poem here.
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be —
I had a Mother who read to me.
I won’t be out and about today, so I’m sharing with you. Will you participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day? What poem will you be sharing?
This weekend’s weather forecast called for 10 to 15 cm ( 4 to 6 inches) of snow on Nova Scotia’s North Shore. But what started out as fat white flakes on Friday evening turned into heavy sloppy rain all day Saturday. Cold. Damp. Bitter. Chill. You get the idea: ugh.
Fortunately, Beth over at Budget Bytes (“My stomach is full and my wallet is too”) featured a great recipe last month for navy bean soup with sausage & spinach that sounded like just the thing for getting through winter’s last (I hope, I hope) fling with us.
Since I didn’t have smoked sausage on hand, I adapted Beth’s recipe a bit but I still give her full credit. You can get her recipe here, or see my (very slightly) modified version below.
And, by the way, this soup was wonderful: easy to make, beautiful to look at, delicious to eat, filling, and economical. What more could one possibly ask from a recipe? Thank you, Beth!
NAVY BEAN SOUP with SPINACH
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 oz bacon or ham (I used a combination)
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 lb carrots
2 cups dry navy beans
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
10 cups water
6 cups fresh spinach
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1. The night before, sort through the beans to remove any stones or debris. Place the beans in a bowl and cover them with cool water. Allow the beans to soak in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Chop the meat and add to a large soup pot along with the tablespoon of oil. Sauté over medium heat until nicely browned.
While the meat is browning, dice the onion and carrot into small pieces. Mince the garlic. Add the onions and carrots to the soup pot. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté a minute or two more.
3. Drain the soaked beans and give them a good rinse with fresh water. Add the rinsed beans to the pot along with the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, pepper, salt, and the water. Stir everything to combine. Cover the pot. Turn the heat up to high and allow the soup to come to a full boil.
4. Once the soup boils, turn the heat down to medium-low to gently boil for 2 to 3 hours. You want the beans to go past the point of tenderness to the point where they are falling apart. Stir the pot occasionally.
5. When beans are of desired consistency, use a large wooden spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot. This will help thicken the soup. Stir in the fresh spinach until wilted. Lastly, stir in the apple cider vinegar. Serve hot.
(This soup reheats well the next day too.)
Weekend Cooking is a weekly meme hosted by Candace over at Beth Fish Reads. Have a food-related posted this week, why not join the fun?
Weekend Cooking is a weekly meme hosted by Candace over at Beth Fish Reads. Have a food-related posted this week, why not join the fun?
We had a death in our congregation this week. After the memorial Saturday afternoon, we served refreshments, both sweet and savoury. These cheese squares are one of my stand-by items for any get-together.
I don’t know if the original “Julia” of the official title of these squares was that Julia, but I tend to think of these as Julie‘s, after my sister who introduced me to them.
(Recipe from Nifty Nibbles
JULIA’S CHEESE THINGS
1 pkg refrigerator crescent rolls
4 tbsp. butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup broken salad olives
1 onion, chopped
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Dash cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce
Unwrap crescent rolls and pat into a lightly greased 9×15 pan, smoothing out the seams.
Mix all the remaining ingredients and pour over the dough.
Bake 350◦ for 15-2 minutes, until set.
Cool and cut into squares. May be served warm or cold, but taste best at room temperature.
These freeze well: After cutting in squares, put on cookie sheet to freeze. When frozen, put in freezer bags.
I ran across this week’s word while reading Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym.
Jane recalls that a talented member of her husband’s last parish had actually had a household hint published in a homemaking magazine: ‘It was a use for a thermometer case, if you had the misfortune to break your thermometer, of course. A splendid case for keeping bodkins in!’ Jane chortled.
bodkin: a blunt needle with a large eye for drawing tape or ribbon through a loop or hem
From Middle English boydekin (“dagger”), apparently from *boyde, *boide (of unknown origin) + -kin
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered or spotlight words you love. It’s hosted by Kathy at Bermuda Onion.
March seemed to be mystery month here. Several new-to-me series debut novels came through my library reserve list so I dipped my figurative toe in several types of mysteries, old and new.
A CAT WAS INVOLVED
This is really a short story, the prequel to Dog On It and the entire Chet & Bernie mystery series, but it fills in a blank for me & it’s important enough for me to record as book. (Count it as a novella: honestly, it’s hard to know how long it was since it was on my Kindle.)
This series is my very favourite. It’s light-hearted enough to be narrated by the dog, which device is a source of much humour. But it’s always a good, serious mystery too.
This short story filled in the blanks of Chet & Bernie’s meeting – and it has a mystery to boot. Loved it!
Read this if: you’re a Chet & Bernie fan (obviously); you like dogs and mysteries and are looking for a new series to read; or you want a small taste of what the series is like – if you like this story, you’ll like the books. 5 stars
THE OLD MAN IN THE CORNER
Agatha Christie’s 1929 Partners in Crime is a series of short stories in which Tommy & Tuppence Beresford imitate the detecting styles of the popular detectives of the day. Orczy’s Old Man in the Corner has his place in their playacting.
Published in 1909, this collection of short stories, initially serialized, feature the nameless man in the corner who reveals to intrepid reporter Polly Burton his solution to several unsolved crimes in London and other cities such as Dublin, Liverpool etc. Many of the crimes are elementary but still clever, and given that this genre was still cutting its teeth, Orczy shines. In addition to thinking of unsolved crimes, she must always have ones in which the fact that they are unsolved , or wrongly solved, didn’t mean the false conviction of an innocent person.
Thanks to Jane at Fleur Fisher for her review that prompted me to get the library to dig this out of storage for me.
Read this if: you’re fairly new to mystery stories and want an introduction to the genre; you’re a young teen keen to solve conundrums; or you’re a keen admirer of mysteries and want to explore a classic of the genre. 4½ stars
*HASTY WEDDING
Although this isn’t a first in series, it was my introduction to this vintage-era author, an American contemporary of Christie, Marsh and Ellery Queen.
This story is set in Chicago high-society in the 1930s and is a very matter-of-fact glimpse into that lifestyle, similar to early EQ novels. The puzzle itself is pretty standard, but entertaining. And the reader is thrown off to a slight degree because Eberhart wrote mainly stand-alone novels, so there was no knowing “good guys” from “bad guys” because of continuing characters.
The past progressive verb tense (was taking, were talking) put me in mind of Christie’s Sad Cypress and was slightly irritating. Christie didn’t regularly use that, and perhaps Eberhart didn’t either.
I have a few more Eberhart titles on my shelves so I’ll be reading at least those – and who knows where it will go from there?
Read this if: you’re a fan of the society settings of early Ellery Queen novels; or you’re a Chicago fan and would enjoy a glimpse into the city in 1930s. 4 stars
TOO BIG TO MISS by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Mystery, Amateur Sleuth) 
This first in the series featuring plus size paralegal Odelia Grey 
delved into the on-line sex trade while still having the feeling of a cozy about it. The mystery is solid, though as with any cozy, there are stretches of suspension of disbelief. But it’s Odelia herself who will take me back to more of this series. She’s fun, she’s sexy, she has a life, she’s plus size, and although she’s aware of the world’s perceptions of her (“Weight was the last acceptable prejudice. It was still politically correct to assault and ridicule fat people.”), she’s not overly bitter about it: what more could you ask for in a novice sleuth?
Read this if: you’re looking for a new “cozy” murder mystery series with a heroine who’s life-size and imperfect.
3½ stars plus ½ for Odelia. 4 stars
MURDER ON THE ROCKS by Karen MacInerney (Mystery, Amateur Sleuth) 
This first in the Gray Whale Inn series set on an island off the coast off Maine features innkeeper & Texas transplant Natalie Barnes. It’s a charming cozy with a decent mystery, and mouth-watering descriptions of the breakfasts Natalie whips up for her guests.
Read this if: you’re a cozy (murder) mystery fan who has B&B aspirations; or you are taken with the lifestyle and scenery of the NE coast of the USA.
3½ stars
STEALING WITH STYLE by Emyl Jenkins (Mystery, Amateur Sleuth)
Another first in the series, this time featuring antiques appraiser Sterling Glass. Although the information about the various antiques is very interesting, Sterling herself borders on being one of those perfect heroines – and as this first book closes, she nabs a job that will have her jet-setting and living on expense accounts.
Read this if: you’re looking for a mystery without a murder (sort of refreshing, don’t you think?); or you love The Antiques Roadshow. 3½ stars
*THE CORONER’S LUNCH by Colin Cotterill (Mystery, Amateur Sleuth) 
Yet another first in the series, this one of Dr. Siri Paiboun, state coroner in Communist Laos in 1976. This was promising, although I must admit that after reading The Headmaster’s Wager, the tongue-in-cheek treatment of the communist state was a little jarring at first.
So here’s the thing about Siri: not only do his dead patients appear to him in dreams, he channels a thousand year old native warrior. If that doesn’t bother you – go for it: you’ll find this a refreshing addition to your other mystery reading. As for me, that’s the end of my reading in this series.
Read this if: you want an exotic locale and don’t mind a spiritistic approach to your mysteries. 3 stars
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* Eberhart’s WEDDING completes the ‘title with a celebration’ in Beth Fish Reads’ What’s In a Name 2013 Reading Challenge.
* Coroner Siri’s LUNCH completes the ‘title with something you’d find in the kitchen’ in Beth Fish Reads’ What’s In a Name 2013 Reading Challenge.
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I read a total of 16 books in March – the pages just seemed to fly! Since nearly half of the titles were mysteries, and since mysteries deserve their own ratings without comparison to other literature, I’m dividing up my posts this month. Tomorrow, the mysteries; today, everything else.
I’d love to hear what you think about my choices – and my reactions.
1. DOG BOY
Winner of the 2010 Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award, Dog Boy is a marvel of experience and of emotion. 
Four-year-old Romochka is abandoned in Moscow at the beginning of winter. Hungry and cold, he follows a feral dog to her lair – and so starts Romochka’s life as a dog. The premise sounds preposterous, but Hornung makes it work. Every time I start thinking that it couldn’t possibly have been as good as I remember, I read my notes – and I believe again.
I can’t understand why this book didn’t win more awards. Hornung has previously published novels as Eva Sallis – she is one author I will be reading more of.
Shannon over at Giraffe Days has written an articulate, passionate review . Sue at Whispering Gums beat us all to it with her review in 2010. All I can add to these two is: READ THIS.
Warnings: a half-dozen uses of that four letter word, and a brief torture scene.
Read this if: you’re breathing. 5+ stars
2. THE REMAINS OF THE DAY
This modern day classic, the 1989 Man Booker Prize winner, follows the aging butler Stevens as he takes his first vacation from Darlington Hall after decades of service. His trip is a drive to the English west country that he has never seen. As he travels, we are given a startling perspective on life, through his recollections. There’s not really a lot of “action”, but so much happens.
Ishiguro brilliantly captures Stevens’ ‘restrained’ emotions in a voice that is perfectly pitched to the time and circumstance. The facts are made all that more powerful by the understatement.
Read this if: you love Downton Abbey 
3. *THE HEADMASTER’S WAGER
Canadian author Vincent Lam is the son of ex-pats Chinese from Vietnam.
This book, set in an ex-pat Chinese community just outside of what was then Saigon, South Vietnam, in 1968, is beautifully written and engaged me from the first page onward. The author skillfully conveyed the tension and uncertainty of living in a country at war, and invaded by hordes of outsiders (French, American, Communist North Vietnamese.) Even the ending of the book, which at first dismayed me, vividly depicted the uncertainty of the situation for those of non-pure Vietnamese origin after the collapse of the South Vietnamese government.
Warnings: a couple of (really, unnecessary) sex scenes
Read this if: you’ve ever wanted to understand just what made the Vietnamese “boat people” desperate enough to flee into certain danger throughout the late 60s and during the 1970s; or you’d like a better understanding of the Vietnam War, from the point of view of South Vietnamese civilians. 4 stars
4. *THE LUCK OF GINGER COFFEY
Another ‘immigrant’ story, this time of the Irishman James Francis “Ginger” Coffey in 1950s Montreal. Ginger really is a loser – the ne’er-do-well who got by on his charm and connections at “home” but who isn’t willing to take a step down and make his way by working hard here. Winner of the 1960 Governor-General’s Award for Fiction, and a Canadian classic, this gives a different look at Montreal than the author’s contemporary Mordecai Richler portrayed.
Read this if: you’ve read some Richler and want to compare and contrast the Irish and the Jewish immigrant experiences; or you’re interested in the twentieth century Irish experience in Canada. 4 stars
5. *JANE AND PRUDENCE
Jane (age 41) and Prudence (age 29) have been friends since their days at Oxford , where Jane tutored Prudence. Jane is now married to a clergyman, recently assigned to a country parish, to the delight of Jane’s Victorian-novel-fueled imagination; Prudence is a career woman in London.
As with the others of Pym’s I’ve read, the plot meanders while poking gentle, often sly, fun at church & society, gender roles, and love affairs in 1950s Britain.
At first , I didn’t like this book as much as Excellent Women, for example, because I didn’t like either of the protagonists. But they grew on me and I ended enjoying Jane & Prudence just as much as Some Tame Gazelle. 4 stars
Read this if: you enjoy Angela Thirkell novels; or you like sly mid-century British humour. 4 stars
6. THE LIGHTNING FIELD
This started out so promisingly. First, the book itself: a soft cover with a heavy-weight dust jacket – quite different. Then, the location and time period: 1950s Malton (a suburb of Toronto). Then the fact that the male protagonist is designing the Avro Arrow, a controversial piece of Canadian history. PLUS – the writing is clear and engaging. But after the build-up to the Avro’s introduction and the female protagonist being hit by lightning, the plot just seems to disintegrate.
Read this if: you’d enjoy learning about the Avro Arrow “incident” (that some, to this day, label a ‘conspiracy’); or you’re from Malton or the surrounding area. 3½ stars
7. THE WARDEN
This is the first in the classic Chronicles of Barsetshire series and features befuddled cleric Septimus Harding and a kafuffle over his income. Trollope set his story in his current day, in this case 1855. There is lots of social satire (including a veiled reference to Charles Dickens), biting humour, and pokes at church & state.
I’ll admit this was humourous, but I’m not really into early Victorian times so began to find Trollope’s references boring. I’m glad I read this (my introduction to Trollope) but I’m not in a hurry to read more by him, even though it’s likely that if I did want Victorian literature, he would be near the top of my list.
Read this if: you’re a fan of Victorian literature. 3½ stars
8. *THE BOOK OF AWESOME
Based on, or perhaps the basis of, the website 1000 Awesome Things, this book is a collection of short essays proclaiming the joy of the little things in life (the smell of crayons or freshly-cut grass, or getting something with handwriting in the mail).
When my husband saw the title he told me that I’d be gritting my teeth on every page at the misuse of ‘awesome’ (a pet peeve of mine) but I tried to let that go and just appreciate the sentiment of the book.
I borrowed this from the library so I had to read it straight through and, honestly, taken in that way, the book becomes repetitive and even annoying. I much prefer the web-site. (Sorry, Neil!)
Read this if: someone gives it to you as a gift and you can dip into it a few pages at a time, now & then. But, everyone, DO visit the web-site. 3½ stars
9. CHUNG LEE LOVES LOBSTERS
Written by a past Prince Edward Island poet laureate, Chung Lee Loves Lobsters 
tells the story of Chung Lee who spent his working life on PEI cooking lobsters for tourists and other customers. Now that he’s retired, Chung Lee spends part of each of his monthly pension cheques to buy a live lobster from the restaurant where he used to work. Then he walks down to the beach and releases the lobster into the ocean.
I’m a little perplexed as to the message children will get from this book. Is it wrong to cook lobsters, or not? The people who own the restaurant now are nice people with two small sons; Chung Lee himself did so for decades. I’m still puzzling this one out.
3 stars
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* I read The Headmaster’s Wager for our local book club, The Loquacious Compendium.
* Luck (of Ginger Coffey) is a qualifying word in the Keyword Reading Challenge at Bookmark to Blog.
* Jane and Prudence is the third Barbara Pym that I’ve read, as I keep up with the LibrayThing Virago group read-along for Barbara Pym’s centenary.
* I read The Book of Awesome as this month’s random pick from my TBR wish list spreadsheet of 2,378 items for the Random Reads Challenge hosted by I’m Loving Books.
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For Canadian readers:
Dog Boy
The Remains of the Day
The Headmaster’s Wager
The Luck of Ginger Coffey
Jane and Prudence
The Lightning Field
The Warden
The Book of Awesome
Chung Lee Loves Lobsters
