Tuesday Twaddle - Reading, life, blogging, arrivals, etc.

This has already been a busy week and it's going to become even more overwhelming, so this might be my only post.  Then, hopefully, I can get back on the ball and post some of my backlog of reviews.  I've decided I'm not going to pressure myself about reviewing as soon as possible after finishing a book and, fortunately, I have a pretty good memory so it shouldn't be a big deal to wait another week to hit the reviews.  There may be no Monday Malarkey or Tuesday Twaddle post, next week, just so I can dive straight into reviewing. We shall see.  

Last week was unique! 

• I was summoned for jury duty (for a "petit" crime). I'm to report for duty in November.
• I went to an architectural salvage store with my new BFF.  The bottles shown above were my only purchases.  I've been looking for a milk bottle for quite a while and after I bought the bottle, I looked up the dairy, online.  Babblin' Brook Dairies operated in Tyler, Texas from 1929 to 1943.  So, my bottle is at least 70 years old, although it looks new.  How cool is that?
• Husband had me running back and forth between old house and new.  Now that it's cooled off, I can get a lot more work accomplished at the old house (which unfortunately "breathes" a bit too much -- it's not well insulated).  Heat and I do not get along.
• We forgot to put out the recycling, last week, so our two bins are both overflowing.  Usually we're quite good about putting out the recycling because we've found we put out more recyclable trash than garbage.  I love curb-side recycling.

Reading:

I finished 4 books, last week:

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Woman in the Dark by Dashiell Hammett  (one of my recent book sale purchases)

The Compound by S. A. Bodeen (also off my shelves; read and discussed with a friend)

Before I Die by Candy Chang (which I started pretty much the moment it walked in the door)

I'm currently reading The Radleys by Matt Haig, a library check-out.  I think I'm going to give The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly a second go, next.  I wasn't in the right mood for it, the first time I picked it up, but we hear a great deal about the Great Flood of 1927 in Mississippi and I'm quite anxious to read a novel set during that time.  Hopefully, this time it will click.

Blogging:

I wrote about my September reads, shared an anecdote about my husband's desire to debone a chicken, babbled about my reading and bafflement over cat hatred and wrote a lengthy review and F2F report about Donna Tartt's new release, The Goldfinch.

Recent Arrivals include:

• Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma, which I signed up to tour before I gave up the blog. I haven't yet received a tour date.  
• Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier - The third in a series (sent by friend Tammy).  I haven't read the first two books and my library system doesn't carry them so I've added them to my Paperback Swap wish list, for now. I may eventually buy them.  
• The Report by Jessica Francis Kane - A WWII novel received via Paperback Swap.
• Before I Die by Candy Chang - nonfiction about a fascinating and quite illuminating project to paint walls with the sentence, "Before I die I want to ______."  People can fill in the blanks with chalk. The idea has spread around the world.
• A stack of books from my friend Sandie, which I've already dragged away to the bedroom.

Other things:

We spent one day working on painting and putting in a new light fixture at the old house, this weekend, the other day deep cleaning in the new house.  One yard has been mowed, the other needs work.  Husband has removed wallpaper in both bathrooms in the old house and started the painting, which leaves one last room with wallpaper to remove. When we moved in, every room was covered with wallpaper, dark panelling or both, and we worked on updating the walls and flooring the entire time we lived in Vicksburg.  I have always disliked wallpaper (and dark paneling, although I'm okay with lighter woods).  If wallpaper makes a comeback, you won't see me joining in on the trend.  

Photography:

I finally managed to take a few new pics of the kitties and I took the camera along to snap a few pics (including the bottles, on a bench outside) at the salvage store.  I've also photographed the wild, abstract painting I bought at a recent flea market, to share with friends.  Otherwise . . . nada. But, I'm happy that I managed to snap a few pics.  It's a start.  I can also look at photos of River without even feeling a pang of loss, now.  Progress!

Sidebar failure:

I haven't been updating my sidebar as I've been reading and I may just ditch the "Currently Reading/Recently Finished" updates -- another very small way to save time online.  It'll probably vary, depending upon how my week is going.  I think it will be easier to just do weekly updates.  

Hope you've all had a fantastic week! 

Bookfool, enjoying Autumn

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