Tag: books

Saturday Afternoon Chat: The Italian statue of the devil that was too hot and Timothy is missing in action

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Saturday Afternoon Tea2 Comments

Ah, so glad you’re here. Can I get a drink?

Some tea?  Coffee? Milk?

Juice? Water? Soda?

Let’s chat about our week.

How was your week last week? You can let me know in the comments after I ramble at you about my week, which was rather calm thanks to chilly temps and a car that needs to pass inspection before we can drive it again.

Yes, in Pennsylvania your car has to pass an inspection every year and thanks to some lovely incompetence on the part of a local salvage yard and of another seller, we have been unable to get our headlight that was destroyed by the deer we hit last year fixed until this week. And that is well over when our inspection was due. We have an inspection appointment this week and then I will have a car during the week when my husband is at work.

I didn’t really want to go anywhere this past week anyhow. It was superbly chilly and rainy, giving me the autumn vibes I have been craving.

I spent three blissful days inside my house reading books and working on Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree, all while cuddled up under my grandmother’s blanket. Grandma has been gone since 2003 so I didn’t steal her blanket. I inherited it. Ha! I always figure I should clarify that since it sounds like I stole my poor grandmother’s blanket and she’s at home shivering in the cold.

All the coziness ended Friday when I had to leave my little cozy cocoon and take my teenage son to get his haircut and pick up groceries.

The Boy started school at the tech school again this past week. This is his second year there and at the end of the year he will be done with school because he is – he is – sniff – a senior!

I can’t even believe he is about to graduate from high school. It makes my head very woozy.

I have started asking myself things like, “Will he still want to go on family vacations with us? Will he go out to dinner with us? Will he still hangout with us? Will he still live here because I really want him to live here for a very long time and my heart will shatter if he moves too far away?”

I’m not handling all of this well and I’m not afraid or ashamed to admit it.

After we picked up groceries and brought them home, Little Miss and I attempted to go swimming at my parents. The nights have been very cold so the pool was like an ice bath. We lasted about an hour and then gave up.

Back at home last night I was again under the blanket as the temperatures went back down. This week the temps are supposed to be back in the 80s but I think our days of wickedly high summer temps are behind us. We shall see.

Even as some forecasters say our autumn season will be warm and dry, The Farmer’s Almanac says it will be cool and wet. We will have to take it day by day and see who wins out. When I first heard we might have a warm fall I wanted to cry. I really want some chilly days where I have an excuse to stay inside. I have no excuses to stay inside in summer unless the weather is so sweltering I know it will make me sick.

In Autumn I can be like, “It’s just so chilly out. I think I’ll stay at home.”

Which is code for – I’m going to read a book and watch an old movie.

Speaking of movies – Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and I are gearing up for another Comfy, Cozy Cinema starting September 5.

She’s already made some great graphics to go with the feature so if you want to join along, here is our list:

A little update today on Timothy The Spider, who I wrote about last week – he is currently MIA.

Earlier this week it was raining very hard outside and I think he could hear the rain and wanted to get out because he climbed behind one of our curtains and it was the last we saw of him for the rest of the week.

So far I haven’t seen him on the floor but we have brown hardwood floors and a carpet of various shades of brown so he could be anywhere. If I see him, I will most likely kill him. Poor Timothy. Alas, his life might be short. Or he could already have been eaten by one of the cats, I have no idea. All I know is he isn’t hanging over my head anymore and I sort of wish we had killed him before because now I don’t know where he might show up or when.

In closing, I thought I would share a weird conversation The Boy and I had last night about a statue of “the devil” or Lucifer that was sculpted in Italy in the 1840s by Joseph Geefs.

Geefs statue was commissioned and installed the St. Paul’s Cathedral in Belgium but was then determined to be “distracting allure” and feature “unhealthy beauty” in its portrayal of Lucifer or Satan.

So the church hired Geefs’ older brother  Guillaume Geefs to sculpt another statue to represent the devil and that one turned out to be just as “sexy” or even more so by some definitions. That second statue is still in St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The Boy and I agreed that the second sculpture is actually more beautiful and distracting than the first so we’re not sure why the first one was replaced by the second one.

(The first statue on the left, second is on the right).

What do you think? which one is more hot?

How was your week last week? Do anything interesting?

Lose any spiders in your house?

See any interesting sculptures?

Let me know in the comments.

Sunday Bookends: Summer movies, school starting, and more mysteries to read

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends15 Comments




It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.

What’s Been Occurring

 School starts for The Boy this week. It will start the following week for Little Miss.

I rambled about what’s been going on in my blog post from yesterday.

What I/we’ve been Reading

I am still reading Clueless At The Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield (really enjoying it) and Trouble Shooter by Louis L’Amour.

Renee by Sandra Ardoin




A Simple Deduction by Kristi Holl (An Amish Inn Mystery)

World Traveler by Anthony Bourdain

Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett

The Author’s Guide To Murder by Lauren Willig, Beatriz Williams, and Karen White

Gardner’s Plot by Deborah Benoit

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashi

What We watched/are Watching

The Husband and I watched a Magnum P.I./Murder She Wrote crossover yesterday. I expected more from it, but then I learned there is a second part so we will be watching that tomorrow after he gets off work.

I started a Hayley Mills movie – Summer Magic — that I planned to replace one of the movies in my Summer Movie Marathon series since Having A Wonderful Time isn’t streaming anywhere and I don’t really want to order a DVD of it. I’m really not liking the movie very much so I don’t know if I will stick it out or not or watch something else for the marathon.

This morning I watched Just A Few Acres Farm after we watched the sermon from Elevation Church together. This is a Sunday tradition.

The sermon was excellent this week.

Just A Few Acres was interesting as he worked on fixing up an old truck with his son.

Last week he was spray painting a tractor and I know I’m old now because that was simply fascinating to me. Fascinating and very relaxing.


What I’m Writing

This week on the blog I shared:

My book Cassie came out last week on Amazon. You can learn more about it here:

It’s part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

I made quite a bit of progress on Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree which I hope to have out by early November.

What I’m Listening To

I listened a little more to The Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chaverini and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.

Photos from Last Week

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Sunday Bookends: Autumn is coming, watching summer movies, and school is starting soon

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends17 Comments



It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.

What’s Been Occurring

 We had a threat of flash flooding Friday thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Debby but in the end the pattern moved to our west and Westfield, Pa., which is a couple hours from us, was hit extremely hard. Some areas around us had some issues but nothing like Westfield.

Temperatures have cooled way down and now that we are moving toward Autumn (which I wanted) I am feeling somewhat melancholy, knowing that our days of swimming are coming to an end. Little Miss and I haven’t been swimming in two weeks due to either algae in the pool that had to be treated, a leak that was found and fixed, or chlorine that was too high. We are going to try again today but with temps only supposed to get in the low 70s I have a feeling we won’t be in long.

The days are already getting shorter – I’ve noticed that it is dark by 8:30 now. The cats are looking for more snuggles than before and we are now preparing for the start of the school year.

I have almost all the curriculum we need for the year but I do need a couple of things still for The Boy, who is a senior this year and will be attending a local trade school again this year.  

What I/we’ve been Reading

Trouble Shooter by Louis L’Amour

Renee by Sandra Ardoin

Clueless At the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

 Tracking Tilly by Janice Thompson

The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes by Carolyn Keene




A Simple Deduction by Kristi Holl

The Gardner’s Plot by Deborah Benoit

The Author’s Guide to Murder by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig

An Assassination On the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

Little Miss and I are listening to The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Boy is listening to The Witcher, book one.

The Husband is reading The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale

What We watched/are Watching

Since I last posted a Sunday Bookends I have watched a lot but I didn’t write it all down so I might not remember everything.

I know I watched a couple of summer movies – Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation and Summertime.

I have started Somewhere in Time but I haven’t finished it yet.

I watched Ladies in Lavender and a couple marathons of Murder She Wrote as well as an episode of Yes, Minister with my mom.


What I’m Writing

I am writing the third book in the Gladwynn Grant Mystery series: Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree.

The first book in the series is free today on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1KSQJXP

Cassie, the eighth book in the Apron Strings Book series releases Thursday. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1VW9TVK

On the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening To

I am listening to the Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini.

Recent Blog Posts I Enjoyed

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – August 9, 2024
Talk a walk with me.
Birthday at the Brasserie!
Tuesday Tour: a light history

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Did you know that I am having a huge discount on the paid subscriptions for my Substack and that when you are a paid subscriber you will receive sneak peeks to upcoming books (like Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree, which will come out this autumn), behind the scenes looks, discounts, author interviews, giveaways, and many other perks?

No?

Well, now you know. You can find my substack, which is updated a few times a month, at www.lisarhowler.substack.com

Fiction Friday: An interview with Sandra Ardoin

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading3 Comments



Today for Fiction Friday I am interviewing Sandra Ardoin who has a new book out. Renee is the seventh book in the Apron Strings Book Series, a multi-author series of which I am also a part.

Each book can be read as a standalone with the only connecting factor being an old-fashioned cookery (recipe) book called Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book. Each book takes place in a decade from 1920 to 2020.

Sandra’s book takes place in the 1980s.

First, a little about the book:

Renee Burnette, a widow living in the North Carolina mountains, has longed for two things she never had growing up—a permanent home and a lasting friendship like the one she has with Val from her cooking club. In the summer of 1986, the local apple growers sponsor a bake-off with a monetary prize that would bring Renee closer to her housing goal. But after Renee and Val each enter, their relationship goes from best friends to bitter rivals.

When Renee learns of the opportunity for a promotion at work, she’s determined to prove her qualifications to her handsome, single boss. The closer they draw to one another, though, the more Renee fears that an office romance will jeopardize her job and her housing dream.

As the bake-off competition intensifies, Renee’s office relationships are strained, her sweet son becomes unruly, and the rift with Val widens. Can a decades-old cookbook help Renee restore the bonds every woman needs?



Now, an interview with Sandra:

1.        Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

For me, writing is a business, but it’s also a ministry, so the faith aspect is important. I write Christian romance and began with historicals set in the late 19th century. For the past couple of years, though, I’ve written contemporary romances. Honestly, I’m eager to get back to the past and alternate with a mix of time periods.

My writing career began in 1986 (the same year in which Renee takes place) with greeting cards and posters, then I moved on to children’s short stories for Sunday School take-home papers. I’m a big believer in God’s timing, and His timing, when it came to writing novels, was not until 2009. That’s been my focus since, with my first (a novella) traditionally published in 2014 and the follow-up novel in 2016—the Barnes Brothers series. In 2019, I went independent and have published ten additional novels and novellas.

In my real life, I’m a wife, mom, and occasional granddog-sitter living in North Carolina.

2.        What is your latest book about? Who are the main characters and when and where does it take place?

My latest book is Renee, Book Seven in the Apron Strings series. In this series of books that takes place in different decades, I was blessed to be given the 1980s, a decade I know well. I set the book in western North Carolina near Asheville and gave the story a young widow (Renee) with a six-year-old boy. She had a somewhat vagabond childhood and yearns for a sense of belonging and lifelong friendships.

Renee believes a house, rather than the small apartment she and her son now occupy, will offer that permanency she’s lacked in life. Hoping the prize money will complete the funds she needs to buy a house, she enters a baking contest, only to discover she’s competing against her best friend.

3.        What is the overarching message of your latest book?  

Renee is a story about relationships . . . with a little romance thrown in. Her go-to verses are Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. I chose those scriptures, because they are so  because they are so apropos to Renee’s spiritual growth.

4.        Did you learn anything about writing or yourself as you were writing the book?

I’m accustomed to writing romance from two points of view—the hero and heroine. This book is only in Renee’s point of view and light on the romance. When it came to her interactions with Greg, I so wanted to write his POV, too, which made the romance a little more challenging for me.

5.        Where can readers find out more about you and your projects?

Readers can visit my website and find my complete book list at http://www.sandraardoin.com/books. I’m also on BookBub, Facebook, X , and Goodreads.

The best way to keep up with what’s new, discover what’s upcoming, and learn of sales and specials is to subscribe to my newsletter. I send it out once a month or when something special is happening, like a sale or new release.

Check out Renee or any of the books in the Apron Strings series on Amazon and read them through Kindle Unlimited.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, everyday musings13 Comments

|| Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||


This week’s theme is: Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series (We all have a favorite book in our favorite series, right?) (submitted by A Hot Cup of Pleasure)

I thought this one was going to be harder than it was because I haven’t finished a lot of series and didn’t really think I’d read books from a lot of series. It turns out I have read quite a few books from series, even though I haven’t yet finished some of them.

Once I had my list, I also realized I had three children’s book series listed, but I think that’s okay since some of them I’ve read recently with my daughter.

Anyhow, without further ado – ten favorite books from ten series:

  1. A Light in the Window by Jan Karon (the second book in The Mitford series).

This one was a little hard for me because I like so many of the books in this series, especially the first book. I also loved book ten Home to Holly Springs, even though it was one of the darker in the series. I love A Light In the Window, though, because it is the start of the love story between Father Tim and his wife Cynthia.

Another favorite is A Common Life, which is the story of their wedding. I also love the Christmas one and …. I could go on and on with this series.

2. The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun from The Cat Who series.

 I just read this book in the series this year and I loved it for a variety of reasons. One, it took Qwill and the cats away from their normal setting and two it just showed a totally different side of Qwill. It was also just really well written.

I shared a review of it here: https://lisahoweler.com/2024/05/06/book-recommendation-the-cat-who-talked-to-ghosts/

3. Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower (A Magic Garden Mystery)

It took me more than a year to get ahold of this final installment of this cozy mystery magical trilogy but I was glad when I finally found it on Hoopla. It was worth the wait and tied the series up nicely.

4. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)

It’s sort of cliché to choose the first in the series, I suppose (though this one wasn’t actually published first) but it is my favorite of what I have re-read of the series so far. I read the series as a kid but I don’t remember all of the books so I am re-reading them with my daughter. So far this is my favorite of them but I may update that later.

5. A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (The Mark of the Lion series)

I’m choosing the first in the series again, but this is my favorite from the series, which I first read in high school. This is a Christian Historical Fiction book that takes place during the rule of Rome. It’s very hard to put down.

6. Love and A Little White Lie by Tammy L. Gray (A State of Grace series)

Oops. It’s another first in the series. But it was my favorite! Ha! I loved this realistic inspirational romance that wasn’t cliché and dealt with real issues about faith, love, and personal flaws. It also had some humorous moments with and observations from the main character.

7. The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson (A Walt Longmire Mystery)

The Longmire mysteries can be dark at times and so I don’t read them often, instead choosing to space them out and take breaks with fluffier reads in between. I’m still in the beginning of this series so I’m sure there will be other favorites as well. I chose this one but there is actually a book of Christmas-themed short stories about Walt that I loved even more. It wasn’t really a book from the series, though, so I chose this one.

I love Johnson’s writing and how he weaves humor into serious moments. Walt’s relationship with his Native American friend Henry Standing Bear will go down as one of the strongest and coolest in literary history in my mind.

8. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (The Little House on the Prairie series)

It was hard for me to choose a favorite from this series because I like a few of them about the same. I chose this one because it’s when we meet Nellie Olson, who wasn’t as big of a part of Laura’s real life as the TV show made her out to be. I love the part where Laura tricks Nellie into going into the creek and Nellie ends up getting leeches stuck to her legs and starts screaming.

The other book I almost chose was These Happy Golden Years because Almonzo and Laura start to court more in earnest. But I also love The Farmer Boy…okay..better move on from this one or I’ll add them all.

9. Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond (The Paddington Bear series)

I had to choose a book from this series because the series has been so much a part of my and Little Miss’s life. We have read this series a couple of times and Little Miss loves when I read the books to her and do all of the accents of the characters.

There have been a few times she has fallen asleep and I’ve kept reading because I’ve gotten so caught up in these cute stories about Paddington bear. I like this book because Paddington and the Browns travel to France and they have so many different and exciting adventures.

10. EDIT: Previously this was listed as Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (from the Anne of Green Gables series) but it was actually Anne of the Island that I enjoyed more. I switched them in my head. Sigh. Sorry about that to people who already commented.

Most people would choose Anne of Green Gables as their favorite from this series and I absolutely love that book but I also love Anne of the Island because I love that Anne and Gilbert really start their romance in this one. Anne is growing up and learning about who she is and what she truly wants in life and it’s just a fun adventure.

What are some of your favorite books from a series?

Sunday Bookends: Some swimming time, some relaxing time and lots of fun books

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends9 Comments




It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.


What’s Been Occurring

 This week was fairly lowkey. Little Miss and I went swimming twice – once earlier in the week and once yesterday with her friend who I’ll name Crazy Child for the sake of the blog.

She had a sleepover last night and it’s the last one of the summer, so I’m excited about that even if she isn’t. I know. I’m awful, but sleepovers can be so exhausting.

She and her friend had a ton of fun, though, so I am glad.

The temps dropped so much the last couple of days that I think my animals thought it was fall already. They were curled up on me or against me Friday and Saturday. Our youngest cat wanted to be on me no matter what Saturday night – even laying on my chest while I was trying to sleep!

Temps are going to warm up again because we aren’t done with summer yet.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Our daughter let me know this week that she is done watching movies based on books. They ruin her images of what she sees in her mind. I just thought that was funny and accurate because so many of us readers feel that way.

I am currently reading

Trouble Shooter by Louis L’Amour (just taking my time on this one since it is not my normal genre)

The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (A Nancy Drew Mystery) by Carolyn Keene

Tracking Tilly by Janice Jackson

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (loved this one. I’ll have a review later this week.)

The Key Collector’s Promise by Donna Stone (this book will be out in September)



Renee by Sandra Ardoin

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

The Boy is in between books.

Little Miss and I are listening to Little Women on Audible at night before bed.

The Husband headed off to work before I could ask him what he’s reading right now.

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop with Kelsey Grammer and a British actress I’d never heard of. It was pretty good but was a pretty simple mystery. I read that it was meant to be the first movie in a series but You Know What happened and then Kelsey started filming the new Frasier.

I also watched When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (a German film based on the book by Judith Kerr, which I enjoyed).

I started a movie called From Time to Time but haven’t finished it yet. It is a bit weird and involves a young boy going back in time. I’m not sure how they got Maggie Smith for it. It isn’t horrible but it doesn’t seem to be at the same caliber as her other work.


What I’m Writing

I am still working on Gladwynn Grant Shakes The Family Tree and having fun.

On the blog I shared:

Photos from Last Week

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Book recommendation/review: Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker (I wanted to like this one more than I did)

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading5 Comments

Title: Live and Let Cha

Author: Bree Baker

Genre: cozy mystery

Description:

Sun, sand, and tea are just three of Everly Swan’s favorite things. Her batty, beekeeping great-aunts and small, coastal hometown of Charm, North Carolina, round out the top five. So returning to Charm for a fresh start on her wilting life is an easy decision for Everly, and opening a new seaside cafe and iced-tea shop puts the proverbial icing on her legendary lemon cakes.

Everything is just peachy until a body turns up on the boardwalk outside her home and a jar of her proprietary tea is found at the victim’s side.

Now, Detective Grady Hays, Charm’s newest and most mysterious lawman, has named Everly as his number-one suspect, and Everly’s new start is about to go up in smoke unless she can dish up the real killer.

I’d heard so much about this book from other cozy mystery readers of Booktubers so I was excited when it finally became available through Libby, the library ebook app.

I started it and really enjoyed it in the beginning. I even found out I could listen to it for free via Audible for the times I couldn’t sit and read. I then discovered that Bree Baker was the pen name for another author I’d recently read – Julie Anne Lindsey – so I was sure the book would be as good as everyone said. Lindsey’s book was Apple Cider Slaying, which I really enjoyed.

The writing is great, don’t get me wrong, but after a few chapters I began to realize that I was reading the beach version of Apple Cider Slaying.

Sure, the characters were somewhat different – an extra elderly relative was thrown into this one with two aunts instead of just one grandma – but otherwise the plots were somewhat similar.

There was a person in town who didn’t like the main character, Everly,  having her business in her home and before the end of chapter one he was dead.

Everly was considered a possible suspect so she had to clear her name. In Apple Cider Slaying, the main character had to clear her grandmother’s name.

Once again we  had a former U.S. Marshal who moved to a small town to start over as the local police chief and the main character found out more about him by looking him up online.

This time we tossed a kid and dead wife into the mix, but the police chief does become a love interest.

Now, all this being said, I’m not saying the book was bad. There were aspects I liked about it, including the back story of the Swan family.

Overall, the book was interesting and engaging even if it was predictable and not as good as I had hoped. Still, cozy mysteries aren’t known to be creatively unique or full of depth all the time. They often simply give readers what they want – a mystery to solve by an amateur sleuth who must clear either her name or that of a friend or family member and some quirky and fun characters. Cozy mysteries are to cozy mystery readers like romances are to romance readers – comfortingly predictable and maybe even slightly cheesy.

Live and Let Chai had all of that so I enjoyed it, yes, but I don’t know if I will rush out to read the next in the series – especially because I didn’t really like the main character that much. She was a bit rude and pushy at times.

 I will, however, most likely read the next in the series at some point because I am curious to see if the other books will be as predictable or if Lindsey – er – Baker will break the mold a bit.

Have you read this one? What did you think?

Sunday Bookends: I can’t think of an interesting title for this week

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends11 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.
‘


What’s Been Occurring

I wrote about our week in my post yesterday.

After I posted that post the kids and I picked up a friend of The Boy’s and brought him home to our fold to become one of the family for a couple of days – though he is really part of the family even when he isn’t here.

We also stopped and picked up groceries.

Yes. It was a very exciting day, but we needed that after our busy week last week.

What I/we’ve been Reading

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery.

I’m very much enjoying this book which is so much different than the Anne of Green Gables books. I love the main character and can’t wait to see what happens to her in the end.

When You Returned by Havelah McClat

Tracking Tilly by Janice Thompson

I put Dandelion Cottage by Carrol Watson Rankin to the side and plan to pick it back up in the fall to read with Little Miss – or actually we may start it this week because am I as writing this I remembered we finished our read aloud this week.

Return to Gone Away by Elizabeth Enright


Renee by Sandra Ardoin

Trouble Shooter by Louis L’Amour

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched the original Gidget movie (1959) for my planned Summer Movie Marathon and will write about it in a future post.

I also rewatched the 2010 version of True Grit with The Boy and his friend. As usual I cried at the end. It’s such a good movie.


What I’m Writing

This week on the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening To

I am currently listening to The Cross-Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini.

I have also been listening to Anne Wilson’s album, Rebel.

Photos from Last Week

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Top Ten Things I Love about Little Women

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, everyday musings12 Comments

|| Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ||

Today’s prompt is: Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here] (Pick any book and tell us ten things you loved about it!) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext)

For this prompt, I chose to write about Little Women, which I read for the first time at the end of last year into this year. I stretched out the reading of this book – savoring it – because I loved it so much. I can’t believe it took me so long to read it. I fell in love with every character and I feel like this is a book I may not read over and over but will read excerpts of each year – probably in the winter like I did this time.

Anyhow, without further ado. . .

Top Ten Things I Loved about Little Women.

1. I love how realistically Louisa Mae Alcott wrote about the roles and lives of women in that time period, but she also didn’t entirely adhere to this historical fact because she also wrote of the girls as rebellious to those strict “standards” for women. The young March women were bold and strong-willed and didn’t let what society said they had to be stop them from being what they wanted to be.

2. I love Marmee. Just everything about her. I loved how she was maternal and brave and cared for others. I loved how she was strong but didn’t mind showing the girls she was scared when her husband was in the military hospital. I loved that she didn’t mind telling Jo that she too had struggled with her tongue and being snappy and hurting people’s feelings, yet didn’t try to tell Jo that Jo needed to change. Alcott’s decision to write about her admittance of her own struggles with temper and her reasons for those struggles was so ahead of its time. Talking about feelings and motivations for why a person acted the way they did wasn’t really something touched on by many books of this time, as far as I’ve seen.

3. I love how the book is not a traditional romance or really a romance at all – yet it is at the same time. Readers may think the story is marching (no pun intended) to a certain conclusion with two certain people ending up together but Alcott turns it all on its head and leaves us pondering what we think about who does end up with our beloved Teddy.

4. Finding a category to place this book in can be very hard at times. There are elements of romance, but then also just sweet stories, and then women’s fiction with Jo’s story and thoughts about what it means to become a young woman and a writer and what love means to her. I love that the book can’t be easily categorized. It makes it even more endearing.

5. I love the faith of the characters and how even though they have faith, they also aren’t afraid to question it and admit when God seems so far away.

“Yes, it is. She doesn’t know us, she doesn’t even talk about the flocks of green doves, as she calls the vine leaves on the wall. She doesn’t look like my Beth, and there’s nobody to help us bear it. Mother and Father  both gone, and God seems so far away I can’t find Him.” 

As the tears streamed fast down poor Jo’s cheeks, she stretched out her hand in a helpless sort of way, as if  groping in the dark, and Laurie took it in his, whispering as well as he could with a lump in his throat, “I’m  here. Hold on to me, Jo, dear!” 

She could not speak, but she did “hold on,” and the warm grasp of the friendly human hand comforted her  sore heart, and seemed to lead her nearer to the Divine arm which alone could uphold her in her trouble. 

6. I love how each chapter of the book is like its own story which means I could read a chapter or two a night of the book and stretch out the enjoyment of stepping into that world night after night.

7. I love how Beth was both childlike and deep at the same time. So many of the things she said – much like Jo and Marmee – were amazingly profound and thought-provoking in such a simple, sweet way.

“You must take my place, Jo, and be everything to Father and Mother when I’m gone. They will turn to you, don’t fail them, and if it’s hard to work alone, remember that I don’t forget you, and that you’ll be happier in doing that than writing splendid books or seeing all the world, for love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy.”

8. I love the subtly of the life lessons in this book. Those life lessons come in some of the profound statements that the characters, like Beth, says, but especially through the actions of the characters. How Marmee takes food to others and cares for them when they are at their lowest. How all the girls grasp onto life and hold on tight so they can enjoy as much of it as possible. How Mr. March helps his neighbors. How Beth cares for the young children who are sick, resulting in her own sickness and later her death.

9. I love how we are able to follow the young women from childhood to adulthood. I loved being able to see them grow and progress and stretch along the way.

10. I love Mr. Laurence and his love for Beth, but all the girls and how that love opens up parts of him that he had shut off long ago.

Is there a book that you could list ten things you love about it? If so, which book is it?