Slache, thank you. I'm fine. I just don't have as much time to be online as I would like, so anyone here is free to start the weekly thread, as always. :) Going swimming soon.

I read: East of Eden - 5 Stars - I’ve only read one other book by Steinbeck (The Pearl) and that was many years ago in secondary school. I remember that I loved The Pearl. Now looking back, I cannot figure out why I didn’t read any other Steinbeck books since. It’s possible that I felt they may be too much like a high school literature course. For whatever reason, they simply didn’t appeal to me. I’d now like to catch up and read more by him. East of Eden was an extremely powerful read. There were a few characters (Samuel Hamilton and Lee) whom I just loved. They were good-hearted and realistic. For me, being able to emotionally connect with some of the characters is essential to my enjoying a novel. Overall, this was beautifully written, well-structured, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. and A Friendly Universe - 1 Star (and, mind you, 1 Star is extremely generous!) - This book is the worst form of rubbish ever. I should have known better when purchasing this as well as another book by Katie. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. Both are now in the garbage. I wouldn’t even give this book away to anyone, not in the monthly book swap that my daughter and I go to, not anywhere. The funny thing is that my husband and I were lying in bed, reading. He wanted me to read a short article. Since I’d just started this book, I picked up his article and handed him this book. He read a page or two, rolled his eyes, and commented that there’s no way that I’ll like this book. Yes, he was right, as he so often is. He knows that I hate this sort of pop-psych nonsense. Thankfully, it was a quick and short read. Her basic philosophy is: “Everything is your fault. You are just projecting your thoughts onto others.†I read, and please excuse me for paraphrasing here, how in her other book (that I was planning to read soon), she was in therapy with a woman who’d been raped as a child from the time she was nine. Katie told her that she had abused both herself, and the step-father who raped her, because it’s hard to be a child rapist. She had the gall to tell her to step into the rapist’s shoes! Here are some other rather questionable excerpts (please excuse my comments to her in parentheses: “A lover of what is looks forward to everything: life, death, disease, loss, earthquakes, bombs, anything the mind might be tempted to call ‘bad’.†“If I lose all my money, good. If I get cancer, good. If my husband leaves me, good. If he stays, that’s good too.†(Thanks for the clarity). “There are no physical problems, only mental ones.†(Try that with some folks suffering from the former. There most certainly are physical problems). She then adds: “(Love) embraces all, everything from the murderer and the rapist to the saint to the dog and cat.†“Nothing you believe is true.†“You are the cause of all the suffering that exists in this world.†(Really? All of it? Thanks ever so much, Katie, thank you. :lol: “I’m very clear that everyone in the world loves me. I just don’t expect them to realize it yet.†(Umm. Okay. If you say so.) MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

About to soon do 4 Miles of Leslie. Ladies, I hope to start spending slightly less time online. I will try to post here as often as I can, but I'm asking any one of you to please start this weekly thread. It would be nice for this thread to keep going. I'm just a bit too busy and may not be always able to start it. Thank you all.

Finally going to do what I've been meaning to do for the past few days - 3 Classical Stretch routines.

I was hoping to do at least two Classical Stretch routines this morning, but time is limited. I'll probably only be able to do one. Dh and I will most likely be going walking on the beach this afternoon. I look forward to that.

Thank you all. Multi-quote is annoying and not working. :confused1: Just did 3 Miles of Leslie.

Kim, thank you so much. I feel better and thank you for your very kind words. :grouphug:

Nothing this morning. I might do something later. I'm not feeling too great at the moment.

Short swim soon.

I didn't get to do anything yesterday. Yesterday was not a good day. I'm going to soon do two Classical Stretch routines: Posture Reverse the Aging Process (Honestly, I don't believe that it can be reversed & am skeptical of such claims. I believe one can only slow it down somewhat & that's pretty much it, which is still great).

Link to new thread.

New thread. Please post your workouts here. Everyone welcome. :)

I really hope that I get to do two Classical Stretch routines at some point today. Not sure if I'll be able to, but that's my goal.

Rebounding.

About to do a 2 Mile Ellen Barrett Walk - never done a walk by her.

:grouphug: I hope and pray that he's okay.

Swimming soon.

Yes, I read it four years ago. It was okay. Nothing incredible.

Double Post

Oh my goodness. I can't even begin to imagine the aftereffects of experiencing all of that. :grouphug:

Thank you again for keeping this thread going. We had a lovely holiday & I missed you all. I'll soon be doing an Essentrics workout: Class of 2012. Here's a preview of the one-hour workout.

I didn't see a thread for this week yet. Here's the link to the new thread. Thank you so much for keeping this thread going. :)

New thread. Please post your workouts here. Everyone welcome. :)

Multi-quote is not working, which I find annoying. Anyway, I've missed you all and am happy to be back from our holiday. We had a fabulous time (Amsterdam, Brugge, London & the Cotswolds). I started a few and abandoned them. These are the ones that I completed. Shadows of the Workhouse – 5 Stars - Yet another gorgeously written and utterly captivating book in the “Call the Midwife†series. The characters are truly memorable. Once again, I experienced an entire gamut of emotions – sobbing in some parts and laughing in others. Being Mortal – 4 Stars - This is an important and beautifully-written book that I would recommend to everyone. The subject matter (aging and death) definitely sounds depressing, yet I felt that reading it was uplifting and helpful. I would give it 5 Stars, but I felt that it was a little too lengthy and detailed at times. I have to say that I wish that Dr. Gawande was my physician. I wish that my family and I lived in a society that offered good geriatric and hospice care. The Hell of it All – 3 Stars - I love Charlie Brooker. This book wasn’t as relevant and funny as his others. I couldn’t fully relate to much of the pop culture in the U.K, since I no longer live there. It was enjoyable, but not as good as his other book, “I Can Make You Hateâ€. He has some clips on You Tube, which, although irreverent & offensive to many, are simply hilarious. MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

Robin, this used to be one of my favorite books ever. My tastes have changed a bit. I still love it very much, but not as much. Out of all of Allende's books, this is my favorite. I've read most of them. Her recent ones are not as good, IMHO. She recently accepted my friend request on Good Reads! :D