The Four Engagement Rings Of Sybil Rain

 This afternoon, after I walked around Lake Winona and saw a record breaking 39 turtles basking in the sun on logs, I read The Four Engagement Rings Of Sybil Rain. The author is Hannah Brown. This silly chick-lit book is about a woman named Sybil who has no luck in getting married. She has a close knit group of four women friends. Since her wedding was called off a year ago, they suggest she use the tickets for her honeymoon before they expire. So off she goes from Los Angeles to Mauri to an expensive resort. She plans to swim, snorkel and relax on the beach. As soon as she checks in she runs into her most recent ex who is there on business for his family's winery. After touching base with her four friends, she decides to be honest with her ex about why they broke up at the altar.

The Senator's Wife

 The Senator's Wife is a psychological thriller written by Liv Constantine. Liv Constantine is actually a pen name for sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine. In this story Sloane is a philanthropist in Washington, D.C.. She runs an agency that provides shelter for victims of domestic violence. She recently married Senator Whit Montgomery. Her husband and his wife were murdered several years ago so they drew together for comfort. Sloane is used to going to the White House for dinner and to gala events. Due to her diagnosis of lupus she is going to have a hip replaced. To help in her recovery Whit hires Athena, a home health aid experienced in helping people with lupus. After the surgery her health starts spiraling downward. I never saw the ending coming and it was a very satisfying ending to read.

Chana Masala and Naan

 Yesterday Offspring #2 did the cooking and, man oh man, was it delicious. They made home made garlic/cilantro naan from scratch. I have never seen such a thing. Each mouth watering bite was delicious. The chana masala was excellent.

Lilac Lane

Sheryl Woods is the author of the family novel called Lilac Lane. Nearly all of the story takes place in current time in Maryland and on the beach. A smaller amount of the story takes place in Ireland. Nearly all of the characters are Irish or Irish/American. The main character is Keira Malone. She single handedly raised two sons and a daughter after her alcoholic husband abandoned the family. After her father and daughter moved to the Chesapeake Bay area they worry about her because Keira's fiancé died of a massive heart attack on the same day she agreed to take his hand in marriage. Keira decides to join her family. She still has two sons living in Ireland but they took after their Dad and are in and out of jail. Once in Maryland she meets her granddaughter who is 4 months old. She also meets her father's second wife (her mother died 5 years earlier). Will she fit in once she moves to Maryland? Will she win the cooking contest for the best Irish stew at the upcoming town festival? I enjoyed this family drama book.

Kindee Thai

Today, after completing some errands downtown Minneapolis, Offspring #2 and I had lunch at Kindee Thai restaurant. The pineapple fried rice with fried tofu was delicious but too much for me to eat in one setting.

 

Black Woods Blue Sky

If you are interested in what life is like in rural Alaska you should read Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey. This story is about a young single mother named Birdie. She never knew her father. Her mother abandoned her and her sister with her grandparents. Her grandmother, fearful she will take off and abandon her daughter like her mother did, is very critical of Birdie to the point she can't take it anymore. She gets a job at a local bar/restaurant that comes with a free cabin. She tried to be a good mother to Emaleen but sometimes she gives into temptation. She meets a guy named Arthur who is anti-social and not mentally well. She is drawn to him because he is different from the other folk in the town. She decides to join Arthur in the wilderness despite the advice of everyone else and town. Birdie, Emaleen, and Arthur take off in a plane piloted by Arthur's adoptive father. Arthur's father tries to keep an eye on them. He flies back with supplies every couple of weeks and checks in to see how they are doing. This was a good story with just a touch of magic. 

Intervention

 The famous doctor/author of Intervention is Robin Cook.  Jack Stapleton graduated from college 31 years ago. One of his roommates is an archeologist. The other is the Bishop of New York City. Jack is a medical examiner. One day he determines the cause of death for a lovely young woman was caused by a chiropractor. When he cracked her neck he tore the arteries in her neck causing bleeding. Jack unwisely confronts the chiropractor who sues him for coming over. His archeologist friend went to Rome where he stole a box probably containing the bones of Mary, Mother of God. He has the box shipped to his Bishop's house who is now going to get into big trouble because of this. This was a strange story about the friendship of three men.