My weekend basically. Pass the sunblock and the orange slices.

Ah, it‘s the weekend.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

What a week! We were on spring break then came home to full on teenager springtime schedule madness.

5 joys:
1) a gorgeous spaghetti squash plant from a neighbor
2) puzzles!
3) my cat flirting with not my cat
4) visits to colleges with my son
5) mini golf!

Happy Friday!

Finally getting to some poetry this month. I‘ve been looking forward to reading this collection by the woman known as Mary Oliver‘s Drunk Cousin on social media.

My official kick off to summer reading season came!

I knew I shouldn‘t have drank that coffee yesterday. Oh well, if I‘m up at least it was in the company of a good book. This mystery was a step up from the usual cozy mystery. The characters were nuanced and the mystery was interesting. Plus it was set in Vermont and there was a big dog. I‘ll be on the lookout for more from this author.

Okay this book is officially everywhere this year because my husband heard about it somewhere and downloaded it for our drive home today. I liked it the first time I read it for #CampLitsy last year and liked it more this time. I think knowing what it was going to be about helped.

I enjoyed this slowly unfolding novel about Anne de Bourgh. It only briefly touched on the storyline from Pride and Prejudice but I liked the direction it took. #JaneAustenThenAndNow @Crinoline_Laphroaig

Watching some shows and starting the second puzzle of the week with my daughter. We were out in the sun for hours today and can feel it. My almost 17 year old went to bed at 6 pm. It‘ll be an early bed time for the rest of us too. We‘re here until Tuesday so the Sunday scaries haven‘t set in yet. #hyggehour

I hope everyone celebrating holidays this week found them meaningful.

The history of the National Forest Service and the men who helped form it along with a horrific forest fire that happened in Idaho at the time. This was a really good book in face of what‘s happening now. (Pictured is a note written in a historic school house in Smoky Mountain National Park.)

We‘re still away for spring break. We visited the University of South Carolina yesterday for my son, and then my daughter and I stayed up way too late finishing a puzzle. So it‘s a slow morning of eating scones and catching up on buddy reads and journaling.

Happy #5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

I‘ve been on vacation since Wednesday which has been a joy of course!

1) Greek salad with amazing dressing at a restaurant I thought had closed but actually just moved
2) Husband and I snuck out to try a new diner while the kids were sleeping and there were TATER TOTS!
3) when cats sit on chairs like little people
4) bunnies
5) this view

Have a good one all! If you‘re reading this please join!

Congratulations on your milestone @dabbe Here is my contribution to the #moodboardcontest #mbc

It‘s hard to sum up my feelings- late 40‘s mom of 2 teens working in a constantly changing industry and volunteering for environmental causes while the world burns. I think the roller coaster is the best representation!

At least I did better than with the movies! Favorites are The Grapes of Wrath, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Charlotte‘s Web. Has anyone not played yet? See @dabbe for the link. #ThreeListThursday #TLT

Sometimes I look forward to picking out my next book just as much as I look forward to reading it!

It‘s spring break for the kids this week so we went on a little mountain retreat. My reading spot got a bit of an upgrade.

A found family set in a 1950‘s DC boarding house. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters (including the house) although I think I would have liked it more if it were based on just one character. That‘s just a personal preference though and this was a good read overall. #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1) Beautyland (tagged) was amazing. Felt like a hug in book form.
2) Hard Times by Dickens. Just couldn‘t do it.

I started a re-listen to this book about the beginnings of the US Forest Service and the response to massive wildfires in Idaho around that time. Somehow I had forgotten what a great conservationist Teddy Roosevelt was.

Thanks so much @CSeydel and congratulations again on your milestone! 🎉🎉🎉

A very interesting but frustrating history of women at the CIA from the start until about 2018 ish. Recommend.

#HyggeHour

I have been meaning to read this book for years!

Just bad. Someone tried to deliver explosive oranges to NASA and for some reason it‘s up to Nancy and gang to figure out who. They are FURIOUS that the caretakers of the place where they‘re staying aren‘t making their dinner and what if the mystery gets in the way of the house party or the property that Mr Drew is going to buy Nancy on a whim? I don‘t know if this book was sponsored by Florida tourism or what, but it was not the best. #NancyDrewBR

This in-depth look at insects was a lot of fun! I read it a chapter a day and picked up all sorts of interesting facts. #Naturalitsy @AllDebooks

So excited for #CampLitsy25

My TBR is exploding already and it was hard to pick just four!

I‘ll tag my picks in the comments. I don‘t know much about any of these- just going off covers and blurbs.

Fell asleep reading this last night and had the weirdest dreams. Do not recommend.

For real?

Time for my Saturday scone! I dropped my son off at work at 5 this morning and went right to work myself when I got home. Time for a tea break and some time devoted to catching up on my chapter a day reads.

Happy Friday! I‘m looking forward to a rainy weekend.
#FiveJoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1) cleaning streams with my kids
2) yellow flowers blooming despite the cold
3) Merlin app is so fun!
4) the last of the cherry blooms
5) visited a tall ship last weekend

Have a good one

I can‘t resist a quiz! Apparently I‘m a red reader, but I admit I did have trouble rating how likely I am to read a book when I can‘t see the cover. Thanks for sharing this @ReadingOver50 and @TheLudicReader

Here‘s the link if you want to try: https://www.readyourcolor.com

1) probably lilacs but I like them all
2) cats, Thriftbooks.com, and warm blankets

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Thanks for the tag @Deblovestoread

A rare night without obligations. I may not even eat dinner.

This was a sweet romance but also I LOVED the parts about content creation, taking charge of your career, not waiting for someone to notice you‘re working hard, and constantly reinventing your business with shifting markets. Plus bonus, the book takes place in DC and has nothing to do with government and politics. Yes, people do live here, which is apparently a story that needs to be told more.

Living the dream tonight!

Up next on audio. This might make a good candidate for #HiddenHistory @Librarybelle

I thought this book went on a little longer than it needed to, but I gave it a pick due to the shout out for Wilkie Collins‘ A Woman In White. #LosersClub

I remember reading this years ago so decided to use my Thriftbooks credit to get myself a copy to read this year as we re-read Jane‘s books #PemberLittens

I‘m not much of a romance reader but I will always read Linda Holmes (and Emily Henry.) Happy to have something fun to read on this cold, dark, rainy Monday. The library came through for me again.

Settling in for some #hygge time. For some reason the only snack that sounded good to me tonight was raisins and water. One of those days when I‘m hungry but I‘m tired of food. Reading tonight is the tagged and a chapter of Extraordinary Insects. I might look through some cookbooks I got for #FoodAndLit too. Enjoy the hour everyone.

Angel is in Rwanda after the genocide while her husband works at the university. She raises her grandchildren and bakes cakes for events in order to make money. The tough topics of genocide and AIDS are not glossed over in this book, but it is full of hope and the power people have when they work together. A book I would have never read if it weren‘t for #FoodAndLit #Rwanda

I love the premise of this book- two college buddies set out to watch a game at every major league ballpark in 30 days. It didn‘t quite work in execution though. One of the guys didn‘t even like baseball. So it‘s less a book about baseball than a book about two guys waiting for baseball games to end so they can explain some more about road trip logistics.

It‘s starting to feel like summer (although the weather says winter again next week.) Not my cat and I will enjoy it while it lasts.

“We are Catholics,” explained Angel, “but in Rwanda we‘re simply Christians. I‘m nervous of attending just one church here, of listening to just one priest. Because how can we know what is in the priest‘s heart after so many showed that love and peace were only words in their mouths?” #FoodAndLit #Rwanda

Reading this weekend for #FoodAndLit #Rwanda

Saturday scones are becoming a thing for me. My son gave me this one last night when I dropped the car off for him at work. Reading my buddy read chapters then leaving shortly to help with a stream cleaning. And that might be the last productive thing I do today. Mama needs a nap and to read a mystery.

I‘ve been listening to this a chapter a day for the last few weeks and enjoyed it. As @Lcsmcat said it‘s more of a memoir than an instruction manual but I liked the stories. I‘m almost always interested in stories of women in power and how they got there. I wish she would do an update for the year 2025.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1) Not My Cat has returned for the summer
2) lunch under my neighbor‘s apple tree
3) Virginia bluebells blooming on a nature walk
4) bouquets from the backyard cheering up my reading space
5) planting seeds

Bonus quote: “I‘m not going to allow my inability to do everything undermine my ability to do something.”
Cory Booker

Have a good weekend!

Made it to Friday!

Starting The Long Walk on my short walk

Happy birthday @Butterfinger

Tammy is hosting a fundraiser for her students in honor of her birthday if you would like to participate. The students impacted by Helene have been through a lot and how better than to give them a little normalcy than with BOOKS? See the link in Tammy‘s page for more details. #TammyTurns50