C. (Comment, never msg).’s Comments (group member since Jan 30, 2014)

C. (Comment, never msg).’s comments from the Gentle SPECTRUMS group.

Don't worry, we would have checked before you pressed "send" to the first trade (book for gift cert). Your same USA sign-in password and name works across all Amazon world websites, just like my Canadian one does. However the gift certificates are not transferable. If you want a Canadian to purchase books for lowest postage possible (please, LOL!) they need to have a Canadian certificate. Otherwise I would have to spend a UK or US one on those world websites, charging extra overseas postage that would waste the lovely gift certificate.

Our postage per book is $6.49. If I wait for books I want to go down to a penny in "very good" quality, that's where the $6.50 comes from. It's roughly what it costs for me to mail books, which is why I suggested this price. I was glad to find you keen because I wouldn't get $6.50 per book if I held a garage sale for instance, where people would expect them blown out for a buck and not know what it costs readers like us to acquire each of these! Whether we trade or you send a gift, that you are so sweetly saying, please know it would be more happily received and helpful than you know. Finances are tougher this year.

I can't let McCartney (15) and Spirit (11) go much longer without dental work, we had a water pressure problem that cost $200, and I have just picked-up my first pair of reading glasses; the whole optomitrist visit came to $1000. Because of recent expenses, I can no longer buy things from my Amazon.ca wish list, unless I have a gift certificate. I wanted you to know how much your friendship gestures of gift-giving or exchanging with me, sure come at a nice time, Erin! :)

United Kingdom? I live in Canada! :) It would be "Amazon.CA" and you would click "wish list" on the screen. It will lead you very clearly to where you can send a gift certificate to someone. Yes, my usual e-mail address. I just sent you your message.

You don't owe me anything. What I mailed you in February was a prize from one of my reading challenges. No need to think about this, until you have a list going of books you would like to have.

I own most; haven't read the second. The first is not her strongest but it becomes exciting in the second half. This is historical fiction during an era when ladies needed to be married off. You would derive enjoyment from it if you are a person who understands that older books, or stories about older times, have some outrageous attitudes that don't match ours. It's a case of ignoring an intro that is implausible to us and being open to the rest of the novel's adventure. Seafaring is fun for priarie folks and might seem natural for Floridians. :)

Gardening in Florida! You will pay attention to heat, shade, watering and whether you need to add purchased soil. Often are soil as-is is great. However in terms of having warm enough weather to grow things long enough (soil temperature of 15 Celcius): Floridians are blessed! I always fun it strange and fun to imagine people living in the land of palm trees. To us those are vacation spots! Pretty much plant anything you want and match sure the sun doesn't scorch them. I'll be eager to hear about it! Annuals expire eventually but if you plan perennials, they should go on and on.

Mom knows Dad has a short temper but it felt good that she understood that what he berated, cut too inappropriately deep. You don't question the long spiritual life of your child, over something you read or watched lately. Mom said in reassurance and seriousness that sometimes his temper hits a kink where he makes no sense and doesn't care what he's saying and that it was unfortunate I got him at such a time on the phone that day. For me this time, the effects were heavy; for him, he wonders with great concern why we seem upset with him afterwards. I can imagine your Mom getting to you when you see her daily. Can't be easy and yet you appreciate her help, being a working Mom and having her nearby.

Yes, it was a relief every bit of our visit was such a pleasure. And I think Dad knows now better than ever, that certain topics are off the table because they aren't worth the negative tone that some people can't help bringing with them. So it should be wonderful visits for a long time forward. He is letting me choose any record LPs that I want, since they have been filling up his basement for years and I appreciate a lot of old music. As for Mom, she may want to join me at this week-end's garage sales in our area! Ron & I look forward to these each year.

I should have said "I'll send a list again, if you don't get back to the original PDF first". I figured I'd send a fresh list to make it easier but have been downloading songs and other things and it is hard to open two website windows at the same time. I'll e-mail today. Take a little time to look up any titles you need (at FantasticFiction.co.uk etc) and e-mail any titles you would like to have. :)

You bet that our blogs make good memories. It *is* a published version of my thoughts and I am glad the public and friends / family can read them.

It's nice to chat about this! I was excited to write the article because I had observed confusion of this genre's core definition for a long time. No way, Agatha is not light; not to absorb her polished words and the complexity with which she wrote. That doesn't change just because some of her investigators were cute people.

Throw a stick at any garage sale and you find Phyllis A. Whitney.... except her youth mysteries. Those are rare and particularly good. A few are on that giveaway list. :) She only started at 40 (gives me encouragement!) but was so prolific, it can give the impression that she was churned-out trash. Few authors went to the trouble she did to research a romantic mystery. She almost always got her husband to go on a trip with her, so that she could BE at exotic locations when she wrote about them. Her tutorial book about writing is exemplary and encouraged me even more than her prolificness. Living to be age 104 surely helped!

Lyn Hamilton, rest her soul too, I can't say enough about. She too travelled to her locations as much as possible adn was in the field of culture and heritage with the Canadian government. Best of all,I discovered her writing style was like mine. Don't bother with a lot of description about what characters are wearing and even what they look like: zoom from ponits A to B and only take time to describe things that are worthwhile. Feelings, key locations, new towns. I have a few of hers on reserve too but hers are a series. Phyllis's work was all standalone.

On our plants subject: gardening season has long ago arrived in Manitoba! It is wonderfully early this year and I need to soon take pictures of each of our four plots and flowerbeds because they are already growing! Three days after our regions's usual "last frost date"! For a little of what I'm up to lately and a look at what gardening is like in my province - very different from most other places due to sudden nighttime frost possible in September: here is at last a blog post from me. The next will be about our reading groups (meaning reading challengs; these *are* reading groups after all). :) https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2016/0...

Had a talk with Mom early this month and was very relieved she did not minimize my concern "to keep peace"; understood what was amiss. Relieved too either Dad realized argumentative tendencies went too far, or Mom filled him in that pressing a point is never worth feelings. Had them over for a Mother's day visit that went wonderfully well and was the most beautifully successful visit we have had in a long time. Conversation by phone thereafter remained pleasant too.

It sure works, to keep away from debating and not squander the time to update things about ourselves personally! It's all I ever want: to discuss music, films, books, gardening any of us have enuoyed lately: to savour our country surroundings. Very happy with how it went. Since I had been distressed enough to need a public outlet originally, thought I would strike balance by giving a happy conclusion.

If they're good and for grown-ups, that's all I need. I'll watch out for Robert's name. Copies of ghost story and other compilations are often available second hand.

A-ha, I imagined many would be familiar with this long-standing author and character, both of whom appeared to be loveable. Your happy urging, as I gaze at a tall pile of her work beside me, gives me extra excitement to get to her shortly. As a religious or spiritual setting (even if nothing mystical is depicted), it also fits into "Ethereal". I love Sister Carol O'Marie's detecting nun series too.

Well, there are two chief reasons and they might be the same as yours. In my last blog article, on "the cozy mystery", I said I found the genre had two criteria. Low violence, lighter topics and tones, lighter sensuality are one. The other that hasn't been as obvious to readers is lighter plotting and writing too, which is why I do not consider Agatha Christie anything but a "standard mystery", or given their age, "classic". "Cozy mysteries" can have excellent writers in defiance of the usual fluff and sensuality and topics can be a little bolder.

Agatha's writing AND plotting is far too intellectual and BIG. The first time I finished one of her books, I was surprised at the way I could feel my brain buzzing, from its use. You can't just drink her books down. The motives involve so much criteria, I couldn't believe it. The second reason we might share is that she passed away, therefore her material has seen its limit. It is the reason I read my very dearest Canadian mystery author, LYN HAMILTON, so sparingly. She wrote about ten archaological novels but had cancer. She took the time to travel to the places she wrote of, like Phyllis A. Whitney or at least did over the top research, that very much shines through her stories. She worked in a cultural branch of the Canadian government so, similarly to Barbara Mertz on a non-diploma scale; she really was somewhere in the field she wrote about. I also loved her for being light on adverbs and unneeded description; saving it for things we WANT detail about and moving her action along enthrallingly.

It really suits my needs and those doing this theme value it the same way. I'm very happy about it. So few in every group this year as you know but we few are enjoying what we're in. :) There's no need to rush and cram one countrys literature when any small quantity of the three can be combined, savoured. Especially when I used to only have one or two books from Wales. I'm boning up on an Ellis Peters monk series that has a Welsh hero.

Ron & I won't forget our wonderful trip to Scotland in 2009 and how we need to spend much more time there. You bet that I want to see Ireland, part of my heritage too. We were frustrated not to see Wales, which we drove right by, because it was like a race to Scotland and back to England, when we could scarcely take in the latter country to which we had been invited. Ireland is across the ocean a short ways but goodness, would it mean the world to see it at last and Mom would feel the same. Her Dad did visit it decades go. It is his Father that is from there: definitely St. Patrick's Day celebrators in our family, since that is the name on that side!

I don't know what "MM" means but extrasensory abilities sure do fit. I have quenched my search for adult ghost material at last and found several stories and authors I love! One series I just started has a USA southern feel and the idea of how spirits work doesn't match mine at all; yet I love the whole book. It's fun to let ourselves travel with another person's fiction and she explains her invention of how it works very well, so you are swept away and it even manages to be spooky regularly. This is AMANDA STEVENS. Her excellent first novel is "The Restorer", about family and daughter cemetery restorers. It is very much too-be-continued, so I am of course keeping my eye on Amazon.ca for a good used copy of the next. :)

It is an excellent, atmospheric, fast-moving, and uniquely creative mystery too: all of the elements are there. A sense of her family, meeting a man who experienced the worst kind of loss, and although I don't need romance in my literature it is a running theme too: something for everyone. I read a Winnipeg-authored and Winnipeg, Manitoba / Kenora, Ontario-set novel before that! Murder plots in two of the places with which I am familiar and near me, are rare: especially mentioning the little Ontario beach town bordering our province. This author is CAROLINE HUNTER: "The Dead Of Midnight".

Although it was slow to start and I grew sick of her repeating certain words, it became highly riveting. I actually blew off last week's episode of "The Voice", a show I love, to continue reading it! It ties criminal activity in our city to deep family secrets on a Kenora island. You don't get more Canadian than this, so it went under this category in "Gentle Spectrums" and also manages to have a ghost a few times, turning it "Ethereal".

That sounds hilarious, even if the writer were serious and the cover makes it look exactly like a lurid 1970s cover. You just have to laugh at something like the pron industry and actually, credit an author for creatively setting an adventure in such an unusual premise! "Mystery Of The Blue Train" is one of the next Agathas I will read. It certainly fits "Gentle Spectrums" colours too. :)

I think everyone who knows me, knows I am avid about experiencing an author in order. Therefore as much as I look forward to "Murder On The Orient Express" and watching Agatha-related films (and the wonderfully current Sherlock TV show, "Elementary"), that one will wait a while. I'm even going in order of publication order instead of series, because I want to be surprised about which hero is in them. Unfortunately now I see these are Hercule ones and my memory for detail will keep that information stored. ;-) Maybe it'll take me a few years to get to the latter because I only read maybe two Agatha Christies per year.

You are among our greatest contributers; no worries. Southern Canada is already out of winter and readying our gardens and flowerbeds for growth. There also happens to be a Canadian campaign for folks not normally into flowers to plant them, to bring back our important populations of bees. I'll always check for blog comments and Goodreads group activity to answer. Otherwise warm weather in Manitoba relegates my computer use and reading to morning and nighttime, respectively.

You wrote that you would proabably have material for Celtic Coasts sometime in the year. If you do, there is certainly a gorgeous review page awaiting it. Glad you like my posts, of course. Ron & I were at a book sale yesterday that yielded new Celtic material, the usual Canadian gems, many mystery volumes filled-in, and surprisingly: a good dose of paranormal fare for a change.

I'm trying not to wince that my efforts have seemed to slip by the masses! *eek!* I'm determined to get people joining through the roof next February. This Goodreads portion being optional of course and the blog more important.

By the end of our year I would love a list of your titles in the review page comments (for non-reviews). Goodreads chatting windows do slip away but our lovely blog records will always be easy to access in the top menus. :) https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/my-kin...

I am enjoying the way you put this batch in order of enjoyment! It's fun too that include whence your material comes: borrowed, downloaded, physical paper copies. I'm relieved Margery's later volumes are better than her first.

I'm very happy when members stop by Goodreads to keep it active, as well as adding reviews to the Mother blog. I don't think anyone but me has filled in ETHEREAL and CELTIC COASTS review pages yet but sure hope everyone enjoys my alphabetic, book cover-decorated energy on each of those. :)

Great! I hope everyone finds this category rewarding to fill because it isn't a standard topic in literature but neither difficult once they think about it, either. Here are mine so far. I think accessories like diamonds and mirrors fit: what does everyone say? I'm glad you had fun with yours, Shonna!

“The Ice Diamond Quest” Eric Wilson 1990
https://www.amazon.ca/review/RD3A6UUE...
“The Mannequin” Darcy Coates 2014
https://www.amazon.ca/review/RRACL65Z...
“The Bilbao Looking Glass” Charlotte MacLeod 1982

As I shared, I wasn't a massive Prince fan either and knew him by his hits. But I had a wonderful story about a local celebrity telling me how unique he was, after which I paid more attention. I have been downloading, copying from my own CDs, and making dance music for parties at home! It is a project I dove into a year ago, when guests came over in November 2014 earlier than the music I wanted to feature was ready. I vowed to have awesome music at the ready from now on and thus this fun project came to me. I have 16 CDs finished of upbeat tunes and that is how I came to spend time with Prince lately; someone I seldom played over the years. Even if high voices aren't my favourite, I enjoyed many of his songs and have seen how many more there are. Awfully, it seems his same-age girlfriend from his famous years, songress "Vanity", died just last month! Kidney complications.

After I found out Doris Roberts was 90, when reading last year that Jean Stapleton had died; she's been on my mind a great deal. I prepared for this day, as well for the longer-living Betty White. She is still acting and Doris was going to be in a play. If you read Pierce Brosnan's words, they bring one to tears. I hoped to hear from him because he and Doris Roberts together in "Remington Steele" were two of my heroes. I'm going to begin watching the DVDs I began collecting a while ago. It will save space from the numerous videotapes I have; with every show repeated twice or thrice.

Doris was so gifted, she surprised me when I checked out "Everybody Loves Raymond". There she was, convincingly as "Marie Barone", when I thought I could only see her as Mildred Krebbs. If you don't know "Remington Steele", it's a must! She sure makes that detective show / sitcom. She was likely intended as a secondary character but instantly became an easily-beloved third partner.