11/30/21
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