"Murder and Manuscripts" by Nora Bardin

Dads and Moms, no doubt, had a plan earlier in their lives. Maybe they were able to stick with it, maybe an unforeseen event caused a detour. this detour may have led them to a different destination, or maybe it was just a temporary detour before they get back on their original track.

There are a number of things that can cause these detours. It can be a gap year in college. It can be going back to your hometown to tie up loose ends after the death of a loved one. It could be a business trip, maybe trying to land a new client or checking up on a satellite office. Whatever the reason, there are issues that will pop up in life that will require attention and sometimes it will be something that cannot wait.

"Murder and Manuscripts"

Murder & Manuscripts

Isabel Fleming is a woman who is faced with a detour. Isabel is the main character of Nora Bardin's "Murder & Manuscripts". She is an editor based in New York who inherits her Aunt Louise's bookstore in Blue Harbor, Maine. Isabel is faced with a choice with this inheritance. She can stay in New York with her boyfriend, or she can claim her inheritance in the Pine Tree State. Isabel chooses to go to Maine and prepare the bookstore for its sale, but the more time she spends in "Turning the Tides", the more she learns about her aunt's demise and the less she likes about it. Louise's death wasn't accidental. It was a murder.

As Isabel spends more time in town and in and out of "Turning the Tides", she finds clues left by Louise. Clues that lead to a sinister part of Blue Harbor, a part that is run by Cromwell, a rich and powerful man who wants the bookstore and wants the people standing in the way of that removed.

The days of parents are busy. We wake up and do what we need to do to get ourselves and our children ready to face the day. Sometimes things go smoothly, and sometimes they don't. Just last week, I needed to take The Boy to the doctor's. This wasn't part of the plan. The plan was to do what I needed to do before going to work. The doctor visit came up like it sometimes does and it threw a wrinkle into the day. Lucky for me, my boss was understanding about the whole situation.

Life gets Busy

Reading gives you a chance to work your mind. Exercise gives you a chance to work your body.

Things like this happen all of the time. We need to go to the doctor or the store for something needed for a recipe or a school project. Things that were originally on our "To-do List" are moved to the back burner, and we'll get to that after tending to the upcoming contingency.

Isabel faces one hurdle after another. There is the shop, the clues left by her aunt, the traps set for her by Cromwell. Each day means another set of chores for our heroine, but there is also the "side quests" that come up. Moms and Dads know there is plenty of that. If we're lucky, we can make it through the day with just the jobs that waited for us when we woke up. That's not always the case.

A busy life sometimes requires a chance to pause and reset. Sometimes it's a chance to watch a good movie. Sometimes, like Nora, it can be a meeting with the local book club. Books can be a great way to unwind from the daily demand of chores and responsibilities. I like taking my bicycle out for a ride. There are plenty of ways for you to take care of yourself in the middle of all of the "To-do's" you are faced with. Reading gives you a chance to work your mind. Exercise gives you a chance to work your body. Whatever it is, it's important to take a step back and give yourself a break. Your mind and your body will thank you and be able to serve you better later.

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