Winter is now officially here!

It is never nice to be waiting for the other shoe to fall! Snow is meant to be on the ground here in Chicago. So now if we hit another car we have some excuse! And it is the best weather to have besides rain to sit with your little blanket covering you to read!

I am reading (well one of 3) TOLSTOY AND THE PURPLE CHAIR-by Nina Sankovitch
It is a repeated idea. Some years ago there was the book JULIE AND JULIA CHILD; well something like that (I purchased the book since I have a copy of THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING) I loved J. Child but never in my 40 yrs. of marriage did I ever get to do ONE recipe!
I wonder if that is a record in some odd sense? Anyway the main character in that book starts a blog and aims at doing every single dish in that book within one year-364 days! And I wonder if she (the author-Nina in Tolstoy) is a true reader as she has been since young, that wouldn't that be like stuffing your mouth with food and trying to enjoy a beautiful dinner at the same time, I don't think it can be done. Because that is what Nina says she will do. I'm still reading and I do like the majority of the books she has picked and some of the comments of some of them. So we will see.

I'm also stuck now on a book I read more that 30 yrs. ago. CLAN OF THE CAVE-by Jean M Auel.
I started it in Sept. lost it for months and now I can't seem to get into it again. I do remembered that I loved it and promised myself to buy it and read it with more care, my 2 little ones where in kindergarten and 1st grade. The cave feels more confiding now, I guess!

2012 !!!!!!

Well here we are at a new year! I thought forever that I would not see my 21st, that's when I was 10 and wondered if the Russians would kill all of us during the 1960's cold war threats.
Then when I married and started to past my early twenties, my thoughts started to get more religious minded and thought maybe I would not see 33 (the age of Jesus Christ, when he was killed); but here I am over my fears of dying (it's around the corner anyway-I just don't know how long this block is!).
So for awhile I have decided to read in order to stop thinking of how long will I live. I also decided to have a resolution that I can actually keep! Blog of my reading more often than in the past 2 years since I started to do so. I would break my own record of Finally ! Keeping a promise made in the madness of the beginning of a year. Wow! Am I getting smarter, have all those books I read finally making my brain function better? Whatever the reason, I promise to you (if there are anyone out there even looking at this) if not it will help me move my fingers and so something at my computer than just delete spam-mail. So we have a date! Have a great year all! Health more than money and books more than movies.

And then two years later...

And then two years later...

Life or GOD has once again place so much on my plate (or so it seems), that it has taken time to get to the point I am in now. All most normal. I have continued to read, as readers know it is part of our lives like breathing in air.

I have meant to sit down and just let my book-thoughts get "outdoors". No one may read these lines but it is nice to see them (thoughts) elsewhere besides floating inside of my head (there is not much room after 60 yrs of hording words and stories)! But the love of good books is never far from my daily plans.

So much to tell you on what I have read in all these months. The best author I found is sadly not writing any longer. But Stieg Larsson did write a trilogy of fiction-drama books. He wrote a lot of other material mostly non-fiction in his native Norwegian. I really did enjoy THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO/THE GIRL WHO LIKED TO PLAY WITH FIRE and THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST.

I read a biography by a good friend of Larrson and it leaves me to wonder if Larrson had not written from a personal side of his? The movies are well done but not the last one. You must read the last book (a little tedious ) but worth the effort it connects all the dots.

Did I tell you of the author Sandra Dallas, I'll check if I didn't I will write next about this author.

Well, glad I took my first plunge and I hope to see you soon.Blessings to all out there!

Life Continues...

If you have at all read any of my old blogs you will (sort of) that illness had decided to visit me and mine. Life, it has a way of providing that 'change' of scenery that we at times take for granted.I never realized it had been so long since my last blog. If you've (?) thought I was gone for good, well I'm back. I thank GOD that I am a reader, I don't know what I would have done through all these months if it wasn't for my rosary and my public library. Life is allowing GOD to show me a more normal time now, I hope it will last until my sick memories fade a little. The rosary is God's answer to us both as a pacifier and as a panic button (to be used as often as needed). But here is a list of some of the books that have helped me keep from going over the edge and protesting the Vatican as to why we can't join a convent with a husband in tow (joke).

The first great thing is that I have discovered a new mystery-crime-detective author; he is Henning Mankell-THE RETURN OF THE DANCING MASTER-great read and that took me to search out other works of his that have been translated from the Swedish language.

A new entry of my favorite duo writers Charles Todd in A MATTER OF JUSTICE.

COLD CASE by Kate Wilhelm reminds us of the great locations for mysteries in Wash. state.

When I was to down to focus my eyes on pages, I turn to the audio-books among which I re-listen to THE BONESTETTER'S DAUGHTER-by Amy Tan.

I can continue but this was only my "proof of life" bit. Enjoy life and remember who to thank!

Month of the Souls

If we are really true, I guess all twelve months count as souls to be added to the list of our deceased. Last week we lost another good author and I think director too. Michael Crichton.
He wrote COMA-JURASSIC PARK- and a lot of other books that at some point dealt with the theme of science in our society and where men are taking it. He received his medical licence but writing took over. He is the author who made science easy to read and left me worried of what was possible with medicine and bioethics in the wrong hands. He was young in his early 60's;
young to me since I'm in my 50's. It is sad to see authors leave us since they are hard to come by. Just like George Simenon was for sociological police stories. I was so hooked on this books just after high school. He not only gave you the crime, the criminal but also the why, the real
deep down reason for the persons to take their last step to loosing their freedom forever.
Not like Sherlock Holmes (the character) who gave you the why and how without ever you, the reader knowing the details until Holmes let you know at the end in his apartments before he startes to play the violin or smoke his opium.
As readers we learn things from books some are neat and useful others aren't but we really are what we read. Reading fills in the gaps that are left behind in our lives. Reading adds spice to our lives and make life more interesting, so we too can be cops or criminals without leaving our armchair. So we say thank you to our GOD for giving us good authors and pray they live nice long healthy lives!

Leaves are falling!

This year is flying past me. Is it just me or is getting old makes my days grow shorter and the hours seem to have less minuets than before? My worries are getting less but I consider that all those sayings that I've heard for years are finally kicking in; like LET GO-LET GOD or LEAVE IT AT GOD'S FEET or the prayer of saying constantly JESUS I TRUST IN YOU is finally producing fruit in my heart or have I placed a pair of rose colored glasses instead of my bi-focal ones?
Whatever the reason, I find that I start looking for interesting biographical books. I read lives of saints but ones like Loretta Young (if you know who she was?), saints or sinners a life that someone or the same person deems that it should be known to others, would seem worth the time to read it I suppose. With that I guess I give to understand that mine is very boring, and I guess it is very true only I have to add that I thank GOD that my life is a very blessed one.
I have a book I purchased a while ago on Alice Roosevelt, another on Dorothy L. Sayers and on
Edith Stein (who I think is now blessed in the Catholic Church). Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen are great to read at this time of year.
More men books come to mind like THE GRUNT PADRE and PRIEST BLOCK 25487.
Why is it that autumn is related to thinking more diligently on life and our way of almost crossing into another new year?
The good thing is that we have Christmas to buffer between thinking of souls and starting a new year. The Christ Child is there to help us cross over and start (like a child) into a new year full of promises and hopes.
As you see my thoughts are very sobering today and I'll sit down and write of bright and happy books on another day that is not cloudy like today. Poems and mysteries are so much more fun on days like today. Did Agatha Christie ever write an autobiography?