tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52687445871668747842024-03-28T20:29:14.631-07:00Helen's Book BlogHelen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.comBlogger2791125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-48952892389100801712024-03-28T06:44:00.000-07:002024-03-28T09:32:55.400-07:00Review: Trespasses by Louise Kennedy<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD64w4FcGR7Yf-GVZjv2F-yxFbVt2tl7-HZLXoIQDnPMW9MwVXVnpg9DpuOZeY0AgmgueOE_XAGKdb5RT-PIHsNNcUOJbSFLuM7f5bG7PVD5r0eUi1Vw-B-RYQwDL2i02aHFSmOnAs-rkjKGTiDfNEmfRqta31l-dl7MKXXFnpIagSM25A72L8wpmVhRQ/s1000/81v1h0BGdJL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD64w4FcGR7Yf-GVZjv2F-yxFbVt2tl7-HZLXoIQDnPMW9MwVXVnpg9DpuOZeY0AgmgueOE_XAGKdb5RT-PIHsNNcUOJbSFLuM7f5bG7PVD5r0eUi1Vw-B-RYQwDL2i02aHFSmOnAs-rkjKGTiDfNEmfRqta31l-dl7MKXXFnpIagSM25A72L8wpmVhRQ/s320/81v1h0BGdJL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p></p><b>Title: </b>Trespasses<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Louise Kennedy</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2023</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (historical)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 304 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>UK (Northern Ireland)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Amid daily reports of violence, Cushla lives a quiet life with her mother in a small town near Belfast, teaching at a parochial school and moonlighting at her family’s pub. There she meets Michael Agnew, a Protestant barrister who’s made a name for himself defending IRA members. Against her better judgment, Cushla lets herself get drawn in by him and his sophisticated world, and an affair ignites. Then the father of a student is savagely beaten, setting in motion a chain reaction that will threaten everything, and everyone, Cushla most wants to protect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> </span>I asked for this novel for Christmas and was given it then started reading it in January but gave up. It must not have been the right time because this time around I read it in just a few days.</div><div><br /></div><div>Northern Ireland in the 1970s. The Troubles. It was (is?) such a fraught place and time and this novel does an exceptional job at showing how it all affected people in their every-day lives. The tensions for families (mothers in particular as they tried to protect their children), teachers, lawyers, the police, Protestants, Catholics, and more are palpable. The characters in this story are strong and ask for empathy (but not sympathy) as they do the best they can given the circumstances.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is really a characters and emotion-driven novel and while there are events, it's more a "days in the life" of a city kind of book. Reading it, I feel the weight of history and every day life in Northern Ireland.</div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">none</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-64833927927195121892024-03-25T07:50:00.000-07:002024-03-25T07:54:39.404-07:00Review: A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOta825ewWNXcJAyMi5FzGuKebEBLr6bH3NhNKVKNCA5NIh5y7MWDBsydOoYnEOeWlQmDaRD8JX2saLaMFead1DkqzvFZ1BPCxDajDK7UNKx95-lceohHt69dVrDChQphDb4xKSntBmGk9120o-sKsLmQ-aOThUapESuKad5Rom7NcMiS6dpeTIqlCuT2g/s754/Screenshot%202024-03-22%20at%207.44.04%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="498" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOta825ewWNXcJAyMi5FzGuKebEBLr6bH3NhNKVKNCA5NIh5y7MWDBsydOoYnEOeWlQmDaRD8JX2saLaMFead1DkqzvFZ1BPCxDajDK7UNKx95-lceohHt69dVrDChQphDb4xKSntBmGk9120o-sKsLmQ-aOThUapESuKad5Rom7NcMiS6dpeTIqlCuT2g/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-22%20at%207.44.04%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="211" /></a></div><p></p><b>Title: </b>A Killing of Innocents (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James #19)<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Deborah Crombie</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2023</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (mystery)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 368 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>UK</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>On a rainy November evening, trainee doctor Sasha Johnson hurries through the evening crowd in London's historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her as they brush past. A moment later, Sasha stumbles, then collapses. When Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene, they discover that she's been stabbed. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Kincaid immediately calls in his detective wife, Gemma James, who has recently been assigned to a task force on knife crimes which are on the rise. Along with her partner, detective sergeant Melody Talbot, Gemma aids the investigation. But Sasha Johnson doesn’t fit the profile of the task force’s typical knife crime victim. Single, successful, career-driven, she has no history of abusive relationships or any connection to gangs. Sasha had her secrets, though, and some of them lead the detectives uncomfortably close to home.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">As the team unravels the victim's tangled connections, another murder raises the stakes. Kincaid, Gemma, and their colleagues must put even friendships on the line to find the killer stalking the dark streets of Bloomsbury.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> This novel has been on my TBR shelf for quite a while. Crombie is an author I have seen around a lot (she has written a ton of books!), but somehow this is my first of her books. And, of course, this is number 19 in the series. Nothing like coming in at the end!</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This book pulled me in from page one and makes me wish I'd read the previous eighteen novels in her series. The characters are likable and interesting, interact well, and struggle with the problems before them. The police work is well done and I felt like I was in the thick of the investigation, not really sure who was "the bad guy," and what the detectives would discover.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The ending was believable as well, not rushed, and I felt like all the loose ends came together in a way that made sense. I also like that we get personal relationship aspects of all the characters. We learn about their families, friendship connections, their past, all of which makes them seem like real people that the reader can care about. I am sure that if I had read even a few of the past novels I would feel even more strongly about this aspect.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">If you like a good detective novel, I highly recommend this series.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Alphabet (Title )--K</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Cloak and Dagger</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Literary Escapes--United Kingdom</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeSfPv6HzplQddgjKyqh0Jw1gbf4b3_sgQwqbcHvwWe2nl_vz7oKJbzGNqSY2QzmILrSZBfEV9f6LdOH8PUehtVi-0mwM01P61lSG_032wV_Fvz0Jmzsg1s3vaTQMUt5tNFtSceX319KgBHHrTDYvBtTuK7CdFQ5LF5iWWHXOpafBQN5QTkJ5W4nvDEnw/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeSfPv6HzplQddgjKyqh0Jw1gbf4b3_sgQwqbcHvwWe2nl_vz7oKJbzGNqSY2QzmILrSZBfEV9f6LdOH8PUehtVi-0mwM01P61lSG_032wV_Fvz0Jmzsg1s3vaTQMUt5tNFtSceX319KgBHHrTDYvBtTuK7CdFQ5LF5iWWHXOpafBQN5QTkJ5W4nvDEnw/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEpKDJ3ysjSaFklmqkB4X-mQ5h4sY-g4qKoI7_8aDBto9BpemCjw7uZ0FOX-3qZoQqjlkhyphenhyphenXi1dG6ytAhIzsQNQovZuj1ZfRym3ygcdJ5elih3hGp43elhuYSLSnMBT0UWAXEN82dUhDk_TJZCvEFUjb2EG1mR5tH9WJFcPWPV2eUyM3GbOVHTjhuwK2X/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEpKDJ3ysjSaFklmqkB4X-mQ5h4sY-g4qKoI7_8aDBto9BpemCjw7uZ0FOX-3qZoQqjlkhyphenhyphenXi1dG6ytAhIzsQNQovZuj1ZfRym3ygcdJ5elih3hGp43elhuYSLSnMBT0UWAXEN82dUhDk_TJZCvEFUjb2EG1mR5tH9WJFcPWPV2eUyM3GbOVHTjhuwK2X/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHGJ7ZFS41b8dyGzs72TPN_OcUQ28xajkdN3nLRk5gLbCex_hR2BU72R3dkoGlH9dOkEycKNIHl8Gb8gXXWik9QnzEW50BIF75nJi29-zlLPnw0XbNDV7zKFC6_daDflkPI9mefI2z2LeSBwTk4ewZgX6pprV1xU3h2DV9wFvWUVfLWCtViA_ATGAJfQt/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHGJ7ZFS41b8dyGzs72TPN_OcUQ28xajkdN3nLRk5gLbCex_hR2BU72R3dkoGlH9dOkEycKNIHl8Gb8gXXWik9QnzEW50BIF75nJi29-zlLPnw0XbNDV7zKFC6_daDflkPI9mefI2z2LeSBwTk4ewZgX6pprV1xU3h2DV9wFvWUVfLWCtViA_ATGAJfQt/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-71165983925020983542024-03-23T20:44:00.000-07:002024-03-23T20:44:59.149-07:00Sunday Salon: March 24, 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL9wSsxk2cuNtTFms4LOkaG9nxf6_HjSQWazK5U1OSPTjMVeRLtKTi8m5NrwORQs8gqq0ckNI3yDjZqHU7tHetcBCBpojaw39PR1JR1TCSxdEBa8abYgRBA-gUCBbqiTF7lIBCaUAztmebQGhELYWq6j1RCqnFQxdOn7lCVlG0qNkGaISsFkuWZD_nkHD/s250/Sunday%20Salon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL9wSsxk2cuNtTFms4LOkaG9nxf6_HjSQWazK5U1OSPTjMVeRLtKTi8m5NrwORQs8gqq0ckNI3yDjZqHU7tHetcBCBpojaw39PR1JR1TCSxdEBa8abYgRBA-gUCBbqiTF7lIBCaUAztmebQGhELYWq6j1RCqnFQxdOn7lCVlG0qNkGaISsFkuWZD_nkHD/s1600/Sunday%20Salon.png" width="250" /></a></div><p></p><p>The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ReaderBuzz</a>.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OUjBB-SGxHqPnTvAITEIi_rTKq7TLhugIT-jux22nIwoOyH9aILqnBm1CuKjWx_pZCvOBv3ki20GOBt3PnxqdDHkiEnkRd2DlfODxCkUUZAuS1X6cfs9Prh2UCNbq1XCbXqxa5ig66-86x13Y_4AJgIDV-XFeiDce7uSPNU8v29SaqvoJwWjThyphenhyphenCtdEc/s600/What-I've-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OUjBB-SGxHqPnTvAITEIi_rTKq7TLhugIT-jux22nIwoOyH9aILqnBm1CuKjWx_pZCvOBv3ki20GOBt3PnxqdDHkiEnkRd2DlfODxCkUUZAuS1X6cfs9Prh2UCNbq1XCbXqxa5ig66-86x13Y_4AJgIDV-XFeiDce7uSPNU8v29SaqvoJwWjThyphenhyphenCtdEc/s320/What-I've-Been-Reading.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUrnwrE8kK79aak4eqo8Jk5unDWxXuOlI7eNcRrbVCUbJBAMlytlvkvKwg_eLfuwM1_013w8gPiOiVEiH9XoE0dWZgplUgtXiHI_IizuFWsGFb0HKaPuWeQDtiLp3-iE3L69umgujoarzOShl94tlQ73yJCXFzRpM2l45jTd8lQTQGOy6bxIIoxJVGrAy/s500/51hKb60JCmL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUrnwrE8kK79aak4eqo8Jk5unDWxXuOlI7eNcRrbVCUbJBAMlytlvkvKwg_eLfuwM1_013w8gPiOiVEiH9XoE0dWZgplUgtXiHI_IizuFWsGFb0HKaPuWeQDtiLp3-iE3L69umgujoarzOShl94tlQ73yJCXFzRpM2l45jTd8lQTQGOy6bxIIoxJVGrAy/w130-h200/51hKb60JCmL.jpg" width="130" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/03/the-heaven-and-earth-grocery-store-by.html" target="_blank">The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store</a> by James McBride</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4USVZ6Kif6CaVIMFqkR_RMArGgQbJP91U5kaEK51rRVEwygWdcaD_nu8bfc674Wcs-lINP3OfD7d-zpA0rHCyMvMtAALlNn8jElEEYOJHAF7ttbBASIiNNwKM2_fDXGp_vKj5qSUlOVtV7B2kUMhbgiX_MLAPKZymnfblX_hweoVQ9iCsWo9R-3v9Aj3/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4USVZ6Kif6CaVIMFqkR_RMArGgQbJP91U5kaEK51rRVEwygWdcaD_nu8bfc674Wcs-lINP3OfD7d-zpA0rHCyMvMtAALlNn8jElEEYOJHAF7ttbBASIiNNwKM2_fDXGp_vKj5qSUlOVtV7B2kUMhbgiX_MLAPKZymnfblX_hweoVQ9iCsWo9R-3v9Aj3/s320/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN93G_-Wv_Yl47jxM5KIyaw3DJ8GgBogPVAA4Kj36F8mR8CqsLcNCPZbEUoCY9rZt9HoRyXYx91cjUWMNkxGzVc57_YDvhHD02Ty3A8_NYZtIdBvEsVb-PVXGzDBH3pFowgFM6SVkeTNv2IMlfRWXLs1JNyiR0sQA7alBAwuxVxjLedOsHuM_KSDtlEsF/s900/canyouhmn900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN93G_-Wv_Yl47jxM5KIyaw3DJ8GgBogPVAA4Kj36F8mR8CqsLcNCPZbEUoCY9rZt9HoRyXYx91cjUWMNkxGzVc57_YDvhHD02Ty3A8_NYZtIdBvEsVb-PVXGzDBH3pFowgFM6SVkeTNv2IMlfRWXLs1JNyiR0sQA7alBAwuxVxjLedOsHuM_KSDtlEsF/s320/canyouhmn900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought I was going crazy. When I have a phone conversation with my iPhone up to my ear everyone is so quiet I can't hear them, but through my car or on speaker, it's totally fine. I just discovered that it's a thing for people who have upgraded to iOS17. I am not alone! Apple really needs to fix this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8_eq989fnxcwmDylLxy2sj9A_UXGZGDn964KEkYulrSJcjrtAu8P_95iMtvG_kP-QnPINJ2X15ewnShWl7U4Zq8snYy5CPNnInXoXTlsCg26q89RSE4946F849y2_M49kEna-ArbgI6BvA_BvyHJpsy4zXPQ8hKSsJYQ3FxhaH92oYKMFNpheEo9AXdf/s900/MIT-PPA-1-Press_solar_array_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8_eq989fnxcwmDylLxy2sj9A_UXGZGDn964KEkYulrSJcjrtAu8P_95iMtvG_kP-QnPINJ2X15ewnShWl7U4Zq8snYy5CPNnInXoXTlsCg26q89RSE4946F849y2_M49kEna-ArbgI6BvA_BvyHJpsy4zXPQ8hKSsJYQ3FxhaH92oYKMFNpheEo9AXdf/s320/MIT-PPA-1-Press_solar_array_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I moved into my house 2 years ago I was so pleased that it already had solar. I have an electric car so it seemed perfect. I just had to add up my electricity bills for my 2023 taxes and my total electricity bill for 2023 was $46. For a year. For my house and running my car. Wahooooo!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiCMxV1yvBwY0IXdlWKmQqXiE0o1xMS6NfiZ88Tmks6gEde4V9oKuiNWMXAGtTn-1yHY6qCIe8arX1F744n6nUSB2xBkmmCLcCg-EbW9pv46251mmh80qwYYvex41s_J5oMStPq1dKc8PY__Bs13-ux7Cn_RunG9aDzhSgs62aBZIqmT4fwb9hBNs5-ep/s901/photodune-9590180-no-harassment-concept-s.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="901" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiCMxV1yvBwY0IXdlWKmQqXiE0o1xMS6NfiZ88Tmks6gEde4V9oKuiNWMXAGtTn-1yHY6qCIe8arX1F744n6nUSB2xBkmmCLcCg-EbW9pv46251mmh80qwYYvex41s_J5oMStPq1dKc8PY__Bs13-ux7Cn_RunG9aDzhSgs62aBZIqmT4fwb9hBNs5-ep/s320/photodune-9590180-no-harassment-concept-s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I have a client at work that has been totally inappropriate with me for many weeks. He is so irritating. Last week he went beyond and actually thought it was appropriate to show a soft porn video to me during a virtual training session that I was running. All done. I met with my higher ups about it and they were really supportive. All my communication and meetings with this client will now have one of my (male) colleagues included. When we decided that I felt so relieved which made me realize how heavily this has been weighing on me. I do hate that my male colleagues are necessary to make this better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF-GAVIaPGJ49KDP6-hrQBRkN_ZmK21OPaVReOE8eKt4Cjh1vcZqP8qn010N45tJnhH6GT5Tl9mEWBZoQslu6Xcbux9XSEbMMx9JTayUGUXl_7LgpBVtQU4K_wfO_Oi6y8fgoprIz_E-GmDRMQqiksAfGbmsCUzmJ_T-D7ui_2Zk4cr-TPrOOClUcAxUG/s2100/IMG_4243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="2100" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF-GAVIaPGJ49KDP6-hrQBRkN_ZmK21OPaVReOE8eKt4Cjh1vcZqP8qn010N45tJnhH6GT5Tl9mEWBZoQslu6Xcbux9XSEbMMx9JTayUGUXl_7LgpBVtQU4K_wfO_Oi6y8fgoprIz_E-GmDRMQqiksAfGbmsCUzmJ_T-D7ui_2Zk4cr-TPrOOClUcAxUG/s320/IMG_4243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I watched the movie Tyson's Run last night. I am a sucker for an underdog sports movie and this one was ok. I mainly watched it because Sean Murray, a high school classmate, composed the music. Go Sean!</div><p>Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQlZucwEGAEY-6AcsSnJSxKEzEreBLhWaYsigtKqaeVKWW4D2juEMfaZA7Fkl5s6gSEXTSh0CdbgnkxbE9572i1b15Qzo297OEf-SdKIOiGj29ayp0hRGHmL026C-3crHk5SRuAKtbfk85fBtEMf2Rulk2EF99GFD3I41-uWENCJLSDnVvur_Nm9LKSZr/s1000/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQlZucwEGAEY-6AcsSnJSxKEzEreBLhWaYsigtKqaeVKWW4D2juEMfaZA7Fkl5s6gSEXTSh0CdbgnkxbE9572i1b15Qzo297OEf-SdKIOiGj29ayp0hRGHmL026C-3crHk5SRuAKtbfk85fBtEMf2Rulk2EF99GFD3I41-uWENCJLSDnVvur_Nm9LKSZr/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID9r5LcHrx_fYBrNcWtNcuKSdoG6oMcSKx8Aye_WFjwECr8IoiSQji11t5PAdXaX4qmnGF9oJph6hmvYTp5R7J2QFAqGWKw1KuZdjLvnFme2Dksk3h3BeTIWS9rXLPRQOLq31q6vbh6qSKGMExOhzlVo1cr7bcJk_RThKge9nAdXit5pj64mtHlHeWKQG/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID9r5LcHrx_fYBrNcWtNcuKSdoG6oMcSKx8Aye_WFjwECr8IoiSQji11t5PAdXaX4qmnGF9oJph6hmvYTp5R7J2QFAqGWKw1KuZdjLvnFme2Dksk3h3BeTIWS9rXLPRQOLq31q6vbh6qSKGMExOhzlVo1cr7bcJk_RThKge9nAdXit5pj64mtHlHeWKQG/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-17515755607931180342024-03-22T13:06:00.000-07:002024-03-22T19:36:18.365-07:00The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsst01uxYsHfYuT2OXMMT8VVrf9rJdDm0iteQ2FOeQRWrgbEvi-X0NdCGPGU9hJFgnYYOmA095WzNx5oXLiFr-L7s6bKyjCd78qznZ_MkUifNxjC8T-lpGANUJvjXue1pd4CFdh1lvshXeTdZEJGjuh9U2GVqZTFwujBf6f1OkR5VK-LDVRSVZhioR-DC/s500/51hKb60JCmL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsst01uxYsHfYuT2OXMMT8VVrf9rJdDm0iteQ2FOeQRWrgbEvi-X0NdCGPGU9hJFgnYYOmA095WzNx5oXLiFr-L7s6bKyjCd78qznZ_MkUifNxjC8T-lpGANUJvjXue1pd4CFdh1lvshXeTdZEJGjuh9U2GVqZTFwujBf6f1OkR5VK-LDVRSVZhioR-DC/s320/51hKb60JCmL.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><b>Title: </b>The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>James McBride</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2023</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 400 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (Pennsylvania, South Carolina)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> This is my second James McBride novel. I really enjoyed listening to <i>Deacon King Kong</i> (<a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2022/10/review-deacon-king-kong-by-james-mcbride.html" target="_blank">link to my review</a>) and the narrator is the same as this book. Dominic Hoffman is an excellent narrator.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">McBride has an amazing knack for weaving the lives of neighbors, friends, family, and enemies into one story. I think there are a few characters then every time someone new is mentioned, we get their backstory; how they fit into the neighborhood, how they are related to other characters we've heard about. He is a master at creating a scene, a feeling of an era.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This novel relates the stories of folks living in Chicken Hill; Jews, Blacks, and a few Christians. They all have history, hatred, and love for one another. The author brings in racism, fear, a bit of history, social class, the concept of power, and more to round out the feeling of the time and place.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">So much happens to these characters, but it doesn't feel outrageous or too much. Each side story connects the people and events that come together in the end in a brilliant way.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Literary Escapes--South Carolina</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2eyQ5UNJkM4wUrJxsSGOPYojNVGffdYj-8b-6vpj2UTgYGKqU5L4wHf81taua1puYkJYVmQ4C_F2Q3yHh-6WOsNaIMPVjkvYjWUzqjjlefzRqdSGrKZ7pEb_KJWzBjUrwpiwy8e0WmJ1bUcqYCbMsRv8uQmQUphaoy_iwI6vUYtKDYv796rFXAzCferz/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2eyQ5UNJkM4wUrJxsSGOPYojNVGffdYj-8b-6vpj2UTgYGKqU5L4wHf81taua1puYkJYVmQ4C_F2Q3yHh-6WOsNaIMPVjkvYjWUzqjjlefzRqdSGrKZ7pEb_KJWzBjUrwpiwy8e0WmJ1bUcqYCbMsRv8uQmQUphaoy_iwI6vUYtKDYv796rFXAzCferz/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-9441034173794466592024-03-17T10:07:00.000-07:002024-03-17T10:07:45.906-07:00Sunday Salon: March 17, 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL9wSsxk2cuNtTFms4LOkaG9nxf6_HjSQWazK5U1OSPTjMVeRLtKTi8m5NrwORQs8gqq0ckNI3yDjZqHU7tHetcBCBpojaw39PR1JR1TCSxdEBa8abYgRBA-gUCBbqiTF7lIBCaUAztmebQGhELYWq6j1RCqnFQxdOn7lCVlG0qNkGaISsFkuWZD_nkHD/s250/Sunday%20Salon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL9wSsxk2cuNtTFms4LOkaG9nxf6_HjSQWazK5U1OSPTjMVeRLtKTi8m5NrwORQs8gqq0ckNI3yDjZqHU7tHetcBCBpojaw39PR1JR1TCSxdEBa8abYgRBA-gUCBbqiTF7lIBCaUAztmebQGhELYWq6j1RCqnFQxdOn7lCVlG0qNkGaISsFkuWZD_nkHD/s1600/Sunday%20Salon.png" width="250" /></a></div><p></p><p>The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ReaderBuzz</a>.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OUjBB-SGxHqPnTvAITEIi_rTKq7TLhugIT-jux22nIwoOyH9aILqnBm1CuKjWx_pZCvOBv3ki20GOBt3PnxqdDHkiEnkRd2DlfODxCkUUZAuS1X6cfs9Prh2UCNbq1XCbXqxa5ig66-86x13Y_4AJgIDV-XFeiDce7uSPNU8v29SaqvoJwWjThyphenhyphenCtdEc/s600/What-I've-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OUjBB-SGxHqPnTvAITEIi_rTKq7TLhugIT-jux22nIwoOyH9aILqnBm1CuKjWx_pZCvOBv3ki20GOBt3PnxqdDHkiEnkRd2DlfODxCkUUZAuS1X6cfs9Prh2UCNbq1XCbXqxa5ig66-86x13Y_4AJgIDV-XFeiDce7uSPNU8v29SaqvoJwWjThyphenhyphenCtdEc/s320/What-I've-Been-Reading.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqgMRQcNc4T5Co4u9cq39jXr_SWgL8fUSUYx-anUPtXMHjVXIO50Za5Jt1cZcTYtrWLbik7NhrJkYwhgZgIjqqk7W9-DeyRq1lfiVBg_ZRcv46ku92FeDBAJbjyBmb5RsQPNU1pab2pKbhEvF9n3nyndSqHF2ehLvi3BbDjJKtB1vx75PmRsV6vTLBTbQ/s1000/91qwm4UECHL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqgMRQcNc4T5Co4u9cq39jXr_SWgL8fUSUYx-anUPtXMHjVXIO50Za5Jt1cZcTYtrWLbik7NhrJkYwhgZgIjqqk7W9-DeyRq1lfiVBg_ZRcv46ku92FeDBAJbjyBmb5RsQPNU1pab2pKbhEvF9n3nyndSqHF2ehLvi3BbDjJKtB1vx75PmRsV6vTLBTbQ/w133-h200/91qwm4UECHL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSXHgP8fij8BCcd0pIVZapLZRau1UE6QLKA7VNzBXCwwqMpB9PYCwKKwHhHDJSzwWwOgIdPf8JJMgNyvjHTr8vMFDJuGG6oRobDfPuaL9B-8f_CmzcvYpKbUHz77fldgYmLz5KFAFLgK9gN4QWJm5e0Igs1DxmRQqM-yg4UdisdXKV4U1wdnGIYcWus4m/s1000/A1uk1rDqFdL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSXHgP8fij8BCcd0pIVZapLZRau1UE6QLKA7VNzBXCwwqMpB9PYCwKKwHhHDJSzwWwOgIdPf8JJMgNyvjHTr8vMFDJuGG6oRobDfPuaL9B-8f_CmzcvYpKbUHz77fldgYmLz5KFAFLgK9gN4QWJm5e0Igs1DxmRQqM-yg4UdisdXKV4U1wdnGIYcWus4m/w132-h200/A1uk1rDqFdL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="132" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/03/review-take-what-you-need-by-idra-novey.html" target="_blank">Take What You Need</a> by Idra Novey</li><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/03/review-block-party-by-jamie-day.html" target="_blank">The Block Party</a> by Jamie Day</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4USVZ6Kif6CaVIMFqkR_RMArGgQbJP91U5kaEK51rRVEwygWdcaD_nu8bfc674Wcs-lINP3OfD7d-zpA0rHCyMvMtAALlNn8jElEEYOJHAF7ttbBASIiNNwKM2_fDXGp_vKj5qSUlOVtV7B2kUMhbgiX_MLAPKZymnfblX_hweoVQ9iCsWo9R-3v9Aj3/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4USVZ6Kif6CaVIMFqkR_RMArGgQbJP91U5kaEK51rRVEwygWdcaD_nu8bfc674Wcs-lINP3OfD7d-zpA0rHCyMvMtAALlNn8jElEEYOJHAF7ttbBASIiNNwKM2_fDXGp_vKj5qSUlOVtV7B2kUMhbgiX_MLAPKZymnfblX_hweoVQ9iCsWo9R-3v9Aj3/s320/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBSlk79cN3tziT1OixstGUdQ0XTIsWgQvuLJdRk9jDdXReljmRzp5jRjudqp2IDb5fxzdFUd8oImvSI0Gb9iPAD8rNVPWEp0XfG059yHXUfUwuiBOeHdvo9zl45VncD6SnqeiKsid9q26w2qxlzPhSHvnyv_Q6hFOsIO9YszywFbl2YGvc9xrrqj5IYSV/s705/p26213976_b_h11_aa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="705" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBSlk79cN3tziT1OixstGUdQ0XTIsWgQvuLJdRk9jDdXReljmRzp5jRjudqp2IDb5fxzdFUd8oImvSI0Gb9iPAD8rNVPWEp0XfG059yHXUfUwuiBOeHdvo9zl45VncD6SnqeiKsid9q26w2qxlzPhSHvnyv_Q6hFOsIO9YszywFbl2YGvc9xrrqj5IYSV/s320/p26213976_b_h11_aa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week felt slightly less busy (I am not sure if that's good or bad. Maybe it just is.). I watched the Netflix limited series One Day this past week and quite liked it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both my parents have managed to get Covid so I am on duty for food delivery, grocery shopping, meds pick up, etc. The last time, my Dad got long Covid so I hope he fares better this time around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you have friends in California schools, this week was a tough one as layoffs were due by March 15. It is so awful to see my friends lose their jobs even if they have seniority and are bumped into the classroom or to another school/grade level. Of course, this means new teachers lose their jobs altogether. Our local district is a total disaster right now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had some behind-the-scenes issues with my blog, but the wonderful Amanda from <a href="https://www.simplystelladesign.com/" target="_blank">Simply Stella Design Studio</a> fixed it all at a low price. Amanda to the rescue (again)! If you ever want to redesign your blog, Amanda is great to work with.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p>Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9_sKhyphenhyphenrgU2Q0puSBXhqVRWlZBWdUI1F7XhlSt0sjM2wqDW7I7qk2i-hidHeTD8RzU7u1RfskJoETcRkIJRSRE_ji_Q32OLsjPGs4FMlNxzY-2A09VtjxZGgY4YPMxP6Ugu7vzaKBRFtIUYlANpDyDAa_plsyFdj3Wx6pwlUJCTWwmNwwHo6tPS9pKbpE/s1000/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9_sKhyphenhyphenrgU2Q0puSBXhqVRWlZBWdUI1F7XhlSt0sjM2wqDW7I7qk2i-hidHeTD8RzU7u1RfskJoETcRkIJRSRE_ji_Q32OLsjPGs4FMlNxzY-2A09VtjxZGgY4YPMxP6Ugu7vzaKBRFtIUYlANpDyDAa_plsyFdj3Wx6pwlUJCTWwmNwwHo6tPS9pKbpE/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID9r5LcHrx_fYBrNcWtNcuKSdoG6oMcSKx8Aye_WFjwECr8IoiSQji11t5PAdXaX4qmnGF9oJph6hmvYTp5R7J2QFAqGWKw1KuZdjLvnFme2Dksk3h3BeTIWS9rXLPRQOLq31q6vbh6qSKGMExOhzlVo1cr7bcJk_RThKge9nAdXit5pj64mtHlHeWKQG/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID9r5LcHrx_fYBrNcWtNcuKSdoG6oMcSKx8Aye_WFjwECr8IoiSQji11t5PAdXaX4qmnGF9oJph6hmvYTp5R7J2QFAqGWKw1KuZdjLvnFme2Dksk3h3BeTIWS9rXLPRQOLq31q6vbh6qSKGMExOhzlVo1cr7bcJk_RThKge9nAdXit5pj64mtHlHeWKQG/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-52572120846269145512024-03-15T06:35:00.000-07:002024-03-15T06:35:50.458-07:00Review: The Block Party by Jamie Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7RUJilQoY9j0YP1ufCwqqPZslU68XVQfBLsXEJPvVey4j4Evs00bDpq2DJEQ8uyFmCZq77Aq1jnkfqrnbj5uWKoij82w5vxfESzSMX8UCMrp18PTDjJjcgeKeNh7fJUz1ZaEvfuTGdRZwKhj9QRZ2Xi6QNQfqIoqoT5sc4pMDRQbohvdvhPjlizN47yj/s1000/A1uk1rDqFdL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7RUJilQoY9j0YP1ufCwqqPZslU68XVQfBLsXEJPvVey4j4Evs00bDpq2DJEQ8uyFmCZq77Aq1jnkfqrnbj5uWKoij82w5vxfESzSMX8UCMrp18PTDjJjcgeKeNh7fJUz1ZaEvfuTGdRZwKhj9QRZ2Xi6QNQfqIoqoT5sc4pMDRQbohvdvhPjlizN47yj/s320/A1uk1rDqFdL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Title: </b>The Block Party<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Jamie Day</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2023</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (mystery)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 384 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (Massachusetts)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>This summer, meet your neighbors.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold―discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing―and no one―is ever as it seems.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> I first read about this book on Ti's blog, <a href="https://bookchatter.net/2023/08/17/review-the-block-party/" target="_blank">Book Chatter</a> (thank you Ti). This book is a quick read and kept me entertained.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">There are a bunch of characters in this book (not as many as Tolstoy, say, but enough to keep the reader focused on remembering them all). There are the women (the main focus), their husbands, and their children. There is even a relevant "Bug Man," the local exterminator. This large cast of characters kept me guessing throughout the book: who is the murderer, what other mischief has each character been up to (and trust me, they have ALL been up to mischief), and who was killed. Much of this is revealed along the way, but the big questions are left to the very end.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div>This novel is ostensibly a murder mystery, but it also touches on much more: drug and alcohol abuse, sexual/domestic violence (there are no descriptions), infidelity, friendship, class, and neighbor issues. So, there's lots going on! At times it feels like there is too much happening: can one cul-de-sac really have all that? Is anyone just "being?" But maybe this novel just points out that we really don't know what's going on in the lives in our neighbors, friends, and family... something to ponder.</div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li>Alphabet (Title)--B</li><li>Alphabet (Author)--D</li><li>Cloak and Dagger</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccJtwFTDFBXwHWSp6bRSVKgS2j2XEEApvQt3SaK4WBW9euEmZ9EEMtX9B0z7qlTU_lf7_-7Bu6eWCesGL-InC2O4UxDIjCO6X2vkCIeU_wbaDG3myUkpS3tnFBde_XnE0ldUnDxsOQWZDpNhSZ6iwYf4XGD3_16Qkjjjf8YIWCCBuoKKgkT0FnJg_40JQ/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024-AUTHOR-EDITION.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="640" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccJtwFTDFBXwHWSp6bRSVKgS2j2XEEApvQt3SaK4WBW9euEmZ9EEMtX9B0z7qlTU_lf7_-7Bu6eWCesGL-InC2O4UxDIjCO6X2vkCIeU_wbaDG3myUkpS3tnFBde_XnE0ldUnDxsOQWZDpNhSZ6iwYf4XGD3_16Qkjjjf8YIWCCBuoKKgkT0FnJg_40JQ/w200-h143/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024-AUTHOR-EDITION.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgd-yQKhSwzBf7UEb9dFXRcVMHmaDH1TPZJ8v-tEYYmQCNuMWuJk7j8pMfhlRDe-pa7uMkmk2PQb00J4ubyQJ8wwYi8dm_pgLLlog2KQSFycvjqaMgDmVM0wjYqIEntbqhLizaHb-Y66J6xpLPKcT0jwJPMLCv_IEBWswXXyXvh6-jU9mFV4tOLyKlYrXI/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgd-yQKhSwzBf7UEb9dFXRcVMHmaDH1TPZJ8v-tEYYmQCNuMWuJk7j8pMfhlRDe-pa7uMkmk2PQb00J4ubyQJ8wwYi8dm_pgLLlog2KQSFycvjqaMgDmVM0wjYqIEntbqhLizaHb-Y66J6xpLPKcT0jwJPMLCv_IEBWswXXyXvh6-jU9mFV4tOLyKlYrXI/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-40458635920471988732024-03-10T15:57:00.000-07:002024-03-13T13:20:20.871-07:00Review: Take What You Need by Idra Novey<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgN80g4sJX0zYdeGSIwf4bK-EFPp1q-Vgz0YoF7QRsWXInkIxMrnLlAJ9EsHS7D4UPg84P28_CQVJlZb-sprYsQrnXD-mbDEVPsMwd6tDH_fQnvONGkwCLC1nMVkJQUqrY1r_IHiEAXED1z_buVM8ahlWTtYmwHe6A-yR79064D5QQ1wHRGIN9qZhNgHZ/s1000/91qwm4UECHL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgN80g4sJX0zYdeGSIwf4bK-EFPp1q-Vgz0YoF7QRsWXInkIxMrnLlAJ9EsHS7D4UPg84P28_CQVJlZb-sprYsQrnXD-mbDEVPsMwd6tDH_fQnvONGkwCLC1nMVkJQUqrY1r_IHiEAXED1z_buVM8ahlWTtYmwHe6A-yR79064D5QQ1wHRGIN9qZhNgHZ/s320/91qwm4UECHL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p></p><b>Title: </b>Take What You Need<b>Author: </b>Idra Novey<br /><b>Year published: </b>2023<br /><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction<br /><b>Pages:</b> 256 pages<br /><b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5<div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (West Virginia)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Set in the Allegheny Mountains of Appalachia, Take What You Need traces the parallel lives of Jean and her beloved but estranged stepdaughter, Leah, who’s sought a clean break from her rural childhood. In Leah’s urban life with her young family, she’s revealed little about Jean, how much she misses her stepmother’s hard-won insights and joyful lack of inhibition. But with Jean’s death, Leah must return to sort through what’s been left behind.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">What Leah discovers is staggering: Jean has filled her ramshackle house with giant sculptures she’s welded from scraps of the area’s industrial history. There’s also a young man now living in the house who played an unknown role in Jean’s last years and in her art.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">With great verve and humor, Idra Novey zeros in on the joys and difficulty of family, the ease with which we let distance mute conflict, and the power we can draw from creative pursuits.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Take What You Need explores the continuing mystery of the people we love most with passionate and resonance, this novel illuminating can be built from what others have discarded—art, unexpected friendship, a new contentment of self. This is Idra Novey at her very best.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> This novel was recommended to me by someone who suggested it at our book club, but we didn't choose it. </span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">While this book is character-driven, I am more of a plot reader. The story is told in alternating chapters from Jean and Leah's perspectives and much that happens or what people think about is based on memory or their own interpretation of events rather than actual conversations between people. Characters made assumptions about what the others thought or believed and it seems that much sadness and grief could have been avoided if they had talked directly to one another (such a good lesson for our own lives!).</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">In fact, these two main characters haven't spoken for four years and now Jean has passed so Leah has no way to revisit the past, connect with Jean, and get answers to her many questions. How frustrating for her (and the reader). However, the reader has the benefit of hearing both sides and Leah does not. Really, this book is a commentary on relationships, misunderstandings, what we need from other people, etc.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li>Alphabet (Title)--T</li><li>Literary Escapes--West Virginia</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-91041735157814454582024-03-10T09:33:00.000-07:002024-03-10T09:33:34.805-07:00Sunday Salon: March 10, 2024<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s250/Untitled%20design-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s1600/Untitled%20design-17.png" width="250" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Deb Nance at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> hosts The Sunday Salon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/s1000/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRt1SzvWKgwsl5W-qyUOrrjrBo9FA72TrhWJM2YgIEvkwhxvOkVDppEFfawxM5l0TrnAKTFrMNksGY0MDWILfwuQoYGU32s2UDwwDh_QGCBJcovKso0Cz5zVo0AYsElU00hW75xpIIL7Y9eFZHAZika10jN4XcZUITPkr5wb3gb1Hl5l9HsZxNLukYoy-/s1000/811+SQrjv9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRt1SzvWKgwsl5W-qyUOrrjrBo9FA72TrhWJM2YgIEvkwhxvOkVDppEFfawxM5l0TrnAKTFrMNksGY0MDWILfwuQoYGU32s2UDwwDh_QGCBJcovKso0Cz5zVo0AYsElU00hW75xpIIL7Y9eFZHAZika10jN4XcZUITPkr5wb3gb1Hl5l9HsZxNLukYoy-/w132-h200/811+SQrjv9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_2HrUpyn63D6HiuR_GXq2K-IqmIqpcMwUEpRieeKjL_UXtML9ULzkHqtPlFnjDqtHSVbganalbWjHFxhmPvPEjkSySrVavAvHUcbPmX4d2Rs_eTVszqRYJm68_ih4GJ94PkQ6EegZpI54Ay8w2XwLkEs60l0gmnWByQMtbXrZPNDl4Jq3Ji9l9K96KBz/s1000/91twTG-CQ8L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="663" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_2HrUpyn63D6HiuR_GXq2K-IqmIqpcMwUEpRieeKjL_UXtML9ULzkHqtPlFnjDqtHSVbganalbWjHFxhmPvPEjkSySrVavAvHUcbPmX4d2Rs_eTVszqRYJm68_ih4GJ94PkQ6EegZpI54Ay8w2XwLkEs60l0gmnWByQMtbXrZPNDl4Jq3Ji9l9K96KBz/w133-h200/91twTG-CQ8L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_%20(1).jpg" width="133" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/03/review-all-good-people-here-by-ashley.html" target="_blank">All Good People Here</a> by Ashley Flowers</li><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/03/review-little-fires-everywhere-by.html" target="_blank">Little Fires Everywhere</a> by Celeste Ng</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As usual, I had a busy week. I shouldn't really be surprised anymore, but somehow I am every Sunday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Monday my in-person book group met to discuss Geraldine Brooks' novel <i>Horse</i>. All in all a successful read for the group though I think I liked it best. My daughter found a new apartment for next year (this will be move number 3 in 3 years, and I am really hoping this is the last for a while). The location is better and it's WAY cheaper so all in all a win.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tuesday my UCSB History Associates board sponsored a talk on the role of Queer bookstores in the Gay Liberation Movement. The graduate student who gave the talk did an excellent job and we had about 70 community members in attendance so that was great! I also gave notice that I will not be the President anymore though I will stay on the board. I am someone who feels a real sense of obligation so that was a tough decision for me even though I know it's in my best interest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wednesday I had lunch with a friend and former colleague; it was really good to see him and catch up. Thursday I attended a CAbi party where I always spend too much money on clothes, but I have a great time seeing women that I only see twice a year at these gatherings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday was my usual Farmer's Market and beach/harbor walk with a friend. It was a stunning Santa Barbara day!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Bookish-Thoughts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Bookish-Thoughts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FjKaswbzrLNnQrsg-CB9ftOCBCrmHjqApmR0AgyRvDATF_aaot_52vIZqUhnv446UzLpJyMtzWSDDJowU48TmTu8Xmax9Hwg9u0wFell71x9IHswRpwzKIOY_OCeY9Fe1FrFMWWuPWqPvbYrzPHHKgu9eGVEuxYxSnuNQZLrKcbYgN-VV1_97EvRIWGB/s612/istockphoto-1310060658-612x612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FjKaswbzrLNnQrsg-CB9ftOCBCrmHjqApmR0AgyRvDATF_aaot_52vIZqUhnv446UzLpJyMtzWSDDJowU48TmTu8Xmax9Hwg9u0wFell71x9IHswRpwzKIOY_OCeY9Fe1FrFMWWuPWqPvbYrzPHHKgu9eGVEuxYxSnuNQZLrKcbYgN-VV1_97EvRIWGB/w200-h200/istockphoto-1310060658-612x612.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why do I have so many thrillers/mysteries on my TBR shelves and why am I drawn to reading those before all other genres right now?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv2AzzMd70PxqvKkB15Bt4tnZ1uf3B3Zc4vzN7w9LrGKtpaNlXL0LBBF9xiPCgoV4ZKo4CsU_EMcTZfnfpL3vqPgKbr485jc5Vdn3S-M1k13cFCqm8pCIR-6_pLumoLTnzumTItf2H_YPqNkKiEsvTTFIRhingXNL2n6c_50Mc28_IhaYuCUjaYOUu610/s1000/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv2AzzMd70PxqvKkB15Bt4tnZ1uf3B3Zc4vzN7w9LrGKtpaNlXL0LBBF9xiPCgoV4ZKo4CsU_EMcTZfnfpL3vqPgKbr485jc5Vdn3S-M1k13cFCqm8pCIR-6_pLumoLTnzumTItf2H_YPqNkKiEsvTTFIRhingXNL2n6c_50Mc28_IhaYuCUjaYOUu610/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/s500/Signature.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-37995066524796260492024-03-09T09:25:00.000-08:002024-03-10T16:12:36.746-07:00Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_2HrUpyn63D6HiuR_GXq2K-IqmIqpcMwUEpRieeKjL_UXtML9ULzkHqtPlFnjDqtHSVbganalbWjHFxhmPvPEjkSySrVavAvHUcbPmX4d2Rs_eTVszqRYJm68_ih4GJ94PkQ6EegZpI54Ay8w2XwLkEs60l0gmnWByQMtbXrZPNDl4Jq3Ji9l9K96KBz/s1000/91twTG-CQ8L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_2HrUpyn63D6HiuR_GXq2K-IqmIqpcMwUEpRieeKjL_UXtML9ULzkHqtPlFnjDqtHSVbganalbWjHFxhmPvPEjkSySrVavAvHUcbPmX4d2Rs_eTVszqRYJm68_ih4GJ94PkQ6EegZpI54Ay8w2XwLkEs60l0gmnWByQMtbXrZPNDl4Jq3Ji9l9K96KBz/s320/91twTG-CQ8L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_%20(1).jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>Little Fires Everywhere</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Celeste Ng</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2017</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 336 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (Ohio)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Enter Mia Warren—an enigmatic artist and single mother—who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town—and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood—and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> How did it take me 7 years to read this book? I would have said it came out 2 or 3 years ago. I am so behind!</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I liked this book, but didn't love it even though I know it was super hyped up when it came out. What I do like about it is the look into class, our inner turmoil, and the affect we have on others (both physically and emotionally). </span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div>There are a number of characters, all of whom are flawed, but they all had value, care, and important relationships that propelled the book forward. I do like that they show how, though a town or family can look "perfect" from the outside, the inner workings often show another side: all the little fires.</div><div><br /></div><div>Given all this good and interesting stuff about this novel, I will say that it felt a bit flat for me. I am not sure if it's the writing style or the plot. I was left wanting a bit more. <b>Did you read this novel? What did you think of it?</b></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li>Alphabet (Title)--L</li><li>Alphabet (Author)--N</li><li>Literary Escapes--Ohio</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk65VmUi6Z8T_VB1Nhk1y0-clalvhmDstN5HG_LN0TQAqNQdC061Wf0GStjpfYchzdY5_uS-IPYcujkjjILv9-naAsdOcamq_6FMix7J-4syveoC0wXHBSRzct8cFwkMAM7nIVuNoj0FkGwW7jLzLUpdW7Z0HcSzw-_MLOC88yjIpP4suzPECxtBfXoRVR/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024-AUTHOR-EDITION.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="640" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk65VmUi6Z8T_VB1Nhk1y0-clalvhmDstN5HG_LN0TQAqNQdC061Wf0GStjpfYchzdY5_uS-IPYcujkjjILv9-naAsdOcamq_6FMix7J-4syveoC0wXHBSRzct8cFwkMAM7nIVuNoj0FkGwW7jLzLUpdW7Z0HcSzw-_MLOC88yjIpP4suzPECxtBfXoRVR/w200-h143/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024-AUTHOR-EDITION.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-55511021001235274982024-03-06T18:30:00.000-08:002024-03-06T18:39:56.425-08:00Review: All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRt1SzvWKgwsl5W-qyUOrrjrBo9FA72TrhWJM2YgIEvkwhxvOkVDppEFfawxM5l0TrnAKTFrMNksGY0MDWILfwuQoYGU32s2UDwwDh_QGCBJcovKso0Cz5zVo0AYsElU00hW75xpIIL7Y9eFZHAZika10jN4XcZUITPkr5wb3gb1Hl5l9HsZxNLukYoy-/s1000/811+SQrjv9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRt1SzvWKgwsl5W-qyUOrrjrBo9FA72TrhWJM2YgIEvkwhxvOkVDppEFfawxM5l0TrnAKTFrMNksGY0MDWILfwuQoYGU32s2UDwwDh_QGCBJcovKso0Cz5zVo0AYsElU00hW75xpIIL7Y9eFZHAZika10jN4XcZUITPkr5wb3gb1Hl5l9HsZxNLukYoy-/s320/811+SQrjv9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>All Good People Here</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Ashley Flowers</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2022</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (mystery)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 309 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (Indiana and Illinois)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> I bought this novel at Costco (do we all peruse the Costco book section when we go?) and didn't really know much about it. It was ok. I gave it 4 stars, but almost gave it 3.5; the ending was good so I bumped it up.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Margot is a good character in that having a journalist in the middle of a crime story works well. She has a reason to investigate even if she isn't a detective or police officer. And she was best friends with the main victim when they were little kids, so vested interest. She is tenacious, unwavering, and solid. I liked all that. I also think the author dealt with her uncle's slipping into dementia well. I have a family member going through this and it is tough to see and scary for him.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The mystery itself is compelling, but about half way through I found myself glossing over the book a bit. However, the ending, when it all starts to come together? Really well done. I thought I knew who did it along the way (confession: I had a number of suspects), but I didn't see the very ending of the book at all and it makes sense.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li>Alphabet (Title)--A</li><li>Cloak and Dagger</li><li>Literary Escapes--Indiana and Illinois</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimulX4NTL9blwfwM6Vqr7bS4ftQl8xZQEdQRKMNad1f0pDER-VLVS_4qw4yCSc95pmmuvkBYhb8m8hHgYfRqhV6F1K_6_yN6Mr0vNljYqwa7RmjQVgYAiueuHac4Uzgj17BzXAqZXdNInbrQ2iL9yiEmPCViYn93tYJaBfTfGBTz-UTNdkVAWIWcE9lmGa/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimulX4NTL9blwfwM6Vqr7bS4ftQl8xZQEdQRKMNad1f0pDER-VLVS_4qw4yCSc95pmmuvkBYhb8m8hHgYfRqhV6F1K_6_yN6Mr0vNljYqwa7RmjQVgYAiueuHac4Uzgj17BzXAqZXdNInbrQ2iL9yiEmPCViYn93tYJaBfTfGBTz-UTNdkVAWIWcE9lmGa/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-58204058337816361312024-03-02T22:32:00.000-08:002024-03-02T22:32:45.946-08:00Sunday Salon: March 3, 2024<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s250/Untitled%20design-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s1600/Untitled%20design-17.png" width="250" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Deb Nance at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> hosts The Sunday Salon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/s1000/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IINmxx44OuejD4KJ0_Qmyt-q7doG89C4rXeZ4Rlx3_uO-VVsZ7POoVfqPXvXleumVmkq2Nl2I4tWcwyr2jJI5NZh3beGOJtK0qnpcGJBFeWNX8IdJK9pg2RZTbmVLFY8zelRGaUQtMfKEvMhFOOMehx8UZkhoAG2AnvuU4Pj-M9DYG24xgoC9eGDKmbk/s1000/913C+MR3S5L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IINmxx44OuejD4KJ0_Qmyt-q7doG89C4rXeZ4Rlx3_uO-VVsZ7POoVfqPXvXleumVmkq2Nl2I4tWcwyr2jJI5NZh3beGOJtK0qnpcGJBFeWNX8IdJK9pg2RZTbmVLFY8zelRGaUQtMfKEvMhFOOMehx8UZkhoAG2AnvuU4Pj-M9DYG24xgoC9eGDKmbk/w133-h200/913C+MR3S5L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIDrZpfdzje6lC5w_0RKm80-855vC4FuvA5XeeLQ66iW0QAqbAub4o8nCDEdjOVfoO1bUK1lUy3jkI23IzGErYxBA6yCD1obmxrJdcj6XK7Iko-laibcTVZOPLploj5f2mOSmw2RM4yrZoQLnRQ-FrDwGWFUt9P6ZywvmkHoPnJwixbQv9I0S6f6Kd8dn/s1000/81j8W7fDDFL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="669" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIDrZpfdzje6lC5w_0RKm80-855vC4FuvA5XeeLQ66iW0QAqbAub4o8nCDEdjOVfoO1bUK1lUy3jkI23IzGErYxBA6yCD1obmxrJdcj6XK7Iko-laibcTVZOPLploj5f2mOSmw2RM4yrZoQLnRQ-FrDwGWFUt9P6ZywvmkHoPnJwixbQv9I0S6f6Kd8dn/w134-h200/81j8W7fDDFL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="134" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/02/review-women-by-kristin-hannah.html" target="_blank">The Women</a> by Kristin Hanna</li><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/03/review-good-day-for-chardonnay-by.html" target="_blank">A Good Day for Chardonnay</a> by Darynda Jones</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week seemed to crawl at first and now it's already Sunday! How does that happen? I think it's because I've been inside all week due to being super busy with work and we've had rain/grey days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSw3PBYlt2sltwfrgf0L8tiK6OGHICgIE3kTN-mmquNHdBnL9kL1_8aNDGa1lxUsYsRsRDK0ZPVmBrhXZtAR_D24XrhUngdfFSFva6S5n8esdyRgIULWQzV-Jbh5PmPH7SZfowiOsITinjmRnGdy6roYzGso9r5VKGtCdPlfxllPVQurhA5Exe2gxIPpS0/s1920/12-years-a-slave-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1920" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSw3PBYlt2sltwfrgf0L8tiK6OGHICgIE3kTN-mmquNHdBnL9kL1_8aNDGa1lxUsYsRsRDK0ZPVmBrhXZtAR_D24XrhUngdfFSFva6S5n8esdyRgIULWQzV-Jbh5PmPH7SZfowiOsITinjmRnGdy6roYzGso9r5VKGtCdPlfxllPVQurhA5Exe2gxIPpS0/s320/12-years-a-slave-poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last Sunday was FULL: I helped my ex fix his printer (is it nice that I am still his tech-help?), zoomed with a group of friends, visited my parents, and did bookkeeping for a client/friend. That evening my daughter and I watched <i>12 Years a Slave</i>. Wow. Devastating and so well done. Have you seen it?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwi7QxXoXGhCRo7J3ZPYoxlFkzVi95jmjvHu-_apUehOJ9pJeN-HXHUTa2d3ZnPrU8K2DyZgmnCbf8MAgklOqzY8-Hv9MGoY1jLsIkf0Vuvewsy20f_kNFjDhDV94DLXGXSyvTk3PV4rj0yDRNLArqDLSnJz-_BDs9tJ7I8mDCC0046JHDZ8k6GbxRUOJ/s4032/IMG_4186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwi7QxXoXGhCRo7J3ZPYoxlFkzVi95jmjvHu-_apUehOJ9pJeN-HXHUTa2d3ZnPrU8K2DyZgmnCbf8MAgklOqzY8-Hv9MGoY1jLsIkf0Vuvewsy20f_kNFjDhDV94DLXGXSyvTk3PV4rj0yDRNLArqDLSnJz-_BDs9tJ7I8mDCC0046JHDZ8k6GbxRUOJ/s320/IMG_4186.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rest of the week was full with work, the dentist (no cavities, always a good thing), a bone density scan ("significant increase in density" since last year!), and dinner with my parents on Friday night. I also spent one evening going through a box of old stuff and finally threw away a ton of stuff (think: magazines and newspapers from the days my daughter and I were born, old uniforms, etc). Yesterday I went on a beach/harbor walk with a friend and we ended the walk in the rain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope you are all doing well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Bookish-Thoughts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Bookish-Thoughts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reading a series out of order is not the best idea. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonZpqo53V1ea12w56V7usE6i4GwuV6NSeUcIB5GjhZfztPXicnQwsFBq0fRz347OBeEEr7RnBydHCk0wYrvbLtPejHZbeSY1SsJcjynT4DHDWoRdV0Y1F0QPVlm0W5NPriXET_4mAHb6cUl5As52SNnkLks7w66jzr0doS02mVDt2LHUH3tgLsx9sGX98/s1063/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonZpqo53V1ea12w56V7usE6i4GwuV6NSeUcIB5GjhZfztPXicnQwsFBq0fRz347OBeEEr7RnBydHCk0wYrvbLtPejHZbeSY1SsJcjynT4DHDWoRdV0Y1F0QPVlm0W5NPriXET_4mAHb6cUl5As52SNnkLks7w66jzr0doS02mVDt2LHUH3tgLsx9sGX98/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/s500/Signature.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-30901451435734108862024-03-02T22:18:00.000-08:002024-03-02T22:18:31.949-08:00Review: A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIDrZpfdzje6lC5w_0RKm80-855vC4FuvA5XeeLQ66iW0QAqbAub4o8nCDEdjOVfoO1bUK1lUy3jkI23IzGErYxBA6yCD1obmxrJdcj6XK7Iko-laibcTVZOPLploj5f2mOSmw2RM4yrZoQLnRQ-FrDwGWFUt9P6ZywvmkHoPnJwixbQv9I0S6f6Kd8dn/s1000/81j8W7fDDFL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIDrZpfdzje6lC5w_0RKm80-855vC4FuvA5XeeLQ66iW0QAqbAub4o8nCDEdjOVfoO1bUK1lUy3jkI23IzGErYxBA6yCD1obmxrJdcj6XK7Iko-laibcTVZOPLploj5f2mOSmw2RM4yrZoQLnRQ-FrDwGWFUt9P6ZywvmkHoPnJwixbQv9I0S6f6Kd8dn/s320/81j8W7fDDFL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p><b>Title: </b>A Good Day for Chardonnay</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Darynda Jones</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2021</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (mystery)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 416 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (New Mexico and Arizona)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff―and even fuller-time coffee guzzler―Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> I accidentally read #3 in this series before this novel, which is #2. Things definitely make more sense now!</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This is such a great series. There is crime, a quirky small town, a wonderful sense of humor and sarcasm throughout, and I love the characters. I want them to be safe, to find love (and some do!), to catch the bad guys, and more.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I also like that the entire town seems to be involved in everybody's business. They confess (elaborately) to crimes they didn't commit to protect one another, the support each other's small businesses, and I LOVE that the town is really run by the secret society of women called the Dangerous Daughters.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">If you want a fun detective series, then this is one you should check out.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li>Alphabet (Title)--G</li><li>Cloak and Dagger</li><li>Literary Escapes--New Mexico</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jU1v0eViMH7i1tojg4fQmtDAjhkbtUUL3j54yvmVbAPiSJtsK4yiA2E1NmDK0QW61lVW3EZTWAuFmgQ4Ve4l5TzKVHAKWOHG92owMUrb7py_crhNLZSSYGyoVwYrIhHoU9zjaWB0VjS6El_hp1toEtKtrf01Fvp0tOA84ICLNvokxswF1c7F7flOYu5i/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimulX4NTL9blwfwM6Vqr7bS4ftQl8xZQEdQRKMNad1f0pDER-VLVS_4qw4yCSc95pmmuvkBYhb8m8hHgYfRqhV6F1K_6_yN6Mr0vNljYqwa7RmjQVgYAiueuHac4Uzgj17BzXAqZXdNInbrQ2iL9yiEmPCViYn93tYJaBfTfGBTz-UTNdkVAWIWcE9lmGa/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimulX4NTL9blwfwM6Vqr7bS4ftQl8xZQEdQRKMNad1f0pDER-VLVS_4qw4yCSc95pmmuvkBYhb8m8hHgYfRqhV6F1K_6_yN6Mr0vNljYqwa7RmjQVgYAiueuHac4Uzgj17BzXAqZXdNInbrQ2iL9yiEmPCViYn93tYJaBfTfGBTz-UTNdkVAWIWcE9lmGa/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-18851794931000294072024-02-27T21:51:00.000-08:002024-02-28T08:43:24.581-08:00Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IINmxx44OuejD4KJ0_Qmyt-q7doG89C4rXeZ4Rlx3_uO-VVsZ7POoVfqPXvXleumVmkq2Nl2I4tWcwyr2jJI5NZh3beGOJtK0qnpcGJBFeWNX8IdJK9pg2RZTbmVLFY8zelRGaUQtMfKEvMhFOOMehx8UZkhoAG2AnvuU4Pj-M9DYG24xgoC9eGDKmbk/s1000/913C+MR3S5L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IINmxx44OuejD4KJ0_Qmyt-q7doG89C4rXeZ4Rlx3_uO-VVsZ7POoVfqPXvXleumVmkq2Nl2I4tWcwyr2jJI5NZh3beGOJtK0qnpcGJBFeWNX8IdJK9pg2RZTbmVLFY8zelRGaUQtMfKEvMhFOOMehx8UZkhoAG2AnvuU4Pj-M9DYG24xgoC9eGDKmbk/s320/913C+MR3S5L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>The Women</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Kristin Hannah</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2024</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (historical)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 480 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (CA, Washington, DC, MT, VA) and Vietnam</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam. Making this novel have a big impact are all the political, cultural, and music references from the '60s and early 70s. I love that!</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i>The Women</i> is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, <i>The Women</i> is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> I am a Kristin Hannah fan. At least of her more recents works (links to my reviews: <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2018/11/review-nightingale-by-kristin-hannah.html" target="_blank">The Nightingale</a>, <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2021/03/review-four-winds-by-kristin-hannah.html" target="_blank">Four Winds</a>, <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2018/08/review-great-alone-by-kristin-hannah.html" target="_blank">The Great Alone</a>, <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2019/07/review-firefly-lane-by-kristin-hannah.html" target="_blank">Firefly Lane</a>). Kristin Hannah is like Lisa See: she writes such a great story. I was pulled in from page one and when Frankie got to Vietnam and saw the horrors first hand I felt her shock and the power of war.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This novel is amazing. The descriptions of war, of what it was like to come home from Vietnam (and to be treated so horribly, to be denied their experiences), of the difficulties in recovery are all raw and impressive. Throughout the book I thought of my friends who served in various branches of the military, some of whom experienced war time. And one in particular who was a Navy doctor during the Persian Gulf War. I cannot imagine what their experiences were like and I am sure that the memories linger for them.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">There are many novels and movies about Vietnam, but I think you'll find that this one has new stories to tell. Stories of the women who served, loved, fought (not in combat, but as nurses), and survived. I highly recommend reading this novel.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li>Literary Escapes--Vietnam, Montana, Virginia</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-76262362866152060172024-02-25T08:18:00.000-08:002024-02-25T08:18:52.980-08:00Sunday Salon: February 25, 2024<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s250/Untitled%20design-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s1600/Untitled%20design-17.png" width="250" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Deb Nance at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> hosts The Sunday Salon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/s1000/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUSf645pwgQIopDOvF6-Jab2w5zWlScZU90JtdGUvGGZkExbTXT-g_FTUtbVj1Tqzw1akQshWtRHwEVsQs6EimBMFWpz6OTj5BEBFt2yTjz-AQ3xLm5ErQZT0p6olNXnrpzF2uG1u1sOc75kmBvef-pslf83Zo3QsS_GGhg3ZX8cVrE-ybJSIsgsl4k1j/s1000/81zEgigOT9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="651" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUSf645pwgQIopDOvF6-Jab2w5zWlScZU90JtdGUvGGZkExbTXT-g_FTUtbVj1Tqzw1akQshWtRHwEVsQs6EimBMFWpz6OTj5BEBFt2yTjz-AQ3xLm5ErQZT0p6olNXnrpzF2uG1u1sOc75kmBvef-pslf83Zo3QsS_GGhg3ZX8cVrE-ybJSIsgsl4k1j/w130-h200/81zEgigOT9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/02/review-in-woods-by-tana-french.html" target="_blank">In the Woods</a> by Tana French</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week I was back at home in a rainy southern California. Actually, I like the rain. I like the idea of it being wet and cold outside while I am warm and cozy inside. Great motivation for reading. Too bad I had such a busy week and couldn't get much reading done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4Z96qCBg8g0gDBZOaZxE7veiREfGqIILRNFGsONSDV7_c_AGCTE66HgViO6mmkIS3cTiPwvH2cZM5ZwdK-klV7fMPsLc74lp1T3Sm_6Fxw4AcFuvLfuKDmIkFRJ2AZblx7vh-qx8IoXZXqPVbyG4nqrc4__LcxvUPMg6t3N5xz1Hdphg_v97iZ0V9VlB/s4032/IMG_4171.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4Z96qCBg8g0gDBZOaZxE7veiREfGqIILRNFGsONSDV7_c_AGCTE66HgViO6mmkIS3cTiPwvH2cZM5ZwdK-klV7fMPsLc74lp1T3Sm_6Fxw4AcFuvLfuKDmIkFRJ2AZblx7vh-qx8IoXZXqPVbyG4nqrc4__LcxvUPMg6t3N5xz1Hdphg_v97iZ0V9VlB/s320/IMG_4171.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I flew home Monday (what a wonderful two weeks away) and Tuesday went out to dinner with friends, Wednesday hosted a talk for the UCSB History Associates (Smuggling in the Caribbean during the Haitian Revolution), Thursday I ran an alumni board meeting, and Friday I met up with a former colleague to help her figure out some work stuff (I'll admit it was nice to be needed in that capacity). Yesterday I went to the Farmer's market (I will say being on the east coast made me miss my local produce!) and worked on my taxes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am also coordinating all the incoming scholarship applications for our alumni board. Boy, whoever is in charge of the FAFSA (financial aid) forms this year royally screwed up; what a mess. Poor students and their families: delays in the information being released; a website that doesn't work; delayed notifications; and more. Most colleges are having to delay when students commit by a month!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Bookish-Thoughts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Bookish-Thoughts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I bought a book that a friend and I are reading aloud to one another. We live far away from each other so it's difficult to find the time, but we'll get through it eventually.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJmPfC7JRLKRVD0mN4B6OHfReBEGJ9V4v-Z2sS3F7I0PhNIExYmZvm2NSiHy0uM8vIPqblPivATvCuH9_oYCjaIpZFM1FrQVaZMpYNmDNTyunYeq8Cpi5MgibZ-KUPqQub7oTKSjC-qSCmLOFcrhTpm4DDIepGIcHu9an6lWXngPdq2HgE6Wit3ApAtKe/s1000/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJmPfC7JRLKRVD0mN4B6OHfReBEGJ9V4v-Z2sS3F7I0PhNIExYmZvm2NSiHy0uM8vIPqblPivATvCuH9_oYCjaIpZFM1FrQVaZMpYNmDNTyunYeq8Cpi5MgibZ-KUPqQub7oTKSjC-qSCmLOFcrhTpm4DDIepGIcHu9an6lWXngPdq2HgE6Wit3ApAtKe/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/s500/Signature.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-13199202317836481352024-02-24T18:25:00.000-08:002024-02-24T18:25:31.370-08:00Review: In the Woods by Tana French<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu6IHT_uAbs8hSFkyDPB46qO2rfrGDq3QmidAipWt8OTZT53WlMUMjS6hU-Zb-6346bVPBs37hZMpyuVGVLjIyYYFdCWmAINMs2m_9hH5aOtPH2PPH6TCVqZbT1Xba5t1b9dHijLMJ_AuvBASgodwBOJG1OzP_6tezfJLqaQRfSNqy-_2jMAXhn3o_oUX/s1000/81zEgigOT9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="651" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu6IHT_uAbs8hSFkyDPB46qO2rfrGDq3QmidAipWt8OTZT53WlMUMjS6hU-Zb-6346bVPBs37hZMpyuVGVLjIyYYFdCWmAINMs2m_9hH5aOtPH2PPH6TCVqZbT1Xba5t1b9dHijLMJ_AuvBASgodwBOJG1OzP_6tezfJLqaQRfSNqy-_2jMAXhn3o_oUX/s320/81zEgigOT9L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>In the Woods</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Tana French</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2008</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (mystery/thriller)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 542 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>Ireland</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Richly atmospheric and stunning in its complexity, In the Woods is utterly convincing and surprising to the end.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> I have been hearing about Tana French novels for years and she is one of those authors that I haven't gotten around to reading. Why is that? This novel was really good!</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I like the main character (Adam/Rob) and have sympathy for him and all he's gone through even though I could see him spiraling. PTSD wasn't really a thing yet, but he's got it. His detective partner is also a good character and I like their friendship.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The mystery itself is well done though the book is long and could have done with a little editing (though I always tend to think that when a book is over 400 pages). I didn't guess who committed the murder or how they would end up solving so that's always a good thing. And in fact, the ending was really good--twisted and unexpected.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li>Cloak and Dagger</li><li>Literary Escapes--Ireland</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArK6aUtCp6QfXh5jgyxo6-TfjV4u8INt2f4tY_4p0lgCMH1XIurGCr9CAeyz5RvvFpFlVx9s8XVIcKRu9KHrxFh5a1V6sMezVYIQHifu1xiJTew2xrHUGO66iytdc4VBbrRwYAPjX7Xen3ursrzLR2i1WVA2dVp6ACY2lFfVysVLaLUmpmHGJWeoEzYQJ/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArK6aUtCp6QfXh5jgyxo6-TfjV4u8INt2f4tY_4p0lgCMH1XIurGCr9CAeyz5RvvFpFlVx9s8XVIcKRu9KHrxFh5a1V6sMezVYIQHifu1xiJTew2xrHUGO66iytdc4VBbrRwYAPjX7Xen3ursrzLR2i1WVA2dVp6ACY2lFfVysVLaLUmpmHGJWeoEzYQJ/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-90105333012932598072024-02-17T16:22:00.000-08:002024-02-17T16:22:40.462-08:00Sunday Salon: February 18, 2024<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s250/Untitled%20design-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s1600/Untitled%20design-17.png" width="250" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Deb Nance at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> hosts The Sunday Salon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/s1000/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: left;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/02/review-horse-by-geraldine-brooks.html" target="_blank">Horse</a> by Geraldine Brooks</li><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/02/review-forsaken-country-by-allen-eskens.html" target="_blank">Forsaken Country</a> by Allen Eskens</li><li>The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My second week in Ithaca was as good as the first even though the weather turned colder. I worked during the day and in the evenings we made dinner, watched Call the Midwife episodes, and read. It was sad to say good bye to her, but I know she is doing well in her PhD program and working hard for her qualifying exam in April.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Bookish-Thoughts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Bookish-Thoughts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did so well in bringing 6 books on my trip with me. I fly home tomorrow and one novel left for my travels. Not bad planning!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTV1oBf0kTYMwy7Du9lJfBqpicjtPSQeIY8M7hN445RwFCWtclXsbuJ9xX4HxV1flgCZpp6-QdZbKrL41_NihtZYoyVEySZ3wH0NdmEInGprN_lGSRKHHdtUFbSq6l_LZbKQSCOSqhKvJNsErPxS_lvyN7mxeq296iLaIpKGytdZYfoj4anfdXQV1Q8PM/s1063/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTV1oBf0kTYMwy7Du9lJfBqpicjtPSQeIY8M7hN445RwFCWtclXsbuJ9xX4HxV1flgCZpp6-QdZbKrL41_NihtZYoyVEySZ3wH0NdmEInGprN_lGSRKHHdtUFbSq6l_LZbKQSCOSqhKvJNsErPxS_lvyN7mxeq296iLaIpKGytdZYfoj4anfdXQV1Q8PM/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/s500/Signature.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-54680665293909262502024-02-17T16:16:00.000-08:002024-02-17T16:16:08.378-08:00Review: The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XrGpJEupWrpEbsKDSO2wafzLi6JKyq1QOvV6Nu0Iylszxe3cNV3U8Qzz8opmxrPqFAT9KHF5Bt5BpgXTMdesic3UiQuCPwLnHgckI5YHpSnJ8lBqn1SfbDQgfYRjajvOdxERz-hVx3IT4YQMPqo3EZvJMcZOrazNTVfHIUfmFRkk_Lmx5n5IgZ5rjjAm/s1000/812uPZH4WYL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XrGpJEupWrpEbsKDSO2wafzLi6JKyq1QOvV6Nu0Iylszxe3cNV3U8Qzz8opmxrPqFAT9KHF5Bt5BpgXTMdesic3UiQuCPwLnHgckI5YHpSnJ8lBqn1SfbDQgfYRjajvOdxERz-hVx3IT4YQMPqo3EZvJMcZOrazNTVfHIUfmFRkk_Lmx5n5IgZ5rjjAm/s320/812uPZH4WYL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="212" /></a></p><p><b>Title: </b>The Storm We Made</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Vanessa Chan</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2024</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (historical)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 352 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>Malaysia</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Malaya, 1945. Cecily Alcantara’s family is in terrible danger: her fifteen-year-old son, Abel, has disappeared, and her youngest daughter, Jasmin, is confined in a basement to prevent being pressed into service at the comfort stations. Her eldest daughter Jujube, who works at a tea house frequented by drunk Japanese soldiers, becomes angrier by the day.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Cecily knows two things: that this is all her fault; and that her family must never learn the truth.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">A decade prior, Cecily had been desperate to be more than a housewife to a low-level bureaucrat in British-colonized Malaya. A chance meeting with the charismatic General Fujiwara lured her into a life of espionage, pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians.” Instead, Cecily helped usher in an even more brutal occupation by the Japanese. Ten years later as the war reaches its apex, her actions have caught up with her. Now her family is on the brink of destruction—and she will do anything to save them.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Spanning years of pain and triumph, told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters, The Storm We Made is a dazzling saga about the horrors of war; the fraught relationships between the colonized and their oppressors, and the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> This is my fifth book on my trip to New York and it followed two excellent books (<i>Horse</i> and <i>Forsaken Country</i>) and I was really hoping it was going to be excellent.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I am a little disappointed in this one. The concept is good but for some reason I didn't get pulled in as much as I hoped I would. Now, don't get me wrong, I liked it. I just didn't love it and I thought I would.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I like that it follows events for a family in the 1930s when Cecily, was younger and working as an unofficial spy for the Japanese and after the war in the mid-1940s when she is a mom and worried about her children and the awful things that are happening to them and their friends.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">There is a lot of tragedy in this book. There is violence against children, subterfuge, and people who are unhappy with their lot in life and seek ways in which to remedy their loneliness. But there is also humanity. Those who are kind, who look out for others no matter how awful the situation is. There is friendship in the most unusual of circumstances and care from those that surprise us.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">And, the setting is good. I have not read many books set in Asia during World War II and, for American as least, we hear of the major Pacific battles but not of what life was like for those in Malaysia, Korea, etc.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Alphabet Title--S</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Decolonize--War story by an Asian author</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Literary Escapes--Malaysia</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeDKnxGSrwE1soWGuBPHhyphenhyphen0A1MT63XgjZyge8mlaybLG_x5IFiiM_-11G5PMHqE9X9m4R58C0G1Amh5icfwlT0bGZr8nC7r2jOAYca_2UmX0hU8bW-4G_yYjxhBbdlioev2UbbyASuJzQQXq2BfH7ibwAWtxpiIgHY-P_xtchyphenhyphene3x6XVRww3WZJxQcuGr/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeDKnxGSrwE1soWGuBPHhyphenhyphen0A1MT63XgjZyge8mlaybLG_x5IFiiM_-11G5PMHqE9X9m4R58C0G1Amh5icfwlT0bGZr8nC7r2jOAYca_2UmX0hU8bW-4G_yYjxhBbdlioev2UbbyASuJzQQXq2BfH7ibwAWtxpiIgHY-P_xtchyphenhyphene3x6XVRww3WZJxQcuGr/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSCJ-upZBKIWX2kbK38or8tzVeNvXtSNs7CShQ7Nr9bjHgLppc4fIiMgQp-nCdLkU_Ygvys_FhUQjozC4lrNt6SHT-2-ISVlMq3JOr05lGM8WjHw-D5JlSvaLzngZxegWOq_D37l0Acw83NDUIDE7-8OYvAy4nu2ykm8MC1jxfdA0xFu7cqk3AMY97t1p/s1032/Screenshot%202023-12-03%20at%209.25.00%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1032" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSCJ-upZBKIWX2kbK38or8tzVeNvXtSNs7CShQ7Nr9bjHgLppc4fIiMgQp-nCdLkU_Ygvys_FhUQjozC4lrNt6SHT-2-ISVlMq3JOr05lGM8WjHw-D5JlSvaLzngZxegWOq_D37l0Acw83NDUIDE7-8OYvAy4nu2ykm8MC1jxfdA0xFu7cqk3AMY97t1p/w200-h161/Screenshot%202023-12-03%20at%209.25.00%20AM.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-66976780055123173352024-02-13T06:25:00.000-08:002024-02-13T06:25:17.506-08:00Review: Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeSsRggGgIsIULSLi3bKRoH8wnq_uUBwSnxhS7CGIG4hNN3mac8JMg_pMZ6zl62TsIpqi8v_AhdinFdpiA1BfMPXL1m3QYNO7gDkA6bmRgn90tyiXheSVUiDCpUZ050dnl2RrPft72v8E_n-YDLMtbo0fPd5S0eIicZsgbwsJGyq8-gSUtcCsARSb_9st/s1000/71C-yqbgVkL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeSsRggGgIsIULSLi3bKRoH8wnq_uUBwSnxhS7CGIG4hNN3mac8JMg_pMZ6zl62TsIpqi8v_AhdinFdpiA1BfMPXL1m3QYNO7gDkA6bmRgn90tyiXheSVUiDCpUZ050dnl2RrPft72v8E_n-YDLMtbo0fPd5S0eIicZsgbwsJGyq8-gSUtcCsARSb_9st/s320/71C-yqbgVkL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>Foresaken Country</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Allen Eskens</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2022</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (mystery)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 352 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (MN)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Max Rupert has left his position as a Minneapolis homicide detective to live in solitude. Mourning the tragic death of his wife, he's also racked by guilt—he alone knows what happened to her killer. But then the former local sheriff, Lyle Voight, arrives with a desperate plea: Lyle’s daughter Sandy and his six-year-old grandson Pip have disappeared. Lyle’s certain Sandy's ex-husband Reed is behind it, but the new sheriff is refusing to investigate. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">When Max reluctantly looks into their disappearance, he too becomes convinced something has gone very wrong. But the closer Max and Lyle get to finding proof, the more slippery Reed becomes, until he makes a break for the beautiful but formidable Boundary Waters wilderness with vulnerable Pip in tow.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Racing after the most dangerous kind of criminal—a desperate father—and with the ghosts of their own pasts never far behind, Max and Lyle go on the hunt within a treacherous landscape, determined to bring an evil man to justice, and to bring a terrified child home alive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> So I've managed to start with #6 in this series and I didn't realize that until I looked up the summary to write this review. Hmmmm. Would that mean I had no idea what was going on? I hope not.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">It turns out that a few months into the pandemic I read Nothing more Dangerous by Allen Eskens (link to <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2020/06/review-nothing-more-dangerous-by-allen.html" target="_blank">my review</a>), which I liked even though I was in a real pandemic-induced reading slump. Here we are three and a half years later and I did much better with this one.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This novel pulled me in right from the beginning. It is tense (as it always is when a small child is involved), well written, and I really liked that we saw the progression of the story from both the perspectives of the "good" and "bad" guys. I think it made it more tense. A friend told me that Hitchcock referred to this as suspense (rather than surprise).</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">And suspenseful this novel is! I stayed up late to finish it last night and have no regrets.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Literary Escapes--Minnesota</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Cloak and Dagger</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArK6aUtCp6QfXh5jgyxo6-TfjV4u8INt2f4tY_4p0lgCMH1XIurGCr9CAeyz5RvvFpFlVx9s8XVIcKRu9KHrxFh5a1V6sMezVYIQHifu1xiJTew2xrHUGO66iytdc4VBbrRwYAPjX7Xen3ursrzLR2i1WVA2dVp6ACY2lFfVysVLaLUmpmHGJWeoEzYQJ/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArK6aUtCp6QfXh5jgyxo6-TfjV4u8INt2f4tY_4p0lgCMH1XIurGCr9CAeyz5RvvFpFlVx9s8XVIcKRu9KHrxFh5a1V6sMezVYIQHifu1xiJTew2xrHUGO66iytdc4VBbrRwYAPjX7Xen3ursrzLR2i1WVA2dVp6ACY2lFfVysVLaLUmpmHGJWeoEzYQJ/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-43364102741826989392024-02-11T13:58:00.000-08:002024-02-11T14:08:43.793-08:00Review: Horse by Geraldine Brooks<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxIYZ75XHFfyz0jxxu2hnbjMqfxHyJvo2aDOsqe2z1iCS1qUu7NsK_KQ886LD3wirGWqUG4EM529-hrTCRcAdoJnhQ4g3oOCeOdhP-JRUJeq4MKeEOlndcodB3Ch3TDT9_Ny1QilLxO5yPZkenwzkDqnPamfgq6hfjO_PS9XkjX6KX9bifaFfprepBtsW/s1000/81Kc9t8XGWL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxIYZ75XHFfyz0jxxu2hnbjMqfxHyJvo2aDOsqe2z1iCS1qUu7NsK_KQ886LD3wirGWqUG4EM529-hrTCRcAdoJnhQ4g3oOCeOdhP-JRUJeq4MKeEOlndcodB3Ch3TDT9_Ny1QilLxO5yPZkenwzkDqnPamfgq6hfjO_PS9XkjX6KX9bifaFfprepBtsW/s320/81Kc9t8XGWL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="212" /></a></p><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>Horse</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Geraldine Brooks</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2022</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction (historical)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 416 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (Washington DC, KT, LA, MA, MD)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"> </div><div style="margin: 0px;">New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"> </div><div style="margin: 0px;">Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"> </div><div style="margin: 0px;">Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> I liked Brooks' <i>Year of Wonder</i>, <i>March</i>, and <i>People of the Book</i>, so was looking forward to this novel.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This is my kind of novel: historical fiction that spans multiple centuries and has seemingly unrelated characters. Of course, I knew that the connections among them would be revealed throughout the story and they were brought together in such a way that I thought, oh yes! Great way to work that in. </span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Brooks has a way with telling a good story, making the characters real and interesting, and showing the reader what it was like culturally in the various eras. The chapters that live in the pre-Civil War years are interesting and painful as the treatment of free and enslaved black people is front and center without being in your face. She shows how entrenched racism in the US was then and is still now.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Each character is narrated by a fully formed individual and I wanted to know what happened to each of them. I wanted to know which bits were real, which were imagined, and which were a combinations. If you are a frequent reader of this blog then you know how much I like a good Afterword and this book has two: the Afterword contains the author's thoughts and comments on the research and factual basis for the novel and the Historical Connections lists the people as they really were and what we know about them.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Alphabet Author--B</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Bookish--journalists/newspapers, PhD thesis, journals/diaries, and learning how to read</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Literary Escapes--</span>Washington DC, Massachusetts, Maryland</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb8_0NCM5Kn-WbnTDxldUCRYvZFbJOG-UHaoeCE6eWO7301UPcB_pDK91q8LmNW8LNxRPNUWiaSMSirOlx2Uvzq_v5Z9qB1p7qAG0iXbM5wHH7lPlRFUH8xe6frrG6KbGiMgokaNm9PJRzZObvs3zkB1dXGpmpBY0MH7ubkgKrfZid-hz4CJCJSRri7H5/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024-AUTHOR-EDITION.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="640" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb8_0NCM5Kn-WbnTDxldUCRYvZFbJOG-UHaoeCE6eWO7301UPcB_pDK91q8LmNW8LNxRPNUWiaSMSirOlx2Uvzq_v5Z9qB1p7qAG0iXbM5wHH7lPlRFUH8xe6frrG6KbGiMgokaNm9PJRzZObvs3zkB1dXGpmpBY0MH7ubkgKrfZid-hz4CJCJSRri7H5/w200-h143/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024-AUTHOR-EDITION.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtfERs9_IYtLp_cf_Tg9fHhHZTjhxUhfZ49OILZ0iSvpcfRFGWdbdEJfcMSKj1VNbtBdUUlQ-Ss2PVeLzttQb0WjDb0FZOYpAk2t2aYBHoxZHFDk6Zn3w1vVKZrCk1a9ER7bLzrNES-8PxZAg2BcUDvU8Jd-GbQJRH_brrgGgbB00-TVLnrKbQvL2ClEX/s320/The%202023%20Bookish%20Books%20reading%20challenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtfERs9_IYtLp_cf_Tg9fHhHZTjhxUhfZ49OILZ0iSvpcfRFGWdbdEJfcMSKj1VNbtBdUUlQ-Ss2PVeLzttQb0WjDb0FZOYpAk2t2aYBHoxZHFDk6Zn3w1vVKZrCk1a9ER7bLzrNES-8PxZAg2BcUDvU8Jd-GbQJRH_brrgGgbB00-TVLnrKbQvL2ClEX/w200-h200/The%202023%20Bookish%20Books%20reading%20challenge.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-47302717143228571272024-02-10T19:51:00.000-08:002024-02-10T19:51:34.278-08:00Sunday Salon: February 11, 2024<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s250/Untitled%20design-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s1600/Untitled%20design-17.png" width="250" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Deb Nance at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> hosts The Sunday Salon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/s1000/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgucLhnXkb8XYkpNipx2P_hVKyE81FCtSCnTs1KWmtN1lq0JtfgHfqDx0Tuazj7X1D0bckYLAv7SHmLd511NtEQx6XgjdZZq-jYgyNd1BBJrJZtJh8VzqZuZpziiO8HrG96OW4szL4rDTz4P-y5rGPC6itqPRUfej4WxV_LJnx91IfSHx4dVSAG9G6gyq/s1000/71RE+v5c3VL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgucLhnXkb8XYkpNipx2P_hVKyE81FCtSCnTs1KWmtN1lq0JtfgHfqDx0Tuazj7X1D0bckYLAv7SHmLd511NtEQx6XgjdZZq-jYgyNd1BBJrJZtJh8VzqZuZpziiO8HrG96OW4szL4rDTz4P-y5rGPC6itqPRUfej4WxV_LJnx91IfSHx4dVSAG9G6gyq/w133-h200/71RE+v5c3VL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/02/review-must-love-books-by-shauna.html" target="_blank">Must Love Books</a> by Shauna Robinson</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ah, Ithaca, NY in the winter. Actually, I managed to leave Santa Barbara right before all the torrential rain that hit national news and here in NY it's been sunny at in the 40s and low 50s. I know it isn't going to stay that way, but for now it's nice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My laptop started failing just before I left home and I ended up buying a new one in my first days in NY. I do love new gadgets and my 15" Mac Air is wonderul compared to my 7 year old one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rW-bnR4-Izjh9qULTDfjx5ea5tFLL1rCf-Ot5E-Rg0xmh3gDVaReDVElb_Di9b17onCLgWpg7xwYhd7rS21dE5YoRkM4PNN-r8bJM2Nls-zul7UznijwouCeXHWeNAsMDZn7ZpOBbqx-IWS4FLiiayIzf24ojI7hwVx9_f_GE3fYnOCDOBCa-IT4FxmA/s1000/The_Greatest_Night_In_Pop_A2021_2_4_462.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rW-bnR4-Izjh9qULTDfjx5ea5tFLL1rCf-Ot5E-Rg0xmh3gDVaReDVElb_Di9b17onCLgWpg7xwYhd7rS21dE5YoRkM4PNN-r8bJM2Nls-zul7UznijwouCeXHWeNAsMDZn7ZpOBbqx-IWS4FLiiayIzf24ojI7hwVx9_f_GE3fYnOCDOBCa-IT4FxmA/w400-h225/The_Greatest_Night_In_Pop_A2021_2_4_462.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One night I watched a documentary that is perfect for people my age (where are all my '80s children?!): The Greatest Night of Pop. It's all about the making of We Are the World in 1985. It's full of good stories, amazing artists, and it brought back so many memories.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Bookish-Thoughts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Bookish-Thoughts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started reading Geraldine Brooks' <i>Horse</i> this week and am really enjoying it. It's a great combination of history and people. Have you read it?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt27uOgaK0g0u_0o0qlYSbJHPbQDxqzfVCN0sVsc1YmlOGEO4-9CYFQvrFeh9fKoXveGlWDdyG0qZgFzZ4A2EjRWl3ullMT8o6hdD4ABJN75l8VzNkjofEQVPInd0ifYLdzeokj8Xhexgr1GD1sYONhYbgtNDj4xdzkvOJdOuwayNe_P5AGtRu_15pf166/s1000/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt27uOgaK0g0u_0o0qlYSbJHPbQDxqzfVCN0sVsc1YmlOGEO4-9CYFQvrFeh9fKoXveGlWDdyG0qZgFzZ4A2EjRWl3ullMT8o6hdD4ABJN75l8VzNkjofEQVPInd0ifYLdzeokj8Xhexgr1GD1sYONhYbgtNDj4xdzkvOJdOuwayNe_P5AGtRu_15pf166/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/s500/Signature.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-78446298710569458652024-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:002024-02-07T18:58:55.165-08:00Review: Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yzvesm6UO1Zk6HHIVxct6mQtqBGIt2fPNYCTl-Q1WKxkLkfUpT2JF9wCrj-PHZMeujqMPqI4h7LpeoZyMJPBbXspES-P3QtoXQT_vSIc9GnfguD4yTKWzE9xbmnYD1zJr7MnrXKyo3n2kKea5qorsddpi3NxnyHgn4pQTBVT5rGp5te-9VPEoUNCniw-/s1000/71RE+v5c3VL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yzvesm6UO1Zk6HHIVxct6mQtqBGIt2fPNYCTl-Q1WKxkLkfUpT2JF9wCrj-PHZMeujqMPqI4h7LpeoZyMJPBbXspES-P3QtoXQT_vSIc9GnfguD4yTKWzE9xbmnYD1zJr7MnrXKyo3n2kKea5qorsddpi3NxnyHgn4pQTBVT5rGp5te-9VPEoUNCniw-/s320/71RE+v5c3VL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>Interesting Facts About Space</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Emily Austin</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2022</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 336 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 3.5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>USA (CA, MD)</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Meet Nora Hughes―the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">When Nora landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, it was her first step towards The Dream Job. Because, honestly, is there anything dreamier than making books for a living? But after five years of lunch orders, finicky authors, and per my last emails, Nora has come to one grand conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">With her life spiraling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora gets hit with even worse news. Parsons is cutting her already unlivable salary. Unable to afford her rent and without even the novels she once loved as a comfort, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher to make ends meet…and maybe poach some Parsons' authors along the way.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling Parsons author no one can afford to lose is thrown into the mix, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie. Her new Dream Job, ever-optimistic Andrew, or...herself and her future.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> Having just read a mystery, I was looking forward to a contemporary romance. And, I enjoyed Shauna Robinson's other book that I read (my review of <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2023/02/review-banned-bookshop-of-maggie-banks.html" target="_blank">The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks</a>). Turns out I liked that one better than this one, but a book about publishing and romance is a good things. This was Robinson's debut and she improved with her second book so I'll look out for more by her.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Nora is an odd character. I didn't like her but I didn't dislike her either. I wanted her to stand up for herself, demand what she is worth (both personally and at work), and know who she is and what she deserves. I also wanted the people around her to wise up and use her talents and not fall for her sneaking around behind everyone's back professionally. I do understand depression and I think it was represented well via this character. </span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div>I knew the romance was coming (I mean, really, it's a romance) but it was definitely a slow burn. But that's good since the positions of power were awkward until Nora and Andrew spent more time together. I liked Andrew. He is smart, interesting, and goes after what he wants. Good for him! We should all do this more often. I'll admit to being surprised at the direction it took.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all the book is fine, it needed more umph for me to rate it higher.</div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Alphabet Title--M</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Bookish</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Decolonize--Written by a Black woman</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSCJ-upZBKIWX2kbK38or8tzVeNvXtSNs7CShQ7Nr9bjHgLppc4fIiMgQp-nCdLkU_Ygvys_FhUQjozC4lrNt6SHT-2-ISVlMq3JOr05lGM8WjHw-D5JlSvaLzngZxegWOq_D37l0Acw83NDUIDE7-8OYvAy4nu2ykm8MC1jxfdA0xFu7cqk3AMY97t1p/s1032/Screenshot%202023-12-03%20at%209.25.00%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0jNsTP6j2t4jbw4x7OWut1S8Qy6zutUSJ99lTsRq65s1aBtEx3d2xMBqIkMW7rT2l7cPEDX7lYDSNZp-JiHc_18RFLhqGFOm0AHlHnXEe9tO-45x6bLQX1tkMuxcBgu9cobjv35BTkeQVIxUny_uPrH32noEz86qAqIn7hRN2PGJA2m4LfiKD3r2ANFc/s320/The%202023%20Bookish%20Books%20reading%20challenge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0jNsTP6j2t4jbw4x7OWut1S8Qy6zutUSJ99lTsRq65s1aBtEx3d2xMBqIkMW7rT2l7cPEDX7lYDSNZp-JiHc_18RFLhqGFOm0AHlHnXEe9tO-45x6bLQX1tkMuxcBgu9cobjv35BTkeQVIxUny_uPrH32noEz86qAqIn7hRN2PGJA2m4LfiKD3r2ANFc/w200-h200/The%202023%20Bookish%20Books%20reading%20challenge.png" width="200" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeDKnxGSrwE1soWGuBPHhyphenhyphen0A1MT63XgjZyge8mlaybLG_x5IFiiM_-11G5PMHqE9X9m4R58C0G1Amh5icfwlT0bGZr8nC7r2jOAYca_2UmX0hU8bW-4G_yYjxhBbdlioev2UbbyASuJzQQXq2BfH7ibwAWtxpiIgHY-P_xtchyphenhyphene3x6XVRww3WZJxQcuGr/s640/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeDKnxGSrwE1soWGuBPHhyphenhyphen0A1MT63XgjZyge8mlaybLG_x5IFiiM_-11G5PMHqE9X9m4R58C0G1Amh5icfwlT0bGZr8nC7r2jOAYca_2UmX0hU8bW-4G_yYjxhBbdlioev2UbbyASuJzQQXq2BfH7ibwAWtxpiIgHY-P_xtchyphenhyphene3x6XVRww3WZJxQcuGr/w200-h150/ALPHABET-SOUP-2024.jpg" width="200" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1032" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSCJ-upZBKIWX2kbK38or8tzVeNvXtSNs7CShQ7Nr9bjHgLppc4fIiMgQp-nCdLkU_Ygvys_FhUQjozC4lrNt6SHT-2-ISVlMq3JOr05lGM8WjHw-D5JlSvaLzngZxegWOq_D37l0Acw83NDUIDE7-8OYvAy4nu2ykm8MC1jxfdA0xFu7cqk3AMY97t1p/w200-h161/Screenshot%202023-12-03%20at%209.25.00%20AM.png" width="200" /></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-4676504107273299022024-02-06T17:36:00.000-08:002024-02-06T17:36:19.512-08:00Life According to Literature<p><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaPiH70X5cPYTltge6UD7bggeke_UeXLufKHLNF20yl0BYcDQDPrbOjGP-Hh04yYl-pzSb4kCPyYDdi3UTPjQmH1EbV37VuwhOefPNGeaEn_l97pyjG8cj0etbCPXtZy2PVSA6hooofmHp03FNHRPsYx-lMeMdVkJb9X_-r3Sd29xBXvach-WNpjw92pZ/s400/life_lit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="400" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaPiH70X5cPYTltge6UD7bggeke_UeXLufKHLNF20yl0BYcDQDPrbOjGP-Hh04yYl-pzSb4kCPyYDdi3UTPjQmH1EbV37VuwhOefPNGeaEn_l97pyjG8cj0etbCPXtZy2PVSA6hooofmHp03FNHRPsYx-lMeMdVkJb9X_-r3Sd29xBXvach-WNpjw92pZ/w400-h149/life_lit.png" width="400" /></a></b></div><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><u><br /></u></b><p></p><p><b style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><u>THE RULES</u></b><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">: Using only books you have read during last year (2023), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. Let me know below in the comments, if you've joined in, so I can go and read your answers.</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><ul style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>Describe yourself</b>: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>How do you feel</b>: The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>Describe where you currently live</b>: A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>A place you like to hang out:</b> Happy Place by Emliy Henry</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>If you could go anywhere, where would you go</b>: Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>Your favorite form of transportation</b>: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>Your best friend is</b>: Stay True by Hua Hsu</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>You and your friends are</b>: Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>What's the weather like</b>: A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>You fear</b>: Dark Corners by Megan Goldin</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>What is the best advice you have to give</b>: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>Thought for the day</b>: What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>How would I like to die</b>: Olga Dies by Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><b>My soul's present condition</b>: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood</li></ul><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGq5jthMO_38ZeDxgVfVAN2RSILDu-zRr0xnfrOiIR6OKJn_02S-SYJHiWbvzzWBc-33WfenPyvUQE55b5iU7VWj1Y77L9Ad1odnEfViLOSLNN5HnEECQ0U11IMekWTnjVdnrwgMRX389_LqZyAJJjqO9j3lZPUp426zG5P0Cycrkz_6Y92-TU3coPtOC/s500/Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGq5jthMO_38ZeDxgVfVAN2RSILDu-zRr0xnfrOiIR6OKJn_02S-SYJHiWbvzzWBc-33WfenPyvUQE55b5iU7VWj1Y77L9Ad1odnEfViLOSLNN5HnEECQ0U11IMekWTnjVdnrwgMRX389_LqZyAJJjqO9j3lZPUp426zG5P0Cycrkz_6Y92-TU3coPtOC/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-17719519823803351372024-02-04T05:26:00.000-08:002024-02-04T05:26:40.795-08:00Sunday Salon: February 4, 2024<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s250/Untitled%20design-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s1600/Untitled%20design-17.png" width="250" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Deb Nance at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> hosts The Sunday Salon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/s1000/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9nT0y1EQoQ21lyZu3hyjcDOYhlcYm1hnoOCoK6AsZL0wGOstb0tyxq9g-eOGi6Optu8OYeL3NZjvlETghL-2aV4jhXGOuW_T2yAWlWjM4xQgKihw177bepO9O4IFcUhg70Z07drp_2BOmFRa7iTtg1bJPCCTpj4yC_9D21GeoGgBwtl_fNVaUQjV94jY/s798/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%203.49.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="526" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9nT0y1EQoQ21lyZu3hyjcDOYhlcYm1hnoOCoK6AsZL0wGOstb0tyxq9g-eOGi6Optu8OYeL3NZjvlETghL-2aV4jhXGOuW_T2yAWlWjM4xQgKihw177bepO9O4IFcUhg70Z07drp_2BOmFRa7iTtg1bJPCCTpj4yC_9D21GeoGgBwtl_fNVaUQjV94jY/w132-h200/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%203.49.27%20PM.png" width="132" /></a><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/02/review-exiles-by-jane-harper.html" target="_blank">Exiles</a> by Jane Harper</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week was a little less busy than last except that yesterday I traveled across the country (2.5 hour bus to Los Angeles, flight to Newark, and a flight to Ithaca) to stay with my daughter for a couple weeks. I love that my remote job allows me to work from wherever I am (even though it means packing 2 laptops and all the work stuff). The whole trip here went smoothly and, though it's really cold, I am so glad to be here. And I am missing the insane rain that is supposed to hit Santa Barbara today (they even have evacuation orders for parts of town).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week I went to my dance class (and will try to convince my daughter to attend classes while I am in Ithaca), visited with a couple friends, attended an art show and dinner, and had my parents over for dinner (bless my mom, she spent the night Friday so she could drive me to my 5:30am bus).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQOGomQFFGiMqV2YMcUjB5QIwm2MHA-erdWlrFid-n-3myQuYJJIYPMGu1skVrucweu5A3Lb4P4wQM_4f7-1X-Ml9s86f1Gx5crDKmcQXOM_ve9kLXora4l1KKTV2G41jmK8-C-JoRvyBhTHFGmVdegd-WdQct_JBjWlmVMJ4Vt8OYz8nPo0fJ3GSZjwu/s1170/header.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1170" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQOGomQFFGiMqV2YMcUjB5QIwm2MHA-erdWlrFid-n-3myQuYJJIYPMGu1skVrucweu5A3Lb4P4wQM_4f7-1X-Ml9s86f1Gx5crDKmcQXOM_ve9kLXora4l1KKTV2G41jmK8-C-JoRvyBhTHFGmVdegd-WdQct_JBjWlmVMJ4Vt8OYz8nPo0fJ3GSZjwu/s320/header.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I watched a sweet new movie on Prime: <i>The Holdovers</i>. Have you seen it? They did a great job of capturing 1970 and the cast is wonderful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Bookish-Thoughts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Bookish-Thoughts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I brought 5 physical books with me on this trip. I plan to leave them in various locations as I finish them. That ought to lighten my suitcase!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAY94V-EyZWVOKw5dnFravhVQkpRuM8qBfxox5cJy0E8ijLvhSlfH1kXrJhS4fP6K0VFIAroI5DpixH1nappv74djvhEnnceQhxy9i9XcUqwlWKUwZgTAIPWi13SUv4rk9q_l_B9dVO3p228NTQQFWTlVAT_RhtqCWleHvwOH8QgTOAh7zTACWsFi2Tnj/s1000/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAY94V-EyZWVOKw5dnFravhVQkpRuM8qBfxox5cJy0E8ijLvhSlfH1kXrJhS4fP6K0VFIAroI5DpixH1nappv74djvhEnnceQhxy9i9XcUqwlWKUwZgTAIPWi13SUv4rk9q_l_B9dVO3p228NTQQFWTlVAT_RhtqCWleHvwOH8QgTOAh7zTACWsFi2Tnj/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/s500/Signature.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-67379269350990579192024-02-03T19:41:00.000-08:002024-02-03T19:41:38.923-08:00Review: Exiles by Jane Harper<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRu-NPj_EbsrFKRRTx1LdkFrk5NzmwAYoe842r2uWfsuVXPEapQTFsrIHx_fLQjp9za3nEGuAkILg4uWK7OwO9szJFeepa5lQqLdW7UpJ7UHQXNOwxZQNTM546ynBwy-5InYbWMAZaianL_xT5zO5euf3qeAQkIZqyQC0sniT-DIzqJ-n54nXWirFMpws/s798/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%203.49.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRu-NPj_EbsrFKRRTx1LdkFrk5NzmwAYoe842r2uWfsuVXPEapQTFsrIHx_fLQjp9za3nEGuAkILg4uWK7OwO9szJFeepa5lQqLdW7UpJ7UHQXNOwxZQNTM546ynBwy-5InYbWMAZaianL_xT5zO5euf3qeAQkIZqyQC0sniT-DIzqJ-n54nXWirFMpws/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%203.49.27%20PM.png" width="211" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Title: </b>Exiles</p><p></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Jane Harper</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Year published: </b>2023</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Category:</b> Adult fiction</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Pages:</b> 368 pages</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Location:</b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GOBuE8gnyZStivuFfn01l5hUsYzNLWE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">my 2024 Google Reading map</a>)<b>: </b>Australia</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><span face=""><b>Summary</b>: </span>Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is on his way to a small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening of an old friend's baby. But mystery follows him, even on vacation.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Kim Gillespie's disappearance. One year ago, at a busy town festival on a warm spring night, Kim safely tucked her sleeping baby into her stroller, then vanished into the crowd. No one has seen her since. When Kim's older daughter makes a plea for anyone with information about her missing mom to come forward, Falk and his old buddy Raco can't leave the case alone.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">As Falk soaks up life in the lush valley, he is welcomed into the tight-knit circle of Kim’s friends and loved ones. But the group may be more fractured than it seems. Between Falk’s closest friend, the missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge. What would make a mother abandon her child? What happened to Kim Gillespie?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Review:</b> I have liked Jane Harper's other novels (some more than others. My reviews: <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2021/07/review-force-of-nature-by-jane-harper.html" target="_blank">Force of Nature</a>, <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2021/05/review-dry-by-jane-harper.html" target="_blank">The Dry</a>, <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2021/08/review-survivors-by-jane-harper.html" target="_blank">The Survivors</a>, and <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2019/07/review-lost-man-by-jane-harper.html" target="_blank">The Lost Man</a>) and was looking forward to this one, which I ended up liking best of all.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I began this book last week and only read about 12 pages before getting on my bus and 2 flights early this morning. I finished it as I waited for my luggage at baggage claim in Ithaca. Perfect timing. I handed it off to some random woman who was sitting next to me.</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Aaron Falk is a character that I have enjoyed in the previous books about him. He does financial investigations, but they are not often the focus of the novels. He is usually in a small town where everyone knows everyone else, and he helps solve a long-standing crime. I particularly liked all the secondary characters in this book, the setting, the events surrounding the current time and the past. </span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I was pulled into the story fairly quickly and it kept my attention throughout my bus ride and two flights so that's saying something!</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenges for which this counts: </b></div><div><ul><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Cloak and Dagger</span></li><li><span face="helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Literary Escapes--Australia</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/s601/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="601" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8daXTKSR4j7cwI4PqBOi2nr_jqBhCUjQg52IjeRu5TBb-aRn0PIl6FzkuBptkS2Gal_m3dsqcvGWKOEMoWziknd1UAsyXvPbjhjCHkGlvrHHuFW0QetOWZ7SCRU47YU70m8Gvgl-xeZzxLv2H0HEooqd4i8mWxg6h0mYHvgHBsSYoEo87I-YLaiQRwjzK/w200-h199/2024-LITERARY-ESCAPES-CHALLENGE.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArK6aUtCp6QfXh5jgyxo6-TfjV4u8INt2f4tY_4p0lgCMH1XIurGCr9CAeyz5RvvFpFlVx9s8XVIcKRu9KHrxFh5a1V6sMezVYIQHifu1xiJTew2xrHUGO66iytdc4VBbrRwYAPjX7Xen3ursrzLR2i1WVA2dVp6ACY2lFfVysVLaLUmpmHGJWeoEzYQJ/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArK6aUtCp6QfXh5jgyxo6-TfjV4u8INt2f4tY_4p0lgCMH1XIurGCr9CAeyz5RvvFpFlVx9s8XVIcKRu9KHrxFh5a1V6sMezVYIQHifu1xiJTew2xrHUGO66iytdc4VBbrRwYAPjX7Xen3ursrzLR2i1WVA2dVp6ACY2lFfVysVLaLUmpmHGJWeoEzYQJ/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square-22.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/s500/Signature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB5xM3EbXNUqGX5RpaBexzPnatSms9305Pv-wPvdnAYlUcro3o_qxr-juKLt3yt2_928rQBAJIIX8lR87LIjIdrAv8Mgle1VHfAdCD8nSC7K3cnIegLHoGwbY2JqCJDhlCqO2OIRW98bxhurvJ35Q8TUHjtLK7Bu-t37E3juh2esq-GD-fsjxb0gR07Al/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268744587166874784.post-520173620170070332024-01-27T21:43:00.000-08:002024-01-27T21:43:19.032-08:00Sunday Salon: January 28, 2024<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s250/Untitled%20design-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hTLQFyVxmWkDQnEgjiGQUTJ6rTZ1RDzAoA1n4yG18F7L2R--1Uz-rBK1mLyPRKdoyUKOregNfbEASzjrWg3y3JlURvHupR_5ziZY9r4dQjDCE3fA-JqO2U0IUXvsxNP-7zw9979Hqm-o7_bNytaEo40p2Ry_Zg-xAgRY39qikgHZus0KAp0XtDcxJg/s1600/Untitled%20design-17.png" width="250" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Deb Nance at <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> hosts The Sunday Salon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpgbzT8VAo/YRWkIBnntZI/AAAAAAACY4A/_Ju0tx2Bb4EcH53O7Kr3w0LR6pgyCGTvACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/What-I%2527ve-Been-Reading.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/s1000/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qsuPO0Tz_iC0jTWPLZwZDunjBTU07Mgt-OuV8XIeJcLQwiZpPuQNO-empVPb8ZqMtVAsZf1zKUDuAuiZ6vKgJp1hJTvO6dPdARrBar1VoQ_zwmoHn5jE9QV91zU8QGFsbVriiLPjMt3t9YLv_WA6V_xc1qcIIyO7Zhph3BD1BgEDzWZmvlZmePvs_obb/w132-h200/91JcY79rODL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_2prrDD5N7LpdkCL7ja5oAOLZyms4J64qToXCuWW5UTpQAtvYKUcXLB8LLPVJrpycjubH3yj71uBed9gzlvC7aWsAT6qNZ9-GI5IclwiMdkueH_H2c0ZCp8Zxjo8VmxSYnFEe8FwOjgzDn0LPicJg8e9yYpRkWpy606NYbK48RIjuV4RrvvcE67Rl2bl/s1000/71ZfVrHoZIL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="648" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_2prrDD5N7LpdkCL7ja5oAOLZyms4J64qToXCuWW5UTpQAtvYKUcXLB8LLPVJrpycjubH3yj71uBed9gzlvC7aWsAT6qNZ9-GI5IclwiMdkueH_H2c0ZCp8Zxjo8VmxSYnFEe8FwOjgzDn0LPicJg8e9yYpRkWpy606NYbK48RIjuV4RrvvcE67Rl2bl/w129-h200/71ZfVrHoZIL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="129" /></a><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/01/review-exchange-after-firm-by-john.html" target="_blank">The Exchange</a> by John Grisham</li><li><a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/2024/01/review-interesting-facts-about-space-by.html" target="_blank">Interesting Facts About Space</a> by Emily Austin</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRICOC5nmFU/YRWkPKtaZ5I/AAAAAAACY4E/wdQLglsEk-0gUVkIHuYrbtJVYW1BpkUrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/My-Life-Outside-Books.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uDeS6Jc1Y3b0rJVGOgWYSSnoRcSpSuBBBHLGkUYdyJ1HBaM9MFcWWdx21sJ8UQ_0xWwQknZ5HrMSs0NlO6exCIaUY-TfESPI6s5B13ZuvPuJURaieBXm8iW3cP-Y7wnGAVZoqQxmKNygz_tt_He0AqixonOz2BhJVsaLCDCe-sKQ5l3w-57WFhgn4W8m/s4032/IMG_4126.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uDeS6Jc1Y3b0rJVGOgWYSSnoRcSpSuBBBHLGkUYdyJ1HBaM9MFcWWdx21sJ8UQ_0xWwQknZ5HrMSs0NlO6exCIaUY-TfESPI6s5B13ZuvPuJURaieBXm8iW3cP-Y7wnGAVZoqQxmKNygz_tt_He0AqixonOz2BhJVsaLCDCe-sKQ5l3w-57WFhgn4W8m/s320/IMG_4126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a good week. I had a wonderfully long chat with my brother and a couple other friends who live out of town, bought a new frying pan (why is that so exciting?!), hosted an excellent event (more below), attended dance class, got a hair cut, ran a board meeting, went for a walk with friends (see the photo above, it was about 71 degrees and a wonderful day), and hosted a game night (more below). And worked full time. But somehow it all didn't seem too much or stressful. 😀</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPks4DniBUlj2V3Gf2FCPtsLqcgaTb3QoH3UCJmVXytvQWfq_PjvGQObnmtooOKcT1U37EOJQIc15EAB2BG8S1ECgoeqptIhWcNi1gHAoAbDn1wP2UBGLCRs0vp5aU8BcwnsdZM9ReByzDjt9DYKekmW2CaWgnQdne_1hEMwVi_OoDSz1CPj5hbbTCG2w/s4032/IMG_4114.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPks4DniBUlj2V3Gf2FCPtsLqcgaTb3QoH3UCJmVXytvQWfq_PjvGQObnmtooOKcT1U37EOJQIc15EAB2BG8S1ECgoeqptIhWcNi1gHAoAbDn1wP2UBGLCRs0vp5aU8BcwnsdZM9ReByzDjt9DYKekmW2CaWgnQdne_1hEMwVi_OoDSz1CPj5hbbTCG2w/s320/IMG_4114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think I have mentioned that I am the President of the University of California, Santa Barbara History Associates (we work to raise funds for graduate students and to connect the History department to the community). We do a speaker series and Monday the talk was a historical look at Israel/Palestine and the impacts on today. I booked it in June and when the war broke out most people tried to convince me to cancel the event or at least have a police presence for security purposes. It did not occur to me to cancel and I certainly wasn't going to create an issue by having police/security there (I felt that would suggest that we expected trouble and most attendees were probably going to be people of color, so no). Well the talk was a huge success with over 120 people in attendance and no conflict/issues. Afterward, the speaker told me that this is the first and only academic talk on the subject at the university (which totally surprised me).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwKZOzTd0LRanZiyZGyKg2xCUr2bVuY6hSJ3AalxhqfQyPKjXHmwJnp_rk8vpGwnawruiYC9iAAUI11O1I8Ib1qwbWmMfxs_dGeZQrTdtbTmQrBRcoAhVJqdPrI74KKQcUvXr0l8Wjv0vL4pHxAmCEAEhjSyKDzqY977LDCl9NO4HT2VqL5dCWZyrgxiL/s4032/IMG_4129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwKZOzTd0LRanZiyZGyKg2xCUr2bVuY6hSJ3AalxhqfQyPKjXHmwJnp_rk8vpGwnawruiYC9iAAUI11O1I8Ib1qwbWmMfxs_dGeZQrTdtbTmQrBRcoAhVJqdPrI74KKQcUvXr0l8Wjv0vL4pHxAmCEAEhjSyKDzqY977LDCl9NO4HT2VqL5dCWZyrgxiL/w200-h150/IMG_4129.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday was game night with women who all taught together back in the late 1990s and it was so much fun to be together again! We played Cards Against Humanity, which is always good for a laugh. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Bookish-Thoughts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t1uL7u8gog/YRWkVHJDY_I/AAAAAAACY4I/pyjnL_irdtwOPjMmDK942DefoV9KF-jAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Bookish-Thoughts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUw5-IL9NzB9ncnT2unJe0ALnRScA3zyZZwdgfGNmw7GBV2tS74q2kK8H9KzZBt7LWDmHGXIHhjWdoKmYfONlVhyphenhyphenHihyphenhyphen_AN5e2VYT7k5A1yTFQV_quaRamP_WAiqA14Jr4d84WcI1SD9Om15VTwpOcCB0ZmJw1Cz7Pr8e4VVm_lGpFcGGwGRCcoqQznQG/s4032/IMG_4128.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUw5-IL9NzB9ncnT2unJe0ALnRScA3zyZZwdgfGNmw7GBV2tS74q2kK8H9KzZBt7LWDmHGXIHhjWdoKmYfONlVhyphenhyphenHihyphenhyphen_AN5e2VYT7k5A1yTFQV_quaRamP_WAiqA14Jr4d84WcI1SD9Om15VTwpOcCB0ZmJw1Cz7Pr8e4VVm_lGpFcGGwGRCcoqQznQG/s320/IMG_4128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why do I buy new books when I have plenty of good ones still unread on my shelves?! That's my TBR shelves in the photo. I know there aren't as many as some of you have, but I still have guilt that many of been on my shelves for quite some time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is is the current state of my <a href="http://www.helensbookblog.com/p/challenges.html" target="_blank">2024 challenges</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeO_oFbsNVEpCUQDqjvEl5uhCLs7snUb7bpmQ2W0WBWWc-Z3eswEr_ukEbrub9yDCTHdhjJuM1Np9tUWMnllpzlO9Zr22oQax8IZDcUPvpNRf58qlc-K-oY0VOT8zxh0XZkxzK9X-EzMc0s2Jia1Ru9qZrlkcgF8SGHQZjNEXqsXO3UOKKZyo6LLWOutU/s1000/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeO_oFbsNVEpCUQDqjvEl5uhCLs7snUb7bpmQ2W0WBWWc-Z3eswEr_ukEbrub9yDCTHdhjJuM1Np9tUWMnllpzlO9Zr22oQax8IZDcUPvpNRf58qlc-K-oY0VOT8zxh0XZkxzK9X-EzMc0s2Jia1Ru9qZrlkcgF8SGHQZjNEXqsXO3UOKKZyo6LLWOutU/s320/2024%20Reading%20Challenges.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/s500/Signature.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="500" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOgHH2A7lA/YRWlClbLEmI/AAAAAAACY4k/Eegvx6rgd-EDL3f3Blg3wizIYeO8NLFkQCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h88/Signature.png" width="200" /></a> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on Helen's Book Blog. Copyright © Helen Murdoch 2009 to 2021</div>Helen's Book Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01404788769349792460noreply@blogger.com0