Ireadthereforeiam- Still Summer

Mt Cook/Aoraki and Lake Pukaki from the road.
Makes me want to do a road trip!

February:
18. The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope (poetry)
17. No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy (fiction)
16. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
15. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (classic fiction)
14. The Forrests by Emily Perkins (NZ, fiction)
13. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (historic fiction)

JANUARY:
12. What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge (classic)
11. Various Pets Dead and Alive, by Marina Lewycka (fiction)
10. Lemona's Tale, by Ken Saro-Wiwa (African fiction)
9. Brokeback Mountain, by Annie Proulx (short story)
8. The Memory of Running, by Rn McLarty(fiction)
7. Leningrad, by Anna Reid (NF)
6. The Sense of an Ending- by Julian Barnes (fiction)
5. Old Filth- by Jane (fiction)
4. Quarry- by Damon Galgut (fiction)
3. Mayflower- Nathaniel Philbrick (NFN)
2. Writer MD- edited by Leah Kaminsky (Essays, Short Stories)
1. Mister Pip- Lloyd Jones (NZ fiction)

Books Bought 2013

FEBRUARY
(23) Family Matters, Rohinton Mistry (Booker shortlist 2002) $4
(22) Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald (Booker winner 1979) $2
(21) Infinite Riches by Ben Okri $5
(22) Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach .50c
(23) Fosterling by Emma Neale .50c
(24) The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope $1
(25) An Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett $1

JANUARY
(1) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai $4
(2) The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes $4
(3) The Quarry by Damon Galgut $4
(4) The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
(5) The Body Artist by Don Delillo $3
(6) Old Filth by Jane Gardham $4
(7) Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson #3
(8) Lemona's Tale by Ken Saro-Wiwa $3
(9) Life and Times of Michael K by JM Coetzee $4
(10) Dirt Music by Tim Winton $1
(11) Voss, by Patrick White .50c
(12) Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx .50c
(13) Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales $6
(14) What Katy Did, Susan Coolidge $6
(15) The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (as pressie) $3.63
(16) The Interrogator's War by Chris Mackey with Greg Miller (free)
(17) At One with the Sea by Naomi James (free)
(18) The Railway Children by E. Nesbit $4.95
(19) Kim by Rudyard Kipling $6.40
(20) The Swiss Family by Robinson, Johan Wyss $6.50

Must read Feb list:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

To Track Down:

The first in the Regeneration Trilogy, by Pat Barker. It is probably called- Regeneration!

Am I first?

Am I first??

No fair!!! I call that a tie. : P

I will settle this - I am first! ;)

Book 12
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge

What a sweet tale of the hi-jinks and goings on in a busy 1870's household.
Katy is the eldest of a big brood, and is always getting into scrapes. She doenst mean to but things just seem to happen. Chapter by chapter the adventures of her and her younger siblings, and a neighbour, are told. Until an chance accident renders her bedridden, and forces her to face her future. Katy has to decide what kind of girl she wants to be, and with the help of her invalid cousin she grows and matures.

The innocence is captured nicely and the story rollicking for a young audience. Not exactly life-changing, but a lovely journey. 3 stars.

LOL
Look at your guys scrapping over first :)
Sorry, no prizes here, just accolades for rushing to the new thread!

Its first equal, times 3!

Bouquets all around!

Nice to be loved, huh? : ) Thanks for the flowers.

For you too, Megan

Hi Ellen, Kim and Stasia!
And thanks Stasia for the beautiful sparkly flowers to brighten up the place :)

It is hot hot hot here, the paddling pool is filled, the camping chairs set up in the shade and the kids pooped already. Looking at 31 deg C here today and tomorrow, a little cooler for Saturday.

Think cool thoughts! Maybe I should have included ice with the flowers. . .

No cool thoughts!! I am enjoying the thought of warm weather because I have been freezing all day long. Ahhh! Puts chair in the sunlight and dips toes in the pool.

Megan - I have been on that road and taken similar photos. Yearning for the highway - well that one in particular.
Congratulations on your latest thread and so much for your comment last year of never being able to match your then reading. 12 already is pretty darned impressive with your two little fellows and dodgy pins.

Stasia, we made lemonade before, which was really delicious. Just lemon juice, honey, water and ice. The kids loved it and so did I. So thanks, that ice will come in handy!

Kim: sheesh, it is hot though. And not much breeze, like yesterdays, to cool off. The sun is about to hit the house too after keeping cool all day (its 330pm now) so it'll keep getting hotter in here til early evening. Lucky I have all my chores done, so i can mooch with the kiddos.

Paul: It is a spectacular drive that one. I also love going through the Lindis Pass, (Omarama to Wanaka), all the tussock grass and rolling hills. The lack of jagged rocks and steep peaks belies the fact that its the highest mountain pass here (well, for the South Island anyway, I dont know about the North).

I am doing OK so far books-wise! Still officially recuperating for most of Jan though, so we'll see about Feb!

Megan- Congrats on the new thread. I love the scenic photo at the top. Reminds me of the Rocky Mountains. Sorry to hear about your heat. It's going to only be in the teens here tomorrow.

Beautiful view, Megan. What a gorgeous country you live in.

Hi Mark- I think Id like the Rocky Mountains. One of the reasons I left Perth, Western Australia, was that it was so flat I couldnt cope! I just love hills and mountains. Beautiful.

Rosalita: I think so too! Although the view from street isnt quite so amazing ;)
I need to remember to get out and about more often and enjoy the place.

I had my first meeting with my new bookclub last night!
My old one dissolved away amidst parenting and work commitments and half of us living 50 minutes drive away from the other half.

So- New Bookclub.
The one person I know, and who invited me to join, collected me and when I got there I was very glad to have swiped some foundation on my face and thrown on a dress. Everyone there was fancy! And they seemed all to have fancy occupations to match . Eek. *inferiority complex*

It was nice to get together and talk about books though, and I look forward to getting to know them all better and preparing a bit better so that I can discuss my chosen books with ease.

#21 Mr SandDune used to get an inferiority complex about other people's houses in our book club. Virtually all the other members are women whose husbands have fairly high-powered jobs in the City and it showed in the houses! It's not that there's anything particularly wrong with our house but it doesn't quite match up!

haha, I get that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with our house either. I often feel blessed that we have so much space, its just not as extravagant as others houses. I secretly feel proud that we live on a relatively modest income, and I chose not to boost that income by going out to work and having the kids in childcare. But the odd time, I feel a twinge about not being a high-flyer, career-wise.
Two of my new Bookclubbers are Lawyers, one works for the government, one for a travel agency (and has flown off to an international conference this morning) and I haven't found out the others yet! But I sense they are swanky from their refined ways *burp* lol

My house is always such a mess, I could not host a book club here. Swanky - who cares ? ;) burp... Congrats on the new Book Club! I do understand preferring to get some foundation on and the whole bit - earrings, eyeliner , etc etc. Other wise I feel like a frumpy old housewife. ;)

I posted a couple of book covers that I like on my thread, Megan!:)

Happy new thread, Megan!

You live in a beautiful country, that's another great picture.

Sounds like a fancy-ass book club! Make sure you keep your pinky up and out, while you sip the Earl Grey. Actually, I could picture you with a quart of beer in a sack. LOL.

Lovely opening photo, Megan!

You could impress your well to do book club members with your two legged dance next time you meet.

>23 vancouverdeb: lol, *burp*
I guess my new book club arent they type to confess to having nits in front of :)
Most of them have no kids so they'd just think I was a dirty scrubber or something.

>24 wilkiec: Thanks Diana, Ive driven that road many times and its always lovely.
I really need to take another road trip, now that the kids are a bit older, it might be easier. Historically road trips with my crew have been epic failures. Wilbur once cried from Okarito to Hokitika....pretty much non-stop for 1 and 1/2 hours. *sigh*

>25 msf59: Make sure you keep your pinky up and out
LOL
Im even worse at pretending to be fancy than I am at being fancy at all! I might just have to remember when to keep my mouth shut. That could work. At least if I have them all around here Ill impress them with all my books!

>26 kidzdoc: You're right Darryl, I could do that. Or I could get my lovely other to do his second ever attempt of it. As the first and only attempt of many a year ago was so funny it is still talked about today. Let's just say that doing "the running man" is not his strongest point!

If I looked like THIS doing it, I might reconsider.

Good thing you have us non-fancy folks to talk with Megan!!

We'll talk about burps, nits, whatever you'd like. ;)

Hi Megan. I loved the What Katy Did books when I was younger. Glad you enjoyed it too.

On book groups, I was really pleased to find one that meets in local pubs - that way I never have to get an inferiority complex about the state of our flat!

Lovely new thread here, Megan, and what a GORGEOUS view up top! WOW! Your new book club sounds slightly scary - I hope they were nice. Are they nice? Because that's important.

Hey there!

I am just dying to read The Sense of an Ending. I liked what you had to say about it. I can't wait until I get it from PaperBackSwap, unless I break down and buy it!

Tina: thank you! I knew I could just be myself around here and face no wrath ;)
Oh, and in regards to the nits? I put my hair up into a high pony tail this morning and then chopped it all off! haha. And considering it was a scissors-hack-job it looks pretty good! I was shocked to be able to leave it as it was with virtually no touching up.
That'll show those nits- or more accurately, it just means I have to use less poison on my head to get rid of them.

Heather: I have heard about the pub ones. Does that mean anyone just turns up and joins in? Like complete strangers? Gotta watch out for the crazies in that case. That might sound rash, but what I mean is that in the case where you are introduced to a group of people that someone you know, knows, you feel a little safer.

Mamie: yes, the new book-clubbers seem nice. Friendly, chatty, smiley (not really the raucous laughter type maybe....) and nice.
I just felt a bit intimidated by them being very well put together types (heaps of makeup, and fancy clothes, swanky jobs) as I felt they might write me off as a "stay-at-home-mum" frump, instead of a "person who cares little for excessive personal adornment", which is more accurate.

kcrisell/Esquiress: woah, you threw me there with your name change. I was half expecting you to turn into some shoe-selling-spammer-outfit when I clicked on your name to get to your profile and it came up as *error no such user*.
Phew, you are a person, just a dual-named one :)

I wanted to buy Sense of an Ending not long after it won the Booker, and resisted. Then I chanced upon it for $4, brand new (looking) and hard cover. I was super stoked, as it really appealed to the bargain hunter in me. I hope you manage to find a copy.

> 32.

I requested the username change, and apparently it happened while I was commenting on threads, so half were showing as kcrisell, the other half as Esquiress. Go figure :) I have both usernames on the Threadbook now with references to each other.

What a great bargain! I find some great bargains I can't resist over at PaperBackSwap, which is where I have it on a wishlist and am waiting for a copy.

Hi Megan! I love your opening photo! So pretty!

>33 Esquiress: Hm, maybe Ill change my user name too. Reinvent myself as a high-flying executive career woman? I could call myself TopBrass or something?
No one would ever know I was really just little old me! (mwa ha ha)

I like Esquiress, it has a ring of aristocracy to it :)

>34 ChelleBearss: well, Chelle, when we do that house swap one day, Ill leave a map and directions in the car so you can drive there yourself! It's maybe 3 hours away from here. more if you stop at any one of the number of beautiful scenic spots for a picnic along the way. Have I convinced you yet?
haha

Megan, no need to change yourself. We love you as you are, and I bet the fancily dressed highly made up women at the bookclub were wishing they could be as comfortable in their own skin as you are. Who wants to look at a lot of gunk on face when natural prettiness is always more appealing and alluring? (says she who has zero make up skills... ahem).

I want haircut pictures! I want haircut pictures! Sorry, I'm just a bit tipsy after Ellen's Thread Bash!

Caro- my make up skills are pretty bad! I can do foundation, but eye-liner has always stumped me. Duh, I know.
I always remember my lovely flatmate and friend since high school, catching me enthusiastically applying skin toner, and then washing it off. All proud of myself for finally having a skin-care regime.
"Megan- you are supposed to leave it on!"
lol

Mark: sorry- until I have a friend visit who owns an iPhone, I cant provide visual evidence of my hairdressing skills. As I dropped my digital camera lens first it doesn't want to work and has been relegated to the toy box :(
You'll have to take my word for it- I look GREAT!
;)

LOL! I bet you do!

> 35.

I think your username is fabulous. I just wanted to get away from one that had parts of my real name in it, for personal reasons, now that I'm so active in a group like this. Plus, I knit scarves under the guise of Esquiress Designs and use it more as a username now than I did way back when I first joined LT :)

I'm dying to see this hair too!

>39 msf59: that's the beauty of the internet- I can say what I want and no one knows any different- right? :)

>40 Esquiress: thanks (re: my username). If I google Esquiress Designs will I see your scarves? Maybe Ill just try and see ;)

Acquired a new book today: Infinite Riches by Ben Okri, 3rd in the Famished Road Series. The Famished Road won the Booker so is on my list to acquire and eventually read as well. Only $5- how could I not?

I think I missed the end of your last thread, but I'm glad to find you again! Good for you for trying a new book club. I say don't judge them by their careers - judge them by their reading habits. ;)

Then again, that might get me into trouble.

Megan -
New bookclub: "Everyone there was fancy!"

I'm glad you got out - I'm thinking you are going thru that stage of forgetting what adults look and sound like???? LOL
Believe me - you have so much more than they have! But I do wonder about that haircut???
I still love you ;-)

Hello Megan Scissorhands! You are such a game girl - every now and then my fringe grows too long in between cuts and I have a hack at it - the results are less than chic.

Personally, re the book club, I have always found books to be a great leveller. I bet your library shits over their libraries!

> 41

I had some on Etsy, but they weren't selling. Right now, I'm consigning them rather than selling them online :( You will come across my Etsy store, though and might be able to look at past posts...

Hi Luxx: the last book club was very on off for me. I needed more! The books will be the focus, and as not everyone in the group socialises together, "other talk" will be at a minimum. So that'll be good!
Im not sure the books will raise the bar much either! One by/about Miranda Kerr.....is that her name? Orlando Bloom's wife/lingerie model....I dont know. The book looked very odd- included "doodles by family and friends" and quotes from Deepak Chopra.....very lightweight. (ahem- did someone say snob? lol)

Cee: But I do wonder about that haircut???
And wonder you should!
LOL
Its not fantastic, but it's a result. In that it is as I expected.....shorter, and of less bulk to treat with the nit poison spray ;)
Thanks for your support in this matter, Cee. I appreciate it!
(haha, I cant believe Mark believed me when I bragged about it!)

Prue: I bet your library shits over their libraries!
Not that its a competition....but hell yes! lol I havent even any of their libraries actually. But I think mine shits over anyones in the whole entire world, as its mine, and I love it.
:)

eek everyone dressed up and wearing make-up for book club? That would put me off. I can't even remember the last time I wore make-up!

Have a good weekend Megan :)

After your participation in the shenanigans over on my thread, I'm guessing your dress and hair both need a bath!
:-D

Like others, I think your username is terrific. I created mine when I started LT, thinking it was just a place where I would keep track of the books I read. Ha. I had no idea it would take over my life! I'm not sure what username I would prefer to have and I have assumed that the hassle of changing it would overwhelm my tech skills, so I just keep using what I started with.

>47 kiwiflowa: I have to agree. The last thing I want to do is have to dress up for a book club. Of course, my idea of dressing up is wearing a black turtleneck.

>47 kiwiflowa: well, you know what these corporate types are like - straight from work probably!
I'd love to have a good weekend, there's a yoga in the park thing I'd like to go to, but I fear I'd be sitting on my mat a fair bit of the time on account of my recently-operated-on foot. I'm not sure I have the movement in it yet for a full yoga session. Im keen to get outside and give it a go anyway, with my sis.

>48 EBT1002: so Im not in trouble for stoking the fires over at your party!!??! ;)
That was so much fun.
*points finger* It was ole round-two Mamie, I swear! (hehe, just joshing Mamie, I know you're as lovely, responsible and law-abiding as Ellen)
A black turtleneck huh Ellen, very literary! Im thinking that outfit would look good with a copy of something by Yeats or Keats tucked under your arm.

Stopping by to say hi! Gorgeous pic on the top of your thread! Looks very much like the mountains around here!

As for looking bad.. well, I have a dog I have to walk first thing in the morning, in the afternoon, evening, and what I call " last call." You should just see my hair!!!!It 's that bad kind of frizzy curly , and as soon as I hit the damp / rain / etc - my nice blow -out goes all frowsy. I try to hide from my neighbours, but it's not easy. In the summer when we have lot less rain, then my hair is much better. The pic have posted with my profile -that's " good hair" day!!

Good day, Megan Scissorhands! Boy, I love that. My second big chuckle of the day. Thanks Prue!

A few days ago I had a sneak-peek at What Katy Did trying to decide on my next YA-fiction - glad you liked it. Good weekend in summer-land - wishes from winter-land :)

In defense of makeup and dressing up ... I took any opportunity I had to get dolled up when I was home alone with my baby all day. It was something I enjoyed before, so I tended to overdress when given half an opportunity. ;)

>50 vancouverdeb: As for looking bad.
Oh no! Now I look bad? :(
I thought I was just not as fancy as the others. ;)
haha, Deb, Im sure you dont look bad either!
And everyone knows that dog-walking at odd times gives you a dispensation for fuzzy hair. Surely?

>51 msf59: hehe, Ive had worse nicknames!

>52 ctpress: I hope you like it too Carsten. I found in particularly interesting as it talked a lot about every day things, such as food that were eaten etc. And also, it mentioned foolscap paper, which I was surprised to see what a word used back then.

>53 London_StJ: I totally get that Luxx.
And even though I sound like Im giving them a hard time for being fancy, Im really only trying to make the point that my own insecurities make me think that they will think me "not fancy".....so I am trying not to judge until I know everyone better.
I scrub up OK, I just dont do it that often ;)

#32 I kind of know what you mean - I didn't know anyone in the book group before I joined but I felt safer meeting a bunch of strangers in a public place than I did about going to their house.
Maybe this is a British thing but we've never had someone random try to join in the discussion.

Were you sticking your tongue out at me?

>48 EBT1002:. I created mine when I started LT, thinking it was just a place where I would keep track of the books I read. Ha. I had no idea it would take over my life!

That's exactly what happened to me; hence the confusion with my random username change. I'm much happier with my new one.

What a photo! Makes me want to do a road trip, too. But it's definitely NOT summer here, LOL! Chuckling at the bookclub conversation: the fancy-ass one. And if dressing up requires more than a black turtleneck, someone needs to send me the memo : ).

>55 souloftherose: true Heather, safer in public, and where you can just leave if you want to and go home :) To all those lovely books.

>56 msf59: no way Mark, I would never stick out my tongue to you! I might flip you the bird though.....JUST JOSHING! lol

>57 Esquiress: isnt it funny how things changed once people found the 75 group....
For the better by so much!

>58 lit_chick: I have gotten back my ability to walk and now I want to take a driving trip! But, yes, it does remind me that getting out and about is always so worth it, even if the kids go nuts and you pull out your hair, I dont think Ive ever regretted a trip we have done.

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

Two new books! I was desperate to come away with a couple, and after sorting through the dusty and crusty books that had nothing to offer me, I found:
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Fosterling by Emma Neale
Both .50c
:)

And as if I needed more the library had Between Shades of Gray to offer me. So yes, I took it too. And no, its not the saucy one! Its about sadness and turmoil- oh dear, do I really need this right now? (Ill report back on how its going)

OK! No one else can change their names. I have trouble enough matching up real life names with LT names and then if everyone goes and gets a new one...AAAAHHHHH!

I wish I could see your new haircut and I don't own foundation. I just like mascara because otherwise I have no lashes. : )

Have fun with the new bookclub and just be yourself.

*sheepish* Sorry about all that confusion, Berly :)

>60 Berly: I know what you mean! RL and LT names are a handful as it is, so unless people are changing their LT names to their RL names, I vote against ;)
I will have fun at new bookclub, my initial reservedness with the group is probably more me than them!

>61 Esquiress: hehe, dont worry Esqiress, there have been name changes before and Berly has recovered from them. In time. ;)

: P

Book 13
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This book left the library at midday, I read a few snippets, and then once the kiddos hit the hay, I read from 7-10.30pm, to its conclusion.

The language is simple and in keeping with a YA book, but the story is adult and wrenching not for the faint-hearted. It describes the story of Lina and her mother and young brother who are torn from their home in Lithuania and deported. That is, sent in cattle movers to labour camps. There they are worked to the bone on a meager pittance of food, and mocked and inhumanely treated by the Soviet guards.

Lina's mother holds the family, and the group, together in that she shows compassion for everyone, even the young guards that mistreat them. She has hope that decency will prevail and that this horror has to end. But as the horrors continue, she continually acts selflessly and with more thought for others than herself. She is a powerful character who seen through the eyes of her daughter, is as a mother just is.

The power of this story is not fully realised as the characters are relatively superficially described. Events are described in a single sentence, and the emotions felt are those of the reader, rather than being so immersed in a character that you feel their feelings. This is perhaps the case in most YA novels, and why they are so easy to read. Also why I always feel I miss out a little.

4 stars.

On a personal note, I was horrified to come to the realisation that this is what might have happened to my Nan and young father at this time in Latvia. If they hadnt been able to escape Soviet rule and get a place in a German Refugee camp, goodness knows what would have become of them.

Hi Megan Scissorhands- Good review of Between Shades of Gray. I listened to this one, I think early last year and was quite impressed.
Wow, that possible personal connection is a bit scary, huh?

Megan, excellent review of Between Shades of Gray. Dropped a thumb on the book page.

#60 : I don't own foundation. I just like mascara because otherwise I have no lashes.
LOL! I hear ya, sistah! I'm the same.
I do the eyeliner, mascara and lipstick and i'm out the door. Anything else and I look like Bozo the Clown with a hangover.

Megan, I can understand their dressing more if they've come from work to the book club, because I too dress up a little when I'm at the office, albeit with minimal make up ..(see comment above). I don't do the full suit thing unless I'm in Asia where they're more formal, but I'm definitely business casual in the office except for Fridays when I'm just slopping around in jeans and boots.

Funny... I bought Shades of Grey today from a bookstore and it's as far away from Fifty Shades as you can get. For one thing the colour is spelled differently. ;-) Good review of Between Shades of Gray

>63 Berly: ;0

>65 msf59: scary personal connection- for sure. I am learning more and more about the goings on in Europe during WWII and it is making me more and more interested in my own family history there. My dad and his mother spent 4 years in refugee camps in Europe before coming on the boat to New Zealand. Dad was aged between 1 and 5 at this time- I can scarcely imagine how it was for Nan managing a hungry toddler with no one but herself to rely on.

>66 lit_chick: why thank you Nancy! I appreciate a thumb every now and again :)

>67 cameling: I used to work as an Employment Consultant before I became full time mum, and had to dress semi-formal. I liked it sometimes, but not when I was just in the office at the desk, that was when I wanted to be in comfy PJs and boots!

Yes, you wouldnt want to get those Shades of Gray books mixed up! You could wind up with something very different indeed that what you intended!!
We spell the colour greay "grey" here, and colour is colour, not color...if you know what I mean.

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

I dragged my scarred and sensitive foot to Yoga in the Park this morning. An annual mega-yoga session where 4 teachers do half an hour each to a crowd of 100 or more.
It was a beautiful sunny morning and with a friend and my sis in tow, we had a glorious time.

YAY I can walk again, and I can do yoga again!

Om.

Yoga - you are definitely on the mend then ..... something I want to try as part of my "reboot year"

Wow! Thumbs up on Between Shades of Gray - I see its on my wishlist already. I had seen it long before the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey and then could not remember what it who it was by. Yes, I spell colour as colour. I spell gray and grey - fifty - fifty.

My family knows a bit about our family history, but personally I don't know a lot. On the Scottish side of my family, I was quite amazed to find that on my dad's side, one of my great - great grandfathers was a resident of " Upper Canada." Quite interesting. Both of my grandfathers fought in WW11, as did my father in law, but I am not that acquainted with the history of it all, save that my maternal grandfather got hit by shrapnel in WW11, and also got malaria in Italy, which plagued him off and on throughout his life. My paternal grandfather went over to England to fight in WW11, but only had a one or two flights in a Lancaster, I believe, as a bomber. He passed away of a stroke in his early 40, so I never knew him.

So glad that you are walking again and out doing yoga!

Huzzah for yoga!

Hubster's grandfather was a pilot in WWII; first born is named after him.

Wow I got behind... just some waves for now then :)

Yoga in the park in the sunshine .... ahhh. I'm envious!

>69 roundballnz: I thoroughly recommend yoga, Alex. It is one step short of being a cure-all. By this I mean, it is guaranteed to make everything in your life that little bit better. Even though I have a love/hate relationship with yoga, I think the love wins out in the end!

>70 vancouverdeb: hi Deb, what is "Upper Canada"- some kind of euphemism?

Family histories can throw up a heap of interesting stories, if only we knew what went on amongst our forefathers! Im lucky in that my dad encouraged his mother to write an account of her /their time in Refugee camps and the big ship journey to NZ. So that was the start of us having a documented recent history.

>71 London_StJ: how is your yoga Luxx? I remember you going to some classes a while ago. Maybe there isnt time in your schedule right now. Goodness knows this was my first time in 3 months or more!

>72 BekkaJo: hi Bekka- getting behind can certainly happen about here. Never mind. *waves*

>73 lit_chick: oh Hi Nancy- it really was great. And we cleverly picked those unpopular spots up the front, which happened to be in dappled sunlight once the sun burst through the clouds. So we were nice and cool, in the heat, if you know what I mean.

There should be some photos soon, so Ill post them once they turn up. Ill try not to get one of me looking ungainly!

>68 LovingLit:.
Glad you can be back at yoga.

I used to do it, and I really miss it. I just can't afford classes right now, and that helps motivate me. I have tried DVDs at home, but I don't get the same effect. Ditto with Wii Fit, though I do like it.

I'm going back this Thursday for the first time post-op, and I'm so darn excited. I did my first downward dog in the kitchen this week (to see if I could stretch yet), and decided it was finally time to go back!

Yes. I read the wrong Grey thinking I was getting Between Shades of Gray and, yes!, it was quite the surprise!! LOL. I am so glad you can do yoga again!! I adore yoga and feel very out of sorts when I can't get a little in each week. Enjoy!

"ole two-round Mamie"
I like it. I'll keep it.

I'm so glad you can walk and do yoga again, Megan! Hooray!

Laughing at the grey and gray conversation. :-)
Probably won't read either.

>76 Esquiress: I used to do it, and I really miss it. I just can't afford classes right now
This time of year we get a heap of bills, (car/house insurance, rates and firewood= $1900 all up) so I usually take a break from the extra cost of weekly yoga sessions. My yoga teacher was so nice last time I mentioned this was why I was option out for one 6 week round, and offered me a discounted rate. It was so lovely of her.
I have found the DVDs no way near as effective as a real life teacher watching you and who is able to say "Megan- move your arm" or "hold it juuuuuust a bit longer!".

>77 London_StJ: Great! I bet you'll feel great from it. I feel my muscles today from what actually felt a pretty relaxed session yesterday- so I know it worked!
Oh, and btw, you dont mean to tell me that not only did we have a baby boy within days of each other, but also foot surgery, and now a synchronised return to yoga as well. If you could please now win lotto, Id be more than happy to follow suit! :)

>78 Berly: Kim, back when I was childless and fancy-free I did yoga twice a week faithfully. I had a wonderful teacher who was so attentive and understanding of my dodgy hip and all its limitations. I fear I have been chasing a dream ever since I moved back to NZ 8 years ago- with regards to yoga that is.
I love it so much, but have yet to find a teacher that suits me as well.

So, you read Fifty Shades of Gray? By accident, of course ;)

>79 EBT1002: Ellen, I probably wont read one of them. The one I havent read can remain unread for as long as this world contains other reading material. lol, you can see Im not anxious to read the mommy-porn ;)

Just a flying visit - the outdoor yoga sounded like fun!

>80 LovingLit:: Nothing beats a live instructor for yoga :)

Here! Nothing read yet but here.

Stopping by to say hello.

Megan - The personal viewpoint of Between Shades of Grey makes it doubly appealing. I may read it as a companion piece to the family history book which you know I have.

Yay! You can walk and do yoga! Life is good ;-)

Nice to feel normal again - isn't it?
I know how you feel!

2 new books! Well, 2nd hand new books :)

The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope $1
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett $1

:)

That makes 25 book purchases this year! Hm, they add up quickly when you number them :)
At a total cost of $73.60 (approx)- not too bad!

The Uncommon Reader is a good one.

Prue: outside yoga was fun, Ill have to get back to yo with a head count, it seemed there were heaps.

Esquiress: I know! And all the better a nice looking male one :)

Tui : hooray for arriving! Catching up can wait, indefinitely :)

Linda: *waves*

Paul: I am considering (again) re-reading the family book. I am a bit scratchy on the details these days

Cee: it is nice to feel normal again. I was just thinking that as I casually cruised between the fridge and the bench and the stove.....gliding like Torvil I was ;)

Ellen: Om (eta: yea, I read it while I was in hospital and loved it, couldnt resist the purchase)

OIC, it was an acquisition of an already-read book. I get that.

>88 LovingLit: Hm, they add up quickly when you number them :)

Then don't number them Megan haha.

What Bonnie said, LOL.

Hey darls - if you pop my my LT Profile, you will see the pic of my RL meet-up with Paul in KL last year!

Well, way back when Canada was getting settled their was " Upper Canada " - mainly the English Speaker's and " Lower Canada" which I think was mainly French speakers. No, not a euphemism, I think it took a while for Canada to even settle on a name -and the French and the English had quite a few battles/ squabbles. Still do, I'm afraid. Just squabbles now.

Book 14
The Forrests by Emily Perkins

"Brimming with talent." - Esther Freud
Brimming maybe, but not over-flowing.

"A write very much in command........of the unique and surprising variations she brings to the form"- T C Boyle
Unique - well, yes. Meaning plain odd.
Surprising - see above.

This book had "Booker nominee 2012" written all over it. It is long, rambling and contains descriptive passages in their many. It is about nothing, and therefore everything. It is life. If I had to describe it to myself, I would think I would love it. But I didnt.

It was all going so well at the start, I foresaw better things than what I was reading so persevered happily. But as it turned out, the characters were like lacework: pretty and intricate, but full of holes. I think the main problem was that they didnt say enough. I simply couldnt get to know them well enough to care.

It was so close to being more for me, but the text just didnt get me anywhere. I appreciated so many of the wonderful phrasings, but was completely perplexed by half as many. 3 stars.

What a brilliant and funny review, Megan. And don't you almost hate books like that!

>91 EBT1002: When you see a bargain, you just have to snap it up. Little cute hard cover book, in great condition, $1? Ill take it! I may give it away if someone expresses interest, otherwise it'll sit on my shelves looking pretty.

>92 brenzi: Bonnie- you are right of course. But I have never tracked my book buying, and Im interested to see how many I end up with! I feel if I estimated it I would say I get about 20 books a year. Clearly, I am wrong.

>93 Berly: Kim, I hope to die laughing when I end up on Dec 31 having purchased 2516 books!

>94 PrueGallagher: I already saw it Prue! I have to say, it was a long time coming but worth it. Thanks for figuring it out, now you can post as many as you want!

>95 vancouverdeb: I always find it fascinating that French-speaking colonies exist all over the place. It is great that two languages can co-exist. It must be good - right? Noumea, and some African places still have French colonial hangovers dont they?

I love this line from your review, Megan:
But as it turned out, the characters were like lacework: pretty and intricate, but full of holes.

>97 tiffin: lol, thanks Tui. Almost hate. That's about it!

eta: >99 rosalita: hi Rosalita, thanks. You snuck in the there with a comment, and Id hate to miss you out :)

:-)

Love your review of The Forrests, Megan. Very funny and (thank goodness) I think I can forego adding it to the unwieldy wishlist.

Megan, I just saw over on Paul's thread that you're getting ready to read To Kill a Mockingbird. I will be interested to see how you like it. It's one of my top 5 all-time favorite novels.

Ellen/Ellen- Yeah, foregoing it wouldnt kill you :) I probably should make it clear here that it wasnt actually nominated for the Booker, at all. It was just the buzz around here at the time. ;)

I will start To Kill a Mockingbird tonight, if my Merlots dont catch up with me. *slur*
;)

Yeah, I saw on someone's thread that you had three glasses of the stuff. Sounds lovely. :-)

>105 EBT1002: :O *busted*
I posted on facebook this afternoon "2.59pm is close a-bloody-nuff to wine o'clock for me today" and got stuck in :)
I am now firmly on the sober up side of things. Having a few waters and some snacks, all in the name of being able to have a decent read this evening! 1 kid down (to bed) 1 to go!

#64 Great review of Between Shades of Grey Megan - I'm pleased I have a copy in the TBR stacks.

#106 LOL - love it! That sounds awfully similar to some of my f-book posts! I am contemplating wine. In that I really REALLY want wine :/ But I strained my back yesterday shifting Will and I have a feeling that wine would react badly with the industrial strength pain killers I am taking in order to function... maybe when the kids are down...

>107 souloftherose: thanks Heather. It was a quick read too, thank goodness, as the topic is rather sad. I am always drawn to survival-against-the odds stories.

>108 BekkaJo: Bekka- I fear I have painted myself as a heavy drinker! In reality I had 3 glasses (small) of wine over 4 hours and a large dinner. So nothing to worry about- but I tell you what. It did the trick. I was feeling stressed and icky after hardly a wink of sleep the night before, and silly bureaucratic crap to deal with during the day. And a glass of merlot in the sun while the kids played was a great and wonderous thing! lol

Darn... now I feel like the alchy...:)

http://www.aa.org.nz/

*resumes drinking mug of Absolut Mandarin vodka*

" I fear I have painted myself as a heavy drinker!" Hey, that never hurt my immense popularity! Chuckles softly.
So this is your first go at To Kill a Mockingbird? Where do you live anyway? A very isolated distant land, with fairies and elves?

>110 BekkaJo: *laughs out loud* hehe, my evil plan to paint self as perfect has worked.

>111 kidzdoc: *re-thinks evil plan*
*checks website check-list*
S'awright, Im no drunk.
*burp*

ETA: now try this drink, it is superb.
42 Below, feijoa vodka and Chi! Oh boy, it has good times written all over it.

>112 msf59: Yes, it is my first go at To Kill a Mockingbird! My peers studied it at school, but our class did Catcher in the Rye instead. I am 40 pages in so far and do like it. So watch this space.
*passes drink*
Cheers!

Barkeep! Rumour has it that this is the best little pub on the internet...I'd like a Pimm's No. 2 Cup.

lol, RD, we all know Joe's Cafe serves alcohol too. But yes, I do allow drinking at my place. So welcome :) *passes Pimm's*

Its a national holiday here, in fact, so the drinks are on me! So long as I serve myself first, that is :)

Happy Waitangi Day NZers!

I can make a wicked Pimm's Cup (blackberries, cucumber, blueberries, strawberries and mint).

I'm watching this space, LOL. Glad you like Mockingbird so far. It's a wonderful classic.

>116 tiffin: then you're welcome here, as I have never tried one. Im back on the merlot to get rid of the rest of that bottle I started last night. :)
Id hate it to go off, after all. *innocent smile*

>117 lit_chick: Ill have to post reading updates, in that case! Just like GR, only with just me.

*****Drive by******

I would read To Kill a Mockingbird over Catcher in the Rye any day, if given the choice. It is one of my favorites. I see you are crossing out the newly acquired books that you've read. That's one of the main reasons I keep a list--it is just so satisfying to check something off. (Even if it's only, well, 1 in 10 or 1 in 20).

118 > ..... because that would be a tragedy

42 below is the best vodka I have come across! Really hard to get hold of over here, but it's lovely.

>119 PrueGallagher: drive by hug I hope, not a drive by shooting! lol I know you mean only good things for me Prue :)

>120 AnneDC: oooh, well, that is good news for me then as I loved Catcher in the Rye! I can only hope Mockingbird surpasses that.

>121 roundballnz: yu-huh, tragedy indeed. It was. I had to finish the bottle last night, there was no alternative.

>122 BekkaJo: it is isnt it! I havent had spirits in years actually, but remember 42 Below very very well. perhaps ironically ;)

Anymore LT dreams? Where I'm a book-loving swashbuckler and you are my smart-ass sidekick? Well, it's better than a mental-institution.

>124 msf59: lol, no sorry. No more LT dreams.
I only remembered that dream yesterday afternoon as i logged on to LT for the first time. It was so funny when it all came back to me! I had to rush to your threads and fill you in ;)

(you were all seriously mentally ill, btw. Not to rub it in, but Im talking cuckoo. I was very nice and chatted kindly to you though, of course!)

I like the sound of smart-ass sidekick! I could do that I think....

New kindergarten for W, a new start for the year. Today is his first whole session at kindy, we all biked there together and he loves it.

We had a terribly stressful time just before Christmas with a home visit from 2 social workers. Turns out that the pre-school he was in reported us to CYFs (Child Youth and Family- the NZ version of Child Protection Services). This would be fine- if they had had any real concerns. But what had happened was:

An upset parent had come to the school saying that their preschooler child had said that W had said that "someone" had touched his bottom. The someone had a name, we do not know anyone with this name. The school then took it upon themselves to make an official notification to CYFs and next thing you know (nearly a month after the "suspected abuse" was "disclosed"), we are under the spotlight from Social Workers who talk with us for an hour, ask us how we discipline our kids, whether they eat/sleep well, if we need support with our parenting, if they can call our GP/prechool/friends and family to discuss things, if they can "view the childrens' sleeping places"....blah blah blah.

So a 4 year old (apparently) says something to a 3 or 4 year old child, they tell their parent, the parent tells the preschool, and the preshool tells CYFs. Talk about chinese whispers.

Thank goodness primarily, there is nothing anything untoward happening with W.....(but if there was I would have hoped the preschool could have told us as soon as they suspected instead of going through a notoriously busy agency who took their time).....and thank goodness, now, the "file has been closed".

I am so angry that any of this even came about and I am considering attempting to take on changing their policy of "mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse" so that it can encompass at least an element of professional judgement.

*sigh*

Now that is off my chest. I am off to sample the chocolate cake that is just out of the oven.

Yay for chocolate cake!

Boo for CYFs. I'm sorry you had to go through that stress. :(

Glad the file is all closed!

That is a good example of why so many children who do need protection don't get it till it's sometimes too late. Child services are far too busy weeding out the rubbish claims because of the mandatory reporting. The whole system needs an overhaul.
Still I'm surprised they made a move after just one report. The system could have changed over the years but I do recall over here at one time they needed at least three complaints (or reports) of suspected abuse before they intervene (which again can sometimes be too late).

Oh, so sorry that happened to you and your family, Megan! How stressful!!!! I am so sorry. If it helps any to know this, a friend of mine - from High School who I have been dear friends with for many many years had a similar thing happen to her child in elementary school. I won't go into the details, but she and her husband - all so a dear friend to us - I was a bridesmaid in the wedding - were the subject of the investigation. It was very stressful and the child went to a private school. They contacted their lawyer and he said it was no use fighting the school and social services , though they are very well off. Anyway, the file was closed and the daughter is now in university . Small comfort I know, I'm just trying to let you know that I really sympathize with you. Big hugs Megan!Please enjoy that chocolate cake.

Sounds like you've earned that chocolate cake, Megan! I can only imagine how stressful it is to be treated like a criminal. And if something really had happened, the delay in investigation would have been terrible for your son.

Sorry to hear about the problem, involving W! What a nightmare and so stressful for you guys. I hope you can put it behind you and enjoy that chocolate cake. Hugs!

How stressful, Megan. I am considering attempting to take on changing their policy of "mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse" so that it can encompass at least an element of professional judgement. One would hope that at the very least an element of professionalism is involved in the process! You go!

Oh my, what a horrible thing to have to go through. Thank goodness, there is chocolate cake to make things better.

Megan, your new book club also sounds stressful to me. I have mine tomorrow night. All I do is make sure my hair is combed and I have a clean blouse, t-shirt, or sweater to wear depending on the season. Jeans and tennis shoes complete the outfit! With us, it's all about the book. We meet at the library and no snacks are served.

Oh Megan, I would have gone ballistic if that had happened to us. So very sorry you had that experience.

Tina: Thanks! Chocolate cake was good, even better iced.

Adrienne: Child services are far too busy weeding out the rubbish claims
I was happy for us that we were a waste of their time, but saddened that the "system" is rolled out this way. What a waste of resources.

Deb: thanks for your friends story, I have heard of 2 such stories since I "confessed" mine, and the impact on the family was considerably more than was probably considered at the time of notification.

Rosalita: I can only imagine how stressful it is to be treated like a criminal.
I spend a lot of time being concerned about if I am a good enough parent, and yea, it did pull the rug out from under me a tad :(

Mark: thanks! Ugly episode almost over for us thank goodness.

Nancy: I can only change the policy if it is just that, a policy. As opposed to a law. In which case Id have a way larger fight on my hands :)

Donna: Oh no, my new book club isnt stressful! I am just getting used to the new group, who are different than me. Or seem to be. But I am notoriously good/(bad?) at seeing differences before I see similarities. I hope to learn new and better traits by operating on a gradual exposure type therapy :)
Your book group sounds fun!

Tui: well, I was upset/nervous/anxious/mortified at the beginning, now Im angry. Which is a good thing, as now I am rational enough to stand my ground.

What an awful experience! I have no children myself, but I can only imagine. You have the right to be angry, since it is a very serious topic. I am also glad you have a well developed system for child services, but they also have to rely on a tip being serious/real. It is sad when they "have to" waste time and resources, since there are many children who actually needs them, and might never get their help.

I hope your day is far better today :)

And btw, I bet that behind the make-up and fancy clothes, the women in your new book-club probably have their insecurities too. Do not stress about it, as you said, you are starting t get to know them, and they might just turn out all right :)

I saw that, far up in your thread, you had a WWII discussion. Where I live, we still get reminded of the war daily, because the Germans left bunkers (buildings like the one one the pic) all over town. My grandparents have always been reluctant to talk about it though.

Ugh, that sounds like a crappy experience! Glad that the file is closed and they aren't going to keep bothering you about that!

So how's To Kill a Mockingbird going??

>137 ChelleBearss:: So how's To Kill a Mockingbird going??

Indeed! Do tell!

That's horrible, Megan; I'm sorry that you and your family had to go through that experience.

Book 15
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

It was great to approach this book without having prior knowledge of its content. It was as fresh as it could be when I began reading it a few days ago.

Atticus Finch is the hero of this book, and about him revolve the lives of his 2 children. Scout- a tomboy with a strong sense of right and wrong, and Jem her older brother, who is learning to fit in to the adult world and not liking what he sees. It is through Scouts eyes that we see the world, and her mature perspective let us get both quite adult insights along with the innocent and sweet musings that are universal to children.

The first half is all about growing up, long summers hanging out, new classrooms at school, negotiating parental boundaries and getting into mischief, the chief source of which is curiosity. It is a real immersion into the kids' lives, and feels so real. The second half is all about the trial of a local black man. It is about the injustice and the ingrained prejudices a society holds. It is about a lot of things. It is a smart and sensitive story, and told so well. I very much liked it. 4 stars.

>140 LovingLit:: Glad you liked it!

I love how Lee sets up the major themes that will be played out in the trial during the innocence of the first part: seeing things from others' perspective, true courage, the mockingbird symbolism, even hypocrisy to a degree (though that's dealt with more heavily in part II - well, all of those themes are!).

>136 Apolline: Hi Bente, thanks for your comments. Those bunkers would be a heavy reminder of the war, Im sure. We have some gun emplacements that were built into the ports hills near where I live, so that in the case of battle ships entering the harbour, they could be dispatched of. I dont think they were ever used. I find it very creepy to even see them there nowadays.

>137 ChelleBearss:/138 see my review with regard to how the books is going, its all done now. At I really liked it.

>139 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl, I appreciate it.

Saturday morning, and a lovely warm day awaits. Off to the playground (conveniently located next to a good cafe) with the family + Grandad. And off to a local church fair this evening for some bouncy castle action, and maybe a bit of face painting!

Oh, and great news on the "me" front- I bought tickets to the PAUL SIMON concert for April! I am so excited as I think of his as the best singer songwriter in the world. The concert is in Dunedin, about a 5 hour drive south of here, and me and my mum will both go down. I was online to buy tickets the minute they opened, and wouldnt you know it, all the cheap ones were already gone. Hm. So I had to buy the more expensive ones. This isnt ideal, but I do feel that you never regret doing something like this. yay!

>141 Esquiress: yes- I was thinking about that, but wasn't able to articulate it as well as I wanted to for the review, so I just left it :) I bet there are some great "book reports" out there on that book!

Delighted you enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird, Megan. Enjoyed your comments : ).

Thanks Nancy!
I was tossing up whether to give it 4.5 stars, but decided I was just getting caught up in the hype ;) I was very interested to read Harper Lee's letter regarding the banning / labelling of her book as "immoral" on the reviews page....

Monroeville, Alabama
January, 1966

Editor, The News Leader:

Recently I have received echoes down this way of the Hanover County School Board’s activities, and what I’ve heard makes me wonder if any of its members can read.

Surely it is plain to the simplest intelligence that “To Kill a Mockingbird” spells out in words of seldom more than two syllables a code of honor and conduct, Christian in its ethic, that is the heritage of all Southerners. To hear that the novel is “immoral” has made me count the years between now and 1984, for I have yet to come across a better example of doublethink.

I feel, however, that the problem is one of illiteracy, not Marxism. Therefore I enclose a small contribution to the Beadle Bumble Fund that I hope will be used to enroll the Hanover County School Board in any first grade of its choice.

Harper Lee

Very clever letter, in response to a baffling take on her wonderful book!

Glad you enjoyed To Kill A Mockingbird, this is one i've been meaning to read for a long time, i must get my act together.

>143 LovingLit:: There are probably some good essays on it, but many of them are also plagiarized :) I spent 8 years teaching the book, so I *had* to articulate it. TBH, it took numerous re-reads to tease out all the coolness that's buried in those hallowed pages. My articulation is merely a product of approximately 45 re-reads of the novel.

Usually, my enthusiasm about the book, especially when things came together and really meshed, rubbed off on the kids. But then, I wouldn't let them read more than a few pages outside the classroom, b/c I didn't trust them with it on their own :)

I'm happy you loved 'To Kill a Mockingbird', Megan. And I've never seen that letter from Harper Lee, but what a delicious burn it is!

Hey there Maude, dashing through the snow to leave a hug!

>146 johnsimpson: hi John, I had been meaning to read it for an age as well! And I finally did, and you will too, eventually :)

>147 Esquiress: wow- you must be the person to talk to about the book then, I bet with a re-read Id really begin to connect the issues raised at the start with the trial and its issues raised. I can already see id get a lot from that.

>148 rosalita: A very clever response, Id say! And what on earth were the grounds for it being labelled immoral? Some people- I dont know.

>149 richardderus: Hi RD, thanks for braving the cold, I am over heating here and wearing togs and shorts (and shoes to protect my poor old bad-gened feets). Phooph, Im pooped.

Megan- Still romping around in the pool? I am green with envy. Glad you enjoyed mockingbird. It was a 5 star read for me but I think it took the 2nd time before I fully appreciated it. I think it's worthy of the hype. Enjoy your weekend.

Oh dearr :( I seem to have lost / neglected you. I am not caught up but will try harder. Heavens! I don't want to lost one of my most entertaining and cute kidlet laden threads! ( hint hint)

Hi Megan - I'm so sorry to hear of the child services nightmare. I'm glad it was easily resolved.

It was fascinating to read a fresh take on To Kill a Mockingbird. I think most Americans read it in school, and I know that I probably take it for granted. I wonder what books play that sort of role in other cultures? Am I making any sense? Perhaps not. It's still early.

TKaM is one of my lifetime favourite reads so I am glad that it resonated with you as well. Its impact when I read it in my late teens was similar to the impact of The Book Thief when I read that one a few years ago.

>151 msf59: still romping about in the pool? hell yeah! Ill take it while I can, this summer has been great. The most sunshine hours for January our city has had since 1949 (a total of 289 hours). I have loved it. My time for winter will come :) Ill like some of it, but likely be frustrated by the crazy boys and their cabin-fever!

>152 mckait: Oh Kath, dont lose or neglect me please, but if you do, please come back asap and all will be forgiven :)

>153 DorsVenabili: I'm so sorry to hear of the child services nightmare. I'm glad it was easily resolved
Thanks Kerri, Im getting my letter-writing shoes on now. What started as a gentle exploration of my feelings regarding the situation, has turned into a full-blown complaint to the pre-school. It'll be good to get it all off my chest and over with.

>154 tiffin: I am sorry to say that The Book Thief and me didnt get on too well. :( My sister raved about it and made me read it, but I just didnt feel it. A lot did though, so Im glad it worked for you. Ill probably re-read To Kill a Mockingbird some time, and it'll be good to see how it reads after knowing what I know now.

Its definitely ginger beer weather ..... or perhaps chilled wine ?

Why Alex- you took the words right out of my mouth.
*opens mini bottle of Lindauer*

I had a very very mediocre Chablis (never a favorite of mine) and a bottle of ginger beer. Guess what I did.

um.....danced naked around the neighbourhood in the snow?
Read Ayn Rand and loved it?
Made some phone calls to some old enemies, and said exactly what it was that was on your mind?

Do tell, Im in suspense here ;)

Poured Chablis into ginger beer, some Rose's Lime Juice, and a splootch of vodka, that's what I did. Ginger beer redeems even ~meh~ wine!

The enemies idea has some appeal....

oooh, I never even suspected a cocktail!
I do love to add a splash of ginger wine to a glass of beer, the resulting drink is affectionately referred to in this household as a "ginger minge" (in the face of full understanding of what that actually means).
*giggle*
Good work on redeeming a chardonnay. Never was too fond of them myself.

Megan, so sorry your family went through that awful experience with the school and the social workers! Ugh.

And I'm glad you liked To Kill a Mockingbird. It's one of my all-time favorite novels and that may be somewhat influenced by the very well-done film with Gregory Peck playing Atticus Finch.
We have friends with a cat names Atticus Finch Wade.

Megan, I'm so glad you liked TKAM. Now that you've read the book, try and get hold of a DVD of the movie starring Gregory Peck. It hits a high score on my movie chart and I think it holds up nicely against the book.

I'm so sorry to hear your brush with CYF. It sounds positively horrific. I hope you never have to suffer a visit from them again. On the other hand, I'm impressed with how quickly they responded in the interest of a potential child abuse case. I'm sure they were very relieved not to have found a case to work on after speaking with you guys.

Ellen: thanks, and yes, Id love to see the film version now. I have so many movies lined up that I want to see, but I hardly ever make a point of going to the DVD shop to get any.

Caro: I'm impressed with how quickly they responded
They had to visit within one month of the notification, and came at the very end of that period. The social workers who visited had no knowledge of the source of the notification (the school) let alone how it came about (from a parent who said that their child had said that W had said something). Im wondering if they would have come at all if they had this info at the time.

Hello Mad as hell Mother Megan - what a horrid thing to go through! Yes, common sense not often applied by government agencies. Glad you can put it behind you now! Glad you loved To Kill a Mocking Bird (I preferred A Catcher in the Rye myself *ducks for cover*)

You should try a glass of rosè wine, Megan! And preferably with a sweet strawberry in it too:) A taste of heaven in the summer (If you like it;)

>165 PrueGallagher: hehe, Hi Prue- I loved Catcher in the Rye too.....I wonder if I rated it 4.5 stars? I think I might have. Holden Caulfield might just have the edge for me too ;)
A good friend of mine worked at said government agency for a short while and stated that this whole thing was a waste of time, the exact reason that said government agency has trouble in preventing children from dying at the hands of their parents/caregivers. Too much time spent chasing up silly notifications like the one we were involved in.

Bente: I love plopping a strawberry into a glass of bubbly wine. And eating it at the end of the glass, it is a delicious strawberry after a half hour soaked in wine.
I remember buying wine and strawberries when I lived in Taiwan (neither were very easy to get hold of there) and plonking all the fruit into a milkshake cup, topping it with the fizz and having a lovely time getting to the bottom of it all! *ah, memories*

Book 16
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (Booker winner 1987)

Talk about a slow burner. For some reason, I plodded on through the patchy plot and came out with a winner. This book really kicks into gear just over half way through.

Claudia is the story. She narrates it, mostly, and is telling it from her rest home bed. Alongside her telling her history of the world that is. She is a writer and an outwardly successful and capable person. It is fitting for someone like her to tackle a writing project as complex as "the history of the world" while ill and in decline. She is like that.

She also has a personal story to tell, one of the usual trials and tribulations of life and love. And also some very surprising and moving events which end up shaping her as a person, more than even she would like to admit. Through being a war correspondent in Cairo, her close relationship with her brother, her casual marriage and her disdain for the uninteresting we learn enough about Claudia to figure out that she is thoroughly likeable. And all written so cleverly.

Lively has a distinctive writing style here, in that other characters throw in their perspective in a scene where the voice is all Claudia. A snippet here and there from someone elses voice shows so neatly how it is in life- when what happens is in the eye of the beholder.

I am so glad I put in the time early on to read large-ish sections at a time. It really kept things moving and set me up for the page-turning second half. 4.5 stars

Moon Tiger is one of my favourites. Glad you enjoyed it.

I'm the one with the arrow pointing at my head, and I'm thinking.....I'm am so glad I am not in the hot hot sun right now :)

I partook in the purchase of 2 reasonably priced and suitably accoladed books this afternoon:
Family Matters, Rohinton Mistry (Booker shortlist 2002) $4
Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald (Booker winner 1979) $2

Eta: oh and a monopoly set! with paper money :)

Hi Mother Megan- Boy, that sounds very holy! Just checking in with your highness. I want to see Megan doing yoga but not from so far away!

Congratulations on your two new books.

Yoga in the park...how wonderful

Hey Megan... Just catching up here. Hope you are all recovered from the nightmare of the investigation by now. Many hugs your way!

I think I'm the last person on earth that hasn't read TKaM. I'm very glad you enjoyed it. It is sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting to be read...

Appreciate your comments on Moon Tiger, Megan. I've looked at that one. I'm not always patient enough to see a book through that doesn't deliver in the first half, but I have done it. FAB pic of Yoga in the Park!

I too appreciate your review/ comments on Moon Tiger, Meegan! :) because after reading How It All Began by the same author, many have suggested Moon Tiger to me. Hmm... I've have to see -and be in the right mood!.

Nice review of Moon Tiger, Megan. I would like to read most if not all of the Booker winners (with the possible exception of The Gathering by Anne Enright), so I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it, and I'll add it to my wish list.

I'm glad that you picked up Family Matters. I also own it, and I'd like to read it in the next year or two (more 2014 plans?).

Yoga in the park? Sounds interesting. I have wanted to try yoga for a long time, but I live in a backwater where such things are unheard of. There's a plethora of some horrifying thing called Zumba .. no Yoga. Years ago when there was a class only 12 miles or so away, I worked too many hours and had no time. Now, I think something might break off if I tried it.. ( a time for everything etc)

Hoooray, for your cast finally being off! Must be so great to be able to walk properly again *smile*. Sorry, but I had to chuckle at Wilbur's comment regarding the look of your toe.

Glad to see that you enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird one of my alltime faves, which I have read already many times.

Very much enjoyed your review on Lemona's Tale from your previous thread, gone and wishlisted the book.

Megan - A lot of interesting stuff for me to catch up on. Wilbur abused!?!?!? The useless jobsworths that reported you maybe should get an hour of little Lenny and their feet plaster encased as thanks for their efforts.

Could anyone reading your posts possibly think of a mum more attuned to and in love with their children. btw are we not allowed to touch a baby's bottom? How does it get cleaned for instance?

All good reading over here too with the Bookers very much to the fore. I read Offshore last year and it is ok but not in my opinion one of the stronger winners. Family Matters is very good and still only my third favourite by the author.

>172 msf59: hi Mark - have you seen all the nicknames I have given you over on Deb's thread? ;)
Me doing yoga in close up might not be an ideal image! And Im glad to say I have no pictures of that. hehe

>173 Whisper1: thanks! The 2 new books were a long shot as the op shop I dropped in at doesnt usually have decent books. Just goes to show its worth a look sometimes.

>174 TinaV95: Hi Tina, I was the last person in the world not to have read TKaM....and now Im not. :) You'll get there one day!

>175 lit_chick: Hi! Maybe I was to mean about the first half of Moon Tiger. I was compelled to read it, and was enjoying it, but it was relatively slow. The writing was still lovely and now that I look back I see that it was setting the scene for what was to come. It wasnt a chore by any means.
Dont be too put off by me and my comments.

>176 vancouverdeb: Go by my star rating rather than my comments maybe? I (as just said to Tina above) might be a bit off-putting in my review.
Did you like her other book?

>177 kidzdoc: Darryl- is The Gathering one you are turned off for any particular reason? I have it and have glanced at it, I have to say it didn't scream "read me!", but I might one day.
I wont plan it for a 2014 read though, not yet. ;)

>178 mckait: hi Kath, I resisted trying yoga for years. Thinking I couldn't do it because of my dodgy hip. In fact it took my boyfriend's living with a yoga instructor to convince me to try it! But, as you say, if its a time thing and an availability thing, that is a bit harder.
I heard that in California some religious nuts people are trying to push yoga in schools out. Cos exercise is bad for kids, right?

>179 drachenbraut23: Hi Bianca- I can finally say that yesterday I had a realisation that I was so very close to being back to normal- walking -wise. YAY
I has taken 2 full months since surgery (just over). Phew. One more to come though....the only good thing about it other than no more foot-pain, will be that Ill be able to read more books!

>180 PaulCranswick: thanks Paul for your vote of confidence. I still find the whole episode quite distressing, even if I am not overwrought by it anymore.
My lovely other's dad expressed the same sentiment: "of course Ive touched his bottom! How else do you give someone a piggy-back ride!? They'd fall off otherwise". Exactly!
This whole thing has made me feel very down in that everything that we do now with the kids could be seen as something sinister. The toilet talk (quite normal for a 4 year old boy Im told) makes me nervous and now that Lenny is parrotting things....sheesh....Im over it.

I put in a bid for you to read Offshore sooner rather than later.

Bid accepted.
It is short so I can squeeze it in. Although......I am overloading at present.
No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy
The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope
The Plague, Albert Camus

Plus the ones Im officially still reading....they stare at me accusingly, but will have to wait.

Darling. Why on this good green earth are you reading The Rape of the Lock? It has to be the single perviest idea for a poem in all of Western literature, and Pope's windy style helps the squickiness go down (!) not at all.

Abandon ship! Abandon ship!

RD- when I say that Im reading it I really mean that I have read the introduction, and that I hold grave fears for my ability to understand a word of the actual poem.

I bought t as it was a lovely vintage edition, and it was cheap, and it matches my other Vintage books. I picked it up as I wanted/needed to read something, anything, and it was close by.
And it has pretty pitchers. :)

OIC

Well then, best to use it as a shelf ornament and allow people to think you've read it when you haven't. Srsly trying to read that thing is a pretty grim task.

...the introduction was good....?
lol

Wow, have you lived in Taiwan? That sounds so exciting and exotic:) How was it?

Have you ever tried Sangria? Those fruits tend to get rather dangerous to eat after a while :) But it is lovely!!

>186 richardderus: best to use it as a shelf ornament and allow people to think you've read it when you haven't
That's what I have Dostoevsky and Kafka for!

>197 alcottacre: hi Bente. I lived in Taiwan for 6 months, In Taichung (the second largest city). I was teaching English to preschoolers in the morning and to primary schoolers at their after-school programmes into the evening. I worked 830am to 730pm every day with an hour off in the middle to get from one to the other! I came home with a load of cash, but it didnt feel too exotic at the time :)
That is where my love affair with dumplings came from though. Oh boy are they delicious.
I have never tried Sangria! sounds like I need to :)

I read The Rape of the Lock because I had to at uni. It will never get a reread. Also read the Camus in French...again, because I had to. It sounded all dreamy and wonderful in French but when I read it in English, I realised that I don't have an existential bone in my body and it didn't sound dreamy at all. In fact, it was awfully depressing. Good luck!

Also read the Camus in French...
In French!! EEEK. Camus in English I can deal with, I like the depressing ones, and existential I can deal with as well, just not that excessive "moan moan moan, oh woe is me, why am I even here" stuff.

I actually liked Camus when I was in my late teens. He suited the angst of late teendom somehow. *grin*

Maybe that was what I needed in my late teens! I was an purveyor of teenaged angst and specialist in existential crises. All sealed up in a morose long-haired grouch-bag exterior.
Hm, maybe I have said too much? lol
Needless to say, I have changed.

Megan- Yes, I loved all your nicknames! Thanks! Not a bad one in the bunch. It's amazing what one can do with such a boring moniker. All it takes is a creative mind.

Loved The Plague I have to admit, Maybe a miserablist like moi will always lap up Camus. How do you rape a lock?

>194 msf59: I get called M-Dog too Mark. Its a curse being so street that you get called M-Dawg ;)

>195 PaulCranswick: you rape a lock by cutting it off someones head, and then not marrying them :)
I dont recommend it, as doenst Alexander Pope. (especially not in the early 18th C)

*waving* at Megan

I did existential reading back when I was young... and I am now over it, thank the goddess.
I look for fun and entertaining reads :) and moments..

Your stint in Taiwan sounds interesting, and exhausting!

>197 alcottacre: Hi Stasia!

>198 mckait: Your stint in Taiwan sounds interesting, and exhausting!
I had youthful exuberance Kath! Or something like that. It was a great experience though, even though I learned to ride a motor scooter on some crazy roads, and was dragged off the street into a shop during an air raid practice (Taiwan vs China was/is still in dispute over who is in charge of the place).
Fun times!

****//********//********//*********//********//********//****
Looks like my top pic was cleverly chosen this time- I just got a wedding invitation to attend a wedding located right there at Mt Cook! YAY! A beautiful spot for a winter wedding. I cant wait as it has been so long since I went to a wedding, and this couple are renowned for their large circle of friends, and general party disposition!!

Megan you are doing some amazing reading! Really good stuff. Well, maybe not The Rape of the Lock if Richard is to be believed (and I have never read it so I can't reasonably comment).

AND you are doing outdoor yoga. I have not done yoga in over a year. It may be calling to me now (but not outside since it's only 45F here).

Ellen- I was just being so good too, at reading one book at a time. I congratulated myself, and in doing so jinxed the whole thing and now I am back to reading 6 (or so). Actively only 3 on the go though, as Ill finish them then either start a new (few) one, or go on the the half-abandoned ones on my bedside table.

The outdoor yoga was a once-off thing. It was fun though, and free instead of $20 a session, which I think is too much.

LOL at M-dawg for you Megan! :)

Look who has some street cred!!

>202 TinaV95: lol indeed :)
My friend labelled herself a band "The National G" (this was before the band The National) and I was the guest singer, (ie "feat. M-Dawg"). All in theory only of course. Im not the sing on stage type- at all!
Ill take all the street cred I can get!

170 wow that's a lot of yoga-ees ... er, yogees? Yogis??
What is the proper word for a bunch of people parting in yoga?

Woot! a wedding in that setting would be too gorgeous, Megan! I admire that you can read 6 books at a time. My limit is 2 -- reading one and listening to one. Can't manage more than that.

>181 LovingLit: Darryl- is The Gathering one you are turned off for any particular reason? I have it and have glanced at it, I have to say it didn't scream "read me!", but I might one day.

I haven't read a positive review of The Gathering by anyone I know on LT, and I hated her latest book The Forgotten Waltz, which was probably my least favorite book of 2012. If I do read this book, it will only be because of a desire to read all of the Booker winners, which isn't out of the question.

Chelle: I think yoga devotees would do :)
It was great to have an outside class, and for two hours too! It was a whole morning (followed by coffee.....) bliss.

Nancy: I have booked my "Mt Cook View" room at the hotel too :) I was probably the first non-wedding party member to book, as I certainly didnt want to miss out

Darryl: ah-ha, makes sense. I havent read a down and out terrible book in a while, and for that I am glad. I am just about finished up with No Country for Old Men which I am loving, in spite of its violence.

Book 17
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Oh-la-la. I saved this book so that I would have something to look forward to reading. And it turns out I had a lot to look forward to!

The violence that I knew was in this story had been off-putting to me. There are a lot of people getting shot in the head, it seems. But the simplicity in which the events are described allow the coldness of the killers characters to come through, and also let us off the hook in terms of being on the receiving end of graphic descriptions of it all. There is not a lot of mercy shown by the main perpetrator of the killing, he is a man who sets very high standards for himself in being thorough in his retribution.

The story starts in the chance discovery of a crime scene. A lot of money, drugs, guns and dead people. Moss, the man who chanced upon this scene and is very tempted by the money, makes a decision. This decision starts off a string of events that results in the deaths of many and a cat and mouse type situation involving the man who has the money, the men who want the money and the sheriff who wants the whole mess over and done with.

As usual, for me, the story is secondary to the way it is told. I love McCarthy's writing, I love the way his dialogue flows without the use of speech marks or "he said/she said" type fillers. The story itself, also happens to be quick, gripping is cast with people we can see ourselves talking to. People who are struggling with past decisions, and the repercussions these have on their current situation. 4.5 stars.

Megan, I have not yet read 'No Country for Old Men' but I liked the movie quite a bit. I should go back and read it someday.

I really want to see the film now too, but suspect the violence wont be as easy to hide from on-screen :|
I just love Javier Bardem- I imagine him to be superb in the film, and maybe not too dissimilar in nature to the evil guy he portrayed in the newest Bond film?

Oh, Megan, thumb-up for a wonderful review of No Country for Old Men. It's not one I thought I'd like, but you have given me good reason to reconsider.

Upgethumbed, of course. *smooch*

#210 by @Ireadthereforeiam> Yes, the violence in the movie version is pretty in-your-face, for sure! Sometimes I just close my eyes for a little while. :-)

I don't think I had ever seen Javier Bardem in any other movies, but he made a very compelling villain in this one. He's very charismatic for a stone killer!

Megan- Great review of No Country for Old Men. I'm a big fan of McCarthy too and have been itching to read something else by him for a couple of years. I LOVED the film version. The Coen brothers did a fantastic job and yes Bardem is terrific, along with everyone else.
And yes, he was also very good in Skyfall. A perfect creepy villain.

Hello Megan - 'No Country for Old men' is one of my favourite movies. Loved it - you should get it on DVD.

>211 lit_chick: thanks Nancy! I cant hide the fact that McCarthy writes a grim tale, I just happen to like grim tales. Not for the sake of their grimness, but the reality of peoples lives.

>212 richardderus: woohoo- an RD thumb! *smooch*

>213 rosalita: haha, i have been known to close my eyes in movies! As soon as that scary music starts, I close my eyes and then peek between my fingers like a child!

>214 msf59: Hi Marktastic :)
The great thing about McCarthy is that there are so many more of his that I havent read yet. I like to have that safety net there.
I might try and see the film one day, although I cant even remember a time that I got a movie out from the video shop over the library. It must be years.

>215 PrueGallagher: Hi Prue- I feel my arm being twisted here. Just ever so slightly. In a good way :)
Ill have to see if the library has a copy and reserve it.

Book 18
The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope

Heard of it. Spotted it cheap. Bought it. Read it.

Introduction good. Necessary.

Text itself tricky, but evocative of a cheeky story.

Pictures fun.

2.5 stars.

I loved his Border Trilogy and want to reread those. I've been meaning to get to Suttree for a couple of years. Have you read that one?
Try to find the DVD of No Country. That cast is killer: Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson. OMG!

Hi Mark- I have read the usual suspects as far as McCarthy goes. In this order:

All the Pretty Horses
The Crossing
Cities of the Plain
The Road
No Country for Old Men

In the back of my latest book is ARE (grammar police! what was I thinking!) a few more, in the same beautifully presented editions:
The Orchard Keeper
Outer Dark
Child of God
Suttree
Blood Meridian

Wow, maybe that is his whole back catalogue! I have a lot to look forward to in that case. :)

eta: (again)....Woddy Harrelson...OMG alright! (nom nom, he's tasty lookin')

I am going to have to get to No Country for Old Men one of these days! Thanks for the recommendation, Megan.

Hi Stasia! You mean you werent tempted by the Rape of the Lock? ;)

OK Megan I am all caught up and just read your wonderful review of No Country for Old Men which brought back memories for me of when I read it myself. I've read most of his books and enjoyed them all. Very gritty.

2.5 stars for The Rape of the Lock! Wow, you *are* in a good mood after getting off the damned crutches. I impressed am.

>222 brenzi: hi! Im glad to see another enjoyer of his books. Some (RL) people scoff at the propensity of mine to the darker style of book. Maybe they think I enjoy them to be perverse. haha, as if Id waste my time over that.

>223 richardderus: I very rarely rate below 2 stars. I think I have twice actually. Ever. It was barely intelligible, but I admire the author for the tidbits of sense and humour it contained :)

"people scoff at the propensity of mine to the darker style of book." I have had people say that about me too! I say back: Get over it, wimpy ones!

Nice review of No Country for Old Men, Megan. I still haven't read anything by Cormac McCarthy; I'll make it a point to read Sutree, the one book I own by him, soon, maybe in 2014. ;-)

>217 LovingLit:: Love that review of The Rape of the Lock.

Good review of No Country for Old Men Megan! I loved The Road and have wanted to read something else by McCarthy. The author works page shows No Country as the second most popular book behind The Road. Added to the wishlist :)

eta
checked my terrible spelling!

>225 msf59: get over it whimpy ones! haha, I love it, but think that I wouldnt be able to say that to someone without causing offense. :)
I can think it, but maybe wont say it!

>226 kidzdoc: hm, Darryl, I am hearing some plans that sound suspiciously like 2014 reading plans!
*gives up*
Who am I to stand in the way of a steam roller anyway! You go ahead and plan away, and dont forget about 2015, 2016 and........

>227 Esquiress: thanks Es :)
It didnt take me too long to bang that one out.

>228 ChelleBearss: hi Chelle, ah! So The Road is his most popular? I thought maybe All the Pretty Horses might be. He has got thinking characters, I like that about him.

The author page shows these as the top five. I'll be adding the 2nd and 3rd to my wishlist :)

The Road 20,149 copies, 957 reviews
No Country for Old Men 6,210 copies, 157 reviews
All the Pretty Horses 5,882 copies, 94 reviews
Blood Meridian 5,544 copies, 118 reviews
The Crossing 2,647 copies, 29 reviews

Oh, I just adored The Road, inasmuch as you can adore a book that sparse and somewhat depressing. I thought it was beautiful. I haven't gotten to any of his other ones, though.

Chelle: wow- The Road is so far ahead of the other books in terms of readership! I hadn't realised it was so popular. For such a depressing book, it seems to have done so well :)

Esquiress: I fell the same as you. There's something about that bleakness and hopelessness that really makes you appreciate what you have got!
Ever since I went camping for a year as a kid, I have always appreciated having a roof over my head in the rain. I love listening to rain on the roof and knowing Im all cosy and warm inside.

>225 msf59:: sometimes it's because we have hyperactive imaginations though and get scared for days. I don't mind noir but some dark stuff has me jumping if the cat goes by me in the hall.

>233 tiffin: I am the whimpiest one ever when it comes to thrillers! I wont read one. And seeing scary movies? No thanks :)
The darker style I was talking about is more depressing over scary.
I think that is what Mark meant too, but Im not sure now after your comment.

I had no idea McCarthy had been so prolific. I haven't read any of his work. This is embarrassing to admit.

I adored your review of The Rape of the Lock. Cracked me up!

Happy Weekend, Megan!

aha, ok. I'm with you about thrillers and horror movies and/or books. I find though, as I get older, that I am less and less inclined to read depressing stuff.

Ellen: I didnt have that much to say about the Rape of the Lock- it sort of just washed over me and left its impression only.

Tui: In the same vein, I am less and less inclined to expose myself to awful stories of depravity cruelty torture or violence. It isnt conducive to happy thoughts!

Wilbur-isms time:

*urgently interrupting an unrelated story*
W: BUT BUT BUT, are giants scared of sharks?

Me: Hm, that was out of left-field.......um, no. They arent.

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

Later that evening, its time for me to make up my nightly story about William and Wilbur (who are nearly next-door-neighbours)....we are deciding what the story will be about tonight.
I say: "maybe they have been staying on a house-bus? A house bus is a ........"

W: "No no no. They have been going CRAB-catching! They caught one and it was THIS BIG and it had HUGE clackers that BIT them on the hand and they had to CHOP them all off and EAT them up".

Me: OK, lets do that story then. lol
I think he knows his own mind.

LOL, I also adored your review of The Rape of the Lock. The best! And I hope Pope would have loved it too : ) (although I am not certain about his sense of ha ha).

Megan - I have been wiping down my copy of Blood Meridian as your enthusiasm for Cormac McCarthy is catching on.

#238 Aww he's such a cutey! But are Giants scared of giant sharks?

My favourite Cassie line lately was passed on to my by hubby. They went to the UK for half term (to his parents) on the boat - and after finally getting through and on to the boat Cass was feeling icky (it's always choppy for the 1st hour between Jersey and the next island) and she snuggled up to Daddy and said 'Isn't everything so much easier when Mummy's around?' I blubbed when he told me - I missed them a lot!

Alternatively Will has started a new nursery and on Monday he picked up a new line - now everything is 'Like it' with a neughh noise before hand - as in I don't like it. Sigh... apparently he now does not like ANYTHING!

I'm quite enjoying reading your thread!Great review of No Country for Old Men. I read a lot of " grim , depressing book"s too, but essentially that is what most " Can Lit" is! :) It's our trademark, oftentimes.

Are you sure giants aren't scared of sharks?

Have a wonderful weekend, Megan!

I think it depends on how giant the giant is. If a shark were to a giant as a kitten is to our toes, then no, no fear involved BUT if the shark to giant ratio diminishes, leaving the giant with a leg missing, then I think it's a whole other matter.

>242 vancouverdeb:: I agree -- This thread is enjoyable to read, when I can find the time to keep up :)

I'm really tall and I'm completely pants-poopingly terrified of sharks.

Oh Wilbur, such a cutie-pie!

Excellent review of No Country for Old Men. I got completely caught up in that one, and I love McCarthy's writing, too. All the Pretty Horses is probably my favorite, but iI like all of his on that LT list up above, and I'm glad to see Blood Meridian on that list. That's to me the one of his that deserves to be better known. Haunting.

Thumb from me, even though it's a tiny one on this phone I'm having to use today.

>239 lit_chick: I wasnt keen to put too much effort into a review of that one. :)
Im sure Pope (Alexander, not The), wouldnt mind my reaction, he wrote it as a laugh, and I wrote my take on it as a laugh.

>240 PaulCranswick: well, Ill just have to keep my eyes out for Blood Meridian too then. And all his other books. He is a favourite author of mine, so I can justify the purchases.

>241 BekkaJo: I love hearing what the kids have to say.
Just before, Lenny was running from one end of the house to the other chanting "fast! fast!". Just because he could. :)

How old is Will? Lenny has started doing 2 words in a row now too, so its "bye daddy", "go away" and "all gone"! (he is 19 months)

>242 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb- Grim depressing books RULE! lol, and if interspersed with a light read every now and then dont bring you down too much.

>243 wilkiec:/244 Im pretty sure giants arent scared of sharks. They are so huge :)
I think it depends on how giant the giant is.
Exactly, Tui. In my mind, the giant is HUGE and the shark is normal size, so the giant could pick up the shark by the tail and fling it like a shoe. The giant has no fear. :)

>245 Esquiress: who can find time to keep up these days? I am finding it harder and harder, and am just grateful that anyone has time to come to my thread for a visit. Thank you!

>246 richardderus: RD, but think if you were 7 times your current height, a shark would be tiny to you. And you could squish it with your feet like a tiny bug. Or at least safely ignore it.

>247 ChelleBearss: hi Chelle, he is so cute these days, inbetween being a 4 year old expert in mother-exasperation. He is so sincere in his discussions. I love it!

>248 jnwelch: Hi Joe- I know I have said this before, but when my old bf was reading All the Pretty Horses, we regularly ate outside, cooking tortillas on the brazier, lying on rugs under the grapevines....it was so romantic and I loved reading it myself after that. It was such an adventure story.

#249 by @Ireadthereforeiam> This will sound weird, but I find grim depressing books tend to make me more cheerful. I think it's because compared to some of the things that happen in those books, my own life with its petty hassles and stresses seems like a walk in the park. :-)

I hear you Rosalita- it can make you feel thankful about the good things in your life to read about hell on earth! :) Not weird at all.

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

Immediate reading plans:

We Dont Live Here Anymore, Andre Dubus (already reading)
The Plague, Albert Camus (already reading)
Whale Rider, Witi Ihimaera (it is a shocking travesty that I havent read this yet)
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald (to read ahead of film release)
Swiss Family Robinson, Johann Wyss
Somebody Stole my Game, Chris Laidlaw

I hereby declare that I will read these books over and above any library or BB books that try to push in.
There- I have declared it, so that is how it will be.
heh- who am I kidding!

>251 LovingLit:: Oh! Are you excited about the film release? I was so angry when they delayed it from December >:( I love Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet; he got the intensity of Act I, scene 1 just right. I'm hoping The Great Gatsby is beautiful (the film, that is; I know the novel's beautiful!).

Just popping in to say hello.

I try to stay away from certain kinds of grim. Thrillers are okay..but horrible life with no light at the end of the tunnel books wear me down...

"are giants scared of sharks?" I LOVE it! That precious Wilbur. Wait until Lenny starts to talk. Can you imagine?
I am so happy you sparked a Cormac McCarthy conversation. We should do a McCarthy Fest! Blood Meridian is a bloody nightmare in words. OMG! I am so over-due on re-visiting that one! If you are only familiar with the Border Trilogy, you have NO IDEA!

>252 Esquiress: I am excited about The Great Gatsby (film). I dont generally like DiCaprio, even though I loved him in Romeo and Juliet (that was a fabulous rendition- I need to revisit that too). I think he'll be great in the role.
So I need to reread the novel before then. I read it at high school but can barely remember a bit of it other than the 1920s opulence.

>253 mckait: I know what you mean Kath, no light at the end of the tunnel can wear a girl down. Almost as much as a sappy happy ending! ;)
Seriously though, there has to be some hope somewhere.

>254 msf59: hi Mark: Wait until Lenny starts to talk
Wait? No waiting here, Mark. It has started.
"go away!"
"more, more, more"
"fast! fast!" (he chants as he runs from room to room)
dog, cat, train, truck, duck, water, cracker, toast, avocado, tomato, banana, book, bed, chin, our names, cuddle! (issued as a command, not a request), water, juice, milk, shoe, sock, pen, tea, car, gate, bike, scooter....the list goes on!

Im not sure about a Bloody Nightmare!!@#! Eeek. Although, Im sure I nearly got that in No Country for Old Men. Ill take a chance on another McCarthy though, I do admire him.

Uh oh. Talking is he? Good luck!! ;) And, yes, the tone is all important. Enjoy!!!

>256 Berly: its about to get very loud around here.
:)