What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Sixth challenge finish of the year.

Wow, a second four-and-a-half-star book so close to the one last week!  I don't usually read much-hyped books when they are brand new, but this one had such a good kangaroo word (correspondent) and joey word (respond) on its cover, that when I saw  the ebook for $1.99 on Amazon a few days ago, I went for it!  And it was really, really good!

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Third challenge finish of the year.

This prompt's wording confused me.  It seems to suggest reading a book which was inspired by a movie.  I chose to just read the book that inspired the top-grossing movie the year I was born.  Kind of dates me, huh?

I've never seen the movie (of which the name differs just slightly -- The Bridge on the River Kwai).  I think I may have walked through the room while it was on a few times...enough so that I can whistle the theme song.  :)  

The book was well written.  The characters were well developed.  It was a good read, but I didn't love it.  

I suppose I should watch the movie now to see how it differs from the book.  Or maybe I'll just ask Carey to read the book, and he can tell me how it differs from the movie.  :)

Fourth challenge finish of the year.

This one has been on my Kindle since 2013.  I was really excited to find something I already owned for this prompt (but had never read) that was written without quotation marks.  It wasn't difficult to read at all, and it was so well done that I didn't even miss them.  It's a novel, based on family history, and the author wrote it as one would write a journal.

I loved it.  I read it within 24 hours.  Enjoyed the writing.  Characters I could root for.  I'm not sure I will read it again, but I may, and I wouldn't mind.  Really good, so four-and-a-half stars.

Fifth challenge finish of the year.

For this prompt, I had to borrow an ebook from the library.  It is the first book in The Rabbi Small Mysteries which was a pretty quick read at only 235 pages.  It reminded me a lot of the PBS series Grantchester, as the relationship between the rabbi and the chief of police was friendly and respectful.  I imagine that in the following books of the series that friendship deepens.  The characters were likeable, and it held my interest.  I wasn't able to download it to my Kindle, so I had to read the entire book on my phone.

I may go back to read others of the series.

This and that...

►I've got so much to do this week, and I just keep putting it off.

►We met with our financial advisor today.  Carey has to start taking his RMD this year.  Made the decisions about how and when it will start, how much taxes to withhold, etc.  Now that I've been retired from there for awhile, it was kind of fun to visit purely as a client.

►I've been thinking about remodeling the master bath for awhile, but haven't mentioned it to Carey.  Today he brought up that we probably should do it soon; remove the garden tub so we could enlarge the walk-in shower, put in grab bars, and maybe add a walk-in tub.  I adore soaking in the garden tub, but it is getting more perilous to enter and exit.  Anyone have experience with walk-in tubs, or thoughts on if it would affect the ability to sell the house eventually?  I'm thinking a walk-in tub may discourage younger buyers.  Thoughts?

►I'm kind of tired of thinking about The Frugal Friday File.  I may drop it from the blog, at least for awhile.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Note to self:  never say never; yes, I'm 'challenging' again this year. 

First challenge finish for the year.  This one has been on my Kindle since 2011!

I'm hoping I can continue to read down my Kindle library this year.  I decided to start with this one, since I think it may be the oldest unread book on my device.  I wasn't sure what prompt it would fit under, but when I got to the end, the author's bio did list her dog among her family members, so I knew right where it should go.

I only gave it 3.5 stars, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I reserve 5 stars for a book so good I want to read it again someday, so for a full four stars I have to love it.  The story was good, and I learned a lot about old-time traveling circuses.  But it also had a dual timeline that is just not my favorite writing style.

Second challenge finish of the year.

Story about a little girl who, having suffered a short episode of blindness, is faced with the possibility that it could come back and be permanent.  Her grandfather undertakes a year of museum visits with her to fill her memory with things of beauty if the threat of blindness returns.

I understand that the hard copy of the book has images of each of the art pieces included.  I couldn't get a reserve for a hard copy from the library in time to get it read by book club, so I checked out the audio version.  To see which art piece was being described (one per chapter) I had to search online to be able to see the art as the characters in the book discussed it.  It was a bit of trouble, but worth it.  I really did learn a lot about art and artists.

That said, the art was what I liked best about the book.  I did not find the characters very likable.  It's possible that this was because of the book narration, which I did not enjoy.  But I did not find the title character (child) in the least bit endearing...her mother just seemed to be a whiny put-upon worrier...her father was a ne'er-do-well  alcoholic...her grandfather was loving, but even so, I did not find him that likeable either.

I'm glad I read it, but am ambivalent about recommending it:  a yes for the art lessons, but a no for the story.  

It also kind of bugs me that the the cover art is a portion of Girl With a Pearl Earring that focuses on the subject's very entreating eyes.  I feel like that image with the title of the book superimposed over it is confusing.  I'm thinking that the odds are great that a fair number of browsers come away thinking that the subject of the cover's painting is named Mona (if not Mona Lisa).

I'm interested to know what YOU are reading lately.  Do tell, please!

Breakfast for supper...

I love breakfast for supper much more than I like it in the morning.  We've had two somewhat different breakfasts for supper in the past week or so.  It's pretty cheap and pretty quick and easy.  The first was pancakes with bacon, eggs, and orange juice.  

Tonight's was pulled together when I was late getting started, and had potatoes and sweet potatoes that needed to be used.  I put them in a skillet with bacon and onion.  When the potatoes were tender, and some a little crispy, I put some eggs in a tiny non-stick skillet that I use only for frying eggs.  Served the hash topped with eggs over easy.

Last night I made a menu and grocery order.  I didn't submit it yet in case I thought of something else we needed, but it will be entered forthwith.  It has to be; I'm now out of eggs.

Quilting at the library...

 

Today was quilting at the library day.  I just did not have the energy to load the machine and supplies in the car.  But I figured I could take the fabric for the current chicken block (that I have to have finished by the 16th), along with a rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat and at least get it cut out.  

So happy to have that done.  And since I left the machine set up at home, I can start assembling it soon.  

Mine will look like the one the red arrow is pointed toward (green chicken with gold star). 

I undertook this project to hone my skills a bit.  Its pieces are smaller than I usually work with.  Thing is, I don't really want to do a bed-size quilt with chickens on it.  I was thinking I would make a table runner (or two) once the chicken squares are complete (the class is ten months long, and we make one square each month.  But now I'm thinking I will make a placemat from each chicken.  We'll see.

After I finished cutting the pieces for the block, and visited for awhile, I went and spent some time refilling the used book shelves in the area that the Friends of the Library sell donated books in to benefit the library.  So that killed two 'birds' with one trip to the library.  :)

2025 Reading...

Seventy-four books read this year.  Fifty-two were books for this year's reading challenge.  Three of them were over 800 pages.  One claimed to be 576 pages, but I swear it was longer than any other read this year.

Twenty-five of them were books that had been on my Kindle for a loooooong time.  LOVE that I have cleared out so much of my backlog!  The rest were library books or book club books.  Some were ones I just wanted to read or read again.

I started this post thinking that I did not want to do another book challenge...then I looked at The 52 Book Club 2026 Reading Challenge...now I'm thinking about it.  The prompt that really intrigues me is #13 -- bookface -- I want to try this!  If you don't know what "bookface" might mean (I didn't!) I've linked examples here.

Don't think I'll be doing the whole 2026 challenge, but it is tempting me more than I thought.