Sunday Salon, July 10th

This week's book haul

Weather: Sprinkling. It has been spring-like weather most of the week with intermittent rain and sun-breaks.

The literary equivalent to "her eyes were bigger than her stomach": This week I visited two used bookstores and three libraries (one of them mine) and checked-out or purchased a huge pile of books (see photo above.) When do I think I will have the time to read that many books all at once? I couldn't stop myself. It is laughable or pathetic, depending on how one looks at it.

The good news and the bad news about the weather: the weather has been rainy and cool, not exactly sit-outside-and-read weather. So I've had a pretty good excuse to sit-inside-and-read. (Which is lucky since I have so many books to get through! ha!)

Appointments: I spent one day this week arranging appointments for the rest of the summer. Dental, vision, chiropractic, doctor, car tune-up, and dermatology. Now I will spend the rest of the summer going to them. Ha!

Elfie on the 4th of July. Looking rather patriotic.

4th of July: We weren't very festive this year. We spent our national holiday at our daughter's house, playing games, and hanging out with her cat. Rita and her hubby are in Germany right now so her sister has been going to the house every other day or so to check on the cat and to give her a little bit of company.  We went home with enough time to tend our own pets. The 4th of July is so torturous on pets. All the exploding sounds of fireworks going off just about scared them to death. It really is pretty awful for them.

Books read this week:

• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson---Stevenson is a lawyer who is attempting to get rid of the death penalty and long prison sentences for inmates who were juveniles convicted as adults, and addressing the inequality in our justice system. This is an important and extremely distressing book. (Audiobook)
• A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor---this classic collection of short stories was O'Connor's first. I read it as part of the Classics Club's current challenge. The review should be ready later today.
• Unbecoming by Jenny Downham---a YA book about three generations of women and the unraveling of a mystery which has them at odds with each other and themselves. Click on this link to read my review.

Currently reading (or at least I've read a tiny bit on lots of books):

• Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen---I suspect it will takes me months to finish this classic. But I want to read it as I am still engulfed in my Kenya phase. Progress: less than 10%
• The Splendid Outcast: Eight Africa Stories by Beryl Markham---I found this gem at a used book shop. Also part of my Kenya phase, or should I say, craze? Progress: I've only read the introduction.
• Places Like No Other by Brenna Yovanoff---a YA selection. Not far enough into it to make much of a report. Progress: less than 10%.
• The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson---an audiobook read by the author. This is for an upcoming book club session. Progress: less than 5%.
• The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen---another book club selection, this one is based a real historical figure who was a spy during the Civil War. It is a long book, I must put my greatest effort into this one this week. Less than 10%. (Notice a theme? I am reading five books and have hardly made a dent in any of them. Ha!)

Prayers for: my brother. He met with the oncologist this week about his melanomas. He is going to have to be vigilant for the rest of his life. I am praying that he has seen the last of the cancerous moles.

65th wedding anniversary: My siblings and I are planning a celebration for our folks for later in the summer. We're at the invitations and planning food and music phase.

An awful week in our nation: the the needless death of two black men and then the killing of the four police officers in Dallas. Trevor Noah makes some good points: we should all be pro-black and pro-police.



Late for church: While having fun blogging this morning I lost track of time so would be late for church. Should I go? I decided that being late was better than not going, just for the nurturing part of being among my friends and worshiping together. It seems that it was a theme as this quote was on the front of the church bulletin today:

"I go to church every Sunday, which is like going to the gas station

once a week and really, really filling up."

-Anne Lamott.

Have a good week!