Dear Fellow Reader,

I find my thoughts turning to Fall. I don’t want to think about Fall but I see some signs that it is coming. The tree in the back has started to turn and as much as I hate it, the days are getting shorter. It has been so hot that it is hard to think that the inevitable change is coming but it is creeping in slowly.

I find that I am not looking forward to Fall the way I usually do. I have enjoyed my time in the garden this year and I don’t want it to come to an end. I have never really worked in a garden before but this year, I have planted and weeded, shoveled, and mulched. Let’s be clear, I have no idea what I am doing but I have gone for it with abandon. And how did this all start? I did it for the exercise. I was tired of riding my stationary bike and felt that being outside would be preferable. There must have been something that kept me going.

While I have pulled out a couple of gardening books, I am leaving those to winter. Look them over and make plans for next summer in front of the fireplace under a blanket. I am going to make a journal with pictures as to what I have done this year and what I want to do (so far) next year.

But I did read an interesting book this last week.

The Maid by Nita Prose will be published on January 4, 2022. I was given the book in exchange for my honest review. So, off we go…

The Maid tells the story of Molly Gray. Molly is a maid in a nice hotel. She is an excellent maid. Molly is not good with people. She can’t read facial expressions very well and tends to be very literal. She grew up living with her grandmother, who cleaned for a rich family. Her grandmother taught her to keep everything clean and neat and would explain things that people said or did to her. Molly’s grandmother died several months before the story opens and Molly is having trouble financially and socially.

Molly’s real problems start when while cleaning, she finds Mr. Black dead in his bed. The police detective does not understand Molly or her response to questions. We then find that perhaps there are some bad things going on in the hotel the Molly doesn’t understand.

Molly is an interesting character. She appears to be a bit simple, but appearances can be deceiving. There are several surprising twists that occur in the story.

I will admit that there was a time in the middle of the book that I was getting a little tired of Molly but then something would happen that would wake the story up and cause you to think. Some of Molly’s problems are very apparent to the reader and you think you can see what is going to happen next. But then there is something completely different, which is wonderful.

Thanks for reading!