Random Stuff and a Book Review

Hi, blog world. I think of you way more often than I write to you. If you're looking for the book review, scroll down to just above the last picture.

What have I been up to? I have mostly been reading and enjoying a happy-go-lucky summer. I have done a bit more knitting than usual. I have watched a few TV things on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Next week I get to go to my cousin's cabin, and later in the summer to my sister's cabin. Yay! I will get some sewing done then. And more reading. I love reading on the deck with the beautiful lake in my view. We have no big travel plans for the rest of this year... just a random road trip here and there.

I babysat Bonus again last week. He is turning into a little boy.. no more baby fat. He is still such a sweet and agreeable boy. That's his built-in personality. Isn't that nice?? He loves playing with cars, and he runs and jumps and dances and sings. It makes me happy just to be with him.

I am working very few hours this summer. It is lovely. Last week I did a two-hour shift, and it went so fast. I think I might not work at all in the month of July. I have a dream job at which I get to set my own hours. It is PERFECT.

Here is a little bit of sewing I have done lately:

It was quilted a while ago; I finally got the binding on and will be sending it to Quilts Beyond Borders.

July blocks for the Lotto at Sunshine


I finished a book, so here is a book review for you: News of the World by Paulette Jiles. I really loved this book! The writing is beautiful. You will get a sense of being in the natural environment in which the characters travel. Not only is that beautiful, also beautiful is the relationship that develops between the two characters: a man in his 70s and a 10-year-old girl. Watch how the man responds to the differences between their two cultures. It's lovely. I highly recommend this book.

I'm Done!

This blog title might sound like my previous one, "I Quit," but they're really not related. What I finished this time is the A-Z reading challenge! I read more than just one book in many of the letters A-Z, but I had not read a book in every letter of the alphabet until I finished my "Y" book tonight.

I read You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers. What a fascinating book! It's a memoir of a woman who grew up in a home with the presence of mental illness, and her struggles, and then what she discovers about herself. So interesting!! It was one of those hard-to-put-down books for me. I love memoirs!



It feels good to have finished the A-Z reading challenge. I really only "cheated" once... on the "J" book. The title had a J in it, so I counted it. Not really cheating, but I was feeling a tiny bit desperate, and tired of the search for a good J. I had started a couple of J books that bored me, so I finally counted one that I was able to finish. It happened to be a so-so book, too, but I was able to get through it.

This challenge caused me to find some really good books I would never have read. Just to find the correct letter, I stumbled across some great ones, including my books in the A (Addition), P, Q, U, Y, and Z categories.

I haven't decided whether or not to do the challenge again in 2011. I could do it again in the same way (by title); I could do author last names A-Z. Or I could just keep a list of what I read as I go along. What do you think would be most fun for you, my blog reader, to follow (or not, as you wish)?

And one more question: does anyone remember who issued the reading challenge? I can't remember, and I would just like to report in that I finished.

My Q Book

For my A-Z reading challenge, I did a search for a Q book in the public library's online catalog. I found this one: Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas.

I really enjoyed it! I never would have stumbled across it had I not needed a Q book for this challenge. It's entertaining, refreshing, interesting, and humorous. There is a lot of information on what it's like to have a job! That wasn't his goal in writing the book, but it was an extra bonus that I wish I could share with our students. We talk a lot about job skills and what it takes to keep a job. I wish they could all read this book, too. (Most of them would not consider reading a 300-page book.)

Here's an example of his humor -- in the end of the book he has a fairly long acknowledgment section. He lists some of the usual stuff, thanking various people, and also this:
The following bands/musicians (listed in alphabetical order) provided the white noise to my writing: ....
I hereby acknowledge the following locations, which offered me excellent places to write this book (and here he inserts one of his many humorous footnotes) - footnote: And by excellent I mean they had chairs, lighting, and tables. I in no way mean that they were actually nice places, though some were.
Most locations are libraries, with some hotels and even a couple of plane rides in which he states where he did his writing (above the Atlantic).


There's more, but if interested, you should read the book and enjoy the chuckles yourself.

Now I'm working on a D book. Since it's Spring Break, maybe I'll even manage to finish it!

Reading Challenge, A to Z

I am having fun with the reading challenge I took on: read books whose titles start with each letter of the alphabet, A to Z.

At home I amassed a pile of "alphabet books" in a special place so that when I'm ready I can grab the next letter. Today I stopped in a bookstore and found some books for the letters I am missing. It was fun to just stumble upon some books I might not have otherwise noticed.

I asked the clerk if he knew of a good book starting with the letter Q. He couldn't think of one. Another customer overheard my question and was intrigued. He and I searched through the sale books for a while, trying to find a Q. He said he probably won't be able to get the question out of his mind until he finds a book that starts with Q! I'm going to check the on-line library book catalog and see what I can find.

I read a whole book today, since stopping in the bookstore. It was a quick read and very interesting. It was the "I" book: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. Wow, so many girls and women have such horrendous lives to endure. This little girl was brave and fought back. She is an inspiration!

Had I not taken on this challenge, I may not have stumbled upon Nujood's book. I would have missed her inspirational and amazing story.

Be Like Beth

My friend Beth at Walk a Mile joined this reading challenge, and I wanted to be a copy cat. I'm going to read 26 books alphabetically by title. (Not in that order, just trying to cover each letter.) Do you want to be like Beth, too? Join the fun here.
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January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.

How does this reading challenge work? Choose the option that works best for you...

Authors -- Read alphabetically by author. Commit to 26 books.
Titles -- Read alphabetically by title. Commit to 26 books.
Authors & Titles -- Commit to reading 52 books

How strict is the 26 or 52? I know it isn't always easy to find those difficult letters. The thought of finding the X's (for example) might scare folks away. It shouldn't! I'm a merciful host! (Ask anyone!)

If you want to give the X's a go... For authors, try to find an X in the first name, middle name, or last name. For titles, it doesn't have to be the starting word. Try to find an X somewhere in a title, and it'd count in my book.

Still can't find a book for the letter you need? I'll take your word for it. I've been there. I know. If your library doesn't see the need to order books just because it starts with an X, then I don't blame you for not wanting to special order a book that you may or may not enjoy. You gave it your best, don't feel bad. You can still make this challenge work for you.