My Reading Blog

Here's the rest of my list of things to be thankful for: 14.  Our church, pastors, lay leaders and all of our church family. 15.  My job - two days a week, working for two great guys, being able to take time off whenever I want, helping our wonderful clients. 16.  Smiles and hugs - especially those from my two granddaughters.  We can never get enough hugs! 17.  The ability to make greeting cards to share with those I love and to send off to our troops so they can have cards to send back to their families 18.  The ability to crochet prayer shawls to give to those who need to know that God is with them always. 19.  A cup of tea to warm me when I'm cold and in need of comfort. 20.  A delicious piece of chocolate to savor and make me feel good. 21.  Farmers who raise cattle, hogs, sheep, corn, beans, etc. so that we can all have food to prepare and eat. 22.  Thanksgiving Day - a day set aside to remind us of how blessed we are. 23...

Goodreads summary:  "People say that knowledge is power. The more knowledge, the more power. Suppose you knew the winning numbers in the lottery? What would you do? You would run to the store. You would mark the numbers on the play card. And you would win. Same for the stock market. Same for basketball or the horses or anything. Same for killing people. Women are dying. Women who have nothing in common except the fact that they once worked for the military. And they knew Jack Reacher. How and why these women are in danger completely baffles the elite FBI team working the case. There is no trace evidence. There are no links between victims. Their bodies have no fatal wounds. And the killer entered their homes and exited again like a summer breeze. Are these perfect crimes? There is only one certainty: there is a new kind of killer out there, one so calm, cautious, and careful that even the brilliant Reacher is left running blind." I enjoyed the first book tha...

Goodreads Summary:  "Paris, France: 1860’s. Hundreds of houses are being razed, whole neighborhoods reduced to ashes. By order of Emperor Napoleon III, Baron Haussman has set into motion a series of large-scale renovations that will permanently alter the face of old Paris, moulding it into a “modern city.” The reforms will erase generations of history—but in the midst of the tumult, one woman will take a stand.  Rose Bazelet is determined to fight against the destruction of her family home until the very end; as others flee, she stakes her claim in the basement of the old house on rue Childebert, ignoring the sounds of change that come closer and closer each day. Attempting to overcome the loneliness of her daily life, she begins to write letters to Armand, her beloved late husband. And as she delves into the ritual of remembering, Rose is forced to come to terms with a secret that has been buried deep in her heart for thirty years. Tatiana de  Rosnay's...

Goodreads Summary:  "From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . . In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable. So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful s...

As we approach this Thanksgiving Day, I (like many of you) have given much thought to all that I'm thankful for.  I'd like to share my first thirteen with you today. 1.  For my God, my Savior and Friend 2.  For family, especially a loving and caring husband, our son and his fiance, our daughter, her husband and our twin granddaughters. 3.  For my many friends, especially my best girlfriend. 4.  For freedom - how blessed we are that we can speak, write and share our thoughts. 5.  For our military personnel - those who are currently serving and those who have fought in wars and in times of peace and who have dedicated themselves to our country so that we can continue to have freedom. 6.  For good health 7.  For our ministers, teachers and educators who share their knowledge with each of us, especially our children to help them learn and grow. 8.  For all of the animals (or at least most of them), for our pets who accept us unconditio...

I thought about writing about the election or the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy, but them something happened closer to home... My dearest friend was bitten by a dog.... C was standing in her back yard watching a black dog harass her neighbor's dogs, when suddenly the dog turned toward her.  He started running followed by a teenage boy (who was apparently trying to catch the dog).    The dog ran straight for her with teeth bared and before she knew what happened, he had bitten her on the side of her leg just below her knee - tearing her jeans.  She screamed at the kid who turned to look at her, and then rapidly ran after the dog.  She said she will never forget the look on his face. Her husband told her to call the police and he got into his truck and followed the dog and boy.  Three squad cars were at their house within minutes and they took off in the chase.  One police officer found the dog (without the boy).  The dog was in the yard o...

Goodreads summary:  "May Taylor works as a wedding planner, passing on the timeless traditions of her grandmother and mother. The Taylor women have always believed in the presence of magic in everyday life--especially the simple magic of true love and family. Yet May’s own faith in true love was shattered when she was abandoned by the father of her child. Still, she finds joy in raising her daughter Kylie, a very special five-year-old who sees and hears things that others cannot. . . Martin Cartier is a professional hockey player and sports legend. His father, a champion, taught him to play to win--at all costs. Now Martin’s success veils a core of heartache, rage, and isolation. Yet Kylie glimpses the transcendent role Martin will play in May’s life and her own--unless his past tears their blossoming love apart. Then only Kylie will see the way home--and only May will be able to lead them there, if she can believe in magic once more." A delightful "light...

Goodreads Summary:  " Everything starts somewhere. . . .For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997. A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A cover up. A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington. Reacher is ordered undercover—to find out everything he can, to control the local police, and then to vanish. Reacher is a good soldier. But when he gets to Carter Crossing, he finds layers no one saw coming, and the investigation spins out of control. Local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux has a thirst for justice—and an appetite for secrets. Uncertain they can trust one another, Reacher and Deveraux reluctantly join forces. Reacher works to uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. The conspiracy threatens to shatter his faith in his mission, and turn him into a man to be feared." This is the first book ...