Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith

 This title caught my eye when I was browsing at the St. George library downtown, and so I added it to my pile of Elizabeth Berg books. I'm glad I did! Having been to Yellowstone, it was fun reading about what it was like back in the day when it was new to these intrepid explorers at the turn of the century.

The main character, Alexandria Bertram, is a committed botanist who joins a company of men to collect and identify the flora of the park. They were expecting a man, and so this is the initial hurdle to get over; it doesn't take long, though, for them to discover how capable she is. It was fun to read about her strength and determination as well as her softening of "scientific" methods and opinions. She definitely developed over the course of the story. I also particularly enjoyed the lyrical descriptions of the park and its environs. I wonder if this is one Bruce and Terri would like...

I just ordered it on Amazon -- used for five bucks!-- and had it sent to Bruce. We'll see what he thinks. 

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

 I don't recall how I heard about this older story, but I read some reviews on Amazon after I believe I heard about it on Instagram. I decided it was worth finding at the library, and I took it along to Sacramento on my most recent trip. It's delightful! It's clean! It's relatable! And there's so much wisdom in the conversations... This family in England that lives in a castle is off-beat, unique, and very, very destitute. Yet their spirits are high and their conversations engaging.

I liked this so much, I could hardly wait to get to bed to read another chapter. And that is saying something since I was staying with Ann and we often play games or just talk into the night. But I wanted to re-enter this beautiful world of rural England where Cassandra appreciates nature, is growing up, and puzzles things out in her mind. As soon as I finished it, I was ready to read it again. And I liked the rather open-ended ending that left me wondering about her more distant future. 

I am going to order my own copy and also send one to Leslie for her birthday...it's the kind of book I believe she will enjoy just as much as I did...

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center (audio book from Libby)

 One of the Instagrammers I follow, can't remember which one, highly recommended this book. Since I could listen to it free, on Libby, I decided to give it a try. It's a light-weight romance with cute characters, not much reality, but a lot of wisdom and some clever dialogue. 

We are in the midst of settling in to our Monterey home, and it was fun to have something light and juicy to listen to while I mopped floors, unpacked boxes, and moved into our new kitchen. A lot of this moving work required my full attention, so I couldn't always listen, but I also took some walks in our new neighborhood so I could listen longer. It was fun and engaging. 

I liked the values that were encouraged in this story, as the young woman from Texas was her father's caregiver for 10 years, and modeled unselfishness quite well. The Hollywood screenwriter she falls in love with has to learn how to love, and there were some good ideas along the way. Selfishness, seeking happiness, sacrifice, were all good themes. It was surprisingly wise and deep at times. I have a definite prejudice against romance novels, even though I like a good rom com movie. The author, though, at the end of the story, made a good case for good love stories. That we as humans do better with good models and these stories are all prosocial. Food for thought, that's for sure. I do like more substance and color, though...

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg

 This was a fun collection of short stories that were perfect for night time reading. Berg's humor is soft and engaging, and her characters are charming, vulnerable, and a little off-beat. I was hoping it might be appropriate to share with Leslie, but sometimes the humor is dark, and so much of her stories revolve around romantic relationships and/or death, that I decided no, not this one...

Earth's the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg

 This was the third book I checked out from St. George Library downtown when I was on a little Berg binge. I liked this one a lot! It's a prequel to the Arthur Trulove character in another book of her's I read awhile ago. This describes Arthur's growing up years, his great love for Nola, and his rich relationship with his brother, Frank.

I love the simpler time this story is set in. People walk the neighborhoods, they know each other, and families sit down together for meals. It's very sweetly described. I loved the character of Frank, and his kindness and protection of his younger brother Arthur. And Arthur is a classic NERD, not one of the cool kids, and his goodness comes through constantly without embarrassment or apology. What sweet brothers!

This was a nice story to escape to during our great transition from one home in St. George to another. From Red Canyon to the golf course! And there is a lot to think about, a lot to do, and a lot to manage in this transition, which we are right now in the middle of. But we have made it fun (mostly) and this book was a nice reward when night time came. Now I need another one! I've taken a little break so I can also get our taxes done...and I did, so, YAY ME!