LauraBrook's 75 in 2013: Chapter 1

Hello friends! I'm back for another year of madness and reading!






images found via Google

Books Read

1. Evan Blessed by Rhys Bowen (Jan 1)
2. Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith (Jan 14)
3. Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie (Jan 14)
4. Under the North Light: The Life and Work of Maud and Miska Petersham by Lawrence Webster (Jan 19)
5. Evanly Bodies by Rhys Bowen (Jan 18)
6. Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern (Jan 19)
7. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (Jan 21)
8. Esio Trot by Roald Dahl (Jan 21)
9. Torcello, the Jewel of the Lagoon by Giovanni Musolino (Jan 23)
10. Chivalry by Neil Gaiman (Jan 23)
11. Girl With A One-Track Mind by Abby Lee (Jan 23)
12. The Seventh Month by Lisa Gardner (Jan 24)
13. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Jan 25)
14. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce (Jan 27)
15. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (Jan 28)
16. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman (Jan 28)
17. M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman (Feb)
18. Abstract City by Christoph Niemann (Feb)
19. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman (Feb)
20. Moominpappa's Memoirs by Tove Jansson (Feb)
21. Lost and Found by Shaun Tan (Feb)
22. The Sigh by Marjane Satrapi (Feb)
23. Serenity: Those Left Behind by the Whedon boys (feb)
24. Serenity: Better Days by same (feb)
25. Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale by same (feb)
26. Emma, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori (Feb)
27. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (Mar 1)
28. Vampire Loves by Joann Sfar (Mar 1)
29. A Regency Invitation to the House Party of the Season by Nicola Cornick (Mar?)
30. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (Mar ?)
31. We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin (Mar?)
32. Everyone's Reading Bastard by Nick Hornby (Mar ?)
33. The Hangman by Louise Penny (Mar ?)
34. Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky (Mar 13)
35. Soulless by Gail Carriger (Mar 13)
36. Emma, Vol. 3 by Kaoru Mori (Mar 13)
37. Emma, Vol. 4 by Kaoru Mori (Mar 13)
38. Emma, Vol. 5 by Kaoru Mori (Mar 20)
39. Emma, Vol. 6 by Kaoru Mori (Mar 20)
40. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (Mar 19)
41. Upstairs & Downstairs by Sarah W (Mar 19)
42. Emma, Vol. 7 by Kaoru Mori (Mar 20)

reserved

Hi Laura! Gosh...it's already 2013...here, anyway, and isn't this the place that counts?

Laura - will be watching your thread in 2013 again, good luck for the coming year and I hope Santa doesn't get stuck in the chimbley and forget to deliver whatever it is you want to celebrate with.

Welcome back!

Hi Laura, just checking in to star your thread

Hey, Laura - glad I'm not alone with the madness!

Hi Laura!! Thanks again for great Christmas swap choices!

I'm starring your thread & will be following your reading. Hope you had a great Christmas!

A starcat placekeeper so I can find you again...

Hi Laura, just marking a space.

Wish you a very happy and mad 2013 reading year!

Glad you are back, Laura!

Happy New Year Laura!

WHere's Laura? I saw her a while ago, I thought, and had to delve deep for her thread!

Wheeeee another year!

Hi Laura - *waves* Looking forward to following your reading, and whatever else happens to crop up on your thread again this coming year! Also stopping to wish you a Happy New Year!

I'm here, and welcome! Still working on the 2012 threads and won't be here full time until tomorrow. I'm trying to finish the books I already have in progress before 2013 starts and also deal with some paperwork around this house. I thought computers were supposed to help us be paper-free?!?

Found this online and it made me laugh:

*Waves excitedly*

Laura - Happy New Year!

Hiya, Laura! :) Glad you'll be doing the 75 books thingy again this year. And Happy Almost-But-Not-Yet (on the west coast anyway) New Year!

Happy (official for me) New Year! I finished my last book of 2012 with 10 minutes to spare, plenty of time to cue up music and pour champagne! I'll be back later today with my first book of the year!

Awesome! Can't wait. I'm doing the same thing--finishing up another book for 2012, then starting another for 2013. Then maybe sleep somewhere in there. ;)

。☆ 。☆。☆
★。＼｜／。★
Happy New Year!
★。／｜＼。★

Hi Laura. Just looking around. Got you starred!!!

Happy New Year Laura!

Happy New Year, Laura! I hope you have a great year. And hopefully, we have a chance to Meet-Up this month! Fingers crossed.

Hi Laura! Happy New Year! *tosses confetti* Just be glad it's me making your thread a little less tidy. ;)

Well, 2012 was a fairly decent year for reading! With a total of 154, this may be the most I've read in one year in my adult life - quite a shock!

Total books read: 154
Total hours for audiobooks: 137 hours, 38 min
Total pages read: 30,389

Best Of list, in no particular order. These are the books I think most fondly of or enjoyed the most, not necessarily the best written, etc.

1. Madlenka by Peter Sis
2. The Three Golden Keys by Peter Sis
3. Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham
4. Tsar: The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra by Peter Kurth
5. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico
6. Through No Fault of My Own by Coco Irvine
7. Chopsticks by Jessica Andrews and Rodrigo Corral
8. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
9. Schloss Schoenbrunn guidebook
10. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
11. Dracula's Heir by Sam Stall
12. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
13. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
14. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
15. Houses of the National Trust by Lydia Greeves
16. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
17. Japan Ai by Aimee Major Steinberger
18. Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
19. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
20. The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson
21. The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar
22. Paris Then & Now by Peter Caine
23. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
24. Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst
25. Jerusalem by Guy Delisle
26. The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen
27. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
28. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
29. Encore Provence by Peter Mayle
30. Sacred Space by Denise Linn

While I was three books short of officially completing the 12-12 Challenge (Gone With the Wind, An Area of Darkness, and Middlesex - apologies to Jenna, Lori, and Linda for not getting to their chosen books), I think I did alright in the end.

Thanks to everyone for following along with my reading and crazy life this past year - see you in the 2013 groups!

Here it is, my 13-13: http://www.librarything.com/topic/145661

And my ROOTS thread as well: http://www.librarything.com/topic/145825

Happy new year, Laura. I'm just about to commit to my categories for the 13 challenge. It's so hard .... I keep changing my mind, but I think I'm about ready to post my final list.

Just stopping by to say hi this morning, Laura.

Way to go on reading 154 books last year, Laura. Super impressive!

Hello again to Stephen, Paul, Sara, Kath, Tammy, Nora, Mark, Micky, Caro, Roni, and everyone! I don't think I'll be going through the new threads today yet, so if I haven't commented on your new digs, it'll be some time this week. There's so much to catch up on!

Book 1: Evan Blessed by Rhys Bowen
The penultimate in the Evan Evans series, this one seemed a bit creepier than the others, but was still very enjoyable. It's just before Evan and Bronwen's wedding, and a young girl has gone missing on Mt. Snowdon, not too far from the happy couples' future home. The boyfriend catches Evan on his way back to town, involving him in the search, which evolves (devolves, really) into a much bigger issue when a secret underground bunker is discovered that appears to be unused but involves lots of creep-town stuff like a bare mattress, camping supplies, and handcuffs hanging from the ceiling. When someone close to Evan goes missing and tries to kill him, things really escalate for a small town in Wales. Very good storyline, 3.75 stars

Great job on 154 books last year, Laura. In 2010 and 2011, I was right about there (153 or so) but, last year, not nearly as many. Only 107.

I loved the Evan Evans series from Rhys Bowen but haven't read many of the other series.

Happy New Year, Laura! Looks like you're off to a great start. Looking forward to another fun LT year in 2013.

Happy new year, Laura! I'm totally impressed by book #1 -- finished and reviewed already. Rock on.

Happy New Year, Laura! Quite an impressive number from last year!

A book done already, Laura. *shakes head in awe* Also love your description of "creep-town". Totally using that in conversation soon. :)

Evan Blessed sounds like a really fun read. Nice review!

Hi Laura, I am slowly getting around to everybody's threads. Placing my star and trying not to look at Evan Blessed too closely!

Hi Laura, great list of 2012! I hope your reading this year will be as great again. I have got Deborah Harkness on my wishlist for this year.

Happy weekend!

Laura - just flying past to drop off a happy weekend greeting to you. x

Hi Laura! I could have sworn I left a message here, but apparently I did not. I think I may have navigated away without hitting the post button.

Anyway, I have you starred and look forward to following your reading this year!

Hope you're having a great weekend, Laura.

Last week I finally got hit with the cold/flu that's been going around. It had me out of commission until Wednesday, and while I'm feeling fairly good and have been moving around outside of the house a bit, I'm still coughing (hacking would be a more accurate description), a little weak, and a little tired. I sound terrible, but it's just where all of that junk is sitting, right around my vocal cords.

Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people who can read when they're sick, so I spent lots of days staring at the TV and trying to sleep. Now that I'm feeling more like myself, I've started to read a few pages here and there, but mostly I tend to wander around the house, staring at my shelves and piles and grabbing books that I "need" to start reading "right away". Yeah. So I'm getting nowhere fast, like usual. My stack of library books is only 5 books right now, not too shabby, but I've had 6 books of various friends for far longer than I'd like to admit, so those are also near the top of my TBR pile. And, I'm nervous that I'm not going to factor in enough time to read my "LT Picks" books, so those are breathing down my neck as well. *eye roll* I do realize that I'm making myself crazy, but I can't seem to stop that particular train just yet.

In some potentially exciting news, my library finally called me for a Page job!!!! It only took over a year, I don't know why I'm so excited. :) My interview is at 3:00 this coming Monday, and it's with 4 ladies. The one who called me said it was going to be fairly casual and that it'll only take 15 or 20 minutes, so that's a good thing. Now all I have to do is figure out an appropriate outfit to wear and hope that I don't have a coughing fit when I'm with them, and I should be good to go! I seriously need this job, and I'm excited about it too, so if you all wouldn't mind crossing your fingers and things for me, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

And now, I should power this computer down, get ready for bed, and lay down on the couch to try and read for a while. I'm still not caught up on proper sleep yet, and I have to work on stuff around the house tomorrow, and I have some massage clients on Sunday morning, so eating and sleeping well are more important than normal for me. Here's hoping I can get some pages under my belt before I drift off!

Hi Laura- You're alive! You're alive! Yah! I'm so sorry to hear that you are sick and that you are not reading. What a Double Whammy! I hope you on full recovery mode. Hugs!
And good luck with that interview. Fingers crossed.

Good luck with your interview! I hope you feel better soon!

Sending hugs!

Fingers crossed, Laura!

Fingers crossed, Laura. I got hit with that flu bug in December and spent a lot of time lying on my couch. I listened to an audio book most of that time and it really helped to take my mind off how crummy I felt.

If you're dressing for an interview for a Page position, I'd say dress pants or skirt and a nice top should do it. At the Page level, suiting up would be overkill. Crossing appendages for you, I'm sure you'll rock that interview.

Also, I'm the same when I'm sick. Lots and lots of TV/movies and very little reading if I'm feeling even mildly terrible. Glad to hear you're on the mend though. :D

I hear that this flu has been really bad this winter... Was talking to some people in Chicago who were saying that the CDC has apparently determined that the flu shot is only 60% effective, and it is sweeping through the country. Glad to hear you are starting to feel better.

OK, details on what a Page job involves, please??

Good luck!

I also have no idea what a page job is but I wish you all the very best with it Laura.

I'm with Paul and Suz! I can't imagine what a page job in a library would entail, but I'm interested to learn! Good luck!

Hey!!! Congrats on the interview... tea with lots of lemon and honey before the interview?
I hate coughing.. hate it. I look forward to the news that you got this job~
hugs and huge new job mojo

Lots of luck with the interview!!

Good luck, Laura!

Hooray! Good luck with your interview!

Re: Library Page job description that people are wondering about - I'm wondering if the library has books in closed stacks. I know that some of the larger public libraries do have people who retrieve books from closed stacks for people and bring them to the nearest service desk for the subject. It's the same type of thing as a "storage" location that other libraries use. I know when I lived in Cincinnati, there were floors between the floors which housed a significant part of the collection. Patrons did not have access to these closed stacks.

Hope you're feeling better all the time. I certainly know that feeling of being too sick to want to read.

Good luck on your interview on Monday.

Oh so excited for you and your interview Laura. Crossing fingers tightly.

Feel better. But if you do end up coughing, I wouldn't worry too much about it. So many people have been hit with this bug, I sure they would understand and be happy you are on the mend.

Librarian weighing in on what pages do:

In a public library setting, pages are the ones who are responsible for pulling books that you place on hold based on print out lists, reshelving books, and often sorting books as they're returned. They also tend to be responsible for regular tidying out on the floor (e.g. reshelving books left on the floor, returning magazines and newspapers to the appropriate shelving) and along with lots of other library staff (from librarian on down), they'll shoo you out of the library at closing time.

Of course, the job description for Laura's interview might vary from this a bit, but that's the typical duties for a page (whether adult or student).

>60 MickyFine:: That is my dream job, right there. Sigh.

OOoh! Wonderful. That sounds like the near-perfect job.

Hi everyone! Thanks for all of your good wishes, crossed fingers, and feel-better vibes! I'll take them all! It usually takes me a couple of days after being sick to feel like myself again, but it's been almost a half of a week and I still feel weird. I'll be feeling pretty good for awhile and all of a sudden I'll have a coughing attack and have to sit down, and then I feel like I can't breathe. So, I lay down, drink a lot of water, and end up doing a whole lot of nothing for the next hour or two. :( Giving 2 massages tomorrow should be a fun experience.

I didn't get a flu shot this year (actually, I haven't for a few years now) because the only thing it ever does is get me sick - why would I pay for a guaranteed sickness? I'll just roll with things as they come. What usually gets me is a combo of a lot of work in December, and with that comes exposure to a LOT of people, some of whom are sick and think it's no big deal to get a massage when they're clearly still in the middle of something. It can certainly help flush an illness through the body, increasing your symptoms and hopefully decreasing the overall time that it stays with them, but that also means that I am rubbing a sick person non-stop for an hour. AH! Kind of drives me nuts. It also makes me wonder if I should really be working on my two clients tomorrow morning, but having to reschedule when I am not actively sick seems ridiculous. Plus, this will be the first income I have in over a week and well, that would be nice. :)

What's been bad for flu and colds is this insanely warm winter weather we've had. Last year and this year are the warmest that Wisconsin has had on record, with hardly more than a few days of a frost in one run. Allergies have been horrible, because mold, fungus, and all of that stuff, hasn't been killed off from year to year. So, it escalates, and along with what would normally happen in a season, all of the excess just gets built up. Hence, super colds and flus that linger much longer than they have before.

Okay, enough yakking about that for now.

If I remember correctly, the library lady said that they're hiring 4 Pages this time around, so hopefully there will be more than just little old me that's a newbie. We'll see! It's my regular home library, so I know where things are well enough, and most of where I'll be working is behind big windows that open over the library desks. It cuts down on the nervous factor a bit to have a handle on what is where already.

From what I can tell, the descriptions that Micky and Lori gave are pretty much it. Unless there's some kind of secret areas, I don't think my library has any closed stacks. (But OMG, how exciting to think that there might be!!!) I'm planning on wearing black pants, a green shirt and a black cardigan, with flat black shoes. I know that once I'm on the job I'll just be wearing old T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers, but I do want to look like I give a crap without showing anyone up. The librarians wear business casual stuff, so I'll try to look as much like them as possible. One of the ladies has green hair too, I hope she's going to be in on my interview - we've talked about TV shows before and got along pretty well. At any rate, I know that I'll be on my best behavior, keep a smile on my face, and I know that I've got a pretty good leg up on the library since I'm there multiple times a week already. Things should be fine!

And with that, I think it's time for me to get ready for bed, set my alarm, and rest up for work tomorrow!

#49: I agree on the interview clothes. Casual is best. Not sweats-and-wife-beater casual, but you know what I mean. ;)

#60: Thanks, Micky. You beat me to it. :) That's pretty much what we do. Some places you have to answer phones, process holds/delivery items, etc, but like you said, libraries vary.

Good luck in your interview Laura!!! Hope you are feeling better!!!

Good luck with the interview! I'll add my voice to hoping you feel better!

Happy Sunday, Laura. Good luck with the interview tomorrow!

>63 LauraBrook: Sounds like a great interview outfit, Laura. I'm sure you'll have a great interview experience. And with more open positions that really increases your odds of getting one of them. Yay!

I'm glad you're feeling better, Laura! I came down with your aforementioned flu-shot-caused flu. I've only ever gotten the flu shot three times, and all three times I have gotten the flu within 4 days of the shot. And those are the only times I've ever gotten the flu.

I've still got my weak, sickly fingers crossed for your interview.

I seriously hope you get the job, Laura, a Page job would be AMAZING! :)

Book 2: Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith

shamelessly stolen from the book flap: "Isabel is a single, twenty-something thrift-store shopper and collector of remnants, things cast off or left behind by others. Glaciers follows Isabel through a day in her life in which work with damaged books in the basement of a library, unrequited love for the former soldier who fixes her computer, and dreams of the perfect vintage dress move over a backdrop of deteriorating urban architecture and the imminent loss of the glaciers she knew as a young girl in Alaska.
Alexis Smith's debut novel unfolds internally, the action shaped by Isabel's sense of history, memory, and place. For Isabel, the fleeting moments of one day can reveal an entire life. While she contemplates loss andthe intricate fissures it creates in our lives, she accumulates the stories -- the remnants -- of those around her, and she begins to tell her own story."

I first became aware of this book as it's one of the World Book Night selections and had an intriguing premise. Then, when I met with Nancy for Mark's Christmas Swap she mentioned how good the book was. After that, I knew I had to read this book. At under 200 pages, it took me only a few hours to read, but it's a quietly powerful story, and I know that I'll think about Isabel and Spoke for a long time to come. I can only hope that the book finds a larger audience than it currently has, as Alexis is a fine and crafty wordsmith. 4.5 stars

Ah, glad you liked Glaciers

Looking forward to an interview update later today...

Sending positive mojo ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm back! I met with three ladies (they work in the children's dept, in circulation, and on the first floor which is the main area), who tag-team interviewed me. We got along very well, I think they were impressed by my previous experience (though I'm kicking myself for not mentioning that I'm a quick learner) and by my flexible availability. They do have 4 openings and are interviewing for the rest of this week, but they said that they'd contact me next week to let me know either way. I am praying and crossing my fingers that they pick me for one of them! Of course all I can think about are the small mistakes that I made, but overall it went well and I'm glad to have it behind me!

Thank you again, everyone, for your good wishes, mojo, thoughts, etcetera!

Best wishes, Laura! I hope you get it.

I've been trying to catch up on your thread.... Only to find you've been sickly :(
This flu has been bad this year - I hope you are fully recovered!

Very exciting to hear about your interview! Here's wishing you great results! Praying for you ((hugs))

Oh Laura, glad to hear that it went well. Keeping my fingers etc crossed for positive results. I think that working in a library would be a wonderful thing.

Congrats on your interview - I am sure you did just fine. It is always easy to think of things later that you wished you would have said - but there is only so much time.

Keeping fingers crossed.

In the meantime, relax and read some more good books!

No stressing.... I'm sure it went fine..
I think they will hire you.

Also keeping fingers crossed that you get the position, Laura, and that you are feeling better.

>74 LauraBrook: There's always regrets after an interview, Laura, but I'm positive you knocked their socks off. Now try not to obsess too much about hearing back. I highly recommend lots of reading and/or TV watching. :D

Glad your interview went well! I am crossing my fingers that you get it! I would love a page job but my library only has two employees :(

Back to check on you.... hope you are feeling better!

Thanks, ladies! I'm feeling almost totally normal, just enough coughing/hacking to keep things interesting, and after tomorrow I think I'll have off for a couple of days! Yay - a weekend! Now that I've knocked my long-suffering ER book off of my "current reads" pile (see below), I'm hoping to get some more books read in the next few days. Aside from forgetting that I'm "participating" in the Group Read of Anna Karenina (oops), I decided to participate in lyzard's tutored read of The Trail of the Serpent, and I have both of my book club books to read, not to mention a few library books thrown in there, and a couple of my own too. How can I feel so behind when it's only halfway through January?!????

Book 3: Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie

I so wanted to love this book, but it took me nearly 3 months of concerted effort to finish, and at best all I can say is that it was okay. Told in alternating chapters, Beatrice in the 1800's and Cass in present-day are going through similar family and romantic situations. When Cass finds Beatrice's brooch and diary in her room, she finds that they can see each other in the real world and that they are most likely related somehow. What seems like a glaringly obvious problem (and solution) to Cass is a difficult situation to Beatrice and the parallels are totally lost on Cass. Lots of Drama and storming out, lots of confusion and misunderstanding, ... it got old quickly for me. That's not to say this is a bad book (it's not), or has terrible writing (it doesn't), and it's absolutely jam-packed with historical facts and tidbits, and enough time travel to satisfy any fan of the genre. Just taken as a whole, I didn't find it very readable, nothing really flowed, and it seemed overly long. 3 stars, I guess. 2 stars, upon reconsideration.

What Micky said...

Don't worry yourself over little mistakes. Once we didn't hire a person because she was too perfect and it put us all off.

>84 LauraBrook: Bummer to hear about the dud. The premise does sound good but time travel done poorly is a terrible thing.

TLo.... it would put me off too!

Still sending mojo...

Thanks for the mojo! Could use it. I've been looking online for an hour now, trying to figure out the names of the ladies that interviewed me. I've been out of the interviewing loop for so long that I didn't remember to send a thank you card until this afternoon - 2 1/2 days later!!! According to my city's website staff directory there are no other library employees aside from the director. ??? What? I understand privacy issues, etc, but these people are librarians, not undercover cops or working for the IRS! Since all of my pants and undergarments are currently either being laundered or are hanging up to dry, driving over there and quietly asking someone to help me out isn't really an option. So now, tomorrow morning after I see the chiropractor, I'm heading over to the library and am going to ask someone very nicely for all 3 of their names and if they could possibly put the thank you cards into their mail slots. Do you think that that's okay? If I mailed it tomorrow morning I'm worried that it won't be received until Monday and that's simply too late (hell, I'm pushing it now).

In other news, would anyone be interested in a read-a-thon this weekend? It would be very casual, come and go as you please, probably won't have any memes. Let me know, and I'll set up a thread if there's interest.

I think it would be very nice and personal if you dropped the thank you cards off at the library.

Laura, I think Monday is the MLK holiday. If I'm not mistaken, there's no mail that day anyway.

Dropping them off at the library sounds good.

I don't think our library's website identifies anyone besides the director. Note: I once sent the director a complimentary email about a library event. Later, I realized that it was read into the record at the library's board meeting.

Thanks, Nora.

Oh, that's right! Thanks for the MLK reminder, Linda! And thanks for the drop-off backup. I'm already ashamed that I didn't think of it right away, let alone that it's been a few days. And at least it was a nice email that you sent! Imagine what it would've been like if it was a not-so-nice one!

To spare Micky's thread from yet another Richard Armitage photo, I'm posting this one here and on my 13-13 thread. Oh, he's so loverly.



Please ignore the period after "girl", it drives me bonkers. :)

>92 LauraBrook: Please ignore the period after "girl", it drives me bonkers.
THANK YOU! Me too!

93: Word. It's times like this when I wish I had Mad Photoshop Skillz, or whatever program is used to do that stuff. I'd totally make a new one/fix this one.

In other news, I decided to host a super-casual read-a-thon this weekend starting at noon tomorrow. Come and join me here - http://www.librarything.com/topic/148523

Laura

I'm thinking of you and hoping that you feel better and that the job is yours!

I'd join the read a thon, but I'm traveling to Ohio this weekend to spend a week with my daughter and family.

I'll be sure to visit your thread while I'm there.

Gentle Hugs

Hi Linda! I hope you have a wonderful time in Ohio this week, and that the drive doesn't wreak havoc with your body at all. Enjoy yourself, dear one! Hugs to you too!!!!

There are lots of simple programs that let you type text in over images, very little skill is required. :)

Good thinking on dropping off the TY notes! That will show them again that YOU are their best choice!

How are you feeling now? Still hacky or hopefully, fully recovered?

>92 LauraBrook: Mmm. Yes, please.

Stephen, any chance you could give this oldster a tip and pass along some of those names? Also, do you know how to create animated gifs and/or pull clips off of DVDs to post online?
Thanks,
Your favorite 34 year old in Wisconsin

Hi Tina! Almost totally recovered, only slightly hacky - this is probably the soonest that that has gone after I've been sick. Wahoo! I spoke to a different librarian today and she was all too happy to help me and empathized with the thank you note thing - she said she did the same thing before she was hired, and then she asked for my name and wished me luck! Come on stars, line up and get me this job!

I know, right, Micky!?!!! He's so loverly.

Unfortunately, I can't download programs to do this sort of thing with with my dial-up internet, but I know there are gazillions of them. I think there are even websites that let you add text to an image right in your internet browser, but again my internet is too slow. :(

As for pulling clips off DVDs, I know that can be somewhat difficult. There are a lot of 'locks' on dvds that make them difficult to tamper with and edit, although if you can play it on your computer I'm sure there are programs that can 'take video' of your screen while you are playing the dvd, effectively letting you 'record' movies onto your computer, but alas, I'm not familiar with them.

As for animated gifs, again, you just have to find a program somewhere online. There are programs for everything, y'know. Just go to google and type "Program that lets you make animated GIFs" or "Program that lets you add text to images." Hmmmm, but then you'll want to make sure you aren't downloading a virus, so finding a program on a 'safe' download site like CNET where people can post reviews like "omg this program killed my computer" might help. ;)

Stephen, I'm such a dope, but I seriously didn't think about googling "how to blah blah something". Durr. Thanks for the reminder. (I feel like I'm 100 years old.)

In other news, I've decided to give up on Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla. It's too confusing and jumps around too much for me to keep a loose grasp of what the heck is going on. I'll search for another Tesla bio, for sure, and the narrator (Simon Prebble - one of my faves) does a good job despite the source material. This book and I weren't meant to be BFFs.

Laura - >92 LauraBrook: - I'm sure Richard Armitage is always distressed when girls get periods.

Have a lovely weekend and I hope you hear positive news following the job interview.

Good to know about Wizard: Tesla. My son is fascinated by him, but I won't recommend that one. I'll see whether he has another one he thinks is a standout and let you know.

103: Paul, that is hilarious! I keep laughing like an idiot, thanks for that! :) You too, and thanks - I'll keep you all posted!

104: Hiya, Joe! That would be great, I'd love to read a good book on him and I appreciate recs, as always. What an amazing person, and what a mind!

Book 4: Under the North Light: The Life and Work of Maud and Miska Petersham by Lawrence Webster

A beautiful book (both physically and literally), covering the life and works of Maud and Miska Petersham, of whom I've shamefully never heard of before this! (Their artwork seems very familiar though, and I may have read some of their books when I was small.) Detailing (but not too much) their lives before meeting and, primarily, their lives after marriage, it was such a treat to learn about them. It contains quite a lot of their amazing and colorful artwork, personal notes and letters, and the history of children's book publishing. It would be happy on the shelves of anyone with an interest in children's literature, illustrations, artwork, publishing, or lovers of a good story. I'm so pleased to have won this through the ER program! 4.25 stars

Book 5: Evanly Bodies by Rhys Bowen

A satisfying conclusion to the series (though rumors abound that she is thinking of writing more - I hope she does!), this finds Evan and his new bride Bron living in their refurbished shepherd's cottage. When Evan's superiors decide to put him on an "Elite Crime Team" with 3 other coppers to cover a murder, he isn't too pleased. When 2 more bodies show up, murdered in the same way, Evan realizes that they must be connected and uses his observational smarts to figure out whodunit - as long as the "lead", arrogant copper doesn't screw it up first. A secondary story involving Bron befriending a teenage Pakistani girl whose family has just moved into the village and opened a grocers, and the girls disappearance (and her younger brothers' interest in extremist Muslim views), Evan of course is roped into looking for Jamila and figuring out just what her brother and his friends are up to anyways. Very good, surprisingly dealing with race issues for a cozy, and an ending that ties everything up in a believable way, I was happy to have finished this book. (Plus, who of us ever finishes a series these days?!?) 3.5 stars

Sorry to hear about the dud non-fiction, Laura, but it looks like you followed it up with two good reads. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Hi Laura! I think I'm caught up now. I do hope you get that page job! It certainly sounds like the interview was a success. Have a lovely weekend!

That's okay, Micky. (I know you just ditched a dud one yourself.) Weekend is pretty good so far as it's mostly involved sitting on my ass in my pj's with a book in hand. :) Hope you're having a great one too!

Hiya Kerri! Thanks, I'm hoping that they call me tomorrow or Tuesday, rather than later in the week. Hope you're having a lovely (and sports-on-TV-filled) weekend yourself!

Book 6: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

The next time I pick a book for my purse, remind me not to choose a 500 page one! The cover blurb from the Tampa Tribune says "Charming, witty, romantic fare" and that seems about right. It covers the lives of Rosie and her best friend (since they were 5) Alex, and how they're the perfect couple. They don't see it, but everyone else in their lives does, including their ex-husbands and ex-wives. A sweet story, and epistolary (yessss!!!!!), it was a nice, light book. 4 stars. Ms. Ahern is becoming a nice, comfort author - easy to read, and while realistic it's not depresssing or filled with cliches.

I hope you hear something soon about the job, Laura!

Thanks, Stasia - me too!!!

Book 7: Esio Trot by Roald Dahl

Cute book about a man in love with his downstairs neighbor, who apparently only has eyes for her small pet tortoise. Kind of unethical and maybe a little stalker-ish from a modern POV, it's sweet story of long-unrequited love and filled with wonderul illustrations by Quentin Blake. 3 stars, and out the door! (This book was chosen by Sara/saraslibrary for my 13-13 challenge.)

Book 8: King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard

Ugh. I know that this is a product of its' time to some extent, but it's really quite racist, and has A LOT more descriptions of hunting and animal killing than I would have thought possible. I suppose if I read it upon publication, or I was a big ol' racist, or I was a young boy who was into adventure stories, I would've liked this more. As it is, I can only say that I'm glad to cross it off of my list (and the 1001, etc, lists that it's on) and get it out of my house! I regret picking it for my Classics book club. (Glossing over the aforementioned issues, I can see that the adventure itself and the time in the mines could be exciting and that that is what qualifies this as a classic. But I personally can't overlook the other stuff.) A generous 1 star, and OUT THE DOOR!

>109 LauraBrook: Love, Rosie sounds cute. I may have to stick that on the mental list. :)

#111: So now you know who to blame for recommending crappy books. ;) It wasn't my favorite Dahl book either, but at least it's short!

Micky, I can send you my copy if you're interested - let me know!

Sara, I'm so glad that you picked it! Not only because it's short, but also because I adored the Blake illustrations, probably more than I usually do. :) Thanks for picking it for me!

Uh-oh, I am planning on reading King Solomon's Mines this year, but think I will wait for awhile. Sometimes the racisim in some of the older books is very hard to deal with, must get in the right frame of mind for this one I think.

It might be different in print (I listened to a narration by Toby Stephens - he did a great job, but it's hard to skim audiobooks), and therefore more palatable. I think the right frame of mind will help (that aspect didn't occur to me until I heard him use the "N" word in the beginning, even though he states that he doesn't like it and therefore won't use it), and I certainly hope that you enjoy it more than I did!

>114 LauraBrook: I'll think about it. Seeing as you liked that one I suggest nudging up One Day on your to read list (which I see is where it's hanging out). I feel like it would be a decent follow-up read.

Hi Laura... just catching up here. I can't say I blame you for being turned off by the racism in that 'classic'. I won't be adding it to my 'TBR' stack. Thanks for the warning.

Stopping by waving hi and hoping you are warm and dry. I imagine it is very cold where you live.

Laura- I hope you are keeping warm & snug up there! Another COLD one tonight. Brrrr!

Wow, Linda's picture looks like I feel! We had a surprise snow today--not much accumulation, but it looked nice coming down. Last year, I bid $40 for a surprise basket, and it included an electric scraper. Today, that one thing was worth the whole $40!

Whipping through on my broomstick, leaving a cloud of *smooches*

popping by looking for news.....

I think our forecast is calling for ice and then snow. I really don't want the ice. I can handle rain, snow, or no precipitation, but please don't give me ice!

No news yet, Kath. I'm trying to stay calm and remember that this is a government job that requires lots of paperwork and screwing around in the background. And that it's only Wednesday. And that maybe some of them had off on Monday. (Can you tell this whole "calm" thing isn't quite working?!?)

Lori, I am SO WITH YOU on the no ice thing. So dangerous, and there's not much you can do about it aside from salt and cross your fingers and take tiny steps. Here's hoping you can avoid that stuff!

Book 9: Torcello, the Jewel of the Lagoon by Giovanni Musolino

I was trolling through my To Read list here on LT and since this was one of the titles I first added, I decided to whip through it and get it off of my shelf. Well, it was a very quick read as it's in Italian! I skimmed it (it's similar to Spanish, which I had for 6 years in school) and I think I got the gist. It's a tourist book for Torcello, an island on the Northern end of Venice that's lightly populated and has a lovely old church, a cathedral, and 2 palaces that are still left for visitors to see. (Wikipedia has an interesting and helpful entry, if you're interested.) This book is interesting both for the photos and text itself, and to also see what "older" guidebooks are like. 3 stars

Book 10: Chivalry by Neil Gaiman

This audio short story was really fun and delightful! I found it on Audible, and since it was short (duh) and was narrated by Christina Pickles (who has a lovely voice), I thought "what the hell" and bought it. This was my first Gaiman book, and it was so pleasant, funny, and individual, I don't know how I've managed to avoid his stuff before this. (Don't worry, I have Neverwhere and M is for Magic from the library, and another of his audio short stories ready to go.) Chivalry is the story of an old lady who finds the Holy Grail at her local OxFam shop, and after it's home, who comes a'callin' for it. Christina does a perfect job (it's a live recording, so you hear the audience laughing, etc), and I suspect that I'll listen to it again. 4.25 stars

Glad your first encounter with Gaiman was a good one, Laura. I really liked Neverwhere when I read it last year. And you've heard about the radio play, right? :)

Yes I have, and it sounds like good stuff!!!

Book 11: Girl With A One-Track Mind by Abby Lee

Based on her popular blog (with the same name?), this is a year-long diary of her sexual life. I think I picked this up after I read Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl a few years ago, and was first on my PaperbackSwap list as oldest TBR that someone had wishlisted. It's filthier than I expected (and not in an E.L. James way), open and honest, and while it was sometimes a bit shocking (just at how different people's lives can be) it was a fun, quick read. There wasn't the same wondering and excitement between Abby and Blog Boy as there was for me with Belle and her best friend who happens to be a boy, and overall it was fine for what it is. The author has another book out that chronicles her life after a newspaper reveals her real name (both her name and any and all men and women she sleeps with are given fake names too) and how her life turned upside-down, she lost her job, and how she picks herself back up again. If I come across it, I'll read it, but I won't be seeking it out. 3 stars (By the way, I've since watched her give a few interviews and talks online, and she make great points and a hell of a lot of sense about the way women's sexuality is portrayed in the publishing world and otherwise - kudos to her!!!!)

Book 12: The Seventh Month by Lisa Gardner

This audiobook short story is a freebie on Audible right now, so with nothing to lose, I downloaded and listened. I don't know if it was me or the story itself, but I didn't feel much of anything about this book. A female detective (in her 7th month of pregnancy, natch) gets involved as a consultant in a movie about a serial killer and then finds herself hunting down the real deal. I suppose it's supposed to be kind of twisty with a big reveal but it was yawn-inducingly obvious whodunit for this raised-on-mysteries gal. It seemed too long as it was and it was under 2 hours. 1.5 stars, and thank God it was free!

Book 13: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Wow. Just... wow. I'm sure there are copious reviews out there that will summarize and effuse about this book better than I ever can, so I won't bother with anything like that. I don't know why this book is marked as YA, because it really isn't. It's a story about friendship and spies and WWII and women pilots and double-agents and survival, and it's amazing to me that while some of the bones of the story are based on fact, most of it is made up. Amazing! A 5 star read entirely, and this is one that will stick with me for a long, long time. Do yourself a favor and read this as soon as you can!

I've heard nothing but raves about Code Name Verity. I really need to nudge it up The List.

Hmm. . . I think I might have to try Chivalry! Thanks for the good review!

#114: You're welcome! :) And I love Quentin Blake's illustrations, too. It's hard for me to see him illustrate anything but Roald Dahl books.

#128: Girl with a One-Track Mind and Code Name Verity both sound really good! Glad you liked them. I'll have to keep my eyes out for those two.

Micky and weejane, you should!

Hey Sara! I read The Boy In The Dress by David Walliams a couple of years ago, and Quentin Blake did the illos for that - it made me happy, but also made me a little confused as to why it didn't quite feel the same as it normally did. Different author - duh!

Book 14: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

A true delight to read, and perfect for any and all booklovers out there. It's a picture book (with beautifully rendered illustrations by Joe Bluhm), and shouldn't take you that long to read - so everyone, go out and find yourself a copy ASAP! 4.6 stars

Book 15: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Another wow! Every part and parcel of this story felt so real, so possible to me, and not to repeat myself, but HOW IN THE WORLD HAVE I NOT READ HIS WORK BEFORE?!?!?!??? It reminds me of Jasper Fforde, but taken down a slightly darker path, and without Mr. Fforde's wonderful sense of wordplay. Not that this book is anything lesser than anyone else's work, but it's very much its' own independent thing. The story of Door and Richard and the Marquis and Islington, and London Below, just everything had my mind fully invested and I couldn't read the book fast enough to satisfy my curiosity. 4.5 stars

And, I'm so thankful that I have a book of his short stories here for me to dive right into!

Hi Laura, glad to hear that you loved Neverwhere so much. Now I'm eager to read it!!

Amazingly, all the ice and freezing rain etc was gone this morning. It feels like spring out today.

Morning Laura- Glad you loved Neverwhere. It was also my first and I think a perfect place to start with him. I just requested the audio of Code Name Verity. Looking forward to it.
I'll be starting my first FF, Tigana in 2 or 3 days. Yah!

Neverwhere was my second Gaiman after a "meh" first experience and my reaction was very similar to yours, Laura. Glad you liked it. :)

I'm another big fan of Neverwhere, Laura. So glad you enjoyed it! Lifeline Theater here adapted it as a play a couple of years ago and did a really good job with it. The original BBC series that preceded it is available here on dvd, and I thought that was really well done for a non-movie budget.

Hi all! I'm getting the BBC production of Neverwhere on Wednesday, courtesy of Netflix - really looking forward to that.

Linda, it did feel like spring out there today! Lots of puddles, and I hope they can evaporate a bit before our next freeze in a couple of days.

Mark, I pulled Tigana off of my shelf this afternoon - hoping to start it tonight!

Micky, what else of his have you read?

Joe, thanks for clueing me in the various productions. Will keep my eyes peeled (ouch!) for a live version near me, and I'm hoping I won't have to wait for too many years. There are so many theaters in Milwaukee, someone has to be tuned in to this!

Book 16: Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman

A unique and horrifying (in a good way) retelling of the Snow White story. I listened to the audio performed beautifully by Bebe Neuwirth, Martin Carey, and Mark Evans (I found it on youtube, but was going to buy it from Amazon Used). Really amazing, and I can't think of any way to improve the performance. 4.25 stars

Many thanks to VioletBramble for the rec!

Laura, I've got Netflix so I'll have to check that out, if and when I finish the book.

I definitely want to read it but so many other books are competing for my attention...

I hear ya. Just pulled three of my Fantasy February titles and saw a small stack of stragglers that I'd forgotten about. *sigh* It'd help if I could stay away from the library books, but that's unlikely to happen for awhile. I'm tempted to just get rid of a bunch of books that I haven't read yet, just to clear some space.

>137 LauraBrook: I read Stardust which is one of the rare cases where I preferred the film to the book.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Fantastic Flying books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. You described it so well.

It is a delight...and so are you.

Woohoo! Welcome to the amazing world of Neil Gaiman!

Hmmm I wonder if you would like the book I just finished? I think you might..
Crewel... I think it might be classified YA ... it's a good one.
Still sending mojo...

140: Micky, I've heard that about Stardust before. I saw the film a couple of years ago (I really liked it), and know that I'll read the book at some point, but it's not at the top of my Gaiman List. :)

141: Hi Linda! It was your recent reading of it that finally pushed it to the top of my list - thank you! So glad to hear the the fusion is starting to work! ((HUGS))

142: Thanks, Amber! So glad to be there. :)

143: Kath, I've heard of it before, but hadn't checked it out yet - I will now, though. Once I head over to your thread to get your thoughts, of course.

Job Update?

I still haven't heard anything official, but - yesterday afternoon I got a call from the HR dept for my city. They were doing my background check and needed a copy of my college diploma. I ran home to get it, ran back over there to have them copy it. I was hoping to be able to talk to the head of HR (who called me) but she was, of course, in a meeting, so I only got to speak to secretaries. Right after that, I went over to the library (just a few blocks away). I picked up my books, went to the information desk and told the librarian there that my home voicemail wasn't working properly, and could I leave a note for Jan (the main woman who called and interviewed me) to use my cell phone number instead? Sure, no problem.

So - while nothing has really happened, I don't think they'd be doing a background check for no reason. (And, I've been checking my caller ID every time I come back home since my interview so I know I didn't miss a phone call.) These are all good things, right??!

It sounds very promising, Laura, will keep my fingers crossed that you hear some good news soon.

Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you!

Yay! That does sound like good news!

>144 LauraBrook: That does sound promising, Laura. Crossing crossables. :)

Crossing all available appendages!!

I'm so excited to see your excitement about Neverwhere! I just bought it and plan on reading it for Fantasy February (along with The Eyre Affair if I can fit them both in).

Yay for 4.5 star reads! :)

I think it's yours. I do I do I do.

Wishing you a FAbulous and exciting good news day.

Sending many positive vibes straight north and slightly east! I hope you can handle the barrage. Good luck, my friend! Hugs of support!

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!!!!!! (extra exclamation points for you too :)

Glad to see you enjoyed Neverwhere! I loved American Gods and plan to read more by Gaiman!

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!

They called me last night around 5:30, and when she said "Laura, if you're still interested, we'd like to offer you the job" I shouted "YES I'LL TAKE IT!" right away. Then I started to apologize for my excitement, and talked like a normal person. My start date depends on my passing a drug test, so I guess I have to cancel my big Drug Orgy tonight. ;) I'm going in today to pick up some paperwork that needs filling out, and if I can go and do the test on Monday morning I will be there right away. I'm just so happy and relieved, and I think I will honestly like this job. I'm sure it will have its' moments like they all do, but I can't imagine a much better place for me to work.

Thank you all so much for your good wishes, prayers, lighting candles, holding thumbs, naked chanting, crossing crossables, and everything else. I am so appreciative!

SO THRILLED FOR YOU.

Brilliant news. go celebrate straight away

Hey there!
Just swinging by to return your visit to my thread.
Congrats on the job :)

Go Laura! Go Laura! Hooray!

Wonderful news, Laura!

Huzzah! So happy for you, Laura! *tosses confetti and glitter all over the thread*

OH MY GOD AWESOME WOOOHOOO!!! *Celebratory hugs*

How did you know about the naked chanting?

Congrats ! I know how you feel :)

I hope you are on the job by Wednesday latest!!

hugs

Congrats!

Congratulations!

Wunnerful, wunnerful!! I'm very happy for you!

#153: Major congrats, Laura! I'm so glad you got the job! :) And exactly, no drug orgies now. Wait til after your first paycheck. :P

#161: Ha! You took the "naked chanting" comment right out of my mouth. :D

Yay! Congratulations!

WOOHOO!!! I'm so excited for you! CONGRATS!

Congrats on the new job!!! Hooray!

That is the BEST NEWS! I am so happy for you!

Congrats, Laura! That's awesome! Yay!

Lots of great reviews too - I've not read Neil Gaiman yet, but probably should.

Sorry about having to cancel the Drug Orgy, Laura, but what great news about the job! That's mighty cool.

I'm behind on my threads, but CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so excited for you!!

WOOOOO HOOOOO!! So excited for you! A big HUGE congratulatory hug! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, you guys! I did my drug test this afternoon, so not only do I hope for a call soon about my start date, etc, but I can also reschedule my big D.O. party! ;) (Did you guys know that they do the test right away, right in front of you? I was fascinated that in the time it took me to fill out a form it was all done and tested!)

I'm not sure how this is possible, but I've hardly read more than a dozen pages at a time since late last week. I keep trying to get somewhere, and when I do, it's half-hearted and I'm never quite sure what I just read. :/

I'm glad you stayed away from Ellen's Thread bash last week, otherwise you would have never passed that test. Whew! Close one!

Hi Laura, hope your start date is soon.

I started reading Neverwhere last night. I'm about 10 percent of the way into it, and not liking it a whole lot yet.

In fact, if you and Mark hadn't raved about it, I probably would've put it aside by now. As it is, I'll carry on. Maybe it'll turn around for me.

I wonder whether this is just not my cup of tea...

>174 LauraBrook: Yay! Can't wait to hear all about the new gig. :)

175: Sheesh, me too, Mark. I'm tempted to wander over there now, and see what happened at this legendary shindig. :)

176: Me too, Linda. And, I'm sorry you're not liking Neverwhere. :( I finished watching the BBC show this morning, and the whole story has cooled on me quite a bit since I finished it a couple of weeks ago. I still like it, and really like some elements of it, but I don't think I'd rate it as highly now. I hope it either picks up for you, or that you can just Pearl Rule it and let it go. I do think it picks up after Richard is fully in London Below and all of the main characters are introduced, but if you can't make it that far, that's alright, my dear. It may not be your cup of tea.

177: Yay! Can't wait to tell all y'all about it!

Are you still jumping for joy??!!??? :)

Thinking of you and smiling in happiness that you have an exciting opportunity ahead of you. Good luck with your new job!

Tina, not really. I'm more jumping a little once or twice and then nervously checking my phone to see if I missed their call. :/

Linda, thank you again for your lovely and thoughtful gift. And, thanks for the good luck wishes!

I just spoke to my new boss, and I could either start tomorrow morning (yikes - both because it leaves me hardly any time to mentally prep myself and do my laundry, and because we're supposed to get 5 to 7 inches of sloppy snow starting around 6AM tomorrow and I don't want to be freaking out about getting out of my driveway and then being able to get in afterwards if they miraculously happen to plow my street in a timely fashion), or next week. So, I'm starting at 1 in the afternoon on Monday. :) Perfect. Time for me to get a client or two in on Friday, work my usual Sunday ladies, and still have time to get things together a little more here at home.

Book 17: M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

This collection of short stories was, like most of them, hit and miss. (I've read a few reviews out there and it seems like all of these are previously published, but since I'm new to Neil, they're all new to me - except for Chivalry, which I much preferred in the audio format.) Nothing really stood out for me here, I just vacillated between not caring about the story and being kind of interested. Overall, 3 stars

Book 18: Abstract City by Christoph Niemann

A fabulously creative and funny book, about all sorts of things, most of them relating to NYC in some way. They're a sort of mostly visual short story set, and it had my creative juices firing and I found myself feeling happy and inspired after reading it. 4.75 stars, and many thanks to VioletBramble for bringing it to my attention!

Monday! yay!!!!!! Enjoy :)

>181 LauraBrook:: Have you read any of Gaiman's book-length stuff? I missed it if you mentioned it previously.

Yay! Hope Monday goes smoothly for you!

Congratulations Laura!

Whooo hooo!! Congrats on the new job!!

Hi Laura: Good luck on the first day at the new job on Monday!!

Sure is ugly out there right now, wouldn't you say, Laura? Hope you are able to stay in and read on the day before your big job starts!

Delurking to *smooch* hostess Laura for a happy Sunday!

So? how did it go? Did you like it?

I was also checking by to see how your first day went.

Checking in to see how you like your new job.

It went really well! All of the paperwork and info is a little overwhelming, like it is whenever anyone starts a new job, but I liked it! I think I'd be in a much more anxious state if I wasn't so dang familiar with the library already. I was really looking forward to the tour, and aside from the amount of space that's "in the back", there weren't any surprises. I was hoping for secret passages and spy holes and things, which is ridiculous, but it would've been fun to have them. My schedule will change a little bit in the next few months (2 people are leaving and 2 more will be hired), but for now I have 4, 3-hour shifts a week. I'd like more hours, and ideally more daytime hours at the library so I can still do massage in the afternoons and evenings, but that's a small thing. Right now things are A-OK, and I'm looking forward to a little regular money in the bank every other week. :)

Hoooraayyyyyy!

Good. I'm glad things went well for you today.

Good for you, Laura!!

Sounds like a great start!

Awesome, Laura! And you can't expect them to show you the secret passages and spy holes on the first day, that always comes later... :)

Great news, Laura :) I am very happy for you. Stephen's right...

:)

The first days at work sort of feel like the first days at school. Did you get your school supplies? Find your desk and locker? Did you bring an apple for the teacher and wear your first day at school outfit? Hee hee.

Glad to hear your first day went smoothly, Laura. :D

Hooray for regular money in the bank! That's a good feeling, I know. I suspect they only tell you about the secret passages and spy holes and things like that after you've been there a while. Once you find out, you can have fun scaring the crap out of patrons.

Yay Laura!! So glad to hear your first day went well! Hope you are knocking them dead on day #2!

It's always great to get that first day under your belt. Sounds like you are going to enjoy this job and, in this day and age, that's a wonderful benefit.

Checking in to let you know I held you in my thoughts and surrounded you with love. I'm glad your first day went well!

Hi Laura! So glad the first day went well. Yay!

So do you have a regular schedule yet? That is something that I am stressing about ( I can always find something... :P ) Still no schedule from Baden. It doesn't matter, really...but I admit that I like having my work days bundled together ( currently tues-weds-thurs-alt sats ) but whatever it will be will be a good trade off from the drive I make now.

I look forward to hearing more about it..

:)

Hi everyone, and thanks again for all of the good wishes and energy you're sending me! I can feel it!

I do have a somewhat-regular schedule. It's Monday mornings 9 to noon, Wednesday 6pm-9pm, Thursday 3pm-6pm, and either Fridays or Saturdays 3-6. My boss said I can very quietly listen to music while I'm shelving, but that she'd prefer if I'd wait a couple of months before doing so. And if I did do it, I have to leave one ear "open" to listen for customers. All I could think of was "audiobooks!!!", and that I would, FINALLY, essentially be getting paid to read. :) We'll see how it goes, though, and my first priority is to do a good job and display what is hopefully my shelving prowess.

Speaking of, I start at 6 tonight, and when I have the day free I tend to get nothing done because I'm so busy watching the clock, counting down my available time. Not exactly the best use of time, but I figure at the very least I can have Wednesday be my errands/laundry day and make sure that I have enough food prepped for dinner for the next couple of days.

On a total side note, my new favorite snack is a bowl of Mann's Rainbow Salad (a mix of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and carrots) with vinaigrette dressing. YUM! I'm trying to only eat half of a bag a day, but it's so darn good that it's hard to cut myself off then.

>208 LauraBrook: Regular schedules are great. When I was still in library school and working as a reference desk assistant it was nice to have that consistent three evenings a week. Interesting that it's only 3 hour shifts for you. Around here, 4 hours tends to be the minimum.

Regular schedules ARE good! I still don't know what mine will be in Baden.. Your library obviously has good funding.. more hours than any of ours..

Since your shifts are 3 hours, it's good that you work close to home, too!

eta

that salad looks yum!

>208 LauraBrook:: We definitely do not have that salad where I'm from, in SE PA, unless I've just been that blind :)

Hope work goes well tonight! I also hope the audiobooks while working also pans out. It will help you get through that immense backlog, we all suffer with.

Well, PHEW! Glad to know it's okay to hold out hope that you guys think there are secrety parts left to be revealed.

Last night was my first real working shift. All I can say is that I'm glad it's only 3 hours because by the time I was done my feet hurt, my back hurt, I was hot and a little sweaty, only mildly dizzy, and felt like I had really accomplished something. :) It was pretty good! I managed to get 2 1/2 carts of books reshelved (including the dreaded 600's section - it's only dreaded because it's so well-used so things are kind of EVERYWHERE and there are absolutely thousands of books in the section), I fixed a few mistakes along the way, and even though I made the "mistake" of not taking the New Books out to their section right away, nothing else went wrong!

Since I worked the closing shift, there's a walk-through that has to get done, so another Page, Tony, helped me through it. People really leave a lot of stuff wherever they want, and I need to get over my feeling like I don't belong in certain places. This is an issue I have in everyday life as it is, but it really is my job now to move the couches and chairs, looking in every cubicle and open space for books and magazines that people have left laying around. Also, while it might not feel like it all of the time, I really have a pretty big home library! All in all, it's a good thing, but I can see that my doing massage appointments afterwards are Not A Good Idea, I'll like this work, and I can also see how I can get really really sick of doing the same thing all the time. Again - it's a good thing it's only 3 hour shifts!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my fabulous LT friends!

Micky, I could've done 4 hours shifts, but she schedules everyone else in 3 hour ones, so I thought there must be a reason for it. Yup, there is. :)

Kath, we really have a big library (will look for numbers, etc), and I think there are about a dozen of us Pages. Last night there were at least 9 or 10 actual librarians, not to mention others, that were doing their normal shift. And that doesn't include anyone who was up in the children's section as that's on a different floor entirely. There are so many people on staff that some of the "extra" things I was hoping to do, like cover new books, repair old ones, etc, already have people for the job. The library property itself is a little more than 2 blocks long, and the building covers most of it. And, that salad IS good! I had some last night with a couple of croutons - yum!

Es, it's in the prepackaged salad section, with the already-shredded coleslaw stuff. But yeah, you might not have it in PA. :( Bummer!

Mark, thanks! I think it'll be a few weeks before I feel like I can handle both at the same time. I could really use some help with the backlog, I think I have about 20 audiobooks just sitting around, waiting. That's the only downside to hardly having any commute time any more, really. Happy Thursday, friend!

>214 LauraBrook: Fair enough. Glad your first evening of real work went well. And don't worry about the legs and back thing. I worked as a cashier in a grocery store for several years, it just takes a couple weeks to get used to the new type of exercise. :)

Hi Laura, delurking for a smooching

I'm as happy for you and your new job as I am jealous, and that's saying something. Sigh. Re-shelving books for hours? Perfect day.

wow your library sound pretty huge! My little town library has two employees!
Awesome that you get to listen to music or audiobooks when you work!

So glad to hear things are going well!!

Your library sounds enormous! I am sorry about the hours of shelving, and I hope it's true that your muscles will get used to it.

Laura- Just checking in! Hope you had a nice weekend, with plenty of R & R!

So... how are you holding up, my friend? Thinking of you!

Me, too, Laura. How's it going?

#208: (sputters) You get to listen to music at work?? I'm envious. The only time I get to do that is on my Saturday mornings before we open. Otherwise, we have to be alert at all times.

Eat only half a bag of that a day? I'd eat the whole darn thing. Veggies, I've heard, you can eat pretty much as much as you want.

#213: Yep, paging is a very physical job! You'll get a pretty good workout in. Just protect your back. That's the biggest complaint I hear from fellow pages--their backs hurt.

And, yes, the 600's--sometimes the 700's as well--are always a mess. I think it's a universal thing in libraries. :) That and the kid's section. Yeesh.

Glad to hear you're not ready to pull your hair out yet! :)

I was helping some woman find Caldecott winners for her little girl the other night. It was 15 minutes before closing. There is no list in the system, of course.. so I was looking on Amazon, then searching the system. She had to read 9 books by Monday or something. mom had no idea which she had read. I hate the kids section! lol. It is like a huge mystery. It is in my new library too. ( they have a section for kids books with "characters" which baffles me. I mean, all kids books have characters, right? I will have to investigate that further and hope to "get " it)

Anyway.. I was searching one shelf while sitting on the floor. I had not yet touched the shelf above it, but suddenly, about 15 books fell right into my lap. ( none of them Caldecott) sigh. I ended up finding 4 foar her, which was a bit of a miracle. She was very nice. I was struggling to get up from the floor, and she offered a hand :) nice patrons make all the difference. I find that the moms are often the ones who are least likely to be nice, for some reason...there are 3-4 however that are among my favorite patrons.

Anyway.. hang in there!!!

Oh, I love those last-minuters. ;) And 9 books by Monday? Yeesh. Good luck, kid! And books with "characters"? That has me baffled as well. But you're right--nice patrons make all the difference. Well, nice people, in general.

Hi Laura! I haven't been around for awhile. Just wanted to say cograts on getting the job!! Hope you're settling in and enjoying it!!

Hello everyone! I am alive, after all. My first two weeks of work were ache-inducing and schedule-crazy-making (due to clients both coming out of the woodwork and having to reschedule people from the new job schedule), but this week, FINALLY, seems to be calming down. Phew! I wasn't sure I could've kept that up for that long. At the same time, I was in a book funk until this past weekend, and while the first two of the below list were read pre-Funk, the rest are all that I've read this week so far. It's not as impressive as it looks, lots of slim graphic novels, etc.

Book 19: Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman 3 stars - already quite a bit of repetition, and I think I need a Gaiman-break after this one.

Book 20: Moominpappa's Memoirs by Tove Jansson 3 stars - a fine, dare I say average, set of Moomin stories.

Book 21: Lost and Found by Shaun Tan 4 stars - A very nice collection of 3 stories, filled with outstanding artwork, as usual. I'm beginning to think that he can't do any wrong!

Book 22: The Sigh by Marjane Satrapi 4 stars - A sweet fairy tale that has stuck with me far longer than I expected it to!

Books 23, 24, & 25: Serenity: Those Left Behind, Serenity: Better Days, and Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale by Joss and Zack Whedon 3.25 stars average for these 3 "Firefly" tales.

Book 26: Emma, Vol. 1 by Kaoru Mori 4.25 stars. Set in England, this is not your average Manga book. I'll be reading the rest of the series very quickly to see what happens to everyone!

Whew! After last nights' snowfall, we've got over 7 inches of heavy and wet snow - I spent most of today snowblowing and shoveling with short breaks between. I've just started re-watching the "Lark Rise to Candleford" series on DVD, they're such good stories and nothing too unpleasant happens. This morning between my shoveling sessions I finished watching the first season of "Kingdom", with Stephen Fry. It wasn't bad, but if there were more than just 1 more season remaining, I don't think I'd continue to watch it. And, before I go to work tonight, I'm hoping to finish another graphic novel so I can return it and check out the 13 (gulp) books/CDs that are waiting for me.

Okay, off to update my other threads and take a bit of a break before getting ready to go to work!

Yeah, Smoke and Mirrors wasn't a fave for me either, and I like {Gaiman. I thought Lost and Found and Emma were great. I'm glad you liked them, and that you want to read the rest of the Mori series. That's a new Satrapi for me, so I'll have to check it out.

Hi Joe! I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the Emma series at work tonight, but I'm worried that because I'm checking out 9 books that there won't be space for them again by the time I return them! (I've been checking out books in the magna/graphic novel section to make space for other titles that I'm shelving at work - we have an overflow cart for both sections, and while there are plans to move these genres to a bigger area, it won't be for at least a couple of months.) The Satrapi was a pleasant surprise that I found at work the in YA section, and I liked it much better than Chicken with Plums and Embroideries. I think you'll like it too, whenever you can get your hands on a copy!

Glad you're settling in well and that the book funk is starting to recede! :D There are quite few authors on my list whose books I need to space out when reading so I totally understand taking a break from Gaiman.

Just a quick salute to another library toiler :)

And now for a couple of "meh" reads...

Book 27: Down and Out In Paris and London by George Orwell

2.5 stars - it was okay. I know that it's not a cheery, happy, joyful tale, but holy crap! Very depressing to listen to for more than 30 minutes at a time. Thank goodness it was relatively short. An eye-opening book, and an important part of history, but don't drink this with a full bottle of whiskey nearby... you may be hammer-drunk before you reach chapter 10. Not quite what Richard calls a two-hankies-and-a-pistol, but not too far off, either. Was chosen for my Classics book group.

Book 28: Vampire Loves by Joann Sfar

I read and liked The Professor's Daughter by him last year, and when I couldn't fit some books onto the Graphic Novel shelf at work I pulled out the thickest one I could find - and ta da! It came home with me. :) It was okay. It's a collection of 4 related short stories about a vampire looking for love, and who is thoughtful enough towards his victims to only bite with one tooth so they think it's a mosquito bite. It's a unique world filled with new and unusual characters, and while I liked reading it, I didn't feel a pull to get back to it to see what happened next. That's probably more my fault than the books. 3 stars

Sorry to hear you've had some "meh" reading. Hoping your next read knocks your socks off. :)

Wish Vampire Loves were better. I really liked his Rabbi's Cat. Have you read Cinder, Laura? That's the one I've been recommending to people looking for a fun read. The second one, Scarlet, is equally good.

I'm digging into Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It. Irresistible title.

Hi Dear One

I'm stopping by to see how your new job is going for you. I envy both you and Kath for working in libraries. I know it is hard work, but to be surrounded by books sounds marvelous.

I was thinking you might like the book I just finished?

I read your #27 in college for an English course and felt the same way as you about it. Depressing!

Orwell wasn't famous for writing cheery little bagatelles, but that one is one of his more gloom-inducing. What tiny amount of faith I had in human lovingkindness evaporated ~page 100.

#233: Bummer about Vampire Loves. I might still give it a try, but no hurry.

Hope your current readings are better!

Hi Laura - it sounds like you've been busy!

#233 - Sorry you didn't enjoy the Orwell. I've always wanted to read that one.

Micky, I just started listening to Lost in a Good Book, and that one's almost knocking my socks off - but that's about it. :/ That's alright though, there'll be lots more books coming down the pike!

Hi Joe! Wish Vampire was a little better too, but that's okay. I'm going to request Rabbi's Cat for the Dewey's Read-a-Thon at the end of April, glad to know you like it! Cinder is on my TBR list, for sure, and now that both you and Mark and a few other LTers have liked it so much it's slowly inching the way up the mountain. I tried reading Yoga for People Who a couple of years ago and couldn't get into it, so I gave it away. I'm thinking that I might have to give it another swing in a while, though. :)

Linda! Hello there, sweetheart. :) The job is going well, to be surrounded by books all of the time is a total blessing, and it makes me ridiculously happy. If I have to take some Advil/Aleve to get through it, that's a small price to pay. Hope you are doing well, my dear!

Kath, I'll have to mosey over and see which book you're talking about!

Amber, glad to have another Not A Fan in my camp! Drinks are in the corner, make yourself comfortable. :)

Richard, amen to that. After the first audio disc I had to stop and think if I really wanted to continue. Since it was for one of my book clubs, I figured I'd better.

Sara - you'll probably like it, but yeah, I wouldn't be in a rush to read it.

Roni - they're getting there, I'm at the start of a few books (including Tigana), so there's a lot of potential!

Hi Kerri! That's alright, you may very well like it! And, if not, it's at least short!

Book 29: A Regency Invitation to the Party of the Season by Nicola Cornick

I read this in the middle of the night when I woke up at 1 or 3 am and couldn't get back to sleep. It was a fun, no-brainer read, and while I don't normally read romances, it was an enjoyable way to spend a few sleepy hours. 2.5 stars

Book 30: A Passage To India by E.M. Forster

Chosen for me to read by Alison Kay/RidgewayGirl, I thought that I'd like this one more than I did. While the writing was beautiful, no doubt, I found the subject/main drama to be very uncomfortable and angering. Therefore, it was difficult to read, and even harder to keep picking up every day to keep it going. In the end, just to have it finished, was the main reason I kept going. I'm going to hang on to my 1950's copy to read again, as I'm sure in a few years I'll have a very different response to the book, but for now, I'm giving it 3 stars.

Yes, I think you'll like Rabbi's Cat, Laura - and Cinder, too. Yoga for People Who is an odd one, although I'm liking it for that reason. The central importance of recreational drugs in some of the pieces reminds me some of Hunter Thompson, and no doubt is off-putting for some readers. The guy sure can write though, and he can be very funny in this one.

I was less than overwhelmed by A Passage to Inda, too. I liked A Room with a View better.

Hope all is going well for you today, and the snow is giving you a break.

Hey Laura! Catching up here as I've been busy with little LT time as of late. I'm SO happy for your new job!!! The first few months of anything new are stress inducing because of the change. Just hang in there kiddo!!

Just poppin in to say hello! My mind is almost completely blank.. so not a thing to say .
Hope all is well!

Hi Laura- Wow, it looks like I have been absent over here. Bad Mark. I have not read cinder yet but I have it ready on audio. I plan on getting to it very soon. BTW- I really enjoyed Fire.
I am finally reading Forster this year. Probably Howard's End.
Hope your week is going well!

Hi Laura, 30 books already, wow. Have a good weekend!

Hello to Joe, Tina, Kath, Mark, wilkiec, and all lurkers!!!!!

Book 31: We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin

Yet another GN that I took home from work when the shelf was too full, and I'm so glad that I did. This powerful and touching memoir of the author and her mother's time (1944-1945) surviving through the last of WWII in Hungary, and with a few glimpses into her modern life in NYC, was riveting. The illustrations only add to the dark, confusing time that was the end of the war in Europe. At turns sad, hopeful, harrowing, and desperate, this could only be true. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. 4.25 stars

Book 32: Everyone's Reading Bastard by Nick Hornby

A friend has lent me her Kindle for a few weeks, so I'm catching up with some ebook exclusives. This story of an ex-husband and how his life changes when his soon-to-be and then ex-wife writes a newpaper column about all of his shortcomings (hence, the title). Not quite as funny as I'd expect from the author, but it was a fun 15 minutes spent reading. 3 stars

Book 33: The Hangman by Louise Penny

Another ebook, this time with one of my favorite inspectors, Gamache, and the fabulously charming village of Three Pines. When an out-of-towner finds a hanging corpse while jogging through the woods, Gamache & Co. come to investigate. Because of its' short length, I could figure out whodunit before the reveal - not typical for me with her books - and it's made me pick up where I left off in the Three Pines series proper. 4 stars

Book 34: Heads In Beds by Jacob Tomsky

*caution, swearing ahead*
This motherfucker can write! (Jacob would only take me calling him a motherfucker as the highest compliment.) Funny, honest, heartfelt, kind, sarcastic, this account of his life spent working in hotels was really great. Chosen as one of my bookclub's picks (not the classics one, obvs.) this got me out of my reading slump. (Well, non-GN slump.) This no-holds-barred account of all of the goings-on in the hospitality industry was fantastic, easy to read, and fully satisfies any spying-on-others urges that you may have. (And c'mon, who doesn't like watching people?!?) A great book, and I'm glad that I splurged to buy my own used copy rather than waiting for my libraries' long hold list to finally get to me. A keeper! 4.25 stars

Book 35: Soulless by Gail Carriger

A unique world, filled with humor, rules and regulations, super- (and preter-) natural beings, and suspense, I loved this book! No reason for it taking me so long to read (and for me to finally get around to reading it, especailly after so many of my LT compatriots' adorations), and I'm looking forward to getting back to Alexia, Connall, and all of the rest. 4.25 stars

Books 36 & 37: Emma, Volume 3 and Emma, Volume 4 by Kaoru Mori

I'm totally digging this manga series set in Victorian-era England! With the exception of my first manga series (Chobits - thanks, Sara!), this is far and away my runner-up favorite. I don't have any idea what will happen from page to page, let alone book to book, and I only wish I could afford to purchase my own set. 5 stars each.

**********************

Life update: Meh. Things are alright. I'm getting more and more used to the physicality of my library job with every shift (though I still have some issues with stooping over for long periods - I suspect that will never go away), and if I can just slow myself down when I'm working instead of essentially racing myself to do things as quickly as possible and getting flushed and sweaty while doing so, it'll be just peachy. No more crazy patron stories (hope I didn't jinx myself), and it's all going along just fine. Massage clients have been fairly steady, which is both good and bad, because it's nice to be a little busy despite the mass amounts of laundry and supplies that it takes.

The space I rent nearby my house has decided (while "consulting" me in a staff meeting that was a barrage of new information 2 days before signing the contract) that we will be doing a Groupon for massage. Ugh. This will only end horribly for everyone involved in nearly every way for about a million reasons. Most of them originate with the owner and her daughter and their apparent total absence of responsibility, logical thinking, cleanliness, class, and communication skills. This leaves me to try and catch up and clean and think logically and ask A LOT of follow-up questions, etc etc etc, and they think I'm an uptight bitch. But, if I don't set things up in a way that makes sense to me, like having one scheduling book to accommodate all of us to make taking phone calls seamless, and paying (by myself) to rent a water dispenser and water jugs so people will have something to drink, and doing all cleaning and organizing and seasonal decorating, I will certainly go 100% insane - at this rate, it's only 94% certain. The place looks like someone has brought in old, unmatching things from home, like it's their partially-finished basement, with tchotchkes, oily residue, mismatched picture frames, badly framed artwork, etc. It does not resemble a relaxing spa-like atmosphere that you'd expect to find, in some form, at a massage therapy business. *heavy sigh* I am doing my best, and will try not to both overly-inconvenience myself with scheduling and/or have a continuous cold due to mass amounts of stress (like the one I'm trying to get over currently). It is going to be a VERY VERY LONG 3-6 months and I'm just trying to brace myself for the oncoming shitstorm. Ugh.

And, starting in April, I'll be starting yet another job. (I know!) I'll be spending Friday mornings/early afternoons working at the health food store attached to my chiropractor's office. I'm not as nervous/apprehensive as I'd normally be for a retail job like this (it's been a while) simply because I know and like all of the employees and have been going there for 6 years. And, it's relatively small, and help will always be about 100 feet away. No idea how much I'm getting paid, or what, exactly, I'll be doing, but it's some very small guaranteed income. (And, speaking of that, even thought I'm working a lot, I seem to have slightly less money than before - it doesn't seem possible, but my bank account doesn't seem to lie.) Crap.

I don't want to sound like I'm whingeing or ungrateful, because I'm not, but my schedule and lack of free time is very worrying. Ideally I'd like 2 days off a week, and right now, I don't have more than a half day most weeks through April. A mini-breakdown is inevitable. I'll be escaping into books as much as I possibly can (and here too - I've really missed LT!), though they will most likely be heavily illustrated.

And have I mentioned that I have yet to start getting my taxes together, let alone make an appointment with my accountant (and how will I afford it and the taxes that I assuredly owe?!?), the house is a disaster of paper and odds and ends, I literally have 3 double-sided pages of things that need buying/doing before the Groupon goes live (in 10 days!!!!), my DVR is near-full (and it takes over 400 hrs!), and all I want to do most days is lay on the couch, take naps, laze around like a bum.

I think I need a 1950's wife to take care of me.

You go, girl. Get it with your readin' self :)

*hugs* You sound a bit stressed out, doll. Take a couple deep breaths. You are capable of doing all the things and they will get done. :)

As for all your reading, I'll give the warning I've been spreading everywhere lately (I think yours is thread number 6) read books 2 and 3 in the Soulless series close together.

>251 MickyFine:: I agree with the first paragraph above.

Hang in there! Change is stressful! You can handle it. We're here for you.

Ah Laura - things sure have been whipped up into a storm over in West Allis! Thinking of you my friend.

Can I treat you to a latte and pastry at Le Reve? And an ear? They are closed momentarily for a expansion and remodel, but will let you know when they re-open.

Might just be the think you need to deal with that damn Groupon.

Hang in there.

Lots going on here, as always.. sending you can do it mojo!!!

Laura, I hope things start to settle down soon and that reading (and LT) provides a refuge for you.

I'll have to look for that Groupon. Somehow, I'm signed up for both Chicago and Milwaukee.

Hi Laura, whew! I'm tired just reading about your two jobs, and now you are adding a third! Just remember to keep some time just for you, and every once and awhile pamper yourself.

I am another one who is totally charmed by the Souless series.

Sorry things are so stressful right now. I hope everything settles down soon. *Hugs*

Laura- Sounds like you are carrying a heavy load, my friend. Sending you positive and stress-free waves! And the wish for a 50s wife! Hey, I want one of those too! Good luck and Hugs!

Hi Laura! Sorry to read about all the stress. I hope things improve. Please take care!

I'm hoping to get to that Louise Penny series soon. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

You are knocking out the books! Yahoo!

Sorry about your stress! Hope things get better!

Oh Laura dear... I'm so sorry for the stress you've got going on right now. I can't imagine trying to work 3 jobs!! :(

I understand the reasons why you have to... Like you, I don't know why the same amount of money doesn't go as far these days. My heart & thoughts are with you!

Books 38 & 39: Emma, Vol. 5 and Emma, Vol. 6 by Kaoru Mori

More excellent adventures in the "Emma" world, with some twists I did not see coming. I'm loving this series! 5 stars each.

Book 40: Upstairs & Downstairs: The Illustrated Guide to the Real World of Downton Abbey by Sarah Warwick

A beautifully produced oversized book about Edwardian England society, country house living, and the life of the servants. Set up as times of the day, it walks you through a typical day for people both above and below stairs. Filled with lots of large photographs and vintage illustrations, it was a real pleasure to read. 4.25 stars

Book 41: My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

Extremely well-done GN memoir of his high school years and his friendship with future serial killer Jeff Dahmer. Disturbing, intriguing, compulsively readable, and very sad-making for me. It's what I'd imagined Dahmers' youth to be like, and it's unfortunate that the adults around him were totally clueless to this kids obvious need for help and attention. 4.25 stars

When Jeff's crimes became public in 1991, I was in middle school in a suburb of Milwaukee. I remember watching the local news with my parents, and being sort of stunned that something like this could happen in my backyard. I was never fearful or scared about it because I knew that he was already in police care and that he had only abducted and killed young men, but my parents were incredibly nervous and paranoid that something could happen to me. (This, despite the fact that I'd only been to downtown Milwaukee a handful of times, and always with them or with a school tour group, seemed completely ridiculous to me. I understand that as a parent you never stop worrying, especially about something like this with so many young men murdered, but I always knew that there was absolutely nothing for them to really worry about in the big scheme of things.) As details came out, I was glued to the TV, both with a morbid curiosity and a fascination that I recognized areas that were on the news. Ultimately, yes, he was guilty as all hell and did totally horrible, disgusting, despicable things, but Dahmers' life just makes me so sad - I feel like things did not have to turn out the way that they did.

Sorry to not have responded yet to any messages, will do so when I get home from work tonight.

A couple of hours ago I found out that the Groupon will be going live TOMORROW, and not Saturday as was originally planned. Been on the phone and trying to get paperwork/organizing things together in a rush before leaving in less than an hour for work. Crap.

Good grief. I don't know how you are managing to read as it is! Wow..
Good luck with the Groupon thing.. may the time pass quickly and more easily that you can hope for..
sending mojo >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My Friend Dahmer looks great. Onto my wishlist, thanks! :)

Laura,

I was post-college, living on the east side that summer. I remember distinctly driving down Farwell Ave. listening to things unfold on NPR. One of my high school friends was on the jury. Don't think I could have done that.

I am not interested in reading this graphic novel, but I will recommend The Dahmer Files, a recent documentary. Shawn and I watched it a few weeks ago - enlightening.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/movies/the-jeffrey-dahmer-files-by-chris-ja...

BTW - I do wish that Milwaukee was known for more than beer (we have good stuff though Mark), cheese, Laverne and Shirley, and Jeffrey Dahmner. Our city has so much more!

Es, Micky, Roni, Nancy, Kath, Linda, Judy, Stephen, Mark, Kerri, Chelle, Tina, and Sara - Thank you all so much for your support, it really means a lot! Most days you guys are the only friendly faces that I see and genuinely want to talk to! I love you guys, you are THE BEST!!!!

Micky, I have books 2 and 3 here (in the Soulless series) so I get them back to back. Thanks for the tip!

Nancy, I will take you up on your Le Reve offer (if it still stands), so let me know when they're open again. And thank you for sharing your Milwaukee memories of that time. I too wish that Milwaukee was known for more than Dahmer, cheese and beer and sausage and Laverne and Shirley. Maybe we should work on a Milwaukee Is Great campaign somewhere?!? :)

Mark, you've got a pretty great wife right now - maybe both of you could use a 1950's one, though? Hope you're staying warm in this not-Spring weather we're stuck with!

*****************

After talking with the daughter a few times yesterday, I finally got some actually helpful Groupon info (like our merchant password), and instructions for redeeming the coupons both electronically and not. And, apparently, we "shouldn't change our plans for the weekend" to answer the phone because today they're offering our deal in a "private sale" and tomorrow it rolls out to the general public. I don't really have a clue as to what that means, or what kind of numbers are involved in the private sale, but I still plan on being there to answer messages as much as I can. The daughter thinks that I'm being nuts about this, especially with planning to sit there for 5 hours tomorrow, but I'd rather handle the calls promptly and courteously (and correctly) than worry and wonder about how she and her Mom are potentially royally screwing things up. And, after I work on cleaning and decorating for spring, I'm also hoping to read while I'm sitting there!

Book 42: Emma, Vol. 7 by Kaoru Mori

Emma is back in town, the Viscount is more of a pretentious A-hole than I thought, and this (according to the author's afterword) is the last in the series!!! It can't be, as there are 3 more volumes on the shelf at work, and now I really really can't wait to check them out tonight! Another 5 stars

42 books?! You are cranking them out, my friend!

Curious to hear what happens with this whole Groupon thing. Good luck!

Woo, sending you positive thoughts and my favorite brand of Stress-Away, Laura!

So glad you're enjoying Kaoru Mori's Emma series so much! I did, too.

I didn't know about that short Louise Penny, so thank you for that tip.

Most days you guys are the only friendly faces that I see and genuinely want to talk to!

I feel like that many days too. I feel like the people here sorta "get" me, as angsty-teen as that probably sounds.

Besides beer, cheese, and Laverne and Shirley, when I visit Milwaukee, I think of the Brewers, the festivals, Kopps Frozen Custard, Mystery One bookstore (though I haven't been there in years), the Allen-Bradley clock, the State Fair, and the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Just to name a few things.

Hello Dear One

I'm stopping by to say I'm thinking of you. I've added My Friend Dahmer to the tbr pile.

I hope your weekend is a good one.

Linda- the whole area near the Allen-Bradley clock tower is going through a major transformation. Next time you are in town, make sure to visit that area. It has become a foodie hot post! http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/table_talk/2013/03/indulgence-chocolat...

HI Laura, just stopping by to wish you a happy Easter Weekend!

Just popping in with good wishes, positive energy and hope that this groupon thing passes quickly!

hugs

Hi Laura: Hope you're doing well.

#276 Thanks for the info. We were at Miller Park yesterday and were too busy dodging construction obstacles to notice anything near the Allen Bradley clock.

We saw the Brewers/White Sox exhibition game. While we were singing Roll Out the Barrel, we saw Bernie Brewer dancing the polka with the Easter Bunny. You don't see that every day.

Only in Milwaukee can you have a grilled cheese and cheese curds at a ballpark concession stand, washed down with a summer shandy.

Good evening, everyone! Thank you so much for keeping my thread warm in my absence. I've started a new Chapter, so please meet me over there. :)

Nancy, Joe, Es, Linda, Linda, Bianca & Kath - I hope you are all doing well, and had nice and relaxing Easters!

Linda L - thank you so much for the card!

Linda P - I passed right by Miller Park when the game started - who knew we were that close?!? Next time, I'll wave. ;)