Library A to Z cont.

I've got four books here: A GIRL MADE OF DUST by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi, DIE A LITTLE by Megan Abbott, THE FUTURE OF LOVE by Shirley Abbott and CONSCIENCE POINT by Erica Abeel.

A Girl Made of Dust is the story of a young girl in a Christian village in Lebanon during wartime. Her father is has become uncommunicative and depressed. He has abandoned working in his store so that they are struggling with money. It's a lovely story and frightening from the girl's point of view. She struggles to find out why her father sits and does nothing.

Oh, my, Die a Little by Megan Abbott is supposedly a "modern noir" with a terribly salacious cover that almost made me put it back. The story is of a young woman and her brother and his wife. She grew up being protected by her brother and in turn she finds she wants to protect her brother from his wife. Her sister-in-law has two sides that she wants to find out about and in the process bites off a little more than she should.

The Future of Love by Shirley Abbott is thoroughly enjoyable except for the fact one has to relive 9/11 all over again. It has humor and sadness and a love affair between a couple of old folks. Sex and all! Oh, yes, I think Shirley Abbott hits all the bases in this one, she includes a commitment ceremony between a pair of women including the white wedding gowns they wear. Funny.

Conscience Point by Erica Abeel I didn't finish. Couldn't read it. Didn't like the writer's style. I think it was rather self-conscious.

Next......?

Barbecue Rub!!

James and I are starting to get our barbecue rubs together for their eventual introduction to the public. Stay tuned for when we will be doing a blog with another name to announce it. I'll let you all know beforehand. Ha! Ha! Did I say all? All three of you. Oh well, the end of this year has been very satisfying in many ways after enduring a lot of trauma so we are looking forward to a new year.

more of the Library from A to Z

Finished reading THE LAST INNOCENT HOUR by Margot Abbott. It's a pre- and post- WW2 story involving a young woman who returns to Berlin after the war as a photograph investigator trying to help capture and prosecute Nazis. Her story becomes complicated when it's revealed that she had been married to an SS officer before the war. Most of the book is about this time in her life and explains why she is doing this job. It is a totally heart-rending and gut-wrenching story. I have read so many books lately that have dealt with war, power struggles involved in war and the aftermath of it all. One of these days somebody is going to say enough! When will that happen? Being humans I don't think there ever will be an end. I think there are a few evil people out there who just can't help themselves and thank goodness there are more good people to compensate. But the good ones are usually the ones who pay the price of the small amount of evil out there. I do recommend the book. There is a part that is extremely brutal that brought me to tears, but the final outcome was good.

The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey

Finally finished it. What an exciting book! Lots and lots of adventure and skullduggery that are a recipe for disaster. The four characters in this book are great fun and are intent on destroying everything that might conceivably have anything to do with Industry and destroying the purity of the great Southwest. They do a pretty good job of it, but miss their final goal. This book was the idea behind Earth First! It does give some pretty good details about how to make a bomb and what to do to disrupt further road-building and bridge-building, etc.  It's a bit of a rant against the federal government and its policies concerning the environment. Glad I read it and I recommend it to all.

Library A to Z #5

Just finished a short, but sweet, book, THE HOMECOMING PARTY by Carmine Abate, translated from the Italian by Antony Shugaar. It's the story of the conflict between father and son and the events that happen along the way to the final surprising climax. 

I'm reading another book by Edward Abbey. Apparently he has quite a following because of his point of view about government interference in life and nature. More later on this one.

Nos. 3 & 4 on the Library A to Z tour

Before I say anything about the two next books I have to finish with #2, GRACELAND by Chris Abani.

Finished it yesterday. I was seriously apprehensive about reading or finishing the book because I knew there were going to be some pretty traumatic and brutal moments. Got through them and the young man did, too. I was going to add some of the recipes that were in the book and some of the descriptions of herbs that are found in the area that the book is about, but I forgot. Took the book back to the library. If you can find the book anywhere please read it. It's worth the effort.

Book # 3 is FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN by Edward Abbey. Incredibly enjoyable book. Quick read. but Abbey has a great ability to describe the surroundings of his tale without getting too flowery. I could see and feel the New Mexican desert while reading. The story itself wasn't anything new or unforgettable. The characters were pretty much business as usual: the old codger refusing to leave his land that the gov't was trying to take away from him, thegrandson, the Mexican housekeeper, the military people, the marshal, etc. I don't care I enjoyed the book. It was a good getaway.

Book #4 is COLLISION by Jeff Abbott. This one was a non-stop, fast-moving, hold on to your seats thriller. Lots of violence and gunplay, no sex. 

I just realized that reading all the books in the library should have started when I was at least 10 years old. There are a lot of books to be read! DUH! What was I thinking? But it's been fun so far. 

Library A ato Z cont.

I'm coming to the end of the book GRACELAND by Chris Abani. I tend to read ahead in books to see what is coming especially if the book shows tendencies of being brutal. Well, the rest of this book I know is not going to be fun, but I want to see what happens to this young man. He has endured so much and he is going to endure even more. How can people be so inhuman? Or is inhumanity part of being human? It seems so from all of "human" history. When do people get tired of persecuting others? I don't suppose it  will ever happen because of all the new people being born everyday. There is always going to be someone of ill intent around whether he or she persecutes a lot of people or only one.

"A" book #2

I am right now in the middle of the second book in the "A"s called GRACELAND by Chris Abani. The book is about a young man who lives in Lagos(Nigeria.) It goes back and forth between his young boyhood and when he is trying to live independently against remarkable odds. It is written by a Nigerian who went into exile because of being persecuted for his writings. It's well-written and gives a view of life in Nigeria during the 70s and 80s.

Library A to Z

Reading the library from A to Z is an idea I got out of a book, but I can't remember which one at the moment.  I am doing this mainly because of financial circumstances at the moment, but it also saves me a lot of consternation when trying to choose a book. So far, I haven't been disappointed with my choices. The first book I read was Agent of Influence by David Aaron. Sounds like foreign intrigue to me and it is. The book has likable, believable characters for the most part and the story could be happening today although it's set in the 80s. No cell phones and computer use is really basic. The old DOS system. Jeez! How did we ever get along without things the way they are today? I won't tell you the story except to say if one is fond of foreign intrigue I would recommend the book. Has an intriguing love story and some sex and of course, murder.

Coming to the end!

I am still taking pictures of the giant philodendren(sp?) and when it's all over I'm going to cut it down. I think it's done a fabulous job of blooming this year. There were I think at least a dozen blooms. Twice as many as any time before. Don't know why. They usually increased each year by one or two and the season for them usually was over by the end of May. I've had these things through August and the last one is just now falling off. I want to get rid of it because it has gotten too big for the patio. Can't sit at the table or walk out the door without running into one of the huge leaves. Time for it to go.
I wanted to show the purity of the inside of the bloom, but my photo skills are pretty basic. That part is what fascinates the most. Men just get upset when they see the thing. Wonder why?

May Bloomer cont.

It is May 10 and the first guys are sticking their heads out of their shells or pods. I am always fascinated by this event. Maybe because there's a bit of a phallic symbol going on here. I usually don't get two at a time, but this year is different. These two will last for a day or so then close up, rot and fall to the ground. The inside of the pod is the most pristine creamy white as is the part that sticks out. Is that a stamen or a pistil? Must do some research on flowers. They are flowers of a sort, but I don't know what purpose they serve. All in all, there are a grand total of seven to bloom. That's the most there have ever been. The pics are not in order. Look at them from bottom to top. Doesn't matter much because the plant is pretty spectacular.

May Bloomer

Here it is Thursday and I am just getting back to this blog. I've been taking some pics lately out on the patio. There is a huge plant out there that has "blooms" every year that are remarkable. I'm not sure what to call them because I had never seen them before we moved here. There are six at the moment getting ready to bloom. They open up in May, each one individually, and only stay open for a day or so. The pic you see is of the pods(my name for them). This plant is sometimes called the "monster plant." Another thing about this plant is that it throws out some funny root-like feelers. They grow down to the ground and will keep on growing and finding a way around the patio. Really weird plant, but I'm absolutely fascinated by it.

Birthday party

Oh, my gosh or OMG in the other world. I'm back! I got a comment from my sister and that propelled me onto more of this whatever it is. I've had a week full of stress because James, the significant person in my life for the last 17 years is turning 75 this Sunday. At first we were going to have a big blowout party to celebrate and then we decided not to. Now it's just family, thank goodness. But 75 years is a landmark in his family. Both James' mom and dad passed away early. He has outlived them both by a long time. I think he's just a little amazed by this event. On the other hand, my family has longevity to a certain extent and we all wonder how long we will have to keep growing older! I should have asked my daughter for some help because she's an expert on planning. Me, I'm a last minute person, but I get the job done. But then you'll have a blowout if she takes over. But Facebook has taken over her life. She is a star, has a following. She's marvelous. Now back to planning a birthday party....... See you later!

First day

Well, here I am. First day. First blog. This is a learning experience. It was not my intent to do this yet, but here I am. It started when I did a Google search for my father's name and ended up on blogspot. Will post pics later when I get myself together.