Book-Geek

This book is a sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, which I read a few years ago.  I was drawn to its beautiful, ornate cover and kept intrigued by the mysterious pocket watch and mechanical octopus.  The cover of this book is not as uniquely textured but still beautiful!Since there were a few years between books, it took me a few chapters to get re-orientated.  I love how it is written from different perspectives and times but I really needed to pay attention with this storyline.  It is not a beach read.If you like reading thrillers about clairvoyance, family, ghosts, science, and politics, this is the book for you!Thank you Natasha Pulley for writing about such rich characters and complicated relationships, all while involving science and paranormal.  This was such a satisfying read and I enjoyed every minute of it!

One hundred seventy-three days in and day six of school for my kids and they get sent home for a week of remote learning due to the fact that someone at the school tested positive for covid-19.  I think to myself, Phew.  The system is working.  Thank goodness the school department is being proactive and looking out for not only our childrens' health but the staff and the community at large.  We are so lucky our city has it's shit together.Then, because I am ignorant AF, I logged onto Facebook.  I keep my circle small.  I have no problem hiding or unfriending someone who spreads doom and gloom and negativity.  I need to be vigilant about keeping my environment positive and nurturing for my mental health.  I quit Facebook once, twice...I have lost count.  I keep coming back to it because it is how I find out what is going on in town or how big my friends' kids are getting.  It is that necessary evil that I love to hate.  When I opened Facebook, I saw three of my friends post…

Actually, Monday, Labor Day, was more of a family fun day but it doesn't have a nice a ring to it.  The kids are back in school, with masks and socially distanced.  They are irritable and there was already a lockdown due to a robbery down the street.  Strange times indeed.So back to Monday.  Having two teenagers means we are rarely in the same place at once but since the pandemic, (silver lining) and Labor day, (thank you to our forefathers that fought for fair labor) we had a day to ourselves, together.   We explored some boulder fields in a nearby town, (actually my hometown but I never knew it existed).  I love low-key bouldering!  I am deathly afraid of heights but somehow climbing all over and hauling myself up huge chunks of rock is just the right balance of whole-body exercise and thrill of accomplishment.  Curiosity got the better of us so we kept tramping along for six miles.  Everyone still hurts four days later.We went out to dinner, outside, and got terribly slow servi…

It was the beginning of summer, my husband was working from home, I started working three full days, the kids transitioned from remote learning to each taking a Vlacs course, so I decided to take another crack at finishing my degree online.  It sounded all so progressive, romantic even.  It felt like I was pulling off something a superhuman blogging mom would do.  Winning!It sucked.  I thoroughly enjoyed the learning.  I did not enjoy teaching myself or the logistics of the class itself.  It felt like simply navigating through all the moving parts was a full time job and it occupied all my spare time and energy.  Being who I am, I assumed that A. It was my fault and B.  I would get better at it.  Wrong!My second class just started and I was all pumped to write a paper on the failed Equal Rights Amendment when I had an epiphany.  Actually no.  That isn't right.  I started the class, got extremely confused, panicked, doubted myself, and pushed through all of the mental roadblocks an…

This is my paper from my Intro to History class that I am taking.  
My city’s high school mascot is the Red Raider.  It is the profile of a Native American man.  The school colors are red and white.  When we go to football games, the marching band plays the war dance song while the cheerleaders make a motion with their arms to resemble chopping with a tomahawk.  It makes my stomach churn and I want to cry every time.  I look around and I see over a hundred kids and at least that many adults cheering and chanting along. Call me a snowflake if you will but, every time, I am filled with disbelief and guilt.  
I remember talking with an old roommate of mine one day, who is Native American.   I am embarrassed to admit that I needed him to explain why using such terms as tribe and spirit animal were not ok.  They are Native American terms and should not be used lightly because they are serious parts of Native American heritage.  Because I had this experience with my friend, it opened my eyes…

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.  It is not typically the type of book I like, (historical fiction) but I found it to be beautiful and haunting at the same time.   I felt I was almost at the north pole.  I could smell fish and taste the salt air, and I was cold even though it is almost 90 degrees out!  Based on true events which, explained in the historical notes, are heartbreaking.   I would recommend this book to anyone.
I literally spent all morning finishing this book up, ignoring my family and the pets, lounging on the porch in my jammies.  This book is about what happens when one religion has ultimate control.  It is based in the 17th century in Norway but I couldn't help but see the parallels of what is happening in our world today.  
My kids, (both teenagers) were discussing the Muslim persicution all over the world and the horrors in Yemin at dinner the other day.  You would think humanity would be past thinking people should be killed for holding different beliefs.  I…