#murica

I recently visited Maine - more on that in a future post - and fell in love with the charming patriotism displayed almost everywhere I went. I just had to have this vintage looking bunting and I knew exactly where it would go. I think it looks awesome. Not sure if it will stay up until after Labor Day or come down in a couple of weeks ... must research protocol on that.

My Audible progress - not a bad one in the bunch:

The Children Act by Ian McEwan – I didn't know what this was about when I started (I make a point of not reading too much after I select so I start off as unbiased as possible), but it had been on my list for close to two years. It was definitely worth the wait ... how a British judge considers a family court case while also considering her own marriage. Very thought provoking and real - sometimes we should deliberate and sometimes we should act.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens – a college student from a highly dysfunctional family has to find an elderly person to fulfill a writing assignment. He gets a lot more than he bargained for! A little tough towards the finish as the author piles on a lot of events for dramatic effect, but it all works in the end. It was fun to hear some local references as the story takes place in the arctic.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows – I am sort of on a roll with WWII era books and this was a light change of pace for that genre. Love that the story is told only through letters/telegrams to and from the main character. Who wants to go to Guernsey with me ?!

10% Happier by Dan Harris – I am deeply intrigued by meditation and this was a great first person account of how a quasi-celebrity turned from atheist to "Jewbu" after a lifetime of self doubt and a professional crisis.

The Widow by Fiona Barton – a bit drawn out but an interesting story that keeps you guessing

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – LOVE!!! Another WWII novel told from a female perspective - deeply layered story of love, loss, hope and the depths of the human spirit. I cried multiple times and the ending is fantastic

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – a wickedly fun whodunit set in Australia about the little lies we tell ourselves to survive. This is being made into an HBO  show with Alexander Skarsgård (Tarzan, True Blood) for later this year. Yes please!!!

Next up are:

The House at Riverton (aka The Shifting Fog)

Code Name Verity
Among the Ten Thousand Things
Elizabeth II: Life of a Monarch
The Ocean at the End of the Lane