Linda C. Wright's Blog, page 42

A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena De Blasi

A Thousand Days in Tuscany was a very tough book to read.  Now I want to go to Tuscany, rent a villa and live among the locals.  I'm under employed therefore my ability to travel to wonderful and interesting places is out of the question.  The stories of cooking and baking and gathering chestnuts and olives from the field made me hungry.  My mouth drooled while reading the author's descriptions of each meal.  I'm on a diet.  It was torture.



And then there's the whole wine thing.  All her won...

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

This is one of those books that I stared at in the bookstore for months.  I had to have it.  It'll be for research I told myself since I'm writing my own memoir at the moment.  One trip to the store with Richard when he told me to buy what I wanted.

"You deserve it," he said.

My willpower had ebbed to a low point where I couldn't push his kind and loving words to the back of my mind.  I bought the book.  He wanted me to have it.  I gave myself permission to blame my impulsiveness on Richard....

I've Got a Best Seller

Today was book review day in the USA Today.  I love to read their book review.  Today was especially interesting about the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.  It's a novel that's transcended time.  It's also a movie that's done the same.



I found it interesting that Harper Lee never wrote another novel.  Never.  And she's even turned down Oprah for an interview.  The rest of us writers can't wait to be invited by Oprah.  I would never dream of turning her down!  I had a ...

The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter

I know a few of my friends will scream and shout for joy when they read this blog post.  I skimmed most of this book.  There.  I said it.  I didn't actually read the entire book.  I gave up.  It was just too much for me.



Talcott or Tal or Misha or whatever his name was, bored me.  As a law professor he seemed so stupid.  As a father, a son, a husband he was also clueless.  And he talked on incessantly about why he was the way he was.  If he called his wife, Kimmer, mercurial, one more time,...

Lead Me Not Into Temptation

My local Walmart is in the process of being remodeled.  I'm happy about that.  It's shaping up nicely.  Since I'm there just about everyday I check on its progress often.



I browse the aisles with my new shopping cart, peer through the clear glass of the new freezer cases, and tap my shoes on the new faux wood floors.  I make my way to the back of the store to find Ginger some treats in the new pet section.  Out of the corner of my eye I spot a section I've always been able to avoid while in...

I'm Having a Rough Day

Yesterday was a really rough day.  I set up an appointment with the district manager at HR Block to discuss my possibilities for next season's employment.  Not bothering to ask what office she was working out of that day, I drove to the wrong one.  When I finally arrived at the right place, I was an hour late.



The meeting went well however.  When I got home Richard and I worked out on paper roughly what I would be able to earn doing taxes next year.  I then freshened my makeup and headed ou...

First You Run by Roxanne St. Claire

This title has an interesting history.  I know Roxanne St. Claire.  She's a member of the SpacecoasT Authors of Romance or STARS for short, as am I.  Rocki is fun, intelligent, welcoming and has a way of making all new group members feel at home.  I admire her.  My copy of her book is autographed.  I have a special shelf just for my signed copies, I think they're so special.  First You Run has also been designated as a Ginger pick.



Being a Ginger pick means that one corner of the book is co...

A Widow For One Year by John Irving

I loved it.  Irving tells a complex, quirky, fascinating story in a complex, quirky, fascinating way.  You have to wrap your head around it.  Thinking is required when reading John Irving.  He's a master at his craft.



This story is about all the things in life we'd rather not talk about.  A mother deserting her 4 year old daughter when she was unable to deal with her grief concerning the loss of two teenage sons gripped me.  Eddie, a teenage boy developing a life long desire for this grievi...

In The Here and Now

I'm freaking out!!  I went to the computer to log in my most recent book review.  It brings me alot of pleasure to see one more title crossed of that list.  Usually.  This time I clicked on the file and got a message.



"Excel cannot open this file.  It may have been damaged."



What?  I tried to open it again.  Same message.  I tried to open it from the back up.  At first I couldn't find it and when I did, same message.  My hands started to shake and I thought I would be sick.



I'd put my he...

The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser

The Swan House has a title and a cover that drew me in.  I imagined this story to be about an old, possibly deserted mansion with secrets to hide.  This book has plenty of secrets but none were about the house.  In fact the house really didn't have much to do with the story.  I felt the title was out of place.



The Swan House is a Christian fiction novel.  If I had known that I might never have bought it.  Not that I'm not a Christian, I am but it's not the kind of fiction I typically care to...