Happy August!

Happy August everyone. July went so fast (I think I've said that before-smile), and the saying around my house is that the only thing faster than July is August.

But August is here and our humidity has broken and so it looks like a glorious summer day! That's a nice way to start the new month.

There is a new challenge at Art Journal Journey which is being hosted by Gill. She has a great theme this month which is anything with eyes.

I happened to have a page in my Dakota trip journal which works for this challenge.

This my page for Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (I have also mentioned that park in a post before.)  I began with a piece of printed paper, and then a bit of paint, an empty tape roll to stamp the circles, a sticker I picked up of Theodore Roosevelt, some washi tape, some stickers, and then some metal frame bits, metal gear, metal compass and metal clock face.

And Mr. Teddy certainly has eyes and glasses too. (Trivia for the day, the term teddy bear actually was coined from this early 20th century US president.)

Books

And time for my occasional book post. Those of you who aren't interested can stop reading here. I like to look back and see what I've read which is why I post my book reads, and it is always good to share books in case anyone wants some recommendations.

Surprisingly, I have read/listened to more books than I thought. The reason for that is I have been wanting to reread a long  (about 980 pages) book that isn't a fast read. The book is 

I really enjoy this book, (this was time #3 to read for me since I first read it decades ago). It is a little gruesome in parts, but I love how old fashion spooky gothic it is. It does get a bit bogged down in the family history, but otherwise it is a great story. It also took me so long because I can't read this book before bed either. It was perfect for a couple hours each afternoon as I lounged in my hammock.  There are 2 more books in the series which I have read but don't seem to remember much at all, so I guess I didn't like them as much as this one. I suppose I should complete the trilogy and reread them again too. One of these days.

I also read another Dr. Ruth Griffiths mystery. I really enjoy this series and it's not hard reading (but not a cozy either) and this book was no exception. More forensic archaeology this time around Blackpool, England.

 And I listened to this book (below) which I really loved. The gist of the story is that it is 1859 Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species, and that sets off a chain of murders. I don't want to give too much away so I will leave it at that. What I enjoyed is that the author uses so many real characters from the time, such as Charles Dickens, and also many of the men who either were pro-Darwin or against Darwin. These people were familiar to me being a biology teacher and showing the PBS film every year about Darwin, but even if you don't know them you can still enjoy and follow the book. This is definitely not a cozy mystery either.

 When I finished the Darwin Affair I listened to a couple of short books on dinosaurs from Audible (the month's freebie got me started) and then I listened to this book, which I really enjoyed.

Magic, mystery, set in 1890's London, a bit of romance. This book was fun and light and when I finished it I went on to listen to book 2

And then on to book 3

 I am taking a break now as these stories are definitely written in a formula and after 3 in a row I need a switch up. But they all end with a cliffhanger so I will move onto book 4 sooner rather than later.

So I tried this book

Which is an alternative magical story set in 1918 but for some reason I am not getting into it. I am not sure if it is the narrator or the story or even why I can't get excited about it. It has lots of good reviews as well as some people who were like me, just not sure of what it is about it. I will finish it at some point, but I have put it aside for now and I have moved onto tho this beach listen.

Which I like but it isn't my usual read. I'm not sure I love it, but maybe it's because it isn't my typical book genre to read. I do think I will finish it, as I like that it is set in Massachusetts and Nantucket, except the narrator called a frappe (pronounced locally frap) a frappay as though it was French. That is the one problem with listening to books about your home area I guess. This is definitely a woman's story as I not trying to be sexist but I can't see a guy getting excited about it. I like the characters and although some reviews said it was a bit predictable, it is a good summer read (listen) so far.

And finally I am reading a recommendation from the woman who runs doggie daycare where Maddie goes a couple of times a week. This is really a lay in my hammock on a hot afternoon and read book.

Vampire romance, ancient Greek gods, magical powers, set in New Orleans (of course, why are so many vampire books set there?), just fun and easy enough to read in a couple of afternoons.

You can see that I am definitely in summer vacation mode by these book choices.

If anyone has anything good to recommend, I'd love to hear. I'm always on the lookout for a good read.

Thanks for visiting.