Welcome to Sunday Bookends where I ramble about what I’ve been reading, doing, watching, writing and listening to.

What’s Been Occurring

I always mention the weather here and it’s usually negative so before it gets hot tomorrow and Tuesday, I will share that our weather was very cool and nice this week. Did I go out and enjoy it? Let’s go with …yes, even though I actually only went out one day and enjoyed it. The kids and I are finishing up our school year and I’m already obsessing over next year so it distracted me some. However, I did enjoy a nice walk one night with the youngest and a lovely day yesterday simply enjoying the cool temps and beautiful sun (in between a couple of rain showers).

Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday are supposed to be warmer.

Tomorrow we hope to attend a local Memorial Day service before heading to my parents to have some steak from a local farmer on the grill.

What I’m/We’re Reading

I finished The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates and it was honestly just an odd, quirky book and I don’t know if I will continue on to read the other books. There was a lot of sexual innuendos in it, I think, but maybe I was just applying my modern knowledge to some of the inferences I read (or thought I was reading).

I know I didn’t need to read anymore references to the oldest daughter’s “firm young breasts” or how the taxman who ended up staying there like to touch them. The book is a clean but not all the way clean book, in other words. The dirty parts are a bit subtle. There is nothing graphic and no bad language, but how the author writes it helps you to “get the drift” — if you get my drift.

I have to say I was surprised that it was written in 1958 but then again, it is written by a British man, and they always have been bit more pervy — I mean always a bit more open — in what they allow in books and movies. *wink*

Overall, I enjoyed the book — even if it was, well, a bit strange. I did laugh quite a few times, simply because some of it was truly odd.

I also finished Walking In Tall Weeds by Robin W. Pearson last week and it was very good. It releases July 19 and I highly recommend it. This is a book that deals with racism, but it is not overly dark. Robin has a way of dealing with the tough issues with a little bit of humor and a lot of love.

I’m now in the midst of a hard copy of a Miss Julia book by Ann B. Ross but will probably pick a book I can read at night on the Kindle too. I have tons to choose from since my husband’s Kindle library is combined with mine.

Some choices I have include:

The Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box

The next book in The Walt Longmire series

Another James Herriot book

A Charles Martin book (I have several)

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox

Or a Dortmunder novel by Donald Westlake

I also want to read more of Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

Little Miss and I are reading the same books we’ve been reading for a month or more now.

The Husband is reading Crimson Lake by Candace Fox.  He also just finished Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg.

The Boy is finishing Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman and probably won’t read anything else for the next three months while he’s out on summer break.

What I’m Watching/Listening To

Lisa Harper sermons: 

The Three Stooges:

Needtobreathe Live from Bridgestone Arena is what saved me this week mentally. No kidding.

When I got overwhelmed from reading too much sadness or worrying about money I blasted that in my headphones and jammed away. It completely and utterly transported me out of my situation and it was exactly what I needed. Thankfully there is a video (YouTube) and an audio recording (Apple Music, etc.) of this so I can listen on my phone or computer.

Doing so stopped many a panic attack Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It released Thursday.

The Husband and I also watched a Shakespeare and Hathaway episode, but it was pretty terrible. The acting, plot, all of it. We tried to cut them some slack since they had to film it during the pandemic. It was also yet another British show where they watched Americans and we should be used to that by now, but it was even worse than normal this time. Completely cringy.

So yes, I coped this week by watching a lot of YouTube and light TV shows and listening to music, but I figure this way better than what I could have done (such as downing an entire bottle of wine or gorging myself on sugar).

What I’ve Been Writing  

I’ve been working on Mercy’s Shore and also shared a book review.

• Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 4
• Book review and giveaway: The Traveling Prayer Shawl by Jennifer Lynn Cary.
• Some old fashioned humor to brighten your day

Now it’s Your Turn

What have you been reading, doing, watching, or listening to? Let me know in the comments.