Monday, November 28, 2011

Where I Spent My Thanksgiving Holiday

Huzzybuns and I spent our Thanksgiving here:

Well, not really in downtown Tulsa (that was taken as we drove past downtown) but with my wonderful in-laws. We also took a side trip to my sister's house to meet up with my niece and her little boy, whom we hadn't yet met. He's nearly 11 months old (walking a few steps at a time, although he's crawling in this photo) and such a sweet boy!

I only finished one book on this trip: The Wind is My Mother by Bear Heart. It's so fascinating that I've considered getting an extra copy to pass around. I'll tell you more about that, later. I also recently finished reading The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa. It's a sweet story but I can't say it was a favorite.

On the way to Tulsa, we stopped at Hastings Books & Music in Conway, Arkansas. I love Hastings and I've so missed bookstores, since Borders' tragic closing. So, I had a great time there. I bought a book about explorers that looks fun. And, then I went to another Hastings near my niece's house and bought several books. I'll have to grab those and bring them to my desk to chat about, later, but I started to read one of them: Amaryllis in Blueberry. I liked the writing style and the idea, but I was finding the characters too unlikable to keep my interest, so I decided to put that aside and started reading The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton, which I'm loving.

Since I'm still having a great deal of difficulty concentrating to read, I've decided to go ahead and remove all but Tapestry from my sidebar. It's really the only book I'm reading, at this point. Hopefully, my reading will pick up soon. But, in the meantime . . . off to tidy and prepare to decorate for Christmas! Happy reading!


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12 comments:

  1. That is one seriously cute baby! I am glad that you had a good time during the holidays, but sorry to hear that your reading is slow. I think it's just that time of year, because it seems like everyone is having trouble with their reading nowadays. Hope that things improve soon. By the way, I loved The Tapestry of Love and will be interested in finding out what you think of it!

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  2. Zibilee,

    Isn't he adorable?! He's also an incredibly sweet-tempered baby. Since he's just walking a few steps, he occasionally bashes himself, but he didn't cry once and barely even fussed when he got a little hungry.

    Thanks! We had a great time. I'm getting to the point that I'm not quite as worried about the reading, although it does mean the blog is not all that interesting. Hopefully, things will pick up in the new year. We shall see.

    It took exactly one paragraph of The Tapestry of Love to suck me in. So far, I'm really enjoying it. Okay, back to the cleaning. LOL Hopefully, I'll sneak in some reading time, this afternoon.

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  3. You're a traveling bookfool these days!

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  4. What a cute baby! The holidays always slow me down with reading too. Oh well, family and friends are more important anyway!

    http://deadtreesandsilverscreens.blogspot.com/

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  5. Anonymous3:47 PM

    Every time I read someone's thoughts on Amaryllis in Blueberry I'm glad I resisted the temptation!

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  6. Kathy,

    I certainly am. We weren't actually planning to go anywhere for Thanksgiving but my niece said she'd be home and that helped change our minds. We hadn't been to OK in quite a while and I wanted to meet the little one while he's still a baby. Plus, it's *always* great to hang out with my in-laws!

    DT&SS,

    Isn't he precious? It was such fun having family time and meeting my great-nephew. I don't know if it's the holidays, but I still just don't feel like reading all that much. It's a little distressing, but if family's around, I'm not going to worry about whether or not I get reading time. Yep, they're much more important!

    Softdrink,

    Now you tell me. I have been so bad about blog-hopping that I hadn't read any reviews of Amaryllis in Blueberry at all. It sounded good, passed my flip test, blah, blah. Oh, well. I'm thinking you made a good decision. :)

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  7. I liked The Housekeeper and Professor although it was not the best book I have read. My grandmother and me both read Tapestry and loved it. I have not been able to find her other books here in the US and I refuse to pay a lot for them. I have them on my PWS list. lol I totally understand the reading thing. I have suffered with it all year. I am doing a little better so hopefully I will have some balance in the new year. I am trying not to place too many expectations on 2012. :)

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  8. Brittanie,

    Yeah, I liked the relationship that developed between the professor and her son, in particular, but a lot of the math was just not as interesting as I'd hoped. Have you ever ordered from The Book Depository? You might be able to get more of her books at a reasonable price through them. They used to have free postage - I think they still do. Haven't ordered from them in a while.

    You know, I think you and I have suffered from the same thing, this year. Our priorities have shifted. Exercising and working at what you eat are really time-consuming and sometimes do you feel like you're just so worn out from working at trying to keep the weight off (lose it, in my case) that at the end of the day, you're too tired to read? I sure do. I'm trying not to fret too much, also.

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  9. Oh that face--I just melt!!

    I miss Hastings. We don't have any in Dallas (that I know of), but I frequented there when I lived in College Station. Such a great store--though we have Half Price Books here, so I guess that makes up for some parts of it.

    Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  10. Trish,

    Babies make me all squishy, too. :)

    I'm very fond of Hastings. Pretty sure I've only been to a Half Price Books once. I have no idea where. My life was a string of bookstore experiences till recently.

    Thanks!

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  11. You've already seen all my "like" clicks and comments on Facebook, so you know how much I love this darling little guy!! Such cute cheeks and twinkly eyes! What a fun Thanksgiving for you guys!

    Guess what I almost started reading the other night? The Tapestry of Love! As soon as I finish Time and Again, I'm going to dive in. I'm ready for something a bit light and fluffy. After that? Probably the Jill Mansell book you sent a few months ago! :)

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  12. Les,

    Yes, I have! Isn't he adorable? Love those chubby cheeks and gorgeous, clear eyes. Children have the most beautiful eyes, don't they? I've got more photos to post on FB (mostly for his mama -- it's a way to share with her). It was so great to get to meet the little guy. We don't go home as often as we used to.

    Yay! We can discuss!!!!! I'm only on about page 125 of The Tapestry of Love because I started reading Coming to Light, as well, last night. So you can probably catch up with me. Jill Mansell will definitely be great for lightening up, after. :)

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