Distraction

Wow! There was sunshine today! Still very cold at 14F/-10C and colder tonight. I have not been outside walking because of the ice & snow and I truly miss it. The family I live with is busy working various shifts, taking classes and avidly working at their hobbies. I am here lingering about, mostly free of mother responsibilities and somewhat directionless in the purposeful activity department. Believe me when I say housework has never been my forte; I get the work done and don't look for more. Cooking is only a little more appealing because it is creative, but truthfully, aside from the enjoyment of eating, I view cooking as a mess making activity. So boy, do I have free time! I missed the application date for university classes due to my knee injury, but yes, I have applied and will start in the summer semester.

So to circumvent a severe case of "what am I doing with my life?!" I have been reading. Nothing one could consider too challenging, just some interesting novels, to transport me to a different place and time. I had a little trouble with the colloquial dialog initially, but overall appreciated War Brides by Helen Bryan (480 pp), set in 1945 coastal England during the blitz and concluding fifty years later on VE Day; with interesting plot twists to an already dramatic era. Another novel, The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, by Emily Croy Barker (576 pp) is a fantasy about Nora who enters a portal to another world; a medieval setting, amidst a war between humans and what are essentially fairies. Be forewarned, the book is full of medieval life details, but a bit slow in the beginning setting the scene. I'm not sure I consider Nora the "thinking woman" of the title until the last few chapters when she shows some real skills in problem solving. Even so, the ending is incomplete, some characters suspiciously vanish and I suspect it will be a series. I will most likely read book two though just to get answers to those dangling plot lines. Anyway look at me go, over 1000 pages a week. I guess that bodes well for my return to school.