currently

I am...

Reading: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler for my school book group

Listening to:  the refrigerator hum

Thinking:  we're supposed to get slammed with a winter storm this week and I have meetings galore to try to reschedule.

Feeling:  satisfied.  It was a very good day back at school.

Celebrating: so glad everything was prepared for this morning--no scurrying around trying to get organized

Grateful for: a long, relaxing vacation

Enjoying:  working on goal setting for this new year--well, I'm not actually setting new goals but I am continuing to work on goals I have been setting; I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment by getting hyped up for some major goal only to lose momentum.

Weather:  -2° and cloudy

A quote I want to share: 

finished reading

This is a buddy read with my niece.  She chose it.  I went into it blindly, not realizing it's a mystery horror thriller. Winter is a character in this story.  The isolation, frigid winds, abundant snow, white-outs, all of what makes winter winter are a character.  As the characters are thrown together due to a storm, they slowly get to know each other.  The slow reveal of personalities and budding camaraderie set the pace for the first half of the story.  After the major plot reveal, which I will not spoil, the tension builds!  It was well-crafted and paced second half of the story.

This book heightened my dislike of winter. 

From the publisher:

When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she's hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm.

She couldn't be more wrong.

Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport...and they're far from finished. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one, Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb.

sunday stealing

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Questions to Answer When You Need a Break:

1. What would you rather be doing right now? nothing--I've frittered the day away

2. What is always on your grocery list? yogurt

3. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose? no

4. How many times did you text yesterday? too many to count!

5. Would you prefer a slow-paced, relaxing vacation or one filled with new sights and experiences? if I am planning a vacation it will be slow-paced with new sights and experiences 😉

postsecret

 

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

finished reading

This book is not my usual fare.  I don't recall where the recommendation originated.  Historical horror, medieval quests, dark fantasy, I'm trying to think what other genres I would use.  The description was compelling, the writing is amazingly good, the story is gruesomely detailed, and I could not put it down!  But what the hell?  Or what the heaven?  (If you read it, you'll understand.)

Set during the Black Death in 14th-century France, where disgraced, excommunicated knight, Thomas, lives as a brigand, escorts a mysterious young girl, Delphine, across a plague-ridden landscape to Avignon as fallen angels wage a second war against Heaven. Along their journey, they are joined by Father Matthieu, a guilt-ridden, alcoholic priest who finds a renewed sense of purpose in protecting the girl.  The story blends medieval fiction with supernatural horror, following the travelers as they encounter demons, the undead, and other horrors, with the girl claiming divine guidance and the knight and priest seeking redemption. 

I may have a new favorite narrator: Steve West is amazing!

From the publisher:

The year is 1348. Thomas, a disgraced knight, has found a young girl alone in a dead Norman village. An orphan of the Black Death, and an almost unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that plague is only part of a larger cataclysm—that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven, and that the world of men has fallen behind the lines of conflict.

Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned.

As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints, and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.

saturday 9

New Year's Day

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In the lyrics, Taylor Swift promises she'll not only be there for the party, but for the clean up afterward. As we say move on from the holiday season, could your home benefit from a thorough cleaning? of course--although I'm pretty okay at routine maintenance

 

2) This song describes a party where guests took Polaroid pictures. Have you ever owned a Polaroid camera? Do you have one now? an Instax, which is the same thing

3) Taylor sings that we should "hold on to memories." What special memory from 2025 memory will you hang onto? the 60th birthday classroom decorations

 

4) Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Have you taken your tree, or other holiday decorations, down yet? If you didn't decorate at all, let us know that, too. my decorations are still up but will likely come down this weekend

5) Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement but no wedding date has been shared. Do you anticipate attending any weddings in 2026? none that I am aware of

6) Travis' team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is currently 6-10. Not exactly the record their fans hoped for. According to a 2024 Pew research study, 53% of Americans said football is their favorite sport. Have you watched much football this season? none

 

7) In 2017, when "New Year's Day" was released, Wonder Woman was a hit at the box office. While Wonder Woman's superhero abilities vary depending on which TV show, movie or comic book you refer to, some of her powers remain consistent: a) immense strength, b) superhuman speed, c) the ability to almost instantly recover/heal from injury. Which would you like to possess – a, b, or c? at this age and stage, I'll take C

8) Have you made any New Year's resolutions for 2026? no

 
9) What was the first thing to make you laugh in 2026? I laugh a lot, I don't remember what made me laugh first

 

whittling it down...

 

The ten books I've recommended the most in 2025.  All links go to my original posts about the books.  They are not in any order.  It was difficult to choose ten!

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult: this dive into historical fiction is a departure for Picoult, who usually focuses on domestic dramas.  The dual timeline works well.  I especially loved the historical sections and was moved to tears.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick: grief is explored in this novel, and although it's usually a heavy theme, the exploration of processing grief took a back seat to the relationships.  This would be fantastic for a book group discussion. 

All The Colors Of The Dark by Chris Whittaker: it's a coming-of-age thriller.  As enthralled as I was with the story, the audio narration took it to another level.  I had a sense of unease through the whole book, which is masterful storytelling!

On A Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass: it's a slow-build thriller that has unlikeable, unreliable narrators.  And I was completely drawn in.  I was so wound up when I finished this book I am sure I drove my friends nutty!

So Far Gone by Jess Walter: set against the backdrop of current social and political shenanigans, this book is darkly humorous.  It's somewhat preposterous, somewhat poignant, and all about family love.

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie: a family saga where the matriarch is a crime boss.  It's a book I recommended to my library book group because it is well written, filled with interesting main and secondary characters, but I was reluctant to recommend it because it's like the Soprano family is from Maine--you find yourself rooting for the anti-hero. We haven't had our discussion about it, but all the members who've read it are raving.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner: a compelling story about relationships. There are multiple timelines, but the technique worked well--my favorite parts were Cassie and Zoe's meteoric rise to rock'n roll fame.  I'll give props to Dakota Fanning's narration.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: an epistolary novel, I loved that this format worked perfectly!  Getting to know Sybil Van Antwerp through her communications allowed me to see the arc of her relationships.  I especially liked the parts about books and authors.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman: a brilliant exploration of lifelong friendship and shared experiences.  A beautiful, sometimes difficult book.  When I finished it, I knew it would be a favorite of the year.

And it goes without saying that Louise Penny's The Black Wolf is the continuation of my favorite series.  I don't know how she manages to make each book better than the one before.

state of the blog

As I look at the 'State of the Blog,' I’ve decided that if this is as good as it gets, I’m content.

This blog has never been about 'content creation' in the modern, exhausting sense. It’s about documentation and connection. It’s about books feeling like friends, it's about classroom connections, and about sharing my parents' slowing down in a way that honors them, whirlwind road trips, and friendships.

In 2026,  I will keep reading what I love, stealing memes that make me laugh, and sharing the quiet parts of life. I keep blogging after all these years as a way to mark milestones and quiet moments.  In the past few years, I've been reading more and watching less--and here I organize my thoughts on what I've read.  And the blog friendships offer me a peek into other lives I would never have had the chance to know--from city life in Chicago or the countryside of Virginia.

Looking back at the 2025 archives, I kept up with the weekends of Saturday 9, Sunday Stealing, and Postsecret.  I haven't missed a Currently or a Three on Thursday in a while; those rituals remind me to live in the moment, whether it's good, bad, ugly, or beautiful.

The title of the blog, "What if this is as good as it gets?" is a constant reminder that I don't have to be a polished writer or photographer.  I have to be ME.

I don’t have a grand manifesto or a major "rebrand" planned. This blog will continue to be exactly what it is: a place for bibliophiles, meme-lovers, and quiet reflections. 

new year's meme

The Three Threes

1) Three things that have changed since the beginning of the year: I bought a new car, I started focusing on real self-care, and my boundaries--calling people on their nonsense.

2) Three things that didn’t change: my weight (not necessarily a bad thing), my address, and surpassing my reading goal!

3) Three things you want to change this year: I want to be a better friend, I want to be a better daughter, and I want to set some realistic goals for retirement

three on thursday

 

One: I have learned a lot about myself this year.  Therapy has been a wonderful experience, helping me build skills, honor my boundaries, reflect on what has made me who I am, and prepare for the future.

Two:  I'm stepping out of my comfort zone this year by joining a writing group.  Well, it's called a creativity group, but its focus is writing.

Three:  no resolutions for me.  I don't even have a particular focus for the year.  Bring on more of the growth, good health, circle of family and friends, and joy.

finished reading

What a book!  It's going to challenge me to write spoiler-free thoughts.  I'll try. Grief, love, secrets, and second chances are the major themes. The female character, Honor's narration is like a conversation with a friend--she knows she's fussy and stuck-up and flawed.  That is what makes her such a compelling narrator.  All of the characters are revealed through flashback and present-day timelines, a technique that works well. Tom, the main male character, made some very questionable choices that kept me reading. Like, I just wanted to shake him or thwack him upside the head.  

From the publisher:

Honor seems to have everything. She adores her daughter Chloe and her husband Tom (even if he does work one hundred hours a week). But her longing for another baby threatens to eclipse all of it―until a shocking event changes their lives forever.

Years later Tom makes a decision that ripples through their families' lives in ways he could not have foreseen. As the consequences of that fateful choice unfold, two women's paths become irrevocably intertwined. But when old love clashes with new, who will be left standing? And what happens when your secrets come back to haunt you?

currently

I am...

Reading: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman is the book I'm going to start tonight

Listening to: the wind whipping 

Thinking:  I've got to find my spinach artichoke dip recipe!

Feeling:  happy and looking forward to tomorrow (meeting with a former student for breakfast, celebrating late Christmas with a friend, and celebrating New Year's Eve with my bestie)

Celebrating: lots of celebrating tomorrow, not so much tonight

Grateful for:  excellent friendships

Enjoying:  staycation

Weather:  9° and light snow with a "real feel" of -7°

A quote I want to share: