Storm rolling into the Arizona desert

-
I took this picture on my last hike of the season, early in the morning as a storm was rolling in. Every other place, I've visited or lived, the rain is welcome but tiresome. Here, we can't seem to get enough of the show Mother Nature occasionally graces us with.



Happy Trails,

Leslie

Visit my website.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review - The Valley (The Valley Trilogy #1) by Helen Bryan

-
Image
This book moves away from my regular cozy mystery into historical women's fiction. It's the first book I've read by this author. The Valley is the first book in a trilogy set in colonial times Virginia. The setting grabbed my attention since that is the state I grew up in and love dearly. This review does have some spoilers and the book has a large cast so take notes. Sophia Grafton is a wealthy and spoiled child with homes in London and the countryside. She is raised by her adoring father who lavishes everything on her and allows her to run wild. As she reaches the marriageable age of sixteen it becomes apparent she needs a firmer hand. After no prospect is agreed upon by Sophia and her father, he moves her to their country home while he recovers from illness, in the hope that a local lad will catch her eye. Despite a marriage proposal Sophia remains single until her father's death. She soon finds she is penniless with no option but to travel to the new world and...
Read more

Book Review - The Guilty Wife by Elle Croft by L. A. Keller

-
Image
This book caught my eye because I was looking for a good mystery thriller and the title on Amazon displays as "The Guilty Wife: A thrilling psychological suspense with twists and turns that grip you to the very last page." Very clever marketing and the book itself was good.  It did have some twists but the end was predictable. I didn't like that it started with a prologue. It's a cheater's way of grabbing your attention by throwing out some juicy details. In this case, the few paragraphs of prologue put the reader in media res also known as the middle of the story. Facts that the protagonist would not have known at the beginning. Bethany is a photographer having an affair with a very wealthy client. Calum. She claims to love her husband, Jason but she also loves Calum.  She states, "I was in love with my husband. Always had been, really." I'm not a believer that you can be in love with two people - maybe in lust with one and in love with the othe...
Read more

Book Review - Outlander: A Novel (Outlander, Book 1) by Diana Gabaldon

-
Image
I avoided reading this series for years, despite the many recommendations of friends. I usually avoid science fiction, especially time travel/romance/science fiction crammed into one. To add to my dilemma, I had just completed reading a 900+ page biography on Lyndon B. Johnson.  Tackling another long read wasn't on my immediate to do list. So what finally changed my mind?  I heard the author speak at an Arizona writer's conference. She was self-deprecating and funny. I decided at that moment to give her 800+ first book a glance. It's not a fast read but I was definitely drawn in and mesmerized by the characters. There are a few spoilers in this review so be alerted in advance. Set in the 1940's and 1740's we meet Claire, married to Frank who visits Scotland with her historian husband.  She says, "They were garrulous and gossipy, and their solid, print-clad presences filled the shops with a cozy warmth; a buttress against the cold mist of the morning outdo...
Read more