Vibrant Alertness

     So much has happened since I last blogged on anything other than book reviews.  I decided it was time to sit down and think about the last few months.  The trigger to my thoughts was my dog last night, Sydney.  I don't know what she heard, but beginning at 3am, she was alert and on patrol. Barking and running to the doors. Scott and I weren't the only ones put on notice.  The cat joined in too, meowing loudly to voice her opinion.  

    We never found out the why for her watchfulness but it certainly woke me up and started me thinking about my life since Christmas.  

Two great men died. 

My father-in-law, Tom Miller, after living an impressive and productive life of work and loving his family went to heaven. I met him in 1982, when I first started dating Scott.  Dad was engaging, witty, wise, and on top of that a prominent businessman in his career life.  After we married in 1985, he treated me as if I was just another daughter, not the in-law addition.  Dad taught us so many things, and we have been forever blessed by his presence in our life.  He was 91.

My daughter-in-law's father entered heaven about two weeks after dad. Mark. He was 63. Fewer years on this earth, but no less an impact for those who knew and loved him. Our children met young, at the beginning of high school. There was a lot of life happening those first few years of their time together, and Mark and his wife Lorry became part of our extended family long before our children married.  Mark was successful as a business owner, but his family would probably say his most impactful role was that of a dad, grandpa, and friend to all.  He is missed immensely...

We moved my mother-in-law to Hutchinson Kansas in an assisted living facility, only five minutes from our home. After dad died, some circumstances changed for Scott's mom and the family decided moving mom would be the best for all of us. We are thrilled to be able to have mom close by after living two and a half hours away the past 32 years.  Now she can be an integral part of our lives, allowing us to see her several times a week.  Some days are easier than others, but the joy of having her near makes up for the additional nurturing we are blessed with being able to provide.  

    So, those are the major events. When my dog, Sydney, so thoughtfully alerted me to imminent peril  of unknown origin in the wee hours of the day, I realized in my wakeful state how vibrant life has become these last few months. It is as if I awoke with the spring and all things seem fresh and new again. People are more precious. Tasks of entertaining others are more meaningful. Colors are shockingly vivid. Even annoying events of pets are more tolerable and kind of cute. 

    Maybe we all need an injection of vibrant alertness occasionally to wake up our worlds. But, perhaps not at 3am in the morning...

Photo Dump!

Sanctuary

 If you are needing a good binge watching experience, Ive got a suggestion... James Cleary's debut thriller, Sanctuary! I can't remember when I last read a book that literally read like a video series on a streaming service.  

Now it might sound crazy to compare a book to a show, but the effect for me when I read the first page was the same as when I have sat down to an addictive season of a show. I was hooked from the first page and sat glued to the book, turning pages in a binge worthy fashion, simply unable to walk away until the last page was finished.  Cleary's writing was so vivid and action packed that the scenes played out right in front of me as I tore through the story. 

In a post apocalyptic United States, climate disasters have completely changed the viability of the environment.  The seasides are flooding and the great plains have become desserts with farmland in such extreme drought that the soil has become the enemy. Dust storms burying the lands and causing physical danger to all who are exposed to it. No water, no vegetation, no game to hunt. Survival now depends on foraging and ingenuity, unless...

Unless you are a mega-billionaire who can build a fortress. John Brandt, a man with money and power prepared. He used millions building a veritable fortress in an abandoned nuclear missile silo. Under the Nebraska soil,  Brandt takes his family along with a command security force and workers necessary for survival. These include a cook, her daughter, a botanist specializing in aquaponics and a medical doctor, just enough personnel to stay alive. The fortress is a luxury bunker that includes every amenity arranged to simulate life before and enough food and water for 50 people to last three years. Brandt's family and workers could very probably have enough for 10 years. The only problem is, others have found them.

The world outside the bunker is a war zone. rioting and killing to survive.  Some workers employed by Brandt's firm to build his underground fortress have returned in hope of aid. He has everything and they are dying. They have been surviving as raiders. Now they will do anything to stay alive. In this world, no one wins, not even those who think they hold all the cards.

I was completely immersed in Cleary's world. It made me uncomfortable to look around my home and town and see the waste and abundance we all take for granted.  I felt convicted when I read about Brandt's family and their waste, knowing I am guilty of excess myself. The story made me think.  The possible realism was frightening yet overwhelmingly compelling. His characters were so well developed that I felt what they felt, saw what they saw, and loved and abhorred them all at the same time. That is the finesse of an awe inspiring author. 

I am hungry for more books from Cleary in the future. He definitely has infinite talent.  

Sanctuary will be published April 28, 2026 from Penguin Random House.  I hope you grab a copy and read it too.  Sanctuary is well worth your time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Sanctuary by James Cleary in exchange for an honest review. 

#Sanctuary #NetGalley

When The Wolves Are Silent

     As an avid reader and reviewer, finding a previously unknown author that has multiple books published in a series is like opening a treasure chest! Not just one story to enjoy, but once you get to know and fall in love with the characters, you can continue to enjoy them through their other adventures.  This was my experience this week when asked to participate in the blog tour for C.S. Harris's new historical fiction, When the Wolves Are Silent, published April 14, 2026 by Penguin Random House. 

    Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin is set to investigate another mystery when his nephew, Bayard is involved in the burning death of his friend. Bayard is associated with a group of men notorious for bullying and tormenting others. One night after overindulging in drink at a seedy tavern, Bayard and his friend Marcus Toole decide to hike up a nearby hill to spy on possible Druid rituals as a "lark".  Once on the crest of the hill, Bayard wanders off to relieve himself and subsequently passes out, only to wake to the sight of his friend burning on a pit of fire as a human sacrifice.  Traumatized, Bayard goes to his uncle for help. In the course of a couple weeks, two more of Bayard's friends are killed in what looks to be methods of Celtic sacrificial means. Now with three dead friends Bayard fears he will be the next if Sebastian, Viscount Devlin, isn't able to solve the mystery first. In the process of the investigation, Viscount Devlin, learns that Bayard's group of friends have accumulated many possible suspects through their poor treatments of others. Viscount Devlin also finds himself  wondering if Bayard could be involved in the murders of his friends. Along with the help of his wife, Hero, he solves the mystery and even deals with a radical political movement  that threatens the government. 

Harris introduces a multitude of characters to support and enhance her storyline, creating both intrigue and suspense as Viscount Devlin works to solve the crimes. I am so excited to have been asked to participate in this blog tour for Harris's exciting new mystery.  To also discover such a talented historical fiction author in the process is a gift that will continue to bring me exciting adventures for a long while.

I sincerely encourage my readers to delve into When The Wolves Are Silent, by C.S. Harris. and continue to enjoy her previous novels that are prequels to this one.  I am thoroughly enjoying the entire series and can't wait to read some more! 

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of C.S. Harris's novel, When The Wolves Are Silent from NetGalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #WhentheWolvesAreSilent

Winter Song

     Sometimes a book is just a good story. That is my opinion of Rebeca Lee Morales's book, Winter Song,  to be published December 1, 2026 from Harper Collins Publishers.  Morales, a fresh literary voice, writes a compelling story about a small town in Minnesota and the close knit ties of community, the good and the bad. 

   Byron Lugo has just been released from prison for a hit and run murder he was convicted of, but Byron swears that he did not commit.  His one focus, ultimate goal, is to get the life that he feels was stolen from him back. He is bound and determined that the town will see that he is innocent of the hit and run death of a teenage boy.  

    Life has moved on since his incarceration.  His fiancee has married a man that Byron considers a brute. His friends still have his back, but not everyone in town feels the same way. Gordon Trent, the town's chief of police advises Byron to move on with his life, stop looking back. He has paid his debt to society, get busy living again. Yet forgetting his wrongful conviction is not part of his plan, redeeming himself is his goal.

    The story poses the questions, can you ever relive the past? Once the general opinion of a community is formed, whether a person is guilty or innocent, can that consensus be corrected? Even when a court rules the person innocent of a crime...or guilty.  

    Morales's writing is well thought out and plainly powerful. Her characters speak for themselves with voices that feel as though the reader is sitting next to them as part of their conversations.  I was simply part of the story as I experienced the book. Which is exactly what I am looking for in this form of literary fiction.  Winter Song was not a thriller, nor a complex murder mystery. Winter Song was a good story.  I encourage you to read it for yourself December 2026. 

I received an advanced reader's copy of Winter Song from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

#NetGalley #WinterSong

Lords of Serendipity

   Having just finished the book, Lords of Serendipity by Randy Boyagoda, I have more questions than I have answers.  I feel confused.  The story is centered in academia, dealing with both sides of classroom dynamics.  It begins with a SrI Lankan girl, Devi, who dreams of attending a prestigious college in the United States or the United Kingdom.  She wants to make her family and country proud of her. We meet her family, and the poverty and struggle they face to help her reach her goals. She continues to face struggles and road blocks to her dreams.

Next we meet professors and deans of  global colleges. Some struggling themselves to make their mark on the world of higher education.  The reader is introduced to corruption in the academic system. The foreign students are sold grades by an enterprising graduate teaching assistant.  Devi, the Sri Lankan is scammed by an online tutor whom she is paying to get help with her college applications.  Professors are asked to overlook cheating. The Moral compass is broken.  The book is a roller coaster ride of collegiate drama.

The most endearing characters are two college students, one a migrant orphan from Sri Lanka, another a United States citizen whose father is a statistics professor.  The girls find friendship amongst the mayhem. 

So, my problem with this book is there was little continuity. I found the plot disjointed and the scenes did not flow from one to the other.  The characters were memorable, but without a tight well moving plot, I had a hard time feeling truly invested in their stories. At the end of the book I still felt lost. Not left hanging, like a cliffhanger, but rather unsatisfied. I felt like the author had many plot lines that needed to be tied together, and he did this as he ended the story, but it didn't feel like it fit, more like it just needed to end.

I really struggle when I read a book I don't enjoy.  I truly look for positives in each one. In my opinion the positive in this book is the glimpse of Sri Lankan culture. Seeing struggles of an international student culture was enlightening. 

The negatives were the plot and overall depressing look at corruption in the academic settings.  I chose to read Lords of Serendipity because of the preview comments that said it was lively and hilarious.  The story just made me disheartened.  

I rated it with two stars. Lords of Serendipity will be published on September 8, 2026 by Mariner Books. 

Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's copy of Lords of Serendipity by Randy Boyagoda in exchange for this honest review. 

#LordsofSerendipity #NetGalley