Reports of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

 Today marks three weeks that I have been dealing with this flu virus. The good news is that it feels like it's receding. Much less congestion, coughing, and sneezing. But I'm still pretty weak. Jesse is pretty much back to normal and back at work. 

So I haven't done a lick of quilting in these three weeks. But I have done some reading. Below are the books I've read during my lying in.

Revenant by Carolyn Haines When a construction crew uncovers the bones of five women beneath a Biloxi nightclub each missing its ring finger, reporter Carson Lynch sees her chance to resurrect a dying career—and maybe herself. But what begins as an investigation into a forgotten crime soon turns personal. This is a re-release of one of Carolyn's earlier works published under a pen name. Very good murder mystery.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid It is the early 80s. The main characters, Joan and Vanessa, are two of the first women ever accepted into astronaut training at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The training is rigorous and challenging, and the two women feel pressure to work twice as hard as their male counterparts simply because of their gender.

As if the training program doesn't complicate their lives enough, Joan and Vanessa fall in love, which they must keep secret as gay relationships are strictly unacceptable to NASA and grounds for dismissal in the 80s. It also complicates Joan's family relationships, which have been somewhat shaky already.

Both women finish their training and are assigned to space missions aboard the shuttle. I won't go into this since I wouldn't want to spoil the excitement for anyone who wants to read the book. Suffice to say that no book about ghosts, witches, vampires, or serial killers has had my heart racing like reading about the space travel. I am definitely not astronaut material. The blast off alone would finish me. 

Reid does an excellent job of putting the reader in the hearts and minds of these two characters. I felt like I was right there with them during their space missions. And the complications of their relationship touched my heart. Near the end of the book, their troubles had me reaching for the tissues.

I loved this book, one of the best I've read in a while.

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose Sarah Morgan is one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Washington, DC. Her husband, Adam, a failed author, has grown to resent his wife's meteoric success.For almost two years, Adam has been having an affair with a young waitress. When her body is discovered at the couple's lake house, Adam is arrested on suspicion of murder. Sarah now finds herself facing her most challenging case yet when she vows to defend her husband--a man accused of murdering his mistress. This twists and turns in this book almost made me dizzy. It kept me reading till 3:00 this morning when I finished the last page. The ending is pretty dark.

I have just started reading In Powder Blue by Nicolas Pleiadi. Reviews have compared it to "Sopranos," "Goodfellas," and The Godfather, all favorites of mine. So far, I'm not seeing it, but I've only just begun. More on this later.

That's it for now. Happy Valentine's Day to all.