Scaifea's 2014 Challenge - Thread #25

Welcome to The Twenty-Fifth 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 don't love everything that Shel Silverstein wrote/illustrated, but discovering Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic when I was in 3rd grade was a life-changer:





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)
-Forever Amber (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: The Last Temptation of Christ
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: Howl and Other Poems
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: Brave New World
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: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
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: Divergent
Read a book with an explosion: Great Disasters
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
415. When Elephant Met Giraffe (public library book) - 8/10
416. Dooby Dooby Moo (public library book) - 8/10
417. (#66) The Last Temptation of Christ (Banned Books list) - 9/10
418. (#67) Howl and Other Poems (Banned Books list) - 5/10
419. Giggle Giggle Quack (public library book) - 8/10
420. Where Is Fred? (public library book) - 9/10
421. Today I Will Fly (public library book) - 9/10
422. Cars and Trucks (Charlie book) - 8/10
423. A Moose That Says Moooooooooo (public library book) - 9/10
424. (#68) Brave New World (Banned Books list) - 9/10
425. See What a Seal Can Do (public library book) - 8/10
426. (#69) The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman bibliography) - 10/10
427. Cake Soup (public library book) - 8/10
428. A Day in the Life of a Police Officer (public library book) - 8/10
429. (#70) Great Disasters (Summer Book Bingo Challenge) - 7/10
430. Thump, Quack, Moo (public library book) - 8/10
431. Duck & Goose Go to the Beach (Charlie book) - 9/10
432. Bear Wants More (Charlie book) - 9/10
433. (#71) Divergent (audiobook, Summer Book Bingo Challenge) - 9/10

The Charlie Toppers (I told him to make faces at me for this series):

And the Bonus Question:

For What mail-order catalogue or online shop would you most likely be a model?

So, the story of my fantastic morning:

I made a 40-minute drive to get to Spring Green, WI, which is where the town-wide sales were happening today. The drive there takes you through a couple of lovely little towns, and also right past (as in you can see them from the road) The House on the Rock (of Gaiman's American Gods fame, and Taliesin. So, the day started off with a gorgeous drive past some pretty cool scenery. I had excellent luck at the sales, picking up all sorts of stuff for my crafting, including several more shirts from which to make more little dresses, and I even found an Eddie Bauer barn coat for myself (tan canvas on the outside and lined with red plaid flannel on the inside) for an amazing bargain (and it's in like-new shape). On my way out of town, I thought I'd drive down Main Street, because I love small town main streets - who doesn't? - and what do you think I found? The Most Amazing Indy Small-Town Bookstore that I've ever visited: Arcadia Books. *sigh* It's amazing in there - an excellent selection (I mean, they even had Stephen Fry books - more than one! - and Tove Janssen books!), creaky hard-wood floors, wonderful staff, and the coffee shop that is part of the store made me the absolute best Chai I've ever had. Ever. Also, the owner has a beautiful piece of wood with the name of the shop carved into it hanging on the wall behind the counter, with a photo of Nick Offerman next to it (Offerman carved it for him)! If you're ever even remotely close to Spring Green, WI, I highly, HIGHLY, recommend that you make a detour and check this place out. I did not, of course, make it out unscathed...



Here's the website for the shop:

http://www.readinutopia.com/

Wow Amber, that was indeed a gorgeous morning. Happy New Thread!
For the BQ: I it's better for the shop if I wouldn't be their model otherwise they would have to declare bankruptcy very quickly.

>4 scaifea: I love the idea of stumbling upon a super wonderful bookshop.
>2 scaifea: Those pix are really cute. Good practice for the day Charlie tries one of those photo booths that take 4 photos in rapid succession. My girls love those. Still.

>5 Ameise1: Barbara: You're way too modest, of course - I've seen the photos of you on your threads and know better...

>6 lauralkeet: Laura: I know, right?! I will most certainly be making that 40 minute drive to get back there! And I've wanted to do one of those booths with him, but haven't come across one.

Oh, say! *looks around admiringly* Lovely new thread! Great Charlie topper! What a fun kid he is! Sounds like your weekend is starting off great!

On the bonus question, I wouldn't be a model for anything as I loathe ~ loathe, I say ~ having my picture taken. I do it on occasion and smile, just to be a good sport, but inside I'm cringing.

>8 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary! He is definitely a fun kid. He makes me laugh every day.

>8 Storeetllr: Ditto. No modeling for me! Unless it's just my hand holding a book.

*ahem*

Think of the question as more of a personality quiz than a literal one. How about a rephrasing: What catalogue or online shop fits your style/personality most? If finances were not an issue, where would you spend the most money? Is there a particular catalogue/shop from which you'd love to own one of everything?

Oh! Well, Levenger's, of course. Or maybe the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nah, Levenger's.

Does Amazon have a catalog?

>12 Morphidae: Morphy: Levenger is an excellent choice. And no, I don't think Amazon has a catalogue, but it is an online shop...

>13 scaifea: I'm in trouble. Money no object you said?

Hi Amber, great new thread my dear, your photo's of Charlie are wonderful. Do you think that you will reach 50 threads for the year, that would be awesome. Hope you have had a lovely day and have a great Sunday.

>14 Morphidae: Dream big, Morphy. Dream big.

>15 johnsimpson: Thanks, John! 50?! Ha!

>16 scaifea:, Amber you never know, your threads are really popular.

>17 johnsimpson: John: Well, then, I'll have to think of something, because I certainly don't have that many Bonus Questions...

I'm going to jump in here after my long absence since your new thread is still a manageable size...so Hi!

The bookstore you visited sounds amazing! What a great find.

As for the bonus question, I guess I would have to say LL Bean since I am a Maine girl and am often outside. I have tons of LL Bean outerwear I could model...and parkas cover up problem spots! Lol

>19 Cobscook: Heidi: I'm an LLBean fan, myself! Love that they offer free shipping on any order all the time. Tomm and I have been to the ginormous shop/complex up in Maine, too, which is very cool.

LLBean too. I'm huge fan of their wrinkle-free business casual stuff. It's my normal look at work.

What is Levenger's?

I currently spend the most money at Amazon, and I don't think that would change just because money was no object, so..... :)

Modcloth. I buy so many things from Modcloth.

Love the Charlie photos!

>21 drneutron: Jim: It's quality stuff, isn't it?

>22 katiekrug: Oh, Katie. You may hate me for this later:

http://www.levenger.com/

>23 MickyFine: Micky: Oooh! I love Modcloth!!

>24 LoisB: Lois: Thanks! He's a ham, no?

>22 katiekrug: OMG....poor baby. Go here, NOW. Levenger's

>27 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Ha! Now she'll hate us both! (See >25 scaifea: above)

As for the bonus question, I'm going with LLBean, but one of their home furnishing catalogs, not the clothing one.

>29 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, nice one! Honestly, I can't say that I'm surprised that LLBean is popular amongst the 75ers - they're aesthetic goes quite well with rooms full of books...

Oh, also:

*waiting (not very) patiently for someone to ooh and aaah over my new Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of The Three Musketeers up there. Or my box o' Penguin Covers Postcards...*

*ahem*

"my box o' Penguin Covers Postcards" OH! Is that what that is? Oooohhhh.....ahhhh.....want!

I use those Penguin Cover postcards as bookmarks! And the Puffin Covers. And the New Yorker Covers.... :-)

LOVE THEM!!!

No idea about catalogs, but I love the Anne Fontaine blouses. And I think they do have a very elegant mini-catalog sometimes. http://www.annefontaine.com/collection.html

>4 scaifea: Sounds idyllic. Love the photos of Charlie

Bonus question:

Me model? Yeah, right.

Oh, a new question?

Hmm; well, I'm not one for buying on-line. I invariably find that clothes that look lovely on the rack in shops don't work so well on me (I'm petite, and my waistline is still expanding); how much worse would it be if I bought it off the screen? And I know that (in theory) you can return things, even shoes, but I'm a procrastinator, plus post offices here are a bit awkward to get to / park at, so things would just sit around until I'd have to use them, anyway.

I tend not to use Amazon, either. But I have bought a lot of book accessories online recently - book jackets and bookplates; though really, once I get the next batch I shouldn't need anymore for a while.

I think I'm more of a window shopper. I like browsing through shops physically and coming up with treasures, deciding if it's worth the price, and coming home hours later with loads of bags, by which time I've only got a vague memory of what I've bought, so I sort of get to discover them again and arrange them (eventually) around the house.

Buying online, for me, is still something of a wicked pleasure, to be surreptitiously sampled in small doses ;0)

But if money were no object, since I'm a hoarder, I'd have to buy a bigger house. But I love my existing house, so ...

>4 scaifea: Sounds like such a lovely day!

Phew.
Just got to the end of your last thread, congratulating myself as I went for reading/skimming the whole thing and getting in in time before you started a new one, and then. the inevitable.
Doh.
The Swimming pics were great! Wow, your sun looks warm and the heat heavy. Here, we have watery bleak sunshine, if there is any that is. My 5 nights away last week were sunny, but it feels like this house has been in shade for a month!

I like Charlies bottom pic best, its like "who? Me? Never".

Did Charlie have another growth spurt. He looks MUCH older in this thread topper. :P

If there is a magazine for the blind, I think I could possibly model for that. Maybe.

Now that I've read the thread, first let me say I'm SUPER HAPPY you found a great book store. That sounds awesome!

As for the rephrasing of the question, I tend not to shop around much, being unemployed and all. However, the shops I visit most would include Gamestop and Amazon, and the Playstation Network digital store if that counts. I would love to shop (and therefore "model") for smaller, local places but there aren't a lot of those around here, particularly for the things I buy. However, I refuse to buy from Amazon itself, and always use the marketplace to support smaller businesses. I know Amazon still profits from that, but it still makes me feel better.

Good morning Amber, hope you have a lovely day my dear, hopefully we will be able to meet up with Barbara (ameise1) at the end of the month, just a shame I can't get over to your side of the pond for a meet up, I need to win the lottery to get meet up funds.

>32 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: I know, right?! They had a box of Puffin covers, too, that I really wanted, but another time, maybe.

>33 Chatterbox: Suzanne: Yes!! The Puffin Covers! They had a box of Vogue covers, too, but I didn't see any New Yorker ones - I bet they're lovely!
Also, oooooh, I'd never heard of Anne Fontaine before, but I love the look of her stuff...

>34 humouress: Nina: I recently bought a personalized book plate stamp from etsy, which I love, and I keep myself stocked with what honestly looks like an industrial-sized roll of the clear plastic book dust jacket covering material...

>35 Whisper1: Linda: It was! The only thing I can think of that would have made it even better is to have had an LT friend or two with me to share it...

>36 LovingLit: Megan: The crazy thing is that, even though it's July and it 'should' be in the 80's-90's now, the past couple of weeks have seen temperatures in the low 70's accompanied by the most delightful breeziness (although yesterday was muggy and kind of gross, but still in the low 70's). Charlie has been even shivering a bit when he gets out of the pool!

>37 Ape: & >38 Ape: Stephen: No growth spurt yet; I suspect it's because of the tousled hair? That's what made me pick up the camera just then, at least - I loved the way his hair looked after just getting home from the pool.
Also, I, too, love buying from Marketplace sellers that are clearly small businesses. As for the bookshop, when you come to visit (!) I'll take you there, since it's just about 10 minutes from The House on the Rock, which we'll clearly need to visit, too.

>39 johnsimpson: Morning, John! Oh, wouldn't be just lovely to meet up with you and Karen! Maybe someday the inhabitants of Scaife Manor will get over to the UK to visit you...

On today's agenda:

Another excellent day in store here, as a dear friend of ours from Ohio (he's a Math professor at Kenyon) will be stopping by for dinner on his way through from visiting family in the West. So I'll be busy in the kitchen today, baking a Pineapple Upside Down Cake (along with some gluten-free brownies for Tomm), putting together the crock pot for Do-It-Yourself Shredded Chicken Burritos, and then tidying up the house a bit. I'm hoping to get some reading done in between, since I didn't get much read yesterday. I think I may also try a new gluten-free pancake recipe this morning, which I found online yesterday and which uses a banana and two eggs - and that's it. Mash them together into a batter, ladle them out onto the griddle and fry them up like regular pancakes. We'll see how it goes...

>25 scaifea:, >27 laytonwoman3rd: I'm eager awaiting Katie's reaction ...

>41 scaifea: Sounds like a nice day. A math professor, eh? Kate stayed well clear of math, satisfying her QR requirement through a "statistics in psychology" class, but Julia intends to study sciences, and so will become well acquainted with the math department. Her AP Calc exam results should place her into something just a little beyond basic calculus. Maybe she will meet your friend.

>42 lauralkeet: Laura: I would encourage Julia to seek out at least one of his classes, as he's an amazing teacher. I audited one of his courses one semester, a course that he created from scratch and for which he even wrote the book. It's geared toward Humanities majors who are afraid of math, really, but need to fulfill that QR (Quantitative Reasoning, for those of you out there listening) requirement, and it's called Surprises at Infinity. I audited it because I had been recommending it to my Humanities advisees and wanted to be able to tell them exactly what was in store for them. It was simply the best math course I've ever 'taken.' He's kind, patient, but he won't let his students settle for anything less than their best efforts. And the content is fascinating.

Morning Amber! Happy Sunday! And Happy New thread! You are a thread machine lately, my friend. We NEED to make a weekend trip to House on the Rock. I do not think I've ever been there.

It's my mom's 78th birthday today! She's my very best friend and the absolute best mom a girl could ask for. My day doesn't start properly until I've talked with her on the phone, reviewing yesterday's events and chatting about what's in store for us both today. So, in honor of the day, here's the first ever photo of her with her #1 favorite guy:

>44 msf59: Mark: Oooh, yes! House on the Rock, Arcadia Books, then down to the Potosi Brewery... I've got your weekend all planned already! Ha!

415. When Elephant Met Giraffe by Paul Gude (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
Elephant and Giraffe are unlikely friends - one's super-talkative, the other very quiet; one's silly, the other a straight man. But somehow it works, and the share a funny and sweet friendship.
Adorable and very funny. I'd give it a 9/10, but I suspect that it's riding the Elephant & Piggie coat-tails, which makes me want to bring it down a notch (it's good, but not E&P good).

Arcadia Books sounds great! I looked on Google Maps, and it's only 30 miles west of Middleton, where my best friends live. I'll have to ask Murielle if they have been there. There is a chance that I might visit them next month, so maybe we can go to Arcadia Books then.

>48 kidzdoc: Darryl: I was thinking of you yesterday, knowing that you visit friends close to there. Let me know if you'd like to meet up in Spring Green while you're visiting...

>49 scaifea: Will do, Amber; I'd love to meet you and Charlie! I haven't heard back from them yet to see if August is good for them. I'll let you know once they get back to me.

>50 kidzdoc: Excellent! They have wee ones, too, no? I saw a cool-looking park there, and the coffee shop in the bookstore has a picnic menu, for which they'll package up a park-friendly lunch for you. Could be a nice treat: check out the bookstore, grab a picnic lunch and head to the park for a bit...

>45 scaifea: You know, I can see Charlie's features in your mum. Which probably means he doesn't look anything like her, because I'm absolutely hopeless at seeing who looks like who in a family.

Happy Birthday mum!

Happy Birthday to your wonderful mother!

>52 humouress: Nina: He may not have a lot of her facial features, but he packs a ton of her personality, which is awesome.

>53 Whisper1: Linda: Thanks! I'll pass along your good wishes!

>51 scaifea: They aren't so wee anymore, Amber! Mary is turning 12 this year, and Tommy will be 9 or 10. Mary is a voracious reader as is her mother, Murielle; Tommy likes to read as well, but he's more of a builder. If we met up it would likely be on a weekday when Dave (who is a pediatric neurologist at UW) is working and the kids are not in school and not involved in activities. It's also possible that Murielle and I could go during the day when the kids are in school, or on a weekend when all four of them can make it.

ETA: I almost forgot to answer the Bonus Question. I'd probably appear in AllHeart, a medical supply company that sells, among other things, white coats and scrubs (boring).

At least a dozen years ago I bought a book holder from Levenger, which keeps heavy and tightly bound books open if your hands are otherwise occupied. I use it all the time and absolutely love it.

Morning Amber. You have used for your thread topper one of my very favorite poets. I was completely in love with Shel Silverstein when I was in fourth grade. I own a few of his works and still love smiling at the silly poems.

>55 kidzdoc: Darryl: Oh my, yes, they're older than I thought for some reason! Well, if they're readers, they'd love Arcadia. Are they in school during the summer?
And I have a similar book weight from Levenger! I love it, too, of course.

>56 Thebookdiva: Hi, Abby! Yep, he seems to speak to the 3rd/4th-grade sensibility, doesn't he? Ha!

Yes he does! I cheered me up a lot when I was in 4th grade. I would read him whenever I was feeling down.

YAY for great newly-discovered bookshops!

And with regards to the bonus question, I'm with Micky. I LOVE ModCloth (though I've never actually bought anything from there). There are so many lovely things on that site!

>58 Thebookdiva: Abby: The Boa Constrictor one always gave me the heebie-geebies, though...

>59 PawsforThought: Paws: I know, right?! Love their dresses. I haven't bought much from them, either, but I've gotten lots of ideas for making stuff from them.

>60 scaifea: They're very good for apparel inspiration. I sometimes entertain myself by making "outifit pics" (similar to what people do on Polyvore) and ModCloth is nearly always included. God, I sound like a fourteen-year-old! It's mainly a tool for me to help with shopping and co-ordinating clothes, as I hate clothes shopping and having images in my head makes it easier.

>57 scaifea: I just heard from Murielle a few minutes ago by e-mail. She and the kids are hanging out in Chicago, while Dave is attending a neurology conference there. They aren't in school now, although they will be in early September. Unless they have guests coming in that weekend I'll likely visit them for a few days starting on August 9th, then fly from Madison to Philadelphia to visit my parents. I mentioned Arcadia Books in my reply to her just now.

That Levenger book weight is priceless! On rare occasions I've had to explain what it is to a TSA agent at an airport, as I carry it with me in my messenger bag, but that hasn't happened in several years.

Happy New Thread, Amber! I had to rabbit hop through your last thw threads to get caught up.

Love your purchases!

What catalogue or online shop fits your style/personality most? If finances were not an issue, where would you spend the most money? Is there a particular catalogue/shop from which you'd love to own one of everything?

Focusing on the last part of that statement (where I would love to own one of everything) and because I love clothes and clothes shopping, these two shops would keep me blissfully happy:
Next
LK Bennett

I am also a Mexx kind of girl. I already have a number of Mexx items in my wardrobe but some of Mexx's stuff doesn't work for me.

>61 PawsforThought: Paws: Ha! You'd don't sound like a 14-year-old, but like a smart shopper!

>62 kidzdoc: Darryl: Oh, that would be a great antidote to the in-law visit that weekend...

>63 lkernagh: Lori: Off to check out those sites now...

Levengers.
I clicked.
I browsed.
I salivated.
I yearned.
I bookmarked.
I cursed you.

The End.

>65 katiekrug: Katie: I'm so sorry, but you *did* ask...

Perhaps it should read "My husband cursed you" as I was actually happy as a clam ;-)

>64 scaifea: Ha! With any luck we can provide you with a few hours of respite from the in-laws. I'll keep you posted as soon as I know if I'll go to Middleton or not, and how long I'll be there.

>67 katiekrug: Katie: Ha! In that case I'm sorry-not-sorry.

>68 kidzdoc: Darryl: Excellent!

Such cute pictures! As for the questions, Powell's books, of course.

Happy new thread, Amber! I LOVE the Charlie pics! And your rephrased bonus question - for me it would be Williams and Sonoma. I salivate when the catalogue comes. I am completely addicted to kitchen things - pots and pans, gadgets, cooking utensils, dishes...*goes to get a napkin*

>70 banjo123: Rhonda: Oh, good call!

>71 Crazymamie: Mamie: Oh boy, yes. When we lived in Ohio and close (ish) to a shopping area with a Williams-Sonoma store, I had to keep myself from entering as a way to avoid spending too much money...

A kindred spirit!

Lovely Charlie toppers!

I would have to model shoes. Really cool high heeled boots, funky sandals, that sort of thing. The beautiful thing about shoes (barring pregnancy) is that they always fit.

Penguin books and post cards - OOOOOH! AAAAAHHH!

>45 scaifea: Such a sweet photo! Off to call my mom!

>46 scaifea: Sounds like a killer plan Amber! Happy Birthday to your Mom! Hooray!

Hi Amber, I'm an old fashioned sort and so far, the only on-line shopping I have done is to buy books. I mostly use The Book Depository but I'm also a frequent visitor to Amazon in order to load up my Kindle. If I was a model, I would have to be hired by somewant wanting a "glamourous granny"!

I love Levengers, but I think for myself I would have to pick Bas Bleu. It's quirky and it has books.

>73 Crazymamie: Mamie: And I take that as a compliment!

>74 nittnut: Jenn: Shoes - great answer!

>75 msf59: Mark: You name the weekend, friend, and I'm ready!

>76 DeltaQueen50: Judy: Oooh, the Book Depository is a good one.

>77 Fourpawz2: Charlotte: Oh, I love Bas Bleu!

416. Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
The farm animals of Click Clack Moo fame are back, and this time they're entering a talent show...
Silly but cute.

>71 Crazymamie: Williams Sononoma .... kitchen gadgets ... *sigh* Now that I could do.

A question :

The paper over here is following the dispute between Amazon and Hachette. It looks like Amazon is delaying delivery on Hachette published books because they (Amazon) want a bigger share of the profits. But the piece I skimmed through today suggests that publishers could give a bigger share of royalties to their authors, and cites an example of an author who is published by Amazon and (though they are physical books) and only sold via Amazon who gets a higher percent of royalties. So I'm not sure what to think.

Not that I use Amazon much, though I did get a Kindle for my last Christmas present and I do get e-books on it occasionally.

>80 humouress: Nina: So, what is your question? Is Amazon in the wrong? I've not heard of this dispute, so I don't know.

On the agenda for today:
Swimming lessons again this week, so we'll be heading to the pool later today. Otherwise, no special plans outside of the usual: bills, sewing, reading, hanging out with Charlie.
On the reading front: I'm very nearly finished with The Last Temptation of Christ and nearly stayed up late to polish it off, but my eyelids just wouldn't let me. Hopefully I'll turn the last page today.

The calendar book for today: Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and then Turned 16. Not my cuppa on a basketful of levels, not least of which is that I am heartily sick of the title formula: Clever Pun - colon - Detailed, But Still Trying to Be Clever List of What the Book is About. Gah. Do something else now, please!

*sigh*

http://bookriot.com/2013/07/18/an-illustrated-guide-to-buying-the-classics/

Morning Amber! It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous week, which makes me happy. Have a good one, my friend.

>84 msf59: Mark: It does look like we've a lovely, cool week ahead, although I'm not sure Charlie will appreciate the 69F as he gets out of the pool later this morning... Ha!

>83 scaifea: *sigh* I collect the Penguin Deluxe Classics and the Penguin cloth bound editions. They're just so purty.

Good Morning, Amber! I am going to try to keep up with you this thread.

>86 Crazymamie: Mamie: I know, right?! They're gorgeous! And I need them all!

>1 scaifea: I agree with you regarding not loving everything Shel Silverstein wrote. I stilll have a reaction to The Giving Tree. I read it at a time in my life when I was exhausted from giving to my family. They had sapped me dry. I thought the book encouraged selfishness. The boy took and took and took and the tree gave up everything for nothing.

Or, am I reading too much into it?

>88 Whisper1: Linda: No, I agree with you on that one. Blech. I also think some of his stuff is too preachy, and others are just crude and not to my taste. *shrug*

I will not click on the link in >83 scaifea:. I will not click on the link in >83 scaifea:. I will not click on the link in >83 scaifea:...

I did click...and I'm disappointed not to see The Library of America listed there. Granted, it's not just classics (they usually publish an author's complete works, dreck and all), and it is only American literature, but the editions are well bound, easy to hold, have nice dust jackets (or slipcases if you subscribe), and ribbon markers. Prices are comparable to the Everyman editions, I think.

>90 katiekrug: Katie: You likely know about all of them anyway - it's just nice too look at them all together in a list...

>91 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Agreed. Love the LoA series.

I think I've set a personal "falling behind" record with your thread, Amber. I was only gone a little while! Oh well.

We may have to make a field trip to the Arcadia Bookstore. That sounds wonderful - and my MBH loves chai.

I enjoyed that article on buying the classics. I've never tried putting together nice editions of them (I've generally got a motley crew of paperbacks), but it sure is tempting.

>93 jnwelch: Joe: And Taliesin is right there, too, if you're interested in FLW at all... I'd love to have you and your MBH in my neck of the woods!

>88 Whisper1: The Giving Tree is part of what a children's literature blogger I follow labeled the "Triumvirate of Mediocrity." I'll admit, I liked it when I first read it (at the age of 12), but I find it troubling now.

Amber, I have no idea what answer to give for your bonus question this time around. I don't do a lot of shopping, and I'm not really one for browsing or window shopping, either.

>96 scaifea: foggi: *snork!* I like the triumvirate. All three of them make me gag just a little.

Hi, Amber! Hope you're having a great Monday!

I can't comment on the Shel Silverstein books because I have never read one, notwithstanding the fact Megan got a couple of them as gifts when she was a kid. I don't think she read them either. Anyway, I'll be sure to avoid The Giving Tree, should it ever turn up on my bookshelves.

Happy belated birthday to your mom, Amber! Lovely photo of her with infant Charlie!

>97 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary - it *has* been a pretty great day so far. The weather here is *gorgeous*! Sunny, breezy and in the low 70's = perfect.
And, yeah, give The Giving Tree a pass...

>80 humouress: Any author's contract is with their publisher, NOT with Amazon. Amazon doesn't collect royalties. The publisher determines the royalty rate, and how much they earn from e-book sales, etc. That said, if the publisher feels they will collect less by selling an e-book via Amazon, they may adjust the royalty structure so that the author earns less for those books.

The problem is that this isn't terribly transparent. We don't know what the terms of the contracts between the publishers and Amazon are. So, if a book is priced at $26 (cover price), and Amazon sells the hardcover for $17.50 and then the Kindle version for $12.99, how much of that is going to the publisher? And how much of it is profit, given that the cost to produce a cyber copy is significantly lower than the cost to produce a printed hardcover? We don't know, and Hachette isn't going to tell us.

I am no fan of Amazon's attempt to convince us all that cheaper is always better (they are turning themselves into the next Wal-mart). But the publishing industry has disastrously mis-managed its affairs for the last several decades, and the advent of Amazon has simply highlighted what has gone wrong with the business model. It would be like me blaming the Internet for the problems with journalism.

I am particularly annoyed with Hachette getting authors to line up and do this little dance. I've looked at my royalty statements and seen that I have earned more per copy of Kindle books sold than I did per hardcover copy.

An interesting POV from Hugh Howey, author of Wool, who I think has called it right. He is arguing that the publishers want to keep prices high -- but also want to hang on to those profits. They're not necessarily interested in distributing them as royalties (in spite of the posturing) or in supporting a broader mid-list. They weren't doing this before the Kindle. Why would they suddenly become philanthropic now, with this $$?

http://www.hughhowey.com/big-publishing-is-the-problem/

OK, now that I have THAT out of my system...

Yes, Amber, I love Anne Fontaine shirts. I first discovered them in London in the late 90s, and have one or two of their classics on hand at any given time. They are NOT cheap, however, so they are strictly work-wear, or for other "events", not casual stuff.

>83 scaifea: I have a few Penguin Deluxe paperbacks, but don't really understand why anyone would want a perfectly matched set of anything... Except maybe china. It's just too... symmetrical? organized? All the things that book reading isn't.

>99 Chatterbox: Suzanne: They are a bit pricey (the blouses, I mean), aren't they? I suspect that I won't be buying any too soon - I'll instead spend my dollars at Amazon (*snork!*)

Oh, but my reading is totally symmetrical and organized! And I wouldn't want it any other way.

>99 Chatterbox: - Excellent synopsis of the current system and some of its ailments!

Hm, well, okay. Here's the thing: if you're troubled by the mere mention of Kazantzakis and his infamous novel, you may want to skip the rest of this post...

417. (66th non-picture book read this year) The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis (Banned Books list, 506 pages) - 9/10
Follows the life of Christ and his disciples, culminating with that final temptation offered up on the cross by the forces of evil, of a normal, happy life. It's powerfully and lovingly written, intense from the first word to the last.
This, more than any other book I've read that has been heavily banned on religious grounds, baffles me (correction, the book doesn't baffle me - people do the baffling). It seems to me highly unlikely that those who so vehemently oppose this book have in actual fact not read it, or perhaps they have read it, but then they've clearly missed the point entirely. Kazantzakis, or so it seems to me, has offered up a passionate work in praise of the figurehead of his religion; there's nothing at all in these pages that paints a picture of Jesus as anything but the fully-man, fully-god figure he's supposed to have been, according to any church I've ever attended. Yep, he's tempted, but he doesn't give in, choosing, rather, to submit willingly to the torturous execution. So, here I am, completely befuddled once again by people who ban books without ever bothering to read them.

>100 scaifea: The nice thing about the blouses is that they are well-made, elegant and distinctive. And while they are clearly made by a designer, they never tie into any particular fad, meaning that you could wear some of them for a decade, if they hold together that long. You just have to care for them properly. The last purchases I made were in the summer of 2010. These are investment purchases, in the same way that a winter coat or a great pair of shoes are. Per wear, they are better value than anything other than my Banana Republic t-shirts or my jeans, I think. Or my Roots Canada t-shirts and sweatpants.

>99 Chatterbox: Thanks for the breakdown regarding Amazon & Hachette. I've been a bit confused to exactly what the issue was about.

And I'd love for my books to be perfectly matched! Not all the books, but the ones by the same author. Mmm... dream scenario.

>103 Chatterbox: Suzanne: I do like the timelessness of the shirts, and maybe if I were still working...

>104 PawsforThought: Paws: I know, right? Perfectly matched sets of books! *sigh*

> # 103 - well I am saved from this particular temptation- Anne Fontaine does not seem to make anything in my size, even if I get back to my target weight- Whew! - they are nice looking..

>106 Helenoel: Hi, Helen!

418. (67th non-picture book read this year) Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg (Banned Books list, 57 pages) - 5/10
In general, anything written in poetic form after John Donne is not at all to my taste. Most definitely no exception here. Gah.

419. Giggle Giggle Quack by Doreen Cronin (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
The rascally Duck is at it again, much to Farmer Brown's annoyance.
Silly, again, but, again, fun.

>95 foggidawn:, Thanks so much for that link to the blog. It is good to see some posts which agree with my feelings/thoughts on The Giving Tree. No matter how many times I've read it and tried to get a different interpretation, still I cannot, will not like this book.

Love the series of Charlie faces!! So very cute!

Bonus question:
Besides books, I spend the most money shopping at Sephora. But if money were no object, I'd pick Williams Sonoma.

Of course, I don't know this Levengers of which you folks speak. Perhaps that's for the best???

>76 DeltaQueen50: Judy I heard this company is looking for a "glamorous granny". ;-)

http://www.shopbrodart.com/book-trucks-book-cart/

I'm not a model or spokesperson type but if I did get to pick I would choose a vintage clothing place, like Lindy Bop. I've got big hips and I love the A-line vintage style dresses. Note: I don't dress like that but it would be fun to model.

> # 106 - Hi Amber- enjoying your thread...
For the bonus question - if money and space were truly no issue- Thos Moser furniture - http://www.thosmoser.com/
More realistically, Levinger or LLBean -

>102 scaifea: It's endlessly befuddling to imagine that people could find the novel irreligious. How? In what universe?

People, I swaNEE people will be the end of me yet.

Levengers would definitely be a top contender, as would Bas Bleu, but I think I would choose to be a model for the Chinaberry catalog: Books and Other Treasures of the Whole Family.

>106 Helenoel: Well, I'm between a 14 and a 16. The trick is to look for the styles that have the spandexy fabric as well as the pure cotton... :-) Then, too, it hinges on the styles. Some of winter fabrics are jersey, which also is more flexible.

Levenger: I love the idea of that stuff, but whenever I've bought things from there, I've never used them. Really. It's as if my mind just can't cope with that much organization. I bought some of their things when I was working on my book and used almost none of it. Still hanging around somewhere.

>95 foggidawn: I am in complete agreement with the "Triumvirate". Especially Rainbow Fish. I really object to that book. It's creepy and weird and the "sharing" message is unrealistic. As if a kid should have to give up a toy (or part of their body) to another kid just because that kid wants it. And then we call it "sharing" as if that's how the world works. In fact - at risk of being accused of oversimplifying - it may actually be what's wrong with the world. Instead of teaching our children to be happy for others we teach them to accept guilt for having more than someone else and give in to demands that others should have what they have in the name of equality, or the other way around. Or something.

Sigh. Hopping off soap box.

I read and reviewed a Drano book, Science Fair, over in my Orphans thread...post #76.

>109 Whisper1: Linda: It makes me happy finally to know that I'm not the only one who doesn't like that book!

>110 TinaV95: Tina: Bare Escentuals is my Sephora. Also, oh, Tina, you don't know Levenger? Go ahead, lady, click on it...click...on...it... www.levenger.com

>111 luvamystery65: Roberta: Believe it or not, Brodart doesn't have a fancy enough book cart for me. I want a wooden one, but I want a fancy-pants wooden one - solid oak or something. Pie in the sky, I'm afraid...
Also, I hadn't heard of LindyBop before, but oh my those dresses are lovely! I've got a whole stack of vintage-like dress patterns, but haven't made myself anything yet. Too many projects, I'm afraid...

>112 Helenoel: Helen: Oooh, that furniture is very cool!

>113 richardderus: Richard: Oh, I know, honey, I know...

>114 ronincats: Roni: I hadn't heard of Chinaberry before, either, but from the looks of their website, I suspect they are a sister company to one or two other catalogs I get (they share many of the same items). Pretty neat stuff.

>115 Chatterbox: Suzanne: Ha! Fair point - Levenger is a glorious site for ultra-organized (read:neurotic) folk like me, but I can see how their stuff might not be so exciting for non neat freaks (i.e. normal people).

>116 nittnut: Jenn: Aw, sing it, sister! I don't get the sharing thing, either! Or at least, as you say, how we teach our kids sharing. A while ago I read a fantastic piece somewhere out there on the interwebs (I'd never be able to find it now) written by a mom who is part of a daycare co-opt at which they approach the sharing bit differently, and in a way that I think is much more practical: If one child is playing with a toy and another one wants it, that second child must wait until the first one is completely finished with it - and that first child is under no obligation to share it. They even will 'hold' the toy for the child if he/she needs to use the bathroom and isn't finished with it. Sounds extreme, I know, but I suspect that they also (I hope, at least) encourage kindness throughout (i.e. no need to be mean about having a toy or flaunting that you're the one playing with it). This just seems more fair to me than the old, 'If you're playing with a toy and someone else wants it, you have to either play together with it or hand it over' bit.

>117 richardderus: Richard: I'll come over and check it out!

On today's agenda:
Swimming lessons again, and Charlie's going to get chilly in that pool this morning - high of 68F (!) in July (!?). We had the windows all open yesterday to that glorious breeze and it felt like a beautiful fall day (my favorite kind). *contented sigh* Other than the pool, not much going on today: laundry, maybe some bread-baking, reading, sewing (I've started another little shirt dress and would love to more more on it), possibly a board & card game tournament with Charlie. Ham and Cheese Soup for dinner, I think.
On the reading front: I started Brave New World last night, and Oho! So far so awesome. I've been looking forward to this one for *years* and I think that I'm not going to be disappointed.

The calendar book today: Predator Nation by Charles H. Ferguson. I've not read it. Thoughts?

Morning Amber! Yep, 69 here today and I LOVE it! We do not have a pool, so we are perfectly happy with it. Smiles...

I loved your thoughts on The Last Temptation of Christ. I am so glad you loved it and I hope to revisit it one of these days.

I have not read Charles H. Ferguson but he is also an excellent documentary film-maker and his last couple of films have been devastating. It should be mandatory viewing by all Americans.

>120 msf59: Mark: I'm loving this weather, too, even it if means hurrying Charlie home from the pool and straight into a hot bath! Ha!
I just loved the Kazantzakis. I know I'll be thinking of it for a long time to come. He did such a fantastic job with *all* of the characters, I think, the disciples and such. So real feeling, if that makes sense.
I'll have to look up those documentaries...

>115 Chatterbox: Allow me to provide you with an address (mine) where you can divest yourself of any unwanted Levenger items! I'm not super-organized like Amber, but I've used everything I ever bought from them. I'm especially fond of their page points (also known as book darts), the canvas tote, the lap desk, and the editor's desk.
ETA: OH, and the book weight. (See, none of these things have anything to do with "organizing", exactly.)

>116 nittnut: Don't put that soapbox away, just yet. The concept of "sharing" doesn't mean giving up what you have because someone else demands it. That concept is known as "extortion", and it teaches children a very wrong sort of lesson. "If I want something, all I have to do is say so, and it will be given to me." Hmmmm...what are the long-term consequences of that, I wonder?

>122 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: *ahem* Any unwanted Levenger items mentioned on this thread really ought to come to the thread owner...

>123 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Agreed!
*Realizing that these two responses don't exactly mesh...or do they...?*

>118 scaifea: I'm going to have to take some pictures of the book carts we use here at work. They are vintage, because the library bought them new back in the day and never got rid of them. They are beautiful. (And like we tell patrons who want them... if you try to take it, we will have to call the state troopers over here to charge you with theft of government property.)

>125 casvelyn: Oh, dang. That sounds like *just* what I'm looking for!

>126 scaifea: I know! I want them too!

Our kids loved Shel Silverstein, Amber, especially Where the Sidewalk Ends.

I got quite caught up in The Last Temptation of Christ, too, way back when, and I agree with you on not understanding the vitriol against it. As you say, as usual, a lot probably came from people who never read it.

I'm sorry Howl didn't work for you. I'm used to a lot of different approaches to poetry, and to me this collection is powerful, the title poem especially. Except for the time limits (3 minutes max is the usual) this guy would have been a hugely successful slam poet if he appeared on the scene today.

>128 jnwelch: Joe: As usual when I read something that I don't like, I'm happy to hear/know that someone else really did like it. Makes me not feel too guilty that I didn't...

>119 scaifea: I loved Brave New World when I read it. Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

>77 Fourpawz2: You are evil and must be destroyed.

>83 scaifea: I think I'll start collecting the Barnes & Nobles ones. Plus I'm going to give mom the Folio website and ask her to start getting me books from there for my birthday and Christmas instead of gift certificates. I really wouldn't care what she gets. Though I suppose I could give her a list... oh, the pain. :D

>88 Whisper1: >89 scaifea: Me, three. Part of my micro-review, "I was rather disgusted by both the tree's submissiveness and the boy's greediness." It's the reason I dislike It's a Wonderful Life. I don't think George is a hero, I think he's a doormat.

>95 foggidawn: I read the summary of Love You Forever and it sounded really creepy.

I want vintage library carts too Amber. I just had to tease the glamorous granny. ;-)

ETA: if we find them we can dress vintage and post out photos.

>99 Chatterbox: Sorry; I didn't elucidate my question, but Suzanne answered it. I was just asking for clarity on the situation, because I wasn't sure who the 'bad guy' is. Though, to be honest, it looks like both Amazon and publishers fall under that umbrella.

*sigh* and now I know about Anne Fontaine, and I want. Thanks :0(

ETA: we were given The Giving Tree, which I'm not a fan of, so I've never picked up anything else of Silverstein's. We got (I think) the second in the Rainbow Fish series first, so I wasn't quite so put off, though the concept of being asked to give up part of yourself was a bit odd. And I haven't read the other of the 'Triumvirate', nor do I now want to ;0)

>130 PawsforThought: Paws: More Huxley love - yay!

>131 Morphidae: Morphy: Oh, you didn't know about Bas Bleu? This thread is just a wealth of dangerous information, isn't it. *snork!*
I do like the B&N ones, too, but I don't as yet have any and I may try to keep it that way, for now at least (I need another set of editions to gather like I need another, uh, obsession). I love the idea of giving the Folio site to your mom! Brilliant!

>132 luvamystery65: Roberta: *snork!*

>133 humouress: Nina: Yep, I'd stay away from that third piece of the triumvirate. Yeesh.

On the subject of Shel Silverstein...he did cartoons for PLayboy before he wrote children's books. I even found one suitable for posting:



He was quite a songwriter too. He's responsible for "A Boy Named Sue", "The Cover of Rolling Stone", and (the loveliest of all) The Unicorn No extra charge for the earworm.

Ha! Those stupid head unicorns. I had forgotten that song.

>135 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Yep, he was an interesting guy.

>136 Morphidae: Morphy: Yeah, I'm not clicking.

>137 scaifea: It wasn't that bad, to be honest. Or at least, I didn't think so.

>137 scaifea: Oh, go on....Charlie should learn that song. "Cats and rats and eleFANTS..."

>131 Morphidae: - Yup - I probably should be.

Regarding the Ferguson book, Amber, apparently I own it. I got it from Audible (a Richard recommendation), but I haven't actually listened to it yet. I expect it's very good. Not much help, am I?

>140 Fourpawz2: I love Steel Magnolias...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-aOz7rPzrk

>138 Morphidae: & >139 laytonwoman3rd: Morphy & Linda: I was, as Charlie says, just cheesin'...

>140 Fourpawz2: Charlotte: Yep, helpful. Thanks. *snork!*

>141 Morphidae: Morphy: Excellent movie!

420. Where Is Fred? by Edward Hardy (public library book, picture book) - 9/10
A wooly worm flees from a crow and quite cleverly outsmarts him.
Funny, with very good illustrations.

>135 laytonwoman3rd: love this!

Re: cataloging: Talbots, Sur la Table, and the MDen in Ann Arbor.

ETA: If money is no object for my husband, Tiffany's. ;-)

>95 foggidawn:: responding to the triumvirate... I totally agree on all three. The Giving Tree upset me as a kid! though I love SS other books. I abhor The Rainbow Fish ... Do we really want to teach kids to give a piece of themselves because someone wants it?!
I must say that we own Love You Forever and although I find it creepy, it is the one I find least bothersome.
Owen is going through a "big boy" phase but he knows that he is always MY baby ;)

My surplus Levenger things are Circa notebooks and inserts -- probably not terribly helpful. And a notecard bleacher like this:

http://www.levenger.com/Note-Cards-16/3-x-5-Card-Holders-901/Note-Card-Bleachers...

I do use it, but it just stores stuff that never moves from where I stick it, so it actually doesn't help organize me!

>133 humouress: and yes, the way I see it, at least, there's really no single bad guy here. The authors are getting the short end of the straw, though. Surprise, surprise.

>145 jayde1599: I think Rainbow Fish is probably my least favorite of the three. Both Silverstein (Giving Tree) and Munsch (Love You Forever) wrote kind of weird stuff on purpose, and I have to wonder if those two books were meant, at some level (and perhaps unsuccessfully), to be making fun of themselves. But Rainbow Fish is sickeningly sincere.

Amber, I'm also sorry Howl didn't work for you. As you know, I am a huge fan of Ginsberg.

>99 Chatterbox: So glad to see you share Howey's commentary about the Amazon Hatchette thing. I was delighted with his take. And the point is, that we as consumers don't really know what's going on because Hatchette or Amazon will tell us anything useful, other than pointing the finger at the other and calling them meanies.

Good morning Amber from your friend over the pond, hope you have a really good day my dear.

>144 michigantrumpet: Marianne: I'm one of those people who don't care for cut flowers or jewelry at all. When we first got married, Tomm was at a bit of a loss, I think, not knowing whether I was telling the true or not about not wanting flowers are fancy jewelry from him. After 10 years, I think he finally realizes that I'll take a book over that stuff any day. Ha!

>145 jayde1599: Jess: I know that lots of people are big fans of Munsch, but I just don't get it. Meh.

>146 Chatterbox: Suzanne: Oh, if only I'd had that card organizer thing when I was working on my dissertation! I had index cards *everywhere*!

>147 foggidawn: foggi: I think I agree that Rainbow Fish is the worst of the three. I absolutely can not stand to be preached at, and it feels like that book is trying to cram a moral lesson - and one that I don't agree with at all - right down one's throat. Gah.

>148 AuntieClio: Stephanie: I did not know that! I hope we can still be friends... *snork!*

>150 johnsimpson: Morning, John! Wishing the very same thing for you!

On the agenda for today:

More swimming lessons - they're jumping off the diving board today, so we'll see how that goes... But before that, it's Wednesday, which means - wait for it - Library Day! Woot! Story Time at 10am (swimming lessons at 11)! So, a busy morning. And then, this evening, we're going to take our friends out to a Farewell Dinner. It's a couple that we met when we moved here and who moved to Platteville at the same time as us and for the same reason - the husband worked in the same department at the University as Tomm. He's now accepted a position in Milwaukee and they're leaving town next Tuesday. They have 4 children, and Charlie has really enjoyed playing with them and becoming friends, so the whole family will be missed. In between the pool and dinner, I'll try to squeeze in more sewing time and possibly some reading.
On the reading front: Brave New World is amazing. AMAZING. It's so good that I can't even get more articulate than that. *happy reading sigh* Tomm is particularly enjoying my reading right now, as it's one of the rare occasions when Mr. Science has read a Humanatee (as he calls my kind) classic before I have (it was apparently assigned reading for him in 11th grade). And it is yet another classic that somehow escaped my clutches through all 23 years of schooling (which included a degree in English Lit.!)...

The calendar book today is one that I know I've heard some of you talking about at some point, and I think I had decided at the time that I wouldn't like, but I can't quite remember... Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. Those of you who have read it - can you remind me what you thought of it?

Morning Amber! I also loved Brave New World but it has been many years. I should revisit it. I also loved Let's Pretend This Never Happened. It was great on audio but beware, it was very profane. Laugh out loud funny. I wish that title would have caught on over here.

>123 laytonwoman3rd: Happy to share the soap box. :)

>124 scaifea: LOL

>152 scaifea: Hooray for happy reading sighs over Brave New World. Love that book.

>153 msf59: Mark: Okay, so the Lawson gets the Mark Stamp of Approval. Good enough for me!

>154 nittnut: Hi, Jenn!

Good morning early rising friend. I am cuddling in bed with my daughter and reading threads. Nearly time for bed. Or maybe past time...

>156 nittnut: Jenn: Ha! I have to get up at 5am or I don't get everything done for the day (the important task being staying current on all of the LT threads)!

>152 scaifea: I loved, LOVED, LOVED Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. So much crazy but at the heart a love for her family and friends. She is profane as Mark says so she will not appeal to everyone but she certainly has her moments. I never laughed so hard and sometimes I cried.

>158 luvamystery65: Roberta: Whelp, that clinches it - wishlisted!

>147 foggidawn: I adore Love You Forever even though it makes me cry. I've seen interviews with Robert Munsch talking about the book and there's a digest version of his story behind the book here.

I've had Let's Pretend This Never Happened on TBR Someday. I'll move it to TBR Soon.

Realize "Soon" means sooner than someday - mostly likely within the year. Could be longer. "Someday" means in my lifetime.

>161 Morphidae: Morphy: Yep, 'soon' could mean a couple of years, really.

>161 Morphidae: & >162 scaifea: So true about someday = in my lifetime/couple of years.

Can I get a 'Ding Dang!'?

While at the pool today for Charlie's lessons, I set down our pool tote and my (cloth) purse next to the chair in which I was sitting, and then halfway through his lesson, I got up and walked a few yards away to get a better angle for taking photos of him. When I got back to our bags at the end of the lesson, someone, somehow, got the spot where they were on the ground ALL WET (it was a pretty fair distance from the water in the pool). And my purse got ALL WET. And everything inside it was - wait for it - ALL WET. Including - are you sitting down for this one? - my book. MY BOOK. My hardcover, Everyman's Library Edition of Brave New World. DINGDANGIT, folks! Why the why are people so farting thoughtless of others' things?!

So sad about humanity right now.

Was almost in tears when we got home and discovered just how wet everything got. Charlie said that he was sorry that I was so sad and how could he make it better (cue heart melting) - I said, "Whelp, I think cake for lunch would work." He thought a moment, then said, "Yep, I think that might help." So, we plonked the serving platter on the table, grabbed two forks and some milk (for him) and a ginger ale (for me), and lunch was served.

>163 luvamystery65: Roberta: Amen, sister.

Oooooo, I feel your pain. Nothing fires me up faster than other people not taking reasonable care not to wreck other people's stuff and/or nice time. And this kind of relatively minor disaster is exactly the kind of thing that usually completely undoes me. And a ruined book, too! *hugs* But at least it provided an opportunity for Charlie demonstrate once again that he is the. best. kid. ever.

If you'd like to try to save the book, take plain white paper towels and lay a sheet of paper towel between each page. The book will get very "fat" but don't try to force it closed. Just let it lay however it wants to lay. Put the book where a fan can blow on it without making the pages blow around too much. In a couple of hours, redo all the paper towel. If the book is significantly drier, you can put paper towel between every couple of pages, instead of between each page. Repeat for about the next 24-48 hours, or until the book is dry. If it's "puffy" or "rippled" after it's totally dry, you can press it under a heavy weight until it's flatter. This will prevent mold and dry the book as fast as is safe for it. (Books dried too quickly end up with other issues later.)

Oh, and if there's a dust jacket, take it off and dry it separately. If the folds "fall out", you can always refold it later.

>166 lycomayflower: Laura: Many thanks for the hugs and sympathy. You're right, too, about the minor disasters - I fall apart more at those than the big ones, for which I usually manage to keep it together. And, yeah, he *is* the best kid ever.

>167 casvelyn: Thanks for the tip - I've got it paper-toweled now. Fingers crossed.

Cake makes everything better.

Awwww re Charlie and cake. That won't fix the book, but it does fix the sadness part...

>167 casvelyn: Wow, I'm favoriting this for later reference. I think this is my FIRST EVER favorited post. This doesn't happen often, but now I will know what to
do!!!!

I like cut flowers, jewelry and books. So I'm really quite easy to buy for... :-) That said, it needs to be the right kind of stuff. Not pricey jewelry (though one day I confess I'd love diamond stud earrings.) And only some kinds of flowers. And only the books that are on my wishlist.

Re Hachette/Amazon: without wanting to offend anyone, I'm beginning to think of this dispute as, in some ways, the non-violent business equivalent of what is happening in Israel/Gaza/Palestine. The hardliners on both sides are utterly incapable of understanding the other perspective. And then you have a lot of people caught in the middle who just want it to get sorted out already. I realize that's overstating it, but the inability to perceive the other's POV is definitely the same.

>168 scaifea:, >170 Chatterbox: We had a "water emergency" at work back in March, so I learned the process from our conservator. We treated several hundred books in this manner, and the only ones that needed any treatment beyond flattening were several with glued bindings where the book case (aka cover) needed reglued to the text block (aka pages).

ETA: They HAVE to be plain, white paper towels, as colored or unbleached paper towels will leach dye/natural color onto the pages of the book.

>167 casvelyn: Thank you for sharing the knowledge. Hopefully, I'll never need it but it's good to have it just in case.

So sorry about your book getting soaked....thoughtless people are the pits! Books getting ruined = very bad day.

>170 Chatterbox: The thing that I have found fascinating in the whole debate is that the Hachette supporters have tried to make it seem like big bad Amazon is trying to drive wee little Hachette out of business. Hachette is a huge, multimillion dollar company in its own right. I don't favor one side or the other but find the whole thing weird.

Bummer about the book, Amber. I hope the paper towel treatment works well for you. Kudos to Charlie for being so supportive. What a special kid.

>169 Morphidae: Morphy: Agreed!

>170 Chatterbox: Suzanne: Charlie's very good at cheering me up, I have to say. I'm a lucky gal.

>171 casvelyn: I looks like it's working for my book, at least - many thanks again for the advice! Doubly cool that it's expert advice, too!

>172 PawsforThought: I know, right?

>173 Cobscook: Thanks, Heidi. Nothing brings down a good day like thoughtless people, eh? *sigh*

>174 lauralkeet: Laura: Thanks for the sympathy. And, yep, he's always been a sensitive kid, attuned to the feelings of those around him. I'm both happy/proud about that, but also already sad for the hurt that will inevitably bring him down the road. Whatever hurt comes, I hope it doesn't make him change his caring ways...

Sorry, very tired after a longish dinner out with friends this evening, so just the list without the pithy blurbs;

421. Today I Will Fly by Mo Willems (public library book, easy reader) - 9/10
422. Cars and Trucks by Richard Scarry (Charlie book, picture book) - 8/10
423. A Moose That Says Moooooooooo by Jennifer Hamburg (public library book, picture book) - 9/10

So frustrating about all your stuff being wet. Having spent many days by the pool, I can confirm that it is quite possible for things to get wet, but that wet makes me think someone was standing, dripping over your stuff. Thought it was their mom's? Looking for your wallet? Cannon ball by large, large person? Maybe, maybe not.
Cake for lunch sounds kinda nice...

>177 nittnut: Jenn! And my day comes full circle! That Is Awesome! I'm just on my way to Bedfordshire...
But, yeah, I have no idea how it happened, as it was a small area of very wet wetness... Gah. Oh, well, it's done now. I'm walking it off...

On the agenda for today:
Last day of swimming lessons, and then packing for a trip to my parents' this weekend (Friday through Monday). And that's all I have planned for today.
On the reading front: Despite the Wet Book Horror of '14, I did manage to read a good chunk of Brave New World yesterday, and I'll hopefully finish it today.
Leftovers for dinner, since the fridge is full of them...

The calendar book for today: The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story from Inside the Vatican. Honestly, I don't know enough about the regular told version to be ready for the untold one. Anyone read this one?

Throwback Thursday - July 12, 2009:

Morning amber! 78 today! Swoons a little...Love the Charlie Throwback. Awwwwww....

>181 msf59: Mark: I know, right?! Loving this weather.

>180 scaifea: I can almost smell that little head...

>183 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: And feel that little elbow dimple, and pat that little curled-up fist... *sigh*

>180 scaifea: {Love}

>180 scaifea: awwwwwwww. I miss those days.

>180 scaifea: Glorious example of my absolute favourite thing about babies. Wrist wrinkles. Ah, that lovely wrinkle going all the way around a chubby, plump baby wrist.

>185 LoisB: Lois: Me, too.

>186 lauralkeet: Laura: I do and I don't. That nap, as I recall, lasted about 10 minutes. And that was one of the longest he ever took. *sigh of a different kind*

>187 PawsforThought: Paws: I know, right?! Adorable.

That was then. Here's the now (or, well, a few days ago) - Charlie and his buddy, Nolan, um, kickin' it, as they say, at the pool:

>180 scaifea: Once they finally sleep they are so cute. I wish you a lovely day. Does Charlie feel sad because it's his last swimming lesson?

>189 Ameise1: Barbara: Sort of. He's sad a little, but he's also distracted by/excited for our trip to "Granny & Pa's" tomorrow, plus we're heading to Minneapolis for a week on Sunday next, which will include, I'm sure, lots of time at the hotel pool...

That nap, as I recall, lasted about 10 minutes. Laura was such a non-napper that I would be terrified if she didn't wake up after half an hour...I was sure she was dead.

So you'll be here on the 27th? Where are you staying? How long will you be here?

>191 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Yep, same here. On mornings that he'd sleep longer than usual, I'd go in and very quietly lay my hand on his chest, just to make sure...

>192 Morphidae: Morphy: We're driving up on the 27th and coming back home on, I think, the 31st. Still don't know where we're staying, as Tomm hasn't made the reservations yet (grumble, grumble). He has to do it through work, otherwise I'd have taken over and done it myself already. We'll likely be staying under a bridge somewhere at this point...

So it would probably be safe for me to make other plans on the 28th?

>194 Morphidae: Morphy: Of course! We'll be there enough days that we'll be able to work out a meet-up day/time. I'll PM you when Tomm finally (if ever) books the hotel...

Sorry that someone's carelessness ruined your stuff, Amber. On the other hand, you have such a great boy in Charlie that I think you come out as the winner here. He's a keeper! Enjoy your trip, I think I am heading out to visit my Mom next week and I am probably as excited as Charlie is.

>196 DeltaQueen50: Judy: I'm super excited, too! I love spending time with my parents, plus, they play with Charlie pretty much non-stop, so I get lots of reading time.

424. (68th non-picture book read this year) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Banned Books list, 232 pages) - 9/10
Well, goodness. It took me 38 years (23 of which were spent in school, which included a degree in English Lit. - how was this never assigned reading for me!?) to get round to reading this one, but, boy am I glad I finally did. Fantastic stuff. Dystopia at close to its best, I'd say. My only quibble is that it ends so abruptly, which may have been the point, but it felt more awkward than shocking.

>198 scaifea: I'm so glad you liked it! I can' say I remember the ending (I have a terrible memory for book-related details) but I do remember loving it, even if it's a bit weird. I had a period where I only read dystopian novels (Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451 , The Children of Men) and became slightly paranoid as a result. While I'd recommend all those books, I don't recommend reading them back-to-back.

>199 PawsforThought: Paws: Ha! I've read 1984 (and loved it), and I've got 451 in my pile for later this summer...

>200 scaifea: Imagine reading them all over the space of about three weeks. And then having the media report on new laws regarding signals intelligence. Yeah, that was, ehm, interesting.

>201 PawsforThought: Paws: You poor thing - ha!

425. See What a Seal Can Do by Chris Butterworth (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
A non-fiction picture book about how seals function and hunt for food underwater.
Lovely illustrations, and I actually learned quite a bit (seals aren't exactly my area of expertise, clearly)!

Charlie to the rescue! What a great little guy he is!!!

I've also favorited casevlyn's post so I can refer back to it in case of crisis.

Now for my real message....

BAD, BAD bonus question! Making me go all drooly over the Levenger website and request a catalog! Not good at allllllll!

>179 scaifea: ooooooh *drool* ... I know about Henry VIII's machinations from outside the Vatican to get a divorce, and when they didn't come through, he founded the Church of England and made himself head so he could marry Anne Boleyn. Reading what was going inside the Vatican sounds very interesting. *BB*

ETA: I had to laugh at this review: "... I wouldn't recommend it for the causal reader. "

>204 TinaV95: Tina: Ha! Tip: I like to circle items I want and dog-ear those pages and then leave the catalog somewhere in Tomm's direct path, in good time for my birthday or Christmas. Just a thought...

>205 AuntieClio: Stephanie: I don't even know what that means, really - "casual reader"...

On the agenda for today:
As soon as Charlie wakes up and gets dressed, we'll jump in the car and head to Indiana for a few days, which means lots of fun for both of us, tons of reading time for me, and very little LT time, since I'll only have access on my iphone. I'll try to check in occasionally, but please forgive me if I don't respond individually - I have the darndest time navigating LT on that tiny screen...

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

Morning Amber! Have a nice trip to Indiana. Hope you can squeeze in a little R & R.

Have a nice trip! I understand about that darn IPhone screen!!!

Holy smokes! I am so far behind!

I Love the dress! Any little one would look adorable in it. I envy your talent and creativity.

Charlie is such a handsome and good natured little man. I appreciate his willingness to be shared with all of us.

Have a nice trip.

Behind again... a) nobody should be allowed to soak books - I'd be the ridiculously apologetic Mum hanging around till you came back and crying for forgiveness if I/my child had done it... b) Realisation hitting that after being somewhat mental after having baby no.1 I definitely did not take enough sleeping photos :/ and c) Waves!

Have a wonderful trip and a great time!

Hi Amber! I hope you have a nice trip to Indiana! :) And I LOVE the series shots! I wish I could get my nephew to take nice pictures for me. He's shy. Which reminds me, I got a picture of him NOT scowling at me yesterday, I should post it on my thread. :)

>152 scaifea: CAtching up here, but wanted to reply on your question about Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend this Never Happened. Here is my blurb on the book which i gave 3.5 stars:

"...Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) manages to capture her macabre and wry take on life in book form. She prefers writing over actual 'face-to-face' encounters, which cause her major anxiety attacks. This is a good thing, because we have her book to read. Plus, I suspect meeting her would cause me an anxiety attack. If you have a deep-seated appreciation of the absurd, you will rarely find more absurdity than this. If you are offended by foul language or taxidermy, this book is not for you."

Hope the wet book came out all right.

Hi, everyone! We made it to Indiana just fine and now we're waiting for dinner time - corn fresh from the garden.

Hi Amber, hope you have a nice trip my dear, love and hugs as always.

I love summer - fresh corn, tomato and watermelon ... Aaah!

>206 scaifea: Amber, I was laughing because it doesn't say casual reader, it says causal reader and I wondered what a reader caused.

Oooooooooh, fresh corn on the cob!! Yes, please!

Hi, Amber ~ Hope you're having a great time! Freshly picked corn! Nothing like it! It's wonderful that you live near enough to your mom that you can drive to see her so often!

Just tootling through... casually reading this thread...Adorable sleeping baby, adorabler pool kicking boy, Henry VIII la-la-la, trip to see mum (jealousy), cute dress... Wait! What? Where? Frantically scrolls back through thread looking for a photo. Can't find one. Could I have possibly missed it on the last thread? Headed off to see. Found it. Sigh. Settled back in chair. Love it! Should be a HOT seller on Etsy. :) Tootles off.

Good morning and happy Saturday, Amber! I hope that you're enjoying your weekend in Indiana. Yesterday I made my flight reservations to visit my best friends in Madison next month; I'll arrive at MSN on the morning of Saturday 8/9 and leave on the following Wednesday morning, 8/13. I mentioned the bookshop in Spring Green to Murielle earlier this week, but she hasn't said anything about it yet. I know that the kids have a bunch of activities then, so I'm not sure that we would be able to meet you there, although I'll have a better idea as my visit approaches.

Morning, all! The corn was amazing! Today I've been given my birthday present early - my parents will stay here with Charlie while I take the money they've given me and head to the bookstore for as long as I please. Ah, bliss!

Oh, the infinite bookstore trip! Have fun - and let us know what the haul looks like!

Amber, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Open-ended book shopping! Best birthday present ever. And, to top it off, when you do get enough and return, there will be a happy Charlie, and a Mom-cooked meal. Lucky girl!

I've crawled out of my sickbed to try to catch up with you. Thank goodness you're away from LT for a couple of days! :-)

Charlie is completely adorable, but you already knew that. I'm sure you don't mind hearing it again, though.

Unbelievably far behind at LT (gardening season), so I'll just say Face # 2, Charlie, is my pick; mail order catalogue model *guffaw* --oh any gardening mag picturing the backside of someone bent over weeding; and love the photo of your mom with Charlie.

>45 scaifea: wow. I love that photo of your mum, and her #1 guy. It is so nice that you have such a great relationship with her.

>207 scaifea: hope you had a great time away on holiday! Tonnes of reading huh? Is that when Charlie is asleep? Or, don't tell me, he's one of those who plays nicely by himself? If so....*jealous*.

Have a terrific trip!! Enjoy your family & all the fresh veggies (sounds delish!). :)

Morning, everyone! Many thanks for visiting; I'll get round to responding to each when we're back home. For now, let me just say that we are having a wonderful time - I have a lovely little stack of new books, I tore through The Ocean at the End of the Lane yesterday, we went to a fish fry for dinner last night (yum!), and Charlie is having a blast on the farm.

Exciting to find that bookstore!!!!

Baby pic - awww!

I would definitely not model for Title Nine, I can tell you that! But let me think, probably one of those catalogs like Whatever Works, I could be the lady with the cool hose attachment watering the peonies or vacuuming the blinds......

Hi Amber, glad you are having a wonderful time my dear and a new stack of books for you, what a surprise, ha ha. Enjoy the rest of your stay my dear.

There's nothing like going home is there, Amber! I am looking forward to seeing my family next week. And having Charlie so happy there is an added bonus, I bet.

Hi, everyone! Whelp, we're back home safely after a fantastic (as usual) visit with my parents, but I'm knackered from the long drive today and then the trip to the grocery for supplies for the week. I'll be back to respond to everyone tomorrow, but for now, here's what I bought on my early birthday trip to the bookstore:



Happy Evening, all!

Afternoon {Tea} Collection looks fun. Of course, one would need to substitute brandy or gin for the "tea".

Happy happy when it's snappy.

Welcome home! I am eyeballing The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts!

>235 scaifea: Delicious!

Hi Amber, loving your early birthday book haul my dear, the Afternoon Tea book sounds great.

Okay, catch-up time:

>208 msf59: Mark: Thanks! There was plenty of R&R and it was wonderful!

>209 LoisB: Lois: I know, right? Those tiny iphone screens are demonstrably not conducive to LTing. So awkward.

>210 cal8769: Hi, Carrie! Good to see you!

>211 BekkaJo: Bekka: A) The really sad thing is that I suspect it wasn't a kid but an adult who did the soaking. B) The best 'sleeping baby' photos I have are the couple I snapped after he conked out right in his high chair, all slumped over and snoring. Adorable and hilarious. C) Waves right back!

>212 richardderus: Thanks, Richard!

>213 The_Hibernator: Rachel: One of the suggestions in the photography book that I recently read for shy subjects was to ask them to make silly faces. Charlie's clearly not shy in front of the camera (he's had plenty of practice!), but I thought I'd do it anyway, and we both had a blast. You might try it with your nephew and see if that gets him to open up...

>214 michigantrumpet: Thanks for the review, Marianne!

>216 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>217 michigantrumpet: Marianne: The corn was amazing. They grow in their garden a yellow and white kernel variety that is simply the very best I've ever tasted. Charlie and I brought some home to surprise Tomm for dinner last night and also brought a bagful for the very nice ladies who live next door - they were so excited!

>218 AuntieClio: Stephanie: *snork!*

>219 msf59: Mark: It was so, so good. And it was the first batch of ripe ears from their garden, which means that it's at its very best - super sweet and super tender. YUM.

>220 Storeetllr: Mary: We live 6.5 hours away from my parents, which is a longish drive, but Charlie and I try to make it about every 6 weeks or so. We'll have to figure something out come this fall, though, when he'll be in school 5 days a week...

>221 nittnut: Jenn: Yeah, we'll see how the dresses do on etsy... Haven't sold a hat yet and I thought they would be more well-liked. *shrug*

>222 kidzdoc: Darryl: Oh, I do hope it works out that we can meet up when you're here! If the bookshop doesn't work, I'd be happy to drive up your way for a quick coffee or something, but I also understand that visiting with your friends are the priority and that they might not be willing to share you while you're there.

>224 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! Photo of the mini haul is above...

>225 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>226 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: And there was an early birthday cake waiting for me, too! Butter cake (no icing) with a warm red raspberry (fresh-picked berries, too) sauce to pour over it... I've got the Best Mom Ever.

>227 rosalita: Julia: You're still not feeling better?! What the what, Julia?! *sigh*

>228 tiffin: tiffin: You and my mom, both, with the gardening backsides, I suspect. I've never met a greener-thumbed lady than her and she absolutely loves being out in her gardens, flower and otherwise.

>229 LovingLit: Megan: He *does* play very well by himself, but the reason I get so much non-stop reading time at my parents' house is that he and they are busy all day long playing together! My mom jokes that she talks to me more when we're not there (we talk on the phone every morning) than when Charlie and I visit, since she's always off playing with Charlie from morning 'til night!

>230 TinaV95: Thanks, Tina!

>232 sibylline: Lucy: *Off to check out Whatever Works* - I've never heard of that one before...

>233 johnsimpson: John: A new stack of books is hardly shocking for any of us, is it? Ha!

>234 DeltaQueen50: Judy: I'm one of the rare breed of folks who don't like to be separated from her parents for very long. We're very close and just love spending time together.

>236 richardderus: Richard: I am so excited about the Tea book - so, so many amazing-looking recipes in there! Spices of the Orient Teacake! Chocolate Mud Cake with Chili Cherries! Almond Honey Spice Cake! Pistachio Buttercake with Orange Honey Syrup! *happy and excited sigh*

>237 lkernagh: Lori: Me, too! The information in it is very basic, so if you know anything at all about a particular craft you won't learn anything new about it, but I picked it up because it was on the bargain shelf and so quite cheap and it has sections on particular crafts that I've always wanted to try but had no idea how to go about them (mosaics, etching,...).

>238 humouress: Nina: I know, right?! I bought the Harry Potter cookbook to stick back until Charlie starts reading those books, at which time I can pull it out and whip up a batch of Cauldron Cakes or Treacle Tart or some such for him...

>239 johnsimpson: John: I am so, so excited about the Tea book! I looked though it longingly on several occasions this weekend...

Whew! All caught up! Well, with my own thread, at least. Oh, wait, I'm not. I have books to report! I'll get right on that. But first...

On the agenda for today:

Charlie has his 6-month dental check-up this morning, and then, since his dentist is in Dubuque, I think afterwards we'll stop at the Target down there and maybe do our school supply shopping (the schools posted the supply lists already). I *love* shopping for school supplies!! *happy sigh* Then I've got to tackle the laundry, make out bills, take care of some etsy stuff, odds and ends... I'd like to get into the sewing room this afternoon, but I suspect that there are too many other things on the list for that. Pork chops in a sweet corn sauce for dinner tonight.

The calendar book for today is one that is already happily on my wishlist, along with all of his other books that I've not yet read: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.

Morning Amber! Welcome home! Glad you had a nice time with the folks.

>243 msf59: Thanks, Mark!

426. (69th non-picture book read this year) The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (Gaiman bibliography, 181 pages) - 10/10
Gaiman is the master of making fable and folktale a part of everyday life while still keeping it, well, magical. He's so very good at mixing childlike wonder with creepiness while adding a dash of common sadness. One of my absolute favorite authors, and here he's proven why once again.

427. Cake Soup by Erica Farber (public library book, easy reader) - 8/10
428. A Day in the Life of a Police Officer by Linda Hayward (public library book, easy reader) - 8/10
Two easy readers that we took with us to Indiana and which Charlie helped me to read.

429. (70th non-picture book read this year) Great Disasters by Kaari Ward (Summer Book Bingo Challenge, 307 pages) - 7/10
A collection of 1-2-page summaries of natural disasters throughout history.
This has been sitting on my shelves for so long that I can't recall where it came from or how it got there. It won't be going back - not very well-written at all, and I'd prefer to read a full book on just one of these events (and in a few cases, I already have) than a book full of unsatisfactory blurbs.

430. Thump, Quack, Moo by Doreen Cronin (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
Another in the Click Clack Moo series. They're okay but not great, although Charlie enjoys them.

431. Duck & Goose Go to the Beach by Tad Hills (Charlie book, picture book) - 9/10
I picked this one up for Charlie during my birthday bookstore spree (I couldn't leave a bookstore without something for him, now could I?!). We love Duck and Goose and so I was excited to find one that we hadn't read before. It's wonderful, of course.

432. Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson (Charlie book, picture book) - 9/10
I found this one weekend before last during my wonderful day of garage sales and new bookshops, and had to get it for Charlie. We love Karma Wilson and her adorable forest animals. Funny and adorable, as usual.

>242 scaifea: I love school supply shopping too! Part of my missing school is that there is no more supply shopping for me nowadays (though we don't need to buy a whole lot of things over here, everything is provided for you for the first 10 years).

>246 PawsforThought: Paws: Funding for schools is so bad over here that the students not only have to buy their own supplies, but also must pitch in with supplies for the general classroom (tissue boxes, disinfectant wipes,...). I don't at all mind pitching in, but I'm so troubled at how much our country doesn't seem to understand the value of funding public education.

School shopping! One of the bad things about not having kids. I didn't get to do twelve more years of school shopping. Waaaah!

>248 Morphidae: Morphy: I did school shopping all through college and grad school and all the years that I was a prof, too! Love it.

>247 scaifea: The lack of funding for school supplies is so unfair (and stupid)! Do they ask the town office workers to bring their own paper & pencils? Do they ask the police to buy their own bullets? BTW, what to they do about children who can't afford it?

That said, I worked for a Fortune 100 company. At one point, we had no budget for supplies or new computer equipment. My mouse broke. When I asked for a new one, I was told to use the pointer pad thingy, which aggravates my arthritis. I went out and bought myself a new mouse rather than fight the bureaucracy!

>250 LoisB: Lois: There are a couple of organizations here in town that help low-income families and work with the schools to help them. The local thrift shop is one of them - they hand out vouchers to those families in need to come to their shop and take what they need at no charge, and they also re-invest *all* of their sales profits back into the community via those families that need help. That's why I always take our donation stuff there instead of Goodwill...

>247 scaifea: So tragic. Schools over here aren't doing very well either, but if you were to try and make people but pens, books and other supplies rather than have it provided (obviously doesn't apply to universities and only partially applies to upper secondary school) there'd be riots.

I'm with you on Gaiman, Amber, and I think Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of his best. That sustained creepy atmosphere was really impressive.

>252 PawsforThought: Paws: Yep, tragic and sad.

>253 jnwelch: Joe: Gaiman is amazing, isn't he?

433. (71st non-picture book read this year) Divergent by Veronica Roth (Summer Book Bingo Challenge, audiobook) - 9/10
Not quite as gripping or suspenseful as Hunger Games, but still good fun, with excellent characters (although I thought the world-building (dystopia-building?) wasn't quite so well done). I'll certainly be reading the rest of the series eventually.
Also, this was my first time checking out a Playaway from the library, and it was great! Super convenient.

My children are too old for school supply shopping (my last opportunity was a year ago), but OH HAPPY DAY on Sunday my youngest asked me to accompany her on a trip to Target for college essentials. We had so much fun buying all kinds of stuff, including things to organize things, which I enjoy buying just as much as school supplies.

>256 lauralkeet: Laura: Oh, so much fun! I used to loiter at the Kenyon Bookstore during Moving In days just to catch a bit of the excitement. Weird? Um, no, not really, right?

The new thread is up!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/178159

>248 Morphidae: & 249: my two are long grown and gone but I still get the urge to buy coloured pencils and packages of paper every autumn, plus an urge to wear plaid when the cool weather hits. Very school buyingish.

>256 lauralkeet: Ooh! Things to organise things. I've got loads of those. I just having managed to get around to the organising part .....

Think Geek

Brave New World was amazingly prescient, but ultimately depressing, as dystopias are. It predicted our current world well, I think.

>262 jjvors: I definitely enjoyed Brave New World and I'm looking forward to Fahrenheit 451 soon, but then I think I need to take a dystopia break for a little while. Don't want to make myself too paranoid...