A Changing Sky, followup on Herbert and Arthur, and some good reading

We have had mixed weather for most of June, with mostly rain, interspersed with lovely bursts of sunshine. This evening the temperature is just 17 Celsius, with rain forecast for the next 7 days, with some sun. According to The Farmers' Almanac, it looks like a combination of rain, fair weather, and some hot temperatures in July and August.( Interestingly, the Farmers' Almanac can be purchased as an E-book, for a reasonable price. I have just googled the almanac this evening, but for someone who would like this information in more detail, downloading it as an E-reader might be nice.)

Our Environment Canada weather man, David Philips had been talking about severely hot and dry weather this summer, but he always reminds his readers that the weather is unpredictable, and forecasts can't always be depended on. I am hoping that our summer will not be too hot and dry. Fair weather, with rain occasionally sounds good.

The air in the apartment was "close" and warm last night, and the cats seemed exhausted. I have a lovely ceiling fan, and they found comfort in sleeping on my bed under the fan. They look like pretty good companions here.

I've enjoyed a few very different books this past while. Bridget Jones Diary, by Helen Fielding is quite funny, and offbeat, and does have some references to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I found this book slow reading at first, and discontinued it for several months, but did enjoy the writing, and now have completed reading the book. There really were some wonderfully funny scenes in this book. Thanks Ann, for recommending this book. :)

Must Love Dogs, is a funny, sweet book by Claire Cook. The story involves a large Irish American family, and some of the family interactions reminded me of the Blackie Ryan books by Andrew Greeley. I felt disappointed when the story ended, as I was enjoying the book and the family so much. I think I will have to read more of Cook's books.

Billie Letts', Where the Heart Is, is a powerfully, beautifully written novel. It follows a young woman, Novalee Nation, who finds herself abandoned by her boyfriend by the side of the road, and with the love and help of a group of unlikely friends, raises her daughter in Sequoyah, Oklahoma. The book has some very heartbreaking, terrible events within, and can be unsettling. Many wonderful books do cover the worst of life, along with the good, and for the most part the book conveys hope.

Novalee, learns the art of photography, and finds her life's passion and work in taking pictures. I love this line from the novel, "What was important to her [Novalee] was that at the moment of taking a picture, she was seeing something in a way nobody else ever had."( p. 171).

Letts' book feels to me like  The Dolllmaker, by Harriete Arnow, an American classic published in 1954. In this book, the main character is another strong woman, who experiences terrible life events, but endeavours to  keep her creative spirit alive.

I'm now just finishing Kaleidoscope, by Gail Bowen. Bowen writes a riveting murder story, and I find myself reading her very quickly. This is the most recent of the Joanne Kilbourn series, which take place in or near Regina, Saskatchewan, and I enjoy them for the good writing, and as well because they take place in the city where I live.

Just a note - my son just called me to see Arthur, who was reportedly watching the T.V. Our local football team, The Riders, are playing a first pre-season game against the British Columbia Lions, and are being trounced. The score at this point is 34 to 3. I'm not a fan of watching football on T.V., and my son isn't really either. We did enjoy going to the football games a few times when he was a child. We would get free tickets in the "rookie" section through the Big Brothers Association, and had fun in those days at the games, with the noise, and crowd, and food. Going to an outdoor game is always exciting I think.