I read three books last month that I want to share with you today. The three are very different from each other, so perhaps at least one of them with pique your interest. I recommend each of them.
After my comments about the books I read, I have my weekly update on Hurricane Helene recovery in western North Carolina. I look forward to the day that I no longer need to report on that September 2024 natural disaster.
I Was Anastasia, by Ariel Lawhon
by Ariel Lawhon
I was so impressed with Ariel Lawhon’s writing style and writing voice while reading The Frozen River in January, that I requested I Was Anastasia from the public library.
Reading this novel transported me back to the book and movie, Dr. Zhivago.
The Romanov family ruled Russia from 1613 until 1917. In 1918, Bolshevik revolutionaries executed Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children by firing squad. History tells us there were no survivors.
The Anastasia in this novel is the alleged daughter of Czar Nicholas II.
Anastasia’s survival of the Romanov family being executed by a firing squad has remained one of those mysteries of the last 100 years. Is it fact or fiction? Is it what would be called an urban legend today or a conspiracy theory or the truth?
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
I was on the waitlist for this book for so long that I forgot what it was about. It was worth the wait, though, as this 118-page book was a fast read and thought-provoking.
The author is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and is a professor of Environmental Biology at The State University of New York. She pulls on the wisdom in those Potawatomi Nation roots to offer us a path to economies of sharing and reciprocity. Ms. Kimmerer’s premise is that Mother Earth holds all the resources we need.
The problem comes in when people see those resources as commodities instead of gifts. When something is a commodity, the idea of scarcity enters the picture. Scarcity triggers greed. When a resource is valued as a gift, it is treated with respect and is cared for.
The title of the book comes from the Serviceberry, which she calls a “calendar plant.” The author encourages us to adopt the wisdom of earlier times when we enjoyed only the seasonal produce. Referring to the seasonal practices of traditional Indigenous People, she writes, “Eating with the seasons is a way of honoring abundance, by going to meet it when and where it arrives.”
She writes, “We force the food to come to us, at considerable financial and ecological costs, rather than following the practice of taking what has been given to us, each in its own time.”
I must admit that I love the convenience of freezing the blueberries I pick in July so I can enjoy them on my oatmeal and in muffins throughout the winter, but do I really need to have access to watermelon from southern Mexico in January?
Taking the ideas presented in The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, by Robin Wall Kimmerer to heart even in small, incremental ways by each of us could have a impact on how we view the gifts of the Earth.
The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness: A Memoir, by Sarah Ramey
by Sarah Ramey
I learned about this book through Ann Patchett on Instagram. Ms. Patchett, in addition to being a well-respected author, owns Parnassus Bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her dog post videos on Instagram highlighting books she wants to publicize.
Little did I know when I requested The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness: A Memoir, by Sarah Ramey from the public library that it was going to in a multitude of ways describe my own health journey!
Ms. Ramey has some health problems I do not have; however, we share the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. In her book, Ms. Ramey details the physically- and emotionally-painful 14 years it took for her to get a diagnosis. I can identify with her journey, although it did not take me that long to get a diagnosis.
As Ann Patchett did, I recommend this book to everyone.
If you have not personally experienced years of being brushed off by doctors who are ignorant of this or some other mysterious illness, if you have never been told by a doctor that your painful and debilitating symptoms “are all in your head and you need to see a psychiatrist,” consider yourself lucky. Whether you know it or not, you probably know someone who has had such an experience.
Hurricane Helene Update
Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge in western NC: A full five months since Hurricane Helene dumped up to three feet of rain and hurricane-force winds on western North Carolina, on Saturday, March 1, one lane of I-40 in each direction opened with a 35-mph speed limit. The lanes are narrow and they’re separated by a 9-inch wide and 9-inch high median. Tractor-trailer trucks are allowed, but most truck drivers interviewed by a Charlotte TV station said they will avoid that part of the interstate.
Alongside these rebuilt/repaired lanes, the original east-bound side of I-40 will be rebuilt from the Pigeon River up. It is said now that it will take two or three more years to completely rebuild and reopen I-40 in western North Carolina.
As of Saturday, 148 roads in North Carolina were still closed due to Hurricane Helene. That count included 11 US highways, 16 state highways, and 121 state roads. That is an overall decrease of seven in the last week.
Sadly, a number of wildfires have broken out in Polk and Buncombe counties (and maybe others) over the weekend in the areas that have suffered so much from the hurricane damage. It will take years and years for all the trees that were downed by the hurricane to be cleared up. Until then, they lie as dead wood on the forest floors.
Nantahala National Forest: Perhaps Elon Musk didn’t hear President Trump say in January that he was going to take care of western North Carolina that was ravaged by Hurricane Helene last September. He claimed that President Biden hadn’t helped western North Carolina at all.
Here is an example of how President Trump is helping western North Carolina recover from that natural disaster: Last week 17 federal employees working to continue to clean up the 531,148- acre Nantahala National Forest lost their jobs because some teenaged computer nerds working for Elon Musk are being paid to eliminate the federal work force. I guess rich people and geeks don’t appreciate our national parks and forests – the enjoyment they bring to taxpayers and the tax dollars they generate from the tourists who spend money for lodging, food, and shopping in the surrounding areas.
Nantahala National Forest ranges in elevation from 1,200 feet to 5,800 feet. Recreational activities include whitewater rafting and camping. There are more than 600 miles of trails for hikers, horse-back riders, mountain bikers, and off-highway vehicle riders.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
As of Friday, 12 National Park Service employees stationed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park had lost their jobs. I can’t help but wonder if one or more of them assisted me in some way when I visited the park last summer.
Perhaps the park ranger who led a group of us on a hike to see three remote waterfalls lost her dream job last week. No doubt most, if not all of those 12 people, were still working to clear hiking trails and rebuild foot bridges damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
Visited by more than 13 million people in 2023, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited US national park. It covers 552,427 acres in NC and TN.
Blue Ridge Parkway
At least one National Park Service employee assigned to the Blue Ridge Parkway lost their job last week. I report on the post-Helene status of the Blue Ridge Parkway almost every week in my blog. How are repairs and the rebuilding of that road and strip of right-of-way supposed to be accomplished with fewer employees than it had before the hurricane?
As I reported on February 17, 2025: “The flooding and wind from Hurricane Helene last September caused 48 landslides in one 38-mile section of the parkway between Asheville and Linville. There are no estimates for when those 38 miles will be completely rebuilt or if all of it can even be rebuilt, but it will not happen in 2025.”
While I’m on the topic of National Park Service cuts… six employees assigned to Cape Hatteras National Seashore lost their jobs last week. The Outer Banks of North Carolina were not damaged by Hurricane Helene, but the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a fragile, beautiful, and wild strip of land that is buffeted by the part of the Atlantic Ocean known as “the Graveyard of the Atlantic” due to its storms and hundreds of shipwrecks.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore are among the most-visited parks in the United States. The statistics I include today are just a few of the some 1,000 national park service employees and 3,400 national forest service employees Elon and Trump are letting go.
You know the National Forest Service slogan: “Only you can prevent forest fires”? It is true today, and apparently only you can put out a fire in a national forest. The employees have been fired in the name of government efficiency.
WNC Nature Center in Asheville will reopen on March 17. The 42-acre park includes the 100-year-old Recreation Park Zoo and the Nature Center which opened in 1977. The center showcases wildlife of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. As western NC slowly reopens to visitors, check out the center’s website (https://wildwnc.org/) and start planning your vacation!
Innovative Bridge Company of Petal, Mississippi has built 40 bridges in seven western NC counties since Hurricane Helene. The company had never done disaster recovery work until the City of Asheville and the NC Department of Transportation reached out to them last October.
The company repurposes flat rail cars and boxcars into foot bridges and vehicular traffic bridges. These temporary emergency bridges will be in place until permanent bridges can be constructed over the next two-to-three years. There are two short videos on the company’s website showing the work they’re doing in western NC.
Precision Grading of Saluda, NC continues to donate his time, materials, and equipment to help individuals at no cost to them. He is doing this through his own money and donations from the public. So far, he has done this hard work for more than 150 days.
The 21st Century Packhorse Librarian continues to take, organize, and distribute book donations to put books in the homes of people who lost their access to books or income due to the disaster.
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville is continuing to work from temporary quarters. After five months of fundraising, the organization is looking for a safe location where they can rebuild.
Until my next blog post
Thank you for reading my blog.
I hope you have a good book to read to take your mind off what happened at the White House on Friday.
Remember the people of Ukraine and western North Carolina.
Janet
Janet's Writing Blog 
Janet you always suggest fab books for sure. I just wish I had time to even read one a month! But you have the discipline. I am glad to hear that there have been some further developments in the recovery effort in S. Carolina, albeit slow, just like here in the storm affected areas. All the best from a very cold, rainy and dark Mediterranean coast.
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Thank you, Francis. With the amount of art you produce, it is understandable that you have little time for reading. We each do as much as we can with the time we’re given. I finished another round of editing on my devotional book over the weekend, so that’s one step forward on that project. I hope your dreary weather moves on soon so the beauty of spring can burst forth! Take care.
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Thank you Janet, and you are right we do we the time we are given as much as we can. I have found a good editor for the book that I am writing as well, but that will be for this coming June. Wish you the best of luck with your editing. And yes, although I like a change of weather every now and then, this rain is getting ridiculous! All the best.
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3 great book recs! Thanks for sharing!
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The books you read sound very interesting. I like the idea of fruit in its season, I’ve always been interested in Anastasia too. I am enamored of the Appalachian area book donation group. I’d like to gather books to send to them. Love their work!
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I am so, so sorry to hear that National Park Rangers in North Carolina have suffered at the hands of these 🤬madmen. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound!! My son-in-law is a park ranger, but he works for the county not the feds.
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Having my devotional book in as good of shape as I can make it, I need to print it out again for another proofread. I’m now looking for a professional editor. I have a list I’m considering. This week I need to decide which one to contact first and, hopefully, make that initial inquiry. Try not to let the rain get you down, but I feel the same way about extended dark, rainy days. I need the sun to lift my spirits. It seems we’re in for dangerous storms on Wednesday, but that’s to be expected in NC in March. Trying to keep busy with my writing and not spend more time than I should on politics. It’s not easy. Some days I want to run screaming into Canada for safety….
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Thank you, Carol. Coming from someone who read 14 books in one short month, that means a lot to me. I really like the way Ariel Lawhon wrote The Frozen River in January, so I plan to re-read it just to break down how she did it.
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It was an interesting month of reading. The only thing that bothered me about I Was Anastasia was the back and forth between the 1910s and present day. I generally don’t like many novels that are not written chronologically. Anastasia worked better for me than some other novels. I also like the idea of fruit in its season. The book made me stop and reevaluate how I sometimes purchase fruits and vegetables that are not in-season here in North Carolina. The romaine lettuce I bought last week had no color and no taste, so I’m counting the days until a family-owned farm 25 minutes from my house will have romaine to sell. I didn’t know how romaine lettuce was supposed to look and taste until I found it at Barbee Farm a couple of springs ago. The Appalachian book donation group is doing incredible work — well beyond what the founder imagined, I’m sure. Have a good week and try to stay sane in the midst of all the drama in our country.
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Thanks, Janet. Fantastic to have a local farm for fresh food.
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Thank goodness your son-in-law works for the county and not the NPS. Every day the news gets worse. I can’t imagine how the NPS employees in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the National Forestry Service employees in Nantahala National Forest must feel. They’ve spent the last five months — sometimes in sub-zero weather and snow — sawing up huge trees so most areas of those parks and forests can be reopened for the summer season only to lose their jobs before their work is finished. I started to write that I hope some Republicans see the error in these firings when they vacation this year — silly me… they all vacation at resorts and in other countries. I don’t think they visit our beautiful national parks and forests. National parks and forests aren’t even on rich people’s radar. It reminds me of one of the premises in The Serviceberry that the natural resources are gifts to be honored and valued. Our President and his ilk only see the value of a natural resource in terms of dollars signs — and that’s definitely the root of the rare earth “negotiating” point with Ukraine. A tremendous amount of damage is going to be done in our immediate future. This is so sad for the younger and future generations. My heart weeps.
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It really is, Rebecca, now since I’m not physically able to have my own garden. This particular farm was set to be destroyed by the widening of Interstate 85 a few years ago. There was such a public outcry, the DOT backed off and modified their plans. Democracy in action!
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I can understand that completely Janet, but stay firm, God is in charge. Best of luck with finding that editor and it is still dark, cold and raining in the Mediterranean… all the best!
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I agree with you on all counts. I can’t imagine how awful it must be to be young and just starting out.
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Hurrah, glad people spoke up in its defense.
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Thank you, Francis. Possible tornadoes tomorrow. Spring must be coming!
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I’m furious about the whole Musk situation (and everything else), so I can’t begin to imagine how angry you must be! I wondered if his chainsaw would affect the recovery efforts in your area – I’m so sorry to hear that it is. On a brighter note, I Was Anastasia sounds interesting… I’m tempted!
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Liz, I’m sad for the young adults and children today because they won’t get to enjoy the national parks in the ways our generation did. Many of them don’t know enough history to grasp what we’re losing. I read last night that the Donald signed an Executive Order yesterday that will open our national forests up to logging. Drill, drill, drill, cut, cut, cut. Here’s a link I just found about Pisgah National Forest in NC. Don’t be thrown off by “Transylvania” in the name of the newspaper. Unfortunately, that’s the name of the county. https://www.transylvaniatimes.com/townnews/politics/national-forest-employees-fired-as-part-of-trumps-federal-cost-cutting/article_4a2ddb82-f08e-11ef-97fe-23af3e3410ce.html.
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This mass insanity is going to have to come to a head at some point. The current state of the country is unsustainable. We can’t go on like this.
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I am beyond furious! Impatiently waiting for the US Congress to remind Trump that the legislative branch is a co-equal branch of our government. Each day is more infuriating than the day before. And the tariffs that went in force at 12:01 this morning against Canada and Mexico… I have no words. Pausing all military aid to Ukraine last night… Most Americans are not in favor of ANY of this, but it seems Trump and Musk now own the United States. What is a 72-year-old woman in North Carolina to do? I’m voicing my opinion in my blog, on Instagram, on Facebook, and I’m calling and emailing my Representative in the US House of Representatives and my two Senators in the US Senate. I’ve done everything but march in the streets. I’m trying not to lose hope, but my country is being ruined from the inside out right before my eyes. I now know what an oligarchy looks and feels like.
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No, this is not sustainable. I don’t want to watch the “Address to Congress” tonight (BTW, what happened to “the State of the Union”??), but I plan to watch it because I feel like I need to hear it in its entirety live. But I know it’s only going to make me angrier than I already am. I don’t know what it’s going to take. Perhaps when Social Security payments cease to go out???
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Take good care Janet!
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I know – it’s extremely worrying. We can only hope that some of his own party eventually grow a backbone.
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I don’t know what it will take for that to happen.
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I’m rereading Braiding Sweetgrass right now. Will definitely get hold of the service berry book. Good reading for these uncertain times.
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Yes, I think this might be the year more people choose (or are forced?) to buy local when it comes to fresh vegetables. I regret on many levels that we have so many deer now it is impossible for me to have a garden. I did organic gardening and got much joy and satisfaction from it. For years I told the deer there was enough for all of us, but then the deer destroyed the last garden I planted. They ate the tomato and bell pepper plants, and trampled the squash, beans, and corn. They ate the okra stalks before they could product. It looked like I’d planted a row of sticks! All I got out of all my work that year was six radishes. The most expensive radishes I’ve ever eaten. Fencing, scarecrows, bars of Irish Spring soap — nothing deterred the deer, so I raised the white flag. Oh how I miss my garden! But I digress…. I meant to request Braiding Sweetgrass when I finished reading Serviceberry. Too many books, so little time, as they say.
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Great book suggestions.
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Thank you, Barb.
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I reposted, Janet. Thanks for your work on this.
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Dank voor de boekentips, daar word ik altijd blij van. Gisteren kwam onze leesclub weer samen. We bespraken Nirwana van de Nederlandse schrijver Tommy Wieringa, een boek waarin onder andere een man voorkomt die zich tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog aan de verkeerde kant schaarde en meeging in Hitlers waanzin. Maar al snel weken we af van het thema en vroegen ons af: is dit vandaag opnieuw aan het gebeuren?
We maken ons zorgen, ook hier in het kleine Nederland en België. Wat de Amerikaanse president en zijn kompanen aanrichten, is ronduit beangstigend. We volgen het nieuws op de voet en het laat ons niet los. Dit raakt Amerika diep, maar ook hier in Europa is de onrust groot. De manier waarop die man denkt en handelt – ik weiger zijn naam en die van zijn medestanders nog uit te spreken – is pure waanzin. De ontmenselijking en polarisering nemen schrikbarende vormen aan.
Weet dat we aan jullie denken en hopen dat het tij mag keren. Veel sterkte daar.
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I always appreciate book recommendations—they make me happy. Yesterday, our book club gathered again. We discussed Nirwana by Tommy Wieringa, a novel that, among other things, tells the story of a man who aligned himself with the wrong side during World War II and got swept up in Hitler’s madness. But before long, our discussion drifted. We found ourselves asking: could something like this happen again today? Or is it already happening?
We’re all deeply concerned, even here in our small corners of the Netherlands and Belgium. What the American president and his allies are doing is downright terrifying. We follow the news closely, and it weighs heavily on us. This is shaking America to its core, but the anxiety in Europe is just as real. The way that man thinks and acts—I refuse to even mention his name or that of his enablers—is pure madness. The dehumanization and division have gone too far.
Please know that we’re thinking of you and hoping the tide can still turn. Wishing you strength in these difficult times.
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Thank you so very much, Mike! I appreciate your doing that more than you know.
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Thank you so much for your comment and words of encouragement, Matroos. I am so sorry that the American president is creating such fear and distrust throughout the world. It’s bad enough that he’s doing it to the American people. It was chilling for me to read of your deep concern. I have seen the news reports about how the leaders across Europe are fighting back, but to know that everyday people are truly wrestling with the current situation is heartbreaking. It is indeed pure madness. The dismantling of our extensive foreign aid programs through USAID have saddened and angered me deeply. Trump has absolutely no empathy for anyone but himself. How he could turn against the most vulnerable in the world overnight was shocking and embarrassing for most Americans. How he has treated President Zelensky is horrible! I have such respect for Mr. Zelensky and the people of Ukraine. Trump is such a weak person — a bully — and all Putin, Xi, and Kim have to do is flatter him, and they have him eating out of their hands. In his world, if something does not have a dollar value, it is worthless. The concept of doing something for the common good is not in his vocabulary. He is so filled with hate… I can’t understand it. He has been blessed beyond measure, and yet he whines that he and America are victims. How dare he! I’m not sure where my blog is going from here. The day may come when the Trump regime shuts down all free speech. I never thought that was a possibility in the United States, but what I’ve seen happen in the last seven week leaves me to know that anything is possible. I pray for your safety as well as for my own country. I don’t know what is going to happen. The novel you said your book club just read sounds very timely. I’m glad it opened up the opportunity for your club members to talk freely and discuss the current situation. There are so many parallels between what Hitler did and what Trump is doing. The rhetoric, the dehumanization, the self-centeredness, the erasing of history, … it sends shivers down my spine. Knowing that there are people like you in Europe who know all Americans did not vote for this and don’t support any of it makes me feel better. I appreciate your candor and that you took the time to reach out to me. When I publish my little blog post, I never know where it’s going to be read. Thank you so much. I hope we will continue to communicate with each other.
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My pleasure, Janet
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