A couple of weeks ago, I told you about Bekah Jane Pogue's new book, Choosing Real, and why I loved it. I was really excited to get to talk to Bekah on the last Conversation Cafe podcast for 2016. Bekah is funny, down-to-earth, loving, and I think you'll enjoy her thoughts and advice during her visit to the Conversation Cafe! It's just over a half hour long - take a listen!
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I love reading Carmella Rayone's blog, and I especially love her series on contentment. Carmella and her family {including 3 teen sons} live in a tiny house, and did so before tiny house living was trendy. She writes this contentment series about learning to do what you can with what you have, because space for possessions is limited where she is. I love this little idea for transporting pies and plates of goodies!
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Ryan and I are taking our Christmas photo booth on the road soon and are making an appearance at a Christmas party my parents are hosting to take photo booth pictures for them. I'm going to remake {updated year, you know} this frame we had at last year's family photo booth, because it was so much fun! If you're doing a photo booth at your family Christmas, this is a great {and cheap!!!} prop to make. And if you need a good idea for an activity for a Christmas party, may I suggest a photo booth! Even the most unsuspecting tend to love them!
Five.
THIS. Back when I worked at the station, I "met" Dr. Michelle Watson, who is one of the most delightful women to ever walk the earth. She has a HUGE passion for helping dads of all ages improve the relationship with their daughters of all ages. Her blog post this week regarding a special date for dads/daughters is SO spot on. {Read clear to the end...if a perfume date is not your speed, she gives alternatives.}
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For the Record, by Regina Jennings, was my read this week, and it took me back to the 19th century in the land of the Ozarks: a time and place I don't usually read about! I discovered after I finished the book that it was the third in a series, but I didn't feel lost at all, concerning the characters, and in fact, some people who had read the entire series said that this book didn't really seem to fit in with the first two. Apparently it's set much later than they were. So if you haven't read the others, you shouldn't be behind too much.
I chose this book because the leading lady, Betsy Huckabee, is a budding writer. I love books about writers! In her mid-twenties, Betsy's officially a spinster, not because opportunities for marriage didn't present themselves at the "proper time," but because she just wasn't interested. She'd spent the past several years helping her widowed uncle raise his children, but his recent remarriage has left her in a bit of an awkward pickle. She still lives with them and helps out around the house, but she's no longer the lady of the house. Her uncle runs the town newspaper, and Betsy's dream is to become a respected journalist.
And by journalist, she's thinking much more big-city life than little Pine Gap news, which usually boils down to who has relatives coming to visit. But things do get a bit more exciting when Deputy Joel Puckett arrives in town. Sent by the government to figure out why so much mischief is going along unresolved, Joel's about as welcome in the tiny town as an outbreak of the Plague. Betsy, however, finds him intriguing. Not because she's attracted to him, but because she discovers he makes a delightful fictional hero. {If, of course, she embellishes the truth of his daily happenings just a bit.} If only she can get the big city papers to pick up her stories for the ladies' pages...
Since I had never read a book by Regina Jennings before, I had no idea what to expect, and I found I really enjoyed her descriptions. They were well-done, and I could easily envision the world in front of me, though it was largely foreign to me.
The story however, went way too slow for my tastes. Cowboys and outlaws...I would have thought the pace would have been much faster. I also thought some of the things about Betsy's character were a bit odd for the time period. I understood that she was an independent and feisty girl, but I thought she spent a lot of time out gallavanting around with no down-time in between adventures. When did she sleep? Parts of that seemed unrealistic to me.
While I didn't hate the story, it didn't captivate me like I hoped. I wanted to fall in love with these people and return to this little town over and over to spend more time with them. As it stands, my visit to Pine Gap satisfied me with just one trip.
* Bethany House provided me a copy of this book at no cost. All opinions are my own. *
1 comment:
The photobooth is so much fun!
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