This and that, July 08, 2022

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Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

This is a just a start talking kind of day. With no book suggestions and no hot topics rolling around in my head I’ve got nothing.

Well, there is one topic consuming many of my thoughts the last few months. It centers around a few possible ideas for the rest of my life, or at least a good chunk of it.

The favorite idea at the moment involves selling my house and buying an RV, one that is big but not too big and insulated well enough to be an all season recreational vehicle. It could be my home as I travel the country visiting friends and family. Have house – will travel.

It’s not an idea unique to me, it seems to be a new trend in a certain segment of the population. The beginning of this whole idea for me was prompted by a decision to leave my solitude behind and be out and about, among people. I was thinking a year of travelling maybe. The plan has grown far beyond that now.

To move forward with this idea I need to investigate a big vehicle like this to see if I even feel comfortable driving it. A test drive has to be on hold for now though because this is the summer all my kids are in town. We have plans. Next weekend we are heading out camping. In tents. It will be fun.

I was looking forward to a ladies kayaking afternoon but it might not be a good idea for me to go with them. My tail bone is still sore from the two hours spent with one of my grandsons last weekend. I noticed the seat had no padding but like the novice that I am it didn’t occur to me until it was much too late to be concerned. We had a good time and I wouldn’t change a thing. I loved the experience and he was happy just to be on the water.

Most of my activities this week involved sitting, aggravating the sore bone even more. I need a stand up desk. Hmmm. I don’t think that would work well in an RV.

The picture above is along the lines of what I’m thinking of only a little bigger.

But, back to the present…

I had a good time tonight pulling overgrown weeds in my front flower bed. With all the rain and then heat we’ve had this summer everything has grown like a jungle. I’d swear you could watch them grow. It’s a good thing it’s the weekend, I hope to get lots cleaned up and looking pretty over the next two days.

I’m planning to enjoy the weekend. Wishing you a great weekend too.

Photo by Spencer Gurley Films on Pexels.com

This looks a bit like the lake we were on.

I had beginners luck (not knowing what I was doing) and my jeans were soaked from water falling off the paddles. Who knew they shouldn’t be raised so high.

Read and enjoyed July 07, 2022

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It’s time to clear out the backlog of read-and-enjoyed books once again.

Saving Hope (The Men of the Texas Rangers Book 1) the latest book read is about rescuing young teen girls finding themselves slaves of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt’s daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.

Now it’s personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.

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This next one was also a favorite.

The Reunion – Dan Walsh

There are people in this world we pass right by without giving a second thought. Some have amazing stories to tell, if we only took the time to listen. The Reunion tells the story of Aaron Miller, an old Vietnam vet and handyman in a trailer park.

Almost fifty years ago, Aaron saved the lives of three young men in a horrific battle, was even awarded the Medal of Honor. Severely wounded, he came home from the war and wound up losing everything. But God is a master at redeeming the lost things of life. Unbeknownst to Aaron, someone is looking for him. And the one who finds him might just find the love of his life, as well.

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Then three more (twice), much enjoyed.

I will attempt this one next.

Hopefully this book takes, and draws me in. I’m shocked at the mounting list of partially read books.

There were no new books today among the suggestions. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

In the meantime…

Happy Reading.

Bargain book July 06, 2022

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1531 Entertainment has a bargain suggestion for us, one I’m excited about. Some books are more exciting than others, what can I say. It’s the truth. I wish all books were the best, wouldn’t that be awesome.

We’ve recently read and enjoyed three of Rachel’s books and I think this one promises to be good too

The Writing Desk

Tenley Roth’s first book was a runaway bestseller. Now that her second book is due, she’s locked in fear. Can she repeat her earlier success or is she a fraud who has run out of inspiration?

With pressure mounting from her publisher, Tenley is weighted with writer’s block. But when her estranged mother calls asking Tenley to help her through chemotherapy, she packs up for Florida where she meets handsome furniture designer Jonas Sullivan and discovers the story her heart’s been missing.

A century earlier, another woman wrote at the same desk with hopes and fears of her own. Born during the Gilded Age, Birdie Shehorn is the daughter of the old money Knickerbockers. Under the strict control of her mother, her every move is decided ahead of time, even whom she’ll marry. But Birdie has dreams she doesn’t know how to realize. She wants to tell stories, write novels, make an impact on the world. When she discovers her mother has taken extreme measures to manipulate her future, she must choose between submission and security or forging a brand new way all on her own.

Tenley and Birdie are from two very different worlds, but fate has bound them together in a way time cannot erase.

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I was hoping for more than one interesting new book this morning, there were other suggestions but nothing I just had to have.

To add a little encouragement here are the three books we experienced in 2021.

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Happy Reading y’all

Free book and current read July 05, 2022

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us, this will be our second exposure to this author. The beginning looks interesting. Interesting is good.

Back in the day women doctors were not well accepted and while graduating at the top of the class it wasn’t enough for our heroine to be given the hospital position she dreamed of. Deeply disappointed, she is on her way home trying to figure out what comes next.

With attitudes like they are it promises to be an interesting ride.

The Way to Healing: The Waymaker series Book 1

After their first meeting, Edith “Edie” Carmichael would have been content to never lay eyes on Lucas Brown again.

She thinks he’s no more than the grumpy owner of Pine Creek’s lumber company, and he thinks she’s a know-it-all lady doctor intent on putting folks in their place.

The two must quickly form a truce when suspicious accidents and theft at the sawmill threaten both his livelihood and the lives of his men, but can Lucas ever learn to trust a woman after a lifetime of being abandoned by them? Can Edie be content running the clinic in the hometown she thinks she’s outgrown, or will her dreams prove more powerful than her growing feelings? And when the world around them goes up in flames, will Edie and Lucas make it out alive?

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That’s it for today.

I’ll share my current read. This one fell through the cracks, it joined my library in 2012 but this is my first time reading it. It is a dark but timely subject, presented with hope. I think I placed it on the back burner worried about triggers. It is turning out to be handled in a truthful and careful way which is much appreciated.

Saving Hope (The Men of the Texas Rangers Book 1) 

When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt’s daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.

Now it’s personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.

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It has been a warm one today. A good day to read and cool down a bit.

Happy Reading y’all

Free and bargain books July 04, 2022

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Happy July 4th to our American friends and relatives.

BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us.

Songbird (The War Song Series Book 1)

When the travesties and social changes of World War II confront a small southern town, faith, family, and love sustain the lives of one young woman and her family. Can those left behind endure?

“I’m waiting for my life to begin. Waiting for the train to come in,” Ava Stilwell, a young woman eager for life, sings a popular song with the big band that reflects her heart. In the midst of a world at war, Ava has found love, a passion for her music, and new opportunities, but the war still looms over her, threatening to take it all away.

It’s 1943 and World War II has gripped the nation, including the Stilwell family. Rationing, bomb drills, patriotism, and a changing south barrage their way of life. Neighboring Fort McClellan has brought the world to their doorstep in the form of young soldiers from all over the country and German POWs from half way around the globe. As the travesties and social changes of the war confront this small southern town, faith, family, and love sustain them.

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A bargain book showed up in the course of today’s search. It’s on pre-order and is the next book in a series we were introduced to a few weeks ago. Both books are still at bargain prices.

The new book…

As Silent as the Night (Strike to the Heart Series)

He can procure anything, except his heart’s deepest wish. She might hold the key, if she’s not discovered first.

Chicago, 1933―Lucia Critelli will do anything for her ailing grandfather, including stand in a breadline to have enough food to make him a St. Nicholas Day meal. When she catches the eye of a goon who threatens her grandfather, she discovers the end of Prohibition doesn’t mean the end of the mafia’s criminal activity.

Retired Marine Scout Giosue “Gio” Vella can find anything, especially if it helps a fellow Italian immigrant, so he has no doubt he can locate his neighbor’s granddaughter, who has gone missing from a local church. Keeping her safe is another matter. Especially when he chooses to hide out with his Marine buddy in Eagle, Wisconsin, the site of a barely-held truce among striking dairy farmers.

Will Christmas bring the miracle they all need or will Gio discover there are some things even he can’t find, particularly when he stumbles upon the most elusive gift of all: love.

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Book 1… I’ve read part of it.

A Strike to the Heart 

Wisconsin, 1933—When a routine mission becomes an ambush that kills his team, Craft Agency sniper Miles Wright determines to find the persons responsible and protect the woman he rescued. But the fierce independence that led Lily Moore to leave her family’s dairy business for the solitary life of a dog trainer and the isolation of her farm don’t make that easy. Neither does his unwanted attraction to her. Meanwhile, escalating incidents confirm that she’s far from safe.

Lily fears letting the surprisingly gentle retired marine into her life almost as much as she fears whoever is threatening her. As Wisconsin farmers edge toward another milk strike, one that will surely turn violent, it becomes clear that the plot against Lily may be part of a much larger conspiracy. When the search for her abductor leads close to home, she must decide whether to trust her family or the man who saved her life.

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My current enjoyable read.

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Happy Reading y’all

Free and bargain books July 03, 2022

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us today. It has been successful as a book and will be coming out soon as a movie. This second edition of the book with a few edits has been made available to coincide with the making of the film. Dan Walsh is an author we’ve often seen on here and I’m looking forward to this book too.

The Reunion 

There are people in this world we pass right by without giving a second thought. Some have amazing stories to tell, if we only took the time to listen.

The Reunion tells the story of Aaron Miller, an old Vietnam vet and handyman in a trailer park. Almost fifty years ago, Aaron saved the lives of three young men in a horrific battle, was even awarded the Medal of Honor. Severely wounded, he came home from the war and wound up losing everything. But God is a master at redeeming the lost things of life.

Unbeknownst to Aaron, someone is looking for him. And the one who finds him might just find the love of his life, as well.

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Dan has a bargain book also available. This one I have read and enjoyed, in 2016.

When Night Comes (Jack Turner Suspense Series Book 1)

Jack Turner comes back to Culpepper to give a series of lectures for his old history professor. Within days, he starts having bizarre experiences at night. Like he’s traveling back in time, experiencing the epic events in his lectures firsthand. He has no control over these experiences and can’t make them stop.

Joe Boyd thought he’d left big city crime back in Pittsburgh when he took a detective job in Culpepper, Georgia, a sleepy southern college town. His peaceful life ends when two students turn up dead in two weeks. The coroner is saying natural causes, but something doesn’t add up.

Rachel Cook, a teaching assistant at Culpepper, can’t believe Jack is back in her life again. She’s had a crush on him since she was fourteen, but Jack never knew. He instantly seems attracted to her, but she can tell…something is deeply troubling him.

Watching all this from a distance is Nigel Avery. He’s certain this experiment’s about to unravel. It’ll be his job to tie up all the loose ends when it does.

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Having even a few suggestions makes it a good book day.

Happy reading!

Bargain books July 01, 2022

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Good morning y’all. Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends and family. It is going to be a quiet day for me. I’m sticking around home, I have a list of things to be done before company arrives in a few weeks so I’m going to tackle some of those. Lately my mind has not been focused on content for new posts, hopefully a quiet day will be helpful with that too. I’m feeling inspired so I’ll try to do a this and that post later.

So, on to books… we have a few possible suggestions from BookBub that look interesting. This first one is an author I’ve not come across before and I’d like to take a chance.

Beryl’s Blessing (Gems of Grace Book 3) 

Five years ago, Beryl Haywood was crippled in an accident that claimed two lives. Since then, reading and painting have been the only companions to her long, lonely days.

Could an arranged marriage be a blessing in disguise? Or will it drive her to more anguish than she’s ever known?

Frederick Sinclair is struggling to adapt to normality after returning from the French battlefields. A hefty weight of guilt and regret weighs on him, taunting him that he’ll never be free from it.

Will his unexpected marriage be a pleasant distraction? Or will it confirm his deepest fears and crush him even more?

As the newlyweds begin to wonder if love might lie ahead, a startling discovery shakes them each to the core, threatening to snatch away the future they’d begun to hope they might share…

• Can be read as a standalone novel

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This next one is a repeat from a year ago and I’ve read and enjoyed it.

Oath of Honor (Blue Justice Book #1)

Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud, law-enforcement family. With three brothers and two sisters, she’s never without someone to hang out with–or fight with. And she knows they’ll be there for her when things get tough. Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.

Determined to discover exactly what happened, Izzy’s investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possibly with cops on the payroll–including someone from her own family. With her dead partner’s handsome homicide detective brother Ryan shadowing her every move, Izzy’s head is spinning. How can she secure justice for her partner when doing so could mean sending someone she loves to prison? And how will she guard her heart when the man she’s had a secret crush on for years won’t leave her side?

With her signature fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action, Lynette Eason invites readers into a captivating new series where justice is a family affair.

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I’m just getting into my current read but it’s good so far. Cassidy has been kidnapped, and rescued but I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be that easy for them to get back to America unscathed. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Lethal Deception (Refuge from Danger Book 1)

Having rescued Cassidy McKnight from kidnappers in South America, Gabe Sinclair thought his job was done. Not that the former Navy SEAL could ever forget the brave, beautiful single mother. But when the danger followed her home, Gabe promised to protect her.

Why anyone would want to kill Cassidy was a mystery. Was the motive related to the orphaned toddler Cassidy was raising, a sweet little girl who brought out the father figure in maverick Gabe? Or did a newly revealed family secret have killer consequences?

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Well, it has been a good blogging day so far, maybe the chances are good I’ll be back before the day is over. Hopefully.

In the meantime…

Happy Reading.

Current Read June 29, 022

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I’m really liking this current read. It has me sitting on the edge of my seat.

What in the world is going on?

This is the latest new release by Christy Barritt and it is still a bargain.

The House on Dagger Point (The Beach House Mystery Series Book 3) 

Each house has a history. Each person has a secret. Each turn of events leads to danger.

Some legacies are better left unclaimed . . .

Olivia Beaumont’s father left behind a legacy of destruction, and it’s up to her to restore her family’s reputation. She heads to Kiawah Island, South Carolina, to unravel the mysteries of her father’s secret life. But when she arrives, she discovers the house he left behind—The House on Dagger Point—holds secrets of its own.

After a tragedy upends firefighter Anderson Scott’s life, he escapes to Kiawah Island to do some soul searching. But he finds something unexpected on his island getaway. Not only is the house he rented already occupied by its new owner, but danger lurks around every corner.

Anderson isn’t the only unwelcome guest Olivia encounters. Threatening text messages, dead bodies, and ruthless criminals threaten to put an end to all she hopes to accomplish. When Olivia and Anderson find themselves in a fight for survival, they must work together to solve the mysteries living inside the walls of The House on Dagger Point—or risk becoming the next victims.

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I had to share and now I have to get back to the book.

Happy reading y’all

Read and enjoyed. June 27, 2022

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This story turned out to be every bit as good as expected.

And, I’ve added this new, and new-to-me author to my favorites list with no waiting around for a second experience before deciding. It was well written and fun, The intricate pattern of interaction between multiple characters (family, friends, and fellow workers) held up to the very end.

There were many cool aspects to the story but the one standing out most for me was the story within the story. Savannah was an acquisitions editor and a wannabe writer. In the end it was hard to tell where the story I was reading and the story she was writing ended. The blend was so subtle. Which one was which or are they both the same? That’s the question I’m left with. It’s a good question, I like it.

Meet Me in the Margins 

Savannah Cade’s dreams are coming true. The Claire Donovan, editor-in-chief of the most successful romance imprint in the country, has requested to see the manuscript Savannah’s been secretly writing while working as editor herself—except at her publishing house, the philosophy is only highbrow works are worth printing and commercial fiction, particularly romance, should be reserved for the lowest level of Dante’s inferno. But when Savannah drops her manuscript during a staff meeting and nearly exposes herself to the whole company—including William Pennington, new publisher and son of the romance-despising CEO herself—she races to hide her manuscript in the secret turret room of the old Victorian office.

When she returns, she’s dismayed to discover that someone has not only been in her hidden nook but has written notes in the margins—quite critical ones. But when Claire’s own reaction turns out to be nearly identical to the scribbled remarks, and worse, Claire announces that Savannah has six weeks to resubmit before she retires, Savannah finds herself forced to seek the help of the shadowy editor after all.

As their notes back and forth start to fill up the pages, however, Savannah finds him not just becoming pivotal to her work but her life. There’s no doubt about it. She’s falling for her mystery editor. If she only knew who he was.

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I forgot to mention; this book kept me reading far too late and would have kept me longer but common sense won out while there was sill a little night left.

Excellent book. Looking forward to more.

Current read June 25, 2022, finished – 26th

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I’ve figured some things out. Charles Martin is one of my top five favorite authors. There is such depth to his stories. They are real, emotional, and complex. Pretty much like real life. It’s impossible to walk away unchanged after reading one of his books. But…

Despite loving his characters and the life they live there were often uncomfortable moments in the reading that puzzled me. I figured it was something about his style, or the fact that he is a male and I’m not. Everyone knows men are from Mars and women are from Venus. We hear the same words while receiving different messages.

Charles would craft intricately detailed descriptions and explanations that left me confused. Frustrating.

Today an enlightening new thought occurred to me. With further consideration I’ve decided maybe his writing style is not the problem. Maybe it’s my reading style. I’ve gotten used to reading books at 60 miles an hour (figuratively speaking) without missing anything important. Sometimes even skipping whole paragraphs, pages, or even chapters without losing much of the story.

That’s the problem. Speed without much effort. Many of his paragraphs need to have a slow-to-20 sign posted at the entrance.

As I continued through the book I had to admit there was still truth in other contributing issues like male/female thought patterns and lack of subject knowledge on things like places (Florida Everglades) and technical discussions (machines and fishing flies.) Still, the bulk of my confusion would probably be eliminated with slow down.

Sadly, It’s finished.

There is always a sense of loss when such a great story comes to an end.

It has been a few years since I first read this book and it was a shock to discover how little I remembered of the story.

It probably seemed to me like I should remember more because the title has appeared often through the years and since it was marked as read…

The upside of not remembering is the chance for the joy of a first time experience all over again.

I have to say it brightened my weekend.

If you’ve not read Charles Martin, you should. It is always an amazing experience.

I should have posted this on the 25th but I was reading, not paying attention to time, midnight came and went before I noticed. Since it was already the 26th I figured I may as well finish the book first, I was hoping for a good quote to demonstrate my confusion point. There was a perfect one early on but I had read past it, losing sight of it’s location. I was hoping to come across another good one but I guess the new awareness worked against that happening.

Anyway, on to a new story. Haven’t decided what that should be yet. It’ll be a surprise.