Hmmm… How do I broach this subject without sounding like I think I’m the end-all to all… plus a little more?!? (Which, by the way, is not at all the case!)

Several times a month I receive offers of free mystery books. Yes! FREE mystery books!!! Sometimes these offers come from the mystery book authors, and sometimes the offers come from their publishers. Either way, they are very generous offers… and believe me, I would LOVE to accept every one of the offered books!

But, I don’t!

I just “flat-out” have a policy of not accepting free mystery books. I think that this policy comes from my very ingrained “guilt complex” >>> which, if you have, then you know what I mean!!! I know that with my guilt complex, I would end up feeling “obligated” to write a good review.

I must be honest and disclose that I did (once upon a time) accept two free books from authors/publishers. I don’t know what possessed me to think that I could be fair-minded in my reviews… but let me just say that one of the books I loved, and the other I didn’t finish.

So, I decided not to review either book. One would clearly have gotten a 5 star rating, the other would have gotten a … Yup! That’s when the guilt complex comes in! I couldn’t give that free book less than 3 stars, which, since I didn’t get past page 50 (my cut-off for books that I literally make myself stay with!) would have been a sham.

Me and my guilt complex!!! I’d rather spend the $6.99 and not “have to finish” a book I’m not enjoying, than stay with a book I don’t like just so that I can try to find nice things to write about in a review. (Thumper’s mom would be proud of me!)

PS>>> I’m using the “five-star” rating system as my example since it seems to be the most prevalent…

My daughter just left (yesterday) to intern for ten weeks. I’m a little bummed, but I am also “a little” used to it. Since she finished the ninth grade, her summers have been spent either attending school programs or working >>> always outside of Texas. She did, however, take one summer off to sort of “chill out” (I’m not sure if that is the current term for what used to be “take time to smell the roses” or even “take it easy”>>> but I’m sure you can get my drift…) That was the summer that she and I managed to get on a bus tour through Canada.

We have never visited our daughter during any of her summer programs/jobs, but this summer we are planning on going to see her for five days. We know the area, so it should be a nice time… reminiscing for my husband and me… seeing places she used to visit regularly as a little girl… the different Smithsonian museums, the Baltimore zoo and aquarium, and perhaps even the two houses we lived in.  

Each time she leaves, she makes a point of saying goodbye to Sprite (our 15 1/2 year old puppy)… Unfortunately, Sprite is at a time in her life where she doesn’t realize that our daughter no longer lives with us. She used to hip-hop all over (Sprite, that is!) when our daughter walked in the door for the first time, but this last visit, Sprite just wanted to be fed!

Anyway, my daughter just left yesterday, and already I miss her and am counting the days until we go out and visit. As for Sprite, she is keeping on with keeping on… and “chilling out” whenever possible!

My daughter is home for a week of vacation, which is great for my husband, son, and me. We have such few times when all four of us are together. (I almost feel like Sprite is giving me the evil eye… I think our fifteen year old puppy wants me to change that to five!) And, I know that it is only a matter of time when the four of us being together won’t happen, except for very rare occasions.

I am remembering back to when I was a child… years ago. Once my sister got married and moved to the Chicago area, and my brother became an Air Force “life-r” >>> There were very few times when all four of the siblings got together with my parents. Everyone had different schedules, and very different lives. The only things that insured everyone getting together were… my father’s stroke or a relative’s funeral. Hmmm… It almost seemed like we could “find the time” to honor the sick and dead, but never could quite “find the time” for any other reunion of sorts.

I treasure every time that the four (or five!) of us get together. I know it is only a matter of time until our son moves away from the San Antonio area, and once our daughter is no longer a student, and doesn’t get the one or two weeks here and there that the college “gives out”… our times together will be very few.

I am hoping that since we have a very different family dynamic than the one I had as a child, maybe we will be fortunate enough for the four of us to want to want to get together and enjoy our family… without the stresses of illness and funerals as the impetus for family gatherings! Boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, and children are all welcome!

On to my next rant >>> and as usual, it has nothing to do with mystery authors or their books…

I watch a few crime shows on television. I have written about that before… many times! While I enjoy these types of shows, I do have a rather major irritation with some of them. (Yes, I know that I am easily irritated! And, yes, it’s a major irritation for me. Also, I should actually say that it’s all of the shows I watch, not just some of them!)

Have you ever noticed that whenever a television SWAT team is called in to surround a house or ram a door open, the “stars” of the show are the people at the very front of the line? And have you ever noticed that as the “stars” fearlessly lead the SWAT team, our “stars” may have a few pieces of  body armor/shields on (tight enough to show us the “stars” physiques!) but they don’t wear protective helmets. All of the SWAT-ers have on heavy duty helmets with protective eye shields as well as bulky body armor. Our fearless “stars” have on body-hugging armor and perfectly coiffed hair! Even our male “stars!” Good grief! I know it’s only television, but really!!!

I have learned to get over it, time and time again. But it does seem like the special effects are getting more and more realistic looking on these shows… Now we, the viewers, are asked to see very realistic looking wounds while at the same time we see this absurdity.

PS >>> You may wonder why I use quotation marks around the word s-t-a-r… Well, the day that one of these “stars” finds the cure for cancer (and actually deserves the outrageous salary that he/she commands) is the day I’ll really see these “stars” as truly STARS!