Monday, March 18, 2024

NonFiction Tuesday: The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon

 



This week's pick: The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington's Most Private First Lady by Heath Hardage Lee

Due out August 6, 2024



Synopsis taken from Amazon:

In America’s collective consciousness, Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and made Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times. She survived the turmoil of the Watergate scandal with her popularity and dignity intact. And yet, the media often portrayed Mrs. Nixon as elusive and mysterious. The real Pat Nixon, however, bore little resemblance to the woman so often described in the press. Pat married California lawyer Richard Nixon in June of 1940, becoming a wife, mother, and her husband’s trusted political partner in short order. As the couple rose to prominence, Pat became Second Lady from 1953-1961 and then First Lady from 1969-1974, forging her own graceful path between the protocols of the strait-laced mid-century and the bra-burning Sixties and Seventies.

Pat was a highly traveled First Lady, visiting eighty-three countries during her tenure. After a devastating earthquake in Peru in 1970, she personally flew in medical supplies and food to hard-hit areas, meeting one-on-one with victims of the tragedy. The First Lady’s 1972 trips with her husband to China and to Russia were critical to the detente that resulted. President Nixon frequently sent her to represent him at significant events in South America and Africa solo. Pat greatly expanded upon previous preservation efforts in the White House, obtaining more art and antique objects than any other First Lady. She was progressive on women’s issues, favoring the Equal Rights Amendment and backing a targeted effort to get more women into high level government jobs. Pat strongly supported nominating a woman for the Supreme Court. She was pro-choice, supporting women’s reproductive rights publicly even before the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.

When asked to define her “signature” First Lady agenda, she defied being put into a box, often saying: “People are my project.” There was nothing Pat Nixon enjoyed more than working one-on-one directly with ordinary human beings, especially with women, children, and those in need. In 
The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, Heath Hardage Lee presents readers with the essential nature of this First Lady, an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered world-wide.


Sunday, March 17, 2024

Monday Mini-Reviews: Two Five Star Reviews and Back to Reality

 Spring Break 2024 is a wrap and today it is back to reality.  I started making a list during the sermon at church today since my mind was wandering and I kept thinking of multiple things I needed to do as soon as I got back to school.  


I did get a few books read over break, but as is typical, I have more I've added to my TBR. These two were both five star reads although I read several others that were also very good.





The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is one I would typically say is not "my type" of book.  Cassie Andrews is a bookseller that is gifted The Book of Doors, a book that holds special powers that Cassie and Izzy, her friend, explore as they travel anywhere in the world.  But the book is highly sought after since it holds special powers and there is violence and danger following them wherever they go. 

I found myself turning pages as quickly as I could to find out what would next happen.  I wasn't sure who Cassie could trust and I kept rooting for her, yet was skeptical that things could turn out well for her.  The time travel aspect, which is something I usually think I don't like, was so well done.  

My only regret is that in reading it so quickly I am not sure I truly caught every connection within this gem.





Frances Perkins is a woman in history that until now was unknown to me.  March is National Woman's History Month and I've found myself asking students if they can think of any important women in history.  This seems incredibly hard for them and often the only people they can come up with are athletes or musicians.  Frances Perkins is a woman students should know about.  She served as the Secretary of Labor under FDR, and in this fictionalized account of her adult life we see her rub elbows with a variety of influential people of her time, and the many contributions she made to our country.  Perkins' life was certainly unconventional for a woman of her time, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about her.

I'm always thankful for the authors who continue to turn out fictionalized accounts of little known women and love that these books pique my interest and I get to do some more research on my own to learn more.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Friday Five: Back From Boston

 We had a great time in Boston over spring break.  We did a lot of sightseeing, some shopping and ate great food. I'm glad for the couple of days we have at home now to regroup and relax.





Spring is definitely coming and there are lots of warm weather clothing I'm seeing online (and in person in Boston).  

Here are this week's finds:

1.  Getty Crop Wide Leg


2.  Water Resistant Hooded Utility Jacket



3.  Striped Knit Cardigan



4.  Sunset Icon Cotton Crewneck Sweater





5.  Midform Infinity Sandal




6. Sienna Embroidered Shirt




7.  High Rise Wide Legged Cropped Jeans




8.  Nike Sportswear Phoenix Fleece



9.  Snappy Stretch Convertible Baggy Cargo Jogger




10.  Ski Stripe High Pile Fleece Jacket




That's it for me this week. What's caught your eye?

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday: Summers at the Saint




Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.





This week's pick: Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

Due out: May 7, 2024


Synopsis taken from Amazon:

Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help―including the daughter of her estranged best friend―Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Monday of Spring Break

 We've headed to Boston for spring break!  We'll be back on Wednesday and the three full days we are there should be packed full of sightseeing and good food.  I'm hoping for some reading time on the plane and have packed several books along with my kindle.  

I've read some books that weren't all that amazing, but I am wondering if part of that is because of having a bit of a book hangover after Lonesome Dove.  The Book of Doors has been an amazing read, and I feel like I am finally back to my normal reading after that.  

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Friday Five: Spring Break Is Here

 



1.  Eyelet Tiered Mini Shirtdress




2.  Pippa Packable Pullover Puffer




3.  The Great Lakes Pullover Sweatshirt




4.  Endless High Rise Pant




5.  The Emmett Wide-Leg Crop Pant: Welt Pocket Edition





6.  Round Neck Short Sleeve Floral Lace Sheath Dress




7.  Printed High Rise Girlfriend Chino Pant





8.  Striped Puff Sleeve Button Up




9.  Striped Terry Half-Zip Pullover




10.  Feud: Capote Vs. the Swans






That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Middle Grade Historical Fiction

 

February really was a month full of historical fiction.  I picked up this book after seeing Janssen at EverydayReading post on instagram that she was reading it aloud to her daughters. It had been on a TBR on my desk at school for far too long.





It's 1914 and Norvia has spent her childhood on Beaver Island hearing about her Ojibwe heritage from her grandfather.  After her parents divorce and her mother remarries, relocating the family to the city, Norvia is told to keep her native heritage a secret.

Now she has a stepfather and stepbrother, Vernon along with exciting things like automobiles, soda shops and movies.  WWI is looming, but Norvia wants this to be the best year yet as she dreams of going on to high school.

I loved this one.  I loved the setting on the island and small town. I loved Norvia's stepfather who was kind and patient and wanted the best for his own children and stepchildren. I loved that this one incorporated some faith in it as well without it seeming preachy. And I loved that this one was inspired by Anna Rose Johnson's family history.

This one was a five star read!

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday: Darling Girls




Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released title I can't wait to read.




This week's pick: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Due out: April 23, 2024


Synopsis taken from Amazon:

Get ready for another twisty domestic thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of THE SOULMATE.

From the outside, Alicia, Jessica and Norah might seem like ordinary women you'd meet on the street any day of the week. Sure, Jessica has a little OCD and Norah has some anger issues. And Alicia has low self-esteem that manifests itself in surprising ways. But these three have a bond that no one can fully understand. It's a bond that takes them back decades, to when they were girls, and they lived on a farm with a foster mother named Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild, and they thought they were free. But the reach of someone with such power is long, and even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood, they are called in by the police to tell what they know. Against their will, they are brought back to the past, and to Miss Fairchild herself. DARLING GIRLS asks the questions: what are we capable of when in a desperate place? How much can we hide the demons inside us? And can the past ever truly be buried?


Monday, March 4, 2024

NonFiction Tuesday: Upcoming Release: Challenger

 

I love nonfiction books and there are certain topics that I am especially excited to read about. The Challenger disaster occurred when I was in middle school and I have been fascinated by this tragedy ever since.




This week's title: Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

Due out: May 14, 2024




Synopsis taken from Amazon: 


From the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster, based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new archival research—a riveting history that reads like a thriller.

On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle 
Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in twentieth-century history—one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told.

Based on extensive archival research and metic­ulous, original reporting, 
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space follows a handful of central protagonists—including each of the seven members of the doomed crew—through the years leading up to the accident, and offers a detailed account of the tragedy itself and the inves­tigation afterward. It’s a compelling tale of ambition and ingenuity undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light. Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and later hidden from the public.

Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program and the lives of men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster, as well as the designers, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space. A masterful blend of riveting human drama and fascinating and absorbing science, 
Challenger identifies a turning point in history—and brings to life an even more complex and astonishing story than we remember.

Monday Mini-Reviews: Historical Fiction

 I have long claimed that historical fiction is my favorite genre and yet when I look back at the end of the year, I am always surprised by how little of it I read.  I think this year might be a different story.  I have been picking up more historical fiction (as opposed to buying historical fiction books that just sit on my TBR) and thoroughly enjoying them.





A Wild and Heavenly Place by Robin Oliviera is a love story of sorts. Samuel is in awe of Hailey MacIntyre's beauty and when he rescues her brother from a speeding carriage, the two instantly have a connection.  But then Hailey's father relocates them from Scotland to Seattle, a new city where he believes he can find a job.  As Hailey leaves she yells to Samuel to remember Washington Territory, and Sam, who is raising his young sister, tries to find a way to get there himself. What I loved about this one: the Seattle setting as the city is just developing and the love story between Hailey and Samuel.


The General and Julia by Jon Clinch- Ulysses S Grant writes his memoirs as his death approaches.  He shares different critical stories from his life in an effort to leave his family with some financial security as he lays dying from cancer.  What I loved about this one: I knew very little about Grant or his wife Julia Dent and I found my interest piqued.  His character is something I want to know more about as he fought for equal rights for blacks and against the Ku Klux Klan.


The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill- this is a debut novel set in 1990s Texas and WWII Japan, Lia and her grandmother find themselves sharing a bedroom at her parents' house during a pivotal time in both of their lives. Lia, a promising architect, has returned home after a situation at work, leaving her job.  Mineko tells Lia stories about her early life in Japan and the man she loved before she married Lia's grandfather.  What I loved about this one: the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter and the WWII stories


Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry- this American classic consumed a lot of reading time in February.  I don't think this is a five star read for me, but once I finally got into the story (which took quite a while), I was invested in the characters.  There are lots of characters which also made it a little more difficult at the beginning, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the men who drove cattle from Lonesome Dove to Montana and the rough life they lived.  What I loved about this one: I fell in love with the female characters whose lives were so challenging, especially Clara.  I also loved the landscape and open country that I could picture as I read.


These four were all winners.  I'm trying to read more memoirs in March, so I expect I'll have fewer historical fiction reads this month.