Greatest global online bookclub in town

Comfortable sofa and chai tea – sounds perfect to me, too.

>what a tough row to hoe – in fact, a tough GARDEN to hoe. 

You said it, Jo!  Looking back and by that looking forward for her, I’m grateful to be where I am.  Reminds me not to complain about the odd ache or pain.  Of course, I/we(?) tend to view it from where we are now with lessened energy and endurance….and patience.

I went to Borders to see about using my gift certificate.  However, my frugal angel was whispering every time I picked up a book questioning whether I should really buy in it–maybe later.  Ended with a couple of music CD’s and sitting on a comfortable sofa with a Chai tea.

Candace

 

 

It’s tough to be young and I’m so glad I’m not THAT young anymore!  G’daughter’s life is far from rosy right now although she has a wonderful boyfriend who is helping her MUCH more than her husband ever did!  He also has a child from a previous marriage to they are a his/hers and ours is coming in the early spring.  It snuck up on them and while they wish it hadn’t, they are still looking forward to it.  But oh boy, what a tough row to hoe – in fact, a tough GARDEN to hoe. 

 

Found two of her books in the Grand Forks library, asked the librarian if that’s all they have, and she said I was lucky to find them as they go out as fast as they come in.  But I found the first chapter of Second Glance confusing, maybe I was too tired, and am getting into Vanishing Acts and find it more interesting.  Also am reading Phillip Yancey’s Rumors of Another World, and like it better than others I’ve read by him.

Our youngest divorced too, but they had no kids, so it wasn’t too complicated.  But even though she and her second hubby both work, with 3 kids the cost of living is much, and life is so much more complicated than when our family was young. And there’s no comparison to life in a rural community when I was growing up.  It was basically simple, or we were.

Jacky Jones

Ditto with my youngest.  WI takes wages for child support so she did get a small amount but as soon as the child turned 18 he cut them off, even insurance which wouldn’t have cost him anything.  No help with college either.  This is my youngest with the dog business and she is doing OK but works very hard.

I have had the same situation w/2 of my daughters (ex not living up to his child support duty), and I, too, was unable to help financially but did as much support as I could (such as taking and retrieving from daycare, etc.) Fortunately, both situations have turned out very favorably.  Both girls now have superb husbands w/very good jobs (they also have good jobs) and all is now well. I sincerely hope that happens for your g’dtr.

JOY

Well, I went to the last two or three chapters of Greeley’s book and decided that it was full of teenage angst, even when he was in Bamberg Germany after WW II.  He was still only 20 when he was honorably discharged and went back to Chicago.  Never having been male, I’m not sure how much struggle they have during the late teens and early 20s but Chucky sure had his own share and then some.  The second book in the series is much better, I admit to liking it better.  He still hasn’t let Rosie, whom he calls stepsister but is actually no relation to his family, know that he really likes her or even may love her but I think she knows and it’s pretty obvious to me that she loves him.  I’ll have to read on and see if I care to read the last two books about Chucky and the rest of the O’Malleys.

As for On The Way to the Wedding, yes it was a romance but the story was also good and the romance part was as well done as some and better than most.  It still went on for four pages!  BUT the comforting thing was that that was the only heavy (!) scene.  I would recommend it for the story rather than the romance.  But you’d have to LIKE a romance to want to read it.  I doubt that I’ll get the other books in the series, however.

I do have some other books coming from booksfree and I’ll let you know about them.  I still like Margaret Truman’s Capitol mysteries, which is what I’m reading in between this other stuff.  The library books are hardcover and hard to read in bed; booksfree books are paperback so they are my bedtime books.  I do love crossword puzzles, especially Merl Reagle’s, but they go into another quite a bit smaller room.  And I have to spend time on this infernal machine, doncha know.

At any rate, it was dark and gloomy today but that was all right; my g’daughter came over with his little; her two older ones are now in school.  Her ex isn’t living up to his fatherly type duties (read child support) and she’s having a tough time of it.  I can’t help her financiall but the moral support is there.

Jo

That author may be one i would like to try.  I just finished listening to a cd, The Breaker by Minette Walters and really liked it.  I listened to it instead of watching TV which i do often.  I have been reading Mercy by Jodi Picoult and am having a hard time keeping interested.  I am not sure why but maybe I have read too much of her.  I am half through and may skip to the last two chapters.  I have enjoyed her other books but find this one boring.

I’m a bit unsure about the book I just read (half of and then the last 3-4 chapters – hiw chapters are usually rather short).  The title is A Midwinter’s Tale and is one of a series about the O’Malley family of, where else?, Chicago!  I checked out the first two and I’ll try the second to see if I like it any better than the first. 

His other books keep my interest easily; his characters, especially Father Blackie, are wonderful and the stories are excellent.  The families all have their good days and their bad days.  But in Tale, Chuckie O’Malley seemed to have only bad days and, to be sure, he is likely his own worst enemy.  I’ll try book 2 and see what happens there.

That’s the recliner book.

The bedtime book is On The Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn.  Our hero, Gregory, love the beautiful Hermione Watson who is in love with her father’s secretary who supposedly loves her back.  However, her parents will NOT allow that marriage; they are of the peerage and don’t marry their servants.  Lady Lucy is trying to save Hermione by discussing all of Gregory’s good points but ends up falling in love with Gregory herself BUT she is engaged to a man ten years her senior (not uncommon in those days).  We know that Gregory (the fourth son of an earl) and Lady Lucy will eventually get together.  The how should make for good reading.

Jo

Hey Jo,

I read and enjoyed many of Greeley’s earlier books about Father Blackie, a very liberal priest who enjoys women in a platonic way and won’t turn away from a wee jar of the creature. (A healthy dollop of Jameison’s Irish whiskey) I didn’t realize Greeley was still writing. Thanks for the reminder.

Huggz all,

Jerry

>requisite coffee area also

Absolutely, Jo.  I noticed Borders does have a very inviting one.  I haven’t experienced that since the little book store I patronzed 30 years ago.  I just realized I’ve been thinking about my trip to the book store as if it were a vacation destination!

Love hearing about dogs–any dogs and the people who love them. 

 Candace

 

 

 

My goodness, you folks were really busy posting.  Hot diggity – keep it up.

What a lovely thank you, Candace.  I LOVE bookstores, especially if they have the requisite coffee area also.  It’s an atmosphere like no other…not even a library, which comes closest.

What a great idea – summer reading club book reviews.  Does the bookstore have a bargain table?  Your afternoon sounds really cool.  Will that park have the same kind of thing next year? 

What a great thing for your youngest and her dog…that’s quite an achievement.  Debit may have committed a booboo but I’ll bet he’s cute no matter what.  We accept bragging. 

I did love your creative spelling of a;ert!

Dogs and cats both can donate blood for other dogs and cats; I saw a program aobut that on Emergency Vets (Animal Planet channel).  And the two latest vets I’ve been to have signs up if you want your dog or cat to be a donor.

Well, we grandmothers of dogs know who the important person is – and who needs to be bragged on the most.  LOL, Darlyne. 

I’m reading Andrew Greeley – I like Flather Blackie; don’t know if this series will have him or not.  The library has two shelves of only his books.  I was in awe.

‘Tis a gloomy rainy day here today – but I DID get my dishwasher emptied and had a good lunch.  Time now for the fireplace DVD and the book, and a cup of tea, of course.

Jo

 

Susan makes her living with dogs, breeding labs, both field trials and show.  She has a kennel and a grooming shop.  She is a single mother and has two in college and one in HS yet. She loves dogs and knows quite a bit about them and has a good reputation with the pups she sells.  She donates one from each litter to the blind and they have been succesfull.  Julie thought it funny that I gave the name of the dogs in the post but not my daughter’s.  As I said before, “nobodies perfect”.

Susan must be great at handling dogs.  Our youngest and family have a retired racing grayhound, who is supported by the U of MN, because he donates blood every month or so.  I’m not sure if this is for only other canines, or if other animals can recieve dog blood too.  The U provides all the vet needs, and food, and he is a very easy animal to have around, kind of just sleeps unless he’s being walked or wants to eat.

Jacky Jones

I meant alert.

I can’t help but brag a little—or a lot.  My youngest and her dog. Barbie won high in trial in the national lab obedience trial.  They also won in four other trials.  This took place in St Louis.  She entered one with one of her other dogs, Debit and he wizzed on one of the obstacles and was asked to leave.  Oh well, nobody’s perfect.

>kind of reader’s heaven

That’s so true, Jacky.  Alexander McCall Smith’s appearance was at Border’s.  I hadn’t been there before–still harboring some resentment the big stores drove out most of the small, independent ones.  It was well laid out and people working there very helpful, so I look forward to spending a good part of the day there soon.

Candace  

 

I have been more busy this weekend than usual.  Saturday there was a grand opening of the High School near me to show off the 82million renovation.  They had tours of the school and the street behind it was blocked off and there were a lot of venders plus battle of the HS bands and choral numbers by the students.  You wouldn’t believe the school.  It has state of the art everything. We now know why our taxes went up. The hot dogs the venders sold were good.

 

Today I saw the movie, Infamous, with two friends.  I had seen Capote last year which was good but I enjoyed this one more.  After the movie we toured Quark park which is a small space in the main part of town filled with flowers, sculptures  and art work donated by local artists.  All modern stuff.  It had corn growing and paths lined with bamboo.  Very Interesting but it is a temporary thing and will be dismantled when the weather gets bad and a parking lot will go there.  We then went to a pizza place for dinner.  It was an enjoyable afternoon.

 

I received a $10.00 gift certificate from a small book store in town so have to decide what to get.  I should say $10.00 off because I don’t think that amount will buy a book there nowadays.  I won it by entering book reviews in a summer reading club the library had.

Our youngest took me to a Borders in Mpls, and you are so right, Candace, about the wonderful atmosphere and the plethera of books, kind of reader’s heaven.  She goes there for some quiet and to work on house paperwork—-bills, ect.

My husband picked me up in St Cloud, MN, and I’m home again, not much traffic in Oslo, but those I see, I usually know.  In fact I went to country school with two of my neighbors. 

Jacky Jones

The author of the book I was helping gave me a generous gift card to Border’s Books.  I’m looking forward to hours of browsing and enjoying the atmosphere.  The downside of online book buying is not having the bookstore atmosphere.  I’ve made notes of various books recommended here and others I’ve heard about.  Deciding what to spend it on will sure be fun. 

 Candace

 

LOL Jacky – I know about ‘wrestling’ with g’kids, tired or otherwise.  Dads can be quite worthwhile!

As for passwords, doesn’t do you any good to have the spiral notebook with all the good stuff in it if you don’t take it with you when you travel!  It’s darn near as important as your toothbrush! 

Anyhow, I hope you had a good visit.

Jo

Our six year old grandson was delighted with the snow flurries, but by the time he got his snowpants, boots, wintercoat, mittens, and cap on, the snow had stopped.  One of us was glad.

Your password spiral notebook is a good idea, Jo, and I have one, but its at home by my own computer. 

I went for a walk today, and stopped at the library nearest our daughter’s here in St Paul.  They had 4 of Jodi Picoults earlier books, and I would have loved to take one with me, but don’t have a card, and I’ll be heading home on Sat anyway. And am going to look for her books in our library.  One was Second Chance, and another was Good Match or something like that.  The cover synopsis sounded so interesting.

I was going to have to get “stern” with wrestling, tired grandkids, when their dad came home, and took over.  Our daughter and grandaughter are having a wonderful time at camp even though it was 27 degrees this morning.  The cabins and bathrooms are heated. 

Jacky Jones

Those other Texans sure would give you the razzberries, too!

In the interest of accuracy–in case there are Texans reading here–I need to correct the candidate’s commercial I quoted.  The wording is “my parents said we weren’t old enough–well, we are now.”  And he had saved the ring 45 years, not 48.  Between her’s and Kinky Friedman’s ads, it’s been a more interesting race than usual.

Candace

I loved both stories – !