Reading in the Garden

 The Glutton by AK Blakemore. This is an unusual historical fiction set around the French revolution, a dire and punishing time of great social divides. A near-death incident alters a man's physical constitution where he remains hungry no matter how much he eats. He gorges himself at street performances eating not just large quantities of food but also devouring unthinkable things from corks and belts to a trough of entrails and more unimaginable things.   Blakemore's writing is bewitching sophistication with a glut of extravagant words co-mingled with crude phraseology. Words crowned with an air of pretension glide next to vulgar expressive jargon - the his and hers set of “C” words make repeated appearances.   If you're adverse to violence, squeamish when someone eats a dead rat or worse, or offended by foul language, this may not be the book for you, yet it just may be the perfect read for someone coloring outside the lines.   While I did like the book, some thing...

 Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth. This is such a sweet and tender tale about a highly successful JK-Rowling type author of a fantasy kids series who gets early onset dementia and needs help completing the last book in the series. When Libby puts out a plea to a superfan to hear the stories she proposes for the Following children's fate, 11-year-old peanut bursts into her life like a whirling ray of sunshine. Peanut is a fearless, can-do ball of energy, who doesn't always get things right yet plows forward despite her own set of curveballs life has thrown at her. Heartbreak is something Libby and Peanut have in common, but their unlikely collaboration is hopeful, humorous, and full of magical charm. I loved getting swept away in their personal stories as they work to finish the children's story. Happy Reading! Annette

Bottoms Up! This is an absorbing tour into the world of absinthe, the notorious alcohol that was globally banned by 1915 and then widely legalized again in the early 2000s. The author examines how one man fooled collectors into paying exorbitant prices for bottles of forged “pre-ban” absinthe.     Alongside the uncovering of the forger, we learn about the history of absinthe, the bad reputation it gained, underground absintheurs, as well as bootlegging in Switzerland. There is a mystique about the drink, including the way it visually changes as water is dripped into it over special spoons balancing sugar cubes atop the glasses. Drinking it is almost a ritual. A culture is enmeshed in the absinthe scene that rivals the enthusiasms of oenophiles.  I found all of it very informative and entertaining.    I’m not much of a drinker, but I wouldn’t mind trying this just once. I want to see the whole process—an interactive drinking experience. One should be enough ...

2023 Book Club Lists 2023 Idaho Book Worms Book Club – my book club  😊 💫Jan - Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton 💫Feb - The Guncle by Steven Rowley 💫Mar - Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest 💫Apr - The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman 💫May/June - The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore 💫Jul - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 💫Aug - West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge 💫Sep - The Time Machine by H.G. Wells 💫Oct - The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner 💫Nov - The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon 💢We do not meet in December since the holidays are hectic enough.   2023 Well-Read Moose Gems wellreadmoose.com 💎 Jan – Bandit Queen Parni Shroff 💎 Feb – House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson 💎 Mar – I Have Some Questions for you by Rebecca Makkai 💎 Apr – Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano 💎 May – No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister    💎 Jun – Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See 💎 Jul – The First Ladies by M...

 Maugham in Malaya A book worthy of its gorgeous cover! Eloquent prose threads its way through exotic 1921 Malaya when renowned author W. Somerset Maugham visits an old friend. Maugham finds inspiration for his next book in the story of a decade-old murder that serves as a backdrop for the complexities of social mores, cultural clashes, and one’s inner truth. Alluring and moving.   I liked the way Tan Twan Eng blended the lives of Maugham with the struggles of his hostess, along with the woman who murdered a man, and the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen who fought to bring down the Ching (Qing) Dynasty, a part of history I didn’t know much about (especially the Taiping Rebellion).  The stories were engaging, the setting was striking, and the writing was beautiful. And, I loved the symbolism behind the title of the book.    This book has staying-power and will be talked about for years to come! It's been long-listed for the Booker Prize. Pub date: Oct 17 He...

 Remains of the Day This book immediately struck me as a character study. I didn’t expect much action, and predictably, didn’t get much.  Mostly it was about getting inside a stuffy, dignified butler’s head, listening to his internal dialogue, his thought process, and his many recollections of a thirty-year career, annnnnnnnnnd—I LOVED IT!!  💗 It had such depth and insight that I couldn’t wait to return each day to see what Mr. Stevens would reveal and what the outcome of his quest would be.  I was not disappointed.  In fact, the book stirred me more than I expected.  Yes, those tears fell freely when I wasn’t looking.  It snuck up on me—all of it, all of Mr. Stevens’ days that he shared moved me in some way.   I’m not sure this book is for everyone.  "Boring" is how one friend described it as he politely set it aside. BUT I truly believe if my friend got into his Zen mode and picked it up again, he might—if not quit...