A Net in Time

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What Can I Do Without?

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So, I’m learning alot about myself as I continue to recover from two nasty illnesses that wreaked havoc on my respiratory and digestive systems.  One of the things I am learning about is what can I do without?   I figure that fits well with today’s word of the day so let’s get on with it eh? 

what can I do without? text over picture of a pork chop dinner.

What Can I Do Without?

What can I do without?
The list seems to be getting longer. 🙂

I can do without chicken and turkey
and fruits and veggies.
The smell of ground beef continues
to make me want to gag.

I can do without having tons of energy
making do with bits and pieces
and still managing to mostly get
everything done that needs doing.

Doing without long trips on the road
no fear of not finding a bathroom
on time, or having a body cramp up
from sitting too long. Easily managed. 🙂

I can do without the shame of having
to ask for help lifting something
at work when my strength says
“Oh, not today dearie”.

I can do without feeling bothered
by the tiredness of just living
life, when a lack of desire to
eat lives me with little in the tank.

And throughout I can enjoy
the lack of pressure, the steady comfort
of a hubby saying, “meat is better for
you anyways, try making it this way instead”.

I can shake my head at some of the foolishness
of worry and what ifs and realize
that even if my body decides this is
permanent, I’m still alive and enjoying life.

Laughter comes easily.
Love for critters continues.
Work is possible with a some tweaks.
Conversation is vital. Weight is easily lost!

Gardening season is at hand. Flowers bloom.
The cats make me laugh loudly.
Grocery bills are lower! Savings dollars good.
Voting is done.  It’s good I love Pork! 

Church family is welcoming
and surprises with the care.
God continues to say “Hey kiddo”
and I got to see my faraway sister!

Much is life to enjoy with makes
the theme of
what can I do without?
So much easier.



The Lost Bookshop

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You know how you start to read a book and you think… It’s got potential but I don’t know if I can get into it?  A book with two timelines that tends to drive you nuts with the bouncing around and then you discover something odd…. and suddenly you are hooked and totally invested?   Well, that happened with me with The Lost Bookshop.   Let me tell you more. 

the lost bookshop by Evie Woods

The Basic Details for The Lost Bookshop

Title: The Lost Bookshop
Author: Evie Woods
Publisher: One More Chapter
Pages: 448
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: magical realism, Contemporary romance, history, women’s domestic life, fantasy,
Available formats: paperback, kindle, audio

Evie Woods is Irish and loves to draw the unexpected and somewhat magical into her works.  She tells a good story between the everyday and the magical.  Weaving together worlds into something new that is very believable. 

In The Lost Bookshop we catch Henry searching for a bookshop that can’t be found.  He’s caught references to it, but can’t really track it down. And in his same timeline we find Martha.  A lady running away from a domestic situation that isn’t safe, finding herself working as a maid for a most unexpected lady.   As Martha gets caught up in Henry’s search we learn the story of Opaline and her bookshop. 

the lost bookshop

Looking Deeper

I’m not going to say this is always the easiest book to read, and I’m not a fan of reading two different timelines and trying to sort things out. BUT those divergent timelines worked really well together and caused their own little surprises in the end. 

Domestic abuse and generally just the poor treatment of women is a fact in both timelines.  I was horrified at the treatment of Opaline at the hands of her brother and the “institution” she was placed in.  How could people be like that?  Institutionalized cruelty has always dumbfounded me. 

I LOVED Opaline’s resilience though, and I love how Martha took, learned and survived.  This is very much a story of survival for both women.  The touch of magic/fantasy throughout was an added bonus.  You were left wondering, just might this bookshop pull out next?  What book or words of encouragement does Martha need?  What is the story that Martha is having penned?   The mysterious help she received from the lady of the house left me with a certain amount of wonder and lots of curiousity.  I never did get that fully assuaged. 

When all the pieces finally fit together you are left with a great sense of satisfaction.  I was so pleased by the end of this story, it’s made me go out and hunt down other works by this author. 

I’m half way through The Story Collector, and want to read to read about the mysterious bakery on rue du Paris.   Doesn’t that sound intriguing?   I think Evie Woods has gained a new fan!   🙂 Go out and read The Lost Bookshop today!!!  

Sunshine in a bottle

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So after having enjoyed the Lemon Sugar series I was eager to try the next book by Carolyn Finch.   Sunshine in a bottle takes on the life of Indi.  Indi is a hairstylist with a troubled relationship with her mother.  Her mother has turned her life around and developed a whole Wellness Centre that she has lift to Indi (with some conditions) at the time of her death.  Indi’s plan… sell the whole thing!  Wants nothing to do with her mom and her legacy.  Too much pain sitting there for her to want to deal with it.  Life intervenes, and thus Sunshine in a Bottle is written. 

Basic Details for Sunshine in a Bottle

Title: Sunshine in a Bottle
Author: Carolyn Finch
Series: Blyss Series
Publisher: Carolyn Finch Writes
Pages: 311
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: women’s fiction, wellness, weight loss, romance
Available formats: paperback, kindle

My Thoughts

I enjoy Ms. Finch’s style of writing. After thoroughly enjoying the Lemon Sugar series, I was positive I would like this book as well. And though I did enjoy her style, I was less than enamoured with Sunshine in a Bottle.

What did I like?   I loved the people connection.  You could palpably feel how much people wanted to help Indi heal from her past pain.  They very much wanted Indi to become the best that she could be.   I loved that.  It’s great to see people drawing together to help someone become more than. 

The romantic element was okay, but kinda meh for me.  Of course you can see that opposites will attract, but this one seemed too forgone a conclusion.  

The whole emphasis on the paleo diet.  I’m sorry I was just lost on this one.  Her sickness, and everything as a result of allergies and her diet.  Just seemed to really be pushing a way of eating and then adding in things that didn’t really add up.  Like ancient people would be so focused on making hollandaise sauce? And isn’t it making a whole lot of assumptions about what people ate and how we can modernize it? It seemed a bit too pat for me I guess. And it could honestly be that I am being too much of a skeptic. 

The total diet and complete change of life was a bit too much for me.  In the end it took away from my enjoyment of the story.  It came out as too predictable, and too “neatly” tied up.   I have zero desire to follow up with the rest of the series. 

I enjoyed the good family connection exemplified in the literal Sunshine in a bottle. Finding a way to recreate scents and shine forth good memories.  I really that part.   Well done that! 

Now if I were reading just for a quick weekend getaway enjoyment I might have liked it more as it was a feel good story.   I’d give it a three stars rating. 

 

 

Can I be Persuaded?

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Five Minute Friday is upon us again.  This week the word prompt is persuade.  I got to thinking about my son and how he is resistant to the truth of God. He’s been influenced by those who like to twist truth to present their own arguments.  So I’ve been reading and trying to understand truth so I can present it to him in an effort to persuade him to look harder.   In the process I’m having to answer the question myself, Can I be persuaded to see truth again? 

Can i be persuaded?

Can I be Persuaded?

Can I be persuaded?
Too more seriously take a look?
just what is this mystery?
What’s the deal with this book?

66 books, all inspired so they say
by one God up above, he had a lot to say.
39 books of ancient history, poetry and more,
27 books of new history, starting 2000 years ago.

Consider this, how over so very years
the message aligns from start to finish.
With some variation in style and words
the message is clear, God spoke his word.

A word became flesh, from beginning to end,
a promise made, proving the word true,
as it was promised and shown throughout
the written word.

So many copies made verifying truth
Copies upon copies so that comparisons
can be made, showing the truth in words written
more verification than ANY other book written.

History speaks through church fathers,
folks who knew what was written and by whom,
showing truth that time might muddy the
waters of, the truth of books written.

Check out Why Trust the Bible?  Written by Greg Gilbert.

Lemon Sugar Series

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The first book in this series randomly popped up in my kindle unlimited suggestions and I thought hmmm… might be interesting, but maybe not.   Let’s try it.  And so read In the Company of Men and was hooked. 🙂   I have to admit to some skepticism though since a rather leery of anything slightly romance-y.  BUT I LIKED IT!   I did.  I was so surprised.  In the Company of Men made me laugh, made me worried, raised my suspicions, and surprised me.   Good stuff eh?  🙂  And so I want to tell you about Carolyn Finch’s Lemon Sugar Series. 

Lemon Sugar Series

The Basics Details for In the Company of Men

Title: The Lemon Sugar Series
Author: Carolyn Finch
Series: Lemon Sugar
Publisher: 
Pages: 376
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: mystery, historical fiction, crime fiction, history, women’s fiction, cozy mystery,
Available formats: paperback, kindle

Three books in the series.

All follow a similar theme.  Gal has a need … provide for her family in a male-dominated world of the 1920’s.   Runs into issue, with a touch of mystery about it, meets a guy who is willing to prove useful/helpful, lots of feel good emotions, and a story well-told.  TOTAL win for me.  🙂 

Author is Carolyn Finch who is a new author to me.  I do plan on finishing this series and then hope to find others by her.  She produces feel good stories with a romance element that doesn’t make me gag.  🙂  Ms. Finch loves to read and grew up as part of a farming community.  This lifestyle is steeped in her blood and she still loves living on the farm. 

Lemon Sugar Series

So What Did I Think?

It was so refreshing to delve into romantic women’s fiction and not have my gag reflex stimulated.   The romance in this read was realistic and not the central focus.   And I laughed!   Oh my, the number of times I laughed, and at one point even entered a cry of dismay.  That of course created conversation twixt me and a coworker and who knows… maybe I encouraged her to try this series!  🙂 

Set in the 1920’s I loved the quiet romance and the promise of a new life.  I loved how both the men and woman wanted to do what is right and good.  The not so nice people were fairly obvious and easy to not like (making it super easy to cheer for the good folk).  I loved the men being men and the women being women.  No gender confusion, just the simplicity of men and women being who they are. 

I do have to admit to some dismay at the speed of the romance.  But I’ve read a number of historical books where in the older west relationships proceeded fairly quickly, so this wasn’t totally unexpected.  But the romance wasn’t central to the story and events would have played out well with or without it, so nice to have a story like this.   Both of the first two books in this series were similar in style, I expect Hope and Dreams to be the same. 

Vacant in different ways

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Vacant is a word to be described in different ways.  A mental outlook, a space, or a position.  How many things does the word vacant draw to mind you?  Does it give you sense of satisfaction or hope, or perhaps leave you with a sense of emptiness?   Join me and other five minute Friday authors as we explore this word. 

text: vacant in different ways image empty garden spot with bare dirt in it.

Vacant in different ways

vacant
empty
available
absent
flat

after a night of no sleep
reacting to the world around
has me feeling flat and empty
like it doesn’t really matter
and nothing can impact me.

a spot is open, the cats are
delighted as it means for them
a place to defecate and urinate.
I’m not impressed but they are determined
that this garden vacancy not be in vain.

a spot is available, a position has opened up,
would you like to apply?
a job-searching hubby is delighted
and finally accepts a new position within the
same company so no loss of benefits realized!

a mistake noticed in the fog of sickness
a doe due, and an empty nestbox waiting to be filled
was given to the wrong girlie. A Sad loss discovered
as a doe looking for a vacant nestbox could not
find one. Sickness sucks.

a empty tomb
a promise held
death defeated
Sin has no power.
hope abounds.

Portrait of a Spy

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Daniel Silva is a new author to me, and don’t know the main characters in this story, but after reading Portrait of a Spy I find myself wanting to get to know them better.   🙂  When I looked him up I was astonished that I had not heard of him before.  Okay library, here I come!!   Mystery, international intrigue, the art world, and determination to protect.  All make for a winner!  

portrait of a spy

Basic Details for Portrait of a Spy

Title: Portrait of a Spy
Author: Daniel Silva
Series: Gabriel Allon
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 464
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: mystery, international intrigue, spy, terrorism, Suspense, thriller
Available formats: hardcover, paperback, audio, kindle

Author and Summary

Bombings in Paris and Copenhagen have agents Gabriel and Chiara drawn into the world of terrorism.   Can they stop this newest threat?   At the center of the threat is an American-born cleric in Yemen to whom Allah has granted “a beautiful and seductive tongue.” A gifted deceiver, who was once a paid CIA asset, the mastermind is plotting a new wave of attacks.  Can they find a someone to walk the line between the Islamic terrorist and the West? Enter in the daughter of an old enemy. 

Daniel Silva is a New York Times bestselling author having written over 25 novels filled with spies and international intrigue.  He’s an American, married, and worked as a member of the press.  He worked for CNN until his success as a novelist was secure. 

What Did I Think?

I love a good mystery novel.   Mr. Silva writes a novel that combines the human element (dismay at not being able to save the life of innocents) with a strong willingness to defend and protect.   Keeping the people of his nation safe is of paramount importance!   

It was interesting watching the process of discovering who the threat was and their approach to dealing with it.  It felt realistic. 

I have to admit, I had this disconnect with the whole reclusive couple in cottage in some small town.  It made no sense to me why that was important to write about. 

The interplay between the characters made sense and the sense of danger was real. Admittedly the action is slow with lots of dialogue, but the dialogue established the threat and response.    

There is a bit of a side story with the world of international art, and detecting what’s real art and what isn’t. An educational side trip for sure!  🙂 

I am looking forward to reading more in this series, should be a fun journey eh?