The Alice Network

I was greatly disappointed with The Alice Network. The subject matter, female spies during the World War 1 is fascinating, however the execution of telling this story in this book falls well short of interesting. The characters are so contrived, self pitying and long winded that they are both unlikely and not relatable. The truly interesting and historically significant character of Louise de Bettignies is sadly not fully utilized by Quinn. My suggestion is to read a few chapters to get the gist and then skim the book so you do not become weighed down by the ridiculuous dialogue. Instead read Quinn's much better writing in the Author's Note and her Acknowledgements. In the Author's Note, Quinn outlines how she attempted to bring actual occurrences into the life of her fictional characters. Her voice here is much stronger and clearer than the voice of her characters. The inclusion of Voices from the Past: Letters and Trial Records gives the reader an opportunity to hear authentic voices of that time. I question whether American novels are editied and proof read beyond the first draft as they once were. Surely an adequate editor would have insisted that half the dialogue in this novel be cut and the other half be tightened and rewritten to better reflect authenticity of the times; especially since letters and trial records were available to use as reference. (I question the editing not only because of this novel but because of various recent American novels with similar issues including others without historical accuracy.) Also are American novelists now being directed by editors to write as though a novel must be a springboard to a screenplay? Directed to creat dialogue that is historically unlikely but will make good sound bites? Create characters like Eve, that are caricatures that will fit well into Hollywood stereotypes? There is very little atmosphere in this novel beyond hurried and plain descriptions. This is one time when the movie may become much better than the book if the director and producers take the time and apply the effort to create historically accurate atmosphere, build actual suspense and bring the character of Louise de Bettignies into sharper focus.

Best Books I've Read this Year (So Far)

I'm only part way through my Good Reads Reading challenges but I have a number of books to recommend.  Although I anticipate some other great reads this year I have selected a few best books in various categories so far.  This way I will see if the second part of the year makes me change my mind.  

Best Non-Fiction book so far: 

 Everything is F*cked: a Book about Hope by Mark Manson        

This is the sequel to "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck" , which I have not read yet but will at some point.  Manson presents some well documented arguments and definitely provides a great deal for thought.  I might breeze through this one again at some point after I read the Subtle Art. 

Best Canadian books I read this year:  

Brother (by David Chariandy) is a heartbreaking beautifully written story.  It is a slim book easily read within a short time but I found I wanted to take my time and savour it.  The characters are strong, the plot and themes timely. Packs a powerful punch and I highly recommend.  

The Lost Highway by David Adam Richards could easily be dubbed the Canadian  version of Crime and Punishment.  Similar to the Russian classic, the main character in Richards' The Lost Highway is an unlikable ne'er do well who can rationalize the his worst actions.  Written with Richard's clear prose and attention to detail it builds enough tension at the end to become a definite page turner. 

                                                         

Best Classic Literature this year:  Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy. 

I have had this on my TBR list for a long time and am so glad I finally chose it.  Hardy's prose are beautiful.  The story clearly shows how far we have come as a society regarding women's issues but at the same time how much we have stayed the same.  This would have been my choice for the Best Feminist book that I had read this year until I read the following.

Best Feminist Literature this year:  

Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward's Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles.  Set in Newfoundland and taking place over one day (with occasional flashblacks) Coles manages to take on a variety of issues and circumstances facing women today. Like Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Small Game Hunting accurately depicts the conditions, societal thoughts, ideals and issues of a particular time.  

Best Doorstop length book:   

 I could have listed David Copperfield as the best classical literature I read this year but Dickens always deserves to be in a class of it's own.  David Copperfield is my favourite Dickens so far; most likely because the cast of characters are interesting and lovable-- no creepy Miss Haversham or pitiful group of little criminals controlled by Fagin. If the books were shorter it might be manageable to read more than one Dickens' book a year.  

Best Play ( I read many):

 

An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde.  I think most people prefer The Importance of Being Ernest but I like this one better. Both are a farce but Husband has more substance.  I found the characters in Ernest to superficial and flaky.

Best Thriller:   

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides:  I enjoyed trying to put the pieces together..just enough red herrings to keep you guessing.

Best Thriller that Has Been on my To Be Read List that I've been searching all over for) : The Dry by Jane Harper.  This one lived up to the expectation.  Definitely a slow burning mystery.  The character Aaron Falk is relatable.  It is nice to have a detective who doesn't have a drinking problem, an angry ex wife and serious trouble getting along with his boss.  The hard bitten detective has become so cliche.  Falk has his issues but he is not the typical anti social police detective.  

The Best of It wasn't worth reading: 

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker.  Very disappointed.  A great premise, a good beginning but the story does not hold up.  It is translated but even with that allowance the prose are not the issue but rather the holes in the plot.

The Book that didn't live up to expectations:  

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett:  I was even more disappointed with this book.  As a first of this kind of detective story it does not hold up over time.  The dialogue is atrocious and Sam Spade is just not likable.  The whole plot is convoluted and the host of characters are stereotypical.

 

Best Historical Fiction: 

The Voyageurs by Margaret Elphinstone. A Scottish writer did an excellent job writing a historical novel about Canadian voyageurs.  Despite it's length, I read this book in a very short time, choosing to spend an entire day powering through to the end.  A very enjoyable book even though some of the story is very sad. 

Best Read Again of a Favourite Book: 

The Shrouded Walls by Susan Howatch is one of my favourite books to read and reread.  The main character, Marianne, an unintentional detective is one of my favourite characters. 

Best "I'm glad I read this even though it is extremely dark and heavy": 

 Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje.  My title says it all.  However, this is the only book I have ever read about Sri Lanka and it's civil war.  The story is dark but Ondaatje's command of the English Language makes it worth the read.  

Best Memoir:   

Educated by Tara Westover is powerful.  It also helps one understand why the United States is in such a mess.  Tara Westover is resilient and an inspiration. 

Best Book I Bought this year: 

Back to Baking: 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy by Anna Olson.  Because having a perfect scone recipe is worth every cent! 

I have quite a line up of books for when the cooler weather forces us inside this fall.  Anticipating a need for stronger restrictions may happen in the fall, I have stockpiled classics and mysteries as well as developed a new list of books to be read.

Retirement and the Pandemic

I have been so thankful that my husband and I are both retired during this pandemic and particularly the lock down.  It has made it so much easier for us. The Corona virus has brought about dramatic changes in our lives in the past six months; some we can take in stride but others have been difficult.

 At the beginning of the lock down I promised myself that I would not complain about the situation for several reasons. 

The first is that complaining doesn't help; it weakens your resolve, plays havoc with your mental health and saps your energy. This is not to say that I never complain, its just that if I can I save complaining for when it will actually accomplish something.

Second, the lock down made sense at the beginning of the corona virus outbreak. The medical professionals didn't know enough about the virus and how to deal with the disease.  Our age and underlying medical issues made staying away from others easy in order to ensure not becoming ill. The lock down was the only sure way that we knew could prevent the spread. 

And thirdly, we have more reasons to be thankful and count our blessings than reasons to complain. It would be unfair to complain when so many people had to deal with so much more and under such difficult conditions.  Ten reasons we were not in a position to complain.

1: We fortunately have not downsized. We still live in a house with a large yard,a deck and enough space that my husband and I can spend quality time together yet could still spend time apart to have precious time alone. Like many others the lock down gave us plenty of opportunity to deal with clutter, clean, organize the house and try new recipes.   

2. We live in a detached home.  I reminded myself often that just walking out the door into fresh air was something many people were not able to do, let alone have a yard large enough to enjoy and a deck to sit and bask in the warm weather. We have no shared hallway, no elevator, no stairwells like we would have had in an apartment or condo. We did not need to worry about  pushing a button or breathing contaminated air in an elevator. 

3. We are retired! So no need to organize space and time to work from home. No schedules, no zoom meetings going awry, no need to meet anyone else's expectations.

  

4. We are alone in the house: No children to support during distance learning.  That would be tough.  And tougher still if your child struggles with school, or stresses easily.  Also no young children to keep occupied or teenagers to keep at home.  All stressful situations.  

5. We are technically savvy and have good internet service to stay connected to the outside world. Our children can keep in contact with us through FaceTime, Snap Chat and texting.

6. We have many interests and hobbies to give our days variety, structure and purpose as well as the space to pursue them. 

7. We like each other and are accustom to spending large chunks of time together.     

Sounds simple, but many people were alone and lonely, or locked down in unpleasant or unsafe situations with people they don't like.  

8. We live in a small town in a large area that had fewer cases of the disease. This does help lower the anxiety.  

9. We are not that social. In fact we are homebodies. For extroverts and people who like to be surrounded by others, the lock down must have been excruciating.  As introverts, we can tolerate a great deal of social isolation.  In some ways staying at home is not that difficult but when the time came we were excited to see people we know and have social interaction when we could.

10. We thankfully, had an opportunity to take a once in a lifetime trip returning just at the beginning March, so not all of our travel plans for 2020 were derailed.

As much as I appreciate that the lock down kept us safe there are however some aspects were difficult, some very difficult and some very painful.  Along with being thankful, we still need to acknowledge that what truly makes the situation difficult and what we will most appreciate when this pandemic ends.

 Not being able to pop out to the store without a second thought whenever you need something was uncomfortable and took adjustment.  Just a little thing that used to be taken for granted, now reminded you that your freedom was curtailed by this disease.  

We had to cancel plans for the trips we were to take to celebrate my husband's 60th birthday and for our 35th wedding anniversary.  We were unable to visit my father and family for quite some time. Phone calls only.   Although we can visit now it still needs to be done with care and consideration.  

Most disappointing of all is not being able to visit our son, our daughter and her husband and our precious grandson.  Shortly it will be a year since we hugged him, our daughter and son goodbye.  Our plans to visit in April were rescheduled to June and then to July and then August and now that is slipping away as well. It is not feasible for them to try to cross Canada to visit us for the summer either. So we have not been physically present for his entire year as a two year old.  

With the real possibility of further lock downs being required in the fall and winter, we need to take advantage of the good weather and enjoy what freedom we do have now.  

My Grandmother's Recipe for Banana Bread

It makes an old fashioned banana bread that if you cut thick slices and slather with butter it can make a great banana bread sandwich.   My grandmother made this often so that we could have banana bread in our lunch boxes. 

Very different flavour, texture and sweetness from the Banana Cupcakes posted earlier.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Beat together until fluffy:

1/2 c. shortening

1 cup sugar

Beat in:

2 tbsp milk

3 ripe bananas ( you can mash ahead or just toss one in at a time and beat in)

1 egg

Add and stir in 

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Put in a prepared (greased) loaf pan

Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hour until tester comes out clean.  Remove from pan after 10 minutes.

Okay, my break from blogging is over!

WOW!  I really took a break.  The thing is once you take a break, you don't know where to begin again.  And it just gets difficult to admit that you have put something on the back burner and then left it to burn.  

Sometimes I thought about restarting and was overwhelmed by the idea of beginning and stopping repeatedly.  So I think I'm over that now.  After all, life happens and hobbies get shelved until it is convenient to resume.

So what have I been doing since my last post way back in March 2017?  Most happy and some sad events.

My husband retired in June 2017.

Our grandson, Moe was born in August 2017 way out in British Columbia.  

We started travelling...to BC of course often; to Italy, France, Vatican City,  Jamaica, Costa Rica, Grenada, the Bahamas, Australia, New Zealand, Las Vegas, Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico and the East Coast of Canada.  The pandemic interrupted our plans for 2020.

My mom required care when she became ill before she passed 2018.  One of the great blessings of being retired is that you are able to be there to care for a loved one when and if they need you.     

Sons moved home to live for a bit and then moved out again. Each of the kids bought a house..one sold and bought a

We welcomed a new daughter-in-law when our younger son was married in 2019.

And then there was the visiting and hobbies and adventures--knitting for the grandson,enjoying my time with my husband and then of course the pandemic. 

So yes, we have been busy and the blog has been ignored.  It has been calling to me and I have managed to ignore it for quite some time however, now the calling is stronger than my power to ignore.

Plus I'm excited about writing again. !!  I have a whole long list of topics to write about. 

I have many new recipes, a pile of great books that I have read, adventures and travel stories and all sorts of information to share.  See you soon!