April 29, 2025. Today is my 74th birthday. I feel younger than 74. I look my age I guess. I am not a good judge of age. I met a couple from Belgium. I thought maybe 30. They were both 41.
Florida has been so much fun. The teens. Cards Against Humanity. The weather. Warm and sunny. The pool. Family.
My seventy-fourth birthday is tomorrow. Today I spent more time in the pool. A G&T after 5. Yes. I waited til it was 5:00 somewhere. I have out lived my husband and many of my good friends including my sister. I still have a to do list that I want done before I leave this mortal coil. One of the list items is to organize my shit. I never have gotten it together in all my 73 years. I have a huge TBR list. Currently rereading The Shipping News and The Silver Linings Playbook. Still great reads I want a tattoo that says:
“ Do not go gentle into that good night.Old age should burn and rave at close of day: Rage, rage against the dying of the light.“
A moment when you felt truly heartbroken. (From Instagram)
My heart actually hurt as it broke when my husband died. I was holding his hand. He took a last breath. His hand cooled as I held it. I did not think he could leave me.
In two and 1/2 days I’ll be 74. I feel great. I think I look my age this year though. I relaxed in M’s pool today. I love the salt water and the privacy. No more bikinis for me.
From Instagram:
A childhood fear you never told anyone about.
As a kid I feared catastrophe. My parents dying. Car accidents. To the point where I believed if I kept them in mind while they were away from me they would be safe. If I forgot them for a minute something awful would happen.
April 26, 2025—Three days til 74. It is happening.
In five days I will be 74. No idea how this came about. How have 73 years been lived by me? How have I out lived my husband and many friends and family members?
What is your favorite color? Green. I have always loved the color green.
What is a book you would recommend? I love to be asked that question. I have read so many great books. To name just one: The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff.
What music are you listening to? Green Eyes by Coldplay. Metal version of Amazing Grace by Dan Vasc. Covers of 60’s songs.
What is your favorite animal? Bella, my dog.
Five days til B-Day. 74 is looming. I’m on Allegiant headed for Sanford and Florida. Haven’s grad. Azalea is flying. Kelley and Kendall will also be here for graduation. I cried when I left Bella at the kennel for 20 days. She is my companion.
Who are my most important relationships?
My lost husband was my most important relationship.
I feel such connections with my siblings including their spouses. Our yearly camping trips are the times I feel most at peace. I enjoy our matching crazy, sense of humor,
My daughters their spouses and children are so important to me. Our relationship is “these are my people” level. I feel it in my heart.
A few of my people…
Eight days til seventy-four. Oh, my.
Things I like: Bella the dog, spring, good books. I’ll name a few. Shotgun Love Songs, Vaster Wastelands, Razor Blade Tears, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, James, The Shipping News. The Round House. I better stop. I love these books. I read them over and over. Like old friends, I guess. I read once that rereading books, rewatching movies are signs of anxiety. Anxious people hate to chance a bad experience. Old favorites are a sure thing. Sixties/ Seventies music. I love covers of that music. Can’t Help Falling in Love-Perfume Genius, Always on My Mind-Pet Shop Boys, I Will Follow You-Toulouse. Swedish Indie, Metal covers-Dan Vasc and David Draiman. Listen loud. I love orchestral covers of current pop. And Cold Play. I love The Wasia Project. Travel. Anywhere. My old front porch. All porches. G&T. Jigsaw. Good coffee. Pizza in Italy.
I am reading The Silver Linings Playbook and The Shipping News. Excellent.
What dreams would you pursue if you weren’t held back by fear?
My dream is to travel the world. Not all of it but so many places I want to see and experience. I wish I could stay in an apartment and wander all over Oxford, Rome, Crema, Isle of Man. Shop in tiny groceries. Eat in local restaurants. Art galleries and libraries. Seasides. Coffee.
I want to paint big paintings. Etch words in black, quotes I love, then paint maybe with a big brush.
The Plague Doctor tattoo A quote along my collar bone.
Leave this lonely old house live close to my family. This makes me cry…
I usually post every day of my last month before a birthday. But here it is April 17. I’ll be 74 on the 29th. Where have these April days gone? My “year of magical thinking” is over. (Joan Didion) I am dealing with a grief so debilitating I don’t know if it is survivable. Depression is hitting me hard. I am fighting it but it is painful. I lost the person who loved me for me. I lost his warmth and joy. His hugs and unconditional love.
My sister and I attended the Grant a Wish Barbie Gala. A bright spot. I love the creative people. I do love Barbie. I love seeing my sister in her element. Simply a lot of work, registration, even more fun. The elevator incident. Somewhere in Time. Mattel artists. Pictures to follow.
I always answer philosophical questions in my birthday post, here goes. What would make tomorrow a good day for me?
Being with my family. I go so far between seeing my girls, my grandchildren. My siblings. Sunshine. A little warm up. It has been a long, cold winter.
I am a Nickolas Butler fan. I have read Shotgun Love Songs over and over. His writing touches me. #FortyYearKiss has affected me as well. Vivian and Charlie are lovely characters. As in, I love them. I feel them. I live near where they live. I have lived the life they live. Rural Wisconsin, small town, just getting by. This love story, too. Charlie and Vivian have made mistakes. Nothing comes easy for them. But this is a love story that feels real. I tried to read slowly so I would not ever finish this book.
Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful novel. #AFortyYearKiss #NickolasButler
I really loved this book. It touched my heart. Butler’s writing makes a reader fell like part of the story. I was so invested in these people. I want to buy the hard cover as soon as I get to a book store.
POP SUGAR CHALLENGE 2024🫎
1. A book with the word “leap” in the title.🫎
Once Upon a Leap Year by Anna Bell
2. A Bildungsroman, coming-of-age story.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by James Boyne⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/9/2024
3. A book about a 24 year old. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kruger 🎧Ariel Drum is 24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️12/16/24
4. A book about a writer/author. Tell Me a Story by Cassandra King Conroy 🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/24/24
5. A book about K-Pop. 🫎If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
6. A book about pirates-One Piece Pirates
by Eiichiro Oda⭐️⭐️⭐️ he 1/5/24
7. A book about women’s sports and/or by an athlete. Find a Way by Diana Nyad 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️9/9/24
8. A book by a blind or visually impaired author.🫎 The Music of Silence:A Memoir by Andrea Bocelli
9. A book by a deaf or hard of hearing author
Deaf Utopia by Nyle DeMarco🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️8/1/24
10. A book by a self published author🫎Mandsfield Park by Jane Austen
11. A book from a genre you typically avoid
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Fantasy/Sci-Fi 4/3/2024
12. A book from an animal’s POV-A Dog’s Courage by W Bruce Cameron ⭐️⭐️⭐️5/29/24
13. A book originally published under a pen name/pseudonym~Pansies by Alexis Hall⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/7/24
14. A book recommended by a bookseller~James by Percival Everett⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/30/24
“ I assume this is a recommend”
15. A book recommended by a librarian~The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️10/25/24
16. A book set 24 years before you were born.🫎 The Paris Hours by Alex George
17. A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list-A Room With a View by EM Forster—Florence, Italy 🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/21/24
18. A book set in space. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/25/2024
19. A book set in the future~The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/8/24
20. A book set in the snow🫎The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
21. A book that came out in a year that ends in”24” Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2/6/2024 (net galley arc)
22. A book that centers on video games🫎
Tomorrow and Tommorrow and Tomorrow by
Gabrielle Zeven
23. A book that features dragons🫎 The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
24. A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours🫎 The Hours by Michael Cunningham
25. A book that was published 24 years ago/2000🫎A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers⭐️⭐️ 11/9/2024
26. A book that was turned into a musical🫎
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby (musical-High Fidelity)
27. A book where someone dies in the first chapter~Yellowface by RF Kuang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/23/24
28. A book with a main character who is 42 years old-The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie-Poirot is between 40-45 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️9/19/24
29. A book with a neurodivergent main character-The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️8/9/24
30. A book with a one word title you had to look up in the dictionary~Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (Greek -opportunity) translated from German by Michael Hofman, first man to win International Booker Prize translation. Kairos wins International Booker Prize for fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/13/24
31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward 5/17/24
32. A book with an enemies-to-lovers plot~
Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️7/20/2024
33. A book with an unreliable narrator-The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2/9/24
(Narrating the story is the Angel of Truth, whom according to a parable God had cast out of heaven)
34. A book with at least 3 POVs-The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty ⭐️⭐️⭐️2/14/24
35. A book with magical realism-Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/26/24 (Shades of magical realism)
36. A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person~The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/22/2024
37. A book written during NA-NO-WRI-MO/National Novel Writing Month🫎The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
38. A cozy fantasy book-Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/14/2024
39. A fiction book by a trans or non-binary
author-For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/30/24
40. A horror book by a BIPOC author-
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephan Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/6/24
41. A memoir that explores queerness-
Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition by PCarl⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/3/24
42. A non-fiction book about indigenous people~Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️10/12/24
43. A second chance romance-Happy Place by Emily Henry⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/19/24
44. An autobiography by a woman in rock ‘n’ roll🫎 No Walls and the Recurring Dream by Ani DeFranco
Read Harder 2024📚
1. Read a cozy fantasy book-Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis
Baldree⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/14/2024
2. Read a YA book by a trans author. Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith 📚
3.Read a middle grade horror novel.
Coraline by Neil Gaimen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2/15/24
4. Read a history book by a BIPOC author.
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2/6/2024l
5. Reads sci-fi novella. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/25/2024
6. Read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character. Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️9/26/24
7. Read an Indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC author. Home Body by Rupi Kaur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/1/24
8. Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited~Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎧 International Booker Prize for fiction+translation.
Translated from German by Michael Hofman 6/13/24
9. Read a book recomended by a librarian~James by Percival Everett⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/30/24
10. Read a historical fiction book by an indigenous author ~The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️10/25/24
11. Read a picture book published in the last five years. What Happened to You?
by James Catchpole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/4/2024
My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/23/24
12. Read a genre book (SFF, horror. mystery, romance) written by a disabled author. Seabisquit by Laura Hillenbrand📚
13. Read a comic that has been banned.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/12/24
14. Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) then attend the event.📚The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell—Escanaba Public Library July 17 5:30 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️12/10/24
15. Read a YA nonfiction book.📚Solito by Javier Zamora (my kindle)
16. Read a book based solely on the title. The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3/9/2024
17. Read a book about media literacy.📚 No…just no.
18. Read a book about drag or queer artistry~The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/24/24
19. Read a romance with neurodivergent characters. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2/18/24
20. Read a book about books, fiction or nonfiction.📚 the Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
21. Read a book that went under the radar in 2023. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Hardcover/signed 1st Edition ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3/26/2024
22. Read manga or manwha.One Piece Pirates by Eiichiro Oda by ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/5/2024
23. Read a “howdunit”or “whydunit”-The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️8/9/24
24. Pick a challenge from any previous years’ challenges and repeat. Read Harder 2022–#19 Read a horror by novel by a BIPOC author-My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephan Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/6/24
45. An LBGTQ romance novel-Family Meal by Bryan Washington ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/2/2024
Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️8/14/24
Short 13 books. Ugh! I am not happy with myself. My favorite read was James by Percival Everett. I also loved My Heart is a Chainsaw and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich and The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff also amazing. And my second challenge…
READ HARDER 2024📚
1. Read a cozy fantasy book-Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis
Baldree⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/14/2024
2. Read a YA book by a trans author. Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith 📚
3.Read a middle grade horror novel.
Coraline by Neil Gaimen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2/15/24
4. Read a history book by a BIPOC author.
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2/6/2024l
5. Reads sci-fi novella. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/25/2024
6. Read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character. Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️9/26/24
7. Read an Indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC author. Home Body by Rupi Kaur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/1/24
8. Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited~Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎧 International Booker Prize for fiction+translation.
Translated from German by Michael Hofman 6/13/24
9. Read a book recomended by a librarian~James by Percival Everett⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/30/24
10. Read a historical fiction book by an indigenous author ~The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️10/25/24
11. Read a picture book published in the last five years. What Happened to You?
by James Catchpole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/4/2024
My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/23/24
12. Read a genre book (SFF, horror. mystery, romance) written by a disabled author. Seabisquit by Laura Hillenbrand📚
13. Read a comic that has been banned.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/12/24
14. Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) then attend the event. The Waters by Bonni Jo Campbell—Escanaba Public Library July 17 5:30 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️12/10/24
15. Read a YA nonfiction book.📚Solito by Javier Zamora (my kindle)
16. Read a book based solely on the title. The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3/9/2024
17. Read a book about media literacy.📚 No…just no.
18. Read a book about drag or queer artistry~The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/24/24
19. Read a romance with neurodivergent characters. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2/18/24
20. Read a book about books, fiction or nonfiction.📚 the Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
21. Read a book that went under the radar in 2023. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Hardcover/signed 1st Edition ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3/26/2024
22. Read manga or manwha.One Piece Pirates by Eiichiro Oda by ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/5/2024
23. Read a “howdunit”or “whydunit”-The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️8/9/24
24. Pick a challenge from any previous years’ challenges and repeat. Read Harder 2022–#19 Read a horror by novel by a BIPOC author-My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephan Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/6/24
Five short in Read Harder. 😳 My favorites were The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell and The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta. This challenge definitely expands my genre selections.
I joined an IRL book club. My second meeting is tomorrow.
