You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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So, Tell Us About Yourself
Almeta wrote: "Okay, very little of this previous discussion has anything to do with anything that is in my book choice!Gretel has just gone under-cover in a brothel as a Dominatrix in order to gather clues."
Just what are you reading? I may have to add it.
Berit wrote: "OK, I'm reading Second Chance Summer by: Morgan Mattson, It is a YA book One of my favorite genres, it also takes place in the summer, my all-time favorite season, it is also about family, my very ..."Hi-deee Berit! I haven't seen you posting much lately. I'm glad you've joined us for the toppler.
I finished my book, Seed, and I'm totally freaked out. Totally! I can't even give it the 5 stars it probably deserves.It relates to me in several ways.
1) It's my favourite genre, though after reading this, I think I'll change my favourite genre.
2) I know a real person with the same name as the main character. I'll never look at him in the same way again.
3) I don't know how to put this delicately, except to say that I felt really uncomfortable as the marriage unravelled because it was so familiar. Ugh!
I'm going to go grab takeout for supper and when I come back I'm going to start book #2 - Sixth Grave on the Edge. I'm not sure how to justify this as "about me" except that it's a series that I cannot put down. I live, eat, breathe it at the moment. Besides after Seed, I really need something light and funny.
Continuing my story:Episode Two: Austin
I grew up in Dallas, but I went to law school in Austin, two hundred miles to the South. It was nice to be close enough to Dallas to visit my mom and her cats occasionally. I lived in an apartment in Austin, about two blocks from the law school. There were about 20-25 apartments in the complex, all facing onto a central court yard with a swimming pool. Many of the tenants were students, since we were very close to the University of Texas. In some ways it was a bit like a dorm. Most of the neighbors were friends. There was a cat who used to go door-to-door looking for handouts. A bunch of neighbors fed her. Of course I fed her. Over the course of the winter and spring she became more and more obviously pregnant. When she had her kittens, she took them door-to-door, carrying one at a time in her mouth. When one of her usual feeders opened a door, she would race in with a kitten. I saw her and a kitten being evicted from the apartment across from me, so I took them in. The mama cat left fairly soon though, and went to get another kitten. Then she went to get a third kitten. I was getting a little concerned when she brought in the fourth kitten, but after that she seemed to settle down. I left to buy cat food and a litter box. When I got back to the apartment she raced out the door. Oh no, I thought, there must be more! Fortunately she did not bring back any more. I think she had just gone to check around the area to be sure she hadn't missed anyone. The kittens grew up in my apartment over the last two months of the school year. Before I left Austin I found homes for the kittens or took the left-overs to the SPCA, but I kept one kitten. I named her Austin. I took her back to Dallas with me, and she became my mother's cat. I moved to Phoenix to take a job with a firm here. Over the next fifteen or so years, Austin became the cat my mother was closest to. She would sleep on my mom's lap or on her chest in the daytime, and on her bed at night.
To be continued.
Janice, what do you think draws you to horror books? Do you like horror movies?Haha, I had KFC yesterday. I have fast food way too often. I am totally amazed at myself at how prepared I am today and that it's not chips and candy (my usual). Now I'm having a croissant with fruit - sprite melon, mango, kiwi, strawberries (I ate the peach separately).
I am about 2/3 of the way through my book, Eveless Eden, and am really enjoying it; however, I am having more fun watching my husband chase the squirrels from the bird feeders. He just jumped up saying, "I have an idea" and went to the garage - poor squirrel.
Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "I'm over 1/3 finished listening to A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans, the true story of a large black wolf who interacted over a period of years with the people of Ju..."I've added Romeo to my tbr, it sounds like a great story. Your daughter sounds like a wonderful person, and Honey is lucky to have met her.
I have to ask - do you have a thing for medical personnel? ☺ I'm so jealous of your cruises. An Alaskan cruise has always been my idea of a dream vacation.
Almeta wrote: "Okay, very little of this previous discussion has anything to do with anything that is in my book choice!Gretel has just gone under-cover in a brothel as a Dominatrix in order to gather clues.
I..."
I think Almeta is hiding something from us. Maybe Debra can give us the dirt.
I'm half way through False Colours, and I've been looking for instances why I like the book so much. I haven't found one.I think it's an overall impression that the book gives me. Yes, there are obnoxious people, but others are still polite and give them a little slack. Yes, the main characters are in trouble, but they still support each other. Yes, things are starting to look dire, but they keep their spirits up.
Just a good book.
Going to have my snack a very yummy bag of m&m's
M&m's one of my favorite snacks and also a favourite snack of my character E.T.
jaxnsmom wrote: "Janice, what do you think draws you to horror books? Do you like horror movies?Haha, I had KFC yesterday. I have fast food way too often. I am totally amazed at myself at how prepared I am toda..."
I'm not sure what draws me to horror. Maybe it's the adrenaline rush. I like watching horror movies too, just as long as they aren't the slasher type.
The first time I read The Shining, I had to sleep with the lights on for a week. Then the movie was produced and I couldn't sleep without the lights for another week. A friend flew in for a visit shortly after I saw the movie and she had to sleep on the couch in the living room. I heard something and was positive she was being murdered. She probably snored.
My favourite horror movie was Ghost Story followed by The Gift with Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves, and Hilary Swank.
The Shining is great! Jack Nicholson really played the part well. My snack tonight. Almond and toffee Symphony bar, yum..
I'm 46% through my book, The book of the unnamed midwife. So far, not many similarities to my life. There is a midwife that acts as a scribe, we have not met her. I am a midwife, but have not done scribe work, although I do like the process of hand writing. The major character is traveling east from California, we have been to some of the same states.
Got to get back at it
Janice wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Sam wrote: "... being self aware of how vulnerable you can..."I have an issue with restaurant counter personnel (in an attempt to appear more personal I'm sure), asking my name wit..."
I can't think of any where over here that still does that, that I've noticed anyway. I bet there are still some places though. Makes you wonder how the staff feel about it, if it was me I'd be kicking up a fuss and a half.
jaxnsmom wrote: "Taking a break from reading and distractions to eat something. I'm having bagel halves with onion chive cream cheese, ham, red onion, and tomato slices. I've got chicken simmering to make lemon ..."Oh awesome about being signed up to the Body Farm, Jmom. We studied that place when I did my forensic arch and anth subject at uni, and I think what they do is amazing. They have just opened one in Aus in Sydney, as we don't have any data like that in Aus. Be fascinating to check it out one day.
Almeta wrote: "Sam wrote: "... being self aware of how vulnerable you can..."I have an issue with restaurant counter personnel (in an attempt to appear more personal I'm sure), asking my name with my order, the..."
A friend of mine does the same, but mainly as her name was the most popular girls name in the 80s, so it gets confusing. She always gives the name Esmeralda, and the scathing English teacher looks she gives the 15 year olds who asks her how to spell it is always worth it.
As you can tell, I am now awake! Good sleep in this morning until 11am, so ready and raring to go. Lexx has just stood up to make coffee. I am going to go stare at the bookshelves for a bit and see what tickles my pickle.
I finished my book, A Wolf Called Romeo, giving it 4 stars. I can definitely see why my daughter recommended it, since she's so attached to animals.I'm considering whether I have time for another book, since we have less than 14 hours left. I'm going to take one more look to see if I can find one that will still allow a decent night's sleep!
I know that I am very late to the party and still have 65 posts to catch up with but I am here now. I had to do some major yard work today but had Amy and the boys and a family friend on hand to help. I have had dinner and am DONE for the evening. There may be over 2 hours of sunlight left but my body called it quits about an hour ago. My hands can hardly hold my book and I may have to sleep in my chair tonight, I'm not sure yet. I have to tell everyone that I love my old '92 Ford Ranger so much! I drove for many years as my only transportation and although It has been sitting in my driveway full of yard debris in the truck bed since at least last October, it started right up today when I needed it.
I am reading The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr. (I am on my iPod so I can't link.)
What does this book have to say about me? What if I say that it is "A Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes"? Yes, besides everything Star Trek, I love Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson more than any other fictional characters in literature! I have been saving this book "for the right time" and this toppler was it, even if I don't finish.
edited with link.
Italian Secretary, The: A Further Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes
Haha, Connie. I just read your post about wanting to sneak over to Pompeii to see what is happening. Too funny. That is another thing that made me think about my book. It was the Italian connection. I see that I'm supposed to tell a story too. My grandma bought me my first Sherlock Holmes book when I was in 5th grade. She liked mystery books and we used to watch the old movies on TV. I loved staying overnight with her on the weekends because she let me stay up late and watch old movies with her when my grandpa wasn't home.
I came up for a breather (and to fold laundry). About the only thing that I'm snacking on is Freezies. Well, I'm off to check posts and dive back in.
To carry on with my story, here is Episode Three:My first several years in Phoenix I avoided getting a pet because I was traveling a lot for work. But when a friend and coworker took in a feral cat with kittens, I let myself be talked into adopting one of the kittens. And I had such fond memories of raising kittens in my childhood, when that kitten grew up I let her have one litter of kittens before I had her fixed. Those kittens were born behind my living-room sofa, less than a week before I was about to move. I had finally bought a house, across the street from my best friend, Linda, who also had cats. We figured we could feed each other's cats when either of us had to travel. The night before my planned move, I got a call from the prior owner of my new home. He reminded me of a pregnant cat I had seen around his yard when I looked at the house. He'd been feeding her, along with other neighbors, but of course she wasn't his cat. Anyway, he and his family had moved about 25 miles away, and he thought I should know that the cat had given birth to kittens in the front flower-bed, and had I noticed that it was raining? So, of course, I went over to feed the new mother, and when I moved into the house she and her four kittens did, too. Which was how I went from having one cat to having nine in the space of a week.
How often does this happen, that a house comes with a litter of kittens? That might depend on whether you are descended from my mother. My older brother had been living in New York, but decided to move back to Dallas. He bought the house across the street from my mother. Before he could move in, one of the neighborhood feral cats had kittens in his garage. So it's not just me.
Linda and I were best friends for 30 years, until she died of breast cancer. During all that time, we continued to feed each other's cats when anyone had to be out of town. Linda's daughter Katie, then about aged 8, adopted one of my kittens. The other two lived long and happy lives with me. One of them lived to be about 22. Even after Linda died, her husband and I kept feeding each other's cats when needed. When her husband moved to Cincinnati, he couldn't get the cats there right away, so I kept walking over to his house to feed the cats every day until their transport was arranged. They couldn't just come stay at my house, because my cats wouldn't like it. I still had two or three of the now-adult kittens.
More to come.
I love kittens. People keep suggesting that I should get one, but I think Cleo would be mean to it. She'd be more accepting of a puppy. For some reason, she loves dogs.
I just wrapped up We'll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Memoir which was picked for me by my daughter as the first in our own little mother-daughter book club (we've also invited my mom to participate so we have three generations reading the same book). Family and reading are very important to us. My mom really nurtured my love of reading from a very early age and I have tried to do the same with my daughter. Some of my favorite memories with my daughter involve reading together. I'm so glad she came up with this idea for us. It's a great way for us all to stay connected since we live in different cities/states.
Susan, is your daughter in this group??? I only ask that because I think somebody else was reading that as a mother daughter read and it wasn't you :-)
I read Because of Winn-Dixie, because I always had dogs growing up. They were a big part of my family and we still tell stories about them. Even as an adult, I have adopted a couple of dogs. The one we have now was a stray that was picked up by our local shelter and she was in pretty poor shape when they found her. She's pretty spoiled now though!
I'm settled into my second book now. I first started The Quiet American by Graham Greene, but I quickly found I wasn't in the mood for the narrator today. I decided to find another book that was at least 175 pages long and under 7 hours.I settled on Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami, and I'm much happier. The gives these clues to who I am:
1. I really like the author, Haruki Murakami, and plan to read all of his books. This is one of his first, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to his later works that I've enjoyed.
2. Haruki Murakami is exactly 23 days younger than my husband.
3. My daughter Kate was born in 1973.
4. Pinball, 1973 is the second book of Murakami's The Rat series, so this will count toward my Yearly Challenge.
I'm going to listen a bit longer, then set an alarm to get up in the morning. I should have no trouble finishing it before the Toppler ends.
I finished Father of the Rain and started Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell. I chose this book because it is about Shirley Jackson, whom I love. I love reading about authors of books that I enjoy because it is interesting to see how their lives impact their work. Shirley Jackson and I are very different personalities, but I appreciate her creativity and sharp intelligence. Her mastery of humor and horror is amazing.I do share a lifetime thirst for knowledge with Shirley. I have always loved books and learning and can relate to that part of Shirley's character.
I'm afraid I have to call it a night. It is really early for me, but I can't keep my eyes open any longer. I made through 50 pages of my book.I love reading with my daughters. We may not read the same book at the same time often - it does happen though), but we usually get around to reading each other's books. We are always aware of what each of us are reading, either through GR or Facebook updates.
I just finished Ice Cold. I am married to a police detective. He is not a homicide detective because his town is too small so he does a little of everything. If he has a major crime like a murder they call in the state agency (GBI). One of the main characters is also a pathologist and I work in the medical field. This series always involves quite a bit of medical terminology and this appeals to me as well.Confession: I am at work and all I am doing is reading and surfing GR. I am supposed to transition any babies born and none are delivering tonight. I didn't think I would get to participate because I was working, but it all worked out. So basically I am getting paid for this toppled (SCORE!!!!)
I've been reading Jar City out in the sunshine today (yay almost spring!).I picked this one, as it's set in Iceland, and I've wanted to go to Iceland as long I can remember. My Mum went backpacking around Europe in the 70s with her best friend, and they went to Iceland. I never had met anyone else who had gone there, and it was like the further place in the world I could imagine from Australia. I was so in awe of her.
She had a journal that she wrote of her travels, and I used to read the Icelandic stuff over and over as a kid, from around 6. I didn't understand any of it, and I think a lot of adventures they had as 20 somethings in the 70s in Iceland and Europe were censored from this journal, but I loved it. There was a post card in there with two cartoon, ginger, hairy vikings from Iceland I loved looking at.
When I was older, like 17, Mum gave me a lambswool jumper she had bought in Iceland as it was so cold. It was navy blue and so thin, but so warm. I wore it until it fell apart and even afterwards. I still have it although it doesn't fit anymore, and the cuffs are held together with safety pins and it's full of holes. But maybe one day I'll fit into it again (it should really go in the bin though), but it's really there as it's the closest I have gotten to this little, snowy, dark, volcanic island on the other side of the world from my large, hot, sunny, dormant island.
To continue my story, here is Episode 4.I got married in 1989. My husband Peter and I had two children, Jenny and Alex. We had a number of cats over the years. We adopted a mother cat and young kitten we found begging at the edge of a shopping mall. Jen brought home two kittens that had been growing up behind a drink machine at her high school. Strays stayed with us a while and moved on. But then we lost most of our cats in a single night. We had a terrible house fire. All the humans got out alive, but we lost three cats. The fourth cat, Kira, was outside that night, and she survived. It took us two days to find her after the fire. We moved into a rental house while our house was rebuilt, and Kira of course came with us. Alex wanted another cat of his own, so we went to a local shelter. While we were standing in a room full of cats in cages, Alex had his back to some of the cats, but one young cat reached out between the wires of her cage and tapped Alex on the shoulder with a paw. That brought us back up to two cats, and we thought that was a nice number. Our rental house was near a mountain preserve, and it was a great neighborhood to take walks in. One night when my daughter Jen and I were out for a walk, a large white cat walked up to us, really up to Jen, and was clearly talking to us. I asked the owner of the nearest house about the cat, and learned that the cat had just appeared the day before, and the man's dog was going crazy because the dog did not approve of the cat being in his yard. We concluded the very friendly cat had been abandoned, and he let Jen carry him back to our rental house. We took his picture and made up "Found Cat" flyers, but nobody claimed him. So we are back up to three cats at my house.
My eldest is now 24 and has a house near us. (I’ve been calling her Jenny or Jen, but she/he is trans, and goes by Jay now.) I don’t think Jay was in his own house more than a week or two before he adopted two sick kittens he found at the park. That was a year ago, and I think he has four or five cats now. Roommates arrive with cats, and the roommates leave, but somehow the cats stay with Jay.
So, now that you’ve heard a good bit of my life story, let me tell you about the book I’ve just finished reading for the toppler. The main character, Jillian, has multiple cats. Over the seven book series she takes in other cats on a short term basis when there is a special need. (This is a cozy mystery series, and some cats do become homeless when their human is murdered.) She is a quilter, and she makes cat-sized quilts for her own cats and the local shelter, and to sell to other cat-owners. She also makes baby quilts for children of soldiers.
I think I neglected to mention that my good friend Linda was a dedicated quilter. She made baby quilts for each of my kids when they were born, and Jay’s quilt was appliqued with cats. Linda also made or helped make quilts for various charitable causes over the years. I’ve never learned to quilt, but I knit baby blankets for the newborns at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center. I started reading mysteries because Linda loved them, and we used to swap books. She would have loved this series. My mother also read mysteries, and she would have loved these books, too.
My toppler book is The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret by Leann Sweeney.
Heh sounds like the neighbourhood cats have Jay marked out as a soft touch, Casceil!
I finally finished my book after several naps. There were fireworks being set off across the river and Callie started freaking out. We went downstairs (noise just as loud, but she's calmer there) and I lay on my bed reading a bit and fell asleep. My book was Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science, which is about cases that Dr. Bass worked on. There's also info about different techniques used and historical data on early forensic anthropology.
I also love reading about and learning trivia.
I didn't know Paul Revere was a dentist besides being a silversmith. He identified the body of General Earl Warren after the Battle of Bunker Hill by a silver bridge he'd made.
We know that bones don't burn in fire, but I thought they did in crematoriums with their much higher heat levels. My mom's remains are mostly ash with some small bone fragments. But it turns out that after cremation the bones have to be fed through a pulverizer (in my mind I picture a version of a wood chipper) to get to that state.
Now to catch up on all the posts.
I am back after my nap/sleep I am just about to jump into my book it is 5am and everyone is sleeping, my husbands parents are visiting and I swear every time I opened my book last night that was when they wanted to chat --- lol
Just finished my book E.T. It was a good book. I won't be able to start another so I am going to get a little sleep before everyone wakes up. :)
Hey Jmom! Jmom! JAYYYYYMOOOOMMMMM!I finished a book.
I know!!
Finished Jar City. Good little nordic noir book.
That was the other reason I chose it, which I forgot to mention it above. My Mum is a big murder mystery fan. The first adult movies/miniseries I was ever allowed to watch were Agatha Christie remakes with her.
After she and Dad broke up, and it was us living with her and things were a bit all over the place, mysteries and police drama/thrillers were our chill out time. My youngest brother I grew up with is 5 years younger than me, so he would go to bed at 8.30pm or so, and Mum and I would watch these kind of shows on TV together (Blue Heelers in the 90s was the main one, being a police show in a rural Australian town).
We still compare notes on shows we watch each week, or recommend the other should watch, or books the other should read. She's more of a P.D. James or Ruth Rendell or Phryne Fisher reader. She hasn't read any nordic noir yet. However, I think this book is the perfect intro for her. Nordic enough but not as dark or violent as some others.
I have finished Strange Meeting which I rated 5 stars. It was so good! It was haunting, thought provoking and moving and didn't shy away from the horrors of war. It also made me cry a couple of times so I was glad that I had some tissues nearby!This is the first 24 hour toppler that I have done for a while and it's been great fun! :) I'm not going to be able to squeeze in another book so will call it quits now.
Hello fellow topplers. I'm checking in from the beach. My husband and i decided to make an inpromptu visit with our dog Sheeba. It"s cut into my time for posting, but I'm here checking in to say hi. I' m reading The Book of Kells and enjoying it. Not likely to finish it before toppler end time. The book' s Irish connection is my personal connection. More onthis soon! After my walk on beach!! :)
I finished Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell about Shirley Jackson and was delighted to discover that there is a mystery embedded in the book. I have always been a sucker for a good mystery.
TJ, I hope you are having a great time at the beach!
I finished The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison. I gave it 3 stars. The book deals with a world post pandemic plague. It is an interesting read, but a bit too heavy on sex for me. Blush, blush. Glad I finished it for the toppler.
Good morning! I got up later than planned, but still with enough time to finish Pinball, 1973 before the Toppler ends, so I will have two finishes.My face is healing so much faster than I expected! The chin is fully healed, and the forehead not far behind. There's still a big pink spot on the front of my nose like I'm trying clown make-up. The worst is the scrape on the bridge of my nose, but even that shows definite improvement. The black eyes are now reduced to Vampire Red eyeliner and eye shadow, only noticeable when I take off my glasses. I should be fine for my trip to Virginia on the 27th.
Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "My face is healing so much faster than I expected!"That's good to hear Theresa! :)
I finished reading False Colours. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Again. Lots of excellent dialogue and interesting characters. A solid four stars.
A lot has gone one since I fell asleep last night, waaay to early. Could it have anything to do with those tasty drinks Almeta and I were drinking yesterday?I've got to finish my book! Hubby is making me some coffee. Yay!
Good morning! It figures that the toppler day is when my body decides to have the best sleep of the summer and stay in bed until 9 am.@ Casceil - loved your kitty stories. I think cats just know cat people. Our kitty, KC, (short for kitty cat) showed up the night we moved in and we were lucky to have her claim us for 12 years.
I don't know if I'll finish my book in the next 3 hours, but I'll give it a go. I'm really enjoying the book Eveless Eden because not only is it written like an old 1940's love/mystery movie the narrator references several great old movies. When I was a junior in high school I came down with mono and was out of school for almost a month. Because my sleeping pattern was all over the place I found myself awake late at night. My mom (best mom in the world award) would come in and lay down with me and we would watch whatever old movie was on the late night channel. One of my favorite childhood memories - still gets me misty eyed thinking about it.
Love that, Jayme! What a great memory and a great mom.
Read and finished The Edge of AlwaysBoth MC's are (part time) singers / musicians and music has been a big part of my life, with different phases:
Child / Teenager - I played Piano, Cornet and Clarinet. I got up to Grade 8 for Piano and Grade 5 for Cornet and Clarinet. I also took exams in music theory and one of my proudest achievements is I got 100% in my grade 1 theory (even to this day, I don't think I've ever got 100% in anything else!)
Piano was definitely my favourite instrument but the Cornet (and Clarinet somewhat) provided some great memories and friendship because I was in an Orchestra for the Clarinet and two brass bands with the Cornet (one for high school and one for the Colliery band). Going to brass band competitions, miners rallies etc was a lot of fun.
However by the time I was 16, the pressure to practice 3 instruments vs my interest in boys resulted in me giving up all three (oh what a silly teenage girl I was).
20's - For a few years I ran an internet radio station. Nothing huge, I think the most listeners we had was about 100 people and a usual show had between 20 to 30. However it was so much fun and I met so many people from around the world (some IRL) because of it and still friends with a lot of them.
30's and 40's - I missed having music in my life and the comradery of belonging to a large group. Also inspired by Glee I decided to join a choir.
It was one of the best decisions I ever made; from the feel good factor that singing makes you feel, to making some great friends, to having some amazing experiences.
The experiences include singing at the Royal Albert Hall in London, attending a Choir Festival in Italy and singing on top of a Mountain (amongst other fabulous locations) and travelling to New York to sing Christopher Tin's debut of Calling All Dawns in Carnegie Hall.
I've also been involved some amazing local theatre community projects; Mystery Plays, Blood & Choclate and In Fod and Falling Snow
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Italian Secretary (other topics)Pinball, 1973 (other topics)
Sixth Grave on the Edge (other topics)
Sixth Grave on the Edge (other topics)
Sixth Grave on the Edge (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Haruki Murakami (other topics)Jasper Fforde (other topics)
Haruki Murakami (other topics)
Meg Elison (other topics)
Susan Scarf Merrell (other topics)
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I have an issue with restaurant counter personnel (in an attempt to appear more personal I'm sure), asking my name with my order, the..."
Most places of business now will only put a person's first name on a name badge or name plate. It provides a modicum of anonymity. Yet, one of the banks that I go to has the tellers' full names on their name plates. I find that a bit shocking.