Tag Archives: books

The Snowbirds

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I saw this book cover on a blog I follow called Carla Loves to Read.

It immediately gave me a Palm Springs vibe. The pink wall, the palm trees, the pool. Plus Snowbirds. That’s what we called the influx of visitors or seasonal residents from the cold snowy north and east.

I read the review and yes, the story takes place in Palm Springs — where I lived for more than 30 years and raised my children.

I wanted to buy it in paperback, but no, it’s not out in paperback yet. I didn’t want to spend the money — or have the heavy lifting involved with reading a hardcover. I went to Audible and downloaded it. I’ve listened to it during the past couple days and finished it over the weekend.

What I liked best was not the story, but all the details about Palm Springs. The author captured many of my favorite haunts like the Indian Canyons, Smoke Tree Ranch, Melvyn’s and even Revivals thrift store. Although somewhat stereotyped, the author captured the gay community, elderly population and homeless. I also enjoyed how the spirit of Palm Springs was portrayed. Endless sunny days and everyone living as though they are on vacation.

Here’s the notes from Amazon:

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER! | “A riveting exploration of midlife yearning.” ―People

The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this page-turning story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads.

Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their “separate but together” partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.

When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community where everyone knows everyone’s business, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape, leaving Kim to wonder if their relationship can survive the snowbird season. But when Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time, he’s really left her.

Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be―and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime. With compassion and humor, Clancy explores the redemptive power of finding ourselves, and of being found.

The only thing I didn’t like about the Audible version was the pronunciation of Mt. San Jacinto. San Jacinto is the dramatic backdrop to Palm Springs. The “J” is pronounced as “H.” The readers on Audible used a hard “J.” I think they need to do a little homework before releasing a reading of a book.

San Jacinto Palm Springs
This is the view of Mt. San Jacinto from the park by my former home.

Do you like audio books, kindles, paperbacks or hardcovers best and why?

Book Review: “Daughters of Shandong”

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I’m on a roll of reading good books! Don’t you love that when it happens?

A few weeks ago I finished “Demon Copperhead” and I asked for book ideas HERE.

I got a good list, plus got more ideas from my friends who share books during our monthly lunch. Also, my dear friend from Santa Barbara calls me whenever she finishes a book she loves.

So why did I like “Daughter’s of Shandong?” I am a fan of books about China and the dramatic changes when Mao took over. It’s both frightening and fascinating how evil people can be to each other. “Red Scarf Girl” is one such book which is a YA autobiography by Ji-li Jiang. It’s about her life during the Cultural Revolution as a child. It’s another book I recommend as well as books by Lisa See.

It’s hard to fathom in our comfortable, easy lives how the characters in “Daughters of Shandong” survived so much hardship. Here’s the text from Amazon:

In 1948, civil war ravages the Chinese countryside, but in rural Shandong, the wealthy, landowning Angs are more concerned with their lack of an heir. Hai is the eldest of four girls and spends her days looking after her sisters. Headstrong Di, who is just a year younger, learns to hide in plain sight, and their mother—abused by the family for failing to birth a boy—finds her own small acts of rebellion in the kitchen. As the Communist army closes in on their town, the rest of the prosperous household flees, leaving behind the girls and their mother because they view them as useless mouths to feed.

Without an Ang male to punish, the land-seizing cadres choose Hai, as the eldest child, to stand trial for her family’s crimes. She barely survives their brutality. Realizing the worst is yet to come, the women plan their escape. Starving and penniless but resourceful, they forge travel permits and embark on a thousand-mile journey to confront the family that abandoned them.

From the countryside to the bustling city of Qingdao, and onward to British Hong Kong and eventually Taiwan, they witness the changing tide of a nation and the plight of multitudes caught in the wake of revolution. But with the loss of their home and the life they’ve known also comes new freedom—to take hold of their fate, to shake free of the bonds of their gender, and to claim their own story.

Told in assured, evocative prose, with impeccably drawn characters, Daughters of Shandong is a hopeful, powerful story about the resilience of women in war; the enduring love between mothers, daughters, and sisters; and the sacrifices made to lift up future generations.

At the end of the book is an author’s note that really touched me. It added so much depth to the entire novel. This is a debut novel and the author is so talented. Here’s bit about the author from Amazon:

About the author

Eve J. Chung is a Taiwanese American lawyer and women’s human rights specialist. She has worked on a range of issues, including torture, sexual violence, contemporary forms of slavery, and discriminatory legislation. Her writing is inspired by social justice movements, and the continued struggle for equality and fundamental freedoms worldwide. She currently lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Have you read “Daughter of Shandong? If so what was your opinion of it?

How about “Red Scarf Girl or books by Lisa See?

Don’t you love a good book?

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Thanks to fellow blogger and friend LA from Waking Up on the Wrong Side of 50 — for recommending Demon Copperhead. It’s one of the better books I’ve read lately.

I finished it in time to share it with my lunch bunch yesterday. My lunch bunch are two friends I worked with in PR and Advertising 30 years ago. We ended up moving to Arizona a few miles apart. We reconnected after years of not seeing each other. Now we go to lunch once a month together. We share books and talk about TV shows we like.

Here’s what Amazon has to say about Demon Copperhead:

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

What books have you read lately that you really liked?

Please share, because I’m putting together a list of books to read this year.

An entertaining read

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I bought this book in Salt Lake City at a used book store for 75 cents. I was almost done with the book I was reading and wanted something fun to read on the plane. I ended up saving “Once Is Not Enough” for the beach. It was a perfect beach read.

After reading LA’s post Anatomy of a Story on Waking Up on the Wrong Side of 50, I instantly thought of my beach vacation book. In her post, she discussed four different categories of books and what makes some books good all the way to a classic.

Of course I read “Valley of the Dolls.” But that was the only Susann book I’ve read. I found this one a blast to the past with nostalgia from the late 60s and early 70s.

The characters were good, the story was faced paced. It was an entertaining read, and not a heavy book. Perfect beach book. The book was published in 1973 and I would have been in the sixth or seventh grade. Definitely not a book my parents would have allowed me to read at that age with all the drugs and sex.

It’s definitely dated, but I enjoyed looking back at the era in time. This book was Susann’s third best selling novel. I just discovered there was a movie made from the book. I’ll have to see if it’s available online or to stream on our TV.

What books do you remember from the 60s and 70s?

What Jacqueline Susann books have you read?

I’m so glad I joined!

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The Desert Foothills Library.

After living in Arizona for three years and buying books on Amazon, a few weeks ago I discovered our library in the foothills of Cave Creek. Hence the name — Desert Foothills Library.

I joined but didn’t check out any books until this week. I was reading a three-book series by Lisa See called the Red Princess Mysteries — that I bought from Amazon. The day I finished the third book, I packed them up and headed to the library. The library has a section called “Second Chapter” where you can buy books for 50 cents to a dollar. I donated the three Lisa See books, plus, went through my bookshelves to find a dozen other books I liked, but didn’t necessarily want to keep.

In Palm Springs, the local library was part of my weekly routine. We checked out VHS movies when the kids were little. I did research for my writing there. I got the kids’ library cards when they turned four years old. Every week we went to check out books. It was as essential to our daily lives as the grocery store.

I’ll never forget after watching a number of movies with my son including “Sound of Music,” “An American in Paris,” “Singing in the Rain,” and Meet Me in St. Louis.” One day he asked, “Mom, do they make any movies where they don’t sing and dance?”

At least he got a good dose of 1950s and ’60s culture.

It felt really good to walk inside the library. After donating my books, I walked up and down the aisles and read a variety of jacket covers and blurbs. I felt like I should celebrate after checking out my first book!

Do you belong to a library near you? What’s your favorite thing about libraries?

Inside the Desert Foothills Library.

Metamorphosis from sick to health

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Harris hawks hanging out on an Agave behind the tree in our backyard on New Year’s Eve.

I feel like I’m emerging from 11 days of cocooning. I’m not quite a butterfly yet, but I can breathe and stretch my wings after a nasty bug that kept me in bed.

The day is bright and sunny. Absolutely stunning. The past few days have been cloudy and my weather app said air quality wasn’t good.

Here’s a clear view of the perch the hawks enjoyed on New Year’s Eve. Look at that sky!

At one point, there were five Harris hawks hanging out together.

During my cocoon phase, I listened to an outstanding book. Ann Patchett’s “Tom Lake.” It was published August 2023. I enjoy reading books the old fashioned way with paper pages and spines. However, because I was laying in bed with my eyes closed, propped up on pillows for my deep cough, I chose listening to an audiobook.

Meryl Streep was the reader! I could distinguish characters, not by a big change in her voice, but by subtle rhythms and intonations. I believe her reading added to the book so the experience was better than it would have been if I had held the book in my hands and used my eyes.

Here’s a summary from Amazon:

In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers.

“Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than literature.” —The Guardian

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.

amazon.com

I have one major question in the story that wasn’t resolved after going to back to re-listen to certain chapters. I won’t ask that question here, because it’s a spoiler. I’m waiting for someone else to read the book so we can discuss. I wonder if Patchett left this question unanswered on purpose?

Here’s a 10-second video of the hawks leaving my yard:

Hawks.

Do you like listening to audiobooks, using a reader or old-fashioned books?

Have you read “Tom Lake?” If so, what are your thoughts?

Do you read or listen to books?

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I normally love to read books and only listen to them while we’re on a drive of more than four hours.

This past week, I listened to “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane” by Lisa See, published in 2017.

I highly recommend this book. A friend of mine in Santa Barbara only listens to books, she never reads. That’s because she is constantly moving and busy. She never takes a break from work around the house, yard, cooking or her business sewing for interior designers until bedtime. She also works at a school during the week. (She’s exhausting to be around!) She finished this book and said it was “so good!”

It was! I have read other Lisa See books including the novel “Shanghai Girls” and her family’s biography, “On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family.”

I’m a Lisa See fan.

I decided to experiment and listened to this book, rather than read it. It seemed like cheating, but I enjoyed it. The narration was good and I wasn’t hung up by trying to pronounce Chinese words in my head.

Here’s an overview of the story from Lisa See’s website:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, a moving story about tradition, tea farming, and the enduring connection between mothers and daughters.

In their remote mountain village, Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. For the Akha people, ensconced in ritual and routine, life goes on as it has for generations—until a stranger appears at the village gate in a jeep, the first automobile any of the villagers has ever seen.

The stranger’s arrival marks the first entrance of the modern world in the lives of the Akha people. Slowly, Li-yan, one of the few educated girls on her mountain, begins to reject the customs that shaped her early life. When she has a baby out of wedlock—conceived with a man her parents consider a bad match—she rejects the tradition that would compel her to give the child over to be killed, and instead leaves her, wrapped in a blanket with a tea cake tucked in its folds, near an orphanage in a nearby city.

As Li-yan comes into herself, leaving her insular village for an education, a business, and city life, her daughter, Haley, is raised in California by loving adoptive parents. Despite her privileged childhood, Haley wonders about her origins, and across the ocean Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. Over the course of years, each searches for meaning in the study of Pu’er, the tea that has shaped their family’s destiny for centuries.

A powerful story about two women separated by circumstance, culture, and distance, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is an unforgettable portrait of a little known region and its people and a celebration of the bonds of family.

https://lisasee.com/books/the-tea-girl-of-hummingbird-lane/

I loved the characters, the drama, learning about the different ethnic groups of China, how the Akha people believe in spirits and how they were untouched from the modern world until after the Cultural Revolution. I also learned about tea farming, connoisseur’s, and the many health properties of tea.

After I finished listening to “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane,” I decided to try another book on Audible. I chose an Elin Hilderbrand novel called “The Castaways.” I have to confess that it did not work for me to listen to it. It’s about four couples and I can’t keep the characters straight, not did I care about them.

I’m not sure if it’s the format of listening to a book that made the Lisa See book so accessible and enjoyable — and it doesn’t work for Elin Hilderbrand. Or, maybe I don’t like the second book as much even if I read it?

What are your thoughts of reading versus listening to books? What’s your preference and why?

Are you a Lisa See fan?