Karen’s Comments (group member since Mar 14, 2021)

Karen’s comments from the An Introvert's World of Books group.

These are the books that I have reread multiple times:
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Barrows and Shaffer
- 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
- A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
- The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass all by Philip Pullman (children's & young adult)
- The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper (children)
- King of Shadows by Susan Cooper (children)
- Harry Potter (even though I am not buying anything new by Rowling anymore)

I am in the middle of two books, Beneath a Scarlet Sky and Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta. Love them both.

Just finished We're Not Broken:Changing the Autism Conversation by Eric Garcia. I learned so much from this book and I recommend it to anyone whether they have a personal interest in autism, or for someone who just wants to keep on learning.

Wow, the one and only time I read Little Women was in 1969 at the end of 9th grade. I guess I should take another gander.

Gia wrote: "@Karen You're an awesome grandma for giving and replacing all those harmonicas! I can see all sides though...listening to a beginner on harmonica is not the easiest thing in the world, lol! Good fo..."

Janice wrote: "Gia wrote: "Favorite Season: Early Fall (although I truly do love all the seasons)
Hobbies: trumpet, harmonica, cooking, exercising, journaling
Favorite Sport: hiking, the martial arts
On your trav..."

Imagine my surprise when I received (actually my 8-year-old granddaughter who lives with me plus her mom and dad) a set of 4 harmonicas in the mail! That's what happens when your daughter, who started this book club, reads your mail.

My brother was teaching himself to play the ukulele a few years ago. I'll have to check with him to see if he's still playing.

Hope wrote: "A- in 27 Days by Alison Gervais
P- Hamlet
R- Divergent
I- Treasure Island
L- aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe"

Aristotle and Dante sound interesting.

Gia wrote: "@Karen Ah, Dean! Great video, thanks for posting! That was fun:) Glad to hear you tried playing harmonica. It's harder than it looks! I had to get a teacher to teach me and I still have to work har..."

I had never heard of DeFord Bailey before. Thanks for sending the link. I listened to a few more of his songs.

Gia wrote: "@Karen You're an awesome grandma for giving and replacing all those harmonicas! I can see all sides though...listening to a beginner on harmonica is not the easiest thing in the world, lol! Good fo..."

Hi Gia,
I never learned to play the harmonica and did try to teach myself to no avail. Here is a clip of Dean Martin "playing" the harmonica you might enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rt1V...

As for Nancy Drew, I only remember The Secret of the Old Clock. (Of course, I was reading them in the 60s. I need to reread them.

Sadie wrote: "Karen wrote: "Sadie wrote: "Favorite Season: Fall
Hobbies: Reading, crocheting, and getting something to eat.
Favorite Sport: I don't do sports but if I had to pick one, it'd be soccer.
On your t..."

Hi Sadie,
I absolutely loved The Paris Library. It follows 2 characters, Odile starting at the American Library in Paris in 1939 and going through the war, and Lily, a high school girl in Froid, Montana in 1983. An older Odile is Lily's next-door-neighbor. All the lessons that Odile learned the hard way when she was young are pearls of wisdom for Lily as she struggles with teenage relationships with friends and a step-mother. A major theme is what the library meant to Parisians in occupied France.

Sadie wrote: "Favorite Season: Fall
Hobbies: Reading, crocheting, and getting something to eat.
Favorite Sport: I don't do sports but if I had to pick one, it'd be soccer.
On your travel bucket-list: the UK, S..."

Sadie,
Happy birthday this month!
What are you reading now? I just met with my book club this afternoon on Zoom and finished The Paris Library about 20 minutes before it started. We picked Their Eyes Were Watching God for April.
Sorry about Blackie.
Love,
Your other grandma

Gia wrote: "Favorite Season: Early Fall (although I truly do love all the seasons)
Hobbies: trumpet, harmonica, cooking, exercising, journaling
Favorite Sport: hiking, the martial arts
On your travel bucket-li..."

Hi Gia,
Every time I gave a harmonica to a grandkid, my daughters somehow managed to "lose" them. They're cheap enough to replace, so I did. I love the harmonica.
You brought me back to my childhood with Nancy Drew.

Hope wrote: "Hello, I’m Hope. I’m Jen’s oldest daughter. I love reading dystopian books, historical fiction, sci-fi, but I’ve been branching out to autobiography, trying to read some poetry, and other genres."

Hey Hope,
I'm planning to read The Poet X. Maybe you'll like it. I think it's YA.

Julia wrote: "Hello there! I’m Julia! I’m from Ohio! I used to read a lot when I was a kid, but when I got a little busier with school I stopped reading as often. In 2021 I’ve challenged myself to read at least ..."

Hi Julia,
We've got cousins in Zanesville, OH and Marietta, OH. Do you live near there?
I've not read a lot of sci-fi, but I enjoyed The Martian and I also like the children's Moon Base Alpha series by Stuart Gibbs.

Honey wrote: "Hi I'm Hannah. I just found out about groups and thought it might be fun to join this one ≧◡≦ My favorite genres are (it's a lot): ya, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, thrillers, cozy mysterie..."

Hi Hannah,
I just finished (a couple of months ago) a YA called Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyami and have started the second one, but got interrupted by other books I have to read. It was amazing.

Gia wrote: "Hi, I'm Gia and I'm so glad to be here:) I followed my friend Janice here and our friend Shannon followed me here! Thank you, Jennifer, for this special group! I, too, am an introvert but I can als..."

Hi Gia,
You will love Gamache. I was hooked on the first book and never looked back. Some of my friends thought it wasn't that interesting but once they got past the first book and knew all the characters, they loved it. It's set in an imaginary town in Canada called Three Pines just over the Vermont border. I want to live in that town and go into Myrna's bookshop and eat at Oliver and Gabri's bistro.

By the way, you might like Two Coots in a Canoe.

I see Stanley Tucci on CNN HD on Sunday nights.

Amanda wrote: "Favorite season: Fall
Hobbies: I love drawing, listening to music and dancing <3
Favorite Sport: Ballet
On your travel bucket-list: I would absolutely love to visit England again
Books you can't li..."

Hi Amanda, I had to look up degus. They look cute. Do they bite? Do you speak 3 languages?

I suggest aside from April's pick, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse. You can read it in about 20 minutes. Other than that, I like everyone else's suggestions.

Janice wrote: "Favorite Season: I actually love all the seasons <3
Hobbies: reading, knitting, gardening, nature walking, journaling, baking, meditations, yoga, Pilates, and learning new things I have a huge list..."

Janice, are you watching Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy? I am traveling through Italy vicariously with him. I just wish I could taste the food!

Julia wrote: "Favorite Season: Winter!
Hobbies: I am a runner and a swimmer. I love to watch movies. I love reading and listening to music. I enjoy art too, especially watercolor painting.
Favorite sport: To wa..."

I forgot to put watercolor painting in my hobbies! I wish I had more time to do it!

Monica wrote: "Favorite Season:spring
Hobbies: reading, walking, going out to eat
Favorite Sport: tennis
On your travel bucket-list: tokyo and singapore
Books you can't live without: any book by Gail Tsukiyama
F..."

I had to laugh at your hobbies! Loved going out to eat. Alas, I'll get back to it when things calm down.