Last year I seemed to have found plenty of time for reading, as the over one hundred and fifty books on my GoodReads 2020 list will attest. But writing, not so much. I think there were things I wanted to write, but not ones I wanted to publish. It's a weird world that we are living in now. It seems like a good time to jump back into the blogsphere and books seem to be a good, and safe, place to start.
In
Unstable Felicity: A Christmas Novella by
blogger Cat Hodge, Jill is summoned to her small hometown in Ohio. It seems that the family inn is struggling and Jill's accounting skills are needed to help save it from going under. Family drama makes this task even more difficult than it already is. Jill hasn't spoken to her mother since her father's funeral four months prior. Her sisters, an ex-boyfriend, and a local real estate mogul all add to the chaos. This is the author's first novel, which is witty and entertaining. I look forward to reading more of her works.
A year or so ago I read
One Man's Wilderness by Sam Keith, the story of Richard Proenneke's time spent in the Alaskan wilderness. In
First Wilderness the author recounts his own time in spent in Alaska and how he came to meet Richard. Having served in the Marines during World War 2, Sam went home to New England to get is degree and find a job. Unhappy with the employment he found, he decided to seek adventure in Alaska where he worked as a laborer on the Adak Navy base. His great love nature and the outdoors is clearly evident in his writing. The manuscript was found ten years after Sam's death by his son-in-law, and, along with photos and excerpts from his journals, letters, and notebooks, was compiled into a story of a grand adventure.
Always You is the first in the Murphy Brothers series by Jennifer Rodewald. Lauren and Matt, each running away from parts of their lives, meet in an messy, unfortunate accident. They strike up a friendship as they help revive a local inn and resort. Their love of God and their promise of respect for each other both helps them navigate their feelings for each other and the situations in which they find themselves. This is a pleasant read for a cold winter's day by the fire.
I discovered author Marie Bostwick on a PBS episode of
Sewing With Nancy. At the end of each show, Nancy Zieman interviews someone whose daily life somehow intersects with sewing. In
The Second Sister, the author tells the story of Lucy Toomey, a political campaigner whose boss is about to be elected to the highest office in the country. The night of the elected, Lucy receives news that her older sister, Alice, has been rushed to the hospital. By the time Lucy makes it from her home in Colorado to her small, Wisconsin hometown of Nilson's Bay, it is too late, her sister has died. Lucy spends time there learning who her sister really was by meeting her diverse group of friends and their sewing circle.
In Unstable Felicity: A Christmas Novella by blogger Cat Hodge, Jill is summoned to her small hometown in Ohio. It seems that the family inn is struggling and Jill's accounting skills are needed to help save it from going under. Family drama makes this task even more difficult than it already is. Jill hasn't spoken to her mother since her father's funeral four months prior. Her sisters, an ex-boyfriend, and a local real estate mogul all add to the chaos. This is the author's first novel, which is witty and entertaining. I look forward to reading more of her works.
I definitely did more of the reading than writing last year! Thanks for linking up. I've been thinking of reading Unstable Felicity, which keeps catching my eye since I have a daughter by that name. I think Jennifer Rodewald's Murphy Brothers series gets even better as it goes along, but Always You was a nice, cozy story in itself. Thanks for linking to An Open Book!
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