Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney

March 3, 20241 Comment

Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney, 4/5 stars (but everyone should still read it), Memoir, 372 pages, 2023

I’m not a Republican. I’m not a Democrat. Until Liz Cheney, third in Republican Party leadership, stood up for truth unlike the vast majority of her party, I would have considered my view of her to be negative. But when a woman has the courage that Liz has shown, I respect her. Her work on the January 6th Committee was such a show of intelligence, strength and resolve. In this book she tells the story of the 2020 election from day one through what’s happening in our country right now.

This is the story of the moment when American democracy began to unravel. It is the story of the men and women who fought to save it, and of the enablers and collaborators whose actions ensured the threat would grown and metastasize. It is the story of the most dangerous man to inhabit the Oval office, and of the many steps he took to subvert our Constitution.

Since 1797, when George Washington voluntarily handed the power of the presidency to John Adams, every American president has fulfilled his solemn obligation to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power- until Donald Trump. (first paragraghs)

This is will be hard for Republicans to read, but those Republicans who rely on Fox News and other far right media are the ones who need to read it most. One of the more conservative of her party she was shown the door because she refused to stand for Trump’s election lies. They all knew it and she brings the receipts.

How we got to this point where a majority of Republicans believe the stolen election lies is frustrating. I encourage everyone to read this book because democracy really is on the ballot in the next election.

“If Trump is on the ballot, the 2024 election will not just be about inflation, or budget deficits, or national security, or any of the many critical issues we Americans normally face. We will be voting on whether to preserve our republic. As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term. But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution.

…This is more important than partisan politics. Every one of us-Republican, Democrat, Independent- must work and vote together to ensure that Donald Trump and those who have appeased, enabled, and collaborated with him are defeated.” (closing paragraphs)

A few thoughts I had while reading. You can listen to someone you disagree with. Cheney is reporting facts and opinions in this book. I can appreciate her first hand knowledge on what was happening in Congress at the time (fact), but still disagree with her love for Ronald Reagan (opinion). Just as I can dislike Dick Cheney as a politician, but love him as a supportive father for her during this time. Just as Cheney said this about Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “She did not try to micromanage the work of the January 6th Committee, but she was there whenever we needed her. And over the next 18 months, every time I went to her with a concern, a proposed approach, or a request that she intervene with Democrats to help guide things in the right direction, she backed me up. Every time. A relationship that had been unimaginable just a few months earlier would now become indispensable.” (p 201)

I think everyone should read it, especially if you didn’t watch the January 6 public presentations, which are still to be found on YouTube 🙂 The people that helped sell the lie are still in Congress and waiting to aid and abet once again if called upon.

February Favorites

February 29, 20243 Comments

Another very slow reading month with 12 books. And as far as I can recall I only watched 3 movies and streamed only 1 show. I don’t feel like I’ve taken full advantage of the extra day this month!

I loved quite a few of the books I read this month…

The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron, 5 stars, Buddhism, 187 pages, 2001

The Talk by Darrin Bell, 5 stars, Graphic Memoir, 352 pages, 2023

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley, 5 stars, Historical Romance, 364 pages, 1994

This was a re-read.

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. 4.5 stars, Historical Fiction, 359 pages, 2022

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas, 4.5 stars, historical romance, 373 pages, 1994

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, 5 stars, historical fiction, 433 pages, 1982

This was a re-read.

Streaming

Season 1 of White Lotus

This Week – A week late!

February 25, 20248 Comments

We took a lovely road trip the Lake Norman in North Carolina last week, our third February in a row. Jason has clients in the Charlotte area so he always works a few of the days leaving Gage and I to our own devices. This week we were able to be away for 6 days, even though that meant Gage missed 2 days of school. On our way home we stopped in Wytheville, Virginia and toured the Edith Bolling Wilson First Lady Birthplace Museum, even staying in the hotel dedicated to her history in the town. I considered this a 2 day field trip. Once a homeschooler…

Posts

I posted about one of my favorite books, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.

Books Finished

You can read my thoughts here.

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, 4.5 stars, historical fiction, 359 pages, 2022

We had a great book club discussion this month. Take My Hand is historical fiction that drew its inspiration from a real 1973 court case. It found that government family centers were sterilizing girls of color as well as those in poor neighborhoods reliant on government help.

Well written and a shocking part of this country’s not so long ago history. I really liked this one. Highly recommend.

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas, 4.5 stars, historical romance, 373 pages, 1994

This is the sequel to Then Came You that I finished a few weeks ago. An innocent author comes to London to research her next book, only to shoot a man and fall in love with the owner of a gambling club. Loved it.

The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron, 5 stars, Buddhism/Spirituality, 176 pages, 2001

I’ve read a few other books by Pema Chodron and I always finish feeling inspired and content. She is an American Buddhist nun and writes about Buddhism in such a welcoming and relatable way. I take a lot from Buddhist teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh being my introduction. I’m a Christian, but I’ve really grown personally from books like these. Maybe you will too if you give one a try. This one deals especially with some life strategies that all can benefit from.

“The most straightforward advice on awakening bodhichitta is this: practice not causing harm to anyone- yourself or others- and every day, do what you can to be helpful.”

“Buddha was pointing out that the fixed idea that we have about ourselves as solid and separate from each other is painfully limiting.”

“Our personal attempts to live humanely in this world are never wasted. Choosing to cultivate love rather than anger just might be what it takes to save the planet from extinction.”

Masked Prey by John Sandford, Lucas Davenport series #30, 4 stars, Mystery/thriller, 406 pages, 2020

I started this series with book one and haven’t looked back. I realized I was a few behind so I’m making quick work of the last few. If you like police procedurals you should definitely give this series a look. He started as a Minneapolis police detective, but is currently a US Marshal still based in Minneapolis. He has a recurring partner, Lucas Flowers, and an adopted daughter, Letty, who each have their own spin offs.

Who Is Malala Yousafzai? by Dinah Brown, Andrew Thompson, illustrator, 4 stars, kids biography, 112 pages, 2015

Most people are familiar with Malala by now. The girl was shot in the face by the Taliban on her way to school in Afghanistan. But there is a backstory if that’s all you know. I already knew everything in this book, but it’s an easy one hour listen on a road trip with your kid!

*I’ve read 22 books so far this year.*

Currently reading

Watching

Jason and I watched Season 1 of White Lotus. What a crazy, beautiful trip. Any other fans out there?

Plans for the Weekend

There are a few hours left that will be spent on Friends of the Solon Library duties. I need to connect with a few members about Facebook stuff and I need to start finding volunteers for our next big book sale. Anyone want to help out in April?

Favorite Book- The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

February 15, 20243 Comments

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, 5/5 stars, Magical Realism/Historical Fiction, 433 pages, 1982

I first read The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende when I was the manager of a B. Dalton bookstore in the Washington DC area 25ish years ago. Each month the staff would have to choose a recommendation for a display and I would pick one to read. This was one of those recs and it was my first foray into the world of magical realism. For that it will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve long had this on my list of top 100 books, but this was my first reread and I had forgotten much.

I can’t believe that I’d forgotten what a monster Esteban was. Seriously, this is more his story than anyone’s and I remembered the women with the green hair and the seers more that I remembered the rapes. So much to discuss if you have a book group waiting to take it on.

The last third of the book had more of a focus on Chile’s history and was fascinating (based on actual history of the 1970s). Allende provides such a rich picture of the South American country. Still relevant today. The ‘right’ overthrew the ‘socialists’ by a coup, only to empower a dictator who ended democracy for the country. A cautionary tale if anyone is paying attention.

After some thought I think I’ll go ahead and put it on my favorites list for now. We’ll see if anything comes along and beats it as I reread favorites.

Have you read it? What did you think?

“…she did not believe that the world was a vale of tears but rather a joke that God had played and that it was idiotic to take it seriously if He himself never had.”

“Just as when we come into the world, when we die we are afraid of the unknown. But the fear is something from within us that has nothing to do with reality. Dying is like being born: just a change”

“She tried to recall the cold, the silence, and that precious feeling of owning the world, of being twenty years old and having her whole life ahead of her, of making love slowly and calmly, drunk with the scent of the forest and their love, without a past, without suspecting the future, with just the incredible richness of that present moment in which they stared at each other, smelled each other, kissed each other, and explored each other’s bodies, wrapped in the whisper of the wind among the trees and the sound of the nearby waves breaking against the rocks at the foot of the cliff, exploding in a crash of pungent surf, and the two of them embracing underneath a single poncho like Siamese twins, laughing and swearing this night would last forever, that they were the only ones in the whole world who had discovered love.”

“thought about the years I still had left to live and decided that without her it wasn’t worth it, for I would never find another woman with her green hair and underwater beauty. If anyone had told me then that I would live to be more than ninety, I would have put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger.”

This Week – Busy, Busy

February 11, 20246 Comments

It’s been a busy two weeks. I took a road trip with a friend, celebrated my parent’s 55th anniversary, my dad’s 77th birthday, sat through my son’s IEP meeting and helped with a luncheon at his school, and even did a minimal amount of planning for an upcoming trip and possible high schools for the boy. Gage had a day off of school and I took him with me to sort donations at the library and he worked hard without complaint!

Posts

January Favorites

Books Finished

The Talk by Darrin Bell. 5/5 stars, Graphic Memoirs, 352 pages, 2023

This graphic memoir is SO good!

Bell has a white mother and black father and it’s his mother who is the one to first tell him that when world will see him as different. She embarrasses him when she causes a scene calling out bias and yet his father remains largely silent when he needs to hear from him the most. This book starts when he is 6 and has a run in with police and they take his water gun and ends after the George Floyd murder when he has to decide if it’s the right time to have the talk about race with his own young son.

Bell was the first Black editorial cartoonist to win the Pulitzer Prize. Highly recommend. Its’s engaging, touching, honest, brave.

Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets For Helping Kids on the Spectrum by Temple Grandin and Debra Moore. 4/5 stars, Autism, 384 pages, 2021.

This book manages to do many things well. It will benefit parents, teachers, or anyone who knows or works with a kid with an autism diagnosis. In the 9 mindsets it also has something for every stage of the child, from child to older teen. I especially like the section on the medical comorbidities, too often treating the medical issues is completely overlooked.

Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas. 4.5/5 stars, Historical Romance, 371 pages, 1993

I loved this book, but both main characters did some horrific things to each other. I will read and most likely love anything she writes.

Michelle Obama: Her Essential Wisdom. 4/5 stars. Quotes, 128 pages, 2019

“That is the power of our differences to make us smarter and more creative. And that is how all those infusions of new cultures and ideas, generation after generation, created the matchless alchemy of our melting pot and helped us build the strongest, most vibrant, most prosperous nation on the planet, right here.”

The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter. 4/5 stars, Menopause, 400 pages, 2021

I’m not in menopause, yet, but I am of a certain age so I wanted to prepare myself. In many ways I wish I hadn’t 🤣. I wish I could say reading this made me feel empowered, but mostly it just depressed me. I’m glad I read it and I’m glad I’m done reading it. I took some useable knowledge and am better off for it. Make sure you’re taking extra calcium ladies!

Currently Reading

Movies

On my weekend road trip we went to the grand old theater in town and finally saw Killers of the Flower Moon. Yes, it was 3 1/2 hours and I had to get up for a 10 minutes break in the middle, but I really liked it. Lily Gladstone was phenomenal.

We watched Little Italy on Netflix. It had a fun cast and some laughs.

Plans for the Weekend

The SUPERBOWL!

January Favorites

January 31, 20244 Comments

I read 13 books this month, this seems so low compared to the last few years!

4 nonfiction, 3 historical romances, 2 kids nonfiction, 2 thrillers, 1 romance, 1 YA romance

I’ve been writing about each one in my weekly updates, so let’s just showcase the extra special ones with links to my thoughts.

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. 4.25 stars. Memoir/Self-help, 319 pages, 2022

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith 4.5 stars, Thriller/Private Detective Mystery, 960 pages, 2023. Link to my post on this series.

The Miracle Seed by Martin Lemelman. 4.5 stars, Nonfiction Graphic Novel for Kids, 80 pages, 2023.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood. 4.5 stars, YA Romance, 352 pages, 2023.

Movies

I only watched 5 movies this month, but liked them all! Two Stood out as favorites…

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, 2023

Wonka, 2023

Streaming

We finished 2 shows and liked them both, both great thrillers based on books I’ve read!

Reacher, season 2. 2022. On Amazon. Based on the Lee Child series.

Fool Me Once, 2023. On Netflix. Based on the Harlan Coben book.

Any common favorites? What was the favorite thing you read or watched this month?

This Week – Purple Belt

January 28, 20248 Comments

Gage earned his purple belt in tae kwon do this week, a proud moment for me. He complains about having to go twice a week, but on Tuesday right before class he said he thought there was a belt test this week and he wanted to make sure he did it. While the notice was late, his taking the initiative was new. Jason and I don’t go in to his classes, so unless he tells us we have no idea what goes on there and with ADHD it’s a struggle for him to remember sometimes. So progress being made all around.

Posts

I wrote up my thoughts on The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. I have so much respect for that woman.

Books Finished

See my thoughts here.

An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands. 3.5 stars, historical romance, 346 pages, 2013. This has a common enough plot, a Scottish laird must marry an English woman. There is a sweet heroine and kind hero and a bit of a mystery that provided a worthy bad guy to spice things up. Although there was also spice in the bedroom…and barn…and by the river… This was the first in a series I’m looking forward to reading more.

The Art of Sinning by Sabrina Jeffries. 3 stars, historical fiction, 400 pages, 2015. This English historical has an American artist in London wanting to use Lady Yvette as his muse. She’s more than willing. It’s spicy and there’s plenty of character setup for the next 4 books in the series. It was good, but I’m not sure I care enough to seek the rest out.

I don’t know why I’m on a romance bender, but I refuse to feel bad about it.

10 books read so far this year.

Currently Reading

Movies

Anyone But You, 2023. I had a morning to myself this week with no commitments and decided to go to the theater and watch something I couldn’t imagine my friends or husband wanting to see. I love romcoms and this one was solid. There was LOTS of skin. Have you ever gone to the movies by yourself? It’s been years since I’ve done this.I was the only one in the theater and that was pretty cool.

Love at First Sight, 2023. Every time I logged into Netflix it recommended this movie to me so when I woke up too early on Saturday and didn’t want to get out of bed I watched it. It’s a cute one about fate and finding someone to hold your hand through the tough times. I loved the growth of both characters and the quirkiness of the storytelling.

Streaming

I’ve read all of Harlan Coben’s books and have seen all of the adaptations. This was one of the better ones. As with all of Coben’s thrillers, twists abound and all is not as it seems. Eight episodes.

Plans for the Weekend

Well, it’s after 10 so the weekend is almost over, but I do have to take a breakfast casserole and 2 dozen muffins to Gage’s school for a special teachers breakfast in the morning and although the muffins are baked I still need to prep the casserole for morning. I best get to it!

Linking up with the Sunday Salon.

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

January 24, 20242 Comments

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. 4.25 stars. Memoir/Self-help, 319 pages, 2022

Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles–the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness. (from Goodreads)

Michelle’s memoir Becoming is one of my favorites. If you haven’t read it, you should. This book shares new stories, offers advice, and addresses the ‘go high’ vision and what it means.

It didn’t pack the same emotional punch of her first book, but there were parts I really loved. I loved the section on her relationship with Barack, especially that first trip to Hawaii to meet his family. I love her honesty and the way that she never puts him on a pedestal. Through her we see the real him. I love this quote, “Any long-term partnership really is an act of stubborn faith.” This spoke to me because I often speak of my own marriage this way.

The last few sections about how she was portrayed in right wing press and her now famous call to ‘Go High” were my favorites. We are so lucky to have had her as First Lady and to have her now encouraging us all to do the work. As many like to say, freedom isn’t free, and if we want a better country we have to be better citizens. I’m going to leave you with a few of the quotes I write in my journal.

“If you keep your children from feeling fear, you’re essentially keeping them from feeling competence.”

“We’re alone, each of us. That’s the ache of being human.”

“Any time we grip hands with another soul and recognize some piece of the story they’re trying to tell, we are acknowledging and affirming two truths at once: We’re lonely and yet we’re not alone.”

“Going high is not just about what happens on a single day, or a month, or inside one election cycle either. It happens over the course of a lifetime, the course of a generation, Going high is demonstrative, a commitment to showing your children, your friends, your colleagues, and your community what it takes to live with love and decency. Because in the end, at least in my experience, what you put out for others- whether it’s hope or hatred- will only create more of the same.”

This Week – Wonka Wonderland

January 21, 2024January 21, 202415 Comments

After two snow days this week and bitter cold temps we went to the movie theater yesterday and saw Wonka! The magic was just what we all needed. We followed it up with Aladdin’s Lebanese food and our day was made.

Posts

A Top 100 Series post about the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child and Andrew Child.

Books Finished

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger. 3.5 stars, thriller, 260 pages, 2023. I like Lisa Unger’s thrillers and this one was quick and satisfying. Madeline was a survivor of an attack, the same attack where she watched her best friend get murdered. Harley is a true crime podcaster and is looking into the 10 year old story. Not surprisingly, secrets are uncovered and danger abounds.

Simply Sinful by Carly Phillips. 2.5 stars. romance, 272 pages, 2000. I was looking for a quick satisfying romance, but this wasn’t it. Detecctive Kane McDermitt goes undercover to prove Kayla’s business is really a front for prostitution. He requests a date (through her business), sleeps with her on said date, and is then convinced she is innocent. Of course he was.

I’ve read 7 books so far this year.

Currently Reading

Nothing has changed from last week, except I’ll probably finish one of these today.

Movies

Wonka, 2022. Magic and chocolate fun for the whole family! I’m so glad that we saw it on the big screen.

Streaming

We finished up season 2 of Reacher on Amazon. We liked it even better than the first season.

Plans for the Weekend

I’ll share this because I’ll be puzzling some today and maybe it’s an idea that appeals to you. I belong to our local Buy Nothing group on Facebook. Neighbors offer each other things they no longer want or need. For the last few years I’ve offered up a puzzle exchange for the month of January, sort of a Little Free PUZZLE Library. When the weather was good I put them on our front porch shelves and as we’re snowed in I’ve moved them to a bin at the end of our driveway. I started with 7 puzzles that I’d done this year and was willing to part with and told people to come take, trade, or give. It’s been fun seeing the puzzles that have come in. The turnover is high, even a few weeks in.

A Favorite Series – Jack Reacher by Lee Child (& Andrew Child)

January 20, 20248 Comments

Jack Reacher is an iconic character. Even if you’ve never read a book in the series (28 books and counting) you may have heard of the two Tom Cruise movies where he played the antihero and divided a rabid fanbase. For me, Tom Cruise is no Reacher. Jason and I just finished season 2 of the Amazon series, Reacher, where Alan Richson deftly plays the larger than life killing machine with his own moral code. The series is good.

Jack Reacher is an ex-military cop who is roaming the United States, seeing the country he barely knows after a lifetime (36 years) spent on military bases around the world. From one of my reviews, “Jack Reacher is a man’s man, but one that women are drawn to because of his sheer masculinity and unavailability. He is who he is, take him or leave him and that confidence and physical presence makes him a force to be reckoned with.”

Why should you be reading the Jack Reacher series? Because he’s alpha male dreamy. He isn’t held back by rules but is ruled by what is good and just and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty in the pursuit of justice. He’s a tall, commanding man who, if you count the number of women he’s charmed out of their clothes, knows his way around a woman’s body.

Read if you like – Drifters with a hero complex, larger than life characters who say as little as possible, justice being served no matter how many get hurt, and don’t mind lots of violence.

#11 Bad Luck and Trouble

#12 Nothing To Lose