Thoughts of Dog by Matt Nelson

Thoughts of Dog and WeRateDogs are probably the reason I actually stayed on Twitter during the election coverage.  Matt Nelson is behind both accounts.  Thoughts of Dog is inspired by Golden Retrievers, and my Shandy fits the stereotypes perfectly.  If you aren't a follower, check out Dog, Human, stuffed elephant Sebastian, and the Small Neighbor Human.  You will smile.

So, this.  This is really a picture book with captions in Doggo--a language that goodest bois might use if they could text (and had opposable thumbs, something Dog laments frequently).  It's quick--like if you really worked hard it would take five minutes tops.  But it is also heartwarming, in a time we really need heartwarming.  There's also a new set in the book not on the Twitter feed that made me cry, especially remembering my sweet Sienna and Savannah, who were also Goldens.

If you like Thoughts of Dog, look up Pixie and Brutus, the stories of a Military War Dog Shepherd and an innocent kitten.  I hope they put out a book soon too!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.  

Lovely War by Julie Berry

World War I and II are all the rage in YA literature lately, so when our vendor Follett's Titlewave catalog suggested this, of course I ordered it.  The premise is that the Gods and Goddesses of ancient Greece are still meddling in human affairs, including these terrible conflicts.  What I was not expecting was this to be more mythology than historical fiction.  More romance and romanticized Goddesses than fact.  Many members of the Pantheon make an appearance, as if this was the Trojan War in the 12th Century BC rather than 1942.  It's almost set as a play.  I had visions of A Midsummer Night's Dream...

I hate to say I was not a fan.  I definitely rolled my eyes a few times at the silliness of some of the scenes.  Would someone who likes romance prefer it?  Or mythology?  Probably.  Not my particular cup of tea.  

If you are interested, I hope we will be back in person soon so that you can check it out.  Don't forget to check out the Public Library's electronic offerings at whpl.lioninc.org

Stay safe and well.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.   

 

Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest by Lauren Angelucci McDuffie

 Amazon recommended this to me a few weeks ago.  It really sounded like a memoir interspersed with recipes, so of course I bought it!  However, after reading it, it's more a cookbook interspersed with memoir.  Unfortunately I do not feel it is enough of a  memoir to shelve it as one that could be used for the senior reading.  Instead, it will be shelved in our still impressive cookbook section.  Hopefully soon Covid will be gone and our Culinary program can resume making their award winning cuisine!

I had expectations this would be like Bruculinu, America or Prison Ramen or Crook to Cook or The Best Cook in the World, all reviewed here.  But this was mostly recipes with brief, reflective tidbits.  Now, that's not to say it's a bad book!  There are recipes in here that are really mouth-watering, albeit unlikely for us here in New England to find some of the ingredients at Shop Rite.  The photography is beautiful as well, which makes sense since when I read the author's bio, she's a food blogger and photographer.  The recipes are arranged seasonally, with a suggested menu pairing of courses.  

I will be adding this to our collection today.  I hope you'll be able to check it out once we are back in person.  In the meantime, take the opportunity to peruse our Public Library holdings at whpl.lioninc.org. 

Please stay safe and well!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville by Bill Elliott

If you know me AT ALL or have followed this blog for any length of time, you know racing is my sport. And the past few days as a Chase Elliott fan have been surreal.  I've already got my plane tickets for Talledega 2021, and that trip will include a stop in the now re-famous Dawsonville, GA!  Please, before you read this review, look up Chase's victory parade through the tiny town of 2700ish residents.  The GA Racing Hall of Fame, City Hall, and the Moonshine distillery are all in the same building, with the Dawsonville Pool Room and its siren just a ten minute walk away. 

Anyway.  My Dad's favorite driver was Chase's dad Bill.  We know our phones track everything we do, so Amazon recommended this memoir to me.  I am happy to donate another racing memoir to our collection.

First things first, this is from 2006.  Chase is a feisty little boy, not the 24 year old we know and love.  Bill takes the reader through his humble beginnings in, what on the surface is, sleepy Dawsonville.  The realities though are the running of 'shine through the woods in the middle of the night fast becoming a sport of its own.  He talks about his father and uncles' love of cars, his families roots in the town, his meh attitude toward school (which Chase inherited, see attached), and why he neither smokes nor drinks.  

Most people do not know Chase has two older half-sisters.  Bill admits his failures as a father to his two older girls (the oldest from his first marriage, the middle from a brief relationship).  It was much like Dale Sr.'s relationships with Kerry, Kelley, and Dale Jr.  It wasn't until youngest Taylor that he kinda got his act together as a parent.  Bill talks about wanting to be not just a father, but a DAD to Chase.  Certainly anyone watching Sunday's race knows that was true.  

I look forward to hearing that siren ring again in the 21 season and eating lunch at the Pool Room.  Til next year, Elliotts...

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Cabal of the Westford Knight by David S. Brody

 

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you're aware of my Templars in American obsession.  My family roots start in Nova Scotia circa 1732, and I am absolutely convinced SOMETHING is buried on Oak Island (show returns in November!) near my family's former land. There are suspicions the Templars (via Henry Sinclair) traveled up and down the New England and Canadian Maritimes, leaving stone markers along for later explorations and possibly settlements.  This theory includes the Newport Tower.  Now, what's almost bizarre here is that I've chaperoned a bunch of trips to Newport which have included bus tours around the town and local history.  NEVER has any tour gone by or even mentioned the Tower.  

So, Mrs. Alissa Ficaro gave me this knowing my obsession, and my husband saw me reading it.  I got to visit the Tower this past Saturday as part of his surprise weekend!   

This is a fictional account of a lawyer representing an elderly couple from a "developer's" land grab.  The elderly couple's backyard is believed to be where Sinclair and his party camped in the small town of Westford.  If you aren't familiar with Westford and its claim to fame: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westford_Knight (Now, I've seen the Westford Knight and believe, but it is REALLY hard to see the knight's carving without the right light and a little imagination.).

What ensues is a cat and mouse game similar to The DaVinci Code through hidden and suppressed-by-the-church history, circling back through Jesus's blood line, the Holy Grail, the Templars, and early exploration of North America (why the Mikmak have red Templar crosses on their flags, why Columbus had red Templar flags on his ships, why many New England and Maritime Canadian tribes have light eyes and reddish hair...)

On the actual book, though, have to say I didn't like the ending.  Much like The DaVinci Code, the ending hasn't actually happened (we don't have any DNA proof of Jesus's bloodline or posses the Grail if it is really a cup or anything else that might be buried on Oak Island...yet), so that part is fictional.  And I really didn't like it!  However, I know it's a set up for the next book in the series.  I believe there are 7 or 8 at this time.  Thanks to Mrs. Ficaro who has donated the first four!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes

Nikki Grimes' Bronx Masquerade is one of my all-time favorite books.  When I saw she had published a memoir, I put it on our Follett Wish List for the Spring 2020 order. Then we went on Distance Learning, and I promptly forgot I had done so.  Shopping on Amazon, I did a Dory and ordered it for myself for my own "to-read" pile.  Then placed my school order via Follett.  In short, we now have two copies of this.  That being said, I AM SO GLAD BECAUSE I'M GOING TO RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE.

This memoir, like part of Bronx Masquerade, is told in verse.  Grimes tells the story of her childhood--from her earliest memories to high school.  A child who didn't talk much, she filled pages upon pages of notebooks with words, telling no one her secrets except the pen.  From being raped by her stepfather to her mother's severe alcoholism and breaks with reality, this is an incredibly difficult read.  The hardest moment though, was when Grimes' mother, in a drunken, manic high, goes on a cleaning spree and discards all her writing notebooks. I cried. Hard.

Grimes was truly happy in a foster home, where she was encouraged and loved.  But, as is all too common, the system failed her and her sister, putting them back in harm's way with their mother and stepfather or their father, a traveling musician.  It was a high school English teacher who told Grimes to write, to never submit anything less than her best, and to be a voice for those without one.  Now in her 70s, she still remains close to one of her foster brothers and a childhood friend who never deserted her. She continues to write, and her children's biography of Kamala Harris is soon to be published. 

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

    

Racing to the Finish by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

I think at this point most people who know me know my history in local motorsports and my love of all things racing.  So of course I bought, and will donate, this! I'll probably put it next to his sister Kelley's!

I was a big fan of Dale, Sr.  The day he died was my first real date with the man who would become my husband.  I almost cancelled, and honestly might have if cell phones were really a thing yet.  He was already en route to my house in West Haven from Orange when the crash happened, as we planned to eat after the race.  I wasn't missing the Daytona 500 for nobody.

When Dale, Sr. died most of his fans became Dale, Jr. fans (and most of them became Chase Elliot fans when Jr. retired...), myself and my now-husband included.  Jr. would never achieve the success his father did, and many chalked it up to just not having the same talent.  Jr. is very open about his treatment for concussions and anxiety now.  He wasn't then.  He kept his symptoms and feelings a secret from most of the world.  

Jr. didn't want to appear weak.  He was afraid of losing his ride in the ultra-competitive top tier of racing.  He ignored troubling feelings like rage and physical problems like bouncing vision, while getting behind the wheel of a 2 ton machine traveling at speeds up to 200 miles an hour. 

This book isn't an autobiography.  There are no long chapters about his childhood (which was troubled, as most NASCAR fans know--Dale, Sr. would never be father-of-the-year material to any of his 4 kids by 3 wives) or his early years coming up the ranks in racing.  This is truly a memoir, the story of the life-changing series of events that ended his career in racing, but started his career in broadcasting, and, unintentionally, his role in bringing the discussion about traumatic sports brain injuries and mental health to the spotlight.  He is outspoken on the need to study the brain, and injuries sustained to it, and now talks openly about his anxiety and depression and use of medication.  

Find this in the next display!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W.