I pre-ordered the 3rd book in “The Lost Bride” trilogy by Nora Roberts after having read the first two. I had waited for the 3rd for what seemed like a long time (was actually about 6 months) when I finally got it!
I immediately started re-reading the first book in the trilogy – “Inheritance.” Had trouble putting it down even though I had read it before. I love the characters and the whole premise of inheriting a haunted house from a family a young woman didn’t know she had, moving to a new part of the country, starting a business and more.
I’m now re-reading book 2, “The Mirror.” I really would like to know these characters – strong, talented, smart young women who have decided to live in the mansion together and tackle the problem of one of the ghosts. The new men in their lives add wonderful flavor and interest.
The third book in the trilogy is called, “The Seven Rings.” I can’t wait to dive into it and discover how this ends.
One of my all-time favorite movies is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Audrey Hepburn. I had a collection of favorites on several shelves at our home in Arkansas, but they had to be left there when we moved to Thailand.
Brian subscribed to Netflix for me here so I could watch movies, but this one wasn’t available, as was the case with several others. He figured out a way to download some of my favorites, convert them to the proper format, and then move them to the “computer” section on my TV!
Now I’m busy making lists of my favorite actors and actresses, finding their films and seeing if Netflix offers them. If it does, I’m putting them in my ‘watch list.’ If not, I give them to Brian.
So far, I’ve been so busy, I haven’t taken time to watch a movie. With some of my favorites available now, I’m looking forward to spending an afternoon diving into one of them!
I finished reading this book yesterday. The Cyclops Effect is written by CJ Williams, a husband and wife team. I don’t read a lot of science fiction, but my husband practically insisted I would like it. HE. WAS. RIGHT!
Asha loses her eye in a car accident. This is replaced with an implant by a gifted surgeon/inventor. She discovers that the implant does more than even the surgeon expects, making it possible for her to SEE the Internet inside her brain and react with it.
The plot is well written and action-packed. In fact, I told my husband I had to take a break from time to time to ‘rest’ and let what I had read settle a bit before continuing. I read it in two days, though, completely drawn to the story and the characters, wanting to find out what happened.
I highly recommend this if you enjoy strong women characters and complex situations written in a way that allows you to follow, even if you’re not a science fiction aficionado or techie.
“Ghosts, after all, cannot mount daring rescue missions, they cannot pilot spaceships, they cannot fight, and they cannot save their loved ones, no matter how badly they may want to. But I could, Ellie will say, if you show me how…”
“Her story is not about a chair. Her story is about her strengths and how they rose out of her instinctive vulnerabilities.“
Watercolor Dreams – Book 1 of Jake Moriarity series – R. G. Ryan – @RGRyan777 on X
“Jake Moriarity…a lost soul in a desperate search to find this lost girl. Moriarity can save her, but first, he has to find her. And the only thing he has to go on is like a watercolor painting that has been left out in the rain with all the colors running together.“
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I’m an avid reader. I love to get lost in a book – a world different from mine – a place to escape and live in another’s shoes for a while. I have several favorite authors and a good collection of a bunch of their books. I re-read them in an ongoing basis, adding to my collection if my favorites are still with me and writing, treasuring the worlds and characters they created if they’re not.
Rarely I find new authors who speak to me. Somehow in the past year I’ve found THREE – Simon Panneton, Ryan Rae Harbuck, and R. G. Ryan. I found them on X and follow them – and have actually exchanged messages with them. I’ve found them to be caring and interesting people, in addition to writing books I love. Isn’t that amazing and wonderful?
I’ve read the three books I’ve listed above and highly recommend each of them to you. I’ve provided a link to each book so you can find them easily on Amazon. Each will touch you and leave you changed – enriched – MORE.
There is a group of 6 books on Amazon comprising the Jake Moriarity series by R. G. Ryan. You can click on the link above to go there, but I have to warn you. If you enjoy strong, interesting people who confront scary situations, risking life and limb in order to save people in bad situations and right grievous wrongs in doing so, you may become addicted, as I have.
Jake Moriarity is a complex man. He insists that his work is ‘finding people,’ rather than the labels people would like to use, such as ‘private detective’. He’s very skilled and smart, with a special ability to see a crucial bit more than normal people might in a given situation, making the difference between success and failure. He’s a loner, but is very close to a chosen few and their interactions will make you tear up.
R.G. Ryan is a good writer. He crafts interesting stories for these wonderful characters. He is witty, with interesting turns of phrases. He has a strong sense of the ironic, making me snort sometimes from the sarcasm in one breath, then becoming quite touched a sentence or two after that. (My favorite lines in #6 are, “Weeping ensued. Treysi cried as well.”)
I just finished #6 and have downloaded #7. I follow him on X (the former Twitter). He told me that “Here Be Darkness”, #9 should be out by the first week in June, and that he started #16 a couple of weeks ago. I keep reading several books in-between treating myself to one of his because I don’t want to run out. :0)
R.G. Ryan is a new author – to me. He has written several books, but I just discovered him yesterday.
We follow each other on X. (He is @RGRyan777) He writes. He plays in a band. He phrases it that he lives with his ‘first wife’ – since my husband does the same, I was immediately intrigued.
Since my funds are limited, I used my Kindle Unlimited membership to obtain the first book in his Jake Moriarity series. In the series, Jake is quite irritated when he is referred to as a ‘private investigator,’ preferring to describing his work as ‘finding lost people or things.’
In “Watercolor Dreams” Jake is looking for a young woman he feels might be in trouble. This isn’t something he has been commissioned to do by a client – he just feels in his gut that something is terribly wrong and he needs to find “Vanessa.” He and his long-time good friend Aaron work together to try to do this.
The story here was good. It kept my interest. I started this book yesterday afternoon and read until I finished it, stopping to feed animals and humans, clean up, etc. plus handle nature calls, but non-stop, otherwise.
I loved R.G. Ryan’s sense of humor and wit sprinkled throughout. His appreciation of irony, his understanding of his strengths and limitations, and laugh at himself, added interest. His description of the bond between Jake Moriarity, the main character, and his friend, Aaron, was moving.
I cared about the characters. I want to know them better. I’ve ordered Book 2 of the 6 book series.
I have preordered the paperback version of J.D. Robb’s (Nora Roberts) “Payback in Death” that will be released December 26th.
To celebrate, I’m rereading the In Death series, totally enjoying being immersed again in LT. Eve Dallas’ world in about 2060 for book #42, “Brotherhood in Death.”
“Payback in Death” is #57 in the series, and #58 – “Random In Death” – is due out in hardback at the end of January 2024.”
Even though Eve Dallas is a murder cop and has to deal with the worst that humans can do to one another, the whole series is about grabbing what’s true, what’s good in life, trying to absorb as much of what’s right in the world as you can, treasuring the people who make our world special.
Eve has made it a point to be strong and independent, self-sufficient, almost impenetrable, and yet in each book in the series, she opens up a bit more, lets more in, cares more, understands what is important more. She prides herself on her objectivity and can-do attitude, but what makes her the best at her job is her humanity and caring.
I downloaded this book on my Kindle a month or so ago and loved it, racing through the 526 pages of it to find out what happened. I then did something I almost never do – I started it again, reading it much more slowly so that I could savor the clever and unique turns of phrases employed throughout the book.
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A few examples –
“Swing straining a little under the weight of kids trying to kick the blue off the sky.”
“her face painted ten shades of astonished.”
“I can’t find words big enough to fit how I feel.”
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Next, I did something I’ve NEVER done – I contacted the author, telling him how much I loved the book, writing a review on Amazon (my first) and telling YOU about it on my blog.
THEN I did something I REALLY don’t do much anymore. I have more books than I have shelves, even though I regularly donate books to our local library for book sales. Book are expensive, so I’m trying to only keep books I NEED to have with me. Also, since money flies out the windows these days, more and more with inflation, I’m trying to read my Kindle more and more, limiting myself mainly to what I can find through my free Kindle subscription – even though even Kindle is starting to charge me monthly. I bought this one, though, even saying all the above. Even having had read it twice already.
This is Simon Panneton’s first book. It’s already one of my favorites and “have-to-haves-for-my-own.”
It came yesterday. My husband opened the package, leaving the book on the dining area table for me. This morning he asked me about it. Then asked if he could borrow it and read it. Since I know where he lives (:0) and am sure he’ll return it, I’m letting him read it.
I highly recommend this book and am eagerly awaiting his next one.
I don’t actually have this hole in our back yard, but one about half this size is what I mentally picture from time to time when my husband and I are having a disagreement…
I won on the latest ‘discussion’ of whether Amber should be wearing her cone or not. Her surgery was Wed. This is Saturday. She’s supposed to wear it at least a week, if not two, so she doesn’t mess with the stitches on her arm or paw at her eyes. End of discussion? NOOOOOO. Just the beginning. After I went outside to contemplate the hole, my husband finally relented, so Amber is protected from herself again. Fighting over things that shouldn’t be issues is exhausting.
I read Intermittent Fasting for Seniors by Norah Halstead recently, since I’m trying to put together things that will help me lose and then keep off my lard. Norah’s book made me want to learn more – specifically, more details of what to do and how to make it work.
I’m now reading the 8 Hour Diet. It expands on the idea of intermittent fasting, zeroing in on the time I had chosen from Norah’s book, where you fast for 16 hours and then eat during an 8 hour time window. I’ve been doing this for several days now, even without more information, and the scales began to notice this morning. The smirking was less, enabling a small smile to appear on MY face. I’ve been bouncing around about 10 pounds off lately, and this morning I have almost 12 pounds off. I feel that I’m working a 1,000 piece puzzle, but the pieces are finally beginning to come together.
I’m about half way through my first reading of the book. I’m dog-earring pages to read later (like success stories) because I’m already convinced that this might help me in my efforts. I’m digging for the meat – the details these two men are providing – that may lead to success for me. I’ll share more as I go, but thought I would go ahead and recommend this book in case you are considering intermittent fasting.
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Craftsman – Lowe’s
We have a push weed whacker similar to this. I’ve been planning to use ours to do a major clean-up around our garden. It’s WAAAAAY to wet to do it now. I was just walking Amber and came in with not only my shoes wet, but my jeans about half way up to my knee! Waiting till afternoon seems good, but the temperatures have been climbing into the 90s – too hot for me to do much. I’ll give it a try, but I may have to wait until the afternoon temperatures moderate a bit more.
I hope that you enjoy this last day of September. I’m hoping that October brings us some good fall weather.
I just finished reading this book and enjoyed it a lot. It’s a story of a waitress and an architect who have both made choices in the past that proved to be so hurtful they had closed themselves off emotionally.
Katie has created interesting, real people in this book that I grew to care about. They had real reasons for doubting their judgment when it came to choices involving love and family. They are both intelligent and honorable, caring about others close to them, making their choices even harder. A character I particularly liked was Fran, the owner of the restaurant where Morgan, the waitress, worked.
I recommend this book and hope that Katie will write more in this Connolly Family series.
This is a good beginner book on growing herbs to be used in a holistic, more natural way to treat health problems and concerns. It, of course, cautions you to talk with your healthcare provider before you start adding to your synthetic, commercial options or doing any substituting, but herbal remedies are said to be safer than what you might be taking or using now.
There are good sections on growing your own herbs, storing them for use as dried herbs, essential oils, or salves, or including them in your meals for general well being. There is also a guide to more information in books and websites on the subject.
I particularly liked a section on building your own “herbal first aid kit.”
I have long thought about the idea of growing herbs on my divider in my kitchen so I can pinch off a bit to use in cooking. I’ve also been impressed by people who know which herb is good for upset stomach, or what to brew in a tea to help you sleep better. I like the idea of being able to substitute some herbs for commercial stuff I’m taking where possible.
This book is a good start on healing herbs. I will keep it for reference. I want to read more, but I’m getting less intimidated by the whole idea of fresh herbs than I used to be.
She presented 3 choices as to methods of fasting. I didn’t even realize I had a choice! I think I’m going to try the one where I fast from 8pm until the next day at noon.
She also discusses taking into account your health condition or concerns, any schedules on taking your medicines, and, of course, talking to your doctor to make sure it’s a good idea for you. She stresses eating healthy whole foods during your ‘eating window.’
There is a good section on sources for the information she provides so that you can read further or clarify anything you would like.
If you’re considering this alternative to a diet, or addition to one you’re already on, reading this book may sway you one way or the other.
Norah Halstead – From Brush to Canvas – A Journey through the world of Landscape Painting for Artistic Souls
Norah discusses the different types of landscape painting, some of the tools required, a few ideas of marketing your finished paintings, and more.
This is a good introduction to the importance of deciding what you want to DO with your paintings – whether your aim is to paint realistic versions of what you see in front of you at a particular point in time, or an impressionistic version that brings out the emotion and atmosphere of an area, whether you prefer desert, mountains, cities, oceans, and the importance of paying attention to the wonder of the world around you.
She concentrates on really taking the time to SEE and appreciate – the time of day, the light and shadows, the textures, colors, the mixture of ‘scapes,’ such as a coastal city and the differences in techniques and pallets that requires, whether to include people or not.
An overview of the subject, trying to get you to pick up your brushes and dive in, not being afraid to experiment in trying to express your impressions of the world around you.
My initial reaction to reading this is to decide I like ‘impressionism’ and that I personally wouldn’t like to do ‘plein air’ painting because I would be embarrassed to be out where people might come and want to see what I was doing. Since I would be embarrassed that my painting wouldn’t look a THING like what I was obviously trying to paint, I would want to be sucked down into the earth. I would much rather work from a photo or other image of some kind, and I like the idea of going for an emotion or atmosphere, rather than realism.
Okay. You’ve fallen in love with a ball of fur who is busily licking your face and making you laugh. With the furball, you’ve brought home a collar, food and water dishes, a leash – maybe a bed. Now what?
You’ve taken on this big responsibility of not only accepting a new member into your family, but will need to make sure your dog is not a menace to the neighborhood, doesn’t eat your husband’s shoes, knows to go outside to pee, doesn’t bite your best friend…
Norah Halstead’s book, ‘Furball: The well mannered pup will bring up all these questions and ones you haven’t thought of yet, giving you some broad guidelines on how to get started on a firm foundation for all of you. She covers housebreaking, socialization, where your furbaby should sleep, what you should teach him or her, and more. There is also a good section on other sources to get further help.
Nice beginning book that will get you started in pupdom.
After reading this book, I’m making a promise to myself to include further leash training with my dog, Amber, who minds us when we are all by ourselves at home, but looks at us as if she has never seen us before and has suddenly gone completely deaf when someone comes to the house.
If we need to take Amber to the vet, she is 95 pounds of eager dogdum who can become fixated on getting where she wants to go regardless of whether she is on a leash or not. I need to work on that.
Also, the suggestion that you invite someone to your home (preferably a good, patient friend) who will sit there patiently watching you try to get your dog to do the stuff he or she does quite readily usually, but suddenly is only interested in visiting with your friend, is a good one for us.
Since I can remember I’ve always wanted to grow some of my own veggies and also grow and use herbs. I’ve done some of the first with various ranges of success and still want to do the second.
Norah Halstead has written a good general case for growing your own veggies and herbs organically both for your improved health and for the sake of the planet. She explains that you can enjoy this no matter how limited your space is, and walks you through what you need to know to create a rich environment for your plants. She managed to punch through most of my intimidation about growing, storing, and using herbs, both for my cooking and the idea of using some for medicinal purposes. The more medicines I end up taking, the more I would LIKE to be able to go as natural as possible when I can.
I would like her to concentrate on a book JUST about herbs, giving more information about what each herb does, more hints about how to grow each, when to harvest, more information about storing them after harvest, how to store the seeds for next season, and more.
We are older before we know it. Do you have a plan for facing your ‘more mature’ senior years feeling healthy and able to stay active? Neither do I. I just kind of slid into my dotage, doing whatever each day, denying that I might need to actually have a ‘plan.’
Norah Halstead puts the parts you should be considering into one place. There are other books on specifics as to which exercises, or particular nutrition facts to meet your particular needs, but this is a ‘standing-back’ over-all starter book for the areas you need to concentrate on so that you don’t fall victim to the ‘use it or lose it’ syndrome. She covers nutrition, exercise, the importance of social interaction, mental exercises, relaxation and more.
There were two things I particularly liked in her book:
1) there is a section on her suggestions for good sources of experts on particular areas if you want to learn more.
2) There is also a section on relaxation techniques – an area that I’m dealing with on a daily basis right now.
So, if you’re like me, and have basically ignored the whole idea of planning to age gracefully – just hoping for the best – this is a book that can get you started on at least THINKING about having a plan, with the areas that will become more and more important to you.
“Everyone has a chair. That thing you are bound to or unwillingly defines you. An element that makes you different from the rest. One that you have little choice in the matter. What’s YOUR chair?”
At 16, she was in a horrific car accident that caused her to live the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Instead of feeling sorry for herself (although of COURSE she did at times) she stood back (mentally) assessed her situation, decided what she wanted to change and DID IT. Over and over again. And is still doing it.
This is a real memoir. Honest. Sometimes hard to read. It’s inspiring because something that could have limited the rest of her life, killing her hopes and dreams, was actually a springboard to all she would do and become.
I highly recommend when i grow up i want TO BE A CHAIR – a memoir by Ryan Rae Harbuck.
Something about a post on Twitter recently had me reading a SciFi/Fantasy book about the adventure of 12-year-old Ellie, an orphan who has run away from life and seems to be trying to simply curl up and disappear.
This is not my normal reading matter. The characters and situation grabbed me, though, sucking me in, making me care and keep reading to find out what happened next. It’s 528 pages and I finished it in 3 days. I’m still reverberating, still full of all kinds of emotions.
The action was such that I was forced to take breaks to catch my breath. I laughed at unexpected humor, even in scary situations, that grew throughout the adventure. And, as situations do with real people, some things made me tear up and cry. I appreciated unique descriptions and turns of phrases. They made me notice, but added richness, rather than distracting from the story.
An unexpected gift was that Simon Panneton is a real person. I posted that I was reading his book and he ANSWERED. This is his first book, now published and ready for sale on Amazon (link above). He actually cared what I thought. Yeah. I know. Amazing.
I expect this is the first of what will be a long, successful career. I highly recommend The Last Flight of the Starleap. It is well worth your time. I’m now twisting Simon’s arm, holding his nose to the grindstone, trying to get him to write more as quickly as possible.
A favorite trilogy of ours is the one by Sieg Larsson. We call it “The Dragon Series”, but it consists of three books, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,”“The Girl Who Played with Fire,” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” The books were later made into movies, and therein lies the debate – who did the best job as the main character, “Lisbeth Salander” ?
I just tried to look up the three movies and their casts, and it’s confusing, to say the least. The bottom line is that the main male character was played by Michael Nyqvist and then by Daniel Craig. We think Michael Nyqvist did the better job.
There were three actresses who played Lisbeth Salander: Noomi Rapace, Roony Mara, and Claire Foy. Each was interesting, but we like Noomi Rapace better. We haven’t seen her in anything else, and the other two actresses have each been in several other things.
If you haven’t read the books and seen the movies, dive in. They are a real experience. If you HAVE, please join the debate.
We have pretty much given up movie night here at the Lewises because our taste in movies is so different. My husband loves ACTION – action at any cost – VIOLENCE – the more violent, the better.
I want a plot, a story I can get my teeth into. I want characters I care about. I want real acting. I don’t mind a lot of action, but I don’t want that, and special effects, to be the most important part of the movie. I want to CARE who wins. I want to FEEL, not just cringe.
Amazingly, my husband found a movie we both loved last night, called, “The Adam Project.” It came out in 2022. It starred Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Garner, and Mark Ruffalo, among others. It has a science fiction theme, featuring time travel. “Even though the movie has the “Back to the Future” aesthetic, it touches on an overall theme of family, loss and healing.” ~ IGN
I found Ryan Reynolds to have a really appealing face and decided that he’s a very good actor, though this is the first time I remember him playing something other than a super hero. Walker Scobell, the boy in the movie, has a wonderfully expressive face and plays a feisty, loveable character. There is realness and humor, plus I teared up several times. A good amount of CGI and special effects, but used to enhance the story.
If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it.
I’ve enjoyed three books lately that I will keep and read over and over. I wanted to share them with you so that you can give yourself a gift, plus – if you feel the way I do about them – you’ll buy and give to others –
Reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne with illustrations by E. H. Shepard, this is a deceptively simple book full of hand-written quiet wisdom and illustrations that grab your heart. Here is a sample –
“I’ve discovered something better than cake.”
“No you haven’t,” said the boy.
“I have,” replied the mole.
“What is it?”
“A hug. It lasts longer.”
This is a good one to keep by your reading chair, where you can pick it up any time your heart needs a lift.
Curtis Wiklund and his wife are professional photographers. His wife participated in a challenge to take one photo a day. While his wife did that, he decided to draw one sketch each day. His subject matter was his marriage – their everyday lives, challenges, and love. His illustrations are heartfelt and his love shines through like a beacon. Some will make you laugh, others will fill your heart, some might make you cry. All are special. Here is a sample –
A beautiful reminder of what sharing your life with someone can be. How strong a bond can be.
This is a very quick read, but one you find yourself thinking about and absorbing. 44 Life Lessons presented with sass and humor and wit. Ideas that will make you rethink some things you thought you knew, that you believed, that you might not have been aware you believed and lived by. I’ve read it once so far. I smirked. I laughed out loud. And I’ve thought about it since. I plan to read this one again and again so that I can really absorb the breezy wisdom here. I like the way Karen Salmansohn thinks. I’ll go see if she has written other books. Here is a sample –
“Life Lesson # 7 – You — and those you’ve befriended/worked with/slept with – each of you – just like plants – comes with your own unique feeding manual. You each have your own needs and speeds for growth. You must read each person’s instruction manual carefully – then proceed with caution!”
I read this book yesterday. I would LIKE to believe that Tyler Henry is, indeed, a medium and that he CAN be a conduit for people. I will remain skeptical until I can get my OWN reading by him, and that won’t happen. It is an interesting book. I was hard-pressed to put it down yesterday. I felt a push to read what he had to say. I will probably read it again soon, more slowly, trying to digest some of the profound things he said. A lot to think about. I will also get his second book, Here & Hereafter, when it becomes more affordable.
I finally got my rental of this movie after waiting for what seemed like forever. I’m probably the last person on the planet to see this, but just in case, I wanted to make sure you had the chance.
If you didn’t like the series, don’t bother with this movie. If you loved the series, as I did, it’s more delicious icing on an already perfect cake.
My main feeling was that it was more a ‘reunion’ than a stand-alone movie. It was a celebration of seeing faces you had come to love and hear the voices you had missed. The writers did a good job of introducing some new things while taking care to tie off many loose ends.
As usual, I both laughed and cried. I can’t really relate to all the wealth and their extravagant lifestyle, but the rich characters transcended that technicality. I feel a sense of closure now that I didn’t before.
We watched “Those Who Wish Me Dead” last night and thought it was a good movie. The main star was Angelina Jolie, and she did a good job. I was more impressed by a couple of people I didn’t know – Finn Little and Medina Senghore.
Medina played a policeman’s wife. She dominated every scene she was in. I would like to see more of her movies.
Finn was amazing. He was a child – and usually that’s just an ancillary part, but he was the main point of the movie. The synopsis of the movie is, ‘A teenage murder witness finds himself pursued by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness with a survival expert tasked with protecting him — and a forest fire threatening to consume them all.’
We may be the last people on the planet to see this movie, but we watched it last night, absolutely loved it, and highly recommend it. We have ordered “A Quiet Place II” now.
The plot revolves around a father (Krasinski) and a mother (Emily Blunt) who struggle to survive and raise their children (Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe) in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by blind monsters with an acute sense of hearing.
I don’t like horror movies. This one was intelligent, scary, and grabbed me from the first minute. The acting was superb.
If, by some reason you haven’t seen it, I suggest you put it on your list.
We just watched “News of the World” starring Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel. It was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long, long time.
My husband loves movies with lots of action, lots of CGI effects, lots of things blowing up, violence, etc. I’m not sure how this one got on his list, but I’m really glad.
It has a plot, real actors, people you care about, and more.
“Five years after the end of the Civil War, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl taken by the Kiowa people. Forced to return to her aunt and uncle, Kidd agrees to escort the child across the harsh and unforgiving plains of Texas. However, the long journey soon turns into a fight for survival as the traveling companions encounter danger at every turn — both human and natural.”
My husband recommended Ashfall by Mike Mullen several months ago. I was too engrossed in re-reading other books to try it until a couple of days ago.
I was thoroughly caught up on the first page and read as much as I could each day, finishing it this afternoon. It is a ‘youth’ series, written for teenagers. My husband usually chooses books with LOTS of violence, but he was caught up in the story, as well, and recommended it to me, thinking I would enjoy it.
This is a 3-book series – Ashfall, Ashen Winter, and Sunrise (with more to follow, I hope) about teenagers caught in the utter catastrophe of an eruption of the super-volcano that is Yellowstone.
I was totally caught up in the characters, situation, emotions, decision-making and more of this first book. I CARED what happened to these people and reacted as they did as they met each obstacle.
I have ordered the second and third books, plus another called Darla’s Story, and can’t wait to find out what happens next.
The Weight Loss Mindset: 10 Thoughts that Are Keeping You Fat and How Changing Your Mind Can Change Your Body Kindle Edition by Sarah Patterson
I read this book last night. A lot of it I already “knew,” but zeroing in on the mind games I’ve been playing with myself hit me right between the eyes.
This is a well-written book that doesn’t waste your time. It’s straight-forward, explaining the 10 “thoughts,” but not beating you into the ground with them. Two of them in particular grabbed me. I will keep reading this book again until I really SEE how I’m sabotaging myself, kidding myself, and slowing my efforts to be as healthy as I can be.
Another thing I like is that the purpose of this book is to really talk to you – NOT sell you a product. She says straight out that you will get from it as much as you are willing to put into it.
“Parker began writing his Spenser novels in 1971 while teaching at Boston’s Northeastern University. Little did he suspect then that his witty, literate prose and psychological insights would make him keeper-of-the-flame of America’s rich tradition of detective fiction. Parker’s fictional Spenser inspired the ABC-TV series Spenser: For Hire.”
I’m enjoying re-reading my collection now. I think there are 40 Spenser books. Ace Atkins is continuing the series, but they seem a pale shadow to me.
It’s been awhile since I re-read the series. I’m snorting at his wonderful sense of humor, his beautiful sarcasm, his honesty and straightforward writing, his great description. Spenser is a complicated character. I find him fascinating.
If you have not discovered this amazing writer, you’re in for a priceless experience.
“Sawyer Reed is heading home after rambling for seven years after the Civil War ended. His family’s cattle ranch is waiting, and he is ready to get to work. On his way home from Mexico, Sawyer runs into a mysterious woman who will change his life and his future forever. Josephine Alverez is a chef at a posh restaurant in San Antonio, Texas in the year 2020. She is off for a weekend of fun when she is sucked into a miniature blue twister. Jo is thrown back in time to 1872. A man saves her life after she is nearly murdered, and Jo must come to grips and adapt to this new world. It is the wild west and she has fallen into an old fashion western.”
My husband recommended this book to me, and loaned it to me on my Kindle when I finished reading the last book in the In Death Series, # 51, Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts.)
This is a very intriguing time travel story. The characters were well drawn. When I finished the book, I was a bit sad because I would have liked it to continue.
I recommend this book. I will look for other books by S.A. Ison.
If you read it, please let me know what you think.
We watched this yesterday. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an entertaining movie everyone can enjoy.
It has an all-star cast, but one actress stole the show, in my opinion – Octavia Spencer, who played the grandmother. I’ve been impressed with her before, but she was exceptional in this movie.
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