Can we talk about books?

Books in Winter by Jessie Wilcox Smith

I've been tagged for a book meme by KristieJ and I decided what the heck I'll give it a whirl. Although I have to confess I did some estimating with my book count because I didn't take them all off the shelves to count. There are just too damn many to move. K? But if I erred it was on the conservative side I didn't round up.

1. Total number of books I own: Just me? Uh, 2302. Guess I don't have to worry about having something to read when I'm old...right?


2. Last book I bought: COMING UNDONE by Susan Andersen


3. Last book I read: AGNES AND THE HITMAN by Bob Mayer and Jennifer Crusie


4. Five books that mean a lot to me: This one is hard. The most I can say is that just for today these are the five books I'd choose. Tomorrow I might choose a different five books.

a. FAREWELL THE STRANGER by Saliee O'Brien. My first romance. A book found in my grandparents basement. I talked all about it here.

b. OVER THE EDGE by Suzanne Brockmann. This is special for a weird reason. In the book terrorists take over a plane. I finished this book the night of September 10, 2001. Just two weeks before we'd seen a repeat on 60 minutes about this guy Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. When 9/11 happened the first thing I said to GG was it was terrorists and I bet it was that Bin Laden guy. The primary love story isn't what resonated with me it was that Suzanne Brockmann had probably written the book a year (or more) earlier and captured the political times of the world we live in and the men and women who fight against terrorism.

c. SHADES OF TWILIGHT by Linda Howard. I just love the characters Roanna Davenport and Webb Tallant. It's about family, betrayal, dynastys. It's one of the few books I own that I've re-read more than once. I could name a couple of other of Howard's books, but I picked this one to represent them all.

d. JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte. I remember reading this and thinking that everyone deserves to be loved.

e. EXODUS and MILA 18 by Leon Uris. I mentioned MILA 18 before in a meme because this book was very powerful when I read it. These books were written about Jews after the WWII when they were trying to establish a home and country in Israel (Exodus) and about the Polish Jews resistance in the Warsaw ghetto (MILA 18). The books gave history a human face and made it real to me. I cried my eyes out.


5. Tag 5 people. I hate tagging people. I never know who to pick...but I always like reading what other people write. So if you read this and want to do it...please do. How's that?

That was the week that was...

What a week! It all started with some testosterone madness last Sunday. I should have known then that it was going to be a week for the record books because there was so much posturing by the males in the household you'd have thought lives were at stake. It was nothing a woman wouldn't have fixed with a little retail therapy, but the guys in my house, after yelling and cussing, went running, beat their drums,and played their music really, REALLY loud. As Holly says, sometimes boys are dumb.

Of course the rest of the week highlights include car repairs, less sleep than usual, no RESCUE ME on Wednesday night, and very little reading. Ever have one of those weeks when you feel like you're running even in your sleep? It was sort of like that. Of course now that it's Saturday and I can sleep past 4:30 a.m., the time I've had to be up to take GG to his car pool drop off, I awake up at 6:00 a.m. Hope that goes away quick.

Fortunately, things seem to have settled back down. The car is fixed. Thank goodness. Also, the fly wheel (referred to as a "thingy" in my previous post) on the car didn't have to be replaced after all so the bill was $200 less than expected. Yippee skippy doo-dah day! That was some very welcome news.

I love our mechanic. Not that GG has any real competition, but a good mechanic, well they're not easy to come by. Our mechanic is such a good guy. Now some of you might be rolling your eyes and thinking how naive I am, but seriously this guy is awesome. He actually tries to fix your car without jacking up the price. Really. I know it's hard to believe there is such a thing as an honest mechanic, but I'm telling you our guy is aces. Since he'd already quoted for the fly wheel (and ordered it too) he could have gone ahead and just replaced it. Instead they were able to clean up and use the existing part and we saved $200. Do you know many mechanics that would do that? Call me crazy, but I'd give up my hair dresser of 20 years before I'd give up our mechanic. I'm just sayin'.

On Thursday we got some more good (and very welcome) news. Beanie got called to interview for a job he's been trying to get since March. If he gets it he will be making twice per hour what he's making now. The interview went well yesterday and they've already set him up for the 3-day training classes pending the results of his drug test. Halleluia! He will be able to add to his car savings more quickly and get wheels again. Beanie having wheels again just can't happen soon enough. Of course, this job is further away and it will be challenging getting him to and from until he has the new car. We're just taking it one day at a time right now and basking in this good news.

Finally I got some decent reading time last night and I'm almost done with AGNES AND THE HITMAN. It's sort of a madcap, screwball comedy with dead bodies. It's funnier than DON'T LOOK DOWN and I think a bit edgier. Don't take that to mean dark and dangerous, I just mean edgier than any other book I've read with Jennifer Crusie's name on it. I've enjoyed it and would recommend it as a light, fluffy and fun read.

Gotta go now. GG made me breakfast and I'm going to go eat and finish up the book before I start my day. Who knows, I might even take a nap at 7 a.m.

The side of the road...

Yes 102 degrees and I'm on the side of the road with Shmoo waiting for a tow for our Ford Focus. Thank goodness for AAA the wait was a short one. Seems that the car that we put a new battery, new battery cables and new tires on to the tune of $700 just this past Monday needs a new clutch and new clutch thingy that makes the clutch bearing (?) go 'round and 'round. Ooops another $1200. Came close to needing smelling salts I tell you.

For a few brief moments we considered canceling the trip to Las Vegas, but then I remembered that we want to make memories and said what the heck. It's only money. Right? GG is the optimist in this partnership. Me, I'm the worrier. Good thing he has an abundance of optimism to cancel out my worrying. It all balances out pretty well. Balances...just caught that. The balance in our savings account is shrinking as we speak. But GG says...don't worry. So I won't. Really. I won't.

Thank goodness I have my copy of AGNES AND THE HITMAN. I'm counting on Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer to hand over some comedic relief.

But just in case, I always have this for a fall back plan...

100th Blog Post & Other Random Thoughts

I've noticed alot of people posting random thoughts lately. Is it because our attention span is short waiting for Spring to start? I don't really know, but here I am jumping on the band wagon.

This is my 101st blog! I've already written 100 of them. I still feel like I just started. Of course, I want to jazz up my blog site too, but keep procrastinating. I'm kind of bored with the pink stuff. Hmmm...so why haven't I changed?

Although I didn't have to even wear an overcoat until February, I'm sick of winter. I'm sick of wind and rain. Winter can just go pound sand. Preferably nice warm and tropical sand with lots of sunshine.

Right about now my sister who lives in Montana is shrieking at this post and probably giving me the cyber equivalent of "the finger". She lives with snow for 6 (or more) months of the year. Snow with three boys 8 years and under who have be bundled head to toe multiple times a day to go outside. Yeah, no sympathy from that quarter about sucky winter weather. Or from my pal Steadman who lives in cheery MINNIE-SO-TAH either.

Do you think Jimmy Smits (as Matt Santos) is going to be elected President on WEST WING? Who is going to be Vice Prez since the actor John Spencer who plays Leo McGarry died? Maybe you don't care, but this program is one of two (HBO'S DEADWOOD being the other) that the guy I live with really likes. Of course, he is a purist and doesn't think the show has been the same since Aaron Sorkin quit producing and writing it...no snap and crackle to the dialogue. However, it is still a show he watches faithfully. So Jimmy Smits or Alan Alda? Wouldn't it be great to actually have candidates like that to chose from? All real politicians seem so slimey. Have they always been that way, or am I just getting more cynical as I get older?

Boy it seems like everybody is blogging book reviews these days. I've found I don't say too much about the books I read unless I really enjoy one. I also realized that I can't do a decent review when I try to write about a book I didn't like. First of all I never can get much beyond: Book Title A by Author X really blows!

It seems I have a hard time putting my finger on what exactly made me not like it. Which brings me to another point. I really enjoy reading other reader reviews where they are very honest and forthright in their reviews whether it is favorable or not. The best ones are able to tell you, usually in a clever way, why they like or dislike a book without either annhilating or gushing over an author. I really appreciate that kind of skill because I don't have it. I revel when a reviewer can capture exactly my thoughts and feelings about a book.

Now in person in the bookstore, just ask me what is a good read and then stand back. I've steered countless unsuspecting women on to Linda Howard, Iris Johansen, Janet Evanovich, Suzanne Brockmann, JD Robb, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, and many, many more. When someone approaches me (I must have one of those "ask me about a good book" faces) I just ask a few questions about what sort of books appeal to them and then point them in the direction of an author I think they'd like. I should get a commission from my local Barnes and Noble!

I actually had one women stop and thank me later for turning her on to Linda Howard. You kidding me? If my house caught fire I'd save my Linda Howard books first...and Sarah McCarty's...and if I had time I'd also save...well lots of other books too but those books for sure. Of course I'd only save the books after I got the guy I live with and the kids out of house first! *g*

I also steer some young women on limited budgets to my favorite used bookstore to find back lists. It's what I did when I was younger with limited cash for books. Now I have a monthly book budget that would feed a family of four...and I buy lots of new books. So I figure I've more than made up for what I bought used.

So much for random thoughts. I kind of got wound up with the whole book review thing didn't I?

The book I'm most anticipating reading? DON'T LOOK DOWN by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer due out April 4th. They are calling it a romantic adventure. It doesn't matter what tag they put on it. I've been so entertained by their writing process and their blog HE WROTE, SHE WROTE that I'm anxious to see what they do when they write a whole book together. Mayhem should ensue. I can't wait!

My youngest son is going to be 16 on April 16th. Does that mean I'm old? No? Okay good,I didn't think so. Poor kid. This is the 3rd time his birthday has fallen on Easter Sunday. He hates that. Maybe we should do something particularly sacriligeous instead. Did I just say that?