quotes#612731 The Forger
"You were a painter. A great one, from all I hear."
"All right," he said. "Maybe I was good. But I exhausted myself. I got so tired in here" - he bounced the heel of his palm off his forehead. "Some days, I would set up the canvas and stare at it for an hour and then be so exhausted I'd have to go back to bed. But with restoration, it's different" - he drew his fingers close together, like a man learning to pray. "It's about the creation of the paint itself. Using only those materials available at the time. Then the lacquer. Then the ageing process. The precision of it. The cheating of time! Do you know that my finest work in that Gericault is the part Gericault got wrong." p71
The next morning I woke, as usual, to the sound of muttering voices in the Rue Descalzi. I could smell the particularly sour, perfumy reek of Matelot tobacco, which was the cheapest brand. p53
[ah ... trivia]
Sunday, October 19, 2008
quotes#793912 Buddha or bust
"Practicing?" he asked in a pedantic style that immediately put me on the defensive, as it was intended to do. "I love it when I hear Americans say they 'practice' Buddhism. To a Japanese person that would be like saying, 'I practice being Japanese.'" The practice of which I spoke, meditation, is called zazen in the Japanese Zen tradition. In the tradition called Pure Land Buddhism, it's the recitation of the name Amida Buddha - in Japanese, Namu Amida Butsu. The nembutsu, as it's called, means "thinking on the Buddha." p206
The United States has 78 persons per square mile to China's 348. p169
"Practicing?" he asked in a pedantic style that immediately put me on the defensive, as it was intended to do. "I love it when I hear Americans say they 'practice' Buddhism. To a Japanese person that would be like saying, 'I practice being Japanese.'" The practice of which I spoke, meditation, is called zazen in the Japanese Zen tradition. In the tradition called Pure Land Buddhism, it's the recitation of the name Amida Buddha - in Japanese, Namu Amida Butsu. The nembutsu, as it's called, means "thinking on the Buddha." p206
The United States has 78 persons per square mile to China's 348. p169
Saturday, October 18, 2008
quotes#611730 Buddha or Bust
"You must each be a lamp unto yourselves," he said in the last hours of his life. p120
"My case is not progressing," he went on, eager to share his experience, "but I am much more detached. It's the craving that causes miseries. This is what we learn. I actually feel blessed to be at Tihar. Otherwise, I would never have learned about vipassana." p98
"You must each be a lamp unto yourselves," he said in the last hours of his life. p120
"My case is not progressing," he went on, eager to share his experience, "but I am much more detached. It's the craving that causes miseries. This is what we learn. I actually feel blessed to be at Tihar. Otherwise, I would never have learned about vipassana." p98
Friday, October 17, 2008
quotes#647393 Buddha or bust
"You cannot travel on the path until you become the path itself. -- THE BUDDHA" p49
"But I was made privy to a more relevant mantra that would follow me around the world, like my own private Jiminy Cricket. Come close and breaking the privacy rules of the Cult of Rehab, I will whisper it: "Core-trunk stablization." This regime of simple floor exercises, designed to strengthen the muscles surrounding the whole pelvic region, were demonstrated by a physical therapist in Encino, one of those look-alike towns along Ventura Boulevard in the Valley. Core-trunk stablization kept me in the vertical position for the duration of my travels and does to this day. Every time I did the exercises - on the bare floor of some very funky hotel in India, on the richly carpeted floor of the Four Seasons George V in Paris - I thought of that Encino therapist stuck in a strip mall upstairs from a Pep Boys and a Taco Bell, and I sent her lotuses of gratitude." p9
"You cannot travel on the path until you become the path itself. -- THE BUDDHA" p49
"But I was made privy to a more relevant mantra that would follow me around the world, like my own private Jiminy Cricket. Come close and breaking the privacy rules of the Cult of Rehab, I will whisper it: "Core-trunk stablization." This regime of simple floor exercises, designed to strengthen the muscles surrounding the whole pelvic region, were demonstrated by a physical therapist in Encino, one of those look-alike towns along Ventura Boulevard in the Valley. Core-trunk stablization kept me in the vertical position for the duration of my travels and does to this day. Every time I did the exercises - on the bare floor of some very funky hotel in India, on the richly carpeted floor of the Four Seasons George V in Paris - I thought of that Encino therapist stuck in a strip mall upstairs from a Pep Boys and a Taco Bell, and I sent her lotuses of gratitude." p9
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
quotes#585466 Books. A memoir
At Booked Up one of our favorite eccentrics was a gentleman we called the "little book" man.
Once or twice a year this customer would show up at the shop with a ruler and work his way around the main room, measuring the books.
He was not cheap in the least, and seemed to have no exact height limit. Every time he showed up he spent $2,000 at least, and often more. He never said much - indeed, I can't recall him saying anything. But he always went away carrying a box of short books. p138
As a book buyer I had visited Lowdermilks several times, but my visits were brief and hardly scratched the surface of their massive stock, which occupied three floors of a large old building downtown. The third floor had not been visited (except by favored customers) for about ten years, or at least that was the legend. This floor contained a huge accumulation of nineteenth-century books. p99
[aaah: nice]
At Booked Up one of our favorite eccentrics was a gentleman we called the "little book" man.
Once or twice a year this customer would show up at the shop with a ruler and work his way around the main room, measuring the books.
He was not cheap in the least, and seemed to have no exact height limit. Every time he showed up he spent $2,000 at least, and often more. He never said much - indeed, I can't recall him saying anything. But he always went away carrying a box of short books. p138
As a book buyer I had visited Lowdermilks several times, but my visits were brief and hardly scratched the surface of their massive stock, which occupied three floors of a large old building downtown. The third floor had not been visited (except by favored customers) for about ten years, or at least that was the legend. This floor contained a huge accumulation of nineteenth-century books. p99
[aaah: nice]
Friday, October 10, 2008
quotes#432885 Flight
So, okay, now I'm dressed and I limp out of the tent to join the other soldiers. Everybody else is already lined up in neat rows - or semi-neat rows, I guess. All of these soldiers are young and hungry. I wonder how long they've been on the march. They're not starving to death, but they look hollow-eyed and barren, like they've been fed just enough food but never enough happiness. p82
[context: time travel and in soldiers body. am always interested in "happiness," or lack of]
I can feel this body remembering. Every part of you has different memories. Your fingers remember the feel of a velvet coat. Your feet remember a warm sandy beach. Your eyes remember a face. p109
[cliche, but good for me to acknowledge]
So, okay, now I'm dressed and I limp out of the tent to join the other soldiers. Everybody else is already lined up in neat rows - or semi-neat rows, I guess. All of these soldiers are young and hungry. I wonder how long they've been on the march. They're not starving to death, but they look hollow-eyed and barren, like they've been fed just enough food but never enough happiness. p82
[context: time travel and in soldiers body. am always interested in "happiness," or lack of]
I can feel this body remembering. Every part of you has different memories. Your fingers remember the feel of a velvet coat. Your feet remember a warm sandy beach. Your eyes remember a face. p109
[cliche, but good for me to acknowledge]
Monday, October 06, 2008
quotes#727473 Nanny diaries
"Hey, have you eaten yet?" he asks as James opens the door for us.
"'Night, James," I call over my shoulder. "It depends on what you mean by eating. If you consider a fistful of Goldfish and a few dry tortellini a meal then I'm stuffed." p115
[comment: after having moved back to NZ I haven't had Goldfish in ages!]
and on the ninth floor of the electric porcupine that is New York City ... p88
"Hey, have you eaten yet?" he asks as James opens the door for us.
"'Night, James," I call over my shoulder. "It depends on what you mean by eating. If you consider a fistful of Goldfish and a few dry tortellini a meal then I'm stuffed." p115
[comment: after having moved back to NZ I haven't had Goldfish in ages!]
and on the ninth floor of the electric porcupine that is New York City ... p88
Sunday, October 05, 2008
quotes#555047 The Nanny Diaries
The following Monday on my way to meet Mrs. X I make a quick stop at my favorite stationery store to stock up on Post-its. Today my Filofax only has two Post-its: a tiny pink one imploring me to "BUY MORE POST-ITS" and a green one reminding me that I have "Coffee, Mrs. X, 11:15." I pull off the pink one and toss it in the trash as I continue heading south to La Patisserie Gout du Mois, our appointed meeting place. p26
[only because i like post-it notes]
The following Monday on my way to meet Mrs. X I make a quick stop at my favorite stationery store to stock up on Post-its. Today my Filofax only has two Post-its: a tiny pink one imploring me to "BUY MORE POST-ITS" and a green one reminding me that I have "Coffee, Mrs. X, 11:15." I pull off the pink one and toss it in the trash as I continue heading south to La Patisserie Gout du Mois, our appointed meeting place. p26
[only because i like post-it notes]
Saturday, October 04, 2008
quotes#836328 C'est la vie
Chez Francis, a bistro made famous because of its direct view of the Eiffel Tower, was between the bus stop and the Plaza, as we called the Plaza Athenee. Mike and I had been regulars for years; we had even celebrated some of our New Year's Eves there. Chez Francis was still one of my favorite places in Paris, because of the view and the sense that you owned Paris. Though it had memories of my husband, it did not make me sad. Instead, I smugly sat and wrote in my notebook, sipped my coffee and listened to the hum around me: the hum of many tourists who hoped they would come back to Paris. I never spoke English to the waiter, lest he mistake me for one of them. p193
Chez Francis, a bistro made famous because of its direct view of the Eiffel Tower, was between the bus stop and the Plaza, as we called the Plaza Athenee. Mike and I had been regulars for years; we had even celebrated some of our New Year's Eves there. Chez Francis was still one of my favorite places in Paris, because of the view and the sense that you owned Paris. Though it had memories of my husband, it did not make me sad. Instead, I smugly sat and wrote in my notebook, sipped my coffee and listened to the hum around me: the hum of many tourists who hoped they would come back to Paris. I never spoke English to the waiter, lest he mistake me for one of them. p193
Friday, October 03, 2008
quotes#956448 C'est la vie
While Americans have come to expect a certain regular availability of produce because of international buying and shipping and alternate seasons below the equator, in France it has never mattered if the goods were available or not; tradition was tradition, there was right and there was wrong. It truly mattered what season it was; only heathens (or Americans) ate fruits or foods out of season. Because of this unwritten law, the good times were especially appreciated for their bounty. The market basket was a symbol of summer. p146
While I normally travel alone, on this trip two friends accompanied me because they were worried about me and thought this was an appropriate gesture of support for a widowed friend. One companion was a girlfriend from San Antonio, also a widow. The other was a Chinese friend who insisted I needed a translator and protector. They were bookends to my grief and a circle of strength as I started back to work, p123
While Americans have come to expect a certain regular availability of produce because of international buying and shipping and alternate seasons below the equator, in France it has never mattered if the goods were available or not; tradition was tradition, there was right and there was wrong. It truly mattered what season it was; only heathens (or Americans) ate fruits or foods out of season. Because of this unwritten law, the good times were especially appreciated for their bounty. The market basket was a symbol of summer. p146
While I normally travel alone, on this trip two friends accompanied me because they were worried about me and thought this was an appropriate gesture of support for a widowed friend. One companion was a girlfriend from San Antonio, also a widow. The other was a Chinese friend who insisted I needed a translator and protector. They were bookends to my grief and a circle of strength as I started back to work, p123
two-more-kids-picture-books-read-today#631750
Seven ways to catch the moon, by M.P. Robertson, c. 1999 - book came in the courier bin today - one that i would read to a little one in bed - love the placement of the words on the pages.
Is there really a human race?, by Jamie Lee Curtis & Laura Cornell, c. 2006 - am lucky that i work in a library and this book caught my eye as I was wanding it's return - as always i enjoy Jamie Lee Curtis (one of her other books I read over and over with my daughter - that was called Today I feel silly) "do some of us win? do some of us lose? is winning or losing something i choose? why am i racing? what am i winning? does all of my running keep the world spinning?"
Seven ways to catch the moon, by M.P. Robertson, c. 1999 - book came in the courier bin today - one that i would read to a little one in bed - love the placement of the words on the pages.
Is there really a human race?, by Jamie Lee Curtis & Laura Cornell, c. 2006 - am lucky that i work in a library and this book caught my eye as I was wanding it's return - as always i enjoy Jamie Lee Curtis (one of her other books I read over and over with my daughter - that was called Today I feel silly) "do some of us win? do some of us lose? is winning or losing something i choose? why am i racing? what am i winning? does all of my running keep the world spinning?"
Thursday, October 02, 2008
kids-books-that-I-read-at-lunch#695187
I picked these off the shelf prelunch to enjoy ...
You're different and that's super, by Carson Kressley, c.2005 - a unicorn struggling to find his identity and place in the world. ages 3-8 -- delightful black and white illustrations - horses' names that caught my imagination -- Tuckabuckaway and Wooligan - Unicorn was called Trumpet
The Gruffalo's child, by Julia Donaldson, c. 2004 - saw several copies of this book today so thought i should pick it up - in the end it was a mouse with a big shadow that spooked the monster - mouse knew how to defend himself - love the rhyming nature of the words.
I picked these off the shelf prelunch to enjoy ...
You're different and that's super, by Carson Kressley, c.2005 - a unicorn struggling to find his identity and place in the world. ages 3-8 -- delightful black and white illustrations - horses' names that caught my imagination -- Tuckabuckaway and Wooligan - Unicorn was called Trumpet
The Gruffalo's child, by Julia Donaldson, c. 2004 - saw several copies of this book today so thought i should pick it up - in the end it was a mouse with a big shadow that spooked the monster - mouse knew how to defend himself - love the rhyming nature of the words.
quotes#047793 C'est la vie
I often had to force myself to one more party or one more dinner, when all I really wanted was to stay home and watch TV. I went out only because I heard the memory of my mother's voice ringing in my brain, an echo from when I was twenty-two years old: "No one ever met anyone while sitting at home reading a book." p61
[but reading a book sure is fun]
I took his wedding ring from his left hand, removed my wedding ring from my left hand and switched both of them over to my right hand to signify our marriage had crossed over to the spiritual realm. His larger band was held in place by my smaller one. At 7:30A.M. I called his doctor.
"He's dead?" the doctor asked, stunned.
"I don't think he's faking," I managed to say. p6
I often had to force myself to one more party or one more dinner, when all I really wanted was to stay home and watch TV. I went out only because I heard the memory of my mother's voice ringing in my brain, an echo from when I was twenty-two years old: "No one ever met anyone while sitting at home reading a book." p61
[but reading a book sure is fun]
I took his wedding ring from his left hand, removed my wedding ring from my left hand and switched both of them over to my right hand to signify our marriage had crossed over to the spiritual realm. His larger band was held in place by my smaller one. At 7:30A.M. I called his doctor.
"He's dead?" the doctor asked, stunned.
"I don't think he's faking," I managed to say. p6
Monday, September 29, 2008
quotes#593577 Never Look Back
One morning in March Matilda found the daffodil bulbs she planted in tubs during the fall had finally opened in the sunshine on the veranda. Flowers were rare in this town, the pace was too fast, people too intransigent to think of planting a garden. Just the sight of them brought tears to her eyes, and a nostalgic whiff of England, but at the same time their bright colouring seemed to suggest it was time she put aside her sorrow at Zandra's death and looked to the future. p532
One morning in March Matilda found the daffodil bulbs she planted in tubs during the fall had finally opened in the sunshine on the veranda. Flowers were rare in this town, the pace was too fast, people too intransigent to think of planting a garden. Just the sight of them brought tears to her eyes, and a nostalgic whiff of England, but at the same time their bright colouring seemed to suggest it was time she put aside her sorrow at Zandra's death and looked to the future. p532
Sunday, September 28, 2008
quotes#688434 Never Look Back
"Someone long ago once asked me what I wished for from life," she said. "My reply was, that by the time I died I wanted to have felt I had made a difference, for the good, in someone else's. It's still my wish, and that's my middle road, Captain." p508
It certainly wasn't a desire for gold which prompted this hazardous trip by sea. Zandra had enough money to see out her days in luxury, but her curiousity and her adventuring spirit made her want to discover if there was any truth in the rumour, and if so, to be an observer of the madness which would surely follow. p452
[gold rush San Franciscso]
"Someone long ago once asked me what I wished for from life," she said. "My reply was, that by the time I died I wanted to have felt I had made a difference, for the good, in someone else's. It's still my wish, and that's my middle road, Captain." p508
It certainly wasn't a desire for gold which prompted this hazardous trip by sea. Zandra had enough money to see out her days in luxury, but her curiousity and her adventuring spirit made her want to discover if there was any truth in the rumour, and if so, to be an observer of the madness which would surely follow. p452
[gold rush San Franciscso]
Friday, September 26, 2008
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
[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
Monday, September 22, 2008
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
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
Saturday, September 20, 2008
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
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
Friday, September 19, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
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
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
Saturday, September 13, 2008
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]
... 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]
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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]
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]
Saturday, September 06, 2008
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
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]
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]
Sunday, August 31, 2008
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
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
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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
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
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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]
"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]
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
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]
"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]
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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]
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]
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]
Monday, August 11, 2008
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]
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]
Friday, August 08, 2008
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
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
Saturday, August 02, 2008
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]
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]
Friday, August 01, 2008
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
"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
Thursday, July 31, 2008
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
"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
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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
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
Friday, July 25, 2008
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]
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]
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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
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
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
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
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
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
Saturday, July 12, 2008
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
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
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
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
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
Friday, June 27, 2008
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
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
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
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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
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
Monday, June 23, 2008
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
"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
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
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
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
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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
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
Saturday, May 10, 2008
“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
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
Friday, May 09, 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
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
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 04, 2008
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
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, March 27, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
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
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
Saturday, March 15, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
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
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
Thursday, February 21, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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"
"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"
Sunday, February 10, 2008
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
... 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
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
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
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
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
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 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
Friday, January 25, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
"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
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
Friday, January 11, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
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
"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
Friday, January 04, 2008
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
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
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