Pat (phebj)'s Reading Life--Chapter 4

Welcome to my fourth thread for 2011. (My first thread is here, my second thread is here and my third here.)

I’ve been thinking of things I used to love about New York City recently and decided to look for pictures of the Scribner’s Book Store that used to be at 597 Fifth Avenue (it’s a Sephora store now). Surprisingly, I couldn’t find that many pictures (maybe because it closed in 1989?). The best one I found is below. Scribner’s was Hemingway’s publisher for years and I found a lot of references to Patti Smith’s book Just Kids because she worked for Scribner’s in the 70s. A blog called Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York had this sad but true quote about Scribner’s:

"It's difficult to imagine anyone in New York today providing such an opulent setting in which to sell books. We tend to house our products according to the value we put on them."

I'm currently reading:

Qigong Illustrated by Christina J. Barea (ER)

Other books to be read in June:

The Book Thief by Markus Zukas (reading with Lynda starting June 1)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (75ers Group Read starting June 15th)
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Hepzibah Starkweather by Lucy (sibyx)

To be read in 2nd Quarter (Reading Globally Group Read--War and Regions in Conflict)

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

Read in January (7)

1. Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli (graphic novel)
2. So Much for That by Lionel Shriver
3. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
4. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (graphic novel)
5. A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
6. 31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
7. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Read in February (3)

8. Love and Summer by William Trevor
9. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman (graphic memoir)
10. The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner

Read in March (9)

11. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman (graphic memoir)
12. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
13. Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine (graphic novel)
14. The Girls by Lori Lansens
15. The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
16. Gone to New York: Adventures in the City by Ian Frazier
17. 101 Great American Poems
18. The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn
19. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Read in April (8)

20. Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater
21. Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell
22. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
23. Paper Towns by John Green
24. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry (graphic novel)
25. Living Well is the Best Revenge by Calvin Tompkins
26. Sempre Susan: A Memoir of Susan Sontag by Sigrud Nunez
27. The Master by Colm Toibin

Read in May (7)

28. Stitches: A Memoir by David Small (graphic memoir)
29. Hemingway: The Paris Years by Michael S. Reynolds
30. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss (graphic biography)
31. Lost and Found by Shaun Tan (graphic short stories)
32. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
33. Flotsam by David Wiesner
34. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Read in June (1)

35. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

What a gorgeous place Scribners looks to have been! I really like the photo you've used. I'm fairly sure I've been to the Sephora store at that location, and if it's the one I'm thinking of, then they completely stripped the place down.

I see lots of books that I've either read, or are on my shelves or on my wishlist above, so I'll be back!

Hi Ilana. Thanks for stopping by. I haven't been in the Sephora version of the store but I do have fond memories of Scribner's. It was like a temple for books!

That bookstore is gorgeous!

Hi Pat- Snazzy New Thread! I like it. So you are finally getting to Matterhorn? It's a great book!

Hi Pat! Nice new thread - love the bookstore picture! Wow!
You've been reading some great books this year :)

Hi Brit, Mark and Claudia. Glad you found my new thread!

Mark I am going to finally get to Matterhorn this month. I rushed out and bought it in hardcover just after it came out last year (which I'm thinking was at least 12 months ago) so it's about time I read it. I'm trying to get some other things out of the way first because I think I'm going to need to concentrate on it. It looked like there were alot of different names to keep track of.

New thread: New star! I'm awed by your picture of the old Scribner's - way outside my experience. Wow! And I'm thrilled that you're going to read Matterhorn this month --- and you know why!

Yes I do, Peggy!

Hi Pat! Beautiful bookstore photo.

Hi Pat, I have fond memories of going to Scribner's with family. Thanks for the picture! I came across an old book on my shelf recently that still had a Scribner's price sticker on it.

I read Stitches a year or so ago and loved it. I don't consider myself to be a big graphic fan but I've liked the ones I've read. And to me, it seems like a natural thing for an artist to use the graphic format to relate his experiences. Horrific ones in this case.

The photo of Scribner's bookstore looks amazing Pat. And I enjoyed your review of Stitches on your old thread.

Scribner's died before I moved to NYC, and then so did the other Fifth Ave bookstore -- I think it was Brentano's? Anyway, it was up around 55th/56th Streets, on the west side of Fifth. I used to like that place as a large alternative to the ubiquitous Barnes & Noble.

Ooooo, shiny new thread! Nice nod to Hemingway to start off and I like what you said about Schribner's being like a temple to books.

I LOVED that bookstore and always floated around in it when I came into town while in college.....

Hi Pat. Love the Scribner's pic. There's a nice description of the Scribner's store and offices c. 1930-1940 in a biog by A. Scott Berg, Max Perkins: Editor of Genius. You might enjoy this biog of Perkins--Hemingway's editor, and also Fitzgerald's and Thomas Wolfe's. It's a pretty good biog, first published in 1997 and I think it's been re-published since.

Pat, I love seeing what people are putting at the top of their new thread these days. Your choice didn't disappoint. I love the idea of a Book Temple. Too bad this beautiful setting for books didn't stand the test of time.

It looks like we'll both be reading Dissolution for TIOLI this month. I started it last night and hated to quit to go to bed. It's like an extension of Wolf Hall...how the "dirty work" of the Reform was carried out. I may be hooked on this Shardlake detective.

Hi Pat, boy would I love to have frequented that gorgeous bookstore. I got a hardback copy of Matterhorn for Christmas and would love to be reading it now but that's a tome that will have to wait a bit before I attempt it.

#12 Hi Anne. I was hoping to find a good color picture that would draw the eye to all the books along the walls but never found one.

#13 Joanne that's pretty neat about finding a book with the Scribner's price sticker. I'm glad you loved Stitches too. I have two more graphics to pick up at the library today: Radioactive: Pierre and Marie Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout that Mark recommends highly and Lost & Found by Shaun Tan that I believe Lynda just read and liked.

#14 Hi Heather. Glad you liked the picture and the review. :)

#15 Hi Suzanne. I remember Brentano's on Fifth Avenue too as well as a Doubleday Bookstore. It used to be a great way to spend a lunch hour browsing in all these great bookstores.

#16 Hi Lynda. Once I realized the Hemingway connection I decided I had to post a picture of Scribner's. I just finished the biography I was reading of Hemingway's Paris years last night. Now I need to do a review.

#17 Lucy too bad I didn't know you back then. Maybe we could have met up at Scribner's!

#18 Becky thanks for the recommendation for the Perkins biography. I need to WL that. You're becoming my biography "dealer." :)

#19 Donna I'm not sure who started the trend about putting pictures at the beginning of new threads but I love the idea. It makes opening a new thread for the first time like opening a present. I certainly hope I get to Dissolution this month. I have about three books I want to finish (Jane Eyre--300 pages to go, Down and Out in Paris and London--140 pages to go, and Everyone Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy: A Lost Generation Love Story--300 pages to go) as well as Matterhorn to read so I'm getting a little nervous as to whether I'll get to it.

#20 Bonnie I agree about Matterhorn seeming to be a tome at about 600 pages. I think that's why I've waited so long to read it but everyone raves about it so I just need to get started.

Starred your new thread, and I also love the photo in message #1. Beautiful!

I would have gladly traded the visit to Sephora (nothing special) for one to Scribner's. I would probably have spent all my free time there. So sad it's gone forever.

I've had Everybody Was So Young on my wishlist seemingly forever now. I'll look forward to your thoughts on that one.

Checking in.
About 1/3 through Jane Eyre as my local book club is also reading it for May.
I haven't gotten to Matterhorn yet, but it is definitely on my list after Mark's comments when he read it last year. Looking forward to hear your take on it.

Hi Angela! Good to see you here.

Ilana it'll probably take me awhile to get through Everybody Was So Young just because I have so many other books going at the same time. So far I've read the first 50 pages and I'm liking it.

Laura we're probably at the same point in Jane Eyre. I'm probably not doing it justice by reading other books at the same time. I'm looking forward to starting Matterhorn soon.

Here! Love the photo.

* hands on hips, bossy tone of voice* Stop reading other stuff. Just read Jane Eyre!

#27 Yes Ma'am! Actually sometimes I get paralized when I'm reading a number of books at the same time--I can't decide which one to pick up. Tonight it will be Jane Eyre.

Happy Mother to a Furkid Day!

What a lovely picture you found, Pat. What a shame that the bookstore is no longer there. I'd have loved to have gone there.

I've picked up The Lacuna and put it down about 3 times now. I'm not sure what's wrong but I haven't been able to get into it. I wonder if it's a mood thing. I've liked her other books, so I'm just so puzzled why I can't seem to move beyond the first few pages. Everyone I know seems to sing this book to high praises.

>30 cameling:: the first half of The Lacuna is kinda slow ... but I thought it got much better as it went along.

You got further than I did, Caro. I bought Lacuna with so much enthusiasm then I read a review that was not so great. I still want to read it, and am heartened by some of the positive reviews, but haven't cracked the cover yet. I loved her other books a lot.

Thanks Claudia. That's the perfect gif!

Caroline and Laura I've been dragging my heels getting to The Lacuna because I've heard mixed things about it but I own a brand new hardcover so I want to read it plus I'm supposed to be reading it along with a friend this month. It's good to know it's worth persevering with it, Laura.

Oh dear ....so I've got to get through half before it gets better, Linda? Still, at least that gives me something to shoot for.

Hmm...I also have a nice new hardback of The Lacuna sitting unread on my shelf. The mixed reviews have put me off starting it. I'll be waiting to see how you like it, Pat.

Nobody asked me, but I say that you should all give The Lacuna a chance. I ended up loving it.

The Lacuna does start out slow, but the last 1/2 (or 3/4?) of the book more than makes up for it. I gave it either 4-1/2 or 5 stars, and I think it was my favorite book from last year's Orange Prize longlist.

* starting a chant *

LA - CU - NA ... LA - CU - NA ... LA - CU - NA ... LA - CU - NA ... !!!

Looks like I'm not going to be able to ignore The Lacuna much longer.

Did someone say The Lacuna?? Oh yeah, that was that 5 star book I read a couple years ago.

>40 brenzi:: LOL!

Okie Dokie! Pushing The Lacuna up the TBR list. :)

Book No. 29 Hemingway: The Paris Years by Michael Reynolds--4 ½ stars

This is the second of a five-volume biography and it focuses on the years Hemingway spent in Paris (1921-1926) as a “struggling artist” perfecting his craft of writing. A lot of the book is devoted to Hemingway’s writing--when he wrote, where he wrote, the other writers and artists he sought out and their influences on him, what he was trying to accomplish (“I’m trying in all my stories to get the feeling of actual life -- not to just depict life -- or criticize it -- but to actually make it alive.”). Not being a huge fan of Hemingway’s writing I was surprised at how interesting this part of the book was. Hemingway clearly had a passion for writing and was obsessed with mastering it.

When not writing during these years, Hemingway was busy being a “man of action” (skiing in the Alps, attending the bullfights in Pamplona, going to horse races and boxing matches). “Always he reached out for the active, physical life, refusing to let the sedentary and contemplative role of writer control who he was.” Even in his twenties, he was dealing with periods of depression and mania and his mood shifts often were accompanied by a mean streak. His celebrated friendships didn’t always last long.

I thought Reynolds presented a very balanced picture of Hemingway’s life and I generally loved his writing (I sometimes felt like I was reading a novel). The only reason I’m not giving the book 5 stars was it did drag at times (generally when nothing much was happening in Hemingway’s life) and it took me almost 3 months to finish. In looking back over the number of things I underlined or marked with a post-it note, however, it clearly was a memorable read and one I would highly recommend. I already have Reynold’s previous volume in the biography (The Young Hemingway) waiting to be read. Somewhat to my own dismay, I'm becoming a Hemingway fanatic.

A favorite quote: “Early in his career, Hemingway began revising and editing what would become his longest and most well-known work: the legend of his own life, where there was never a clear line between fiction and reality.”

Pat, I'm glad you are enjoying the Hemingway biographies. I didn't think there were any periods in his life when nothing much was happening. ;) Only three more to go!

Forgive me if I've told you this (maybe I mentioned it on my thread?)...my book group is reading Hemingway in June. I'm actually looking forward to reading A Farewell to Arms with an open mind. Maybe there will be another Hemingway fanatic in the making.

Pat- Great review of the bio! You have a Thumb! Do you own this whole series? Sounds fascinating.

Seems Hemingway: The Paris years confirms that he was a very complex man and very centered writer. Great review, Pat.

Pat, I have learned so, so much about Ernest Hemingway by visiting your thread. You write such thoughtful reviews, and thorough comments. I've really enjoyed 'reading along,' even if I'm not reading the books. Thank you!

Great review of Hemingway: The Paris Years, Pat!

Donna if I remember correctly, the slow parts were in 1924 when Hemingway was writing steadily and there was no drama in his life. I'll be very interested to hear what you and your group think of A Farewell to Arms. Our teacher said that was her favorite book. I'd like to read more Hemingway but so far have been at a loss at what to try next.

Mark so far I only own the first two of the five volume biography but something tells me that will change. ;-)

Lynda I think that's what makes Hemingway so interesting to me--he was so complicated. Plus, I have alot of admiration for how dedicated he was to his writing.

Anne thanks so much for your kind words. A year ago I would have been flabbergasted if anyone told me I would be any kind of source of information on Hemingway.

Thanks Darryl! It's good to see you here.

#43 Another great review :-)

Thanks Heather!

Pat, great review of Hemingway: The Paris Years. I see it's the first review for this book, and you've got the thumbs up from me too. Sounds like it would be the perfect companion piece to A Moveable Feast, which I just read for the second time in April (the restored edition this time). I'm also starting on The Paris Wife today, so will look up The Paris Years at the library to round off my reading about that period in the man's life. I have several of his other books in my tbr, including A Farewell to Arms, which I hope to get to soon enough.

Ilana I read The Paris Wife first, A Moveable Feast and then Hemingway: The Paris Years in about a 3 month time period. I loved reading all these books close together. A Moveable Feast was probably my favorite in retrospect but it was The Paris Wife that made me want to read the others. I hope you enjoy it.

Wow you are really on a Hemingway trip Pat. Excellent review, again. I've really got to get to Hemingway. I haven't read anything by him since college when I read The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea.

Loved your review, Pat. After May, I'll look to reading A Moveable Feast and then The Paris Wife both of which have been patiently sitting in my TBR Tower for quite a while now.

I'm so behind on threads. I gave my wife The Lacuna as a gift when it first came out but she bailed on it pretty early on. I may have to use all these wonderful comments to nudge her into picking it up again!

Thanks Bonnie! Based on my limited reading of books actually written by Hemingway, I'd recommend A Moveable Feast.

Thanks Caroline. I think reading those two books together is a great idea if you can squeeze them both in.

Hi Brit. Everyone has certainly convinced me that persevering with The Lacuna is worth it.

Well, I liked the first half of Lacuna and thought the last third was weak, so...

Sigh; OK, will give Lacuna another chance. One of these days...

I'll be reading Matterhorn soon too. (Hopefully). I got it when it first came out, but on Kindle. Then I saw that it had maps, which were basically unreadable on the Kindle, so I put it aside. We'll see how that impacts my reading of the book.

I am 60 posts behind again already?! Really?! Wow! You are one popular lady, Pat!

Hello? Jane Eyre? Hmph.

Suzanne - what are you not liking about The Lacuna? I admit, it was not my favorite Kingsolver, and it dragged for me in many places. At the same time, I thought that the relationship between Rivera and Kahlo was fascinating. I can't really put my finger on the reason why I wasn't raving about it.

It just dragged so badly in the introductory sections that it felt like the literary equivalent of forced labor!

Hi Bonnie, Suzanne, Deborah, Stasia and Jenn! I've been neglecting my own thread (as well as Jane Eyre) recently. I'm really enjoying Jane Eyre so I'm not sure why it isn't crowding out everything else I'm trying to read. If I'm honest, however, I spend so much time on LT that my reading time has been decreasing and that is part of the problem with finishing things.

Besides finishing up Down and Out in Paris and London which I should do today and Jane Eyre which probably will be later this week, I'm eager to start Matterhorn. I'm avoiding The Lacuna at the moment and hoping to finish an ER book--Qigong Illustrated--which is actually pretty good.

I also want to get to a review of Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout which is a graphic biography I plan to give 5 stars to. This is the best graphic I've read so far--full of interesting information and the art really enhances the story. Up to now all the graphics I've read have been library books but this is the first one I purchased to keep.

Pat- Once again, I'm so glad you felt the same way about "Radioactive" that I did. Yes, 5 stars all the way. What did you think about those sidebars in the book, the stops in Hiroshima & Chernobyl. Heartbreaking.

Thanks for the recommendation for 'Radioactive' Pat. I've added that to my obese wish list.

Looking forward to your review of Radioactive. Marie Curie was my first "scientist" biography - did a report on her in 4th or 5th grade, and I've always been fascinated by her life and career. Maybe she was part of my decision to go into science myself. I don't know. But her story is inspiring.

Thumb! And I have another one waiting when you post another review!

Mark I have you to thank for Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout. It's an amazing story and I thought she did a great job considering how much information she included.

Caroline I was going to say I hope you enjoy Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout but I'm actually pretty confident you will.

Jenn I also read a biography of Marie Curie when I was young and was very impressed with what she accomplished.

Thanks for the thumb Peggy! One of my many problems with reviews is that I wait to feel ready to write them. Sometimes it's a long wait.

Hi There.

What an incredible photo to start your thread.

Yeah, I've just reserved Radioactive from my library. Should probably be in within a few days. Keep those recs coming, Pat!

Hi Linda. Glad you liked the photo. I know you would have loved the bookstore.

Lynda I hope you love Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout as much as I did. This one was clearly for adults in terms of the information presented. One of the reasons I purchased a copy for myself was so I could go back and read some of the science discussions. My brain tends to shut down when chemistry is mentioned.

Pat, I'm really glad you loved "Radioactive" - that's the next one I'm starting now that I've finished "In Earshot of Water".

Claudia just to let you know the first half of Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout was just OK but the second half was spectacular. I remember when I was reading the beginning I thought it was good but not great but that definitely changed as it went on. Hope you love it.

ok... thanks for the heads up. I'll persist.

Just stopping by to say "hello"!

Hi there Pat. I'm not sure how you're setting down Jane Eyre even for a second.

See Bonnie, that's what I keep thinking. Especially now that she's at Thornfield...

Radioactive is already on my obese wishlist and I can't wait to get to it, but I've decided that Maus 1 & 2 have to come first. I've been eyeing those two books since they were initially published and it's about time I take the plunge.

As you may or may not know from my comment on the Jane Eyre thread, I had the audio version of that novel narrated by Juliet Stevenson, who does such a brilliant job that I breezed through the novel as all of the sudden found myself doing more household chores than ever before! I've got the audio of her reading Mansfield Park right now and got through half the book in just one day (my place is so tidy now)! Not to say that getting through a book quickly is the point at all...

I already have Radioactive in the BlackHole due to the numerous wonderful reviews I have seen here on LT. Maybe one day my local library will actually get a copy.

Hi Joanne. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Bonnie and Jenn--The pressure is starting to get to me! I am reading Jane Eyre! I'm at page 343 (out of 521) and she's just discovered who the woman in the attic is, so I assume she will be leaving Thornfield pretty soon.

Ilana I did see your comments about Juliet Stevenson's narration of Jane Eyre and looked to see if my library had it. They had about 4 or 5 different audios all with different narrators but none of them were JS.

Maus I & II were great and so is Radioactive. You're in for some good reads.

Stasia hopefully your library will get Radioactive soon. It's relatively new (Dec. 2010) so maybe it's on order? Does your library buy books at your request? You might ask them to get it.

Popping in to say hi. I'm a just a wee bit behinder in Jane Eyre than you (this is a reread for me). I have a few too many going right now and need to finish one or two soon. But I am enjoying them all.

Pat, they don't have anything by Juliet Stevenson at my library save for a very old cassette tape audiobook of an Agatha Christie novel. I've been getting her recordings from Audible. I figure it's worth dishing out for since she gives me that much more enjoyment.

Howdy do, Pat. Hope you had a good day.

Hi Laura. Glad to know I have company in reading Jane Eyre!

Ilana thanks for letting me know you got her recording on Audible. I haven't tried any audios yet so I'm a neophyte in this area.

Hi Lynda. Today has been good. Hope all is well with you these days.

Book No. 30 Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss--5 stars (graphic biography)

I’ve been dragging my feet on writing this review because I know I can’t do the book justice. It’s the tenth book I’ve read in graphic form and absolutely the best so far.

Technically, it’s a biography of Marie and Pierre Curie but Marie is clearly the star of the story. When the author interviewed the Curie’s granddaughter for the book, she was told: “There are two traps when writing a biography of the Curies. One: to turn their story into a fairy tale. Two: to forget Pierre.” Redniss says that after reflecting on this warning, she “willfully blundered into the first trap,” but “took pains to avoid the second.”

The first half of the book is about Marie and Pierre--their love story and the work they collaborated on in the fields of physics and chemistry. Together they discovered the elements radium and polonium, coined the term “radioactivity,” and shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903.

The second half of the book is about Marie’s life after Pierre’s accidental death in 1906 when Marie was only 39. This part of the book was amazing to me--the twists and turns of her personal life, her continuing scientific achievements, her death from radiation exposure, and the work and love lives of her children and grandchildren.

Throughout the book, there are sidebars on the repercussions of the Curies’ discoveries (life-saving advances in science and medicine but also events such as Hiroshima, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl). Even the Notes at the end are interesting and not to be missed is the “Radioactive Bestiary and Garden” with facts such as brazil nuts are the world’s most naturally radioactive food.

Up to now, all the graphic books I’ve read have been library books. After reading this one, I immediately bought my own copy. There is just too much good information in this one and I want to be able to refer to it in the future. This is a well-written, informative and interesting true story presented in a unique way that in my opinion is not to be missed. Highly recommended.

I just wanted to say a little bit about the story behind the creation of Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout. Lauren Redniss was one of the fellows at the Cullman Center for Scholars & Writers at the New York Public Library in 2008-2009 and she did a lot of the research for the book there, including developing her own typeface for the book.

She also used a special process called cyanotype printing for many of the images in the book which involved using ultraviolet rays and the negative of an image. As she says, “the negative of an image gives an impression of an internal light, a sense of glowing that I felt captured what Marie Curie called radium’s ‘spontaneous luminosity.’”

The New York Public Library had an exhibit earlier this year that showed the various research materials she used from the Library and Redniss’ students at the Parsons School of Design created this website in connection with the exhibit: http://exhibitions.nypl.org/radioactive/. If you click on "Book" on the lefthand side, you can see some sample pages from the book.

And last, but not least, thank you Mark for getting me into graphics and recommending this book to me.

Thumb way up for that review Pat. Another graphic huh? Gee I don't know how much longer I can hold out between you and Mark.

Excellent review, Pat. Thumb from me as well. I can not wait to get my hands on this one.
Jump on in Bonnie, You'll get hooked on GN's before you know it.

Pat- What a great review of "Radioactive". You nailed it on every level. Lets get a few more "converts"! I also enjoyed the info on Redniss. Interesting stuff.
You should burn up the Hot Review List!

>86 phebj:, 87: Pat, you make a compelling case for Radioactive. I didn't care for the first two GNs I read, but, if I go for a third (and I probably will after reading your review), this will be my next attempt. That was some very interesting background information you included. I'll be sure to check out the link to see the sample pages.

ETA: Wow, this book is a work of art. Oh nooooo, I feel myself strangely attracted to this book. (thumb from me)

Pat - VERY awesome job on the review and the extra info! I just finished reading this one myself and agree - one reading is wonderful, but not enough. Gonna read it again! 5 whole stars from me too! :)

Great review, Pat! I'm going to add Radioactive to my list! I think the Curies are fascinating.

Wonderful review Pat! I have requested the book from my library and I am even more excited to get it now.

I feel much better now, knowing you are reading Jane Eyre. I can sleep at night. :)

Excellent review- another thumb from me and congrats on making it to the Hot Reviews!

Excellent review Pat. I'm another graphic holdout but this does sound quite good.

Thanks for all the thumbs guys! I think Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout would be a great first graphic to read. I hesitated for a long time before trying this format (I don't like change) but am so glad I did. One of the great things about it is that these books are usually very quick reads so they're easy to squeeze into a busy reading schedule.

Bonnie, Donna, Anne, Jenn, Dee and Laura I hope you all get a chance to read and enjoy it as much as Mark, Claudia and I did. Lynda I'm pretty confident you'll love it.

Mark and Claudia, I don't know if you experienced this or not, but I thought the first half of the book was good but not great but the second half was one amazing thing after another. Anyhow, just wanted to let all the new readers know that the book started slow for me.

And Bonnie and Jenn I wanted to let you know that I was riveted while reading Jane Eyre last night. What a wrenching chapter that was when she decides to leave Thornfield.

Pat, I didn't actually think the first half of "Radioactive" was slow. The whole thing fascinated me - maybe it was the pictures and colors??? At first I thought they were quite primitive and not so appealing. But as I got used to them, I grew to love it all. I can only imagine the work and thought that went into this lovely book. I'm gushing again.

Now, I know I've read Jane Eyre in HS. But I don't remember being wowed by it. And now I don't really remember anything at all. Is this a book you think I should really re-visit given all the other great books I have yet to read?

I think "Radioactive" grabbed me pretty quickly. That opening narration by Marie, very dark, caught my attention and sort of set the mood. I originally intended to include some of those harsh words (her descriptions of her homeland), in my review but didn't follow through.

Gush away Claudia! I just finished another excellent graphic, Britten and Brulightly. More gushing will ensue.

It must have been just me then with the first half of Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout. I read the first 100 pages (up to Pierre's death) and then stopped for a day or two. Up to then it seemed like just a biography but the last 100 pages really blew me away. It's hard to stop talking about this book!

Claudia I've got another 150 pages left to Jane Eyre and while I like it when I'm reading it I haven't been compelled to get back to it quickly with the result that I've been reading it for two months now and am still not done. So as much as I like it I don't think I'd be the one to recommend you put other books aside to re-read it.

Mark I just thumbed your review of Britten and Brulightly. Definitely another great graphic and I loved your description of Brulightly as a "highly unconventional sidekick."

Pat, your comments to Claudia on Jane Eyre were spot-on for me. It took me a while to finish it, because I had a hard time picking it up but when I did, I tore through it.

Katie, I just started lurking on your thread and saw you had made a similar comment about Jane Eyre and was glad to know I wasn't alone.

>1 phebj: I can't believe it...that is what is now the Sephora? I moved to a few blocks away when I moved to the city in 1996... I just missed it apparently. It makes me mad to see things like this get gutted. (sigh).

I miss NYC sometimes too. Love my new hometown, but nothing quite the same.

Hi Jessie. Too bad you missed Scribner's Book Store. I think it might have been a Benetton clothing store in the mid-1990s. I remember shopping there with my niece.

I took a quick look at your profile and your blog. I've never come across a gardening blog before and will have to check it out in detail. I generally have a black thumb but am just starting to try some gardening again. The pictures of your garden are truly beautiful.

Thanks Pat for your comments on Jane Eyre. There are a lot of books I'm trying to get to - so I'll skip this one for now. :}

Great review of Radioactive. If Mark hadn't sold it to me already, your review sure would have. I love the extra info you gave us too. Will check out that website soon.

As for audiobooks, that's Mark's doing as well. I had never tried one before this year, but kept seeing Mark mentioning them and had to at least try. Now... I'm addicted to them. Mostly because I can "read" at times when I wouldn't be able to do so conventionally. When I walk my dog. Wash dishes. Fold the laundry. Commute. You get the idea. Also, I guess there's the appeal of being read to. When the narrator is really good, as is Stevenson, it's a real treat. I bet you would have finished Jane Eyre long ago if you'd had her read it to you! :-)

Your comment on my thread made me laugh because of the timing. I was busily writing another review when you posted it and... well you'll see when you have a chance to have a look again! ;-)

I know, no one will be surprised that I have to throw in my 2 cents about Jane Eyre.

I think not liking a book so much in high school is not necessarily a good indicator of whether it's worth reading. I am not saying put other books aside this instant! to read it, but soon, soon. IMO, it is a very important 19th century feminist novel. Of course, if someone told me that, I might not want to read it...
Take a lazy Saturday or Sunday, get your favorite snack and curl up on the couch and just read it.

Too many good reviews of Radioactive here in the group for me to let that one go by! I have added it to my PBS wishlist in the hope that I can get my hands on it eventually. My local library is cutting back right now, so it is not likely that it will get the book any time soon.

Jenn! :} You got me with "19th century feminist novel". Ok, ok. Some summer day - out on the back deck w/iced tea in the shade. I'll give it a try. It's not that I didn't like it in HS, I might have. I just don't remember it now... 50+ years later.
OMG... did I just say that? arrrrrggghhhh. It couldn't be THAT long.
*weeps*

Hi Pat!

I adored Jane Eyre when I read it years and years ago. I keep meaning to reread it.

The Curie book looks amazing, I'll have to find it.

I apologize too for a long silence -- I lost your thread for a little while -- not sure how either as I could see I'd read about half of what is here.

I think you will enjoy Jane Eyre.

Hi Pat, great review of Radioactive - that one has definitely gone on my wishlist. Hope you're still enjoying Jane Eyre. I was addicted to that book as a teenager.

Hi Pat, if you still plan on reading The Book Thief in June, I've set up TIOLI challenge #17 that fits the bill.

Hi Lynda. I got The Book Thief out of the library yesterday and hope to start it in about a week. I'm about 125 pages into Matterhorn which I'm loving so I'll probably finish that up first before starting on The Book Thief.

ETA: I added The Book Thief to your TIOLI challenge.

Hi Everyone. I apologize for avoiding my own thread lately. We've been helping my MIL get ready for her move to an assisted living apartment on June 1st. She's had to go through everything in the home she's lived in for 60 years and it's been emotionally and physically exhausting. My husband, who grew up in the house and originally said it wouldn't bother him to have the house sold, has been having a harder time with this than he thought. I also have come to realize how much I'll miss being able to visit her in this house.

I also recently started working with a personal trainer who's fantastic but expects me to work hard so I'm in the midst of trying to change my diet and figure out how to do alot more exercise than I'm used to. Not easy when you're under stress but it's something I need to do.

Anyway, I'll eventually get around to saying something about the books I've finished recently--Lost and Found by Shaun Tan, Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, Flotsam by David Wiesner, and Jane Eyre.

As I mentioned to Lynda, I'm currently about 125 pages into Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. It's fairly long (598 pages) and very intense at times but very good. It's about the Vietnam War and as the reviewer in The New York Times said: "It’s not a book so much as a deployment, and you will not return unaltered."

More to come!

Hi Pat, it's ok to ignore your own thread. I do it all the time LOL. But it's good to know what you've been up to. I know exactly what your hubby is going through with the sale of his boyhood home. My hubby had to do the same thing some years ago and it was gut wrenching for him. It was the only other home that he'd lived in, other than the one he and I shared. And cleaning out my mother's home was very, very difficult. Good luck to you.

You're making me itch to get to Matterhorn. I'm thinking maybe August.

I thought Matterhorn was terrific, Pat. I am glad to see you are enjoying it.

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now. You take care of your priorities at home. We will still be here when you get back.

Pat, I've done that clearing out thing, too, twice - once when my mother downsized from our family home to a retirement community - that was really hard work, as she really didn't want to get rid of ANYTHING, then again in that new home some years later, after she died - that time, we were very rushed, as none of us lived close enough to come back easily and we just wanted to sell it and be done with all the paperwork. In retrospect, we went too fast, and should have left it longer - for example, we each took a handful of books and gave the rest to a charity - I truly wish I had spent more time really going through them. But at the time it seemed the right thing to do. So I know how stressful it is. Your Mom must be very grateful for your help.

Hi Bonnie, Stasia and Janet. Thanks for your kind and understanding words.

My husband and I helped my parents move out of their home six years ago and that was worse in that my parents weren't doing as well as my MIL. My mother was already showing alot of signs of Alzheimer's and was something of a hoarder. I would drive down to their house, spend hours throwing things out, walk all the garbage bags out to the curb, and then as I was driving away see my mother in the rear view mirror taking the garbage bags back into the house!

My MIL luckily is in pretty good health but she'll be 89 in a couple of months and has some problems with her eyesight and we're all worried about her driving. We made the tour of about 5 independent/AL places with her last year. She obviously wasn't keen on the idea of moving but after a winter dealing with icy steps and roads, she decided to move about a month ago. She's a fairly social person so I'm hoping that she'll end up liking the place she chose and she'll actually be much closer to us than she was. But moving is never easy.

We're bascially done with going through the house so I should have time to read the next two days and Matterhorn is truly a riveting experience. You really feel you're there in the jungle with these kids, which is good in terms of the author's ability to transport you there, but bad in terms of the conditions you're going through--heat, humidity, leeches, jungle rot, immersion foot, fear, confusion, racial tensions (it's 1969 just after MLK and Robert Kennedy have been assassinated) and tigers! It's not for the faint of heart but actually a good book to read on Memorial Day weekend because it makes you think of all the sacrifices these young soldiers made.

I've been through a similar experience with my grandmother and can relate to what you said about emotional and physical exhaustion. I think the emotional side of it was the worst actually. It's good to hear that your MIL is in relatively good health and reconciled to the move!

Matterhorn sounds just the sort of read you need to distract yourself from everything else for a while!

Thanks, Dee. I agree about the emotional side being the worst and I am very glad that I have a book I can get lost in while we're waiting for the move to take place.

Pat- Thanks for the update! Sounds like you have your hands full. Good luck with it all.
I'm glad you are enjoying Matterhorn. It was my top read of last year. Yes, it's a long book, but for me it read pretty fast.

{{{Hugs}}} Pat. I'm glad your MIL realizes that she needs to move and she's lucky that you're there to help. My FIL and MIL are both in their late 80s, not in the best of health, but they refuse to move out of their house and into AL. I'm sure if your MIL is a sociable person, she'll be the lift of the party at her new place, and will soon be enjoying herself with the other residents, and you'll have the reassurance that there'll be people on hand if she needs help.

Mark, you're one of the reasons I'm reading Matterhorn. I remember you raving about it and it certainly hasn't disappointed me.

Caroline, my MIL has resisted this move for several years and my husband and his siblings didn't want to force her into it but we were all getting concerned about something happening like a fall or a driving accident. So we're relieved she's doing it but it's sad to see her so sad about leaving her house. From what I know of her though, she'll adapt pretty well to her new surroundings and it will be nice to know she's safe and there are people around to help her if she needs it.

I am adding Matterhorn to the pile.

My parents are still quite young, and my grandparents have all passed away except one - prior to needing assisted living. Not sure about my one remaining Grandmother. She lives in her home, but close to some of her children and many grandchildren who take good care of her. She's in her 90's and in pretty good health. I guess what I'm saying is that we haven't had this experience yet and I am glad to see it can be done in a way that hopefully involves everyone. My parents are extremely independent and will likely resist any efforts to help them.

#114 Yippee!

#115 I'm happy for your MIL, Pat. She's very fortunate to have you and her son to get her through this very difficult transition. Good luck to all of you.
I'm hoping that you will find your change in diet and exercise routine will actually reduce your stress rather that add to it. You go girl!

#125 My husband really wanted it to be his mother's decision and we were lucky that nothing happened while we let her take her time with it. I know from moving my parents into an AL facility when my father needed a lot of care that that is not the best way to start out in one of these places. He made so many demands on the staff the first week that they actually told me he had to move out. Of course, my father was not the nicest person so that had alot to do with it. They were perfectly happy to have my mother stay.

Everyone ages differently and it sounds like your Grandmother has a strong support system. I hope she can stay in her home as long as she wants.

I hope you like Matterhorn when you get to it.

Hi Pat, It sounds like there are quite a few of us who have gone through what you and your husband have with your MIL. My mom tried hard to stay in her home but it got to a point at 89, without full time help which was terribly expensive, she couldn't be on her own. I know she missed her home but she enjoyed her last two years at AL. I still have a hard time thinking about not being able to just walk into the house I grew up in and know like the back of my hand. Good it's 1600 miles away, I guess! I hope your MIL settles in comfortably, enjoys the activities and makes new friends. It sounds like she will.

Hi Pat, this must be a difficult time for your family. Hope all goes well. Your mother in law is lucky to have your help, and hopefully your presence will make the transition easier for her and your husband.

Thanks for all your good wishes, Joanne and Anne. I do feel like my MIL will do well in the place she's moving to. She's social and loves to play bridge and they have a bridge club there so that's definitely one activity I know she'll become involved in. She also already knows a couple of the people that live there. So all in all it seems like a positive outcome is likely. I just know with our own move 4 years ago it takes a period of time before the new place starts feeling like home.

Hope you both have a wonderful Memorial Day. We actually have some sun this morning. The last few days have been rainy and cool. This has been the second cool and wet Spring in a row for us. I'm hoping June will be sunny and warm before the really hot days of summer start in July. Have you guys noticed the same thing in Colorado--cool, wet Springs the last two years?

Just caught up here at last - I hope the next week and then the settling in period goes well for all of you. My parents went through this with my maternal grandmother, who also had Alzheimer's and moved twice, and my Dad's parents. Especially with Nana it was very sad to see them feel that their lives were starting to shrink. Mum and Dad are determined to move from their home way before they need to, but we'll see how that works out!

And I will look hard for Radioactive when I'm back home next year with our wonderful library. It sounds excellent.

Pat -- I am so there with you -- this was the theme of my life for several years, and it was so much more difficult than I ever could have imagined. During our present move -- which is stillo on going as stuff trickles in out of storage (big load arrives from PH tomorrow aft) I keep urging my husband to do better (he is a bit of a hoarder) so our daughter doesn't have to go through what we did, but.... well..... he doesn't feel 'ready' -- plus I think he feels if he chucks 1/10th of his stuff he's done marvelously -- doesn't get that it has to be more than 1/2 to make any kind of significant dent. Of course, we have around 40 boxes of books..... I did unload at least 1/3 of them before leaving PH, perhaps even more than that.... but it is still a reckless amount.

Anyhow, all my sympathies. The trainer is a great idea -- I should do something like that, I'm a mess.

Hi Cushla. I've been lurking on a lot of threads but not commenting these days, including yours, so I know you're still immersed in War and Peace. I had a 50% off coupon for Borders recently and was looking for a nice copy of W&P but couldn't find one and settled on Anna Karenina. Have you read this one? I know you're trying to read a bunch of chunksters this year.

Anyway, I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about older people feeling like their lives are shrinking. That's probably the big negative to my MIL about this move. Going from a good size house to a small one bedroon apartment and having to get rid of so many things. My father also said he'd move before he needed to but when the time came he didn't see it the way I did and I had to force the issue. Luckily, he liked it when he got there and his life dramatically improved for a couple of years before he got really sick.

I hope you can find a copy of Radioactive. I thought it was excellent.

I haven't read Anna Karenina yet Pat but my husband read it last year, and I'd like to read it soon. He and I read almost none of the same books, and it was quite a big deal for him to tackle a chunky classic - he read Lolita straight after it too. But he blurted out the ending to me and I got so mad!! (Of Anna, not Lolita, which I don't feel like reading any time soon.) He thought I'd know what happened. Uh uh.

Right, back to cooking dinner. It's 32 here today - celsius - ummmm that's 90, I think. Too hot for a Kiwi!

Am looking forward to your Matterhorn review, even though I will not be buying it or anything for ages.

Definitely sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now Pat. It's a good thing you're taking care of yourself at the same time, though that alone can be stressful too in the beginning, I know.

Meanwhile, you've been doing lots of good reading. I've had The Book Thief on my shelves for way too long. I'd read it along with you, but it's looking like yet another severely overbooked month ahead! That kind of problem, we can deal with, right? ;-)

Good luck to those of you reading The Book Thief. I must be in the small minority because I just did not like it at all!

Hi Pat,
I'm here... I'm reading your thread... interesting comments...
Hope everything goes well. :)

Hi Pat,

Finding your thread and getting it starred were the easy parts. I don't have much experience in thread-like communication, so we'll see how I go.

Maus I and II? I heard good things when they first came out, and so they found a place on my TBR list. After reading your reviews, I'm going to make an effort to track them down.

#132 Lucy I just saw your post. We must have cross-posted. Thanks for the sympathies. One of the things that's hard with focusing so much on the issues with our aging mothers is that my husband and I keep thinking about what's going to happen to us in 20 years. Not something we enjoy thinking about.

#134 Cushla I think that's one of the reasons it took me so long to get through Jane Eyre. I knew the ending so what was the rush.

#135 Ilana one of the things I do under stress is eat so having to watch my diet has been challenging to say the least. I found this personal trainer a couple of months ago and would postpone working with her for a while except it looks like she'll be moving to Colorado in October so time is of the essence. I actually can't believe how hard she works me (and that I can do most of what she asks) so I always feel good after our sessions and that keeps me going.

#136 Brit I certainly hope I like The Book Thief since I think it's over 500 pages long. But if I remember correctly you weren't that fond of Three Cups of Tea and neither was I. My fingers are crossed.

#137 Hi Claudia. It's good to see you here. I just read somewhere that your computer is out of commission for the next couple of weeks so I figured you wouldn't be on LT as much. It's amazing how much I use my computer (mostly for LT) and I think my life would be completely different if I didn't have it for a while.

I have to say I'm totally captivated by Matterhorn and have been googling Karl Marlantes to see what I can find about him. The following is something Marlantes wrote for Publisher’s Weekly in January 2010. The title is “Why I Write" and I just had to post it.

Having read a galley of my novel, Matterhorn, about Marines in Vietnam, a somewhat embarrassed woman came up to me and said, “I didn’t even know you guys slept outside.” She was college educated and had been an active protester against the war. I felt that my novel had built a small bridge.

The chasm that small bridge crossed is still wide and deep in this country. I remember being in uniform in early 1970, delivering a document to the White House, when I was accosted by a group of students waving Vietcong and North Vietnamese flags. They shouted obscenities and jeered at me. I could only stand there stunned, thinking of my dead and maimed friends, wanting desperately to tell these students that my friends and I were just like them: their age, even younger, with the same feelings, yearnings, and passions. Later, I quite fell for a girl who was doing her master’s thesis on D. H. Lawrence. Late one night we were sitting on the stairs to her apartment and I told her that I’d been a Marine in Vietnam. “They’re the worst,” she cried, and ran up the stairs, leaving me standing there in bewilderment.

After the war, I worked as a business consultant to international energy companies to support a family, eventually being blessed with five children. I began writing Matterhorn in 1975 and for more than 30 years, I kept working on my novel in my spare time, unable to get an agent or publisher to even read the manuscript. Certainly, writing the novel was a way of dealing with the wounds of combat, but why would I subject myself to the further wounds all writers receive trying to get published? I think it’s because I’ve wanted to reach out to those people on the other side of the chasm who delivered the wound of misunderstanding. I wanted to be understood.

Ultimately, the only way we’re ever going to bridge the chasms that divide us is by transcending our limited viewpoints. My realization of this came many years ago reading Eudora Welty’s great novel Delta Wedding. I experienced what it would be like to be a married woman on a Mississippi Delta plantation who was responsible for orchestrating one of the great symbols of community and love. I entered her world and expanded beyond my own skin and became a bigger person.

I was given the ability to create stories and characters. That’s my part of the long chain of writers, publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, and a host of others who eventually deliver literature to the world. I want to do for others what Eudora Welty did for me.

Wow. That is amazing. I am now even more interested in reading his story. Thanks for sharing this Pat.

>130 phebj: We've had a very rainy May this year, Pat, one of the top 10 rainiest Mays since they started keeping track. Around 4.7" for the month. We had a couple weeks where it rained for days in a row and that's unusual for us. And if it's raining, it's cold. We're terribly spoiled by generally sunny weather.

I see you're planning on reading The Book Thief for the first time. Lucky you! It's a great book.

Pat, what a compelling quote! Now I'm intrigued by Matterhorn.

To echo Joanne, it's been a wet, rainy couple of weeks, which is unusual. As much as I'd like to see the sun, I am glad for the water.

That quote gave me goosebumps -- thank you -- you find wonderfully illuminating things, Pat.

What Lucy said! I was on the fence about this book - but I just fell off.

Gonna get it

Pat, I've been thinking about you as you and your husband are going through this busy and trying experience. Been there, done that. It's so much better when the significant other (MIL, mother, father, aunt, etc.) wants to make the move. I'm certain your MIL will enjoy her new home when she settles in and starts playing bridge and engaging in other activities. I'm actually looking forward to no worries about housework, the yard, etc. at some point in the distant future. ;-)

You've made a compelling argument for Matterhorn. It's been on the list since Mark read it...but now I might actually get it from the library and read it! Thank you for that wonderful post from the author.

Excellent quote Pat. I especially liked Ultimately, the only way we’re ever going to bridge the chasms that divide us is by transcending our limited viewpoints. My realization of this came many years ago reading Eudora Welty’s great novel Delta Wedding

I picked up Delta Wedding a few weeks ago from a used book store. Now I'm thinking I'll read it either before or after I read my Christmas gift (Matterhorn) sometime in July or August.

Welty is so good. "Why I live at the P.O." has to be one of my favorite short stories ever. EVER. I blasted through her work in the 80's. Could, should revisit. Lovely book ON writing as well, called One Writer's Beginnings that is on my most sacred writing shelf -- it's the sort of book I pull out and read bits of when I'm feeling blue about writing.

Jenn, Anne, Claudia, Donna and Bonnie--I hope you all get to try Matterhorn. I've been reading alot of books at the same time in the last couple of months and secretly hoping that one will turn out to be so good I'll be compelled to put all the others aside to read it. Matterhorn is that book. Expect me to continue to gush over it because I've got about 350 pages still to go.

Joanne and Anne my husband was quoting me some statistic (which I'm not sure if I remember correctly) about this being the coolest and wettest spring here since 1984. We still have snow in the mountains we can see which is unusual at this time of year and the Boise River is running at near flood stage. They keep scaring me on the local news about the floods we could have if we all of a sudden get a string of really warm days and all that snow in the mountains melts quickly. (We're in the flood plain.)

Bonnie and Lucy I've heard of Eudora Welty but never read anything by her. I'm thinking I should remedy that.

I've been spending way too much time on LT this morning when I should be exercising. But I just wanted to say that my MiL's move went very well yesterday and she seems to be doing well. One of the people she already knew there took her down to dinner for her first meal last night and my BiL is coming in from Portland tomorrow so we'll have a nice family weekend with her.

Now we just have to get through the estate sale and sell the house which went on the market today. But the estate sale people seem to know what they're doing and the realtor didn't think anything needed to be done with the house so aside from the emotional side of it, it should be easy.

Thanks again everyone for all your support.

That's good news about your MIL's move. It must be a relief that she's settling in well.

Dear Pat, what a whirlwind! I'm happy that your MIL will settle in happily. In a decent place, happiness is so much a conscious decision, isn't it? I'm wondrously blessed to have my mother in a little house right across the street from us that came up for sale as she was contemplating leaving our family home in the country. When the time comes for us to move out of our house, I've told the nieces and nephews that they should just burn the thing. We live on the top layer with masses of stuff from deceased SIL, DH's parents and grandmother underneath. Generations of pack rats. It ain't pretty!
Oh, you whet my appetite for Matterhorn, Pat! He sounds sensitive and perceptive, and that's my generation. I think that it's a book I need to read!

Glad to hear your MiL's move went smoothly Pat and that she had someone to take her out for a meal on her first evening. Hope your family weekend goes well.

Sounds like it's going very well Pat. I hope the house sells soon and the rest of the weekend is really nice.

Thanks Dee, Peggy, Heather and Cushla!

#152 In a decent place, happiness is so much a conscious decision, isn't it?

Peggy it's so interesting that you said that because that's just the type of person my MiL is and one of the reasons I admire her. Several years ago when my niece (her granddaughter) was in college she was doing a project about how people lived their lives and I remember my MiL telling her that every day when she got up she decided that she was going to have a good day. My niece hadn't heard that from anyone else and my MiL was stunned. She thought everyone did that!

That's lovely and a good reminder Pat -- I'm so glad the move went smoothly!

Now I am going to worry about you -- being in the flood plain and all.

Good luck with all the water. All the local news this am was about how warm it is and how much snow there is in the mountains and how they are sandbagging along the Platte and Poudre rivers. You've got to love the West. It's either not enough water or too much. Either way...

Hi Lucy. I'm not seriously worried because it's been pretty cool with no string of warm days being forecast yet. But as long as I can see the snow on the mountains I guess it's a concern. We're between the North and South Channels of the Boise River and before they put the dam in, this land flooded regularly in the spring.

Jenn from what I've heard the flooding is a concern in most of the West this spring. Hopefully the warm up will be slow enough that none of us have to worry about it.

I loved Matterhorn when I read it last year, Pat. Thank you so much for the quote from Marlantes.

Hi Pat you really got me interested in Matterhorn. Can't wait to get to it.

Pat, you inspired me to get a copy of Matterhorn. It arrived from Amazon this morning and I am trying to figure out the best time to start it (ideally, when I can devote the proper attention to it!).

Hi Stasia. I'm glad you liked the information about Marlantes. I certainly hope he writes more books. But he's got to get cracking. He's in his sixties and Matterhorn took him 33 years!

Hi Gautam and Katie. I hope you both end up liking Matterhorn.

Katie I would definitely recommend starting Matterhorn when you can concentrate on it. It can be confusing if you don't understand the hierarchy in the Marines (which I don't). It does have a chart of the different positions and who reports to who but it doesn't include all the characters in the book so even though I'm 300+ pages in there are some people I still don't understand where they rank exactly. There's also a fair amount of military jargon but there's an extensive glossary in the back which is very helpful. This confusion actually works with the story because the main character is struggling to figure this all out too. Hope this doesn't put you off. I still think Matterhorn is the best book I've read in a long time.

>172 Copperskye: - Nope, doesn't put me off at all! My sister-in-law was in the Marines and is now a reservist, and my husband is a military buff with special fondness for the Marines, so he should be able to answer any questions I might have...

Glad you are still enjoying the book!

Hi Pat- It's nice to see you spreading the word on Matterhorn. It's so worth it! Hope you are having a great weekend!

Katie you sound like the perfect reader for this book!

Mark I'm happy to spread the word. It's a fantastic book and had been sitting on my shelf way too long. It makes me wonder what other gems I already own that I'm ignoring.

Pat--I hope your MIL is settling in well, and that all goes smoothly with the sale of the house etc.

I hope you'll post the quote from Karl Marlantes on the Reading Globally War and Regions in Conflict thread, either now or when you've reviewed Matterhorn (no pressure). I think participants would find the quote pertinent to the theme. I have Matterhorn and it is one of the books I want to read for this theme.

Good luck with the personal trainer. I'm trying this too. It's very difficult, but I agree--it always feels so good afterwards.

Hi Deborah. My MiL seems to be doing very well. She's already started playing bridge with some of her new neighbors and has been to several of the social functions. Her apartment has a view of the mountains (which she never had in her house here) and she's been enjoying watching the sunrises. So far so good!

I just posted the Karl Marlantes piece over on the Reading Globally War and Regions in Conflict thread. I actually wish this was going on the whole year (or longer) rather than just for the 2nd quarter. There were many books on that thread that I'd be interested in reading and discussing. I will definitely keep it starred for future reference. You and Darryl make a great team.

Good luck with your personal trainer too. I've tried this several times in my life (the last time was many years ago) and it's been hit or miss whether it worked for me. I need someone who expects alot of me because I'm too easy on myself but I also want someone I like. I don't know what I'll do when my current trainer moves back to Colorado. :(

I had one of the best Sunday mornings I've had in a long time. A nice walk down by the river with my dog and then home to find the New York Times on my driveway. This is the first time I've had home delivery of the Times in almost 4 years and I've really missed it. I grew up having that paper delivered every day, often waking up when I heard it hitting the driveway or the front walk. A very comforting sound to me. When we moved out to Idaho 4 years ago, there was no home delivery where we live and it's taken all this time to get it. I've been reading the Times online but it's not the same as having the paper. So far we've just signed up for Sunday delivery but I can definitely see expanding that.

Hi Pat- Those little pleasures in life, right! You can't beat 'em. Glad you had a good day.

I fell woefully behind, but just caught up with you now, and I'm glad to hear things with you MiL are all falling into place.

Glad you had a good day too. Amazing how it's often the littlest things that make us truly happy, isn't it?

Cool that you're getting the NYT delivered on Sundays - I love that paper!! We get the International Herald Tribune delivered over here, which is great too, but the weekend edition is really the Saturday paper. The Sunday NYT used to take me the whole week to get through.

Hi Pat - Happy to hear that your MIL is settling in. I know that's a big relief for you. I also grew up with the NYT delivered everyday, and Sunday wasn't Sunday without the Times on the table and news print on everyone's fingers! I've resigned myself to the online version but no, it's not the same.

Morning Pat, I've had a little catching up to do on your thread but happy to say, I'm now current.

Your MIL's new place sounds delightful and I'm so happy for all of you. My mom is on a waiting list for a sr living place she likes very much but she wants to sell that dang house before she commits.

Ok, you finally convinced me to add Matterhorn to my wishlist. I'm not much into war novels but your good taste in book convinced me.

We love the NYT too. Had rec'd WSJ for a while but then went back to NYT, there's nothing like it. Which reminds me I need to make a comment on my thread about a story in Sunday's travel section.

>168 phebj:: Pat, I completely understand your Sunday morning NYT ritual! We've had home delivery of the Sunday NYT for a few months now (after several years of being unable to get it). I love spreading it out all over the table and reading it while I drink my morning coffee. I read the Book Review section first, of course. :)

DH and I also enjoy the crosswords, but we do them online (free with your home delivery subscription!!).

Hooray for tranquil Sunday mornings!

Amen. And I have to say that anything that makes you happy is not "little."

We know what you'll be doing on Sundays from now on! I can relate to your feeling of satisfaction. Like Mark said, it's those little pleasures in life that keep us happy. Right now my morning walk with the dog, cuppa coffee, and LT get my days off to a great start. I'm a bit cranky if someone messes with my routine!

I'm thinking of getting Matterhorn for DH for Father's Day. Sneaky, huh? Actually, I think he'll enjoy it as much or more than I do.

Hi Mark, Ilana, Cushla, Joanne, Lynda, Laura, Lucy, Peggy and Donna! Sounds like you all can relate to the importance of rituals and reading the Sunday Times is one I've sorely missed. I was even happy to see the newsprint on my hands again.

Lynda and Donna I hope you both end up liking Matterhorn. Donna you're a genius (and a generous one) for giving it as a Father's Day gift.

I have to admit I've slowed down a bit with Matterhorn. The sheer misery of what they go through in the jungle is hard to take some times and even though I've gotten to the point of a big battle that they win, with all the attendant exhilaration, the sudden and gruesome deaths of some of the Marines I've come to know was unpleasant to say the least. Still a fantastic book though.

My MiL continues to do well. She's playing bridge alot and has started taking their exercise classes. My husband went to see her yesterday and she was anxious to get rid of him so she could get to one of her activities. He wasn't expecting that so soon!

she was anxious to get rid of him so she could get to one of her activities Wow that's a great sign Pat. I'm glad you finally got the NY Times if that's what makes you happy. Whatever rocks your boat!

Hi Pat--You can continue reading and posting on the war theme on Reading Globally after the "official" time for the theme is over. These threads often continue well after the theme time is over--it goes as long as people continue to post. Threads are sometimes resurrected months, or years, after the official close! I have a lot more books on this theme than I can read during the time period for the theme.

I started Matterhorn last night and it grabbed me right away. I read way later than I should have. I'm reading on Kindle, so I don't have a page account, but the Kindle tells me I'm 22% of the way through--the group has just been choppered down into the jungle after they put roofs on their dugouts.

I've been a reader of the Sunday NYT since high school, and a daily subscriber for 11-12 years. It's very hard for me to start a Sunday without it.

Hi Bonnie. My MiL continues to do well. We thought she would eventually; we just weren't expecting it to be so fast--it's only been a week.

Deborah I'll keep that in mind about the War and Regions in Conflict thread and I'll definitely keep it starred. I'm so glad you're liking Matterhorn. I'm at around page 400 and they're still fighting the enemy in that same basic location. They keep making the point that the goal was not gaining territory but fighting a war of attrition. And the whole inflation of body count numbers for the number of NVA soldiers killed was ludicrous at times.

Hi Darryl. I remember reading the Sunday Times most of all because that was the day I had the most time to leisurely read it. I'm eagerly awaiting this Sunday to get it again. I'm also starting to itch to get it more often.

Hey Pat, how ya doing? Little quiet over here - hope all's well.

Hi Lynda. I'm fine just exhausted. I hired a personal trainer and have been working out very hard (at least for me) for the last 3 weeks and at the same time am on a diet which eliminates most of the sugar I've been eating. I'm happy about it because I'm seeing results but most days I don't seem to have the energy to post much on LT. I've been keeping up with threads though so I'm not totally out of the loop.

One of these days I'll get around to catching up on my thread about what I've been reading. I recently finished Matterhorn and loved it. Another LTer recommended a Vietnam War book called The End of the Line by Robert Pisor which I've started that looks like it's going to be great and I'm going to do Mark's GR on The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. At this point I'm not sure if I'll get to The Book Thief in June or not.

Hope you're doing well.

Pat, do you have a high school reunion coming up or what? Lol. I admire your steps to getting healthier. My personal trainer has four legs and is named Lucky. He is not happy in the morning until I take him for his walk! Now if he could get me to lift weights and do more stretches, I'd be in better shape - pun intended! However, I'll never give up my peanut M&Ms.

Donna that's funny about the high school reunion because now that you say it, it does feel like that. Actually, I just really need to lose some weight and have been able to do the diet thing periodically but haven't really done the exercise part in a long time. I walk my dog and used to take walks with my husband (before his knee surgery) but I couldn't really call those aerobic. For some reason, I really clicked with this trainer but her life is in flux and she's moving even earlier than I thought (June 30th) so for some reason I feel compelled to get in as many workouts as possible before she goes. Occassionally I think I've lost my mind but I've decided just to go with it since it's ultimately healthy and it's only two more weeks and part of that I'll be away. My big problem is going to be how to continue when she's gone. I actually like working out and haven't done it in over 15 years and part of me is just glad I can still do it.

Pat, I just think it's great that you've decided to get all that training in, regardless of what the future may hold. I like to work with videos sometimes, though now that I've said that, I should own up to the fact that I haven't done anything in the past 4 years now, save for walks with Coco in the last year (part of the reason I got a dog to begin with). I used to do yoga almost religiously (mostly at home by myself). But you might just inspire me to more exercise yet!

Hi Pat -- cheers to you for good, healthy steps in your life -- including the New York Times Sunday ritual! Hope you're having a good week.

I am glad to hear that you loved Matterhorn, Pat! I thought it was terrific.

Without a dog I don't know what would happen to me vis a vis exercise. I have this hill that I trot up and down every day -- although that is a lie -- let us say every other day, no wait, make that..... no really, I do go up it from time to time....... slinks off..... where ARE those sneakers?

Congratulations Pat. I'm glad you're getting healthier. I recently visited my gynecologist and was happy when I stepped on the scale and the nurse said, "Hey, you've lost a lot of weight since you were here a year ago." I've been up and down all my life but this time I'm doing it differently (hopefully permanently) and it may just be working. I've just made small changes and have been able to keep them up by not doing anything huge or totally different and by being happy with a very slow loss rate. I know I need to squeeze in more time for exercise but hopefully in July that will start to happen too :)

I hope you're able to keep up your good start too!

Hi Pat, keep up the good work and continue that regimine! Before you know it you'll begin to feel guilty when you don't exercise.........at least I do. Then again, sometimes feeling guilty feels better than a workout.

I'm almost half way through The Book Thief but when I stopped at the library this evening, there's A Thousand Autumns staring me down. So I brought it home with me a perhaps I'll dive into it, but most likely not.

Hi Ilana, Anne, Stasia, Lucy, Bonnie and Lynda. I appreciate the visits and words of encouragement since there's not much book talk on my thread these days.

One of the mysteries of life to me is why I'm not better at motivating myself. Alot of what I get out of having a trainer is the advantage of her knowledge about how to exercise correctly but so much of the keeping healthy stuff (eating right and exercising more) is not rocket science. It's just that I don't do it consistently.

Bonnie I think your approach is a very rational one--making small changes that you can stick to for the long term. I've also been up and down most of my life and would love to get to a weight I was happy with that I can maintain. Hopefully, I will hear similar words from my doctor at next year's annual physical.

#193: so much of the keeping healthy stuff (eating right and exercising more) is not rocket science. It's just that I don't do it consistently.

The story of my life!

One of the things I do, Pat, is keep a food journal - I have a computer program for it - and I have found it very helpful. This may be something you are already doing.

Hi Stasia. I've kept food journals off and on and find they definitely make a difference. It's a way to hold myself accountable and when I'm doing it, I often won't eat something I shouldn't because I don't want to write it down. Right now I'm doing one on a spreadsheet so I can easily add up the calories and nutrients I'm keeping track of. What kind of computer program are you using?

I use a program called Diet Power. I like it a lot since I can put in personal recipes and it calculates the calories per serving for me. It will also track the amount of calories you burn through exercise.

They have a website here: www.dietpower.com if you want to take a look, Pat.

*willfully turns her back on spreadsheets and journals and responsible eating* I'm not so bad, and I do swim laps 3 days a week and walk the other 4, so I really don't have to do that other stuff if I don't mind looking like I'm carrying a refrigerator watermelon around my middle, do I?????

Stasia thanks so much for that website. That looks really interesting and I'm definitely going to look into it further. I love new "toys" and that looks like a great one that will make what I'm trying to do so much easier. I also checked out one of their discussion threads about sugar and it seemed really helpful. Only downside I can see is more computer time in my future!

Hi Peggy! Actually, you sound like you're pretty active exercising 7 days a week. I'm impressed.

so much of the keeping healthy stuff (eating right and exercising more) is not rocket science. It's just that I don't do it consistently.

*sigh* That's me too, Pat. I know why I don't do it consistently though ... because I'm a french fry junkie and I love food, and gyms are boring!

Hi Caroline. I'm with you on loving food. We're going away for a few days this weekend and one of the things I always look forward to on vacations is the food. We'll see how I do when faced with major temptation (and if the past is any guide, it won't be well). My trainer, evil person that she is, is going to weigh me in on my first day back so it won't be so easy to throw caution to the wind which is what I usually do when we're away.

Hi Pat! how is your summer? I'm dieting and exercising (well, aquacising) right along with you! what's the weather like where you are? hot as hades here :o)

Hi Jenny! We haven't really had any summer weather yet. Today it made it to the upper 60s with a fairly strong breeze so it was too cool to read outside for long. Our backyard faces East which is great on hot afternoons but not so good on cool ones. I feel like we're in a little bubble up here in the NW while the rest of the country seems to be sweltering. Aquacising seems like the perfect activity for keeping cool. I've never tried it but have heard it's a very good workout.

#198: I have found that the logging my daily foods does not take all that long. The typing in the recipes does though :)

Hi Pat - I'm so happy for you with the diet and exercise! And I'm happy your MIL is settling in.

One of my goals after my current office job ends is to spend more time on myself - exercising and cooking healthy food. I tend to say yes to everyone else, leaving me little time to do the things I need to do to be healthy. Keep up the good work!

Hi Stasia and Angela. It's nice to have a cheering section for my healthy living efforts. They're about to get a big test however because we're leaving on a short vacation in a couple of hours. Neither one of us is taking our laptops so I'll be off LT until late on Wednesday.

Hope everyone has a good Father's Day and a nice beginning of Summer.

Safe travels, Pat!

Have a wonderful trip, Pat!

Pat- Have a nice little getaway! See you when you get back.

Greetings Pat, by now you must be well rested and totally relaxed. Hope you had a great getaway!!

What Lynda said!

Hi Anne, Stasia, Mark, Lynda and Ilana. Thanks for the good wishes.

We had a nice four day driving trip through Eastern Oregon, up into Walla Walla, Washington which is a big winery town (they have about 100 wineries), and then back down through Idaho. Beautiful scenery at this time of year after a very rainy Spring. Lots of rolling hills in OR and WA with about 7 different shades of green and some wild flowers and then down into the canyons along the Salmon River in Idaho. We stayed at a great B&B in Walla Walla that was also a winery where I had some of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten.

I seem to be in a bit of a book funk again. I've started the following books and have failed to get very far:

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
Sudden Sea by R.A. Scott (about the 1938 Hurricane that hit the Northeast)
Embers by Sandor Marai
The End of the Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh by Robert Pisor
Fire Season: Field Notes From a Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors

With the exception of Sudden Sea which is just OK, they're all good so I'm not sure what my problem is. The one book that does seem to be holding my interest so far is Sir Vidia's Shadow by Paul Theroux about his friendship with V.S. Naipaul. I found this in a used bookstore in Walla Walla and started it on my trip. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll finish it. Otherwise, I will have read a grand total of one book for the month of June--Matterhorn.

ETA: I can't wait until LT fixes the bug that won't let people like me (using Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 9) use the touchstones!

Pat- Glad to hear the trip went well. That's some beautiful country. Sorry to hear about the book funk. I hope it's very short-lived.

Me too! Thanks Mark.

Welcome back, Pat! Sounds like you had a very nice and scenic trip! That's a part of the country I'd like to visit. I've been to Seattle and Boise, but nothing in between.

Ugh -- a book funk! No fun. You probably want to set Jacob aside until your reading appetite is back, and Embers, too. I enjoyed Embers a few years ago, but it's basically a one-sided conversation:) Hope you have a great weekend!

Hi Pat!
De-lurking to wave a big HI!
Glad you had a great get-away... hope that book funk is short-lived.

That sounds like a great trip, Pat! I'm sorry that you feel a bit funky, but really - Matterhorn is so huge in several ways that I wouldn't mind if it were the only thing I had completed in a month. I do hope your current list picks up for you.

Welcome home, Pat.... both to your physical home and your home here on LT.

About the book funk. Don't you think when you read a really good book - like I'm sure Matterhorn is - that nothing measures up to it? I would read something light, silly, or a comfort read for you. Or take up knitting!!! This too shall pass...

Hi Pat - Your trip sounds lovely! I've never been to that area of the country but it sounds beautiful. Pictures? :) Sorry about your book funk. :(

I accidently loaded IE 9 a few months ago. I hated the way it looked but dealt with it until I learned the touchstones wouldn't work and deleted it.

Pat, sounds like a wonderful trip. Welcome back! On the book front, from the looks of that list it sounds like you need something light and easy. A mystery, perhaps? I hope the funk passes soon!

Hi Pat! I'm pleased that the trip was a success and will be interested to hear about Paul Theroux's take on Sir Vidia. My opinion of Naipaul is coloured by Diana Athill's description in her memoir Stet. I know they were at loggerheads in the media recently and Athill's memoir shows that there was never any love lost between them. I have a feeling that Theroux would be less bothered by Naipaul's misogynist attitudes though. Do tell!

>220 Soupdragon:: Yeah, I was surprised to hear Naipaul even had a friend :)

>221 lauralkeet: Yok! Yok!

#221 : LOL !

Glad you had a good vacation, Pat. I've never been to that part of Washington before,but now you have me starting to think about planning a short vaca up that way. I've been trying to look into going someplace we haven't yet been to without having to travel too far for a short vacation in July, and I scraped Cancun and Aruba because it'll be in the middle of school holidays and therefore crowded, and I was considering some place along the Columbia River Gorge because I've heard it's beautiful. But I just looked up Walla Walla and that looks interesting too.

Oh, your trip sounds so marvelous! But I'm missing you and want you baaaccccckkkk.. Also want you to find a book that will enthrall you again.

I have to agree with Donna. Whenever I finish a really good book, I have a hard time finding my next read, Pat. I just finished a real gem of a book, Helen Humphreys' The Lost Garden. It's short too, which always help when concentration is distracted.

Hi Pat, your trip sounds so wonderful, I wish you could have brought me along in your luggage! :-)

re: book funks, sometimes I get them several times as I read a book that sets of parts of me that I'd rather ignore. But sometimes, as Donna says, you read something so great that nothing else seems measure up, or you're still transported away into a special place, and it takes a while to leave it again. I too would advise either going with something on the light & easy side, or taking up some other hobby for a little while.

As I often need to remind myself: this too shall pass.

Hugs.

Hi Anne, Claudia, Peggy, Donna, Joanne, Laura, Dee, Caroline, Lucy, Bonnie and Ilana! Thanks for all the visits to my thread despite the lack of book talk. I do think part of the reason I'm having trouble getting into another book was that Matterhorn was so good it's hard to find another book that captures my attention the same way.

We didn't get any good pictures from our trip partly because we didn't take many and partly because we don't have a camera anymore except for our cell phones. The other problem was that the great views were long distance shots that don't look like much in the pictures. But I will see if I can find anything on the internet that's worth posting.

I'm still making some headway in Paul Theroux's book about V.S. Naipaul. In fact, I'm just at the point where he's starting to send his manuscripts to Diana Athill at Naipaul's suggestion so I was happy to see you mention her in your post Dee. I've never heard of her memoir but I'm going to look for it.

In the part of Sir Vidia's Shadow that I've read so far, Theroux is in his mid-20s, living in Uganda, and meets Naipaul when he visits the university where he teaches. He shows Naipaul around East Africa and they become friends. A big part of Theroux's attraction to Naipaul is the fact that Naipaul is an established writer who mentors him and validates his work. Otherwise, Theroux portrays Naipaul as a pretty unpleasant person. Here's a quote from the book that shows Theroux's conflicting feelings about Naipaul when Naipaul asks to stay with him in Uganda:

"May I use your spare room?"

I was just a young man in Africa, trying to make my life. He was one of the strangest men I had ever met, and absolutely the most difficult. He was almost unloveable. He was contradictory, he quizzed me incessantly, he challenged everything I said, he demanded attention, he could be petty, he uttered heresies about Africa, he fussed, he mocked, he made his innocent wife cry, he had impossible standards, he was self-important, he was obsessive on the subject of his health. He hated children, music, and dogs. But he was also brilliant, and passionate in his convictions, and to be with him, as a friend or fellow writer, I had always to be at my best.

I said, "Of course."

Hi Pat, glad to hear you had a good trip. Sorry to hear about your book funk though. I think I am having a mini book funk in that I am avoiding all the library books I need to read and instead I've started 3/4 different books. Also a review funk which means I'm about 7 books behind.

Aha! A "review funk"! Now there's I problem I can relate to. I think mine is permanent... though I plod on. Just want to read - not write. Still I need to contribute something occasionally.

Interesting quote above, Pat. :) Have a great Sunday!

Yeah, yeah, yeah call it a book funk if you like, Pat. I know you're just enjoying your spoils from the wineries. Go ahead and have fun, my friend.

Seriously, that is a trip my husband and I would have enjoyed. Ohio wines are (for us) ptuii and must be enjoyed while young. I hardly believe that we'll ever make it out that way but the area sounds wonderful so it's good to know what's out there for future reference, just in case.

Pat. Your trip sounds wonderful.
Happy Sunday to you.

Hubster and I are hopeless at taking photos also..... later I'm sorry, but at the time, it always feels like an interruption of enjoyment.

>232 sibylline:: oh, I know exactly what you mean Lucy! I had to make a very conscious effort to take photos of my daughter's recent high school graduation. Especially ones of the whole family together, somehow I always get pix of the kids and not the adults. I knew I'd regret it forever if I didn't.

Hi Heather, Claudia, Lynda, Linda, Lucy and Laura!

Yes, a review funk is definitely something I can relate to. In my head I always have so many thoughts about the books I read but my brain seems to freeze when it's time to write reviews.

We did bring home a case of wine from our trip but will be saving it for special occassions. Neither one of us is a big wine drinker so we need company to polish off a bottle on a timely basis. Our big drink is margaritas and my husband made a great one the other night from Bon Appetit magazine called a "Spicy Grapefruit Margarita." It's made with pink grapefruit juice and habanero chili peppers and it was pretty potent but really good. If I can find what I did with the magazine, I'll post the recipe.

Neither my husband or I are picture takers and sometimes I regret that. We know quite a few people who regularly hire photographers to take their pictures and I'm always envious when I see their beautiful framed pictures.

Hi Pat, Spicy Grapefruit Margaritas sound pretty good.

Sometimes taking pictures means you miss what's going on in front of you. Looking through a lens makes it hard to see the whole picture. I often wish we had more professional photos done (we did one), but I think the candids are more interesting.

Hope your workouts are going well. I'm envious - I wish I had someone to go work out with!

Pat, I understand about review funks, believe me. I always have to wait until I get into a certain mental state in order to write them, otherwise I just can't begin to find the words for them. That "state of mind" only seems to happen when I've got a huge backlog and start panicking that I'll never catch up, with the result that... well I'm always behind a few, what can I say? There are bigger troubles in this world. ;-)

I worry that if I get behind I'll never catch up, so I generally churn something out right away..... I've gone back more than once and rewritten a review I've posted!

Hi Pat. Just stopping by to say hello.

I know what you mean about brain freeze when it comes time to write reviews. All those ideas while reading just disappear into the ether somewhere...

Reviews! Sometimes I wish to forgo them and just say I loved it, get it! or Throw this one in the landfill. Perhaps sometime I will, but for now I find typing even a short review burns the book in my memory and is more apt to be recalled when needed.

So.........Have a great 4th of July, Pat! Hope you find time to relax and enjoy the day!

Catching up after a week away from computers. Hope you had a great 4th of July!

I hate to write them, and tend to get way behind then do bunches of them at once. But at the end of the year, I feel very satisfied that I have written something about each book I read.

My preference is definitely to write "something" rather than a review....... I agree that writing the something is quite helpful, and a review is even more so. For most of what I read, though, somebody else has already done the reviewing far more thoughtfully and thoroughly than I would. On the other hand, I love your reviews, Pat, so I'll hold your feet to the fire if you'd find that helpful.

I completely understand the review funk, Pat. I don't review every book I read anymore because I felt like all my reviews were starting to sound alike. However, I still write my thoughts on my thread and/or in my reading journal. Like Lynda said, it "burns the book in my memory." Excellent metaphor to go along with Peggy's fire!

I tag a few good quotes as I read and even when I don't use them they remind of what I liked in the book and help me to unfreeze. I agree that the review writing is critical to helping fix the book in my increasingly lazy mind!

Hello Pat, looks like lots has been happening in your life since I've been here! Glad you enjoyed your vacation, and if you find that grapefruit margarita recipe, I'd definitely love to see it.

Ok Pat - I posted my review and the photos of our trip will post to my blog in the morning :)
www.mylavenderave.blogspot.com

I too agree that writing a review helps fix in mind, though in my case, with my astoundingly selective (read: bad) memory, they more often than not help me to remember what the books were about and what I thought about them since I forget in no time at all. But to me it's also become part of the reading process itself, sort of like assimilating and digesting the material and making it my own somehow.

Thanks for all the understanding and encouragement about the reviews, guys! I think I'm going to opt for just saying "something" about what I've read lately so I can move on. Hopefully that will be later today.

Jenn I loved the pictures of your trip and will have to investigate all the places you went. I think my favorite was the picture of Dead Horse Point State Park. I'll probably avoid that drive that drops 1100 feet with a 10% grade like the plague. On our recent trip thru Eastern Oregon, Washington and Idaho we drove stretches of road with 6 and 7% grades and that was steep enough for me. After 4 years living out here, I'm still getting over my shock that the West has all these scary roads with no guard rails.

Joanne and Ardene and anyone else who might be interested: The link below takes you to the recipe for the Spicy Grapefruit Margarita. I've had it twice now and love the kick to it and the tartness of the grapefruit juice. The recipe calls for using 1-2 habanero peppers and steeping it for 3 or more hours . My husband used 1 pepper and took it out after 3 hours and it was very hot so I don't recommend doing anymore than that the first time you try it. (Also, based on personal experience, his advice is to remove the seeds and stem very carefully and wash your hands well after doing that. You don't want to mess with these peppers.)

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/07/spicy-grapefruit-margarita

I do like the sound of this, but probably will have to wait until I can grow my own peppers.

Pat, I hope you do get to the Southwest sometime. It's a different kind of pretty to where you've just been. Oh! I forgot to mention that I bought a Wallace Stegner book while I was there. I bought Beyond the Hundredth Meridian. It seemed appropriate.
I guess no guard rails is part of the fun. All good fun, right? I wasn't too thrilled with the Moki Dugway myself, but we hugged the inside and did not encounter any other cars (wonder why?) so it went as well as it possibly could I think.

Regarding Habaneros, for those who don't like things really, really hot, I suggest removing stems, seeds and using about half a pepper for about an hour. That will probably get you a good kick without taking your roof off. Habaneros are really hot. I've been known to simmer one in a large pot of black beans, but never two. :) Also, what Pat says about being careful is very true. Nothing like a little habanero oil in your eye. We use latex gloves when handling peppers.

Hi Jeanne. Can you not get habanero peppers near you or do you just prefer to grow your own?

Jenn I have a copy of Beyond the Hundredth Meridian but have only managed to read 38 pages of it. I hate to say it but I found it very boring. I'll probably give it another chance sometime because it's highly rated but it was too much aimless wandering around in the wilderness for me. Hope you have a different experience.

My new thread is over here. Hope to see you there!

Re: caution when handling hot peppers

My friend who could handle the hottest of foods was preparing some one day and then changed an item of feminine hygiene. Yeow!

Moral of the story is to wear gloves when handling peppers. It's not just eyes that are sensitive - any mucus membrane will suffer when it comes in contact! When you're finished and take the gloves off you are safe.

That reminds me of a friend who bought a house in the spring and went out to weed an area of ground cover in shorts not realizing it was poison ivy. Not a pleasant experience.

I am woefully behind on threads, Pat, and just trying to catch up a bit. Glad to hear you had a nice vacation and sincerely hoping that the book funk has gone by now!