Tag: Smoky Mountains

Happy New Year!

BonnieReadsAndWrites20 Comments
Happy New Year in Italics set amongst a picture of stars

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a peaceful, happy, and healthy 2026. Here are some snapshots of each month of 2025 on the blog. For the “books I highlighted” section, I highlighted a lot more books during some months than others, so I just picked three or less from each month. There is a link at the end of each month to all of my posts.

January

Happy New Year image of Mountains in Snow.

Apparently a year ago we had some snow, at least at higher elevations. Not so in 2026 yet.

Books I highlighted on this blog:

I will be reviewing Gail Olmsted’s latest book, Class Action, soon. Here is the Amazon link

A link to my Jan 25 posts

February

In Feb 2025, we had some much needed tree removal done on the property.

Books I Highlighted On This Blog

A link to my Feb 25 posts

March

March appears to have been a quiet month.

Books I Highlighted In March

A link to my March 25 posts

April

A Happy Easter photo with three white lilies. Part of a Happy New Year post and a New Year roundup

We celebrated Easter with a lovely poem from Louise Belanger. You can find it here.

Books I highlighted in April

A link to my April 25 posts

May

In May we had an earthquake in Bryson City. The folks in California will not even blink, but for us, in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it was very unusual. It was 4.1 on the Richter Scale, so mild in comparison, but if you don’t usually get one in your area, it’s eyebrow-raising. It shook the whole house, but there was no damage.

Books I Highlighted In May

A link to my May 25 posts

June

I went to the Historical Novel Society conference in June. I learned a lot, but Vegas has changed since my visit in the 1990s and not for the better. It’s just too expensive now and I won’t go back.

Books I Highlighted In June

I just reviewed one book in June. Wildcard by Gail Meath. I spent a lot of time on Historical Novel Society Reviews, Editing, and the Conference. in June.

A link to my June 25 posts

July

July was all about the grandkids, and they spent a whole month with us. We made treasured memories, and I was absolutely exhausted!

Books I highlighted in July

A link to my July 25 posts

August

It was the end of July when a tiny ball of fluff ran out of an old barn, crying and abandoned by his Mom. We named him Oliver PeeWee (Opie for short). But August was when he became ours for sure. This is a picture of him weighing in at 9 ounces at the vet. He’s almost 8 pounds now. #Happy New Year

August was also when we added Doug’s garage to our property. It has been great for him to have a garage, and he’s gotten a lot done in there, including fixing two of our cars. #Happy New Year

Books I Highlighted in August

A Lethal Engagement Cover. Outline of woman with umbrella on a dark red cover. Happy New Year.
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A link to my Aug 25 posts

September

I posted about the horrific death of Charlie Kirk. I didn’t know what I was going to see when I clicked on a video that day, but that is first time I ever watched someone bleed out, and I never want that to happen again. The man who killed him is in the justice system, and I hope Charlie’s family does indeed receive justice. Charlie never apologized for being a Christian, and neither will I.

Books I highlighted in September

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An Autumn Kiss novel cover with a partial photo of a vintage dress in mustard color. Happy New Year.

A link to my Sep 25 posts

October

Stormy red and gray sky in the Smoky Mountains. Happy New Year.

A Stormy Sky in Bryson City. The turning of the leaves was quite late this year so I didn’t get a lot of leaf-changing pictures in October.

Books I Highlighted in October.

The Weight of Snow and Regret by Elizabeth Gauffreau. Happy New Year.
A Bloody Banquet by Gail Meath. Happy New Year.
Out of Time by Jodi Taylor. Happy New Year.

What a great reading month October was! I read The Weight of Snow and Regret by Liz Gauffreau for The Historical Novel Society. I actually posted the review in November. Gail Meath’s A Bloody Banquet came out, and my favorite author Jodi Taylor released another Time Police book! A link to my Oct 25 posts. Happy New Year

November

A picture of a Smoky Moutain Fall evening with a pale moon. Happy New Year

A November evening moon in Bryson City. You can see the colors are finally coming out.

A picture of a train from The Smoky Mountain Railroad. Happy New Year

I also rode The Smoky Mountain Railroad in November with my friend Lyric and her Mom. The photo is not from November, sadly.

Books I Highlighted in November

When Secrets Bloom by Patricia Furstenberg. Happy New Year.
Amanda in Ireland by Darlene Foster. Happy New Year.

I actually reviewed two books by Beth Kanell in one post, but The Bitter and the Sweet is her most recent. A link to my November 2025 Posts.

December

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Opie, a tuxedo kitten in the picture. He is playing with Christmas wrapping paper.

Here is Opie five months later! I also did an article about Scams Against Indie Authors.

Books I Highlighted in December

The Kansal Clunker The Car That Rebuilt Us Happy New Year.
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Your Words Collection cover with Beautiful White Flowers. Happy New Year

I’ll actually be reviewing In The Spirit of French Murder this month, but I picked it up in December.

There is a bit of my 2025 on the blog! Like any year, it had its ups and downs, but I’m thankful for everything God has given me, and there have been many blessings. Hoping for all of us to have a Happy New Year! Link to my December 2025 posts.

As an additional Happy New Year, here is the Acapella Group Home Free singing Auld Lang Syne

Sunday Post: Whole Lotta Shaking Going On #Earthquake

BonnieReadsAndWrites25 Comments

First of all, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! I am a Mom too, and a Granny, and I know how challenging and rewarding it can be.

We just had an earthquake here yesterday! The folks in California will not even blink, but for us, in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it was very unusual. It was 4.1 on the Richter Scale, so mild in comparison, but if you don’t usually get one in your area, it’s eyebrow-raising. It shook the whole house, but there was no damage.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

I participated in Top Ten Tuesday, listing authors who have lived in North Carolina.

I also reviewed “And The Devil Danced” by Janey Clarke.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG.

I will be reviewing the Tachyon Tunnel series by Michael Gorton on Monday. This is science-forward time travel, and as many of you know, I love time travel fiction.

On Tuesday, I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday, time permitting.

On Wednesday, I will be posting a review of The Miniaturist’s Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford, as well as providing a Q&A with the author. This is another time travel book this week, but it’s more historical than science fiction.

ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

I updated my Review Requests page yesterday, so anyone interested in a review, please read the updated guidelines.

I’m changing the name of Indie Weekend to Indie Spotlight. Indie Spotlights used to be book promotion without a review, but now Indie Spotlight will focus on anything Indie, including book reviews. Since I’m retired now, I really don’t need to wait until the weekend to post Indie reviews. Click on the covers to see the books on Amazon.

BOOK HAUL

I got this widget from Tyndale House. Imagine Pride and Prejudice retold in an Appalachian setting! I can’t wait to read it.

An ARC from Shadow Mountain: This is historical fiction inspired by the life of Julia Child, including her time in the OSS, the precursor to the CIA.

How about you? How was your week?

Sunday Post: A New Adventure Ahead

BonnieReadsAndWrites13 Comments

Thank you to The Caffeinated Book Reviewer for hosting Sunday Post.

My retirement is 12 days away, and life is going to change! I’m moving to Bryson City, deeper into the Great Smoky Mountains. I’m looking forward to it! Here’s a picture below:

Meanwhile, I’ve got a lot of good books to read. Here is what’s going on next week.

Monday: It’s release day for Liz Gauffreau’s poetry book, Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right, and I’ll be posting a promo tomorrow morning and a book review later in the day. Congrats, Liz!

Tuesday: I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday, time permitting.

Wednesday: My review of Gemini by Anthony Tye Rodriguez.

Friday: I’ll be participating in Book Blogger Hop, time permitting.

Saturday/Sunday: I hope to start posting Indie Weekend again.

AUGUST REVIEWS COMING

Have a fantastic week!

Mountain Pictures and a Story Poem #Poetry #SmokyMountains

BonnieReadsAndWrites18 Comments

Here is the mountain view from my future retirement house in Bryson City, NC. My grandfather bought this land in the 1930s and passed it to his children. I bought my Mom’s house in 2009 and will get to retire here in a couple years. I got to thinking about families who have been on their land for a long time and how you can just feel their presence. So that inspired the story poem below. At the bottom of the page are more shots of our property. All photos by Doug DeMoss.

Welcome Home, Rosalie

I was born here
In a rough cabin knocked together
Cold wind screeching through

But my mother kept me warm and safe
In these mountains all her days

My children ran through these hills
We sweated the fields and hunted the ridges.
We struggled but we thrived

When my end came they gathered round to say goodbye
And my soul rushed away, content.

I came back to visit often
Watching over them as they laughed and cried
Until they joined me, one by one
Now there are no tears.

The cabins are fancy now
The mules gave way to “cars”
The way of life changed as I watched
And before long my great-grandchildren met me.

Now another Rosalie has arrived
Named after me, my daughter, and many other kin
She walks through these hills, not exactly knowing
But feeling all of us as we walk beside her

She can sense but not see
Our hands on her shoulders as we welcome her home

Self-Published Saturday on a Sunday!

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

Because I spent the entire day in Morganton, NC watching my grandkids yesterday, Self-Published Saturday has been moved to today–one time only! Reviews of Self-Published books coming very soon today. I put a picture of a beautiful Tennessee sunrise below for you to enjoy while you wait.

No, we’re not on fire. It’s just a flaming Tennessee sunrise in Gray, TN. Photo by my very talented husband Doug DeMoss.

Mountain Photo: After A Spring Rain

BonnieReadsAndWrites7 Comments

We had a lot of rain Saturday, and now I can see dark greens everywhere and beautiful clouds resting on the mountains. The remnants of rainclouds still hover above, but it’s a welcome sight to see the calm after the storm. I took this on Sunday morning in Bryson City, NC, at our future retirement property. I can’t wait to be able to look at these mountains every day.

Tennessee Mountain Sunrise

BonnieReadsAndWrites9 Comments

Once again I am thankful for the beauty of the Tennessee Mountains in which I live, and the Appalachian Mountains in general. Here is the beautiful sunrise I was greeted with this morning. Some of the pictures below almost look like a fire instead of a sunrise. I realize once again how blessed I am to live in the mountains.

Doesn’t this look like a fire? It’s just a beautiful mountain sunrise.

I took all these pictures from the same spot in my front yard, but with very different perspectives.

This inspires me to recommend books about the Appalachian Mountains. Of course Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, but also a lesser known book, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk. This book is about the first woman to walk the entire Appalachian Trail, and she happened to be a 67-year-old grandmother! This is a “can’t miss story.” I loved Bear in the Back Seat, about Kim DeLozier, a Smoky Mountain park ranger for over 30 years. My favorite fictional book about the Mountains has to be Christy, by Catherine Marshall, because it’s a close look at the Mountain people in the early 20th century. I also love Adriana Trigiani’s Big Stone Gap series, which is set in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia in more contemporary times, and includes 8 books. And of course there are so many more. What books about the Appalachian Mountains do you like? Please comment below.

And I must leave you with a photo of my absolute favorite place in the the world, my “happy place,” Deep Creek, which is a part of the Smoky Mountains National Park, but is located in Bryson City, NC, which also happens to be my Mom’s hometown and the place to which I will retire in 3 years. This is where I go when I want to feel complete peace. The waterfall photo directly below is from the Bryson City, NC Facebook Page. The rest of the photos were taken at Deep Creek by Doug DeMoss.

Photo by Doug DeMoss
Photo by Doug DeMoss
Photo by Doug DeMoss

Have a blessed Sunday!