December 27, 2024. MARRY YOU

Weddings. Back in the day they were pretty standard.  People had a rehearsal dinner followed by a  wedding/reception the next day. THEN IT WAS OVER.  Remember tossing the bouquet to an eligible female?  OR the groom stripping the garter off  the bride's leg and tossing it to an eligible man? What about  money dances? Well I do and those were GOOD TIMES.  I asked my daughter if she had ever heard of these things and she looked at me like I was crazy.  Pretty much have had to learn a whole new vocabulary for today's weddings.  Did you know that 90% of couples today have a "First Look." They actually get together right before the wedding to see each other and take photos. What happened to seeing the bride AT THE ALTER?? I'M NOT A FAN BUT......And nowadays they have "Welcome Parties"  after rehearsal dinner and  "After Parties"  after the wedding AND Brunch the next day.  I'm NOT making any of this up. It's a marathon of events. Won't be quitting my job for at least another year AND at this point I might have to get a part to job for this craziness. Good thing we only have ONE princess in our family.  Back to the books. Recently finished the sequel to Peter Heller's The River called The Guide. First off, It's not necessary to read The River in order to appreciate The Guide. Jack, the main character, appears in both novels. In the sequel, Jack is grappling with the death of his best friend and decides to take a job as a guide at a private fishing lodge in Colorado. Kingfisher Lodge is a flyfishing mecca and safe space for wealthy, famous people as Jack quickly realizes his charge is a famous singer and accomplished flyfisherman named Alison. Early on, Jack discovers things aren't what them seem at the lodge as he finds several hidden cameras, gates locked from the outside and even a property owner next door who has hired gunmen to keep people off his property. Guests also start to disappear and a strange virus forces a lock down at the lodge. The fishing lodge apparently is more than just for fishing and it's up to Jack to find out what's really happening before someone gets killed. Heller is a great writer who incorporates lovely descriptive writing about the wilderness and flyfishing into this Wilderness Thriller. I enjoy all of Heller's books and this one does not disappoint. It's a quick read with interesting characters. Hopefully there will be another installment of the series as I enjoy reading about Jack and the wilderness. 

December 11, 2024 THE SOUND OF SILENCE

You know the saying--"Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus"--  Well I'm here to tell you that IT'S  TRUE. Case in point. My car has been acting strange for about a month. I thought it was the brakes at first--so I tell my husband--he takes it for a ride and thinks I'm NUTS. I keep driving around town and then I start hearing THE SOUND.  He takes it for another ride--AND thinks I'm NUTS.  Then he says---What's it SOUND like?? How am I supposed to know? Does he want me to imitate it? Explain it?? Describe it?  Seriously--what does that even mean?? Now I think he's NUTS.  The next day I drive to work and listen for THE SOUND-- I'm determined to---IMITATE/EXPLAIN/DESCRIBE IT. After I hear it---I rack my brain to come up with words to describe it.  The closest I can get is---GROANING METAL.  Hey I thought that was quite descriptive. Again--He thinks I'm NUTS--shakes his head--takes the car for  ride AND NOTHING ..................Maybe I can somehow capture THE SOUND on my phone OR take voice lessons and somehow mimic it??????  If you see me on the side of the road next week--you'll know why. Just hope I have a book with me. If you're looking for a quick read check out my review of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. As the story begins, Cam an English teacher, and his wife Jules live a very ordinary life in their rented apartment in Colorado. This is strange considering Cam is actually a multi-millionaire--who has renounced his inheritance from his adopted mother Ruby McTavish. After his uncle dies, Cam  decides it's time to go home to tie up loose ends and make peace with the past. Upon their return to Ashby House in North Carolina, Cam and Jules reacquaint themselves with Cam's horrible family which stirs up many unhappy memories. In the meantime, the reader is introduced to Ruby's letters written right before her death and it seems that nothing is as it seems at Ashby House, which has now fallen into disrepair and fits right in with this thriller/mystery. Find out what secrets each character is hiding from the other and if being a multi-millionaire is worth the headaches when you read this real page turner.  Its full of twists and turns with interesting characters and an ending I didn't see coming. Enjoy.