My Reading Blog

Upon arising, the stars & moon are shining in the dark, clear sky. As the sky becomes lighter, the temperature drops, the fog comes up off the lake. The stillness of the morning enshrouded by the fog, just waiting for the sun to rise. As the sun rises, the fog disappears as quickly as it came. The birds awaken and are chirping. The sound of a boat running on the lake. Once again we have received a blessing from God as dawn breaks into morning.

Book Cover:  "When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks - risks no one else in the department would ever take - to save lives.  But there is one leap of faith Taylor can't bring himself to make:  He can't fall in love.  For all his adult years, Taylor has sought out women who need to be rescued, women he leaves as soon as their crisis is over, as soon as the relationship starts to become truly intimate. Then, one day, a raging, record breaking storm hits his small Southern town.  Denise Holton, a young single mother, is driving through it when her car skids off the road.  With her is her four-year-old son, Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities and for whom she has sacrificed everything.  Unconscious and bleeding, she - but not Kyle - will be found by Taylor McAden.  And when she wakes, the chilling truth becomes clear to both of them:  Kyle is gone. ...

Book Cover:  "One of the most important works of the 20th century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom.  Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and his evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose  A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published - perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature." This book took me some time to read, as I had to literally read every word in order to understand the "southern black" language.  Even though it was a fairly short novel, it seemed to drag on and on in parts. ...

Book Cover:  It is a boiling hot Boston summer.  Adding to the city's woes is a series of shocking crimes in which wealthy men are made to watch while their wives are brutalized.  A sadistic demand that ends in abduction and death. The pattern suggests one man:  serial killer Warren Hoyt, recently removed from the city's streets.  Police can only assume an acolyte is at large, a maniac basing his attacks on the twisted medical techniques of the madman he so admires.  At least that's what Detective Jan Rizzoli thinks.  Forced again to confront the killer who scarred her - literally and figuratively - she is determined to finally end Hoyt's awful influence...even if it means receiving more resistance from her all-male homicide squad. But Rizzoli isn't counting on the U.S. government's sudden interest.  Or on meeting Special Agent Gabriel Dean, who knows more than he will tell.  Most of all, she isn't counting on becoming a target herself, o...

Book Cover:  "Somer's life is everything she imagined it would be - she's newly married and has started her career as a physician in San Francisco - until she makes the devastating discovery she never will be able to have children. The same year in India, a poor mother makes the heartbreaking choice to save her newborn daughter's life by giving her away.  It is a decision that will haunt Kavita for the rest of her life, and cause a ripple effect that travels across the world and back again. Asha, adopted out of a Mumbai orphanage, is the child that binds the destinies of these two women.  We follow both families, invisibly connected until Asha's journey of self-discovery leads her back to India." This was a moving novel about choices.  How does a mother give up a child?  In Kavita's mind, there was no choice - India is a strange country filled with different customs and thoughts regarding women - especially girl babies.  Her choice was to have the ch...

As I took my walk with Max this morning, I pondered about the season of Fall.  Today, Oct. 1st, is a beautiful fall day - bright sunshine, cool temperature, slight breeze.  You can smell fall in the air and feel the crispness of the morning.  I always say that Spring is my favorite time of the year - and it is, until Fall arrives. I love: the different colors of the leaves - red, orange, yellow and brown still mixed with green the last remnants of the flowering bushes the different colored mums the warmth of the sun the falling leaves a fire in the fireplace to take the chill out of the house the winding down of the summer season of hot, humid days and nights soaking in the hot tub, looking at the starry sky sipping a cup of tea This is the time for all of nature to prepare for the cold winter that will soon be here, but until that time arrives, I will enjoy each day of this Fall season and thank God for the beauty of this land He created.