We took a break last week, partly because of the holiday but we are back this week with some most clicked and some highlights.
I hope you all had a lovely Fourth of July, if you are in the U.S., or just a nice Thursday if you aren’t.
We have been dealing with very warm temperatures yet again, which has sent us either to hug our air conditioner or to the pool at my parents house. Today is supposed to be cooler after soaking rains we received yesterday from Hurricane Beryl.
How was the weather been where you are?
I’m so glad you are here and taking part in our weekly link-up of family-friendly, fun, educational, interesting, crafty, fashionable, and whatever else posts. I hope you’ll tell your followers about our post (feel free to copy and paste the graphic) and visit the blogs in the link-up. I know I have met some very fun bloggers that way!
Let’s get on to our most clicked posts for this week:
I originally picked this out to showcase on the fourth, but it’s okay. It works this week too. I thought this would be a perfect one to share for the Fourth with all the lovely patriotic decorations, but it’s still a nice one to show!
Now it is your turn to link up your favorite posts. They can be fashion, lifestyle, DIY, food, etc. All we ask is that they be family-friendly. You can link up posts from last week or even from years ago. We are always looking for additional hosts so let us know if you want to help out and we are also looking for more links from fashion bloggers so let your fashion bloggers know!
Also, please take the time to visit the other blogs on the link-up and meet some new bloggers!
I have been watching The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries from the 1970s on YouTube recently. (It is also streaming on Peacock but I have the cheap version of Peacock and hate the commercials). This goes along with my renewed interest in the original Nancy Drew Mysteries books.
The show was, of course, based on the serial mystery books of the same name.
My husband and I watched one of these episodes on Peacock a few months ago and we giggled through most of it. When it was suggested to me on YouTube one day I decided to watch it for a laugh, and there is definitely laughable material, but then I became addicted and have been working my way through each episode.
For the first two seasons, the series is split into one episode focusing on The Hardy Boys and the next one focused on The Nancy Drew Mysteries. In the third season it was only called The Hardy Boys after the Nancy Drew character was dropped. By then, Pamela Sue Martin (who my husband had a bit of a crush on) had left the show because they had reduced the role of Nancy Drew. She was replaced by Janet Louise Johnson.
The show was canceled halfway through season three.
I was disappointed when I read that they phased Nancy out of the series, but I suppose it was typical at the time to have shows that focused on male heartthrobs instead of female ones. I am glad to know the show totally failed and was canceled with just the men on it, though. *wink*
The young adult detectives didn’t solve mysteries together until the second season when they traveled to Transylvania to rescue Frank and Joe Hardy’s Dad Fenton Hardy.
(An aside here – what was the issue with books back then killing off the mothers? Both Frank and Joe Hardy and Nancy Drew didn’t have mothers, but instead had housekeepers who were like mothers to them. I think the creator of both Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys – Ed Stratemyer – had some mother issues.)
In the first season, Nancy does most of her sleuthing with her friends Ned Nickerson and George Fayne but in the joint episode, her friend Bess Martin joins her. I’ll write about that episode in the future, but for now, I’ll share about one of the first episodes I watched called The Mystery of Pirates Cove. It was definitely cringy but mainly because there was a professor who was probably in his 40s hitting on Nancy, who I think was supposed to be in her late teens or early 20s.
When that man said he was going to be heading back to the lighthouse later that night and he hoped he wouldn’t be alone – and then gave Nancy a “If you know what I mean, darling,” look – I literally shuddered. It was just gross.
When we go back to the house, Nancy’s dad, Carson Drew, keeps in character with who he is in the books because he is completely unbothered by his daughter being hit on by a man his own age. This is proven by how he shrugs Nancy’s friend Ned off with a, “Of course she can go spend the night with that man in his lighthouse in the middle of nowhere to see if they can record ghost activity.”
Ned is like, (in so many words) “I don’t think you get it, sir. That man doesn’t just want to capture ghosts. He’s got a thing for Nancy.”
Carson, played by William Schallert — a character actor who later portrayed every bad guy imaginable on various crime shows — laughs Ned off and the scene ends with him lighting his pipe, taking a puff and saying, “She’s going to have fun. Yes, she is.”
I’m sorry, but what in the ever-living-male-dominated-television-industry-of-the-1970s was that?
So very awkward.
The mystery was seriously contrived and see-through, of course, but something about the show keeps me watching. I can’t look away – the same way I can’t look away from a car accident when I drive by.
Nancy’s sidekick for the show is George and the actress who plays her (Jean Rasey) makes the most hilarious faces. She’s always looking disturbed or frightened and, to me, seems to be the voice of reason, urging Nancy to be careful or slow down or suggesting they leave a situation instead of getting deeper in.
For her part, Nancy seems slightly arrogant in this series, always rolling her eyes or brushing George off. She always seems to know best or more and wants George to know it. I suppose the idea is to show that Nancy is bold and determined to solve the case, no matter what, but sometimes I just find her dismissive. She dismisses everyone, though – from family to friends and especially to poor Ned Nickerson, who was her boyfriend in the books.
There were a lot of now big name actors on the show back in the day, I’ve noticed, including Marc Harmon and Melanie Griffith.
While researching for this post, I found an interview with Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson from last year when the show turned 46.
According to the article in Entertainment Weekly, “Stevenson went on to appear in a series of TV hits including Falcon Crest, Baywatch, Melrose Place, and most recently, Netflix’s Greenhouse Academy. Cassidy, meanwhile, has built a successful career as a TV writer and producer, creating several series (including American Gothic and Invasion) and serving as an executive producer on NBC’s hit medical drama New Amsterdam.”
Back in the day, though, Cassidy was a pop singer and his song Do-Ron-Ron-Ron debut on the show, where he frequently performed to help along the plot. It’s an absolutely pointless song, by the way. I saw the episode with it and was completely bewildered by how it became popular.
Here are the lyrics, in case you’d like to memorize them:
I met her on a Monday and my heart stood still Da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron Someboy told me that her name was Jill Da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron
Yes, my heart stood still Yes, her name was Jill And when I walked her home da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron
I knew what she was thinkin’ when she caught my eye Da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron I looked so quiet but my oh my Da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron
Yes, she caught my eye Yes, but my oh my And when I walked her home da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron
Well, I picked her up at seven and she looked so fine Da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron Someday soon I’m gonna make her mine Da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron
Yes, she looked so fine Yes, I’ll make her mine And when I walked her home da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron Yeah, yeah, yeah da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron (repeat & fade)
(It was originally sung by a band called The Crystals and it was a woman talking about a man.)
And here is Shaun singing it on the show:
After leaving the show, Pamela Sue Martin, portrayed Fallon Carrington Colby on Dynasty from 1981 to 1984. She chose to leave Dynasty and her role was later recast. After that she did sporadic television appearances.
Did you ever watch the show – either back when it was on, if you’re old enough (for the record, I am not) or in reruns?
I have thoughts on some other episodes of the series that I’ll share in later posts.
This week’s theme is: Throwback Freebie (Pick a TTT topic that has been previously done. Maybe you missed it, weren’t blogging then, or you’d like to update an old list you made.)
So for this week, I chose:
My Ten Most Recent Reads
I’m going to go back from my very last read and then back to the tenth one I’ve read:
The Sentence is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Great mystery, not clean for those who like clean readers, but also not full of sex or graphic violence. Just language.
2. The Women of Wynton’s by Donna Mumma
A very clean read with some flaws but entertaining overall. It’s a 1950s mystery with four points of view, which I didn’t think I’d like but got used to since the book mainly focused on the POV of one character.
3. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
I listened to this on Audible after wanting to read it for years and I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I had just read it. The narrator was great.
4. Lord Edgware Dies: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie
You don’t know how hard it is not to be an “e” after that g up there, for one. For two, this was a fun book even if I did have some issues with some elements of it. You can read my review of it here:
5. A Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly
I wanted this one to be better. It had a lot of potential and I know cozy mysteries have some really unrealistic elements to them but this one had some super silly aspects involving the medical facility capabilities of a small town clinic. I probably won’t try another one by this author, at least in this series. I did like the characters and her writing overall so I won’t say never, ever, but . . .
6. The Secret of Shadow Ranch: A Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene
I’ve been making my way through Nancy Drew books and this one was more fun than the previous books I have read. This is one of the original books.
7. The Fast Lane by Sharon Peterson
This is a cute, clean romantic comedy. There are a couple spicy comments but no open-door sex, language or violence. This is the second book I’ve read by Sharon. She has three books out and I hope to read her second book soon.
8. The Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenaski
This was a quirky, middle-grade book about farming families in the early 1900s in Florida. It was a bit disturbing to me in places but also very interesting and the ending was heartwarming at least.
9. The Mysterious Affair At Styles: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie
Another good one by Agatha here.
10. Do the New You by Steven Furtick
Say what you will about mega church pastors but this book spun my thinking around and helped me put a lot of things in perspective and even calmed some of my anxieties. One area it helped with was making decisions. One part of the book talks about doing what the “new you” would do so make your decisions not on what you always do but what you want the new version of you to do.
For me that has worked with food, with how to market my books, with relationships, and with reactions to disappointment. I may have reacted one way in the past but if I want to improve who I am in the future, I am choosing to react differently or do something differently than how I would have.
That’s the last ten books I’ve read. What are some of your most recent reads? Share in the comments. I’d love to know!
All paid subscribers who sign up for my annual subscription on Substack will now receive a digital copy of Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing, the first book in my Gladwynn Grant Mysteries, for free.
Use this link to get 50 percent off annual subscriptions:
I am not a summer person which I think I have shared many, many times on this blog.
I am an autumn person and not in skin tone or fashion sense.
I like autumn. I like cozy days with a soft blanket and a warm cup of tea and the leaves on the trees a mix of pretty colors.
Okay, I like green on the trees too so I do like that part of summer.
I hate, however, the heat of summer.
If it could be 68 to 70 degrees (F) all summer long, I would be overwhelmingly happy about that.
All these temps in the mid-80s to mid-90s. (Today’s high is going to be 87! Yuck!)
No. Thank. You.
I am so ready for fall and I know my friend Erin at Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs, is too because she is already planning for our comfy, cozy movie watching that we like to start in October. She and I have also been trading memes and reels talking about how in our minds we are already watching the leaves change colors and sipping tea while reading a good book under a blanket.
Today I thought I’d share how I am trying to hold on to the cozy feeling of autumn, even though it isn’t autumn.
First, I turn the air conditioner up as high as I can without my husband complaining about it. Our air conditioners are portable so they don’t work as well as window air conditioning units, but they do a fairly good job and if they aren’t taking the heat out of the air, I sit right in front of it and soak up the cold.
The funny thing is that Little Miss started doing this the first day we had the AC on. Then she grabbed a blanket and pronounced that it was officially autumn. She and I are way too much alike.
After we get it as cold as we can (mainly in the living room because the AC isn’t strong enough to also cool down our kitchen), we click on the candle warmer so it kicks out a apple cinnamon flavor that makes us think of fall.
Then I make a cup of tea or cocoa and choose something cozy to watch – maybe even old shows or YouTube videos from autumn.
I pretend it is not sweltering outside for as long as I can and, whenever possible, I stay inside – since being outside in high heat makes me feel sick anyhow.
All this being said, I do like a couple of aspects of summer, as long as it is cool enough for me to enjoy it. I enjoy swimming with Little Miss and The Boy and watching fireworks.
I like to make s’mores, even though I only eat the chocolate.
I like fireflies, if I catch sight of them that is. I don’t see them like we used to anymore. I like that it is warm enough to go out and look up at the stars, which we can see at our house, thankfully. I love that our wild roses come out in summer, even though I can only enjoy them for a short time.
I love that fresh fruit is more plentiful in summer (especially watermelon).
I think that’s just about all I love about summer.
I tried. *shrug*
This past week Little Miss and I didn’t swim as much as we could have. One day we waited too long and it had cooled off too much. Another day Dad was out of treatment for the pool and we are 40 minutes away from the closet store that would have it so the pool was a bit green.
He used Clorox before the Fourth so we did go swimming on that day.
I didn’t take any photographs this past week but hopefully I will next week since The Husband is off of work. As usual, we don’t have any big travel plans but we will be taking some day trips and we will be going out for our anniversary, which is Saturday.
Here are a few photos from earlier this summer and past summers instead.
How was your week last week? Let me know in the comments.
I saw this prompt for a Mid-Year Book Round-Up (Freak Out) on Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs’ blog a few weeks ago but also saw another version online where the blogger listed more than one book for certain questions so I decided to combine the two.
Best Book (s) You’ve Read In 2024
Little Women by Lousia Mae Alcott and Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
I know. I know. I went for the classics, but I had never read either of them and ended up loving them both. I started Little Women in December but finished it in 2024, so I am counting it for 2024. I listened to Around the World in 80 Days and maybe it was the narrator that made it so interesting for me, but I really did enjoy it.
Best Sequel You’ve Read In 2024
The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes
My daughter and I loved this middle-grade book and, I think, it was the only sequel I read all year so far. It was such a cute book, following the adventures of – well, the middle Moffat, Jane. Her adventures with the Oldest Inhabitant (a 99-year-old Civil War vet) was the cutest part of the book to me. It was also cool that we read the chapter about the Eclipse at the same time the eclipse was happening.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?
There are a lot of these (and you can read more of mine here) but for now, I will go with Tracking Tilly by Janice Thompson and I haven’t read it because it actually doesn’t release until August 1.
This one is a mystery that seems pretty cozy so I am looking forward to it.
Here is the description:
Who Stole Tilly from the Auction Block? Breathe in the nostalgia of everything old red truck in book one of a new cozy mystery series. The Hadley family ranch is struggling, so RaeLyn, her parents, and brothers decide to turn the old barn into an antique store. The only thing missing to go with the marketing of the store is Grandpa’s old red truck, Tilly, that was sold several years ago. Now coming back up on the auction block, Tilly would need a lot of work, but RaeLyn is sure it will be worth it—if only she can beat out other bidders and find out who stole Tilly after the auction ends. Hadley finds herself in the role of amateur sleuth, and the outcome could make or break the new family venture.
Biggest disappointment.
I have two for this one:
Hell is Empty: A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson
I’ve enjoyed almost all of the Walt Longmire series I’ve read so far but this one was ridiculous and predictable and I was terribly disappointed in it. My husband has suggested I read more books in the series because the rest of them were very good, so I will.
Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright
This was my first time trying this author and not only was the book repetitive (the woman grew up in a house of death by a cemetery full of death and death was all around her. Yes, got it. Stop repeating it every chapter) but it was extremely, extremely disturbing to me and I didn’t feel it should have been listed under Christian Fiction.
Biggest surprise.
I picked up How To Plan Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin on Netgalley and wasn’t sure what I would think of it but ended up really enjoying it and getting swept up in the twists and turns of this mystery.
Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)
Isabella Alan would probably be a new favorite for me. Her real name is Amanda Flowers but she writes as Isabella Alan as well and I really enjoyed her book Murder Plainly Read and plan to read more books by her later this year.
Newest fictional crush.
Theo Goodnight in Sharon Peterson’s The Fast Lane. He’s so swoony and sweet and funny and (a small spoiler here!) writes romances that I actually wouldn’t read but we’ll just go back to him being sweet and funny and dreamy.
Here is a little snippet of the book with Theo in it:
Bracing a hand on the table, he leaned close. “I’m beginning to think you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
My breath caught at the low, gravelly sound of his voice.
He shifted closer, his mouth stopping an inch from my ear. His warm breath on my skin sent a zing of awareness through me. “And I’m definitely not your brother.”
Swoon.
This is a clean romance by the way, so there is a bit of steam, small level of spice but no open door scenes or even medium spice.
Newest favorite character.
I know he isn’t new to others, but he’s new to me: Hercule Poirot. I’ve watched him on TV in the shows, but never realized how savage he was – even more so in the books than the show. The way he slams Hastings, putting him in his place, is just so funny.
From Lord Edgware Dies:
“I have noticed that when we work on a case together, you are always urging me on to physical action, Hastings. You wish me to measure footprints, to analyse cigarette ash, to prostrate myself on my stomach for the examination of detail. You never realize that by lying back in an armchair with the eyes closed one can come nearer to the solution of any problem. One sees then with the eyes of the mind.”
“I don’t,” I said. “When I lie back in an armchair with my eyes closed one thing happens to me and one thing only!”
“I have noticed it!” said Poirot. “It is strange. At such moments the brain should be working feverishly, not sinking into sluggish repose. The mental activity, it is so interesting, so stimulating! The employment of the little grey cells is a mental pleasure. They and they only can be trusted to lead one through fog to the truth…”
Book that made you cry.
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen. ‘
So much of this book was just so sweet and touching. It’s the story of a family who travels to the mother’s grandmother’s former home in the Pennsylvania countryside to try to help the father overcome PTSD. While there they meet a lovely couple, help the couple make maple syrup, meet a man who they thought was weird, but was actually sweet and just grow together as a family. Maybe it is because I am from Pennsylvania that it gave me sentimental feelings, I don’t know, but it really had me teary-eyed.
Book(s) that made you happy.
I’m picking two for this one:
The Cat Who Talked To Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun.
This book didn’t make me happy because a side character in the series I’ve been reading since high school was tragically murdered, but because I saw so much more of the main character, Jim Qwilleran’s, personality in this book. There were funny moments and touching moments and it was just such a departure from the other books in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Murder In An Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
This one was just a fun ride and I really enjoyed learning about Irish culture while also being taken on a journey through an interesting mystery. Plus, I fell in love with the characters.
What books do you want to read by the end of the year?
Here are a list of books I want to read by the end of the year:
The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery (already reading it)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (because I’ve never read it
Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker (I’ve heard a lot about this one and have it on my Kindle and Audible right now so I am looking forward to it)
The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kipp by Sara Brunsvold (I started this one but it got a bit heavy for me so I would like to finish it)
An Old Fashioned Girl by Louise Mae Alcott
The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Are any of these books on your mid-year round-up? Any of them you want to read? Let me know.
Book: Tangled Secrets: A Suspense Thriller (Mirror Esate Series: Book 3)
Author: S.F. Baumgartner
Genre: Christian Suspense Thriller
Release date: April 29, 2024
Two women. One targeted by an unknown enemy. One being accused of murder. Will they overcome their obstacles?
The twenty-five-year-old schoolteacher Grace Benson is living a quiet life until she receives a threatening note. Her life turns upside down when the FBI becomes involved.
The middle-aged wedding planner Sheila Mitchell comes home to find her husband dead before she’s knocked out. When she comes to, the murder weapon’s in her hand.
Will Grace survive? And will Sheila’s ex-husband, an FBI agent, clear her name? Who is targeting these women?
S.F. Baumgartner is a Christian suspense thriller author. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and the University of Cincinnati. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her cats, staying active, and binge-watching crime TV shows. She lives in Ohio with her family.
More from S.F.
Crafting “Tangled Secrets” was an exhilarating experience, as it brought clarity to several unresolved mysteries within the series. The enigmatic question of a leak or mole introduced in “Living Secrets” – specifically, the mystery surrounding how Lily’s secret was discovered – finds its resolution in this latest installment. Moreover, “Forgotten Secret” cast a shadow of suspicion over characters like Rook and Uncle Bill, whose motives and truths are finally unearthed in “Tangled Secrets.”
Inspiration for this narrative complexity came from diverse sources: a television episode sparked the concept of a daughter relinquished for adoption, while a film suggested the thrilling double life of a secret agent. These ideas were not only incorporated but also transformed to enrich the tapestry of the story, intertwining with elements of chaos and confusion to enhance the intrigue and excitement.
This series, starting from the prequel, has been a journey of dropping subtle hints and planting seeds that would flourish into the full narrative of “Tangled Secrets.” The series is a vast landscape of potential stories, each more compelling than the last. I hope “Tangled Secrets” not only captivates and satisfies but also invites readers deeper into its intricately woven world. Enjoy the latest dive into our unfolding saga.
Holy hot weather this week for many of us in the U.S.! I hope you are all staying cool and calm wherever you are. Or warm if you are in the southern hemisphere.
My daughter and I have been locked in the house all week, partially because of the heat and partially because she has had a cold that is now getting better.
Our portable AC units (the only ones we can use because of our windows that open out) have barely been able to keep up with the heat but we’ve been managing okay. We’ve been drinking a lot of water and eat popsicles and even taking cold baths and showers to cool ourselves down and so far it is working.
The first time I have to leave the house this week is Friday when I have to take my son to his friend’s house for his friend’s birthday.
How have all of you who are dealing with the heat handling it?
I’m so glad you are here and taking part in our weekly link-up of family-friendly, fun, educational, interesting, crafty, fashionable, and whatever else posts. I hope you’ll tell your followers about our post (feel free to copy and paste the graphic) and visit the blogs in the link-up. I know I have met some very fun bloggers that way!
And here are my three highlights for the week (again, it was hard to only pick three – I enjoyed so many of them so please go back last week and click through the posts. You are still able to do that, even if the party is closed.)
Now it is your turn to link up your favorite posts. They can be fashion, lifestyle, DIY, food, etc. All we ask is that they be family-friendly. You can link up posts from last week or even from years ago. We are always looking for additional hosts so let us know if you want to help out and we are also looking for more links from fashion bloggers so let your fashion bloggers know!
Also, please take the time to visit the other blogs on the link-up and meet some new bloggers!
The Secret of Shadow Ranch is the fifth book in the original Nancy Drew series. This was, so far, one of my favorites that I have read. I felt like it was more of a cohesive story than past books.
Nancy travels to Shadow Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona to meet up with her friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne for what is supposed to be a relaxation vacation. When she arrives, though, she finds out there have been some weird things going on at the ranch, mainly the appearance of a ghost horse, and now Bess’s aunt and uncle, the new owners of the ranch, don’t think any of the girls should stay for a visit.
Nancy, though, likes a mystery and she is even more intrigued when she finds out that locals think that Dick Valentine, an outlaw who was killed at the ranch years ago, is haunting the ranch. Dick Valentine was in love with the previous owner’s daughter and it was the previous owner who killed him.
Now Nancy is being pulled into a mystery that involves romance, danger, and treasure.
I enjoyed the way this one was written with it feeling much more well-rounded than previous books. I know some readers didn’t like that Nancy’s previous friend Helen Corning disappears in this book and rarely returns in future books before totally disappearing, but, in my opinion, Bess and George are absolutely an upgrade.
Bess is funny, bubbly, and boy-crazy (she can’t wait to tell Nancy abut the handsome cowboys she’s met at the ranch) and George is described as “tomboyish with short brown hair.”
I listened to a podcast recently where the podcaster didn’t like that Bess is described as slightly plump in this book and others and felt that the writer (Mildred Wert Benson — later rewritten by Harriet Adams) was fat-shaming her or saying she was inferior because of her larger size. I respect the podcaster’s opinion and do see where she was coming from, but I respectfully (sincerely respect) disagree.
I felt that the author was simply describing Bess to show that not all their characters were skinny minnies. I’m overweight and I’d prefer to be called pleasantly plump like Bess was, to be honest. I think the fact that she was included at all was a sign of progress in books because characters were fairly cookie-cutter thin back then from what I’ve seen.
The mystery in this one was interesting, Nancy was flirted with by a handsome cowboy, Nancy’s boyfriend Ned was mentioned for the first time, Bess and George were introduced and added a fun element to the story, and there seemed to be more thought put into the story overall.
Some readers could see the introduction as a Native American in the story as problematic but I did not because she was not stereotypically portrayed. The fact she was simply owning a store and being part of the community and not seen at a Pow-Wow or something similarly stereotypical was actually very nice. I didn’t really have a problem with Nancy and her friends wearing traditional Native American garb, but like the podcaster I listened to, I didn’t like that they called it “squaw dresses,” because the term squaw sounds derogatory to me.
After a search online I learned that these dresses were made popular in Arizona and developed by Dolores Gonzales (a Mexican-American designer) and Cele Peterson,
The dresses incorporated Native American designs to pay homage to Native Americans, not to steal their designs or to mock Native Americans, and Native Americans from a variety of tribes designed and wore them, but I can see how some would see them as a negative representation of the Native American community. The name of the dresses were later changed to patio or fiesta dresses to be more culturally sensitive.
Anyhow, back to the book — as always, these books are a product of their time but they are a fun distraction in this chaotic world.
