Book a Week 2015 - W18: Machiavellian May

[LostSurprise]

Whoa.  Just finished Saga.  That was different than I normally read and some of the scenes are a bit *spicy*.  (Angel - this is not the book for you!)  The plot and world building and characters ... HOW COOL!

 

Thank you Robin!  Good choice.  

 

DH and I both enjoyed Saga last year. It's really well-written, but it is probably about as far as I can go, personally. I'm not in a hurry to catch up to #27, or whatever they're at now. 

 

I read that the illustrator almost didn't do the first one because of the child trafficking, but after some thought she decided it was an important subject and went through with it. I'm glad she did. There was at least one point where I almost put the thing down, but her art was so over-the-top it felt more ironic and ridiculous rather than exploitive. She did a great job building it up for the punch, kind of like Ursula LeGuin's story "Those Who Walk Away from Omelas."  I really enjoyed the humor about birth. It's a very adult comic (and I don't just mean the sex...tons of comics have sex/nudity/violence...the tone of this comic is older and more female-positive which is not standard in this world).

 

I found it interesting that something as simple as a romance novel challenged one person's worldview the way it did. 

 

Do either of you plan on reading more of the series? 

[NoseInABook]

(((Jane))) I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

 

(((Rose)))

 

(((Stacia))) I'll be praying for your FIL.

 

Angel, Happy Birthday!!! Sorry I missed it!

 

Angela, praying that you'll all be on the mend soon.

 

Amy, thanks for checking in! We were able to keep the little boy through Monday then he transitioned into a permanent foster placement. He broke my heart because he was such a sweet kid but he had a lot of behavioral issues that were scary and I needed to protect my children. Little Girl stayed through Wednesday and I got a call mid-day saying that they had been to court and her biological father was found. He desperately wanted her so I'm glad she got to go home to her daddy. 

 

TeacherZee, praying they can figure out what's causing the headaches soon. 

 

(((Tam))) 

 

Kareni, that sounds fabulous! 

 

I kept reading Game Of Thrones because my husband read them and wanted to talk about them. I still haven't gotten to book 5... *shifty eyes* 

 

I made it to a whopping chapter 5 in Changeless. I'm hoping to have more time to read as the little two are off on their next adventure. I bought a bunch of curriculum last night too so I'm anxiously awaiting book mail! Yaaaay! I was kind of laughing at myself because I'm feeling so ready for summer break but I'm also excited to plan next year. :) 

 

[TeacherZee]

Kareni your holiday sounds fantastic! I really need to get out further west than Chicago in the US (I tend to hug the Eastern seaboard and go no further south than NC but I need to branch out).

 

The neurologist put me on beta blockers and told me to call him in the morning...or actually in August. And to check my pulse so it doesn't go below 50 bpm so I've downloaded an app. We shall see. Cautious optimism.

 

I am continuing my "essays by day, romance by night" reading habit but I plan on reading some Girls of Atomic City once I get off the computer because today I haven't actually read essays, I've tallied results, and despite having pretty much lost my voice*, I have talked, and talked, and talked and then talked some more. Oh and I practically told my boss where she could put it. So you know...a good day.

 

 

 

*I sound like I belong in a 1920's speakeasy with a long cigarette in one hand, a tumbler of whiskey in the other and lounging on a piano. Trés sexy.

[Ali in OR]

 I was kind of laughing at myself because I'm feeling so ready for summer break but I'm also excited to plan next year. :)

 

 

The planning is the best part!

[Violet Crown]

*I sound like I belong in a 1920's speakeasy with a long cigarette in one hand, a tumbler of whiskey in the other and lounging on a piano. Trés sexy.

Time for some Fitzgerald, then!

[Jane in NC]

VC! I found myself in a fine used book store which had an antique two volume Peregrine Pickle with Cruikshank illustrations. Score! I am ready for our Smollett soiree in July.

[idnib]

An interview with Haruki Murakami in The Japan Times today.

 

 

[aggieamy]

DH and I both enjoyed Saga last year. It's really well-written, but it is probably about as far as I can go, personally. I'm not in a hurry to catch up to #27, or whatever they're at now. 

 

I read that the illustrator almost didn't do the first one because of the child trafficking, but after some thought she decided it was an important subject and went through with it. I'm glad she did. There was at least one point where I almost put the thing down, but her art was so over-the-top it felt more ironic and ridiculous rather than exploitive. She did a great job building it up for the punch, kind of like Ursula LeGuin's story "Those Who Walk Away from Omelas."  I really enjoyed the humor about birth. It's a very adult comic (and I don't just mean the sex...tons of comics have sex/nudity/violence...the tone of this comic is older and more female-positive which is not standard in this world).

 

I found it interesting that something as simple as a romance novel challenged one person's worldview the way it did. 

 

Do either of you plan on reading more of the series? 

 

Your thoughts really sum up how I feel about it.  DH is caught up on them and he said it gets kinda strange so I'll probably read more but will probably stop when they get too strange for me.  I don't do well with series usually anyway.

[aggieamy]

Does anyone have any books on writing to recommend that they've read lately?  I've read and loved a lot of the classics (On Writing, Bird by Bird, Stein on Writing, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit) but am looking for something new or fun or inspirational.

 

 

[Halcyon]

Just finished We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and wow. So sad, moving, lovely. I was an animal rights activist for many years, so this book really touched me deeply. Very readable, engaging characters. The main character, Rosemary Cooke, was so well-drawn. I really felt like I KNEW her, and understood her. Same for her sister (I won't post spoilers here for those who haven't read the book). 

[Violet Crown]

VC! I found myself in a fine used book store which had an antique two volume Peregrine Pickle with Cruikshank illustrations. Score! I am ready for our Smollett soiree in July.

Oh! I picked up a lovely old Roderick Random with Cruikshank illustrations! Are we reading PP? Though I'm pretty sure dh has it in his office somewhere....

 

ETA: Maybe we should read both.

[Halcyon]

Does anyone have any books on writing to recommend that they've read lately?  I've read and loved a lot of the classics (On Writing, Bird by Bird, Stein on Writing, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit) but am looking for something new or fun or inspirational.

 

 

I adore Stephen King's book On Writing.

[Little Nyssa]

I liked Ursula Le Guin's The Wave in the Mind and also PD James' book about writing detective fiction. I've read the first part of The Portable MFA and enjoyed it.

[TeacherZee]

Does anyone have any books on writing to recommend that they've read lately? I've read and loved a lot of the classics (On Writing, Bird by Bird, Stein on Writing, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit) but am looking for something new or fun or inspirational.

I read Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose a few years ago and enjoyed it but not sure if that is what you are looking for

[Robin M]

Does anyone have any books on writing to recommend that they've read lately? I've read and loved a lot of the classics (On Writing, Bird by Bird, Stein on Writing, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit) but am looking for something new or fun or inspirational.

Writing begins with the breath by Laraine herring

Ray Bradbury zen In the art of writing

Julia cameron artist way

Rose metal press field guide to writing flash fiction.

Writers and their notebooks

Anything by James Scott bell or k.m. Weiland

[Loesje22000]

So far so good, I'm on the 13th canto already.

 

The text isn't extreme hard in Dutch and as I have an annotated edition it isn't that difficult to read as everything I don't understand is explained at the same page :)

[Onceuponatime]

Well, I went to my book club yesterday and no one cared for A Connecticut Yankee, except me. It was my third reading. One lady even asked why Twain used such big words, was he trying to impress people? And why did everything have to be political? They all had rosy views of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, which made me wonder if they had read the adult versions. It is a "classics" book club and they expressed a desire to read something lighthearted and entertaining for a change. In the same breath they suggested Anna Karenina. ðŸ˜The librarian has chosen Giant by Edna Ferber, which I have never read. Our Podunk library doesn't even have any copies, so I'm off to Amazon. Toodle-oo.

[Jane in NC]

Oh! I picked up a lovely old Roderick Random with Cruikshank illustrations! Are we reading PP? Though I'm pretty sure dh has it in his office somewhere....

 

ETA: Maybe we should read both.

 

Not sure that I can do both in July.  Many distractions are likely occurring for me in the second half of the month. 

 

Perhaps you could read Roderick Random while I read Peregrine Pickle. The point is to read Smollett, right? 

 

Mysliwski's A Treatise on Shelling Beans is off to a wonderful start!  This novel, translated from the Polish by Bill Johnston, won the highest literary award given in Poland, the Nike, in 2007.  Hats off to Archipelago for publishing this work as well as another Mysliwski novel, the amazing Stone upon Stone.

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Not sure that I can do both in July. Many distractions are likely occurring for me in the second half of the month.

 

Perhaps you could read Roderick Random while I read Peregrine Pickle. The point is to read Smollett, right?

 

Mysliwski's A Treatise on Shelling Beans is off to a wonderful start! This novel, translated from the Polish by Bill Johnston, won the highest literary award given in Poland, the Nike, in 2007. Hats off to Archipelago for publishing this work as well as another Mysliwski novel, the amazing Stone upon Stone.

I like your thinking. I'm taking notes on your eastern European books, too. Maybe some time you can give us a list of Jane's Recommended Reads from eastern Europe.

[Jane in NC]

I like your thinking. I'm taking notes on your eastern European books, too. Maybe some time you can give us a list of Jane's Recommended Reads from eastern Europe.

 

Let me think about the list although I must confess that I am woefully ignorant of Eastern and Middle European lit-- I just happen to read more of it than most Americans. 

 

ETA:  Our writers in the group might be intrigued by Milan Kundera's book length essay called The Curtain in which he explores the history of the novel.  Both Eliana and I thought it was really terrific.

 

[Jane in NC]

On another note, all of us in coastal Carolina are in a state of disbelief that a sub-tropical storm is disrupting our lives this weekend--this before hurricane season even "officially" begins. 

 

Let the storm tracking vigil begin.

 

[Stacia]

On another note, all of us in coastal Carolina are in a state of disbelief that a sub-tropical storm is disrupting our lives this weekend--this before hurricane season even "officially" begins. 

 

Let the storm tracking vigil begin.

Stay safe. I didn't realize there was one on the way until my sister emailed me today (she works at a marina on the SC coast) talking about the craziness of dealing w/ tropical storm conditions at work on top of a boat crashing on a jetty (& the Coast Guard bringing them in; as they were mostly foreign nationals, it also meant Customs & Border Control setting up there, etc...). And, she was practically stripping to give some of her clothes & her shoes to some of the women brought in because they were dragged in on lifelines through the water & they were freezing & soaking.

[mumto2]

On another note, all of us in coastal Carolina are in a state of disbelief that a sub-tropical storm is disrupting our lives this weekend--this before hurricane season even "officially" begins.

 

Let the storm tracking vigil begin.

It's the beginning of May.....so early. Stay safe.

[idnib]

On another note, all of us in coastal Carolina are in a state of disbelief that a sub-tropical storm is disrupting our lives this weekend--this before hurricane season even "officially" begins. 

 

Let the storm tracking vigil begin.

 

If there's some kind of dance or animal sacrifice you can perform to send the storm to CA, we'd be awfully grateful. (I can FedEx a chicken.)

[Jane in NC]

If there's some kind of dance or animal sacrifice you can perform to send the storm to CA, we'd be awfully grateful. (I can FedEx a chicken.)

This thought has crossed my mind before, that is, the water sharing concept. Not the chicken sacrifice.

 

The current forecast has toned down the rain and upped the wind. Fortunately there is not much on my weekend agenda.

[Stacia]

Btw, a quick update on my fil.

 

He was released from the hospital & came home last night. :hurray:  His procedure showed no blockages (yay), but his heart valve is worse than they realized. Not sure what that will mean but he has some follow-up cardiology appts. next week. (I do know my grandfather had surgery to replace a faulty heart valve & I wonder if that is what will be in store for my fil.) In the meantime, the meds he is now on seem to be helping & he is thrilled to be home.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Stacia, so glad there is good news about your FIL!

 

I am deeply, deeply dreading the mother's day phone call.  My mother no longer lives in the present, she lives in her own past and ours, which is filled with guilt and sadness and pain.  I have never had a sadder mother's day, I can't approach it as a mother, just as a daughter, and every mention brings tears to my eyes. This is not fair for my daughters, for them I will smile. But as a daughter I weep.

 

i know this has nothing to do with books. But, you are my friends, and I am reaching for  :grouphug:  I guess.

[Stacia]

Rose, :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: .

[idnib]

I am deeply, deeply dreading the mother's day phone call.  My mother no longer lives in the present, she lives in her own past and ours, which is filled with guilt and sadness and pain.  I have never had a sadder mother's day, I can't approach it as a mother, just as a daughter, and every mention brings tears to my eyes. This is not fair for my daughters, for them I will smile. But as a daughter I weep.

 

i know this has nothing to do with books. But, you are my friends, and I am reaching for  :grouphug:  I guess.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

You're right, friend, it's not fair.

[Lady Florida.]

I had something super cool happen and I have to tell you guys because you're the only ones that might also think it's cool.

 

So you remember me telling you about how much I loved the John Pickett series by Sheri Cobb South?  (She also wrote The Weaver Takes a Wife.)

 

I kinda wrote her a slightly gushy fangirl type email telling her how much I loved her series over the winter.  She has the next book in the series coming out in September BUT she sent me an ARC to read/review because I wrote her a nice note!  It totally made my day.  

 

Yesterday I got the book and you guys know me ... yesterday I finished the book.  It was awesome!  The series is kinda Regency Romance and kinda Cozy Mystery.  Basically I think she must be writing books just for me.   :)

 

That's so cool Amy!

 

 

I'm still reading I Am Livia. It should be a quick read but I haven't had a lot of time for reading lately. I must do something about that. For book club I chose The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. I know I said I was considering Far From the Madding Crowd, but I think more people in the group are likely to read The Good Earth. I haven't started it myself yet, but our meeting isn't until the first week of June so I have time.

[Kareni]

ANYhow...   ;)  On a lighter note, I'm reading Henry Huggins aloud to my youngest and we came to a part where Henry goes to the library and the librarian asks him, "Have you come for another book about gienats and orges?"  My eyes scan ahead so in my mind I'm thinking what the heck, what a bizarre set of typos!  I know it's supposed to say "giants and ogres" but the one word looks like "orgies".  LOL  We laughed about it (sans an orgy joke) and then keep reading and find out it's supposed to be the mistaken way Henry says the words.  Felt like an idiot.

 

 

For the longest time (probably well into my teens), I misread the word ogre and thought it was orge.  Oops.  I was a voracious reader as a child/teen and some words/names I only encountered in print, thus my thinking that Pericles was pronounced Pear-ik-ools.  And I'm still not convinced that primer (the book for learners as opposed to the pre-painting stuff) is pronounced with a short i and a double m!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Drats!  I'm only about halfway through the thread and I'm already out of likes.

 

I'm home from Arizona and am now surrounded by Mount St. Laundry.

 

I know that you and your husband are having a lovely trip.  Are the desert flowers blooming for you?

 

I did see flowering cacti which was a first.

 

Kareni, Have a lovely time on your vacation!

 

 

Kareni, that sounds fabulous! 

 

Thanks, we had a wonderful time.

 

Or rattlesnakes? :D

 

Thankfully, I saw no rattlesnakes.  I'll admit that I was very cautious not to wander of a path at the Hopi site for fear of encountering a snake.  And given that a lizard made me jump, I shudder to think what I'd do if I encountered a rattlesnake.

 

Kareni your holiday sounds fantastic! I really need to get out further west than Chicago in the US (I tend to hug the Eastern seaboard and go no further south than NC but I need to branch out).

 

This trip to Arizona was a first for me.  I think we were there at the perfect time of year weather-wise; we had pleasant days in the 60s and 70s and coolish nights.

 

It's good to be home.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[SunnyDays]

Oh, Rose.  :grouphug:  No, that's not fair and has to be very stressful.  Hopefully you can spend at least a little pocket of time this weekend with your girls and just focus on one another. 

 

Stacia, great news about FIL!!  Keep us posted.

 

Friends out east, please stay safe!  And anyone in the Oklahoma and surrounding areas disrupted by the storms this week??  Such crazy weather patterns all around.

 

I'm still reading the same two books, haven't made much progress this week.

 

[JennW in SoCal]

On another note, all of us in coastal Carolina are in a state of disbelief that a sub-tropical storm is disrupting our lives this weekend--this before hurricane season even "officially" begins. 

 

Let the storm tracking vigil begin.

 

Hope your hatches are all battened down.  The last Master and Commander book I read actually explained what battens are and what they have to do with hatches!

 

If there's some kind of dance or animal sacrifice you can perform to send the storm to CA, we'd be awfully grateful. (I can FedEx a chicken.)

 

We got about an inch of rain down here yesterday.  It wasn't a drought buster but I turned my sprinkler system off for a week or so...

 

I am deeply, deeply dreading the mother's day phone call.  My mother no longer lives in the present, she lives in her own past and ours, which is filled with guilt and sadness and pain.  I have never had a sadder mother's day, I can't approach it as a mother, just as a daughter, and every mention brings tears to my eyes. This is not fair for my daughters, for them I will smile. But as a daughter I weep.

 

 

:grouphug:  So very sad and very rough.  Hope you get lots of love from your girls tomorrow.  :grouphug:

 

 

I actually get both my children at home for a few hours tomorrow night. Youngest gets in late afternoon and oldest will have to head back home right after dinner.  I've got an afternoon matinee to play, so am helping to brighten Mother's Day for many families.

 

And on the book front, I'm at least half way through the audio Far from the Madding Crowds, and reading some of it on Kindle when I can.  Don't know when I'll get to the movie -- we're off to Avengers this afternoon!!

[Jane in NC]

Rose, dear.  Sending you hugs on this difficult weekend.  :grouphug:

 

I would like to recommend Roz Chast's memoir, Can't We Talk about Something more Pleasant?.  For Rose, it might be cathartic--at some point.  Chast discusses not only her relationship with her parents but the indignities suffered by the elderly as bodies deteriorate and minds fail. 

 

What made Chast's book particularly thoughtful for me at the moment was a discussion held in real life recently with two friends.  All of us have one child.  One of these friends has spent a lot of time with her 90 year old Mom this week who appears to be suffering from depression.  She noted how grateful she is that she has siblings to share this burden...and how sorry she is for her daughter who must deal with this alone eventually. 

 

Weather report:  breezy here with the occasional gust and not as much rain as earlier anticipated.  That could change at any moment. Last night my husband took some photos of the clouds before the storm arrived:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Rose, dear.  Sending you hugs on this difficult weekend.  :grouphug:

 

I would like to recommend Roz Chast's memoir, Can't We Talk about Something more Pleasant?.  For Rose, it might be cathartic--at some point.  Chast discusses not only her relationship with her parents but the indignities suffered by the elderly as bodies deteriorate and minds fail. 

 

What made Chast's book particularly thoughtful for me at the moment was a discussion held in real life recently with two friends.  All of us have one child.  One of these friends has spent a lot of time with her 90 year old Mom this week who appears to be suffering from depression.  She noted how grateful she is that she has siblings to share this burden...and how sorry she is for her daughter who must deal with this alone eventually. 

 

Weather report:  breezy here with the occasional gust and not as much rain as earlier anticipated.  That could change at any moment. Last night my husband took some photos of the clouds before the storm arrived:

 

 

 

I have that book on hold at the library, but there are a lot of people in front of me. I may have to just buy it.  

 

It is hard to be an only child as your parents age. I'm glad my girls have each other.  :)

 

Thanks for the hugs, guys. I was really sad last night. Today is a new day.  

[Robin M]

Btw, a quick update on my fil.

 

He was released from the hospital & came home last night. :hurray:  His procedure showed no blockages (yay), but his heart valve is worse than they realized. Not sure what that will mean but he has some follow-up cardiology appts. next week. (I do know my grandfather had surgery to replace a faulty heart valve & I wonder if that is what will be in store for my fil.) In the meantime, the meds he is now on seem to be helping & he is thrilled to be home.

Happy to hear the good news.  Hugs!

 

Stacia, so glad there is good news about your FIL!

 

I am deeply, deeply dreading the mother's day phone call.  My mother no longer lives in the present, she lives in her own past and ours, which is filled with guilt and sadness and pain.  I have never had a sadder mother's day, I can't approach it as a mother, just as a daughter, and every mention brings tears to my eyes. This is not fair for my daughters, for them I will smile. But as a daughter I weep.

 

i know this has nothing to do with books. But, you are my friends, and I am reaching for  :grouphug:  I guess.

Hugs Doll. 

 

 

 

 

After our brief rain a couple days ago, we get an email from our  water service that we must not water for 48 hours afterwards.  Of course, we got the email 48 hours later.  Good grief.  Anyway, after multiple talks with a professional gardener at a church near our business who is managing to keep their lawns lush and green with only two days of watering, we found out their secret.  Probably what the golf courses do as well.  They aerate and sprinkle with aqua smart which is supposed to retain moisture and prolong growth with fewer waterings.  So we decided to try it  and  had our lawn guy do the work a week ago, then fertilize on top of it yesterday.  We'll see how it works. 

 

I'm still plugging away with Proust's  Swann's Way and will be diving into Italo Calvino's if on a winter's night a traveler again for a literature class coming up in a week or so.  

Yesterday I finished Sarina Bowen's YA story - The Year we Fell Down which was actually quite good - (thank you Kareni)

[mumto2]

I have that book on hold at the library, but there are a lot of people in front of me. I may have to just buy it.

 

It is hard to be an only child as your parents age. I'm glad my girls have each other. :)

 

Thanks for the hugs, guys. I was really sad last night. Today is a new day.

:grouphug: Rose, I understand much of your situation all too well after spending last summer devastated with my mom in an Alzheimer's unit. Right now things are good because many of my mom's issues were medication induced. Everytime she visits a doctor I hold my breath. I have her back right now and am very grateful. Be happy for today is definitely my motto.

 

Stacia, great news about fil. :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished Game of Thrones. I liked it. It definitely held my attention, more so as the book progressed and the characters developed. I liked that it isn't a battle between good & evil, but that it's a battle between very human characters who have recognizable motivations.  Ok, some of them are pretty evil! But not "Good" and "Evil" like you often find in fantasy worlds - some supernatural, dualist aspect which the human characters merely represent.  These characters felt very human, most of them. And the ones that didn't are clearly caricatures.

 

I also liked that while the bad guys are clearly bad, there isn't a hero or heroes - there are various main characters whose point of view you see events from, but they are all flawed and make mistakes.  I definitely think the author violates some pretty major assumptions of the fantasy genre, having main characters get killed or suffer abuse, but I buy it.  Anyway, I put the second book on hold, so I liked it enough for all that! It's been a great escape this week.

[mumto2]

I finished A Season for the Dead a few minutes ago. This is the one I read nearly a quarter of before finding it on my abandoned shelf at Goodreads. I can't say putting it on the abandoned shelf was a dreadful idea but I was starting to like the main characters at the end. Honestly glad to be done.

 

I did find a review for it on a website I find really interesting. There is a new english translation of a French detective series I enjoy so something good came out of this book.http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/reviews/A_Season_for_the_Dead.html

[Shawneinfl]

Hello, I'm here with my once-a-month check in. I'm finding that my book rep job leaves me little time to actually read books! Well, that and all the activities that always happen as we try to wind down school. Our end of year testing is this week so hopefully that'll give me a little more reading time. I had to check out Excellent Sheep for the 3rd time. I really like this book and want to get to the end this time. I've also been listening to Dead Wake by Erik Larson on audio book while I'm in the car. He's a favorite author of mine. And finally, I'm enjoying an excellent version of Middlemarch while on the treadmill. I won't post my numbers because they are pitiful this year.

[Butter]

I finished reading The Black Stallion.  Didn't love it.  It wasn't a bad book.  I just wasn't interested in the subject matter.  My next book to pre-read for Fritz is a version of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

[Kathleen.]

I read "A Wrinkle in Time" by by Madeleine L'Engle and my 8yo read "A Mouse Called Wolf" by one of her new favorite authors Dick King-Smith.

 

:)

 

[Kareni]

... and my 8yo read "A Mouse Called Wolf" by one of her new favorite authors Dick King-Smith.

 

:)

 

Dick King-Smith was a favorite here when my daughter was young.  Her favorites were the Sophie books.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[TeacherZee]

:grouphug: :grouphug:  For everyone for whom today is difficult.

[Halcyon]

Tom Perrotta wrote a great review of Kate Atkinson's God in Ruins in the New York Times today. I think I know what will be next on my list. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/books/review/kate-atkinsons-a-god-in-ruins.html

[Chrysalis Academy]

:grouphug: :grouphug:  For everyone for whom today is difficult.

 

I woke up to an email from my aunt: a stern lecture about how I should stop being so hard-hearted and stop rejecting my parents and appreciate all the things they've done for me.   :confused1:  She has a phone conversation with a demented drunk lady who creates stories out of thin air to explain away her own guilt - and I get treated to a diatribe on what a bad daughter I am.  Yeah, happy mother's day to you, too.

 

I think I need to go wake up my children. I need to hug somebody who isn't insane.

[beckster]

I'm currently reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court for my IRL book club that meets Thursday.

 

I loved Yankee!!  I laughed out loud at some parts.  Really enjoyed it!

 

 

We got about an inch of rain down here yesterday.  It wasn't a drought buster but I turned my sprinkler system off for a week or so...

 

 

We were looking forward to three glorious days of forecasted rain...  Ended up with less than an inch over one night.  Sigh.

[Jane in NC]

I woke up to an email from my aunt: a stern lecture about how I should stop being so hard-hearted and stop rejecting my parents and appreciate all the things they've done for me.   :confused1:  She has a phone conversation with a demented drunk lady who creates stories out of thin air to explain away her own guilt - and I get treated to a diatribe on what a bad daughter I am.  Yeah, happy mother's day to you, too.

 

I think I need to go wake up my children. I need to hug somebody who isn't insane.

 

Oh Rose. I am so, so sorry that you are being subjected to this nonsense.

 

Sending hugs and virtual chocolate,

Jane

 

[Robin M]

Link to  week 19 - please continue conversation in new thread