My Reading Blog

For the past week I've been celebrating my birthday and what fun it has been! I received many birthday wishes & cards Phone calls from dear friends Singing from my Granddaughters (and daughter) And then, A trip to Illinois for a visit with family & friends M & P greeted me with hugs & Happy Birthday, Grandma! I got to play, read, sing and watch all of their antics. Listened to their twin talk Questioning and answering Carving pumpkins and trying on costumes Enjoying every moment! My birthday treat was taking care of the girls while Momma & Daddy took an overnight retreat. We played and played Read and read Snuggled for as long as they would sit still Took walks, went to the library Read some more And now, my week is over and back home I must go. But, oh what a delightful birthday it has been. My prayers go out to all you are experiencing the effects of Hurricane Sandy.  

Last week there was an article in our local newspaper that I found fascinating and wanted to share it with you.  This is a story about a dog who listens as children read out loud.  It's a new program in our school district and I'm proud that our district is using this innovative program to help students learn. Animals are so loving, caring and accepting, and the students love to have someone that they can read to and to be loved unconditionally. I hope you enjoy the article. http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201210200500/NEWS01/310200014

Goodreads Summary:  "Myron Bolitar hasn't heard from Terese Collins since their torrid affair ended ten years ago, so her desperate phone call from Paris catches him completely off guard. In a shattering admission, Terese reveals the tragic story behind her disappearance--her struggles to get pregnant, the greatest moment of her life when her baby was born--…and the fatal accident that robbed her of it all: her marriage, her happiness and her beloved only daughter.   Now a suspect in the murder of her ex-husband in Paris, Terese has nowhere else to turn for help. Myron heeds the call. But then a startling piece of evidence turns the entire case upside down, laying bare Terese's long-buried family secrets…and the very real possibility that her daughter may still be alive.  In grave danger from unknown assailants in a country where nothing is as it seems, Myron and Terese race to stay a step ahead of Homeland Security, Interpol, and Mossad. Soon they are wo...

Yesterday, a friend posted this picture and wrote that it reminded her of a Patchwork Quilt.  I have often thought this same thing when I have flown between Chicago and Branson.  Upon taking off from Chicago, I look down at the intricate designs created by block after block of buildings attached by the streets and highways or railroad tracks.  When you are on the ground, you don't get this perspective - you can't see the whole picture of how everything is connected together. As you fly further south, the city turns to farmland - a beautiful sight.   Each section of land is fit perfectly along to the next, sometimes there is a road running between them, other times it's a river.  Depending on what the farmer planted or which direction he plowed the field or if the wheat field has been harvested, you can see a different texture or color.  Most of the time they are perfectly shaped squares, sometimes a pond appears or a group of trees give you yet anoth...

Goodreads Summary:  "Gabriel Allon, art restorer and spy, has been widely acclaimed as one of the most fascinating characters in the genre and now he is about to face the greatest challenge of his life. Allon is recovering from a grueling showdown with a Palestinian master terrorist, when a figure from his past arrives in Jerusalem. Monsignor Luigi Donati is the private secretary to His Holiness Pope Paul VII, and a man as ruthless as he is intelligent. Now, however, he has come to seek Allon's help. A young Swiss guard has been found dead in St. Peter's Basilica, and although Donati has allowed the official inquiry to determine that it is suicide, his instinct tells him that it is murder-and that his master is in grave danger. He has trusted Allon in the past, and he is the only man he trusts now. Allon reluctantly agrees to get involved, but once he begins to investigate he concludes that Donati has every right to be concerned, as, following the trail fro...

I'm not ready! The summer was hot and humid It seemed to go on forever The A/C ran and ran The dial on the electric meter went round and round Oh, we hoped for some cooler temperatures We wanted to open up the house To let in some fresh, cool air We longed for a change in the season For that time of the year when It was cool at night and warm during the day. But how can we go from 90 degrees one day and down in the 30's the next? What happened to the delightful 70 degree days and 50 degree nights?  That "perfect" weather. I'm not ready for COLD I'm not ready to cut and split wood and keeping the fire burning all day and thru the night. I'm not ready to wear sweaters, heavy socks, coats and gloves. I'm not ready for winter, especially when it's only October. But then, am I ever ready for cold, winter days?

Goodreads summary:  " Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive. Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate...

Goodreads summary:  " After an unscrupulous reporter falsely accuses Boston singer Lily Blake of having an affair with a newly appointed Cardinal, she’s hounded by the press, fired from her job, and robbed of all her public freedom. The humiliation and violation of privacy leaves her no choice but to retreat to her rural hometown of Lake Henry, New Hampshire. In search of refuge, Lily forms an uneasy alliance with John Kipling, a former Boston reporter with trust issues of his own. Now editing Lake Henry’s local newspaper, John cannot ignore Lily’s appeal or her plight—even at the risk of taking on his former colleagues. Rewarding and unforgettable, a stirring novel of hope and redemption, Lake News offers an intimate look at the complex relationship between an enigmatic man and a vulnerable but spirited woman, both struggling to find a new sense of community in a place they once called home." I like Delinsky's style of writing and this subject matter is ve...

Usually we only work on jigsaw puzzles around Christmas time, but we were given several puzzles of Las Vegas and I didn't want to keep them around until Christmas.  I opted for the easy (?) one first - a panoramic view of Vegas as night.  The person who gave me this puzzle was kind enough to put all the border pieces in a separate baggy.  It only took us a little over a day and so the next day we started the second one - a panoramic day time view of Vegas.  Again a little baggy with border pieces. Hey, this is going to be another easy one.  But, alas, one piece of the border was missing.  We spread all the pieces out, searched and searched, but to no avail.  Hubby worked on it while I went to work.  He quit for a while, went out to get the mail, came back into the garage and brushed  himself off because it was raining.  Voila!  The piece went flying to the floor -  I accused him of trying to save the piece so he could say ...