Summer Reads...English Mysteries and More

I have just returned from our snowbird winter and I brought a list of books that I read this winter for you to consider. The links here are from Amazon only because I have a selfish motivation...I am an Amazon Associate!

Each one is unique. Some are deep and challenging, others just plain fun.

The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths was a lot of fun to read. A cat, a Druid, a mental institution and a religious story surround a murder that takes place in England’s Nazareth, the medieval town of Little Walsingham. I loved this little light bit of reading. I think you will too.

Susan Hill is not a writer of fluff. The Simon Serrailler series begins with The Various Haunts of Men. I actually held my breath as the climax to this story unfolded. Amazon say it was a "must read mystery" when it came out in hard back. Now, you can buy it in paper back. That is a good thing. I checked my copy out from the library.

Dancing in a Distant Place by Isla Dewar is the book I read when we were on the flight home...a 12 hour journey with cancelled flights and delays. I didn't even notice how long it took. This book about a widowed teacher left alone and broke by a gambling husband when he died suddenly. It swept me up in the first pages. The setting is in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands with a "dammit" store, a school and a cast of wonderful, believable character is just what the doctor is ordering. The humor sandwiched between a little sorrow was perfect. Read this for sure. Oh, and if you do read this book be sure to return to the first chapter when you have finished. You will not regret it.

I am now reading A Gentleman in Moscow. You know I will talk about wonderful words and images when I tell you about a book. The author, Amor Towles, might be the master of creating an image in the mind's eye. I am seeing through his words things I have never seen before. This is a book I am savoring. No rush to read in one day...no, this book needs to last as I devour it very slowly!

I will keep you in the loop as a new wonderful book crosses my path. Our Library Exchange in my front yard is very busy these day so I am sure there are others that will be showing up.

What are you reading?

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a Snowbird in 2024

Early years in RV resort! Our motor home is parked next to our first Park Model When it begins to cool in the evenings and the geese fly in formation, my mind turns to Arizona. Yearning for the desert air and vibrant blue sky is compel me to fly away. I do it every year and will as long as I am allowed. Townhome near Tucson's Pantano Wash and bike trail. We started this way of life when we retired. First with a fifth-wheel trailer, later with a motor home, and finally in something permanent that evolved over the years. First, it was a park model in an RV Resort, then a townhouse close to walking trails, and finally into a home on a small golf course. Congress Hotel from window of near by hotel. Each time we moved, we upscaled and increased our monetary wealth. That is the way our mind works. It is as though we couldn't just have fun without working a lot. We painted and planted flowers and haunted thrift stores to find just the right furniture. We were always hav...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

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