08/31/24
Filed under:
General
Posted by:
Ann @ 2:38 pm
Another super busy month has slipped by. I hope life is treating all my blog readers well. We had several family gatherings this month. The McCauley Reunion was held at the family homestead in Leatherwood, PA on August 11. It’s always such fun to spend time with the cousins, eating watermelon under the shade trees as the children run and play… while we share treasured family memories. As always we’re beholden with gratitude to our cousin and his wife, the 4th generation of McCauleys to live on the homestead, who host us every year. We also celebrated our career Air Force grandson, his wife and children - Levi, age 3 and Amelia, 9 months who were home from S.D. for nearly a month. Levi is a curious little sponge having fun while absorbing and learning new things each day. It was the first time I met Amelia in person, she’s adorably sweet. We saw them a few times and cherished every minute. Of course, the other grandchildren and great grands were involved too. Everyone is now either back in school or working; they all said they had great summers.
I’ve read three good books this month.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, 2023. Historical Fiction. (My book club’s choice for August.) This was an interesting book, in that it didn’t have a specific protagonist, as the story developed the protagonists evolved form one to the next. It seemed the place, Chicken Hill, must have been the true protagonist.The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store generated a good discussion. The characters also dealt with several difficcult social issues. It’s a good book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys good character development and unexpected plot twists.
Until Our Time Comes by Nicole M. Miller. 2024. Historical Fiction - a novel of WW2 Poland. Set in 1939, Poland, this well-researched novel about an American horse trainer living her dream of working with horses at the famous Janow Podlaski stables in Poland, where the best Arabian horses in the world are bred. The tranquility of the beautiful horse farm is shaken to its core when the German army storms the Polish countryside - and the protagonists attempt to move more than 250 horses away from the Nazi grip without attracting attention. This epic story of escape, capture, resistance and love is based on true events of the brave heroes of WW2 Poland. The characters are well-developed and the plot is full of shocking surprises. Another very good book that I recommend.
Things We Do For Love By Kristin Hannah. Fiction. 2004. We listened to this book on audible and enjoyed it very much. Hannah is a master at plot and character development. The characters were three generations of highly likeable Italian family members whose restaurant was in trouble and how they brought it back to life and profitability. It also deals with infertility problems, divorce, alcoholism, and several other interrelationship problems. It’s an excellent book that I highly recommend.
We watched the Longmire series again on Netflicks and enjoyed it even more the second time. If you haven’t watched it yet, please consider this modern day intellectual cowboy sheriff set in Wyoming. Its fun and entertaining.
Till next time, keep reading and be well.
Later,
Ann