My Reading Blog

Several weeks ago we were invited to a wedding for two very dear friends.  What a special occasion it was!  This is the second marriage for both of them and they are in their early 70's.  But, before telling you about the wedding, you need to know "the rest of the story". Jeannie's husband died about 10 years ago from heart related problems.  Several years after his death, she was involved in a terrible automobile accident and was never expected to walk again.  But through sheer determination (and the help of God) she walks without the aid of crutches.  At this point she really didn't have God in her life and I'm not sure at what point she found God (or more than likely, God found her).  She always asked God to find her that special man who had faith, was kind, had a great sense of humor and who loved her. Along came Richard.  His wife died about 5 years ago, also to heart related problems.  They "knew" each other through church, Bible ...

Goodreads summary:  " Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow-a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, she is more of the Jack Daniels kind. Self-medicating with ice cream for breakfast, breaking down at the supermarket, and showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers-soon she's not only lost her husband, but her job, house...and waistline. With humor and chutzpah Sophie leaves town, determined to reinvent her life. But starting over has its hurdles; soon she's involved with a thirteen-year-old who has a fascination with fire, and a handsome actor who inspires a range of feelings she can't cope with-yet." An interesting novel with a difficult subject matter - grief.  I didn't particularly like how the author wrote - it reminded me too much of the writing of another author.  But, I did feel she totally understood how grieving people feel  - the different steps of grief and depression.  I lik...

As I sit at my computer, I gaze out the window and watch the hummingbirds as the come to the feeder.  The last couple of days, they have been very active - First one comes flitting by and then another joins in the fun Flying and chasing one another Dive bombing, soaring, hovering and then a moment to take a drink and off again to land in the tree and back. They never seem to tire.  They appear to be having a lot of fun.  But soon, they will be gone. I think they know I'm watching them and they are giving me moments to enjoy now and to sustain me through the winter months when they are gone.

Goodreads Summary:  "Stewart Dubinsky knew his father had served in World War II. And he'd been told how David Dubin (as his father had Americanized the name that Stewart later reclaimed) had rescued Stewart's mother from the horror of the Balingen concentration camp. But when he discovers, after his father's death, a packet of wartime letters to a former fiancée, and learns of his father's court-martial and imprisonment, he is plunged into the mystery of his family's secret history and driven to uncover the truth about this enigmatic, distant man who'd always refused to talk about his war. As he pieces together his father's past through military archives, letters, and, finally, notes from a memoir his father wrote while in prison, secretly preserved by the officer who defended him, Stewart starts to assemble a dramatic and baffling chain of events. He learns how Dubin, a JAG lawyer attached to Patton's Third Army and desperate for combat experien...

I have always said it would never happen, but now I know that you never say "never". Last Friday our son called - not unusual because he's off on Fridays.  Hubby answered and they chatted for a little bit and then Scott told him to get me on the other phone.  My mind went every which way wondering what could have happened. The next words out of his mouth were "I just got back from buying a ring".  I replied, "As in diamond?"  He said yes.  I'm not sure what we said, but both of us were so surprised and delighted and probably speechless. but so very happy for him. His girlfriend was driving home after spending a couple of days with friends at the Dells.  He was going to pop the question when she got home.  About an hour later, another call came and I answered.  He said, "She said YES!"  Lots of congratulations and tears of happiness were shared.  We spoke to Jen and she was still pretty much in shock, but so happy. He had send a t...

Goodreads Summary:  "There's a r eason why Brewster can’t have friends – why he can’t care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can’t be explained. I know, because they're happening to me." When Brontë starts dating Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins – the guy voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” her twin brother, Tennyson, isn’t surprised. But then strange things begin to occur. Tennyson and Brontë’s scrapes heal unnaturally fast, and cuts disappear before their eyes. What at first seems like their good fortune turns out to be more than they bargained for…much more." A YA book and very well written.  Don't we all wish that someone else could take all the bad stuff away from us - the aches and pains, the hurts and disappointments, and all those bad feelings.  Everything would be wonderful, right???  But how can we experience joy and happiness unless we have felt the bad things.  And ...

Words, Words Everywhere B    u       o        c            n      i        g    around in my head                      n                 Coming at me from HIGH and                                                       low From Left      to               Right Only one word can ask or answer a question Many words put together, tell a story They describe and reason They can make you happy or sad They can make you s ...

Goodreads Summary:  "In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all." I read this on recommendation from Michelle with her warning that this might not be my kind of read.  On that aspect, she was right, but I read it thru, all 400+ pages.  Did I like it?  Hmmm - it kept my interest and I sped thru it quickly.  Would I read the next book in the trilogy?  Probably not.  There was a lot of  aspects of this book that made me think and consider how our world is changing.  Could this be a life that our grandchildren's children will be living?  And then again, is it so far from where we are today.  Don't we have choices to make (maybe not life changing at the age of 16), b...