The Pandemic: Five Years Later

It's been five years since the beginning of the pandemic, and I thought I'd write about that first year, reflecting on how quickly life changed for the entire world. 

I drafted a blog post in March 2021, but never got around to publishing it. I'm incorporating that post with some current thoughts, as well as photos from that first year.

On March 13, 2020 we entered a state mandated lockdown in Oregon. In conversations with my family and friends, we all agreed that it would probably only last until summer, and maybe even into the fall, but I don't think any of us had any idea we'd still be there a year later. Of course, we weren't "locked down" for the entire year, but our lives aren't that much different than they were last spring. We are still wearing masks and washing our hands and observing social distancing guidelines. But I now go to the grocery store once a week instead of every two weeks. We get together with friends, but only outside and masked, of course. We haven't had any visitors and haven't seen any family since September 2019, when we were all together for our daughter's wedding. 

We watched a lot of TV, streaming all sorts of British detective series, as well as regular movies. There was always a jigsaw puzzle in progress at the end of our dining room table and it looks like we completed a total of 23 (!!) during the past year. We played Quirkle, Quiddler and Trivial Pursuit, as well as a few other new games. I continued to read and blog, which helped keep me sane.

I discovered dozens of delicious new recipes (our favorite might be the fruit galette), baked bread (when I could find yeast*) and experimented with a sous vide. 

No longer able to work out at our gym, a Peloton bike (and on-demand classes) saved me from the dreaded COVID 15.

*We already knew TP and sanitizer would be scarce, but flour and yeast?

And we Zoomed. A lot. Zoom kept us in touch with our family and friends. I'm grateful that I don't have to use it on a daily basis, but I'm glad we were able to see the faces of those we love and miss. My book group meetings were also on Zoom, which was a bit weird at first, but we were so desperate for those interactions and made it work.

We have remained safe and virus-free. My mom has now had both of her vaccinations and my husband and I have just had our first jabs. So by the end of April, we should be able to resume life relatively close to what we once knew. We are already beginning to sigh with relief, but that doesn't mean we're going to be careless. We will still wear our masks while out in public and keep a bottle of sanitizer in the car. I'm not sure when we'll feel safe enough to go out to eat.

And of course now, five years after the onset of the pandemic, we've had numerous boosters and feel pretty confident that the danger is behind us. Surprisingly, neither my mom (who turns 92 this year), my husband, nor I have ever had Covid. It seems like everyone we know has had it at least once, but we've never caught it. 

We started getting together outdoors within our small "pods," while maintaining safe distances and using hand sanitizer. My Mah Jong pals and I even started to play again, wearing masks and either sitting outside on a patio or in a warm garage with all the doors wide open. 

It was cold in that garage!!

Rod and his friends got together to play music in our garage and driveway. 

Covid testing sites began to pop up in our county, which has less than 50,000 residents. You had to have a doctor's order to be tested there.

Our little town of Depoe Bay looked like a ghost town! 

Watched the strange Opening Day Dodger game with the stands filled with cardboard cutouts. So bizarre. 

From my blog post of March 2020:

I am fortunate to live in a beautiful community and am able to get outside and walk along the ocean and in the forest, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, all of which provides me with much needed distraction from the news and updates. We cancelled our upcoming 2-month road trip (we were to leave yesterday) for obvious reasons.

We did eventually get to take a trip up the coast to one of our favorite campgrounds (Nehalem Bay State Park) and camped for 11 days! It was our first outing since the previous year, so we were very happy to get away. We had the campground pretty much to ourselves, with the exception of the first weekend. Even then, it was maybe only 10% full.

 

More from my 2021 notes:

Our county has moved into a low risk category and yet we are still not comfortable with going out to eat unless there is an outdoor option. 

Looking forward to going out to eat with friends. Traveling and visiting family and friends. 

A year ago, the U.S. had confirmed 1,000 coronavirus infections. Now, we’re approaching 30 million. We couldn't fathom losing 100,000, but we did. Today, more than 530,000 Americans have died from the virus. [As of March 2025, Wikipedia states that there are 1,219,038 confirmed deaths from Covid in the U.S.]

I don't think anyone will ever forget this time in our lives. 

We are retired and our lives didn't change as drastically as those who have jobs or have children in school.

Notes From My Journal:

January 20 - First case of COVID in U.S. (Washington state).

February 29 - First COVID death in U.S. 

March 11 - Costco was a zoo! No toilet paper or Kleenex. People are panic-buying because of COVID.

March 12 - Grocery store has empty shelves. Stock market dropped 7000 points since January. We lost $20K in February.

March 14 - Trying not to spend too much time online reading about COVID. This is such a surreal time. Schools are closed. March Madness and NBA cancelled. Libraries closed. Churches closed. Disneyland closed! Broadway went dark. Long lines at grocery stores. I cancelled all of our reservations for our camping trip. :(

March 16 - Lots of emails flying around about whether to cancel book club and Rae's going away brunch. Shay wants to come out this summer, but who knows if that's even possible.

March 18 - Rec Center officially closed.

March 19 - Day 1 COVID "Stay at Home." COVID testing tent set up at Samaritan clinic.

March 20 - IRS moves filing date to July 15th. CA statewide "stay at home" order. "Shelter in place" COVID deaths surpasses 10,000 globally. Our stocks our down $77K. Went shopping with Rod. Bought almost $350 in groceries. Should be stocked up for a month. 

March 22 - Socially distanced drinks on the deck with Molly & Dave. 

March 23 - Family game night with Rod and Mom (Quiddler). Rod has a cough... trying not to worry!

March 24 - Text from CJ - coworker has COVID. First case in Lincoln county.

March 30 - John Prine has COVID - critical condition.

April 7 - John Prine died.

April 8 - Depoe Bay looks like a ghost town. No cars parked anywhere!

April 11 - Feeling out of sorts. Anxious. Lonely. Missing my girlfriends. Want to go camping!

April 15 - Really miss having a normal routine. No yoga, no pickleball, no Mah Jong, no book club to fill the days. 

Wimbledon cancelled.

Boston Marathon cancelled. First time in its history.

May 19 - Trader Joe's and Costco. Masks required for entry. 

May 25 - Unrest in Minneapolis after George Floyd was killed by police officer kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes. 

May 27 - 100,000 deaths in the United States!

NYC Marathon cancelled. 

July 23 - Opening Day (baseball). No fans in the stadium, just cardboard cut-outs with photos!

Got my first haircut after an entire year - 6" cut off!

This is all I have in my notes. I may add more as my Facebook memories pop up, but that's it for now.

May we never had to endure such a terrible health scare again. Science matters!

Looking Back - Mrs. Dalloway

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Fiction

1925

Finished on April 1, 2002

Rating: 2/5 (Fair)

Publisher's Blurb:

Heralded as Virginia Woolf's greatest novel, this is a vivid portrait of a single day in a woman's life. When we meet her, Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway is preoccupied with the last-minute details of party preparation while in her mind she is something much more than a perfect society hostess. As she readies her house, she is flooded with remembrances of faraway times. And, met with the realities of the present, Clarissa reexamines the choices that brought her there, hesitantly looking ahead to the unfamiliar work of growing old.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

My first time reading something by Virginia Woolf. It took me some time to get used to her style (stream of consciousness), but once I did, I got caught up in the narrative (surprisingly!). There were several slow spots, but overall it wasn't terrible. I'd like to see a film version of the story, and am even a little bit interested in reading something else by Woolf. OK, but don't recommend.

My Current Thoughts:

My rating and my journal notes don't seem to mesh. Today, I'd probably give the book 3/5 stars. I remember, though, how frustrating it was to read this novel. I might have enjoyed it more had I read it after reading Michael Cunningham's book, The Hours.

A Month in Summary - March 2025

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

March 2025

I love this time of year! The days are longer, trees and shrubs are budding out, daffodils are dancing in the breeze, the rainy season is almost over (which means more dry days to get outside and walk!), and the daytime temps are creeping up into the 60s. We have several book events coming up in April (click here for dates and locations), so we're busy prepping to get back on the road in the RV. 

I had a decent month of reading, but only one book stood out from the others, and it was very good. My current book isn't holding my attention, but I'm sticking with it since I am determined to read all of Maggie O'Farrell's novels. I'm hoping it's just one of those books that requires time and patience.

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger (2/5)

More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova (3.5/5)

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash (4.5/5)

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (4/5) - reread

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (3.5/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Zero Day - Entertaining, but not great. The acting wasn't impressive, and I felt the cyber attacks hit a little too close to home during these turbulent times.

Black Doves - Very, very good! I'm not a huge fan of Keira Knightley, but Ben Whishaw is fantastic (and very easy on the eyes). I could watch the show a second time, especially now that I know what the heck happened!

Runaway Juror - After the death of Gene Hackman, this movie popped up in our Netflix listings. I can't remember if I saw the movie when it first came out, but I know I read the book many years ago. We enjoyed the movie quite well.

Paradise (Season One) - Excellent! The story unfolds layer by layer with the weaving of past & present timelines. I was spellbound. Sterling K. Brown (from This Is Us) is outstanding.

Severance (Season One) - I finally jumped on the bandwagon and after a few episodes, was hooked. This is an entertaining, albeit WEIRD psychological thriller. Great acting. On to season two!

Reacher (Season Three) - Entertaining, but pretty silly at times. At the beginning of each episode, we tried to guess how long it would take before Reacher took his shirt off.

Visitors:

Amy came out from Tennessee for a long weekend visit. (Will had to stay home and work and take care of the dogs.) We had such a great time catching up, and she taught me and my girlfriends how to play the American version of Mah Jong. Great fun! Hope it isn't too long before she and Will can both come out for another visit.

Listen for the Lie

 

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Mystery

2024

Narrated by January LaVoy, Will Damron

Finished on March 24, 2025

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.

It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie and its too-good looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one who did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.

Listen for the Lie is a solid mystery and an entertaining audiobook. I was kept guessing right up to the denouement, but once that was revealed, it seemed pretty obvious. I got annoyed with the author's frequent use of two variations of the phrase "she/he cocked/raised an eyebrow," which she must have used at least a dozen times. Hearing it repeatedly was probably more irritating than seeing it on the printed page, but an editor should have caught it. There is also a constant voice (Savvy's) in Lucy's head telling her what she should do, which becomes very annoying after the first few instances. Other than that, it was a captivating whodunit.

Looking Back - Atonement

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Fiction

2002

Finished on March 30, 2002

Rating: 5/5 (Brilliant!)

Publisher's Blurb:

On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her older sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching Cecilia is their housekeeper’s son Robbie Turner, a childhood friend who, along with Briony’s sister, has recently graduated from Cambridge.

By the end of that day the lives of all three will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not dared to approach and will have become victims of the younger girl’s scheming imagination. And Briony will have committed a dreadful crime, the guilt for which will color her entire life.

In each of his novels Ian McEwan has brilliantly drawn his reader into the intimate lives and situations of his characters; but never before has he worked with so large a canvas. Atonement is Ian McEwan’s finest achievement. Brilliant and utterly enthralling in its depiction of childhood, love and war, England and class, Atonement is at its center a profound—and profoundly moving—exploration of shame and forgiveness, and the difficulty of absolution.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

First encounter with McEwan's works. Took a few chapters to get interested, but then I couldn't put it down. Beautiful, rich language. Use of color and light reminiscent of Willa Cather's prose. Witty. (13-year-old Briony's attempt to broaden her vocabulary in both her written and spoken word.) Alternating POVs reveal conflicting perspectives of a single event. Engrossing, touching, memorable characters. As the final chapter drew near, I slowed my pace, trying to savor each sentence. Was even able to stay fully immersed while on a flight to & from Nebraska. Set in 1935 England. A young girl's scheming imagination wreaks havoc on a family. Moves forward to Dunkirk 1941, then on to a reunion in 1999. Somewhat autobiographical in the references to writing?

My Current Thoughts:

I re-read Atonement in 2019 (reviewed here). Below is an excerpt from that review:

I received an ARC months before its publication date and was so excited to tell everyone about this wonderful book when it was finally released. I gave it a 5-star rating and it was my number one read of the year. I've had it on my shelf for 18 years, always hoping to make time to read it a second time, so after chatting with some friends about the books we've read and loved that others loathed, I decided the time had come. I had to see what I might had missed and why so many readers disliked this novel as much as they did.

It may come as a shock to many, but I am now one of those readers and it makes me sad to be so disappointed with a book after feeling so strongly about it for all those years. But it was all I could do to finish reading it and had I not previously read and loved it, I might have given up by the 50 page mark. Unlike my first reading, I did not find the story at all compelling or intense, but rather, I was bored with McEwan’s wordiness and impatient with the characters.

2019 Rating: 2/5 (Fair)

Olive Kitteridge - Reread

 

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Fiction

2008

Finished on March 22, 2025

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.

As the townspeople grapple with their own problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life—sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition—its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.

It's been a little over a decade since I read Olive Kitteridge, so my second time felt almost like reading a new book. Over the years, I had forgotten a lot of the details of the stories in which Olive is not the main focus, but the overall premise of the book was etched in my mind after watching the miniseries (starring Frances McDormand). The bleak vignettes, and Olive's unlikeable character, make for a melancholic read, but I grew to like Olive and was left with a sense of hope as I read the final pages.

My earlier review of Olive Kitteridge can be found here. I gave the book a slightly higher rating in 2014, but not by much.

Looking Back - South of Reason

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

South of Reason by Cindy Eppes

Fiction

2002

Finished on March 10, 2002

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Everybody wondered why the Sanders family had come back to Rosalita, Texas, and moved in next door to Lou Jean Perry. It was apparently the absolute last place they should want to be, though thirteen-year-old Kayla Sanders had no idea why. As the summer heat intensified, Kayla's brittle mother's motives for moving next to bright-spirited Lou Jean would become clear, but not before Kayla discovers that passion listens not to the mind's reason but to the heart's demands. Writing with poignant intensity, Cindy Eppes draws on her Southern roots in a coming-of-age story told by a narrator straight out of Eudora Welty, yet indelibly stamped with a distinctive, contemporary style.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

Complex. Rich in detail. Mystery of sorts. Set in 1968. For those who like coming-of-age stories. Fans of The Secret Life of Bees will enjoy this one.

My Current Thoughts:

Try as I might, I can't remember a thing about this book!

Beyond That, the Sea

 

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

Fiction

2023

Finished on March 12, 2025

Rating: 4.5/5 (Excellent)

Publisher's Blurb:

A sweeping, tenderhearted love story, Beyond That, the Sea follows two families living on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean and the young woman who will call them both her own.

As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: they decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter, Beatrix, to America, where they hope she’ll stay safe.

Scared and angry, Bea arrives in Boston to meet the Gregorys, who fold her into their world. She adjusts to their affluent lifestyle and grows close to both Gregory boys, one older and one younger, filling in the gap between them. Before long, before she even realizes it, life in America feels more natural to her than her quiet, spare world back in England.

As Bea comes into herself and relaxes into summers on the coast in Maine, the girl she had been begins to fade away, until, abruptly, she is called home to London when the war ends.

Desperate as she is not to leave the Gregorys behind, Bea dutifully retraces her trip across the Atlantic. As she returns to post-war London, the memory of her American family stays with her, never fully letting her go as she tries to move on, pursuing love and a life of her own.

As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.

I loved this book! I've read dozens of novels set during World War II, but Laura Spence-Ash's debut is the first I've read about a British child taking refuge with a family in America. Told from eight perspectives, readers are privy to the inner thoughts and emotions of each main character. Usually, this many POVs would be clumsy and confusing, but the author's use of short, alternating chapters keeps the story flowing smoothly. Even with the short chapters, I was quickly drawn into the lives of each character, all of whom are fully drawn and believable. The linear narrative also aides in the seamlessly woven story of both families, spanning nearly forty years (1940-1977). 

I can't begin to imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for parents to send their young children off to either the countryside or to another country during the Blitz.

That is what's worrying Millie. How small life would seem when Beatrix got back. There would be no fancy parties or baseball game outings or trips to the symphony. She's happy, of course, that she seems so well cared for. She seems to have a nice group of friends. But that will make the return more difficult. She will no longer be a little girl. She no longer is a little girl. They sent her away so she could have a childhood. They hadn't realized, though, that their decision meant that her childhood would, instead, be taken away from them. Millie feels as though something has been stolen from her, never to be returned.

This novel would have been a 5-star read had there been more tension, and had the conclusion not been so predictable. I also dislike the author's dialogue format. Instead of a new paragraph for each person speaking, she embeds the conversation within a paragraph, often several sentences in length. Additionally, the words are in italics rather than quotations marks. There were times when it was hard for me to distinguish who was speaking. These quibbles aside, this is an excellent novel and one I look forward to reading again. I'm also eager to see what Laura Spence-Ash has to offer next. And I'd love to find more books (fiction or nonfiction) about the evacuation of British children during World War II.

I echo Alice Elliott Dark's sentiments:

"I was utterly captivated by this beautiful story from the first page to the last. The characters are so real, their feelings so well portrayed that I had to keep reminding myself that I don’t actually know them. But I do! And I will return to the book to experience the well-wrought details of these lives again. This is a new favorite novel, and I can only hope Laura Spence-Ash has more coming soon." Alice Elliott Dark, Author of Fellowship Point and In the Gloaming

More or Less Maddy

 

More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova

Fiction

2025

Finished on March 6, 2025

Rating: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy.

Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that she’s always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy’s latest low is devastatingly low, and she goes on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dreams, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.

With her signature “deep empathy and insight” (Booklist), Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova has crafted another profoundly moving novel that makes complicated mental health issues accessible and human. More or Less Maddy is destined to become another classic like Still Alice.

Apart from Remember, I have read all of Lisa Genova's books, beginning with her brilliant debut novel, Still Alice. I have great respect for Genova's ability to put a face on numerous neurological conditions, entertaining while educating her readers with each unique story. In More or Less Maddy, the author's empathetic portrayal of a young woman with bipolar disorder is a tough read. Maddy is not a likeable character, but I came to sympathize with her once I understood that she wasn't making poor choices because she's an irresponsible college freshman, but rather that she was struggling to accept her mental health issue. After several setbacks, and with the support of her family, Maddy is able to fulfill her dream to become a stand-up comic, and Genova leaves her readers with a hopeful conclusion. 

I enjoyed More or Less Maddy, but it isn't one of my favorites by Lisa Genova. The storyline is uneven, often repetitive, and the comedy shows (and Taylor Swift obsession) held no appeal for me. Would it have been more enjoyable if Maddy had a different career path, and an obsession for an actor or musician whom I admire? Perhaps. But I'm glad I read the book if only to have a deeper understanding of those dealing with bipolar disorder, including their families and friends.

An estimated forty-six million people worldwide have bipolar disorder. Almost seven million people are diagnosed with bipolar in the US, slightly more than the number diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and this is a much younger crowd, with onset typically occurring in the late teens and early twenties. Bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide, and the tenth leading cause of death in the US. (Lisa Genova)

Recommend.

Link to my reviews of Lisa Genova's books:

Still Alice (5/5) - Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Left Neglected (5/5) - Hemispatial Neglect, aka Left Neglect Syndrome

Love Anthony (4.75/5) - Autism

Inside the O'Briens (4.75/5) - Huntington's Disease

Every Note Played (4/5) - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Boundary Waters

 

Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger

Cork O'Connor #2

Mystery

2010

Narrated by David Chandler

Finished on March 6, 2025

Rating: 2/5 (OK)

Publisher's Blurb:

The Quetico-Superior Wilderness: more than two million acres of forest, white-water rapids, and uncharted islands on the Canadian-American border. Somewhere in the heart of this unforgiving territory, a young woman named Shiloh -- a country-western singer at the height of her fame -- has disappeared.

Her father arrives in Aurora, Minnesota, to hire former sheriff Cork O'Connor to find his daughter, and Cork joins a search party that includes an ex-con, two FBI agents, and a ten-year-old boy. Others are on her trail as well -- men hired not just to find her, but to kill her. 

As the expedition ventures deeper into the wilderness, strangers descend on Aurora, threatening to spill blood on the town's snowy streets. Meanwhile, out on the Boundary Waters, winter falls hard. Cork's team of searchers loses contact with civilization, and like the brutal winds of a Minnesota blizzard, death -- violent and sudden -- stalks them.

Meh. 

I enjoy having a series to read over the course of a year or two, and once I got caught up on Susan Hill and Deborah Crombie's mysteries, I thought it would be nice to give William Kent Krueger's books a try. I re-read Iron Lake to refresh my memory of the cast of characters, as well as Cork's backstory, and enjoyed it quite well. I began reading Boundary Waters, but struggled to stay engaged, so I switched to the audiobook. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the reader, and my interest continued to wane, but I stuck with it to the end. I'm not sure what it was about this particular mystery that failed to entertain me, but I'm not compelled to move on to #3 (Purgatory Ridge). I have two more recent releases in the series on my shelf, and since I've learned over the years that the later installments in a mystery series tend to be better, I may give them a try. We'll see.