The Kitchen, thread #5

Months be darned...how about numbering 'em and then starting new Kitchen threads after 250-300 posts? What'cha think, y'all?

BTW...our own mckait is a little under the weather, and encouraging words would not come amiss.

Hugs to Kath. I hope you are feeling better.

Thanks for the update, Richard!

Richard:

Thanks for letting us know about Kath. I'll drop a note to her.

And, how are you feeling today? Is the gout any better? I certainly hope so.

hi linda...not notably better, feeling more grumpy, so i am staying quiet.

hey there y'all!

Richard, I could send you a lovely cat to sit on your lap and purr--oh, wait, THAT wouldn't help you feel better, would it? You'd be sneezing your head off, and if you can't take the weight of a book on your lap, a cat--well, that whole plan is trashed, now. How about some hot cocoa with fudge brownies? Or at least, friendly, comforting thoughts sent your way?

I could............NOT send you a cat? Would that help you feel better richard?

Especially if it's one of those kittens, Luna. They are now at the wind-up, nonstop stage as long as they are awake--clearly evident from the video! Only sweet when they suddenly fall asleep, but little attack devils the rest of the time. (Oh, but so much fun to watch, though.)

So true. I am rejoicing in the fact we have moved them from my bedroom to the kitchen. Its so nice to have my room back again! Unfortunately, getting a drink is now very very very dangerous.

I am thinking very comforting hot water bottleish, comfortable old slipper thoughts at Richard.

video of kittens? where would that be?

*picturing richardear as a comfortable old slipper guy*

:)

They might be mad hare (as opposed to pink bunny) slippers, mckait. ;)

VERY good! And they would be comfy! All goals met.

#12

On my thread there are links to youtube to the videos I have of the little dears (monsters). There are also pics.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/61392

oooooo! i want the ones in #14!

thx for the warm fuzzies. it is nice to be fuzzied!

congratulations to Fasiknitting (Katie) for her "hot" review status, listed on today's home page, for Pride and Prejudice.

hey all...our own mckait has a hot review today! the physick book of deliverance dane is getting the thumbs-up, so please read the review and add your vote!

Just a note. Thanks to tiffin's inspiration, there's a new thread to share pictures of gardens, spring flowers, etc., right here:
Garden and flower pictures

Please come and share!

Hi everyone...I posted a review of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire over in my 75-Books Challenge thread in post #87, for all interested parties.

Short version...oh dear.

Ditto what Stasia said

Phew! Momentary panic until I realised we've already had Mothering Sunday over here...

Just bumping this thread... I hate to see it sink...

I am still in shock after hearing that richard doesn't like Lily of the Valley.....
I think we should take a poll.

I don't want to go to work today.... how about you, shall we do two polls?

I do not work on Wednesdays, so I have to abstain from poll #2.

I like flowers of all varieties, although black roses are my favorites (for poll #1).

The morning glory is sublime.....and moonflowers~

arrrgh Lily of the Valley is my absolute favourite flower. Shame on you, Richard!

daffodils, daffodils, daffodils! ;)

peonies.. and white sweet peas.

a simple perrenial called spiderwort is lovely!

Lily of the Valley and Lilac!

>33 Fourpawz2: ♥

"Spiderwort?" Yech on the name.

Flowers, faugh. If ya can't eat it, what use is it?

AND, has everyone seen Whisper1's hot review today, 5/13? Go give her a thumbs-up for the adoration of jenna fox!

edited/fix touchstone

Lily of the valley are so lovely and delicate and they smell so good! They are also so easy to grow. They're my birth flower too! HAVE TO VOTE YES!

#35, well, it is true that the lowly radish is a beautiful thing...

...and yes, a big wooo! for Whisper!

#35 ...and indeed a wooo! for your hot review too!

Dear Sweet Humble Richard
You also have a "hot review" today for Slow Reading.

In addition, Nanybette for The Moon is Down, Kidzdoc for Admiring Silence, StormRaven has three, for Pureherat, Guernen Sang Again and Adimov's Science Fiction Vol 33, #7

Hey everybody...since the "Highly Rated Book Group" decided to discuss Mistress of the Art of Death in JUNE and since I read it last night and since I now CAN'T review it, I finally-at-last wrote my review of the splendiferous The Ladies of Grace Adieu. It's in my "75-Books Challenge" thread in post 127 for those wanting to add a book to their TBR piles.

Like Lily of the Valley but prefer Gerbaras.

On pole 2. Doing budgets at the moment which is a stressful time so no I don't want to be at work today.

Congrats on the hot reviews guys. Well done.

#35 "Flowers, faugh. If ya can't eat it, what use is it?"

rdear, you are such a fraud...

btw, I remember now what it is that I see in you

And Congratulations on your HOT review!!!!

#36 mine too!

Did everyone see the two hot reviews by our dear nannybebette? Both excellent titles, no less...The Razor's Edge and The Moon is Down!

congratulations nannybette!!

Has everyone read girlunderglass's hot review of Nostalgia by {Unpronounceable Romanian Dude}? I have, and it's the bomb!

Now I want to read the book! And I don't even LIKE this kind of stuff!

Richard
I simply want to say how much I appreciate your kindness. You always have nice things to say. I think it is very special that you notice the "hot reviews" and pat us all on the back when they are listed...

Goodness, Linda, that seems so ordinary to me, but thanks for the compliment!

I've just reviewed With Music and Justice for All over in my "75-Books Challenge" thread in post 155 for anyone interested. Short version: Read it.

I read it...and it is yet another great review.

Garshk, Linda! How nice to hear! Now go buy "Simple Annals" like a good young lassie.

Dear Richard
Lassie is the name of a collie. I do own a sheltie. His name is Simon. He does not read, but I do and I'll be sure to obtain a copy of Simple Annals.
Cheers,
Linda

>52 Whisper1:: But Lassie was actually always played by a male dog because they keep a full mane all year. I read that they had to resort to several stratagems to keep certain "bits" from showing in those pre-digital editing days. :-)

We once had a Sheltie named Lassie---she was a real girl, though.

Lassie, capital eLL, might be a collie (or a Sheltie) but lassies and laddies (lower case ell) are what Scots families call their wee 'uns, Ms. Whisper. Those days are long in the past but I was a lassie, once. ;)

Here's to the lads and lassies

Quote for today (from my current read A City of Bells):

'A bookseller . . . is the link between mind and mind, the feeder of the hungry, very often the binder up of wounds. There he sits, your bookseller, surrounded by a thousand minds all done up neatly in cardboard cases; beautiful minds, courageous minds, strong minds, wise minds, all sorts and conditions. And there come into him other minds, hungry for beauty, for knowledge, for truth, for love, and to the best of his ability he satisfies them all.'

Makes me want to run out and open my own bookstore!!

love that!

I am finally reading Good Omens by Gaiman and Pratchett because of the rave reviews from several folks here. The "good" angel who is an Earth operative, Aziraphale, runs a bookshop just so that he can have a place to house his collection of books.
"In order to maintain his cover as a typical second-hand bookseller, he used every means short of actual physical violence to prevent customers from making a purchase. Unpleasant damp smells, glowering looks, erratic opening hours - he was incredibly good at it."
It made me smile because there a couple of second hand bookshops which fit this description in town here.

>57 alcottacre:, that made me mist up!

>59 tiffin:, ha! I think that would be my bookshop if I ever opened one.

and mine!

(love that book!)

Say, has everyone seen our own girlunderglass's Hot Review of The Catcher in the Rye yet today (Friday)?

I completely disagree with her, of course, positing instead that lovers of this book simply possess superior discernment combined with elevated spiritual qualities and haters of it are readily dismissable as Repulsivecan-voting mouth-breathers, but it's one good fire-breathing review!

Hi all...I just reviewed The Man From Greek and Roman in my "75-Books Challenge" thread in post 205 for the interested.

62: haha Richard you are a funny bastard! ;) "positing instead that lovers of this book simply possess superior discernment combined with elevated spiritual qualities and haters of it are readily dismissable as Repulsivecan-voting mouth-breathers, but it's one good fire-breathing review!" - that made me LrightOL :D

I've been very busy at work these last weeks and thus am behind on checking threads. Eliza, congratulations on yet another hot review! I also note a hot review on today's home page for Orangeena for The Diary of Ann Frank. Kudos to all!

I've put up some reviews in my "75-Books Challenge" thread over here. Tapas on the Ramblas, Stain of the Berry, and Sundowner Ubuntu...I went on a Bidulka tear.

I'm stopping by to say our 75 challenge group is "HOT"
There are three "hot" reviews on today's home page:

Donna828 for Little Children
Kiwidoc for A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz As a Young boy
lilndsacl for Sorry

WOW! Ain't this the happenin' place!

Thanks for letting us all know, Linda!

Neat!

Thanks, all. Just goes to show you that the review doesn't have to be favorable to be considered "Hot!"

You bring up an interesting point, Donna...how does a review come to be deemed "hot"? I suppose I could hit the FAQ, but I hate wading through those things more than I hate not knowing.

>71 richardderus: I think that it's an algorithm that has something to do with the amount of thumbs-up in the last 48 hours. I think.

>72 girlunderglass: Oh. Well, that would make sense...but then how does its hotness fade? I saw StormRaven's review of some crummy thing or another, which apparently caused quite a kerfuffle with the publisher and all sorts of carryins-on, for what seemed like weeks. And then *poof* gone. Also, someone reviewed the tedious twaddle of Twilight and that stayed up forever too. Then some reviews are up for a hot minute and vanish.

I'm only mildly curious, I have no bleat of distress to emit, but it seems sort of mysterious....

I think they get bumped when another review gets more activity. The feature itself says it shows reviews "recently given a thumbs up by other members".

Initially, there was an issue with certain reviews staying on the hot review list essentially forever. Tim & co. changed the algorithm to cycle reviews out if they've been around too long.

I admit that I didn't pay much attention to the hot reviews until our 75'ers started being the hot reviewers, and since then I have a look when I find myself on my home page.

There was a review that caused a kerfluffle? Sorry I missed it rdear..

I love kerfluffles! What happened???

StormRaven reviewed an ARC that was essentially a self-published book, which drew a sharp comment from someone who was quoted in a blurb on the cover, who then was found to essentially be paid to be there, and the publisher/author wrote a letter. It's all chronicled in two places, on StormRaven's thread in this group, and in a lengthy thread on the ER group under the book's name. And of course, you can go from the review if it's still on the Home Page Hot Reviews to the book to see the whole review.

*wanders off to find the remains of the kerfluffle*

ohhhhh! I see.

Well, I trust Amazon implicitly. They are very reliable, imo.
Hopefully that was the end of it?

anyway, moving on............

>75 drneutron: dr. n, aha. Makes all the sense in the world.

>80 mckait: as I haven't seen the strike-through code in my inbox yet you're still a number, trusting Amazon implicitly could be just slightly misplaced. The whole gay-and-lesbian content = no sales ranking hullaballoo is still fresh in my mind, despite the Official Word that a French Amazon programmer went oops and it's all fixed and no it will never ever happen again.

To me this is a Scottish verdict. "Not proven," which really means "not guilty, but don't do it again."

>73 richardderus:: My "hotness" took me by surprise! I had no idea why I was so honored but the algorithm explanation makes sense...at least as much sense as the algorithm that decides the ER book distribution. :-) I'm just glad my review vanished after its hot minute (actually more like a nanosecond) rather than to be kerfuddled.

Oops....guess that should read kerfuffled. Gotta work on my vocabulary.

richardear ~ I had forgotten about that.... That is unconscionable, I agree.
I spend so much time over there and involved with vine...

and OUCH! numbering me still?

>83 Donna828: Donna, I kinda like "kerfuddled" and I think we should introduce it as the step above "fuddled" and before "bewildered."

>84 mckait: mckait (now that I have the code, all is forgiven), AHA! I KNEW IT! You are Harriet Clausner!
;-P~~~~

warning! reading this message could deplete your cash and could add many books to your already huge library.

But, I want to share this information. Bookcloseouts.com is a wonderful place to obtain books at a very reasonable price. And, they are having a sale..books for $1.99

http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=3289&promo=Escape+Sale&rid=es...

Whisper, I'm not looking (see W&P thread for why) but.... does anyone know if they send overseas for reasonable amounts?

I'm going away to not look some more...

Edited to add: ok, I didn't look, much, and oh dear, they do ship to New Zealand. I'm repeating to myself that it'd be expensive though. Please nobody correct me!

richardear "You are Harriet Clausner! " EEP!

What an awful thing to say!!!!!

>88 mckait: mckait, what other explanation makes sense? You spend a lot of time at Amazon, you have the ability to read and review a book an hour, and you are a Vine.

Ergo...

*flees thrown objects*

#87 cmt - it's free to open an account, so a few weeks ago I did so and threw a few books into the cart to check out the shipping costs. To Japan it was about USD11.00 per book!!!!!!!! No way! And there were over 50 books I really wanted to add to my collection... :(

#87 cmt betterworldbooks is probably a better bet as they charge 3.50 USD shipping per book worldwide or if you prefer new books bookdepository.co.uk does free shipping - prices are in UK pounds so exchange rate is better for kiwis. If you register, they have a save option so books go on your wishlist.

edit: add shipping

#91 and #92 Thanks.... Peter that is terrible!! Probably as bad here. Aviatkh, I've ordered a few things from Book depository and really liked the service and the free shipping. I'm being very good this year and not buying many new books... I have too many unread ones here.

I think we probably all have "to many unread ones" sitting in our homes, I know I do.

Edited for spelling

Here's a young poet featured in today's Toronto Star - click on the video to hear him recite his poem, article at the bottom of the page:
http://www.thestar.com/videozone/646346

#95: Thanks for sharing that, Tui!

Not bad for eleven! The article in the paper commented at length about his empathy.

Now that is a heartening video! Thanks, Tui!

wow~ so good!

Gotta get some.....

Missing that New Book Smell?



Do you love your Kindle, but feel like it’s lacking a certain je ne sais quoi? Spray it with "New Book Smell" and get that satisfaction you’ve been missing.

Smell of Books comes in four additional aromas: Classic Musty, Crunchy Bacon, Eau You Have Cats, and Scents of Sensibility, for Jane Austen fans.

“Now you can finally enjoy reading e-books without giving up the smell you love so much. With Smell of Books you can have the best of both worlds, the convenience of an e-book and the smell of your favorite paper book.”

EEEK!

LOL!

#100: It would not work for me, even if I had a Kindle, which I do not. I like old book smell.

I like any book smell - except for that cat one. Too bad -it's the one I could produce without much effort on my part. Just move a stack into the bathroom next to Willie's box and voila! Such a shame! An unoccupied book-stacking spot and I can't take advantage of it.

Our very own tiffin has written a Hot Review of The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys! I was chilled, in a good martini-shaker sort of way, by her opinions. Visit and enjoy, say I.

shucks

> #100 I actually have a perfume called In The Library. It smells like books and wooden shelves.

Where did you find it?!?!

>#109 I found it at cbihateperfume.com. I just had to quickly check and see if they still have that perfume. They do, PLUS a new one called Russian Caravan Tea that smells like tea and shelves of books. I'm probably going to get that one too. My friends think the Library perfume is weird -- not the smell, just that anyone would want to smell like a library.

#100 fantastic!

#108 seriously?! and it really smells like that?! Russian Caravan Tea perfume sounds even better! Going to have to go in search!

108.. aha! here you are...

What is in those teeny bottles? are these made of essential oils?
I see that there is a water base one, yes?
what other bases are there?

Just curious, really as they are too pricey for me..
I can't use any fragrance aside from essential oils or sometimes a water base spray, due to allergies.

There are a couple there that are very intriguing..

Well I wouldn't want my skin to smell like a library but would love it if my room did. Do any of these work if you just spray them around your room? :) Or do they have any room sprays that smell of old books? (p.s. VioletBramble - tea and old books in ONE perfume? that sounds divine!)

Hmmm... fascinating! I couldn't wear it on my skin either, unless I spray it outside the house (chemical fragrances can kill/injure parrots) , but I can see me doing that once in awhile... the Russian Caravan Tea perfume sounds wonderful too!

...I see an anniversary gift in the future... chosen by myself, of course... LOL

>113 girlunderglass: GUG, tea blech but why not invest in a perfume diffuser for your lamp(s)? apothica.com, crabtree-evelyn.com, even the Evil Empire of Amazon.com all have these items, or plain ol' table-top ones, starting at cheapcheapcheap and going up to areyouKIDDINGme??.

dk..

I buy some fragrances that are water based and use only essential oil..
would that be harmful?

I can't use anything else in my home or on me..

I see that the Collections option is now operational - it's going to keep me busy for a while.

Hey everybody!! Our own tiffin has ANOTHER hot review up! The Ladies of Grace Adieu has at last a review worthy of it...and it's tiffin's! Also note that her hot review of The Frozen Thames is still up...this is such a great thing!

Woo Hoo, tiffin! You go girl!

oh shucks AND pshaw!

heyyy guys how's everyone liking Collections so far? Have you started organizing your wishlists, TBRs, desert-island-shelves etcetera?? :D I've been beta-testing it for a while now and I'm SO glad (and relieved) it's finished now and we can all use it and it's not going to go anywhere!!!

ooooh, collections online? i'll have to investigate at the weekend!

well done tiffin!

yay tiff!

>116 mckait:: Kath, I think maybe I'll look into that! I simply haven't bothered to find out whether that would be okay up until now... I suspect water-based/essential oils would be alright if I didn't spray it right next to his cage... thanks for the suggestion! :)

>121 girlunderglass:: OOOOOOh my goodness... I had to literally walk away from the computer when I saw Collections was up!!! I said "oh noooo... I'll never get anything done if I stay here! Just say no, just say no..." Trying to hold back until the weekend!!!

So now that we've broached the collections subject, how are you all using 'em? Here's what I've done:

- Your Library now has all the books I actually own except for a few stinkers that I still have but don't want.

- Read But Unowned has all the books I've read from the library or borrowed from others.

- Wishlist has my collection of books I want ot read that I used to keep stored on a very clunky system on the public library website.

- 2008 and 2009 Challenge breaks out my reading for the last two years.

- Wretched is my catch-all for books I didn't like that I need to keep on LT so my bad reviews stay around.

Any other good ideas?

>125 drneutron:: ...how are you all using 'em?

Since I view my library in LT as a collection of what I've read (if I want to see my physical library, I walk into the room and look at it), I'll continue to keep all book I've read there and have made "Read But Unowned" as inactive.

Will I eventually copy books in that status to that Collection? Not sure. I'm averse to extra bookkeeping for its own sake.

I use "WishList" to replace the Amazon feature of the same name because it's easier to add them here and I can do more with LT tags than I can with Amazon tags.

I'm debated spending the time to build the annual lists. In the end, however, I realized, since I keep My Book sorted on Date Read, this wasn't that critical.

What I do have plans for is to build Collections around specific bodies of recommendations. For example, the eternal (from my friends), "If I start reading science fiction, what should I read?"

>125 drneutron:, I add collections for my various research projects, with "wishlist" distinguishing the ones I haven't yet procured.

I'm not interested in the reading now or to be read features as I can't see what I gain from them. That could change as I start doing more research reading.

My many-hundreds Amazon wishlist will migrate here as soon as I figure out how to do it all without re-entry.

Collections is here and it's the last day of my mini-vacation - Aarrrrgh!!! Am super psyched about getting rid of my amazon wishlist which has bugged me for years because there is no way to search in it. I've got 800 books there (well, to be truthful 799 books and 1 toy for Willie. I am so looking forward to the next several weeks (months?) of organizing. Takes me back to those early, heady days when I first joined LT. The typing. The running back and forth with stacks of books to enter on the 'puter. Figuring out what tags to use. It was organizational heaven!
Thank you, Tim & Co.

Tad :What I do have plans for is to build Collections around specific bodies of recommendations. For example, the eternal (from my friends), "If I start reading science fiction, what should I read?

Ooooh I can't wait to see that collection! Also, I use my library in the same way you do; indeed, my profile says: "I think the books that change a little bit of who you are are the ones you have read, not the ones you own. So that is what 'my library' is all about." But I still use the read-but-unowned collection for a different purpose: I have a couple of acquaintances here in Athens that are expats and read in English so I've directed them to my LT if ever they should want to borrow a book from me. I just want to make it clear to them which books I don't own. But I've still included my "read but unowned" to the "your library" collection - because I consider them part of my library. On the other hand I haven't included my "owned but unread" (I use this instead of To Be Read which I think is a misnomer) in my library because I don't think books I haven't read are part of MY library, even if I own them. My library is mental, not physical. I suspect however, that a lot of people will disagree with this. That's the great thing about Collections though, that everyone can use them as they see fit :D

2008 and 2009 Challenge breaks out my reading for the last two years
great idea!! I'm thinking about it...

I'm interested also in maybe making a To-Be-Reread-When-Older shelf (yeah that sounds stupid, I'll have to think of a better name) not only for books I've loved that want to read again in the future but also for books that I abandoned and might want to give a second chance to. Or for books that perplexed me and I think I might understand more/get to love the second time around (e.g. remember my review of Jazz? that's one book for sure I'd like to reread later on). Or maybe books that deal with issues that I didn't find interesting at the time because I was too young (some obvious ones: childrearing, growing old, marriage, etc) - that I might appreciate more in time.

>129 girlunderglass:: Eliza

OK, every time I type your name, the folk song "Little Liza Jane" with it's refrain of "Oh, Eliza, little Liza Jane" goes through my head. Never mind...oddity is congenital...

I've been using tags like $Library to indicate stuff I don't physically own. The problem with using collections for this purpose is that it's more awkward to put something in a collection than it is to tag it...at least, for me. Maybe that will change as I become more automatic about using them.

Perhaps in the same vein as your "To-Be-Reread-When-Older" collection: I have a #More tag that I use when I find an author where I want to find out more of what they've written. I periodically go back and look at books with that tag and do some exploring on Amazon and LT. I think that's something that might be easier if it was simply a collection. Thanks for prompting that idea.

My library is mental, not physical. My sentiment exactly...and much more succint that I usually express it.

when I find an author where I want to find out more of what they've written
that makes me think of another Collection I would like. One for (books by) authors I have liked so much - what I've read so far by them - that want to read their whole ouvre. E.g. for me Iris Murdoch, Steinbeck, Dave Eggers, Alice Munro etc. I would probably call it something ridiculous and eye-catching like "I Want to Read Evrything You've Ever Written!" :))

Ooh, the "more" tag/collection sounds like a good idea...

I've just wasted far too much time doing a preliminary collections sort, when I was going to hold back for the weekend. Luckily, whatever algorithm they have seems to have automatically categorised some of my tags for me...

I'm keeping the "Your Library" collection for all the books I own, including the unread ones, as (beyond this group), I basically use LT as a cataloging system. But then, I've also got "Unread" (Eliza, I also didn't like "To Read") to make up for that, and have introduced "Recycled" and "Borrowed" (to replace "read but unowned") categories, which don't get counted in "Your Library", to keep track of what I've read. I've also added an "ARC" category to keep track of those.

What I really like, however, is the "Wishlist" category - currently, books I want to get are either listed at the top post of my thread (the touchstones of which are getting increasingly cubersome to reload), on various online bookstore sites and lots of little bits of paper and post-it notes - yay for finally being able to put them all in one place! ...if I can find them all, that is...

Oh dear, this really is bringing out my anal side...

gug.. I like that idea....

eta

a folder for each fave author like for instance Charles de Lint ( I have 30+ of his books )

I use LT as a cataloging system as well, so 'Your Library' will just be the books I physically own. Then I'll have 'Read But Unowned' so I can post reviews on library books, perhaps an 'Unread' (instead of 'To Read', I like the idea of replacing that) and then branch out from there. I like the other ideas here of having lists of annual reading cataloged, an 'ARC' list, and of course the Wishlist.

Hmm... seems I'll need some extra time in my day to get all this done... HAH!

WOWOWOWOWOW!!!

What do these three 75-Books Challenge threadies of ours have in common?

nannybebette
FlossieT
tiffin

All three, that's all three!, have Hot Reviews right now!

Cool beans, ladies!

Richard
You are ever so kind in letting us know about hot reviews!

Congratulations to nannybebette, FlossieT and tiffin!!!

Actually, Linda, I feel bad about not noting the presence of hot reviews by more people in this group...I know they're getting them, by sheer logic of numbers, but I can't keep track of too many names and aliases without extensive note-taking and that sorta limits the fun factor...but I assure anyone who's ever felt slighted by my ignorance, it's JUST ignorance and not malevolence.

well done all!

yay on y'all!!!! :)

You folks are just the nicest and the kindest. Thank you.

The last time I checked (yesterday) tiffin actually had TWO (that's 2!) hot reviews! Pretty cool ;)

@?!?!?

here's to you tiffin!

You silly pea! tyvm

To all our reviewers!

wowza! sparkly :)

Stasia
I like the neat graphics!

you even sillier pea, Stasia!

#147: I do not want to be a sillier pea, Tui! I want to be the silliest pea . . .

And so you ARE, Stasia. Right cute, too.

...and now it's Belva and Tad with hot reviews of, respectively, Double Bind and Dreams from my Father.

Very very cool, guys!!

Congratulations to Belva and Tad!

The word is spreading fast about our hot group. Last year there were 152 members; this year there are 549!

Stasia...I love the pea pod...You are by far the silliest and cutest.

Congratulations to all who have a current, or have had, a hot review.

Must learn how to get the glittery graphics. Very cool.

what diane said!

#153: Wow! I've lurked on this group for a while getting reading suggestions but I just joined.

7 out of the top 10 Hot Reviews right now are from this group!!!!

lindsacl, ronincats, tututhefirst, blackdogbooks, TadAD (2) and tiffin all have them.

#155: Welcome to the group, CanadaPile!

We have a bunch of wonderful reviewers in the group. I hope you continue to enjoy their efforts.

Welcome CanadaPile.
I hope you will like our friendly and well read group.

*waves to Canada*

Did anyone else catch the Guardian article about Israeli newspaper Haaretz letting 31 writers and poets write the news for a day? What a great idea. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/jun/15/fiction-poetry

Thanks for posting this avatiakh

>159 avatiakh: avatiakh, what a wonderful idea! I'd love to see the NYTimes do that...have some Stephen King stuff for the National news, some David Sedaris for the New York news, and Salman Rushdie writing the International section....

I went on a Kerry Greenwood jag. I like Phyrne Fisher, her character, a lot! Real reviews in my thread.

I love to lie in bed and read on rainy, gloomy days. Today, a rainy, gloomy day, I am doing just that. The Divine Miss, here for the weekend as usual, is doing all the cooking and stuff because I rebelled and said no more until our sainted aunt starts behaving herself.

Really and truly, how does any marriage survive the stress and strain of 24/7 cohabitation? I can't understand it! The Divine Miss, a delightful companion and a scintillating conversationalist and a wise person and an extremely intelligent businessperson AND a beautiful woman on so many levels I lose track, is still not someone I want to see 24/7. No one is!

Her response to the above was a clutched-left-breast gasp and an affonted, "how DARE you, sir!"

See what I mean?

"Really and truly, how does any marriage survive the stress and strain of 24/7 cohabitation? I can't understand it!"

nor can I, my friend~

I don't even want to see myself 24/7. Rainy, gloomy days are heaven sent for just that kind of escapism. It's rainy and gloomy here, so after catching up with a few threads, I'm off to read more about England in the summer of 1911.

"I don't even want to see myself 24/7"

lol

I think that is why God invented sleep - so we do not have to see ourselves 24/7.

>166 alcottacre: Stasia, sleep...and cars.

mckait..."survive" being the operative word. Tui...amen, sister-woman.

Richard,

Having been married to the same wonderful person for the past 35 years, I can agree and disagree with you. The secret is separate hobbies and time apart during the day. For April and May, I was working in my husband's office, so we were together just about 24/7 except for when I went out to spend time with my friends and he went to the golf course to play with the boys. I nearly killed him a few times.
When we are in the house together, most of the time it's on separate floors. I personally would rather be miserable with him than without him.

Stasia, how would you know anything aobut sleep?? I am convinced that you don't!

amen indeed rdear...

cyd.. at least separate rooms :)

#169: Kath, I try and get in at least 4 hours a day.

>168 cyderry: cyderry, I personally would rather be miserable with him than without him.

Hence your success! Congratulations.

>169 mckait:, 170: C'mon, Stasia, 4 hours?! More like 45min.

Ah, the bane and blessing of relationships!
I have to add a story told last night by my friend during dinner at her house.

Somehow the conversation centered around our mates and how we can all drive each other crazy.

Sue looked over at her husband and told him that once he "pissed her off so badly she put comet in his underwear when she was folding the wash."

His reply was priceless, whereupon I laughed so hard that my side hurt and the tears were rolling down my face....

You are an evil man rd

Linda...what did he say?

mckait...what did I say?

Four things

"I never knew!"
"Just what the heck did I do that would cause this reaction?"
Looking downward -- "I thought there was some shrinkage there"
"Your mother was right -- You are the Demon spawn"

oops! I mistakenly thought it was you telling the comet story I need to pay more attention.

I guess it is Linda who is evil

Kath
That is what my mother told me over and over again.

Happy Father's Day, any who are fathers. Hope you had a lovely day.

Does sitting in Jersey Shore traffic count as a lovely day? *grin*

It does if you actually got to the shore at some point, I guess.

>180 laytonwoman3rd:: Sadly, we went down to Cape May for a wedding...traffic on the way down...then back home in the rain...traffic on the way back. Not the best weekend I've ever had in my life.

Ah, but did you get to spend some quality time with the kids? That's what it's all about, you know!

Ah...Cape May. I have some nice memories of that. My husband did his Coast Guard basic training there, and he was awfully cute in the white sailor rig they wore in the '70's.

Cape May, weddings, yakyak...has anyone else noticed that Tad has not one, but TWO, hot reviews right now?!

Give 'em a check-out!

well done Tad!

Lifes little instruction calender - June 26

After college, read only books you like. Should you find yourself reading one you don't enjoy, skip to the last page and be done with it.

A tip I can definitely understand.

diane

I love that! Very wise quote :)

Lol - I've done that!

My friend was reading a lousy book and I told her to read the last chapter so she could have some closure. Instead she abandoned the book and told herself that all the characters died. She did not bond with any of the characters so it was no big loss!

Just in case your TBR pile is getting low. . .

I just got my Newsweek magazine in the mail and the cover story is about What to Read Now - 50 books that help make sense of our times. I haven't read most of the books on the list - so I can't comment on whether I think they are right or not - but I do wish that they had provide a little more commentary about why they chose the books they chose. It is definitely a diverse list, including:

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris
Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne
The Trouble with Physics by Lee Smolin
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

There are also some short Best Books Ever lists on a variety of subjects. For example, Bob Woodward recommmends four books on Political Scandal, Fareed Zakaria recommends four on foreign policy, and Jon Meacham recommends four historical biographies.

Just in case your TBR pile is getting low

HA!

Happy Canada Day, fellow Canucks.

For the rest of the world, here are some snippets of what we look like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0jhJA1Hjxk&feature=related

Thanks tiffin, beautiful looking country. Would love to visit one day.

indeed! happy canada day! belatedly... (or is that just uk time actually - it's probably the middle of the day in canada?)

It's 9:35 p.m. here, flissp, and thanks to both you and dianestm.

Ate way too much, watched some excellent fireworks... it was a good holiday :)

Yes it was!! Although I have a very, very bad sunburn right now :(

Oh sure...the sun shines on Canada, eh? I'm about to start a mushroom plantation down here.

Hah, not here! Poured all day yesterday and is pouring now. Wonder where Cait was to get a sunburn!

do you mean to say it's actually sunnier in the uk than in the us?!

The only completely sunny week I've seen in the last two and half months was in London.

I have moss growing on the west-facing, unshaded wall of my garage.

*blubburble*

Sorry to hear about all the rainy weather. It has rained a bit lately here, but yesterday my little town, Port Dover, on Lake Erie, was nice and sunshiney! We had our annual parade with a float contest, and then my friends and I walked downtown (it takes about 45 minutes to walk from one end of Port Dover to the other) and had Lake Erie Perch and Chips for dinner. My younger sister had to work - she works at one of the food and ice cream places down on the beach - so we went in and visited her for a bit. I collapsed in my bed before the fireworks started, though I heard them from my room. It was a perfect Canada Day! :)

so glad you had a fun day !

#202: you're kidding! It was sunny on Lake Erie? AND you had fish and chips? harrumph.

chiming in on weather stories, it has rained almost every day this spring/summer. I went to sunny Florida for a conference and alas, the St. Petersburg, Tampa area had a major rain storm....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The west-facing window in my bedroom now has moss on the screen. Enough already on this rain gig!

I couldn't contain myself one more instant...I finally bust forth with a review of Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. It's on the book's review page, but feel free to drop by my "75-Books Challenge" thread and look at post #174:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/66381

And, for other members of The Highly Rated Book Group, I started a reviews thread so we can all share final thoughts:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/68153

Me again...another review to report...Elizabeth Goudge's deliciously devourable A City of Bells on my "75-Books Challenge" thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/66381) and the book's main page.

A warm blanket/hot toddy of a book. I hope you'll all read it.

Great review Richard. I'm actually reading A City of Bells now. I'm up to the part where they meet Felicity.

ME!

...sorry, got a bit overexcited there...

>208 VioletBramble: VioletBramble, Miss Summers is such a sweet lassie, isn't she? Finding her in his house (even though it's not his yet) is so...apt, I guess. It is such a convenient device for Goudge to use, and yet it feels...inevitable...but in the good, this-is-right way not the bad, you're-too-lazy-to-surprise-me way.

>209 flissp: flissp, I guess this means you're going to read the book...?

ETA: Has everyone seen our own mckait's hot review of The Rapture by Liz Jensen yet?!

>#211-Yes, Richard, Miss Summers is sweet -- even if she rides through the Close without a chaperone or a hat, smiling behind her at her adoring followers. Although I'm only a third of the way through I already have a pretty good idea where things are headed. But the book is so charming it doesn't matter. The thing with the thistles is perplexing. Why would someone want their maids to NOT touch the banisters?

>#209-211 flissp -Too funny, LOL. So is flissp short for Felicity?

>212 VioletBramble: Vi, the maids touching the banisters while using the formal, front staircase was a large issue in housekeeping. Their hands were full of coal dust, grease, and general schmutz and so were likely to leave ickptui residues on the banisters that Milady's white gloves could then pick up.

Oh no no no.

And since there were no back stairs (which is very, very weird in a cathedral-close house...they were for the uppers, and that means a back stairs), the problem would be magnified. Godmama was odd in her solution, but not in her addressing of the problem.

>#213 Ah ha! Thank you Richard. That makes sense. I would never have figured that out. Although, if the thistles are there Mrs Jameson can't use the banisters either.Hmm..

>214 VioletBramble:, a Lady in her Own Home does NOT use the banister. She merely holds her hand at an elegant angle *near* the banister. It is in the home of another that one is permitted the use of a banister, as stairs were not infrequently of differing heights and thus hard to navigate in those abSURD skirts.

God. My drama teacher would be SO proud of how carefully I listened to him.

#211 I'm not sure if sharing a name with a character in a book is a good reason for reading it, however unusual the occurrence ;) - but it does sound right up my street, certainly!

Has everyone seen our on TadAD's hot review of Potiki by Patricia Grace yet? It's a good review, and caused me to add the book to my wishlist.

Hello to all from awe-inspiring, incredibly beautiful Yellowstone Nat'l Park. Words cannot describe all I've experienced since last Wednesday.
I've learned that Ken Burns is in the process of producing a documentary on the United States National Parks. He said that while filming parts of Yellowstone he and his crew were so impacted by the majesty that they found tears in their eyes...
That is the closest I can come to describing the experience of seeing a bald eagle, black bear with cubs, elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bison that plod across the road, stopping traffic as they take their good ole time dudging the cars. In addition, the geological formations and on going turbulence is both dangerous and incredible.

There are mountains with pockets of snow, cliffs, water falls, rivers, 200-400 degree pockets of bubbling volcanic water, mud pots, geysers, remnants of the 1998 forest fire that destroyed 36-40% of the park, and a sense that all of this has survived for ions.

I found an incredble book shop, named The Book Worm, in West Yellowstone, Montana. I could have spent days there, but in fairness to my traveling mates, simply visited for an hour.

Sounds gorgeous. Enjoy and take lots of pictures!

I was just thinking the same thing - take lots of pictures - and be sure to share!

I am pea green with envy. Enjoy every second, Linda.

#218 bother - knew I should have made more of an effort to go there when I was last in the US!

>218 Whisper1:: I have loved every documentary that Ken Burns has done. This one should be outstanding. We do have some wonderful national treasures in our parks...I just can't abide the crowds. So glad you discovered a neat bookstore. That's a must for me when I'm traveling as you can learn so much about the local color.

Linda...pictures, pictures, pictures!!

And good travel mojo all trip long. It is so *whammy* it is so *whammy* it is so *whammy*.

Whisp, it's on the Life List. One of these fine days.... Glad to read you were so bowled over by it.

Hello to all!
This is the last day in Yellowstone and I'm a bit sad. Today we saw hydrothermo pools that were the most crystal blue imagined...400 degree temperatures which rendered the water more than boiling hot.
The sun is shining; the air is a crisp 63 degrees; the mule deer rest by the roadside amid the charred, blacked trees from the 1988 fire; above them is lush new growth, beside them is diamond sparkled water that shines as the eagle soars above.

Ah, this is magnificent and I feel as though I am in heaven. Oh, my I feel as though everyone really needs to visit here!

It sounds wonderful! I am happy that you are enjoying it so ~

It does sound woonderful. Glad you're having such a great vacation. I'm so jealous. One of my dream trips is the train tour where you stop at all the national parks on your way west.

>228 VioletBramble: Violet, me too me too!! I love train travel because planes are cramped, noisy, and unpleasant, where a teensy sleeper on the train is yours yours all yours and no one can come in without permission. Plus trains end up in more convenient parts of every city I've ever been to than the %$(*%_$& airport is in.

And the American Orient Express tours with those meals...! *swoon* Now I just need to heist a bank and get the $15K it costs for two to go on the trip.

I know I'm a broken record about this, but our own nannybebette aka Belva has a hot review of A Wrinkle in Time! She really gives it her all...I'm now considering reading it again after 40 years based on her review.

And porchsitter55's review of The Geography of Love is still hot after two days! Go Julie, go Julie!!

helloooooooooo I'm back from exhausting exams and have posted a little reading update on my thread. Good to see you're still chatting away here - I've missed so much of that :(

#229 Richard, I'm actually hoping to hit the lottery with my co-workers. That amount of money also gets you your own private shower and toilet. Woo hoo. Just reading the brochure makes me happy. I know what you mean about the airports. At least some cities have gotten smart and extended train service to the airport.

Richard...once again, dear one, you are ever so kind in noting and informing all regarding hot reviews! What a dear, dear soul you are.

Eliza, I hope your exams went well. Exhausing is a very appropriate word. Can you rest now?

I'm back from Yellowstone, weary and rested at the same time! Thanks to all for your wonderful responses to my comments about this amazing experience.

Linda,
I know exactly what you mean about Yellowstone. I visited with my family when I was 10 ( a long time ago) and I can vividly recall the sights and sounds and smells. Back then it was very rustic. I remember seeing so many animals up close, so much better than a zoo, because they were in their natural habitat. I remember playing in the snow in our shorts and T shirts on the 4th of July. I could go on and on. Thanks for bringing those memories back.

Richard - did I do something to make you mad at me?
Or do you only look at the hot reviews on certain days?

I've had 3 hot reviews in the past two weeks and you never mention it.

She walks away thinking, I must have really p****ed him off, I wonder what I did?

Cheli
Thanks for sharing your comments regarding Yellowstone. There was snow on the mountain peaks, especially in the Grand Tetons. The nights were cool -- 43 and the days were wonderful -- 68-73.

Linda,
When we went, we stayed at a lodge with little individual cabins and every morning around 6:30 my Dad would get up to turn the heat on so we didn't freeze when we got up because it was around 50-55 degrees.

I loved to watch for the bears with their cubs especially when they wondered across the roads and stopped traffic.

>235 cyderry: Cheli, no irks on my end whatever! I don't look at the hot reviews every day, but far more importantly I don't have a good grasp of who's in this group of 75-Bookies and who's simply visiting. The group has too many members for me to pretend to know even a fraction of them.

I am thrillled and pleased, though, to have another hot reviewer come out and claim her place in the sun! It seems we have a high concentration of folks who do good review work. I try to remember to post news of my newest reviews here...if you'll give that a whirl, I'll promise to follow the link to the book's page and thumbs-up you!

xoxo

Cheli. We saw a mamma bear and two cubs and stayed far, far away from them.

Mainly, we saw hundreds of bison, one with a supreme attitude headed down the highway toward our car. He was on a mission and we got the heck out of his way.

Speaking of hot reviews, congratulations to you dear Richard for your hot review of Silas Marner.

Way to go Cheli! Congrats on your hot reviews.

I feel like a spammer... this is the third time I am posting this..

for those of you who do not visit my 75 challenge thread ( weep)
I want to share this site I found.

http://boxoh.com/

it is a universal package tracker thingamabobble and it looks like it works..

Thanks Kath!

Linda, Yellowstone is one of my favorite places, my folks worked there, and met, the summer of 1956, and my sister worked there the summer of 1980. We go back very often. I have even gone in during the winter and and it is, if anything, even more inspiring. Absolutely beautiful place.

Hey Sten
Somehow I lost your thread. I'll search for it, or please send me the link.

What a lovely story of Yellowstone. How fortunate that you get to go back often.

The August issue of the National Geographic has a cover story on Yellowstone. Not many pictures, because it is primarily a scientific article on when and if the supervolcano under Yellowstone will explode. Very interesting.

I'm going to track down a copy of this issue. Thanks ABW!

Ah, new quote for today from Cloud Atlas:

'A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.'

So true. I am posting to July thread too, so ignore it there if you read it here!

Almost time for a new thread, eh what?

I reviewed A Mad Desire to Dance in my thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/68941

For those of you so inclined, I'd like to ask for prayers for a very dear friend Phyllis who is in the final stages of ovarian cancer. She has struggled for three years, and at one point it looked hopeful because her blood work was coming back "normal."

Then, last year, she experienced severe stomach pains and learned that cancer was in her intestines. She has valiantly held her head high throughout a new series of chemo and trial runs at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Last week her oncologist told her he can do no more and told her to seek hospice assistance. She is devastated and scared. She will be leaving behind a son who is to be married next year and a 20 year old daughter in college.

I've been so sad that I haven't slept in a few days. To say this event happening to her isn't fair, sounds so trite and immature, but it is true...
It just isn't fair!

Sounds like Phyllis has a good friend in you - it is because of our humanity that we feel such pain and fear. All we can do is hope for peace when given a death sentence - I hope she can arrive at that before her death.

Carolyn, you have our support always. Thanks for asking us to support your friend in our prayers.

So sad... I am so very sorry about your friend... (((hugs))) to you both.

Whisper1 - I'm keeping Phyllis in my thoughts and prayers.

Carolyn, I am so saddened to hear of Phyllis's impending passing. I know it sounds weird, but before I wish someone I care for a safe journey home, I ask them what they'd like to hear most...a book read to them, a piece of music, the newspaper (that was The Divine Miss's father's request)...and I make a point to bring it to them with as little fanfare as I can manage.

It's helped me each time I've had to say farewell. I hope it's helped them too.

>254 richardderus:: What a caring gesture, Richard. Sometimes it is those little things that mean the most.

>249 Whisper1:: It is so painful to lose someone we love. My heart and prayers go out to you and your friend.

Whisper1, my prayers are with the both of you.

Cancer is such a cruel disease, not the least because it lurks...when you think you've beaten it, it can creep out and attack again. I'm sorry. I wish both you and Phyllis strength and peace.

Thanks to all for your kind comments. I love this group! Not only do we share our love of books, but we connect on so many other levels as well.

My friend lost six pounds in a few days. My prayers are now that she is free from pain, sorrow and distress.

I appreciate the fact that I can share with this group.

Thanks again.

Linda

It's hard to jump in again after not posting for so long, but your situation, Linda, has urged me to get in touch. My SIL was diagnosed with agressive breast cancer last week and will start chemo next week. I know we have a long struggle ahead of us. You've been through it with your dear friend, and we're just starting on the journey. One minute life seems wonderful and then you're sent on a different track altogether. My best wishes to you and Phyllis.

Lorraine

My thoughts are with you and your SIL (sister in law?)

Just a quick note to say congratulations to the following people who have hot reviews listed on today's home page:

aethercowboy
TadAd
RebeccaAnn
Fourpawz2

Way to go!

WOW!!! great job all.. and some very nice reviews!!

No kidding, congrats! I'm always amazed at how often one of our folks' reviews gets in the hot review list.

apologies to Richard who also rec'd. a Hot Review!

Richard DEAR...I certainly noted your hot review and alas did not post your name in the above list.

In addition, there are two more of our 75 challenge group who are on the hot review list today:

Banoo and
Mstreme

Congrats to everyone with the hot review. Well done.

Our 75 challenge group certainly is a popular one on the hot review board. Each time I check the home page today I find another member who has a hot review. Please add JoycePA to the list!

When I grow up, I want to write a Hot Review, too :)

Here is a story of our friend Alcottacre
Who every week adds piles of books higher than the yeast can rise for the baker

She is witty, charming and fun
And on Sunday mornings to her thread we run

She's the glue that holds us together
While she tells us of triple-digit Sherman,Texas hot weather

Supports us in our trials and tribulations
Is our cheerleader who encourages with elation

Broken bones, achy joints and problems galore?
Stasia listens and heals us, and thus we share more

And now when she "grows up" she wants a Hot Review
Well, that's the least we can give her .. in fact, go ahead Stasia, take 22!

#268: Cute, Linda, very cute :) Now I am off to bed after a long night at work!

> 268 Love the poem, Linda! I like the monkey(?) and how his hair moves too.

Congratulations to Cheli for her hot review listed on today's home page!

Thanks, Linda.
I kept thinking about this book after I finished it on the plane Saturday.
I couldn't get to my PC to write my review until this morning. So I had it pretty much formulated in my mind when I sat down to write.

Your review is great!
And, by the way the photo on your home page is beautiful. What a lovely baby!

Thanks, Linda! I think he's pretty special!

Congrats to Arubabookwoman for her hot review listed on today's home page.

Congratulations to Donna828 and Jim (Dr. Neutron) for their wonderful "hot" reviews found on today's home page.

Our 75 challenge group consistently is listed in this status...makes me feel very proud to be a part of this great bunch of people!

I want to thank those who recommended the BBC DVD series "The Island at War" - about a fictitious Channel Island during WWII. I have one more episode to watch - it's great; one of the best things I've watched this year (I watch basicially no TV so my entertainment comes from rented or borrowed DVDs). Now I need to read that book with Potato in the title - and a good reading friend has also recommended that.

dihiba

I'm heading to my local library after work to see if they have this DVD series. It sounds great.

It is - it's about 400 minutes of well-acted well-paced drama with some violence but only incidental to the story (war without violence - right!) and it really evokes the feeling of - what would I do if I lived in an occupied area? I'm looking forward to the last episode to see how everything is resolved.

My counters just disappeared. Has anyone else had this happen? All my page counts gone!

You mean your tickers, tiffin? I just looked at your thread, and they were there.

Thanks, lw3. I think it's FireFox which is the problem. I'm having trouble loading anything today. I can see the code there when I click on 'edit', so I know it's there, just not loading at the moment. It would barely load LT.

I've had a a few glitches today, mostly with slow-loading pages, and not just LT. Internet's overloaded, I guess. (Have you re-booted? Sorry, it's always my first question.)

SOS..
Can anyone help me? I saved some of my Yellowstone photos and created a photobucket account. I'm struggling with how in the world to post them here on LT.

Thanks in advance. I feel so challenged.

Go to your photobucket album. Under each photo are several selections for posting. Choose the one that says HTML code. Click on it, and you should see a little yellow pop-up that says "copied". Go to your LT thread, and put your cursor where you want the photo; hit the Ctrl and V keys, or right click and select "Paste" from the options that appear. If this results in HUGE photos, come back for further instructions on how to resize or make them thumbnails that enlarge when you click on them.

That won't work in all browsers because the popup code won't execute. If it doesn't work for you, try the following:

1) Hover over the small image in the beginning of your album. A popup comes up.

2) Click on "HTML Code"

3) Press Ctrl-C

Follow instructions in #286 about pasting.

Linda and Tad
Many thanks for your help!

Today is the day I move my father into his retirement residence. At 9 last night he phones and tells me the movers will be at his place at noon! I had arranged it to have them arrive at 8:30 this morning. Fortunately I was able to reach the movers and got it fixed so they will arrive at 9:30, just about when my boyfriend and I get there. I had a feeling something like this would happen.
I just hope everything goes as well as possible and there is no major "event". I will be glad when today is over! I am now going to have a cup of tea before heading to Kingston.....
Have a good day everyone : )

hoping all goes well dihiba... sounds like a rough day :( for all concerned.

I hope things go well, too, dihiba - we went through that about 5 years ago with my MiL.

Just remember to try to pace yourselves. And gather up as much patience as you can!

>289 dihiba: dihiba...may you have a boring, boring day. (Other caregivers will understand that blessing!) I just had to run downstairs and pick my sainted aunt up off the floor (leaned on a dining chair instead of her walker, *boom* much panic, no damage {the chair ain't too happy, though}).

Please, dear PTB...a boring day...please!

Thread #6 is up because this one's so long.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/69945