Tavern 19, Shakopee, Minnesota

I am mostly unfamiliar with the western suburbs of Minneapolis, so when my clinic there had the need for a lunch I let the locals pick a location. I was initially hesitant when we entered, as it is on a golf course, and my bias was that there would be less of a focus on food and more of a focus on things like course conditions and beer on tap. The restaurant was very accomodating of our large crowd, which arrived unannounced, and the menu was varied enough to accomodate a wide range of dietary desires and restrictions, and at a reasonable price. This is particularly important when you are requiring co-workers to both eat together and pay their own way. The most amazing thing about my lunch there was that I was facing a big picture window that overlooked a flower garden aimed at pollinators and there were literally dozens of Monarch butterflies flitting about, maybe hundreds, but certainly more than I had ever seen before.

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

This is part cozy, part romance and I very much enjoyed the result. The main character is Adora Hazzard, Stoic philosopher and divorcee. She lives a contented life on New York City’s Upper West Side, spending her days tutoring the twin sons of an old-money family in philosophy and seeking to live according to Stoic virtues, without recourse to destabilising “externals”. But her settled life is soon disrupted when a handsome stranger approaches her. Long before she was a philosoper, Adora was an aspiring writer with a Hollywood past--she was the victim of a Me Too incident that ended with an NDA, a sizable pay off, and she took it as a sign to quit the now unglamorous life of Southern California to go to grad shool and then got a seemingly cushy and cloistered life in New York. As is so often the case, in real life as well as in fiction, all is not as it appears and Adora has a few rude awakenings before she gets a pretty perfect storybook ending. This is charming, and while Stoicism is not traditionally very sexy, Adora makes it feel fresh and exciting.

500 Miles (2026)

This is based on a book written for Young Adults that shares some emotional baggage with The Fault In Our Stars. The story is told in flashbacks and in the present. The story behind the title is that Finn overhears his father telling his mother that he is leaving and that he is taking Charlie with him. Finn decides to go on the run rather than let that happen, so with little money and fewer plans they hit the road to get to their granfather's home in Dingle Ireland, which is more or less 500 miles from where they start in Sheffield, England. The flashbacks demonstrate that life was the best for them as a family when they were there. In the present day, Finn and Charlie no longer have a relationship with their grandfather. Their grandmother has passed away, and their parents are constantly bickering. Sneaking out of their home, the brothers decide to embark on an ill-advised road trip, from Sheffield to the west coast of Ireland, to track down their grandfather and reunite the family. Their journey won’t be an easy one, as they’re too young to travel without adult supervision, and Matthews’ clever framing reminds us how vast the countryside is, hills and mountains dwarfing their small frames. Their journey gets a surprise assist from Kait (a lovely Maisie Williams), who they meet on a train while she is busking. It is admittedly overly sentimental but speaking as a family that have weathered severe childhood illness let me just say it is an overly sentimental experience and I appreciated this rendition.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

On the one hand this is a spoof, a book that is poking fun at the over wrought darkness of books by the likes of DH Lawrence and Thomas Hardy--I myself did not get that, and reading a review from The Guardian, neither do a lot of 21st century readers. So luckily, this works quite well in its own right. When 19-year-old London socialite Flora Poste is orphaned and destitute, so rather than work she decides to impose upon her eccentric, miserable relatives rather than get a job. She moves to Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex, home of the wretched Starkadder family. Flora's essential talent is to stop people being ridiculous and the Starkadder famility deperately need this. She at least stops them being ridiculous in situations where they can do any harm. She never displays contempt. She's even polite to Amos Starkadder about the Church of the Quivering Brethren and his opinion that "ye're all damned." Nor does she indulge the emotional excesses or strange beliefs of the Starkadder clan. She doesn't take herself too seriously – and doesn't make that mistake with other people, either, except in that she is loyal to her friends and kind to others. Flora has come along and tamed the wild Starkadders and sanitized their farm. She's interfered. She is like Jane Austen's Emma, only she never gets her comeuppance and she never learns not to meddle. The essential question is whether we see this as part of the joke or part of the message. I tend to think the later, given how it all ends up, but it is a very witty tale, and the Roz Chast cover beautifully sums up the cast of characters. Do not miss this one--another worthy Parnassus recommendation.

Whistlepig Tasting Room, Quechee, Vermont

You should really only go here if you are prepared to spend a fair amount of cash to taste a small amount of whiskey. It is located in the Parker House, which has a long history. It had until recently been an inn and restaurant located adjacent to Simon Pearce — the Vermont glassware and pottery maker and restaurateur in Quechee, Vermont. Simon Pearce recently bought the property and the acquisition brings together under common ownership two historic properties in the heart of the village: the former textile mill operated by 19th-century manufacturer and Vermont lawmaker J.C. Parker and Parker’s adjacent brick residence, which was built in 1857. What they intend to do in the future remains to be seen--Pearce has been buying up Quechee property over time and this is their sixth. In the meantime, the Whistlepig Tasting Room has taken up residence on the second floor, offering modest tastings at relatively high prices. It is an opportunity to try some of the products that can only be bought throught he tasting room, or in Vermont, and that is enough of a draw to bring in a crowd. The afternoon we were there the place was packed, and yes, we left with a bottle ourselves.

Bastard Out Of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

I found this book through Ann Patchett and Parnassus books weekly series called "It's Friday And If You Haven't Read This It Is New To You"--the focus is more on books you might have missed, either because they came out too long ago, or you weren't paying attention, or maybe just that sometimes it is hard to keep up, no matter how much you read, but I have found these recommendations to be deeply rewarding to read--although not always easy--and often something that I would have missed completely if I hadn't heded the recomendation. This is a work of fiction, but is based on the author's own childhood--in the afterwards she comments on how whse couldn't face writing a meoir and that a work of fiction allowed her the distance that she needed to get it out. She never knows her father and she grows up in the deep seated poverty of the infamous South. Her stepfather calls her by this name, and worse, and he is openly cruel to her and slightly lecherous when no one is looking. She has a lot of concerned family members and her mother senses that all is not right and sends her to live with them, but she cannot bring herself to reveal the depth of her mistreatment. After one brutal beating her mother moves out, and her step father follows them, coming one say when she is home alone--he proceeds to explode on her, at the height of which her mother returns home and sees for herself the extent of the abuse, all laid out before her. It is a very difficult read, this story, which is unflinchingly told, but so well done.

9 To 5 (1980)

I was motivated to watch this with the passing of Dolly Parton and the iconic song from this movie being heard on repeat as a result. Let me start by saying she was an incredible person, beautiful on the inside as well as the outside, and that she did so much good in the world. That stands in sharp contraast to many billionaires, who are uncharitable, both inside and out. I am reasonably sure that I saw this movie when it came out almost 50 years ago, but my memory of it is quite different than what it is. Dolly's character is being sexually harrassed by her boss, Lily Tomlin's character is passed over for promotions on a regular basis and her ideas are routinely stolen from her without attribution, and Jane Fonda plays a mousy recently divorced woman entering the work place for the first time. What I did not remember is that they get into a whole mess of trouble, including kidnapping their boss and holding him hostage for a prolonged period of time. I did recall that they find strength in numbers, that the unlikely alliance of the three of them works out well for everyone, and all in all, I would say that while this is clearly VERY dated, it does hold up well, and some of the main themes remain issues almost half a century later.

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

We have officially entered, or are about to enter, the time when we return to reading what children read--we are entering at the middle school level, which is a bit advanced for our eldest granddaughter and a bit young for us, so meeting in the middle, in a way--the book was recommended by a children's librarian and we listened to it. The audiobook is well done. One thing that is cool about this author is that she is a scholar. The first book of hers that I read was Super-Infinite, a short book about John Donne. This one is completely different--it is a young adult/middle school age fantasy book. It begins as Christopher Forrester is packed off to stay at his grandfather’s estate at the foot of a steep hill in Scotland, little realizing that the hill contains a portal to a magically sequestered portion of the world called the Archipelago, islands inhabited by creatures from assorted mythologies. Then there’s Mal, who is capable of flying (sometimes) thanks to a magical coat she received as a baby. Mal lives in a beautiful world called the Archipelago, where magical creature still exist. Christopher is part of a legacy of guardians who protect the link between our worlds. But the magical animals of the Archipelago are dying and no one knows why. Does it have something to do with Mal? Is that why people are trying to kill her? One thing’s for certain. Once Christopher crosses the border into her world, his life makes a big leap into another dimension, one where children risk their lives to protect others. I definitely enjoyed this and look forward to the rest of the series.

The Red Hen Moved to Montpelier, Vermont

One of our most frequently returned to places in central Vermont is the Red Hen Bakery--they have excellent bread, good laminated pastries, nice sandwiches, and decent coffee. When they were in Middlesex we liked their sit down options and usually had a meal there and took some things home with us as well, and when we leanred they were moving, we hoped it would go well. Their new store front in Montpelier is a bit closer for us to get to and a bit larger, so finding a seat was easy. And not because there was no one there--the place was hopping on Labor Day morning, which was very good to see. Montpelier has a lot going for it these days as well. A storm flooded the whole downtown area a coupld of summers ago and fortunately many of the affected buildings have businesses back in them, and there is a bustle about the place. Do not miss this bakery in it's new iteration, it is really top notch.

The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams

I am working my way through the Booker Prize 2026 longlist--which is going surprisingly well, but I have yet to read the truly long book and there are quite a few that are between 200-300 pages, so not exactly back patting stuff. The main thing is that I have been able to get them, which is not always the case. That said, this is really not my cup of tea. It is dark in a way that I find unattractive and uninstructive. It is set in an ancient and unnamed university town which is rapidly being overwhelmed by vegetation: avenues lined with lush flower bushes, arches have vines galore, and it smells of flowers but in a sickeningly sweet way rather than opulent English garden style. A fraternity of mysterious gardeners seek to keep the chaotic foliage in check, but they are hamstrung by a bitter dispute with university officials. Power games and proxy battles ensue. It is a hot summer and decay is rampant: revolution is in the air. The narrator, Agathe, an alarmingly cynical young woman. She views everyone she meets as a tragic case, and knows that nothing lies between her and the same sad designation but her ability to see through the stories they’re telling themselves. She rejects self-expression and desire, refusing anything that might compromise her sense of separation and superiority. Her judgments are swift, conclusive and brutal. It goes from bad to worse when her mother has a failed suicide attempt, is left wheelchair bound, and her father basically blames her for any and all failings in the family. There is quite a few more unpleasant things that happen to equally unpleasant people, the end.