Book Club 2026: August

 We read Finlay Donovan is Killing it by  Elle Cosimano  for August Book Club.  

The book is a hoot!  I really enjoyed it.  I give it nine stars out of ten.  Jen recommended it to the book club and all the gals enjoyed it and said to tell Jen thanks! 

The book club gals meet in person once a year and yesterday was the day.  We had lunch at 3rd Street Market and then went next door to Beagle Books where the shop owners talked about a few different books.   It was a nice afternoon. 

Minnesota Weather: High 82F or 28C  Low 61F or 16C  

What's Cooking?  Soft shell tacos, corn on the cob, yellow tomatoes and Far Guy's famous dip.

Far Side

Book Club 2026: July

 We had Book Club yesterday.  It was The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.

It was a great read...the best so far this year.  I give it a 9.5 out of a 10.  I rated it that way because I wanted the book to continue on and on.  I was sad when I came to the last pages. 

All the gals liked the book. 

Thursday we were back to "normal"  Far Guy went to his weekly Infusion and I went to Aldi for fruit,  to Walmart for my pickup order, then to Hugos for the stuff Aldi and Walmart did not have ( it is Summertime and the tourists are buying lots of groceries)  then to the Post Office.  Far Guy messaged me as I was leaving the Post Office so I picked him up and we went to the Meat Market and to the bank. 

I only like going to town once a week especially in the Summertime.  It was a busy day. 

What's Cooking?  Cheesburgers and corn. 

Minnesota weather:  High 82F or 28C  Low was 62F or 17C

Far Side

Book Club 2026: June

 This month we read a novel by Mary Lawson called Crow Lake. 

It takes place in the 1950's in Northern Ontario Canada.  It was a good book, I give it an 8 out of 10. 

The author was born and raised in the farming community in Ontario.  All the gals enjoyed the book.

Onto the next book!  I have 63 books waiting in the wings to be read...I stack them in the TV cabinet and shut the doors.   I really should have less than 50 to be read...I need to work on that and should not be allowed to buy more books unless it is a reading emergency. 

Jen listens to books as she works on craft projects and even as she cleans house.   The ear thingys hurt my delicate ears...so I would much rather curl up and read a real book. 

Far Side

Book Club 2026: May

 The read for May was There's Something about Mira by Sonali Dev

I give it a 4 on my scale of 1 to 10.  The plot was easy to figure out...I wrote the ending in my head half way through the book.  Not impressed.  Most everyone at bookclub was not impressed.

Thursday is Infusion Day so I ran errands to Wally World, Aldi, another grocery store, the Meat Market and the bank all within an hour.   Yeah me! 

Late in the afternoon we went to the visitation for a 94 year old neighbor who died.  Maurice was a very kind man, we served on the Fire Department with him and when we were building our home he did all the cement work for us.  He was a perfectionist when it came to cement!  94 years is an accomplishment!

Minnesota weather: High 55F or 13C  Low was 33F or 1C.   The wind was chilly. 

What's cooking?  Ham, turkey and cheese on a pretzel bun with peaches and raspberries:)

Far SIde

Book Club 2026: April

 We read a Stephen King book called Revival.  

I give the book a 7 out of 10.   Usually he writes better and has you wondering and on the edge of your seat...not his time.  I guess I expected more.

Most of the gals felt the same way...a little disappointed.

Far Side

Book Club 2026: March

 We read another historical fiction book for book club.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

I gave it an 8 out of 10 on my scale.  Parts of it seemed to be interjected willy nilly and didn't really go along with one of the female lead characters. 

Everyone said they enjoyed the book. 

Far Side

Book Club 2026: February

 The February read was a good one. Recommended by my daughter Jen.  I give it an almost perfect score of 9.75  I would have given it a 10 but it is a very loooong book. 

Chris Whitaker is the author of All the Colors of the Dark

Is is a historical crime mystery with a touch of hope ...that is the best way I can describe it. 

Far Guy had his stress test yesterday...it was a three hour appointment...it must have went well as they released him to come home.  I came back to Andy and Jens and caught up with laundry and cleaned a bathroom while he was at the hospital. 

Supper is Salmon for Far Guy and vegetable soup for me. 

Minnesota weather:  Sunny but not as warm as yesterday. 

Far Side

Book Club: January 2026

 I enjoyed the recent book club read.  I give it a 9 out of a 10.  It is historical fiction that takes place in the early 1950's in Washington DC.   Kate Quinn wrote The Briar Club.

All of the gals at book club enjoyed the book.

Thursday was a quiet day around here, I did some laundry and cleaned out two drawers in the kitchen. 

I made supper...some of those small rock lobsters and steak along with some crispy tater rounds and coleslaw.  Andy is off to a Vex Robotics tournament...he doesn't like any kind of fish or seafood....so we had it in his absence.

Minnesota weather; High 37F or 3C Low was 10F or -12C eh! We are in a Winter weather advisory until Friday evening...snow and wind.

I continue to work on the big sort of photographs for albums. I hope to finish in the next week maybe two....by February 1st for sure!  I have updated 3 out of 5 of the Grands albums. 

Far Side