A fun question

Jen at Jen's book Thoughts
had a question on her post the other day....Saturday, I think it was,
but it was such a fun question for me to comment on!

You'll need to read her post to get the whole story, but to make it short and sweet, she asked, "If you were wrongly accused of a crime, what fictional sleuth would you hire to clear your name?"

I wrote a hurried comment to her this morning before going off to work. But seriously....I could ponder stuff like this for hours. Sometimes even days. (I am taking the Beatles class...remember? ), so I gave the short answer.

YOU think about it and then comment on it. Over at Jen's blog. Because it was her question.
But leave me an clue as to your answer...okay? A comment letting me know you answered her.

Oh...and my answer?
Here it is as seen on Jen's comment page. :~)

I stopped at "A" for Alibi also, but probably not for the same reasons as you did. (It wasn't my favorite, but I just had so many more in my TBR pile. I might read another one in the future )

This is a fun question!! Although I've discovered that I lean towards the cozy mysteries. (if that's the correct word)
What sleuth would I hire to clear my name?
The trouble with "cozies" is that there is rarely a sleuth for hire...they are mostly homemakers, librarians, bookstore owners who come upon murders. All the time.
Stephanie Plumb? no, she's a bail bondsman.
Deborah Knott? no, she's a judge.

I need to change gears...
Peter Decker? He's a police detective...I can't hire him.
Okay... I would hire Tess Monaghan! She would be my choice.

So now it's your turn! Go to Jen's page and comment. (and let me know what you said)

Musing Mondays

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about book reviews…
Do you read any non-blogging book reviews? If so, where (newspaper, library etc)? Do you have any favourites sources you'd like to share?

I don't read many, but I do read a few. Most of the non-blogging book reviews I read are to get a feel for what's new and good in Children's literature. I used to be a Children's Librarian in a school library, and have worked in public libraries and I have a deep love for Children's literature.

I try to keep up with the Horn Book

and the School Library Journal

Other than that, I read the Sunday section of our newspaper, which spotlights popular authors and books.

Mostly now, I use blogs to get suggestions for good books and book club choices.

In love

And this...THIS is why I love Lois Lowry! I've never liked books that "set out" to prove a point. I like when the point or lesson comes serendipitously.

I just want my grandchildren (our family will be welcoming three of them this year) to enjoy books, reading, literature.

My daughter in law works at one of the Yale libraries. She is expecting twins in July. Our first outing, a field trip with the babies ( Lil and Phil--not their real names ) will be to the Yale Library.
Okay, yes, it's "my" field trip, but what a great start to a book filled life!
I'm getting them a collection of Lois Lowry books for Christmas.

Books I've been reading in 2009

At the end of 2008, I noticed that a log of book bloggers listed a compilation of all the book they had read for the year.
I figure the only way I can remember the books I read would be to list them now and add on as the year continues.
So, that is what I am doing here.

But first I just have to document it: my son really has checked out the book, "Catcher in the Rye".

Interesting to me that he is reading this.

okay...now for my list

The Tale of Desperaux---I wanted to read it before the movie came to our little town. The movie still hasn't come to our little town, but the book was good.

The Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky --I read this for my book club "Totally Lit--erature". It was a good book for the book club, it led to lots of discussion about race and prejudice.

Grace by Richard Paul Evans -- had to read this for the "no-name" book club. It was an easy, one day read. It was okay. I find it hard to get into sentimentality sometimes, and the book was completely trying to build on his previous "sentiment" books.
But it was a quick read, not too bad.

Out of the Deep I Cry -- the 3rd in a mystery series by Julia Spencer-Fleming. It's a Claire Ferguson mystery. I like them, so this one was just for me.

The Madonna's of Leningrad by Debra Dean-- a book club book (Totally Lit) We meet next week to discuss it. I'll let you know what everybody thinks.
I liked it.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson-- a "no-name" book club choice. I know it won an award, but there were so many people and so many facts!! It was hard for me to keep straight, but I found it very interesting. We discuss this next week too (different day)

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming--by Joshilyn Jackson. I just read this one because I wanted to. It was good. I like her books.

I used to think I read fast and a lot. Until I came up on book bloggers. LOL I am nothing compared to you/them.

Finding a Book

Apparently, I have neglected my motherly duties. I must have never brought my children into the 21st century when it comes to using libraries.

My middle son, the one who is almost 26 years old went to the library this morning and wanted the book "Catcher in the Rye"....(his friend told him he should read it ) but he couldn't find the card catalog.

This is a child of mine, (he is no longer really a child, but a young man), who grew up in the technological age. He had a computer in the house, he has/had/has a cell phone with e-mail and Internet capabilities, there are camera phones, iPods, blue-tooth, etc etc etc.
He once cheated on a game of Scrabble with us. We thought he was texting (as if that wasn't rude enough while we were playing a game ) and he was actually looking up what words he could make with the letters he had...scrabble.com.

My point is.... when he called me and said he hated the library, I was in shock. WHAT?
(his mother/me, has worked in public and school libraries his whole life. And now sits on the board of our local public library)
What are you talking about? I asked him.
I like the old card catalogs, he answered.
didn't you see the computer there, where you could look up books? I asked.
Yep, he said, but I wanted a card catalog.
Well, I said, it's fiction. J.D. Salinger, so it's easy to find anyway, you don't need a call number. And.... I have a copy upstairs in the bookshelf in my bedroom.
That's what I figured, he said, the library, your books shelves, same thing.

I'm not quite sure what that meant.... I have too many books? He knows I am an accomplished (LOL) reader and I have most of the modern American classics at my fingertips ? He thinks I am a book pack-rat?
What?

But I have a confession to make...when I'm in a library, I, too, miss the old card catalogs.
Do you?

Booking Thru Thursday--author blogs

The Booking Through Thursday question of the week:

Do you read any author’s blogs? If so, are you looking for information on their next project? On the author personally? Something else?

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Well, I read Lois Lowry's blog

and if Madeline L'Engle were alive and had a blog, I'd read that one. Before there were blogs she published a set of her journals, "The Crosswicks Journals" and I read them and loved them.

from Wikipedia:
L'Engle wrote many nonfiction works, including the autobiographical "Crosswick Journals" and other explorations of the subjects of faith and art. For L'Engle, who wrote repeatedly about "story as truth," the distinction between fiction and memoir was sometimes blurred. Real events from her life and family history made their way into some of her novels, while fictional elements, such as assumed names for people and places, can be found in her published journals

I don't know why, but I am obsessed with L'Engle. Obsessed, I tell you. I love everything about her.
My question is this: why does someone get "obsessed" with an author? I don't know why I love her so much. But I do.
I guess I loved her philosophy of life.
AND...her husband was Dr. Charles Tyler on "All my Children". LOL Remember him? Okay...yes, I'm old....half a century this summer.

I got off track...AGAIN.

No, I don't read many author blogs, I only have one that I keep up on and that is Lois Lowry's. She of course is a YA author. I love the "Coming of Age" genre` and while I don't read as much YA as I used to, I keep up on Lowry.

Other than that, the short answer is "no."

(now I feel like I should check out some of the author's blogs, recommended by other BTT bloggers, but I'm afraid. Afraid I'll become addicted. ~sigh~ oh what to do?)

If you want to play along with BTT, click here.

Bookin Thru Thursday

This week’s Booking Through Thursday question is:
Suggested by Simon Thomas:

Have you ever been put off an author’s books after reading a biography of them? Or the reverse - a biography has made you love an author more?

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I usually don't read more than the blurb about the author on the cover of the book. Once in a while I'll read a biography, but I prefer memoirs above them.

To answer the question tho, I can't think that I would be put off by any information about an author. "Generally" that is-- there are always exceptions to the rule.

There is a book by Jim Trelease, the author of "The Read Aloud Handbook", in which he gives a very short story of various authors...to pique interest of adolescent readers, or non-readers, as the case may be.

I guess you could say that Treleases "bio" made me love him more, although he is not an novelist, but a champion of getting kids to love reading and raising children who read. The book I'm talking about is "Read All About it". I always thought it a good intro into the lives of authors, not only for teens and pre-teens, but for the rest of us who want to know just a little bit more, but not the whole story of an author's life. I've used the book for presentations I've had to give, book clubs and just because it interested me.

I hope that information about an author won't keep people away from a good book. I hope that people are more open-minded than that. But I hear about boycotts all the time, and it makes me mad, when people don't make up their minds by themselves. I don't like being told what to do by a "group". I knew a woman once who would go into the library and take a book she didn't agree with and move it...re-shelve it in another area. She would never steal a book, but she thought that by making it harder for others to find, she was doing a good thing. I'm getting off track here.

I might not like everything I find out about an author, and it might make me look at the book in a different way, but I don't think much could turn me off, if it were a good book.