Remember when you were in elementary school and you had to write a book report? I feel like I'm still doing it when I write these posts about what I'm reading.
The Great Alone by Kristan Hannah.
I really enjoy this author, Kristin Hannah, and have read many of her other novels including her #1 NY Times Bestseller, The Nightingale. If you haven't read The Nightingale, I highly recommend it.
The Great Alone takes place in the 1970's in beautiful uncharted wilderness of Alaska. The author's stunning descriptions and brilliant metaphors bring this majestic setting alive.
The story: After returning from the Vietnam war, Ernt Allbright is a changed and more violent man. Unable to easily fit back into society and unable to keep a job, Ernt moves his family to Alaska to live in a remote area and live off the land. It is a survival story of a family in crisis and the difficulties which highlight the extremes of experiencing challenging and sometimes difficult Alaska living. We are introduced to their community who are strong group of survivalists both men and women. It is an exciting and heart wrenching story of human nature. A good read.
What I'm Watching on Prime:
2 documentaries- I liked them both- very interesting and informative
Shalom Bollywood - This is about the film industry in India and why so many stars came from the Indian Jewish community. I wasn't aware of the large Jewish community in India. " The unlikely story of the 2000- year-old Indian Jewish community and its formative place in shaping the world's .".
In My Mother's Garden-
A selected group of women of color are interviewed to talk about their lives and their relationships with their mothers and grandmothers and how it impacted their lives. These interesting women share about the wisdom passed down to them regarding love, spirituality, sexism, family, food, and racism.
I also just started a new series on Netflix called, " BlackSpace". It's an exciting detective series that will keep you on the edge of your seat . A murder takes place in a local high school in front of the entire assembly of 12th graders. Four students are shot- Were these four students targeted or were they shot randomly?? Could be your next series to watch!! It takes place in Israel and my version was dubbed.
I also recently saw the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit( link to my post about it) which was FABULOUS.. This exhibit is traveling all over the US and the world. I saw it in Miami, friends saw it in Toronto, in Israel, etc.
What I'm cooking: Instant Pot Potato Salad
This is a mayo free French type potato salad made with lemon and oil ( recently I have begun to make it oil-free too)
trailer for Black Space
men from across the globe unlock stories of their mothers to redefine holistic lives rooted
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We are watching StartUp in Netflix these days. Thanks for introducing Black Space as we also enjoy detective stories.
ReplyDeleteI used to feel that writing about books on my blog was like homework too. Then I stopped summarizing the books and just gave my general impressions of them. Worked for me to prevent me leaving my blog altogether, lol.
ReplyDeleteI dreaded writing book reports. Back in that time, I didn't realize that I could just honestly share my thoughts about a book. Now I love writing them down. Funny!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I need to try some documentaries. The last few things that I've tried haven't worked for me.
I think the Van Gogh exhibit is coming to Houston. I must follow your link and see.
It's been a long time since I made potato salad. Yours looks delicious. Potato salad is summer.
I am going to watch those two Prime documentaries, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI want to read more books set in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteI liked The Nightingale but have not read any of Hannah's other novels. The Alaska novels sounds good. I've also been looking at her Dust Bowl novel too ... though it seems sad. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI love Van Gogh. It was a thrill of a lifetime to visit an exhibit of his work in Amsterdam.
ReplyDeleteI want to go to the Van Gogh exhibit if it comes to Seattle. I hope I didn't miss it.
ReplyDeleteOoh, we've been thinking of heading over to Miami to see that Van Gogh before we head north for the summer. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny that you said you feel like you're writing a book report! I feel the same way when I write my reviews, but it's more enjoyable because I don't have to follow a specific format or guidelines :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. It is more enjoyable than when we wrote them for school.
DeleteI could so relate to what you said about blogging about books being like writing book reports! I used to feel that way too but agree with the other commenters who said that blogging is much more fun -- and freeing! I've never read Kristin Hannah but have heard good things. Maybe I'll give her a try. :)
ReplyDeleteDocumentaries look great! Would like to watch. We eat potatoes salads alot in summer season.
ReplyDeleteI SO want to see the Van Gogh exhibit! Sounds amazing. And French-style potato salad is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteI am dying to see that van Gogh exhibit! He is my favorite artist, and I would love to be surrounded by his work. I enjoyed your book report. I am an avid reader, so I am always interested in what other people have to say about books.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you enjoy blogging about books more than you did writing those school book reports. ;-) Who would have thought it would be something we would eventually do for fun? I know what you mean though.
ReplyDeleteI have heard good things about Kristen Hannah's books, but I haven't yet tried any of them. I have a couple on my TBR shelf waiting their turn though. The Nightgale and The Great Alone. I am glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Shalom Bollywood sounds really interesting and I will definitely have to try Black Space.
The potato salad looks really good! You've made me hungry now.
I hope you have a great weekend, Judee!
Oil-free “pommels a l’huile” (the French name which means “potatoes in oil”) sounds like a sort of contradiction, but of course there’s no limit to the ways you can make potato salad! I’ve been watching the documentary “High on the Hog” which is very good — and not about meat despite the name.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
My comment disappeared! LOL! Anyhow, I need to watch a few of those that you recommended. I've watched nearly everything on Netflish and Prime since covid. Some good,some not so good. But it's always nice to get recommenations. I have to get to the van Gogh exhibit; saw it Paris decades ago. Thanks for a great blog post!!!
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