WEEKLY UPDATES: ANOTHER GREAT WEEK…

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post for weekly updates.

Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

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A great week, even though my reading totals are still not fabulous.  But I did read and review two books that held me captive throughout.  I wrote two blog posts, and I finished viewing Brothers and Sisters.  Then I started And Just Like That on HBO MAX (I guess it is simply MAX now!).  

Let’s take a closer look at the week:

WWW READING…

COFFEE CHAT:  NICE CHANGES…

Review:  The Guest, by Emma Cline

Review:  The Revenge List, by Hannah Mary McKinnon

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INCOMING BOOKS:

The Celebrants, by Steven Rowley

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That was my week.  Now I hope to dive into my new book and make some progress.  This week I also enjoyed ordering Fish and Chips from Uber Eats.

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REVIEW: THE REVENGE LIST, BY HANNAH MARY MCKINNON

The people in Frankie Morgan’s life say she’s angry. Emotionally stunted. Combative. But really, who can blame her? It’s hard being nice when your clients are insufferable, your next-door neighbor is a miserable woman and the cowardly driver who killed your mother is still out living it up somewhere.

Somehow, though, she finds herself at her very first anger-management group session—drinking terrible coffee and learning all about how “forgiveness is a process.”

One that starts with a list.

Frankie is skeptical. A list of everyone who’s wronged her in some way over the years? More paper, please. Still, she makes the pointless list—with her own name in a prominent spot—and promptly forgets about it…until it goes missing. And one by one, the people she’s named start getting hurt in freak accidents, each deadlier than the last.

Could it be coincidence giving her the revenge she never dared to seek…or something more sinister?

If Frankie doesn’t find out who’s behind it all, she might be next.

 

When Frankie takes a big step toward dealing with her anger in The Revenge List, she soon realizes that there is a lot more to her issues than she thought. What or who is behind all the strange and terrifying events that begin to unfold as she checks off the boxes?

We can see that someone might be manipulating things along the way, but it was startling to discover just who that was. An intense tale that earned five stars.

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COFFEE CHAT: NICE CHANGES…

Welcome to another Coffee Chat.  Today I fiddled around with my computer and finally found a way to reactive my HBO Max site.  In the process, I added it to my TV, too.  I have had the service for a while, but somehow forgot my password and even my provider!  Apparently I subscribed to it initially through my yahoo email account.

It was fun to set it up again, and this afternoon I watched several episodes of Season I of Just Like That. While I watched, I ate the Fish and Chips dinner I ordered through Uber Eats.

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Now I plan to continue reading The Revenge List, by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

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How is your week unfolding?

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WEEKLY UPDATES: A BETTER WEEK…

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post for weekly updates.

Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

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What a relief to have a better week, with two books read and reviewed, a couple of blog posts, and continued viewing of a favorite old show, Brothers and Sisters.

I am almost finished with my antibiotics, and I am feeling much better.

However, today as I type this post, I am increasingly frustrated with the Block Editor, which seemingly is out to get me.  LOL.  I hope you all can patiently wander through my updates.

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Let’s take a peek at my week:

WWW READING

COFFEE CHAT: BACK TO SOME NORMALCY…

Review:  Between Two Strangers, by Kate White

Review:  The Senator’s Wife, by Liv Constantine

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I am hoping for continuing progress in my fight against my infection, and I’m looking forward to outings, too.  I hope you are all having a great week.

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REVIEW: THE SENATOR’S WIFE, BY LIV CONSTANTINE

In this town, anyone is replaceable. . . .

After a tragic chain of events led to the deaths of their spouses two years ago, D.C. philanthropist Sloane Chase and Senator Whit Montgomery are finally starting to move on. The horrifying ordeal drew them together, and now they’re ready to settle down again—with each other.

As Sloane returns to the world of White House dinners and political small talk, this time with her new husband, she’s also preparing for an upcoming hip replacement—the latest reminder of the lupus she’s managed since her twenties. With their hectic schedules, they decide that hiring a home health aide will give Sloane the support and independence she needs postsurgery. And they find the perfect fit in Athena Karras.

Seemingly a godsend, Athena tends to Sloane and even helps her run her charitable foundation. But Sloane slowly begins to deteriorate—a complication, Athena explains, of Sloane’s lupus. As weeks go by, Sloane becomes sicker, and her uncertainty quickly turns to paranoia as she begins to suspect the worst. Why is Athena asking her so many probing questions about her foundation—as well as about her past? And could Sloane be imagining the sultry looks between Athena and her new husband?

Riveting, fast-paced, and full of unbelievable twists, The Senator’s Wife is a psychological thriller that upends the private lives of those who walk the halls of power. Because when you have it all, you have everything to lose.

From the beginning of The Senator’s Wife, the reader is caught up in mysterious elements revealed gradually by alternating narrators. Our primary character Sloane captures us immediately, and as we watch how her life seems increasingly fragile, we are questioning who among the others is trying to weaken her, physically and psychologically.

We are pretty sure that her husband is up to no good, but some of the others had us completely fooled. By the end, we are stunned with how it all plays out. 5 stars.

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COFFEE CHAT: BACK TO SOME NORMALCY…

Welcome to another Coffee Chat!  My week is looking better, as I improve with each pill I take!  Antibiotics do help when the Big Bad Infections hit.  So far this week, I have read and reviewed one book and I’m halfway through the second one.  I finished Between Two Strangers, and now I am reading The Senator’s Wife.

Last week started out well with a mani and hair styling, and then the Big Bug hit.  After spending time in Urgent Care, I started getting closer to normal as I took my antibiotics. 

Today I am replenishing my supplies and preparing for the weekend.

Now that I have semi-purple nails again, I almost feel like myself.  I also have the purple streak in my hair again!

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What does your week look like?  Enjoy!

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WEEKLY UPDATES: A SLOW WEEK…

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post for weekly updates.

Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

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My week has been slow in reading and blogging, but I continued to do some viewing of old favorites, like Brothers and Sisters.

Then I hit a bad patch and ended up all night Thursday at Urgent Care, with a skin infection that involved lots of tests and a discharge at 4:00 a.m.!  The doctor gave me the first dose of antibiotics via an IV, as the pharmacy was closed by then.  I got the rest of the meds the next morning by taking a Lyft to the pharmacy.  Sigh!

I am slowly improving, but believe me when I say be careful about scratches that might seem like nothing!

My update today is late because I am slowly getting better and not ready to do much typing.

I did read and review one book that was so good that I could scarcely put it down:

The Bird Hotel, by Joyce Maynard

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I hope the upcoming week is much better!

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REVIEW: THE BIRD HOTEL, BY JOYCE MAYNARD

After a childhood filled with heartbreak, Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in a small Central American village where she checks into a beautiful but decaying lakefront hotel called La Llorona at the base of a volcano.

The Bird Hotel tells the story of this young American who, after suffering tragedy, restores and runs La Llorona. Along the way we meet a rich assortment of characters who live in the village or come to stay at the hotel. With a mystery at its center and filled with warmth, drama, romance, humor, pop culture, and a little magical realism, The Bird Hotel has all the hallmarks of a Joyce Maynard novel that have made her a leading voice of her generation.

The Bird Hotel is a big, sweeping story spanning four decades, offering lyricism as well as whimsy. While the world New York Times bestselling author Joyce Maynard brings to life on the page is rendered from her imagination, it’s one informed by the more than twenty years of which she has spent a significant amount of her time in a small Mayan indigenous village in Guatemala.

 

 Described as “a big sweeping story spanning four decades,” The Bird Hotel captured the heart and soul of this reader. The tale carries us from loss and sadness to beauty in a new and unexpected environment in Central America, filled with so many characters who had tales to tell.

I kept rooting for Irene, among others, and was astounded by the many ways that connected the characters, from the past to the present.

Just when I thought that there wouldn’t be any more surprises, the conclusion brought me to tears with how our main characters’ lives were reunited once again. A brilliant 5 star read from one of my favorite authors.

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WEEKLY UPDATES: A GREAT WEEK…

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post for weekly updates.

Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

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As I finish reading and reviewing my second book of the week, I am pleased by how things are finally turning around.  I also wrote two blog posts.  I continued binge-watching One Tree Hill, and now I am on the seventh season.

I had no outings this week, but I did enjoy ordering food deliveries from the grocery store and from Uber Eats.  Having dinners delivered feels a bit like an outing.

Next week, I hope to enjoy some time with my granddaughter.

Here’s a peek at the details of my week:

TUESDAY POTPOURRI:

WWW READING…

Review:  All the Days of Summer, by Nancy Thayer

Review:  Hang the Moon, by Jeannette Walls

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INCOMING BOOKS:

The Bird Hotel, by Joyce Maynard (Currently Reading)

Hang the Moon, by Jeannette Walls

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That was my week!  A better one, and I am looking forward to what comes next.  Meanwhile, I hope to enjoy more food deliveries, like this one from Mimi’s (A Salmon Benedict).

 

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REVIEW: ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER, BY NANCY THAYER

Heather Willette has a good life in Concord, Massachusetts. But when her marriage fizzles out, Heather has to decide what sort of life to live next. Ready to seek out her own happiness and discover herself again, Heather decides to leave her husband and rent a cottage on Nantucket. And her plan is going perfectly—until her son, Ross, announces he’s moving to Nantucket to work at his girlfriend’s family’s construction business instead of going back home to work with his own father, like he’d promised. Worst of all for Heather, this means having to get along with her.

Kailee Essex is thrilled that Ross is willing to move to her hometown. She has big hopes for their happily ever after, especially now that her parents are finally showing interest in her career. She’s less thrilled, however, about his mother living nearby. Kailee has clashed with Heather since the day they met. But anything is possible in the summer sun and sea breezes of Nantucket—even reconciliation. And when change comes sooner than either Heather or Kailee expect, they must learn to overcome their differences to fight for the future they want.

 

 

As a fan of everything I’ve read by Nancy Thayer, I continued to be delighted as I immersed myself in All the Days of Summer. The gorgeous settings, from the outdoor beaches to the indoor furnishings of the cottages kept me intrigued throughout. I also loved getting to know the characters, who felt like real people, including those that were less than perfect. Spoiled and bratty Kailee did change a little over time, but Heather’s ex-husband remained disappointing throughout.

Just as the happy and sad moments unfolded, we had the opportunity to feel that wonderful glow as happily ever after appeared on the horizon. 5 stars.