Monday, May 25, 2015

Monday Malarkey - Book photos, lists, some chick's bare feet

Well, huh. I didn't realize it's been 3 weeks since my last malarkey post. Time flies. Because I took a long weekend trip in the middle of this past few weeks and also have been battling a cold, I'm not entirely sure I managed to gather every arrival but it's been a light mailbox month. So, I probably came close.


Recent arrivals, top to bottom:


  • How Penguin Says "Please" and How Tiger Says "Thank You" by Samoun and Watts - from Sterling Children's Books for review
  • Titanic by Colonel Archibald Gracie - via Paperback Swap
  • The Notting Hill Mystery by Charles Warren Adams - from a friend
  • Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal - Purchased on friend's recommendation 
  • Ally-saurus and the First Day of School by Richard Torrey
  • The Lakotas and the Black Hills: The Struggle for Sacred Ground by Jeffrey Ostler - Purchased at secondhand bookstore


Posts since last malarkey:




Books finished since last malarkey:


  • There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do by Michael Ondaatje
  • Nine Horses by Billy Collins
  • This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
  • Black Run by Antonio Manzini
  • Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
  • The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith
  • How Tiger Says "Thank You" by Samoun and Watts
  • How Penguin Says "Please" by Samoun and Watts
  • Ally-saurus and the First Day of School by Richard Torrey


Currently reading:


Top to bottom:


  • Pamela by Samuel Richardson - The first modern novel, apparently the Twilight of its era as it was so popular there was Pamela merchandise. I've reached the halfway point, at which Pamela decides to marry the man who has molested her and held her captive, just as she's finally gotten free of him. So, we're entering "WTF?" territory and I'm pondering whether or not to go on. Pamela was another book I purchased at the secondhand store but I opted not to put it in two separate photos.
  • Extreme Food by Bear Grylls - It starts out tame, with suggestions for camping food to carry with you, how to set up and make a fire, and various survival tools to keep on hand (a sponge and a ziploc bag for collecting rain water, for example). I've yet to get to the disgusting parts. Oddly, since I love reading about survival, I'm looking forward to reading even the yucky stuff. 
  • The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert - Recommended by a former blogger. I thought Kolbert's Field Notes from a Catastrophe was excellent (and terrifying), so I was very happy to hear she's written another. 


In other news:

We're still working on the deck painting. The first coat has been rolled or brushed onto most of the upper deck; it's just a matter of going back, now, to do detail painting, fill in flawed places in the wood and do a last coat. It's a long-term job but we're both enjoying the look. And, I promise those are clean feet. No need to cringe.


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7 comments:

  1. Love the deck. I'm trying to convince my husband to build me one this year. This Pamela book sounds crazy town. I look forward to your review.

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    1. Thanks! We'd never had a deck till we moved (almost 3 years ago!). Loving it. I hope you can talk your husband into building one.

      Haha, that's a great way to describe Pamela. Now, I just have to psyche myself up for the second half. I'm taking a break from it, for a couple days, then I'll probably dive back in. :)

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  2. Ahhh, Pamela. A friend in grad school wrote his thesis on the early novel, so of course this played a major role. WTF territory indeed! Your deck is looking fine!

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    1. Ooooh, Pamela would make fantastic thesis material, I'm certain of that. Very cool! It may have a lot of WTF moments but there's much to explore. For example, the language. I'm assuming the word "slut" was more akin to something like "temptress" in meaning, the way Pamela's master uses it. On the other hand, he's an entitled jerk so he may have just thought it was fine and dandy to fling names at people. LOL

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    2. Forgot to say thanks! Now, we just need this rain to go away. Just when we find the time to paint, it always seems like that's when the storms roll back in. We're getting more of your rain, tomorrow (but they say it won't be as severe, thank goodness).

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  3. I laughed at the title of this post. Some chick's feet. Indeed!

    I love a good deck. We don't have them much in California. Right now, our poor lawn is dying with the mandatory water restrictions. Every time I glance outside I am reminded of it and it saddens me. So, enjoy your deck for the both of us!

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    1. I'm loving the deck. We lived in a too-small house for longer than either of us can figure out (we wanted to move but were just too busy with other things). The deck makes the house feel even bigger -- so nice to have that indoor/outdoor aspect after living with uninviting flat patios.

      Sorry about your drought. We're having the opposite problem. We've had such a wet spring that the poison ivy is completely out of hand. We've tried hacking it back and spraying it with vinegar but it's just as insane as any villainous monster plant in a fantasy novel. I think we may need to get a professional to come help us clear out the mess. Not sure where to find one, though. I'd be glad to share our rain!!!

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