Welcome

Hi! My name is Margot. My blog is about the things I love to do. That could be what I'm reading, places we visit, my family, food, or whatever else is happening. I hope you'll stay and visit a while. Contact me by email: joyfullyretired (at) gmail (dot) com.

What I’m Reading

Saying It Well

Justice

Forever

The Sense of an Ending

Wish You Were Here

A Moveable Feast

Clarissa

The Odyssey

My Book Rating System

A = Excellent in every way
B = Very good story
C  = Good/Average
D = Poor
F = So Bad I couldn't finish it

Archives

Short Story Monday

Once a week I receive a Story of the Week from Library of America. Most of the stories are classic tales written by some of our most beloved authors. When I think I have too much to do I save them in a folder for later reading. I always read the little excerpt they send [...]

Short Story Monday: Assassin’s Remorse

There is a game my granddaughters and I play occasionally, It requires nothing but a good imagination. It’s perfect for those times when it’s very hard to sit still and wait. The game starts when one person says, “I have an idea for a story.”  That person starts the story and stops after a few [...]

A Short Story Exclusively For Joyfully Retired

I am honored to be the recipient of a brand new short story. Yes, you and I are the first ones to read this story. You may recall that a month ago I read and reviewed a short story by James Ross, It’s Just the Sun Rising. I didn’t quite get that story and the [...]

Short Story: Foster by Claire Keegan

I was enticed into reading this story by Teddy Rose who read and reviewed it for last week’s Short Story Monday. It was posted at The New Yorker website and I was caught up in the story by the end of the first page. Foster is the story, told in the first person, of a [...]

Another Short Story By O. Henry

An Afternoon Miracle by O. Henry A few months ago I read a short story by O. Henry that I really enjoyed (here). It had an unusual twist at the end. So, I thought I’d try another of his stories. This one is set in a small border town on the Texas/Mexico border. Four rangers [...]