What makes a great beach book – any book with summer in the title. Here’s my summer reading list (four read, two to go), and although only two of my selections qualify with respect to the title, they are all beach-worthy in one way or another.
First place, as always, goes to Elin Hilderbrand’s annual summer release, Summer of 69.
Publisher’s Blurb: Follow New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand back in time and join a Nantucket family as they experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a 1960s summer. Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It’s 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother’s historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha’s Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country. In her first “historical novel,” rich with the details of an era that shaped both a country and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again proves her title as queen of the summer novel.
Why I liked it: Her usual fare, but anyone who lived through the summer of 1969 (sorry millennials), will find this book especially appealing. I was the same age as Jesse the youngest of the siblings, so I could really relate to the story line, the fashions and the music. I especially liked how she incorporated songs of the era as chapter titles.
“For What It’s Worth” I think we had better songs back then. I’d like to “Get Back” to that year on “A Magic Carpet Ride” as “Those Were the Days” my friend. I was a “Young Girl” in ’69, a year when “Everybody’s Talking” about “Fly Me To The Moon”, that distant orb in the sky which was “A Whiter Shade of Pale”. It was the “Time of the Season” for love and as we were “Born to be Wild” we were full of “Midnight Confessions”. We didn’t need “Help” from “Mother’s Little Helper” or “White Rabbits” or have the “Summertime Blues” as it was a time of peace and hope. For all it’s protests it was also a time of optimistic change, as politically “Everyday People” who had “Heard It Through The Grapevine” (as opposed to CNN or Fox), did not have “Suspicious Minds” and could look at issues “From Both Sides Now”. Perhaps, “Someday We’ll Be Together” again, hopefully “More Today than Yesterday.” Whew – I got them all in! (How many do you remember?)
Instead of flying to the moon, let’s fly to Paris – One Summer in Paris – by Sarah Morgan
Publishers Blurb: To celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Grace has planned the surprise of a lifetime for her husband—a romantic getaway to Paris. But she never expected he’d have a surprise of his own: he wants a divorce. Reeling from the shock but refusing to be broken, a devastated Grace makes the bold decision to go to Paris alone. Audrey, a young woman from London, has left behind a heartache of her own when she arrives in Paris. A job in a bookshop is her ticket to freedom, but with no money and no knowledge of the French language, suddenly a summer spent wandering the cobbled streets alone seems much more likely…until she meets Grace, and everything changes. Grace can’t believe how daring Audrey is. Audrey can’t believe how cautious newly single Grace is. Living in neighboring apartments above the bookshop, this unlikely pair offer each other just what they’ve both been missing. They came to Paris to find themselves, but finding this unbreakable friendship might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them…
Why I liked it: I’m not a big fan of romance fiction, but was attracted by the title and the book jacket. I’ve never been to Paris, the story line sounded promising and it had a bookstore in it. Basically this book was pure fluff, albeit readable fluff. I don’t think I’ll be reading anything more by this author, as she is traditionally a romance writer and it was a bit too predictable for me. Plus there was actually very little about Paris or the bookstore in it, which just goes to show how we can get sucked in by marketing. (I swear if I ever write my murder mystery I’m going to call it Murder at the Paris Bookshop even though it’s set in another country – guaranteed sales – but perhaps that title has already been taken?)
Did I mention I’m a sucker for any title with a bookstore in it, so No. 3 is The Bookstore on the Corner – by Jenny Colgan.
Publishers Blurb: Nina Redmond is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her passion… and also her job. Or at least it was. Until yesterday, she was a librarian in the hectic city. But now the job she loved is no more. Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile—a mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her own happy ending.
Why I liked it: I haven’t read it yet, but with a bookstore, how could it fail? (I’m reserving judgement, see above). (Edited to add: Two chapters in and I’m loving this book – the main character, the humorous style of writing, the Scottish locale, it’s simply charming, and there are actual books in it!) (Note after finishing: I’m quite disappointed – two thirds of the way through this book turned into a Hallmark movie. It was all down hill after the scene with Mr. Darcy wearing a kilt and carrying an injured lamb…..well those were actually two separate scenes but you get the drift….really I m much too old for this romance stuff. Where is Jane Austen when you need her!)
It’s summer concert season. Let’s go back in time again, this time to the 70’s. Based loosely on the rock group Fleetwood Mac, Daisy Jones and the Six – by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a selection of Reese Witherspoon’s book club. I can already see the movie being made….now who will play the lead singers?
Publisher’s Blurb: Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.
Why I liked it: Despite it’s great reviews I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book. It wasn’t a subject matter that interested me, as I attended a Catholic high school and my recollection of the 70’s was not exactly sex, drugs and rock and roll. But I ended up loving it – and it’s definitely one of the most memorable books I’ve read this year. Basically it’s a love story, but not your typical one. I even liked the unique interview format a la Rolling Stone, which surprisingly readable. The book is pure fiction but the characters seemed so real that several younger reviewers on Goodreads believed it was a memoir about a real band. Someone really needs to set those lyrics at the end to music.
Enough of the retro, here’s a psychological thriller to keep you in suspense during those nights when it’s too hot to sleep – The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Publishers Blurb: Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….
Why I liked it: I don’t usually like first person narratives, especially by male protagonists, but this was very well done and overall an excellent book for a first time novelist. Never even saw the ending coming – I am in awe of the brilliance.
And lastly, because even the best of summers have to come to an end and real life resumes, a family drama – After the End – by Clare MacIntosh.
Publisher’s Blurb: Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They’re best friends, lovers—unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can’t agree. They each want a different future for their son. What if they could have both? A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthood, and the road not taken, After the End brings one unforgettable family from unimaginable loss to a surprising, satisfying, and redemptive ending and the life they are fated to find.
Why I liked it: I haven’t read this one yet either. I’m saving it for August, but it sounds like a departure from her usual crime suspense novels (I Let You Go, I See You). We shall see….
There – a little something for everyone under the sun – Happy Reading!
PS. What are you reading this summer?
thehomeplaceweb 
This looks like a delightful selection of books. I too am a sucker for stories that involve a bookshop in some way – and there seem to be a number of them. The ‘sleepy village’ is another theme that provides opportunities that would not necessarily arise in a city.As for “I think we had better songs back then”, I fully agree with you and am familiar with all of the ones you so cleverly incorporated into that paragraph!
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Thanks Anne……I did have fun writing that song paragraph. Like Jane Austen said, a small village with 3 or 4 families is just the thing for a good novel.
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I agree about putting *Paris Bookshop* in the title of any book, regardless of subject matter, and it’ll be a best-selling book. In fact I read Nina George’s The Little Paris Bookshop earlier this summer. It was light and clever. I also read Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher and thought it was a hoot. I’m going to look for Daisy Jones and the Six. It sounds interesting to me. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Thanks Ally! I will check out Dear Committee Members. I hope you enjoy Daisy Jones!
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Sounds like some good reads. I’ll be keeping an eye out for Summer of 69. While I don’t remember that summer I am familiar with a lot of the music. Much better than the music that comes out nowadays.
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I agree! Better melody and lyrics!
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What a fun list of books you’re reading! I’ve been reading less this summer, my normal reading time is on the treadmill or right before bed. Both of those are consumed with outside fun activities instead – gotta soak up Vitamin D while it’s warm enough outside to do so. Maybe your mystery book about a Paris Bookshop will be done before winter and I can read it on my treadmill!? 🙂
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Not likely, as murder mystery chapter plot outline, all 20 pages of if, written during two snowstorms, is packed away in a box. I got tired of looking at it on my desk, reminding me of my procrastination, so I put it away for now. The weather is too nice. Plus I decided I didn’t really like my two main characters, they were too cliche, so if I didn’t even like them then who else would! Someday I’ll pick it up again…..
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Ah, yes, the magic of hidden books stored away for someday. Someday will come. Yes it will! Take advantage of the nice weather :-).
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I enjoyed reading your summer “book previews,” Joni. For the past couple of months, I’ve been immersed in Philippa Gregory’s historical novels surrounding the so-called “Cousins’ War,” or, the Wars of the Roses. Gripping, these are! After reading seven books and conducting a bit of research along the way, I think I finally am beginning to keep the key players in place. Then I her novel about Kateryn Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII; this one focused on the struggle of the early Church of England to establish itself, introduce an English Bible and Prayer Book, contend with the king playing one bishop against another, not to mention the court intrigues and plotting. Whew!
Now, I am more than ready for lighter fare, and your post came along just in time. I’ll start with SUMMER OF ’69 (Erin Hilderbrand). That was the summer my husband courted me; the summer I heard the London Philharmonic Symphony in live concert; and the summer that Category 5 Hurricane Camille slammed into the Florida Panhandle, on my mother’s birthday, no less, just as we were visiting her. And somewhere in this list of momentous events is the moon landing. I hardly remember it!
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I think you will enjoy the Summer of 69….it certainly brought back a lot of memories for me. I have not read a lot of historical fiction, so can’t say whether I like it or not, at least not from that age. I’ve read a few novels base on true events like Sarah’s Key about the Holocaust, but nothing from England. I was disappointed in the Bookstore book, so I went back and edited my review – it was too predictable for me which is disappointing as it started out good. Happy Reading!
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Joni – I am amazed you got as much read as you did given your big renovation which not only encompassed all the time in the planning phase, then the endless disruptions from the renovation. And now restoring order as quickly as you can. I am looking forward to retirement just to catch up on reading again – it is something that I really miss and every time you write a post about book reviews, I realize just how much I do miss it. [P.S. – I was sitting here trying to catch up in Reader and something bit me – I didn’t see what it was and now I have this red bump like a hive near my wrist bone. Very strange!]
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I read very quickly so I can devour a book if it’s good in short order, mostly by staying up later than I should, as they only time I read is before bed, although I did sit outside on the deck this week and read for an hour. Maybe the insect is trying to tell you to abandon Reader and read a book? I hate those little “no see ums” bugs – I had never heard of them until last summer when we had a ton of them, the bites itch for days after, much worse than a mosquito bite.
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I really don’t think I’ve sat and read a book almost non-stop since “Cold Mountain” and that was in the late 1990s. My boss at the time liked doing woodworking as a hobby and he made me a bookshelf and it was a current best seller, so he put it on the bookshelf. It was good and we saw the movie later … but it was a huge book and I did get into it as I was off a lot of days at Christmas – maybe one of those times when Christmas was on a Thursday or a Tuesday and you get the extra day – I used to always take Christmas Eve off too. Seems like decades ago now. The mark is still red, yet I never felt the bite. This was a very long day – we still have the storms expected, but I’m going to try to get through comments – I never read anything when I had the issue with the hot water tank and knew I had to get ready and be here in case they arrived early – they did not arrive til later in the day. As I wrote you earlier, I am just annoyed at all these things that have happened this year – between the house issues, and the weather, and so busy at work, and also, though I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before and would not on my blog comments, my boss was diagnosed with prostate cancer two weeks ago – he has taken a “well I’ll enjoy my Summer then decide what to do in September” attitude … whatever that means – either it is not serious or it is serious. He had the issue before in March and the tests said he was okay, then he had to go for three-month labs and they said to get in for a biopsy right away. It is a higher PSA score and he had bleeding – he really is a TMI person sometimes. So, lots of stuff boiling around in the hopper these days – the weekend could not be enjoyed as I liked as yesterday they said we were having storms in the morning and maybe in the afternoon – they originally said a perfect weekend weatherwise. But no rain arrived, so went to the grocery store – not my own where I could go in blindfolded, but to a different Meijer and I could not find anything. I did my walk in there and navigated around but still. And it was hot – I did not get refrigerated items as it was over 80 and I usually shop in the a.m. but by the time I got done it was late. And my boss had dropped off two tapes early in the morning. Saturday I was glad to get away but it was very hot and humid and the second venue I went to was having a concert and so they didn’t open until noon. At least you don’t have to water tomorrow – I know when I still had annuals and perennials I would still have to be out there, not chancing on a day when they said rain, as they would fry. A homeowner’s work is never done. Unless they have silk flowers and I have some horrible weeds out there – I am sure my boss, who used to compliment me on my garden and flowers years ago wondered what happened.
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I never read Cold Mountain or saw the movie, but if you ever need any book recommends I’ve got tons. And remember I am retired so have more time to read! I’m sorry to hear about your boss. You had mentioned he was having issues before but I thought he was cleared. Do you think his comment about deciding what to do in Sept, meant with respect to treatment, or do you think he means retiring? Which might mean you would be too???? He sounds too busy to retire, and prostrate cancer can be a slow growing thing. I find house problems happen in bunches – a pile of them and then nothing for awhile, but it is frustrating to try and deal with them, esp when you are so busy at work. I know I would not have been able to handle the kitchen reno if I was still working, as I could never have taken that much time off at once. It’s frustrating visiting a new grocery store, esp the bigger ones, and not knowing where anything is, and usually there’s no one on to ask either! Much easier to zip in and out of one you know, but I don’t blame you for not wanting to visit that one if there’s a chance of spoiled food. We had a nice shower before supper, I turned the computer off and took a short nap, (another benefit of retirement), as I was up early. Just enough rain, to not have to water for a few days. I feel lazy tonight, have two blogs ahead, but might start the Tall Ships one. I heard they went up to Bay City MI, my neighbour saw one of them on the move, but I missed it. I’ve decided I’m not buying tickets, but will go see them when they are coming in for the parade of boats. I don’t care if I go onboard, and I hate crowds…..and can’t see standing in line for hours, plus I won’t get pretty pictures when there are too many people about getting in the way of the camera. I just want to see the sails.
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Hi Joni – You are right, the last time I mentioned issues with Robb it was in March, then he was cleared and told no doctor’s appointment for six months, no labs for three months. It was the June labs that showed a high PSA level and there was bleeding. His worry is that his brother did have prostate cancer several years ago (he is one or two years younger than my boss and was semi-retired at the time but is doing well now). I don’t really understand the waiting because of there was an urgency, I don’t know that I would say “I want to enjoy my Summer, then decide” … he is vague sometimes and that’s what he told me. I usually have to access his medical reports from the portal for the doctor’s office as he has trouble doing it but this time the doctor called him at home. Interesting at home, when the biopsy results were in, but then he might have called at home because he was gone from work … it was at 5:00 p.m. and he is usually at work longer. So, I asked if he wanted to have me print out the biopsy results and he said “rest … we can do it another time.” I said “well you tell me when and I’ll go there.” That’s how we left it, although he said he had to have genome testing done from the biopsy and did authorize that, so maybe he is waiting for those DNA results which will determine the course of action. Quite honestly, I am thinking since it is not immediate it must be slow growing. Maybe I like that version better. We are very busy and I stayed late tonight to finish this big project – it took me six hours to edit this big investigation report he did and it was in the third draft – it was tedious and changes on every paragraph, then it had a cover memo which was three pages long. We were supposed to have storms late afternoon – it says now at 9:00 p.m. and I am going to sign off by them and go to bed. The plumbers finished their prior job and were able to install the new hot water tank today. I have to admit that since I am a worrier about all things done by contractors, this ended up being seamless, though I didn’t expect them in today, and had intended to be at work earlier as I knew there would be distractions tomorrow with the install – they called at 8:30 and said they would be here today, I ran downstairs to move things out of the way and they arrived not long afterward – it is nice to have hot water again. I had given them some supplies if there was a water issue and they cleaned up and you wouldn’t even know they had been there. I was excited because I asked the plumber’s office if they offered a senior discount – yes, and I got the price reduced to $990.00 from $1,100.00. Big bite out of my budget, just like the $850.00 for the garage door and decorative straps. I have a rainy day fund like financial experts tell you to do, but still … I just paid the taxes and water bill last week – no more please! I could even count as the first of the things when the pipes fell apart in the kitchen double sink in January this year. I don’t blame you for not wanting to deal with the crowds. A former co-worker has gone to Bay City, Michigan to see the Tall Ships and posted pictures – it was nice and I think they toured one of them … they are both retired and went during the week a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I will remember to get any book recommendations from you – maybe by the time I retire I will be reading your mystery novels. 🙂
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Boss is probably just waiting for more medical info, and maybe is in a bit of denial too? Which would be understandable, trying not to think about it too much. I couldn’t do your job Linda. I am a details person too because of my job but just making a will or changes to a will and having to proof it over, drove me nuts! Having to be so accurate and avoid mistakes must be stressful – although I suppose with all that editing experience you could always work as an editor someday! That’s good the plumbers did a good job, came early and tidied up. Didn’t you just get a new hot water heater not too long ago? I think I told you my 30year old one leaked all over the basement, and I replaced it maybe 7 or 8 years ago? I don’t
know what the lifespan is for them, but as I own it, no one checks it out when they come to check the furnace etc. (I have a Reliance maintenance for air/heat and plumbing now). Sounds like you’ve had your three broken things, so you should be okay now. You won’t be reading my mystery novel any time soon. I put the 20page draft away that I had written during those two snowstorms, out of sight for awhile, until next winter and I’m housebound again. I didn’t like the two main characters, they were too cliche, and need to think about something better. If I was bored with them, readers would be too. I will be staying on the shore to view the Tall Ships, as I have really bad memories of a Caribbean Windjammer cruise from decades ago, that was the worst vacation ever. Nothing could induce me to board one of them again. We had the threat of storms today but nothing materialized, other than a few spits which caused me to take some laundry off the line and then put it back out half on hour later when the sun came out. It looks like a week of sunny dry days ahead. A long holiday weekend coming up for us too. I hope you can get out and enjoy it.
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I think you could be right about the denial and it probably is a good thing that we are so busy as it takes the mind away from the medical issue – he usually goes to the Upper Peninsula for a week in mid-August every year. He likes that and it is our landlord’s place, a lodge in the middle of a forest … he always goes and even for a long weekend if we are busy. I am hoping things settle down so he goes and I can get a break from the endless work too … I am trying to be accommodating, but the house issues and then the medical things like the swollen ankles and blotching, the finger … they all worried me and that has distracted me as well as all the house issues. The money spent on replacing the garage door and water heater was bad enough but the disruption in a Summer which has already been disruptive enough has just done me in. I mentioned the water heater to Ilene and she has the Reliance plan – she said when she had to get a new furnace, the salesman said “these things don’t last forever and they don’t make ’em like they used to” and he suggested the Reliance plan so she does it for all her stuff (she did not specify what she had, just said for everything). I had the mess in the basement on a Saturday night while doing laundry and decided in 2010 to be proactive and get a new hot water tank as I didn’t want that mess ever again – the problem was the drain was not working, nothing was going down – this time I had a new drain, so when they drained the tank, they put a hose – no mess, no fuss thankfully. I am getting out for a walk this morning; I stayed late last night – almost 8:00 p.m. and I know it would be easier to stay put, but need to get out and hope I don’t meet that woman who insists on whining about her husband, kids, cats and is a Trump lover – this morning, I may just say that my brain needs a reboot and we need to walk in silence – that sounds veryh ignorant and that is not my usual way to be, but I need it. Yes, the workload is terrible now and Robb (boss) revises a lot and he is pretty wired and stressed out right now … even without the medical diagnosis he would have been stressed and it is not nice. He dropped off some tapes the other morning, early – before I went out. It is month end so might have to work some part of this weekend, but will get out and just air out my head. I wish we had Civic Day here – we go all the way from Memorial Day to Labor Day with no long weekend – that is crazy. People need more time off and I do not get vacation as I am considered part-time.
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I have the Reliance plan too for heating/cooling/plumbing for $56 per months, but as the hot water furnace and air cond. need maintenance checks once a year that’s $300 right there, so paying the extra $300 is just for peace of mind. The only problem with Reliance is they are always trying to sell you something new, so that these things don’t last forever comment (which may not be true for my old boiler), is their usual sales pitch. The main advantage of Reliance is they will come within 24hrs, which is why I signed up. If you haven’t been getting out much for walks, are your swollen ankles worse, or better? The whole idea of walks is silence or sometimes music on my Ipod. I could walk with my neighbour and wouldn’t mind sometimes, but she walks early am, and don’t even like to talk before noon! I’d have a hard time listening to someone whine about their husband, kids and cats, but I could NEVER tolerate listening to a Trump supporter. You have my sympathies. I remember how stressful work was my last few years, and looking back I wonder how I stood it – it took me several years for my brain and body to recover from the stress of it all. You should be allowed vacation time too, because your part time job sounds an awful lot like full time!
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The plumber asked me if I had a “plan” through DTE which is our energy provider. I said I did not and had not looked into it – I would do the Reliance plan as well, just for peace of mind. I have the Gold Plan with Flame Furnace – they will come quicker and they are available 24/7/365 and you get 10% off parts/labor and new equipment. For $200.00/year you get a furnace check and A/C check. I really like walking by myself and I dodged this woman a few times last week as I was still wound up about the garage door and “not being made for manual operation” and now this. Yes, she whines from the beginning of the time she joins me until we part. And Trump supporter – no thank you! Today I worked on the project all day and I was glad he left to go to a client function (client in business for 140 years today) so happy he left and did not revise it one more time. We’ll likely do it all day tomorrow as well before it goes out the door – I don’t know if it is because I am getting older, or just because there have been so many issues here at the house this Summer, but I don’t have the patience for all this stuff anymore. Thank you – I sometimes wonder how we’ve lasted 19 years together.
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If he had to type/edit it himself, he wouldn’t be making so many revisions!
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That’s for sure – my eyes were running together by the time I finished!
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PS. The reno is done now, done and dusted, finally, everything put away too. Although I did have to have the painter back again on Friday as I noticed more plaster gouges near where the backsplash was torn off, but he came straight away. He’s probably as sick of me as I am of him!
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I didn’t get time to do comments this morning – I had no hot water and I can tell you I said a prayer or two as I walked downstairs that the hot water tank did not spring a leak – had water, but lukewarm. I have the plumber coming sometime today (two storms today on top of it – hope he gets here this morning). It happened last year and when it did it was the HVAC guy after he installed the condensate drain (new one) and bumped against it – I told him he could put his tools on the washer and dryer and had put some clean garbage bags over it so I could just pull them off when he was done, but no – he wanted to go into that small area and did that – it was $85.00 to reset pilot light – I don’t know how to do it and he had to lay on the floor to reach it – I have no words and if it is a major issue, I might just lose it. I am swamped at work and got two more tapes dropped off yesterday. I hope to catch up here again – I am glad I got out Saturday but it was hot and humid, but I needed to get away. Back later – hopefully tonight but we have storms and I said I’d stay late since I didn’t want to work Saturday – I did do something last night for two hours – e-mailed my boss and said here is the new portio nfor the report and he e-mails me back “did you do the part I drafted yesterday?” Trying to keep my cool outside/inside and steam is coming out of my ears right now. I’ll be the painter will be glad when it is done too. 🙂
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Oh Linda…..I’m sorry to hear you are so stressed! Don’t worry re emailing back, we’re having storms tonight and overnight too, happy for that as otherwise I have to go out and water. Just get caught up when you can. Does your boss ever take a looooong vacation so you can too? It seems unfair.
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I am going to write you back and hopefully return to comments, but not going to count on it Joni. We are having storms as well. I have this big emergency project and had to interrupt it as still another client wanted to do something with an employee – we had three terminations last week and this was a demotion and they want to do it the last day of the month. I am racing to get through this draft which is abominable. The plumber got here – not simply a pilot light – a gas valve issue and he said it is a major issue so I said it will be 9 years old in October – how much for gas valve repair versus new one – and his opinion what he recommended – he said it would be costly and to get the new gas heater … he didn’t know the price and I’m going to ask tomorrow when the office calls me if they have a senior discount. What a year! Something has happened every week for the last five weeks – this is just insane. Hopefully I return here, but I’m going to finish this draft and eat something, maybe return. He goes to the Upper Peninsula in mid-August every year for a week, but we have so many projects going on, I hope he still goes – he may not go for the week, but just four days – fingers crossed it is for longer.
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Whatever it is, it sounds expensive! I hope the rest of the week goes better for you, work wise. You must have some interesting legal cases….
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I hope so too – last one was $1,000.00 and that was with a 10 percent discount since I have a Gold Plan through this HVAC company – he had no idea and was going to have the office call me today. I didn’t see anything re: a senior discount but will ask. As to my work, 90% of what I do is boring – this is an interesting case he is investigating a s*x harassment case.
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PS. Fingers crossed it’s not a major issue, and the HVAC guy sounds like an idiot if you asked him not to and he did anyway!
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This was a fun literary “public service,” and I especially enjoyed the nostalgia surrounding the Hilderbrand book.
One note: if you ever want to write about a bookshop, you don’t have to worry about the title. Titles can’t be copyrighted.
Cheers,
Annie
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Thanks Annie – that’s good to know!
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I saw this on Hugh’s site – I am hopelessly still behind in Reader despite my “me weekend” …https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/38235298/posts/2368217673
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You can write Hugh – he is kind of a troubleshooter for WP as well … nice fellow from the UK and I started following him a while back and he gives tips on Gutenberg. I an seriously running late this a.m. – wish I had Civic Holiday today!
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Thanks Linda
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I wrote Hugh to see if he might have some information on this harvesting problem. I’ll let you know when I hear back.
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OK great Joni. Yes Hugh is a great source of information. He’s been a blogger for a while and does short stories too as I recall. He’s done some good pointers for Gutenberg – in fact it was a post he did on going with Gutenberg now rather than waiting til it was foisted on you which convinced me to start using the block editor.
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How are you finding the Block Editor now that you have used it for awhile? Any problems? I abandoned it after the first try, hoping they will make the old one an option.
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I am finally here – stayed late, until 7:00 as now my boss had his Thursday and Friday appointments get cancelled by the client so he says “maybe I’ll go to the cottage” (one little project and bills will need to be done before Thursday mid-day but I’ll get a break – but I wonder if now he doesn’t to to the Upper Peninsula mid-August as he usually does?) Anyway, decided to stay until 7:00 and work on accounting stuff – at 6:59 my computer locked up and the hourglass was spinning around and I exited a few times – nothing. Called the computer guy to remote in – nope, he could not fix it. Sigh. I am getting used to the block editor and I like the justified text as I always use it for work and that’s a plug. I do like the ability to adjust the sub-heading size, but I don’t like the slideshow set up – it displays gallery style. Shelley had tried going to Gutenberg but did not like that she could not do slideshows and uses them a lot, so she went back to Classic Editor. I was able to use both in one post, just one time, Block Editor and combining a slideshow (like a hybrid) but then tried it again and couldn’t do it as they have defaulted me to Gutenberg. No turning back now. I have not experimented much this Summer with it given all the storms and staying off the laptop in a storm and the elevated legs and trying to go to bed earlier and my work schedule. Up until this year, I usually posted at least 3-4 times a week all Summer. I can’t seem to fit in Reader, comments and write posts … most of that is due to the work schedule – I can’t tell you how many photos I have to use and posts half-started in my head.
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If you slack off on Reader, I think most people would understand. It must be frustrating though wanting to work on posts, and having a great idea, and not being able to get it down. Hopefully, your boss will go to the cottage and give you a long break so you can catch up on everything. It doesn’t bother me to let the housework go, as long as my house isn’t cluttered, I don’t care about the dust. You can’t slack off on work, or walking, so I’d let the Reader go for now and write your stuff! We had two nice little rains today, but it’s not enough.
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Yes, I hate getting behind and I should have the attitude that all people will get behind at some point and if they drop off then it is too bad, but it is a struggle to get everything done … the house is cluttered and not just the dust … I have to organize things and have not had time and have indulged myself when the weather is good to make upfor when it was not good and issues at the house, but yes, it is frustrating. I’ve loaded the pics at the botanical gardens on Sunday, but not poked through them yet. They are not on this computer – that makes it harder too – it is the computer in my room and it is missing keys and for some reason I can’t connect a wireless keyboard to it. I”ll try and write a post Thursday or Friday – maybe a short one that I have the pics pulled together (the other squirrel post) … anything else would be longer.
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Linda, JoHawk the Writer posted this this morning. It seems they have taken the tygpress.com site down due to technical issues. here’s a link to her post. https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/119164620/posts/4518 I noticed mine were just excerpts, they did link back to my site under “more” so maybe their intentions were good. I don’t know how common this sort of thing is though.
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That is interesting – I had never heard of this before you told me. For the life of me, what people do for kicks and/or hacking just goes right over my head. All these elaborate schemes to hijack computers, blog sites – I am amazed at how much spam I get when I check it every morning at WP.
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I don’t get too much spam, but then I still have less than 200 followers. Lately, I’ve been getting a few new followers who slipped through the spam filter, with 3 or 4 repetitive posts, or in some cases only one post and then blank stuff, which I end up deleting.
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I have one follower and Susie has commented twice and when I attempt to move to approved to comment, I lost the comment … the last time I told her, this time I did not … I did not want her to think I was stupid … I need to say something to her though as she took the time to comment … she is living in the U.S. for a year while completing a medical degree at Yale. I figure her time is at a premium right now.
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Hugh directed me to this post about scrapper sites. It’s good to be aware.
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I read that post – interesting and perhaps that explains something strange that happened to me a few years ago – I wrote a post that was entitled “Fall comes a-calling at Council Point Park” https://lindaschaubblog.net/2017/10/27/fall-comes-callin-at-council-point-park/
At that time I had only one commenter, my friend Ann Marie. A few months later there were more people following my blog and one mentioned that they had no Autumn in their country … the same arid conditions all year around. So I said I’d show him/her what the leaves look like on the ground and colored leaves I remembered the name of this post. But then I remembered – WordPress took off the “Omnisearch” button that you could search things on your blog. I later found how to put a search button on again but it used to be in the margin and NOT on your blog site. So I also blog at a hyperlocal paper under a different blog title. So I went ahead and just Googled the title figuring the Patch.com site blog post would come up – instead an article for an online magazine and Fall places to visit came up. It was about Council Point Park and it was verbatim to my post. I had the link for the longest time – it did not use my name in it all but hijacked my blog post. I was amazed and miffed at the same time. I just Googled it and it is no longer online. I wish you could have seen the look on my face when it happened though.
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That is bizarre, I guess the people who do that, figure they will never get caught, and if they are there are usually no consequences.
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I know – I was amazed when I saw that happened – I had the link somewhere because I wanted to go back and see if this online magazine used anything else of mine. Well I guess it was be easy enough to cut-and-paste and just download the photos and there you are.
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Very well organized post, I like that you explained why you liked and choose that book. My reading has slowed down lately, but I enjoy light mysteries. I enjoy all the Sherlock Holmes books and spin offs, and am reading A Scandal in Scarlet now by Vicky Delany. I also read each Stuart Woods book as soon as I can. I read also books related to public speaking and historical books, I recently gave a speech introducing Abraham Lincoln characterics to my Toastmasters club. Now with the forest fires smoke in the air today, I will have more time to read.
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