Blockades in the road of Life....

By the looks of it I'm not being as faithful as I thought I would be to writing more on my blog. It's funny how times just seems to slip through my fingers like sand. I haven't been wasting my time but I don't think I've been especially careful in managing it either!!

February and March were months of blah for me in the health department arena. I haven't been feeling myself since November. No energy, fog brain, cold all the time, heart palpitations, feeling that I'm going to pass out, no period for over six months. The symptoms are a mile long but I shortened it for you all!!! I know that I suffer from anxiety so I honestly just shook most of it off. The problem for me was that I felt like I couldn't run without having my heart race so bad and be out of breath withiin seconds of trying to run. I didn't want to be out on a trail by myself and keel over dead with no one to search for me...LOL!! But after almost passing out while sitting on the couch, I knew that I had to find out what was wrong with me.  I had a ton of tests done at the Cardiology office and it appears as if the ol' ticker is doing just fine. However, my blood results show that I'm right in the middle of MENOPAUSE (what an ugly word). I decided to do bioTE  HRT Pellet Therapy. My insurance doesn't cover it but thankfully we have an HSA so I could still afford the treatments. I read everything the doctor sent home with me and talked to quite a few other women who already do it and decided to go for it. I've been on it for about 3 weeks now and I have to say that I do feel sharper, more energy, my moods have also seemed to balance out. I sleep like a baby too, thanks to the progesterone that I take at night. That stuff is wonderful. No more waking up every night at 3 a.m. and no more hot flashes (so far...knock on wood)! The full impact takes about three months so I'm excited to see how I will feel then.

I had more blood work done with my OB/GYN doctor and come to find out I have Reverse T3 Syndrome. I'm working closely with her to figure out why my T4 just sits in storage and is not converted into T3. But what it boils down to is that I have hypothyroidism at this moment. I also found out that I do have a small nodule on my thyroid. I go back in 6 months for another ultrasound so that we can track the size for a while before any decisions are made regarding removal or just letting it alone.  Right now I'm taking a low dose of NDT and I truly feel that it's making a big difference on how I'm feeling. I go back in a few weeks to follow-up with my doctor regarding my blood work that will hopefully help her figure out why my T4 is just going into storage and not being converted. I have hope that eventually I won't have to take thyroid medicine....HOPE!

I'm still experiencing the shortness of breath. No one can explain it. I signed up for a trail half-marathon in August, which I think I'm going to have to defer. I haven't ran a stinking mile since November. But with all of this going on and feeling at times totally depressed and other times hopeful, I've realized that God gave me this body and I must, MUST, do my best to take care of it. I've gotten a bit pushier with the doctor's. I've demanded certain blood tests. I've questioned their comments and practices...something I would have never done in the past because I'm a rule follower. I realized that I am the one paying for my healthcare. They are NOT. They don't get to dictate how I spend the rest of my life on this earth. And that my friends is very empowering!!!

If anyone else has experienced similar symptoms please don't be shy...share with me!! That's why I decided to write this post so that someone may be experiencing the same issues but wasn't sure what to do. I have chosen a more natural solution to my thyroid medicine and HRT and it may not be something you would do, and I'm okay with that. I'm open to everything, so if you want to share I would love it!!

Pause- My Word for 2017 and coffee

For a while now I've picked a word to concentrate on for the year. It gives me an anchor and helps me stay on track...well, for the most part. This year I had a really tough time coming up with a word that resonated with me and then I saw a quote on Pinterest about "The Pause" and immediately I knew that was my word. I've been using the "pause" a lot in my life. Most recently with all of this election, inauguration, and other happenings. I'm pausing a lot while I'm on Facebook...I'm not going to voice my opinion there and I'm not going to voice it here, either. I'm pausing and letting it go.

But one place where I'm practicing the pause is in the kitchen and I'm more than happy to talk about it here on my blog. I have been "practicing the pause" while I make my daily cup(s) of coffee. I threw out my old Mr. Coffee. Then I took a really big leap of faith and gave my precious Keurig to my son and his girlfriend. Why? Why, did I do this??? Because I now make my coffee using a Chemix and truth be told, I am deeply in love with this clever pour-over device...did I mention how much I love my Chemix?????

This is how I make my lovely brew of coffee. Gone is the coffee from a can. It has been replaced with fresh roasted beans that I grind every morning. I love the ritual of making my coffee. It takes time and there is actually a little bit of a method (science) to making a great Chemix of coffee. I watched several YouTube videos and have also been coached by my co-worker who should get most of the credit for swaying me to the Chemix. A good Chemix of coffee now takes me close to ten minutes from start to finish. During that time I pack my lunch, talk to the dogs, and enjoy the rich coffee smells that are released into the air from the grinder and then from the "bloom" of the first pour over the coffee grounds.

The bloom

 After waiting 30 seconds, I then practice the art of pouring smoothly and in a circular fashion until the water is about 1/2" below the rim...then I wait for it to drip down enough to start all over again. As I stand there watching this beautiful liquid catch in my Chemix, I practice "the pause" and am just in that moment of this simple act of making coffee. Maybe it sounds hokey, but I am very grateful to be able to make my coffee in this fashion. I savor it more. I buy coffee beans from my local coffee shop. I drink my coffee in a huge Gilmore Girl style mug (a gift from my kids) that came from a local coffee shop, The Raven. I relish every single drop before it even hits my tongue. I'm madly in love with my Chemix...don't tell my husband. But even more than that....I'm learning to "pause" and stop rushing, stop complaining, stop the anxiety, and I'm learning to pray, I'm learning to listen, I'm learning to be.

My Beloved Chemix

I'm out of practice!

It seems as if I forgot how to do this thing called blogging!! I see I had a few visitors but alas, I forgot to turn on the comments...I'll eventually get into the swing of things!!

Practicing the Pause

What a fitting title for this blog post, huh? Practicing the Pause? I've been on pause for well over three years when it comes to writing on  my blog. Wow....time moves fast when you're not stressing over book reviews or trying to come up with clever content to keep readers engaged. Somewhere, something has shifted for me...I can't put my finger on it, but the time feels right to just get back to documenting my life. So, here I am, ready to jump into 2017.

A lot of people I know often pick a word that they want to reflect upon for the year..and I'm no different. This time around though I'm going to be sharing my daily walk with my word...Pause. Why did I pick this word? Actually, this word picked me. I ran across this image about pausing and realized that I so needed to do more of that..pausing...before I spoke, before I reacted, before I did most anything. My emotions and my heart rule my head and many times it gets me into some sort of trouble. When I feel passionate about something I just go with it and oftentimes I regret things that come rolling out of my mouth. The biggest problem I face is my anxiety....it has a way of holding me hostage for hours, minutes, seconds,,,,,and sometimes days. All of that time spent worrying about things that I truly have no control over and for what????? I'm a work in process...this blog is a work in process...but I feel ready to write again about life, crap, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We all have our demons and many things have inspired me to start to face mine. I feel like this year is going to be about peeling back my layers a little at a time...for now I'm going to pause (it's getting late and I'm ready for bed)....Hello, 2017.

Life in the Thumb- Health Update

Hello Friends,

I'm sitting here at my kitchen table, listening to some great classical music, the hum of the washing machine, and drinking a lovely cup of coffee. I thought that it would be a great time for me to write down and share my health update with my friends as the weather is cloudy (with no chances of meatballs, unfortunately), and I have nothing pressing to accomplish today! That my friends = "sheer bliss!"

So, I left off my last post with the knowledge that I would be having a stress test just to make sure that the ol' ticker was doing what is was supposed to and keeping my body in an upright position while running. As far as I know my stress test went beautifully. I have never received a phone call from the cardiologist office nor one from my GP. I should be totally and utterly shocked, but I am not. I've left a message to call me about my results but I've received nada, zilch, zero..... no response. I'm going to run with the idea that everything is fine. God knows, I would be worth much more time and money to earn if there was something wrong with me.....right? And if that were the case someone would've called me. It's crazy to expect any type of communication from your doctor if everything checks out....???

This week I will be printing off all of my health information and making an appointment with my chiropractor. To some it may sound crazy, but this is one of the only doctors that I've visited who looks me in the eye, listens to what I have to say, doesn't tell me I'm crazy, isn't trying to write me a prescription, and honestly tries to find the "reason" why behind my symptoms. I'm going to focus on the menopause symptoms...that's what I honestly think is going on with me. I'm going to focus on my thyroid and adrenal glands...I also feel that these are issues. My mom had Hashimoto's Disease and all of her thyroid tests came back exactly like mine do, which is normal. On top of the fact that four of my female cousins on my mom's side have thyroid issues...I'm betting that there may be something up with mine.

Photo courtesy of http://healthy-designs.tumblr.com/

In the meantime, I am going to continue on the path that I've decided that is right for me. I'm drinking a green smoothie every morning, I'm eating less animal protein on a daily basis and incorporating more plant based foods into my diet. I'm trying hard every day to eat a rainbow of colors, no processed box foods, no GMO anything in my house or in my body, no sugar, no pop. Basically, I'm learning to eat as if I had to plant and harvest the food that I bring into my home.

The woes of getting older....

photo credits

In a few days I will be celebrating another year of life.....46 of them exactly!! At one point I was pretty rattled by that number as it is closer to 50 than I wanted to be. But something happened. Somewhere along the way I started to become comfortable in my own skin. I believe it occurred when I decided that being a couch potato just didn't work for me. I'm now more conscious about what I put in my body and making time for my health appointments. For the longest time I've been a MOM..and mom's don't worry about themselves. Moms only go to the doctor when they've been sick for 18 days and finally surrender to the war going on within their bodies. I was that MOM. I no longer subscribe to that definition of a mom. I'm me, a woman, daughter, wife, mom, friend, and someone who deserves to take care of herself.

 So......today I had a stress test. I've noticed that when I'm running that my heart rate gets a tad too high. I mentioned it to my chiropractor and he didn't want to worry me, but he was concerned that it might be stress on the heart instead of being an aerobic workout. After that appointment I took his concern seriously and made sure to bring my runs back down to a slower speed when my HR got too high. My dad had a heart attack when he was 44 and his dad when he was 45...heart disease is in my genes. Honestly, I was a little scared. And then I read an article about a runner who was 45 and died during a 5K. That sealed the deal for me. I made an appointment with my physician and they got the ball rolling with the blood work and stress test.

I have to wait for about a week for my results from the stress test, but I'm feeling pretty good about the outcome. I was able to log in to my health account today and looked over my blood work. And of course, I had to call my mother to give her the numbers so that she could confirm and reassure herself and my dad that I was (knock on wood) going to be okay. My cholesterol numbers are pretty good--
Triglycerides 68, HDL 64, LDL 114 (I'm working to bring that below 100). I feel that my heart is in pretty good shape. In fact, I think I'm in good shape.

However, even though I have (some) faith in doctors, I still think something is off. Not once did any of the doctors ask me if I could possibly be going through menopause. I firmly believe that I am either in peri-menopause or the beginning stages of menopause. I think that my estrogen levels are out-of-whack...because I've been experiencing anxiety, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, hair loss, heat flashes...and of course, my doctor says my thyroid is just fine. I think I will have to be my own doctor for right now and try to find a better doctor.  A doctor who looks me in the eyes and is listening to me. I'm sure there is one out there!

My love affair with running starts

Hello Friends!

As many of you may know, the past year I have dived into the pool of fitness! I went from being pretty much sedentary to running four 5K's,  one 4 mile Dune Dash, one 10K, riding my bicycle for several 100 miles, lifting weights, walking, cross-country skiing, and just enjoying having to catch my breath and wipe the sweat from face. I can't believe how many years of my life I spent sitting on my butt, watching television, reading, and being on the internet. When you do nothing every single day it's very hard to start doing "something." But I was determined. I was tired of being tired. I didn't like the reflection that stared back at me. The unhappy face. The face that carried extra weight and sadness. So I decided that I was going to change. I started by downloading the C25K app. I took some time and looked at each week to see what I was going to have to accomplish on the treadmill (March in Michigan last year was VERY cold, plus we had a TON of snow...so running outside was not something I even considered!). The first few weeks looked doable and I thought to myself, "you've got this!" Ha! Little did I know that years of sitting around did a lot of damage to my health. Nothing was easy, but I instantly felt better after each workout. Not only did I feel better, but I also started to feel empowered. As the weeks went by the length of time I was able to run increased. My self confidence started to amp up and I knew that I could actually run a 5K!! My best girlfriends encouraged me to sign up for The Color Run and even went so far as to run it with me!  When they did that I knew I had surrounded myself with a group of women who knew how to love and support each other. I knew I had found my "tribe." With them by my side, I crossed my first official finish line and fell in love with running. There was no turning back for me, I was hooked!

Life is a crazy thing!

Wow! Can't believe that it's been months since I last sat down and posted on my blog. I think I was trying to force something that just wasn't there...you feeling me?? Now, I have something brewing in my head and in my world that I'm excited about, so posting doesn't appear as if it will be a problem, at least for now...wink, wink!

What has been going on with me over the past months?? Not a lot, really. Just living, loving, and dreaming. Dreaming about finishing my Bachelor's Degree. Dreaming about maybe, just maybe, making a passion into a business. Dreaming about getting healthy for my Half-Marathon in October. Dreaming of warmer weather....ha! So many things are just bouncing around in my head that I thought now would be a really good time to get them down in writing. Sometimes I forget I have a blog. Probably because it was so centered around books that I just don't think of it as my way of documenting my life. I'm still a reader, but it no longer defines me nor my blog. I've tossed the idea around of changing the name, but then decided that I like it. So the name stays, but the focus will certainly change. If you want to visit that's great...here's what I'm going to be talking about on my blog, Life in the Thumb:

• running
• eating healthy
• juicing
• green smoothies
• going back to college
• half-marathon training
• my kids
• my husband
• our adventures
• books and why they made an impact on me (or how they were a waste of time!)
• tech stuff...now that I'm a tech girl!
• my life's philosophy
• brainstorming ideas about how to get a business up and running!
• my dogs
• friends and friendship
• whatever tickles my fancy!

I'm excited and feel like now IS the time to start blogging again! 

Where does the time go????

Good Intentions- I have many of them and some I actually follow through and complete, while others tend to languish on the back burner. Much to my chagrin, life got really busy once school started back in session and the time that I had available to myself was not spent creating a post for my blog or spent updating my look. I rode my bicycle, went for walks, ran a few miles, read a few chapters, and spent time with my family.

What I do intend to do- Is to start posting again, now that I think I have a grip on the crazy job and the stress that comes with it. Time management is something that I struggle with and am always looking to improve upon. I feel confident that I can still be creative on my blog, interact with those that stop by and comment, and still have time for my life.

What is happening right now- I'm getting everything in order right now because at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning I will be heading to the D to run a 5k on Belle Isle. I am a Michigan native, but I've never ventured to Belle Isle so not only am I excited to see this state park for the first time, but I'm also excited to be running with so many women.

created using Project Life App

What I am currently addicted to- Project Life App for my iPad!! I went a little crazy and created 3 scrapbook pages immediately and didn't get to bed until 11:30!! I created this collage yesterday to inspire me for my run tomorrow.

What I am currently reading and listening to- Searching for Perfect by Jennifer Probst. Loved the first book in this series, Searching for Someday. When I saw this one at Target I had to get it. I am currently listening to Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman, narrated by Cassandra Campbell. Loving this one so far and it made me pedal my bike an EXTRA 4 miles yesterday just to finish the chapter. I also listen to audio books when I'm going for a long walk.

What's going on in your life today?

I see you....

Just saw this on Elephant Journal and it really made me stop and think.  As I have re-evaluated my life this past year, I know that I've been guilty of looking at people, but never really seeing them. I'm learning to slow down and connect. Look people in the eyes as I ask them how they are today. Stop and listen with my whole being and just exist in the moment. Keeping my phone in my pocket and all of my attention focused on that person. I think we need to do more of this on a daily basis, until it becomes a part of who we are as a people. We need to turn off the phones, tablets, computers, and televisions. We need to appreciate the silence, the moments, the here and now, and engage in LIFE!

Your thoughts???

It's been a long time.....

Hello Friends!!

Not sure if anyone will read this or not, because quite honestly my blog fell right off the map way back in August of last year. There's a lot to the story as to why my blog went silent and I'm ready to share some of that with you, my real friends, who have stayed in contact with me on FB, Twitter, and emails.

I've decided that my blog will get a refreshed "look" and also will be more about my journey and what has brought me to where I am today. It will just be me writing and sharing....if you're interested and want to stop in and say "Hello" that's great. If you're not because my focus has steered away from review books, that's okay too! I understand, truly I do.

Within a week or so I hope to have the template in place and will be getting "real" with what has happened in my life over the past year and how things have changed.

I'm actually excited about blogging again, and quite honestly, I'm excited about the no pressure aspect of it by removing myself from "reviewing" books.

Looking forward to catching up with you all!!

Staci

College Bound

 

 

 

This week is all about getting Marc packed up and ready to go to college. Life has been very busy with my oldest home from Okinawa, spending a few days with him, working a second job, and now getting my youngest ready for his next chapter in life. I will not be posting on my blog for the rest of August. I hope at some point to visit some of your blogs but it's looking pretty dicey right now. My days are filled with things that need to be done and by the time I do get some down time, being on the computer is the last activity I feel like doing!!

 

Don't forget about me!! I promise to visit soon!!!

 

Love you all!

Staci

 

Posted with Blogsy

My Extraordinary Ordinary Life by Sissy Spacek

What My Extraordinary Ordinary Life is about:
In her delightful and moving memoir, Sissy Spacek writes about her idyllic, barefoot childhood in a small East Texas town, with the clarity and wisdom that comes from never losing sight of her roots. Descended from industrious Czech immigrants and threadbare southern gentility, she grew up a tomboy, tagging along with two older brothers and absorbing grace and grit from her remarkable parents, who taught her that she could do anything. She also learned fearlessness in the wake of a family tragedy, the grief propelling her "like rocket fuel" to follow her dreams of becoming a performer.

Listening to Sissy Spacek tell her story was like taking a walk with a good friend and hearing about her life. I loved the tales of her early childhood, the complete love and support she always received from her parents, and the journey her life became as she chased her dream of being a country artist and her surprise in becoming a movie actress. I always find it fascinating to hear about the people upcoming stars meet in their life and who end up becoming just as or even more famous than the person telling the story. Sissy certainly met a lot of wonderful people in the business and many of them became treasured and real friends.  Sissy's voice was easy to listen to and I still think she could be Loretta Lynn's twin!!

Recommend? If you have enjoyed Sissy's work in the past and are curious about her life growing up and the simple way she lives today, then this is one to add to your audio list for sure!!

Source:  Purchased from Audible.com
Narrator: Sissy Spacek
Length: 9 hrs an 49 mins

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #123
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday....What Are You Reading????

Mailbox Monday 

is a gathering place for readers to share the books that

came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

August Host: Penelope @ The Reading Fever!

cover image via goodreads.com

Uh, yeah, no one will be  surprised that I nabbed this one on NetGalley!! Always on My Mind, Lucky Harbor #8- can't wait to read it!!

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Hosted by

 Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read 

and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and talked about last week:

The Glass Wives- debut novel that would make a good summer read

Orphan Train- blew me away and touched my heart...fantastic historical book!

One Day in Apple Grove- loved the characters and would continue on with this series

Bookish Thoughts to share this week:

My Extraordinary Ordinary Life (audio) by Sissy Spacek

Upcoming Reads:

Not sure what will be in store for me because on Saturday, my oldest son, Mitch will finally be back on American soil!!! I will be spending three days with him and reading is NOT on the agenda. Once again I will be making choices based on whims and what makes me smile!!

One Day in Apple Grove by C.H. Admirand

cover image www.goodreads.com

What One Day in Apple Grove (Small Town USA #2) is about:
Caitlin Mulchahy doesn't have much time for socializing now that her sisters' handyman business is thriving. For Dr. Jack Gannon--former Marine medic--keeping the residents of Apple Grove healthy is a welcome distraction from the haunting memories of his time served in Iraq. Although the two have lived in the same small town their whole lives, Cait and Jack barely know each other. That is until a stray puppy leads them to the same place at the same time. But it will take more than one adorable canine to get these two together--it'll take a whole town

I requested One Day in Apple Grove because I thought the cover was cute!! Lucky for me it turned out to be a really enjoyable summer read! I thought the Mulchahy family was pretty special in regards to how they looked out for each other, worked together, and how fiercely their dad loved them. The romance in this story was really fun and as an animal lover I found it wonderful that their chance meeting occurred because of a lost puppy!! For me, having Jack as a veteran of the Iraq War who suffered from PTSD was a bonus. I thought the author wrote his character with so much honesty, pain, and humility, my heart hurt for him and all that he experienced.

Recommend? For those that enjoy books that revolve around small home towns, sweet romance, and real characters then yes, I think you just might enjoy spending a day in Apple Grove.

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Published June 4th 2013 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Small Town USA #2

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #122
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Orphan Train- TLC Tour Review Book

cover image via Goodreads.com

What Orphan Train is about:
A captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.

As I finished  Orphan Train I was wiping tears from my eyes and marveling at the ending of this beautifully written and moving story. I've read a few books about the orphan trains, but none moved me quite like this one. The author was able to move seamlessly between Vivian and Molly's stories and blended them together to create a tale that was not only totally believable, but also gut-wrenching. The historical aspect alone is worthy of reading, but when you add Vivian and Molly's traumatic young lives to the mix the reader gets a story that allows them to feel the characters pain, hopelessness, and towards the end, joy.

Recommend? Without hesitation. For readers who love historical fiction, authentically written characters, and a great story, then you NEED to add this book to your reading list for 2013! The story within this book will stay with me for some time and I'm sure it will be on my list of favorites for the year!!

Source: William Morrow Publishers and TLC Book Tours

For more information about this book and the author, Christina Baker Kline please use the following links: Author's website, Facebook page, and Twitter page.

Disclaimer: Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.

© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

The Glass Wives by Amy Sue Nathan- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts

cover image via goodreads.com

What The Glass Wives is about:
When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all. But Evie wasn’t counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no matter how frayed

I am riding the fence about The Glass Wives and how I felt about it when I finished the last page. It certainly gave me a lot to think about and I wondered what I would've done if I was in the position of Evie. I liked that towards the end of the story she actually gets a backbone and starts living her life. But the rest of the story had me bored at parts and wishing that Nicole's character was given just a little bit more depth. What I did appreciate was how the author portrayed divorce and death when it happens to young children. Seeing and understanding it from their  perspective was refreshing. And of course, I did question myself at the end in regards to what makes a family??

Recommend? Overall, it was a good read. Nothing stellar or earth-shattering, just a good book that would make a great beach read or when you're in need of something easy to read. This is the author's debut work and I would certainly read more by her in the future.

Source: St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley

ebook, 288 pages

Published May 14th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #121
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday Intro- Orphan Train

Hosted by Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea

My Tuesday Intro pick is from Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. I have a review coming up on Thursday for TLC and wanted to share the intro with my friends.

Prologue
I believe in ghosts. They're the ones who haunt us, the ones who have left us behind. Many times in my life I have felt them around me, observing, witnessing, when no one in the living world knew or cared what happened.
  I am ninety-one years old, and almost everyone who was once in my life is now a ghost.

Would you keep reading based on this opening?

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday....What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday 

is a gathering place for readers to share the books that

came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

July Host is Tasha @ Book Obsessed

cover image - www.goodreads.com

Whoever created the cover for The Vicar's Wife book did a fantastic job because it lured me in and made me want to know more about it. After reading the synopsis, I just knew that I had to read it!! Thanks NetGalley for feeding my addiction!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hosted by

 Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read 

and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and talked about last week:

Against the Wall- sexy romance with great characters!

Somewhere Between Luck and Trust- first read by this author and will be coming back for more!

His Majesty's Hope- loved Maggie in this one and can't wait for the next book!

Bookish Thoughts to share this week:

The Glass Wives

One Day in Apple Grove

Orphan Train - TLC Book Stop

Upcoming reads:

Whatever my little heart desires! August is Summer Kindle Cleaning Month here at LITT and I'm so looking forward to making a dent in my reader!! But August also will be a month where my oldest son, Mitch, is coming back to the States!! Yay!! And then Marc is headed off to college. I'm sure life will impact my reading time but honestly, I don't care at all...I'm beyond excited!!

His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia Macneal- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts

cover image via NetGalley

What His Majesty's Hope is about:
Maggie Hope returns to embark on a clandestine mission behind enemy lines where no one can be trusted, and even the smallest indiscretion can be deadly.World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive—a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad—and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war—and of her own past.

Maggie Hope is back and even better than before! Book three takes the reader deep into Germany and finds Maggie's life on the line more than once. I was impressed by Maggie's bravery in accepting the job of being dropped into enemy territory and becoming a spy. She's such a smart cookie but there were a few instances where I wanted her to stop thinking she was so invincible, but that just added to the tension in the story. Many twists and turns, encounters with her "dead" mother, and always questioning who to trust, made this a great addition to the series!!

Recommend? YES! I honestly think it's the best of the books yet! Maggie's grown-up a bit in this one, experiences serious life-altering events, and realizes that life is precarious at best.

Source: Bantam via NetGalley

ebook, 352 pages

Published May 14th 2013 by Bantam

Maggie Hope Mystery #3

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #120
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