Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

I've had this book on my Kindle for at least a year, and possibly quite a bit longer than that. I started reading it while on our trip last week, but was so tired at the end of each day that I really only read about one chapter the whole time we were gone.

But that one chapter drew me right in, and I was excited to read the rest. I finished the book the day we got home. I sort of unpacked, and I sort of cleaned up, and I very seriously collapsed on the bed and didn't stop reading until I was done with the book.

This is an Amelia Peabody mystery. It's the first in the series, and I have yet to read any of the others. I like to read a series in order if I can. I have requested the next one already from the library.

Amelia Peabody is a free-thinking, independent British female in the 1880's, who takes herself off to Africa to see ancient ruins. And what a character she is, in every sense of the word. I laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the witty and clever writing.

I can't remember who recommended this book, but I'm sure glad I read it. I look forward to reading more in the series.

Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear

This is the ninth in the Maisie Dobbs series. To be honest, I wasn't sure Winspear was going to write any more of these. The last couple of books could have been the end. So could this one, I guess. I'm glad she continued the series, and I hope she still writes more.

I liked this book just as well as all the others. I like the style of writing, and having it be different than your average light mystery. I continue to learn about England post-WWI and pre-WWII, and enjoy the story lines.

May Report

Yes, it's quite a ways into June, and here I am with my May report. To be honest, I should have skipped the report altogether. Somehow April and May have disappeared into some atmospheric layer. Perhaps they slipped through one of those reported holes in the Ozone layer into a galaxy beyond what we know.

I helped Debby and her family move to Seattle. We had our Sisters Weekend. Other than that the month is a blur and mostly I just hung on for dear life to get through everything.

But June is here. I started out with a fun vacation (more on that to come soon--sooner than Hawaii was recapped). I'm not going anywhere for the rest of the summer. Time to get back to basics and get my life and house in order. That means exercise, eating right, working in the yard, and hopefully getting some fun stuff done. My list grows ever longer.

Haiku U. by David M. Bader

I opened the book.
Hooked immediately, I
could not put it down.










 A few, fun samples--
temptation to lure you in--
read the book yourself.

Samuel Beckett
Waiting for Godot
Act 1: It's hopeless.
     My boots don't fit. Where is God?
          Act 2: The same thing.

Christopher Marlowe
Doctor Faustus
A scholar trades a
     few fun years for endless Hell.
          Math was not his field.

Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights
Wild. Strange. A bit damp.
     Heathcliff waits for Cathy's ghost.
          Women. Always late.

Hawaii ~ March 2012 ~ Days 7 & 8

Tuesday was our last full day in Hawaii. It was Karen's birthday, so of course we had a great dinner to celebrate: barbecued tri-tip, baked potatoes, and lots of other great side dishes. Scott made a spice cake for the birthday celebration. I can't believe I don't have any pictures with the birthday dinner and cake!

It was a lovely day, and mostly we spent it at home. Ray and Dave made a trip to the Kanile'a Ukulele Factory. It's a great tour, and so fun to see how they put the ukulele's together. Ray and I have gone there in the past. Miss Adventurous talked Fred into kayaking to the islands we could see across from our beach. The rest of us watched them go over and come back. It was a lazy, relaxing way to spend a couple of hours.

We got in our last card games, talked, talked, talked, and did some reading. 

The birthday girl and Flat Ella. Those are the islands Tamara and Fred went to on the kayak.

Tamara and Fred

Wednesday morning we got up, finished packing, and left. What a great vacation, with great friends!