Nan in Mass Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 I finally finished Condoleezza Rice's No Higher Honor. Only took me since January! I suspect that my eyes are giving me trouble and slowing my reading. I guess I should keep some cheaters where I keep my books (in the bathroom LOL). I never wear cheaters, but that is because I am stubborn. Not sure how long it's been since I've posted (I've been hiding in shame at taking so long to read one book). So forgive me if this is redundant, but I'll mention several of the recent audiobooks I've done with my kids: Robinson Crusoe, A Wrinkle In Time, Little Lord Fauntleroy, and Cinder. Up next are a couple of Newberry books. Someone gave me Pride and Prejudice and another Austen audiobook, but I would rather save them until my kids are a little older. Before P&P I would like to do Jane Eyre. I just loved that book as a tween, and i think my kids will love it too. But even before that, probably A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and some others I enjoyed as a tween. Even before that, I'd like to finish some more Newberry books. They are hard to find in audio CD format, though. (Unless I want to pay full price for new ones.) Read-alouds are progressing way too slowly. Just too busy to take the time for them. I also think my eyes are messing with them too. What to read next ... I have bought some "classics," and also one or two grown-up books by Sterling North which are supposed to be good. I could use a little light reading for a change. :) More light allows you to avoid your cheaters for a bit longer. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 SKL, I just put the order in for more cheaters from Amazon. Holding on...! Never had glasses so I am loathe to start. Erin, that is impressive, but it makes me wonder why they were holding you down?? (DH tells me I said some odd things when waking up from a colonoscopy, so...we're just not responsible I guess) I hope you collapse no longer. Nan, even with your shoulder your sailing sounds dreamy. Stacia, what a hero you are...my goodness if I had to evacuate it would take a bus (we live on a farm with quadrupeds and feathered things). And Mumto2, it sounds such a village idyll, you and your quilts and themed cakes! Who needs books when you all supply such moving stories? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 More light allows you to avoid your cheaters for a bit longer. Good point, I think we're down to one small lightbulb in my "reading room." :P I've noticed I can read piano music a lot better when the sun is coming through the window. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 (edited) Erin, that is impressive, but it makes me wonder why they were holding you down?? (DH tells me I said some odd things when waking up from a colonoscopy, so...we're just not responsible I guess) The two men had moved me from the x-ray table to the gurney so they were still holding me. For my previous procedure, the nurse anesthetist had woken me up on the table and talked to me before moving me. They didn't do that yesterday so I think the sudden movement woke me up. I startle easily (ask DH) and the lack of warning, plus strange men holding me, was frightening. I felt terrible afterwards, but they told me it wasn't unusual for people to wake up startled. They just didn't expect me to try to sit up and get away. I went home last night. I'm supposed to spend the day on the couch or in bed, but I feel the pull of everything that needs to be done. DH is home to babysit me and make sure I don't get up too much. Edited September 8, 2017 by ErinE 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 I finally finished Condoleezza Rice's No Higher Honor. Only took me since January! I suspect that my eyes are giving me trouble and slowing my reading. I guess I should keep some cheaters where I keep my books (in the bathroom LOL). I never wear cheaters, but that is because I am stubborn. Not sure how long it's been since I've posted (I've been hiding in shame at taking so long to read one book). So forgive me if this is redundant, but I'll mention several of the recent audiobooks I've done with my kids: Robinson Crusoe, A Wrinkle In Time, Little Lord Fauntleroy, and Cinder. Up next are a couple of Newberry books. Someone gave me Pride and Prejudice and another Austen audiobook, but I would rather save them until my kids are a little older. Before P&P I would like to do Jane Eyre. I just loved that book as a tween, and i think my kids will love it too. But even before that, probably A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and some others I enjoyed as a tween. Even before that, I'd like to finish some more Newberry books. They are hard to find in audio CD format, though. (Unless I want to pay full price for new ones.) Read-alouds are progressing way too slowly. Just too busy to take the time for them. I also think my eyes are messing with them too. What to read next ... I have bought some "classics," and also one or two grown-up books by Sterling North which are supposed to be good. I could use a little light reading for a change. :) I know your family listens to a lot of audiobooks ... do you use audible or the library? Aack! Double post. But as long as I'm here.... Amy, I'm thinking the 6 cats in the car is a great set up for a romance. Officer Dreamboat notices a brakelight out, pulls over our fair Stacia, and falls for her good looks, great taste in reading material (he sees the paperbacks on the front seat) and her dedication to her sister and felines. :lol: But will his allergies get in the way of their destined love?!! Allergies might be too unsolvable. A dislike of cats because of a bad childhood experience might be better. Or a catty former fiancee with a cat? Now we just need some way for them to get stuck in a motel room with one bed for the duration of the hurricane... Nan I'm loving how we're plotting out Stacia's fictitious adventures with cats and strange men. They'll end up at the hotel because they rescued two elderly grandmother's who were storm chasing. Once they get to the hotel they discover that everyone room was booked except for two because of a quilting competition. Being good guys one of the rooms goes to the soaked grandmothers and they take the other room ... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Today will be devoted to the prep for the Horticultural Show and a trip to the dentist. The quilts are done, folded, and waiting by the door. Today will be devoted to baking and flower arrangements (dd). There is a new category for baking this year, cakes with vegetables. I went through my recipe collection and looked online. I may try a parsnip cake https://blissfullyscrumptious.com/2015/03/31/parsnip-and-ginger-cake/ but I have different toppings planned. Ds plans to enter the Men's Baking category which he won with Snickerdoodles last year. His category is an anything goes type which is fun. On a related note ... I just called DH at the store and told him to bring home a package of parsnips. He was confused by the request but promises to buy some. Good luck with the quilts! I hope your family makes a sweep of the winnings. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 I know your family listens to a lot of audiobooks ... do you use audible or the library? We mostly use audio CDs borrowed from the library. I'm not sure I have the technology to do it any other way. We listen in the car since we can't do much else while driving. :) 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 A one day only currently free classic(?) for Kindle readers ~ The Pit-Prop Syndicate by Freeman Wills Crofts "Stranded on a French highway, a wine merchant discovers a conspiracyTwenty-six kilometers from Bordeaux, Seymour Merriman’s motorcycle runs low on gas. He is waiting for a passing motorist to come to his rescue when he notices a lorry turn down a nearby country road. Following it leads him to a mill, where an English firm manufactures pit-props for coal mines. They give him two liters of petrol and send him on his way, but not before he sees something odd. The lorry he saw on the road was marked No. 4, but it has been changed to No. 3—a peculiar incident that will lead Merriman into the greatest danger he has ever known.With the help of a customs officer, Merriman looks into the mill’s business, and discovers that nothing about the little English firm is as it seems. All he wanted was a few liters of petrol, but he has stumbled across the century’s most fiendish crime." Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 Erin: Hugs and hope helps with your pain. A nurse once told me kids also have a tendency to startle and not happy campers if wake them up after anesthesia, when James had a procedure some time back, not to talk to my son and wake him up, but let him do so naturally. Rose - glad you guys found out she has lyme so can treat it. My fil had lymes from tick bite and even with the round bullseye spot, doctor refused to believe he had lymes because test came up negative. He ended up getting a 2nd opinion to get the meds. Kathy and Stacia - Hoping Irma passes you by this weekend. Check in when you can. Currently reading Jodi Taylor's Just One Damned Thing After Another which seems an apropos title right now. :laugh: 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 I made it through, and I'm in observation right now. There were still incompetent veins (what a description - doesn't everyone want competent veins?). The doctor put in more embolization coils so I'm hoping this procedure fixes the problem and the pain. When I woke up from anesthesia, I didn't know where I was and two men were holding my head and legs which scared me. I came up swinging! I didn't hit anyone and I apologized profusely, but they just laughed. They weren't expecting me to put up a fight! ETA: thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I really appreciate them. Don't mess with Erin! She will take you down. Allergies might be too unsolvable. A dislike of cats because of a bad childhood experience might be better. Or a catty former fiancee with a cat? Now we just need some way for them to get stuck in a motel room with one bed for the duration of the hurricane... Nan No, no, he begins a series of allergy shots and his reaction to cats greatly decreases. (Says the mom of a ds who now no longer reacts as badly to dust mites as before he started immunotherapy.) I just finished a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. I love Sherlock Holmes. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Erin, :grouphug: , I hope you are feeling better today. Guys, we have an appointment with a Lyme-literate ND who sounds perfect! We spoke to him on the phone today, and have a first appt. tomorrow. His approach is exactly what we are looking for: he's knowledgeable about Lyme, but also about other neurological conditions, so he will be looking at the whole picture - the POTS, the EDS, the GI stuff, the headaches, in addition to the Lyme. And he's all about treating the person holistically, as the unique person they are. I'm so hopeful. In book news, I started The Absolute and Large and Memoirs of a Geisha, which I've read before, but not for years. Yay for a definite diagnosis and lots of hope for healing! Just popping in. I haven't done much reading this week. Our grandsons ages 5 and 3 will be here tomorrow afternoon until Saturday morning when dss picks them up. Ddil is going to a no-kids wedding in Ohio and dss has to work (he's a firefighter and will have a 48 hour shift). I'm not sure who's more excited about this sleepover, the 5 year old or dh lol. Anyway, our spare bedroom became something of a catch-all junk room in the past year so I've been cleaning like crazy getting rid of stuff and kid proofing the rest. We're planning for Hurricane Irma and will be boarding up probably Friday afternoon or early Saturday morning. They recommend all preparations be done by Saturday as we'll start to feel tropical storm force winds later that day. It's looking pretty scary for South Florida. We'll likely have some damage but should be fine overall. I'm hoping the models that move it a bit farther east are the correct ones. It looks like Georgia and South Carolina are going to possibly get slammed unfortunately. (Good luck helping your family Stacia - Be safe!) Good luck with Irma! Will be thinking of you and all who are in the path! Erin - Glad your procedure went well and I would have been alarmed too! Stacia! You get the trophy for surviving 6 hours in the car with 6 cats! Now, for the checkered cowboy adventures... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 (edited) I know your family listens to a lot of audiobooks ... do you use audible or the library? I'm loving how we're plotting out Stacia's fictitious adventures with cats and strange men. They'll end up at the hotel because they rescued two elderly grandmother's who were storm chasing. Once they get to the hotel they discover that everyone room was booked except for two because of a quilting competition. Being good guys one of the rooms goes to the soaked grandmothers and they take the other room ... Being someone who wilts when not within arms reach of warm animate fur, I am relieved to hear that there are shots available if I ever develop allergies; however, I think I like the soaked grandmothers better in this instance. Having the grandmothers available provides two additional advantages. They can reunite the couple after the de riguar (no idea how to spell that - it amazing how many common words I have never written before) split after their lovely motel stay. And the grandmothers provide another advantage. I can't help thinking, having just spent five weeks on a small sailboat with a dog and a cat and no doors, that Stacia's lovely motel stay might go more smoothly if the grandmothers were to beg the honor of having the six cats to stay in their room. Nan Edited September 9, 2017 by Nan in Mass 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 (edited) Holding everyone in the path of Irma and Jose in the light. The devastation already is staggering. My mother-in-law's condo is in Venice, right in the current path, although mil herself is in Maine for the summer. If the worst happens (wooden structure), we might have to settle her up here for the winter, maybe permanently. I will probably go sit with her on Monday, when it hits, just for company. I have a cousin in Orlando. I bet her mother is worried. I haven't wanted to burden her with inquiries but I will be glad to hear she is safe. For once, I am glad our oldest son is in the waters off Korea and the Phillipines. Usually, between dictators and pirates and cyclones, I would prefer the Atlantic. Hopefully the shipping companies are being cautious after El Faro. Stay safe everyone. Heal up quick everyone. Nan Edited September 9, 2017 by Nan in Mass 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~ The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers "In the rough waters of the North Sea, two sailors fight to save BritainCharles Carruthers is languishing in the crushing heat of a London summer when an old university chum named Davies throws him a lifeline, inviting him on a yachting expedition in the North Sea. It sounds like a lark, but Carruthers finds that the Dulcibella is hardly a yacht, and Davies’s trip is no pleasure cruise. Off the coast of the mysterious Frisian Islands, he has spotted a German fleet, supposedly engaged in hunting for buried treasure. Battling the elements, the two Englishmen find themselves surrounded by the German navy, which is using the fogs of the North Sea to disguise something monstrous—the Kaiser’s plot to launch a sneak attack on the British Isles.Published more than a decade before World War I began, this groundbreaking spy novel inspired a young Winston Churchill to reinvigorate Britain’s naval defenses, and it remains just as stirring today." Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Whew! I am finally caught up with last week's W&P assignment, Volume III, Part 2. Apparently I was not alone in being slowed down by the slog of war and Napoleon's decision making process (as he sips his punch). From the start I have been smitten by Prince Andrei. In this section, he is wounded and notes: "There was something in this life that I didn't and still don't understand. .." Then, after surgery, he has the revelation: Compassion. This is such a beautiful moment as Andrei is surrounded by the wounded and dying, hearing his rival Kuragin whimper after a leg amputation. And thus the brilliance of Tolstoy. War cannot be reduced to maps and numbers. It is about life after all and our internal battles. Can we find peace without this internal war? On a lighter note... We have left Stacia at the motel with her cowboy in a checkered shirt (or is that a checkered past)? Is there a call for kibble as the eye of the storm passes only to find the hurricane strikes with a vengeance on the back side? 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 (edited) So I decided to read Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. The intro says it is a fast-moving book, so yippee - I need that right now. So far so good. :) Edited September 10, 2017 by SKL 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 (edited) A quick update on my Horticultural Show....I have pictures but need help to post so hopefully sometime tomorrow before this thread ends. So I am thrilled! Competition was huge, more entries than in past years I think. I received a third place for my large hexagon quilt with a lovely note from the judge about hand quilting. So cool! I also had a third in small patchwork items for a hexagon "dilly" bag that I was asked to enter on Wednesday. My daughter received an excellence in handicrafts trophy for her Star Wars amigurumi. Her note from the judge finished with "May the Force be with you! ". :lol: She was thrilled. We didn't even know that trophy existed. My Ds is obviously a far better cook then me ;) he won a second for his snickerdoodles. :grouphug: to those in Irma's path. I know I will be watching our thread to make surge (typo I meant "sure") everyone is safe. We have been busy watching news broadcasts from Orlando. Edited September 9, 2017 by mumto2 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 :grouphug: to those in Irma's path. I know I will be watching our thread to make *surge* everyone is safe. We have been busy watching news broadcasts from Orlando.Magnificent typo! Congrats on your awards! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Magnificent typo! Congrats on your awards! :lol: I will leave it because it is perfect. BTW my old (5years at least) kindle fire is not doing well. The email is no more. I predict many typos in the next few weeks while I adjust to a new Kindle. Apologizing in advance. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 Whew! I am finally caught up with last week's W&P assignment, Volume III, Part 2. Apparently I was not alone in being slowed down by the slog of war and Napoleon's decision making process (as he sips his punch). From the start I have been smitten by Prince Andrei. In this section, he is wounded and notes: "There was something in this life that I didn't and still don't understand. .." Then, after surgery, he has the revelation: Compassion. This is such a beautiful moment as Andrei is surrounded by the wounded and dying, hearing his rival Kuragin whimper after a leg amputation. And thus the brilliance of Tolstoy. War cannot be reduced to maps and numbers. It is about life after all and our internal battles. Can we find peace without this internal war? All of that, the human aspect, is what makes slogging through the war parts so worth it. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 I just abandoned Gather the Daughters. Gack. That book should be plastered with trigger warnings. The Handmaid's Tale meets Lord of the Flies meets Lolita. Super disturbing. Don't be mislead by comparisons to The Giver and hand it to your daughter. It's like The Giver only if you equate not being able to see color with sexual abuse. I feel like I need to wash out my brain with soap. Blech. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 I just abandoned Gather the Daughters. Gack. That book should be plastered with trigger warnings. The Handmaid's Tale meets Lord of the Flies meets Lolita. Super disturbing. Don't be mislead by comparisons to The Giver and hand it to your daughter. It's like The Giver only if you equate not being able to see color with sexual abuse. I feel like I need to wash out my brain with soap. Blech. Thank you for the warning!!!! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 I maneged to catch up W&P ! I was more behind then I had realized. I hope this was the most philosophical part. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 In light of the sappy theme iBooks has a number of first in series romances and fiction free for the next week. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 It's been a while since I read war and peace but I feel like Andre and Pierre provide such a powerful contrast to each other - one is so driven by ambition and intellect and the other is so unambitious and so driven by feeling. Ultimately Andre learns a level of calm and compassion and Pierre to be a little more stable and balanced. I often wonder with Tolstoy how he gets into the head of so many different types of people so effectively. Even quite unpleasant people's emotions and reactions are well described and understood. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted September 10, 2017 Author Share Posted September 10, 2017 Link to week 37 - Please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.