I finished Waiting for Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman on Saturday night, so late that I forgot what happened at the end and had to reread the last 20 pages on Sunday. It's great -- a quick read and I enjoyed it. But, I don't really feel like reviewing, at the moment. So, maybe later, after the errands. Instead you get twaddle. Let's start with my reads in October and November, since I completely forgot to wrap up October.
Bookfool's October reads (those that were reviewed contain a link to the review):
Mozart's Sister - Nancy Moser - Historical fiction about Nannerl Mozart, Wolfgang's equally talented big sis.
Bedlam South - Mark Grisham & David Donaldson - A Civil War novel that takes place partly at an asylum and also follows two brothers through major battles.
Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay - Little Sarah locks up her brother in a cupboard to save him from the Nazis; later, a reporter becomes obsessed with unconvering her story.
Who Lied and Said We Left the Garden of Eden - Daniel Martin - not reviewed; too graphic for this blogger - the story of how the author became a homeless addict but eventually recovered and has created a decent life with wife and kids.
Occasional Therapy for your Midlife Years - Dr. Ellyn Gamberg - Advice for women and men going through the angst of middle age.
Operation Blue Light - Philip Chabot - One man's story about how he believes his psychic abilities were used by the government.
The Lost Diary of Don Juan - Douglas Carlton Abrams - Don Juan, retold.
The Swan House - Elizabeth Musser - Historical fiction about a young girl who must deal with loss, prejudice and buried secrets.
The Shack - William P. Young - not reviewed (borrowed copy); too theologically heavy-handed for me - A fictional tale about a man whose daughter is killed and later returns to the place of her death to visit with God, literally.
Just Jane - Nancy Moser - Historical fiction about Jane Austen, based on her life.
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat - Vicki Myron - not reviewed (library check-out); I liked it but I didn't love it - A memoir about a personable library cat and the librarian who found him.
Creepers - Joanne Dahme - Young YA - When a teenager moves into a house with a creeping vine problem, she and a friend must uncover the mystery of the missing girl and the lurking witch in order to stop ghosts from leaving very big, noisy hints.
Homeland Insecurity - Turchie and Puckett - Two former FBI agents describe how the FBI has lost power due to political maneuvering and why Americans are not as safe as we think.
Homeland Insecurity - Turchie and Puckett - Two former FBI agents describe how the FBI has lost power due to political maneuvering and why Americans are not as safe as we think.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick - not reviewed (library check-out), but I adored this book and would very much like to own a copy - The tale of a small boy who hopes that by repairing an automaton, he'll receive a message from his father. Beautifully illustrated.
Bookfool's November Reads (again with the link bit):
To Catch the Lightning - Alan Cheuse - Historical fiction about Edward Curtis (the Indian photographer) and his obsession with capturing Indians from every tribe before they disappeared.
Dirty Little Secrets of Buzz - David Seaman - A breezy but savvy little book about how to gain attention for your blog, product, business or self.
The Dharma King - B. J. Stroh - A thriller in which a young, wealthy American seeks to redeem himself by searching for the new Panchen Lama.
The Integrity Dividend - Tony Simons - A book about integrity in business and why integrity increases the bottom line.
An Abundance of Katherines - John Green - When a teenager is dumped by his 19th Katherine, he and his best friend go on a road trip to help him forget.
Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption - Robert Fate - A gritty crime novel with two private investigators, a redhead everyone seems to want to find and some very bad men.
The Adventures of Songha - Linda R. Caterine - The fictionalized story of a Savannah cat's life after moving to Las Vegas, to her new home.
Chasing Diana - Jack & Robin Firestone - A fictionalized screenplay about the Americans who passed Princess Diana's crumpled car, shortly after the crash.
Album of the Damned - Paul Garson - Photos of Nazis in their everyday lives as soldiers and regular people, with text that describes the slow indoctrination process.
Two Brothers: One North, One South - David H. Jones - Historical fiction based on a true story about two Maryland brothers who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War.
Flight to St. Antony - Tony Blackman - Mystery in which an insurance investigator must dig for the truth about a plane that ditched just miles short of its destination.
Grit for the Oyster - various authors - Inspirational writings for Christian writers.
Waiting for Daybreak - Kathryn Cushman - Will review soon - A pharmacist who has lost her job due to a single error must start over again and face a completely new set of challenges.
Recent favorite word verification combinations:
Exoskonk
Flamate
Trousete
Trousete
Ninging
Aidabip
Colomar
Aidabip
Colomar
Infisero
At some point, I think we're going to have to put our heads together and come up with a few definitions. Aren't those just the coolest fake words you ever did see?
Books that walked in my door, yesterday (we had the mail held over the Thanksgiving holiday):
Choosing to Be: Lessons in Living from a Feline Zen Master - Kat Tansey
Conan Doyle's Wallet: The Secrets Within - Patrick McNamara
My Sister Dilly - Maureen Lang
John 3:16 - Nancy Moser (sooo excited about this one -- thanks, B, for both!!!)
Next up will be a review of Waiting for Daybreak. Yesterday was a rough day for book bloggers. I hope everyone is slowly recovering from the shock of reading about Dewey's unexpected death and that eventually we will find some way to carry on the tremendous community-building activities that she created. Weekly Geeks was my personal favorite.
Lots of love to the rest of you crazy bibliophile bloggers,
Bookfool
I like the gorilla with his tongue sticking out.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. I've become especially fond of the primates, lately. He seemed a little sad, actually, but lunch arrived while we were there and he got up to munch. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you like the words that come up when you post comments why not visit http://whatcoulditmean-d.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThey have some great words and a game to invent definitions.
What an amazing collection of faces. The eyes on that gorilla are so expressive, don't you think? And I truly wish I could give the lion a kiss on the nose!
ReplyDeleteI envy you for all the reading you get done in a month. My slump has eased a bit but not as much as I'd hoped.
Word verification is something, isn't it? I keep thinking some of them would make the niftiest names in a fantasy or sci-fi novel...
cjh
Scriptor,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the link! I'll definitely check it out. :)
CJ,
The gorilla was definitely expressive -- really, primates are fascinating, IMHO.
I think if you kissed that lion on the nose, he'd take off a body part, but doesn't he look so sweet and innocent? LOL
This has been a pretty good reading year for me, in spite of everything. In fact, I'm on the verge of breaking my all-time annual record. Very cool. You'll unslump, eventually. Hang in there.
I love the word verification thing, just because of the funky combinations it comes up with! Yes, I've thought that, too -- some would make great fantasy or sci-fi names. :)
"Exoskonk
ReplyDeleteFlamate
Trousete
Ninging
Aidabip
Colomar
Infisero
Aren't those just the coolest fake words you ever did see?"
YES. I've been noticing that these things on blogs everywhere are beginning to look more and more like real words. Is this either possible proof or dis-proof of chaos theory?
DreamQueen,
ReplyDeleteHaha! I hadn't thought of that! I've noticed the word verification combinations are beginning to look more like real words, also (hence my little collection). It's really fun to make up your own definitions.
I'm hoping that many bloggers will decide to adopt Dewey's different community-building activities.
ReplyDeleteBybee,
ReplyDeleteI truly believe many will come forward in her name. BTW, I marked the title drop in my last read. Webster's, here we come! And, I'm pretty sure I have the perfect definition for exoskonk -- it has to do with a really bad type of guy to date (or marry), the kind who is obviously a narcissist but so smooth that you miss the outer stinky.
I like the cuddly top right hand picture. It makes me think of the ferrets I owned in high school. They were so much fun.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Ninging could totally be a word! I've noticed that the comment moderation words seem to be more like real words lately too. I even had a couple that were real words!
ReplyDeleteLove the photos! :)
Nikki,
ReplyDeleteThey were all piled up for warmth. So cute! I didn't realize you had ferrets. Hubby and I considered getting a ferret, way back in college, but then we read up and decided we didn't like the idea of their musky smell. So we waited a few years and got the standard cat. I'll bet they were fun!
Nat,
Yesterday was the first day I've gotten real words. I think the difference is that they added more vowels, although I'm not sure. Ninging has a lovely Asian ring to it, doesn't it?
Thank you!
Ah, more vowels! That makes sense. I'd wondered why they seemed more probably lately.
ReplyDeleteActually after I wrote that it reminded me of the British 'minging', which really isn't very nice! ;)
Oh, that's not a nice word, you're right. I had a mental pronunciation for the word "ninging" -- NINN-ging. And, it sounds like a kind of tea or a place you go to get your yin and yang balanced. LOL
ReplyDeleteYours sounds much nicer! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd that should've been probable not probably. Sigh.
The British have some interesting slang words, though, don't they?
ReplyDeleteI knew what you meant. :)
I've gotten real words lately too. It can't be just random, can it? But yes, I've frequently found myself defining captcha's too. I'll have to check out that link.
ReplyDeleteI think it's random, myself. But, I'm just guessing. That site is fun. Careful, you may find yourself hooked! I added it to my Google Reader.
ReplyDeleteI have to laugh at your writing down the verification "words." Sometimes I think about how funny they are, but mostly I'm just glad when I come to a place where I don't have to enter the damn thing!! I got rid of mine a few months ago and haven't had one spam comment yet! Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteTrish,
ReplyDeleteI just think those verification words are so darned funny that I finally couldn't stop myself. I had to start keeping track of a few favorites. It doesn't really bother me to enter letters, although it takes extra time. I got rid of mine, too, but I do moderate my comments because I've had some hideous spam, in the past -- as in expletive-laden diatribe. The strange thing is that they had nothing whatsoever to do with my blog; they were just insane rants. Well, that and I've gotten a few advertisements based on key words.
I've seen those rants in other's comments as well. Honestly, I don't mind entering in the words as long as I can read them. There were a few days when I swear "they" were making the words impossible on purpose (and if I remember it was YOUR blog). :P
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wanted to let you know that I've loved getting to know you over the past year--I have come to look forward to your humor and honesty and insanely beautiful pictures. You've truly been one of those bloggers, Nancy, who has touched my life and I wanted to thank you. I hope you have a wonderful evening. :)
Trish,
ReplyDeleteOops. For my former word verification, I humbly apologize. Actually, that's the great thing about the fact that they seem to be a little closer to "real" words, now -- they're easier to type.
Why, thank you, Trish. I've enjoyed getting to know you, too! I think anything I say will sound totally pathetic after that heartfelt comment, but your blog is important to me and so are you. I appreciate you!! (Yep, sounds pretty pathetic. LOL)
Well, I felt pretty cheesy and pathetic tonight with some of the comments I've been leaving here and there, but with Dewey's passing, I wanted people to know how great I think they are. Yup, pretty pathetic here too. :P
ReplyDeleteI figured that you were feeling a little mushy because of Dewey. I think that's great. We can always stand to spread a little love around, don't you think? Hugs to you!!!
ReplyDeletelol @ the pics :D
ReplyDeleteand well how do u manage to read so many!
Veens,
ReplyDeleteThank you! As to the reading . . . I think it all comes of having no life; but, apart from that, I mostly read at bedtime. I'm kind of slow, by comparison with a lot of book bloggers, but I've read a bit more this year. :)
Oh, the eyes have it! All of those soft, sad eyes.
ReplyDeleteJenclair,
ReplyDeleteWell, I think the gorilla looked a little sad but I think the lion was sleepy, the meerkats were cold and the gibbons just have goofy faces. :)