New Year's Eve

I haven't posted on my blog in ages. Now it's New Year's Eve 2024. Not sure what 2025 will bring. I'm hoping for peace, but not likely. Anyway, I've been reading lots and lots of books this year, 77 of them. That's the advantage of being retired. I'm not going to list them all here, though you can see them on my Goodreads page. In the meantime, here are a few books that really stand out.

Beartown by Fredrick Backman

Us Against You by Fredrick Backman

The Winner by Fredrick Backman

High Tide (Essays) by Barbara Kingsolver

The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

What am I reading now?

The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth

Wishing you all a Peaceful New Year!

Writing, Painting and Books

A few years back my lifestyle changed and I switched from writing to painting. It was a fun thing I did with my grandkids. However, now that they're into their teens painting is no longer top on their lists of things to do. So what does a Nana/Grandma do but dig through boxes of unfinished stories and novels and start writing again? I'm going to try my hand at some teen novels and maybe I'll once again catch the interest of my grandkids. All three of them love to read, tell stories and write.

In the meantime, I'm still going to paint now and then because I enjoy doing so. After substitute teaching for the last four school years, I'm finally retired. So I have lots of time on my hands. I'm sure I can paint, write, read lots of books and continue to dream.

Before I forget, I've been reading lots of great, awesome, interesting, enjoyable books. Here's a list of the most recent ones. You can also check out my Goodreads pages for the books I've read over the last many years. There are a bunch of them. 

A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber (Verity Kent #4)

The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen (#14)

Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes

Windfallen by Jojo Moyes

The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes

The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper

Fled by Meg Keneally

The Horse Thief by Tea Cooper

The Beekeeper's Promise by Fiona Valpy

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

The Tide Between Us by Olive Collins

The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O'Neal

The Saturday Evening Girls Club by Jane Healey

White Hot by Sandra Brown

The Magnolia Story by Chip & Joanna Gaines

The Selection by Kiera Cass

You might ask, what are you reading now? Well, I'm usually reading more than one book at a time. So here are my most current reads:

I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott

The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I think you can tell that I love books. I hope that you do too.

A Journey Through Books

Books have always been a major part of my life. I read in happy times and sad, and all those times in between. Sometimes I read to escape, other times for knowledge, most often for just the pure pleasure of reading.

I confess, I've not written a new blog post in simply ages. Sometimes life and writing get in the way. But in spite of numerous distractions I always find time to read. So I thought I'd share with you a list of those wonderful, exciting, interesting, awesome and great reads since my last blog post. These are books I've read, loved and hope you'll enjoy. The books are in the order in which I read them. All of them were great reads.



Broken Ferns (Lei Crime #4) by Toby Neal
Island Fire by Toby Neal
Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
Sea Glass by Anita Shreve
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve
A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve
Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond
The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth
The Visitors by Sally Beauman
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The English Spy (Gabriel Allon, #15) by Daniel Silva
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Empty Throne (Saxon Tales, #8) by Bernard Cornwell
Mila 18 by Leon Uris
The Shell Keeper (Lei Crime KW) by Christine Nolfi
Twisted Vine (Lei Crime, #5) by Toby Neal
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Beekeeper's Daughter by Santa Montefiore
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
Circling the Son by Paula McLain
The Storm of the Century by Al Roker*
Breaking Sky by Cort McCarthy
Shadow (Blue-Link, #1) by Maureen A. Miller
Dry Bones (Longmire, #11) by Craig Johnson
13 Hours in Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff*
Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall

(* = Non-Fiction)

Note - Please forgive me if I left off any. There were so many books, I might have missed a few.

Whew! That was a lot of books read from April through December in 2015. Since the books were so numerous, I decided to list my 2016 reads in another post.

Keep reading, my bookish friends. And please feel free to list any of your favorite reads in the comments below.

Raving About Books

Another day of rain, so this is definitely a book day. I've been reading so many great books lately that it's high time for me to rave about them.

I can't believe that the last post where I listed books I'd read and recommended was in July of last year. My only excuse is that life and grandkids and my dogs and writing and reading got in the way. Well, in this post I'll play catch-up and rave about the books I've read since then. I can highly recommend every one of the books listed below. (Note - The books are listed in the order read.)

Books Read from August 2014 through December 2014:

Plague by H. W. "Buzz" Bernard
Outlander (#1) by Diana Gabaldon*
Redcoat by David Crookes
Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon
Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon
Blood Orchid (Lei Crime #1) by Toby Neal
Torch Ginger (Lei Crime #2) by Toby Neal
Married by Midnight by Talli Roland
Black Friday by Alex Kava
The Salaryman's Wife (Rei Shimura #1) by Sujata Massey*
Zen Attitude (Rei Shimura #2) by Sujata Massey

Books Read from January 2015 through April 2015:

The Flower Masters (Rei Shimura #3) by Sujata Massey
The Defector (Gabriel Allon #9) by Daniel Silva
Black Jasmine (Lei Crime #3) by Toby Neal
The Rembrandt Affair (Gabriel Allon #10) by Daniel Silva
Portrait of a Spy (Gabriel Allon #11) by Daniel Silva
Never, Never (#1) by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
The Fallen Angel (Gabriel Allon #12) by Daniel Silva
The English Girl (Gabriel Allon #13) by Daniel Silva
The Heist (Gabriel Allon #14) by Daniel Silva
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
1984 by George Orwell*
Z, A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
Neverhome by Laird Hunt
Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough
The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

* Books I've read more than once.

Hmm! Obviously I've been spending lots and lots of time reading. However, there's never enough time to read all the books I want to read.

My local library is only a mile away, so I go there at least once a week. Plus, I have zillions of books on my two Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire). I confess, I have way more books on my Kindles than I'll ever be able to read in ten lifetimes. Of course, there's no such thing as too many books.

Yes, every single one of the books listed above were great reads. I just know you'll love reading them too. If you want, you can check out my Goodreads page for my short reviews on each of these books.

Teri Heyer's Book Reviews on Goodreads

Books I'm currently reading:

Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carnes

Happy Reading!!!!

Books and Football

I happen to love football, so it's kind of a sad moment when Super Bowl Sunday arrives. I always enjoy watching the game, but then it also means the end of football season. On the other hand, it also means I'll have a lot more time to read on weekends until the next football season starts.

Since I'm talking about books and football, here are a few you might want to read:

Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees*
First Things First: The Rules of Being a Warner by Kurt Warner & Brenda Warner*
Manning: A Father, His Sons and a Football Legacy by Peyton Manning & Archie Manning
It's Only a Game by Terry Bradshaw
Football for Dummies by Howie Long & John Czarnecki

Books for those who love contemporary romance and football:

It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars #1) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips*
Heaven, Texas (Chicago Stars #2) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips*
Nobody's Baby But Mine (Chicago Stars #3) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips*
Any Given Christmas (A Sugar Shack Novel) by Candis Terry*
Blitzing Emily (A Love & Football Novel) by Julie Brannagh
Fourth and Goal (Seattle Lumberjacks #1) by Jami Davenport

* = Books I've read and can definitely recommend. The others are books I want to read.

I've read  and loved all of Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Chicago Stars Series and Candis Terry's Sugar Shack Series. I'm looking forward to reading the Love and Football Series by Julie Brannagh and the Seattle Lumberjacks Series by Jami Davenport. What can I say? I just love football.

I'd take time to list more football books, both fiction and non-fiction, but it's time to watch the Super Bowl XLIX Pregame. By the way, I'm rooting for the Seattle Seahawks this time around.

Christmas, Dogs and Books

I can't believe that Christmas is almost here. How did this happen? I swear this year has zipped by much too fast. I still have to do some last minute Christmas shopping, but it's a rainy day and I'm dreading going out in that. Hmm! I might finish up with Amazon and Walmart gift cards. Ebooks are always great gifts too.

Here are some Christmas eBooks you're sure to enjoy:

Married by Midnight by Talli Roland
Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland
Last Christmas by Talli Roland
Big on Christmas by Jan Romes
The Christmas Contract by Jan Romes
Xmas Affair by Ruth Kerce (a sensual short)
Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry
Christmas of the Red Chiefs by Linda Lael Miller
Mrs. Scrooge by Barbara Bretton

Series eBooks that would make great last minute gifts:

Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
Rei Shimura Mystery Series by Sujata Massey
BEYOND Series by Maureen A. Miller (YA/NA SciFi)
Lei Crime Series by Toby Neal (Hawaii)
Samantha Jamison Mystery Series by Peggy A. Edelheit
Texas Boys Falling Fast Series by Jan Romes (Romance)
Xylon Warriors Series by Ruth Kerce (Elora's Cave)
Maggie O'Dell Series by Alex Kava (mystery/suspense)
Hetta Coffey Mystery Series by Jinx Schwarts
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell
Build a Man Series by Talli Roland (Chick Lit)
Bluewater Series by C. L. R. Dougherty (suspense/thriller)
Sackett Series by Louis L'Amour
Sullivan's War Series by Michael K. Rose (SciFi)
Saxon Tales Series by Bernard Cornwell (historical fiction)

I could go on and on listing books and series. As you can tell, I LOVE BOOKS and think they make the best Christmas presents ever. So don't forget to buy books and eBooks for Christmas for yourself and your friends and loved ones.

Well, I have to apologize for neglecting my blog these past few months. I added a new puppy, Jazzy, to my fur-family back in September and she's taken up a lot of my time. Honestly, I practically live at the dog park these days. That's what happens when you have two dogs, Dude and Jazzy, who insist on going to the dog park nearly every single day. My other dog, Shani, is almost thirteen years old and isn't interested in the dog park. Shani has a lot of medical issues, so we're taking it day by day.

I went to Winter Fest and rode on the Christmas Trolley in Pensacola with my grandkids on Saturday night. Christmas lights everywhere. It was very festive and we all had a grand time.

We're planning a Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings. Yum! The leftovers are the best part.

Well, the rain is temporarily letting up, so I need to make a mad dash to finish my shopping.

I hope you all have an awesome, wonderful, Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Summer Reads

Ever since I was a little kid, summer and reading have gone hand in hand. I remember walking, usually barefoot, to the library and spending hours searching for just the right books to bring home. Then I'd walk back home with an armload of books. My next door best friends almost always went with me and sometimes we even let my little brother tag along. I always came back home with an armload of books.


Obviously I'm no longer a kid, but I still look forward to summer reads. Most of the books I enjoy these days are on my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire), though I still make regular trips to the library. I no longer walk barefoot to the library, but I do drive home with an assortment of books.


Considering we've reached the mid-point of a long, hot, muggy (Hey, I live in Florida) summer, it seemed like the perfect time to write a post about summer reads. So here's a list of the books I've read since the first day of summer. All of them were great reads which I can definitely recommend.


My Summer Reads:


Outback Station by Aaron Fletcher
Summer of the Loon by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Virgin, Widow, Whore by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Jungle of Deceit by Maureen A. Miller
When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
Becoming Queen Victoria by Kate Williams*


I'm almost always reading more than one book. So what am I currently reading?


Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman
Sharp's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
Time Trap by Micah Caida
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing


What other books are on my summer reading list? Hmm! That's a good question. I always have more books on my list than I have time to read. However, here are some books I hope to read the second half of this summer.


On My Summer Reading List:


BEYOND: Three Paths by Maureen A. Miller
Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman
Her Perfect Life by Vicki Hinze
The Norman Conquest by Marc Morris*
City of the Sun by Juliana Maio
Hurricane Hole by R.P. Dahlke
We Two: Victoria and Albert ... by Gillian Gill*
Crisis of Identity by Denise Moncrief
Across Great Divides by Monique Roy
A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir


* = Non-Fiction


I know, that's a pretty ambitious reading list. I doubt that I'll get to all of them before the summer is out and, of course, I'll most likely add more to my list. Oh well, I read all year long, so I'm sure to get to all of them eventually. Just remember, there's no such thing as too many books.


What are you reading this summer? I'm always looking for suggestions, so please feel free to add yours in the comments below. Happy summer reading to y'all.

In Love With Books

I've been in love with books since I was a little kid. Some of my happiest memories are all those times I spent at the library perusing the bookshelves and then carrying home an armload of books. Then I'd curl up on the couch, stretch out on my bed, or sit on the patio and read, read, read. To this day I read every chance I can get.

In my last blog post I promised to list the books I've been reading lately. I loved and can recommend every single book I've listed below. Most are fiction, but those marked with (*) are non-fiction. I like to read a variety of books, so you'll find historical fiction, history, contemporary fiction, romance and everything in between. I've listed the books by the month I finished reading them, from January of this year to the present month.

January:

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

The Queen of Lost Hopes by Susan Higginbotham

February:

The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham

1215 - The Year of Magna Carta by Danny Danziger & John Gillingham *

Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham

1066 - The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth *

Death of Kings (Saxon Tales #6) by Bernard Cornwell

March:

The Pagan Lord (Saxon Tales #7) by Bernard Cornwell

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

April:

The High Sheriff of Huntingdon by Anne Stuart

Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen

Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

Under an Enchantment by Anne Stuart

May:

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill *

Dark Angels by Karleen Koen

The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

Supercell by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard

Divergent (Divergent Trilogy #1) by Veronica Roth

June:

The Unforgiven by Alan LeMay

Insurgent (Divergent Trilogy #2) by Veronica Roth

The Light Horseman's Daughter by David Crookes

I'm almost always reading more than one book, usually something from the library and the rest are usually eBooks on my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire).

Currently Reading:

The Black Count ... The Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss *

Outback by Aaron Fletcher

Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann

Summer of the Loon by Deanna L. Sletten

If you're at a loss of what to read next, you can't go wrong with any of the books I've listed above. All of them are great reads.

I hope you all love books as much as I do.

Floridaze

For those who read my blog from time to time, it's apparent that I've been absent for quite some time. I have lots of excuses, including computer and server problems, ice storms, thunderstorms, raging floods and just plain procrastination. Yes, all those things really happened.


I live on the Gulf Coast of the Florida Panhandle and this year we've faced more storms than in years past. A few months back an ice storm brought my part of Florida to a standstill for several days. Roads and bridges were shut down and only those with 4-wheel-drive managed to get from one end of town to another without slip-sliding all over the place. My two dogs, Shani and Dude, thoroughly enjoyed playing in the ice topped with a tiny bit of snow.


Florida normally gets thunderstorms year around, but this year we've had some really wild ones that lasted for hours and hours. Dude is afraid of thunder, so he had a lot of bad, sleepless nights. I don't much care for thunderstorms, but if I'm really exhausted I can manage to sleep through a storm now and then.


A couple weeks ago we were hit with 'The Mother of All Storms' which dropped between 17 and 30 inches of rain here on the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf Coast of Alabama. Thousands of homes were flooded, including over 350 homes near where I live. No, my house didn't flood, but houses less than a block away did flood under several feet of water. According to the latest reports, approximately 30 inches of rain fell in my neighborhood in less than 10 hours. It's being reported as a "500 Year Flood." I hope that means there won't be another deluge of this magnitude here during my lifetime. But then, you never know.


To sum things up, I'm "The Queen of Procrastination." I needed a break from writing and blogging. Though I never intended to take this long of a break. But now I'm ready to jump back in and write, write and write. Oh yeah, unless I decide to procrastinate some more.


For the record, I've been reading lots of books over the last few months. So in my next post I'll list some of those books I read and loved.

A Writer's List of New Year's Resolutions

Dream Big for 2014. (Sunset over Pensacola Bay.)

Every New Year I make a mental list of New Year's Resolutions and then, as the year proceeds, I turn around and forget those resolutions one by one.

So why should 2014 be any different? Well, this New Year I'm going to write down some of those resolutions in my blog for the world to see and, hopefully, for me to remember.

Of course, it's not just about remembering those profound resolutions, it's about the doing too. Yesireee, it's the doing that's the hardest part, for sure.

So here goes, my List of New Year's Resolutions for 2014:

1) Write, write and write some more. (I can't be a writer if I don't write. Duh!)

2) Think good thoughts. (My mom says if I have good thoughts then I won't ever have any medical problems. I'm hoping it applies to writing too and I won't have any writing problems?)

3) Write every single day even if I delete it all the next day. (Best to delete the not-so-good writing of the day before so no ones sees it. Just sayin' ...)

4) Dream Big and then follow it up with some hard work. (Like writing my butt off.)

5) Eat, sleep and be merry. (Hey, it sounds good. Cheers!)

6) Finish all those zillions of short stories, novellas and novels pining away in my laptop. (Well, maybe not all of them, but at least a few.)

7) Publish more books in 2014. (More is better, so they say.)

8) Spend less time on Twitter. (This is a hard one. I happen to love Twitter.)

9) Read for inspiration. (Oh, this is an easy one. I always read, lots and lots of books.)

10) Keep the Faith. (I am a writer. I know how to write. I am going to write. Hip hip hooray!)

Now I have to admit these New Year's Resolutions are pretty lame, but if I follow them I will get some writing done and some of my works-in-progress finished and out there for my readers to enjoy.

In the meantime, wishin' y'all a very wonderful, awesome and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! May your New Year be filled with peace, prosperity and lots and lots of books.

Christmas is not Christmas without Books

Santa on my bookshelf.

Ever since I was a little kid I've been asking for books at Christmas. Some years I've only gotten one or two and other years I've gotten bunches of books.

Well, my taste in reading has grown through the years. As a little kid I wanted Thumbelina, Madeline and fairy tales. In my early school days I wanted Hans Brinker - Or The Silver Skates, Savage Sam, Mary Poppins, A Wrinkle in Time, Thomasina, Nancy Drew books and so many others.

An old fashioned Santa on my bookshelf.

In my teens I wanted Gone with the Wind, The Thorn Birds, The Moon-Spinners, anything by James Michener and Taylor Caldwell, and lots of classics. In my college years I wanted history books and classics, including Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and War and Peace.

Even now, at my more "advanced" age, I still want books for Christmas. So Santa, I hope you're reading this, because I'd really, really, really love some books for Christmas.

Wishing y'all a very Merry Christmas and lots of great books under your Christmas tree.

Waiting for Santa

Santa at a local Christmas parade.

This time of year most of us are waiting for Santa. There are items on our wish lists that we hope to find under the Christmas Tree.

Even at my age, I still have a wish list. So what's on that list? Books, lots and lots of books, eBooks for my Kindle Fire and history books for my bookshelves. However, I have so many history books that I really need to add "Bookshelf" to my list too.

Will I get all those books on my wish list? Of course not, but I'll get a few even if I have to buy them myself.

Is there anything else on my Christmas list? Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. I love dark chocolate the best, but just about any kind of chocolate will do. Santa will most likely bring me a Whitman's Sampler and some Ghirardelli Chocolates.

Oh, and I'd like some fruitcake too. No, don't laugh, I'm one of those few people who actually loves fruitcake. When Santa comes to my house, that's one thing I always get. Yum!

Hmm! What else is on my list? CDs. I love music, particularly country music. Hunter Hayes' CD is one I'd love to have. But honestly, I'd be delighted with CDs by just about any country singer, including Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, I could go on and on. Well, I'm pretty certain that Santa will bring me a CD or two or three.

Now back to those books I was talking about. Santa knows I need books and Christmas just isn't Christmas without books. I'd be perfectly content with an Amazon gift card (hint, hint, Santa I hope you're reading this).

If you're passionate about (addicted to) books like I am, then you might want to start an online wish list like mine at Amazon. I'm always adding books to the list, so it's always evolving. I read a variety of books: romances, historical fiction, literary fiction, history books. Believe me, my wish list of books is really really long.

Will Santa bring me any of those books on my list? Well, I can always hope so. But like I said, an Amazon gift card would be a perfect gift for me.

I'm no longer a kid, but hey, I'm still anxiously waiting for Santa. I hope you are too.

Christmas in November - Some Holiday Reads

'A Christmas Contract' on my Kindle Fire.

It seems the older I get the faster the year zips by. This year is no exception and feels like a breakneck race to the holidays. Well, it's a good thing I enjoy the holidays and look forward to all those wonderful holiday reads.

I couldn't help doing a post about some of the holiday reads on my Kindle Fire. In fact, the past couple nights I actually started reading a collection of Christmas romances. These holiday reads are like comfort foods for the soul.

'Mistletoe in Manhattan' on my Kindle Fire.

If you love reading romances, both contemporary and historical, you'll be sure to find something to like in the holiday books I've added to my Kindle Fire. Some of these I've read before and others I haven't yet started. Oh, I just love holiday reads.

This list below is just some of the Christmas books on my Kindle Fire. They range from sweet romances to spicey hot and everything in between.

'Army Doctor's Christmas ...' on my Kindle Fire.

I'm currently reading Helen Scott Taylor's Army Doctor's Christmas Collection which includes, Army Doctor's Baby, Army Doctor's Wedding and Army Doctor's Christmas Baby. I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying this heartwarming collection of Christmas reads.

'A Home for Christmas' on my Kindle Fire.

Christmas Holiday Reads (in no particular order):

Army Doctors Christmas Collection by Helen Scott Taylor
The Christmas Contract by Jan Romes
A Home for Christmas by Deborah Grace Smiley
Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland*
A Cowboy for Christmas by Lori Wilde
Xmas Affair by Ruth D. Kerce*
A Spy for Christmas by Kristen James
Kiss of the Christmas Wind by Janelle Taylor
Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry*
The Gift of Gray by Jan Romes
All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello
A Grosvenor Square Christmas by Anna Campbell, et al.
Blue Christmas by Diane Moody
A Bush Christmas by Margareta Osborn
Christmas at the Red Chiefs by Linda Lael Miller*
A Dixie Christmas by Sandra Hill

(* = Holiday books I've read, enjoyed and will read again.)

'Xmas Affair' on my Kindle Fire.

There are just so many great Christmas Holiday books out there, so please feel free to add your recommendations in the comments below. Remember, there's no such thing as too many books and definitely no such thing as too many Christmas Holiday books.

Best wishes to y'all for a wonderful holiday season. Happy reading too.

Howl-o-ween at the Bark Park

Dude as the Sheriff of the Dog Park.

This afternoon was Howl-o-ween at the Bark Park. A few dozen dogs turned out, most of them in costume, along with their favorite people.

Of course, my dog, Dude, had to attend. After all, he's a regular at the park. Dude was a hit as the Sheriff of the Dog Park.

Believe it or not, Dude didn't mind parading around in his ghost bandanna, vest, sheriff's badge and cowboy hat. At first he wasn't too sure about the hat, but then he decided even that was okay.

Reggie dressed as a cow, complete with a cowbell.

I managed to get photos of a few of the dogs at the Howl-o-ween party.

Reggie, the black and white Cocker Spaniel, dressed as a cow. Reggie is one of Dude's favorite dog buddies. They enjoy running around the dog park together with Reggie in the lead. When Reggie gets tired he rolls over and plays dead.

Sophie in her poodle costume.

Sophie, the reddish-blond Cocker Spaniel, dressed as a poodle. Sophie is pretty much the queen of the dog park. She welcomes new dogs to the park and makes sure they understand the rules -- her rules. Reggie and Sophie live together and are regulars at the park. Sophie was a winner in her poodle costume.

Oliver as a Patriots Quarterback.

Oliver, the five month old Border Collie, dressed as a New England Patriots Quarterback. Oliver is one of the newer members of the dog park and certainly the most energetic of the bunch. He systematically wears out every dog that enters the park. Maybe Oliver should have dressed as the Energizer Bunny?

Dude enjoys playing with Oliver, but he can't compete with the puppy's energy level. Dude, at three years old, can play one on one with Oliver for about fifteen minutes and then he has to hand the puppy off to another dog.



Maggie the puppy in her devil costume.

Some of the dogs who attended the Howl-o-ween party were ones Dude and I had never met before. One was a puppy named Maggie who dressed as the devil and won a prize for the scariest costume.

One little dog won for the best "Diva" costume. Another little dog won for the most original costume dressed as a bumblebee. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the little bumblebee. Another little dog was in jailhouse stripes. I didn't get the names of those dogs.




The "Diva" and the jailhouse dog.

I missed getting a photo of Dude's buddy, Lulu. She's an Old English Bulldog and was dressed as a bunch of purple grapes. I also missed getting a photo of Dude's puppy buddy, Thor, who was sporting a big bow.
Another dog park regular, Dexter the Boxer, was there to see the festivities, but didn't come in costume. Dexter was not at all pleased to see his buddy, Dude, dressed as a sheriff.





My Shani in her ghost bandanna.

I think the Howl-o-ween party was fun for all the dogs and their people too.

My older dog, Shani, wasn't interested in going to the dog park. But she didn't mind wearing her ghost bandanna and posing for a photo.

A Happy Howl-o-ween to all.



Just Another Day At The Zoo

Just another day at the zoo for this chimpanzee.

Another day at the Gulf Breeze Zoo. This time it was for "Boo at the Zoo" and all the little kids, including my grandkids, were in Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating at the zoo.

What a gorgeous face.

If you happen to be in northwest Florida, be sure to check out our great little zoo.

Gulf Breeze Zoo

Boo at the Zoo

What a beautiful color.

The zoo critters had different reactions to the costumed kids. Some were fascinated and others, like one of the chimpanzees, wasn't the least bit impressed with the day's visitors.

The male tiger watching the costumed kids.

The male tiger seemed particularly interested in the kids. His expression was "I bet they taste like chicken."

One of the many roosters wandering around the zoo.

After three and a half hours at the zoo I'm exhausted. So this is just a very short post with an assortment of photos I couldn't resist posting.



The giraffes are always eager for a handout.

I have a year long pass for the zoo and am a frequent visitor, which means I take lots of zoo photos. So please stop back from time to time to see my latest photos.

The elephant wishing well at the zoo.

Wishing y'all a wonderful week.

The Beach Houses on Pensacola Beach

Pastel colored beach houses on Pensacola Beach.

I happen to love the beach houses on Pensacola Beach. I love the pastel colors, all those balconies, lots of windows, and the awesome views of the sugar-sand beach with it's turquoise-emerald waters.

I love this one, it's one of my favorites.

I always enjoy driving by the beach houses, which, it seems, are much too big to be called beach cottages. I'm always thinking, if I could just win the lottery I'd buy one. But then I rarely play the lottery, so how could I possibly win?

Then I start calculating how many of my books I'd need to sell in order to buy one of those beach houses. And then I realize that it would take me about two hundred years or more to make enough money to buy one. But then I dream about owning my very own beach house anyway, because, you know, a girl has to dream.

I love this one too.

I live only a couple miles inland from Pensacola Beach, just the other side of the beach bridge. So I'm not all that far away. My house is minuscule in comparison and doesn't have a beach or water view. Ah, well. At least I live close enough to visit the beach whenever I want. So I can drive by those beach houses and pick out my favorite, which changes from time to time.

And I love this one.

At least for now, the brighter pink one is my favorite. I thought it was so cool when I took these latest photos and realized that the pink house had this unique cloud just overhead. The cloud looked like an arrow and pointed directly at MY pink house.

And I love this one.

No, I don't know who owns any of these houses. Some belong to year-around residents, others are vacation homes and some are beach rentals. All the ones in these photos are located right across the street from the beach.

Gee, and I love this one too.

Now if someone wanted to give me one of  those houses, well, I'd take any one of them. But for now, the brighter pink one, as opposed to the pale pink one, is my very favorite. Then again, tomorrow I may have a different favorite one.

My favorite pretty pink beach house.

I've always wanted to live in a pretty pink house. Don't ask my why. I mean, I've dreamed about a pink house since I was a little kid. So, who knows, maybe someday I'll have one of my very own?

So, which of these beach houses is your favorite?

On Pensacola Beach - Waiting for Hurricane(?) Karen with Jim Cantore

Me and TWC's Jim Cantore at Pensacola Beach.

Now I have been a fan of The Weather Channel's meteorologist, Jim Cantore, for many years. Jim is pretty much a fixture when it comes to tropical storms and hurricanes. He has an uncanny sense of where those dreaded hurricanes are going to make landfall. Some even dare to say that Jim Cantore is a magnet for hurricanes.

This morning at Pensacola Beach. Waiting for Karen.

Well, when I turned on The Weather Channel this morning, there was Jim Cantore reporting from Pensacola Beach. So how could I resist? I live just over the bridge from the beach, so I had to drive over there to meet Jim and to take some beach photos.

This morning at the east side of the Pensacola Beach pier.

I have to say that Jim was very gracious and even had one of his camera crew take a couple photos of us with my camera. (If you're reading this post Jim, thank you so very much.)




Storm clouds above the Pensacola Beach pier.

I handed Jim my card and told him that I'm a local author, I have a blog and I follow him on Twitter. Well, my card has the cover of my book, Outback Love. So Jim said, "Outback Love?" And I mentioned that I'm a romance writer. Jim responded with, "I could use some romance in my life." Couldn't we all?

Surfers this morning on Pensacola Beach.

I told Jim that it was great getting to meet him, but that if he was at Pensacola Beach it meant that Karen is probably heading our way. So meeting Jim Cantore is sort of a good and bad thing. Nice to meet him, but we really don't want a hurricane coming our way.

Awesome storm clouds over Pensacola Beach this morning.

Well, I walked the beach and snapped a bunch of pre-Karen photos. The surf was up and the sun was peeking through the clouds and sparkling on the water. The clouds were gorgeous, as always when a tropical storm or hurricane is in the Gulf.

A view of Pensacola Beach from beneath the pier.

Several surfers were out, but the waves were breaking in such a way that the rides were short. I talked to one of the surfers who said he hoped the waves would be better this afternoon.

The far west end of Pensacola Beach.

Overall, the storm clouds were awesome this morning. At the time of these photos, Tropical Storm Karen was approximately 270 miles SSW of  Pensacola Beach. The actual point of landfall is still unknown.

Seagulls waiting for Tropical Storm/Hurricane Karen.

In spite of the fact that it was really cool getting to meet Jim Cantore this morning, we Floridians would rather have Tropical Storm Karen fizzle out in the Gulf and never reach hurricane strength.

Jim, you're welcome to visit our beach any ol' time, just please don't bring a hurricane with you.

Florida Fall Flowers

Roses at the Gulf Breeze Zoo.

Florida is truly the land of flowers and Fall is no exception. An assortment of pinks, reds, lavenders and blues are found just about everywhere.

Flowers I can't begin to name.

I happen to love flowers. So when I went to the Gulf Breeze Zoo the weekend before last I took bunches of photos of the flowers I found there.








Crepe Myrtle at the Gulf Breeze Zoo.

Some of the flowers I recognized: Roses, Crepe Myrtle and Oleander. Many others I couldn't even begin to name. (If you happen to know the names of some of these flowers, please feel free to comment below.)

No, I can't name these either.

My grandkids wanted to know why I was taking photos of flowers instead of just the animals and, of course, them. Yes, my grandkids always want photos taken of them wherever they go.

Lavender-Blue flowers a bit out of focus.

Well, my last post included some of the photos I took of the Rhinos, Zebras, Gorillas and other zoo animals. So it seemed only fair that today's post is all about those gorgeous flowers at the zoo.

More flowers I can't name.

If you want to visit the Gulf Breeze Zoo to see those flowers and zoo animals up close and personal, well, here's the link below so you'll know how to get there.

Gulf Breeze Zoo in NW Florida

I haven't a clue on this one.

Since I have a one year zoo pass I'll be visiting the zoo quite often, which means lots more photos of flowers and zoo animals.


Oleanders at the Gulf Breeze Zoo.

I hope you'll stop by from time to time to check out my posts and photos. I even post about writing every now and then. Gee, imagine that.

Magnolia seedpods are more colorful than the blooms.

I promise that my next post will be about books. After all, I love books even more than flowers, which is saying a lot.

Zebras, Rhinos and Gorillas, Oh My!

Rwanda, the Lowland Gorilla at the Gulf Breeze Zoo.

What better way to start the Fall Season than a trip to the zoo? So that's just what I did today with my grandkids. The Gulf Breeze Zoo is small, but it's so much fun.

Gulf Breeze Zoo in Northwest Florida

Rhinos on the run. Where's the food?

It was raining off and on, so everything was pretty wet.

Today we got to see the Zebras and Rhinos being fed, along with Llamas, Ostriches and other zoo animals I couldn't even begin to name.

Zebras heading for brunch.

It was pretty impressive to see Rhinos on the run. I swear the ground was shaking underfoot. The Zebras also arrived at a run.

Chow time at the zoo.

I've never been this close to Rhinos and Zebras. I was definitely as awed as my grandkids.

Chow time. Do we have to share?

My grandkids kept saying, "Nana, take another picture." So that's just what I did. Lots and lots of zoo photos. I already have about a zillion zoo photos, but I can always take more.

The regal Silverback Gorilla.

Rwanda, the female Lowland Gorilla, was as photogenic as ever. The huge Silverback Gorilla was very regal. I tried to get some photos of Kigali, the baby Gorilla, but he was in constant motion and his photos were just a blur.

If you like zoo pics, be sure to check out my previous zoo posts. Also, since I have a one year zoo pass, I'll be posting more zoo pics from time to time.