Mamie's 2013 Madness (Page 10)

I love this photo of Birdy standing among her people looking so serious. This was a fund raiser that our church in Indiana used to do to raise money for youth trips and work camps. Somebody made a donation to place an entire flock of pink plastic flamingoes in your yard, and then you had to make a donation to get them removed from your yard and placed in someone else's (or wait for someone else to do so). It was a lot of fun seeing where the flock showed up next, and it raised quite a bit of money. The flock was moved late at night, so it was a surprise to wake up to a yard full of them in the morning. Birdy was delighted with them and thought we should just keep them.

Currently Reading


Currently Listening to


May
53. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - reread
54. The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker (3.75 stars)
55. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen (4.5 stars)
56. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris - reread
Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx (5 stars)
57. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (5 stars)

May Maybes:

Nonfiction:
Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne - (TIOLI #11/shared) - 2013 acquired ebook/audiobook - Reading
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown - library hardback - I will start this later this month, but will probably not finish it this month

ER
The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh - paperback - Reading

Shared Reads
The Ghosts of Nagasaki by Daniel Clausen - Mark and Chelle also reading - ebook purchased in 2013
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa - Mark also reading - library book
Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - Ellen to set up a GR - hardback ROOT - The GR Thread Reading
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith - (TIOLI #3/shared) - paperback ROOT - reread

Murder and Mayhem
The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker - (TIOLI #12) - ebook purchased in 2013 - COMPLETED
Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson - ebook purchased in 2013
Dracula by Bram Stoker - (TIOLI #6) - hardback ROOT and library audiobook - Listening
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - (TIOLI #6/shared) - paperback ROOT
The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler - (TIOLI #9) - paperback ROOT
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen - (TIOLI #9/shared) - paperback ROOT - COMPLETED

Sookie Stackhouse
The final Sookie book comes out this month, so I am starting the series over again at the beginning and reading straight through. It has been many years since I read the earlier ones, so I am looking forward to this complete indulgence.

Hey, Wait a Minute... These Weren't On the Original List!
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - because Terri says to READ IT!!
Hemingway's Boat by Paul Hendrickson - out from the library - Reading
Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver - Mark double dared me! - COMPLETED

January
1. Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie (4.25 stars) - ebook - ROOT
2. Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson (4 stars) - paperback, library book
3. Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose - paperback - ROOT
4. A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori - hardback, Abby's book
5. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (4 stars) - ebook - ROOT
6. Maus I by Art Spiegelman (4.5 stars) - paperback - ROOT
7. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (4 stars) - ebook - ROOT
8. In the Woods by Tana French (4.5 stars) - paperback, library book
9. Volt by Alan Heathcock (4 stars) - paperback, library book
10. Emma by Karou Mori (3 stars) - hardback, library book
11. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (4.5 stars) - paperback - ROOT
12. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (4 stars) - audiobook - ROOT
13. The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair (3.75 stars) - paperback, Early Reviewer book
14. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (4.5 stars) - paperback - ROOT
15. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (4 stars) - hardback - ROOT
16. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (5 stars) - ebook - ROOT
17. The One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith (5 stars) - this was a reread, I am leaving the previous rating that I assigned it in place - hardback - ROOT

February
18. Before Midnight by Rex Stout (4 stars), paperback, library book
19. 420 Characters by Lou Beach (4 stars), hardback, library book
20. The Iron Duke by Maljean Brook (3 stars), paperback, library book
21. Temple of a Thousand Faces by John Shors (4.25 stars), paperback, ER book
22. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (4.25 stars), hardback purchased hot off the presses
23. A Literary Guide to Flannery O'Connor's Georgia by Sarah Gordon (4 stars), paperback, library book
24. Soulless by Gail Carringer (3.5 stars), library ebook
25. The Pale Criminal by Phillip Kerr (3.5 stars) ebook, ROOT
26. Blue Bloods: The Graphic Novel by Melissa de la Cruz (3.5 stars), hardback purchased in 2013
27. Pyongyang by Guy Delisle (3 stars), paperback, library book

March
28. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (3.75 stars), paperback - ROOT
29. Twilight by Stephenie Meyers - reread (I know what you're thinking, but I like it)
30. Killing Floor by Lee Child (3.5 stars) - ebook - ROOT
31. Hamlet by William Shakespeare - reread (4.5 stars) - hardback - ROOT
32. The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes by Tess Uriza Holthe (4 stars) - hardback - library book
33. The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly (4 stars) - ebook - 2013 acquired
34. Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson (4.25 stars) - ebook - ROOT
35. The Chardonnay Charade by Ellen Crosby (3.5 stars) - ebook - ROOT
36. The Bordeaux Betrayal by Ellen Crosby (3.5 stars) - ebook - 2013 acquired
37. Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb (4 stars for sheer entertainment value) - ebook - 2013 acquired
38. In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (3 stars) - ebook - ROOT
39. The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend by Glenn Frankel (5 stars)- hardback - 2013 acquired

April
40. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman (5 stars) - Thanks for the shove, Morphy!
41. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (4.25 stars)
42. Round Mountain by Castle Freeman, Jr. (3.75 stars)
43. The Searchers by Alan LeMay (4.25 stars)
44. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (4.5 stars)
45. A Man Without Breath by Phillip Kerr (4.3 stars)
46. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (3.75 stars)
47. Ashfall by Mike Mullin (4 stars)
48. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (4 stars)
49. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (4 stars)
50. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (5 stars)
51. Howards End by E. M. Forster (4.5 stars)
52. Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World by Sabina Berman

2013 Stats (I shamelessly stole this from Cee!)



Total Books Read: 57

ROOTs books (off my own bookshelves): 26 counted/ 1 reread not counted

Fiction: 51
Non-Fiction: 6

Male authors: 24
Female authors: 33

US authors: 36
Authors from other countries: 21

Living Authors: 45
Dead Authors: 12

Medium:
Hardback: 12
Paperback: 22
ebook: 20
audiobook: 3

Books Purchased in 2013:

January
1. Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
2. Dog Stars by Peter Heller
3. Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus
4. The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
5. Nightbirds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken
6. In the Woods by Tana French - read it this year, but I loved it so much that I wanted my own copy
7. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
8. Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie - collecting these covers
9. Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie - collecting these covers
10. The Clocks by Agatha Christie - collecting these covers
11. Third Girl by Agatha Christie - collecting these covers
12. The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch
13. The Likeness by Tana French - the book store had the hardcopy edition on sale for $6, how can I resist that?
14. Raylan by Elmore Leonard - Craig and I will both read this
15. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - I read this on Kindle last year, but wanted a physical copy of it
16. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory - book store had this on sale for $3, recommended by Chéli
17. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCollough - I read this forever ago and loved it, today I found a lovely edition with deckled edge pages, enough said!
18. Old Filth by Jane Gardam - my very first Europa edition!
19. The New Moon With the Old by Dodie Smith
20. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
21. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - I read this on Kindle, but wanted a physical copy of it for my shelves
22. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
23. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
24. A Feast of Crows by George R. R. Martin
25. A Dance of Dragons by George R. R. Martin

February
26. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer READ
27. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
28. Vampire Empire by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
29. Faithful Place by Tana French
30. Grave Mercy by Robin LeFevers (Kindle Daily Deal)
31. The Woman Who Wouldn't Die by Colin Cotterill - the latest Dr. Siri!
32. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - deckled edge pages!
33. The Cider House Rules by John Irving - Kindle Daily Deal
34. The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend by Glenn Frankel READ
35. Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
36. Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer
37. Still Life With Murder by P. B Ryan (Kindle Daily Deal)
38. Blue Bloods: The Graphic Novel by Melissa de la Cruz READ
39. The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly (Kindle Daily Deal) READ

March
40. West With the Night by Beryl Markham (Kindle Daily Deal)
41. Made in the USA by Billie Letts - bookstore had this hardback on sale for $6
42. Die Trying by Lee Child
43. The Searchers by Alan Le May READ
44. The Witches of Wenshar by Barbara Hambly
45. Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly (Kindle Daily Deal)
46. The Poet by Michael Connelly
47. Blood Work by Michael Connelly
48. The Bordeaux Betrayal by Ellen Crosby READ
49. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
50. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
51. Ashfall by Mike Mullin - because Judy and Dejah assure me it is good! READ
52. Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb - who can resist this title? And Dejah says it's good! READ

April
53. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold - READ
54. The Radleys by Matt Haig
55. Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard
56. Bandits by Elmore Leonard
57. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
58. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
59. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
60. The Green Mile by Stephen King
61. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - because of Roberta's lovely review and because it comes in a Penguin deluxe classic edition with deckled edge pages
62. Valdez is Coming by Elmore Leonard
63. Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard
64. The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker - this is Joe's fault READ
65. Blood Kin by Henry Chappell - because Richard begged so prettily and used puppy dog eyes
66. Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson
67. The Watchman by Robert Crais - Kindle Daily Deal
68. Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara - Penguin Deluxe Classic Edition

May
69. The Map of the Sky by Félix J. Palma - Kindle Daily Deal
70. The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann
71. God Save the Child by Robert B. Parker - also Joe's fault!
72. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - Kindle Daily Deal
73. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood - free on Kindle, recommended by Dejah
74. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
75. The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri
76. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
77. The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré
78. The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen
79. Call for the Dead by John le Carré
80. A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
81. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carré
82. The Looking Glass War by John le Carré
83. Smiley's People by John le Carré
84. The Little Drummer Girl by John le Carré
85. The Naíve and Sentimental Lover by John le Carré
86. A Perfect Spy by John le Carré
87. Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré
88. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver - bought the ebook and added the professional narration for a few bucks more READ
89. Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne - bought the ebook and added the professional narration for a few bucks more
90. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown - bought the ebook and added the professional narration for a few bucks more

An idea stolen from Heather (souloftherose), who borrowed it from Liz (lyzard): ongoing series that I am actively reading. This doesn't include series where I have the first book in my TBR pile (i.e. series I haven't started reading yet aren't included). An asterisk (*) indicates a series where I already have a copy of the next book. A pointing finger (☛) indicates a series where I am waiting for the next book to be released.

1. African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe: Next Up: Arrow of God (3/3)

2. *Charley Davidson by Darynda Jones: Next Up: Third Grave Dead Ahead (3/4)

3. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache by Louise Penny: Next Up: A Fatal Grace (2/8)

4. *Commissario Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri: Next Up: The Snack Thief (3/15)

5. * Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: Next Up: Days of Blood and Starlight (2/3)

6. *Divergent by Veronica Roth: Next Up: Insurgent (2/3)

7. *Dr. Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill: Next up: Slash and Burn (8/9) - Richard's fault!

8. *Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French: Next Up: The Likeness (2/4) - Dee's fault!

9. Duncan Kincaid/ Gemma James by Deborah Crombie:Next Up: Kissed a Sad Goodbye (6/15)

10. * Dust Lands by Moira Young: Next Up: Rebel Heart (2/3) - Mark and Chelle's fault!

11. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan: Next Up: The Dead tossed Waves (2/3)

12. *Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly: Next Up: The Narrows (10/18)

13. *Harry Hole by Jo Nesbo: Next Up: The Snowman (7/9)

14. ☛ The Ibis Trilogy by Amitav Ghosh: Next Up: ? (3/3) - Judy's fault!

15. *In Death by J. D. Robb: Next Up: Glory in Death (2/44) - Joe's fault!

16. *Inspector Sejer by Karin Fossum: Next Up: He Who Fears the Wolf (2/9)

17. Jack Taylor by Ken Bruen: Next Up: The Dramatist (4/9) - also Mark's fault!

18. *James Bond by Ian Fleming: Next Up: Live and Let Die (2/14)

19. *Jackson Brodie by Kate Atkinson: Next Up: One Good Turn (2/4) - Stasia's fault!

20. *Kenzie and Gennaro by Dennis Lehane: Next Up: Sacred (3/6)

21. *Lady Julia Gray by Deanna Raybourn: Next Up: The Dark Enquiry (5/5)

22. ☛ Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Next Up: Cress (3/4)

23. MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood: Next Up: The Year of the Flood (2/3) - Mark's fault!

24. *Matched by Ally Condie: Next Up: Crossed (2/3)

25. *Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larrson: Next Up: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (3/3)

26. *Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler: Next Up: The Little Sister (5/8)

27. *Raylan Givens by Elmore Leonard: Next Up: Raylan (3/3)

28. *Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris: Next Up: Dead in the Family (9/12)

29. *Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin: Next Up: Clash of Swords (2/5)

30. *Spenser novels by Robert B. Parker: Next Up: God Save the Child (2/39) - this is Joe's fault!

31. Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs: Next Up: Grave Secrets (5/15)

32. Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall: Next Up: The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing (2/3)

33. *Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold: Next Up: Barrayar: (2/16) - also Joe's fault! Also Richard's fault!

34. *Walt Longmire by Craig Johnson: Up Next: Another Man's Moccasins (4/8) - blaming this on Mark!

35. Wine Country Mysteries by Ellen Crosby: Next Up: The Riesling Retribution (4/6)

36. ☛Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel: Next up: ? (3/3)

Series that I am reading out of order:

37. Bernie Gunther by Phillip Kerr (2/9)
38. Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout (2/47) - Julia's fault!

Because I am completely insane, I am also trying to complete a pyramid challenge for the Lucky 13 Challenge, so I will picking my possible reads each month so that I can also fit them into the pyramid that Abby (my 16 year old daughter) and I created. We used a game show theme, and here are the categories we came up with:

The Categories:

1. Truth or Consequences - nonfiction (0/1)
2. What's My Line? - biographies and memoirs (0/2)
3. Beat the Clock - time travel (0/3)
4. Let's Make a Deal - I agree to read four Manga books and Abby agrees to read four mysteries - we are each trying a genre new to us that is a favorite of the other. (3/4)
5. Name That Tune - books set in or about Georgia, our new home state (3/5)
6. Treasure Hunt - graphic novels (4/6)
7. Hollywood Squares - books made into movies (5/7)
8. Queen For a Day - historical fiction (2/8)
9. Joker's Wild - right now it is anything goes, but Abby and I will each choose our own category for this (2/9)
10. The Price is Right - books found on sale, at a used book store, or borrowed from the library (6/10)
11. Match Game - books in a series (11/11)
12. Press Your Luck - authors new to each of us (12/12)
13. Pyramid - books published in 2013 (3/13)

You can find our Lucky 13 Challenge thread here: Crazymamie's Lucky 13

Okay, I'll take it. *smooch*

And I'm riding in on Richard's coat tails. Happy New Thread, friend. Hope your are enjoying a slow slide into Summer. I am wondering if the summer heat will be hard for you and yours but I guess you have had some experience with hot, hot weather. Right?

Not so much us. We are wilting and complaining the minute it gets much above 80 degrees F. Silly northwesteners.

I am reading Amanda Knox's account of her disaster in Italy and trying to get some school work done, today. Also, going to go visit a potential retirement home. I am yearning a bit for people to take care of me, and some of the chores in life. I think I am ready to give up yard work and let others do it. And having the choice of someone else doing the meals, or doing them myself, feels very attractive.....

more reading!

Have a great Thursday! sliding our way to the weekend.

Good morning, Mamie! Lovely new thread you have here! And I think Birdy was right - you should have kept the flamingos or gotten a replacement flock!

I see you've already finished Dead Until Dark. As you know, I'm planning to read Dead Ever After the day/night I get it and then I'll join you from the beginning. What fun! I promise: no spoilers.

ETA: I put Living Dead in Dallas in TIOLI Challenge #10 - the participle challenge.

Mamie what a sweet photo of Birdy with her flamingo relations. Boo on the scanner and no Mother's Day photo.

In regards to the Sookie books the last three were quite a chore for me, but somewhere in all the nonsense it keeps the story rolling along. I loved the ending of the last one, but it was so much effort to get there. I'd say Sookie needs to stay home more often but everyone knows where she lives! LOL If you aren't caught up I would wait. You have all summer by the pool. I know we are all so excited about the last book but you will have to suffer through a few before you can catch up. Just my NOT so humble opinion friend.

I may try to bookhorn the first Spenser book this month. How many books are in this series? I'm afraid, very afraid.

I loved Dracula.

Richard - Excellent! So lovely to have you along for the ride. *smooch*

Karen - I love the sound of that - "slow slide into Summer". We will see about the summer heat. We have experienced the high temps and crazy humidity - we usually vacation on South Carolina in July, and the last few years have been crazy hot in Indiana. But I think summer lasts longer and stays hotter down here, so we'll just have to see how we do. We have a pool, we have misting fans, we have central air conditioning with two separate units - one for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. I will try not to complain, after all, we did choose to move down here.

Good luck with the retirement home visit - we know several people who have moved to those and love it. I totally get not wanting to do the yard work! I still really enjoy cooking, but it would be much harder to do it just for one person. I'm not sure I would be motivated to do it all the time if it were just me.

Have a lovely Thursday - I keep thinking that today is Tuesday, so I will just have to give up on the weekdays for this week and try again next week! Sliding into the weekend sounds fabulous!

Dejah - LOL! And yep, I finished the first Sookie! I put book #4 into Morphy's challenge because it had been stuck on three for awhile. I saw that you had already found where I put the first book. I am going to wait to read the final book because I do want to read the last ones that I have not read yet first, so I will do it in order even if I don't finish it this month. I am looking forward to the pure indulgence of it!

*I will come join you in challenge #10! Should be fun figuring out where to place all the books!

Roberta - Thank you! I am bummed about the scanner because I tried just deleting the printer from my computer and then reconnecting it, and it is telling me that the software is not available, so I am thinking I am going to have to call the company. I SO do not want to mess with that - things like that have a way of eating up your whole day. UGH!

And Sookie - I think that's why I stopped at book 9 before. The writing just wasn't as good and the stories weren't as fun, but since she has finished the series, I really want to read the whole story from beginning to end. Don't worry, I won't be tempted to cheat and read the last one first - I am a NUT about stuff like that. It is very hard for me to read any series out of order unless the individual stories aren't necessarily connected - like Hercule Poirot.

And are you sitting down? There are 39 books in the Spenser series that were written by Robert B. Parker, and two more that were written by the author that his family hired to take over the series. YIKES! That's why I had to put Joe on probation! LOL!

WHAT!!! It is worse than I thought! September is series and sequels month and that would work for me. Hmm...

Okay Mystery March, May Murder & Mayhem, September Series and Sequels. Maybe in about 5 years I'll be done. Is that too ambitious Mamie?

LOL! I KNOW! That;s exactly how I feel about it. Five years sounds good - I'll join you! We are now on the Five Year Plan!

Hi Mamie, just marking my comfi little corner in another lovely thread of yours:) Love that photo of birdy with the pink flamingos. Although, I am sure that none of you had to stick too long with such pink birds?
Actually, a great idea to raise money!

Also hoping that you will slide comfortably into the summer. That means "POOL" time :)

Bianca! So lovely to see you! The birds were only there overnight - they went on to their next home, but we did get them back again before the fundraiser was over! And I am looking forward to many, many hours of pool time!

Mamie, that's a darling picture of Birdy with her feathered friends. What a fun way to raise money for a good cause.

I have The Godwulf Manuscript in transit from another Missouri library. May I join you and Roberta in your 5-year plan? That is, if I like the first one. That Joe!

Hi Donna! Glad you liked the photo of Birdy! And yes! Please do join Roberta and I in the 5-year plan! I think you will like the first one - it's fun and it holds up well. In fact, it captures the 70s so perfectly that I feel like I can hear the sounds of The Doobie Brothers and Three Dog Night in the background.

Hi Mamie, as always it's a treat to visit your new thread and see what picture you chose as your thread topper. Birdy looks right at home there with her flock.

You've got a great bunch of reading ahead of you for May. I love the idea of the 5 year plan, as for me, I have so many series to follow that I am on a 20 year plan!

Hi Judy! Thank you for those lovely thoughts! There were so many possibilities for May that it was ridiculous. You should have seen my first list! I have narrowed it down to ones I truly want to get to, so we'll see what happens. And the 20 year plan is probably a much more realistic plan - I am ever optimistic!

Agree with Judy that the 20 year plan is much more realistic. :) Now I can't wait to read the first one.

The flamingos are great! My daughter would have been of the same opinion as Birdy.

I Capture the Castle has been enticing me as a reread too......

Ah, Mamie, I'm so behind --- but GORGEOUS POOL!!!! If your weather is anything like ours, you're wondering when you're going to get to use it again. Birdy was such a little sweetie, and I'm sure that she still is. AND you are braver than I to list all of your purchases in one place. A month per thread looks a little less daunting.
I am wandering through mainly to ask whether you've read The Map of Time and whether you liked it. The Map of the Sky is today's Kindle Daily Deal, and I went ahead and got it without knowing whether I'm going to like the first one.

Roberta - So true that 20 years is more realistic. I'm almost finished with the first one, and it has been so much fun - not sure how I missed these books all these years.

Lucy - I am laughing because Birdy really wanted to keep them! Oh, I hope you do reread I Capture the Castle! We were talking about it on Dejah's thread a few months ago and so we ended up planning a reread - there are several of us planning to read it this month. I know Dejah and Carrie,maybe Heather? I can't remember, but I'm thinking there were four or five of us that talked about it. I just read it for the very first time last year, but I am ready to dip into it again - I so LOVED that narrator!

Peggy! Wonderful to have you here! Thanks for the pool kudos! Birdy is in fact still a sweetie. She is fourteen now and still an old soul. She has a delightful sense of humor and keeps us laughing with her rhetoric. And the purchases - more a reminder for me of what I have recently acquired but also a lot of fun for others to look at - I love seeing what others have brought home! I did the same thing that you did with The Map of the Sky. I bought it because it was a good deal without having read the first one yet. However, I will say that I think I will like the first one because Jim recommended it, and I have not gone wrong with his recs yet.

Reading in a canoe! Perfect! It can't be very comfortable, but the pic is priceless, LOL! Ah, I only read The Keeper of Lost Causes a couple of months ago; it was my first Adler-Olsen. Loved it, and hope you will, too, Mamie.

Hi Nancy! I liked that photo, too, which is why I snagged it off the net! And I need to get back to Keeper of Lost Causes - I have only read the first few chapters, but I like the writing. I had started it and then got derailed trying to finish up April reads, so now I will get back to it.

Mamie, that is such a cute picture of Birdy at the top! The Sookie Stackhouse reread sounds like fun - I am planning the same thing when the final Diana Gabaldon novel comes out, which I think is later this year.

Thanks, Susan! I am having great fun rereading the Sookie books - it has been years, so I had forgotten a lot. Diana Gabaldon? I made it half way through Outlander a few years ago before I got distracted by other things - I should try it again. Your project sounds more ambitious than mine because I think those books are quite a bit longer than the Sookie books. It's so great to revisit books like that - how many books are in that series?

Oh my yes, the Sookies...I do like True Blood, too, but there's something about the books.

Happy weekend to come!

Hi Richard! I have only seen a few episodes of the HBO series, but I prefer the books. I like how you see everything from Sookie's perspective, and her narrative cracks me up. Thanks for your good wishes - Happy weekend to you, too!

Mamie, here's the Diana Gabaldon chronology, in case you find it useful: http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/chronology-of-the-outlander-series/ I think I'm going to try and read everything next time round, so read the novellas in the right order in between the "Big, Enormous Books". I have read some of the shorter ones but not all of them. I think the fans would prefer her to write the Big, Enormous Books faster but I could be wrong. I thought the next one was the last but, looking at this page, it just says it's the eighth one, not the final one. Eek!

Susan, that chronology is really amazing. I've only read one or two of the books, and got all sgangerata in trying to figure out where they fit.

Smokes! That is a whole lot Outlander books. I WILL NOT GET SUCKED IN! Not even going to look until I am retired. LOL

I liked the first several Outlander novels but eventually stalled out. I actually prefer the Lord John books (all of which I have read) to the big sagas.

Susan - Wow! Thanks for that! And the eight one but not the final one - oh dear! I should try to get back to the first one and try it again this year because it would fit into my time travel category which I have yet to read even one book for.

Richard - It gets confusing when there are novellas or prequels written in between, doesn't it? That happened to me with the Sookie series because I felt like I was missing books in between but really there were short stories that were published separately, and so it got crazy confusing.

Roberta - Be strong! I finished the first Spenser book, and it was a lot of fun. Already bought the second in the series.

Dejah - Lord John? Are those by the same author?

Mamie I'm not scared of the Spenser books. It is the Outlander series that I refuse to look closely at until I don't have job that requires 12 hour shifts. How rude that work cuts into my reading time.

LOL! So true!

I got derailed from the Outlander series at some point as well. A couple of years ago I decided to re-read the series but only got as far as the first book. I am going to try to get to the next book this summer.

Oh golly. I have some of the Outlanders unread. To make up for that, I've read #s 1 and 3 at least a couple of times. Am I a soppy old romantic or what?

Judy - SO maybe if I get the first one read, and it's a hit, I'll join you! LOL! SO many books, so little time...

Peggy - I can remember really liking what I read of the first book, but I can't remember what derailed me. Now I'm wondering if that was the year that Daniel broke his jaw right before we left for vacation. High praise indeed for books one and three if you have read them multiple times - I love books like that!

>37 Dejah_Thoris:-38 Yep - the Lord John books are listed in the chronology found via the link above. I've read Outlander itself at least twice, but I believe I stalled out part way through The Drums of Autumn. I think I probably read too many of the sagas too close together. The much shorter and less demanding Lord John books are more entertaining to me.

Hmmm, I read the first Outlander book and liked it, but never went back to the series. I know I have the second one around here somewhere - seems like good summer reading to me...

52 books read, 71 books purchased. Truth, isn't it?

Lovely new thread, Mamie!

And I just went and read the last few posts on your prior thread and I'm honored to be sisters with you and Kath! We will need to keep getting up to no good or poor Richard won't know what to do.

But I have learned not to post kitten spam on his thread.....

So long as no kittens are involved. Or cats. Really, Felis cattus domesticus whole and entire.

There will be no kittens, Richard. One trial learning for this girl.

I feel like I should be singing Gilbert & Sullivan right now...something about punishments and crimes...

Mamie, whoever thought of planting a flock of pink flamingos on someone's yard and than having that person place a donation in order to have them removed and placed on someone else's yard is a genius! I love it! I must remember this the next time I'm involved in planning a fund raiser.

Hi Mamie- Somehow I ended up over 50 posts behind. Is your thread just popping over here or I am just slow getting around? Maybe, a little of both.
I still plan on reading The Ghosts of Nagasaki. I'll probably start it later next week. I haven't seen Chelle around lately but I'll try to shoot her a reminder.
Love the new thread and the Birdy photo at the top!

Mamie, I love the flamingos picture! We've talked about doing something similar as a fundraiser, but never did get it off the ground. Too bad. :( I think it would be fun...

Also, I'm late in joining in with the praise, but your pool area looks fan-tas-tic! Make sure to let me know if you ever decide to have an LT meetup. :)

Hope all is well with you & yours!

Dejah - OK, I went back and paid more attention, and now I get what your talking about. I can see where reading them too close together (the longer books) could cause burn out because they are so long. All this talk about them is making me really want to dip back into that first one again.

Katie - I think it would make a great summer read!

Ellen - Yep. Truth. But I would like to point out that I have actually read 54 books and that 14 of the books in the purchased this year post have already been read, making the ratio 54 to 57 which is almost breaking even. Okay. Okay. So I buy more than I read...

I love our new sisterhood, and you're absolutely right - we must continue to be up to no good and seek out shenanigans and mischief. Good thinking about no kitten spam on Richard's thread!!

Richard


-" ...my object all sublime
I shall achieve in time
to let the punishment fir the crime...."

Caro - It raised a lot of money, and people had a lot of fun with it. What's not fu about waking up to a yard full of pink flamingos and then sending them on to someone else?!

Mark - WHERE have you been?! LOL! The threads have been busy for the last few days. I can start Ghosts of Nagasaki whenever - next week sounds good. I think Chelle has been busy with Nate returning home and being off, so a reminder never hurts. I am looking forward to it. Glad you loved the photo of Birdy!

Mary - Too bad you didn't get to do that fundraiser - it's a good one that people seem to really get caught up in. And thank you for the pool compliments! Hosting an LT meet-up would be SO much fun! And we are all great here, thanks for asking! Hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous!

Hey there! So I hear you took the 75ers by storm last year. Paul mentioned something on my thread, saying that I'm this year's you. I doubt that, as you seem pretty freakin' awesome :D

I don't know why I wasn't following you before, but I am now!

Hi Es! Welcome to my thread!! Your this year's me? That totally cracks me up! And thanks for the compliment! This group is so warm and inviting! Thanks for checking out my thread, so very lovely to have you here!

What a superb fund raising idea! (the flamingos...I know, it was many a post back there). I love that, it is so novel.

Sookie Stackhouse was also mentioned further up, there is a competition to win all (13?) of her books in todays paper, and I am shocking myself in not entering. Im just not sure I can commit to so many books! (crazy, I know it)

I read Cross Stitch (eta: Diana Gabaldon....or havent I got the title right?) a hundred years ago and quite liked it, then liked the next ones less and less. I havent been back since then.

Megan! Who knew that pink flamingos were the secret to raising funds, right?! I am laughing that you didn't enter to win the Sookie books - too big of a commitment, huh? You could always read as many as you care to and then donate them to the library - does your library let you do that?

Cross Stitch? That's not ringing a bell. Outlander is the name of the first book - is that what you are thinking of? Claire the time traveler? I only made it halfway through the first one, so I am not familiar with any of the other books in the series.

Nice pink flamingos up top, Mamie! Birdy knew how to keep good company.

Pretty clever fundraiser, too.

Thanks, Joe! Birdy has never met a stranger, if you know what I mean!

Trying to catch up Mamie!!

I love the Sookie series... I think I'm 2-3 books behind, but I read them so quickly that I shouldn't have a problem catching up... when is the final one released?

>54 Crazymamie: HA! That picture is so me! And I sing about as well as that dog does, too.

I'm up to date with the Outlander series. The first one was called Cross Stitch in New Zealand. I have no idea why but it's what prompted me to read it as I liked cross stitching lol. At that point there were only the first four in the series out and I read them all. Then 10 years later I read them all again and all the new ones... those books get larger and larger and I didn't really like the last one.

I've also signed up to re-read I Capture the Castle I read it in highschool and I still remember the first line: "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink." lol

Mamie - Your current reading includes some of my favourites from the last few years with Olsen and Gwynne's books particularly good.

I didn't know Richard was a dab hand on the ivories.

Have a lovely weekend.

I am stopping by to catch up with your thread, and to say "hi". I hope your weekend is just perfect.

I'm trying to get some serious reading done as the academics are giving me a break. Also, Booktopia looms in the near future and I'd like to have at minimum put my toe into several of the books we'll be discussing.

I have no idea how I got so far behind. Maybe I can catch up later? As always, I love your thread topper.. what beautiful children you have !

I think I am already falling into my Mother's Day funk. It is the absolute worst day of the year for me...
I know it's a made up holiday, but it somehow has the effect of making me miss my kids even more than I already do. And then there is the whole house thing.. So I'm just a dismal presence ... best I just move on..

Have a Happy weekend, sis!

Have a great weekend, Mamie!

I brought mimosas to share. Happy weekend!

My goodness, Mamie, but your thread is definitely jumping! I'm getting antsy waiting for Sookie #13 aka Dead Ever After to be published Tuesday. Sometimes pre-orders get to me a day early, so I'm trying to finagle it so I have free time to read on Monday or Tuesday....lol.

With all this chilly weather, you're getting a very mellow introduction to GA Spring and Summer! Never fear, it'll be hot soon enough.

Right, so I've freaked everyone out with that chronology and the amount of reading in it...:-) Cross Stitch is the title of the first one outside the US, and according to the author's blog it was the original title:

"Cross Stitch was my original title (it was a play on “a stitch in time”), and the Brits liked it. The Americans said “It sounds too much like embroidery, can you think of something more….adventurous?” so I did—OUTLANDER (I thought of calling it “Sassenach,” but they said, “No. Nobody can pronounce it, and since they can’t pronounce your name either…)."

Hence Outlander and that does work best with The Outlandish Companion, because "The Cross Stitch Companion" is something else entirely... My book 1 disintegrated after being loaned to too many people. I have books 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 in hard copy but I think I'll fill the gaps with Kindle editions as they are pretty chunky.

I hope your weekend is going well, Mamie!

> 50, 54 You two crack me up! Love the singing dog.

>59 Crazymamie: I just figured out why I couldnt figure it out. Outlander was published in the UK (so here as well) as Cross Stitch. It doesnt shoe up on LT as my title anywhere I could see. *confusing*

>71 susanj67:/64 and now...working backwards....I see the the issue was solved long before I got here! I wondered if that were the case...also I wondered id Cross Stitch would limit readers to women who sew...

>67 mckait: (((kath))) I hope your mothers day funk is short-lived at worst and completely GONE by now at better, and has turned into a great day for you at best.

And finally to you Mamie... (!!)
Hello, happy weekend to you, enjoy the mimosas :), Ill stick with coffee this early (7.29am).

Ok, I'm back from my only obligation this weekend - an open house for a high school graduate. I always dread those kind of things where there are a lot of people and you know just a handful of them, but his one was pretty cool. So now I have the rest of the weekend off with no real plans - WahHOO! It's chilly and raining here, so a good day for grabbing a good book and getting comfy on the sofa, which is exactly what I'm going to do!

Tina! Well hello there newly married woman! How ARE you? ANother Sookie fan! I think the final book comes out this Tuesday - I probably won't get to it until next month since I am reading the entire series first. Currently, I am half way through book 2.

Richard - Glad you liked it! I also sing about as well as that dog, so we would make a great duet! I just try to make up in enthusiasm what I lack in talent!!!

Lisa! Welcome to my thread! And you have solved the great mystery! Those are two very different titles for the same book. So you've read them all, some more than once, but you didn't like the last one. Are you going to read the new one coming out?

And hooray for another who is reading I Capture the Castle! I loved it when I read it for the first time last year. Before that I had no idea that Dodie Smith had written other n=books in addition to The 101 Dalmatians, which is another favorite of mine. The two books are so very different, but both are magical, I think. Thanks so much for stopping in!

Paul - I am liking both of those books. It is taking me forever to finish up Empire of the Summer Sun, and I have to confess that the reason why is that I keep rereading the chapters. SO full of stuff that I didn't know. The Keeper of Lost Causes has pulled me into its pages just as Joe said it would, and I fear that Sookie will have to wait until I finish it. SO good!

And yes, Richard is full of surprises! Wishing you a lovely weekend as well - mine is off to a very great start!

Best wishes for a sweet weekend

More visitors! What a wonderful surprise! I had typed the previous post into the computer soon after returning home from the open house, and then we made a split second decision to go see Iron Man III at the theater, and just had time to make it. I thought that I had hit enter but apparently not because it was still sitting here when I got back. Waiting patiently. We really liked the movie, and Ben Kingsley was a hoot in it - he is just so marvelous in everything that he does. Rae opted out because she needed some no people time, so she had the house all to herself, which she said was lovely, and the rest of us went to the very crowded theater. It's raining and unseasonably cold here today, so I guess the theater was an obvious choice. Now, now I will finally get time to cozy up with a book and settle in for the duration - unless something else comes up!

Karen - So far, so good with the weekend! There is moving going on upstairs - and much delight! Our house has five bedrooms, and when we first moved in Birdy and Abby wanted to share, so we kept the bedroom with its own bath to use as a guest room. Then last month Craig says, why aren't we using all the bedrooms - it's silly to keep a room just for guests when we have two people sharing a room. I wasn't sure Birdy would want her own room as she has always shared, but we asked her and she said YES, so the moving is happening this weekend. Dan is taking the guest bedroom with its own bath which is upstairs on one side of the house, and the girls are taking the three bedrooms on the other side of the house and sharing the other bathroom. In case you're wondering why Rae, as the oldest, doesn't get the guest bedroom, it's because she would have to vacate that room when we do have guests. Rae doesn't do well with change and said she would rather keep her current room. So, Dan is moving to the guest room, and Birdy is taking Dan's room. Abby and Rae both chose to stay in their current rooms, so that simplifies things. YOu're sorry that you asked about my weekend now, aren't you?! LOL!

Wishing you a weekend full of fabulous reading!

Kathleen - I am so far behind on the threads, too! All it takes is a blink of the eyes! And thank you for the lovely compliment to my children - you always say the nicest things. Sorry to hear about the Mother's Day funk. Last year the kids made a big deal of it for me because Craig was gone, but we have never really done anything big. Craig sends his mother flowers and calls her, and the kids usually make me a card or fix me breakfast. Craig is not allowed to get me anything for Mother's Day because I am not his mother. (My rule, not his) I guess I figure that every day is Mother's Day if you're a Mom. Will I feel differently when the kids are grown and gone? I just don't know.

Wishing for you a happy weekend, too. Make Dan put the damn cabinet doors back on. Hugs to you, sis.

Thanks, Katie! Hope your weekend is full of fabulous!

Richard - How Lovely!! Thanks so much for those mimosas! Delightful! Happy weekend to you, too!

Dejah - This thread is jumping - you're right! LT is enjoying a splurge of posting right now! I can't wait for you to get your pre-ordered copy of the very last Sookie! I have pre-ordered the ebook, so it will automatically download that day, but of course I won't get to it right away. I have starred the Sookie discussion thread, but I haven't checked in over there because I haven't read all the books yet - I'm trying to avoid spoilers. Someone at the open house today was telling me that the weather is usually much warmer this time of year. I'm not worried, I know we will have plenty of hot before the summer even gets here.

Susan - Thank you so much for clearing that up. I wondered why the books had two very different titles. And I love that quote from the author! And I'm laughing about the Cross Stitch Companion! My copy of the first book is on Kindle - I got it in a Kindle sale a few years ago. I love using the Kindle for bigger books like that - so much easier! My weekend is going smashingly, and I'm beginning to think it's because of all the good wishes I am receiving!! Hope you weekend is everything that you wan tit to be!

Ellen - Then our work is done! Glad you love the singing dog!

Megan - Now we have both learned so much about the title of that first book, haven't we?! LOL! Ask and you shall receive - that is one of the things I love about this place; somebody always knows the answer! I am surprised though that the title doesn't show up anywhere here. Cross Stitch seems an odd title - the story doesn't seem to connect to that, but once Susan posted that quote, it all made sense. I am enjoying my weekend very much so far, hope you are, too! And I'll take the mimosas whenever I can get them! LOL!

Hi Mamie :) thank you for your welcome. I'm not sure if I'll read the next one. I would if I knew it was the last one just to see how everything turns out. It wasn't the last one but the one before that, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, something happens to the main character Claire, and while a lot of awful things happen to people throughout the series for some reason that was the last straw. However I rated the books highly at the time - maybe the euphoria of having finished a 1000 page book lol.

Lisa - You're welcome! Oh dear, the last straw? So maybe stop before book six?! That's a whole lotta reading! Don't think I will be debating whether or not to read that one for a bit, but it's nice to have a head's up. So thanks for that! I wonder if she has a stopping point in mind?

>57 Crazymamie:: Yeah, Paul said I'm sort of doing the same thing you did last year :) I felt so honored.

Man, your thread is so hoppin'! I love it!

Glad you liked Iron Man III! I know some people who are planning to see it some time soon. I think Robert Downey, Jr. is funny, though I'm not actually interested in the movie itself.

Hi Mamie- Glad you guys enjoyed Iron Man 3. Honestly, I am getting burned out on these big action films. My kids have grown and moved on, so it's not like I "have" to watch them anymore. I did like the 1st Iron Man but the 2nd one bored me silly.

Glad you and fam enjoyed Iron Man III, Mamie : ). I only saw the first one which I quite enjoyed, but I'll catch up with this one, too, I think. I also like Ben Kingsley : ).

Es - What a lovely thing to say! I think all of LT is hoppin' right now - good to see it pick back up! I love Robert Downey, Jr. and what I really want is for him to make another Sherlock Holmes movie. Iron Man III was good - I was a bit leery of seeing a third movie in a series, but it held up well, and Ben Kingsley was a delight. We went because the kids really wanted to see it - Rae, who is 21, didn't go, but Daniel (18), Abby (17) and Birdy (14) LOVED it.

Mark - My kids love these movies, and Daniel is a HUGE DC and Marvel fan...um...so is Craig! LOL! So, these movies will always be a part of my life. I think they are great fun to see once, but I usually do not watch them over and over again like Craig and the kids do. My favorite movies, as you well know, are the old ones. I adore Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, I swoon over Alfred Hitchcock films...

Hi Nancy! You snuck in there while I was posting! I liked Iron Man III better than the second movie, and Ben Kingsley totally steals the show.

>83 Crazymamie:: I loved the Sherlock Holmes movies!

I love your opening photos of your children.

Birdy among the birds -- ever so lovely.

Me, too, Es!

Linda! Thank you so much! I always love seeing you here! I am trying desperately to catch up on the threads - I need to come see you!

((((((Mamie!)))))))

I'm doing fantastically well!! Missed keeping up with y'all here, but life has been magical as of late!

I didn't know the last one was coming out so soon! I'll have to catch up sooner, rather than later. I've got two ER books that really need to take precedence first though... Such large problems I have, huh?? ;-)

Robert Downey is brilliant IMO. Don't love Iron Man III but cannot fault the guy nonetheless. His take on Sherlock is also superlative.
I did saddle Es and her swathe cutting through the threads with the mantle of the "New Mamie". Certainly not because you are replaceable but her emergence is reminiscent of yours!

Morning Tina! Thanks for the hugs! So glad that you are well and happy and that life is magical lately! And yes! These are the types of problems to have. LOL! I have an ER book that I'm working on as well - The Fever Tree. Very good so far. Hugs back at ya, dear.

Paul - I think that he is brilliant, too! So incredibly talented. I would watch him in anything. And I was tickled that you said that Es was the new me - how fun!

Morning Mamie- I recently saw Downey on the Daily Show. I can't believe he's 48. What a career he's had. I remember first seeing his emerging talent in Less Than Zero, (late 80s?). I have not seen the Sherlock Holmes films. They look LOUD!

Absorbing stuff here. I was so relieved that I never caught the Outlander bug, I tried to but it didn't take.

The room swapping, for some reason, was absorbing to read about. Even with one child we find there is a steady need to shift things as she grows up and has different needs and uses for space.

I enjoyed the first Sherlock movie well enough, but I would have liked it better if the stunts were just the tiniest bit less ridiculous. And it was loud! I was a HUGE fan of the Basil Rathbone movies as a kid because they played them incessantly on some weekend 'old movie' channel and I grew to appreciate them. And they were ..... quiet...... I like the TV show of the young Sherlock, however.

On the other hand I really like Robert Downey!

Mark! I cannot believe that you have not seen the Sherlock films! What's up with that?! They are SO good! I am going to have to boss you and say that you need to at least watch the first one - the photography is amazing and Downey's presentation of Sherlock is not to be missed. (But it is loud) And I need to hunt down that episode of Downey on the Daily Show - I bet that was fun!

Lucy - You make me laugh about being so relieved that you didn't fall in love with Outlander!

All the bedrooms in this house are great - they each have a good amount of closet space and plenty of room. Rae loves her room because the ceiling slants on one side. Even when she was just looking at photos of the bedrooms, she wanted that room for that reason. It is probably the smallest bedroom, but for her that is good because it feels safe and cozy. Too much space is daunting for her - she feels like she needs to fill it up. Abby's room an extra space with a door that she uses as a craft room and she keeps all her art stuff in there. The room is shaped like an L, so there is a nice nook for reading now that Birdy does not have her bed in that spot. Birdy's new bedroom has the only window that looks out over the front lawn, pretty cool closet space, and is basically a square shape. Dan's new room is rectangular with the smallest closet, but it has the attached bathroom. So really, each room has its own unique feel.

I like almost every Sherlock because I LOVE Sherlock Holmes. If I had to pick a favorite version, I think I would pick the new one with Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock - I really adore that show.

And I ADORE Robert Downey!

Mamie, Desk Set is one of my favorite movies of all time. Do you like Hepburn?

Now, who's being bossy? LOL. My movie watching has really suffered these past months, due to book mania and other issues. I have a hard time watching my one Netflix film a week.
I never got to the Outlander book(s), although I own both the hard copy of the original and an audio version.

Morphy - I LOVE that movie! That's the one where she works in the research department and Spencer Tracy comes in with the computer, right? SO funny because they don't know what he is really doing there! And yes, I love Katherine Hepburn - The Philadelphia Story, Guess Who's COming to Dinner, African Queen, Holiday....so many good ones - did she make any bad ones?!

Mark - Me! I'm being bossy! LOL! I hear what you are saying - I don't watch nearly as many movies as I used to either. I always feel like I have to choose between reading and watching. Usually if I watch something during the week it is an episode of Castle or Justified. And no Outlander for you? Somehow that doesn't surprise me - doesn't seem like your cuppa. I hadn't thought about the audio - the audio might be a good way to revisit it.

Desk Set is a great movie - one of my favorites with them together. I think of it as a Christmas movie, actually, and try to watch it in December.

My 'home' community theater has The Philadelphia Story as the last show for next season. The trouble is, no one will be able to watch it without seeing / comparing the actors to Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart!

Hi Dejah! So true about The Philadelphia Story - that's a hard act to follow! I love how clever the dialogue is in that movie - they just don't make them like that anymore.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O0AOMQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&a...

Could this be the solution for your coffee dilemma?
I have one..

Like you, most of my TV time is devoted with series watching. Game of Thrones, Mad Men & Call the Midwife. I did enjoy the recent season of Justified too. Are you a fan of Breaking Bad, (sorry if I don't remember)? That returns this summer, for the series finale. Hooray!

I'll just chime in to say that I also love Desk Set.

Kathleen - I will check it out! Okay I'm back to say that I am seriously thinking about it! Craig is going caffeine free for a week and seeing if it makes a difference, so if he decides to stay caffeine free, we are going to have to solve the coffee problem because, as Birdy would say, "Decaf is dead to me." I am not willing to go caffeine free.

Mark - Yes! Breaking Bad - you're the one who got me hooked on that show!!

Lori - Hello there! So great to see so much love for the older movies!

Hey, we should have a group watch of Desk Set in December. We could have a chat room and stuff.

For anyone who participates in TIOLI and is rereading the Sookie series, here is where the first five books have been placed:

Dead Until Dark - challenge #12
Living Dead in Dallas - challenge#10
Club Dead - challenge #9
Dead in the World - challenge #9
Dead as a Doornail - challenge #9

Dejah has placed the final book Dead Ever After in Challenge #19, which is where the rest of them will fit.

Morphy - That would be SO fun! Great idea!

The Green Dragon has a chat room I'm sure we could use.

Excellent!

Me too me too on Desk Set! And The Philadelphia Story!

I know that Downey's a wonderful performer, but for me, Sherlock is now Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock. I liked the Rathbone movies because KENS-TV showed them incessantly on Sunday afternoons as a kid. Couldn't abide Nigel Bruce as the bumbling Watson, though.

*smoochings* for Miss Mamie.

Oh yea, Richard! Despite my obvious love for Robert Downey, I would have to say that Benedict Cumberbatch is my all time favorite Sherlock - I just LOVE that show. Now, how can we get them to make more episodes faster?

I'm game for a group watch of Desk Set and The Philadelphia Story - let me know when!

I'll also be rereading The Philadelphia Story: A Comedy in Three Acts sometime this year, if anyone else is interested.

I think Robert Downey is very, very talented. I'm glad he got his life back together and continued acting.

Oh good! And I would read that with you, just say when! Agreed about Downey - so great to see him back and going full steam.

The Philadelphia Story: A Comedy in Three Acts seems like it could be interesting. I'm going to try to get my hands on it...

Yippee Skippy, Es! That makes three!

I can't get it right this second from PBS, though :( I might have to break down and order it from somewhere...

Es - I don't think Dejah is going to read it until later this year. You've got time.

Excellent, then :)

*grin*

I am definitely in no hurry to get to The Philadelphia Story any time soon - I have more plays lined up to read this month than I'll ever get to!

Let us know when you get a copy, Es, and we'll figure it out from there.

Just a quick hello... I'm running out of time... but wanted to wish you a happy monday ...
( yuck..monday)

Dejah - That sounds like a good plan!

Kathleen - Oh thank you, sis! I need all the help I can get on Mondays! Although this one has started out well because I had to be up to take the dogs to the groomer, but Craig said he would take them instead. He took today off, but he forgot to tell me, so BONUS! Craig does not usually take the dogs to the groomer and this groomer has only groomed them once before, so cross your fingers that they come home with the proper haircuts!!

Happy Monday Mamie! My niece called me this morning at 7am. She showed up to work and they didn't need her. She is here watching my mom. I am back in pjs and lurking around LT. I am going back to sleep soon. Decadence! Enjoy your day with Craig.

Morning Roberta! Enjoy your decadence - what a lovely surprise! Craig is back from dropping the dogs at the groomer and the lady told him that he did very well - most men need a list, she said! And here is a great Monday morning story for you:

Birdy is our early riser - she is always up with the sun and very cheerful. She loves mornings (which means they probably switched babies on me at the hospital, but she is delightful and so I'm keeping her). As I mentioned earlier, Craig has the day off, but he forgot to tell us that he wasn't working today. So, a little after 8 am Birdy comes quietly into our bedroom and gently wakes him up. "Dad, you should be up by now, did you forget to set the alarm?" So he gets up and goes out on the other room (in order not to wake me) to tell her that he has the day off. She has already made a pot of coffee (um half Loser coffee and half real coffee, she explains - this is a compromise so both Craig and I can get a bit of what we want she says) and she has toast waiting for him. Craig is touched and sits up to the bar to eat the toast and drink the coffee. "You know, I had to make the toast twice, Dad, because the first time I used the real butter, so I ate that. Then I made more toast to put the fake stuff on because I know that's what you use."

Hiya, Mamie! You'd like our daughter's miniature poodle - he's named Sherlock and is a genius as far as we can tell, able to break into even locked rooms. She's a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, too, and loves the Benedict Cumberbatch series (as do we - and we also like Elementary).

I read Outlander because of its many fans, but didn't catch the bug either, unfortunately.

Hi Joe! Yes I would like your daughter's miniature poodle! Sherlock is such a great name! And what a smart pooch! I adore benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock - that show is so well done! And is Elementary the new one where Watson is a woman? I have only seen part of an episode if that is the case, but it looked promising.

And no Outlander for you either? I am going to retry the first one since I never finished it, and then we'll see.

I love your Birdy stories, Mamie. Thanks for sharing!

Glad you liked it, Dejah - I am always happy to share!

Well Mamie how blessed are you! You have a very thoughtful early riser in your Birdy. She really is an old soul. Thank you for sharing that.

Why does Craig drink loser coffee? Unless the caffeine gives him arrhythmia, there is really no good excuse. Hee!

Mamie, I was at the supermarket yesterday, passing the tea. I saw a packet of decaffinated tea and thought "loser tea" to myself as I continued on my way...

Roberta - What lovely words - thanks! Craig thinks that caffeine gives him heartburn, so he is trying to go caffeine-free. Personally, since he hardly drinks any caffeine, I think it is the juice that he drinks. Anyway, if he beats me to the coffee pot in the morning he makes the entire pot caffeine free. So we are in the midst of a coffee war. (Not really, but that sounds more exciting than saying that we are trying to outmaneuver each other to the coffee maker in the morning). I do have an espresso maker, so usually if the coffee is loser coffee then I make myself a latte.

Susan - LOL! Leave all the unworthy items on the shelf!

Let us know when you get a copy, Es, and we'll figure it out from there.

Will do. Good plan.

Mamie, I love your stories! They are just wonderful!

Thanks, Es!

Hi Mamie - Happy May thread! I love the story of the pink flamingo fundraiser!

Hi Heather! Thank you! And I'm glad you liked the story!

"Loser coffee" *snerk*

Reverse the genders and the same is happening in my house. mrsdrneutron should never be allowed to have caffeinated coffee ever again (although, it's pretty amusing when she gets it by mistake:) and so we have two pots. The trick is that whoever gets downstairs first uses the good pot, so it's a bit of a dice roll whether one is getting a refill from the right pot! :)

>124 Crazymamie: Yes, Lucy Liu plays Watson, and Jonny Lee Miller is Sherlock in the Elementary tv show. It's a different take, of course, but very good and addictive.

I like that Birdy story, too. You're smart to hold onto her. :-)

Birdy is a treasure. You may send her to me at your leisure.

Hi Jim! LOL! I think that's what we will end up with - two pots. I NEED my caffeine!

Joe - Ok, that's the one I was thinking of. I just caught the last half of the very first episode, but it looked good. I will have to check it out. Glad you liked the Birdy story. It totally cracked me up that she ate the first batch of toast because she put the wrong kind of butter on it. She's so funny!

Hi Richard! She is indeed a treasure. If I sent her to you, you would never send her back!

>138 Crazymamie: Yes. Precisely. I have a grandson who will need marrying off before too terribly long...

LOL!

Alternatively, you could send her to me. I'll put her in one spare bedroom, and then Paul's daughter (who I'm sure will go to the UW in oceanography) can have the other spare bedroom. We will all be so happy. (or maybe not, Birdy might miss the swimming pool).

A very sweet Father/daughter moment this morning.

Hi Karen - You are all so generous, offering to take Birdy off my hands! I'm keeping her because she is an old soul and therefore delightful company. I do think that you and Birdy would get along swimmingly.

Birdy sounds like a treasure. All kids are... but she might have an extra dash of special dust. She does indeed sound delightful. That is a scenario I can't imagine. I have always been the first one up... always. I certainly understand you wanting to keep her, but wonder if a loan is possible?

I was just over at your place, sis! Birdy has an extra dash of something! She is almost always the first one up - and ALWAYS cheerful! Don't know how she does it. I am usually a bit of a grump until I have had that first cup of coffee - longer than that if it is Loser coffee! I think we can talk about a loan - because I adore you. Hope your day was a good one!

You have just made my day....I adore you back, sis.

Oh good! And now you have made mine! Thanks for that!

((((((((((Sis ))))))))))))

WAY behind here, but I do love the Flamingo Flock Fundraiser up top. In fact, I forwarded the idea on to our school. I haven't seen it in Oregon, so it could be a new trend!! Hugs.

I'm loving the coffee wars tales from Mamie-land & DrNeutron-land. Too funny!!

Birdy is a sweetheart. As someone who is a cheerful morning riser as well, I am doing jumping splits and waving pom poms like crazy to cheer her for her thoughtfulness and for the wonderful father-daughter morning moment they shared before the rest of the household woke.

I seem to be developing a Morning Person Personality, too. Yesterday, I was up and dressed and all the way to my Niece's house an hour earlier than I am expect to be. Yikes! I was wondering around their quiet house, and I glanced at the microwave clock and omg it said it was 5:45 am, not 6:45 am. So I snuck back out, closed the garage door (which I know is noisy and woke Jim up, but oh well...). And went home for another hour. Lucky I live 5 minutes away.

Otherwise, I do get up disgustingly early and enjoy every quiet peaceful moment of early morning. Birds doing a lot of singing these days.

So here we are ... another day, one closer to friday :)
I'm a morning person myself Caro... but I skip the pom poms and cheers... ( yikes! and ouch )
And just send good energy to sweet Birdy... Clearly she comes from a special family.

Morning Mamie- Just checking in and wishing you a Happy Day! See if you can track down Liesl & Po. It's short and wonderfully sweet. Did you ever read Delirium?

Good morning, Mamie. How long is the waitlist to get Birdy at our place for a while? We promise to let her play with Sherlock when she comes.

I love love love the divine Miss Hepburn. Nobody can tremble a lower lip like she can. We were all in hysterics over it after watching The African Queen a few months ago - our daughter hadn't ever seen her in anything. I must get more of them and take her through the oeuvre!

Hi Mamie, brought something nice for breakfast:


Pecan pie muffins


Full-caff coffee.

Richard is divine!

Kathleen - Aw, thanks, sis! Hugs back at you!

Kim!! Kim!! HELLO THERE, STRANGER! So good to see you, and I'm honored tht you stopped by considering how incredibly busy you are these days! I hope you get to do the flamingo fundraiser - so fun! Hugs back to you!

Tina - It's the least we could do for someone who has kept us in stitches and smiles for the last month! SO fun to follow your wedding planning through to completion!

Caro - Wow! Such energy! I guess I shouldn't be surprised since you've confessed to being a cheerful morning riser! I will pass your lovely and enthusiastic compliments unto Birdy, who will be thrilled to learn that she is not the only joyful morning person.

Karen - Too funny! Thanks for sharing that - it had me snorting my morning coffee (which was Loser coffee). It is sort of like magic to get up when the rest of the house is still sleeping and watch the morning slowly come to life, but I must confess to mostly preferring to watch the backs of my eyelids while in a reclining position underneath of the covers. Craig is usually a morning person, but he does not approach it as cheerfully as Birdy and Caro do!

Sis - Lovely words - thanks for that! Today is Lunch Bunch - I go out to lunch with that group of ladies that our realtor put together. We are going to the Thai restaurant, so I am counting down the moments until noon. LOVE that Thai food!

Mark - Thank you! So far so good with the day. I will try to track down Liesl & Po - I remember Katie reading that one not too long ago, or listening to it, I think - does Jim Dale do the narration? Anyway, I know she loved it. I have not read Delirium, but I do own a copy of that. Same author?

Joe - LOL! The wait list is pretty long, but since I need to distract you from recommending series that have more than twenty books in them, I bump you up tot he short list! And she would LOVE to play with Sherlock! I finished The Keeper of Lost Causes this morning, and I must say that I loved it. SO good. And it just so happens that the paperback edition of the second book in the series comes out today and is already on its way to my house!

Lucy - I cannot believe that your daughter is just now being exposed to the great Hepburn! My kids have been watching her for years because I make encourage them. Rae and I love her in Rooster Cogburn, and we all love Desk Set, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby...so many good ones! My kids can quote from all those old movies - I have totally warped them!

Richard! Darling! How very sweet of you! *sobs a bit over the full-caf coffee* Thank you so much for that!

Roberta - YES he is!! And I'm glad you're here because I am ready for my Department Q fan club membership kit!

Ah, great, Mamie. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Causes as much as I did. I've got my eye on the second one, too, although I really have to make some progress on so many other good ones I've picked up recently before I can get to it.

>159 Crazymamie:: Yes, Liesl & Po is written by the same author as Delirium.

Joe - I will probably put it in next month's lineup. I think it will be a good book to read poolside!

Es - Thanks for that - I thought so.

>155 sibylline: Lucy I just adore The African Queen - film version and book version. For that matter, I love Katherine Hepburn's The Making of the African Queen, too. All three are very worthy!

Mamie have you read / seen it?

Dejah - I have seen the movie The African Queen many times, but I have never read the book. And I have not read The Making of the African Queen - had not heard of it before! You can bet I will track it down now!

Happy New Thread, Mamie! Weeellll @ 164 posts it's not quite new anymore but as always the conversation is fresh and shiny. Have a great day :0)

As you may know I was lucky enough to score a spot at the Booktopia which will be held next month in Bellingham, WA. The first book I received to read, in anticipation of meeting and hearing the author speak, is The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope and I wanted to call your attention to it. I think it might be a book you could love.

Have a great Wednesday! We continue to have lovely spring weather and I am spending a little time this morning observing a day care for 3 and 4 year old kids. Should be a fun assignment in my less than fun class.

Happy Wednesday, Mamie, and many more!

Mamie, I can't keep up this week, but wanted to swing by and say hello.
I finished (and loved) Flight Behavior and now I'm almost through with Gatsby. I always seem to be a month behind in group reads. But next up is Kavalier and Clay. I figure since I'm the "host" of that group read, I'd best get with the program. :-)

Happy Wednesday!

Hi Mamie. I'm grinning about the coffee wars going on here. I like the term 'loser' coffee. Sadly, I gave up coffee this winter when some medication made me feel nauseous after imbibing. I still miss it and am ready to give it another chance. My husband is not a coffee drinker so, if there's a bad pot around, it's all my fault.

Did I miss your thoughts on The Godwulf Manuscript?

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope is one that I requested and brought home yesterday. It looks good.. I hope to be able to do some reading today.

Hope all is well there in Mamie-land. Things are par here. Dan is having fits because I asked him to please hang the pictures up on the bulkhead in my kitchen. I can't reach and I needed to get them off the dining room table ... he was angry when he caught me putting the switch plate covers back on.. He wanted to mow.. so I thought he was safely out of the way. I need to work longer hours on his day off.

I am making lemon stuffed chicken for supper.. with mashed potatoes for him, and avocado for me..
but it will cook while I'm at work..

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! It's supposed to be gorgeous here today - it's 68 already and going to 81. I hear the deck calling me for some serious reading! I am also wanting to just put down a few sentences for each book that I have read and not reviewed - I'm feeling a bit guilty, so I will work on that today. Loser coffee again this morning, so I also need to fire up the espresso machine to remedy my caffeine woes. I started two new books last night - I know what you're thinking....when am I EVER going to finish Empire of the Summer Moon? The answer is when I'm good and ready! LOL! SO I started a book that made me take it home from the library - I know, I know...I told myself that I was just going to walk straight to the front desk to check out the item that they had waiting for me, which was the DVD of Howard's End. I reminded myself in the parking lot that I was not going to look at the shelves. But when I got in there, I didn't listen to me, and that is how Brokeback Mountain and Hemingway's Boat and Plainsong ended up coming home with me. I dipped into Hemingway's Boat right away, and the writing is very good, and it looks like the author is just concentrating on the years of his life that Hemingway owned that boat and on how that relationship spilled over into other areas of his life. I'm not saying it very well. Here's what the author, Paul Hendrickson, says:

"This book is largely the story of the twenty-seven years and three months between the first week of April 1934 and the first week of July 1961. It's about the strange, sad distance from Wheeler Shipyard, Inc., at the foot of Cropsey Avenue in Brooklyn to a tight, oak-paneled entryway in a bunker-like house in Ketchum, Idaho, when the world went away from a suffering man in fractions of a second. But it isn't meant to be a Hemingway biography, not in any conventional sense, and much less is it meant to be a nautical history of a piece of floating wood....My aim, rather, is to lock together the words 'Hemingway' and 'boat' in the same way that the locked-together and equally American words 'DiMaggio' and 'bat,' or 'Satchmo' and horn,' will quickly mean something to the minds of most people, at least of a certain age. So it's about such ideas as fishing, friendship, and fatherhood, and love of water, and what it means to be masculine in our culture (as that culture is rapidly changing), and the notion of being 'boatstruck' (a malady that seems to affect men more than women), and how the deep good in us is often matched only by the perverse bad in us, and--not least--about the damnable way our demons seem to end up always following us, even or especially when we think we've escaped them and are out cruising on the Stream."

As many of you know, I have a love/hate relationship with Hemingway. I admire his sparse style of writing and what he was trying to do with it. I love some of his stuff such as The Old Man and the Sea and A Moveable Feast, but for the most part I hate his characters and his stories. He lived larger than life, I think, and his legend became bigger than the man, and so I am greatly intrigued by him and by the contradictions that framed his character. I am predicting that I will like this book whether I agree with what it has to say or not just because the writing is so beautiful. It also has deckled edge pages which make it a joy just to hold in my hands - don't you just love when the book is also aesthetically pleasing?! I'm so shallow that way that I confess I have books that I have purchased just for this reason even though I already owned completely functional copies of them.

The other book I dipped into last night was Kavalier and Clay - I only read the first two chapters as it was getting late, and I was getting tired, but I like the writing style a lot. Okay, I LOVE the writing style. This book also has deckled edge pages, so I am practically giddy right now. What can I say, life is short. We must take our happiness where we can find it - and by take I mean grasp it with both hands and greedily clutch it to our hearts. Wishing for each of you a day that is filled with fabulous!

Oh my heck, some really interesting reads there. Brokeback Mountain made me sob like a baby.

It is gorgeous in Georgia today! I just don't understand how you can read so many books at once, Mamie, but I'm glad it works for you!

Since you like the movie, you'l like the book of African Queen since the film follows the book closely. The Making of the African Queen is a hoot, so I'm pretty confident you'll like it, too. I hope I'm right!

I loved The Making of African Queen! I love Katharine Hepburn! Have you read Me: Stories of My Lifeher autobiography? Gorgeous. It's really a pretty day here too.. sunshine, bird song and etc... No reading so far, I sit log enough to read a post or two and then think of something that needs done. Or eaten. I think I am addicted to clementines. What will I do when they disappear again :(

Lynda -Thank you! It's still new - just a week old tomorrow. Glad you found the conversation to your liking! And I did have a great day - spent most of it reading outdoors.

Karen - I will look into that book. I remember reading through the descriptions of the books on your thread when you were trying to decide what to read, but I cannot remember the specifics of that one, so I will check it out. Hope your observation turned out to be fun - the weather was great here today, and finally after days of rain and chilly weather, the kids were able to get back into the pool. SO hooray for that!

Richard - Thanks for your lovely wishes! My Wednesday was indeed happy. Hope yours was, too. I am really enjoying the books that I am reading lately, and I am excited to get to the Proulx. It is the tiniest little book, and the only other thing they had of hers besides The Shipping News, which I read last month. I'll be sure to read it with kleenex close by. Hugs to you, dear.

Ellen - I love The Great Gatsby! I just bought Abby her own copy of that book because she was wanting to read it - I told her she would need her own copy because she would need to read it over and over again through the years. I made progress in Kavalier and Clay today, finishing up the first part. Amazing writing! Thanks for your good wishes - hope your Wednesday was happy as well!

Donna - Hello there! I hope I never have to give up coffee. Real coffee. The loser stuff is wearing me down and it's only been a few days - not good! I am seriously thinking about cheating and setting the coffee maker on auto brew - I could get it ready tonight and program it to brew at say 6am. I know that I should only use my appliance powers for good, but it is so tempting...

You did not miss my thoughts on The Godwulf Manuscript - I am woefully behind on putting thoughts down on the books I have read recently. I had hoped to rectify that today, but the weather was too beautiful and so I was forced to stay outside and read. I liked the book. It was written in the seventies, and that definitely shows, but it holds up very well. I loved Spenser and his acid wit - he reminds me of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, who is one of my favorites. Spenser is smart and quick and deft, but his mouth runs away with him most of the time. It gets him in a lot of trouble. Marlowe had the same problem - he knows when it is wiser to remain silent, but he just can't. Spenser does hold up better in a fight than Marlowe does, and he is perhaps less sentimental and more intellectual. Parker's writing style also reminds me of Chandler - he is writing in the noir style but it is set firmly in the seventies. He has a good feel for it and so it works. I gave the actual story 3.75 stars which means solidly good - I am guessing that the books get better as they progress and Parker gets a chance to develop Spenser's character more fully. I intend to keep reading this series, so I guess I'll find out.

Kathleen - SO you're gonna read it? I will see if I can get ahold of it. Things in Mamieland are great! What a lovely relaxing day it was. If you lived next door, you could have come over and installed yourself in one of our comfy deck chairs and we could have hung out. Sorry about Dan who sounds as if he needs a good kick in the pants. Your dinner sounds yummy. And you loved The Making of the African Queen? How have I never heard of this book until now? I need to get my hands on it! I have not read her autobiography, but I would like to.

The kids all love clementines - now I will think of you when I buy them! Hugs to you, sis!

Dejah - It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Georgia! I am a bit of a nut about reading multiple books at one time. It works for me, somehow. I like to read different things throughout the day, so I usually have a plan about how I work through what I am reading. I also like to have a book that is just for fun - right now it is the Sookie books, which I read right before bed and again if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep, which happens a lot. Now I can't wait to get ahold of book of those books - thanks so much for mentioning them!

*waving* at Mamie

Mamie - I go pick up my library card from the Houston Public Library on Friday. Then I can borrow their ebooks. They have The Godwulf Manuscript available in that format. I can't wait!

I read a lot of books at the same time too. I blame it on monkey brain.

*waves madly at Stasia* Hello there! Lovely to see you dashing through the threads!!

Roberta - Oh, I think you will like it! And I love to borrow digital stuff from the library - so cool! Oh good! Another nutty reader!

Thanks for your thoughts on Spenser, Mamie. My husband is currently reading it, but I'll get to it soon. I like a little noir on occasion, and I am pretty dated myself, so we should get along well. Lol.

Donna - You're welcome! It's a quick read, and Spenser is flawed but lovable. I'm interested to see what the next one is like.

Hi Mamie- LT seems to be pulling us in so many literary directions. We are like Biblio-Gumbies! I like your library haul. Plainsong will blow you away. Brokeback was wonderful. I loved Kavalier and Clay. I hope you guys have a good time with the G.R. Curious to see your thoughts on Hemingway's Boat. That one sounds very interesting.

We are like Biblio-Gumbies! Ha! Love that, Mark.

Hi Mamie!

#183: I love the Biblio-Gumbie thing too. It is just perfect!

Waving as I do a brief run through... Love the new term Biblio-Gumbies! I think you should coin that phrase, Mark! It's a goodie!

Mark - I LOVE the term Biblio-Gumbies!! The library had gotten a bunch of new books in, and Plainsong was one of them. I thought it was a sign. And Brokeback is so small that I will probably just devour it tomorrow. I am very much liking my current reads - they are all very good. I am getting totally spoiled!

Ellen - Hey there, sister! I loved the phrase, too!

Stasia - LOL!

Hi Tina! We are all loving Mark's wit! Mark? Can you feel the love?!

*waves back at Tina*

I encourage you to devour Brokeback tomorrow. That and a small bag of BBQ potato chips and your devouring day will be perfect.

Ellen - That sounds perfect! I thought of you today - I had Pad Thai for lunch! Thai food two days in a row - so fabulous!

^ YUM. I haven't had Pad Thai in several weeks. This probably needs to be rectified.

Yep! You better get on that!

I'm another fan of "Biblio-Gumbies" :)

What was Gumby's sidekick's name? Little red guy, right?

Your breakfast is ready: Pumpkin waffles with rum-cinnamon whipped cream and loser coffee.

Heh. It's real coffee, just couldn't have you being too happy all at once.

Es - *grin*

Mark - His name was Pokey. And yes, he was a red horse.


Richard - You're a doll! Thanks so much for that! And I'm drinking the loser coffee, so it's a good thing that my virtual coffee is the real deal. You wouldn't want me to have to sob so early in the morning! My own fault - I didn't have the heart to program the coffee maker.

For those of you who are Veronica Roth fans, her upcoming book, the third and final entry in the Divergent trilogy finally has a name:



Coming on October 22, 2013

Great! Can't wait for 10/22.

Enjoyed your comments on The Godwulf Manuscript and Spenser, Mamie. Right on the money. I think you'll enjoy the ones that come after, maybe even more, as he gets into a real groove, and more memorable characters like Hawk pop up.

P.S. So much for the predictions that the title of the third one would be "Convergent". My pick, "Detergent", also lost out.

Hi Joe! I plan on rereading the first book this summer and then reading Insurgent for the first time, since I never got around to it when it came out, then I'll be all ready for the final book in October!

And thank you for your kind words concerning my comments on The Godwulf Manuscript - I am really looking forward to dipping into the next one.

We were trying to guess what the title of the last book would be, too! I knew it wouldn't be Detergent because that is what she used as a working title for both the second and the third books until the actual title was announced. I SO did not guess Allegiant!

Pokey, that's right! Cute little guy. Thanks for the news on Allegiant. I was also going with "Detergent". Actually, when we saw her at the author signing, there was a joke about that. I think the film comes out later in the year too! Big year for Roth!

Hey Mark! I actually had those bendable Gumby and Pokey figures! And you're welcome for the Roth news - the kids are really excited about the final book and about the movie. Good stuff!

For those of you who are Marissa Meyer fans, here's the latest scoop.



The next book in The Lunar Chronicles is called Cress. It is based on Rapunzel and has a US release date set for Feb. 4, 2014! How cool is that?!!

Mamie I just posted this comment over at Mark's

Mark regarding the next book after Scarlet, it is Cress coming out in February 2014. This is the Rapunzel character Cinder spoke briefly to in the first book. The fourth book is Winter (no touchstone yet) scheduled for release February 2014. I believe the character is based on Snow White.

To tide you over until next February the author has written two short stories that take place pre Cinder and pre Scarlet here

Great minds!

>196 Crazymamie:: Sweet! I need to get on this series. I still haven't read the first one and don't have the second. Yikes!

I can only say yikes as well, but for different reasons than Es- all of a sudden im 130 messages behind, with little hope of catching up
So for now Ill just say hi and happy weekending. (we are already at Friday night- hooray!)

I zipped right over and got Allegiant reserved at the library. I'm number 162. Yikes. Well, at least they've ordered 39 copies.

Roberta - Too funny!

Es - Oh yes, you need to read these! So much fun!

Megan - I know just how you feel! I have been trying to catch up on the threads while staying caught up on the ones I have managed to get current with, and I am beginning to think it's an impossible task. This week in particular has been crazy because the threads have been so active. Thanks for your good wishes for the weekend - hope yours is full of fabulous as well! And hooray for Friday!

Morphy - Number 162?! Wow, that's incredible and the book doesn't even come out until October! Good thing you got in line now!

Just a quick hello, Mamie. My weekend looks to be very busy so I may not have much time to check in with folks. I hope you have a wonderful one. (weekend, that is)

I was just over on your thread, Ellen! I was wishing you the same thing! Hope Friday is kind to you!

Happy weekend!

Thank you, dear! Happy weekend to you, too!

Hi Mamie, I'm on the fly because it's gorgeous here and I'm thinking it's time to open my patio (the very spot where I plunk my butt in a lounger and read all summer, LOL). Happy weekend!

I'm ready for Allegiant and Cress!

>202 luvamystery65: Thanks for the link to the short stories, Roberta! That will help the wait some.

You are welcome Joe!

Mamie I was just over at Ellen's and I'm still laughing at what a sneak you are. Who knew?

Hi Nancy! Reading outside is one of my very favorite things! I spent all of yesterday afternoon poolside with a book in my hand - and I got some reading done, too! Happy weekend back at ya! And thanks so much for the fantabulous sunshine graphic - too cool!!

Joe - I still need to read Insurgent, but I am oh so ready for Cress! You will like the short stories, I think!

Roberta - I have five older sisters and four children - I have learned to be very stealthy!!

Poolside with a book and the pecan trees swaying in the near ground - I was office bound Friday and driverless so a little jealousy tinged in wishing you a very lovely weekend.

Office bound AND driverless?! That seems harsh! I completely understand the jealousy, and I thank you for your lovely wishes, Paul. Wishing for you a weekend full of fabulous!

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx - 5 stars

"There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it."

Can I just say, "Wow!" This short story packs a powerful punch. It's heartbreaking. It breaks it and then it rips it out and throws it on the ground and stomps on it a bit, and yet still you think, "Thank you Annie Proulx." Because she makes you think about life in a way that stops your heart for a beat. Or two. It feels like holding your breath for just one moment too long. So much revealed and yet left unsaid in such a short story. Life is like that. We are shaped by our choices and defined as much by what we don't say as what we do.

If you haven't already done so, I beg you to read this story which is short but not small.

"...Ennis was back on his feet and somehow, as a coat hanger is straightened to open a locked car and then bent again to its original shape, they torqued things almost to where they had been, for what they'd said was no news. Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved."

Well it took awhile but I am finally all caught up with your thread Mamie. Now for the really challenging part---to stay caught up. I will try my darnedest. Have a wonderful weekend:-)

I hope you were reading Sookie when you were out by the pool today - Sookie is a sun worshiper!

Bonnie!! Thank you for catching up - how lovely of you! Now I NEED to come catch up with you! Wishing you a lovely weekend as well!

Hi Dejah! I am deeply immersed in book three of Sookie's sojourn! I had forgotten what a hoot book two was! I am having so much fun rediscovering these books, and it's nice to have something lighter to turn to when I need a break from the heavier stuff.

Mamie, Sookie book 4, Dead to the World is crazy, sexy, fun! Perfect for the pool and the weekend. Hurry up and get to it. LOL

Hey Roberta! It's so funny because I read the first eight or nine (can't quite remember where I stopped) as they came out, but it has been so long that I have forgotten a bunch of what happens. Good to know that book four is "crazy, sexy, fun" - I should be there either tomorrow or Sunday. I was distracted by and completely sucked into Liesl and Po today because of Mark's double dare. And then there was the haunting yet beautiful Brokeback Mountain which broke my heart. So crazy, sexy, fun definitely needs to be on the weekend agenda!! I will hurry!

Oh boy. Five stars for Brokeback Mountain. I'm so glad.
I clearly need to seek out Liesl and Po, about which I know nothing.

Um, "crazy, sexy, fun".... sign me up! I've only read the first in the series but it sounds like I should perhaps continue.

Liesl & Po is the best distraction. I couldn't put it down. Did you read the afterword where she talks about her friend? What a beautiful tribute.

I have yet to read Brokeback Mountain. I need to do that!

Have fun reminiscing with Sookie. It got to be a chore for me at books 10, 11 & 12. I wish she had just stuck to her original plan of 10. One of these days I am going to reread them. They are a hoot.

Oho! I was just speculating that Harris had stretched her original story arc - how interesting to have that be official. It's been a tough week so I picked up Dead Until Dark a whole lot sooner than I'd planned - I'll finish it tonight after the Braves game.

Woot! 5* for Brokeback Mountain and Annie Proulx. Onto the list it goes. Thanks, Mamie.

I just purchased Brokeback Mountain while on vacation! I need to read it soon while it is fresh in your mind Mamie!

I think it's great you are re-reading the Sookie series -- I may wish I had once I start Dead Ever After!.

Ellen -- they are a really fun bunch of books if easy, light escapism is your cuppa!

Roberta -- I think I know what you're saying about the latter books, but I still really enjoyed them despite liking them less than the rest of the series. I found myself saying (in my head), "Isn't she EVER going to catch a break????"

LOL, Tina - I frequently have thought that on Sookie's behalf!

Come join us on the Sookie thread - there have been no spoilers to date!

Ellen - Brokeback Mountain is just so poignant. Powerful. And Liesl & Po is beautiful - I am not quite finished with it, but what a lovely story so far. Here is just a glimpse into the magic:

"Liesl felt a tremendous pressure at the back of her throat, so she squeezed her eyes shut and spelled the word ineffable three times in her head, as she always did when she was trying not to cry. Ineffable was her favorite word....She liked the word ineffable because it meant a feeling so big or vast that it could not be expressed in words. And yet, because it could not be expressed in words, people had invented a word to express it, and that made Liesl feel hopeful, somehow."

And Sookie is so perfect for summer. The earlier books are the best ones, I think.

Roberta - I have not finished reading it yet, but I will finish tomorrow for certain. I will be sure to read the afterword. And yes! You need to read Brokeback Mountain - with kleenex near by. I had not realized that originally there were just to be ten books - I do think that would have been better because I remember the last one that I read had lost some of the magic which is why I stopped there. But since the series is finished now, I really want to read the entire story.

Dejah - See! I didn't know that either! And have fun finishing up the series!

*I just reread your post, Dejah - oops! You have already finished the series and have started back on book one!

Nancy - Yes. 5. I didn't count it as a book because it is only 55 pages, but that is making me feel like I am short-changing it somehow. Not one misplaced word, I thought.

Tina - Oh yes - read it soon. And Sookie - if I had read all of the books the first time, I would probably be tempted to read the final book first and then reread the series, but I never made it all the way through. I think what I love about the books is that they make me laugh out loud.

Dejah - No spoilers on the Sookie thread - that is AMAZING. But since all of you have read all of the previous books, I know to stay away until I catch up - but I starred the thread!!

Well, I don't know if they are my cuppa, exactly, but I've put Liesl & Po on hold at the library. It can't hurt to investigate.

Brokeback Mountain, along with Montana 1948 and The Hundred and One Dalmatians, were all life-saving reads for me.

Ellen - It's a children's story, like an elegant fairy tale. Save it for when you're in the mood to be charmed. It's truly lovely, and the drawings are a treat.

Richard - Since Brokeback Mountain left me breathless, and The One Hundred and One Dalmatians is one of my all time favorites, I guess I need to read Montana 1948 - adding it to the list.

Brokeback Mountain sounds like it was just the ticket for you.. I have never read it, but I own the movie..I agree with rd on Montana 1948 being a good one . I believe that I will soon embark on the Sookie series. I have never read a one of them. I have the new Joe Hill book out of the library, which I rquested on the strength of the story about the author in Book Page..and I just read a good bone yesterday. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope

Today? work. Hope your day is full of good things, sis!

Hey sis! It was a great read, and it was nice to be able to read something in one sitting. I have not seen the movie, and I'm not sure if I will because I don't want to mess with the imagery in my head. At least not right now. Maybe later. I'm funny that way about some books. I think you would like Sookie - she is just great fun and a nice escape. The Georgia library system has The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope, but it won't let me request it for ILL yet - probably too new and not in Albany, so I will have to wait. Maybe I'll get lucky and our little library will get its own copy - they have been getting quite a bit of new stuff lately. This week when I was in there they had the latest Sookie and Life After Life and a bunch of other brand new stuff just sitting there waiting to be checked out! No waiting! I have not read any Joe Hill - what do you recommend?

Hope work is not stressful and goes quickly for you!

Morning Mamie- I am taking today off! And I am happy with it. I am glad you are enjoying Liesl & Po. I didn't expect you to jump into it immediately, especially with the other books you are juggling but at least it's a quick read.
I loved your thoughts on Brokeback. I should reread this at some point. I have it in her collection Close Range. Have you seen the film? If not, it is simply amazing, although my guy friends would kick my butt for saying so.
I will also chime in on Montana 1948. It's brilliant and a perfect companion piece to Plainsong. This is like going to Book School, right?

Morning Mark! You did double dare me! I dipped into it while I was getting my hair done yesterday, and by the time the appointment was over, I was hooked! I don't mind - it's a sweet reprieve! And glad you liked my thoughts on Brokeback. I will see if I can request Close range from the ILL - I'm sure they have it. I wanted a collection, well really, anything by her, but the one small copy of Brokeback Mountain was all they had on the shelves at the local branch. I have not seen the film.

And you liked Montana 1948, too?! This is the first I have heard of it - just this morning! This IS just like going to book school! I feel like a freshman, even though technically this is my sophomore year here on LT. I have found so many amazing books because of you guys - keep up the good work!

My daughter had to read Montana 1948 back in high school and I read along with her. Amazing. Sadly, I have not read another Watson, although I own one or 2.
I see you added Salt, Sugar, Fat. I snagged the audio of it and I am copying it as I type. I also snagged Wave, which I've heard great things about, although it sounds like quite the tear-jerker.

I am so hooked on reading; and just this morning, after reading one day's worth of posts, on your thread, I have a list of five more books I have to seriously consider reading. Gawk! If I add 5 books of must reads to a list every day, I will have to live forever!

Hope your weekend is exactly what you want it to be.

Mark - I requested Montana 1948 from the library, so I just have to wait for it to come in. I added Salt, Sugar, Fat after reading Susan's review of it on her thread - sounds like a very interesting book. And Wave sounds familiar, but I can't think what it is about - I'll check it out!

Karen - Delightful!! You make me do the happy dance! And I think you should seriously think about living forever - we NEED you! What a lovely weekend wish! I will wish the very same for you, dear!

Good morning, Mamie! I love when people go nuts over a book (or short story in this case)! I've seen the movie, but haven't read Brokeback Mountain. I just purchased her short story collection Postcards, but I don't believe it's in that one.

Have a lovely Saturday!

Hi Kerri! Mark says that it's in the collection Close Range, which I have requested from the library. I just love her writing - her syntax is a thing of beauty! Thanks for your Saturday wishes - I hope your Saturday delivers complete satisfaction!

Oh, the book bullets!

Hope you have a happy day, Mamie :)

Thanks, Es! You, too!

Nice comments on Brokeback, Mamie. Hope you're having a great weekend.

Larry Watson reading list, in order of juicy excellent yum-yum factor after Montana 1948:

White Crosses--bad decisions for good reasons do not equal happy results
Justice--prequel stories to Montana 1948
American Boy--"We were exposed to these phenomena in order that we might learn something, but of course the lessons we learn are not always those we are taught ." First line. 'Nuff sed.
Sundown, Yellow Moon--reworking Montana 1948 from a different angle, but some of Watson's more concentrated prose
Laura--the most ~meh~ of the ones I've read. Sensual obsession with a woman. Yawnsville for me.

His other books haven't made it across my eyeballs yet.

I have not been able to get The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope out of my head all day. I keep thinking about those characters... what a book!

No way am I looking at any of that blue text up there. Must. Avoid. At. All. Cost.

See, Kath thinks it is pretty phenomenal too. I finished reading it today and I did love it. It is all in there. All.

Hi Mamie, can't possibly try to catch up now, but I was hoping to spot a photo of you with the new haircut I saw mentioned over on Ellen's thread. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one making many, many, many books purchases this year. I see you've invested in John Le Carré this month... I was looking at that list of JLC titles and thinking that I could probably buy all those books too for the price I'm considering paying for the FS edition of Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy... which has really gorgeous pencil drawings. BAD (Book Acquisition Disorder) is bad enough, but FAD (Folio Acquisition Disorder) is taking it to a whole n'other level... eek!

234: Save it for when you're in the mood to be charmed.

LOL!! Isn't one always in the mood to be charmed?

Oh, wait. That is something different.

Never mind.

I hope you had a good weekend Mamie!

You have convinced me to read Brokeback Mountain I did watch the movie which I really really liked so given that books are usually better than their movie adaptions I should get on to it. I will also add my recomendation for Montana 1948, I read a few years ago because of richardderus's recommendation. It's one of those LT gems. A book I never woyld have read if not for LT.

Re Sookie: I think I'm most fond of All Together Dead and I liked the ones that had Claudine her 'fairy godmother' in them.

I have not read Brokeback Mountain and obviously need to rectify that. I have Montana 1948 on my TBR shelves, so I will try to get to that one sooner rather than later.

Have a great Sunday, Mamie. Happy Mothers Day!

I fell behind in a very short time, not sure how that happened. Scanning things I see you've had some great reading (mainly the Proulx stands out).

Really I am here to wish you happy Mother's day. I'm sure your gang is pampering you madly.

Morning Mamie- Happy Mother's Day! Have a great time today with your kids.

I loved RD's breakdown of Watson's books. I NEED to pick that author back up.

Happy Mother's Day, Mamie!
What was the special menu for breakfast?

Soooo many books! Yikes!
The blue! The blue! My eyes!
I'm gonna be busy for awhile though. I just started The Mists of Avalon and I'm a slow reader. (hey! I got some of my own blue in here! lol)

Happy Mother's Day, Mamie. I'm enjoying being pampered and I bet you are too! I started Empire of the Summer Moon yesterday and I am loving it. I can see that I need to add Annie Proulx to my list of authors to check out. I have read Sundown, Yellow Moon by Larry Watson which I liked very much. Now I need to get to Montana, 1948.

Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy YOUR day Mamie!

I am guessing that it was a redux of Queen for a Day at your house yesterday? I sure hope so! Too bad Monday has to follow a day like that, huh? Well... I know that you can step up and handle it.. tell us whats happening in the land of pecans?

Happy Monday! Here's some pineapple upside down cake I've got left over.

I love pineapple upside down cake! Love it, I'm telling you. Love it. Must make some soon. Maybe for the next GoT potluck at my house.

I finished reading The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving which I very much appreciated. I need to do some school work today. But my real life book group meets tonight and I'm looking forward to it.

Happy Monday, Everyone! What an utterly lovely day I had yesterday, as Mary Poppins' would say, "Practically perfect in every way." We usually try not to make a big deal about the small calendar days such as Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day; I am funny about such things. I don't want the kids to feel held hostage by days that were randomly chosen to be celebrated - they are days on the calendar, not on my personal calendar. None of my children were born in May, therefore, May did not make a mother of me. And although I chose to be a mother, my children did not choose to be born. I don't want them to feel obligated to honor me because the calendar says so, if that makes any sense. What I hope for each of them is that they understand how very much I love being their Mom, and that feels like gift enough for a lifetime. When I am no longer here, I hope they remember me with laughter and with joy, and I hope that they will embrace every day on the calendar as a day for doing good and celebrating life, not just the days with the bold writing on them.

That being said, they overruled me and gave me the gift of yesterday. Craig made real, fully caffeinated coffee. Rae gave me oven mitts and chocolate covered pecans (my favorite) - remind me to tell you the story of the old oven mitts later because it is funny! Birdy and Dan gave me a floating pool chair with a drink holder and chocolate covered pecans (my favorite). Abby gave me bookmarks that she had created herself, which are oh so fabulous, and chocolate covered pecans (did I mention that these are my favorites?). We spent the day poolside reading and floating in the pool, and I watched the sun go down with a glass of wine in hand. Lovely and timeless and serene. A perfect memory, and I understand how valuable these are, so I soaked up every moment of it.

The bookmarks that Abby made for me (from four of my favorite books) - we are going to take them to be laminated. Aren't they delightful?!



......

Sounds like you had a very perfect day Mamie. I LOVE those bookmarks! Abby is quite the artist.

Quick question. Are chocolate covered pecans your favorite? Bwahaha! ;)

What a perfect surprise early birthday! Or something.

Those are delightful.

How fortunate you are; and I know you know it!

Happy Monday, Mamie. I hope your weeks is swell.

Joe - Thank you so much! I had a fabulous weekend!! Hope you did, too!

Richard - Thank you for that! I have copied it so that I can refer to it later as often as I want - how lovely of you to take the time to do that!

Kathleen - The sure sign of a good book when it doesn't let you go even after you have set it aside. And yes, put those blue filtering glasses on if you need to!

Karen - With you and Kathleen both giving it the thumbs up, I have requested it, so I will read it when it comes in!

Ilana! Lovely Ilana!! My haircut is not a new do, just a fresh cut of the old one, which you can see if you go back a few threads - I had posted a photo of Abby and I with our category challenge, so it's up in the top few posts. I get my hair done every five weeks so that she can give it a fresh cut and color the roots! I have bits of grey here and there, and I don't like how it looks with the brown. My sister Julie has black hair and so her grey looks so fabulous - that salt and pepper look! And you noticed my big splurge on those le Carré books, did you? That is a funny story - I had the first three books in the George Smiley series, but in different covers. Now they are reprinting the books in these new gorgeous covers, and I mentioned this to Craig because I HATE when they change the covers when I am part way through collecting a series - I want them all to match! So Craig insisted that I order them all in the new covers, and also get his other books that are available in those covers - so I did!!! Total indulgent splurge - but I love when I look at the bedroom bookshelf and see them all lined up there so happily!! I can understand why you love those Folio books - they are stunningly GORGEOUS! Not just books, but works of art, really.

Oh, Mamie, I love your sentiments about Mother's Day! I spent part of yesterday with someone who thought the day should be about her husband doing whatever she wanted and keeping the kids away from her. What!?!?

Having lost my mother too young (I was 21, she was 54), it's kind of a bittersweet day in terms of hearing and seeing everyone celebrate their mothers, but I do try to honor and celebrate mine every day because she did that for me for 21 years!

ETA I love Abby's book marks, and the floating pool chair sounds like heaven! Must get one for myself :)

Ellen - You are cracking me up!! It is a lovely fairy tale type of story that is just as enjoyable for adults as it is for children.

Lisa - I did have a good weekend, thank you! I am so happy that you are going to read Brokeback Mountain - I hope you love it. And another recommendation for Montana 1948?! I am thinking I should just go ahead and order my own copy since so many of you have enjoyed it. SO amazing as I had never heard of it before. I discovered a few of those LT gems last year - books like 84 Charing Cross Road, that are now firmly entrenched on my shelves, so I know the magic of the LT mass recommendation! And Sookie! Yes, Claudine! I had forgotten about her, so now I can look forward to meeting her again as I revisit the books. SO many wonderful characters!

Katie - Yes! I hope you read it! And perhaps we will get to discover Montana 1948 together this year. And I have you and Mark to thank for the wonderful story of Liesl and Po making it into my hands this year. I remember your lovely review of it back in February which put it on my radar - you had listened to the audiobook and then purchased a hardcopy of it for your shelves. I recently bought a Kindle Fire HD, and so I was able to enjoy the best of both worlds using the immersion reading where you can listen to the professional narration while following along in the Kindle print version. So fabulous! Jim Dale does such a wonderful job and the book illustrations are delightful! A new favorite - and I made the kids promise to listen to it!! Thank you so much for your good wishes! I hope you weekend was great, too!

Lucy - This thread took on a life of its own, so I totally understand how you fell behind! I don't think I've ever had one move so quickly before. And I have fallen in love with the writing of Annie Proulx - I must seek out more of her work. My gang did pamper me madly for Mother's Day even though I had told them not to! And thank you for those lovely wishes - I hope your Mother's Day was delightful!

Mark - Thanks for that! It was truly a fabulous day. I loved Richard's breakdown of the books, too! So very thoughtful of him!!

Cee - Thank you! The best thing on the breakfast menu was the fully loaded coffee! And he has treated me to another fully loaded pot today! Abby and Dan were feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, so we just did grab your own for breakfast. I had toast and an over easy egg. With LOTS of coffee! And I am loving all the blue on this thread - did you misplace your filtering glasses? Mists of Avalon is a big one - you will be busy for a while! We have that on the shelves - it belongs to Craig, and he has read it, but I have not. I will be watching to see your thoughts on it.

Judy - Thank you! You called it perfectly - I was indeed being pampered! I had to return Empire of the Summer Moon to the library, so I ended up just buying my own copy on Kindle (the feel of the cover on that was creeping me out). I could add the professional narration for just a few dollars more, so I did! Now I am listening to it - and I had to go back and listen to chapter 10 again (I think it is chapter 10) - the one where it talks about the Texas Rangers. Fascinating stuff, then I was explaining it to Dan and Craig...that book is totally addictive, so be careful! And YES, add Annie Proulx to your reading list! And Montana 1948 - looks like I might have some excellent reading company for that one!

Roberta - Thank you! I SURE did!

Kathleen - It pretty much was! Even the arrival of Monday can't tarnish the glow from yesterday. What incredibly thoughtful children I have - I told them don't do anything and they completely ignored me! So, yes, I will step it up and handle it!! The land of pecans has been good to me!

Richard - Thanks for that, darling!! I LOVE pineapple!! And that cake looks delicious! I'll just have a slice with my fully loaded cup of coffee!

Karen - Me, too! Good luck with your school work today, young lady! And have fun at your book club meeting - sounds like a good time. What book will you be discussing?

Perfume: The Story of a Murder - which very few of us have read. We'll spend a few minutes talking about why we didn't read it; and then, continue with a gab fest with lots of other subjects and books discussed.

Roberta - It was a perfect day! I LOVE the bookmarks Abby made for me - such a thoughtful and beautiful gift. I told her she has to sign the backs of them before we get them laminated. She does not get any of that artistic talent from me! And chocolate covered pecans ARE my favorite!! How did you know?

Richard - Actually, so true! My birthday is just a few weeks away, on the first of June!

Karen - Thank you! I thought so, too! I DO know how fortunate I am - I try never to take it for granted. Being truly loved is no small thing. Happy Monday to you, dear - how your entire week is filled with fabulous!

Katie - Oh! I LOVE spending time with my kids! I hate that you lost your Mom so young - how difficult that must be. She would be so proud of her thoughtful, witty, beautiful inside and out daughter who delights in shenanigans and loves to read. I think it is so lovely that you work on remembering her each and every day - what a gift to her.

The bookmarks speak to my heart and the pool chair speaks to my love up soaking up the moments. Both feel decadent - and the oven mitts make me laugh out loud. All of my other ones have scorch marks on the tops of them from catching them on fire so often!

Okay - here's yesterday's FUNNY:

After the kids had showered me with gifts, I was telling them what it meant to me to be their mother. I looked over at Rae and said, "There is my original work. I wasn't a mother until you made me one, and through the years you taught me how to be more than a mother, which is how I became a Mom." And Birdy pipes up with, "And like all things in life, her works improved with practice."

Karen - LOL! I love that you will "spend a few minutes talking about why we didn't read it" Too funny!! What is the next book that you may or may not read?

Here's our next book....

I shiver to think of it: June - Aleppo Codex: The True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible by Matti Friedman - nonfiction Jewish history, biblical manuscript

And you can go here to see the rest of this year's books for the group: http://www.librarything.com/topic/146191

We all say we like the group because it pushes us to read things we might not read otherwise.

>271 Crazymamie: Love Birdy's wisdom, Mamie! My older sisters are convinced my parents were worn out (rather than improved as parents) by the time I showed up, because they let me get away with so much more than they did with my sisters.

Um...WOw! How do you choose the books that you will be reading for the year? Being pushed to read things you might not read otherwise is a good thing - I think LT does that for me. Brings stuff to my attention that I might not have seen otherwise. The only one that I have read on your agenda for this year is Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, which I loved.

Joe - You slipped in there while I was posting! Craig and I both got that same response from the older siblings, as we are both the babies of the family. I always like to point out that being the baby has it drawbacks, too. Like being left behind with the parents when everyone else has moved out!

Good point - there are advantages to having the parents distracted that disappear when those older siblings move out. :-)

My wife and I are both the babies of the family, too. While we'd each like to continue to be treated as the princess or prince, life has somehow interfered.

LOL! I hear you!!

I'm exhausted having just gotten caught up on your thread - sheesh, Mamie, I was only off LT for the weekend!

I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful day yesterday, Mamie - you have a lovely family and it's good to know they appreciate you!

I took some book bullets....I'll try to match up with you on a few of them. I'm currently about to pick up I Capture the Castle.

As the baby in my family, I was the one who dealt with the worsening alcoholism and with the grandmother in the nursing home. I am not sure I even noticed a Princess in the house stage. Must have passed me by; but on the other hand, I don't think my older bro got it much better. He left home at about 16 when Mom and Dad decided to divorce. Sigh. It was not an easy family. I am so lucky now that those of us who are left are the great ones. My two nieces and I get along well, and are happy and successful.

Unfortunately, the two do not read as I do. But I have many positive things to appreciate.

Dejah - Sorry! Thank you for your lovely words! I love matching up reads - can't wait to see with bullets got you! I think I will be ready for I Capture the Castle by next week - looking forward to dipping into that one again. And guess what arrived at the library for me today? The Making of the African Queen!! It looks wonderful, and the pictures are charming. I cannot wait to dig into it, but I am trying to be responsible and finish some of what I have already started first. Let's see how long that lasts!

Karen - Every family is so different. I had five older sisters and a Dad who was delighted with his six daughters to dote on me. And there was a gap of seven years between me and my closest sibling, so I was definitely spoiled. My family was dysfunctional as well, but in a different way - my Mom was not really interested in being a mom, and was rarely charmed by anything. She was difficult, and that is putting it very nicely.

I am happy to hear that you are surrounded by greatness now! It sounds as if you have made the best of what you have, and that is a gift. But no readers, huh? My family is not big on reading either. My sister Julie reads mostly Christian fiction, and my sister Cindy loves mysteries but can no longer read much because she has macular degeneration. Luckily for me, my children are all big readers, and Craig loves to read, so I am very thankful for that. And both you and I have LT, so that in and of itself is a blessing. I am happy and thankful to have found you here, Karen. I hope you can feel that!

>217 Crazymamie: If you haven't already done so, I beg you to read this story which is short but not small.
That is a great way to describe Brokeback Mountain. I loved it too.

The Jane Austen bookmark is my favourite, what a lovely idea! (and so well executed)

Woman--your thread is just cruising so fast!! Dipping in to say Hello! Great books lately. #274. My oldest is already giving me grief for how much more her younger brother gets to do and is exposed to and then I remind her that she is the one playing the radio song with the questionable lyrics...just saying. : )

Mamie, thanks for your thoughts. Yes, I think we each have "burdens" to carry from our parents, and ancestors, and really what does matter is what is right in front of me right now. I love this cliche: If you are looking at yur past and being sad, and looking at your future and being afraid, you may very well be pissing on the present.

ha ha ha

Hope your Tuesday is just swell.

Good morning Mamie! How goes the coffee wars? Is the test week up? Has there been a verdict? I have been drinking more coffee than is usual for me.. not sure why.

Tuesday..No work at the library today, but plenty to do here... I hope that at some point that means some Sookie. I honestly didn't think I would enjoy it so much. I never felt drawn to it, but I was hooked by pae 7. Week, weak am I !

I agree, your threads are flying by so fast, they are like scenes from the film Time Machine ( original of course). You know, when he is sitting there and history is flying past in a blur? Yep, that is Mamie's thread!
Have a good one, sis!

>284 maggie1944: Ha! I heard that as, "If you have one foot in yesterday the past and one foot in tomorrow the future, you are pissing all over today."

Yes, Morph, you are keeeeerect! That is how it goes.

It's Tuesday! New books and new music always come out on Tuesday! Don't cha just LOVE that?! Of course, I often wonder, why Tuesday?

Megan - Thank you! If I had to choose just one, I would probably say that the Jane Austen is my favorite, too, but really, how could I possibly choose just one?

Kim! How ARE you, dear? This thread is crazy - two weeks old today, and I need a new one! I think it's under its own momentum! And I have been blessed with good books lately - hardly surprising since this group is responsible for most of my choices. Ah children...we have some set rules that apply across the board such as: You can't date until you're sixteen, Everybody showers every day, No swimming alone...but I also tell them that their actions and their choices help to define them and that when they choose an action, they also choose its consequence, which means that they are helping to determine how much trust and how much independence they are given. It's not about age, it's about maturity.

Karen - That's a good way to put it - we each have our own burdens and our own blessings. And I LOVE that cliche!! Thanks so much for sharing that - you made me laugh out loud!

Kathleen - Morning! I have won the coffee wars - Craig has conceded that morning coffee should include caffeine. So now he is not drinking any coffee...or juice. Also no alcohol or chocolate. He is a crazy man - where is my husband?! I pointed out that if he gives up everything at once, he is not going to know which one is causing the heartburn.

I am so thrilled that you are liking Sookie - they are just fun, aren't they? I like your Time Machine analogy! Not sure why my thread is moving so fast right now. I am not sure what is in store for today, but I am sure it will be good! Hugs to you, sis!

Morphy - You cut to the chase! Very well summarized!!

Karen - *grin*

*grumbles in trailing bad-mood clouds and real coffee*

Here.

*grumbles back out*

Thank you, dear!

I still had it wrong. I went back and corrected it... again. It was making me twitchy.

LOL! It's good to know that I am not the only one who does stuff like that, Morphy!