Saturday, September 19, 2026

The Sunday Salon: Shorty September




It's wonderful that you are here at the Sunday Salon. Welcome! 

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. 

Please add your link below, visit other bloggers, and comment on their posts. 







We had a fabulous time visiting with our son and daughter-in-law, Ben and Lisa. We spent some time in Chicago where they live, and we also spent a few days in Traverse City, Michigan where Lisa worked when she was first out of college. The highs were in the 70s, and the temps dipped into the 50s at night. The weather was glorious and the company was more glorious. 





What I Read Last Week:

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (Novel)



Paperback One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Book

Amazon.com: In A Summer Season (Virago Modern Classics Book 112) eBook : Taylor, Elizabeth, Russell Taylor, Elizabeth: Kindle Store   Miss Pym Disposes - Kindle edition by Tey, Josephine. Mystery, Thriller &  Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.  Train Dreams: A Novella: Johnson, Denis: 9780374281144: Amazon.com: Books

What I'm Reading Now (for Shorty September):

In a Summer Season by Elizabeth Taylor (Novel)

Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine They (Mystery)

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (Novel)

A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solhenitzen (Novel)






SHORTY SEPTEMBER    8 / 12

Hometown Shorts (Local Author/Setting)
  • Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (64 pages)

Hairy Shorts (Animal Character)

  • Wesley the Owl (244 pages)

Cargo Shorts (Helpful in a Pickle)

  • Jingo Django (184 pages)

Crochet Shorts (Independent Publisher)
  • Little Bird (96 pages)

Postal Shorts (Set in a Country You’re Likely to Have a Penpal In)

  • Emily of New Moon (224 pages) 

Zip-Off Shorts (Nature Writing/Outdoors)

  • The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico (48 pages)

Elton John’s Wedding Shorts (Something Outrageous)

  • Trash! A Garbageman’s Story by Simon Paré-Poupart (192 pages)

Patchwork Shorts (Blend of Genres)

  • The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel (242 pages)





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:

A new-to-me butterfly in Chicago:
Small White.



Good Thing #2:

We shopped in a store where
everything---ice cream, syrup, salsa, and more---
was made from cherries.
Traverse City is 
the Cherry Capital of the World.



Good Thing #3:

We visited two bookstores in Traverse City,
including this one 
in a former mental asylum.




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. 


33 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a great time in Chicago. I love Elizabeth Taylor's books.

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  2. Great that you visited Traverse City! We have been there a couple of times, though not recently. My daughter went to Interlochen Music Camp near there a few times when she was in high school, which was a wonderful experience.
    Have a good weekend… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  3. Ha! A book store in a former mental asylum. What a great repurposing of such a formerly dire place. I’m glad you had such a fun trip. You’re doing a great job on your shorty challenge. How short does a book have to be to qualify?

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    1. The guidelines seemed to me to define "short" as less than about 250 pages. As always, I am just having fun with all the guidelines and all the categories, defining everything very, very loosely.

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  4. A bookstore is a former sanatorium, would be a highlight for me!

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  5. The everything cherry-store sounds fun, as does visiting two bookstores!

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  6. Another lovely week in the books (hehe)! I'm so glad you enjoyed your time in Chicago!

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  7. I love that you got to have some cool time and cool times in Illinois and Michigan!

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  8. Adding Traverse City to my To Visit list for the cherry store and the bookstore. Both sound fantastic. I really want to read something by Elizabeth Taylor. I've heard wonderful things about her books. Have a great week!

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  9. It sounds like a great week. Traverse City sounds like a cool place to visit. The history of the bookstore is really interesting, thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend!

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  10. It looks like you had a memorable week Deb! I always enjoy seeing your 3 favourite things too. :)

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  11. Spending time with family that doesn't live near enough to see regularly is one of the best ways to spend time!

    If I knew there was a bookstore in or near the town where I live or was driving through a town and found out about one there that was a former mental asylum, I'd have to stop too, The weirdest bookstore that I've been to was a former distillery.

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  12. I'm glad to hear you had a good visit.

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  13. I'm so glad you had such a great trip. The bookstore sounds wonderful and so interesting.

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  14. Your trip to Chicago sounds wonderful! That bookstore! Being in an old mental asylum would freak me out a bit but it looks neat!

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  15. So happy you had a good time closer to my neck of the woods. I am going to have a plan a trip to check out that bookstore! Have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

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  16. What a fun week, and thank you for the reading recommendations, you can never have too many books!!! Happy Sunday, and we hope your week ahead is pawesome! 😻🐾📚🐾😻

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  17. I wonder who designated Traverse City the cherry capital of the world? I suspect the title was self-appointed without any rigorous examination of other possible candidates, or any objective standards. I can think of a few alternatives - and they are not in the USA.

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  18. Cool bookstore! I'm glad the weather cooperated for you in Chocago. Looks like you didn't go to our annual book festival Printers Row

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  19. I find it really interesting how other publishers/people are stealing the look of the British Library Crime Classics! Tey hasn't been republished by them at all, and yet the cover is a lookalike. Proves they've found a really iconic look, I think!

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  20. I'm so sorry you didn't have more time in Traverse City -- we could have met up at long last! I've not read that Tey and would like to. Nicky is right about the covers!

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  21. That bookstore looks really interesting! I'm glad you had a good time with your family.

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  22. Your trip sounds wonderful, and that cool Michigan weather must have been such a treat—I’d definitely have enjoyed exploring the cherry shop in Traverse City too! I love your tradition of ending the week by remembering three good things. Happy Reading!

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  23. I need to visit Traverse City on purpose. LOL I don't live very far, but have never spent an actual trip there. The bookstores look so cool! A week and great weather for Chicago and Traverse City sounds fantastic!

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  24. I'm a Michigan girlie and love that you enjoyed your time in my state!

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  25. Looks like you are having a great time.
    My mum’s name is Cherry but none of us can stand them which I find amusing.

    Thanks for sharing your week, happy reading!

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  26. Great week and love all the books and your pics.

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  27. Great photo of you with your family, Deb. The weather sounds fantastic. I was in shorts last week, too. I'm not ready for cold, rainy weather just quite yet...

    You've really inspired me to get a copy of Sister Carrie to read in 2027. I've never read Dreiser but your review has me intrigued. I read One Day in the Life os Ivan Denisovich many years ago, but don't remember a thing about it other than that it was bleak. And Train Dreams was such a great movie. I'll bet the book is even better.

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  28. This sounds like a delightful week, very full and fun. i’d enjoy the bookstore.

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  29. Glad you had such a lovely time with family - the photo is delightful:). And I absolutely love that gorgeous bookshop! Have a wonderful week, Deb:).

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  30. I read josephine Tey years ago. Thru a glass darkly as well...

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  31. Looks like a great trip. (Bonnie Reads and Writes.) It wouldn't let me leave my name.

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