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.

A couple of fun/thought provoking quotes from my current read, "The Lollipop Shoes," by Joanne Harris, c. 2007

"As if she could see it in the air around me like candyfloss gathering on a spindle." p219

"All the same I can't help feeling uneasy. Rarely does anything ever come free - there's not a gift or a kindness that doesn't have to be paid for in full in the end. Life has taught me that, at least. That's why I am more cautious now. That's why I keep the wind-chimes over my door, to warn me of the Kindly Ones, those messengers of credit due -" p356

"You choose your family," Mother said. As I chose you and you chose me. That girl - she wouldn't have cherished you. She wouldn't have known how to take care for you: how to slice the apple widthways to show the star inside, how to tie a medicine bag, how to banish demons by banging on a tin pan, how to sing the wind to sleep. She wouldn't have taught you any of that - p102

-- I would recommend this title. It had a good sense of setting.

(last updated Jan 13th, 2008)

Running index of books mentioned here April 2006 to Jan 2008

"24-Karat Kids," Mar 2nd, 2007
"A Carol for Christmas," Jan 7th, 2007
"A Country Practice," Aug 6th, 2006
"A Day With A Perfect Stranger," Jan 19th, 2007
"A Familiar Feeling," Mar 11th, 2007
"A Fistful of Sky," July 8th, 2007
"A Match Made in Heaven," June 4th, 2006
"About Adam," Aug 12th, 2006
"All Because of You," Jan 4th, 2008
"All Night Long," May 28th, 2007
"Almost Like Being In Love," Jan 23rd, 2007
"Amy's Honeymoon," Jan 13th, 2008
"Angels Fall," Aug 25th, 2006
"At the Scent of Water," Jul 13th, 2007
"Baby Father," Jan 13th, 2008
"Backpack," Jul 29th, 2007
"Beach Girls," Sep 4th, 2006
"Beach of Dreams, Sep 21st, 2007
"Boobela and the worm," dec 31st, 2007
"Brimstone," Apr 23rd, 2007
"Buffalo Before Breakfast," Jan 16th, 2007
"Burning Road," July 18th, 2006
"Cage of Stars," Feb 17th, 2007
"Can you keep a secret," Apr 26th, 2006
"Caroline's Journal," Dec 17th, 2006
"Cell," July 31st 2006
"Chasing the dime," May 4th, 2006
"Chocolate Kisses," Dec 13th, 2006
"City of Truth," May 8th, 2006
"Crazy as Chocolate," Aug 30th, 2007
"Dance of the Gods," Nov 7th, 2006
"Dance With Me," Dec 8th, 2006
"Death by Meeting," Nov 16th, 2007
"Dirty Blonde," Mar 16th, 2007
"Dying To Sing," Nov 13th, 2006
"Escape from Cabriz," July 31st, 2006
"Fairy Dust and the Quest For The Egg," Aug 24th, 2006
"For Love and Family," Sept 7th, 2006
"Forty Stories," July 6th, 2006
"Four Blondes," Oct 4th, 2007
"Friday Night Cocktails," Nov 16th, 2007
"From the Diary of a Snail," Sept 21st, 2007
"Ghosts of Boyfriends Past," Feb 2nd, 2007
"Goodnight Mister Tom," Nov 4th, 2007
"Hard Truth," May 28th, 2007
"Having the Boss's Babies," Sept 15th, 2007
"Home, Where the Wild Roses Grow," A0r 12th, 2007
"I Heard The Owl Call My Name," Jan 14th, 2007
"If The Shoe Fits," Feb 2nd, 2007
"In My Mother's House," Apr 30th, 2007
"Into the wild," Nov 4th, 2007
"Killer Takes All," May 14th, 2006
"Light Readings," Aug 30th, 2007; postponed for now; sept 13, 2007
"Lie By Moonlight," May 31st, 2006
"Love Falls," Oct 13th, 2007
"Old Bones," Jan 13th, 2008
"On Angel Wings," Nov 4th, 2007
"Out of My Depth," Oct 20th, 2007
"Palaces in the sky," Dec 31st, 2007
"Please Mr. Einstein," Jan 30th, 2007
"Point Blank," Feb 5th, 2007
"Ready for Love," Dec 24th, 2006
"Reunion," Nov 5th, 2006
"Ride the Wind," Oct 6th, 2006
"River Angel," Jul 27th, 2007
"Round the Clock Temptation," July 24th, 2006
"Sam's Letters to Jennifer," July 31st, 2006
"Second Opinion," Oct 21st 2006
"Stargirl," May 26th, 2007
"Stories To Excite You," Feb 10th, 2007
"Strange Bedpersons," Aug 15th, 2006
"Suburban Shaman," Aug 30th, 2007
"Take Me," Mar 16th, 2007
"The Bad Girls' Club," Dec 1st, 2007
"The Big Love," Dec 17th, 2006
"The Borrowed Ring," Mar 31st, 2007
"The Boy Next Door," Jan 23rd 2007
"The Capture," Apr 2nd, 2007 & Oct 13th, 2007
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," Feb 17th, 2007
"The Diary of Petr Ginz," Aug 12th, 2007
"The Dream-Hunter," Feb 20th, 2007
"The English Breakfast Murder," July 11th, 2006
"The Friday Night Knitting Club," Nov 16th, 2007
"The Hotel Everest," July 3rd, 2007
"The House Guest," July 8th, 2007
"The Husband," July 21st, 2006
"The Jury," June 27th, 2006
"The Last Days of Dogtown," Feb 26th, 2007
"The Lollipop Shoes," Sept 14th, 2007
"The Marriage Adventure," Dec 1st, 2007
"The Mediterranean Tycoon," Apr 12th, 2007
"The Orange Outlaw," Feb 10th, 2007
"The Owl & Moon Cafe," Mar 16th, 2007
"The Playboy and Plain Jane," Sept 25th, 2006
"The Quest for the End of the Tail," July 22nd, 2007
"The Rescue," June 28th, 2006
"The Right to Write," Oct 4th, 2007
"The Rule of Four," March 5th, 2007
"The Scarecrow Room," Jan 13th, 2008
"The Screaming Room," Dec 1st, 2007
"The Sledding Hill," Jan 13th, 2008
"The Stories of Eva Luna," March 31st, 2007
"The Summer I Dared," Apr 19th, 2007
"The Unbelievably True Fairy Tale," Jan 25th, 2007
"The Way It Is," Oct 20th, 2006
"The Worry Tree," Jan 4th, 2008
"Timeline," Jan 3rd, 2007
"Twins Too. Run Girls, Run," Jan 13th, 2007
"Velocity," July 12th, 2006
"Wedding Belles," Sep 1, 2007
"Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" May 12th, 2007

Format
title of book -- date -- read after

from Wainuiomata Library

"The Lollipop Shoes," by Joanne Harris, c. 2007 -- Sept 14th, 2007 -- "Crazy for Chocolate," see below

"Having the Boss's Babies," by Barbara Hannay, c. 2005 -- Sept 14th, 2007 -- "Windmills of the Gods," bookcrossing 5417989

"From the Diary of a Snail," by Gunter Grass, c. 1972 -- "Having the Boss's Babies," see above

"Four Blondes," by Candace Bushnell, c. 2000 --

"The Right to Write," by Julia Cameron, c. 1998 -- "Four Blondes," see above

from Lower Hutt Library
"Love Falls," by Esther Freud, c. 2007 -- Oct 13th, 2007 -- "The Capture," see below

"Out of My Depth," by Emily Barr, c. 2006 -- Oct 20th, 2007 -- "Love Falls," see above

from Petone Library
"The Capture," by Kathryn Lasky, c. 2003 -- Oct 13th, 2007 --"Footloose," bookcrossing 5481325

from Nathans Bookshop on Queen St
"Beach of Dreams," by Sergio Bambaren, c. 1996 -- Sept 21st, 2007 -- "From the Diary of a Snail," see above

I collect passages as I read and these ones gave me pause for thought ...
"Suburban Shaman," by Cecil Helman, c. 2007

Elias works in a poor, rural environment, in which much of the belief system is summed up by the well-known Xhosa saying: Ubuntu ngumntu ngabanye abantu ('People are people through other people). Each person's humanity is expressed through a relationship with others, and their humanity in turn comes through a recognition of his or hers. To be uninvolved with other people, and in the life of the community, is to be an incomplete person. p175

... or even the word "enthusiasm" (from the Greek, 'the God within) ... p73

Fun passages from my current read, "Wedding Belles," by Zoe Barnes, c, 2006

"Look at my boobs - if you've got a microscope handy. They're like two aspirins on an ironing board." p10

She might look feminine, but this was the kind of woman who had muscles on her toenails. p34

Belle had never expected life to be exactly fair, but she did wish it wouldn't take quite such evident delight in tripping her up. p84

Recently finished:

Meant-To-Be Marriage by Rebecca Winters, c. 2006
Backpack by Emily Barr, c. 2001
Will by Kelly Jamison, c. 1993
River Angel by A. Mansette Ansay, c. 1999
Dangerous Alliance by Helen Bianchin, c. 1995
Calum by Sally Wentworth, c. 1995
The Quest for the End of the Tail by W.J. Corbett, c. 2000
At the Scent of Water by Linda Nichols, c. 2004
The Newcomer by Margot Dalton, c. 2000
A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, c. 2002
The Horizontal Instrument by Christopher Wilkins, c. 1999
The House Guest by Barbara Anderson, c. 1995
A Place Called Ugly by Avi, c. 1981
The Tullagindi Rodeo by Kerry Allyne, c. 1986
The Shadow Child by Judith Lennox, c. 1999
An Unusual Affair by Lindsay Armstrong, c. 1991
All Night Long by Jayne Ann Krentz, c. 2006
Hard Truth by Mariah Stewart, c. 2005
Blue Skin of the Sea by Graham Salisbury, c. 1992
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, c. 2000
Smart Women by Judy Blume, c. 1983
Of Love and Dust by Ernest J. Gaines, c. 1967 (didn't finish it)

notes for me from home:

listology.com
magazines read
NZ Life and Leisure jan/feb 07

Quotes that caught my eye from "At the scent of water," by Linda Nichols, c. 2004

"The house calls weren't too difficult. A baby with the croup, a two-year-old with a suspected case of roseola, an old woman needing a listening ear for a moment or two, and a routine blood pressure check. Sam shook his head. He couldn't believe Carl traveled twenty minutes up in the hills just to take somebody's blood pressure, but actually that had been the best call of them at all. He had sat on the porch with the old man, had drunk a cup of coffee, and listened to the creek run. He had felt at peace, at least for a time." p250

"She took down her bowls and measuring cups. She assembled her ingredients. glad she knew the recipes by heart, for they had been left behind along with the rest of her life.
She could picture exactly where she had left them - stuffed in the aged metal box with scraps of paper and index cards on the top shelf of the old Hoosier cupboard in her kitchen. She hadn't needed them even then, but she had treasured them, many of them written in Grandma mamie's own spidery hand. Her grandmother's recipes were historical artifacts, though essentially useless unless you already knew how to make the dish. Mamie hadn't bothered with measurements. Those kind of detailed instructions were for amateurs." p108

"At least there was hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
And it's new shoots will not fail.
Its roots may grow old in the ground
And its stump die in the soil.
Yet at the scent of water
It will bud
And put forth shoots like a plant." Job 14:7-9

(last updated Sept 1st, 2007)

Running index of books mentioned here April 2006 to August 2007

"24-Karat Kids," Mar 2md, 2007
"A Carol for Christmas," Jan 7th, 2007
"A Country Practice," Aug 6th, 2006
"A Day With A Perfect Stranger," Jan 19th, 2007
"A Familisr Feeling," Mar 11th, 2007
"A Fistful of Sky," July 8th, 2007
"A Match Made in Heaven," June 4th, 2006
"About Adam," Aug 12th, 2006
"All Night Long," May 28th, 2007
"Almost Like Being In Love," Jan 23rd, 2007
"Angels Fall," Aug 25th, 2006
"At the Scent of Water," Jul 13th, 2007
"Backpack," Jul 29th, 2007
"Beach Girls," Sep 4th, 2006
"Brimstone," Apr 23rd, 2007
"Buffalo Before Breakfast," Jan 16th, 2007
"Burning Road," July 18th, 2006
"Cage of Stars," Feb 17th, 2007
"Can you keep a secret," Apr 26th, 2006
"Caroline's Journal," Dec 17th, 2006
"Cell," July 31st 2006
"Chasing the dime," May 4th, 2006
"Chocolate Kisses," Dec 13th, 2006
"City of Truth," May 8th, 2006
"Crazy as Chocolate," Aug 30th, 2007
"Dance of the Gods," Nov 7th, 2006
"Dance With Me," Dec 8th, 2006
"Dirty Blonde," Mar 16th, 2007
"Dying To Sing," Nov 13th, 2006
"Escape from Cabriz," July 31st, 2006
"Fairy Dust and the Quest For The Egg," Aug 24th, 2006
"For Love and Family," Sept 7th, 2006
"Forty Stories," July 6th, 2006
"Ghosts of Boyfriends Past," Feb 2nd, 2007
"Hard Truth," May 28th, 2007
"Home, Where the Wild Roses Grow," A0r 12th, 2007
"I Heard The Owl Call My Name," Jan 14th, 2007
"If The Shoe Fits," Feb 2nd, 2007
"In My Mother's House," Apr 30th, 2007
"Killer Takes All," May 14th, 2006
"Light Readings," Aug 30th, 2007 -->postponed for now; sept 13, 2007
"Lie By Moonlight," May 31st, 2006
"Please Mr. Einstein," Jan 30th, 2007
"Point Blank," Feb 5th, 2007
"Ready for Love," Dec 24th, 2006
"Reunion," Nov 5th, 2006
"Ride the Wind," Oct 6th, 2006
"River Angel," Jul 27th, 2007
"Round the Clock Temptation," July 24th, 2006
"Sam's Letters to Jennifer," July 31st, 2006
"Second Opinion," Oct 21st 2006
"Stargirl," May 26th, 2007
"Stories To Excite You," Feb 10th, 2007
"Strange Bedpersons," Aug 15th, 2006
"Suburban Shaman," Aug 30th, 2007
"Take Me," Mar 16th, 2007
"The Big Love," Dec 17th, 2006
"The Borrowed Ring," Mar 31st, 2007
"The Boy Next Door," Jan 23rd 2007
"The Capture," Apr 2nd, 2007
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," Feb 17th, 2007
"The Diary of Petr Ginz," Aug 12th, 2007
"The Dream-Hunter," Feb 20th, 2007
"The English Breakfast Murder," July 11th, 2006
"The Hotel Everest," July 3rd, 2007
"The House Guest," July 8th, 2007
"The Husband," July 21st, 2006
"The Jury," June 27th, 2006
"The Last Days of Dogtown," Feb 26th, 2007
"The Mediterranean Tycoon," Apr 12th, 2007
"The Orange Outlaw," Feb 10th, 2007
"The Owl & Moon Cafe," Mar 16th, 2007
"The Playboy and Plain Jane," Sept 25th, 2006
"The Quest for the End of the Tail," July 22nd, 2007
"The Rescue," June 28th, 2006
"The Rule of Four," March 5th, 2007
"The Stories of Eva Luna," March 31st, 2007
"The Summer I Dared," Apr 19th, 2007
"The Unbelievably True Fairy Tale," Jan 25th, 2007
"The Way It Is," Oct 20th, 2006
"Timeline," Jan 3rd, 2007
"Twins Too. Run Girls, Run," Jan 13th, 2007
"Velocity," July 12th, 2006
"Wedding Belles," Sep 1, 2007
"Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" May 12th, 2007

Format
title of book -- date -- read after

from Wainuiomata Library

"The House Guest," by Barbara Anderson, c. 1995 -- July 8th, 2007 -- after "Once Upon A Pillow," see below.

"A Fistful of Sky," by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, c. 2002 -- July 8th, 2007 -- The Horizontal Instrument by Christopher Wilkins, c. 1999

"At the Scent of Water," by Linda Nichols, c. 2004 -- July 13th, 2007 -- The Newcomer by Margot Dalton, c. 2000

"The Quest at the End of the Trail," by W.J. Corbett, c.2000 -- July 22nd, 2007 -- after "At the Scent of the Water," see above

"River Angel," by A. Manette Ansey, c. 1999 -- July 27th, 2007 -- Dangerous Alliance by Helen Bianchin, c. 1994

"Backpack," by Emily Barr, c. 2001 -- July 29th, 2007 -- Will by Kelly Jamison, c. 1993

"Meant-to-be Marriage," by Rebecca Waters, c. 1998 -- Aug 5th, 2007 -- "Backpack," see above

"The Diary of Petr Ginz," edited by Chava Pressburger, c. 2004 -- Aug 12th, 2007 --
The Lazarus Child by Robert Mawson, c. 2006

"Light Readings," by Fiona Farrell, c. 2001 -- Aug 30th, 2007 -- The Damaris Woman by Grace Green, c. 1994

"Suburban Shaman," by Cecil Hellman, c. 2007 -- Aug 30th, 2007 -- "Light Readings," see above

"Crazy as Chocolate," by Elisabeth Hyde, c. 2002 -- Aug 30th, 2007 -- "Suburban Shaman," see above

from Hutt Central Library

"The Hotel Everest," by Allan Sealy, c. 1998 - July 3rd, 2007 -- A Place Called Ugly by Avi, c. 1981 -- couldn't get into it

"Once Upon A Pillow," by Christina Dodd and Connie Brockway, c. 2002 -- July 3rd, 2007 -- after "The Hotel Everest," see above -- couldn't get into it

"Longshore Drift," by Karen Gillece, c. 2006 -- AUg 23rd, 2007 -- after "The Diary of Petr Ginz," see above

from Hot Picks -- Wainuiomata

"Wedding Belles," by Zoe Barnes, c. 2006 -- Sept 1st, 2007 -- Better Than This by Stuart Harrison, c. 2001

Books I have recently finished ...

Her Dream Come True by Donna Clayton, c. 1999
In My Mother's House by Margaret McMullan, c. 2003
Getting Married Agsin by Melinda Curtis, c. 2004
Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, c. 2004
The Summer I Dared by Barbara Delinsky, c. 2004
Reckless Dreamer by Dion Alden, c. 1985
Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank, c. 2003
Everlasting Love by Linda Howard et al, c. 1995
The Mediterranean Tycoon by Margaret Mayo, c. 2002
Not Looking For A Texas Man by Lass Small, c. 1995
Table For Two by Nora Roberts, c. 2002
Home, Where the Wild Roses Grow by Margaret Gadd Fowlkes, c. 2002
A Question of Murder by Eric Wright, c. 1988
A Joyous Season by Fern Michaels et al, c. 1996
Saville by David Storey, c. 1976
The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende, c. 1989
Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy, c. 2004
Take Me by Cherry Adair, c. 2002
The Borrowed Ring by Gina Wilkins, c. 2005
Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline, c. 2006
The Owl & Moon Cafe by Jo-Ann Mapson, c. 2006
One True Thing by Anna Quindlen, c. 1994
Rogue's Reform by Marilyn Pappano, c. 2000
A Familiar Feeling by Margaret Barker, c. 1999
Truth or Consequences by Diana Duncan, c. 2005
24-Karat Kids by Judy Goldstein & Sebastian Stuart, c. 2006

I collect quotes as I read. Sometimes they are enlightening, sometimes cliche, but hey it works for me ... The quote is not necessarily the best in the book, but happens to be close where I stopped reading at night.

Passages ...

April 28th to May 27th, 2007

May 6th, 2007
"... We were caught in lots of storms. Weather forecasting wasn't as good then. Storms could come on you out of the blue. We didn't talk about it, because we knew what we faced, and what we faced was not knowing. The sea has a mind of its own. I don't care what pictures satellites beam down, it can be different under those clouds. My guess is we're in for another eight hours of this. Could be more, could be less."
"What do we do until then?"
"If we start talking on water, we bail. If we broach, we pray."
"Broach?"
"Turn sideways. That's risky." p440
"The Summer I Dared," by Barbara Delinksy, c. 2004

May 5th, 2007
"Come on, Dad," Julia coaxed as she had so many other times. "She has to be autocratic at work, that's how she succeeds. She just has trouble turning it off." p342
[I chose this passage as a reminder to me]
"The Summer I Dared," by Barbara Delinksy, c. 2004

May 4th, 2007
When Ian spotted him, the grin died - and still Noah's pride remained. Ian was a young man with a savvy way about him. When Noah had been seventeen, he hadn't had that way about him. Kids nowadays grew up faster. Or maybe it was that kids on the mainland grew up faster.
"Hey," Noah called as he strode forward. He put out a hand to shake, but when Ian's met it, Noah impulsively drew him into a hug. It wasn't a smooth thing, and Ian's stiffness didn't help. He actually looked annoyed when Noah set him back.
But Noah wasn't sorry for the hug, not for a minute. He hadn't planned it, didn't even know he'd needed it. In lieu of words though, it said something. Ian was his son, flesh of his flesh. That fact demanded acknowledgement. No, he wasn't apologizing for the hug. p291
[at airport]
"The Summer I Dared," by Barbara Delinksy, c. 2004

May 3rd, 2007
By the time Noah let himself into the house, he was feeling disgruntled. Given his druthers, he'd have stayed awhile on the boat. That was where he felt most calm. Here in the house, there were ghosts. It didn't help that the place was dark, but he didn't see the point in raising the shades, when he was gone so much of the time. Besides, if he let the light in, he'd see the emptiness. It was a trade-off, emptiness for ghosts. p 182
[a reminder to me that we all can make choices]
"The Summer I Dared," by Barbara Delinksy, c. 2004

May 2nd, 2007
The temperature's just right - never too hot which would spell death for an Angora carrying this kind of fur. Angora wool is seven times warmer than lambs' wool. Anything over seventy-five and they start panting. Forty-five to fifty-five degrees is perfect for them. Once in a great while, in the dead of winter, we have to hook up supplementary heaters, but the walls of the barn deflect the wind, and the air coming off the ocean is always more moderate than it is on land. The screens here provide the kind of cross ventilation the rabbits need. Give them shade and a breeze, and they're great. p61
"The Summer I Dared," by Barbara Delinksy, c. 2004
[books are a gateway to learning]

May 1st, 2007
"They got up from the table. Alison kissed her mother goodnight and went to her room under the eaves, where she could hear the rain falling on the roof and had the comfort of a good New England storm to remind her who she was and where she was from." p226
[why this quote? it reminds of the times I read in bed with the noise of rain on a tin roof above. bliss!]
"Reckless Dreamer," by Dion Alden, c. 1985

April 30th, 2007
"She picked 'Our Town', though she wasn't sure why. Was it the New Englander's homesickness, a longing for some scent of pine and lilac in the middle of diesel and mimosa? Or was it because she missed her father, thought about him a lot, and was losing touch with him? p113
"Reckless Dreamer," by Dion Alden, c. 1985

April 29th, 2007
"Baby," her father had cautioned her, "never take anything for granted. Not this day, nor the way we live, not our love for each other. Happiness is not just given. It is earned." p53
"Reckless Dreamer," by Dion Alden, c. 1985

I collect quotes as I read. Sometimes they are enlightening, sometimes cliche, but hey it works for me ... The quote is not necessarily the best in the book, but happens to be close where I stopped reading at night.

From March 28th - April 27th, 2007

April 27th ...
But by the time you're in your thirties, having traveled a sidewalk pockmarked with personal disappointment, you learn that life goes on. I knew there was a lid for every pot. Unfortunately, every lid I had found was a little warped or maybe I wasn't the right pot. It didn't matter because he was gone and a prolonged examination of his exit was a waste of my time. p379
Isle of Palms, by Dorothea Benton Frank, c.2003

April 26th ...

Worse, I had forgotten about the sense of belonging to the island had always given me. Loving it was one thing but it was marvelous to actually belong someplace. How many years had I spent feeling that I didn't belong anywhere that I was? How many people never felt that they belonged in the space they inhabited? p138
Isle of Palms, by Dorothea Benton Frank, c.2003

ah - I see I have been lax sharing my quotes lol

March 30th ..

p283 Professor Sagan, are you glad to be out of this world? I bet you are. AIDS, overpopulation, homelessness, heart disease, cancer, Ebola virus, anthrax - the list never ends. I bet you are glad you don't have to think about that stuff anymore. I would be glad not to think of it. Are you stardust? Allegra says that's what our spirits become. Gammy says heaven is whatever you want it to be, but God is there and he'll want to chat with you about things you did while you were alive, which sounds to me an awful lot like the principal's office. Buddhists believe your soul passes from one place to another, mostly to a person, according your karma, which is like points on a scale. If you did enough bad things, you could come back as a fire ant. If you did good, you could be a redwood tree in a National Park protected from logging. Personally, I think the best thing to come back as would be a drop of water. People always need water. Just imagine how much a cactus would love you.
Currently reading:
The Owl & Moon Cafe by Jo-Ann Mapson, c. 2006

March 29th ..

p161 "Maybe I do. Kids as smart as us are ten times as likely to off ourselves even without the Taylor Fosters of the world. Check out the statistics. Did this day suck or what?"
"It sucked."
"It sucked dead donkey!" Sally yelled. "Green dead donkey dong!"
Currently reading:
The Owl & Moon Cafe by Jo-Ann Mapson, c. 2006

March 28th ..

p6 Breathing car fumes was muddling her thinking. What she needed was a lemon tart and a cup of coffee. She'd tell Gammy the news first, grateful for any homespun wisdom her mother might have. "God shuts doors right and left, Mariah. I won't tell you He doesn't. But somewhere you least expect it, a little mouse is gnawing a hole, and right there's the gateway to freedom." Gammy was straitlaced and old-fashioned, but protective as a mother tiger.
Currently reading:
The Owl & Moon Cafe by Jo-Ann Mapson, c. 2006

[last updated May 28th, 2007]

Running index of books mentioned here April 2006 to May 2007

"24-Karat Kids," Mar 2md, 2007
"A Carol for Christmas," Jan 7th, 2007
"A Country Practice," Aug 6th, 2006
"A Day With A Perfect Stranger," Jan 19th, 2007
"A Familisr Feeling," Mar 11th, 2007
"A Match Made in Heaven," June 4th, 2006
"About Adam," Aug 12th, 2006
"All Night Long," May 28th, 2007
"Almost Like Being In Love," Jan 23rd, 2007
"Angels Fall," Aug 25th, 2006
"Beach Girls," Sep 4th, 2006
"Brimstone," Apr 23rd, 2007
"Buffalo Before Breakfast," Jan 16th, 2007
"Burning Road," July 18th, 2006
"Cage of Stars," Feb 17th, 2007
"Can you keep a secret," Apr 26th, 2006
"Caroline's Journal," Dec 17th, 2006
"Cell," July 31st 2006
"Chasing the dime," May 4th, 2006
"Chocolate Kisses," Dec 13th, 2006
"City of Truth," May 8th, 2006
"Dance of the Gods," Nov 7th, 2006
"Dance With Me," Dec 8th, 2006
"Dirty Blonde," Mar 16th, 2007
"Dying To Sing," Nov 13th, 2006
"Escape from Cabriz," July 31st, 2006
"Fairy Dust and the Quest For The Egg," Aug 24th, 2006
"For Love and Family," Sept 7th, 2006
"Forty Stories," July 6th, 2006
"Ghosts of Boyfriends Past," Feb 2nd, 2007
"Hard Truth," May 28th, 2007
"Home, Where the Wild Roses Grow," A0r 12th, 2007
"I Heard The Owl Call My Name," Jan 14th, 2007
"If The Shoe Fits," Feb 2nd, 2007
"In My Mother's House," Apr 30th, 2007
"Killer Takes All," May 14th, 2006
"Lie By Moonlight," May 31st, 2006
"Mixed Messages," Oct 1st, 2006
"Morrigan's Cross," Oct 12th, 2006
"Murder Suicide," July 11th, 2006
"New Dreams For Old," Aug 31st, 2006
"No Earth Sunne," July 25th, 2006
"On The Run," Dec 27th, 2006
"One Last Look," Dec 24th, 2006
"Outback Surrender," Jan 26th, 2007
"Paper Doll," July 18th 2006
"Please Mr. Einstein," Jan 30th, 2007
"Point Blank," Feb 5th, 2007
"Ready for Love," Dec 24th, 2006
"Reunion," Nov 5th, 2006
"Ride the Wind," Oct 6th, 2006
"Round the Clock Temptation," July 24th, 2006
"Sam's Letters to Jennifer," July 31st, 2006
"Second Opinion," Oct 21st 2006
"Stargirl," May 26th, 2007
"Stories To Excite You," Feb 10th, 2007
"Strange Bedpersons," Aug 15th, 2006
"Take Me," Mar 16th, 2007
"The Big Love," Dec 17th, 2006
"The Borrowed Ring," Mar 31st, 2007
"The Boy Next Door," Jan 23rd 2007
"The Capture," Apr 2nd, 2007
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," Feb 17th, 2007
"The Dream-Hunter," Feb 20th, 2007
"The English Breakfast Murder," July 11th, 2006
"The Husband," July 21st, 2006
"The Jury," June 27th, 2006
"The Last Days of Dogtown," Feb 26th, 2007
"The Mediterranean Tycoon," Apr 12th, 2007
"The Orange Outlaw," Feb 10th, 2007
"The Owl & Moon Cafe," Mar 16th, 2007
"The Playboy and Plain Jane," Sept 25th, 2006
"The Rescue," June 28th, 2006
"The Rule of Four," March 5th, 2007
"The Stories of Eva Luna," March 31st, 2007
"The Summer I Dared," Apr 19th, 2007
"The Unbelievably True Fairy Tale," Jan 25th, 2007
"The Way It Is," Oct 20th, 2006
"Timeline," Jan 3rd, 2007
"Twins Too. Run Girls, Run," Jan 13th, 2007
"Velocity," July 12th, 2006
"Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" May 12th, 2007

Format
title of book -- date -- read after

from booksfree.com:

"Ghosts of Boyfriends Past," by Carly Alexander, c. 2003 - Feb 2nd, 2007 -- Blue Bayou by JoAnn Ross, c. 2002

"Stories To Excite You," by Divine & Forrest, c. 2003 - Feb 10th, 2007 -- Dreamcatcher by Mary Summer Rain, c. 2002

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," by Mark Haddon, c. 2003 -- Feb 17th, 2007 -- "The Last Days of Dogtown," by Anita Diamant, c. 2005 -- see below

"Rule of Four," by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason, c. 2004 -- Mar 7th, 2007 -- "24-Karat Kids," by Judy Goldstein and Sebastian Stuart, c. 2005 -- see below -- note: abandoned as it got too technical for my mood, read to 80pp.

"A Familiar Feeling," by Margaret Barker, c. 1999 -- Mar 11th, 2007 -- Truth or Consequences by Diana Duncan, c. 2005

"Take Me," by Cherry Adair, c. 2002 -- Mar 16th, 2007 -- "Dirty Blonde," see below
-- squeezed in book "The Borrowed Ring," see below -- and squeezed in another "The Capture," see below

"The Stories of Eva Luna," by Isabel Allende, c. 1989 -- Mar 31st, 2007 --
Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy, c. 2004 -- "great read, very insightful into the human spirit and psyche"

"Home, Where the Wild Roses Grow," by Margaret Gadd Fowlkes, c, 2002 -- Apr 12th, 2007 -- A Question of Murder by Eric Wright, c. 1988 -- "well written 'meditation' while walking through a childhood house, except the house no longer exists as it was burnt down."

"The Mediterranean Tycoon," by Margaret Mayo, c. 2002 -- Apr 12th, 2007 -- Not Looking for a Texas Man by Lass Small, c. 1995

"The Summer I Dared," by Barbara Delinsky, c. 2004 -- Apr 19th, 2007 -- Reckless Dreamer by Don Alden, c. 1985

"In My Mother's House," by Margaret McMullan, c. 2003 -- Apr 30th, 2007 -- Getting Married Again by Melinda Curtis, c. 2004

"Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed," by Gemma Bruce, c. 2005 -- May 12th, 2007 -- Dancing Sky by Bethany Campbell, c. 1990

"Stargirl," by Jerry Spinelli, c. 2000 -- May 26th, 2007 -- Blue Skin of the Sea by Graham Salisbury, c. 1992



from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library:

"If The Shoe Fits," by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens, c. 2004 - Feb 2nd, 2007 -- Guardian Groom by Shelley Cooper, c. 1988

"Cage of Stars," by Jacquelyn Mitchard, c. 2006 -- Feb 17th, 2007 -- after "Ghosts of Boyfriends Past," see above

"24-Karat Kids," by Judy Goldstein and Sebastian Stuart, c. 2005 -- Mar 2nd, 2007 -- 16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber, c. 2001

"The Owl & Moon Cafe," by Jo Ann Mapson, c. 2006 -- Mar 16th, 2007 -- One True Thing by Anna Quindlen, c. 1994

"The Borrowed Ring," by Gina Wilkins, c. 2005 -- Mar 31st, 2007 -- after "Dirty Blonde," see below

from Penne:

"Point Blank," by Catherine Coulter, c. 2005 -- Feb 5th, 2007 -- High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver, c. 1995

"The Dream-Hunter," by Sherrilyn Kenyon, c. 2007 -- Feb 20th, 2007 -- "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," -- see above

"Dirty Blonde," by Lisa Scottoline, c. 2006 -- Mar 16th, 2007 -- "The Owl & Moon Cafe," see above

"Brimstone," by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, c. 2004 -- Apr 23rd, 2007 -- "The Summer I Dared," see above

"Hard Truth," by Mariah Stewart, c. 2005 -- May 28th, 2007 -- "Stargirl," see above

"ALl Night Long," by Judith Ann Krentz, x. 2006 -- May 28th, 2007 -- "Hard Truth," see above

from Mooresville Library:

"The Orange Outlawt," by Warren Murphy & Molly Cochran, c. 2004 - Feb 10th, 2007 -- High Priest by Warren Murphy & Molly Cochran, c. 1987

"The Last Days of Dogtown," by Anita Diamant, c. 2005 -- Feb 26th, 2007 Guilty Pleasures by Cathy Yardley, c. 2002


from a neighbor, RJ
"The Capture," by Kathryn Lasky, c. 2003 -- Apr 2nd, 2007 -- "The Borrowed Ring," by Gina Wilkins, c. 2005, see above

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Books recently finished ...

16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber, c. 2001
Hungry Hill by Daphne Du Maurier, c. 1943
The Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon, c. 2007
The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-time by Mark Haddon, c. 2003
The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant, c. 2005
Guilty Pleasures by Cathy Yardley, c. 2002
Stories To Excite You by Divine & Forrest, c. 2003
Dreamwalker by Mary Summer Rain, c. 1988
The Orange Outlaw by Ron Roy, c. 2001
High Priest by Warren Murphy and Molly Cochran, c. 1987
Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard, c. 2006
Ghosts of Boyfriends Past by Carly Alexander, c. 2003
Blue Bayou by JoAnn Ross, c. 2002
Point Blank by Catherine Coulter, c. 2005
High Tide In Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver, c. 1995
The Unbelievably True Fairy Tale by Denise Fisher, c. 2002
Love Bytes by Sally Chapman, c. 1996
A Streak of Gold by Daphne Clair, c. 1978
If The Shoe Fits by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens, c. 2004
Guardian Groom by Shelley Cooper, c. 1999
Almost Like Being In Love by Christina Dodd, c. 2004
The Marriage Wheel by Susan Barrie, c. 1968
Outback Surrender by Margaret Way, c. 2003
I Heard The Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven, c. 1973
Just A Kiss Away by Natalie Bishop, c. 1986

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[last updated 30 Jan 2007]


Format
title of book -- date -- read after

from booksfree.com:
"Dance With Me," by Luanne Rice, c. 2004 -- Dec 8th, 2006 -- The Wilde Side by Janelle Denison, c. 2004

"Chocolate Kisses," by Margaret Brownley, Raine Cantrell, Alexis Harrington & Sue Rich, c. 1997 -- Dec 13th, 2006 -- Girks Forever Brave and True by Caryl Rivers, c. 1986

"The Big Love," by Sarah Dunn, c. 2004 -- Dec 17th, 2006 -- Bittersweet Honeymoon by Marjorie Lewty, c. 1988

"Timeline," by Michael Crichton, c. 1999 -- Jan 3rd, 2007 -- "Buffalo Before Breakfast," see below

"Twins Too. Run Girls, Run," by Leon Alexander Gray, c. 2001 -- The Street of the Sun by Lance Horner, c. 1956

"I Heard The Owl Call My Name," by Margaret Craven, c. 1973 -- Just A Kiss Away by Natalie Bishop, c. 1986

"Almost Like Being In Love," by Christina Dodd, c. 2004 -- The Marriage Wheel by Susan Barrie, c. 1968

"The Unbelievably True Fairy Tale," by Denise Fisher, c. 2002 -- Love Bytes by Sally Chapman, c. 1996

from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library:

"Caroline's Journal," by Katherine Stone, c. 2006 -- Dec 17th, 2006 -- "The Big Love", see above under booksfree.com

"Please, Mr. Einstein," by Jean-Claude Carriere, c. 2005 -- Jan 30th, 2006 -- Guardian Groom by Shelley Cooper, c. 1999 -- couldn't get into the book. read to p76

from Penne:
"Ready for You," by Debbie Macomber, c. 2006 -- Dec 24th, 2006 -- Cattleman's Pride by Diana Palmer, c. 2004

"One Last Look," by Linda Lael Miller, c. 2006 -- Dec 24th, 2006 -- "A Carol For Christmas," see below

"On The Run," by Iris Johansen, c. 2005 -- Dec 27th, 2006 -- Stranger in Town by Kerry Allyne, c. 1985


from Mooresville Library
"A Carol For Christmas," by Robin Lee Hatcher, c. 2006 -- Jan 7th, 2007 -- "Ready for You," see above

"Buffalo Before Breakfast," by Mary Pope Osborne, c. 1999 -- Jan 14th, 2007 -- Someone's Watching by Judith Kelman, c. 1991

"A Day With A Perfect Stranger," by David Gregory, c. 2006 -- Jan 19th, 2007 -- "Timeline," see above

"The Boy Next Door," by Meg Cabot, c. 2002 -- Jan 23rd, 2007 -- That's Our Baby! by Pamela Browning, c. 2000

"Outback Surrender," by Margaret Way, c. 2003 -- Jan 26th, 2007 -- "I Heard The OWl Call My Name," see above.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Books recently read:

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot, c. 2002
That's Our Baby! by Pamela Browning, c. 2000
The Tide Of Life by Catherine Cookson, c. 1976
A Day With A Perfect Stranger by David Gregory, c. 2006
Timeline by Michael Crichton, c. 1999
Buffalo Before Breakfast by Mary Pope Osborne, c. 1999
Someone's Watching by Judith Kelman, c. 1991
Twins Too. Run Girls, Run by Leon Alexander Gray, c. 2001
The Street of the Sun by Lance Horner, c. 1956
One Last Look by Linda Lael Miller, c. 2006
A Carol For Christmas by Robin Lee Hatcher, c. 2006
Ready For Love by Debbie Macomber, c. 2006
Cattleman's Pride by Diana Palmer, c. 2004
Caroline's Journal by Katherine Stone, c. 2006
The Big Love by Sarah Dunn, c. 2004
Bittersweet Honeymoon by Marjorie Lewty, c. 1988
On The Run by Iris Johansen, c. 2005
Stranger In Town by Kerry Allyne, c. 1985
Sleep In The Woods by Dorothy Eden, c. 1960
Chocolate Kisses by Margaret Brownley et al, c. 1997
Girls Forever Brave and True by Caryl Rivers, c. 1986
Dance With Me by Luanne Rice, c. 2004
The Wilde Side by Janelle Denison, c. 2004
Bright Eyes by Catherine Anderson, c. 2004
Dying to Sing by Margaret Chittenden, c. 1996
Finally a Family by Moyra Tarling, c. 1995

[last updated Nov 13th, 2006]

Oct 1st, 2006

"Mixed Messages," by Linda Lael Miller, c. 1990

source of book: from Penne
to be read after: "For Love and Family," by Victoria Pade, c. 2004 (blog - Sept 7th, 2006)

==============================================
Oct 6th, 2006

"Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair, c. 1982

source of book: booksfree.com
to be read after:
One Hour of Magic by Melinda Cross, c. 1998

ah, sent this one back unread. i am not into historical fiction at the moment.

====================================================
Oct 12th, 2006

"Morrigan's Cross," by Nora Roberts, c. 2006

source of book: from Penne
to be read after: Ready For Romance by Debbie Macomber, c. 1993

==============================================================
Oct 20th, 2006

"The Way It Is," by Patrick Sanchez, c. 2003

source of book: Mooresville Public Library
to be read after: Doctor Sara Winslow by Peggy Gaddis, c. 1961

==============================================================
Oct 21st, 2006

"Second Opinion," by Hannah Alexander, c. 2002

source of book: booksfree.com
to be read after: The Lotus Eaters by Gerald Green, c. 1959

Good read!
====================================================================
Nov 5th, 2006

"Reunion," by Nora Roberts, c. 2004

source of book: booksfree.com
to be read after: Sea Promises by Bethany Campbell, c. 1987

============================================================================
Nov 7th, 2006

"Dance of the Gods," by Nora Roberts, c. 2006

source of book: from Penne
to be read after: Touched By Fire by Jane Donnelly, c. 1977

aah .. the above was missing a page, so read after Snow Angels by Stella Cameron, c. 1991

====================================================================
Nov 13th, 2006

"Dying To Sing," by Margaret Chittenden

source of book: from Booksfree.com
to be read after: Finally A Family by Moyra Tarling, c. 1995

=============================================================================
Dec 4th, 2006

From my profile:

The Marriage Merger by Vivian Leiber, c. 1999
Ports of Call by Sally Fairchild, c. 1999
Forgive The Wind by Cindy Holby, c. 2005
Reunion by Nora Roberts, c. 2004
Sea Promises by Bethany Campbell, c. 1987
Match Made In Wyoming by Patricia McLinn, c. 2001
Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts, c. 2006
Snow Angels by Stella Cameron, c. 1991
Step Into My Parlor by Jan Hudson, c. 1990
Black Widow by Patrick Quentin, c. 1952
Second Opinion by Hannah Alexander, c. 2002
The Doctor Wore Boots by Debra Webb, c. 2002
Bed of Roses by Jean Faure, c. 1985
Both Sides Of Time by Caroline B. Cooney, c. 1995
The Way It Is by Patrick Sanchez, c. 2003
Doctor Sara Winslow by Peggy Gaddis, c. 1961
One Hour of Magic by Melinda Cross, c. 1998
Search For The Rainbow by Sharon Brandos, c. 1987
The Contract by Ovid Demaris, c. 1970
The Playboy and Plain Jane by Leanne Banks, c. 2003
Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts, c. 2006
Ready For Romance by Debbie Macomber, c. 1993
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle, c. 1980
Mixed Messages by Linda Lael Miller, c. 1990
For Love and Family by Victoria Pade, c. 2004
Home Ties by Kara Larkin, c. 1994
The Good Sister by Diana Diamond, c. 2002
Beach Girls by Luanne Rice, c. 2004




============================================================================

(last updated Oct 1st, 2006)

Aug 24th, 2006

"Fairy Dust and the Quest For The Egg," by Gail Carson Levine, c. 2005

book is from Davidson library and is a kids book.

To be read after

And Then Came You by Maureen Child, c. 2004

============================================
Aug 25th, 2006

"Angels Fall," by Nora Roberts, c. 2006

Penne from across the road lent me this one ... and it's from Rowan Public Library, Salisbury, NC -- shall squeeze it in before "Fairy Dust," see above.

It was a fun read. I did enjoy the descriptions of the nature in Wyoming.

====================================================
Aug 31st, 2006

I literally use a dice to choose my next read. And at the moment I seem to be on a kick with books from the library. I was at the library getting books/movies for my kids and this one caught my eye. I'm going to squeeze it in after "Fairy Dust," simply cos it is due back next Tuesday. The book is "New Dreams For Old," by Mike Resnick, c. 2006

=========================================================
Sep 4th, 2006

"Beach Girls," by Luanne Rice, c. 2004

Book is from booksfree.com. To be read after

Baby Business by Brenda Novak, c. 2000 -- aah a bookring has come in and I am sneaking it in between Novak's book and Beach Girls. The book is Mixed Doubles by Jill Mansell, c. 1998

very good read!

===============================================================
Sep 7th, 2006

"For Love and Family," by Victoria Pade, c, 2004

Another one from booksfree.com

Next after Home Ties by Kara Larkin, c. 1994
=======================================================
Sep 25th, 2006

"The Playboy and Plain Jane," by Leanne Banks, c. 2003

Next after Ready for Romance by Debbie Macomber, c. 1993. Copy is from booksfree.com

aah - new book needs to be snuck in here - see Oct 12th, 2006 "Morrigan's Cross," by Nora Roberts

====================================================================
Oct 1st, 2006

Clearing out profile:

Recently read...
Beach Girls by Luanne Rice, c. 2004
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, c. 1992
Mixed Doubles by Jill Mansell, c. 1998
Baby Business by Brenda Novak, c. 2000
Hard Choices by Allison Leigh, c. 2003
Village of Stone by Xiaolu Guo, c. 2004
Not Yet by Tereska Torres, c. 1957
Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie, c. 1994
How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen, c. 1998
Shadows of Passion by Patricia Gallagher, c. 1971
New Dreams for Old by Mike Resnick, c. 2006
Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine, c. 2005
Angel Falls by Nora Roberts, c. 2006
And Then Came You by Maureen Child, c. 2004
A Country Practice by Laura Abbot, c. 2001
Between the Covers & The Matchmaker's Mistake by Cathie Linz & Jane Sullivan, c. 2001
About Adam by Stella Cameron, c. 2003
The Grey King by Susan Cooper, c. 1975
Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson, c. 2004
Escape From Cabriz by Linda Lael Miller, c. 1990
Cell by Stephen King, c. 2006
The Snow Bride by Debbie Macomber, c. 2003
Communion. A True Story by Whitley Strieber, c. 1987
No Earthly Sunne by Margaret Ball, c. 1994
Round-The-Clock Temptation by Michelle Celmer, c. 2005
When I See Your Face by Laurie Paige, c. 2001
Burning Road by Ann Benson, c. 1999

===============================================================================

(last updated August 15th, 2006)

I am using this page now to record books I've borrowed from people/places.


Index ...
"A Country Practice," Aug 6th, 2006
"About Adam," Aug 12th, 2006
"Burning Road," July 18th, 2006
"Cell," July 31st 2006
"Escape from Cabriz," July 31st, 2006
"Forty Stories," July 6th, 2006
"Murder Suicide," July 11th, 2006
"No Earth Sunne," July 25th, 2006
"Paper Doll," July 18th 2006
"Round the Clock Temptation," July 24th, 2006
"Sam's Letters to Jennifer," July 31st, 2006
"Strange Bedpersons," Aug 15th, 2006
"The English Breakfast Murder," July 11th, 2006
"The Husband," July 21st, 2006
"Velocity," July 12th, 2006

==========================================
today

"Forty Stories," by Donald Barthelme, c. 1987 (from booksfree.com)

This is next after A Dangerous Business by Michael Underwood, c. 1990

-- note July 22nd -- book abandoned as I couldn't get into the stories

==========================================
July 11th, 2006

Needed to squeeze two books in after my current read. One is from a pile of books from Penne across the road and t'other is a library book. Ah the joys of having many books to read :)

From Penne ... "Murder Suicide," by Keith Ablow, c.2004
and from the Davidson library "The English Breakfast Murder," by Laura Childs, c. 2003

Current read is The Boss Man's Fortune by Kathryn Jensen, c. 2004

Murder.. good book, kept my interest.
English .... most enjoyable.

==========================================
July 12th, 2006

Another from Penne ... "Velocity," by Dean Koontz, c. 2005 -- after Impulsive Butterfly by Kay Gregory, c. 1989

I collect quotes as I read. They tend to be ones that are fun, poetical, or even philosophical. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" in the book. These happen to be close to the spot where I stopped reading each night.

The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility ... p85

"They are the stories of a seeker," Vallis said. "You know the truth of life, but you circle around that fruit, circle and circle, reluctant to admit it, to taste it." p361

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. A diabolic killer plays a harrowing game of cat and mouse with a reclusive bartender in Koontz's latest gripping suspense thriller. Billy Wiles, a 30-something bartender and former writer, is content with his solitary Napa County existence listening to "beer-based psychoanalysis" from tavern regulars; visiting his hospitalized, comatose fiancée, Barbara; and carving wood sculptures. But the simple life gets mighty complicated when he finds a note with a deadly, time-sensitive ultimatum: he must choose between the death of a young schoolteacher or an elderly humanitarian in six hours. Reluctant local sheriff Lanny Olsen dismisses it as a joke until a comely teacher is found strangled and another threatening note appears—offering even less time for Billy to decide the fate of two more people. Who would have guessed that one of those people would be Olsen? After his friend's murder, Billy finds that the cunning killer has gained access to every aspect of his life as the ultimatums grow increasingly more personal. Suppressing horrific childhood memories, Billy scrambles to bury grisly incriminating evidence the murderer has deviously planted. More gruesome deaths and shaky suspicions trap Billy right in the demented killer's lair for just the beginning of Koontz's serpentine showdown. Graphic, fast-paced action, well-developed characters and relentless, nail-biting scenes show Koontz at the top of his game. (May 24)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

==============================================================
July 18th, 2006

--> "Burning Road," by Ann Benson, c. 1999

book is via booksfree.com

random pick after "Paper Doll," see below ...

from the book:
He could eat and think in motionless peace, which he considered a blessing. p542
[comment: simple, but true]

my thoughts:
Ending wasn't as I had expected it to be but it was riveting.

--> "Paper Doll," by Robert B. Parker, c. 1993

Spenser fans will delight in the Boston PI's latest adventure, after Pastime and Double Deuce , as Parker, restraining a penchant for arch characterization, returns his attention to plotting. Spenser is hired by Boston Brahmin Loudon Tripp to find the murderer of his conventionally impeccable wife, Olivia Nelson, whom the police consider a victim of random urban violence. After consulting with the police detective assigned to the case, a gay man whose lover is dying of AIDS, Spenser travels to Olivia's hometown in South Carolina, where his questions land him in jail, uncharged, and at the mercy of some Northern thugs. Rescued at the last minute by Boston police Lt. Quirk, the burly detective soon finds himself taken into the confidence of a sleazy but powerful Massachusetts senator. The case builds on a nicely woven mix of false identity, self-delusion and, unexpectedly, the powerful attachment of two old Southern gentlemen, one black and one white. Spenser's lover, the elegant psychiatrist Susan, and his pal Hawk stay pretty much in the background as the tough-but-sensitive PI hews mainly to the mystery at hand. Mystery Guild Main selection, Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

randomly chosen to be next after 24 Hours by Greg Iles, c. 2000

book is from Penne

Fun pieces:

She laughed. I always loved the sound of her laughter. And to have caused it was worth the west side of heaven. p94

... a good book
==============================================================
July 20th, 2006

"The Husband," by Dean Koontz, c. 2006

Another Koontz book from Penne :) Will read after "Forty Stories" - see above.

fun!

================================================================
July 24th, 2006

From Davidson Library "Round the Clock Temptation," by Michelle Celmer, c. 2005

To be read after When I See Your Face by Laurie Page, c. 2001

When Nina and Connor stepped into her daddy's hospital room an hour later he was asleep, and Jane was perched in one of the visitor's chairs reading a romance novel - her one personal indulgence. 1.00pm every afternoon, for exactly one hour she could be found on the cedar swing, or curled up on the couch, her nose buried in a book. Unless someone was bleeding to death or the house was in flames, everyone knew better than to weasel in on her "me" time. p33
[comment: mmmm ... I wonder why I like this one :)??]

==============================================================
July 25th, 2006

"No Earth Sunne," by Margaret Ball, c. 1994

This copy is from the wonderful booksfree.com

To be after "Round the Clock Temptation," ... see above entry!

=====================================================================
July 31st, 2006

"Cell," by Stephen King, c. 2006 -- From Penne
"Escape from Cabriz," by Linda Lael Miller -- another from Penne
"Sam's Letters to Jennifer," by James Patterson -- from Penne

I will read Cell after The Snow Bride by Debbie Macomber, c. 2003

He said the mind can calculate, but the spirit yearns, and the heart knows what the heart knows. p250 -- "Cell".

=======================================================================
Aug 6th, 2006

"A Country Practice," by Laura Abbot, c. 2001 -- from books free.com

Randomly chosen to be next after Duet Comedies #48 by Cathie Linz and Jane Sullivan, c. 2001

aah books recently read:

Paper Doll by Robert B. Parker, c. 1993
24 Hours by Greg Iles, c. 2000
The Secret Groom by Myrna Mackenzie, c. 1997
The Husband by Dean Koontz, c. 2006
A Dangerous Business by Michael Underwood, c. 1990
Velocity by Dean Koontz, c. 2005
Impulsive Butterfly by Kay Gregory, c. 1989
English Breakfast Murder by Laura Childs, c. 2003
Murder Suicide by Keith Ablow, c. 2004
The Boss Man's Fortune by Kathryn Jensen, c. 2004
The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks, c. 2000
The Jury by Fern Michaels, c. 2006
Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie, c. 2005
House of Dreams by Leigh Michaels, c. 1994
The Zigzag Way by Anita Desai, c. 2004
Just Desserts by Sue Welfare, c. 1999
A Match Made In Heaven by Susan Wales and Ann Platz, c. 1999
By The Light Of The Moon by Dean Koontz, c. 2002
Spring Fancy by Annette Broadrick, Lass Small & Kasey Michaels, c. 1993
Five Mile House by Karen Novak, c. 2000
The Famished Road by Ben Okri, c. 1991
How Happy To Be by Katrina Onstad, c. 2006
Lie By Moonlight by Amanda Quick, c. 2005
Fool's Gold by Jennifer Skully, c. 2005
Silence in October by Jens Christian Grondahl, c. 1996
False Light by Caroline Llewllyn, c. 1997
City of Truth by James Morrow, c. 1990
The Bachelor by Carly Phillips, c. 2002
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, c. 2000

===================================================================================
August 12th, 2006 --

"About Adam," by Stella Cameron, c. 2003 -- from Davidson Library

Randomly chosen to be next after:
The Grey King by Susan Cooper, c. 1975

From front cover: In the names of justice; fun and most of all, love, the residents of Mayfair Square are about to challenge fate ... yet again.

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August 15th, 2006 --

"Strange Bedpersons," by Jennifer Crusie, c. 1994 -- from Mooresville Library

Next after How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen, c. 1998

(last amended June 28th, 2006...)


This is a continuation of a journal held in another place.

For ease of use I have included an index of titles and the date of entry:
"A Match Made in Heaven," June 4th, 2006
"Can you keep a secret," Apr 26th, 2006
"Chasing the dime," May 4th, 2006
"City of Truth," May 8th, 2006
"Killer Takes All," May 14th, 2006
"Lie By Moonlight," May 31st, 2006
"The Jury," June 27th, 2006
"The Rescue," June 28th, 2006

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date: today

"Can You Keep a Secret," by Sophie Kinsella, c. 2004

It's from booksfree.com and will be next after Jared's Love-Child by Sandra Field, c. 1999

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date: May 4th 2006

"Chasing the Dime," by Michael Connelly, c. 2002

book is from Davidson Public Library.

It will follow Shadows at Sunset by Anne Stuart, c. 2000

I collect quotes as I read. These ones are fun, poetical, or even philosophical. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" in the book. These happen to be close to the spot where I stopped reading each night.

Wednesday, May 10th, 2006 --
Before leaving, he went back into the living room and stood before her bookcase. Her shelves were crowded. Hardcover books only. It was an altar to knowledge and experience and adventure. He remembered one time walking into the living room and finding her on the couch. She wasn't reading. She was just looking up at her books.
One of the shelves was completely dedicated to books about tattoos and graphic design. He stepped over and let his finger tick along the spines of the books until he found the one he knew was there and pulled it out. It was a book about Chinese pictograms, the book from which she had chosen her tattoo. He turned the pages until he found 'fu' and read the copy. It quoted Confucius. "With coarse rice to eat, with only water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow, I am happy." p359

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date: May 8th, 2006

"City of Truth," by James Morrow, c. 1990

This book is from booksfree.com and is next after The Bachelor by Carly Phillips, c. 2002

Fun passages:
A door opened. A short, round, onion-eyed man in a white lab coat came out, accompanied by a fiftyish couple - a blobby woman in a shabby beige dress and her equally fat, equally disheveled husband: rumpled golf cap, oversized polyester polo shirt, baggy corduroy pants; they looked like a pair of bookends they'd failed to unload at their own garage sale. p41



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date: May 14th, 2006

"Killer Takes All," by Erica Spindler, c. 2005

Penne from across the road gave me this to read. I think she sees me reading outside all the time and thought it would be fun to share the fun. What a neat gesture.

I'm going to read it after my current read:
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, c. 2005

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date: May 31st, 2006

"Lie by Moonlight," by Amanda Quick, c. 2005

This was also given to me by Penne. It will be next after Fool's Gold by Jennifer Skully, c. 2005

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date: June 4, 2006

List of recent reads

The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews, c. 2002
Children of the Lion by Peter Danielson, c. 1980
Small Island by Andrea Levy, c. 2004
Killer Takes All by Erica Spindler, c. 2005
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, c. 2005
Full Circle by Kay Thorpe, c. 1978
Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly, c. 2002
Shadows at Sunset by Anne Stuart, c. 2000
The Town by Bentley Little, c. 2000
Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella, c. 2004
Jared's Love-child by Sandra Field, c. 1999
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, c. 1985
A Delicate Finish by Jeanette Baker, c. 2005
Fantasy Wife by Julie Kistler, c. 1995
Moon Shadows anthology, c. 2004
Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson, c. 2004
Deep Cover by Brian Garfield, c. 1971
Make-believe Marriage by Renee Roszel, c. 1995
Montana Man by Barbara Delinsky, c. 1989
Brazen by Carly Phillips, c. 1999
Burning Dreams by Peggy Nicholson, c. 1991
Ella In Europe by Michael Konik, c. 2005
Once a Dreamer by Candice Hern, c. 2003
Where or When by Anita Shreve, c. 1993
The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer, c. 2004


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date: June 4th, 2006

"A Match Made in Heaven," by Susan Wales & Ann Platz, c.1999

Randomly chosen from my pile of books from booksfree.com. It's next after Spring Fancy an anthology, c. 1993

ah -- a bookring has emerged and it will now be after By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz, c. 2002

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date: Jun 11th, 2006

This is what my profile at BC looks as of today.

Welcome!!

Pammykn introduced me to bookcrossing by sending me Cold Tree on a Hot Day through the mail. The idea intrigued me and I responded by sending The Hours out into the wild. My first "catch" was in December, 2004. I left a book at MacDonalds (exit 33, I77) I'm so happy :)) It was Scarlatti Inheritance. My second catch was this one. It was journaled 8 months later! Here is one I left at a OBCZ St Cinnamons. This one has traveled a bit.

Most of the books here have not been read. Pls feel free to message me if you see a book that tickles your fancy. I will then most likely bump it up my TBR list.

Why the kiwifruit? I am an expat kiwi.

Currently reading:
Fool's Gold by Jennifer Skully, c. 2005

Just Finished:
Silence in October by Jens Christian Grondahl, c. 1996
False Light by Caroline Llewllyn, c. 1997
City of Truth by James Morrow, c. 1990
The Bachelor by Carly Phillips, c. 2002
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, c. 2000


see this link for Books read from 1997 to June 29th, 2005 xx from June 29th, 2005 to October 6th, 2005. xx from October 7th, 2005 to April 7th, 2006 xx Books read April, May, 2006 xx.

I collect quotes as I read. These ones are fun, poetical, or even philosophical. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" in the book. These happen to be close to the spot where I stopped reading each night.

Monday, June 13th, 2006 --
I mused that time is not only a river, but a river that constantly breaks its banks so you must flee from it as it covers everything behind your back, flee into the future, empty-handed and dispossessed, as the river obliterates your footprints with every step you take, your every passage from one moment to the next. It is only our own helpless lack of synchronicity, the inertia of our senses, the illusory power of memory and habit, that shields us from facing the unknown when we open our eyes in the morning, washed up on the shore of yet another alien day. Every morning we tread an unknown path, and we only have faint and falling memories to tell us who we might be. Disconnected, frayed memories, that no longer distinguish between the world we passed and the shadows it cast in our hollow, clean-swept head as we fled onward, on and on. Now and then we overcoe our fear of stumbling and turn around to look back one last time, and again one very last time, because we do not understand the strangeness that approaches, and the words we have to name it will be hopelessly inadequate , and so we flee from the havoc of time, backward, until we are nothing other than the story there is to tell of all we have lost. p292
Silence in October by Jens Christian Grondahl, c. 1996

Saturday, June 11, 2006 --
In a short while, when I had taken a bath and changed my shirt, I would go down in the elevator and mix with the crowd at the bottom of the shaft among the columns of shining glass. I would reduce myself to a particle among particles fluctuating beneath me, each with its own direction and yet swallowed up in the same stream of continual, unstoppable, directionless movement. p101
Silence in October by Jens Christian Grondahl, c. 1996

Sunday, June 4th, 2006 --
A door opened. A short, round, onion-eyed man in a white lab coat came out, accompanied by a fiftyish couple - a blobby woman in a shabby beige dress and her equally fat, equally disheveled husband: rumpled golf cap, oversized polyester polo shirt, baggy corduroy pants; they looked like a pair of bookends they'd failed to unload at their own garage sale. p41
City of Truth by James Morrow, c. 1990

Sunday, May 28th, 2006 --
Today I will choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.
In the past, I have found discouragement in particular situations until I compared the condition of my life to others less fortunate. Just as fresh breeze cleans smoke from the air, so a grateful spirit removes the cloud of despair. It is impossible for the seeds of depression to take root in a thankful heart.
My God has bestowed upon me many gifts, and for these I will remember to be grateful. Too many times I have offered up the prayers of a beggar, always asking for more and forgetting to give thanks. I do not wish to be seen as a greedy child, unappreciative and disrespectful. I am grateful for sight and sound and breath. If ever in my life there is a pouring out of blessings beyond that, then I will be grateful for the miracle of abundance.
I will greet each day with laughter. I will smile at every person I meet. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.
Today I will choose to be happy. p110
The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews, c. 2002

Monday, May 22nd, 2006 --
Early Bird, my teacher at Bolsbrooke Elementary School, taught us all in English grammar that an apostrophe is a mark to show where something is missing. And that was how I'd always seen Bernard's father, Arthur: a human spostrophe. He was there but only to show that something precious had gone astray. When Bernard said he was being posted overseas I asked him who was going to look after his father now. A bewildered expression was all I got tell that I was. p288
Small Island by Andrea Levy, c. 2004

Monday, May 15th, 2006 --
"I've been happy here," XX said, and it was true. FF felt congestion had ruined Paris, but for XX the charm was infinite, the boulangeries and the patisseries, the crepes sold from street stands, the spires of ancient buildings, the bells. The sounds, too, of the language flowing like a stream, a word here and there emerging like a pebble. p333
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, c. 2005

Sunday, May 14th, 2006 --
He scanned the room for her again and did not see her, and the first threads of panic began, tiny, pervasive, like the filaments of mushrooms hidden in a log. p256
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, c. 2005

Some (perhaps) interesting updates:

From Nov 11, 2003 - Dec 11, 2003, I had a much needed moratorium on buying books from charity stores etc. It was an exercise in self-control which on the whole I managed to achieve! I have a love/hate relationship with Ebay. The boxes of books are wonderful but I have bought much more than I can chew.

Update March 1st, 2004 --
I'm so excited!! Dusties left one of my books, First Counsel, in the wild last month and it's in now in Asia!

Update March 19th 2004 --

I am releasing some books at Caribou Coffee on Park Rd in Charlotte this afternoon. AdventureTom is trying to set up an Official Bookcrossing Zone there so I thought I would go along and have a look. These are the books I'm taking with me...

The Shape of the Snakes by Minette Walters -- picked up March 19th, 2004.
Almost Innocent by Jane Feather
22 Indigo Place by Sandra Brown -- picked up March 20th, 2004.
The Incumbent by Brian McGrory -- picked up April 4th, 2004.
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian -- no longer there -- I brought it home again to release locally.

December 2004 --

HOLIDAY CLEAR-OFF -- BOOKRINGS GALORE ...
There are 19 days left til Christmas and I have so many books lingering, relaxing, reposing on my shelves. I want to offer up some bookrings. Just PM me.

1. Zen and the Art of Fatherhood by Steven Lewis
2. A Scandalous Proposal by Julia Justiss
3. Tender Malice by Catherine Lanigan
4. Wild West Wife by Susan Mallery
5. Meant for Trent & Leigh's for Me by Liz Jarrett

6. Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend by Robert James Weller
7. A Painted House by John Grisham
8. Guardian Angel by Sara Paretsky
9. Temporary Santa by Cathy Thacker & Leigh Michaels
10. The Bachelor by Carly Phillips
11. Name Dropping by Jane Heller
12. 7B by Stella Cameron
13. Blue Skies by Catherine Anderson
14. Southern Gentemen by Jennifer Blake and Emilie Richards
15. The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown by Julia Quinn and others
16. After the Music by Diana Palmer
17. The Other Twin by Katherine Stone
18. Undressed by Stef Ann Holm
19. The Leopard's Women & White Wolf by Linda Lael Miller & Lindsay McKenna

These are the bookrays I have intitiated 2003/2004:

Satellite Sisters Uncommon Senses
The Pleasure Principle
Inner Gardening
The Five People You Meet In Heaven

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June 27th, 2006

"The Jury," by Fern Michaels, c. 2006

Copy is from Penne across the road.

Chosen to be next after Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie, c. 2005

Enjoyable escape :)

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June 28th, 2006

"The Rescue," by Nicholas Sparks, c. 2000

This is from booksfree.com.

Chosen to be next after "The Jury", see above.

Ah, this was a great book. It's not often that I cry when reading but this one made me weep.

I am using this page now to record books I've borrowed from people/places. It works for me at the mo :) Happy reading.

"The Photograph," by Penelope Lively, c. 2003 (copy from booksfree.com)

(entry edited July 23rd, 24th, to include a passage)

'Tis next after The Angel of Devil's Camp by Lynna Banning, c. 2003.

I collect quotes as I read. These ones are fun, poetical, or even philosophical. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" in the book. These happen to be close to the spot where I stopped reading each night.

The thing about coming home, says Polly, when she dashes down for a night, or a meal, is that everything's always got to be exactly the same. Don't you see? I mean, you can have some new curtains occasionally, if you like, within reason, but basically it's got to stay put. I've got to be able to touch base. Totally self-centered, I know, but you don't 'mind', do you? The occasional innovation I will allow - actually, a makeover of the bathroom would be no bad thing - but basics have to stay the same, right? No blue rinses, Mum, OK? And if Dad ever goes in for gray flannels and a tweed jacket I'll slaughter him. p52
[comment: makes me think what my expectations are.]

She is dumpy, fresh-faced, wholesome-looking, she reminds me of a small brown loaf. p127

I have just finished The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney, c. 1999! And, as always, I have another book in my hand within 30 minutes. This time it's "Split Second," by David Baldacci, c. 2003. Copy is from booksfree.com.

My thoughts (added July 22nd, 2005) - the book is a good piece of escapism. I took it with me on a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. We went with my parents from New Zealand. We all did a lot of reading as they are not TV watchers. 'Tis nice to have a good book to read!

"Summer Secrets," by Barbara Freethy, c. 2003 (library copy)

To be read soon after Remembrance by Jude Deveraux, c. 1994