Maggie1944 reading in June, 2013

Here's my list of books so far this year:

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.

Books, fiction variety, to be read from now to ........

Yah, I am first! Good morning Karen! Congrats on the new thread! Hope you have a nice day planned, filled with plenty of R & R!

I read The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finishing on 5/12. Just in time to take my thoughts and responses to Bellingham's Booktopia, June 7-9.

I enjoyed reading this quirky book of a seriously unlucky fellow who wrestles with a difficult, low-paying, job as a caregiver and, as one would hope, finds redemption for himself and some other characters, too. It held my interest, and at the end I was very glad I read the book. Then, in the meanwhile, and unfortunately a couple of other books were read and I actually had to read others' reviews of The Revised Fundamentals before I remembered what the book was about, and whether I liked it. That is not a big recommendation, is it?

I do think it will be interesting to meet the author and consider some other of his books.

I finished reading On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman on 6/1. Also, in prep for Booktopia.

On Sal Mal Lane is a novel, which could have been a memoir, of growing up on a lane in an urban center of Sri Lanka. The Lane is populated with a diversity of people, Buddhist, Christian, Moslem, and Hindu; there were some tensions and prejudices and occasional angry words much like certain neighborhoods in my country, too. I found the book to be a bit of a hard slog at first as the setting, and the people, were quite foreign to me. I did not, at first, identify with their hopes and struggles.

The book centers on one family with four children however many of the other children and families on the Lane are created with nuance and character. As I read farther into the story I began to love many of the characters and worry about some of the others who appeared to be hurling themselves into the conflicts and violence which were foreshadowed. The conflict between ethnic groups in Sri Lanka is described from this one neighborhood's point of view and that makes it both deeply disturbing, frightening, and yet as humanity will, it is also hopeful.

And in the end, I found the last section of the book to be so moving that I think I'll read it again. And, I am not one who re-reads books and stories.

Highly recommended.

I also finished Amanda Knox's Waiting to Be Heard yesterday.

Amanda Knox is from Seattle and that was reason enough for me to pay attention to her case. I also went "abroad" as a young, naive, woman and had some similar experiences of choosing to do somethings which definitely would not be called "careful" or "conservative". I am grateful none of my experiences resulted in being caught up in a foreign country's judicial system. If nothing else this book is an excellent reminder of how grateful I am for the American justice system, as poor as it can be sometimes.

Amanda writes a straight forward account of her experience and I was hooked. I felt so badly for her as the situation spiraled from bad, to horrible, to unbelievably cruel. I think it is a good memoir and interesting for those already interested in these type of stories. I don't see it having broken any new ground.

An aside: I'll be interested to see if Amanda writes any more books worthy of publishing. It is said she is studying "creative writing".

And now, for something entirely different, for my RL book group, I am reading - The Allepo Codex - In Pursuit of One of the World's Most Coveted, Sacred, and Mysterious Books by Matti Friedman.

(could someone remind me how do I force a touchstone when just the title is not enough?)

The Codex is "the most perfect copy of the Hebrew Bible" and this book is one person's attempt to tell its story. I've only just begun but it promises to be a great historical mystery story, I think.

Goodness! Amanda Knox as a creative writer. She's got material for a hellacious career.

Perplexed at the new thread-ness, but here I am.

New month = new thread, with a simpler, more to the point Title

fresh start. Felt I wanted, needed, one. Summertime. School's almost out. Stuff like that.

Whatever the reason for kicking off a new thread Karen you will as always retain my company too. Have a lovely remainder of your weekend.

Thank you, Mark, Richard and Paul for visiting. It is appreciated. And yes, we should all enjoy our weekends. So far, so good, chez moi.

Hi Karen! Just stopping by on this sunny Seattle day to star your new thread.
I finished The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving about ten minutes after midnight and I'm glad I read it. I agree with you that it wasn't outstanding but it had a touching ending and I liked how he approached disability issues.

Ellen, I agree. I am glad I read the book and I did enjoy it.

I just added a picture of my fiction bookcase! With Benny as a decoration, along with the pink flamingo and the green dragon.

ETA: it is in the first message, above....

^You haven't been stopping by with your GOT update! What did you think of the penultimate episode? And that horrific ending? I remember the wedding from the book but wasn't sure when it would happen on the show. Yikes!

I am very very very sorry to report that The Seattle Storm elected to have its Season Opener, with free t-shirts, on Sunday evening when GoT airs, here. I think I'll have to get the CDs. Ha.

But I'd been waiting for the Red Wedding. Oh, dear. It was pretty awful in the book. Awful on TV, too, eh?

Did you see my bookcase, above, post #1? All my fiction TBR. Do you think it will take me until I'm 100? Hope so.

Thanks for stopping by.

^Is this a hoot or what?

And yes, I love your bookshelves up there! I have 2 of those, about that size, filled with about 75% of my TBR books. I should NEVER be on LT, I should always be reading.

Oh, My! That is hysterical. yes, we are all waiting for Joffery to get his just desserts....

Honestly, I think I have missed enough episodes now that I need to see Seasons 2 and 3 all over again.

Each and every episode!

Karen, I love the photo at the top with all your fiction TBR. I've been thinking about taking and posting a similar photo of my TBR shelves and stacks. I especially like that Benny is front and center in the photo.

See you Friday!

So, my next plan is to use two smaller bookcases in the living room and fill them with the nonfiction. And then, if I want to buy something new it has to fit in one or the other of the three bookcases, otherwise, I have to let something go...before I add. Exceptions being made for now for cookbooks, photography books, and some craft books. But those categories will be shaved down, too. Eventually. Afterall when the Studio calls, I'm moving in. Some books, some photography stuff, some artsy fartsy stuff, and me.

I am going to have a hard time slimming down the kitchen gear. But I shall do it.

I've not had a chance to do any reading today as I've been giving away food, selling books, and generally doing what it takes to down size big time. Feels good.

Oh, I forgot: I do have a list of books I'll pick up at Booktopia - maybe: A Monster Calls and Liesl and Po. Looking for more recommendations.

Keeper books

Good graphic design

Memorable text

worthy of re-reading and worthy of passing along after I no long can lift a book (2044 maybe)

Almost didn't catch the move to the new thread. I left you a message about the cataracts on the old thread.

I saw it and I appreciated it. I also said: I'll do it! I really would be happy to have better eyesight! I've been pretty blind (nearsighted, could always read) for decades.

I thought the episode got the Red Wedding just right! Mr Majkia, a non-book reader, said, 'Uhm, what's happening here?" when they began playing Rains of Castamere. I said, "Just wait."

For one who has not seen it, yet, I appreciate you thought it was just right. Good to hear.

Morning Karen- Sorry, I didn't realize or forgot, that you were behind on GOT. I think there is only one more episode left. You have some choice viewing ahead of you.
I am sure I asked you this before, but are you staying in Bellingham or driving back each day? You Washington folks must be pretty excited.

I am very excited. I'm driving up to B'ham on Friday, with Benny in the back. We're checking into a posh hotel/motel just steps away from the main Booktopia venue. Staying Friday night, and Saturday night, then I'll rush home to be there in time to join my buddies in seeing the last episode of G of T. So soon! Over, alreadY?

I am collecting titles of books to look for when I spend my $50 gift certificate. Any suggestions are gratefully accepted.

I only own a hand-full of "keeper" GNs. I want to own Hugo Cabret, which is fantastic and would look great next to Wonderstruck, which is signed & gorgeous.
I would suggest you look for classic editions of books you love, which always look fantastic on your shelf. There are many editions that have multiple tiles in them too, which is also perfect. I have 2 Toni Morrison collections like that, along with a Steinbeck or 2. I don't think the $50 gift card will stretch to far but you should be able to snag a few.

Thank you, Mark. I am thinking I'm collecting my fav "mystery" or "spy" novelist: Alan Furst. I may fall back on buying some more of his books, too.

^Wouldn't this be a "sweet" keeper shelf?

Very lovely. Yes, I would like that shelf.

By the way, I just, a very few minutes ago, finished my online class! I did the last assignments and then I filled out the evaluation, giving the instructor an earful. I hope I was not too bitchy in tone, but I certainly let fly my complaints as well as several things I liked about the class.

I AM SO GLAD I AM FINISHED WITH THAT STUFF!

My friend, Richard C. Kelley has offered free copies of his book (in PDF format) to LibraryThingers through the members giveaway. It's title is A Name to Die For and is a mystery set in the pacific northwest, and has elements of the pacific rim in it. China, etc. Here's the link to the book - http://www.librarything.com/work/book/97364180

I started reading it but have not finished as I was distracted by books I needed to finish for Booktopia, and for my RL book group. No reflection on Dick's book. What I read felt good.... I'm going to be happy to get back to it.

Go ask for it if you are interested. He does ask for reviews and would love reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, naturally.

Congrats! I just hope the evaluations are handled like they are at my college. The instructors aren't given them until AFTER the grades are submitted!

I did think about that but nothing was stated.

And truth be told I don't care.

Here is something fun .... I am writing this on my Nook. First time! I am getting my chemo for the RA. Comfy chair, air conditioning. And I can visit LT. Who could ask for anything more.

hey Karen--i had a whole message typed and before i hit submit, a storm that i was trying to beat knocked out electricity and wiped it!

re: cataracts. phfffffffft! piece o' cake. i've had 2 surgeries 10 years apart. 10 years has seen major improvements, at least in my experience. in re: the procedure, see my PM to you.

i take it you're remicading? interesting things, biologics. i wish you very, very well with it.

check out Sisters of Sinai. really. it's amazing. it was one of the hardest books to stop reading ever. many faceted, astonishing women, just a great book. and i, as heathern as ever there was, am not afraid to say so.

Hi, Ellie

Thanks for your info on the cataracts surgery. Seems like I'll be fine.

No, not taking Remicade. With biologics, I started with Enbrel which worked very well, with Methotrexate, for a number of years. But then I came down with the pneumonia and the pulmonologist became concerned with the data my lungs were giving them. So, we shifted to Humira, with prednisone, and it worked kinda OK, but not perfect, and the lungs continued to give the Dr. things to watch. So, now we going to try Actemra. It also has potential side effects but what can you do?

First infusion today, and then back after 4 weeks, and so forth. I am hopeful I'll be able to reduce the prednisone soon.

The whole point of the diet is to combat the inflammation which is RA's biggest weapon. So far, so good. I'm feeling pretty good even though I am not following it 100%. I need to hook up with the woman who designed it and take her class, and get some support. I'm guessing maybe in the fall. She lives on Vashon Island which is my favorite place in the whole world, and I would not want to come off the island during the summer either.

I'll be sure to give Sisters of Sinai a look. I have so many books to read, I may have to live until I am 120.

Karen- Have a fantastic time at Booktopia! Make sure you say hi to Ann & Michael for me and that I attended the very First Booktopia, (although it wasn't called that at the time), in Manchester Vermont.
I'll be waiting patiently for reports:

Ok, then

Have a wonderful trip to Bellingham, and swat Ellen a good one for being able to go, meet up with you, and listen to those wonderful talks!

^So that's why Karen swatted me when we met up earlier today. I wondered....

Who, me? Swat? No, I wouldn't be doing that sort of thing.

It is wonderful here. Beautiful sun set going on over Bellingham Bay. The hotel is right on the water and every room has a view! Benny and I arrived a little bit early which was a good thing as I needed a few extra minutes to run buy Benny some dog food. I'd forgotten his at home.

The drive up was lovely and the bridge which had fallen into the river did not cause an unreasonably long detour. I decided to buy an audio book to listen to on the way up so I got The Perks of Being a Wallflower and listened to a good bit of it. Then I arrived an immediately had a manicure. Very relaxing. The Booktopia people organized a Yankee Swap where we brought a wrapped book gift and ended up leaving with one. I scored big time and received a copy of The Garden of Evening Mists which Streamsong, coincidentally, had brought. I met Janet (Streamsong) and we had a nice walk on the Bay boardwalk with Benny. Ellen was resting during this time and then we all went to the opening reception which featured bunches of very good food including some excellent salmon!

Booktopia has this great deal where you $50 deposit for registering comes back to you as a gift card for the book store which sponsors the event! Whoo Hoo! After eating, it was time to shop!

Joe, tell your BH that I bought The Language of Flowrs by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and caught another Booktopian's eye. She assured me it is an excellent book!

I also bought A Monster Calls and Liesl & Po on the recommendation of many many Library Thing friends. I found Alan Furst's Mission to Paris has come out in paper back! Finally, and I bought it. And then, I found a used copy of Annie Dillard's first book, set in Bellingham Bay of all things! The Living looks like it will be a delightful read, too.

I am home now and will soak in a nice warm tub and fall fast to sleep, no doubt. Benny will find a way into the bed and be happy, too. Ellen just gave him a good walk and he has fallen asleep on the floor as a good dog should.

Tomorrow we have the author sessions. Living room type conversations with an author and no more than 30 people. Should be excellent, I think.

I will read a few more threads now before I fall over.

Karen- Wow! What a nice update. It all sounds wonderful. Congrats on snagging The Garden of Evening Mists. It's an excellent read. And I also loved Perks.
But what's up with Ellen sleeping?

oh, napping, napping! It is exhausting to be considering so many books and so little time.

Woke this morning to Benny walking all over the Kind sized bed I was hiding in, his need to "go outside" over coming any clever tricks I used to pretend I did not know what was up. So, in night shirt and jacket I escorted the Benny Boy to the park next door and enjoyed the early morning concert of birds.

I started reading A Monster Calls in bed last night. A great beginning left me very happy that I was tired and sure to fall immediately to sleep rather than allow my mind to play with the images of trees outside my window becoming monsters which were "coming to get me". Very evocative start to this handsome book.

I have not yet figured out where I'm getting food this morning which is becoming a larger and larger concern...... Sessions with Authors begin in about 2.5 hours so I think I have enough time to solve the problem.

Looking forward to a great day.

My Anniversary of joining Library Thing is June 14th! I'm thinking a party might be in order.....

Oh, my, you're reading lots of ones I like, Karen. The Garden of Evening Mists, Perks, A Monster Calls, you're going to be filled to the brim with goodness. My BH will be very happy that you picked up The Language of Flowers. I'll look forward to your reaction, as she's not sure whether it's a book for me or not.

How cool that you're there with Ellen and Janet. Maybe one of these times we can coordinate a Jesse visit with Booktopia.

LT Anniversary Party, great idea! Congrats on almost 7 years - you've got me way beat.

I am very happy to have found Library Thing. I am a bit of an addict and it so nice to be addicted to something which is intelligent, kind, and worth my time.

I am on a lunch break, and a little bit of quiet after a morning chock-a-block full of talking, and laughing, and thinking, and feelings. I was able to get a couple of photographs. I'll have to edit them a bit, and post them later. Right now I have to focus on eating, cuz I need to get out of here so Housekeeping can do their job, and then there's more Book Talk to happen!

Whoooooooo

ALERT:

I posted the following yesterday in my old thread and I should have put it here so I'm re-posting it for those who do not have the old thread starred. Please forgive me for being a bit of a space cadet.

Bellingham's Booktopia!

It is wonderful here. Beautiful sun set going on over Bellingham Bay. The hotel is right on the water and every room has a view! Benny and I arrived a little bit early which was a good thing as I needed a few extra minutes to run buy Benny some dog food. I'd forgotten his at home.

The drive up was lovely and the bridge which had fallen into the river did not cause an unreasonably long detour. I decided to buy an audio book to listen to on the way up so I got The Perks of Being a Wallflower and listened to a good bit of it. Then I arrived an immediately had a manicure. Very relaxing. The Booktopia people organized a Yankee Swap where we brought a wrapped book gift and ended up leaving with one. I scored big time and received a copy of The Garden of Evening Mists which Streamsong, coincidentally, had brought. I met Janet (Streamsong) and we had a nice walk on the Bay boardwalk with Benny. Ellen was resting during this time and then we all went to the opening reception which featured bunches of very good food including some excellent salmon!

Booktopia has this great deal where you $50 deposit for registering comes back to you as a gift card for the book store which sponsors the event! Whoo Hoo! After eating, it was time to shop!

Joe, tell your BH that I bought The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and caught another Booktopian's eye. She assured me it is an excellent book!

I also bought A Monster Calls and Liesl & Po on the recommendation of many many Library Thing friends. I found Alan Furst's Mission to Paris has come out in paper back! Finally, and I bought it. And then, I found a used copy of Annie Dillard's first book, set in Bellingham Bay of all things! The Living looks like it will be a delightful read, too.

I am home now and will soak in a nice warm tub and fall fast to sleep, no doubt. Benny will find a way into the bed and be happy, too. Ellen just gave him a good walk and he has fallen asleep on the floor as a good dog should.

Tomorrow we have the author sessions. Living room type conversations with an author and no more than 30 people. Should be excellent, I think.

I will read a few more threads now before I fall over.

ETA: I had a nice night's sleep. Now I'm eating lunch and then off to another author session....

Here is the lovely and friendly bookstore in Fairhaven, Bellingham, Washington, USA where we were welcomed as a part of Booktopia.



If you go to my profile or home page you can see a couple of more books I bought at this lovely store. They love Booktopia, no doubt.

This is a poor photograph of a lovely place where I am staying. The windows all look out over Bellingham Bay. I know you are jealous. I'm sorry if this makes you upset with your life, but I'm liking mine, right now....

I need to run off to dinner, and then a Celebration of Authors. It will be a late night so I'll get some more photographs of people, and then I'll go home, and then I'll post some more.

I am very happy to have found Library Thing. I am a bit of an addict and it so nice to be addicted to something which is intelligent, kind, and worth my time.

Nicely said Karen.
The bookshop looks delightful.
No need to wish you a happy weekend my dear as it is quite clear that you'll be having one!

I'm thinking a party might be in order.....
Well, you know I'd like to attend that party!

Lovely pictures - sounds like a great weekend.

Here's a picture of Janet getting a signature from Ru Freeman, author of On Sal Mal Lane, and a truly delightful, intelligent and talented young woman.

And here's a picture of The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving and West of Here, Jonathan Evison. He was wonderfully fun to hear, and a very caring intelligent author. And he lives in Washington State!

In my room at The Chrysalis they provide a bench by the window which is perfect for reading, or sitting and having a conversation about books. Here's The Green Dragon and The Pink Flamingo having just one of those conversations. And once or twice a day, there is a wonderful train which passed between The Chrysalis and the beach. Such a lovely sound as long as it does not happen in the middle of the night or so often it interrupts life.

Morning Karen- Wow! You are taking us along with you to Booktopia! How very cool. Love the photos. I love how Ann & Michael keep everything intimate & cozy. Did you have a chance to chat with the authors?

Ha! I love the green dragon/flamingo convo.

Oh, yes, plenty of chance to chat with authors, not only at their sessions with the 20 or so people but also in the bookstore, and sometimes in the town on the streets and by-ways. Delightful.

At the Yankee Swap I heard of some books which might be worth watching for -

Eating Animals described as both about "us" as animals who eat, and about the animals we do eat

Night Film - soon to be published and described as a game changer... we shall see It is about an underground film maker, to be published Aug. '13, looked very interesting, including newpaper and magazine articles, play bills, all sorts of stuff

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles published by Twelve Books (one book published each month. About Chinese food, and written by Jennifer 8 Lee (yes, middle "initial" is an 8)

An author who attended Booktopia - Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

I've not read these, or even held them, I just made notes during the Exchange because they sounded interesting to me

And here's a fascinating window found in the building where Village Books is located:



I could hang out in Fairhaven all week, but later today I'm going home to watch the last episode of Game of Thrones. And then, maybe I'll finish reading A Monster Calls. What a fine weekend it has been!

Let's see, what did I say about The Fortune Cookie Chronicles (7 out of 10 stars), "Entertaining enough. I enjoyed learning the origins of certain dishes and Chinese-American culture. The Jewish-Chinese connections were fascinating. But the book, like Chinese food, while appetizing, had no real substance to it. Fluffy nonfiction."

Thanks, Morph, for the additional information.

*envious sigh*

It looks and sounds like you're having a wonderful time, Karen44, and so I'm happy for you. Just ignore those stabbing pains in your feet. They'll go away.

When my hand gets tired.

:-P

Ha! I'm sharing Richard's envy, but no stabbing in the feet from me, Karen.

Sounds like a wonderful time in a beautiful place. Books, authors and good friends - what's not to like?

Exactly. Now I am on bread and water for weeks to save money for Hawaii in December and to make up for the naughty foods I ate. But it was worth it!

Thanks for the link over here Karen. I'm so glad Booktopia lived up to all your expectations. I think a trip to Bellingham is in my future.

The Chrysalis is a very nice place to stay, although a bit pricey. $205/night got me a swell room, with a big tub, and a view but as I had Benny with me (barking dog) we were located above the garage door. I do not hear things at night so it made no difference to me.

The place across the village square from Village Books is a bit more quaint, very convenient, and more expensive. Go figure!

We were in Fairhaven, which is adjacent to Bellingham, on the south side. A very happy little village.

Karen- I am so glad you had a great time at Booktopia! BOTN rocks, doesn't it? Keep your fingers crossed I get in to the Michigan one. Silently praying.

OK, I'm sending my best SUCCESS AT SIGN-UP mojo to you, now, and until you need it!

Sounds like you had an awesome time this weekend, Karen! Thanks for including all of us on your travels! And so glad that you and Benny made it home again safe and sound.

Did A. S. King wear her teal green boots?

She is great fun to listen to at a book talk. I got to hear her at the ALA conference last summer. She was one of the featured speakers for the Young Adult Day at the Author's Stage. The Author's Stage is one of those places you can plunk your butt when your feet are too tired to keep carrying you through more of the exhibit hall. I came back to Alabama and ordered her books for the YA collection at UA. She really impressed me.

I did not see her boots. They must not have been wildly noticeable.

Her book sounds quite interesting, although I don't think I'll be looking for it. I wonder what kids think of it, have you ever spoken to an actual "young person" who has read it?

So: Notice, on Friday, June the 14th, I am celebrating 6 years on Library Thing. I believe the tradition is that I am supposed to buy 7 books, one for each year, and one for good luck in the new year.

I am planning to have a small party in the Green Dragon chat room. Please feel free to join us at about 5 pm, pacific time, on Friday, June 14. BTW, 5 pm Pacific time is 8 pm East Coast USA time.

What lovely descriptive & thoughtful posts maggie1944. I felt almost as if I were there. And love the photos. Thank you for sharing. It sounds like a marvelous weekend.

It was a marvey weekend, and I'm saving my nickles and pennies so I can afford to go again next year! Meanwhile, I may be getting the weekly podcasts from Books On The Night Stand, too.

booksonthenightstand.com

#72

You would have noticed her boots. They were tall - up to the knee - and bright teal green leather lace ups. I haven't read her books, but in my experience kids who like to read like to read about other peoples problems. I enjoyed her talk at the conference. She has some good insights and was a real live wire.

What a fun thread! Thanks for all the lovely photos!

I very much liked the book a Monster Calls!

Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a wonderful book that I read recently.

Oh, Linda, how nice of you to stop by. The weekend was great fun and I feel so "made rich" by all the good books I'm hearing about and now wanting... wanting... wanting...

I am enjoying A Monster Calls a great deal. Wonderful illustrations, as many have said before me.

Morning Karen- Are you all settled in after your exciting weekend? I am glad you are enjoying a Monster Calls. My wife is currently reading it, as well. Keep the tissue box handy, though. You will need it.

Good morning, Mark. I am settling back down after that great weekend. Yesterday, I talked the first grader into going to the school for the last Monday of this year. He is almost in the second grade! And then the preschooler was less than enthusiastic about her school, so yes, talked her into the Last Monday! A very good holiday, those last Mondays. And she is very excited about Kindergarten next year.

I decided I did not have to finish unpacking, and cleaning up the house, yesterday, so I spent the day mostly on the computer, and getting prepared for the book group! We had a great meeting with a visitor LTer from Tennessee who is visiting friends here in Washington. Of the six of us, two had completed reading The Aleppo Codex and really liked it even though the format of current time/ancient history alternating chapters was a little disorienting. Three of us had read a chunk at the beginning and intend to finish. And one visitor. So I guess I'm not going to say whether I am recommending it.

Ever since the eye exam confirmed my thinking that it is time to get the cataracts fixed I've been noticing how much they interfere with my reading. I can read for about 15-20 minutes comfortably and then I begin to want to move to doing something else, like doing dishes! That is just weird.

I am looking forward to the appointment with the surgeon on Thursday.

Had a restless night last night, and got up at 4 am because I was tired of just laying in bed. Sigh. A rough start for a long Tuesday coming on.....

Well, enough whining from me. Moving along now...

Yeah! You got to meet with leahbird! I'm glad you got to visit before she headed back.

Yes, delightful. A very intelligent, well read, and articulate woman. Just what we expect from all our LibraryThing pals! I should stop being surprised when our visitors turn out to be delightful.

Oh, no

Coffee spill on laptop

I may be AFK for a while

)-:

am at Apple store

computer is in the "back"

I'm waiting..... waiting..... waiting....

I did that with my work computer - was completely fried. Hope yours goes better!

well, it is very interesting. I am on it right now, after having just backed it up on a remote hard drive I bought at the Apple store. I know of a place who will clean it for $125. And if it is working well right now, I think maybe cleaning is a good idea, and cross my fingers that they do not find worse inside.

I was so tempted to just give in to impluse and buy a new one! The new operating system having just come out yesterday; I am so easily influenced by wanting the newest shiny shiny toys. But I have several other things I need to spend money on... prepping the house for sale, saving to buy the studio in the retirement community, need some money for Hawaii

well, maybe wiser part of my brain might just prevail.

Karen

I can relate to the spill on a laptop. A few months ago I was traveling and a man next to me on the plane bumped my arm and slipped an entire cup of coffee on my lap top.

His response was "Oh, well!"

I want to say that initially I could not reboot and thought the lap top was a goner. I'm typing to you from said lap top. It took about three weeks for it to work again. The only thing destroyed is the sound card. I cannot play music.

By the way, here is my review of Please Ignore Vera Dietz. As you can see I loved the book! How neat that you met the author!

Hi Karen- Sorry to hear about the lap-top! Hope that's taken care of and you are up and running. And I'm sorry to hear about your continuing eye problems. Have you decided on surgery or not?

Lap Top apparently has decided to heal itself. (dried out, I guess) I bought an external hard drive and the Apple tech told me how to do a quick, and easy, back-up. When it was done, the computer was working just like new. I don't know if I've lost the sound card. I've not tested it. It was just a little bit of coffee. Not a whole cup, you know just a swell of spillage.

So, I'm happy.

Just finished A Monster Calls and yes, what a gem. Intelligent, fascinating, well written, believable, good characters. I don't know if I have it in me to write a real review. I think I'll just post a list of descriptors.

Eyes: meeting with a surgeon on Thursday and will decide after I talk with him. I am pretty sure I'll want to do it as soon as I can make it work with my schedule, and the kids schedules. It will be very weird for me to have good distance vision, and to have to wear reading glasses, but I'll adjust, no doubt.

Life is Good.

Karen- I like your attitude. I am also glad the lap top is fine and that you loved A Monster Calls. It doesn't sound like you have any regrets on purchasing that one for the "keeper" shelf.

Mark, you are right! No regrets! So not only is Life Good, there are No Regrets, too.

Ha!

Lap top still going strong. Love it.

Yay for laptops healing themselves!

I'll be thinking about you on Thursday, Karen.

Ellen, thank you very much. That means a great deal to me.

decataracting mojo *whammy*

Thank you, Richard.

Even with the cataracts, I am now reading The Aleppo Codex and Blood of Dragons Quite a contrast between the two. I am trying to finish the Codex book because my book group buddies said they think it was worth finishing, and I'm reading Robin Hobb's book because it is a good contrast to the former.

School is out this week, so next week I'm back to all kids, all day, every day. Whew. Need to do some planning of places to go and things to do!

Well, at least the oldest can pretty much entertain himself.

Good news on the laptop, Karen, and yay for A Monster Calls!

Joe! You are right. I had bunches of luck yesterday.

Morphy, more or less.

You will have to let me know how you liked Blood of Dragons. I have a copy of it. (I suspect we got it the same place and at the same time.) I checked out A Monster Calls from our library but haven't gotten to it yet, because I have all this reading to do for the class I am taking.

Benita, I have Blood of Dragons on my Nook. Don't remember when I bought it. I love this series.

I hope things go well with the eye doctor today. I'll be sending lots of positive thoughts your way.

I've gotten very little reading done since Booktopia. I'm just finally finishing Adam Hope. I didn't think that attending the session and knowing the ending would bother me since I don't usually mind spoilers, but this time it's really different. I guess I liked the characters so much that I've had to steel myself for the ending.

Good luck today with the cataract guy, Karen! Looking forward to Janet's reaciton to Adam Hope, which I have ahead of me thanks to your rec.

It is not a book where the ending is the big deal; the entire story is so well told and the end is well crafted also but what I remember the most is the whole meal deal.

And, oh, thank you both, Janet and Joe, for your good wishes. I don't expect it will be complicated or difficult. But I do appreciate your kind thoughts.

Trip to the eye doctor was fine. He is young and talks fast and told me about potential disasters which do not affect many people. Also, I have one other thing wrong with my right eye, but the plan is to do the cataracts and see if the other thing bothers me after that. If yes, then there is another eye surgery in my future; if no, then OK, good to go. Next appt. is in July and it is prelim to the actual surgery. I'm feeling OK about the whole deal.

Went to B&N and met with my foster daughter. We bought some GED prep books for her to work on her math; and she shared with me a gift card her employer (who "let her go") gave her. So with the gift card, and my 10% off B&N membership, I did not spent more than $100 on these books:

Alan Furst's The Foreign Correspondent and Spies of the Balkans, Stanley Gordon West's Blind Your Ponies, Roland Merullo's Breakfast with Buddha, Will Schwalbe's The End of Your Life Book Club, Matthew Dicks' Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, and Tom Reiss' Black Count.

I am busy reading Blood of Dragons and The Aleppo Codex right now and then, I'll be able to read something from this list maybe. Meanwhile, the TBR bookcase is groaning.

Congrats on your Thingaversary! That looks like a great bunch of books you brought home to celebrate. I've read three of them. I read Spies of the Balkans with my RL bookclub--the only one of that series I've read. Someday, I'll read more of them. ;-)

I'm glad you're feeling good about the surgeries. I'm assuming that they will do the two eyes separately, correct?

I'm going with Mom to look at assisted living space today. This last RA flare has finally pushed her into moving to a more manageable space. She is planning to keep the house so she can slowly continue to go through her things, as well as being able to return to it if she is not happy with AL.

I am a fan of the Alan Furst novels even though at times I think he is very misogynistic and women don't usually play any big role in his books aside from that of window dressing. (The last book I read that changed, so I can't wait to see how he does in his next novel.) Even so, I have read four of them and plan on reading more. I like it that he has written stories with separate characters and different story lines all within a framework of a set time. In this case WWII and the prelude to that war. If you like his books you can also read David Downing. He has a series in which he writes in the same sort of style. The difference is that his books take place just prior to, during and then after the war. I have enjoyed all of them.

Janet, thanks for the visit! I do think I got a great bunch of books and I think Blind Your Ponies was one which I heard of from you....

I met Alan Furst in Seattle back when he and I were both much younger. He later moved to Paris, and then to Long Island. I started reading his work in a prepublication format way back when, early 1970s I think and I knew he was good and going to be better. I'm starting to collect his books. I think I have 7 of them now.

I'll be interested in how your Mom does with the AL place. I know that temptation to keep the old homestead while adjusting to the new place but I hope she/you do not get bogged down by it all. See if you can find some antique/collectible expert to come in and help you identify things which may be of value. Your Mother may have some definite ideas of how to disperse of them, as well as the things which are of sentimental value.

That is basically the job I'm setting for myself these days. I do have a buyer for some "good" wooden furniture which I hope to "off load" this summer. The smaller collectible things.... wow, those things are hard to get rid of - too good to just give to Goodwill, but maybe not....

Benita, thanks for your thoughts on Alan Furst. I don't know if he personally is misogynistic or if his writing reflects the attitudes of those times. Nevertheless, as I said above, I'm collecting.... and I do enjoy reading them.

Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Hi Karen- Congrats the on the book haul! For some reason I missed it, that last time I lurked. Wow, what a cool connection with Furst. I have read a couple of his and have 2 or 3 more in the stacks. I also really enjoyed Imaginary Friend. I met him at the very first Booktopia. And of course I was crazy about the Schwalbe memoir. Enjoy!

Thank you, Mark! Have you heard if you are able to go to Booktopia this year? I hope so. It was a very special time.

No, I haven't. I plan on sending Ann a message. I am getting anxious to know too! Several of my friends, that I met at the 1st event, are going, (all Good Readers!) so I would like to see them again too! Have a great Saturday!

I really liked The End of Your Life Book Club. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

Mark, I will cross my fingers and hold my thumbs that you will "get in"! Morph, you know you will know when I know.

Karen, excellent little Thingaversary book haul you got there. I'm glad your collection of Alan Furst novels is growing.

I'm glad you're feeling okay about the eye doc and the surgery (later this summer?). You'll know more in July, it sounds like, but the news was not nearly as bad as it could have been.

I'm working Commencement today and pleased that it's so beautiful (although it will be warm on that field!). I'll be wearing shorts under my gown. :-)

Fingers crossed for Mark and Booktopia. Glad you had such a good time with it. And how great that you know Alan Furst! I've only read one, Spies of Warsaw, but it was very good.

Ah, commencement. Back in 1966 we were all "anti-establishment" and just did not participate. I gladly did high school commencement; and then went through another ceremony for a MA just because I'd skipped the UW one. Funny.

Joe, yes, I hope Mark does get to go.

To be clear, I don't feel I "know" Alan Furst, just that I met him a couple of times and read an early manuscript. Nonetheless, I do like his books - history, spies, Europe, especially France

I slept in this morning. So here it is now 9 am, and the sun is shining and it is beautiful. I love it here when the sun shines! Went to the photography group last night and the geeky photographers spent their time sharing their favorite piece of gear. Fun.

wow, i got sucked in by your booktopia madness. great coverage! sounds wonderful. some envy but it's tempered nicely by our raccoon mom and babies in the yard every day, 4 wood thrushes singing up the street in a lovely wooded lot when i can get up there, a bounty of squirrels, lush greenery all over the place and a plenitude of audiobooks.

i think it was your recommendation that led me to Light between oceans. gloriosity. i found it on NLS and what lo! the narrator is an actor on the boards who actually narrates for NLS. she does a good Aussie accent, at least to my US-attuned ear. i always listen for words like "you," "no," and "now." even "mate" is different down under than in Brit English. Colleen Delany does a superb job.

i'm loving the book and bow to you in gratitude for the recommendation. :)

take care of yourself, chica.

Yes, Ellie, Light Between Oceans is a book I loved muchly! I am glad you are finding it to be loved.

I am in a bit of a frenzy of things doin' but I'm taking my own sweet time; and it will all fall into place as it is meant to do, one way or the other. I am slip/sliding my way into an anti-inflammatory diet and when I make myself take the time to actually shop and cook, it is working nicely. When I "slip" I try to slip in a better than not direction and then eat some sugar, and I'm reminded that I need to take the effort to do better. Progress, not perfection is my word for this time.

Thanks for stopping by, your good wishes are very much appreciated.

Lovely day we had today in Seattle land. Junuary seems to be just June this year.

*heading to Ellie's thread to learn about the momma raccoon and babies*

cool! I just left a message for you on your thread. Funny.

Karen, If you don't mind my asking, can you please tell me what is "the one other thing" wrong with your right eye?

I'm thinking of you very much!

I was told there is some scar tissue developing in the eye which may or may not be interfering with vision. I may need to have it removed.

Truthfully, I did not get the whole story and need to do some more research.

I have a friend who had something similar and I think he can help me with what questions to ask.

OK. Lawn is mowed. Been reading Blood of Dragons whenever I needed a break and am enjoying it. Robin Hobb is good at developing interesting characters; and I can't say that I'm predicting the plot.

I did try another run at Buddha Balls, and I promised a recipe - It comes from To Quiet Inflammation for health and weight loss by Kathy Abascal (The ISBN is 9780978858605)

1 cake tofu, pressed and drained (I used firm tofu); 4 Tbsp nut butter (I used Almond Butter); 3 Tbsp wheat-free tamari sauce; 8 green onions, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, diced (optional); 1/2 c. mushrooms, finely chopped; 1/4 c. parsley, choppped (optional); 1/2 c. water chestnuts, diced.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the tofu between two dinner plates and balance weight (I used 3 cans of pumpkin) on the top plate. Drain off the water as it is pressed out. Chop the vegetables while the tofu is draining. Break up the tofu in a large bowl, add the other ingredients, and mash them together (easiest done with your hands but you could pulse in a food processor). Shape into balls and place on an oiled baking sheet (or parchment paper). Bake for 45 minutes or until the Buddha balls are golden and firm.

(Adapted from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant)

When I made them yesterday, I left out the nut butter and the soy sauce. Ha! They were bland. So I put some salt in the dish and drizzled the almond butter on top. Tasty. I hope today's recipe tastes better. I did not use as much onion or green pepper as the recipe calls for... and I added a garlic, minced.

She says the essential ingredients are tofu, nut butter, tamari and water chestnuts. She has added or subtracted from there adding spices or red onions rather than green.

BTW, I have signed up for Kathy Abascal class in September. I am hoping she can help me figure out how to follow all her restrictions for the three weeks preliminary stage. So much shopping for unusual ingredients, so much cooking and cleaning up from cooking. Some days it is all I can do to eat a frozen dinner and go to bed after a day with the kids.

Karen - Relieved to see that your Doctor's appointment didn't faze you unduly. My neighbour had the operations last year and was perfectly fine as I'm sure you'll be.
Nice haul of books and now I'm intrigued and not a little discomfited by the idea of eating Buddha's Balls!
Have a lovely Sunday.

I know.... They, to not be too picky, are not Buddha's Balls. They are Buddha Balls. Not that I'm all that clear as to what that distinction might mean.

In any case, they are tasty. These fell apart on the plate so I think some refinement of the recipe will be in my future. Nonetheless, tasty and good for you!

Karen - I think the distinction may be an all-important one! hahaha

:-)

I should have recognized that recipe name. I own New Recipes from Moosewood and I remember thinking it sounded good.

Yes, me, too. I have the Moosewood cookbook. I used to think that nothing I made from that cookbook was every not good. Yummy stuff. The Sauce that moosewood adds to the balls is very sweet and therefore forbidden on the quiet inflammation diet. Sugar being the main villian when it comes to creating inflammation.

Darn.

Morning Karen- Just a quick check-in! Hope your Monday goes well. I will send Ann Kingman a message later this a.m.

Thanks, Mark. I'm crossing my fingers! I sure hope Ann is able to find space for you!

Today is "the first day of summer vacation" for the kids. Should be fun for me, too.

**I copied this from my thread. WOW!

I just checked on BOTNS, for the Petoskey MI Booktopia event and they just listed the attending authors. OMG! Especially MDR! I sent Ann a message to find out where I am on the waiting list. I NEED to go! Send those LT vibes!

Melanie Benjamin-, Alice I Have Been, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, and The Aviator’s Wife
Jamie Ford, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and Songs of Willow Frost (on sale September 10)
Peter Geye-, Safe From the Sea, and The Lighthouse Road
Susan Gregg Gilmore-, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, The Improper Life of Bezelia Grove, and The Funeral Dress (on sale September 24)
Peter Heller, The Dog Stars
Jill McCorkle, author of nine books including Going Away Shoes, Carolina Moon, and Life After Life
Edward Kelsey Moore, The Supremes at Earl’s All You Can Eat
Bill Roorbach, author of eight books including Temple Stream, Writing Life Stories, and Life Among Giants
Mary Doria Russell, author of five novels including The Sparrow, Children of God, and Doc

I did meet Susan Gregg Gilmore at the very first BOTNS event.

That is an excellent line up. Jamie Ford's book about the Hotel is set in Seattle, and is a sweet story. But I'd say MDR and Jill McC are stars for sure! So, in addition to crossing my fingers, I'm going to add holding my thumbs, and crossing my toes. Good luck, bud!

I read and loved the Dog Stars a couple months ago and Geye has been high on my WL. I've also heard good things about The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. If I go, I'll have some homework to do.

Too much fun, by half.

I have two of the Moosewood cookbooks and those Buddha Balls sound great. I need to get them out and look at them because at the farmer's market on Saturday I found some really great beets. Red ones and yellow ones. I want to roast them and then chill them and eat them with salad. Nothing more refreshing than cold beets.

Benita, the Buddha Balls in Moosewood's book are Buddha Jewels, and have a sweet sauce to put on top.

Karen, I'm thinking you and I should have gotten our names on that wait list for MI Booktopia!

Oh! I wish.

Me too on the Booktopia! What a wonderful list of authors! Bellingham was a lot of fun, but the author-power didn't compare. I can't help but wonder why.

Hey, wait a minute! I NEED to get in first! LOL. Still no word from Ann. Boo! If I don't hear anything by the end of the day, I'll forward the message to Michael. Come on, people! Don't you know who I am?

Janet- I think it is all about timing and availability. No question that the BOTNS folks have impeccable taste.

I also think there is a prejudice against travel to the far northwest corner of the country. It is just so far away from so many people. But there are lots of people up here, too. Maybe, overtime, this idea that it is too far away will fade. We do have speedy transportation options these days, some of them even built in this corner (think Boeing).

On a different topic: I am having a day off and in between some chores I expect I will finish Blood of Dragons.

At the Oxford Booktopia there was some discussion about the author list, and basically Ann and Michael said that the list was put together based on who was willing to come and do it for free, and who was available. They said that many authors live in the Northeast and so that list usually has more to pick from because if an author is doing it for free they don't want to travel very far.

There is no doubt in my mind that the number of authors living in the area has an effect on who the chosen authors are. The one in Oxford had all Southern authors. Oxford was out of the way as well since it was a 2 hour car trip from the nearest major airport, Memphis. All of that can't help but figure in to the equation. In the case of the Northwest, I think that it is a long plane trip from most parts of the U. S. However, I would think that the beauty of the site would outweigh the distance. I think as these gain in popularity that authors would be willing to come to more distant places, so I think that the future is bright for Booktopia's in out-of-the-way places.

Benita, I think you are probably right in thinking out how these decisions by everyone is made. I know I could not afford to fly to Booktopia this year so being able to drive and having it only be a little over an hour from my home made all the difference. And of course, I did take one of my dogs with me, too.

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb

Next? Well, I have to think about my RL book group and see if I can read something for it.

Nice list of accomplishments for this year. I have had Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight on my beside table along with Crimson petal and the White for so long that they are growing dust bunnies. But I will get to them. I just need to get out of Medieval England first. For some reason my reading for the first six months of this year has been primarily in Medieval England from about 1100 to 1550. It is a strange land in which to get stuck, but I am.

Thanks to you I dug out my Moosewood cookbook yesterday. I haven't decided what to make but I will. I did make a delicious chopped salad over the weekend from out of another cookbook so I am eating my veggies.

Benita, thanks for stopping by and complimenting my paltry list of books; only paltry when compared to some of our friends here who are already celebrating their 75 books finished. Last year I did something in the environment of 50 which I doubt I'll do this year. I'm not going for the numbers this year, but for quality. And enjoyment. After all, I amretired!

Heading out to a Seattle Storm basketball game this evening with my favorite date: Logan the 7 year old great nephew!

And I'm working on eating my veggies, too. Had a big salad for lunch and I think I'll have a big salad with tuna on it for dinner at the game.

I'm reading Ella Minnow Pea for the RL book group and it has started out making me laugh, which is a good thing.

Karen

Please tell me what "Booktopia " is. I feel ignorant.

I'm also concerned about your eye and possible scar tissue.

Hugs! And, thank you for setting up the thread of outreach for Mr. Morphy. What a lovely lady you are!

Linda, how nice to see you here! There are these two people who work somewhere, I forget where, in the publishing industry who started a weekly podcast called Books On The Night Stand, and from their success with it they started a "get together" for a small number of willing authors and a small group of avid readers.

They called it Booktopia, and they've repeated it. And this year they did three of them. One in Vermont, one in Washington State, and one in Minnesota (I think). They are fun. So fun that when it is time to sign up they fill up quickly. I think this year's one in Vermont filled in 58 minutes. The one if Bellingham took a bit longer but did fill up in a month of signing up time.

I was delighted to be able to go. The location was picturesque, the authors were charming, interesting, and oh so happy to be meeting with people who had already read their book. The readers were also charming, polite, had interesting and intelligent questions. A very good time.

Eye Issues: Everyone I've heard from and talked to has said the Cataract surgery is much improved over what was done previously and that it should go without any difficulty. Of course, every surgery is a risk and one must not be a Pollyanna but I am not feel nervous.

I have a very good friend who's husband had the scar tissue issue (not intending to be a poet, but don't you know, I have the feet that show it..... Longfellows) and is very happily back to his old Duck Hunting Self! So, not worrying about that either.

I was so very happy to be able to help Morphidae and her husband. She does so much to make Library Thing a place I like to be; and their financial troubles are being addressed by them both in a mature and responsible way. It just seemed so unfair for a health issue to come along and sink their ship.

I am still reading Ella Minnow Pea but I have to say it has not grabbed me. It's amusing, but the eye issue is bothering me and making the reading a bit of a chore.

The Seattle Storm won their game last night, in overtime. I think they shot 10 additional points in the 5 minute overtime. Whoo hoo. They are so fun to watch. They have a guard who is 5'3" and she is my hero. Hustle personified!

Morning Karen- More BOTNS talk! Yah! They both work for Random House. And the last Booktopia, this year, will be in Michigan. I have still not heard from Ann. Sad Mark.

ah! Michigan. I apologize to all of the citizens of that fine state for having confused them with that other wonderful place, Minnesota.

I wonder if I can get a copy of Ella Minnow Pea from the library. I will be just barely back from Tennessee when RL BG meets, so I don't know if I'll make it, but that is one book on this year's list that I thought I might like to read.

Nice that we're getting some rain, eh, Karen?

Keeping my fingers crossed for Mark to get into the Michigan Booktopia.

150 maggie - Confusing Michigan and Minnesota isn't too bad. I had someone recently confuse Michigan and Maryland (because MI looks like the abbreviation for Maryland???).

Both begin with Ms + the brain is dangerous country, never can tell what is going on in there.

the brain is dangerous country, never can tell what is going on in there.
Too true!!

You have something going on in your brain?

Interesting.

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Very funny and definitely a fun read! Recommended as a palate cleansing experience as well as a fun brain exercise, regardless of what Morphy expects of my brain.

18. Blind Curves by Linda Crill. A 57 year old woman loses her husband to cancer and needs to rediscover herself, so, she decides to learn how to ride a motorcycle and join a 10 day trip from Vancouver B.C. to California and back.

The author worked as a consultant and her book reads like she is addressing a seminar of women, of a certain age. As I love the scenery of Washington, Oregon, and California, especially down on Highway 101 along the Pacific coast, I enjoyed the book. But I sure found myself skipping sentences and sometimes even paragraphs. I did empathize with her grief over losing her husband and know that grief can be debilitating for a long time, but she seems to have not felt the need to describe it deeply. I do not doubt she grieved, it seems like it was a good marriage; however it read like a magazine article.

OK. Enough. If you enjoy learning a challenging new skill, and like to go sight seeing, you may enjoy this book. I wish the author well.

Hi Karen- How are you, stranger? You must be busy. I haven't seen you around much. I am looking forward to attending ALA tomorrow and of course hope to see Joe, Debi, Becca, Benita, Kerri & Ellen. That's a nice line-up, right?
I am also 2nd on the waiting list for the Michigan Booktopia. Fingers still crossed. Hope you are getting in some R & R this weekend.

Mark, thanks for checking on me. I've been kind of slammed with stuff to do, and not feeling all that well, too. Bah! humbug.

I hope you are able to get into Booktopia! Have fun at the ALA tomorrow!

Karen - Have missed you around for the best part of a week (partly due to my own travels up to Langkawi) and I trust that you'll soon be yourself again. Take care and have a good weekend.

Paul, I appreciate hearing from you. Hope your travels were worthwhile! I do find time for a little reading but oh, my, I'm trying to get rid of things so of course the house is in disheveled condition and it makes it hard to be relaxed Perhaps I'll make good progress today.

*smooch* for busy bee Karen44

Ah, Richard, nice to see you! *hugs*

Yesterday, after a great deal of drama and effort the Niece and her husband hung a new screen door on my back door. Nice! Also, the espresso maker is back in business. I've been plagued by a series of things deciding that NOW was the time to stop. In a week and a half, I get new washer and dryer and that will be a joy, too.

Now if only I could find time to read.

I am well into Hood by Stephen Lawhead and am enjoying the Robin Hood story written as a fresh fantasy. Lots of good detail of Wales and England covered with forests and the like!

Hiya, Karen. I like that description of Booktopia. I know Mark's a big fan, too.

Your Storm beat our Sky last night. How about that for poetic?

They smartly doubleteamed our hotshot rookie, since Sylvia Fowler was out with an injury.

Oh, well, I hate to cheer at the pain of a friend, but our women are dealing with having two strong pillars of their team being "out" this season; nice to hear of their victory! Yeah! Go Storm.

Who is your "hotshot rookie"? I'm beginning to try to pay attention, occasionally, to some names.

I had a wonderful time with Ellen and with Mark and his wife Sue. They took us to the Haymarket Brewery and along with great beer we had good conversation. It was very nice of Mark and Sue to do this since they also had to move their daughter back home on Saturday. I am so glad that I make the effort to do these meet-ups as I get to talk to some great people. I do hope that Mark gets into the Booktopia in Michigan. It would be a terrible shame if he didn't.

Benita, I am very sorry I could not be there, too. I feel I must find a way to Chicago sometime in the reasonably near future. Before I'm too decrepit to travel. Feeling the years these days.

Planning on a very quiet 4th, staying close to home with dogs, and good books.

I'm stopping by to let you know I'm thinking of you.

I am very happy to read that you are stopping by.... Hope your holiday is a good day!

We are happy to note that summer has arrived in Seattle area. I might even get a little yard work in today. But it will mostly be a reading day.

"But it will mostly be a reading day." Music to my ears! Enjoy yourself, my friend.

A little drama for the Fourth of July. In honor of Independence Day, the dogs dug an escape hole under the fence. When Benny came back from a trip to the yard without Greta Garbo I became somewhat suspicious. They'd been dashing around the right side of the house a little too eagerly recently. So I went to investigate, and sure enough there was a dog sized escape route under the fence.

So, I put some chicken in a plastic bag, and Greta's collar and leash in my hand, and went out front. Whistled quietly for her, and here she came. She knows when I whistle, or call a certain way, there's a treat in my hand. I am so glad I trained her to think coming to me is a good thing. No scolding just good ole chicken.

We did a little walk and saw a black cat stalking a bunny rabbit. And then came home. Once dog was inside I went to the hole and blocked it. She's smashed up next to me on the sofa now.

I was so afraid she might be out during some noise because she is afraid of the fireworks, and i can imagine losing her. Whew! Did. Not. Happen.

I'm so glad to hear that the escape turned out well and ended with a doggie snuggle. 4th of July fireworks are so hard on pets. I've heard about pets being lost for weeks afterward.

More book meetups sound fun, don't they? It's on my list of things to do, too.

hey Karen! escaping pets. nahsogood. glad all worked out well!

we are rejoicing over LA's (and CP's) opening that great big can of whup-ass all over Minnesota and leaving Maya Moore looking lost. oh yeah.

and don't forget before you get all excited about Seattle beating the Sky, they were without big Syl.

i feel i must mention a book somewhere. finished Light between oceans and loved it then got irritated with it. rated it 3.5 but finding the ethical/moral issues raised and the lighthouse itself (my fave character) have stayed with me remarkably i will probably be upping it to 4. i did love the whole Janus thing. i think there's a word for how she used Janus but i don't know what it is. RD would.

and i've also felt compelled to put two A. S. King books in my audible basket, blast you. NLS hasn't twigged her work yet. i do wish you'd been more on your toes and caught a shot of King's boots. ;)

okay, enough wittering on your thread.

The meet-up was a good thing. I enjoyed myself and the company was great! I think I will try to do those for every ALA. As long as I can get Tim to give us some free passes and e stop to talk to he and Abby it should work. I made a big mistake this time and didn't even think about it. Ia forgot to e-mail Tim and tell him where we were going to go for supper. He would have been able to join us that night and I didn't know that until I got back and checked my e-mail. I feel really bad. I had my iPad with me, but didn't use it because I was busy at the conference and it cost $15.00 per day to use it at the hotel. You can be sure that the next ALA meet-up I will let him know what is going on. I think that a total of 12 people used the free passes this time and I appreciate that they did that for us.

Happy 4th, Karen! Glad everything turned out all right with Greta. Hope you had a good reading day.

Regarding A.S. King, I recently read Please Ignore Vera Dietz. It is a great book.

Escaping dogs...made me laugh right out loud because of the way in which you told the story.

Hugs!

Janet, yes, I am so glad I corralled Greta Garbo at 5:30 AM! on the 4th. She has been a nervous wreck since the noises started about 5:30 PM. Trying to crawl through the floor of the house and move to China. She is now hiding deeply in my closet which is dark, and as far from the noise as she can get. These idiots I live near are making the most ungodly noise. I saw on the TV news that the border into Canada is especially crowded with people and their dogs. I think I'll do that next year.... go to Victoria B.C. on the 4th of July for the benefit of the dogs.

Ellie, I know what you mean about being a bit annoyed with Light Between Oceans and yet it is a damn good book. I've not yet done anything about looking up A.S. King books, but perhaps I should.

Love the WMBA! Such fun.

Benita, it is true. I've enjoyed immensely every meet-up I've experienced with LT folks. Not only good friendships, but good book recommendations, too. Who would have thought?

Joe, yes, I'm glad Greta is home safe and scared to death, so much better than scared to death and lost, too. Yes, it was a good reading day. I'm enjoying Hood a great deal. It feels quite "authentic" if one can say that about a re-telling of the Robin Hood tale. Good characters, good descriptions of country and country folk.

Linda, I'm glad you got a chuckle out of my little tale. I often feel shy about writing here as there are so many truly good writers here abouts.

The 4th is nearly over for another year and I will be so happy when the god damn fire crackers and crap just stop! I get to go to work tomorrow, lucky me!

Karen

I'm sorry you feel shy re. writing here. Initially (back in 208 when the group began), I felt the same way.

Over time, I hope you will find as I did that this is a supportive, loving kind group. No one judges.

And, truly, my dear you have a wonderful way of placing your thoughts into words.

Linda, any shyness that I feel is pretty minor. I've never held back that I can remember. And I do appreciate this group's supportive character, you are so right about that!

Poor Greta! The fireworks are just so hard on all the critters. Here in central Tennessee, it was quite rainy for the fourth and I think that put a damper on the noise. My cousin has a dog, two cats, and three horses, so we were grateful for a relatively quiet fourth.

I hope things around your place stop deciding to break down, Karen, and that you get some reading time in. I'm doing a bit of reading on vacation but mostly spending time chatting with relatives. The meetups in Chicago were delightful. As Benita shared, she and I joined Mark and his wife Susan for beer and food at the Haymarket Brewery, then I ate a bit more at another meetup with Kerri. For me, it was a repeat meetup with both Benita and with Kerri; it's very nice to feel that I'm getting to know a handful of LTers for real (you among those, of course!).

Take care and I'll see you after I'm back in town.

Ellen, the noisy stuff went from 5 pm to 1 am, pretty much nonstop. Greta was pretty nervous, even after two tranquilizers; Benny is much more easily reassured, and he just stayed glued to my side. Greta hid in the closet behind clothes, in the corner. Poor baby. They both were so ready to go to the outside at about 2 am when they realized it was quiet, finally.

I'm tired.

I did get quite a bit of Hood read though, and I'm really enjoying it. Descriptions of early Great Britain are quite authentic feeling. I wish I knew if Lawhead is as knowledgeable as he seems to be.

This morning the kids are sleeping in after their fun 4th and I'm relaxing. Think I'll go read now. I think Book Group is on Monday.... maybe I'll see you, Ellen, then? At TPB?

Think I'll go read now.
Best thing on a fifth of July. I'm glad the kids are resting up.

I forgot to tell you that Ping Fu was one of the featured speakers at the conference. I didn't get to hear her talk as I was in meetings, but my roomie for the conference did and said she was an impressive speaker. They sold tons of copies of her books after the talk and I did see the line. It was quite long.

I see I'm the only person on LT with her book. I must read it next, I think. I think her story deserves some circulation. Ah, Saturday! I love Saturday.

error!

I read Ping Fu's book, Bend Not Break, and really liked it. I can well imagine she's an impressive speaker.

There's a rabid anti- group on Amazon of Chinese descent who I'm told are paid by the Chinese government. It's quite bizarre. Glad she's doing well despite them.

Hot shot rookie on the Chicago Sky=Elena Delle Donne. She was WNBA Rookie of the Month in June. Big time scorer.

Elena Delle Donne sounds like a remarkable woman. I think were I given the good luck to see her play I'd cheer regardless of which team she might be playing on.

Thanks.

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Hood by Stephen R. Law

Delightful! A re-telling of the Robin Hood tale, set this time on the border between England and Wales, shortly after 1066. Welsh are depicted as proud, fierce, and willing to go to war to maintain their independence. First to invent and use a long bow. And the deep, virgin primeval forests are their home base for a guerrilla war against the invaders. I appreciated the obvious research done to give the description of the times, the conflicts, and the environment the feel of the real. I could almost think that Mr. Lawhead was a descendant of Robin Hood's and that he had family papers to consult. I am thinking I must buy the next two books in the trilogy.

ETA: corrected a couple of errors

I still need to get to Tuck soon to finish the trilogy.

I did buy both Scarlet and Tuck and expect I'll get to them soon. But there are many other books calling me.." pick me" "no, pick MEEEEE."

Pick the Ping Fu book. Am I correct that you got it at ALA in Seattle? or was that another book by somebody different. My library has it so maybe I'll get it and read it later in the fall. Ping Fu wore a pair of wedge shoes that she made using her 3D copier. It sounds like an amazing story to me.

I did pick the Ping Fu book. It was the first book I saw when I turned my reading chair around to look at the shelves of nonfiction books waiting to be read.

I am of two minds about the book and am almost finished. I'll be back with more words, but I do agree right off that the story of her life is pretty amazing.

ETA: yes, I did get it at the ALA meeting in Seattle. What a thrill to get all those fine books.

Darryl wrote this nice description of a good book review, according to his lights, in Joe latest thread. I liked it, and am copying it here to remind me of what I'd like, ideally, to write. I'll try. No promises.

"I know that people have varying opinions about what they would prefer to see in a review, but I like detailed ones that provide the basic structure of the book, including memorable quotations, along with the reviewer's opinion of the strengths and weaknesses of it. The members of Club Read that I follow generally write superb reviews in this fashion. I don't mind reading detailed reviews, as long as there aren't any major spoilers that aren't well known or, like my recent review of Enon are present in the opening few pages. I tend to skim or avoid details contained in reviews of books that I'm planning to read in the very near future (e.g., TransAtlantic and Americanah), and I generally forget details contained in book reviews that I read several months before I get around to reading them.

Having said that, there are several people, especially in this group, that write succinct reviews that are also superb, and I enjoy their comments nearly as well as those who write lengthier ones. And, I've read some outstanding one sentence reviews, especially about execrable books!

I think everyone should write in the fashion that suits them best, rather than adhering to a set standard or group of expectations."

Ping Fu wrote a brief memoir (276 pages) of her "life in two worlds" in part to explain and claim her identifying both with the China of her birth, and the U.S.A. of her choice. Her life is quite hard to believe and yet I think I do believe it. Bend, Not Break is her book.

"Bamboo is flexible, bending with the wind but never breaking, capable of adapting to any circumstance." This was some advice Ping received from her "Shanghai Papa" when she was very young and advice she follows through the Chinese "Cultural Revolution" and through working in factories and through Chinese university education, and police stations. Whew. That there would be one life enough for me and yet adapt she did, and then for reasons not entirely clear she is "invited" to leave China and through some family contacts is accepted as a student of English as A Second Language at the University of New Mexico. And she there begins a second life.

I've had the pleasure of living in a country where I knew very very little of the language spoken, and had no aptitude to learn it! Ping, on the other hand, takes to learning English, and then computer programming like a gifted learner. Her life in the USA is less fascinating to me as I'm not very interested in the dot com world nor in the world of entrepreneurs and successful corporate CEOs; but dang! This young Chinese woman was interested, and became passionate and the next thing you know she is highly successful.

The writing is not remarkable but the story is and so I do recommend the book. There were places where I reacted with "no, I can't believe that" but on balance I'll have to confess I do think she is writing a true story and it is worth reading and thinking about.

Hi Karen- Just checking in. I hope your week is going along just fine. I loved Darryl's comments on book-reviewing too! How perfect.

I like Darryl's comments, as well. I don't tend to write very lengthy reviews and I tend to skim them when others write a lot or in great detail, but that's just me. I'm a kind of "let the art flow over you" reader (and reviewer). That said, I do enjoy a good review and there are several here who provide those with regularity. Darryl is certainly one of them.

Happy mid-week, Karen!

Hi, Mark! Week is only two days past chez moi, yesterday with kids was fine; today, house cleaners (yay!), doctor appt. (neutral, annual exam), new washer/dryer arrival (yay, + a $75 give back cuz we found a dent!), and then a meeting about By-Laws for a HOA (boring, but necessary, I guess). Gee..... that was only two days. Wednesday - hang out with kids. Thursday - hang out with kids + a Board meeting, and then! Friday: hang out with kids, and a photography group meeting.

How do I do this to myself? Really! this is my normal life, and it is not smart. A bit too much, methinks.

I'll get some reading in. Did you see, Mark, that I am reading The Long Walk: A Story of War and The Life That Follows by Brian Castner. I did not have many minutes of reading time today, but those I had I used on his book, and I'm hooked. It may take me unreasonably long to finish his book but I can see it is excellent.

Hi, Ellen, glad to have you back in God's Country! Happy Mid-Week to you, too! Loving the summertime.

Great review of Bend, Not Break, Karen! I'll add it to my wish list.

Morning Karen- The Long Walk was outstanding! I raved about it, about 2 years ago. One of the best NF titles about the current wars. Enjoy the day with the kids.

Darryl, I think you will find the book interesting and enjoyable. A quick read when you get to it.

Mark, yes, I remembered how much you liked it and put it on my wish list. Then I think I was able to put it on my Nook and it has been waiting for me. I find the books on the Nook are much quieter during their waiting period than the "dead tree" books. I do not think their quiet natures serve the well. The "dead tree" books are more likely to be picked up. But I was reviewing the Nook library and there it was insisting I read it now.

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu

I liked that review of Bend, Not Break, too, Karen. And your writing it is good for your brain, according to a recent study. l:-) I had a similar reaction to her book. She's seems like a remarkable woman.

Hope you're having a good one today!

Happy Thursday, Karen!

*smooch* as I lurk through

Back up to message 187 -- Joe, what's with Amazon? After hateful, negative, snarky messages regarding reviews, I simply don't visit or post reviews there.

Truly, I think that a book review for the most part is subjective, ie what you got from the book, what you liked, what you didn't.

I wrote a review regarding Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina which led to a personal diatribe from the author who called me racist...

I've never seen myself as racist, so it was quite a jolt.

One of the reasons I think our group works so well is because we respect each other. While one book may be good for me and not for you, still we respect that opinion.

On another topic, I'm placing The Long Walk on the tbr pile.

Morning Karen, sorry to hijack your thread. I hope your day is a lovely one.

Oh, no, Linda - no need for apology. I think discussions such as you offer is what makes having a thread here so fun. Thank you for coming by and sharing your thoughts. It is sad that Amazon's book reviews are untrustworthy. And how happy I am to read most of the reviews here on LT.

I might not always respect people's opinions but I appreciate their expressing them, and I like it that the reviews are generally polite and well written.

Hi, Richard and Ellen, glad to see your stopping by, too.

I visited the reviews on Amazon's of Bend Not Break after jnwelch commented on them in 187.

Unbelievable.

But that sort of campaign only ensure that I'll definitely read the book.

It reminds me of the sort of abuse that happened after Iris Chang wrote the Rape of Nanking.

I have not bothered to go read the Amazon reviews but perhaps I should and add one of my own.

I don't participate in the Amazon reviews of anything - books or stores, when I buy a used copy of something from them. The reason I don't review businesses is that the form doesn't allow a person to say constructive things, and basically it is just a check-off system. What can you say about the business except of the delivery was slow or fast - and that really isn't the fault of the business one way or the other. What can you say about a business when all you do is push a button on a computer and order a book from them? If they don't deliver what you ordered I think you should write that down and send it in, so following that logic all reviews of businesses on Amazon would be negative. If that were true then nobody would buy any used book from Amazon.

As for the book reviews - I don't look at them or write them for Amazon because I think the reason they are there is not for the same reasons I want to look at reviews. I use reviews for two purposes. One is professional. I am a librarian and need to know what a book is about so that I can decide if I need to add it to the collection. I also need to know the quality of that work because I want to spend my money on the best possible materials and get the most bang for my buck. (Accountability to the taxpayers, and all that.)

I use reviews on a personal level for a slightly different reason. I want to know what that title is about and if the review is from a trusted source - was it worth reading. I only have a given amount of time and I don't want to waste my time or money on something that is not written well. By trusted source I mean that I trust the person or entity writing the review. I either know the person who is basically making a recommendation and not really doing a review, or I know and trust the review source. My most trusted review sources are trade journals like Booklist, or New York Review of Books, or newspapers. I really like the Sunday reviews of books from NYT or Washington Post, but sadly they are doing less and less of that.

I don't like to write reviews, and I don't consider myself a good review writer. I either write too much or too little. I don't like to rant or rave, but I do want to convey what I thought about these books and have found that it is hard to write a review. I have come to think more and more that I should just rely on the professionals to write reviews. I can give a recommendation, but I'm not a good review writer.

That being said, I enjoy reading the recommendations of others on this thread and on other threads. I like to hear what people say about the books they read, and for that reason participate in group reads. It is also fun to hear what people are saying about books on threads like this one, so longer conversations about books are something I appreciate. The "buzz" allows me to know as much about a book as the reviews do.

Thanks, Benita, for your thoughts on the topic of reviews. I seldom bother with Amazon's. I did go poke around a bit for the Bend, Not Break book's reviews on Amazon and found them to be way too dense and argumentative. Wow! She made it all up! She's lying! bla bla bla

None of that interested me in the slightest. I did find some things in her story which seem hard to believe - for example, when she was "in trouble" with the government for the second time, they invited her to leave the country. I'm not sure that is how totalitarian governments behave. I think probably she had some family connections which enabled some strings to be pulled, and she was out of the country as a student. That is believable, but probably not worthy of publishing for fear of the strings and the pullers getting in trouble. That is how totalitarian regimes behave, if my sources of information over the course of 50 years of reading news and books is to be trusted. What do you think?

I like the reviews I read here on LibraryThing, and particularly those written by people I've encountered here over the last 6 years.

I'm not sure I've ever read an Amazon review all the way through....

I knew you were smart.

I am going to sleep now.

It's not so much the reviews on Amazon that are important to Bend not Break, but the controversy surrounding what is going on with this particular book and those particular reviews on A, BarneyNoble and other sites. Is it truly a spontaneous outpouring by outraged Chinese individuals or are the reviews a more synchronized revision of history?

But then, with DD's encouragement, I find East Asian politics very interesting.

I also find it interesting that this site is free of the controversial cut and paste reviews.

Yes, I agree LT is remarkably free of controversies which become uncivil, and free of book reviews which seem to have no connection to a real reader.

I wonder what your DD would think of Bend, not Break?

I asked Cait if she had heard of the Bend not Break controversy, but she hadn't.

I'm not having a lot of success keeping Planet To Be Read under control, but Bend Not Break is on my short list to purchase--not available through the library.

I'm am so darn contrary that I want to go to Amazon and in the comments for the negative review bombs write something like--"Thank you. You've convinced me to purchase the book." :-)

Cool! I totally get the contrarian impulse. "you all hate it, I'm going to check it out". "You Fail!" Ha ha ha. I am not impressed by crowd trashing people

I also understand having way too many TBR books. I'm actually putting some TBRs into boxes and storing them. Sigh.

Today: progress on painting the living room. And my two nieces and I are taking 5.5 feet of closet space and finding a way to put all my clothes in there, then the remainders go.....

should be fun.

Morning Karen- Just popping in to say hi! Hope the week went well and you are enjoying a kick-back weekend.

Hi, Mark. Week went by nicely. Youngest was doing a dance/gymnastics "camp" and I enjoyed watching her.

Weekend - not kicked back. Making progress prepping the house for selling it.

Take care of your self!

Have a happy, healthy contrarian week ahead!

I won't be contrary and join everyone else in wishing you a wonderful week ahead, dear lady.

Good wishes happily accepted. I created 3 large garbage bags worth of donated clothes for the Goodwill, and one more big bag of dead shoes to be thrown away. I'm so admiring the nearly empty big walk in closet off my bedroom.

The weather is lovely this time of year. The yard is cleaned up. Watering in the morning is serenaded by birds. I am pretty sure the week ahead will be swell. Thanks for stopping by and checking on my progress, Richard, and Paul.

You are being quite productive, Karen. Nicely done!
I hate to leave our delicious July weather but on Tuesday I must fly to DC. It's supposed to be mid-90s there and you know the humidity will be brutal. At least I expect to be inside most of the time.
I return on Friday evening and I'm already looking forward to it!

More progress today: trip to PO, sending a book to a good LT friend. I'm happy to do that! Trip to charity shop to drop off several bogs of clothes I have "let go". Trip to storage shed to drop off a couple of boxes of books I'll be reading in the future. Trip to a friend's house for lunch and some relaxation.

Somewhere in there I'll pick up the paint roller and try to paint at least one wall. My buddy the painter did all the prep work so it should not be too big a job for me.

Now when I will get any reading done is yet to be seen. But I'll somehow get some in.

*sits down with a cool drink in sympathetic exhaustion*

Well done, Richard.

I did drop off charity donations, I did mail the book, I did drive to my friend's and we rearranged the fantasy furniture in my fantasy studio apartment. The dogs had a great time. Big yard, lots of area for running about. We had a nice lunch.

The drive was long and exhausting. I did not paint. I did not read. I'm just barely keeping up with email.

sigh.

Summertime reading, 2013

Moving is a BIG deal, so cut yourself some slack. I am still moving into my house. I finally got all of the moving boxes opened a few weeks ago and I hope to get the curtains up in the dining room this weekend. I too have a load of stuff to take to the thrift shop, and hope to do that right before I leave on vacation. It just takes time and it is amazing how much can be done - doing it a little at a time.

I am a big fan of flylady -- www.flylady.net and her program of decluttering 15 minutes a day. I got sidetracked when DD was home for a month, but am back starting the babysteps.

It sounds like you are doing an awesome job, Karen!

Thanks, you guys, for stopping by and handing out some encouraging words.

The problem is that I have no way of knowing when the studio might come available. I need to begin the process of selling my two properties so that I have a chance of having the money available when the studio becomes available. There is some slack, but in this unpredictable market it is hard to know how hard it will be to sell.

So, the decluttering, etc. is all with an eye to making the house attractive to buyers. I am not likely to get much action if I can't put the house on the market until Christmas. So full speed ahead is probably the best policy. But I do know I can't wear myself down to a nubbin. This week is a week without kids and so I am definitely putting the big effort in, but after this week I'll probably be a little bit more relaxed.

Thanks for the encouragement, though. I appreciate your cheering me on!

I did discover I can pay for someone to shred my papers little by little so that is good news, too.

Love the pic of the kids reading!!!

>227 maggie1944: Nice!

I know! They just looked so comfortable, and happy reading. But truth be told they were probably playing some game on the Nooks. Sigh.

Yeah, well, just pretend they were reading. :-)

yes, there is that.

Unfortunately, their parents are not very encouraging of reading. Mom reads to them, but they like that cuz it is their time with Mom. Other than that there is precious little reading going on in that house.

but there is some, so I am not completely discouraged. It will be the books that win them over in the end.

Stopped in to catch up with you, dear. You have been very busy! I think the thing about kids and reading is that it's not just about reading to them, although that is huge. It is also about modeling reading and talking about reading. Kids love to share - thoughts, journeys, treasures... The key is to find that one magical book that they read all on their own that starts them down the road.

Wishing you the best of luck with your decluttering. Happy Thursday, dear, may it be full of fabulous!

Thanks for the happy Thursday. I have no outside commitments today so I can just pick away at the big To Do List. Will try to get significant painting done in living room but since my hands complain after a bit I'll stop when the pain tells me to do so. Then, take some more stuff to storage. Maybe post some more things for sale on Craig's List. Maybe pick up the Income Tax chore for a bit. Cook some muffins. Seems like that's a doable list of things to do.

I did receive a ARC from LT on Tuesday and I've jumped right into it. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune. A weird true story of a young woman who inherited a huge amount of money and then spent the rest of her life hiding from people. 360 pages of American history illustrated by this unique woman and her story. The book is written through a collaboration of her nephew (who did not know her before collaborating on this story) and a journalist. In just the first few pages I am hooked.

So, a happy Thursday it shall be, I think!

And now I wish you a Happy Friday!

Here's a poem Huguette quoted just months before she died in 2005, over 100 years old -

The Cricket

A poor litle cricket
Hidden in the flowery grass,
Observes the butterfly
Fluttering in the meadow.
The winged insect shines with the liveliest colors:
Azure, purple, and gold glitter on his wings;
Young, handsome, foppish he hastens from flower to flower,
Taking from the best ones.
Ah! says the cricket, how his lot and mine
Are dissimilar! Lady Nature
For him did everything, and for me nothing,
I have no talents, even less beauty;
No one takes notice of me, they know me not here below;
Might as well not exists.
As he was speaking, in the meadow
Arrives a troop of children,
Immediately they are running
After this butterfly, for which they all have a longing.
Hats, handkerchiefs, caps serve to catch him.
The insect in vain tries to escape,
He becomes soon their conquest.
One seizes him by the wing, another by the body;
A third arrives, and takes him by the head.
It should not be so much effort
To tear to pieces the poor creature.
Oh! Oh! says the cricket, I am no more sorry;
It costs too dear to shine in this world.
How much I am going to love my deep retreat!
To live happily, live hidden.

Pour vivre heureux, vivons caché.

I love that poem and it certainly gives a little peak into her life, lived in seclusion all those years.

You said it, Karen - that good poem seems to fit her worldview, from what you've said about the book.

Sorry to hear about the uncertain timing with the studio. That certainly makes a big change in your life that much dicier. But I know you'll handle it all with aplomb.

Hope you're setting up for a good weekend. We're wrapping up our vacation and heading back tomorrow. Darn it. :-)

Joe, I think tonight's dinner with friends, and tomorrow's picnic and Seattle Storm game will fill my need for fun and games! Then on Sunday, serious getting ready to hang with the kids. Its all good.

Sounds great! Have mucho fun.

Karen- Just checking in, my friend! It looks like you have a nice weekend planned. Enjoy!

Joe and Mark, thank you for stopping by and wishing me good times. I'm going to go out today and collect; although yesterday was pretty good, too. I went to visit with my friend who is dog sitting in a new area being developed outside of Seattle. A long ways outside, past all the previously developed suburbs. There are a bunch of three story houses build smack dab next to each other with big open spaces between. Everything is brand new. A big new hospital, a huge new shopping mall is being put in, and apartments, condos, and houses. The house where I visited has a postage stamp sized yard, smaller than mine, and mine is small! It has three levels, a two car garage, four bedrooms (small) and multiple bathrooms. The kitchen, dining and living area is all open and no bigger than my house's. This place sold for over a half a million dollars! Amazing. It was fun to see but I would not want to live in an area where everyone can afford a house that expensive. These people will never encounter a "poor" person again unless they work somewhere where diversity exists. And we looked at a retirement place similar to the one where I'm hoping to land, and their monthly dues were all over $4000-5000/month!

OK, I did not mean to jump onto that soap box.... I had a good time. And plan to have a good time today, too.

Nice words from the guys for a very nice lady Karen. Don't let the stresses and strains of the upheaval of moving get you down.
You are certainly providing a reminder Karen that you need plenty of money to enjoy your Autumn years.
Have a lovely weekend. xx

Paul, you are very kind to remind me to not be "down". And I shall not be! Today is a picnic and a big ole basketball game! And my young nephew will be my date; he is the best, full of enthusiasm and youthful fun. No better date! Thanks for stopping by.

*smooch* Have fun at the picnic/basketball extravaganza.

Tuscaloosa is not Seattle, but we have the same housing problem. Most of the new building, since the tornado, is expensive upscale housing. Very little being built for people with families and a lower income. I just have to wonder, who is buying all those huge expensive houses and apartments. When I was looking for a house I finally found one in an older "blue collar" neighborhood. Even then I get a break on the rent because I know the people who own it. I just don't understand the housing situation. All I know is it takes more money than I make to buy one and keep it up. In this situation it is hard to keep from getting discouraged.

It is the fault of the capitalists who insist their money must grow as if it was a plant. No such thing as just building something which pays for itself, it must pay for itself and then continue to pay, and in the end, those of us who are not practicing capitalists get screwed. Simple. Our job is to keep what little money is provided us in circulation, just spend it. And in the end.... I do not know. We will probably have to live together in small communities with just the bare minimum essentials. Hopefully, we will have access to essentials.

Cynical? Who me? Noooooooo, not me.

I think a small room in a community will be a good thing. I'm hoping.

I have always said that it is OK for us to put young people in dormitories and call it "learning to live in a community." But when we put old people in them it is a bad thing. I like living in my dormitory in college and lived there for five years. I often wonder if I would feel the same about it now?

I loathed living in dorms. Being around that many people, many of whose habits and lifestyles conflict with mine, being forced to socialize constantly with random people, was horrible. I hate living in apartments for much the same reason. I would love to live in a house by myself with my nearest neighbor...not very near. I'll probably never be able to afford that, though (and there are reasons I wouldn't want it, also).

Ah! Well, there many kinds of people, some of whom thrive on being with people, and I'm one of those. I do need my "alone time" but I also love being around people and passing the time of day with them. I see myself enjoying reading in a library with others and eating dinner with other people, too. I think I was meant to live in a commune although I do have problems with being told what to do; never tell me what to think. Ha.

Any way, I think if I can swing the money it will be good for me to be in the community I've found. But you never can tell.

Benita, you might feel quite differently or you might enjoy it again. You seem very social and outgoing and I'll bet you'd emerge a leader in any community.

Bluesally, I do know there are people like you. My best friend's husband just hates hates hates being in cities even. He gets very angry just being in traffic, does not require bad driving.

It is diversity of people which makes life so interesting and fun, so viva la difference!

I'm thinking of you as the time of your surgery is ten days away...right?

Hugs!

Linda, thank you. It is scheduled for July 31, Wednesday, so yes about 10 days away. I will be appreciating all the good vibes you can send my way.

I didn't mind living in an apartment that much, but I also enjoy my house. The idea of a commune also appeals to me. Lots of positives if you can take the close quarters.

I know that some people just didn't like the dormitories, but it was a good chance to meet people. My niece did't mind it, but my nephew did not like it at all.

It is a good thing that there are all kinds of people who would like to live in different kinds of places. I just have trouble with the size and cost of these houses that are being built, and wonder why most of them seem to be very expensive. Are there really that many rich people? Or are we buying into the consumer culture even with our homes?

You ask good questions, Benita. And I don't know. The house that I visited has a two income couple buying it. No children. Two rescued dogs. One works for the City of Seattle Transportation dept. and I think the other sells medical devices. Sales can be a good income. I imagine they spend a lot on their mortgage.

As for retirement communities, well, I think the folks who work with "elderly" are not over paid so I expect the costs have a good deal to do with amortizing construction costs, insurance costs, and the operation and maintenance of the facility. Swimming pool, exercise room, large scale kitchen. Imagine maintaining 130 bathrooms and kitchens used by forgetful and frail people. (That's me: forgetful and frail)

It gets complicated quickly, doesn't it.

Meanwhile when I have time to read I am working on Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune. This elderly person chose to spend the last several years of her life in a hospital even though she owned several mansions which she also maintained by paying people to keep them ready for her visit at any time. She never visited them for the last several decades of her life. Very unusual way to spend a large fortune. Too bad she did not leave me a tidy sum.

good grief this is my June thread....I've lost track of my other thread...

Woe: not only did I put a big ole scratch on the right side of my car but an accidental parking by a stranger put a scratch on the left side of my car. And the dogs, while I'm not home, knocked a beautiful lamp off the dining room table broke it and put a big gouge in the floor. Ugly. Bad luck. I'm getting another message from the universe. I am going to postpone putting the house on the market. I'm going to continue with de-cluttering, etc. but I can not keep up this pace.

The good news is that the guy who hit me left a note taking responsibility and he'll pay for fixing the damage. Also, my niece working for a dealership knows good body place to do the fixing. I am slowing down. Officially. I also, bought Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at The End of the Lane: A Novel which I am sure will cheer me right up.

OK, I'm off to start a new thread....