The Sunday Salon

This week began deceptively calm and leisurely. At the conclusion of our first day of homeschool on Tuesday I thought how easy our week was going to be. I am grateful that school was so easy because it left room for recovery from the other part of my week that was downright traumatic. You see, I was attacked by a pit bull.

No, I am not joking. I wish I were. I have the teeth marks to prove it but you'll never see them. It is not hard to imagine where a medium-sized dog is likely to bite a fleeing woman of average height. Right in the tokus.

I mention quickly that I am alright; I required no stitches. I've learned that the backside is in fact the best place to be bit if one has the choice. It is difficult for the dog to get his teeth into the flesh there. As Mom said, "So it's good to have junk-in-the-trunk." (First of all Mom, it's a little disturbing to hear you use such a term. Secondly, just what are you trying to say about the size of my butt?)

Seriously, I am fine. The neighbor feels just as bad as can be. She has replaces the fence already and assures me that the dog (Murphy) will never be in the yard without a leash again. My knees have scabbed over and the bruises are already starting to fade; that is, they have gone from black to purple-ish with green around the edges.

And now, onto books. I read aloud to the kiddos from the ARC of a new series called Something Wickedly Weird. I received the second book in the series so I'm holding off on my review until I can read the first. Both books will be released simultaneously at the end of the month.

I also read and reviewed the short story collection Down to a Sunless Sea. The book left me bewildered. The author places you inside the mind of a damaged person to experience their struggles, then abruptly ends the story. This leaves the reader stranded with the character's feelings of helplessness. It can be disorienting.

I have also been slowly making my way through The Triumph of Deborah. I have read more than I care to admit of cheesy Christian novels but this one does not fit into that category. It is well written and plausible. I have a few qualms, because that is my nature, but I will save them for my full review.

For the upcoming week I will be reading My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq. I'm not sure what to expect but that is often the best way to come to a book. Have a good week all, and stay away from hungry pit bulls.