Denise M. Hartman

Books Read in 2022

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 19:43:00 +0000

Audiobooks boosted my numbers as did a better library access portal. I read two in the series by Harlan Coben in one year. I drift through series but intend to pick up several series in 2023 that I've only hit one or two books. I abandoned two books this year. Both audio and both purchased. Bummer. Favorites hard to pick: Whistling in the Dark was an unexpectedly great read and a different kind of story. Non Fiction: Prayer in the Night was also very different and a nice change. Happy Reading!

The Murder Stone, by Charles Todd, historical mystery fiction, WW I, ebook. Stand alone. Great writing. Always enjoy Todd. (began in 2021 finished on Jan. 3) ebook
The Body Keeper, by Anne Frasier, detective fiction set in Minneapolis in winter. Rich setting and characters. Good writing a bit heavier on themes. ebook
The Haunts of Men, by Susan Hill, detective fiction UK Lepperton. Liked the characters and setting but a bit dark at the end. I will probably read more of the series Detective Simon Serrailer but he wasn't as big a player as someone else in the book so that gave him a lot of mystery. ebook
Moonfleet, by J Meade Faulkner, fiction originally 1898, adventure story UK, original version of the idea of Bluebeard the pirate. Audiobook
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, fiction 1960s. Audiobook. A friend kept saying the book was so much better than the movie so I read it. The audio actors were terrific. A great book.
1984, by George Orwell, alternative history fiction, audiobook library. I couldn’t remember if I’d read this in school so decided to give it a shot. I either saw a movie or read it as I remembered as I went. Thought provoking but dreary and at time haunting of things occurring.
Anxious People, by Fredrick Backman, fiction Sweden but not Stockholm, billed as humor. It had very funny bits but a more emotional poignant drama than I’d imagined. He's a good writer with rich stories and characters. I'll wait awhile before I pick up another one.
Murder with Puffins, by Donna Andrews, mystery fiction island off coast of Maine. On a humorous books list. Cute but corny at least for my present state of mind. It was also written in late 80s/early 90s so a bit outdated. Interesting how some books hold and others seem dated.
Death of a poison pen, by M. C. Beaton, mystery Fiction, set in Scotland. Heavy on the accents. Cozy. Enjoyable characters. 1980s but I respect that they updated them a bit for digital release. I pick up a Hamish MacBeth mystery every now and then. Library ebook.
A Deadly Influence, by Mark Omer, Mystery Fiction, NY, modern day. Main character is a hostage negotiator who had been in a cult as a child. Really liked the characters. Writing was good and I will read more of this author. Audiobook.
A Prayer in the Night, For those who Work or Watch or Weep, by Tish Harrison Warren. Nonfiction. One of the best personal spiritual growth pieces I've read. Or maybe the fact I read it with insomnia made it hit me more than usual. Often reading a chapter at 4 am. ebook.
Bootlegger’s Daughter, by Margaret Maron, mystery fiction, North Carolina 1992. Had good ratings. It was entertaining but I probably won’t be reading the series. Too sort of stereotypical with politics and the south and the 1990s.
Orphan X, by Gregg Hurwitz, tecno thriller, LA area. Lots of hardware and fight description. Suspenseful. Not sure if I’ll do more of these.
Pretty Girls, by Karen Slaughter, mystery suspense fiction, set in Atlanta GA area. Audio library book. Very suspenseful. Good twists. Was a bit graphic on the crimes.
Tell me Who I am, by Alex and Marcus Lewis with Joanna Hodgkin. Nonfiction Memoir, London, Sussex, UK. Recommended by friend who said read then watch the series on Netflix. What a story! Crazy what can happen in real life. Not a spoiler: I’m always strangely fascinated by head injury stories. Not sure if I’ll watch the series. Hard stuff happened and I may not need a second round of it.
Blood Money, by Thomas Perry, mystery fiction all over the USA, liked the characters and the mafia element. Perry is a classic. This was 1999 but the tech was so light it didn't distract. Library ebook.
The Boy from the Woods, by Harlan Coben. mystery fiction, around New York, New Jersey. If this is the start of a series, I'll be back to read more. I think Harlan has become a favorite for me, always rich characters and engaging plots without anything garish or vulgar. I also like stand alone books that I don't feel committed by order of books in a series and he does a lot of those so it's easy to pick one up and move on to others.
Rising Strong, by Brene Brown, recommended and read in both audio and paper. Self Help, brain work.
The Accident, by Chris Pavone, New York and various parts of the world. I liked Expats the previous book by Pavone. This was suspenseful but there was way to much included research on each neighborhood in New York City. If it had forwarded the plot every time, okay, but I felt bogged down. I know other people really like the scene setting. It was a good story line. I liked the ending and appreciated a lot of the plot twists.
Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett, 1978, WWII UK. This was on some of those must read in a life time lists and I was in the mood for espionage. I did this as audiobook and it was so good. I had trouble stopping it toward the end. Interesting characters.
The Liar's Girl, by Catherine Ryan Howard, set in Dublin modern day and 10 years ago. Mystery suspense. Audiobook. I'm on the fence. I enjoyed the writing. The main character irritated me at times so I grew weary a bit but there were some good plot twists. Won't rush out for the next one.
The Whistling Season, by Ivan Doig, set in 1910 mostly as flashbacks in homesteading Montana focusing on a small one room school and one family. I don't remember where I read the recommendation but I had this one hanging out there and after that last book I needed something to clear my palate so to speak that had nothing to do with mysteries. This was well written and engaging - especially considering this is not a genre I pick up. Not quite western but settlers. Characters were rich and engaging and the main character had to make tough decisions as a very bright kid.
The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig. Fiction, an alternative reality life experience that brings to light the value of living right where you are, no matter what to the main character. UK present day. Library ebook. Interesting concept. Good sentiment. Heavier than 'feel good' despite the lists.
Whistling in the dark, by Lesley Kagen, mystery fiction, Milwaukee 1960s?, little girl is the protagonist. Suspenseful and well written. I’d seen it recommended and it was discounted so I bought it. Ebook. Highly recommend.
The Survivors, by Jane Harper, fiction, present day Australian small beach town. I enjoy her writing. Not traditional mystery in my view but suspenseful full of complicated character relationships. Audiobook library loan.
The Ghost Runner by Parker Bilal, mystery fiction. Main character Makana, an immigrant detective in Egypt 2002. Complicated rich culture and plot. A bit dark. Used Paperback.
Caught, by Harlan Coben, mystery fiction, modern New Jersey. It was a good complicated plot with a challenging though very subtle character development challenges for the book people and me too.
The Broken Girls, by Simone St James, mystery fiction, set in Vermont 1950s, and present day parallel stories. This story had murder, cops, ghosts, everything. I bought it thinking it was an author I knew but it was a new one to me. It was an enjoyable audiobook.
Need to know, by Karen Cleveland, set in DC CIA but a family situation. It was good writing. A review in the front section sort of gave some of the idea away at least to my suspicion mind. It was tense and written well. I wasn’t always with the protagonist. I might try something else by this author in future.
The Soul of Shame, by Curt Thompson MD, nonfiction, brain work, research, challenges to tackle stuff. Written with a Christian world view. Many practical tips to apply to life, work, family. So much of society issues root in shame. Audiobook.
The Poet, by Michael Connolly, murder mystery, 1996, Denver, FBI, LA settings. He tends to be on the darker side. Complicated plots. Older tech some dated aspects but it didn’t overwhelm the story. Ebook
The Case of the Reincarnated Client, by Tarquín Hall, India, private detective. Always enjoy these characters and the audiobook reader is so good. Audiobook.
Troubled Blood, by Robert Galbraith, UK mystery fiction, London. Library audiobook. 5th in the series. Compelling characters that I enjoy yet some what dark so I don't read the series quickly.
The Little Paris Bookshop, by Nina George, fiction. Modern day-ish Paris and Provence. I love French flavors and enjoyed the audio readers in this library audiobook and the atmosphere. Charming. I found this title on a list of feel good books in addition to The Midnight Library. I'm beginning to think "feel good" is code for overcoming something really dreadful. So not what I'd call light but it turns around.
Uprooting Ernie, by Pamela Buford, Mystery Fiction current day Long Island, NY. Light comedic story telling. Easy read.
Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear, mystery fiction WWI and next 10 years. Audio library book. Good easy read. I didn't totally buy all the special insight and meditation aspects but I liked the characters.
Invisible, by James Patterson and Dave Ellis, mystery suspense. Library audiobook. Enjoyed the twists and turns here very much. I imagine these themes wouldn’t be published today. It was written in 2014. Thought provoking.
Midnight in the Garden of good and Evil, by John Berendt. Documentary of a crime. I read this as I’d seen write ups about this book and the film that seemed to set it in a classic type. I unfortunately didn’t enjoy it though you felt you really knew the extraordinary characters in a extraordinary city. Library audiobook. Glad it was finished.
Tornado weather, by Deborah E. Kennedy. One of the award winners from Bouchercon mystery awards. I was quite disappointed by the themes and characters. I think the innovative writing style with a different character voice for each chapter perhaps made it award worthy. Ebook.
The Question of the Missing Head by EJ Copperman and Jeff Cohen, mystery. Light and enjoyable with an Asperger’s main character. Audiobook.
Lightning Strike, William Kent Krueger, mystery fiction small town Minnesota. Interesting twists. I thought I was picking up a stand alone book. It was number 19 in a series. Disappointing because it's really good but I know myself and I won't go back to the beginning but I will read more from here. This one was his childhood event so it could almost be a stand alone. Good read. Library ebook.
Open Season, by Linda Howard, small town Alabama billed as a cozy mystery, it was a romance with a side of mystery. Not bad writing, but I don't want to know who touched what in such detail - which romances seem intent on telling you. audiobook.
The Power of Regret, How Looking Backward Moves us Forward, by Daniel H. Pink, nonfiction research on regret. Recommended to me. Really incredible info and tempting to read again or go find the worksheets. Really useful thinking themes. Audiobook.
Crime on the Fens, by Joy Ellis, crime fiction UK, modern time. Really liked the characters and the angst but then adjustment between them. I will definitely read more of this series. Audiobook.
Body Movers, by Stephanie Bond, mystery modern day New York suburban settings, first few chapters were hard going but I ended up really liking the characters. A bit zany and will definitely read more here. Audiobook.
Why Me? Stories of Suffering and overcoming, by Roger Carswell. Non Fiction, Paperbook.
The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D., by Nichole Bernier, fiction drama. Very compelling and complex characters. Definitely the kind of thing you want to discuss after. Painful but emotions rang true. Related to characters. Ebook.
Slow Horses, by Mick Herron, British secret intelligence rejects fall into a complicated situation. A darker story. I have not seen the tv series but I will read more of these characters. Library ebook.
In Such Good Company, by Carol Burnett, a memoir. Library audiobook. Enjoyed it!
What Angels Fear, by C.S. Harris, historical murder mystery fiction. Audiobook. Good reader and written well. Lots of twists and turns in the plot. First of a series. I’ll likely do more.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, Kentucky 1930s. Audiobook library. Great reader, terrific plot based on blue people of Kentucky. I was engaged all the way through and intrigued by the time and place. Highly recommend.
Finlay Donovan is Killing it, by Elle Cosimano, library ebook. DC area modern day mystery. This book had the right mix of humor, plot, mystery and characters I was interested in. I will read more of this series.
The Match, by Harlan Coben, mystery fiction, Wilde series. NYC and mountains-woods outside city. Liked this second book in series as much as the first. Library ebook. Love this author.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye, by Rachel Joyce. UK across country. Drama. Very good writing. I liked the characters and the unexpected way the story played out. Had melancholy moments but a good story.
The Missing American, by Kwei Quartey, mystery fiction set in Ghana. Library Audiobook. Interesting corruption, characters and plot lines. I could definitely read more of the series.
The Bone Garden, by Tess Gerritsen, Boston mostly in history 1830s but also with a current day plot. Ebook.
The Carmarthen Murders, by John Nicholl, UK Wales modern day detective mystery. Started engaging but turned the detective into a caricature rather than deepening as it went. Strange ending, not unjustified but focused on victim's action not the detectives. I don't think I'll read more of these though they were not poorly done, dark and then odd unjustified occurrences with the characters.
Billy Summers, by Stephen King, USA several places. Good writing again an ending that left me unsatisfied despite deep character involvement.

Unfinished: Win the Day, by Mark Batterson (audio nonfiction) just felt like I had the idea and it was repeating so I decided I was done. Bitter is the New Black, by Jen Lancaster. Audiobook. Couldn't finish black is the new snobby I deserve better and apparently I had trouble getting into the humor. Maybe my frame of mind. Writing wasn't bad in either case and I got through more than half the books but just couldn't keep going.

Books I read in 2021

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 00:01:00 +0000

The Kremlin Conspiracy, by Joel C. Rosenberg, espionage fiction Moscow and DC present day. Lots of set up of the character’s life but I liked him. It also had a mid action sort of ending clearly setting up the series. I don’t usually like not getting the full resolution but I really liked the book so expect I’ll pick up more of the series.
The Lost Man, by Jane Harper, mystery fiction Australian outback, present day ish. Library ebook. Enjoyed a haunted feeling reading this story and wondering where it was going. I will read more from her.
The Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware, UK and On a ship and Norway. I tired of drunk and panicky protagonist and skimmed. I will try another Ruth Ware book as the story line was interesting. Library ebook.
These is My Words, by Nancy Sutton, western territories mostly Arizona. Library audiobook. Based some on real stories. Compelling character or I would have stopped listening. The reader was very polished sounding for the story. Plus the library audiobook was poorly executed the last word in each chapter was cut off and one time it said switch to the next Cd. That said I will not read more of this character. It was emotionally exhausting subject matter. I can highly recommend it though.
The 5th Horseman, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, San Francisco modern day, Murder Club series. Library ebook. I like these characters and pick one up now and then.
Portuguese irregular verbs, by Alexander McCall Smith, German university with a visit to Ireland and India. Very silly bit of mocking of Academia. Quick read. Library ebook.
The Guardians, by John Grisham, Georgia and Florida, a bit of soapboxing re justice system but I really enjoyed the characters. I listened to library audiobook, the character voices were very nicely done.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas, set mostly in France, published in 1844. Epic book. I chose audio library book. Tedious copy of CDs but well read. “And so wait and hope.” Also a recommendation I might never have gotten around to otherwise. I’ll miss this book.
The Word is Murder, by Anthony Horowitz, turns out this was nonfiction which I didn’t realize. I’d seen it on a list and liked the sound of it. I got the library ebook and got into the second chapter realizing it was based on real events. Really enjoyed it. It’s written very well he wrote for Foyles War and Midsomer Murders Tv shows.
Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz, mostly London. Fiction ebook. Liked the premise of the two books in one, an editor searching for the meaning in a novel after an unexpected death. It was good but at times I couldn’t pick it up. I think I didn’t like some characters. But I can recommend his writing for sure. I eagerly got this after reading the previous book on my list but didn’t like it as much.
A Casualty of War, by Charles Todd, Mostly Britain during the final days of World War 1. This is the last one of this series. It is one of the few I’ve read every book. I loved these, this was the Bess Crawford series. I should check out one of the others. *heard later there may be more for this series.

—— tried Montaigne in Barn Boots, by Michael Perry. Supposed to be humor and philosophy. Not my cup of tea.

Skyjack, by K. J. Howe, Thriller, ebook. Second in the series, I liked it. Four stars but a couple things that felt under researched distracted me (even though it is a well done book with lots of expert help). I like the strong protagonist.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen 83 1/2 Years Old, sort of fiction, author is secret and semi true. Entertaining. I did an audio book version with Derek Jacobi reading. Poignant and Delightful. Recommended by a friend.
The Library of the Lost and Found, by Phaedra Patrick, Fiction. Delightful book set in UK with books as a presence and impetus for changing later in life. Love this book. Library ebook.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaye Jaswal. Fiction Set in Indian sub culture in London. Listed on humor lists so I thought erotic was tongue in cheek. Well, the main plot is not erotic, but interesting characters and intrigue I enjoyed. Interspersed are the widows exaggerated stories. Again an entertaining book though I skipped over the little sexy stories often to get to the main plot. Ebook.
Tears of the Giraffe, by Allister McCall Smith, fiction mystery set in Botswana. Delightful, light reading with characters you’d enjoy having tea with. Library ebook.
The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton, fiction. Recommended. Not a traditional mystery but I enjoyed the unusual plot and the varied perspectives of a murder. Interesting concept. Set in a 1920s rich weekend house party environment. Very clean and I definitely can recommend this book. Library audiobook, good voices.
Walk the Wire, by David Baldacci, 6th book in Amos Decker series. Set in a murder in the Fracking area in North Dakota. Complicated plot. I enjoyed it. The synesthesia aspect of the character is mostly absent this far into the series but the detective aspect is good. library ebook.
Last Days of Night, by Graham Moore, fictional historical NYC based on true stories from the Current Wars in late 1800s. Very interesting and well written. Library audiobook. I enjoyed this both for the gatsby-esque time period as well as the semi true story drama.
The Third Twin, by Ken Follett, Baltimore area, mystery fiction, stand alone, library ebook. It has a copyright of 1996 and I found the descriptions of technology too specific and distracting. I debated if it was even behind the times for when it was written. Some formatting issues in the ebook or editing that caused dialogue to appear without line breaks between the characters speaking at times. That said, I really enjoyed the premise/plot.
Sworn to Silence, by Linda Castillo, mystery fiction, set in Ohio, library ebook. Police procedural a bit more detailed than I like. Set in Amish area with a former Amish police chief which gives a good twist to the series. This one had some dark themes, good writing but I couldn’t read this series straight through, too rough. But pick one up now and then.
The Chemist, by Stephanie Meyer, espionage fiction, DC and Texas, modern day. Library ebook. Enjoyed this plot and the characters a lot! Shocked to discover this is the Twilight author. No vampires or sexy weird at all here!
In for a Penny, by Kelsey Browning and Nancy Naigle, ebook, mystery fiction southern Amateur Sleuth, Texas. Fun characters, light read, well written.
The Woods, by Harlan Corben, mystery fiction, New Jersey, modern day. Audiobook. I read a lot of him and it was a safe pick on sale. Good characters and some twists I didn’t see coming. Good writer.
Lovable, by Kelly Flanagan. Nonfiction.audiobook. Lots to think about. May need to read again.
The Secret History, by Donna Tartt, fiction, audiobook. I know this is a best seller but I find her books long and the characters so introspective and full of themselves that I weary of them. I listened on fast speed. Clearly my opinion is the minority. A bit too literary for me while the plot had an interesting idea. I don’t think the characters changed much perhaps that’s why I don’t like these.
Undertaking Irene, by Pamela Burton, cozy mystery fiction. Silly and easy read. Enjoyed the characters, fast moving. I’ll probably read more of the series at doomed point. Ebook.
Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, fiction 1898, Gothic. Library audiobook. Spooky! Rich atmosphere. Enjoyed it. Would enjoy a conversation group for this one. Several movies have used this as a base.
The Apocalypse Watch, by Robert Ludlum, espionage fiction 1995. I struggled with hokey dialogue out of character for his writing. The main character was a bit too noir for me. Old technology described a lot. The plot line of political opponents being planted and groomed for decades to take over when a crisis is triggered was interesting and so I hung in there. Suspenseful ending. I read at the end his appreciation to his doctors from a heart attack or something cardiac. Made me wonder if he had help on the dialogue so it didn’t ring quite right. It was very long. Library ebook.
Get out of Your Head, by Jennie Allen, spiritual self help for transformation of thinking. I liked her style. She read the audiobook which kept it very real. I may buy the ebook to be able to flip through. Library audiobook.
Unforeseen, by Nick Pirog, fiction noir, old school 80s. Free set by Audible. Beware free sets. I won’t be finishing the set. I finished the one book to see what happened but no more. Old technology, old tough guy attitude. Ick. Probably was fine or unremarkable when it was written.
After Paul left Corinth: the influence of secular ethics and social change. By Bruce W. Winter. Hard reading maybe a thesis project but interesting cultural implications particularly in comparison of contemporary documents and word usage. Nonfiction.
Kiss the Girls, by James Patterson, mystery suspense. Listed on some favorites lists so I picked it up. Not current but creepy and suspenseful. Library ebook.
A Nice Class of Corpse, by Simon Brett. Mystery fiction. I like his writing and it is old school British in the vein of Agatha Christie. I will read more of this series. Library ebook.
The Searcher, by Tana French. Mystery fiction set in Ireland contemporary. She’s a good writer. Brood-some and interesting characters. I didn’t like some people in er series but this stand alone worked for me. Library ebook.
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane SetterfIeld, set in UK, contemporary but written in gothic style, mystery but vague on time period. Good writing, spooky. Ebook.
Mrs., Presumed Dead, by Simon Brett, UK 1980s, Mrs. Pargeter novel 2, delightful light mysteries. Library ebook.
Eight Perfect Murders, by Peter Swanson, Boston, New England. Mystery. Audiobook. Premise is: a book list and a bookstore owner. Interesting.
I am C-3PO, by Anthony Daniels, delightful memoir of his experiences in costume, acting, and all the variety of directors and film sets. Nonfiction audiobook. You have got to do the audiobook because he reads it and he is so delightfully droll.
Loveable, by Kelly Flanagan, nonfiction, self help, audiobook. Quick read. Lingering ideas to think on. Recommend.
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, by Vaseem Khan, mystery set in India. Audiobook. Enjoyed this light and fun book.
The Bodies Left Behind, by Jeffery Deaver, mystery, cop book set in Wisconsin. A huge amount of the book is in the woods in one night. Good suspense. The amazing thing was thinking the book was over after that and so much more happened. Good read.
An Unexpected Grief, by C.S. Lewis, paperbook, nonfiction. Very personal and real. A one day read.
Six Years, by Harlan Corben, mystery, audiobook, New York state I think, I don't recall since I forgot to write this one down immediately. I love the premise of losing a love and then someone denying they were who they were. The idyllic relationships seemed a bit of a stretch but hey, it's fiction. He's a good writer.
Paradise Lodge, by Nina Stibbe, UK Leichester, 1970s, fiction, very funny coming of age type story. Laughed out loud several times.
The Risk Agent, By Ridley Pearson, espionage action fiction. Set in China. Enjoyed the complexity of the character connections. He is a very suspenseful writer. I’d forgotten about him and I’m glad to find some new books.
I am half sick of shadows, by Alan Bradley, series set in 1950s UK, mystery Flavia de Luce child sleuth. These are fun. Library audiobook. This one is Christmas themed so I waited until December.
Singapore Sapphire, by AM Stuart, historical mystery. Sympathetic and interesting characters.audiobook. I’ll probably pick up more of the series.
Weight of Glory, CS Lewis, series of talks he gave at Oxford in 1940s. Audiobook. Rich. You could re-read it to absorb more.

Books read in 2020

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:11:00 +0000

1. The Betrayal, by Sabin Willett, mystery fiction, DC area and Wyoming, library ebook. Good writing. Took a bit to engage, politics distracting, but very suspenseful later. It kept me reading past bedtime.

2. House of Echoes, by Brendan Duffy, suspense horror, paper book. Gift to me. One of the most suspenseful, creepy books I’ve read ever or in years. Well written, good read. Kept me up past my bedtime. I bet this becomes a quiet horror movie.

3. When We Left Cuba, by Chanel Cleeton, “mystery" audiobook. Another misrepresentation of a book as a mystery. This was a romance with a sprinkle of mystery on top. I was intrigued by the spy aspect but it was disappointing. Audiobook.
4. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. Seeking God in the Crucible of ministry. By Ruth Haley Barton. Nonfiction recommended to me by German friend and Blogger. I read this slowly over 2 years as it had many ideas that were good to sit with for a time.
5. The Cruelest Month, by Louise Penny, mystery fiction, set in a small town in Canada. Interesting characters in this series and Inspector Gamache I like. The theme of this had to do with seances while it wasn’t the main idea, I wearied of some themes here. I will take a break before I revisit the series. She’s a very good writer.
6. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, nonfiction, audio library book. While medical themes are hard for me, this book was fascinating. History was changed because of this story. Recommended by a friend who loves biographies.
7. Adrennaline, by Jeff Abbott, espionage fiction, Amsterdam, London. Interesting complicated plot, the protagonist didn’t like killing but unrealistically kicked people unconscious rather simply and frequently, so I eventually became fixated on that in the fight scenes. Library ebook. Sets up for a series. Not sure if I’ll read more. Possibly.
8. Emotional Healthy Spirituality, by Peter Scazzarro, nonfiction ebook. Did this as a workshop with a workbook. Some really good points about getting stuck emotionally and how that stifles growth.
9. The Hush, by John Hart, fiction. ebook. Follow up to an earlier book which I loved, maybe a favorite of the last decade. I was shocked but saw how he was able to develop this into a supernatural horror type story. He’s a very good writer. I’d say just not my taste the way this turned out. I prefer the mystery suspense type story to this but it was very suspenseful! I will always read more of Hart.
10. Everything but the Squeal; Eating the Whole Hog in the North of Spain, John Barlow, nonfiction ebook library. I enjoyed this though I did not read straight thru, picking it up and putting it down. I have a friend from Galicia. We’ve visited the region and so I enjoyed this food travel tale. I’m ready to visit again.
11. Final Girls, by Riley Sager, suspense fiction, New York and Pennsylvania, audiobook. My frustration with the protagonist a few times was off set by several surprising things I should have seen coming but didn’t. Good writing.
12. Death Row, by William Bernhardt, legal thriller, fiction. Set in Oklahoma. Library ebook. Good plot line. He’s a good writer. I’ve read some of this character but not in order. Random House should edit better. I find copy errors distracting.
13. Tell Me Lies, by J. P. Pomare, Australia, psychological thriller. Literally, a psychologist who has weird client things happen and has a twist ending. Audiobook, a free offer from Audible. meh.
14. Break Shot: My First 21 years by James Taylor, yes the singer. I love him. Pretty rough early situations, depression and drug addiction. It’s a wonder we didn’t lose him. Audiobook, he read. A short book, free from Audible.
15. The Body Reader, by Anne Frasier. Mystery suspense, a city that didn’t leave a strong impression on me. A detective is held captive for years and escapes. She develops sharper observation skills and unravels a crazy conspiracy. Good suspense. Audiobook.
16. Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke, Texas Ranger gets caught up in a racial related case. Interesting characters, complicated story. Fortunately I read it before the US blew up with riots so I wasn't distracted by that while I read a good plot.Audiobook. It's a series start. I would possibly read more.
17. Exit Strategy, by Kelley Armstrong, all over the USA hitmen, serial killers, library ebook. Some things were hard to suspend my disbelief but an interesting premise.
18. Missing You, by Harlan Corbin, Northwest USA, fiction suspense. I like him he’s a good writer. I got distracted by some politicking in this one, over all a good read. Audiobook.
19. Deep Storm, by Lincoln Child, a deep sea underwater research platform in North Atlantic. I like his writing so I just grabbed it on a whim, lots of stars. Not a typical mystery. No spoiler but not a murder investigation at all. Audiobook.
20. The Body Counter, by Anne Frasier, detective character, from the series I started earlier. Enjoyed the first one enough that picking this for another audio read seemed like a easy quick pick. Good read, the character was less about reading the people she dealt with than in the first book but I like her. Audiobook.
21. Persia and the Bible, Edwin Yamauchi, Historical Research very much a text book type thing. Research for a work project. A big used hardback, a hard go but useful.
?# Norm MacDonald, Based on a true Story. Another SNL memoir. I stopped. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t entertaining me either. Supposed to be a funny book. Library audio book. No harm no foul no funds lost. Stopped before the end.
22. The Reading Group, by Elizabeth Noble, UK. It was a light chick lit type book. I found it on a list of feel good books that the blogger likes to re-read. It had interesting characters but the most unrealistic male female arguments but maybe that’s what makes it a feel good. Happy ending and all. Good writer. Bought a used paperback.
23. The Late Show, by Michael Connolly, LA Cop Detective, almost hard boiled but modern, engaging and yet minimalist writing. Audiobook.
24. The Hunt, by Allison Brennan, Montana, Mystery fiction, a bit romance for my taste but good suspense. Paperbook living in my house. I’m losing faith in the description of relationships in fiction but maybe a real fight would be hard to read?
25. The Red Road, By Denise Mina, Scotland, Mystery Fiction. Library audiobook. Good Scottish accents on the reading. I liked the police detective character, multiple points of view in the book. I'd read more.
26 Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottlieb, nonfiction , audiobook. A therapist gets therapy. Entertaining but encouraging as well, overcoming hard times theme.
27 The Code of the Wooster, by P.G. Wodehouse, 1931 aristocrat UK, humor, fiction, ebook. Poorly edited to the point I wondered if it was a pirated version, but it was from Amazon! Entertaining, slapstick at times. I had to look up some vocabulary that we no longer actively use! Enjoyed it for a light read.
28 The Drifter, by Nick Petrie, fiction, set in Milwaukee. Tough ex military suspense. I enjoyed the characters and some of the beat up the bad guy stuff. A lot of language if that turns you off be forewarned. Fight scenarios were quite satisfying. Audiobook.
29 The Tie that Binds, by Kent Haruf, Fiction set in Colorado farm country, Holt County. It’s a vintage contemporary collection, copyright 1984 but probably set in 50s. Moody, broodsome, tense. ebook. Very compelling read. Dark.
30 A Serial Killer’s Daughter, by Kerri Rawson, nonfiction library ebook. Her father is the Wichita BTK killer. It’s a good bit autobiography and I had anticipated more about her and her dad. Later in the book that happens some.
31 The Case of the Love Commandos, by Tarquín Hall, mystery fiction, library audiobook. The reader is so good. You feel like you‘ve been on a trip to India when you read this series. Fun stories. Good writer. Library book. 4th in the series.
32 Inside Jobs, by Ben H.Winters, fiction short stories of crime in quarantine. Free audiobook. Not very long. Cute.
33 Nut Jobs, by Marc Fennell, nonfiction about almond thefts in California. Audiobook, so a bit of a podcast feel really. Intriguing crime. A bit of a soap box about food production the last chapter or two which felt like a deviation from the actual crime story being told. Still interesting at times, dark humor.
34 Isabella, the Warrior Queen, by Kristin Downey. Nonfiction, audiobook. A big book about Queen Isabella of Spain. Fascinating. Inspiring. Troubling. Great writer/researcher.
35 Shamed, by Linda Castillo, fiction, mystery set In Ohio Amish country. Nice main character formerly Amish. Library ebook. Random read. It was book 11 of the series. Good, smooth writing and suspense
36 Cop Town, by Karen Slaughter, mystery cop fiction, set in Atlanta during race tensions in 1970s, good writer, mostly believable. A bit of soapboxing but maybe it’s the times we live in now too.
37 King of Sting: Australian Conman Peter Foster. True podcast turned “audiobook."
definitely a true con, over and over. I wasn’t clear at the end what the resolution was but intriguing. Lowers your trust in people.
38 The Lies I Told, by Heather Gudenkauf, mystery fiction Ebook. Done with different character points of view. This was good writing and had a good twist at the end that brought a lot together. I realized there’s a phenomenon, a subgenre of thriller of unreliable protagonist. It is suspenseful. The first book I read like that in the 90s left me shaken as the character himself was when he realized what he was. Gone girl is the more famous version perhaps. I recognized I like to be clear about my character even though this is a very popular genre inside mystery currently.
40 The Unlikely Spy, By Daniel Silva, WW II UK espionage, oh the tangled webs! Lots of characters, good writing. Audiobook. This is the book I discovered I’m embarrassed when the sex scenes are read out loud, just a couple but still. I’m apparently a prude and skim that stuff in writing but on audio I got stuck where I couldn’t fast forward one day! ack! Great writing.
41 Dark clouds, Deep mercy, Discovering the grace of lament, by Mark Vroegop, nonfiction ebook. Good points to ponder. I was encouraged to explore this theme by a trusted connection. I disagreed with some ways of looking at or defining terms of grief but took away a lot from the thinking here.
42 Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith, Comoran Strike detective series, book 3, mystery fiction set mostly in London. Library ebook. Enjoyed this. Lots of tension but in different parts of the story. These are a bit darker than some things I read but I continue to pick up the series.
43 Lethal White, by Robert Galbraith, book 4 of series. Mystery fiction set in London. A situation not related to the main plot was left unresolved at the end of the previous book and in a rare move for me, I picked up this one immediately. I don’t like to feel I didn’t get the ending and feel blackmailed to buy the next book. I know that’s a technique of writing cliffhanger style but I like each one resolved where I just want to see those characters again. This was more subtle but drove me to want more. Round of applause for the author’s technique. Library ebook. Liked the complex characters here.
44 Secrets of Wishtide, by Kate Saunders, Victorian England, A Letitia Rod mystery fiction. A light audio read that was engaging. I liked the characters and setting. I would read more. Historical is not my go to but I enjoy it when I do. This was on sale and had high ratings.
45 Cold Cold Heart, by Tami Hoag, mystery fiction audiobook, set mostly in Indiana town. Good suspense and even though I had pretty strong suspicions about the bad guy watching it unfold was a good story. Protagonist’s injuries helped make some of her actions more feasible as well as her fear. Two thumbs up.
46 The Kill Artist, by Daniel Silva, espionage fiction set in Europe, audiobook. As he usually does a large cast of characters that eventually come together with great suspense... this was the beginning of a series. While everything resolved, one of the characters disappointed me, so I’ll give it some space before I read another. Bought on sale, a good hook for me: cheap book 1 of a series!
48 The Girl Beneath the Sea, by Andrew Mayne, mystery thriller set in Florida with diving as a theme. Again an on sale book one of a series. Good suspense and interesting characters. I will likely read more.
49 Deliver us from Evil, by David Baldacci, espionage fiction, France and UK contemporary. Follow up, loosely to The Whole Truth. Good plot, a bit more description of the hardware than he usually has, maybe a touch of Tom Clancy. I think it set up for another in series. This was a paperbook I think I found cleaning out my grandparents house or on a book swap table. Nice to read in paper but trade paperback is just too big to take around with you.
50 Don’t Let Go, by Harlan Coben, mystery suspense set in New Jersey, on sale audiobook. Engaging I read it in a couple days. I should have seen that ending coming but didn’t. I liked the characters.
52 Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, audiobook. Great audio read going into the autumn, morose and spooky. Much more of an emotional drama than I realized. First time to read it after being challenged by a friend who was reading it.
53 Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History, by Veja Gabriel Liulevius, a 12 hour lecture/audiobook. A bit like a history class but he is good at presenting the information. I learned a ton. Does it count as a book? It is longer than some novels I’ve done on audible.
54 Nine Women One Dress, by Jane L. Rosen, fiction chic lit, New York City, mostly. It was fun. A light read that I found on a humor list and as an audiobook in my library.
55 Iron Lake, by Willem Kent Krueger, fiction very cold small town Minnesota. Great emotion and character development in an intense mystery plot. Didn’t know it was the beginning of a series. I would not hesitate to read more. Library ebook. He's a very good writer.
56 Therapy, by Jonathan Kellerman, mystery in LA, older series, hard boiled style. Not sure if it was the age of the tech or the characters. Didn’t like this. It is part of a big popular series so my opinion clearly doesn’t hold. I like Kellerman’s writing and other books, just not an Alex Delaware series fan. Library ebook
57 The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion, fiction, a bit of romantic comedy. I listened as an audiobook and the Australian accent was fun. The character’s ocd was delightful. I find rom com a bit light and unrealistic but it was an enjoyable book.
58 Boundaries, by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, when to say yes and how to say no to take control of your life. A best seller nonfiction. Got it on audio library book. Very good in that includes examples, how to-s, as well as things to help you identify your own tendencies. I will probably buy for my own collection.
59 The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides, UK modern day Mystery Fiction, library ebook. It was well written and I saw it coming a bit before the twist hit toward the end. Not my favorite type of book but it was a best seller and I think it is slated for a film as well.
60 Someone Knows, by Lisa Scottoline, suburbs of Philadelphia (or was it Baltimore?). Mystery fiction, multiple points of view audiobook. The downward spiral of the first third or half was a bit hard. I ended up playing it on a higher speed to get it over, the last third is full of suspense and the pay off on some character strengths made me like the book much more by the end.
61 The Talented Mr. Ripley, By Patricia Highsmith. On a classic recommendations list. Mostly set in Italy. Good writing but I tired of the characters. Audiobook listened at high speed which is a sign I just want to be done.
62 Everything you told me, by Lucy Dawson, mostly near London. Intrigued by the premise but found the main character passive for a good amount of the book anda bit deus ex machina at the end. Audiobook listened at high speed. It is popular though.
63 The Cornish Coast Murder, by John Bude, fiction written in the 1930s, Cornwall. Library ebook. Very light reading exactly what you’d expect. A bit of the little lady tone regarding female characters. Contemporary authors ie Parker or Christie certainly didn’t take that tone.
64 Zeal without Burnout, by Christopher Ash, nonfiction ebook. I probably was not the intended audience since I’m thinking in terms of an organization not a church. Some good points but not so much as I’d hoped.
65 A man called Ove, by Federik Backman, modern fiction Sweden. On a lot of book club lists and humor book lists. It is funny in many places but it is also poignant and sometimes sad. I can highly recommend it for the writing and characters. Ebook library. Full disclosure: finished on New Year’s Day 2021

Reading and Cereal

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 20:09:00 +0000

I was reading Linda Castillo's book, Shamed. A murder occurs in an Amish community and the sheriff who was raised Amish and left the community is racing the clock to solve a kidnapping and murder. Good suspense and it kept me engaged. It was book 11 because it was one I randomly grabbed in my library app not wanting to study on what to read. I won't go back in the series but I would read more.

Do you know the term "brought out of the story"? I am pretty easy going about playing along with plots and twists-turns. Grammatical errors and typos always make me pause and think about if the book was published by a big New York firm and that sort of thing. Sometimes something in a story doesn't sound quite true and it will make you stop and think. This is being pulled out of the story instead of staying in the flow.

While I can highly recommend this book there was one moment that brought me out of the story. The sheriff is talking to the 5 or 6 children under 11 years old. It is late almost bedtime and they are eating cereal.

I did not grow up Amish but my parents went through some hippie phases. If you want a play on words, they can be a bit granola. In fact, most of my life they have made granola from scratch. We would buy it at times as well as a healthier alternative to processed cereal. I did get to eat cereal from boxes too. It had to be something with some nutrition in my mother's estimation Wheaties or Life Cereal if I begged. I've never had Captain Crunch, still. It was considered sugar and no substance.

I know about home made granola intimately. And we call it granola we don't call it cereal. So this begs the question from me: do Amish communities, or does a conservative Amish family buy cereal? The family in the book is designated as a strict family. Or is there a recipe for cereal that I haven't encountered with my everything made from scratch up bringing?? I find this very interesting. If you happen to know, I'd love to hear.

It was a silly detail that made me pause in my reading. I know some Mennonites but they can be very modern so I don't think I'll get my answer there either.

At my house today, I buy my cereal, happily. I mix three varieties including one here in Spain called Chocolic, it is the store brand of the pictured product here which is name brand. Chocolic would not meet my mother's cereal standards, please don't tell her.

A plethora of nonfiction reading +

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 01:00:00 +0000

I don't always read paper books, in fact, it has become rare as I travel more for my day job. Living in Spain doesn't give me a wide selection of paper in English. I love paper but the practicality has driven me into the arms of digital devices. I still have a library/office in my home and enjoy "real" books immensely to look at, read and touch.

So how on earth am I reading all of these paper at one time?

I'm in a travel lull. Also in the last year, I have given myself permission on nonfiction to read on and off. In the past, I pushed myself to finish and often lost enthusiasm and therefore attention span on nonfiction just dragging myself to completion rather than absorbing the information. In addition I have four more digital nonfiction books underway as well. That brings the total on nonfiction to eight!

I don't think I've ever read so many books at once in my life. It has left me with some anxiousness and I see I need to wrap up a few of them so I don't feel so lost when it's time to read.

Followers of my blog will know I don't really love reading nonfiction and my relaxing and enjoying comes from fiction which takes my mind away from reality.

Here's the total: three for research, two were gifts, one a travelogue - these I love but I stalled out on finishing for some reason; two for work or you could dub them self-improvement. AND I have a fiction audio book going at the moment. Just finished a paper fiction book on Thursday night as well.

So what should I pick up now?!

Books read in 2019

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 17:42:00 +0000

1. I Must Say, By Martin Short, a memoir, audiobook, he reads it, enjoyable. He does use swear words a little.

2. The Camel Club, by David Baldacci , fiction political thriller DC area, felt like a good amount of political soapbox mixed in with the action. Good characters but won't go back for more.

3. The Dead in their Vaulted Arches, by Alan Bradley, fiction mystery, UK 1950s. **** library ebook

4. The Napoleon of Notting hill, G.K. Chestertoon, fiction audiobook, satire was deep probably a good deal of pop culture commentary over my head but some pithy observations in story form as well. Written in 1904 set in 1984.

5. A Confederacy of Dunces, by John. Kennedy O’Toole, humor fiction, Pulitzer prize winner, dreadful, in my quest for humor, striking out. Perhaps a Strange look into the 1960s. Odd so much that was said would be blackballed as inappropriate today.

5.5. The empty house, mystery fiction, Abigail Augsburger, Short story audiobook almost like a kids book. Too light. Too short.

5.6. Infinite Jest. Tried to read It’s won prizes and is lauded as a humor book. I was not enjoying it at all after 3 audio hours and I quit.

6. The Freedom broker, a Thea Paris novel, by K. J. Howe, Greece, Africa, techno thriller, ****, audiobook, enjoyed the action and the protagonist

7. Take Out, By Margaret Maron, mystery detective novel NYC, ****

8. The Monkey’s raincoat, by Robert Crais, 1987 mystery novel voted one of the best by independent book sellers. Set in LA, very Hard boiled and definitely a look into the past. Times have really changed a lot. Quick read. Paperback

9. The Spy wore Silk, by Aline Countess of Romanones, nonfiction 1970s, American who spied while being married to a Spanish Count. Book 3 of a series. Set in Morocco mostly during a coup attempt. I find these interesting seeing into the world of the rich and powerful and she has a very nice way of presenting without going political. I like seeing the Spain of that time.

10. By Reason of Insanity, by Randy Singer, legal thriller, Virginia and Las Vegas, hardback, ***.5

11. Love you more, by Lisa Gardner, Massachusetts, ebook, ****

12.The Queen Aretha Franklin, by Mikail, Gilmore, nonfiction, audiobook

13. The child next door, by Shalini Bolander, fiction UK, billed as a thriller but the whiny protagonist wearied me.

14 .The Innocent Man, by John Grisham, nonfiction, didn’t quite finish. I thought it was fiction it got really long. I’m not great with crime nonfiction. I understand the TV series is good.

15. Chasing a Croatian Girl:a survivor’s tale by Cody Brown, nonfiction, ebook. Humorous, Delightful. Much applies to Spain as well for learning to live somewhere else.

16. What the Dead know, by Laura Lippman, fiction mystery, Baltimore and Mexico. Good plot twist. Audiobook.

17. The Gospel as tragedy, comedy and fairytale, by Frederick Buckner, nonfiction 1977. Poignant and thought provoking. Quick read. Hardback book

18. Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan, all over in Asia and a few other places. The places are viewed the way rich people see them. Fiction. Billed as super funny and it is humorous. I think the idiosyncrasies of the rich may be beyond my humor.

19. Eva Trout, by Elizabeth Bowen, fiction 1960s Ireland. Paperback purchased at the Dublin Writers Museum. Again some of the humor escaped me plus the end was a shock.

20. The African Svelte, ingenious misspellings that make surprising sense, by Daniel Menaker with illustrations. Quick nonfiction read. Humorous word play.

21. Cover her in darkness, by Eileen Rendahl fiction library ebook, Chicago. Good mystery fiction. ****

22. Stone Cold, by CJ Foxx, Wyoming park service ranger mystery, library ebook. Well written, interesting plot. Park service was an outlier for me. Library ebook.

23. Never Die Alone, by Lisa Jackson. Mystery suspense, New Orleans, library ebook. Good read. Three or four typos in a mainstream publishers book!

24. Reconstructing Amelia, by Kimberly McCreight , fiction Brooklyn, writing was fine, I didn’t like it. Downward spiral. One of several mysteries I’ve encountered recently that don’t really fit the genre. They are categorizing too loosely or incorrectly.

25. Don’t Make Me Pullover, by Richard Ratay, nonfiction history and memoir of family road trip vacations, audio library book. Entertaining. light.

26. Code Name Lise, by Larry Loftis, nonfiction WWII most decorated female spy. Very Interesting. Exciting. Poignant. Audiobook.

27. An Innocent Client, a Joe Dillard mystery by Scott Pratt, courtroom drama, set in the south, audiobook. Good book. Twist in plot.

28. 4th of July, Murder Club series, California, by James Patterson with Maxine Paetro, library ebook. Cop detective series. Easy read.I like the friends together in this.

29. Does this Beach make me look fat? By Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella, humorous life memoir, library audiobook read by authors mother and daughter. Funny bits. But I was done before the book was.

30. The Fear Index, by Robert Harris, thriller fiction, Geneva Switzerland. Twist ending! Very good.

31. Woman of God, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, library audiobook. Sudan, Europe, Massachusetts. Very Interesting themes. Enjoyed this one a lot.

32. The Melody Lingers On, by Mary Higgins Clark, mystery New York City, library ebook. Quick read.

33. Fierce Optimism, Leeza Gibbons, memoir, audiobook, library. I liked the theme of optimism but lost interest toward the end.

34. Double Blind, Iris Johansson, mystery, California, library ebook. Good read. Main character was blind and had surgery to correct it so she observes better than most people.

35. The story of my life by Helen Keller. Audiobook. Overcoming adversity is a great theme! Short book

36. The Game Changer, by Louise Phillips, mystery set in Ireland. Ebook. I must have read something very similar. It felt familiar but the end was different than I thought so not a reread. It was distracting to me to keep thinking that plus I predicted much of it.

37. Trust Me, by Hank Phillips Ryan, mystery, Massachusetts, library ebook. I enjoyed this book

38. Dark Horse, by Tami Hoag, mystery, Florida, audio library book. Older technology references but a good plot.

39. Redemption, by David Baldacci, Amos Decker detective novel, Ohio, library ebook. I like this series. Though the hook that brought me to it (his brain injury) has faded as the series has gone on.

40. Under the Beetle’s Cellar, by. Mary Willis Walker mystery mystery fiction set in Texas, writer protagonist, audiobook. Suspenseful!

41. Agatha Raisin and the haunted house, M C Beaton, Sleuth mystery, UK. I think I read this one years ago but didn’t realize until the middle. This was an audiobook from the library. Reader was very good.

42. Dare to lead, by Brene Brown, I had resisted her books as pop culture but it was a library ebook. Extremely good. Audiobook read by her. I went to the website and printed things afterward.

43. No good deed goes unpunished or unrewarded, by Paul Cowell. Nonfiction. A gift. this Book had some great take aways. It made me feel less alone. Paperback

44. The Convent, by Paños Karnezis, fiction, drama, set in Spain turn of the century. Well written, melancholy. Paperback hanging around in my house. Maybe a re-read. Sigh.

45. My Lost Family, by Daniel Ben-Moshe, Amazon original, turns out this “audio book”was a repurposed podcast, it was very good and was offered free on audible. I felt gipped by it being offered as a “free book.” Nonfiction his mother had children before him that were taken by their father and he didn’t know them.

46. Burnout Generation, by Anne Helen. Peterson, again a freebie on amazon audible that was a podcast, it’s probably going to be a book on how millennials are so burned out and have so little chance of getting out of debt. My take away is that I’m flirting with burnout and while they feel it is unique to their generation it is not. Sure some things in every era are unique but challenges and fulfillment are not so unusual as stressors but they didn’t ask me.

47. A Window Opens, By Elisabeth Egan, chic lit, library ebook. Just a reminder why I don’t read this genre, I wanted an audiobook quickly and grabbed it from the library. This is the most unrealistic couple conflict ever. Ending was easy to see. It wasn’t poorly written just not my thing I guess.

48. On Borrowed time, by David Rosenfelt. Mystery with odd twist. Again pretty sure I read this before but can’t find it on my lists. I wonder too if the same themes appeal to me and I read similar books by accident. It was well written.

49 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeman, fiction audiobook. Good Scottish accents. Feel good story overcoming adversity. If this is chic lit, I stand corrected. Well done.

50. All the Dead Lie Down, by Mary Willis Walker, mystery fiction, Texas. Must be set about 1995 technology wise. I enjoyed the plot. Protagonist forgets she has a gun though.... really? The characters were interesting. Suspenseful.

51. Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King, mystery Pittsburgh. Audio library book. I’d never read one of his regular mysteries. I liked the plot description before I realized it was him. Engaged my suspense immediately. He’s a very good writer. Being him though, there were some very icky scenes in there but compelling.

52. Time travel to the Old Testament. By Chris Sinkinson, nonfiction, very readable and great context for some things that aren’t obvious to our world today. Paperback book I bought from the author at an event.

53. A Thousand Naked Strangers, a paramedics wild ride to the edge and back, by Kevin Hazzard, nonfiction, audio library book. Rough language but very interesting peak into another world. I hope to never need to go there.

54. Chosen People, by Robert Whitlow, Atlanta, and Israel, Christian Fiction, ebook. It was well written. I don’t read this genre much because it always gets obvious. The plot kept me interested.

55.As I lay dying, by William Faulkner, south country family, audiobook. Wish I had these 6 hours back. Depressing!! But the personalities and voices come through strong and clear in the writing. I guess he’s not my taste either. I picked it up from one of those: books you should read if you didn’t in school type lists. 

55.5 Gravity, Seven Essential Truths about Influence, Leadership and your Soul by Ronald Kuest and Michael Forney. Nonfiction. Paper book, a gift. Some good points, clearly written, but didn’t feel unique to others I’ve read. I didn’t quite finish, but have kept it around to pick up if it strikes me to do so.

My books of 2018

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 03:44:00 +0000

In 2018, I read more books than for several years due to some short books and audiobooks. I used to read a book a week in my 20s. This is the first time I’ve gotten this number since I started tracking the last few years. I don’t feel it’s quite the same with some of these short ones but the number surprised me since that wasn’t what I necessarily set out to do.

1.The Poet, Michael Connelly, early 1990s detective mystery fiction, audiobook, found the detailed description of old technology distracting but a good plot. ***.5

2.In the name of Jesus: Reflections on Leadership, Henri Nouwen,nonfiction

3.She’s not there, Joy Fielding, California , Mexico modern, fiction mystery,***

4. Where She was, modern mystery suburbs out of NYC, audiobook, ****

5. Ordinary grace, by William Kent Krueger, 1961 Minnesota fiction, ****, the title is intriguing and exactly right for a complicated dramatic plot.

6. 1st to Die, James Patterson, with Andrew Gross, detective fiction , A Woman’s Murder Club, San Francisco, library ebook. ****

7. Adulthood is a myth, cartoon book, Sarah Anderson, library, very funny.

8. Struck by Genius, how a Brain injury made me a mathematical genius, Jason Padgett and Maureen Seaburg, nonfiction aquired savant. I’m fascinated! Library, ebook

9. Memory Man, David Baldacci, modern mystery, aquired savant, *****, library audiobook

10. Little Girl Lost, by Brian McGillaway, Northen Ireland, modern police procedural, ebook, ****fiction

11. Say you’re sorry, By Melinda Leigh, modern US mystery, Morgan Dane book 1. Good plot more romance than I like. Audiobook.

12. Bonhoeffer, by Eric Metaxas, , audio library book. Very long but very interesting.

13. The Last Mile, by David Baldacci, book 2 detective savant, not as engaging for me as the first maybe because it was centered on football. Still good writing.

14. The kiiller next store, alex marwood, UK fiction present day, audiobook, interesting but way too much gore, vulgar detail for my taste.

15. Crucial Conversations,nonfiction, Paterson, gray, McPherson, switzer, *****

16. tea and bee’s milk, our year in a Turkish village, Karen and Ray Gilden Travelogue Turkey 1996, ebook, ****

17. 2nd Chance, women’s detective club book 2, fiction, San Francisco, James Patterson, ***.5

18. Proof, Dick Francis, UK wine and horses industry fiction from 1980s, ****, audiobook

19. The Paris Librarian, Mark Pryor, Paris, fiction mystery, ***library ebook

20. Extra Virginity: the sublime and scandalous world of olive oil, by Tom Mueller, nonfiction, aundiobook.***.5 enjoyed it.

21. Creativity Inc, by Ed Camall, and Amy Wallace, nonfiction *****, both bought ebook and library ebook.

22. The Breakdown, B.A. Paris, fiction, audiobook, UK modern mystery, I grew very tired of the weakness of the protagonist. This gets very high ratings so not sure why I saw through story line so quickly.

23. Death Rites, Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett, police procedural 1994 Barcelona.****

24. Away with words, Joe Berkowitz, nonfiction pun contests in Texas and New York

25. Kill the next one, Federico Axat, fiction mystery, audiobook, surprising g premise. ****

26. 3rd degree , by James Patterson and Andrew Gross, mystery series in san Francisco, ***

27. The case of the deadly butter chicken, Tarquín Hall, mystery fiction, modern day indai. ****, library audiobook

28. The devil’s bed, William Kent Krueger, fiction Mystery, Minnesota, ****, ebook

29. A monster calls, by Patrick Ness. Fiction modern u k. Coming of age. Good, sad, library ebook

30. Before the fall, Noah Hawley, suspense fiction east coast, plane wreck, ***, audiobook, entertaining, interesting premise

31. Educated, Tara Westover, nonfiction memoir, Idaho, audiobook. She never went to school. Fascinating.

32. As chimney sweeps come to dust, Alan Bradley,mystery fiction, Uk, Canada, library ebook. ****

33. The fix, DC, David Baldacci, mystery fiction, ***.5

34. The Bullet, mary Louise Kelly, DC, Atlanta. Mystery fiction, audiobook****

35. Best served cold:a Martha Garrett mystery, by Cyn Mackley, Texas mystery fiction, fun story, a few typos which I found distracting. Ebook.

36. Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For, by Rebecca Shuman, nonfiction travel. CanNot recommend.

37. The Diamond Caper, Peter Mayle, Southern France/Provence, fiction, easy read, delightful. Library ebook. ****

38. Underneath a Scarlet Sky, a novelized story based on real events in WW II in Italy, Mark Sullivan **** audiobook

39. I see you, by Clare Mackintosh, fiction mystery UK London, audiobook, good book. I tire of weak protagonists from the UK lately but the overall book was enjoyable and she was strong at the end. ***

40. The Straw Men, Michael Marshall, fiction mystery ebook, too many plot lines a deeper edit would have helped. A very interesting premise just not coherent, Montana and California. Ebook.*

41. Artifacts, by Mary Anna Evans, fiction mystery archeology in Florida, very enjoyable. Ebook, ****

42. Iron house, by John Hart, mystery fiction, south USA mostly. *****

43. Anything you can imagine, Peter Jackson and the making of middle earth, by Andy Serkis. Audiobook. Very enjoyable especially for my geeky film making side.

44. The Shattered Tree , Charles Todd, WWI historical mystery fiction. I really enjoy this series . Ebook library .

45. Hi, Bob. By Bob Newhart, audiobook, interviewing comedians. Fun, quick.

46. The Fallen, by David Baldacci, mystery fiction, Pennsylvania run. Audiobook.

47. A fatal grace, Louise Penny, Three Pines and Montreal, Canada, mystery fiction, ****

48. The stupidest angel, a Christmas tale of Terror, fiction, Pine cove CA Christopher Moore, I did notmean to read a zombie book. Surprise.

49. Letters from Santa, J. R.R. Tolkien, audiobook. Kids book.

50. The Life we Bury, Allen Eskens, Mystery Fiction, Minnesota, audiobook

51. Adrenaline and stress, Archibald Hart, nonfiction.

52. Triptych, by Karen Slaughter , fiction mystery, Atlanta. Libraryebook ***

53. Crucial Accountability, Patterson, Gray, McPherson, and Switzer. Nonfiction. Very good tools.

Books of 2017

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 11:01:00 +0000

Goldfinch, Donna Tartt, fiction drama, audiobook, Las Vegas and New York City ***
No mark upon her, Deborah Crombie, mystery, ebook uk. ****
The advantage, business, short book, Patrick Lencioni ***
Sidney Chambers and the shadow of death, the granchester mysteries, james runcie, UK post WW II, ***.5
Strangers on a train, Patricia Highsmith, New York and Texas, 1950, mystery fiction, ***.5 ebook
The Keeper of Lost Causes, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Denmark, Mystery, audiobook, **** (book 1 of series, Realized I’d read a later one and kept thinking I’d read this book, or maybe I had. Hate re-reading unintentionally, especially when I bought it!) good read, but dark.
The Devil in the White City, Chicago’s world fair, Eric Laarsen?, 1893. Nonfiction, audio book. What a strange and interesting time. ***.5
Leading out of who you are. Simon P Walker, nonfiction leadership. ****
Whoever fights monsters, by Robert Ressler, nonfiction FBI developing profiling for serial murders, grissly but interesting in short doses, audiobook. ***
In the woods, Dublin murder squad, modern fiction, very good, writing great but one character's bad choices will probably keep me from reading more in the series. ****
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. Nabeel quereshi, nonfiction, ebook excellent
The Last Child, John hart, fiction modern day south USA, exceptional writing. Ebook. *****
A tapping at my door, by David Jackson, U.K. Modern day, detectives, ****ebook
Snare of the hunter, by Helen Macinnes, ebook, 1960s, ***.5 Cold War escape Czechoslovakia to Austria. Sort of a spy Agatha Christie type book.
May we be forgiven, a novel, A.M. Holmes, modern fiction NY City suburbs mostly. *** minus the vulgar scenes, I would have said 4 stars. Ebook
Walking on Water: Faith and Art, Madeline L'Engle, nonfiction ***** ebook
Mr. Churchill's secretary, Susan Elia MacNeal, U.K. WW II. *** audio
The girl who was supposed to die, by April Henry, Boston mystery fiction, audio, ****
Live to tell, by Lisa Gardener, detective fiction, audio. ***
The Girl you Lost, by Katheryn Kroft, **** mystery fiction, audio
The laws of teamwork , by John Macwell, Nonfiction , ***, gift, paperbook!
The Rabbi Slept Late, by Harry Kemelman, written 1960s, New England fiction, ebook. ****
Get well soon, Jennifer Wright, nonfiction plagues. Very interesting. Audiobook . ****
Today will be Different , Marie Semple, fiction Seattle, audiobook, ****
The Crossing Places, Ely Griffiths, Norfolk U.K., modern mystery, ***.5, more but one area seemed strangely presented or not researched clearly.
The House of Spies, Daniel Silva, modern spy novel, France, Israel, london, morocco.****
Movie Storyboards: the art of visualizing screenplays, by Fionnuala Halligan , library ebook, nonfiction.
Single White Female, John Stutz, 1980s NYC. *** fiction ebook
The Mushroom Hunters, on the trail of an underground America, Langdon Cook, Nonfiction, strange and interesting. audiobook. ****
An Army Arising, why artists are on the front line of the next move of God, Crist John Otto nonfiction, paper book, a gift I enjoyed **** nonfiction
The life of the beloved, spiritual living in a secular world, Henry Nouwen, nonfiction, ebook ****
Redemption Road, John Hart, North Carolina, fiction, audiobook, ****
Are you Sleeping, contemporary mystery, Chicago, Kathleen Barber, ebook ***
Dorothy L. sayers, A Careless Rage for Life, biography, audiobook. *****
So Happiness to meet you, Karin Esterhammer, nonfiction, travelogue, library ebook, ***.5
My Italian bulldozer, Alexander McCall Smith, Scotland and Italy, fiction audiobook. **** light and entertaining
Stay the course, choco de Jesus, paperback gift, skeptical start but I loved his attitude to sharing faith. ****
The way of the thorn, David Trementozzi, spiritual allegory, paperbook, gift.
The Happiness Effect, How social media is driving a generation to appear perfect at any cost, Donna Freitas, nonfiction; report of a study/survey, paperback, gift. Very Interesting perspective on our times.
The Silkworm, Robert Galbraith, , London, mystery audiobook, library, ***.5
Death and the Lit Chick, G M Malliet, Edinburgh, present day, fiction ebook, ****

For me 3.5 stars is a book that was fine. I likely won't rave about it or chat about it but it was a good read. A lot of nonfiction gifts and I read more nonfiction than normal. I have trouble rating those books. Either they were useful or interesting or they weren't.

Ghost apartments

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 17:21:00 +0000

About two blocks from where I live in Spain are these apartments. In my head, I call them ghost apartments. Our entire neighborhood "urbanización" in Spain was built in 2006-2008 brand new from empty ground.

Many of you may recall that the economy got a bit dicey in the late 2000s. This hit Spain a bit earlier due to some overbuilding with some EU funds and well, some other government policies forcing certain standards. Time stood still for a lot of places here including these apartments.

Out my kitchen window I can see an entire square block that the electric boxes, streets, curbs, were all put in, but no houses. Right next to these apartments is a full kids play area and park walkways.

I would love to get a look inside these. From the exterior, they look fully finished but not a single soul has lived in them ever. Probably not a good scenario for any paranormal occurrences. For me it's the ghost of a building. A place completely constructed but never used. I'd love to see if it is 100% finished, appliances and everything or just a shell.

Our entire neighborhood infrastructure was put in place all those years ago and is barely utilized. When we moved into our house a year ago, it was about 7 years old. It had never been lived in, ever. Brand new but with peeling paint because there'd never been heating or cooling. Also a clogged plumbing system on one half of the house from construction debris! No one knew that either.

So now, the economy is beginning to turn up again, quite a bit slower than the USA, but instead of those apartments being advertised, rented, or sold, new ones are being built a few streets in the other direction. I can only imagine there's a bankruptcy thing going on somewhere or the empty buildings in our neighborhood (town homes and apartment blocks) are in a no man's land between owners and banks.

I suppose I have a nosy streak (like my book character Blanche?). I like to know what's inside and behind closed windows and doors. My folks used to drive us around at night for the pleasure of peeking into the lit windows of a mansioned neighborhood near where we lived. It started very young for me, I guess!

Is there somewhere you want to get a look at?

Here's a link to another earlier blog about trespassing in a place that my curiosity couldn't resist!

My reads of 2016

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 19:59:00 +0000

I'm a bit late posting these this year. I've never binged one series before like I did the Charles Todd books in WW I - that was fun and it was hard not to keep talking about the era since I was reading so much. Continued the audio book mix and made room for some books outside my normal mystery genre too. What were favorite reads last year?

1. The professor, Charlotte Bronte, ***, ebook

2. Look Twice, Lisa Scottaline, PA, Philly, ebook, ***.5

3. An impartial witness, Charles Todd, WWI mystery, ebook library, ****

4. A bitter truth, Charles Todd, WWI, mystery uk, ebok library, ****

5. An Unmarked grave, Charles Todd, WWI mystery UK, ebook library, ****

6. A Question of Honor, Charles Todd, WWI, mystery UK, France, ebook library, ****

7. The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared, Jonas Jonasson, Sweden and many others, audio, ***.5, if not for political side trips 4 stars. caper.

8. An unwilling accomplice, Charles Todd, wwI mostly inside UK this time, **** library

9. The maharani's pearls, Charles Todd, bess crawford, short story , library.

10. Blood work, Michael Connelly, LA region current day, ***.5, audiobook

11. The Icarus Deception: how high will you fly?, nonfiction, library audio. ****

12. A Pattern of Lies, Charles Todd, Bess Crawford WW I, library ebook. ***p

13. Essentialism, the disciplined pursuit of less, Greg McKeown, Library ebook, nonfiction

14. In a cold dark place, Greg Olsen, Emily Canon series, Washington state, audiobook. ****

15. Go set a watchman, Harper Lee, Macomb, Georgia, 1960s, audiobook, library

16. Todo esta tranquilo, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, modern NH, ebook in Spanish, won't try English translated to Spanish anymore. ***

17. Dog Tags, David Rosenfelt, fiction NJ, audio ***

18. Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson, nonfiction depression and anxiety issues, audio, ***

19. The Daughter, Jane Shemilt, uk modern day, not exactly mystery but sort of, 3.5* well written but didn't feel the ending and that pulled back my rating.

20. The Tourist, Olen Steinhauer, *** espionage so lots of places in the world modern day. Audiobook

21. The wild inside, Christine Carbo, glacier national park, mystery, audio, ***

22. And then there were none, Agatha Christie, soldier island uk, 1930s ebook, *****

23. Seated with Christ, living freely in a culture of comparison, heather holleman, nonfiction. Very simple and well written. *****

24. Four seasons in Rome, twins, insomnia, and the biggest funeral in the history of the world, Anthony Doerr, travelogue, library****

25. The Tiger in the Smoke, Margery Allingham, London mostly post WWIi, published 1952, paperbook, ****

26. Best Kept Secrets, Jeffrey Archer, UK post WW II, series, I accidentally picked up the middle of a series, audiobook, library. ***

27. Cold sassy tree, Olive Ann Burns, Georgia 1906, fiction, ****

28. The Whole Truth, David Baldacci, Europe modern day, fiction, paperbook, ****

29. Death du Jour, Kathy Reichs, Montreal and North Carolina, mystery fiction modern, paper book. ***

30. Vanish, Tess Gerritson, Boston modern day, mystery, paper book, ****

31. The Shining, Stephen King, 70s, Colorado, audio library book. *** because of my taste. Very good writing of course, but hurry up and do the killing feeling. Maybe I knew too much of the story.

32. A Sun burned Country, Bill Bryson, Australia travelogue, audio read by the author, library. **** I did laugh out loud at times

33 The Case of the Man who Died Laughing, the files of Vish Puri, detective, by Tarquin Hall, modern India, fiction mystery. Ebook mystery fiction, *****

34. The Careful Use of Compliments, Isabel Dalhoise book, by Alexander McCall Smith, Scotland fiction ebook library ***, well written 3 stars is just due to my taste.

35.The Good Earth, by Pearl Buck, China pre-revolution, drama, audiobooks ****

36.Rage, by Zygmunt Miloszewski, Poland Warmia area, contemporary fiction, ebook, ****

37. Amnesia, g. H. Ephron ****, Boston, recent

38. The Butterfly Garden, Dot Hutchinson, *****, current day, fbi investigation, maybe one of the creepiest things I've read in a long time.
39. The Expats, Chris Pavone, Luxembourg, Paris, audiobook library. **** espionage. I really enjoyed the expat aspects of this book.

40. The Emperor of Ocean Park, by Stephen L. Carter, modern day New England and D.C. Literary mystery. Ebook. ***.5 very well written but more of a literary feel than compelling mystery, we chased something the whole book only to let it go.
41. The Princess Diarist, Carrie Fisher, autobiographical, audiobook. ***.5 She read it herself. Quick easy read. She died a couple weeks after I listened to her voice for six hours so it was like I knew her. 42. The last witness, Joel Goldman, Kansas City, ebook. ***
43. One day after, by William Forstchen, today/post apocalyptic North Carolina. audiobook, *** not amazing writing, too much info dumping but a fascinating and haunting premise.
44. As you wish, by Cary Elwes, audiobook, reflections from actors and crew on princess bride movie****
45. The Bee keepers apprentice, Laurie b. King, a derivative of Sherlock Holmes, audiobook, *****
46. The Whistler by John Grisham, Florida fiction, audiobook, finished on Jan 1, 2017 ***

What's your current story?

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 17:27:00 +0000

When you are getting to know people, you seem to exchange certain kinds of stories. How'd you meet him or her? Where did you grow up? For the extroverts among us, this often means a story. Another case of story is when a strange incident has recently occured and you end up telling it repeatedly as you see different friends or family. At least, if you are a talker, this happens.

I noticed recently that stories ebb and flow. A couple of stories from my introvert significant other's life before I met him make me laugh until I cry, but we haven't told these stories in years because other stories have risen to the surface. For some reason one the stories involving nearly passing out in a hot tub came up again. I thought how odd we haven't told that for so many years.

Again, someone asked me something about my childhood that triggered a story that used to be a bigger part of who I was when I was younger. Now I rarely think of it and it doesn't seem so much a part of who I am now. In my adolescence and early adulthood, it was I suppose my only medical story or one of those odd things you tell. (Er, uh, extroverts tell.)

That story involved accidentally biting my tongue all the way through in a blind mans bluff accident. That's the short version. A longer version involves no trip to the emergency room, drinking smoothies with raw eggs and soup for the summer, and "cosmetic" surgery to remove the flap that resulted from the accident. This blog isn't about that particular story in my life but it's the fact that a story that loomed so large for me for years can fade.

It still is part of what makes me who I am but I see a pattern where we move on to other stories in our lives. The new stories also make up who we are but the seasons change and those become displaced by some other story. A lot of women seem to have the story of childbirth loom large (no pun intended) and that becomes part of how they relate to others and so that becomes a major story.

When we lived in Belgium for two years in our 20s, all my stories seemed to start, "In Belgium..." Eventually I realized some of it was just incident stories of funny things or weird things, I could stop saying where they happened and just say what happened. To me it was integral where they happened but no one else cared. It was part of how I measured my life stories at the time.

A couple years ago I had another small health incident. It was my first night in the hospital since birth, and I remember thinking, this will be a good story. But somewhere in the midst of the night of ice packs and a man yelling "madre" even though he was 80, well some of the humorous story wore off.

All of this gets me thinking about the stories that stay but just below the surface ready to pop out at any moment. These are the how did you meet or child birth type stories. But some stories get caught swallowed up as time moves on and hands us more and more stories. I'm fascinated to look back and see which ones rise up again and most startled when someone tells an event back to me that I was part of that I don't remember at all. It was a story for them but somehow not for me, but we were both there.

What's your current story?

Wakery -- do you have it?

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:08:00 +0000

Wakery. I've had it as long as I can remember. Now I have a name for it which I made up myself.

I'm a grown up but I wake up angry. Every morning that I do not awake completely naturally with no external noise or alarms or neighborhood sounds, I am angry. My first conscious thought is usually, "Nooooooooo." Or perhaps just a sound of horror more than an actual word.

I am not articulate for quite some time after I rise. I actually don't and sometimes cannot answer people trying to communicate with me immediately.

My father took great delight when I was very tiny and even later in flipping lights and crying out, "Morning, Glory!" very loudly. Did I mention I wake angry? I even got in trouble a few times for too much anger at these moments. The irony of this is as I've gotten older, my dad is not an early nor instant riser either. He tormented me knowing how difficult it was. Misery loves company I guess.

It needed it's own word. My significant other gets Hangry on a regular basis (angry when hungry) and I thought: why do the hungry grumpy people get all the special words?

It is waking that troubles me and makes me not a great human being. It can be remedied. Even without caffeine (for many years I was caffeine free, alas, no more), I would come around in an hour or so. I can speak with civility and begin to converse.

My man of many years of matrimony saw this trait in his spouse early on and to his immense credit has never abused this personality challenge of mine. He is very kind in trying to wake me on work days or airport days. He is one of those people who wakes automatically BEFORE the alarm. I don't even understand that. He turns off the alarm before it shocks me. If I'm dead to the world which is often he will pat the end of the bed gently to begin my waking. At times, he just touches my arm, but then I jerk awake with a heart attack and scare him too. (Wakery with palpitations?)

The worst thing now as an adult is to be at some event and share a hotel room with acquaintances. At least my friends and spouse know by now that there will be no talking, chatting, question asking. If I share with someone who is going to get up at horrible o'clock and meditate or exercise, even if they think they have been quiet, I'm awakened and must pretend I'm asleep so I don't do any bodily harm to someone. Why would you attend an event that went until late and get up at 5 a.m.? Why? Why would you dry your hair if someone is lying in a bed 5 feet away just because you like to rise early? It's probably saved me being committed that I'm inarticulate at those moments.

I feel like there's some unwritten rule somewhere that because I'm an adult (and likely not considered a young one at that!) that I'm suppose to rise early naturally or happily or normally. Nope. Didn't get that memo and while it can be embarrassing with people of that ilk, there is no denying it. Whatever it says about me -- I get wakery.

Excited to sleep

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 17:39:00 +0000

Most of my life I've been a good sleeper. When things get crazy: deadlines, work or travel, I sometimes do more thinking than sleeping. We can all agree that sleep is so sweet if you've missed it or lacked it at some point. Mornings are never my friend.

My father joyed in waking up his grumpy little daughter with a loud voice, bright lights, and shouts of, "Morning, glory!" The funny thing is now that I'm grown up I realize he is not a morning person either. He grunts and muddles through just like I do, but somehow enjoyed tormenting his eldest offspring in this way.

As a child, I was not a napper. I slept well at night but I was rather hostile when made to nap. So dad got some back when I made lot of noise during nap time.

When I was in high school, my parents had a habit of going out to breakfast and I would be chastised if I was still in bed when they got back. This resorted in me jumping out of bed when I heard the garage door and throwing on sweats to pretend that I was really up and at 'em. It was an often feeble attempt to avoid the, "Are you going to stay in bed all day?" discussion. Sometime during college and the first major episode of sleep deprivation I learned the beauty of a good nap and the joy of sleeping in with no one judging.

With no little people to raise, I'm still a big fan of sleeping in on weekends whenever possible. The last few years with the challenges sleeping, I've become even more intense about opportunities to sleep a little extra. I've been accused of not being a grown up in this area but I don't care. The feeling is that strong in me.

The last year has been one of those seasons in my life when sleep has been challenged, but I've developed this odd tick for the first time. I don't know what else to call it.

When I lie down for a nap or for the night, first I relax, pop my neck, breathe deeply. Oh, the bed feels so good....then bam. I'm so tired I start dreaming before my brain is unplugged.

I don't know how to explain it. I start seeing the dreams, but then my conscious mind says, "Yeah, you're dreaming! You are falling asleep!" And this animates me and I wake up again.

Oh the irony of my mind being so desperate for sleep that it is excited enough to wake me up to celebrate the almost-sleep. Does anyone else get that? I've never done that before the last year. It's definitely a strange new hiccup in my falling sleep pattern. The more tired I am the more likely it will happen.

I guess I'll go try to drift off and not get so excited that I wake up. May you have sweet and quiet dreams!

Weirdest places ever slept....the end?

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 26 Jun 2016 20:36:00 +0000

Writing up the odd places I've slept one of the themes I didn't realize was there was being cheap (okay, maybe I knew that one was there) and the other is not enough planning. So we like to play it by ear or the planner of the pair didn't have time or whatever? No big deal, sometimes. This story, however, was planned but still surprised us.

We were on our way to a cruise for a significant anniversary...but that's another story. The thing is it left out out of Stockholm, Sweden where we had never been. We decided to go in a couple nights early so there would be no worries about missing the boat, literally, and we could take in the sites of a city we'd never visited.

Turns out when you go north in Europe the prices increase as you go. At least from our southern European living perspective. The hotels were crazy expensive. So we turned to a b and b site. My impression from the brief description was that it was in the center of the city (bonus) and was a spa (bonus). And the price came down from never mind money to 'well, I guess it's only a couple nights' kind of money.

We booked it. Flew in. Did I mention the 10 day cruise? So imagine the suitcase size when you are dragging that many changes of clothes with you. I know travel light etc. But the cruise...

So we have carry on backpacks plus hip high roller bags. We manage the train to our stop with limited anger and sweat. We arrive at night in the party central area of Stockholm. We walk and walk and walk. We CANNOT find this place. Of course tensions are rising so what is not fun already is turning ugly quickly.

Finally we agree one will stay with the luggage and one will go find the destination. We've called the proprietor several times who seems to be in a bar with his blokes and yells various things and says just let him know when we are at the door and he will pop over and let us in.

Somewhere around 11pm we find it. It's the upstairs of another business in a nondescript building. The spa of the internet is the "Human Being Center" on arrival. This tickles us because it's not bad English but the connotation has some sci-fi aspect to it.

So our buddy comes over and lets us in. Turns out the spa is based on the fact that he and his partner have a front room converted for yoga classes and the room we are sleeping in also has a massage table. The spa bath is down the hall and we all share it.

It is an amazing huge bathroom nicely re-done. Beautiful. A tub for two and separate shower, washing machine, two sinks. It's enormous. Did I mention it is down the hall and shared? Not uncommon but for over $100 I was thinking I'd have a bathroom so I wasn't really prepared.

Before our new proprietor leaves he explains about the honor system on the raw food shelf. If we want breakfast we buy it and eat it out of the healthy packages that the raw food comes in. So my entire definition of b and b has altered substantially suddenly -- that second b may not necessarily be breakfast.

We got ready for bed and were just coming back to our room when he came home with his girl and asked if they could have dibs on the double tub or were we going to use it? Uh, no. No one was dirty or anything. But it's just the idea that it'd almost be like 4 in the tub if we got in later. Just couldn't do it.

The apartment was Scandinavian white, the bed squished up against the wall was comfortable and the massage table made a handy place to sort your clothes out. It was just not your regular stay somewhere. We were in the center of the city and had a nice time exploring and a delightful place down the block had a delish breakfast of all kinds of non-vegan stuff (it was a beautiful cafe like a magazine). We had a great time. We paid what for us is a LOT for the Human Being experience but it was cheaper than the "real" hotels.

We can never go back to Stockholm because of a problem with the train system where they catch tourists without proper tickets and give them enormous unmerciful fines. We appealed and got no response nor did we pay the 300€ per person fine so we can never go back, well at least to be on the safe side. Fugitives again, but I digress.

One of my philosophies on trips where you go to see things is that the hotel is only for sleeping so it doesn't have to be high end as long as it's clean. I will not blog about the two hotels I've stayed in that caused me to go to the car and get a scarf to cover the pillow. As I'm getting older, I'm beginning to appreciate the idea of a trip to relax rather than see the entire region. In this case, I'm going to become a connoisseur of the nice hotel for the relaxing side of that equation. Some day. Or maybe when my budget catches up to me.

Weirdest places ever slept....part 5 Chambres

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 15:05:00 +0000

When we are young, we are brave about cheap travel. Or we were anyway. Or we didn't know anything else.

I'd never left the country when we committed to a two year over seas volunteer gig. As most volunteer things go, funds were tight but we weren't going to sit in apartment in Belgium without looking around.

We discovered that people in France advertise a sort of off the books place to stay by putting signs on the side of the road that said, "Chambre" -- room.

We set off on a weekend trip. The destination I believe was Mont St Michel. We'd heard of it's amazing beauty and set out in a rental car from Brussels. If you haven't put it on your list, it's definitely something to see. An island with a Monastery on top preserved in all its medieval-ness. The water gets very far out at low tide and people can be fooled that it is not coming back. When the tide comes in, it is at a crazy fast speed and people have been caught in a bad way. Seems like we heard tell of ghosts and such.

So we tootled down the French coast. We stopped in Le Havre a site mentioned in the Henry V play of Shakespeare, after a real life battle event. We enjoyed the coastal towns where Brittany and Normandy change hands on the sea. We spent the afternoon in Deauville and chose a country road with the debate of where to say on everyone's lips. We saw one of these hand scrawled "chambre" signs in rough cardboard. We were far from anything at this point and turned down the small dirt track.

We arrived at a delightful real life farm. Something from a PBS television show with a big dirt patio in front of a wood shingled farm house. A lady took us upstairs showed us several rooms all very homey and country farm but somehow French. Not fancy at all but they had a certain rustic charm. They weren't prepared to do a meal for us but pointed us down the road to a little cafe-bar.

At that little bar, there was no English and they thought we were a great circus act sent to entertain them as I imagine we were. I had the most memorable steak of my life that night. We'd saved on the room and splurged on the food but even so we were in the country and it was comparatively cheap. (Always eat local when you can.)

So far nothing weird, right? You are correct. We went further down the coast to Mont St Michel and as is a common factor in our stories, we didn't know somewhere there was a holiday or event or something. So we could not stay on the Mont. Too bad because it was beautiful but also no vacancies. We set out across the country nearby with our new found confidence in chambres. We found a sign. This time it was just a modern walk up house. We'd already left our friends in the desperate search for rooms elsewhere, so of course we took what they offered. A paneled spare bedroom at the top of the not cherished house decorated a la 1975, crochet blanket included. The salle de bain was in a nook downstairs off the kitchen where the dining table sat.

While we made these arrangements in stumbling French with the lady proprietor and her cigarette, a couple of surly young men (teens?) were playing a video game or watching television in the dark salon behind her. No big deal we all have our own rooms right. We later realized how far this room arrangement was to the toilet and that for our convenience they had put a chemical camp toilet in the corner of our paneled bedroom. Not curtained off, just sitting there.

When we'd come in quite late from the explorations of the dimly lit stone ambiance of Mont St Michel, those men, guys, dudes, were still in the livingroom and didn't acknowledge us coming in. Weird.

A few hours later I awoke, with a need to go to the loo. I'd not been counting on strange housing arrangements and hadn't brought a robe. The urge was great, the need to get back to sleep intense. The odd dudes lurking in the salon flashed in my mind's eye. I gave in to the chemical toilet.

The odd plastic echo sound however woke my significant other who couldn't figure out what the sound was. So he turned on a flashlight and shown it around the room much to the audible horror of both of us. I can still hear my best friend laughing as I tell this story.

Coming down to do ablutions in the morning a table full of even more surly young men perched in the kitchen eating cereal -- silently. Quite a contrast to the sunny farm kitchen and bowls of chocolate and croissants that we'd had at the last chambre. It was my significant other's turn to make people wonder what the sounds near by might be as he'd waited to use the real toilet.

Okay one more chambre on another trip: Not sure where we'd been but it was just the two of us and we were on our way back to Brussels but still in France. We followed a chambre sign on small road. It was a farm perhaps not charming but a reasonable looking place. We talked to the man the price was good. I don't remember if we'd agreed already to stay or if we were taking a look. The man in the wellington plastic boots marched us away from the farm and down a field path. Our own bungalow perhaps?

As we walked I explained to him in my budding French, we are Americans from Kansas City. He said to me, "Well I don't speak American." Yes, he used the French word for American, not English. He was weathered and hard beaten and a smoker with a rough voice. He'd understood me though so big bonus. Pat on the back dor my French. So I said, we live in Belgium. Farmer said, "And I don't speak Belge." Negating the French speaking population with a swat of his hand. Alright-y then.

The "bungalow" turned out to by one of those tiny trailers (caravans) the size of car, anchored in a field. It was not redecorated other than it had clean linens. It smelled as if it had been moldering in the field a good many years for unsuspecting tired tourists to come along.

Another theme in our stories - well, we were tired (or it was late) and we didn't know where else to go...so we slept in the yellow stinky trailer aka "chambre."

Weirdest places ever slept, part 4, God's house

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sat, 28 May 2016 14:11:00 +0000

As part of our day job related fund raising, we travel to all kinds of places and hotels. Sometimes when it is in our nonprofit world, we stay with friends or the locals offer to put us up. This is great as it saves money as we raise it. Several churches have had space to host us and we've always been grateful, but it's also some of the strangest sleeping quarters I've experienced.

I don't know if any of you have ever been in a huge building alone as a kid or an adult. As a kid I remember we'd play hide and seek in the basement of the church I grew up in while the adults ate finger food and drank punch upstairs somewhere. It always seemed like you'd get spooked and run like you'd never run in your life down a dark hallway. Also my dad used to rent "computer time" in a big office building in downtown KC. I'd be the only person on the 10th floor poking in people's desks and such. Then I'd go even further down to the bathroom and get spooked and run like mad back to the computer room that was completely sealed and sound proof. My dad wouldn't have heard me yelling or running or anything the way it was set up. It was great fun. I give you this as way as background to the places with dark hallways that might effect odd places I slept as an adult.

The first time we slept in a guest room inside a church it was in a smaller community, but the church could probably seat a couple hundred people. We had a compulsion to walk around and see everything just so we knew where we were at and how the land lay. My significant other sneaked into the sanctuary and tapped on the cymbals while I was in another part of the church getting a drink or something and tried to say it wasn't him. The church folks had thoughtfully put a lock on the door of the room.

One nice thing about a lock is that you are in a huge building alone and it's nice not to feel vulnerable. Two is that folks arrive at all kinds of early hours for church services and you'd like to not introduce yourself in your skivvies.

So another time, another religious institution, the guest room was actually a large lounge with six sofas that made into beds. So you just picked one and opened up. While it was a big space (besides being in a big building) it very distinctly wasn't a single bedroom. We dressed in the attached bathroom.

Well, putting it mildly I'm not an early riser. The early risers in this rural farm community were getting coffee going behind a folding curtain that attached to our room. My significant other got in the shower and gave me a moment to awake. I started worrying this big room was a Sunday School area and I should get moving. I traded the sofa room for the bathroom only to hear pounding on the door of our area. I was about to turn on the shower when my man opened the door and said that I needed to hurry they were going to have to turn off the water. The snow storm had frozen and broken pipes which were filling the heating system with water. Uhm, okay, no pressure.

When I came out to join in the donuts and early morning church rituals, you could hear the water pounding in the heating vents like tribal drums. Really weird sound.

Okay, so another room another state. This time attached to the men's bathroom as this was the only bathroom that had a shower. My spouse taught me that it is inappropriate to balance one's makeup bag on the handle of a urinal, but honestly you just work with whatever space you have and there wasn't any. We stayed in this arrangement for eight weeks. It was in a urban spill from a very large city. The kitchen was in the basement which meant walking through the sanctuary (in the dark) and down some stairs and hallways to the kitchen for hot water or microwaves etc. So I had to psych myself up for the journey (see the paragraph of childhood basement running above!).

It was fine and we didn't mind. These are just the little challenges you don't think of unless you stay a place as unusual as the back of thousands of square feet of public use space. After a few days, someone from the pastoral family mentioned that we needed to double check the side door by the sanctuary (not the one we used in the back dark parking lot!) because it didn't always latch and sometimes homeless people came inside to get warm. No big deal but it was best to check. Yeah. Note to self check the doors and the dark hallways on the way to the far away kitchen.

So then my significant one had to leave for another meeting and I got to stay there completely alone for two weeks. It was fine. Really. So maybe yes, I ran a couple times thru dark hallways, but I was grateful for somewhere to stay. It probably helped the intensity of my prayers!

Weirdest Places Slept, part 3, Place of the Dead

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Sun, 15 May 2016 14:50:00 +0000

We spent a big chunk of life only going to visit people we knew when we went on vacation, grandparents, college roommates, that sort of cheap and comfortable vacation where you see your people.

When we started traveling for work reasons, we went a lot of places that hadn't been on the agenda financially or as major destinations. We had some meetings in New Jersey, New York, and other east coast locals so we drove from the midwest. We didn't used to plan for hotels and on these trips a lot of people host us so we were just winging it.

In the middle of New York somewhere far from civilization, we found ourselves too far to go back and too far to go on as the wee hours began to make us sleepy. We finally took the next exit because we saw a sign for the "White Horse Inn." Taking a dark exit far from everything we'd seen for some time, we drove another 10 miles or so into the woods and discovered the White Horse Inn was a pancake - dinner place and they were locking up. We really needed to stop for the night so we asked if there was anything near by, a bed and breakfast perhaps?

An older fellow pointed us to a campground just a few miles down the road (still further into the deep dark woods and away from the highway) and they had a hotel on the grounds. Perfect.

It was dark and late, we could have missed it but somehow saw the turn. No lights or anything, it was one of those old methodist camp ground type things with the little victorian cottages surrounding a main green. (This sort of thing though this is not the one.)

We parked in front of a white clapboard two story hotel, relieved and tired and wondering where we were. We'd passed no towns of any sort.

My significant other checked us in while I stood by the luggage at the bottom of the stairs looking at a painting. Not an experienced artist, but well meaning. I looked at the caption and it said, 'painted by Mary SoandSo in a trance.' Trance? I looked around further and there was a quilt done in a trance.

When my honey came up with the keys, we sort of put some things together he saw at the front desk and what I was seeing and realized we'd just checked into a camp for people who like to talk to dead people. Mediums, spiritualists, and such. Uh oh.

It was so late, we were tired and now paid up so we just went to our room, even though this would not have been a place we would pick out of website to stay. Let's just say it's not our spiritual cup of tea.

It was a lovely old room with wood floors and metal bed. You know how those old eastern board places don't have a/c? Well, this was one of them. We had the lights off in a few minutes since we were beat. My man was gleefully speculating if the curtains were blowing in the summer breeze or ...? I fell asleep. He told some family members who were completely terrified for us that we'd stayed there.

It was a lovely old camp ground but as we drove away each little cottage had a sign for a psychic or a medium or something. It struck me as a vaguely sinister environment with a quaint veneer over the top. A little arsenic and old lace.

Taking a different tact on the same trip later, we stayed in a hotel near the highway that had a hot tub the size of a car in one half of the BEDROOM space. Ick. And when I turned on the TV to porn, we were really skeeved out. I think I slept on top of my scarf. Let's say, this may when we began to realize we needed to plan a little more carefully.

Weirdest Place Ever Slept ,Part 1, Animal Heads

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 16:00:00 +0000

We aren't always in control of where we stay when we are on a nonprofit fund raising mission which makes for fascinating travel. We drive to an address in a small town or a city and see what we find. We don't mind this at all and are quite grateful for a free bed.

So in one small town in a place far, far away from most places you've heard of and won't be named so as not to hurt feelings, we spent an evening sharing our "work" vision. The people hosting us said over pizza, "The local motel is horrible we wouldn't put our worst enemies there, so we put you in the local bed and breakfast."

At this point, my mind said, oh how wonderful. This will be so nice. It's been ages since we were at a b and b. Must be something quaint in a little town like this. Their next sentence stopped me in my tracks so to speak.

"It used to be the old folks home."

Uh, huh. So off we went three or four blocks in this tiny place to the old folks come cum bed and breakfast. We were giggling all the way. So do you check in but you can never leave?

Turns out bed and breakfast was more of a literal term than a descriptive one. It had become a hunting lodge of sorts as this part of the countryside draws hunters. So the public eating area and living room were covered in the heads of various taxidermy-ified animals.

The "living room" had quite a selection of recliners and just a couple side table lamps. Giving it a dimly lit shadowy atmosphere. A television flickered blue in the corner. Two elderly gentlemen lurked in the recliners in the darkness, along with a lot of animal heads. They didn't look at us or acknowledge our entry.

I whispered, "Do you suppose they were 'grandfathered in'? The last residents?"
My significant other in classic form said, "I don't see anyone."

So a lady, not in uniform, gave us keys and sent us off. The living-eating room space remodel hadn't made it to the rest of the place. It still had railings on the walls so you could make it to your room and shiny squeeky clean linoleum floors. Thankfully no strange odors.

The hospital bed had been replaced by a double bed with quilts and flower sheets. Other than that it was the original room, but spotlessly clean. It had it's own private bath which was terrific and needed. Complete with loads of support bars and seats all over so you wouldn't fall. Not sure I've ever had such a safe shower.

Someone asked later, Weren't you creeped out? Did you think of ghosts?

We really didn't but we laughed and thought up a lot of funny stories to go with our surroundings. It's one of those moments where you know it's going to be a good story even as you're experiencing it!

Message me and I'll see if I can find if it's still in business if you want to go have the experience! Have you ever stayed anywhere unusual?

Odd sleeping arrangements will be a series in the blog for a bit. Enjoy.

Weirdest Places Ever Slept - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 10:01:00 +0000

We've traveled for both personal and business reasons, profit and nonprofit. I'd say the majority more in the nonprofit lifestyle!

Haunted is easy, right? TV shows and spooks everywhere. We always joke about if Europe had those haunted Ghost shows they'd just walk down any random street with a camera and say ooo, I feel a cold spot since there've been people living, killing and dying in these towns for a long time.

In Hannibal, Missouri, the home of Mark Twain, we went for a Bed and Breakfast weekend. I think I got this free/discount as part of buying five boxes of Stash Tea. We get to this place and this little gruff man informs us he's watching it for the real owners. He's rough around the edges and maybe a little further.

He shows us around the victorian place, very cute, done nicely. Informs us we'll be staying in the seven bedroom mansion alone tonight since he doesn't live in, but he'll be back to make us pancakes in the morning. Turns out he's a former cop and is doing someone a favor.

On the way out, he says you're not afraid of ghosts, right? And he shows us a couple photos with fuzzy blobs in the stair well. We look on in contemplation as we were supposed to do and he said a few folks had encountered it, but we'd be fine.

You gotta know, as a mystery writer, and a guy that likes to watch ghost shows on TV, we were absolutely thrilled. In a haunted Victorian Mansion of our own for the evening! And of course we acted like we were 12. We climbed all over the house looking at everything. In a dark corner where we couldn't find a light switch on the top floor was a door to the attic. Locked!!! Creepy, that's where they keep the ghost, I guess.

We settled down in the library (yes!) watched PBS mystery. Then my significant other much to my delight played Toccata and Fugue in D Minor on a small organ in the parlor(!) on a foot pump organ that of course had a delightfully rough sounds. My friend refers to this song as "Scary Frights" when she wants my man to play it. (Here's a posh version of it if you are curious.)

We slept well despite all the talk of ghosts, but my guy did say he heard things in the night -- maybe for my benefit since I slept like the dead and didn't notice. We explored Hannibal which besides having the haunts of Tom Sawyer-Huck Finn and the real life Twain is a delightful town with it's own oddities and delights to explore and find. You gotta go to the cave too if you go -- I don't remember the story exactly but it's got one of those someone got stuck in here spooky ones.

Reads of 2015

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 04:30:00 +0000

I read a variety of genres last year and more audio books. I kept track of library borrows as well as audio. I find it interesting to see my own habits change and evolve with technology. I also read more sort of top books, probably thanks to library access and Audible credits. I felt like I read more, but the list says not so. I did draft a book in writing as well as move house last year, traveled more for work...so my hands weren't idle when they weren't in a book. Favorite reads on your list from 2015?

Books 2015

2. Is everyone hanging out without me?, Mindy Kaling, humor memoir, ****, audio

3. El salon de ambar, germany, spain, portugal in Spanish! **** matilde asensi

4. The weed that strings the hangman's bag, UK, post WW II, Alan Bradley, **** audio

5. The Joy Diet, martha Beck,nonfiction, started in 2014;this one is a process not just a book. *****

6. Gone Girl, gillian flynn, Missouri, hard to rate since I knew so much hype. Well written. Didn't like the end which colors your overall feel.

7. For Women only, shaunti feldhahn, nonfiction, paper book, started in 2014

8. Murder in the afternoon, Frances Brody. UK after WW1, **** audio

9. Gung-Ho, leadership story, ****, Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, audio

10. Cut and Run, carla neggers, holland and new york, *, it was like a rough draft, needed editing, names spelled erratically, repetitive.

11. Amy Pohler, yes, please, autobiography, *** audio, never quite finished even though I liked it.

12. The Antelope in the living room, Melanie Shankle, memoir humor, ***, library

13. The Racketeer, John Grisham, ***, ebook, library

14. Dad is fat, Jim Gaffigan, memoir,*** audio

15. Dying to meet you, Patricia Scott, uk, fiction**

16. Rules of Prey, John Sandford, Minneapolis/St Paul, fiction, ebook, ***

17. The One You Love, Paul Pilkington, London, uk, fiction *** e book

18. The Four Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss, nonfiction

19. The Husband's Secrets, Liane moriarty, Fiction audio, Australia, ***

20. The shawshank redemption, stephen king, audiobook, rough language ****

21. Dear Theo, Irving Stone and Gene stone, audiobook, letters of Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo ****, this was really long but I enjoyed it. Incredible look inside his life.

22. Walking with God thru pain and suffering, timothy Keller, nonfiction, ***

23. King of Lies, John Hart, North Carolina, audiobook, fast read, ****, library

24. The Kind Worth Killing, Peter Swansen, Boston New England, ebook, library ****

25. Gray Mountain, John Grisham, Appalacian Virginia and DC, NYC, audio, library ***

26. Last Man Standing, David Baldacci, DC virginia, audio book. ***

27. Paranoia, joseph Finder, Seattle? , *** audio

28. Suspect, Robert Crais, LA, ***

29. 80/20 principle, the secret to achieving more with less, richard koLch, nonfiction.****

30. The Girl on the Train, Uk, Paula Hawkins, audio****

31. Beyond Belief: jenna miscaivage hill, scientology, nonfiction ***, audio, very interesting

32. Mr. penumbra's 24 hour bookstore, Robin Sloan, san francisco, audio. ****, present tense.

33. Evelina, historical fiction, UK, Fanny Burney, pub date 1778, ***

34. The Handmaid's Tale, alternate future USAish, top 100 books list, audio, ****

35. Deliver us from Evil, italy, Roberto Constantini, ***.5, didn't love the main character or it could have been 4 stars, plus second half had some typos probably from the translation. Library

36. the Stranger, Harlan Corben, NJ, ****, library ebook

37. the Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton, Australia, Cornwall, mixed time periods, **** audiobook

Audio books and character clash

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:50:00 +0000

My blog readers will recall I mostly read fiction. I have in recent years disciplined myself to read more nonfiction, so I'll often read a nonfiction and a fiction book at the same time. I have almost never read two fiction books at the same time.

My brother last year got me onto audiobooks after a long time of not listening. I don't know why I quit doing audio books. It might have been the move overseas and no free ones hanging around at the library.

So my first audiobook in about 10 years was Steve Martin's Born Standing Up which he reads himself. I think I've listened to 13 audio books in less than a year. Clearly I'm back on the bankwagon. I found a way to check them out from my home library in Overland Park, KS even though I'm in Spain which is a huge boon, but also accidentally signed up for an audible account so you get your "free books" for having an account. This is actually you buying books because you pay for an account. At first I randomly picked things but after a while I realized that I need to get the most financially out of the credits they give you.

I had wanted to read ebook or audio a biographical look at the letters of Van Gogh (a much more intellectual endeavor than normal!) This book in any form was expensive. I realized I could get it with one of my "free credits" and so I went audio. A very good read if you are interested in art, creativity, Vincent or the time period in the art world. Dear Theo by Irving and Gene Stone.

I usually do one audio book which the first few months on this new kick were all autobiograhical or nonfiction mostly. Somehow a couple weeks ago, accidentally, I started a fiction ebook from the library and I started an audio fiction book also from the library at the same time. It was not a conscious decision it just happened. I was struggling figuring out what I wanted to read at the moment. I'd started a book that while well written I had to put down -- the fishing theme was not engaging me.

So both of the new borrowed books were very compelling plots, both had main male protagonists. So I read about 10 chapters of the ebook and then got a massive migraine that drug on for days. I love audio books for this. I can put the volume where it doesn't trouble my head and I can keep my eyes closed. It also distracts me from the pain, so it's a great way to pass a couple hours lying down that aren't going to be sleep anyway. I'd started the audio book while cooking so I was a little ways into it at the same time as the ebook.

I burned thru King of Lies by John Hart on the audiobook quickly because one-it was a compelling good "read" and two-the migraine had me on the floor in front of the portable a/c unit for several evenings in a row. Enjoyed it.

Migraine was gone and the audiobook over, so I went back to the ebook. The Kind Worth Killing, Peter Swanson. A very compelling plot, very. But I found myself attributing the motivations of the main character from the King of Lies audio book to this protagonist. I'd say to myself, "But he won't follow thru because this guy is so paralyzed by life…" and then I'd realize it was the other book I was thinking of.

I'm not sure what it says aout my mind that I interchanged these, but a major plot twist took place in the ebook that has eliminated that little problem. I found it very interesting to see how the audio and ebook mixed with the characters in my mind. I imagine it won't stop me listening and reading willy-nilly but I might think twice next time or chose wildly different themes.

Culture Choque

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 21:11:00 +0000

Most the time living in Europe is a great. It's not being on vacation every day but you have random moments that are delightful or have a wow-factor because it's just not the place you grew up.

But there are moments where you lose your sanity -- because this is not a vacation. It is life and things have to happen and get done.

Recent moments of culture shock:

Frankfurt airport being so intense about following the rules, they couldn't help me make my flight even though my name was being called on the speakers. (Yes, I missed my flight)

A hotel toilet mounted so high on the wall in Holland, I could not touch the floor. You laugh, but it's not funny in the middle of the night. Okay, maybe it is funny.

Only coins can be used to do the on street parking in the center of my city here in Spain. There's a credit card area on the machine but no slot actually set up. No coins, no parking, no one cares if you are in a hurry. Thus, everyone double parks with their flashers. Being a good Midwesterner, I have avoided it, but it is in serious consideration now.

It's okay to tell a customer that it will be ready Tuesday afternoon. Customer fights aforementioned parking situation, gives up goes to parking garage much further away, walks to shop only to discover the items aren't ready after all. This is okay and should not be cause for complaint.

Health analysis includes urinalysis. The urine must be collected first thing in the morning, not later in the day. You must go to a farmacia (not the place that takes the blood or the urine) and buy a special cup yourself. Should you arrive past 10 am, the cup cannot be delivered and you must go to the pharmacy and purchase another and try to arrive by 10 am again (despite the parking situation in the area). Please note, I did not pour the rejected urine on the front step though I was very frustrated. I go to this clinic to avoid the one where they took blood from my neck, but that's another story.

This is just the last few weeks. Most the time you take it in stride and shrug but every once in awhile it all stacks up just right and you lose your mind. I suppose it's like arriving at Disneyland and seeing the lines and price of the food after saving all year. It may be fun at times, but there's some major obstacles that you will not be able to avoid dealing with. You are going to pay.

Admiring the art and not the artist

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 17:36:00 +0000

We go to museums. It's one of the primary things travel guides talk to us about seeing when we visit other places. We went to a special art exposition in Madrid and it really juiced up my creativity, but it got me thinking about art and artists.

Museums are a major tourist attraction, right? A suave night out? How about an art gallery premier or a special art show? We laud art but mostly we laud old art.

I've been plagued with some writer's block on my work-in-progress novel due to some kinks in the plot twists, so I was contemplating the challenge of being and artist and working in obscurity.

No one cheers you on when you drag yourself daily to a blank canvas or a blank page. Reviewers often don't give you any attaboys even after the work is done.

In fact, people sometimes see you as eccentric, odd, a dreamer or maybe creative if they're being generous. No one thinks of you as rich. Mostly because you're not. No one thinks of you as a potential gold mine. Mostly because chances are you're not going to be.

As a young person who wanted to write novels, I had the implied and sometimes direct comment/advice, "Yes, but what will you DO? How will you make money?" Sadly, it has been true that I needed another profession besides novel writing to make a living. Fortunately, it has always related to writing and I've enjoyed it.

The truth is that no one looks at a young person who says they want to be a poet, an artist, or a writer and simply says, good. Not even me, truth be told. I'm full of personal advice like everyone.

Society is full of a je ne sais quoi regarding artists - not the art itself. A faint disdain of the wholehearted pursuit of an artistic endeavor as a life exists. The implication is, "It's okay for a hobby but you know you have to have a real job."

Likely the real job is true, but does anyone decide to study business and the people respond, "Just don't try to go into business yourself, that's unrealistic and statistically likely to fail."

So on the one hand, people are encouraged to go to museums and art shows by society, but the not spoken reality is that we don't really respect the artists that might be the next Van Gogh or Andy Warhol in the making. I hope it's changing but I'm not sure.

In the late 1800s, the new art movement was happening that was derided by the press and the creators were mostly paupers: impressionism, my favorite. Then later cubists etc. etc. It just doesn't pay (pun intended) to be an artist. Emotionally or financially. Most those artists who go on to be featured in museums seem to have died in poverty and sometimes obscurity.

It just struck me recently as fascinating why we both worship at the museums of art and look down on the present day artists or scoff at their efforts despite what history tells us on the walls of the famous museums today. Am I wrong?

Hot tea and other blunders

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 16:07:00 +0000

I realized today I make a consistently American request. I've lived in Europe for the better part of 10 years on and off. My significant other and I joke about being Euro trash but really we are contented expats who still like "Home" too.

But while I know I shouldn't care, I pride myself on often blending in. I like to eat like the locals and go places like locals etc. So how after so many years did I realize I keep ordering incorrectly on airplanes?

I ask for hot tea. Every time. Now, my US compatriots are possibly saying, "Yeah, so?" While my British friends are laughing at me.

In the US, we have lovely BREWED ice tea. (I am an admitted tea-sob.) This is real tea (nothing powdered please) brewed mostly hot, but there are new cold brews, then it's served on ice. In the south this comes with a bucket of sugar in it. I don't like my tea sweet though. So in the US, it's not uncommon to hear an order like, "I'll have an sweet ice tea."

I am a habitual daily hot tea drinker because I like it and I don't drink coffee. So I must specify what I want. I realized in Europe there is only (where I frequent) tea that is hot, no need to specify. There is a product in a can called "Nestea" and it is dreadful and bears no resemblance to tea in my snobby opinion, but there are lots of people who love it. It is very sweet but it still does not taste like USA southern sweet tea.

All of that to realize that I always say "hot tea" and that always marks me as -- not from around here. I don't care necessarily but to suddenly notice after so many years is interesting, like discovering a birthmark you didn't know about.

Now that I think about it, I was at a conference and I remember one of my British friends sort of mocking my "hot tea" request with a raised questioning eyebrow. I loftily pointed out the US custom of icing it.

I think the same friend felt my using hot water from the faucet (the tap!) to fill my water bottle in hotels was also a faux paus of social norms.

Clearly I will always carry my uncouthness with me as I drink my hot tea and snuggle my mediocrelly warm water bottle, but I'm having fun and trying not to be cold. Next flight I will try with all my might to order. Tea. Just tea and see what happens.

Discipline versus Desire

noreply@blogger.com (roamingwriter) — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 19:07:00 +0000

As a writer, I wrestle with these two ideas. A lot. I suppose everyone does in some aspect of their lives. It's like a constant catch-22 of wanting something but not wanting to do it. I hear running may be like that too but I wouldn't know. (snicker)

It's a constant ebb and flow. Things have to get done in life, right? Doctor's visits, groceries. So those are things you just do because you do, because you have to for living normally. Sometimes you do the normal things without really thinking about it and other times, you drag yourself kicking and screaming. Maybe you desire to eat so your discipline yourself to go to the grocery store.

With writing, I desire to tell a story. The stories just aren't as much fun roaming around in my head as when other people get to share in them. Stories are for sharing even though I immensely enjoy creating them in my head. So yes, I desire to get another book out to keep the inkling of writing career moving forward despite my day job.

But the application of the seat of the pant to the chair in order to type in a computer is another matter altogether. It is a discipline by all definitions. One must practice to improve and make progress! If I can muster the discipline to do it, I nearly always enjoy myself. I become lost in the story like I'm watching a movie.

Sometimes you hit a snag in the story and that makes it slower. Sitting and picking at it is the only way for me to unravel. This usually looks like me sitting at the computer scrolling, reading, and staring off into space.

I have seasons where I get in a grove and I walk in the house and sit down and write without thinking. Like some of those grocery runs that just occur without pain. But other times I like the idea of sitting to write but I don't get there without huge disciplinary effort of myself. I don't think books can get written on desire alone. I think all of them, if they are going to be good or decent, are going to require seasons of serious sitting, hammering, and red ink days.

It's the marriage of discipline and desire where things get produced out of love. There's another intersection where things get produced a lot too -- that is where discipline and the need to eat meet and we go to work for ourselves or someone else. Sometimes writing is in both those places.

One trick I use on myself when I'm resisting the big project, like I am now, is I promise myself just one hour. Only sit here for one hour and work on this, the promise goes, then you'll feel productive and get to do something else too. It works remarkably well for me. If you only do it one hour at a time though, you've got to do it regularly. Of course, the writing recommendation is to write every day. Sometime my life is like that and sometimes it isn't.

I heard a phrase and it's so true. I LOVE having written!