Good Morning. Just like the cat I came back!!! The garden is in, up and looking lovely – thanks to a rototilling job done by a special friend, I have never had such a lovely seed bed. The lettuce was ready to pick – as verified by the deer who munched it right down. Ditto with a number of onions. I am now on the hunt for a deer with onion breath!! Lettuce is now netted, so we may get some yet. Rule of gardening – if it grows quickly and looks very healthy, it is a weed.

It is so nice to see the award presented to the library by Chinook Arch. The wording “tough times don’t last, tough people do” is a remarkable tribute to our library ladies (and small greeting person), and the board who worked to keep the post office going and see that the repairs were done. Kudos and gratitude to all.

In spite of playing in the great outdoors – when not blowing a hurricane, a book has been on the go at all times. As we have such a wonderful selection, it is lovely to play with new authors and pick from the display.

The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick is about a young woman who cleans houses and for 3 years Olivia has worked for a famous author who is a recluse. Her dream has always been to become a writer so working for Essie (the author) is a dream job for her. She loved her employer’s books and had read every one. Imagine her shock when she was contacted by a lawyer and informed that her employer had died, but it was to be kept quiet and she was tasked to finish her last manuscript. To do this, Olivia worked to find out more about Essie so she could honor the request. It was a shock when she found out the “whys” – but she managed to do the last 8 chapters and meet the deadline. A nice light read with a feel good ending.

Iona Iverson’s rules for Commuting by Claire Pooley – You must meet Iona – a flamboyant woman who rode the same train and sat in the same seat in the same car every day – getting off at the end of the run – Waterloo Station. Her dog Lulu was her constant companion. Over time, a handful of others who also rode the same train ended up talking to Iona and she became their advisor. These people were a real mixed bag with different stories. When Iona ended up not appearing for some time, they actually banded together to find her and see why she hadn’t been on the train. It is funny and light and her advice is unique – as are her new friends. This one is a “laugh out loud” one.

The Swiss Nurse by Mario Escobar takes place prior to the start of WW2 in Spain where the Civil War was raging. Elizabeth went to Spain to help the children that Franco’s troops were forcing out of the country. They were evacuated to France. The trip and conditions were terrible and it was a fight to get out and merely survive. Isabel, a Spanish patriot flees Spain, leaving a new husband, Peter – who is American but volunteered to fight against Franco’s army. Both finally ended up in France in camps and kept looking for each other. Elizabeth ran a home for pregnant mothers from the camps and Isabel ended up there and stayed and worked with the mothers. The war had broken out while they were still in France and the Germans were occupying the area. Elizabeth, Peter and their little girl escaped and got to Bordeaux where they got on a freighter and landed in Cuba and finally the US, to Peter’s family. This is based based on stories of refugees of the wars – both civil and second ww. It was a hard book to put down. This man has written others, which would also be darned good reads.

Also, in the recently donated books is Hang the Moon by Jeanette Walls. This is a story about Sallie Kincaid who is raised in the Virginia hills. It is at the time of prohibition, moonshiners and rum running. She has half siblings – Her family is the “wealthy”, controlling family of the area and there are family secrets and family feuds. The poverty is rampant in the area and within the family, Sallie proves herself the one with the business head and is slowly accepted by the sharecroppers. It is a good story and really does take you back to that time – fiction, but so much really rings true to the times.

Last book to mention today is Calamity of Souls – the new Baldacci one just out. Of course, he is one of my “favs” so got it, and in two days it was done and into the library. It takes place in 1968 – time of the Vietnam war and a presidential race, and unrest in the south. A white couple is found murdered and a black employee is arrested and charged. His wife is also charged. One experiences such frustration at the unfairness of the system. Jack Lee, a local lawyer, takes the case as a favor and represents Jerome and Pearl Washington. He is joined by Deserie DeBois, a black lawyer from Chicago who goes all over the country defending in cases like this. They are true opposites in style, but join together to represent the Washingtons. The trial was an uphill battle when face d with a jury of 12 white men and a judge who had been a KKK member. The emotions, bigotry and violence of the times makes this a book hard to put down (which obviously I didn’t do). The author was raised in Virginia and still lives there, so he has the knowledge and resources to make this a block buster book.

I recently read that Lee Child said that women read 65% of fiction and the most fearsome readers are older ladies. He calls us the killer grannies as we love murder and mayhem

My “friend” in the book section of Costco, which is shrinking all the time, told me that they will soon be not handling books. That was always my last stop to check out the new titles. If a couple of books are added to the overflowing cart, they come at no cost when they are considered part of the grocery order. That is my story and it works well!!!

TTFN Beryl