The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move by Sonia Shah

Our teenage son volunteered at a local nature center every summer. One of the activities the counselors in training participated in was pulling up Purple Loosestrife. It is an considered invasive species that thrives along Michigan's lakesides.

So, I was shocked to read that Canadian researchers concluded "there is certainly no evidence that purple loosestrife 'kills wetlands' or 'creates biological deserts'!"

Investigative journalist Sonia Shah's book The Next Great Migration is filled with such iconoclastic insights, smashing prevalent notions contending that ecosystems were meant to be unchanging, pristine, and unadulterated.

Instead, she systematically argues that no place on Earth has remained untouched by the migration of species. Including human migration.

Shah takes readers through the entire history of the migration of species and the ideas humans have held about migration. Bad science and ingrained beliefs have lead to false assumptions that impact the political landscape to this very day. Most disturbing is the rise of Eugenics and categorization of human groups to justify our fearful reaction to newcomers.

Building walls, Shah contends, cannot stop or solve the reality of migrating human populations. She writes, "Over the long history of life on earth, its (migrations) benefits have outweighed its costs." Embracing migrants can be a solution to the problems we face.

Shah's book was an engrossing read that shed light on how we 'got to here'.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

from the publisher: 

A prize-winning journalist upends our centuries-long assumptions about migration through science, history, and reporting--predicting its lifesaving power in the face of climate change. 

The news today is full of stories of dislocated people on the move. Wild species, too, are escaping warming seas and desiccated lands, creeping, swimming, and flying in a mass exodus from their past habitats. News media presents this scrambling of the planet's migration patterns as unprecedented, provoking fears of the spread of disease and conflict and waves of anxiety across the Western world. On both sides of the Atlantic, experts issue alarmed predictions of millions of invading aliens, unstoppable as an advancing tsunami, and countries respond by electing anti-immigration leaders who slam closed borders that were historically porous. 

But the science and history of migration in animals, plants, and humans tell a different story. Far from being a disruptive behavior to be quelled at any cost, migration is an ancient and lifesaving response to environmental change, a biological imperative as necessary as breathing. Climate changes triggered the first human migrations out of Africa. Falling sea levels allowed our passage across the Bering Sea. Unhampered by barbed wire, migration allowed our ancestors to people the planet, catapulting us into the highest reaches of the Himalayan mountains and the most remote islands of the Pacific, creating and disseminating the biological, cultural, and social diversity that ecosystems and societies depend upon. In other words, migration is not the crisis--it is the solution. 

Conclusively tracking the history of misinformation from the 18th century through today's anti-immigration policies, The Next Great Migration makes the case for a future in which migration is not a source of fear, but of hope.

The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move
by Sonia Shah
Bloomsbury Publishing
Pub Date June 2, 2020 
ISBN: 9781635571974
hardcover $28.00 (USD)

Jane Austen Embroidery: Regency Patterns Reimagined for Modern Stitchers

Jane Austen Embroidery: Regency Patterns Reimagined for Modern Stitchers is the kind of book I love, blending needlework and literature and history. 

We learn about Austen's material world and society, the women's work that was expected and the fashions it adorned. Plus, actual patterns from the Regency era Lady's Magazine are reproduced to make projects with today's women in mind.

I enjoyed the essays that introduce embroidery in Austen's time and explain the use of embroidery in dress, trims, and objects for the home. 

I learned so much! Like the double entendre' related to 'muff' and how men sometimes carried a muff. 

The authors plumb Austen's prose and letters for references to these objects and the use of needlework. 

The embroidery patterns are delightful and the instructions are detailed and clear. The projects range from purses to tablecloths, a cell phone pouch and tablet sleeve, to a work bag and sewing set. They cover every part of a modern women's life!

When I first read Austen, I thought a 'sprigged muslin' was a printed fabric. Now I know it could have been hand embroidered, white embroidery on sheer muslin.

We quilters are very familiar with the quilt made by Jane Austen and her family. But I learned that a sampler made by Cassandra Austen, Jane's beloved elder sister, is on display at Chawton.

This is a delightful book that will please embroiderers and Austen lovers alike.

I was given a free book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

from the publisher:

Jane Austen was as skillful with a needle as she was with a pen, and this unique book showcases rare and beautiful embroidery patterns from her era, repurposed into 15 modern sewing projects. Derived from Lady's Magazine (1770–1832), a popular monthly periodical of fashion, fiction, and gossip, the projects consist of embroidered clothes, accessories, and housewares. Designs include an evening bag, a muslin shawl, an apron, a floral napkin set and tablecloth, and other pretty and practical items with timeless appeal.

 These authentic patterns — many of which have not been reprinted in more than 200 years—are enlivened by vivid glimpses into the world of Regency women and their domestic lives. Fascinating historical features, quotes from Austen's letters and novels, enchanting drawings, clear instructions, and inspirational project photography trace the patterns' origins and illustrate their imaginative restoration for modern use. A must-have for every Jane Austen fan, this book is suitable for needleworkers at every level of experience.

Jane Austen Embroidery: Regency Patterns Reimagined for Modern Stitchers
by Jennie Batchelor and Alison Larkin
Dover Publications Original
ISBN 10 0486842878
ISBN 13 9780486842875
soft cover $21.95

Paris Never leaves You by Ellen Feldman

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is a quick reading page-turner filled with conflicted characters who are damaged survivors of WWII.

In occupied Paris, Charlotte runs her family's book shop. A war widow, she struggles to keep her baby daughter Vivi alive. A German army doctor visits the shop and takes an interest in her baby daughter, secreting in food and medicine. Charlotte reluctantly accepts his gifts and trust and friendship grow, putting them both at risk.

Years later, Charlotte's choices come back to haunt her in her new life in New York City where she works for a publishing house. Teenaged Vivi is pressing to know more about her father and heritage. Charlotte's boss, a paraplegic, knows that war destroyed the enlightened man he had been. Charlotte has been trashing the unopened letters from the German doctor.

I appreciated how Feldman incorporated less known WWII history, including the privations of occupied France and post-war retaliation against collaborators. Her handling of the character's moral struggles was of special interest to me. There are several strong romance stories that will appeal to readers of women's fiction.

Surviving the war brings guilt for having survived, their decisions and actions kept secret. Admitting their shameful truths brings healing and the possibility of a new life.

I was given a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Paris Never Leaves You
by Ellen Feldman
St. Martin's Griffin
Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 9781250622778
PRICE: $16.99 (USD) trade paperback

The Cadottes: A Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior

The early history of the Great Lakes depicts the interactions between Europeans hoping to exploit the natural wealth of the New World and the indigenous population. The first to establish permanent trading posts were the French Canadians. They took native wives in "the Indian way" to cement relationships and enhance trade. Later, the British replaced the French. When the Europeans returned to the East they broke off with the native wives.

But some traders' families remained intact and flourished. Silbernagel offers us the Cadottes whose family presence on Madeline Island in western Lake Superior were important figures for two hundred years.

The Cadottes: A Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior is an interesting family history that also illuminates the history and geography of the region, the Ojibwe culture, the life of the colorful voyageurs and early fur traders, and the rise of the lucrative fur trade that produced the first multimillionaire in America.

When Silbernagel viewed the gravestone of Michel Cadotte on Madeline Island he became motivated to learn more about his life and the history of the area. He spent fifteen years researching five generations of Cadottes fur traders and interpreters for business and political ventures.

I was particularly interested in learning more about the interactions between Europeans and the Ojibwe. My husband recently donated an heirloom bible to a museum; the book had been given to his second-great-grandmother by John Riley whose father was a New York State-born trader and his mother an Ojibwe chief's daughter. I was very interested to learn that the Cadotte children were sent East for their education since one oral tradition said Riley was educated in New York State.

I enjoyed learning more about wild rice and maple syrup. I was horrified to learn about the Sandy Lake Tragedy, the forced migration of Great Lakes natives that resulted in more deaths than the Sand Creek Massacre or Wounded Knee.

The Cadottes is more than a family history. It will appeal to a wide range of readers. Through the history of one family, readers gain a well-rounded and detailed understanding of the times, people, and culture of the Colonial Great Lakes.

The book's illustrations include maps; historical depictions of voyageurs, Ojibwe, and the settlements; photographs of places, events and personages; and even snowshoe styles and beaver hat styles by era.

I was given access to a free ebook by the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

from the publisher:
The Great Lakes fur trade spanned two centuries and thousands of miles, but the story of one particular family, the Cadottes, illuminates the history of trade and trapping while exploring under-researched stories of French-Ojibwe political, social, and economic relations. Multiple generations of Cadottes were involved in the trade, usually working as interpreters and peacemakers, as the region passed from French to British to American control. Focusing on the years 1760 to 1840—the heyday of the Great Lakes fur trade—Robert Silbernagel delves into the lives of the Cadottes, with particular emphasis on the Ojibwe–French Canadian Michel Cadotte and his Ojibwe wife, Equaysayway, who were traders and regional leaders on Madeline Island for nearly forty years. In The Cadottes: A Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior, Silbernagel deepens our understanding of this era with stories of resilient, remarkable people. 

About the author:Robert Silbernagel studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin and spent his newspaper career in Colorado. He writes a bimonthly column for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and has published on Aldo Leopold and Colorado history.

To learn more visit
http://thecrite.com/coloradomesau/criterion-advisor-signs-book-deal/

The Cadottes: A Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior
by Robert Silbernagel
Wisconsin Historical Society Press
May 29, 2020
Hardcover $28.95 USD
ISBN 9780870209406, 087020940X

Restaurants Remembered

It began with a Twitter post asking if you could go to a restaurant that no longer exists, which one would it be?

Memories of so many popped into my head. I asked my husband and we went on a trip down Memory Lane.

Our last time eating out would have been in early March or late February. I don't even remember. We do order delivery from a local restaurant every week just to give them business.

Neither my parents or my husband's folks took the family out to eat. In Tonawanda, NY, my folks couldn't afford to eat out. Dad ran the gas station his father had built. It supported our family and his mother. I remember sometimes going to a place down the road for a burger and fries where we sat on stools at a counter.

In 1963 my family moved to Royal Oak, Michigan. Mom's break from cooking came on Friday nights when we piled into the car and went down the road a mile to Peppy's Hamburgers in Clawson, where I live now.

Peppy's Hamburgers in Clawson, MI
next door to Famous Chicken

I was assigned the task of going into the restaurant and ordering the burgers and fries and drinks and bringing them back to my family. After eating in the car, we tossed the trash onto the parking lot. The burgers cost 15 cents. They came with catsup, mustard, relish, and chopped onions. My little brother only liked catsup so they had to make his burger special.

Sometimes Mom would pick up broasted chicken from Famous Chicken next door to Peppy's, just visible behind the Peppy's sign in the photo above.

At Adrian college my friends and I sometimes scraped together a few dollars and went into town to Pizza Bucket. I am thrilled to say it's still there, serving brick oven baked pizza.

At the Pizza Bucket in Adrian, MI.
I am on the left and my roommate is next to me.

Early in our marriage we would literally save our pennies for the $1 repertoire movie theater in Delaware, OH, gong to a pizza place for dinner.

We moved to Philadelphia in 1975. During our fifteen years there the city was blooming with a restaurant renaissance.

Right after our move, we celebrated our third wedding anniversary at Old Original Bookbinder's. I wore a long skirt and heels and looked very out of place. The dressier men wore denim leisure suits. We had lobster for the first time. We were given plastic bibs to wear. We also had clam chowder with lovely, big, crunchy oyster crackers. And cheesecake for dessert.

We first lived in Bucks County and ate at the local chain Seafood Shanty. We took my in-laws there for a special treat--their first lobster meal. My father-in-law's verdict was it wasn't worth the work to get the meat out.

Our first visit to New York City was to see Isaac Bashevis Singer's play Yentl. We took the train to Grand Central Station and ate a bag lunch at Central Park before the show!

the Reading Terminal building. It was a train station.
Below was the Reading Terminal Market.

Before it closed, we went to Horn & Hardart on Broad Street to eat from the vending machines.

It was in Philly that we first ate the foods we came to love.

We had our first Tabouli at a restaurant counter in the Reading Terminal Market. I recently learned that the family that owns the Oasis Gourmet Cuisine in Royal Oak knows the family that ran that counter!

We had our first pesto at a bar/restaurant near Rittenhouse Square that had a pasta bar. You chose a pasta and a sauce: Alfredo, Marinara, or Pesto. We went to food festivals; we ate samosas sold on the street and small cups of a soup we learned was made with duck's blood.

"In Society Hill, dozens more restaurants are set to throw open their doors lor the 12th annual Old City Street Festival and Block Party on Sunday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day....Almost all the Society Hill restaurants will operate outdoor concession stands at their front doors and will be able to seat customers inside. This allows them their third advantage. Alcoholic beverages will be available in those restaurants that have liquor licenses. Without the Fairmount Park Commission rules that forbid such things on the Parkway, beer and wine on the sidewalks, as well as dancing in the street, have been an observed part of past Old City festivals."

El Metate was located across from the Academy of Music. We liked to eat there after an afternoon concert. We liked the Chicken Mole.

Dickens' Inn, situated in New Market, was run by the author's great-grandson, Cedric Charles Dickens. We remember the green beans were still crisp. We had grown up with canned, mushy vegetables.


The Monk's Inn was on Second Street along the Delaware River where we feasted on steamed mussels.


Once Upon a Porch on Head House Square in Old Town was a favorite place for ice cream sundaes. I liked the Gibson Girl--vanilla ice cream with caramel topping and peanuts. The perimeter of the seating area was comprised of 'porches'.

We went to Eden Restaurant for burgers with alfalfa sprouts. The owner also ran the upscale Frog restaurant which we went to once. Le Bec Fin was way out of our price range, but we dined there one. My husband ordered steak tartare.

When we lived in Kensington, we would go to a pizza place in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, that made pizzas in a wood oven and a bakery where I always got Hamentashen. And on Allegheny Avenue we went to a Chinese restaurant for the fresh  handmade egg rolls.

The Magic Pan in The Gallery mall had a lovely split pea soup served with a dash of sherry and a spinach salad with mandarin oranges and almonds.

We loved the ambience of the City Tavern, reopened for the Bicentennial.

Dining was always fun on the Moshulu, a ship docked on the Delaware River. I had eaten Oyster Rockefeller but was very naive about food. I ordered oysters and when they came raw, I was shocked. I had one and my husband ate the rest.

We went to Old Town and ate at the Middle East Restaurant which had a belly dancer, finishing off with the small cup of strong coffee.

One year for my July birthday we went to Fish & Company and I had an amazing poached salmon with dill sauce.

One day after walking Philadelphia from river to river and back again we stopped at Rib-It and my husband ordered the all you can eat ribs. He ate two servings!

For lunch in Center City we loved Saladalley's huge salad bar and Bread & Co. where we ordered soup and a basket of delicious breads. I went with coworkers to lunch at Corned Beef Academy for the thick sandwiches with Russian dressing and coleslaw.

Saladalley

Once when my brother visited us in Philadelphia we took him to dinner at Cafe Nola on South Street. Our bill came to $100. That was a very expensive evening out!
 

We loved to go to Chinatown for the food. I would stop at a shop and buy the simple black Chinese slippers that I wore in summer.


When the China Gate opened in 1984 my husband was working for a charitable trust company and got tickets to the opening day banquet. Most memorable was the delicious sweet and sour bass, cooked whole. We went to the opening ceremony pictured in the news clipping above.

Our son was born in 1987. Having a child was expensive and we no longer frequented the Center City restaurants. As a toddler his favorite restaurant was Roy Rogers. We ate at an Italian place in downtown Olney with live music or ate at the Oak Lane Diner on Broad Street, a few blocks from where we were living. After church on Sundays we would eat at Friendly's or the Taco Bar at Wendy's.

The Oak Lane Diner in recent years

We left Philly in 1990. We lived in a small town with few restaurants. But we liked The Wedge in downtown Hillsdale where we lunched on a vegetarian wrap.

In Lansing we enjoyed more options, including national and local chains. Our favorite place was a small Middle Eastern restaurant not far from the shopping mall. The owner told us he had run a big construction company in Iraq. When his son, who was studying in America, came down with cancer, he sold his business and used the money to pay his medical expenses. The son was studying to be a doctor. And now his dad ran a restaurant. After we moved, we always stopped in when driving across state, until one day we found it was closed.

Some of our regular places closed during the last recession, including Troy's Anita's Kitchen. When we came to town we always ate there. The waitress would greet us with a cup of lentil soup. She knew we always ordered it!

We have been ordering delivery from local restaurants during lockdown. Our small city has some of the best. I pray they survive. I don't want to add them to this list.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

I've been in lockdown for two months, reading books on environmental justice and refugees and war; it was time to pick up something completely different. So, I snatched up Jennifer Weiner's newest novel Big Summer.

With some trepidation, having learned the protagonist is a plus-sized beauty with self-doubt. Could strike a little too close to home, or could make me seethe with stereotypes.

Daphne has built a career as an influencer and her latest sponsor is a fashion designer who wants to expand into plus sizes. Leela's clothing makes Daphne feel glamorous and confident.

Perfect timing, as Daphne has a wedding to attend.

Out of the blue, Daphne's high school friend Drue called with a request to be her maid of honor. Daphne was doubtful at first.

Drue was wealthy and had been a mean teen who took up, used, and dropped friends. But their adventures together were always exciting. And Drue seemed to genuinely admire Daphne's relationship with her folks, especially her dad.

Their relationship ended badly when Drue took Daphne clubbing where an arranged 'date' was to give her a night to remember. Daphne learned of the arrangement and had a melt down--recorded on a cell phone. The video became a social media sensation.

Daphne used the moment to rebrand herself into a fierce fat woman promoting self-acceptance.

Drue pleads she is a changed woman, making amends for her teenage terror years. Daphne gives her another chance.

At the wedding, Daphne learns that Drue isn't as excited as a bride should be. The over-the-top wedding costs big bucks, and Drue's dad interrupts the party with a meltdown. There's trouble in paradise.

The first section of the novel is typical women's fiction, its well-developed characters dealing with issues readers will relate to.

Then comes a sexual encounter between Daphne and a wedding guest. Warning: it's a bit of a sex manual about how to use hands, etc. The next morning he is missing.

Everything changes when Drue is discovered dead. Daphne and her mystery lover are prime suspects. The rest of the novel is the unraveling of Drue's family secrets and the identity of her killer. I didn't put the novel down. I loved the unraveling of the mystery.

Weiner nicely incorporates the current online culture of social media, living one's life online. Followers want genuineness, but how does one keep a boundary between the personal and the public?

At first I didn't relate to Daphne's relationship to Drue on a personal level. Then...I remembered...

When I was fourteen a girl from Eighth Grade took me up as a friend. She lived in the posh neighborhood in an amazing house her father designed. My dad was an auto mechanic and we lived in a modest, working class house. My friend encouraged me to lose weight and loosen up, have fun. (I was a serious kid who read the classics and played the classics etc.) Then, a year later, she pushed me away by being mean. I invited her to some parties over the years, but we were never again close. Years later she called my mother and admitted she treated me rotten.

Big Summer is branded as a 'beach read,' a term I don't quite understand since I don't do beaches. (Sunshine give me hives.) So, maybe a sit in the shade on the patio read? But in true Weiner style, it incorporates deeper themes of self-image, class, and social media issues.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Big Summer
by Jennifer Weiner
Atria Books
Publication Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 9781501133510

Sensational Quilts for Scrap Lovers: 11 Easily Pieced Projects; Color & Cutting Strategies by Judy Gauthier

Seeing the vibrant quilt on the cover, I couldn't resist looking into Sensational Quilts for Scrap Lovers. The author and designer Judy Gauthier writes, "Playing with my fabric scraps is my all-time favorite sport," and she can't stay away from devising new ways to use them. 

Gauthier shares tips for creating and storing your scraps, including odd shapes and scraps with bias edges. She offers advice on storing scraps by color. A brief course on color theory helps you decide on scrap selection for your project, including how to transition colors.

Along with her basic go-to Keystone block, Gauthier includes instructions on piecing curves.

I was pleased to learn that Gauthier stores her scraps in 3 1/2", 4 1/2" and 5 1/2" squares. I have been doing that for years! I store mine by size in baggies in a shoe storage tower similar to the one pictured below. (I have a second one filled with fat quarters!)

The eleven quilt projects include:

• Frontal Boundaries, which uses 4" blocks to make a 68 1/2" x 97" quilt. Gauthier transitions color to flow across the quilt. Detailed instructions ensure you can recreate your own version.

Frontal Boundaries

• True North's color transition starts in the center and extends outward. The two blocks offer an impression of a compass. The 8" blocks finish to make a 91" x 91" quilt.
• Argyle Sweater uses 8" blocks to make a 74" by 85 1/2" quilt. It was made with scraps left from True North. The overlapping on-point squares against a solid background recall the classic sweater design.

Argyle Sweater

• Split Screens' 16" blocks finish to a 48 1/2" x 64 1/2" quilt. It uses her Keystone block with a dark neutral allowing the colors to pop.

• Precious Metals, 60 1/2" x 70 1/2", is made of 5" x 10" blocks. The bias edges must be handled with care, but it's worth it for the affect. Gauthier's quilt of gold colored blocks interspersed with colored bars is stunning.
• Sleepy Tiny Tepee Town, 62 1/2" x 78", is made of blocks that look like camping tents or teepees. The bias edges need to be handled carefully, but the construction is quite easy.
• The Knit Stitch is composed of 10" x 5" blocks, 60 blocks creating a 50 1/2" x 60 1/2" quilt. Gauthier says the pattern leaves little waste. It could make a lovely gift for a knitter friend!
• Fractured Four-Patch is made of a four-patch triangle and finishes to 78 1/2" x 93". It is one of my favorites in the book, very scrappy, with value contrasts creating lots of movement. 

Fractured Four-Patch

• Circle gets the Square is made with 21" square blocks, nine making a 63 1/2" square quilt. Pieced low-contrast backgrounds made of squares are set with centered circle blocks. The piecing technique is for advanced sewers...but frankly, I would applique the circle!
• Aerial View finishes to 58" x 70 1/2", using 100 5 3/4" x 7" blocks. It is the color and value placement that recreates a feeling of fields from an airplane. It is a very Modern quilt.
• Sunrise, Sunset is the cover quilt and finishes to 77" x 80 1/2". It is constructed of half-hexagons set together with an appliqued central circle.

Learn more about Judy Gauthier at her websites

https://studioefabrics.net/judy-gauthier-1/

https://www.bungalowquilting.com/

Gauthier is a nurse and offers a tutorial for the mask pattern sold at her shop

https://www.bungalowquilting.com/tutorials/home-made-ppe/

I was given a free ebook by the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Sensational Quilts for Scrap Lovers: 11 Easily Pieced Projects; Color & Cutting Strategies
by Judy Gauthier
C&T Publishing
Book $27.95; eBook $22.99
ISBN 9781617458682
eISBN 9781617458699