Old Mill Pond - Artist: Mark Frost - Cra-Z-Art - 1,000 pieces (missing 2)
This was such a fun puzzle to do when the leaves in the scene and the ones out my window are all changing colors.
The American author was in her thirties when a letter she assumed was mistakenly sent to her led to the discovery that her dad's family had been deeply entrenched with the Nazis in Germany and spied for the Japanese in Hawaii. This book, which I learned about from a friend, was written after the author spent three decades researching her family's past and their direct involvement with the attack on Pearl Harbor.
8:35:28, Secrets eat love like acid. But love regenerates.
Rooftoppers, written by Katherine Rundell and narrated by Nicola Barber
I recently read a different book by Rundell, so I checked to see if any of her other books were available immediately and ended up with this one. I enjoyed this middle grade novel about a girl in London who's believed to be an orphan, the kind man who's raised her after she was found floating in a cello case as a baby, and the kids who live on the roofs Paris that she meets when she and her guardian flee there in search of her mom.
41:38, "Books crowbar the world open for you."
Work in Progress, written by Devon Rodriguez and narrated by Devon Rodriguez and Maria Elana Estrada
After years of following his art, I was excited to learn Rodriguez was publishing a memoir. Then I found out his abuela was doing a little of the narration with him and knew I had to listen to the audio. I'll also look at a print version to see the pictures he included, but I prefer listening to memoirs instead of reading them when they're narrated by the author.
I already knew he came from a childhood of poverty, abuse, neglect, and drug use, but hearing details of his home life was heartbreaking. As a balance to the hard stuff, it was cool to learn about how much he's worked at improving his craft over the years, hear about the development and growth of his social media presence, and witness his deep appreciation for the people who've helped him along the way. I've always loved his art, humility, and kindness equally, and this book only increased that feeling. He's a talented artist and hard worker who really values people and is intentional about making sure they're truly seen. Heads up that there's a lot of profanity in this book, with the majority of it in the first part that deals with his upbringing.
UPDATE - I ended up seeing him in person at Powell's for an author talk, buying an autographed book that he personalized, and getting a picture with him.
2:59:58, Abuela's house taught me that love doesn't need to be expensive to be powerful. Sometimes love looked like a bunch of stacked milk crates holding clean clothing and socks.
7:00:44, Where I came from, survival was the goal. Success? That felt like a fairy tale.
7:25:28, The subway had chosen me. In New York everyone rides it. Bankers, artists, construction workers, immigrants, tourists, performers, kids from the Bronx like me. It's one of the only places where the globe fits into a train car. The subway isn't just transportation. It's theatre, anthropology, documentary, poetry; it's everything. Or at least it was everything to me.
Hot Air Balloons - Artist: Howard Robinson - SunsOut - 1,000 pieces
This puzzle was assembled from the edges to the middle, starting with the clear balloons and their warped reflections, then ending with nature in the middle.
Pooping Dogs - Artist: Dan O'Donnell - Better Me - 1,000 pieces
Well, now I can say I've completed my first feces puzzle. This one showed up at my door unexpectedly, a completely random gift from friends that made me laugh.
The Book of Lost Friends, written by Lisa Wingate and narrated by Sophie Amos, Lisa Flanagan, Dominic Hoffman, Sullivan Jones, Robin Miles, and Bahni Turpin, with author's note narrated by Lisa Wingate
I enjoyed this "skip the line" option, the first of Wingate's many novels that I've ever read. (In 2024 I read Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society, a nonfiction book she co-wrote with Judy Christie.) This story is set in Louisiana and Texas, alternating between 1875 and 1987. The earlier time period focuses on three girls, two half sisters and a freed slave, on their dangerous journey to find family members. The later is centered on a new teacher in a poor community who's trying desperately to connect with her students, but finding poverty and small town politics making her work difficult.
8:25:56, "It's history," I pointed out. "I'm trying to impress upon my students that everyone has history. Just because we're not always happy with what's true doesn't mean we shouldn't know it. It's how we learn. It's how we do better in the future."
9:46:35, "We encourage vigorous debate. Civil debate is a healthy and democratic process. If one can not make one's point without yelling, name-calling, or insulting others, one should develop a stronger argument before speaking further."
p. 14, Books are uniquely suited to helping us change our relationship to the rhythms and habits of daily life in this world of endless connectivity. We can't interrupt them; we can only interrupt ourselves while reading them. They are the expression of an individual or a group of individuals, not of a hive mind or collective consciousness. They speak to us, thoughtfully, one at a time. They demand our attention. And they demand that we briefly put aside our own beliefs and prejudices and listen to someone else's.
p. 17, "What are you reading?" isn't a simple question when asked with genuine curiosity; it's really a way of asking, "Who are you now and who are you becoming?"
p. 59, When you embrace mediocrity, you embrace humility - you learn to see that no matter how good you are at something, the world probably has people who are more talented at it than you.
p. 67, Reading and naps, two of life's greatest pleasures, go especially well together.
p. 256, And reading all different kinds of books is not simply reading all different kinds of books; it's a way of becoming more fully human and more humane.
Gilead, written by Marilynne Robinson and narrated by Tim Jerome
I recently put this on my TBR after learning about it from Shelf Awareness, then it came up as a "skip the line" option on Libby. It's told from the perspective of an elderly man who knows his life will end soon and is writing down an autobiography of sorts for his young son. Set in 1950s Iowa, it chronicles multiple generations of a family and aspects of American history while also covering themes of father-son relationships and friendship, faith and religion, forgiveness and grace. It's an epistolary novel, which is a format I like, but it was a very slow book. I don't mind a novel that's more about character development than having a propulsive plot, but this one felt like it just went on and on.
4:30:52, "There is no earthly solution to the problems that confront me. But I can add to my problems, as I believe I have done, by dwelling on them. So, no more of that."
Rescue Story: Faith, Freedom, and Finding a Way Home, written by Zach Williams with Robert Noland
Recommended by a friend, this memoir is about a man who grew up in a Christian home, spent decades avoiding church while abusing drugs and alcohol, and eventually found salvation and a changed life by the love of Jesus when he was pushing forty years old. It's a story of broken dreams, looking for worth in the wrong places, and a strained marriage, but also of people who walk through the messy parts of life with us, humbly choosing to avoid situations that aren't healthy for us, and how God uses broken people. I enjoyed reading little snippets from his wife about her perspective throughout the book and the afterword from his parents. Heads up for those who, like myself, who tend to balk when they see the words "faith" and "freedom" used in the same sentence, this book has nothing to do with politics.
I'm thankful for time spent with each of my married sons, their wives, and kid. What's one thing that you're thankful for?
No name, artist, or company - 1,000 pieces
I love all the colors and flowers in this one, but I confess to using the box as a guide.
I'm thankful for conversations with strangers about books and reading. What's one thing that you're thankful for?
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power, written by Deirdre Mask
This book is an interesting, and sometimes discouraging, look at what it means for an individual to have, or not to have, a personal address. It highlights cities and countries all around the world to focus on different aspects of addresses - history, political and community influence, impact on homeless people, and more. Although I read the print version when it caught my eye on a library display, it's a type of nonfiction book that I tend to enjoy on audio.
p. 19, ... in most Kolkata slums, there are about thirteen people for every 450 square feet - about 100 feet smaller than the average Manhattan studio ...
p. 85, Zip stands for "zoning improvement plan".
p. 122, Grids vary in size and shape in every city. Some have rectangular blocks (Manhattan), some have square blocks (Houston), some have large blocks (Salt Lake City's are 660 by 660 feet, inspired by the Mormon founder's idea that plots should be large enough for urban farming), while others are small (Portland, Oregon's are only 200 by 200 feet).
p. 205, (speaking of the Constitutional Court of South Africa), The courtroom is unusual, a place that radiates the spirit of reconciliation. The building, once the site of a notorious prison, is built around the theme "justice under a tree," alluding to the tradition of wise men mediating disputes in villages. An old stairwell from the prison's trial block remains, and bricks from the prison are mixed with the new ones. The justices do not sit above the audience, and though the windows behind them are high above them, outside they are at ground level. Watching the courtroom, you see a steady stream of feet walk above their heads outside. At all times, judges are reminded that they are not above the law.
p. 206, ... by some measures, South Africa is the most unequal nation in the world. Just a tenth of the population, nearly all white, owns 90 percent of the nation's wealth. The net worth of 80 percent of South Africans (mostly black) is zero. Geographically, economically, and emotionally, it is almost as if apartheid never ended.
The Boy from the Sea, written by Garrett Carr
This novel interested me when I read about it on What I've been reading lately: the new and the notable, the 6/15/26 post from Modern Mrs. Darcy. The story starts in Ireland during the early 1970s when a baby boy washes up on the shore, then continues through his childhood. It's not only about him, but also about the (what I'd consider dysfunctional) family who adopted him and the community he's part of. I liked the writing style and the narrator being the voice of the community, but the book as a whole wasn't what I was expecting and was too bleak for my taste.
p. 63, He'd never actually apologize but he'd be extra jovial in their next few encounters; this was how we indicated we were sorry for something we'd said or done: by acting oddly the next time we met you.
p. 164, ... his ability to maintain a state of denial was extraordinary, we admired it, we really did. It's an underrated talent, denial. These days were told it's a flaw, we're told we should be in touch with our feelings, be honest with ourselves. But try this: picture two people standing in barrels of steaming slurry, up to their necks in it, and made to stay there all day. Who will have the better time of it? The one who's best at denial, that's who.
p. 238, Much misery results when a person is unable to simply sit at home most evenings reasonably contented.
*****
The word "accept" is a homophone. You get to decide which one you hear. Except. You have no idea which one I'm saying right now. But I can tell you at one point in my life the word "except" meant something different than the word "accept" does to me today. "Yeah, I would listen to him, except he stutters." That's a direct quote, said not about me, but by me. And I'm ashamed. Dismissing someone else's experience simply because it's not mine. At least not yet. And now, perspective. And I'm grateful. < snip > Find every reason to accept someone. Not except them.
