Like every other event in 2020, the Thanksgiving Holiday will be different than what I would have envisioned, yet I still find myself thankful for so many blessings.

When the lockdowns began many months ago, a sense of gloom settled. The normally bustling hotels and restaurants sat quiet, devoid of guests. The state park next door closed its gates. The roads grew eerily quiet, devoid of cars because no one had anywhere to go.

Things aren’t close to back to normal. The social groups we belong to aren’t meeting. The volunteer activities we participate in aren’t happening. We minimize any time we spend indoors away from home by masking up upon entry and sanitizing when leaving.

And, yet, I’ve realized how lucky we are. We continue to walk the dogs morning and evening for a total of about five miles, utilizing a walking trail connected to the entrance of our neighborhood. At lunch, we break out the bicycles and ride through the reopened state park. We can do all of this activity outdoors—well distanced from others.

Because of the climate of our area, we have a number of restaurant choices with outdoor dining, lots of fresh air and space between tables. Other restaurants have adapted to take-out options. We cook a good deal, but this gives us options not everyone has.

As a writer, I work from home. After gorging on the negative news, I refocused and the words flowed onto paper (or, at least, into the computer, but that doesn’t sound as poetic). The next book will be out in early 2021.

So, yes, we are fortunate. We will continue to do our best to stay healthy until vaccines become available. We miss seeing our friends and extended family, but that time is approaching.

So this Thursday, we will sit down to a quiet dinner (turkey, ham, and delicious sides from the take-out window of a local restaurant), dream of a time when we can gather again with family and friends, and say thanks for all the good we have.

I hope, Dear Reader, you can do the same. Stay healthy and Happy Thanksgiving.

---

Books I’m Reading

Just finished the terrific Pretty Things by Janelle Brown. A con artist decides to target the daughter of a wealthy family, but she’s after revenge, not money, for the way the family treated her as a teenager. Her doubts grow as she learns more about what really happened all those years ago. The facts turn out quite different than her memory.

A Litter of Bones by J.D. Kirk sends a seasoned detective to a Scottish town to investigate the kidnapping of a young boy. The evidence points to a serial killer arrested years earlier by that detective and still sitting in prison. Was the wrong man convicted? Or is a copycat on the loose?

Amazon affiliate links result in a small commission to me, though they have no impact on your pricing.

---

Book Links

Amazon’s Best Books of 2020—It’s the time of year when ubiquitous lists of the best books appear. The world’s largest bookseller has issued their own list.

Drone Library Delivery—A creative librarian ensured kids wouldn’t be without books despite the lockdowns.

One or Two Spaces After the Period—2020 is the year of conflict, so let’s raise one of the most heated debates possible. The science is settled in this study (or not).

Disney Must Pay—The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and author Alan Dean Foster publicly called out Disney for nonpayment of royalties for the novelizations of Star Wars and Alien(s).

Audible’s Return Policy and Royalties—A dispute between authors, voice artists, and the largest distributor of audio books grew nasty as several organizations called out the Amazon company for its very generous returns policy (Authors and Voice Artists don’t receive royalties for returned audio books, but Amazon still earns their monthly subscription fee). Susan May explains the controversy.

---

Gratuitous Dog Picture

You’ve made it this far in my inaugural Monday Musing (let’s see if I keep this up), so you deserve a gratuitous dog picture. Roscoe can certainly teach us about the spirit of Thanksgiving with his exuberant joy.

---

Background title image courtesy Timothy Eberly via Unsplash