Wouldn't it have been a good party if we could all have gone to the Mighty Wurlitzer concert together.      The music was great and as an added attraction he had a old friend along who played piano and they played several hymns with piano and organ.  That was thrilling and received great applause. Another that brought a good response was a medley from Sound of Music.   Amazing Grace was his finale with interludes of Jesu, by Bach.   That brought a standing ovation and for an oncore he and his piano player did  How Great Thou Art in duet.    I think the audience would have stayed and stayed but our artist was from Rochester and had quite a drive ahead of him and the weather was dark and rainy.    Tim Schram who was the organist for the evening told that he had been playing the organ since quite a young age and had done a  lot of church music as well as other performances.  I looked for youtubes featuring him but didn't have a whole lot of luck.    The theater is lovely.   It isn't a large venue but has been restored to it's former beauty.

mary - sounds like you had a wonderful evening at the concert. A great selection of music!   I've been thinking about the few pipe organs that I remember here in the San Jose area. Most of the theaters and churches that housed them, were torn down long ago.  One lovely old church burned down about 20 years ago, destroying the organ of course.  I think that now, to hear a pipe organ, one would have to make the short journey to San Francisco. Whether concerts are held anywhere, anymore, I don't know? 

One thing I have heard, is that children don't take piano lessons anymore - therefore, very few people able to learn to play those mighty pipe organs.  I'm afraid it's true, as I don't know anyone whose children or grandchildren play the piano?  We wanted to give our piano to our son and dil, so the two grandchildren could learn to play.  Alas, they didn't want it, because the kids were too busy with swim teams, Little League, ballet, and such. Time marches on . . . things change. 

Up to about 10 years ago we had a big Wurlitzer Organ use to come up in the front of the hall area. It was a old Theatre at one time. Just beautiful. Had the private Boxes all around the walls and 2 balconies. Then is closed down for about 5 years. Now Millions spent opening it up again. Can bring it up on line. (The Virginia) Champaign.  Not as Posh but nice. Has a lot going on again now.

Here is an excellent list of 14 novels, "that portray diverse and resilient American families".  This is where I saw, Mary Coin, and is what prompted me to check it out at my library. As you all know, I was very impressed with the story, and I recommended it highly.

Others on this list that I have read in the past, but are well worth reading again, are House of Sand and Fog, The Prince of Tides, The Joy Luck Club, and Snow Falling on Cedars.  Of the ten left that I haven't read, I plan to eventually, give them all a try. 
Also, look at the bottom of the list, at 15 Books from Ann Patchett’s Very Long List of Favorites.  I like Ann Patchett, so would be more than ready to read some of her recommendations, as well as some of the other suggestions.
http://offtheshelf.com/2016/08/14-novels-that-portray-diverse-and-resilient-american-families/

JeanneP,  Your Virginia Theater is very beautiful.   It looks to be much larger than our Riviera.   Unfortunately Niagara Falls lost two remarkable theaters back in the '60s to "Urban Renewal" and of course they will never be replaced.     The only theaters now are the Warehouse type with five or six auditoriums....nothing you could really call a Theater in the strictest sense of the word.   They are just a place to show a movie!

Marilyne,  Thank you for reminding us of some good authors.    I've had Ann Patchett in mind for a while now.  I have enjoyed her writing.      Snow Falling on Cedars came to my mind when we were discussing the Japanese families  who were forced into Internment Camps during WWII.    I've been reading another book by Lisa Wingate.    She wrote The Seakeepers Daughters.     I know that you didn't connect with that book and this one started off to seem to be another predictable ending but along the way it has gotten to be more thought provoking.    This one is called The Prayer Box.   

mary - I think I'll get The Prayer Box at my library. Even though I couldn't get into The Seakeepers Daughters, I might like other novels she's written.  I've often liked one book by an author, but than haven't cared for the next one.  I remember really loving The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy . . . but I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about all of his other books.  I liked some, but for me, nothing ever measured up to "Tides". 

I also thought of Snow Fall on Cedars, when we were talking about the internment camps.  That was such a good book, and one I would like to read again.  The same with House of Sand and Fog.  Fortunately, I have a copy, so will definitely read it again. 

I haven't looked at Ann Patchett's list of favorites as yet, but I'm sure there are some there that I will enjoy reading. I've read two of her novels - Bel Canto, and an older one called The Patron Saint of Liars, and liked them both.

Last evening I started to read a very short novella by Maeve Binchy.  The title is The Builders.    I found this book on HOOPLA.    I'm finding it very interesting as it pertains to an older woman who is the mother of three children that she raised mostly by herself.     Now living alone she is beginning to be aware of how  of indifferent her children are to her feelings.  The thing that has sparked my interest is her thought process that leads her to begin to stand up to her children and  begin to want and have a life of her own outside motherhood.  It IS a short book and I'm nearing the end but stopped last evening just short of learning what she does in the end.

mary - I like Maeve Binchy, and have read a number of her books over the years.  The Builders, sounds like another one that I'll enjoy reading.

I talked to my cousin last night, and she highly recommended a novel that her book club is reading, titled Circling the Sun, by Paula McLain.  It's about the life of Beryl Markham, who wrote many books about her adventures as an aviator.  This novel is about her most amazing life . . . one facet being her relationship with, Denys Finch Hatton, who also had an affair with Karen Blixen/Dinesen - written about in Blixen's memoir, Out of Africa. 

Anyway, I Googled Circling the Sun, and saw many recommendations and reviews.  I see that the author, Paula McLain, also wrote a novel that I liked a lot, The Paris Wife.  It was about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley.  I think others in this discussion also read it?

If anyone is interested in Circling the Sun, here is a good online review, written for NPR.
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/28/426741186/an-airborne-adventurers-journey-in-circling-the-sun

MaryC.  I thought I had read all of Maeve Binchy books but   "The Builders" I hadn't heard of.  Now what date was it written.  I read that since she died. Her son was finishing some books that she had just part written.  Guess she left a lot of them.
Will see if my library has it.

JeanneP,   The Builders was first published in 2002.   Maeve Binchy died in 2012.   She was such a good writer.    I don't believe I've read one of her books that I didn't enjoy thoroughly.

JeanneP,   You should also note that The Builders is a novella.   It is less than 100 pages.    I don't know how those are published in hard copy.    It would be a very small book.

MaryC
I just picked it up. It is a small book. Will be read in a hour.

I got Circling the Sun, by Paula McLain, at the library yesterday, and sat right down and started reading it.  I'm now about half way through, and really enjoying it.  As I said in my post above, it's a fictionalized account of the life of Beryl Markham, well known aviator, who also wrote a number of books.  West With the Night, was probably her best known book.

I think it's interesting that so many novels are now being written (fiction), about well known real people, who are no longer living.  Another example, that maryc and I read a few weeks ago, is Mary Coin. 

I wonder if this style of writing has a name, like "fictionalized memoir", or some such? The authors must do a huge amount of research, in order to know so much about the lives of these real people that they write about. Paula McLain, the author of Circling the Sun, wrote a similar novel about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley, called The Paris Wife.

I just looked at my NPR link above, for the book, and I see that the reviewer calls this style of writing, a "novelized memoir".

Marilyne,   I really enjoyed the story of Mary Coin.    The history of the times was interesting and her story and that of the Vera were interwoven very well.    I have looked up Circling the Sun on Hoopla but not sure it is the whole story.   I plan to check it out soon.

It's a beautiful late fall day here in NY.    The sun is bright though the breeze is brisk and quite cool.    We've been working on getting the leaves cleaned away as much as possible and it has been a wonderful long fall for it.    I was a little concerned that the snow would come before the leaves fell, as has happened in other years.     We have a large patch of ivy growing on a deep drainage ditch near the road.    It is good because that part of the bank doesn't have to be mowed.    The downside is that there is a Norway maple nearby and those large lovely leaves fall on the ivy and if you don't get them pretty much off in the fall they cause the ivy to sort of smother over the winter and it is very slow in greening up in spring.  (Poor planning on my part!!)  I think it is about done for this year.    Al has been feeling pretty good and has been getting out quite a bit to help with the leaves.    He can ride the mower to mulch them up and it takes care of a lot.    I'm happy to have him getting out for a good amount of time every good day.   He feels better for it.  Our neighbor has mowed our grass all summer but I really don't want him to feel responsible for the leaves as well and I enjoy it anyway....when the weather is as nice as it has been.

Recently I spoke about the Lisa Wingate books.   Debby has been reading them as well.     I just borrowed another through Hoopla.    This  one is The Story Keeper.    These books are part of a group called  Carolina Heirlooms.   I didn't realize it when I read  The Seakeepers Daughters but when Deb started talking about the Melungeon people it made me think of how they were mentioned in  that book.   The Story Keeper gets back to the mountains and deals with a little more history of the Melungeons.    It is a strange little historical bit that I have not run across before.   Actually it looks like there are five books in this group and I have not read them in order but they do have a common thread running through.

  Cape Hatteras National Seashore was one of the places we visited when we camped with our children.    Later Al and I went back there on one of our travels and visited my Aunt and Uncle who had moved out there at the time of their retirement.    It is an interesting place and still beckons to me so the setting of some of these stories is near and dear to my heart. 

mary - I have The Prayer Box, by Lisa Wingate, and will be starting it as soon as I finish Circling the Sun.  I'm wondering if Prayer Box is one of the Carolina Heirlooms novels? It's nice that you have a direct connection to the area, and that you've visited there over the years. I'll have to look it up on my atlas, to see exactly where it is? 

I'm almost done with Circling the Sun, and hope to finish it today. It's a long book! I've had other things on the agenda this week, so haven't had a chance to relax and read.

JeanneP - I notice that you haven't been in this discussion or the Television/Movie discussion for a number of days.  I hope we hear from you soon?

I've read/am reading Lisa Wingate's  "Blue Sky Hill" series.   First one is "A Month of Summer", second one is "Beyond Summer and third one is "Dandelion Summer". 
Will be interested in the "Carolina Heirlooms" series.  I've read about the Melungeon people somewhere else - but can't remember where. 

Edit:   according to my library's e-book list,  "The Prayer Box" is #1 in the Carolina Heirlooms series and "The Story Keeper" is #2.  They are the only ones listed in this series in e-book form.

Thank you Callie!  Good to know that I'll be starting out with #1, in the Carolina Heirlooms series.

When I have finished The Story Keeper,   I will follow L. Wingate in some of her other books.    In The Prayer Box her main character was  involved with The Seaglass Shop and I notice there is another book called The Seaglass Sisters that most likely includes those gals that ran that shop etc. etc.     They were going head to head with developers who wanted (as many do) to build high rises and multiple dwelling units on land that had long history with the town and also presented adverse enviromental issues.   I wouldn't mind following that line.   Can anyone remember who the other author was that quite a few here enjoyed who wrote about the Georgia and/or S. Carolina coastal region.   That one also had some of the same characters in several books.

CallieOK,   There is quite a bit about the Melungeon folk on the internet if you care to read more about them.   It is interesting.

I am still here. Just reading the postings. I don't know what I have been doing for past 2 weeks. Really behind on book reading. Not found anything I like to watch on the new shows on TV. I was in the habit of not turning the TV on before the Election. Got tired of listening. Now its over I guess it safe to watch again. Although we are still getting The Trump name and daily doings on.  Does look like he got a better hair cut.

I finally finished reading, Circling the Sun, and as the saying goes . . . not a moment too soon!  It was good enough to finish, but not good enough that I would recommend it.  This fictionalized memoir of aviator, Beryl Markham, was interesting in it's way, but the author somehow, did not make Beryl, into a sympathetic likable person.  I realized about three quarters of the way through the book, that I really didn't care that much about Beryl, or any of the other characters in the book.  In order for me to like a novel, I have to be able to relate to or genuinely care about at least one of the main characters in the story.  Very wordy and long winded, with pages and pages of dialogue.

I must say that I'm disappointed, as I really liked Paula McLain's first novel, The Paris Wife, which was about
Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley.

Right now, I am reading the second of a spy trilogy by Jason Matthews. The Red Sparrow was the first and is being made into a movie to be released next year. I wonder who they are going to get to play Putin.The second book, the one I am reading now, is Palace of Treason. The story itself is current day, and plays out, so far, in Moscow, Helsinki, Athens, Rome, Paris, Washington DC, and the Estonian border. The author and his wife are retired CIA.

If you like spy thrillers, I recommend this series.

Marilyne,   I found that Hoopla has something called  Summary and Analysis of Circling the Sun.    I borrowed it and found that it wasn't for me.     This was by Instaread.    Now this is a new thing to me.   Perhaps some of you are already aware of this but I'm adding a link here to explain what Instaread is about.   My Instaread was a book, not an audio.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instaread-book-summaries/id1046172976?mt=8

MarsGal - the Jason Matthews spy trilogy sounds very good.  I'm not much for detective, mystery books, but I love spy stories!  One of my all time favorites is, The Spy who Came In From The Cold.  Loved the movie too!  Lots of international spy drama on the Showtime series, Homeland.  If you don't have Showtime, you can probably see it now on Netflix or Amazon??  Well worth watching. 

mary - I clicked on your link, but couldn't figure out what to do or where to go to see the book summaries?  I guess I would have to download Hoopla to my Kindle?  The NPR review on Circling the Sun, was very good, as were a couple of others that I checked.  Sounds like the Instaread summary you read, is in agreement with me?

Marilyne, my favortie has to be Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Jason Matthews is one of a very few, apparently, American writers of spy novels (or good ones, at least). A reviewer I read said his writing is right up there with the likes of John Le Carre and Graham Greene. I have several of the first Daniel Silva spy novels, but have yet to read them. 

Marilyne,   I guess that wasn't a very good site to explain what Instaread is about.    I Googled it and chose that one.    I was hoping to shed a little light on what Instaread is about, but ?!?!?    I hadn't heard of it before but that book popped up in the Hoopla site so I took a look.    Apparently it is a method of allowing you to either read a book quickly or to browse to see if it is to your liking.    It seems like a good idea, if we can just figure it out.   I see that Amazon has quite a number of books but the Kindle editions are $2.99 and I don't believe that I would pay that to look over a book.     Anyway it seems like something new.    Now Mary Z always seems to be out there ahead of the curve (no offense MaryZ!) on new stuff,  and she might be able to fill us in on it a little more.   

No offense - sounded more like a compliment...LOL.  Anyhow - I don't know anything about that site - never heard of it before.  With Amazon books, before you actually order (and pay for) a book, you can get a sample - usually several pages or a chapter - for free.  Then you can order it or not, as you choose.  And there are other sites (Book Gorilla, etc.) that offer free or relatively low-priced books.

It WAS meant to be a compliment, MaryZ,  but you never know how something may come across in print.
I have downloaded samples of books from Amazon and then decided they weren't for me.    I haven't used Book Gorilla.    I did have Book Bub coming into my mail box regularly but found that they weren't offering much to my liking so I quit them.   Amazon offers a fair number of the $,99 books that suit me so between that and Hoopla  I do ok.    I've been surprised at the number of books Hoopla offers.

Did anyone here see the movie of The Light Between Oceans?    I've been waiting for Red Box to get it but so far they haven't had it.   

MarsGal - I've read a lot of books by Graham Greene over the years, The Third Man, being my favorite.  I absolutely love that movie!  Definitely in my top five movies of all time . . . maybe even #one.  I'm still enthralled, every time I watch it.

maryc - I don't think The Light Between Oceans has come out on DVD as yet?  As I mentioned in here a while back, it only played in one theater here, for one week . . . then it was gone!  It should appear On Demand very soon.