Book Update

I read another book in the Julie Garwood series. The mystery itself wasn't an interesting as some of the other ones in the series -  I did pick up on the one hint as to who was the bad guy.  Maybe the other books had hints and I just didn't pick up on them....or maybe this book wasn't as good as some of the others.

I did have problem with the part of the love story. The hero was partner of the heroin's brother. This brother and some of the others were not as protective as I thought the author would have them to be. Just excepted it to be part of the story....maybe that was part of the reason I was slightly disappointed in this one.

And yes, it pretty much went by her "formula".

I did read another book  this week that was delightful: Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell.  I really liked the story.  The author is from California and I think she needed to do a little more research about the state of Louisiana. At one point she mentioned a "county" fair.  Now...anyone that's been actually IN Louisiana knows we don't' have counties...and so....we don't have "county" fairs.  We have State Fairs and festivals....lots and lots of festivals. And as one friend pointed out, most of our festivals are named after food. Maybe a few animals....especially the ones we can eat...  But the story itself was very nice.

But since I know she got a few things about Louisiana wrong, makes me wonder what she got wrong about Paris (where the majority of the story takes place), but since I've never been to France, I don't know what's right and what's slightly off.

The author took an old French legend and wrote how she thought the real story could have possibly played out.  It was just a delightful book!

This and That And Halloween

I hate Halloween. 

Part of it is because of the history of it...and part of it is because as my kids were growing up they really didn't get into it (yes....that may be part of my fault!!)  William never liked anything the least bit scary.  Halloween is getting scarier and scarier as the years go by.  But, also, none of my kids could eat the candy they would have gotten trick-or-treating due to food allergies. 

Now -or at least in my part of town - Halloween is just a reason for people - teenagers!-  to be flat out wild and crazy.  Urggg..

So...I'll be back in my bedroom with all the lights off tonight.

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I have been making my way through the contemporary murder/romance series by Julie Garwood.  As I read back-to-back books by the same author, I can see her "formula".  For the most part the ones I have read all have the same things in common: the hero and heroine are totally opposites, the heroine is knock-out-gorgeous; the hero a total "man's man" (very macho - like lots of muscles), and  many being in some type of law enforcement, some bad guy wants to kill the heroine and so the hero needs to be by her side constantly.  Which, of course, makes them fall in love - BUT!! They fight it.  They usually do end up in bed, but both say it's only gonna happen that once - then for different reason, the hero has to leave the heroine usually because they think they have the bad guy.

But, then, no. There's another guy that's REALLY the bad guy.  But in the end they do get the real bad guy. And yes, the hero and heroine decide after a near-death event, they can't live without the other.

So, why do I keep reading?  Ms. Garwood has been very creative on the mystery part....I'm enjoyed seeing what she comes up with. Also, the humor between the characters is very entertaining...and I LOVE when characters from other books make an appearance...it's like seeing an old friend.

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Speaking of old friends...yesterday I was able to have lunch with one of my best friends from high school who was, also, my maid of honor at my wedding.  We talked and talked....like the years of separation had never happened.  She was in town for a college reunion event, but may have to come back on town due to work....I hope so. I would love to meet up again.

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Just to update any one that was concerned:  I found Benjamin's soccer shorts.  They were in a plastic bag deep under a ton of stuff that is slated for the Goodwill. 

Good thing it's been awhile since I made a donation to the Goodwill.... I seem to remember giving him the bag of soccer stuff so that it could get into his soccer backpack...yea....that didn't happen.

Books, Books, Books!

This summer I have taken a dive in the reading.  In June I came across a new author at my library, Karen E Olson.  I ended up reading her books in reverse order. At the library I found her newest books, Hidden and Shadow. This new series of her is about a computer hacker.  They are very good!!  Then I read her second series about a tattoo artist in  Las Vegas that has a knack for stumbling into murder scenes. I again found this series very entertaining.   I didn't really know a lot about the tattoo world, since I don't have any tattoos or any plans to get one. So, a look into this world  was interesting.  Then I read first series Olson wrote.  Well...hmm...yea.  Not as good as the two newer ones. It was about a forty year old single women who was a newspaper reporter.  I read the first book, but really didn't like the language, but thought it was get better. It didn't.  I started the second book of the series, but within a few pages the language was just as bad.  So, I didn't complete the book nor started the third of the series.

I know myself.  I don't want to say  cuss words, but I know myself.  If I hear them in tv shows or read them in books, they get in my head. If they are in my head, then they WILL come out in my mouth! Because of this, I really try to avoid books and shows with bad language.  Just not worth it .

This summer I have, also, read the Bible through with an on-line group. We started June 1 and finished by the end of August. Yep! That's fast.  We didn't stop and get bogged down by the parts that we didn't totally understand.  We wanted to get the over-arching story of God's redemption plan. This is the fastest I have read through the Bible.  It took about 30-45 minutes every day.  Most days I did my reading in the morning, but there were a few days where I had to read a little at a time through out the day.

In the past week or so I have read a series by Susan May Warren - her Deep Haven series. I found that I read two of the books in the past.  Each of these books can stand on their own in that they don't give away too much of the other story lines. I really think she wrote better as the series went along.  My favorite books were the books 4 (My Foolish Heart), 5 (The Shadow of Your Smile) and 6 (You Don't Know Me).  I had read book 6 several years ago and just realized that it went with this series. (Book 2 Tying the Knot was the other book I had read before.) Warren is a Christian writer and in each of these books, the characters dealt with issues of faith.

Last week I also read the first in a series by Ronie Kendig, also, a Christian writer. This series has military members as a theme. I waiting for the second book to be available through my library.  While the book (Digitalis) was enjoyable, there were a few parts that were just not realistic. Entertaining, but not realistic....sort of like some of the James Bond or Jason Borne movies that are out in the theaters now.

All of this reading means that I have not watched a lot of tv....mainly because, there's not a lot of good new stuff on the tv during the summer.  Also, this summer I worked on a photo album project and a quilt that's almost done. I try to quilt at least an hour most days.  The quilt I working on now just needs the binding added....so...it should be done this week....hopefully....unless I find more books to read!

Lazy Weekend

I love lazy mornings... and very glad today is one of them. Not much has happened this week...I did get a few things done, but with a few migraines, I read more than being productive at cleaning my house or working on a new quilt (that I have cut out, but have not had the motivation to start to lay out and piece together.) I even had the time off from work, since summer is a slow time for us.

I did come across a few new authors and have read them this week: Lisa Phillips and Karen E Olson.  Both write mysteries...and I enjoyed both.  The Olson book had a smattering of bad language, but not so much that I gave up on it. I'm looking forward to finding more from both at my library.

Today's main goal is to get Melissa ready for camp that starts tomorrow.  She has some scholarship opportunities through this camp and her and Drew will be finalizing those applications today.  She's a pretty good writer, but her dad? He's GREAT at editing things.

And tonight's main goal??? To make it to the James Taylor concert on time!!!  Should be a very entertaining concert!!

Books So Far in 2016

So far in 2016 I have read six books.  As I said this year I want to re-read some children classics. I have read the first two in the Narnia Chronicles.  And enjoyed both.  I had forgotten some of the details over the years. 

I have also read a series of three by Lynette Eason called Deadly Reunions. 1: When the Smoke Clears 2: When A Heart Stops 3: When a Secret Kills.  I enjoyed how the author wove the on going story through-out the series.  All were on the light side...an easy read, if you will.  While they are under "Christian Lit", I will say they are not overly Christian.  Lots of references to praying, or "God", but not evangelical at all.  And no sex scene at all! Which is very nice  I know what goes on in the bedroom - I don't need a play-by-play!

The book I finished this weekend is called Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. I only read this book because a friend asked me to - several times! She first gave me the book back in the summer. I tried to read it, but just couldn't get into it.  When I tried to give it back, she said - "no! I really want you to read it so we can talk about it!!'

Ok.  Fine. 

So, I forced myself to read it.  It's heavy on descriptive narratives to tell the story (what little story there it - it's mostly these non connecting stories)....very little dialogue. The story is told by an older man who is at the end of his life and wants to make sure his young son knows certain things about him and the town they live it.  The old man - a preacher - tells stories about his own family, the town they live in and the son of the preacher's best friend.  It seemed to be it wasn't until the end of the book that you learn the story behind this son of the friend. 

It just had too many descriptive narratives for my taste....yes, there were some beautiful sayings, but I won't be reading the companion book that tells the full story from this friend's son. I'll be skipping that one...and just go back to my children's classic or my light fiction....or maybe even a memoir....haven't read one of those yet this year....or one of the Christian theology/living books that's on my nightstand...

Books 2016

Book one of Narnia done...on to the book two 

Best Books from 2015

My reading goal for 2015 was to read twice as much non-fiction as fiction. And I did!  I read a total of 76 books, 53 non-fiction and 23 fiction. (Yes, I read fast. Yes, I love to read. Yes, you make time for what you really want to do! And I really enjoy reading!)

Here are some of the best:

Non-fiction:
The Bible...of course, I think it's the best book! And I really did read it through twice in 2015.  The first time was with my everyday translation, The Holman - pretty much beginning to end, but did skip around a little. The second time I read it through I use the Message and I read chronologically. 

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
Outliers - by Malcolm Gladwell
Women of the Word by JennWilkin
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nebeel Qureshi
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
The Billion Dollar Spy by David E Hoffman
How Dante Can Save Your Life by Rod Dreher
7 Men and Their Secret of Greatness by Eric Mataxas

Fiction:
Two really stood out to me this year:
The Martian by Andy Wier - and I enjoyed the movie...I mainly read it because of the movie version. I'm very glad I did!! I will give a warning though: the language is salty!!! Like a sailor!! But not in a vulgar way...sadly, the main character spoke like many people do today. But the amount of science in this fiction book? Amazing!  My whole family enjoyed the movie as well....might even try to see it again.
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah  - she is probably the top fiction author for me.  I think I have read everything she has published and have enjoyed each one. This one to me is her best work.  This would make a GREAT movie as well!

For 2016:
In looking ahead to this New Year one of my reading goals is to re-read some children classics. I'm looking forward to diving back into The Narnia Chronicles as well as The Borrowers. I, also, have my eye on some of Madeleine L'Engle books.  Some of these I read as a child and others I read with or to my children. I think it'll be refreshing to re-read these classics. I'm, also, looking into reading a few books that will be released as movies this year. (And yes, I know.  The book is always better!)

What did YOU read in 2015??  What do you want to read in 2016???

The Wright Brothers

Last night I finished my thirty-second book of the year, The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.  It was by far one of the best biographies I have read. These men and their story of learning to fly was fascinating.  They really had a sheer determination....very focused.

There were a few parts of their story that made me a little sad though.  Their father, Milton, was a preacher for the United Brethren Church in Christ - even made it to the office of Bishop in this denomination. But the author said the church stood for "the abolition of slavery, women's rights, and opposition to Freemasonry and its secretive ways" (p.11). What about the church standing for proclaiming the love of Jesus?  These issues are serious and need attention (well, maybe not the Freemasonry thing....not sure why they were so hot and bothered about them).  Maybe the author just didn't want to delve into Jesus, but still.... I hope Bishop Wright believed in and proclaimed Jesus.  But I'm not so sure.  While his children were great and upstanding people, this author did not talk about their spiritual beliefs and made it seem that their beliefs were more habits and traditions in stead of deep-seeded beliefs. (Such as the brothers did not work on Sunday - they wanted to honor the Sabbath.  But the author make it seem more like it was to rest instead of honoring the Lord.)

In the latter part of the book though, I think there's a hint as to what they believed  -or rather what they didn't believe.

The two Wright brothers had several other siblings - one being a younger sister, Katherine. All the siblings were close, but Orville and Wilber seem to be closer to Katherine as she was single like they were, lived together with their father, and traveled together as their fame began to grow. Many years after Wilber died of typhoid fever, Katherine at the age of fifty-eight married for the first time.

You would think that her brother, Orville, would have been happy for her - to have found love so late in life.  But he didn't. He seemed to like the husband - thought of him as a family friend. But he didn't want the marriage to happen. He refuse to attend the wedding nor speak to his sister after than.  Only as she laid on her death bed did Orville change his mind and see her (pg 258).  I hope there was forgiveness in that last conversation.

I can't help but think if the father preached Jesus' love and forgives than maybe time wouldn't have been lost and love would have been spoken instead of heated words.

Late in his life, Orville expressed sadness that his great flying machine became such a tool of death and destruction for war. It seemed he and his brother thought airplanes would being peace....not death. Sad to know that some many great inventions are used in ways far from the inventor's intention.

Five out of Thirteen

One of my goals last year was to read more non-fiction than fiction - which I did by one or two.  This year my reading goal is to read twice as much non-fiction as fiction. Right now I'm at five fiction out of thirteen. Not a bad start...most of my fiction has come this month. I guess I needed some light reading as I have been recovering from my surgery!

I just finished a book I bought in New Orleans while with Ben on his school trip.  It's Marcelle Bienvenu's Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make A Roux? (Book 1): A Cajun / Creole Family Album Cookbook.  It was fun seeing all the memories she had surrounding food.

And yes. There's a few recipes I just might try soon! I'll let ya know if they turn out well or not.

The Nightinggale

Several years ago I read Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah. Since then it has been one of my favorite works of fiction.  It's about two sisters learning of their mother's life and how she endured World War II and the following years under communist rule. As you read this book you want these people to be real! But then  you don't want them to be real, because you don't want anyone to have to endure all those horrors of Europe during that time. But what a great story!

This week I read another book by Kirsten Hannah - and once again, the character seems so real you want to meet them...but don't want anyone to have to endure the horrors of World War II.  The Nightingale is a story of another two sisters.  This book in place in France, but as in Winter Garden  there's parts of the story place in modern times. In Winter Garden the two sisters are in modern times looking back as they learn their family's story, and in The Nightingale the two sisters are in France during WWII just trying to survive while the modern story of one of the sister's son learning the truth of all his mother did during that horrible time.

An amazing story!  But as with many stories connected to WWII, you'll some tissues.....but worth it. 

Books of 2014

For the year 2014 I read 104 books.  My main goal for the year was to read more non-fiction than fiction.  And I did.  By five.  Not a large margin, but I'll take it.  For 2015 my goal is to read two times more non-fiction than fiction. So far, I'm on target. I have only read two books this New Year and they both are non-fiction. One I struggled to read (The Rules and Exercises of Holy Living) and one I really enjoyed (Fields of Faith).  And learned that I really don't enjoy reading a book writing in Old English!

As I look over the books of 2014, I picked out my favorites.  Here goes!

Non-fiction:
The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport - a biography of the last Russian Czar's daughters - very sad...but I learned  a lot.
 Joan by Donald Spoto - a biography of Joan of Arc - amazing....I didn't know much about her before reading this, I'm now I awe.
Rescuing Julie Twice by Tina Traster - a memoir of an adoption of a little girl suffering from Reactive Attachment Disorder....very good

The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Jeff Benedict and  Armen Keteyian - behind the scenes of college football -yep! It's all about the money  and winning!  (Warning: bad language and details of a sexual assault.) Fiction: Unwritten by Charles Martin - fantastic!!! Just may be my new favorite fiction book and author!!!  I, also, read several sci-fi series that were enjoyable. I think I most enjoyed the series placed in  a quilt shop. I'm looking forward to the books and authors I'll discover in 2015!

Joan of Arc

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, what I knew about Joan of Arc, I couldn't have said much.  I would hope that I would have said she was from France...but I'm not sure about that. I knew she was some how involved with the military...but I just didn't know her story.

But I do now.

Donald Spoto wrote a very entertaining book. He honored her story - her faith. It seems many thought out history disregarded her faith, but this author did not. While I'm not convinced he believes she truly heard the voice of God, he does honor her.

While I very sad at how she died at the hands of horrible men, I am glad to know her story.

Fustrated

You know....technology is great....WHEN IT WORKS THE WAY YOU WANT IT T0!!!

I had this great idea to listen to an audiobook while I do some hand sewing.  But first, I wanted to see how I would like it, so I tried to find an audiobook for free. Which I did.

But getting it to play on my kindle...or iphone....or laptop???  Seems to be out of my technology ability.  Need to get my personal Geek On Call...yes. That would be my husband.

Testing, Reading, and Scores

Today was the first day of state testing around here. I was one of the hall monitors....which basically means I ran errands for the teachers, watched their class as they took a quick bathroom break, but mainly sat in a desk in the hallway and read a book.  Not a bad day at all.  We started late due to a broken down bus (can't start until all students were there). One classroom in my hall way didn't finish until about 1:15!! What a long day for those kids!! Hopefully, tomorrow we'll start closer to on-time and finish sooner. Today was math, tomorrow, I think, is English.

Over the last two weeks I have read tons of fiction - probably way too much!  One of my goals this years has been to read more non-fiction than fiction, but I have not done so well on the non-fiction side in the last two weeks.  Today I read Walden On Wheels by Ken Ilgunas. Its about this guy that finished college with over $38,000 in debt. Not nearly as bad as some - his best friend had $66,000. But bad enough that he felt he was drowning in it.  He set a course to pay  it all off in the quickest time possible. And he did! He took jobs that included room and board - many were in far away places like Alaska and involved lots of manual labor.(With a liberal arts degree he couldn't find a job that would cover all living expenses and his monthly debt payments.) He paid all of the $38,000 in two and half years, then he decided to go  back to school for a masters.  The catch was he wanted to complete this degree totally debt free.  He achieved this by living in his van.  Not exactly homeless, but pretty close. It was all very interesting.

When I got home, this choice of reading material was even more interesting by two things in the mail: William's ACT scores and a pamphlet for the school of his choice  - with a list cost....over $14,000 a year. Luckily we live in a state that has a nice tuition program. It's called TOPPS. Any student with passing grades in high school and over a 20 ACT score will get a waiver on tuition (which is really half of the cost).

William first took the ACT as  9th grader...yes, early, but we wanted to know where we stood.  He made a 26.  He took it again as a 10th grader and got a 28. This year as an 11th grader he took it with the class during school instead of on a Saturday and made a 30. We were very proud of the 26 and 28, but very, very proud of that 30!!!  Hoping it'll bring in more scholarship money!!!

There's been a lot of reports in the news over the last year or so about student debt....how out of control it is....how so many students have degrees, but can't get a job...  A lot to think about as a parent.  I have friends who feel like they are responsible to pay for every cent college cost...and others who won't pay anything. Drew and I are somewhere in the middle.  But I do wonder how much is too much debt.

For now, William seems to be taken care of - smart boy!!  Now, on to the next two....Melissa actually takes the ACT as a 9th grader this Saturday....scores in about three weeks.

Books, Books, and More Books....My Crack

During 2012 I read about eighty books and for 2013 I read one hundred twenty-six. Yep - you read that right 126.  I love to read and yes, I am a fast reader. When Drew wants to unwind, he watches a movie or plays a computer game. I read.  I read a wide variety of books as well. Here's a few of the best....in my opinion.

Bio & Autobiographies: There were several that stuck out in my mind after I read them. I really enjoyed Unbroken by Laura Hillenbran.  Its the story of Louis Zamperini, He raced in the 1936 Olympics then joined the fight in WWII during which he was a POW in Japan. It's an amazing story of his survival.  It will be made into a movie for next Christmas. I, also, enjoyed Phil Vischer's Me, Myself and Bob.  He is the creator of Veggie Tales. This book is his story of the rise and fall of those beloved veggies, but really about how we can get caught up in our service to the Lord instead of focusing on the Lord Himself.  A lesson all Christians need to learn.

I, also, read a lot of books that could be categorized as Christian Living or even theology. The ABSOLUTE best is The Divine Commodity by Skye Jethani. I originally bought it as an ebook, but have recently ordered a hardcopy of it. I plan to re-read it, then pass it on to several friends so we can discuss it.  Skye Jethani writes about how the church has become consumed with being consumers. It really changed my way of thinking about the church.

Then there's the fiction side of what I read - by far the majority of what I read. Some were chapter books the kids have read and enjoyed. Others were mysteries.  I think some of the best were the Divergent  series by Veronica Roth. The three book series were similar in the Hunger Games as it's place in post-America, but these were by far better than the Hunger Games! The movie for the first book - Divergent - will be out in the spring.  I think it'll be a HUGE success.

Like a lot of women, many books I read were romance. Basically, they were Hallmark movies in book form! Others were more about life in general and less about romance...some were Christian some were secular. I really try to pick authors that write the story and not focus on the bedrooms action, but many times I knee deep in the book before I realize what the author has in store. I have learned to totally avoid some authors! I do enjoy Barbara Delinksy, Debbie MaComber, Kristen Hannah, Paul Richard Evans, Neta Jackson, Dani Pettrey, Jason Wright, ....well....there's a lot! Take a look at my list! Enjoy!

A Book Re-done

The other day I popped into the library as I was headed to pick up Benjamin from cross country practice.  I saw a book by Debbie Macomber I wasn't familiar with - I was so excited as she is one of my favorite author's. I glanced at the copyright date to make sure it was  new one - and it was - 2012.  In the past I have brought home what I thought was new book only to discover it was a new cover - which is why I didn't recognize it.

When I got home this time, I realized I was fooled again.  She (or her editors or publishers) took two of her old romance novels, put them into one book - added a new title. So, while the title was new, the stories were not.

I was fooled again! And disappointed.

Not that it stopped me from reading them. I can tell these were from her early years as a writer.  The characters and storyline were not as well thought out as her newer books are.

Oh, well.  I have found a new author (new to me anyway), Susan Mallery. While I wish her bedroom scenes were cleaner, her story lines and characters are very good.  Makes you want to go find this fictional town and move in and have dinner with some of these people.

But I guess that's what makes a good author - they make a make-believe place seem real.

Books to Read

I haven't read as much in the month of August as I usually do. I have worked on a few quilts, probably watched way too much TV, and  listened to two sermon series by Mark Driscoll. (Each series was about ten hours long.) He's a pastor from the Seattle area with Mars Hill Church - such good stuff!! I started listening to him by my iphone podcast, then looked up the website. There I found several series that was not on the podcast - he knows the WORD!

So. Not much reading around here. But I have read two books. The first was A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson from BooMama blog. Her blog is one of the first blogs I started to read based on a recommendation from my friend Polly (Hey, Polly!! Miss you!!).  She's very funny! Her book tells stories from her Southern family - being Southern as well, I can relate! There were several "laugh out load" moments! A great light-hearted book that tells the love of family and the Lord.

The second book I read this month is the autobiography of the VeggieTales creator, Phil Vischer, Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story about God, Dreams, and Talking Vegetables.
I, actually, heard about Mr. Vischer's book from his podcast - The Phil Vischer Podcast.
 An excellent read on several levels! He talks about the rise  - and fall - of his Big Idea company....how he produced Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomatoe - and how he lost it all. This book as some great business advice...what he did wrong and what he is doing right this time around with his new company, JellyFish Labs. But mainly, he talks about how we  should walk with God....that we should be like jellyfish... As jellyfish flow with the water currents because they have no backbone, we should flow with God's Will with no will of our own...to be totally in God's Will instead of living for ourselves. Good stuff!

While I still have two quilts that need binding and one that needs to be layered and quilted (and a totally different quilt that needs to be started!), I have my eye on another book....John Grisham's Theodore Boone: The Activist.  This is a series aimed at teens, but I have enjoyed it. It's one of the few series that William and I both enjoy. He said this book was not as good as the others in the series...guess I'll have to read to find out if I agree!

A Fiction Binge

For the last month or so I have been on a fiction binge. I usually read one or two fiction books, then something in from the non-fiction side of the library. But with the end-of-school and start of summer, I have just wanted to read and not think for awhile. I found several series and got a little caught up in reading them - all of them....in the quickest amount of time possible it seems.

Two series are from Christian author Denise Hunter and two series are from secular author Nora Roberts. I, also, read one stand-alone from Nora Roberts - these are the first books of hers that I have read in...well...probably close to a decade. I use to read all her books, but then she started to write with a paranormal bent....one character went from a man to a wolf....another would have conversations with a fairy. Yea. Not my taste. I have not read any of the vampire books that have been popular lately. Just not me. I was disappointed that in one of these new series that a ghost was in the mix. But by then I was taken in by the other characters.

While I could have done without the strong language and the few love scenes, her characters are very compelling...like you want them to be real and go and hang  out with them. One series had a set of three brothers. I always love books and series that have a strong family as a major part of the plot. Also, both sets of Nora Robert's books had sets of friends that were unbreakable....friends that would stay together through thick and thin....friends that have known each other for most of their lives and plan to life  out the rest of their lives close by. I missed that being a military wife. I have met some amazing friends in my adult life, but time and distance have left their mark.

The Denise Hunter series was...just okay...in fact I really couldn't get into the second series.  Read the first chapter then the skimmed the rest the book. All of these series were more or less just love or romance books. But I did read a Dee Henderson book that was anything but "just romance"

Dee Henderson's latest book, Full Disclosure, was full of twist and turns as the two main characters tried to solve a murder mystery. But she also did something I never had read before -or at least never realized it - she wrote herself into the book and mentioned her other books. It was very interesting. The murder mystery was very interesting, but the romance side of the book was way too cerebral for me. The two falling in-love characters analyzed it to death, I felt like. But I think that was better than Nora Roberts book where clothes go flying off without thought!

I, also, read a Danielle Steele book: 44 Charles Street. She is, also, an author I use to read a lot. For the most part her earlier books had a pattern: they get rich, they get poor, they fall in love, some one dies, they get rich, they get poor...you get the picture. This is only the second of hers I have read probably since college, but it was a good read....a little predictable, I  think. Also, most of the characters are rich - who really gets to take the whole month of August off??? No one in my real world.

But I'm done with my fiction binge. On to some non-fiction....maybe  I'll even get sewing machine out to work on a project....

Small Miracles

Earlier today I finished reading Jason Wright's Seventeen Second Miracle. What a nice book! Very enjoyable!

The whole premise is that it can take only seventeen seconds to change a life. It could be something as simple as holding the door open for some one or just saying hello. Also, it could take longer  such as changing a tire, but to live in a way to be aware of the opportunity to be some one's miracle today. 

One challenge was to keep a list of how people reach out to you - not how you reach out to others. Keeping reaching out to others, but not to keep track of that - just how other people bless you. I love how through this fictional book the  author challenges the read to keep their focus off themselves and on to others.

Kindle

When the kindle and nook craze came around, I decided that it wasn't for me. Mainly, because I'm cheap frugal. (Friend recently told me that frugal means taking care of what God has given me - I love that definition!) II read a lot and knew if I had to pay for each book I read, our budget would be blown to bits!

But several months ago I received my mom's old kindle while she gave herself an early Christmas present: a kindle fire. It took awhile to figure it all out, but I love my kindle.

I really love the fact I can down load books free from our library. I still buy some as my aunt gave me a gift card, but so far I haven't blown our budget to bits.

Drew is eternally grateful.

Drew and I, also, gave each of the kids kindles for Christmas. I think for the first time in several, several years all the kids were very happy with their presents. Each has their own gift card they can use to buy books, but, also, each has learned how to download books from the free library.

Once again, Drew is eternally grateful that our budget is in tack.