Posts

Showing posts from October, 2015

Murder at the Courthouse by A.H. Gabhart

Image
In Murder at the Courthouse by A.H. Gabhart , the town is named Hidden Springs. It's in Kentucky. No one wants to believe that liars and murderers could live in this lovely place. Michael, a policeman and other officials like the judge in the town search for the person or persons who left a dead man on the courthouse steps.Mrs. Willadean discovers the body and reports it. However, she gets lost in the middle story. I wanted her to stay in the story. She seemed like the typical talkative, good neighbor who would live in a small town and not do any person harm. I liked her. The murdered man's name is Jay. He is shot in the back of the head. The plot caught my attention because I just couldn't imagine a murder happening on the steps of a courthouse. I wondered what  type of person would have the boldness to shoot someone in a place where justice is served everyday? While working out the solution to the crime, there is the fun of finding out the secrets of individuals in

Sky

Blue sky does not match the orange and gold trees slung across the planet like hammocks in the summer. Nor does it match the pumpkins by the doors of houses. Blue sky gently protests and says I'm not going anywhere.

Japan

Eating rice everyday while drinking tea and sharing conversation. Red tree leaves quietly bend over the pool of orange goldfish whispers the breeze of my green fan~ Lime umbrella up for showers lotus flowers float in a clear glass bowl beside a silver flute Outside a duck

Taste~

salt peppered over a cantaloupe. a pumpkin cased inside thick skin sweetly sugared in the Bahama islands beside a Weeping Willow drink

A Cup of Dust by Susie Finkbeiner

Image
Many times I wanted to cry throughout this novel. Pearl and Beanie and their parents are so memorable. I had the chance to feel what it was like to live in the Dust Bowl of the Depression while in Red River, Oklahoma. The tragedies endured by this family and their friends are unthinkable. Pearl watched her friends go through awful abuse. Pearl wondered why her dad, the sheriff,  didn't have enough power to rescue Ray from his family. A Cup of Dust: A Novel of the Dust Bowl by Susie Finkbeiner is excellent. I would love to know how the author was able to put her heart on paper. Did she wet the pages with tears? I have wet my pages. On the back of the book titled A Cup of Dust by Susie Finkbeiner, there is a book review written by a man who describes himself as a Dust Bowl survivor. When I read his name and review, I discovered many good reasons to read about the "Dirty Thirties." What was the Dust Bowl really like?  Did faith or something else play a p
It's a rainy day. It's near Halloween night time. Let's have Trick or Treat.

Sorry~

I am sorry. For now, I will have to discontinue the blog tours. Hope to return to the blog at some future date. As able, will write small book reviews.  I am grateful to those of you who have visited during blog tours in the past.

Tuesday Teaser

Image
Of course she'd be more than willing to answer any other questions Michael might have later on. She took down his number in case she thought of something that might be of help. It was bad enough when somebody was killed in a car wreck or something like that, Lisa Williams said, but to think about somebody you know being murdered, well, that was just too hard to believe. http://adailyrhythm.com

99 Prayers for Children compiled by Juliet David and illustrated by Elina Ellis

Image
The prayers in "99 Prayers for Children" compiled by Juliet David and illustrated by Elina Ellis are wonderful. Each prayer is useful and very specific. There are eleven chapters. Some of the prayers are about nature, family, friends and holidays. While reading, I recognized a few names of authors and their verses. For example, there is Robert Louis Stevenson and Gerard Manley Hopkins. I have been introduced to new saints: Saint Jerome and Saint Ignatius. The illustrations are lovely and multicultural and sometimes humorous. The one illustrating a fisherman at the Sea of Galilee is really cute. If a child is old enough to memorize verses, there is a chapter and verse given after the prayer. I suppose a parent would have to explain why some holidays are named and others are not mentioned in the book. Perhaps some titles are put together under one category like "Harvest." It would have been fun to know why the author chose 99 prayers instead of o
Jesus is always A Healer for you and me Today and always
There is orange juice along with eggs, oatmeal, toast and a daisy too

Book Beginnings

Image
Silas He wakes to the sound of sirens. Many, loud, and very near. Then horns: short, angry grunts like the buzzers signaling time-out in the basketball games he watches but does not play in at school. http://rosecityreader.blogspot.com
Crysanthemums bleed beside a bowl of pine cones black lacquered table
Spiderwebs around drip water on to mum leaves a light dance with tears
My breath is precious A counted blessing diamond from My God to me
laughing through the leaves looking at pumpkins glowing dipping for apples

A Cup of Dust by Susie Finkberger

Image
Many times I wanted to cry throughout this novel. Pearl and Beanie and their parents are so memorable. I had the chance to feel what it was like to live in the Dust Bowl of the Depression while in Red River, Oklahoma. The tragedies endured by this family and their friends are unthinkable. Pearl watched her friends go through awful abuse. Pearl wondered why her dad, the sheriff,  didn't have enough power to rescue Ray from his family. A Cup of Dust: A Novel of the Dust Bowl by Susie Finkbeiner is excellent. I would love to know how the author was able to put her heart on paper. Did she wet the pages with tears? I have wet my pages. On the back of the book titled A Cup of Dust by Susie Finkbeiner, there is a book review written by a man who describes himself as a Dust Bowl survivor. When I read his name and review, I discovered many good reasons to read about the "Dirty Thirties." What was the Dust Bowl really like?  Did faith or something else play a part in the

Mailbox Monday

mailboxmonday.wordpress.com 1. Thank you

The Hardest Thing to Do by Penelope Wilcock

Image
Penelope Wilcock writes another rich Historical novel about the brothers who live in Saint Alcuin's abbey. One of the characters in "The Hardest Thing to Do" is Prior William. He first appears in the novel titled "The Wounds of God." In that novel, I hated the way Prior William acted toward Abbot Peregrine at Saint Dunstan's monastery. In The Hardest Thing to Do , Prior William experiences a fire. He arrives at Saint Alcuin's looking for help from Abbot John and the brothers. Although Father Peregrine has died, there is still a deep feeling of love for him among the community. I especially liked reading about the brothers' fight among themselves about whether to make this helpless once cruel brother leave the monastery or let him stay there after his wounds are healed. While reading I realized again how difficult it is to forgive and give mercy to those people who hurt us. It is indeed very hard for these men to forgive and forg

Friday 56

Image
http://fredasvoice.com When Cheryl got nervous she clammed up. It was up to me to straighten things out, but how did I explain about Zephyr? She was more than just a horse; she was Cheryl's test to qualify as a friend and our ticket to freedom and sights we could never get to on foot. How did I put all that into words?

Lost & Found

Image
Excited. I got up this morning to look for a good mystery. I wanted to get in a Halloween mood. Instead, I didn't find a mystery. I found a different type of book. For months For months, I couldn't find this particular book. Then, all of a sudden, serendipity, it's there in front of me. The book is titled Victoire My Mother's Mother by Maryse Conde. It's translated by Richard Philcox . It's a novel. The cover of the book is magical to me. It's a painting of a young woman doing woman's work. Perhaps, she is dusting. The cover is different shades of brown and ecru. No bright colorful flowers in a pitcher. There is only brown. Her face and hair are brown too. The lady is thinking as she dusts. Is she thinking of her mother? I wonder. My feeling is that her thoughts will lead me to discover the deep streams of thoughts within me. A couple of years ago I became really excited about the author's life. I made a quick resolution to read all of her books

52 Original Wisdom Stories by Penelope Wilcock

Image
Sid and Rosie, a married couple, share their beliefs in 52 Original Wisdom Stories by Penelope Wilcock shares these religious discussions between each other.  These questions awakened within me excitement. I wanted to know the answers given to simple religious questions of mine.  For example, I've seen people walk about with ashes on their foreheads and had no idea what those ashes meant. I only knew the name of the  Holy time, Ash Wednesday. I discovered so much information in this nonfiction book. Also, there are far more important questions addressed. Sid and Rosie discuss euthanasia and suicide. It is interesting to learn Sid's views because he is a Quaker. Rosie seems to have more of a questioning spirit. She is open to new and different viewpoints about their religion. Sid says, Rosie is definitely not "shallow." I suppose this means her questions make him think. Penelope Wilcock does not steer us into shallow waters. There are prayers at the end of the ch

Wondrous Word

Image
abseil http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com   "...Not like Spiderman abseiling down a skyscraper....." ( mountaineering ) to descend a steep slope or vertical drop by a rope secured from above and coiled around one's body or through karabiners attached to one's body in order to control the speed of descent  dictionary.reference.abseil
Fall whispering in my ear to come walk under all the golden trees

Tuesday Teaser

Image
The doctor looked up and smiled. Abby was pale, and her eyes looked bruised with fatigue. Her gaze held John's for a long moment, and she asked, "Where are the kids?" adailyrhythm.com
Pumpkins, pumpkins rolled by friends to trucks and cars for pies and cookies too

Winter

I have two pasts. Maybe I have more than two previous lives.One part of my past is as far away as last spring. The other is as close as yesterday's summer. The summer seems richer because there is an abundance of branches. My dad often talked about the importance of branches. No branch is ever thrown away because each branch has a purpose. So, in my small way I have begun a journey of satisfying the heart of one person whom I loved.  Now, there is winter. A time when all the branches are bare. Their one beauty is the snow that lies on the branches and the trunks. The branches are crooked or straight like arms raise up to the sky. Excitement grows whenever the orange beauty of one particular tree comes near.  It's near a school. Other colors like yellow and red call to me as we ride around and over the hills of our town. Winter is a time of  life after death. There is hope buried beneath and behind the red Holly berries. Hope for the old woman or man who feel like they ha

Mailbox Monday

mailboxmonday.wordpress.com

Change (Memory)

Image
My blog has become more than a blog. It has become a friend. It's like a diary. This doesn't mean there is anything deeply personal here. It just means I find relief in this place, on this page. I think of Anne Frank and her diary. It must have meant so much to her in those days of hard trouble. She was hidden away and people were disappearing and new ones were arriving. I also think of Rwanda and the personal writings written during that horrible period by people in their community. My biggest problem is short term memory lately. Guess what? I can't remember the reason for starting this post. I had a good reason. I've sat quietly trying to make the thoughts come back. Nope, just empty space up there in my head. It was something about "change." Should I change the title  of my blog? I did wake up thinking of the song "What A Friend We Have In Jesus."   There had to be a good reason. Hmmm. Oh, I wonder whether...... blog.cul.columbia. edu annef

The Mistress Of Tall Acre by Laura Frantz

Image
 Dropping his quill pen, Seamus ran callused hands through hair bereft of a queue ribbon and watched a stray droplet of ink soak into the scared desktop. Steadying his breathing, he picked up the pen and pressed on as if time was against him. http://rosecityreader.blogspot.com

It May Look Easy, But....

I am trying to write an autumn Haiku. Although the Haiku is tiny, it's not easy to write. When I first learned the syllable count, I didn't think it was that hard. I have learned to try and never make rash decisions. It may look easy, but it's hard. I wonder if anything comes easy. For me, there is always a learning curve. So, I'm going to continue thinking about this 5-7-5 counted Haiku. It might still come out wrong. At least, I will feel proud of my effort. Also,  I will definitely look at Haiku authors with a deepening respect. Since I like seasons and this is fall, I might try to draw a leaf. Maybe two leaves with a pumpkin nearby. Should I use watercolors or colored pencils or just plain crayon? Let me see. :)  A is for autumn time. Apples, pumpkins, cider, tangerines, mums. All are worth a rhyme.

Murder at Jade Cove by Dianne Harman

Image
There are many themes in this cozy. I wanted to delve deeper in to the themes about the Spotted owls. I wanted to know more about Native Americans and reservation life. I had a hard time connecting with the author's interpretation of the character, Charlie. From the time he is portrayed as "sullen," I felt sad. However, the reason for Jeff's murder is interesting and sometimes overdone in cozies. Whether to develop areas with spas, gambling casinos, etc. is the question. dianneharman

The Reckless Love of God by Alex Early

Image
The title of Alex Early's book, "The Reckless Love of God" is really powerful. In his book, he writes about the unconditional love of Jesus. He writes about the fact that He is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep. There is also the fact that God's love spills out in action. By action, there is the desire and will to love our neighbor with deeds. It's a perfect book to make a person desire God's love. bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse/bookreviewers

Wondrous Words

Image
1. profiterole A small hollow pastry typically filled with cream and covered with chocolate sauce. google.com/define+profiterole "The profiteroles?" He adjusted the brim of his  hat, licking his lips. Advance Copy - The Woman in the Photograph by Dana Gynther Gallery Books     2. kepis (Sorry, I couldn't find exact sentence. Should have marked it).   A French military cap with a flat circular top and a visor.  thefreedictionary/kepis    http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com

99 Prayers for Children by Juliet David and illustrations by Elina Ellis

Image
The prayers in "99 Prayers for Children" compiled by Juliet David and illustrated by Elina Ellis are wonderful. Each prayer is useful and very specific. There are eleven chapters. Some of the prayers are about nature, family, friends and holidays. While reading, I recognized a few names of authors and their verses. For example, there is Robert Louis Stevenson and Gerard Manley Hopkins. I have been introduced to new saints: Saint Jerome and Saint Ignatius. The illustrations are lovely and multicultural and sometimes humorous. The one illustrating a fisherman at the Sea of Galilee is really cute. If a child is old enough to memorize verses, there is a chapter and verse given after the prayer. I suppose a parent would have to explain why some holidays are named and others are not mentioned in the book. Perhaps some titles are put together under one category like "Harvest." It would have been fun to know why the author chose 99 prayers instead of one hundred. A

Weekend Cooking

Image
"He inhaled the aroma of a dish of frumenty, made with almond milk, sweetened with honey and spiced with cinnamon, and a beaker of apple juice. John began to believe in life again."  http://bethfishreads.com bing.com/images/search?q=frumenty "a dish of hulled wheat boiled in milk and seasoned with sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. " dictionary.reference.com/browse/frumenty