Busy week, and I’ll be going on vacation Tuesday through the following Monday for July 4th.
The windows went in at the house last week, and it’s a sight to behold. Be sure and follow the link to check it out on Doug’s Instagram. He’s Rocks Rest on IG.
I want to thank my grandfather Ed Jenkins for buying that land in the 1930s. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren still live on it. We have a little piece of it. He was a farmer who also worked at a sawmill, and he worked hard to pay off that land. His legacy lives on. Ancestry tells me that not that many farmers in that area at that time owned their land. I’m proud of him.
Hermann, Harold, and I have been hanging out in Johnson City while Doug works on the house in Bryson. I am also still working, but only about six weeks left, some of which is leave! On the 3rd, we’ll all be down there together for a few days.
I’ve been using vacuum bags that I bought on Amazon to store some of the clothes I am keeping. They are handy! You just take the air out of them with your vacuum cleaner and they shrink down a lot.
Fourth of July is coming this week, and I want to thank all the veterans, on Earth and in Heaven, for their sacrifices.
NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG
I’m doing mini reviews or even one-line reviews of all the books I fell behind on while I was in Germany.
No new books this week as I’m trying to get caught up!
Have a wonderful 4th of July! What are your plans?
It was a pretty quiet week, which was nice after the last two months working so hard. Doug is working on projects around the house and I’m finishing up my last month or two of my job.
This weekend, I’m planning to part with more clothes and books. As far as clothes, I plan to get rid of anything I haven’t worn in the last year. I actually have clothes I haven’t worn in years. I also have to part with some t-shirts, even though I love them all.
Books are a bit different. I’m going to get rid of any books I don’t really think I will read again, or any I have doubles of, which is more than one would think, even though I’ve gotten rid of a lot of books already. Downsizing from 2600 to 1000 square feet takes a lot of sacrifice. We have already gotten rid of so much, and there’s more to go.
The weather has been hot, hot, hot with no rain. Praying for rain soon!
BOOK HAUL
I have been getting a lot of widgets lately. Here are three I accepted this week:
I also got approved for Debbie Macomber’s latest Christmas book. I enjoy reading her books, which are light and easy reads.
Now that I’ve been back from Germany for a week and am caught up on my work, things are going back to normal for a while. I say a while because I’m two months from retirement as of today! In two months I’ll have more free time than I’ve ever had. I’m glad to get back to blogging regularly!
Next Week On The Blog
I have a lot of reviews to catch up on, so I am going to post several mini-reviews.
BOOK HAUL
I received widgets for the following books:
The Mirror is the second book in The Lost Bride trilogy. I loved the first book. Peggy is the story of Peggy Guggenheim. Bear-tooth is a combination of Literary Fiction and Mystery/Thriller about two brothers trying to survive in the American West. I’m looking forward to all of them.
This is my first Sunday Post in about a month I think. I’ve been slammed with work in Germany, so no time for posting and I’ve fallen behind on all my reviews. Retirement is coming up in less than three months, so plenty of time to catch up. Yesterday I took a tour to Prague to kick off our long holiday weekend. See below
The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj at Prague Old Town Hall
This is one of the most crowd-fascinating historical features in Prague. There was always a crowd surrounding the clock, waiting for it to strike a new hour. Some of the features were not on the clock yesterday, as it was undergoing maintenance, so I didn’t get the full view. This clock will tell you how many hours it is until sunset. On one side you see the shiny sun and on the other side is the silver moon.
The clock was installed in 1410, and it is the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the only one still in operation. It was partially destroyed by the Nazis near the end of World War II.
This is from Wikipedia: “In 1552 it was repaired by Jan Táborský (1500–1572), master clockmaker of Klokotská Hora. The clock stopped working many times in the centuries after 1552, and was repaired many times. The legend was used as the main plot in the 2008 animated film Goat story – The Old Prague Legends.
In 1629 or 1659 wooden statues were added, and figures of the Apostles were added after a major repair in 1787–1791. During the next major repair in the years 1865–1866, the golden figure of a crowing rooster was added.
The Orloj suffered heavy damage on 7 and especially 8 May 1945, during the Prague uprising, when the Nazis fired on the south-west side of the Old Town Square from several armoured vehicles in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy one of the centers of the uprising. The hall and nearby buildings burned, along with the wooden sculptures on the clock and the calendar dial face made by Josef Mánes.[6] After significant effort, the machinery was repaired, the wooden Apostles restored by Vojtěch Sucharda, and the Orloj started working again in 1948.[7]
The Orloj was renovated in autumn 2005, when the statues and the lower calendar ring were restored. The wooden statues were covered with a net to keep pigeons away.
The last renovation of the astronomical clock was carried out from January to September 2018, following a reconstruction of the Old Town Tower. During the renovation, an electric clock mechanism that had been in operation since 1948 was replaced by an original mechanism from the 1860s.[8]
See below a Youtube video showing the clock strike a new hour. It is fascinating.
UPCOMING ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES
I will be posting two reviews I did for the May issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. They are THE CAPTIVE and THE GUARDIAN, Books 2 and 3 of THE MENDER SERIES by Jennifer Marchman. My review of Book One and Q&A with the author is here.
I am catching up on my Netgalley Shelf, so I’m reading MIND GAMES by Nora Roberts and then I will provide other reviews as well. I’m returning home on June 7th, and retiring August 16th.
I also want to direct you to a past Memorial Day tribute I’ve done for my Uncle, Wayne Jenkins, who died in Vietnam. We will never forget you, Uncle Wayne.
My departure for a two-month work trip to Germany is coming up fast. Our cleaning and getting rid of a lot of stuff continues! I’m leaving on April 5th. If anyone has any international travel or packing tips, I’m all ears. There is a very cool page on Instagram called “The Folding Hacks,” and I’m scouring that trying to learn how to get more into my suitcase, but neatly. I’ll still be posting from Germany, and I’ll be continuing my volunteer work as Indies Co-Editor and as a reviewer for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society.
I am still behind on Goodreads and blog visiting, but I’m hoping to catch up this coming week.
WHAT ARE YOU READING
(Partial blurb from publisher Atria Books) 1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.
WHAT HAVE YOU JUST FINISHED
Historical Fiction combining The Blitz in London with a bookish theme. Loved it.
WHAT ARE YOU READING NEXT
A serial arsonist has burned down another house and two children are missing. Detective Jace Franco is on the case.
This is Book Two of the An American in Paris mysteries, in which Julia Child is a supporting character. I absolutely loved Book One.
Another week went by when I was so busy I couldn’t post much. I wasn’t able to post the reviews I had planned, so some of them will go up today. I’m preparing for my work trip to Germany, finishing up reviews for The Historical Novel Society, and also doing some editing work for them while one of the editors is taking some time off. It’s been a great experience.
NEXT WEEK: I hope to catch up and provide you a lot of good reviews! These include Charlie Hustle, The Ark and the Dove,The Great Divide, and more.
BOOK HAUL:
This is the third book in a fantastic series about a family of safe-cracking criminals who become government spies during WWII.
The Burning Rooms is the third book in a great series of standalone thrillers from Anni Taylor.
I’m off to make lemon bars and chicken parm! So we’re eating well tonight. How was your week?
So many changes going on. It’s my retirement year. I’m traveling overseas for two months, retiring in 6 months, and we’re moving in six months. It’s the Year of the Dragon and I happened upon my Chinese horoscope. I don’t usually look at horoscopes, but it says this is going to be a year of change for me. That’s not news. I am going to take some time for prayer and relaxation every day so I don’t get stressed out by all these changes. So I’m determined to embrace all the change and prepare for it, because it’s coming on fast.
LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG
I was gone to Knoxville for work most of the week and didn’t post the reviews that I had planned. I participated in Sunday Post and Book Blogger Hop last week. I also posted a review of Hollidayby Matthew Di Paoli on Saturday, and for Indie Weekend I will post a review of Land of the Blue Mistand a Q&A with author Susan Mallgrave today.
This is the third book in the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney mystery series, and I loved the first two. The children of characters from popular Jane Austen books have teamed up to solve yet another murder. I’m looking forward to it.
A romantic historical fantasy with vampires set during the US Civil War? Yes, please!
A romantic fantasy set in a magical land and inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia.
Question: How do you relax during times of stress and change?
I’m sure winter is not quite over, but Spring Cleaning started this weekend. I worked quite a while, but haven’t made much of a dent in it yet. I have a lot of stuff to go through before I retire and we move in just a little over 6 months! Wish me luck.
Bryson City, NC. About six more months til I’m living here.
Next week I hope to review The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman and Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber. For Indie Weekend, I will review The Mender by Jennifer Marchman and Hamelin Stoop and the Battle of Parthogen by Robert B. Sloan. I am also going to put up as many Indie Spotlights as I can next week. If time permits, I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Book Blogger Hop.
BOOK HAUL
What The Mountains Remember is set in 1913. A young girl’s circumstances change drastically after her father dies in a mining accident and her mother marries a rich man. But then she goes back to the mountains as part of one of Henry Ford’s “Vagabond” camping tours and to see her fiance, a man she’s only met once before. As the mountains begin to return her memories, she starts to awaken to the truths of her new privileged life.
Night Falls on Predicament Avenue:
In 1910, Effie James is committed to doing anything to save her younger sister, who witnessed a shocking murder, leaving her mute and in danger of the killer’s retribution. Effie must prove what her sister saw, but when a British gentleman arrives, he disrupts Effie’s quest with his attempts to locate his wife, Isabelle Addington.
A century later, Norah Richman grapples with social anxiety and grief as she runs her late great-aunt’s bed-and-breakfast on Predicament Avenue. But Norah has little affection for the house and is committed only to carrying out her murdered sister’s dreams until crime historian and podcaster Sebastian Blaine arrives to investigate the ghostly legacy of the house’s claim to fame–the murder of Isabelle Addington.
Long Time Gone: Sloan has one reservation about involving herself in a DNA experiment: she’s adopted. Grateful for a loving home, she’s never considered tracking down her biological parents. The results of her search are shocking. Sloan’s DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka “Baby Charlotte”, who captured the nation’s attention when she mysteriously disappeared, along with her parents, in July 1995. Despite an exhaustive search, the family was never seen again, and no suspects were named in the case. Sloan is soon led to the town of Cedar Creek, Nevada, and she meets Sheriff Eric Stamos, whose father died while investigating Sloan’s disappearance.
That was how my week went. How About You? How was your week?
From single digit temperatures the week before, we went well into the 50s part of the time this past week. So it was a much warmer week. We’ll stay in the 40s this coming week. With the Bengals out of it, I’m rooting for the Chiefs and Lions to win today and go to the Super Bowl. I’m hoping the Lions win it all.
Instagram: I need to increase my engagement on Instagram. I’ve been neglecting it. If you are on Instagram and want to trade likes and follows, I’m BonnieReads777 there.
What’s for dinner: Breakfast for dinner tonight! I’m making French Toast using homemade bread. Bacon on the side.
I think it’s cold almost everywhere in the U.S., at least colder than everyone is used to. We don’t have the snow right now like Buffalo and other cities are experiencing, but it’s definitely very windy and cold. I find if I have warm socks on, the rest of me is generally warm. The fuzzier, the warmer and more comfy, IMO.
Stay warm out there everyone! Put on your warmest socks and get that cocoa ready!
I will review two audiobooks that are currently on my Netgalley Shelf, My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman and Beneath Her Skin by Greg Olsen.
I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Book Blogger Hop if time permits.
I hope to finish and review The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews. It’s the third in the Belles of London Victorian romance series, and I enjoyed the first two books.
I’m working hard on my Indie books and hope to post a lot of reviews and spotlights for Indie weekend.
My Top Ten Indie books of the year list is still in progress.
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