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Life
It's finally March! We made it! We still had below-freezing temperatures this morning, but last week, we saw 40's and even high 50's for the first time in many months. What a relief! This winter has been unusually cold and snowy here in Delaware (and in many other places on the East Coast, too). Our average temperature in January and February is usually in the 40's, and this year, it stayed below freezing for over a month!
In spite of the snowfall we got last Sunday and Monday, I was determined to get outside more, after our visit to the beach last weekend. That reminded me of how much nature soothes me, plus I got a great pair of winter hiking boots on clearance at the Columbia outlet store there! So, in spite of the snow, I got my husband out to our local nature center on Tuesday. I needed the boots!
I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday, so I stopped at a state park on the way and enjoyed another short walk. Fortunately, the temperatures are warming just as I am beginning to emerge from the winter relapse of my chronic illness and am able to take short walks again. No coincidence there, as I usually begin to feel better at this time of year. I still have some flu-like aches (like today), but I had days without any last week, and my energy is definitely improving.
The snow is also melting in our own yard, thank goodness!
And we had a wonderful family weekend. Our older son and his fiancee came to visit, and our younger son spent most of the weekend with us (his fiancee had to work). We enjoyed family meals together, good conversation, a game, and a lovely walk at another state park on a 58-degree day! Our son said he hadn't been out in the woods in a long time and thanked us for reminding him how good it feels. So, the beach reminded me, and I reminded him :)
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Delaware Beaches Travel & Nature Vlog - Come along with us on our recent getaway to Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge for peaceful scenes of nature, water birds, sea life, restaurants, and a wonderful bookstore.
February Reading Wrap-Up - Outstanding novels for Black History Month, excellent historical fiction, and more.
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I am still reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith, a pick for Black History Month and my first by Smith. Wow, another outstanding novel that has everything! It's about two men from two very different backgrounds who become friends because of their trials together during WWII; the women they marry; and their collective children. Archie is a white British man who is very middle-of-the-road about everything in life (he often relies on a coin toss to make decisions). His war buddy, Samad Iqbal, is a Muslim originally from Bangladesh who fought for the British during the war. Samad is thoughtful and philosophical, so sometimes Archie's lack of an opinion drives him crazy, but the two are lifelong friends. In the 1970's, late in life, they both marry. Samad marries his arranged marriage partner (he had to wait for his bride to be born!), and Archie impulsively marries a tall, beautiful 19-year-old Jamaican woman he just met who wants to escape her strict religious family. Their children grow up together. I am absolutely loving this delightful novel so far. The writing is bright, playful, and vibrant, the characters are unique and fully-drawn, and I love the way the reader gets the perspective of each of the characters, including the children as they grow up, plus their ancestors. It's warm and funny but also tackles issues of race, class, religion, and more.
I finished my book group's pick for February, The Rose Code by Kate Quinn--another outstanding novel! It's about three young women working as code breakers on Enigma at Bletchley Park during WWII. Each comes from a very different background: debutante Osla; determined Mab, brought up in poverty but looking for a wealthy husband; and introverted Beth, a very sheltered 25-year-old from the local village brought up in a strict religious household who turns out to be the best code breaker in the Park. As with all of Quinn's novels, it was fabulous historical fiction with a propulsive plot, colorful characters based on real-life people, and fascinating historical detail. My entire book group loved it; our average rating was 8.1 out of 10!
I have started a new audio book for Middle-Grade March, Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson. I enjoyed her novel, White Smoke, last fall on audio (mini review at the link), and this one also works for March Mystery Madness. Kaylani lives in Brooklyn and has been struggling with her father's arrest and imprisonment for a white collar crime he says he didn't commit. Her mother sends her to Martha's Vineyard to spend the summer with a family her grandma knows from church. The Watsons live in an enormous house, but the girl her age, London, whom Kaylani knew when she was 5 years old, has no interest in spending time with her. They've barely been on the island a few days when a local teen boy, who used to date London's older sister, shows up dead. Was it a shark, an accident, or murder? Since there is a lot of focus on London's sister, she and Kaylani begin to investigate on their own. It's excellent so far--a suspenseful mystery with in-depth characters.
My husband, Ken, is still reading Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run by Paul McCartney, edited by Ted Widmer, a Christmas gift from me (it's a chunkster!). Like me, he usually reads just one book at a time, but he decided to try reading nonfiction during the day and fiction at bedtime, and he's enjoying it very much. He's also interested in watching the new documentary, Man on the Run, when he finishes the book.
At bedtime, he finished reading The Deep Sky by Yumi Kitasei, another gift from me. He enjoyed this mystery/thriller set in space. Now, he has started another gift from me, God of the Woods by Liz Moore. He hadn't heard of it before, but I've heard nothing but rave reviews! It was one of the hottest books for Big Book Summer the past two years in a row, and I thought he'd enjoy this thriller set at a camp in upstate NY (an area we're both very familiar with). I will definitely be reading this one, too!
I got a reading update from our son, 31, this weekend--it was so good to have some relaxed time together. For his birthday last year, we gave him The Light of All That Falls, book 3 in the Licanius Trilogy by James Islington. So, he is currently rereading book 2, An Echo of Things to Come. He often does this, but also, in this case, a friend told him he'll want to reread book 2 before he dives into this latest book. He always enjoys this author and this series.
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What are you and your family reading this week?