Every Wednesday, Kathy hosts this meme to celebrate wondrous words we find while reading, or listening or in our other day to day lives. Share your recent discoveries and then link up at Kathy's blog, BermudaOnion's Weblog.

Both of these words were found while reading Every Last One by Anna Quindlen last week.

"This tree is probably a hundred years old and it's probably not going to get much older. It's a shame; it is a glorious tree, the kind that looks immutable."

immutable:  adj
1) unable to be changed
2) not capable of or susceptible to change.


This word though not new to me is one I do not use often. I like the sounds of it and I need to get more familiar with it so I can use it more easily.


"That foolish man, with the bright blue eyes and his seductive grin, might have thought he was doing it out of expiation, but if he did it  it was because he knew it was the perfect form of torture."


expiation:  noun

1)  the act of making atonement
2)  the means by which atonement is made


Do you sometimes have to work at using a new word in your day to day language?  Is it worth it?


Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy





And Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. Happy Holidays to those of you of different faith.

The Escape Artist by Diane Cahmberlain

The Escape Artist by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Susanna Miller has lost legal custody of her small son, Tyler. Her ex-husband Jim and his new wife Peggy can provide him more financial security. No one however could love him more, and she will not give him up easily. In fact she has decided that she can't give him up at all. So she plans an escape.

Her longtime childhood friend turned lover, has no idea she plans to leave Boulder and him. She knows that letting him know anything puts him in position to lie for her and she can't do that to Linc Sebastian.

Although some readers have mentioned that this story feels far-fetched, I don't fell that way. I have an aunt whose own mother disappeared after her last child was out of high school and they have never heard from her since. That was a long time ago, and this story too was written in 1997, before 9/11. It wouldn't happen so easily these days. Although we hear about identity theft, I'm not sure about how easily you could get a driver's license etc. All in all, I enjoyed this story. I felt empathy for Susanna/Kimberly as she struggled to keep her story secret yet be open to the help of others.


View all my reviews

I am linking this review to Book Date's meme, It's Monday!  What Are You Reading?  ps: I am aware that the title to this post has a typo, but I have already linked up with Book Date so don't think I can fix it. (Embarassed!)

I hope to start Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber today.

And later this week, I hope to start Emma by Jane Austen for a Read-along.

I also have two other books from the library that need to be read too.

Every Last One by Anna Quindlan

and Every Fifteen Minutes by Lisa Scottoline.

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday - Ever After- 11-17-15

Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea hosts this meme so we can share the first paragraph or two of the first chapter of a book we are reading or one we want to start soon. Join us by writing a post then linking up at Diane's blog.

Ever After
Karen Kingsbury
Zondervan 2007

ONE

Two blue and gray fighter jets raced low over the neighborhood and looped toward the barren mountains in the west. Lauren Gibbs heard the vibrations in the subtle rattle of picture frames on the mantle, sensed it in the wood floor of the old house, felt it all the way to hear soul. Training drills, same as most days. She froze long enough to watch them, long enough to catch her fiance's attention.
    "They still bug you."
      It wasn't a question. Shane Galanter doled out the stack of plates in his hand one at a time onto the white linen tablecloth. 

What do you think?  Would you read this one?  Are you a fan of Karen Kingsbury like I am?


I will be starting this one tomorrow. And it will become number 23 in my list of library reads for Readers to the Rescue.and it will be another "E" title for my Favorite Book challenge on Goodreads, Love of Reading Group.


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 11-8-15

This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! So, join us in sharing what you are reading or hope to read this week.

On my nightstand: 

Goodreads Page

Just started this one last night. I am pretty invested in it. Not so sure I like all the characters yet. Wondering if I will like Neal McCool ever?  Seems to me he has already checked out of his marriage. And what's with the youngest daughter? "Meow"?  OK, I'm being a bit judgmental, which really isn't like me. I'm only at chapter 5, so I guess I had better "chill" and just read. 

In the car: 

Goodreads Page

Still working on this one. The print book resides in the car, so I have something to grab while waiting for Mr Busy to walk the dog, or run into Home Depot or one of his other favorite hardware stores. It's getting colder here in NE Wyoming, I may have to bring it into the house and stay home instead of riding along with him. 

If I get these finished this week, I will start on 

Goodreads Page

This is the next in the Lost Love series from Karen Kingsbury. 

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

First Frost 

Sarah Addison Allen

St Martin's Press

January 2015

If you have read Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, you must read First Frost. If you have not read Garden Spells, read it at once and then grab First Frost and stay in touch with the Waverley sisters.

I love the Waverleys.  Claire Waverly, the older, onetime alone sister and Sydney, her more flamboyant younger sister again show us that being true to yourself and the tribe you come from is most important.

 In First Frost, Claire and Sydney have found men that love them as they are, even if that is just a little bit quirky.  And as Autumn approaches both sisters are feeling a bit unsettled. Claire’s successful catering business has taken a back seat to a new venture, Candy Making. And it’s making her crazy. She’s good at it, it is adding to daughter Mariah’s college fund, but she is unsatisfied. Sydney’s salon, The White Door, is successful too. She and her husband Henry, own a dairy farm, away from town a bit but that is not what is bothering Sydney. She wants another baby, a son for Henry. Yes, they have Bay, her daughter from her first marriage to David, but Bay is 15 and finding her own Waverley gifts as she navigates high school. Sydney is desperate for a baby.

The residents of Bascom NC keep their distance from the Waverley house and the garden which houses the apple tree which blossoms at first frost and then makes hundreds of apples. Apples, which the tree happily throws at anyone who dares to interfere in the mysterious, endearing lives of the Waverley women. Come revisit Claire and Sydney, Bay and Mariah as they find out that family, above all, is the answer to the disturbing prelude to the first frost of the season.

This is the third of Sarah Addison Allen's books I have read. I will read the rest. I read The Sugar Queen first and liked it a lot. Then I picked up Garden Spells and was spellbound. I had to read First Frost because it was more about the Waverley women. Now I will read The Peach Keeper, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and Lost Lake and any more I can get my hands on. 

Judy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. - First Frost

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea, hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. It is a place to share the first paragraph sometimes two from a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon. Share your First Chapter First Paragraph then link up at Bibliophile By the Sea. 

First Frost
Sarah Addison Allen
St Martin's Press  2014

   Bay Waverly-Hopkins raced down Pendland Street, her backpack bouncing and her black hair flying behind her like blackbirds. The neighborhood homeowners always knew when she ran by, because they suddenly felt the desire to organize their sock drawers and finally replace those burned- out lightbulbs they'd been meaning to. We need to set things in order, they all thought as Bay ran down the street every afternoon after school. But, as soon as she passed, their thoughts quickly drifted back to where they'd been before --what was for dinner, why was a husband so moody lately, could a load of laundry wait another day. 

I have been wanting to read this one since finishing Garden Spells.  I have also read The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. I went to the library today with Mr Busy and there was this copy on the featured "top picks" shelf. I grabbed it of course.

Have you read this one? Would you continue based on the first paragraph?  Don't you love the cover?


Til next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday All The Light We Cannot See - 8-18-15

Every Tuesday I try to join fellow bloggers at Diane's blog, Bibliophile by the Sea, to share the first paragraph or two of the current book I am reading on First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. This week I am starting again on The Ticket by Karen Schutte. I shared the first paragraph of this 1st in a trilogy here.

I am also listening to All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Because this is an audio book I am using the Look Inside feature at Amazon to share the first paragraph.


17 August 1944
Leaflets

At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses.Entire streets swirl with them, flashing white against the cobbles. Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town, they say. Depart immediately for open country. 


I am enjoying this listen. Though parts of it are sad and hard to listen to, most is beautifully written. The story of a sixteen year old blind girl living in Paris with her father. It is very descriptive so you can see her world as Marie-Laure sees it. Not only with your eyes, but with your ears, your nose and your fingers. So would you read more?

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Self-Help (I hope)

There is a place to share the first paragraph or two in the first chapter of a book you are reading or thinking of reading soon. Write a post and link it up with Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea.

The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life
Dr. Robin Zasio
Published by Rodale Books, 2011

Introduction

Not long ago, I was sitting at my vanity getting ready for my day. It was very early on a Monday morning, which is always my busiest day of the week. On this particular day I was not going into the office, but heading directly to my client Kate's house. This was to be the first time that she allowed me inside. We'd worked together off and on for months in my clinic, The Anxiety Treatment Center of Sacramento, but until now she'd been very resistance to letting me see exactly the state of her environment. She was on my mind as I applies make-up and fixed my hair.

I chose to feature the Introduction of this book rather than the first paragraph of the first chapter. The first several chapter are mostly citing case studies and though interesting are not particularly attention grabbing. Maybe the intro isn't either, but my sister has been urging me to read this book for the last year or two.


This is the year I have decided to "downsize", "declutter" or just plain "get rid of stuff" so I thought I would see if the library had it. It was checked out. Then along came the Fall Quarterly Back to School Challenge at Love of Reading over at Goodreads. The categories follow school subjects and there it was, pick a book from a genre you haven't read or at least not for a long time. So "self-help" it is. I checked the library and it was available.  Karma?!

So have you ever thought of reading a book like this? Do you have to scurry through the house throwing stuff in a basket, to hide in the closet, when someone shows up to visit unannounced? My house isn't like that anymore, but after 51 years of marriage there is definitely closets that need to be cleared of clothes that I will never wear and kitchen drawers that need to be rid of the clutter of utensils I will never use. And as of this day, we will not talk about my "stash" of fabric in my sewing room, although I am giving away a myriad of magazines!


Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

. 

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea shares the first paragraph (or maybe two) of the first chapter in a book she is currently reading or hopes to start soon. She invites us to join her. Just share your first paragraph and link up at Diane's blog.

Shem Creek
Dorothea Benton Frank
Berkley Publishing Group
  a division of Penguin Group
August 2004

A Post Card from Linda

Can I just tell you why I am so deliriously happy to drive all through the night from New Jersey to South Carolina? Here we are, boxed in between this wall of eighteen-wheelers on our left and right, in front and behind, in this little pocket of flying road, racing down I-95 at seventy-six miles an hour. My daughters are asleep beside me and in the backseat. On another night, I would be terrified out of my skin by the blasting of horns. But not tonight. Let me tell you something. These trucks are like huge guardian angels rushing us to safety and the rain is washing us clean. Life has been a little rough around the edges and it was time to break out. Yeah. A little rough would be one way of understating it. 

Oh, eventually you'll hear the whole story, because this is a long ride and there ain't much to do besides tell secrets and link about life. Thinking about life is what I had been doing for a very long time. I finally decided to quit the thinking nonsense and do something. I mean, I was even driving myself crazy from my own whining.  Then I came to this conclusion.  You don't like your life? Go get another one and the shut the heck up already, right?

So what do you think?  Would you continue with this one?

I am already hooked!  I have not read Dorothea Benton Frank in the past, but I like the voice of this Linda person very much. I am pretty sure I will like this one.

When I finish and write a review this will complete the What's In A Name 2015 challenge of a book with a body of water in the title. It is also a library loan, so it will add to my library list. Whoop! Whoop!!  3 in 1.

Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Weekend Busy, Weekend Happy

Today I am linking up with Sunday Post for the very first time.

Not much time was spent reading this weekend. Mr Busy and I attended a GWRRA (Gold Wing Road Riders Assoc) District (Wyoming) Rally in Buffalo WY. If you ride any brand of motorcycle you need to come to Wyoming to ride. If you like beautiful mountain vistas, you need to come to Wyoming to experience those. If you like to shop of artisan type gifts, you need to come to Wyoming. If you like to fish, hunt, camp and hike, you need to come to Wyoming.

We spent the weekend helping make the rally a success. We manned the registration table, sold various raffle tickets, helped tally poker stroll hands, helped serve up BBQ and all the trimmings. We enjoyed the camaraderie very much. This will probably be our last rally as Mr Busy has decided to sell our Gold Wing. We have been riding with this group since 1990 and that means that we are getting old. Not the oldest riders in attendance. That honor went to a guy from Nebraska, who is 88 years old. He rode from his hometown of Scottsbluff  NE to Buffalo WY with a couple from his local chapter.  He does ride a trike, a common sight these days, but he is pretty amazing.

I am still reading The Color of Water in July and hope to finish it soon. Then I will start Shem Creek,  by Dorothea Benton Frank.

I checked it out at our local library and I need to get it read.  It is #4 in the Lowcountry series, but the Goodread synopsis looks like it will work as a stand alone story as well.

Pat Conroy has called her books “hilarious and wise”, noting that they are “funny, sexy and usually damp with sea water.” Anne Rivers Siddons said of Sullivans Island that it “roared with life.” Now Dorothea Benton Frank takes us back to the Lowcountry to introduce a whole new cast of characters whose lives will surely move your heart.Linda Breland has no experience managing a restaurant, but then neither did Brad Jackson, and he owns the place.
Meet Linda Breland, single parent of two teenage daughters. The oldest, Lindsey, who always held her younger sister in check, is leaving for college. And Gracie, her Tasmanian devil, is giving her nightmares. Linda’s personal life? Well, between the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet and her ex-husband who marries a beautiful, successful woman ten years younger than she is—let’s just say, Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages.
As the story opens, she is barreling down Interstate 95, bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the land of her ancestors. Welcomed by the generous heart of her advice dispensing sister, Mimi, Linda and her daughters slowly begin to find their way and discover a sweeter rhythm of life.

What kept you busy this weekend? Did you read or play?

The Boston Girl - What's In a Name Challenge 2015

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Addie Baum begins to tell the story of her life to her 22 year old granddaughter, when Ava asks, "How did you get to be the woman you are today?"  Addie is 85 and begins her story in 1915, the year she joined the library group at a neighborhood settlement house for girls. It was there that she found her voice, and made friends with teachers and other young girls who would become lifelong friends.

I love how the story is told as a grandmother talking to her granddaughter. It feels private and personal and truthful. The chapters all have names, like What are friends for?, or How do you go on after that?, and It made me feel like a real Boston girl.

Ms Diamant tells an unforgettable story about family, remarkable friendships, and feminism from the POV of a young Jewish girl growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century.


View all my reviews

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday- North of Beautiful

What are you anxious to read soon?  Share the first chapter, first paragraph of your next read at Diane's blog, Bibliophile By The Sea.  Write a post and link up at Diane's blog.

I hope to start this one soon. It has been on my list for several months and I finally made the trek to the Young Adult section of our library to check it out.

North of Beautiful
Justina Chen Headley
Hachette Book Group
February 2009
Young Adult

Fate Maps

Not to brag or anything , but if you saw me from behind, you'd probably think I was perfect. I'm tall, but not too tall, with a ballerina's long legs and longish neck. My hair is naturally platinum blonde, the kind that curls when I want it to and cascades behind my back in one sleek line when I don't. While my face couldn't launch a thousand ships, it has the power to make any stranger whip around for a second look. Trust me, this mixture of curiosity and revulsion is nothing Helen of Troy would have ever encountered.
   Please don't get me wrong: I've got all the prerequisite parts - and in all the right numbers, too: one nose, two eyes, and twenty-four teeth that add up to not a bad smile. But who notices pearly whites when a red-stained birthmark stretches across the broad plain of my right cheek? That's exactly why I never went anywhere without my usual geologic strata of moisturizer, sunblock, medical concealer, foundation, and powder. 

I hope that this is the story I am anticipating it to be.    Would you want to read on?



Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

This book will be my 11th library book on my way to meet my goal of 28 at Sheila's blog. You can watch my list grow at my 2015 Challenges page.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/30/15

Every Monday I try to join the many participants in this meme at Sheila's blog. It is a place to talk about the books you are reading or plan on reading in the coming week. So tell us about your current books, print, audio, or electronic and then link up at Book Journey .

This week I hope to finish Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West. It has been on my Kindle for nearly 2 years! I heard about it at my face to face book club and that is why I loaded it. I am really enjoying it, why did I wait so long? 

From Amazon

Hope is hard to come by in the hard-luck town of Willow Creek. Sam Pickett and five young men are about to change that.

Sam Pickett never expected to settle in this dried-up shell of a town on the western edge of the world. He's come here to hide from the violence and madness that have shattered his life, but what he finds is what he least expects. There's a spirit that endures in Willow Creek, Montana. It seems that every inhabitant of this forgotten outpost has a story, a reason for taking a detour to this place--or a reason for staying.

As the coach of the hapless high school basketball team (zero wins, ninety-three losses), Sam can't help but be moved by the bravery he witnesses in the everyday lives of people--including his own young players--bearing their sorrows and broken dreams. How do they carry on, believing in a future that seems to be based on the flimsiest of promises? Drawing on the strength of the boys on the team, sharing the hope they display despite insurmountable odds, Sam finally begins to see a future worth living.

Author Stanley Gordon West has filled the town of Willow Creek with characters so vividly cast that they become real as relatives, and their stories--so full of humor and passion, loss and determination--illuminate a path into the human heart.

Next up will be The Courage Tree by Diane Chambelain.

From Goodreads:

 Eight-year-old Sophie Donohue just wanted to be like every other little girl. Which is why her mother, Janine, reluctantly agreed to let her go on the weekend camping trip with her Brownie troop. But when Janine arrives to pick up Sophie after the trip, her daughter is not among the others. Somehow, along the forested route from West Virginia, Sophie has disappeared.Sophie is no ordinary 8 year old. She suffers from a rare disease, and Janine has recently enrolled her in an experimental treatment as a last effort to save her life - despite the vehement objections of her ex-husband, Joe, who believes conventional medicine is the only route to take. The only person to support Janine in her decision is Lucas Trowell, someone familiar with the herbs used in the treatment. Lucas has been encouraging Janine to keep Sophie in the program, and, indeed, the little girl has been showing remarkable improvement.
All her mother's instincts tell Janine that Sophie is alive, but time is running out. Without her treatment, it's only a matter of days before Sophie's illness will claim her life. As Janine, Joe and Lucas embark on a desperate search to find Sophie, envy and suspicion grow between the two men, casting doubts on each other's true motives for helping Janine.
Deep in the forest, another drama unfolds. Sophie has found refuge in a remote cabin inhabited by a woman who wants nothing to do with the little girl. She's desperate to help her own daughter, who has been wrongly imprisoned for murder and who, after escaping, is on her way to join her mother. Sophie's arrival puts in jeopardy her daughter's future, but the mysterious woman is as determined to save her daughter as Janine is to save Sophie. 

 Only one of them can succeed.

I chose this book for a challenge on Goodreads. I was to pick a title from another member's TBR shelf on Goodreads. I chose this one, because I had not read it and had heard so many good reviews of her other books. I also have liked many books on Noleen's list, so after checking the synopsis , I included it in the challenge. I know I will be keeping a box of tissue near. 

Both of these books, and a current sewing project, plus housework and cooking will fill my week. Next weekend is Easter and my grandson-in-law's 30th birthday. I will bake a GF cake and then they will be here on Saturday for a pre-Easter dinner as they are going to his grandmother's for Easter Sunday.

 Busy, Busy, Busy, Happy, Happy, Happy

Winterkill by C.J.Box A listen and a sighting!

Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming. Making his rounds one morning, checking the elk herds, he hears shots. Not one, not two but many. It is not elk season and as he watches elk fall and the herd panic and scatter, Joe wonders who is doing this.  As Joe assesses where the shots are coming from and proceeds to approach the perpetrator from behind, he realizes it is the local forest service supervisor, Lamar Gardner. Joe takes Lamar into custody, and because he is a friend and seems repentant, and there is a snow storm brewing, Joe loads him into his pickup to head down the mountain. It is then, that the situation goes south.

This story deals with the growth of the "independent nation" cults flourishing in the West and the conflict between parental custody and foster care that occurs in all parts of our country. Joe's voice is always the one of reason and honesty amid the noise of greed and evil.

This is the first C.J. Box book I have read, but it will not be the last. Mr Busy has read the first two and while we were in Phoenix on the 15th of March, we visited The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale and listened to Mr Box talk about his newest Joe Pickett novel, Endangered. He spent some time talking about the writing process and how he researches his ideas. He also signed copies of his books. I bought the next in the series, Trophy Hunt and of course the newest one. Even though C.J. Box lives in Cheyenne WY and has spoken at our local library and book store in the town where I live, I had never been to see him. So it was a treat to be able to buy some of his books, so soon after listening to Winterkill.



Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

It's Monday. What Are You Reading? 3/16/15

This week we are traveling so the reading is at a minimum. I could read while riding in the car, but feel like I then exclude my DH and time spent together. So we almost always opt for an audio book. This trip is a 1200 mile each way, so we checked out 2 books from the library. On the way to Arizona we listened to Winterkill by C.J. Box.

 It is the 3rd in the series, and I usually shy away from reading out of sequence, but Mr Busy has read the first 2 in the series, so I thought I could cope. It was fine. Then as it turned out, I was reading Cathy's blog, Kittling Books, the other day and she mentions book signings at The Poisoned Pen in Phoenix often. Since we were going to be in Phoenix I check the bookstore website and C .J. Box was doing a book signing on Sunday, the 15th.  My son, DIL and DH said they would go with me to the book signing. That was good because there was no way I was going to drive across Phoenix and try to find the store in Scottsdale. We got there, bought his newest book, listened to the interview with the owner and Mr. Box and then took our numbers for the actual book signing. I enjoyed it very much. Now, C.J. Box lives in Wyoming as do I and he has been at our local book store doing a signing, but I wasn't reading his books then. So it was kind of serendipitous that we are both in Phoenix on the same weekend.

I am still reading

 but not getting very far. Reading of a print book has been limited to bedtime and I have been tired enough to fall asleep after 5 or so pages.  Not very productive.


Until next time
Stay Busy and  Stay Happy

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is hosted by Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea. Join us to share the first paragraph ( or a few) of the book you are currently reading, or hope to begin soon.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore  A Novel

Robin Sloan

Farrar, Straus and Giroux  2012

Help Wanted
     Lost in the shadows of the shelves, I almost fall off the ladder. I am exactly half way up. The floor of the bookstore is far below me, the surface of a planet I've left behind. The tops of the shelves loom high above, and it's dark up there - the books are packed in close, and they don't let any light through. The air might be thinner, too. I think I see a bat.
     I am holding on for dear life, one hand on the ladder, the other on the lip of a shelf, fingers pressed white. My eyes trace a line above my knuckles, searching the spines - and there I spot it. The book I'm looking for.
     But let me back up. 

I am anxious to get started on the book. I recommended it to my book club and they have decided to read it for discussion in April. I hope it is as good as the reviews I have been reading. This is also a library book, so I will add it to my list for Readers to the Rescue Library Challenge. 

I finished On Hummingbird Wings by Lauraine Snelling. You can see my review here on Goodreads. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy