Monday Malarkey

I was in Vicksburg quite a bit, last week, so it comes as no great surprise that I dropped by the perpetual library sale. At some point, Kiddo and I ended up in a restaurant, the conversation faded, he pulled out his phone, and I was left sitting there with nothing to read. Horrors! So, I deliberately went in search of books to store in the car for Emergency Reading Material.

Books that walked into my life, this week:

• Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris,
• The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman,
• The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle, and
• Circle of Three by Patrica Gaffney - all library sale purchases (That's a whopping $1 expenditure)
• Frozen Wild by Jim Arnosky - from Sterling Children's Books for review

You need to see the cover of Frozen Wild to really appreciate it. Jim Arnosky's illustrations are absolutely breathtaking.

Posts since last Malarkey:

• The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray by Robert Schnakenberg (review)
• Fiona Friday - A tale of two kitties (cat photos)

Books finished since last Malarkey:

• The World According to Bob by James Bowen
• Frozen Wild: How Animals Survive in the Coldest Places on Earth by Jim Arnosky

Currently reading:

• Ross Poldark by Winston Graham 

I'll probably finish Ross Poldark, tonight. I've loved immersing myself in the Poldark world so much that I ordered a copy of Demelza. It's been fascinating to find that Ross is every bit as intense in the novel as he was in the series. He is even described as "brooding". I know some friends of mine found his dark, brooding looks and the drama of the series a bit over-the-top (and there were times I felt that way, as well) but I can see, now, that it was just a matter of pulling the most dramatic scenes from the book. I've gotten a much better sense of the time over which the series takes place from the reading, since each section includes dates. Now, I know that Demelza was 13 when Ross cleaned her up and hired her as his "kitchen wench" and 17 when they married.

In other news:

Huzzybuns thinks Isabel "has a new lease on life" and claims that she has been friendlier since she returned home from her time in the kitty hospital. "Friendlier," in this case, means she has been bolder about sniffing his toes. There's no doubt she's been extremely happy since she returned home. Here's a shot of her relaxing in the master bedroom, this morning:

She has a little pink patch on her back where it looks like she's been scratching herself. I presume that's where she was injected with her medication, last week. But, it's not raw; she's just missing a bit of fur from scratching, from the looks of it. Isabel is currently in the desk chair that I had to sacrifice because she kept stealing it. I don't know what I would have done without my little shadow. On Saturday, the stress of the week finally caught up with me and I cried buckets. Husband packed me into the car and took me for a drive, bought me a frappuccino, and I let it all out. I imagine the experience will haunt me for some time.


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