Finally Friday and End of March

Oh, you know how I feel on this issue. My mother kept track of our reading and she was aware if we read something a bit racy, challenging, etc. She bought us Mad magazines we asked for - probably not always appropriate, but she allowed us to learn and figure out some of the world, learn about humor, and gain a little edginess. She did not stick her nose into other mothers' business and how they guided their children. 

God Bless Librarians.   Oh, we loved Mrs. Schultz of the North Wales Library. Always there with the newest books - saving a new "treat" for us. 

I am sad for any child with no access to a library or books. I am sad for kids who don't wander the stacks and discover something new, a doorway to another life. 

It's the end of March - always a weird weather month. We've been too hot, too cold, and when it's "just right"...well, in Texas then the wind blows way too hard. Let's see what April brings. 

I'll leave you today with a quote I found from Thomas Edison:  Results? Why man, I have gotten a lot results. I know several thousand things that don't work. 

Good luck this weekend on spring projects. Hope you get results!
 

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

 April is that girl -  that creature who seems to shine, who seems to have her act together, and who gathers a group of friends. Hannah Jones is April's roommate at Oxford and soon a best friend. First term and a whole group - Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily - enter April's orbit. Life is exhilarating for Hannah. 

By the end of the year, April is dead. 

Ruth Ware's The It Girl is another superb spine tingling  murder mystery. Chapters are written in Before and After. The before explores Oxford school life for the whole group - the loves, the parties, the energy of school. The After has Hannah and Will expecting their first child. The person convicted of killing  April has died in prison. However, a reporter appears with some new revelations and chats with Hannah to review her story since she was the last person to see April. 

In the before, you read with your eyes ready to say, "A-ha, so that's what happened and how."

In the after, you learn along with Hannah about some deeper motives, some things that are easier to understand in hindsight. 

Ruth Ware writes quite a page turner and you'll be drawn into The It Girl. 

Monday Moments - Memes and Sharks

Amen to this!

I truly can't imagine not having access to books. The first thing I pack when going on a trip is a book. 

 Here's an interesting book I bought for fifty cents at my local library sale.  Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn is one of the most celebrated debut novels in recent memory, an epic of exile and salvation. Old myths clash with new realities, love is in a ride-or die with grief, faith rubs hard against magic, and comic flips with tragic.  (cover blurb)

It's 1995 and seven year old Nainoa Flores falls overboard into the Pacific Ocean. Shiver of sharks appear in the water and one brings Noa back to his own mother. A legend is born. Noa's intelligence and a new sense of healing ability, a divine favor becomes a force in the household. Unfortunately the attention given to Noa means less is given to Dean, a talented athlete and basketball star, and sister, Kaui, a rebel in her own  right. As the kids grow up, the family splinters. Then a particular incident occurs that throws a shocking curveball to the family. 

Each person tells their tales in chapters and the book grows as you, the reader, pieces together how the family navigates the tough waters of life. I liked the voices and the overall Hawaii vibe. There was a lot of symbolism and allusions to ancient Hawaii lore. This was a different read/genre for me and I enjoyed it. 

Frivolous Friday - More Flower Power

Finally Friday.  Are you sick of flowers yet?  Nah...this is good for the soul

New items in their trial gardens. Need some hardy souls for Texas weather

Even the gift shop displays are cute

I had never noticed the tile art before. Had to look down from above and it caught the eye

Slowly some trees are primping. 

Have a great weekend, everyone
 

Book Review - Do You Feel Like I Do? Peter Frampton

Do You Feel Like I Do? by Peter Frampton is an excellent memoir of a pretty boy guitarist/musician/writer whose meteoric rise from The Herd to Humble Pie and then solo to the Frampton Comes Alive album, which sold eight million copies, three top-twenty singles, and an unbelievable tour (Yes, I was at a Philly stadium to see him) shows a deep commitment to the craft.  

But this memoir shows he was much more than that, and had a very deep career with his musical skills. 

He was asked by David Bowie to join him on the Glass Spider Tour (hello, saw that in Dallas). He writes of collaborations with Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Ringo Star (a Beatle!!), and more. 

He never wanted to be the cover boy. Sadly he did abuse substances. But proud of his continued recovery. He's still played guitar despite a muscle disease which caused his retirement from the road at age seventy. 

Multiple marriages, a lot of moving around the USA, several children, and more - Peter Frampton still gives credit to his parents for instilling a good base. He remains close to his younger brother Clive. 

cover blub - He thought he lost his favorite guitar (the Phenix) in a fiery plane  crash in 1980 in Caracas. But in 2011, it mysteriously showed up again - saved from the wreckage. Frampton tells of that unlikely reunion here in full for the first time, and why the miraculous reappearance is emblematic of his life and career as a quintessential artist. 

Show Me the Way

Baby I Love Your Way

Do You Feel Like  I Do?

His work is a soundtrack  to my college years.  Sheer fun and good memories.  Thanks Peter!
 

Monday Moments - Sculptures in the Garden

The Dallas Arboretum is hosting  its spring festival through April. A  featured sculpture, Gary Lee  Price, has his works placed  throughout the grounds.   Amelia Earhart is sunning herself with White Rock Lake in the distance. 

Joan of Arc - always so dramatic

Mother Theresa lounges in the fern dell

Harriet Tubman seeks freedom

And for my trip to PA, I got some advice from old Ben Franklin

The statues add a fun tweak to the garden stroll.  Get out and enjoy!
 

Fabulous Friday Flowers

Spring is popping at the Dallas Arboretum

Even after some wicked windstorms, the flowers prevailed

My friend, Linda, and I enjoyed this Sunday stroll on March 5th. 

Just warms the soul

 Hope your Friday and weekend are fabulous.   (and Happy St. Patrick's Day today!)