Another birthday is here and this one is making me feel both old (if I round up it’s 50!) and blessed. I’m exactly half the age that my grandmother was when she died and her life was full of joy and faith and just good old fashioned Christian values and I feel good knowing that I’m only halfway-ish to a life well lived.

Since I entered my 40’s I’ve learned a few things.  The weight goes up easier and comes down only with starvation.  I’m a stronger woman than I ever gave myself credit for, especially pre-kid.  Being a mother is easy to get lost in if you let yourself.  Being an older mother sets you apart and so does having a child with special needs, so the road is not easy nor all that well-traveled.  Online friends can be just as present in your life as those in your real world.  Cheering for Ohio State football will never get old.  Life gets busy and it’s too easy to lose track of friends, but if they matter the time won’t matter as soon as you start talking.  Traveling is fun and great for your spirit.  Flying is a necessary evil.  There will never be enough years to read all of the books I want to read.  Having supportive parents who are still together is not all that common, appreciate it.  Having no idea what the latest hot app is will not make one bit of difference in your quality of life. Cable is not all it’s cracked up to be.  Family is good for the soul.

Next week Jason and I will be married 18 years, if only our marriage could vote!  It’s true sometimes there are stretches when it’s not easy to remember why you agreed to such a crazy thing, but if every day you find one thing that you really appreciate those annoying periods fly right on by.  Unless you hear a tape of him bantering with Donald Trump in the locker room. Then all bets are off.

Any sage advice  you’d like to share about your 40’s or happy marriage secrets?

From my morning walk…Have a beautiful day!

First Star I See Tonight. Finished 9-6-16, 4/5 stars, romance, 368 pages, pub. 2016

A star quarterback and a feisty detective play for keeps in this sporty, sexy, sassy novel—a long-awaited new entry in the beloved, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author’s fan-favorite Chicago Stars football series.

Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. Problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy. 

Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!) If only she weren’t also dealing with a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a teenager who just wants to fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding Piper find her very dead husband.        from Goodreads

She is a go to author and one of a handful of authors who have me purchasing their newest hardcover when it comes out. I’ve read and loved all of her romances.   This is technically listed as Chicago Stars #8 but this is not really a series.  You’ll see some of the same people show up, but in no way do you have to read the series in order to enjoy it and I don’t say that very often.

Coop, a recently retired pro football player is being followed by a  fledgling private investigator.  When he calls her on it she uses her humor and wit to power through all the way to a new job.  Sparks, fly, of course, and there’s plenty of hot sex to keep them panting after each other.

Phillips always does a great job with feisty and interesting heroines and Coop wasn’t too shabby either.

I’m taking a Writing Romance class through the library and the instructor always mentions Nora Roberts and Heather Graham as the elite, but in my opinion it’s Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Benny & Shrimp. Finished 9-4-16, rating 3.75/5, fiction, 209 pages. pub. 1998

An international sensation, this addictively readable tale asks the question: Why is it so impossible to get a relationship between two middle-aged misfits to work? The answer lies in the story of Shrimp, a young widowed librarian with a sharp intellect and a home so tidy that her jam jars are in alphabetical order; Benny, a gentle, overworked milk farmer who fears becoming the village’s Old Bachelor; and an unlikely love that should not be as complicated as it seems. Reminiscent of the works of Carol Shields, this quirky, humorous, beautifully told novel breathes new life into the age-old conundrum that is love.

I realize that I am now middle aged, but calling 35 &36 year olds washed up, middle aged, has-beens was a bit of a stretch for me. Not that I didn’t love them, but Benny and Desiree kept trying to make me feel like they were older than they really were.  This could, of course, just be a difference in culture. This book is translated from Swedish, so maybe people are put out on the shelf earlier than they are here. I totally understood Desiree’s clicking biological clock.  Been there at that age so totally believable.

Aside from the middle aged issue, I really liked these two quirky characters who were leading different lives and couldn’t seem to find a way to meld them together.  A clear case of opposites attract told with great truth and insight.  I see that some friends who read the book didn’t like end.  I didn’t see it coming, but I actually think it was an ending true to the characters.  I understand there’s a sequel  and I wouldn’t mind checking out what happens to Benny & Shrimp.

I loved learning more about life in Sweden and the running of a dairy farm.  A fun read and book 4 in my Book a Day challenge.

Vengeance Follows. Finished 9-3-16, 3.5/5 stars, fiction. 247 pages, pub. 2013

A young man loses the true love of his life and seeks vengeance from the man he holds responsible for his wife’s death. Told with elegant simplicity, this novel of literary suspense is a tragic story of love and loss that ultimately reveals the cruelty of human nature and the healing power of forgiveness.

Sam and Sophie’s idyllic life of Parisian cafés, fine wine, and romantic passion is torn apart when Sophie is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Then Sophie reveals something that happened years before they met—a horrific event that changed her life and left her wounded in ways no one knew. She’s found peace in the years since, she swears to Sam. But then she’s gone, and Sam finds only pain.

Bereft and alone, he leaves the City of Light and seeks solace in a small French village where no one knows him or his past. Troubled in heart and mind, he knows one man is responsible for Sophie’s death. Sam cannot live without confronting him and holding him accountable for his past crimes.

And so Sam travels to America, to a charming little Ohio town where lights twinkle on the snow in winter and fairs shimmer in the summer heat. Here, Sam will seek his revenge—and find retribution for his lost love in a way he could never imagine . . .

Sam loses the love of his life and blames one man. After her death he heads to a small Ohio village to plan his revenge.  What he finds is town full of people who can help him heal, if only he would let them.

Chestnut Falls, based on the lovely Chagrin Falls where I take most out-of-town guests, is lovely.  Lax brought the village and the people to life. I fell in love with the friends Sam made and their stories.  My only problem was I didn’t quite buy into the quest for vengeance, so Sam was a mystery to me.

This is sure to appeal to lovers of charming villages and small town life. It even adds a sophisticated air since Sam spent years in Paris writing about wine.  Sounds like a perfect job to me 🙂

The publisher generously sent this one to me and is my third book in my 30 books in 30 days challenge and you can read more about it here.

A Housefly in Autumn. Finished 9-2-16, rating 4.5/5, fiction, 191 pages, pub.2015

A Housefly in Autumn is intended for Young Adults and up. A historical novel, set in 19th century Europe, it follows the life of a young man whose dreams have crumbled down around him. In an act of heroism, he sacrifices his own promising future to save the life of another. Now he must decide whether to cling to the unlikely hope of regaining his old life, or aim his efforts toward making the most of the life fate has dealt him. Though it is difficult to let go of the rewards that life once promised, perhaps the greatest rewards are the ones earned by building new hope from the bits and pieces of wrecked dreams.   from Goodreads

This book was such a fun and surprising read for me.  I chose it because an old friend wrote it, but it didn’t really look like something that I’d like.  I was so wrong.  I love everything about this book, from the hero Anders Christiansen (Hans Christian Andersen similarity intentional) to the stories he told to children to the hope that his life represented.  I may have even cried once or twice so obviously I was invested!

Anders was a star. At 17, he had loving parents and was considered the next big thing at university.  But life has a way of changing in the blink of an eye.  Hans circumstances change, but his character doesn’t. I was rooting for Hans and even when he (and I with him) faced disappointment I could always count on his ability to soldier on.

Honestly, I don’t want to give too much away, but this book really touched me and I cannot wait to read it with Gage so that he too can become a fan of Hans, who faced adversity with an ability to find something good in every situation. Important life lessons are taught but never at the expense of the story.

This one feels like a fairy tale and is filled with fairy tales and if you give it a read I bet it will charm you too.

This is my second book in my 30 books in 30 days challenge and you can read more about it here.