Little Whale Cove
Depoe Bay, OR
January 2023
Looking back on January, our days were filled with a variety of annual dental, vision & general medical appointments, as well as a few social gatherings. Other than that, it was a relatively quiet month. With all the rain we received (9 1/2 inches), I didn't get in much walking, so my audiobook listening time was down considerably. I finished two huge books, read three shorter works, zipped through a heart-racing thriller, and listened to one audiobook. They were all winners; there isn't one I wouldn't recommend.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher (5/5)
The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg (4/5)
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (4/5)
Foster by Claire Keegan (5/5)
Evenings at Five by Gail Godwin (4/5)
Love & Saffron by Kim Fay (5/5)
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (5/5)
Movies & TV Series:
Top Gun: Maverick - We enjoyed this follow-up to the classic Top Gun movie. I got a little choked up during the flashback bar scene with Goose singing Great Balls of Fire. The special effects of the dog fights are very good, and at times, I had to stop watching because I felt like I was on a rollercoaster!
The Long Call - Thankfully, this is a short series (4 episodes). I didn't care for it too much, but wanted to find out whodunnit. Based on the Ann Cleeves mystery.
The Crown (Season 5) - Predictably sad. So many lives ruined because of who they married or into which family they were born.
No Time to Die - Daniel Craig. What more can I say? So good!!
Magpie Murders - This is my favorite series of the month! I read the book a couple of years ago and thought it was pretty good, but this show is even better. Such a clever mystery(ies)! I can't wait to watch Moonflower Murders when it's released. Bravo!
Whitechapel (Season One) - We've watched a few episodes, and while it's good, it's very gritty. Fun to see Rupert Penry-Jones, who was wonderful in Spooks (MI-5)!
Puzzlemania:
Nesting/Decluttering:
I loved this daily challenge! The woman who organized it isn't planning another month's schedule, so I'll have to come up with my own prompts. Anyone else love to declutter after the holidays?
It was fun to see this Google map of all the places we traveled in 2022. It's also a good reminder that I need to start making plans for this year's RV travels.
Less than 40 days until daylight saving time! I love that the days are beginning to feel longer.
Your travel Google Map is fantastic! I plot the locations of the books I read, but should think about where I physically go as well. I am busy watching Narcos, which is very well done (but so violent!).
ReplyDeleteHelen, it's fun to see the map, but probably not the best thing to have Google watching my every move. ;) Speaking of Google, I'm off to see what Narcos is all about. We just finished the first season of Whitechapel, which is quite violent/graphic, too.
DeleteQuite an impressive reading list! I should read some of those titles.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae, you really can't go wrong with any of them!
DeleteYou had some great books in your lineup. The puzzles look fun and the New Yorker ones look challenging. We added Whitechapel and London Kills to our list for future library checkouts. We are on the last two episodes of season three of Unforgotten and then will move on to another series after we get season four.
ReplyDeleteMagpie Murders tv series was great!
Tina, the New Yorker puzzle was actually pretty easy. It only has 500 pieces, so it didn't take us too long. I haven't heard of London Kills, but have added it to our future watch list (which is huge, but so many aren't available to stream right now). I should remember to look at our library. I assume you're getting them on dvd?
DeleteI don't think anyone can ask for a better reading month than you had in January. All 4s and 5s! That's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying Magpie Murders, too. I'm pretty sure it was your recommendation that encouraged us to try it.
It was a fantastic month of reading, Deb! I sometimes wonder if I'm more generous with my ratings at the beginning of each year, but as I look back on these books (even just a few weeks later), those ratings still stand.
DeleteMagpie Murders was a fun series. I'm anxiously awaiting Moonflower Murders, although who knows when that will air.
Cool map of all your visits in 2022! So much to see. I love the West - we are lucky eh? I'd like to see the Crown Season 5 -- but no longer get Netflix. It sounds like we need to get it back for a month to see it. Some of the acting in it is fun to watch of the previous seasons. You read a lot of pages in January - whoa perhaps b/c of the 9" of rain?! I still need to read a Pilcher novel. We are finally getting settled here and liking our new area. We've been watching the current season of Jack Ryan, and a few episodes of The White Lotus. Hope all is well there.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. It's fun to see where we've been each month. January didn't have very many locations, which isn't surprising! We're still watching The Crown, little by little. I like that they aren't spending the entire season focusing on Charles & Diana. A couple of episodes ago, the focus was on the monarchy's ties to the assassination of the Romanov family. As far as pages read in January, I began reading those two chunksters in December (and even earlier for A Fine Balance). Glad you're getting settled in. I can't wait to see more photos from your new surroundings. The sun is shining here this morning and we may be heading into a dry spell, which is nice for a while, but we still need rain in Oregon, believe it or not! Take care!
DeleteI know I'm a bit late in reading your January summary, but life has been a bit overwhelming with our house sale and move. I'm needing some good books to read, and I know I can always count on you! I think Love and Saffron will be first on my list.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though you had a cozy month, with all of that rain keeping you indoors. And you were productive, with all of your decluttering and organizing! Between dealing with my parents' estate and then our recent home sale and move, I feel like I've been immersed in decluttering for three years, LOL. Where does all of that stuff come from?
It's so fun to see your map of your travels. You guys really did a lot last year! Any plans yet for this year? How about North Carolina? :-)
Laurel, I read your recent post (which I plan to comment on) and saw that life has been quite hectic for you two. Reading is always a good balm for the stressed mind, so I'm glad you're finding some good recommendations here. Now that you have sold the house and moved, you can relax somewhat, right? No more decluttering! Yes, we're planning to head up into Alberta & B.C. in June, traveling with another couple who have done all the hard work of maping out the route & finding campgrounds and rv parks, so all I really need to do is make reservations as the parks beginning to allow us to do so. No plans for N.C., although we have family from Durham coming out in May! We'll get back there again someday...
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