The Nest

In Cynthia D'Aprix's novel, The Nest, the four siblings of the Plumb Family gather together. Before their father died he set aside some money for them to inherit when the youngest sibling, Melony, turned forty. Thanks to their uncle, George, the nest has developed into a very tidy sum. All the Plumb siblings are looking forward to receiving the nest. Two of the siblings need the nest to escape their present financial difficulties. This meeting takes place when Melony is 39. Their eldest brother, Leo, has not been a responsible son nor brother lately. His irresponsible actions lead to a car crash where a waitress was severely injured. To preserve the reputation of the Plumb family, the nest is used to pay people to keep quiet. I enjoyed the story but honestly the four siblings of the Plumb family are highly self-absorbed and unlikeable with the exception of Bea.

 

 

Blaack Cake

Charmaine Wilkerson is the debut author of Black Cake. In this fiction novel siblings Byron and Benny are reunited after the death of their mother. They had been estranged for 5 years. Their mother leaves them a audio recording with the true story of her identity and life. Byron and Benny had been told lies all their lives. Their mother was also a great cook. For Christmas she made a black cake that had fruit soaked in alcohol all year. The book is full of secrets and betrayals. Byron lives in California and is mapping the ocean floor for science. Benny lives in New York City and is saving so she can open a cafe/coffee shop. Their mother did not grow up in an orphanage in England. Instead she grew up in a beach town on an Caribbean island (probably Jamaica) where she was a champion swimmer.  This book does a nice job while touching many sensitive subjects.

 

 

Ice Park

Winona has an ice park which is part of Sugar Loaf Park. Sugar Loaf is just to the left of this photo. Highway 61 is at the bottom of the hill. Last weekend they had their ice festival. People came from around the country to climb these person made cliffs of ice. Volunteers run hoses off the cliff to form the ice. The ice park is a twenty minute walk from the parking area. I have been up there in the summer but not the winter.

 

Lights Out

Last night I attended an Audubon meeting here in Winona. The topic was light pollution. We watched a 35 minute documentary called Lights Out In Texas. Next we heard from a Winona State Professor who studies astronomy specifically when two objects collide in space. She also knows about light pollution because twenty years ago she had a student who was interested in light pollution in Winona and he also happened to have a pilot license. She showed us pictures of light pollution over the last five decades. Light pollution for the most part is worse. According to her figures, 60 to 80 percent of today's children will never see the Milky Way because of light pollution. Winona State has done much to reduce light pollution. They replaced their outdoor lights with lights that shine only down. Also, the lights go dim unless someone walking by triggers the light to come on fully.  The residential parts of Winona are fairly dark. The lightest places are automotive dealerships and big box stores like Walmart and Target.  According to her, light pollution is better but there is still room for improvement.

 

 

Blue Wave

Yesterday evening I joined Winona Indivisible for a protest march starting at Windom Park. We walked around with signs for 90 minutes. Various commuters either ignored us, waved at us, or beeped their horns in quick succession. My sign read "The blue wave is coming." I liked this home made sign better.

 

 

The Revolving Door Of Life

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of The Revolving Door Of Life. This intermittently hilarious book talks about life in Scotland. Various characters interact with each other. One is a father of two sons, Bertie (age 7) and an infant. His wife goes to Saudi Arabia for a 5 day trip but ends up staying longer. He gets in touch with his mother. His mother now lives is Portugal with her new husband but she is glad to come to her son's house while the wife is away to help. The guy's mother cannot tolerate the wife. When the son went to the airport to pick up his mother, Bertie offered to hold the infant because the infant was less cranky with him. Bertie spots his grandmother's red suitcase coming so he sets the infant down. Father and grandmother do not notice the infant going away on the luggage conveyor belt until after he is behind the scene. That was one hilarious incident. Both Bertie and the infant do better under the care of their grandmother. Another woman on the far side of town is trying to prevent her father from falling into the arms of a Slovakian woman who is after her money. She solves the problem by asking an annoying friend of theirs to tempt the Slovakian woman into an affair.  In between all these hilarious skits are facts about the legends of Scotland. I highly recommend this book.

 

 

Park Avenue

 I read Renee Ahdieh's debut adult novel called Park Avenue. The story is about Jia. Jia's parents owned a Korean bodega in New York City. Jia wants a better life for herself. When a Korean lady lawyer comes into the bodega to buy tea, Jia admires her Birkin leather bag and decides she will be a lawyer and own a Birkin bag too one day. Now Jia is an adult at a prestigious law firm and she just made junior partner. When a senior partner asks for her help with a wealthy Korean family, this is her ticket to make senior partner. What she learns from the Koren Park family is that money cannot buy happiness. Jia rethinks her life's goals and her work/life balance. This was a superficial yet enchanting read.