Kathy, glad that you're enjoying it. I haven't read "Sarum" yet. I plan on doing so.

Same with us. Five of us will be in NYC this June.

Kindle book on sale today - I read this back in the '80's. I may read it again - historical fiction/drama.

Yes, being close to a subway line helps. I lived in NYC for two years (grad school). You were lucky to get one. The subways and everywhere have ads saying how AirBnB is now illegal there. Here's a link that helps with regards to areas to stay.

My daughter and I went last June and yes, staying near Times Square is ideal. We stayed at the Hampton Inn.

You are so sweet. Thank you. Balto's story is a lovely one. It would make us cry almost every time. Junie, no, never! I never thought you were scolding or anything. Love you dear friend. Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! You are truly blessed.

I am so deeply sorry. Praying for you.

Kareni, thank you! Yes, it's my daughter and I. Junie, I hadn't even heard of her or her books until I started college in Portland, Oregon, many years ago. Having grown up in Iran, South Wales, and then Grenada - I'd never heard of her until I was channel surfing one evening at college and they were about to show the series on PBS. I didn't watch, since it was a series and took too much of a commitment with my heavy study load. Then when I had children, we were going to read the books together, but never got around to it. I'm going to look into "The Story Girl". Yes, I can't wait to read the second Julie Andrews memoir. I think that I heard about the first one from you. Thank you!

Yes, the virtual chicken soup sounds delicious! I read Home: A Memoir of My Early Years - 4 Stars - I’ve always loved Julie Andrews and truly enjoyed this genuine and heartwarming memoir. It covered Julie Andrews’s childhood during the WWII years, her turbulent childhood, her dysfunctional and yet loving relationship with her mother, as well as her years on Broadway. Since I can’t post photos here, this is a link to my Good Reads review. This was all before “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music”, which really are the parts that most of us are familiar with. It was only then when I realized that the rest of her memoir is in another book. I want more and am waiting for the second part to go on sale. There being no libraries in my country, I try to get most of my Kindle books on sale. If, by the way, you’re interested in reading this, I have heard that the audio version is superb, since it’s narrated by Julie Andrews herself. Some of my favorite quotes: “Remember: the amateur works until he can get it right. The professional works until he cannot go wrong.” “Early one beautiful summer evening, when everyone else was drinking indoors, Tony and I walked down to the river. We lay on the grass under a tree and chatted. At one point, Tony said, ‘Look at the pattern of lace the leaves make against the sky.’ I looked at the canopy above us, and suddenly saw what he saw. My perspective completely shifted. I realized I didn't have his ‘eyes’ -- though once he pointed it out, it became obvious. It made me think, ‘My God, I never look enough,’ and in the years since, I've tried very hard to look -- and look again.” “’When you get older, darling, buy property. You will never lose on property. You can always trade up, and it will always be something to fall back on. It’s a wonderful investment for your money.’ I have tried to follow her advice.” The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America - 5 Stars - I couldn’t put this one down. This is a memoir that’s partly about Tommy Tomlinson’s life as a journalist, but mostly about his struggle with food. He was over 400 pounds when he started on a path over the course of a year to work on his weight. This man can write! There are so many things that I love about this author – his love for his wife and his incredible heart. He’s ever so open and genuine without being whiny or indulging in self-pity. He’s amiable and now that I’ve finished the book, I miss him so much. Although I’m nowhere near Tomlinson’s weight, I have struggled with weight for most of my adult life and will struggle forever since I love food like you wouldn’t believe. I could relate to many of the challenges he described. This book is a fabulous read whether you struggle with weight or not. If you have never struggled with weight or any addiction for that matter, you probably know someone who does. This book will help you to gain insight into how hard it truly is. More than anything, it’s such an enjoyable read. Here are some of my favorite quotes. There were so many. I have included a few here and the rest are in my Good Reads review. “At some point we have to own our choices. If not, we’re eternally children.” “Most of the time what I feel is sadness over how much life I’ve wasted.” “In our fractured country, we all agree on one thing: second helpings.” The Blue Castle - 5 Stars - Oh, this darling, darling book! It’s the ultimate comfort read. This is the first book that I have read by L.M. Montgomery. Valancy Stirling wakes up on her 29th birthday realizing that she has never been happy or lived much at all. I loved her spirit and was rooting for her throughout. What awful relatives she had, although they had me laughing with all their weird and quirky ways. The story takes place in the Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada. Montgomery describes it beautifully. Valancy’s fantasy of her Blue Castle was delightful. Without giving away anything, let me just say that this book filled me with happiness and faith in the world. Here are some of my favorite quotes. The rest are in my Good Reads review. “If you can sit in silence with a person for half an hour and yet be entirely comfortable, you and that person can be friends. If you cannot, friends you'll never be and you need not waste time in trying.” “The trouble with you people is that you don't laugh enough.” “Isn't it better to have your heart broken than to have it wither up? Before it could be broken it must have felt something splendid. That would be worth the pain.” Some more pictures from our time in NYC. We always love visiting Balto in Central Park. This was one of my children's favorite books. The last picture is of Rizzoli's bookstore. Loved that place. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of my absolute favorite bookstore there.

Kindle book on sale today (historical fiction).

Praying.

Kindle book on sale today - the second book in the Kingsbridge Trilogy - I read them about a decade or so ago. I plan on reading them again eventually.

Robin, I liked his other book more than this one, although I liked both.

Robin, I need to look into the Beatles movie. I've loved their music since I can remember. Thank you for all the links. Going to look into them later. I read The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors - 4 Stars - How I miss Charles Krauthammer and his insightful articles. He was a voice of reason in a world that has gone slightly mad to say the least. This book, a collection of his essays from “The National Review”, “The Washington Post”, and “Time”, was edited by his son, Daniel. I preferred his other book, Things That Matter, but this one was a wonderful read also. Here are some of my favorite quotes. There were so many. Others that I loved are shown below my Good Reads review. “The next time you find yourself in the midst of some national hysteria with sensible people losing their heads, with legislatures in panic and with the media buying it all and amplifying it with a kind of megaphone effect, remember this: Remember that a people—even the most sensible people—can all lose their heads at once.” “As Chesterton once put it unkindly, ‘Tolerance is the virtue of people who do not believe anything.’” “You’re betraying your whole life if you don’t say what you think—and you don’t say it honestly and bluntly.” “He believed in Einstein’s (apocryphal) dictum that ‘if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’” Some more pictures from my time in NYC. The first one is from the Garment District. The second is obviously at Macy's. The third one is in Central Park.

I often visit that site.

So pretty!

Kindle book on a bit of a sale today (politics/humor)

Thank you! You're so sweet. You already know that I always enjoy all your beautiful pictures also.

Kindle book on sale today.

I loved that one also. This is so pretty. I just can't get over how gorgeous it is.

I read New York: the Novel - 5 Stars - American history is not my strength and I’m always on the look-out for books that will hold my interest me in this area. This one was wonderful, historically accurate, and beautifully written. I lived in New York when I was in graduate school many years ago. I appreciated learning about places and events that I knew very little about. The book starts with the 1600s Dutch settlers and Native Americans and goes all the way to the early 2000's. As you can imagine, it’s a massive read. It was such a good read that I didn’t want it to end. That’s saying a lot for a book that’s well over 800 pages. Here's a link to my Good Reads review if you're interested in some illustrations. Rutherfurd is an excellent writer. He wrote Paris which I read a few years ago. He truly has a knack for making history come alive. You start rooting for various characters and truly caring for them. I plan to eventually read all his books. That’s how good of an author he is. Here are some quotes that I thought are worth sharing: “Whatever you do, keep your family together. That’s the most important thing in the world.” “If I had my life again, I’d act differently. It’s hard for a man if he thinks his wife doesn’t respect him.” “Lincoln thinks slavery is wrong—that I don’t deny—but he went to war to preserve the Union. He made that perfectly clear. He has even said, in public: ‘If I could save the Union without freeing a single slave, I’d do it.’ His words. Not mine.” He paused. “What does Lincoln want for the slaves? Who knows? From what I hear, his main idea for liberated slaves is to find a free colony in Africa or Central America, and send them there. Do you know he actually told a delegation of black men, to their faces, that he doesn’t want Negroes in the United States?” “I’d rather be the wife than the mistress.” “You still have your marriage.” “Marriage may not be a perfect state, but it is a protection, especially as we get older. And we are all getting older, my dear.” “Many countries have accepted the Jews, … and always they have turned against them in the end. The Jews will only survive if they are strong. This is the lesson of history. … We were commanded to keep our faith. So let me tell you: every time a Jew marries out, we are weakened. Marry out, and in two, three generations, your family will not be Jewish. Maybe they will be safe, maybe not. But in the end, either way, all that we have will be lost.” “I was reading Virginia Woolf the other day, and she remarked that at one period of her life, she was able to get so much done because she had three uninterrupted hours to work in every day. And I thought, what on earth is she talking about? Only three hours a day? And then I looked around the office at all the people working their fourteen-hour days, and I thought, how many of you actually spend three hours in real, creative, intellectual activity in a day? And I reckoned, probably not one.” She smiled. “And there’s Virginia Woolf achieving more than they ever will in their lives, on three hours a day. It makes you think. They might do better if they worked less.” “You can do what you like, sir, but I'll tell you this. New York is the true capital of America. Every New Yorker knows it, and by God, we always shall.” “All empires become arrogant. It is their nature.” “She was quiet for a moment or two. Then she said: 'Cruel words are a terrible thing … Sometimes you regret them. But what's been said cannot be unsaid.” Some photos of my brief time at NY with my daughter last June. I went to Columbia for grad school many years ago, so going back to NY is always nostalgic.

That just blows. I'm so sorry. I go through my wish list every morning and sort the books by price (low to high). Sometimes there's a sale. Most of the times, not. Sales are something I look forward to. Can you at least sort the books that you want? Maybe the sales are different there? We live outside the U.S. I thank God that we get the U.S. version of amazon. I have noticed that the amazon from other countries are not nearly as good when it comes to sales and even with what they offer.

Kindle books on sale today. Eventide - book 2 in the Plainsong series Russka

I love your photos! I love cows and the setting is so pretty!

Penguin, I love your pictures! I would so love to visit Denmark someday. Thank you for sharing.