$500 will do it

Today was the first day of my vacation. I paid bills, treated myself to a deep dish pizza lunch, went to the bank, and took a long nap. I know it sounds lazy and boring. It was. Yet I am happy.

Because an extra $500 was direct deposited into my checking account. A holiday bonus! I'd heard rumors that it was on the way, but if you read this blog regularly you know I hear many work-related rumors. Happy that this one turned out to be true.

I'm now out of the office all the way until January 2. That's more than two weeks. That should give me time to decompress and re-evaluate. I anticipate coming out of this vacation feeling stronger and more confident than I was yesterday.

My top 10 books of 2017

Compiled by Goodreads, inspired by Kwizgiver, and in a format stolen from Casey Kasem. I recommend them all. I gave 10 through 3 each ****, while 2 and 1 absolutely earned their *****'s.

10. Robert B. Parker's Wonderland: A Spenser Novel by Ace Atkins
9. Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
8. Kennedy and Nixon by Chris Matthews
7. Prince Charles by Sally Bedell Smith
6. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
5. Royal Sisters by Anne Edwards
4. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
3. Jackie's Girl by Kathy McKeon
2. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

And now, here's #1!

1. Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson. This book touched me deeply and will stay with me forever. It's a tragedy that shaped the Kennedys and therefore affected all our lives in ways I never realized. The Special Olympics, The Americans with Disabilities Act are just two of the far-reaching ways Rosemary's life influenced ours. To paraphrase the author, Rosemary mattered. God bless this heartbreaking woman.

The Friday 56

The Friday 56

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.  

 

From A Christmas Return by Anne Perry. It's the 1890s. Crusty old matriarch Mariah Ellison simply is not feeling the Christmas spirit. A package arrives that sparks memories of a 20-year-old murder that shattered her friendship with Rowena, the victim's widow. It inspires her to take a Christmas journey, to seek out her old friend, to try to both repair the relationship and solve the murder.

 

From page 56: "I know what it is to be frightened," she said quietly. She even considered reaching out to touch Rowena's hand, but that was too outside the character she had always shown.