Busy week, and I’ll be going on vacation Tuesday through the following Monday for July 4th.
The windows went in at the house last week, and it’s a sight to behold. Be sure and follow the link to check it out on Doug’s Instagram. He’s Rocks Rest on IG.
I want to thank my grandfather Ed Jenkins for buying that land in the 1930s. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren still live on it. We have a little piece of it. He was a farmer who also worked at a sawmill, and he worked hard to pay off that land. His legacy lives on. Ancestry tells me that not that many farmers in that area at that time owned their land. I’m proud of him.
Hermann, Harold, and I have been hanging out in Johnson City while Doug works on the house in Bryson. I am also still working, but only about six weeks left, some of which is leave! On the 3rd, we’ll all be down there together for a few days.
I’ve been using vacuum bags that I bought on Amazon to store some of the clothes I am keeping. They are handy! You just take the air out of them with your vacuum cleaner and they shrink down a lot.
Fourth of July is coming this week, and I want to thank all the veterans, on Earth and in Heaven, for their sacrifices.
NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG
I’m doing mini reviews or even one-line reviews of all the books I fell behind on while I was in Germany.
No new books this week as I’m trying to get caught up!
Have a wonderful 4th of July! What are your plans?
Thank you to Billy at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer for hosting Book Blogger Hop. There is a different bookish question every week.
Answer: It’s not that I don’t like fireworks. I’ve enjoyed them in the past, but only the beautiful ones. I’ve never understood making noise for the sake of making noise without the beautiful light show. But these days I don’t like fireworks much because they absolutely terrify my dogs, especially Harold, our wire-haired dachshund. They make him shake, cry, and tremble for hours, so I’m not a fan. I always love reading, so the choice is obvious.
Some dogs who are outside will bolt and run away from their owners when they hear firecrackers. So it’s not a good situation. If the fireworks are done by a professional at an organized event, then I’m okay with it. Setting them off in your yard at home: No.
Doug with the dogs. Herman (chocolate and cream) and Harold (black and white). Holly was still alive then and is laying down behind Hermann. She was a red and white piebald.
In the fall of 1907, Katharine decides to drive from Newport, Rhode Island to her new home in Jackson, New Hampshire. Despite the concerns of her family and friends that at the age of 77 she lacks the stamina for the nearly 300-mile journey, Katharine sets out alone. Over the next six days, she receives a marriage proposal, pulls an all-nighter, saves a life or two, crashes a high-society event, meets a kindred spirit, faces a former rival, makes a new friend, takes a stroll with a future movie mogul, advises a troubled newlywed, and reflects upon a life well lived: her own!
Join her as she embarks upon her remarkable road trip.
Katharine Prescott Wormeley (1830-1908) was born into affluence in England and emigrated to the U. S. at the age of eighteen. Fiercely independent and never married, Kate volunteered as a nurse on a medical ship during the Civil War, before founding a vocational school for underprivileged girls. She was a philanthropist, a hospital administrator, and the author of The Other Side of War: 1862, as well as the noted translator of dozens of novels written by French authors, including Moliere and Balzac. She is included in History’s Women: The Unsung Heroines; History of American Women: Civil War Women; Who’s Who in America 1908-09; Notable American Women: 1607-1950; A Biographical Dictionary; and A Woman of the (19th) Century: Leading American Women in All Walks of Life and figures prominently in With Courage and Delicacy: Civil War on the Peninsula by Nancy Scripture Garrison.
BOOK REVIEW
I always love a good road trip, and I enjoyed traveling along with Katharine Wormeley from Rhode Island to New Hampshire in 1907. The thing that struck me the most is that simple things, like stopping to get a flat fixed or sitting in a park, turned into meaningful connections. Katharine really got to know remarkable people from all stations of life just by engaging with them. It makes one think about missed opportunities to get to know others better.
Katharine, an author, translator, and nurse, uses all of her skills on this trip. During the trip, She reflects on working with Frederick Ward Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, and her mostly unspoken love for him. She is surprised to meet his wife on her journey. She also visits another love from the past. This is a journey of memories, paths not taken, and a lesson to reach out to others with all of your talents. I came away with a picture of a lovely woman who was also strong as steel. Gail Ward Olmsted has also reached out, to the past, and introduced us to an extraordinary woman. I’m glad I got to meet her.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley. I also picked up the Audible version of this book, which I very much enjoyed. The narrator, Lisa Bozek, did a great job of capturing the spirit of Katharine Wormeley.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, GAIL WARD OLMSTED
(In Her Own Words)
I enjoy writing about quirky, lovable women in search of their happy ever after. Second chances, do-overs, fresh starts: whatever you want to call them, our ability to reinvent ourselves is a beautiful thing.
My first visit to Sedona, AZ prompted me to start writing JEEP TOUR, my first novel. I fell in love with the red rocks and blue skies. My second novel is Guessing at Normal, a rock and roll love story. Driving on the Left is a romantic sequel of sorts to JEEP TOUR, based in Ireland. I decided to follow up Guessing at Normal with Second Guessing because I was looking for a ‘happy ever after’ for my main character Jill. Landscape of a Marriage is the mostly true story of park builder Frederick Law Olmsted and his late brother’s widow Mary. Together they transformed the American landscape. My husband is a distant relative of Olmsted’s and I was thrilled to write their story.
After writing a pair of contemporary novels with a legal twist: Miranda Writes (9/22) and Miranda Nights (7/23) I am back with a biographical novel about an amazing woman. Watch for Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip: 6/13/24!
A hopeless romantic, I am married to the love of my life. I am mom to two adults and two cats, and I enjoy reading, music, water sports and travel.
Q&A WITH GAIL WARD OLMSTED
Below is my Q&A with Author Gail Ward Olmsted.
Bonnie: Welcome, Gail! How did you learn about Katharine (Kate) Wormeley, a real-life nurse, author, editor, and translator, and what made you decide to write a book about her?
Gail: I first came across her name while doing research for Landscape of a Marriage which was published in 2021. She was a longtime friend and trusted confidante of Frederick Law Olmsted, and the more I read about her, the more I wanted to know.
Bonnie: OK, let’s tackle the elephant in the room early. Was Kate really in love with the very married Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park, or was that the “fiction” part of historical fiction?
Gail: Based upon her journal entries and letters, I can say without hesitation that she was very much in love with him. Perhaps it was his being unavailable that attracted her or his clear appreciation of her sharp wit and intellect. One quote which was attributed to a mutual friend of theirs spoke of her regarding him ‘with something quite close to ardor.’ Kate claimed that, besides her father, Olmsted was one of the two men she loved most in the world. I have no idea who the ‘other’ man was, so I made him up.
Bonnie: Kate embarked on a road trip by herself, which raised a lot of eyebrows. That used to happen to me in the 1980s when I traveled by car alone, so I imagine it was quite shocking back in 1907. Did that really occur? I know a lot of women couldn’t drive even back in the 1940s and 1950s.
Gail: Driver’s licenses cost about a dollar in the early 1900’s and most states did not require them. I could not find any reference to Kate having one, but based on her lifestyle and personality, I believe she would have loved the freedom of the open road. I invented the road trip between her two homes as a way to highlight her independence and her desire to live her life on her own terms. A solo journey is a great time for self-reflection as well as new adventures.
Bonnie: I was thinking about what the condition of the roads must have been in 1907. Did that come up in your research?
Gail: Even within the city limits, the roads would have been narrow and dirt-packed with ruts from the horse-drawn carriages and wagons. Lots of dust on dry days and plenty of mud when it rained. In a word, dreadful!
Bonnie: I loved that Kate made so many unplanned connections on her travels just by taking an interest in others. Often, they were not of the same class as Kate, who was quite well off. In real life, was she someone who reached out to others regardless of class or station?
Gail: Having read her letters as well as comments made by family members and close friends, Kate was clearly a ‘people’ person. As a nurse, teacher, and philanthropist, she went out of her way tohelp others. I found no reference to snobbery or class-consciousness attributed to her.
Bonnie: In the book, Kate has some unnamed health concerns. The road trip she takes is in 1907 and she died in 1908. Do you know her cause of death?
Gail: A fall on the steps of her beloved home Brookmead sent her to the hospital. She developed pneumonia and died from complications at the age of 78.
Bonnie: One last question, and this one’s for you. Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself we might not know from reading your bio.
Gail: I love to entertain. Finalizing the guest list, planning the menu, setting the table (I’ve been known to do this days in advance). I really enjoy it, whether it’s a casual cookout, a luncheon with my friends or an evening event with candles and wine.
Bonnie: That sounds so lovely! It was great talking to you, Gail. Thanks for answering my questions, and I hope you come back and visit us again.
It was a pretty quiet week, which was nice after the last two months working so hard. Doug is working on projects around the house and I’m finishing up my last month or two of my job.
This weekend, I’m planning to part with more clothes and books. As far as clothes, I plan to get rid of anything I haven’t worn in the last year. I actually have clothes I haven’t worn in years. I also have to part with some t-shirts, even though I love them all.
Books are a bit different. I’m going to get rid of any books I don’t really think I will read again, or any I have doubles of, which is more than one would think, even though I’ve gotten rid of a lot of books already. Downsizing from 2600 to 1000 square feet takes a lot of sacrifice. We have already gotten rid of so much, and there’s more to go.
The weather has been hot, hot, hot with no rain. Praying for rain soon!
BOOK HAUL
I have been getting a lot of widgets lately. Here are three I accepted this week:
I also got approved for Debbie Macomber’s latest Christmas book. I enjoy reading her books, which are light and easy reads.
SONGBIRD by Gail Meath is on sale today and tomorrow, (19 Jun and 20 Jun) and then again next Monday and Tuesday. If you haven’t gotten the first book in the Jax Diamond series, now is your chance! See my review of Songbird here:
This fictionalized story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is beautifully written, with a rhythmical tone that shares so many horrible events in the former First Lady’s life in almost a soft way. Her life story in the 1960s is closely intertwined with American history, and we follow Jackie through the courtship and marriage to John F. Kennedy, her time as First Lady, and the President’s support of the Civil Rights Movement. We watch in horror as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy are killed.. Then we watch Jackie strike out on her own and emerge from the shadow of the Kennedy family, rebuilding her life in her own way.
This book is fiction, but combines historical facts with fiction in a believable way. The writing is so eloquent and includes Jackie’s love of books and poetry. It is an enjoyable read about a tumultuous time and a woman who weathered many storms. Highly Recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
BOOK TRAILER
The publisher sent me this book trailer, so I have added it to the post.
Thank you to That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting Top Ten Tuesday. There is a different bookish topic every week. This week’s topic is: Books on my Summer 2024 “To Read” list.
The interesting thing about Summer reads when you are a book blogger is that a lot of the books that are being promoted on Netgalley are going to be released in the Fall, and by August the Christmas books start coming out, which means we’re sometimes reading Christmas books in the summer. So my summer reading list might not be all Summer books. My list is below. You can click on the covers to learn more about the books.
What About You? Do any of these books interest you, and what are you reading this summer?
Now that I’ve been back from Germany for a week and am caught up on my work, things are going back to normal for a while. I say a while because I’m two months from retirement as of today! In two months I’ll have more free time than I’ve ever had. I’m glad to get back to blogging regularly!
Next Week On The Blog
I have a lot of reviews to catch up on, so I am going to post several mini-reviews.
BOOK HAUL
I received widgets for the following books:
The Mirror is the second book in The Lost Bride trilogy. I loved the first book. Peggy is the story of Peggy Guggenheim. Bear-tooth is a combination of Literary Fiction and Mystery/Thriller about two brothers trying to survive in the American West. I’m looking forward to all of them.
This is another one I reviewed for the May 2024 issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society
Set between 1916 and 1923 on and near the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, this is a story of love, loss, betrayal, and weaving. Lorna is working on the estate as a weaver, training the precocious and unpredictable young Gentry in the trade as well. Their friend Arthur, a woodcarver, also works on the estate, and is silently in love with Lorna. Suddenly, Gentry disappears and Lorna becomes a successful designer of remarkable fabric. Then one day it all falls apart, and Lorna begins to search the surrounding mountain towns in order to find Gentry and set things right.
This is a heart-touching book about deception, false friendship, and forgiveness, set in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Life at The Biltmore Estate at that time is so well portrayed that the reader will feel instantly transported there. The tragic 1916 flood at Biltmore Village is part of the events that unfold, and it shapes the life of one of the characters, Lorna. The flood and its tragic aftermath are well described. The beauty of the mountains is woven perfectly throughout the novel. The magic of talent, and the desperation to possess it, lies at the heart of the conflict. There are strong themes of betrayal, guilt, and whether forgiveness is deserved or should be freely given. The love story in this book makes it all the sweeter. The author also does a good job of describing the heart of mountain artistry and how it has been passed down over generations. This novel is a tapestry of art, love, history, and betrayal that will delight the reader.
I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Loudin Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh generation to live there. Her historical fiction is often set in West Virginia and celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia.
Sarah is the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Right Kind of Fool–winner of the 2021 Selah Book of the Year–and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live in western North Carolina.
Mothers talk about impossible choices. But, as I look at my daughter in a hospital bed, her red hair fanning out around her, my heart feels literally torn in two. Should I risk my son’s life to save my daughter, or keep my little boy safe and watch my precious girl slip away?
My darling daughter Tara has a rare form of cancer and there’s nothing I can do. At eleven years old, she’s already been so brave, but my sweet girl is hanging on by her fingernails. She has one last chance: a bone marrow transplant from her little brother. But nine-year-old Callum has an autoimmune disease, and there’s a chance it will put him at risk.
It’s life or death for one of my children and I have to make this decision alone.
I wish there was someone by my side to help me and my family through this terrible time. But life has hit us so hard recently. A few months ago, my beloved husband died in a tragic accident and now I might lose Tara too. All I want to do is to protect my children: so much has been taken from us already. I hope for a miracle, but my daughter is running out of days, and I have to choose.
If I make the wrong choice, will I lose one of my precious children forever?
Totally heartbreaking and gripping fiction about parenting, loss and finding light in the darkest of times. If you love Jodi Picoult, Kate Hewitt and Jojo Moyes, this novel will stay in your heart forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alison Ragsdale writes contemporary women’s fiction novels set in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, her homeland. They are emotionally charged stories about family, love, loss, forgiveness, and finding new ways to happiness despite life’s toughest challenges.
Ragsdale’s novels are heart-wrenching tales of family dynamics and relationships, inspired by the extraordinary in the every-day. For more information, previews of upcoming books, and signings, sign up for the Highlanders Club newsletter at www.alisonragsdale.com.
A former marketing executive, originally from Edinburgh, Alison now lives near Washington D.C. with her husband and dogs. She was educated in England and holds an MBA from Leicester University.
For more information on upcoming books go to her website.
Thank you to Bookouture for the opportunity to read An Impossible Choice and provide a review. Childhood cancer is one of the most heartbreaking situations to read about. It is difficult to get through without tears, and I didn’t. Honour has experienced so much loss already, having lost her husband in an accident. Now her daughter is fighting cancer, and possibly her brother can save her, but the needed bone marrow transplant will put him at risk too. This is a choice no parent wants to face.
This is an extremely touching and heartbreaking read. It is hard to fathom what a parent has to go through when their child has cancer, and Honour has already experienced one shattering loss. Honours desperation, guilt, and the hardships a parent has to go through when their child has cancer are all honestly portrayed by the author. The moments when Honour has to tell both her children, who have just lost their father, the bad news, are perfectly done. I like the fact that the families of cancer patients need help, and the way the help was offered and accepted was heartfelt. This is a compelling story with a sad topic and a surprise that will shake you up. I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
My review is 4.5 stars, round up to five on sites with no half-star option.
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