Humankind: Are Humans Kind?

Last week when I was complaining about Jeff Bezos and writing about applesauce and reading more poetry, a kind anonymous commenter left me an intriguing comment: 

"Hi Bonny,

Long time reader but lurker. Love your book reviews and your hitchikers, although I am yet to start one of my own.

May I recommend the book "Humankind", by Rutger Bregman, as an excellent antidote (rather than a temporary escape) to the current state of the world?"

I replied:

"Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and the book recommendation. I'm heading to a used bookstore tomorrow to look for some Ted Kooser poetry books, but I've just borrowed Humankind from my library and will start listening to it tonight. I could surely use an antidote to the current state of things and I'm hopeful that this book might provide it. The subtitle (A Hopeful History) sounds promising!"

And then she replied with an even more thoughtful comment:

"Thank you for taking the time to reply to an anonymous comment so kindly.

I have been thinking over my wording and I think rather than antidote, maybe a better description of the effect of "Humankind" is that it has made a permanent change in my state of mind; it is easier to take the news with a grain of salt sometimes, ignore it without guilt when I need to, and find a place of mental comfort. It has made it much easier to be hopeful about the future."

I will always read and consider kind, helpful, and thoughtful comments, especially those that contain book recommendations. This was especially nice, since most of the previous anonymous comments I've gotten have called me a crazy Democrat, berated me for talking about politics, and telling me I need to stick to knitting. This was a welcome change!

So I did read the recommended book and I've thought about it for a couple of days. I'm sharing my review here in case some of you might also be interested in a hopeful book.

Humankind by Rutger Bregman is an engaging and optimistic read that challenges the notion that humans are fundamentally selfish or cruel. The book is filled with fascinating anecdotes—from real-life Lord of the Flies scenarios to historical acts of kindness—but it lacks a strong foundation in scientific studies to back up its central claim: that “most people, deep down, are pretty decent.”

One of the book’s big weaknesses for me is that Bregman never clearly defines what it means to be “pretty decent.” Does this mean we should expect people to be kind and helpful in most situations? Or simply that they have the capacity for decency under the right conditions? Without a more concrete definition, his argument feels slippery.

The author does discuss the Holocaust as evidence of the human capacity for evil, and argues that power, influence, and survival play a bigger role than a lust for violence in the decisions people make. He suggests that social conformity and camaraderie between soldiers may explain the Holocaust, but the Holocaust was just too big and beyond horrendous to be explained simply by wanting to conform. Bregman thinks that the idea that humans are inherently selfish may have created a self-fulfilling prophecy. These all seem to be a matter of degrees, and I think that power influence, survival, and a rather large capacity for evil and cruelty all played a part in the Holocaust.

While I appreciated the book’s hopeful perspective—especially in an era where cynicism, selfishness, and just plain cruelty often dominate—some real-world events have made me question his thesis. If more than half of people in the US vehemently resisted something as straightforward as mask mandates during COVID-19, can we really say that “most people” are fundamentally good? It seems more accurate to say that some people are decent some of the time.

That said, Humankind offers a much-needed dose of optimism, and Bregman is a gifted storyteller. If you’re looking for an uplifting perspective on human nature (even if it’s a bit idealistic), this book is worth a read. Just don’t expect a deeply scientific or airtight case for its claims. Three and a half stars rounded up.

And because it's Friday at the end of a long week and this post only has one picture of a book cover, here are a couple of photos of adorable Valais Blacknose sheep. 

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday: 3/5/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today, but I'm not subjecting you to yet another photo of the Classy Hitchhiker looking much the same as it did last week. I am approaching the end, and by that I mean I've got 88 more rows to go. They are long ones, but I hope to be done by next week. 

Instead I'm sharing my excitement at receiving some good mail that serendipitously arrived yesterday. What could be hiding in this box? 

It's my Wollmeise!

 

 

I love the colors as much or more in person, and I even love the name that Wollmeise has given the collection.

Dracula sounds just a tiny bit creepy but I think the skeins are beautiful. I haven't unwrapped them yet because I want to make myself finish the current Hitchhiker first, and I know if I open the package, I'll wind them and maybe even cast on. So they'll remain safely sealed until the Classy Hitchhiker is done. I better get knitting!

I read a book last week that I began with high hopes. Dream State started off as a solid 5-star read—beautifully written, immersive, and filled with sharp insights about family, identity, and Montana as a dream state. Puchner’s prose is exquisite, and the early chapters immediately pull you in with their emotional depth and well-drawn characters.

However, the middle section drags considerably. The pacing slows, and some parts feel bloated, making it a struggle to stay engaged. What started as a mesmerizing read turned into a slog at times, barely holding onto a 3-star level of interest for me. Certain sections felt repetitive, and I found myself longing for the momentum and magic of the beginning. It is a rare book that has male friendship as a topic, and even rarer to have an author that follows the ups and downs of that friendship over the years, especially when there is a woman between them. One of my biggest problems with the book was this woman's motivation for a crucial action she takes near the beginning. I pretty much finished the book to try and understand her better but any explanation was sadly lacking. In the beginning, the climate change aspect felt like part of the story, but by the end I felt like I was being hit over the head with it at every turn.

Thankfully, the book regains its footing in the final stretch. The ending is just as strong as the opening—poignant, thought-provoking, and beautifully executed. If the middle had been tighter, this could have easily been a 5-star book for me. As it stands, it’s a mixed experience—worth reading for the highs, but expect some big lulls along the way.

What are you making and reading this week?

 

It's a Celebration!

I'm tired of crappy news and decided to document some good things. These aren't things that need champagne toasts but if I had one of those party blowers, I would give it a few toots. Feel free to add any of your own celebratory events, no matter how small they might be. 

• We have our first snowdrops! Last week was fairly warm and sunny,so I'm sure that helped them along. It was really pleasant and the sun felt quite nice. It's still winter but I'm starting to see some signs of spring.  
  

• John has a cold and has suffered with it mightily for what has felt like the whole month of February the past week. That's not actually good news, but the best news is that I haven't gotten it! This is almost a miracle because he's been busy sneezing and generally spreading his virus particles around. I woke up on Friday with a headache, sore throat, and stuffy nose, but I gargled with salt water repeatedly and it only lasted a day. I've also been actively washing my hands, dishes, and wiping things off with antibacterial wipes, so fingers crossed that I don't come down with anything in the next few days. 

• My SiL wanted me to go with her to the Philadelphia Flower Show. I decided to decline the invitation because the last time I went (about 10 years ago), the Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia was so crowded that I could hardly move. Sure, the displays are lovely and the flowers are beautiful, but I was so overwhelmed that I felt like just sitting down and crying. The good thing here is that I said what I thought and clearly expressed how I felt felt instead of giving her a half-assed response and then dreading the trip. I suggested that maybe we could go to Longwood Gardens when it warmed up a little more and see loads of flowers without crowds.

• I was the executor for my father's will. He died seven years ago, but because of some arcane provisions in his will (and quite frankly, the a**hole lawyer who drafted the will), it has taken me seven years to fully execute his will and satisfy the convoluted financial conditions. The estate checking account is finally closed and I think (hope!) I'm done with this hanging over my head.
  

• It was warm enough (53°) on Saturday for me to wash the kitchen curtains and hang them out. It was also windy enough (20-30 mph) for them to dry in a hurry. Clean kitchen curtains and snowdrops are sure signs of spring for me (even though it went down to 15° Saturday night).

I hope you've got something in your life worth celebrating. Break out the party blowers and let me know in the comments!

Mornings, Newspapers, Applesauce, and a Poem

I subscribed to The Washington Post, but after owner Jeff Bezos' decision not to endorse Kamala Harris last fall, I cancelled my subscription in anger (along with about 300,000 other people). I have three days remaining and have been thinking about re-subscribing, but once again, I'm angry. On Wednesday, Bezos announced a major shift to the newspaper’s opinion section, saying it would now advocate only “personal liberties and free markets” and not publish any opposing viewpoints on those topics. Of course, The Washington Post is his toy and he is free to use it in whatever way he would like, even if that means it is his personal mouthpiece. I just don't want to pay money for a newspaper run this way. It's a shame because I will miss some terrific writers and Ron Charles' book reviews, but not enough to give the billionaire more of my money.

This has changed my mornings a little bit. I read blogs, do Wordle, do a Duolingo German lesson or two, and check the news. This depends on what kind of day it looks like and how much news I can handle. Sometimes I read headlines on NPR, sometimes BBC, but lately I've been reading The New York Times through my library. It's just another reason that I'm grateful for libraries, the resources they provide, and the money they save me (but I know I'm preaching to the choir).

I found this article (gift link) yesterday and it captured my imagination. It's about how poetry helped the author start her days in a different way, not mindlessly heeding notifications on her phone and scrolling. She started memorizing poems during the pandemic, and while I don't think I'll take that approach, I decided that I wanted to make more of an effort to start my day with poetry. I know some of you do this already and I'd love to hear if/how it's made a difference. 

But in an effort to find something to write about today, I've given you some background information about how and why I came upon this poem. It reminds me of my grandmother which is always a good thing and I warmed up some applesauce for breakfast while I read it. I have a cold, I'm irritated at Jeff Bezos, but I have eaten warm applesauce, and I'm finding my way. Here's hoping that you are, too. 

Applesauce

by Ted Kooser 

I liked how the starry blue lid
of that saucepan lifted and puffed,
then settled back on a thin
hotpad of steam, and the way
her kitchen filled with the warm,
wet breath of apples, as if all
the apples were talking at once,
as if they’d come cold and sour
from chores in the orchard,
and were trying to shoulder in
close to the fire. She was too busy
to put in her two cents’ worth
talking to apples. Squeezing
her dentures with wrinkly lips,
she had to jingle and stack
the bright brass coins of the lids
and thoughtfully count out
the red rubber rings, then hold
each jar, to see if it was clean,
to a window that looked out
through her back yard into Iowa.
And with every third or fourth jar
she wiped steam from her glasses,
using the hem of her apron,
printed with tiny red sailboats
that dipped along with leaf-green
banners snapping, under puffs
or pale applesauce clouds
scented with cinnamon and cloves,
the only boats under sail
for at least two thousand miles.

 

From Delights and Shadows (Copper Canyon Press, 2004). 2004 by Ted Kooser.

Unraveled Wednesday: 2/26/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today, with some more blue teeth and a couple more gray stripes on the current Hitchhiker.

I have several progress indicators; it takes up a whole block on the patio, I'm working on the 43rd tooth, and the ball of blue yarn is getting smaller. I do have another full skein of the blue yarn already wound, but I hope to be finishing this up shortly. By "shortly", I mean within a couple of weeks. I've ordered some gradient skeins from Wollmeise for another Hitchhiker idea I had, but that will take at least a couple of weeks to get here. I don't think there are tariffs on yarn from Germany, but I guess I'll soon find out. 

I finished one book this week. It was an ARC with a unique premise, but I thought the execution was lacking a bit. Daria Lavelle's Aftertaste presents a unique premise: Konstantin "Kostya" Duhovny, who can taste the favorite foods of the deceased, discovers he can reunite the living with their lost loved ones through his culinary creations. Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York's culinary scene, the novel explores themes of grief, love, and the lengths one might go to find closure.

Lavelle's writing vividly captures the sensory experiences of food, making the descriptions of spices and food truly mouthwatering. The food writing is five stars, but some of the ghostly elements are not as well-written and felt underwhelming to me. The fusion of supernatural elements with the high-stakes world of professional kitchens offers an intriguing narrative. However, while the concept is compelling, the execution occasionally feels uneven. Some character developments and plot transitions seem rushed, leaving certain emotional arcs underexplored.

Despite these pacing issues, Aftertaste remains an imaginative journey through the intersections of food, memory, and the supernatural. Readers interested in a blend of culinary fiction and ghostly tales may find this novel a flavorful read. Three and a half stars rounded down.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on May 20, 2025. 

What are you making and reading this week?

 

The Weekly Loaf

This week's loaf has a slightly different shape, but it's still bread. I was perusing the King Arthur Baking website, looking for something new and different and I came upon this Braided Stromboli recipe. John recently ordered a stromboli when he had lunch with some friends. He brought home the leftovers, but it wasn't anything that impressed me. Gloppy is how I would describe the mix of ricotta and mozzarella that made up the filling. I thought I could make something better, and this recipe was my first attempt. 

Please ignore the wonkiness of the braiding (laying the dough over the filling). I rolled the dough out too thin and wasn't as careful folding the dough over as I could have been. I didn't make this right after I came upon the recipe because I had to find some semolina flour first, but I'm glad I finally did. Many of the comments on the recipe raved about how nice the dough was to handle, and I agree. I might try this dough the next time I make pizza. 

The recipe called for half a pound of thinly sliced provolone and one quarter pound of salami. I used a bit more of each, and that was okay, but the bottom was a bit greasy. The next time I might try prosciutto and mozzarella to reduce the greasiness, or maybe sausage, mushrooms, and mozzarella. I might even try spinach, mushrooms, and mozzarella (except John would probably wonder if I forgot the meat). 

I'm always looking for dinner recipes that are easy and taste good. This one fit the bill and I hope I can make it taste and look a bit better the next time I make it. Here's hoping that all your dinners this week are delicious!

A Gathering of Poetry: February 2025

It's the third Thursday of the month so I'd like to welcome you to A Gathering of Poetry. This poem was inspired by the winds blowing fiercely and the freezing rain pelting me as I took the recycling bin out one evening. Once I read through it, it seemed almost as if Ada Limón had been standing across the street watching me. I wish that was the case as I think she would be a fascinating person to talk with, but until that happens, we've got her poetry. 

Dead Stars

by Ada Limón

Out here, there’s a bowing even the trees are doing.
                 Winter’s icy hand at the back of all of us.
Black bark, slick yellow leaves, a kind of stillness that feels
so mute it’s almost in another year.

I am a hearth of spiders these days: a nest of trying.

We point out the stars that make Orion as we take out
       the trash, the rolling containers a song of suburban thunder.

It’s almost romantic as we adjust the waxy blue
       recycling bin until you say, Man, we should really learn
some new constellations.

And it’s true. We keep forgetting about Antlia, Centaurus,
       Draco, Lacerta, Hydra, Lyra, Lynx.

But mostly we’re forgetting we’re dead stars too, my mouth is full
       of dust and I wish to reclaim the rising—

to lean in the spotlight of streetlight with you, toward
       what’s larger within us, toward how we were born.

Look, we are not unspectacular things.
       We’ve come this far, survived this much. What

would happen if we decided to survive more? To love harder?

What if we stood up with our synapses and flesh and said, No.
     No, to the rising tides.

Stood for the many mute mouths of the sea, of the land?

What would happen if we used our bodies to bargain

for the safety of others, for earth,
                 if we declared a clean night, if we stopped being terrified,

if we launched our demands into the sky, made ourselves so big
people could point to us with the arrows they make in their minds,

rolling their trash bins out, after all of this is over?

====

From The Carrying (Milkweed Editions, 2018) by Ada Limón. Copyright © 2018 by Ada Limón.

You can read more about Ada Limón here. 

====

Thank you for reading and joining us for our monthly Gathering of Poetry. You are more than welcome to add your link below if you would like to share one of your favorite poems. The more the merrier!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Unraveled Wednesday: 2/19/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today, just plugging away knitting happily on the current Hitchhiker. 

These are definitely indoor pictures today because the wind chill outside is 14 degrees and I'm a wimp.

I finished A Year of Marvellous Ways, based on Jane's recommendation, saying that she enjoyed reading novels that feature older remarkable women. (Thank you, Jane.) This is something that I also enjoy, and Marvellous Ways is one strong, kind, generous woman. I needed to read a book that reminded me there is still goodness, kindness and love in the world and cruelty can be healed through patience, compassion and love. This story fit the bill perfectly and was four stars for me. 

I'm currently reading Long Bright River which is a book filled with addiction and sadness, so I hope to balance this out with Followed by the Lark, a book about Henry David Thoreau (unless something better shows up in the meantime).

What are you making and reading this week?

 

Read With Us: Why You Should Get Involved With a Bunch of Awful Characters

Our current Read With Us book is The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Kym, Carole and I have somewhat of a tough job promoting this book. This is my attempt to explain why I think you should read The Secret History—even if the characters are awful. 

If you’ve ever been intrigued by dark academia, fictional murder, or the idea of losing yourself in a beautifully written, haunting novel, The Secret History is a book you shouldn’t miss. It’s a novel that pulls you deep into a world of elitist intellectualism, ancient rituals, and a crime committed by a group of people you probably wouldn’t want to be friends with. And yet, you won’t be able to look away.

It's a story of privilege, obsession, and tragedy. At the heart of The Secret History is an elite group of Classics students at a prestigious New England college, led by the enigmatic and charismatic professor, Julian Morrow. These students are pretentious, manipulative, and often deeply unlikable, but that’s part of what makes them so compelling. Tartt crafts them with such psychological depth that their flaws feel disturbingly real. You may not like them, but you’ll hopefully understand them.

The novel is narrated by Richard Papen, an outsider who desperately wants to belong. He gets swept up in the world of his privileged classmates, Henry, Francis, Charles, Camilla, and Bunny, until he becomes complicit in their dangerous secrets. As the story unfolds, we see how their obsession with the ancient world and their own intellectual superiority leads them down a path of moral decay and, ultimately, murder.

You may be asking yourself, "Why should I care about these unlikable characters?" Some readers hesitate when they hear a book has “unlikable characters.” But in The Secret History, this is exactly what makes the novel so powerful. These characters force us to confront human nature at its most arrogant and flawed. Their moral ambiguity makes them fascinating to read about, much like the Greek tragedies they revere.

It’s also refreshing to read a novel that doesn’t sugarcoat its protagonists. Rather than being forced to root for them, you’re invited to analyze them, to question their motives, and to see the chilling consequences of their actions. The result? A reading experience that feels immersive, intoxicating, and unforgettable.

At its core, The Secret History is deeply rooted in the study of Classics, particularly in the themes of fate, hubris, and the power of the gods. One of the most significant literary influences is Euripides’ The Bacchae, a play about the destructive power of Dionysian ecstasy. The students, inspired by their studies, attempt to recreate an ancient Bacchic ritual—an experience that goes horribly wrong. Their desperate need to transcend the mundane leads to irreversible consequences, echoing the tragedies of the ancient world they idolize. You may be more well-versed in the Classics than I was, but I understood the book better after I read about Euripides' play and the Maenads. Julian (the Classics professor) says “Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it,”, foreshadowing his students’ fates by drawing parallels to Euripides’ Maenads. Maenads were the female worshipers of the God Dionysus, and in Euripides’ play The Bacchae, they murder King Pentheus for banning them from worshiping their god. Like King Pentheus, Bunny Corcoran will later be lured into the woods by his own friends in an effort to avoid answering for their crimes. Despite the graphic violence of The Bacchae, bacchanals are romanticized by Julian in The Secret History, as he speaks of them as a sort of spiritual cleansing, a cathartic release of "primitive impulses".

Much like the doomed characters in The Bacchae, the students in The Secret History believe they can control what they don’t fully understand. Their intellectual arrogance leads them to believe they can stand above morality, but Tartt masterfully shows how hubris always brings ruin.

The Secret History is not just a murder mystery or a psychological thriller—it’s a novel about the allure of beauty and knowledge, and the dark paths they can lead us down. Tartt’s prose is lush and hypnotic, making even the bleakest moments feel poetic. You may be drawn in by the dark academia esthetic, the philosophical undertones, or the brilliance of Tartt’s storytelling. If you love immersive stories, morally complex characters, and books that make you think long after you’ve turned the last page, I think The Secret History is a must-read. 

Discussion day for The Secret History is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 7:00 pm Eastern time, so mark your calendars. We'll ask questions on our blogs that day and then host the always fun, educational, and entertaining Zoom discussion. I really hope you'll Read With Us (even if the book is filled with awful characters)!

The Weekly Loaf

My current weekly loaf came about because of our weather report. On Saturday we had snow and freezing rain, which then turned to rain on Sunday. The doomsday weatherman was predicting 20-40 mph winds with 60 mph gusts on Sunday night into Monday. Since our electricity tends to go out even if there are gentle breezes, I decided I better make some dinner early on Sunday while I still had a stove that worked. 

First up was a pot of sausage corn chowder. I always think soup needs bread to go with it, so I ended up making rosemary bread. 

It's really just a white bread with rosemary added to the dough but it smelled good and I thought it might taste okay, too. I used this recipe for guidance. 

Just make sure you grease your pan completely and don't leave any spots ungreased where the bread might stick and tear. 

I will be making another Honey Oat Pain de Mie in my Pullman pan later today, and I will make sure to grease that pan completely. We're visiting Ryan tomorrow and I'd like to take him a decent loaf of bread, one without any tears in the side. 

I hope your Monday is off to a good start and the rest of your week improves as we head towards Friday!

Three Average Books and One Stunning One

Happy Valentine's Day! Reading is one of the things I love and I know that you do, too. I finished four books this week so I thought they needed their own post. They range from three to five stars, so I'll start with the three star books. 

Anne Lamott has been writing pieces on aging for the Washington Post recently and I've enjoyed reading them. Her writing is simple, succinct, and honest. I've only read two other books of hers (Stitches and Almost Everything) but I wasn't overly impressed by either one of them. I felt a little more kindly towards Somehow or maybe I desperately wanted to read something positive. Listening to the audiobook that Lamott narrates once again made me notice her stream-of-consciousness style, with all its positives and negatives. She is much more faith-focused than I'm comfortable with, but she's lived and learned and knows what works for her. This small volume doesn't contain anything new or even say anything old in a unique way, but she does say simple things that are honest. That is often a rare commodity and it was worth reading.

 

 

Blob has to be one of the weirdest books I've ever read, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have something of value to offer the reader. Vi, daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, has dropped out of college and works at the front desk of a local motel with an impossibly perky co-worker. The boyfriend who gave her a “taste of what it felt like to be normal" has broken up with her and she has hit rock bottom, just trying to get through each day. After a night out at a gay bar with her co-worker, Vi notices a pair of beady eyes staring at her from a literal blob in the alley. She takes it home, leaves bowls of Fruity Pebbles for it while she works, and eventually discovers that she can command it to grow. She tries to make the Blob (named Bob) into her perfect boyfriend, but he starts to feel trapped (because he is).

This book features Bob the Blob but it's really a coming-of-age story about Vi. She is her early 20s but always felt awkward, unlikable, and friendless while growing up. She hasn't learned much and is still mostly friendless and temperamental. While Bob becomes more human, Vi does also. Vi is mostly an unlikable character, but by adding Bob to this novel, Su has written something more than a 20-something finding herself.This was another three-star book for me.

"For a while, he seemed happy enough to eat and breathe and exist--the perfect companion. I should've anticipated that molding him into a man would trigger something deeper, some sort of existential awakening. Now he's just like everyone else. He has needs and desires beyond me.... He could leave without me ever knowing why."

Colum McCann’s Twist is an exploration of connectivity—both technological and human—written with his signature poetic prose. Anthony Fennel is an Irish journalist tasked with covering the vast network of underwater cables that carry the world’s information. Fennell’s assignment leads him to the South African coast were he encounters John Conway, a skilled engineer and freediver, and Zanele, a South African actress on the brink of her own artistic and personal transformation. A Congo River flood causes breeches in the underground cables off the African coast, and the ship Georges Lecointe sets out for repairs with Fennell, Conway and crew on board.

Twist delves into the fragile infrastructure—both physical and personal—that keeps lives intact. The novel’s strength lies in its ability to merge the vast and the intimate: the unknowable depths of the ocean, the invisible threads of global communication, and the deeply personal struggles of its characters. McCann’s prose is fluid, his descriptions evocative and immersive. The novel thrives in its moments of quiet revelation, where themes of exile, love, and the weight of modern existence come to the surface. If there’s a drawback, it’s that Twist can sometimes feel elusive, its fragmented storytelling requiring patience. Because Fennell and Conway both wrestle with things internally, I felt a distance from these main characters and that made it difficult to get to know them. McCann's writing is lovely but I wanted more from the characters than their brokenness. Three and a half stars rounded up because of all I learned about undersea cables, how reliant we all are on them, and how they get repaired.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on March 25, 2025.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a stunning, wonderful work of epistolary fiction. Sybil Van Antwerp has built a career as a lawyer, later clerking for her law partner when he becomes a judge. She has also made a life as a wife and mother but lost one of her sons at the age of eight in a swimming accident. This tragic event had a ripple effect in her life, with those ripples still reflected in her relationships with her adult children years later. At age 78 and losing her eyesight, we learn about her life and the people in it through her letters to them, along with their responses. In writing about the challenges, sadness, and triumphs she encountered, we learn about Sybil as a flawed and realistic human being, but one who is also able to undergo changes and adapt even while she ages. There are literary references to Joan Didion and Ann Patchett, along with book titles that Sybil mentions in her letters. Olive Kitteridge is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I can now add Sybil Van Antwerp to that list. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates kindness, honesty, letters, books, and rich lives lived even by older characters. This one gets five big, gold stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on May 6, 2025. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I hope it includes reading a good book!

 
 

Unraveled Wednesday: 2/12/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today, with no more nonsense, just a Hitchhiker in progress. 

Whenever I've felt overly anxious (while the plumber is trying to figure out why our bathroom sink won't drain, when I'm making phone calls to a Republican representative, or thinking about children being taken in an ICE raid at a school) I pick it up and knit a few rows. The yarn is soft and lovely enough that it helps take the edge off my anxiety and lends itself to some meditative prayers with each stitch. 

I've finished four books this week, so I'll post all the reviews on Friday. There are a few average books and one stunning debut novel. 

What are you making and reading this week?

Tea, Anyone?

I went to a friend's house last week for "tea". John used to work with this man (let's call him Joe) and through the years we've also gotten to know his wife (who we'll call Jean). We used to get together once every month or two for dinner but Jean's 98-year-old mother lives with them and she has COPD. Her mother is becoming more frail, less mobile, and more confused every day. She can't be left alone, so Jean thought maybe we could have "tea" at their house while her mother napped. 

"Tea" was in quotation marks in the invitation, so I was expecting that we would have actual tea, maybe some cheese and crackers and just chat for an hour or so. But when we arrived, Jean had prepared tea fit for the Queen! There were roast beef and horseradish cheddar sliders, dainty cucumber sandwiches, Linzer cookies, lemon squares, chocolates, decadent chocolate cake, and of course, fancy English tea. There may have been some bourbon after we finished the tea. 

It was all incredibly delicious and we did sit and chat for almost three hours. Jean was able to check on her mother and we had a really nice time. This is something of a minor accomplishment because we knew Joe and Jean well as friends before we found out they were supporters of that guy. We rarely discussed politics but now we can even do some of that as they also think that that man is ridiculous and harmful in many ways. It's interesting how we can all speak, listen, and even begin to understand and respect differing points of view without raised voices or anger. Maybe the tea and bourbon helped? I would recommend it for almost anyone discussing things, or even just some friends enjoying "tea". 

Bits & Pieces

I've reached a place where I just don't know what to write about. Unraveled Wednesdays are always a high point, but after that I've only got some small bits and pieces. So that's what today's post consists of. 

 

• Do you have a favorite mug? My favorite has a picture of my kids on it and I use it almost every day. Sometimes it needs to be washed or I'm in a mood, so then I use my second favorite one. My mother might be appalled as I was raised to not use language like that; even telling my sister to shut up was considered "bad". But I'm the boss of what I say now, and at 67, there are definitely times when I'm thinking what my mug says. I haven't said it to anyone yet, but I know that day may be coming.
  

• Kat had recommended the 5 calls app if you want to easily make calls to your representatives. I was all set to download it, but it's only for iphone and ipad. If you have an android like I do, the 5 calls people also have a web site that works the same way. I've used it twice this week; all I had to do was input my zip code, choose what issue(s) is/are important to me, and then appropriate phone numbers and scripts are provided. You could spend all day making phone calls, but since I'm retired and have the time at least I feel like I'm taking some action by making a few calls. It may all be for naught but it also makes me feel a tiny bit better. 

• I have been considering deleting facebook and instagram, but just can't seem to bring myself to do it. I never post anything on either site, but I still have a fear of missing out on something that might bring me a little joy, like beautiful yarn. I certainly don't need any more yarn and haven't bought any in quite a while, so maybe someday I'll just do it. Edited to add: I just did it. So long, Mark Zuckerberg.
  

• Speaking of yarn, someone has really messed up the closet in the back bedroom where my stash lives. I have two large bins and a small one for yarn but somehow that has expanded to a plastic chest with drawers and a trash bag. My needles and patterns used to be organized in a small bin and a notebook, but someone has been putting things back willy-nilly, to the point that I have to quickly shut the closet door so it doesn't all come spilling out. I'm envisioning this as at least a day-long project to take everything out, cull the stash, needles, and patterns, and organize it all when I put things back. I'll be ashamed to post before photos of this mess, but if I can get things under control, the after will hopefully be a big improvement. Since I've written it here, I'll need to actually do this (sometime, no promises when it will happen).
  

• There is power in clothing. I've never paid much attention to clothes fashion, but I wear what is comfortable and practical. In the winter, this is almost always some Duluth Trading overalls, a waffle weave shirt or turtleneck, and a Hitchhiker. I was looking through my Hitchhikers and came upon two alpaca cardigans that Ryan had given me for Christmas many years ago. I have been wearing one of them most days for the past week, and in addition to keeping me warm, they somehow make me feel more powerful; maybe grounded is a better word. I noticed this when I was making my phone calls. I don't think I will ever be featured in Vogue, but if it's good enough for Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, and Audrey Hepburn, then a cardigan is good for me, too.  

• My BiL, Bill, is home after his cardiac adventures at Cleveland Clinic, seeing his doctors at home, starting cardiac rehab., and beginning the long process of recovering and regaining his strength. Thank you all for all of your good wishes and healing thoughts. They do seem to have made a difference and I appreciate all of them. Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” This whole process feels like a miracle to me.

I hope you all have as delightful a weekend as possible. Being happy in spite of the news is a form of resistance and one that I think we have to try hard to preserve.  Please feel free to share any bits and pieces and happiness that is going on in your life!

Unraveled Wednesday: 2/5/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today, with a warm FO, some disappointing unraveling, and a new cast on. 

I finished my Tunis Hot Waffles (ravelry link) mitts and they are as warm as I had hoped. I had to pick a lot of VM out of the yarn as I knit, but that just reminded me that this was very sheepy yarn. I wouldn't want to knit a cowl or sweater out of this as it would be far too scratchy, but it is perfect for a pair of substantial mitts.

The two-color shawl that I wrote about last week was a big disappointment. I dug through my stash, found two yarns that I thought would work together well and cast on. After three false starts and finally admitting that there was no way I was going to enjoy knitting this pattern, I gave up and started thinking in a different direction. The shawl I was going to knit was the Simon Shawl (ravelry link). I liked the look of the fabric in the photos and the attached i-cord was interesting. When I finally gave up, my fabric looked like this:

It didn't look anything like the houndstooth impression I had from the pattern photos and the i-cord in alternating colors just looked clownish. There is a definite right and wrong side and I didn't like either one of them. There was no discernable logic to the pattern, so that meant I would have to be looking at the multi-page pattern all the time. I could have knit more rows so I would have more real estate to judge as Kym often advises, but by the time I produced that little scrap above (36 tedious rows), I knew this was not the pattern for me. Maybe it's the yarn I chose, maybe it's a knitting skill that I'm lacking, but I do know what I like to knit and what I don't. 

But I do like the yarns I chose; they are ones I've been "saving" in my stash for eight or nine years. The gray is lovely and soft from Blue Sky Alpaca and the blue is a moody Madeline Tosh single called Stargazing. I looked at other two-color shawls for over an hour and you'll never guess what I decided on. 

 

A Hitchhiker that uses both yarns! It doesn't look like much so far because I spent a bit of time trying to figure out the best place to change yarns. I think I've arrived at a reasonable way to do it, so I hope to have more done next week. Forget that stuff I wrote last week about possibly being done with Hitchhikers; I may have been suffering from politically induced stress and prone to writing nonsense. Now that I've ripped out those 36 laborious rows, planned my Hitchhiker and cast on, I'm much happier. This Hitchhiker knitting might even help me deal with future politically induced stress due to extreme chaos.

After reading loads of books last week, I haven't finished anything this week. I am reading a couple of ARCs and listening to another weirdly fun book, so stay tuned for some reviews next week.

What are you making and reading this week?

The Weekly Loaf

I've made white sandwich bread, cinnamon bread and honey-oat bread. This week it was cinnamon raisin bread, and it turned out to be almost perfect (even if I do say so myself). 

A little bit of the cinnamon-sugar-raisin filling leaked out at the end, but that was just a preview of the deliciousness within.

 

I was happy to see the lovely tight swirl of cinnamon, sugar, and raisins with very few gaps. I think I had three pieces of this loaf and someone else who lives here gobbled up the rest. He has asked several times when I'm making more, but I feel like moving on to something else, like banana bread, blueberry bread, or maybe banana blueberry bread. 

I hope your weekend includes several things that taste delicious!

Some Average Books Plus a Couple of Good Ones

I wasn't trying to read more than usual, but somehow I managed to finish four five books this week. I figured I would tell you about them in a post devoted solely to books instead of making my Unraveled Wednesday post too long. First is an ARC that I thought might have been written with people like me in mind, but it turned out to be just average for me.

Annie B. Jones' Ordinary Time offers a heartfelt exploration of the beauty and challenges found in the mundane rhythms of life. Her writing is lyrical, reflective, and deeply personal, capturing the ordinary moments that often go unnoticed but can carry profound meaning. The book reads like a collection of journal entries, full of introspection and spiritual undertones, making it a comforting companion for those navigating their own periods of stillness and routine.

While the book succeeds in creating a contemplative mood, it occasionally feels repetitive, with themes and reflections circling back in ways that can lose their impact. The slower pace, while fitting for the subject matter, might test the patience of readers looking for a more dynamic narrative arc.

Still, Jones’ ability to find grace in the everyday is admirable, and her observations will likely resonate with readers who value subtlety and introspection. Ordinary Time isn’t a book that will dramatically change your life, but it gently encourages you to look closer at the life you already have. For those in the right season, it might be just what they need.

Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperOne for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on April 22, 2025. 

 

 

More or Less Maddy offers a deeply introspective journey into the complexities of identity, relationships, and the diagnosis of bipolar disorder . While the book carries the signature emotional depth and psychological insight that Genova is known for, it doesn't hit the mark of her other works like Still Alice.

The protagonist, Maddy, is relatable in her struggles, caught between the life she has and the one she yearns for. Genova does a good job exploring the depths of depression and the utter chaos of the manic phase, along with the issues and side effects of treatment with lithium. The way Maddy's relationships with her family and friends evolve is both heartwarming and bittersweet, and Genova's prose is as engaging as ever.

However, where the book falters is in its pacing and predictability. Certain plot points felt overly repetitive, and I found myself wishing for more depth in the latter half. While Maddy's personal growth and acceptance of her diagnosis is somewhat compelling, some of the supporting characters felt underdeveloped, leaving their arcs incomplete or unconvincing. Maddy herself was never portrayed as a very likable character, and the book turned into a cycle of Maddy exhibiting depressed or manic phases, her mother being concerned about her and reminding her to take her medications, and help offered by Maddy's older sister, Emily. I'm sure that bipolar disorder is both sad and tragic, but I had hoped that this book might be more than that. I really looked forward to this book because Still Alice is one of my all-time favorite books, but this one was just three stars for me. 

 

I thought I would love Knife Skills for Beginners; a cozy mystery with a culinary twist is my cup of tea. Unfortunately, while the premise was promising, the execution was off.

The idea of a murder mystery tied to a cooking class sounded like it might be fun. Chef Paul reluctantly agrees to stand in for his friend Christian to teach lessons at a cooking school. Paul and Christian have their own history but Paul needs an income. Things move along well with stereotypical characters until Christian is found beheaded with the cleaver that Paul was last seen with. There was a little too much gore for me in the description and that scene didn't fit well with the cozy mystery genre. Murrin was a finalist on Masterchef and has edited BBC Good Food, so he clearly knows his way around a kitchen. Those little touches add some flavor to the story but I found the inserted recipes lackluster and almost condescending to the reader. I don't read cozy mysteries looking for good recipes but I had hoped for more than funeral potatoes made with frozen hash browns, deviled eggs, and poached chicken.

The pacing was uneven, with a slow start and a middle that dragged. The story felt bogged down by unnecessary characters and meandering subplots, such as Johnny and Marcus, who added little to the narrative. The multiple characters, while likable, didn’t have the depth to make me invest in their fates. If you like mysteries with a culinary theme, you might still enjoy this one, but it wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I’d hoped. Two and a half stars rounded up.

 

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin is a tender, bittersweet story that will tug at your heartstrings, even as it gently reminds you of the beauty and fragility of life. It's a novel about an unlikely friendship between 17-year-old Lenni, who is terminally ill, and 83-year-old Margot, who is grappling with her own mortality. Together, they decide to paint 100 pictures, one for each year of their combined lives, using art to celebrate their stories, memories, and the moments that shaped them.

Cronin’s writing shines brightest in its ability to blend humor with poignancy. Lenni's wit and resilience are a delight, and Margot's rich, eventful past adds a depth to the story that kept me reading. Their friendship feels realistic, and their shared moments are the highlight of the novel. Cronin also weaves in themes of loss, grief, and love with care, creating an emotionally rich narrative.

While the book is moving, it does feel like it may be trying too hard at times. Some of the emotion feels a bit forced, as though the author was trying to wring tears from the reader. The pacing can also be uneven, with parts of the story feeling overly drawn out, especially as Margot recounts her past. Additionally, some secondary characters, like Father Arthur, while charming, feel underdeveloped compared to the main duo.

That said, this is a story that celebrates life and connection in a meaningful way. It’s not perfect, but its heart is in the right place, and it’s hard not to be moved by Lenni and Margot’s journey. If you enjoy life-affirming stories in the vein of The Fault in Our Stars or The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, this one is worth a read. Three and a half stars rounded up. 

 

 

Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel is a chilling and thought-provoking dive into a dystopian future where even our dreams are no longer private. Set in a world where citizens are "retained" and monitored under the guise of security and preventing future crimes, Lalami masterfully crafts a narrative that is equal parts haunting and insightful, forcing readers to confront uncomfortable truths about surveillance, control, and autonomy.

The titular Dream Hotel serves as both a sanctuary and a prison—a place where dreams are recorded, analyzed, and exploited. Through a mosaic of perspectives from both "retainees" and "retention officers", Lalami introduces us to characters grappling with the loss of freedom and the intrusion of the state into their most intimate thoughts. Each character's story adds depth to the central theme: how much of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice in the name of safety?

Lalami’s prose is sharp, blending evocative imagery with incisive social commentary. She excels at building tension, and the world she creates feels increasingly and disturbingly plausible. The novel’s pacing keeps you hooked, though at times the shifts between storylines and somewhat abrupt ending left me wishing for more closure with certain characters.

What elevates The Dream Hotel is its relevance—its exploration of surveillance culture, the commodification of personal data, and the erasure of privacy hits frighteningly close to home. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page. The Dream Hotel is a powerful and unsettling tale that will resonate with fans of speculative fiction and anyone who’s ever wondered just how much freedom we’re willing to trade for possible comfort. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy dystopian novels with a philosophical edge! This four star book was a real surprise for me as I'm not big fan of dystopian science fiction novels, but I can't stop thinking about his one.

Thank you to Pantheon and Netgalley for providing me wit a copy of this book. It will be published on March 4, 2025. 

 

What are you reading? I hope it's something good!