peacefulreader

Deep dive

My reading has doubled starting in January. My nose is in a book, trying to block out all the ruckus around me. For strength and calm I’m doing yoga 3-4 times a week at Cota Studios. Life is contingent on all the small things while bigger, terrible announcements continue to come from our “leaders”. I’m worried now about judges and journalist. And our environment and the mockery, the judgement.

I want to read the new Suzanne Collins prequel but I need to catch up by first reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which I bought and let sit. Now is the time to catch up. I’m reading the 2nd book in the JoJo Moyes series Me before You and I watched the movie through my tear-dripped face. I love love stories and even though I knew what was coming it was heartbreaking. And Emilia Clarke is lovely to watch. What are you doing to keep yourself occupied? Are you writing letters, making phone calls, drinking, or traveling away? I’m listening to a lot of music on both Apple and Spotify and taking walks with my dogs.

Panama City

I just got back from Panama and it was pretty amazing! I like beaches and forest and I didn’t think Panama had either so it wasn’t my ideal travel destination but I needed to use some unused tickets from Copa Airlines and their homebase is, yes, Panama City. My son, Tristan and I traveled last Sunday and made it to our super cool two bedroom apartment in the Casco Viejo (the old section) which is the also the tourist section with lots of restaurants and shops around the two nearby squares.

We built up a holiday routine; sleep late, a little fresh fruit and bread for breakfast at home, and then off to explore and find a place for lunch. As a foodie family we always look forward to finding delicious food and we are always on the lookout for amazing vegetarian and vegan food. We had amazing luck finding delicious vegan food in Mexico and I hoped we’d have luck here as well. We didn’t the first night but the rest of the time, after we’d had a chance to look around, we found a treasure trove of excellent choices.

I love that I can go on vacation outside the U.S. and find menus that have at least 4-5 vegan choices and several full vegan restaurants in the area. Amazing. I can’t find vegan or even good vegetarian choices in most of Iowa. Another side note is all the to-go containers are eco-friendly unlike Styrofoam boxes here.

We did make it to a beach 30 minutes away from PC and spent a lovely day and we took a tour bus to see the Canal and a biodiversity museum. We took two hours to tour and read all the information at the Museo Canal in town. We had a lovely trip and it was fabulous to spend 5 days with my son.

I have so many thoughts and feeling about what’s happening and with that narcissist running our country. It is a major shit show with people getting kidnapped by the ICE gang, secrets being shared with no accountability, libraries and artistic centers taking a hit, USAID which is major help for our 3rd World countries who need our help. We’ve entered into a zone with no empathy. It’s too much to think about and makes me so crazy.

Recent Reads

I’ve finished these four excellent books in the last few weeks of February:

Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon-a beautifully written historical fiction about a midwife’s journey as she takes care of her family and her community during a crisis. I didn’t want to put this book down at the end of the day.

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis-Ashlyn Greer owns a used/rare bookstore and as she holds certain books she can catch a feeling of what the previous owner was experiencing. When she gets a hold of a pair of unique books she sets out to find more about the author.

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty-I listened to this one which is difficult for me but the narrator, Caroline Lee, is fantastic which makes it worth it. The Delaney family is experiencing a bit of a crisis when a young girl ends up on their doorstep with a tale of woe and puts the family at odds with each other. I very much identified with the mother, Joy.

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand-On my continued quest to read all things Elin on my e-reader this one was available and brought me to tears. Dabney Kimball has always lived on Nantucket. She’s a skilled matchmaker and is able to see either a green or pink glow around certain couples. This one has all sorts of twists and turns, old and new loves, a daughter who needs the comfort of home for just one summer with heartache at the end.

And I’m reading the Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, the sequel to The House in the Cereleun Sea; both so good I don’t want the story to end and both have much to say about LGBTQ/transgender folx that are under fire right now in our crazy world. But that is a tale for another day…

New address, new look

Google/Blogger and I had a bit of a falling out recently. I got some messages from a company called eNom that I kind of thought was spam because I didn’t recognize the name so I ignored it. At the same time I received an email from Google that I’d been auto-renewed for another month which again made me disregard the eNom message. A mistake though or maybe not…

Within a few days eNom shut my beloved peacefulreader.com down. If you look it up there’s nothing really there. I thought I’d have at least 30 days to work it out. The good thing was in a last ditch effort I was able to download my entire content and upload it to WordPress. I’m hoping it works out. I was already disgusted with Google from DT’s inauguration. So I guess it’s a good break-up. It took me awhile to find away around to save all my words and I was very relieved when I accomplished it. I’ve had this blog for years, my children have grown up, and I’ve written a lot of family moments as well as emotional pieces about my life. I didn’t want it all to just go away.

I’m so disgusted with our beautiful country right now. I have no words to express my feeling and then some days all I have are too many words for the shit show we are in.

What I’m reading: The Frozen River by Ariel Hawhon (excellent)

What I’m watching: Sweet Tooth on Netflix (interesting dystopian world)

More Best Book 2024 edition

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano: I loved the complex sister relationships as they came together and support each other as well as fell apart. This brought up a lot of emotions as the sisters deal with William as he struggles with his mental health, wonderfully displaying the effects of trauma.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield: This book was pure joy and focuses on the a SNL-type late night comedy show. Sally’s given up on love, happy in her career as a writer on the show until a handsome musician guests on the show. Sparks fly but it takes awhile for it all to come together. I laughed so much.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: This is a thriller set in the publishing world with an emphasis on diverse writers and stolen stories. It reminded me a little of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and was a very unique story.

Small Mercies by Denise Lehane: I loved the 1970s Boston setting, strong characters, and the twists and turns of the mystery during a volatile time in history. Denise Lehane is masterful in his writing.

Huda F Are You; A Graphic Novel by Huda Fahmy: This graphic novel was hilarious and poignant. This should be required reading to raise awareness much like the New Kid series by Jerry Craft.

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat: This memoir graphic novel shares Santat’s middle school years and a trip to Europe with classmates as he navigates first love and coming into his own as a young person. Hilarious and took me back to my own middle school years.

Honorable Mention and new Canadian author:

Carley Fortune! I read all three of these on my Kindle phone app often in the middle of the night with my illusive sleep patterns. This Summer Will Be Different was my favorite but all three are light, funny, and sexy with positive relationships and great yet not perfect men. I notice on her website she has a new book out as well. My sleep has been better which means I’ll be forced to read this new one during the day.

Write now I’m reading The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

I’m going to ignore all news stations tomorrow and pray that the next few days are low key. I’m concerned about deportations as the first order of business. There is much that makes me nervous and I hope my checklist does not become reality. Peace be with us all as we navigate this next term.

My Best Books-2024 edition

I far exceeded my reading goal this year which originally was 65 books and I think the reason I went beyond is because I’m reading more books digitally. I’m often reading under the covers in the early morning hours on my phone because of my sleep issues. My daughter nicely bought me a kindle for Christmas because I don’t like to sleep with my phone so I will be able to continue to read more digitally in 2025. I’ll have to do more reading to keep my spirits up once DT takes office. I don’t recommend insomnia to help with your reading goal but for me it’s better than doom scrolling.

There is a certain type of yummy book that works well for reading digitally. I’m not good with lots of characters or time changes. It is no surprise then that this is the year I discovered the fun of Elin Hilderbrand and I’ve quickly devoured several of her books. The Five-Star Weekend hit my 5-star mark. Here are 13 more books I loved this year…

I loved Waubgeshig Rice’s post-apocalyptic series Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves both very good post-apocalyptic stories featuring a world devoid of technology. The lights have gone out and the members of an Anishinaabe tribe on a reservation figure out how to live without and eventually send members of their Canadian community south to see how the rest of the world is faring. I also read this on kindle just so you know I can read more than just light-hearted beach reads.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: This is an amazing story and probably my top but it’s really hard to choose. Tova takes a job at the local aquarium after her husband dies and she discovers a giant Pacific octopus roaming the halls at night. Filled with dynamic connections.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett: this was so good made better by the fact that I listened to Meryl Streep read the story to me. It took the book to a new level. This is a story about mothers and daughters and all that they know about each other.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan: A friend lent this to me with the words “I think you’ll like this!” and I did. Picoult and Boylan weave together a satisfying story about two unusual families who’ve tried to start over and are forever changed.

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter: favorite historical fiction this year because it’s based on the author’s family history. It has lots of characters and switching timelines so I have the hard copy.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: Other librarian friends talked about this fantasy story for awhile and I couldn’t resist any longer. It’s magical and filled with promise and delightful characters. They were right. Now I need to find time to read the second in the series.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker: A teacher friend handed this to me in a book trade and I loved it. Short chapters, interesting characters, and lots of little mysteries to solve made it read fast enough

Leaving by Roxanna Robinson: My friend Tina told me this was worth it and she was right. I think I read it in just a few days. I loved Sarah and Warren and their love story both in the past and the present. Very beautifully done (but also frustrating).

The Electric Kingdom and Mosquitoland by David Arnold: My brother-in-law sent me Electric Kingdom for my birthday and I loved it so much I followed it up with another Arnold book. Both were very unique and yet so different from each other. Both stories had charming characters.

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré: My friend Sarah handed me this book in another book trade and now I’ve passed it around to other friends. While this Nigerian tale has a crushing sadness to it it is also filled with hope that things might change.

The Trees by Percival Everett: I heard a review about Everett’s book James and wanted to read it but there was such a long wait at the library so I picked up this other title and was blown away by the amazing way he told such a heavy story with humor and wit. I have yet to read James even though I did get it from Libby but it was not the right book for reading digitally. It really makes a difference to me.

Oh so many good reads! I hope you find one on this list you might be inspired to read. I have another list coming soon. Happy New Year, happy new reading goals!

Merry Little Holiday

December is here and nearly gone and then we’ll move into a brand new year. We’ve enjoyed most of the month together both at school and here at home. The holiday season is different when you have adult children instead of small creatures running about the house. Adult children help you in the kitchen, and they don’t require the same kind of toys under the tree. Oh, don’t get me wrong I vividly remember the pure joy of the holiday time for children; it’s a different joy when they are older. The three adult children like each other much better now. There is no awkward competition except for the fun banter over games and gifts, the kind of banter that is learned through good relationships. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Our holiday time was spent talking about current politics, eating excellent food, playing a few new board games, and watching Christmas movies. Hot Frosty, The Merry Gentlemen, and The Noel Diary were top of our list. We drove Kaylee to the Minneapolis airport so she could fly home and Japhy, Greg, and I had the opportunity to see a beautiful play, The Heart Sellers, at the Guthrie Theatre.

We made vegan pho for Christmas dinner and it was the loveliest, so warm and nourishing. I used the recipe from Love and Lemons to make the broth a day before and were inspired by a NYT and Cookie + Kate recipe for topping choices. The broth was very aromatic with deep flavor, didn’t take me a long time meaning I’ll make it again. We added in shitake mushrooms, carrot slivers, sprouts, green onions, edamame, and tofu plus lots of love. We made a double batch so we had plenty to eat that night and Tristan took a full Ball jar home with him and we had a full jar as well which Japhy ate today for lunch. I love leftovers.

I have some wonderful gifts to take me into 2025 including a new yoga bolster (Tristan), a mini Kindle (Japhy), and a beautiful brown sweater from Quince (Kaylee). My husband ordered a heated vest for me to wear because I am always cold. I’ve read a lot of books in 2024 (more on this next post) using the Kindle app on my phone so I think it will be a nice change of pace to have this Kindle for reading instead. My phone is plugged in away from me overnight so that’s a problem if I’m reading a great book digitally.

I hope you’ve all had a merry holiday season and have your feet firmly on the ground, bracing for 2025. With love and peace to you…

What the future holds

It’s taken me all month to mentally deal with the outcome of this election. I’m simply heartbroken. Our country is in a tough place. Like the serenity prayer I can’t focus on what I cannot change. Watching each and every instagram post about politics is not going to make my life healthier. It’s there and it’s bad but I have other ways I want to finish off November. Deep breath, more yoga, more reading.

I’ve read a lot of great books the last few months and I’ve made a few good recipes. So let’s talk about that…move over politics and welcome to the art of wintering or hygge. We’ve got to nestle in and take care of ourselves so we will be ready for the next term. https://www.carleyfortune.com/I’ve discovered a new author, Carley Fortune, when I read a review about her latest book This Summer will be Different (2024); a love story set in Prince Edward Island. It’s a fun read with interesting characters a a whole lot of twists. I’ve now read Every Summer After and I’m reading Meet Me at the Lake right now. I love the Libby app which has helped me read so many books this year. Suffering from insomnia (thank you menopause) I often read at night using my Kindle app on dark screen. I don’t sleep with my phone but if I wake up or even worse, cant fall asleep then I turn to reading. Fortune’s books have a fun premise, beautiful Canadian setting, romance and sex with an interesting set of characters. The plots make sense and there isn’t any abuse or negative dynamics.

I read Horse by Geraldine Brooks (2022)for book club and loved the back and forth timeline between the present and the past. I loved learning more about horse racing, Black history, and learning about the real people involved in this story. This was my first Brooks book; are there others I should read?

I read All The Colors of the Dark (2024) by Chris Whitaker. I’ve never read anything else by him as well and this was a very interesting crime drama that circled the 1990’s to present. I fell in love with the characters and they way Whitaker told the story although it was long it was worth it.

I read two amazing fantasy books, The Last Dragon on Mars (2024) by Scott Reintgen and The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) by TJ Klune. The Last Dragon is now circulating heavily at school by my students that love high fantasy dragon books like Eragon. Cerulean Sea is a beautiful love story that highlights the prejudices we see in the world and the hope to leave those behind (Yes, I see the connection between this and the election with my politics on high brain)

It’s so easy to disappear inside a book, a good story, a let it take you away from what is happening in real time.

As far as recipes go I made this fabulous tofurky by hand yesterday morning and it tasted delicious! Thanksgiving is a non holiday to us but we did have dinner with our son which was a nice way to spend the day. Food, cards, and conversation. Oh, there may have been some football on the screen and some reminiscing about our ancestors. I use a lot of NYT recipes because I get a discounted teacher subscription to the Times (not in love with them rn but I do love the cooking app) I made a deliciously easy carrot recipe for Thursday’s meal and an amazingly flavorful tomato lentil soup yesterday. You’ll have to google those.

Keep your chins up and find your joy right now. We need to be ready to stand together as the awful things begin to happen and hope we can help our neighbors, friends, and those we don’t know yet. Peace be with us.

What will tomorrow bring?

This week our country will decide whether we have a civil society with a female president (about time) OR and it is a big OR we elect a bully who picks on people, loves to divide and uses horrible scare tactics. He’s not qualified to run the government and should not even be allowed to run for office. I still don’t understand why we are holding off on his trials and sentencing. Harris and Walz have actually policies and ideas going forward while he stumbles and mumbles atrocious statements. If something happens to Liz Cheney he should be held accountable. He should still be held accountable for Jan. 6th. As a teacher I’m worried about what our education system will look like if he wins.

I think of all the policies and programs that might be dismantled by a Trump second term and I’m scared so I have to focus on the positive and stay hopeful. I’ve had sleepless nights over the outcome of this election. When I read comments on political posts I feel sick so I have to turn my phone off. Why do so many Americans view him as the better choice with the lies, conspiracy theories, hatred, and misogynist view point?

I understand that there is a group of men out there who feel disenfranchised and want to be heard because life is not what they thought it would be. Our America turned out different and this has them angry. I’m most confused about women who are following Trump even with statements like he’ll take care of women whether they want him to or not. Would you want your daughter left alone with him? He is a lecherous human being and I wish we had the Jeffrey Epstein photos available. I think of his cheating and the things he has said about his daughter.

I am shocked by the amount of lies and criminal behavior average Americans are willing to forgive for him. I’m nervous for our country in the aftermath of this election no matter who wins. And I’m tired of the ads and my phone blowing up with pleas for help. I donate regularly and that’s probably why but I’ve already voted and want them to stop acting as though only I can save the democracy.

Jill Stein isn’t helping my stress either! For years I’ve wanted a viable third or fourth option but we are not there yet and she is only diverting attention away at a time when we need to be laser focused on a loss for the Republican party and a Win for the Democratic party. I know we need work; we are not a perfect party and she’s not a perfect candidate but right now it is far too important. I remember listening to his press conferences during the beginning days of the pandemic and I can’t go back. Most people should not want to go back to that…

I’ve already voted for Harris/Walz and I hope this is what the mass majority of Americans will do. Vote for sanity and hopefully a return to a less divided nation.

Handmade Clothes

I miss my mom really all the time but it goes in waves. Recently I bought a second hand pair of Loft jeans because I liked the fit and style. The only problem is they are too long for me. My mom used to help me out with this issue by cutting a chunk out and attaching the hem/bottom of the pants back on. I don’t know how she did it exactly but I was happy with the end result. I have asked a friend with a sewing machine to help me but I miss having my mom to do this simple task for me. She’d ask me to stand up on a chair with a back so I could hold on and not fall. I treasure the memory of her sewing my clothes or fixing them.

Of course she was sick for a long time and didn’t sew even before that but in my childhood/teens and into my 30’s she sewed. I have a few school photos that feature me in handmade Judy dresses and peasant tops. In high school she cut triangles in the sides of a pair of jeans and added in flowery panels to make them flare with flair. She made me a gorgeous velvet dress for Christmas.

I once saw her bring a dress home from Dillard’s and lay that dress down on a bolt of similar fabric and then draw the outline with small ticks of chalk. In this way she made her own pattern and then returned the dress to Dillard’s! Later in life she took on needlepoint and knitting. Her mother/my grandmother was a major knitter throughout her life. That craftiness skill skipped right over me. I’ve tried to sew and knit and neither comes easy to me. Think big holes and uneven seams.

I wish my mom was here today to help me with my jeans but also to talk about every day topics. She would be fired up about politics right now. I know my son Tristan misses talking Vikings football with her and she would be just as happy as he is on their fabulous season so far. Somedays I think of something and totally forget she’s not on the other end of the phone. In fact my nephew has her phone which always makes me smile. All the above photos show me in handmade clothes. I had to go on a photo hunt to locate these gems.

I hope I can get my jeans hemmed and that I’m asked to stand on a chair to get them at the right angle!

Photo 1: orange polka dot midi-dress that I wore for my school photo and a play at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre

Photo 2: Floral velvet dress but I know you are just focused on that out-of-control pixie cut!

Photo 3: high school maybe junior year peasant top that I loved and often paired with bell bottom jeans of course!

Photo 4: Red Christmas jumper with same pixie cut and my brother Mike smiling behind me. This is in Fairmont, MN with the family room fireplace. Above the fireplace is an oil painting of the three of us done by Jack Bender, a local Cedar Falls painter at the time.