Scaifea's 2014 Challenge - Thread #24

Welcome to The Twenty-Fourth Thread!

This year, since I read a fair amount of children's books, I think I'll open my threads with photos of the work of some of my favorite picture book illustrators.

I love Roald Dahl, and there's every indication that, after reading one book, Charlie does, too. And for me, Quentin Blake and Roald Dahl go together like, well, something really wonderful and something else really wonderful:





Below you’ll find an explanation of my reading habits, which, I warn you, is a bit crazy. Usually I have about 10-12 books going at once, one each from the following groups (and occasionally other books slipped in there, too):

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m currently working through three lists:
a. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
b. The CYOA books
c. The Newbery Honor books

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

5. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

6. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker lists (combined, in chronological order)

7. For this category, I cycle through 7 different stacks:
a. A book from my shelves which I haven't yet read
b. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. Stephen King's bibliography (in chronological order)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)

8. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book.

9. A book from my Classics shelves.

10. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

11. Book-a-year challenge: Last year at some point, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've decided, again, to follow Paul's lead and try to fill in some of those blanks, and so I'm adding an entry here to my lists.

12. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

And on top of these, there will be a multitude of picture books, which Charlie and I read together. I only list picture books that I or we read for the first time - no repeat reads will be mentioned here (and they are legion).

So, now you've got a glimpse of just how neurotic I am.
Please feel free to post comments, recommendations, or whatever else strikes your fancy. And Happy Reading, everyone!



What I'm reading now:
-Sanctuary (Banned Books list)
-Cedric, the Forester (Newbery Honor Book list)
-Faust (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Presidential Challenge)
-One Summer (audio book)
-The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (Hugo award list)
-Enemy of God (from the TBR shelves)
-E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core! (Charlie's bed-time book)
-The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine (off of my classics shelves)
-Deity Yoga (buddhism list)
-Lady Windemere's Fan (year-by-year book list, 1893)
-Paddle Your Own Canoe (from the READ ME NOW pile)
-The Iliad (everyday audio book in the car)
-The Haunted Bookshop (sequel to Parnassus on Wheels)
-The Last Temptation of Christ (Banned Books list, Summer Book Bingo challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1

And here's my list for the Reading Bingo, which seems to be taking us 75ers by storm. Like many others, I'll not make an extra effort to fill it, but rather just see which of the books I read this year happen to fit what categories:

More than 500 pages: The Sterkarm Handshake
Forgotten Classic: The Man in the High Castle
Book that became a movie: The World of Pooh
Published this year: Packaging Your Crafts
Number in the title: 45 & 47 Stella Street
Written by someone under 30: Cirque du Freak
Book with non-human characters: Odd and the Frost Giants
Funny Book: Diggers
Female Author: Flora & Ulysses
Book with a mystery: One Came Home
One-Word Title: Truckers
Book of short stories: M Is for Magic
Set on a different continent: Wings
Non-Fiction: Buddhism for Beginners
First book by a favorite author:
Heard about online: A Darkling Plain
Best-selling book: Still Foolin' Em
Based on a true story: John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life
Book at the bottom of TBR pile:
Book my friend loves: Stories I Only Tell My Friends
Book that scares me: The American Red Cross First Aid & Safety Handbook
More than 10 years old: The Genie in the Bottle
Second book in a series: E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!
Blue cover: The Life and Times of Paddington Bear

Also, here's the list of all categories for my local library's Summer Book Bingo Challenge (the ones specifically on my own Bingo card on in bold):

Come to a library program: Mad Science of Iowa show
Find a something (plant, animal, mineral, planet, etc) and identify it with a library resource.
Find the secret phrase onfacebook.com/plattevillepubliclibrary or plattevillepubliclibrary.org/adults.
Listen to a music CD you haven’t heard before: Now That I've Found You - Alison Krauss
Listen to an audiobook: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Read a book about how to do something: The Unforgettable Photograph
Read a book about someone from a different culture.
Read a book and watch the movie: Dune
Read a book by an author with the same last initial as you.
Read a book from the new book shelves: Packaging Your Crafts
Read a book from the children’s shelves: Should I Share My Ice Cream?
Read a book from the teen shelves: Predator's Gold
Read a book in a series: Infernal Devices
Read a book in large print.
Read a book longer than 300 pages.
Read a book of poetry or a novel written in verse.
Read a book set in the future: This Immortal
Read a book set in the past: Little House in the Big Woods
Read a book set in the present.
Read a book set outside the United States.
Read a book shorter than 150 pages.
Read a book that is not in a series: The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Read a book that is scientifically impossible.
Read a book that is scientifically possible.
Read a book that makes you laugh.
Read a book that mentions a place you want to visit.
Read a book that says “by a bestselling author” on the cover.
Read a book that won an award: Babel-17
Read a book where “sparks fly”: A Darkling Plain
Read a book with a battle against the elements.
Read a book with a color in the title.
Read a book with a love story: Lady Chatterley's Lover
Read a book with a number in the title.
Read a book with a one word title.
Read a book with an explosion.
Read a book with an investigation in it.
Read a book with pictures in it Horton Hatches the Egg
Read a book without a love triangle.
Read a book you heard about in the media or online.
Read a book you keep “meaning to get around to.”
Read a cookbook and try a recipe: 500 Cupcakes (Lemon Cupcakes)
Read a folk tale or a book based on a folk tale.
Read a graphic novel: Hello Kitty: Here We Go!
Read a magazine from cover to cover: High Five - June 2014
Read a memoir or biography.
Read a newspaper that you don’t normally read.
Read a nonfiction book.
Read a short story or essay.
Read out loud for half an hour.
Read outside for an hour.
Read the same book as someone else and discuss it.
Try something recommended by someone at the library: It's Always Something
Use the microfilm machine to look at the Platteville Journal from the week you turned 5.
Watch a movie based on a true story.
Watch a movie with the subtitles on.

Books Read (see previous threads for previous reads):

JULY
399. Sparky! (public library book) - 9/10
400. Never Ever (public library book) - 8/10
401. Spark (public library book) - 8/10
402. ABC of Jobs (public library book) - 8/10
403. Another Brother (public library book) - 9/10
404. (#62) Journey to the West (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy list) - 9/10
405. (#63) Packaging Your Crafts (Summer Book Bingo Challenge) - 8/10
406. If You Made a Million (public library book) - 8/10
407. (#64) Lady Chatterley's Lover (Banned Books list) - 7/10
408. (#65) The Unforgettable Photograph (Summer Book Bingo challenge) - 9/10
409. The Dark, Dark Night (public library book) - 10/10
410. Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies (public library book) - 9/10
411. Listen to My Trumpet! (public library book) - 9/10
412. Why Should I Recycle? (public library book) - 8/10
413. My Neighborhood: The Hospital (public library book) - 8/10
414. Me First! (public library book) - 8/10

The Charlie Topper. Here he is, livin' it up in my parents' back yard:

And the Bonus Question:

If you could change your name, what would you pick?

On the agenda for today:
Possibly painting, since it didn't happen yesterday (and Charlie's really excited because he'll get to help with the really-real painting for the first time today, helping his Dad paint his (Charlie's) fort), some sewing and some reading - I'm going to finish Journey to the West today!! Oh, and this morning, once Charlie's up, I'll fry up the beignets. My first time making them - I'll let you know how it goes...
We've tons of leftovers in the fridge, so no cooking for me today, which means more time for sewing and reading!

If I could change my name I would change it to ANYTHING that is easy to spell. With the "ph" in Stephen and an inexplicable silent letter in my last name, I have to spell the whole thing out every time someone asks for it. I'd like to say that at least it's a very unique name, but quite the opposite is true, as I share my name with my father. Argh!

>5 Ape: People don't spell "Stephen" correctly? Weird. My brother was a "Steven" and I always thought that that was the less common way of spelling it...
Nobody ever got my maiden name right, and when I got married, I thought, "Okay, now I've got a 1-syllable name and things will be easier!" Nope. Nobody gets this one right, either. *sigh*

Well, it's the fact that there are multiple spellings that forces me to spell it out loud every time.

By the way, you aren't related to that Richard Mellon Scaife, are you? :P

Happy New thread, Amber! It seems like I saw that, a lot around here. LOL. Love the Charlie SuperBoy topper. Have a fine Sunday!

>7 Ape: Stephen: No. Different branch of Scaifes, unfortunately. A chunk of *that* inheritance would have been very nice...

>8 msf59: Hi, Mark! Same to you!

Super Charlie! Love it.

When I was in the eighth grade, my best friend Debbie and I wrote a Harlequin romance together (stop laughing!). Even at that age I knew that a name that you have to spell by saying "Capital L, A, capital B as in boy ..." and has 6 vowels in a total of 10 letters (first and last name combined) was not going to cut it. In my desperate search for a perfectly normal last name, I became Mikki Foster. I still use "Foster" sometimes when I have to give my name at the hostess desk in restaurants, because it's just easier.

I missed your entire last thread, Amber, so I am jumping on this one! LOVE Charlie in his Superman shirt! Stephen's comments about his name had me laughing because I have two BILs named Steve - one is Stephen and the other is Steven.

Change my name? Hm. I always disliked (no, I take that back, I hated) my name as a kid because I thought it made me sound like an old hag but now that I'm old enough to change it, I've gotten used to it.
I've been told I look like a Nathalie, which, uhm, is a weird thing to say but Nathalie is a nice name, I think so that's, well, nice.
But if I did change I'd probably go with a name that's in the family. One of my great-grandmothers' names, maybe.

Regarding Dickens in the last thread...

I've not read all his books. Far from it. Maybe half? Can't quite remember. But I liked them all a lot and I love the social conscience Dickens had (which I know a lot of people think get overbearing and I can agree he's pretty heavy-handed at times but I like it nonetheless). I don't see myself chugging Dickens novels the way I did in my teenage years (seriously, I read Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickleby in one go!) but I'd like to read them all eventually. Maybe one per year?

Hi Amber, great new thread yet again my dear, thanks for the birthday message, I am having a lovely day.

>6 scaifea: Amber, like you I thought my married name would make life way easier. I would no longer have to spell my surname when dealing with doctor's offices or customer services anywhere. But no, they never seemed able to find me in their database. After a few years "Lindsay with an A-Y" rolled off my tongue just as easily as spelling my maiden name letter-by-letter. Sigh.

>7 Ape: I was going to ask the same question, Stephen. I've never encountered another "Scaife", and had forgotten about that guy, whose name apparently didn't register when he was in the news back in the day. I think I'm glad Tomm doesn't have to claim him, although, as Amber said, just a few of the stray bucks from his pocket would be swell.

I don't have a quibble with my name, at all. When I was a teenager, I tried to convince people for a while that my name was really "Melinda", but that was only because my Mom had a lovely handmade leather purse with her initial tooled on it (she's Margaret), and she let me use it from time to time. Then, of course, there's the fact that my parents contemplated naming me "Peggy Lynn" (my Dad's name being Lynn, and "Peggy" being one of my Mom's nicknames). I think I was so grateful that they didn't do that, that I just always thought "Linda" was fine. In general, I find people can't spell other people's names. My birth name is Snyder. Simple enough, but you wouldn't believe how often it got spelled "Synder". Linda Cinder was NOT how I wanted to be known!

Amber, congrats on your new thread. I'm very happy with my name and never thought about to change it.

>10 rosalita: Julia: Ha - Love it! Julia, by the way, is one of my absolute favorite names, and we were considering it for Charlie, had he been a girl.

>11 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie!

>12 PawsforThought: Paws: Oh, Natalie is a lovely name!

>13 PawsforThought: Paws: It would take a good while to read through his whole corpus, wouldn't it? Best of luck! :)

>14 johnsimpson: John: The Birthday Boy stopped by! Yay!!

>15 lauralkeet: Laura: *sympathy sigh*

>16 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Unfortunately, many of the Scaifes on Tomm's side do share the Mellon-Scaife politics, Tomm not included, of course...
Love the purse story! And I have to admit that I had to look back and forth at "Snyder" and "Synder" for a bit before I saw the mistake.

>17 Ameise1: Well, no wonder, Barbara - you've a beautiful name!

Beignets, anyone? They turned out very tasty, but I don't think I'll be making them again any time soon - the dough was a bear to work with:

I don't mind my name, except that it was, before I got married and changed the last name to one with only 4 letters, very long. I'm actually "Catherine" with a "C" and being known as "Katie" with a "K" has always been rather confusing (to other people). I like having a formal name and a nickname (or multiple nicknames). I'm mostly Katie, but my cousins call me Kat, my husband calls me Kate, and my little cousins call me Kiki.

My middle name is Margaret, and I wouldn't mind having that as my first name. Maybe be called Maggie or Meg or something. But there are lots of Margarets in my family, so that might be kind of boring.

Anyway, happy Sunday, Amber, and happy new thread! Don't blame you a bit for hoping it rains today so as to avoid painting :)

#1 You have a picture of a King book without listing it in post 1. Tsk tsk.

#2 No desire to change my name. I've always liked it although I wish people would learn to say/spell it. It's Lenora. Not Lenore, Eleanor, Leonora, Laura, Lorraine or Lanora. I go by Nora now because I got so tired of people screwing it up. So I guess my answer is, I'd like to go back to my full name. I also like my last name now. Though my previous married name was awful, Eldred. Ew. Just did not go with my first name at all. Should have known. Now I'm an "LL" and it looks quite lovely.

#3 for >5 Ape:

>20 katiekrug: Katie: I love both Catherine and Kate, and I've always been fond of Meg, too.

>21 Morphidae: Morphy: I just *knew* you'd be the one to point that out! HA! Since I'm doing this Summer Book Bingo for the library, I've strayed a bit from my usual rotation. The picture is of (some of) the books that I've planned to read this summer to fill out the bingo card and all other possible categories, some books of which are already on the 'currently reading' list and some that are not.
Also - *love* the Phteven!

One of my daughters is a Kathryn/Kate, so I'm partial to that name as well!

>23 lauralkeet: Laura: The name Kate always makes me think of Kiss Me, Kate...

>21 Morphidae: LOL ... love Phteven, Morphy. And I thought I've seen some interesting name spells from Starbucks order takers.

Someone who, upon meeting me for the first time, told me I didn't look like my name once, and that I looked more like a Leslie. Huh? What does a Leslie look like, I asked, to which I received a shrug as the response. Weird person.

Hope you're enjoying a good Sunday, Amber.

>25 cameling: What a silly question, Caro - a Leslie clearly looks like you! Ha!

404. (62nd non-picture book read) Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy list, 2346 pages (!!)) - 9/10
A classic Chinese mythological novel about the priest Sanzang and his magical disciples, who travel to the west in search of Buddhist sutra.
It's an episodic saga chockfull of monsters, sword-fighting, all sorts of magic, and even a healthy dose of slapstick. I loved it! Even though it took me over a year to get through (I started it on June 13 last year), I loved it!

>24 scaifea: Well that's better than "that name reminds me of a kid who threw up in my 2nd grade class," which ruled out more than one baby name during my pregnancies.

I like my real name (which is not casvelyn) enough that I don't think I'd change it. At any rate, I don't know of any name I like better.

Although, if I was changing my name, I'd change it to my nickname: Thalia. In college a group of friends all decided that we needed nicknames based on characters from Greek mythology. I became Thalia, after the Muse of comedy, because I have a witty sense of humor and like to make people laugh. As we found out later, there's another Thalia, one of the three Graces, who's known for banquets and festivities. I'm also known for my dinner parties, so it's really quite an appropriate name.

>Laura: Ha! We ruled out a few names that way, too.

>29 casvelyn: Excellent! You know you had me at Greek mythology...

Hmm; names. In general, I like mine, though I don't like my husband's surname.

>5 Ape: I have to spell my name every time, too. There are a lot of people who want to spell Rachel as Rachael. But I still love my name :)

Happy new thread Amber!

>30 scaifea: I know :)

I don't think I want to change my name either. I've always liked it. I'm named after characters in a Taylor Caldwell novel. Fortunately I thought to ask my mother which one before she died.

I have a one syllable, 4 letter last name that no one ever pronounces correctly the first time. I live across the road from a family with the same last name and they pronounce it differently. I have to choose between spelling my name or mispronouncing it so I don't have to spell it.

>31 humouress: I like your name, too!

>32 The_Hibernator: Really? Rachael, eh? Huh.

>33 casvelyn:: :)

>34 cbl_tn: Ha! Do you really mis-pronounce it for people? Too funny.

That's a great picture of Charlie!

I've never been overly fond of my name. Growing up it was as common as dirt. There were times when I was in a classroom with up to 4 Judy's. The name I always wished my parents had chosen instead is Julia. My married last name of Scott is short, simple and easy to spell so I am very happy with that.

Yes, I do, but usually in situations like talking to customer service on the phone, when I'm not likely to see the person socially.

Well I like my name (Rhonda). It requires spelling, which is not very effective because people leave out the "h" even when I spell it for them. But oh well, my mom chose the name in order to name me after my dad (Ron) so I figure the name has good ju-ju.

In my youth, I wanted a name which was more aristocratic, dainty and feminine (thus totally unlike me) and wished I'd been named Elaine. No idea where I got Elaine from, and now it doesn't sound any classier than Rhonda.

I was *this* close to being named Inga Regina.

A last minute change of mind saved me from that fate. I've been grateful to my Mom ever since. Although in the rush to come up with a new name, I didn't get a middle one. Always wanted three initials for a proper monogram. No matter. I'm so thrilled to have avoided Inga, I'll stick with what I've got.

So many people who have to suffer through people misspelling their names. I don't get it. I always ask how a name is spelled if there is any way it could have two or more spellings.
My name is very easy (for Swedes) to spell but apparently very easily confused with other names (Morphy - I feel your pain!)

>29 casvelyn: Oh, what a lovely way to receive a nickname! If it were me, I think I'd like to be Calliope or Melpomene. They're my favourites. (Note to self: read more about Greek myths!)
Sounds like your muse is a perfect fit for you!

>40 michigantrumpet: My 4th-6th grade teacher was called Inga! It's common enough among that age group, I think (she'd be in her 80's now).

>18 scaifea: Eh, it's not that bad. I'm at least 1/3 done already and I don't think any of them were that difficult to read. Long, yes, but not difficult or slow, really. Even David Copperfield went by fairly quickly. The upside of writing novels with a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, I suppose.

Well, Jim's pretty hard to screw up, and my actual name, James, isn't a problem either. The last name? It gets e's where i's should be and too many or not enough n's. But it could be worse. I had a friend in elementary school named Ignatius Aloysius Mattingly. We called him Bud.

>41 PawsforThought: But I'm not 80!!!

I often get asked to spell my name and I don't know why. People know how to spell Robert so why not Roberta. I used to just say like Robert with an A and then my friends used to call me Robert A. Ha! I go by Ro or Roberta but I always wanted to be a Megan. I was supposed to be Katherine/Catherine but my parents couldn't agree on the spelling with a C or K. Instead I got named after my grandfather. I wouldn't have minded Kathy, Kath, or Katie. My choice would have been with the Katherine with a K.

>20 katiekrug: Now you are also known as KAK! Whoop!

>37 DeltaQueen50: Judy: Well, my MIL is a Judy, so I have certain associations with it, but not with you! You're a Good Judy in my book! :)

>38 cbl_tn: Carrie: I have a friend who finally became fed up with service folk not getting her Japanese name correct and started giving out Veronica instead. I love her real name, but I also think she makes a lovely Veronica, too!

>39 banjo123: Ha! I, in fact, like Rhonda much more than Elaine...

>40 michigantrumpet: Maryellen: No Inga, eh? I kinda like it...

>41 PawsforThought: You absolutely should read more Greek mythology! Everyone should!! *ahem*

>42 PawsforThought: Isn't David Cooperfield the one that they read aloud in the 'suspenseful' bit of the Gone with the Wind movie? I always think of Scarlett as being so impatient with it when I see that title. Ha!

>43 drneutron: Jim: I have a James/Jim brother, so I'm pretty fond of that name myself. He has the slight misfortune of being a Smith, though, so lots of mistaking him for the myriad other Jim Smiths in the world...

>44 michigantrumpet: *snork!* Of course you're not, Mary Jo!

>45 luvamystery65: Really?! People don't know how to spell Roberta? Again I say, weird.

405. (63rd non-picture book read this year) Packaging Your Crafts by Viola E. Sutanto (Summer Book Bingo Challenge, 176 pages) - 8/10
A book full of ideas on various creative ways to package and present one's craft projects and products. I found a couple of ideas that I may try out for my shop, but otherwise most of the suggestions require more time and effort than I'm willing to apply to it.

I finished another sewing project today, albeit a quick and easy one - I made myself a new ironing board cover:



I just love the fabric, don't you?

>46 scaifea: Does your brother belong to the Jim Smith society?

>47 scaifea: Right?

>49 scaifea: LOVE! Wouldn't mind a dress like that either.

>46 scaifea: >47 scaifea: And I get to try on all sorts of names over here!

>50 luvamystery65: Roberta: I don't think he does, but I'm not sure. And, yes, I'd love a dress like that, too! I have a similar pattern but just haven't done it yet.

>51 michigantrumpet: Mary Sue: You sure do!

>46 scaifea: Well, I've already pulled out my brother's Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes books and I borrowed another one from the library so I'm on the right path. (Haven't started reading yet.) I'm going in to town either tomorrow or the day after so I'll peek into the library and see what they have on the myths.

Ugh, don't remind me of Gone With the Wind! I'll be happy if I never have to think about Scarlett O'Hara again in my life. (In other words, I have no idea if they read DC in it.)

I have sympathy for your brother. My last name is insanely common as well and there's nothing I can do about it (I'm not going to change it just willy-nilly)! I'm hoping my future spouse will have a slightly less common name (if it's as common as mine, I'm not changing).

>49 scaifea: Love the fabric! Perfect for an ironing board!

Finally joining the party. Happy week ahead, Amber!

That ironing board cover is sooo June Cleaver. I love it!

>45 luvamystery65: - I ended up Catherine with a C and Katie with a K because my father had an aunt Katherine whom he loathed and didn't want anyone to think I was named after her, hence the Catherine. But both my parents wanted to call me Katie and thought "Catie" looked weird (which I tend to agree with), so... boom! Life-long confusion. Shoulda just named me Margaret Catherine :) My sister's name is Ann. Much easier... except she always had to contend with the people who wanted to put an "e" on the end, so maybe nothing is perfect.

And of course, I love KAK as my fourth nickname!

>19 scaifea: I've made beignets before. I agree that they are not super easy. I often just purchase the Cafe Du Monde mix for them which makes the process a little less painful. However, any way you look at it, they are messy to make!

Regarding the name/nickname thread, my cousin beat me to the name I was supposed to have had in honor of my great grandmother on my mother's paternal side so my brothers ended up naming me. It ended up being a similar name with the same origin and meaning. I really never had a nickname until my second nephew came along. Kids have difficulty with the L's and R's when they are first learning to talk. At first he called me, "Lo," but then he figured out that it had more than one syllable, and I became "LoLo."

>53 PawsforThought: Oh, yay for mythology!!

>54 richardderus: Thanks, Richard!

>55 lauralkeet: Laura: I know, right?! I love it!

>56 katiekrug: Go, KAK! :)

>57 thornton37814: Lori: One of my best friends growing up was a Lori, so I have a soft spot for that name. I quite like "LoLo" as a nickname, too!

406. If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
A look at money - how much each coin and bill are worth relative to one another, how banks work, how checks work...
Kind of good, but the illustrations were weird (small quibble, but still).

>34 cbl_tn: In a business connection, I used to know a woman whose last name was Frey. Apparently there was often confusion on how to pronounce it, and she had a wicked sense of humor. She would introduce herself as "Mary FRAY, Joe FRY's wife". (Not real first names of either.)

Hi Amber, nice new thread you've got here. And I love the June Cleaver ironing board cover. Love it. My name was fairly common when I was a child and there were several Bonnies in my school. Not very common anymore. If I could change it I don't really know what I'd change it too.

In past years, I thought quite a bit about changing my name. The sheer number of women named Jennifer in this world, especially close to my age is appalling (thank you Love Story). I'm over it. I have no idea what I would like better at this point. I do not EVER answer to Jenny though.

Love the ironing board cover! And super-Charlie.

>60 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: *snork!*

>61 brenzi: Bonnie: It's funny how names go in and out of fashion. We went with Charles in part because it seems a nice, old name that beats the system on some ways - isn't too old-fashioned but not a fad kind of name, either. Plus, he can be Charlie now and Charles later, if he wants.

>62 nittnut: Jenn: I've always loved Jennifer, though. One of my very best friends through school is a Jennifer.

On the agenda for today:
Today marks the beginning of Charlie's summer swimming lessons, which run Monday through Thursday for two weeks. So life will be slightly more hectic round here for a bit. Charlie is super excited, though, and has been counting the days down to this one for very nearly a year. But beyond that trip to the pool, today should be a quiet one. Bills, laundry, a bit a cooking (Charlie's Chili for dinner), maybe some baking. Hopefully some sewing and reading.
On the reading front: I finished another book last night (details to follow in a bit)! I finally feel like I'm making progress on the Summer Book Bingo challenge!

Today's calendar book sounds like an after-school special: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. A YA about a girl who calls 911 at a party and then becomes a pariah amongst her peers. Hm. No thanks. Unless some of you can sing its praises...?

I read Fever 1793 by the same author and thought it was alright, but that's the best I can do.

>64 scaifea: Stephen: I really do think that the blurbs for this calendar are very poor. Especially since the ones for books that I've read and loved make me think, "Oh, that book doesn't sound very good..." Ha!

>35 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. In that case, I won't change my name ;0)

Love the ironing board cover - very pretty and appropriate; might ask you to make me one, too.

I'm enjoying all the name stories.

Got to go - bedtime for the kids!

>67 humouress: Nina: Thanks! It was a pretty easy project, although I don't know that I could find more of that particular fabric - I bought the last of it at the local shop!

Morning Amber! Hot & muggy here. Ugh! I read Speak, along with my daughter, for school. I don't remember much about it. Have a good day!

407. (64th non-picture book read this year) Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence (Banned Books list, 362 pages) - 7/10
Connie is thoroughly unhappy with her life as Lady to Lord Chatterley (who is wheelchair-bound and incapable of his husbandly duties, among other things), unhappy with her life as companion to him and his 'intellectual' friends, who do nothing much but sit round the fire and talk philosophy and such. So she sleeps with one or two of these 'friends', but can't seem to find satisfaction with them, either, as they all seem to have various hangups about sex and women and they all frustrate her immensely. Then she falls in with the gardener, who straddles both worlds: working class and the upper classes, and shows her a good time. Scandal ensues, of course.
*Sigh* This is the second Lawrence I've read and I really don't care for his writing style. He spends so much time inside his characters' heads, telling us how they feel and what they're thinking. And I know that this is to a certain extent a product of the time and genre in which he's writing, but, gah, I do not like it. I just want to shake them and say, "Stop namby-pambying and *do* something, for sobbing out loud!" And when they do 'do it,' in this novel at least, it's quite vulgar and silly. Apparently Lawrence wanted to take the vulgarity out of certain taboo words and tries to do so by using them in a matter-of-fact way here, but it doesn't work; it just makes the novel seem lewd and, well, silly. And I get that he's trying to make a juxtaposition between spiritual, intellectual life and the physical world (and there's a fair amount of raging against the industrial-age machine in there, too), but that doesn't make it a good read. And one more thing: after reading this one and Women in Love, it seems that Lawrence fancies that he knows women and how they think. Um, no. Sorry, but no. At least not how *this* woman thinks. Ha!

Bonus Question:

I remember being unhappy about my name when I was a kid. I think I just thought it was boring. (And it was very common in my school.) I would have preferred my middle name (Elizabeth) to my first (Laura)--though "Elizabeth" was probably even more common! I also disliked the fact that both my first and last names were short. I thought there was nothing to "latch on to" in the name. As I grew up I started to think that was kind of silly, but I have to say that people very often don't understand me when I say my name, especially on the phone, and I wonder if it has anything to do with the short, nearly mono-syllabic-ness of it. Apparently I was almost "Katie," which was vetoed on the basis of the alliteration with our last name, but, ironically (of course!) I think I might have preferred it. Though after all these years, even though I still sometimes think I'd have liked to be something else, I can't quite conceive of being called anything else.

>63 scaifea: Plus, he can be Charlie now and Charles later, if he wants.
Yeah, that was my rationale for Kathryn/Kate although she was never a Katie. She uses Kathryn now on her resume, and last summer her employer called her Kathryn, she never said "call me Kate," and then *had* to be Kathryn all summer. Awkward!

>72 lauralkeet: - I always wanted to be called Kate, but no one would oblige. Then my then-boyfriend (now husband) just randomly started referring to me as Kate, and I knew it was meant to be ;-)

I read a line in a book once, "Don't call me Katie. I hate it. It makes me sound like a poodle!" and I've never been able to get past the fact that I might have a poodle's name!

>73 katiekrug: I knew the Wayne was a smart guy! And this is where I admit I knew a Katie in high school who was a complete ditz. No way was my daughter going to be a Katie! Of course you've improved my perception of Katies enormously ... :D

>71 lycomayflower: Laura: I think from the comments here it's pretty clear that people just have trouble understand and spelling names no matter what they are. Crazy.

>72 lauralkeet: Laura: Oh, she missed the Kate window - how funny!

>73 katiekrug: Katie: Aw, love the Kate story! I don't get how Katie sounds like a poodle, though...

I have to wonder if my mom, Dale, wishes she had a different name. She's always getting mail to "Mr." Dale (last name.)

What's even better is that she didn't take her husband's last name. So she'll get mail for "Mr." Dale (husband's last name)!

>3 scaifea: What great questions Amber! To make a long story short, my current last name is that of my former husband. I vow to change my last name to Corelli. A) Because while I'm not Italian by descent, I embrace and love that culture. B) My wonderful great grandmother, who was an inspiration to me and taught me that no mater how old you are, you should always pursue goals. Her goal was to learn to read at age 79!!! Her last name was Corell.

Adding i to Corell sounds Italian....

>62 nittnut: This song made the trend into a tidal wave. Most girls in my class (1977) were Debbie, Becky, Jenny, and Terri.

Amber, I've always been glad to be a Richard. It's got a lot of nicknames (several of which I dislike) and it is one of those solid, never-vanishing choices that don't "age" you. (How many Tyler/Austin/whatever boys will be born in 2040?)

>76 Morphidae: Morphy: Dale? Wow.

>77 Whisper1: Linda: Corelli! I like it!

>78 richardderus: Richard: Yep, that's why we chose Charles - never really goes out of style. And I really don't like the trendy names - they sound ridiculous.

Why is "Madison" a girl's name? Ditto "Taylor"?

>79 scaifea: Yes, like the actress Dale Evans.

>80 richardderus: Richard: I know, right?! Seriously.

>81 Morphidae: Morphy: Cool!

On the name issue, I've always quite liked Susan. It's been around forever, albeit in waves (there are no Susans under about 40 at the moment) but it will come back again. But still, no-one can spell it. "Is that with a "z"?" a native-English speaker asked me last week. I wanted to say "No, because it hasn't been spelled with a z *since the beginning of time*" but instead I meekly said "No, an "s"." Sheesh. I need J K Rowling to start a new series, and for Susan to be the new Hermione. That would solve it.

I was going to be Stephen if I'd been a boy. But by the time my brother was born, there were two Stephens in the street who were little horrors and my mother had gone right off the name so he's not a Stephen either.

>83 susanj67: I find there are no Lindas under 50....there were 5 in my 6th grade class. Apparently we were named for some glamorous actress who no one remembers at all any more.

Linda Darnell!

^I think you missed me up there, Amber. It looks like we cross posted. No worries. We are still pals.

^Linda Darnell was gorgeous!

>83 susanj67: Susan: Maybe there's confusion because of the z in Suzanne?

>84 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: There aren't many Marys these days, either, and I think both cases are a shame. I love Linda and Mary. In fact, Mary was one of the finalist for Charlie's name, had he turned out a girl (Josephine was the winner, after my dad's mom).

>85 richardderus: Ooooh, pretty lady!

>86 msf59: Mark: Oh, no! I'm sorry! So glad you haven't blacklisted me for it. Well, if you can't remember anything about the book, that's not really a very good sign, is it?

>84 laytonwoman3rd: There are plenty of under 40-Lindas in Sweden! It was very trendy in the 70's and 80's. Fairly certain it was in the top 5.

>88 PawsforThought: Cool! Adding that to the list of Reasons to Move to Sweden...

Charlie loooves those swimming lessons and had a fantastic time today:

And I realize that I haven't given a Susie Update - she seems to be thriving on the medicated food! First of all, she *loves* it (the vet said that some cats refuse to eat it - Pshaw!), she's no longer vomiting every day (in fact, it's been at least a week since the last time that happened), she's using her litter box faithfully, and she's starting to gain back some weight! Yay!



And, so she won't feel left out, here's our Tuppence, too (with a bit of a view of Charlie's bookshelves in the bargain):

>89 scaifea: The prominence of under-40's Lindas is a reason to move to Sweden? Well, I never.
I should probably inform you that approximately 98% (my estimation, could possibly be somewhat flawed) of people born in the 70's and 80's have one thing in common when it comes to their names. They're all named after Astrid Lindgren characters. The number of people called Emil, Ida, Nils, Malin, Lotta, Jonas, Jonathan, Lina, Anton, Pontus, Rasmus, Lukas, Kajsa, Stina, Anna, Lisa and Oskar (yes, I know people called all of these) is staggering.

>92 PawsforThought: Ha! Too funny.

I'm so glad to hear the Susie seems to be on the mend! She's just a cute little puss. And thanks for the Tuppence pic as well — she looks very intent on something in that photo!

>91 scaifea: Yay for Susie! *pats Tuppence*
>88 PawsforThought: Isn't that interesting! I wonder when it will make a come-back here.
>85 richardderus: Yeah...I knew that's who it was. Can't say I've ever seen her movies, but since she was in My Darling Clementine with Jimmy Stewart, I ought to. *tosses hair* I do favor her, I think, but since I don't "do" lipstick, no one seems to notice the resemblance.

Cat, dog and bookshelves *blissful sigh*

Adorable ironing board cover, and adorable pet photos. Tuppence is practicing her soulful look, I see!

Speak is something of a YA classic, or on it's way to being one at least. It is a typical "problem novel," but the writing is good. I often recommend it to readers who like that sort of realistic, issue-driven YA fiction.

On the name change question, I don't think my given name particularly suits me, and the spelling of it is atypical (though I like my spelling better than the usual spelling). And my last name, while easy to spell, is not particularly common. I don't mind my name enough to seriously consider changing it, but I've always liked the name Anna Kent -- even thought of using it as a pen name, if I ever manage to write anything worth publishing. Funny how those with common names tend to wish for something more unique, while those of us with unusual names gravitate to the simple and classic ones!

>77 Whisper1: I love the sound of Linda Corelli. And I think it would suit you very well. Go for it!

>87 scaifea: My maternal grandmother's name was Jozie. Not short for anything, just Jozie.

>90 scaifea: Oh, wow. I'm envious. What fun!

>91 scaifea: Susie looks like she's on drugs. LOL! I imagine her pupils are dilated so she can get as much light as possible. Still... stoned Susie.

>97 foggidawn: My name is too long for an author name so for a pen name I also thought I'd use part of each name: Nora Lund.

>99 Morphidae: Nora Lund sounds very Swedish! :D

>63 scaifea: But Chuck or Chas is out of the question? (I know some of both).

>94 rosalita: Julia: She is a cutie, isn't she? And I'm not sure what Tuppence is looking at, since I was the only other one in the room and I was sitting on the floor...

>95 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Love the hair toss...

>96 humouress: Nina: I know, right?

>97 foggidawn: foggi: Hm, a classic, eh? I suspect then that it'll show up on some list or other and I'll eventually read it. Love Anna Kent, too.

>98 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Agreed.

>99 Morphidae: Morphy: Yep, dialated because she can't see any light at all. None whatsoever. Poor thing. But she's in a safe space and well loved, so she'll be fine.

>100 PawsforThought: Paws: It does, doesn't it?

>101 michigantrumpet: Marianne: NO CHUCK! NO! Chas would be okay, though. BUT NO CHUCK.

So then no Chucky either?

>103 michigantrumpet: Most definitely not.

I'm glad you feel the same way about Chuck as I do. Horrid, horrid name. I'm not much for Chas either, sounds like a slimy, bratty douchebag.

One of my oldest and dearest friends is Chuck and he's a wonderful man and splendid teacher. Just sayin'

>106 michigantrumpet:: same for my brother, dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather ... But then I've already given Amber a hard time about that.

Zephaniah. Call me Zeph for short.

>105 PawsforThought:: Paws: *snork!* Love your feelings on Chas.

>106 michigantrumpet: Marianne: I'm sure he his and good for him. It's nothing to do with anyone who has that name - I just hate the way it sounds.

>107 lauralkeet: Laura: (See above.)

>108 jjvors: Jeff: Ha! I love it!

408. (65th non-picture book read this year) The Unforgettable Photograph by George Lange (Summer Book Bingo challenge, 318 pages) - 9/10
A collection of tips and suggestions from a professional photographer on how to make your everyday photos better.
A wonderful book, full of excellent - and not jargony or impossible - advice on how to become better at capturing moments in fantastic photos. I've been quite inspired and have already tested out a couple of his suggestions with happy results (the photo of Charlie in my mom's rocking chair was one of them - using natural light and such), and I know I'll be referencing this book frequently. Highly recommended for non-professionals who want to make their photos a bit more meaningful.

I like Chuck but it depends on the personality of the person. I've known a couple of guys named Chuck and they were pretty awesome.

>99 Morphidae: My paternal grandmother's name was Jodie. It was a nickname. Her real name was Nona Josiah. Yes, you got the middle name right. Her father died the night before she was born so they named her in his honor.

Firstly, I very much enjoyed reading Speak. I actually gave it very high marks when I read it. It is YA and deals with rape, so it is a hard subject for some to read. For me, it was a very moving read.

Names... I always wanted to change my name growing up. People always misspelled it and made racist jokes about it. Now, I wouldn't change it for anything, as I'm proud of my heritage. *Even though I'm the whitest person of Hispanic descent you'll probably ever meet. Lol

Same with my first & middle names. I wanted to be named something elegant like, Leslie or Diana... But my parents finally told me I was named after my dad's favorite Cuban aunt. Aunt Mary in Spanish is Tia Maria. Bingo ... I'm Tina Maria. That kind of changed my outlook when I learned that I was named after someone who loved my Dad so much and who was very special to him.

Awww. Susie's so cute! So is Tuppence, of course. But I'm a cat person. ;) I love Speak as well. But I'm a fan of reading a good book about teens in crisis. I think they are an important genre to have. They give strength to teens that don't realize that there are other people out there who feel the same way they do. And gives them a bit of hope.

I am so happy to hear that Susie is doing so much better, Amber!!

>111 luvamystery65: Roberta: Again, for me it's not about anyone I've known named Chuck - I just really don't like the sound of the word at all.

>112 thornton37814: Lori: I think that's pretty common - for a girl to be given a middle name in honor of a male relative, and I think it's pretty neat.

>113 TinaV95: Tina: Hmmm, I may change back to passing Speak up again, then, if it's about that.
Also, I love the sounds of Tina Maria - just floats right off the tongue! Lovely!

>114 The_Hibernator: Rachel: I agree that books like that are important, but not important for me to read them. Ha!

>115 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! Me, too!

On the agenda for today:
Day 2 (of 14 total) of swimming lessons. Otherwise, another quiet day at home, hopefully. A little cleaning, some sewing (I'm working on a quilt block now, for a quilt that I work on occasionally between other projects), hopefully some reading.
On the reading front: I started The Last Temptation of Christ last night. So far so weird. I've seen the movie, so I'm not completely lost, but still... We'll see how it goes.

The calendar book today is right up my alley - a microscopic history of a specific event: Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835. Now, if only it were written by SImon Winchester or David McCullough or Bill Bryson...

>117 scaifea: Amber, so far so weird pretty much sums up The Last Temptation of Christ. Although I do want to read it again,

>118 AuntieClio: Stephanie: Ha! I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that, then!

Morning Amber! I read The Last Temptation of Christ many years ago and remember being quite impressed. I don't recall it being "weird" but 20-plus years can distort things.
I am also a big fan of the film version.
Have a good day!

>120 msf59: Morning, Mark! I loved the film version - I suspect I just need to get further into the book...

When I was a kid I went through a time where the name I chose for just about any imaginative play was Janet. But now I think Mary suits me just fine and I wouldn't change it - not even like I did at 13 changing the spelling to "Mari" just to be different. I'm a bit of a baby name geek, so every year I check out the Social Security list of most popular baby names in the U.S. and I'm always a little surprised to see my name drop more in popularity and names like Nevaeh and Destiny rise (though those are pretty too). My last name, Bell, is sometimes mis-heard as part of my first name but it makes for few pronunciation and spelling errors.

If I were a boy, I would have been named Jeremy. Interestingly, while my parents had a boy name picked out for each of us girls (they knew the boys were boys by the time names were discussed, I think), they never used them for either of my brothers.

>12 PawsforThought: I think Mary Bell is just lovely; like Tina Maria, it just flows wonderfully.

When I was young, I decided to change my name (unofficially) twice. My first choice was Marjorie. My second was Katherine - nicknamed Kit. I was one of those assertive young girls, who probably drove my parents nuts, as I would not answer to Lois.

If I were to choose a new name, it would be Katherine (Kit) King.

A postscript to this story is that my maiden name was French and very difficult to spell. When I got married, I took my husband's name (everybody did then) although it was still French but easier to spell/pronounce. I used this name for my entire career. When I got married again 10 years ago, my new husband's name was Portuguese and even harder to spell! So, the last name that I use today is not my maiden name, not my current husband's name, but my first husband's name.

>124 LoisB: Lois: Oh, I very much like Kit as a nickname for Katherine!

Okay, so I'm trying out some of the techniques suggested in the Lange book (see >110 scaifea: above), one of which is, essentially, don't be afraid to get blurry. I quite like how this one turned out:

>126 scaifea: I like it. The blurry makes his eyes and smile pop out.

>127 luvamystery65: Thanks, Roberta - I thought so, too.

>125 scaifea: I very much like Kit as a nickname for Katherine! Me too! I've always like Katharine/Katherine as a name (very regal) but never really been fond of the nicknames in either Swedish (Katta, Kattis) or English (Kathy, etc.) But Kit is great!

That's really cute, Amber! (but then you're starting with a huge degree of cute anyway :-) ).

That's an adorable photo! You'll cherish that forever.

I've selected, after much deliberation, my favorite Great War novel: Regeneration, the Pat Barker work, is a beautiful and challenging book to read. The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day in July, has really focused my attention on getting the excellent reading I've been doing reviewed and therefore fixed more firmly in my mind.

See my review in my Orphans thread...post #49.

I've always hated my name - Rebecca never really felt like me. When I was about 14 my friend set up a Hotmail account for me and I couldn't find anything that worked so she tried Bekka_Jo (the Jo was the first 2 letters of my surname). Bekka ever since and it is me. Emphatically NOT a Becky.

I was also very glad to leave my maiden name - got so tired of the J-O-L-L-emphasis on the E- Y (I can't do fancy bold type!). Plus it was nice to leave behind all the obvious punning :)

I'm rambling again - love the >126 scaifea: pic by the way. He really does look so like you!

>132 BekkaJo: I love the name Rebecca. Love the nickname Becca & if I would have had a daughter I do believe she would be called Rebecca Lynn. I love that name.

>129 PawsforThought: Paws: The difference in the nicknames in different countries is interesting, though.

>130 susanj67: Susan: Very true - it's not really that difficult to get a good photo of him.

>131 richardderus: Thanks, Richard.

>132 BekkaJo: Bekka: I've always felt sort of outside of my name, too, since I don't really see myself as a ditzy blonde and I'm certainly not employed in the particular vein of film-making that the name implies, either. Ha!

>133 luvamystery65: Roberta: I like it, too.

>133 luvamystery65: That is nice - I do hasten to add/possibly correct - I don't hate my name in itself. Just on me :)

Just a drive-by hello -- 130-plus posts into your latest thread . . . :)

>133 luvamystery65: I like the name Rebecca, too. Lovely name. And >132 BekkaJo: Becka/Bekka is much better than Becky!

>134 scaifea: Yes, they are. But both Katta and Kattis are horrid, IMO. Katt means cat and "katta" specifically means female cat so it conjures images. And while I'm a cat-lover, I don't want a name that sounds like a type of animal, even one of my favourite types of animal.

>100 PawsforThought: Well, since I'm married to a Swede and he has a very Swedish last name, yeah. :D

>133 luvamystery65: OMG OMG OMG. When I had a terrible crush on Shaun Cassidy as a teen, I named "our" daughter Rebecca Lynn Cassidy!

>138 Morphidae: Haha! I didn't know that. I thought it was just a made up name.

Great photo!

>139 PawsforThought: Nah. It's the last part of my first name and the first part of my last name.

>138 Morphidae: Ha! Da doo ron ron ! Bwahahaha!!!

>137 PawsforThought: Paws: Kattis looks too much like Katniss to me, which I'm sure will be a popular name soon...

>138 Morphidae: Morphy: *SNORK!*

>140 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel!

>142 luvamystery65: *snork!*

>141 Morphidae: Aha.

>143 scaifea: It's pronounced differently. More like Kahtiss (the a is short but pronounced like the as in aha). You and your knowledge of Latin pronunciation should easily be able to get it right, though, Latin pronunciation is very similar to Swedish ditto.

>64 scaifea: I just read Speak, it being on my list of wildly popular YA novels that a lot of my son's peers are reading. I thought it had definite value in that it describes what a depressed adolescent looks like, acts like, thinks. It also highlights the issue of sexual violence among teens. It wasn't awful, it's a really fast read, and not completely void of hope in the end either. I rather liked it, if that can be said about such a book. :)

>78 richardderus: OMiGoodness! Richard! You just gave me the most incredible insight into why I'm named Jennifer. My parents never said, other than they liked the name, and I never could quite picture them liking the movie Love Story so much that they had to name a child after the main character. But my dad has always called me Juniper. Why have I never heard that song?? Sigh.

Charlie looks like he's loving swim lessons! Having spent the better part of my parenting life pool-side, I have to say it makes good reading time.

So pleased to have been of service!

I'm extraordinarily late to this party (I've been letting LT slide). For the bonus question, I wasn't a fan of my first name when I was in elementary school but I've grown to love it. As for my last name, if I ever get married it will likely be very easy to persuade me to change it. :)

Also, adorable photo of Susie.

>145 nittnut: Jenn: Thanks for the input on Speak, but I think I'll remain firmly in the No, Thanks category.
Charlie *loves* the pool. He thinks the perfect vacation would just be going to stay in a hotel and play in the pool all day!

>146 richardderus: Richard: *snork!*

>147 MickyFine: Micky: Well, I certainly love thinking of you as Micky...

409. The Dark, Dark Night by M. Christina Butler (public library book, picture book) - 10/10
Frog is traveling back to his pond at night and sees a terrible monster, so he goes back for his friends to help, and they all see the monster in turn, until little Mouse (the only one with at least half a brain, apparently) sets them straight.
Hilarious and absolutely adorable. As usual from Butler (and Jane Chapman's illustrations).

410. Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies by Carolyn Crimi (public library book, picture book) - 9/10
Henry's pirate captain father is embarrassed by his book-worm son, until all of that book learnin' comes in handy.
Also cute and funny, with nice illustrations.

On the agenda for today:
Story Time at the library, then swimming lessons, and then hopefully a quiet afternoon at home. Some cleaning, possibly some baking, some reading, some sewing - I finished a quilt block yesterday and today I'm going to try out a new project for the shop: children's dresses made from men's oxford shirts.
Spaghetti for dinner because I can't find my turmeric. Who loses their turmeric, I mean honestly?! Sheesh.
On the reading front: The Last Temptation of Christ has settled down into a lovely read. It was only weird (and 'weird' isn't really the right word, more like 'disorienting') for the first chapter, because it plops the reader down into an initial dream sequence without warning. Now it has turned into an intense re-imagining of Christ's life, beautifully told so far. So, yep, I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

The calendar book today is another one that I'm just going to pass right on by, since the subject matter is one child killing another. No thanks: The Child Who. Still, I'm curious to know if any of you have read it and what you thought...

Morning Amber! Yep, another beautiful summer day. Smiles. Glad you are settling into The Last Temptation of Christ and I am glad you are warbling about it. I don't think I've heard that book chatted about in the 6 years, I've been here.

>151 msf59: Mark: I know, right? For a pretty (in)famous book, it doesn't seem to get read a lot these days...

Who loses their turmeric*, I mean honestly?

Um, you do?

an initial dream sequence

Ew! Dream sequences! Pet peeve! Double ewww!

*That made me giggle.

>153 Morphidae: Morphy: I'm glad that my everyday tragedies are a source of amusement for you. *snork!*

>91 scaifea: I went back and looked at these lovely pet photos once again. Thanks so much for the smile on a day when I'm very overwhelmed at work.

>155 Whisper1: Linda: I'm glad you like them - I'm quite partial to them myself, even though Queen Susie now requires three different types of food a day, plus half a pill mashed up and mixed into her daily wet cat food treat, oh, and there's the daily game of Keepaway with Tuppence, so she won't eat the special cat food... *sigh*

Who loses their turmeric*, I mean honestly?

That sounds like a euphemism, Amber. "Then the truck just cut right in front of me and I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting it. That was when I totally lost my tumeric and yelled some very bad words out the window."

>157 rosalita: Julia: *snork!*

Tell you what, Amber, I'll scrape together all my turmeric and send it to you, shall I? It's not my favourite stuff.

>157 rosalita: er ... on the other hand, maybe I'll just leave you to it, then ...

>159 humouress: Nina: Ha! That's sweet of you, but doesn't really help my dinner issues tonight...

>148 scaifea: Micky's a shortening of one of my middle names and I've always enjoyed it as my online pseudonym. :)

>157 rosalita: "You sleazy turmeric eating fool! A pox on your curries! Fie on your saag paneer!"

>161 MickyFine: Micky: *One* of your middle names? You have more? V. cool.

>162 richardderus: Richard: Garam the masala down, sir!

>163 scaifea: excellence riposte, Amber!!

>164 lauralkeet: Laura: I have my moments, however infrequent they may be...

411. Listen to My Trumpet! by Mo Willems (public library book, easy reader) - 9/10
Piggie puts on a show for Elephant with his new trumpet, and Elephant has to figure out how to tell Piggie the truth about how very not good it was...
Cute, funny, adorable, hilarious. As usual with this series.

412. Why Should I Recycle? by Jen Green (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
An introduction to why it's important to recycle, for kids.
It was okay, but a bit too basic and dumbed-down even for a picture book.

Hey, Amber ~ so much going on here that I missed when I somehow lost track of your thread, but I did skim it (and by "skim it" I mean passed over most of the posts, stopping only to ohh and ahh over the Charlie pics). Love the one of Charlie in the Superman shirt, and also the one of him at the pool with his swimming buddies, but the one with the blurred effects is great, especially as it looks like his eyes are in relatively sharp focus.

Bonus question: Never liked my name (Mary), never felt it quite fit me. Still don't feel like a "Mary," but am resigned. If I could have changed it, though, I would have changed it to Elizabeth.

True story: my mom, whose name was Mildred Joan and who was called Millie, refused to allow me to change my name when I wanted to as a teenager, "because that's the name you were given" and "because you were named after your grandmother." Found out later that she had been born Amelia and changed it when she saw the film Mildred Pierce, starring Joan Crawford. Weird, huh? Even weirder, my grandmother had changed HER birth name too!

>163 scaifea: Yup, I've got two middle names. Makes up for having a short first name. ;)

>167 Storeetllr: Mary: Thanks for the Charlie picture love - I'm particularly fond of the SuperCharlie one - it shows off just how much fun he was having. Funny about your mom and grandmother changing their names, especially since Amelia is, to me, so much more lovely than Mildred...

>168 MickyFine: Micky: Ha!

On the agenda for today:
Busy day. Swimming lessons this morning, then taking Tuppence to the vet this afternoon (nothing wrong - she's just due for some shots), and then, since Tomm will be late tonight (he has a business dinner in Dubuque), Charlie and I are going to treat ourselves to Chinese Buffet. I also need to do my weekly picture organizing and to get the grocery list ready for shopping tomorrow. Oh, and baking - we didn't manage it yesterday so I'd like to make some cookie bars today. It'll be a small miracle if I can squeeze in some sewing and reading time, too. I'm pretty excited about my current sewing project: making a toddler peasant dress from a men's oxford shirt. I spent part of yesterday afternoon tweaking/re-designing the pattern and then cutting out the pieces, and I'm eager to get to sewing it together.
On the reading front: I read about 100 pages of the Kazantzakis yesterday, and it remains an intense yet beautiful read. I'm very much enjoying it.

The calendar book today is described as a reinventing of the Jane Eyre-type story: The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Whelp, I love Jane Eyre, and I'm not really sure that it needs reinventing. Anyone read this one? Is it good?

> 170 I've read it. I also love Jane Eyre and I love retellings, but I didn't care for the book much. My review runs the gamut from lukewarm to damning.

>171 lycomayflower: Laura: Alright then. That one's out for me. Thanks for pointing out your review!

Thought I'd add my bit about the names - I have no problem with my name now, but always resented when a child that my mother gave me a unisex name - she said that they chose the name because it was a good Irish name and that it didn't matter whether I was a boy or a girl, that was going to be the name. I'm the only girl with 3 brothers, so at the time I was very much affected that they couldn't even be bothered to look out a proper girl's name. And the only other Kerrys around were all boys, so my brothers teased me mightily that I had a boy's name.

Nowadays my only complaint is being asked all the time how it is spelt as there are so many variations.

>173 avatiakh: Kerry: Oh, I can understand your childhood frustration, although I've always been fascinated with gender-neutral names. One of my grade school friends was a Jamie and I loved that his name could be used for girls, too.

Took this one at the pool yesterday:

I see your talents continue to grow with photography! Blurriness works, Amber! At least intentional blurriness like your pic of Charlie. My husband's blurriness does not. Eager to do something else, he moves away from his subject too quickly and all his photos have the same, "I'm taking this photo from a NASCAR effect".

Back in the hinterlands of this thread - It's hard to believe that with my mom's indecisiveness I even have a name. Seriously, I'm told I am named after Linda Darnell but she wanted to be creative and changed the i to y. Being born toward the end of the Linda craze in '61, I was the only Linda/Lynda in any of my classes, ever. Now it seems the name is as old as Myrtle or Hazel. :0}

>176 Carmenere: Nooooooo.......I knew a Myrtle or two, and at least one Hazel; they were all old enough to be our grandmothers!!

>166 scaifea: Trumpets!

Loving the swim class photos. These will definitely have to go into your Charlie's end of the year poster, no?

>176 Carmenere: A woman I knew took three months to finally name her fourth child. Id din't even know they would let you out of the hospital without a name, but apparently his birth certificate read Baby Boy (Lastname). They had to go to City Hall to get it officially changed.

Linda in Spanish means lovely or cute so I have always liked that name.

>177 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: I taught a student at Kenyon who's name was Hazel, so it's not entirely dead. And I think it's a lovely name.

>178 michigantrumpet: Marianne: Oh, you should read the Piggie and Elephant book - you'd think it's a hoot, I suspect.
Also, yep, at least one swimming lesson photo will make it onto the poster...

>179 luvamystery65:: Roberta: I didn't know that! Cool!

>180 scaifea: Yes, pronounced leendah. I do have a friend whose actual name is Lovely and that is very cool.

>177 laytonwoman3rd:, >180 scaifea: the main character in The Fault in our Stars is named Hazel. Wonder if the name will see a resurgence in popularity as a result? Apparently this happens with Disney princesses.

Well, I think Hazel is a pretty name. And Myrtle should be, because the plant is very lovely. But I have too many other associations with that one (including, let's not forget, Moaning Myrtle.) And it doesn't have a euphonious sound to it, either.

>181 luvamystery65: Roberta: Thanks for the pronunciation - I would have botched it. Good thing I really only know dead languages, eh? *snork!*

>182 lauralkeet: Laura: Ha! Weird Kenyon connection...

>183 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, I forgot about Moaning Myrtle! I always think of the song in my old piano primer called, "Myrtle the Turtle."

Hazel is one of the rabbits in Watership Down. When I first read the book decades ago, I thought it was odd because Hazel was a male rabbit.

>185 scaifea: Weird Kenyon connection... yeah I thought so too!

>177 laytonwoman3rd: LOL, now I know many Linda's who are grandmothers.

Heather still seems to be the plant of choice from the garden of names.

Hazel came to my mind when I turned on the television this morning and saw an old episode from the series of the same name. I didn't know their was a character in TFooS named Hazel. You're right, it may create a whole new generation of Hazels.

I think Sage for a guy sounds pretty rugged. Hmm, hmm, hmm.

Ha ha, when I think of Myrtle I think of that creeping vine that you just can't get rid of. Could be a good name to use in a mystery/thriller.

>186 Storeetllr: Mary: Oh, I forgot about that!

>187 lauralkeet: Laura: You'll find those weird Kenyon references and connections creeping up all over the place - it's the most ubiquitous place no one's ever heard of. Ha!

>188 Carmenere: Whenever people mistakenly call me by another name, it's almost always Heather. I've always thought that strange - maybe I was supposed to be a Heather...

I read The Flight of Gemma Hardy and thought it was okay but a little strained in trying to get it to "fit" Jane Eyre.

I also like Hazel for a name. I really need to get cracking on opening my baby name consultancy.....

I'm so old that Hazel still makes me think of Shirley Booth as a maid.

I am really late to your thread, but I've given the name question some thought.

It would be hard to trade names. I feel like a Marie. I like that it is both common and unique. I rarely meet other Maries, but I always hear, "Oh, that's my middle name!" and it feels kind of nice. Those people rarely have trouble remembering my name.

BUT, if I had to, I love the name Lena. I've always thought that if I had a daughter I would name her that.

Okay, now to catch up with the rest of your thread before it kicks over to the next. :)

>190 katiekrug: Katie: Well, then. Another knock against it, eh? It's Not looking too good for old Livesey, I have to say...

>191 richardderus: Richard: This whippersnapper had to look it up back there in >188 Carmenere:...

>192 RosyLibrarian: Marie: I love Marie, too. A very delicate and pretty name, in my mind.

Butterscotch Brownies, anyone?

>188 Carmenere: "I know many Linda's who are grandmothers." Yeah, but not OUR grandmothers.

>195 scaifea: Wow, yes please, I take one for dessert.

>195 scaifea: I just had lunch, so I'll take three one as well. Thanks!

>195 scaifea: Those look wonderful! Would you share the recipe?

>196 laytonwoman3rd:: *waves at Linda*

>197 Ameise1: >198 kidzdoc: Barbara & Darryl: Help yourselves!

Charlie and I are back from our China Buffet dinner (delicious!), and I just realized that it's Thursday! Time to Throw it Back! July 2009 (how stinkin' hilarious is that grin?!):

The grin is cute, but I really like the cheeks and chin!!

Oh, my, that face! *meltmeltmelt*

>202 katiekrug: Katie: I can proudly say that those cheeks, chin and nose are all from me; if you could look at a photo of me at that age, you'd marvel at the similarity. The eyes, however, those sparkly, amazing blue eyes, are all Tomm's. *smitten sigh*

>203 Storeetllr: Mary: I know, right?! I may be a bit partial, though...

413. My Neighborhood: The Hospital by Aaron Carr (public library book, easy reader) - 8/10
A simple read about the hospital being a place to go when you're sick and where doctors and nurses help to make you feel better.
This is one of those AV2 books - a series that has a corresponding website, on which you can enter a code from the back of the book to unlock more content online related to the book. We're going to check that out tomorrow...

The other name my parents considered for me - the closest other contender I should say, was Adeline. I always thought Lucy was boring, so maybe it was supposed to have been.

Marvelous pix!

>206 sibylline: Lucy: Oh, I *love* Adeline! But also, I have to say that back while I was still pregnant with Charlie and was foolish enough to think that I might want a second child, I really wanted to name a girl Lucy, but just couldn't have done, not with a Charlie as a brother...

But Lucy isn't Charlie's sister, and your name isn't Brown (or Van Pelt), so....

>206 sibylline: I really like the name Lucy, much more than Adeline. For what that's worth, which is exactly zip. :-)

>175 scaifea: I was going to say that Charlie is really growing up, when I came by earlier; but I ended up not posting.

>201 scaifea: and then you proved it.

I have baby photos of my boys by the side of the staircase, taken when they were 10 weeks old, and I go gaga whenever I pass them. Probably not the safest place ...

>201 scaifea: Aww!

Awww....the Charlie pics are just too cute! I love the blurry effect one. It's very artsy!

The throw back one is adorable!! His cheeks are just so kissable!! :)

>206 sibylline:, >207 scaifea: I love Adeline too. One of my great-grandmothers was named Adeline Adelia Sweezy.

Charlie is one cute kid!

Trying to catch up...
Your thread topper of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake reminds me of a boy I am working with this summer. He has autism and loves to read Dahl. He is obsessed with Quentin Blake and can draw the characters quite well.

I am reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to them and he is having fun comparing my old copy to his with the Blake illustrations.

>208 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: No, but what percentage of people, when faced with a brother-sister pair named Charlie & Lucy, are going to resist some asinine comment about Peanuts...?

>209 rosalita: Julia: In general, I think I love names that start with L, which may be my favorite letter.

>210 humouress: Nina: I have my 365 Charlie posters in the upstairs hallway and I frequently find myself stopping and looking and sighing.

>211 kidzdoc: Darryl: I know, right?!

>212 TinaV95: Tina: That's me - artsy-fartsy! *snork!*

>213 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, I love it!! My dad's mom was Flora Josephine Phoebe Lunsford - what a name, eh?

>214 LoisB: Lois: No argument here... Ha!

>215 jayde1599: Jess: Has he read Danny the Champion of the World? That's my all-time favorite Dahl. And I think that Blake is a perfect pairing for Dahl's stories.

On the agenda for today:
Grocery shopping this morning, laundry, maybe some bread baking, hopefully some sewing, definitely some reading. I very excited about my current sewing project - the little peasant dress from the men's shirt is coming together very nicely and I think they're going to be so cute! Even this first one - the proto-type, for which I'm using one of Tomm's old shirts in a fairly drab, dull green - is going to be borderline adorable! So fun.
On the reading front: Managed a few more pages in The Last Temptation of Christ yesterday - he's slowly gathering his disciples now and Judas is such an interesting character...

The calendar book today: The Good Father by Noah Hawley. Sounds like it might be kind of interesting. Anyone read it? Thoughts?

>201 scaifea: such a cute photo! Does Charlie has any idea what a fan club he has here?
>217 scaifea: I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but Judas ...

>218 lauralkeet: Laura: He has no idea. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I were to bring him along to a big LT meetup: We'd walk into the room, everyone would shout, Norm-style, "Charlie!!", and he'd have no idea how all of those people knew his name... Ha!

Also, re: Judas, *SNORK!!*

Morning Amber! Looks like this beautiful weather stretch will continue. Happy Camper! Never heard of the calender book...

>220 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I am *loving* this weather! Just gorgeous!

>218 lauralkeet: "Judas" LOL! I know how it comes out, but I'm beginning to want to read that book myself.

>219 scaifea: everyone would shout, Norm-style, "Charlie!!", and he'd have no idea how all of those people knew his name Now that would be an awesome photo op!

>222 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: You should. It's good.

>223 Carmenere: Lynda: Ha! Very true!

>222 laytonwoman3rd: taking a bow for my unusually good early morning wit. :)

Finished the shirt dress prototype - this is sized for a 2-year-old:

Super cute, Amber! I even like the color, but if someone wanted to gussy it up they could swap out colorful buttons, couldn't they?

Julia: They sure could. I just used one of Tomm's old shirts in case I screwed it up and then wouldn't have ruined one of the better shirts that I've got stacked up ready to make little dresses out of them. I was thinking of maybe making a little fabric flower and sewing onto one of the lower corners...

OMG, so cute! Can you make them smaller? I know an almost-6-month old who would look adorable in a shirt dress like that!

>229 katiekrug: Katie: Thanks! Well, I suspect that I *could* make one for a 6-month-old, but the biggest issue would be the buttons, which I think are spaced too far apart for such a wee dress (the dress is made by cutting the body shape right from the front (and back) of the men's shirt, using the already-there buttons and the existing bottom shirt hem)...

Good point. I'll just have to wait until she's a bit bigger :)

Cute upcycled shirt-dress!

>231 katiekrug:: :)

>232 richardderus: Thanks, Richard!

>201 scaifea: I've apparently just marked the passing over the border into OldLadyHood. Irresistible urge to pinch those gorgeous chubby cheeks. Heading outside now to yell at someone to get off my lawn...

>234 michigantrumpet: Marianne: *snork!*

>226 scaifea: Cute dress. I like the sound of a patch flower.

mmm - just thinking out loud; are those cuffs elasticated? I never found those comfortable, back in the day. Though it does add to the cuteness. Might save you some work / make it easier to get the dress onto a wriggling child if you left them plain?

And a suggestion for if you were to consider making it for a 6 month old; you could sew the opening closed, so that you'd just pop the dress over the child's head like a T-shirt, so the spacing of the buttons would be less of an issue? Though you might make matching knickerbockers, to cover up nappies.

Well, I've never had girls, and it's been a while since I've had to dress a toddler, so I'm not sure how practical or not my suggestions are.

That's a very successful makeover; I can't imagine that dress as a men's shirt.

>236 humouress: Nina: Well, the elastic in the sleeves and the neck are what make it a peasant dress, which is the look I'm going for, so I don't want to get rid of it. Also, it shouldn't be a comfort issue, since I've encased the elastic (i.e. it won't be touching tender skin) and it's not too tight.
Also, the issue with the buttons on a smaller version isn't about the openings (that would clearly be an easy fix), but that there were be so few buttons that it wouldn't look right. And I have no desire to make nappy covers. Ha!

414. Me First! by Michael Escoffier (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
A little duck always rushes ahead shouting, "Me First!" at every turn and to the annoyance of his siblings and even his mother. But one day he discovers that it's not always desirable to rush into every situation headlong, anxious to be first in line...
Silly and a bit weird, but funny, too. Charlie is still giggling, 10 minutes later...

A few notes on your topics:

Charlie's swimming lessons: I too learned to swim at 6. I had swum in our swimming pool since I was 2 and had no fear of water. But the high school pool was very cold to a skinny 6 year old. And it was winter, I think.

Names: Some of the most unusual names I've encountered: Autumn, Spring Serenade, Aquanda, and Tymphany. On the male side, the winner is: E That's it. One letter first name.

>238 scaifea: Charlie is still giggling, 10 minutes later.... That sounds like a good book.

>239 jjvors: E? Really? How sad for him. Unless it's an ethnic name which is more common within his community.

>226 scaifea: Beautiful. A friend of mine makes trousers from men shirt's sleeves. That looks gorgeous too.

Amber, I wish you a fantastic weekend.

Love the child's dress, Amber. When you first mentioned it (pre-photo) I was wondering how it was made and I love the idea of making use of the existing buttons & hem. You could definitely change things up with a flower or some other applique (animals cut from colorful fabric, for example), and probably achieve different looks from dressy to fun.

>239 jjvors: Jeff: I'm so thankful that Charlie is loving the swimming lessons. My parents tried three different times to get me to complete a session of lessons, but I was too terrified of the water to do it, so I never learned to swim.
I knew an Autumn all through school. Tymphany is a pretty strange one...

>240 humouress: Nina: Apparently so. Ha!

>241 Ameise1: Barbara: Pants from the sleeves? Neat idea!

>242 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>243 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura!

A college friend, whose last name is Kangas, always threatened to name his first child Angus.

Aren't you the clever one with that cute dress!

Happy weekend!

On the agenda for today:
I may go garage sailing this morning, but I haven't quite decided yet. It's a bit gloomy out and the town that's having the town-wide sales is about 40 minutes away... We'll see...
Otherwise, no real plans. Sewing, reading, maybe some baking.
On the reading front: I'm a little over halfway through the Kazantzakis now and still riveted. Gorgeous writing.

The weekend quote on the book calendar: "P.S. Sorry I forgot to give you the mayonnaise."
Any guesses which book this comes from?

>245 michigantrumpet: Marianne: Oooh, I *love* the name Angus, really, but yeah, wouldn't work so well with that last name. Ha!

>245 michigantrumpet: My husband has the same sense of humor. Our last name is Koons. He has cousins whose last name is Trout. You can, perhaps, imagine the possibilities he came up with for both.

>226 scaifea: I love that dress, Amber. And I know a 1-year old who is going to own one (or more) like it come Christmas time if you get stitchin' and put some up in your shop.

Garage sale-ing! It's been ages since I've done that. The town-wide ones are fun, but I find you have to get there early or else it's been picked over by antiques dealers (or at least that's the case around here). And since I'm not a morning person... let's just say it's a struggle to get there. Or get up. Or wake up at all. Hahaha.

I may go garage sailing this morning

What do you use for sails? And an anchor?

:D

Have a lovely weekend Amber.

Amber, today I've read the Magellan book from your calendar and it's a good read. Thanks for the recommendation!

#230 Oh! Now I'm sad - I was just going to put in a request for my niece :/ She's in a cast from chest to ankles and I thought one of these would fit beautifully over the top. But she's probably a bit wee, bless her. Ah well - the postage would probably have been prohibitive anyway ;)

Oh, I've had such a lovely morning/early afternoon! I'm so excited to tell you all about it, but I'll answer your visits first (a lovely day made even better by coming in to see your posts!), then start a new thread and describe my bargain-nautical adventures over there...

>248 humouress: Nina: *snork!*

>249 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Ha! I'd love to hear some of those...

>250 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Whoa, no pressure or anything (I'd best get crackin'...)

>251 dk_phoenix: Faith: Well, I'm an early bird by nature so that part poses no problems for me, and I'm usually looking for things that the dealers aren't interested in, too.

>252 Morphidae: Morphy: The gas and break pedals on my Accord serve me pretty well, I must say.

>253 luvamystery65: Roberta: Thanks! It's off to a fantastic start!

>254 susanj67: Susan: Woot! That's great news!

>255 BekkaJo: Bekka: Postage outside the states is a racket, honestly. So frustrating.

New Thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/177701

May I break protocol and say I love that dress??? Gosh you are so talented!!

>258 TinaV95: Aw, thanks Tina!

E was his name and from his surname, I believe he was English. He seemed well adjusted to it.

I planned to name my third daughter "Rosalinda Anastasia". I don't think my wife was on board. She turned out to be my son, Raymond.

>261 jjvors: Rosalinda Anastasia is lovely, but then again, so is Raymond...