Donnajo's comments (member since Mar 14, 2009)

Donnajo's comments from the Readers and Reading group.

Deb, believe what I say no one is as bad as me. I have probably close to 2,000 unread pbs and trade size and between 300-400 hcs. As for read books I used to keep all of them until I moved. Our garage sale before we sold the house was the biggest anyone ever saw. One guy who we think had to be a dealer came and my cousin gave him a deal which was a good one and he picked what he wanted for a certain price, he came back the next day and wanted a better price we said no, he also had a friend with him who wanted the same price. alot of my books went no alot of my mom's which were alot older. Alot of mine was never read and the ones that were read didn't don't look it. Now only certain books I keep that I read other's go to Salvation Army or friends. I tell them if I want books back or I say just pass them on. I've been resisting with buying new hcs. Usually they are discounted if possible if I do buy them. Trades which lately I've been bad buying too many is hopefully the next thing I cut down on buying. If I can get my hcs down I would be in better shape than I am with finding spots for everything. I was in very good shape when I moved here everything fit on the bookcases now I'm going back to bad habits.

Is totally out of control <grn> those who know me will agree. My name is Donna Jo I'm a bookbuyingholic.

I still have the secon of the Twilight books to read. I played with books this morning. Went though all the pbs on one of the side sections of my big bookcase. At first I said to myself I'm going to get rid of one book on each shelve. It started out good. But I think maybe one shelve or two didn't get any outs. But 4 books are leaving. One is a double which still counts. I really have to bring what is piled up so far to Salvation army. I finished one book last night Kay Hooper's something different/Pepper's way it had two reissues in it. And I'm going to push myself to finish Scene of the Grime by Suzanne Price today. Then Start Driven to Murder by Judith Skillings. I rearranged the books on those shelves and move different ones to the front sections and my nightstand that I think I'll read sooner than later. I'm just at the stage I'm tired of looking at the same books in the front to pick from all the time. So I thought alittle moving around might help. Yesterday or the day before I went though bags of books in the extra bedroom and pulled some different books out to fill in spots and also to try and get in again sooner then later.

I started The Prey by Allison Brennan yesterday and I probably have less than 1/2 the book to read. I zipped though the first half yesterday morning before going to my sister's for my BIL's BD party. Went to needlepoint today and then had lunch and went to B&N (I know bad girl I wanted the Robin Thicke CD he's been on 2 shows I've seen lately and I liked his music. So went for a CD and picked up a book on Gustave Klimt (Alias, my canvas is ordered so I'm finally getting it it's going to be a big one) So I wanted one of his books that showed a good colorful picture of The Kiss. Also picked up a few beach type reads.

I forgot the main point of my post. My memories of my lake house were all good but if I had to pick between a house in the country at a lake or a house at the shore. I would always pick the shore. Even with the house at the lake we always had a trip for a week down the jersey shore. Then when my dad was alive he went house looking down there but my mom was always a homebody and really didn't want a house down the shore. He was so close one time and almost got one. Same town I go to now. The women wouldn't deal over the phone. My dad wouldn't give in. So it was no house. Back then my sister, brother in law and cousin and her husband used to rent first for 2 weeks in the summer then it went to 3 weeks. I used to go down for long weekends since I worked. Or maybe one week I did. Then after my dad passed away my sister & brother in law bought a house. And that is where I go now. I'm lucky and it's the best. I would move down there in a minute if I got the chance.

donna jo

I'm with you Joann with the ocean. my family used to have a lake house and it was when I was young and we would only take rides there in the winter even though it had heat we didn't stay. Maybe in the spring it was weekend trips since I had to be back in the city for school. Those rides up there seemed never ending. In the summer my mom and I would move up there and my dad and sister would either stay in the city or I can't remember if they did any commute. We sold that house when we built the one in Franklin lakes but we still had my grandma's house which was up the street from us which at that point my aunts, uncles and cousins would use on the weekends. We sold that when it stopped being used and was being broken into and used by druggies. Don't ask. My sister and I had taken a drive up there not too long ago to see what our old house looked like and my grandma's house how that looked. And it almost made us cry. I could't believe how things that looked so big to me back then looked so small to me now. My grandpa, dad and uncles built a walk going up the street in front of our house and I remember sitting on it so many times and how high it was from the ground. Well now it doesn't look so high. Also the street going from my house to my grandma is still a dirt road except it's really bad now. My sister was driving her car and I thought she was crazy even going on it. And I even laugh that the long ride isn't such a long ride anymore. It's probably only 1 hour away if that. At least from where I am now. We weren't on the lake but we had a lake that we went to every afternoon. And driving to town was a once a week thing in the summer. A movies and bowling alley was what you did saturday nights. Used to sit on the enclosed porch and read books at least the ones I would read back then. Or sit in my dad's navy hammack. Then was the dreaded homework my mom used to ask for in math and reading from my teachers to do during the summer. So I always had to do that kicking and screaming. But there were times of bear alerts that we had to watch for. Now I'm sure there is bear and other animals all over up there.

donna jo

Yes, I'm looking forward to the meeting tomorrow night. I just hope I'm not the only one to show up besides whoever in the store is leading it. I only say that because the one booksigning I went to there I was the only one but it turned out to be a plus for me because the author and I really had a good conversation. We talked for over an hour. And she even said she liked it that way sometimes because it was like two friends having a good conversation.

I finished The Friday Night Knitting club by Kate Jacobs and all I have to say is I can't wait until tomorrow night's book club meeting. I read more than 1/2 the book this morning. Once I really sat down with it I couldn't put it down. I never expected it. Let's just say the book really hit me a different way than usual. I don't want to say too much about it. But will post some spoiler on my goodreads book shelve.

donna jo

Well you are supposed to pin it on your bathing suit. But the pins on ours don't really have a point so it really can make a hole in whatever you pin it too. So mine is attached to my beach bag. If I go off the beach back to the house for something or walk along the ocean or go to the restrooms if I don't feel like the walk back to the house. Then I pin it on my coverup pocket or if it's a shortsleeve I put it on the sleeve so I'm not sticking the pin in. As for after the season. I have a jar of seaglass and small shells I found over the years and the badge goes in there. But there is a needlepoint canvas that can be done with the town name, ocean and some of the beach and toes that can be done and some have made that into a picture type thing that you can work in putting your one a year badges I haven't done it yet but have thought about it. Some even keep them on their bag year after year. I haven't seen that many that do it that way.
Badges have to be worn from Memorial day weekend until Labor day. really after memorial day it's really only weekends that the badge people are their they really aren't there usually during the week. They get high school or college kids to do that maybe a few adults. They sit at the opening and check everyone and will sell you a day badge only if you want something else you go to the beach office. Sometimes on the busy weekends they have the rat patrol walking along the beach checking to make sure everyone has a badge. They also check for those people who sneak on liquor or glass bottles. Last year it was two old guys doing that. And I saw a few times they woke people up who were sleeping. Which really surprised us. There is also no smoking except certain parts of the beach but they don't watch that as much. And believe me people still do it unless someone complains.

donna Jo

One of the houses on our beach was on H&G too on the extreme beach houses or something like that. He builds houses and he's very high price. He has a beach house and a house in town. But I think he owns the beach house with 2 other partners. When he built his house he built two in front of it. One is owned by some Texas oil women and don't know who the other owner of the other house is. They are probably one of the 3 biggest on the beach.
Our town is probably middle price as season badges cost. Not the cheapest but not the most expensive. My sister & brother in law have to buy 4 badges and it's still not enough for when the family is there. That is when if we borrow one or two we do it then or we all don't end up going to the beach. They don't discount or give any to the homeowner some towns do that but not all. We have been going to the first meeting for the beach in the summer usually and you always find out stuff then or complain. The bathrooms there is only 3 one on each end of the walkway and one in the middle and they aren't opened all the time. We were supposed they had a men's room open last weekend for a run they had from Seaside to Asbury. We didn't see a Women's open. As for cops well they had the walking ones that are extra in the summer than are supposed to ride bikes or whatever on the walkway and they only do that until I think 9pm. If that. They told us one thing last year and when we walked on the weekend we would see them down by the arcade and no other place. I guess it depends.

donna jo

I've read a few of Harlan's books. Only 2 of his series but most of the other's. I've met him maybe 2 or 3 times. And saw him a few times. He lives in the town I go to needlepoint in and that is the same town I see him at booksignings. He's been to other's authors and I think I saw him there too. One time the m/t people might remember I saw him at B&N and he was just signing books for the store. And I didn't say anything to him and he found out and showed up at the board and wrote a comment on the board to me. So that was before I went to the first booksigning of his I went too. It was weird a few weeks ago a few of the people at needlepoint were talking about because his had kids at the same school as their children so they were saying they knew him. And a friend of mine was in his house before he bought it their friends owned it. He has a real nice house.

donna Jo

There is only 2 beaches on the jersey shore that are free. The other beaches it depends on the town they set the price. We are $60.00 for the season and this this is the first time I didn't have to pay since my sister & brother in law gave me a badge badge as one of my christmas gifts. They got on sale before the holidays and usually if the price changes they keep the same price as the year before at that time. If you buy a day badge it's maybe $7 during the week or alittle more on the weekends. I haven't bought a day or even a week badge in years. It's usually the season one. Which you aren't supposed to pass around but because it's your name that it's attached too but no one knows if you give it to someone else to use for the day. We might do it just in the family but usually certain neighbors don't ask but in emerg. if they can borrow one if you don't need all of your's. But it's good that happens sometimes because if you need an extra it's good to have someone else to fall back on. My sister lost a badge that way but lucky it was turned in and she was able to get it back. The people were very sorry because they had let relatives use it and they weren't even told it fell off wherever the girl put the badge. My sister went crazy for a few days trying to met up with the lifeguard to handed it in she bought him lunch one day.

I have to say when we see either the Amish or sometimes Mexican after 5:30 when the lifeguards go home and the beach badge girls/guys leave 3:30 people like those and other's who don't want to pay to get on the beach come and accidents happen when they don't know there are rip tides or other things they have to watch for. I know there were a few times last summer then it was real bad they kept a few of the lifeguards riding back and forth with their beach big wheels <grn>.

Donna Jo

Every once in awhile we see Amish at the jersey shore. And that for them is a no no. But it's such a treat. They have never seen the ocean. At least the ones we saw. They had to switch back to their regular clothes when they got back to the their. It was a group of women, a few children and a guy and you could tell the guy must not have been Amish so they got a ride from someone else. They were all putting their clothes and shoes that they had on the beach in a big trash bag that was in the back the the car.

donna jo

I finished My Man Michael by Lori Foster & Extreme Caution by Jean Brashear. Undecided what to read next. Continue with reading The Best Laid Plains by Sidney Sheldon or start the first book group read for Borders (on the 23th of the month) The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I just don't want to start reading it and finish it too early that I'll forget stuff. Yet don't want to take the chance that I will not finish in time.

donnajo