Cheryl’s Comments (group member since Nov 29, 2022)

Cheryl’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods is absolutely fabulous! Highly recommended for all who want to learn more about what it means to be Chinese... or Chinese American.

Eight-Legged Wonders: The Surprising Lives of Spiders is also even better than the title's promise. I knew spiders are good for the ecosystem, for pest control, etc., but I didn't know just how cool they are in their own right. You'll want the internet handy though, for pictures.

I'm Cheryl, currently living just outside Oklahoma City. The only good thing about the area is the surprisingly robust Metro library system.

I spend a lot of time each year with my mother, who is living her retirement dream just north of Tucson AZ, which has another terrific library system, and summers in NW Wisconsin, which, yes, has a great library consortium, where I grew up & where several other family members live.

My husband is old & may not be with us too much longer. My youngest son lives with us and works part-time (for now, will take full-time at next opening) in the library; he has no interest in a family so we're enjoying still being together.

1. We do have a pet, finally, after being renters for so many years. A sweet baby spotted python named Sybil.

2. I read too much; I should get a life.

I actually can't get this right now, so I read The Hidden Girl and Other Stories. Mostly near-future dystopic, not a pleasant read. Pretty darn smart though.

Mary wrote: "A Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber"

Memorable!

My goal was to read less, do other stuff more. I do exercise a lot more now, but it hasn't helped me to read fewer books. (Maybe because I'm sleeping better & am healthier, so it's easier to get through books?)

My chronic goal is to read books that I own. That's coming along very slowly....

Trying The Spellshop. A little too much romance for me, compared to the fact that she's not looking for romance and has so much other interesting stuff going on her life that I want to read more about. (p.70)

I'd love to make time to reread this again but I don't see it happening. From my review, there are two stories I'd love to see your thoughts on:

Interestingly, the story notes are unsatisfactory. Does he really believe that he wasn't influenced by any version of Flowers for Algernon when he wrote "Understand?"

I guess I can believe he didn't know about Uglies when he wrote "Liking What You See: A Documentary" because of the date of each (in fact, it's possible Westerfield was infl. by Chiang)... but they'd make good companion pieces.

I dnf a *lot.* Recently for example I only read some of the stories in Old Venus

And I didn't make it very far in the popular The Book of Doors because "Much more about the sinister characters and their evil plot than about traveling to different worlds. Gratuitous murder included."

Mary wrote: "The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr."

A true classic!

The only way I'd use a pen name is if my real name was too common. I, too, value my privacy but honestly I don't think anyone would care about what I write enough to track me down.

(I just gotta say, I love all your stories, even the sad ones. Thank you all for sharing and making my Grinchy heart grow.)

I've enjoyed it before, and have just requested it so I can again.

(Never mind, I just checked, and two of my libraries do have a copy of A. PT. I don't need my own, I don't think.)

I want the Annotated Phantom Tollbooth. Other than that, someone would have to look at my wishlist. I cannot imagine anyone being able to guess what I want. I don't recall that anyone ever has done, either... even in childhood, even with a tiny public library, my parents didn't spend much money on books.

I only know two other readers, three if you count my youngest son who does own some of his favorites (and some new) but never has time to read. I have no idea what I would choose for any of them.

I'm working my way through the OZ books, in part because my library has most of them in nice big hardcovers, quality reprints of the art. I'm surprised by how much I like them.

Lovely!

Indeed. I agree, and appreciate you reminding me....

I am thankful for those working for justice, peace, and civil liberties.

(And I wish you well on your journey with cancer.)

I am thankful that my mother lives in Arizona, and my son in Wisconsin, so I can use visiting them as an excuse to escape the extreme hot & cold of each of these three places that I call "home."

I'm also thankful that all three communities have wonderful library systems.

I'm impressed.

Busy beaver, Gary!