Category Archives: Bookish Talk

Sunday Matters: Greetings

Sunday Matters, a latte on a wooden tray against greenery.

It’s been a crazy time. Work has been very busy but reading has been good. I catch you here and there, mostly on social media but I am here and doing well, just inundated with work. The work/life balance thing got completely overturned awhile back and I can’t say it’s improving. I make the best of it.

Both kids are good. Emma is thriving in NYC. It really suits her. She continues to audition and has some work here and there. Evan’s non-profit has been going well as well as his job with the City of Bellevue. He loves Seattle.

The Otter Pup is still here!! 16 years old. I have said a least a handful of times in the past six months that the time is near and every single time she proves me wrong. The other day she tried to run out the door! Running is not something she does anymore so that was a surprise! She’s also taken to hiding kibble in her cheek like a hamster to dump into her bed so she can have a late night snack without getting up.

Right Now:

Still volunteering at church. Three services back to back covering 5th-8th grade. Love those students but at the end of the day, I am exhausted. I usually enter my attendance, grab a quick bite and pass out until dinner time. I am about to head there now.

This Week:

On Monday, I have a followup brain MRI. Everything has been good but I always get a little nervous since two small tumors remain. I feel great and have been able to up my fitness quite a bit. By outward appearances and energy levels, I am good. Much better than I was before my brain surgery. Strength is back, which feels great and also foreign. Gotta chuckle. It’s been two years!

I really don’t have much else going on this week. I am trying to line up my books accordingly so that I am never at a point where I don’t know what to read. One book that is on my radar for October:

Other Worlds Than These

Of course, this prompts me to reread the other books in the series because it’s been so long since I visited The Talisman. Kind of exciting though.

Reading:

Watching:

In typically Ti fashion, not a thing. These days curling up with a book is so much more inviting than gazing at a TV screen.

Grateful for:

  • My health
  • Still loving my ability to work remotely two days a week
  • The rain we’ve had. California is out of the drought. First time ever.

I just want to say that although I have not been bouncing around blogs too much, I still see and read your posts. I hope you have a fabulous week.

Books Reviewed in 2025

This is a list of the books I read and reviewed in 2025. Each link takes you directly to my review of that book. Happy New Year!

2025 Reviews

  1. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
  2. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
  3. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
  4. Trust by Hernan Diaz
  5. Animal Farm by George Orwell
  6. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
  7. Butter by Asako Yuzuki
  8. Evenings & Weekends by Oisin McKenna
  9. Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips
  10. Gliff by Ali Smith
  11. Red Dog Farm by Nathanial Ian Miller
  12. Pinch Me by Barbara Boyle
  13. The Imagined Life by Andrew Porter
  14. Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
  15. Never Flinch by Stephen King
  16. The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick
  17. Red Pill by Hari Kunzru
  18. The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce
  19. All the Words We Know by Bruce Nash
  20. The Sandy Page Bookshop by Hannah McKinnon
  21. Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
  22. The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards
  23. Havoc by Christopher Bollen
  24. Heart the Lover by Lily King
  25. Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
  26. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
  27. The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell
  28. The End of the World as We Know It by Christopher Golden
  29. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
  30. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
  31. With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee
  32. Friends and Liars by Kit Frick
  33. The Mad Wife by Meagan Church
  34. Wreck by Catherine Newman
  35. My Friends by Fredrik Backman
  36. Writers & Lovers by Lily King
  37. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney