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KathyWheeler

KathyWheeler

Joined May 2016

review
KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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Pickpick

Well, that was one depressing and thought-provoking Christmas-adjacent book! I did like it though. It got a little repetitive and long-winded in some places; at a couple of places, I actually said out loud, “Will you just get to the point?!” Willis‘ take on pandemic behavior is absolutely right. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

kspenmoll Lovely walk! 2d
KathyWheeler @kspenmoll It‘s one of my favorite places. Five rivers converge here, so it‘s called Five Rivers Delta Center. 2d
21 likes2 comments
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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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I‘ve got about 3 hours left in this book, and I‘m holding out for a happyish ending. Probably not realistic, but I sure wouldn‘t mind one. It got up to 79° here today, so I was walking in shorts again. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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Well, something happened in this book that I wasn‘t expecting, but when I look back, it‘s not surprising. A friend and I went on a historic homes and churches tour, and it was such a beautiful day, I went for another walk when we were done. #audiowalk #ClassicLSFBC

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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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It was such a beautiful day for walking today — sunny, not too hot, not too cold, and a nice breeze. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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I‘m predicting that someone Kivrin meets in the past is not who we and Kivrin are lead to think he is. I‘m not that great with figuring things out, so we‘ll see if my prediction is right. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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I‘m glad this is the December book for #ClassicLSFBC because I‘m not sure I would‘ve picked it up again after multiple attempts to read it. I‘m about half way through and really like it. I got home before the rain started. It was 75° today; tomorrow, it‘s supposed to be in the 40s. #audiowalk

Ruthiella Nice when you give a book a second (or third) chance and it works out! 1w
KathyWheeler @Ruthiella It is! The same thing happened to me with In Cold Blood and Moby Dick. With Moby Dick, I‘d started it off and on over 40 years and finally read it a couple of years as a Litsy buddy read. 1w
rubyslippersreads I prefer the other books in this series. (edited) 7d
KathyWheeler @rubyslippersreads Do they need to be read in a particular order? 5d
rubyslippersreads @KathyWheeler I haven‘t read them in order (and haven‘t read all of the series yet), but still enjoyed them. According to Goodreads, there‘s a new one coming in 2025, 5d
22 likes5 comments
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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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William Gadsden‘s mother would drive me up a wall! I wonder if she‘s more than just comic relief. I have a feeling she is, but we‘ll see. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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The Doomsday Book was published in 1992, and, boy, did Willis get the American reaction to a pandemic spot on! I thought she had one scene that dragged on far too long, but now I know why that scene was so detailed. I had a couple of nice and cool walks today. #audiowalk

DogMomIrene I‘ve eyed this book for a while. Sounds right up my alley. Stacking! 2w
KathyWheeler @DogMomIrene Now that I‘ve gotten past chapter 1, I‘m enjoying it. There‘s nothing wrong with the first chapter, either; I just couldn‘t get past it for years. 2w
DogMomIrene @KathyWheeler 👏🏼 Will be watching for more updates to see your final thoughts. 2w
27 likes1 stack add3 comments
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KathyWheeler
The Doomsday Book | Connie Willis
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I‘ve tried to read this book multiple times and never got past the first chapter. I don‘t know why — it‘s totally in my wheelhouse. So I‘m listening to it for #ClassicLSFBC and as my new #audiowalk book. I‘ve already gotten past the first chapter. Yay!

BarbaraJean Ooooh, I loved this book! I hope it works for you this time! 2w
KathyWheeler @BarbaraJean I believe I will like it. Sometimes that just happens to me, and I never really know why. 2w
18 likes2 comments
review
KathyWheeler
Queen Macbeth | Val McDermid
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Pickpick

This is a short, modern retelling of Macbeth from the point of view of Lady Macbeth or Gruoch. I loved Grouch‘s relationships with her women; they are her heart and strength as much as Macbeth. Queen Macbeth is the 5th in the Darkland Tales series in which various Scottish writers reimagine events from Scotland‘s past in new ways.

25 likes1 stack add
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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this second entry in the Seven Sisters series. There was a potential love interest that felt shoe-horned in and went nowhere, but it didn‘t have an impact on my enjoyment of the book. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I‘ve got about 4 hours left in this, so I need to pick a new #audiowalk book. I‘m not sure if it‘ll be the next in the series or something else. I like the way Riley weaves historical figures into these books. Nice walking weather today.

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KathyWheeler
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There‘s something about this part of the story where Anna moves to the big city from her home in the country that reminds me of Heidi. Beautiful day for walking today. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I usually do not have trouble with dual timelines, but with both Seven Sisters books, I have found myself annoyed when the timelines switch. I have no idea why because it‘s not clumsily done. Beautiful day walking; it was 41°F here, which, for us, is getting a tad chilly. I had to wear pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I don‘t know what I‘ll do when I have to wear a coat. ? #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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Not that far into this book yet, but I like Ally. She‘s stronger than she knows. It kept looking like it was going to rain out there, but it never did. #audiowalk

review
KathyWheeler
Looking For Jane | Heather Marshall
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Pickpick

I finished Looking for Jane on my #audiowalk and then started The Storm Sister. I really liked the story told in LFJ, but, as the author says in an afterword, the book isn‘t just about abortion and an abortion network when the procedure was illegal in Canada. It‘s about how the lack of reproductive choice influences the rest of a woman‘s life.

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KathyWheeler
Looking For Jane | Heather Marshall
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I‘ve only got about 2 hours left in this book, so I should finish it soon. Usually I‘ve already picked my new #audiowalk book by this point, but I haven‘t really been drawn to anything yet. It warmed up a little outside. Yesterday I needed the long pants I had on; today I could have gone either way.

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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

The tagged book is not the one I read; it‘s last year‘s Christmas book. This year‘s is Holiday Hideaway — it‘s a short story sold by itself. It‘s a cute little holiday romance, but it‘s short on a holiday atmosphere. The story could be set at any other time as well. I continued with Looking for Jane on my #audiowalk at the beach. The weather was perfect for our short trip.

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KathyWheeler
Looking For Jane | Heather Marshall
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I‘ve got 4 hours left in this book, and the lives of the three main women are beginning to meet. I thought this book would make me angry because of how much ground women have lost here in the US, but instead, it makes me sad. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Looking For Jane | Heather Marshall
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Looking for Jane is my new #audiowalk book. So far, I like it. It was very windy outside; apparently, it was great for windsurfing. I saw multiple people in the bay.

kspenmoll Such a beautiful walk! 1mo
21 likes1 comment
review
KathyWheeler
Ringworld | Larry Niven
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Mehso-so

So-so is the best I can do with this book; I really don‘t get the awards for it. The sexism is a major problem, some of the science seems wrong to me, the dialogue can be stilted, the plot is boring in parts, and the prose isn‘t that great. I‘m glad I read it because it‘s so influential, but I highly doubt I will read the other Ringworld books. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

DogMomIrene I can relate to your review! My husband bought Stranger in a Strange Land because he wanted me to have more sci-fi books. I had to break it to him that I‘d already read that one and found it horribly sexist. Appreciated his effort, but I was like, let me buy the sci-fi from now on😉 Won‘t be buying Ringworld! 1mo
KathyWheeler @DogMomIrene I have Stranger in a Strange Land but haven‘t read it yet. If the story and writing is good, I can sometimes dismiss sexism as a product of the time, but I truly want sci-fi writers to show more imagination than that! 1mo
DogMomIrene @KathyWheeler I can ignore a sexist character but not whole worlds. Agree that sci-fi authors should have better creative chops. 1mo
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KathyWheeler @DogMomIrene I just don‘t get it. Those authors can imagine whole worlds and technology that don‘t exist, but they can‘t imagine worlds where women aren‘t subservient and aren‘t little more than sex objects? 1mo
DogMomIrene @KathyWheeler I know! I did an analysis of some sci-fi movies for a college class, specifically looking at the role of women. So much sexism. Even when my group got to Ripley from Alien, we were disappointed because the role had actually been written for a male. Like really? 1mo
KathyWheeler @DogMomIrene I bet that was an interesting paper. 1mo
DogMomIrene @KathyWheeler We did a presentation. We had fellow students asking engaging questions because we were all over it. It was actually a great example of cooperative learning. My 3 group mates were really into feminism, and I was too, but I was the sci-fi nerd so they were like, let‘s look at women in sci-fi movies. Worked out great! 1mo
KathyWheeler @DogMomIrene I love that everyone was interested in the presentation and that y‘all worked well together. 1mo
26 likes8 comments
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KathyWheeler
Ringworld | Larry Niven
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I‘ve only got a couple of hours left to this book, and I can‘t say I‘m really drawn to it yet. And that‘s outside of the problems with the depiction of women. I can see great promise in the premise, but so far it‘s just okay to me. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Ringworld | Larry Niven
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OMG! If I‘m old enough to be someone‘s lover, I‘m old enough to be spoken to in an adult manner instead of being condescended to as if I‘m a 3 year old! I may not be able to get past the misogyny in this book although I‘ve been able to do so before. The sun was out today! I haven‘t seen it since I‘ve been back home. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Ringworld | Larry Niven
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Some things, besides sexism, bother me in this book. Wouldn‘t a society advanced enough to build a ring around their entire world have discovered radio waves? It started to rain when I got out of the car, but I pulled out my raincoat, so it stopped. 😄 #audiowalk #ClassicLSFBC

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KathyWheeler
Ringworld | Larry Niven
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Today is the first time I‘ve gotten to walk in November! I‘m back home now and noticed that some parks have yet to take down their Halloween decorations. I‘m listening to Ringworld for #ClassicLSFBC and haven‘t yet made up my mind how I feel about it. It‘s got a similar problem to most of the classic SF that I‘ve read — a lack of imagination when it comes to women. #audiowalk

Ruthiella So true. Even LeGuin‘s protagonists (in the two novels I have read) were men. 1mo
KathyWheeler @Ruthiella That‘s true in the LeGuin novels that I‘ve read too. 1mo
20 likes2 comments
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KathyWheeler
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We are finally getting to Maia‘s story, and I‘m interested. I walked alone today, so I got to listen to my book. I‘ll miss the river walks when I go back home, but I‘ve got the bay there. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I haven‘t been listening to books while walking because my sister has been with me on my last few walks. Here‘s what I‘m reading tonight. I‘d tried to listen to it before, but it just didn‘t work for me. I think it‘s one of those books that is better read as either a print or ebook.

Kimzey I love the illustrations by her brother Billy. 2mo
KathyWheeler @Kimzey I like those too. 2mo
24 likes2 comments
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KathyWheeler
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I didn‘t know there was a new Secret Book & Scone Society book. It‘s my new nighttime book. Folly Beach and the South Carolina aquarium on today‘s walks.

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KathyWheeler
My Cousin Skinny | E.J. Copperman
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This is actually my nighttime book that I‘m listening to right now, but I didn‘t want to listen to anything on my walk around Charleston because I was with my sister.

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KathyWheeler
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This started out slow to me, but now I‘m getting into it. #audiowalk by the river.

review
KathyWheeler
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Mehso-so

This was perfectly okay, but not great. It didn‘t feel focused, and Flavia seemed to be so full of herself and sure of her superiority to others. I will probably give it one more chance. Since I finished this on my #audiowalk, I started The Seven Sisters.

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KathyWheeler
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The police are incredibly stupid here. Not that I have any clue who the murderer is, but Flavia just had to point out something pretty obvious. It was such a gorgeous day today! We went downtown to a weekend market that was going on at the same time as Pride Fest, so two for one! 😊 #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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So I‘m about half way through this. My problem with the series is how absolutely mean Flavia and her sisters are to each other — all the time. Otherwise, I‘m enjoying the books. SC had some bad flooding from Helene; one side of the river walk is completely closed. This side, however, is open, so I got a 3 mile walk in. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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Flavia de Luce #2 is my new walking book. I‘m up in South Carolina right now, so I was walking along the river. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Sundiver | David Brin
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Pickpick

This is really toward the low end of the pick scale for me. It had some issues with pacing. I‘m glad I read it, though I doubt I‘ll read others in the series. I just didn‘t get the motivations for some of the characters actions. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Sundiver | David Brin
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There‘s not been tons of action in this book, and suddenly there‘s now tons of action! I‘ve got a couple of hours left, so I should finish soon. Beautiful day for a walk with temps in the 70s. #ClassicLSFBC #audiowalk

Ruthiella I‘ve not got to the action yet…but I think it‘s about to start. Dr. Jefferey‘s ship has just been presumed destroyed… 2mo
18 likes1 comment
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KathyWheeler
Sundiver | David Brin
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Got two walks in today so more listening to Sundiver. I‘ve been trading it on and off with Kris Kristofferson though, so I haven‘t gotten as far in as I might have otherwise. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Sundiver | David Brin
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This is mostly a fast listen for me except for that one part where a character went on too long about the history of a particular alien civilization. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Sundiver | David Brin
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Started Sundiver for #ClassicLSFBC and for my. Ew #audiowalk book. I think I‘m going to like it, but as with many older books, I‘m going to have to adapt to sexist attitudes. Of course an attractive female biologist is going to run around barely clothed all the time. 🙄 Alligators and turtles again.

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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I ended up liking this book, although I think if I were friends with someone like Rosie that she‘d make me tired. She‘s on all the time! No down time at all. Because this is a start to a new series, Osman spends a lot of time on setup, making the ending a bit rushed. I‘ll definitely read the next one. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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The COVID and flu vaccines actually made me sick, so I haven‘t been able to walk for a few days. I finally was able to get out today, and it was so nice. I‘m liking this book better than I did when I first started it, but there are a couple of characters that just make me tired. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I switched Death in Le Jardin to my nighttime book and started this one as my #audiowalk book. I immediately got into The Thursday Murder Club books; this start to a new series, not so much. It‘s taken much longer to even straighten out who the characters are and their relationships with each other. Now that I‘ve solved that problem, I may like it better.

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KathyWheeler
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Ian Moore‘s mysteries set in France and featuring a cranky British B & B owner, Richard, and a former French Secret Service agent, Valerie, are always fun and a little ridiculous. So far, this is the case with this one too. #audiowalk

23 likes2 stack adds
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

My only real issue with this book was that I wanted more Nightingale. Instead, the story finds Nightingale in New York and is told from the point of view of an old schoolmate — Augustus Berrycloth-Young. He‘s a fun character, and we get to view both Nightingale and 1920s Harlem through his eyes.

rabbitprincess Even if the book doesn‘t have enough Nightingale, I am even more excited about this book knowing that it focuses on his younger days 😍 3mo
BookmarkTavern I‘m really liking this one! 3mo
KathyWheeler @rabbitprincess I liked that too. 3mo
25 likes4 comments
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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

This is really the low end of the pick scale for me. I liked the setting and I like Perveen, but Massey seemed all over the place here, covering too many issues while ignoring the mysteries. The murder that finally happened wasn‘t that interesting, and I didn‘t understand the motive at all. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I will probably finish this book tomorrow, and I still haven‘t made up my mind if I like it. Today, I walked in the botanical gardens, so it was a slower walk than usual. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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It feels like there‘s far more attention paid to Perveen‘s home life and the birth of her niece than is being paid to the mystery in this book. It‘s getting a little hotter outside again. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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Every minute I was outside, I expected it to rain, but it didn‘t. My theory on that is that the rain knew I was prepared — I had my rain jacket with me. 😄. It was nice to be outside. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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Short walk this morning since I had a physical therapy session in the afternoon. I‘m getting a bit more interested in the story, but I suspect there‘s probably still a murder or other serious crime to be committed. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I‘m just not getting into this as much or as quickly as I usually do with the books in this series. I‘m not sure why. I‘m sure it‘ll get more interesting soon. It rained several times today, so I walked at the rec center, but when I left it was nice, so I walked another mile. #audiowalk