Weekly Update for August 29, 2021


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Weekly Update at Introverted Reader

Welcome to my weekly update for August 29, 2021!

I wrote last week about the flooding that affected so many back home in western North Carolina on August 17. Six people died and lots of families lost their homes. Please continue to keep the region in your thoughts and prayers. If you’re willing and able, you can make a donation to assist the flood victims through United Way of Haywood County (the county that had the most severe flooding). My thoughts and prayers are with those in Tennessee who had even worse flooding just days later.

On to happier news now.

My husband’s cousin and his wife visited for a long weekend last week. We had a great time with them! We all splurged and took a “flightseeing” tour to Lake Clark National Park to watch brown bears fishing for salmon. Words can’t express how beautiful this park is! Our bear guide took us out on a pontoon boat, where we watched the bears fishing on the shore of Crescent Lake. Lake Clark is the third-least visited national park in the country because there aren’t any roads that lead to it.

We had reservations for a fancy dinner at Alyeska Resort on Saturday night, at a restaurant named Seven Glaciers because of the view. When we drove home, a huge yellow moon was rising over the mountains and reflecting in the water. It was gorgeous! My husband and I tried to remember the last time we saw the moon. We think it was probably in late May/early June while we were still in Sarasota! But it’s been getting dark at night in Anchorage for several weeks now. The sun is already setting around 9:30.

And now my sister and her best friend from college arrive for a weeklong visit on Friday! I’m so excited!

Oh, and one more thing before I forget: the Cybils award panel is looking for volunteer judges. If you ever review books for children, middle grade, or young adults, consider applying before the deadline of 11:59 pm on September 1. I’ve seen on their social media channels that they are looking for judges for all genres but they haven’t had many applications to judge young adult nonfiction in particular. Here’s a link to the information/application page.

Slideshow:

My husband took some fabulous pictures last weekend with his “real” camera but here are some I took with my cell phone:

  • Brown Bear Fishing for Salmon in Crescent Lake
  • Mt. Redoubt over Crescent Lake
  • View from Seven Glaciers Restaurant
  • Full Moon Rising over Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm

All images copyright © Jennifer G. at Introverted Reader 2021

  1. Brown bear fishing for salmon. (If you’re curious, “brown bear” is a general term for–you guessed it–all brown bears. Grizzlies are brown bears who live on the interior, away from the coastline)
  2. Mt. Redoubt over Crescent Lake
  3. View from Seven Glaciers restaurant
  4. Full moon rising over the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm. Do you see Jupiter too?

Posted:

Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharratt–4 Stars

Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison, read by Sophie Amoss–4 Stars

Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

Read:

Time and Again by Jack Finney

 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith

Archenemies (Renegades #2) by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler and Dan Bittner

Currently Reading:

Enter the Detective (Ruse #1) by Mark Waid et al.

Reticence (The Custard Protocol #4) by Gail Carriger, read by Moira Quirk

Once Upon an Eskimo Time by Edna Wilder

Reading Challenge Update:

I’ve already met or exceeded most of my challenge goals but I fell off the wagon on my three challenges that have a specific prompt for each month. I’ll try to make up lost ground in September.

I’m including this in an effort to hold myself accountable. I’ll try to remember to update at the end of each month. Challenge title links go to my personal progress page and host links go to the relevant sign-up page.

Up Next:

I’m really going to start The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger as soon as I finish Enter the Detective! I can only check out three physical books at a time from the Anchorage library and I’ve had several requests coming in. I’ve had to read the graphic novels quickly so I can check out my holds before they get returned to the library they really belong to.

What did your week look like?

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon and Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post. Kathryn at Book Date hosts It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

26 Comments

  1. Those photos are beautiful, even if not from a “real” camera (I have faced similar situations before, haha). And you managed to catch Jupiter too, which is fantastic. Besides the photos, I think Enter the Detective has a very striking cover — I hope that book turns out to be as good.

  2. I continue to take notes of your adventures in AK as I plan our trip for next year. I wish I could convince my husband to go on one of those flightseeing tours, but there’s no way he will get up in a small plane. I also looked at the info on the restaurant and that’s a no-go, too. He doesn’t do well with heights, so no aerial tram. 🙁 So, thanks for the pictures and link. That moonrise photo is outstanding! I’d frame and hang it in your RV when you get back to the lower 48.

  3. What a beautiful area! Sounds like you are having a wonderful time in Alaska. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

  4. You are having absolutely amazing nature experiences while in Alaska and I am so pleased that family and friends are using your time there to visit. It looks spectacular!

  5. Your photos are stunning… the natural beauty of Alaska just takes my breath away! It’s great that your family is able to visit. How long will you be there?

    You’re going a great job with the reading challenges this year.

  6. I need to make a plan to update my Reading Challenge. Love the slide show and I wasn’t aware of the flooding in North Carolina. Will definitely keep them in our thoughts and prayers. Glad you had a good visit with your family!

    Have a good week ahead!

    Elza Reads

  7. Wow gorgeous. It’s the only state we haven’t visited and I hope to go sometime soon. I’m glad you are able to have your friends and family visit there with you.

    Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

  8. The picture you took of the moon is so beautiful!

    You are really making it harder to stay away from Alaska. Of course, I have to wait until borders open before I can do too much traveling.

  9. Your moon photo is fabulous. My husband calls me a lunatic because I’m fascinated by watching the moon in all its phases and colors. It was beautiful in the middle of the night last night.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

  10. My friend’s cousin was one of those who lost her life in the floods. She was swept away by the water right in front of a coworker. It was horrifying.

    You have seen so many beautiful things during your time in Alaska. You are there at the perfect time of the year, right when it is so hot here and hurricanes seem to pop up all along the coast. Thank you for sharing your photos.

    You are doing great with your challenges. I need to read a little faster to meet my nonfiction challenge and my Back to the Classics challenge. The trouble is that I am reading very long books (one is 900 pages and one is 800). But they are both so good!

  11. Wonderful pictures. I especially love that second one. What a beautiful area. That pontoon boat tour sounds like it would be a blast!

    Love the sound of the resort too. 🙂

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