“The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben

It took me several years to finish this book, and I couldn’t quite figure out why it was apparently such a popular international bestseller. On the other hand, it did give me great respect for trees as living/feeling beings. As usual, I don’t remember most of the facts, but I do remember the feeling.

“The Alhambra” by Washington Irving

I read this book by Washington Irving after hearing it mentioned during my tour of the Alhambra and I quite liked it.  I took a photo of the plaque saying he had been there.

I found Irving to be quite modern in his sensibilities and writing, and I very much enjoyed his descriptions of life in the Alhambra. He enhanced my understanding of the culture by including tales of older times, when Muslims were still a presence in Spain. These tales included buried gold, wicked wizards, greedy wives, wicked politicians etc etc.

Irving made the Alhambra come alive in all its historical glory, and so it is not at all surprising that this book was a key factor in bringing about the restoration of that important structure. Just imagine. When Irving lived there, he could just casually stroll about the place, enjoying its fountains, relaxing in the gardens, taking in the views from various towers, and mingling with its various inhabitants, some of whom had been there for generations. Now the place is absolutely teeming with tourists.

“The Impossible Fortune” by Richard Osman

 I’m probably growing tired of the Thursday Murder Club books. Or perhaps, this title was a weak one in the series. Instead of focussing on the relationship strengths of the earlier books, it introduced new characters, including Joanna’s husband, and Tia, a young juvenile delinquent but with brains and a heart of gold, and Suzy and Kendrick who were Ron’s daughter and grandson etc etc. I enjoyed the earlier books partially because of the ever widening circle of interesting characters, but this particular book has gone too far, introducing new characters at the expense of the old.

“ Still Life” by Louise Penny

I reread this book because it was much too saccharine for me when I read it in 2017, and yet I wanted to get on the Louise Penny bandwagon. It’s nice to be emotionally invested in a good series. 

I enjoyed the book quite a bit more in 2026. It was quite riveting, even though the writing at this stage of her career was a bit unpolished. I can definitely now see the appeal of her books.

“Our Mutual Friend” by Charles Dickens

 This book was quite the slog, and I did not enjoy parts of it because it was filled with unkind people. But Dickens handled the material more gently than a modern writer would have, and for that, I was grateful. The book is dated, of course, in its treatment of women. I was impressed with Dickens’ creation,  Ria, the Jewish “fake usurer”, who turned out to be very kind and wise. And it was amusing to have 2 con artists marry each other, expecting that the other had money. Some of the language in this book was incomprehensible to me… I don’t remember having that problem with Dickens.

"Fugitive Pieces" by Anne Michaels

 I absolutely detest Michaels' writing style. It is much too poetic and not enough story based. Eva told me it did not have much to do with holocaust misery. My reading of the book is that's all it was about. And then, of course, there was redemption from the psychological misery.

It was nice hearing about Biskupin, Poland, since I actually visited the place. I skimmed the last sections of the book because I hated it so much.

“Nosy Parker” by Lesley Crewe

 This is a story about a year in the life of a girl in NDG, during Expo 67. She did not know a thing about her mother, and her father was quite old. She made good friends, the neighbours were very kindly, and there was some darkness thrown in for good measure. The dialog was not very realistic, and an unusual number of characters were unusually nice. But the story was interesting enough that I read it rather quickly (for me).