HUMP DAY SERENDIPITY: COLLECTIONS, BOOKS, FAMILY…

Good morning!  It’s time to chat about Hump Day and enjoy the places where we love to curl up with our books, etc.  Above, I rearranged some things on my little table in my office, the one below my family wall of photos:  in addition to the Coca Cola lamp and the Minnie Mouse phone, I now have a cute mug that says “Bee Happy,” which I’ve had for a while, but it was previously in my bedroom.  And next to the phone is the new clock I ordered this week.  I did that after realizing I have NO CLOCKS in this room, since the one I had fell from the wall and broke.

I think the ghosts in my house were playing pranks on me!

Anyway, I love its colors.  It is a small clock, but it serves its purpose.  Here’s a close-up, from the product page:

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I read until late last night…in my bedroom, where I could curl up with fluffy pillows.  I am reading Lie to Me, by J. T. Ellison, and I’m loving it.  My review will go up later today.

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My TV watching last night was This Is Us, which I  really love, although sometimes I find the mother, portrayed by Mandy Moore, really annoying!  Especially in the episodes with her grown children.  She seems fake.  I don’t like Miguel, the guy she married after Jack, either.   Jack and Miguel were best friends.  It seems…wrong, somehow.  The kids seem to have problems with him, too.  I am curious about what will unfold.

I’ve also been watching several episodes of The Menendez Murders.  I love that Edie Falco is portraying Leslie Abramson, the boys’ attorney.  She has a rather harsh demeanor, but it works in this role, IMO.

Okay…enough said.  Back to reading.

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After yesterday’s Release Day, I didn’t end up downloading any of the other books released yesterday.  Not yet, anyway.  Seven Days of Us was one of them, and it’s on my list…but the reviews were so mixed.  I will wait a while.

I might have to read it, though.  I love family dysfunction…in a movie or book.  Not in real life.  Maybe my reluctance to dig into this one is how close to home the themes feel to me.  My own family, and the in-laws I accrued over the years, were reminders of all that can be annoying about family.  LOL.

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So…what does Hump Day bring to you?  Books, adventures, etc.?

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REVIEW: HILLBILLY ELEGY, BY J. D. VANCE

 

 

 

Growing up as a member of the white working class from Appalachia, the author speaks candidly about the chaos of his childhood: the revolving door of his childhood home, with numerous partners assuming the role of father figure; his mother’s addiction and her efforts through various rehab centers to overcome these issues; and how his primary form of stability came from the regular presence of his grandmother (Mamaw), who was there as an encouraging role model.

Her methods and her language might have been harsh at times, but beneath the surface was a strong woman who could show him the way out by her encouraging words and actions.

From Jackson, Kentucky to Middletown, Ohio, the family had migrated, but they never really assimilated into the middle class, even when finances improved. The hillbilly thoughts, values, and behaviors continued to set them apart from those who had taken on the values of those who were claiming the American Dream.

What the author learned years later—after serving in the marines and then attending Ohio State College, followed by Yale Law School—was that getting ahead required a form of networking he had to learn, and social capital he required in order to achieve his goals. He found mentors and advisors to help him accomplish these goals. But even after college, law school, and a wonderful woman to marry, he still heard the internal voices that urged him to escape when conflict presented itself. An ongoing battle against his Adverse Childhood Experiences would keep him unsettled from time to time.

A stunning, yet unsurprising (for me) journey of life battling the odds, Hillbilly Elegy kept me glued to the pages. Definitely well worth the read. 5 stars.

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