Sunday, July 29, 2018

Finally the Humidity is Gone

It's a beautiful Sunday morning here in my world. The husband and I are relaxing  and not rushing anyplace. I should have gone for an early morning walk, but being lazy seemed much more appealing. :)
I thought I'd start out and share some of my favorite reads as of late since lazy mornings are good times to read (or to talk about books at least).

A playful cozy mystery set in Oxford and Cotswolds. Nice writing and not too much brain power needed on a warm summer afternoon. 

A little classic literature so my brain doesn't turn into mush. It may not be one of Jane Austen's most popular stories but did she really write any bad books?

OK, I loved this book. Talk about great characters and a story that ends up making you feel so good inside. I couldn't put it down and read it on the plane trip home from Canada. Eleanor may be quirky-with good reason you discover, but she is completely fine in the end.

I read a book a few years ago about Tombstone and the 'old west" days by this author and decided to read something else by her because I enjoyed her writing. I chose this one because the cover looked exotic and it was set right after the first world war and into the 1920's, a period I hadn't read much about. I really enjoyed it. There were some famous characters in it too like Winston Churchill and Lawrence of Arabia.  But all in all it was an interesting read with good characters.

 This is book 3 of a mystery trilogy. You really need to read them in order starting with the Vistant and then the Summoning God. I liked how they jumped back and forth between the Anasazi, a Native American culture that disappear many hundreds of years agos, and the present day archeologists who were finding info about them. The authors are archeologists (and they cite sources in the back)  so I am guessing that the info is pretty accurate.They were really enjoyable fiction reads with some memorable characters.

 And last of my summer reading was something a little more educational but this was a cool story about a couple of men (but really one in particular) who brought us Americans fruits and vegetables. I didn't know that we really were a culture that for the most part ate only  meat and starch before the late 1800. Lots of things we now see commonly, peaches, navel oranges, avocados, nectarines, mangoes, were brought into this country during end end of the 1800's and into the early 1900's. 

And before I sign off, how about 3  pages I recently made in my Newfoundland travel journal.
This first one included a hand carved maple leaf stamp since I wanted something that matched the one in the Canadian flag and I didn't have any images that did.
You might notice the stamp doesn't say Canada but says Newfoundland. That's because until the late 1940's Newfoundland was its own country, not part of Canada. 
 And this next one to remember the name of the road we traveled on our trip, one of the top 10 scenic routes in Canada. The Viking ship is colored die cut.
 And finally this page because we spent several days exploring Gros Morne National Park, which was beautiful with mountains, coastal beaches and some beautiful fjords too.
 And yes,  I will show you some photos soon.  Today's post is a little long already for much more. photos
The tree in the page above is so bent over because of the strong ocean winds. It is hard for these evergreen to grow straight and tall. Locally they are called tuckamores. 
I am linking up to Chris's challenge of Art For Art's Sake over at Art Journal Journey. Hard to believe there is only a couple of days left to this month.
That's all for me today. Think we'll head out for a little boat adventure as it's a gorgeous day.
Enjoy what's left of your weekend.
And thanks for visiting.

13 comments:

Let's Art Journal said...

Wow, so many great books to choose from! Thanks for the reviews, so interesting 😁. I'm loving you pages and the carved maple leaf stamp is amazing. I always enjoy reading about your travels and the way you capture your happy memories on your journal pages is perfect 😁. Wishing you a happy boating adventure today and have a wonderful new week! J 😊 x

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

How wonderful your reads are. They all sound absolutely perfect, and a couple I would like to find for my own reading list.

I am totally impressed with your maple leaf stamp. It is fabulous and you can certainly be very proud of it. It was also interesting to learn that Newfoundland used to be it's own country. I learn something new each day.

How lovely to see that tree as a symbol of your time exploring Gros Morne Park. It is a beautiful entry, as are all the pages and I am thrilled you shared these with us at Art Journal Journey. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, dear.

froebelsternchen said...

Wow - you have always such interesting book reviews Erika - if only I had more time to read more. It's a desaster with time! I love your Newfoundland travel journal pages. WOW even a handcarved stamp. You really rock and I hope you had a fantastic and enjoyable Sunday and wish you a happy start into the new week!
Summerbrake is for laziness!Enjoy!
Here is everything o.k. the dog boy recovers so well and summer is good to us. Thank you for yet another fab entry linked to the July theme dear Erika!
Hugs, Susi

Valerie-Jael said...

Beautiful journal pages, and love your choice of books, have fun reading. Hugs, Valerie

Meggymay said...

That is a great selection of books you shared today, its good to have folk pass on their favourite reads.
The journal pages look wonderful, I love your own made leaf stamp, I really enjoy seeing the places you visit as you record them for your own memories in your journals.
I hope you enjoyed your sailing trip today.
Yvonne xx

Barbara said...

I love the cozy mysteries, will look for this one! You travelogue is great.

pearshapedcrafting said...

Your pages are fantastic - love the handcarved stamp!Thankyou for sharing them at Art Journal Journey!I have just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and found it hard to leave by my bed(kept sneaking in to read a few more pages!) I have passed it on to a friend already! Hugs,Chrisx

craftytrog said...

Wonderful pages Erika, I love your hand-carved maple leaf!
The books look interesting too, Persuasion is one of my favourite JA's.
Since the rain, we're a lot more comfortable too. Good riddance to humidity!
Have a great week,
Alison xxx

CJ Kennedy said...

Lots of books! Sadly, I don't read as much as I used to. And i'm not a fan of Jane Austen. I tried reading her books. Honest. Talking heads. I didn't know that about fruits and veg or that Newfoundland was its own country. Thankfully, I can read blogs to learn new stuff =^,.^= Wonderful journal pages. Really like the maple leaf stamp you carved. Enjoy the cooler weather.

Jeannette said...

wow,love your many pages the handcarving stamps is beautiful,thank you for the tipps of this bookes.
wishing you a nice summer day.


hugs jenny

Divers and Sundry said...

So many book suggestions! And Persuasion is the only one I've already read. I'm writing down the Honeyman and Gear books and will look for the authors at the library. Thx!

Your maple leaf stamp is hand-carved? I'm impressed! I like your artistic representations and look forward to photos. That trip sounds like fun :)

sheila 77 said...

I always love to see what you are reading and this is a specially interesting selection today. The only one I've read is "Eleanor..." - what a great book, I agree, I was desperate to find out what happened in the end but at the same time didn't want the book to end. I like the look of the first one, looks very light and fun, just the thing to read with a cup of tea first thing in the morning. Loved reading your reviews too and I will certainly bookmark this page for further investigation.
Your art pages are great as always, marvellous how you document your trips. And if you don't have a stamp of an image, then make one of course! - you are so clever Erika.

Jeanie said...

Well, you have just added significantly to my reading list. So many look really good to me! Thanks for the tips and your insight on them too.

Love the Newfie pages. All very nice. Your travel journals rock!