Mistletoe and Rodeo by Janet Daley

 Mistletoe and Rodeo is an easy-to-read, feel-good book to help readers escape stressful reality for a few hours. The plot is straightforward, the characters are highly engaging and fully developed, and the action moves at a steady pace. This book kept my mind and heart engaged throughout.

Reading in 2022

 Since I started keeping track of the books I read on Goodreads in 2009, I have read and recorded 3,469 books. My reading-est year was 2015 when I read 300! In 10 of those years I read more than 200 books. This year is the smallest number I've read since I began keeping track. I finished the year yesterday with 141 (My lowest year had been 2009 with 165.) After my retinal stroke in April, I hardly read at all for several months due to eye strain and had to cut way back on my walking (while listening to audiobooks) as well; so that cut into my totals a lot. The 13 books I read in 2022 that I rated 5-star were authored by Andrew Klavan, Lisa Unger, Lisa Wingate, Sean Dietrich, Francine Rivers, Kristina McMorris, Ana Johns, Jeanine Cummins, Dean Koontz, Lisa Scottoline, and Nicholas Sparks. Only one of these was non-fiction.

Here are a few I've rated 5-star: The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer; Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin; Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers; The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer; The Shack by William Paul Young; Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos; Peace Like a River by Leif Enger; Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand; Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate; The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah; I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos; Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris; The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns; American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins; The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate; the Incredible Winston Browne by Sean Dietrich; The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer; My Wife is Missing by D.J. Palmer; The Truth and Beauty by Andrew Klavan.

Brad Pitt and and the Media Pit Bulls

I stood patiently in line awaiting my opportunity to pay for my foolish purchases at Walmart last night. Looking around to find mental stimulation and finding little to observe in the human activity around me, I let my eyes fall upon the magazine covers arranged for just that purpose along the walls of the funnel I entered.


I saw a picture of an attractive, but disheveled, set of parents walking along surrounded by littlekins of varying sizes and ages. The headline shouted, "IS BRAD PITT LOSING HIS LOOKS?" I looked again. Well, how about that? It was the ol' Pittster and his housemate of the last few years!

This was all I needed to get the brain-wheels turning. I mentally rewrote the headline: "HAS BRAD PITT FINALLY FOUND SOMETHING TO DO BESIDES GROOM HIMSELF AND PREEN IN THE MIRROR 24/7 ?" He actually looked very good in the photo -- he looked like he might live next door. He looked like he might have just mowed a lawn or fixed a toilet. He looked as if he might have prepared a meal or played ball with a child. He appeared to have let an hour pass without a shower and haircut. He might have taken a break from posing to actually live awhile.

What kind of shallow life do the mediahounds expect people to live if they think a person is "losing his looks" because his hair is unkempt, his clothes are wrinkled, or he's broken a sweat? Just wondering....


BTW: the pic shows them after they cleaned up a little.

Imus, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton

Talk about a "tempest in a teapot"! How is it news that a radio show host who was hired to be outrageous has made an outrageous statement?

Norma at Collecting My Thoughts wrote

If I had to choose which (Imus or rappers) insults black women more to more people, it would be the black rappers. Black performers making millions from the white kids buying their music regularly demean and objectify black women, calling them stupid Hos. You can dress it up with bling, but it doesn't change the meaning...... African American "leaders" in the media or entertainment world who are acting holier than thou need to make a stop at a music store, or where that filth is sold.

Sharpton and Jackson, the self-appointed defenders and protectors of "blackness", fail to be offended by the daily demeaning of their race by black rappers and yet are outraged on a daily basis by any comment made by some "celebrity" who was hired to be outrageous. My impression is that they are not so much appalled and offended by these occurances as they are thrilled for the opportunity to grab the headlines once again and promote themselves to the public. Their comments magnify the situation and lead to further tension between the races.

I also read Carol's apt comments at The Median Sib:

Now it seems that he said something that was offensive to African Americans. So, of course, the usual perpetually outraged voices are raised in protest demanding that Imus be fired. While I agree that he was really stupid and crass in what he said, I wonder where all this politically correct censorship will end. ...... His remarks aren’t criminal and they don’t warrant his being fired. They only mark him as insensitive and stupid. And those aren’t necessarily bad personality traits for a radio host. There are lots of radio stations out there. If Imus offends you - turn the dial.

Apparently this guy, Imus, whom I have never heard, was hired to be outrageous and politically incorrect on the air. From what I have read, it is what he DOES. Yes, programs such as this are offensive and demeaning, but whatever they say is protected by freedom of speech in this country. Thankfully we also have freedom of hearing too. If folks didn't tune in to hear their foul commentary and persistent drivel, these radio hosts would have to find real jobs.

Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss, and Rome GA

Last night, DH and I attended a local performance of Johann Strauss's light opera, Die Fledermaus. This was a production of Players of the South and The Seven Hills Opera Theatre. Die Fledermaus first hit the stage in April, 1874, when the younger Strauss took a once-French art form, added a Viennese flavor, and created the Viennese Operetta. According to the article in the link above, "An operetta is like an opera in that much of the story is told through song with characters dressed in period costumes, surrounded by beautiful sets and accompanied by the orchestra.....There is often more spoken dialogue in an operetta...." Check out the links above for more background if you are interested.


Let us return to my review of last night's performance.


This Seven Hills Opera production updated the setting of the light opera to 1920s Chicago during Prohibition and did the performance in English.


Terrell, my oldest baby brother, who has played the lead and various supporting roles in many plays and musicals here in town over the last 30 years or so, had never performed in an operetta; so he auditioned for a minor role in this one. He played the incompetent lawyer and used his comic acting skills more than his very considerable musical ones. Terrell teaches public school as a paid vocation; he acts, sings, and tells stories as a usually-unpaid vocation of the heart. (Interesting word "vocation" - there is another blogpost there.) Last night the entire cast was superb. We heard some amazing voices and excellent symphony music, and Terrell was impressive in his first operatic role.


This light opera was entertaining, humorous, and well worth the time and money.