Saturday, August 30, 2025

The Sunday Salon: Visiting My Sister in Waco

 



Welcome! I am delighted that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? 

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 





My sister and I in Waco, in 2024.

I'm just returning home after spending this week with my sister and her husband in Waco.




What I Read Last Week:





What I'm Reading Now:

An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi






What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

Good Things!







I finished up two of my summer challenges:




When Cathy of 746 books announced last year that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on. Summer reading IS the 20, 15 or 10 Books challenge to all of us.

  • The #20BooksofSummer2025 challenge runs from Sunday June 1st to Sunday August 31st
  • The first rule of 20 Books is that there are no real rules, other than signing up for 10, 15, or 20 books and trying to read from your TBR.
  • Just enjoy a summer of great reading and make a bit of space on your shelves!

Here are my 20 Books of Summer:

James by Percival Everett.     The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. 
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson.    The Love Haters by Katherine Center.
The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie.    Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt.    A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor.    The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves.
Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton.    Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.     The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger.
A Bakery in Paris by Aimee K. Runyan.     The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown.
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison.   Sanditon by Jane Austen.
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang.     Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome.

20/20



The idea behind this reading challenge is simple: Use the ease of summer to tackle a Big Book (400+ pages) or two or ... however many you want! You set your own goals. And if it is the start of winter where you live, then it's your Big Book Winter Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate.

The Details:

  • Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book.
  • The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (May 23 this year) through Labor Day (September 1 this year).

What kind of books "count"? All kinds! Middle-grade, YA, graphic novels, classics, all genres, all types--as long as they are at least 400 pages. Yes, e-books and audio books count, too--just check online for the number of pages in the print edition.  

My big book reads this summer:


Ten books for a total of 6,757 pages!

It is unusual for me to read so many big books.





I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things...all memories...

My sister and I, with our husbands, have been on many adventures together.


Good Thing #1:
The four of us on a Colorado trip (1983)



Good Thing #2:

Hiking together in Utah (2021)



Good Thing #3:

Together in Paris (2023).



Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.


Posted by at

31 comments:

  1. thathappyreaderAugust 30, 2025 at 7:44 AM

    How lovely to have these memories of times with your family! Have a wonderful weekend Deb.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mae TravelsAugust 30, 2025 at 7:48 AM

    good to see everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  3. TinaAugust 30, 2025 at 8:54 AM

    It's nice to see the photos of you and your sister with husbands enjoying vacations together. Lots of big books and you know, I didn't pay attention to the Big Boks of Summer event. Maybe next year. I am a fan of Michener and Rutherfurd so that's a good start.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HarveeAugust 30, 2025 at 10:09 AM

    Good luck with the big books this summer! Enjoy them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. RoxanneAugust 30, 2025 at 11:19 AM

    Glad to see you had a great time with your sister! I haven’t read any of the books on your list, but The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side seems to be the one that interests me the most!

    https://embracethepandemonium.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dorothy BordersAugust 30, 2025 at 11:52 AM

    Wonderful pictures of you and your sister and your husbands. How great it is to have loved ones to share our adventures! I see that I've only read three of your "big books." My favorite was "The Crow Trap," one of my favorite Ann Cleeves books.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mary KirklandAugust 30, 2025 at 12:07 PM

    I'm glad you had a nice visit with your sister.

    ReplyDelete
  8. CindyAugust 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM

    WOW! That is a lot of big books!! I read four which was good for me, and I have read over 20 books for the summer, eight were on my actual list of 12. I did my wrap up yesterday. Have a great week :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jinjer-The Intrepid AngelenoAugust 30, 2025 at 3:48 PM

    That is so cool that you and your sister and your husband have been adventure pals all these years! I love it. And you never cease to amaze me with your reading...TEN big books plus 20 books of summer??? Incredible!

    ReplyDelete
  10. VickiAugust 30, 2025 at 6:57 PM

    I love going on adventures. My sisters and brother live in other states so we don't see each other as much as we'd like.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Helen's Book BlogAugust 30, 2025 at 10:41 PM

    Oh my gosh, your books over 400 pages were whoppers! 1200 pages on Mark Twain. You are a better person than I am!

    Hope you had a great week in Waco!

    ReplyDelete
  12. YvonneAugust 30, 2025 at 11:06 PM

    Looks like you had a great time with your sister. You had some great summer reads. I hope you have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Linda's Relaxing LairAugust 30, 2025 at 11:18 PM

    I am so happy 😊 you had a wonderful time with your sister 💗 Lovely photos.

    ReplyDelete
  14. LoriAugust 31, 2025 at 12:10 AM

    I hope you had a wonderful time in Waco.
    I have Robert Reich’s book on my wish list. I have seen him on shows promoting it. I never realized how small he really is.
    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rachel @Waves of FictionAugust 31, 2025 at 12:19 AM

    What lovely adventures you've had with your sister and husband! Hope you enjoyed your time in Waco!

    ReplyDelete
  16. EmilyAugust 31, 2025 at 4:54 AM

    I hope that you had a lovely time visiting your sister.

    I have failed in my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. I wanted to beat last year of 8/10. I managed 5/10. I am hoping to get the next 5 done by the end of the year, but I am full until October so it's not looking promising!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzAugust 31, 2025 at 8:19 AM

      I think you did well! Remember all the people in the world who didn't even read one book this summer!

      Delete
  17. BonnieReadsAndWritesAugust 31, 2025 at 5:51 AM

    Looks like you had a lot of fun during your travel. Those are some big books, especially Mark Twain.

    ReplyDelete
  18. BeckiAugust 31, 2025 at 7:32 AM

    Great job on your summer reading challenges! And thanks for sharing the pictures over the years of some trips that look like a lot of fun! I love the 1983 one - I remember those years fondly ;)

    ReplyDelete
  19. NickyAugust 31, 2025 at 7:42 AM

    You've been constantly on the move this summer, I'm in awe of how much you've been doing! It's been really nice to see you talk about your family time. :D

    ReplyDelete
  20. JeanieAugust 31, 2025 at 8:44 AM

    You are amazing! That's huge!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Joy's Book BlogAugust 31, 2025 at 9:19 AM

    Congrats on finishing the summer challenges! That is a lot of big books.

    ReplyDelete
  22. bibliophilebreeAugust 31, 2025 at 10:54 AM

    Hope you have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  23. sherry fundinAugust 31, 2025 at 11:15 AM

    Glad you enjoyed your trip. You can tell you are sisters. :-) The challenges look like fun.

    ReplyDelete
  24. JoAnnAugust 31, 2025 at 11:17 AM

    Your family photos of adventure over the years are such a treasure! Lots of great reading this summer, too.

    ReplyDelete
  25. messymimiAugust 31, 2025 at 2:18 PM

    It's nice to have family you get along with so well you can travel far and wide together. You certainly keep busy in "retirement".

    ReplyDelete
  26. MeezanAugust 31, 2025 at 2:46 PM

    Wow, you read a lot of big books this summer! Maybe I will try it with one next summer. Have a great week! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jen at Introverted ReaderAugust 31, 2025 at 4:43 PM

    How nice that you've had so many vacations with your sister and her husband! Have you read Lonesome Dove before? It's one of my favorites. The old mini-series is good too.

    ReplyDelete
  28. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2025 at 1:36 AM

    so glad you had a little break with your sister! and i love your 3 good things as always.. plus all those books read!!

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear your thoughts.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)