A Month in Summary - July 2025

 

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. 

Place of Execution - Another decent show, but not at all memorable.

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.

The Residence - Silly, although I did enjoy the main character. 

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:

My aunt and uncle (Alison & Brian) came up from Manhattan Beach for a few days. We had a wonderful visit with them!

Hiking:

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!

A Month in Summary - June 2025

Point Hudson Marina & RV Park

Port Townsend, Washington

June 2025

It's summertime, my favorite season of the year! We don't experience the horrible heat and humidity that so many of you have during the summer months, so I'm always happy when it's warm enough to break out my shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. Spring, fall, and winter you can find me in jeans and a thermal layered under a flannel shirt, and I get so bored with my daily "uniform."

We were on the road for a couple of weeks, and I feel like I didn't get a lot of time to read, but I wound up with the same number of books read in June as I did in the two months prior. It helps that one of the books was a very quick read despite its length. We're home for the rest of the summer, so I'm hopeful that I can knock several off from my Summer Reading Challenge list.

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

Table for Two by Amor Towles (3.5/5)

Tin Man by Sarah Winman (4.5/5)

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout (3/5)

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave (2/5)

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (5/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Dept. Q - Great 8-episode mystery series, as long as you don't mind all the f-bombs. I really liked the chemistry between the three main characters (Morck, Akram, and Rose), and look forward to a second season.

Patience - A British–Belgian detective drama series set in Yorkshire. Patience works in the archive/records department and is autistic. Ella Maisy Purvis, who plays Patience, is also autistic. We enjoyed the show, but it lacks depth and tension, especially after watching Dept. Q. 

Visitors:

We enjoyed a great visit with Mark & Ana (my brother and sister-in-law) who came up from San Diego for a long weekend. 

Travels:

Tillamook, Oregon

Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

Point Hudson Marina & RV Park, Washington

(Not the prettiest RV park, but check out

 the views from inside our RV below.)

Our travel buddies, Dave & Molly

Quinault River Inn & RV Park, Washington

Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington

Rod had a book talk in Port Townsend, so we took the RV up to Washington, enjoying a few of our favorite camping spots along the way. I'll share more photos from that trip in the coming weeks. 

We live in an area where fireworks are banned, and it's so nice to not hear explosions days before and days after the 4th. Such a change from our neighborhood in Nebraska! I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July.

A Month in Summary - May 2025

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

May 2025

 

A flock of pelicans flew right past me as I was taking a photo of the gorgeous view from my walk a week or so ago. I love the way they glide along the waves, but these guys were up pretty high before they dipped down to the water. 

So how's everyone doing? Summer is just about here and I'm ready for it! We've had warmer temps (relatively speaking), sunny days, and the occasional overnight shower. I've been working in our yard and am thankful it doesn't get as hot & humid as it did in Nebraska. 

My month of reading was a little off with only two books that impressed me. (Interesting that those were both by Elizabeth Strout.) I gave up on a couple of audio books, but have finally settled on one that is holding my attention. Earlier in the week, I blogged about the annual summer reading challenge and I'm excited to dive into the books I selected. You can find that post here. 

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

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout (4/5)

There Was an Old Woman by Andrea Carlisle (3/5)

Instructions for a Heat Wave by Maggie O'Farrell (3/5)

Wellness by Nathan Hill (3/5)

My Name Is Lucy Barton (4/5) - reread

Movies & TV Series:

The Pitt - Great show! My only complaint is that it was hard to keep up with the dialogue, even with the subtitles on.

Companion - I enjoyed this clever movie! There were a few surprises along that way, and I was a little sorry it wasn't longer. 

White Lotus - I just started season three. This is definitely not a show for everyone. I'm not even sure it's for me, but the turn of events in season two was a big surprise, so I've kept watching.

Crime - I've already forgotten what this series was about. 

Visitors & Celebrations:

My mom turned 92 this month and my younger brother came out to help us celebrate. Rod also had a birthday (his 73rd), but I failed to get any photos. Oops.

We are getting ready for another RV roadtrip, this time up to Washington. Rod has a book talk scheduled at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend on June 14th at 3pm. If you're in the area, we hope you'll stop in and say hi!

A Month in Summary - April 2025

Sisters, Oregon

April 2025

April felt like a whirlwind of travel, what with four events for Rod's latest book. We came home on the 1st (from a book talk in Seattle), headed out on the 4th for the first event of the month in Seaside, OR. We were home for a week after that, then back out again to Sisters and Bend for three more events. It was fun to get back out in the RV for this "book tour" and the weather couldn't have been nicer. 

With all of our travels, April seemed like a slower month of reading, but looking back on my numbers, I read as much as in March and just one less than February. Two of my April books were super short, so maybe that's why I feel like I wasn't reading a lot. Interestingly, my favorite books in April were those two short novels. They're keepers and I hope to read them again someday. 

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

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell (3.5/5)

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (4.5/5)

We Spread by Iain Reid (4.5/5)

I've Tried Being Nice by Ann Leary (3.5/5)

The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons (4/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Becoming Katharine Graham - We thought this was an excellent and timely documentary. I found the following on the Internet: "For some Americans, the right to free speech and a free press are almost synonymous. However, in recent years, Trump has tried to use the courts to punish nearly every major U.S. TV news network in reaction to interview questions or coverage he doesn’t like." Watching the documentary The Making of Katherine Graham, there are significant parallels between Nixon's treatment (specifically of The Washington Post) of the press and Trump's. "A federal judge yesterday [4/9/2025] ordered the Trump administration to immediately allow Associated Press journalists back into the Oval Office and other spaces to cover the news. The judge ruled that blocking the agency's access over disagreements about its word choices was unlawful."

Ludwig - Cute and entertaining. We'll watch the second season once it's released.

Severance (Season 2) -  Whoa. This is such a creative, but mind-boggling show! Loved it.

Churchill at War - Quite good, but we didn't care for Christian McKay as Churchill. Gary Oldman was much better in Darkest Hour.

Number 24 - This was a tough movie to watch during these troubling times. It hit too close to home. 

Travels: 

As I mentioned above, we spent some time traveling around Oregon for Rod's book talks. It was great to meet up with Robin (a fellow book blogger and longtime friend) at the Seaside event. We also enjoyed time relaxing at the RV park and exploring a newer part of Bend with our travel buddies, Dave & Molly.

Me and Robin (A Fondness For Reading)

Cheers to spring weather!

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.