I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, in part, of course, to escape the news of the world. And, because I took a road trip, some of those books have been audio versions.
I’m sure I already raved about Donna Tartt’s reading of Charles Portis’s True Grit. I listened to that and Lawrence Wright’s The End of October while I was on the road (by the way, whoever has read it, please get in touch. I have a question about a plot point!).
I also enjoyed–no idea where I got the recommendation–In Pursuit of Disobedient Women: A Memoir of Love, Rebellion, and Family, Far Away. An interesting and well-told tale of a New York Times reporter who moves with her family to West Africa, and an insightful look into the tradeoffs that arise when marriage, family, travel, and career collide.
And I’ve just discovered the hugely talented Simon Parkin, through his new book, A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II.
It’s the kind of history I like best–jam-packed with information, told like a thriller, full of telling detail and peopled with memorable characters. Recommended!
Finally, I am taking a watercolor course with two other longtime friends and failing miserably at it. One of them has challenged me to post my paintings, not matter how absurdly terrible they are. We’re supposed to be learning about light, medium, and dark values, not as demonstrated below 😉 I will be repainting this over and over again until I get it right. . . .
