Greatest global online bookclub in town

First of all I wish for all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year — 2007 hopefully will bring us the end of involvement in Iraq (or a least a big reduction of the personnel involved).  I would wish for lots of other things but there isn’t enough room.

2006 saw me blessed with three more great-granchildren.  #2 son Mark’s son Jordan and his wife Rene welcomed twins, a boy and a girl, in June and,  on Dec. 27 - his due date, Max Ching was born to Mark’s daughter Lise and her husband Chris.  He arrived weighing in at 6 lbs 14 ozs and 19 inches long. 

I was invited to FL at Thanksgiving and Christmas both and thoroughly enjoyed both visits. 

On the home front, #1 son Gene and his family gifted me with a light for my very dark patio!  I shall purchase a waterproof cover for the outside electrical outlet and make that more safe; Gene told me the cover wasn’t waterproof or even resistant.  I shall make a trip to Lowe’s.  But later.  There is no way I’m going to Lowe’s until AFTER the holidays.  I’d rather just unplug the thing!  The parking lots around the local mini-malls are FULL FULL FULL and I for one shall stay at home.

I did a bit of grocery shopping as the fridge was quite bare after a nearly two-week visit to FL for Christmas and am now fully prepared for a weekend of football, parades, and more football.  It’s my passion, you know.  I do have books to read and the computer to play on in case I get bored.     

I hope you all have a safe and sane New Year’s weekend and arrive cool, fairly calm and mostly collected for Tuesday when it will be back to the same old, same old.  That is rather satisfying, in its own way!

Jo 

I am happy that the outcome was great for Clive.  Sometimes we are lucky that things happen while they can still be fixed.

I for some reason can’t reply on my web mail.

I am here for another week and things are slowing down—a little.  I have started a book, Spook byMary Roach.    The author brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. This is from the jacket.  She wrote Stiff: The curious Lives of Human Cadavers which I plan to read.  Spook is not an easy read but interesting.  I will report on it when I have finished.  It most likely will be a while.

and believe it or not, I had 93 emails, 26 of which were spam and were dutifully sent off to the Comcast spam drawer.  The holidays were lovely; we visited friends, ate and ate and actually only at maybe three times at home!  That’s fun - cooking can be a bore during the holidays!

After reading all the emails, it sounds as though most of you had a good one and Jacky perhaps most of all.  Her husband was blessed to recuperate so well after all those things happening to him.

Can you believe it’s nearly time to wish everyone a happy new year?  Wasn’t that yesterday for 2006?

Jo

We had a very busy but lovely Christmas Eve and morning and we will be attending a friends dinner party this afternoon.

I received many nice presents and about four books I am looking forward to reading.  I finished The Memory Keepers Daughter and now am anxious to hear what my book group thinks of it.  I suspect it will generate a lot of talk.  My daughter let me open one present early since I had noting to read.  It is Spook by Mary Roach.  I have just started but the jacket says, “sciende taackles the afterlife.  I think it will be interesting.

By the way, I can’t reply to e-mails as I get my mail with web mail.  There probably is a way but I haven’t found it yet.

Merry Christmas to all.!

If I can get this in large print–this sounds like a book worth reading. It’s about the Oneida Indians who fought alongside the colonists beginning in August 1777 and helped to defeat General Burgoyne at Saratoga. Afterward they were abandoned by the Continental Congress and treated brutally. Another aspect of history of which I was not aware.

Candace

I love it - I hope I can remember it now.

Happy Christmas Eve to you all.

Jo

“Snowmen fall from heaven unassembled”

Miggs, that’s a great sign! Thanks for sharing–I’m going to tell a woodworker friend about it–he has grandkids, too.

Candace

I’m still purchasing Christmas presents and I found a sign yesterday that really amused me.  I have lots of grandkids and plan to give it to twin 10 year old boys.  It’s a wooden board that says “Snowmen fall from heaven unassembled”.  I know that has nothing to do with books, but I thought it was pretty nice.

I’m currently reading a fiction book called Case Histories.  It’s well written but it has too many characters and I can’t keep track of everybody in the story.  I know they will all come together in the end, but I’m finding myself saying “Now where did that character come from?” much too often.  Maybe it’s for a younger reader with a better memory.

Best wishes to all for a blessed, happy and healthy holiday season and a New Year of wonderful reading.

Miggs

My Ebony was Lab and Australian shepherd - she looked Lab with the gorgeous sweeping tail of the shepherd.  She was a love and I miss her.

I can well imagine the busy-ness of the house; that many dogs would create it, let alone puppies, adults and all the rest!

I’m by myself most of the day as both daughter and g’son work, but come evenings - things are poppin’ around here.  They both still had some Christmas shopping to do and I finished mine off this morning…online.  Bought g’son a copy of the original Casino Royale with David Niven, Peter Sellers and a cast of many from the first five Bond movies.  It was a real hoot, more ‘fun’ and the current Casino Royale which is more dark, violent and serious. 

Anyhow, the house is cool and that’s all I ask!

Thinking of you all, Jo

There is a lot more going on at this house than at home with three teen-agers and  four adult labs,  plus kennel workers popping in now and then.  One of the labs is the mother of the pups and one is college daughter’s therapy dog.  She is using her to teach prisoners to raise dogs for her social masters.

We went into Chicago and saw the opera, Romeo at the Lyric.  It was great but 3and one half hours long so it got to be a late night.  I read a few more pages of the Memory Keeper’s Daughter.

PS  The puppies are five weeks old and that is why the mother is still with them.  They will go to their new owners at eight weeks.

I was hoping I could remember my password - I brought all that stuff with me but it’s in the bedroom and I’m not.

I laughed at your nine-month old puppies.  Nine weeks is MUCH more cuddly.  In a way!

I’ve got to get with it and get the table set and maybe even heat up some leftovers!  I think we’re going Christmas shopping tonight…but I”m not sure.  I never know WHAT’s happening around here.  Last night g’son and I went to see Casino Royale, the latest James Bond movie.  I think I like the earlier ones better.  This one was quite violent.

It’s warm here - cools off some when the sun goes down but I still don’t need even a light jacket.  This is Christmas???  It’s 43° back home.

Take care all

Jo

I am just seeing if I can post from here.  I am at my youngest daughters and will be here in the dog world for a while.    By the way Jacky, I finished the second Fossum book and found it as good as the first.  Mystery readers would probably like this one.  Wolf is in the Title but I don’t have it here so can’t remember.  I have started listening to Running with scissors and almost wish I were reading it instead–will explain later.  I started the Memory Keepers daughter and from the few pages I have read really like it.

I have been hearing about your storm and am happy that you are OK.  (I wouldn’t go out either)

I’m happy to report that my daughter got power back about three in the morning. The house is now warm and she’s doing laundry. I’m not sure about my grands, but they can always go to their mother’s if they are cold.

Susan

Thanks to everyone for the information on what they read of Faulkner. Steve McQueen was in a movie, The Reivers, from a Faulkner book, which was very funny.

I live north of Seattle and we’ve had quite a time up here the last few days. I am fine and never lost power, but my daughter and grown grandchildren in Seattle are without power or heat now. My granddaughter has two fireplaces and a gas stove, so she should be OK, but my daughter is plenty chilly unless the power went on overnight. The temperature down there is 31º. There were well over a million people without power right after the storm.

There are trees down all over, and they weren’t discriminating on where they fell. One poor guy had ten trees fall on his house. My complex had lots of evergreen branches all over, but no trees that I’ve seen, although I didn’t go out much yesterday, since I didn’t have to.

I’ve been reviewing The Sound and The Fury after 40 years, and it is hard going. I don’t remember that from reading it before, Maybe age has something to do with it? Nah!

Susan

I’m glad you got rid of the Blue stuff, Jerry, i had the same problem, and it was hard to remember what I’d written under the blue.  I’ve never read THe Sound and the Fury, so am going to get it, I did read the one about sleeping and didn’t care much for it.  I also returned the Red Tent to my neighbor skipping most of the middle of the book.  Just didn’t care for the embellishing of the fiction part of the Bible story.  My neighbor is reading, My Sister’s Keeper, and really likes it, my sister is reading the story of the Dr giving away his child, can’t think of the title, and says she likes it. 

Our middle daughter and hubby were out this evening and showed me how to do labels on the computer, it will help my Christmas card progess, but I see I have 3000 labels, and we send about 100 cards a year, so I’ll have to will the excess.

We are staying in Oslo for the holidays and family is coming the 22nd, my husband’s 75th, and will be here over the weekend.  Busyness makes the time fly.

Jacky Jones

I meant nine week old puppies.  Nine month old ones would be quiet a handfull.

My library book group picked A Memory Keepers Daughter for the January meeting and I am saving it to read while traveling.  i also have a Fossum mystery..something with wolf in the title but don’t have it here in front of me so can’t remember.

I also will be leaving Monday for my WI daughter and will be there until Jan.5th.  i can get on line there but I don’t know how busy the computer will be.  The two college girls and HS som will all be home,  There also will be nine month old labrador puppies in the basement but I probably won’t have to do much with them except cuddle them once in a while. It is good for them to be around people and kids so they are usually well socialized by the time they go to their new homes.

I am pretty sure I will be on line before Christmas but if not I wish you all Happy Holidays.

I’ve been reading the posts although I’ve not had much to say - surprised?  I am!

At any rate, today I’m packing to get ready to drive to son Gene’s in MD tomorrow afternoon.  He and Sharon will take me to the airport sunday am to fly to FL for christmas with daughter Debbie and g’son JP. 

And in case I don’t get online much down there, may you all have a most happy Christmas with your family and friends, and a safe holiday if you travel.

Jo

Thanks Bohl.  Our library has a large selection of movies and I can never think of one I want to watch so I am starting a list that goes with my book list.  I will try to get both of those Faulkner movies, especially the one with Robert Duvall.

First of all, I solved my problem of the annoying blue bars intruding into the writing field; I simply clicked the wide angle box in the top right corner.

 I’m glad we’re finally starting to talk about movies in this great blog. I don’t thing anyone ever said it had to be just about books.

Anyhoo, there is a movie titled “The Sound and the Fury”. It doesn’t star Paul Newman but does have his wife Joanne Woodward. It also stars Yul Brunner. (with hair) Made in 1959. My favorit Faulkner movie is “Tomorrow”, which is one of Robert Duvall’s first movies. I bought this movie on DVD after the one I had on VHS wore out from my watching it too much. If any of you folks can get a copy of this great movie, I highly recommend it. It’s in black and white and you’ll love it.

Thank all y’all for listening,

Jerry

I remember reading Falkner in high school and college.  “The Sound and the Fury” is his most popular (I believe).  I also liked “As I Lay Dying”.  Wasn’t there a movie made of “Sound and Fury”?  I think I remember a young Paul Newman playing in it.  Does anyone else remember a movie of one or more of Falkner’s books?

Judith

I had that problem too, until I clicked on my “favorites” and the page enlarged so the blue bars moved over to the right side of the screen. 

But I clicked on some sort of “upgrade, recommended” and lost my mail envelope from the upper bar.  I’m going to phone our provider tomorrow,  I can get my mail through “firefox”  Now I have a weird voice advertising. 

Faulkner has long been one of my favorite authors. I can’t remember all of his books I’ve read but the ones that areformost in my mind are “The Sound and the Fury”, as I Lay Dying” and a lot of short stories. I came to love the characters populating his Yoknapatawpha county. Now I’m getting the urge to reread some of his greats.

 Does anyone know how to get rid of the pesty blue bars in this posting field that limit one’s seeing what has been typed on the right side?

Huggz all,

Jerry