first literary saturday post of 2016

Happy Literary Saturday, friends! On this first such installment of 2016 I have a brief book review to share as well as a small collection of internet offerings from this past week. Hopefully you groove some of it. As always please share in comments what treasures you have found to read lately.

Cold Fear by Rick Mofina: OH MY GOSH THIS WAS GOOD! 5/5 stars from me. Highly recommend. I gobbled up this little feast believing it to be fiction then discovered it’s actually a piece of true crime, perhaps interpreted a bit but still based on a true story. (I adore true crime and am not ashamed.) Cold Fear is a missing persons story set in the Rocky Mountains and deals with all kinds of intense family dynamics. So gripping. As for the writing, imagine a thick braid. But not just an ordinary braid or even an elegant French braid; imagine one of those intricate fishtail braids you see in little girls’ hair on Pinterest. Skinny, well woven, metallic strands pulled from opposing directions at just the right moment so that this incredible masterpiece if eventually finished, and every detail comes from somewhere. Nothing is wasted. Everything connects. I can’t say anything more!! Go read this book under a heavy blanket with a flashlight and call me when you’re done. You can borrow my dog if you’re scared.

Lora the Crazy Running Girl is quitting soda, and she offers some smart strategies in this article. Also, I am on a personal mission to convince her to come run the OKC Memorial Marathon “with” me in April, and by “with” of course I just mean “also,” haha, because she is quite swift. Add some positive peer pressure, okay?

12 Foods Happy People Eat. I am basically a very happy person, and I eat plenty. I approve of this list. Only the maca root is unfamiliar to me, though I have heard recently from a friend who swears by it.

Once again Sandy the Reluctant Entertainer shares in one post food for the body and food for the soul. I cannot WAIT to try this turkey lasagna soup, and her wisdom about hospitality in the midst of big changes is very well received. As Handsome and I squint our eyes and try to peer into the future through all this foggy turnpike business, it’s nice to remember that Love and friendship will follow us anywhere. We just have to keep opening our doors.

How about 31 of the most beautiful sentences in literature? I know. So good. I salivate over well crafted sentences. 

One of this world’s sweetest blogging couples is having their first baby!!! Sincerest congratulations to Ashley and Brent over at Domestic Fashionista. Since they are far away on the west coast, let’s figure out how to throw them an internet baby shower.

Refunk My Junk: I am a big fan of everything Alison does, and this newest coffee table project is no exception. So fresh and pretty! Check out her unorthodox methods and drool over all that springtime living room color. She has me fully cured of all things Christmas. If you are local, you may want to know that she is hosting a big junk sale next weekend. 

The next thing cracked open from my book shelf is My Life On the Run by Bart Yasso. I’ve read passages from it these past several months since meeting him at the race in Lawton, but it warrants a cover-to-cover examination as marathon training kicks off. I have already found myself laughing out loud. Really good read, even if running is not your thing. 

Okay. Now I am off to play in the fresh snow and get some exercise. We have dinner plans tonight with two of the funnest couples we know, then perhaps a Making of a Murderer binge watch. Have your tried it yet? No spoilers please!

Your turn! Tell me stuff. Tell me all the reading things. Thanks for stopping in, friends. Enjoy your Saturday!

“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you….
In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other;
only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches
when you can savor belonging to yourself.
~Ruth Stout
XOXOXOXO