Happy Saturday! A quick and more informal post while I wait to switch out laundry. It’s quiet here today, as my husband has brought our youngest 4 shopping. (Yes, he’s a brave man.) We went to a co-ed bridal shower today, which - if I’m honest - the Hobbit in me was resistant to going to at first, but now I’m glad we went. Got to meet some kind people, share in the celebration of the upcoming wedding, eat some good food - and they had games - word games! It was a good thing, all told.
On the way back, I returned some of the books I’d been holding hostage from the library. Do you do this, too? I get over-ambitious, and check out way too many books, am not able to read them all in a timely manner, and so I must - begrudgingly - bring them back. Then I have to at least write down the titles and authors in case I should want to check them out another time.
So, without further ado… I have been reading The 100-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It’s zany, it’s crazy - almost slapstick comedy. The protagonist - Allan - decides to ditch his 100 year birthday party celebration and climbs out the window of the nursing home in his suit and “pee slippers”. He boards a bus with a stolen suitcase, and all sorts of adventures ensue. I’d not heard of this book until it was recommended in our book club. I’ve laughed out loud after reading some of the lines in this book and chuckled about some of the bizarre situations the characters get tangled up in. I’m not sure what to ‘make of’ this book, but it’s got me wanting to read more, so I shall continue.
I just finished reading The Battle of the Villa Fiorita by Rumer Godden. Two children - Hugh and Caddie - decide they’re going to go ‘fetch’ their mother home after she has decided to divorce their father and marry another man. I wanted to read this book because my parents divorced, and I found it to be tough all around for my siblings and I, as well as my parents. I won’t give away the ending, but this book was not as engaging for me as I had hoped it would be. If you want to read Rumer Godden, I’d recommend Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy - or In This House of Brede. I’d have to say those were my two favorites among her novels.
The book I just picked up from the library today and am most eager to read is: Dressed for a Dance in the Snow: Women’s Voices from the Gulag by Monika Zgustova. It chronicles the stories of nine women who survived the Soviet Gulags. I have noticed for a long time now that I am drawn to these stories, stories about people surviving the Holocaust, life in North Korea, the Holodomor, and other books about those surviving oppressive governments and other difficult situations. I won’t say that I enjoy these books - that would be morbid - but that I am inspired by the resilience of the human spirit, I’m amazed at what people can survive, and the hope that these people and their stories generates in me is huge. I also find that such stories put my troubles in perspective. It doesn’t minimize or take them away, but it reminds me that we’ve all had/will have suffering and struggles this side of heaven. It’s part of the human condition. How can we best navigate these situations? I find these stories help me to seek out those answers and give me greater courage.
Some other books I have from the library: Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley. I was prompted to seek this out because I recently read Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott (recommended to me by my dear friend Amy). It turns out Mary Westmacott is a pen name for Agatha Christie. Am I the only one who thought she only wrote mysteries? I highly recommend Absent in the Spring if you’d like a book that will prompt some self-reflection.
I also checked out I Cannot Control Everything Forever: A Memoir of Motherhood, Science and Art by Emily C. Bloom. It’s my understanding that the author of this book has a daughter that had a diagnosis of congenital deafness and - after many months - Type 1 Diabetes. I have 3 children with Type 1 Diabetes, and I also have LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes Adult-Onset). I’m curious to see what this author’s experience has been and am glad to know I’m not alone (though I do know many others who live with/manage Type 1 Diabetes in a loved one).
Well, the troops are back, so I shall end now. Enjoy the rest of the last weekend of summer!