julie

Ok Kylie An embarrassing number, but I have only read 53 from the 1001 . I'm just guessing, I will roughly have to live to be 117 to make a slight dent in the pile ..

Pixie How do you keep track of your books as far as the numbers ? Do you have them online on a list , or written down in a notebook, or how do you keep track of how many you have ?

Athena GREAT review of IT . I'm not a major Stephen King fan, although I have read a few and liked them all . I just don't read a lot of horror type stories . I still have The Stand on my Kindle ... one of these days I'll get to it .

Thanks Pixie -- I'm trying to train my brain to think about positive things ,which would be reading ,and books ,and people to talk to about them ... next year HAS to be better .. I'm trying to keep focused on other areas instead of the sad parts . So, it's a never -ending challenge to come up with a reading plan or a list of books to read that are so good they keep my brain busy . I could put together about 74 challenges and try to keep up with them all. That might do it .

Kylie Thank you for the offer . I'll see if they have the book in over at the library ,as I don't have one of my own . Then I will count the number of books I have read . ( Maybe the list is online someplace if the book isn't in ) ? As for life expectancy, I'm not sure how I'd gauge that . Do you just kinda guess at it, like for the average person, this is how long you will live ? Anyhow, I'll get back to you this morning with it -- getting ready to run some errands ,then will be home shortly . Thank you so much ! It's very kind of you .

It sounds as though you guys have better prices on used books . Ours are about $ 1.00 ,most places , sometimes $1.50 .. that's mainly paperbacks , hardbacks can be around 2.50 ,depends on the place . We have a really nice used bookstore that donates all their money to a foundation called Project Read ,which helps people learn to read, or people from other countries learn our language so they can read better in English . Their prices were good in the beginning but they have increased to 1.50 for small paperbacks, 2.25 for trade paperbacks ,and 3 bucks for hardbacks . While we're talking used books, what are some pet peeves you have about used books ? I won't buy them if they smell like smoke --- gross ... Or if they have stains on any of the pages ... Or if they have writing or underlining .. distracts me from the book if I'm looking at what is written in the margins or underlined .

Alexi Yes, I know what you mean .The way Truman writes the book, you have such a sense of dread in the beginning. You KNOW something horrible is going to happen to that poor family, and you are just shouting in your head for them to RUN !!! Get out of the house !! You know the guys who needlessly destroyed their family are BAD GUYS , yet Truman makes you feel sympathetic towards them in a way . You know you shouldn't be, but you can't help it . Janet Have you given The Grass Harp a go ? That's the book of his I always like to compare to In Cold Blood .. they are both so very different, you cannot imagine a writer who could swing so far in each direction as he does . PS - Hate to hear how you guys have charted out the number of years it'd take to fulfill the 1001 list. I think it'd be best if I'd count mine in DOG years . That way, it might sound like a goal I could achieve .

Alexi That's a good idea if you set a goal of a certain number per year from the "1001" list. That way you are slowly chipping away at it . It'll be an ever-growing list if they keep changing up the book every year or 2, and adding or removing books . Most of you in here ( I think ) are quite a lot younger than me, so you have more years to devote to a list that big . It'd help if my reading speed was what it used to be . In my younger days, I could read a book and multi-task several other things at once . Now it takes all my concentration to read. I need total quiet, and it takes a lot longer than it once did to complete a book . I guess I'm looking at it with a poor attitude . Is it possible for me to get a copy of the 1001 book and read every book in it, before I go to that Final Reward ( or Final Punishment) I guess so . ... Anyhow, how did you like Truman ? He's one of my favorites ,so I'm always excited when someone reads one of his books .

Will Thanks for explaining your comment in more detail. Sorry if I snapped at you ,but it's difficult at times when you are in the minority in a group IF someone in the majority makes negative comments about our country as a whole .(or as your terms put it, painting us all with a broad brush ) . Not saying I don't feel welcome here or that I feel that people aren't treating me politely, because they are . Everyone here has been incredibly nice . I think, though, that when someone openly makes a statement that is saying that one group is lacking in some way, or that one group is better than another, it can cause hard feelings . Could you give me a few names or a short list of authors /books from our country that you find to be unworthy of reading ? We may actually agree on some of them . Not sure I'm wording this properly, but I'm just curious as to which authors you don't like , and why . No hard feelings . It's just that most ,if not all Americans are proud of our country and won't sit by and allow others to bash it unless they have a valid point. I'm not saying our country is better than any other or that our literature is the only kind worth reading . It's just as challenging for me to read some of your author's works ,and get out of them everything I should . I have never been there, I know very little about some of the subjects or phrases used . That doesn't mean I think the writing is bad or the author isn't worth reading, it is probably the "reader" who is lacking ,not the author . ( Talking about ME ,not you ) I guess ,bottom line is that for a large group of readers from many different countries ,to all converge as a group, we have to be sensitive to the fact that some comments won't go down well and may cause some disharmony .

Willoyd I find your comment about American literature offensive .You're making the remark in a way that is more or less saying that we have very little to offer the literary world. That type of remark is very unfair . I have read books that are written by authors from other countries ,that I may not have enjoyed, but to make a remark that there is very little to offer from the entire COUNTRY full of authors would be very derogatory . I have enjoyed being a part of this group, but with comments like you make, it makes me feel like I'm not in the right place . It'd be extremely rude of me to come in and bash "most English authors" as unworthy of reading , with the exception of a few . How would all of you feel if I were to make that remark ? I'm guessing I'd make a lot of enemies . NOT NICE at all .

Poppy You have a real gem in the "Husband Buying Presents " Area . He is all the time bringing you home special treats . I'd give him a gold star for the number of gifts that have turned out to be nice . Hubster always says " I don't know what you'd like " . Good grief, he's only known me for 42 years . I think it's more a matter of he HATES shopping ,so would rather I'd buy things for myself . He hates it so much, I'm the one that buys the tires and oil for the cars , the repair parts for the toilet, etc.. I bet he goes for YEARS without stepping into a store of any type .

Devi I'm thinking possibly someone driving by had maybe thrown out a cigarette or something ? Not sure, but the grass was all brown from lack of rain . As for the others inside, there weren't many, just a scattered few, and the place was huge ,so maybe no one would have noticed I was in there wandering around . It's ok, though. I think maybe sometimes things like that happen for a reason . Like a wake-up call ? Straighten out or else ? I'm not sure , I just chalk it up to something that happened that was funny ,since I got out ok . That reminds me of another time, I wasn't so fortunate . I still tease the Hubster about it . Another funny story that wasn't funny then .but is now . We had an old furnace in our last house that had some malfunction. Once in awhile, the pressure inside BLEW the metal door off the front. Maybe a clogged gas line or something ? We had a furnace guy come look at it , but he didn't find anything alarming . It also had the tendency for the pilot light to blow out ,so you'd have to go down and re-light it . Usually that was the Hubster's job, since I know nothing about furnaces, but he was at work, it was winter and early morning ,so it was freezing cold in the house. I called him at work ,asking directions for how to light the pilot light . He told me each step ,so I went down to light it . To make a long story short, he FORGOT to tell me to turn the thermostat OFF . So, there was a buildup of gas in there . What happens when you stick a lighted match into an area where there is a gas buildup ? Let's just say that I needed to draw my eyebrows on until they grew back out ,and I didn't need a suntan ,as I looked like I had laid out in the desert for a day .

Devi It's good that you guys have all the safety measures in place, with the sirens and such. You should be safe then ,and know when it's time to leave if need be. The only time I was REALLY close to a fire ,was one year we went to Florida on a vacation . We visited St Augustine , which is a BEAUTIFUL city . They had a large number of Catholic churches that were unlocked . I have always wanted to see inside one ,since they are so beautiful . So, I walked to a large one, walked up the steps and went in. It wasn't a "church "day, so there were only a few people in there, sitting on the pews or wandering around . I came up to the basins with the Holy Water In them and wasn't sure if I was supposed to use it , or HOW to do it . I've seen it on tv, but never been to a Catholic church . I was pondering whether I should attempt it ,and how, but decided not to . So, I walked in and just wandered all around looking at the beautiful decorations, windows, etc. The place was huge ,so I was in there for quite some time . I finally looked around and noticed everyone else was gone, so I thought I'd leave too . It was dark inside ,so when I first opened the doors, my eyes were adjusting to the brightness .I thought I was SEEING things, but NO... I was seeing perfectly fine . The WHOLE CHURCHYARD was on fire, with a big red fire truck, firemen with hoses, putting the fire out .. WOW ... THAT WAS SCARY !!! The moral of the story : Next time I go into a Catholic church , USE the Holy Water . It certainly makes you think a lot , to go into a church and you come out with the whole yard on fire . I'm either in NEED of church or need to stay away from them . A Signal From Above .

Bookmonkey Nothing wrong with asking for an item you need ,like something for the house . We all have our own likes and dislikes . It's great if you need something specific and that's what you ask for and receive . I guess I just meant that for me, I'd rather not get items to do housework .

Eleanora Thanks for the ghost story . I believe you 100 % .

Interested in any more reading challenges ? Have a look at this : http://novelchallenges.blogspot.com/ Newest challenges in the center ,TONS of challenges on the left column .

I am so excited - I just found a used book for ONE dollar that is hardback and called First Daughters: Letters Between US Presidents and Their Daughters . It has old photos of some of the first daughters, along with pics of the actual letters sent . I love old letters and photos and history, so this book is right up my alley .

Kylie Yes, I DO think you guys are similar in lots of ways. You both have a truckload of books and even your online personalities sound a lot alike, so I get you guys mixed up constantly . I'm glad you live in a safe location . Are the fires common over there when summertime comes ? I know they have a lot out west where they have droughts, etc . We don't have fires like that here ,though . We have so many weather changes, but plenty of rain /snow,so the ground is rarely dry enough for a fire . The year we went to Florida on vacation, they had a fire down there . Too close for comfort . Did I ever tell you about that ?

I forgot to say the Hubster is used to the system we have and I don't mind it myself. Let's just say we had many Christmases that weren't pleasant when the family all came in ,so we downplay the holidays now . We buy things we want and have a good meal, but other than that, it's no different than any other day . It might sound a little warped, but it's too sad to make a big deal out of it . It's better to do it as we do ,and not put too much emphasis on it . I take the tree down on Christmas day as soon as we eat . I know it sounds weird, but it's the best way we have of celebrating a LITTLE bit , but not putting too much emphasis on it, because it makes me really sad .

Frankie Very funny about the guy with the 2 beers and the stuffed animal . I like watching what people buy ,trying to figure out who they might be buying the stuff for .We have a local "fellow" who wants to be a "lady" ,so it's fun getting in line behind him to see what all he picks . He overdoes it a bit ,which makes him stand out a bit too much. If he wants to blend in and not be noticed ,then he needs to stop buying the matching red beret to go with his plaid skirt and red sweater set , red nail polish , black tights, and red lipstick . He might blend in better too if he wasn't built like a football player . He chose the name Jessica , which also doesn't match ,plus he could sing baritone in the church choir ,so he stands out in a crowd no matter what he does . He'd be the most interesting shopper in our town . Everyone else buys boring stuff like milk, Budweiser and cigarettes . Or Ho-Ho's .

Can I ask, while we are talking spooky Halloween type books, do any of you believe in ghosts ? I do .

Diane I am reading one called Asylum by Madeleine Roux . It's supposed to be compared in a way to Miss Pettigrew's ( the Ransom Riggs book ) ,as far as having photos inside to go along with the story . I don't think the writing compares ,and the photos ( most of them ) , look to be staged . The story I'd guess is a YA type book, as it is about 3 teens in a haunted summer school that used to be an asylum . I'm halfway done and it's not knocking my socks off, but I'm sticking with it in hopes it'll have a spooky ending .

So Laura I don't think I know much about you ,as far as personal life. Did you grow up on the farm where you are working ? And did you move to town while you had your other job ? Where do you prefer living ,do you like it in the country or town ? I've lived in the same "town" since birth ,although my last 2 years at home , my parents bought a place outside of town ,so I technically lived on a "farm" then. Only 4 acres, so not a huge place . By the time we moved there, I drove and had my own car and was in nursing school ,so I didn't spend much time at home . Those were also the "teen, hanging out with friends " years . I like living in town much better ,only because that is where I have loved most of my life and I like it here .

Frankie Do you number them in order of the one you want most ? Or do you just let her choose so it'll be a bit of a surprise ? This is a much better idea than letting someone choose an item for you when they have no clue what you'd want . The Hubster found out on one of our first Christmases . He bought me PANS . He soon found out that I have no interest in getting any item you do HOUSEWORK with for a gift . I can buy the boring crap for myself . We usually buy our own stuff now so we both choose whatever we want . Not very exciting , but it works .

Kate You really have a wide range of reading tastes . Are there any genres you refuse to read , or do you like them all ?