Monthly Archives: November 2023

Books I Read in August & September 2023-Catching Up!

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These flowers were in bloom in August when I read these books!

Hello friends! I hope everyone enjoyed time with friends and/or family. I certainly did! Whether you had turkey or something else, the important thing is that it was shared with love. I am way behind in reporting on the books I have been reading, so this post is a twofer. I’m sharing two months of titles. Then I will technically only be one month behind because November isn’t over yet!

Books I Read in August 2023:

  1. Pineapple Street-Jenny Jackson

I picked this book up because it got good reviews. It centers around a very wealthy family from old money in New York City. To my mind, the family is a bunch of whiners who don’t know how good they have it. I guess that could describe many of us. And maybe that is the point. Some of the family members change by the end and some do not. It was an ok book.

2. Almost Everything-Anne LaMott (Non-fiction)

Anne LaMott writes inspirational prose, mostly from personal experience. This book is an inspiration and at the least, makes you think. Always a good thing.

3. The Backup Plan-Jill Shalvis

Alice receives an inheritance of one third of a Wild West B & B. The other shares go to her once, and now estranged, best friend and her high school crush. They have one month to get the inn into shape. Can Alice overcome her past demons before the month is over? Not Shalvis’ best book in my opinion but still fun.

4. All the Days of Summer-Nancy Thayer

Heather’s marriage is dead, and her son is graduating from college and has a serious girlfriend. She decides it is time to discover what makes her happy and rents a cottage on Nantucket for the summer until her divorce is finalized. It turns out that’s where her son and his girlfriend will be living, and working, with her very wealthy parents. It looks like Heather followed them and she has to assure the spoiled Kailee that she did not. Heather manages to build a life for herself but what will happen at summer’s end?

5. Start Painting Now-Emily Powell & Sarah Moore (Non-fiction)

This book is about the creative process rather than about painting techniques. I can apply a large percentage of the content to my writing since it is also an art. And who knows, maybe I’ll give painting a try!

6. The Dinner Party Project-Natasha Feldman (Cookbook)

A fun take on inviting people over for dinner. Has organizational tips and recipes.

7. 100 Days of Adventure-Greta Eskridge (Non-fiction)

This book is from the kids ‘section. I checked it out thinking I might find some fun things to do with my nieces. The lists were pretty basic and mostly things I had already thought of. Still, it’s a cute book and might be especially good for those who are home schooling.

8. The Sweetheart List-Jill Shalvis

Have you figured out yet that I pick up everything this author writes, lol. Harper Shaw moves west to the Sierras to get a fresh start on life. She soon encounters a hunky guy she isn’t interested in and takes in a runaway teen. All while opening her own bakery and acquiring a cranky new friend. Another fun read.

9. Dog Tales: The Book-Luann Stuver Rogers (Non-fiction)

This author wrote a column in our local newspaper for a number of years. The book is a compilation of the weekly articles. I read most of them at the time and am having fun reading them again. The tales feature the author’s numerous dogs consisting of two greyhounds and a bevy of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They feature dog sports as well as everyday life.

Magazines:  Best Friends, Country Living

A September photo for you from the time I was reading books on this list.

Books I Read in September 2023:

  1. Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie-Sarah Graves

I enjoy the books from this series for a multitude of reasons. Maine. Baking. Chocolate. Cozy mystery. Jake’s best friend Ellie is accused of murder when the shop owner across the street is found shot. He had just opened a shop that competed with theirs, selling chocolate baked goods at a lower price. Jake is run ragged trying to find the killer and keep order at her own home when her perfectly healthy father decides to move him and his wife to assisted living. Things go humorously wrong on all fronts.

2. Earth’s the Right Place for Love-Elizabeth Berg

This is the prequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv which was a wonderful book. The story is about Arthur and his family and how Nola comes into his life. Nola is the love of his life and future wife. It is a very real feeling story.

3. The McCullagh Inn in Maine-Jen McLaughlin

This is a quick read at just 137 pages. Chelsea O’Kane is on the run from an abusive husband. She runs to an inn she inherited in Maine where she encounters her first love Jeremy Holland. There is a lot going on that is not revealed to us until the end of the story. This made it a less than satisfying read for me. I was also disappointed that Maine life didn’t play into the story, it really could have been anywhere.

4. Viayia-Anastasia Miari (Cookbook)

The title of the book means grandmother in Greek. These are traditional Greek recipes. There are as many write ups about grandmas as there are recipes. I enjoyed reading about the different Greek islands and the stories of the women even more than the recipes.

5. The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley-Courtney Walsh

This book is not for me. I got about 50 pages in and still waiting for something to happen. Back to the library it goes.

6. The Clutter Remedy:  A Guide to Getting Organized for Those Who Love Their Stuff-Marla Stone (Non-fiction)

I hoped this would have lots of organizational tips but it’s the same old stuff. Clean, sort, purge. Does address emotional reasons for holding on to things.

7. The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly-Margareta Magnusson (Non-fiction)

The author shares advice about gracefully. This is told mostly through tales of her life with the chapter titles summarizing the point.

8. The Stand-Stephen King (page 747-1153)

I finally finished! I found this last quarter of the book to hold my attention better than the earlier parts. In it, society is starting to rebound from the mass deaths. The Dark One still needs to be dealt with and a few heroic, average people take up the challenge. I found this book to be so distressing because the happenings are a little too real. Especially since Covid.

9. To Catch a Treat-Linda O. Johnston

Carrie Kennersly owns a bakery for dogs as well as a bakery for humans. She is also a part time veterinary technician. In between jobs, she still finds time to look for a killer so she can clear her brother’s girlfriend. The crimes center around dog napping so there are plenty of canine themed plots.

Magazines:  Country Living, Best Friends, Better Homes & Gardens Fall Recipes, Cooking Light Mediterranean Diet, Cottages & Bungalows Christmas Issue

Hiking the Wild Cherry Trail

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Cassius, Claire, and Zekie enjoying the view.

We have done lots of hiking in the past month since the weather has cooled down. Much of it has been on sections of Ohio’s Buckeye Trail near our home as I reported in past posts Exploring the Buckeye Trail. We do hike at other places in the area too.

We recently explored a park trail at West Branch State Park that I had only been on once before called the Wild Cherry Trail. It is only a mile loop from the parking lot and back. Don’t let that deceive you. It is one of the more difficult trails I have been on at the park. Lots of up and down, steep hills, and tree roots in the path for most of the hike. The views are worth it though. I am happy any time I get to hike near water and this trail does not disappoint. I took Cassius, Claire, and Zekie, one afternoon when I was home by myself. We didn’t encounter anyone else which made it very peaceful. Also, I could take my time as I am a slow hiker.

View from Wild Cherry Trail.

There is lots of woods to enjoy also. Many more old trees with large girth than we see in most other areas of the park. It does look like heavy winds brought some trees down. They look almost like fence rows the way they lay parallel. This was taken last week when the trees still had some color. The water in the background foreshadowed grander things to come.

View just off the Wild Cherry Trail

The level of the reservoir is very low. The area you see is usually underwater, clear up to the tree line. It has been low for some time because there is grass and weeds sprouting, there are lots of deer tracks, and the surface is dry enough to walk out on. This made for interesting views that aren’t normally available.

More views just off the trail.

Here is another view taken from an area that is generally underwater. The sound of the waves is so peaceful. I just stood there and listened. After a while the dogs became impatient and we moved on. There was only access to the shore from one area because the drop off from the tree line was too sharp and tall in most spots.

Shells on the shore.

The new shore had many empty shells on it. Most were small, but some were larger. I had no idea there were any bivalves this big in the reservoir. That’s what I love about a trail that is new to me. I always learn something that I didn’t know before.

Map of a few trails in the area.

Here is the trail head map. It lists several trails in the area including the Wild Cherry. We have done short parts of some of the others, but not the whole trail. Sometimes it is too wet to proceed very far. I don’t always have the correct footwear on for the conditions we encounter. And I tend to be whiny when my feet get wet. We will get to all of these trails though!

I have pictures from some other new hikes we did on the Buckeye Trail, but I will save those for another day. I hope you have been able to take advantage of the autumn beauty, my friends!