The Sunday Salon ~ The Slump Continues

It has been a very long time since I have posted a Sunday Salon post. It has also been a very long time since I have had adequate reading time. I miss it...I am yearning for it...I am snappy and irritable because I haven't had it. Then, all of the snappiness and irritation turns inward....turns into depression...and I sleep. Lately, all I have been doing is sleeping...trying to avoid the here and now. Trying to avoid the problems with my mom being in the nursing facility. When I am awake, I think about it, worry about it. When I am asleep, nothing can touch me. When I wake up, the worries are still there, and I feel far from rested. When will this go away? How do I make it go away?

In the meantime, I am still receiving books in the mail that I desperately want to read, while I am struggling to read the ones that I already have. Ones that are ARCs that I NEED to get read to do reviews on. The more pressure I feel, the sleepier I get.

This seems to be a never-ending cycle that I can't seem to break out of, and have no idea how to do so. I feel like a whiny baby because I can't seem to handle the struggles of every day life...I am a weak person. Where I can I find the strength?

On top of everything else, I took my old cat Charlie to the vet yesterday for routine blood work to check his kidney and liver functions. His bloodwork numbers were great. However, the vet found something else. His bladder feels abnormally thick. The vet says it could be a tumor. Charlie is scheduled for an ultrasound next week. If it reveals a tumor, and the tumor is at the front part of the bladder, surgery is an option....but Charlie is old...an unknown age. He looked old when I adopted him 12 years ago, and he has already out-lived his nine lives. He would probably not survive the anesthesia. I am facing the reality today that I will probably have to say goodbye to another one of my babies. How much can a broken heart take?

My wish for today: I wish for peace from this turmoil that is roiling inside of me. I wish for strength so that I will not have to lie down at any point today to take a 3 hour nap. I wish for solitude at some point today, so that I may read a few chapters in my book undisturbed and unencumbered by thoughts of "whats for dinner?" "when are we going to the nursing home?" "we need to do laundry", etc etc, etc....

~The Sunday Salon~

I am almost finished with Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie and I have to say, I just don't want it to end! I have enjoyed this story so much! I love it when a book grabs me from the first sentence and doesn't let go.

The first part of the story takes place in West Virginia, where I went to college and spent a great deal of time, and I have relatives that still live there, so it holds a special place in my heart. Her characters are very likeable, and her descriptions are wonderful...they come to life in your mind. In clear and concise prose, Kathryn weaves the threads of her story beautifully throughout each chapter....leaving you wanting more as each chapter comes to a close.

I will be sorry when the story ends, only because I could read writing like Kathryns' forever.

~The Sunday Salon~ Rebekka's Children by Frank Marsh

Today I will be reading Rebekka's Children by Frank Marsh.

~SYNOPSIS~ : Brothers Esau and Jacob witness their mother perish, Esau in horror, Jacob with joy. After following their separate paths of destiny, they meet again by chance thirty-five years later.

The attack of a young college student is linked to a homeless drifter who goes by the name of Esau. Then, he mysteriously dies in the court house before the trial. After the incident, two homicide cases follow. Are they related? Who is the murderer? Is Esau guilty?

The case of Esau and the two brutal murders become the last crusade of justice for the twice divorced assistant attorney general Grove McVey as he is one step from retiring. A story shrouded in suspense and mystery, Rebekka's Children is the narration of long buried and forgotten misdeeds that are resuscitated to haunt a tragic and troubled family.

Strategic Book Publishing

236 Pages

ISBN: 978-1-60693-533-0

The Sunday Salon

This past week, I finished "The Orchard" by Adele Crockett Robertson. I still need to review it. I am also reading "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer and "The Sweet In-Between" by Sheri Reynolds. Hopefully I will have those 2 finished this week.

Next on my list will be "The Double Bind" by Christopher Bohjalian. I am really going to put forth the effort to try to read two books at the same time. In the past, it has been difficult for me to do this, but I am willing to give it another try.

Since this is my first Sunday Salon post, I feel a little lost as to what exactly to blog about.

Maybe I should begin with a little about me. I am new to blogger...I just joined last week. I found out about it through LibraryThing.com. I noticed on someone's profile page that they listed a homepage link. I clicked on it, and loved what I saw. I thought "I would love to try this...." and here I am. I have never blogged before. It is very satisfying, being able to write about the books that I read....putting my feelings into words. I am also a very "visual" person...I enjoy doing things and then admiring my finished product. I think that is why I loved my dog grooming job....taking a dirty, disheveled dog, and working a miracle on it. Same with a blank blog page...I have loved setting mine up.

About me: I grew up loving books and reading. My mom is an avid reader, and has passed the loved of books down to me and my younger brother. 3 years ago, my brother introduced me to Paperbackswap.com...it was love at first sight! Since then, I have increased my library to the point that I have SO many books to be read, that I am feeling a little overwhelmed. When I joined Blogger and started reading other people's posts, I felt like I had found a place where I could spread my wings and be creative! I also love to browse others pages and get ideas about books that I can add to my own library, older books that I have never read. Newer books that I have seen but didn't really like their covers (I know, don't judge a book by its cover!) and have read other bloggers reviews and thought "wow...I WOULD really like that book...I will have to check it out!" Also, The Challenges....what a great way to get me jump-started on my reading and to keep reading consistently. I used to devour books at a faster pace, so I want to get back up to speed on that. My husband is a TV Watcher...it is on constantly. I have never liked tv...I always read. I have found myself being sucked in to some of the mindless shows that he watches and I feel I am wasting precious reading time. Time to get back on track and do what I love to do.

So! Please visit my page any time. I am looking forward to meeting others making friends.

Hope everyone has a great week....Happy Reading!