Carolyn, I have read a lot of Frank's work and I think she is slipping a bit. Somewhat reminiscent of A.R. Siddon's novels, which get quite repetitive in their vocabulary and plots. (e.g. I think she used "spavined" as an adjective in every book she ever wrote!). I have just finished Ian Caldwell's "The Fifth Gospel." The author claims it took him 10 years to write. In a sense, it is a "tour de force" in terms of scholarship re early Christian church history. The plot has many twists and turns. It is also a study of the separation of the Eastern Orthodox patriarchy from the Western Catholics and the papacy. The novel puts a very human face on the late Polish Pope as well as the Vatican as a small nation unto itself. (Caldwell's previous novel was "The Rule of Four.").

Hi Cori Ann sorry for the delay response... my Pretty Lady Rose is getting a slow start it was a rather young rose when I get her... bareroot just planted by the nursery.. I think because its getting too much shade. She gets shade all morning until the sun peaks over the house then its all sun.. but she's also is kinda under a tree.. But I recently saw her again in the nursery and that reminded me why I bought her lol... so this fall i will be moving her to get more sun. Anna's Promise Rose is also in the same flower bed and I recently moved her and she has been growing leaps and bounds. So with that said I would reconsider the placement if its going to get too much shade. I havent been posting any pictures recently because the majority of my roses have the chili thrip damage :( or just shut down for the summer.. or just uninspired to show the same rose over and over again hehe.. I hope this was helpful to you. Best of luck with your Pretty Lady Rose!

Well, the McMansion Hell author pretty much excludes contemporary homes from her blog because her focus is on bad recreations of traditional homes and architectural features, so those are McModerns possibly (but again, only if they ignore the basic fundamental of architecture and good construction). Just being big doesn't make a house a Mc-anything any more than eating a burger means you must be in McDonalds.

Last Twilight In Paris - historical fiction novel by Pam Jenoff. A new book & an interesting WW II story about a furniture store in Paris where Jews were imprisoned and forced to sort, set up displays and act as sales staff to help German Nazi officers choose items from belongings plundered from Jewish homes. The story line is told from a point in 1953 and about a former wartime Red Cross Volunteer who is trying to resolve an event from her wartime experience in 1944. I generally avoid reading stories about any of our Wars or anything involving our military - just too hard. But, this is a great read about people with integrity, courage and with a strong will to survive.