This was a recent book group assignment. I attended the group, but I did not re-read the book.
I had read it years before for my classics book group also. I made great notes -
https://baby-steps-v.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-books-all-quiet-on-western-front.html
Was I looking forward to re-reading it? Not really.
So I read my old post and I read the entry in SuperSummary instead.
I organized my calendar and borrowed my books for November, in late October.
Youngest saw my upcoming titles in our shared Libby account and called me. She had read one of the books and suggested I not read it.
In the end, I ended up choosing not to read three assigned books for November. I also did not attend the group discussions for these titles.
Do I normally read magical realism? No, I do not.
One of my book groups read this book (earlier this fall) and liked it. That was before I started attending. They were still talking about it a month later. I had time to read it this past week, between other book club assignments.
It was unusual/creative, well written, and I did like it. No spoilers.
I am catching up on my book posts. If you normally only check Friday, this week and next week, many book posts!
Bright Young Women was a book group assignment.
Spoilers abound for this book. If it interests you, if you are a Dateline/2020/48 Hours fan, I encourage you to avoid reading any information about it. I have been careful to not include major spoilers in this post.
As I said, I thought the book was well written. In fact, when I started listening, I stopped to verify it was fiction. The main character, who is the narrator, has a strong clear voice. I thought it might be a true story.
After I was finished reading, I looked up more information. The story is based in reality, but is definitely fiction, that explains it.
I thought I would go on to read the author’s other two books, but reviews on Goodreads made me pause. I am not sure that I will.
I think of Elizabeth Strout as “one of my authors”. In completing this newly released book, I am current with all of her novels.
I read the Olive books in 2020 and the Lucy books in 2023. I also read all the stand alone books maybe in 2023.
My opinion - read her titles in order by series, the characters repeat.
Tell Me Everything was a September 2024 release, evidently I had preordered it because it popped up in my Audible library.
It was also a book club book for Gretchen Rubin’s podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happier-with-gretchen-rubin/id969519520?i=100067587426
Tell Me Everything unites Elizabeth Strout’s reoccurring main characters Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess.
It is in keeping with Elizabeth Strout’s style, but feels different/new. I really enjoyed it.
Elizabeth figured out a very clever way to tell multiple side stories in a very smooth way within the current day plot of the book. The construction was great, in my opinion, nice tight editing.
This is an Oprah Book Club listing, but I do not hold that against it.
I recently read this book for a book group. It was a new library book group for me. I liked the librarian and the group.
What did I think of the book? For me, it was fair to middling. It was an okay book.
There was lots of discussion. Some people caught on right away, others did not. We agreed it was a unique premise.
Three of us had listened to audio versions. Somehow the time jumps were more obvious for those of us on audio.
My pet peeve? In the title the word “house” is used. In the book it is referred to as a “cabin”, 100% of the time. I found that very irritating. Was there a point? Was it an editing error? Why use house in the title and cabin in the book, discussing it at our meeting, we had no idea.
Here is the list of book’s from Reece’s book club -
https://reesesbookclub.com/article/4eRlfCOXueqPrm6ZnQpzwl
I read thru Reece’s whole book club list (link above). The only other books, on the Reece list, I have read are the Ann Patchett titles. I have read all of Ann’s books and love them.
Reece’s list does not look at all like Oprah’s list. Reece’s looks like it might be safe. Oprah’s is full of land mines.
Yes, it is that time again!
My calendar (below) automatically has an entry for Daylight Savings.
Note - if we had no extra clocks, if the only clocks I had were my phone and my car, which both change automatically, I would not notice the daylight savings change at all.
But I am a clock person. We have clocks all over the house. Changing clocks is an event.
For years, most of Indiana did not follow Daylight Savings. We liked that. We liked not changing our clocks.
Indiana has followed Daylight Savings since 2006. Most of the state stays on Eastern, the western corners remain on Central.
Would I like to go back to NO time change in my part of Indiana? Yes. Yes, I would.
The only inconvenience not changing used to have was live network TV (and radio). Since my area did not change, and national TV did, prime time was 7-10pm half the year and 8-11pm the other half.
Now I watch no live network TV. I also do not listen to the radio. So not following Daylight Savings would have no impact on me.
The history of Daylight Savings in Indiana is complex:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana#:~:text=As%20a%20result%20of%20a,%2C%20effective%20April%202%2C%202006.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2006/01/20/06-563/standard-time-zone-boundary-in-the-state-of-indiana#:~:text=In%201918%2C%20when%20the%20Federal,move%20more%20of%20the%20State.
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride was a book group assignment.
I started it.
I thought “this is awful” and looked it up on SuperSummary.
Two magic words explained it all - Mark Twain.
The only place I can remotely stand Samuel Clemons is on Star Trek Next Generations with Whoopi Goldberg.
I stopped trying to listen to The Good Lord Bird.
I bailed 100% and returned it to the library. Absolutely no one was waiting for it, no holds, but I returned it early anyway.
The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Oldest read this book and recommended it to youngest. It was in our shared Libby account, but she was not yet reading it. When I bailed on The Good Bird Book, I started The Three Body Problem. I also bailed on it.
It was very well written and a great science fiction book. My problem? The characters names were too similar and I absolutely could not keep anyone straight.
I gave it a good try. I listened to almost four hours and then realized even with a character list, this was not going to work.
I listed my start dates and added both books to my Did-Not-Finish shelf on Good Reads.
I have a new entry on my phone each Monday - desensitize pup to vet parking lot and building.
One of the pups starts visibly shaking the minute we pull into the vet’s parking lot.
By going each week, with NO appointment/procedures/shots, I am hoping to stop this negative reaction.
We sit in the waiting room and chat with other pet owners, awaiting their appointment. We walk up and down the hall. We stop and chat at the desk.
This was suggested by the vet staff.
It wasn’t until I actually put it on the calendar that it started happening regularly.
I try for Monday. If Monday is busy, we go Tuesday.
Is it helping? Yes. Each week the shaking subsides a little quicker and she is less frantic.
The other pup is just along for the ride, does not care.
We took the Tricks class at our local dog club last session and all really loved it.
The dogs both passed the first three levels (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced) of the AKC tricks category during the six weeks of class.
https://www.akc.org/sports/trick-dog/
There are two additional/advanced levels of the AKC Tricks program - Performer and Elite Performer.
This session we are working independently. We use an empty ring at the dog club and bring our own props.
We are working, on our own, on the Performer level.
This is the tricks list we are working on so far -
Jump up and down with excitement - who’s excited?
Pull or drag bag of toys 5 body lengths
Run 3x around handler
Sit pretty and cross paws
Heels backwards
Heels sideways
Retrieves ball from 10’ runs back and places ball in cone
Rides on cart
Five black stands - walk and turn
Jump thru tissue hoop
Carry stuffed animal on back for 15’
Middle mentioned this concept to me and then something similar popped up in my Facebook Feed.
Here is a Facebook photo of one gallon zip lock freezer bags that go in the freezer and then are put in the crock pot -
Here is the link -
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gggyj7eMisLEsWan/?mibextid=K35XfP
I think the instructions are to put them in the refrigerator to thaw the night before, but I would still freeze them in a crock pot like shape (not flat).
I can see that this would work well for bulk buying/prepping.
Note - The difference between this book and Viola Davis’ book from yesterday’s post were pronounced. These were two separate/unique books. The educational level of the two families and financial circumstances of the two families were different between Davis’ real life family and Golden’s fictional family in these two stories of black families in America.
The Wide Circumference of Love by Marita Golden was a book club assignment. It was a new to me book group at a branch of our county library system in a town near me.
I like to start a fresh book each Monday. I like to go to at least one book discussion group each week. There are lots of book groups thru my library. I look at the calendar, I look at the groups, I look at the books assigned. I pick a group each week.
This was an excellent novel. Really well written. Tough topic - Alzheimer’s.
The fact that this novel was centered on a black family actually had little impact on the book. This universal society/family topic was covered in such a way that it could have been many families.
This was my first book by Marita Golden. Yes, I would read more of her books.
Note - two books, by black female authors, just happened to be assigned for two different book groups. I read them one right after the other. They could not have been more different. One posts today, the other posts tomorrow.
Note - I remembered Viola Davis from The Help and How to Get Away with Murder. A review of her film and TV lists (some were mentioned in the book) shows a large body of work. I realized I had seen her in many other things, before I knew who she was.
Finding Me by Viola Davis is on Oprah’s book club list.
https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/g23067476/oprah-book-club-list/
The review (link below) described book as traumatic, that is a good description. I think this book, like most Oprah books, would be triggering for many people.
Normally I avoid Oprah’s books, they are too upsetting for me.
This one was a book club assignment for one of my groups. I was forewarned, because it was on Oprah’s list. I knew going in that it was going to be sad and absolutely not a book for me. I still read it.
Most people in my book group said it was a tough read. Not everyone finished. Many had to pace themselves. Even the librarian said she could only stand a little at a time.
The book was very well written. I am not sure if Ms Davis is an exceptional (first book!) writer, had a fabulous editor, or what. But it is a well constructed book. (She is a well educated person, it is entirely possible she is a very good writer.)
I listened to the audio version, read by Davis. I like authors reading their own non-fiction work. She did an outstanding job.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2022/04/26/viola-davis-memoir-finding-me-revelations/7446179001/
https://readingladies.com/2023/01/09/finding-me-book-review-nonfiction-memoir/
Note - extra posts ran this week, look backwards if you usually only check on Friday.
We have four 100 foot hoses at our house.
We have three spigots at our house. Each spigot has a Y splitter (photo below) connected to it. One side of each Y splitter has a 100’ hose attached with a sprinkler. I can get anywhere in the yard with one of those sprinkler hoses. The other side of each Y at the spigot is empty to have easy assess to water right at the spigot.
The back spigot has a 25’ hose hooked to the spigot. This 25’ hose, runs to the corner of the house and then has another splitter connected to it. Two 100’ hoses are attached. One has the sprinkler. The other has a light weight 100’ hose (photo below) and wand attached. I use this light weight hose/wand to water all my pots and flower boxes and hanging baskets. I can get to all of them, front and back yard, with this one very light weight hose. It reaches all the way to the end of the driveway and around to the front window box.
The metal splits and extenders (above) that attach to the outside spigots, and all the hoses, need disconnected and cleaned with WD40 before they are stored each winter.
Middle has hose cases -
We simply wind our hoses inside old garbage cans that we already had.
The down spout problem meant we had ice on the sidewalk and ice on the front edge of our flower bed. The ice killed perennials. I tried planting annuals several summers, the bunnies ate them within a couple hours. Adding the drainage tile meant we could replant the flower bed with perennials.
I purchased 6 dark red coral bells (Lowe’s) for this bed. I wanted the strong contrast.
I also utilized hosta from our backyard.
My husband put down two bags of mulch, leftover from another project.
