The Waratah Inn by Lilly Mirren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was the May 2020 selection for Barnes & Noble Serial Reads: one chapter a day. It introduced me to a new-to-me author in the genre of family-stories-that-are-told-in-many-books, similar to the genre of town-stories-told-in-many-books. I was entertained by this book as a stand-alone.

I enjoy this genre, I can recommend it to other readers who enjoy family series.


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Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not a cheerful book. It is a book which needs read by every adult, and yet it still does not provide guidance for those of us who cannot supply the needs and wants for others who wish to depend upon us.

" Whenever serious sickness or injury strikes and your body or mind breaks down, the vital questions are the same: What is your understanding of the situation and its potential outcomes? What are your fears and what are your hopes? What are the trade-offs you are willing to make and not willing to make? And what is the course of action that best serves this understanding?"

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The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally finished this classic which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921. The setting is 1870s New York society.
I appreciate reading this as a Nook book because I can easily read footnotes that explain terms no longer in use, and I can read a definition of a word with a touch.


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The Joy of Birding: A Beginner's Guide by Kate Rowinski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I needed to borrow a digital field guide from my local library during the Covid pandemic to supplement my study of Great Courses Plus Birding in North America. I borrowed this on my Hoopla app. It is adequate for beginners, and sufficient "for these unprecedented times."


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Backyard Birding: Using Natural Gardening to Attract Birds by Julie Zickefoose


I was looking for a field guide to borrow from the library as an ebook during the Covid pandemic. I did not read its subtitle before I borrowed on Hoopla app. This book is more about gardening than bird identification.


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 In the Light of the Garden by Heather Burch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I downloaded this book to my Kindle when it was offered free-with-Prime in 2019. I did not realize it was written as "magical-realism" which is a genre I usually avoid because I often feel tricked by the author. This time I did not feel tricked; I felt as surprised as these characters were by their epiphanies and release of strong emotions.
It is a book I can recommend to others.


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