tjblue's 50+ challenge

Hi everyone! I've been hanging around for a while people watching. I was going to wait until Jan 1st to post and start my challenge, but decided I couldn't wait. I love all of your reviews and have added many of the books to my possibilty list. I read People of the Book, followed along with the group thread and really enjoyed. Have a great day! and Happy Turkey Day!

Hi tjblue, welcome! You can start your challenge whenever you like, good luck and happy reading :)

1. Beneath Still Waters, Matthew J. Costello

2. Coyote Warrior:One Man Three Tribes and The Trial That Forged a Nation by Paul Vandevelder reread

Hi, Tammy! Welcome! If you add Touchstone brackets around your books, lazy people like me are much more likely to check them out and add them to their wish lists. (Directions to the right of the message box when you're creating a new message.) On second thought, ignore me! Don't add those brackets! ;-) I've got too many books to read already, including some recs from you! :-)

edit. to add that extra "o" on "too." Why is it always so obvious after I hit "submit."

3.Cormac McCarthy The Road

I finished The Road a few days ago. This was my 2nd attempt at reading it. The 1st time I didn't get past about page 25. When I saw the preview for the movie I thought I would give it another try. The book was a quick read but I thought it was only okay. I don't know if I will try another McCarthy book or not. The book in some ways reminded me of the movie "Gerry" starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. The two Gerrys were hiking in the desert in California and got lost. Most of the movie is the 2 guys walking through the desert.
P.S. I'm wondering why the touchstones don't work for all books and authors.

I wasn't that fond of The Road either--and I accidentally read it twice! But, then, I'm not that fond of post-apocalyptic or dystopian novels. Reading about what's happening in some parts of the world (Africa, the Middle-East) right now is depressing enough.

P.S. You can try looking at the (others) list to get the right touchstone. Sometimes I mess up on the title, but other times I don't have a clue why it's not working. It doesn't make sense that On the Road by Jack Kerouac comes up first. It's not even the same title. Weird! Hope you're having fun! ;-)

Hi Bonnie, Yes, I'm having fun. A regular book club is not for me. I think I have too many other things going on to attend a group meeting, and when I talk to my co-workers about books they think I'm obsessed and wonder how I have so much time to read.

4. Dirty Little Angel by Chris Tusa

This is an ebook I received from the Member Giveaway. It is a simple, quick read. I finished it in only a few hours. The book takes place in a small town near New Orleans. It is about a sixteen year old girl named Hailey, her family and their messed up lives. I think the writing is geared more towards young adults, but it is a bit too vulgar. This is not a book I would recommend to other readers.

I have to stay away from my computer. I'm drawn to reading everyones threads and keep adding books to my list.

Finally finished The Vanished Man by Jeffery Deaver. This book was a typical Lincoln Rhyme novel. It even had two twists at the end! It has been a few years since I have read a Rhyme novel or even any book by Jeffery Deaver, but when I do it's like visiting an old friend. I greatly enjoyed this one. Now I need to find another paperback that will fit in my purse.

Has anyone seen the movie Avatar? I am thinking about taking my son to see it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!! Hope everyone gets to enjoy family, friends, good food and maybe time for a good book!!! Hope everyone has a great start to the New Year!!!

Right back at you, tjblue :)

5. A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldierby Ishmael Beah Another example of perseverance,survival and human connectedness. It was a sad, but good story. This is my last book for 2009. I will start over after Jan. 1st.

This is my first book for the new year.

1. Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris

It's a book of short stories. A short, fast read. I found a few humorous anecdotes, but every story was too crude for my taste. Especially the crack baby that was put in the washer and dryer and died. I would not recommend this author.

I was digging through boxes in the basement the other day and found a catalog that I used to get. If anyone is looking for a resource for good children's books, Chinaberry is a good catalog to order form.

Still working on The Best American Short Stories 2008, and The National Parks. I haven't started The ABC Challenge, an ebook I got from the members giveaway, yet. I decided to join in 2 group reads, Moby Dick and World Without End. They both start tomorrow. This is crazy ,but fun. I've never juggled several books at one time before. Here goes!

2.The National Parks America's Best Idea by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns

This book offers a great look at the history of our National Parks and how American History in general relates to the parks. It speaks of the years of hard work and triumphs, and all of the people whose lives were changed, even those whose lives were consumed by being involved with the National parks.

The beautiful pictures of which there are many made me yearn for wide open spaces and a simpler time.

The only National Park I have visited is Haleakala in 1994. I hope to visit others in the future, possibly Isle Royale since it just north of Wisconsin or maybe Acadia because I have a sister who lives in Maine.

3. Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti I very seldom read poetry, but sometimes like to try different things. Thanks, whitewavedarling for the recommendation.

This morning I started World without End by Ken Follett. This for the group read set up by msf59. I am enjoying the book and happy to have joined the group read, since this probably isn't a book I would have found on my own.

:) You're welcome. I've got the Ken Follett book on my shelf, tentatively scheduled for my spring break, so I'll keep my eyes open for your reactions...

I'm caught up on World without End and finally starting Moby Dick this morning.

Have to shut off the computer now. I'm trying to check up on everyone and read at the same time. I keep adding books to my wishlist and at the same time thinking I have to read the ones that are already there.

Hope everyone has a good day and finds some time to read!

I've completed the assigned reading for Moby Dick. I'm glad I have others to read this with, I'm not sure I would complete this one on my own. This one takes a bit of concentration on my part. Melville rambles too much for my liking, but I do like the story and am enjoying parts of the book.
I've almost finished The Best American Short Stories 2008, about 100 pages left to go.
I'm 1/3 of the way through World Without End. I'm liking this book, but like Edward Rutherfurd's books; Sarum, London and The Forest better.

Just finished 1 of the stories in The Best American Short stories. It is Child's Play by Alice Munro. I started out kind of liking, well connecting to this story, only because it is about childhood friends. It is about 2 girls, childhood friends, who met at a summer camp. They hardly stayed in touch as adults, but towards the end of their lives when one is in the hospital dying of cancer the other one feels obligated to visit. The dying friend is sleeping when she arrives, but the nurse gives her a note which turns out to be a last request. At the end of the story the reader learns why after all of these years they are really connected. The last day of camp, together they drowned another child. What is wonderful about that? How can that be one of the best short stories?!!!

It's not considered wonderful because of what happens, but because of the way the story is told. Personally, I found the climatic scene (which, by the way, you might want to give a spoiler warning for in your post) kind of disappointing, it felt like a lot of buildup and then the actual events were glossed over. But aside from the way that one scene was presented, it was a very good story. Then again, I am kind of biased since Munro is one of my favourites!

Thanks for the input! I just can't separate the one scene from the whole story! I'm not really fond of short stories to begin with, but I picked up this book because I like the Best Travel Writing. I feel for me when short stories go bad, since they are short they aren't able to redeem themselves.

4. The Best American Short Stories 2008

I picked this up because I like the Best American Travel Writing series. I'm not to keen on reading collections of short stories because it is hard for me to read one story right after the other. I need time in between each one to process and appreciate the story.
Salman Rushdie was the guest editor for this edition. There were 3 stories I really liked: From The Desk of Daniel Varsky by Nicole Krauss, The Worst You Ever Feel by Rebecca Makkai and Buying Lenin by Miroslav Penkov. I thought 7 stories were ok, 5 stories were so so and 5 stories were weird and so far out there that they are yuck. I gave this book 3.5 stars.

I made it to part V in WWE. Silly me, when I picked my son up at the library on Sunday I saw 2 new book covers up on the cork board. I reserved both books and they both turned out to be short loans. That means the books I had planned on reading next will have to wait.

5. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Finished this book today! It was a light, enjoyable read. It is a fictional account of the lives of two woman, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. They were fossil hunters in Lyme Regis, England in the 1820's and 30's. The story consists of the unlikely friendship of these two woman from different social standings, the trials and tribulations of being intelligent, single women in this era, and the art of fossil hunting. 4 stars

Goody Goody! got my LT fix for the day! Only added 2 books to my wishlist. One was a YA book, maybe something my son will be interested in. Time to go house clean and let my poor Max outside, he keeps clicking back and forth through the kitchen to the dining room to the living room, even though I let him out 20 minutes ago.

6.The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch

Finished this last night. It's a story about going back in time to change the future. An ok read, not great. 3 stars

Starting Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I'm reading this one with my son, because he convienently forgot to bring home a book for the weekend. The teacher tells me Ty is getting to far behind in Accelerated Reading.

7.World Without End by Ken Follett
Finally finished tonight!! I liked the ending so I'm giving it 4 stars.I was not sure right up until the end.I liked how Merthin took Caris up to the top of the spire and they looked out over the land, almost like looking towards the future. I may read The Pillars of the Earth since almost everyone here seems to have liked it more than WWE. Follett is a good author, but I like Edward Rutherfurds books more. Has anyone read William Wallace?

8. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Just Finished! In the beginning this book didn't make sense to me, so I almost quit at about page 45. Before quitting the book I turned to the last chapter and read the first page of that chapter. There I decided I had to continue. In the end this was a sweet book about how we find friends, people who validate us, in the place we least expect. 4 stars

Help!! I'm looking for a good source for books written in Spanish. At this time I'm looking for books written about Nikola Tesla. I found books at barnes and noble online, but nothing translated to Spanish.

>35 tjblue:: Try Powell's Bookstore!

Thanx Bonnie! I'll try that.

9.The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble

I made to page 199 in Moby Dick today! I'm going to set it aside until it is time to start the next section. This is one book I would not be able to read straight through. I'm starting Midnight's Children and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I started Midnight's Children yesterday,but I just can't seem to get into it. I think I will set it aside for awhile and maybe try it again at another time. I hope everyone else who is participating in the group read enjoys the book. I guess I will go back to Almost There, the book by Nuala O'Faolin.

10.Almost There The Onward Journey of a Dublin Woman by Nuala O'Faolain 3.5 stars

11.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I enjoyed this book a great deal. I liked the way it was set up and the way it flowed. My favorite letter in the book starts on page 159 and is written to Sidney from Juliet. The letter describes Juliet's arrival to Guernsey. I also liked the part about the Benoit sisters. It reminded me of the Baldwin sisters on the Waltons. That was one of my favorite TV shows growing up. Throughout the whole book the writers made me feel like I was there on the island seeing everything as it happened. The end note regarding the authors, aunt and niece, made the book even more meaningful. 4.5 stars

I'm going to give Steinbeck a try. I found a book called The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. Even though my local library is quite small and I've been there more times than I can count I still find gems like this that have been on the shelves forever, but are new to me!

I love Steinbeck and recently read The Moon is Down and reread Cannery Row. Sounds like you're new to him so I hope you enjoy them!

Wasn't Guernsey charming?! I was turned off by the title but got past it and loved the book.

12.Tortilla Flats by John Steinbeck

13.The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

14.The 13 Clocks by James Thurber

15.The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

These are books from 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.

16.Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

17.The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck

My book group is reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society this month, so I get to read it again. I thought it was a little on the sweet side, but still enjoyed it. I'm going to find my favorite letter too.

Hi Bonnie, Yeah I guess it was a bit sweet, but sometimes that's what I need. I like people stories. I know all stories are about people, but some are just people stories. I like hearing about people's lives and where they live.

I'm happy spring is on it's way!!! I've been seeing geese flying over and yesterday afternoon I saw a robin on the lawn at work. I got to take some of the guys to DQ for dilly bars. We drove along the river road and looked at all of the crazy people still out ice fishing. Many of them were sitting in skiffs on the ice with there tackle and jigs sitting on the ice along side the skiff. A little farther down the ice was out and people were actually fishing in open water.

18. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
Of the six short novels this one is my favorite so far. I only have The Pearl left to read.

19.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
From 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

20.The Pearl by John Steinbeck

21.84, Charing Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Nice short read. Good, but not great. I've reserved the movie at the library, thought I'd give that a try too.

22.Undress Me In The Temple Of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman 4stars

Still plugging away at Moby Dick.

Started The Plague a few days ago. decided I didn't like it. back to the library it goes.

Still plugging away at Moby Dick. Also reading The Measure of A Man by Sidney Poitier and The Whistling Season, a book recommended by the library book club.

On our way to church. Happy Easter to everyone!

The darn DJ just said " Rain changing to snow" is this what they mean when they say don't kill the messenger? We've been in the 70's for a week and a half, today I had to turn the furnace back on. UGH!!!

I made it to page 299 in Moby Dick. This is one book where just about the time I get tired of the rambling on, I find it interesting again and before I know it it's 30 pages later. I can finish, I can, I know I can......

I never knew how small my book world was until I found LT and all of you. I'm really really glad I found you guys!!!! Since finding LT I must admit, I've taken a peek at other similiar sites. I've found LT to be the most user friendly and the most interesting!

Enough rambling. I hope everyone has a good day and finds time to enjoy a book!!!

Hi Tammy, I've enjoyed reading your thread, especially that last comment about how LT has enlarged your book world. Same here.

I'm sorry you didn't like the Steinbeck books better. He's a favorite of mine and I've gone a bit gaga in my raving about him lately. ;-} I'm over here on the 75-Book Challenge. I'd love to have you visit me -- you can just skip over my Steinbeck love fest! We do share Willa Cather as a favorite author.

Edited to spell your name correctly. I have a friend who uses the "ie" ending.

I saw the pretty snow on the trees, now it can go away!!!

Almost caught up with threads. Still have Stasia's left to go and that takes a long time to get through. I find something new here at LT almost everytime I log on. I found the Crime, Thriller + Mystery group today. Also discovered that Robert B. Parker passed away at the beginning of the year. How sad,didn't realize that he was 77. I have read all of the Jesse Stone books and then watched the movies.

The snow has once again disappered, the sun is shining. I'm getting ready to go watch my boyfriend play soccer. It's soccer and baseball season again!!!

23.The Measure Of A Man: a spiritual autobiography by Sidney Poitier
It's an ok read, a nice story of who he is and where he comes from. It was not as thought provoking as I had hoped it would be. 3.5 stars
Only April and I'm almost halfway! Never realized I actually read this much.

24.The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
This book was recommended by the local library book club. It was set in Montana and was about a family and a one room school. It is a wonderful story about a time gone by! Sometimes I wish I had a time machine. 4 stars

25.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.

I've put Moby Dick on the back burner. I need to kick myself in the butt and get going again!! My son is dragging his feet, not wanting to read Harry Potter # 2, so that too goes on the back burner. He has been doing a little bit better finding books on his own and actually reading them, but I have Harry Potter out on the table for him to see. It's awful to have to threaten your child with a book he doesn't want to read.
I've been reading Black Beauty and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I'm liking HB Finn much, much better than Tom Sawyer. There is far less rambling (oh how I dislike rambling) and more of a story. I'm at the part were Huck and Jim are floating down the Mississippi along Illinois. The descriptions make me want to go visit the Mississippi. Maybe a road trip is due this summer. Waiting for the Norwegian Wood GR to start. Hope everyone has a good day!!

Well, I'm about as caught up on the threads as I'm going to be for the next few days. Tomorrow is baseball tryouts for the traveling team. I'm quite excited, because it means summer is almost here! I am looking forward to being stuck in one town or another for 4 or 5 weekends this summer, shelling out money for hotdogs, sunflower seeds and skittles. I get to do to of my favorite things!! Watch my son play baseball and read in between games!!! Happy Reading everyone!!

26. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Even thought I liked this a bit better than Tom Sawyer, towards the end I was just waiting for it to be over.

from 1001 Children's Books You Must read Before you Grow Up.

Hi, Tammy!
I finally got caught up on your thread. I was glad to see that you like the Edward Rutherford books. I have a few around here, but I haven't started them yet. You are doing great with Moby Dick, too. I fell behind, but I am determined to get caught up in May. I am really enjoying that book.

I had never heard of 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. I want to check that out. Have a great weekend! :)
--BJ

27.Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
from 1001 Children's Books You Must Read before You Grow Up

Up Next--- Norwegian Wood for the GR, Where The Bluebird Sings To The Lemonade Springs another GR, but I doubt I'll keep pace, I Am Ozzy, The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Treasure Island, and The Remains Of The Day. Silly Me these came from the library all at the same time. And almost finished with this month's section of Moby Dick. and I have 3 ER books waiting. yowzaa!

Yesterday was Tylan's track meet. I was really dreading going because it snowed here in the night and it was really cold and windy! It turned out ok. I got alot of reading done in between events. I read about 60 pages of I Am Ozzy and about 40 pages of Norwegian Wood and the best part!! Tylan placed 1st in the 800 meter and his relay team placed 1st too!!!! Sometimes that kid amazes me!!! Happy Mother's Day to all moms!!!!!

28. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
This was for a group read. I finished early. Not sure if I liked it ,have to think about it for awhile.

Today is my day off and wouldn't you know, it's crappy, cold and rainy. Need to decide if I'm going to clean or pick up another book and continue reading.

29.I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

Congrats to Tylan on the wonderful track meet. It is kind of cold here for May. I still have the last part of Norwegian Wood to read. Don't know how I will feel about it when I finish either. Have a great day!
--BJ

Too bad that your day off was cold and rainy, Tammy, but you know that's perfect weather for reading imo. It's raining hard this morning in Missouri.

I'll chime in with you and BJ about having mixed feelings about Norwegian Wood. I have the last part to finish. I'm intrigued by it and liking it well enough but not lovin' it thus far.

Thanks BJ!

Hi Donna!

I didn't like it and I didn't hate it. I was a bit put off by the part about the 13 year old girl. My son will be 13 this year and I just don't like the idea of 13 year olds having sex. And too much talk about gratuitous sex. I'm not really a prude and you'll notice the last book I read was Ozzy's. But I expected that from Ozzy and in that context it was a bit funny and just who he is.
Also my mother is bipolar and I work with people who suffer from mental illness and I just don't see it the way it was presented in this book.

30. The Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
4 stars
Finished the book today. Now I'm going to the library to reserve the movie.

I loved The Remains of the Day, but I have not seen the movie yet. Please let me know that you think of it.
--BJ

31.A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
From 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

Every time I look at the stack of books on the table Moby Dick seems to be on top. So I am going to finish it by Sunday.

32. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
It was a long voyage, but I finally finished today! The book was ok, but about 150 pages too long!! I'm glad I can say I read it!! A few days ago my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to watch the movie. I suppose I will just to see.
Silly me I have so many books I want to finish and Sunday at the library I picked up Under the Dome, 1074 pages. What was I thinking?!

The Remains of the Day is on my to-read list. I'm glad you liked it! I'll bump it up on the list. :)

Hi E! Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, I liked The Remains of The Day. It wasn't one of those that had a wow moment. It was a simple, quiet read. The reader learns about the life of a proper English butler and a bit of that culture. Porua turned me on to it. Happy Reading!!

Enough lurking for today! Back to cleaning,ugghh, and cooking and maybe a little bit of reading before going to work.

Hello, tjblue! So glad you enjoyed The Remains of the Day! It is one of my best reads so far this year. You are right. It is a simple and quiet read. I found it refreshing.

Hi Porua! I'll be over to see what's up next. Happy Reading!
33.Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
from 1001 Children's Books You Must read before You Grow Up This a reread for me. We had to read this in English class. I can't remember if it was 6th or 7th grade.
Happy Memorial Day! to everyone. Lucky me I have the weekend off and work 1st shift on Monday. Yesterday was shopping day. Today is soccer all day!

Happy Memorial Day to you, too! And congrats on finishing Moby Dick!!! I hope to finish before June 15th.

I have never read Treasure Island, but I think that I have a copy around here somewhere, and I want to read it. I read Kidnapped last year and liked it. I am also an Ishiguro fan. He can really write!

Today we are still removing super old wallpaper, hoping to paint soon!
--BJ

Hey BJ! Treasure Island was ok. I'm going to try to read all of the books in 1001 Books You must Read Before You Grow Up.
34.The Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon
3.5 stars
This was another book I saw on the bulletin board at the library and she is a new author. This is her first novel. The book is about a man in his thirties searching for his true identidy. It is a fast read I finished in just a few hours.

35. Where The Blubird Sings To The Lemonade Springs by Wallace Stegner 4 stars
Just finished it. I think this one is better appreciated if read a little bit at a time to be able to take it all in and think about what he is trying to impart. My favorite essays were the ones written about himself and the ones where he mentioned Ansel Adams. I really like hearing and learning about people and I really like Adams' work.

36.By Heart Poetry, Prison and Two Hearts by Judith Tannenbaum & Spoon Jackson
This is an ER book and the first one I've received that I actually liked. 4 stars

Finally caught up on threads! Even Stasia's. Hope everyone's having a good weekend!

Finally starting an Austen, Sense and Sensibility. I joined the summer reading program at the library last week. Need to read books from several different categories.

What are your categories?

I am still reading Moby Dick. I am on Chapter 110. I am still hoping to finish tomorrow. I am ready to see that whale!
--BJ

The card looks like a bingo card and I have to fill one line, five spots.The choices are fiction, non fiction, paperback, new author, classic, mystery,western, audio book, book written before 2005 and reader's choice.
Started Sense and Sensibility, will finish it.but I don't think I will read another Austen book. Just not for me.

Hi Tammy, That sounds like a fun reading program. Our library doesn't do anything creative like that, just read and enter your name in a drawing.

You might like Pride and Prejudice better than Sense and Sensibility. It has a lot of humor in it. Those are the only two books by her that I have read.

I like your library challenge. It seems like a lot of fun. I have only recently started going back to the library again and haven't seen anything like that there.
--BJ

I love P & P, but if you read the first couple of chapters and you don't like it, it's probably not for you.

Hi ladies, Thanks for visiting and thanks for the advice! I'm almost finished with S& S, only 90 pgs to go. I may try Pride and Prejudice just to see.

Happy Reading!

Hi tjblue, I'm not a big Austen fan either. I read Pride and Prejudice (which I like), Emma and Mansfield Park. Mansfield Park put the final nail in the coffin - I hated the main character. Have you seen the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice? It is absolutely brilliant. Watch that instead of reading it!

37.Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
4 stars Mrs. Jennings and Elinor were my favorite characters.

Thanks for stopping by Bookbug! I will give it a try.

Only have 1 more book to go to be able to turn in my 1st bingo card. Which one should I finish next? I've been avoiding the books on my currently reading list because they are all over 250 pgs long. Shame on me! I'm a bit disappointed that S&S took me 8 days to finish.

First baseball tournament this weekend. Tylan's team won their first game, 7-2!!!

Hi Tammy, Just found your thread and had fun reading through it!

Congrats to Tylan on the baseball win! And Congrats to you on finishing Moby Dick! Reading of your struggle with that book reminds me of the many times I have started to read that book and never could get halfway. Since I have not picked it up in years, maybe I will try again. You have inspired me to stick to it till the end... It's become a matter of principle with me now. I want to say I finished it! Claudia

>95 tjblue:: Book Bingo sounds like a fun way to read a variety of books. You read Moby Dick yet struggled with Sense and Sensibility? Maybe I'd better give the whale another go sometime. I'm in the "stuck" category with Claudia on MD.

Ah, I see you later rated S&S with 4 stars. It must have gotten better as you got used to Austen's style. I agree with Bookbugg that the BBC adaptations of all the Austen books were excellent. Sometimes it helps to "see" a book rather than read it.

And it helps that Colin Firth is simply dreamy as Mr. Darcy!
I tried Moby Dick when I was in college but only managed about 50 pages.

Hi Claudia, Donna and Bookbugg!!

>108 Donna828: S&S did have it's merits, but I still doubt I will read another Austen for awhile. It's something I will have to be in the mood for. I struggled through Moby Dick more than S&S. It helped that we only read 100 pages a month and that I had the group or I probably wouldn't have finished it!
Ty's team placed 4th in the tournament. It stinks when you don't place higher in your own town's tournament, but they played hard and had fun!! Next weekend, Hortonville, the next town over. Hope the kids do better and have fun either way!
Hope everyone as a great week!!! Happy Reading!!
--- Tammy

I love dusk! -- the smell of summer flowers, pink and blue clouds and ballgames that last 'til the the lights come on!

38.Looking For A Love Story by Louise Shaffer
Chick-Lit-- A young writer needs help finding herself.
It's a simple, quick read. 3.5 stars

Ty's team won tonight 10-1. Trying to get him to go to bed. His first game tomorrow is a 8am, so he has to be up at least by 6am. He has 4 games tomorrow, so alot of baseball and alot of reading in between!
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!

Ty's team is 3 and 0 today!! Playing for 1st place at 6:30pm!!!

39.The Scent of Rain and Lightening by Nancy Pickard 3.5 stars A small town in Kansas, a powerful, prosperous ranch family and murder.

Tylan's team took first place yesterday!!!

Nice one! (your son?)

Congrats to your son and his team, Tammy!

Congrats to Ty and his team! Awesome!
--BJ

Thanks!!

40.Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic This is a reread.

Also extending congratulations on having a First Place winner in the family. How old is Ty? My granddaughter recently started playing softball at age 8 and loves it! Of course, she also loves soccer, swimming, and -- her latest sport -- golf!

I wanted to tell you what an impact Zlata's Diary had on me a few years ago. There is something about a first-hand report that really brings the news to life.

Hi Donna, Tylan will be 13 in Sept. He is a sports nut. He loves anything that involves running, kicking, hitting or throwing. He's been playing ball and golf since he was 4.

I remember seeing the Zlata on the Today Show promoting the book. I wonder where she is now?!

41.Losing Charlotte by Heather Clay 3.5

Finally found/starred your thread. Love your library's idea of Book Bingo! That's very creative and fun!

Hi Louanne! Yeah, the library has reading challenge every year and every year it's a little different. Last year I won a book bag, 4 books and a 5.00 gift card for the local coffee shop.

42.Nine Man Tree by Robert Newton Peck YA 3.5 stars. The story of a family living in the Everglades.

Baseball again this weekend! Hope the boys have fun and do well!!

We got a new dog last Friday and he's making me crazy. He goes like the Energizer Bunny and jumps like he has springs in his legs. He's lucky that he cute and that I love dogs!!

How many of us with pediatric dogs use that mantra "he's lucky he's cute!"? I hear ya!

All caught up on threads! Off to watch baseball!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!!!! Happy Reading!!!

Ty's team won tonight, 11-0. Ty and one other boy pitched. They pitched a no hitter and the team hit 3 Grand Slams. One brought in 4 runs. It was a very exciting game!! Got to get to bed! We need to be to the park by 6:45 am tomorrow.

Yay, Ty! It sounds like his baseball career keeps the whole family busy. Good times.

Congrats (I think) on the new dog. It's a lot of work training a dog to fit into a family. I think age is the key factor. Puppies are in a league of their own -- but as you said, they are so cute. Enjoy!

43.The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald 3.5 stars
The book was listed as YA, but to me it didn't read like a YA story. It is a short, quick read set in Hardborough, England in 1959. It tells the story of a middle-aged widow and the difficulties she has in opening and running a book store in a small town.

Hi Donna! Yeah, it will take the new doggy, Kipper, time to fit in. He is a year old and totally potty trained and he only chews on toys and bones!!! :) He just needs to learn some manners.

Ty's team did not do so well yesterday.:( They won the first game 9-3 and they were pumped. The 2nd game was a blow out. They lost 16-0! Giving up so many runs eliminated them from the finals. The coach was very, very up upset with himself for not playing the right players and starting the game out right. The boys took it much better. Anyway, sometimes that's how it goes.

What to do with myself today? No baseball or soccer today.

Wow, no wonder you like going to ball games! Your son has a winning team and lots of cause to celebrate. So good you are spending these important times with Ty... even at 6:45 am! * groan, yawn, stretch*

Go team!

Good Morning Claudia! I'm following you around this morning!

I need to find a short mystery to be able to fill my 2nd bingo card. Some how I thought the last book was a mystery, but it wasn't. I'm way behind on The Once and Future King! I need to get my rear in gear and get caught up!!

To Kill A Mockingbird was first published on this day in 1960. 50 years old. some good things do last. guess I should read it soon!

44.The Little Death by P.J. Parrish 3.5 stars
Another Louis Kincaid mystery. Good, but not as good as 8 that came before it.
I couldn't sleep so I finished this one in the middle of the night. Filled in the last square of my 2nd bingo card. Now I can pick up my 3rd one and I already have 1 book read. I'm starting to get caught up on the Once and Future King. Only 6 away from 50 and I should be able to meet that mark before August 1st. Hope everybody has a good hump day! Happy Reading!

Getting whipped like that to be eliminated is harsh, but that's one of the great lessons playing sports can teach about life in general. You may not always win, but if you try your best, it can only improve your mental toughness. Knowing how it feels to fail is a great motivator to not let it happen again. That's always a plus when you have to overcome something in the real world instead of 'just' a baseball game. There's nothing better for kids than participating in sports or at least competing in something they truly enjoy on their own. Both winning and losing are great teachers in the end. Plus, baseball teaches you to recognize people who are jerks, dinks, and you-know-whats in record time, which can save much anguish and possibly trouble with the law later in life. There are a few people like that on every team, (more so later on, say, high school age) and it's a handy skill for adults to have.

My little nephew is approaching three years old and he has an amazing golf swing. He wants to hit golf balls all day, which is nice because I get to whack a few myself and my chipping and pitching has dramatically improved as a corollary. He has a power move with his legs that is scarily similar to Lee Trevino. No coaching or training, it's just how he figured out how to do it on his own. He has only gotten two lessons, one: Keep your eye on the ball, two: Line the club up behind the ball and then hit it. Everything else is his own effort, but he does like watching golf on TV. European PGA in the mornings. Who would have figured Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington would be more fun than Cookie Monster and Curious George?

To Kill a Mockingbird just is not my thing at all. I would have rather snapped my toes in a mousetrap than read that book, just a guy thing. I did stubbornly pound through it. English class required reading (10th grade, Mrs. Fitch's favorite book ever), the next semester was The Once and Future King, and most of the guys liked it and the girls all hated it. Equality at last, and honestly two smart choices. Over the winter I hammered through Great Expectations and was constantly amazed by the great writing, but the story bored me to tears. Same deal with Mockingbird. Well crafted, but I'd rather sit in a dark room by myself for three hours than watch a movie of it. I could see why it was an award winning classic though.

Even though I rarely comment, I do read your thread here whenever a new message pops up. Thanks for letting me ramble on a bit and congratulations to Ty for a solid season. Oh, I like the bingo card thing as well.

Hi Ryan, thanks for leaving a message. Yes, I agree that sports and being apart of a team is great thing! I'm thankful that Ty has for the most part had wonderful coaches and the other parents are great too!
Isn't it crazy that little kids would like watching golf?! Ty liked watching it too. He even did the golf clap when the crowd was clapping. Ty loves all sports and is pretty good at most of them. He loves watching everything on TV. He even follows women's college sports. He has an uncanny knack for recalling stats and players and plays. Watching football with him is quite interesting, he calls the penalties before the ref even throws the flag. I'm having a hard time convincing him that academics are as important as sports and that you have to have an alternative after you turn 40.

You know, I have a hard time recalling everything I read in high school. I took a few Lit classes, but I know we didn't read the books that everyone mentions here. In English Lit we mostly read plays; Macbeth, parts of Hamlet and Othello and we read Beowulf. In the other classes The Grapes of Wrath, The Old Man and The Sea and The Great Gatsby, which I hardly remember. And the teacher loved Eudora Welty, but I don't remember what we read. The only thing I remember from 20th Century lit is The Outsiders.

Hope you stop by again! Happy Reading!! --Tammy

Oh yeah! I forgot about the free math class of learning about sports statistics. And it's a shared fantasy realm of sorts that can spark stimulating conversations and even friendships.

I went to a small rural school that didn't even offer a true lit class, so in freshman english we read Shakespeare, Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet, then in 10th, TKIM and Once & Future King. That's it. Oh, also the play Raisins in the Sun. I missed the movie version everybody else watched and received the only F of my school career on any test or homework that was actually handed in and graded.

Good Morning everyone! Just checking in. Baseball again this weekend. This time in Shawano. I was only able to see 2 games out of 4, because I had to work Sat and Sun. :-( Ty's team didn't do so well. It was a double elimination tournament so they didn't make it to the finals. This was his last tournament of the summer. Just a week or so of league ball left and baseball will be over for another year. It's kind of sad because this is his last year of little league. Next year he moves up to the Pony League. I wonder how many of the kids will continue on and how many will quit playing.

I'm working on getting caught up on The Once and Futrue King. I've made it to page 233. Also started a audiobook. This is the first one for me . I'm not quite sure if I like this. I'm listening to Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver. I usually like Deaver, but I'm not liking this one.

Hi Tammy! Stopping in to wave and cheer! :O

Win or lose, Ty will always remember his cheerleader Mom and fun summer ball games. Congrats to all!

How's the puppy???

The puppy has not been too bad. He needs to learn some manners and now he has started chewing on things he is not supposed to. He gets along well with our other dogs. At times the 6 year old thinks she is a puppy again. They wrestle and growl and bark and try to steal the bone from each other. The funny part is when she is tired and annoyed. He just won't leave her alone and she looks at me like," Aren't you going to do something?" Another good thing, he likes little kids. We have several little neighbor kids that come over.

Pretty much caught up on threads. Back to the Once and Future King. I've made it to page 280. Who knows maybe I will get caught up before everyone else finishes. :-)

45.The Trouble With Poetry and Other Poems by Billy Collins my favorite poem is:

Building with Its Face Blown Off

How suddenly the private
is revealed in a bombed-out city,
how the blue and white striped wallpaper

of a second story bedroom is now
exposed to the lightly falling snow
as if the room had answered the explosion

wearing only its striped pajamas.
Some neighbors and soldiers
poke around in the rubble below

and stare up at the hanging staircase,
the portrait of a grandfather,
a door dangling from a single hinge.

And the bathroom looks almost embarrassed
by its uncovered ochre walls,
the twisted mess of its plumbing,

the sink sinking to its knees,
the ripped shower curtain,
the torn goldfish trailing bubbles.

I'ts like a dollhouse view
as if a child on its knees could reach in
and pick up the bureau, straighten a picture.

Or it might be a room on a stage
in a play with no characters
no dialogue or audience,

no beginning, middle and end-
just the broken furniture in the street,
a shoe among the cinder blocks,

a light snow still falling
on a distant steeple, and people
crossing a bridge that still stands.

And beyond that-crows in a tree,
the statue of a leader on a horse,
and clouds that look like smoke,

and even farther on, in another country
on a blanket under a shade tree,
man pouring wine into two grasses

and a woman sliding out
the wooden pegs of a wicker hamper
filled with bread, cheese, and several kinds of olives.

Hi, Tammy,
I finally got all caught up with your thread. I am also behind on The Once and Future King. But I am loving it all over again. What a great book!

Sounds like you are having a terrific summer. Love hearing about your puppy. What kind of dog is he? Big, little? My sweet dog won't go outside if she can help it. She loves the ac. Also love hearing about the baseball games. I am happy to report that football season is around the corner. Yea!

Happy reading!
--BJ

I know what you mean about not liking audiobooks as much as reading an author you like. I listen to quite a few audiobooks, and it seems when I listen to a book by someone I usually like to read, I never like the story as much (I usually like Nicolas Sparks - I really disliked The Last Song audiobook). Now, I mostly just listen to books I'd never read, and most of the time, I end up liking them (like one of Gene Simmons' books...and actually Sarah Palin's Going Rogue was an amusing listen...).

One of the best ones I've listened to was Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal. It made me feel a little neurotic after listening to it...so I think the theme really came across well.

Hi BJ, The puppy's name is Kipper like in the children's book. He came with that name! He is 1yr old, about 20 lbs and he is a springer,terrier, pom mix. At least that is what we were told. I got him for Ty because our Max is about 14 or 15 yrs old. Ty needs a dog he can walk and play with. Treva is 6 and even though she is only about 75lbs, Ty can't control her. I'm the only one who can take her for walks. Finally made it to pg 325 in the Once and Future King. I need to hurry, I only have until the 30th to had in my last bingo card and I still have to finish the audio book and then 1 more.

I don't want to hear about football yet!!! Summer is going to fast the way it is!!
Did you try making the jam?

Hi Kate, Yeah I don't know if it's because it's an audio book, but the story just doesn't seem as good as all of the Lincoln Rhyme books. Maybe I will try to find The Bell Jar in audio, it is on my TBR list.

Happy Reading!!!

I am in the same place of The Once and Future King, I think.

Gosh, I forgot all about the jam!!! This has been a chaotic summer. But I still want to make it, and I think the strawberries will last til the end of July. I will get my daughter to help me.

Last night there was a possum (or something) in the backyard exciting my dog. I finally managed to call her off. I never actually saw what it was out there. Too dark.

Loved hearing about your puppy. Sounds like lots of fun.
--BJ

Your son's team really went a long way. Yeah for him!

I'm hearing about The Once and Future King all over the place, because of the Group Read, I guess. It's sort of tempting, but not really.

I don't normally like poetry, except for children's poetry--that's sort of more my level--but I've been meaning to check out some Billy Collins. Thanks for reminding me, that poem was a good one, not too precious.

The Bookshop doesn't sound like a YA book, but I can't figure out why some books are labeled YA, or why others are not. I personally label lots of books as YA in my head. Girl in Translation felt very YA to me, for example, but I don't think it's labeled as such. And, To Kill a Mockingbird is YA, right? But a very good one. Hope you love it--or at least like it better than DirtPriest. ;-)

Hey ladies,

I made to page 545 today!! I'll finish by Thursday. Yay!!

I found the Billy Collins book by chance. I was looking for a short nonfiction book to take up one space on my bingo card for the raffle. I don't usually read poetry, but once in a while I like to just for something different. I think the only book of poetry I own is a collection of poems for children by Robert Frost.

Hopefully I'll remember to read To Kill a Mockingbird before another 50 years passes. I saw it in the audiobooks section at the library, maybe I'll listen to it instead.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!!! :-)

I heard somewhere that the audio of To Kill a Mockingbird was excellent. I am thinking that I must have seen it here on LT. You are way ahead of me now on The Once and Future King, but I am also hoping to finish this week. I keep singing the music from Camelot which is driving me batty.
--BJ

I forgot to ask: Are you doing the group read of Blindness? I finally found a copy of it and it looks pretty interesting.
--BJ

Yeah, I'm going to give Blindness a try.

"He stepped into the darkness of the passage, dismissing the subject from his mind, and disappeared. What he had forgotten was his sword."---The Once and Future King

46.The Once And Future King by T.H. White 3.5 stars

Only 4 more to go to make 50!

Oh, oh, oh! Very cool! You are so close to 50! Must feel good.

I see you added A Dog's Purpose to your wishlist. Did you get this as an ER book? I was told I won it, but have seen neither hide nor hair of it yet. I'm getting worried. I want to read it so bad now I will buy it if I have to. *heavy sigh*

Anyway, congrats on your progress!

No, I saw A Dog's Purpose on Joanne's thread. It looks like a good one. Wait a little longer. sometimes the ER books take a while to get to you.
I should get a lot of reading done over the next few days. I did a good one yesterday! Tylan and I were walking the dogs and I twisted my left ankle. I went right down to the pavement. Luckily it isn't as bad as I thought, but I have to save my walking for work, so at home I'll be sitting on my butt. I'm so handy!!

Oooooo! Great idea!

I mean, ouch... yes, rest & read.... hope the ankle and the psyche recover quickly.

Hi Claudia, Thanks. The ankle isn't too bad! Today it only hurts when I try to hurry. The joint or the bone just looks like a baseball on top of my foot. If the swelling goes down a little it will be ok, the left one is always the one I strain.

Almost finished with The Old Man and The Sea and the audio book of Roadside Crosses by Deaver.

47.The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
This is a reread for me . I needed a short book so I could fill in the last blank on my bingo card and hand it in.

Isn't that cheating? Just kidding. Copying biology notes on a black-topped lab table with an ink pen is cheating, especially if you walk around to make sure they can only be seen from your seat at that table. So is programming physics equations in to the calculator you will be using on an exam.

Hope you get well soon!

Well, The Old Man and the Sea may be a short book, but it's not easy to read, so you still have my respect! ;-)

Hi guys! Just got home from the ballpark. Ty's team won the league championship and he was the closing pitcher!!! The last day of the season is always bittersweet!

Just started Walking to Gatlinburg recommended by Mark and These is My Words recommended by Claudia.

>160 tjblue:: Wow! Great! But huh?! If you were one of my students storyboarding this story, I'd have you go back and add the missing pics. How'd your son go from having that blow out of a game and being out of the championship finals to winning them? Some exciting, tension-filled moments left out here, ma'am!

Hi Bonnie, Ty plays on 2 teams. League ball is during the week and played in town. The tournament team travels to different cities for tournaments on the weekends. This year he played in 4 tournaments and they only did ok. 1 first place, 1 fourth place and 2 tournaments they didn't place at all. Sorry for the confusion.

Congrats to Ty!

Are you ready for football season now? I am.

I loved The Old Man and the Sea. It was one of my top reads last year. Such a great story.
--BJ

Well, not really. For me the start of football means the end of summer! :( I only watch the Packers or whatever game Ty is watching or that is on at work. Ty hasn't said to much about playing football, so I'm not saying anything either. He has a hard enough time with schoolwork, but he does play basketball.

He has talked about playing soccer in the fall, but I don't know how that would be if he played with kids his own age. He has been playing pick up games with some adults and high school kids from around here for the last 3 years. Shoot 2:30. time to take the dogs out and go to work. Hope evryone has a good night!!

48.Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver 2.5 stars
Deaver is one of my favorites, but I guess I can't like everything he writes. I listened to this on a little recorder called Playaway. It's a good idea, but it didn't work that well. It takes a AAA battery and I used 4 batteries listening to it. It was 14 hours long and it took me 2 weeks to finish it.

About as caught up on threads as I'm going to get and reading them reminds of all the books I haven't got to yet! Hope everyone is having a good week!!

Hi Tammy!
Good week so far -
I'm in the middle of The Whistling Season and really like it alot (except for the wolf chase - no comment fit to print). Doig's writing is so good...
Claudia

Well, I told you I'd make it over here, Tammy, and here I am! Thanks for visiting my new thread. You've been busy since I last posted. I loved the Billy Collins poem. I am starting to appreciate modern poetry more than I used to.

I'm glad Kipper is fitting in so well to your busy household. Our dog Lucky was a "found" dog. He's a Lab with an attitude. Can't blame him for that as he was obviously mistreated and dumped. Some people! We've had him 5 years now, and he still growls occasionally at some other dogs, some men, and (Yikes!) one of my grandchildren! Only growls, thank goodness. I think the 8-year-old granddaughter must remind him of some mean little girl in his past life. The other grandkids are just fine with him. Who knows.

I think I must have liked The Once and Future King better than you as I rated it 4 stars. I thought it was kind of uneven -- and it didn't help reading it over the course of a month-long period. It was a re-read for me, although it had been so long ago, it was almost like reading it for the first time.

Whew! All caught up. Enjoy the rest of your summer. It goes by too quickly, doesn't it?

Hi Donna!!!

Almost finished with #49 Walking to Gatlinburg.

I get to see my little sister today! I have a 2 1/2hr drive , so I better get going! Hope everyone has a good weekend!!

49. Walking To Gatlinburg by Howard Frank Mosher 4 stars
It takes place during the Civil War and is about a teenage boy from Vermont and his journey south to find his brother. This was a rec from Mark msf59.

Caught up on threads and 1/2 way through These is My Words. Hope everyone has a good week!!

Really liked that book a lot... hope you do too! Claudia

50.These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 4.5 stars Recommended by Claudia.

I made it to 50! Now I wonder if I can make it to 75 before the end of the year! Middlemarch and Gone With The Wind are next.

Wow! Congrats! 50 books! You're outgrowing the group!
I'm so glad you liked the book. :)

Congrats on reaching 50! See ya at the group reads!
--BJ

50 books - Congratulations!

Congrats on completing 50 books! :-)

Thanks!!!

51. Jesse James: Death of a Legend by Will Henry
3.5 stars This was a reread, one from the
box in the basement.

"We mortals, men and women, devour many a disappointment between breakfast and dinner-time, keep back the tears and look a little pale about the lips, and in answer to inquiries say, "Oh Nothing!" Pride helps us; and pride is not a bad thing when it only urges us to hide our own hurts- not to hurt others." ---Middlemarch

Love the quote. And the book. I am almost finished with book 6. The end is in sight!
--BJ

Hey BJ! I'm just getting started. I think this will be one I can't read straight through and it will take me awhile. Did you read Ask Alice? I started it, but gave up, even though others liked it, I don't think I will.

After looking around some more it seems that I got Ask Alice mixed up with Still Alice. OOps!

51.Perennials for Midwestern Gardens: Proven Plants for the Heartland by Anthony W. Kahtz

There is a flower garden along the south side of my house. I'm not sure why because the weeds won't even grow in parts of it. I'm always looking for something that will actually grow there and come up every year. I don't have the time or money to plant annuals like I used too!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I work 2nd shift today, then I have the weekend off!! Woo-hoo!!

Have you tried Cosmos? Before a neighbor's tree grew and shaded a far corner of my yard, I had them planted there. They were pretty darn hardy and you can cut them to bring some flowers inside, too.

Thanks for the suggestion Joanne! i think I'll give them a try.

We had a bad storm yesterday afternoon, just after I left for work. High winds, hail, and torrential rain. Many people in my neighborhood got hit hard. There was a lot of flooding and uprooted trees. I got lucky! The old maple in the back yard just lost its crown. When it fell it didn't hit anything major. 2 houses over, a big old oak in the back yard tipped over, hit the power lines and the garage in the next yard. OH OH!

I need to shut the computer off!!! I have way to much housework and 3 dogs that want to go for walks and that need to bathed. And books staring at me!! Hope everyone is having a good week!!

I have the same problems, minus the dogs but plus one three year old. We are in the process of 'spring cleaning' the house and garage for his birthday party this weekend.

You know what's weird? We haven't had a single thunderstorm this season that was worth getting nervous over. There's something about the geography of the Saginaw Valley that causes storms to weaken or even dissipate in the area. We do get our biggest storms of the year from about now until the end of september. The protection from a cold to at least cool Lake Michigan is gone and often storms will strengthen over the water. Just some nerd facts for you.

Hi DP! Nerd facts are interesting!

Hi, Tammy!
I haven't read either Alice book.

Middlemarch starts a little slow, but it picks up steam, and you won't want to put it down towards the end. That is where I am now, so I guess I better get back to find out what happens next!
--BJ

52. Distant Trails Northwest Destiny Volume One by Bill Gullick 3.5 stars another reread from the boxes in the basement. This is one type of book I liked about twenty years ago. Back then I mostly read historical fiction, Stephen King and Anne Rice and once in a while a biography or memoir.

Hi BJ! Middlemarch will now have my full attention, at least for a little while. I see you've already finished. Hope you have a great weekend and find another good book to get started on!

Hi, Tammy!
I am returning to Gone With the Wind, which I am a full week behind on. I see the movie playing in my head, even though I have not seen it in years! This is the last book for my 1010 challenge, but it is another long one.
--BJ

Home alone, just me and the dogs. It feels really strange. The first day of school always seems weird.
Now Tylan is at football practice and Alberto ( the significant other) was asked to cover for a guy from second shift. I should be enjoying this! kind of do, kind of don't.
I had to put Middlemarch on the back burner. Go figure, out of 8 copies available someone put a hold on the copy I had. So I returned it and reserved another copy. So I'm working on Gone with the Wind and suprisingly liking it.
I've decided a few things: 1. I vow to not buy books, the library is free. 2. I'm going through the boxes in the basement, making a list of what is there, then taking almost all of them to half price books. I'm going to use the money to buy Tylan a birthday present. He will be 13 on the 12th. 3. I've been thinking about filling a notebook with quotes. Maybe that will help me remember more and be more connected to the books I really like. oops! it's 5:15 time to get Ty from practice.

Hi Tammy. I remember those first days of school as being quiet and bittersweet. I spent a day or two at loose ends, then got over it and moved on with my life. ;-)

So someone can reserve a particular book if there are 8 copies of the same book? Hmmm, that seems strange to me. I can understand it if all of them are on the shelf and someone wants a certain edition, but it seems kind of rude to request the one book that someone has already checked out. I'm glad your back-up plan is working out for you.

I keep a quotation journal...and sometimes I even add quotes to it! I used to be more regular about it, but since I put a lot of quotes on LT either on my thread or in my reviews, the notebook gets forgotten at times. I do enjoy the memories when I take the time to read through the book. It sounds like a good first-day-of-school thing to do!

Hi Tammy - It's an adjustment alright. I hate being alone in the house on the weekends. I kind of wander around, looking out the windows. After work is kind of a treat though - no one looking for dinner!

Good idea about the books. I keep telling myself to stop buying since I'm running out of space. Let us know how you do!

Hi, Tammy ~ I found you! :) Also see a few books I either didn't know about or had forgotten that I wanted to read and which are now on my TBR list.

Congrats on making it to 50 and best wishes for 75! (It never ends, you know. Once you find LT, it just never ends.) lol

I've been using the library for the first time in years. Love getting to read all these books for free, but there are disadvantages too--like having to return books before you're ready to, or being faced with a bunch of good books that you're not in the mood for. Good luck in finding the right balance.

Good luck with your garden, Tammy! I really prefer perennials now over annuals. I think that's smart to use a book like that to find the hardiest plants. Do you ever wander around your neighborhood to see what you like in your neighbors' gardens? My friend and I have a garden that we stop to really look at on our walks year-round.

Aaah! The first day back at school; I always felt a little sad for me and anxious for my guys--even when (embarrassed laughter) they were in high school.

Dropping by to say hi!

Hi Ladies, I got through the first week of school. ;-)
and already am having to give him the business about finishing his homework!

I'm still working on Gone with the Wind. I'm finding it easy reading and liking it ok. This is not one I would have enjoyed when I was younger. I think when we get older we can sometimes like things for what they are and not always worry about how much we are going to get out of it.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!

Hi Tammy,
Passing thru and waving happily...ahhh, new school year, new resolutions,cool weather and homework! :)

Hi Claudiaaaaaaaaaaaa, Hope your having a good weekend!

I am enjoying GWTW much, much more than the last time I read it. I am zooming along, albeit behind the pace of the group read. I am hoping to finish Part 3 today or tomorrow. I am wondering if I could do the things that Scarlet is having to do?

Off to my first session of my new Bible study. Have a great day!
--BJ

Hi BJ! Always glad to see a message from you!

I've made it to page 432 in GWTW. Every time I think I'm getting a little bit tired of it and am about to put it aside for awhile, I find something that draws me in again, so I keep on going.

I think it is wonderful how books are one thing that stand the test of time!! And I am happy that I am nuts over books, instead of other things out there. I keep holding out hope that Ty will at some point come to enjoy reading. He is always so restless and bored. I think people who read or maybe draw are often more content.

The replacement for Middlemarch finally came in. I'm wondering if I should start over. I don't know where I left off. Maybe I will skim over the 1st 150 pages to refresh my memory.

Hope everyone is having a great week! The weather here has turned a bit chilly only 43 this morning. But the sun is shining and that makes me happy!!! Happy Reading everyone!!--Tammy

Happy Birthday to Tylan! A teen!
Hope you both had a great day partying! :)

Thanks for the birthday wish Claudia! Yeah, he's 13 going on 25! I had to work this weekend, so he spent the day with my sister and then his dad!! I will have to think of something special for next weekend.

Hey, Tammy ~ Glad you're enjoying GWTW. I'd rather poke out an eye than have to read that novel. I tried a few times over the years and hated it every time. (I couldn't stand the movie either.) Thought Scarlett should have been drowned at birth. Or at least slapped silly within the first few pages.

Oh, dear, I do sound like a savage, don't I. Sorry, GWTW seems to do that to me.

>205 Storeetllr: LOL

But tell us how you really feel, Mary!

Hi Mary!
I don't like Scarlett either, but I think some people are just a product of the time. I'm glad I was not born in this place or time. I would not have read this when I was younger, but I now I have a little more patience.

Sitting here trying to get caught up with everyone. Little Kipper in my lap trying to lick me to death. Yucky!!! Then Treva the 75lb moose tries to crawl up here too!!

Hi Claudia!! How are things out east? What are you reading? I'm still wondering if I should keep going with Middlemarch or set it aside for awhile. I wanted to join the GR of Blindness which started yesterday and I'm still thinking about suffering through The Invisible Man sometime soon.

My kid is in trouble!! Looking through the cupboard for my jar of crunchy peanut butter, IT'S GONE!!!! He must have used it in that goofy concoction of honey nut cheerios, oatmeal, choc. chips and PB he mixed up at 12am the other night. He used the whole jar of my crunchy PB and the whole jar of his creamy PB. Now I'm mad and now I will have to hide the PB along with the candy bars!!!

Just for that I'm going to eat his Golden Grahams!! pthoo!!

Hi Tammy,

The east coast is beeeeeuuuuutiful! Cool, sunny, breezy... perfect!

I just finished my ER book Rose in a Storm by Katz. Writing a review is gonna be tough for me (as all reviews are). The book was very intense.
I started Blindness last night - quite interesting so far.
Don't stress about reading Invisible Man by Ellison. That was a toughie and I'm not sure worth the effort. Very disturbing.

I totally understand about the PB! Don't care so much for any kind of PB. But the few times I have it, it MUST be crunchy. My hubby likes smooth. Bleh!
Have a good one!

Hi, Tammy!
I just started Blindness, and I say go ahead and check it out. Creepy and compelling! You can always go back to Middlemarch and Invisible Man later if you decide you would rather read Blindness now. I had those two books on my tbr for a long time. By the way, did you see that the 1001 group is voting on books for October and November? Lots of good choices on the list.

Sorry about the pb. I am allergic, but everyone else loves it -- especially the dog. She has been having temptation problems lately, so I have to watch her like a hawk around food.

Have a great day!
--BJ

Oh, I loved Ellison's Invisible Man! I had to read it for a class a few years ago and then write a paper on it. I would not have enjoyed it when I was in h.s., but I'm waaay past that now. :) You are right, though ~ it is disturbing. But also unforgettable.

Sorry, Tammy, but my patience is even less now that I'm a crone. Also, I've known some Scarlett-types in real life, and that kind of self-centeredness is not exclusive to that or any time.

And there you have it for Invisible Man!
Agree: disturbing and unforgettable...
Difference of opinion on loving it...
Obviously a great literary adventure to elicit these strong emotions.
You'll have to decide for yourself someday. ;)

Hi Claudia and BJ and Mary!! Thanks for visiting me!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Reading!!!

Happy indeed! I've got five books going...don't quite know how that happened. Well, I do, of course. I just picked up one in one room and then another in another room (plus the one on my Kindle) and started reading them. As for the two audiobooks, well, one's on my laptop and one's on my iPod. *sigh* It's going to make for an interesting weekend: The Battle (of the Books) Royale! :)

Finally made it to part 5 of GWTW. I had hoped to be finished this weekend, but I suppose getting called into work yesterday hindered me a bit. I looked back and I finished the last book on 8-28-10. Oh well. I only have 188 pages left to go. It's only 4:40p. Wash the dishes, vacuum, start supper and read some more.

The last part goes pretty fast. You will be finished before you know it!
--BJ

Tammy, if you haven't started back in already, I say skip Middlemarch for when you can sit down and really relax for a few hours--I would say days, but that's not gonna happen, is it? ;-) I'll have to go check out the Blindness group read, since I read it this year. It's fun hearing about your teenager--don't want to go back there though. I don't have to hide anything from anyone anymore--well, except myself, but that doesn't work very well.

Just stopping by to say "hello"..

Me too! Hi Tammy!

I think I'm following Joanne around this am.
Have a good one!

Hi BJ, Bonnie, Joanne and Claudia!! :-}

53.Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4stars

Finally finished!! This one took me a long time,but it was worth the effort.

Congrats on finishing GWTW!
--BJ

glitter-graphics.com

You did it!!!!! Great accomplishment! :)

Hi Tammy! Congrats on finally finishing Gone with the Wind. Glad to see that you liked it.

Aaah! Gone With the Wind! I sure had the 'hots' for Rhett Butler (but *not* Clark Gable!) as a teenager. I wonder if I would feel the same way now? Sometimes, I really hate it when a favorite book (it was a favorite back then, not sure if it would make the list now) is made into a movie. I just can't get those movie scenes and actors' faces out of my head when I'm reading.

I've made it to page 206 in Blindness, the part where the doctor's wife is in the basement of the supermarket. Why didn't she take a flashlight?

I heard a bit of sad news today. One of my high school teachers passed away yesterday. He was a wonderful, highly, revered man. He dedicated his life to the teaching and nurturing of one small communities children!!! He spent his whole career teaching at W-F High and taught several generations of students. Take the time today to tell a teacher how much you appreciate them and what a great service they are doing for our country!!!

Teachers mean so much to us, don't they? I am sorry to hear of your teacher's passing.

I thought the part in the supermarket was totally creepy.
--BJ

Thanks BJ. Yes, other than our parents, I think teachers have a big part in molding us. I think I was lucky. I grew up in a rural area. The schools were quite small and I have fond memories of pretty much all of my teachers from kindergarden all the way through high school.

I'm almost finished with Blindness, made it to page 223. I'm wondering how or why Saramago came up with this idea.

I felt relieved when the book ended. It was so disturbing in parts. But I did like the ending. Not everyone did.
--BJ

54. Blindness by Jose Saramago
I'm not sure what to think, not sure if it is necessary to rate it. It didn't remind me of The Road like it did others. I had a hard time continuing with The Road, but did not with Blindness. maybe more later.

Up next Blindness by Henry Green. I got this one from the library the same time as Saramago's. I wonder how many books are out there with this title.

Right after starting Saramago's Blindness, I pulled out my 1001 book to see if it was on the list. And found Green's Blindness! So, I look forward to seeing what you think of it.
--BJ

Hi BJ!!

About as caught up on threads as I'm going to be for now. Hope everyone has a good weekend!! Happy Reading!!

Hi Tammy!
Me too... I wonder how many books have Blindness for a title.
Fascinating and scary concept for the sighted.

Have fun this weekend!

Hey, Tammy! Have a lovely weekend and let us know what you think of Green's Blindness. I've got Saramago's Blindness on my TBR list.

Hi Claudia and Mary!!

55.The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. I decided I needed something lighter before reading another serious one. One thing I didn't realize is that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the 1st book in a series. All together Baum wrote 14 books about Oz.

Working on 2 books, Henry Green's Blindness and The Devil In The White City. Can't seem to get inot either one. Not sure if I should start another one and juggle the three or just ditch both of them and start something new. What to do? oh what to do?

Hi Tammy!
I really liked Devil in the White City but I seem to remember it took some time to get into it. It's the chapter-switching back and forth that drove me a little crazy at first.

14 books about OZ ? ! Yikes... that's interesting!

Darn, shoot! I thought I had my mind made up, then you showed up Claudia, hee hee, and I checked the Halloween thread. thanks for letting me know it's worth finishing. I guess I'll continue with The Devil In The White City. I also started another book,Off Main Street Barnstormers, Prophets & Gatemouth's Gator by Michael Perry.

The Halloween thread?

Blackdogbooks' 2010 Harrowing Halloween Thread

Almost finished with Off Main Street by Michael Perry. It's nostalgic, funny and interesting. Think, On The Road in a book!
Ok, so maybe some of it isn't On The Road material. There is an essay about passing a kidney stone, but all of it is interesting!!

I love going for walks this time of year!!! I purposely step on the leaves to hear them crunch!

56.Off Main Streetby Michael Perry 4 stars
This is the second book I've read by him. I liked it so well I'm jumping right into #3 Truck A Love Story.

I've decided to give up on Green's Blindness and The Devil In The White City. Going through just 3 threads this morning I wishlisted 10 books. There are way too many books out there to try to drag through books I might not like in the end.

We have been experiencing indian sumer here in WI and I love it!!! I love going for walks and seeing the sunshine thorugh the fall colors!!

Boy is it funny when the dog acts like the teenager!!
Our old Max is almost deaf, he can only hear loud clapping and sometimes the commotion the 2 younger dogs make. When we go outside he responds to a loud clap and then hand gestures. Lately when I clap and then try to wave him to the house, he looks at me out of the corner of his eye, then pretends he doesn't know I'm calling him to the house! When he knows he's caught he gets this hang dog look, almost like he's saying "Ok I'm coming, I'm coming. Boy is he funny!!!

Love your story about Max! My dog is running around like crazy in this cooler air. She loves it!

You are so right that there are so many good books out there. How will we ever read them all?
--BJ

Whew! All caught up with you once again. Enjoy your Indian Summer. I imagine you are more into autumn colorwise than we are here in Missouri. The leaves are just beginning to turn. I love these cooler mornings for walking the dog. My dog is pretty good at ignoring me sometimes and his hearing is excellent.

Hi BJ!!!

Hi Donna!!!

A day off and finally some me time!!! The laundry can wait.

Hi Tammy!
Thanks for the tip on the Halloween thread. I have too many to keep track of so I don't look for more - but this is interesting. Got me in the mood to read something creepy - so I'm going with The Haunting of Hill House.
Max is too funny - hugs for the boy!
Have a good day off!

Hi Claudia!!
You're welcome. I'm always looking around for something new, but I do agree there are way to many to keep track of.
Hope you have a good day too!!!!

Dagnabit! The city guys are in the neighborhood with the leaf vacuum! I better get going before I change my mind and stay home to do chores.

Happy Autumn! I sure do miss that season here in L.A.

If you ever get a chance, try Devil in the White City (unabridged, of course) on audiobook. It was amazing, but I'm not sure I'd have been quite as blown away if I'd read it in print.

Hope you had a good day off!

Hi Mary!

Hi Joanne!

57.Truck A Love Story by Michael Perry 4 stars
A book about a year of his life. I know how can that be interesting? But it is!!

woo-hoo only 18 more to go to hit 75!!

Just dropping by to say hi!

Hi Porua!!

Wednesday, too much to do, not enough hours in the day! Working on Still Life by Louise Penny. Nobody shoot me, but I'm not yet sure what all the hype is about. Also reading Gathering Storm by Bill Gulick. Hope everyone is having a good week!!!

# 254 “Nobody shoot me, but I'm not yet sure what all the hype is about.”

Join the club! I don’t get it either.

I understand and so sorry for your loss. I lost my English Treacher when she was 101 and still think of her. She went to all class reunions.

>254 tjblue:, Hi Tammy, Just between the two of us...I really struggled to get into Still Life and couldn't understand the fuss at all. But then I tried it on audio and fell in love with it. Not so much the mystery aspect, but more the characters and sense of place. I went on to listen and love the rest. When I won Bury Your Dead through ER, I was a little concerned, but the writing has gotten much better and I couldn't put it down. So anyway, if you listen to audio books, you may give it a go there. Ralph Coshen does the reading and his French is much better than mine!

The characters are what bothered me the most about Still Life. As I’ve mentioned in my review, they all seemed awkward and unreal to me. And I found the Three Pines to be a creepy place, one that I do not long to visit.

Hi Joanne!!

Hi Porua!!

I'm almost finished with Still Life, about 20 pgs left to go. I may give the next book in the series a chance, but so far Three Pines just isn't drawing me in. To me most of the characters are a bit flat and self absorbed. The story idea is ok, but the writing is a bit clumsy.

I've only tried one audio book. It was a murder mystery by an author I normally like, but I did not like it at all. I don't know if it was because I didn't like the narrator or the story was just lame. So I'm hesitant to try another audio book.

Hope you guys are having a good weekend!! It's 50 and raining here. Good reading weather :-} or housecleaning :-{

58.Still Life by Louise Penny 3.5 stars

17 more to go!!

59.Gathering Storm by Bill Gulick reread 4stars This one was a bit better than the first one. It told much of the story of the real life missionaries Whitman and Spalding. My favorite childhood book is Eliza and The Indian War Pony, the story about Eliza Spalding.

Only 16 more to go!! yay!!! Work 2nd shift today, then have a 3 day weekend!!! After what went on all week, really need 3 days off!!! Hope I can finish 1 more book by the 31st. Happy Reading everyone!!!

new thread at 75 group
http://www.librarything.com/topic/101354&newpost=1#lastmsg

Since it's time to start a new thread I decided to move over ot the 75 group. Come see me over there!!!