Crazymamie's 75 in 2012 (Page 6)

And I think to myself....what a wonderful world.



Birdy

Currently Reading


June Possibilities:

Group Reads
River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh (#8/shared read)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (#1/shared read) COMPLETED
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (#5/shared read) COMPLETED

TIOLI Candidates
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (#6) COMPLETED
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (#7/shared read)
The Narrows by Michael Connelly (#8)
No Longer At Ease by Chinua Achebe (#13)
Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (#2) COMPLETED
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan (#13)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (#17) COMPLETED

ETC.
In the Heat of the Night by John Ball (#23) COMPLETED
The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler - This book is MIA, I think my nephew has it...
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells COMPLETED

Hey, Wait a Minute...This Wasn't on the List
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (#1) COMPLETED
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (#23) COMPLETED
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett COMPLETED
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson COMPLETED
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

Simmering on the Back Burner - Books Begun but not Yet Done
Cup of Gold - John Steinbeck (#23)
Lady Sings the Blues - Billie Holiday

Abandoned
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

January
1. The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes (4 stars)
2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor (4 stars)
3. 11/22/63 - Stephen King (5 stars)
4. A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane (4 stars)
5. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (4 stars)
6. Cannery Row - John Steinbeck (4.5 stars)

February
7. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien (5 stars)
8. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway (audiobook) (4 stars)
9. The Woman in Black - Susan Hill (4.5 stars)
10. City of Bones - Michael Connelly (4 stars)
11. Behind the Beautiful Forevers - Katherine Boo (4.5 stars)
12. Mockingbird - Kathryn Erskine (5 stars)
13. The Wayward Bus - John Steinbeck (4 stars)
14. Pronto - Elmore Leonard (4 stars)
15. The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey (4 stars)
16. Riding the Rap - Elmore Leonard (3.5 stars)
17. The Two Towers - J. R. R. Tolkien (5 stars)
18. Once There was a War - John Steinbeck (4.5 stars)
19. The Coroner's Lunch - Colin Cotterill (4 stars)
20. Below Stairs - Margaret Powell (3.5 stars)
21. 84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff (5 stars)

March
22. Blood Red Road - Moira Young (4 stars)
23. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde (3.5 stars)
24. Thirty-Three Teeth - Colin Cotterill (4 stars)
25. King Soloman's Mines - Henry Rider Haggard (4 stars)
26. Still Life - Louise Penny (4 stars)
27. By the Iowa Sea - Joe Blair (4 stars)
28. A Share in Death - Deborah Crombie (3.5 stars)
29. A Severed Head - Iris Murdoch (4 stars)
30. The Return of the King - J. R. R. Tolkien (5 stars)
31. The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck (4 stars)
32. Don't Look Back - Karin Fossum (3.5 stars)
33. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith (4.25 stars)
34. Disco for the Departed - Colin Cotterill (3.5 stars)

April
35. The Moon is Down - John Steinbeck (4 stars)
36. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley (audiobook) (4 stars)
37. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe (4.5 stars)
38. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken (4 stars)
39. Blacklands - Belinda Bauer (4 stars)
40. Chess Story - Stefan Zweig (4.5 stars)
41. Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh (4.25 stars)
42. Julie of the Wolves - Jean Craighead George (3.5 stars)
43. All Shall Be Well - Deborah Crombie (4 stars)
44. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green (4.5 stars)
45. Rules - Cynthia Lord (4 stars)
46. Darkness, Take My Hand - Dennis Lehane (4 stars)
47. The Shape of Water - Andrea Camilleri (4 stars)
48. Cinder - Melissa Meyer (4 stars)
49. Binocular Vision - Edith Pearlman (4.5 stars)
50. The Wrestling Match - Buchi Emecheta (2.5 stars)

May
51. The Redeemer - Jo Nesbo (4.5 stars)
52. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming (3.5 stars)
53. If Death Ever Slept - Rex Stout (4 stars)
54. Persuasion - Jane Austen (4.5 stars)
55. Lost Light - Michael Connelly (4 stars)
56. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (4.5 stars)

JUNE
57. In the Heat of the Night by John Ball (4 stars)
58. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (4.5 stars)
59. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (4 stars)
60. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (5 stars)
61. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (4 stars)
62. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (4.5 stars)
63. Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (4.5 stars)
64. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (4 stars)
65. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (4.5 stars)
66. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (4 stars)
67. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (4.25stars)

An idea stolen from Heather (souloftherose), who borrowed it from Liz (lyzard): ongoing series that I am actively reading. This doesn't include series where I have the first book in my TBR pile (i.e. series I haven't started reading yet aren't included). An asterisk indicates a series where I already have a copy of the next book.

*African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe: Next Up: No Longer at Ease (2/3)

*Charley Davidson by Darynda Jones: Next Up: Third Grave Dead Ahead (3/3)

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache by Louise Penny: Next Up: A Fatal Grace (2/8)

*Commissario Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri: Next Up: The Terra- Cotta Dog (2/14)

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: Next Up: Days of Blood and Starlight (2/3)

*Divergent by Veronica Roth: Next Up: Insurgent (2/3)

*Dr. Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill: Next up: Curse of the Pogo Stick (5/8)

Duncan Kincaid/ Gemma James by Deborah Crombie:Next Up: Leave the Grass Green (3/14)

Dust Lands by Moira Young: Next Up: Rebel Heart (2/3)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan: Next Up: The Dead tossed Waves (2/3)

*Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly: Next Up: The Narrows (10/18)

*Harry Hole by Jo Nesbo: Next Up: The Snowman (7/9)

*The Ibis Trilogy by Amitav Ghosh: Next Up: River of Smoke (2/3)

*Inspector Sejer by Karin Fossum: Next Up: He Who Fears the Wolf (2/9)

*James Bond by Ian Fleming: Next Up: Live and Let Die (2/14)

*Kenzie and Gennaro by Dennis Lehane: Next Up: Sacred (3/6)

*Lady Julia Gray by Deanna Raybourn: Next Up: The Dark Enquiry (5/5)

*Matched by Ally Condie: Next Up: Crossed (2/3)

*Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larrson: Next Up: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (3/3)

*Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler: Next Up: The Little Sister (5/8)

Raylan Givens by Elmore Leonard: Next Up: Raylan (3/3)

*Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris: Next Up: Dead in the Family (9/12)

Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs: Next Up: Grave Secrets (5/15)

Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall: Next Up: The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing (2/3)

*Wine Country Mysteries by Ellen Crosby: Next Up: The Chardonnay Charade (2/6)

*Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel: Next up: Bring Up the Bodies (2/3)

Just one more. Next one is yours!

Yayyyyyy!!! I'm first!! This one is mine! All mine! Precious....

Starred! Great looking thread you have here ... my angel here pales in comparison to yours :)

Prue - You are the winner winner chicken dinner! Thanks for stopping by.

Kath - So Sweet! I thought Birdy deserved the top spot.

What a year of reading you're having, Mamie! Lots of ones I've loved there. Nice to see Julie of the Wolves. My mom and I both loved that one.

Well, she is clearly going to do something stupendous someday....all you have to do is wait patiently.
( And teach her how to drive *shudder*)

I'm going to have to get going with this on-going series bit - I have so many going and I never know where I am...... I bought the wrong book (book 3 of a different series) the other day which was REALLY annoying...... but all because it is so chaotic. I guess I could start by sequestering them in my TBR shelves..... oh I am so afraid for myself... of myself..... tra la.

Joe - great to see you here!

Kath - I quite agree!Um...YIKES to the driving part.

Lucy - Yes, an on-going series list for you. I would love to see that. Lots of new finds for me in there I would bet! That's why I did it - I was having trouble keeping track of where I was with each series, and when you look in the bookstores, they don't always indicate which order go in. Why not, I wonder. Anyway, I wanted a quick reference that I could update easily as I went along. Lucy, you NEED one...

Oops, didnt notice the thread had moved until after I posted at the bottom of the last one -- so I'll repeat here.

Peanut sate is a thick, spicy sauce made primarily from ground peanuts (most cooks use peanut better as the base) which is common in Indonesian, Malayasian, etc. cooking. It's also common in the Netherlands (Indonesia was a Dutch colony) where I loved to adore it. It's commonly eaten over skewered, grilled chicken or beef but in Holland they use crusty bread to "sop" up the remains when the meat is gone and that's the very best part imho.

Reba - Thanks! That is so funny because I just copied your post to put it over here, and when I got back here you had already done it!! Good show!

Thanks for that information because inquiring minds wanted to know.

Hi Mamie, just came to claim a corner to nestle in and enjoy your thread. Thanks to Chautauquan for explaining the delights of sate. My favorite place that I had a sate was the Dutch side of St. Martins in the Caribbean. I think I first tasted it at Expo 86, the world's fair held in Vancouver. Trust me it's yummy, and now I am firmly convinced that peanut butter goes with everything!

Can I just say how impressed I am with the four books you're currently reading!

Love that picture of Birdy. Just think of the story she'll have to tell to her children...and grandchildren! How goes the house repair?

Mamie, that is a good reminder about the series you are working on. I tend to read several in a series and then let it languish to the point that it's almost like starting over. I need a personal book organizer!

Hi Mamie! Happy New Thread! That's a good looking girl you've got up there, and a great picture too. I agree with Judy, you've got an impressive lineup going right now! I missed a lot on the last thread, including your review of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which is one of my all-time favourites. I read the English version with that gorgeous cover, and only AFTERwards found out it had been originally written in French. Since I intended to re-read it anyway, I went out and got what I think is a collector's edition of the original with a really pretty cloth sleeve which I look forward to getting to. All this to say I'll have to go back and catch up on the highlights I missed on your last thread.

Hi, Judy! Now that I know what it is, I really want to try the sate - it sounds delicious! Can I just say how thrilled I am that you are impressed with my current reading!! Thanks, Judy

Donna - Birdy was excited to see her photo at the top of the thread. The house repair is going well. We are ready for drywall on the inside and new siding on the outside. They are coming at ten tomorrow to work on it some more. Still waiting to hear about the roof repair - I think they are waiting on the particular color of shingle that we have. Craig is home for the weekend, which is just so wonderful. He has already puttered in the yard which makes him happy. He could not believe they had already cut up and hauled away the two trees and cleaned up all the debris inside and out of the house. If you didn't know what had happened, you would never guess! I should post a new pic so you guys can see.

I love the series list because now it is always at the tips of my fingers.

Ilana - So wonderful of you to stop in! Your copy of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress sounds lovely. That is one of those books that you can read over again every few years - I love doing that with my favorite books! I am SOOOO behind with my reviews - I really just need to sit down and crank them out. I was working on my review for Of Mice and Men when the tree fell, so needless to say, it didn't get finished yet. Tonight. I will finish it tonight while Craig is working on his paperwork.

House Update:

And for those of you animal lovers, I tried to photograph the Momma and twin baby fawns that were in our yard the other day - not great pics, but I'll share them anyway.

Okay, these are better - my son took them.

Mamie - at this rate you'll soon be climbing the posting podium! What a wonderful addition to the group your thread is alays lively, full of warmth, wit and real life - a real pleasure and privilege to be aboard again.
Great photos too but what is Menards?
Sate and it accompaniments including peanut sauce is a street staple here in KL and I probably nosh it down every two weeks or so. (I'll get some tonight now for sure!) Have a lovely weekend and I hope that the house gets quickly settled so that you can get smoothly re-settled.

BAMBIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! Say a bit FAT thank you to your son for me, will you? I'm SO moving out to the suburbs/country someday!*

* I would have died a few years ago if I'd thought I would ever say that someday, especially the suburbs part, city dweller that I am.

Paul - Thanks, you sweet talker, you! (But seriously, thank you for your always kind thoughts and comments) Menards is a large home improvement store - it's a national chain of stores that carries everything from lumber to plumbing supplies to light fixtures. So that is the Menards brand of house wrap that you're seeing. Our house had Hardi Board siding, so they had to remove the siding to the seam, which is why it looks like they removed more than they needed to.

I cannot wait to try sate!!

Ilana - They are cute, aren't they?!

wow your repairs are moving quickly eh! That's great!

Awww to the bambi twins. So cute!

So far, so good with the repairs - everybody has been so great! We are loving the twins, too. They love to hang out at the swing set for some reason - maybe because it is soft with all that recycled tire.

OH.
MY.
GOD
!!!!!

I saw those repair photos up there, so thought I should really get myself over to thread #5 to see what I'd missed and.... SERIOUSLY?!? I'm so so so sorry I wasn't here when it happened to offer... well what? I'm not sure, but to say something helpful at least. But seems you guys were all born under a lucky star, including that frog (now if THAT isn't a good omen, I don't know what is). The whole thing, your daughter right in the middle of it all unscathed... it just sounds like one of those things you see in movies!

So I was reading from the top all the posts I'd missed, and I really chuckled at the story of the sprinkler in the kitchen and how your husband reacted when you arrived, and then the bacon and jelly sandwiches and YUCK! Almost lost my dinner... (although I was going to outdo you and tell you about a phase I had in my late teens when I kept having cravings for sardines and cottage cheese edit: eaten together in the same bowl, I should add. Everyone in the family thought it was the most disgusting thing ever, but I thought it was delicious. My body was obviously needing calcium!) and then... BAM! That tree! Wow. Life sure ain't borin'. But I also want to hire you as my manager. You so totally rock. Snap snap snap, and everything falls into place. I want to be born all over again and have a mum like you, can you make THAT happen? ;-)

Good house news, wonderful news, really!

Fantastic, fabulous,gorgeous and sweet pics of the teensy
Baby twins. Well done, and many thanks :) good news and cute babies for my good night post :)

Hugs

Mamie - i cannot DHL you the sate or, believe me, I would!

The fawns are so dear! Great photos of them.

Glad to see the house repair moving so fast.

Those are such cute pictures! :)

Paul, if you could DHL the sate sauce I'd be begging for some too. I LOVE that stuff!! Addiction came from time in the Netherlands but I also have a great memory of sitting in a park in Singapore at a picnic-type table under a roof eating wonderful sate --- oh YUM!

That's a lovely picture of Birdy at the top of the thread.

And the deer! So cute. Good to hear the repairs are coming along so fast.

I have Sea of Poppies on my list, which I'd better get around to if the sequel is out already!

I smell bacon.

Morning Mamie- Love the new thread! It perfectly reflects your sunny disposition. Gorgeous photo of your daughter. What a sweetheart!
Glad the repairs are moving right along. I like the deer pix. Funny, at 1st glance I thought the top one was a kangaroo. And thought, yes Mamie does live in a magical place. LOL.

>35 RebaRelishesReading: I think I ate under that same tent!

Great pictures!! Thanks so much for sharing and I am glad the house is healing. WOW!

37: Crap, now I want bacon again! ;)

Ilana - You are so very dear! Your post made me smile, then laugh, then you touched my heart. Thank you for that. I do not think I could do the cottage cheese and sardines, although I do love cottage cheese - sardines, not so much. I would love for you to be born all over again and be my daughter, you are so talented and clever and sensitive to things around you. And I LOVE being a mom - best job in the world! But as that is not within my power, we will just have to be very good friends. Thanks for taking the time to read through the last thread - it was so very sweet and thoughtful of you to do that. And you're so right - life sure ain't borin'.

Kath - Glad you could absorb some cuteness before bedtime - you had quite a bit of cuteness on your thread, too with that photo of Oliver and Owen!

Paul - What is DHL? I don't know what it is and yet I'm sad that you can't do it. I guess this means I have to get the sate myself?!

Lucy - My son took the best photos - we are enjoying watching them grow and get sturdier on their feet. And yes, the house is coming right along, thank goodness.

Rachel - Thanks!

Reba - You are making me really want this sate! And I would love to enjoy it in the same locations that you have!!!

Susan - Thank you! And yes, get to Sea of Poppies - it's really good. The sequel is also very good so far.

Kath - You are a trouble maker!! Luckily for you, I ADORE trouble makers! Now you have brought the bacon over to this thread!!

Mark - Thank you so much for your kind words. A kangaroo? That would definitely be something to take pictures of! Our back yard is wonderful, but not quite magical enough to pull that off!

Lucy - Where haven't you been?

Kim - You made it to my thread!! I am just so thrilled! Welcome!

Chelle - Sorry. The risk you take coming over here, especially if Kath has been here before you! How goes the wedding plans?

I have to agree with comments made above. You are an inspiration!

Beautiful photos of the deer and your daughter. I can see a similarity between your daughter and you in your wedding photo on a previous thread.

Peanut Sate is delicious. My husband makes it but insists Five Alive juice is an essential and traditional ingredient which doesn't seem likely to me.

I've always thought DHL stood for Home Delivery Network but that actually doesn't fit at all- something like that anyway!

Dewey, Huey and Louie?

I am pleased to be marked as a trouble maker. Makes me feel younger. LOL

DHL is a global delivery service, similar to UPS or FedEx; I think it operates in more countries than either of those two, though.

We had chicken sate served at our wedding - it's one of my favorite things in the world and our menu was just a random assortment of stuff the hubby and I like, so we had sate, a mashed potato bar, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, chicken fingers, caprese salad "lollipops", etc.

And booze :-)

Dee - Thank you so much for your wonderfully kind words. Birdy and my son do indeed look more like my side of the family. Rae, our oldest is really a mix of our families, and Abby, my middle daughter looks like Craig's sisters although she has my grey eyes. I am laughing about your husband insisting that Five Alive is a traditional ingredient!

Kath - I am a trouble maker myself so that was indeed a compliment! LOL at Dewey, Huey, and Louie.

Katie - Thanks for clearing that up. Your wedding food sounds delicious - it has me drooling just thinking about it. Now I want chicken sate, mashed potato bar, and crab cakes....and booze!! Seriously...I WANT that!

I thought I might actually post a book review. The number sequence will be out of order because two of the books that I read earlier in the month I never posted a review for, so I want to go back and write those first and then continue forward with where I had left off.



Book #58: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

I just love this book. Over the years I have read it again and again, and each time I feel as if I come away with something different. The disillusionment is what got me this time. George wants so badly to be able to make everything right for Lenny; he wants him to have the dream that he, George, paints with words for him. And yet, George understands deep down that they will never make it to that dream. Still, he refuses to just give up. Like many of Steinbeck's characters, George is powerless to effect the change that he wants; he cannot change their circumstances. And yet he does not give into despair; every day he gets up and once again applies himself to creating and maintaining a rhythm for Lenny. He reminds Lenny that life is fragile while also accepting and acknowledging that Lenny, too, is fragile - he has the mind of a young boy trapped within the body of a grown man whose strength is his biggest weakness. This cannot end any other way than badly - we know it, and George knows it.

"George's voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. 'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.'
Lennie was delighted. 'That's it---that's it. Now tell how it is with us.'
George went on. 'With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit on no bar room blown' in our jack jus' because we got no other place to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.'
Lennie broke in. 'But not us! An' why? Because ...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.' He laughed delightedly.'Go on now, George!'
'You got it by heart. you can do it yourself.'
'No, you. I forget some a' the things. Tell about how it's gonna be.'
'O.K. Someday--we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and--'
'An' live off the fatta the lan', Lennie shouted. 'An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George.'"

Mamie - love the deer.

I know chicken sate by a different spelling - chicken satay- which I why I didn't recognize it when I saw it.
Delicious!

Hi Cathy! Apparently I am the only one who hasn't had it...hmmm. Must correct this soon!

Mamie, love the photos of Birdy and and the dear deer! And a nice Mice review. ;)

Glad to see progress with your home repairs. I imagine this whole business puts those fingerprints on the dishwasher into perspective! What did your realtor have to say when informed about the tree falling into your house? I sure hope this doesn't delay the sale process for too long.

Best wishes with the continuing repairs.

Terri - Your alliteration and assonance are in rare form! Too true about the fingerprints on the dishwasher! My realtor has been in Alaska on vacation since June 9th! She will be back this weekend, I think. The lady at the office, who is very nice, was shocked, and so sweet as she asked about the children first. She said just to let her know when we were ready to start scheduling showings again. Hopefully, we won't be more than two weeks off the market - we'll see. Thanks for your good wishes.

#1 Ahh, Mamie that's a lovely photo. I'm so pleased to see a picture of the plucky girl herself.

#2 I like your headings in your list of June possibilities: "Hey, Wait a Minute...This Wasn't on the List" especially :-)

Glad to hear Craig came back home for the weekend and what a difference the clean-up guys have made already.

#22-23 In your yard - wow! We can often see deer in the forest near where we live although I think they must be different kinds - the young ones don't have that dappled effect on their backs (always makes me think of Bambi).

Are my eyes deceiving me or is that really a review? Yah! Great review too! It's such a fantastic book.

OK -- inquiring minds and all that so I had to Google it -- Founded in San Francisco more than 40 years ago by 3 budding entrepreneurs - Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn so I guess D=Dalsey, H=Hillblom and L=Lynn -- but what is Five Alive?

Heather - Thanks. Birdy is an old soul in a young body. She is plucky - and witty, and funny, and irreverent in a good way. She has her own way of looking at the world which, when she was little, made me feel as if I were chauffeuring a tiny senior citizen around. She rises with the sun, and chatters from the moment she is awake until the moment she falls asleep; she is almost always cheerful. This is why we call her Birdy - her actual name (her paper name as she calls it) is Sara. She would like to be a dentist so that she can earn money while talking and always have a captive audience!

Mark - Who da thunk it, right? An actual review - a rare sighting these days on my thread. I NEED to get caught up.

Reba - You are a font of information. You can be the technical advisor and chief research assistant for this thread any time!! Thank you once again for providing additional information in direct response to our inquiries!!

What lovely, lovely photos, all made me smile!

Your description of Sara/Birdy resonates with me. My nine year old grand daughter was born smiling and born a wise, wise soul.

Thank you, Linda! You always say the nicest things! Some people just have old souls right from the start, don't you think?

Book #59: The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

This book was originally published in 1895, and, pardon the pun, it stands the test of time. Although the writing style is one you will recognize if you have read anything by say, Henry Rider Haggard or Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first person narration of the story still is adequate enough to pull you in and gives it the feel of an adventure being told to you orally.

The first two chapters set up the story that is to be told by the Time Traveler, a scientist who has built a time machine capable of traveling into the future and back again. By chapter three, the Time Traveler is relating his tale of traveling a great distance into the future and finding that humanity has become two distinct species - one, the Eloi dwell above ground and are happy if not overly intelligent beings. The other species, the Morlocks, dwells below ground and represent a sinister working class. Excited by his success in time travel, the Traveler leaves behind his time machine to explore the new world before him only to find upon his return that his machine is nowhere in sight. Suspecting foul play, the Traveler realizes that it is very likely that he will have to venture into the underground world in order to retrieve his invention and travel back home.

This story is cleverly told, but fell just a bit flat for me. I loved the vision that Wells shared in his futuristic tale, but wanted the Time Traveler to be smarter. Still, often people who are gifted in one area are lacking in another. I wanted a man who was intelligent enough to build a machine capable of traveling into the future to also be capable of forward thinking. He should realize that if he intends to travel into the future, he should pack provisions and think through some contingency plans before actually taking off. However, I could also see the mad scientist type who got caught up in the linear thought progression of time travel without stopping to think about practical matters.

I think this book was perhaps supposed to be more of a study in societal development than a sci-fi tale, but it provides both and is worth the time it takes to explore it. I loved the museums that the Time Traveler encounters and was impressed by Wells ability to tell a story that can still stand up today, more than a century after he wrote it.

"And you cannot move at all in Time, you cannot get away from the present moment."
"My dear sir, that is just where you are wrong. That is just where the whole world has gone wrong. We are always getting away from the present moment. Our mental existences, which are immaterial and have no dimensions, are passing along the Time-Dimension with a uniform velocity from the cradle to the grave. Just as we should travel down if we began our existence fifty miles above the earth's surface."

Ah shucks -- sure, I'm always up for a trip to Google :-)

Reba and Katie have explained DHL perfectly for you Mamie whilst I was busy sleeping. They have the largest slice of th international courier business over here.

You know, Mamie, Sate (or Satay) is very easy to fix. I'll post an easy recipe, but don't let Paul see, I'm sure it's not the authentic version he is used to. (I can just see him raising his eyebrows over using Smucker's!)

INDONESIAN PEANUT SATE

Sate:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 8 strips
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Sauce:

1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons natural-style, reduced-fat creamy peanut butter (such as Smucker's)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Remaining ingredient:

Cooking spray

Garnish:

Chopped peanuts and/or chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Prepare grill.

To prepare saté, combine chicken and next 6 ingredients (through 2 garlic cloves) in a medium bowl. Let stand 10 - 20 minutes.

To prepare sauce, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the next 5 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove) in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Thread chicken strips onto each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve chicken with sauce and garnish.

**If sauce is too thick, you can thin it by adding small amounts of chicken broth or warm water and then stir to desired consistency.

Nice reviews! Pat yourself on the back.

Reba - You are now the official Google Guru!

Paul - See how your words carry weight even while you slumber?!

Judy - Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I will make this and report back!

Kim - Thanks!

Mamie - hahaha
Judy - Of course I've seen the recipe - I won't show it to SWMBO who I'm sure would have different ideas (for example she would definitely dry fry the peanuts with some chilis and then grind them/process them with some peanut oil as the sauce's base but it is a troublesome as it sounds) - but I'm not churlish about different ways to get to the same place. The Malays and Indonesians would keep the skin and fat as the believe that a morsel of each on the sate skewers adds flavour.

I don't like Thai food, too sweet and nutty .. so I think this looks like something for me to pass on.
I know.. I am in a minority, but sweet and meat doesn't work for me. I might send that recipe to
my daughter, though.... they like that sort of thing :)
Hope you and your family are having a good time together Mamie :)

Paul - I would love to see SWMBO make it from scratch. I bet the smells are amazing.

Kath - I love Thai food and could eat it every day of the week. It doesn't have to be sweet - my favorite dishes from the Thai restaurant in Muncie are quite spicy. You order it by spice level from 0-5. If you get above a level 2, you need to drink it with milk in order to keep your taste buds functional! I love when it feels like it's burning your lips off!! The older I get, the more I like spicy things.

And we are having a very nice weekend. Craig grilled steaks and marinated chicken breasts yesterday which we served with green beans and roasted fingerling potatoes. In the evening, he built a bonfire and the kids made smores. A lovely, relaxing day all around.

I love spicy, too! And I agree, I like spicy more now than ever. I have had Thai a few times
with Amy and Tom. Just not my cuppa. I was going to make buffalo turkey burgers for dinner yesterday, but that didn't work out. So I will make them today with ? dunno. Hash browns? Salad already made.

Sheesh, supportive and he cooks.. ! You found yourself a good one :)

Buffalo turkey burgers - do you mean made with buffalo and turkey or made with turkey and spicy?

He grills. He can also cook, but that is not recommended as he likes to experiment, and some of his experiments are not so great. His roasted fingerling potatoes are out of this world, though. Delicious every time. He is not allowed to bake. He is definitely supportive and by every definition of the word a good one! You're so right, Kath!

spicy turkey with zucchini and some other things tossed in..

Our grill no longer works. A part was removed to be cleaned and not put back and of course, wandered off. It wasn't me. I wanted to get one at the Memorial Day sale, when the one I wanted was discounted. For reasons not worth typing, it didn't happen. So no grill year two. I can live with that....

Dan is still not done with the bedroom closet. Painted for 2 days. No idea what he is doing in there next.
no further comment on him..

Oh, no grill. Bummer. We use ours all the time. My son is getting quite good at grilling. We love to grill corn in the husk - ever done that? Delicious.

Sorry about Dan, my sister has the same issues.

Tell your sister that I am deeply sorry and feel her pain.

I have cooked corn out of the husk on the grill.. yummy..

Book #60 was Dandelion Wine, and Book #61 was Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - these reviews are on the previous thread.



Book #62: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

This is the story of Thomas Cromwell as he progresses from being an aide to Cardinal Woolsley, who is on his way out, to becoming a trusted advisor to King Henry VIII. The political backstory and intrigue are fascinating, and Mantel is adept at weaving in humor and capturing both the subtle and overt manipulations of both the king and his power players.

This is historical fiction that is highly entertaining to read, and I would recommend it with a few caveats. First, it takes a good bit of reading to adjust to Mantel's writing style, about the first 25% of the book, I would say. Second, Mantel does not dummy down anything that she is writing about. So, if you don't know anything about this particular period of history, or if, like me, you are familiar with certain aspects of it but not a scholar of the Tudor era, then I would recommend following the tutored read that Ilana is doing with Suz (I'll put a link at the bottom of this post) or brushing up on the particulars as you go along. Thirdly, Mantel has a really frustrating usage of pronouns going on in this book. She often uses the pronoun "he" without any antecedent, and it is very confusing, especially at the beginning of the book when you are still getting used to Mantel's style of writing. A good rule of thumb is to assume that "he" refers to Thomas Cromwell. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, so be prepared to reread paragraphs and sentences multiple times (especially in the beginning) in order to discern who Mantel is talking about. You kind of get a feel for her style and her way of phrasing as you get further into the book, so it does get less frustrating as you progress. And the story is rich and detailed and fascinating - well worth the trouble, in my opinion.

Ilana's tutored read

Book #63: Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill

This is the fourth book in Cotterill's Dr. Siri series, and it was perhaps my favorite - hard to say because they are each delightful. I love how Cotterill provides backstories to some of the lesser characters as the series moves along. A lot happens in this book, and at times the author steps up onto the soapbox (in my opinion), but it does not detract from the story, and certainly the country of Laos has been a victim to political agendas which are worth taking the time to explain. Full of quirky but lovable characters and plenty of antics and humor, this fourth book does not disappoint. There is a great scene in here where Dr. Siri and Civilai go to the movie theatre to see a Bruce Lee movie that has had the soundtrack removed and instead actors at the front of the theatre read dialog that has been written by the Communist regime. Truly hilarious. Like all of the previous books in the series, this one will have you scrambling for the next one so that you can continue this marvelous adventure.

Some of my favorite one-liners:

"As any good historian knows, nostalgia is always a poor relative to commerce."

"If the northern capital of Luang probing was a jewel in the Indochinese crown, Pakse was the seat of the royal underpants."

"The rain fell in a mist so fine and warm it was like walking into a long sneeze."

Book #64: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

After reading Rhian's (SandDune) lovely review of this book, I added it to my list of birthday book purchases, and I was not disappointed. To fully appreciate this book's allure, I'll direct you to her fine review on the book's main page. I'll simply say that I found it truly delightful, and I LOVED the ending. It captured so wonderfully that reading is a journey that takes you places you never expected to go and changes how you think about and approach life. One book leads to another, and then another...

I'm about a million posts behind. Glad the house repair is happening, and now that I know it comes with its own resident doe and fawns, I want to buy it for myself!!!!!!!

I'm still working on River of Smoke and (sort of) Wolf Hall. Just got notice that three more library books are waiting for me to pick them up today..... too much.

Hi Ellen! You don't need any more characters to keep track of if you are reading Wolf Hall and River of Smoke at the same time - is your head spinning? I loved the photos that were posted on the meet-up thread that you went to this weekend. How fun!! I really enjoy putting faces with the names. Can't believe you only bought three books - what self control!!

Mamie, that's why I say I'm "sort of" reading Wolf Hall. The truth is that I read the first two chapters and decided I needed to focus on River of Smoke --- and then I started The Buddha in the Attic, which has no actual characters of which to keep track. Both of the latter are library books and I have three more there waiting for me.....

Yeah, it was self-control, but I'm hating this commitment I made to read ten owned books before I'm allowed to buy even one (I did make the one-per-attendee exception for the meet-up).

I have heard good things about Buddha in the Attic, so I look forward to seeing your review to see what you thought of it. You should have allowed yourself four book purchases as there were four LT members besides yourself at the meet-up. You are counting library books - right? Tell me you're counting the library books!!

Hi Mamie ( I missed Morning Mamie, 'Sup with that?)- Glad you had a nice time yesterday. I liked your reviews too! Wolf Hall is on the to-do list and another Dr. Siri winner. Yah! Hopefully I can bookhorn that one in sometime this summer.

So glad you enjoyed Wolf Hall, Mamie. I'm just about to get the next one from the library and I can't wait. I keep reading about the Dr Siri books, so I think I'll have to add those to my list too.

Good reviews there! I am working my way through Wolf Hall still and enjoying it, but it is a tad dense so I've been reading other smaller books as well.

One day, I really will read my copy of Wolf Hall. Thanks for the tip on getting informed on the era before starting. Maybe my Matthew Shardlake reading will prove itself useful.

I have a copy of The Uncommon Reader to get to as well but am less daunted by that one as I can easily manage short and delightful!

Mark - Glad you liked the reviews - you definitely need to bookhorn in the next Dr. Siri! Wolf Hall is a bit of work at the beginning, but once you get the flow of it, it's really good.

Susan - I will be reading the next one before too long, as I don't want to lose all that info from the first book - but then we are probably in for a wait for the third one. Bummer. Yes, try Dr. Siri - love that series!

Chelle - That's what I did, paired it with some lighter, shorter stuff so that when I was feeling tired or out of sorts I still had something to pick up.

Dee - Who is Matthew Shardlake? The Uncommon Reader is a quick, fun read. And I think one I would read again in the future. I love books about books!

I haven't been either to the North Pole or the South Pole.

Me either, Lucy. May I ask what made you think about this interesting fact?

Never mind, Lucy. I get it!!

me neither.. wanna do a road trip :) Cee can find some reindeer !

Excellent!

Hi Mamie, several great reviews here, though I did skip over OMaM and the Wolf Hall one for now. I haven't started the Dr. Siri series yet, but they do have all the books available at the library and it's just a matter of time before I jump in too.

Book #65: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

I really loved this book that contains nine short stories, and I can see why it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2000. These stories share the theme of individuals who are working to marry their Indian culture with their American lives. The writing is elegant but not overly embellished. The speakers are ordinary people who are navigating two cultural divides and looking for middle ground, for harmony - people who struggle with finding their own voice in a world that is full of noise. Like an album whose layout has been carefully planned so that each song fits perfectly into place, creating pacing and progression that gives the album added depth and dimension, this collection of stories has a flow from beginning to end. There is not one false note here, and the result is simply breathtaking. The very last story The Third and Final Continent was my favorite, but I also truly loved Mrs. Sen and This Blessed House.

"While the astronauts, heroes forever, spent mere hours on the moon, I have remained in this new world for nearly thirty years. I know that my achievement is quite ordinary. I am not the only man to seek his fortune far from home, and I am certainly not the first. Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination."

Hi Ilana! I was working on my review while you posted. I do that too, skip over reviews of books that I am currently reading or have finished but not yet written my own review for. Our library does not have any of the Dr. Siri books, so I have been buying them as I go along. It's fine by me because they are such fun that I know I will reread them all over again. Hope you love them when you get to them!

Beautiful review of a beautiful book

Thank you, Reba!

I read many of these stories in the NYer I think - but I should find the book. Well chosen quote!

Thank you, Lucy. Now I am really wanting to read Unaccustomed Earth. Have any of you read that one?

Mamie - good review of the Lahiri. I have Unaccustomed Earth which is yet another that I have to find room for soon.

Thanks, Paul - I liked your review of the Morpurgo book, and would like to get to something by him sometime this year. Was that your first one of his that you have read? A good place to start?

I have a few of his books (which I pretended to buy for the kids) buy yep it was the first I read.

Hi Mamie! Or should I call you Chatty Mamie now? Actually that has a nice ring to it. LOVED your review of Interpreter of Maladies and what a lovely quote. It's a beautiful book and the good news is Unaccustomed Earth is as good, if not better. These are "keepers" for sure!

Hi mamie! Great new thread and what a lovely pic to start out. Did your house sustain storm damage? The current, not the new house right? Well, it looks like things are under control.

Lovely pics of the dear too, not to mention all the great books you've been reading.
Oh and a shout out thank you to Judy for the Peanut Sate sounds like a keeper to me.

I really need to get to the Dr. Siri series Mamie. You've made it sound really tempting with Full of quirky but lovable characters and plenty of antics and humor I love that kind of book.

Mamie, for Michael Morpurgo, I would definitely start with War Horse then follow it up with Private Peaceful. I suspect those are his two strongest and most mature works, both set during WWI. Be prepared to shed a few tears.

Mamie, way up there ---- nope, not counting library books. The objective is to read ten already-owned books before I buy even one more..... I know of no other way to confront my out-of-control TBR shelves and piles.

I'm glad you enjoyed Interpreter of Maladies. I read it a few years ago and my memory is that it was very, very good.

Good Morning Mamie..
How are things going with the repairs?
The kids holding up okay?
Are you?

This has been a rough period for you.. all of the kid stuff on your shoulders, the sale of the house..
and then the whole tree thing. You know, When my 4 were 7-12, Dan went looking for work and left
me with the kids. Since there was no hope of actually selling the house since the entire valley was crashing
around us, I didn't have that. Even though your situation is different, I think you go into a different survival mode when there is so much going on...? Hope it gets sorted soon so the family can get back together. That
whole separation thing is no fun.

hang in there.

Good Morning, everyone! How nice to log on and see so many visitors. YIPPEE!!

Paul - I do that all the time! And then I read them so that we can discuss them together!!

Mark - LOL! So good to hear that Unaccustomed Earth is just as good if not better - so looking forward to that now. Look - you're turning me into a short story reader! You should be so proud!!

Lynda - Check the last thread if you want to see the actual thing, but a tree fell on our house, right through the girls' bedroom, just missing our youngest daughter, Birdy. And um...the ONLY house, so yes, the house that we have for sale. We are not going to even look at houses in Georgia until we sell this one. And you are so right - shout out to Judy for the recipe!! Can't wait to try that. You have missed a lot of food discussion over here!! So glad you had a lovely time in Cancun. Where are you off to next? Here's a link to the post with the pics

Bonnie - YES, you do! And now I am far enough into River of Smoke to appreciate your cryptic comments about it after I had reviewed Sea of Poppies - you meant because none of my favorite characters are featured in it right? I still am finding it fascinating and love the new characters that have been introduced.

Ilana - Thank you for the recs! I will take your advice and start with War Horse and then follow up with Private Peaceful. I love books that are set during either of the two world wars for some reason. My grandfather served in WWI, and my Dad served in WWII. Please give Coco and Mimi and Ezra my love.

Ellen - I wondered - I knew there had been discussion about counting library books, but I did not know what had been decided. Bummer - but I do admire your strength of will and your stamina in holding firm. My TBR is completely out of control also, but I have no plans to confront it! I will hold true to what I said on your thread and read 10 that I already own before buying more starting in July just to show my solidarity with you! So how many more do you have to go?

*Edited to add a link to the pics with the tree through the house

Morning Kath! You are so sweet - I really appreciate all of your kind thoughts and comments! I think having kids ages 7-12 all on your own would be tougher than 13-20. They have been so very great about everything that I just cannot say enough good things about them. Rae, my oldest, is twenty physically, but she has Aspergers Syndrome and so really, emotionally she is closer to 15. She has a hard time with change and does not like her routine to be interrupted, so it's been hard on her. She has been such a trooper though, and works hard each day to tolerate the disruption to her comfort zone. Her bed was crushed in the tree incident, so we need to get her a new one, but at least her frog survived - she was completely thrilled about that! She is excited to move to Georgia where she will get her very own room all to herself - right now all three girls share a bedroom...um...NOT the best situation. Before we put the house on the market, the girls had the master bedroom which is pretty big and has its own bathroom. When we staged the house for the sale, we had to switch the bedrooms back, so now they have a smaller space. Actually, now they have no space because of the repairs!

We hope to have the repairs to the house completely finished by Friday. Today they will put more mud on the drywall and put the new siding up on the outside. The painter will be here either Thursday or Friday - depending on when the drywall is done to paint both the bedroom and the outside wall of the house. New gutter on the front of the house on Thursday. What we are waiting to hear about is the roof - we have to replace the entire front section of the roof and we have these Art-Lock shingles, so I think they are waiting to get the correct color in stock. We should know in the next few days when the roofers will be working. So, if everything goes according to plan, we may be able to start showing again as early as next week - cross your fingers because that would be SO great! We'll see.

ditto what Kath said above. And, thumbs up for your review of the Orson Wells book.

Thank you, Linda! Really, it has been so nice to have found LT this year because even without Craig here, I have all of you cheering me on - I feel INVINCIBLE! You guys are SO great!

I agree with Kath and Linda wholeheartedly. When my husband was called to his pastorate here, he went ahead to work and get our (very first owned fixer-upper) house ready, and left me briefly in our old place with only one toddler to look after and a move to prepare for. And, like Kath, we didn't have to deal with a sale, because we had been renting when he was in grad school. And we definitely didn't have to deal with any trees falling on our place! But it still was a challenge, dealing with the logistics of the move and the separation.

You seem to be managing it all amazingly well. And kudos to your kids for being so cooperative! Especially Rae, as I know from my own son how hard that kind of disruption would be for anyone on the autism spectrum.

My kids were great, too. We had no car...
and so we walked everywhere, so it kept them busy :)
They were really good about the move and making new friends
too. I was very lucky. It is so good when our kids step up..
an affirmation that we are doing okay as a parent.

Did you make that chicken? I have been wondering..
I am making it today.. I used beer and cajun seasoning.. so we shall see..

Terri, thanks! I think poor Craig has the worse end of the deal as he is down there all by himself - no family, no dogs, no yard to putter in or garden to tend. He loves the new job, but he is really missing us. We have been so lucky that he has been able to come home twice now for long weekends. I can't complain as I get to spend every day with four of the most delightful people that I know. So far, I think, things have gone as smoothly as can be expected so no stresses there. (Although I do have to admit that I could have done without the tree falling through the house.) I think when we get to the actual moving part that will be the most stressful - I should probably start stocking up on Chardonnay and chocolate covered pecans now in order to get through that!!

Kath - If I had to walk everywhere you would be hearing A LOT of whining! Agree that it is so very good when our kids step up! I did not make the chicken because I spent the entire day watching Wimbledon - I just LOVE to watch Wimbledon!! So, we had pasta, however, I will make it this week - it sounds really yummy. Probably tomorrow - you'll have to let me know how you tweak it. Cajun seasoning sounds fabulous!

Good news just in - the roofers will be here at 6am tomorrow!! They want to get the roof finished before Thursday afternoon because it is supposed to be 99 here on Thursday! 99! The contractor just left, and he said they will have the house completely finished by Friday! WahHOO!! So cross your fingers that everything works the way they want it to.

Fingers crossed here, Mamie! That's remarkable progress, and you'll just have the smell of new paint for your next showings, which is probably as good as bread or coffee or those other aromas they recommend for tempting buyers. If you're still watching Wimbledon, the weather is just holding at the moment, and tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be hot, so it looks as though they'll get a fews days of play, at least. There is a question mark over Friday, though.

Yep - watching Wimbledon. Thanks for crossing your fingers, Susan!

Watching Wimbledon? huh. Well have a good time with that ... lol

I will give you an update later.. smells good. I tossed a handful of celery stalks in
when I got home, because I had some and I love celery.

I am a fan of cajun chicken, and beer makes most everything taste better..

You don't watch any sports, Kath?

I bet it does smell good. I love celery, too. And agree with you about the beer! Looking forward to your update. Glad you survived your errands today!

A woman after my own heart - I also love to watch Wimbledon. I'll watch almost any sporting event, but I especially enjoy tennis and there's just something about that particular tournament that I love...

I love watching Wimbleton too but I'm busy this week so will probably wait until the finals to look -- when are the finals actually? next week?

Yes, Katie! I started watching Wimbledon as a young girl, and over the years it has become one of my favorite events to watch. I also love to watch football and soccer. I cannot watch swimming because I hold my breath!

Hi Reba! Yep, the finals are next weekend. I love to watch it all - I'm a complete nut!

Thanks -- saved me having to try to find it on TV Guide channel. I would love to watch it all if I could but this week is amazingly booked (for a retired person :-))

nope. All sports bore me to tears.
I think Caro watches Wimbledon, too?

I used to take a book to HS football games, and sit under a light.. I watched the Band..
My daughter marched with a Tuba and played Clarinet for symphony.. Noe of my kids
played sports they are all geeks. We did all sorts of other things instead. We had a good resource
for geeky kids at our community college :P

My daughter is the sportiest of the bunch. One of my sons is a fitness fanatic, but a geeky one..
Thank goodness! Cory did soccer briefly, but then we moved back here.. so ?

Dan and Abby played soccer from kindergarten through middle school. We didn't do multiple sports because we wanted them to have time to be kids. The great thing about soccer at that age is that girls and boys can be on the same team, so Dan and Abby, who are only 14 months apart in age, always played on the same team. Craig coached - it was fun. We held soccer practice in our backyard where Craig painted a field on the grass and constructed goals out of PVC and netting. Good times.

le sigh.. double post. sorry!

Sounds nice! The league Cory was with.. It was all little kids. They were like. ..5-9
or something, There were a couple of special needs kids on the teams. The rule was
that everyone gets to play in every game. No one cared who won, just that everyone played
and everyone had fun. If I remember correctly.. ( IF) Cory was whacked hard on the head once
and sat out a game or two and then the season was over and we moved soon after.. it was never
a huge priority. We had fun when we lived in MA. Always somewhere to go and something to do and somehow always money to do something. Having the beach across the street didn't hurt. :)
Three of the best years ever!

Oh - the beach across the street...sigh...Sounds like good times, Kath!

Hi Mamie, I hope for your sake you can start showing next week. I wasn't fully aware of your situation until now and it can't be easy on a day-to-day basis. But you seem like you're holding up just fine!

Like Kath, I don't watch sports either. The Olympics are an exception, though I don't watch all the events. I do love gymnastics, diving, running, and a few others I can't think of now. Last time in 2008, I watched the swimming because Michael Phelps was just such a phenomenon!

Had a bit of a strange afternoon and now I feel... well not so great. I'll write about it a bit on my thread when I get back from walking Coco.

Hi Ilana! I love to watch the Olympics, and the kids are really excited about it, but the swimming is exhausting for me because I tend to hold my breath - no idea why. I do enjoy the diving though. I'll head over to your thread in a bit to read about your strange afternoon - thanks for stopping in.

Mamie - I am an avid sports fan I'm afraid - favourites would be Soccer, Tennis, Rugby, Athletics, Cricket and of course my old sport Cycling. I am a life long and long suffering Leeds United fan (soccer team) and Yorkshire/England cricket devotee. Difficult keeping up from so far from home but I try.
American sports are not really in my repertoire probably because I didn't grow up with them.

Soccer, tennis and cycling are American sports, Paul, in that Americans enjoy playing and watching them, and soccer and tennis are two of my favorites. I do have a weakness for American football, I'm afraid. I am not big on basketball or baseball which I should probably not mention while still living in the Hoosier state!

nope.. no Olympics for me. Stay tuned, I will be whining about nothing to watch
and blaming it on Olympics :)

Hi Mamie- "Look - you're turning me into a short story reader! You should be so proud!!" Well, you know I am and you have been starting with the best, that helps dramatically.
I'm glad everything is going well with the house and the repairs are moving right along. 100 on Thursday. Ugh!

Kath - don't like any of it huh, not even the opening ceremonies?

Mark - It's supposed to be 100 here also. Ugh is right. The roofers are starting at 6:30am both tomorrow and Thursday because they want to stop at noon due to heat. Don't blame them one bit.

The siding is back in place and the painter is going to paint it tomorrow. The drywall needs one more mudding - perhaps? I have lost track. Gutters on tomorrow. Anyway chair rail put back up and room painted on Friday morning at the latest they said. Then we will have all weekend to clean and get the girls moved back in, though not sure what we will do about Rae's bed - nothing for now maybe. She can sleep in the king bed upstairs with me or on the sleeper sofa downstairs, so that should work for now.

I sometimes watch that... the opening ... if I think of it.

House fix is going quickly... this is a good sign.... fingers crossed for a quick sale.

The realtor called today - back from Alaska, which she assures me is gorgeous. She went to kennels for the Iditarod dogs - how cool is that? She cannot believe that a tree fell through the house, but will be ready to show by Monday? I'll have to get back to you, I said. I don't want to make promises that I can't keep. Assuring her that we could show the house on Monday would be like asking for the double whammy...um...not that I'm superstitious or anything. It's just that I'm...well,...superstitious.

*edited because I can't spell tonight

Mamie - hahaha I should have stated "traditional american sports" and said basketball, ice-hockey, american football and baseball but I hoped you wouldn't pick me up on it as I know we have among our ranks devotees of all those sports!

Something for everyone - such a beautiful thing, but the only one of those "traditional" sports that I follow is football, and I like the pro stuff. Craig said that college football is very big down in Georgia. Oh dear! I know nothing about college football.

I tend to get faint in Indiana when it's over 80 -- I can't even imagine 100 degrees (and I don't want to think about it too long)!! Of course, it might be good training for Georgia -- can get pretty hot and humid there. Stay in the AC, hydrate and I hope for you that it doesn't last long!!!

107>

Um. Nine.

Reba - Now they're saying 103 on Thursday; Georgia is supposed to be 95 - and it's beautiful there! Last summer here was a scorcher - I don't mind the heat as long as I can get out of it when I want, and I have a cold drink, and I'm in the shade with a slight breeze, and...

Ellen - LOL! So we'll be doing it together. Does the book have to have been sitting on the shelf for any particular amount of time, or can it be a book that you just purchased last month? I'm just asking to see what parameters you are using, you know I'll do what I want anyway, but I'm curious.

My TBR 'rule' is (now that the year is half over) any book acquired in 2011. For the first few months of 2012, I stuck with books that I knew were at least from half a year earlier....... say, not my Christmas books......But I have some venerable tbrs (my longest was 35 years and I read it soon after joining LT in a group read!). I don't think I have anything as ridiculous as that still floating around as I purged thoroughly when we were moving.

Breezing through. So glad your house is coming together so nicely. And that your favorite Wimbledon is on! I love tennis and my favorite is the French Open. : )

Book #66: Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

I wanted to read this book after reading Katie's review of it on her thread. It was one of the three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this year - if you remember, this year no prize was awarded for fiction. Although it only weighs in at 128 pages, this novella has a lot to say about a life lived by an ordinary man, Robert Granier, in the early 1900s in the West. Denis Johnson writes with a naked and exposed prose that quietly packs a punch. There is ugliness and there is brutality in the lives of those who lived in this harsh and unforgiving landscape, but there is also beauty and, rarely, joy. The tightly constructed sentences provide some beautiful and powerful imagery that will remain with you long after you have closed the cover of the book.

*4 stars because there was some imagery I could have done without, and I didn't feel like it contributed to the story.

"'I'm made for this summer logging,'" said Arn Peeples, 'You Minnesota fellers might like to complain about it. I don't get my gears turning smooth till it's over a hundred. I worked on a peak outside Bisbee, Arizona, where we were only eleven or twelve miles from the sun. It was a hundred and sixteen degrees on the thermometer, and every degree was a foot long. And that was in the shade. And there wasn't no shade.'"

That's what I was wondering, Lucy. Should it be anything acquired before 2012? This is my first year on LT, so I am being exposed to so many new authors and genres. I hate to feel like I'm punishing myself because anything acquired before 2012 would be books that I didn't find through LT. I might be more generous with myself just for this year and then crack down a bit next year when my TBR would include books found here. I also don't have access to a lot of my books right now because they are packed in the Pod which is in Indianapolis.

Kim - I love the French Open, too, but I missed it this year with getting the house on the market and all that craziness. Next year for sure. Nice to see you here.

I am glad to see that you liked the last book.. I think I will like the one
I started if I actually sit and read. I am about to make some fried chicken..
The last time I plan to heat up the kitchen that much this summer!
So no reading just yet. I am just being lazy and cruising threads.

Do you fry it in a cast iron skillet?

I wish.. I lost mine somewhere between PA and MA years ago...

Bummer - so what do you fry it in? Dutch oven? Skillet?

A regular skillet.. an every day pan.. it's big.. 14 inches I think.

Fried chicken sounds so good! That chicken recipe you gave me is making the house smell wonderful!

:) Beer will do that. I'm telling you, I use it all the time.. lol I cook far more of it than I drink. :)

I have not used my slow cooker a lot - I need to get more recipes for it. Mainly I cook cabbage and sausage in it in the Fall and Winter.

If I cook burgers, chicken, or fish in a skillet, I hit them with beer. I store leftovers for the next few days. It works with potatoes and pork, too. Pretty much most things IMO. And of course I make beer bread.
I used to use my slow cooker more when I worked. Try chucking a turkey breast in there one day. You might have to use foil for a cover.. but it's good that way.

Hi Mamie - I liked your review of Train Dreams and am glad my recommendation panned out for you!

Kath - I almost asked about the beer bread - my Mom used to make that when I was younger, but I have no idea how she did it. If you have a good recipe for that, I would love to have it.

Katie - Glad you liked my review - the quote you used in your review about the church hymns reminding him of his sadness is my favorite quote from the entire book, but I was trying to use something different. Thanks again for the rec!

Hi Mamie! In answer to your question about Shardlake, he's the central character in a mystery series by C J Sansom, set in Tudor England. Cromwell was featured in the first two in the series but not in any depth so don't suppose that will really prepare me for Mantel's masterpieces.

Fascinating review of Train Dreams though I am a little put off by the imagery "you could have done without"!

I can't believe your realtor was expecting you to be able to show your house immediately after you told her that a tree had fallen through it! I hope all is going well re. repair and that you are able to organise it the way you want without external pressure.

Edited to restructure a sentence so that it no longer sounded as if a realtor had fallen through your house!

Hi Mamie!

#60 I think The Time Machine might have been one of the first science fiction books I read and I really enjoyed it and went on to read quite a few others by Wells.

Wow - you have been cranking out the reviews! I loved The Uncommon Reader too.

#113 I love Wimbledon too! I hope all the work on your house can get finished this week - qudos to your and your kids for coping with it all so well! (Can I call them kids if they're 13-20? Maybe young people would be better)

Dee - laughing at your reason for editing!! I will PM you about the imagery that I didn't care for. That Shardlake sounds familiar now that you describe it - I'll bet you reviewed it on your thread and I added it to my WL, but didn't remember the character's name. OK, just checked and I have Dissolution on my WL, so I'm guessing something like that happened. Don't worry - I won't let the realtor pressure me, although I am probably just as anxious to get back to it as she is.

Heather - I will definitely read more by Wells. I was impressed by how well his writing held up. I also have The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds on my shelf, so I would like to read them sometime this year. I loved the humor in The Uncommon Reader and just adored the ending. And yes - you can call them kids!

Mamie - Ok, enough with the lurking. I finally have time to post a comment or 2 your thread. Loved your review of Anarchy and Old Dogs. That's my next Dr Siri read that's on my TBR Tower.

Are you watching Wimbledon? I've been streaming it at the office on a second machine on my desk. :-) I loved that Federer won his match easily today. I want so badly for him to win his 7th Wimbledon title .. after that he can retire. haha

Welcome Caro! You will love Anarchy and Old Dogs - I think it is my favorite one so far. And yes, watching Wimbledon. Can't get enough of Wimbledon. The thing about Federer is that he just plays the game so elegantly - it's like art. Grass is the perfect canvas for his game.

The realtor's office just called and wanted to schedule a showing tomorrow afternoon - WHAT?!!! Can you picture me in the van at the park with my four poodles and four kids in the 103 degree heat while the roofers, the painter and the drywall guy are at my house with the perspective buyers?!! I don't think so. I don't know what is taking us so long to get this place back together, after all, it has been six whole days since the tree fell through my house!

See, now I feel better. Back to choosing joy over righteousness. Thank you for listening.

You're absolutely right about Federer and his elegance on the grass court. He doesn't even appear to sweat most of the time, ok, apart from today's slip, he doesn't stumble about, arms and legs flailing like an awkward ostrich. I could watch him for hours. Shame about the Aussie men though .. I think all of them have been tossed out of the tournament.

haha come on Mamie, get it together!! You should have had the house finished yesterday!

Seriously though you guys are moving super quick! Hopefully you can get back to showing by Monday or Tuesday

Beer Bread
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
3 tbl sugar ( less is fine)
1 (12 ounce) can beer
1/2 cup melted butter ( more is fine)

# 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
# 2 Mix dry ingredients, half of butter and beer.
# 3 Pour into a greased loaf pan.
# 4 Pour melted butter over mixture.

# 5 Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

While you're at it Wonder Woman, lower the temp about 20 degrees -- that's sure to put the buyers in a happier mood :-)

Ooooh, Beer Bread! (Homer Simpson voice).

Hi Mamie- Good thoughts on Train Dreams. My copy is waiting for me at the library, so I'm finally going to get to it. I'll start it right after Gone Girl.

Mamie,
For me, this particular rule is just any book that I own. The dynamic I'm trying to address is this: I learn about books that I want to read and sometimes I put them on hold with our wonderful public library system, and sometimes I buy them. And, sometimes I just go to the bookstore that's about three blocks from my office and I buy books. And, when I went to Portland in April, I went to Powell's and I bought books (two bags full). But when library books come available, I "have to" read them first because they have due dates. So I was just accumulating owned books without ever getting around to reading any of them! Witness the fact that I started this challenge several weeks ago and have still only completed one owned book. It's because the library books take precedence. So I'm just trying to rein in my purchasing until I can read a few of the ones I already own!

And, yes, you should do whatever you want. :-)

Caro - He has to have occasional slip-ups so that he appears to be mortal!

Chelle - I know, I need to get my act together! I will try to get my priorities straightened out and in order!

Kath - Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Now, what I can I do for you?

Reba - I'll work on it. How did you find out my secret identity?

Mark - I know, right?! I am giddy with excitement. I can't make it tomorrow because the stove guy is coming to replace the lighting element in the top oven, and I am assuming that he doesn't want to work in a hot oven!! You will like Train Dreams when you get to it. I started The Cold Dish, and I am loving it!! You were so right!

Ellen - Any book that I own - I can do that. I am really loving that. Okay then, I am ready to join you in July. (And I LOVE when people tell me that I should do whatever I want - that always works for me!)

I don't know what is taking us so long to get this place back together, after all, it has been six whole days since the tree fell through my house!

Spoken like a true can-doer! You do realize some people would probably take a whole year to get it all fixed up. Though of course you don't have that luxury if you want to get out of there. Just sayin'...

It's obvious from how you're handling kids, dogs, impending move, house damage, heat, etc. without breaking a sweat.

Ilana - I was just being cheeky because the contractor has been so great and has been on top of everything right from the start. I couldn't believe that the realty company called to schedule a showing less than a week after we had significant damage to the house. Especially since I had just talked to the realtor the other day and said that Monday was the earliest that we would be ready to go, and that was only if everything went according to schedule (which I have learned over the years hardly ever happens). I don't deserve any of the credit because all I did was call the contractor and the insurance company - he (the contractor) made everything else happen. Of course, I am thrilled with the speed at which every thing has happened because I do really want to sell the house and get down to Georgia...

Reba - I have a Bachelor's Degree in chaos management.

For me? Why how nice of you to ask! Please just keep on being you, okay?

I can do that, Kath! But let me know if you think of something!

Well, and keep bringing you to visit my thread, of course. You do make me smile :D

I was hoping you would admit to being tongue in cheek as I was astounded by your get-up-and-go.

Hi Mamie, I think you are handling all this house repair and real estate agents with great ease - and I had a major meltdown over one little kitchen sink!

Thanks to Kath for posting the Beer Bread recipe, I am definitely going to give it try.

Glad to hear you are enjoying The Cold Dish, that series is one of my favorites.

Sounds more like a Master's to me. Seriously, you have a great attitude and sounds like you're handling everything amazingly well.

I just noticed that while I am following and reading here almost daily, I haven't posted yet on this not-so-new-anymore-at-178-posts thread although there's so much to comment on. So belatedly chiming in with the others that I love the Birdy pic! And the baby fawn twins! They must turn up on the next house showings.
And I am so impressed with all the quick progress the repair is making and the way you are handling it all!

The beer bread is so easy, takes minutes to assemble. I suggest serving it with good cheese as a snack, or lunch. Great with stews and soups. yummy toasted.

The roofers are here!! YIPPEE!

Kath - No worries - I love to hang out at your thread! There is always something fun going on over there!

Paul - Definitely tongue in cheek! I was a bit shocked that the realty company thought we would be ready to go less than a week after the accident. Our contractor has gone out of his way to make everything happen so quickly for us, and the insurance company has been great. We already have a check to pay for all of the repairs, and I haven't even gotten a bill yet. The only pain is that the check, understandably, is made out to Craig, myself, and the bank that holds our mortgage. So now I have to collect all of the signatures...sigh...

Judy - I think I would have a meltdown over the kitchen sink, too! While is was disappointing to have to put the showings of the house on hold, and a bit of a headache to deal with the house repairs, it hasn't really disrupted our home life. I can still take showers, do laundry, cook and sleep in my own bed. Now if the tree had fallen through my kitchen or my bathroom - trust me, you would not want to see that. I love my kitchen, and the sink is an integral part of its function, so, if that had been my kitchen sink in your story...it could have gotten ugly around here, especially if I had company coming.

I can't wait to try the beer bread recipe, and next up in the kitchen is the chicken sate recipe that you posted - going to make that this weekend sometime.

I am enjoying The Cold Dish - it really just yanks you into the story, doesn't it? Yesterday I finished The Worst Hard Time, and that was just so well done. I need to post a review for that later today. And River of Smoke - loving that!

Reba - Thank you so much for all of your kind words. You guys make it so easy to handle everything well - if I am having a mental moment, I can just post about it in here and there you all are! So wonderfully comforting!

Nathalie - Glad you liked the pics! We have seen quite a bit of the deer in our backyard, and it always brings a smile. They are just so cute. I am impressed with how quickly the repairs have gone, too. We have just been so very lucky.

It's so nice to have our LT support system. I appreciate it ...often!

Trust me, Kath - I will be making that very soon. And I bet it does pair perfectly with soups or stews - and I love to make both of those. And toasted? Okay, now I'm drooling!

So true Kath, I don't know what I would do without you guys. I found LT at the perfect time.

We all do. It's the magic . Not much left in the universe.. we keep killing it with mean. But there is a little.
It's true you know, the more we believe, the more there is.

I firmly believe that, too!

Same for me! LT was (IS) a boon beyond all expectation.
Re tbr rules -- all mutable -- I had no rules at all the first year, but by the middle of the second year when my 'tbr' shelves had doubled (tripled, actually, but the second bookshelf is visible evidence, the rest of my new books are carefully stashed around here and there disguised as books I've already read.....) well, that was when I realized I had to do something. And this year, mid-year three...... probably what happens next is that you just give in.

Lucy - You always make me smile! For the 10 books off my shelves to be read before purchasing anything more, I am going to allow anything that I already own, but I will try to mix older buys with the newer ones. The nice thing about my book purchases is that eventually they usually get read by somebody besides myself - the rest of the family are really big readers, and Abby especially really likes the older books such as Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice - her goal is to read all of Jane Austen's books in the next few years. She recently found really beautiful hardback copies of Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park at the used bookstore in Muncie which she is thrilled with. Rae has really eclectic reading tastes - it's hard to know what will hold her attention sometimes. When she finds a book that she likes, she will read it over and over again - we have had to replace favorites of hers because she literally wears them out. When she was little, I would finish reading her a book and she would lovingly run her hand over the cover of the book and then look at me and say simply, "Again." And we would open the book back up and start it over again. I love that memory.

what happens next is you put them on Kindle where they can't fall over and don't require any shelf space - :-)

Hi Reba - I have a lot of books on Kindle, which I love to use. It's so great to highlight passages and make notes and then be able to pull them all up whenever I want. It's great for reading outside and terrific for travel. BUT, I do love the feel of a real book, and I have a weakness for deckle edged pages...sigh...so I still love to have physical copies of my favorite books and also of books that I think my nieces and nephews will be likely to borrow. Plus, I just like looking at them - it's like art to me. Rae has a texture thing, and so she likes to hold a solid physical book. We buy all of hers in hardback if we can get them because she reads them over and over. She will read books on the Kindle if she has to, but the experience for her is also a physical experience, so she really prefers the actual thing.

>187 sibylline: probably what happens next is that you just give in.
I think that is where I am.
oh and also >189 RebaRelishesReading:
you put them on Kindle where they can't fall over and don't require any shelf space

The beer bread sounds excellent! I'll have to give that a try.

#188: A friend's little girl would just say "more" when I reached the end of a picture book. After three or four repetitions of Dear Zoo I used to hope for "more different" but it was usually more just the same as before. I think my record was six readings in a row. And I could have read it six more times, I think. I blamed the flaps, even though there were certainly no surprises under them by that point.

Keeping up with the Joneses...

GREAT that the roofers are there. Sweet story about reading to Rae.

Hi and Bye! :-)

Kath - I am willing to just give in without a fight!

Susan - Some of the smaller books from when she was very young I had completely memorized. I can still quote lines from some of them! She would even do it with the bigger books that we moved on to. If she loves a story, she really LOVES it and never tires of reading it again.

Ilana - Always so wonderful to see you - glad you liked the story about Rae. I'm still a bit in shock that she is twenty now - just yesterday wasn't she holding my hand to cross the street?

Progress Report - It is 103 degrees here right now! The roofers arrived very early this morning and got the whole thing done before lunch time! The new gutters are up and the drywall is ready for sanding! Tomorrow they will finish up in the girls' bedroom, and then we can start putting everything back into place. I can't believe that just one week ago I had a hole in the side of my house. I also have the check from the insurance company to pay for all the repairs, so thank you everybody for your good thoughts and wishes because I KNOW that they made a difference.

I look forward to the new pics of the brand new corner :)

Mamie- 103?? Yikes! Hope you are keeping cool and I'm glad all the work is getting done and so promptly. I'm also glad you loved The Worst Hard Time. It's an incredible read and you learn so much too!

Mamie, I can't remember if you do the TIOLI challenges, but there is one in July to read a book with deckle-edged pages. I thought of you :)

Kath - I will take some as soon as it's all done!

Mark - Yep, 103! And in Fort Wayne, where my sister lives, it was 107!! I did really enjoy The Worst Hard Time - hopefully will get to my review of it tomorrow.

Katie - That's so funny you mention it because I was actually giddy when I saw that challenge - you know you will see me there. In fact, I have a copy of Something This Way Wicked Comes that just arrived today that has deckle edged pages! WahHOO!!

I too prefer real books. I love walking by the bookcase and catching sight of a book and being reminded of it. Unfortunately we have run out of room for more bookcases so I'm trying to move to the Kindle/iPad. I do still buy my Pulitzer Prize winners in real books (hard backs if I can find them) and I still get a new signed-first-edition each month from Book Passage. So the few inches of empty space left are rapidly filling up.

Yep. I hear you about the space issues. I try to go through the shelves every few years and purge - books the kids have outgrown and will not read again go to local classrooms, other books go to the library. And I do LOVE my Kindle - not just for the free books, the bargains, and the lending library, but also as a way to have literally hundreds of books at my fingertips. It was a truly wonderful thing when we were homeschooling all of our kids and my daughter's friend - I could purchase one copy of the book that we were reading and then we could all access it from our various devious because of the Kindle App, and so we each had our own copy to read from. We read a lot of books as a group -such as The Giver, Tangerine, The Westing Game, and When You Reach Me. Such fun. Now I buy most of the mysteries and thrillers that I read on Kindle, saving the space on my shelves for my very favorite authors - all of my Steinbeck's are physical books.. It's a fun and rewarding obsession.

Good morning! I am doing my usual morning read and jump up to do this or that and pop back into LT and then FB to look for free nook or kindle books.. and back to LT. LOL

Cooking for Dunc right now...

Not much going on here yet, thank goodness!!!

All well at your house I hope?

Cooking for Dunc - what do you make for him?

Everything's good here - the workers are here to finish the bedroom repairs. Yippy Skippy! So tomorrow we can start putting everything back where it goes which will be so great.

I just listed his menu for the next several days in my thread. I cook chicken thighs weekly..
make pasta or rice to go with.. he also gets boiled eggs and tuna or salmon ( canned ) as do the kitties.
Sometimes lentils and almost always peas.

eta

glad the workers are hard at it already :)

Duncan and the kitties are so very lucky to have you!

:P everyone has to eat. ... sigh. And to be honest, It doesn't cost any more to cook than to buy
a decent dog food. He also gets a kids vitamin and cranberry capsules. I try to remember to sprinkle it on the kitty food too ( cranberry) . I add a splotch of olive oil most days, too :P Like anything else it becomes routine, and most days I remember to put everything in. He also takes pred 2-3 times a week. ( Addison's )

Sheesh! You are one crazy woman, Mamie! LOL
I know I missed a few days - but - gulp!
156 messages for me to catch up - I thought you sold your house! Looks like you are ready to move ahead very soon - so that's good :)
That tree thing was weird - you have to wonder about the timing, the miracle, the quick recovery, etc. and ask yourself "What was that all about?"
Best of luck and good wishes going forward!

Hmmm Cee does have a point, I wonder what the Universe was protecting you from?
Interesting point to ponder.

That why you just take what you get, and you don't throw a fit - because you never know what you didn't get!

My sense of it exactly.

Mamie - I can so relate with Rae and dead tree books. They are still my preference and given the number in my TBR Tower, I will still have quite a few to go through before I run out, but with my sometimes rather manic travel schedule, the Kindle is the more convenient option when I'm not home. I have loaded mainly free books on the Kindle ...and the problem though is that when I'm traveling and not on a wi-fi ... I sometimes forget what the books I've downloaded are about, so some reading experiences are a bit of a hit and miss. But then hey, they were free, so I don't feel too bad if I shunt the bad ones aside and move on to another surprise.

Mamie - I'll stick with my dead trees. Love the feel of them and the joy of turning the pages.
Have a lovely weekend.

Hi Lucy, Caro, and Paul!

We finally have our power back on. WahHOO! I really love my power, and I am thankful to live in an age where we have so much of it at the tips of our fingertips most of the time. Today we had a huge storm blow through - 90 mph winds, rain falling in sheets, and it dropped our temperature by 30 degrees, which turned out to be a real blessing because it knocked down so many trees and limbs throughout Yorktown and Muncie that it caused huge power outages. We had no power from 3:30 pm until 10 pm. YIKES! We have a well, so when we lose our power, we also lose our water - not fun. And the biggest tragedy was that the power went out right in the middle of the Federer/ Benneteau match during the fourth set. The workers were not able to finish up because of the storm, so they will be back tomorrow to do the last bit of work. We also have some work to do because now we have downed tree limbs all over the property - those winds were something else and a bit scary to see. No additional damage to the house or property, though, so just a mess to clean up before Monday.

Maybe it's a good thing that the tree in your yard came down when it did. That wind storm might have brought it down and caused even more damage. Glad to hear you weathered your storm and lack of water, good to know all is restored now. The minute I read that you had no water, I immediately started craving a glass of water!

Judy - I was thinking the same thing. Too funny about your water craving - we always want what we can't have, don't we?!

I am so with you on power. I love my power, too! I miss it a lot when it isn't available.

Sorry that you have more of a mess to deal with, but glad it isn't worse.
We had some rain here.. but in my little area, not much else. Be careful working
in the heat...

Geez. Yes, I'm very glad that tree went on a clear day, not during this storm. Glad all is OK.

Hello Mamie! I'm sorry it has taken me forever to make my way over to your thread! It seems like we share similar taste in books! I'm glad your house project is moving along nicely!

Kath - Got to sleep in today which seems to be a rare treat lately. We had more storms throughout the night, but nothing like what we had earlier in the afternoon. It's good because we really needed the rain - it has been dry as a bone here. Only 71 right now which seems so cool compared to the heat of the last few days, but it's going to get up to 95 later. Still expecting rain for the next few days, and I hope we get it because the poor grass is parched. Workers coming at ten to finish up. We will work on clearing the yard while it is still cool and then concentrate on getting the house back in shape for showing.

Lucy - It would have been such a mess if that tree had come down during the storm with the high winds and the pouring rain and no power. So very glad that I did not have to deal with that.

Brit - Welcome to my thread! I'm thrilled to see you here - what a nice surprise this morning. I will have to check out your thread.

Jeesh, this thread is like a speeding locomotive and I just had to grab on and hang on, hoping to keep up. Train Dreams sounds good although I didn't like his Tree of Smoke much at all. Somehow that storm missed us completely. I'm glad you didn't have any further damage although I can commiserate with you on the loss of power. We were w/o power once for three days and I thought I was going to go out of my mind. Bedsides the fact that the kitchen looked like a bomb went off, it was March and still cold enough that the furnace should have been on. I hate being w/o power!

Didn't see much of you yesterday, so I hope all is well. So many people with no power....
Md says it will be a few days yet.. terrible thing..

Hi Mamie! Great pictures! Just dropping by to say hello. I have to catch up on your threads first... just about page four, five and six... :)

Bonnie - I had not read anything by him before, and although I did enjoy this story, I'm not sure how it got nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. It is good but not great - still, worth the time it takes to read. I did not care for Swamplandia, either, although there I just didn't like the particular story - the writing was exquisite, I thought, and I would definitely not hesitate to pick up something else by her.

Kath - Spent much of yesterday picking up limbs and debris that got blown down by the storm, cleaning the house - on the weekends we do the BIG CLEAN, which means all the furniture gets moved, the floors get steam mopped, the cabinets get wiped down, etc. We also kept our eye on Wimbledon, and sat down to watch Andy Murray's match. Then in the evening, Abby had a date and Dan and Birdy went over to friends to watch a movie, Rae (who was invited, but didn't want to go) stayed home with me, so we made dinner together and watched several episodes of "Chopped" on the Food Network. Rae does not always want to hang out - usually she escapes to soak up some alone time, as it is rare for our house to be so quiet. I was thrilled that she wanted to do something together - she loves to watch any kind of cooking competition, so "Chopped" it was. Usually she would pick something like "The Closer" or "Unforgettable" or "Castle" as she shares my love of murder mysteries, so I was surprised that she chose food over murder. Needless to say, I did not get much reading done - perhaps a few sentences. I was able to snag Bring Up the Bodies from the library when I returned Abby's books earlier in the day, so I will have to work that into the July schedule, as it has to be returned in 14 days. All in all, a good day.

Kathy! How great to see you here! So thrilled that your oral exam went so well and that now you will have more time for reading for pleasure and LT. WahHOO!! Don't feel like you have to catch up - you can just start fresh from here if you want. I'm just happy to see you back on the threads.

Morning Mamie- It's still morning there, right? Hope the weekend is going well for you and you are staying cool. I did start Gone Girl. Expect raves!

Yep, still morning Mark! The weekend is going so smoothly and we have power so we are keeping cool with no worries. Some people here won't get their power back until Monday at the earliest so we are feeling oh so fortunate not to have to deal with that. I did not get River of Smoke finished up, so will have to carry that into July. It's July already!! I have Gone Girl in the stacks, so we'll see if I get to it this month - looking forward to your review of it.

Glad to hear you didn't suffer any further damage in the storms. With River of Smoke, Gone Girl and Bring up the Bodies it sounds like you have some great reading coming up in July!

Take care of yourself. I feel lost without any Wimbledon today :-)

#222: Yes, this new feeling of freedom is just phenomenal! And I think I would miss something, if I don't take a look at the previous pages. :)

Busy day yesterday, but sounds as though you've got things back 'under control' ha ha

Mamie -So glad to hear there wasn't property damage after the storm. We keep a case of bottled water in the basement for emergencies.

A day of reading for me since I sprained my ankle and need to keep it elevated. :-)

Heather - I have too much reading that I want to do in July! My head is spinning just trying to decide where to start, and I have even finished up what I am already reading! I think I might be coming down with a case of LT Fever! And I hear there is no cure for that!!

I feel lost without Wimbledon, too. I actually turned on the set before remembering that it is Sunday and so no tennis...sigh...

Kathy - I bet you are feeling practically giddy! Peruse away then if you don't want to miss out. Mostly you would miss an intense discussion of bacon and a tree falling through my house - pretty exciting stuff. And I think we did manage to squeeze in some actual discussion of books.

Lucy - Sometimes I like to entertain the illusion that I am actually in control. It usually lasts about five minutes.

Hi Caro - We keep bottled water on hand, too, and we do have a generator that can power the refrigerator and freezer or the pump for the well. For extended power outages, we leave the refridg and freezer plugged in most of the time, and then unplug them and switch to the pump and some outlets to get things like showers and flushing toilets. A few years ago there was an ice storm here and we lost several trees due to the weight of the ice on the branches - we were without power for nine days. After that, we converted the fireplaces to gas and purchased a stove with a gas stovetop. The generator was also purchased then - believe it or not, a man came through the driveway with his truck bed full of generators to sell to people without power. He had his receipts with him and he was selling them for the same price that he bought them for - just trying to be helpful to people in need. The thing about the ice storm was that it was just so beautiful - it looked like a magical winter wonderland had been created and yet that beauty was so destructive.

Ironically, Dan had just hauled up the generator from the pole barn and hooked up the refridge and freezer to it, and then ten minutes later the power came back on. Oh well. Good practice, I guess.

Sorry about the sprained ankle - bummer. Yeah for the reading, though. Hope it feels much better tomorrow!

Mamie, what a great guy, that man who was selling generators at cost! Makes me feel better about humankind to hear stories like that of people who actually don't try to take advantage of others in dire circumstances. We had a really gorgeous ice storm here too back in the late 90s ('98 according to wikipedia), which turned everything into a crystal-like wonderland. Then it turned into a nightmare, with power lines and trees falling all over the place. Some people outside of the city were out of power for over a month, and this during an especially cold January.

Anyway, nice to know you guys are faring well after this latest storm, though the cleanup sounds like no fun. Hope you have plenty of time for R&R (i.e. rest and reading, of course!)

Hi Ilana! I was just over on your thread! I am trying to organize my July reading and put together my stats from June - so fun, I love doing that. Now I'm catching up on LT after a run to the market which for some reason was completely packed with people. Now I'm back home for some fun with LT and then I'll hit the books - I have too many going at once, I'm afraid, and they are all very good. And this month the Steinbeck read is East of Eden which I am excited about because I have never read it before - looking forward to digging in, but thinking I should probably finish up River of Smoke first. Wow, that was a long sentence which I should correct, but I'm just going to let it be.

For anyone who is interested, next weekend there is a group read of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes - Caro is going to set up a thread, and when she does I'll post a link to it.

Rachel also has a thread set up for a group read of Half of a Yellow Sun - I'll come back and post a link here in a minute for anyone who wants to join in or follow along. Okay - here's the link: Half of a Yellow Sun read