Books I Read In November

 Ten books read in November....

Life And Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins was a paperback I just grabbed to have a lightweight (both literally and figuratively) book bedside for nighttime reading. It turned out I enjoyed it so much I've been reading all her other books the library has.

the perfect match and waiting on you are #'s two and three in her Blue Heron series which I really like. They are set in the Finger Lakes region of New York and mention the nearby 'big' town of Corning, NY which was named for the same founder as our 'little' hometown of Corning, IA.

The Drop and The Black Box are the next two books in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. 

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is my favorite kind of book - a novel based on a true story and about books! Based on the true World War II story of the librarians at the American Library in Paris, it is a story of romance, friendship, family and the power of books to bring us together. 

Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh is a book I found while sorting and clearing out my many boxes of books. I don't remember when/where I got it, nor whether I picked it up because of the name - the same as my grade school teacher, though spelled differently - but I had never read it. It was a winner of the Pen/Hemingway Award, so that probably influenced my purchase. The story was about a man and the three women he married, discarded, and moved on from to the next - three very different 'Mrs. Kimbles'. It was an interesting read

State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny went on my 'want to read' list when I first heard of it on CBS Sunday Morning a few weeks ago. I am a huge fan of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, the most recent of which I just read last month, so this was like a bonus, although it mentions Gamache only briefly in passing. Just reading about the world crises a diplomat or secretary of state has to deal with, even in a novel, is eye opening. But I felt like they were very plausible due to Secretary Clinton's inside knowledge. I really liked this book and hope there are more collaborations by these two remarkable women in the future.

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly is the next in the Harry Bosch series. Old Harry is nearing the end of his career with the Los Angeles Police Department which got me wondering what he is going to be doing in the next seven books of this series. 

anything for you is #5 in Kristan Higgins' Blue Heron series. If I had to say why I'm enjoying these romances so much, it would be because the writing is good, the characters have a lot going on in their lives and the dialogue is believable. Or maybe I was just ready for some light reading. 

Family Ties

Between trips to the ER, the OR and PT, November and the last half of October have passed without much else to distinguish their days. (With the exception of all the November birthdays and anniversaries which were acknowledged by phone and mail.) But Thanksgiving at Preston and Shalea's on Thursday and a visit from Katrina, Rodney and Brynley Saturday afternoon helped make up for those lost days.

Ahh, family ties, family time, can anything be any better? 

I hadn't seen our youngest great-grandson since April when he was two months old.

And now, Louis is nine months old. I was especially happy to see him again. 

And get this great photo of him and his grandpa Preston. 

Ayden and Greyson keep getting bigger and older but they are still just as loving toward their great-grandparents as always. 

And they seem to like playing with their little cousin.

The younger ones got their plates first.

The little one on the left is Oakley, the son of Devin's fiancé, Jessica. 

Louis had already had sweet potatoes at the table, but he was ready for nap time after lunch. 

Travis' eyes were on his son, but Louis' were on the camera. 

Louis isn't walking on his own - yet - but it won't be long.

Aunt Dominique was taking him for a spin.

Another favorite picture - Louis with Grandpa Preston and Grandma Shalea.

I hope it's not another seven months before I see him again, but that is a possibility. 

Saturday afternoon our youngest great-granddaughter, Brynley, her brother Rodney and mom Katrina came to see us.

Again, there's nothing like being around the little ones.

Brynley painted a picture for me and then colored this one Great-grandpa Bud drew. 

I didn't get a very good picture of Rodney. He was preparing to lift Brynley by her ankles. She had been teasing him about his girlfriend.

She may only be four, but she already knows how to get to her big brother. 

Family ties. 😍