Pam’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2018)

Pam’s comments from the Never too Late to Read Classics group.

My daughter lives in Iowa where the high today is zero! Reminds me of the winters described in Giants in the Earth. No thank you! I’m curious to see if the Buffalo Bills field and stadium is going to be cleaned up by the time of kickoff today! What an effort! No matter what they do, I think the fans will be sitting on snow.

That’s a great idea Michelle! I might start doing that too.

Luís wrote: "Mike - That's always a struggle you have to fight for.

Lesle - There have been rumors about a second wave of Covid.

Pam - I have African genes in my family. Should it affect me somehow?"

Luis - I couldn't say but, if you are concerned, you should talk with your doctor. Re: COVID, it's not a rumor. Numbers are definitely up again. I've read that 1500 people per day in the US are dying from COVID. It's nothing like the peak but that is still a lot of people!

Jeremy wrote: "Pam wrote: "Jeremy - No, you’re not being intrusive at all re the BRCA gene mutation testing. My mother was tested for it and tested negative. My understanding is that it is primarily related to ca..."

Yes, you are correct! Thank you for clarifying that piece. I will ask my relative if she is going to do genetic testing, especially since she has 2 adult children. I hope that she does and that it is covered by insurance.

I enjoyed the journaling session I went to yesterday. We received some handouts with examples plus a blank journal. The presenter brought an assortment of crafting supplies - stickers, stamps/ink pads, washi tape, pens, etc. and we just went to work! She also brought an example of her friend's journal. It was essentially the same as a scrapbook but without photos. In addition to journaling each book, she had pages with annual statistics and a collage of favorite books of the month. Some of my takeaways and thoughts:

1) Decide first what is your purpose of journaling and how much time/effort you want to commit. I'm more interested in capturing ideas, feelings, and quotes and less interested in the arts & crafts aspect, especially recreating charts that are already created in Goodreads and StoryGraph. I print them and file them in my reading notebook. But, if you have the time and are looking for a creative outlet, it's fun to go full-blown creative! I'm keeping mine simple but I do plan to add a few creative touches. I've got tons of scrapbooking materials so I might as well put them to use. One idea I really liked is including a small picture of the book cover. Another option is to hand draw the cover and/or items from the book.

2) Choose the right size journal or plan to use both the left and right sides of the page, if the journal is too small. I'm currently using Anne Bogel's My Reading Life journal which I'm finding is too small. I like to take notes as I'm reading which I'm thinking maybe I could do in a separate companion journal and continue using this one until I fill it (100 books) with just the specifics and a few thoughts.

3) Like Lesle mentioned, you could create a journal for just specific books like your favorites or maybe classics. I'm thinking about doing one for my library's Sci-Fi book club reads, since I take a lot of notes anyways for meetings.

A few things I have found helpful:
- Create a Table of Contents referencing each book
- Alternate ink color for different sections
- Write neatly! This is a big one for me. I find that my printing is easier to read than cursive. I tend to do a messy hybrid when I start writing fast.

Mike wrote: "Pam wrote: "People may not realize that prostate cancer is also tied to BRCA mutations."

Gosh, I didn't. A close friend of mine and mentor has been battling prostate cancer and he has a daughter a..."

I'm sorry to hear about your neighbor and that you didn't get one last visit with him.

I would hope that doctors talk about genetics in these cases, such as your friend's, but there's no guarantee! There are certain racial/ethnic and geographic populations that carry variants in these genes. For example, the Ashkenazi Jewish population carries a higher risk of a mutated gene.

Jeremy - No, you’re not being intrusive at all re the BRCA gene mutation testing. My mother was tested for it and tested negative. My understanding is that it is primarily related to cancers of the reproductive organs and that insurance only pays for testing for individuals after being diagnosed or if a close family member has tested positive for the gene mutation. Without insurance, the testing is over $10k! I know that with the 23&Me genetic traits test, they test for the most common mutations (~10% of all mutations). We have a friend who developed breast cancer and tested positive. Her father’s family has a history of prostate cancer and the gene was actually passed down on the paternal line! People may not realize that prostate cancer is also tied to BRCA mutations.

Lesle - That sounds like a great idea! I feel like it’s easier to journal about a book I really like. I like the idea of doing something extra for the favorites, possibly like a scrapbook page. I’m hoping I will get some good ideas at tomorrow’s workshop! And I hope there is a good turnout.

Luís - I am sorry to hear that about your parents. Dementia is really hard. I wish everyone on this thread good health! Don’t take it for granted. 😀

I hope everyone has a good weekend! I’ve got a few fun things planned, none of which includes watching football!

Thanks Kathy and Lesle! I learned Spanish in high school and college so I understood some of the grammar, key words and phrases but really only remembered the present tense! I’m on a 3 year streak with Duolingo and have learned a lot more but am far from being fluent! But, that’s the goal! I keep plugging away daily. I think reading will make a huge difference in increasing my vocabulary. It’s an effort, though!

Thanks Lesle for your kind words!

I started the book this week and am on page 47, chapter 13 (very short chapters). I like the psychological aspect - being inside the mind of Juan Pablo Castel before he was a killer. (The first sentence introduces the fact that he killed María.) Here’s an example, which isn’t a spoiler, that gives you an idea of the narrator’s state of mind. “My brain was in pandemonium, swarming ideas, emotions of love and loathing, questions, resentment, and memories all blended together or flashed by in rapid succession.” I feel like there’s constant tension on every page! The writing is really good. I think that after I read it in English, I will read the Spanish edition and then not worry about what I am missing since I already know the story.

Kathy - I did a similar thing last year. I read the Introduction and first 2 chapters in Spanish. The story caught my interest but I was having to look up too many words. I’m hoping by the end of 2024 I can read a book in Spanish without too much trouble. I have one book that has no English translation available and I’m determined to read it!

Thanks Rosemarie! ❤️

Samantha wrote: "Pam, cancer news is rough to take in. I hope the prognosis is good.

Books are always a great escape for me, no matter how crazy life gets."

Thank you Samantha! The prognosis isn't good for either person since the cancer has spread to the liver. I'm trying to remain hopeful but it's hard after losing my mom to pancreatic cancer. I saw first hand how horrible it was. But, maybe they will have different outcomes. It's crazy how quick your life can change with one diagnosis.

Yes, I agree books are definitely an escape, especially if they are humorous! I bought my father the first 3 books in The Thursday Murder Club series and he is loving them! It's been a great distraction for him. But, he's reading them so fast that I need to find something else! Maybe the Jeeves and Wooster books?

Samantha wrote: "Pam, that sounds fantastic! I'd go to that of my library did it... Or else I'd be working the program."

If I learn anything interesting, I will post it here! My journaling is not particularly creative. It's more informative and a way for me to take notes. I would like to take some extra time and add more creativity.

Lesle - Glad to hear that you are enjoying your new job! That is great! Hopefully, you can switch to part-time at some point.

I've had a crazy time the last few days! I'm handing off my volunteer treasurer position, after 7 years, to a new person and spent 2 days organizing papers and getting caught up on year-end reports. I trained him today but still have a few more hours of work plus training with him. I'm glad to pass off the duties but plan to stay on as a Friend of the Board. I also had some terrible medical news (pancreatic cancer) in my family and have been talking and texting a lot with family members! We have another bad cancer situation on my husband's side so we will be traveling to AZ soon to visit that family member. I hope things calm down. I feel like I cannot take any more bad news...

I signed up for a creative book journaling session at the library this weekend. I'm excited to see what other ideas the presenter has! She sent an email and said if we sent her the titles we are reading that she could print a small image for us. I think this will be fun!

Guillermo wrote: "I couldn’t find the Spanish versions on the libraries around me, but I’m going to use kindle :)"

Great! I'm glad you found something! I have the opposite problem where I can only find the Spanish copies but not the English. I did find both The Tunnel and Heartbreak Tango in English through my library's ILL service and have both of them on hand. I started The tunnel. It is an interesting psychological study, from what I can tell so far!

I'm curious if you have red any of these authors before?

Cynthia - It depends on the book and the genre. You just have to pick and choose what you feel like reading! Usually members will respond if they are interested in the book so that will give you an idea on how much participation to expect. Also, we are only one week into the year so there’s not too much discussion yet and the group reads are just starting.