Books in Review

The Witch Way Librarian (Series)
By Angela M. Sanders

I listened to all seven books of this series, recently finishing the last one. I give the series overall about 3.5 stars.

The main character is interesting, although she often jumps to conclusions based on what she believes rather than what she actually knows. For example, in one of the books, she is trying to solve "poison pen" letters. I knew who had written the letters from the get-go, and she should have known that, too. It was far too obvious. It made her seem to suffer a bit from tunnel vision sometimes.

The first three books were definitely cozy urban fantasy mysteries, and given where I have been with my head, they fit the bill for listening to something but not having to pay much attention to understand what was going on.

The series changed around book 4, and it began to feel like the author had determined where she wanted to end and was in a hurry to get there. The mysteries began to take a back seat to the main character's family and her magical powers.

This made sense as the witch in question, Josie Way, didn't have her powers until the first book. She was learning to be a witch for a period that spanned about two years in the books.

The stories are set in a small Oregon town, although really it could have been Anytown, USA. The town's name began to wear on me as I heard the audiobook reader talk about "Wilfredians" frequently. My local county seat has a weird name, but we don't call people from there "Fincastlians," "Fincastle-ites" or anything similar. We say people from Fincastle. Or I do, anyway. But that's a minor complaint and me just being a grump.

The last book also took on library book banning in an unusual way. This foray into politics seemed mostly natural for the series - it was set in a library, after all - but I also felt the author's voice in this section. It was a secondary plot in the last book but also one that seemed important to the author. I felt like she had to get her point across there.

All in all, this is a solid series. There's a little romance, characters that have their own quirks and personalities, a main character who shows some growth and change, and just enough magic to make this a fantasy series, but not enough to take away from the mysteries or the character building, except for maybe in the last book in the series.

If you're looking for a cozy fantasy mystery series that won't demand a lot of mental energy, this might be worth a try. And perhaps best of all, it actually has an ending. After seven books, the story wraps up in a satisfying way instead of simply stopping.

Sunday Stealing

 

Well, this is fun. These questions came from regular Sunday Stealing players. Very cool.

DIY Meme

1. Would you rather have every traffic light turn green or always get the best parking spot? (Kwizgiver)

A. Oh, a green light all the time would be wonderful!  

2. What's the most difficult thing you have ever done? (Gold in the Clouds)

A. The most difficult thing I have ever done was trying to care for my mother when she had cancer. I did the best I could. I know it wasn't perfect, but it was my best under the circumstances.  

3. What information do you know that you are proud of/happy about, but others say, "Who cares?" (Roger)

A. I am fairly accomplished. I can play several instruments, I have three college degrees, I've been published thousands of times; none of that matters to some people.

4. What mystery do you wish you knew the answer to? (Myra/Mevely)

A. The answer to the Beale Treasure mystery. The Beale Treasure is one of Virginia’s most enduring legends. It's a blend of frontier lore, cryptographic obsession, and Appalachian mystery. According to an 1885 pamphlet, a man named Thomas J. Beale supposedly buried a massive hoard of gold and silver in Bedford County in the 1820s, leaving behind three coded messages said to reveal its location and heirs. Only one cipher has ever been solved, and no historical record proves Beale even existed, which fuels the long-running debate over whether the whole thing is a genuine puzzle or an elaborate 19th‑century hoax. Even so, the unsolved ciphers and the idea of treasure hidden in the Blue Ridge keep the story alive.

5. What small, ordinary thing brings you disproportionate joy? (Country Dew)

A. Baby animals. I love seeing newborn calves, fawns, puppies, little kittens, and human babies. They are so tiny and fun.

6. What time do you go to sleep/wake up? (Annie)

A. I go to bed around 10 p.m. and wake up anytime between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. these days. When I was a news reporter, my schedule was uneven because sometimes meetings ran late.

7. What is your favorite sleeping position? (Lisa)

A. I sleep on my back.  

8. Describe your personal Utopia. (Pandora)

A. My personal Utopia would be a home that runs on calm, not chaos. Not minimalist, not cluttered. Just ordered enough that nothing nags at me. A place where paperwork behaves itself, bills arrive cleanly, clearly, and without hidden fees, no one tries to make me pay a credit‑card surcharge, appliances don’t break at the worst possible moment, the water is always cold, clear, and Brita‑perfect, I can sit down to write without a single digital tool fighting me. It’s a world where technology behaves, bureaucracy is minimal, I don’t have to apologize for my preferences, I trust my instincts without second‑guessing, I'm not carrying the emotional residue of other people’s decisions. My utopia would include Wordle paths that are rare and satisfying, dragons in fiction, not in my inbox, babies that smell good and don’t cry, sandwiches exactly the way I like them, dusty‑colored clothes that flatter without effort, Monty Python humor landing exactly when I need it. (Run away! Run away more!)

9. Imagine that you have a machine that can create any new invention for you based on your description. What you ask the machine to create, and why? (Plastic Mancunian)

A.   I would invent a small, plain-looking box that grants an unlimited number of wishes. It wouldn't have a genie inside; it would grant wishes all on its own. I would create it so that certain issues could be resolved.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Accidentally in Love

Saturday 9: Accidentally in Love (2004)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In the video for this song, a young man dances alone in the kitchen while making breakfast for his lady love. When no one's looking, do you often bust a move?

A. Well, I might do a little hop. I don't know that I even know how to "bust a move." I was never much of a dancer.

2) "Accidentally in Love" was featured in the animated movie Shrek 2.  In this video, a plushie from the movie is shown on their bed. Do you have any plush toys in your bedroom?

A. I do not have any plush toys in the bedroom. I think the only plush toys I have are Christmas ones that are stowed in the closet.

3) The lyrics liken falling in love to strawberry ice cream that he just can't resist. What sweet treat would hit the spot right now? 

A. How about a hot fudge sundae, no nuts, please.

4) He sings about lightning. Astraphobia is the fear of thunderstorms. Have you ever suffered from astraphobia?

A. I like thunderstorms. I like to watch them, I like to try to photograph lightning (I have yet to succeed), I like the noise of thunder. I remember sitting on the back stoop with my maternal grandfather and watching a storm roll across, the lightning searing the sky, him sitting there smelling of cigarettes and aftershave, the air full of the scent of earthy rain that hadn't reached us. 

5) This song is about falling in love when he wasn't looking for it. Has this ever happened to you? Or have you usually found romance while actively seeking a partner (dating sites, blind dates, etc.)? 

A. I fell in love watching a high school football game and married the guy. I wasn't looking for it at the time. I was only 19. 

6) This week's artists, The Counting Crows, got their start in San Francisco. A famous quote, often attributed to Mark Twain, says, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." How has the summer weather been where you are?

A. We are in a drought. It has been too warm and too dry. The end of this week of June has been very hot and muggy, with a few thunderstorms to help break up the day.

7) In 2004, when this song was popular, Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook. Have you checked Facebook today?

A. I have checked Facebook today. I read the news today, oh boy. We are bombing in Iran, data centers in the plan. A celebration on the grass, a reflecting pool, a deep morass. I read the news today, oh boy.

8) Also in 2004, we lost President Ronald Reagan. Before entering politics, he had a decades-long career in Hollywood and appeared in 53 films. Have you ever seen a Ronald Reagan movie?

A. I probably have seen a movie with the former president in it, but I don't recall it specifically. Hollywood has a lot to answer for.

9) Random question: Describe your favorite pajamas.

A. I don't have a pair of favorite pajamas. I have nightgowns that I sleep in. I prefer the cotton ones to other material.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 964th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen - Grandma Edition

1. Every June 11, I stop and do the math again. She’d be 103 this year, which feels impossible and also exactly right. Some people stay present long after they’re gone. Today is my maternal grandmother's birthday.

2. When I think of childhood, I’m at her kitchen table with Campbell’s chicken noodle soup steaming in front of me and a Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pie (known to us grandkids as a Grandaddy Cookie) waiting its turn. That table was my infirmary, my library, my safe harbor.

3. She had already raised five children by the time I arrived, with another one coming a year after me, yet she still had patience left over for every grandchild who wandered through her door.

4. On sick days she wrapped me in one of Aunt Susie’s afghans, pulled me into her lap, and rocked while she sang “Daisy, Daisy.” The chair creaked, her voice hummed, and I drifted off like it was the most natural thing in the world.

5. If I wasn’t too sick, I camped on the couch with tissues while we watched The Price Is Right, Dark Shadows, and The Guiding Light. She could pick up more channels than we could in the country, which felt like magic.

6. At 2 p.m. sharp, the house went still. That was when she talked to “Mama Fore,” and unless you were actively bleeding, you waited.

7. My favorite part of sick days was reading. She let me loose on the World Book Encyclopedias, Nancy Drew, Little House, The Silver Skates, Five Little Peppers - anything I could reach and wanted to read. I read the encyclopedia for fun, and she never once acted like that was strange.

8. She only had a fourth‑grade education, but she valued knowledge like it was oxygen. She read the newspaper front to back, even the grocery ads, and she read it aloud to me until I could read it myself at four. I’ve been reading The Roanoke Times ever since.

9. Her house ran on small rituals: Friday hair appointments at Aunt Neva’s, walking three blocks and crossing a four‑lane road like it was nothing, sometimes with us trailing behind on bikes. Wash clothes on Mondays. Change the bed linens on Saturdays. Have dinner ready for Grandpa's arrival from work by 4 p.m. on the dot. Those rituals brought comfort in an ever-changing world.

10. The rag bag in the hallway closet was its own universe. Old sheets and fabric scraps became doll blankets, superhero capes, and whatever else our imaginations demanded. Whether we put anything back is another story.

11. In the summers, I walked with her into downtown Salem. That mile and a half felt like an expedition. We kids bought balsa airplanes or paddle balls with our saved‑up change, and she always treated us to snow cones at Brooks Byrd Pharmacy. I picked blue every time.

12. She lived through losses she didn’t talk about: her parents, her husband, siblings, and later, my mother. When I was fifteen and showed up in my prom dress, she called my mother afterward and cried because I had thought to come. I was her oldest grandchild.

13. Even now, when I’m lonesome, I talk to her. She doesn’t answer out loud, but I feel like she listens. She always did. I sure wish she was still just a phone call away.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 963rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Joe

Today would have been my Grandpa Joe's birthday if he were still alive. He was my father's father.

Joe would have been 109 years old. He died in 1989 from lung problems caused by smoking and from working in the West Virginia coal mines when he was young. He had served in World War II as well, part of the push into France and then Germany in 1945.

My grandfather was in the Army for most of my father's young years. My father told me once that when the soldiers finally came home, he knew his daddy because he was the man his mother was hugging and kissing on.

My father's parents moved to California when I was about six months old, taking with them my father's two older brothers and their young families, and his younger sister. I don't know why my father stayed. Perhaps my mother didn't want to move. 

In any event, this meant that my paternal grandparents were not people I knew very well for most of my childhood. They existed for me as a voice on the phone into which I blew kisses at my mother's urging, strange Christmas presents under the tree that I generally did not play with. In hindsight this is terrible, because I suspect those presents were a bit of a hardship for them to send. 

My grandparents in California were people my father talked about. To me, they were like ghosts.

They first visited when I was about ten. I don't recall much about that visit. My grandmother talked very fast and very loudly. She loved to cook — she would have dinner waiting when my mother came home from work. My Grandpa Joe played guitar and told stories. The visit did not last long.

We drove to California in 1976. I don't recall much about seeing my grandparents that trip. My cousin had run away from home and there was much concern about her. I remember some guitar playing, a trip to a vast flea market where my mother bought a lamp with an orange shade and fringe on it, and that's about it.

My grandparents came to visit again in 1981, around March, and said they would stay until my graduation in June. I was quite excited about this. But my grandmother, after about two weeks, said she missed her dog and they left.

I have a Yamaha guitar that my grandfather gave to me before he left that time. I think it was sort of graduation and consolation prize combined.

After I married, my grandfather and I became pen pals. I felt a kinship with him that I did not feel with my father's other relatives. He sent me stories he wanted preserved because he thought I would keep them. He wrote me poems. He tried to give me life advice, but not much. I guess he thought I'd learn whatever I needed to know. I still have all the originals, safely tucked away. 

Eventually I typed out most of his stories and made a little book, which I shared with my father and other relatives. He told me just before he died that he had more things to send me, but I never received them and I don't know what happened to them.

He always teased me and said I was two days older than he was. Same joke every year. I never tired of it.

They visited one last time around 1988, and my grandfather died the following year. They were pleased to see my house, happy with my husband, glad that I seemed settled. I did not see either of them again, although my grandmother lived to be 97 and died in 2017.

Describing my paternal grandparents is difficult for me because I did not know them well. I cannot paint a word picture of them the way I could my maternal grandmother. All I have are scattered memories and my grandfather's words on paper.

This was my loss. Maybe it was their loss, too.

The Wind Farm

About a decade ago, I sat in on meetings with county officials as they decided whether or not my locality would be the site of Virginia's first "wind farm," meaning a bunch of big windmills to produce power. They would be located on North Mountain in Eagle Rock.

I wrote several articles about them as the project wound its way through the permitting process.

After the project, known as the Rocky Forge Wind Project, was approved, construction was halted via lawsuits filed by various citizens and groups who did not want to see large windmills in the northern part of the county.

After some back and forth and lots of slowdowns, the company came back and asked for a reduction in the number of towers, but the towers would be taller.

This screen shot from the Rocky Forge website indicates what the windmills will look like.

Now the windmills are going up. Google has agreed to purchase the power. I have no idea if the power will go towards the data center that Google is building not far from me.

We drove out to look at the tower pieces. These are blades. As you can tell by the way the trucks look, the blades are quite large.

This would be part of the tower for the blades. Maybe both pieces fit together to make the very tall tower? Anyway, the things were huge.

Another shot of the blades. Below are more shots of the parts. These are massive pieces of equipment.

I have no personal opinion about this project. For me, it's just another indicator of the changes coming to this community, changes that have long been in the making. Time will tell as to whether these changes are good or bad.

Happy Birthday to Me!

My husband baked me a cake!

My friend brought me a butterfly bush!

My brother gave me chocolates & a digital calendar!

Today is my birthday! I am ancient! I've been celebrating all weekend. I will celebrate all month, because you only turn 63 once and you may as well do it up right, eh?

I also received some books from my friend in England!

Sunday Stealing

10 Questions You Aren't Used To

1. What celebrity would you never want to meet?

A. Kid Rock, Adam Sandler, and that bald-headed guy Rick on Pawn Stars.

2. What do you label yourself as?

A. A person who is female, intelligent, loyal, kind, curious, and prudent.

3. You can only have one sandwich for the rest of your life. You have every sandwich-making ingredient known to man at your disposal. What sandwich do you make?

A. My sandwich would be a ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with mayonnaise and mustard.

4. An angel provides you with a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. What's it gonna be?

A. I do not drink alcohol, so one bottle of a really nice, excellent brandy would do me for the rest of my life.

5. Have you ever built a snowman?

A. Of course I have built a snowman. I live in Virginia where it snows two feet one day and then the temperature raises to 50 degrees the next and then the wind blows hard.

6. If you could ask your future self a question, what would it be?

A. What did you do with your precious self as you grew older, and are you happy with the result?

7. Have you ever baked your own birthday cake?

A. I have indeed baked my own birthday cake. And tomorrow happens to be my birthday! But I do not plan to bake a cake this year.

8. Which are cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?

A. Dragons, definitely. In fact, I sent my husband out for dragon powder this morning. (It was actually Orgain protein powder, but he somehow read it as "dragon powder." I would question that except when I was rereading the list, I read it as "organ grinder" so obviously my handwriting needs improvement.) 

9. What do you like about babies?

A. Babies are cuddly and they smell good.

10. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. What's the first rule you put in place? 

A. Love one another.

INSTEAD OF STEALING, LET'S BUILD OUR OWN MEME. Think of a question you'd like to ask and insert it here. If we get at least four good ones, we'll do our own DIY meme in a week or two.

Q. What’s a song you love that would surprise people who know you?

Q. What’s a small, ordinary thing that brings you disproportionate joy?

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: For You

Saturday 9: For You (1963)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Rick Nelson tells us he'd give his girl the stars from sky or a string of pearls. Have you more recently given or received a gift? What was it?

A. I recently received a gift. It was two fantasy books.

2) By the time this record was released, Rick was already a show business veteran. He had been a regular on his family's sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, since it began airing on radio when he was just 8. Most of us weren't child performers but many of us had chores around the house. When you were young, did your parents give you an allowance?

A. My parents did not give me an allowance. They just sometimes gave me money. I had to do the chores regardless.

3) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet moved to TV, where fans saw Rick grow into a teen who drove a 1932 Roadster. The car really belonged to Tony La Masa, who collected classic cars and rented them out to TV and movie producers. Have you ever earned or raised money with your hobby?

A. I used to play guitar in a cover band when I was in high school. That was how I earned money throughout those years instead of driving into the city to sling hash or whatever. 

4) Paul McCartney has called Rick Nelson an "underrated singer who could really carry a song" and said Rick was one of his influences. Who do you believe you have influenced, professionally or personally?

A. I don't know. When I was working with the newspaper, I could write articles that would influence people to give donations to needy causes. 

5)  This week's song was already an oldie by the time Rick performed it. "For You" was recorded the first time by Casa Loma Orchestra in 1933. In those days, most records were 78 rpm discs, thick and usually only able to hold 3 to 5 minutes of sound per side. Most record companies stopped producing them in the 1950s. Have you ever seen a "78?" 

A. I have indeed seen a "78" record. I have played them, too, on an old Victrola.

 

6) The lyrics to "For You" were written by Al Dubin. After Al left college, he supported himself as a singing waiter. That's really two jobs in one. Which would you do better at: singer or server?

A. In my younger days I could have been a singer, perhaps. My voice is too thin now.

 

7) The music was written by Joe Burke, whose last hit song was "Rambling Rose," recorded in 1948 by Perry Como. Have you ever heard of Perry Como?

A. I have indeed heard of Perry Como.

8) In 1963, when Ricky's recording was on the charts, the Zip Code was introduced. How many different Zips have you lived in?

A. I have lived in three zip codes and possibly was alive when there were no zip codes.

 

9) Random question: When you were in high school, were you taller or shorter than your classmates? Or were you the average height?

A. I have always been short but growing up I felt like I was keeping up with everyone else until high school.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 963rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

1. Colds are viruses that make you feel miserable. They are commonly caused by rhinoviruses, not bacteria. Over 200 different viruses can cause cold symptoms. Antibiotics do not help, because they target bacteria, not viruses.

2. Adults average 2–3 colds per year, while kids can get 6–8. Kids are little snot factories, aren't they?

3. Colds spread through droplets, contaminated surfaces, and close contact. Please cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough and wear a mask when you're out if you're within the first three days of your cold. You can always pretend you're an ICE agent if you don't like masks.

4. Symptoms usually start one to three days after exposure, which is the incubation period. Mine started about three days after my husband's started. We don't know where his came from, but obviously the domino effect began somewhere.

5. You’re most contagious in the first two or three days of symptoms. Since I live with my husband and he touches everything, there's not much I can do to keep from catching a cold when he gets one.

6. A cold typically lasts seven to ten days, though some symptoms (like cough) can linger longer.

7. Fever is uncommon in adults, but more common in children with colds.

8. Nasal congestion happens because blood vessels in the nose swell, not because of mucus alone. Post‑nasal drip is a classic cold symptom, often causing cough or throat irritation.

9. Handwashing reduces your risk more than any supplement or home remedy. Vitamin C doesn’t prevent colds but may shorten duration for some people. Zinc may help if taken within 24 hours of symptom onset but can cause nausea. I take zinc every day and have since Covid. Maybe I need to add Vitamin C.

10. Rest actually matters, because your immune system works better when you’re not stressed or exhausted. I don't know anyone who isn't stressed or exhausted right now.

11. A cold can trigger asthma symptoms, making breathing feel heavier or tighter. I am experiencing that a lot with this particular cold.

12. Green or yellow mucus doesn’t automatically mean infection, just immune cells doing their job. The teledoc told me that when my husband was pointing out to her that my excretions were multi-colored.

13. There is no cure, only symptom management. The body clears the virus on its own. 

Generally speaking, when you get a cold, expect 10 days of blah, and then you'll feel better unless the cold created a secondary infection. Then you may need to see your doctor.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 962nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.