Dog Days of Summer Got Me

I had plenty of leftovers from the salad lunch. Harry and I ate the soup with the bacon-cheese spread for lunch two days in a row. Harry always joins me when I have soup. Niece Terri bought this mug for me when we visited the Truman Library last December and I love it. Perfect size for soup.

I got hooked on reading this week. This is the first book I've ever read where I thought the movie would be better than the book.

When I got rid of some of my books, I ran across a David Baldacci and thought he might be an interesting author. I had only his second book, so decided to get the first from the library in case they should be read in order. I loved this book so much I couldn't put it down. If you love suspense, you'll love this guy.

You know what's coming next. I started the second book, and now all I want to do is read and watch Midsomer Murders.  This one is just as exciting as the first.

And Candy just told me they made a movie of Absolute Power, and I can rent it on YouTube. The first book was copyrighted in 1996. I'm always behind the times. The best news is that he's been very busy - just look at all the wonderful books. The goal is to read as fast as you can, so that you catch up and have to wait until the next book is published. He's getting better - sometimes three in one year now. I wonder how many years it will take me to catch up?

 Absolute Power (1996)

Total Control (1997)

The Winner (1997)

The Simple Truth (1998)

Saving Faith (1999)

Wish You Well (2000)

Last Man Standing (2001)

The Christmas Train (2002)

Split Second (2003)

Hour Game (2004)

The Camel Club (2005)

The Collectors (2006)

Simple Genius (2007)

Stone Cold (2007)

The Whole Truth (2008)

Divine Justice (2008)

First Family (2009)

True Blue (2009)

Deliver Us From Evil (2010)

Hell's Corner (2010)

The Sixth Man (2011)

One Summer (2011)

Zero Day (2011)

The Innocent (2012)

The Forgotten (2012)

The Hit (2013)

King and Maxwell (2013)

The Target (2014)

The Escape (2014)

Memory Man (2015)

The Guilty (2015)

The Last Mile (2016)

No Man's Land (2016)

The Fix (2017)

End Game (2017)

The Fallen (2018)

Long Road to Mercy (2018)

Redemption (2019)

One Good Deed (2019)

A Minute to Midnight (2019)

Walk the Wire (2020)

Daylight (2020)

A Gambling Man (2021)

Mercy (2021)

Dream Town (2022)

The 6:20 Man (2022)

Long Shadows (2022)

Simply Lies (2023)

By series:

 

Aloysius Archer: One Good Deed (2019), A Gambling Man (2021), Dream Town (2022)

 

The Camel Club: The Camel Club (2005), The Collectors (2006), Stone Cold (2007), Divine Justice (2008), Hell's Corner (2010)

 

Amos Decker: Memory Man (2015), The Last Mile (2016), The Fix (2017), The Fallen (2018), Redemption (2019), Walk the Wire (2020), Long Shadows (2022)

 

King and Maxwell: Split Second (2003), Hour Game (2004), Simple Genius (2007), First Family (2009), The Sixth Man (2011), King and Maxwell (2013)

 

Atlee Pine: Long Road to Mercy (2018), A Minute to Midnight (2019), Daylight (2020), Mercy (2021)

 

John Puller: Zero Day (2011), The Forgotten (2012), The Escape (2014), No Man's Land (2016)

 

Will Robie: The Innocent (2012), The Hit (2013), The Target (2014), The Guilty (2015), End Game (2017)

 

A. Shaw: The Whole Truth (2008), Deliver Us From Evil (2010)

 

Vega Jane: The Finisher (2014), The Keeper (2015), The Width of the World (2017), The Stars Below (2019)

 

Standalones:

Absolute Power (1996)

Total Control (1997)

The Winner (1997)

The Simple Truth (1998)

Saving Faith (1999)

Wish You Well (2000)

Last Man Standing (2001)

The Christmas Train (2002)

True Blue (2009)

One Summer (2011)

The 6:20 Man (2022)

Simply Lies (2023)

 

I've been curious about a new type food court here in Nixa, so I stopped in while I was running errands. It's on Highway 14, just east of Main Street. I didn't get great photos, but you'll get the idea.

There's even a full bar - not just beer and wine.

I opted for the Southwest Pork tacos. Good, but I was a little turned off by the messy tray. It looks like a lot of food, but they're itty bitty, not regular taco size. You know, like a slider compared to a hamburger.

I was a dud, but my creative friends were on the job. Joey's birthday card for a friend. 

And Linda's cake for a shower - three layers: Raspberry, White Chocolate, Chocolate.

I'm still trying to inject some Midsomer Magic into my life - even if it's just a couple of flowers on my desk.

If I can keep my book closed, I'll have more to report next week. Fingers crossed.