Amanda up North > Recent Status Updates

Heartbreaking and hopeful.

"And right at that moment, this is her only aim in life, the only happy ending she wants. Just to keep going."

Kudos to Sophie Kinsella for writing this deeply personal book.
All my best thoughts to her and her family.

AMY TAN IS A BRILLIANT ARTIST!
Anna's Humminbird on the opening page floored me. Gorgeous bird art.

A week or so ago I had the flu and was too weak to hold this book - almost 700 pages.
Giving it a go now, but struggling, similar to when I read Anxious People.
I loved Beartown and Us Against You, so I'm trying to stick with it. The ratings, too, tell me it should be worth my time. But as of now, Fredrik Backman's writing style seems to have lost its magic on me.

This is a good sized book, so I'm reading it a few plants and animals at a time at my kitchen table when I sit down for breakfast or moments throughout my day. Fantastic!!! Really enjoying the delivery of such fascinating information.

"Somethingroyal had been a beautiful mother to all her foals, and Secretariat was no exception. She was extraordinarily affectionate, always nuzzling and licking her foals.. This kind of loving care from its mother strongly affects the foal's disposition later on. "She had a wonderful, even temperament, which I believe she passed on to Secretariat."
(Equine read, hitting the sentiments on Mother's Day.)

"What we need to raise in others is instinct. The ability to recognize, in an instant, right from wrong. The clarity of mind to face it rather than ignore it. I learned that before [Johnsson and Arndt] chased Brock, they had checked on me." - Channel Miller

Roberta James - same Boston police detective as in Her Every Fear?
The cat - Nora, a Maine Coon.

Slowly enjoying these connected stories.
Maple Sugar Moon: so relevant as the taps slowly drip from our maples outside.
But A Mother's Work.. reached right into my heart and soul.

Parts One and Two completely engrossed me in one late night sitting.

So many unexpected twists for a nonfiction read!

Everyone should read this book.

On the oceanic garbage patch and seas of plastic confetti:
"Plastic has gone so fast from zero to omnipresent that it's skipped beneath conscious perception. ..It's everywhere."
"There is virtually no beach in the world where sand is devoid of these synthetic particles."
"Plastic's horrifying convenience, helps explain why no one thought through its life cycle, its afterlife."

Trying to place the time of setting from the start, I've been researching plenty. Galan was assassinated in 1989, a defining marker in ch.8.
Currently (ch.19) Escobar is still alive (he dies in 1993), so it's between 89-93, about 1990 based on the story's progress, & suddenly Cassandra is emailing friends? It's not impossible, but internet & email didn't go from relatively rare to normal until 1996 - 2001. Hmm.

"What would Chuck Norris do?" ♡

Liane Moriarty's latest has me laughing out loud left and right! It's a different feel from her other books. I'm not sure where it's going, but it's been entertaining so far.

Oh, JK/Robert. What long books you write.
This is a hefty one. There's no good way to get comfy cozy with a hardcover bulk. No reading it one-handed.
My two wishes as I read this:
That the character story finally goes somewhere happy and doesn't end in another cliffhanger.
The mystery has been slow to develop and hook me. I'm in it for the detectives. Give me something good!
And, maybe, a few less words.

(p. 111 - Aha! moment)