If you are looking for one last summer book to read, I recommend Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer, her memoir. I’m listening to it on audio. The Mongol Derby, in Mongolia, is said to be the toughest horse race in the world. Riding 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) for 10 days, using 25 horses along the way. Lara Prior-Palmer, won at 19 years old in 2013, she is the youngest person to have won the race.
Fast forward to 2019, when the oldest person, Bob Long from Idaho, won the race at 70 years old. He said that age is just a number. True; however, he grew up riding horses, so he felt comfortable with this type of rugged race. Still, at 70 years, that kind of race is hard on the body. He made it to all of his pit stops without over riding his horses in any way.
So, I’ve got to say, this was a good summer find.
I’d love to read another memoir like this, one of endurance. Any good reads, share them.
A week ago, I was bored with what I was reading. Good books, but they weren’t catching my attention. I’m sure you’ve been there. When we keep reading the same paragraph over and over, it just won’t sink in. I even fast forwarded to the middle of the book to read a few paragraphs – NOPE, my interest in the story was not going to improve.
So, I went to the online library and started browsing. This book by Jack Canfield / Gay Hendricks, You’ve Got to Read This Book!, came up. The title alone got me hooked.
I’m half way through, and I gotta say, it’s a good title, good book. Great stories of people’s lives, some hardships and/ or how they got where they are. Somehow, this book has my attention. I think I like the short story aspect and learning about different people.
Time to head to a bookstore…
Spring / Summer — going to the beach, longing for a book to actually hold and read. Miss hardcover books, too much online reading.
Here’s to exploring the bookstore and buying a new book!
The weekend is coming, maybe you have some leftovers from the week and don’t know what to do with them. I think you’ll enjoy this new cookbook from IKEA, The ScrapsBook. Different Chefs from North America create recipes out of kitchen scraps and leftovers. Enjoyed seeing some fresh recipe ideas.
They actually fry banana peels, they look like bacon. Trying to wrap my head around whether they would be tasty, they say they are. There are some interesting recipes in this e-book.
Oh, I loved the veggie pancakes they made with leftover stems from different vegetables.
In December, after a snow storm, longing for the beach, I decided it was time for a new puzzle. A purchase that should have taken 15-20 minutes turned into 2 hours of searches. As I wasn’t sure what type of puzzle I wanted, my search took me in all sorts of directions.
Did I want to spend time making a puzzle of Italy, cupcakes, stamps, Ireland, doors, dogs, Spain, so many choices. Nothing seemed appealing, until I came upon this simple beach scene that reminded me of my childhood days on Lake Michigan. BINGO! I smiled and made my purchase.
I enjoy doing puzzles while listening to an audio book. When my puzzle FINALLY arrived, it was not in stock, so a 2 day delivery turned into a 4 week wait, I headed to the online library. I like books by Jeffrey Archer; unfortunately, so do other people, wait times were way too long.
As I searched for alternative books, I came across this book, by Phaedra Patrick, “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.” I liked the cover and the title made me smile. I decided to give the book a try. So far, so good. It’s an interesting story about a man whose wife died and he finds a charm bracelet she had which he had never seen before. Wthout spoiling the story, I think you can tell where this tale is headed — YES?!
The key to any great audio book is the narrator. A good narrator can give a book a 5 Star rating. This narrator, James Langton, doesn’t disappoint. He uses such funny voices for the different characters, it’s a joy to listen to him.
I just started. On the puzzle, I always start with the border first, then I try to find something easy to make, like the pink surf board, so I feel a sense of accomplishment at the “get go.” Next the umbrella AND then to find out WHERE Arthur goes in discovering the story behind his late wife’s charm bracelet.
Clever story idea. Don’t they say everyone has a secret even long term marriages, 50+ years, where life seemed rather dull and routine, suddenly a secret is revealed. The other amusing part of this book is how children are used to their parents being a certain boring way and when something changes, and they see their parent with energy or enjoying life — they don’t like it! The children suddenly become suspicious of their parent and their new life motives! LOL
Let’s see where this story goes… Personally, I want to see Arthur start enjoying life!
I wanted to share a book with you by David Brooks, “The Second Mountain: A Quest for a Moral Life.” I came across this book by accident, so glad I did. It’s very interesting, because it talks about life. How we climb one mountain for certain reasons, then life throws us a curve ball, we sink down into the valley, must recover and then start to climb the second mountain.
COVID has made us all sink into the valley. We need to climb a NEW mountain, forge a new path.
I’m not done with the book yet, but so far, I give it a thumbs up!
Have you ever watched, “SuperSoul Sunday?” Oprah Winfrey created this show, it is meant to touch the soul, make us think about life, how we treat others, encourage us to make a difference in this world of ours.
This Sunday she interviewed Bryan Stevenson. He’s a public interest lawyer dedicated to helping the poor, the condemned and incarcerated. He’s especially focused on saving the lives of children who are convicted.
He’s written a book called, “Just Mercy: The Story of Justice and Redemption,” which was turned into a film (2019). It’s a true story, I can’t tell you much about it, because I haven’t read it yet, but I just requested it from the library.
Every Sunday, Oprah interviews someone for about 30-40 minutes. Last Sunday (5/31/20), Shaka Senghor was her guest.
Shaka Senghor spoke to us about his life in prison (19 years), his road to redemption and how reading books and writing helped him through solitary confinement. He’s an incredible motivational speaker, very well spoken and well read. It’s hard not to feel sad and think, if his childhood had been different, his path in life would have been different.
So, if you feel a bit low and need some inspiration, visit Oprah’s SuperSoul Facebook page, I promise — you won’t be disappointed. Every Sunday a new thought provoking interview.
Remember, I told you, I wanted to make a puzzle, but I didn’t have a table BIG ENOUGH? For weeks now, I kept putting out to the Universe the table I wanted. I thought about the size, the cost (very little) and envisioned my puzzle on the table.
Well, a MIRACLE HAPPENED! My neighbor next door was moving, she had a small kitchen table that she was giving away. A little old, looks like something I might find in my grandmother’s house, but I LOVE IT. Perfect size.
So, I started my puzzle. Gee, it’s a big puzzle — a lot of fun.
While I was working away, I turned on this audio book, “Women of the Silk,” by Gail Tsukiyama. Really good book, so I am enriching my brain in two ways – wonderful!
We are in uncertain times. If you believe in God, prayers are needed.
For Easter, I spoke with friends who are in need of prayers for different reasons.
Let’s spread a message of HOPE and DETERMINATION to BEAT THIS!
I wish the media would understand that sharing POSITIVE messages instead of NEGATIVE ones constantly would bring us together, rather than divide us.
A SAD SITUATION TURNED POSITIVE –> There is a company that makes caps/gowns for University students. So, sad, because students will not be wearing caps/gowns for graduation this year. On positive side, this company is making face masks for hospitals.
If we have a little more right now, we can donate or offer to help others in some way.
I challenge ALL of us to think about this today. What can WE DO to help?
AN EXAMPLE: Our small bookstores, trying to stay in business. I will order a book and donate this book to children in the hospital.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: The other day, I received a message from my hairdresser. She said their team was doing fine, they understood that some of us might be sad, alone, fearful. They left their phone number, saying we were not alone, if we needed to talk… CALL.
This Sunday she interviewed 
Are you a member of 
We are in uncertain times. If you believe in God, prayers are needed.
Brilliant Viewpoint 