Life
I had another busy, hectic week, trying to get ahead in all my work so I can go on vacation for over a month! I also hosted our local chronic illness support meeting on Zoom. We had a mix of new members and those who've been a part of the group since the beginning, 15 years ago, (and everyone in between!) and had a great discussion.
The highlights of my week were time with our sons. Our younger son and his girlfriend came for dinner Wednesday. They live nearby, but we hadn't had some relaxed time together in a long time. It was good to see them and catch up on their lives. And this weekend, our older son came to visit from Long Island. His girlfriend had promised to accompany a friend to NYC's huge Pride parade, so she couldn't come along this time. We enjoyed a very relaxed weekend with our son. We've only seen him briefly at big family gatherings lately, so it was really nice to just have a quiet weekend together to talk and catch up. We also watched some of our old favorite TV shows together (NCIS and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), and he even had a chance to catch up with an old friend while he was home. It was great to spend time together!
We're still struggling with high heat and high humidity here, though thankfully, it's now in the 90's instead of 100's. I can't wait to head north with our camper! The summer flowers in our garden are fully in bloom now, thanks to all the sun and storms. I'm so glad we planted the brown-eyed Susans in May, and the tickseed keeps growing and spreading, too. All that bright color makes me happy! Oh, and I was shocked to see a few tiger lilies blooming on the edge of our yard; I thought the deer gobbled them all up decades ago.
Since my hiking video posted on Monday last week, I already shared that one, so just one additional video last week:
Friday Reads 6-27-25: Big Books I Love and A Big Book I'm Not Sure About - my brief weekly update of what I am reading and listening to.
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What We're Watching
Yellowstone - My husband and I are down to one last episode in the last season (5) of this excellent modern Western that has become a pop culture phenomenon since its first season in 2018. This last season has been a twisty one, and the last part (that audiences had to wait a long time for!) has been especially emotional, as a main character dies and the Dutton family is in danger of losing their beloved ranch, but the end of the second-to-last episode gave us hope that things might just work out in the end. If you still haven't watched it, we both highly recommend it. It's really got everything: great acting and writing, very twisty plot, loads of action and suspense, a lot of heart, plus drama, romance, and humor. And that stunningly beautiful scenery! You can read my full review and see a trailer at the link (no spoilers: trailer is from the first season). We also really enjoyed the spin-offs: 1883 is about the original Dutton family's perilous journey in a covered wagon to Montana (really outstanding single-season show) and 1923, which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, that continues the Dutton family story. We enjoyed season 1 and will watch season 2 this summer.
Have you seen this outstanding, cinematic show or any of its spin-offs?
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What We're Reading
Remember that Big Book Summer runs until September 1, so there is still plenty of time to join the fun! Details at the link.
Last night, I finished reading Bridge by Lauren Beukes, my third book in print for Big Book Summer. I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! My husband and I have previously enjoyed two of her novels: Shining Girls, about a time-traveling serial killer, and Afterland, about the aftermath of a pandemic that killed 95% of the male population. Both were very good, but Bridge is definitely my new favorite. The main character, Bridget (the title has a
double meaning), is grieving after her mother's death. Her mom struggled
with epilepsy and recurring brain cancer since the age of 14, She used to bring Bridge,
when she was just a child, along with her on some very strange
adventures. Using something her mom called the "dreamworm," the two
would temporarily inhabit other lives, where they were each themselves
but different, and everything around them was different. Since then,
Bridge's therapist has convinced her those were just dreams or
fantasies, but while cleaning out her mom's house, Bridge discovers the
dreamworm and her mother's journals, and she begins to realize there really are other realities that
she can access. Bridge gets the idea that her mother is still alive in some other
reality, so she goes hopping through parallel universes (and into other
Bridgets, leaving them very confused and upset). Alternate realities? I'm in! This is one of those sci fi
topics that I love to dive into (Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is another favorite of mine) because it is so fascinating and endlessly thought-provoking. But in addition, this novel has great in-depth characters (including a non-binary main character--perfect timing for Pride Month), plenty of plot twists, and thoughtful ethical questions. The suspense was so intense that I was constantly talking to (and yelling at!) the characters, much to my husband's amusement, and stayed up way too late every night reading. An outstanding novel in every way.
Today, I will be starting one of my biggest chunksters for Big Book Summer, The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. I have never read any Conroy books (though I saw the movie adaptation many years ago), and since I announced my plans for Big Book Summer back in May, this is the book in my stack that SO many people have told me is one of their favorites. I can't wait to dive in!
On audio, I am still listening to The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor
Dostoevsky, which
was first published in 1880. It's about a despicable father and his
three sons (by two different wives): Dmitri, Ivan, and Alexei. The book
was a bit confusing at first (and would be in print, too) because each
of the brothers has very long names but is also known by multiple other names (I guess like
nicknames). So Dmitri is also Mitka or Mitya, and Alexei is also Alyosha,
etc. The three sons were each brought up by servants in peasant homes,
after their mothers died and their father deserted them. Now, they are
28, 24, and 20, and they've each taken very different paths in life. Dmitri kind of takes after his father (though he seems to have more of a conscience) and is very impulsive, Ivan is well-educated and intellectual, and Alexei has been living in the monastery for the past year and wants to become a monk. There are some very introspective, thought-provoking passages (and whole
chapters) about religion, the meaning of God, how humanity uses its
"gift" of free will, separation of church and state, and more. This is
not an audio
where I can tune out for a while! Other chapters are fast-paced and even
funny, with farcical scenes involving a love triangle (actually more of
a hexagon!) or fights among the family members. Many of the characters are very melodramatic. If you saw my Friday Reads video from a few days ago, the book was really dragging for me, and I was considering giving up on it. But now, it's taken (another) turn, and one of the characters has been wrongly accused of murder and has clearly been set up. The pace has rapidly picked up, and with the added suspense and tension, I will definitely finish it. I think I'm about 2/3 of the way through it.
My husband, Ken, is taking a break from Big Book Summer to enjoy a shorter, fast-paced palate cleanser novel: Wrecked by Joe Ide. I bought him the first book in this series a few years ago, and he loved it. I just gave him this one for Father's Day, so he was eager to jump back into this world.
Among the many things I was able to catch up on with my son, 30, this weekend was what he's been reading. He's been rereading the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks, an old favorite of his, in preparation for the latest book (Beyond the Shadows). He finished book 1, The Way of Shadows, and then couldn't find his copy of book 2, The Shadow's Way! He thought it might be here at home (it wasn't), so in between, he's now reading the latest novel in the Arcane Ascension series by Andrew Rowe, book 6, A Brief History of Chronomancy. This is another favorite series of his. And we had a great discussion about alternate realities and parallel universes this weekend! He recommended another book to me in that arena.
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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.
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What are you and your family reading this week?
I finished reading The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and loved it! This novel has everything: family drama, a propulsive plot, gorgeous nature writing, a sense of humor, and deep emotional resonance. Conroy’s writing is beautiful and wow, can he tell a story! Here’s my 3-minute review. 
Here’s what my husband is reading (he’s such a good sport with all my blogging and YouTube activities!). 
Together, we are listening to Blood Lure by Nevada Barr. We love her novels about national park ranger Anna Pigeon, and this one is set in Glacier National Park! 
