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KathyWheeler

KathyWheeler

Joined May 2016

review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I often find that St. James‘ books take me awhile to get into, but once I do, I enjoy them very much. I‘ve been reading this one, about a woman who comes to a town to pack up her dead, ghost hunting uncle‘s things and finds much more, for about a month and still had half of it left. I finished it today. I also finished The Authority Gap (a pick) and listened to The Harlequin Tea Set on my #audiowalk .

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KathyWheeler
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These short stories are very different from other Christie stories. They have a different atmosphere and mood, and many aren‘t detective stories at all. It‘s a very gray day here, but the clouds held off for the Arts & Crafts Festival, so that was nice. It was a chilly but nice day to stroll Fairhope and look at people‘s creations. #audiowalk

lynneamch Had a really lovely lunch there at Hope Farms a couple weeks ago. And, of course, a stop at Page & Palette and Latte Da. 2d
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 💚 1d
KathyWheeler @lynneamch I haven‘t been to Hope Farms. I‘ll have to check it out. 1d
KathyWheeler @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks This is the University of South Alabama campus. When I first interviewed here, in 1992, it was the ugliest campus I‘d ever been on. They‘ve improved it so much over the years. Now I love to walk there. 1d
21 likes4 comments
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KathyWheeler
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81% of people quoted in news stories about abortion are men. 81% !!

Bookwormjillk Incredible 2d
Soubhiville 🤬 2d
TrishB I want to swear loudly, but it‘s no surprise really 🤬 2d
See All 7 Comments
Suet624 What @trishb said. 2d
KathyWheeler @TrishB You‘re right. Unfortunately, it‘s no surprise at all. Infuriating, but no surprise. 2d
jlhammar Wow, that is messed-up. So infuriating. 2d
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I know!!! 🤯 That one jumped right out at me too! 21h
20 likes7 comments
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

Lolly Willowes is much shorter than The Corner That Held Them, but I liked it. It‘s a story of a woman who never gets married because first she takes care of her father, and when he dies she moves into her brother‘s house and helps take care of his kids. In her late 40s, she gets tired of this and moves alone to the country where things take an interesting turn. I got my walk in before the deluge. 😊 #audiowalk

jlhammar I remember liking this one, too! Might need to do a reread sometime. Definitely interested in trying more STW eventually - maybe this one next 3d
KathyWheeler @jlhammar That one looks interesting. I might try that one later too. 2d
batsy I adore Lolly Willowes 😁 Such a witchily feminist book. 2d
Reggie What a gorgeous route. 1d
30 likes5 comments
blurb
KathyWheeler
Lolly Willowes; or, the Loving Huntsman | Sylvia Townsend 1893- Warner
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I really liked The Corner That Held Them, so I thought I‘d try another Warner book. This has been a quiet story so far as well. It warmed up quite a bit - into the 60s. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Untitled | Unknown
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1:/ Both can add depth to a story. I don‘t mind them at all.
2:/ a bookmark with every book. I like those books that have ribbons attached to them for that purpose.
3:/ my recliner in my home office, but I also like to read in my rocking chair on my porch.

#WondrousWednesday

Eggs Ooo love # 2❤️❤️ 4d
15 likes1 comment
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

This is a low pick, mostly because Souder spends far too long on some topics. I do not need to know the entire history of the US nuclear weapons program to understand how it influenced Carson — a short chapter would‘ve been enough. Those parts get boring because they are unnecessarily long. I mostly enjoyed learning more about her and about the resistance to Silent Spring. #audiowalk

jlhammar Yes, he certainly is thorough! I‘m slowly making my way through the second half. 5d
KathyWheeler @jlhammar Yes, he is! 5d
24 likes2 comments
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KathyWheeler
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My power is out again because they‘re replacing the pole outside my house, so I‘m sitting here by my window reading Simone St. James. Picture is not from outside my house; it‘s from the internet.

review
KathyWheeler
The Christie Curse | Victoria Abbott
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Pickpick

This has been my nighttime listen, and I finished it today. It‘s the first in the series, all with mystery writers‘ names in the titles. The mystery was fine, but what will probably keep me reading is the characters. They are different and interesting. A Farther Shore remains my #audiowalk book, but I‘m getting impatient with it.

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KathyWheeler
Inquiry Into Love and Death | Simone St James
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1:/ The tagged book, The Authority Gap, The Last Coyote, The Christie Curse, and Demon Copperhead.
2:/ Simone St. James, Barbara Kingsolver, Patti Callahan Henry, Jane Austen, and many more.
3:/ Let Me Be Frank — Tracy Dawson
#weekendreads

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KathyWheeler
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The history museum has a “Dressing Downton Abbey” exhibit. That silver dress was my favorite. I also went to the downtown cathedral, which is beautiful, and then on my usual walk. I still have 6 hours left of On a Farther Shore, so I won‘t be finishing that anytime soon. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I‘m up to the section on Silent Spring now. Still enjoying it. My evening walk today was actually in the rain, but I don‘t think you can tell that from the pics. #audiowalk

UwannaPublishme Beautiful…even in the rain! 1w
KathyWheeler @UwannaPublishme Thank you. 😊 1w
28 likes2 comments
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KathyWheeler
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I loved that this mobile simulation lab has a picture of the Mobile Bay light house on it. I don‘t know what is being simulated in the lab, but since it‘s parked by the School of Marine & Environmental Sciences, I figure that it has something to do with those topics. It was kind of fitting to walk by that school today because I was listening to the part about Rachel Carson‘s book on the ocean. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I saw this posted about when a group was reading it and thought it looked interesting, so it‘s my new #audiowalk book. I like it and have learned a lot, so far. It makes me want to go back and read Silent Spring and her book about the ocean.

jlhammar I‘m enjoying this one so far as well. Looking forward to the second half. 2w
Ann_Reads Nice pic collage! 🙂 I'm enjoying the biography as well and would also like to read one of Carson's other books. 2w
KathyWheeler @Ann_Reads Thank you. 1w
19 likes3 comments
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I enjoyed the first entry in this series. Lana and her friends and family are fun, if careless, and the mystery was interesting. The park across the street has what‘s left of what was once, 100s of years ago, a huge long leaf pine forest. Yesterday and the day before, they did a prescribed burn, hence all the black ground. #diversecozy #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I‘m listening to this for #diversecozy — it had been my nighttime book, but I listened to it on my walk today. I like it so far as I really like the main character, Lana. This is my first time reading this series, and I‘ll continue with it. #audiowalk

20 likes1 stack add
review
KathyWheeler
Gwendy's Final Task | Stephen King, Richard Chizmar
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Pickpick

This book seems to polarize readers on Goodreads; they either loved it or hated it. I liked it quite a bit. The plot is a bit improbable, but I could suspend disbelief. I loved the references to the Dark Tower series, and I like Gwendy. I also finished Death in Disguise on my #audiowalk. I liked it as well, just not as much as the first two. There‘s too much focus on the day-to-day lives of the commune members, making the book too long.

30 likes1 comment
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KathyWheeler
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I finally got to leave the house and go for a walk. It was a very windy day out there; that‘s probably why the tree fell. That wind kept it from being hot though. I still have 5 more hours left in this book, and I can‘t figure out what exactly could take up 5 hours. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Gwendy's Final Task | Stephen King, Richard Chizmar
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A tree came down on an electrical line, one of our trees caught on fire (it‘s out now), our power is out, and the fire department has told us to stay inside the house. Since I can‘t work, I‘m reading Gwendy‘s Final Task in bed because I have a lot of natural light coming in that window. #weirdFriday

CSeydel Oh my! Stay safe! 2w
KathyWheeler @CSeydel We are! Power people are here now working on things. 2w
Suet624 Wow! 2w
See All 9 Comments
rockpools That‘s quite a day! Hope it‘s all sorted quickly. 2w
TrishB Hope it‘s fixed quickly! 2w
KathyWheeler @TrishB It was fixed around 1:00pm. It was kind of scary there for a minute though! 2w
lauraisntwilder Wow! That's a lot for one day! Glad you're okay! 2w
25 likes9 comments
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I liked I Miss You When I Blink better, but I still liked this one. I was a little thrown off by all her fears surrounding her son‘s epilepsy, since it‘s just a “it‘s a thing I have” issue with me. Philpott doesn‘t describe his seizures as being particularly bad or frequent, so her fears seem over the top to me. But maybe not — maybe my parents were just really good at hiding their fears from me.

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KathyWheeler
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Midsomer Murders probably made a conscious decision to make Sergeant Troy more likeable in the show. I think this served them well; he‘s got a lot of unpleasant traits in the books. It‘s jarring since I had watched the show before I read the books, and Troy is one of my favorite characters. #audiowalk

lauraisntwilder Aren't you loving the azaleas right now? I'm still relatively new to the area and they wow me every year 3w
KathyWheeler @lauraisntwilder I do love them. These are in my yard. 😊 3w
25 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
KathyWheeler
March | Geraldine Brooks
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1: It‘s a tie between Kate Beacon‘ Ducks and Clothes-Pegs.
2: Only making sure all the paperwork gets filled out for my retirement on June 1.
#Two4Tuesday

Ruthiella Retirement! 🥳 Only three more months… 3w
KathyWheeler @Ruthiella I don‘t like to rush time, but I can‘t wait! 3w
BethM Woah. Congrats! 3w
See All 8 Comments
Librarybelle Congratulations! 3w
TheSpineView Retirement sounds wonderful. Thanks for playing 3w
KathyWheeler I‘m really happy about it especially given some of the stuff going on right now at my university. 3w
Reggie We just had a woman retire after working with us for 17 years. I‘m so happy and excited for you. 3w
KathyWheeler @Reggie Thanks. I‘ve been here since 1997. Doesn‘t seem that long! 3w
18 likes8 comments
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KathyWheeler
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This is the third book in the Inspector Barnaby/Midsomer Murders series. I‘m in a mood for Barnaby and crew right now, so I picked up this audiobook as my new walking book. Since we went to the beach, we listened to The Last Coyote as well. #audiowalk

Suet624 What a beautiful place to walk to. 3w
KathyWheeler @Suet624 This is Johnson Beach on the Gulf Island National Seashore in Florida. It‘s a peaceful place to go. 3w
Suet624 I could use some Florida weather right now. 😂 3w
25 likes3 comments
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KathyWheeler
The Last Coyote | Michael Connelly
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My husband is in a real Bosch mood, so we‘ve started the next one in the series. It was a beautiful day today, so we went across the bay. I should be finished with Unnatural History soon since I‘ve only got a couple of hours left. My azaleas are really blooming right now. #audiowalk

LaraReads Gorgeous photos! 3w
lynneamch Lovely! I'll be in Fairhope Tuesday. Any suggestions on where to have lunch? 3w
KathyWheeler @lynneamch Panini Pete‘s is good; so is Wok by the Bay. I also like Dragonfly Food Bar and Sunset Point at Fly Creek Marina. 3w
See All 7 Comments
lynneamch Thank you Kathy 3w
KathyWheeler @lynneamch You‘re welcome. 3w
KathyWheeler @lynneamch The Wash House Restaurant is a little more expensive and is nearer to Point Clear down by the Grand Hotel. It‘s really good too: https://washhouserestaurant.com/ 3w
24 likes7 comments
review
KathyWheeler
The Concrete Blonde | Michael Connelly
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Pickpick

The Concrete Blonde is quite a twisty book. Every time both Harry and I thought we knew who the culprit was, we were wrong. It was pretty windy outside today, but there was no rain. I have no idea why that AC⚡️DC shirt was in the woods. It looks like a flag. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Clothes-Pegs | Noel Streatfeild, Susan Scarlett
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Pickpick

This book was entirely predictable, but the main character, Annabel,and her family are so likable that it doesn‘t matter. It‘s a nice, comfortable story, and I really enjoyed it.

lynneamch Love that illustration! 4w
KathyWheeler @lynneamch Isn‘t it great! I love it too. 4w
25 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KathyWheeler
Unnatural History | Jonathan Kellerman
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My husband and I still have a couple of hours left in The Concrete Blonde, and it will be awhile before I finish Unnatural History. Both are good books so far. Last year, it was freezing on Fat Tuesday; this year, I would have been hot if not for the wonderful breeze. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Mardi Gras in Mobile | L. Craig Roberts
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Happy Mardi Gras, y‘all! My son and his family are at the parades, but we haven‘t been in years. The parking is awful unless you get there really early or don‘t care if you have to walk a mile or so. My husband can‘t do that.

Reggie Happy Mardi Gras! 4w
19 likes1 comment
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KathyWheeler
Unnatural History | Jonathan Kellerman
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I will almost always get the latest Alex Delaware book as soon as I can, and I always get audio because I like John Rubinstein‘s narration. It‘s my new walking book. My granddaughter and I went to Bellingrath Gardens today and had a great time. #audiowalk

lynneamch Love Bellingrath! We're in Gulf Shores for a few weeks. Hope to get over there early March. Mardi Gras parade here tomorrow. 4w
KathyWheeler @lynneamch I had planned on taking my granddaughter to Gulf Shores instead of Bellingrath, but getting through downtown to go across the bay is almost impossible right now because of the parades, so we went the opposite direction to Bellingrath. Have fun in Gulf Shores! (edited) 4w
23 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

While I still enjoyed it, this third entry in the Finlay Donovan series is my least favorite. Things get a little darker here than in the others. I did love the opening though — I had a child like that, so it made me laugh. #audiowalk

Suet624 Flowers/buds on the trees!!! ❤️❤️ 1mo
KathyWheeler @Suet624 Yeah. Usually when it happens this time of year, there‘s a big freeze later and they all die. I don‘t know if that will happen this year though. 1mo
34 likes2 comments
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

Ducks is a thoughtful, sometimes harrowing and sometimes amusing graphic novel memoir. I was particularly entertained by this panel where Kate won‘t close her purse with feminine hygiene products in it because she likes how they make men uncomfortable and then gets called an anarchist.

jlhammar Great book! Glad you enjoyed. 1mo
KathyWheeler @jlhammar I could see my mom in Kate if she‘d been born at a different time. She hopped a train to Toronto from Cape Breton when she was 16 because she needed to work but she never talked much about her life there. 1mo
24 likes2 comments
review
KathyWheeler
The Vendetta Defense | Lisa Scottoline
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Pickpick

Pigeon Tony‘s Last Stand isn‘t in the Litsy database, but, since the characters appear in The Vendetta Defense, I tagged it. This is longer than most short stories but shorter than a novella. A group of 80 something year-old men are concerned when their 5th grade neighbor boy is approached by drug dealers wanting him to be a messenger. They decide to do something about it. The ending was a bit rushed. #Audiowalk book was still Finlay Donovan.

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KathyWheeler
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I thought I‘d read Ducks this evening. I didn‘t know Kate Beaton was from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. My mom was from there, and she said the same thing Beaton says — that to make a living you have to leave. I love Cape Breton, so this makes me sad.

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KathyWheeler
The Violin Conspiracy | Brendan Slocumb
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It‘s taking me awhile to read this. I‘m going slow. I‘d checked it out from my library‘s collection in CloudLibrary. I went to read it today and found it had been returned. So I thought, “Well, I‘ll renew it.” No such luck; it‘s not available in that format at all from my library anymore! So I got it from Kindle, where, right now it‘s only $1.99.

suvata Great deal on a GREAT book. 1mo
KathyWheeler @suvata It was a good deal. I don‘t know why I‘m being so slow to finish, but since I am, it‘s probably a good thing that I bought it. 1mo
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KathyWheeler
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Sometimes I‘m in the mood for something more thoughtful and contemplative, like On Looking; other times, I just want something fun. Today I wanted fun, so I downloaded the new Finlay Donovan book and listened to it on my walk. There‘s a lot blooming out there right now. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I can‘t remember where I saw this book mentioned, but it intrigued me. It‘s about how our perceptions of our reality, including the everyday, are determined by our very specific interests. We can be in the same environment, but we will all notice very different things. She walked around her block with 11 experts in various fields to see how what they paid attention to would differ. It‘s my new walking book. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Clothes-Pegs | Noel Streatfeild, Susan Scarlett
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Somebody posted about this book, and it sounded interesting. It‘s on Hoopla, so it‘s this evening‘s reading.

Tamra I hope you enjoy it - it‘s a cozy pleasant read. 1mo
KathyWheeler @Tamra It drew me in right away. I like this family. 1mo
Cathythoughts I really enjoyed it 👍🏻❤️ 1mo
See All 6 Comments
jlhammar The family scenes in this are so lovely. Hope you enjoy! 1mo
CarolynM This was a big hit with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub. Lovely story🙂 1mo
KathyWheeler @CarolynM Those might have been the posts that made me think I‘d like it. 1mo
24 likes6 comments
review
KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

While I generally liked this book and learned a lot about King, there are some choices she made in the writing of this memoir that made no sense. Tapestry is truly an iconic album — although that word is overused now — it‘s true in this case. Why did she spend so little time talking about it, it‘s development, and it‘s influence and so much time discussing a road dispute with her Idaho neighbors? #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
Gwendy's Final Task | Stephen King, Richard Chizmar
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After many, many rainy days, the sun was out today, so we took advantage of that and went to the beach. The Concrete Blonde was our road trip book; Gwendy‘s Final Task was my beach read; and A Natural Woman continued to be my walking book. It‘s pretty long — I still have 4 hours left. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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I was not aware that Carole King never really wanted to be a performer; James Taylor got her into it. This book is a little long, but I‘m still liking it. I got my walks in even though it looked like it was going to rain any second. #audiowalk

Megabooks Interesting!! 1mo
KathyWheeler @Megabooks I thought so. She was apparently a real homebody. 1mo
27 likes2 comments
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KathyWheeler
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#Two4Tuesday
1: I am a mood reader, so I have no method for choosing my next book. I listened to The Body Lies because I had just finished my last walking book and needed a new one. Someone posted about it, it sounded intriguing, so it became my next walking book. I‘m listening to Carole King‘s memoir now because I heard one of her songs that I especially loved.
2: Any day but I especially love rainy days for reading.

TheSpineView Rainy days and books just go together. Thanks for playing 1mo
15 likes1 comment
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KathyWheeler
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I had no idea that when Carole King was 17, she got married, and by 18, she had a baby. That‘s so young! She doesn‘t quite tell her story in a completely chronological manner, but brings in past and future events if they relate to the story she‘s telling. #audiowalk

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KathyWheeler
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We went to the beach today, so we listened to The Concrete Blonde on the trip. I continued to listen to A Natural Woman on my walk, which I‘m enjoying. King narrates and her voice is soothing. It was a gorgeous day today, but I‘m sure the rain will return. 😊. #audiowalk

bnp Glad you enjoyed the sun while it lasted. 1mo
31 likes1 comment
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KathyWheeler
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I actually started out my walk listening to Bomb Shelter, where, since I have epilepsy, I was especially interested in the story the author was telling about her son‘s first seizure. Then my book quit playing — I think because I‘d forgotten to download the book and was thus listening over my cellphone signal and got to a place where it wasn‘t good. So I switched to A Natural Woman (love Carole King). #audiowalk

review
KathyWheeler
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Mehso-so

There was a lot I liked about this book and a lot I didn‘t. I had assumed A.L. Herbert was a Black woman because the mc is, but it‘s a pseudonym for Patrick Sanchez. There was too much restaurant detail in the book, and Halia‘s cousin, Wavonne, is a bit of a caricature, with her loud voice and lazy behavior. But the story is interesting enough. I might read a second one. #diversecozy #audiowalk

Suet624 Beautiful location photos. 1mo
KathyWheeler @Suet624 Thank you. This is a beautiful campus. 1mo
36 likes2 comments
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KathyWheeler
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I started this for #diversecozy and so far I‘m not sure if I‘ll like it. The first several chapters are all about the mc‘s restaurant and her recipes, but I‘m here for the murder, not the behind-the-scenes-at-the-restaurant stuff. I‘m happy to give it a chance though because I like the characters. I managed to get my walks in before the now daily rain. #audiowalk

24 likes1 stack add
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KathyWheeler
Untitled | Untitled
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1: It‘s between The Corner That Held Them and Wild.
2: I wanted to read TCTHT because it‘s about nun life and my aunt was a nun. I read it for #NunLitQuarterly. I wanted to read Wild because it was about the author walking the Pacific Crest Trail.
#Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView I enjoyed Wild. Have not yet read the other other book. Thanks for playing 2mo
17 likes1 comment
review
KathyWheeler
The Body Lies | Jo Baker
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Pickpick

I really liked The Body Lies. Is it a fun book? No, but this story of a woman who was assaulted once, moved from London, and takes a job teaching writing in the country is beautifully told. Once there, our unnamed protagonist meets a student who becomes fascinated with her. Is the writing he‘s turning in to her actually about her? Is he dangerous? My new #audiowalk book is Bomb Shelter.

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KathyWheeler
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I‘m lucky I got in this short walk today; we had quite a bit of rain. I have a couple of hours left in The Body Lies and am reading The Road to Little Dribbling as my evening book. #audiowalk

lynneamch Thank you! It's the kind of book I like to listen and set the timer for 15 minutes when I'm relaxing to fall asleep and was able to get it on Libby tonight. Originally fell in love with him listeniing to this on a road trip 2mo
KathyWheeler @lynneamch I listened to A Walk in the Woods and did it exactly like you described. 😊 2mo
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
KathyWheeler
The Black Ice | Michael Connelly
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Pickpick

This is the second book in the Bosch series. I like Harry better in the later books. In those, his moral code is more fleshed out. In these earlier ones, he‘s pretty much a lone wolf cop who thinks he‘s the only one in the department with a sense of justice. I still like him and the stories — this one took a twist near the end that I hadn‘t remembered. Up next as our road trip book is the 3rd one, The Concrete Blonde.