I do not remember how I first heard about this book. Perhaps it was in our local library's newsletter. However it happened, I was volunteering in the library's used book store and I saw the book on the shelf. I purchased it and am so glad I did.
'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet' is a work of historical fiction. It is a story of two young people during World War II. The hotel is the Panama Hotel in Seattle, now a National Historic Landmark. I thoroughly enjoyed the touching story and recommend the book.
And for those wondering if I have Harry Potter books, 'Yup, every one.' Desperate to read the second book, I purchased it while in Australia.
While I have seen the tulips in Holland - the Netherlands- from the air, this year I will actually spend time in Amsterdam seeing them up close and personal. But back in 1973, my husband and I went to Holland, Michigan for the tulip festival. We ordered lots of bulbs. We planted them in the fall. And the following spring we had - NADA. Animals had dug them up over the winter and eaten all of them. You still have time this year to make the festival in early May.
While visiting Windmill Island Gardens, be sure to check out the windmills imported from the Netherlands. Holland stopped the practice of exporting windmills many years ago and the park is very proud of what they have.
I didn't realize there was a tulip festival in the States! Of course it would be in Holland, Michigan. :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things about that book, but haven't read it yet.
Holland, MI was settled by the Dutch and is where many of our conservative legislators are located.
DeleteI had no idea there was a Holland, Michigan :). I've been to Keukenhof in the Netherlands and the tulip fields were stunning, as were the gardens. I've never been a fan of tulips on a bunch basis, but in fields and displays, they are so amazingly vibrant.
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
Looking forward to my trip even though we may have to skip seeing Brussels.
DeleteI'd heard of this book, but never read it. Will add it to my (very long) TBR list!
ReplyDeleteWe spent a day in Holland once, it is so beautiful there, even when the tulips are not blooming. I hope that our awful weather does not spoil the festival this year. I would like to go back one day when the tulips are in bloom.
ReplyDeleteMy husband planted bulbs in March............and I doubt we will get any as there are signs that rabbits have been digging in the garden!
ReplyDeleteAnd rabbits here are eating the daylilies as they emerge.
DeleteYears ago I went to a tulip festival in Pella, Iowa - I am enjoying your series on Michigan tourism. I haven't been to Michigan in years - for some reason. I will have to change that. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a lot to see here.
DeleteI used to live in the Lansing area and have been out to Holland to see the tulips. Michigan is a beautiful state - something for everyone there.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Ellen | http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/2016/04/h-is-for-ham-radio-nancy-drew.html
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is one of my favorite books - and my choice for our last month's book club meeting. I was very please that my fellow club members loved it a s much as I did.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy that I came upon the book. Wish I had read it before I visited Seattle so I could have gone to see the hotel.
DeleteI know the trouble of having your bulbs dug up and eaten. Sorry it happened to you though. Funny how the ones that are int he wrong places never get lost!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting book. I ought to start a new TBR list. One to read in this lifetime, the other to start in the next!
Jemima Pett
I'll never finish all the books in my TBR list. I never took English lit so there are tons of books I never read in school.
DeleteIt tickles me when you talk about historical fiction and refer to World War II. I lived through that war, therefore to me it is not historical.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I lived just across the sea and went to Holland many times, I have never been there during their tulip festivals. In fact, not sure I ever saw tulips growing there. Now chocolate from Droste I certainly discovered. If you are going to be in Amsterdam you should be able to try some.
I can buy Droste here, probably cheaper. And if it happened in the past, it is historical. Sorry.😁
DeleteCan you? I`ve never seen it outside Holland. Yes, logically I know, but if it happened in my lifetime it doesn't seem like history.
DeleteI used to buy their cocoa powder. And I have seen their candy in stores. You can buy many of their products on Amazon.
DeleteThat book sounds lovely. For some reason I had to write about festivals a while ago and I believe tulip festivals came up but I can't remember what the context was. I think I've done FAR too much freelance writing work at this point!
ReplyDeleteWill have to check out this book after the challenge (I have developed a quite big to be read list after reading lots of great book recommendations). Too cute about the tulip bulbs being eaten up; however, I am sure you were not amused.
ReplyDeletebetty
No more amused than I was this morning when I saw all the new daylily shoots eaten.
DeleteJ here, of the #atozchallenge Arlee Bird's A to Z Ambassador Team.
ReplyDeleteHow has the first week of the challenge been for you so far? Are you meeting your goals of posting and hopping to other blogs? Looking forward to Sunday off?
My blog's giveaways are still going! I'm encouraging everyone to visit more stops.
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
Interesting. I haven't heard of that book.
I have, obviously, heard of Harry Potter.
Posting is no problem, but keeping up with comments and visiting surely is. Having a two-year old running around all day demanding attention takes a toll on blogging, but this over-indulgent grandma knows where her priorities lie - On the floor playing train, lol.
DeleteThe book title sounds very intriguing! I too bought the last of the HP series while on holiday and in hardback, and then had to carry that heavy tome everywhere.
ReplyDeleteNilanjana
Madly-in-Verse
Yes I have learned not to buy books when travelling by air. Now I buy books about placed I visit when I get home (on Amazon).
DeleteI am adding "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" to my library list for this week. With all your posts I want to visit Michigan. :)
ReplyDeleteYou could spend a lot of time here seeing everything. We have something for every one during all seasons of the yer.
DeleteI have not heard of that book. It actually sounds really good. I always remember a book I read when in High School that started off as boring. It was about people and their lives in Halifax in 1917. The. We got to that explosion and I was enthralled into their lives. I can never remember the name of that book. We got some tulips as a gift and I had no idea they could smell. They were so fragrant.
ReplyDeleteAccording to goodreads there are 22 books about the explosion. Guess I'll pick one and put it on my TBR list.
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