Reading in the Garden

  The Forbidden Field of Medicine for Women A woman trying to pursue her passion in a time when it was illegal for her to be surgeon was fascinating.  It made me realize not just how much women’s roles in healthcare have evolved, but also the enormous challenges and discoveries in the medical field of a bygone era. Hooray for Nora, who quickly won my respect, and later my full admiration!   It’s the middle of the nineteenth century in London, and the cholera epidemic left little Nora an orphan.  Dr. Croft took her into his home, under his wing where she immersed herself into learning all about the medical field. Yet in that time and age, Nora was not allowed to become a surgeon as she wanted, and even Dr. Croft’s medical license could be in jeopardy if anyone knew how involved she was.  This dilemma hanging over their heads eventually becomes an imminent threat.  What will Nora do? What will Dr. Croft do?  What will their new, ...

  A Real-life Horror Story An Antarctic expedition turns into a real-life horror story. The crew of the  Belgica  is mentally and physically pulled to the brink of hell when their ship is stuck in powerful and unforgiving ice for a year. An amazing tale of survival that made me shiver just imagining what they endured!   In 1897 the  Belgica  sets sail on an expedition which is met with drama before even reaching Antarctica. Insubordinate, gun-wielding sailors and the ship running aground could have been clear omens that this voyage was destined for tragedy. Yet the mission continues on with hair-raising results.  After the commandant’s betrayal, the crew cannot escape the icy nightmare they find themselves in. Helplessly, they watch as the polar nights descend on them like a coffin lid, leading some to madness while almost everyone is plagued with a mysterious, debilitating illness.    Although the destination of the South Pole was not r...

  Happy Earth Day! It can be depressing to watch the news or look out the window and see climate change in action.  In 2020 we had so many hurricanes in the U.S. the scientists had worked their way through our entire alphabet in naming them and had to start on the Greek alphabet.  And remember the deep freeze in Texas that left people with no power, bursting pipes and unheard of electricity bills racked up in the thousands? Then there are the annual California fires that get bigger and more destructive each year.  Sometimes it feels like a regular person is being sucked defenselessly in the downward spiral of our planet. We feel helpless. So what can a regular person do?  The answers starts with: little things.  Because little things add up to big things when more and more people do them. That’s why I decided to get some guidance in changing my habits and mindset and this book is a great first step in that direction.   The Almo...

  Utterly Sobering and Chilling This book paints a painfully vivid and powerful image of Hitler’s reign and the courageous young women in the Polish Resistance who found the strength for defiance.  Utterly sobering and chilling, it shook me to the core.    These young women put themselves in grave danger as they supplied intelligence and arms to fellow underground fighters.  They smuggled grenades and dynamite in their underwear, derailed trains, and joined in the horrifying combat of the ghetto uprisings in Warsaw, Bialystok, Bedzin, and other places. They were fighting for their lives, trying to survive pure evil.    Annette

  A mix of recommendations—novels and non-fiction, adults and kids.   Here are my most recent reads that I enjoyed. The Alice Network  by Kate Quinn A breath-taking novel based on a true story a female spy network in France during the Great War. This book alternates between Eve’s time as a spy in 1915 and a young woman in 1947 who enlists the help of the reluctant and bitter Eve and her driver to help search for her beloved cousin who disappeared during the second World War. Soooooo good!   One of my favorite things about this author is not just her gripping writing style, it’s the fact that afterwards she gives background information on the real characters, so you know exactly what’s true and which parts may have been embellished.   The Elephant of Belfast   by S. Kirk Walsh Based on a true story, twenty-year-old Hettie saves Violet the elephant during bombings on Belfast in WWII. The descriptions of the bombings put you right inside the mayhem, chaos...

  Li ghthearted Breath of Fresh Air. Better Luck Next Time  lassoed me in right from the beginning with the premise of a dude ranch for soon-to-be divorcees in the 1930s outside of Reno. But it was the characters who really won my heart with the wild and outspoken Nina, sweet Emily, Sam with his cowboy wisdom, and the kind, amusing narrator, Ward, telling of his time at the Flying Leap with the ladies.    The book carried a sense of humor, politeness, and innocence of a nostalgic era that I loved. It wasn’t crude, graphic, or violent.  Instead it offered a lighthearted, well-needed breath of fresh air.    If You Like This Book You May Want to Read: Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce    Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand...

  Become a Fly on the Wall of the White House.    Become a fly on the wall of the White House! This book gives an inside look at life in the most famous house in the country. You will discover the massive operations behind the scenes, its residence staff members and their duties, stories of the presidents and their families, and fun trivia. Find out what’s hidden under the Press Briefing Room, which president liked to eat squirrel stew, and which president and first lady went by code names Rawhide and Rainbow.     This book is geared for mid-kids readers ages 8-12, but I found it highly intriguing and recommend it for all ages.  I was constantly interrupting my husband while he was trying to read his own book telling him to “listen to this” as I recited snippets to him.  This book is an absolute treasure! Happy Reading,   Annette