A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 11 June 2019 - T for books in a t_cup, with my mother

 Good morning lovely people,
It's Monday night and I am preparing to join the T-Party hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard. For that I need a beverage reference. So I have added an image of a girl reading in a large tea or coffee cup with a book and a drink. That could be me. I love reading. I read loads. Some books are better than others. But today I would like to reccommend the four best books I have read for a long time.

But first some postcards. This is a card I bought a while ago and I think I gave it to my hubby at Valentine's day. (Must have been a few years back).

 And this card I found in a pile of old stuff. It's a postcard with Audrey hepburn. One of my favorite photos of her. It was sent from Austria about two years ago.

I'm very busy but very happy at the moment as my mother is staying with me at the moment. What a privilege it is to still have my mum in my retirement days. Mum has just celebrated her 95th birthday. Here she is with me outside our house (yesterday).

 She stayed with my sister in Marbella (also in Spain) for a few days and yesterday my sister drove her here. 

I love having her stay with us. She is good company, is mentally very alert and knows a lot about what is going on in the world (more than me). We do crosswords together  and sit chatting on our little patio. Lovely.

Here are the books I really liked. The Elephant Keeper's Daughter is a historical novel (translated from German) set in Kanda on Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Julia Drosten  brings to life this chapter in history when Kanda was finally captured and the whole Sri Lankan island taken over by the British. The plot is masterfully constructed with a young and aggressive female heroine; a kind-hearted British doctor as the protagonist; and his evil brother, the villain.  And the elephants play a major role in the whole story too. It appears well researched and there is a good love story flowing through it.

The Incredible Life of Jonathan Doe I enjoyed immensely:

Forced into completing his community service, Brendan meets Jonathan Doe, an
intriguing man living in a local homeless shelter whose amazing stories of a happy childhood in the Appalachian Mountains captivate him. Within weeks of his arrival in Dover, Brendan loses himself in the strange man’s incredible stories.

Fascinated by the fact that Jonathan Doe can no longer remember exactly where he is from, Brendan becomes obsessed with helping his new friend find his way back to the kind of home he himself has always dreamed of.

But is Jonathan’s past real or are his memories the product of a deeply troubled mind? The closer Brendan gets to the truth, the more he realises that all is not what it seems with Jonathan Doe.

 I liked it so much that I immediately went and bought another book by Carol Coffey:

 Broken Hill Nursing Home is a house laden down with secrets, its residents now settled in Australia but living out their troubled lives trapped in the past. Thirteen-year-old Christopher, whose parents run the home, is its self-appointed guardian. Deaf since childhood, his foot severed in a horrific accident, he notices what others miss. Isolated and ignored, he is obsessed with helping these damaged souls find the peace they crave. He befriends the beautiful young Maria whose strange sadness puzzles him, then gains an ally when a mysterious young man arrives to record the extraordinary lives of the aging immigrants. Christopher eagerly awaits the transformations he expects will result from these 'confessions'. But will delving into the past disturb the residents fragile mental state and open up a Pandora's box that was best left closed? 

The next book is a must for all cat lovers, but can also be enjoyed by people who have never had a cat.

Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van. Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say. 

Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take. TRAVELLING CAT has already demonstrated its power to move thousands of readers with a message of kindness and truth. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.

That's it from me this morning. 
Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca