Fay-Bainbridge & Fort Ward

On Saturday, I picked up Sam in Seattle and we took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island.  We headed north to Fay-Bainbridge State Park.  At first look, it seemed like kind of a lame park--a stretch of grass with some completely exposed campsites.  But, the small beach has some amazing views.  You can see Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, and the Olympics.  Each campsite has two adirondack chairs, which seemed kind of goofy, but as soon as we sat down we realized how perfect it was.  What could be better than sitting in a couple adirondacks on a nice day looking at the amazing view?

Then we headed south to Fort Ward State Park.  We parked at the north end of the park and hiked up into the trees and eventually passed by two gun batteries (the Navy decommissioned the fort in 1958).  We then looped around and walked along the beach back to the car.  The beach has some awesome rocks and a lovely view.

The World to Come by Dara Horn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautiful, engaging, dark, and often funny tale that ranges from 1920s Russia to present-day New Jersey. Dara Horn tells the fascinating story of the Ziskind family and the (fictional) theft of a Chagall painting. The story has a very surreal, fairytale quality to it, but at the same time Horn carefully develops each character so that you truly believe the outlandish actions they take.

A wonderful book--I highly recommend it!

View all my reviews >>

A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx by Elaine Showalter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Showalter does a great job of placing each writer in her point in history, while also talking about the individual style, strengths, and weaknesses of her writing. She writes about the major themes of each era while making sure to include women who stood outside of those themes. By the end, you not only have a great sense of how women's writing has changed over time, but also a clear picture of how women's writing and the culture and politics of the day impacted each other.

Best of all, you learn about some pretty amazing women.

View all my reviews >>

Tommy and Tuppence

By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another great Tommy and Tuppence story. I saw a PBS miniseries of this a year or two ago. They shoehorned Miss Marple into the story and practically left Tommy out of it. While I enjoyed the miniseries, the book does a much better job with T & T.

It comes to kind of a strange end that seems a little forced, but other than that, thoroughly enjoyable.

View all my reviews >>

Quick Read

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun read. Not Hornby's best, but still entertaining.

View all my reviews >>

Required Reading in the Northwest

The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest by Timothy Egan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If you love the Northwest, you should read this book. Egan's first book is a thorough look at the landscape, the people, and the history of the region. Even though it has been twenty years since it was published, it is still incredibly relevant. Egan is an environmentalist and an outdoorsman and a lot of the book is about water and trees. He talks about how the landscape has shaped the people and how the people have shaped the landscape.

I learned a lot about my home and Egan has inspired me to explore it further.

View all my reviews >>

Saw the movie, then read the book.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very entertaining. This was my first Sherlock Holmes and he wasn't at all the stuffy English dude I was expecting.

View all my reviews >>