ARTFUL READING CLUB

December 27, 2013

THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton

 

 

 

I'm sad to realize that this is my last "official" entry in Darcy's Art and Sole: Artful Reader's Club. It's been a year of reading, reviewing and producing  art pieces inspired by the books I've read. I, for one, plan to continue my monthly book review and inspired art whether or not Darcy continues to challenge us on her blog. I hope you'll continue to join me on my blog.

This month's book was a biggie, but worth the time. THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton started with a letter...one that had been lost for a very long time... received by Edie Burchill's mother, Meredith. This is the catalyst for a mystery that pulls Edie to Milderhurst Castle outside of London, in Kent. Her mother spent the summer at Milderhurst as an evacuee from the air raids in London during WWII, but is now reluctant to talk about the time. In this engrossing read full of family secrets and betrayal...equal parts mystery and historical fiction...the novel swings back and forth in time as a young woman living in the early 1990's, Edie Burchill, researches her mother's past experience and her stay at the Castle, a property literally mired in secrets.

The castle is still inhabited by the sisters Blythe...now very elderly ladies...twins Percy and Saffy and their younger sister, Juniper, who has never recovered from being abandoned by her fiancée during the war. The contemporary and historical narratives combine to aid Edie in unraveling the mysteries surrounding her mother's past and that of the eccentric sisters. But of course, there are many twists and turns before we learn the bitter truth.

Milderhurst Castle dominates this tale with its imposing architecture...it's a living, breathing creature filled with the echoes and voices of previous inhabitants from those distant hours...and it inevitably weaves a spell over those who enter its doors (literally and figuratively!) The characters are very well developed and engaging, plus we have all the usual Gothic elements of mystery, gloom and menace. For me, THE DISTANT HOURS was a perfect book...perhaps it will be for you, too.

 

Have a Happy New Year...wishing you the best of everything in 2014!

 

Until soon,

Hugs,

abbyj







HAPPY HOLIDAYS

December 23, 2013

 

 

 

Wishing you all a magical holiday season filled with joy and love that continues throughout the year! I'm grateful for each and every one of you...who you are and who you are to me!

 

 

Holiday Hugs and Always Love,

abbyj

THANKSGIVING in NYC

December 6,2013

Hardly representative of all the marvelous food we had with our Brooklyn cousins, here's Patrick carving the turkey: 2 turkeys, many, many trimmings and a wide variety of desserts, not to mention all the mouth watering hors d'oeuvres to feed 28 souls... all eating and giving thanks...it was a PARTY!! This seems to have set the tone for our eating habits throughout our stay in New York City...we lived and ate LARGE!!

We drove a good part of our trip in the pouring rain...over the bridge and into the city.



The view from our room (on the 42nd floor) in mid-town didn't provide us with much of a view... but we didn't spend much time in the room.

Although it was windy and raining when we arrived, we were prepared for it and we went out and walked anyway! (The rest of our visit brought beautiful, sunny days!)

We passed by a GODIVA Chocolate shoppe where a very happy young man was whipping up some of their delicious confection...

   

Saw the beautiful Chrysler building in all its Art Deco glory, a NYC icon from the late 1920's... and the beautiful, and  equally iconic French Building from the same era...

Of course, we had many opportunities to take the Subway...hands down, the easiest and fastest way to beat the traffic and get where you're going in a timely manner...a good chance to people-watch and sometimes to catch some good entertainment!

The people who combine their sounds of drumming, strumming and singing with the screeching of trains are called buskers and they have one of the toughest gigs in show business...trying to get some attention and hopefully some tips from more than 5 million daily commuters who are famous for their "get-out-of-my-face attitudes!!

We braved the Macy's Annual (since 1924) Thanksgiving Day Parade in 30 degree (F) weather and got some great viewing in. Here's a poster I made for the last guest in the parade...Santa! This year's theme was BELIEVE!

Rockefeller Center had a few ice skaters,

while  all the shoppes in the area were spectacular...FIFTH AVENUE with Saks Fifth Avenue showing its best, most creative Christmas as they flashed the story of the Yeti (Abominable Snowman) on the side of the building and in their animated windows...

 

Look at this window display in the LEGO store on the walkway leading into Rockefeller Center...

 Of  course, Atlas continued to stand bravely by, overlooking the area!

 

There were gorgeous holiday displays in stores,  windows, buildings and along the streets wherever we walked ...like these!

 

The alive excitement of mid-town...

 

Actually this last photo of the bird man I took at Washington Square Park down near New York University (NYU!)

We grabbed the opportunity to see a Broadway  show ...NEWSIES. It's a musical about the Newsboys strike of 1899  in New York City...a youth-led campaign to force change in the way Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst's newspapers compensated their child labor force. It was an evening filled with marvelous singing and incredible dancing!!

Our mood changed with a somber visit to the 9/11 MEMORIAL. It was beautiful and very touching. We joined a large crowd of viewers late in the afternoon, but ended up seeing the memorial in the dark ...very dramatic and effective. The construction of the site continues to develop and grow.

Finally, the reason for our trip...our Michelle  performed at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall with her choir in a concert of Handel's MESSIAH! Her Canadian choir, Tempus Choral Society, was invited to perform, joining a few American choirs...a total of about 400 voices. The sound fed our hearts and souls...a combination of pride and a real appreciation for the artistry of Handel!!

 

 I hope you've enjoyed this rather lengthy jog through our few days in New York City. It was a time that appealed to all our senses...and our hearts.  We were grateful for the chance to spend such a special time together; filled with pride for our daughter; our stomachs were filled with tooo much good food and we were infused with the warmth, love and spirit of the season. Wishing you that same love, warmth and love for the season...for always.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!

 

Big Holiday Hugs,

Abby

 

ARTFUL READERS CLUB

Andre Dubus III's HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG

November 29, 2013



My heart and stomach are  STILL full from Thanksgiving's feast! Michael and I celebrated in New York City... Michelle's choir was invited to sing Handel's MESSIAH  with several other choral groups at Lincoln Center. Very exciting (and a proud moment) to see our daughter on the Lincoln Center stage... and our Thanksgiving dinner was a joyous, reminiscent family reunion in Brooklyn. Even Michael, who doesn't like traveling to NYC, enjoyed himself!!

It's hard to imagine that it's been almost a year since we've started  on Art and Sole's ARTFUL READERS CLUB journey. I must say I've enjoyed every step of it...my books (for the most part) as well as reviews from other group members...and of course, everyone's art!  My "to be read" book list has grown to an impossible length...too long for this lifetime and I thank you for that!! :)

My book this month is Andre Dubus III's HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG.

It's been praised to the heavens, but I struggled through it. Parts of it I found enjoyable, but basically, I wasn't crazy about the characters. It's the  story of a bungalow in the foggy hills of California and two opposing sets of people who feel that it's rightfully theirs. The Behranis are a family displaced from their homeland of Iran due to revolution. To them, this house is a last chance to restore some dignity to their lives. Kathy Nicolo is a recovering alcoholic and addict. To her, this house is her last refuge. She was left the house by her father, but it was confiscated from her unfairly (by the government) for tax purposes. The Behranis purchased it legally at auction. Add to the mix, a Deputy Sheriff who meets Kathy, falls in love with her and is bent on helping her reclaim her home. The rest of the book is the story of struggle between the two, leading to a dramatic and sad conclusion.

HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG  is one of the most depressing books I've read in a long time...all 365 pages of it! That includes books about the Holocaust and WWII... that's saying something!! Each character has a sad story...a struggle of some kind, but I had a hard time caring for them. I guess the overwhelming sadness of the book made it difficult for me to read. In addition, the writing style based on long paragraphs and long descriptions didn't help. Bottom line, I really WOULDN'T recommend this book. It was like sitting with a friend who's always complaining and always has big problems...no sunshine at all!!

I'm hoping December's book will be one I enjoy...and I hope you enjoyed YOUR book this month!

Hugs to you... until  my last review for 2013 December 27th. Thanks for stopping by!



PAST AND PRESENT

November 20, 2013

 

Wishing my dear family and friends a heartfelt Thanksgiving. I hope you take the time to think about how blessed you are. And, by the way, I'm thankful to have YOU in my life!

 

My art this week is, as usual, a very mixed bag. Concerning themselves with "olden times" are two art challenge blogs... INSPIRATION AVENUE's interest is "myths..." I chose to illustrate the myth of Icarus, son of Daedalus, who dared to fly too close to the sun on wings of feathers and wax. Daedalus had been imprisoned by King Minos of Crete within the walls of his own invention, the Labyrinth. But the great craftsman's genius would not tolerate captivity. He made two pairs of wings out of wood, feathers and wax, giving one pair to his son, Icarus. He cautioned him not to fly too close to the sun as the extreme heat would melt the wax. But Icarus was so excited with his newfound ability to fly that he forgot his father's warning and plunged to his death in the sea.  

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART, whose theme is "Renaissance," pulled me back to the time of the wenches... those country lasses or working girls during the Renaissance who wore such colorful,  fun dresses!! 

 

 TAKE A WORD blog is more current with a theme of "birds." I shared part of a field journal to which I added extra several flying critters....

 

 COLLAGE OBSESSION's challenge...a quote by Leonard Cohen: "There's a crack in everything- that's how the light gets in!"

Finally, Flicker's DIGITALMANIA introduced us to artist Maggie Taylor. Interestingly, she's the sister-in-law of my all-time favorite singer and songwriter, James Taylor. Here's the link to her art...and here are my two pieces inspired by her work.

 

 Thanks so much for stopping by. Once again, I hope this Thanksgiving puts extra joy in your heart. See you next posting?

Big Hugs,
abbyj



IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE...

November 16, 2013 

 While traveling home from my Aunt's funeral in Philadelphia, Michael and I passed by the most spectacular display of why I'm thankful to live where there are four seasons.

The Autumn colors here in the east are beyond beautiful. But, as we neared Central New York, seemingly in the blink of an eye, everything was sugar coated...and the sugar kept piling up!



 A true commentary on the weather in this part of the country...wait a minute and it'll change!! Keeps life exciting!!??

 

In this week's FLICKER DIGITALMANIA art challenge group, we were  introduced to a Brandie Butcher-Isley... an artist who uses black and white and sepia vintage photos on diverse, original backgrounds. You can see samples of her work here. She inspired me to create the following pieces of digital art...

Great Uncle Al and Me

Very short posting this time...lots of Photoshop magic and fun, though. Please do stop by for my next...thanks for checking in this time!

 

Hope you have a good week ahead as we draw closer to Thanksgiving!

 

xox,

abbyj