Wishing each of you, my dear friends, a very Happy Thanksgiving! I feel very blessed to get to talk about books and life and all kinds of things with you. Take care, please. Hope your day is pleasant and, if you are celebrating this holiday, my wish is that you enjoy some good visiting with family or friends and some tasty treats!
Hey book friends! Hope you guys are doing well and having some good fall reading. I have been more than a bit busy and will continue to be for a time. However, I wanted to check in and give a bit of a teaser for what I hope to share in the next couple of weeks (or maybe in early December).
The picture above is from a trip my husband and I took to Phoenix recently and it's the Arizona Biltmore. My husband had a work conference that took place there and I tagged along (as I do when it's somewhere fun that I want to visit). We had a great time. The weather was perfect. After he finished his conference, we stayed another few days for more golf for him and more beautiful walking for me. Oh, and also I visited the Poisoned Pen Bookstore twice and got to attend author events each time. See, I said I had fun things to share!
I hope to do one post about the Arizona Biltmore with pictures because I participated in a 'History Tour' there and it was a lot of fun and informative. That hotel and resort area has been open for 95 years, so lots to tell.
I'll also do two posts about my trips to the Poisoned Pen and about the 4 authors that I got see. Plus about their books, etc.
If I don't get back before Thanksgiving (which we are hosting), I wish each of you that celebrate that holiday a lovely time. Take care and happy reading! Talk to you soon!
Thought I would share this pretty fall picture just because of the lovely colors. Not that it was taken in my area - ha! I'm fairly certain that I took it some years ago in New Mexico on one of our trips there. Anyway, I am going to take a short break - just a couple of weeks. We are going to be busy with a number of things including some family time, etc. Don't have too much fun without me. I should be back around soon and will update on my reading, my book groups (attended a new one that was interesting), and whatever else I can think of. Take care! Happy Halloween!
'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about. I love doing this, letting the 'word' spread about authors and series that I enjoy. Hope you'll stop by often and see what I'm 'waiting' on.
This week's selection may seem a little odd in some ways. It is indeed the 3rd book in a trilogy written by the very, very prolific Nora Roberts. I have read this author's books for a really long time. I am especially fond of her crime novel series under her J.D. Robb name. However, I have also loved many of her trilogies that feature magic, romance, and also some suspense. This week's book is the completion of the 'Lost Bride Trilogy'. The first two books are Inheritance and The Mirror. I own both of these, but have not read them as yet. I've found that these trilogies make me really anxious for the next book so this time I decided to wait until all three were available so I can move right on to the next. Have you read any of this trilogy as yet or have you enjoyed other 'magic' trilogies by this author? Do tell!
The Seven Rings: The Lost Bride Trilogy, Book 3
by Nora Roberts
Publication Date: November 18
The #1 New York Times-bestselling author Nora Roberts concludes her compelling Lost Bride trilogy as two women—one dead, one alive—prepare for a terrifying final showdown…
Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that house—a manor that has been cursed for generations. Within its walls, she has witnessed the deaths of seven brides and the thefts of seven wedding rings. And now, to break the curse and banish a malevolent spirit once and for all, a difficult task must be completed.
After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see—and feel—the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors’ hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place—to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.
But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions—but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop—and of her own future…
I wanted to share a few shots of our trip to Yellowstone Park and so here they are. We went the last week in August and that seemed to be a good time to visit. Less people because most schools had started, but there were quite comfortable temperatures. It was our first visit to the area and we went with another couple that we've been friends with for a long, long time. We did have a lot of fun.
I will say that I am a person who tends to have motion sickness. Always have had. It's the reason that cruises don't sound fun to me and, though I love mountains, the windy up-and-down roads affect me as well. I didn't take as many pictures because I had to take meds (happily the lower-dose so that I was actually awake - ha!) for 9 of the 10 days we were gone. Have to have them when I fly as well. So, I was a little 'off', but still able to enjoy.
If you haven't been to this part of the world, I think it's worth it.
Another picture of the Yellowstone River. The house where we stayed actually backed up to the river and there were canoes and kayaks and other boats going by. Lots of ducks, swans, birds of all kinds. My husband and his friend did a bit of fishing, but they didn't catch anything. Fun though anyway.
This is 'Old Faithful' erupting. Turned out that the day we visited Old Faithful, it rained most of the day. We ended up wearing some 'lovely' yellow ponchos as we waited for the eruption. There were a lot of people waiting, even though it was pretty much pouring. Ha! Afterwards, we were glad to go to the visitor center and learn more. There were several visitor centers to stop and see all over Yellowstone. Well worth walking through.
This was the 'Mud Caldron' area. There were walkways and trails all around that visitors can stop and experience. One does want to stay on the walkways, etc. because the steam is serious. The park rangers have signs and warnings all around. Some people though don't seem to want to follow the rules.
The 'Devil's Thumb' area. It's really fascinating to see and also, as I said above, to go to the visitor centers and see the exhibits about how and why this happens.
Can you say, 'Hello, Mr. Bison?' - ha! There are many, many of these creatures in Yellowstone. You can see them on the hillsides, in the valleys, and just walking down the road - usually right in the middle. I took this shot out the car window.
Another creature that I wasn't quite as anxious to say 'Hello' - a bear. We got several shots of this one, but you can understand why the visitors that have tele-photo lenses get the better pictures. After seeing Mr. Bear (guess he was a Mr., maybe a Ms.), I jumped back in the car. There were a bunch of people that didn't do that though. Some were close on the right side of the picture. A couple of the photographers with those tele-photo lenses started shouting at the people to get back in their cars - the bear was coming. Some did and some did not - silly people!
The last two pictures I'll share are of some wildflowers. I think we were a little late in the season for flowers, but I enjoyed getting a couple of pictures.
Last wildflower picture. And last picture I'll share. As I said, hope you get to visit this area at some point if you haven't. It's definitely a wonderful and picturesque place.
'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about. I love doing this, letting the 'word' spread about authors and series that I enjoy. Hope you'll stop by often and see what I'm 'waiting' on.
Since this is October, I felt like I should feature a book I'm 'waiting on' that contains some 'spooky' or 'Gothic' aspects. And you can always count on Simone St. James for those. I have read several of her books and enjoyed them. My favorite of those is still The Broken Girls. I wrote about that one here. However, I also enjoyed another book by this author that was set in Fell, New York. It was The Sun Down Motel and I shared my thoughts about it here. St. James' new book is also set in Fell and I think 'spooky' is a good description. It won't be available until January, but I'll be looking forward to trying it. What do you think? Spooky enough? Have you read any books by Simone St. James?
Hey everyone! First of all, thank you so much for being so kind and supportive with my post last week regarding the passing of my friend, Nan. It's hard to think you won't be able to share things with a friend who has been your friend for such a long time. However, she would be so, so touched by how many people in the blogging/reading world loved her, remembered her, and will miss her. She was a good, good soul.
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I read 6 books during the month of September. Three of these were rereads and three were new to me. I'm not going to write reviews of them, but I will say a little bit about a few.
I learned a few days ago that one of my dearest friends, Nan, had passed away. Nan was the author of the blog Letters From A Hill Farm, which I know several of you have visited and enjoyed over many years. I have been so sad the last few days and will miss her more than I can really communicate in words. She had not been posting for several months, but she has been missed tremendously. I wanted to let people who check in here know what had occurred.
Nan and I met on a book site many years ago (like over 25 years). There were others that we talked with, one of them Les who authors Coastal Horizons, and also Teri who does not write a blog. The four of us just connected and we have kept up with each other through many years. We've shared our book love, our love for our families and our children, and the ups and downs of our lives. Our kids are all grown. The other three have grandchildren. Stuff has happened - wonderful things and sad things. We supported each other through all that life tossed at us. We have seen each other in person only a few times because we live spread out across the US. And we have remained close friends. Nan will be missed so, so much.
Les has written a wonderful, touching post about Nan on her blog here. I encourage you to read it. She said so many great things about Nan and has some lovely pictures as well. Please do read it. Nan and I met in person 3 times - once in 1998 at a bookstore in my area, once in 2017 in her part of the world that I wrote about here, and the last time in 2018 when she travelled again to Texas. My thoughts on that are here. Some may wonder how friends could know each other so well without being together face-to-face. Well, it can happen. For sure.
I'll leave you with a quote from A.A. Milne that describes my feelings for Nan in the past and for the future. And I'll encourage you to reach out to old friends, make new friends, and practice gratitude every day. You won't regret it. Take care, book friends!
'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about. I love doing this, letting the 'word' spread about authors and series that I enjoy. Hope you'll stop by often and see what I'm 'waiting' on.
The book I'm 'waiting on' this week is the 21st in one of the mystery series written by J. A. Jance. I read the first book in the series, Desert Heat, back in 1995. Since that time, I've read 6 or 7 others and then, after a gap of quite a while, have read the latest two books. These books are set in Arizona and the main protagonist is Sheriff Joanna Brady. Joanna comes to that profession after her husband, Andy, who had been the sheriff, is killed. In the first book, Joanna and Andy have a daughter who is 9 years old. This latest book relates that the daughter, Jenny, is graduating from the police academy. Time has past for sure. As you guys know, I love mystery series. I have not been able to keep up with all the ones that I sample though. Lately, I have been trying to catch up on several. Some I've reread the previous books and am now current. Some, like this one, I'm just skipping ahead in order to get current. Have you ever read any books by J.A. Jance? As I said, she has more than one series. See what you think about this one.
Good morning all! Hope you have had a nice weekend and are looking forward to fall. We don't have any 'fall-ish' things in our area as yet, but honestly, we don't get a lot of lovely turning leaves, etc. Too far south. Just happy that the 100-degree temps seem to be done for this year.
I thought I would share a few pics from our July vacation to New Mexico. We have loved visiting the Ruidoso area of that state for many years. We were in that part of the world just after the 4th and unfortunately heard about the flooding in Central Texas during our trip. Put a bit of a damper on things. Also, this area of New Mexico had big fires and flooding in 2024 and it was our first time visiting since that. They have worked so hard to get things mostly back to normal, but are still struggling with flooding exacerbated by the burn scars and debris that continues to flow into their river. In fact, we ended leaving a couple of days early because there was severe flooding during that July week. I'm afraid their recovery will be slow for quite a period of time.
However, on to happier notes. The picture below was one I took on a walk around the outside of the golf course that is in town. It's called 'The Links'. It was a lovely morning and my husband was enjoying the golf and I was loving my walk.
