Benny & Shrimp. Finished 9-4-16, rating 3.75/5, fiction, 209 pages. pub. 1998

An international sensation, this addictively readable tale asks the question: Why is it so impossible to get a relationship between two middle-aged misfits to work? The answer lies in the story of Shrimp, a young widowed librarian with a sharp intellect and a home so tidy that her jam jars are in alphabetical order; Benny, a gentle, overworked milk farmer who fears becoming the village’s Old Bachelor; and an unlikely love that should not be as complicated as it seems. Reminiscent of the works of Carol Shields, this quirky, humorous, beautifully told novel breathes new life into the age-old conundrum that is love.

I realize that I am now middle aged, but calling 35 &36 year olds washed up, middle aged, has-beens was a bit of a stretch for me. Not that I didn’t love them, but Benny and Desiree kept trying to make me feel like they were older than they really were.  This could, of course, just be a difference in culture. This book is translated from Swedish, so maybe people are put out on the shelf earlier than they are here. I totally understood Desiree’s clicking biological clock.  Been there at that age so totally believable.

Aside from the middle aged issue, I really liked these two quirky characters who were leading different lives and couldn’t seem to find a way to meld them together.  A clear case of opposites attract told with great truth and insight.  I see that some friends who read the book didn’t like end.  I didn’t see it coming, but I actually think it was an ending true to the characters.  I understand there’s a sequel  and I wouldn’t mind checking out what happens to Benny & Shrimp.

I loved learning more about life in Sweden and the running of a dairy farm.  A fun read and book 4 in my Book a Day challenge.

 

 

Vengeance Follows. Finished 9-3-16, 3.5/5 stars, fiction. 247 pages, pub. 2013

A young man loses the true love of his life and seeks vengeance from the man he holds responsible for his wife’s death. Told with elegant simplicity, this novel of literary suspense is a tragic story of love and loss that ultimately reveals the cruelty of human nature and the healing power of forgiveness.

Sam and Sophie’s idyllic life of Parisian cafés, fine wine, and romantic passion is torn apart when Sophie is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Then Sophie reveals something that happened years before they met—a horrific event that changed her life and left her wounded in ways no one knew. She’s found peace in the years since, she swears to Sam. But then she’s gone, and Sam finds only pain.

Bereft and alone, he leaves the City of Light and seeks solace in a small French village where no one knows him or his past. Troubled in heart and mind, he knows one man is responsible for Sophie’s death. Sam cannot live without confronting him and holding him accountable for his past crimes.

And so Sam travels to America, to a charming little Ohio town where lights twinkle on the snow in winter and fairs shimmer in the summer heat. Here, Sam will seek his revenge—and find retribution for his lost love in a way he could never imagine . . .

Sam loses the love of his life and blames one man. After her death he heads to a small Ohio village to plan his revenge.  What he finds is town full of people who can help him heal, if only he would let them.

Chestnut Falls, based on the lovely Chagrin Falls where I take most out-of-town guests, is lovely.  Lax brought the village and the people to life. I fell in love with the friends Sam made and their stories.  My only problem was I didn’t quite buy into the quest for vengeance, so Sam was a mystery to me.

This is sure to appeal to lovers of charming villages and small town life. It even adds a sophisticated air since Sam spent years in Paris writing about wine.  Sounds like a perfect job to me 🙂

The publisher generously sent this one to me and is my third book in my 30 books in 30 days challenge and you can read more about it here.

 

 

A Housefly in Autumn. Finished 9-2-16, rating 4.5/5, fiction, 191 pages, pub.2015

A Housefly in Autumn is intended for Young Adults and up. A historical novel, set in 19th century Europe, it follows the life of a young man whose dreams have crumbled down around him. In an act of heroism, he sacrifices his own promising future to save the life of another. Now he must decide whether to cling to the unlikely hope of regaining his old life, or aim his efforts toward making the most of the life fate has dealt him. Though it is difficult to let go of the rewards that life once promised, perhaps the greatest rewards are the ones earned by building new hope from the bits and pieces of wrecked dreams.   from Goodreads

This book was such a fun and surprising read for me.  I chose it because an old friend wrote it, but it didn’t really look like something that I’d like.  I was so wrong.  I love everything about this book, from the hero Anders Christiansen (Hans Christian Andersen similarity intentional) to the stories he told to children to the hope that his life represented.  I may have even cried once or twice so obviously I was invested!

Anders was a star. At 17, he had loving parents and was considered the next big thing at university.  But life has a way of changing in the blink of an eye.  Hans circumstances change, but his character doesn’t. I was rooting for Hans and even when he (and I with him) faced disappointment I could always count on his ability to soldier on.

Honestly, I don’t want to give too much away, but this book really touched me and I cannot wait to read it with Gage so that he too can become a fan of Hans, who faced adversity with an ability to find something good in every situation. Important life lessons are taught but never at the expense of the story.

This one feels like a fairy tale and is filled with fairy tales and if you give it a read I bet it will charm you too.

This is my second book in my 30 books in 30 days challenge and you can read more about it here.

 

 

 

Life has been a whirlwind, August in particular being ridiculously stressful.  With Gage starting school I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my time, but knew that it was going to involve something for me.  Stay at home moms, at least this one, get lost in the day-to-day and then all of the sudden they realize that they are not the same person they were before kids.  If this is true then kindergarten is a litmus test, of sorts.  Which way is the wind of the future blowing?

Jason came to me last weekend with an idea crazy enough to interest me. We were always fans of Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days series and of his documentary Supersize Me and Jason and I are both motivated by challenges so the idea was that we would start a series of personal 30 day challenges.  For the next year I hope that I can challenge myself to dream a little, explore the world, push myself to conquer fears all while learning and changing.  That sounds easy, right?

So, I set up a blog where I could blog everyday and Jason could contribute his own challenge every other month (someone has to pay the bills!). I hope that you’ll click over to My 30 Day Challenges and follow me as I start this first month with a book challenge I’m excited about.  It’s only because of my great experience with you, the book bloggers I know and love, that I’m ready to take on another blog.  I don’t know what will happen to this blog long term, after 8 years I’m not planning on stopping, but it may change.  For this first month at least, and probably many others, it will be easy to post on both.

And, just so you know, I am planning on inspiring you all to try a 30 day challenge and blog about it with me 🙂

Go on, see what I’m taking on this month.  You know you want to.

One of my favorite places in Cleveland is Lake View Cemetery. You can find the history of Cleveland and its place in the world here in the 200 acre, beautifully landscaped land.  I take Gage to school in the mornings and the cemetery is only ten minutes away so I spent two mornings this week walking the grounds revisiting old favorites and discovering new stories and beauty.

This will probably be my first of a few posts about Lake View, so I’m going to start with who is buried here that you may know.

President James A Garfield (1831-1881)

His memorial is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is the only Presidential casket on full display.  The 2oth President is buried with his wife, one his daughters and her husband.  You can start in the basement to see the caskets, visit the first floor (none of my pictures did it justice so I didn’t include them), and then head up to the balcony where you get the best view of downtown Cleveland, six miles away.

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937)

The first billionaire in the United States and considered the wealthiest American of all-time.  He started his career by founding the Standard Oil Company in Cleveland.  His immediate family is buried here too.

Eliot Ness (1903-1957)

His ashes were scattered in the small pond behind this headstone.  Made most famous after his death by the book and movie chronicling his efforts to bring down Al Capone as one of the Untouchables.

Harvey Pekar (1939-2010)

Next to Eliot Ness is Pekar, known for his autobiographical comic American Splendor (made into a 2003 movie).  I love the Sharpies that people have put in the ground beside his tombstone.

Alan Freed (1921-1965)

Cleveland can thank Alan Freed for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as this local DJ coined the phrase in 1951.  I saw this jukebox headstone from Pekar’s grave and walked over to find out who it was.

This is just a small number of the famous people I ran into this week, but there are more.  The first day I walked around in the older section and didn’t see anyone I knew but just enjoyed the grounds.

A great touristy place to visit and, if interested, you can still be buried here.  They give themed tours all the time and they are even having a concert today on the lawn of Garfield’s Memorial!

 

I read this article in Town and Country magazine written by Amor Towles  and how he was inspired to write his book about a man sentenced to ‘house arrest’ in the Metropol hotel across from Kremlin. It got me thinking.

If I were put under indefinite house arrest in the hotel of my choice (because in my daydream I’d get to choose :)) which one would I pick?  The rules are that I’d have the run of the hotel and I had to have stayed there already.  So, it would have to have food and preferably a nice lobby and bar to meet new people.  As Towles talks about in the article, the people who come into the hotel are going to be your touch with the outside world, so that’s a consideration too.

After spending a little too long making a list of possibilities last week after I took Gage to school. I made my choice.

Stowe Mountain Lodge in Vermont.  We were upgraded to a suite and it was my favorite room we’ve ever stayed in.  It was cozy and felt like home.  The food was good and the lobby was gorgeous.  There was also a spa, so that’s a bonus.  The cold weather wouldn’t matter since, hello, I couldn’t leave anyway.  Here are a few pics from our trip there in 2013.

So, what hotel can you see yourself holed up in for an extended period of time?  Can’t wait to see what you choose!

 

A new chapter in my motherhood journey began today as I dropped off Gage at school for his first day of Kindergarten.

Julie Billiart is a Catholic school that specializes in kids with learning differences, including kids on the autism spectrum.  We chose it for many reasons with the biggest one for me being the small class size (12), but the two recesses and sensory accommodations in the classroom were big plusses too.

This is a big, great beginning for Gage,  but with that I feel an ending of something too as the tears come.  I pushed and prodded him to his starting line while moving closer and closer to my own finish line.  Yes, I know my mothering days aren’t over, not by a long shot, but there is a definite shift in the air and it freaks me out a bit. I want time to slow down so I can enjoy and appreciate every moment.

I’m going to sit here, enjoy a cup of coffee and contemplate what to do with these thirty hours a week that just opened up to me.  Should I get a job, go back to school or lose some weight?  I don’t think I have time for all three but it will be nice to spend the next few mornings mulling my choices.