A little bit about books, a little bit about life.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Library Time

Tonight was "Spooky Story Night" at the library. After soccer practice and a hamburger, I grabbed my grandson, Camron and we donned pajamas, grabbed a pillow and a stuffed animal and went to Spooky Story Hour.

It was fun... that's his little blond head at the bottom of the photo, holding onto his pillow. I just want him to love the library. After story time, he asked if he could check out some books...of course I said yes. He ran to NON-FICTION.

What is it about little boys and non-fiction? Spiders and magic tricks and a dinosaur book.


And I was trying to get a good picture of this from across the room. It looks a bit shakey, which looks a bit spooky, so I put it in anyway.


And last but not least, a bookmark! A Halloween bookmark for my collection.

I want to win

If you know me at all, you will know that I'm just not the winning type.
I went with my friends to a "Taste of Home" Cooking show, where they gave away, 2 complete sets of kitchen appliances, and some custom cupboards, not to mention numerous other things all the way down to a pot holder.
http://thefridayfriends.blogspot.com/2008/10/taste-of-home-cooking-school.html

I did not win...even the lowly little pot holder. It's sad really. Sad, when you think that I live in Nevada and I should be shouting from the rooftops... IT'S GLORIOUS HERE, WE HAVE WINNERS ALL THE TIME . (I do work indirectly with the tourism industry), but.... it's just not true. I never win.
It could be, because I rarely "play".... but still

So, I think that I deserve to win! LOL
Seaside Bookworm Blogger is hosting her first give-a-way. She is giving away a few copies of "Who by Fire" by Diana Spechler. Check out her blog post, which includes a video clip of Spechler talking about her book.
It sounds great!
And then....enter if you must.

( I used this same line for another give-a-way I entered. The whole, poor me, I live in Nevada but never win anything line. It didn't work then either. Wish me luck)

Check out the give-a-way at:
http://38thavedivareaders.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-first-book-giveaway.html

Monday Memory--The Changeling


Well, today isn't Monday, it's Tuesday....would you accept a "late" Monday Memory?

Just a (Reading) Fool at http://justareadingfool.wordpress.com/
has been having fun reliving his childhood thru reminiscing about books he read in his youth. Or not. Some of them ring a bell, but when he re-reads them as an adult, some leave him cold. But that's what is so fun about reminiscing.


At first, I was just making comments on his posts about the books he read as a youth... I have read most of them. But yesterday's book, "The Incredible Journey", I have never read. Shame on me. I do love the movie tho...the one with Michael J. Fox as a voice of one of the dogs (part of the reason I love it, is because a lot of it was filmed in Oregon, around where my family homesteaded a century ago... it was fun to think I recognized some scenery, but I digress once again ).

Since I've never read this "Monday Memory", I decided to do one of my own: The Changeling by Zilpha Keatly Snyder.

A blurb from the inside cover:
Ivy Carson belonged to the notorious Carson family, which lived in a run-down house in suburban Rosewood. But Ivy was not a typical Carson. There was something wonderful about her. Ivy explained it by saying that she was a changeling, a child of supernatural parents who had been exchanged for the real Ivy Carson at birth. This classic book was first published in 1970. It was awarded a Christopher Medal and named an outstanding book for young people by the Junior Library Guild.


I must have read this book when I was around 10 or 11. It became my favorite book of all time...that summer. I remember my friend Kathy and I, riding our bikes to the library once a week and taking turns checking out "The Changeling" back and forth, all summer long.
The Changeling was about a friendship between Ivy and Martha. Martha came from a home, that was very structured and upper-middle class, while Ivy came from a poorer part of town with an obvious dysfunctional family. The two became friends and invented a wonderful, magical, make-believe world in which they would play together. They never met often at each other's homes, but would play in the wooded area, which was perfect for their make-believe world.
Their friendship lasted years and went thru rough times...the rough times of growing up, peer pressure and--yes--a class system. Even tho we don't want to admit it, in the United States, there are cliques and class system situations that children have to learn to deal with all the time.

These are the things that stuck with me about the book.
Ivy and Martha played for hours in a wooded area. They knew to be home for dinner, but other than that, no one came looking for them.

This is true. I mean, that's how it was in 1970. We could leave our parents home, and ride our bikes or walk anywhere and no one thought anything of it. We just knew that we, too, like Ivy and Martha, had to be home in time for dinner. There was such freedom at that time. During the summer, my friends and I would ride our bikes to orchards on the outskirts of town and read our books or play hide and seek or truth or dare. Or we would ride downtown and get an ice cream at Henry's. Or, we would go to the "canyon", which of course had a swamp monster and we would run and hide and get lost in it. (when I go back home now, the canyon is a park with walking and biking trails, only a few blocks long... but we really thought we were lost.)
So, I identified with the freedom that Ivy and Martha had.

And the class system? In our town, there was a neighborhood called "Sunny Slope Homes". A lot of migrant workers lived there with their families. My mother had reservations about me befriending Esther Gonzales, who lived in Sunny Slope, because it was a poorer part of town. To be honest, Esther was also Mexican... I was so in love with her brother Henry in the 5th grade...which gave my mother pause: fast forward 38 years and her great-grandchildren are Mexican and Guamanian, as well as Norwegian and Italian. My how times change. In my family, for the better.
There I go, digressing again.
Esther's house, even tho she was a poor Mexican and she lived in Sunny Slope, was clean and inviting and nice. And it had Henry, the love of my 5th grade life.
My other friend, Cheryl Miller, lived not in Sunny Slope homes, but in a neighborhood down the street. My mom felt more comfortable about my friendship with her, but in that household, there were dirty dishes, unmade beds, laundry overflowing...things that were not so in our home. It intrigued me... that families could live in such disarray and be happy. In my home, you cleaned and your things were picked up and put away, and a dish was never undone.
Both of these friendships intrigued me, because their home lives were so different from my own.
Just as Ivy and Martha in "The Changeling" came from different backgrounds and were such close friends.

I also always had an imaginary world going on inside my head (and then I read "You never promised me a Rose Garden" and found out that voices in our heads isn't such a good thing...LOL ).
I just felt a kinship with the book... The Changeling. I loved it. I read it for years every summer. I haven't read it in over 30 years and I wonder how it would read to me today? I think I might have to find it and learn if my memory holds true.
A magical, wonderful, intriguing book about what it means to be an outsider and to find friendship.

Monday, October 27, 2008

A choice to make

Last night I finished "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor, for my Wednesday night book club. It was good. It'll be a good book to discuss.

But now.... I want a good mystery. Any ideas? I grabbed "Fearless Fourteen" this morning, and I know I'll finish it tomorrow. Fast read, and although I love Stephanie Plumb, I want something a little more "intense" right now.

My TBR piles at home are separated into two piles:
mysteries and others
so...I do have some mysteries at home to chose from. hmmmmm, or perhaps a good horror story. It is almost Halloween after-all.

I have "The Spellman Files" at home. Should I read that? Or Faye Kellerman's "False Prophet?", or even Laura Lippman's "In Big Trouble?"
I even have:
Dying for Chocolate
The Murder at the Murder at the Mimosa Inn
Deja Dead

okay, so I haven't read any Kathy Reich's, but I own about 4 of them...
so, should I read that one? Her fist one?
I want one that is really good.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The correct link....

And if I didn't read so fast, I would have understood him (Just a reading fool) to ask that I leave the link to this Memory Monday...which is this link:
http://justareadingfool.wordpress.com/tag/mondays-memory/


and now...I have to hurry up and read "Tangerine" before my book club next week. Just starting it now.

Monday Memory on Wed

Anyone who knows me, knows I like to reminisce. I like to talk about things I used to do, love, listen to...and read.
So, I was very excited when I read "Just a Reading Fool's blog" and found out he had asked a question on his "Monday" blog, about a book I loved as a child.

As far as I can tell, he began his "Monday Memory Blog" about a month ago.
And I am going to comment on all of the books he is "remembering", because---well, I love them.

A link to his beginning post for Monday Memory
http://justareadingfool.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/mondays-memory-in-the-night-kitchen/

This past Monday, October 20th, Reading Fool talked about "The Boxcar Children". He didn't care for it.
http://justareadingfool.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/the-boxcar-children/

BLASPHEMY!! (of course, he read it as an adult and granted.....there are a lot of unanswered questions, such as, why and how did the children, Henry, Benny, Jessie and Violet end up in a bakery at night alone after their parents funerals? Where in the world was Social Services? And too many exclamation points...of which I have a bad habit of using also! See? It must be a subconscious thing from my love of the Boxcar Children. LOL ), but it holds a special place in my heart, as does the rest of the series that was originally written by Gertrude Chandler Warner.
As with a lot of children and YA series, they became "formula books" once they got to be so popular. And some say this isn't true, but, I swear I can tell when the original author quit writing and the 'formula" authors began. Not that they still aren't good and hey, if kids like them and get them reading...good for them, but I prefer the "old" originals.

We own the Boxcar Children books and I've read them to my children and my grandchildren. I think the world must be divided into groups: Boxcar and nonbox lovers.
We fall into the first half.

This is the comment I left for "Reading Fool"....on his post about The Boxcar Children and his Memory Monday:
ooooh. I’m sorry you didn’t like it. It is, of course, all those things you said. But, ah, when you are 8 years old, in 1966 and your 3rd grade teacher reads it aloud to you after lunch….it becomes YOUR FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME (until the next one your teacher reads to you).I just wanted to live in a boxcar!! LOL
but you are right…. I can’t go intellectual there (forgive spelling errors please), because “why…why did the nice grandfather hate their mother? Perhaps the mother was a lunatic and just brainwashed the children into thinking that? Or the nice grandfather was…not-so-nice after all!! (exclamation point!!! I’m doubling up on mine to make a “boxcar” point. )And how did they end up alone in a bakery after their parents funerals?There are a lot of unanswered questions. It lends itself to a Prequel….of a scandalous nature.

and now...I have to comment on his past posts for Memory Monday.
Have a good day.

Tuesday Thingers have a great question/meme

I am not a "Tuesday Thinger" (but perhaps I should be---I am a Library Thinger, which is where Tuesday Thingers originated I believe), but I stole/borrowed their question to ask my original Friday Friends.
The original Friday Friends, my friends from all over the United States. (heavy on the West Coast)...there are 50 of them, and.....3 or 4 take the time out to answer my questions.
LOL
I ask questions every day, (in an e-mail forum) and every day 3-10 of them answer...always a few the same and a few different who respond, so we do get around to hearing from everyone, eventually.

so....here was yesterdays question.....

Now...in addition to Booking Thru Thursdays...there is a new "meme" I found. It's called "Tuesday Thingers" (and officially I think you are supposed to belong to "Library Thingers"...which I do, so)....... this is your question:
Today’s questions: Series. Do you collect any series? Do you read series books? Fantasy? Mystery? Science fiction? Religious? Other genre? Do you use the series feature in LT to help you find new books or figure out what you might be missing from a series?



and here are the Friday Friends answers

first me!
I do read series. I love them. And I have to read them in order. I have a little notebook where I list my favorite authors and their series books in order, so that I can cross them out once I've read them.
I'm that anal about reading them in order. And I love the characters so much. They are like old friends.
It began long ago with the Boxcar Children, and it has never ended. I just keep finding new authors and new series to enjoy.
It's like a drug to me.
Most of them are mysteries, but I do love "the Mitford" Books and the "Harry Dresden" books. The Narnia books.... I could go on, but lets see what the other Friday Friends have to say...

from Lisa in Nevada:
I have the Mitford series! I love, love, love them! Thank you Debbie and Gina for turning me on to them several years ago....
Also, I do not collect these but I love the alphabet murders with Kinzie Milhon, The Rabbi series, Goldie the caterer series, Mrs. Pollifax series, Kay Scarpeta series and I just recently started the Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series and the wacky sister series that I cannot remember their names but one of the title's is "Murder on a Girl's Night Out"......wow, I did not realize how many series' I was reading/listening to!


from Peggy, somewhere in the United States, full time RV'er:
Hi deb it seems I only read series. fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, you name it. examples Harry Dresden, by Jim butcher, sookie stackhouse by charlaine harris, (now a series on hbo called true blood, twilight series, (don't miss the movie in November), the dragon series by Anne mccaffrey, too many to name. I am interested in library thingers will you send me a link? hope everyone is fine. sorry I missed you on our last trip. We're in lake havasu now the weather is wonderful, between 80 and 90 degrees. hope to see you soon.

from Barbara in Arizona:
Most of the books/authors I read have an on-going character that MUST be read in sequence to follow their lives and the plots, etc.I use fantasticfiction.com to find which books to read in order written, as well as new authors. They have a "star" system that rates the better ones.

from Shelly:
No series. I tend to get tired of them so haven't even tried to read a series for several years. The last one I read (and never finished) was the Father Tim series. I can't even remember their proper title. For me, I would rather read a book with reoccurring characters. The book can stand alone but there are familiar references to previous stories.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Booking Thru Thursday--a few days late

I've been missing in action. Because of a number of things; none that are that important to any one but me....but I did ask one of my book clubs to answer last week's "Booking Through Thursday" question/meme.
I thought I would share it here and then hopefully get back into the swing of things very soon:

the question....
What was the last book you bought?
Name a book you have read MORE than once

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

the answers.
from Lisa Campbell:

What was the last book you bought?
Tangerine.... Surprise :)
Name a book you have read MORE than once
Glass Castle, but I just don't enjoy reading anything twice. Same thing with travel, my view is that there are so many new and wonderful books, places to visit and so little time.
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
I used to be a collector of self-help/women's awareness books when I was going through my counseling grad school program and in my 20's... and ugh as I sit and type I can't recall the author and title of one that I recall to be memorable - but it was one of the last one that I'd picked up and read.The gist of it was to savor the moment, live in the now. Often I think as women, we're planning ahead, living two steps ahead of where we are precisely now. If you forget to live in the present, you miss the full experience of this moment, seeking the next before you've fully given time to the present. So, maybe I should go back and drum it out and re-read that one instead!
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Yes, yes, and yes. Cover design, book summaries and reviews are all great for me. I like the look of the cover and title and that becomes a first draw, more often when I am physically in a bookstore. On the Internet it becomes more of a glance and then the review and excerpts that draw me in. But of course, the most important selection now, is what is up next for book club and friend reviews. And that is probably best. A deadline and scheduled opportunity to do something enjoyable.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
(answer here) Fiction, let's get lost in someone else's world for distraction and entertainment.
What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Gripping plot to keeping me through to the end. Beautiful writing I can appreciate, but a plot holds me there.
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Um.... so now I'm Sarah Palin and I can't recall anything I've read. Argh. the pressure.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
See I'm a literary lazyheart, reading only bookclub titles right now- Those who save us, glass castles....
What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
Charles Martin, When Crickets Cry, last month
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Yes, unfortunately. When I read a book, if I'm drawn to it the world almost has to stop as I tear through pages trying to read to the end. Dishes wait, dinner becomes extremely unhealthy, stay up to late. Most often I can't abandon one, but if it doesn't draw me in I'm out.

from Gina Jones:
Iʼve seen this series of questions floating around the ʽnet the last few days, and thought it looked like a good one for us!
What was the last book you bought?
Angel's Everywhere by Debbie Macomber
Name a book you have read MORE than once
The Stand by Stephen King

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Left Behind series
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Cover design and summary
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Fiction
Whatʼs more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Gripping plot
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Odd Thomas

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Birds and Blooms and Wild Bird
What was the last book youʼve read, and when was it?
Angels Everywhere - currently reading
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
East of Eden

from Jolina Adams:
What was the last book you bought?
The Guernsey Literature and Potato Pie Society, Ask Again Later, Friday, Girls Poker Night, The Art of Racing in the Rain. I never order just one book.
Name a book you have read MORE than once
Never read books more than once.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
No
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Reviews and book club picks.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
fiction
What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Can't I have both?
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
I tend to love my characters as I read the book.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Girls Poker Night, The Lace Reader, 1000 Dresses
What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
Ask Again Later
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Yes

from Mitzi Storm:
Iʼve seen this series of questions floating around the ʽnet the last few days, and thought it looked like a good one for us!
What was the last book you bought?
Tuesdays With Morrie (for my office), Why Don't You Listen?, and Mindset, The New Psychology of Success
Name a book you have read MORE than once
All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Wise and Wonderful, all by James Herriot

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza / She was one of the few that lived through the Holocaust and lost most of her family members. She was able to forgive her persecutors anyway. A book about forgiving and moving on. Also, Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
The cover lures me in, and then I look at the summary on the flap. Sometimes I go by a friend's recommendation.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Usually fiction, but it depends on what type of non-fiction.
Whatʼs more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
I like it when the plot is good and makes me keep turning the pages.
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and the Raggedy Ann & Andy books my mother used to read to us.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Chicken soup for the parents soul, 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, Flags of Our Fathers, Reader's Digest
What was the last book youʼve read, and when was it?
Finished last week, The Are of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. It was soooo dang cute! And frustrating, but a good ending.
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
You bet, my motto is "so many books, so little time" so if I don't like it, why bother?

from Sadie Stone:
What was the last book you bought?The Trinity by Karl rahner (not very exciting just some theology stuff) Name a book you have read MORE than onceAll of John Grisham's books Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?Yes, Malcolm X was the first book I read that related to the broader issues of race in our country. It opened my eyes to how bad things were and how much work still needs to be done. I've spent a great deal of my time and energy reading other individuals active during this time period. How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviewsRecommendations and reviews Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?I like both. I love non-fiction books with inspiring or amazing people but a little fiction is good to. What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?gripping plotMost loved/memorable character (character/book)to many to choose from Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?Middlesex (I read it a long time ago but it's still there)What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?Pauli Murray the autobiography if a Black activist, feminist, lawyer, priest and poet. I finished it yesterday Have you ever given up on a book half way in?Yes I gave up on 100 years of Solitude maybe I'll try again someday.

from Traci Marques:
Iʼve seen this series of questions floating around the ʽnet the last few days, and thought it looked like a good one for us!
What was the last book you bought?
??? Right now I don't remember, it was a couple of weeks ago.
Name a book you have read MORE than once


Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Not that I can think of, tho I do learn a lot from reading.
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
summary and friends
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Fiction
Whatʼs more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Plot
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
?

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Jodi Picoult books
What was the last book youʼve read, and when was it?
The Host by Stephanie Meyer - this weekend
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Yes