books — Page 103

Potpourri on Tuesday

July 16, 2019 at 10:38 am by Claudia

• That’s a pesky Japanese beetle on top of that coneflower. Every year, like clockwork, they descend upon the gardens. Oh, garden pests, you are on my last nerve!

• I did a double take when I saw 98 degrees as the high for this coming Saturday. I sure hope that number changes for the better. It’s going to be 91 here today and very hot for the rest of the week, though it’s supposed to storm tomorrow. We’re in the dog days of summer, that’s for sure.

• We went over to Rick and Doug’s to let Sam out and we spent some time throwing his ball for him. That boy can run fast – just like Scoutie could – and he will keep going forever. But we were mindful of the heat, so when he started to slow down, it was back in the air conditioned house for Sam. He’s such a great dog. We gave him lots of water and some treats and sat and petted him.

Here’s how he looked post-run:

I’m betting someone went right to sleep after we left.

• I want to recommend a series on Netflix: Charité. It’s a German series, so there are subtitles, but my heavens, is it excellent in every way! There are two seasons.

Charité is a famous hospital in Berlin. The first season is set in 1888 and it centers on the hospital, using both fictional and nonfictional characters. Set in the days when there was no cure for tuberculosis and diphtheria, it follows the struggles of doctors to find a cure, at a time when the word antibiotic was not in the lexicon. Charité was a famous teaching hospital with future Nobel Prize winning doctors on staff. At least four of the characters were real doctors who did indeed go on to win the Nobel Prize.

The second season, Charité at War, takes place in the last days of WWII, when the Russian army was advancing. The staff is divided in their allegiances; some are supportive of Hitler, others aren’t. Again – a mix of nonfictional characters and fictional characters, with the chilling specter of the Reich’s policy on euthanasia very much a part of the story.

We watched the second season first, and just finished watching the first season last night. The actors are simply stellar in their roles, the set design and cinematography excellent. In fact, it’s impeccably done. After a short while, you’ll forget there are subtitles because you’ll be completely immersed in the story. Best thing I’ve seen in a long, long time.

The hospital, by the way, is still in existence and is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in Europe.

• I’m just about to finish Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson. I’m hoping the books I recently put a hold on will be delivered to my library today. I don’t want to break my Kate Atkinson rhythm!

Happy Tuesday.

Saturday Morning

July 13, 2019 at 10:04 am by Claudia

Pretty porch views from this very morning.

It’s a lovely day. Right now, it’s about 72 degrees which would be a perfect high for the day. But it’s going to be about 88 degrees, so there you go. Nevertheless, it wasn’t nearly as humid this morning as it was yesterday morning. As we sat on the porch for our second cup of coffee we were greeted with birds singing, sunlight, and a slight breeze.

Both of us were outside yesterday spraying water on the whiteflies. Don insisted on helping me, which was much appreciated. He also mowed the lilac side of the lawn. We did a lot outside and by the end of the day we were so tuckered out that we deliberately watched a movie that we knew was going to be laughably bad: The Brain that Wouldn’t Die found on TCM On Demand.

Oh my heavens. It really was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I won’t even go into the plot, what little there was. It was so amateurish – and that’s not being fair to most amateur filmmakers who would do a much, much better job of it – that we were laughing out loud for most of the movie.

Also from this morning: a spotlight on the hydrangeas.

I finished When Will There Be Good News? this morning. Kate Atkinson is such a good writer! And now I’m starting on the next, Started Early, Took My Dog (perhaps my favorite book title ever.) I put a hold on two others through our inter-county library system; her first Jackson Brodie mystery, Case Histories, and her newest, Big Sky, which was just published.

Don’s off to take some portraits. I’m going to do a little gardening and weed whacking. But not too much, as my allergies continue to be a pain in the tush.

I hope all is well with you.

Happy Saturday.

Saviors: Reading and Gardening

July 11, 2019 at 9:25 am by Claudia

This is a kind of sedum that I planted in the memorial garden. (I can’t remember the name.) I’m always surprised when it blooms. Bonus points: it spreads.

I mowed a lot yesterday and then I spent even more time outdoors pruning things in the big garden bed, trying to get at those white flies. I was happy because I love being outdoors and working on the property, but I’m paying the price today as my allergies are especially troublesome. Every time I check the weather I see this: “The pollen count today is high.”

I know. In fact, I knew that without checking the weather app.

So for today, I’m going to stay inside except for watering the porch plants and shooting water at the white flies. This afternoon we’re supposed to get thunderstorms, so hopefully, they will take over the role of ‘water cannon.’

I’m reading my next Kate Atkinson, When Will There Be Good News? Dang, I like her writing style! An absolute pleasure to read. There are two more in the series to read, as well – whoops! – make that three, as a new Jackson Brodie mystery has just been published.

Next month: the new Louise Penny, A Better Man, comes out on August 27th. Huzzah! On the same day, the newest in the “The Girl Who…” series, The Girl Who Lived Twice, will be published. Originally written by the late Steig Larsson, they are now being written by David Lagercrantz, and I have to say – he’s doing a bang-up job of it.

Deborah Crombie’s newest, A Bitter Feast, is being published on October 8th. And Michael Connelly’s newest Harry Bosch, The Night Fire, is being published on October 22nd.

All of the above authors are favorites of mine.

I like the idea of all sorts of books written by authors I love lined up, ready and waiting for me. It’s like a secret stash of good things to come.

And reading saves me in these times. Truly. I don’t know what I’d do without it.

Gardening, too.

Happy Thursday.

Potpourri on Tuesday

Saturday Morning

Saviors: Reading and Gardening

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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