Evening Primrose and Flight of Dreams

Garden Notes

This week's star native is evening primrose. The particular species I planted last year is Oenothera howardii (Howard's evening primrose), which is a Colorado native. It didn't bloom at all last year, but it started last week and is stealing the spotlight with its vibrant trumpet-shaped flowers. 

One of the things I love about it is that it requires very little water but looks lush and tropical. All of the descriptions in books and online say that it blooms in the evening and overnight (good for nighttime pollinators), but mine bloom all day long!

Apparently, the entire plant is edible and has played an important part in indigenous medicine. I found some online instructions that detail how to make evening primrose oil from the blossoms, but I think I have enough on my plate right now before I even think about going down that path!

Isn't she a beauty?

 I am growing it to support the local ecosystem, and its beauty is my reward.

Book Notes

Flight of Dreams, by Ariel Lawhon - this is a 2016 novel by one of my favorite authors. I loved her The Frozen River and Code Name Hélène and was completely enthralled with Flight of Dreams. Here's the GoodReads blurb:

On the evening of May 3rd, 1937, ninety-seven people board the Hindenburg for its final, doomed flight to Lakehurst, New Jersey. Among them are a frightened stewardess who is not what she seems; the steadfast navigator determined to win her heart; a naive cabin boy eager to earn a permanent spot on the world’s largest airship; an impetuous journalist who has been blacklisted in her native Germany; and an enigmatic American businessman with a score to settle. Over the course of three hazy, champagne-soaked days their lies, fears, agendas, and hopes for the future are revealed.

The novel takes place from the moment of takeoff to the aftermath when the survivors are still struggling to deal with the fact that they did survive. Yes, there were survivors--62 out of the 97 did survive the explosion and resulting fireball that consumed the German airship. 

Interesting Fact: The Hindenburg survival rate was 64% while that of the Titanic was only 32%.

It took everything I had not to read about the Hindenburg disaster until after I finished the book because virtually all of the characters were actual passengers or crew aboard the airship, and I didn't want any spoilers. The author did say that she invented the various story threads that connect the various characters, making for a rich, interesting, realistic, and compelling (i.e., nail-biting) fictional account of the final voyage of the airship.

What I found super interesting is that the term airship is totally appropriate--everything was nautical except they were going through air instead of water. I would love to see even a scale model of the interior. Flying on the Hindenburg, or on other airships, was really the height of luxury travel in the day. Unlike the Titanic, there was no steerage or 2nd class--every passenger ticket was a first-class ticket.

This is one of those books I practically couldn't put down--Lawhon is an exceptionally good histoirical novelist, using real events and real people to catapult her into a marvelous story that really could've happened. Another 5-star novel from Lawhon.

Now, I am wondering about her novel I Was Anastasia. I don't buy into conspiracy theories and have never embraced the idea that Anastasia Romanov escaped the fate of the rest of her family, but I trust Lawhon to tell a good story based on known facts...so maybe?

Reading Roundup - Autumn

Since I've been participating in Nonfiction November and I really cannot seem to do more than one post per week, and even that is a challenge, I have a slew of wonderful books read that demand a comment or two.

Persuasion, by Jane Austen - This time I read the annotated version, with an introduction by David Morrison, and really enjoyed both the novel and the notes. I have said that I don't like annotated versions, but this one worked for me. A perfect Autumn read, and I think it just might be my favorite Austen novel.

We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman - first novel in what promises to be a new series by the author of the immensely popular Thursday Murder Club mysteries. It was bit slow going for the first third, but then the pace picked up and it turned out to be terrific. Basic idea is that a young woman (Amy) and her father-in-law (Steve) are best buds and team up to solve a series of murders and end up deciding to open a detective agency. He is a retired cop, and she is a professional bodyguard. They are funded by a best-selling author who craves excitement, and there is a motley assembly of secondary characters who are all good company. Osman's sense of humor is spot on for me, and the scenarios he creates, while pretty far-fetched and complicated, are also interesting, entertaining, and logical to a point.

The Lover of No Fixed Abode, by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini (Gregory Dowling, translator) - set in Venice, a rich, restless Roman princess falls in love with a mysterious tour guide, and while you might be thinking this is a sappy, feel-good romance (ala Roman Holiday), it is so much more. Not until at least two-thirds, maybe even three-quarters, into the book do you get the idea that Mr. Silvera is not simply a tour guide. I don't believe I am giving away too much of the twist of the novel to say that this is the most intriguing time travel book that I have ever read. And it's not really time travel but more about the elasticity of the time/space continuum. There is Jewish folklore and Christian mythology tied up along with an intimate voyage into the heart and magic of Venice. Booking my trip for 2025 now!

The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon - I absolutely loved Lawhon's Code Name Helene, from a few years ago, and this latest novel by the author was another 5-star read for me. Based on the diary of Martha Ballard, a Maine midwife in the late 18th century, the story has a murder mystery at its heart, but I loved it for the depiction of the life of a family and a community. In so many ways, Martha and her story reminded me of Claire in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. While Martha is not a time-traveler, the fictional Martha created by Lawhon shares her outspokenness, her insistence on truth and justice, her fierce love and protection of her extended family, her dedication to her profession and her desire to heal, both physically and emotionally. I love visiting Maine, and it was such a treat to read about its early days when the USA was brand new.

The Comfort of Ghosts, by Jacqueline Winspear - the final book in the absolutely wonderful Maisie Dobbs series. It was a beautiful rounding of the story, tying up loose ends, and connecting threads from the earliest novels together in a meaningful and satisfactory ending. I am sorry that there will be no more adventures with Maisie, but I do love to reread so I will happily visit with her from time to time.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogging friends. Stay safe, stay warm, and enjoy that second slice of pie!

Playing Catchup - December Books

It's that time again, when I provide a quickie overview of the books I read recently but didn't find time to post about. They were all great and deserve to be remembered, recommended, and maybe even reread.

Code Name Helene, by Ariel Lawhon - I read a few reviews from other bloggers and felt this would be good. WWII, set in Marseille and the Dordogne region of France, French resistance - premise great! To be honest, during the first half I was not sure I would love it--the main character, Nancy, was a bit too perfect (beautiful, brilliant, brave, etc) but I was totally engrossed in the second half and couldn't put it down. Then, I read the afterword and learned that it was based on a real person who did all these extraordinary things.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson - this was a audio book for me, and given the amount of dialect, I was glad to listen instead of read. It was another fascinating story--learned about two major things--the WPA's Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and the rare blue-skinned people of which the main character, Cussy Carter, is one of the last. At times, I wished that the story was about one of these fascinating things instead of both as they seemed to compete with each for theme, but still a good book.

The Secret Adversary, by Agatha Christie - last year was the 100th anniversary of the publication of the first Agatha Christie mystery, so I decided to read them all in order. This was the second book and the first featuring Tommy and Tuppence. I hadn't met Tommy Beresford and Prudence (aka Tuppence) Cowley before, but I fell in love with them and look forward to spending more time with them. It was a great mystery with a bit of WWI thrown in, some wonderful red herrings, and a great deal of fun.

All the Devils Are Here, by Louise Penny - the latest in the Armand Gamache series. Mostly set in Paris, which I completely loved, and a first rate story. Actually I think this is one of the best in the series. Much as I like visiting Three Pines, Quebec, visiting Paris with the Gamache family was wonderful. I especially liked the opening scene at the Rodin Museum garden, which was one of my absolutely favorite spots when we visited Paris in 2018.