Rain, rain, go away...

What are you doing during this long rainy stretch? I'm thinking "Enough already!!" Let's have some warm sunny days again... We've had quite enough rain to last us a while now.. the earth is waterlogged, methinks... My vegetable garden is tilled and waiting to be planted... how many days is it going to be before we can walk in the garden and not have 5 pound clods of mud sticking to our boots?? I got only half of my annuals in the ground before the never-ending rain... my pots and containers are planted and needing sun...

I have accomplished some much needed tidying in my studio..it's amazing what you find when you tidy up! If this rain keeps up I'll be finishing up the Blueberries and Cream miniature - I'm working on it today and you'll likely see it very soon.

I've finished up a few books too - Atonement by Ian McEwen, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and last night I read The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day. If you have read Water for Elephants, you'd probably enjoy The Circus in Winter. The author grew up in Peru, Indiana, the small town winter headquarters of the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus at the turn of the century. Her fictional story collection is based on stories passed down through her family's generations, and much other "local history". The accompanying black and white photos are actual photos from that era when "the circus came to town". I found it an enjoyable read and certainly a different view of the magical circus when seen from "behind the scenes". The Book Thief, narrated by Death himself, is the World War II era story of Leisel Meminger who is taken to live with a foster family in a working-class neighbourhood in Molching, on the outskirts of Munich. Her foster father teaches her to read, with the aid of books that she steals when the opportunity arises. Zusak weaves a mesmorizing story of Leisel's friendships with Max the Jewish refugee, neighbourhood "tough-kid" Rudy, and the Mayor's reclusive wife who allows Leisel to steal books from her impressive library. Don't be fooled by it's location in the "Young Adult" section of the bookstore - this New York Times and USA Today bestseller has won a number of awards and gives us a new perspective on this dark period of history - life in Nazi Germany from the viewpoint of ordinary German citizens.

Tomorrow, I'm picking up The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag from my local library. I can't wait to read this second Flavia deLuce mystery by Alan Bradley. Have you read his first in this mystery series- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie? You can read what I thought of it here..

Piece,
Linda

"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." ~Joseph Brodsky