Books read since June

So, here are the books I've read since June:

1. Invisible, Lorena McCourtney (2004), read 6/30, 5 stars, free Kindle
2. In Plain Sight, McCourtney (2005), 7/13, 5 stars, interlibrary loan
3. On the Run, McCourtney (2006), 7/16, 5 stars, interlibrary loan
4. Stranded, McCourtney (2006), 8/4, 5 stars, interlibrary loan
5. The Birth Mother, Tara Taylor Quinn, (1996), 8/27, 3 stars, Harlequin Romance, found
6. A Turn in the Road, Debbie Macomber, (2011) 10/21, 5 stars (hold from the library)
7. Between Friends, Macomber, (2003), 5 stars, 9/30, own
8. Voices of Bipolar Disorder: The Healing Companion: Stories for Courage, Comfort and Strength by Richard Day Gore,(2009), 5 stars, 7/25, library
9. Sisterchicks say ooh la la, Robin Jones Gunn, (2009) 5 stars, 10/29, Talking Books/interlibrary loan
10. Sisterchicks on the Loose, Gunn, 5, (2003), 7/25, interlibrary loan
11. After the Fire, Kathryn Shay, 7/6, 2, 2010, free Kindle

Cumulative reads

For some reason my ticker wasn't working, which ticked me off.  But I had it up & running again.

I wanted to update it. I've finally started reading again. I'll never make the goal of 61 books I set for 2011, but 2012 is another year.

Library fines

Mother is listening to a digital book from Talking Books & I heard this prhase before I turned my hearing aid off:

People will believe what they want to believe.

So true, but I don't even know what the book is about. I think it's an Amish romance. She enjoys sitting here listening to books.

I saw the July 4th entry & thought, "I owed $2.25 in fines? I could have taken that money & bought a book for my Kindle4PC. By owning it, I could have kept it as long as I needed to finish it." Maybe I'd better rethink this.

Then again, I went down to the chicken coop the other day because I was positive there was a wooden chair with arms down there. Mother has a hard time getting up & down from the kitchen table & I thought a chair with arms would help her get up & down. I slid the door to the chicken coop & there was a cardboard box with a water-soaked, warped lid. It was one of those nice white legal boxes you can fold, full of books. The first layer of books were also water soaked. These books are OLD. A lot of Harlequin Romances before the Harlequin Romances started getting sleazy.

I pulled the box out & set it on the trampoline. I was stacking the books on the tramp & looking at them. Don came down & I told him I'd found a lot of romances. I said it like I had found a guilty secret. I don't read a lot of romances. He looked at the books I had pulled out & said, "Does Dorothy Gilman write romances?" It wasn't an incredulous question, it wasn't a sarcastic question either. It was just matter of fact.

I stopped, thought for a minute, & said, "No. I don't think so."

"You found a lot of books then, didn't you?" he said.

But, I felt badly that the books had sat there in a leaky shed for so many years. Now, the box isn't even sitting in a shed. It is out to the side of the couch in the car port.

Shelved

Detection Unlimited had to be returned to the library unread. It was an interlibrary loan & was due. Several other books were returned to the library unread also. I now have a fine of $2.25.

The Goodreads quote for Sunday, July 3,

A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.

~ Franz Kafka

Happy birthday to Franz Kafka! The author of The Metamorphosis was born on July 3, 1883.

An update

No, the bankruptcy case was not dismissed. So, still no reading, just more guilt. I may never reach my goal of 50, er 60 books for 2011.

I am trying to read Georgette Heyer's mystery, Detection Unlimited. It was an interlibrary loan & is 151 on my TBR list, added Jan. 13, 2010. I'm finding it rather ponderous. And to think I used to LOVE Georgette Heyer's books. Maybe it was just the Regency romances though. I don't think I've ever read one of her mysteries.

According to Goodreads, this is one of Ms. Heyer's final novels & brings Chief Inspsector Hemingway back in the 4th of a series. One of the reviews said it would have been so much better if Ms. Heyer would have included a map of the village of Thornden. Well, in the book I'm reading, published in 1969, there is a map, for which I'm very grateful. I love the cover of the book in the photo, but wonder who it is supposed to be? The book I'm reading is plain green clothbound. Of course, after 42 years, there is no dust jacket.

I snagged Cotillion by Ms. Heyer from Amazon's free Kindle book of the week last week. I was so psyched. But it is sitting in the Kindle archive waiting for me, Detection Unlimited has to be returned to the Gooding (Idaho) Public Library in 10 days.

Redecorating

I just spent an hour or so playing with backgrounds, graphics, colors & font faces for this blog. I came on over because I just found this really cool blog on Facebook for free and bargain Kindle books called Pixel of Ink & have downloaded THREE books from Amazon. One of them was Cotillion by Georgette Heyer. Another was chick lit & a mystery.

Our bankruptcy case was dismissed, so now I can read without feeling guilty.

Notes from book group

Cleaning off the table by the side of the computer so I can have some work space yielded a half piece of paper on which I had written notes from book group last week, May 25.

We were discussing the book The House at Riverton by Australian author Kate Morton. I jotted this, "Why the "f" word on page 409?" It was the only "f" word in the whole book & it kind of broad sided you. My husband did some research on the "f" word & says it has been around for centuries.

A series of books by Ben Behunin is being discussed in Beverly's other book group this summer. She suggested we read them in our book group. They were voted down. Connie Gilbert is having Behunin come to the Larsen-Sant Library in September to speak. His books are Remembering Isaac: the Wise and Wonderful Potter of Neiderbipp (2009), Discovering Isaac: the Beloved Potter of Neiderbipp (2009), Becoming Isaac: the Next Potter of Neiderbipp (2010). So I added them to my To Be Read list, sigh, 263-5. I will NEVER read all the books on the list.

I did find his blog & am fascinated, but can't read it tonight because I was supposed to do something this week I haven't done & I'm feeling terribly guilty.

We will read ummm, I don't remember what June's read is. It doesn't look like I wrote it down. I will have to ask.

According to my note, July's read is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It will be a reread.

The rest of the note is Cindy Harris' graham cracker recipe I used in Recipe Corner.

Some entertaining recipes

I wrote the following article for the Recipe Corner article in our weekly newspaper, The Preston Citizen for the week of June 1, 2011.

"Jean Carter, our regular recipe columnist, is taking a medical leave of absence. She was very organized and submitted four columns before she headed south to the hospital. However, one of the columns was misplaced.

Last Wednesday night I attended my book group with a growly tummy. My husband and I had run to Pocatello and arrived home in the late afternoon. There was time for me to attend book group or eat, not both.

Reading is as necessary to me as breathing. Discussing books with a group of other serious readers is something I enjoy.

I recently read an article from families.com online titled “Protect Your Friendships After Marriage.”

This piece of advice should be given to all newlyweds, “When you become Mister and Missus, it should not be at the expense of whom the two of you were before you were married.”

People live longer if they have hobbies. It’s nice to do things together as a couple, but … it’s healthy to have your own hobbies.

Back to the book group. The book we were discussing that evening was “The House at Riverton” by Australian author Kate Morton. For a book that wasn’t very well liked, a lively discussion was held.

I walked into the home where we were holding the meeting to the most tantalizing smell. I thought the discussion would never end. Luckily my chair wasn’t too close to anyone to hear my tummy.

The refreshments were worth waiting for. I asked if I could use the recipe for the Recipe Corner this week. Yes, under cover of anonymity. I gleaned another recipe that evening also. These recipes truly are from real people.

The Let’s Talk About It program held at the Larsen-Sant Library has also yielded some amazing refreshments.

These recipes can be served at your next club meeting or just because.

GRAHAM-CRACKER BARS

1/2 C butter
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 1/3 C flaked coconut
1 C chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in 9x13-inch pan in the oven. When the butter is melted, sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over butter. Pour milk evenly over crumbs. Top with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down gently and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

DUMP CAKE

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 can pie filling (any kind)
1 pkg. Yellow cake mix
1/2 C butter
1 C flaked coconut
1 C chopped nuts, any kind

Pour pineapple and pie filling into a 9x13-inch pan. Crumble cake mix over the top of the fruit mixture. Melt butter and drizzle over the top of the cake mix. Sprinkle coconut and chopped nuts over the top. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Check it at 45 minutes so it doesn’t get too brown.

This is also really good in a Dutch oven.

SPARKLING GREEN TEA LEMONADE

2 C very hot water
3 (2 g) bags green tea
3 Tbsp. white sugar
2 C chilled seltzer water
2 tsp. lime juice
1 lime, sliced (optional)

Pour the hot water into a glass pitcher. Submerge the green tea bags in the hot water and allow to steep for 5 minutes; remove and discard the tea bags. Stir the sugar  into the tea until completely dissolved. Chill in refrigerator for 35 minutes.

Pour the seltzer water and lime  juice into the tea. Float the lime slices atop the mixture.

Now, the rest of the story is the "misplaced" article was deleted from the email. The editor said we couldn't use the recipes because they were from copyrighted cookbooks & put the blame on the publisher. When I confronted the publisher he said it was the first he'd heard of it. But he agreed with the editor. I said the recipes for last week's article was not from a copyrighted cookbook. So, I won round one.

Then I did this week's cookbook Recipe Corner & am working on recipes for the next 2 weeks based on Jean's subject matter.

A small update

• By the end of March I had read 8 books
• Which includes the King James Version of the Old Testament

• By the end of April I had read 4 books

• And by the middle of May, well, almost the middle of May, I have read 3 books
• Which includes The Book of Mormon and Institute of Religion's Old Testament: 1 Kings - Malachi Student Manual (Religion 302)

• Total year-to-date: 23

Last day of Lent

According to readthescriptures dot com, I am through with my scheduled reading for The Book of Mormon. I'm not, I did not keep up with the schedule I set up, which was to read the BOM for Lent. I read the BOM for Lent last year too. Last year I read it in 103 days. Out of those 103 days, I missed 7 days of reading, so I actually read it in 96 days.

This year I would have liked to read it in 46 days. There have been several days this year I haven't felt well and as a result I've only read 1 or 2 chapters some days. I have set a tentative goal to finish in half the time I read it last year, 51 days.

The New Testament is the next volume of scripture I'm going to tackle. The LDS Church is studying the New Testament this year in Sunday School & Primary.

Link List vs. Blog List

I found another blog to follow & I've been trying to add it. I couldn't do it. I checked & looked at my other blogs & all of a sudden I got it! I have a link list, not a blog list. Now, I need to delete the link list & add a blog list. Hmmm, no time. I hate it when that happens.

Not only that, I have LOTS of books to blog about. I read 8 books in March & have already read 3 in April. And a new Four Month Reading Challenge has started.

Omnivorous

Someone called me an omnivorous reader. So, not really knowing what an omnivorous reader was, I looked it up. I thought omnivorous was an animal that ate both plant & animals. So, I went to The Free Dictionary.com & found this definition:

Taking in everything available, as with the mind: an omnivorous reader.

So, I guess I am an omnivorous reader.

Reading The Book of Mormon

I am reading The Book of Mormon for Lent, the second year in a row. Last year was such a success, even though I went way over the 46 days. I read the BOM in 103 days, which I thought was wonderful. The idea was to use Lent to jump-start me into reading the scriptures daily. Which it did. I've been planning all year to read the BOM again this year for Lent. Didn't realize it could be construed as giving up the Bible for Lent.

So, I'd been feeling kind of … ummm … ambivalent?? Is that the word? But tonight I logged into readthescriptures dot com & this quote by President Hinckley was given with the new reading assignment:

"Read the Book of Mormon itself. Read it again and again. Ponder its beauty. Reflect upon its many magnificent passages. Think of the complexity of the detail of its historical accounts. Pray about it, and the Holy Ghost will bear record to you, as He has to me and to millions of others, that it is the word of God, a voice crying from the dust to this generation in declaration of the divinity and the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ as the living Son of the living God."

 ~ President Gordon B. Hinckley, Sept. 2003

Thank you President Hinckley. Thank You Lord, for giving me this thought to ponder.

I won another book!!!

Wow! It seems like I never win anything & now I have won TWO books from Linda Weaver Clarke's blog. The first one was Hollywood Stories. The new one is an e-book. I love e-books. I need to put it on the network storage device so I can access it from my laptop.

Anyway, this is one of Linda's books, Anasazi Intrigue, the first in a series.

Stolen artifacts, a devastating flood, a snoopy newspaper reporter, and mysterious events begin to unfold in this mystery adventure novel. When a devastating flood takes out several homes in a small town, they are shocked by the news of also a possible poison spill. Quickly Julia realizes the story and investigation are much bigger and more dangerous than she thought! Julia and her husband find themselves on the run trying to save their lives while finishing the story of a lifetime. She never realized that being a reporter could be so dangerous.

Sounds well-named. It is mystery/suspense, one of my favorite, if not my favorite, genres. And, of course, a reporter? I've spent many years in the publishing industry, especially newspaper publishing. I am going to have to put this on my soon to be read list so I can review it for Linda on Amazon. Of course, I'll review it on Goodreads & Its A Must Read as well.

Still overbooked

Here's a recap of my reading in the last month. I am still overbooked.

I finished the Old Testament & have felt such a sense of accomplishment. I immediately began reading The Book of Mormon. It is so cool to be able to understand the chapters of Isaiah better this year than last year. I didn't notice last year that as Nephi or Jacob read chapters of Isaiah to the people, they would then explain them!!

I have one chapter left of The Old Testament Student Manual, book 2. But that will come. I don't have a deadline to finish it. It is online & the last chapter is a recap. I want to take time to study it, savor it.

Let's Talk About It is finished & I didn't read one book all the way through. I returned the bag of books. Today I looked for Who Owns the West by William Kittredge. I couldn't find it. It was on the computer, saying it was checked in, but it wasn't on the shelf. I also looked for Desert Solitaire, the one about Moab, by Edward Abbey. I gave up.

I already had The Forgotten Garden (in large print this time!) and Dewey's Nine Lives checked out. I returned them unread a couple of weeks ago. I had already renewed Dewey once & I couldn't renew him again. This time I can have him out for another month. The Whitney 2nd Ward book club meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month & I had a miserable migraine that day. Besides I never did get The Forgotten Garden back to finish reading.

I am also still reading Treasure Island. However, I'm a big boob. I'm to the point where they are starting to fight. At least it's on Kindle4PC & I don't have a deadline to read it. Mother does the same thing with the Work & the Glory books. She doesn't like fighting & killing, but she wants to hear what happens, so she starts & stops the book.

I am in the last section of my bathroom read, Anna Quindlin's Loud & Clear. I WON a book on Linda Weaver Clarke's blog!! I am so excited!! It seems I never win anything. This book is a nice hardcover called Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes About the Stars and Legends of the Movies! by Stephen Schochet. It will make a great bathroom read.

I got Endless Chain, the second book of the Shenandoah Album series by Emilie Richards, from PaperbackSwap dot com. I really enjoyed Touching Stars by Richards, the fourth book in the series. Mother got Endless Chain from Talking Books & returned it. She didn't like the reader.

I read a couple of books just for The 4 Month Reading Challenge, The Red Geranium by Janette Oke & Major Daddy by Eva Swain. I needed to read a book with a color in the title & one with the name of a family member in the title.

For March, I have read 5 books & have a total of 12 for the year.

Old Testament completed

I decided to copy my review from goodreads.com I didn't really want to take the time to do it again. It is, after all, a work night & it's already 12:24 a.m.

• Bookshelves: 2011-reads, dewey-decimal-200s, read, rereads 
• Read from June 01, 2010 to March 06, 2011
• Recommended for: Not the faint in heart

I chose to shelve this book as a Dewey Decimal 200. It is, after all, shelved in the 200 category of the Dewey Decimal system, which is religion.

I read through the shelves people had shelved this in on Goodreads & had to snort & snicker as I read through them. I wondered why LDS or Mormon considered the Bible "their" book when the world doesn't think we even BELIEVE the Bible. Someone else shelved it as a book they don't presume to rate. Well, ya, it's a hard book to rate. I can't see ever reading it as "light or recreational" reading. Someone else shelved it as the "S" word, which made me snicker.

I started reading the Old Testament on June 1, 2010. It was the course of study for 2010 for the auxiliaries of the LDS Church. It has taken me all this time to finish it. There were very few nights when I missed reading. And some nights I could only read a chapter. I set a goal to read it by Dec. 31, 2010. I obviously missed my original deadline. I wanted to be certain to be finished by the beginning of Lent, or Ash Wednesday. And I made it!! I read the Book of Mormon for Lent.

I read the Old Testament in the Old Testament Seminary class I took as a senior in high school, but as I read through it this time, I'm shaking my head in disbelief. I wondered many times where my mind was in seminary. I read the LDS Institute of Religion's Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings–Malachi - Religion 302 along with it. I still have a couple of chapters left in it.

Overbooked - pun intended

I have read 5 books this month, making a total of 8 books read this year.

In doing research, I found Lord of the Flies is NOT based on Treasure Island. Good thing, Lord of the Flies is on my May Never Read shelf. Speaking of Treasure Island, I am still plodding along. I am 56% of the way finished. Now, instead of filling the category of being written before I was born, I'm hoping to fill the Classic spot with it on T4MRC-5.

And speaking of T4MRC-5, I've read 3 books that do not fit in any category for that challenge. I only have 70 points.

In the Let's Talk About It program I have yet to finish a book. The discussions are only a week apart & it is definitely not a subject I would have picked. Next up is Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. It is the only book I have not looked at yet. I guess I'd better do that.

Instead of reading anything I SHOULD be reading, I found A Christmas Blessing by Donna Van Liere. It is a sequel to Christmas Shoes, a book I really liked. It is told with the help of letters from Nathan's deceased mother & his letters to her. Nathan has grown into a fine young man & is studying to be a doctor. I loved the letters from mom to son & from son to mom. I could never be as eloquent as Maggie (Nathan's mom) was or to think of others when I was so sick. I remember when I was having chemo, all I could think about was how sick I was & if I died my family would be left with a legacy of clutter. Me, me, me, not how devastated my family would be without me & how could I help them in the years to come.

I am also still reading Anna Quindlin's essays from Newsweek & The New York Times, Loud & Clear.

What I am reading

My son Nick is awesome. I had downloaded Kindle For PC from Amazon last year sometime. I bought a few books & got a few more free. When the computer I had downloaded it on crashed or was updated, I lost the Kindle4PC. I had actually forgotten about it until just this last week when Nick downloaded it for me again.

Louisa May Alcott was one of my favorite authors when I was a young teenager. My mother had a set of 8 books all bound the same. I always thought those were the only 8 books Alcott had written. I read Old-Fashioned Girl every year for years. So, I have quite a few of Alcott's books on Kindle4PC. My old favorites, haven't tried any new ones. When Nick downloaded it this time, there were 3 new books on my home page. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Aesop's Fables & Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Is Austen really spelled with an "e"?

So, I am reading Treasure Island. Can you believe I've never read it before? After I read it, I may have to read Lord of the Flies, but maybe not. Lord of the Flies is supposed to be based on Treasure Island. Don-Mike had to have permission to read Lord of the Flies when he was in senior English. He brought the permission slip home & I asked him if he wanted to read it. When he said yes, I signed it.

When I told Mother I was reading Treasure Island, she said, "Haven't you read that before?" I was rather embarrassed to tell her no. I've never been one to read the classics. I don't even have a category to put Treasure Island in for this year's reading. I added Classics to May Never Read. That certainly gives me a few more choices in that challenge. I started reading it because one of the categories in The Four Month Reading Challenge - Part 5 (T4MRC-5) is to read a book written before you were born. Well, 1881 is certainly before I was born. In fact, it's before either of my grandfather's were born!!

I am still plugging along in the Old Testament. I saved Isaiah until last & I'm only reading 3-4 chapters a night. I am studying it with the LDS Church's Institute of Religion text book. So, that is actually 2 books at once. My completion date keeps getting pushed back. I am hoping to be finished by Feb. 28.

I'm also reading Dewey's Nine Lives, a collection of short stories about people Dewey, the small town library cat, impacted. I chose this book because I love cats & I really enjoyed the first book about Dewey. I was thrilled when I discovered I need a collection of short stories for T4MRC-5.

Let's Talk About It, the reading program at the Larsen-Sant Library, finally started this past Wednesday, Feb. 9. We discussed The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich. So, I've been reading that. This Wednesday, Feb. 16, we will be discussing Desert Solitaire, so I've got to at least look at it before I go.

The Whitney 2nd Ward book club was reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton for this Wednesday, but I found out this afternoon that no one had finished it, so they canceled this month's meeting. Yes!! I returned The Forgotten Garden to the library & shelved it to read later, so another lady in the ward could read it.

That's all I'm currently reading. I shelved the other books I've been trying to read. I really overbooked myself - pun intended.

Historical fiction review

I finished Touching Stars last night, Jan. 31. I had a hard time rating this book. It was predictable, but what kept me reading was the historical sub-plot. I had always believed what the history books said, that John Wilkes Booth was killed shortly after he assassinated President Lincoln. Yet in this book, the story is given that John Wilkes Booth recovered on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley. An archeological camp for teenagers is being held on the inn's property, where Booth supposedly recovered.

I loved the fact I could pick up...moreI had a hard time rating this book. It was predictable, but what kept me reading was the historical sub-plot. I had always believed what the history books said, that John Wilkes Booth was killed shortly after he assassinated President Lincoln. Yet in this book, the story is given that John Wilkes Booth recovered on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley. An archeological camp for teenagers is being held on the inn's property, where Booth supposedly recovered.

Touching Stars is book #4 in the Emilie Richards' Shenandoah Album series. I loved the fact I could pick up this book, out of order, & have an update on Helen Henry & Cissy from Wedding Ring, book #1. Wedding Ring closed with Cissy, 8 months pregnant, marrying Zeke. So, it was fun to catch up with Cissy.

4 stars, a low 4 stars.
© 2007

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First book in Historical Fiction mini challenge.

Let's Talk About It rescheduled

Let's Talk About It has yet to begin this year. The first book was Pilgrim on Tinker Creek or at Tinker Creek scheduled for Jan. 12. The presenter called saying he was sick & it was rescheduled for February. So, I stopped trying to read Tinker Creek & started on Who Owns the West. Much better book, but I got started on Touching Stars by Emilie Richards & never did get back to Who Owns the West. So, Wednesday, Jan. 26, I got a call from Larsen-Sant Library that the presenter had fallen on the ice & Let's Talk About It has been rescheduled. Ok, the next one is Wednesday, Feb. 2. I can't remember what the name of the book is, but I need to finish Touching Stars & the new book for February for the Whitney 2nd Ward book club is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

Then I have There's No Place Like Home by Fern Michaels on interlibrary loan from LANDER, WYOMING. Yes, Wyoming. I didn't know they were part of our consortium of libraries. I have to finish Touching Stars, The Forgotten Garden & No Place Like Home & return them to the library. I can't renew them.

I am 80% of the way finished with Touching Stars & I'm getting bored. Bored, I tell you. I seldom get bored with a book, but … this seems to be one of them. Did you know that John Wilkes Boothe supposedly was NOT killed when & where they thought he was? I sure didn't. I thought he was killed in a warehouse, not some barn in Virginia. Well, this book brings up the theory he wasn't killed, but lived to a ripe old age in Texas. But must have stopped in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia on his way.

Mother had the book No Place Like Home on a digital book from Talking Books. Don-Mike heard parts of it while Mother was listening to it & wanted to read the book. Luana heard parts of the book & Mother told her about it & she wants to read it. So do I. I let Don-Mike have it first. He read it in one sitting. He said he kept trying to find a stopping place & couldn't, so he sat up until 2 a.m. reading it. I offered to let Luana have it next, but she has a daughter & her family here visiting & knows she won't have time to read it. I don't know if I will or not.

Madame Librarian

One of my favorite stage production is "The Music Man." I love the music. I love the Marian the Librarian character & the song Harold sings to her, "Madame Librarian."

So, where am I going with this? There are good librarians & not so good librarians. Dare I say, "bad" librarians?

Because Mother has macular degeneration & is legally blind, she receives books & magazines from Talking Books. She can have 6 books at a time from Talking Books, 2 cassettes (green boxes) & 4 digital (blue boxes). Well, the books come in fits & starts. She gets books she has absolutely no interest in. I started keeping track of her books on a separate account on Goodreads. So, I know when things are in series & by reading the synopsis I have a pretty good idea as to whether she'll like the book or not. The reader can make or break a book though & I can't predict that.

She got 6 books before the holiday weekend. I sent 2 books back before even taking them over to her. Then, I didn't take one book over because it was #4 in a series & she hadn't read #3, so I held on to it so I could call the state library today, since yesterday was a holiday. I took 3 books over to her house. One was a book I was pretty sure she wouldn't like, but it was iffy & I thought I'd let her decide. One was book 8 in a series & she hadn't read the other 7 books. It looked like it could probably be read out of order. And one was a book she wanted & I had ordered it. One out of 6 ain't bad.

Today, I called the state library. I got a librarian named Loretta. I mention her name so I have it documented. I told her I was calling for my mother, & gave her Mother's name. She wanted me to spell it. So I spelled Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N. Monson. What's so hard about Monson? Maybe she thought I said Johnson. Or maybe she wanted me to spell Odetta, but then again, how many Odettas are there? Much less Odetta Monson? I figured if she got Monson, she could figure out Odetta. Then she snippily said, "She's not my patron." I didn't say, but thought, "Well, then transfer me." She asked if she could help me. I started telling her my problem & she interrupted me & told me Mother could only have 6 books out at a time & she was at her limit. I said I knew that, but I was calling about books in series. She had 2 books from 2 different series that were out of order. I wanted to order the series. I do this all the time & have never had a rude librarian yet. She kept interrupting me. I told her I had sent 2 books back before the weekend, they had probably sat in the mailbox all weekend but were on their way.

I finally got my questions out, but at last I lost it & said, "Look, Sweetheart, you are not listening. I sent 2 books back before the weekend. Once I get off the phone, I will drop these 3 books in the mailbox. But she is out of books." I thanked her for her help & snapped the phone shut. Ok, 2 books plus 3 books makes 6 books, right?

My husband had been listening to me & he said, "She wasn't listening at all was she?" I still don't know if Mother is going to get Opal, book 3 from the Dakotah Treasures series by Lauraine Snelling or not. But I sent Amethyst, book 4, back. Nor do I know if she's going to start getting Sisterchicks in order. I guess we'll just have to wait & see, but if I ever get Loretta again, I will either hang up or ask for another librarian.

Don & I dropped the books off at the post office, did a few errands & came home. I needed to take some meds over to Mother's, so I went over to her house. When I got there, she was obsessing over BOOKS!! Grrr. She had book 5 of The Work & The Glory series on cassettes. I had told her it was book 5 on Sunday & she needed the other books first. I also told her the Larsen-Sant Library has that series on cassette. But did she listen to me? No. Her sister told her she couldn't listen to that set of tapes because it was book 5 & she needed the first ones. Then Mother told me she had the other books. I said, yes, she did have the other books, but they weren't on tape. How was she going to see to read them? I spied a blue box & groaned. Oh, crud, I thought all the Talking Books were back. I had been so frustrated over the librarian at Talking Books I hadn't been doing the math right.

So, I snatched up the book & asked Mother about it. Had she read it, was she reading it? Oh, that, where did you just get that, she wanted to know. I said I had picked it up off the digital player. "Oh, I didn't like it, there was killing." Well, ya, that's the book I didn't think she'd like.

So, I told her if I hurried I could run to the library & get The Work & The Glory, Book 1 on cassette. "Oh," she says, "do they have that series?" I told her yes, I was pretty sure they did. At least, I didn't say, "Mother! I told you on Sunday they have this series on cassette."

So, I came running home, got my library card, the 2 books that were due back & ran to the library. Hallelujah, 3 of my favorite librarians all working at once!! How did I luck out? I put my books on the Check In cart & happily went off to the audio book section. I found Book 1 on cassette of The Work & the Glory, then thought I'd look to see if there were some books in paperback of Emilie Richards' Shenandoah Valley series. One of the librarians was shelving books on the aisle I thought the paperbacks were on, so we talked & visited for a few minutes. I couldn't see the paperbacks so I went an aisle over. There she was again, so I told her I was looking for the paperbacks. She said she'd been hiding them while we were talking. I found a book & went to check out. I was told I still had a book out. I said no I'd returned it. I told her where I had set the books. Then all 3 librarians started talking. I had returned The Twelfth Angel by Og Mandino. They thought it was another book with angel in the title. Then Peggy said, "I think I shelved The Twelfth Angel." Laura said, "No, it's right here." & held up whatever angel book she thought it was. Peggy took off to the stacks & came back with the book I had just returned. Theresa had taken off for the audio stacks & came back with The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans and said, "Did you return this?" I said, "Yes. I put the books right there on the shelf. Shouldn't I have done that?" Peggy laughed & said, "Yes. You can put the books there, just bonk us over the head & let us know when you do." So, my books were checked in & a hold was slapped on The Twelfth Angel.

The fiasco at the local library was funny. We laughed over it & there were no hard feelings. We got it straightened out. But … there are some librarians that work there that remind me of Loretta & it could have been a bad scene.

I took the set of cassettes to Mother & she's overwhelmed. There are 12 cassettes. How is she going to see "what is what?" I had thought of that. There are no Braille bumps on them either. But she NEEDS to have books to listen to. I got a permanent marker out, numbered each tape & put A & B on the ones that didn't have A & B. Then she asked me to mark her set of books. She was worried because there were tapes missing, what was she going to do? I told her she wouldn't be reading Book 5 for a while. I looked to see how many tapes were supposed to be in the box, 16. There were 20 slots. I explained there were 20 slots, but only 16 tapes. She wasn't missing any. The same thing for book 1. There are 20 slots, but only 12 tapes. I marked her books.

I can't wait to see what challenges she will face trying to "read" this series. Or, maybe I can.

To be continued …

A reprieve

I just received a reprieve. When I received a phone call just a few minutes ago from Laura at the Larsen-Sant Library telling me the discussion for Let's Talk About It tomorrow night was canceled, I said, "Yes!" That's the good news. I had not read the book to be discussed, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. The bad news is it has been rescheduled for Feb. 23. We also put it in the paper as beginning tomorrow night.

So, why is Feb. 23 bad news? Because the book discussions that were supposed to be scheduled every other week, has now become weekly, beginning Feb. 9!! Argh!!

2011 word

I just finished reading Debbie Macomber's book Thursdays at Eight. A group of 4 women met during a journal writing class & when the class ended they kept meeting every Thursday morning at 8. Each woman chose a word for the year. I thought that was a great idea. In one of my cousin's daughter's blog entry, she said her word for this year will be "Joy." I'd never heard of a word for a year, then I picked up Thursdays at Eight & there was that idea again.

I threw it out in the Thursdays at Eight thread in the Goodreads Debbie Macomber's Novels group. Three of us have decided on words for the year. Mine is resolution as in a solution, settling of a problem, coming to terms with my life.

There are several things in my life I need to resolve, so I think resolution is a good choice.

New Year's traditions

We don't really have any New Year's traditions. This year I fed them bean & sausage soup. I used a can of black-eyed peas as part of the beans. Black-eyed peas & pork are supposed to be "lucky."

According to epicurious dot com

The six major categories of auspicious foods are grapes, greens, fish, pork, legumes, and cakes.

It looks like I could have fed them clam chowder instead.  We had black-eyed peas on New Year's for 2010 too, & I don't see 2010 was particularly lucky.

I read The New Year's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini & there were some interesting traditions.

"I remember we had to clean the house thoroughly before we could give any thought to a celebration. Before midnight on New Year's Eve, the fireplaces had to be swept clean and the ashes carried outside. ... The purpose was to prepare yourselves and your home to begin the New Year with a fresh, clean slate, ..." ( p. 81 )

Now, that would be a good resolution — have a spotless house to start the new year with. Sylvia shares some insight her mother-in-law gave her about resolutions. "A resolution is the settlement of a dispute," Sylvia said. ( p. 221 )

2010 summarized

I have been closing out my 2010 posts & spreadsheets. My 2011 spreadsheets are ready to go - nice & clean.

I read 48 books in 2010. Of those I read 3 books each by Jennifer Chiaverini, Patricia Wiles & Mary Higgins Clark. I read 2 books each by Anne Perry, Louisa May Alcott, Jillian Hart, Joanne Harris & Luanne Rice.

The genre with the most books read was mystery with 9. Memoirs & LDS fiction came in second with 6. Historical fiction came in with 5. I don't usually read memoirs. If I had read all the memoirs I started, it would have come in first. The Let's Talk About It reading program is heavy on memoirs. I only read 1 of the 4 I started there. I am still reading one from the Whitney 2nd Ward book club. I borrowed it from Luana. I need to finish it so I can return it.

Best book of 2010? That's a hard one. Most of the books I read in 2010 were given 4 or 5 stars. The best book is a toss up between Chocolat by Joanne Harris or The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.

Worst book? The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I did not finish it. I have a copy of the book. I've debated about what to do with it. I've almost decided to throw it away. As far as the ones I finished, I did not care for Blessings by Anna Quindlin. Last Kiss by Luanne Rice was another one. I read these books about half way & then skipped through the rest of the book. Is that called reading? I plowed through A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton.

Historical Fiction Challenge

I am such a sucker for challenges. I found one on BookDrunkard about historical fiction. I can't believe I signed up for it, but ... I do like historical fiction & the rules say you can ready any kind of historical fiction. I only signed up for 10 in 2011, that's less than 1 book a month. I should be able to manage that. I only read 5 in 2010, but this should make me push a little harder. I swapped out Favorite Author for Historical Fiction in my personal reading challenges.