Book Chatter

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

Hello! Tap, tap…this thing on?

It is I, Ti! I know, I’ve been MIA. Many of you talk me off the blog too so you know what a struggle it’s been to read anything, at all! TOO MUCH NOISE going on in my head. The news. Ha! Every day I wake up to some new atrocity. The scare tactics, the ridiculous posts to get you to look over here while critical services are gutted. What a show! A bad one.

So how do we deal with this? For me, I try to get outside as much as possible but I also try to talk with others because we are definitely not alone in this. Do not isolate. As bad as it is, we can outlive HIM.

Some good news, my daughter graduated from college this past Friday! She will be moving out before August. Not sure where she will end up yet. Agents, auditions, they all play a role in where she will put down roots.

BUT just a few hours after graduating, she signed with her dream agency!

Right Now:

Headed to church. Online hosting and then hanging with the students. I drag myself around on the weekend but the minute I step into that building, the students energize me!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!

This Week:

My genetic tests came back perfect. Nothing in my gene makeup caused the tumor so my kids are good. My neurologist was really concerned that it was passed down. Of course, I probably will never know what caused it.

Work has been very busy. Adjusting to the additional workload that has resulted from a small re-org is taking some time. It’s cutting into my reading because a lot of approvals come after the work day so my free time is limited. I’m learning all sorts of fun things but eh, it’s a process.

Other than that, nothing planned this week. My goal is to finish a book!! Never had to set goals like that before.

Reading:

I’m reading a great book. The Imagined Life by Andrew Porter. It’s set in Orange County, California which is local to me. It’s about family but also identity and love and what love is to different people. It’s very thought provoking. Full review soon.

Also reading The City and the City by China Mièville. I read this book back in 2012 but my club picked it for May so I’m reading it again. I cannot remember it even though I reviewed it here.

Watching:

I WAS watching the last season of Cobra Kai but it’s horrible! Cheesy, predictable, bad acting, zero effort. I give up.

I will catch the new Karate Kid movie when it comes out because of Jackie Chan. Love him.

Grateful for:

Long walks
My genetic tests coming back good
That The Girl graduated!
That I am taking a trip to see my son at the end of the month!
My little Otter Pup is still here!

Give me all of your updates!! Trying to catch-up.

The Last Ranger
By Peter Heller
Vintage, July 2024, 304 pp.

The Short of It:

There needs to be a new genre to categorize Heller’s work. It’s outdoorsy, environmentally aware, and somehow a mystery all at the same time. In other words, a lot to love.

The Rest of It:

Officer Ren Hopper is an enforcement ranger with the National Park Service, tasked with duties both mundane and thrilling: Breaking up fights at campgrounds, saving clueless tourists from moose attacks, and attempting to broker an uneasy peace between the wealthy vacationers who tromp through the park with cameras, and the residents of hardscrabble Cooke City who want to carve out a meaningful living. ~ the publisher

Ren’s exposure to wealthy vacationers puts a damper on an otherwise perfect job. Being outside and getting to work in such a beautiful place is the thing of dreams, but as good as that is, when the wildlife, mainly the wolves and local bears are targeted for their pelts, Ren finds himself in a range war. The animals are protected to a degree but when they cross boundaries, as animals do, their lives are not guaranteed and hunters looking to profit off those expensive pelts suddenly become the hunted.

When one of Ren’s closest friends, a scientist studying the wolf pack, finds herself targeted by a local hunter, Ren vows to protect her. Especially since Ren already lost the love of his life to a terminal illness. Can he afford to lose someone close to him again?

Ren is the kind of guy you want in your corner. He’s rugged, but also tender in all the right places. Reasonable, until he’s not. He loves hard and protects his people, the best way he can. I really enjoyed my time with Ren and this rambunctious cast of characters. The Last Ranger possesses the charm of a small town but the looming threat of the outside world and with it, the reminder that at any second all can be lost.

The Last Ranger is a treat for anyone who appreciates the beauty of wide, open land. It’s a little bit of a mystery and there is a little love tossed in there too but I would not call this a romance by any means unless you consider this a love letter to nature and all it contains.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
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