quotes#375867 Never look back

[not-literary-but-useful-for-reflection]

Captain James Russell watched as Matilda walked away. He had been intrigued by her right from the first day she came to him asking to join the wagon train. He was always reluctant to take any women travelling on her own, for that usually spelled trouble, especially if they were as pretty as Mrs. Jennings. On top of that she was English, and the few women he had taken out West were all a pain in the rump, always complaining or praying, and he didn't know which was worse. p358

But the Hamilton children had been given a home by a Baptist minister and his wife in Chicago and collected two weeks ago, and Giles had used his connections in the church to find a job for Alice. He sighed with contentment as they went back into the empty house. "I never knew silence could sound so good," he said. p309

quotes#113232 Never look back

She supposed that his advice to 'never look back' was wise and kindly meant. But did he really think she could forget her past and origins that easily? Surely all those hard times had given her something which was worth carrying on into a new life? p55

"Things will get better, just you see. We got our 'ealth and strength." p24

next-on-list#127873

C'est la vie, by Suzy Gershman, c. 2004 - ecl - reserve
The nanny diaries, by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin, c. 2002 - pcl - reserve
Buddha or bust, by Perry Garfinkel, c. 2006 - lcl - but was returned to wcl and i snaffled it
The forger, by Paul Watkins, c. 2000 -- bc
The six pack two, anthology, c. 2007 -- bc
Baby come back, by Maeve Haran, c. 2000 -- bc
The littlest viking, by Sandi Toksvig, c. 2008 -- wcl jf
I believe in unicorns, by Michael Morpurgo, c. 2005 -- wcl jf

couldn't-finish#310056

secrets of the sea, by nicholas shakespeare
the difference between women and men, by bret lott

quotes#088834 The Playground Mafia

Then there's Anne, a mum whose little girl has only just joined the school and is in Ben's class. The poor woman looked as nervous as I did on my first day so I introduced myself in the playground and after quite a long and bizarre chat I invited her along too. She's an intuitive therapist and yoga instructor and tells me I should take fifteen minutes for myself each day and just 'be'. Apparently I'm a human doing rather than a human being at the moment, and should practise being a tree, imagining my roots going deep into the ground so that I can be a firm foundation for Ben. After I stopped laughing, I told her I don't have time to spare fifteen minutes each day, but I might try to get to one of her yoga classes. p314

Kids-book-I-read-some-time-ago#930520

Just recording that I have read On Angels Wings by Michael Morpurgo -- at WCL.
Catching up with myself.

Musings#269613 Sea Glass

As always I find it spooky that I tend to read books for reason. This time I am reading this when the global credit crunch widened (Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy). Characters in the book are coping with the Wall St Crash of 1929.

quotes#540275 The End of the Alphabet

The Englishman handed her a thin bauble, a boncuk. He told her that Turkish mothers pin the blue glass trinket to their children's clothes. To keep them safe. p101

In all the years we talked about Venice and pictured Venice and dreamed of Venice, did we ever once imagine it might smell? p128

quotes#152958 Sea Glass

But first he wants to check out the coast road. An open road always tempting, promising surprises, the possibility of luck. It's why he is a traveling salesman, why he chucked it all back home. Nothing better than to find an unfamiliar road on the map, see where it takes him. He got the Claremont Bank account that way, and the Mutual Life account in Andover. p35

quotes#888376 The Apple Tree

... I know what your generation is like. My mother is the same. Always on the go. I think it's partly having gone through World War Two. You had so much responsibility then, you ladies. You can't seem to shake it off." He got up to go. "Do you enjoy reading?" he asked.
"When I have time," Madge said.
"Well, now you have," he pointed out. "Get a pile of books from the library van and lie back and read them all. And if you fall asleep reading, so much the better." p278
[hee, hee - not literary but I like it anyhow]

quotes#060802 The Apple Tree

Her mother was full of folklore like that. Break two of anything on the same day, for instance, and you must then prevent a third breakage of something precious by snapping a match in half. p62

After lunch, Madge said, "I think I'll go and have my little nap. I've missed it the last day or two and I always feel better for it. Just to lose myself for a little while." p52
[comment: nothing literary, but I do like the sentiment]

next-on-list#460277

the playground mafia, by sarah tucker, c. 2006 -- wcl
secrets of the sea, by nicholas shakespeare, c. 2007 -- lcl
the difference between women and men, by bret lott, c. 2005 -- bc 6212163
never look back, by lesley pearce, c. 2000 -- bc 6416107

quotes#542526 Lots of Love

Then she dragged out the vacuum cleaner and sucked up enough Cornish sand from the upholstery and footwells to make a twenty-four-hour egg-timer. p412

"Nothing's happening," she said, goosebumps popping out on her goosebumps until she was convinced she must look like a figure in a Seurat painting. p339

quotes#610832 Lots of Love

Spurs turned to Ellen and smiled. "See what a good influence you are on me?"
She narrowed one eye speculatively.
"Do you still love me?" he asked, only a hint of mischief in his voice.
"A bit." She yawned. "You?"
"To death - anyone who brings me tea like this wins my heart." He took a long gulp.
"I didn't think you had one."
"Grew it back last night."
"I'll notify the tea ladies of Britain." p203

She breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass, which was perhaps the only smell, besides that of the sea, that could make her shudder with uncontrollable happiness the moment it hit her nose." p169
[comment: I can relate]

quotes#367843 Road to Paradise

Gina oohed at my dry wit and my swearing. Candy didn't. We gulped our coffees. I got out my notebook. I wasn't sure what to do. I'm always unsure what to do, which is why I usually end up doing nothing. Opening the notebook always made me feel, perhaps falsely, that I was about to devise some kind of plan and do something. "All right, girls," I said. "What do you see as our options?" p185

quotes#313130 Road to Paradise

What if the answer you get is not the answer you want? You forgot to ask yourself if what you want is truth or comfort? p137

The words flapped in the air like clothes on a line. p135

quotes#358953 The Monk Downstairs

Maybe that was what real love was, being willing to charge toward the busy, noisy place that someone else inhabited and find what comfort there you could. p140

She felt like making phone calls: to Bonnie, to her mother. The situation called for consideration at length. But she suspected that both women would be unreservedly supportive of the kiss and its potential consequences. Bonnie believed that love could be competently assembled from available elements like a casserole, and Phoebe believed in destiny; this made both of them a little rash in matters of the heart, in Rebecca's opinion. Certainly she didn't have Bonnie's confidence in her own cooking skills. She had believed in destiny herself, of course, once upon a time; but Rory had been her destiny then. You looked at your destiny differently after a slightly messy divorce.
Am I spoiled for life? Rebecca asked herself. Ruined by cyncism? Truly, I don't think that I am. I am a woman who bailed her first husband out of jail last night. I am a realistic single mother with too much to do already. Love is all very well, but the bathtub hasn't been scrubbed in weeks. p176

next-on-list#094369

Feng shui for today's living, by Mary Lambert, c. 2008 wcl
The apple tree, by Elvi Rhodes, c. 2004 wcl
The end of the alphabet, by CS Richardson, c. 2007, wcl
Sea glass, by Anita Shreve, c. 2002 bc

quotes#496210 Such a Perfect Sister

"It's our busiest night. I need you here," he'd insisted. "Ronan spends more time poncing around than doing any work, and Ian's about as much use as a chocolate fireguard." p124

Phoebe looked around the kitchen. It was gloriously cluttered, warm and inviting. The mismatched assortment of china on the old Welsh dresser was almost hidden behind piles of letters, family photos and old copies of the Guardian. A fat ginger cat dozed by the Aga. Thw whole room was filled with the rich fragrance of cardamon and turmeric. Gina was obviously a dap hand with a Madras.
It was the kind of room Phoebe had always dreamed of having herself, a complete contrast to her own mother's joyless, interior designed kitchen, with everything ruthlessly in its place. p225
[comment: not literary at all, but still enjoyed the setting]

quotes#678916 Inside the Taxi

Ross says the great thing about driving taxis is the spontaneity with which things happen. p64
[comment: I value spontaneity in life]

quotes#647615 I'm not in the mood for love

"The only good thing to come out of the breakup with Lonny is that my writing is going surprisingly well." She found comfort in her writing. Comfort in being transported for several hours a day into a world she created when the reality of her real life sucked. p96
[comment: quote is certainly not literary ... but i record it as it means something to me]

quotes#458053 Chicken Soup for the Beach Lover's Soul

I am blessed to live near the beach and get my daily exercise. I enjoy walking on the boardwalk. The sounds of the sea are rhythmic and soothing, so I've developed the habit of listening as well as looking while I walk.
I puff along, arms swinging, boards trembling beneath my feet, or occasionally stepping down and strolling close to the water's edge, where lapping waves pack the sand firm enough for a steady pace. Walking alongside the ocean is a delight offering an ever-changing vista and the comforting sounds of the sea. p121
[comment: some wise old soul told me one day to stop, look, feel, hear, smell, taste. as a way of grounding myself]

quotes#029954 Chicken Soup for the Beach Lover's Soul

Josh, the four-year-old, suddenly spied a flock of seagulls. He had never seen these creatures before and was totally fascinated with them. My son, who needed to experience everything for himself, scampered after the birds to get a closer look.
The birds at first scurried away from the oncoming charge. Josh slowed momentarily when he saw they were running from him. He was not dissuaded and decided to try again and darted after those birds like a bullet. The seagulls took to the air, landing several feet away. Josh ran as fast as his little legs could carry him - a new destination, but the same goal. He was determined to get one of those birds.
That's when I heard it. When the game repeated itself, I heard Mom laugh. Although briefly, she did laugh at the funny sight of a boy chasing birds he'd surely never catch. p99
[comment: I can relate. Mom, in the story, was grieving and didn't laugh often]

not-so-literary-quote-but-means-something-to-me#216573 One Night with the Sheikh

Hazily Mariella noticed that the red geraniums she remembered tumbling from the urns in the outdoor courtyard had been changed to a rich vibrant pink to match the colour of the flowers of the ornamental vine softening the walls of the courtyard. p162
[comment: geraniums remind me of my childhood]

next-on-list#653615

i'm in no mood for love, by rachel gibson, c.2006 wcl pbk
inside the taxi, by geoff young, c.2002 wcl nf
such a perfect sister, by donna hay, c.2002 bc and salv army
the monk downstairs, by tim farrington, c. 2002 bc
road to paradise, by paullina simons, c. 2007 wcl
lots of love, by fiona walker, c.2003 trademe and bc

nature-quotes#299521 Bah Humbug, Baby

Along the other side of the street behind an identical mound of snow, Allison could see brightly colored hats and bare heads bobbing along. Occasionally, one would disappear from view, only to reappear a few seconds later. A green umbrella passed. A black-and-white spaniel clambered up the other side and slid toward the street. There was a bright red bow around his neck and a jingling brass bell. Two little heads appeared over the mound. Then two children, dressed in bright red snowsuits, scrambled over the top and chased the dog down the street. p134
[comment: not a literary quote at all, but it teases the imagination]

book-pure-entertainment-no-passages-last-night#671868 Do you hear what I hear by Lori Foster; in anthology A very merry Christmas

quotes#852523 Anne of Green Gables

"I'll win that scholarship if hard work can do it," she resolved. "Wouldn't Matthew be proud if I got to be a B.A.? Oh, it's delightful to have ambitions. I'm so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them - that's the best of it. Just as soon as you attain one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still." p235

Anne and Diana found the drive home as pleasant as the drive in - pleasanter, indeed, since there was the delightful consciousness of home waiting at the end of it. It was sunset when they passed through White Sands and turned into the shore road. Beyond, the Avonlea hills came out darkly against the saffron sky. Behind them the moon was rising out of the sea that grew all radiant and transfigured in her light. Every little cove along the curving road was a marvel of dancing ripples. The waves broke with a soft swish on the rocks below them, and the tang of the sea was in the strong, fresh air.
"Oh, but it's good to be alove and to be going home," breathed Anne. p199

quotes#348959 Anne of Green Gables

Anne drew a long breath of happiness as she sharpened her pencil and arranged her picture cards in her desk. Life was certainly very interesting. p161 [comment: i can relate to the feeling]

quotes#469826 Anne of Green Gables

"This is my little girl, Diana," said Mrs Barry. "Diana, you might take Anna out into the garden and show her your flowers. It will be better for you than straining your eyes over that book. She reads entirely too much" - this to Marilla as the little girls went out - "and I can't prevent her, for her father aids and abets her. She's alaways poring over a book. I'm glad she has the prospect of a playmate - perhaps it will take her more out-of-doors." p76

next-on-list #005671

The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky, c. 2007 -- wcl 158.1
One night with the sheikh, by Penny Jordan, c. 2003 -- bc 6266362
Chicken soup for the beach-lovers soul, by Jack Canfield et al, c. 2007 -- ecl
In the spaniard's bed, by Helen Bianchin, c. 2003 -- bc6266364

quotes #522197 Lucky Man

Angry or not, my only immediate recourse was to just get on with it until I could figure out some way to get out of it. p187

quotes #099662 Lucky Man

It seems to me that the quality of a moment in time is not always a reflection of the moment in and of itself - what happens before and what happens after are often what gives it its savor. Having forestalled a professional crisis, that monkey was, at least for now, off my back - and with no way of anticipating the gorilla that was waiting for me in the fall, the rest of that summer was a parenthesis of bliss. p30

- believing, as I do, in a bit of wisdom gleaned from amongst the more scatological offerings scrawled on a toilet wall door in Vancouver's Arts Club Theatre, circa 1978: a creative mess is better than an idle tidiness. p6

quotes#364451 The Leninsky Prospekt

Viktor had written the poem in his head some time ago; tonight it was the poem he decided he wanted to write down. It would make no difference if the guards came and took his pencil away; it would make no difference if they made him wash the wall or if they painted over the poem. It was hardly legible anyway. He would always have the poem in his head. He would write it down again some place else, another time. Or he would recite it, to tell it to others, again and again, to anyone who would listen, inside prison or out, until they, too, could repeat it. He'd always go on writing, spreading his word, whenever he had the chance. p120


The guards came for him just before he lay down to sleep. They wouldn't throw him into solitary after a cosy night's snooze and a strengthening if shitty breakfast; they'd throw him in now, tired out. Let him soak his feet in the standing, icy water covering the floor, then let him slump all night on the stone bench. The bench was too hard, too narrow, too cold for sleeping. p118
[comment: ah the freedoms we have in life; sleep in warmth; context: political prisoner]

quotes#475459 The House Has Three Walls

Think of the sun staring at the earth, of it frowning through the clouds, alternating with periods of concentrated effort, day after day willing the seed to burst from the unseen world into the open. And you get an idea of how Judith's Russia was able to flourish and take over the life she led with Neil in the Wairarapa. p23

passages-that-made-me-wish#066677 from The Last Week in May

And the presents - from Cathal and Gaby, a thing for all the world like a giant furry boot that heated up when you plugged it in. Then you put your feet in, apparently, both of them, and it kept them warm. He'd never heard of such a thing, often wished for some magical solution for his chilly feet. He'd try it out the minute they were gone. p288

She slid the soft-poached duck egg onto the slice of toast. Such laziness, nearly midday and still in her dressing-gown, breakfast on the table when she should have been getting lunch.
Ah, who cared? Who was there to see her, an elderly woman sitting in her own kitchen on a Saturday morning? She picked up her fork and poked it into the egg, watched the dark orange yolk slither slowly over the toast. Such luxury, not to have to rush anywhere. She reached for the salt cellar. p239

just read Little Elephant Thunderfoot by Sally Grindley & John Butler ... also a storytime pick by Diana W.

quotes#937921 Six For Heaven

he was what we called a 'gum-nut' this being the college colloquial for a 'swot' or genuine lover of books. p140

they all gathered in the stable-yard to see us off. If Jake was taking a lady out they were making it a family concern. I made a joke of scrambling into the saddle because I didn't want to look idiotic. Better to laugh at myself, and very loudly, than give them the chance to do it quietly amongst themselves. p120

squeezing in next lot #205546

The Cat Mummy, by Jacqueline Wilson, c. 2001 [recommended by acl]
The Last Week in May, by Rosin Meaney, c. 2007 lcl
This House Has Three Walls, by Lloyd Jones, c. 1997 lcl, fiction

quotes#440424 Pursuit of Happyness

My short-lived life of crime had the fleeting effect of making me grateful for what I had at home and at work. It also taught me the major principle that there ain't so such thing as easy money. Banging on that anvil, that was the way. p164

By this point, I had learned the power of asking questions and knew that the best doctors didn't mind being asked them. p131

quotes#645629 The Pursuit of Happyness

Books, as always, fulfilled my need to find power through knowledge. Over the next few years, I journeyed through black history by reading whatever I could get my hands on. Moms would never discourage me from reading any book, although she was slightly alarmed when I came home with Die Nigger by H. Rap Brown and Soul on Ice by Elridge Cleaver. p94

The full details were never revealed to me or my sisters. All I got from this time was a mechanism for becoming still when scary forces preyed on me. Fear of losing my life, losing the life of a loved one, or the fear of losing everything I have - those fears followed me for years. Stillness has been my refuge and my defense. Even later, as an adult, I would cope by being still. Very still. It's not something I would always feel good about, but it's where I go whenever there's too much chaos around me, when the world seems like crumbling, when I suddenly fear that everything or everyone I cherish is going to be taken from me in the blink of the eye.
I get still. p58

In my twenty-seven years of life so far, I have learned a little already about the power of information and about the kind of currency that information has become. Now I see an opportunity to get some inside information, I think, and so I draw out my trusty sword - a compulsion for question-asking that has been in my survival kit since childhood. p4

quotes#191548 The Business Arrangement

"Out? Why do we have to go out?" Amy asked, curled up in the corner of the sofa. "I'm reading." p95

... likes yellow flowers (adds energy to a room). p75

quotes#467522 Dies the Fire

"We don't call anyone evil because of their faith. There are many roads to the Divine. We'd just like you to promise to reciprocate, as a demonstration of goodwill." p402

quotes#763381 Dies the Fire

It was good to laugh with friends; good to have some problems that looked solvable, as well. And sometimes the Goddess just gave you a bonus. p343

All you had to do was to stop the part of your mind that was always telling itself stories. p231

"The Mother-of-All's been good to us, Dennie. But She's giving us a message, too. We have to pay back, if we don't want the luck to leave us - threefold return for good or ill." p115

Dies the Fire is very similar to Burning Road. Read the latter in 2006.

kids reading #992587

anneke - the snow spider by jenny nimmo - much enjoyed - read it in one sitting
margaret and myself - a book on tooth fairies -- i need to edit the title at some point

Squeezing In #463793

One of our patrons was talking about this book yesterday - how he read it when Hurrican Katrina was on in New Orleans.

"Dies the Fire," by S.M. Stirling, c. 2004

Birthdays #969532

10th Dad took me to Canterbury Public Library - the old brick one - looked up Cobbs, Seattle
20th Homemade Baileys made by Pip in pub on corner of George St and London St; research done to find the name of it -- Albert Arms
30th Macaroni Grill in Miami, Jackie with us, just newly pregnant with Anneke
40th Wainuiomata Library; family party day before with all the cousins

quotes #934918 Liars & Lovers. A Travel Memoir

On my second-to-last night, Percy and Sarah put on a dinner party for us and some other friends. Their house as I remember it was somewhat chaotic, and perhaps this was why I related so well to them. They were magpies like me, with books and papers and clothes strewn everywhere. It was just the kind of house I aspired to. A house where people lived and loved and made room for everything. p235

"Inshallah," he said again.
"What does that mean?"
"God willing." p208

quotes #458950 Liars & Lovers. A Travel Memoir

About ten years later I discovered that I never know what I want to write about until I actually start doing it. Like a sculptor, I have to chip away at the surface until I find the essential form underneath. And usually something in my own life sets off the process. p169

I was also blessed or cursed with good old pragmatism. A particularly New Zealand trait? p106

I think that contrary to common perception, people become more curious as they get older. Maybe it has something to do with too many hormones whizzing round the brain in one's teens and early twenties. p62

quotes #238222

Some quotes from Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing:
During chemo, you're more tired than you've ever been. It's like a cloud passing over the sun, and suddenly you're out. You don't know how you'll answer the door when your groceries are delivered.
But you also find that you're stronger than you've ever been. You're clear. Your mortality is at optimal distance, not up so close that it obscures everything else, but close enough to give you depth perception. Previously, it has taken you weeks, months, or years to discover the meaning of an experience. Now, it's instanteous. p221

The only way for a woman, as for a man, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. -- Betty Friedan p76

"When I asked how my job was, I said, "Okay."
"Really?" he said."
"No," I said. I told him that I wasn't sure I belonged in publishing. "I'm getting worse instead of better."
"You keep talking about whether you're good at this or not," he said. "The real question is, do you enjoy it?"
"I might hate it," I said.He reminded me that I loved books.
"I don't read books," I said. "I read manuscripts that aren't good enough to become books."
"What do you think you'd like to do instead?" he asked.
I said that I'd been thinking about writing a series of pamphlets called "The Loser's Guide." .... p174

list #372102

"dearly departed. everything you want to know about the afterlife," by georgina walker, c. 2008 wcl
"the english doctors dilemma," by lucy clark, c. 2004 bc6244429
"the business arrangement," by natasha oakley, c.2005 bc6244431
"the pursuit of happyness," by chris gardner, c. 2006 lcl
"six for heaven," by lucy walker, c.1952 bc5520243

Next on my list:

Liars & Lovers, by Diane Brown, c. 2004 wcl 928.21
Webmage, by Kelly McCullough, c. 2006 wcl
The Princes Love-Child, by Sharon Kendrick, c.2004 bc622-9537

note to myself ... current read "so much for my happy ending," bipolar

next books on my list ...

"Vows," by Denis Edwards, c. 1997 -- lcl request
"the speed of light," by elizabeth rosner, c. 2001 -- ecl request
"the times of our lives," by louise hay and friends, c. 2007 -- wcl
"the girls guide to hunting and fishing," by melissa bank, c. 1999 -- bc6194555

from current read: "50 harbor st," by macomber

He didn't generally reveal his emotions; he was the kind of the man who showed his love through the things he did, not the things he said. p82

Saturday pile ... after netball and soccer this morning ...

So much for my happy ending, by Kyra Davis, c. 2006 wcl
Shining on, anthology, c. 2006 wcl ya
The midwife's miracle baby, by Amy Andrews, c. 2005 bc
Huia short stories, anthology c. 2007 wcl

ahh, decided to postpone reading the following two books - too much going on at work etc and wanted escapism for a bit instead of self-help:

Ordinary miracles, by Rebekah Montgomery, c. 2000 -- wcl --231.73 mon
The hidden gifts of the introverted child, by Marti Olsen Laney, c. 2007 -- lcl -- 155.418 lan

and .. tried
The colour of magic, by Terry Pratchett, c. 1983 --teen PCL - d borrowed it for ACL -- but couldn't get into this at all

so these are my next few books ...

australian womens weekly. april 2008
Switchcraft, by Lowri Turner, c. 2004 bc 5933182
The daydreamer, by Ian McEwan, c. 1994 wcl
Kept by the tycoon, by Lee Wilkinson, c. 2006 -- harl -- wcl
Paging Aphrodite, by Kim Green, c. 2008 wcl
50 Harbor St, by Debbie Macomber, c. 2005 wcl

“less than a week, and I’ve lost count of how many pairs of pyjamas you’ve got.”
She shrugged. “Do you know how many pens you’ve got?”
“Two thousand three hundred and fifty-nine.”
Her jaw dropped and then closed with a click. “You’re joking.”
He put a hand over his heart. “I never joke about inventory. But in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that there are more than that. Maybe a couple dozen. Link has got tucked away someplace. The extra specials, he calls them.”

in the circle of light Julia’s hands are foreign, mechanical contraptions covered with skin, with a life and purpose of their own. The needle flashes and pierces the linen stretched taut in the circular frame, and the thread follows it.
There is comfort in this work. It is orderly, and small enough to be contained; she will know when she is finished. Her needle makes its way, tracing the ghost of the original stitches, each as clear and clean as a footprint in the snow.

netsuke

Julia talked. She told him about the weather in a city halfway across the country, the quality of the particular kind of cold that comes off Lake Michigan, the way the city seems to glow on a sunny winter day, so mercilessly bright that people go out in N-3B parkas and sunglasses, like high-mountain hikers. The plain hard work of getting dressed to walk a block to the el stop or the grocery store when the windchill hit twenty below. How layers of clothes suddenly felt like the thinnest silk when a wind came shooting directly off the lake. Julia talked about Chicago in the winter and her face was alive with memories.
The stream of talk began to shift very slightly, a story about trying to navigate an icy sidewalk with arms full of shopping bags; how quickly a clear bright January afternoon could metamorphose into something very different.

“but everybody gets the blues now and then,” said Beate.

it was easy to lose track of time when the shop was busy. something Julia liked best about being on the floor. People came in emptyhanded and went out with a shopping bag or two to make room for the next customers. Except today it didn’t work that way. Today her customers didn’t leave, they just lined up along the windows to watch Halloween unfolding.

“you’ve got to choose,” Mayme said. “You can go over to your aunt Paulene’s and eat her dry turkey and green Jell-O mold with the peas and carrots, or you can come have your dinner with Nils and me at Tindell’s.”
If she wasn’t so mad at her sister, Mayme might have found something comic about her daughter’s expression. Bean loved eating out and she especially loved eating at Annabeth Tindell’s place. But it was no small matter, being turned away from the family dinner table because your mama was dating a white man with a funny accent who wasn’t even a proper Southern Baptist.

The Pyjama Girls of Lambert Square by Sara Donati, c. 2008

Next on the pile ...

Oh forgot to add the "The Pyjama Girls of Lambert Square," by Sara Donati, c. 2008 - squeezed it in -- wcl -- new book

The glass heart, by Sally Gardner, c. 2001 -- wcl -- red graphic
Ordinary miracles, by Rebekah Montgomery, c. 2000 -- wcl --231.73 mon
The hidden gifts of the introverted child, by Marti Olsen Laney, c. 2007 -- lcl -- 155.418 lan
The colour of magic, by Terry Pratchett, c. 1983 --teen PCL - d borrowed it for ACL

This week's pile:

12 days, edited by Shelley Silas, c. 2004 -- TCL -- must have been returned to WCL for me to get it
The Story of You, by Julie Myerson, c. 2006 -- WCL
A Family to Belong To, by Natasha Oakley, c. 2005 -- WCL
Wise Up, by Lindsey Dawson, c. 2006 -- WCL 155.66

Back again with a pile of books ...

Tarik's Mountain, by Dana James, c. 1988 bc6017414
Dangerous Bargain, by Kathryn Stewart, c. 1991 bc6017417
The Confession of an Unrepentant Lesbian Ex-Mormon, by Sue-Ann Post, c. 2005 -- wcl 927.927
What I Know Now, by Sarah Ferguson, c. 2003
Princess in Disguise, by Lilian Darcy, c. 2006 bc6017420

Last couple of quotes from book, Fragile:

That morning remains in my memory as a hazy, dreamlike blur, shot through with splinters of pin-sharp clarity. p178

I'm not, as I have mentioned, the most sociable person in the world and I can actually be, by turns, crippling shy and miserably misanthropic. One of the reasons I loved the Twins List was that I am so much more comfortable with the written rather than spoken word. The distance that stood between me and the other listees had, paradoxically, made me feel safe enough to open up much more than I would have under normal circumstances; I felt protected by this anonymity and so had developed a level of initmacy with the group that I would generally find oppressive. Now I was going to actually meet one of the people to whom I had poured out my heart and I had a horrible sinking feeling that, not only would we not get on, but we would be forced into fake amity once a month for the rest of my life. p141

Normal is actually an incredibly elastic concept. p151

Thursday choices:

Next on my pile:

Doctor and Protector, by Meredith Webber, c. 2004 -- bc 5967589
Getting Over It, by Anna Maxted, c. 2000 -- bc 5992324
The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, c. 2003 -- PCL, red kids book

Tried Gravedigger -- with not much luck ... shall return it without finishing it.

Next in my pile of books:

Jimmy Zest, by Sam McBratney, c. 1982 -- red WCL -- junior
Vicky Angel, by Jacqueline Wilson, c. 2000 -- red MCL -- junior
Volcanic airs, by Elizabeth Pewsey, c. 1996 -- bc 597 6072
Delilah alone, by Jenny Nimmo, c. 1997 -- red LCL -- junior
Footsteps of the Gods, by Hana Hiraina Erlbeck, c. 1998 -- JZ 398.099
Fragile, by Niki Shisler, c. 2006 -- LCL 362.82 adult

A couple of quotes from current read, Winter Blessings:

If there is a God, we're all it. -- John Lennon, p155

One night I was feeling particularly down and was questioning why I was still in bits after all these years, and what value this hardship could possibly have. Surely, I reasoned, it made much more sense for me to use the talents that had been given to me, instead of lying down doing nothing? I picked up a spiritual book that I'd been drawn to and asked for guidance and an answer to my questions. I opened it at random and read a most inspiring passage. The answer I was given couldn't have been clearer. It made me understand that we're often very hard on ourselves. Our treadmills seem to get faster and faster. We need to stop and rest and reflect. Our spirits and our bodes need to renew themselves, just as the earth needs to rest and renew itself over the winter. p30

"Drybread," -- vg read

Saturday night musings ....

Next in pile to read,

"Winter Blessings," by Patricia Scanlan, c. 2005 -- LCL book -- retd today shelf
"The Girl Who Fell Into A book," by Julia Lawrinson, c. 2006 -- WCL -- J purple
"Confessions of a Bad Mother," by Stephanie Calman, c. 2005 -- BC 5955969
"The Thirteenth Tale," by Diane Setterfield, c. 2006 -- WCL

ACL read "One Way Ticket," by Iona McNaughton, c. 2004 -- Canadian family moves to NZ.

MRL is getting better at reading every day ....

ACL inhaled a book from Anthony & Lisa ... "Utterly Me, Clarice Bean" by Lauren Child, c. 2002

quotes from the book I am reading ... "The Road of Bones," by Anne Fine, c. 2006

"We'd learned from the bitter experience of others never to call the attention to ourselves by standing out from the crowd. Safer by far always to plod along as close as you could to the centre of any group, with eyes downcast. Still, it was easy enough to steal a glance as we trudged past. One of the men on the first truck was wrinkling his nose at the stink, and staring in astonishment at the vast hummocks of excrement behind the latrines." p162

"In winter I'd warn him not to panic the first time he woke and found himself unable to lift his head. 'You won't be paralysed. It'll just be your hair frozen fast to the bedding.'
Perhaps he'd laugh, not quite believing me. I'd show him how to sleep with feet jammed into a jacket sleeve for extra warmth, and how to thicken his overcoat with rags, and wrap his face with more rags against the stinging winds." p163

I am motoring through my current read, "Diving Through Clouds," by Nicola Lindsay. This is narrated by someone was has passed away.

Next lot of books on the horizon:

"Happily Ever After," by Susan May Warren, c. 2003 -- WCL
"Fogheart," by Thomas Tessier, c. 1997 -- bc 5578888
"Fresh as a Daisy," by Valerie-Anne Baglietto, c. 2003 -- PCL
"Eyes Right, and They's Wrong," by Joe Bennett, c. 2007 -- WCL new book stand
"Moonbirds, the," by Jenny Jackson, c. 2007 -- LCL kids book
"Daybread," by Owen Marshall, c. 2007 -- LCL book
"Gravedigger, the," by Peter Grandbois, c. 2006 -- LCL book

My current read "The Healer," by Jean Brashear is intriguing. Ancient healing meets western medicine ... in a superromance.

Next pile of books to be read:

"Driving through the clouds," by Nicola Lindsay, c. 2001 -- from ret'd today shelves LCL
"The road of bones," by Anne Fine, c. 2006 -- teen WCL -- picked up for acl but she thought the cover was too scary
"The very smart pea and the princess-to-be", by Mini Grey, c. 2003 -- kids picture book, LCL
"The day of the jackal," by Frederick Forsyth c. 1971 -- woa comm centre -- bc 587 5482
"When you can walk on water, take the boat," by John Harricharan, c. 1986 -- bc 5875 495
"Roland Wright, future knight," by Tony Davis, c. 2007 -- new book WCL -- "red kids"

from "Amy's Honeymoon" ....

... trying to get him focus on actual details was about as easy as an oil tanker doing a three-point turn in a paddling pool. p277

To his surprise he found himself thinking about the doctor who had cured his spot. Her life was about more than parties and photoshoots. He suddenly wished he could talk to her. Where was the meaning to it all? He'd always mocked them, but he was beginning to see how Guy and Madonna had fallen for all that Kabbalah stuff. And maybe Tom had the right idea when it came to Scientology? p218

Not a thread was out of plac, not a cuticle loose. All the women were so brown they looked like saddles with eyes. p222

Two books to return in the morning ..

"The Kingfisher Treasury of Bedtime Stories," chosen by Nora Clarke ... ACL enjoyed.

"Blenheim Orchard," by Tim Pears, c. 2007 ... didn't read this time round, reserved from LCL

Wednesday night post, although it seems like a Sunday ... as it is Waitangi Day here.

Will be returning two books in the morning;

Starry Nights, by Judith Clarke, c. 2001 -- ACL really enjoyed this one. Unread by me at this stage.

Cross Stitch for Christmas, by Anne Marie Petersen, c. 1990 -- from PCL -- needs revisiting but also needs conversion from "danish flower thread" to DMC

Next to read:

Living with little quilts, by Alice Berg et al, c. 1997 -- lcl
The Hornbeam tree, by Susan Lewis, c. 2004 -- bc 584 0028
Blue fire, by Sarah Holland, c. 1994 -- petone ubs -- bc 572 7403

Adding in a romance here .... for variety's sake. Randomly chosen to read:

The Scarecrow and the Servant -- then

"Seven Year Seduction," by Heidi Betts, c. 2006, WCL harl

then

Old Bones -- then

"Tempt Me," by Caroline Cross, c. 2006, WCl harl

then as per previous posts -- nut after "Amy's Honeymoon" ... "The Healer," by Jean Brashear, c, 2003 -- bc 5826934

"The Worry Tree," by Marianne Musgrove, c. 2007

Juliet's a worrywart, and no wonder! Her little sister, Oaf, follows her around taking notes and singing "The Irritating Song" all day long ....

Delightful book

"All Because of You," by Melissa Hill

Nice piece of escapism.

Dang it lost my post ... ACL and I had a nice trip to LCL today while DML was testing bikes. [MRL is still in Wairarapa with Lilley family]. ACL is on the mission to complete the Gahoole series by Lasky.

Please tell me if I am unusual .... I read more when at home, in routine, than I do when away on holiday. Why?

"Boobela and Worm,"

Enjoyable pictures, espec between vignettes. Interesting enough story.


Next books on my list:
"The Scarecrow and his Servant," by Philip Pulman, c. 2004 -- wcl -- red fic
"Old Bones," by Bill Nagelkerke, c. 2006 -- wcl -- red fic
"Babyfather," by Joanna Kendrick, c. 2007 -- wcl -- ya fic
"The Sledding Hill," by Chris Crutcher, c. 2005 -- wcl --ya fic
"The Blacksmith," by Jenny Maxwell, c. 1996 -- bc 5486434
"Amy's Honeymoon," by Julia Llewellyn, c. 2007 -- ecl -- request

"Library Mouse," by Daniel Kirk, c. 2007

Inspirational. The book just came into work the other day.

from library jacket ...

"Sam was a library mouse. His home was a little hole in the wall behind the children's reference books, and he thought that life was very good indeed ..."

[green picture book wcl]

There are some beautiful passages on libraries, and the fun of reading in "After You've Gone." As of bedtime I'm at p162 of p340 (47.6475%).

"I was at the library."
"You and your library! It's a wonder you're not cross-eyed with all that reading. Are you on your way home?" p162

"He was there, writing at his usual table. Willa wondered why he chose to write in the library and not at home but perhaps he wouldn't want his mother peering over his shoulder and asking what he was writing. Having seen her, Willa thought that possible. She looked like the kind of woman who would want to know everything. And, in an odd way, which Willa understood, the library was more private, in spite of all the other people around. p158

Started "Santaland Diaries," last night. It is a pretty quick read. I found the tongue-in-cheek a little bit to handle, but on the whole it was readable.

Next couple of random reads ..

"All because of you," by Melissa Hill, c. 2006 - ecl - reserve
"The worry tree," by Marianne Musgrove, c. 2007 -- pcl -- kids red book -- on end cap

armchair travel from Liverpool to Kansas ... 07128 and 08001

almost 2008 - new zealand time!!

next to read ...
Love games, by Charlotte Lamb, c. 1984 bc 5727396
Boobela and the worm, by Joe Friedman, c. 2007, wcl purple fiction
Palaces in the sky, by Ted Reynolds, c. 1997, wcl
Relative Love, by Amanda Brookfield, c. 2004 - petone ubs, bc 5728621

"Varoius Faerious," Jacqui Grantford, c. 2002


"Not all are so noble
or pretty of face;
The vain Hairy Faeries
have no faerie grace.
From top down to toe
they are covered with hair.
All day and all night they
comb it with care."

Wonderful. Love the rhyming words and the imagination.

"Grandpa and Thomas and the Green Umbrella," by Pamela Allen, c. 2006

Both Margaret and Anneke enjoyed reading this one with me. M is an emerging reader but it kept her attention. For me Christmas = the beach, so this was a seasonal read for me!

"Mrs Claus takes a vacation," by Linas Alsenas, c. 2006

Delightful kids book. I like the ending, too.

I have just gathered my next "to-be-read" pile ...

"My spy," by Christine Skye, c. 2002 -- bc 5433799
"When daylight comes," by Lyn Andrews, c. 2003 -- bc 5459605
"Prince of delights," by Renee Roszel," c. 1992 -- petone find -- bc 5727398
"Norton's Hut," by John Marsden and Peter Gouldthorpe, c. 1998 -- wcl - teens graphic novel -- snowy cover caught my eye
"Santaland diaries," by David Sedaris, c. 1999 -- reserved b/c of season -- from lcl
"After you've gone," by Joan Lingard, c. 2007 -- reserved -- newbie from ecl

"The Woman Who Won Things," by Allan Ahlberg, c. 2003

From blurb..
One lucky day .. Mrs Gaskitt gets a prize .. Mr Gaskitt gets a kiss .. And Gus and Gloria get a new teacher ... with a new suitcase!

This wasn't what I expected. Some kids may enjoy ... I shall gather some views.

Books next on my reading list: -- all chosen by random from my piles lol

Blackwater, by Kerstin Ekman, c. 1993 BC 545 9639
The Bad Girls Club, by Rhian Tracey, c. 2005 -- LCL - teen read
The Screaming Room, by Thomas O'Callaghan, c. 2007 -- WCL "new book"
The Marriage Adventure, by Hannah Bernard, c. 205 -- WCL rom

"A Little Peace," by Barbara Kerley, c. 2007

From blurb:
It doesn't take much to spread a little peace. Seeds of peace are all over the world - in a shared smile, a helping hand, a compassionate voice. From a soccer game in Iraq to children holding hands in New Mexico, from dancing monks in Bhutan to old friends laughing in Afghanistan, peace, powerful, infectious, is ready to grow.
Reach out your hand - and your heart. Help spread a little Peace.



for me: smiley faces; colored pictures of kids, families, meditation etc. beautiful book.

"The Sea Princess," by Katie Chase ... enjoyable read. Good use of pictures, too.

from blurb:
Rosie knows a very special secret. Hidden in her great-aunt's mysterious Scottish castle are lots of little princesses for her to find. And each one will whisk her away to another part of the world on a magical adventure!
Marissa, the Sea Princess, needs Rosie's help to find her crown and the Pearl of Wisdom that will restore order to the underwater kingdom of Aquatica. However, to find it, the girls must swim down to the bottom of the ocean and enter the cave of the Sea Hag ...

my notes -- mermaids -- courage -- treasure hunt -- adventures.

Reading for work - kids's books

A Little Peace, by Barbara Kerley, Nov 30, 2007
Grandpa and Thomas and the green umbrella, by Pamela Allen, Dec 23rd, 2007
Mrs. Claus takes a vacation, by Linas Alsenas, Dec 22nd, 2007
Sea Princesses, by Katie Chase, Nov 28, 2007
The Woman Who Won Things, by Allan Ahlberg, Dec 17th, 2007
Various Faerious, by Jacqui Grantford, Dec 30th, 2007

I'm in the process of reading Into the Wild, ed by Susan Fox Rogers, c.1999. An inspiring read ...

"I've come a long way from that solo hiker who nearly welcomed the cold as an appropriate companion to fill ou the emptiness of my first Appalachian hike without Maude. I had spent many lonesome nights huddled in a sleeping bag on a shelf floor, a water bottle full of hot water held tight to my body. Now I've learned that we must fill our internal wilderness with people, and that sharing something - experiences, thoughts, food, care - with others is a truer, warmer way to live. p68

Today, though, the land is a backward-moving conveyor belt of charred brown tundra. The red sun has broiled the sky white. I fish Diet Cokes and a few Tim Tams - a richer, more chocolately version of the Oreo that's very popular in this car - from the mini-cooler we keep shoved behind the driver's seat. I read aloud from the guidebook, which says that in Aborigine culture, the land is considered a huge, detailed road map of the mind. p9


Next books on my to-be-read list:

Death by Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni, c. 2004 - from shelf at LCL
Friday Night Cocktails by Allison Rushby, c. 2004 - reserved; copy is from LCL
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs, c. 2007 - reserved; copy is from Naenae

I just finished "Goodnight, Mister Tom," by Michelle Magorian. Great read ... highly recommend. I guess that's why they call it a Puffin Modern Classic.

Will swallowed a few mouthfuls of tea and put some fresh coke on the range. As he observed it tumble and fall between the wood and hot coke, it occurred to him that strength was quite different from toughness and that being vulnerable wasn't the same as being weak. p429

"Can we go down the river?"
Will looked surprised. 'Ent you got no more chores?"
She shook her head and grinned. "I climbed out the window. It was the only way. As soon as I finish one job she finds me another one. If she sees me with so much as my fingers on a book she jes gets hoppin' mad."
"I thought she was better now."
"She is, but she stil thinks readin' is being idle."
She squatted down beside him and stared intently into his eyes.
"If I don't need a book soon I think I'll explode."
Will laughed. "Well, don't do it over me plantin'."
"Have you another trowel? ..." p417

Recently finished
Stormbound Surgeon by Marion Lennox, c. 2003
Falling Stars by V.C. Andrews, c. 2001
Out Of My Depth by Emily Barr, c. 2006
Love Falls by Esther Freud, c. 2007
The Right to Write by Julia Cameron, c. 1988
Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell, c. 2000
The Capture by Kathyrn Lasky, c. 2003
Beach of Dreams by Sergio Bambaren, c. 1996
Footloose by Kate Cann, c. 1999
From the Diary of a Snail by Gunter Grass, c. 1972
Having the Boss's Babies by Barbara Hannay, c. 2005
The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris, c. 2007
Windmills of the Gods by Sidney Sheldon, c. 1987
Crazy As Chocolate by Elisabeth Hyde, c. 2002
Suburban Shaman by Cecil Helman, c. 2007
The Damaris Woman by Grace Green, c. 1994
Wedding Belles by Zoe Barnes, c. 2006
Better Than This by Stuart Harrison, c. 2001
Longshore Drift by Karen Gillece, c. 2006
The Diary of Peter Ginz edited by Chava Pressburger, c. 2004 (part of)
The Lazarus Child by Robert Mawson, c. 1998


*****************************************************
Order of the new few books on my TBR list...

Goodnight Mister Tom -- from LCL
A Bride at Birralee -- from BC -- 5578881
Here comes Santa Claus -- from BC -- 5578890
Two in the wild -- from LCL
On angel wings -- from WCL
Just between us -- from BC -- 5336470

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian, c. 1981 -- borrowed from LCL system, this book is from Stokes Valley Library. Recommended by family members - Lisa & Frances. Just finished "Stormbound surgeon," ... bookcrossing book.

"When old friends get together it's supposed to be a laugh - but not when you've got something to hide..." from front cover Out of My Depth by Emily Barr, c. 2006 -- tis my current read

Thoughts on current books or ones just read ...

4 Blondes by Candace Bushnell ... I don't think this lead up to the hype. Perhaps I was expecting more from it.

The Right To Write by Julia Cameron .. Inspirational! I am rereading this one.

Love Falls by Esther Freud ... I wouldn't pick this as a YA read as it is a good read for "grown ups" too. lol

Notes on current read

"Beach of Dreams," by Sergio Bambaren

Passages from:

Just for an instant I understood. "I have to believe again. I have to understand that magic happens." p65

"We have placed so much pressure on ourselves to succeed that we have turned happiness into one more thing we have to have. So we chase it and equate to it wealth and success without realising that the people who already have these things are not necessarily happy." p50

Notes on last read: Having the Boss's Babies by Barbara Hannay c. 200?

This was a quick Harlequin read. It did have a few fun bits of humour which I cherish. -- random choice

Notes on current read: From the Diary of a Snail by Gunter Grass c. 1972

Inspiration for book, family in ChCh read it last month. This is certainly a different read from the one above.