Saturday, May 31, 2025

The Sunday Salon: 20 Books of Summer and Big Books of Summer Begin

  




Welcome! I am delighted that you joined us here at the 
Sunday Salon

What is the Sunday Salon? 

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 





A very busy week. Big birthday celebration for one of my Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series friends who turned 90. My husband, the gemcutter, cut his 2,500th gemstone. I went to my first Mah Jongg group. And I got together for lunch with a friend I used to teach with forty years ago. The 20 Books of Summer and the Big Books of Summer begin.







What I Read Last Week:

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (Book Club)
Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton (Nonfiction)
Sanditon by Jane Austen (Classic)





What I'm Reading Now:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Chapter-a-Day)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Classics Club)
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt (Nonfiction)
The Love Haters by Katherine Center (Fiction)





What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:





I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:


Good Thing #1:

My husband cuts gemstone #2,500.



Good Thing #2:

Joyful June



Good Thing #3:

We saw the last episode of Vera.
What series should we try now?



Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.


42 comments:

  1. That is a very impressive number of Gems: congratulations to Jim. I love the one that he gave to me. It’s a wonderful applied art.
    Also impressive to finish Vera — I have only seen some of them. We are watching Elsbeth, have you seen it?
    Thanks for hosting Sunday Salon!
    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  2. I am (finally) working my way through Call the Midwife, it is my show while I'm preparing stuff in the kitchen.

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  3. That's a HUGE week! Love the gorgeous gemstone. 2,500 -- I'm amazed. Post Vera I'd go for Cleeves' "Shetland" series (they are multi-part, Britbox), Dalgliesh (Acorn) "McDonald and Dodds" (Britbox)... well, I could go on and on. If you don't regularly watch "Call the Midwife" or "All Creatures," those both have wonderful writng!

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    1. Yes to all of these tv suggestions!! I love Shetland!

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  4. I like this meme because of the recommendations

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  5. Congratulations to your husband! That is such an impressive number and I find it interesting that he even started counting! I highly recommend Call The Midwife if you aren’t already a viewer. Have a great week!

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  6. Fantastic week you've had. I play Mah Jongg on a tablet but never with anyone. Sonds fun. Great milestone for your husband's gemcutting, wow 2,500!
    We watching Jack Irish for a second time as most of our DVDs have been packed away. If you ever try that series it starts with Set 1 and Set 2 then picks up with seasons 1, 2 and 3. That's important to know because previously we had watched the Sets and I grabbed season 3 afterwards, everyone had aged so much and we felt we had missed something. Yeah....I had to request season1 and return 3.

    We also liked Firefly, a police drama 19-2 starring Jared Keeso and some Acorn productions on British shows.

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  7. Busy week indeed! "Vera" is one of my all-time favorite series. I could watch it over and over again - and have.

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  8. Re TV series, I'm still hooked on Kdramas on Netflix. I just finished a tear jerker, The Good, Bad Mother.

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  9. Lovely gemstone! Your first mah jongg group - did you enjoy it? There is one that meets in our neighborhood, but the timing doesn't work for me. Plus then I'd have to learn how to play it - ha! I loved the Vera series. Have watched it more than once. I'd second the 'Shetland' series - same writer of the books - Ann Cleeves. We've watched a lot of British crime shows. What about Grantchester? I like that one.

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  10. Oooh, you're playing Mah Jong! I've been getting together with my three besties for six years to play MJ every Friday. We play the Chinese version since it's how I learned when I was a pre-teen back in the late 60s. My daughter plays the American version and taught me how to play when she was here a few months ago. My friends and I have played that version a few times and it's much more difficult! We'll keep playing our regular Chinese hands, but will play the American version once a month just to stretch our brains a bit! :)

    I agree that Shetland and McDonald & Dodds are both worth watching now that you've finished Vera (which we loved). Ludwig, Maigret, and The Diplomat are also some of our recent favorites.

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  11. Oh my goodness, that's a lot of genstones that he's cut.

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  12. You did have a very busy week. Congratulations to your husband on his gem cutting. That is my birthstone and a lovely one it is. Thanks for the heads up about Joyful June. I did Optimistic October from that website and it kept me positive, so I think I will try this one as well. I hope you have an awesome upcoming week, Deb.

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  13. What gemstone is that little beauty? The only Mah Jongg I've ever played was on my computer and the tiles were Campbell's Soup Cans! I've never played the actual game in real life.

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  14. 2500 gems cut? That's amazing!

    I loved Vera too and since watching it loved Gavin and Stacy (more humorous) and am now watching New Tricks (British detectives)

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  15. Wow! Lots of milestones and all kinds of fun! That's awesome you're still friends with your colleague from 40 years ago. Have a great week! :)

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  16. Sounds like a busy week for you. Enjoy your summer reading. The books you are reading now look good. Have a great week!

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  17. So much fun last week. That gem is gorgeous! I can’t believe it’s June already and today my youngest daughter turns 34.
    Hope you have another fabulous week?

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  18. Sounds like an amazing week! A big birthday, a Mah Jongg adventure, and gemstone #2,500—so many cool milestones.

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  19. I'm not ready for 20 Books of Summer! I have at least one more book to read before I start but that could take a few days.

    How exciting to have cut that many gems! It's a pretty looking one. I need to start watching Vera. I have so many other things to watch first though!

    Have a great week!

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  20. Sounds like a busy week -- hope you had good fun!

    And wow, that gem looks pretty.

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  21. The 2,500th gem is beautiful! Sounds like a fun week for all :) I don't think I've read a Katherine Center book yet, but I see plenty recommended - is that her newest one you're reading?

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  22. Raising Hare looks like an interesting boook, congrats to you husband onhis mile stone.
    https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-sunday-post.html

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  23. I really want to read Raising Hare. It's on my purchase list, so I will get to it eventually!

    Congrats to your husband!

    I was excited, I have little potted dill and rue plants this year, and a black swallowtail stopped by and left some eggs on the dill!

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  24. Vera is a hard series to follow. There's nothing quite like it!

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  25. Ooh, a new Katherine Center book (new to me anyway) -- looks like fun!

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  26. That gemstone is gorgeous! What is it? I want to start watching Vera. I loved The Love Haters and I hope you do, too. Her author's note at the end was moving, as well!

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  27. Your husband is very talented! I don't know the gemstone but it is superb!

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  28. That is amazing about the gemstone! Wow! I've been watching Ludwig with David Mitchell. Nowhere near as gritty as Vera but still really good so far. Up to episode 3. It's more "cozy" but still well acted.

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  29. It sounds like you had an eventful week. I've heard good things about The Love Haters and hope you are enjoying it. I haven't read anything by Katherine Center before. Congratulations to your husband on meeting such a milestone in his career! I hope you have a good week, Deb!

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  30. That gem is a beaut. Kudos to your husband for all his gem cutting. I think I want to add the Raising Hare book ... remind me slightly of H Is for Hawk. Enjoy your summer reads.

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  31. What a busy, fun, good week! Congratulations to your husband.

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  32. Sounds like a fabulous week, Deb. Cutting gemstones is such a neat job. Postwar caught my eye this week. Hope you enjoy your books.

    https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2025/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-mailbox.html

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  33. I've got that Katherine Center book on my TBR as well. Wow look at that stone!

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  34. The last series I watched are Four Seasons and Forever on Netflix - I finished all of Four Seasons and most of Forever. Never heard of Vera; will have to check it out.

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  35. Hope you are enjoying The Love Haters, would make light reading for you.

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  36. Sounds like a wonderful week, Deb, with some big milestones! I love the Joyful June calendar :) I hope you're enjoying Lonesome Dove - one of my favorite books!

    Sue
    2025 Big Book Summer Challenge

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  37. Oh my gosh! Lots of milestone celebrations! Looks like you’re reading some great books and I added a couple to my TBR. Postwar sounds interesting, but is definitely a big book. Happy Reading.

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