What Happened to Summer?

 

Hello out there - yes, it's been (4) months since I last posted and I totally missed summer.  It wasn't much of a summer  - rain, rain, rain and lots of hot weather and humidity when it didn't rain.  I did seem to keep busy with yoga, some cardio an a bit of strength training and (2) book groups.  I've also been catching up with friends which included seeing a best friend from junior high and high school that I hadn't seen in 50 years! She was here from Austin Texas; she moved there for her husband to attend grad school and they never came back once he got a job with the state. We had a wonderful time catching up. Where did those years go?  The granddaughters are back in school of course (2) in 4th grade and (1) in 6th. 

I'm sorry I haven't read many of your blog posts in the last (4) months. I hope to spend much of Sunday catching up.

NEW OBSESSION:   I spent the summer collecting plants - lots of indoor houseplants with Hoya plants being my latest obsession.  There are some 500 varieties so this may be a bad addiction here LOL . I have about (30) now. Most I buy as 2" to 4" starter plants and, I was lucky enough to have one arrive in bloom even.  They will keep me entertained this winter as I learn more about each variety. 

My reading has definitely taken a hit with this new hobby. In fact I didn't read a single book in August but, I few months I did well. You can find my 2023 update on the sidebar or below.

 

My Hoya Multiflora

(Link to a full grown one)

Here are what some of the blooms look like but, it could take years for some to blossom. 

                                                                           

                                                                                    Photo Credit

 

1.  Night Shift; Robin Cook - audio - 4/5 stars (January)
2. Women Talking; Miriam Toews - audio - 3.5/5 stars
3. It Ends with Us; Colleen Hoover - 4audio - 4/5 stars
4. The Levee: a novella; William Kent Krueger - audio - 3.5/5 stars
5. Looking for Me; Beth Hoffman (reread for book group) - 5/5 stars
6. Ms. Demeanor; Elinor Lipman - audio - 4/5 stars
7. Rough Sleepers: Jim O'Connell's Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People; Tracey Kidder - NF/audio - 4.5.5 stars - February
8. The Stolen Lady; Laurea Morelli - 3.5/5 stars (audio) book group read February
9. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo; Taylor Jenkins Reid - 3/5 stars - (book group) March
10. The Couple at Number 9; Claire Douglas - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
11. Hello, Beautiful; Ann Napolitano - 4.5/5 stars (April)
12. The Forest of Vanishing Stars; Kristin Harmel - 4.5/5 stars (book group)
13. The Half Moon; Mary Beth Keane - 3.5/5 stars (audio) (May)
14. Mad Honey; Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan  - 5/5 stars (print/audio)
15. The Kind Worth Saving; Peter Swanson - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
16. Soulmate; Sally Hepworth - 4.5/5 stars - (audio)
17. The House in the Pines; Ana Reyes  - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
18. A House with Good Bones; T. Kingfisher - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
19. Gone Tonight; Sarah Pekkanen - 5/5 stars - audio (June) 
20. What Comes Next & How to Like It (NF); Abigail Thomas - 4/5 stars (audio)
21. Finding Me (memoir); Viola Davis - 5/5 stars (audio)
22. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water; Angie Cruz (audio) 4.5/5 stars
23. Small Mercies; Dennis Lehane - (audio) 4.5/5 stars
24. The Bird Hotel; Joyce Maynard - (audio) 4.5/5 stars
25. Sunflower Sisters; Martha Hall Kelly (book group- June) - 3.5/5 stars
26. Central Park West; James Comey - (audio) - 4/5 stars
27. The Five Star Weekend; Elin Hilderbrand - (audio) 4.5/5 stars (July)
28. The Guest; Emma Cline - (audio) 3/5 stars
29. What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing (NF); Stephanie Foo - 3.5/5 stars
30. The People's Hospital: Hope & Peril in America (NF); Ricardo Nulia - 4/5 stars
31. The Collective Regrets of Clover; Nikki Brammer (audio) - 4.5/5 stars
32. How to Sell a Haunted House; Grady Hendrix - (audio) 2/5 stars
33. The Drowning Woman; Robyn Harding - (audio) 4/5 stars (September)
34. Lucy By the Sea; Elizabeth Strout (reread - book group Sept)
35. Tom Lake; Ann Patchett (audio) 4.5/5 stars (October)
36. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell; Robert Dugong 4.5/5 stars - (Oct Bookgroup)
37. Happiness Falls; Angie Kim (audio - 3.5/5 stars - Oct
38. Holly; Stephen King (current read - Nov)
39. Ordinary Grace; William Kent Kruger - (current bookgroup read - Nov)

• Fiction - 30
• Non Fiction -  7
• Children's Books - 
• Print Books (includes ARCS) (my shelves) - 
• Print Books (library) - 2
• eBooks/eGalleys (my shelves) -
• eBooks (library) -
• Audiobooks (my shelves) - 6
• Audiobooks (library) - 29
• Combo (read/listens) - 1
• Female Authors - 30
• Male Authors - 8
• January Books Read - 6
• February Books Read - 2
• March - 2
• April - 2
• May - 5
• June - 8
• July - 6
• August - 0
• Sept - 2
• Oct - 3
• Nov - 

DNF - 

1. We Should Not Be Friends; Will Schwalbe - abandoned at 27% wasn't holding my interest (May)
2. The Book of Goose; Yiyun Li - audio abandoned at about 30% - couldn't connect with story (May)

Weekly Update - What I'm Reading

 

Well, I hoped to get a post in during the week but it just never happened.  The week flew by and it was a good kind of busy.  Monday was a family get together at my son and DIL's house in the country. Plenty of good food and laughs and the weather was perfect.  Everyone had a great time and it was nice to see how the (3) cousins, now 8,9 and 11 amused themselves.  I also got together with (2) friends during the week which was so nice as well.  

I did manage to finish (2) books:

A House with Good Bones; T. Kingfisher

Tor Nightfire - 2023 (library download)

(Summer Reading List)

3.5/5 stars

Gone Tonight; Sarah Pekkanen

Macmillan Audio - 2023 (NetGalley)

4.5/5 stars

What I'm Reading Now

What Comes Next and How to Like it; Abigail Thomas

( a memoir)

Simon & Schuster - 2016 (library)

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water; Angie Cruz

Flatiron Books - 2022 (library)

Plans for the Week

• Since I haven't reviewed ANY of the books I've read in 2023, my goal for this week is to post mini reviews for at least (5) of the 19 books I've read so far this year.
• Lunch with a few of my bookish friends on Wednesday
• Final eye checkin on Thursday
• Lunch with my SIL on Friday

How was your week?

It's Been a While - A Bit of Life and Books

Hello Out There,  how are all of you doing?  Do you have any plans for Memorial Day weekend?

This weekend my son is having a cookout and the weather all weekend is supposed to be beautiful. So looking forward to getting together as 2023 hasn't been a great year for our family. Well to be perfectly honest, the past (14) months have been terrible, so blogging and reading have taken a back seat.  Without getting too specific, I'll just say there has been illness, treatments and even a death in our family.  I also lost my vision but fortunately (2) surgeries and lots of prayers has resulted in new and unbelievably improved eyesight..  It was really awful, not being able to read the iPad, computer and books. I wasn't even being able to read the license plate on the car in front of me, but now I'm safe on the road as are other drivers.  I am fortunate in many ways but, life feels different these days. 

 I haven't been reading much (just 17 books this year) but, I'm slowly getting back.  I haven't  been to yoga in months but hope to resume that in June as I wasn't supposed to do a lot of bending up till now. Thank goodness for family, friends, pets and other book lovers.

I've been sticking close to home and am grateful spring has sprung and summer will soon be here.  I've been buying lots of plants for the deck as well as indoor houseplants.  Of course, I've had to research non toxic plants as one of our two cats is a leaf lover.  I've scared him off from the hanging plants by placing a tiny wind chime in each - he hates the sound :)

I feel like I've missed out on keeping up with even the latest book releases and what has been going on in your lives but, I'm slowly trying to remedy that.  Not sure how much posting I'll be doing but, I'm trying to get back into comfortable routines.  Have you read any good books lately?

I wasn't going to make a summer reading list but, then I decided it might be good for me even if I don't complete it.  So here are the books that caught my eye:

Gull Island,  Anna Porter

Simon & Schuster 9/2023

What My Bones Know: a memoir; Stephanie Foo

Ballantine Books - 2022

Barbara Isn't Dying; Alina Bronsky

Europa Editions 2023

Maame, Jessica George

St. Martin's Press - 2023

In a Quiet Town, Amber Garza

mira - August 2023

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water; Angie Cruz

Flatiron Books - 2022

A House with Good Bones; T. Kingfisher

Tor Nightfire - 2023

The Bird Hotel; Joyce Maynard

Arcade - May 2023

Maureen, Rachel Joyce

Dial Press - 2023

Tom Lake, Ann Patchett

Harper - August 2023

                                           Have any of my picks made you TBR list?

                                                                           Remember......

                                            

Books Read in 2023

 

1.  Night Shift; Robin Cook - audio - 4/5 stars (January)
2. Women Talking; Miriam Toews - audio - 3.5/5 stars
3. It Ends with Us; Colleen Hoover - 4audio - 4/5 stars
4. The Levee: a novella; William Kent Krueger - audio - 3.5/5 stars
5. Looking for Me; Beth Hoffman (reread for book group) - 5/5 stars
6. Ms. Demeanor; Elinor Lipman - audio - 4/5 stars
7. Rough Sleepers: Jim O'Connell's Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People; Tracey Kidder - NF/audio - 4.5.5 stars - February
8. The Stolen Lady; Laurea Morelli - 3.5/5 stars (audio) book group read February
9. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo; Taylor Jenkins Reid - 3/5 stars - (book group) March
10. The Couple at Number 9; Claire Douglas - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
11. Hello, Beautiful; Ann Napolitano - 4.5/5 stars (April)
12. The Forest of Vanishing Stars; Kristin Harmel - 4.5/5 stars (book group)
13. The Half Moon; Mary Beth Keane - 3.5/5 stars (audio) (May)
14. Mad Honey; Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan  - 5/5 stars (print/audio)
15. The Kind Worth Saving; Peter Swanson - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
16. Soulmate; Sally Hepworth - 4.5/5 stars - (audio)
17. The House in the Pines; Ana Reyes  - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
18. A House with Good Bones; T. Kingfisher - 3.5/5 stars (audio)
19. Gone Tonight; Sarah Pekkanen - 5/5 stars - audio (June) 
20. What Comes Next & How to Like It (NF); Abigail Thomas - 4/5 stars (audio)
21. Finding Me (memoir); Viola Davis - 5/5 stars (audio)
22. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water; Angie Cruz (audio) 4.5/5 stars
23. Small Mercies; Dennis Lehane - (audio) 4.5/5 stars
24. The Bird Hotel; Joyce Maynard - (audio) 4.5/5 stars
25. Sunflower Sisters; Martha Hall Kelly (book group- June) - 3.5/5 stars
26. Central Park West; James Comey - (audio) - 4/5 stars
27. The Five Star Weekend; Elin Hilderbrand - (audio) 4.5/5 stars (July)
28. The Guest; Emma Cline - (audio) 3/5 stars
29. What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing (NF); Stephanie Foo - 3.5/5 stars
30. The People's Hospital: Hope & Peril in America (NF); Ricardo Nulia - 4/5 stars
31. The Collective Regrets of Clover; Nikki Brammer (audio) - 4.5/5 stars
32. How to Sell a Haunted House; Grady Hendrix - (audio) 2/5 stars
33. The Drowning Woman; Robyn Harding - (audio) 4/5 stars (September)
34. The Measure, Nikki Erich (reread- book group)
35. Lucy By the Sea; Elizabeth Strout (reread - book group Sept)
36. Tom Lake; Ann Patchett (audio) 4.5/5 stars (October)
37. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell; Robert Dugong (current read - Oct Bookgroup)
38. Happiness Falls; Angie Kim (audio) 3.5/5 stars 
39. Holly, Stephen King (audio) 3.5/5 stars November
40. Metamorphosis, Kafka - 4/5 stars (audio)
41. Beyond that, the Sea, Laura Spencer-Ash (book group) - 4/5 stars 
42. So Late in the Day, Claire Keegan - 4/5 stars December
43. Elon Musk, Walter Isaccson - NF/Bio/audio - 4.5/5 stars
44. One of Our Own, Lucinda Berry - audio 4.5/5 stars
45. A Dream Life, Claire Messud - 3/5 stars
46. The Mystery Guest, Nita Prose 4/5 stars (audio)

• Fiction - 38
• Non Fiction -  8
• Children's Books - 
• Print Books (includes ARCS) (my shelves) - 
• Print Books (library) - 5
• eBooks/eGalleys (my shelves) -
• eBooks (library) -
• Audiobooks (my shelves) - 9
• Audiobooks (library) - 35
• Combo (read/listens) - 4
• Female Authors - 34
• Male Authors - 11
• January Books Read - 6
• February Books Read - 2
• March - 2
• April - 2
• May - 5
• June - 8
• July - 6
• August - 0
• Sept - 2
• Oct - 3
• Nov - 3
• Dec - 5

DNF - 

1. We Should Not Be Friends; Will Schwalbe - abandoned at 27% wasn't holding my interest (May)
2. The Book of Goose; Yiyun Li - audio abandoned at about 30% - couldn't connect with story (May)

Here's to a Better 2023 and Favorite Reads of 2022

 

Hello all! Please forgive my abrupt disappearance from the blog (and life in general.) 2022 has not been a kind year for our household. One bad thing after another and it even meant ringing out 2022 with my first case of COVID...Day 3 of isolation here.  Here is to a much better 2023.  I'm not planning on too much blogging at least the first several months of the year due to vision issues.  I'm having some laser surgery in February and then need cataract surgery in both eyes as well.  I've been just listening to audio books as a result.

I did want to do a final 2022 recap of how my reading year went.

I read or listened to 141 books (LIST & LINKS HERE in 2022 but, you can see below that as my vision worsen my monthly reads declined as well.  

• Fiction - 116
• Non Fiction - 25
• Children's Books - 12
• Print Books (includes ARCS)(my shelves) - 35
• Print Books (library) 12
• eBooks/eGalleys (my shelves) - 28
• eBooks (library) - 2
• Audiobooks (my shelves) - 40
• Audiobooks (library) - 23
• Combo (read/listens) - 16
• Female Authors - 102
• Male Authors - 39
• Debuts - 19
• January Books Read - 14
• February Books Read - 12
• March Books Read - 18
• April Books Read - 15
• May Books Read - 14
• June Books Read - 16
• July Books Read - 14
• August Reads - 15
• September - 9
• October - 9
• November - 2
• December - 3

                           FAVORITE READS of 2022  (no particular order)

                               Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2023.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Mad Honey; Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon.

Mad Honey; Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Ballantine Books - 2022

Olivia 

1

December 7, 2018 ...the day of

From the moment I know I was having a baby, I wanted it to be a girl. I wandered the aisles of department stores, touching doll sized dresses and sequined shoes.  I pictured us with matching nail polish--me, who'd never had a manicure in my life. I imagined the day her fairy hair was long enough to capture in pigtails her nose pressed to the glass of a school bus window: I saw her first crush, prom dress, heartbreak. Each vision was a bead on a rosary of future memories. I prayed daily.

As it turned out, I was not a zealot...only a martyr.

What do you think...read more or pass?

(2) Brief Book Reviews - Our Missing Hearts; Celeste Ng and Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life, A Memoir; Dwlia Ephron

 

 Our Missing Hearts; Celeste Ng

Penguin Audio - 2022

(library download) - 9 hours 51 min   

 Narrated by:  Lucy Liu, Celeste Ng

I've read and enjoyed everything Celeste Ng has written so I couldn't wait for my audio reserve of her latest book to become available.  This book is quite different - a bit of a mystery with with a dystopian theme.

Noah Gardner (his mother calls him Bird) is a twelve-year-old boy who lives with his father in a dormitory at the university where his father works at the library.  Their life is one of order and routine ever since the "Crisis" changed everything for their family and his mother, a Chinese American poet, disappeared from their lives. At school he is learning new things and around him things are happening which he is desperate to understand. For example, why Asian Americans like his family are looked down upon and viewed by others with a mistrustful eye. In school Noah hears the taunts that his mother is a traitor. The boy has no friends except for Sadie and, one day she mysteriously disappears. as well

This is a story though set in the near future seems frighteningly realistic as to what we've seen on television or read about happening here in some parts of the United States to targeted race groups including child parent separations.  The audio book was mostly riveting; although a somewhat sad story, it is one that will stick with most readers I suspect.

RATING - 4/5 stars

Length: 9 h

Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life; Delia Ephron

Little Brown and Company - 2022

Library Download - 7 hours 39 min

read by author - good

In her newly released memoir, Delia Ephron, successful novelist, screenwriter, playwrite and lover of all things that the Big Apple has to offer gives readers a glimpse at her second chance at life.  

After losing her husband Jerry to a cancer diagnosis, an op-ed essay that Delia wrote for the New York Times earned her a surprise contact by a man from her past and a second chance at love.  Her new relationship is tested when Delia, like her sister Nora, learns that she has (AML) a fast progressing form of leukemia and that her only chance at survival is a successful bone marrow transplant.   Instead of running away from the very ill 72 year-old-woman, Peter, her new found love, asks Delia to marry him.

This memoir is indeed a second chance at love and life. Told with humor and, yes, there is at times some sadness too, but the writing was wonderful. I love that the audio was read by the author.

RATING - 4.5/5 stars

Current Reads 

90% completed

Book group read 

75% completed

Hope to Start Soon