Ann's Blog
Ann McCauley is a Pennsylvania women's literature author, who wrote the books Runaway Grandma and Mother Love, both available for sale at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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09/29/24
September Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 3:33 pm
It is a cool rainy Sunday afternoon in western Pennsylvania; the leaves have just started to change colors. Yes, fall is still and probably always will be, my favorite change of season.  I’ve started cutting back my perennial flowers for winter. My geraniums look like they could still win first place at the county fair, they are so vibrant and robust. I might try to winter them again, I’ve never had success with that, but might try it again this winter. I’ll let you know next spring if it worked.


Yesterday I baked pumpkin bread, it made our home smell so cozy and warm… It put me in the mood for fall and I transferred our winter and summer clothes to the correct closets for the coming season. I also filled a large box to donate to Goodwill. Then I transferred our winter coats to the main closet and packed away the spring and summer coats to store for next year, (some of these will also be added to the Goodwill box). It might sound a bit boring but it gives me a sense of accomplishment.


I also got to hold my youngest great grandchild. He is home from S.C. with his parents this weekend for a family wedding, he’s 5 months old, teething and very active. Though, when he’s sleepy - he’s still cuddly. So handsome, alert and sweet! His mommy and daddy moved from their two bedroom rental condo to a brand-new four bedroom home over Labor Day weekend, and became proud new home owners. All our school-age great grands like school this year and seem to be thriving. Our ten-year-old great granddaughter is in a 4-H horse club and has been showing her horse, English riding style, in area horse shows. She seems to be collecting blue ribbons left and right. She qualified to go to Harrisburg for state competition near the end of October. Our youngest granddaughter is a junior at U of Pitts, Main Campus; she loves her classes and living in the city. Another granddaughter became engaged this summer and is planning a wonderful wedding for June, 2025. I can’t help being a proud Granny!


We hosted two family gatherings this month. One over Labor Day weekend with my husband’s family. It was so much fun and he loved having both his daughters here as well as cousins from Toronto. Two weeks later we hosted some of my family. It was Community Yard Sales weekend, so we ladies had fun checking out bargains. We hosted my sister and her husband from Maryland, as well as cousins from Bellefonte, and New Bethlehem. We LOVE spending time with family!


I completed the required 30 CEU credits necessary to renew my Professional Nursing license. That’s always a relief! My son said, “Why bother Mom? You’ll never be going back to work as a nurse again.” I told him, you never know what lies ahead, best to be prepared. And so I am.


Also managed to read a few good books this month:


The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore. 2024. Historical fiction. This was my favorite book that I’ve read during the last few months. Single mother, Dr.Tucia Hatherly has not touched a scapel or a stethoscope since the fatal error made during her medical school residency. She works in a corset factory struggling to pay her rent and support her disabled son. She joins a traveling medicine show, her debt traps her to the unscrupulous charismatic showman, Huey. He needs her medical license to give his show credibility. The tension increases as they arrive in Galveston, Texas in early September, 1900. (On September 8, 1900 the worst hurricane in U.S. history almost leveled the resort island. Thousands perished.) Many plot twists and great character development. A good follow up read would be Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm. It’s also about the 1900 hurricane.


Wall of Silence by Tracy Buchanan. 2020. Fiction. (British). Melissa Byatt’s life is not what it appears - one evening she arrives home from work to find her husband stabbed and unconscious, bleeding out on the kitchen floor with their three children standing calmly around him. Shocked, she realizes that one of them stabbed him but WHY? Thickening plot twists with each chapter and good character development. This is one of three thriller/mystery series but is a great stand-alone book as well.


Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 2015. Fiction. 29 year-old Hannah Martin has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She’s lived in six cities and held countless meaningless jobs. Finally she moves back to Los Angeles where she grew-up and is staying with her best friend, Gabby. An accident happens after a dinner out with her old boyfriend, or does it? Concurrent story lines give Hannah two different life choices. The reader doesn’t know the till the end which one she chose. An interesting story, for sure.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. 2024. Fiction. Evie Porter has everything a nice southern girl could want, a white-pickett-fence, a tight group of friends - the only catch - Evie does not exist. It is con-artistry at its best. This was our book club choice for this month. We had an exceptionally good discussion about this who -dun-it.  

Another Woman’s Child  by Kerry Fisher. 2020. Fiction. (British). Jo thought her life was full It’s a gripping and heart- breaking story. Family secrets and the sacrifices made for those we love are just the tip of the ice-burg. A death-bed promise made to her single mother best-friend, Jo goes against her husband’s wishes and takes the eighteen-year-old high school boy into their home. Their troubled sixteen-year-old daughter continues to spiral out of control and the fragile cracks in the family are ripping into gaping holes. A bit tedious at times but a worthwhile read. Good character development and many plot surprises.

We’ve been watching for the second time the PBS series, All Creatures Great and Small. It’s a real gem and I’m noticing many little things that I missed the first go-round. My husband loves it and it’s a soothing show to watch before going to bed. We also went to the movie theater to watch Reagan. It’s a wonderful movie. I highly recommend it. Dennis Quaid stars as Ronald Reagan and Penelope Ann Miller plays Nancy. It’s a 5 star movie in our opinion!

That’s all for now. Keep reading, my friends and stay well.

Later, Ann
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08/31/24
August Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 2:38 pm
Another super busy month has slipped by. I hope life is treating all my blog readers well. We had several family gatherings this month. The McCauley Reunion was held at the family homestead in Leatherwood, PA on August 11.  It’s always such fun to spend time with the cousins, eating watermelon under the shade trees as the children run and play… while we share treasured family memories. As always we’re beholden with gratitude to our cousin and his wife, the 4th generation of McCauleys to live on the homestead, who host us every year. We also celebrated our career Air Force grandson, his wife and children - Levi, age 3 and Amelia, 9 months who were home from S.D. for nearly a month. Levi is a curious little sponge having fun while absorbing and learning new things each day. It was the first time I met Amelia in person, she’s adorably sweet. We saw them a few times and cherished every minute. Of course, the other grandchildren and great grands were involved too. Everyone is now either back in school or working; they all said they had great summers.

I’ve read three good books this month. 
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, 2023. Historical Fiction. (My book club’s choice for August.) This was an interesting book, in that it didn’t have a specific protagonist, as the story developed the protagonists evolved form one to the next. It seemed the place, Chicken Hill, must have been the true protagonist.The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store generated a good discussion. The characters also dealt with several difficcult social issues. It’s a good book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys good character development and unexpected plot twists.

Until Our Time Comes by Nicole M. Miller. 2024. Historical Fiction - a novel of WW2 Poland. Set in 1939, Poland, this well-researched novel about an American horse trainer living her dream of working with horses at the famous Janow Podlaski stables in Poland, where the best Arabian horses in the world are bred. The tranquility of the beautiful horse farm is shaken to its core when the German army storms the Polish countryside - and the protagonists attempt to move more than 250 horses away from the Nazi grip without attracting attention. This epic story of escape, capture, resistance and love is based on true events of the brave heroes of WW2 Poland. The characters are well-developed and the plot is full of shocking surprises. Another very good book that I recommend.

Things We Do For Love By Kristin Hannah. Fiction. 2004. We listened to this book on audible and enjoyed it very much. Hannah is a master at plot and character development. The characters were three generations of highly likeable Italian family members whose restaurant was in trouble and how they brought it back to life and profitability. It also deals with infertility problems, divorce, alcoholism, and several other interrelationship problems. It’s an excellent book that I highly recommend.

We watched the Longmire series again on Netflicks and enjoyed it even more the second time. If you haven’t watched it yet, please consider this modern day intellectual cowboy sheriff set in Wyoming. Its fun and entertaining.

Till next time, keep reading and be well.
Later, 
Ann

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07/31/24
July Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 2:55 pm
Hi to all my Blog readers. I hope you all are having a good summer, and there is no denying we are having a long hot summer this year. Hot, hot, hot…Whew! We have had lots of family and friends visiting, some for several days and some for only a few hours. We’ve made wonderful memories with all and have had fun reconnecting with every one of them.
 
I’ve been able to wrap up a few bookkeeping problems that have been hanging over my head for months. It is such a relief; I feel like a load has been lifted from my shoulders. Now my mind is less pressured and I should be able to get some real writing done.

I’ve read only three books this month. I started three others but did not finish them …remembering some of my mother’s last words… “life is too short for bad books.” (She was an avid reader.)

The Boys In The Bunkhouse - Servitude And Salvation In The Heartland by Dan Barry. Nonfiction. 2016. (The author is an alumni of St Bonaventure U., a New York Times reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 1994.) This was an enthralling tale that would probably have been rejected if written as fiction. It gave me chills to think this was happening for over 30 years in the USA. Right under the noses of so many authorities. The people of Atalissa, Iowa accepted and often befriended ‘the Texas boys’, all with intellectual disabilities. ‘The boys’ lived in an abandoned school house and woke before dawn, were transported to a turkey processing plant to butcher turkeys, year after year. They received food and lodging plus $65.00 per month. No one seemed to notice the neglect, exploitation, physical and mental abuse. A compassionate look at social justice, nonfiction that reads like a good novel. I highly recommend this book.

I Found You by Lisa Jewell. Fiction/Mystery/Crime. 2016. This was our Book Club’s book for July. It generated a lively discussion, and most everyone liked it. It was a bit complicated with interesting characters and many plot twists. I will paraphrase a paragraph from the back of the book: In a windswept British seaside town, a single mom finds a man sitting on the beach during a rainstorm. He has no name and no idea how he got there. Meanwhile, in a London suburb, newlywed Ukranian immigrant Lily Monrose becomes anxious when her British husband fails to return home after work, but the police soon deliver even more disturbing news - the man she married never existed. And the plot thickens with each page. This is the writer’s 14th novel and she’s had many top-selling novels; its the first book I’ve read by Lisa Jewell but it will definitely not be my last.

Getaway Mountain by Michele Huey. 2016. Fiction. (One of my closest friends told me about this book several months ago. She gave it to me to read when I was unable to find the book to buy a copy. I hope you will be able to find a copy, it’s a very good book!) This book starts out calmly, much like many other books I’ve read but soon becomes a page turner whodunit. Plot twists and strong likable characters make it a compelling novel that I highly recommend.

We went to the movie at our local movie theater last Sunday afternoon and I didn’t even relent to the delicious smell of popcorn! We sat on the edges of our seats to watch Twister. It was an excellent movie and we were glad we went. Our movie theater is closing on August 4th. It make those of us who’ve enjoyed movies there for many years so very sad.

Till next month, be well and keep reading my friends.
Later, 
Ann
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07/05/24
June Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 2:01 pm
I hope all my loyal blog readers had a nice July 4th. Obviously, I’m a few days late with my June Blog. No excuses - its just the way my life has been. (Actually, this is my fourth try at writing this blog, due to ‘technical difficulties’. Good grief!). I hope all my blog readers have been well and take time to ’smell the roses’ - at least every other day. Between doctor appointments, obligations to family and friends the June days slipped by. We babysat several great - grands for a few days, it was great to spend some real time with them - they are such unique and fun characters. We love them all so much. We also hosted an impromptu 40th birthday party for our oldest grandchild. Now that’s almost enough to make me feel OLD!

My husband’s brother’s son visited us for the first time in the USA. He’s lived in Dubai for many years; we’ve seen him often over the years at his sister’s home in England. His two beautiful young adult daughters were with him. The girls live and work in London, England. They are intelligent and kind. The 27-year-old is a producer for the BBC. They wanted to see a real Amish community. We drove them about an hour west to Randolph, NY. They were impressed by their quaint lifestyles, the shops of Amish made products and the chance to interact with the Amish shop-keepers. I asked an older lady in one shop how many grandchildren she had now. She replied, “72 and I think that’s probably all there will be now.” Our nephew asked, “Do you know all their names?” She gave him a look, and replied, “Of course I do.” Over lunch, the girls told me of their interest in Alpacas. Our neighbors became Alpaca farmers a few months ago, so I called her and she invited us to visit the almost friendly Alpacas.They took lots of pictures and were thrilled. We also took them to visit our son’s log cabin he built from 300 trees downed by a tornado several years ago. It was a great visit and they promised to come back every two years. I hope this really happens. They were delightful guests.

We’ve listened to four audible books this month. Sometimes we sit up listening to the stories until 10 P.M. - sort of like our grandparents may have done with their radios. We love David Baldacci’s books.We listened to two of his older ones this month:
Mercy. Fiction. Crime. FBI agent Atlee Pine searches for her twin sister who was kidnapped at age 6. This
is an intriguing story with an excellent narrator.
One Good Deed. Historical Fiction. Crime/Mystery. Setin1949, a WW2 veteran is falsely accused and convicted of a crime. He is recently released on parole and becomes involved in a murder investigation. Another great reader for this one.

Listen For the Lie. by Amy Tintera. 2024. Fiction.Thriller/Mystery/Dark Comedy. A current best seller. I lucked out with my audible points on this one.The narrator captures the spirit of the story as the broken yet charmingly cheeky heroine - expertly voicing the protagonists funniest tics, imagining how she would kill almost everyone she meets. An interesting and fun book that keeps you guessing who-dun-it until almost the end.

Spare. by Prince Harry. 2024. Memoir. Narrated by the author. We enjoyed this very long and very detailed book for the most part - until it became just too tedious. Harry comes across as much brighter than we expected. There were few surprises except maybe his excessive drinking and drug use. We gave up on it after the birth of his first child. Hard to feel empathy for such a privileged life. It seemed after a while that he almost milked sympathy for his beautiful mother’s tragic death when he was 12. It is a really loong book. It’s no wonder the other members of the royal family were unhappy about it.

Due to our increased Audible book usage, we watched less television. We watched ‘King Richard‘’on Netflix this month. We’d watched it a couple years ago and liked it even more the second-time-around. It’s the story of Venus and Serena Willams, the first black tennis queens, their parents and family. I highly recommend it.

I started a couple that I simply couldn’t stay focused enough on. I’ve read fewer books this month:

Things I Wish I Told My Mother. by Susan Patterson Susan DiLallo, James Patterson. 2023. Fiction. Every mother and daughter has their own distinctive voice, secrets and thoughts. A mother and daughter on vacation in Paris unpack a lifetime of secrets and hopes - with a big Patterson twist at the end. This was my book club’s choice for June, and it generated a great discussion.

Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan. 2021. Historical Fiction. Set in Oxford, England 1950. This is lovely story about C.S. Lewis, who is a secondary character, (he’s author of the children’s Narnia series and many more for adults and children). (Patti Callahan also wrote Becoming Mrs. Lewis.) Meg Devonshire is  brilliant with numbers and is on scholarship at Oxford. She dreams of solving the greatest mysteries of physics. She loves her younger brother George with all her heart and he begs her to ask the author, C.S. Lewis where Narnia came from. This is a sweet story of sibling love that will warm any readers heart, especially if you’ve read any of Lewis’s many books.I highly recommend it.

Keep reading, or listening to audible books, and stay well my friends. 

Later,
Ann

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05/31/24
May Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 10:46 am
Greetings to my blog-reading friends, I hope the last few weeks have been good to you. My life continues to roll on at what often feels like a frantic speed. My husband celebrated another BIG birthday this month, one of our dear friends planned a dinner party for the day after; I asked her if she could include a bit of a celebration of his life at the party. She was more than happy to. I asked for no gifts, just all his friends stand and share a favorite memory with him. It was a wonderful evening for him…and I think everyone else too. Then there were several small family gatherings to wish him well. Our granddaughter, her husband and the new baby were home from SC and we
met sweet little two month old Noah, our newest great-grandchild. Such a
cuddly beautiful baby boy! Another granddaughter is engaged, wedding plans for June 2025. Plus May birthdays celebrated for my daughter, a grandson, a grandson-in-law, a granddaughter, and a daughter-in-law. My mom has been gone for 14 years and I still miss her, especially every May - buying gifts for her birthday and Mother’s Day. (I went to the cemetery and placed flowers on her and Dad’s marker, as well as my brother Bobby’s. He’s been gone for more than 50 years, and still dearly missed by all his siblings.) 


We’ve had several small dinner parties this month, and some wonderful overnight house-guests, too. My credit card was hacked and I had to get new one. What a world we live in! I multi-task as much as possible, as I’m typing this, I’m also vacuuming our bedroom with my little round robot sweeper. Whatever it takes… I’ve made three batches of strawberry jam so far this spring. Sometimes my husband asks me how I manage to do everything, I just smile and tell him, “One foot in front of the other and the tasks at hand get done.” I’ve also potted most of my summer plants.


I’ve read several books but will only mention the better ones. A couple I gave up on and didn’t bother to finish. One of the last things my mom told me was, “Life is too short for bad books.” She was an avid reader her entire life.

One Blood, by Denine Millner, 2023. This was an engrossing book about a young black girl’s survival from tension-filled post-segregation Virginia, raised by her grandmother is shipped north after her grandmother’s passing to live with an ambitious aunt who she never met before. She becomes pregnant, her aunt sells her baby, who is adopted and that child grows up and begins to look for here roots. It’s a powerful story spanning the great migration to the civil unrest of the 1960s to the quest for women’s equality in the early 2000s. I highly recommend this novel. It helps the reader understand the plight of so many blacks…and probably anyone trapped in poverty.

Rain Breaks No Bones, By Barbara J. Taylor, 2024. This is the third in her Scranton Trilogy. The novel is a page-turner, well-researched with wonderful well-developed characters. (This author stayed with us a couple nights while on a book tour for her first novel, Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night. She’s a lovely person and such a great writer. We were blessed.) Rain Breaks No Bones is set in Scranton in 1955. The protagonists are a mother and young-adult daughter, Violet and Daisy. Their bond is deep but often tense. It includes a flash flood that is horrifically depicted. A bi-racial couple, madly in love in a relatively small Pennsylvania town in the 1950s. The comradery of women working in glove factory. A widowed grandmother, raising her grandson - she’s also a seer who listens to the voices of the dead and arranges seances for those desperate to speak with their loved ones. Family secrets are painfully revealed. I especially loved the fragments of old hymns that pop up just when the characters need them most.The books are not necessary to read in order, but I think reading them in order adds depth to the poignancy of the stories. The second in the trilogy is All Waiting Is Long. I highly recommend these thought-provoking books with characters who remain with the reader long after the last pages. They are wonderful books.

Kingdom of the Blind, by Louise Penny. 2018. (I found this book at our local bookstore, On The Side Books - new and used books, bigger and better than ever- recently reopened,(WOOHOO!!), it’s been closed since Covid.) Louise Penny’s books are always a good read. Her characters are well-developed,with plot twists and enough tension to keep readers turning the pages. This one has two simultaneous unrelated plots, one a lost dangerous new street drug shipment. The other Inspector Gamache and a neighbor Myrna, are named as executors on an estate of a complete stranger. Nothing is ever easy for Gamache as he learns that even he has blind spots. I highly recommend Penny’s books if you haven’t read any yet, you are missing some great stories. Always set in Three Pines, Quebec, Canada.

Behind the Frame, by Tracy Gardner. 2020. (A Shepherd Sisters Mystery from Hallmark Publishing. I found this book at Barnes & Nobles in S.C. last winter. I was not aware that Hallmark had started its own publishing company and wanted to sample one of their books. If you like Hallmark movies, this would be just your cup of tea.) There is a series of Shepherd Sister Murder Mysteries. But this one easily stands alone, I had no trouble following the characters. From the back cover: “When art in the park leads to murder in the dark, the Shepherd sister have another crime to solve.” Savanna Shepherd, an art expert turned elementary art teacher, is planning and art festival for their small town. She and her sisters are convinced the arrested suspect did not do it, they uncover hidden resentments and find several people could have had motives to  murder the victim. It’s a quick easy read with a good little mystery and likable characters.
 

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greany. 2024. (Amazon: Best mystery, thriller and Suspense.) This was my book club’s choice for this month. It generated an interesting discussion. Artificial intelligence leads to shockingly real devastation. Someone is killing the world’s leading experts on robotics and computers. A desperate Russian scientist approaches Court Gentry and Zoya to ask for their protection, but before they can help, they are attacked by a team of professional assassins. They escape, but wherever they turn, it’s clear that whoever’s tracking them is always going to be one step ahead. With danger at this level, there’s no choice but to attack. There is one man who may hold the answers to all their questions. But he’s gone to ground in a fortress surrounded by a veritable army in Cuba. If that’s not bad enough, he has a new chief of security—Court’s old comrade.


We also have watched a few good movies, but the only one I will mention is… Larry and Marge Go Large with Annette Benning and Bryan Cranston. We watched it twice more this month with our house-guests and friends. It’s so entertaining and well done. I highly recommend this one again. I’d be happy to watch it a couple more times!

Stay safe and well, and keep reading, my friends. 

Later, Ann

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05/01/24
April Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 2:36 pm
A day late with posting my April Blog. Sorry, it seems my time management skills are slipping! I hope all my readers are faring well with spring. In N/W Pa. we’ve had a real mix of all four seasons this month. Though, the last few days have been great and I was able to complete a few outdoor painting projects.That always feels good. We are okay and our family is well, for that we are grateful.

We’ve listened to some very good audible books this month and read some good books and one that was great. Due to limited time I will mention only one this month and tell you about the others in my May Blog.  

The Women by Kristin Hannah. 2024. Historical fiction. It was our book club’s choice for April and it generated an in-depth and emotional discussion. It began in 1966 with a young registered nurse, ‘Frankie’ McGrath, joining the Army Nurse Corps, serving in Vietnam. Initially signing up to follow her older brother - who ended up being killed in a helicopter accident. Her fellow nurses, with several months experience, guide her and protect her. They become like sisters to her for the rest of her life. Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, yet becomes one of the lucky, the brave, the broken and the lost. But the war is only the beginning, maybe even the easy part, as she and her veteran friends return to a divided America that wants to forget Vietnam. Even the VA denies her help since no women served in Vietnam! I fear I do not do this novel justice in my brief description. It’s an incredible story written by one of the best writers I’ve ever read.

We’ve also watched a few good movies on television.The best one:  Jerry and Marge Go Large on Prime. It’s based on a true story and very well done. My husband complained of feeling tired and wanted to go to bed early. I encouraged him to give the movie a try. He soon forgot he was tired as he sat in his chair laughing at the antics of the movie. But it was not just a comedy. It gave us plenty to think about as well as a good nights sleep.

Till next month, keep reading my friends. Stay well and a count your blessings.

Later, 
Ann
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03/29/24
March Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 12:29 pm
Happy Spring and Happy Easter to all my blog readers. I trust you are well and managing the lingering cold winter-like weather. As a daily dog-walker, I have to say, snow is much prettier in November than March! We did have a few beautiful sunny warm days several weeks ago. Obviously they were only teaser spring days. Here we are preparing for Easter, I have 118 plastic eggs ready for our great-grandchildren’s annual Easter egg hunt. I hope the weather will cooperate for an outdoor hunt, but what will be, will be. Our Easter will be considerably smaller this year. One son and his family are in SC awaiting the birth of their first grandchild, her water broke early this morning and she’s in labor as I type. It’s hard to concentrate as my thoughts and prayers are with our beautiful granddaughter… This will be our 10th great-grandchild. Each one is so very precious and special. SPECIAL UPDATE: Noah was born while I was writing my blog. He’s 10 lbs. 3 oz, 23 1/2 inches. Can’t wait to meet him, he’s adorable!
My library visit on Thursday evening, March 21 was fun and well-enough attended. The library’s interviewer, Janelle, asked excellent questions during a very relaxed interview-format type of program. It was cozy and I enjoyed it very much. Now I’m motivated to somehow find the time to get my next book edited and published.
I’ve read a few good books this month, by chance two of them were about American women in Vietnam in the 1960s:
The Women by Kristin Hannah. 2024. Historical fiction. (It’s our Book Club’s choice for April.) This is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. Frankie and her cohorts, all the military nurses in the Vietnam War, prove over and over again that women can be heroes. Frankie follows her older brother to Vietnam, as a freshly graduated registered nurse, much to her parents dismay. She’s as green and inexperienced as the young men who are drafted to fight for our freedom in Vietnam. She’s overwhelmed with the bedlam of the field hospital’s surgery triage, the high drama of chaos and makes every day feel like she’s on the precipice of life and death. Friendships became sisterhoods for the battlefield nurses. But Frankie and her veteran friends found there real battle is transitioning back to civilian life - being spit on in the airport when she first arrives to a changed and divided America, angry protestors, and her distraught parents who never really accepted her decision to go to Vietnam. The family’s unresolved grief over her brother’s death in a jungle helicopter crash, it’s an unforgettable story of deep friendships and bold patriotism.


Absolution by Alice McDermott, 2023. The next book I read was ironically and unbeknownst to me also about Vietnam an in the same time period. It was also a good book but the characters were less likable and believable for me. This is a story about the military officer’s wives and their efforts to create lives conducive to their ambitious husband’s successful military and government agency careers. Conniving and distorted facts were the pillars of the wary alliance between the characters. Trisha is a shy newlywed; Charlene is a practiced corporate souse and mother of three. Sixty years later Charlene’s daughter reaches out to Tricia, after an encounter with a Vietnam vet.

The Whistler by John Grisham. 2016. I realized I’d read this book several years ago when I was well into it again. But I still enjoyed it and found I remembered little about the plot from back then. (I find that is the case with most thrillers I read.) The heroine, Lacy Stotlz, investigates a corrupt judge in Florida that has links to the local coast mafia, a casino, multiple businesses and hotels. Her partner is murdered and her life is on the line but she survives with a little help from her loud obnoxious brother and the FBI. A fun read.


The Judge’s List by John Grisham. 2021. This is another novel about investigator Lacy Stotlz from The Whistler. She still has the same job and is tiring of it. Then is contacted by a mysterious woman who uses several aliases - her father was murdered 20 years ago and the case is unsolved and forgotten by all except her. Proving the guilt of a serial killer judge who is forensics, police procedure and the law requires cunning fortitude, patience and seems almost impossible. Even better than The Whistler. Another fun read.


The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghase. 2024. We listened to this fabulous audio book driving home from SC last month and through many meals and short trips after returning. It’s a very long book but so very worthwhile. The author is the narrator and he does an excellent job. It’s a saga about a rural Christian Indian family in India through three generations. It helps westerners better understand Indian culture and see the similarities as well as the many differences. I will paraphrase a statement made by a Hindu passenger on a train car early in the story, six passengers were sharing the compartment and all came from different religions, social stations and areas. “Isn’t it amazing how we can all share the same compartment for a long journey. No one cares about the other’s political or religions- we are just traveling companions and get along well.” (I thought to myself, how sad it is not that way in our lives today as we watch the deep political divides in our own country seem to get deeper with each passing month.) This is a fantastic and worthwhile book to read or listen to, the author is a genius as the story twists and turns and the wonderful characters interact with each other. Loved this book!


The Edge by David Baldacci. 2023. This s A 6:20 MAN Thriller. I hate to admit it but his one kept me awake a couple nights. The characters were so well developed and the plot so twisted, I suspected every person in the large cast of characters of the murder…A CIA operative is killed in her rural hometown Potter, Maine. Her laptop and phone are missing. national security is at risk. But agent ex-army Ranger Travis Devine learns that small towns hold secrets. As he mixes in with the locals, he feels more and more like the outsider he is. The local police are mostly uncooperative and resent his part in the investigation. There’s a long history of secrets, and someone will stop at nothing to keep them from being exposed. Travis does not know who to trust and who wants him dead.
We’ve also watched some good movies:
 
Oppenheimer was excellent. We had to watch it after it swept the Academy Awards.
We also watched Cleopatra, the Roman Empire and Alexander on Netflix documentary series. Currently we’re watching Moses. All are excellent and well done.
Till next time, please keep reading my friends and stay well.
Later, 
Ann
comments (0)
02/29/24
February Blog 2024
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 4:55 pm

Thunder and
lightning woke me this morning. First time ever to experience that in February!
I hope all my readers are well and thriving. I’m typing this blog as a document
since my blog site is not functioning today.

**My blog site was GONE when I tried to write my February Blog. So, I sent this blog as an email to all my subscribers. I’ve spent several hours with my blog site provider. The blogs for October, November and December-2023 have been lost, as well as January 2024. I was able to retrieve the July and August/September blogs, 2023 but they copied over in a very unsatisfactory format. If any of you have copies of the lost blogs, PLEASE send them to me. Thank you!

We spent
three weeks in Hilton Head, South Carolina since my January Blog. It was
relaxing and fun. During our travels we visited with my sister and her husband
in Columbia, Md and then they joined us for a week in Hilton Head. We had lunch
with my cousin and his son, then his son joined us for a week in HH with his
wonderful girlfriend. We had dinner on the way down and breakfast on the way home
with our granddaughter and her husband in Summerville, SC. They visited us in
HH the first Saturday and everyone had a great time. We had a three-bedroom
condo for the first week and moved to a one-bedroom for the last two weeks.
Jafar and Helga Hamidi, our dear friends spend winters there and we spent lots
of time with them, while the family was with us and then when it was just us.
It was a very relaxing and fun time.
 On
our way south. we also had lunch with dear friends from Bradford who relocated
to Summerville, SC about a year before our granddaughter moved there.

 We arrived
home on Sun evening, Feb 18thand picked up our dog as soon as we
made enough room in the van for his crates, etc. He barely missed us, he had so
much fun with all his ‘dog cousins’, he stayed with family while we were away.
He’s much better behaved since we came home, I think it was good for him to be around
other dogs. We’ve been swamped with family activities since returning home, and
getting caught up with our life here at home.
  
 

 *I will
be the Visiting Author at Bradford Public Library on Thursday evening, March 21
at 6:30. I’d love to see as many of you who can make it come join us for a fun
evening talking about reading, writing and books.

 I’ve read
some good books this month, vacation allows me more reading time. Here are the
ones worth mentioning:

 The
Excitements
by CJ
Wray. 2024. Fiction. Publisher-HarperCollins. A British novel, full of humor
and suspense as two sisters, both WW II veterans in their late 90s, and always
looking for their next “excitement”. Their devoted great-nephew Archie, a
historian always believed his aunties had minor roles in the Women’s Royal
Naval Service and the Frist Aid Nursing Yeomanry, but that’s only half the
story. There’s a reason sweet Auntie Penny can dispatch a would-be mugger with
an umbrella. It’s a delightful entertaining quick read.

 George
and Laura
by
Chritopher Andersen. 2002. Nonfiction. Biography. Publisher-HarperCollins-Doubleday.
You don’t have to be a Republican to enjoy this book. It starts with parallel
stories of George and Laura’s childhoods and how they came to meet when in
their early 30s.
 It helps the reader understand
the pressures of life in a fish bowl. Being President and First Lady has its
upside and downside as well. Both sides are covered as well as many experiences
in between. I loved the first paragraph before the Preface. “The best decision
I ever made was asking Laura to marry me. I’m not sure the best decision she
ever made was saying yes. But I’m glad she did…” George W. Bush   *Pertinent
and timely, this being an election year.

 Never by Ken Follett. 2021. Fiction. Penguin.
(We listened to this on Audio while we traveled. We’d listened to this one a
couple years ago and loved it even more the second time around.) It’s a very
complicated story and requires careful listening. There are multiple
protagonists. Two in the Sahara in Northern Africa, both intelligence officers,
one French and the one USA. Another main one in Beijing, China. And another,
the first woman President of the USA. *A retired government official said it
was too real for comfort. I highly recommend this one, it’s a thriller suspense
novel…we loved it.

 All Good
People Here
by
Ashley Flowers. 2022. Fiction. Suspense. Publisher- Bantam. What are your
neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching? Everyone in Wakasa,
Indiana remembers the murder of January Jacobs, a six-year-old twin. No one was
charged. The town believed her mother got away with murder. The mother believed
her six-year-old son, the other twin, killed his sister. It’s an intense
page-turner. Protagonist Margot Davies, an investigative reporter, returned to
take care of her elderly widower Uncle Luke who had helped raise her. His dementia
had worsened considerably since his wife had died a year earlier. A cliff-hanger
ending. Excellent book!

 Daylight by David Baldacci. 2022. Fiction. Thriller.
Grand Central Publishing. FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s search for her missing twin sister
clashes with military investigator Army CID’s John Puller’s parallel
investigation. Leading them both into international conspiracy from which
neither will escape unscathed. Atlee has been tormented for 30 years by her sister’s
kidnapping at age 6. She and Puller had worked on cases together in the past
and respected each other. It is a complicated, layered, page turning thriller.
A reader can’t go wrong with a Baldacci novel. Another excellent story!

 We
also went to see four movies while on vacation. One was bad, I fell asleep
during the movie- not once but twice! And I’m not normally a napper. It was so
boring. But I won’t mention its name.

 American
Fiction
was a wonderful movie. About
a widowed mother’s dementia and her three accomplished adult children and their
dysfunctional family dynamics. Very well written and performed. This movie won
Best Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting
Actress for the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards. It’s expected to be nominated
for some Academy Awards this spring. Excellent movie!

 Beekeeper,
an action thriller - we lost body
count within the first half hour. But then, “it was just a movie”, right? It
was a good movie in that it held our attention and almost kept us on the edge of
our seats. The plot was a bit original and the performers were excellent in
their roles.

 One
Love
, The Bob Marley Story,
was wonderful. Well-acted, good music and kept us interested. We were not
familiar with much of his music or his life. (His album, Exodus was
deemed the Best Album of the 20th Century by the NY Times.) It was
about his early life, his wife who was also one of his back-up singers, his relationship
with his band and managers. And then his rise to international fame. We will
definitely see this movie again. I highly recommend this movie.

 We
also watched a couple Netflix movies that were okay but not worthy of my blog.

Till next time, please stay safe keep reading my friends.

Later, Ann

comments (0)
August/September Sept. 27, 2023
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 4:24 pm
Hello my blog-reading friends. I
hope you’ve all had a good summer and transition into fall. Just when I
thought life couldn’t get any busier, it did! We’ve had several
delightful house guests over the last few weeks, as well as some
memorable events. Our granddaughter’s wedding on August 12 was
absolutely beautiful, especially the bride. It was so much fun - no one
wanted to go home! She had seven attendants, and a great DJ from
Rochester, New York. It was in a lovely rustic restored barn with
wonderful accommodations for the wedding party and guests in Frewsburg,
NY, near Jamestown. My son and his wife certainly did a great job
raising their three daughters; her two younger sisters were beautiful
co-maids-of-honor. We were so happy and proud to share that special day
with them and all the extended family and friends who attended.

The next day was our annual McCauley
Family Reunion at the McCauley Farm in Clarion County, PA. It’s such a
feeling of peace and belonging to sit under the shade trees, reminiscing
and laughing with cousins and their spouses who after all these years
feel like cousins too. We only have one elderly uncle left and two
aunties. We used to have grandparents and seven sets of aunts and
uncles… We were tired as we drove home but it was such a good weekend,
worth all the effort.

We hosted my husband’s much smaller
family reunion at our home over Labor Day weekend. It was also fun with
many trips down memory lane. Everyone helped with food preparations and
clean-up. One of our guests was from Basel, Switzerland and was keen to
learn to drive a lawn tractor and cut grass. He caught on quickly and
ended up mowing the entire lawn for us during the days of his visit. It
saved me from mowing during my birthday week. This reunion was followed
by my birthday with lots more family gatherings. These were mostly in
restaurants, with me treated like a queen for a few days.

Of course, as usual we had several doc
and dentist visits during the last few weeks. And I spend at least 6
hours a week cutting grass. Maybe that’s why I love fall so much. I’ll
be trimming back my gardens for winter soon. The perennial and annual
flowers are all
beginning to show
end of the season starkness. And I’ll only mow maybe one or at the most
two more times before winter. Woo-hoo!  The leaves are already changing
to the beautiful reds, orange and gold of fall. Plus cooler nights and
days, what’s not to like? I love the change of seasons, but fall is always my favorite.
 
Our granddaughter who just started her
career as a professional registered nurse, on the Intensive Care Unit
in a large hospital, had the misfortune of passing out during her twelve
hour shift last Friday night, she fell backwards and fractured her
skull, was rushed to ER and after many tests, was sent back to Intensive
Care as a patient. Not the way she planned her shift that night! The
tests cleared her of all the bad things that could have caused her to
pass out. She will see her neurologist this week for a follow-up. She
says she feels okay, except her head and neck hurt. She takes only
Tylenol for the discomfort. Thank goodness. Her eight-year-old son’s
bedtime prayer on Saturday night: “Thank you Jesus for not letting my
mom die today. Amen.”  Amen.

Life has come full circle for me in a
way. I have joined a Bible Study where I’m learning so much. Fifty seven
years ago I had my first child, a beautiful daughter. I cherished her
and raised her the best I could, which included teaching her about the
Bible and taking her to church and Sunday School regularly. Now she is the leader of the Bible Study I’m attending. She is such a good teacher and my faith is growing again.

I’ve read several books during my absent weeks from blogging. I reviewed The Sheriff’s Daughter for Story Circle, it was a fun and interesting read. I highly recommend it. Memoir. You can read my review by clicking:
https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/stories-from-the-sheriffs-daughter/

Home Front by Kristin Hannah.
2012. Fiction. This was our book club choice for August. It’s a
fantastic story, one of Hannah’s best. It generated one of our best book
discussions ever. The protagonist had a very unhappy and unstable
childhood, her alcoholic mother died while she was a senior in high
school, she manged to graduate living alone the last few months of her
senior year. She joined the army and eventually became a helicopter
pilot. Later she married had two daughters and a handsome successful
husband who resented her army life - she stayed on in the National
Guard, playing soldier one weekend a month. The tension builds
with every page, the characters are well developed and believable.
Several of our members have or had sons or grandsons in the military so
it was a poignant read for us.
Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen. 2022. Fiction - Murder/Mystery. Pay Dirt Road
is her debut novel. It is Book One in a three-part Annie McIntyre
Mystery Series. It was awarded the Best Mystery - Thriller - Suspense
last year.  The protagonist, Annie McIntyre has a love/hate relationship
with her hometown, Garnett, Texas. She just graduated from college and
is back home waitressing. Her grandfather is a private investigator.
Annie is ambitious but has no idea how to jump-start her future. The
complicated
plot is
tricky; the characters are well developed. This is an excellent coming
of age novel, even for those of us who are already ‘of age!’

Girls Like Us by Christina
Alger. 2019. Fiction - Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense. FBI
agent, Nell Flynn hasn’t been home in ten years. She and her dad,
Homicide Detective Martin Flynn never had much of a relationship. When
her father dies in a motorcycle accident, Nell returns to the house she
grew up in to scatter his ashes and close his estate. Worlds collide
when she investigates a string of grisly murders on Long Island that
raise impossible questions.
But she
doesn’t like the answers she finds and narrowly escapes with her own
life. An excellent book, I want to read more of this author’s books.
(*Based on the Gilgo Beach murders that took place in Long Island, NY in
2010.)

The Lost Ticket by Freya
Sampson. 2022. Fiction.  Protagonist Libby is a brokenhearted young
woman who feels her life is in tatters; she boards a bus in London and
meets 
elderly
Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 when he met a girl on the 88
bus, with beautiful red hair like hers.They’d made plans for a date at
the National Gallery art museum, but Frank lost the bus ticket with her
number on it. For the past 60 years he’s ridden the same bus, trying to
find her, but with no luck. Libby is inspired to help Frank find his
love just one more time, though it’s a race against time with his
dementia progressing daily. This is a beautifully written uplifting
novel about how a shared common experience among strangers can transform
lives. The quirky characters and poignant plot kept me turning the
pages.

The Weekend by Charlotte Wood. 2020. Fiction.
( Ms. Woods is an Australian author.) My sister gave me this book to
read. It certainly did not grab me early on. But she encouraged me to
stay with it. I did and it’s a book I will never forget. Three women in
their seventies reunite one last, life-changing weekend in the beach
house of their late friend. Can their friendship survive without her?
Another powerfully poignant novel.

Civil Blood by Ann McMillan.
2001. Historical Fiction. A few pages into this novel and I realized I’d
read it many years ago, but I kept reading because it was very good and
I couldn’t remember how it would end. It’s well-researched and the
characters are well-developed. A complicated detective story, full of
interesting insights into the divided loyalties and conflicting beliefs
of the times. Takes place in Richmond  in 1862, dealing with germ
warfare of a smallpox semi-epidemic.

We are currently streaming Three Pines
on Netflix. Based on Louise Penny ’s Three Pines mystery series. The
characters are almost as good as in her books. It’s light fun and almost
cozy to watch.

We watched two excellent movies this month:
First: Painkillers, a 6 part
mini series on Netflix, it’s so powerful and important that we ended up
binging on the on all six shows in one evening. It deals with the opiod
epidemic, oxycodone and Purdue Pharmaceuticals. Mathew Broderick is one
of the actors. I highly recommend it.

The second powerful movie we watched, at the local theater was Sound of Freedom.
It deals with the kidnapping and sex trafficking of young girls and
boys. It ’s a very important and disturbing film but should be seen by
all. I have always wondered why in police busts, etc. over the years for
prostitution that only the sex workers were arrested. What about all
their customers? Weren’t they as guilty of the crime as the sex
workers?  And when adult males are involved with underage sex workers…
WHO is the real law-breaker?

Well, that’s all for now. Till next time, please stay safe and keep reading, my friends. 
Later, Ann

.

comments (0)
July Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 4:16 pm
Gosh, I wish I could figure out where time
goes. All I know is - it seems to slip through my hands even faster than
money. And believe me - with the ever increasing price of gas and
groceries, these days money goes very fast… We’ve had another super busy
month, lots of appointments. And thankfully lots of visits with adult
children and grandchildren, as well as other family members and friends.
It’s hard to keep up with them all but its fun trying to.

We’ve had 25 dead ash trees cut from the field
directly above and behind our home this month. We’re hoping the tree
cutter keeps his promise to finish the job soon, there are still 5 more
to cut down. My son cut 3 trees down in front of the our house, near the
rock garden on Memorial Day. Seems there is always something
happening. I do lots of lawn mowing and weeding with all my flower
gardens. Summer days start early and end late at our home. I also sanded
and painted a cute and very heavy wooden patio table and two chairs. I
learned to use an electric sander, moving up in the wolrd!

Last week we went to a program at the Bradford Public Library featuring author David Poyer who spoke about his new book, Writing in the Age of AI. It
was very interesting and a bit frightening to consider the ways AI can
and will assist and threaten writers. I’m anxious to start this book.
I’ll keep you posted in my August Blog. It was also good to see David
again, he’s an old friend from my Creative Writing days at Wilkes
University. 

 Four books to tell you about this month: 

The best one is The Secret Book of Flora Lea by
Patti Callahan Henry. 2023. Historical Fiction. The novel is about two
sisters, Hazel, age 14 and Flora, age 5, who were part of England’s
Operation Pied Piper in 1939. Can you imagine 800,000 children evacuated
from the cities to rural England carrying only small backpacks with
identity and
contact information inside as well as a change
of clothes - within four days of the decree. Train loads of children
headed to safety to escape the German bombs. Many were taken into lovely
safe  country homes. ( Three and a half million children were moved to
safety.) The sisters landed with a kind woman and her teenage son. A few
months later, Flora was  playing near the river that flowed through the
fields near their caretaker’s home and she disappeared. Flora was
pronounced dead from drowning a few weeks later. Hazel was tormented by
guilt for twenty years, blaming herself for not watching her sister more
closely. She’s working in a cozy rare bookstore in London when she
opens a mysterious children’s book that contained long-held secrets from
her and Flora’s childhood spent in the English countryside during WWII.
I don’t want my review comments to be spoilers…I will close by sharing
with you: this was the best book I’ve read in a very long time and I
will definitely read more of P.C. Henry’s books.

Bluebird by Sharon Cameron. 2021.
Historical Fiction. I read this book a few months ago and missed sharing
it with you. The story is set in 1946 with Eva, a young German girl
crossing the Atlantic under the pretense of starting a new life.
There are flashbacks to bad times during the war. Her
purpose is to find the escaped Nazi and bring an end to Project
Bluebird. She finds a temporary room in a group home for displaced
people. She is befriended by a kind young man who volunteers at the
home. this book is exceptionally well-researched and the character
development is is extraordinary. I highly recommend this book too, its
an unforgettable story.

Identity by Nora Roberts. 2023. Fiction.
This was my book club’s choice for July, it is also the first Nora
Roberts book our group has ever chosen. Amazon lists it as one of the
best books of 2023… I dare to disagree with such platitudes for this
book. I expected more about Identity theft and less about serial
killers. I felt it was predictable and the characters could have used
more depth. But it was interesting and if you are Nora Roberts fan, this
might be something you’d enjoy. 

I also reviewed Acts of Atonement, you can read the review by clicking the following link: 
https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/acts-of-atonement/

I also read a memoir of a famous author, I
picked it up at a garage sale for 50 cents. I’m glad I didn’t pay any
more than that for it and only sorry I wasted several hours of my life
reading it. No, I won’t mention the title or author.

We watched two good movies on Netflix this month: The Highwaymen, starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson. It’s an older movie but was well done with lots of food for thought.

The Identicals, Loosely based on what if Elvis’s
twin brother had not died at birth and instead was adopted by a
minister and his wife? Its an entertaining movie with good actors and
singers.

Till next time, please stay safe and keep reading my friends.

Later, 

Ann

comments (0)
06/30/22
June Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 2:30 pm
Wow!  Another month has slipped by; it seems like we were celebrating Memorial Day just a few days ago, and already it’s June 30. We’ve had some lovely summer weather, a few very hot days but mostly mild temps, with just the right amount of rain to keep everything green and lush- I love Pennsylvania’s green beauty. We’ve been busy with lots of picnics and family time, also lawn care and gardening. Thanks to my young neighbor/helper all our small and medium size flower beds are ready for summer and looking quite pretty

We attended our youngest grandchild’s high school graduation in St. Marys, PA. She’s lovely, bright, and a very nice girl - with plans to attend the U. of Pittsburgh, Main Campus, (she loves cities), majoring in premed. She took dance classes for 15 years and is an exceptionally talented dancer, ballet to hip-hop to tap. It’s been fun to watch her dance recitals over the years.

My computer was down for almost a week, I almost felt like a part of me had been amputated to not be able to use it at all. Finally got it back up today. 100s of emails to sort and mostly delete. My printer is still not working, I hope to get it back on track today. I never thought I’d see the day that technology would be such an important part of my life!

I’ve read some interesting books this month, finding read-time has been a challenge, I’ve forced myself to exist with less sleep - the books have been so worth it!

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand, 2021. Fiction. This was my book club’s choice for June and it was a perfect summer read. There were many plot twists and layer upon layer of interpersonal family drama. Plus the guardian angel, Martha, helping the newly deceased protagonist use her three nudges, (i.e. like wishes), wisely. The wit and wisdom along with the character development kept the pages turning. The themes of this novel will stay with readers long after the last page.

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and and James Patterson. 2022. Fiction. I’ve loved Dolly Parton’s music and song writing for many years. When I discovered Dolly was one of the readers on Audible, it was a no-brainer. The characters were well developed and the plot kept the story moving: a young country singer and her harrowing struggles to survive. It was fun to listen to Dolly read, her speaking voice is not reminiscent of her singing voice. She sounds more like a regular person than a singer. And that fits perfectly for the story. When I read a book that’s co-written, I always try to figure out who wrote which part. With this one it was quite obvious and it was another fun book.

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline. 2021. Historical Fiction.This was a much more serious novel by this prolific author than any of her other books I’ve read. It was well researched; the characters were extremely well developed. There were many layers of tension threaded throughout the 463 pages of the novel. Takes place in Rome, beginning in 1937, follows three best friends and classmates, Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro from high school and the next twenty years. The exceptional plot twists through the streets of Rome and as Sondra, a young male Jewish Math wizard, Marco a handsome charming athletic man who can’t read and drops out of school. He rises quickly through the highest echelons of Mussolini’s officers. Both are in love with beautiful Elisabetta who is reeling in despair as her mother abandons her and her alcoholic father. Intrigue and suspense keep the pages turning as fast as a reader can read. It is a great book!

Wherever the Road Leads, A Memoir of Love, Travel and a Van, by K. Lang-Slattery, 2020. Travel Memoir. If you’ve ever wanted to travel the world and didn’t know how you would have the time or the money, this might be just the right book for you. It’s well documented from letters home, travel journals kept by the honeymoon couple, as well as keen recall for details back in 1972-1973 when they traveled the world for two years in a self-customized green VW van.
It is by far the best travel memoir I’ve read, the authors smooth writing style takes you there with none of the hassles of  long foreign travel. I reviewed this book for Story Circle. Click link below to read the review: https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/wherever-the-road-leads-a-memoir-of-love-travel-and-a-van-2/.

The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan. 2019. Historical Fiction. Started a bit slow but after a couple chapters became just as engaging as the author’s debut novel,”The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.”  The characteristics of the protagonists, Mrs Braithwaite and Mr. Norris were totally unlike those of heroes in any other novel. Yet these characters developed throughout the novel - raising the standards for characterizations in all other spy novels, to be more than just physical descriptions of the beyond beautiful and handsome protagonists. The author’s wisdom shines through these characters. It also highlights a seldom mentioned fact that there were many Nazi sympathizers in England during WW2.  I highly recommend this fascinating novel.

We’ve been waiting and waiting for a movie at the local movie theater that we ‘d like to to see, none this last month. Meanwhile, we’ve been watching the Longmire series again on television. My husband loves it and really can’t remember seeing any of the shows before. I can barely remember these episodes. They’re good entertainment.

Till next time, keep reading my friends and please stay stay safe and well.


Later, Ann
comments (0)
05/31/22
May Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 2:40 pm
I hope you’ve all had a good Memorial Day weekend. Sadly, there is fear and many broken hearts across our country today as there were 14 mass shootings in the U.S.A. during the last 3 days; 9 lives were lost and 60 were injured by gunfire. I don’t believe this is the freedom our brave veterans fought to preserve throughout our county’s history. I do not have answers but I have many questions. I remember going to a small country public school, most classes had about 110 graduates. Most students found summer work and the boys seemed to find old pick-up trucks to fix up. Every September the student parking lot looked like a used truck lot, there were so many pick-ups parked there each day, mostly with the keys still in the ignitions and unloaded hunting rifles displayed proudly on the back window gun-racks. Yet, we never had any shootings. Guns were treated with respect. There is so much debate about the cause of this lack of respect for human life. To be sure it is a quandary and something needs to be done, but what is the million dollar question.

The month of May is such a busy time for gardeners and those of us with large lawns to mow. I have potted more than a dozen annuals and weeded my perennials, my new red Rhododendron bushes are blooming spectacularly. I’m very happy with them. My largest perennial garden awaits me, and has been badly neglected so far this spring. I hope to have it in tip-top shape by next month’s blog.

My sister is home now. Her husband and son are assisting her to stay there. She’s in a wheel chair and her left side is paralyzed from the stroke. It is a big commitment 100 percent care, 24/7. She’s much happier being home, I think they all are. They converted their dining room into a bedroom and have a downstairs bathroom. Not the way they planned their retirement years for sure. She still has her great sense of humor.

I have not read as many books as usual this month.
Story Circle sent me Em’s Awful Good Fortune by Marcie Maxfield to review. You can read my review at:
https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/ems-awful-good-fortune/  I really enjoyed the story and learned a lot about other cultures from someone who had lived in several others.

Finding
Dorothy
, by Elizabeth
Letts
.Historical Fiction. 2019. This was an
exceptional story  about the making of the movie, ‘The Wizard of Oz’,
narrated from the perspective of author Frank Baum‘s widow, Maud. It takes
place in 1938 at MGM studio as Maud, age 77, 19 years after her husband’s
death. Many flashbacks to her early life tell the secrets of the ‘The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz’. It is a fascinating novel; I’d never been a big fan of the movie
but of course had seen it a few times over the years with my children. And I
always loved Judy Garland’s rendition of ‘Over the Rainbow’. I was pleased to
learn that this song was voted the No. 1 song of the 20th century by the
Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment of the
Arts. And I learned from this novel that ‘Over the Rainbow’ was almost cut from
the film because it was so long.

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis, 1961. Nonfiction. This is a small book that is not tarnished by time. He wrote it while grieving the death of his beloved wife. Grief is grief, regardless of when it occurs. I bought it for a dear friend who recently lost her husband. I hope it will be helpful to her. The longing for a departed loved one is universal and timeless.

The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, 1942. Fiction. I decided to re-read this book after learning more about the author in recent weeks. It’s impressing in a much different way than it did when I read it back in my 20’s. It’s truly a classic, “A masterpiece of satire on Hell’s latest novelties and Heaven’s unanswerable answer.” Uncle Screwtape writes letter after letter to his nephew, Wormwood, to convince him that Christianity is a passing phase and Hell will triumph in the end. When I was young - I laughed my way through this book. When I read it this time, I laughed very little, time has a way of changing a person’s perspective.

We finished watching the first 14 seasons of Heartland for the second time. My husband loves it so much, I think he’d watch it for a third time. But for now we are taking a break. We’ve tried a couple other series and have a list to go through that have been recommended to us. Nothing has clicked with us yet.

We went to see Downton Abbey and Top Gun at the movie theater. Loved them both!

Till next time, keep reading my friends and please do stay safe and well.

Later,  Ann
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04/28/22
April Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 11:50 am
May is almost here and we’ve had days in the high 70’s this April … as well as 8 inches of snow for Easter with several days well below freezing. On one of the sunny warm days, I set out our porch and patio furniture. I’ve never seen so much snow pile up on our colorful summer cushions before. The daffodils and hyacinths are so hardy that they appear to be happy even after being buried in snow for a couple days. Yesterday I planted a healthy red rhododendron bush to replace one that nourished the deer this past winter. I replanted that one away from the house and hope I can nurse it back to health in the next couple of months. Even as I type this blog, there are snow flurries softly dancing their way to the ground. 

 My little sister has had a very rough few months with various health problems. Then on April 21, she had a serious stroke that’s left her with left side weakness and slurred speech. After several days in ICU, she is on a Physical Therapy Rehab floor of the hospital. Prayers are welcome for our sweet Sue. Sometimes it seems life is not fair

I’ve been an eclectic busy-bee reader, I think maybe I use books as an escape when things are difficult. You can read my review of The Memory of All That, A Love Story about Alzheimer’s by Mary MacCracken, at https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/the-memory-of-all-that-a-love-story-about-alzheimers/.

It is a well written poignant memoir, published in 2022.  


I finished reading The Most Famous Man in America, The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate. 2006. (It was a National Book Critic’s Circle Award Finalist.) Nonfiction. Three Leaves Press. (500 pages) This is an interesting book, though not a page turner at any point. There were pages and pages of unnecessary tedious details but I’m still glad I read it. (Mr. Beecher was the younger brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.) The book starts as he journeys with his wife and many friends on a ship to deliver the unifying speech at Fort Sumter after the Civil War. He was a very well paid, even by today’s standards back in the 1860’s, a charismatic preacher, free spender who never had enough money. A self-absorbed brilliant man who was able to talk his way out many complicated situations during his life. Henry was the son of a famous minister, and the younger brother of several preachers, it seemed that the ministry was the family business. The harshness of pioneer life along the Ohio River in Indiana and back to the east coast, finally landing in Brooklyn with his long suffering wife. The deaths of two of his children in early childhood shook the foundations of his life. He projected himself as a people person, though the author paints a picture of a man who suffered from great loneliness based on the death of his mother when he was a toddler. His views on slavery, politics of the day as well as life in America during the middle and late19th century make this a worthwhile read.
 
The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark. 2015. Suspense, fiction. Thorndike Press. I hadn’t read a book by this author in several years, and I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded as to why she is so successful. This book was a page turner, I remember reading years ago that Mary Higgins Clark got most of her story ideas from reading the newspapers.This one was definitely inspired by Bernie Madoff. It was an excellent story written by a master story teller. i highly recommend The Melody Lingers On.

Never by Ken Follett. 2021. Suspense, fiction.Viking Press.(802 pages.) i have been a Ken Follett fan for many years. His books are amazing and this is one of his best. It is current day, post pandemic; the terms ‘DEFCON 5′, 4, 3 , 2  and 1 become all too familiar as the characters and plot rotate between Chad/Libya, Washington D.C. and China/North Korea. At first it is challenging to keep the large cast of characters straight, but the tension builds quickly from
the beginning. It’s definitely a page turner. I spent many nights reading by the midnight oil and then tossing and turning as I dreamed about what was happening in Never. I highly recommend this novel.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 2017. Fiction. Washington Square Press. (385 pages)  The story of a beautiful ambitious young motherless girl from Hell’s Kitchen, NYC who used her body to get to Hollywood - that was husband number one: Poor Ernie Diaz. Evelyn contacts a famous magazine to request Monique, a relatively unknown writer to do an interview with her. When the interviewer arrives, the aging actress demands she write Evelyn’s biography. And the duo-story unfolds, Evelyn dictates the chronological story of her life as Monique asks probing questions, while dealing with personal issues of her own. This has been a best seller for a couple years, it is our Book Club’s choice for April. I’m hosting Book Club tonight; I’m curious what the reaction will be from the other members. I personally did not like it much, I felt it was another example that being a best seller does not necessarily mean it’s a good book. The ending redeemed the book with me just a bit.
                                                                                                    
We went to see The Lost City, staring Sandra Bullock. It was a fun evening out with friends, no cooking since the evening included a quick dinner before the show. And we’re still watching Heartland for the second time. My husband just loves the series and we’re noticing so many more details that went over our heads the first time.

Till next time, keep reading friends and please do stay safe and well.

Later, Ann
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03/31/22
March Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 10:04 am
Hallelujah, spring is finally here! At least that’s what the calendar says...we enjoyed a few beautiful early spring-like days before the official start of Spring. And since then, we’ve had unseasonably cold weather with ice and snow. I delayed making an appointment to have my winter tires changed over to summer tires until next week. And I’m hoping that won’t be too soon. Good grief, such weather we’ve been having. The daffodils are sprouting up to welcome the change of season and that makes me sigh in relief. Enough already!
 
Our loyal, sweet, playful and delightful little Lhasa Apso dog, Lucas Casanova, age 16, died March 11, 2022. Our home feels empty without him. We have many wonderful memories of our lives with Lucas. He was the best jumper - over ditches, and small hurdles, he had the grace of a professional jumping horse, in miniature, of course. 

I have done a fair amount of reading and writing as my life has slowly gone back to our more normal pattern. Reviews of the four books I read this month are below: 

Teresa James WAFS Pilot  Gear Up/Gear Down, a P-47 to Newark, can be read at this Story Circle site:  https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/teresa-james-wafs-pilot-gear-up-gear-down-a-p-47-to-newark/
It was a wonderful historical biography of one of the original WAFS from 1940. She was a Pittsburgh, PA girl. It is an excellent book that honors the brave women of early aviation. Story Circle sent the book to me for review.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty, (Fiction/Suspense. 2021. Henry Holt& Co, MacMillan Publishing), is similar to several of Moriarty’s other novels as the author cleverly crafts
her stories with subtle and limited clues. The reader expects one thing when
the plot suddenly makes U-turns, when you least expect it. Even the prologue
was like an introduction to a different story, as it seemed to have nothing to
do with Apples Never Fall. The novel started out very slow for me. For
the first 120 pages I did not like any of the characters, but I kept reading since
it was my Book Club’s reading choice for April. And I‘m very glad I finished
reading it, the plot twists of this story will stay with me for a long time. The novel grew on me with each passing
chapter. The teaser line on the cover jacket sums of the intrigue of the novel;
‘The Delaney family love one another dearly – it’s just that sometimes they
want to murder one another…’ The adult Delaney children face a dilemma, their mother
is missing, should they call the police? Even if the most obvious suspect is
their father? It became a real page turner. 


 The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. Fiction based on History. 2001. Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen,
already married to a young officer who serves the king. As one of the Queen’s
‘ladies in waiting’, she unwittingly catches the wandering eye of the handsome
and charming Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary believes for a while that
she’s fallen in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as
unofficial queen. She bas two illegitimate babies with the king and eventually
realizes she’s a pawn in her family’s ambitious plots as the king’s interest
begins to wane. Mary is forced to step aside for her sister, Anne. Her loyalty
to the original Queen never falters as she comes to understand the travesties of the
royal court. With her own destiny suddenly unknown, Mary realizes that she must
defy her family and take fate into her own hands. The Other Boleyn Girl is a
riveting historical drama. It brings to light a woman of extraordinary
determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and
glamorous court in Europe. How she survived a treacherous political landscape
by following her heart. A compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue
surrounding the Tudor court of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the infamous Boleyn
family. Excellent reading.


The Girl From the English Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat. 2020. Historical fiction. Graydon House Publishing. This is the author’s debut novel; she was born and grew up on Jersey. Both sets of her grandparents were involved in resistance activities during the German occupation; this background provided her with first-hand information and added layers of authenticity to the novel. Her descriptions of the effects of starvation on the body were the most poignant I’ve ever read. The extraordinary story starts in 1940 on Jersey, the largest island in the British Channel Islands, still only an area of nine by five miles. It follows protagonist Hedy and her friends as they struggle for survival, including the role played by a German officer in the occupying army. They sometimes regretted not evacuating as many of the Channel citizens did in the weeks before the Nazi invasion. Hedy felt she was a tiny bit safer staying on Jersey than she would taking her chances on the European continent since she was Jewish. Author Jenny Lecoat developed great personalities for her cast of characters who were real people during WW2, as were many of the events. Her plot twists in this well researched book, a page turner on the very first page.


We went to see the movie, DOG, and enjoyed it. It’s a feel good movie. Not a great movie, but a solid entertaining show. We’re still enjoying Heartland for the second time. We are getting much more out of it this time, many innuendos and dialogue we’d missed the first time. And all the beautiful horses, ahh…its a total delight.

I wish you all a blessed and Happy Easter.

Till next time, stay well and safe…and keep reading, my friends.

 Later, Ann

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02/28/22
February Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 6:55 pm
I look out at the snow covered landscape and count my blessings that we are cozy and warm in our home, this is about the time of the year when we all start to yearn for spring in a big way. We were fortunate to have spent January 21 through February 5 at Hilton Head, S.C. It was sunny almost everyday and the temps ranged from high 50s to the low 70s. My husband and I went for several walks around the resort grounds and pools. We shared a condo with my sister and her husband, we also have friends who live there every winter. The days went by so quickly. We attended an amazing Comedy Magic Show one night. We all visited the Pat Conroy Literary Museum in Beaufort, It was wonderful; I highly recommend it to any book lovers who are in that area. Beaufort is a beautiful small southern town with a host of great seafood restaurants. (My sister and I went to see a movie that I will not mention because we both disliked it so much. It had wonderful reviews and we felt absolutely cheated…) On our last night on the island, we went to see the play, A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night -Time. I’d read the book several years ago and loved it. The play was well done and we both loved it. I read several books, (that I will share below), and it was a relaxing break for all of us.



I hate to admit but my goal of writing two hours each day has not yet come to fruition. We’ve a had a family emergency that trumped all else in our lives. Prayers are welcome…



 Books I read this month are:

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley. Historical Fiction. 2021. This novel was written by a prolific writer with a large following. It was my first time to read one of her books and I’m hooked. I definitely want to read more of her work. This novel was set in 1707 when the Borderlands to the Scottish Highlands join forces to protest the new Union with England. Discontent and political unrest was rampant, somewhat similar to today’s. A young widow’s attempt to collect her husband’s lost wages comes under suspicion. An investigation uncovers multiple layers of romance, endurance, adventure, and the courage to hope. Plot twists abound and the characters are well developed. It is not only a matter of justice, but of lost love and a nation betrayed. This is a truly remarkable story and if you enjoy historical novels, this may be just the book for you.



West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, Historical Fiction. 2021. This was a fun read, reminiscent of Water For Elephants.The narrator is 105 years old Woodrow Wilson Nickel, who finds himself recalling unforgettable experiences he cannot take to his grave. It was 1938 and the Great Depression was still a reality for far too many people. He begins, “Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”  It’s part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story. If you liked Water For Elephants, then I believe you will love West With Giraffes. It explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time and a story told before it was too late. I highly recommend this book, it’s a feel-good and informative novel based on true events of the first giraffes to be trucked from the east coast to San Diego after surviving a hurricane at sea. It was a story that caught the world weary public’s heart in 1938.



Angels Flight, by Michael Connelly. Murder/mystery. 2001. (I bought this audio book at a consignment store to listen to as we drove home from Hilton Head.) An activist attorney is killed in a small L.A. trolley called Angel’s Flight. The case is so explosive that Harry Bosch is appointed the lead investigator. the dead mans’ enemies inside the LAPD are many and it falls to Harry to solve it. The streets are vibrating with tension and Harry’s year old marriage unravels. As the hunt for the killer leads Harry to another high profile murder case, one where every cop had a motive. The question is, “Did any have the guts? A great who-dun-it novel!



The Maid by Nita Prose. Fiction. 2022. This delightful novel was my book club’s choice for February. And I loved it. (Though circumstances prevented me for attending the discussion. I’m sure it was well received by the other members.)
The protagonist, Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her Gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules to live by. Molly is a high functioning Autistic who loves to clean. She is proud of her job at a classy hotel, loves her maid uniform and views everything in concrete terms. She is trying to follow her grandmother’s rules in the months following Gran’s death. But when Molly  finds a dead body in a hotel room she is supposed to clean, she is suddenly in over her head; unexpected plot twists and great characters kept me turning the pages as I rooted for Molly. This debut novel was written with wit and wisdom. The Maid has already been bought for a movie. It also made me keenly aware of hotel maids. I tipped much better when we stayed in hotels on the way to and from Hilton Head.



The Pulpwood Queens Celebrate 20 Years edited by Susan Cushman, introduction by Kathy Murphy. 2019. This was an interesting anthology of essays, written by dozens of  writers who are part of Kathy Murphy’s Pulpwood Queen Book Clubs and most are also Girlfriend Weekend, tiara wearing participants. It was fun read and their enthusiasm is a bit contagious. I bought it at Pat Conroy’s Literary Museum. He and his wife, Casandra King, were involved with the Pulpwood Queens, his wife still is.



We’ve started watching Heartland again and are enjoying it even more the second time around!


Till next time, stay safe and well. And keep reading my friends.

Later, Ann
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01/19/22
January Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 3:47 pm
The Christmas decorations are all packed away. I have hearts hanging on the doors and we are blanketed with a heavy snow, that ’s been with us for a few days now. The drifting from Monday afternoon’s strong winds was our biggest problem. Today it started to melt, though it is still beautifully white out there. And with that I wish you all an early Happy Valentine’s Day.

Our first granddaughter who lives in Alabama tested positive for Covid yesterday. We hope it will be a very mild case for her. WiIl there ever be an end to all this man-made virus madness?

I received and read four diverse but all exceptionally good books for Christmas:
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. Fiction. 2021. Well, I started our Book Club’s discussion group out last night by apologizing for introducing a book for our monthly read that I had not read, chosen based on online publisher hype. I would not have considered it for our book club had I read it first. But they were all very gracious and told me they were glad they’d read it. It did generate an excellent discussion.It was our first book about Covid from a completely different point of view. It was a good enough book but not one of Picoult’s best by a long shot.

Called to be Creative by Mary Potter Kenyan. 2020. Nonfiction. Familius Publishing. Subtitle: A Guide to Reigniting Your Creativity. The author grew up in a poor, hard-working, large and very close family. Her mother was a regionally renown artist, painting on old barn boards and walls, also quilting, carving wooden statues, drawing with pastels, and in her later years, writing. Mary, being the writer in the family, became the keeper of her mother’s words which included three unpublished manuscripts, dozens of journals, notebooks and a large memory book. The author spent several hours in solitude everyday in the months following her mother’s death in the family home, immersing herself in reading those precious journals and opening up her own long buried creativity. (Remember playing make-believe as a child? And somehow we lost that simple but good creativity.) Her husband became more supportive during this time. All the while she was homeschooling her eight children. The thread that runs through this well written book is her faith and courage to never give up, her resiliency is amazing. Her husband dies suddenly, she is left a bereft and poor mother, some of the older children were married by then. She still had a house full to provide for, and she does. As her mother had never wasted, neither did Mary. Every scrap of food was used and every scrap of fabric from old clothes was used. Her faith is tested when her precious young grandson, Jacob, is ill with cancer and dies after a courageous two year battle. Mary lost three significant members of her family in less than four years. I highly recommend this book, especially in these Covid times, there is much to learn about staying the course, no matter what comes our way. 

The Ride of Her Life, by Elizabeth Letts. 2021. Biography. Ballantine Books. Subtitle:The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America. This book is written chronologically almost as a travelogue, but often reads like a good novel. In 1954, 63 year old Annie Wilkins decides decides to buy a horse,and ride to California from Maine, even though she’d barely ridden in years. Living alone on her family farm which was in arrears for property taxes; her doctor advised her to move to the County Home due to her chronic lung disease - to live out the last 2 to 4 years of her life. Annie quietly leaves her family farm with her newly acquired ex-racehorse, her mutt and an unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. Her resiliency and determination are documented in her trail diary. It is an amazing story of survival despite weather, geographic and personal health challenges. The author traveled more than 10,000 miles researching the trail taken by Annie in this exceptionally well written biography. Annie became a media darling and even co-led the Cheyenne Rodeo Parade in 1955. I highly recommend this wonderful feel - good - about - America book. 

Summoned, by Megan B. Brown. 2021. Nonfiction Bible study book. Moody Publishers. Subtitle: An 8-week study of Esther   Answering a Call to the Impossible.The author’s contagious enthusiasm and blunt honesty made reading this book an interesting adventure. As a Sunday school teacher for more than 25 years, I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of the Bible. But I knew the frosted over sweet story of Esther and had never studied it in any depth. I never thought of sex traffickers in the Bible, but isn’t that exactly what  King Ahasuerus’s harem was? (Now I wonder if perhaps most of my Biblical knowledge is little more than the frosted over sweet versions?) This is an in-depth Bible study and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in increasing their personal understanding of the Bible.

This was a month with plenty of annoying Wi-Fi issues for us, no house phone service for one week and losing all our streaming contacts for the television, but I finally got all Wi-Fi streaming restarted. We watched two movies this month. One on Netflicks: Being the Ricardos. 2021. It was about a week in the lives of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, plus lots of flash backs and flash forwards. It was a good enough movie, but a bit chopped up and hard to follow the way it was sequenced. But like most Americans, I Love Lucy, and I’m glad we watched it. Living close enough to Jamestown, N.Y. that I’ve visited the Lucy/Desi Museum a couple times. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it. They have the actual sets from the first television show. It’s very nostalgic.

We went to the theater to see West Side Story. It was fabulous. But sad that society has made so little progress on the film’s tension topics from the1960’s till now. The acting, music and choreography were excellent. I highly recommend this movie. Now that our Wi-Fi is back up, we want to watch the original West Side Story, just to see how much the same and how different the two are.

We’re also enjoying the sweet and fresh series, All Creatures Great and Small on PBS on Sunday evenings. It was good to see the second season was finally starting. 

I was terribly behind on many of my homemaking tasks. Since the first of the year I’ve been working hard, one project at a time; finally I am ready to start writing again. I’ve made a pledge to myself, my husband, my family as well as my writing friends to start writing 2 hours a day to finish my next book. I will keep you posted on my progress.
 
Till next time, stay safe and well.

Later, Ann
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12/31/21
Happy and Healthy wishes to all for 2022
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 5:27 pm
Christmas has come and gone. We have high hopes for a healthy new year. We feel blessed to have seen so many of our family during the month of December. We’ve set so many extra place settings at our dining room table during the last few weeks that I dare not mention who all for fear of forgetting someone. Each and everyone is so special to us.

My brother recovered for Covid pneumonia, it was a struggle but he is back to work. Our family feels very fortunate. Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who have not been so lucky…

I watched lots of Christmas movies, Hallmark and others. And I have not read nearly as many books as I  usually do.

Kira, Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. Winner of Newbery Medal, 2004. It was an unforgettable story about two Japanese girls and their immigrant family’s struggle to adapt to life in America. I read it before giving it to my great granddaughter for Christmas. It is one of those stories that will stay with me for many years; I look forward to discussing it with her after she reads it.

I am half way through Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. 2021. I rec’d it as a Christmas gift from my daughter. I recommended it without reading it to my Book Club and it was chosen as our book for January. I never recommended a book without first reading it before… At this point I’m not so sure that was a good idea. I will keep you posted on how this one turns out next month.

Our home has been so beautifully decorated for the holidays, but within the next two weeks, things will be put back to normal. Everything will be packed away for next Christmas season.

Till next month, please keep reading my friends. And stay safe and well.
Later,
Ann
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11/30/21
November Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 10:46 am
It’s a beautiful winter wonderland here in northwestern Pennsylvania. I hope all my readers had a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving. We did, so much to be thankful for, mostly just being together again…despite the free-floating pandemic anxiety that seems to be on everyone’s minds. Maybe especially ours, since while we feasted, my baby brother was still in the hospital on IVs and oxygen; slowly recovering from Covid pneumonia. He was discharged two days later and is still on oxygen at home. His recovery is slow but steady. It really hit him hard.
Our Air Force grandson, wife and 11-month-old son came home for Thanksgiving from South Dakota. It was grand to see them all again. Since it was the first time most of the rest of the family had seen the baby - the minute they walked in the door, someone grabbed the baby and he was so sweet, never cried as he was passed from one to another. I had to wait in line to hold him and I’m the Great Grandma!



We hosted a catered retirement party in our home for 18 people to honor our dear friend and his beautiful wife who recently retired from many years of practice as an orthopedic surgeon. It was truly a magical evening. Another couple co-hosted and split the cost with us.


My husband and I had a pleasant surprise from his cousin in Toronto who sent us a link in an Arabic Google Book Review site about his memoir, The Man From Baghdad. The writer praised his book and even made references to his author wife, “who is a fine writer in her own right.” It was accompanied by a photo of us taken on our front porch a couple years ago with lots of bright geraniums and an American flag. We don’t even remember the photo being taken. Small world!



I have read only three books this month. Two were tedious memoirs I’d never recommend to anyone to read. Of course, I won’t name the titles. I don’t do negative reviews.


The Heiress and the Highwayman by Lindsay Randall. Historical Fiction. 2021. This is a delightful story with many plot twists and likable wonderful characters. It is well researched, set in pre-industrial Gothic England during the 1600’s. The author deftly mixes suspense, danger, wit and romance to create a fast-paced novel you won’t want to stop reading until the last page and then it leaves the reader wanting more. Luckily for us it is the fifth in the To Woo an Heiress Series. It’s easily a stand-alone novel, but could easily entice a reader into wanting to read the first four while waiting for number six!



And movies! What can I say? We’ve been watching Hallmark Christmas movies almost every night. My husband loves them this year. (I attended my high school class reunion in October and when the now retired class genius said he loves to watch Hallmark movies, I thought to myself, if he thinks they are okay, then I will give them a good second look.) Good things about them: you don’t lose sleep over them, they are sweet stories, you don’t have to watch from the beginning and you don’t have to watch the end since you know the formula. But gosh they are nice and may even put a scrooge into a Christmas spirit.


Speaking of Christmas, we are all decorated and for us it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. 


Till next time, stay safe and well.  And keep reading, my friends. I highly recommend everyone read at least one Christmas novel each December, if you don’t know which one to read, then perhaps you could consider my Pressure Cooker Christmas.

Later, Ann
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10/30/21
October Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 2:15 pm
Happy Halloween on a cold rainy day from western Pennsylvania. I’m sitting here in the middle of piles of Christmas gifts bought throughout the year. My days slip by so quickly that I feel a strong urge to get things organized before Thanksgiving this year. My granddaughters have promised to help me wrap gifts, decorate and maybe even do some baking. Whew. I love the holiday season but especially this year I accept that I need a little help from my elves!


I have attended grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s soccer games this month. Luckily it was beautiful weather for each game. It is a delight to see each of them work so hard and get along so well with their teammates. It builds character and a strong work ethic. I admire the dedicated coaches who work so hard with their teams.


I attended my class reunion on October 8th. It was a wonderful evening, an informal picnic at a gracious class-member’s home. When I arrived, they were sitting around a fire pit and I couldn’t help commenting, “Good grief, everyone has white hair.” Someone retorted, “You have white hair too.” I laughed and said, “But I can’t see mine, unless I look in a mirror, and I see all of yours.” It was a great evening. Classmates traveled from California, Florida, Tenn., Colorado and distant parts of PA. Yet there were more than a dozen in the immediate vicinity who chose not to attend. Their loss, and ours too — they were missed. It was a great afternoon and evening, and it went by far too quickly as good times always do.


I’ve read a few good books this month:
The Vanishing Half  by Brit Bennett. Fiction. 2020. Riverhead Books of Penquin, Random House LLC. This was a mesmerizing novel, gripping with heartbreaking plot twists, great character development and psychological insights… as it challenges the reader to take a closer look at racism. Desiree and Stella are identical twins, both light blacks who grow up as inseparable soul mates in a Louisiana town where everyone is a light black, they feel it makes them better than the dark blacks but still less than the whites. There are several strong secondary characters who add depth to the story. The twins run away and their lives take them in totally different paths. Stella marries a rich white man… while Desiree marries a very dark black man. Both have daughters whom fate brings together. An unforgettable story, one I’d likely not chosen to read if not for it being my book club’s choice for this month.


My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. Fiction. 1951. Doubleday & Co. A haunting story full of tension layers of deceit, and characters who were frequently less than likable. Plot twists to the end of the book. Just when the reader thinks he knows where it is heading, it does a u-turn. A great unforgettable novel.


The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. Historical Fiction. 2020. Ballantine Books/Random House. I’ve come to realize Lisa Wingate is such a strong author than you just know it will be a good book if she wrote it. The Book of Lost Friends is one of her best. The format as per back cover of novel, “…brings to life the startling stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in southern newspapers after the Civil War, as newly freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold away.”  Two stories thread through the novel, one from Louisiana1875 and the other Louisiana1987. The plot twists between the two sets of characters and finally brings it to a very well developed conclusion. I highly recommend this book. It gives the reader lots to think about.


Where I Come From, Stories From The Deep South by Rick Bragg. Memoir Vignettes. 2020. I read this Pulitzer Prize winning writer’s Ava’s Man more than 15 years ago, followed by All Over But the Shout’n, I was hooked. He was awarded the Pulitzer in1996 for his descriptive and insightful stories about contemporary American life while working at the NYT. Ava’s Man was one of two books my mother read twice during the last months of her life. She loved it as did I. Though it’s a gritty and sad memoir of his childhood with soulful storytelling, wit and thought provoking perceptions, his poignant style keeps the reader turning the pages. In Where I Come From as in his other books, his mother is one of his most important characters. His southern writing is often compared to Pat Conroy; interestingly the two were close friends and avowed admirers of each others work. If you haven’t read Bragg yet, you are in for a treat!


We also saw two movies at our local Movie House:
Goldfinger starring Sean Connery. 1964. We planned to go see the new James Bond movie the next night and to get in the mood, I suggested we watch an old James Bond movie. We chose Goldfinger. It’s a terrible movie! I was shocked to think at one time I’d thought it was a good movie. 


No Time To Die, starring Daniel Craig. 2020. I have to say I find Daniel Craig to be a much better actor and James Bond than any of his predecessors. I liked this movie so much more than Goldfinger. It actually had a plot and decent story line, but don’t worry if you like action, plenty of that …  I lost track of the dead body count early in the movie!


Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson. This film profiles the life of Aretha Franklin, and Aretha had hand picked Jennifer Hudson to play herself before her death in 2018. It’s an excellent movie with a star-studded cast, I never knew much about Franklin’s life. Aretha had tremendous talent and came into her own but not without several large bumps in the road. I highly recommend this movie, it is worth watching. Excellent!


Recently we’ve been watching Hallmark Christmas movies again. Guaranteed, these movies won’t keep you awake at night and the endings almost always leave you smiling. Now what could be wrong with that?


Till next time, stay safe and well. And keep reading, my friends.
Later, Ann



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09/28/21
September Blog
Filed under: General
Posted by: Ann @ 3:05 pm
As the nights get cooler and the leaves begin to change to the colors of autumn, I smile with anticipation of the changing season. Less yard work and more time to for inside activities, like writing. I’ve been itching to get back to work on my favorite novel I’ve written yet, ( I love the plot and the characters). As usual this month has flown by… I had a birthday party for myself on Labor Day, to celebrate my 74th birthday. Thirty-one family members came - mostly in cars or vans, but a couple in pick-ups and one on a huge motorcycle. Some people raise their eyebrows in dismay, you’re having your own birthday party? I just laugh and say, much better to do that than sit around feeling sorry for myself cause no one came to help me celebrate. It was so much fun! Five of my six granddaughters were here. One with her husband and children, another with her fiance and the three youngest with their boyfriends. The first time any of the boys had been to our home and for us to meet them. We were happily impressed with each one. My oldest grandson and his family were here too. I had phone calls from the two grands who live far away, and my long distance sister and brothers. All the younger ones enjoyed playing volleyball. Everyone enjoyed renewing family ties- there were very few family gatherings in the last year due to Covid, the new guys fit right in. My brother came as well as my sister, her husband, and several members of their extended family. I think everyone had almost as much fun as I did. And everyone brought a dish to share, made it much easier for me.

l also had the privilege of attending a football game for my ten year old great grandson. He shows much promise and takes the game very seriously. It was a fun evening. The following day I was able to travel with my daughter-in-law to watch her daughter play a college soccer game. It was a beautiful warm day and we had a great time. Her team lost but they played a really tough game. We were so proud of her and her teammates.


My review Forget Russia, I mentioned in last month’s blog has been posted on Story Circle. You can read it by clicking:    https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/forget-russia/

I’ve read only three novels this month:

Tender is the Night by F.Scott Fitzgerald. Drama. 1933, Charles Scribner’s Sons Publishing. This was my book club’s choice for September. I am sure I’d never have read it if it hadn’t been chosen. It is a very wordy book with far too many adjectives. It started slow but eventually held my interest, though I never really liked any of the characters, which makes it hard for me to read a book. (In a nutshell:The protagonists are a billionaire’s daughter who is sexually abused by her father, marries her psychiatrist which ruins his promising career. They live a life of luxury and parties in one mansion after another in France. They have two children, taken care of by nannies, and eventually divorce while their children are still young. He ends up practicing medicine where he started, in rural western New York, riding a bicycle to and from work due to his alcoholism.)     *My cousin encourages me to give Fitzgerald another chance and read The Great Gatsby. I probably will since she’s never led me astray on book recommendations.

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny. Murder/Mystery. 2021. Minotaur Books. Ms. Penny again proves she is a master of her craft. Chief Armand Gamache tackles one of his most difficult assignments yet. All the new characters are suspects at one point or another, as well as one of her original characters. I couldn’t figure out for sure who dunnit until it was finally revealed on the last pages. She develops her characters so well and even though her books unfold according to her well worn formula, each one is fresh and engaging. And her Three Pines returning characters continue to reveal layers of interest that were never known to the readers before. Quoting one paragraph from the book jacket: “Discussions become debates, debates become arguments, which turn into fights. As sides are declared, a madness takes hold.”  The hot topic is euthanasia, to save the government money in the care of the sickest, oldest and most needy patients. *This novel was a birthday gift from my reader-cousin/friend.

Captured By The Captain, A Grayson Brothers Novel. by Wendy Lindstrom and Cali Coleman. Romance/Suspense. 2021. Rustic Studio Publishing. Wonderful plot and likable well-developed characters. These two veteran romance writers have created an exciting novel that will keep readers turning the pages to find out what kidnapped Grace Covington will do, is it Stockholm syndrome or something far better?  Maybe ‘Saved by the Captain’ would be a better
title or not? You will have to read this one to decide for yourself. A host of secondary characters build the story into a rich tapestry set in 1892, when telephones were available to the wealthy and times were changing. An excellent escape book that leaves the reader feeling enriched for taking the time to read it.  *This novel was another birthday gift from my friend, author Cali Coleman.

We finished watching Grace and Frankie and have not yet found another show we want to watch. We also went to the Bradford Movie House and saw Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho. It wasn’t the greatest or the worst movie either, but it was entertaining and we enjoyed it.

Till next time, stay well and keep reading my friends.

Later, Ann

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