04/29/23
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General
Posted by:
Ann @ 4:38 pm
I’s a good day to write my blog as April showers continue to turn our world a lush green; even though last week we had snow flurries on two different days. We are so ready for the season’s change here in western Pennsylvania. I didn’t find a new blog platform yet. But I did copy and paste my entire blog to a permanent file on my hard drive. (200 pages with small font. I wanted access to it as a resource for my writing - just in case I needed it some day.)
My husband and I have both been ill this month with bad cold symptoms of congestion, severe coughing and fatique. It hung on for three weeks. I finally called our doctors after ten days and prescriptions were ordered which after a few days made a difference. I even ended up having a chest x-ray and thankfully my lungs were clear. We’re blessed with family who visit often enough to make us feel part of their lives. And because there are so many of them, no one has to come too often. Our phone helps us stay in touch with our immediate family who now lives in several distant places: Rapid City, South Dakota; Summerville, South Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; York, PA; and Basel, Switzerland.
I’ve read four books this month:
Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons. 2009. Fiction. Readers laugh and cry while reading Up Island by this wonderful writer. The protagonist Molly Bell Redwine’s domineering and often cruel mother taught her that family is everything. Then Molly’s life unravels - her husband leaves her for a pushy younger woman who not only wants Molly’s husband but her home and money as well. Her mother dies, her friends prove to be shallow and false. Yet Molly proves to be resilient –a truly great novel.
Into the Planet by Jill Heinerth. 2019. Memoir. This is a mind-numbing and often frightening story. But I’m glad I read it since I never read anything remotely like it before. A good friend loaned it to me and highly recommended it. Jill was the first person in history to dive deep into an Antartica iceberg. This book is a blend of science, adventure and Jill’s memoir. Did you know: More people have died exploring underwater caves than have died on Mt. Everest? We know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans? This was a great book which I highly recommend.
The Lighthouse by P.D James. 2006. Fiction/Mystery. From the novels jacket: “A secure and secluded retreat for the rich and powerful becomes the setting for an unsettling series of murders. Combe Island off the Cornish coast, is a restful haven for the elite. But when one of the distinguished visitors is found hanging from the island’s famous lighthouse in what appears to have been a murder, the peace is shattered…” An insidious virus has taken hold and everyone fells threatened by the the deadly virus and the fear of an unknown murderer among them. It is a Commander Adam Dalgliesh novel. If you haven’t read a PD James novel, you really should. She was another master story-teller.
Irene Deep In Texas Trouble by Judy Alter. 2023. Fiction/Mystery. The prolific writer, Judy Alter’s fourth novel in the Chicago Culinary Mysteries. You don’t have to read the first three to enjoy this one, though it would be best if you did. This is one of those novels that make you laugh out-loud while reading. I have a love/hate relationship with Irene and find myself wanting to shake her at times as she says and does the most outrageous things. Ignore what I just said about Irene, the other characters are people readers want to be their friends. The Irene series is a real hoot. I highly recommend this book, too. Bonus: In the back of the book are some great recipes.
We streamed a three year Netflix series: Designated Survivor this month. It was a good show starring Kiefer Sutherland. Guess when we are sick we have more time to watch television.
Till next month, stay well and keep reading my friends.
Later,
Ann
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