Fall Reading

Posted on September 22nd, 2011 by Tonia 10 Comments

Tea-time, sans crumpets. I prefer homemade bread smeared with dolce de leche.

This book has been on my “Need to Read ASAP!” list for, like, ever. It’s one of my dad’s all-time favorites and I’m a sucker for human-dog-relationship stories, so I knew I would love it. I’m almost done with it and can’t help but slow down my reading pace to try to savor the ending. It’s one of those books that you wish would never end. And it makes you want to name your first-born son “Francois” and your daughter “Nonnie”.

One of my favorite parts of the book is towards the end. Nonnie, a young girl being raised in the middle of no-where in Africa by her stern and widowed British military officer father and her Portuguese nanny, has gone completely horse-crazy {I can relate!}. Her father just upbraided her for wasting precious time and paper sketching horses, and her deeply religious and dramatic nanny goes off on a sullen tangent about girls and horses.

“Dear Mother of Christ, Good blood of the wood, why must it always be like this? I know they all must grow up, but why should they always begin by falling in love with horses? Her sainted mother was exactly the same… “

Hilarious and true.

Fall is the most delicious season for curling up with a good book, no? Maybe with a fire blazing in the woodstove. Maybe with a quilt your Grandma made for you when you graduated high school across your lap. Maybe with a wiener-dog named Charlie curled by your side. And definitely always with tea.

Last time we shared our reading lists, you guys suggested so many good ones! Have I told you all lately how FUN it is to have readers that are into all the same stuff as me?? Gardening, reading, living simply, etc. Could you BE ANY COOLER? No.

So anyway, my “NRASAP!” list is so long right now, I’m not sure how I’ll ever get to all of them! I’m almost scared to ask again, but I really wanna know: What are you reading right now?

10 Comments

  1. sk says:

    Oooh, where did you get that cup?

  2. Tonia says:

    A close family friend is a potter and made it for me years ago. They know about my horse-craziness. :) It’s my most treasured mug ever. They don’t have a website and they mostly just do pottery for fun these days, but if you’re desperate for one I might be able to hook you up. 😉

  3. Cathy Schroeder says:

    I’m reading Cutting for Stone, only have time to read when I go to bed but I go to bed at 7:00 p.m. !!! JK It is sooo soooo good. I’ll put your book on my list since I loved your last selection (The women in white!) Can’t wait to sew!

  4. Erin says:

    I am reading “The Dunwich Horror” by H.P. Lovecraft (short stories book), but might have to have another book for bedtime reading. Reading Lovecraft before bed leads to strange dreams!

  5. Kitt says:

    I finally decided to tackle “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle,” which I’m enjoying very much. It’s set in Northern Wisconsin and has dogs. The main story is quite sweet so far, but the preface is rather ominous and disturbing, so I feel some dread about that. But it’s engaging, so I’m reading on.

  6. MelD says:

    Haha, I can relate (I just wrote 2 horsy posts!!)… and the autumn fog and rain has me retreated to my sofa with lap blankets I knitted last winter and Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg, which takes place on St. Kilda in the Hebridean Islands… and always, always, tea… LOL

  7. Kimmy says:

    If you are interested in fantasy type stories, I reeeeaaaaaalllllyyy recommend ‘Magician’ by Raymond E Feist. I absolutely LOVED it! The author is so amazingly talented, the story follows a few main characters but still manages to be so detailed and really had me completely engrossed and involved.

  8. Kristen says:

    I’m reading Afterimage – it’s by Helen Humphries – AMAZING Canadian author – a must read – she writes beautifully. I also just finished my stroke of insight – another must read.

  9. Jen says:

    Away by Jane Urquhart, a story of Irish immigrants in Canada. That was the simplified version, it is much more complex and beautifully written. Next on my list is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I loved Edgar Sawtelle, highly recommend that one too.

  10. Tonia says:

    Kitt, I liked Edgar Sawtelle too! It was especially fun to read because we live so close to where the story takes place. It’s fun to know exactly the towns he talks about in the books. Whenever we camp or ride our bikes or go swimming in the Chequamegon Nat’l Forest I think about Edgar.

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