This month’s reads had something in common: habits. From a nun’s attire to questionable grammar to a drunken bet, the stories made me appreciate all the more this habit of reading books.

Book 1: Maigret Sets A Trap by Georges Simenon

It’s rather amusing that the latest detective in my reading life is a Frenchman. Created by a Belgian.

My favorite fictional detective, after all, is Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, a Belgian who is forever correcting the misunderstanding that he’s from France.

In this volume, hard-boiled Inspector Maigret deals with a serial killer, a wretchedly hot summer, and a very understanding wife.

Book 2: Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

The concept of this book is almost too ridiculous to try to explain.

Just know this is a work of non-fiction.

British comedian Tony Hawks made a drunken bet with a friend after seeing someone rolling a mini-fridge down a street. The bet was that he, Tony, could hitchhike completely around the coast of the Emerald Isle over the course of a month. With, of course, a fridge.

I found myself shaking my head a lot, but laughing as well.

Book 3: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden is a re-read from my childhood.

It’s been so interesting to see what I remembered from (gasp!) nearly six decades ago – and also what I’d forgotten.

It’s a wonderful story of the rebirth of a beloved garden, along with two unhappy cousins and a lost adult.

Book 4: Searching for Sisters by Sunny Jane Morton

This is a fantastic resource if your family tree includes Catholic nuns.

If you read this blog regularly, you know our family has nuns on my side and Gary’s as well.

This reference book explains how religious women’s lives were structured, and what to expect when researching those family members, whether they lived in convents, monasteries, or elsewhere.

Book 5: Rebel with a Clause by Ellen Jovin

This book is a hoot.

The author and her husband traveled through all 50 states with a Grammar Table, taking questions, hearing opinions, and cleverly explaining grammar, punctuation, and spelling. A woman after my own heart!

Book 6: Short Stories by Ernest Hemingway

This collection of some of Hemingway’s short stories made me feel like I had swept up the cutting room floor from his novels. Not that I’m complaining; I just prefer his full-length versions.

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