Friday, August 20, 2010

Mercy Grapes And Your Favorite Books

I brought these in from our yard this week. 

Why do I call them Mercy Grapes? Because God certainly was merciful in allowing those grapes to grow, since I never did make it back there to weed around the vines or fertilize them or train them along twine at the top of the stakes. I did nothing to them because I've spent this long, formerly hot and humid summer (we're much cooler now) feeling overwhelmed.

And well, I've already whined about all that, but I did want to share these amazing grapes with you. 

The concord grapes are so incredible that they make supermarket grapes taste fake, like processed grape substitute, or something. I taste our (organic) concord grapes and feel as though I'm eating grapes for the very first time in my 51 years.

I highly recommend growing grapes.

Moving on--

 I really (seriously) would love to hear the titles of the best books you've read the past year or two. There's a certain reason I'm asking, one which I can't reveal until September (I'm being mysterious here), but I would so appreciate your leaving one or more titles of lovely books you've recently discovered. 

Or, of course, older books you've reread myriad times. Fiction or non-fiction, domestic, homey-style mysteries or non-mysteries-with-a-bit-of-morally-nice-romance-thrown-in would be great. Or anything else you loved reading. Thanks so much!



*****

8 comments:

Deborah Raney said...

Here are a few I've loved this year:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti
Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes

My favorite novel ever is Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns.

Anonymous said...

It has to be "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt". I loved that book!
nancyr

Anonymous said...

Strength of the Hills...Elswyth Thane

The Green Year....Barbara Webster

The Little White Horse...Elizabeth Goudge

A Book of Comfort....Elizabeth Goudge

Wilma

Laura said...

I had grapes like that the other day - so good, I'd thought I'd never had a real grape until that day. I'm so glad you're enjoying your Mercy Grapes. :)

The last few really good books I've read:

He Leadeth Me - Ciszek
Margin - Swenson
Running Scared - Welch

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

Well, some of the best books would be ones I've been rereading at intervals for more than 40 years! But of new books - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. That would be for fiction. I've been rereading (as always) lots of D.E. Stevenson, especially the two Katherine Wentworth books and Spring Magic, and the Miss Buncle Books, etc........

O. Douglas's Pink Sugar. And I think there are more, many more, but they are not coming to mind. I think I really ought to keep a journal of what I read! I know I've been reading a lot of Hazel Holt mysteries in the last few months.

All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren and her daughter whose name I really ought to remember but am not, is a very useful book for going over basic personal finances again.

Your mysterious reason is very intriguing!

Lisa in Texas = ) said...

Debra~ I have never done this before but I think it is customary - to leave a note to let someone know that I have left a little something special at my blog for you today!!
Lisa :O)

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

I remembered that I read a lot of Alexander McCall Smith, all his series. And Susan Wittig Albert's books about Beatrix Potter's area is almost a guilty secret since they have talking animals in them! But they are charming in a soothing way. I also follow the Maisie Dodd mystery series and the latest one was very good, The Mapping of Love and Death. These are a little darker than what I usually read, but I've been following them since the baginning.

Anonymous said...

The best book I have read this year is hands down Cry The Beloved Country. It is wonderful on so many levels! Angela