Kathy Harriott

My heart is heavy.

This morning I learned of the death of a man I did not know.

When the Director of the Fort Myers Beach Library arrived on Sunday morning to open the library for their special weekend book sale, he was fatally stabbed. I don’t know what the motive was. I can’t imagine the how or why someone would attack someone who provides the services that a library offers. My mind is blown. I did not know Dr. Leroy Hommerding, but I feel his murder deeply.

Whenever a library staff person has to open or close a library alone, they are at risk. (This goes for recreation center staff and retail sales people who are often required to report for work alone).

So, the next time you are in your local library branch, smile, be kind, say “Thank you.” Remember that we are here to help you – find a book, print your boarding pass, find a phone number, answer your questions, recommend a movie, help you learn a new skill, and connect to your community.

Rest in peace Dr. Hommerding. Thank you for your service to the community and the library you loved.

Keeping track of my 2019 reading challenge – updated 8/26/19

As I read the books for my reading challenge, I will update this list with the titles for each category. If you are participating, please let me know what you are reading.

toddler reading book — Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

A children’s book – I’m Just a Little Cow – adorable little board book about a cute little cow with googly eyes. Highly recommended.
A book by a local author – Captiva by Randy Wayne White – I’ve been wanting to try one of his books for a while. I couldn’t get my hands on the first through third books of the series easily, so I started with number four. Thoroughly enjoyed it and could imagine all of the places in the book.
One of my top three books I’ve ever read – Circe by Madeline Miller has become one of my top three books I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to read more by this author.
A book based on it’s cover – The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson – Interesting historical fiction about the women who created Princess Elizabeth’s (now Queen) wedding dress.
A genre I don’t normally read – Romance novels…blech…sigh…I don’t wanna!!! Merry Christmas Baby by Jill Shalvis. I am starting it today (3/7/19) as an audio book. Wish me luck. Update – 3/8/19 – I finished this short story. Not my cup of tea but at least I tried.
A book with a one word title – Gumption – Nick Offerman – I loved his characters on Parks and Recreation. His take on historical figures is both interesting and funny.
Reread a favorite book – One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni – I discovered Chitra Divakaruni when choosing her book Before We Visit the Goddess when was assigned to the book discussion at the library where I work. I reached out to the author and she was kind enough to agree to a Skype Q&A session with our group. Unfortunately, our equipment did not work. She did the Q&A with us via text. Her books are beautiful and she was wonderful and kind.
A book recommended by someone with good taste – Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson – recommended by Anne Bogel on the podcast “What Should I Read Next”. I can’t recommend this book enough. Read it!!!
A book set in my home state – Cape May by Chip Creek – I received this Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. When I saw this book, set in Cape May, NJ listed on NetGalley, I knew it would fit perfectly in this category. The beauty of the cover belies the story within. I can honestly say that I did not like this book. Five horrible human beings thrown together in a story that has no redeeming quality. If you like a book with sex but no real substance that is even more boring than a Harlequin Romance, this book might be for you. If you are looking for a real story, move on.
A debut novel – Where the Crawdad’s Sing – Delia Owens – I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Kya Clark, the marsh girl. Part ode to nature, part coming of age story, part mystery, this book will be added to my top 100 books I’ve ever read.
A biography – Educated by Tara Westover. This will probably be my favorite book that I read this year. Ms. Westover tells the brutally honest story of her childhood and how she overcame her lack of education and receive her PhD. Fascinating.
A book over 500 pages long – The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury – still trying to figure out who is human and who is martian. Confused.

Happy reading!

My 2019 reading challenge

Hey there! I got out of the funk I was in during my last post. Thanks for putting up with my pity party.

Now that we are in the new year, I have created a reading challenge for myself. During 2019, I challenge myself (and anyone who wants to join me) to read the following:

A children’s book
A book by a local author
One of my top three books I’ve ever read
A book based on it’s cover
A genre I don’t normally read
A book with a one word title
Reread a favorite book
A book recommended by someone with good taste
A book set in my home state
A debut novel
A biography
A book over 500 pages long

I have already made some progress. The first book I read this year checks off the children’s book category. I read “I’m Just a Little Cow”. An adorable board book that I spotted while checking in returns at the library where I work.

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This little cow is adorable. I’ve recommended it and even put it out on our staff picks shelf.

I’ll be posting more as I work through the list.

Happy New Year!

The most wonderful time of the year?

We’re in the thick of the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Years, all of the festivities are in full swing in our neck of the woods. Christmas light cruises, Mistletoe Ball, neighborhood parties. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Someone posted on Facebook the other day to remember that this time of year isn’t exactly full of happiness and cheer for everyone. She reminded us that some people are missing family, either due to death, deployment, or distance. This post really hit me in the feels.

broken heart love sad — Photo by burak kostak on Pexels.com

Thanksgiving and Christmas were always my favorite time of year. I loved when we would all get together for Thanksgiving and enjoy all of the good food, especially my Grandmother’s giblet gravy and my Mom’s apple pie. Finding the perfect Christmas gift for a family member was always challenging and fun. It was challenging because, as a child, I insisted on giving my Dad a girl’s pink knit hat. He still teases me about it to this day!

This year Thanksgiving was the saddest one I ever had. I desperately wanted to make reservations for Thanksgiving dinner since I was feeling extra lonely. Instead, I sucked it up and cooked a small turkey for Mike and myself. It was delicious but it was still sad.

I know that, as a grown, married woman, I made the decision, along with my husband, to move 1271.2 miles away from my family. I own that error in judgement. We thought, at the time, that it would be a good move for us. Financially, it was not a bad move. We realized that we were never going to be able to buy a house in New Jersey. However, mentally and emotionally, it was not great for me. Now that all of Mike’s family has relocated out of Florida, we are really alone down here. I am feeling very isolated. There is no one to celebrate birthdays or holidays with. My work schedule has changed so that it is hard to do anything socially. I’m sad and lonely and I’ve decided I have to do something about it!

Starting in January, I am going to get involved in something. I don’t know what yet, but I have to do something. I’m going to look into joining something at my church, if there is anything that I can participate in on the only day I have available, Monday or in the evenings after 6pm. I have to do this for me. I have to do this to keep my sanity. Wish me luck!

How to get out of a reading rut.

I have been suffering through a reading rut. I’m finding myself reading the same kinds of books over and over. You know how it is…

I just CAN’T read another psychological mystery that has so many twists and turns that I don’t know my left from my right. I call it the Gone Girl Phenomenon. You know what I mean, a whiz bang of a book comes out. Everyone reads it. You either love it or hate it. Then ever other author decides that they are going to write the same kind of book. Next thing you know, you’re depressed as all get out because of the horrible things the fictional characters in these books go through. This is what happened to me. I read every Liane Moriarty and Mary Kubica book. I love them. They are up in my top ten author list. Now I’m tired of the peril and the twists, so I try something lighter.

Enter the cozy mysteries. I love them. I am currently working my way through Adele Abbott’s Witch P.I. Mysteries. There are 27 books in this series and I love them. I’m reading #9 Witch is When My Heart Broke. They are light, funny and don’t keep me awake at night. (To win a digital copy of the first book in the series, click HERE.)

So to try to find new authors and books to read, I have turned to podcasts about books. Some are done by Librarians others are done by booksellers. Either way, they are my new jam for driving too and from work. Once I finish an episode, I go onto the show notes on the podcast webpage and write down the books I want to read that they discussed. If you are stuck and don’t know what to read next, check out some of these podcasts.

I’m sure there are more podcasts that I have not discovered yet. I’ll keep searching and sharing with you.

Share your book and podcast recommendations with me.

Thanks for reading!

One Hit Wonders

I often take a recipe I find and embellish it with my own touches. Unfortunately, I tend to forget to write down what I added to the existing recipe. This ensures that my hubby, Mike, loves it. Thus it becomes a One Hit Wonder similar to “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. The barbecue sauce I made this week has become my latest. While I try to figure out what exactly I put it that delicious sauce, let’s listen/watch this.

To sell or not to sell…

What do you do when the byproduct of your stress relief activity, crafting, leaves you with a bunch of finished crafts? I currently have cards, tea light holders, luminarias, explosion boxes, iron on designs, wooden and slate signs with sayings on them, cute coffee mugs, beer glasses, and Christmas ornaments – EVERY WHERE! Normally, I would do a craft show, but I work every Saturday at the library and can’t participate in those. So…should I sell on Etsy? Do I want to have to ship things? How does one ship something like this:

And what would one charge for one of these:

That is where I am stuck today. Thinking about selling my crafts.

If any one would like to, please share your thoughts on my dilemma. Thanks.

Ah my hobbies are diverse

I love to learn. I try new things all the time – food, crafts, technology, hairstyles. Here is the latest, step motion movie making.

My Zen Zone

If you know me, You know that I am not svelt and lanky. I am fat. I can say that and smile because all of my other health parameters are excellent (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.). I am also one of the least flexible people I know. In an attempt to lose some weight and gain some flexibility, I began taking a chair yoga class at North Port Yoga and Wellness in the beginning of May. I love it and have seen a change in my body. I have lost 5 pounds and, so far, kept it off.

Last week I was sad to find out that the chair yoga class was being changed to a gentle and restorative yoga class. After emailing back and forth with my yoga instructor and the studio owner and reading a Yoga Journal article about this practice, decided to give it a try.

When I arrived at the studio yesterday morning, my instructor, Martha, explained a little about what we would be doing. She immediately put my mind at ease and assisted me with the worst part of the practice, getting on the floor. After some stretches, we entered rest and digest and began the gentle postures. Propped up with bolsters, bricks, and blankets, Martha put me into 5 poses that I remained in for 5 to 10 minutes each. I could feel the stress and tension completely leave my body. It was blissful.

I’m looking forward to next weeks class. Speaking of classes, how did I find this yoga class? My employer signed up with a company called Peerfit. Each month employees get 16 credits to use towards different physical fitness opportunities. Gyms and studios who participate have classes you can sign up for using your credits. That is how I found North Port Yoga and Wellness and I’m so glad I did.

Namaste.

Book lover Q & A

Book pet peeves

Bad editing. Bad fan fiction (Fifty Shades of Dreck anyone?). Books without a character to root for.

Perfect reading spot

ANY PLACE I CAN!

3 bookish confessions

I don’t read from the New York Times bestsellers list unless I have to.

I can’t get to sleep without reading.

I usually have 4 or more books being read simultaneously.

Last time you cried while reading a book

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton. It is a must read. I read it BEFORE it was on Oprah’s book list!

Number of books on your nightstand

None. Just my Kindle.

Favorite reading snack

I don’t normally eat while I’m reading but I love a nice cup of coffee.

3 books you would recommend to anyone

Wonder by R. J. Palacio, The Shoemaker’s Wife by Andriana Trigiani, Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (make sure you listen to the audiobook)

Picture of your favorite bookshelf

Since I mostly read on my Kindle…

How much books mean to you in 3 words

Love my books!

Biggest reading secret

I love to read juvenile picture books out loud, with voices.

If you decide to participate, don’t forget to tag This {____}life so I can see your answers.