Violeta by Isabel Allende

Violeta by Isabel Allende
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4.0 stars - This is the first book that I have read by Isabel Allende, it jumped out at me from a New Book shelf at the library. The storyline is epic, covering a full century, but the author does it in just over 300 pages. While this is a very reasonable length for a book, the premise is that this is basically a letter that she is writing (albeit on her computer) from her deathbed to her beloved grandson.
Violeta is born during the 1920s flu pandemic and dies 100 years later during the COViD pandemic. In between she lives an interesting life filled with lovers, revolutions, family, and fortune. From Depression to depression, wealth to poverty, tiny villages to world travel, feminism, Cold War, and the war on drugs, this book encompasses it all in a way that was interesting, but not overwhelming.

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A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold

A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - I received this book through ILL from the Fisher Public Library in Athens, TN. I mention this because without Interlibrary Loan, it is unlikely I would have gotten to read this book published in 1949, and I enjoyed it very much. The first part of the book describes the flora and fauna over the course of a year around the author's Wisconsin farm, and there were many species I had to look up. Then there is a section written over 40 years where the author traveled around North America. The final section is philosophical, talking about modern life (in the 1940s), and the ethics around the use of land and conservation. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin, and an important figure in conservation and wildlife management. He died shortly before this book was published, and "The Aldo Leopold Foundation of Baraboo, Wisconsin, was founded in 1982 by Aldo and Estella Leopold's five children as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit conservation organization whose mission is "to foster the land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold."[34] The Aldo Leopold Foundation owns and manages the original Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm and 300 surrounding acres, in addition to several other parcels." Wikipedia

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When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman

When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5/5.0 - I have read several books about the later Plantagenets, this is the first time that I have read about the origins of that line. This is a well researched book, in which the author shares in great detail the 19 years in English history, known as the Anarchy. It was a time of civil war in England, where two monarchs, Stephen and Maude, fought for the right to be recognized as king (or queen). Stephen, grandson of William the Conqueror, and nephew to the king, took the throne when the king died unexpectedly. He had named his daughter, Maude, as his heir.
Although a very long book, the author did a good job of keeping my interest. Perhaps in the future I will tackle further volumes in this saga.

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Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden by Niki Jabbour

Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden by Niki Jabbour
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5.0/5.0 - This book was so good, I ended up purchasing a copy for my home library. It's filled with ideas, details, layouts, and suggestions for so many different garden possibilities that you're bound to find one (or more) to fit your needs! From container to truck gardens, victory to specialized gardens - such as a Chicago hot-dog garden, children's garden, beekeepers, herbalist, garlic and pizza aficionados, and so many more are here for the picking. A useful book for any home gardener.

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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5.0/5.0 - At 531 pages, this is a much longer book than I usually like to read, but it doesn't seem as long because the chapters are so short. It is the story of two young people, on different sides of the war, one, Marie-Laure, blind but brave, the other Werner, brilliant, but questioning to himself everything about the war. Marie's father is a locksmith for the Natural Museum, and is entrusted with a gem, when the museum is forced to close. They travel from Paris to stay with his uncle, Etienne. Werner understand radios and how to fix them, and spends the war as part of a team that hunts down transmitters from the other side. In the end, they meet, and three times Werner save Marie. I found the ending interesting where different things (letters, treasures, etc.) make their ways home to the survivors.

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5/5.0 - In the 1700s in Villon, France a young bride-to-be wants a bigger life than what waits ahead, and makes a deal with the devil to life as long as she likes. For 300 years, she travels the world, scrambling to find food, shelter, companionship, but learning new tricks to survive all the time. She enjoys the fine arts, fine food, and is a muse for artists through the age. However, no one remembers her, not her name or her face, once she is out of sight. Until, that is, she meets Henry, in NYC in 2014. She tries to steal a book from the bookstore where he works, and he chases her out, stopping her. Soon they fall in love, give meaning to the other person, all the while keeping a secret.
The story is told in a dual timeline, and the darkness/devil is a major character, showing up on anniversaries, and trying to convince Addie to surrender. Until she does...Loved the ending, did you?

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5.0/5.0 - Another beautiful book by this young Latinx author. My daughter-in-law loaned this to me a few months ago, and I just now picked it up. I couldn't put it down, the prose poetry, the story, the emotions so beautiful that my life felt a little bigger when I was done.

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EveryDayCook by Alton Brown

EveryDayCook by Alton Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.0/5.0 - I like Alton Brown, we've been watching him (although not lately) for more than 20 years. In fact, I actually bought my husband his first book, I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking. And, we're going to see his show this weekend. But this one was really hard for me to rate. I settled on a 3 because although the writing and humor is a 4, there were very few recipes I would actually try (maybe the mushroom stroganoff, gf peanut cookies, and bourbon bread pudding), but these aren't enough to justify spending the bucks to buy the book which too often calls for ingredients we never use, or gadgets that we don't need.

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