June was a very busy month!

June turned out to be a busier month than I had anticipated, and I kept a journal of my notes and thought I'd share them here:

Saturday, June 5, 2021 “A Quiet Place 2”

Andrew and I visited a cinema for the first time since the pandemic. [Yes, I know some were still open most of the time, but the quality of what was showing was mediocre at best, so we just streamed things at home]. We went to see “Quiet Place II,” the sequel to the 2018 film, “A Quiet Place.” 

For those who aren’t familiar with the plot, the premise of the movie is the fact that the earth (or at least the United States) has been invaded by blind aliens with an acute sense of hearing (which the deaf daughter finally figures out at the end of the first film, so are thus able to kill at least one of the aliens.) The family knows the aliens hunt by sound, so are super careful not to make any noise (which is how their toddler son died when playing with a toy space shuttle equipped with sound effects). Apparently this is also the reason the family never wear shoes (I guess there’s no moccasins in Appalachia where the movie is set). Of course every possible barrier and obstacle is put in their way including those of their own making (like having a baby and then making sure it never cries). 

My husband and I both very much enjoyed the first movie because of the uniqueness of the plot and my appreciation of the fact that they hired a deaf actress (Millicent Simmonds) to play the role of the hearing-impaired daughter. Having once dabbled in ASL (American Sign Language), I could follow along fairly well with the few hand gestures they used in the movie. 

Having been so long between the two movies, I had a hard time following the plot based on the beginning of the movie which was apparently a flashback. The plot also bore a strong resemblance to “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead” in that it isn’t just the zombies or aliens you need to watch out for, but your fellow man can also turn on you (and the whole steal-a-boat-to-flee-to-an- island for safety mimics the plot of “Fear the Walking Dead”). 

Overall, not a bad movie, but not the most cheerful movie for our first post-pandemic viewing.

Sunday, June 6, 2021 Bexley House & Garden Tour

Today Andrew and I visited one of our favorite suburbs of Columbus, Bexley. We can probably count on one hand how many times we’ve been there and have only ever visited to see movies at the Drexel Theatre (one of the few independent cinemas still left in Ohio) including one directed by and starring Bexley native, Josh Radnor (probably best known for his role as Ted on “How I Met Your Mother”). Hence, we’ve really only seen a tiny fraction of the city, so this was a great chance to see most of the rest of it (and certainly a mixture of different house sizes, styles and prices I’m sure). The reason for our visit was to go on the Bexley House & Garden Tour (though it was really just gardens) sponsored by the Bexley Women’s Club.

There were nine gardens, two community gardens, and one alleyway open to the public. Not surprisingly you either had to take a shuttle around, or drive to most of the homes (some were clustered, but we still had to move at least half a dozen times). I think my sister-in-law would have appreciated the first garden we visited because of the five hens housed in a spacious chicken coop which even included a solar panel on the outside (very nice!).

According to the guide book we were given –

“On the opposite corner of the backyard is the family COVID project begun in April 2020, a chicken coop with five laying hens. Dubbed All COOPed up 2020.” It was a wonderful way to constructively pass the time of quarantine and shutdown with their sons, who helped build the coop with their dad and learned to care for “the ladies” over the many months since, even entering Columbus’ annual National Poultry Show digitally this year. Marie insists chickens require little care, easily winter outdoors in their coop and even provide family breakfast with 3-5 eggs per day!

With a separate, secure area for sleeping and egg-laying, and a run for daytime exercise, the Hurts installed an ingenious system to automatically control the door between the two with a small solar panel. It powers a dawn-to-dusk switch, opening the door for daytime use and closing it again when time to retire for the evening. The hens quickly adapted to their schedule and easily make curfew before bedtime each night.”

One of the gardens had a display on loan from the Bexley Historical Society consisting of old newspapers and yellowed photographs (recently discovered we were told) illuminating the history of the house we were visiting, so that was a nice touch. 

We liked the “Love Your Alley” aspect of the tour which reminded me very much of German Village, which is also known for its alleys. The alley on the tour had tin butterflies mounted on one section of the wall,

a few painted bees on another panel,

and an outstanding display of knitted yarn creations (alongside a Beware of Dog sign :  )  I especially liked that section (yet another reason to someday learn to knit or crochet) Nice way to beautify a thoroughfare.

The north and south Bexley Community Gardens were nice enough and worth a brief stop, though probably underappreciated by us since neither of us are really gardening enthusiasts (and anything we can get to grow in our shaded back garden is usually eaten by the resident rabbits and deer).

I liked that the South Bexley Community Garden had several bee hives, which is something I definitely support (or at least the idea of as I’m not ready to don the white suit and smoker just yet). 

The gardens were a good mixture of homeowners’ spaces who did everything themselves whereas others were just adverts for patio design companies. Still, it was a nice mixture and I don’t mind seeing how the other half lives. I told Andrew I wouldn’t mind renting any of the homes as an Air BNB, but not sure how many I would want to own and have to maintain ourselves. 

Of the nine gardens we saw, without hesitation we both agreed the yards at location #3 (2610 East Broad Street owned by Cheryl Vaia and Herb Bresler) and location #9 (2624 Bexley Park Road owned by Erin and Mike Simpson) were definitely the most outstanding. 

Property #3 was interesting because of all the art, cute planters, and interesting and colorful plants throughout the property. Everywhere you looked another whimsical object was thoughtfully placed for full impact. This fact isn’t surprising considering that Ms Vaia once had her own garden design business (and is now retired), according to the booklet we were given.

Property #9 had a mixture of historical charm (like functional gas light poles and a non-working water pump),

the world’s sturdiest tree swing (check out the size of those knots!),

and not one but two hammocks

for a little R & R in the back yard. They also had a somewhat modern designer patio, but we won’t fault them for that since their house (built in the late 1800s) is a century dwelling and they had what appeared to be a very antique (or at least antique-looking) ping pong table

out there too. I don’t think you could ever be bored there, and at the very least could certainly unwind at the end of a long day or week and probably throw some awesome parties there too. 

At the last property we visited I happened to glance over the wall to the neighbor’s backyard and had a flashback to the property my family lived at in Cleveland until we moved to Madison when I was five. The house was probably built in the same time period and the yard was definitely the same size. My one memory of playing in the backyard was running around barefoot in the clover and getting my first bee sting after crushing a poor little bee just going about its business. 

All in all it was fun walking around the different neighborhoods and observing the mixture of architecture (I haven’t seen that many screened in porches since last time we were in my mom’s old neighborhood) both old and new, big and small. So glad to finally leave my neighborhood and see more of the outside world! 

Comedians on Couches Watching House Hunters 

While program-surfing on Amazon Prime one night I came across this gem (only available on Discovery + channel) and checked it out before mentioning it to my husband. Since you can get a one-week trial subscription to the channel it’s offered on (and there’s currently only 8 episodes available), we signed up and started streaming them. 

Although I haven’t heard of either of the two hosts, they’re both fairly likeable and funny, so I enjoyed their presence alongside the 4 or 5 different guests they selected for the various episodes. Hard to know how much to tell you without spoiling it for you, but I can tell you John Mulaney was my favorite guest star (and really the only one I had heard of), and my favorite pair on the show were the couple where the husband was obsessed with building a cat tube between the garage and house (they had several cats as pets, obviously). His wife was a little more grounded in reality, but humored him. I was almost disappointed not to see one actually constructed when the camera crew visited them at the house they chose, but I imagine such things take a lot of planning and probably permission (not to mention $$$) from wife and city council maybe. 

I hope they make more episodes because this was definitely a fun and funny show! 

A Disney-themed Summer (at least so far)

Back in May Andrew and I started streaming a series on Disney + called “The Imagineering Story” which consists of 6 hour-long episodes providing a pretty in-depth background to the history of most of the Disney theme parks around the world. As neither of us are experts on the subject, especially having only visited a handful (mostly the ones in Fla, but I’ve been to Disneyland in CA too), we found it all very fascinating. It goes without saying that the Disney employees take their jobs very seriously, but also seem to really enjoy what they do (or at least the ones they interviewed for the program). As someone who thrives on creativity, I enjoyed and appreciated their enthusiasm and am grateful for all the phenomenal attractions they’ve created. 

We learned there was no textbook to go by for most of what they did - much of it learning on the job and lots of trial and error. They are such experts that the public rarely (at least nowadays) see any flaws or anything behind-the-scenes that might detract from the magic they’ve created. That’s why they’re the masters of illusion and why people keep coming back in droves year after year. 

My parent’s neighbor used to (and maybe still does) go to Disney World (Fla) as a family vacation every year staying at one of the many Disney-owned hotels just outside the park. In fact, one of their grandchildren works as a landscaper at one of the Disney Parks carving those ornately shaped topiaries scattered around the grounds. 

My uncle, a lifelong California resident, said back in the day he remembers Disney Land offering special after-hours discounts to local residents. Here’s what he said: 

When I lived in Southern California, Disneyland offered a “moonlight special” for $10 which allowed entry after 6pm until closing if you showed your California driver’s license.  I went a few times since it was just about a 45 minute drive (less traffic in the 1960’s).  The main difference between Disneyland and Disney World is that Disneyland is surrounded with motels and hotels since Disney just bought land for his park.  The Florida version is much larger with several Disney hotels on the property. 

 

You might be aware that the Walt Disney Family Museum is located in San Francisco.  This museum highlights the life of Walt and his accomplishments.  It is really a place more appealing to adults than children. 

My uncle sent the e-mail in response to an e-mail I sent to him with an attachment of a vintage postcard (August 1966) I had found. The postcard, which depicted Skyway Through the Matterhorn, was written by my grandma who (with my mom) was visiting my uncle in California and had apparently visited Disney Land one day. On the postcard my grandma wrote about visiting Universal Studios. “Saw 4 movies being filmed. Missed seeing Julie Andrews by about 5 minutes.”

Link to postcards: https://www.flickr.com/photos/authorwannabe/?

Having been inspired by watching the Imagineers series, I decided to reread a book of my husband’s that is a fictionalized, futuristic, novel about employees trying to make changes to certain areas of the park that many hold sacred – like the Hall of Presidents (I still get chills when I remember how surprised I was when President Lincoln stood up) and the Haunted Mansion Ride (which one character said he rode five times in succession seeing and experiencing something new each time). If you’re interested, it’s called Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow. 

According to the plot summary on Amazon.com: 

Jules is a young man barely a century old. He’s lived long enough to see the cure for death and the end of scarcity, to learn ten languages and compose three symphonies … and to realize his boyhood dream of taking up residence in Disney World.

Disney World! The greatest artistic achievement of the long-ago twentieth century. Now overseen by a network of ‘ad hocs’ who keep the classic attractions running as they always have, enhanced with only the smallest high-tech touches.

But the ad hocs are under attack. A new group has taken over the Hall of Presidents and is replacing its venerable audioanimatronics with new, immersive direct-to-brain interfaces that give guests the illusion of being Washington, Lincoln and all the others. For Jules, this is an attack on the artistic purity of Disney World itself.

Worse: it appears that this new group has had Jules killed. This upsets him. (It’s only his fourth death and revival after all.) Now it’s war.

 

Sunday June 27, 2021 My First Ever Virtual Cooking Class

 

A few weeks ago my husband asked me if I was interested in taking part in an online cooking class his company was planning in conjunction with a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Having never done that before it sounded like food, I mean fun!

I’m not sure Andrew was as enthusiastic as me, especially after he had to go to two different grocery stores to find all the ingredients and still came up empty-handed on the fennel fronds (I’ve heard of fennel but didn’t know it came in a frond, though I did find a bottle of ground fennel in the spice section of Target). Fennel seeds were definitely the most difficult ingredient for him to locate, whereas others had difficulty with the semolina flour (we already had that as we’ve used it for baking something on another occasion).

 

The class started at 5pm (2pm Pacific Time) and Rachael Grossman from the Artisano Restaurant on the southeast side of Portland was our instructor (who had the day off) https://artigianopdx.com/

 

Due to the heatwave they’re currently experiencing in the Pacific Northwest, Rachael (who had to constantly spritz herself to stay cool in the already 100+ degree day) scaled down the menu a bit opting to not demonstrate how to make the pasta sauce which needed to simmer for several hours. She left it up to us to decide which of the recipes we wanted to make. Since Andrew had already shopped for and acquired all the ingredients, we did all four recipes: Sugo Pomodoro (Simple Tomato Sauce), Sausage & Broccoli Sauce for Cavatelli, Plain Cavatelli Pasta and Carrot Cavatelli.

Although Andrew had prepared a bit in advance and had gotten most things out and spread out, he still made a few trips to the refrigerator and cupboards. He constantly bounced back and forth between counters and stove trying to do what chefs do and juggle multiple tasks at one time. I helped where I could, but was hesitant to clean up too much or put something away lest he not be done with it yet. I decided it was just easier if he assigned me chores, so that’s how I ended up grating the lemons for the required zest (something Andrew’s coworkers asked about since apparently some of them had never shaved a lemon before).

I felt like skill-wise we were more than capable since we do frequently cook and bake and definitely know our way around a kitchen. However, rolling out the dough and then cutting and shaping it into Cavatelli put both of us way out of our comfort zone. Andrew’s resembled conch shells or perhaps gnocchi,

whereas mine were more like little hotdog buns. We had difficulty following Rachael’s demonstration since we were doing it on the counter with our backs to his laptop. That’s the problem when you don’t have an island; not that common in 1960s houses from what I’ve seen, and the Brady house is an anomaly (but then that show took place in the 70s). We both felt a little better after pouring ourselves a small glass of red wine from the bottle we used to add some to the pasta sauce.

In spite of all the stress and rushing around, we still managed to get 3 out of 4 of the dishes done in the 2 hour period (left the Carrot Cavatelli to finish after we ate some of the Plain Cavatelli with the sausage and a little pasta sauce on the last few bites. I think I prefer the dish without the sauce, but it still tasted good either way.

It took about an hour to do all the clean-up, which we split – him finishing rolling, shaping, and cutting the carrot dough into the Cavatelli shapes

while I washed the dishes. Thankfully we have quite a lot of leftovers, so that’s a huge relief.

In hindsight I think we would have been wise to do what they do on cooking shows and do all the prep (i.e., cutting things up, getting out all your implements, etc.) so all that’s left to do is combine and cook the ingredients. Of course things like the dough are slightly more time-dependent in that you make the dough, let it rest for 20-30 min, then roll it out and shape it, so I’m not sure that could have been done too much in advance. Probably could have cooked the meat though since that was probably the easiest recipe, and surprisingly good. Andrew and I both assumed the fennel would permeate and we weren’t sure we would like the flavor, but it’s really quite subtle and the lemon is a bit more prominent as you definitely taste that.

 

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2021!!!

 MY ADVICE TO GRADUATES...

As someone who has been around for half a century, my wisdom goes way back. In fact, the first bit of advice I am going to impart to you comes from a quote that was posted on the wall of my sixth grade classroom, “It is Better to Remain Silent and Appear the Fool than to Open Your Mouth and Remove all Doubt.” Now, that’s not to say you should never speak up in life, and never be afraid to raise your hand (teachers and professors love audience participation). However, there are certainly times when keeping quiet is the better choice. If you don’t believe me, check out Mike Birbiglia’s stand-up show called (funnily enough), “What I Should Have Said was Nothing.” (Tales from my Secret Public Journal) on Netflix.  https://www.netflix.com/title/70091304 

Then in high school I was like most teenagers that when I turned the golden age of 16 I signed up for Driver’s Ed, more out of a sense of obligation and peer pressure than any real desire to get behind the wheel of a car and be in charge of a two ton death machine (dramatic, maybe, but this was a responsibility I took pretty seriously and still do). Anyway, I remember two pieces of advice from my gym teacher/driving instructor: “Never assume.” By that he meant, just because you see a car approaching with its turn signal on, never assume they’re going to turn. They could just be one of those absent-minded drivers that turned it on six blocks ago and forgot to turn it off. Also, you’re lucky if the car in front of you even opts to use their turn signal, hence the reason for allowing one car length between you and the car in front of you. 

The second piece of advice was “always change your tire yourself” as this is a basic skill everyone should know how to do. So, what happened the first time we got a flat when we (me and my fellow classmates) got a flat during a driving lesson? We drove to a gas station and let a mechanic change it for us. Incidentally, I once got a flat after having a nail lodged in my brand new tire, so what did I do? Yes, that’s right, I called Roadside Assistance. Although I know where my spare tire and jack are located, there’s no chance in Hell I would be able to safely change the tire in anything less than several hours probably (and I didn’t fancy it on the cold winter day it happened). That’s why we pay for that service as part of our car insurance. So kids, my advice to you is maybe learn how to do it and definitely know where your tire and jack are located, and be able to access them, but at the end of the day it’s probably best left to the professionals if you have that luxury. 

Moving on…. 

Never be afraid to learn something new whether it’s a job skill or just a fun hobby because you never know what it could lead to - from something as major as a new vocation or a promotion at your company to an enriching way to spend your spare time. You’re never too old to learn and these days you have a lot more options from in-person learning to You Tube videos to old schoolin’ it by reading a book about it. (below - my new hobby as an amateur barista)

Get out there and meet as many people as possible. You can never have too many friends. College is definitely the best place to practice this and is certainly the most natural setting since that’s kind of what the purpose of college is (besides earning a diploma of course). Some of these people might become friends for life (and not just sorority sisters and fraternity brothers), so reach out and get to know your peers. A special shout-out to my college friend, Valerie, whom I still keep in touch with to this day. Glad I met you at Kent all those years ago when we were young and still hadn’t really started our lives yet. 

While you’re doing this, don’t be afraid to be daring and bold. Make memories. You should start this sooner rather than later or you will have nothing to talk about at your class reunions. Not everyone will have a high school experience like those depicted in a John Hughes film (Bueller, Bueller, Bueller…), but do what you can outside the classroom. Go out for sports or join an organization, then hang out with your classmates on the weekend. Pull a few harmless pranks (but make it more daring than doing a Greg Brady by stealing your arch rival’s school mascot and hiding it in your attic bedroom).

Participate in Senior Skip Day (not sure that’s still a thing though) or Water Pistol Wars or whatever they’re calling it where you try to squirt your friends and classmates at their homes. 

I had a former coworker who encouraged his kids to never accept less than the best. That’s fine, but until diamonds and gold are bestowed upon you, be grateful for what you get. Also, until you can afford Tiffany’s and Barney’s, I’ll see you at Target and Walmart. This goes for jobs too. Unless your daddy owns the company, be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up. Also, never forget those who helped you along the way, and try not to burn your bridges. 

Give back to your community and try to make time for charitable acts, and don’t just do them to score points with your boss or significant other. Do it from your heart because you feel grateful and genuinely want to help. That will shine through and pay dividends far exceeding recognition from the charity. This is also an excellent way to fill in the time between jobs and always looks good on a resume, as well as providing you a sense of purpose until your next paycheck, or after your last one if you’re retired. 

Really most of these things are common sense (which, isn’t necessarily spread evenly among people), and you can’t do wrong if you follow the Golden Rule (do onto others…) 

My last piece of advice comes from one of my comedic idols, Rodney Dangerfield, who said in his college commencement address (“Back to School”), “It’s rough out there! Move back with your parents and let them worry about it!”

CONGRATULATIONS RHYS!!!  (my nephew and God son)

ALL THINGS BOOKS!!!

I sat down to write this week’s blog post, but as sometimes happens when one sits down to write and one is on a computer, it’s easy to get distracted and wander off. I wish I could say the purpose was ‘research,’ (though in a way it was), but instead it was book shopping – trying to choose what would be the most rewarding for the least cost and in paperback. A couple hours or so later I finally made my selections (on Thrift Books and Amazon.com) and pulled the trigger. Now I just have to sit back and watch my mailbox. 

As you might have guessed, this month’s topic is BOOKS. It all started with a trilogy of classes I signed up for through Upper Arlington Parks & Recreation called Building Your Personal Library being taught by Rich Simpson whose credentials were simply listed as ‘Experienced Bibliophile.’ 

This much was evident from my observation on the Zoom call that night. Rich was sitting in a wide aisle between two rather large library-sized bookshelves. Since I wasn’t sure if he was holding the class remotely or at home, I asked. He said it was his home library. I was duly impressed (except for the fact that most of the books appeared to be law books and other equally dry subject matter due to the lack of color on their covers). 

One of my classmates that evening was Rich’s friend, Alan who told us he had a rather large home library as well with shelves in most rooms including the hallway. The last two houses my in-laws lived in were like that with book shelves in most rooms lined with lots of vintage orange Penguin paperbacks along with other well-aged novels and miscellaneous subjects. Although I love books, I am of the type of personality that prefers my items to all be corralled in one room, if possible. When we found our house many moons ago now, and I saw that the room behind the living room had built-in bookshelves,

it was love at first sight as I immediately had dreams of commandeering that room for my home library. I ended up having to wait several years because my husband needed a home office, so he snapped it up first. Eventually he changed jobs and went to work outside the home, so we gradually got rid of the desk that took up a good third of the room. I then went online and ordered a couple nice bookshelves to match the built-ins, and the rest is history. 

Anyway, I digress. Back to the class – the first class was called “Libraries and Book Collecting,” and the description said: “Do you love books? What kind are meaningful to you? Are you an “accumulator” or a “collector”? Why bother keeping a book on your shelf? This session helps answer these questions and includes a discussion of the history of libraries and book collecting.”

After getting to know each other a bit, the instructor launched into a history of paper and book making (most of which I already knew, so I struggled to look engaged), then he showed examples of books from his collection and why one book might be more valuable than another. I learned that most books only have a first edition, but books that do go into a second or third print run certainly makes the first editions more valuable. Of course you can learn a bit about why certain books are valuable if you watch shows like "The Antiques Road Show." I seem to recall a first edition signed copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" being worth thousands of dollars - not surprising.

I’ll be honest, I skipped the second class and the third class got cancelled. The second class was called “The Value of a Book.” (description: "What makes a book valuable or worth keeping? Discussion focuses on the many factors that go into making a book worth keeping. Participants learn by inspecting examples.") I don’t buy books as investments and tend not to spend much more than $20 (which is rare for me to even spend that much). I am all about quantity, rather than quality.

I have to say, as bored as I was with the first class, Rich did inspire me to go online and have another search for a favorite childhood book. The search was fruitful as I found a well-loved (i.e., duct taped binding) copy of a Golden Book for about $8 and some change. I could have gotten a nicer copy (though still only fair by industry standards) for $35, but felt sorry for this lesser version.

Plus, it's not like all my childhood books are in pristine condition. I still kick myself for putting a piece of masking tape on "Flat Stanley" which says "C" - might have been part of my initials at one point but the “C” is all that's still legible.

The same day as the last class (Monday) I heard on NPR that Bexley Library was having Susan Orlean speak in their Community Author Series the following day (Tuesday). I decided my time would be better spent trying to read as much of The Library Book (the 2018 book about the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire) as possible, so I called in sick to the class (not proud of that, but I rarely ever do that, so I am letting myself off the hook here), grabbed my paperback, and headed out to our patio to read.

I’m glad I did since much of what Orleans talked about was familiar from having just read it. She was an excellent and engaging speaker and inspired me to look up some of her books and add them to my reading list.

By the way, since this event was free and open to the general public, I emailed a link to the event to my uncle in California, who was kind enough to give me his copy of The Library Book many years ago, but until now I hadn’t gotten around to reading. He joined me (and 500 others) on the Zoom call and we periodically texted a few comments. I think he enjoyed it as much as I did.

The other recent book event was The Ohioana Book Festival which was held April 22-25 (http://www.ohioana.org/programs/ohioana-book-festival/) strictly online, same as last year. I had a quick look at the schedule and selected a few panels I thought might be interesting. Because they’re all recorded anyway, you have the option of viewing them on You Tube at your leisure.

I was able to tune in live to the Cozy Mystery panel which was broadcast on Saturday morning. My husband was kind enough to make me a mocha (on Monty our beloved espresso machine) so I could sip it while enjoying the program. The description of the program pretty much dictated that you have a beverage in hand, so when in Rome!  “Grab a cup of tea and your favorite furry friend to enjoy this discussion with a group of Ohio’s most beloved cozy mystery authors.” (my cat preferred to nap elsewhere, so no kitty on my lap for this one).

I’ll be honest, I like the idea of a cozy mystery more in theory than in practice as I’ve only ever read a couple (though I enjoyed them both), but it’s always fun to hear about the various author’s processes and get a sneak peek at some of the plotlines and characters. One of the authors revealed that she always warns her friends that something they say might show up in one of her books. Another of the authors said it would be her dream to be locked up in a library overnight. That would definitely be my dream too. In fact, that happened to one of my favorite characters in a sitcom, but that was because he was running late to do research on a college term paper, so he inadvertently got locked in (but I seem to recall he had female companionship that evening, so his evening went off in a different direction than mine would have).

In case you’re curious what I’m reading now, I have set aside The Library Book (by Susan Orlean) as my friend and I just formed a two-person book club (though it’s open to anyone else who would care to join) to read I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Garvin. 

I am also reading 365 Devotions to Savor by Shauna Niequist. Several of the daily devotions have coincided with events going on in my life, which is an interesting coincidence and makes me think the universe is definitely paying attention to me. They also say that a lot of times the right book finds you when you need it. However, I bought this book a couple years ago, and only now (January 1^st) finally picked it up. Although it has some religious overtones and a lot about the author’s marriage and home life with her child, I still find much of it relatable. 

If you’re a fan of all things books and libraries I can definitely recommend The Library Book. You do, however, have to tolerate a lot of tangents off in different directions (like a whole section about past and present directors of the library and the role the library plays in the community, etc.). It’s an easy book to dip in and out of, so one to enjoy in spare moments of leisure time. 

I only just started I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Garvin, but am enjoying it so far. I made a casual resolution to read more novels (my preference is usually towards memoirs and collections of essays), which seems to be how most of my family leans. 

My mom said she’s never read as many books as she did last year when the pandemic started. I recommended a couple authors to her (Lisa Scottoline & her daughter Francesca Serritella) and my mom has had nothing but praise for Scottoline’s books (mysteries). My dad is more of a John Grisham and James Patterson fan. I’m not sure if my sister has a favorite author, but I think she and I probably read a lot of the same authors growing up – Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. She seems to prefer novels too and often reads what’s currently popular. 

I think my bad habit of accumulating books has rubbed off on my sister as I have seen a tower of paperbacks in her master bedroom. My mom told me she is anxious to go back to the library* even though she still has plenty of books to read at home. Me too mom! 

*(I think their library up in NE Ohio has mostly stayed open, whereas ours closed during the pandemic and has only been open for pick-ups until fairly recently). 

I recently subscribed to an excellent magazine which is free of all advertising and is devoted exclusively to articles about the joys of reading and all things books. It’s called Oh Reader, and there’s been three issues out to date. For more info, here’s a link:  https://www.ohreader.com/about 

While on the subject of books, I can recommend an excellent somewhat book-themed movie called “Liberal Arts” which was filmed here in Ohio – mostly on the campus of Kenyon college, but one scene was filmed at the now defunct Acorn Books in Grandview (I wrote a previous blog post about that in 2018 which you can find in my archives). There’s a funny discussion about the value (or in this case, lack thereof) of the “Twilight” book series. As a Harry Potter fan, I was a bit disdainful of them at first, but after I saw the first “Twilight” movie, I became a fan and have added the series to my books to read list. 

I can also recommend “The Bookshop,” which came out in 2017, though it’s definitely not one of the  more cheerful films, but it is set in a bookshop in England, so if you like period dramas and all-star casts, this is a good movie to rent/stream. 

In addition, there are several excellent documentaries about books on Amazon Prime. One of my favorites was about the people who sell books from tables or the sidewalk on various streets in Manhattan, or at least used to, because I think the city has since shuffled them off to greener pastures. There’s another program about the whole world of book collecting and the conventions devoted entirely to antique and rare books. Some of these people buy up these books and then store them in giant warehouses, which seems just a little bit selfish to me. I hope some of them eventually bequeath their collections to libraries. 

Well, that should be enough recommendations to get you started. I would love to hear what you’re reading and any movie/documentary recommendations.