Carmenere’s(Lynda’s) Home for the Tipping Tower of Tomes – The Second Floor

Photo from the beautiful Cleveland Botanical Gardens. Located in University Circle the "heart of Cleveland's cultural district"

Currently reading



Books completed in the first half of 2012
January:
1) The Awakening - Kate Chopin - 4/5
2) Matterhorn - Karl Marlantes - 5+/5
3) Stories I Only Tell My Friends - Rob Lowe 4/5
4) Cannery Row - John Steinbeck 4.5/5
5) Seriously...I'm Kidding - Ellen Degeneres 2.5/5
6) My Seinfeld Year - Fred Stoller 2.75/5

February:
7) The Ledge: An Adventure Story of Friendship and Survival on Mount Rainier - Jim Davidson 4/5
8) The Wayward Bus - John Steinbeck 4.75/5
9) All My Life: A memoir - Susan Lucci 3/5
10) The Zen of Steve Jobs - Caleb Melby 4/5
11) The Night Bookmobile - Audrey Niffenegger 1/5
12) Finding Sarah A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself -Sarah Ferguson 2.5/5
13) The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J. K. Rowling 4.5/5
14) The World of Downton Abbey - Jessica Fellowes 5/5
15) Inside Out & Back Again - Thanhha Lai 4/5

March:
16) The Last Gunfight - Jeff Guinn 5/5
17) Shockaholic - Carrie Fisher 3.5/5
18) The Wall Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtin - Peter Sis -3.75/5
19) Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy - Ozzy Osbourne - 2.75/5
20) The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck - 4.25/5
21) Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer - 2.75/5
22) The Quants - Scott Patterson - 3.25/5
23) Everyman - Philip Roth - 5/5

April:
24) Tibet: Through the Red Box Peter Sis 4.5/5
25) Lifeboat No. 8: An Untold Tale of Love, Loss, and Surviving the Titanic Elizabeth Kaye 3.5/5
26) Da Vinci's Ghost Toby Lester 4.25/5
27) The Moon is Down John Steinbeck 5/5
28) Leap of Faith Queen Noor 3.75/5

May:
29) The Gamma Girls of Chagrin Falls #1 Lillie and Rose - Janet Kuivila 3/5
30) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 5/5
31) The Man in the Picture - Susan Hill 2.75/5
32) The Tree of Life - Peter Sis 3/5
33) The Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka

June:

Books completed in the second half of 2012

July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

This year, I am concentrating on books off my shelf also lovingly referred to as the Tipping Tower of Tomes but will undoubtedly be enticed by my fellow 75er’s to look into books, authors and genres I may have overlooked or may be new to me. Since organizing my books in alpha order and needing to purchase two additional bookcases for my tomes I have placed myself on a Book Buying Ban. I have only purchased five this year and hope to have the restraint necessary to not purchase any more for the remainder of this year.

This year I'm challenging myself to read 77 books, one more book than last year, including a number of large books for my 12 in ’12 Chunkster Challenge found here many of which have been languishing on my shelves for too long and taking up too much space. Challenge Update: It is a terrible disaster! Having completed Matterhorn in January and stalling with the February selection The Brothers Karamazov I hope to begin anew with my April selection Jane Eyre.

I also plan to complete a couple of challenges I began in years past: Alpha Order Challenge, found here I only need an author with a surname beginning with U to complete this challenge and the State Challenge found here of which I need 33 more states! Hopefully, by again playing along with TIOLI, I’ll be able to insert a needed book here and there. I just can't help myself, I've joined a another challenge for this year BOMBS and it's here



Totally loving the year of Steinbeck! My new favorite author.

#21-2012
Into the Wild

Jon Krakauer
1996
207 pages
2.75/5

I read it now because………………….A book off the shelf which fit March TIOLI challenge #1 Read a book whose author was born in a city whose name contains ONLY one letter from the word “March” (Brookline/R).

Book Blurb…………………………Krakauer investigates the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man obsessed with Jack London and Thoreau. He was a recent college graduate from a privileged family who longed to become one with nature. Filled with wanderlust he walked, hitchhiked and canoed to out of the way places all alone and without much money, food or supplies. Krakauer examines McCandless as thoroughly as possible, considering the limited amount of information that McCandless left behind, yet it’s a short story and Krakauer supplements McCandless’s story with those of other adventure seekers, including himself to compare and contrast their strategies.

Would I recommend……….Guardedly as this book is not as engrossing as others I have read by this author. It could be because I have little sympathy for people who go about something of this magnitude without thought for the loved ones left behind without phone calls or letters, someone who has not taken the nature of the land seriously and without preparation.

First? Me??? This never happens!
Happy new thread, Lynda!

I haven't read Into the Wild, but I quite liked Krakauer's Mt Everest book, don't remember the title.

Edit: just had a look at your 12 in 12 thread. I don't know where you are in Brothers Karamzow and sure Middlemarch isn't a quick read, but you might still catch up. I remember both Jane Eyre and A Portrait of a Lady as books that were quite smooth reads. Not exactly quick, but way faster and easier than Middlemarch which needed more concentration. Bleak House is mainly long and has those many characters.

My U-author was John Updike.

Hi Lynda - beautiful new thread. Sorry to hear you are struggling with your chunkster 12 in12 challenge.

For the alphabet challenge I think I used Jane Urquhart

Think I'll skip your latest read.

Hope everything is going well with you and yours.

I felt the same way about Into the Wild. How can you have sympathy for such selfishness AND stupidity combined?

Hi Lynda! My husband read Into the Wild a few years ago and he liked it very much, although he does agree that McCandless was at best naive and at worst extremely reckless. We went to see the film version when it came out and it is a beautiful film. The performances are first rate, especially Hal Holbrook, who was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for his role as the elderly gentleman who McCandless lives with for a while. I highly recommend the film.

Love the photo from the botanical gardens. Did you snap that yourself?

Sandy K

Hi Lynda. I also love the picture of the botanical gardens. And I hope you enjoy Jane Eyre as much as I did. I read it for the first time last year and was so glad I finally got around to it.

Hi Lynda!
Picture #1 would make a beautiful backyard, wouldn't it?
Take away the flowers and the greenery and you have my front yard - rocks!

Chunksters - not calling to me lately. I think War and Peace did me in. I read several hundred pages but could not finish and did not count - doesn't seem quite right after all that suffering :(

oomph, the Chunkster Challenge would be a challenge for me, as well! I'm impressed with what you're trying to accomplish with that 12 in 12 category, Lynda. I hope it goes a bit better in April. I will say that I didn't read Jane Eyre until a few years ago, well into my 40s, and I think it's one of the finest English novels ever written. I enjoyed following it up with a read of Wide Sargasso Sea, which is not a chunkster.

The Chunkster challenge is a challenge.
I read about 3/4 of Brothers Karamazov, and finally checked Wikipedia to see if the last 1/4 provided any redeeming value and decided to move on with my life :-)
I do have hopes of picking back up with War and Peace some day. I took notes along the way so I won't have to start from the beginning (or I know I'd never do it).

Good luck with a fresh start in April!

#5 Yeah, you were first, Nathalie! I enjoyed Krakauer's Mt. Everest book Into Thin Air much, much more than Into the Wild. Under the Banner of Heaven was excellent as well.
I first read Jane Eyre when I was in high school, about 30 years ago and I loved it. So this reread should go smoothly and your right if I catch up I'll go back to BK and BH.

#6 Greetings calm, I have my U book laying on the floor beside the computer desk. It is The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. I'm anxious to read it but the other books keep nuzzling him out. Soon, I hope.

#7 Hi there, Rachel! Perhaps, I'm just a little too cold blooded sometimes. I should have considered he was just a kid and wanted the freedom to discover America. No, on second thought he put his family through hell. That was completely unfair. Ssssssssss.

#8 Sandy, Sandy, Sandy! I didn't know there was a film version of Into the Wild. Netflix doesn't have it but I'll look for it at the library. Thanks for mentioning it.
No, I didn't snap that picture. Seems I'm always there before or after the big show.

#9 Hey Pat, I can completely lose myself in Jane Eyre. I was such an anglophile when I was a teenager and absorbed anything having to do with England, its atmosphere, its people and its mystery.

#10 Cee, you must have been a jester in a previous life, you're such a hoot!
Your yard sound similar to mine. The previous owner purchased a gazillion landscape rocks so we have that and maple trees. Thus not much light for quality grass, garden or flowers. But we do sneak in what we can i the space that is open to sunlight.

#11 I hope my second attempt at a chunkster works out, Ellen. BTW: Is Wide Sargasso Sea similar is theme to Jane Eyre? I've heard of the title, but I don't know much about it.

#12 I still have a lot of hope for Bros K, simply because I liked Crime and Punishment so much. But I can certainly understand your peeking at the end, Laura. Sometimes I get that feeling with books and wonder where is this story going, what's the point and what will I get out of reading this. Still, I'll pick it up again sometime.
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We bought our MegaMillions tickets today. Did you?
I really hope we don't win but if we do I hope to purchase a nice old house on a busy main street and open my used book shop and tea room. A girl can dream, right?

Love the blue nail polish I purchased for our spring break trip to Disneyworld. Is blue ok for a 50 year old or is it too cougerish?

Hi Lynda- I like the new Spring-like Thread! Sorry to hear your Challenge has been a...well a challenge!
Someone mentioned a Chunkster Challenge? It sounds cool but it scares the hell out of me. I have a strange phobia about massive tomes and the funny thing is, every one I have tried I LOVED. Maybe, I'm just greedy with my time, who knows!

Love, love love the picture from the Botanical Gardens Lynda especially now that we are going back to winter. Gah s**w in the forecast for tomorrow! I enjoy reading chunksters because I like getting to really know characters but I do find myself checking to see how many pages are left all the time even when I'm enjoying what I'm reading.

#14 But my thinking is, Mark that the more chunksters I read the more room I'll have on my bookshelf for new books. A method to my madness.

#15 Bonnie, I just saw the latest radar showing snow headed straight toward Buffalo. Hope you didn't put your woolies away. Ah, but it's the weekend so I hope you'll have time to cozy up to a good book.

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I've got myself down for four TIOLI's in April: Tibet: Through the Red Box, Jane Eyre, an ER The Foreigners and The Moom is Down.
I think I'll take Jane and The Moon is Down to Florida though I doubt I'll have much time to read other than on the plane. Perhaps I can squeeze in a few pages before I drift off to sleep and dream of It's a small world.

Oh, and it is a small world! A new patient began hyperbaric the other day using the chamber beside my mom's. I thought she looked familiar but her name sealed it. Turns out she made my wedding cake 19 years ago. She was delighted and proceeded to tell every nurse and doctor of our connection.

What a beautiful picture!

Snow???? NO No! Say it isn't so :(

::sadness::

Da Vinci's Ghost looks interesting......

I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your lovely opening photo and used it as my desktop today.

Beautiful, beautiful garden. Cleveland does rock!

Lynda, I'm reading the ultimate chunkster, Infinite Jest. I am going to list it on the TIOLI wiki for April in hopes that fear of public humiliation will encourage me to finish it.

I loved the movie "Into the Wild" but then I was quite taken with the book. I love survival stories...even those that don't turn out well. I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail at my library.

I am planning to start Infinite Jest this month. My son, Michael, the English Masters student has highly recommended it. It scares me...chunkster indeed!

Lynda, Wide Sargasso Sea is essentially the story of the "crazy wife" of Rochester in Jane Eyre. It's very different, but offers a different perspective on her life and experience.

I have purchased Infinite Jest which definitely qualifies as a chunkster! When I'll read it is still uncertain. I'm reading David Copperfield this month and I think that also qualifies as a chunkster (over 800 pages).

Lynda congratulations on your latest thread.

#17 So far, Kath, Da Vinci's Ghost is very informative book not only regarding Da Vinci but his peers and the Italian reneasance.

#18 I don't mind at all, Linda. Share the beauty all you want.

#19 Hi Donna, I've been seeing alot about Infinite Jest lately. I'll await your opinion. Looks like Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail has a better ending than Into the Wild, again I'll see what your thoughts are on it.

#20 Hi there, ccookie. Infinite Jest! There it is again! Don't be scared about the size........all the LTer's will surely cheer you on.

#21 Hey Ellen, thanks for the background on Wide Sargasso Sea. I'll check it out.
Ah, another Infinite Jestor, I'm getting the feeling this book is calling out to me.

#22 Why, thank you, Paul. Thanks for visiting.

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I've got a bazillion things to do before our trip and two reviews are part of that. Don't know if I'll do both but here's one-------------------------------------->

Lynda & Donna- I also have Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail coming from the library. Sounds like my kind of memoir. It's getting some fine buzz.

My oldest son is a hug fan of Da Vinci, and that inspired me to do a little reading about him as well.
I might have to get that book for Adam, though. I think he would like it.

#22-2012
The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It

Scott Patterson
audio
2010
3.75/5

I listened to it now because…………………..I’m a glutton for punishment

Book Blurb……………………Highly intelligent mathletes and computer whizzes devise a plan to beat the stock market and they succeed………………..for awhile.

Would I recommend………………………If you want to get sick to your stomach at the thought of what could possibly go on behind the scenes at the NYSE and want to know how some people can make millions of dollars while your little mutual fund whittles away, yeah, sure, check it out. Seriously, it is a very good book with very strong writing and enlightening information.
The thing is it just makes my jaw drop to see how people can manipulate Wall Street and there seems to be no oversight. What's to stop somthing like the Quants from happening again on a grander scale.

Hi Lynda - sounds like you are off to Florida soon. Hope you have a great trip and manage to get some books read.

BTW - if you love the blue nail varnish who cares what anyone else thinks:)

Thank you, Linda!!! and a Happy Sunday to you as well.

I agree with calm...paint your nails ...and color your hair anything you want.

Hi calm!! Thank you! if you love the blue nail varnish who cares what anyone else thinks I needed to hear that.
My guys just look at me and shake their heads. But I think it's fun.

ETA: Thanks, Linda. You LTer's are great!

Linda!! Where is your thread? Help, I can't find you!
Just wanted to say, I saw your post on Kath's thread and I'm so happy you've got some relief!! Live it up!

Here is my thread. Thanks for asking

http://www.librarything.com/topic/133776#3321787

Thanks, Linda! I did it again. I accidentally ignored you. But you were in good company, I did the same thing to calm too. Know that now you are unignored!!!

Thanks for visiting my thread!

:0)

Hi Lynda! Love the opening picture, those botanical gardens must be wonderful to walk through!

Hi Lynda- I'm taking some time to catch up on threads and yours is one of my favorites. But you don't know the shock and envy I got just now when saw the photograph of that garden- for a moment I thought it was your house and was left thinking how can you do that when I've been trying to get something going in my yard and all I have to show is four lame patches of flowers? Only after I read the caption I realized it was a professional botanical garden. Still a very pretty picture.

I listened to it now because…………………..I’m a glutton for punishment

I got a big kick out of that comment! I bought quite a few books about the financial crisis of 2008 and read several of them and then stalled because they all seemed to indicate it could easily happen again and it got too depressing. The one I liked the best was Suzanne's book Chasing Goldman Sachs: How the Masters of the Universe Melted Wall Street Down And Why They'll Take Us to the Brink Again.

Have a great time on your trip and enjoy that blue nail polish. A friend had some on the other day and I thought it looked great.

The Quants sounds really interesting. My husband keeps trying to get me to watch the documentary Inside Job, about what happened on Wall Street, but I just haven't got around to it yet. Matt Damon narrates, which makes it sound even more appealing. Apparently it's another "make you sick to your stomach knowing what happened" kind of thing.

Looks like you have been enjoying the Steinbecks that you've read so far. I could be a convert with the one of his I have read (The Pearl). Am thinking of tagging in for the rest of the years A-thon, if only my library would oblige by having copies available for me!

Just trying to keep up...I am refusing to read anything that will aggravate me, lately.
I feel it is enough that I am surrounded by the insanity of politics at every turn..
Expect me to stick to fluff for some time to come :P

#37 Hi Chelli! Yes, the Gardens are such a peaceful place placed right in the middle of a busy section of town.

#38 Manuel, you're so funny! I'm glad you were impressed with my gardening skills, if only for a second or two. Frankly, I have maybe TWO patches of flowers in my yard so you can teach me a thing or two.

#39 I know, Pat! It is depressing! People will start to keep their money under the matress like in the old days. Can anyone trust an institution that flucuates by the games of others? Scarrrrrry.

#40 Oh, Faith, I have never heard of the documentary, Inside Job. I must look around for it. I'll keep the Pepto near by.

#41 I've been loving the Steinbeckathon, Megan. Bummer your library doesn't carry them. I think we'll be reading The Pearl later this year, so if you don't come across any of the other books perhaps you can follow the thread for that one.

#42 If you're looking for fluff, Kath, you've come to the right place. I'm all about fluff, my head is full of fluff. Fluff, fluff, fluff! I vote for

#23-2012
Everyman

Philip Roth
2006
182 pages
5/5

I read it now because...................March TIOLI Challenge for Janet in London memorial reads.

Book Blurb.................Main character who has not been able to remain faithful to his wives must come to grips with old age, poor health, lonliness and death. Doesn't sound like a book you may want to read but the message may be life altering. It is definetly the kind of book I would like to read every year, just to make sure I don't become like...... Everyman.

Would I recommend............Highly

Hi there Lynda -
Well now - it doesn't sound appealing (except for the 5 stars), but I want to read it! I do like what I have read of Philip Roth. Will be looking for Everyman :)

At this point I would welcome fluff for brains... I think it's empty in there right now :P So, I vote for FLUFF, too!

I haven't read anything by Philip Roth in decades. Will have to look for Everyman at the library.

Hi Cee & Pat, I'm poolside at the resort only hot spot at the place. I noticed for the first time that at epcot's American adventure the animatronics quote Steinbeck. I didn't recognize it but maybe the grapes of wrath.
It's been in the 9o's but I love it. To Disney studio's tomorrow we've already done magic kingdom And epcot. Hardly any reading except Jane eyre on the plan. Going back to my ice cold Yuengling and a beautiful fullish moon. Be back soon :)

Have a wonderful time in Florida, Lynda!

>44 Carmenere: wishlisted, thankyou very much
*off to check library online catalogue*

Hi Lynda ... Glad to hear that you are having a good time !

Thank you for visiting my thread......
I haven't been doing much visiting as much as usual :(

#48 Hi Pat, We had a great time and celebrated Will's 13th Birthday at Disney World. We picked up a birthday button and staff members wished him a happy birthday all day. He's a low key kind of guy but I could tell he was enjoying the attention.

#49 Hope you get as much out of Everyman as I did, Megan.

#50 It was a delightfully stress free week, Kath. Upon arriving home a call to mom brought me back to the real world pretty quickly. She thinks her vision has deteriorated and is afraid it could be glacoma like her mom had, hopefully it is her cataracts that has worsened which could be brought on to hyperbaric. In any case a call to the opthamaligist is my first call on Monday morning. And she fell this afternoon. No bodily damage but still, why did she fall? I was hoping that all went smoothly so I could spring our intentions of taking another vacation in the summer. Give me strength.
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Finished Tibet: Through the Red Box by Peter Sis and I enjoyed it even more than the Wall.

Thoroughly entrenched in Jane Eyre and loving it.

Hi Lynda, celebrating a 13th birthday at Disney has to be a WOW event in a kid's life. You must be in line for Mother of the Year! Glad you had fun in Florida.

You didn't get me with Everyman 'cause I've already read it. Nice try.

Happy Easter to you and the fam!

Morning Lynda- Happy Easter to you and your family. Sounds like you had a great time at Disney! I need to get to more Sis.

Oh no... more worries about your mom :(
That is no fun at all . I hope that you're right and that her vision issues are not glaucoma.
Everyone falls now and then, Lynda.. one fall is nothing to worry about, and I hope that it is
just the one, and that mom stays safe and sound from here out..

Meantime.. I am glad to hear that you ad such a good time away :)

Hi Lynda. I didn't realize you were celebrating Will's 13th birthday. What a great way to do it.

I hope everything is OK with your mom. I've been through similar stressful times with my parents and any time they had a problem I would go into full alert mode. I hope things calm down soon and you get that chance to plan your summer vacation.

I'm also glad you enjoyed the Peter Sis book. I just got one that he illustrated out of the library called The Dream Stealer that looks good. The author's name is Sid Fleischman and Sis's illustrations are not as elaborate as in the Tibet book but are still delightful.

Have a great Easter Sunday.

HAPPY EASTER, LYNDA!

Wow, I think celebrating a birthday at ANY age at disney would be awesome!
Hope you are enjoying your Easter weekend

#53 Hi there, Donna! What did you think of Everyman}?

#54 Yeah, me too, Mark. Pat just mentioned a book illustrated by Sis and written by Sid Fleischman so I'll be checking my library for that one.

#55 Well, she looked pretty good today, Kath. But she still reading, writing and seeing people clearly is a problem. I'll make an appt. tomorrow and hope she can be squeezed in soon.

#56 I'm glad he still enjoys Disney, Pat. Kids grow up so fast but Will doesn't seem to be in any hurry.

#57 Thanks Cee! Hope you had a relaxing Easter too.

#58 I agree with you, Chelle. They celebrate just about anything at Disney, weddings, 1st visits, anniveraries. It's so nice there I wouldn't mind being the person who walks around with broom and shovel to sweep trash. It's just such a cool place.

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Well, after much frustration of attempting to post posts and having my computer lock up, I finally set up our new computer this afternoon. So far seems great!!!
I had tried to wish my book buddies a Happy Easter but not being all that successful I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Easter. We ate like piglets at the Senior facility this afternoon so I didn't need to make anything today for dinner thus freeing up a big chunk of time to work on the new HP.
Off to do a little reading and then hit the sheets early. Night all!!

Sweet dreams! :)

Ugh Cee, I had slept well till about 3 AM. Now I'm up having a chocolate milk and hopefully returning to bed for a couple more hours. This is happening almost everyday, and I don't like it. *sigh*

Hope you had a good Easter Lynda. Glad to hear you all enjoyed your trip to Disneyworld but sorry to hear your mum thinks her sight has got worse and had a fall.

#61 Bah and not sleeping is rubbish. Hope you got a bit more sleep this morning.

Hope you had a good Easter. Sorry to hear about your mother.

Hope you managed to get some sleep.

Keep us posted on your mom...
Hope it is something fairly easy ...

And ditto the rest, I hope you had a good nights sleep :)
Hang in there.. we've got your back ! We can't do much
but sending energy and support, 75ers do that well...

Does Philip Roth qualify as "fluff"???

I hope your Easter was wonderful and that you get some good news about your mother. Sleep well!

Hi Lynda, yay for celebrating Will's birthday at Disney and boo for Mom's further complications. Sending good vibes to you from sunny Buffalo.

#62 Hi Heather!! Disney was great, a week there should be covered under health insurance as it is very theraputic in many ways.

#63 I slept pretty well last night, calm, no need for 3AM chocolate milk. Yeah!!

#64 You are right, Kath, 75ER'S ARE THE BEST!!!!!! Mom's got an appt for the 23rd with opthamologist plus I learned yesterday that after her 60th hyperbaric dive on the 17th she'll be off for a few weeks! Hallelujah!!

#65 Uh, I guess Roth souldn't qualify as fluff, Ellen. I do think it is time for more fluff in my life. Perhaps I'll try for a fluffy May :}

#66 Dejah! Hi, I've missed you and I haven't been all that productive visiting others. Hope all is well with you!

#67 "Sunny Buffalo"? What is the world coming to, Bonnie. Next thing ya know I'll be sending greetings from sunny Cleveland. *looks out window* *Mmmmm, beautiful sunrise* OMG, it must be the apocolypse! Eeeeeeek!

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But first I must get my yoga time in, so the apocolypse will have to wait. Have a good day or evening wherever you're nestled in this big world :0)

woot! Glad to hear that mom is going to have a diving break soon.. which means you will have a break as well. Such a wait for the ophthalmologist! sheesh! Hope things go well with that..

I am enjoying a long spate of fluff... I have needed it. I have read plenty of non fluff in the past..
in fact, I see quite a few books I read long ago getting attention from some others, now. I will get back
to some heavier stuff. But only when it will be a pleasure and not a chore. Hooray for fluff! Hope you find something you like and be sure that I will support you in your fluffy May, should you deide to go there :)

Lynda - I'm glad to see you are taking full advantage of your new computer! Yoga? My kids laugh invariably at the complete inflexibility of limb of their less fierce parent. A few tips on improving flexibility?

Hey - fluff has its place. I think it's entirely therapeutic. It's good to hear that you're going to get a bit of a break from all the driving.

Things are great with me, thanks! And as for having time to visit other people's threads, well, certainly don't worry about visiting mine - I'm happy to come and visit you instead.

Disney was great, a week there should be covered under health insurance

You are absolutely right! Let me know if you find a carrier that has this coverage! :-)

#69 I'm already thinking about the fluffy books I have on my shelves, Kath and I think I will have no problems filling up the month with them. Thanks for your support.

#70 I was pretty stiff when I started yoga, Paul and I did overdue it at the beginning with resulting visits to my doctor. I've learned to take it slow, don't force a stretch and do at least 15 minutes a day to keep limber. Doing it while my family sleeps assures me I will not hear snickers.

#71 Good Dejah, my door is always open. But by now you know I did visit your thread and left with many a wishlisted item. Yours is a very dangerous thread, but I like it!

#72 Hi Cheli! I think my chances of finding a carrier for my Disney Health plan are unlikely but if I can convince a politician to consider LyndaCare perhaps it has a chance :}
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Ok now a short review to catch up abit before I forget what I've read................

#24-2012
Tibet: Through the Red Box

Peter Sis
1998
about 60 pages
4.5/5

I read it now because..........................I recently read The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtin and enjoyed it so much I picked up this earlier book by Sis which Pat (phebj) had mentioned.

Book Blurb......................As a young boy, Peter's father was lost helping to build a road between China and Tibet. Fortunately, his father made detailed notes of his travels which he kept in a red box. So Sis takes what he has learned about Tibet through the red box and used it to write and illustrate a beautful account of his father's months in the Himalayas. It is a loving tribute to his father and a learning experience for every reader who is fortunate enough to be led to this book.

Would I recommend.......Yes, certainly. I enjoyed The Wall very much and found Tibet to be even better.

I think it will be fun to watch your fluff as you make your way through May.
I look forward to it :)

Lynda - I do indeed know that you visited my thread - thank you! And as for being dangerous, your review finally convinced me to request Tibet: Through the Red Box. Thanks for that, too!

Lynda, I'm so glad you enjoyed Tibet: Through the Red Box. And Dejah I hope you do too.

Hmmm, Peter Sis is a new name for me; something to check out!

I'm hoping you'll render a favorable verdict on Toby Lester's new book, Da Vinci's Ghost. His first effort, The Fourth Part of the World was EASILY one of the best books I read back in 2010; he is brilliant at taking complex concepts and expressing them simply yet elegantly.

I really loved Tibet: Through the Red Box and I'm glad you (and so many others!) did, as well. I have The Conference of the Birds sitting on my bedside table and I hope it's as good.

#75 I'm working on it, Kath. I'm realizing I don't accumulate a lot of fluff. Something I should rectify in the future, too much serious stuff, but I may pull out the Donna Leon's or Tony Hillerman's. Good light mysteries.

#76 I hope you enjoy, Tibet: Through the Red Box, Dejah! It's a quick read so it won't tie you down for long.

#77 Thank you Pat, for recommending it! I've discovered our tastes are pretty similar so I'm safe to assume if you liked a book, I'll like it too.

#78 I'm not sure if Graphic Novel's are your cup of tea, Suzanne, but Sis is definately worth a try.
I just finished DaVinci's Ghost and Lester does an excellent job in not only discussing Da Vinci but his peers during the renaissance and how much art owes to the vitruvian man.

#79 Well there's a new one for me, Ellen, The Conference of the Birds. My library does not carry it however so I'll need to check the library in the neighboring county.

#25-2012
Lifeboat No. 8: An Untold Tale of Love, Loss, and Surviving the Titanic

Kindle Single
Elizabeth Kaye
2012
3.5/5

I read it now because.............................April TIOLI Challenge #4 Read a book about the Titanic (or a book by or about someone on the Titanic)

Book Blurb................................No matter how many times this story is retold I discover something new and tragic about this fated ship and the passengers who survived or succumbed. This Kindle Single is no exception and takes the Titanic story on a different path, for interwoven with the story we all know so well is the story and back story of the passengers of Lifeboat No. 8. I think why we continue to read about, talk about and watch movies about the Titanic is to remind ourselves that we are only human and we have our limitations, we cannot take for granted that we are capable of building the indestructible and whether we are first class or steerage we all bleed, love and lose.

Would I recommend..................Although it is a good and well told story, many people may not be interested in having this story rehashed but for those who do or know little about the tragedy I would certainly recommend this short and inexpensive read.

Another nonfluffy book for you, Lynda. Are you saving them up for May? I don't have much patience for light books. I mainly read dark and darker. And yes, Everyman would fit into the darker category. From the pre-LT archives: "Another book about death...sketchy and depressing." I gave it 2.5 stars. I guess I didn't like it as much as you did.

I plan to watch the Julian Fellowes miniseries on the Titanic and pass up on any Titanic books. Enough is enough. Hmmm...maybe I will need a fluffy book suggestion after all.

#82 pass up on any Titanic books. Enough is enough.
Funny you should say that Donna because the Kindle Deal of the day was the book version of the movie of the Titanic that I grew up with and have always loved to watch A Night to Remember. For a buck ninety nine I was tempted but like you, thought, no, enough is enough.
Well, actually my son and I watched the Discovery dvd last night Titanic 100th anniversary edition and it was well produced and informative. It still amazes me how something so ginormous and hyped up could disappear beneath the waves in about 2 hours.
What also striked my son was the calm and dignity of the people about to lose their lives.

Yeah it's Saturday. A rainy day predicted here but I've no time to enjoy it with a book.
First a memorial mass for my dear friends grandmother who recently passed and then
Will's invited 5 boys over for his birthday and we'll take them to play laser tag then back here for cake , pizza and video games. I hope they all show up or guess who'll be donning a laser vest. :0}

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

I add fluff to nook and kindle... that way, it doesn't take up room on the shelves..
and there is some really nice fluff out there for free! I rarely pay for it. Lately though..
I got sucked into that series and bought several of them..2.99 each :P

I have to catch up with my vine books.....starting today, most likely. ran out of
books in that series ..lol, thank goodness!

It sounds as though you have a busy day - I hope, overall, it's a pleasant one!

I'm doing a quick flyby of my own thread so I can read abit before the guys wake up so..............

#84 AAAAAAACK! Kath, You've presented a lot of danger without the use of one printed blue word!!
I didn't know about the free reads on Kindle. Then after you mentioned it I closely looked at the screen and noticed "free books". Clicking on that brought me to a new universe. Certainly, there is some fluff to be found there but the non-fluff looks good too. I will return to that universe often.

Speaking of Kindle there are some great "world reads" in today's Kindle Deal of the Day. I bought Fatal Tango but they all sound good.

#85 I'm glad I went to the memorial service, Dejah. I didn't know grandma but her family is so nice I can only imagine what kind of person she was to have raised them. She was 97!
Then the rest of the day was pure fun. One kid couldn't make it so the Laser guy says I need to play 'cause it's best to have equal number of teams. So glad I did, It was a blast!

-----------
I watched Titanic last night. This is a new one with input from DA's Julian Fellowes. They showed 3 parts last night and the final is tonight. It's pretty much the same story but the presentation is well done and the acting is strong enough to allow you to care what happens to the passengers.

OK I'm off to get in a little reading. May you all have a wonderful day!

Lynda.. if you subscribe to some of the kindle pages on FB ...
there are a lot of freebies and very inexpensive books to be had.
Since I have nook and a kindle app... I am in serious peril of book loading some days!

I've been watching that version of the Titanic story as well, looking forward to the last episode. I think they have done a good job.

Hope you manage to get some good reading in today and that you have a wonderful Sunday.

Morning Lynda- How's life at the Tipping Tower? No avalanches, I hope. I have to see if my library has Tibet: Through the Red Box. I really want to get to more Sis.
Enjoy your day!
Hey, I checked my library has both "Tibet" and "Tree of Life". Yah!

Hi Lynda. Just swinging by to see how things are going. I, for one, am avoiding all things Titanic. Probably a bit rigid, but it's how I cope with overwhelming cultural fads.

I'm just dropping by to say Hi, Lynda. Like Ellen above, I am avoiding all things Titanic right now as well. I think I have overdosed in recent years!

#87 Oh no you don't, you ebook temptresss you! As much as I like free, I have way too many dead tree books yelling out to me, Kath. I'll only download the free sparingly.

#88 I watched the final episode Sunday night, calm. I enjoyed the personal stories, especially that of Paulo and the maid to the second class passengers. Casting did an outstanding job.

#89 Tree of Life? What is this Tree of Life of which you speak, Mark? Is it a GN? Is it the same Tree of Life as the Brad Pitt movie?

#90 Hi Ellen and Judy. I completely understand your avoidance. I certainly have had enough Titantic to sustain me for another 100 years.

----------------

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. It is 2:03 am and I am posting. I was in a good sleep then a thought wakes me up and I stare at a dark ceiling for 30 minutes till I can't take it any more and I softly pad downstairs to see what's up on LT.

I've found some good fluff for my "Fluffy May" and I've pulled them aside to see what will best fit in TIOLI etc.

I've finished The Moon is Down so all I have on my plate for the rest of april is Jane Eyre.

Oh! Poor Mrs. Landingham .
I completed the second season of West Wing, and if you've seen it you know what I mean.
What an extremely excellent show. I highly recommend it.

OK, I'm going upstairs now and try to fall asleep with thoughts of LT in my head. Nighty Night!

OK, delurking to say that I LOVE West Wing! It is one of the few shows that I own every season of and have not tired of watching through the years. Especially the earliest seasons.

Hi, Lynda. I have been following your thread since you did such a great job hosting the Steinbeck thread.

*edited because I spelled your name wrong - sorry.

Well, remember, you can always put the freebies in the cloud :)
I choose somewhat sparingly.. many days I take none.. sometimes I take 2-3
I am still preparing for the WWBF ... cause ya just never know.

I admit to getting stung following a series.. but it was so much fun.. and the
books were 180 pages ( too short) and I read 7 of them .. ( got 2 free )

I would be happy to give you the FB links :)

Hi Lynda. I think the Tree of Life Mark's referring to is a graphic book by Peter Sis?

*waving* at Lynda

Hi there Lynda, I opted for an ER book on the Titanic which was quite good. And I watched the ABC Titanic movie so I'm good as far as Titanic goes.

Lynda- Sorry, like Heather mentioned, Tree of Life is another Sis bio on Darwin. Nothing to do with the Pitt film. Wow, that was an interesting but very strange movie and beautifully filmed.

#93 Hi Crazymamie, so glad you've delurked and enjoyed TWoOD thread. I enjoyed hosting and I hope to do so again sometime. West Wing is definately one of the few series I would buy. The acting is phenomenal. Beside that, the show opened myii eyes to the way our government is run and I look at it a little bit differently now.

#94 Hey Kath, sure, I would appreciate those FB links. I always keep the door open for "free".

#95 Thanks Heather, I couldn't find it at first in my library's catelog, I didn't know about the Charles Darwin part.

#96 Waving back, Stasia!! Enjoy your break and wish you continued success in the next batch of courses.

#97 High fives, Bonnie. The ABC production was good television, don't ya think?

#98 I've never seen the Pitt movie, Mark. Looks like I'll be taking a trip to Redbox.

Following is one of two reviews I need to write.

BTW: In reading Jane Eyre it brought to mind something which always irked me. Why in classic literature rather than name a person or place they would sometimes just write L........ or Mr. B...... and not just give the actual name of a city or person. Anyone know the answer to this prying question?

#26-2012
Da Vinci's Ghost

Toby Lester
Audio
4.25/5

I read it now because..........................I enjoy the arts and was intrigued by the title

Book Blurb...............................I found the audio version of this book to be an incredibly concise work of Italian Renaissance culture. Certainly a large portion of this book is devoted to Leonardo Da Vinci but Lester also touches upon his peers whether they are in art, architecture, philosophy or religion. There really is no question as to how much Da Vinci brought to the world of art and though he found unconventional methods to find the answers to his questions his discoveries changed the way artists viewed the human body forever.

Would I recommend........................Although the audio version was mesmerizing I plan on following it up with the book version. Hopefully, there are illustrations and pictures of the works of art and artists discussed. Highly recommended for those who enjoy this subject.

https://www.facebook.com/KotC4Me

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1000677541

https://www.facebook.com/PixelofInk

https://www.facebook.com/KindleNation

are a few...

Thanks, Kath!

http://ereadernewstoday.com/free-kindle-books-7-free-books-for-4-18-12/6712831/

https://www.facebook.com/BookBub

Hi Lynda, sorry for not having posted in a while. Slowly catching up on threads again.

Isn't 3 am the classical time for waking up at night, when you're really stressed?
So a fluff month is a good idea (additionally to the yoga). I am already looking forward to your recommendations. :)

I find the Titanic story fascinating, but I tend to get too emotional about the fates of the people. There has been great coverage here as well, but I only watched 2 documentations and avoided the movies.

#99 "In reading Jane Eyre it brought to mind something which always irked me. Why in classic literature rather than name a person or place they would sometimes just write L........ or Mr. B...... and not just give the actual name of a city or person. Anyone know the answer to this prying question?"

I don't think it's a prying question, it's a good question! I think it was to create the illusion that the book was written about real people and places and that the author had had to leave the names blank to protect their privacy. I've also seen some suggestions that it was to avoid accusations of inaccuracy if the author did mention a specific place or person and got some of the details wrong. Perhaps particularly with Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte wanted to be vague about where somewhere like Lowood School was because of the descriptions she gave about conditions there?

#100 Da Vinci's Ghost sounds really interesting. I seem to add non-fiction books to my wishlist and my shelves far faster than I read them...

#103 so, I liked all of them except Kindle Deal of the Day, which I already get. We'll see what happens.

#104 waking up any time before 5:30 am really bugs me, Nathalie. I'd turn the light on to read a bit but I know the spousal unit (term borrowed from Heather) woulod go nuts. So I wander downstairs in the dark and hope I don't step on a cat.
I've got my possible fluffs together and perhaps I'll post them tomorrow.
I so love beginning the day with yoga. I position my mat toward the east and watch the sun rise. It's very uplifting.

#105 Your explanation makes a lot of sense, Heather. I'll go with that idea.
Da Vinci would have floundered on my shelf too but the audio version works perfectly for driving my mom to her treatments. I'm listening to Queen Noor's memoir now and it's another enjoyable audio.

So, sleepy so I'm grabbing Jane Eyre and heading upstairs to bed. Good night all.

#100: Thanks for the recommendation of Da Vinci's Ghost, Lynda. I will have to look and see if my local library has a copy of that one.

#107 I'm so glad I can finally reciprocate, Stasia!!

------------------------
Alrighty I've chosen some books for what I'm calling....wait for it.........The Merry Merry Fluff of May!

I apologize to anyone who may find these not so fluffy but compared to what I normally read, they are. Here goes...............BTW: I've got a TIOLI challenge in mind for May and some of these will fit that challenge AND Mark has his Murder and Mayhem May so these apply to that as well.

Mommywood Tori Spelling
Shopaholic & Sister Sophie Kinsella
Doctored Evidence Donna Leon
The Kalahari Typing School for Men Alexander McCall Smith
Blue Shoes and Happiness Alexander McCall Smith
The Gamma Girls of Chagrin Falls Janet Kuivila
The Gamma Girlls of Chagrin Falls:Lillie, Rose and Irisa Janet Kuivila
The Inn at Lake Devine Elinor Lipman
perhaps one Tony Hillerman

and also need to continue with Jane Eyre if not finished and my next 12 in 12 chunkster read...........The Portrait of a Lady

Hi Lynda. The Merry Merry Fluff of May sounds like a good plan. I sometimes get weeks (or months) where I just don't seem to have the brain to engage in more strenous reading and end up doing some comfort reading instead. I've felt a bit like that this week but I've got time off work over the next couple of weeks so hopefully I will recharge. The Alexander McCall Smith books are definitely on my comfort reading list :-)

Well, it only matters if you think they are fluffy for you, so... have at them!
All of these mentions of Hillerman are making me miss his books :)
But, I think I am going to pursue tymfos series first.

Happy dance! 60th hyperbaric dive today and then 2 wks off!
Even though there may be more dive's at least doc is pleased with progress and mom will get a much needed rest.
Woo hoo!

Yay for the break from the hyperbaric treatments! And it's great that the doctor is happy with her progress. You deserve a Daughter of the Year Award.

Great news about your Mom, Lynda. I just might be in the mood for some fluff next month so I'll be on the lookout for your TIOLI challenge. Of course I am always ready for the Murder and Mayhem! I love the name Merry, Merry Fluff of May.

Lynda - interesting new fluffy genre. Donna Leon's Brunetti series is a fairly light and enjoyable read with as much mastication as mayhem and I read those fairly soon as I get hold of em. How about Camilleri and the Montalbano series - they are Brunetti with a tad more ingenuity and heaps more humour.
Have a nice weekend plotting your reads.

So is your planned challenge a fluff challenge? I do hope so!! I'd love to see us all prod Darryl into reading fluff.... I had been toying with the idea of a chick lit challenge for a while, but a fluff challenge is a far better moniker!!!

#112 Thanks Pat, but all I really deserve is two weeks of wearing my jammies till 10am ! :0)

#113 Nope Judy, you won't find my TIOLI challenge to have anything to do with my Merry, Merry Fluff of May Month but I hope you still join me in reading some lightweight material. However, some of the books I have chosen as fluff will also fit the TIOLI challenge I have in mind. Mmmm, bet you're wondering what that challenge might be, huh?

#114 Paul, I've collected bout 5 or 6 Leon's but have only read one thus far so I'm looking forward to reading her in May. I've heard many good things about Montalbano but have yet to read one. I'll put Camillleri on my list of authors to look for at the semi-annual library book sale next month.

#115 Sorry, Suz. My intended challenge for May will not be a fluff challenge. So if you want to do one or Chick Lit challenge, go for it. I do think I'll make The Merry, Merry Fluff of May an annual event similar to Mark's Murder and Mayhem. It seems I don't make time for fluff because I feel guilty reading them when there are so many more books which offer something mental stimulation. But this year my brain is fried and needs a much deserved break.

Not much going on here today, cloudy and cold day. So a great time to catch up on laundry and clean a little portion of the basement.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!!!!

Nice to see that someone is encouraged when reading fluff!
You go :) and I hope you enjoy every word :) I approve of a yearly event!

I am glad to know that you have a driving break, heaven knows you deserve it.

#27-2012
The Moon is Down

John Steinbeck
1942
112 pages
5/5

I read it now because.......................April Steinbeckathon selection

Book Blurb........................Imagine your peaceful little coal mining town were to be entered and controlled from sea by enemy invaders. Imagine they were aided in their endeavor by the betrayal of one of your own townsmen. Would you succumb easily, put up a fight immediately or just simmer and wait for the proper time to counterattack.
Imagine you are the conqueror trapped in an alien land for an extended period of time without friends nor family and hated by the community you now control. You live a life of isolation. You are the conqueror yet you have nothing. Your every move is scrutinized as the residents wait and whisper in silence.
Steinbeck examines both sides of conflict in this wonderfully thought provoking novel. The situation can be used to describe any war, any country at anytime. Here is another reason why I find Steinbeck to be such a timeless author. At the core, humans are the same everywhere and throughout history their inner humanness remains the same. If we can apply Steinbeck's keen eye into the lives of fictional characters to ourselves perhaps we can learn something about what is within us and ultimately become more civilized human beings.

Would I recommend.......................Highly!

#117 Hey Kath! My mom has three dr's appointments next week but they're scheduled for a little later in the day so I don't need to rush around like a mouse on a treadmill.

I think it'll be a lazy kind of day today with some reading, tv whatever, but at least I'm staying home. After days of 70+ temps todays 40's feel like subzero and snow may be in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Bah!

Have a happy Sunday, book buddies :0)

They are forecasting snow for tomorrow here in Toronto! :-(

Morning Lynda- It looks like we are going head to head in May, huh? Game time? Actually, I'm sure there are plenty of mystery books that qualify as fluff (of course I don't read them), so we might have some crossover.
Enjoy your Sunday. I plan on mostly taking it easy too.

#120 Hey Cathy, I was visiting Toronto in January and there was not a snowflake in sight. I hope us Great Lake residents don't pay for a calm winter by having boughts of snow till June :0}

#121 Oh yes indeedie Mark there will be a few crossovers. In fact there are some that might crash in an intersection as I've got some that will qualify for M&M month, Fluff Month , May TIOLI challenge and my state challenge. Yikes!

Morning Lynda, nice review of The Moon is Down. It is really interesting and fun to see everyone's different reviews of the same book - just one more added benefit of the Steinbeckathon!

Great review of The Moon is Down Lynda. I just started it the other day and was thrilled to see you gave it 5 stars. I'm also thrilled it's 112 pages!

Hi Lynda!
I so agree with your assessment of The Moon is Down. Exactly how I read that one. Great review :)

Thank heavens for you and your Mom getting a break! I can't imagine how you have presevered w/o going nuts! It's been a long stretch.

Just one comment on using initials instead of names/places in classics. I read a diary written by Ron's grandfather - from about 1912. He used a lot of that - and he really didn't need to protect anyone or be secretive about what he wrote. I'm wondering if it was a convention of the day?

So, it's a day off from driving, right?
What will you do with yourself?

#123 Oh, I couldn't agree more, Mamie! Reading the Steinbeck's with others has been a great experience and I've gotten so much more out of them. And it's fun!

#124 I look forward to finding out what you think of it, Pat. Yup, 112 pages is a welcome relief!!

#125 I've checked google about the initials, Cee, but I've come up with nothing definative as yet. I suppose it's some kind of shorthand.

#126 Still driving today, Kath for it is opthamologist day. Just happy that is didn't snow last night and the appt is for 11am so no rush.

----------------
Been watching the 3rd season of West Wing or what I've been calling the Donna and Josh show. These two are so good for each other, I want them to realize that but then on the other hand maybe it's better this way. Will her diary expose her crush? Can't wait to get back to it.

Lynda, I'm so glad you enjoyed The Moon is Down. Steinbeck is quickly becoming a favorite author for me.

You're making me want to go back and watch "West Wing" all over again!!!!

I'm considering a foray into audiobooks. I've only ever listened to two. I didn't care for the version of Whose Body? that I had (it was okay, but not mesmerizing!) but I did enjoy A Study in Scarlet. Recommendations?

> 128 EBT 1002
I recently listened to my second audiobook on my new MP3 player and I would highly recommend George Orwell's 1984 read by Simon Prebble. Very nice British accent and easy to listen to. I loved it!

#128 I really don't have any recommendations regarding audiobooks, Ellen. It's really not my venue of choice, I just took advantage of the drive time I've had recently to add to my ticker. I hav found however, that non-fiction books work better for me in audio for I can not follow a story line and drive at the same time.

#129 Hi there, Cathy!
-------------

What to do, what to do..............no where to go today, so perhaps download some pics from Florida, read, of course, work on the basement, watch West Wing, etc etc. There's simply so much to do I probably will not do anything. :}

Back to bible timeline last night. we're picking up at Chronicles, Maccabbees and then zoom through the Gospels and Acts. This instructor is focusing on bible as literature, what I really wanted was bible as history. My first instructer looked more closely at the historical aspect of the bible and I enjoyed that so much more. The bible will definately need to be a reread. We've gone way too fast and skipped quite a bit but the info and background I've learned will make it much more enlightening.

Have a great Tuesday!!!

Hooray! Enjoy the nothing that must be done day!
Hope it is perfect!

still too large

ack

Lynda - nice photos even if painfully small - but clicking on em is rewarding! Betty White looks about 25 on the statue and (although you look nothing like the old mare in real life) there is a striking similarity with the un-Betty White-like statue! Belated happy birthday with your soon - was it before or after ordering dessert!?

There's simply so much to do I probably will not do anything. :}

I know that feeling. ;-) Hope you enjoy whatever you end up doing today.

And, thanks for the pictures. I love the one with you and Betty White!

Like the pictures! :)
Hope you enjoy your day of doing nothing! I love those days!

Thanks for sharing the pictures Lynda, looks like a good holiday.

Enjoy your do nothing day:)

Hey Lynda!

I love your idea of Fluff May. I have been reading a LOT of fluff this year. I think I've read the Tori Spelling book--I know that I've read 2 of her books, and enjoyed them.

I had to look up the Gamma Girls of Chagrin Falls books! They look cute! I LOVE the picture of the old Popcorn Shop on the cover, and the brick road on the other. I may have to look for those. When I was a kid, I always wanted to grow up and write children's books set in my hometown, like Maud Hart Lovelace did with the Betsy-Tacy books.

Sandy K

Lynda- Thanks for sharing the nice photos! What kind of beer were you drinking in the bottom photo? Inquiring minds.

Great photos Lynda! Looks like everyone had a great time in Florida.

#135 Hey Paul! Ya know, I can never get the size of these photos to be the size I would like them. Either eye popping large are eye chart small. My goal is to age as well as Betty! She currently appears on a sitcom which I've never even watched called "Hot in Cleveland". So she's somewhat relevant and her popularity continues.

#136 It was a nice easy breezy kind of day, Pat. Needed to refuel.

#137 Chelle, I enjoyed it very much. Watched a few episodes of The West Wing, read Jane Eyre a little bit and just practiced being lazy.

#138 Hi there, calm. Thanks for stopping by

#139 I read Tori's first book, Sandy and the second has been collecting dust so as soon as I read it on to the yard sale pile it goes. RE: The Gamma Girls, it's fun to read a book with mention of landmarks I know. In fact, we looked at a house on the red brick road when we were house shopping awhile back and don't even get me started about the popcorn shop!

#140 What kind of beer were you drinking in the bottom photo? Inquiring minds. Cold!, Very Cold!!..................otherwise I think it was just some pedestrian on tap (POT) beer.

#141 We did, Bonnie! Usually, I do not really care for Florida but going in April rather than June, July or August makes a world of difference.

------------------
So, took mom to opthamologist on Monday and cataract has worsened so I scheduled her for surgery in July for one eye, August for the other. She's going to be brand new by the time I'm finished with her.

Nother appt today = more readng time.

See ya all later!!

ETA: I would not want to compete with Mark's Mystery and Mayhem month so I'll just be posting my Merry, Merry Fluff of May reads, right here on my thread. Any and all who wish to join me and share your Fluff reads are more than welcome.

Lovely photos Lynda and congratulations to you and your mum to getting through so many of her treatments! Here's to fluff in May :-)

ETA: Missed your last post - sorry to hear your mum now needs surgery. It's just one thing after another for you at the moment :-(

Lynda - best wishes to your mum - the eyes are so sensitive aren't they? I considered laser treatment to cure my short-sightedness but I am far too squeamish.

Hi Lynda. My parents both had cataract surgery about 5 years ago and were thrilled with the results. My MiL who has mascular degeneration in one eye just had cataract surgery on her good eye. She was very concerned about operating on the good eye in case something went wrong but she also was thrilled with the results. Hope you mother is similarly happy with the surgery.

And Paul, I had the laser surgery on my eyes 12 years ago and am so glad I did. Totally painless (although quite pricey since it wasn't covered by insurance). The only thing I need glasses for now is reading but I mostly just use the cheap drugstore glasses. The funny thing is it took me literally years to stop pushing my (imaginary) glasses up my nose. Some habits die really hard.

#28-2012
Leap of Faith Memoirs of an Unexpected Life

Queen Noor
2003
Audio
3.75/5

I read it now because...............I have long admired her from afar and when I saw the audiobook it gave me the opportunity to discover more about her.

Book Blurb.................Queen Noor of Jordan aka Lisa Najeeb Halaby was born in 1951 to an Arab father and an American mother. At 26 she accompanied her father to Jordan on business where she met King Hussein of Jordan. He was smitten with her from the start and they were married shortly after their fateful meeting. As she was a very American and independent young woman she was concerned about being accepted into the Arab world. In due time, she became proficient in the language and accepted Islam as her religion. Her story is a story of love and devotion to King Hussein, his country and her children. Their life together spanned over 30 years, four presidents and numerous attempts at peace in the Middle East and I thought her unusual circumstance offered an interesting take on the politics of that time. For the most part, it seems she attempts to be non-bias and desires not to offend either her American or Arab roots.

Would I recommend................yes, if you enjoy this sort of book. For me it was not only an autobiographical memoir but a history lesson.

#143 Yeah Heather, Lately, it seems our lives are similar to a see-saw. One moment we're up, the next down.

#144 You squeemish?! I don't think so, Paul! Aren't there slimey snakes and long legged spiders where you live?

#145 Pat, Thanks for the reassuring story of your family's experience with cataract surgery. You had previously shared information about hyperbaric treatment and reassured me then as well. I really appreciate your first hand knowledge.
-----------------------
I've been reading Maccabees and I'm horrified. Better to read it now than in the fluffy month of May.

As the lease is up on my little red car at the end of May, I've been searching for a replacement. Test drove a Nissan Rogue yesterday and today a Kia Sportage. I hate car shopping, I can't help but feel I'm being hornswaggled.

Hi Lynda!
BLUE nails???? Wow!!!!
You are a cool Mom ;-)
Glad you had a great time...

I dyed a pair of shoes about that same color blue when I was in HS (for the prom).
I loved them so much, I wore them to church the next day and got an earfull from my father. Apparently in 1963, only women of questionable repute wore stuff like that.
Shoes got thrown out! :(
*sniff*

Everyone I talk to that has had cataract surgery loves the results! Best sight they have ever had! Much easier and safer than it used to be.
I'm starting to get cataracts and I am begging for the surgery. They won't do it til it gets bad.

dad was a meanie...
sorry

Lynda - I have no intention of wrestling the snakes either! Don't know I should pluck up the courage I suppose.

Pat - your story about the reflex of pushing your non-existent glasses up your nose tickled me as I do that all the time when I'm wearing contacts.

Hi Lynda - Stopping by to say hello. I hope everything goes well with your mom's eyes. Take care.

#148 LOL, I like your blue shoes story, Cee. Oh my, what would your father think of me?!
Yes, Doc said cataract needs to be "ripe" before surgery is considered.

#149 Hi Kath

#150 Hi Paul, The glasses reflex sounds like something I do when it comes to driving cars. When the shift is in the middle I go to the steering column when it's on the steering column I go to the center.

#151 Hi Kerri! Thanks for the good wishes.

---------------
I've got eight books put aside for May TIOLI, I must be crazy. I've incorporated some fluff, some mystery, some I didn't plan on getting to yet. It will be interesting to see just how many I finish. Oh well, I guess I'm an overly hopeful achiever.

Oh, I almost forgot. My local library had a urgent book sale to get rid of leftover books from previous sales before their next big one occurs next month. So I broke my book buying ban just a little bit.............

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake Aimee Bender
The Children Edith Wharton
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon Isabel Allende
The Feast of the Goat Mario Vargas Llosa

BTW: Why'd this Amy chick have to come between Josh and Donna?! Don't like it, don't like it one little bit :0(

My dunkers is getting cataracts... I am not sure what I will do..
Surgery is an option, but Doug doesn't do it.. :(
They terrify me for myownself :(
Shoes.. well, I have no interest in style, and my favorite shoes are all ..
not stylish. For instance my bright pink croc clogs.. ( newer fancier I will have you know, than the old ones )
Which I wear with anything.. almost any time.. and Halflingers.. which, my favorite ones have flowers on them. I do have a black pair for "dress up "

:)

Hope to's for May..........
Some are for Merry, Merry Fluff of May, some for Murder and Hayhem, all are for TIOLI:
The Gamma Girls of Chagrin Falls #1 Lillie and Rose TIOLI #4
The Gamma Girls of Chagrin Falls #2 Lillie, Rose and Irisa TIOLI #4
The Man in the Picture TIOLI #3
Uniform Justice TIOLI #16
The Unbearable Lightness of Being TIOLI #1
The Inn at Lake Devine TIOLI #13
The Stewart/Colbert Effect TIOLI #7
Mommywood TIOLI #3
The Kalarhari Typing School for Men TIOLI#4
Doc TIOLI #4
The Tree of Life TIOLI #4
Evil Under the Sun TIOLI #18

A little too ambitious, I know, but I'm always optimistic.

I hope your May does prove to be merry, Lynda!

Looks like we crossposted, Kath. Ooooo, poor Dunkers. How bad is it?
I have pink crocs too! with two cat jibbets. I love them for the comfort but only in the summer.
I normally wear ballet flats with jeans when I need to look more dressed up other wise it's my Asics.

#155 Thanks, Stasia. Hope you have a Merry May as well!

#157: Thanks!

The only book from your list I have ever heard of is the Kundera which I half-read over 20 years ago and should revisit soon. The copy is at my parents' though, so I can't make it a shared read for May.
Looking forward to all your reviews, I'll be needing some fluff after my own May reads. Somehow I managed so assemble a stack of unhappy books.

Happy Sunday!

Nathalie didn't do much better than you only picking out three of Lynda's list - happy reading Lynda!

Hi, Lynda. I only recognize two from your list - the Kundera and Doc, but sadly, I have read neither. Pretty sure I have a copy of the Kundera around here somewhere. Hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

Hi Lynda, the Florida pics are great. Thanks to Paul for the click pic tip! Try saying that one fast 5x in a row...I could hardly type it. ;-) I'm glad I wasn't the only one to notice the blue nails on our stylin' LT friend. If you think April in Florida is pleasant, you should try January or February. It may (or may not) be a little cool for shorts and tank tops, but it sure beats what we get in Missouri and Ohio.

I love the idea of an "urgent book sale." They're all urgent to me! I must admit to being slightly jealous of the Edith Wharton find. I've been curious about that one since she didn't have any children.

Uh, Lynda, I hate to tell you but I don't think The Unbearable Lightness of Being qualifies as fluff. I do appreciate you putting it on the TIOLI wiki, though, so I can copy and share the read.

Enjoy the two week hiatus from driving to your mother's treatments. Cataract surgery is a piece of cake. The main pain is the frequent eyedrops in the weeks after surgery.

DOC is fabulous!!!!!

I can't wait to hear what you think..

#159 lol, Somehow I managed so assemble a stack of unhappy books. That's exactly why my Fluff month is so limited, Nathalie. I really need to find some lighter reads.

#159,160,161 Nathalie, Paul and Mamie, well, I'll see what I can do to entice you to read the ones you haven't. *diabolical laughter* :}

#162 Hey Donna! I can now see the advantage of being a snowbird and winter in Florida then summer in Cleveland where summers can be extremely nice.
Blue name polish makes me happy. But it's a bugger to remove!!
The Unbearable Lightness of Being What!? not a Fluff read?! I have no idea what it's about but the sheer lightness of the title reminds me of feathers falling to the ground. Oh well, in my lunacy of choosing twelve TIOLI reads I probably won't finish it in May anyway.

#164 I know, Kath. I bought it after I read your review and I can't wait to read it. But I will repeat.....in my lunacy of choosing twelve TIOLI reads I probably won't finish it in May anyway.

------------------------
I've only 40% of Jane Eyre to go. I'll surely be burning the midnight oil to finish this one.
It doesn't seem so dark and gloomy as it did when I first read it when I was 17 Oh God, was I ever 17?! I think maturity has me seeing this novel with new eyes

Another hyperbaric free week!! A dr.'s appt awaits me today and I hope to clean the second floor of my house. What happened to Sunday?! I intended to do it yesterday.

Have a good day, fellow readers!! :0)

ETA: Oh yeah! Finished season three of West Wing last night. Simonnnnnnn! CJ!!!!!!!! shocking and sad.

If you need some fluffy suggestions... go to my thread and look! LOL
I have been finding a lot of fluffy and good reads. I doubly enjoy it when
I know that the author is unknown and I am finding a hidden treasure, and
having fun doing it. I am especially thrilled with theh Terri Reid books.. and watching for a new one.

Have you read ( years ago now. ) Birth House by Ami McKay? if not.. you should. I absolutely
love that book, I plan to read it again this year. Ami has another book on its way out.. The Virgin Cure
which I am getting tomorrow ( ARC) so my reading is pretty well planned out for the next week or two..
much of it light :)

As for blue nail polish.. I say YOU GO GIRL!

Lynda, thanks for sharing the pics from Florida. My old stomping grounds.....
I'm hoping that I get Doc from the library this month so I can join you in that group read. I love finding books that fit LT 75ers' names and I'm glad you found one using Darryl's username.

I thought Doc was terrific (echoing Kath), so I hope you like it, Lynda!

DOC GR? That should be fun.. you should check out MDRs blog :)

#29 -2012
The Gamma Girls of Chagrin Falls: Lillie and Rose

Janet Kuivila
2004
140 pages
3/5

I read it now for………………….The Merry,Merry Fluff of May and TIOLI #4

Book Blurb………………Easy, breezy read basically directed to early middle schoolers. Lillie is unexpectedly uprooted from her home in Oregon and, with her family, moves to a semi-rural town called Chagrin Falls in Ohio. She soon discovers a new friend named Rose and together they explore their town and meet the many types of students which attend school with them. With a good friend it’s easy to overcome obstacles like the class bully, the ubiquitous cliques and simply being the new kid. I especially enjoyed this story because the majority of it takes place in a quaint village which I have known, loved and visited for years and rediscovering the local landmarks along with Lillie.

Would I recommend………………….I would but most likely to young children everywhere who struggle with not fitting in and people who live in the area.

#165 The trouble is, Kath, as much as I would like to add more fluff to my Kindle etc, I have so many books on the shelves to read I would feel guilty adding more...... even electronicly. But thanks for the idea.

#166 It would be great to have you join me on Doc, Ellen. I'll start it sooner now that I know you'll be reading as well.

#167 I have a feeling I will, Stasia. Doc's quite a character.

#168 Doc GR! Yes, the more the merrier!!
------------------

Help me!!! Kia Optima, Kia Soul or Chevy Equinox. I like them all for different reasons. Now, I'm so undecided!

Nothing much doing today, just a regular Tuesday :0)

Yep... that looks nicely fun and fluffy.. well done!
Guild is non productive... what about your kindle cloud :)

I don't know about the other two... but my son Craig has a Kia Soul and
he really loves it. I actually accosted someone in Aldi's parking lot who had one, and asked him if I could look at his. ( Craig lives away .. lol) The young man was very nice and showed me the inside and said that his family had had it for 6 months and loved it. ( poor guy.. probably thought I was a nut. Maybe he was right. )

Hope you have a great day Lynda.

No help on the Kia Optima, Kia Soul or Chevy Equinox ... I guess they are cars but that is as much as I know about them:)

Whew. I just realized that I had suspended my hold on Doc. I just reactivated it, and I'm #4 in the queue for 35 copies, so I should get it in the next few days.

Hey Lynda - Sorry I haven't visited your thread in a while, but I do believe I'm caught up!

I'm glad to hear you're getting a bit of a break on the driving - I know that must have been wearing.

I hope Fluffy May is going well for you - I'm a fan of fluff, too!

Lynda, delurking to say hi. Hi!

Hi Lynda, whew, how did I get so far behind? Anyway, fluff is not for me. I just can't get myself to pick up those kind of books. Don't know why. Doc is not fluff and I will join the chorus of those who loved it. Do read that ASAP.

Hi Lynda. Have you made your car decision yet? Knowing nothing about your three choices, I can't help thinking it would be cool to have a Soul(mate) for a car, especially since you spend so much time driving. Just saying. Let us know what you decide.

I was disappointed not to find Doc at the recent local book sale. I'll check again in Kansas City next month. I'm pretty sure that's one I'll want to own. My DIL is from Dodge City so I know she'll want to read it as well.

No car yet?
Good to be patient!

Hey Kath, calm, Ellen, Dejah, Mamie, Bonnie and Donna! I've been so busy. First off - at least one more week w/o hyperbaric. Doc's pretty pleased with the progress. I think it's still a long way to go, plus another wound was found on the bottom of her foot. Mom's so disgruntled, to say the least.

No decision on cars. Will checked them out and also likes the Soul, my husband, a retired police officer wants something heavier. Optima's off the list, too similar to what I have now.
But I'm thinking to break this deadlock I would like to look at the S_____ Outback. (he he, a little Charlotte Bronte devise there).

Come to mention it, I've finished Jane Eyre, loved it more than the first time, and The Man in the Picture. Thoughts coming, on both, soon.

Off to the big book sale in the adjoining town. I'm not buying much, just focusing on a few authors.

Sorry I haven't gone visiting, I'll be back on track next week.

Have a wonderful cinco de mayo, everybody :0)

Lynda- You have a great Cinco de Mayo too! And good luck at the book sale!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to you, too! I'm looking forward to hearing about your book sale haul!

Ok, Mark and Dejah, here's the haul.............

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn hard to believe but I've never read this one.
Blackberry Wine love Joanne Harris and hope it's as good as Chocolat
Cassandra & Jane The Austen sisters.
Consider This, Senora Love, Love, Love this story. Gave my copy away many years ago and now I can enjoy it again.
Sacred Hearts hope I like this Sarah Dunant as much as her others
Mistress of the Art of Death You've all read it, I've got to see what this one's about.
A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson writes so nicely
Speak I'm not sure but I may already have this one, but it's a nice copy
Runaway I remember people were talking about this one awhile ago.
The House of Spirits I think my fifth or sixth Allende
Freedom a biggie and people seem to like it or not
Bon Voyage, Mr. President a little itty bitty book by one of my favorite authors, Gabriel Garcia Marques
The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the theory of everything some brain food.

From the free to good home table I grabbed the Star Trek movie poster of Contact and a new comic book on the Avengers (did you know many of the shots were filmed in Downtown Cleveland). I earned my good mommy points for those two.

Since it was bag day this all cost me a whopping $4.00, I gave 5 and told them to keep the change.

Oh happy day, picked weeds all afternoon, took a walk, now it's a bottle of Chardonnay that our neighbors brought a case of and just handed a bottle to us. Now going to settle in on the deck and wait for the Super Moon to rise. Night all.

Yikes! Me thinks I talk too much.

nice haul of books!

Too hot to pull weeds..

When Kim had that gaping wound.. ( srsly.. it was bad) they told her to eat a lot of protein.
Did they tell mom that?

Nope... you never ralk too much...

That's a really great haul, Lynda. I'm salivating just reading it. I am going to read Mistress in the Art of Death this month. I have also not read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but really need to get to it. I read the sample version on Kindle this past summer and fell in love with the writing, but got distracted and never picked it up from the library. Thanks for the reminder. Enjoy your evening.

I agree - excellent haul! I'm another who has read neither A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or Mistress in the Art of Death. Soon....

Hi Lynda!
Too long away from here - but here I am now :)
Sorry - I know nothing about the three cars above... however, I have had two S____ Outbacks! Great workhorses - styles finally getting better.

Love the book haul and the price. *I'm turning pretty shades of green*

Super moon is cool! Even w/o the chardonnay ;-)

Cee - Green is such a lovely color on you!

Lynda- Very nice book haul. Sorry about the weeds. It looks like a bunch of us haven't read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Do I foresee a Group Read in the future? Hmmmmm...

It's a glorious moon, isn't it? Way too many bugs around here to sit outside and enjoy it. I'm sore from yard work and still a little buzzed from margaritas at dinner. Happy Cinco de Mayo, Lynda.

I don't dare go to a library sale. Not until I have done some serious de-accessioning around here. I'm sure the floorboards are buckling.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is fab. I read it first when I was 15 or 16, and loved it; a multiple re-read. Now, of course, I get a constant flow of queries, "so does a tree really grow in Brooklyn?" sigh, sometimes people are dismayingly predictable.

Great book haul Lynda. Hope you are having a great weekend.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of my favorites when I was a girl...
I found a copy recently, but have yet to reread. All I remember about the story, to
be honest with you, is that it transported me, and made me feel less alone.

Ok, I've been visiting a little bit, if I haven't knocked on your day lately, I'll be around soon.

#183 Yes! Protein is very beneficial, Kath! It speeds up the healing process. So lots of milk, eggs, yogurt etc.

#184 Here's a tissue, Mamie! I salivate just driving to a booksale, so I know what you mean.

#185 What?! I thought everyone has read ATGiB. I don't feel so bad now Dejah.

#186 Hey Cee, thanks for the Outback info. I do like the new style. It looks so rugged yet so everydayish, if you know what I mean. Hope by now, the green has faded to your regular hue.

#187 Mamie, I'm lol!

#188 Hey Mark, GR ATGiB? what I great idea. Now that I have some experience in hosting a GR I would love to do it. Would anyone be up to it later this year or is everyone's calendar full at this point?

#189 I didn't stay out late last night for it got too chilly too soon. But I stayed out to watch it rise and then peeked out every so often. Beautiful sight but it didn't seem as super as I had thought it would be.

#190 Not until I have done some serious de-accessioning around here.
That was my thought too, Suzanne. So I kept my buying frenzy to a minimum.

#191 I am having a great weekend, calm. Hope you are too. Is it warming up there?

#192 is that it transported me, and made me feel less alone.
Yes, yes, yes, Kath! for me the sign of a truly good book. I'm so looking forward to reading this one!

More weeds await me today. But the nice warm breeze feels wonderful. Remember, I'm a warm weather lover and I absorb all I can to get me through the winter months.

So whether you're weeding, napping, reading, working or simply breathing have a wonderful day everyone!!!

I think a GR of ATGiB is a great idea! I would be up for it whenever - I am very flexible (um, not literally, although I do still bend in the middle and at the knees). If we do it later in the year I might actually be able to unearth my own copy that I think is boxed out in the pole barn. DO I actually own a copy, or did I just dream that? Well, we'll find out when I get settled in Georgia, as I am determined to go through all of my books and get them logged in so that I actually know what I have. It will be like Christmas because I really will be surprised to see what I have. I really have no idea, just a vague recollection.

A group read sounds good to me, too. Like Mamie, I'm flexible.

I also read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as a teenager after seeing the move and, although I don't remember much, I do remember that I loved it. I would definitely join a group read but, please, not this month!!

Lynda- I would be up for a G.R, especially one I don't have to host. Snicker, snicker. I'm planning on doing 1Q84 in October and that's a big 'un.

I'm always up for a reread of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I have my mother's copy of her favorite book...and I've read it several times, but it has been awhile. I forgot to comment on your most excellent book haul...must have been the moonshine that went to my head!

Hi Lynda, I'd be up for a GR of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I've never read it and it certainly gets alot of love from LTers.

I was also a little disappointed in the super moon. It did seem brighter but I was expecting it to be bigger.

Hope your Mom can be through with the hyperbaric treatments soon and that you love whatever car you end up getting.

Nice thirteen book haul Lynda - I'm sure lucky for you!

Hi everyone, I'll be back to respond to your comments later today but at 2:52 am I think I'll just post a review then back to bed for more zzzzzzzz's.

BTW: hope my review is coherent

#30-2012
Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte
1847
608 pages
5/5

I read it now for...........................12 in '12 challenge, May TIOLI Challenge #4 Read a book derived from a 75er's username (weejane)

Book Blurb....................."Reader, I married him." Probably, one of the most familiar lines in literature and What?! You don't know who Jane Eyre chose to marry?! Or it's been so long since you've read this lengthy novel that you've forgotten?! Well, this plain governess had two choices; her employer, Edward Rochester or the missionary, St. John Rivers. How Jane got this far at all is in itself a story, for she was an orphan, unloved and unwanted by here guardian and sent to a boarding school which offered her just enough to survive and become educated enough to qualify her as a teacher and governess. When her beloved mentor leaves the boarding school to marry, Jane knows she must leave and make her own way in her lonely world.
Charlotte Bronte not only fills this novel with well drawn characters and loads of atmosphere but also shares the desires of Jane, a poor, unfortunate waif, so that many a young reader as well as older readers will find touching, often times heartbreaking but most of all the knowledge that anything is attainable with the love of a true soul mate.

Would I recommend....................Reader, read this book! I enjoyed this book when first read thirty-five years ago but to read it again, with mature eyes, was even more of a delight.

Thanks for your recommendation. I have never read the book but have seen many different movie / tv versions. I will move it up the TBR list!

Wonderful review! I grew into loving this book during my second read and will revisit it soon. I am still not sure what makes her chosen one so attractive for us women.

#194 Mamie! You're so funny! It's nice to see that despite your busyness you have retained your sense of humor.

#195 Excellent, Dejah!!

#196 re-readers are more than welcome, Cathy and it will definately not be this month!!

#197 I would never think of doing it during a big read month, Mark, so certainly not this month nor October!

#198 Alright, Donna!!! another re-reader!! I look forward to going to Brooklyn with you.

#199 Yeah Pat! Looks like we'll need a Suburban for our roadtrip. The more the merrier!
I've seen some wonderful pictures of Super Moon but in no way did my Super Dud Moon look like that.

#200 Ok Mr. Numberguy! Why'd ya have to bring up 13 books?! I hadn't even noticed. Any way age 13 was a pretty lucky year for me so it doesn't bothe me (much).

#203 Guess what, Cathy, I picked up a copy of the movie version starring Orson Welles from the library. Today will be a great day to watch it, dark and stormy!

#204 I am still not sure what makes her chosen one so attractive for us women. I'm not sure either, Nathalie! Perhaps it is because the reader can sense, by the intensity of his gaze, how much her chosen one loves her.

-----------------

I'm really excited!! It looks like we've got a great group of interested Group Readers!!!
I'm almost as flexible as Mamie and Dejah, the only thing I know I've got scheduled to read are books from the Steinbeckathon. Since one of his shortest books falls in August I thought it would be the perfect time to schedule ATGiB. So my question to all those interested is how does August look to you?

2:55 am? how can you post at such an ungodly hour?!?!!?
And I am pretty sure that you are not sleeping in.. *shakes head *
nap today, I hope?

August works for me. Love your review of Jane Eyre - you set it up perfectly without giving anything away. I read that book for the first time last year and loved it, and my two oldest daughters read it this year for a Women Writers class that they are taking and also loved it.

#206 No Kath, I did not nor could not sleep in as I needed to pack a lunch for Will and get him out the door on a timely basis. We're off to see The Avengers now so I hope I don't begin snoring 5 minutes into it.

#207 Great Mamie, happy to have you aboard! I'm so glad my review did the story justice w/o spoiling it for anybody. I bet you and your girls enjoyed discussing the story.

#31-2012
The Man in the Picture

Susan Hill
2007
145 pages
2.75/5

I read this story now for.................TIOLI challenge #3 Read a book which has the National Merit Scholarship Program acronym letters - NMSP - within its title + author's name and Murder and Mayhem month AND BOMBS.

Book Blurb..................Simply an outstanding, intriguing, mesmerizing tale of jealousy and revenge until the last two chapters. How such a terrific story can, in the end, become so similar to 1983's The Woman in Black is beyond me. Perhaps it was a deadline ending, perhaps it was an I don't know where else to go with this story ending, perhaps it was an I have something better to do ending, but whatever the reason the story was cheated out of something that could have been more original and fulfilling.

Would I recommend........................If you've read The Woman in Black, don't waste your time on this one. If you haven't read The Woman in Black, do so and forget The Man in the Picture.

Lynda, not only have I not read ATGiB, I'm not sure I'd really heard of it before either... So add me as another person interested in a group read! August would be fine with me.

#202 "Reader, read this book!" Yay! So glad you enjoyed it :-)

>202 Carmenere:

I like how you found a way to review a much written about book! Jane Eyre is one of my favorites.

So, did you like the Avengers?

I'm also curious how you liked The Avengers. It certainly has been getting alot of press.

And August is good for me for the GR of ATGiB.

I didn't read Jane Eyre until last year and can't believe I waited that long. I loved it.

Glad you're still recommending Jane Eyre. I think it's a magnificent novel.

Hi Lynda. I read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn last year and I loved it. It would be a great book for a group read, and there is a pretty good movie version filmed in 1945, should be easier to find than The Moon Is Down film. I would definitely read the book before the movie though.

#210 Glad to see you're joining us for ATGiB, Heather! I'm so excited, August can't get here soon enough.

#211 Thanks, Dejah! I almost barfed thinking about writing a review for a book which everyone has read and reading one would have been worse. I love Jane, she always stays true to herself.

#212 Hey Kath, I thought The Avengers was really, really good! and I'm not just saying that because the action scenes were filmed in Cleveland, it was good, clean, summertime movie fun! I'm the only nerd to notice the statue of Moses Cleaveland on Public Square transformed into Stuttgard.

#213 The Avengers? Go grab your hubby and a big box of popcorn smothered in butter (the popcorn Pat, not your husband) and see it. Very enjoyable, although the first 15 minutes were kind of slow and it could have been edited a bit more. almost 2.5 hours.

#214 Ya know Ellen, Re-reading Jane, makes me want to re-read Tess of the D's and Rebecca. Maybe next year.

#215 Hi Judy, I will definitely read the book before I see the movie! My new life's ambition is to locate The Moon is Down, simply because it's so difficult.

Lot's of ironing to do today (which I love to do) and I'll watch West Wing while doing so. Then some reading, a little cleaning, oh yeah, I want to watch Jane Eyre today as well. Have a Terrific Tuesday everyone!!

Hi Lynda! I'm a little behind here, but I am interested in a GR of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! It's been on my wishlist for a long time so I would be happy to finally get to it!

#202 - Nice review! That's one I'd like to reread at some point. I remember loving it many, many, many years ago.

#217 Great Chelle!!! Since I haven't had any objections to August, August it will be. I'll set up a thread for our GR toward the end of July.

#218 Isn't if funny, Kerri, how something written in 1847 can still tug at our heartstrings today. Truly a good read in any century!

--------
Holy catmobile! I was telling my son "Have a great Friday, Will", to which he replied, "ah, it's Thursday Mom. No way, is it?! I hate when that happens!

Calm just reminded me I need to shop for a butterfly bush to replace the garden that usually fills the one sunny spot in my yard.

Speaking of all things flowery, our Rhododendron's are blooming like crazy. As with everything else this spring, they're blooming three weeks sooner than usual.

...and that's it, over and out.

Hi Lynda- I'm going to try joining you guys on A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. I would not have guessed this many people were up for it. I thought I was the only one who had not read it.
Red Pony is also is August and I want to re-read that one but it's a shorty.

The wife wants to see The Avengers on Sunday. I've heard good things.

Hi Lynda!
Tempted to join you all on ATGiB - looks like you are far from last to read this book. I don't recall reading it myownself :}

August sounds forever away - I'll be glad to see it fade into history. Trying not to wish my life away ;-)
Looking forward to the first frost. Yes, Indeed!

Love your reviews!

Consider This, Senora is one of my favorites too Lynda along with Stones for Ibarra and I managed to get copies of both after somehow giving them away years ago. What a loss that Harriet Doerr only wrote three books. The rest of your haul was pretty awesome too. Just for the record, I haven't read The Mistress of the Art of Death either, although I do own a copy so its possible I could read it anytime.

Yay for rhododendrons! They are blooming all over this city. Love the month of May.

Oh, and I also love the expression "holy catmobile!" :-)

Happy Friday, everyone!!! It is Friday, right?

#220 Enjoy the movie, Mark. We did!

#221 Cee, you and I are polar opposites where weather is concerned! I just shiver thinking about the winter months! re: ATGiB - give in to your temptations, give in to your temptations, give in ....give in .....give in....

#222 Yup, I have Stones for Ibarra as well, Bonnie, although I haven't read it as yet. I don't plan on giver either one away this time.

#223 Rhododendron's seem to love our shady yard, Ellen, and require virtually no maintenance making them one of my favorite plants.

----------
I did purchase a budelia yesterday! It will have reddish-violet flowers sometime in July or so I'm told. It's hard to believe being in such a puny state at the moment.

We've finalized plans to drive up to Quebec in July. It sounds great but I know very little about the area so I'm very receptive to anyone's comments regarding the area and sights to see.

Lynda, your trip to La Belle Province sounds wonderful. You should go ask Ilana for travel information as she resides in Montreal. Are you planning on visiting Quebec City? The old walled city is a fantastic place to stroll around.

I doubt that I will join your GR but I do want to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn again sometime ...

Sunny here today and warm, not hot. Perfect in many ways.

#225 Great idea, Judy! I'll pop over to Ilana's thread when I get a chance. Yes! We definately want to walk the streets of Old Quebec however we'll be staying a little north of the city in Beaupre. I guess it's a sky area in the winter.

#226 Yes, Kath, yesterday was perfect! By the looks of the latest forcast it will be a splendid week!!! :0)

------
I'm working on The Unbearable Lightnes of Being for the Drop-in Readathon going on but will be switching to Doc at some point. However, I just love the short chapters of TULoB which prod me on to read another, and another etc.

I'll finally be celebrating my March birthday with my two best friends today at PF Changs. Busy schedules etc have had us put it on hold. So it's custom that we really haven't aged another year till we meet, then it's official!

Have a great Saturday everyone.

#32-2012
The Tree of Life


Peter Sis
2003
35 pages
3/5

I read it now because....................I've been reading a lot of Peter Sis lately and this one has been talked about often enough to pique my interest. Fit's May TIOLI Challenge #4 Read a book derived from a 75er's username (countrylife)

Book Blurb.....................The life of Charles Darwin is told through illustrations with the majority of the book depicting his five year, groundbreaking travels aboard the Beagle.

Would I recommend.................. This certainly is not one of my favorite Sis graphic novels. The placement of numerous blocks of drawings depicting Darwin's travels is confusing in both relation to time and country traveled. For this reason, I would not recommend this book but other readers may not find any difficulty with the presentation.

There is a beautiful church in St. Anne de Beaupre near you.
And Montmorency Falls between there and Quebec City.
It is a bit far but 4hours away is Tadoussac which is a great place for whale watching! Hope you have a great time.

Thanks so much, Cathy! I made a note of the information. Whalewatching is something we particularly would like to do.

Hi Lynda- Hope you had a great Mother's Day! We saw and enjoyed The Avengers. They really did a good job.
Funny, I have The Tree of Life right here and hope to get to it today. Sorry, you didn't care for it much but at least it's a quick read.

Re: The Tree of Life well, you win some, you lose some. I hope you enjoy it much more than I, Mark. Nice looking week ahead, enjoy your stroll thru the neighborhoods!

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I've been readathoning it all weekend so not much visiting.
No car yet, but now the Mazda 3's look nice too. Color me confused!
I received plants for mother's day to include in my butterfly garden, so I'll be busy with that today. I look forward to a glass of wine and a book when the work is done.