The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
The writing is superb. The characters are diverse and real. I wasn't completely enamored with the story line, but the great writing made up for that. The last 50 pages really wowed me. Like I said, superb writing.
I listened to two more short stories read by Levar Burton on his podcast.
Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell (one thing I really liked was the secret room that was once someone's sewing room) -- five stars
The Final Performance of the Amazing Ralphie by Pat Cadigan -- three stars
***
and I finished a book: The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall. Relationships, families, faith, friends, struggles, forgiveness -- a well written book.
You Perfect, Broken Thing by C.L. Clark, read by Levar Burton at his podcast, "Levar Burton Reads."
3 stars
This year I am participating in a Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR). It gets rounds added, but unlike a usual robin, it doesn't travel. It stays at my house, and I do all the rounds myself. The theme for each round is chosen by various bloggers.
First I chose a center block. This is one I made using a special ruler. I made it years ago, and later had a friend add to it. She did the orange rays in the middle. Then it sat for a few more years until I decided to use it for this SAHRR.
First round assignment was curves.
Second round assignment was diamonds.
That's all so far. We will get another round assignment in the next day or two.
Here's what I have made so far. Sorry the picture is blurry.
To see more SAHRRs so far, go here.
Sunshine Quilt Guild is an online group whose members make quilts for kids in need around the world. One of our current initiatives is for kids going into foster care. We send our quilts to Quilts Beyond Borders which has an arrangement to provide quilts to a program called Comfort Cases. Comfort Cases gives kids a backpack with a blanket (or quilt), book, pajamas, and a few other things that can comfort a child. This is to avoid them having to carry their belongings in garbage bags. Comfort Cases is headquartered in Maryland but provides these backpacks and duffel bags to foster kids all over the U.S. If you like the idea of helping kids who are going into foster care, you could help us make quilts, or you could donate financially either to Quilts Beyond Borders or to Comfort Cases.
Recently some pictures of quilts sent to Comfort Cases were posted here. The pictures are only partial views of the quilts, so I thought I would show the pictures of the whole quilts. These are only pictures of the quilts that I helped make. Interestingly, many of our quilts are group-collaboration projects. Each of the quilts below has their own creation story, which I won't go into at this time. Here you go:
This is the backing on the quilt above.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
An odd bunch of people get thrown together for an extended period of time when they become hostages of a bank robber. I am amazed at how Backman's brain works. He comes up with so many quirky people and situations! It reveals his keen observation of humanity and how we interact. One has to admit, we do have all those eccentricities that he creates in his characters. I got a bit bogged down in the middle when I wanted things to hurry along; friends encouraged me to keep reading, and I am glad I did. In the last part of the book Backman once again shows us his understanding of the absurdity, complexities, and beauty that is life and that is love. He touched my heart strings in a big way. I would have given the book five stars except for the part where I got bored. It redeems itself with a beautiful ending, so I give it four strong stars out of a possible five.
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Thi Bui has written a masterful graphic (illustrated) memoir. She was born in Viet Nam, and when she was very young (and her mother was 8 months pregnant), they escaped and eventually made it to the USA. Apparently she struggled to write this book over many years. It finally came to fruition when she decided to make it an illustrated version. I loved her drawings, and the story resonated with me. I lived through all the history she recalls (though from a safe vantage point in the middle of America), and well remember the "flood" of refugees making their way to Minnesota. Then, when I worked in St. Paul Public Schools, I had the lucky draw to work closely with many refugee and immigrant children. I learned so much from them, and much of it is reflected in this book. I easily read it in one sitting, about two hours. I plan to read it again, because it was so well done, and because I want to catch what I may have missed on the first reading.
The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir by Joseph Auguste Merasty
Augie Merasty leaves his home at age five to attend a residential school for Indian children in Canada. He endures many years of abuse and torture at the hands of the nuns and priests in charge of the school. It's another indictment of the system which strove to eradicate the culture of the First Nations. Same thing happened here in the U.S. Families are still suffering from the generational trauma brought about by this criminal treatment imposed upon children. With a tumultuous adult life and alcoholism, he pays the price for his abusive childhood, yet maintains a bit of his original spark. Heart-breaking yet hopeful book. I am thankful for the reconciliation work being done in Canada, which includes learning more about the history of the residential schools.
