January 2019 Rambles

As we were heading into the holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) I was getting more and more stressed about petty things. The news on TV was always bad. People on Facebook were getting more and more angry. I started really envying bears.

I thought it would be so nice to have nothing to do except eat as much as possible before sleeping away the winter. Carbs galore!! Pizza! Mashed potatoes and gravy! French toast! Christmas cookie after Christmas cookie! And you don’t stop until you’ve broken the bathroom scale.

Then you take a nice hot bath, get your flannel jammies on, slip between the flannel sheets and snuggle up with the pillows. And that’s it. Bypass the whole mess. Maybe set the alarm for Christmas Eve, go to church, then back to bed. DOESN’T THAT SOUND NICE???

When I mentioned this idea to Marv, he just patted my knee and said, “You sound tired, dear.”

And I was.

It was still a strange season. For the first time EVER, Marv and I were alone on Thanksgiving. Which was OK. Very low key and quiet. We appreciate quiet more in our old age…

Christmas was the same. No one but us. And I have to admit that after the beautiful service Christmas Eve, coming home to a quiet house was nice. Christmas Day dinner was Stouffer’s lasagna. Awesome. Comfort food. Add it to my bear list…

Instead of partying with friends for New Year’s Eve, we had Lia with us this time. That is always a delight, no matter what. I played on the computer while Marv and Lia watched New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on TV.

So the holidays are over. We made it through 2018 with the grace of God. Seeing what kind of nonsense 2019 will throw our way.

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum – The word of the Lord endures forever.

January 2019 Book Report

The Dark Volume (2009) and The Chemickal Marriage (2012) by Gordon Dahlquist

These are books 2 & 3 of the Dream Eaters trilogy. Celeste, Cardinal Chang and Doctor Svenson continue to fight against the Cabal. They thought the main leaders had perished in the sinking of the balloon ship, but they were wrong. At the end, the Cabal was defeated, with many lives lost, both good and bad.

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The Different Girl (2013) by Gordon Dahlquist

Very good YA sci-fi. On a secret island, the lives of four girls, tended only by their 2 adult caregivers, are disrupted when a castaway girl is washed up on shore. The caregivers at first try to keep the girls and the castaway separated, but they eventually allow them to interact with each other. I’d love to see this book made into a movie, but it would be difficult to do without giving away a secret too early. I can’t say much more about the book without ruining the surprise. Read it!!

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Fatal Fortune (1987) by Marian Babson

Rich Grandpa Buck is dying. Relatives are waiting like vultures. Only Hope truly loves her grandfather and is dreading his passing. She gets a frantic message from her sister-in-law in Europe and goes to smuggle her nephew to safety in the US, hoping to get back before Buck dies.

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The Fur Person (1957) by May Sarton

May Sarton and her partner adopt a stray cat they name Tom Jones. After being a ‘Cat About Town’, he decides it’s time to get off the street and accepts the love and affection from the 2 spinsters.

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Twenty-one Balloons (1947) by William Pene DuBois

Interesting YA adventure book. A taste of Jules Verne here. A retired teacher decides he wants to travel the world for a year by balloon and get completely away from people. A wayward seagull changes his plans by puncturing his balloon. He lands on a volcanic island just before it erupts.

My 2019 Book Recommendations

Instead of listing individual books of a particular series, as I’ve done in the past, I will just say here and now: “Read these authors. Read these series.”

I’ll continue to give accounts of books I’ve read outside of a series. Unless someone tells me to stop. I never get feedback on my book reports, and that’s OK. It’s mainly for my own record of what I’ve read in a particular year.

Speaking of which, for the year 2018 I read 59 books. A bit more than one a week. Not bad.

In no particular order, here are the series/authors I love:

Agatha Christie. Always good, even when rereading.

Arthur Conan Doyle. Same as above.

Earl Stanley Gardner  (Perry Mason)

Rex Stout  (Nero Wolfe)

Georges Simenon  (Inspector Maigret)

Ellery Queen

For books with a Christian view, Guidepost puts out several good series written by multiple authors:

“Mysteries of Martha’s Vineyard”

“Tearoom Mysteries”

“Secrets of Wayfarers Inn”

“Secrets of the Blue Hill Library”

“Tales from Grace Chapel Inn”

Garrison Keillor

Patrick F. McManus (SO funny! Sadly, he just died last April)

Just about any Sci-fi/Fantasy book, but here are my top 10 authors

Asimov

Bradbury

Pratchett

Simak

Ursula K. LeGuin

Jules Verne

Anne McCaffrey

Andre Norton

Tolkien

Asprin

I know there are some I’ve left off, or faves of others. Let me know what YOUR faves are!