1. I am still a pretty new Catholic, and get most of my Catholic news from my archdiocese e-mail list + the podcast Jesuitical (America Media). Do you have other/better news source suggestions?
2. I can't start the new Strike novel yet (started back to school this semester), but glad to hear you enjoyed it (especially w/900!! pages - she really does need an editor who will make her cut it down!). Thanks as always for your writing!
I definitely recommend The Pillar for unbiased and very thoughtful reporting on key Church news, I believe it's pillarcatholic.com, definitely worth a subscription in my opinion.
Haha, she's just too big for an editor! I hold that if you've sold the most books every you have earned the right to never be edited again, but then again, 900 pages is... A LOT. It just makes me marvel at how fast I speed through the hundreds of pages. Every time, every book. I always think, "Well, this will be the one where I can't stand 900 pages of Rowling dialogue..." but no! Impossible! I have no yet reached my Rowling limit!
Christy I love when I’m on your reading wavelength!
Ok I just came across Roger Lancelyn Green for the first time because his son was apparently a leading expert on Sherlock Hopmes, and his mysterious death is featured in “the devil and Sherlock holmes” - a strong non-fiction recommend for literary spooky season. It’s by David Grann, who wrote Killers of the Flower Moon, which I also loved.
The new Strike novel is next on my list!!! So excited. I had put off reading these for the longest time fearing I wouldn’t like them and then finally gave them a chance while breastfeeding my second kid - I zipped through like three of them in two weeks on my kindle and had NO idea how long they were until I saw them in a shop window 😂😂😂 truly she is great
Could you please share some of the King Arthur books you have? My kids have learned a little bit about King Arthur in their history book and I would love to do a read-aloud and/or picture books to enrich our learning, but a couple months ago someone recommended one to me that I was not impressed with (the prose was not as beautiful and rich as I had hoped). I would love some insight on which books are good ones!
For the read aloud I'm doing the Lancelyn Green version, but the Howard Pyle is also great and I think all my boys have read that version as well. The Kitchen Knight is wonderful picture book by Margaret Hodges that is Arthur adjacent. I also thought the the Usborne version of collected King Arthur tales to be well illustrated and not too dumbed down, a good starter read for early readers. And that's what I can think of off the top of my head, I'll have to look through my book piles again.
I’m a first time dahlia grower and they actually bloomed yay! but I had no idea what to do with them for the winter so your letter has been divinely timed. Do you store them in straw or peat moss or dry in a paper bag? Gardeners seem to be split on this but I live in frigid Alberta and most of the gardners I’ve read seem to live in balmy winter locations, not the tundra as I do.
Yay another Albertan! It's really hard to store them here because they basically instantly dry out. I have an out-building that is always kept at 5 degrees, I the first method I tried was wrapping individual tubers in plastic wrap. I know it's not exactly great environmentally, but I've had great success with it, probably at least 80% success in overwintering. I think a lot of the success is found in the temperature being consistently cool though. Does that help? I hope so!
Yes that does! It surprised me that you separate them before spring, unlike potatoes where you would cut them up right before you plant them. I wonder if it would be ok to keep them in the fridge? That’s the closest temp I can think of.
A friend of mine has been begging me to get back into the Strike novels, I need to, really!
Do it!! Get back into the Strike cult, Hannah!
FIVE KIDS UNDER SIX???????? deep breath.
Haha! It honestly is my best line to throw out at cocktail parties.
1. I am still a pretty new Catholic, and get most of my Catholic news from my archdiocese e-mail list + the podcast Jesuitical (America Media). Do you have other/better news source suggestions?
2. I can't start the new Strike novel yet (started back to school this semester), but glad to hear you enjoyed it (especially w/900!! pages - she really does need an editor who will make her cut it down!). Thanks as always for your writing!
I definitely recommend The Pillar for unbiased and very thoughtful reporting on key Church news, I believe it's pillarcatholic.com, definitely worth a subscription in my opinion.
Haha, she's just too big for an editor! I hold that if you've sold the most books every you have earned the right to never be edited again, but then again, 900 pages is... A LOT. It just makes me marvel at how fast I speed through the hundreds of pages. Every time, every book. I always think, "Well, this will be the one where I can't stand 900 pages of Rowling dialogue..." but no! Impossible! I have no yet reached my Rowling limit!
The Pillar!
Thanks, Bethany and Christy! I'll definitely look at that source.
Ellie will be in college in 16 years. So, let’s plan on the Agatha Christie festival in 2039!
Perfect! It's a date!
Christy I love when I’m on your reading wavelength!
Ok I just came across Roger Lancelyn Green for the first time because his son was apparently a leading expert on Sherlock Hopmes, and his mysterious death is featured in “the devil and Sherlock holmes” - a strong non-fiction recommend for literary spooky season. It’s by David Grann, who wrote Killers of the Flower Moon, which I also loved.
The new Strike novel is next on my list!!! So excited. I had put off reading these for the longest time fearing I wouldn’t like them and then finally gave them a chance while breastfeeding my second kid - I zipped through like three of them in two weeks on my kindle and had NO idea how long they were until I saw them in a shop window 😂😂😂 truly she is great
That is so interesting! That's the Grann book I haven't read yet, so I'm definitely interested, I'm going to put a library hold on it!
If you can read Strike while in the throws of breastfeeding hormones you may be an even tougher reader than I! ;)
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Could you please share some of the King Arthur books you have? My kids have learned a little bit about King Arthur in their history book and I would love to do a read-aloud and/or picture books to enrich our learning, but a couple months ago someone recommended one to me that I was not impressed with (the prose was not as beautiful and rich as I had hoped). I would love some insight on which books are good ones!
For the read aloud I'm doing the Lancelyn Green version, but the Howard Pyle is also great and I think all my boys have read that version as well. The Kitchen Knight is wonderful picture book by Margaret Hodges that is Arthur adjacent. I also thought the the Usborne version of collected King Arthur tales to be well illustrated and not too dumbed down, a good starter read for early readers. And that's what I can think of off the top of my head, I'll have to look through my book piles again.
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing these titles with me! I am excited to look into these for my kids :)
What's that gorgeous painting!
I always post too quickly and always mean to include the painting titles.
It's "The Pear Tree" by Renoir. Of course.
I’m a first time dahlia grower and they actually bloomed yay! but I had no idea what to do with them for the winter so your letter has been divinely timed. Do you store them in straw or peat moss or dry in a paper bag? Gardeners seem to be split on this but I live in frigid Alberta and most of the gardners I’ve read seem to live in balmy winter locations, not the tundra as I do.
Yay another Albertan! It's really hard to store them here because they basically instantly dry out. I have an out-building that is always kept at 5 degrees, I the first method I tried was wrapping individual tubers in plastic wrap. I know it's not exactly great environmentally, but I've had great success with it, probably at least 80% success in overwintering. I think a lot of the success is found in the temperature being consistently cool though. Does that help? I hope so!
Yes that does! It surprised me that you separate them before spring, unlike potatoes where you would cut them up right before you plant them. I wonder if it would be ok to keep them in the fridge? That’s the closest temp I can think of.