Last week was rather insane if I’m being perfectly honest! With the approach of Fall Break, everything that needed to happen got shoved into three busy days. I was never so glad to leave campus on Wednesday evening as I began to make my way to Dallas. At least, I was excited until the heavens opened and unleashed more water than the ground (and roads) could handle!
Thursday through Sunday saw me in the Geriatric Ward to visit my parents and take care of a few projects for them. Now that Pop is retired, there is no quiet time in the house. That meant that finding time to read was a bit more challenging. Thankfully, the evenings were my down time and I enjoyed some moments alone with my nose in the pages of a book.
What I Finished This Week
The Lido by Libby Page. It might have taken me a few weeks to get through this audiobook, but that should not suggest that I didn’t enjoy the novel. I typically listen to audiobooks while commuting — and there wasn’t very much of that for the past couple of weeks. Still, Page’s novel was much more than what I initially assumed. The story centers around Kate, a 20-something reporter who is assigned to cover the proposed closing of the local public pool, known as The Lido. While interviewing people who oppose the closing, Kate meets Rosemary, an octogenarian who swims in the water daily. The two women quickly become friends and join forces to save the local landmark. The Lido is about much more than just a pool though. It is a story about community, friendship, love, and loss. It is a beautiful reminder of how the most unlikely things (and people) can positively impact our lives. 3.75 stars.
It Happened on a Sunday by Tracy Wolff. Don’t you just love when an impulse purchase turns out to be a tremendous read? I picked up this romance by Tracy Wolff simply because I was looking for a book with “a day of the week in the title” and I thought the edges were pretty. What I found was a charming novel filled with characters that I really came to love. Sloane is pop music’s popular bad girl. She carries the moniker “Black Widow” with pride while hiding the pain of two lost — and dead — loves. It seems that she is destined to be alone forever. Things change when she first encounters Sly, the star quarterback for the Austin professional football team. Somehow, Sly seems to see past Sloane’s mask and see the hurting woman behind the Black Widow. It feels as though Wolff loosely based this story on the relationship of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. As much as it pains me to really talk about the writing in a romance novel, I have to admit that this one was crafted very well. 4.75 stars.
What I’m Currently Reading
The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page (6:35 of 10:16). I planned to finish this audiobook on my drives to and from Dallas this week. Sadly, Wednesday night’s downpour had other plans! While I have struggled with the story a bit, I am finally getting into it and enjoying the read. Janice is a house cleaner who collects the stories of the people she works for as well as those she meets. As she begins her latest job with the mysterious Mrs. B., Janice learns of the woman’s exciting past and her son’s deceitful plans to move his mother out of her home. With a few more drives coming up and some home projects that will need a soundtrack, I’m hoping to finish Page’s novel this week.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (p. 25 of 372). I decided to venture back into fantasy this week for “a book that requires the suspension of disbelief.” Water Moon was another impulse purchase while visiting a local bookstore last Christmas. The premise is interesting — Hanna has inherited ownership of the family pawnshop that trades in regrets. Clients find their way into the mysterious location at the moment of their greatest need and leave behind the items that have kept them from moving forward from past mistakes. So far, the writing is beautiful and I’m enjoying the Eastern setting.
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