Morning sunlight, black cats, apple cake, house sparrows, words, colorful wool, black tea, winter brown woods--a few small and simple things from my basket of delights.

Since the beginning of the year I have read a bunch of novels. When I was a young woman I read only non-fiction. Those books filled my head with other people's ideas of life and weighted my soul with discontent and melancholy. Once, when my mother was visiting she noticed my somber mood and asked, "What on earth are you reading?" (I think it was some tome on religion.) She suggested I try "a nice novel". I've stuck with fiction ever since.

Do you keep a record of the books you've read?  I like to look at people's book lists, but I have not been successful at keeping such a list myself. The same goes for keeping track of my knitting projects. I have accounts on goodreads and Ravelry but I forget to use them, and then I am on to the next thing. I do think there is great value in knowing where you've been, so here is the list of the novels I've read since January along with my impressions:

How I Came to Sparkle Again, by Kaya McLaren. I picked-up this paperback at the grocery store. I don't usually read chick lit, but I liked the cover and found McLaren's prose to be immersive and effective. It is a contemporary story that takes place in a ski town in Colorado. I liked the cast of characters, including the pot smoking ski bums (I used to know people like this and McLaren's depiction was true to form) and the wintery setting. This was a quick, enjoyable read with really good insight into relationships.   

Church of the Dog, by Kaya McLaren. I found this novel at the used bookstore. It is quite different from How I Came to Sparkle Again. I like magical realism, but I did not think it was effective or needed in this story. McLaren has a background in psychology and it shows in her novels; she understands the human condition. The Church of the Dog is full of wonderful moments (some of them heartbreaking). It could have been a great novel, but overall it didn't quite work for me.

Rainy Day Sisters, by Kate Hewitt. This was one of my Christmas presents. I loved it. It is an excellent contemporary novel about two estranged sisters who begin to rebuild their relationship when one of them travels from Boston to the little English village where the other sister runs a bed and breakfast. I hope to read more stories by this author.

Laurus, by Eugene Vodolazkin. Last winter I read Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. This winter I read Vodolazkin's Laurus.  I love Russian literature, and I believe Laurus will hold an important place in their canon in years to come. It is the best book I have read in a long time. Vodolazkin said, "it is ultimately a book about absence, a book about modernity. There are two ways to write about modernity: the first is by writing about the things we have; the second, by writing about those things we no longer have." In Laurus, Vodolazkin lifts the curtain of time and reveals what the heart is missing. I hear people talk a lot about "wildness" and their desire for the "wild". What they are missing can be found in the pages of Laurus, as this review explains. I borrowed this book from the library, but I intend to purchase it and read it again in the autumn. When I do, I plan on filling up a notebook with quotes and thoughts (which I wish I had done this time). I learned of this book from this post on Tonia's blog.

Blue Asylum, by Kathy Hepinstall. I saw this novel on Karen's blog and thought the story looked promising, so I purchased it with a gift certificate I received on my birthday. Hepinstall writes beautifully, and her story and characters swept me along in this intense, psychological thriller. But, although it is set during the Civil War, it is a thoroughly modern book in the way it uses sex as its underpinning. While I read it, I thought the story and characters were very compelling, and I really enjoyed reading it; however, several weeks later, I've mostly forgotten it.

The Amber Keeper, by Freda Lightfoot. This was another Christmas gift. The Amber Keeper is a very well-crafted tale, and I greatly admire writers who put this much thought and effort into their work. This story moves between two characters, one in the "present" (1960s England) and one in the past (the Russian revolution). It took me a little bit to get into the book, but once I did, I loved it.

The Girl in the Gatehouse, by Julie Klassen. I've had this book on my shelf for a number of years, but just got around to reading it. I finished it yesterday.  Klassen writes romantic Regency fiction from a Christian perspective. All of her novels have a mystery to them. I found the characters and scenes in The Girl in the Gatehouse delightful; I guess I needed something light and uplifting just now. I liked it so much that I've ordered another of Klassen's titles, which should arrive next week. I read two of her books a few years ago and enjoyed them both, although they did not overly impress me. I liked The Girl in the Gatehouse more than I thought I would.

If you click on the link to the apple cake mentioned above, you might notice that my cake looks a little different than Jen's. I made mine like this:

Carmelized Apple Cake

350°F oven

4 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1+1/2 cups dark brown sugar divided (use 3/4 for cake batter)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1+1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

juice from one lemon

5 eggs

Grease a 9 inch cake pan. Put apple slices in bowl, toss with 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Arrange apple slices in overlapping concentric circles in bottom of cake pan. Pour remaining sugar mixture over top. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, add 3/4 cup sugar,  vanilla, and melted butter. Gently stir in flour mixture until well combined. Pour over top of apples. Bake in oven for about 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream. 

Optional: a 1/2 cup of finely ground almonds or walnuts may be folded into the cake batter before pouring over apples, if desired.

Well, that's all for now. May you find faith, peace, and joy in the week ahead.