What I read this week:

Tried the third book in the Red Queen series, and as it was, the library had a copy and I am SO SO thankful I did not buy it.  I hated book three.  Admittedly I only got to like chapter twelve?  Or was it fifteen?  I cannot remember.  But I just could not make myself finish the book.

So, I picked up another library selection, The Thursday's Murder Club, and LOVED it.  This is SUCH a delightful read.  I am hesitant to write too much of a review, because inevitably I will give away too much, but I want to give you enough of a reason to pick up a copy...

First of all, this is partly narrated through the diary entries of Joyce, a new(ish) resident of Cooper's Chase and retired nurse.  One day, as it begins, she is happily ensconced in her lunch (it must have been a Monday as she tells it, because it was Shepherd's Pie day - I love that she knows what day it is by what she is eating) and in pops Elizabeth with a quick question about a knife wound.  And so begins Joyce's introduction and acceptance into the "Thursday's Murder Club", which, funny enough, meets under the artifice of "Japanese Opera: a Discussion".  

From there, with each new chapter, you begin to meet the entire cast of lovely residents, two police officers who are unwittingly drawn into the very heart of this group, and what a group it is!  They are of course lovely, but also witty, resourceful, and artfully wily.  You will also rub up against some very disagreeable, villainous characters.  And as the dead bodies begin to stack up, everyone begins to wonder, is the murderer right in front of you the entire time?!?!

My favorite quotes:

"I remember dabbing at my mouth before I answered, like you see on television sometimes.  It makes you look clever, try it." pg. 6

I fully intend to do just this the next time I am interrupted during a meal with a question I am not quite sure how to answer!!

"The village is nearly dark now.  In life you have to learn to count the good days.  You have to tuck them in your pocket and carry them around with you.  So, I'm putting today in my pocket and I'm off to bed." pg. 85

I love, love, love this quote.  The writing is what makes this story so utterly enchanting, but quotes like this guarantee that I will read and re-read this book.  And probably gift it to everyone I know 💖

"One by one, the lights of the village switch off.  The only remaining illumination comes from behind the thick hospital blinds of Willows.  The business of dying keeps different hours than the business of living." pg. 142

So, so true.  Achingly so.

I also read another book this week that I absolutely LOVED : Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White.  It took me forever to realize this author is a blogger that I used to read years ago - "A Slob Comes Clean".  I lost track of her blog and am SO thankful that I stumbled onto this book.  As someone who continually struggles with clutter and the practice of keeping a clutter free home - I needed to read this!  The one major takeaway - the massive lightbulb moment for me - was when she addressed "containers".  This may be common to knowledge to most people, because when I paused reading and told my husband about my "aha" moment, he looked at me like 'how in the world do you not already know this' - ha!  But, for me, when she said that containers are meant to contain the stuff they are bought for - AND - then went on to say - once the "container" was full...then that's it.  That is the limit for that item.  

LIGHTBULB.

She used scarves as an example, but immediately, my mind took me to my frenemy.  

Bookshelves. 

I love to read.  I love books.  But I have shelves of them, piles of them, and an amazon wishlist full of them...so sooner or later, I am going to have to tackle this problem.  So, I began this week.  Going through the painful and arduous task of thinning out the piles.  

The next "achilles heel" that I have to tackle in my journey to live clutter free?  Mementos, sentimental items, and buckets of artwork that my girls have done over the years.  I am NOT looking forward to that.