Tag: Hurricane Helene

Happy New Year!!

BonnieReadsAndWrites26 Comments

This weekend, we’re supposed to get possibly TWO inches of rain. That’s a lot of rain. They’re saying it will be the worst storm since Helene. In case we lose power, I’m posting this early.

Summary of 2024:

I did a lot less book reviews due to so many life changes. I am going to post a Top 10 Books of 2024 list next week.

2024 was a big year of change, from working in Germany, to retiring, moving, and Hurricane Helene, to getting used to having so much free time! Not that I’m complaining.

I have been a reviewer for Historical Novel Society for the past few years, but in 2024 I became an editor for them. I was a temporary Indies editor, and now I’m a permanent Small Press Editor. We’re all volunteers, so there’s no pay involved, but I get to work with some great small presses. That’s been really fun and exciting.

I have been spending the last couple of weeks getting caught up on my Historical Novel Society reviews, but I plan to do a bunch of reviews next week.

I hope you have a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What are you looking forward to in the coming year?

Sunday Post: After the Storm

BonnieReadsAndWrites19 Comments

Thank you to @CaffeinatedReviewer for hosting Sunday Post.

Hurricane Helene hit on September 27th, so it’s been 9 days. We did not get the worst of it. We just got a lot of rain, and while there was flooding in town, we were not flooded at our house, which is about a 10-minute drive from town. Since we are in Western NC, we are very fortunate. Other towns to the east of us were decimated and still do not have power, cell service, or internet. I’ve been blessed to see so many people in this area volunteering and donating to help the other towns, and I’ve seen a lot of churches step up. Our church and many other churches have donated to relief efforts with time and money.

Elon Musk has also been personally flying in Starlink equipment to affected towns. It’s been gratifying to see, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

In our area, Darnell Farms, which is a popular tourist destination and a favorite place for family fun, was flooded and lost $50,000 worth of strawberry plants. They also had a lot of property/building damage and might have missed the Fall season if not for the generosity of others. Fall is their biggest season and losing the income from that would have been devastating. They started a GoFundMe, and there was a big response, so now they are using some of the money to help other towns.

Darnell Farms Facebook Page.

This is Darnell Farms right after Helene came through.

I’ve been watching people help each other, and I feel so proud of the people in this area.

My blogging should increase now. The retirement, moving, and storm delays are over for now. I have some reviews in process.

I have been working hard for The Historical Novel Society as a volunteer reviewer, was a temporary Indies Editor, and now I’m a permanent small press editor for them. I have a lot of reviews coming out in November and I will share them here.

THIS WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

I’m doing reviews of the following books:

I’m excited about getting back to blogging more often! I’ve missed you all.

How was your week?

Bracing for the Storm: An Update

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

*Taken by Bonnie DeMoss in Bryson City, NC.

Whew! Daylight is finally breaking through! My posts have been few and far between because of retiring, moving, trying to get organized, and my new Small Press Editor position with Historical Novels Review. I really hope things are back closer to normal now!

I have lots of books to catch up on. I just reviewed about ten for HNR, which will be posted on or after October 1st. I have a trip to Connecticut coming up on October 8th to watch my grandkids for a week. They are moving there this weekend. Other than that my schedule should be so much more open now that I’m retired. The best thing about retirement so far: I can nap whenever I want!

And, like many of you, I’m probably going to experience some backlash from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. I’m in the mountains of North Carolina, but lost power is a possibility, as well as fallen trees. We’ve filled up a barrel with water to flush the toilet with if the power goes out. We’ve also got extra drinking water and plenty of food. We hope everyone gets through this okay and we’re praying for NO damage or injuries.

If you are in the path of the hurricane, we are praying for you!!! Lord, please keep everyone safe from this hurricane! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

If you haven’t had to evacuate, then hunker down and stay safe!