kath (mckait) 75 challenge for 2010 Thread #5

As requested by the great himself thread #4




And so to begin:
1.Once in a Lifetime by Cathy Kelly
2.Still Life by Louise Penny
3.Through a Glass Darkly by Jostein Gaarder
4.Code Blue: A Katrina Physician's Memoir by Richard E. Deichmann M.D.
5. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
6. The Cruelest Monthby Louise Penny
7. Flight of Aquavit: A Russell Quant Mystery
8. Tapas on the Ramblas:
9. Stain of the Berry:
10.Sundowner Ubuntu:
11. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
12. White Nights by Ann Cleeves
13. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves
14. The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen
15. The Five-Minute Miracle: Discover the Personal Healing Symbols that Will Solve Your Problems by Tara Springett
16. Secrets of Eden: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian
17. Little Face by Sophie Hannah
18. Bloodroot by Amy Greene
19. Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show by Frank Delaney
20. Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint
21. The Secret History by Donna Tarrt
22. The Long Song by Andrea Levy
23. When Michael Calls
24. Solar by Ian McEwan
25. Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt
26. Spook by Mary Roach
27. A Dab of Dickens and a Touch of Twain by Elliot Engel
28. The Accomplice by Kathryn Heyman
29. Cemetery if Angels by Noel Hynd
30. The Light of the Falling Stars by J. Robert Lennon (1998)
31. The Reincarnationist by MJ Rose
32. The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry
33. Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith
34. What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman
35. Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
36. Ghost: A Firsthand Account Into the World of Paranormal Activity by Katherine Ramsland
37. Islands of Genius by Darold A Treffert
38 .Before I Say Good-Bye by Mary Higgens Clark
39. Perfect Reader by Maggie Pouncey
40. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann
41. Twelve by Twelve: A one Room Cabin Off the Grid & Beyond the American Dream by William Powers
42. The Sign by Raymond Khoury
43. The Map :The Way of All Great Men by David Murrow
44. The Clearing by Heather Davis
45. Jane-Emily and The Witches' Children
46. The Book of Kehlsby Christine Kehl O'Hagan
47.Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me… by Jenny Gardiner
48. Working The Sea by Wendell Seavey
49. Historic Haunted America by Michael Norman
50. The Beautiful Miscellaneous: A Novel by Dominic Smith

Am I the first one here? Crikey!

Annie Dillard....still have my ancient copy of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek...from 1975! Can barely read the text for all of my scribblings. i remember being enthralled by her prose...The Maytrees has been on THE LIST for quite a while. A good haul for you..hope you enjoy! and don't fret over the Free Book Jones..i have it too..and they keep coming to my house..uninvited and cranky...Really wanting to be read! Oh well.

;-}

Most of those were on the 75% off list ! I will repost my last post here...

MY LAST POST FROM PREVIOUS THREAD :

Breakfast with my sister... and a trip to B&N

The Sign by Raymond Khoury

Jane-Emily: And Witches' Children by Patricia Clapp

The Space Between Us: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

The Maytrees: A Novel by Annie Dillard

The Serpent Grail: The Truth Behind the Holy Grail, the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixer of Life… by Philip Gardiner

The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir by Isabel Allende

Blood Colony: A Novel by Tananarive Due

Because goddess forbid that I walk out of a bookstore empty handed....

And I didn't even need to nag! How cool. I came inside to top up my G&T, and you start a new thread. so now I have a temptation not to go back to the (rather dull) book I'm reading.

Hi ya Kath! Hope you are having a nice weekend! Nice haul, BTW!

I made it to the top 10! Whoohooooo.

nice haul, Kath. I loved Sum of our Days .. I know you're going to enjoy reading that. The Serpent Grail sounds intriguing .. can't wait to see what you think of it.

39. Perfect Reader by Maggie Pouncey
Flora Dempsey's father died. She worked like crazy to make her own life as miserable as possible afterward.
This was apparently a habit, and the little forays into her childhood that were sprinkled throughout, were no
better, no more interesting, and certainly not fun.

Her mother was the most interesting character in the book, and she made an appearance only rarely.
She was the only one with a bit of spark, liveliness to her. Her deceased father sounded as if he was
a kind man, and might have been an interesting character as well, except for his unfortunate lack of
appearances due to death.

Most of the rest of the characters ranged, for me, from dull to unlikeable. Flora most of all.
For me, each sentence seemed to end with a little mental THUD! Sorry, I try to be kinder in my reviews,but for the life of me, I can't think of a single positive thing to say.

single star, because it was a book, after all.

The Serpent Grail sounds intriguing to me too. I am not sure what I will pick up next..I have to wach my eyes out with soap first...

single star, because it was a book, after all.

Hilarious!

Ooof .. sorry you didn't like it, Kath .... but thanks for the warning. Not one for my list at all then.

Hope your next read is a better one for you

Got you starred again. Hug Duncan and give Angus a kiss for me!

#8: Thank you for not contributing any more than you already have to the BlackHole. This one goes on to the 'Do Not Read' list.

You are quite welcome Stasia lol
done roni!

I imagine it must be me. Perhaps I am just in a period of my life where I need to find some joy in things, including the books I read. There is no joy in

40. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann.

A few times, I felt it inching forward, as if it might make an appearance, but it was stomped into nothingness by more words. A central event was when Philippe Petit walked a tightrope between the twin towers in 1974, but I am still not sure what this novel is about.

Faith? Faith in a diety or in oneself?

Grief? There is certainly enough of that to to around.

Guilt, plenty of that too..Lara, particularly feels guilt. She was a passenger in the car that hit a van killing John Corrigan. Corrigan was born with an innate goodness, and love of his fellow man. Jazzlyn died with him, a friend of his, a prostitute who was among several that Corrigan was kind to and tried to help.

Tragedy? Well Adelita, lost her husband, but found Corrigan. There was love there, but love brought its own tragedy, due to vows long ago taken. Then she lost Corrigan.

New York? Well, it certainly was built around a microcosm in that vast city. Proving once again that if it is small world, a city is a mere cell in the universal body.

Endurance? Well god knows there was plenty of that. They, the characters had plenty to endure. So does the reader.

Short, clipped sentences, vying with poetic, lyrical ones. I found it jarring at times, as if two books had been pressed together to make one.

Not my kind of book, alas.

#15: Sorry you did not enjoy that one more, Kath! I hope you like your next read better.

It isn't that I disliked it..The fact is that I loved Corrigan and the story is heartbreaking. It isn;t just a story about him though...it is so much bigger. I liked it, didn't love it and have no idea who or what the story was really about.

it was beautifully written in places...and Corrigan was a beautifiul man. I think that for me, characters are so very important ,I get caught up...

Morning Kath- The McCann book was one of my favorite reads from last year, to bad it didn't work for you on the same level. I like the way you explained the reasons, though! Nicely done!

*sigh* I think that right now, I am just looking for happy reads?
Or something. I plan to reread that one at some point... I was going to save it for
summer, but I really wanted to read it... so..?

I am now reading Sign and it is good. Different. :)
I am also about to start Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream
By: William Powers

no Tstone .. but it is a vine read.. I will leave it at work for reading at lunch....

Hi Kath!

13 - Stasia, do you actually have a "Do Not Read" list? I've always wanted to ask you that. I've thought of making one myself.

#20: Yes, I really do.

It's too bad about Let the Great World Spin....that it didn't really "work" for you..but McCann is not a writer of "happy" stories..and can be rough going at times. I like your review for it's clarity and honesty...I have the book on my Kindle and haven't read any of it yet...Hope you find something that does the trick for you..I hate "book slumps"..where nothing works at all

Have a good day!!!

What can one say about Kath...doesn't like Ian McEwan, doesn't like Let the Great World Spin, it causes one to re-evaluate the lady's capacities, doesn't it?

;-P

I must say that I don't blame you. I blame Louise Penney...
I want a new Three Pines weekly

Prior to all those mysteries I was better able to ..
appreciate other writers..
Blasted Louise

*off to make a do not read list*

*sigh* I think that right now, I am just looking for happy reads?

Then for heaven's sake, stay away (for the time being) from Cormac McCarthy, who immediately came to mind from this discussion. I'm still recovering from No Country for Old Men, and it's been almost a year since I read it. From what I hear, that's typical for McCarthy. Excellent writer. Very little happy. ;)

ETA for spelling

I was thinking of Mr McCarthy too... and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Romeo and Juliet and Peony in Love and... wait... come to me when you want something depressing.

I'm good at those.

#26 wait... come to me when you want something depressing.

I'm good at those.

Me, too!

I read The Road and was immediately ready for a prozac drip
I will heed your warnings..

:)

I properly can't keep up right now! But I'm here, I'm here, must do better... *scurries off to the next neglected LT-er's thread to do more catching-upiness*

#29 "Catching-upiness!" I love it, Ellie!

And I can't seem to do enough of it these days . . .

*scurries off to the next neglected LT-er's thread to do more catching-upiness*

yeah... I need to do that too...

Work is edging life out of the way...
terrible.

yesterday, I had a nice long talk with a sweet LT friend :)
and that made my day :)

today? just walked in the door..

Friday is on the way, Kath! Hang in there! (and nice long talks with sweet LT friends help out a lot, I have found)

thank goodness. I fell at work on wednesday.. and I am feeling the pain. A lot.
Stepped on a ball...
:(
more later.. had some company yesterday no time.

Sorry about the fall, Kath. I hope everything is OK.

Morning Kath! I hope you feel better and watch them balls!

#33 Now, Kath, when someone tells you to "get on the ball," that is NOT what they mean!

Really, so sorry to hear about your fall. Hope you feel better soon!

Hope you're feeling okay.

Ouch! Hope you're doing better. I hate falls. They're so embarrassing. Like the accidental somersault I did down the hill in my front yard last year, trying to chase the dog while the neighbors and their guests watched. I tried to end with a good dismount but failed.

Hmmmm Terri 36.... :P

I will live, I am sure. My knee is pretty bad.. may actually have to do something besides "Wait" for it to get better.

or not

Tomorrow is friday.
I have a sub for the other aide in the room.
I love her madly. She is a fuddy duddy just like me!
( believes in personal space for instance and does no think it is okay for student A to sit on Student B because student B is not complaining under the weight..
etc)

Also feels that it is wrong for the teacher to use a broom ( stored in the bathroom) to sweep off the table the kids eat on.. you know.. silly things.. To have someone in there who agrees with me is dazzling.

It did manage to be another long day however.

But I am thanking the goddess for Karen's presence in our room.

Oh, the presence a kindred spirit in a difficult work environment does wonders, doesn't it????

Sending out prayers and warm, healing thoughts toward your battered knee.

(The teacher sweeps the table where the kids eat with a broom? Stored in the bathroom? Ugh!)

C'mon, Friday! Baby needs a new job!

Terri, she almost never does anything remotely resembling cleaning...
I do most of it, the other aide regular said she has worked there longer and shouldn't have to.

No comment

So yes I have seen her do it several times over the years..
Then she puts the kids food directly on the table, even though we have dishes and I bring in paper plates for the ones who bring lunch...
She says they just throw the plates. They do.. but the ones that do that throw their food anyway...Yesterday they were eating snack at the end of the day and she put B's shoes on the table next to his food. I can't fathom her doing it at home...

I dunno

So true rdear...

Hope your knee is better today, Kath. I know, I slipped on the cafeteria floor-- no ball, just wet floor--two years ago and fell and broke my wrist at school, right in front of all the first graders! No fun.

Oh, I busted my arse in a skirt going UP the stairs! Middle schoolers can be so mean...

Kath, how is the outlook for aides keeping their jobs where you are? At least two dozen are getting cut in Durham county.

I work in a special needs school.... they need the aids. We are 2/3 of the staff in each room.Without the peons who would do he work?
Sorry about your fall, and your aides. :(

roni, at least our kids don't laugh when I fall.... :P

Yeah, it's even the special needs aides that are getting cut. But in this state, any teacher is a peon. Sad state of affairs...

This has been an exhausting week at work. The other aide is out. I have a sub who is wonderful but still doesn't really know the ropes. A lot of what is usually shared is on me to do right now.

AND it has been a bizarre week as well.. bus mishaps, broken bus drivers, disappearing addresses, and more. I have done little reading but hope to catch up some today. Most chores done! missed y'all

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday, Kath. Sounds like you have been through the mill this week!

Off to a good start..beautiful weather, kids and furkids well....life is good :)

Have a great Saturday!

YOu too, my friends :)

41. Twelve by Twelve: A one Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream. by William Powers

William Powers, the author, whose life's work includes having helped to create rain forest
protecting municipalities. Jackie, Stanley Crawford,the Thompsons, those who were living
their dreams and loving planet earth with their gentle presence on her soil. These gentle spirits
are seeking a way to live more intentionally, with awareness.

This Twelve by Twelve: A One-room Cabin Off the American Grid and Beyond the American Dream is a story of a journey.
A journey to to find the beauty of living in a cabin that is indeed 12x12. Jackie Benton lives there. She is a physician who chooses to live off the grid. She is a modern day Thoreau who finds her answers to life's most
difficult questions in nature.

Powers hears about her from a family meber and is offered the opportunity to live for four weeks as she has been living. Jackie is a wildcrafter. Wiki definds wildcrafter as "the practice of harvesting plants from their natural, or "wild" habitat". It is also a lifestyle that protects. Protects the earth and her creatures from the abuse that the rest of us lay upon her day after day. Smoke, chemicals, ripping oil and coal and more from her without a second thought, in order to meed what we call our needs. This is a spiritual journey as well as one of self discovery, of transformation.

Powers introduces us to the people he has met in his life who have steered him toward following this path,
to understanding that there is more within the less. They are inspirational and simple in their less is more culture.

Raul is a Mayan whose family hosted Powers during a time when he was volunteering to build houses, and even mine silver. He and his people know that there is a time to work, and a time to rest. The porters from Africa who refused to go another step after walking briskly for two days. They said they had been walking to quickly. They needed to wait for their souls to catch up.

So different from our days, and the days of those around us. Cell phones in our ears, working "vacations" and
long days that stretch from sunrise to sunset filled with stress. Always connected by electronics but disconnected from the things that really matter.

Be still and listen. Close our eyes and feel. Don't just look, but see. These are things my grandmother taught me.
She brought the knowledge in with her to this life, I think, and it has stood me well. These exact words are not in the book, but their intention is.

Recommended.

42. The Sign by Raymond Khoury

This is a sort of badda$$ adventure novel with hard edges and a bit of Dan Brown-like religious shenanigans. There is plenty of hiding, chasing, and other sorts of rude behavior, such as shooting, I liked it a lot!

Hi Kath- The books sound good! Hope you are enjoying the weekend and I hope next week goes easier for you! And let's pray they can fix those broken bus drivers! What a shame!

Speaking of praying...

43. The Map :The Way of All Great Men by David Murrow

Right up front I have to adit that I requested this book from vine without
completely understanding what it is. I glanced at the summary and did not
quite read it through.

This is more than just a non-fiction Da Vinci Code type of story.
( Yes, that is what I had thought) It is a sort of instruction guide for
men ( yes, just men) who wish to follow the scriptures and the the words and
example of Jesus.

Not only am I not a man, I am not a Christian, so perhaps
you want to stop here? I haven't much to say in any case except:

If you are a man, and are a Christian, and are searching for more depth
to your faith, this is a good read for you. Murrow writes with simplicity and
with humor. You do not feel sternly lectured to by any means.

You will meet others who along with Murrow are on the path of faith, and
to be honest, they are from many faiths not just Christian. There is a mutual
curiosity and regard for faith itself, and for knowledge and honesty.

This is a fast read and I suspect that it would be more pleasurable for those
for whom it was intended.

And getting back to the bus driver..
he is about 80 and he broke his leg mid-thigh.
You cannot even imagine what ensued... but that was last week.

I am hoping he will be fine....eventually. His wife was the aide on the bus.

Wow! Best of wishes to the bus driver.

All in all it looks like you had a good reading Saturday, Kath.

I did... I am now reading a ....YA ! I know... I rarely read those.
mind candy.....? or ? we shall see :)

#57: There are a lot of young adult books that are less BC than adult books I have found, Kath.

What are you reading?

I agree Stasia, but it is just not something I often read. No real reason.. but..

Anyway it is The Clearing, a vine book that i picked up sort of hoping for BC :)

#59: I have not heard of that one, so I will be interested in seeing what you make of it.

I just added 4 books to my list because of your thread... sigh

Maybe I should have let it stay lost! lol

#61: You only mentioned one, This Rough Magic, on my thread! What else did you add?

My Brother Michael and a couple of others....

Ah, more Mary Stewart I see. I hope you enjoy them!

Kath
I hope your knee is healing. Mainly, I hope next week is a better one for you.

Twelve by Twelve: A one Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream by William Powers sounds marvelous!

44. The Clearing by Heather Davis

I don't read many books in the Young Adult genre. This one intrigued me when I saw it on
the list of Vine books. I requested it and I am glad I did.

Amy is a young girl who has had a tough time of it. She is about to enter her senior year
in high school, but has been in an bad relationship with a boy from her class. A very bad relationship.
Her mother is not the supportive, helpful mother she needs, and so Amy tries to cope on her own.

She ends up moving away to live in the country with her great Aunt Mae. A lovely and loving woman
who cares deeply about Amy, and hopes a new life in a new place will be just what she needs. While
exploring her new home, Amy meets a young man named Henry. He is sweet and kind and strangely different.
When Amy finds out why, it is at first hard for her to believe, then it just doesn't matter. Henry is good for Amy
in many ways. The strangeness though, is because Henry lives in another time. It is 1944 in Henry;s world.

This is really a sweet story about healing and love with a little bit of time warp thrown in for spice.
A good read.

#66: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Kath!

and here I thought I'd just quickly zip through a few threads while the chicken's in the oven and the soup's simmering ..... and then I come here and am enticed into reading more about the books you've reviewed.

I am loving the one I am reading now.. Jane-Emily, which has a "bonus novel"
The Witches' Children by the same author. Nice rainy sunday read.... tea and cookies in my future...

I'm having gin and xanax instead of tea and cookies, but the idea's the same.

nearly the same... lol

gin is yum

I have finished Jane-Emily, and it is a deliciously ghostly read. Now on to the second story..

Glad to hear that Jane-Emily was good! I just bought that from the bookcloseouts.com sale. Hope the second story is good, too!

Added Jane-Emily to the BlackHole.

There is no way that you will NOT like it.. this one will be a keeper for me.
I am a huge fan of the book We Have Always Lived In The Castle, and pull it out for its yummy creepiness.. although it is completely different creepiness. This will stand next to it for quick reading in the future. I liked it that much :)

I have We Have Always Lived in the Castle home from the library now to read, so I guess I will see if I like it as much as you obviously do, Kath.

Have a great day!

Adding Jane-Emily to THE LIST for future Creepshow retreats...Thanks! And Shirley Jackson has always been one of my favorites.

;-}

45. Jane-Emily and The Witches' Children.. which was the second novel in the book. I have already told you what I think of Jane-Emily..yummy... but then, The Witches' Children was a sort of different take on Tituba and theSalem Witch Trials.
I felt it was ..meh~

Oh, well. One true "keeper" and one "meh" in a book is still not bad.

How are you feeling now, anyway? Hope the knee is doing better!

knee is not better. Not sure what I am going to do.
When they put you on "lightduty" where I work
they cut your pay .40 and make you do things that would only hurt my knee
so.. I am waiting another week or so before I follow up

I am willing to keep the meh with the keeper :)
its short!

:)
take care ...

Sorry to hear the knee is not better, Kath. I have some Arnica I could send your way if you like!

Have a great day!

I'm so sorry about your knee Kath. I know how horrible it is to be in pain at work!

Ouch...ouch..ouch...so sorry to hear about your continued pain in the knee.....

Stasia is right, arnica does help.

I'm adding your two most recent reads to my list. They sound so great.

yep, arnica does help... I agree.. always have some :) thanks though :)

I have a break coming... that will help too :)

I am glad to hear you have a break coming up - time to heal!

Hi stranger! I am so far behind reading my favorite threads, I am afraid I skipped right over your previous one and landed here. Enjoy your break and I endorse the arnica as well.

Hey Berly... I have been terrible about keeping up on threads...
Just no real time... trying to read actual books, you know?

hope all is well with you :P

Morning Kath- Hope you are feeling better today! Have a good one, my friend!

Hi Kath, I'm so far behind reading threads!!

Thanks for the nice words about my review of Critical Care. Here's the link to my challenge thread...http://www.librarything.com/topic/81105.

I'm sorry to hear about your knee. What a terrible injury! Hopefully you will be on your feet and painfree soon.

Kath, I hope your knee is doing better. I can relate to knee pain, and it is not fun. Isn't it a shame how we let ourselves get worse because work won't cooperate? I'm a firm believer in "let me stay home--I'll be much more efficient when I come back rested!" (thankfully, so is my boss)

Thanks carrie....

hope yours was good too mark...

and terri...I am glad you can do that, it makes a world of difference .. I will do so soon, too :)

No doubt I will survive :)

Anyone else get this email?

Hey Kathleen,



My name is Angelo and I work for a new review website called Lunch.com. I found you in the 75 books for 2010 group on LibraryThing and wanted to reach out. How are things going for your goal? Congrats on the 40 books you've completed so far in the challenge! I'm actually working with some fellow members on Lunch to start up a new community (http://www.lunch.com/cafelibri) of people who love to share reviews they've written on the books they read. Things are growing, and I'd be grateful if you'd consider sharing your reviews in our community! It's easy to join and test out the waters and see if you like the conversations we're having on Lunch, before you dive all the way in. Here is a link to one of the books you've finished recently, Islands of Genius by Darold Treffert. Feel free to rate and review.

Thanks so much for taking a minute to check out our growing community! It's awesome to find people like you out there sharing great content on books. We think we can grow this into a pretty great place to share since it's really organized and also connects so well to other sites like Amazon, Facebook and Twitter.



Hope to hear from you soon,

Angelo

What is this site? I am pretty sure that I will not even investigate it.. I have my hands full here...and wish to look no further.

46. The Book of Kehlsby Christine Kehl O'Hagan

A true story of a family devastated, decimated and broken by a vicious disease.
The previous sentence is true. So is this one: This is a story of a family filled with humor, hope and strength.

Good book

read it ..

The Book of Kehls looks interesting; I've added this to my wish list. Thanks, Kath!

>92 mckait: I got it too -- I erased it pronto, but maybe we should notify someone?????

92- I got it too, as well as another one a month or so before. Haven't checked out the site yet though.

Angela
(amwmsw04)

#92: Nope, I did not get that one. Since I get just about every spam e-mail available it seems, I am very surprised.

I did look at the site... or at least the first page. I didn't explore it.
Doesn't look like much, certainly not anything I am interested in...
not a book site, just a product review site or something..

I got the email, had a quick look at the site, decided it wasn't something I was interested in, and deleted it.

(In fact, I don't have an email address listed on my profile: the message came through on the email address listed on my (much neglected) blog, which is linked to in my profile. Finding that address took more effort than I'd have taken with something like that.)

Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me
By: Jenny Gardiner

Is the book I am beginning now...... looks pretty good :)

I got an e-mail like that before and I forwarded it Tim as an FYI thing. He said that he was going to address it because he didn't want Spammers bothering the people here. I didn't hear anything else from them.

Thought I would post an update on the cat from hel the darling kitten who came to live with us. He has been assimilated into the furkid family with very little fuss considering. He is sweet and funny and why, just the other day while he was climbing my bedroom sheers, demurely looking out the window and salivating over thoughts of the birdssmelling the lilacs on the breeze.

You get the idea. However he really is sweet and loving and very smart.
I love the little monster darling to bits.

Now off to work as it is yet another day that promises to be .. well ..
crazy. One more visitor , one more tour... and I am pretty sure the kids will be
finshed. Today we have Grandparents day and a dozen visitors, a news photographer,and a tour of a prospective student today. No jeans because of course the grandparents are coming to see our wardrobes.. and well.. more. woe .

At least it is Friday and your work week is over, Kath!

Thanks for the smiles! Love your writing and your humor!

Hang in there...soon, very soon you can get a break.

Today is friday, hooray!

I am gonna watch a movie and eat potato chips for supper, I think....

Just chiming in to say I got that email too, and looked at the site (I checked from work, figuring if it was bad, it would be blocked). Nothing I was interested in, so I deleted it too.
My sister & my cousins & I are taking our Mothers to The Spaghetti Factory for dinner tonight! Good times! (and wine!)

oh! Sounds fun...

>92 mckait:: I got the email as well, clicked through, said "this is silly... why would I join a review site when I already AM on a site where a review books?" and promptly forgot about it. I was rather annoyed by the email, however. I do hope that it's addressed in some way or another.

I don't mind that I received the email.. who knows what adventures might lie in wait?:) I just wondered if anyone joined.

47. Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me by Jenny Gardiner

review posted. I gave this one five great big stars!

#110: Great review, Kath. Thumbs up from me and into the BlackHole the book goes!

Kath- Happy Mother's Day to you!

Thanks Mark... :)

I should have said it earlier as well, Kath. I hope you have a simply wonderful Mother's Day!

You Too Stasia... being a mom is my best thing :)
To be honest, this is a tough day for me, with all of my kids so far away...
:P
phone calls and are great, but....

I tend to mope on Mom's day.

Happy Mother's Day, Kath!

Mope away Kath! I understand.

And, your review was wonderful. Thumbs up from me.

Awwwww thanks all...

hugs back !

Thanks Linda! :)

No moping, my friend! Go get lost in a good book!

I am just starting Working The Sea, which promises to be quite good. I am drawn to such books.. Maine, fishing, Perfect Storm etc sorts....so this one looks good. Now if only I could get chores done and get to it!
I am stopping to eat, will clean up and then... read!

:)

Just checked out Working the Sea on Amazon..and remembered a book I read The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw..I enjoyed it when I read it..thought I'd maybe pass the reference on to you.

Hope your day has been good..It's still chilly here..but that's what wood burners are for, right?

J

Thanks Jude... I did read that one, I think it was last year?
I liked it :)

I have this one and more.. must be a past life connection, yes?

Let's do the Twilight Zone theme here...

Friends do think alike!

;-}

They sure can and do, my friend!

I just popped in because I had to say how much I am loving Working The Sea.
It is written in a very colloquial manner, and feels more like being told some wonderful stories. It gives me the same warm fuzzy feeling I would get when as a child I would sit in the corner and listen to my great grandmother and her brother, and all of the other adults talking nd telling stories, forgetting that I was there. I loved those times...

I believe that I will seek out a hard copy of this one, for my keeper shelves.

Hello! I got that Angelo review emaily thing too - I haven't even looked at the site yet so I might take a quick look but I highly doubt I'll bother doing anything except hitting 'delete'. I already post my reviews here and on Amazon and Facebook - and let's face it, a new review site can hardly top LT can it? (she says loyally)

I never thought of it being Spam though - good thinking to whoever forwarded it to Tim! I just thought it was a tiny bit creepy that the email had my number of 'books so far' and even a link to their page for the last book I'd reviewed. Evidentally someone trawling the LT threads...

Oh, and I've added a couple more books to the wishlist while I'm here, Kath! It'd be rude not to, really... ;-)

LOL add away, heaven knows I do it too!

>126 elliepotten:, 127 except when she visits *my* thread, then she just smirks about being *right* about crummy books. I am abused and unloved.

*stands on chair*

48. Working The Sea by Wendell Seavey

This is a book written in the form of anecdotes from the writers life from birth to more or less the present. I love the brief looks into the lives of people who have touched the authors life, both corporeal and non :)

I give it 4 stars for me, but for general consumption, 3 stars. I enjoyed every word.

I have just been having a really nice "conversation" over at FB with the author of Winging It. She is a hoot.. and actually thanked me for reviewing her book :)

Fun

Off to tea and cookies...

Kath
Is Winging It a newly released book? Neither library that I use has this.

I believe it was released last March, Linda...

I have decided that my next read will be The Beautiful Miscellaneous...
I will just dip into it now, but will really begin tomorrow, I think...

I added a few books to my library today. After I lost them for an hour and realized I had stuffed them into various shelves and then had to look for them ..

Weary and achy today.. but I am off to read ..

#134: Prop up your feet, sink into a good book, and the pains and weariness will all disappear . . .

Winging It looks v. good. Have you read Alex and Me? I'm interested in that one too.

Kath

Sorry you are weary and achy. I hope you can rest and relax.

It is rainy and cold here...good reading weather, but work gets in the way...drat!

Meh~ I am fine..
and into another good book.. :)

Thanks though :)

Hi Kath- Hope you are doing well, my friend! Keep them good books coming! It's the best medicine!

agreed mark!

*ducks in*

I think I need to read about the homicidal parrot...

*waves*

*ducks out*

Hello! Happy reading!

*waves*

tgif

It is "move it outside day"

Sort of a field day. It has been raining for about 5 days ... so I wonder hat they will do. I imagine they will have it anyway, and that we will be trying to push wheel chairs out of the mire..

Glad its friday.

No reading for days, I wanted to but life kept interfering.
but ahhhh, the weekend looms!
yay!

have fun without me..

Have a great Friday Kath and welcome to the weekend!

So I came home from work, let the dog out, and fed the cats..
Let Dunkers in and he threw up on the floor..
So I cleaned it up. He threw up on the floor.
I cleaned it up . (Grass)

I decided not to feed him just then.. so I didn't put his bowl down.
I also decided to run to McD's and get a happy meal for dinner.
It is only about .4 miles from my house.

On the way, ?I drove over something in the street that I didn't see.
By the time I got to McD I had a flat tire.
They said 45 min for AAA .. once I managed to get my phone to work. The battery was dead because I forgot to turn it off at work. I could not get it to work
while it was charging.. at first. Finally i did, and they said 45 minutes. 45 min. later they said .5 hr. That is what they said again .5 hr later

finally AAA showed up. A rude kid sat in the truck drinking a soda.. finally got out
Never spoke to me.. not a word. Changed the tire and got in his truck.

Cory is on the way home. I am not feeling that TGIF feeling any more. It only lasted 30 minutes for me. I could cry. I really could.
I called the police to report what happened, hoping to get them to take the metal off the road. 45 min later the young officer.. ( can they be cops at age 14 now?) was nice.. but hadn't made it up there. I know because I called dispatch to see if I could find out what it was... and the young man showed up. Cute and nice but..
sigh

Did I mention that Cory is coming home?

{{{Kath}}}

I hate days like that. I'm so sorry! xoxo

So sorry for your icky Friday!

I sure hope tomorrow is MUCH, MUCH better

Ah, Kath. I am so sorry. I thought Friday would be a good one for you. I sincerely hope you have a terrific weekend!

Fridays like that kick the TG part for sure.....

My cat has been doing the grass vomit lately, as well. I give her chicken broth, slightly warmed in the microwave..it seems to help and i can't give her Ginger Ale!!

As for the rudeness of various "workers"..what can I say? It's an virus with no vaccine..I usually throw out a choice remark or two...but these folks seem to be deaf as well as Rude....

It's Saturday....try to have a good one
;-}

Oh, Kath...
BIG hugs!
I sure hope your weekend is better.

:P Well the hole thing is over with..
I managed to get a tire put on in the next town over..
I went to a friends service station, and they checked the mini tire..
and tried to order one for me. Seems my tire is on back order..
He called two suppliers..
then he sent me to a different place in town, and they said the same thing..
so, they rotated my tires and put a similar one on and assured me it will do. Butchie told me the same thing so, whatever.
The tire place was a drive through tunnel like place and you have to stay in the car. Can I just say that I have anxiety attacks in a car wash? This was not really better, as it felt like my car was being turned over and bashed and .. well.. it is over. 100$ happy meal adventure is over.

I was baffled as to why so many of the streets I tried to go down were blocked off.. parade of course.. and nationality days. Can I just say timing is everything?
But, I enjoyed a deep sigh of relief when I got home with my groceries and tires intact.

hugs back :)

49. Historic Haunted America by Michael Norman
It was rather entertaining and some very spooky stories.
There are some I would like to investigate further.

Read most of it while waiting for AAA yesterday and in line for drive through tires today. The man had to keep coming to my window and saying "please move up a little ma'am" since I was so engrossed in the stories :)
It worked nicely to keep my mind off of things until it was my turn :P

He was quite nice and made up for the rude AAA guy :)

50. The Beautiful Miscellaneous: A Novel by Dominic Smith

This was a mostly disappointing read about a family that did not know how to feel.
Nathan was born to a father who was a genius, and a mother who just had high hopes and little sense of self.

Nathan always felt that he was a disappointment to his father. In fact he was.
Dad wanted to raise a genius like himself, instead he had only a son who wanted to be loved.

After a car accident while in his teens, it looked as if Daddy would get his wish. A head injury Nathan sustained was momentarily fatal, but then just rendered him comatose. Once out of the coma, it became clear that he had become a savant of sorts. He had developed synesthesia and a stunningly huge and accurate memory, connected with it . No one was more pleased than dad. He arranged for Nathan to attend Brook Mills, where research on and work with the stupendously gifted was ongoing. Hating it at first, but then finding some comfort in others who were not the norm, Nathan finally felt he belonged. he did not yet feel that he was living up to his fathers desires and expectations.

fizzle fizzle fizzle it was all downhill from there.

3 stars.

Hey there, Kath ... thanks for keeping me company on fb. :-) I am back and glad to have time again to log in on LT.
Sorry you didn't enjoy The Beautiful Miscellaneous much. I thought it was a sad story about a boy who is just trying to find his place in this world and to fit in. I think his father loved him and his mother, but I wonder if he perhaps suffered from Asperger's Syndrome?

book #49 is now on the tbr pile.

Hi caro...glad that you are home safe and sound!

mmmmm Didn't "feel" like Asperger's to me, no...
And its not that I didn't enjoy the book.. but I did think it fizzled out at the end.
I am intrigued by savants and synesthesia, and I guess I expected more. I honestly feel that it could have been so much more. The characters seemed to me to be well filled out and interesting... but we got to a point where it just seemed to slow down, then it was ~and she was here and he was there and they all lived ever after...~

To me the ending can make or break a book.. and the last third of this book broke it.

Linda, 49 is a good 'un! :) It was my car book because it is short chapters and easy to read one story then put it down. Now I need another car book!

Well, between you and Caroline, I am not sure whether to read The Beautiful Miscellaneous or not. I guess I should give it a shot and see who I end up agreeing with!

Oh dear. The "Miscellaneous" don't sound so much "Beautiful" as "Dutiful." I think I'll let that one slip into the current in my River of TBR.

That does sound about right, rd imo that is :)

Morning Kath! Hope you are having a nice weekend! I know you need it, after such a cruddy Friday!

Just a quick note then to work~ on my way here to work today in the pouring rain, I saw a man with an umbrella and a watering can .. watering his plants.

Monday

I guess he was making sure his plants were well watered!

Have a great day, Kath!

>161 mckait: *snort*

He was escaping his wife.

#161 Maybe he had plant food in the water in the can?????

Or maybe Richard is right.

lol... or maybe he was sleep watering.. ?

Well, it rained most of the day.. I love rainy days!

lol...sleep watering..... had a laugh at that one, Kath. No rain over at my end .. nice sunny and cool day .... had one of those days where work was manageable, no fires to put out and no imbecilic colleagues to avoid strangling.

"imbecilic colleagues to avoid strangling"

so you have those too?

yes, and I do wish they wouldn't breed because their genes definitely don't need to be replicated in mini-mes

good luck with that...

The great thing about working alone at night - I am the only imbecilic colleague I can strangle :)

That certainly has its positive side :)

Have a great Tuesday, Kath. Try not to strangle anyone today!

Is there anyone left alive at work, Kath?

They all survived. We were just about to take the kids off of the buses, and the power went off. We had to leave them on the buses and call their parents and send them home.

power went on again soon after :P
there was plenty to do, but boy was it quiet :)

A transformer had blown, and we were told it would probably be hours....

it was like playing hooky.. !

Yaay.... so you had a surprise holiday! Reward for good behavior ... I'd take it and sit back, feet up, cup of hot cocoa and a cookie or 2

sandwich, chips and iced tea..( and a cookie)
as well as a blankie.. and I just had a call from a sweet friend :)

Reading coming up soon...

life is good..

Ooh...i like your relaxing snack better. I had a huge peanut butter craving this whole afternoon ...had to wait until I came home, fixed dinner for Edd and then made myself a pb&j sandwich, emphasis on the pb! dessert is a bag of salt & balsamic vinegar chips I brought back from Australia.

#170
Stasia...Thanks for making me laugh right out loud.

Kath, you deserve a break. How is duncan these days?

#178: I keep telling you - I am here for the comic relief :)

Glad to hear you had a decent Tuesday, Kath. I hope you have an even better Wednesday!

lol caro, that was my dinner... i love not having to cook when i get home..
i had nice fresh italian bread and tomatoes and it was a real feast!

Dunkers is doing well, thank you for asking :) ... I am trying not to even think of the possibility of the nasty thing returning...

Today I have to go out after work.. :(
I am supposed to have fun...

I am fine.. got lots done yesterday so that is a relief. I won't have to work late thursday to do it..
yay!!!

eta

i have a good book, but not getting any reading done
i will catch up in a day or two :)

Morning Kath! Have a nice time tonight! Relax & enjoy!

What Mark said!

Ditto!

It has been a hectic day.. as was yesterday.
Had some electrical work done yesterday and today....and more to come.
I now have a ceiling fan in my bedroom!!!! Bliss!

So, I need to put the house back together a bit, and I will be done for the night.
Starting tomorrow, I am on break. more bliss. I can do what I want for 32 days.

life is good. back to my book tomorrow i hope...

Sounds devoon, and was hard-earned!!

32 days all to yourself! = Priceless

I hope you enjoy every one of them, Kath.

unfolding mini-drama

I received a gift card on wednesday, for B&N.. I decided to have a look, and found that they were having a 3 for 9.99 sale.

I ordered several items..
placed the order, including going to paypal tp pay the 1.85 or whatever overage. I then went back to browse for more.. and of course put something else into my cart. I then left the site.

Today I received a shopping cart reminder ( ?!) for B&N. I went to look. Order had not gone through. Uncharacteristically, I had tossed the used card. I generally use them for bookmarks. They had not stored the info like amazon does. So.. lost, $25 gift card.

So I called. I got a who called herself LaToya. ( I say it this way because I now way believe this was her name. I could Feel it. Then When I had to call back and was answered by "Tatiana"on my next call. ... well )

Anyway .. LaToya who could not have been less interested, could not get the story right.. could not get my email address right.. and basically said too bad.. finally annoyed me to the max, I requested to speak to her supervisor. She asked why. I told her it was because of my problem and her disinterest and inability to help.. She would not put me through to a supervisor. She said they were too busy.

I hung up and called back , thus getting Tatiana. She was much better, and finally did send me to a supervisor. The supervisor is trying to have a new card issued to me, supposedly. However I asked her to send an email with that information including her name.. she said she would do so immediately. So far...

yep. You guessed it.

Stay tuned.

Customer "service" bah humbug

WEll... after leaving a message for.... the head customer service goddess..
and playing a bit of phone tag, I should be getting anew gift card within a week.
nice eh?

Sometimes it works after all

Good for you, Kath!

I certainly did not expect them to do this.. but it had to be some sort of site failure, or? I took the opportunity to tell them about the issues that I and some friends have had with orders from online.. torn covers, dirty books..
She was none too pleased to hear it !

Still not much time for reading... so busy.. later today I hope.
This morning, I am packing some books up for the library sale.

I hope you find some time for reading later in the day, Kath.

Me too.. I had not planned on the electrician being here when I am off...
that will be putting a kink in some plans, but I need things done..

I am sure that I will have plenty of time though...

You could always adopt my plan: read all night long when no one is around to bother you!

So having called our local library 2-3 weeks ago to discuss giving them some new books that they do not have on their shelves.. to PUT on the shelves, AND some books for their book sale I arranged that today is the day I would bring down the sale books. Today I called back.

I had told them that since they were remodeling, I would hold on to the new books until they were ready. The sale books, they were to take now. ALSO, I volunteered to help them pack up to prepare for the remodel. I called today to take the book sale books to them.

eta they are sending the sale books out ....not having them there.. or so i understand.

I was told that I would have to talk to the head librarian about volunteering, as they did not plan on having anyone in.

So, having boxed and dusted and organized by author 4 boxes of books.. one with only new books.. I have basically been told no thank you. I asked that the "head" librarian call me back. I was told, maybe sometime today if she has time.

will keep you posted.

Correct me if I'm wrong here...the liberry is receiving offers of help, and they are not taking you up on them.

WTF?

This flies in the face of every last thing I've been told about budget cuts, the need for help, and libraries, all across the nation. Now I do understand that the head librarian should be the one coordinating the volunteers, and their position that you need to speak to that person seems pretty standard...but not planning on using volunteers? Not accepting the donation of books? Where are they sending these books, and why?

That makes no sense at all.

I keep saying, our library is not terribly friendly.

So, waiting for the librarian to call me back. Maybe
the girl I spoke to was not correct? But then again,
The library has probably got a group like the women,s club or something?
There is someone who does a tea during the summer. In my experience,
those "Club"by things are very cliquish. (PTA

ok

librarian called back...

NO THANKS across the board, except maybe I can help pack up or clean....

Terri... I tried. I tried because of you.... but ..even if I hold the new books, they are not interested. So much for that.

:(

That's very puzzling to me. A library that doesn't want new books. I can see not wanting old ones, just barely, but NEW ones...? Very odd.

Kath, send the books to me - I will pay for the shipping, and make sure they are donated to my local library, which will accept them!

I may just do that Stasia...

I called the library in the next town..
The lady "LOU" was very nice...
but I have to call back and ask their head librarian if he wants them.
She isn't sure that they take new books. They used to.. but that was when they had Alyce as head librarian.. she retired.

Ah, Library Donations! I used to donate two boxes of books each year...except last year, a day or so after I donated..I went to the Library for something or other..and saw one of my boxes stacked at the curb waiting for Trash Pickup...seems there were "too many books" donated...Needless to say I brought my rejected offerings home and donated them to individuals. And, too, at my Library I can't specify where I'd like them to go (on the Shelves or in the upcoming Sale)....knowing what I do now..i put my unwanteds on Book Mooch or Paperback swap.....or send/give them to friends. Sad but true....
Thanks for letting me share.

;-}

What a world...

Kudos to you for all the effort you are giving on behalf of the other readers in your area. Eventually it will pay off, I'm sure.

Try to be understanding about the libraries. Our library has to be choosy about what they accept. And we cannot guarantee that a book will go "on the shelf" rather than being sold. Our building is too small, our collection is too big for it, there is NO storage space. People get angry when we can't take books or put them out to sell, but they do no good if there is no place to put them, or if they are books we think won't be in demand.

But a new, award-winning, best-selling book that is not part of our collection would typically be accepted unless it was something pretty obscure. Columbine is hardly obscure -- it's on a topic about which many people are interested and some patrons have already expressed interest in it. Thus it is a good candidate to accession.

However, you get into the thing where if you accept one, people think you should accept all. And with renovations going on . . .

People just don't understand how difficult it is keeping a handle on books vs. space in a library. You can't understand unless you've worked there and reached the point where you can't fit one more book on a shelf, and you have to shift the books on three shelves just to shelve one book . . . or you have a lawsuit because someone tripped over the piles of books you have for book sale . . . etc.

There really is such a thing as too many books!

ETA to clarify some things above and to add: Bookshelves may not look full to you, but the standard is to TRY to keep about 1/3 empty at any time (we run closer to 1/5) to allow for the ebb-and-flow that comes with book circulation, plus to leave room for some accessions. Sometimes a shelf looks empty, but isn't -- it's just that, at the moment, someone checked out a bunch of a particular author.

If we think a book will barely circulate, we don't accession it unless it is "core collection" material. If someone eventually wants that title, we can get it from a larger library through ILL, at no charge to the patron.

I dare say, a lot of the stuff we discuss here on LT would not be in huge demand at our library.

Terri... I have New books from this past year that they do not have on their shelves. I checked online. Some are not in the county at all. They are purging and remodeling. I called to ask if they would take them weeks ago .. before I cleared them from my shelves the last two days.

And never mind not wanting help preparing for the remodel, by helping pack books ...

I guess libraries today are like no kill shelters. The shelters are no kill because they turn away pets that are less desirable.

The only books I am offering for the shelves are new.. Some are new books by authors that are popular there.. I asked when I called earlier..

I have several ( small) boxes for selling purposes, many of those fairly new.. I noticed they are selling books at the borough building, and offered to take them there.

Never mind. They do not want them. I did try. I offered books, time and even offered to give computer classes for some of the older people in town who do not know how to use a computer. What was great three weeks ago, I received a VERY firm no thank you now.

My opinion of the local library has not changed.

I dare say, a lot of the stuff we discuss here on LT would not be in huge demand at our library.

Terri, how true! My local librarian consistently asks "How did you hear about this book?"

Kath, if they are remodeling, all bets are off as to what they are doing. They are probably up to their ears in confusion. What you are offering them right now may constitute more confusion under the circumstances. Given budget cutbacks, they may have just enough staff to process the books currently under order, and others might just sit in the way as backlog. Also, some of the new books may be on order already -- which would then make your books duplicates. They may not have time or staff to sort all that out.

The reality is, no library can hold every book by every author, even the popular ones. That's why we have ILL -- though the state is doing its darndest to take that away from us with budget cuts. I'd save my wrath for the library budget cuts!

As for the mixed information, our library is staffed by a lot of part-time workers who are all overextended to the max -- and I suspect that this is more typical than not for smaller libraries. Sometimes the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing (or saying). Not a good state of affairs, but the reality in this budget-slashing era.

Volunteers are wonderful to a point -- long-term volunteers, after they are trained, if they stay around long enough. I hate to say this but, in the short-term, they are sometimes more work to supervise than they are worth. And it's hard to tell, ahead of time, which volunteers will be gems and which ones will mis-shelve every book they touch, or create other such disasters.

Regarding the computer classes, they may not be ALLOWED to have a person teach there who is not certified. I cannot keep up with all the regulations, and I pity my boss for having to try.

Is this a branch of a large system? There may be contract/union issues. At one time, when the copier machine needed paper at a Free Library of Philadelphia branch, I was told that the person authorized to do that by their contract was not there. (I know, it's ridiculous, but that's life in the big city.)

We do the best we can.

And the fact that I called first to ask..
discussed this weekend to drop off sale books..
I offered to hold new books..
My offers to help in all ways were accepted at that time..
including packing books before remodel
an idiot can put a book in a box

I would have done things differently if they had declined.
No wonder they have money issues...

Never mind.

Caro made a suggestion that I plan to follow up on.

As for the mixed information, our library is staffed by a lot of part-time workers who are all overextended to the max -- and I suspect that this is more typical than not for smaller libraries. Sometimes the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing (or saying). Not a good state of affairs, but the reality in this budget-slashing era.

I refer you to this paragraph I wrote. Truth is, some library folks have a hard time saying NO, and they agree to things they shouldn't because they are afraid of offending a patron. But they wind up making things worse when someone else has to deal with what they agreed to later on.

Library folks make mistakes, just like you do sometimes.

I am outa here.

I have to say it..
The woman I spoke to several weeks ago has been there for over 15 years.
And is a full time employee.

the end.

I do resent the approximately 8 hours I spent online, checking to see if they already have the books I had in mind.

Never mind, Terri.. I believed I went about it the right way, asking first...
but clearly I was wrong. See? my mistake.

And.. Am I an idiot thinking that this library needs the more esoteric books that we discuss.. I have been avoiding those myself lately.. I had general fiction like and some mysteries.

I fold. Libraries are perfect and I am an idiot.

No, libraries aren't perfect -- I just said that we make mistakes!!!!

You are not an idiot. But you are very hard on other people!

Ah jude.. there you are! I missed this somehow..
yes, in the old days ( a few years back ) I gave new books to the Ambridge Library all the time. They were gratefully accepted. Now that they are poorer and have the same old books and no money, they turn them down.. Seems odd.

Well, then again.. I am hard on others so... I could be wrong.

I do think you should WRITE a letter to the library director with the timeline of what you asked and when, what you did as a result of that call, and your distress over the time spent unproductively.

I didn't realize you asked BEFORE you spent the time online searching out what books they had. (Maybe I didn't read carefully enough)

I understand your frustration.

But I also know how difficult it is for libraries to handle donations tactfully and efficiently, shall we say. And I understand the mixups.

I said I was outa here. Maybe I should go.

New Thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/91525

#215 Then, again, maybe that would just be a waste of more of your time.

I will be looking forward to seeing you on the new thread...