Sunday, June 07, 2015

May reads read

Sigh. Only one nonfiction book finished in May, though I've good starts on two more. The book below puts my count for the year at nine nonfiction books, one behind my goal of two per month. Never fear, I'll catch up.

In my defense, I had a week's vacation at the end of May. Around the second week of May, I realized I'd have plenty of vacation time, so I could relax and enjoy some fiction. No harm in that, right? So I jumped over to Amazon and picked up Heinlein's science fiction classic, Starship Troopers. Somehow, I missed that one when I read most of his work back in high school. Oh - and there was a fantasy series that looked good, a kind of updated, scifi/fantasy riff on classic fairy tale characters. Then there was the out-of-my-usual chick lit novel...Oh, let's not forget the Allingham 1930's mystery.

All told, I think I read seven novels, mostly in May.

Sheesh. I'm a fiction junkie.

On to the lonely nonfiction read.

Seams Unlikely: The Inspiring True Life Story of Nancy Zieman, Nancy Zieman - If you have spent any time watching public television in the last twenty years or so, the chances are you have at least a passing knowledge of who Nancy Zieman is. She is the on air and behind the scenes organizer for Sewing With Nancy, one of the very first sewing shows of its kind. Nancy is a local girl, growing up and eventually returning to the West Bend area, north west of Milwaukee. Not just local, but a true Wisconsin farm girl. The 4H program provided the first outlet for her sewing talent.

Life was far from easy, though. As a young child, Nancy was struck by Bell's Palsy. She is one of the very few sufferers who do not improve at all, leaving her with facial sagging that most people assume is from a stroke. That wasn't the end of her medical issues, however, as she's undergone numerous surgical procedures on her legs.

In spite of it all, Nancy just...keeps going. Rather than bemoaning the things she couldn't do much about, she found ways to work around them, reaching always for the next goal.

The book is indeed inspiring, though the prose is a bit clunky in spots, tending to jump abruptly between time frames and subjects. If you are prone to whining about your circumstances, reading this book is a sure cure.

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