I bought "Innocent Darkness" by Suzanne Lazear. I didn't really have any expectations, I bought the book because I liked the cover.
It's good, really good. And the author is having a readalong to lead up to the publication of the next book in the series.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
"An Old-Fashioned Girl" and Charlie
"An Old-Fashioned Girl" by Louisa May Alcott
Country cousin Polly, the old-fashioned girl of the title, goes to visit rich Fanny and family in the big city for a couple of months. There she has many different experiences. Some she likes and some she doesn't. that's the first half of the book. The second half takes place six years after. Polly is working in the city giving music lessons, meanwhile Fanny's family suffers a reversal in fortune. Polly helps them out.
The book has a lot more going for it then that. If you like "Little Women" you will like this. It's full of descriptions of the fashions and manners of that bygone age. I find it amusing that the same things that a lot of people criticize now, such as children dressing and acting too grown-up, unwholesome entertainment and use of stimulants, alcohol, gambling, spending money they don't have, being indolent, not caring, are the same things that the author is criticizing in her novel. There is also discussion in the book about a women's role in the world especially when she is single, being and staying happy and useful, and a women's influence.
Continuing on with introducing my boys:
Here's a picture of my Charlie, the $5000 dollar cat. If you want to know the story, it's in my first entry to this blog. Sorry, I can't seem to put a link in correctly yet.
Charlie is a sensitive soul and is often whinny. I sometimes joke that he is saying 'I'm a middle-aged eunuch and will whine if I want too". The vet told me that orange and white cats are similar to natural red heads in that there is no pain tolerance.
Country cousin Polly, the old-fashioned girl of the title, goes to visit rich Fanny and family in the big city for a couple of months. There she has many different experiences. Some she likes and some she doesn't. that's the first half of the book. The second half takes place six years after. Polly is working in the city giving music lessons, meanwhile Fanny's family suffers a reversal in fortune. Polly helps them out.
The book has a lot more going for it then that. If you like "Little Women" you will like this. It's full of descriptions of the fashions and manners of that bygone age. I find it amusing that the same things that a lot of people criticize now, such as children dressing and acting too grown-up, unwholesome entertainment and use of stimulants, alcohol, gambling, spending money they don't have, being indolent, not caring, are the same things that the author is criticizing in her novel. There is also discussion in the book about a women's role in the world especially when she is single, being and staying happy and useful, and a women's influence.
Continuing on with introducing my boys:
Here's a picture of my Charlie, the $5000 dollar cat. If you want to know the story, it's in my first entry to this blog. Sorry, I can't seem to put a link in correctly yet.
Charlie is a sensitive soul and is often whinny. I sometimes joke that he is saying 'I'm a middle-aged eunuch and will whine if I want too". The vet told me that orange and white cats are similar to natural red heads in that there is no pain tolerance.
Charlie my boy, oh Charlie my boy!
These two cool cats are Ruby Tuesday and Hotrod, Charlie's litter mates who live with Auntie Theresa.
Friday, May 31, 2013
My Kitty Boys
This is Gris Gris. A very round noisy boy and a champion purr monster.
This is KitKat. He's long and sleek with the silkiest fur. Sorry for the picture quality.
Have you ever tried to photograph a black cat?
Friday, May 24, 2013
the lastest books read
"Eye of the Witch; Detective Marcella Witch's Series, book 2" by Dana E. Donovan
An interesting murder mystery with paranormal underpinnings. lots of references to the first book and the story took a while to get going, but overall a good read. I would like to read the rest of the series.
"Louisiana Lament" by Julie Smith (Talba Wallis Mystery #3)
This is the third book in the fun mystery series. I love that the heroine is a poet and that her poems are in the book. However, poetry does not pay the bills and so, Talba's day job is a PI.
Side note, I'm watching the season finale of "The Following" and just realized that one of the major characters is named "Debra Parker". My third sister is named "Deborah Parker"
An interesting murder mystery with paranormal underpinnings. lots of references to the first book and the story took a while to get going, but overall a good read. I would like to read the rest of the series.
"Louisiana Lament" by Julie Smith (Talba Wallis Mystery #3)
This is the third book in the fun mystery series. I love that the heroine is a poet and that her poems are in the book. However, poetry does not pay the bills and so, Talba's day job is a PI.
Side note, I'm watching the season finale of "The Following" and just realized that one of the major characters is named "Debra Parker". My third sister is named "Deborah Parker"
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
What I'm thankful for....
With all the coverage of the destruction in Oklahoma, I felt prompted to make a gratitude list.
- I have an intact roof over my head
- a comfortable bed
- lots of good food in the house
- plenty of clothing to wear
- a multitude of books to read
- hot shower
- ice
- diet coke
- Houdini, Charlee, Kit Kat, and Gris Gris-my cats
- Jasmine-Matt's dog
- a beautiful and clean! bedroom
- my Mom and Dad are mostly healthy
- a beautiful garden with lots of herbs and flowers
- fresh tomatoes off the vine
- yummy smelling lotion
- Advil
- zinnias-I love their bright colors and they are amazingly long lasting cut flowers
- fried potatoes
- I finished watching my past season of "Grim"
- my Kindle
- my siblings and my nieces and nephews
- the silly hummingbirds and finches I see from my window, butterflies, fat lazy carpenter bees and busy honeybees
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Tara means Star
A long discriptive paragraph about someone I know that I wrote for a class.
Tara
means Star
A soft-looking woman with blue eyes,
very fair skin, and short blond hair with frequent pink or blue streaks in it,
her exterior belies a whim of steel. Tara loves to dress up for everyday
occasions and wear amazing heels. She
has an elegant, cool air masking strong opinions and a sometimes prickly
manner. She will let you know if she’s happy or sad. Tara is the second to
youngest in a family of seven children and yes, we all have the same parents.
We often joke that Tara had five mommies. With four older sisters and an older
brother, the only way to survive in a large family is to be strong-willed. And
she is strong in her likes and dislikes. Tara loves her animals and is a
devoted pet mom, who supports animal and environmental causes. People, to her
mind, are on their own. She swears she dislikes children and she will never have
them. However, she will get books and small presents for no reason at all for
her nieces and nephews. She often gives gifts just because, but refuses to do
birthday or Christmas presents. One family trait we share is no
tolerance for boredom. She’s good with money and ran a successful business as a
massage therapist until she became bored with it. She went back to school to be
a physical therapy technician, got bored with that and then went to work at a
lab. She is a talented artist, but stopped drawing because she got bored! I
can’t wait to see what she does next. My sister is a voracious reader, loves
Chinese food, Halloween, and movies with explosions. She despises ignorance, anything
creamy, Christmas, and movies with sex. Tara is a quirky, interesting person to
be related to and I quite enjoy being her sister. Oh, I picked out her name,
it’s Hindu and means “star”
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
and yet another book
I not quite ready to have constant triple digit weather yet, so I'm glad to hear that we are going to have a bit of a cool down. My garden will be happy about it too.
The latest read is "Shadows in the Night: An Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery" by Jane Finnis.
It's a murder mystery set in Roman Britain in the tenth year of Domitian Caesar.Written as a long letter, it has the feel of a cozy. The author did keep me guessing and second guessing who the villain was. I liked it and would read more in this series.
The latest read is "Shadows in the Night: An Aurelia Marcella Roman Mystery" by Jane Finnis.
It's a murder mystery set in Roman Britain in the tenth year of Domitian Caesar.Written as a long letter, it has the feel of a cozy. The author did keep me guessing and second guessing who the villain was. I liked it and would read more in this series.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
More Books
"The Mosquito Syndrome" by James Sperl
I tried to read this and know people who loved this book. I, however cannot get into it.
"The Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths" by Padraic Colum
Wonderful collection of Norse mythology.
"Angelfall(Penryn and the End of Days)" Susan Ee
I came by this book by chance. Basically angels have returned and turned Earth into a living hell. Penryn is a young woman trying to get her little sister back from the angels who ends up saving, then teaming up with an angel to survive. Very weird to have angels be the bad guys. I wasn't raised believing that angels are different from humans. For me they are human spirits who either haven't been born yet or more perfected humans who have already passed. It is a good story and I hope the sequel comes out soon.
"The Soulkeepers, Book One" By G.P.Ching
YA book, with angel and demons and the belief that some angels interbreed with humans and that their descendants have special gifts and roles to play in saving humanity. I enjoyed it and got the rest of the series.
"Nevermore" by Kelly Creagh
YA book, read it for book club for last October. Spooky tale about a cheerleader and a goth guy. Actually much more complicated than that. Lots of references to Edgar Allen Poe. Good story, great characters, so I got the second book in the series.
I tried to read this and know people who loved this book. I, however cannot get into it.
"The Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths" by Padraic Colum
Wonderful collection of Norse mythology.
"Angelfall(Penryn and the End of Days)" Susan Ee
I came by this book by chance. Basically angels have returned and turned Earth into a living hell. Penryn is a young woman trying to get her little sister back from the angels who ends up saving, then teaming up with an angel to survive. Very weird to have angels be the bad guys. I wasn't raised believing that angels are different from humans. For me they are human spirits who either haven't been born yet or more perfected humans who have already passed. It is a good story and I hope the sequel comes out soon.
"The Soulkeepers, Book One" By G.P.Ching
YA book, with angel and demons and the belief that some angels interbreed with humans and that their descendants have special gifts and roles to play in saving humanity. I enjoyed it and got the rest of the series.
"Nevermore" by Kelly Creagh
YA book, read it for book club for last October. Spooky tale about a cheerleader and a goth guy. Actually much more complicated than that. Lots of references to Edgar Allen Poe. Good story, great characters, so I got the second book in the series.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Books
I decided to keep track of the books I read and my reaction to them. So, here are the books I've read lately.
I also finished "Suspect" Heartbreaking at the beginning, good fast paced story and great ending.
finished reading "Silver Phoenix" very good YA book. lots of action and description.
Silver Phoenix
www.amazon.com
Ai Ling can see into other people's minds and reach into their spirits. But she doesn't know why this power has awakened inside her. She only knows that it is growing. It leads her on an epic journey—one that brings her to the edge of the deepest evil. Chen Yong has a quest of his own, but ...
Suspect
www.amazon.com
The explosive new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author. LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left
I just finished reading 'The Princess and The Goblin' a sweet old fashioned children's story.
The Princess And The Goblin (illustrated)
www.amazon.com
The Princess And The Goblin by George Macdonald with illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith in black and white. When her father's kingdom is terrorized by the Goblins who inhabit the underground, a young princess and her faithful companions hatch a plan to defeat the goblins and save the kingdom.
"The Princess and Curdie" is the follow-up to "The Princess and The Goblin" Interesting story, takes a while to get going and is rather preachy. but I believe that is par for the course with books from this time period.
Food, Glorious Food
Lots of cooking this weekend. I tried a new recipe 'Baked Zucchini Chips', my Mom and I really like them, my Dad didn't. I also made a bunch of old favorites. One of which, Quiche, always reminds me of Jane Wyatt, Catherine Racowsky and the triplets. Jane is the one who introduced me to making Quiche. I also made Pasta Salad and Cherry Delight. Cherry Delight is a kind of no bake cheesecake and my family has served it at countless dinners over the years. All this food and the memories they invoke brings home how intertwined food is in making memories. Making an old familiar dish can bring back how I felt and the people I was with, when I cook and eat that dish again.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Friday Night Out
I had a very enjoyable evening Friday with Tara Parker. We attended a reception at the Mesa Contemporary Art Museum where we saw Loran Woods and lots of amazing art. I really like The Dogs of Ron Burns. Had dinner at a Thai place on Main that was very good, and walking around Main for 2nd Friday Night out, found a new artist whose work I like, Annie Dunn. Her website is www.vanAnnies.com, check her out.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Update
I always get a bit annoyed by bloggers who don't update in a timely manner and now, look, I'm one of them.
A quick update then. Today on Palm Sunday, I made calls, a Texas sheet cake, rehearsed, went to church, sang at church with my niece Halli (Gethsemane by Melanie and Roger Hoffman), went to choir practice, and about four and one half hours after I left for church. I went home for dinner, helped a bit with cleaning up, did a facial mask, shower and spent some time catching up on my emails and blogs.
That was my day of rest!
A quick update then. Today on Palm Sunday, I made calls, a Texas sheet cake, rehearsed, went to church, sang at church with my niece Halli (Gethsemane by Melanie and Roger Hoffman), went to choir practice, and about four and one half hours after I left for church. I went home for dinner, helped a bit with cleaning up, did a facial mask, shower and spent some time catching up on my emails and blogs.
That was my day of rest!
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