dtrpath27

I'll have to figure out how to post them. Cat is a magnificent specimen, sleek and black like a panther. He was rescued as a little feral kitten living in a woodpile and is still known for being a bit of a wildcat!

I've been eyeing this one in the Kindle store. I'm going to have to download the sample and check it out.

I'm sorry to hear that! It's the worst when everything is swimming along, and then it changes so abruptly. I always find it so disappointing and difficult to get past when the author "goes and ruins it" like that.

I'm so glad you and your family are safe. That would be a bit too close for my taste! Poor kitty-cat! He looks more than a little put out by the whole thing. You're right about the territorial thing. Especially if they've been given the freedom to be a roving wildcat, staking out a kingdom (as my indoor/outdoor cat has been) this sort of thing can be quite stressful!

Actually, if you stay out of the Quarter where all the tourists are and avoid some of the nighttime Uptown parades, it's actually quite a family event these days. There are probably 40 parades around the greater New Orleans in the month or so leading up to Mardi Gras. If you want to get a good idea of the season without all the drunk college students, try some of the Metairie parades. They're a lot of fun, not dangerously crowded, and there are kids and families everywhere. A lot less people also equals catching a lot more of what they're throwing. My daughter wound up with around 1,000 throws this season. The whole thing is very unique to New Orleans and is a great thing to see once in your life. I have to agree, though, New York is a city like no other in the States. The energy is palpable at all hours of the day and night. Love, love, love it. Tokyo is like that; so exciting!

I just bought it last night. I have a nephew with Asperger's, so the story really appealed to me.

LOVE Twin Peaks! I used to live in a tiny village, but there was a town 30 minutes away that had a small collection of videos in English. Oddly enough, the full series of Twin Peaks was one of them. I watched it more times than I can remember.

The Innocents Abroad sounds wonderful! I'm a big Twain fan, but I haven't heard of this one before.

Actually, little Dickensian fun-fact, he was paid by the word, so it was in his best interest to be extremely descriptive. I suppose it withstood the test of time, though! It always takes me a while to settle into his stuff, but I never regret it; it's always worth the extra effort!

It really is funny, isn't it?

I'm so glad she found the right one. I hope she has a great time!

Sadly, they don't have it in the Amazon store! I thought I had seen it there...apparently not! I did download a dozen book samples, though, so hopefully I'll find something else to read.

Rotten brother. Sweet boyfriend, though!

I've seen The Library of Unrequited Love in the Kindle store, now I'm seeing people on here mention it. I'll have to check it out.

I read it in January and really enjoyed it! It's on my "to be reviewed" list. It's a strange little tale, isn't it?

Athena, that was so sweet of him! What a nice surprise! Was there an occasion or just because? I'm glad you have more energy today. Sunday was a sleepy day for me, too. It was perfect weather for a nap, so I very happily obliged Mother Nature and took a nice long one.

Thanks for the encouragement! Sigh...I don't know what it was about that book! Maybe it was my mood. I do think the Charles/Charles/Charles thing didn't help either. Lol. When there's something like that I tend to glom onto it and find it hard to get past it. Also, I have been in a mood all day today. That probably didn't help inspire the most diplomatic of reviews.

I'm torn between saying "oh, no!" and "how fun!". Did you find the dress?

March 2014 - Book Seven A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole Publishing Information: ©1980 by Louisiana State University Press Pages: 394 Genre: Fiction Setting: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Main Characters: Ignatius J. Reilly, Irene Reilly (his mother), and a host of other characters who get sucked into the black hole that is Ignatius J. Reilly. Synopsis: This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel chronicles the misadventures and musings of born and bred New Orleanian Ignatius J. Reilly on his quest for employment in 1960's New Orleans. Highly educated, yet highly lacking in motivation, 30 year old Ignatius is still living with his mother with an abysmal employment history and his only romantic prospect a distant memory from his college days who now resides in New York City. Impressions: As a reader, I was swept along in Ignatius' madness just like so many of his fellow New Orleanians. Toole did a superb job capturing the character and flavor of the Crescent City, making this novel a humorous and endearing one to read. All comedy aside, however, the most touching aspect of the novel was the foreword, which tells the true story of how this book came into being. As repugnant as Mr. Reilly is, a la Falstaff, there is no better character to rally a confederacy of dunces. "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in a confederacy against him." - Jonathan Swift

March 2014 - Book Six The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd Publishing Information: ©2012 by Delacorte Press Pages: 334 Genre: Mystery Setting: London, 1850 Main Characters: Charles Maddox (detective), Charles Maddox (Charles' elderly uncle who also used to be a detective and who is mostly but not always referred to as Maddox), Edward Tulkington (attorney), Sir Julius Cremorne (society fellow and financier), and. A list of other moderately.relevant characters. Synopsis: Set in Dickensian England, this story tells the tale of shamed policeman turned detective, Charles Maddox. With the aid of his elderly uncle, also named Charles Maddox, Charles (the younger) is hired by bigwig attorney Edward Tulkinghorn to solve the case of threatening letters that have been sent to the daughter of Sir Julius Cremone. Things are not what they seem, and the tale takes some bizarre twists and turns. Impressions: Like this book, I did not. I really wanted to, but it just didn't happen. I chose it because it was billed as a unique twist on the world of Charles Dickens. I'm imagining something like one of those Jane Eyre spinoffs, which I quite enjoy. In fact, the same author had written another title called Murder at Mansfield Park, so I thought I'd give it a go. Unfortunately it was nothing at all like I expected. Perhaps the most annoying aspect of the book was the fact that the main character was named Charles, the secondary character was named Charles, and the author kept making random references to Charles Dickens, sometimes referring to him as just Charles in a scene where either both other Charleses were present or where no Charleses were present and you had to guess to which Charles she was referring. I felt like there were.also some aspects of the storyline that were thrown in just to be shocking and depraved, not because it added to the storyline at all. I also felt like the "mystery" aspect.of it was too transparent on some sides and too random on others. I also felt that she fell out of tone from time to time, making it seem like she was inserting a modern observation into the 19th century world, almost as if an actor at a play were to stick his head out from backstage and start talking to his mom in the audience; it was that distracting. Needless to say, I would not recommend this book. My disappointment was magnified by the fact that I really wanted to like it from the beginning!

Got it! Thanks for posting the picture. I assume that's the vampire? All weekend I had been trying to sound it out; none of my pronunciations made much sense!

Chrissy, it sounds like you had a lovely weekend! Claire, I can't wait to see your completed quilt block. I took a peek at your others, and they're quite pretty!

What does the title come from?

Great! I'm on my way over to read it now. Did anyone else discover a great book that everyone should know about? My weekend discovery was author Jason Gurley. Love his writing!

Okay, here goes the beginning of my March read-a-thon reviews. March 2014 - Book Five The Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality by Dr. Ronald L. Mallet Publishing Information: ©2006 by Thunder's Mouth Press Pages: 198 Genre: Non-fiction/autobiography Topic: Theoretical physics Synopsis: This is the story of how a devastating loss sets Dr. Mallett upon an unlikely path from happy child, to near dropout, to well-respected theoretical physicist. The story of this amazing journey is inextricably linked to his path of scientific discovery in the area of theoretical physics, and more specifically, time travel. The autobiographical content provides the framework for his explanation of not only his theories, but everything he had to learn to reach that point. Impressions: Can a book that contains countless descriptions of the various aspects of physics be engaging, touching and inspirational? Surprisingly, yes! The story of the power of his love for his father and his personal determination coupled with his accessible explanations of very complex scientific information and his quest to prove the feasibility of time travel make this one of the most interesting biographies I have ever read. I highly recommend this book; it was a most enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon!