Showing posts with label Looking Back. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Looking Back. Show all posts

6.30.2025

Looking Back: Books

You are going to laugh at this. In my mind, I was thinking, okay it's time for my quarterly book post, since the last time I did it was in the first quarter. Then I went back to find the last one, as I generally use the template to create the new one, and the last time I did a quarterly book post was the first quarter of 2024! Oopsie. So yeah, I guess time flies..? So I am going to do Q1 and Q2 together, I guess! Since this is 2025, I am going to give you...2 books I gave 0 stars (DNFed), 2 books I absolutely loved (5 stars) and 5 books that I did not give five stars but are definitely worth a read. So 2-0-2-5, (+5?) kind of! I am not going to divulge all the books I have given five stars yet, as that will in the year end wrap up! Stay tuned! 

Before I start, speaking of five star reads, last month I put the new TJR on hold!!! She has been consistently good (except that I don't love her older stuff as much, but everyone has to start somewhere) and I am looking forward to seeing what this new book brings! However, I am number 57 in line with 96 people waiting per copy so we will see how it goes! Hopefully my library gets more copies! 


Recommend! (5 stars): It is hard to pick just two really, but like I said, at the end of the year I will tell you all of them, so for now I will arbitrarily pick two! For fun, I will try to give you two that I have not heard many people talk about lately, so hopefully you will have not read these yet.

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. Her books are sometimes a little over the top, but this one I enjoyed. I actually started it when I was riding my bike to Elisabeth's house, then my loan ran out and I waited around 12 more weeks before I could get it again and finish it! It is the story of the woman who was the real author of Shakespeare's plays, and a modern day woman who has written a screenplay about her. I found it fun. It also is based on an actual theory that Shakespeare was not the true author of the plays he was famous for. Picoult does a good job researching her subjects, and a good job portraying her stories, and this book was no exception. It got mixed reviews on GR, but I enjoyed it. 

Look Closer by David Ellis. I read this book in one day. I was going to do all the things, and then I started it and then I could not put it down, and I got none of the things done. It was exactly what I needed after reading a few meh books in a row. It is a thriller about a couple who seem normal at first, but the more you read, the deeper the tale goes and before you know it, you can't really tell which way is up. The cops get involved and there is money, revenge and emotional distress. I loved it. Recommended by Stephany (thanks!)

Still great! (4 stars): Once again, I will try to touch on a few that you may not have heard of as much on the interwebs lately. Four stars is actually my most common rating so far this year, despite the fact that if you asked me, I probably would have guessed it to be three. Here are a few good ones! 

Leviathon Wakes by James Comey. I feel like this is something Jenny would like, as it is a bit like Ender's Game in a way. This is the first of nine (?) books in the Expanse series, and just like the Picoult book, I started it in the middle of 2024, but either wasn't in the mood or my hold lapsed, and you may recall, I had it on a list of "should I ditch these currently reading books" at the end of the year last year. I did not ditch it because I have several friends of different walks of life who have really enjoyed the series, and I am glad I stuck with it, as it was fun. It is the story of a battle in space, topped with a bit of romance and friendship. This is not my usual genre, but I have put book two on hold! 

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. This is a story about a teenager in the Ojibwe tribe, and covers some of the strife between the people on the reservation and the nearby town, and of being a teenager in general. The main character Daunis finds friendship in a hockey player friend of her brothers, but then finds out that he is not all that he was cracked up to be after she witnesses a murder and sees how he reacts. 

Wish You Well by David Balducci. I guess this author normally writes legal thrillers, but I have never read one. However, this is a coming of age novel about a girl from 1940s Manhattan whose family tragedy forces her and her younger brother to move to a small coal mining town in Virginia to live with their grandmother. The lessons they learn about life, love and friendship in the small town are priceless. I think normal Balducci fans, and some others, really did not like it, but I enjoyed it. 

All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. This is a cross between a missing person/murder mystery with elements of phycological thriller, coming of age and love (and obsession). It is the story of a young boy and girl and a small town. One day, the boy, Patch, saves a popular girl from a bad man but in doing so, gets captured himself. The search for him is lengthy and in the end, becomes bigger than you would ever imagine. If you like this, you may also like his other book, We Begin at the End, which I preferred over this. 

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. If you are looking for books from non American writers, this is a good one to try. The author is Turkish, and she writes beautifully. This book is about a talking tree (no, not like the Ents in the Lord of the Rings), love, and loss. Set in both Cypress and London, it is a beautifully written tale of a Greek Cypriot falling in love with a Turkish Cypriot during the time when this was forbidden. They have to meet in secret, in a tavern, under the branches of a fig tree. When war breaks out, people flee the island, but one person brings a branch of the tree to London, where it survives. Years later, the girl living there does not understand what this tree has been through, but as the tale progresses she learns more of its (and her own) story. 

Don't bother! (0 stars): 

Chaos Monkeys by Antonio Garcia Martinez. This book was actually so bad that I gave it one star, because I don't know if the zero stars go into the overall average and I wanted to make sure that my vote counted. In addition, I even wrote a review, which I rarely do. Here is what I said: Do not waste your time with this book. Whatever good information or insights the author may have had were drowned in his ego, entitlement and narcissistic manner. I nearly DNFed the book around the 5% mark when he started reminding me of all the finance bros I used to work with, but I carried on, thinking maybe it was a phase, but it was not. I thought I would check the GR reviews to see if they were so good that I should reconsider, but they were not, and laughably, the author rebuts several of the poor reviews in a very condescending manner, which seems pretty much on point. I finally DNFed for good at 22%.

Challenger by Adam Higgenbotham. I wanted to like this book; I wanted to learn more about this time period and situation. However, the description, the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster based on new archival research and in-depth reporting, is pretty much spot on. It is IN DEPTH, and it is minute by minute, and I tried to concentrate on it but I just could not. Maybe some other time, but I was not in the mood for that much detail and fact. 

Have you read any of these books and if so, what did you think? What was your favorite book in June? What was your favorite book so far this year? 

6.02.2025

What I Learned & Looking Back & Looking Forward: May 2025

Is it just me, or did May just zoom by? I felt like it did! Maybe because it is my favorite month? Maybe because I was doing stuff, literally moving from one place to the next nearly every day? Whatever it was, it went by fast. Oh and also, April showers DID bring May flowers, as I saw so many wildflowers! It was awesome. 

Where was I? Türkiye and Georgia.

What about you? Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

January: Baguettes and Many Steps
February: In Like Minnesota; Out Like Hawaii
March: Wet and Wild
April: My Life is in Ruins, and Beaches Too
May: Al Fresco 

(in reference to both being outside and also seeing a lot of art!)

2. What did you learn last month? 

I learned a lot about the Hittites, the Christians and the Ottomans and how the lands in this part of the world were fought over. I was really fascinated by the caves in Cappadocia and the history of the Christians hiding in them, as well as the takeover by the Ottomans and the subsequent years after that. Some of the ruins or structures are BC (like Hieropolis, shown below) and that just blows my mind. I really am in the cradle of civilization and it is all so interesting! However, I did not even visit some of the oldest sites, like Göbekli Tepe, which is said to have been inhabited from around 9,500 BC! Woof! I still have so many places on my list to visit and learn about, like additional places in Türkiye, places like Israel and Jordan and...oh man, the list goes on and on and on! 

Ani, Türkiye 

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It has been great for the most part. The last few days of the month were rainy, but I will take it! Being outside most of the time (hiking) has been great, sunny, and I even got a bit of a sunburn on a couple of the days (I put cream on, I swear!) 

This shirt is for sun protection, not cold

4. What event last month was your favorite?

I had a few extra days and I decided to go to a small town in the Caucasian mountains and I am so glad that I did and I could have easily stayed for another week; it was so beautiful and the people were nice, and the food was good, and I could hike right from my doorstep. It was perfect. (see photo above)

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

I am going to tell this in book, movie/show, podcast format. 

Book: I had a lot of fours, but no five stars, but I did enjoy The Firekeepers Daughter, The Drums of Autumn (4th Outlander, although not as good as the first one), and The Island of Missing Trees. 

Movie/Show: N/A, again! But I watched a lot of nice sunrises! 

Obligatory horse and balloon sunrise photo

Podcast: I have been trying to listen to the news in French or Spanish at least once a week, but I am failing miserably. I just don't have the patience to really concentrate that hard at the moment. 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

I don't know if this is funny, or just weird, but I was hiking to a glacier and as I was walking on a road leading up to the trailhead, there was a dude on a bike with no shirt on who would pass me, and then he would stop and do exercises, and then I would pass him, and then he would pass me, and then he would stop and I would pass him. Anyway, eventually I got to the trail and he and I were still leapfrogging (he was now off of his bike) and so we said hello and introduced ourselves. 

Bike guy

Well then he decided that (a) we were friends, (b) I wanted to hear all about him and (c) I must need him to tell me where to go and to help me find the best path. It turns out he was 27 and was a guide who had horses and hiked these trails all the time. Anyway, he was kind of annoying, as I just wanted to take photos and stop and look at stuff and he was adamant that he knew the best way, the best photo ops, the best trail and what I should be doing etc. Long story short, I finally shook him and almost felt like hiding and waiting for him to pass me so I could mosey along on my own. 

Fast forward to two days later, I get off a minibus on the outskirts of another town and I ask a German woman if she wants to share a ride into town. She does, and we get to talking about what we had done in the prior town, and she told me she hiked to the glacier, and I told her that I had too and I told her about this guy who kind of wouldn't leave me alone. She said that when she was there, there was a weird shirtless guy doing pushups who started talking to her, and we realized it was the same dude, and this must be his MO, going every day to the trail and picking up on random foreign women. Anyway, he was 0/2 in this case! 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

After moving around a lot (hiking for over two weeks, then pretty much staying in one place only a couple or few days at a time, and being on a lot of buses, trains and minivans), I am once again ready for an extended amount of time in one place. I have a list of (boring, admin, adult) things to do that I have been putting off, because I like to time block and my time has been a little erratic lately. Listen, I know I could have done paperwork instead of hiking, but my sanity depends on my getting fresh air and exercise, so I am not going to sacrifice that! I think June will have a nice mix of city time, nature time, excursions, errands/chores/admin stuff and downtime. Bring it on. 

MAY:
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 
2. What did you learn last month? 
3. What was the weather like where you are? 
4. What event last month was your favorite?
5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  
6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

JUNE: 
7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! Where/when was your best sunrise/sunset? 

5.12.2025

What I Learned & Looking Back & Looking Forward: April 2025

April showers bring May flowers? In my world, it did rain a lot, so bring on the flowers! What about you? Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 


1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

January: Baguettes and Many Steps
February: In Like Minnesota; Out Like Hawaii
March: Wet and Wild
April: My Life is in Ruins, and Beaches Too

(the old stone kind, not anything psychological)

2. What did you learn last month? 

I learned that the Friday market has the best prices for produce, cheeses, nuts and even eggs. I also learned the Turkish have a cheese just like the Greek haloumi which I love. It's called hellim and it's just as good. I also learned to say a few more words in Turkish and can now say "let's go," "I'm here" and "you're welcome!" I also learned the word for loquats (yenidünya), and they are ripe right now. Also they are known as Malta plums, which I never knew! 

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It was rainy a lot, but then also was in the 70s/80s, and there was some bad smog for a while. But it ended on a wet note again on the 30th! Make up your mind, weather! 


4. What event last month was your favorite?

I had a fun group hike where I met some interesting people! We saw ruins and the ocean and it was a nice day! 

5. What was the best thing you listened to or watched last month?  

I am going to tell this in book, movie/show, podcast format. 

Book: Crow Mary. Yup, I'm jumping on that bandwagon. 

Movie/Show: nothing. I watched nothing. 

Podcast: I'm binging Stephany's Friendships Paradox! Almost caught up to present day! I love binging and hate having to wait for real time episodes so I am kind of dragging out the catching up! 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

This is not necessarily a funny story, but I saw this odd conga line chain of caterpillars attached head to tail all traveling together and I had never seen it before. İt was fascinating. Here's the explanation. 

The pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopea pityocampa) is known for traveling in long head-to-tail lines, a behavior that helps them stay together and avoid getting lost while searching for a safe place to pupate. This procession is guided by touch and scent—each caterpillar follows the silk trail and pheromones left by the one in front. Staying in line also protects them from predators, as the group can appear larger and more intimidating. While fascinating, these caterpillars have tiny toxic hairs that can harm humans and animals, so it's best to observe them from a distance.


7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Finishing the hike I'm on, having a hamburger if I can find one, wildflowers, and maybe a little beach time before I head inland. 

APRIL:
1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 
2. What did you learn last month? 
3. What was the weather like where you are? 
4. What event last month was your favorite?
5. What was the best thing you listened to or watched last month?  
6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

MAY: 
7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! Have you ever heard of a Malta plum? Or a loquat?