wordsgood

Just checked, 'tis not you, Janet. It seemed to work perfectly when I did it, but now I can't find it either. Really beginning to believe that A) my computer is haunted, or B) I'm losing IQ points by the hour. I was never terribly tech savvy, but these days I can't seem to perform the simplest things right the first time. Sighs dramatically, gives up and leaves to explore other people's posts.....

Frankie, I'm just on my way out again but do want to reply to your message. I'll be back later.

To Maedeh, here's the attachment! This won't make sense to anyone but Maedeh, but since I couldn't find a way to add an attachment in a private message to her, I've posted it here for her to catch. Please just ignore it if you aren't her! Thanks!

Hello Eleanor and Delaila. I think you will both have a great time here, just dig in and enjoy!

Welcome! I hope you find lots here to encourage your reading and help with your writing.

Ditto here!

Greetings to you both Sarah and Paganrose. Lot's to explore here so have fun!

Okay, I've asked some dumb questions in my time, but I feel like a positive genius compared to those tourists! LIke the cemetary one too!

Hi Andy. Welcome aboard!

Just realized I've been very spoiled lately when it comes to getting new books. Mostly because any plans we make to do anything never seem to work out for one reason or another, so I tend to console myself by hitting the bargain tables. Anyway, here's a list of my haul for today. Mao's Great Famine, by Frank Dikotter (This one was actually on my Wishlist, so that was nice! ) Escape from the Third Reich: The Harrowing True Story of the Largest Rescue Effort Inside Nazi Germany, by Sune Urquhart Colonel Rooosevelt, Edmund Morris Selected Letters of Martha Gellhorn, by Caroline Moorehead Well-Tempered Clavicle, by Piers Anthony

My goodness, you'd think he'd had enough on his plate, what with people plotting his demise and all. Apparently he's a serial husband! At least he only tried one a at time. Gotta give him that, at least.

My goodness, you'd think he'd had enough on his plate, what with people plotting his demise and all. Apparently he's a serial husband! At least he only tried one a at time. Gotta give him that, at least.

Well I think it's a great review Brian! You've convinced me to add another to my wish list. I've heard about it off and on for years but never got around to looking into it. Part of the reason is I was one of those idiots who made assumptions based one the title. That and I've only gotten really into reading classics that are from non-english writers and countries in the past couple of years. I'd run across some very bad translations when I first tried so it put me off attempting it again for a long time. Not sure if you're aware, but there was a case in the states about the early 1990's about a 17 yrd old teen who shot and wounded the wife of her much older lover. The media started calling her the Long Island Lolita (based partly on where they all lived) and could be one reason some people assume it's fluff, smut or chic lit. Here's a quick summary about the story I grabbed off Wikipedia so you could see what I mean. Amy Elizabeth Fisher (born August 21, 1974) (who has since changed her name to Elizabeth Bellers) is an American woman who became known as "the Long Island Lolita" by the media in 1992, when, at the age of 17, she shot and severely wounded Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco. She was initially charged with first-degree attempted murder, but eventually pled guilty to first-degree aggravated assault and served six years in prison. After her parole in 1999, Fisher became a journalist and writer, before embarking on a career as pornographic artist in 2007.

Maedeh, welcome back! I wondered where'd you gone.

Very sorry to hear that Laura. Unfortunately, the most lethal cancers are often the ones that aren't detected until it's far too late for any treatment to have a hope of working. Was the same thing with my Mom, she was gone two months after finding out she had pancreatic cancer. This is for you . Seems that October isn't a good month for almost anyone.

Not unless this was after his 2nd marriage fell apart. Because he married the first one very young, they were college sweethearts, and it was with her he did his early globetrotting and had a son with. The 2nd one was to some writer (not one I've ever head of). Interestingly though, is the way he's talking his 2nd marriage in the book. He's sort of alternates between stating how they both knew they'd rushed into marriage and it was a mutual decision to part, but then the fatwa came down and they decided to face it together, but also implies there is some kind of professional jealousy on her part because he was finally (pre-fatwa) successful as fiction writer. As though she became unhappy because now he'd not only caught up to her professionally, but was now actually a bit ahead. I know they don't stay together but I haven't read enough yet to find out when they officially part ways. Or to know if he's been married to anyone else since then. I'll update this though either as I go along or when I've finished reading it. Oh, one more thing. Another thing noted in the pre-release reviews was he tends to dwell a lot on those he thinks have wronged him at any point in his life, and so far, I reluctantly have to agree to that assessment as well. To be fair though, he also spends quite a bit of time praising those helped him, stood by or up for him, and especially those assigned to protect him. As soon as I can also want to get a copy of the book that started this mess, The Satanic Verses. Hmm, you know having to be up on current affairs in the news was part of a job I did for 8 years, and I hated it. I read only what was needed to be efficient at work, but hated reading anything like this voluntarily. I stuck to pure fantasy and fictional historical sagas, but now I can't seem to get enough of it!

Of course, don't know why I couldn't remember that. You have officially been my brain the last few days, Vodkafan, have you noticed? This is not one of my great weeks, insomnia again. In my world insomnia = stupid! More than a couple straight days and I move into full on brain dead zone. Very close to that region right now. Oooh, look at all the pretty flowers....... Frankie, I'm sorry. I hope you don't think I'm being disrespectful here. But I have yet more for you 'cause I thought you'd need them.

Okay, I was glad to hear that right I until I read the part about your boa considering the cats edible....now I'm rooting for the cats!

That's horrible, Frankie! I don't blame you for being angry or appalled. I'm so sorry this has happened, but very, very glad to hear no-one was hurt and that the library escaped unharmed. I don't understand why people do this, even if they have severe mental health problems, what would possess some to go around burning everything down!?! What could possibly be there motivation, aside from wanting to hurt people? By what you described, it sound like she was not intending to actually hurt or kill someone, *just* burn places down. I could be wrong, but it sounds like she is more of a compulsive fire bug (can't remember the official term such folks), and as I understand that particular disorder, they generally don't seem to get they are putting people in serious danger. Mind you, I could be wrong about that information too. It is indeed a crazy world.

OMG, he'll love this!! Be careful, he might just start to fall in love with you. I will certainly pass this along to him. And I will give you his thanks and appreciation now, because that will be the first thing out of his mouth after the inarticulate squeal of delight!

Update on Keiko: I've had to put of dog's surgery for another few weeks. I'm the only one available to care for her and she will need constant supervision for at least the first two weeks so I can't just leave her at home without a human. After months of waiting to get some testing and appointments for myself about an issue I had earlier this year, they are calling me now, but not with any definite dates for half of them. I'm just being told to be ready to go as soon as slot opens up. They are hoping it's in the next week or two, and I'm grateful to finally be getting the appointments (and hopefully some answers,) but the timing sucks! Can't just tell them to wait either or it'll be several more months - or even up to year since my case was technically *rushed* through system (so if were dumb enough to refuse when offered...) before any more openings came up. This is kind of worrying me because I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. What I mean is I want the surgery down now, asap, because everytime I've had to prioritize big, expensive things for one of the furry kids but delay for any length of time, it seems like either the car or one of the other pets comes down with a very costly emergency! That's how the dog's surgery got delayed by over a year to start with. Cat went in for simple ear infection, comes out with emergency dental surgery. Then hubby lost job a month later right around the New Year, then a very rough couple of months later, gets another one only to need emergency surgery himself two weeks after starting! Thankfully the employer was very understanding, but losing so much income for so long meant that it took far longer than planned to pay of cat's teeth. Someone or something in my household seems to always try to preempt the others by breaking themselves or getting sick first. Myself included. It's like we're all in some kind of twisted race to see who can become the most broken, down, costly and physically miserable, first. Worse, we often do it in groups, like it's some kind of demented family bonding ritual. For example the issue I mentioned having earlier this year? That was me going falling down a flight of stairs, throwing my back out in the process, then suddenly going half blind a few days later. I was in that state for six weeks, while hubby was in and out of the emergency room and had two emergency surgeries. See where I'm getting with all this? I'm started to feel cursed 'cause the year before was even worse! It's like my life is one big, very bad country song! And I love country music! And yes, before one you makes a witty crack , I realize the car is an inanimate object, but it (and all of it's predecessors) always seems to be in this twisted and stupid race to the bottom! So like I said, I want her in NOW, before the other shoe drops! Must think positive. Must. Think. Positive. Must...... . Um...By that I hope by that you don't mean the cats downsized for you? Aside from that, welcome aboard fellow animal slave...er, lover I mean. Yes, that's what I meant.

That's terrible! Poor guy. Maybe at least for the mother, it will be easier because of the dementia? I mean if she doesn't actually really understand? Sorry if this sounds cruel, but when my aunt died several years ago, my grandmother lived with my parents and even though it was explained to her several times, and she went to the funeral, she seems to have thought it was just someone she was supposed to have known but couldn't quite recall. She didn't even know those of who saw her daily were most of the time. She had flashes where she would suddenly become lucid, realize all that she had lost or believing she was still living in one or another of the years before the dementia took her memories away and changed her personality. Those times were heart-breaking. But they were mercifully, in my opinion, short lived and within a few minutes at the very most, she'd slip back into the dementia. She was quite happy in that state so long as you didn't change her routine, agreed with everything you said, and she had "her" little dog by her side. (Was actually my Mom's and Grandma had never like or approved of pets in the house, nevermind on the furniture, but the "new" grandma loved and was thoroughly convinced she had her the whole time!) Anyway, again I'm very sorry to hear such news. And I hope that poor man has other loved ones around who can be a good support system for him. Once again, Talisman, my hat is off to you for being able to work in that kind of job without losing your compassion or sanity!

Partial review for Joseph Anton: A Memoir, by Salman Rushdie, as of October 10, 2012. Thank you Vodkafan, for the little push I needed! Thought I should post this before I forget. As usual I keep hopping back and forth between several books, so am only about 4 or 5 short chapters into this one. (Incidentally, I think this is less a sign of intelligence, and more an indication of diminishing brain power on my part. Early senility? Or possibly hanging around labs for too long and am acquiring their whole lack of focus mindset!) Anyway, one thing I noticed on several reviews that were published before the book was released to consumers, is that many complain about Rushdie's persistent name dropping in his book. Though I'm not even a 1/3 of the way in, I see what I mean. Rushdie came into contact with many celebrities and high profile politicians during his years of hiding. While these mini side stories are interesting, I find myself a bit disappointed. At least so far; hopefully it will improve as I get further into it. What I'm hoping for, but so far haven't seen much of, is details about what living in hiding and under the threat of death, for 9 long years, under 24/7 protection, never being able to stay in any one place for too long. How did it affect his psyche, then and now? In what ways has it changed his attitudes and outlook about people, race, religion, and the melding of cultures as we all become an ever more globally entwined species? That kind of thing. That is what I understood we would be getting, based on the many articles and interviews I'd read and heard, but so far...not so much. I do understand why he would be afraid to open up to any degree after what he's been through - and the still pending "unofficial" bounty on his head even though the fatwa itself has been revoked. Rushdie is a far braver soul than I could ever be, and the fact that he's still sane is bloody miracle. But still...I'm hoping for more about him and less about the side anecdotes. Hopefully it will get better after this.

He he. Wasn't really upset about no-one posting here, just felt like being silly. Plus I just like bragging when I get new books, especially if I snagged them at a really great price. I haven't really had the gumption to focus on writing reviews lately, but am sure I will get back to doing it eventually. In the meantime, I've been busy reading everyone else's reviews!

:giggle2: Just got instructions that I am to THANK YOU for this Star Wars squirrel picture. Apparently its going to his new profile picture at his Star Wars forum!