Month: September 2023

September Favorites

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September is coming to a close and my favorite month is about to begin. Cheers to all you fall lovers! I read 15 books this month, bringing my 2023 total to 201. I read 6 picture books (3 fiction, 3 nonfiction), 2 romances, 3 fiction, 2 thrillers, 1 kids fiction, 1 inspirational.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elontz Marshall and Elisa Chavarri is everything a kids picture book should be. A story set in modern day Guatemala about a little girl born of the Mayan weavers who finds a very timely and creative way to solve more than one problem. Based on what’s really happening. Gorgeous artwork and told in both English and Spanish.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay. I just finished this last night, with tears rolling down my cheeks, so I need time to process. I’ll write up a review later this week. Have you read it?

Following the Path: The Search for a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Joy by Joan Chittister. I loved it. I always get something I need out of Joan Chittister’s books and this one was perfect for me during this transitional time of Gage going back to school after 3 years of homeschooling. When you’re at a crossroads, or even at a place where you’re acknowledging that there’s something unfinished in you, this is a nice read. I read a chapter every morning for a few weeks and it was a nice way to start the day. Clink on the link to get some of my favorite thoughts from the book.

ALSO VERY GOOD

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood is very similar to The Love Hypothesis by the same author. It’s set in academia, has offbeat heroines and stoic heroes (unless there’s sex and then all bets are off), and an obvious attraction seen by the reader even though the heroine misses it. But, in all of the ways that TLH went over the top and sometimes missed the mark, this one didn’t. It’s a more mature story, complete with cats and near death experiences.

The Enchanted Hacienda by JC Cervantes. I’m a sucker for all things magical realism. This was the perfect book at the perfect time. I love when that happens! It was magical, romantic, and fun.

The Estrada women are tied to their Mexican flower farm. Each one of them, for generations, has been born with special powers and the ability to help others through spells, like erasing memories or bonding to another person. Harlow didn’t have any such gift and always felt like the odd one out. When she goes home to regroup after a breakup she finds the magic she’s been looking for her whole life.

Hello Stranger is the latest feel good novel by Katherine Center. Sadie is an artist in her 20s living in a not-fit-to-rent apartment on a dime. She’s just reached the finals of a prestigious portrait competition, when an accident and subsequent surgery cause prosopagnodia, an inability to ‘see’ faces.

Sadie’s family story was the most moving part of the story for me. Her mom was gone, and she had an evil stepmother and stepsister to make her miserable while her father looked away. Needless to say, I was rooting hard for Sadie.

Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stepahnie Marie Thronton. Another one I just finished yesterday so I need to write a proper review. If you have an interest in Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or women’s issues of the 1700-1800s then this historical fiction is for you.

The Secret Life of the Flying Squirrel by Laurence Pringle. It’s the story of Volans and life with her 3 pups. There’s a lot of information in these 40 pages! Sure to please any animal loving kid.

Sundiata: Lion King of Mali. I’m a David Wisniewski fan. I always love the historical tale and the paper cut illustrations. If you see his books make sure to take a look!

ALSO GOOD

A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A Adler and Karen Ritz handled the story of Anne and her family perfectly for the older elementary, early middle school kids.

Long Shadows (Amos Decker #7) by David Baldacci. I wrote about this series here.

The Sentinel (Jack Reacher #25) by Lee Child and Andrew Child. I’ve read this series from book 1 and love the character of Jack Reacher. This was the first that Lee wrote with his brother and another solid addition to the series.

Flying Colors: One Man’s Magical Journey to Find Fulfillment by Christopher Laney. John meets a mysterious man in an airport who opens his eyes to a different way to live, to new possibilities never dreamt of before. When John arrives back home to a job that is ready to serve up the life he’s always wanted on a silver platter, the memory of the man in the airport has him questioning what it is he really wants.

Mysterious and mystical and a great first novel.

Tia Fortuna’s New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey by Ruth Behar and Devon Holzwarth led to the most discussion in the house. A fictional story that teaches about the journey of the Sephardic Jews from Spain to Cuba and some of the traditions that went with them. Loved the whimsical illustrations.

Sometimes a book just doesn’t work for you. Such was the case with The Magician’s Visit: A Passover Tale by Barbara Diamond Goldin and IL Peretz.

Favorite Author – Sarah Addison Allen

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Sarah Addison Allen had me from the moment I fell in the love with the Waverly Sisters in Garden Spells. Born in Asheville, North Carolina, she brings that southern charm to her magical books. I’ve read all seven and she is one of my few auto buy authors.

These are her books listed in the order I like them best with a few of my thoughts on each and linked to my full review.

Garden Spells. Claire Waverly and her sister Sydney, were part of the Waverly’s of Bascom, North Carolina.  The family that was just a bit off, strange, and they had that magic apple tree in the back yard.  Claire stayed in the family home after her mother and grandmother died, but Sydney had escaped to New York and beyond as soon as she could.  The sisters had never been close, so when Sydney returned to Bascom with her 5 year old daughter in tow, Claire was surprised. 

Claire’s gift was affecting people’s mood and feelings through food.  The garden was always in bloom, even if she had to put up with the trouble-making apple tree.  Sydney had spent most of her life denying her Waverly roots, but even she found her special gift when she returned home.  The only other family still around was a great-aunt who had the gift of giving people, even complete strangers, trinkets that they would soon need. 

I loved this book.  Loved it.  It had romance, charm, and drama.  The relationship between the sisters was compelling and the magical elements made it very light and fun.  The reason that drew Sydney back to Bascom was a shadow hovering over the Waverlys and it provided a grounding effect for this magical story.  I was drawn into their world and didn’t want to leave. 

First Frost. As much as I really like Allen’s other books, and I’ve read them all, it’s the Waverley’s from Bascom, North Carolina that really make me happy.  I want a magic apple tree and a special gift, I guess.  Who doesn’t?

Ten years after Garden Spells the sisters and their Aunt Evanelle find themselves settled into relationships and trying to find their way, especially Claire.  Claire is questioning her gift and the way that she’s using it, so she is ripe for someone to come along and shake her faith.  And he does.

I love that Sydney’s daughter, Bay, is a major part of this story, coming into her own as one of the mysterious Waverley women.  She’s 15 and knows her gift, only it has only made her high school experience miserable.  I love how she is willing to be different at such a young age.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon. Emily recently lost her mother, the only family she has ever known, and is shipped off to her grandfather in North Carolina.  Julia is from Mullaby but left as a teenager only to return as an adult after her father died.  Both plan on  being there for  short time, but both find themselves with reasons to stay in the quaint, close-knit town full of secrets and charm.

I loved Allen’s first book Garden Spells and found myself almost as enchanted with this quirky and magical tale of lost love and the trials of growing up.  She has a talent for making stories that are light and still satisfying.  Oh, and romantic.  Emily and Julia both found men to appreciate them even when they didn’t want to be appreciated.  Julia’s story of her teen years carried the novel for me and I was happy to see her get her happy ending (this is Sarah Addison Allen so I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying that).

Lost Lake. There are so many things to love about Allen’s writing.  She has a light, lyrical quality that encourages fast and happy reading.  And even though I always consider her books happy, she embraces difficult topics, like how to move on when who you love has died.  Her characters are always so true and somewhat quirky and the icing on the cake is the magic that movies the story along.  All of these make her books a delight to read.  This was no exception.

Lost Lake made me wish it were a real place so I could make my reservations today.  I loved the idea of the whole town getting behind Eby so she doesn’t sell her property.  I loved each unique character’s back story. They were all engaging.  I loved the romance of Paris.  This is great Southern fiction with charm and the magic of childhood.

Other Birds. There were ghosts, but it wasn’t a ghost story, there were misfits looking for a tribe, there was a mystery or two you didn’t even know needed solved, and there was love in many different forms. There were secrets revealed and secrets kept, invisible birds, and childhood trauma. Even with all of that going on at one this is, at its hear, a comfort read.

In an interview with the author she said that she always envisioned the setting first and that’s why it always feel like a character. This setting is the fictional Mallow Island, South Carolina, known for its marshmallows.

The Peach Keeper. Wall of Water, North Carolina, is home to Willa, Paxton, and Sebastian.  Though none of them were friends in high school, Paxton and Sebastian are inseparable now.  Willa own her own store and lives a happy but quiet life.  When Paxton restores the Blue Ridge Madam, an old home important to Willa’s family, it brings a mystery that leads them both to their grandmothers, looking for answers.

The Sugar Queen.

Josey Cirrini is a 27-year-old who hides sweets and romance novels in her closet so her perfect southern belle mother doesn’t see them.  She lives in servitude of her mother with no life of her own until a local woman shows up in her closet to hide out for a while, seemingly to escape a boyfriend.  She draws Josey out of her shell and she starts to develop relationships that her mother doesn’t approve of.  Chloe and Adam both give Josey the confidence she needs to take a look at life in the small North Carolina town where everyone remembers her as a mean child.

When Chloe had a need in her life the perfect book would appear in front of her.  How awesome would this be?  I totally loved Chloe’s story and her transformation.  I think this is why I liked but didn’t love the book, I wanted Chloe to be the main character, not Josey.  I wanted to give Josey a little tough love pep talk.

Any other SAA fans out there? What’s your favorite?

Following the Path: The Search for a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Joy by Joan Chittister

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Following the Path by Joan Chittister. 4.5/5 stars, Inspirational, 192 pages, 2012

This book is meant to give someone in the process of making a life decision at any age—in early adulthood, at the point of middle-age change and later, when we find ourselves at the crossroads without a name—some ideas against which to pit their own minds, their own circumstances. Its purpose, as they wrestle with the process of trying to find and follow their own special call at this new stage of life, is to both provoke thinking and to clarify it. —Joan Chittister
 
In our modern and mobile society, the range of answers to the questions “What am I supposed to do with my life?” and “How do I know when I’ve found my purpose?” can seem endless and overwhelming. Following the Path by Sister Joan brings the insights of her years of teaching and contemplation to bear on this issue, providing readers with a new way forward. Through her examination of spiritual calling and gifts, change and discernment, she leads readers home to the place where, finally, we know we fit, where we are the fullest of ourselves and a gift to the world, a timely and much needed message that many will be happy to hear.

from Goodreads

I loved it. I always get something I need out of Joan Chittister’s books and this one was perfect for me during this transitional time of Gage going back to school after 3 years of homeschooling. When you’re at a crossroads, or even at a place where you’re acknowledging that there’s something unfinished in you, this is a nice read. I read a chapter every morning for a few weeks and it was a nice way to start the day. If any of these quotes resonate with you, get your hands on the book.

“We are all called, in some form and fashion, to give ourselves away so that tomorrow can be better than yesterday for many. We are all called to be reckless, intrepid, conscious philanthropists of the world to come.”

“But it is in our giftedness that our future lies. To be really happy, we must either follow our gifts or find our gifts. Otherwise we run the risk of going to our graves only half alive.”

“Aristotle, the great philosopher of personal development, said happiness depended on developing ourselves to our fullest potential. On becoming the best self we can possibly be…he said happiness depended on our commitment and involvement in ‘virtuous activity.’ In doing good…it’s about doing something that makes the world a better place to be…What fills our heart with happiness, ironically enough, is not what we get out of the world; it’s what we put into it.”

“Enjoyment and happiness are not synonyms. Enjoyment is, at best, an answer to the rigors of routine, it is not the abiding sense of a life we’ll live. That comes with having lived life well at every level and to the very heart of its ultimate meaning.”

“The more equipped I am to distinguish the me I want to be from the me everybody else wants me to be, the more likely I am to become it.”

“What other people require of us leads us to create the masks we present to the world.”

“At the end of the day, at the end of every decision, the measurement criteria must always be whether what I am doing is serving my false self or my true self.”

“Unless I am capable of letting go of the security level to which I have become accustomed, unless I am ready to begin again, the lack of a sense of meaning in the here and now that plagues us with the grace of doubt will die in the wind.”

This Week – Nail Biting Buckeye Win!

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Last night we celebrated a last second Ohio State win over Notre Dame. A great way to end the day. We also had a game night with friends and I always forget to take pictures of those! We played Big City. Any other board game lovers out there?

As you can see from the pic, I got a new car! I am so not a car person and will surely lose this car in the parking lot for a bit. My only requirement was good gas mileage and a car to take on trips, the the CRV Sport Hybrid is a good fit.

Posts

I only managed one post this week, but it’s a good one! Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Books finished

Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall and Elisa Chavarri was the true standout. A lovely picture book.

Currently Reading

I do typically have many books going on at once, but this is close to my limit. Anyone else struggle with this?

On TV

We’ve been watching Harlan Coben’s Shelter series on Amazon. We hope to catch the finale tonoght.

We also started Wheel of Time, season 2. I’ve not read the series of books, but love the show.

Movies

I watched this for one of my lists. I appreciated the idea, but it didn’t quite live up to its potential. Based on a play about a writer who gets drawn into the SS.

Plans for the Weekend

Well, it’s already Sunday and the last few days have been busy, so I have a lot of catching up to do with house stuff. And Gage and I will be started supplemental Mom school, lol. I’ll be doing a reading curriculum with him, because, well, I’m not sold on how much instruction he’s getting at school. We’re going to start one of my favorite kids books, Number the Stars.

What’s up with the rest of your weekend?

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

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Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. 4.25 stars. Romance. 323 pages, 2023

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality with every face she sees.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls into—love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?—with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.

from Goodreads

Hello Stranger is the latest feel good novel by Katherine Center. Sadie is an artist in her 20s living in a not-fit-to-rent apartment on a dime. She’s just reached the finals of a prestigious portrait competition, when an accident and subsequent surgery cause prosopagnodia, an inability to ‘see’ faces.

Sadie’s family story was the most moving part of the story for me. Her mom was gone, and she had an evil stepmother and stepsister to make her miserable while her father looked away. Needless to say, I was rooting hard for Sadie.

There was a love interest or two, a loyal best friend, and the realities of her new life with face blindness. This novel was warm and fuzzy in all the right places, while also letting real life shine through.

I loved it. There were, perhaps, one or two more coincidences than necessary, but at the end I was left feeling happy and satisfied.

Have you read a book by Katherine Center? Are they great?

“The fact that you don’t want me to help you really makes me want to help you.”
“That sounds like a you problem.”

This Week – S’more Good Books

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This beatiful Cleveland fall weather has allowed us to indulge in fun things like making a fire just so Gage and his friend could make proper s’mores. Next up, corn mazes!

I’ve taken lots of morning walks after dropping Gage off after school this week, so lots of audio book time. I finished the latest in the Amos Decker series, Long Shadows, and posted about the series as my first entry into my Top 100 lists. I also listened to Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (post up tomorrow) and am currently listening to a Jack Reacher book. I LOVE long walks in September and October, so audio books will be my thing for a bit.

I went to the school’s first PAC meeting. I can’t tell you how nice it’s been to take a supporting role in Gage’s education and my parent participation at the school. A few years ago I would have been all over taking charge some of the projects, but this time I sat back and offered support. I’m learning to chill a bit, but I’m still a work in progress 🙂

Jason and I are finializing our 25th anniversary quick getaway next month and I planned Gage’s birthday excursion to Kalahari with a friend. And I’m working on the library book sale for next month. We had a board meeting this week and I still have library stuff to get done. October is my favorite month, but always so busy.

Books Read

Finished 5, 194 for the year

Posts

I posted about David Baldacci’s Amos Decker series here.

Book review of The Enchanted Hacienda by JC Cervantes here. I loved it!

I posted about the 3 picture books on IG here.

Currently reading

On TV

We’ve been watching Harlan Coben’s Shelter series on Amazon. Jason and I are really enjoying it.

Plans for the weekend

A trip to the library to freshen our ongoing sale. Waiting to see if Jason will win the pickleball tournament he’s playing in today. A few trips to Little Free Libraries to distribute books.

What do you have planned for the day?

A Favorite Series – Amos Decker by David Baldacci

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Amos was a standout college football player at THE Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) and his big time opportunity came with the Cleveland Browns (Go Browns!). On the first play of his NFL career he was brutally injured, not only ending his career, but changing his life forever. From that day forward he couldn’t forget anything, total recall of every moment of his life that he could flip through like a photo album anytime he wanted. This was the case when he went home one night after his shift as a police detective and found his wife, daughter and brother-in-law murdered in his home. The case wasn’t solved and Amos lost his way and ended up living in a dive hotel. That’s where we first meet Amos, at the hotel buffet.

Amos is one of those quirky, damaged characters that is also agenius that I always seem to like. Maybe it’s because at his core he’s just a good person who wants todo what’s right. Because of his remarkable mental abilities (called hyperthymesia) he is able to see things that other people miss. I’ve liked the secondary characters, especially Alex, Melvin, and now Freddie and the love they’ve shown to the sometimes hard-to-take Decker. The mysteries themselves are out there, but not so ridiculous that you can’t appreciate them.

In the latest book, Long Shadows, he gets a new FBI partner, listens to his first partner commit suicide, and also some concerning news about his health. I don’t know what the future will hold for Amos, but I’m excited about how many interesting changes there were in this 7th installment.

Read if you like – Smart but grouchy detectives, tragic backstories, well plotted mysteries, character growth.

The series linked to my thoughts about each book.

#1 Memory Man

#2 The Last Mile

#3 The Fix

#4 The Fallen

#5 Redemption

#6 Walk the Wire

#7 Long Shadows

I just finished Long Shadows this week (9/23) and will update this post as more books are published in this ongoing series.

Any other Amos Decker fans out there?

The Enchanted Hacienda

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The Enchanted Hacienda by JC Cervantes. 4.5 stars. Magical realism. 368 pages, 2023

I’m a sucker for all things magical realism. This was the perfect book at the perfect time. I love when that happens! It was magical, romantic, and fun.

The Estrada women are tied to their Mexican flower farm. Each one of them, for generations, has been born with special powers and the ability to help others through spells, like erasing memories or bonding to another person. Harlow didn’t have any such gift and always felt like the odd one out. When she goes home to regroup after a breakup she finds the magic she’s been looking for her whole life.

There are lots of women in this family and something tells me we might see more of these women in the future. I can’t wait!

This was one of three books in my quarterly TBR box from Book Riot and the second I’ve read so far. I always like care they use when choosing my books and, of course, I love the element of surprise that the box brings when I see it on my doorstep.

This Week – Bring on Fall

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Fall temperatures finally arrived. After some 90 degree days early this week, it’s finally in the 70s, just where I like it. Jason is 99% recovered from Covid after two weeks, Gage is in school, and I’m trying to map out what I want for myself this year. Blogwise I’ve got some big goals. I’ve had my favorite 100 books and 100 movies posted here for years. I’m a list maker so I’m doing a rehaul. I’ve made lots of lists that you can see. But before a book goes on the new list, I’ll be giving it a reread or watching it again and posting about it. It’s a big project that will satify my goal to slow down and will, most likely, be ongoing for a year or two.

Posts

July & August Movies

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Flying Colors by Christopher Laney

Currently Reading

TV

After a few friend recommendations we finally watched Jury Duty. We laughed at James Marsden, but it really just wasn’t for us. Ronald came across as very likable, but what did he do to deserve such a big, very public prank?

Puzzle

This was my 1000 piece puzzle from Completing the Puzzle and I loved it. It’s Tokyo from Coudberries.

Plans for the Weekend

Shopping for school clothes and seeing the parents for Grandparents Day!

What are you up to today?

Flying Colors: A Modern-Day Fable on Finding Fulfillment by Christopher Laney

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Flying Colors by Christopher Laney. 3.5 stars, Fiction, 262 pages, 2023

Flying Colors follows the mystical adventures of John Freeman, who’s young, ambitious, and on the verge of achieving everything he wants when he finds himself the student of a mysterious flight instructor whose initial lessons have little to do with flying planes. Over a remarkable summer, as John struggles to unravel the secrets behind the instructor and a mystical airfield stuck in time, he becomes torn between his professional ambitions and the lure of a simpler life. But to earn his wings and soar, John must face the ultimate test of discovering his true self and what matters most.

from Goodreads

John meets a mysterious man in an airport who opens his eyes to a different way to live, to new possibilities never dreamt of before. When John arrives back home to a job that is ready to serve up the life he’s always wanted on a silver platter, the memory of the man in the airport has him questioning what it is he really wants.

Mysterious and mystical and a great first novel.

“No one can teach another person. If something’s worth learning we teach ourselves. We become our own teachers by doing, by experimenting. We teach ourselves by making mistakes and experimenting until we get it right. Everyone wants answers, but the answers can’t come from other people because the answers you get are to the wrong questions, answers meant for someone else’s life, not yours.”

Many thanks to the author for sending this uplifting book my way!