FROM A BLANK MIND COMES ............         

          My mind has been blank the last couple of days.  I had about decided there would be no blog again today, but while eating my lunch and starting a new book, that all changed.  So here I am.

          My blogs are for everyone, but this one today is aimed at you folks who love reading, read for the shear enjoyment of it, read to leave the real world for a while, read to learn new things, or even looking at something mundane with a new outlook.  You folks know what I mean.

          I love reading, have read since a child, practically living in the library my school years, buying every book I could afford my adult years.  I have never stopped reading.  At one time I read the westerns - Max Brand, Zane Gray, Louis LaMour, just to name a few.  And then I grew up for real, raising a family, but still reading.

          I guess my adult life favorite stories are romantic mysteries and thrillers.  I love all the twists and turns, trying to figure who is the bad guy, how it is going to end, will it be a happy or sad ending.  If it is a good story, I enjoy it.

           But during my years of raising my children, I didn't have as much time to read as I did before, and as I do now.  It was during those hectic years that I discovered Gladys Taber.  She wrote a series of books about Stillmeadow.
   
          Stilmeadow was, and is, a seventeenth-century Connecticut farmhouse and surroundings.  Her books are her observations, about life, and death, about happiness, and sadness, about laughter and tears, but mostly about life.  I never failed to cry at some point when reading her books, as they were so unique, and real, and brought home the realization of the magic that exists all around us, land, animals, birds and people.  The type of book that makes you feel richer for the reading.  Gladys has passed on, but her Stillmeadow still remains as a living monument to a great Lady.

          Now that I am old or older or middle-aged, whatever,  I have again found two authors whose books have all of the above, and even so much more. 

          Luanne Rice was recommended to me while browsing the book department in a local Wal-Mart.  Sunny Serafino I discovered while attending one of Florida's Writers Guild seminars, getting to meet her, sort of becoming friends, and reading her books.

          These two authors I highly recommend.  When you have read one of their books, you feel refreshed, the story lines are wonderful, heart-warming stories of life and love, and, of course, faith.  Without the faith, life and love are never as fulfilling.  You will shed a tear or two when you read these authors, but they are happy tears, reminding us that there is a lot of good out there, we just don't hear about it enough.

          Luanne Rice books are carried in the bookstores.  Sunny Serafino books are carried on her blog and she also can be contacted in person through her e-mail which is sunnyone@strato.net

          If you want an easy to read, hard to put down book, leaving you with a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside, please read their books.

Everyone have a good day, good week, and God Bless.