SUNDAY PHOTOS SPARK MEMORIES…

 

This week, I’ve been sprucing up this blog, and sometimes that means looking through the archives for other posts that push the nostalgia button.

Since my move from my previous residence, in which I lived for twelve years, I’ve been studying everything about that space.

 

This post is from April 20, 2013:

This week, I’m spotlighting some of my cozy world, as I read and watch movies.  In the first photo, I’ve pushed the loveseat to a new angle, which brings it closer to the other sofa….and makes for friendly interactions.

In the photo above, you can see how I’ve discovered more book spaces on the bottom shelf….I put the Coca Cola bears in garage bins for now.

 

In the photo above, you can see today’s reading material on the table…and a view of the fireplace and loveseat from where I’m sitting on the larger sofa.

And now…here’s a photo of me, snapped in 1970.  I was cooking Christmas dinner when my partner captured me. 

 

 

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When I scroll through these photos, I am grateful that I am in a smaller space now, with fewer pieces of furniture.  Plus, I have someone who comes in to clean on Sundays.  I resisted this move at first, but now I’m feeling the bliss of it all.

What do you feel when you look back at old pictures and think of former spaces?

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SUNDAY SPARKS: FAMILY CONNECTIONS IN THE PAST…

 

After rereading this week’s Saturday Snapshot post, I went back to one I wrote several years ago, during another October.  It was on October 27, 2012.  There were childhood moments, along with some shots of grandchildren back then.

 

Here are my childhood shots first:

Me & My Older Brother — A Long Time Ago!

 

In this next shot, it looks like my mother was trying to “pose me” for a picture she planned to take (she always wanted everything to be perfect!).  Instead, my aunt snapped the shot of my mom trying to get me ready.

Now here are some grandkid moments:

Fiona Posing….

 

Alec & Aubrey at Big Bear

In this next shot, we have a blended family photo that includes three of my grandchildren (Alec, Aubrey, & Aaron), their mom and stepfather, and their two half siblings (Silas and Sidney).

 

A Family Moment at Big Bear: L to R – Jody (the mom to all these kids); Alec; Aubrey holding Sidney; Aaron; and Mike holding Silas.

 

And next is a shot of Silas and Sidney:

Sidney & Silas

 

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It is hard to believe how quickly time passes, and how we also connect to those moments years ago, almost as if we have stepped back in time.

What moments take you back in time?

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SATURDAY SPARKS: SPOTLIGHTING MY SPACES…

Today I’ve decided to do a Saturday Snapshot post, but couldn’t find the host. My Internet here has blocked me out of some sites.  Sigh.

But perhaps some of those bloggers will find me.

Over the past (almost five) months, I’ve been creating a cozy space for myself.  You may have seen some of these photos on Facebook, etc.  (Below), the bed seems like the centerpiece, since I also curl up and read there, too.

 

My writing corner is also front and center in my life.  Here are some views of it.

 

 

 

A corner that showcases a favorite lamp and one of my eldest son’s “Ireland photos.”

 

 

Morning coffee helps me get through the day. (The tablescape behind it goes through regular changes).

 

 

I stash my clothes, photos, and books here…

 

 

My entry way, with goodies and a hall tree…

 

 

Across the way, a bookshelf contains some of my books…many were left behind, sigh.

 

 

In the kitchen, I have collected some colorful new dishes…

 

 

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That was just a glimpse…but since the space is tiny, it doesn’t take long to walk around and explore.  Come on in and enjoy!  What does your interior world bring to you?

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FRIDAY SPARKS: BLOG STUFF, BOOKS, ETC.

Today has been a great Friday, and I’ve been playing around on my blogs.  I’m also getting ready to watch some shows on Hulu.

My cute little Madeline Hatter dolls are now the featured blog header here..see the smaller version of them (above).

I’ve also been using a favorite little mug (below) as a container for tea bags and sugar packets.  Yes, a tiny space requires creative uses of objects.  The mug with cute penguins has been with me since the 1980s!  My youngest son gave it to me for a birthday.  My grandchildren love using it, but if they come here, we’ll have to take the tea bags out of it.  LOL.

 

Mugs are wonderful accessories.  I have several that decorate my surfaces, like these (below).  On the left is my first grandson’s baby photo, and in the middle the names and birthdates of three grandchildren (Alec, Aubrey, and Aaron) encircle the mug.

 

 

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I’ve been reading Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robotham, but I’ve also been distracted by blog stuff.

 

From the bestselling author of The Secrets She Keeps, the writer Stephen King calls “an absolute master…with heart and soul,” a fiendishly clever suspense novel about a dangerous young woman with a special ability to know when someone is lying—and the criminal psychologist who must outwit her to survive.

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What distractions/books/adventures have kept you busy today?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE MURDER LIST”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a new book from Hank Phillippi Ryan:  The Murder List.

 

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Intro:  (Now)

We never fight.  Not in the past six years, as long as we’ve been married.  Not even in the months before that.  It isn’t that Jack is always right or I’m always right.  Usually our disagreements are about things that don’t matter, so it’s easier and quicker for me to acquiesce.  Jack’s a lawyer, so he likes to win.  It makes him happy.  And that’s good.

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Teaser:  If the case against Nina fell through, that meant the murderer was still on the loose.  A chill rattled my entire body, and it wasn’t because of the weather (56%).

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Synopsis:  Law student Rachel North will tell you, without hesitation, what she knows to be true. She’s smart, she’s a hard worker, she does the right thing, she’s successfully married to a faithful and devoted husband, a lion of Boston’s defense bar, and her internship with the Boston DA’s office is her ticket to a successful future.

Problem is–she’s wrong.

And in this cat and mouse game–the battle for justice becomes a battle for survival.

The Murder List is a new standalone suspense novel in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and B. A. Paris from award-winning author and reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE NANNY”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a recent download:  The Nanny, by Gilly Macmillan.

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Intro:  (Prologue)

Water closes over the body.  Swallows it.  The rocking of the boat subsides quickly.  Its occupant waits until the surface of the lake is still.  Her breathing sounds shockingly loud.  She takes the oars and rows away from the site with determined strokes. Her arms ache and she thinks:  I can’t believe I had to do this.  I hate to have done this.

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Teaser: My frustration levels are at peak.  I might have had a shot at getting this job if Mother hadn’t interfered.  I want to empty the basket of strawberries over her head, smash the fruits into her face, and rub them into her hair, but I keep control (p. 56).

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Synopsis:  When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…

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What do you think?  I know I’m eager to keep reading.

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is The Favorite Daughter, by Patti Callahan Henry.

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Intro:  (Prologue)

Memory is the seamstress, and a capricious one at that. (Virginia Woolf, Orlando)

The wedding for Colleen Donohue, Lena to her family and friends, and Walter Littleton was ready to begin one spring afternoon.  The Lowcountry of South Carolina preened, the temperature in the seventies without a hint of the summer humidity that would arrive soon, the river shimmering with glints of sunlight captured in its crests, the blooms of the azaleas and gardenias competing for attention.  The air was soft as cashmere.

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Teaser:  Colleen tamped down the sadness that could quickly turn to grief and opened the old refrigerator—a white Kenmore with magnets of every variety stuck to its door.  The anthropology of the family could be charted in those magnets:  inspirational quotes from her mother’s collection; Irish shamrocks and leprechauns; names and phone numbers of house services. (p. 60).

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Synopsis:  Ten years ago, Lena Donohue experienced a wedding-day betrayal so painful that she fled the small town of Watersend, South Carolina, and reinvented herself in New York City. Though now a freelance travel writer, the one place she rarely goes is home—until she learns of her dad’s failing health.

Returning to Watersend means seeing the sister she has avoided for a decade and the brother who runs the family’s Irish pub and has borne the burden of his sisters’ rift. While Alzheimer’s slowly steals their father’s memories, the siblings rush to preserve his life in stories and in photographs. As his secret past brings Lena’s own childhood into focus, it sends her on a journey to discover the true meaning of home.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “SEVEN LETTERS”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a NetGalley ARC that will be released on 10/8/19:  Seven Letters, by J. P. Monninger.

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Intro:  (Prologue)

The Irish tell a story of a man who fell in love with a fairy woman and went with her to live on an island lost to time and trouble.  They lived in a thatched cottage overlooking the sea with nothing but donkeys and gulls and white chickens to keep them company.  They lived in the dream of all lovers, apart from the world, entire to themselves, their bed an island to be rediscovered each night.

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Teaser:  I took a cab to the grocery store on the second day of my return.  I stockpiled food and bought myself two dozen yellow tulips.  I stored the groceries carefully, as one would in a desert, then put the yellow tulips in jelly jars near my desk-table.  Later that day, I burned sage again.  It was ridiculous, more ridiculous than ever, but it brought me serenity. (58%).

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Synopsis:  Kate Moreton is in Ireland on sabbatical from her teaching position at Dartmouth College when she meets Ozzie Ferriter, a fisherman and a veteran of the American war in Afghanistan. The Ferriter family history dates back centuries on the remote Blasket Islands, and Ozzie – a dual citizen of Ireland and the United States – has retreated to the one place that might offer him peace from a war he cannot seem to leave behind.

Beside the sea, with Ireland’s beauty as a backdrop, the two fall deeply in love and attempt to live on an island of their own making, away from the pressures of the outside world. Ireland writes its own love stories, the legends claim, and the limits of Kate and Ozzie’s love and faith in each other will be tested. When his demons lead Ozzie to become reckless with his life—and Kate’s—she flees for America rather than watch the man she loves self-destruct. But soon a letter arrives informing Kate that her heroic husband has been lost at sea, and Kate must decide whether it is an act of love to follow him or an act of mercy to forget.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “29 SECONDS”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a NetGalley ARC that will be released on 9/10:  29 Seconds, by T.M. Logan.

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Intro:  (For my Mum and Dad)

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…(Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus)

There were three conditions.

She had 72 hours to provide a name.

If she said no, the offer disappeared.  Forever.

And if she said yes, there was no going back.  No changing her mind.

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Teaser Tuesday:  Suddenly she thought:  That was the other thing I was supposed to do.  The SIM card.  Oh shit, I didn’t take the SIM card out.

Too late now. (51%)

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Synopsis:  Give me one name. One person. And I will make them disappear.”

Sarah is a young professor struggling to prove herself in a workplace controlled by the charming and manipulative Alan Hawthorne. A renowned scholar and television host, Hawthorne rakes in million-dollar grants for the university where Sarah works—so his inappropriate treatment of female colleagues behind closed doors has gone unchallenged for years. And Sarah is his newest target.

When Hawthorne’s advances become threatening, Sarah is left with nowhere to turn. Until the night she witnesses an attempted kidnapping of a young child on her drive home, and impulsively jumps in to intervene. The child’s father turns out to be a successful businessman with dangerous connections—and her act of bravery has put this powerful man in her debt. He gives Sarah a burner phone and an unbelievable offer. A once-in-a-lifetime deal that can make all her problems disappear.

No consequences. No traces. All it takes is a 29-second phone call.

Because everyone has a name to give. Don’t they?

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “KILLMAN CREEK”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is the second book in the Stillhouse Lake Series:  Killman Creek, by Rachel Caine.

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Intro:  (Gwen)

On the twelfth night since my ex-husband escaped prison, I am in bed.  Not sleeping.  Watching the play of light and shadow on the curtains.  I’m lying on a narrow fold-out cot and feeling every twinge of spring poking through the thin mattress.  My kids, Lanny and Connor, occupy the two full-size beds in this midpriced motel room.  Midpriced is the best I can afford right now.

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Teaser Tuesdays:  Sam has just cleared the doorway when something picks us up and throws us, violently, across the room.  I lift and cross my arms in front of my face, draw my legs up in an instinctive attempt to protect my brain and belly, and I hardly feel it when I hit the wall. (p. 60).

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Synopsis:  Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…

You’re not safe anywhere now.

Her refuge at Stillhouse Lake has become a trap. Gwen leaves her children in the protective custody of a fortified, well-armed neighbor. Now, with the help of Sam Cade, brother of one of Melvin’s victims, Gwen is going hunting. She’s learned how from one of the sickest killers alive.

But what she’s up against is beyond anything she feared—a sophisticated and savage mind game calculated to destroy her. As trust beyond her small circle of friends begins to vanish, Gwen has only fury and vengeance to believe in as she closes in on her prey. And sure as the night, one of them will die.

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I’m eager to dive into this second book in the series.  What do you think?

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