Week in Review: April 15, 2018

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I would complain about the weather in the Midwest ... 70s and sunny one day and then a return to cloudy and 40s for several days after ... but I know the rest of the country is suffering as well. So instead I will say... I'm sure Spring is out there somewhere!! And I am not-so-patiently waiting for its arrival.

Blogging:

While I have not written a Sunday Salon post in quite some time, that does not mean I have not posted on the blog.

This is April ... the month dedicated to the A-Z Challenge. This is my third year to participate in the grueling, albeit creative, blogging event. The first year I blogged about Paris A-Z. Last year I blogged about Journaling A-Z.

This year the topic is Boston A-Z and we are officially half-way through the alphabet.

Do you participate in this challenge? If so, please leave a comment as I would love to connect!

Week in Review 03.25.18

Those who know me well won't be surprised as I proclaim today is nine months til Christmas. I always use the 25th of the month as the official countdown to my favorite holiday. I receive mixed reactions when I post the announcement on FaceBook, so I'm curious... Are you as excited about this festive celebration as I am ... or do you tend to proclaim bah-humbug?

Today is also Palm Sunday, and while I wish the temperatures were warmer here in the Midwest, I am grateful the snow of the Northeast by-passed us this year.

The picture to the left is a throwback to 1999 when our local church performed the passion play: The Victor. Our entire family participated in this meaningful portrayal of Jesus' final week before the crucifixion. We have fond memories of this collective experience.

Week in Review: Spring Break Plans

This year our school break coincides with Daylight Savings Time ... which in my mind is the non-official start to Spring. While I missed the one hour of sleep last night, I will relish the extra hour of afternoon daylight for the next several months.

Reading Progress:

I'm currently reading The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. One of the challenges for #MarchMysteryMadness is to read a historical mystery/thriller, and this book fits the category.

The story focuses on two survivors of World War II: a Jewish woman who witnessed the atrocities of the Halocaust, and a German SS soldier. As is typical of Picoult, the story unfolds with alternative viewpoints as well as alternative time periods, with flashbacks to the 1940s.

Week in Review: March Mystery Madness

March came in like a lion in the Northeast. I hope my friends in that part of the country are safe and warm. Here in the Midwest, we experienced spring-like temperature and sunny skies. I am grateful for this little tease of better weather to come.

Thursday was the official start of March Mystery Madness - a  BookTube and GoodReads reading challenge that coordinates perfectly with my recent obsession with psychological thrillers.

While I don't plan to pressure myself to complete the full challenge or to read solely books in the genre during the month of March, I do have a running list of possible books and even managed to read (almost) two this week.

Sunday Salon: Snow Day Reading

FINALLY... the sun is out and the temperature is nearly 50 degrees. After a week of cloudy, icy, dreary weather, I am more than ready for Spring!

Public schools in our area were open one day this week. Monday was President's Day and Tuesday through Thursday were snow days due to freezing rain. One good thing about such nasty weather is it provides perfect reading conditions. I perched myself on the couch next to the fireplace, cozied up with my fleece blanket and a hot cup of tea, and finished two books!

Sunday Salon: Returning to My Roots

I began My Cozy Book Nook in 2009. I joined the book blogging community with gusto - thrilled to find others as excited about literature as I am.

While a bibliophile at heart, my interests expanded over time. I wanted to blog (connect) about writing and journaling and photography. But this created a blog-identity crisis. Am I book review blog - a lifestyle blog - do I even have a niche?! Consequently, my blog posts were sporadic at best.

Week in Review: July 16, 2017

How can it be that we are already in the middle of July?! I suppose Mom was right... the older we get, the faster time flies.

Reading:

Currently reading The Chaperone by Laura Moriarity. I decided to read this book first from the stack I showcased last week because...
1) I like the historical time period: New York City in the mid-1920s
2) I like books that fluidly flow back and forth between the story of the past and the narrative of the present
3) the author is a local Kansas girl

The story centers around two women from Wichita: fifteen-year-old Louise who wants to escape the boredom of the Midwest in order to find fame and fortune in the New York entertainment world... and Cora, the 30-something year old housewife who acts as the young lady's chaperone, but really desires to return to her roots and discover her hidden past.

Week in Review: July 9, 2017

Summer has officially arrived. We are looking at temperatures in the 90s with triple-digit heat index. I can't complain though... I have a cool house and plenty of time to read and write.

Reading:

I will finish A Piece of The World by the end of today. The story is based on the Andrew Wyeth's 1948 painting, Christine's World. I've enjoyed this leisurely read after last week's high intensity read of Into the Water. I had hoped the story would focus more on the relationship between Christine and the artist rather than detailing her backstory, but I've enjoyed it nonetheless.

While I'm not sure which book I will pick up next, I'm comfortable in knowing I have plenty of choices.

June was a great book-bargain month. The local library held its annual book sale, where I scored a number of novels in my TBR pile in great condition.

Week in Review: July 2, 2017

I know it's been a while since I've participated in my favorite weekly meme... but I did not realize it had been nearly five months! How does time pass so quickly?!

My lack of participation does not mean a lack of reading or writing, which I will detail below.

Reading:

My GoodReads Challenge is well-ahead of schedule.

I set the goal to read a book-a-week, and currently, I've read 47 books. Now, many of these are Kindle Unlimited books on writing and self-publishing (more about that below...) and a few have focused on Middle-Grade historical fiction focusing on 19th immigrants (research for a new writing project). But I've also read several notable works of contemporary fiction.

Week in Review: February 26, 2017

I typically talk about weather in this intro to the Sunday Salon. And truly, the weather has been spectacular lately. We reached a high of 80 degrees on Wednesday... In Kansas... In February.

But the record high temperatures was not the major news story of the week.

I'm sure many of you heard of the hate crime that occurred in Olathe, Kansas. A 51-year-old man, for no apparent reason, shot two men of a different race, and then shot another who tried to stop his escape.

That episode occurred two blocks from my home. Our neighborhood was on lockdown for several hours because they thought the suspect escaped on foot. I was home alone with my trusty, albeit lethargic, basset. The constant whir of helicopters circling  overhead added to the tension. I was locked in an upstairs room, watching the story unfold via FaceBook posts.

Week in Review: February 19, 2017

I did not mean to take a month long break. It's not that I haven't been busy reading or writing, or focusing on Nourish - my word of the year. But I'm newly resolved to get back into the blogging routine. I've missed this community.

Reading:
I have read a total of seventeen books since the first of the year (a record for me). While there is a certain theme to my reading, I did cross several genres.

Week in Review: January 15, 2017

We've spent the last 48 hours bracing for the ice storm. I bought plenty of groceries to hunker down for the long weekend. I prepared a Thanksgiving dinner on Friday so we could eat leftovers the remaining days, just in case we lost power.

As is typical with Kansas weather, the storm took a slightly different route. We were completely dry on Friday. Totally dry on Saturday. And barely a glaze on the road surface this morning. By this afternoon, temperatures will rise and all will turn to rain.

But I'm not complaining. Friday night's dinner (with wine tasting) was delightful, and the dreary forecast provided the perfect excuse to stay inside to read and write for four straight days!

Welcome 2017!!

It is the first day of 2017 - a day filled with new hopes, new goals, and new intentions.

I've taken quite a break from blogging. My last regular post was mid-November, and I have not participated in the Sunday Salon since August! This was not a planned break, but apparently one I needed to take.

While I do not believe in making resolutions (why set myself up for failure?), I have made a list of intentions to focus on this year: intentions for mental health, physical well-being, and vocational growth. To that end, I want to be more intentional with my blogging in 2017. I hope to adopt the mindset of a "serious" writer, and regular blogging is key.

Weekend Review: August 28, 2016

School in full swing - stormy weather all week - September on the horizon. I'd say fall is in the air, and I am more than ready!

Reading:

Another good reading week.

So far the idea of keeping a mystery on the nightstand and going to bed before I'm too sleepy is a good recipe for maintaining an active reading schedule. 

I finished the second Booktown mystery, Bookmarked for Death, and enjoyed it as much as the first. I still like the tense relationship between the protagonist, a mystery bookstore owner, and her sister; I like the fictional town that appeals to all bibliophiles (real and imagined); and I enjoy the suspense of the murder mystery.

Week in Review: August 21, 2016

This week my granddaughter started kindergarten. She obviously takes after her Olly when she declared after the first day: Why we can't go to school everyday, even through spring break?! 

Reading:

I finished The Quilter's Apprentice, the first book in the Elm Street Quilters series. While it's not a cozy mystery, it is a cozy story, and I enjoyed meeting the members of the The Tangled Web Quilters, as well as the protagonist, Sarah McClure and her employer, Mrs. Compson, a tough old broad on the outside with a kind wounded heart on the inside.

I'm a quilter wannabe, so I found references to different quilt patterns interesting, but sometimes written in too much detail to hold my interest. I did enjoy reading about their quilting time, however. These sessions provide opportunity to connect with others in an intimate way. Family stories are shared and friends listen with empathetic ears. There is also a spirit of camaraderie that I don't see often. "Many hands make light work" is evident when everyone comes together to help assemble Sarah's surprise anniversary quilt.

Week in Review: August 14, 2016

For many here in the Midwest, the first day of school is quickly approaching. Normally I would be caught up in excited anticipation, but this year, I fully embrace retirement.

On a somewhat related note... Did I hear McDonald's will start offering Pumpkin Spice lattes at the end of the month?! As much as I long for cooler temperatures, I'm not quite ready for fall. How about you?

Week in Review: August 7, 2016

Last weekend we experienced sweltering heat and triple digit temperatures. Today, it is raining and 70 degrees. Ah... the bi-polar weather of the Midwest. I'm not complaining though. Either way, I can stay indoors to read, write, and catch up on the Summer Olympics.

Reading:
I did manage to finish Lorraine Barrett's book, A Crafty Killing, this week.

I must confess, my expectations for this book were too unrealistic. I wanted to fall in love with this upstate New York village as much as Stoneham, New Hampshire - the fictional setting in her Booktown mystery series. I wanted each reading session to transport me on a literary vacation, where I could wander through the shops and chat with the proprietors. And where I would count down the hours until I could return again.

The Sunday Salon: July 31, 2016

How is it that tomorrow is August 1st?!
Does anyone else feel as though time is on the express train?

Reading:
I maintained a decent reading schedule this week.

I managed to finish the Jessica Fletcher mystery, Manhattans and Murder, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm sure it helped to have the old 80s re-runs playing in my head as I read along, but ultimately I thought this was a well-written whodunit. I truly escaped into the holiday season of New York City, and I enjoyed the Cabot Cove characters.

TSS - July 24, 2016

I've taken a few baby steps toward healing this week. I can now drive in a limited capacity (one-handed, so I tend to stay within a five mile radius) - I can now bathe and dress myself - and I can type and write with my right hand (although I have to take multiple breaks). I feel as though I have my life back.

However... with triple-digit temperatures all week, I must admit I have not felt like leaving the air-conditioned house.

Reading:

While I spent more time reading Kindle Unlimited books and listening to podcasts this week, I'm still working through my cozy mysteries and enjoying every minute. My goal is to read 1-2/week. My current read is a Jessica Fletcher mystery, Manhattans and Murder. I suppose the weekly television series, Murder She Wrote, was my first foray into the cozy genre, and I am enjoying the nostalgic return reading this novel.

TSS - July 17, 2016

The Midwest is facing near triple digit temperatures for the rest of the week. It's a good thing I found my reading mojo again.

Reading:

Without going into great detail... I find myself in the same situation as five months ago. I managed to trip over the dog and break my right shoulder. My right arm has been immobilized for the last three weeks, which means I have been confined to my house without the ability to dress myself, bathe myself, cook for myself, or write. That leaves watching television and reading. My Kindle is now my best friend.

I renewed my interest in cozy mysteries, and have read four in the past few days. I consider this research, as I have had an idea to write a cozy mystery series for the past three years. I have a lot to learn in terms of developing a setting for the cozy, an amateur sleuth, a plausible plot, a list of suspects, and a variety of red herings to keep it interesting.