kay's week - 2.18.17

Hello everyone!  Hope you've all had a 'good enough' week and will have a relaxing couple of days this weekend.  Bet it might be a 3-day weekend for some with President's Day on Monday.  We got some rain this week - thunder woke me up one night, and finally, finally there is other pollen in the allergy report besides cedar pollen.  Sorry for the ash and oak pollen sufferers.  However, that means that my trials are coming to an end with allergies, until the fall anyway.


I've been reading...

I read three books this week - two were advance copies of books that have yet to be published, both on my Kindle - and one was an audio - a reread of a series that I intend to make my way through this year.

The Trophy Child is the newest book by Paula Daly and it will soon be published - March 7th, I believe.  I've read and enjoyed a couple of other books by this author - Just What Kind Of Mother Are You? and Keep Your Friends Close.  I liked The Trophy Child and recognized a couple of repeating characters from other books.  One was a police sergeant named Joanne and another was Joanne's aunt, Jacky.  There is also a character that is the kind of person everyone loves to hate - a 'tiger mother' named Karen.  There is a blended family and kids that are left out or left alone mostly, but also a kid that is the 'trophy' child.  Karen is determined that her younger child be given every advantage, every lesson, every skill, every thing and this all works until Bronte, the child, disappears.  And then things get strange.  Lots of drama and even a murder.  If you read it, let me know what you think.

The next book I read is by Hallie Ephron and entitled You'll Never Know, Dear.  What do you think about that cover?  Creepy doll, huh?  This book will not be published until early June, but I couldn't wait to read it.  Hallie Ephron (and yes, she is the sister of Nora Ephron) writes standalone mysteries that contain a lot of suspense and thrills.  The setting is South Carolina, which gives a gothic feel to the book.  In it, two little girls, sisters, are playing outside and the older one, Lissie, runs off after a puppy.  The younger sister, Janey, is gone when Lis returns, along with her handmade doll.  The girls' mother, Miss Sorrel, had made both girls a doll, unique to them.  No trace is ever found of Janey for over 30 years.  In the present day, Miss Sorrel advertises for information about Janey's doll, something she has done for many years on the anniversary of Janey's disappearance.  This year, a young woman brings a doll to show them, thinking it might be the advertised missing doll.  As the story unfolds, old secrets are revealed and everyone's lives are in danger.  What did happen to Janey so long ago?  If you like gothic stories, this is a good one.  Enjoyed it thoroughly and will be reading more of this author's books.

The only audio book that I got through this week was In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming.  This is a reread for me and it's the first book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series.  It was narrated by Suzanne Toren.  The only thing that bugged me a bit about it was the 'Southern' accent that the narrator used for Clare.  Sigh.  I didn't like that too much.  This series, which now has 8 books, is set in upstate New York.  Clare is an Episcopal priest and Russ is the chief of the Miller's Kill Police.  In the Bleak Midwinter begins with Clare discovering an abandoned baby on the steps of her church.  She and Russ try to find the child's parents, which is a difficult task.  The weather is cold and there is more than one murder.  Clare has not been a priest for very long and she's still finding her way in this new town.  The characters are believable and the setting is very vivid and cold, cold, cold.  I'm planning on reading this whole series this year, hoping that Julia Spencer-Fleming will have a new book for us before long.


Personally...

I missed a book group meeting on Tuesday afternoon, but I hadn't read the book anyway.  I did do my volunteer shift at the library yesterday.  And below, you can see what I received for Valentine's Day.  I love Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream and don't buy it very often these days.  It just hit the spot. Hubby got his own pint of some vanilla caramel thing.

I got a haircut on Thursday, from a different hair stylist that usual.  My normal hair stylist is being treated for breast cancer and had a mastectomy a couple of weeks ago.  She's doing well, but I did miss her.  The fill-in stylist was very nice, but after she cut my hair (which is very short), she kind of combed it all forward and I felt like I kind of looked like George Clooney in his earlier ER days.  Needless to say, I came home and washed my hair again and put it back the way I like it.  Ha!  My stylist is supposed to be back at work next month.  I hope so, though I do hope she takes her time with her recovery.

Have a good week, all.  Just say to yourself - SPRING IS COMING!  It is, you know.  Now to see if there is any of that Ben & Jerry's left...