It’s Monday 9/29! What Are You Reading?

LIFE

We’re on the road again! My chronic immune disorder has been badly flared up this past week (a treatment that I hoped would help instead triggered a relapse), but we stuck with our plans. We spent Thursday and Friday nights in beautiful Letchworth State Park, sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the East! It’s one of my favorite places, with so many happy childhood memories. My family rented a cabin there every Columbus Day weekend.

I wasn’t up for walking (or the 127 stairs to the Lower Falls!), but we had some beautiful views from overlooks and parking areas. Below, the Lower Falls (as close as I could get - there’s a fabulous view from a footbridge across the gorge), us in front of the Middle Falls, and the Upper Falls.

I was pleased to see some fall colors already, though in 2 weeks, it will be stunning there!

Saturday was a whirlwind day spent with family! The primary reason for this trip was my stepmom’s birthday, and we enjoyed celebrating her with a birthday lunch and an evening celebration back at her house with all her daughters.

Sunday, my husband went golfing with my uncle and a friend, and I met some of my cousins and aunts for breakfast. It was great to see them!

And then I collapsed for the rest of the day! We were staying with my aunt and uncle, who are incredibly kind and have a beautiful, comfortable home. I took a 2-hour nap, and spent the rest of the day lying on their couch. We are usually only together on holidays, so we really enjoyed having some quiet downtime together ❤️.

We are currently driving through western New York, on our way to the Thousand Islands, a beautiful cluster of islands in the St. Lawrence Seaway, between New York and Ontario. I haven’t been to that area since I was a little kid, and we have a campsite out on a peninsula, right on the water. I’m still very achy, so I’m looking forward to relaxing at our campsite, and we’ll be seeing a couple of old friends this week, too.

WHAT WE’RE READING

I just finished reading The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, my first time reading a Sherlock Holmes story! This was a novella, perfect for Shorty September and RIP, and I enjoyed it.

I was sleeping in my cousin’s old room this weekend, and I found a book on her shelves I’ve been wanting to read for ages … and it was also perfect for Shorty September! I read The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackey. What a beautiful, moving little book! I’d heard great things about it, and it lived up to my expectations. It’s full of love, joy, and life-affirming wisdom, with beautiful illustrations. Here’s one page I loved:

On audio, I’m still listening to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R. K. Dick. I loved the TV series as a kid and am really enjoying the original novel on audio, about a widowed mother of two who moves to a seaside house, haunted by the sea captain who built it.

My husband finished reading The Plot, which I enjoyed this spring. He says he figured out the biggest surprise in the story! (It’s a very twisty one.) It’s really annoying to watch movies with him 😂.

Now, he’s reading a book I gave him for Father’s Day, The Spider by Lars Kepler.

And we had a fun conversation with my uncle last night about great thrillers!

What are you and your family reading?

(It’s Monday! What are you reading! Is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.)