Kim’s Comments (group member since Sep 17, 2008)

Kim’s comments from the Runs with scissors group.

Joy, you have hit my hot button on that one! I am so FURIOUS with retailers who insist on putting up "C" crap BEFORE Hallloween! The Hallmark store I buy all my cards from had ornaments up as early as August! I remember when I was a kid, that "C" stuff didn't even go up in stores until after the Macy's parade was over. Now, it's up almost 24/7! Employees get just as sick of it as customers do. Retailers want to know why sales are sluggish!

I am now avoiding any and all retailers who have up "C" crap until after Nov. 27, and I am not shy about telling them why either. I will not buy anything for "C" until after Dec. 1. That is my rule.

One of the local radio stations will go all "holliday music",on air mind you, soon, and will play it until Dec. 26. One will do it on-line until after Thanksgiving. Again, no music until after Dec. 1, and sometimes not even then.

I don't know, maybe I'm just old, but am really beginning to hate "C" in general. It could be that the lack of work or just the retail market insistance on cramming it down our throats, but I am just getting appathetic about it. Anyone else feel the same?

I hear you! I voted by mail back in September and I just want to scream! I got one this morning at 9:30! There should be an opt out, like the do not call list, for political garbage. I think there should be a ban on direct mailings and information stuck in you door too. All those trees have to die for nothing....

I just have to say that Casey Daniels is awesome! She is the nicest person. We were able to have quite a conversation since not too many people showed up on Saturday :( She was so cool, and she even signs her books with a little tomb stone!

Today is Halloween, my favorite holliday. I can't wait for the kids tonight. I love handing out at the door! I am also excited for a different reason. Today, Casey Daniels is signing her books at the book store Narzain works for and I get to meet her and have her sign a book! (Thanks to Narz for buying it for me. It's good to have a bookselling boyfriend...:) On November 12, Bev Shaffer will be at my local library branch, to give a lecture on her newest cook book, "Cookies to Die For" which, again thanks to Narz for driving me, I now own, and will get her to sign for me then. I have only 2 autographed books, so this is a thrill! (1 was Jackie Collins when she signed them for Home Shopping Club, I got talk to her on air, the other is "They died crawling" because the author was a librarian at my local branch.)

I'll let you all know how it goes.

Walmart is now selling caskets on line. Yes, you reaed that correctly, on line casket sales. Costco sells them directly from the warehouse stores. Walmart is offering a few caskets and urns and hopes to expand the line to about 2 dozen caskets or so. Currently, the most expensive one is a little over $3,000.

What's next, Walmart discount hospitals? Walmart cemetaries? You know, so that they can help you from cradle to grave?

A little creepy....

If you like her, try Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong as well. Both write about vamps, weres, and witches. They are VERY good as well.

If you like vampires, I would start with her Anita Blake series. Think of it as Buffy for grown ups. If you prefer the fey, her Merry Gentry series is also good. I like and collect both, so I may not be that impartial. I will warn you, though, that as her books go on, the sex scenes become very graphic.

I would like to say welcome to all new members who may have joined recently. I hope you will be happy here with us and will have lots of interesting things to talk about. I would also like to say welcome to any future memebers and to say to all members, to feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

I appologize now, because I am a lousy speller and typist, so please forgive me for mis-spellings and typos.

I was reading the other day in the paper that Amazon and the .com versions of Walmart and Target are going to offer what they hope will become best sellers for $9/hard cover books. Local independent stores were interviewed for their opinions, and most are not threatened by this move, as most will probably not be carrying Sarah Palins crayon scribbles or some of the other tripe that they hope to push.

On one hand, I would like to see people reading. On the other hand, and yes, I do understand that this is only a few books and that they are not best sellers yet, but what a slap to the independent book store and the national chains alike! If, and most likely it will, this works, will they stop at this, or move on to current best sellers as well?

Barnes and Noble fared better than Borders when banks freaked out and froze loans. Can either survive this mess? Borders already is trying to get their employees to push certain books in the hopes of making them best sellers, can they compete with this mess?

I know the economy is bad. I've been out of work for 3 years, so maybe $9 books may help people who wish to make them gifts (note: anyone who gives me Sarah Palins' crayon scribbles will need it surgically removed from their anatomy) and maybe it might make it easier for some to buy more gifts, but at what cost to all of us in the end?

As one book store owner explained, these books will be sold well below the publishing cost. Guess who will have to pay for that? Those of us who purchase the other regular priced books, that's who. Even if you buy them used, somebody will be paying more for that book in the end. This may even push already cash strapped libraries to not purchase materials due to publisher increases. Yes, I know that they get a discount, but that discount may be less if publishers are not willing to eat the profit loss on a $9 book.

So, do you think this will help the economy or cost us more job loses as stores go out of business and Sprawl Mart takes over? As one store owner put it, "I hope they have fun losing money in their price war."

I have so many books that I would recomend that I get them mixed up. Right now, I am reading a book called "Eon" and so far I would recomend it to all Tamora Pierce fans...

First, let me say Welcome and I hope you are happy here. All book discussions are open ended, so please feel free to read this or anyother book we have read and post a comment. I loved this book in school and was so impressed, that I have a hard cover edition from is first published year. Alas, it's not a first edition, but still pretty cool.

Maybe the place to discuss the after effects....

I guess that's why you read it mostly in school. I loved the book so much, I bought it. I got the movie from the library and Narzain and I watched it together. I think it won the Pulitzer, because it is a look at social injustice and since it was published in the 1960's, it fit into the social upheaval.

If you go to my group Cookies! you will find the recepie and others listed for your enjoyment. You will find the recepie under the cookie file. They are listed as Coconut Rumball Brownies, but you can leave the coconut out.

DJ- ...back away from the Midori and come have a rumball brownie instead.

Oh, yes. Do read the books. They are good, lite to start, but as the series goes on, they become more involved.

Yet the book is set in the 30's. Do you think that when she wrote it influenced you? Or do you think that this is a stand alone work?

I will add that to the shelf and we will vote on it in January if there are any more suggestions.

O.K. it is time to seriously think of new books to read for our group read. I was thinking about suspending the group read until after the 1st of January, because I know at least 2 of you work retail and that your busy seasons are starting, and that at least 1 of you will be having school projects and semester finals. If this sounds good to you, we can make a list of suggestions and then look at that list at the begining of the year.

If you all think that you will be able to keep up a discussion and still keep up on your work, then I would be more than happy to keep the group reading and discussions going. Please let me know what you think.

I know that at some of you may still be waiting for your copies, but for those of you finished yours, what did you think of the book over all? Did it make you think? Do you think that this book still stands today or do you think it is a good slice of history?