Reading challenge – Natalie the Explorer

Good Books Beautiful Lights

December 17, 2021December 19, 2021Natalie104 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #50! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.

As posted last week:

December 24: No link-up
December 31: No link-up
January 7: Weekend Coffee Share resumes with link-up #51

Week 50/ 52 of 2021

1. Mild Weather

It’s been a good week with a few sunny days and above seasonal temperatures every day. Last Saturday and this Thursday the daytime high temperatures reached 16C (61F). I enjoyed cycling and walking, including one walk with my neighbour.

The sun sets around 4:40 p.m. here at this time of the year. The mild and sunny weather also brought fiery sunsets when I took my evening walks.

2. Good Books

I enjoyed reading six fiction books this past month. I use the Toronto Public Library 2021 Reading Challenge categories to read widely and discover new books, authors, and genres. You can see the full list of books I’ve read and the categories I’ve met so far this year on my Books in 2021 page at the top of my blog.

My recent reads by author’s last name include:

Gone by Midnight – Candice Fox
Hostage – Clare Mackintosh
The Road Trip – Beth O’Leary
Address Unknown – Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
The Dictionary of Lost Words – Pip Williams
Much Ado About You – Samantha Young

Four of the above six authors were new to me: Mackintosh, Taylor, Williams and Young. While I enjoyed reading all six novels, my admiration goes to Address Unknown. The book, written in the form of a series of letters (known as epistolary style), is impactful and thought-provoking.

So far this year, Address Unknown (64 pages) is the shortest book and Barack Obama’s memoir A Promised Land (751 pages) is the longest book that I’ve read. They’re both illuminating reads.

3. Dazzling Lights

After sunset, elaborate light displays and beautiful holiday decorations in downtown Toronto make December feel festive and different from all other months in the year. I have zero holiday shopping to do so my evening walks are pure leisure.

Brookfield Place Allen Lambert Galleria — Dazzling lights in Allen Lambert Galleria

Tree at Commerce Court — Tree and ornaments shine under ceiling lights

Blue light tunnels — Glittering light tunnels as part of #CavalcadeOfLights

Lit-up picture frame — A whimsical picture frame and over 100 lit trees glimmer

Light strings — Shimmering light strings

Happy Holidays

I’d like to thank the Weekend Coffee Share blogging community for your active participation. Whether you posted once, or every week, I appreciate your effort. Together we’ve made the weekly link-up a success. Total 50 link-ups in 2021.

I’d also like to thank my regular blog readers and fellow bloggers for your ongoing support. Your comments enrich my day and make my blogging journey fun. I greatly appreciate our blogging connections.

I look forward to enjoying the holidays and ringing in 2022 with gratitude and optimism.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season!

Linked up with #LifeThisWeek, #PPAC27, #SundayStills, #WhatsOnYourBookshelf.

Recent Reads and Fall Colours

October 22, 2021December 25, 2021Natalie97 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #42! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.

It was a mild week with daytime high temperatures ranged from 14C to 21C (57F-70F). The weather was ideal for long bike rides and long walks so I did that most mornings. Nature gives me a new stunning landscape every day.

It was also a fun and leisure week. I cycled to several parks and beaches. I met a friend in High Park for a nice 5K hike and coffee catch-up. I walked another 5K with my neighbour to visit a beautiful garden. I saw new public art exhibits and finished my book of the week.

Recent Reads

Speaking of books, I’m pleased to contribute to the #WhatsOnYourBookShelf challenge, co-hosted by four lovely bloggers Donna, Sue, Jo and Debbie.

I use the Toronto Public Library 2021 Reading Challenge categories to read widely and discover new books, authors, and genres. You can see the full list of books I’ve read and the categories I’ve met so far this year on my Books in 2021 page at the top of my blog.

My recent reads by author’s last name include:

Beartown – Fredrik Backman
The Dark Lake – Sarah Bailey
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Lost – Michael Robotham
The Miseducation of Evie Epworth – Matson Taylor
Second First Impressions – Sally Thorne

Sarah Bailey, Matt Haig, and Matson Taylor were new to me authors. I enjoyed all six novels, especially The Midnight Library and The Miseducation of Evie Epworth. Second First Impressions was a light and fun romance comedy fiction. The other three novels were good although I felt that they were a bit long for the story lines.

Fall Colours

October is a beautiful month here with the vivid Fall colours. I feel fortunate to see them every year. This year the warm weather has delayed the leaves changing colours. The late summer flowers are still looking good while the yellow, orange and red start to show.

Here are some photos of Fall colours. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Oak leaves in autumn. — Leaves started to change colours.

Potted mums and pumpkins on haystacks. — Burgundy potted mums and pumpkins on haystacks are common signs of Fall.

Maple trees changing colours. — Two maple trees with pops of Fall colours greeted me on this path.

Dahlias. — These bright dahlias last well into Fall.

Queen Elizabeth rose. — Roses are still doing well in the gardens, like this gorgeous ‘Queen Elizabeth’ rose.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Linking to #Colour2021: Orange, #FOTD, #LifeThisWeek, #SundayStills: Pink.

How was your week? What’s on your bookshelf?

Recent Reads and Golden Finds

September 17, 2021December 25, 2021Natalie100 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #37! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.

It was a week of mostly sunny days with thunders, lightning and rain on Tuesday night. Daytime high temperatures ranged from 22C to 27C (72F to 81F) although cooler in the morning and evening. The parks are still full of green trees and beautiful flowers like the flowers I feature in this post.

It was also the week before Canada’s Federal Election. Election day is on September 20. I went to cast my vote first thing in the morning on one of the advance poll days. There was no line-up. It felt good to get this important action item done.

One of my neighbours called and asked me to go for a walk with her. At 80+ years of age and living alone, B is active and sharp as a tack. She talked, I listened and we did a 3.2 km (2 miles) walk. She’d like to walk with me again next week.

The rest of the week went well. I cycled most mornings, saw herons at a conservation area, took several walks, played disc golf twice, completed my mind and body exercises, chatted with my family and friends, and did house chores, reading and writing.

Recent Reads

I’m pleased to contribute to the #WhatsOnYourBookShelf challenge, co-hosted by four lovely bloggers Donna, Sue, Jo and Debbie.

My recent reads by author’s last name include:

The Outlander – Gil Adamson
Lock & Key – Sarah Dessen
The Giver of Stars – Jojo Moyes
Lily and the Octopus – Steven Rowley
Peace by Chocolate – Jon Tattrie (non-fiction)
The One We Fell In Love With – Paige Toon

I was pleased to discover Jon Tattrie and Paige Toon who were new to me. If I were to rate this batch of books, on a 5-star scale, I’d give 5 stars to Peace By Chocolate, 4.5 stars to The Giver of Stars and 4 stars to the other books. I linked the book titles to GoodReads.

While both The Giver of Stars and Peace by Chocolate are excellent stories of human resilience, compassion, kindness, love, family, friendship and community, I give an extra 0.5 point to Peace By Chocolate because it’s a true story of a family of Syrian refugees who settled in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The book is an easy read at about 200 pages. Does chocolate play a role in the story? Yes, Peace by Chocolate ships worldwide (this is not an affiliated link).

Golden Finds

Inspired by Cee’s Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC#14) and Terri’s Sunday Stills Colour Challenge – Harvest Gold or Citrine, I took photos of a few golden bronze art objects and flowers that are in the gardens.

Marlin sculpture by Andrew Posa, 1987. — **Marlin** sculpture by Andrew Posa, 1987.

U.V. Ceti by Andrew Posa. — **U.V. Ceti** sculpture by Andrew Posa, “*Dedicated to Edward Isaac Richmond, architect, 1908-1982. A kind man who shared his love of beauty*.”

'Cherokee Sunset' Back-eyed Susan flowers. — Black-eyed Susan flowers.

An Autumn Beauty sunflower. — An ‘Autumn Beauty’ Sunflower is a showy mixture of colours including golden yellow, bronze, brown, and burgundy.

Shared with #LifeThisWeek.

So how did your week go? What’s on your bookshelf?

2020 Reading: First Update

March 29, 2020February 24, 2021Natalie61 Comments

Greetings! I hope everyone is staying safe and keeping a healthy routine. While at home this week, I took an inventory of what I’ve read in the first three months of 2020. I use the Toronto Public Library 2020 Reading Challenge as a guideline to read more widely and add a few categories on my own to make my reading more interesting.

Last year I read thirty two books in the first half and thirty books in the second half of 2019, or 62 books in total. This year I had set a modest reading goal of 36 books because I was planning to travel frequently. Well, with the COVID-19 pandemic and travel cancellations, I may be able to read more than 36 books after all.

Here’s a look at my year-to-date reading listed by author’s last name:

Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth.
Wherever She Goes, K.L. Armstrong.
Bad Move, Linwood Barclay.
Elevator Pitch, Linwood Barclay.
Stand On The Sky, Erin Bow.
Love Walked In, Marisa De Los Santos.
Bone Black, Carol Rose GoldenEagle.
At The Mountain’s Edge, Genevieve Graham.
Comics Will Break Your Heart, Faith Erin Hicks.
And The Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini.
The Flatshare, Beth O’Leary.
A Better Man, Louise Penny.
Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Snowmen, Mark Sedore.
The Art of Racing in The Rain, Garth Stein.
26 Knots, Bindu Suresh.
A Delhi Obsession, M.G. Vassanji.
Starlight, Richard Wagamese.

Number of books read: Eighteen books from January to March 2020.

A book originally written in a language other than my first language: Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth. Altharthi makes literary history as the first female Omani author to be translated into English and as author of the first novel written in Arabic to win the Man Booker International Prize 2019. She shares that extraordinary success with translator and Oxford professor Booth.

A book by an Indigenous author: Bone Black by Carol Rose GoldenEagle, and Starlight by Richard Wagamese.

A book that made me laugh: Bad Move by Linwood Barclay. Barclay is a former columnist for the Toronto Star, a Canadian daily newspaper. I used to read his column and enjoy his humourous writing style.

A book under 200 pages long: 26 Knots by Bindu Suresh at 151 pages and Snowmen by Mark Sedore at 170 pages.

A book over 450 pages long: Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay at 453 pages.

A book for young adults: Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks and Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow.

A book to be made into a mini TV series: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

A book with a dog’s view of life: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

A book written in three days: Snowmen by Mark Sedore. This is Sedore’s first published novel and the winner of the 32nd Annual International 3-Day Novel Contest.

A book that took me to other places in Canada:

British Columbia: Starlight by Richard Wagamese.
Nova Scotia: Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks.
Quebec: 26 Knots by Bindu Surash and A Better Man by Louise Penny.
Saskatchewan: Bone Black by Carol Rose GoldenEagle.
The Arctic Circle from Canada to Russia: Snowmen by Mark Sedore.
The Yukon: At The Mountain’s Edge by Genevieve Graham.

A book that took me overseas:

Afghanistan: And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.
India: A Delhi Obsession by M.G. Vassanji.
Mongolia: Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow.
Oman: Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi.
The United Kingdom: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto library branches have been closed since March 13 until further notice. I look forward to picking up a few books that have been on hold for me when the library reopens. In the meantime, I have a few books at home waiting to be read. Knowing that makes me smile.

What about you? Any recommendations? I’d love to hear your comments.

What Have You Been Reading? Part 2

December 15, 2019December 29, 2019Natalie49 Comments

Back in June this year, I wrote about the thirty two books that I read in the first half of the year. Now that we’re in mid-December and 2019 is coming to a close, I thought I’d write another update to share the books I read in the second half of the year.

Books Read in 2nd Half of 2019

From July 1 to December 15 29, I read ~~twenty eight~~ thirty books. Not bad considering that I was traveling frequently during this time period. I list them by author’s last name as follows:

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou.
The Christmas Train, David Baldacci.
The Suspect, Fiona Barton.
The Life Lucy Knew, Karma Brown.
The Favourite Game, Leonard Cohen.
Little Beach Street Bakery, Jenny Colgan.
The Bookshop on the Shore, Jenny Colgan.
The Endless Beach, Jenny Colgan.
The Moroccan Girl, Charles Cumming.
Crimson Lake, Candice Fox.
Less, Andrew Sean Greer.
All Things Consoled, Elizabeth Hay.
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway.
The Chai Factor, Farah Heron.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gayle Honeyman.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini.
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini.
And Then You Were Gone, RJ Jacobs.
Elevation, Stephen King.
The Matchmaker’s List, Sonya Lalli.
Happy People Read & Drink Coffee, Agnes Martin Lugand.
Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Full Disclosure, Beverley McLachlin.
Becoming, Michelle Obama.
Dual Citizens, Alix Ohlin.
The Black Jersey, Jorge Zepeda Patterson.
Kingdom of the Blind, Louise Penny.
Call Me Evie, J.P. Pomare.
The Vanishing Season, Joanna Schaffhaussen.

P.S. I updated the above image and the list of books on December 29, 2019 to include two additional books that I read between December 15 and 29 (The Chai Factor and The Matchmaker’s List).

My Reading Goal for 2019

My reading target was three books per month or 36 books in 2019. My actual reading was 62 books in 2019 (32 in the first half plus 30 in the second half of 2019). I’ve unexpectedly exceeded my reading goal (yay me!).

Top Picks?

In case you’re looking for my “top picks”, it’s difficult for me to short list the books I’ve read this year. Each of the sixty two books that I read is a good read, many of them are award winners or bestsellers. The authors come from various countries around the world. Their bios, stories, and story settings are quite interesting.

Try Something New

I think reading choices, like music, depend on our mood. My suggestion is if you find one of the above book titles intriguing, look up the brief summary of the book on the internet and see if it appeals to you. Also be open to branching out from your usual book genres.

I’m thankful to have access to the excellent Toronto Public Library (TPL) system. I find the TPL 2019 Reading Challenge fun to do. The proposed categories introduce me to new book genres, new topics, and new authors. They make me read more widely. I look forward to reading more in the New Year.

What have you been reading in 2019?

What Have You Been Reading?

June 21, 2019December 29, 2019Natalie77 Comments

I just got back from a two-week trip to Malta and Germany. My trip was part new exploration, to see the sights in Malta and Germany, and part family and friends, to see my cousins near Munich, and my longtime friend near Stuttgart.

I had an amazing time in both countries. The weather was sunny and warm, some days got to 37C (or 99F). I did a lot of talking with my family and friends, a lot of walking, sightseeing, eating, drinking (mostly water to stay hydrated and a few beers), and of course taking photos. More trip details to follow once I get myself organized.

In the mean time, in the Northern hemisphere we welcomed the first day of summer on June 21. Summer brings the promise of many outdoor activities, as well as easy living and reading. This prompted me to reflect on what I’ve been reading this year.

In January, I started using the proposed categories from the Toronto Public Library 2019 Reading Challenge as a guide to read more widely. This has led to getting me to read a bit beyond my usual mysteries and fiction.

What I’ve Enjoyed Reading: From January to date, I’ve enjoyed reading thirty two books that I wouldn’t have read otherwise. I had fun putting the thirty two book cover images into a photo collage. The books are listed by author’s last name below:

A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman
The Widow, Fiona Barton
Family & Other Catastrophes, Alexandra Borowitz
The Rough Guide to Croatia, Jonathan Bousfield
Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton
Washington Black, Esi Edugyan
The Choice, Dr. Edith Eva Eger
What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, Nathan Englander
419, Will Ferguson
Gone Girl, Gillan Flynn
Panic Room, Robert Goddard
Scrublands, Chris Hammer
The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
Before the Fall, Noah Hawley
A Brief History of Oversharing, Shawn Hitchins
Sea Prayer, Khaled Hosseini
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King
Defending Jacob, William Landay
The Bishop’s Man, Linden MacIntyre
Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami
Binti, Nnedi Okorafor
In Pursuit of Excellence, Terry Orlick
Love Dishonor Marry Cherish Perish, David Rakoff
Bellevue Square, Michael Redhill
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Holly Ringland
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
Adèle, Leila Slimani
The Perfect Nanny, Leila Slimani
Ru, Kim Thúy
Book Love, Debbie Tung

Book Categories: The Toronto Public Library proposed fourteen categories in the Reading Challenge. I’ve read all of them, and at least one book in each category, hence the total of thirty two books. When a book qualifies for more than one category, I count it in one category only.

Reading Habits: During the day, I prefer to be out and about so I save my book reading for the evening. I read most days but not every day. I usually read one book at a time to pay my full attention to the book. I’ve also been more careful with my book selection since I want to spend my time on good quality books.

Gratitude: I’m grateful to have access to one of the best public library systems in the world. Thanks to the library’s proposed book categories, I’ve been reading many new-to-me and award-winning authors from different countries. I’ve also read more book genres and learned more about international literary awards. I love that I’ve been reading these books without accumulating them in my home.

What’s Next: I enjoy the Reading Challenge and plan to continue for the rest of this year. I may use the additional eleven categories in the Advanced Reading Challenge to make my reading even more interesting. It would be a “wide” success for me if I could finish reading sixty books in more than fourteen categories in 2019.

Your Turn: What have you been reading? What are your reading habits? I’d love to hear your book recommendations.