The New Year

Donald and I did our traditional New Year's Eve.

We stayed home.

I was tucked in reading an old John Grisham novel - "Sycamore Row;" have you read it?  I loved it.  I don't know why it took me so long to get to it (it was published in 2013).  It's a sequel to his "A Time to Kill."  We get to re-visit some memorable characters.  

I have some writer and reader friends who aren't big fans of Mr. Grisham's work, and I haven't always liked everything he's written.  I can say the same thing about a lot of the authors I read, however.  

Not all books are going to appeal to all readers.  

I kinda think,though, that the 4 1/2 star rating from 19,257 readers at Amazon is a fairly decent indication that I'm not the only person who liked "Sycamore Row."

Anyhoooo -  It was about 12:15 a.m. when I realized it was 2020.  Donald had fallen asleep watching a movie.  So we were a little late welcoming the new year.

My hopes for the days ahead would include good health and a more peaceful time for our country.

In 2020 I hope that we will soon be Trump free.  So mote it be.


On a personal note, I had a very nice surprise to start off this new year.


I did not know Susie Sharp back in 2014.  Susie is a librarian in North Dakota.  I've come to know her through Facebook and she's an amazingly versatile, fun-loving woman who loves books, acting and singing, Harley-Davidson bikes, her family, traveling, and life.  She lives her life fully and is an inspiration.

And back in 2014 she loved my "Whimsey."  

At Facebook this morning she had posted a list of her top 5 books for the last 10 years.

Talk about starting off my new year with a feeling of hope?  Wow.  This certainly helped with that.

Here's Susie's top 5 for 2014: 

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal

Whimsey: A Novel by Kaye Wilkinson Barley

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Missing You by Harlan Coben

Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner

In other years her lists have included some favorite writers of mine, including Beth Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen, so finding my name here is incredibly rewarding, and I am grateful.

So.  All this to say, each year comes with good and bad.  We each have struggles we get through the best we can.  Hopefully, we also have days of grace.  Days that we're reminded that there is good in the world, and in our lives.

Which we choose to focus on and dwell on is up to us all individually.

I'm going to try, very hard, to choose wisely in 2020.  Still hoping, deep in my heart, to soon be Trump free and that our country can somehow heal from all the damage he and this administration has wrought.

So mote it be.

Here's to 2020!