happy day 9

    

8/9: Today, I attended a celebration of life for a dear friend's mom.  I am so glad I went--it meant a lot to her and her siblings to see me and my dad.  And it truly was a celebration of life.

saturday 9

Shout

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

This month we're going to recall Summer Songs. These will all be records that topped the charts during August.

1) Number 1 on the charts in August 40 years ago, the lyrics to "Shout" encourage us to "let it all out." When is the last time you raised your voice?  hmmm, I raised my voice in excitement last week, I seldom raise my voice in anger.

2) This week's featured artists, Tears for Fears, were a duo -- Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith -- who met as teenagers in Bath, the largest city in Somerset, England. Bath has been named one of The Great Spa Towns of Europe. Popular spa treatments include massages, facials, body scrubs and wraps, mineral baths, manicures and pedicures. If you could treat yourself to a spa treatment today, which would you choose? a facial

3) When they first met, one of the things Roland and Curt bonded over was that they were both raised by single mothers. Who was your best friend during your teen years? What did you two bond over? my teenage bestie and I bonded over a love of the bands The Police, Rush, Jethro Tull, and others...

4) Curt's wife, Frances Pennington, has had a long career in marketing, beginning in the record business and transitioning to fashion. Which industry do you think you'd enjoy more -- music or fashion? music--if I could be a radio personality (formerly known as a DJ), although I would LOVE to be a personal shopper, so maybe fashion?

5) Roland married his childhood sweetheart, Caroline Johnston. They were together for 35 years, until her death. Do you know whatever became of your childhood sweetheart? no, I do not know

Let's look at the summer of 1985.

6) That summer, Chicago teenager Balu Natarajan won the National Spelling Bee. Are you a good speller?  sadly, spell check has tarnished my reputation as a great (not just good) speller.

7) Tinker Bell took her first nightly flight at Walt Disney World in Florida. Do you recall which Disney movie introduced us to Tinker Bell? I think it was Peter Pan

8) Derek Hough was a baby in the summer of 1985. In 2007 he became a regular on Dancing with the Stars, acclaimed for his ballroom dancing. Are you good on the dance floor? oh, how I used to love to shake my groove thing on the dance floor--alas, those days are behind me and I stick to kitchen dancing or chair dancing if the mood strikes me at school

9) In 1985, Michael J. Fox became the first actor to have the #1 movie at the box office and the #1 TV show in the ratings. The movie was Back to the Future and the TV show was Family Ties. Have you seen the movie? Were you a fan of the show? I was a fan of both!  

finished reading

I enjoyed that this is a book with authentically grown-up characters.  The main character, Lucy, doesn't return to the small beach town seeking nostalgia or retribution; instead, she is driven by the need to clarify what happened fifteen years ago.  She seeks the truth, no matter what it might mean.  And the main male character, Ford, isn't a hero throwing his money around to impress Lucy.  He becomes fully engaged in the search for truth.  Their rekindled romance was destined.  And I am all here for it!

The small town vibe is strong--almost a character in itself.  And the mystery kept me interested.  I guessed who did what, but I wanted to know their motives.  Some of the secondary characters seemed unnecessary and flat or even caricatures. Especially Christina.  Meh, whatever. I liked the book as a summer read.

From the publisher:

She returned to prove her father's innocence, but there's no telling what she'll find…

It's been fifteen years since Lucy Sinclair saw her father. Fifteen long years since she sat in a courtroom and watched him sentenced to life in prison. He murdered three victims—all people she knew—which ruined her life at just seventeen. But now she’s back in Virginia to talk to him, wondering if there’s more to the story of what happened that fateful night.

An old flame, Ford Wagner, makes his own return to North Hampton Beach, fleeing a marriage that seems destined for divorce. He’s wary of Lucy and her digging into the past, but the more time they spend together, the closer they get and the more he finds himself reconsidering the truth behind the death of their mutual friend that summer. Problem is, there are plenty of those in this small coastal town who would prefer things stay quiet…

three on thursday

Edited to add:  I've lost track of what day of the week it is!  I thought today was Thursday!

Thing 1) I finally got around to taking my bottles & cans to the redemption center for a whopping $3!

Thing 2)  I have ticked off my to-do list items.  Even a few back-to-school items.

Thing 3)  next week is my last week of vacation.  I have relished every day.  Every single day.  I am so grateful that I didn't have to work or take classes over the summer.  It has been a much-needed break.

happy day 8

   

8/8: I visited with my parents, and we had a delightful conversation about nothing in particular.  We always manage to laugh.

happy day 7

  

8/7: Therapy was good.

finished reading

Where to begin?  Shaw Connolly is a complex character shaped by her obsession with solving the disappearance of her beloved sister over a decade earlier.  Maybe she is too brash, too gruff, too rough around the edges, masking her nurturing, softer side.  Experiencing the darker side of life through her experience as an on-site crime scene fingerprint analyst gives her an awareness of police procedures.

The pace of the novel is uneven.  I'd consider it a slow burn.  The setting of rural Maine is authentic--the sense of isolation during a Maine winter is well done.  And the small town sense of knowing each other's business is also authentic.  As a debut novel, I will definitely read more from this author.  And the audio is well-done--even though the majority of Mainers do not have a Downeast accent.

From the publisher:

A page-turning, compelling thriller about a woman who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance.

Shaw Connolly is no stranger to trauma. As a fingerprints analyst, she’s one of the first on-site for crimes, including murder scenes and a mysterious string of arsons popping up throughout the rural Maine community her department serves. But the tragedy of her little sister’s disappearance sixteen years ago has always weighed on her the most; Thea is never far from her thoughts or dreams, and Shaw knows that her obsession with finding the truth about Thea is driving her husband away and impacting her two boys. Still, she can't let it go and has even started taking disturbing calls from a man named Anders Jansen who all but claims to have committed the crime.

Anders taunts Shaw with hints and innuendo about what supposedly happened all those years ago. His calls go to the next level as he reveals just how much he knows about Shaw’s personal life, like her stalled career and ruined marriage. As his stalking escalates to threats on her and her family's lives, he begins to show just how dangerous he might be. Shaw is too desperate for answers to hang up now, just when she's getting close to finding proof. The only question left is what she must lose to learn the truth.

happy day 6

 

8/6: My library book group had fun discussing our latest read: The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan.  A lively discussion.

finished reading

A beach read mystery rom-com that includes beach reads!  My only complaint is that the main character, Mia's, single status was repeated too often for my liking.  I got it the first three times.  Even though I figured out the male main character's plot twist, it was enjoyable watching their relationship develop.

From the publisher:

Mia Crawford is responsible to a fault. She has to be. Between her high-demand job and taking care of her grandmother and her cats, she has little time for anything else. What time she does have, she pours into reading. Mysteries, romances, thrillers…books filled with women who are far more impulsive than she would ever dream of being. Now, forced into taking a long-overdue vacation, she finds herself on a luxurious private island where she just might have a chance to reinvent herself—for a little while, anyway. She can explore the island. Flirt shamelessly with a cute bartender. Have a vacation fling. Live like a heroine in one of her favorite novels.

Or she can curl up with a good book on the beach. Turns out reinventing yourself is easier planned than done. But when gossipy notes written in the margins of an old book turn out to be clues to the disappearance of another guest, Mia finds herself diving headfirst into a dangerous adventure. With everyone at the resort hiding secrets of their own, she’ll have to solve this real-life mystery before she becomes the next target. 

happy day 5

8/5: I had a delightful lunch and visit with my dear friend Denise.  We talked life, her upcoming move, and books.

Edited to add: I forgot to hit publish. 

ten things tuesday

It's been an incredibly relaxing summer.  Just what I needed to regroup, recharge, and reenergize for the upcoming final two years of my teaching career.  Now that school is 13 days away (not counting the two meetings I have next week), I'm trying to get back into school mode.

Ten "this or that" back to school teacher edition questions:

☕️ Coffee in the staff room or  🧘 A quiet moment in your classroom

📚 New curriculum to plan  or  🖍️ Fresh school supplies to organize

📝 Grading papers with a red pen  or  💻 Grading assignments online

🍎 An apple from a student  or 💐 A bouquet of flowers from a student

🏫 First day of school energy  or  🥳 Last day of school celebration

👩‍🏫 Teaching a favorite topic  or  💡 Seeing a student finally understand a difficult concept

🎨 Decorating the classroom door  or  📌 bulletin board 

🪑 Sitting at your desk or  🚶 Walking around the room to help students

🗓️ Planning your lessons for the week  or  😴 Catching up on rest over the weekend

☀️ Summer break  or  🎄 Winter break (please don't make me choose!)

happy day 4

8/4: I did not dilly-dally or hurkle durkle.  I got right out of bed at six o'clock and started the day.  I cleared out the refrigerator and freezer, and then turned my attention to the pantry.  Expiration dates have been duly noted.  I have made three trips to the dumpster!  I am ticking off chores!

finished reading

This charming epistolary novel begins with a curmudgeonly exchange. As we learn more about Sybil Van Antwerp, it is clear why she favors letter writing as her primary means of communication.  Sybil navigates several relationships: her brother, her lifelong bestie, her daughter, among others, and comes to realize that the letter she never sent is the most important one.

I liked the format.  I liked that the characters were rich and flawed.  I especially enjoyed the discussions about reading and literature. And I liked the audio cast.

From the publisher:

Throughout her life Sybil Van Antwerp has used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings around half past ten Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has. A mother, grandmother, wife, divorcée, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

currently

I am...

Reading:  The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Listening to:  Julia Louis-Dreyfuss' Wiser Than Me podcast, and since I've been bingeing episodes, I am almost finished

Thinking:  the countdown is on for back to school.  T-minus 13 days!

Feeling:  accomplished

Celebrating:  I was up and out of bed by 6 am--most of my list of things to do today has been accomplished!  (and it's 10 o'clock!)

Grateful for:  the burst of motivation I have today

Enjoying:  this season's Big Brother!

Weather:  65° and mostly cloudy with an "air quality alert" in place because of the Canadian wildfires

A quote I want to share:

happy day 3

8/3: Today, I savored my coffee.  Every sip was delightful!

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

Why did I finish this book?  The subject matter is so disturbing, yet the writing is compelling and masterful.  This is a suspenseful, dark academia thriller about a charismatic private-school English teacher and the intoxicating spell he casts over students, colleagues, and parents.  It seems that no one is immune to him.  And he preys on that, cultivating relationships.  The narrative thread shifts point of view frequently, and I was drawn into the characters' experiences.  

I will say my eyes were opened to the dark web world of child grooming and abuse. Be forewarned, it's disturbing.  The audio is well-done.

From the publisher:

Who is Francis Fox? A charming English teacher new to the idyllic Langhorne Academy, Fox beguiles many of his students, their parents, and his colleagues at the elite boarding school, while leaving others wondering where he came from and why his biography is so enigmatic. When two brothers discover Fox’s car half-submerged in a pond in a local nature preserve and parts of an unidentified body strewn about the nearby woods, the entire community, including Detective Horace Zwender and his deputy, begins to ask disturbing questions about Francis Fox and who he might really be.

A hypnotic, galloping tale of crime and complicity, revenge and restitution, victim vs. predator, Joyce Carol Oates’s Fox illuminates the darkest corners of the human psyche while asking profound moral questions about justice and the response evil demands. A character as magnetically diabolical as Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley and Vladimir Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert, Francis Fox enchants and manipulates nearly everyone around him, until at last he meets someone he can’t outfox. Written in Oates’s trademark intimate, sweeping style, and interweaving multiple points of view, Fox is a triumph of craftsmanship and artistry, a novel as profound as it is propulsive, as moving as it is full of mystery.

sunday stealing

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Let's Blog About Blogging

1. When are you at your blogging best – a.m. or p.m.? there's not really a prime time--it's whenever I can devote my undivided attention to it

2. How many blogs do you have? Please include the links in your answer. this is my blog

3. Do you prefer silence when you compose your posts and write your comments? it is usually quiet, yes

4. What's the grossest thing you've ever spilled on your keyboard? nothing--I have never spilled on my keyboard

5. Ever posted while intoxicated? yes, I did a few memes while drinking wine and then I was prescribed medication that doesn't play well with alcohol so I don't drink anymore