Mbwun_Lily

What's up in January, you ask? Well, I got a message from the system here today, saying that I've been missed, as it's been a long time since I've been here. So, I thought about it, and decided to come here and explain myself. You see, I was introduced to this message board by a former member who went by the name fireball here. fireball was a very good friend of mine, and when I found out that he'd been banned from this board, I really didn't feel like I should participate here anymore, as a sign of support for him - it just didn't feel right. I use the past tense 'was', as fireball died of a massive stroke on Boxing Day of 2008. For those of you who may remember him, a lot of the reason fireball was the way he was, was that he was was battling his way back from the damage caused by a stroke that should have killed him years previous, but miraculously didn't. Every post was a struggle for him to compose. I still really miss him, and I think about him every day. And I'd be the first to admit that my joy for reading has been greatly diminished by his passing. It was a passion we shared, and it's still difficult for me, as the memories of that passion, and the association of it with him, are still very painful at this point. Anyhow, I doubt that I'm likely to be back here much, if at all. I don't imagine many of you would remember me anyway. Plus, since I haven't been reading much in the past four years, I probably wouldn't be able to contribute much here.

Yeah, but how many of you have a "Thank You" from the author for the recipe (actually, two recipes) that you posted on his message board, and he actually copied out and tried - and really, really, really, liked them? Jack Whyte posted this on his message board:

Way too many. I mean it - I've lost count there's so many. I swear, if I sat on my duff, and read 24/7 for a year or more, I probably wouldn't get through them all. Is there such a thing as Bookaholics Anonymous?

I get a lot of my books from thrift stores, and used book stores. And when I buy my books new, I try to look for heavily discounted books off the publisher's overstock shelves. I do buy them for full price if I figure it probably won't show up in any of the afore-mentioned venues and I really want to read it. Plus, sometimes I really want to read it NOW. And I have special ordered books that I really want, if the book stores around here haven't chosen to stock them.

I would estimate it in the mid-hundreds range, although at the moment most of them are packed away in boxes after a move.

My top three: The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett Standard of Honor - Jack Whyte The Religion - Tim Willocks

Heck yes, fairly regularly - I'm suffering from a period of what I refer to as "The Reading Doldrums" right now. I got halfway through a complex book (The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow) that I was really enjoying when it hit - the bookmark is still stuck there in the middle of the book. When my "Reading Mojo" is totally back, I'll resume reading it. I'm trying to get myself out of it by reading a mindless piece of pap that's turning out to be an enjoyable but extremely easy read. FYI - it's called Soapsuds, and it's co-written by actress Finola Hughes, and Digby Diehl.

Thanks to Nici, Michelle, and Heather for adding me to their MySpace Friends! You guys are the best!!!

For a truly risque Christmas read, try searching out a copy of Santa Steps Out by Robert Devereaux. It's an out of print book, so you'll have to try finding it used. And on the opposite end of the scale, a good Christmas book to get for your children is Red Ranger Came Calling by Berkeley Breathed. I think it has an appeal for both children and adults - and the artwork is fantastic!

I recently opened up a MySpace account, and have added a direct link back to this forum on my profile page: http://www.myspace.com/cadasta I'd be tickled pink to be added as a Friend by anyone here.