Love Me If You Must

I love thrift stores. Where else can you fill your cart to overflowing and not break the bank? I really enjoy the thrill of the hunt. I like digging through the racks and coming up with real gems. Molly has a hard time accepting the things I buy there. She'd rather get something new at Wal-Mart than a second hand item from a thrift store, even if it's American Eagle or Aeropostle. Yesterday I got 2 shirts and a pair of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger) for Jesse, a dress, skirt (Gap), capris (Nike), and 4 shirts for Mia, and shorts, pants, and 5 shirts for me, all for $50.00. Jesse's jeans probably cost that new. I didn't pick up anything for Doogie, because he's in a phase where he only wears T-shirts with smartaleck sayings and jeans. I don't dare buy for Molly unless she's present. Her sense of fashion is very specific (and good), and I don't always pick things she'll actually wear. They just sit in the closet for six months until she cleans it out, and it all goes back to the same thrift store. I think my best recent find was a red courdoroy fall coat for Mia. I picked it up at Goodwill for next fall for 99 cents. After I got it out of the store, I found the original store tags still on it. It had originally sold for $60.00. I can get a little out of hand in my thrift store finds. I love it so much that I buy all sorts of clothes for my two nephews, and if I didn't think that my in-laws would be put off, I'd be constantly buying things for my two nieces as well. I'll probably go back tomorrow to see what new items have hit the shelves.

Love Me If You Must by Nicole Young is an intriguing first entry in the Patricia Amble mystery series. Patricia, Tish, has moved to Rawlings, a suburb of Detroit, to renovate a rambling Victorian home before selling it and moving on to the next house. She quickly meets her two handsome next door neighbors: one a British computer expert, the other a hunky cop. But things quickly take a turn for the unsettling when she thinks there's a body in the basement, several women are missing in town, she's accused of murder, and everyone looks like a suspect. Young takes the classic Gothic romance and turns it on its ear. Tish is an unusual lead character with something to hide. At first she only gives hints of her hidden past to the reader, but when the truth erupts, she's forced to come clean about her crimes. Tish's narration is fascinating as she bounces from one throught to the next with hardly a transition. Her feelings for the two men could cause whiplash, but for all of her indecision, Tish makes for good reading. She's not afraid to tackle a problem head-on. The culprit is almost as surprising as the way Tish finally buries her past. I was a little sad at the ending, but it leaves hope for an entertaining next book.

Doogie has started reading The Dangerous Book for Boys. Jess bought it on a lark weeks ago, but Doogie just really started looking at it last night. This morning he took Mia on a nature hike, but only after making sure that he had all of the essential tools along that the book recommends. He intends on using the book to entertain him through the rest of the summer. As long as he doesn't skin any rabbits...