'Good morning. 🌥️⛅🌤️

17 February 2026

I’m getting a late start this morning. After feeding Charlie at 0730, I sat down in my chair and promptly fell asleep. Next thing I knew, it was 0930. I had a late night because I wanted to finish the book I’ve been reading — Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz.

When I first started the book, it threw me off. Koontz opens with a brief foreword claiming the events are true, with names and places changed to protect privacy. Then he tells the story from the writer’s point of view, even commenting on writing techniques the narrator might use throughout. But the book is fiction — at least I hope it is, because if it weren’t, it would change my worldview.

The story centers on four people who grew up in a town called Maple Grove — though that name is supposed to be an alias. They were self‑described high‑school outcasts who called themselves the Amigos. All but one eventually escaped the town and built lives elsewhere, but they stayed in touch. Each one became successful in the arts: a movie star, a novelist, a painter, and a songwriter. All of them have gaps in their memories from their school days in Maple Grove.

The story begins when the one Amigo who stayed behind falls into a coma, and the other three return to Maple Grove to be by his side. I’d tell you more, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

I enjoyed the story and can’t help wondering if there will be a sequel or even a series. I see real potential.

“A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.”
— Neil Gaiman

“Though a good deal is too strange to be believed, nothing is too strange to have happened.”
— Thomas Hardy

“There are things we remember, and things we think we remember.”
— Harold Pinter

“The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.”
— Elisabeth Foley

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #nature #morning #book #novel #DeanKoontz

Good morning. 🌻🌻🌻

22 January 2026

I just finished reading The Widow by John Grisham. I’m a longtime Grisham fan and enjoyed the book, though I wouldn’t call it his best. That’s just my take, of course—someone else might consider it his finest work. The story centers on an aging, enigmatic widow who claims to have millions in assets and wants a new will. As in many Grisham novels, a struggling lawyer finds himself pulled into the middle of it all. He agrees to draft the will, imagining the financial rewards ahead, but a sudden murder upends every expectation.

The novel unfolds as a classic whodunit, a mystery designed to keep you guessing. I thought the character development was strong, especially for the main players, and the storyline held my interest from start to finish. The ending, though, felt a bit abrupt and left me wondering how well the lawyer ultimately landed—and what Grisham wanted us to make of that unresolved note.

I won’t say anything more, for fear of spoiling the book for anyone who might decide to pick it up.

My next read is a recent release from Dean Koontz, another favorite of mine. I can’t recall the title at the moment—it’s sitting on my nightstand at the other end of the house—but I’m looking forward to diving in. Koontz never disappoints. I just hope I didn’t accidentally pick up one I’ve already read, which is entirely possible given how many of his books I’ve gone through. I’m fairly sure it’s a newer release, though. I bought it a while back, and it’s been waiting patiently in a short queue of books to read.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.” — George R.R. Martin

“Not all those who wander are lost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” — W. Somerset Maugham

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #nature #morning #flowers #wildflowers #books #reading #mystery #JohnGrisham #deankoontz

The Friend Of The Family by Dean Koontz

Talk about heart warming story. This book is so good. I loved hearing about the family growing older and the twists and turns they experienced. The ending had me in tears. I was honestly not surprised by what the mother had wrote after listening to the story. Overall a great book that is interesting, fun, concerning and makes you think about others. #Netgalley #Thefriendofthefamily #Deankoontz #brilliancepublishing…

https://bookishventuress.wordpress.com/2026/01/20/the-friend-of-the-family-by-dean-koontz/

Nearly 𝟯𝟱𝟬 new book releases are hitting the shelves January 19th - 25th

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 :
🔗 https://www.booknotification.com/news/new-book-releases-january-19th-to-january-25th-2026/

#newbooks #bookreleases #bookstodon

Here are our featured five:

🔖 Accidentally Yours by #ChristinaLauren
🔖 The Case of the Guilded Alchemist by #DaisyLandish
🔖 The Friend of the Family by #DeanKoontz
🔖 Twelve Months by #JimButcher
🔖 How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by
#NinaMcConigley

Born this Day:

Dean Koontz, born July 9, 1945, is a highly prolific American author whose suspense thrillers often include science fiction and fantasy elements. His most popular novel is Watchers, and he is known for works like Phantoms and Odd Thomas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Koontz

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#DeanKoontz

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