tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76554620902829906212024-03-14T14:49:28.439-04:00BooksnStoriesbookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.comBlogger1110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-28010493584817995432024-02-29T16:27:00.000-05:002024-02-29T16:28:48.239-05:00Latest Book Obsession<p> Jane Austen meant nothing to me until Freshmen year of college. Our Intro to the Novel instructor, an very tall man named Clarence something, led us through <i>Emma.</i></p><p>He pointed out Austen's gift for describing the ridiculous in her time period's fashions and mores, and her ability to lead her main characters to better choices and happier endings. I went on to read more Jane on my own. Thank you, Clarence.</p><p>So when I saw a book on my library's Staff Picks display titled <i>Jane and the Last Mystery; a Jane Austen mystery,</i> I gave it a chance.</p><p>It was the LAST book in a multi-book series and the first book of my latest book obsession.</p><p>Jane makes a great fictional character. The footnotes and end pages show the research that Stephanie Barron, the series' author, has done into Austen's life. Many of the settings were visited by Austen. A lot of the characters did actually live at the same time as Austen. Barron is true to the Austen family, Jane's mother and father, her sister, Cassandra, and the five healthy Austen brothers; James, Edward, Henry, Charles and Frank.</p><p>I love the attention to detail in fashions and behaviors. Barron's version of Jane Austen manages to straddle all social strata and gender expectations. </p><p>I know more about Napoleon, and England's efforts to stop the "Monster" from invading the British Isles, than I ever wanted to. Political intrigue allows Jane to do a little spying and meet dashing characters.<br /></p><p>So, yes, I thoroughly enjoy this series. I wish that Jane could continue but Barron ended her series in a respectful manner. </p><p>Give Jane Austen mysteries a try. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><i> </i><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-18794259507392481012023-12-29T14:08:00.000-05:002023-12-29T14:08:04.732-05:00What a YEAR!!<p>It's been a Year! I saw beautiful sunrises, watched squirrels
beg, followed birds in flight. I walked with my friends around the
neighborhood and stopped on the hillside to watch the sun set. I stood on shorelines and watched gulls swoop low.<br /></p><p>Friends and family gathered around our table to laugh and eat and reminisce. My worship community is tight and striving to spread peace. I walked in the Peace Walk for the first time in years.</p><p>I took a poetry course and wrote some poems! </p><p>I spend a lot of time with my 97 year old Mom, and her struggles to keep her sight. (So far so good!)</p><p>And a lot of time with our son and his family and our granddaughter who is as tall as I am, now.</p><p>We survived a lot of sad and shocking events in our world this year. Wars in the Middle East, in Africa, in the Ukraine. Forest fires that spread smoke all through North America. Extreme weather. Gun violence. Etc. Etc. yada yada yada.</p><p>We DID survive. And where there is Life, there is Hope.</p><p>What do you hope for this coming year? Hope means we still have a future. Here are a few of my hopes:</p><p>I hope to use my time more wisely. I hope to smile more. I hope to write more.<br /></p><p>I hope for a cleaner world. I hope to make changes in my lifestyle to bring that cleaner world closer.</p><p>I hope for Peace. I hope to spread peace wherever I can.<br /></p><p>I hope for Kindness. I hope to be kind in meaningful, measurable ways.</p><p>I hope for Truth, Justice and the Global Way*! Almost like Superman! </p><p>I hope you are all happy and healthy and productive in 2024. <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><i>Happy New Year!!</i></span> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">*The original quote was "the American Way". But that has different meanings than it did in the 1950's. I have no idea what the Global Way is. I hope that it will be a truly inclusive, accepting, generous, truthful, hardworking and respectful way of life. </span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-47957631074289775192023-07-24T15:56:00.000-04:002023-07-24T15:56:08.220-04:00Poetry<p><span style="font-size: small;">I am still alive. My absence is a mystery even to me. But I still have things to write about.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">For the holidays, my son gave me a gift certificate to take a writing class. I signed up for a poetry course. It ended last week.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Somehow I missed that the last poem was not to be submitted. It has been such a charge to have an audience - even of one, the professor - for every poem I wrote these ten weeks. And he said nice things - mostly.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">So, I wrote that last poem. A poem that would encapsulate something that we carried with us from the "rock" stars of our childhood.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Here it is:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Needs <br /></u></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">We lock our fingers together</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">and mime our imprisonment.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">As the shaggy boys harmonize, </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">we clutch our none-too-impressive chests.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">We are in "Chains!" and </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">we swirl and dip and sidestep - as one.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">We trained for years -</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">singing rounds in the car.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Mom taught us songs </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">about "bananas"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">and "chasing rainbows" </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">and "old mill streams".</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Now the music is our own.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">No Mr. Sandman, No Stranger in Paradise.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">All our very own. The words a code</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> our mother cannot decipher.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">And then she does. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">We come home from school</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">And "Yesterday" plays on the stereo.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">The shaggy boys are older.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">They play alien sounds.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">They sing of other needs<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">beyond love and dancing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">We sit in the evening</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">reading or knitting;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">we harmonize to the arrival of the sun</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">or the "wind that turns me on".</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">The music knots around us</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">and in us,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">then and into the stars.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Bound by more than blood. Bound</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">by the need to sing. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-41471159934447796622023-01-22T13:13:00.002-05:002023-01-22T13:13:54.593-05:00Thoughts on First Day<p> The Quaker Meeting that I attend has ventilation problems. That's never a good thing but when viruses gather where people gather, it can be a bit dodgy. So, we crack the windows to make sure the air moves around, even now, in Winter.</p><p>We keep our coats on as we sit in silence. This morning, I remembered my childhood Winter Sundays. The pastor of the Catholic Church my family belonged to poured the parish's money into the school. The nave had ceilings that were as high as heaven. The aging, overburdened furnace churned out heat and it sailed immediately to those heights. We never took our coats off unless we were lucky enough to sit right next to the heating vents.</p><p>Those memories made my Winter coat feel like a hug as I sat in Meeting. I imagined people long gone putting their arms around my shoulder - Friends who have moved to other states or other parts of the world. I remembered F(f)riends and family whom I will never see again in this lifetime. This morning, they sat with me, as I huddled in my coat.</p><p>I remembered teachers and the other students at that parish school. They sat with me in Meeting, too. Worship shared has no boundaries.</p><p>If our ventilation problem isn't solved by summer, we may end up meeting under the trees in our shorts. And that will be fine.</p><p>Where two or more are gathered in the name of peace, there also will peace be found - even if it comes in a Winter coat.<br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-18583014410957395692023-01-21T14:09:00.004-05:002023-01-21T14:14:36.372-05:00The Stories We Tell Ourselves<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqkgKb46KJVKCuh1roFIVOLjvf0FwXg4wdIqPJ5lTPoHSGLXXygC6ObyB9bFBo7oGRHkP62UP8yeB0RkcHuqCuCNMLL83vvm3cHa_5mGxmyYCTTzBLupDLZfxlN6L3yvQaDNnoNV-wsZoLWdTviP8XyTRO1ZvZCqFvlsJrY8T8AQuhOAZeYKvIjfA/s4032/IMG_0402.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqkgKb46KJVKCuh1roFIVOLjvf0FwXg4wdIqPJ5lTPoHSGLXXygC6ObyB9bFBo7oGRHkP62UP8yeB0RkcHuqCuCNMLL83vvm3cHa_5mGxmyYCTTzBLupDLZfxlN6L3yvQaDNnoNV-wsZoLWdTviP8XyTRO1ZvZCqFvlsJrY8T8AQuhOAZeYKvIjfA/s320/IMG_0402.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The moon over the sunrise. A gift!<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p> In 2020, I learned that the world is not as safe as I may have thought. The virus, the political arena, the arguments and disagreements, - all added up to make me anxious. I was not alone.</p></div><p>2021 was not a whole lot better, with violence in our capital and the return of mass shootings. (Even shooters stayed home during the pandemic's first year.)</p><p>2022 - more of the same. My disillusionment was becoming a world view. <br /></p><p>I dropped out of social media. I went to ground. And I told myself that the world was an unsettled, unsettling place.</p><p>Over and over again, I warned myself about real and imagined dangers. Over and over again, I congratulated myself on wisely hunkering down, laying low, disengaging.</p><p>Now, I am teaching a short "stories-we-tell" workshop to the children of my worship group. What a wake-up call! </p><p>The world is complicated! The world is full of flawed and wonderful
people, intriguing living things, beautiful rocks and trees, (awful
traffic, annoying noises, too - let's be honest). </p><p>Still, there is light -
Light - every morning, even if the skies are gray. If I tell myself
that the world is full of danger, I will treat everything and everyone
as an enemy. Do I want to live in a world like that? Does that make me
happy? Um, no. <br /></p><p>If my conversation is ONLY full of the way people irritate me, or close calls with disaster, or wrongs that I have suffered, YUCK! How can I bear getting up each day?</p><p>Somewhere in our suffering, we have to find birdsong, or cloud dances, or funny hats, or smiles.</p><p>The Attitude Doctors tell us to find three things to be grateful about each day. Make it easy on yourself. Be grateful for ONE thing! Just one. But be grateful for that one thing several times during the day. Maybe in a day or two, you will notice another thing to be grateful about.</p><p>Here are some suggestions:</p><p>Hot toast with your favorite spread. Just the smell is a gift.</p><p>Birds in puddles - they are seriously silly.</p><p>Roofs!</p><p>Warm socks.</p><p>Air.</p><p>The fact that things will change - hopefully for the better.</p><p>Can you walk? Be grateful. Can you see? Find interesting things to see.</p><p>You can change scary stories to ones of possibilities, tales of comfort, the history of growth. </p><p>Time to crawl out of the bunker. You can do it.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Right now, I am grateful for radiators and tea kettles.)<br /></p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-49839162691431534532022-07-17T21:07:00.002-04:002022-07-17T21:07:22.807-04:00Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - remembering Paul Gallico<p> When I saw the title of the new movie version of this book, I knew it had to be a typo. The book was published - in 1958 - under the title, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/338670.Mrs_Arris_Goes_to_Paris">Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris.</a> </i>I just learned - from Goodreads - that in Britain, the title was <i>Flowers for Mrs. Harris.</i> Notice that the British title did not drop the "H" from Mrs. Harris' name. I wonder if that bowdlerized spelling was considered a slur. Hmmm.</p><p>The author was <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/92064.Paul_Gallico">Paul Gallico.</a> I read all of the Mrs. Harris books. For a hardworking charwoman, she got around. She even went to Parliament.</p><p>I moved on to Gallico's less humorous works. His first foray into authorship was as a "smart-alecky" movie reviewer. Then he became a sports writer. After asking if he could spar with Jack Dempsey, (he lasted two minutes), he wrote about the bout and his fortune as a sports writer was made.</p><p>Gallico was a storyteller at heart and in the late '30s he sold a piece of fiction to the movies, quit his sports writing job and moved to Europe to write fiction.</p><p>He made his mark with the novel <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/529241.The_Snow_Goose">The Snow Goose</a>,</i> the story of the friendship between a reclusive artist and the young girl who brings a wounded snow goose to the artist for healing. Every year the snow goose returns to the marsh where the artist lives. </p><p>I read Gallico's books as a teen and all I could remember of this book was the returning goose and the boats rescuing soldiers at Dunkirk. The ending is bittersweet. I LOVED it. (I was young.)</p><p>Gallico wrote novels that will be familiar to movie goers -<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/338674.Thomasina"> <i>Thomasina,</i> </a>for instance. His <i>Love of Seven Dolls</i> (warning: this is a dated and sometimes troubling story) became the movie <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046000/"><i>Lili</i></a> and was the inspiration for the musical <i>Carnival. </i>He wrote <i>The Poseidon Adventure</i> as well.<br /></p><p>The 2022 movie version of <i>Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris </i>follows the 1992 movie that starred Angela Lansbury.</p><p>Looking into Gallico's work - 41 books, 20 or so movies - I realized I barely scratched the surface with Mrs. Harris, Thomasina and the The Snow Goose. I may have to find a few "sentimental" books by Paul Gallico.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-78567192362893043422022-04-28T12:05:00.001-04:002022-04-28T12:05:10.805-04:00Question of the day! What kid snacks did you eat?<p>My brothers and sisters and I were "free range" kids. Most kids in the 50s, 60s and 70s were. One of our favorite "ranges" was the corner store where Mom sent us with bottles to hand in for pennies or nickels. That was the recycling program of the time!</p><p>We took those nickels and pressed our fingers against the glass case where tri-colored coconut candies, candy necklaces, gumdrops, chocolate drops, wax lips, Necco wafers, chewy fruit slices, lay out on trays. "2 for 1c" or "1 for 1 c", (my keyboard no longer has the slashed "c" symbol that stood for a penny), OR, be still my greedy little soul, "3 for 1c" - at those prices, empty bottles bought us a paper bag of treasure!</p><p>Then we moved, much too far to walk to a corner store, too far from any store. So, we foraged for our snacks. Mulberries, wild raspberries, honeysuckle, - spring and summer was a veritable smorgasbord of stuff. Once, we even savored "onion" grass - wild onions with baby bulbs at the end. Once was enough for that snack.<br /></p><p>In the Fall we ate the wild pears. So grainy! But still sweet enough for us to enjoy. In the winter, we ate crackers spread with jelly. On Bridge Club nights and the days after, we had pretzels, chips and candy! Popcorn! Oh, we loved popping corn on the stove. And Dad made us a treat he called a Black Cow - root beer and milk - yum! And Mom made an eggless, milkless chocolate cake that we adored. I still make it. Some people call it Wacky cake or Depression cake. I call it delicious.<br /></p><p>I loved the fruit slices -Chuckles! - that came 4 or 5 to a pack - gummy candies liberally covered in sugar. I even liked the licorice slice that was always included. Next to that I loved the wild raspberries that will ripen soon.</p><p> So the question of the day is this: What was your favorite kid snack? <br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXNWxHqtjnJmHD6W-3YpdJtRA1beIA-xtkoT_zMw8ZK1KPdstbP1hN0onc3rLu_tAmASYix8W2W7LxMmxycPvLT-vL22r9YGEKMnTaYnnvPHzOo6Z841dwtvKrtyyC0QO0EXAkMwKDxR-TzVmYyb0rrD9X8hBmZlcxeE2HPLFRBYl1dfsG5IHI4rn/s1600/Retro%201950s%20candy%20Hometown%20Favorites%20011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXNWxHqtjnJmHD6W-3YpdJtRA1beIA-xtkoT_zMw8ZK1KPdstbP1hN0onc3rLu_tAmASYix8W2W7LxMmxycPvLT-vL22r9YGEKMnTaYnnvPHzOo6Z841dwtvKrtyyC0QO0EXAkMwKDxR-TzVmYyb0rrD9X8hBmZlcxeE2HPLFRBYl1dfsG5IHI4rn/s320/Retro%201950s%20candy%20Hometown%20Favorites%20011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/2010/11/1950s-retro-candy-from-hometown.html</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-44607241097037416182022-04-11T11:20:00.000-04:002022-04-11T11:20:21.352-04:00Question of the day! Doing without.<p>For Christians, it's Holy Week, the last week of the 40 day season of Lent. </p><p>One of the traditions of Lent is to "give something up", do without something for all 40 days. I have always been totally dismal at this practice. So, here is the question of the day:</p><p>Did you ever "give something up" for a purpose? If so, what did (do) you usually give up?</p><p><img alt="See the source image" aria-label="See the source image" class=" nofocus" height="355" src="https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.786897eb3568646e9439fadacef21d77?rik=2rZ6eI3%2fm0s2Cw&riu=http%3a%2f%2fctblueblog.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2009%2f04%2fapril-flowers-easter-day-2009-04-1212-28-02.jpg&ehk=%2fIqrPsU3nYB%2fJQIJpiUVnThePq%2fgPwA42WezWTs1Nn4%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0" tabindex="0" width="535" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Most major religions fast, or do without, sometime during their liturgical year. In some traditions, religious or cultural, fasting is part of coming of age, preparing for a major life change, or an effort to ensure a desired outcome in one's life. (A vigil before a battle, for instance, or fasting before a major exam, or giving up something during pregnancy.) Liturgically, fasting encourages atonement, empathy, and an appreciation of what the faster usually has. Fasting is considered a form of prayer.<br /></p><p>Because I went to a parish school, announcing what we intended to "give up" during Lent was often a classroom activity. I always gave up candy. Then I did a little mental bartering. I went from ALL candy to CHOCOLATE candy to SNICKERS. What a cheater! When did I ever have access to Snickers bars?</p><p>By the time we entered the middle grades, we added activities to our fasting. "I won't play solitaire during Lent." "I won't borrow my sister's perfume during Lent." "I will not call my little brother a baby during Lent." OR instead of giving something up, we added things. "I will do my chores before Mom reminds me." I will take flowers to my grandmother every week." I will put half my allowance in the collection plate every Sunday."<br /></p><p>The worst thing about announcing our "give ups" was that classmates could call us out. And they did.</p><p>This year, I didn't give anything up. But I have decided to TRY really hard to avoid screen games during Holy Week. (This includes the morning word games I get in my email.) Will I make it? I can but try.</p><p>Tell me... <br /></p><p>Did (Do) you ever give up something for a purpose? If so, what did (do) you usually give up?<br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-56619945222090862242022-04-03T12:51:00.000-04:002022-04-03T12:51:38.895-04:00The Librarian Always Rings Twice by Marty Wingate<p><i><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/librarian-always-rings-twice/oclc/1245345224#:~:text=The%20librarian%20always%20rings%20twice%20%20%20Author%3A,the%20%20...%20%202%20more%20rows%20">The Librarian Always Rings Twice</a></i> by Marty Wingate, 2022 <br /></p><p> </p><p>Hayley Burke returns as curator of the First Edition Society and things are not going well. Charles Henry Dill, the only living relative of Lady Georgiana Fowling, the First Editions Society's founder, has wormed his way into being hired to assist Hayley. His only interest is to find a way to get more money from his aunts' estate.</p><p>When John Aubrey arrives at the First Edition Society's first open-to-the-public afternoon and announces that he is Lady Georgiana's grandson, it sends people who knew the late Lady Georgiana into eddies of suspicion. Lady Georgiana had no children as far as anyone knew.<br /></p><p>There you have the set-up. Someone connected to John Aubrey is murdered. The open afternoons bring in all sorts of people, most dedicated to the Golden Age of Mystery and the authors thereof - Christie, Sayers, Wentworth, Marsh, Allingham - just to name a few. But some visitors may not be what they seem.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxTo9VeIwE2fkXipwEKHjGB3RTqxXD8jrhP8_ADCwyUrUCBmK8jj3kCS3GcUC7x3tjkFdDPr9ptnhgpyG8A6XzLE-pdiRz2BRWAN03sMiGLQOVjcnF065Vi1lJZd1KzYcPsYo11Q4TCiSkRtvLM-sWNEilMC5Si6R7NeL18EoP8rhkJ29di4lWHO5/s211/librariantwice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="140" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxTo9VeIwE2fkXipwEKHjGB3RTqxXD8jrhP8_ADCwyUrUCBmK8jj3kCS3GcUC7x3tjkFdDPr9ptnhgpyG8A6XzLE-pdiRz2BRWAN03sMiGLQOVjcnF065Vi1lJZd1KzYcPsYo11Q4TCiSkRtvLM-sWNEilMC5Si6R7NeL18EoP8rhkJ29di4lWHO5/s1600/librariantwice.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I finished this book last night. Today, I want to go back into the world of Bath, England and the library of the First Edition Society and the canals that crisscross the countryside and the narrow boats and a new character that exudes an almost fairy tale charm. </p><p>Wingate populates each of her mysteries with several characters that may or may not be the culprit. Some we hope to see again. Most we'd just as soon avoid. This book was a poser. The mystery of the murder was not nearly as consuming as the mystery of who or what John Aubrey was. </p><p>Also, now I have to read <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/frenchmans-creek/oclc/922305146&referer=brief_results">Daphne Du Maurier's</a><i><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/frenchmans-creek/oclc/922305146&referer=brief_results"> Frenchman's Creek.</a> <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/librarian-always-rings-twice/oclc/1261775668&referer=brief_results">The Librarian Always Rings Twice</a> </i>is a charming book filled with charming people. Read it.<br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-14101143464086312332022-03-28T15:15:00.001-04:002022-03-28T15:15:14.336-04:00Making Stuff. Question of the day<p>When I get moody, I make stuff - muffins, slippers, origami frogs. My hands are busy. My brain is engaged and the moodiness turns from blue to bright - or brighter, at least.</p><p> I have always looked at things and wondered. "How could I use this to make something new?"</p><p>One Easter, (I was about 8 years old) I gathered cones from one of our evergreens. It was Spring so the cones were long and tight. I decided that I could use them to make bunny figures. So I taped them together with cellophane tape- a long one for the body, wrapped in white copybook paper, and shorter cones for the legs. Then I taped on paper ears. I cringe to think of them now because they were not pretty at all. BUT I liked them.</p><p>I set them out in the living room, hoping that the Easter Bunny might take them away and share them with other children. </p><p>They were still in the living room when I woke up on Easter morning. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpT8C28GVNkToFLtIh351Hpa4O94lbBgXiq0tvuUQdaodh6x8scURwi07FgdO54B12sdkdMhl2VcybDj54h18DRtSUxguH2AMW63gIVo_d3_78YJ_-ChhwHyoNwZQPZX-WW8UmoHAZ12EIZl5cmoOXLFelUaKVltdBbSZ0RSADrJAEmGt6v6rJ8q2/s800/graybunnywegg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpT8C28GVNkToFLtIh351Hpa4O94lbBgXiq0tvuUQdaodh6x8scURwi07FgdO54B12sdkdMhl2VcybDj54h18DRtSUxguH2AMW63gIVo_d3_78YJ_-ChhwHyoNwZQPZX-WW8UmoHAZ12EIZl5cmoOXLFelUaKVltdBbSZ0RSADrJAEmGt6v6rJ8q2/s320/graybunnywegg.png" width="203" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope! This bunny did not want my pine cone rabbits.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p>My parents just told me that the Easter Bunny probably had too much stuff to hand out already. My Dad was not very kind about it. I think he suggested that I toss my pine cone bunnies in the trash. Ouch.</p><p>I was not as crushed as I thought I would be. Even at that
young age, I knew the difference between a fun idea and a successful
follow-through of that same idea. My idea may have been fun but I failed in its
execution. </p><p>Sometimes, just making something is its own reward. We don't always need praise. We don't even need success. Nothing is wasted if it teaches us something or cheers us up.<br /></p><p><b>So Question of the day: Have you ever made something that did not work out as planned? </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTsI7tN5Z8OcxfFehc2MeSsQLpIz_cqd6SYkgAAUGb1QTHxUnS58EKL_Wb_TbXuMApJubF8-mzxeVYNAvCY9KFvaVLE8UgaSLS3h_ibWFXHRQkIkBL2BtFfTov_GxmlGSaievPtBwnXUPh8AIg3B1EdwjZ1MzAeduxznvqs3ZXbWDqaeZEa8KX6lC/s4032/22F92792-C204-4C5B-8343-4B6456BF05C9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTsI7tN5Z8OcxfFehc2MeSsQLpIz_cqd6SYkgAAUGb1QTHxUnS58EKL_Wb_TbXuMApJubF8-mzxeVYNAvCY9KFvaVLE8UgaSLS3h_ibWFXHRQkIkBL2BtFfTov_GxmlGSaievPtBwnXUPh8AIg3B1EdwjZ1MzAeduxznvqs3ZXbWDqaeZEa8KX6lC/s320/22F92792-C204-4C5B-8343-4B6456BF05C9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made these bracelets. They worked out, I think.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-23250672841166129332022-03-18T12:53:00.000-04:002022-03-18T12:53:35.760-04:00Enthusiasm - Question of the Day?<p> The license plate read ELMO! and hanging from the antenna was a little red muppet's face. It made me smile. I thought of how we all have enthusiasms - favorites - throughout our lives.</p><p>A friend's email address used to contain the letters "grdnr". Gee, I wonder what her enthusiam was.</p><p>My email address begins with the word "book." Want to guess what one of my enthusiasms is?</p><p>Here are some things that catch my eye no matter when or where I see them. </p><p>-Peeps - the JustBorn kind. I don't think they are very tasty but I love their plump shapes.</p><p>-Clouds - I get a little crazy about clouds. I have to keep my eyes down some days.</p><p>-Sparkly things - I am part crow, I guess. If I see a sparkly thing on a walk, I must stop and pick it up.</p><p>-Books - well, duh! and talking about books here are some more enthusiasms - or favorites.<br /></p><p>-Seymour - the character in the <a href="http://www.walterwick.com/">Walter Wick books</a>. I made a little Seymour character for us to play with one year.</p><p>-Elephant and Piggie - I know I am not alone in gravitating towards these characters in <a href="http://www.mowillems.com/">Mo Willems' </a>fabulous series.</p><p>-<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/87815-winnie-the-pooh">Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore and Piglet</a>, et al. - The Ernest Shepard version. I am warming to Disney's bowdlerization of Milne's characters but, oh, I love the original Hundred Acre Woods.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNm0vTsj-dTeJzOhlLroEk_53MGjaYwQ_LrjadUI_zz-xDm_IWd34w_NWosmRwL9C7uDAiE_RCIr5KOzP9NXM2vm_OLzUveZLYxeSZ-gk6W2JJ_Snw9ri1DhXWkQwSpwZzTmcVAFZSbR9UPJW2YCu-jfZQyGlOS-j2i-jKhIvvDrAgn5TY2TzJD_Ag=s310" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNm0vTsj-dTeJzOhlLroEk_53MGjaYwQ_LrjadUI_zz-xDm_IWd34w_NWosmRwL9C7uDAiE_RCIr5KOzP9NXM2vm_OLzUveZLYxeSZ-gk6W2JJ_Snw9ri1DhXWkQwSpwZzTmcVAFZSbR9UPJW2YCu-jfZQyGlOS-j2i-jKhIvvDrAgn5TY2TzJD_Ag=w291-h153" width="291" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>So here is your question of the day</b>. <u>Do you have an enthusiasm, a favorite, a character or activity that you love?</u></p><p><u>Did you have one when you were younger? </u>(Okay, two questions. You can handle it.)<br /><u></u></p><p>In my teens, I collected little plaster elephants. I carried them in my purse to school and to work. No bigger than walnuts, they came in different colors. I had to have one of each. I have not thought of them in years. Then, I saw a car that announced that a grown-up still loved a little red muppet and I realized how much joy we can get from small enthusiasms.<br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-35928349069998377482022-03-16T21:05:00.000-04:002022-03-16T21:05:16.425-04:00Spring! Question of the day!<p> Today we left our jackets at home and ventured out in our shirt sleeves! Spring doesn't arrive until Sunday morning but it beckoned to us with clear skies and balmy temperatures. The snow that fell on Saturday is G-O-N-E - GONE! </p><p>So today's Question of the Day - or evening - is... what sight, sound or activity tells you that Spring has come?</p><p>Youngsters look forward to Spring sports - baseball, tennis, soccer - and games - pick up games of basketball, kickball, stickball, kick-the-can, capture the flag.</p><p>Gardeners look forward to snowdrops and crocuses and a chance to get out there and DIG!</p><p>Bird watchers look for migrating birds to return and nesting activity to begin. </p><p>Last night, I am POSITIVE that someone in our neighborhood was out back grilling supper!</p><p>When I was a kid, duck eggs were an early sign of Spring.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUsQBlx0YjytQ8gd45FG0AxhhrBZVO6832OZik5De3yIBlkH1uP8PFWnKOSfMra88C4PwTkrYQL7mLQ08FA8AzyNqdz5KK78urqo-K2rK7ubgOHD4LR-4rwKCZUtauvhct11hnvQnWahp6S4v-wlWs1pmYDMyPLWPYM4VAS_EUD6vwKyB6fvuU8e5S=s442" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="442" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUsQBlx0YjytQ8gd45FG0AxhhrBZVO6832OZik5De3yIBlkH1uP8PFWnKOSfMra88C4PwTkrYQL7mLQ08FA8AzyNqdz5KK78urqo-K2rK7ubgOHD4LR-4rwKCZUtauvhct11hnvQnWahp6S4v-wlWs1pmYDMyPLWPYM4VAS_EUD6vwKyB6fvuU8e5S=w221-h158" width="221" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>My father walked to Mass most mornings in Lent and he walked home before we headed off to school.</p><p>One Spring, my brother and I took Dad's piety as a challenge so many mornings we walked with him - in to church, home again - and THEN - we walked with the younger kids back to school, which was right next to church.</p><p>At that time, the creek by our house was crowded with domesticated ducks. And those ducks laid their eggs just about anywhere. On the way home from church, my Dad urged us to find as many duck eggs as we could. Seriously.</p><p>The younger kids heard about this, and one day, as we walked home from school, my younger brother spied a duck egg in the creek. Splash! School shoes and uniform pants on, he jumped into the creek and came out holding a clean white egg. He was so proud of himself.</p><p>Dad told us that eggs in the creek were off limits after that. His obsession for duck eggs only lasted that one Spring. My brothers and sisters still talk about duck eggs in our cakes and casseroles.<br /></p><p>Spring is here - or soon to be. Birds will nest and lay eggs in hidden places. I will look in the grass and under the bushes as I walk by the creek looking in vain... for duck eggs.<br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-23600243063595030002022-03-12T11:47:00.000-05:002022-03-12T11:47:15.947-05:00Routine - Question of the Day<p>The question today is: Do you have a morning routine?</p><p>Today, I spoke with my brother who lives in Japan. During the pandemic, he started following a morning routine of self-care. I have noticed that he has become proactive about the pressures in his life. I wonder how much that morning routine has contributed to his improved mood.</p><p>I have another friend who has developed a morning routine. His health has improved and he feels more productive and less anxious.<br /></p><p>Do you do something every morning - or most mornings - that helps you start your day?</p><p>I started my own morning routine. It gets interrupted by obligations but I try to finish each of the components as early in the day as possible. I have found that the routine improves my mood. (I HATE getting out of my comfy bed many mornings.) It gives me a feeling of control - a feeling that is missing in our lives these days. My routine also makes me feel cared for and valued. And everyone needs to feel valued.</p><p>Here is my morning routine:</p><p><u>Sun salutation</u> - yoga; followed by<u> tai chi</u>. This usually takes 30 to 40 minutes.<br /></p><p><u>Make my bed</u>! After years of not taking the time to make my bed, I have become a crusader for this simple chore. Call me crazy but I do like a neatly made bed.</p><p><u>Journal</u> - I sit in the sun or in a sunny window. This journal is NOT about things I did or have to do or worries or gripes. My morning journal is about what I see and hear and smell and feel. If an insight comes from observing, I write about that. If a question arises, I consider it. I celebrate life and living, trains and crickets, birds and rabbits, squirrels, passers-by, barking dogs and snow, rain and wind. I chronicle trees and mist, shadows and clouds. It's awesome!</p><p>I'd love to hear about your morning routine.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMdDaa8Zp9MYpbMye4ejvIxJosfKR50wR7Ip3-PRahQDej9g3FwK2axZ-TkDrd5sNQAsAAHY3snUn32BjoNN_qxOoBZ9UuIycznJ0VMklbMj_6TMaAi4TuPc4iDnT7djDymD_NAX9Ps7ByT0IsfH5XI8qSMAn8V1DnSlIgu4EdMqkcAtU4O0PZbPFB=s1285" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="913" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMdDaa8Zp9MYpbMye4ejvIxJosfKR50wR7Ip3-PRahQDej9g3FwK2axZ-TkDrd5sNQAsAAHY3snUn32BjoNN_qxOoBZ9UuIycznJ0VMklbMj_6TMaAi4TuPc4iDnT7djDymD_NAX9Ps7ByT0IsfH5XI8qSMAn8V1DnSlIgu4EdMqkcAtU4O0PZbPFB=s320" width="227" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-33027550368678023162022-03-09T18:51:00.000-05:002022-03-09T18:51:21.037-05:00Question of the day - Onion Snow<p> The snow today reminded me of all the snows that we have lived through in March. Snow around the middle of March is sometimes called onion snow. It will take a better gardener than I to explain why.</p><p>Some gardeners want their peas planted by St. Patrick's Day, too. That's way too early for me.</p><p>The question of the day is:</p><p>What is your favorite snow memory?</p><p>I have a lot of favorite snow memories. When I was around 11, it snowed so heavily on Christmas Eve, that the Bishop announced that Catholics did not have to go to Mass that day. We went anyway! We walked up the hill from our house (about half a mile) and a bakery truck picked us up and drove us the rest of the way to church (another half a mile at least). My Mom stayed home with the youngest children and Dad walked with us to Church. What an adventure! We have a picture of my four-year-old brother standing against a four foot snowdrift. <br /></p><p>Thanks for sharing your memories! <br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-18077444169218388832022-03-07T22:08:00.000-05:002022-03-07T22:08:26.628-05:00Question of the day, #2<p> <b>What was your favorite hiding place?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Hmm. This is a hard one. We played hide and seek a lot. But I don't remember a particular spot. I sometimes hid in the closet, like a lot of kids.</p><p>When I worked with teens, we sometimes held after hours events. They were usually "meetings" but they always ended with a fun activity. Hide and seek in the library was a favorite. The rules were never under a desk with a computer. Never in the tech closet. After the second game, we added Never on top of the shelves. Yeah. Sigh. </p><p>Now, I am not a little person and I am not agile. The teens asked me to hide and they found me right away. Once, though, I simply slipped behind the curtain in the corner and they were stymied. My partner in adult-ing and crime kept her mouth shut. They eventually found me but I had a few moments of quiet hiding.</p><p>Now I go upstairs to my sewing room to hide. Everyone needs a secret or not so secret spot.</p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-62896183895517475562022-03-06T12:28:00.000-05:002022-03-06T12:28:04.484-05:00The Question of the Day<p> First question, have you considered contributing to the effort to help the people in the Ukraine? It takes a minute or two to contact charitable organizations that provide aid to refugees. </p><p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-charities/?sh=36e9570c5f50">This article from Forbes magazine </a>lists the top 100 charities for dependability. The second column tells you which charities deal with international concerns.</p><p>The charity that is linked to your worship community has already started to offer support to war torn families. So ask your minister, rabbi, priest or imam for contact information. <br /></p><p>We are lucky that only two minutes of our time can send help to people around the world.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Question of the day Project!!!</b></span></p><p>Yesterday, my Mom could not remember when she talked to her brother. Was it last night or yesterday morning? She remembered what they said but the time of the call slipped her mind. <br /></p><p> Since then, I have been thinking about memory. And I have been thinking about stories. When I was a young mother, it was inconceivable to me that anyone could forget every single detail of their child's life.<b> </b>Silly me.<b> </b>Our memories fill up so quickly and it's hard to find those small significant details that we treasured.<b> </b>We don't have a database that helps us find those details.</p><p>So, for the next week or month - or until I forget - I will post a <b>Question of the day</b> to send you down memory lane.</p><p>Today's question is:</p><p><b>What did you see and hear on your way to school?</b></p><p>The road that led to our house was bordered by a stone wall, that was about 3 and a half feet high until we got to the the end. The wall turned the corner and continued up the road that met our road.<br /></p><p>But near the entrance of our road, one of the stone masons (WPA circa 1932) had pressed a small medallion into the cement that held the stones together. It was a picture of a child riding the back of a dolphin. We looked for it, and touched it, as we walked to and from school. </p><p>Several years ago, someone pried the medallion out of the wall. I still look for where it may have been. Old habits...<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimkXFz71SRlBOr6zeX4P3GEkr7NZvjz4CLhmRsblfmsqkK6HSXVauuYsVHsXXGFvwg6-O8mbxAFO2iUl3_cPZLZ2AdBRButyjg7y__7Fwgo2I5B-S8CAyoPlirsJFXzQ97H0-E57waBVtLboOop-Gkka4Y4fliifi3PY4AQZ0O4nRDZz_yyQQu0RtQ=s738" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimkXFz71SRlBOr6zeX4P3GEkr7NZvjz4CLhmRsblfmsqkK6HSXVauuYsVHsXXGFvwg6-O8mbxAFO2iUl3_cPZLZ2AdBRButyjg7y__7Fwgo2I5B-S8CAyoPlirsJFXzQ97H0-E57waBVtLboOop-Gkka4Y4fliifi3PY4AQZ0O4nRDZz_yyQQu0RtQ=s320" width="247" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-77507994395985052532022-02-27T15:50:00.000-05:002022-02-27T15:50:08.979-05:00SIX ingredients for a "cozy" mystery<p>Even "Cozy" mysteries include evil. Although <a href="http://www.aunt-dimity.com/">Aunt Dimity </a>manages to avoid murder, blackmail, theft, missing persons, mean rumors, loud and obstreperous new neighbors, sinister strangers, missing or lost items of great value, ancient documents that tell of treasure and/or heartache, (I know that's an odd combination. Read Aunt Dimity for any explanations.), can offer a LOT of coziness.</p><p>Most cozy mysteries do deal with murder, (sigh). I have spent a lot of time with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Wentworth">Patricia Wentworth</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh">Ngaio Marsh</a> and their ilk lately. <a href="https://alanbradleyauthor.com/biography/">Alan Bradley and his preteen sleuth</a>, Flavia de Luce, are favorites as well. </p><p>Picking up a new writer - <a href="http://www.donnaandrews.com/">Donna Andrews</a> - I think I have found a series I can follow. </p><p>I also believe I have deciphered the ingredients for a popular "cozy" mystery series:</p><p><b>SIX INGREDIENTS FOR A COZY MYSTERY</b> <br /></p><p>1. <b>Quaint, charming, odd or intriguing setting</b>. A large family compound with forests nearby, a houseboat, a moldering family estate, a cottage in a secluded and eccentric village, a library, a museum, a farmer's market, hobby shop or shopping mall. If your mystery happens in a subdivision, make the neighborhood just a little unusual. You get the picture. Hint: Pick your favorite vacation spot.</p><p>1.a <b>Historic Time Period. </b>Setting includes the time period. Perhaps, the sleuth is an ordinary housewife or laborer but lives in the Great Depression, or between the World Wars. That ups the interest but also the research needed to make the story credible. Of course, if your sleuth is Queen Victoria's great-granddaughter (<a href="https://rhysbowen.com/the-royal-spyness-series/">Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series</a>) you have to investigate royal protocol as well.<br /></p><p>2. <b>Recurring characters</b>. LOTS of them. A large family to go with the compound. Village residents who fit certain "types" - gossip, busybody, disorganized professor, teacher or minister, playboy, shopkeeper, etc. Neighbors with unusual hobbies or habits. Best friends, old folks who depend on the main character. Old folks who ARE the main characters. Fill up that setting and then you have fodder for a LOT of murders or suspects at least. Hint: Look around. You know these people.<br /></p><p>3. <b>Specific occupations</b> <b>or hobbies</b>. The main character can't just be the sleuth, he/she/they must also create murals for cities, or build sculptures from recycled material, or have a lot of kids or take in rescue dogs or... It's convenient if they are law enforcement but a food writer or a pet groomer is probably more fun. Someone retired from academia or a profession that deals with people and their quirks will work as well. Use your imagination. OR use your passion.<br /></p><p>4.<b>TEACH! </b>A book that teaches me something is a winner. This includes recipes, jargon specific to a craft or profession, the inner workings of a newspaper or the workroom of a library. Instructions on how to throw a pot or thread - is that the right word? - a loom, all add a touch of truth to your fiction.<br /></p><p>5.<b>Victim!</b> It never hurts if the victim is either highly unpopular OR very rich with scads of possible heirs. This makes for LOTS of suspects. If the crime is NOT MURDER, (see my first paragraph), the victim can be sympathetic because that adds urgency to finding the lost object or missing person or blackmailer or the identity of the person in the mysterious photograph.</p><p>6. <b>Humor.</b> It can be hokey. Some series writers love using puns in their titles to set a light tone. Check out Donna Andrews' titles for an incredible list of bird-oriented puns. Earlier writers, like the venerable Wentworth and Marsh, added humor by emphasizing their characters' personality traits or habits. (Roderick Alleyn's sidekick, Inspector Fox, mangles the French language in almost every outing.) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Hess">Joan Hess</a>, in her Arly Hanks and Claire Malloy series, included characters with predictable traits and penchants for nosiness to up the laughs.</p><p>There you have it. I want to read what you concoct from these ingredients.</p><p>WHAT??!! I did not add "a mystery" to my ingredients? DUH! That goes without saying.</p><p>There should be confusion as to how and who and you should add clues, of course. But if you distract your reader with setting and recipes and wonky characters and a sweet little romance as a subplot, you might get away with something not too taxing.</p><p>What are you waiting for? Good luck! Get Writing! <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-66423819464664588262022-01-25T14:21:00.000-05:002022-01-25T14:21:04.652-05:00In Bookstores Next Week - Witchlings by Caribel A. Ortega<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="See the source image" aria-label="See the source image" class=" nofocus" height="304" src="https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.9c6596cf91866529857a7fc157440ba9?rik=tIg7wVHHgPSEmQ&riu=http%3a%2f%2fprodimage.images-bn.com%2fpimages%2f9781338745528_p0_v1_s1200x630.jpg&ehk=dkViv4vM1Mvqaat5R81BLD0v0FXiQsgjvDQv9Pr7pMo%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0" tabindex="0" width="229" /> </p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I did not expect this package, an advance reader's copy of <a href="https://kids.scholastic.com/kid/books/witchlings/"><i>Witchlings</i> by Claribel A. Ortega. </a>I approached it warily. Would I like it? Would I not? Was it about an elderly or quirky sleuth? NO! Is it about bookstores, booksellers, authors or librarians? Not really.</p></div><p>Welll????? </p><p>The pandemic has made me ultra fussy about trying new things. It takes me so much longer to dive into a book these days. I read a few pages and then, sigh, I put the book down. During the next read I go further, and then further into the plot. On my third attempt, I have to force myself to put the book down - IF the book is good enough.</p><p><i>Witchlings</i> IS good enough! YAY!</p><p>Seven Salazar enters the Black Moon Ceremony to find what coven will be hers. The one thing she does not want - or expect - is to become a Spare, one of three 12-year-old witches who are NOT chosen for a coven.</p><p>Right there, you know what is going to happen, right? That Seven's fate is shared by her worst enemy, Valley Pepperhorn and the new girl, Thorn LaRoux, does not make this terrible fate any better. Spares never become witches. If they are lucky, they get jobs that don't require magic. If they are NOT lucky, they are little better than slaves. Oof!</p><p>UNLESS!!! There is always an "unless". If I tell you what the "unless" is, I may be telling you too much. The book checks off a lot of boxes; transforming friendships; suspending judgment; accepting differences; learning to trust. Then, there are the adventures, the forays into extreme danger, the endangered family members and the unfair treatment of Spares. Plus a seriously creepy mystery derails the Spare coven's attempts at earning their witchdom. Just when you think you see the light at the end of the tunnel, everything changes. Make NO assumptions, readers. This is a kaleidoscope ride.<br /></p><p>But the story is NOT finished. Seven, Valley, and Thorn may have prevailed but evil is still out there...waiting. </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>(Mwahahahahaha!)</p><p>(On sale on February 1, 2022.)<br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-73651340206097686802022-01-14T11:24:00.002-05:002022-01-14T11:24:39.399-05:00Packages<p>There might be holiday wreaths and garlands on some houses in your neighborhood but the HOLIDAYS are truly over. We have turned the corner. </p><p>There are lingering side effects. My desire to buy the "perfect" holiday gifts and my reluctance to go into crowded stores this Fall resulted in a new addiction - online buying and PACKAGES! "Brown paper packages tied up with string"... except these packages come in padded envelopes with reinforced packing tape. That doesn't have the same lyricism though. "Packages in envelopes with reinforced packing tape" does not scan.</p><p>The ease and allure of online shopping ate a hole in my credit card spending. I have a small self-imposed "cap" on my spending and every month, for the past four months, my credit card company warned me that I exceeded my cap. Don't worry. My credit line is much larger than my cap. Still, what happened to the Old Frugal Me? The Use Cash Whenever Possible Me? The I Don't Need That Me? Where did I go?</p><p>Well, the news gives me an answer to that. I turned into an homebody because it's Sickness Season and I hate being sick. I never much liked shopping in stores anyway. Too many choices and never the right one - shopping takes too much time.</p><p>Online shopping takes time, too. Why is looking at things on a screen so much better than fingering the same things in a store? Choosing online takes time and effort. But it also offers the joy of anticipation! </p><p>Looking for packages has become the bright part of my day. A day without a package is a day without sunshine to steal a saying from an old ad. I don't even care if the package is for my husband. We open them with an eagerness unrivaled by any of our other activities. Do Not Judge!</p><p>Last night - our mail comes very late - I got a BOOK in the mail. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57926108-the-paris-bookseller">The Paris Bookseller</a> is completely outside my usual reading. I lean toward fiction for young readers and cozy mysteries with elderly or quirky sleuths. It is time for me to BREAK OUT and try a new book about ... books. (You did not expect me to stray too far, did you?)</p><p>Back to packages...I like sending them, too. And here's the best thing. I can send a package from HOME!! I have a postal scale and I can <a href="https://www.usps.com/ship/">"Click'n'Ship"</a>. The postal worker picks the package up from my porch. It is truly awesome. </p><p>OH HO! With packages and and shipping from home, I can complete my transformation into a cave dwelling hermit! Mwahahahaha! </p><p>Next, I will give up showers. </p><p>(not really!) </p><p>I wonder what's in the package I hope to get today. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-71137964998323865652021-12-07T20:07:00.001-05:002021-12-07T20:07:08.296-05:00AnXiety<div class="separator"></div><p>Anxiety lives with kids these days. Family bumps and rumbles, grief,
friendship ups and downs, illnesses, schoolwork difficulties. Most of this stuff has always been
with our youngsters. But the news is everywhere. And some of that news
is awful. Parents can't just hide the headlines, or unplug the radio or
the TV. Schools run active shooter drills. Most school require masks to
fight the spread of a virus. Children have a lot to worry about.</p><p><a href="https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/books/just-right-jillian/9780358434610">Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier </a>, (due out in February 2022), follows Jillian, a ten-year-old, who lives in her classmate, Rashida's, shadow. In class competitions, Jillian is always neck in neck with Rashida but even if she knows the answer, Jillian bows her head and keeps still. Jillian blames Rashida for her own self-doubt and crippling shyness. </p><p>An energetic teacher, a year-end scholastic contest, the comforting memory of her grandmother, and Rashida, herself, all help Jillian deal with her worries.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xVblgn07TXA/Ya_6x8YNgiI/AAAAAAAAFSU/oDbcDCcE2VgoZsX6AfXVRR53qZUHWbmzQCNcBGAsYHQ/s300/9780358434610_lres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="199" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xVblgn07TXA/Ya_6x8YNgiI/AAAAAAAAFSU/oDbcDCcE2VgoZsX6AfXVRR53qZUHWbmzQCNcBGAsYHQ/w131-h198/9780358434610_lres.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Best things about this book?<p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Jillian, herself. She is smart, creative, and trying to handle the loss of her grandmother, and her jealousy of a classmate. She KNOWS what she CAN do. She just has trouble doing it. BUT she is creative and - big SEL* word here - proactive. She takes small steps to rebuild her confidence and energy.<br /></li><li>Chicks!!! This is the best description of the egg-hatching activity that I have ever read. The teacher's comments have as much to do with life as they do with science. (Science and Life - so much better together!)<br /></li><li>Barely visible parents, for the most part. Jillian's parents are there and supportive but you don't get any lectures from them. BUT when they are needed for a dramatic plot device, WHOA! - they are awesome.<br /></li><li>Enemies to friends - and I am not talking about Jillian and Rashida here - or at least not that much. A small perception changes everything between a classmate and Jillian and her new friends - for the better. <br /></li></ul><p>When kids hit the double digits, their worlds grow. Their older eyes see more - sometimes more than is actually there. Seeing more means there is more to wonder about, learn about, question, worry about.<a href="https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/books/just-right-jillian/9780358434610"> Just Right Jillian</a> is a perfect book for this age group. </p><p>(My advice though. Make Jillian look a tiny bit older on the cover. The chick is great. Keep the chick.)</p><p>* <span style="font-size: x-small;">Social Emotional Learning</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stuntboy, in the Meantime" aria-hidden="true" class="modal-book-image lazyautosizes lazyloaded" data-sizes="auto" data-src="https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/onix/cvr9781534418165/stuntboy-in-the-meantime-9781534418165_xlg.jpg" height="256" src="https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/onix/cvr9781534418165/stuntboy-in-the-meantime-9781534418165_xlg.jpg" title="Stuntboy, in the Meantime" width="183" /></p>On Saturday, I came home to a surprise! The copy of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Stuntboy-in-the-Meantime/Jason-Reynolds/9781534418165">Stuntboy, In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds </a>(cheer! cheer!), illustrated by Raul the Third, that I ordered two months ago finally arrived.<p></p><p>First, let me list all the things I liked about this book.</p><p>1. Best character name: Portico Reeves. Let that roll off your tongue. If you know the meaning of the words, forget them. LISTEN to the sound. It's lovely.</p><p>2. Best setting: In a castle! Actually in a highrise - although 10 floors may not be very high. But Portico tells us he lives in a castle and isn't that the best way to think about a big building with so many doors and windows and walls? It is.</p><p>3. Best best friend: Zola Brawner, who lives next door and who helped Portico discover his superhero identity - Stuntboy, the hero who takes all the risks.</p><p>4. Best segues between the story and a TV show: I can't remember if the show is called Super Space Wars or Super Space Heroes - or something else! But the two main characters - and heroes - Mater and Pater, seem to mirror some of Portico's problems. Also all the chapter openings, public service announcements and other TV inspired stuff is just plain fun!</p><p>5.The stunts! 'Nuff said. </p><p>5 1/2. The graphics. Duh!<br /></p><p>Portico loves his building and his neighbors - except for one - but his life is full of anxiety. His parents keep shooing him out of the way "in the meantime". He hears "Mean Time" because of the shouting. It's up to Stuntboy to save the day!</p><p>A laugh out loud book, like <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Stuntboy-in-the-Meantime/Jason-Reynolds/9781534418165">Stuntboy, in the Meantime</a>, shows different methods of calming oneself down - meditation, yoga, breathing exercises - and lets readers know that their feelings are THEIRS and those feelings can be bearable.</p><p>The kids will be all right. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-39786087802370338612021-11-30T13:07:00.000-05:002021-11-30T13:07:16.561-05:00Not READY for Jingle bells<div class="separator"><p>Tomorrow is December 1st. Sunday was the FIRST SUNDAY of Advent. My house is still full of pumpkins and silk fall leaves. I am not ready.</p></div><p>Prep work happens, though, ready or not. Here is something to consider before the fracas of present presentation begins. I wrote some of the following tips for our local Peace and Justice group's <a href="https://www.lepoco.org/">(LEPOCO) </a>newsletter in the Young Peacemaker's column.</p><p><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Get off the gift wrap carousel. </b></span></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NNPqIATvOO4/YaZnNdjHO3I/AAAAAAAAFRs/eiFd6xVm-p8C3j2fQtTR4HAFHp3675f-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s461/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="461" height="170" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NNPqIATvOO4/YaZnNdjHO3I/AAAAAAAAFRs/eiFd6xVm-p8C3j2fQtTR4HAFHp3675f-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/index.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></u></div><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span> </u><br /><p></p><p>Many families celebrate winter with gift-giving. Every thing that comes into our houses during the holidays can change the environment. Look at where gifts come from, (travel costs and exhaust), how each gift is made, (chemicals and waste), and how it is packaged, (plastic and styrofoam). Even if we make all of our gifts (homemade gifts are the BEST!), we can go nuts worrying about the wear that each gift has on our climate. Let’s pick ONE part of all this merriment and see how that effects our climate - gift-wrapping.<br /><br />In a British study done in 2011, the UK used about 227,000 MILES of wrapping paper over the winter holidays - enough paper to wrap around the world NINE times. In the US, we average 4 million pounds of wrapping paper a year. All that paper, all those bags, all that ribbon goes straight into the landfill, creating greenhouse gases as it decomposes. Here are some ideas on how to reduce that stress on our earth.<br /><br /><u>Make your own wrappings. </u></p><p>1. Decorate newspaper with drawings or stamps. Use paper grocery bags for gift bags. If you get a package stuffed with paper, reuse it!<br />2. Save shiny packaging materials (the foil paper in boxes of teabags, ie. ) to decorate your gifts.<br />3. Wrap a gift inside another gift. Use a scarf or a bandanna or a cloth napkin as wrapping. <br />4. Make cloth gift bags that can be used over and over again. This article shows you how. <a href="https://www.greenchildmagazine.com/diy-fabric-gift-bags/">https://www.greenchildmagazine.com/diy-fabric-gift-bags/</a><br /> (Hint: Decorate old pillow cases for those bulky gifts!)<br />5. Decorate packages with nature, -pinecones, dried leaves, pine needles- instead of ribbon. Tie them on with cotton twine or raffia. </p><p><u>Reuse what you already have.</u></p><p>1. Save as much gift wrap as you can from presents you receive. You can reuse it next year, even if all you do is save scraps to decorate newspaper or paper bags. 2. Save pretty shopping bags and gift bags. If your name is stuck on with super glue, cover it with another name tag. 3. Don't throw away ribbons or bows, or pretty yarn or string. 4. Cut up holiday cards from last year for gift tags, and for decorating packages. <br /></p><p>For more info on how our actions can change the world, check out these books:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7685145-31-ways-to-change-the-world">31 Ways to Change the World.</a> 2010, Candlewick Press.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40144763-everything-is-connected"> Everything Is Connected, Reimagining the World One Postcard at a Time</a>. Keri Smith, 2013. Penguin Group. <br /></p><h1 class="a-spacing-none a-text-normal" id="title"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-extra-large" id="productTitle"><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/climate-action-what-happened-and-what-we-can-do-seymour-simon?variant=33007492202530">Climate Action: What Happened and What We Can Do.</a> Seymour Simon, 2021. HarperCollins. (PS. I adore Seymour Simon!)</span></span></span></h1><h1 class="a-spacing-none a-text-normal" id="title"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-extra-large" id="productTitle">Now, what else can I do with all the pretty cards I save from year to year? I would love to hear YOUR gift wrapping ideas - and your holiday card ideas.<br /></span></span></span></h1><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-29939514549648089502021-10-09T17:14:00.001-04:002021-10-09T17:14:54.003-04:00Two Tasty Books<p> Just in time for Halloween, I read a book about a monster AND a book about a ghost. </p><p>But first let's discuss reading as a kind of nutrition. The books that teach you a LOT but are hard going are like, um, that soup that you get when someone wants to build up your strength. Good for you but not the easiest thing to swallow. Sad to say, I avoid those books unless I need to learn something for a project.</p><p>The books we read for fun - romances, mysteries, graphic novels - they count as snack food, chips and dip, pretzels, chocolate. You could survive on these books but you won't be very healthy. NOW, some of the snack books are more like pretzel sticks and hummus or celery and cream cheese. Still you don't want these fun books to be all you read.</p><p>Some fiction is tasty AND good for you, too. Think Thanksgiving dinner (go light on the stuffing and potatoes, though). They are delicious and sooo nutritious. Here are two books to savor.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxVnrXca9OM/YWIFfGZnXQI/AAAAAAAAFO0/qWf7hwDrWFo2wEOGSVEH6o-v_rWMEOP2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/willodeen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="277" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxVnrXca9OM/YWIFfGZnXQI/AAAAAAAAFO0/qWf7hwDrWFo2wEOGSVEH6o-v_rWMEOP2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/willodeen.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55780537-willodeen#_=_">Willodeen by Katherine Applegate</a> This book is so yummy! Willodeen is an orphan brought up by two ancient women. She loves creatures of all kinds and sizes but she is especially interested in the animals that others abhor - the monsters. The "screechers", large, ugly, loud and very smelly, have a special place in Willodeen's heart - along with her wounded hummingbear.</p><p>Hummingbears are crucial to Willodeen's hometown's survival. When the hummingbears return each spring to the blue willow trees, tourists come from all over. But the screechers and their horrific odor scare people away. So the town puts a price on the screechers' heads.</p><p>What happens is disastrous to everyone. Willodeen makes friends with a boy who fashions hummingbears from branches and vines. Can the two friends save the screechers, the hummingbears and their town?</p><p>Let this book sit on your palate. There are more flavors to this book than a four course meal. It is food for thought, tastefully served.<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55714566-dead-wednesday"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enVrS_fG-So/YWIFqYeQOeI/AAAAAAAAFO4/v_6D3kTp0rsnJSpc6REh5IzUiEj5zFq6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/deadwed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enVrS_fG-So/YWIFqYeQOeI/AAAAAAAAFO4/v_6D3kTp0rsnJSpc6REh5IzUiEj5zFq6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/deadwed.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />Dead Wednesday by Jerry Spinelli . Everybody calls him Worm. He's in eighth grade, shy, pimply, not so very tall and his best friends is a popular, athletic, Boss of the School. They are off to the best day in an eight grader's year, Dead Wednesday. It's a half day and once the 8th graders are assigned their "Wrapper", they become INVISIBLE to the teachers and adults in their school. Because they are "dead".<p></p><p>"Wrappers" are teenagers who lost their lives in the past year in car accidents caused by drinking, texting, willfully ignoring traffic precautions, reckless driving. The School Administration goes through Dead Wednesday in hopes that the "dead" will learn enough from this experience to avoid reckless driving. HAH! What eighth graders get from this is a half day to go INSANE!</p><p>Except it doesn't work out that way at all. Worm is haunted for the whole day. Seriously weird.</p><p> This book will feed your soul for a long time. And the ending is sweeter than pie.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-37285328568762908022021-09-08T14:14:00.000-04:002021-09-08T14:14:24.457-04:00I Read Books for Young People<p>I love <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Silver">Miss Silver,</a> a "personal inquiry" agent of old. She features in books that were written before I was born. She is genteel, old-fashioned even for her time, and very clever. People tell her things. But, her books were not written for young people. (Kids could read these books. The author hints so broadly at certain characters' misdeeds that even I wrinkle my brow. Kids would probably be bored, though. Just saying.)</p><p>I do read books for young people and here are three that I read in the past month.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53914898-pride-and-premeditation"><i>Pride and Premeditation</i> by Tirzah Price</a>. Jane Austen's character, Elizabeth Bennett, appears here as a feisty 17-year-old, who desperately wants to work in her father's law office. When a young gentleman acquaintance is accused of murdering his scoundrel of a brother-in-law, Lizzie "takes" the case. Being a young woman of the early 19th century, (please read the author's notes at the back of the book if historical accuracy is important to you), Lizzie is discouraged from investigating the murder by every single male in her sphere and even some of her female friends. Does that stop her? Indubitably not!</p><p>Her would-be client is represented at the bar by none other than the arrogant and irritating Darcy. Yep.</p><p>So we have all kinds of evil-doers here and a lot of social practices are flaunted. There is a bit of melodrama when the culprit is exposed. But it's the 19th century when footpads and villains of every stripe traveled the byways and alleys of London. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7vG_Uas2NE/YTj4m5d-Z9I/AAAAAAAAFNs/N22puw3zeq4lS-9fUuCsQ3LB01i3M2-kACLcBGAsYHQ/s417/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7vG_Uas2NE/YTj4m5d-Z9I/AAAAAAAAFNs/N22puw3zeq4lS-9fUuCsQ3LB01i3M2-kACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/th.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53033829-three-keys"><i>Three Keys </i>by Kelly Yang.</a> If you read Yang's triumphant debut <i>Front Desk,</i> then you will be all ready for this sequel. Mia and her parents are now the proud owners of the Calivista Motel - along with their many investors. BUT the year is 1995, and immigrants are not particularly welcome in California. A bill to severely restrict immigration into the state is up for a vote. Mia's sixth grade teacher is not impressed with Mia's writing at all and appears to approve of Proposition 187. And even though the Calivista Motel was on TV, a sign saying Immigrants Welcome causes business to drop. </p><p>Mia and her best friend, Lupe, have to find ways to help the motel thrive, protect fellow students whose families are not here legally, and convince their teacher that Mia has talent. </p><p>The book addresses an issue that still raise hackles here in the USA. A country of immigrants still fights over whether or not to keep our doors open. Mia's family is stalwart in their support of other immigrants. When problems arise, it is Mia's friends who find the answers.</p><p>The book is an inspirational read. For us hardened adults, it may be too optimistic. But kids love it when kids save the day and the kids save the day in <i>Three Keys.</i></p><p><i> </i></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55959758-linked"><i>Linked</i> by Gordon Korman</a>. Korman addresses vandalism, anti-semitism and racism in his latest book. This is a lot less fun that Korman's usual fare. When Michael runs back to school to fetch his forgotten phone, he discovers a huge swastika painted in the hallway. Michael is the president of the Art Club and his locker is full of paint so, guess who comes under suspicion.</p><p>This book concentrates on Michael, his circle of friends, Link, one of those friends who is a popular athlete and prankster, and Dana, the only Jewish student in the whole school. As more swastikas appear all over the school, Link discovers his family's connection to anti-semitism, the community revisits its shameful racist past and Dana finds herself the center of unwanted attention.</p><p>Then a social media vlogger moves into town to cover the frenetic attempts to "solve" this by making a paper chain to represent the Jews killed during the Holocaust. Michael spearheads this attempt. But the swastikas keep coming.</p><p>The ending stretched my credulity a bit. Then, I saw how Korman laid the framework for his climax. This is not my favorite Korman book, (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39855034-the-unteachables">The Unteachables</a> is awesome), but it is a worthy effort.<br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-27838211588339268452021-09-02T12:22:00.000-04:002021-09-02T12:22:00.137-04:00Avoidance Part 3 - TIME LIE!<p> <i>NOTICE: Chances are HUGE that most of the personal remarks - about me -- in this post will be lies.</i></p><p>Friends, I am completely honest and I NEVER EVER lie to myself. BUT, I have been given to understand (isn't that an awesome phrase, "given to understand"?) that some people DO lie to themselves.</p><p>In doing that, those people - not me, of course, - find themselves suddenly short of time. Here are some examples of this that I have been made aware. (Should I add "of" there?)</p><p>1. Telling yourself that this will be the LAST game of solitaires that you will play. HAH! I have personally seen someone make that last game stretch into four or five 'last' games.</p><p>2. Watching videos of crafters because they will give the watcher cool ideas - that will never be made.</p><p>3. Looking outside and deciding that it is too hot or cold or muggy or windy to do whatever it is <i>without even stepping outside.</i> </p><p>But the biggest worst lie of all is this. I WILL DO IT LATER WHEN I HAVE MORE TIME.</p><p>Look at that statement. With every second that passes, we have LESS time. We will never have MORE time than we do RIGHT NOW. So sitting back on the sofa with one's feet up and thinking, "I'll do it later when I have more time." doesn't work. It is physically impossible to have more time than now.</p><p>That said, we all have obligations and neglecting those obligations does not make us good people. There may be future periods where we will have <i>uninterrupted</i> time. </p><p>Even saying that "I will do it when I have a stretch of uninterrupted time," easily turns into a lie. Uninterrupted time gets snipped apart if we allow ourselves to become distracted (a future avoidance topic.)</p><p>Successful "task completers" do not wait until they have more time. They get stuff done in the time they are given.</p><p>Don't lie to yourself. You WILL probably play another game of solitaire especially if that last game ends after one deal of the cards. Watching other people make crafts is satisfying in itself. Go outside! </p><p>But most importantly: You will NEVER have more time. Do it - whatever it is - NOW.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7655462090282990621.post-67026590517107678292021-08-21T12:11:00.005-04:002021-08-21T12:11:49.900-04:00Avoidance Part 2 - I'm TIRED<p>Oh, PERSONS! This excuse is is universal. I should practice the piano but...I'm TIRED.</p><p>I wake up in the morning and before my eyes are fully open, I tell myself that...I'm TIRED.</p><p>And so it goes. Edit my poems? Too tired. Get out the ukulele. Too exhausted.</p><p>A half-hearted swipe over the counter, a push of the broom. STILL tired.</p><p>So what do I do about all this tiredness? Sleep? Eat better? Take a walk to encourage blood flow to my "tired" body? HECK, NO!</p><p>I lie around, move like a sloth. Nothing gets done and the NEXT day I am even more tired.</p><p>Yesterday was one of my tired days. I DID get out the accordion after months of neglect. (<span style="font-size: x-small;">Whoopee!)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">At 7:45 pm, I decided to sweep off the back porch. I had been (say it with me) too tired to do it earlier. The back porch looks great by the way. (A "discussion" is ongoing about the sand box. The grand is entering double digits. Does she still need a sand area? Maybe not, but I think I do.)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Suddenly, I was not so tired. And I was awake until 1 am. But just doing that one chore, gave me...<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">a Lightbulb moment! I am going to be tired whether I do stuff or not. I am older and the less I DO, the harder it gets to DO anything. Once I start moving, the fog lifts.</span></span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">WHY THIS EXCUSE IS POPPYCOCK </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">If I am so tired that I can't function, it is time for me to consult a medical professional. I have, actually, and there is nothing physically wrong. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am not too tired. I am afraid - afraid that any effort to create will fall short of my expectations. So I grab whatever excuse I can come up with. At my age - and in this trying time - being "tired" is an easy quick all-purpose excuse. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am not tired. I am resentful. Why should I have to do whatever stupid chore needs to be done when I don't want to? And that resentment spills over into the activities that I actually enjoy. (This is actually Avoidance Part 3. Stay tuned.)<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am not tired. I am waiting. Exactly what I am waiting for has never been clear. But I will receive a sign when the waiting is done.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The answer to all these avoidance techniques is to push through. I know it. You know it. Push through. There are bouquets to build and skies to view and rain to inspire our music. So, tired or not, do ONE beautiful thing.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The world will thank you.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">(I wonder if this blog post counts or if I have to do something else. Because, you know, I'm....<span style="font-size: x-small;">tired.<span style="font-size: small;">)</span></span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span><br /></p>bookkmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253071565106991458noreply@blogger.com0