Books

I just finished reading Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani. This is the third book in the Big Stone Gap series. It was an interesting and quick read but not very satisfying. The book jumps forward in time months or years at a time with no warning. It's a lot like a photo album in the lives of the characters. You get the highlights but not the real meat of their story.

I also read The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. Kidd is perhaps better known for The Secret Life of Bees (which I have not read). It is a wonderful story of a middle-aged woman trying to re-identify herself after her child has left home. Perhaps, she doesn't cope with these mid-life changes as you or I would but I believe she makes the right choices in the end.

I'm still working my way through the Richard Jury Mysteries by Martha Grimes and have just finished The Case has Altered. This book was enjoyable, however, I realized after a few pages I had skipped the previous book. You really must read these in order to understand the evolution of the characters lives.

I am averaging about a book a week this year which is a lot slower than last year. I have a lot of books on my shelf to read. Even though I am not blogging much anymore I will try to still do these book updates about once a month or so.

Happy St Patrick's Day

I enjoyed Clan of the Cave Bear so much last year that I read its sequel Valley of Horses by Jean M Auel. Although, not as good as the first one (it would be difficult to achieve that level of epic again) it was certainly a satisfying read.

My one disappointment in the last month was The Collectors by David Baldacci. Baldacci used to be one of the authors I bought new in hardback but no longer. His recent efforts are just not worth that extra money. The Collectors is a sequel of sorts to The Camel Club and it is your typical government conspiracy type novel. The characters are entertaining but not very genuine.

Book Update

It looks like I am not reading near as much this year as I did in 2007. I think I read over 80 books last year. Mostly, the change is because of my change in job. I used to spend the better part of an hour each morning before work eating breakfast in my car and reading. I also spent a lot of time reading at my old job. Now I am much busier and do not have that hour in the morning. I miss it and I miss reading as much.

I picked up the new John Grisham book, The Appeal last week and read it. You can read my other posts about Grisham books here and here. Because I have read every other book he has written I am glad I read this one, in the interest of completeness. But if you haven't read his other books, or you aren't a big fan, you might as well skip this one. Certainly, low on the list of his efforts. Another legal thriller of sorts which are his genre afterall. But enough is enough. Write something else, please. He has proven he can write other novels and I wish he would.

The other books I've read recently do not seem worth commenting on with the exception of Norther Lights by Nora Roberts. Although Nora Roberts is probably best know for her romances she certainly knows how to spin other tales. This one was unique to me because it took place in Alaska. There's a little romance and there is a murder mystery which will keep you guessing until the end. It was very enjoyable.

The End of an Era

I am not a coffee drinker. (Although, I do own a nice coffee pot.) I do however enjoy drinking warm flavored drinks (International Coffee) in the cold weather. (Which we have had a lot of lately.) So like a lot of people, I have a favorite mug. I received it as a birthday present many years ago (15, actually) from a dear friend.

I know you are looking at it and thinking that it would be your favorite mug, too. In fact, I often had to hide it when my Dad visited because despite the number of mugs I had in the cabinet, he would choose this one. My kids also seemed to be attracted to this mug. Maybe I should have put it up and saved it. But it was my favorite mug to drink from and I cherished it.

Oh, you know what is coming next. This week, while in the kitchen preparing supper, I heard the Crash, and I knew. The mug is broken. It could not be saved. It will be missed.

Bloggy Break

So much for trying to blog once a week. I didn't want to give up blogging. Mostly because I enjoyed having other people stop by and comment. I enjoyed reading other people's blogs, too. But having the time has become a problem. With what free-time I have reading blogs has just become a low priority. It has become increasingly difficult to find the motivation to blog at all. So I'm going to officially take a break. Maybe I'll come back. Maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just blog about the books I'm reading. I've enjoyed the time I spent reading others blogs and in general will miss all of you.

Nooga

We are enjoying a little family trip to Chattanooga. We're staying in a nice 2 bedroom suite near the Aquarium. The hotel has an indoor pool and a full breakfast. We've eaten at two good restaurants so far: Sticky Fingers and Big River Grille. My SIL has joined us and today we are headed to Ruby Falls.

I needed to get away for a few days and so far this is a relaxing trip. What I want from a vacation most of the time is time to read and relax and sleep and eat. Once in while a "do-all" trip is okay especially if you are shelling out the big bucks for the "Happiest Place on Earth". But often after these trips you need a vacation from your vacation.

Yesterday we went to the Tennessee Aquarium and I've got to say that it is much better than the Georgia Aquarium for many reasons. Not the least of which was how uncrowded it was. Of course, they do not have Beluga Whales but they had an amazing Penguin exhibit. It just doesn't seem as over done and commercial as the one in Atlanta.

I'm going to try and catch up on blogs this week because once school starts back we will be very busy again. January and February are very busy months at work, too. Keep stopping by occasionally and I'll try to blog at least once a week.