And so I read...

When the days are difficult, and the answers to issues are not forthcoming, I have trusty fallbacks. Chocolate is always my answer but sadly it's not a good answer any more even if it ever was. But still, there are times when it's all that works.  Or so I tell myself...the quick fix.

I do have my tried and true remedy which has been one of my defaults since childhood. Reading. What solitary child has not found her escape in a book? I grumbled a week or two ago when a whole shitload of my library holds all come in at once. But silly me, that was what I needed. Last week I read almost a book a day. And yes, brownie bites were also in play.

Here's what has transpired this year. The newest are on top with a periodic dash of Pema Chodren's
The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times. 

And so I continue to read. What book's helping you escape these days?

What I Read and What I Saw

I have my books noted on line but I realized I tend to forget what it is I watched on tv. Most days, I am on my computer a lot but do take time to read paper in between meals or after an afternoon coffee.

I usually read the Washington Post paper edition with breakfast, breaking it down into sections. Metro 1st, then Style. If there's a daily section such as Health, Wednesday's Food, or Thursday's Living, I'll often read that one mid morning when I come down for another drink, probably water by then. The last section I read is the A/Front page section as I don't want to take in the bad news on an empty stomach or at the start of my day. If there is a photo of 45  on the front, I'll turn the paper over so I don't have to seen that any time I'm in the kitchen.

As for books, 99% of the time I read paper. Recently, I've found the Playaway series of audio books which I like because they're small as a deck of cards & they aren't like scratched up CDs. But my ears do get tired of the headphones, which are Bose but still not so comfortable. They're my husband's hand me downs.  Right now I'm listening to  I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad by Souad Mekhennet. I've liked it a lot but haven't taken the time to listen to this as often as I'd have liked to. It seems my days have lost some of those pockets of time that I had or maybe I'm just wasting more time with the summer heat. In close to 100° weather, my energy melts.

I've also been going through The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay. This was good but it would have been better had I read it when it came out 8 years ago. Most of the book is old hat by now but it's always good to have a push to declutter!

Now I'm starting Brooklyn Wars by Triss Stein. I've read the earlier 3 books in the 'accidental' Brooklyn detective Erica Donato series. Donato is a Historian who, while seemingly to be endlessly working on her dissertation, stumbles across situations where her investigative talent comes in. Easy reads but with a lot of substance.

Onto the watching...

I guess it was last year, or at least this winter, I watched Marcella on Netflix. Give me a gritty London detective and I'm good for the series. Season 1 was rather strange making me wonder what was really happening and what Marcella might be hallucinating? seeing as flashbacks? etc.  But no matter what the how or why, I loved it. Today I'll finish the last of Season 2 which I semi-binged watching with 2 episodes a night usually. Please please please, a 3rd Season!

What's next? Probably Fauda also on Netflix. I'm always open to your suggestions on what you read or watch! 

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Reading

if only

AAM Monday: Books, Books, Books

Most years I have made my goal but in 2015 I set the goal for 125. I was one book short. Now I set the goal for 100 and usually come close to 125 as I did in the years prior to 2015. Don't you just love Goodreads for the tracking?

Books...such good reading!

Five on Friday: October 21, 2016

This week the five are 5 books I've recently read. Until I saw them together, I hadn't realized how much they seem to be in the same color family. I'm so done with summer maybe this is my need for a real autumn. Now.

Have you read anything interesting lately? My short reviews for all of these can be found on Goodreads. Have a great weekend!

Five on Friday: June 17, 2016

An interesting week....

1. So you know when you put books on hold at the library? well it does seem to be feast or famine. I'm now in one of those feast times with five new books, another one to pick up and...a bag of used books from one of the local sales. Fortunately, I think five of the sale books were free cookbooks so I may just read these, enjoy them for a bit and then pass them on to the next sale. I did pay $2. for the Martha Stewart Cookbook. I have a few of her original one subject ones and they were quite good. This one eems to be a modern version of the Fannie Farmer kind of book. It was in very good condition and clean so we'll see.

2. Most of this week, I have been kind of linked to the computer waiting for intermittent calls or emails from Apple regarding my backup problems. Since they often want me to do something with my computer, I've been home a lot. In this 'in house' time I did get to a few projects round here including finishing the Paris album for my granddaughter. Now just to wait for the mail and actually SEE it!

3. There was also time to start watching some of the movies I put in my on demand queue. Now that many of the series I've been watching are on a break, it's movie time for me. I started with one that I wasn't sure about, The Railway Man, but it turned out to be not as depressing as I thought it might be.  You can't go wrong with Colin Firth. It also hit me a while after watching this that I had actually visited this railway with my mother while living in Thailand. Somehow I missed what the British has suffered after the fall of Singapore, even though I had lived in England for seven years! The self-centered obliviousnees of being  young.  

                                            

4. Happily, there was time to have breakfast with a friend downtown and in addition to our breakfasts we shared a berry PopTart. I could never stand the bought ones but this one was a bit of a nice treat especially for her who had them growing up. This one was freshly made though with sprinkles AND a good dollop of whipped cream. It was a celebration breakfast for my friend as she had 3 big events in her life including getting her B.A.   I know how that feels when you are an adult student working full time and trying to be the perfect student too. 

5. Sadly, it was quite a disappointment to find that the DC store I had hoped to visit this week to donate art supplies was closed, having lost their lease as the rent was too high for a non-profit group. In addition,  my other donation site was also not taking things right now. If the weather gets sunny, I hope I can work with my final location. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to Freecycle and go through the time-consuming matching up with a taker. Sigh.

Well no matter what, I hope you have a great weekend, and if you're celebrating Fathers' Day, give the father in your life some love.  See you Monday!

Five on Friday: June 6 2014

1. I love aprons. Why? for all the reasons this blogger loves them. The prime reason for me is that I can wipe my hands down the sides of the apron as I cook. I don't know about the rest of you, but I wash my hands a lot but in between, I need to wipe 'stuff' off and I do not hold with paper towels.  I used to make some of my own, oilcloth in England which was trendy back in the day, but not as useful for hand wipes.  Yvonne, the blogger mentioned, even has a pattern tutorial on that post. Check it out!

Pretty, itsn't it.

2. This week has seen my husband in Kansas City for work, a trip I happily passed on. I've been to Kansas City so this is not contempt prior to investigation.  That airport is out in nowhere's-ville.  He fortunately had a chance to visit with his son and family who coincidently were visiting a relative of dil out there. It all works out some how.

3. A volunteer position I have held for 7 years is now no longer mine. My choice.  I felt it was time to let newer blood assume the title of Recording Secretary and gladly let go. It was enjoyable for a lot of years until it wasn't.  Anyhow, seven years is a true cycle.

4. Do you find that you often, without planning, read several books with a theme? I've recently had two Holocaust/WWII brutality books in a row.

One a library book that came in and the other one that I pulled from my bookshelf because it was thin and could easily be held in bed.  Perhaps the books in the house talk to each other and say...Tell her to pick ME!!! Me!  Anything is possible with the number of books our home contains.

5. Because of #2 I have done almost no cooking this week.  I've switched from oatmeal to lassis for breakfast and salads the rest of the day. Oh yes, there was leftover pizza twice from his last night here. Sadly this lack of cooking does not result in the pounds slipping away.  Perhaps chocolate has something to do with that. Ya think?



From me to you...have a wonderful weekend! See you again on Monday.

AAM Monday - Reading and Not Reading

We are great buyers of used books, both for ourselves and for a boys' middle school in Washington DC - Washington Jesuit Academy. But as you readers know, volume in should at least try to equal volume out. However, our favorite book donation site has closed their annual book sale and thus the site where most of our 'read' books go is now history. Fortunately, my dh has found another location where we can donate but I seriously will miss the ability to donate at Stone Ridge and buy at their famous sale.

For me, this means that I am trying to cut down on my purchase of books. I'm even trying to cut back on the # of books that I request from the library. There are always new books in the newspaper that catch my fancy. Ok, in magazines, on Goodreads, well most everywhere. I can't bring more in!

What I've decided to try and do is read books I already have on my shelves, in boxes, here and there all around my house. Try. You know how it is when you buy something that you like, think you'd like or that just is a 'good buy'.  Then it sits round your house and later you look at it and wonder...What was I thinking? why did I buy this? oh I forgot I had this!  Well, that's the process I'm in.

Some of the books I found and started have almost immediately gone into the Give Away category. Out into the universe for someone else to try. Others have been ones I felt I should read and decided I just don't want to read. This stage of my life is not Literature 207 or some externally dictated must. If I don't want to read it, I won't.  No guilt.

Now there is an increasing large pile for my dh to add to the database he keeps of donated books for tax purposes. Fortunately, it's also up to him to get those books out of our house.

I'm In the Top 1% - REALLY?

No, no not 'that' one percent, the 1% who own all the wealth of the United States. Believe me, I don't even wish to be in that category.  Enough is enough and contentment with what I have is a big part of my makeup.

But I just got an email from Goodreads where I mainly keep track of books I want to read. You never know when you'll hit a fabulous used bookstore and wonder...what did I want so much??? However, I do write brief reviews for books I've read - just a sentence or two usually. But apparently I've reached the stratosphere of reviewers. No mention of quality was given.  Hmmm...

Thank you Otis. Please keep up with the pats on the head. Yes, I'm easily flattered.  1%...just think of it....

AAM Monday - Feast or Famine

You know how you see a book in the newspaper or a friend tells you about it or one of your Goodreads buddies is reading it? So onto your library hold list it goes. Then you wait. You're # 27 or 430 on the list so the book kind of goes out of your mind. Well, it goes out of my mind!

But then all of a sudden, books start appearing ready for pickup. It's one book, then suddenly you have three or 4 ready to read. Then, god-forbid, you have e-books on Overdrive because they seem to hear their paper peers on their way to your house and they decide they want to go too! In our library, you get a week to pick up a paper book. Overdrive, however, gives you a scant 72 hours.

So where am I now? I have four books that were holds sitting in my house now.

• Sweet Tooth - Ian McEwan
• What is Mine - Anne Holt
• What Never Happens - Anne Holt 
• Grace: a Memoir - Grace Coddington

More? oh yes. My husband and I went to Howard Country to get cards from that library system so he could have a wider field of e-books to choose from.  We each...heh heh...also found paper type books to check out, so let's add to that list of what I have to read.

• Maman's Homesick Pie: a Persian Heart in an American Kitchen -Donia Bijan
• The Forgetting Tree -Tatjana Soli
• Mrs. Queen Takes the Train -William M. Kuhn

You would think that's more than enough. I certainly do but oh no...there are more. I had a catch up visit with a friend and came home with these.

Oh..my..god... Do I have books or what! Yes, my friends this is certainly feast time. I suspect it would be ungrateful of me to complain.  But seriously, I almost have book indigestion.

How I find A Book

You never know when a new book will fall in your lap or shopping cart or your GoodReads list. Yesterday, a new book came via the Wordless Wednesday site. Now I must say that I don't know if I'll check back on that linky list too often since many of the WW photos have text or the poster doesn't get that you are supposed to link your specific post, not your site, to Mr. Linky. Rather than get ticked off with other peoples' blogs, I'll just venture into some and wait for serendipity to happen as it did yesterday.

One link I had to try just for the name was Beth Fish Reads. Now Cooking My Life reads too so this sounded like a good match, eh? (I was in Ontario this month...) Beth does read and she also reviews books and only lives a state away. I liked all that. But as I scanned down the blog, yes scanned, as it was only morning and I didn't want my dh to find me still at the computer in my jammies when he returned for lunch, a phrase caught my eye and heart.

Here was the phrase that sold me. "I open my cello case and smell my grandfather." Ok, that was it. Gimme the book, put it on my GoodReads to-read list, and share it with you. I want to read this. I must be learning some lesson as I have avoided short story collections and stated that publicly, so what is this one? Yep, a short collection of stories. Simon Van Booy's Love Begins in Winter.

Oh, I'm also a sucker for a good cover. I didn't even see this one when I made my decision but look at his other upcoming philosophy books and tell me those aren't great covers too.

Wordless Wednesday

Catching Up

Not too much scrapping lately, as I have been trying to get some tag books done -one from the trip to Italy this year and one for an upcoming trip. I think I got a good bit complete through my recent Artist Wau studio day. That's always a great way to Just Do It.

The recent trip down to Virginia for the Green Valley book fair did get done. I'm glad they did for as many times as we've gone down there, I have rarely taken pictures of the books or the site. I guess I've been just to anxious to start buying!

Not worth the wait (yes it was!)

So far I have been greatly under-impressed with this book.


I put this book on hold twice before and wasn't in the country when the book came into the library. I should have taken that as a sign. Pretentious navel-gazing is fine for the young and narcissistic but I really don't want to read about it. It is my understanding that a plot actually develops mid-book.

I shall forge on but I am very glad that it is only my tax money that paid for this book (library copy) and not my current disposable $$s.

10.05.07 / POSTSCRIPT: I came back to this book and got past the early part and ended up loving the story. I will also say that I still think the beginning part was overdone. We get that both the main characters are pretentious snobs. Let's move on, and the author did. I finished it up today, laying on the couch on a balmy afternoon and relishing the tale. Read it if you haven't, but know there is some slog at the beginning.

Love the image, loved the book

I strongly suggest you read it too, or just enjoy the image if you're too busy right now.

Time for Reading

I'm more than one quarter through this book and had two weeks to finish it. I have 11 more days to go but it's feeling like a marathon. I may just pay the fine and take my time with the 624 pages.

What am I reading? The Children's Book shortlisted for the Man Booker prize.

Lost and Found

Not the food...but the pictures. I had a devil of a time getting them off my phone, but with a lot of resets, eh voila!


I think we need to make this an annual April Sunday event - the Stone Ridge book sale and lunch at Jaleo. Two things dh and I totally agree on, and that in itself is just amazing!

Book Lovers World

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

I have The City of Dreaming Books from the library. I'd seen it on vacation but when I opened it I had my doubts. DH confiscated it and is enjoying it thoroughly and it will def be a book we buy for the middle school boys. This video made seemed to tie fit with the book.

Scrappin' With Adrienne

is the winner of the Sark giveaway book. Adrienne if you send me your address, I'll send the book to you.

Thanks to all who played.

Now back to our political broadcasts. ;-)

On My Desk... a giveaway

Trying to get a good clean up done, and wrap up any undone projects. And Finally, the giveaway for this post.

This is a fascinating book and Sebastian will do the drawing on Friday October 31st, so we can try and get it in the mail on Saturday. If you commented on the earlier post, you're in but there's still time. Yes, I will send internationally. Thank you for enlarging my world!

Kirsty of Kootoyoo manages the On My Desk... meme so click the button on the right that says On My Desk or that link at your left.