Mailbox Monday - Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day 
(yippee one more day off from work)


Mailbox Monday Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Bermudaonion for September (http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com/) What book loot arrived in your mailbox this week?

• • The Power; Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books) - I was not a fan of The Secret, so this one makes me nervous! 
  • The Pattern of Paper Monsters; Emma Rathbone (Reagan Arthur Books)
  • The Bells; Richard Harvell (Amazon Vine) - so looking forward to this one
  • Ice Cold; Tess Gerritsen (audio book) - (Paperback Swap)
  • Rich Boy; Sharon Pomerrantz (Amazon Vine) - This one is getting excellent reviews
  
  
  Hope you've had a great week in books.

Sunday Salon

I had a great week! You know what I am talking about...everything went smoothly at home and work.  I was happy with the reading I was able to accomplish this week: Mr. Peanut (finished last week of August, but review done this week); You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know  (review here), and I also completed Pillars of the Earth (both book and audio, which I have been reading for several weeks--  hovering around 1,000+pp/32 discs - (no review yet), but I loved it!

It is also a (3) day weekend, here in the US for Labor Day - Monday. The weather is gorgeous and in the high 70's as well. The exercise program is continuing, and some days the bones hurt a bit. I decided i am only going to weigh myself twice a month, as to me after a certain age, the numbers on the scale don't mean much. I prefer to mark my progress by the way the clothes fit! We managed to take a (1) hour walk yesterday, and I got to spend some uninterrupted time reading as well.

Last week was closet cleaning, this week was book shelf cleaning!  I unburdened myself of LOADS of books (82)!!!! Most of these I acquired over the years but never read. It's unlikely, I would read these now, as my taste in books has changed a little from when I bought these. Fortunately, many were bought at library book sales very very cheap, but there were some foolish, full price ones in these stacks as well....sighhhhh.  A few of them I read, but most were never read by me.

My library is having a book sale in November and is the benefactor of ALL of these books.--REMIND ME not to repurchase these titles at that sale...LOL

(22)

LOVED The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and Pillars of the Earth (just finished), but the rest of these are mostly mysteries and thrillers, and while I still enjoy that genre, I have I lot of others I would prefer to read.

(30)

This stack is read and unread ARCs and mostly more mysteries and thrillers. Some of these books (the Nevada Barrs) I bought brand new and paid full price over (5) years ago sadly.  Bet you never did that?

(30)

More mysteries, a few non fiction, and quite a few contemporary fiction in this stack. ALL unread.

I had a few others that were not photographed, but were listed on PBS as they were on someone's wish list - Hope they enjoy them. I feel so much better now! I know there are more to rid myself of before that November book sale, but I'll take a little break.

Stella Luna

While I had a good week, my daughter had a sad one. Her (15) year old cat Stella Luna suffered a stroke on Friday, and when they took her to the Vet, her breathing was labored and the Vet said that the cat needed to be put to sleep, as there was nothing that could be done for her. It was unlikely she would ever recover. Needless to say, she is devastated, as Stella and my daughter go way back together. Stella and Melissa moved from our family home into their first apartment together in 1997 and they have been though many ups and downs of life. Stella, the cat was a special cat, and will be missed. She is being cremated, and although Stella was an indoor only cat, her ashes will be spread at a bird sanctuary -- Melissa thought she'd like that:)

Wishing You a perfect Week!

112 - You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know; Heather Sellers

(October 14th release date - Riverhead Books)

Heather Sellers has written an eye opening memoir about her life with "face blindness".  Prosopagnosia, is a rare neurological condition that affects about 2% of the population. Although we all sometimes have trouble recognizing faces, people with face-blindness often have difficulty recognizing people that they have met many, many times. In extreme cases, those with Prosopagnosia, may even have difficulty recognizing people that they spend the most time with such as their spouses and their children. Studies have shown that head injuries are a possible cause of this disorder, and the author had been involved in a serious car accident, suffering a severe concussion and memory loss. However, she believes that she had face recognition issues long before that accident, and believes she was born with this disorder.

Her childhood was not normal....."things had been so chaotic in the household. I've been overexposed to stressful weirdness and underexposed to friendships, neighbors, television, movies. I'd hadn't really noticed anything was wrong until I was in high school, when I went to the same school, finally for a couple of years in a row. That's when I realized: I really don't know these people. I thought it was a sign of mental illness."

Heather's childhood was not normal by any means. By the third grade she attended six different schools. The shy, perpetual new girl seemed to always be trying to figure out who everyone was.  

" I wasn't worried about not fitting in with the other kids. I was worried about how I didn't fit in with my family. When I watched other kids playing, I wasn't wishing for friends, I  wondered which ones had mothers who would adopt an extra girl".

Heather was 38 before she came to the realization that her mother was mentally ill, although never formally diagnosed. She exhibited signs of schizophrenia and paranoia for as long as Heather could remember. When Heather lived at home, her mother had nailed windows shut and covered them with blankets, and made her walk on her knees to protect the carpeting. She was also overly critical of Heather. When Heather was a grad student teaching a class on Hemingway's short fiction, her mother promised to sit quietly in the back of the class, but instead she interrupted, contradicting what her daughter had said, and later handing her a numbered list of (23) things she needed to improve on. The list included such things as the number of times she had said "um".

"I wasn't going to survive if I stayed with her. I was turning primitive. I was starting to eat paper again, like Ricky Spees. I had to have paper in my mouth all the time . I was beginning to crave rocks under my tongue. I had looked up this affliction too, and discovered it had a name, history: pica, the craving of unnatural substances. It was rampant among the retarded. It was a sign I under duress. I was eating my Ticonderoga pencils. I was eating the metal. I knew I had to get away from her.........."

Her father Fred, also had his issues, an alcoholic who let drifters stay with them, went on "fishing trips" when his drinking was totally out of control, and wore lingerie under his regular clothes, and borrowed Heathers nail polish.

Her dysfunctional childhood in some ways carried to adulthood when she married Dave, a man with (2) young sons. She never lived with her husband, and the couple divorced two years later. She wanted Dave and his sons to meet her family. It was this road trip lead to an awaking, and a better understanding of herself, her situation, and why her parents acted the way they did.

MY THOUGHTS -  I've always enjoyed a good memoir, and this story fell into that category. The writing and sequence of events is scattered, and the story seemed more like a compilation of random thoughts and experiences of her painful past. Despite the random order of events, the story was very readable. The writing style worked, and I felt it made the experiences the author described all the more touching. Readers who enjoyed The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls should enjoy, You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know as well.

RECOMMENDED - 4/5 stars (review copy received from Riverhead Books)

An Amazing Story - Pets with Disabilities

Cat lovers like me, might have seen my post about Caboodle Ranch in Florida last week. I LOVE cats, but really I'm just a sucker for ALL of God's creatures, especially those down on their luck. I came across another inspiring story that I had to share. I hope you enjoy it!

Pets with Disabilities Founders, Joyce Darrell and her husband Michael Dickerson

 

Joyce Darrell, along with her husband Michael Dickerson, founded the Pets with Disabilities organization in 2000. Their lives were changed forever after their rescue dog Duke broke his back playing as a puppy. 

 

Having nowhere to turn for help in caring for him, they started the organization Pets with Disabilities - a rescue and resource that provides information and support to families caring for pets with disabilities. The story of Duke (and later Misty, another wheelchair-bound dog)  has helped raise awareness about disabled pets and has reached thousands of people worldwide.  The grassroots organization and Web site, provides support and information to animal caretakers whose pets suffer from birth defects or have become disabled due to illness or injury. 

 

Mike and Joyce travel all over the country with Duke and several other dogs, promoting their mission: "Provide a positive voice for dogs and cats with disabilities that desperately need homes"

  

Powerful spokes-dogs Duke and Misty have been featured on NBC’s Today show, as well as in Prevention and Dog Fancy magazines. They are always the center of attention at every pet exposition they attend!

 Watch this video.

Friday Find - Arachnaphobes Beware!

I love having lunch in this same spot at work, a sunny nook, where I brown bag it. I read my book for one hour uninterrupted, on the days that I don't use the gym. So yesterday, I had company, and you know how I HATE the "pop-ins"!!! Thankfully, this one was on the outside of the window, but the chaise I was in was right up against the window (it had a red and black underbelly and was all black on the outside). Mind you this window is at least 30-40 feet up.

Photo was taken with my iPhone so this is pretty much actual size!

(as I mentioned the other day - bug hater here!)

This is the same ugly bugger, having his lunch too!

(He caught same great little insects in his web of silk)

Enjoy your long (3) day - Labor Day weekend US bloggers

111 - Mr. Peanut; Adam Ross

David Pepin is a computer game designer who fantasizes about the possible ways that his wife Alice might die.  He even has dreams about her death.  In his first dream, her death was caused by an act of God. They spent a nice day at the beach, then a storm moved in, and Alice is struck by lightening. In the dream, she "lights up" and "collapses into a pile of ash".

David claims to love his wife. However, he is even secretly writing a book about her death. They've been married 13 years, and while Alice has struggled with weight issues, having hit the 300lb mark on the scales, she had also lost huge amounts of weight and becomes thin. David admits to liking his wife better when she was morbidly obese as her personality was more pleasant, she seemed more even-keeled, and she had fewer bouts of depression.

So when Alice is found dead, David becomes the prime suspect.  Her death was caused by anaphylactic shock, and a peanut to which she was severely allergic, was found lodged in her throat. What happened?

Well, this is where things get a bit complicated. Two NYPD detectives are assigned to investigate Alice's murder. Both of these men have had their own marriage issues. In fact homicide detective Sam Sheppard was tried for the beating death of his own wife years earlier, and Ward Hastroll, the other detective, has a wife at home who has voluntarily taken to her bed for the last five months. Nothing Ward says or does seems to change the way things are at home.  Then there is an odd PI named Mobius that David hires to find Alice when she goes missing. Though Mobius is clearly peculiar, for some reason, David feels comfortable sharing his fantasies about his wife's death.  It was at about this point that I became to pay closer attention, suspecting a possible gimmick to trick the reader.

Without giving away anything, I'll just say that this mystery was not at all like what I had expected.  It is really a story about three marriages, not one, and it is told from strictly males points of view.  All three men had marriages which were in some way disappointing to them, and yet each had failed recognize the issues their wives were dealing with.  Sheppard was a womanizer, Hastroll's wife felt invisible to her husband, and David and Alice stopped talking after Alice suffered a devastating miscarriage.

There are lots of things going on in Mr. Peanut, and the reader needs to pay careful attention or risks getting lost in the somewhat unusual storyline. Fortunately, the writing is terrific in this debut novel; it kept me guessing and wondering, but this book did test my patience at times and took longer than anticipated to finish. The author has a great imagination, and in the end I was happy I finished the book. I would be interested to see what new offerings Adam Ross has in the future.

RECOMMENDED - 4/5 stars (Library Book)

Today's the Day!

My 1,000th Post - I can hardly believe it. I've been blogging since June of 2008.  I thought about doing something special, but lately I've been reading a lot of posts where blogger's say they get really annoyed with so many blogs doing giveaways, too many memes, and too many bloggers touring the same book over and over again. None of those things really bother me (except for maybe seeing the book toured over and over again).  So no matter what I post today or any day, there will be people who like it and others who don't -- right?

So I thought I'd just share some of my favorite books with you instead,. Here's a list of (25) books I loved,  because after all it.........my blog....my 1,000th post....my call.....right?

(25) Books I Loved
(off the top of my head and in no particular order)

1. Rebecca; Daphne DuMaurier
2. Purple Hibiscus; Adichie
3. Kite Runner; Hosseini
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns; Hosseini
5. Rapture of Canaan; Reynolds
6. The Bluest Eye; Toni Morrison
7. The Space Between Us; Thrity Umrigar
8. Snowflower and the Secret Fan; Lisa See
9. Life of Pi; Yann Martel
10. Moloka'i; Alan Brennert
11. Middlesex; Eugenides
12. Crimson Petal and the White; Michael Faber
13. The Things They Carried; Tim O'Brien
14. Water for Elephants; Sara Gruen
15. Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name; Vendela Vida
16. Silas Marner; George Eliot
17. The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night; Mark Gaddon
18. The Book of Bright Ideas;  Sandra Kring
19. An Inconvenient Wife; Megan Chance
20. Between Two Rivers; Nicholas Rinaldi
21. The Double Bind; Chris Bohjalian
22. The Help; Kathryn Stockett
23. Cutting for Stone; Abraham Verghese
24. Strange Fits of Passion; Anita Shreve
25. The Bonesetter's Daughter; Amy Tan
 

Have you read these? 

And now for an annoying meme....  

(10) Random Things I Love 

(family and pets are a given!!!!)

1. My home
2. The Ocean
3. Watching deer
4. Quiet time
5. My Keurig coffee maker
6. Gadgets (especially iPods, iPad, iPhone, Navigation devices, eReaders etc.)
7. My bed - especially with fresh linens
8. Pens, Pencils, Post-it Notes, Markers, Notebooks
9. Hot Baths
10. Dessert

(10) Random Things I HATE

1. CHANGE (not coins)
2. The Pop-Ins ...please call before you stop by
3. Humid weather
4. rude people
5. coupons
6. junk mail
7. bugs
8. vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms; I feel like Cinderella
9. pumping gas
10.  SPAM

(10) Things I've Never Done

1. Baby Sat (seriously...my daughter's diaper was the 1st one I ever changed)
2. Lived Alone (but I've wanted to)
3. Roller Skated
4. Served on a Jury
5. Read War and Peace or Crime and Punishment
6. Seen a Star Wars Episode
7. Been on a cruise  
8. Been Tattooed
9. Broken a body part
10. Eaten sushi

And, finally, just a quick thank you to all my loyal readers - I hope you are planning to stick around around for the long haul, as it would be lonely blogging without you:(

I appreciate your visits and comments more than you'll ever know.  Thanks so Much!!!