Little Whale Cove
Depoe Bay, Oregon
July 2025
Another page flipped on the calendar and summer is winding down. For many, it's been a long hot summer and I'm hearing that you're eager for cooler temps and fall activities. Here on the Oregon coast, we're just entering our nicest time of the year. The chilly, overcast days aren't nearly as frequent as in June and July, and the temps are climbing into the mid-60s. We typically travel in September, which everyone says is the best month of the year, but I'm hoping August will prove to be just as lovely.
My reading felt a bit off in July, mainly due to two lackluster novels, one of which was far too long. The two books I read in print were over 400 pages, and the two audios were between 8 and 10 hours. I spent two weeks reading The Frozen River, and while I enjoyed it, I began to get impatient, eager to make more headway on my Summer Reading challenge. My reading has also suffered due to my new interest in watching a couple of episodes of The Handmaid's Tale each night. I also used to read for about an hour in the afternoon before fixing dinner, but my new obsession interest in American Mah Jong has me playing several games on my computer.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard (3.5/5)
The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick (2/5)
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (4/5)
So Far Gone by Jess Walter (4.5/5)
Movies & TV Series:
Missing - An ok show, but I've already forgotten the plot.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 - I read Jane Harper's book in 2018 and thought it was decent, but the series wasn't as good.
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The Handmaid's Tale (Season 2) - I've watched two seasons and will continue despite the unsettling themes about women's rights that feel far too prescient in today's world.
Visitors:
Hiking:
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Molly and I hiked Cascade Head for the second year in a row. It was a beautiful, sunny day!
New Obsession:
As mentioned above, I've started play American Mah Jong with a friend in my neighborhood. In addition to our face-to-face games, I've started playing online, which is a great way to improve my skills. I love it!
New Car!
Yes, we bought a new car. We traded in the Miata, which after owning for less than two years proved to be somewhat impractical. It looked cute, especially with the top down, but it wasn't very comfortable for either of us. We started looking at Subarus and I fell in love with the Outback Limited. It has more bells & whistles than my 2010 Forester (which we sold to some good friends before moving to Oregon), and I think it will be a better fit for us than the Miata.
Lastly, we received our second tsunami alert since moving to the Oregon coast in 2017. Thankfully, nothing came of the advisory. Phew!
Hope you're all enjoying your summer! Happy reading!
I tried Mah Jong one time (dragging my husband along) but he didn't like it, so I never went back. It was very fun, I thought. I haven't seen Handmaid's Tale. I want to see it, but I suspect it might be too dark for me with all the other awfulnesses going on right now.
ReplyDeleteThose temperatures sound so lovely. We won't see those for quite a while.
Deb, I've been playing the Chinese version of Mah Jong since I was a pre-teen. I think I convinced my husband to try it once. He's never played again. I'm enjoying both the Chinese and the American version, the latter of which is much more challenging.
DeleteThe Handmaid's Tale is pretty dark, but the acting is excellent.
We finally got some rain today after 60+ days of dry weather. I hope you aren't sweltering too much!
Les, I hope you guys have fun on your travels in August. Glad the tsunami alert didn't come to anything. Nice car! I think I watched both of those Jane Harper book inspired movies and I agree. I really liked the books. The movie - not so much. Take care and hope your weather is very, very pleasant.
ReplyDeleteKay, no travels until September so I think we'll get to enjoy the wonderful weather this month. A gentle rain this morning which is lovely, but temps rising closer to 70 later next week. Yay!
DeleteYes, the car is very nice. I'm having fun with it! It's very comfortable.
I look forward to your monthly roundup as much as I would a book in the mail. It's great to see what all you ahve read, done, watched etc.
ReplyDeleteDoug had a Mustang convertible for a while and while it was gorgeous, a bit impractical. It's so hot here that the days we could keep the top down were limited. Yes, we wore hats but stopping for any length of time in traffic was brutal. He traded that for a Subraru as well. We have had Outbacks and Foresters in the past.
Glad the tsunami didn't hit your coast. Scary warning.
Tina, I so appreciate your comment about these monthly round-ups. They take some time to put together, but I like having a record of what I've been up to each month.
DeleteI'll bet the Mustang was beautiful (and probably a little bit easier to get in and out of than the Miata!), but yeah, not too practical if you can't enjoy having the top down. The Subaru has a moonroof, which I enjoy having open. It's a great car!
Thanks for mentioning Person of Interest somewhere on your blog. We started watching a few nights ago and are enjoying it!
Oh, I love your wrap ups and I am inspired to start a similar monthly one. Not a complete copy, just adding the links for each book I have read in a draft so I will be ready. Well, we will see how long that lasts if I can stay organized.
DeleteGlad you are enjoying Person of Interest. We just finished season one. So much for us to explore with streaming!
The Subaru is a great choice and I'm sure you'll enjoy it many years. I had a favorite of our Subarus and it had the most comfortable seats. Now we have a Rav 4.
By the way, I didn;t see a comment area for the book you posted about The Trap so I will just add here, the only book I have read by Catherine Ryan Howard is 56 Days. That was good.
Tina, I usually start a draft of these monthly wrap-ups, dropping in book titles and links as I finish a book, as well as the image of whatever tv series or movie we finished watching. I don't spend too much more time composing my opening paragraphs, so it goes pretty quickly.
DeleteWe're only halfway into Person of Interest. I was surprised there are so many episodes in the first season! We may take a break and watch something else and come back to it so it doesn't begin to feel stale.
Yes, Subarus have very comfy seating. I'm loving ours. So much so that I'm actually looking forward to our drive to Salem on Wednesday. Usually, I dread that 90 minute (each way!) drive.
Everyone I know who owns a Subaru loves them so good choice on the new car!
ReplyDeleteA lack-luster month of reading is always a bummer. I hope August is more promising. I'm about to start a nonfiction that is true crime/innocence project-ish so hope it will hold my attention.
Helen, I am so pleased with the Subaru! It's so comfortable and has a lot of safety features.
DeleteAugust is already showing signs of a great month of reading. Good luck with your nonfiction read. I'm saving all of mine for November.
I'm glad the tsunami didn't hit the coast there! The Outback looks good and like it fits quite a bit, good choice. And awesome hike photos. Great scenery. I think we watched one or two seasons of Handmaid's Tale. Then it goes past the first novel. It's pretty unsettling & creepy. I read both books, as Atwood says: the things in the books were taken from true stories, yikes. I think online Mah Jong would be fun ... I might become addicted if I started, lol. Happy August!
ReplyDeleteSusan, we are definitely glad the tsunami didn't turn out to be anything to worry about! The Subaru is great. I'm ready to take some daytrips in it this fall. :) I read The Handmaid's Tale years ago and didn't care for it (not a fan of Atwood's books), but the show is definitely thought-provoking and well-acted. I'm hooked. Online Mah Jong is so addictive. I played two rounds last night and won both. Decided to quit while I was ahead. ;)
DeleteMy brother and his wife take all their vacations on the Oregon Coast and plan to retire there in a few years. They love it. The weather in Southern California has been heating up and fires have been popping up here and there. Luckily none close to us, but the air quality has been bad the last few days. I need to get back to The Handmaid's Tale. I watched the first episode a few months ago, but never got back to it. I am glad you liked The Frozen River. That's one I really want to read. I understand feeling impatient though. The Residence sounds silly but every time I come across it, I think I HAVE to make time to watch it!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful photos! Visiting with family is the best. It sounds like you had a nice visit. Love the new car! We recently put a lot of money into my husband's car (which used to belong to my dad--so it's very much on the older side), getting it repaired so it will last us a while longer. I know my husband wouldn't mind downsizing at some point to a sedan versus an SUV, which he drives now.
I hope you are having a great week and are enjoying the weekend!
Oh, I'd be curious to know where they might retire. We love it here! The only downside is lack of major medical care (for things like cancer, cardiology, etc.). We do have two hospitals nearby, but have to travel to the valley (Salem or Corvallis) for major stuff. Sorry your air quality is poor due to the fires. We've been lucky so far this year. I hope you get a lot more miles out of your repaired car. I like that the Outback feels a bit like an SUV, but not quite as huge! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI've always owned Subarus but we finally decided last year that we needed something we could flat tow behind our motorhome so now we have a Ford Escape Hybrid AWD. I'm so used to having that Subaru AWD, I knew I needed to keep it. I probably have no idea how to drive in inclement weather without it!
ReplyDeleteI added So Far Gone to my list this weekend. I'm glad to see you rated it so highly!
Jen, I'm really enjoying the Subaru! It will be nice to have AWD for trips over to Salem during the winter months. Hope you enjoy So Far Gone. I can't wait for my husband to read it. Such a good novel!
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