June 4, 2023 TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME

 

Have you tried playing pickleball? It's really fun. I started playing about a year ago. Even took lessons over the winter. It's a great way to get a little exercise and meet new people. If you've played tennis, table tennis or ping pong, then you're already way ahead of the game.  It basically combines the elements of all three. The rules can be confusing at first but if you stick with it--it finally makes sense. I hear it's the new rave and towns are putting up pickleball courts or fighting about putting them up all over. I actually heard that they are going to make part of the Crystal Mall pickleball courts too??  If you haven't tried it, get out there and give it a whirl. Just try not to get PICKLED and for heaven's sake STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN.  In other news, I Just finished Kate Morton's new book Homecoming. I am a huge fan of Morton and have read all of her books. I even waited patiently for five years for this gem. As the story unfolds, it's Christmas Eve 1959 and a man stumbles on a gruesome scene in Tambilla, Australia. Sixty years later, Jess, the main character, is coming home to Sydney, Australia, to take care of her ailing grandmother, Nora. Upon her arrival, Jess stumbles on some papers about the tragedy from 1959 and realizes she is related to the family. As an investigative journalist, Jess decides to uncover the truth about the events from 1959 at Adelaide Hills but learns more than she bargained for. Morton is a lovely writer whose vivid descriptions of the scenery and house transport the reader through time-- but I will also say that at times I found some descriptions repetitive and too long. As with her other novels, this is also told from multiple points of view so it can be confusing--so pay attention. There are also several characters as the story drifts between two places at two differents of time--but the lovely part is that they all come together and make sense by the end of this mystery/family saga. Again, it was a bit too long, but Morton is a lovely story teller and I really enjoyed the book.