tymfos tries to tackle 75 titles in 2010 -- fifth frame

Hi! welcome to the fifth installment of my 75 book challenge thread for 2010! I'm having a lot of fun reading and having conversations with other readers here! Please pull up a virtual chair, lurk and/or comment as you please!







Here are some links to my various other threads:

My first four threads for this challenge:
#1 http://www.librarything.com/topic/78980
#2 http://www.librarything.com/topic/83758
#3 http://www.librarything.com/topic/88141
#4 http://www.librarything.com/topic/90698

My "off the shelf challenge" thread (started 12/1/09):
http://www.librarything.com/topic/78160

My 1010 challenge threads (started 10/1/09):
#1 http://www.librarything.com/topic/74456
#2 http://www.librarything.com/topic/94529

My 2009 75 challenge threads:
#1 http://www.librarything.com/topic/69362
#2 http://www.librarything.com/topic/74808

Here is a link (hopefully) to my message in the "introductions" thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/79114#1653925

BOOKS COMPLETED -- January
1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (finished 1/7/10)
2. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (Finished 1/8/10)
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (finished 1/9/10)
4a In The Woods, by Robin H. Stevenson (finished 1/11/10)
4b Over My Dead Body by Kate Klise (finished 1/11/10)
5. Scat by Carl Hiaasen (finished 1/13/10)
6. On Hallowed Ground by Robert M. Poole (finished 1/19/10)
7. The Story of My Father, by Sue Miller (read 1/24/10)
8. Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn (read 1/25/10)
9. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (finished 1/29/10)
10. The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex by Owen Chase (finished 1/31/10)

BOOKS COMPLETED -- February
11. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. (started 2/3/10; finished 2/4/10)
12. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (finished 2/13/10).
13. When Michael Calls by John Farris (read 2/18/10)
14. Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (finished 2/19/10)
15. Strength to Love by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (finished 2/26/10)
16. He Crashed Me, So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel (finished 2/28/10)

Books Completed -- March
17.They Call Him Cale by Joe McGinnis (finished 3/10/10)
18 Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin (finished 3/13/10)
19.The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb 15 (finished 3/15/10)
20.The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill (finished 3/15/10)
21. Haunted Deland and the Ghosts of West Volusia County by Dusty Smith (finished 3/22/10)
22.Why Me: A Doctor Looks at the book of Job by Diane M. Komp, M.D. (finished 3/29/10)
23.Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews (finished 3/31/10)

Books Completed -- April
24. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. (Finished 4/8/10)
25. Critical Care (Brown) by Theresa Brown
26. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Finished 4/16/10)
27. Kiss Her Goodbye (Browne) by Robert Gregory Browne (4/17/10)
28. Mockingbird (Erskine) by Elizabeth Erskine (4/19/10)
29. Spirituality and the Autism Spectrum by Abe Isanon (finished 4/25/10)
30. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (finished 4/27/10)
31. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (finished 4/30/10)

Books Completed -- May
32. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (finished 5/1/10)
33. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (finished 5/4/10)
34. Sumner Island by Michael Cormier (ER edition) (finished 5/9/10)
35. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (started 5/3/10; finished 5/12/10)
36. The Madness of Mary Lincoln by Jason Emerson (finished 5/13/10)
37. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (finished 5/14/10)
38. Murder With Puffins by Donna Andrews (started 5/11/10; finished 5/21/10)
39. Columbine by Dave Cullen (started 5/14/10; finished 5/22/10)
40. Grace Eventually by Anne Lamott (finished 5/23/10)

Books Completed -- June
41. Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley (started 6/6/10; finished 6/7/10)
42. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (Priest) by Cherie Priest (started 6/7/10; finished 6/9/10)
43. When the Mississippi Ran Backwards by Jay Feldman (started 5/21/10; finished 6/13/10)
44. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (finished 6/18/10)
45. American Gothic (Bloch) by Robert Bloch (started 6/18/10; finished 6/20/10)
46 St. Dale by Sharyn McCrumb (started 6/20/10; finished 6/25/10)

Books Started and Under Consideration:
Moby Dick by Herman Mellville -- LT group read (started 1/15/10 abandoned temporarily?)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy -- LT group read (started 1/15/10 abandoned temporarily?)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (local group read; abandoned temporarily?)
Cemetery of Angels by Noel Hynd
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
Too Easy (DePoy) by Philip DePoy
Jane-Emily (Clapp) by Patricia Clapp
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Books Completed -- July
47. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (started 7/4/10; finished 7/5/10)
48. Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life, by David M. Jordan (started 6/13/10; finished 7/8/10)
49. Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews (started 7/9/10; finished 7/10/10)
50. Once Around the Track, by Sharyn McCrumb (started 6/27/10; finished 7/13/10)
51. UnChristian, by David Kinnaman (started 5/10; finished 7/15/10)
52. The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler (started 7/15/10; finished 7/19/10)
53. A Little Death in Dixie by Lisa Turner (started 7/20/10; finished 7/24/10)
54. No Fear by Ernie Irvan (finished 7/27/10)
55. Cape May Court House by Lawrence Schiller (started 7/28/10; finished 7/29/10)
56a.Cape May Ghost Stories: Book Two by Charles J. Adams, III (finished 7/30/10)
56b.Atlantic County Ghost Stories by Charles J. Adams, III (read 7/30/10)

August
57. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. (finished 8/6/10).

Books Started and Under Consideration
Plan B: Further thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (started 8/2/10)
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd (started 8/5/10)
Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, April 27, 1865 by Gene Eric Salecker (started 8/6/10)
Moby Dick by Herman Mellville -- LT group read (started 1/15/10 abandoned temporarily?)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy -- LT group read (started 1/15/10 abandoned temporarily?)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (local group read; abandoned temporarily?)
Cemetery of Angels by Noel Hynd
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
Too Easy (DePoy) by Philip DePoy
Jane-Emily (Clapp) by Patricia Clapp

As of 4 p.m. June 28, 2010, I have completed 46 books:

27 Fiction
19 Non-Fiction

42 First-tme reads
4 re-reads

6 LT Early Reviewer books read and reviewed

My favorite "new reads" of the year so far:

Mystery Fiction:
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

Non-Fiction (fascinating/informative):
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
On Hallowed Ground by Robert M. Poole
Columbine by Dave Cullen

Non-Fiction -- (just plain fun!)
He Crashed Me, So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel

ETA to add This entry winds up being my mid-year summary.

So much for the preliminaries . . .

Welcome to my new digs! Hope y'all find it cozy and comfortable. The conversation starts HERE! ;)

It's Monday, Terri .... how can you be this organized on a Monday!

Caroline, it was just short of absolute chaos at work today.

I handle stress by organizing things -- control freak that I am!
(I cleaned out/organized all the closets in our house when my grandmother died . . . and I was in the 4th grade at the time.)

So, today, I came home and decided to organize a new thread! Therapy!!!

You're so organized. I'm going to have to re-do my 1010 thread pretty soon.

I can't believe we're halfway through 2010 already.

Hi, Linda!

I've been thinking about starting a new 1010 thread, too. Mine only has 166 messages on it, but it takes a bit of time to load.

BTW, those first few messages here are mostlly copied from my last thread. (I hit the edit button for the message I want and copy the message from the edit frame and then paste to the new post, so it transfers all the touchstones and such.)

This year is going by so quickly!

starred

Hi, Kath!

Thanks for the recent review of Blue Like Jazz, Terri. It spurred me to re-read the book - I still like it the second time around :)

You're welcome, Stasia! Glad the book still speaks to you!

I love your reading lists. It's like my wishlist in print! Keep up the great work!

Hi, Carrie! I'm glad you stopped by. Thanks for the kind words!

Ah, we come to the end of the first half!

So far, I seem to be on track to manage 75 books this year.

Ah, well, off to work.

Good morning, and my thanks for bringing your thread up to code. Now I don't need to cite you for poor Netizenship, since I am apparently the Thread Police.

*delurks to say*

...uhhhh, hello!

*relurks*

19 Howdy, Sheriff Richard! Stasia played the role of deputy and made sure I started a new thread according to regulation.

20 Hi, Stephen! Thanks for stopping by!

rd you need a thread police ball cap

#22: If Richard gets one, I want one too :)

I found a neat glitter graphic I wanted to put here --
but, alas, I am not computer savvy enough to do that!
(I thought I managed to post one once . . . ahem . . . oh, well.)

denim okay?

24: There's a guide here on LT, here. It's under "How do I put images in the text on my profile page?" You can use that same code for any picture on the internet.

25 Denim ball cap for the Thread Police, you mean?
26 Thanks, Stephen! Maybe I'll try it when my brain is working better.

Today was my day off work. My son is doing daycamp this week. So today was a "me" day. I dropped him off at camp, then took the car to the carwash, then had an appointment to have the oil changed. Ran into a friend at the dealership waiting room -- the newly retired secretary from the Elementary School my son attended -- and we talked for a while, mainly about my son and about books.

Book time! Stopped by my favorite area bookstore, but (according to the sign on the window) it is closed until further notice due to the sudden death of the owner's husband. How sad! I visited a nearby library which doesn't have a catalog that is searchable from home, and went through their on-site catalog with my Wishlist. Found a few I was looking for in the catalog -- of those, the one I wanted most was missing from the shelf. Brought these home from the library: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson and The Day the Earth Caved In: An American Mining Tragedy by Joan Quigley

Took my list to a used bookstore, and found the following:
The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey by Linda Greenlaw
Women and the Lakes: Untold Great Lakes Maritime Tales by Frederick Stonehouse
Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball by Barbara Gregorich
The Body in the Moonlight by Katherine Hall Page
NASCAR Winston Cup 2002
And I got a paperback copy of The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, to replace the hard cover edition I donated to the library after I read it, but then I missed having it on my shelf. *sigh*

After a few assorted errands, I picked up my son (who sort of fell in the creek today, but is fine).

Then, when we got home, I locked my keys in the garage, and we were locked out of my house. Fortunately, I didn't lock my newly-acquired BOOKS in the garage, so we had something to pass the time while we waited on the porch swing.

Hubby eventually got home and let us in.

Being locked out without anything to read would have been most frustrating! I hope you didn't have too long a wait to be let in though.

Edited to correct html...

Nice haul, Terri! Glad you were able to get into your house eventually!

Terri, You always seem to find the most interesting non-fiction titles. Women and the Lakes sounds really intriguing.

Simply stopping by to say hi.

#28 We were only stuck outside for about an hour, Genny. My son was happily looking at the NASCAR book, and I, well, in addition to my purchases and library books, I had my current non-fiction read with me. (Can't believe I managed to get all that out of the car, and forgot my keys!)

#29 If there were ever a perfect evening to be locked out, this was the one, Stasia! But I was glad when my hubby drove up!

#30 Bonnie, Women and the Lakes was one of those impulse buys that wasn't on my list, and I've never read a review or comments about it, but I saw it and thought, "I have to get that one!" Same for the women in baseball book.

#31 Hi, Linda! So glad you stopped by!

It has been a very hectic past couple of days.

Yesterday we picked my son up from camp early, and headed to Pittsburgh to watch the Pirates host the Phillies. What a beautiful night at the ballpark! The weather was perfect, and it's such a lovely ballpark. The view of the Pittsburgh skyline is worth the price of admission. We had seats behind home plate, but way up just two rows under the press box. It was lovely to watch the city move from daylight through twilight and into night, lights slowly coming on in buildings.

My son was wearing Pirates gear, I was wearing Phillies gear, hubby was in his Mets gear, which was sort of irrelevant to the game, but declared his allegiance. (There was a guy two rows up in a Chicago Cubs cap.) Honestly, there seemed to be as many people in Phillies gear as in Pirates gear. But then I realized that when the Phillies won the World Series just two years ago, everyone in Philliedom bought World Championship shirts -- whereas the Pirates' record in recent years probably hasn't inspired a lot of shirt-buying. When it was time to cheer the Bucs, it was obviously a Pirates crowd. Pirates won 2-0.

Everyone got a Pirates ice-cream bowl -- the give-away du jour. After the game, a Pirates fan spotted me in the Phillies gear and asked if I wanted to give mine away. I said no -- I'm a Pirates fan, too, except when the Phillies are in town. (Then I revert to my upbringing.)

I headed up to the attic today in search of treasures for the church rummage sale.

In the process, I found a box marked "textbooks" from my hubby's undergraduate school days, and among the calculus and chemistry texts, I found remnants of his history courses and other studies that are worth cataloging in my library:
A History of the Habsburg Empire by Robert A. Kann
The Nazi Seizure of Power by William Sheridan Allen
Vanguard of Nazism by Robert G.L. Waite
Opening Moves August 1914 by John Keegan
Myths and Folk Tales Around the World by Robert R. Potter
The Nine Days Queen: A Portrait of Lady Jane Grey by Mary M. Luke

Very cool find!

Hi Terri, I'm all caught up on your new thread now. I recently found a box marked "Books" and discovered my husband's precious but yellowed collection of John D. McDonald books from the 60's and 70's! I won't be adding them to my LT list, but we're keeping them so he can reread them if he ever retires!

I see you abandoned The Help. Do you feel like sharing why? Just curious.

#33: I enjoyed your description of your family's outing to PNC Park. I definitely want to go there the next time I visit Pittsburgh, as neither PNC Park nor Heinz Field (home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers) was built before I graduated from Pitt in '97.

Did you take any photos of the park and the downtown skyline? I hope you don't mind me posting a photo from Wikipedia:

Hi Terri! I just now found you again. What a great surprise with your husband's history books. Looks like some great titles there.

#35 I see you abandoned The Help. Do you feel like sharing why? Just curious.

I'm not sure I can explain why, Donna. Maybe it was just the wrong time to read it. (It was a book discussion group title, not what I really wanted to read at the time.) Some parts just felt . . . contrived, not real. (I can handle that, to some extent, in fantasy-type reads that aren't supposed to be "real," but this was supposed to be reasonably true to life.

POSSIBLE (VERY MINOR) SPOILER ALERT!

For instance, as careful as Skeeter was to carry that suitcase with her everywhere so her mama wouldn't get into it and see her papers, I just couldn't believe that she would forget and leave it behind at the League meeting. That was the one that really got me! I pretty much stopped reading there.

(This from a woman who locked her keys in her garage and had to sit outside until hubby came home to let her in. Perhaps I should re-think my objections.)

ETA to strive over the spoiler!

#36 Darryl, glad you enjoyed the story of my baseball outing. Yes, you really should attend a game at PNC Park sometime!

That's the view! And from almost exactly where we were sitting, high and just to the 3rd-base side of home plate. (That shot was probably taken from the press box, just over our seats.) Only there was this wonderful pink glow in light reflected off the buildings as the twilight set in and deepened.

Thanks for posting the photo! I forgot to take my camera with me, and I've never gotten the hang of taking photos with my cell phone.

#37 Glad you found me, Sherlyn!

I tried to put more space between my spoiler alert and the text, but LT compressed it together. Drat!

How do you do that overstrike thing, where there are lines through the words, so people don't accidentally read a spoiler?

Just catching up .... I was amused at your comment to Genny in #32, "...in addition to my purchases and library books, I had my current non-fiction read with me. (Can't believe I managed to get all that out of the car, and forgot my keys!)" Simply looks to me as though you have your priorities straight!

Edited to try the strikeout, but what I thought was correct didn't work. I'll look forward to somebody wise telling us both!

#41 Simply looks to me as though you have your priorities straight!

LOL! That thought occurred to me!

strike out is {strike} your words {/strike} replacing the curly brackets with the pointy brackets above the comma and full stop.

like this

Strike out

Hope that's clear;)

Thanks, calm! I'll go back and give that a try! :)

Baseball, and the names of all the teams, are a complete mystery to me, so reading your post 33 gives a glimpse of a whole other world. And if that photo is close to the view you had, what a fantastic vantage point! I'd happily sit and watch that skyline and the gathering dusk, even if I didn't understand what was going on on the pitch!

And if that photo is close to the view you had, what a fantastic vantage point! I'd happily sit and watch that skyline and the gathering dusk, even if I didn't understand what was going on on the pitch!

It was a lovely view, Genny! And it was fun watching boats moving up and down the river, too. I must admit to being rather distracted from watching the game at times!

Well, I've snagged yet another LT Early Reviewer book -- A Little Death in Dixie by Lisa Turner, from the June list.

I am still (im)patiently waiting for my May ER book, Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo. I read the first book in the series, and it kept me up half the night reading. This one is the second in the series, and I can hardly wait to get my hands on it.

#39 That's one impressive view from (roughly) where you were sitting. Sounds like you had a great time!

I got quite interested in baseball a few years ago, when in used to be on TV in the UK. I got to the point where I could understand enough to sit through a whole match without asking any annoying questions about what was happening.

Since it's only been on subscription-only channels, I haven't seen any - unlike my brother, I'm not interested enough to pay for a subscription. I'd probably be asking annoying questions with every fourth pitch these days. :(

#48 Caty, I know it's annoying as anything when you get interested in something and then it's suddenly available only on TV stations that you have to pay extra for.

They did that, more or less, with the IndyCar auto racing series here. A few races -- the Indianapolis 500, and the Watkins Glen race this weekend -- are on regular network TV. But most of the races are on Versus, and we would have to upgrade our satellite Dish TV package to be able to watch them. We just refuse to spend the extra money.

With all the different sports that my husband and I follow, we'd be completely lost if we didn't subscribe to the sports cable channels. It used to be that network stations covered most of the sports, but alas, apart from the major games, everything's on subscription channels now.

#51 Caroline, our mid-level DISH TV package covers most of what we want to watch, combined with my husband's MLB.com subscription. The ESPN's, SPEED, TNT, and the local FOXsports are necessities. We also get the Big 10 network, NFL network, and College Sports network and a few stations with regional sports coverage: WGN (Chicago), WPIX (New York), and TBS (Atlanta).

There are some events that aren't covered, but that's life. The IndyCar move to VERSUS is the one glaring exception where I feel really cheated.

I love that Pittsburgh ballpark. Stunning views and I love the walk over, across that bridge. I keep meaning to try one of those Primanti Brothers sandwiches when I'm in Pittsburgh though.

I get the MLB Extra Innings so I can watch just about any game. Saw a terrific one at Wrigley today. I think the Cubs left about 15 or 16 runners on base. It looked like they'd never score, but they did, finally.

#34: What a nice find for you, Terri! Sounds like a bunch of books I would be interested in, so I am off to the library websites to see if they have any of them! You are adding to the BlackHole without even trying :)

Glad you had a great trip to the ballpark! I love going to the games too, but rarely have the opportunity any more.

#52 I still haven't had one of those sandwiches, Linda. One of these days . . .

My husband has a subscription with MLBtv.com which lets us watch most any MLB game (some blackouts apply) over the Internet. The streaming video quality isn't as good as our satellite TV reception, but unfortunately, our satellite TV provider doesn't have an MLB package. Missed the Cubs game today. I saw on the PNC Park ML scoreboard that the poor Cubbies got shut out and hammered by the Reds Friday night. Glad to hear that they rebounded somewhat the next day.

#53 Stasia, after cataloging the books, I was disappointed when I looked up the ratings and reviews. Most of them were not rated highly. The Kann History of the Habsburg Empire had especially dismal comments about the poor quality of the translation from German and the overall lack of readability -- though apparently it is a good source of thorough, accurate information.

#54: I have the MLBtv.com subscription as well and I love it. On slow nights at the office, I can turn on any game. I am not terribly picky about the video quality as I am generally listening more than watching, lol.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson is an all time fave of mine, but you have probably "heard" me say that before. I hope you like it.

You abandoned The Help? I hear so many raves about it, including from my sister.. that it is getting pushed farther and farther down my tbr pile. I just do not want to have any expectations when I read it.. or .. something. Anyway.. I am glad to hear that someone else gets impatient with books!

What would be tough for me being locked out, even with books.. my bladder things home means.. well.. you know.. lol

I gave my neighbor a key long ago. She can't remember where she put it. I asked her recently. I used to have one of hers too, but she locks herself out so often.. and she never gave it back last time. ( which is what started the "do you still have my key" coversation)

I will never "Get" sports watching. I also however do not get book watching. Dan will sit and watch some TV show where authors talk about their books. I have yet to be drawn into it. I think it is just tv .. if I am not in the mood I just don't want to watch.

I am visiting my dad who has DishTV - no Versus. They are the only ones to broadcast the Tour de France. Living in California, it comes on disgustingly early in the morning but since my husband gets up at 5:30 to go to work, I'm up any way. I love watching the French scenery go by, especially the clever sculptures created by the farmers and gorgeous castles along the route. It is amazing to watch the physical stamina shown by these men as they cycle for hundreds up miles, up and down mountains, in all sorts of weather.

#57 Yes, Kath, your recommendation was one of the things that pushed me to seek out the book, despite some initial reluctance on my part. I tried Jackson's much-hyped and twice-movied Haunting of Hill House and frankly didn't care for it (though I saw both versions of the movie).

I may go back to/restart The Help sometime when I think I'll be more in the mood for it. There were definitely some things that I liked about it. . . and some not so much. It's not the first time I've reacted badly to a book other people loved.

I don't like to leave keys with neighbors. However, one of the first things I did when I realized I was locked out was to check in with a kind neighbor to access her phone ("hubby, please come home RIGHT after your meeting!") and, well, deal with the other concern you mentioned.

#58 Sorry you're having to miss the Tour de France. I agree, it must take amazing stamina to do what they do!

Just wanted to wave and let you know I've caught up on your new thread, Terri!

#60 Hi, Marcia! *wave* Thanks for dropping by!

Just finished watching our town's 4th of July fireworks. I always look forward to them!

Our house is on a hill. We bought it because the price was right and it was plain enough to not clash with the "decor" (such as it was) that we owned. We didn't realize what a nice view we had out the back upstairs window (the guestroom) until after we bought it and tore the old curtains down. Surprise! When we installed energy-efficient windows, we replaced the ancient double-hung windows in the back with a picture window (with small awning window below for ventilation) to take better advantage of the view overlooking much of the town and the mountains surrounding.

A few months after we moved in, we discovered that we had one of the best seats in town to watch the annual fireworks display. So every year, when it's fireworks time, I just pull up the comfy rocking chair to the guestroom window, hoist up the blinds, and watch the beautiful colors spread across the night sky. Bliss!

What a pleasant surprise for you Terri! How wonderful!

#61: Sounds terrific! Have a good time watching tonight!

#62 Bonnie, occasionally life has nice little surprises like that. When we bought the house, it was a bit of a "fixer upper." Over the years, we've slowly (as finances allowed) made progress with the things that needed improving. But the view was one of those things that just came with the house, and is priceless! I'm really surprised that they didn't use it as a "selling point," as the house was vacant for quite a while before they sold it to us (after dropping substantially from the original asking price).

#62 My husband and I both thought the fireworks were especially nice tonight, Stasia! (My son is still not a big fireworks fan -- too noisy.)

#64: I am glad you and your husband enjoyed them!

I'm glad you enjoyed the fireworks! We had some neighbors setting off fireworks in the street, and it was driving my poor puppy crazy.

I look forward to your thoughts on We Have Always Lived in the Castle :)

#66 We had our share of neighborhood firecrackers going off around us, too, in addition to the official display. The ones setting off the most were the ones with the howling dog. Go figure.

#67 So far, it reminds me of an impending train wreck. I don't like it, but I can't look away because I have to see what's going on . . .

Our next-door neighbor (actually, her son; property owner is in nursing home now) hacked away at our rhododendron (sp?) where it grew over the property line. I had asked neighbor, when she was there, if she wanted us to trim them away. She said no, they were delightful to see when in bloom. Apparently Sonny doesn't feel the same way. Hey, I realize that they were over the line, but if he would have just SAID something . . . GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

I'm thinking of buying the tackiest lawn ornaments in the world and placing them on that side of the house . . . *evil leer*

Book #47:
Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: fiction
Length: 214 pages
Source: nearby library
Dates: started 7/04/10; finished 7/05/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge

OK, here's the edit to add my comments:

Suffice it to say, I didn't love We Have Always Lived in the Castle as much as some folks who have posted about it. It was well-written, quite clever and original. It was engrossing -- I read it all in a day, while neglecting my other reads-in-progress that I've been pecking away at since last month. I had to see what was going on, it was all so weird. It had tremendous atmosphere. But I can't say I loved it -- or even really enjoyed it. I found the book disquieting and depressing. There was not one character in it that I truly liked except the cat. I can deal with some henious characters in books, but it's nice to have somebody that I like in the mix. I don't think there was one truly sane (or even reasonable) person in the book, except maybe Charles and he was a greedy little horse's behind. (No, I take that back -- it's an insult to horses.)

ETA (several times) to add comments and to "tweak" comments

> 69 OMG, just leave us all in suspense!!! ;)

> 68 LOL for tacky lawn ornaments. I say go for it.

#70 Sorry about that, I've got my comments posted in #69 now.

Sherlyn, the more I think about my beautiful rhododendron, the madder I get. What do you think? Pink flamingos? Some of those twirly-winged ducks? Acutally, I kind of like them. Definitely not gaudy enough.

except maybe Charles and he was a greedy little horse's behind. (No, I take that back -- it's an insult to horses.)

LOLOL

Yeup...she nailed 'im, she did.

#72 Glad you approve of my analysis, Richard! ;)

I'm up late tonight -- I'm restless, it's hot in the house, it's a nice quiet time to get in some reading and LT.

Well, at least We Have Always Lived in The Castle was sufficiently engrossing to carry me through to the end -- so I finally finished a book this month. I've had several started for a while.

I'm not sure why I'm taking so long with the books I have started. Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life is pretty good -- though I'm tempted to read parts of it with a Civil War battlefield atlas in the other hand. (There are some maps, but not enough.) UnChristian makes some good points, just takes some time to thoughtfully digest.

My current fiction read (put down while reading "the Castle") is Sharyn McCrumb's Once Around the Track. Despite the fact that I like the author and I like NASCAR, it took me a while to get into this book. I think I'm liking it now.

I am sorry you did not enjoy We Have Always Lived in the Castle more. I liked, but did not love it, too, but think I liked it more than you did. I thought it a very Gothic book.

BTW - I could not stand Charles.

I am somehow not surprised that you didn't like it.. but sorry that you didn't. I has been a keeper for me for many years...

:)

I'm also sorry you didn't love it. I did, but I'm a fan of the weird and slightly repulsive. ;)

And I was really hoping someone would kill Charles from the moment he showed up.

Sorry you didn't love We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I do love the book but I also thought your review pegged it really well. Like Luxx, I really liked some of the more distasteful aspects. Hehe.

#75, 77 I think we all agree about Charles!!

#77, 78 I tend to be a fan of "weird" too, but this was weird in a different key. . .

#74, 75, 76, 77, 78 I'm not sure I can say I didn't like it . . . it was very well done, and a real page turner because I wanted to know what would happen; I was trying so hard to make sense of it. Some of it never made sense . . . but then, when the narrator is obviously not quite in touch with reality, I guess that's to be expected. But everyone in the story seemed to act really weird.

POSSIBLE SPOILER
I didn't get how Marricat could interact with Uncle Julian almost every day, and yet he thought she had died in the orphanage during the trial? And the "revelation" that came out the night of the fire, about who did the poisoning, didn't really surprise me. After observing these characters, Constance wasn't getting my vote for "most likely to be a mass murderer" from that family. I couldn't understand why she was the prime suspect, when Merricat was obviously so disturbed. And she had more motive!

I couldn't resist -- I used my latest 30 percent off coupon from Borders today. Newly acquired: Deadliest Sea: The Untold Story behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History, by Kalee Thompson. (Drat! Touchstone not working.) It's the story of the sinking of the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger in the Bering Sea, and the related rescue efforts.

We learned a long time ago not to have a big birthday party for our son.

Tonight he opened his presents, blew out the birthday candles, ate his ice cream and half of his cake, asked to save the rest of the cake "for later," and then asked to be excused and ran upstairs.

Some evenings, that's all the excitement he can handle -- and that's OK.

He got two new books for his birthday: Chessie System (MBI Railroad Color History) by David Ori; and Joshua Chamberlain and the American Civil War (Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s American Heroes), by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Happy birthday to your son, Terri!

#80... that one is actually on my wishlist already... :)

Happy birthday wishes to your son... those look like good books!

> 81 Sounds like your son had a great birthday!!!

Stasia, thanks for the birthday wishes for my son!!!! :) Sherlyn, I think it was just the right level of celebration for him!

Book #48
Title: Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life
Author: David M. Jordan
Genre: non-fiction (biography)
Length: 319 pages plus notes & index
Source: Purchased new several years ago
Dates: started 6/13/10; finished 7/8/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; Books off the Shelf Challenge; 1010 Challenge, "Blue vs. Gray" category book #4

This book started out with tremendous promise: thorough, yet readable and even, at times, entertaining.

This is a detailed biography of the great Civil War General and 1880 Democratic candidate for President. I wanted a battlefield atlas in my other hand while reading some of the battle descriptions (though three simple maps were included in the book itself.) At some points, the narrative seemed almost too detailed -- especially in the accounts of the various political mechanizations going on during the years Hancock was in play for the nomination as candidate for President. At that point, my reading of the book slowed down a bit.

The book returned to its original more engaging quality in the closing chapters, especially the final chapter, "Pure Gold," which functioned as an epilogue.

The author did a good job conveying the qualities of Hancock as a soldier and a human being, and demonstrating how so many of those who knew or served with him greatly admired him. I do feel that the biographer was, perhaps, a bit too partisan in his admiration of his subject, though certainly there was much to admire about Gen. Hancock.

The books contains fairly extensive notes and an index.

Recommended to those with an interest in Gen. Hancock, and especially to those with an interest in details of both the Civil War and post-Civil-War 19th-century politics.

Your son sounds a lot like me, I never liked big celebrations and being the center of attention. :(

Good review on the Hancock biography! :)

Hi, Stephen! Thanks for stopping by, and glad you liked my review!

I am spending too much time on LT today this week this month recently

I am getting some of my chores done between posts & reading threads . . . I mean, I'm posting and lurking during downtime between my chores . . . ;)

Do you think maybe I'm avoiding some of the stuff I know I need to get done?

#88: Do you think maybe I'm avoiding some of the stuff I know I need to get done?

Probably, and LT is a good excuse for it!

88 me too

don't care..alas...

Ah, very hectic weekend. Some late night LT to settle the brain. Just finished baking for a church bake sale, after returning late from a trip to Pittsburgh.

Something wonderful has happened that I cannot explain. For many years, I couldn't read in a moving vehicle because I'd get motion sickness. It started around the time I was in college, I think. Even map reading was agony, or reading directions for a few minutes.

No more! I stumbled on the fact when I had a long set of directions to read, and felt fine. Today I read all the way to Pittsburgh (hubby was driving) and finished almost half a book. Woo, hoo!!!!

I have no idea why I can read in a moving car now and no longer get sick. Could it be changes in my eyesight? Better riding cars? Positive thinking? I can't explain it, but I like it!!!

Cool beans, Terri! I still cannot do it, so whatever made you be able to, pass it along, would you?

Stasia, since I can't explain it, I'm afraid I can't pass on the secret. So sorry!

BTW, the book I'm reading today (my current "purse buddy") is none other than Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos!

I believe I have you to thank for that one . . . I love it, I really needed some laughs.

#93: I am glad you are enjoying it, Terri!

Right now, I need some laughs too, but the head is back to aching again, so I am doubtful that I will get any reading done.

Oh, dear. I hope you feel better!

#95: I am sure I will be fine soon. Thanks, Terri.

That's wonderful news Terri!

Just don't try to drive and read at the same time, okay? :)

How can it be that a book Stasia recommended got past me? Now that I see your excellent comments, I'm adding The Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos..What a title, and given the fact that you mentioned getting even with your neighbors via tacky lawn ornaments, I think it is a hoot that you are reading a book re. them.

#98: Linda, I did not recommend that particular book. I have not read it yet. I have only read the first book in the series thus far :)

As another who suffers from motion sickness, I'd love to know what made the difference for you. Mine has been a lifelong affliction. I feel sorry for my brother who had to share the backseat with me on the many long car trips we took as children. Oh well, I'm just grateful for audio books!

#97 Just don't try to drive and read at the same time, okay? :)
Stephen, I can't even walk and chew gum at the same time! ;)

#98 Linda, this whole series so far is fun! And, yes, I think the lawn ornament angle prompted me to pick up this particular book at this time. . . though it really was next in line (3rd) in this series.

#99 Stasia, I keep laughing out loud when I read this one -- even funnier than the first one! How's your headache, if I may ask?

#100 Donna, I wish I knew, too -- partly because I'm worrying that the motion sickness will come back!!

I read a lot more on the long ride to the wedding today. I felt a little queasy, but I think it had more to do with too much rehearsal dinner food last night + a suit that's a tad too tight at the waist + lack of sleep, rather than motion sickness. I'm almost done with the book. I have a little work to do here now at the computer. If I'm not too tired when I'm done, I may finish off the book tonight.

#99: Luckily for me, the headache is caused by sinuses this week (unlike last week unless I have grown sinuses in a really weird place on my head), so less of a pain that it might have been.

I am glad you are laughing your way through the book. I definitely need to restart that series. I have still only made it through book 1.

Book #49:
Title: Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
Author: Donna Andrews
Genre: cozy mystery fiction
Length: 293 pages (plus preview of another book in series)
Source: Gift from a kindly, well-read LT-er
Dates: started 7-9-10; finished 7-10-10
Challenges: 75 Challenge
Notes: Book #3 in Meg Langslow series

Meg Langslow is at it again. The wrought-iron craftswoman is selling her wares at an "historically authentic" craft fair in conjunction with a re-enactment of the Battle of Yorktown. The "authenticity police" are out, citing people right and left for "anachronisms" -- anthing not proper to the historical period. It's no wonder Meg is carefully hiding the wrought-iron pink flamingos (which were made on commission for a local who is feuding with her Neighborhood Association).

This is a murder mystery so, of course, someone has to get killed -- and with a most interesting murder weapon. (What hath Meg wrought?) With an army of suspects (most of whom are Meg's friends and relatives, not to mention Meg herself) and a bumbling new deputy (who seems better suited to ticketing double-parking fairgoers than solving a murder), the battle is on the find "the real killer."

I found myself giggling and laughing out loud as I read this madcap adventure. In the midst of a very busy, stressful week, it was just what I needed!

ETA to correct minor glitches

Adding to my wishlist. One can never have too many giggles.

One can never have too many giggles.

AMEN!

I am looking forward to giggling over Greetings From Jamaica, Wish You Were Queer

Giggle away! (I suppose the title alone is worth a few giggles! :)

I got home from taking my son to the doctor for his annual physical, and he scampered upstairs for some down time. I put an easy dinner into the "let it cook" mode, so this is a good time to LT.

Re: my plan for a lawn-ornament revenge -- I don't have the heart to do it now. My old neighbor (mother of the flower-chopper) passed away this past weekend in the nursing home. I think a sympathy card would be more in order.

Maybe her son chopped my bushes when he found out she was dying, and needed something to take out his frustration on. If so, I hope it helped.

Aha! 2/3 of the way there!

Book #50:
Title: Once Around the Track
Author: Sharyn McCrumb
Genre: fiction (difficult to classify genre)
Length: 306 pages plus author's note
Source: Purchased used several years ago from The Book Barn
Dates: started 6/10; finished 7/13/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; Books off the Shelf Challenge; 1010 Challenge, "Start Your Engines" category book #4

Sharyn McCrumb is a favorite author of mine, and I love NASCAR, but it took a while for me to be drawn into this NASCAR-themed novel. The premise seemed a little contrived: a group of women investors decide to field an all-female race team. Well, not quite all. The highly-visible pit crew, crew chief, and lead engineer of the team will be women. But there aren't quite enough qualified women to fill all the behind-the-scenes slots. And they need an experienced driver that the small team can afford -- a fellow named Badger Jenkins.

Off the track, Badger is an affable good ol' boy with a fondness for animals and country life. (When we meet him, he's been in the midst of an animal-rescue effort saving an endangered turtle he found while out fishing.) And he's very nice looking. But put him in a firesuit, and he's something like Superman to his fans. Women swoon and/or try to proposition him. (There's something about a man in a firesuit . . .)

The novel follows the (often mis-)adventures of the team through much of a NASCAR season. Suffice it to say, it's not smooth sailing for the new team. As if mechanical issues and pit crew training difficulties weren't enough, throw in The Personal Manager from Hades handling Badger's business affairs, and the ribbing they take about their sponsor ("Vagenya," a Viagara-type drug for women), and life in the fast lane is far from smooth sailing.

This is NOT McCrumb's best novel. It's a rather simplistic story as far as plotline, but the joy of it is in the marvelous assortment of characters McCrumb has brought to life for the reader. The book also explores the themes of NASCAR as a sport from a variety of POVs. I touches on the ideosyncracies of the only major sporting body/league in America to be privately owned. It studies the way people (from sponsors to crew members to various types of fans) relate to race car drivers; it explores issues of teamwork (the driver may be the "star" of the team, but it takes a lot more people to put together a racing effort); it even delves into the mechanics of the race car a bit.

Some of the NASCAR details are outdated as the sport operates now -- there have been rule changes and even title sponsorship changes (series naming) in the few years since the book was written. However, the details were reasonably accurate when McCrumb wrote the book. Her author's note indicates plenty of knowledgeable advisors who kept her "on track" in her writing.

I suppose you have to be a NASCAR fan to fully appreciate this book; but I wish a few non-NASCAR fans would read this, just to have their eyes opened as to the compexities of ths sport. It's not just one guy in a car turning left, as so many uninformed people claim. I fear that sometimes it feels like McCrumb tried a bit too hard to educate & enlighten -- some of the details seem a bit forced into the mix. Still, I wound up enjoying the ride.

Congratulations on arriving at 2/3 of the way to the 75 challenge goal.

Oh, I love the Meg Langslow series. I just ordered the last two; I have to say, I'm very upset with the publishers for putting out the latest two months before publishing the last in paperback, and yanking all the hardcovers so I couldn't but it in stores. Bah on them.

#110 Thanks, Linda!

#111 Those rotten, sneaky publishers!

I have started the book The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein. Despite the melodramatic title, it seems to be a solidly-researched non-fiction volume about Mary Shelley and those who surrounded her at the time she wrote her famous novel.

Of course, it's making me want to re-read Frankenstein.

Oh, goody! *voice dripping with sarcasm*

The subject line for my daily e-mail from the local TV weathercast is "Oppressive Humidity."

Need they say more?

#113: Considering how often that weathercasters are wrong, maybe there is hope?

They were talking about us being only a degree or two below our all-time record dewpoint yesterday. Someplace in Iowa had one of the worst American dewpoints ever. Said to have something to do with recent rains and very fertile corn crops this year.

Iowa=my upcoming vacation destination, in just over two weeks.

I'm breathing solid hot water here too, but then, I expect to ----- Somehow, I don't take comfort from the fact that a wet garment can stay on the line in equatorial Africa for days and still be wringing wet. I'm wringing wet if I go outside and do nothing but breathe.

I Hate Summer, Reasons Why: Heat, humidity, and the ineffable odours of same.

Ugh, yuck, puke!

Finally got through this one:

Book #51:
Title: UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity . . . and Why it Matters
Author: David Kinnaman
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Length: 255 pages
Source: Purchased new this year at Ollie's
Dates: finished 7/15/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; 1010 Challenge, "Matter of Faith" category book #8

Unchristian is based on the Barna Institute’s detailed research among young adults about their primary perceptions of Christianity -- which are overwhelmingly negative. The behavior of too many Christians is, well, UNChristian.

I think this book makes a lot of valid points, and it’s obvious from the research that there are a lot of folks who need to take notice. I may quibble with some details of his solutions and theology. However, the basic finding is spot on: for the sake of the Gospel, Christians must view more seriously the commands to “love neighbor as self” and “judge not lest you be judged." These are commands where we all fall short and, thus, have no standing to judge others because they are different from ourselves.

Read more of my take here: http://www.librarything.com/work/3580859/reviews/56006166

#118 Hmmm, might have to consider that one for my 1010 religion category.

#118: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Terri!

#119 Linda, it might be worth considering. One thing I liked was at the end of each chapter, he had quotations -- some quite extensive -- by people involved in ministry dealing with the subject of the chapter. They were rather diverse, and some were quite memorable. (I probably should have mentioned that in my review, but it was already getting long . . .)

#120 Stasia, since you say you're from the more conservative end of the Christian family, you may find this especially interesting, as Kinnaman is an Evangelical. (I must say, I seen no evidence of the book's complained-about types of behavior in your comments here on LT! :)

Great review of UnChristian, Terri!!!

> 121 lol! I have also often thought that Stasia's wonderful personality and openness to all is inconsistent with the behavior of most of the conservative Christians I've known over the years.

122 Thanks!

I keep "tweaking" it, though -- just a word here and there. In writing my review, I don't want to go too far beyond responding to what is in the book, but I don't want my own beliefs getting totally buried, either.

I worry that those who are anti-Christian will see it all as a vindication of their views opposing Christianity -- when, in fact, it's only an indictment of Christians not living by Christian teaching regarding love for neighbor -- which is what most of the complaints discussed in the book really boil down to. The cure isn't abandoning Christianity -- it's a matter of Christians being more faithful to the principles of Jesus.

And not all Christians exhibit the behaviors in question. But I've found that often those who are very vocal about being Christian are the ones who do these negative things the most.

On a personal note, I think that if the only brand of Christianity I'd encountered was the Hellfire-and-brimstone variety that reads the Bible as word-for-word literal eternal truth without any regard to the context in which passages were written, I'd not be a Christian today. Fortunately, I've found my spiritual home in a tradition that uses historical-critical method and other tools to understand the context of the passages, and which views the Bible through a hermeneutical lens which holds the Good News of God's grace in Jesus as the focal point.

My quote of the day from Unchristian:

(this is one of those quotations that Kinnaman includes at the end of each chapter from different sources. This is from somebody named Mike Foster who is listed as president of Ethur and founder of XXXchurch.com. I'm not familiar with Mike or his organizations, but after reading this, I may investigate further:

I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but it seems that grace, which is Christianity's most core issue, is struggling to survive. It also appears from the findings of people surveyed, that the church has seriously lost its way on this issue. Our culture doesn't look at us as a faith of second chances but rather as a religion of judgment. I had a friend tell me recently that in his opinion, it seems like the teachings of Jesus haven't really rubbed off on his followers. I'm afraid at some level he is right.

Out of all the current negative perceptions of Christians, this one in particular demands our highest priority. Grace is our central issue, and for us to simply ignore this finding will certainly be our unhinging."

The weather continues to be oppressive. My son is camped out on the living room sofa because it's too hot upstairs in his room.

I'm reading two non-fiction books now, but ones where I'm not likely to confuse the content with one another. One is the above-mentioned The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein. The other is No Fear: Ernie Irvan: The NASCAR Driver's Story of Tragedy and Triumph. Both will fit my 1010 challenge; The Monsters will also work for my Books Off the Shelf Challenge.

I'm still tempted to re-read Frankenstien to go with the book about Shelley, but not sure I'm in the right mood.

Delurking to say that I'm following the discussion of "Unchristian" with much interest.

Does Kinnaman talk at all about politicization and how that might be affecting the image of Christianity? I grew up in an evangelical church, and it seemed to me that in the 1980's the church's emphasis shifted almost overnight from saving souls through the love of Christ to saving the nation through the Republican Party. I confess that the church's political partisanship -- which seems to me to be deepening -- affects how I view the faith of my youth.

#124: Great quote, Terri. I am going to have to find a copy of that book.

#126 I grew up in an evangelical church, and it seemed to me that in the 1980's the church's emphasis shifted almost overnight from saving souls through the love of Christ to saving the nation through the Republican Party.

Thanks for de-lurking! Kinnaman has a whole chapter on the perception that Christianity is "too political," and that's exactly the move which seems to have had a big role in creating that perception. There's a sense among many that the church's message has been compromised by church leaders too closely aligning with one party's poltical agenda. (Also, the negative tactics of politics have rubbed off on the church!)

Interestingly enough, Kinnaman also de-bunks the myth that, as individuals, all conservative Christians are Republican -- the statistics really surprised me.

#127 Thanks, Stasia!

Unchristian definitely went onto my wish list. It sounds like a message that really needs to be heard. I especially resonated with the comments above on the political nature of much of Christianity in the US today. That's one of my particular beefs with many churches.

This evening, my dear darling Hubby agreed that we should go out to dinner at a nice AIR CONDITIONED restaurant . . . we tried a new place, and the meal was WONDERFUL from start to finish . . . and reasonably priced, too.

*sigh of contentment*

#130: Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all!

I'm intrigued by UnChristian. It sounds like it's specific enough to the American context that I can tuck it away in the 'sometime' portion of the wishlist without feeling too guilty - although I see some similar trends over here that worry me. If it turns up on the church bookstall, I'll probably buy it.

ETA: ... so thanks for that review. And hooray for nice, comfortable restaurants with good food!

#128: Interesting ... I'd estimate that upwards of 90% of the members of my denomination belong to a single party, and I'd be surprised if it's less than 80% across the evangelical movement.

It's odd how I still think of the denomination as "mine" even though we parted ways long ago. But the fact is, my religious training is mostly a happy memory, and I retain much affection for the church. I'll read UnChristian, and hope it helps correct any misconceptions I've picked up over the years. Thanks for the review!

Interestingly enough, Kinnaman also de-bunks the myth that, as individuals, all conservative Christians are Republican -- the statistics really surprised me.

The more I hear about Unchristian, the more I want to read it asap.

#129 Oops, I almost missed your post, Jim, as I made a post at the same time. I totally agree, and thanks for posting!

#131 Absolutely!

#132 Yes, it is VERY focused on the American context. Thanks for stooping by!

#133 Kinnaman says, ". . . among the evangelical segment, only a slight majority are registered Republicans (59 percent). That's a high proportion but far removed from the monolithic levels one might expect . . ." He does note that party affiliation doesn't always translate directly to candidate choice.

It's worth noting that the statistics are a few years out-of-date (book copyright 2007) so some specifics like this may have changed. I think the essence of Kinnaman's main points are still quite timely.

#134 I do think it's worth reading, if you're interested in the subject!

Just catching up on you thread Terri. Lots of interesting things going on here and I will definitely be adding Unchristian to my teetering tower.

I'm not really a regular chuchgoer right now, but I'm adding Unchristian to the wishlist anyway. It sounds fascinating...

#136 Hi, Bonnie! Thanks for stopping by!

#137 Glad you stopped by, Marcia!

Received my June LT Early Reviewer book, A Little Death in Dixie billed as a Southern Gothic tale of murder. It looks promising!

I still have not received my May book . . .

Book #52:
Title: The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein
Author: Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Genre: non-fiction; biography / literary analysis
Length: 323 pages plus notes, index
Source: Purchased last fall at Ollie's
Dates: started 7/15/10; finished 7/19/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; 1010 Challenge, "Interesting People" category; Books off the Shelf Challenge

This is the story of the famous "ghost story contest" initiated by Lord Byron in the summer of 1816, which resulted in the writing of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. More broadly, it's the story of the people who were gathered together that fateful summer; Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Godwin (Shelley's lover, who would later become Mary Shelley); Mary's step-sister Claire Claremont, who was Byron's lover and had probably also been Percy Shelley's lover; Dr. John Polidori, who would write his own novel as a result of his involvement in the group --The Vampire, which introduced elements that influenced Stoker's Dracula). It also attempts to analyze how the life experiences of the group influenced their writings.

I'm not sure how to rate or review this. My knowledge of the subjects of this book is limited; however, I know just from what I've read on threads here (regarding a Percy Shelley biography) that some of the conclusions the Hooblers have drawn about Mary Shelley's life contradict what others have published. The Hooblers acknowledge that the surviving record allows for various interpretations -- many letters and pages from the journals of Mary Shelley and others have not survived.

I'm not sure how expert their interpretations are of the literature, especially the poetry -- I am not an expert on poetry.

However, it was a pretty good read. These are fascinating people living in a fascinating time, and I thought that the book gave a resonable overview of their lives and influences upon one another.

I'm still waiting for A Little Death in Dixie. It's a good thing when you think it looks promising, you have such good taste!

What is the May book that you are waiting for? I'm waiting for Linda Castillo's book. Darn, I can't think of the title right now. I was awarded her first book and am eager to read the sequal.

*pouts*

Edited to say that it's called Pray for Silence.

Terri: Go here!

Terri, I enjoyed your review of the *Monsters*! I will have to finish my current H-U-G-E bio and read Muriel Spark's before I have an idea about how accurate any of them is.......I'm going to decide that if two agree, that's probably correct based on their research since I haven't a clue myself. I do know that Richard Holmes is a highly respected biographer, and I've enjoyed and respected one other book of his besides this one.
(And have you read God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It by Jim Wallis? It's another one started and put aside because of my randomness not for any fault of its own.)

#139: Adding that one to the BlackHole.

#142: I am stealing the suggestion of God's Politics and adding it to the BlackHole too.

Just throwing in some news I came across this morning : We Have Always Lived in the Castle is now a musical.

144 ?!?!? when, where.. and wow?

The Monsters sound fascinating, but I'm afraid I'd argue with the book. It may be worth checking out...

145

http://www.yalerep.org/on_stage/2009-10/1011season.html

140 Carrie, I'm waiting for the new Castillo book, too! As for A Little Death in Dixie, I am enjoying it. It is not an absolutely can't-put-it-down book, but it's definitely turning into a hard-to-stay-away-from book, if you know what I mean. I keep grabbing it to read a chapter between stuff I have to do. (It has short chapters, which I like when I'm having to read on the run a lot!).

141 Richard, I promise I'll come over to your fine thread and chat as soon as I get the housework done here . . . Should I bring a casserole? Pie? Bottle of wine?

142 I suppose there are some questions that will never be answered definitely regarding what happened among those folks.
I haven't read God's Politics but I have heard a lot about it. Am I correct in recalling that Wallis is the head of Sojourners?

143 Hi, Stasia!

144, 5, 7 Now I've seen everything! Just doesn't strike me as a musical sort of story . . .

146 I'm always arguing with books.

ETA to add #141 Wow, not just an invitation to visit the thread, but to a REAL party! Words fail me!

Yes, Terri, Jim Wallis is the Sojourners man. (He says *gasp* "God isn't a Democrat or a Republican!"

#149 *gasp* God's an independent? ;)

Even worse: he's not registered!

Amazing!

#151: Can He even vote then?

I don't suppose He needs to!

148. I'm glad that you are liking A Little Death in Dixie. It's exciting and a little scary to get a new author to read! I'm going to start it soon. I made the mistake (Is there such a thing?) of reading four books varying in size from 400+ to 1100 pages and then it's summertime busy and I'm in a little reading funk.

It's exciting and a little scary to get a new author to read!

I find Turner's prose pretty straightforward (with an occasional gem of a phrase that makes me smile) and her plot anything but. (I mean that in a good way.) She dishes out pieces of the puzzle in such a way that just when I think I'm getting the picture (or that perhaps she's revealed too much too soon), she throws in something that doesn't seem to fit and I'm back to guessing what's really going on . . . I wish I had more time for reading so I could get to the end and find out! It's a walk on the dark side of Memphis.

I made the mistake (Is there such a thing?) of reading four books varying in size from 400+ to 1100 pages . . .

Yes, there definitely is such a thing! I tried doing the group reads of Moby Dick and Anna Karenina at the same time, while reading Battle Cry of Freedom and somewhere along the line wound up in a reading funk. I finally dropped both classic novels in the middle to find my way out of it with a quick, brain-candy read. (I'll probably finish Moby -- not so sure about Anna. I did finish Battle Cry!)

I finished two of the four books as of last night. I'm still rereading It and Outlander, both are on my favorites list. I am going to take your advice of throwing in some brain candy fluff, just to get the old blood flowing! :)

>156 tymfos:: Oh, oh....please finish Anna Karenina...one of my favorite books by Russian authors. It sounds like you have a little too much of a good thing going there with your group reads. :-) Timing is everything with those heavy books. I remember I had to pause for several weeks in the middle of Middlemarch years ago. I did pick it back up again, but I don't feel I did the book justice. Maybe you should wait for Anna until the time is right (?) for a dense Russian read and then begin afresh.

I am smiling at the discussion of religious books upthread, especially the revelation that God is an independent...and is not registered to vote. :-)

God's not registered and doesn't vote? Surely that means he doesn't get to complain when he doesn't like what the government does!

#157 I believe that especially in summer, brain candy is essential!

#158 I know AK is great literature and that many people love it dearly. I think my problem is that I really don't like ANY of the characters, so that it's hard for me to care what happens to them.

#159 Hmmm......

I wish people would stop mentioning books on my all time fave list.. it is making me feel nostalgic, and I have too many new books to read...

( remembers girl scout song... make new friends, keep the old)

...one is silver and the other's gold...

two sisters

That's a huge problem here, isn't it? Somebody mentions a favorite, and I'm compelled to pick it up and start it again. Usually, I can put it down for a later reread, but sometimes not - and I keep buying new books. Oh well. (*grin*)

#161 Hi, Kath! Nostalgia time, Huh? I remember tht song, but I wasn't a girl scout. . . .

#162 You remember that song, too?

#163 The perils of book addiction!

Book #53:
Title: A Little Death in Dixie
Author: Lisa Turner
Genre: Southern Gothic; mystery/suspense
Length: 288 pages
Source: LT Early Reviewer program
Dates: started 7/20/10; finished 7/24/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge

Welcome to the dark side of Memphis, home of the blues. Some of our players: a young cop, flawed but mostly honest; an Atlanta bakery owner who's come home to Memphis for a visit to her very dysfunctional family; a veteran cop gone over the edge; an alcoholic socialite who is just plain gone. Then there's a powerful man who craves more power -- and to dominate everyone and everything in his path. Throw in alternating doses of power plays, corruption, greed, and decadence, and you have the ingredients for a fine new Southern Gothic novel.

I find Turner's prose pretty straightforward (with an occasional gem of a phrase that makes me smile) and her plot anything but. (I mean that in a good way.) She dishes out pieces of the puzzle in such a way that just when I think I'm getting the picture (or that perhaps she's revealed too much too soon), she throws in something that doesn't seem to fit and I'm back to guessing what's really going on. Then, not too far from the end, she adds one more dreadfully ugly piece that doesn't exactly come out of nowhere, but requires a serious re-visioning of the "big picture."

I enjoyed this novel. I won't say I found it impossible to put down, but I found it very hard to stay away from it for long, even in a very busy week.

#165: That one sounds like one I would enjoy. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Terri!

I think you might, Stasia.

It said in the ER write-up that this is the author's debut novel. I'm pretty impressed.

Glad to know that as a debut novel it is a good one! I will have to check Amazon to see when the book comes out.

Hmmm Southern Gothic mystery suspense....I'm there. Excellent review and onto the list it goes.

>165 tymfos:: Ditto what Stasia said.

Stasia, Bonnie, and Tad: I hope you enjoy it! :)

I guess I'm in a southern mood. I've begun To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm still working on No Fear, my non-fiction book about NASCAR driver Ernie Irvan, who survived a near-fatal crash and serious head injury.

ETA trying to get the blasted touchstones to work

Count me in as a Southern gothic fan, so I'm adding that one to my list also.

#173 Thanks for stopping by! I hope you like the book.

My entire family is in a good mood this evening. The dreadful heat and humidity have abated. After work, we all went for about a five-mile walk along the Allegheny Highlands Trail, a rails-to-trails hiking/biking trail which passes through our area. It was very pleasant, and it felt good to get the exercise!

(But now my feet are a bit sore!)

And then, to top things off, after we got home a kind friend brought us some fresh produce, including some fresh raspberries! Yum!

Oo, I will take some fresh raspberries. Save some for me and when I am up that way, I will pick them up :)

I hope you enjoy To Kill a Mockingbird!

I loved To Kill a Mockingbird. After I read it I couldn't believe that I put it off. Enjoy!

178 I have got to read that sometime.. I have it.. saw the movie.. but..

#177 Sorry, Stasia! I think my husband finished off the raspberries this morning at breakfast. ;) As for the book, so far so good!

#178 Hi, Carrie! I'm enjoying it so far, though just really getting started. I'm also wondering why I've waited this long to read it.

#179 Yeah, I know what you mean, Kath. It has been on my shelf forever -- a paperback edition that must have been published with the movie release -- it has a brief foreword by Gregory Peck! I got it used at a book exchange that has long since gone out of business.

The 50th Anniversary of the book's original publication kind of pushed me to pick it up.

Ack, I'm out of shape! After being a couch potato for most of the year, perhaps a five-mile walk was too ambitious a start to my exercise plan. I am definitely feeling a bit stiff and sore after our long walk yesterday.

*soothing vibes*

Good luck with your exercising. I really need to do some but I keep putting it off.

Yum - raspberries!

Just stopping by to say Hello...

#182 Thanks, Carrie!

#183 Glad you stopped by, Angela!

Book #54:
Title: No Fear: Ernie Irvan the NASCAR driver's Story of Tragedy & Triumph
Author: Ernie Irvan and Peter Golenbock with Debra Hart Nelson
Genre: memoir
Length:203 pages
Source: Public Library
Dates: finished 7/27/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; 1010 Challenge, book #5 in"Start Your Engines" category

This book starts out with a bang -- literally. Imagine driving into a concrete wall at 190 mph (and this in the days before racing safety innovations such as SAFER barriers, HANS devices, etc.). When Ernie Irvan arrived at the hospital after his crash at Michigan International Speedway, he was given only a 10-15% chance of survival -- and, had it not been for perfect care by the track physician, he would not have made it to the hospital alive.

This book grabs the reader's attention by beginning with this most dramatic moment of Irvan's life . . .

read more: http://www.librarything.com/work/8188397/62282981

I think ANY reader would find the account of Irvan's injury and subesequent (almost miraculous) recovery fascinating; probably only NASCAR fans would be interested in some of the ground covered in this book.

I was thinking of you, Terri, the other day when I put together my list of forthcoming cozy mysteries.

One website I use to track down soon-to-be-released mysteries has a "cozies by theme" listing and they've got a NASCAR one. Just a few items though.
http://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/nascar-theme-on-the-cozy-mystery-site.html

Thanks, Linda! I've read the books in the Evanovich race-themed series, and the two NASCAR-themed McCrumb books (which, by the way, aren't really mysteries). But I didn't know about the other series. I will definitely check into that!

ETA to add Oh, there's a new installment of the Evanovich series just out. It's a graphic novel. I don't do them . . . well, maybe this will be my introduction to the format . . .

tymfos, I read the Janet's new graphic novel last night. It was pretty different from the two regular novels. I like graphic novels, but was upset the way she swayed from the originals. I am hoping the next one is better. I wrote a review on it if your are interested.

Book #55:
Title: Cape May Court House
Author: Lawrence Schiller
Genre: non-fiction; real-life legal thriller
Length: 368 pages
Source: Purchased used, summer 2009
Dates: started 7/28/10; finished 7/29/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; 1010 Challenge, book #4 in"20th Century USA" category; Books off the Shelf Challenge

I bought a used copy of this book on impulse last year -- mainly because of the title locale, with which I am somewhat familiar. I found the book very hard to put down once I began reading it. This is the story of an accident (or was it?) that left a woman dead. Citing the Medical Examiner's report, the woman's husband (a respected dentist) sued the Ford Motor Co., claiming that a defective air bag killed his wife. Ford counterd -- with the theory that she was strangled, and the accident was used as a cover up and attempt at profiting by her death.

I can't say that I was especially impressed with how the story was told; but the events themselves kept me reading. I'm sure it took a lot of persistent research to track down all the information which is recounted here. I kind of agreed with the summary a previous owner of the volume scribbled on the inisde back cover: "VG" (presumably, Very Good), "but too long!" I felt there was more detail than necessary for a general reader like myself. However, I imagine readers in the legal profession would be fascinated by all the details recounted. It's amazing to see how much maneuvering can be done when a bunch of lawyers go to work on a high-stakes lawsuit; and how much money goes into fighting on each side.

The story's ending might be a let-down to some readers, simply because in non-fiction you can't tidy up all the loose ends; it is what it is. Sometimes there are no easy answers. But after reading this, I do know that I definitely wouldn't want to go up against a big company in court!

#188 Thanks for your post! I read your review of the Evanovich graphic novel. I think the changes you described would annoy me, too. I'm not sure if I'll even bother trying to get my hands on a copy.

Hey, Terri! Just waving as I try and catch up on threads :)

what stasia said.....

Hi Stasia! Hi Kath!

*waves*

The following pair of books by the same author are so short and "lightweight" that I'm counting them as one item:

Book #56a: Cape May Ghost Stories: Book Two
Book #56B: Atlantic County Ghost Stories

Author: Charles J. Adams, III
Genre: non-fiction; regional folklore/"true" ghost stories
Length: 109 pages, 116 pages
Source: Purchased new at the "Old Salt" shop on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk in Summer, 2009
Dates: started 7/29/10; finished 7/30/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; 1010 Challenge, book #4 in"Scary but True?" category; Books off the Shelf Challenge

These books aren't particularly well-written, and would benefit from some copy editing, as there are a number of grammatical & word usage errors. The format of the first seemed a bit cheesy, though the second looked a little more stylish. Both include photos of many locations, which I enjoyed. Most of the stories aren't particularly scary, though a few were a bit creepy. They are quick, fun reads filled with some regional color and history and a few chills. Having spent time at the Jersey Shore in my youth adds to my enjoyment of these little books.

Charles Adams is a bit of a celebrity around these parts! :)

Ooh, I love regional ghost stories...even if they are poorly written. I saw a new Maine ghost story book at the book shop. As tempting as it was, I couldn't justify spending $16 on a small book right now.

195 Angela, I have a number of his books. I do wish they would proof-read a bit better before publishing -- but that problem is rampant throughout the publishing world. I do respect that he seems rather careful about what stories he puts in print.

196 I am a collector of these kinds of books -- I have a whole "paranormal collection" in my library, with more than one shelf jammed full of regional ghost stories. I try to buy at least one wherever I travel. But they can be a bit pricey!

Hey there Terri;
Hope all is well with you and yours.
So ghosty stories right now, eh? Sounds like a nice respite from some of the heavier stuff. I hope you are having a great reading year. I have read some great books this year, just not so many as last. But that's all right. There are bound to be those years.
You take care and I will "see" you again.
hugs,
belva

#194: I believe I will be skipping those. Ghosts are not my thing :)

I do love ghost stories.. I have read many of those spooky little local dodads...

I love ghost stories especially regional stories!

#198 Hey, Belva dear,
So glad you dropped by! Yes, the ghosties are a nice little treat to read. It has been a wonderful reading year for me, despite the occasional "book funk" -- those have been mercifully brief.
You take care, too, and "see" you around!

#199 I didn't think these would be your type, Stasia!

#200 spooky little local dodads
Great phrase! And I love 'em, too, and read my share.

#201 I love the glimpses of regional history that come with the background stories of the ghosts in these kinds of books! (And a good scare is nice, too!)

This is two evenings in a row that I hit the end of the evening battling a dose of melancholy. Not sure why last night. Tonight, dealing with the emotional fallout of an unpleasant church meeting . . . well, it started out OK, but got a bit dicey near the end . . .

*deep sigh*

ETA to add No time for reading today. Maybe that's part of the problem.

I think I need a dose of Anne Lamott!

*puts up sign: GONE READING!

I like that.

I hope the 'Gone Reading' helps get rid of the melancholy, Terri.

Dear Terri, just what Stasia said!

Thanks, Belva, Stasia, and Peggy!

I just returned from a trip to the Emergency Room. NOTHING SERIOUS, folks. Honest!

Indeed, I probably wouldn't have gone, but I had some sudden symptoms and called the Nurse Line our medical insurance carrier has, and she said I really should be seen within 6 hours -- this at 11:30 p.m. (Why six hours, not one or eight?) Nowhere else to go in that timeframe around here except the ER. Complete waste of time and medical resources. I am fine, just overtired, over-stressed, and lacking in self-care.

I'm taking an LT break for a while, I think -- or at least seriously cutting back for a while in following the threads. Some rather judgmental comments about parenting today were not what I needed in the state that I'm in right now.

I absolutely REFUSE to feel guilty that I'm going to let the grandparents take care of my son for a few days next week to give me a break. I love the kid dearly, but I won't do him any favors by wearing myself out and becoming useless.

ETA TO ADD
Sorry so crabby in this post. Being over-sensitive. Just a BAD DAY.

#208: Terri, I hope you get the rest you need. We will still be here when you get back.

((Hugs))

Yes, get some rest if you can and be easy on yourself! And your son's grandparents will LOVE taking care of your son. So, completely a "win/win" situation. See you when you get back.

Karen O.

You've got to take care of yourself. Letting the grandparents take care of your son while you take care of yourself is OK...no guilt!!

Sending happy thoughts your way...

I absolutely REFUSE to feel guilty that I'm going to let the grandparents take care of my son for a few days next week to give me a break.

There is no reason whatsoever for you to feel guilty! Your son will enjoy the attention and the change in faces, the grandparents will enjoy some one-on-one time with the little man, and you'll enjoy some (*gasp!*) adult time. Being a good parent does not mean your entire waking moment needs to be dedicated to taking care of your child personally, as long as you have arranged responsible and attentive care (which I'm sure the grandparents will be).

Too many parents seek validation in parental martyrdom these days.

Thanks everyone.

I WAS in a rotten mood when I wrote that last post. I'm fine now. Really.
I need to just learn to chill.
And my son is looking forward to time with Grammie and Papa!

***"GONE READING"*** (again . . .)

212- Very true, Luxx!

213- Glad you're feeling better. :)

Dear Terri, do you need chill lessons? I could probably give you some long distance ones if you really need them.......... (I'm glad you're feeling better too.)

>212 London_StJ: Well said Luxx. Really Terri, take care of yourself. Where will your little guy be if you get really sick by stressing yourself out? You deserve a break and probably so does your child.

Oof....I lost your thread for a bit, Terri ... and having to plow through 125 posts is rather daunting. I'm going to start anew here .... *waves hello*

Glad to hear you're doing ok, Terri.

I think we all just need to step away for awhile, at times.

Thinking of you!

I'll be popping in to list the books I read, but I'm not going to have time to keep up with everything on the threads for a while. Thanks for the kind words, everyone!!!!!

Book #57:
Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Length: 283 pages
Source: paperback book exchange, ages ago
Dates: finished 8/6/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge, books off the shelf challenge

Why did I wait so long to read this book???? (I think I've seen others make this same comment.) Excellent read!

Okey-doke...I'll just pop in with some more kind words. I hope you're enjoying your retreat, and I'm glad you're doing some excellent reading. To Kill a Mockingbird tops my list of all-time favorites!

#220: I was one of the people who said 'Why did I wait so long?' I am glad you liked To Kill a Mockingbird, Terri.

Well, I've snagged another ER book from LT: When Doctors Kill: Who, Why and How, by Joshua A. Perper. That should be interesting!

I've started Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion by Gene Salecker as my non-fiction book; and A Test of Wills, the first Ian Rutledge mystery by Charles Todd, for my current fiction read. Both are very good so far!

#223: I am getting When Doctors Kill too, Terri. We may be the only 2 in the group not getting the Louise Penny book, though.

I was disappointed to not get the Penny book, but this one sounds interesting.

I visited a used bookstore today, and purchased two books: Gilead, which was at the very top of my wishlist; and Anne Lamott's Crooked Little Heart.

Book #58:
Title: A Test of Wills
Author: Charles Todd
Genre: mystery, historical fiction, fiction, post-WWI, England
Length: 304 pages
Source: public library
Dates: started 8/6/10; finished 8/9/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge

I think I've found another series that I'm going to have to follow! It took me a few chapters to get to know Inspector Ian Rutledge and warm up to him, but now I'm a fan. This book was gripping, intense, well-crafted, infused with atmosphere. If I hadn't been so busy this weekend, I would have finished it even sooner!

#226: That is one that has been sitting on my night stand for a while now. I will get to it. . . eventually :)

Stasia, it is worth getting to!

I read A Test of Wills about 10 years ago and loved it. Not sure why I never went any further with these. I probably forgot about them.

At the time, I think I was ticked off that the author presented the books as written only by himself while he actually collaborated with his mother on them. Back then, when I was a frequent mystery fiction conference attendee, this was quite the outrage.

HUGS to you!

#228: Well, I know for sure it will not be this month (too many TIOLI books, lol)

#229 Nowadays, the books are always described as written by a "mother and son" team.

#230 Hugs right back!

#231 Well, it will still be there whenever you have time . . . (that's why I like real books better than e-books that can expire, or become obsolete. etc.)

Hmmm.... I had to go read some reviews of the Ian Rutledge series and *sigh* ... that's another series I think I'm going to like ....so Test of Wills is off to my obese wish list.

Book #59:
Title: Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, April 27, 1865
Author: Gene Eric Salecker
Genre: non-fiction
Length: 215 pages plus extensive appendix & notes
Source: purchased Frogtown Books, Toledo OH, August 2009
Dates: finished 8/10/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge; Books off the Shelf Challenge; 1010 Challenge, Civil War category.

The explosion of the steamship Sultana (croweded with newly-released Civil War POW's) in April 1865 killed more people than the sinking of the Titanic -- yet few people are familar with this. Why? Salecker deals with this question, and many others, as he presents a detailed account of the chaotic events leading up to, during, and after the terrible tragedy.

I admire Salecker the tremendous amount of research he must have done to compile this -- especially Appendix B, which lists (as best possible) those aboard the Sultana. There is no single reliable source for names of those on the ill-fated steamer.

Salecker is not a "great writer," but competently chronicles the complex chain of events regarding the Sultana tragedy. I found this account, filled with direct quotes from survivors, strangely compelling.

Hey, Terri.....nothing to say except that I hope you're enjoying reading books rather than threads. Sort of looks like it!
I didn't know anything about the Sultana and probably won't, but if I should ever run into the book, I'll grab it.

Yes, more reading of books and less reading of threads . . . though I still lurk a bit . . .

I've been fortunate in my current/recent reads!

#234: I have had that one in the BlackHole for a while now. I need to get my hands on a copy. Thanks for the reminder, Terri!

#236: You are always invited to lurk on my thread.

I will have to add that to the neverending wishlist.

*waves at Stasia and Carrie*

Book #60:
Title: Gilead
Author: Marilynne Robinson
Length: 245 pages
Source: purchased this week at used bookstore
Dates: started 8/10/10; finished 8/12/10
Challenges: 75 Challenge

I had added this to my list a while back, and can't remember who first brought it to my attention (sorry!) but a recent review on Tui's thread pushed it to the top of my list. How fortunate to stumble on it this week in a used bookstore!

I lack the time and words to do it justice right now as I post. But this gentle letter by an elderly minister (who knows he's in his final days) to his young son was just the perfect read for me right now.

#239: I just picked that one up at the library the other day. I will have to get to it soon. I am glad it was a perfect read for you right now, Terri.

Wow, what a recommendation!

I am trying to catch up a little with some threads.

I had a wonderful two days and nights with my husband at our favorite Adirondack hideaway while my lovely in-laws watched our son. It was a wonderful, refreshing, peaceful time of rest and relaxation -- mentally, physically, spiritually. And I got some wonderful reading done, relaxing in a rocking chair on the porch overlooking the lake . . . wonderful weather . . . divine food in the inn's dining room . . . a drink in the cozy tavern . . .

Limited internet access (a shared "public computer" for all the guests in the lobby) was not such a bad thing . . .enough to post my books and sort of keep up with my thread, but not enough to distract me too much from the RL delights around me.

We all had a great time -- including our son, who adores his grandparents and loves spending time with them. (Even a trip to Home Depot or the farm market is a fun outing if it is with Grandpa!)

More thoughts on Gilead: it made me think of the quality of memory -- how one thought leads to another . . . how sometimes we have a memory of something one way, when we know (intellectually) that it can't be quite how it happened. . .

Also how we struggle to do the right thing . . . sometimes we have blind spots, can't see how inconsistent we are . . . or we see it and can't seem to fix it.

I love this quotation:

. . .I've developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by far, than I learned anything useful from, except, of course, that some very tedious gentlemen have written books. This is not a new insight, but the truth of it is something you have to experience to fully grasp.

Thank God for them all, of course, and for that strange interval, which was most of my life, when I read out of loneliness, and when bad company was much better than no company. You can love a bad book for its haplessness or pomposity or gall, if you have that starveling appetite for things human . . ."

#242: Sounds like everyone is enjoying themselves. I am glad you are enjoying your break!

Well, our little hideaway was nice while it lasted, but also nice to be back with my son again. I'm told he behaved very well, and he says he had a great time, which I don't doubt.

(Nice to be back with my computer again, too . . . though I'm still trying to use it rather lightly . . .)

Hmmm....

Friday the 13th.

Piles of dirty laundry.

Computer is acting up. Grrrrrr!

My Adirondack retreat is definitely over . . .

Dear Terri, isn't it a blessing to be able to get away from real life for a short break - and then back into it, dirty laundry and all! I don't get to travel a lot, but I am also a swinger of birches (for you Frost fans)!
Glad you had a great time! Glad you're back!
(I was born on a Friday 13th - as was my father - so we'll always considered them to be pretty lucky days.)

Awww...don't you HATE coming back to reality?! Glad you had a nice time. I'm doing more reading of books rather than threads as well - trying for more balance. :)

>243 tymfos:: Terri, that lovely quote from Gilead reminded me of why I loved that book so much. It's in my Top Ten of all-time favorites for sure.

I'm glad everyone had a good time. Aren't grandparents wonderful. LOL!

Hi Terri, so glad you had a nice get-a-way with your hubby. I hope you're feeling refreshed and renewed.

Very refreshed, thank you all! But my computer is cranky. (Maybe it needed more down-time!)

I think I shall not get much LT-ing done if it's going to be like this.

Maybe your computer has just decided it does not want to work weekends. I cannot blame it, neither do I!

My computer and I are back online.

After I collected my son, and cleaned my dirty laundry, we set out on our family vacation.

So my family and computer and I have had a break for a while.

I have done some basic computer maintenance and it is running a little more smoothly. (The computer, I mean.)

This thread has surpassed the 250 message mark, so before the "thread police" come to protest . . .

NEW THREAD!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/97045