Mary Anne Yarde has welcomed me back to her blog today over on The Coffee Pot Book Club to talk about the life of women artists in the mid-19th century in Paris. As always, I’m pleased to lift a cup of coffee with Mary Anne. May the tour continue!

If you read my post here yesterday, you know I was just beginning to read Henry James’ The Ambassadors. I’m now about halfway through, and up until that point, I’d really been enjoying it. There are some exquisite, sweet passages. I’d share them with you but I’m tired this morning. Maybe tomorrow?

I picked the book up again in the middle of the night after waking from a dream in which I was being delighted by pet squirrels doing fun tricks and where I was contemplating buying one. (I care just a little too much about squirrels, I fear. I partially blame my dear friend who sends me pics of the squirrels outside her workplace on the reg.) And then I was so tired while trying to read that I got angry at James for taking three pages to say what could be said in one, for forcing me to go back two pages to see who the hell he was talking about! I don’t mind some obfuscation in the right measure, but dammit, man, give me something a bit clearer, would you? (To be fair, it was a passage where the main character wasn’t entirely clear on what was going on, either. So the writing reflected that, but was that on purpose?)

I still highly recommend the novel thus far, and I am sad that I can’t seem to find a movie based on it, because it seems highly cinematic to me. Am I just missing one that’s out there, dear reader?

I’m not sure what today holds, but I’m hoping part of it holds more reading…because I have a feeling things are about to take a turn…

What are YOU doing today during these uncertain times?

Stay well!