Book Reviews - the May Edition

 

You get four stars, and you get four stars, and you get four stars – everybody gets four stars! I am perhaps not the most discerning of readers…    
 
1. Fractured (Will Trent #4), by Karin Slaughter. ★★★★ When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner's death. He doesn't understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn't understand her role in the death of Grant County's popular police chief. He doesn't understand why that man's widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case. While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she's already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton's passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver's death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets--and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed.
 
The Bug Says: It feels weird to think back to this book because I’m going to finish book 5 today. I obviously like this series! One of the things I like and that also aggravates me is that all the people in the book are real – no caricatures here. They have real strengths and weaknesses and weird foibles. I get mad at them & root for them. I’m getting a little bit invested in these characters!

 
2. The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You, by Shannan Martin. ★★★★ For Christ-followers living in an increasingly complicated world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to live a life of intention and meaning. Where do we even begin? Shannan Martin offers a surprisingly simple answer: uncover the hidden corners of our cities and neighborhoods and invest deeply in the lives of people around us. She walks us through her own discoveries about the vital importance of paying attention, as well as the hard but rewarding truth about showing up and committing for the long haul, despite the inevitable encounters with brokenness and uncertainty. With transparency, humor, heart-tugging storytelling, and more than a little personal confession, Martin shows us that no matter where we live or how much we have, as we learn what it is to be with people as Jesus was, we'll find our very lives. The details will look quiet and ordinary, and the call will both exhaust and exhilarate us. But it will be the most worth-it adventure we will ever take.
 
The Bug Says: This is the second of Shannon’s books that I’ve read. I follow her on Instagram and I like her a lot. And I love the lesson in this book – being a good neighbor (literally) is what the Gospel is all about. There’s no need to plant yourself somewhere exotic and show God’s love to the people there – there are people right next door who could use that love.

 
3. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #14), by 
Alexander McCall Smith ★★★★ Modern ideas get tangled up with traditional ones in the latest intriguing installment in the beloved, best-selling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. Precious Ramotswe has taken on two puzzling cases. First she is approached by the lawyer Mma Sheba, who is the executor of a deceased farmer’s estate. Mma Sheba has a feeling that the young man who has stepped forward may be falsely impersonating the farmer’s nephew in order to claim his inheritance. Mma Ramotswe agrees to visit the farm and find out what she can about the self-professed nephew. Then the proprietor of the Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon comes to Mma Ramotswe for advice. The opening of her new salon has been shadowed by misfortune. Not only has she received a bad omen in the mail, but rumors are swirling that the salon is using dangerous products that burn people’s skin. Could someone be trying to put the salon out of business? Meanwhile, at the office, Mma Ramotswe has noticed something different about Grace Makutsi lately. Though Mma Makutsi has mentioned nothing, it has become clear that she is pregnant . . . But in Botswana—a land where family has always been held above all else—this may be cause for controversy as well as celebration.

The Bug Says: This might be my favorite book in this series. It’s a love song to Africa, to Botswana, and even to Mma Makutsi! I was just about to give up on this series because she has been driving me crazy, but this book redeemed her (or at least made me feel more kindly). Oh, and this is the book I was listening to when I made that “daw” face – it was a very sweet moment with one of the more irascible characters in the book.
 
 
4. The Whispering Room (Jane Hawk #2), by Dean Koontz ★★★★ In the wake of her husband’s inexplicable suicide—and the equally mysterious deaths of scores of other exemplary individuals—Jane picks up the trail of a secret cabal of powerful players who think themselves above the law and beyond punishment. But the ruthless people bent on hijacking America’s future for their own monstrous ends never banked on a highly trained FBI agent willing to go rogue—and become the nation’s most wanted fugitive—in order to derail their insidious plans to gain absolute power with a terrifying technological breakthrough. Driven by love for her lost husband and by fear for the five-year-old son she has sent into hiding, Jane Hawk has become an unstoppable predator. Those she is hunting will have nowhere to run when her shadow falls across them.

The Bug Says: This book was sometimes so intense that I found myself holding my breath. At the same time it was very measured with the drama building and exploding and building and exploding… It was exhausting! It is written in Dean Koontz’s usual style, which may or may not suit you. The only thing missing is a dog.
 
I’ve finished one book so far in June (the one where I posted the picture of my disgusted face), and I’ll finish another one today. And I just started a mystery written by Stacy Abrams! What have you been reading?
 

2021 Project 365 – Week Twenty-four

Dear Blog Readers, it is wildflower central over here! In fact, it’s a wonder that we have photos of anything else. Should make for a pretty post. Let’s check it out, shall we?

Sunday, June 6^th
Morning Glory!
 

Monday, June 7^th    
Rudbeckia in the rain.
 

Had my first anti-racism zoom workshop & it was great. Part of our homework was to update our social medial profiles. I had actually done mine earlier that day because I was going through the workbook.
 

Tuesday, June 8^th    
Coneflowers!
 

Wednesday, June 9^th  
Daddy & Sue were out of town (they’re back now), but that didn’t stop me from going by their house & working on the new puzzle during my lunch hour. I was late getting back to work!
 

Thursday, June 10^th
Gloriosa DOUBLES! I didn’t even know that was a thing. So pretty!
 

Friday, June 11^th
This is what I posted on Instagram & Facebook: I’ve never done a “Friday Introduction” before, but it’s part of my anti-racism homework, so here we are. Hi! My name is Dana and I’m a middle-aged white woman who is a left leaning liberal Christian. I think everyone is welcome to God’s table & if they can’t get in the door or walk up to the table or can’t have alcohol or gluten - well we make the table where they are with the elements they can partake of. Also, “everyone” means she, he, they, them, straight, queer, bi, ace… Sorry - I got off on a tangent.
What I meant to say is that while I still want to make sure everyone is welcome, I have a new growth edge in my life: learning about how I benefit from white supremacy & what I can do about dismantling it. It’s probably going to make me uncomfortable. And I’m probably going to drive my friends & family (& you!) crazy. Are you ready?

 

Saturday, June 12^th
I haven’t enjoyed our wildflower bed one bit. Nosiree! Next week I’ll take a picture of the full effect because although we have some gorgeous blooms, the vast majority of it is taking its own sweet time (bee balm, I’m looking at you!).
 

Since Daddy & Sue were back I decided to go work the puzzle visit them. 

 

No temperature blanket update – it was rainy so I couldn’t do a good photo shoot. Just imagine last week’s photo with a row of red because that’s all we’ve had all week! Worked on my shawl a bit. I’ve already frogged it (again) because I didn’t like my color placement. I’m still not totally sold, but at this point I’m just going to move forward and see what happens because frankly, it looks totally different after each new row.
 

Dr. M and I are taking a little road trip to the mountains tomorrow. It’s been forever since we’ve had a ramble! I’m looking forward to feeling a wee bit like we’re on vacation. What trips do you have planned this summer?
 
 

2021 Project 365 – Week Twenty-three

It’s Sunday night & I’m a little salty that I have to go to work tomorrow. What is up with THAT?
Sunday, May 30^th  
Our daylilies have exploded! I think last week when I said they were early I was remembering Ohio where they didn’t bloom until mid to late June. How long have I been back in NC?
 

I went back for more puzzling. Daddy & Sue fed me & then they cleaned up the kitchen while I worked on the puzzle. I’m just a little bit spoiled.

Monday, May 31^st   
Hydrangeas that were given to Dr. M’s family at his mother’s funeral – they’ve been gorgeous!
 

Other scenes from his dad’s yard. The neighbors are using part of his yard for their goats – which Dr. M appreciates because that cuts down on mowing.
 

Tuesday, June 1^st   
Went to walk with my cousin and was less than successful in getting my car parked. There were extenuating circumstances, and yes I DID get right back in there & do a better job.
 

Morning glory!
 

Wednesday, June 2^nd
Ms. Pinky of the Two Tones…
 

I did a couple of swatches to try to see what color I should mix in for my shawl. I’ve picked the black because I wear a LOT of black, and also I’m thinking it will have a stained glass effect. I’ll post a picture of my progress next week so you can see if I was right.
 

Thursday, June 3^rd
The Braves had a day game so Dr. M decided to watch it with his Pop. They won! (This is noteworthy because they have a less than .500 record and it’s a little sad around here.)
 

Friday, June 4^th
New arrivals in the wildflower bed – things are getting interesting!
 

Meanwhile, Heather D. Sheep is doing a fine job watching over her Mandevilla.
 

Saturday, June 5^th
I had a hair situation going on.
 

Weekly temperature blanket update. I kind of like it when I see it like this – up close all those different pinks make my eyes cross.
 

When I say this next bit, please remember that I am by nature a slothful person who doesn’t really like to do a lot: I’m starting to resent that there aren’t more hours in the day. There are so many things I’d like to (or need to) do and I just keep running out of time! It would probably help if I’d stop playing my favorite game on my iPad and also if I’d quit spending so much time on Instagram – but those are things I want to do too! How are you at time management? If you’re good at it, does it make you happy, or should I just quit worrying about it?

2021 Project 365 – Week Twenty-two

Oh my goodness, what a deliciously lazy day I’ve had. I slept late, went to a frou frou yarn store, and basically spent the rest of the day crocheting. Sweet!
Sunday, May 23^rd
This seems a little early. Does it seem early to you?
 

Monday, May 24^th  
New color alert! Autumn Red, for my 76-80 degree range. I was all excited, but this might be the new orange (in reference to my last temperature blanket). I used this color for five days straight this week – the first time this year of having the same color that many days in a row.
 

Tuesday, May 25^th  
Last week I gave you my “daw” face. This is my “what fresh hell is this?” face. I knew that there would be a disgusting moment in this book because there always is in this series (Pendergast), but still… Also, how many necks does one Bug need?
 

Ms. Rita, the bolting basil, and the catch-fly had their close-ups with the big camera today. We pinched the basil after the photo shoot.
 

Wednesday, May 26^th
The moon!
 

Thursday, May 27^th
I walked into Daddy & Sue’s house after work & saw this! I was very excited….
 

Friday, May 28^th
I was so excited by the puzzle that I went back the next day during my lunch hour. I’m also planning on going back tomorrow. And it took great restraint to not stop by on my way back from the yarn store today. I don’t have a problem. Nope.
 

Saturday, May 29^th
Ms. Pinky says that it’s bad enough that The Watering Man won’t leave her alone, but now God is trying to drown her? She can complain all she wants, but we really did need the rain!
 

I had ordered the two skeins of yarn on the top left, but needed a contrasting solid to go with them. I was thinking some sort of quiet color, but I came home with the skeins on the right. Oops.
 

Here is my progress so far. I’m not too sure about it, especially given the cost of the yarn. I haven’t woven in any of the ends, so I might undo it and try something different. Stay tuned!
 

Temperature blanket update! I put it on the bed & decided that it’s wide enough now, so I’ll stop increasing. Very exciting!
 

My very relaxing day has turned my brain to mush. I have nothing to say here, so just talk amongst yourselves!
 
 

Book Reviews – the April Edition

 

Here we are almost finished with May, and I’m just now writing my April book review post. I read five books in April.    
 
1. A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal, edited by Sarah Bessey. ★★★★★ It's no secret that we are overworked, overpressured, and edging burnout. Unsurprisingly, this fact is as old as time--and that's why we see so many prayer circles within a multitude of church traditions. These gatherings are a trusted space where people seek help, hope, and peace, energized by God and one another.

This book, curated by acclaimed author Sarah Bessey, celebrates and honors that prayerful tradition in a literary form. A companion for daily inspiration, this collection gives women permission to recognize the weight of all they carry, while also offering a broadened imagination of hope--of what can be restored and made new. Each prayer is an original piece of writing, with a short introduction from Bessey sharing exactly why she loves and looks up to the writer.

This book is a literary hug, an invitation for respite, and a chance for readers to pause and celebrate who they are, beyond what they do.
 
The Bug Says: This book caused QUITE a furor because of a prayer written by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, which contains these words: “Dear God, Please help me to hate White people. Or at least to want to hate them. At least, I want to stop caring about them…” (You can read the full text here.) As a progressive white Christian lady, when I read that prayer I thought, “PREACH!” But there was some conservative outrage about this well-educated black woman who wanted to hate white people. It is a beautiful prayer, written in the style of lament, as a response to a "friend" using racist language, and she should not have been harassed because of it. Harrumph. Also, the other prayers were lovely too. If you’re a person of faith, or almost faith, or used to be, or just curious, I highly recommend this book!

 
2. Fractured (Will Trent #3), by Karin Slaughter. ★★★★ When a tortured young woman enters the trauma center of an Atlanta hospital, Dr. Sara Linton is thrust into a desperate police investigation with Special Agent Will Trent and his partner, Faith Mitchell. Though guarding their own wounds and their own secrets, Sara, Will, and Faith find that they are all that stand between a madman and his next victim.
 
The Bug Says: I am really enjoying this series. Lots of moving parts, excellent twists that I don’t see coming, engaging characters… I’ve already finished book #4 and enjoyed it just as much.

 
3. Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum #26), by Janet Evanovich. ★★★★ Grandma Mazur is a widow...again. This time her marriage lasted a whole 45 minutes. The unlucky groom was one Jimmy Rosolli, local gangster, lothario (senior division) and heart attack waiting to happen...well, the waiting's over. It's a sad day, but if she can't have Jimmy at least Grandma can have all the attention she wants as the dutiful widow. But some kinds of attention are not welcomed, particularly when Jimmy's former "business partners" are convinced that his widow is keeping the keys to their financial success for herself. As someone who has spent an entire career finding bad guys, a set of missing keys should be no challenge for Stephanie Plum. Problem is, the facts are as twisted as a boardwalk pretzel with mustard.

The Bug Says: While I was reading this book I kept thinking, did someone else write this? Grandma Mazur waxed philosophical, Ranger ate ice cream (!!!), and Stephanie seemed to be a much more deep thinker. I didn’t dislike the change, but I definitely noticed it. I went to check out the comments on Goodreads & lots of other folks noticed too. It will be interesting to see what the next one is like.
 

4. Next to Last Stand (Walt Longmire #16), by Craig Johnson. ★★★★ One of the most viewed paintings in American history, Custer's Last Fight, copied and distributed by Anheuser-Busch at a rate of over two million copies a year, was destroyed in a fire at the 7th Cavalry Headquarters in Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1946. Or was it? When Charley Lee Stillwater dies of an apparent heart attack at the Wyoming Home for Soldiers & Sailors, Walt Longmire is called in to try and make sense of a piece of a painting and a Florsheim shoebox containing a million dollars, sending the good sheriff on the trail of a dangerous art heist. 

The Bug Says: What I love most about these books is that Walt is “still waters run deep” personified. He spends a lot of time in his head, but there is still plenty of action. And a bonus in this one was hearing the Native American view of Custer.

5. Midnight at the Blackbird Café, by Heather Webber. ★★★★ Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café. It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about. As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.

The Bug Says: This book is almost too syrupy sweet, but I loved it. Maybe I needed something light after all the murder & mayhem. There is depth to it as well. It was very satisfactory to read!
 
I’ve only finished two books so far in May. I’d better get with it, or next month’s reviews will be slim pickins! What good things have you read lately?

 

2021 Project 365 – Week Twenty-one

Although it was busy, this past week wasn’t quite as crazy as last week. I think I might have things under control at work. Pretty soon I’ll have no excuse to not start doing housework again. Dang man.
 
Sunday, May 16^th   
Dr. M’s botany lesson: every spring we scramble to remember what flowers a given “weed” in our wildflower bed might produce. Some IDs are easy: the lance-shaped leaves that give us lovely yellow coreopsis, which blooms not too long after we spy orange Siberian wallflowers. Harder is remembering the difference between anise hyssop leaves (broader, duller arrowhead leaves, shorter plants) and bee balm leaves (narrower, sharper leaves, taller plants focused on world domination). We did try to thin the bee balm, I promise we did! Oh, and meet our shy little purple coneflower.
 

And just because it’s been a minute, our great-nephew looking adorable.
 

Monday, May 17^th     
I walked into the office & glanced into the mirror on my wall and this is what I saw. What. The. Heck. Fortunately I got to work so early that no one else saw me.
 

Tuesday, May 18^th  
Peonies!
 

Wednesday, May 19^th       
The only picture today – the plate of food that I brought home to Dr. M. It was public works appreciation day & they were kind enough to put together plates for the HR folks. There was enough food in there for both of us to have for supper (BBQ AND chicken, slaw, baked beans, and potato salad)!
 

Thursday, May 20^th     
This is my dawww face from a tender vittles moment in my audiobook.
 

Dr. M channeled his inner 19^th century middle-class housewife by arranging flowers for his mother’s grave. I think he did a great job!
 

The waning days of Dr. Van Fleet…
 

Friday, May 21^st   
Ms. Rita the geranium is really hitting her stride! Plus a bonus blurry photo of one of our catchflies. These little flowers are so hard to photograph! We’re going to try using the big camera & see if it does a better job than our phones.
 

Saturday, May 22^nd     
Weekly temperature blanket photo. I keep trying different places to take the photo (there was Free Range Roy outside so I didn’t try out there). It’s four feet wide. I’d like another foot before I try to stop increasing. Maybe it will be a square blanket? We shall see.
 

I’ve signed up to do a course about how to be anti-racist on social media. So you might see more posts in this space, or at least more discussion on my weekly posts. Even though I’m pretty sure that everyone in my life knows where I stand and what I believe I’m trying to be more courageous & crystal clear. Do you have any growing edges in your life? Do tell!
 

2021 Project 365 – Week Twenty

It’s open enrollment time at work & it was really busy. I had to talk to many more employees than usual, plus had more new hires than usual. THEN my sister-in-law invited me to attend her company outing at our local baseball team’s game on Friday. All of that to say that this introvert slept until 11:00 yesterday and am just now feeling up to communicating with the outside world. You lucky guys!

 
Sunday, May 9^th   
I’ve waited my whole life to be one of those people who knit at church.
 

I “took” Sue and Daddy out to lunch for Mother’s Day. By which I mean I met them there & Daddy paid. I’ve quit trying to argue. I did have a card for Sue, so I wasn’t a total slacko.
 

Meanwhile, Dr. M did a photo shoot of things around the yard. Here is our wildflower bed, which mainly has yellow flowers blooming. He has finally figured out what is filling up most of the rest of the bed, and if he’s right it will be quite lovely! It’s been fun how it’s different every year.
 

Monday, May 10^th     
Dr. M’s body was crying out for vegetation, and he decided to oblige it.
 

Tuesday, May 11^th  
Ironically, my car needed gas just as people in NC lost their minds & decided to hoard it. I didn’t have enough to make it back to work the next day & I was starting to be a little worried after I passed my fourth gas station with no gas, but this one close to home had quickly instituted a $20 limit so they still had some. Whew!
 

Meanwhile, my niece was at the cheerleading world championships in Orlando and won TWO trophies – a bronze for one team and a gold for another one. She is amazing.
 

Wednesday, May 12^th       
I’ll spare you the photo of Dr. M’s toe, but I loved what he had to say about the situation: “So I kinda stubbed my toe and fell into the dirty clothes sorter...can a brother get a gentle wash and a tumble dry low?” P.S. I went in there to see what all the racket was about & found him huddling by the bin on the floor and he was ADORABLE. I should have taken a picture. P.P.S. I just realized this happened on Monday, but this is the day without a photo so the story is staying here.

Thursday, May 13^th     
I was unstapling my gazillionth open enrollment packet & wondered how long after the invention of the stapler did someone decide to invent the staple remover. Seventy years! That’s crazypants. (Although I have not fact checked this history nugget, so take it with a grain of salt).
 

Dr. M helped mow his dad’s yard, except this ditch. He liked the look of the wildflowers.
 

Friday, May 14^th    
Our peonies finally decided to bloom – so gorgeous! Plus Peaches the knockout rose is going gangbusters.
 

Photos from the baseball event. Yes, I took my knitting. Ha!
 

And speaking of my sister-in-law, my nephew graduated summa cum laude with his associate degree in mechatronics. So proud! He’s heading onto Old Dominion for his next degree.
 

Saturday, May 15^th    
After I finally woke up yesterday I sat on the deck and crocheted for a while with the bolting basil and prehistoric looking geraniums. My temperature blanket is now resembling Wild Berry Skittles.
 

Later on we had a visit from Roy!
 

 
Well, the CDC and our governor have now told us that we can be mask free except in certain circumstances. So I’ve done a few maskless things, but it FEELS VERY WEIRD. I’m going to be playing this by ear. Will definitely still wear a mask when I go into a store. How are things where you are – are you going to stop wearing masks?