What Everyone Is Saying About This Summer

School is back in session so all the staff has been catching up. What is everyone saying when asked about their summers?  

1. Too short! (always)

2. Too hot! (we've had a ton of days that were over ninety degrees Fahrenheit AKA around thirty-two Celsius.)

 Here is the weather looking all innocent when in fact it's not just hot, it's also super humid! 

I recently read this middle-grade book Reunited by Colleen Berquist It's the second book in a trilogy about a thirteen year-old-girl that finds out her family isn't who she thinks. There's a real lack of books for kids that aren't little anymore and who are too young for most YA books. This book is one working to fill the gap. 

Reunited is in Kindle Unlimited and also available as a Kindle book as well as a paperback. 

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So how was your summer? 

An Excellent Mystery - Play The Fool

 

Since I'm out of school on break, I'm trying to go for runs outside my neighborhood. This week I ran at one of our forest preserves. It was a hot one, but every day is a hot one this summer. After my run, I thought, what the heck, let's finish this book. "Play The Fool" by Lina Chern is about a woman who is stuck. She works at a store in the Mall and has one friend. Then that friend is killed. Our main character is obsessed with finding the killer and makes some questionable decisions on the way. It's sort of a cozy in that an amateur sleuth is trying to solve a murder, there is a romance subplot, and our main character has a quirky skill (she's a tarot card reader). It's also not a cozy. It's a great read. I highly recommend adding it to your TBR. 

Regular People Books

I like romances that feature regular people. I like them so much that's what I write. Written in the Cards is a delightful book about an artist who becomes a runaway bride and then an art teacher. She is working through grief. The main male character is the school custodian! I don't think I've ever read a book where the love interest was the custodian. 

The book is a perfect weekend read. A five-star treat. The next book in the series is on my TBR ready to go! 

 Have you read any good books lately? Next up is another book that features a tarot card reader, "Play The Fool"

While we were in Georgia my argula went to seed. At least it looks really pretty when you can't eat it anymore!

Vacation to the Hospital

 My father had his colon surgery on 6/23 and we planned to visit my parents for the beginning of July and then travel for a couple of days to the Outer Banks. However, right before we were going to leave, my dad developed blood clots and was air lifted to a hospital a couple of hours away from my parents' house in the mountains. So our vacation was a vacation to the hospital. I do not recommend.

My dad is home now and doing well. We need a vacation from our vacation. While I was in various waiting rooms, I read physical books. The Trip was the first book I finished. I bought this because I liked the cover, and I took it on 'vacation' because of the tag line: "A perfect vacation. A perfect crime." It's a good take on vacation book, the plot is not difficult to follow. It is a slow-building story, and some of the twists you'll figure out quickly.

Over all I'd say it's a 4 star book. 

The pizza at the hospital in Gainesville, GA is decent if you ever find yourself there. After spending about a week there, I'll be happy never to have to go back! I'm sure my dad feels the same way.

Whoa What a Summer!

 

Ready for some June recapping?  If you recall, I had diverticulitis right after Easter and landed in the hospital. I hope you live all your days without having that experience. I do not recommend! So in June, I had to have a follow-up colonoscopy. That was super triggering for me since I have a ton of medical PTSD. 

In the second half of May, my father had a colonoscopy, and they found a mass that was very suspicious for colon cancer. That dialed up my anxiety to an eleven. June 10th, I suffered through prep, then on the 11th, I had the dreaded procedure--and I'm all good! No more inflammation and most importantly, no lurking colon cancer! 

The whole experience was so draining and stressful, I did some retrospective review of 2025 and decided to ask my primary care doc for a prescription for depression medication. 

June 14th my whole family--plus middle kiddo's lovely girlfriend and a bunch of youngest child's friends did the Imerman Angels Brunch Run. It was just a couple of days before Anna turned 21, so I had T-shirts made for the occasion. They feature an old picture of Anna dressed as Medusa. The weather was gloomy and chilly, but it was so great to have everyone together--especially after the stress of the previous few weeks.