Amy, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad that she passed peacefully, and I wish you strength and comfort as you navigate the coming days. :grouphug: Not doing well on my list today! DS is almost done with school, and I did get caught up checking his math. We are staying in today, still feeling a bit yucky. Will work on the kitchen and lists later this afternoon.

I'm going to try to join these threads... I've popped in a time or two before. But I really need to get on track and get some things accomplished! MiHH, I am just getting over a crud like you describe... Last week I was pretty much useless at anything other than getting us through the day! First DS had it, then graciously shared it with me, so between us both it's been 10+ days of hacking. I hope you feel better soon! Monday: DS school Get weekly school plan finished Dishes/clean kitchen Might go help at church, volunteering to sort/pack after a big food drive... We'll see how I'm feeling! Make meal plan and grocery list

That is interesting. Love how they first focus on the reviewers, then on the publishers. There are a LOT of books out there by women authors. However, as a few of you have mentioned in the thread, there are many genres perhaps more dominated by women (romance, cozy mysteries, "chick lit" - I hate that term as well!)... So is that where women are statistically focusing their efforts, with fewer writing history, biography, literary fiction? That's it... We all just need to write a book! :) Which makes me wonder, as a very slight detour... How many of you are writers as well as readers? I have written a few essay/article type pieces, two of which were published in an organization's newsletter years ago. It's on my bucket list to write a novel.

I wonder if we could close the debate at this point.... I think this thread is valuable and I'd hate to see it shut down. :grouphug: Is there interest in opening back up a social group of this nature? Are there things you all would like to discuss?

That may all be true. But it's in the presentation. As Regentrude said, you really do value mowing and planning over seeing her (your acquaintance) this weekend, and that's okay, because those things are necessary for your sanity and for the continued functioning of your household. However, you don't have to say, I'd really rather clean the house than spend the day with you. In fact, I wouldn't recommend it. ;) But saying, thanks for the invitation, but that won't work for me.... Is both polite and true. Would it make you feel better if you knew women all over America sometimes claim busyness when all they're doing is having quiet time on the couch because they just couldn't take on one more commitment without going off the deep end? Because.... They do. And that's okay. You have to value your own time enough to know how it is best spent.

There was a social group for a while, but it was pretty inactive, and was closed down. I'd be happy to set something up again if there's interest in such discussion. Maybe more of a "Mainstream and Progressive" would open it up a bit. Glad the thread has been revived, it's interesting to talk about this and see how many people fall under this umbrella.

Stacia, what books by Atwood have you read? I loved The Handmaids Tale, and there was a books of short stories by her I enjoyed... But I've tried a couple others that I couldn't even get through. Let's explore this a little: what titles has everyone read that would fall under this theme of the female experience? I think of things like The Handmaids Tale and The Red Tent. I haven't read Greer, Nin, or Colette but would be interested in exploring those.

Happy Sunday! "I like reading about women more than I like reading about men and I think part of the reason for that is that I'm trying to understand the female experience within a male-dominated world. The questions that arise as I read often reflect either my own experience or else themes and trajectories that are still unfolding me as a woman." Shukriyya, I love this, and I think this may play a role for me as well. I'm about 10% through The Goldfinch. Still pondering whether to join the Inferno read. :)

I didn't see your other thread... But wow. I agree they should not have published the info. I'm so sorry your sister is going through all this. I truly hope he is not released and is held accountable for all this, and that your sis gets the help she needs. :grouphug: to you... I'm sure you're feeling frustrated and helpless.

Well, there is that. :) Maybe I should read Dante instead just to mix things up a bit!

I think it's subconscious for me as well. I also read several series that happen to have women authors... That automatically adds several to the female side each year. Stacia, I know, I have heard similar reviews of Wuthering Heights. That wasn't the one I voted for, LOL! We shall see... if I hate it, I will feel no guilt ditching it!

Oh, I was going to explain about the super secret password and the special ritual with the pixies who guard the newsletters. But your way sounds easier, I guess... ;) I can't believe it's February! I don't know if I'm doing the Inferno read... I just started The Goldfinch, which is long, plus I'm going to try reading Wuthering Heights with a group from another site. That with a side of nonfiction and a light dessert of fluff... Well, I think my reading month may be full!! I've always wanted to read it though, so we will see....

That is an interesting topic. I was guessing that I read more female authors... Although oddly, I've read exactly none of the books on the Flavorwire list. So off to Goodreads I went.... In 2013, I read 60 books.... 12 were by male authors, so 20%. In 2012, it was 10 of 65 books, so roughly the same average. Interestingly, most of the books by male authors were non fiction, so it seems the fiction I read is almost exclusively written by women. The exception was the Percy Jackson series in 2012. :)

Oh great, thanks.... now my brain will spin so much I'll never sleep again!! :LOL: ;) (So if is is, how do I get it out and invite dreamland in for a visit instead?? Hmmm...) Somehow... I'm willing to bet that this is a resounding YES! :D It was an interesting read. I am reading a variety of books from religious topics... I don't share her views, but I liked seeing how she arrived where she did. She started off in a very conservative religious sect, and I think that triggered her initial movement on the continuum, and a lot of what she processed was relating to that early experience.

Wouldn't this be incredibly awesome?? I confess to having the same hope... probably comes from having watched too much Stargate. ;) Although if I think about it too hard... that begs the question for me, what more could I be doing with the reality I'm actually inhabiting? And if I think too much about that, I'll have to put my books away and get off the couch. :D Seriously, it does lead to pondering... mama always said I overthink everything...

Michele, that landscape is stunning! I'd also like to know more about it. I stayed up last night to finish Lost Lake. (Note to self: if you are trying to get over an illness, probably best not to stay up until 2am reading...) It was enjoyable... somehow it wasn't my favorite SAA title, I think that still goes to Peach Keeper or The Girl Who Chased the Moon. I know the genre is magical realism, and there are some "out there" things in each novel and that's part of the quirkiness I love, but there were a couple things in this one that just didn't click for me somehow. If anyone else has read it.... I was totally picturing Shirley Maclaine ala "Steel Magnolias" as Selma... that image popped into my head and stuck. :D Anyway, I am going to start The Goldfinch... I keep hearing good things about it, and the art discussion above makes me look forward to it even more. (I also enjoyed Chasing Vermeer, I might read that again, and also try the sequels.) I'm also going to start The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin... I read this a few years back and remember enjoying it, so now round two. I had mentioned Little Women several times... I finally set it aside. I don't know *what* it is, it seems a wonderful book and I enjoyed what I read of it, but anytime I went to grab a book, I considered and ignored it in favor of something else. I'm putting it away for now and will probably try one more time down the road. Oh well. My list of completed in January... ten books, off to a good start!! 1. Resisting the Hero, Cindi Madsen 2. Falling for her Soldier, Ophelia London 3. The Homemade Atheist, Betty Brogaard 4. Beloved Enemy, Ellen Jones 5. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote 6. Lies You Wanted to Hear, James Whitfield Thomson 7. Why School?, Will Richardson 8. The World's Best Books, Frank Parsons 9. Winter Garden, Kristin Hannah 10. Lost Lake, Sarah Addison Allen

Thanks for all the well wishes! It's a balmy 38 degrees here today, LOL, so I've actually cracked open the door for some fresh air. It can't hurt. The Phantom Tollbooth is one I've never read, believe it or not. I do have it on my kindle (honestly, what don't I have on my Kindle at this point?) so it's on my list for the year. And I would love to come sit in Stacia's treehouse. All we need for summer is a bit of mosquito netting or screening. And mimosas! ;)

Sarah went through a battle with cancer, but it sounds like she's now doing well. Here's a link to her news page, scroll down to the October 2012 and October 2011 posts for backstory. http://sarahaddisonallen.com/news.html

Funny how that works, eh?? ;) :LOL:

Thank you, my friend. I can always use the sunshine! :D

I hope everyone is starting to feel better. It's at our house too... My son had a pretty rough respiratory virus (definitely more than a cold, but not quite right for flu) over the weekend... He's feeling better, but the Lysol apparently didn't work here since I seem to have picked up the illness. Sigh. Is it spring yet?!? I did stay up to finish Winter Garden last night... I loved it. I could feel my heart breaking at several points through the pages, and especially with the reveals toward the end. I'm not sure I've ever finished a Kristin Hannah book without crying at least a little. :) Today I started Lost Lake, which is the new one from Sarah Addison Allen. I'm a big fan of her writing and enjoying it so far.

Bridget Jones' Diary. She has a lot of rough situations, like having to choose between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth! ;) This may not be up your alley, but it's a cult favorite: Clue, the movie. Old 80s flick with several terrific actors. I love the one liners.

Halcyon, honey, you are the furthest thing from a failure. You're fantastic. Really! There's absolutely no shame in needing the medication. And you're right, that's not how depression (or OCD or anxiety or take your pick) works. It's like insulin, as others have said, or an allergy medicine, or high blood pressure medicine, or any number of other things that people are prescribed for the benefit of better health. Please don't beat yourself up... Tell the boys, Mom isn't feeling like herself this week, but I'm trying to feel better and I just need a lot of love right now. They're old enough to understand that, I promise. :grouphug:

Oh, Aimee.... Sweetie, I'm so very sorry. How awful. You definitely made the compassionate choice, even knowing how much your family will miss him, and I guarantee he knew he was loved, very much. Many hugs to you and yours as you come to terms with your loss. I wish you much comfort. :grouphug:

Nope, still only seeing the previews and previous full episodes, unless I'm overlooking it. Not on Amazon Prime yet either.