Julie -2012 Book List

[julie]

VF

Yes, I agree, it'd be interesting to be able to be out west and ride horses. I'm not sure I'm cut out for the Indian lifestyle, but I think most young boys would love it .

 

 

Miss Poppy

Yes, it must have been hard on the older people who left bad conditions in their own country to move to a new place where they thought life would be better. Sometimes environment is important. If you live in a place you don't like,then it is hard to be happy .

 

 

Sofia

Thanks very much for your well wishes . It is appreciated .

[pontalba]

I can hear the nuclear stuff zapping away, right now!

 

Excellent review too. I think we just don't appreciate fully what our ancestors went through. Harsh doesn't begin to cover it. I've read stories similar to that, or seen films that covered some of that territory. But how could we even expect someone to be unaffected by such an ordeal? And a child?? Yikes, the formative years, sure enough. Bound to scar a person. Not only scar, actually form the person.

 

Sending more strengthening vibes and cyber hugs.

[julie]

Hi Miss Kat

Yes, that's right, it was hard for the kids ,but it was so odd that even in cases where the child would see the Indians slaughter their parents, they seemed to somehow overlook it and gradually form an attachment to them . I guess they knew they had no family to go back to,so they became close with the Indians who kidnapped them . Maybe the Stockholm Syndrome thing ? You eventually get so used to that lifestyle and those people that they become your family .

Some of the kids cried when they were "traded" back to the Whites to be sent back to their relatives. They didn't want to leave the new life they had.

I think maybe kids are more resilient to change sometimes than adults are .

 

And thank you for the cyper-hugs and Nuclear Cheerleaders .

[pontalba]

There's more where they came from.

 

How is your appetite doing, coming back? /fingers crossed/

[Kylie]

Have you ever read anything by Sarah Turner, Julie? She wrote a book about early settlers called These Is My Words. As I recall, the book is also based on her family history. I think it's set earlier than the 1870s, but I could be wrong because it has been quite a few years since I read it. I remember it's about a family moving from one place to another to start a new life, and all of the trials they have to overcome. She also wrote 2 follow-up books, which I have yet to read.

 

On a slightly related note, I have become addicted to the repeats of Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman that are currently on TV. I love the historical details they introduce, such as General Custer and the Ku Klux Klan.

[julie]

Kat

Thank you , The nausea is gradually lessening each day . Yesterday morning I felt better,but after I ate, the nausea started up again,so I ate very small amounts of food at a time, and it didnt seem to be as bad,so I think it is improving each day . I'm glad I am allowed to have regular food again . That diet was gross .

 

 

 

Kylie

Yes, I read that same book ,and like you ,it was a long time ago but it was really interesting . I like books set out West like that .

I haven't read the follow-up books to it either though . Too many books and not enough time to squeeze them all in .

[julie]

An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill ( Colonel W.F. Cody ) --Buffalo Bill ,1847-1917

 

This was a Kindle Freebie I've had for a long time,so decided to read it and clear out a few of the older ones,plus in keeping with my last book, I thought I'd stay with the "Western-type" book for one more .

 

This story is interesting if you like reading all about the Old West and its inhabitants,told in first person by someone who wasn't originally from there,but who made it his home as a young man. He tells of his early family life and how he became the main breadwinner of the family at an early age,so he thought there were lots of opportunities out west in which to earn money for someone so young with not much education. His mother thought education was very important,but he always seemed to have his mind elsewhere ,feeling that sitting in a schoolroom was a waste of time when he could find something better to do .

Buffalo Bill lived during an exciting time, for the adventures were never ending for someone like him out West .

He told of his early years as a scout for troops or settlers, how he became such a good buffalo hunter and how he became very good friends with popular people of the day ,some good and some not so good.

He summed up a good portion of his life in this book,but told it in more of a fashion that men would find interesting I think,more so than women. He told very little of his home life or how he met and married his wife. He did give a very small accounting of that,but the main piece of the story was telling of lots of adventures he took,and how he decided that the Wild West show might be a good idea.

I think it made him sad to see how the west had changed during his lifetime, for not only himself,but the animals and wildlife and the Indians and their way of life. He had been chased and probably murdered by some of them during his time out there among them( if they had caught him ),but he also made very good friends with many of them too .

It's a pricelss telling of a piece of life that is sadly gone and will never be back,but it is a treasure trove of information of you want to know what is was like back then.

I'll give this one a 3/5 ,mainly because I would have liked to hear more about his home life and kids and such,but he chose to tell of his first love, which was the West .

[vodkafan]

Hi Julie I always get Buffalo Bill mixed up with Custer. How are you doing today?

[julie]

Hi VF

Yea, I guess looks-wise, Bill and Custer had the same type hair,etc. They both wore their hair long ( Bill,not in his young years, but after he got older and had his Wild West show.) They both had light curly type hair,but I think Custer's was more tinged with red . That's why the Indians thought his scalp was such a prize,being the color it was .

Bill had a lot better "ending" to his life than Custer did. He died a terrible death and took lots of men along with him by being in the wrong place at the wrong time I guess would be the nicest way of putting it,although some blame his lack of skills at leading men in battle ,and that's why they were all slaughtered as they were . I really havent read extensively on it ,so not sure if he was only doing what he was taught or whether he made a really big mistake . I do know he had many admirers,but also just as many enemies ,since they say he was very vain and sorta-like the showoff type .

As for me, I'm ok . Starting to gain a little energy back. I made it to the grocery today,but the stuff is all out in the car. I had to take a rest break before carrying it in . Monday is my scan,so I'm hoping for good news on that . I guess that will give me a little better idea of what we're looking at . Hoping it's ok and maybe I can get back on track here a bit anyhow .

Thanks very much for asking. How's life going for you ? I hope it's well and you are happy .

Edited July 20, 2012 by julie

[pontalba]

Hey Julie, Great review, makes me want to read more about those days for sure! BB was a fascinating fellow, but I don't know too much about him, not aside from the myths. I may have something around here on him, but nothing as good as yours sounds.

 

I don't think I've mentioned a book I read a while back about Doc Holliday. I think I have a review of it on last years book list here. It's called Doc, and is by Mary Doria Russell. http://www.amazon.com/Doc-Novel-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/081298000X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342805278&sr=8-1&keywords=Doc

 

I'm glad you are feeling a bit better anyhow. Your strength will return soon, I'm sure, just takes time after the ordeal you went through. Plus you were weakened by that crazy diet before the nuclear meds.

Sleep and rest are great healers, our bodies heal whilst sleeping, so getting lots of sleep is verra effective.

Take care.

:friends0:

[julie]

Hi Kat

Yea, I like reading about the old West and all its characters. Very entertaining time in the history of our country . I have the book Doc ,and in fact started it back when I got it,but got sidetracked by who knows what. It was really interesting and like the way it was written,so not sure why I put it on hold. I'll be sure to pick it back up at some point . It looks like you enjoyed it too,with a high rating .

As for the tiredness, the docs told me it would get a lot worse before it got better,so I was prepared to feel bad,but didnt realize just how low you would get before beginning to climb back up. It's almost like a car that is running out of gas .. it still sputters along ,and you think it's gonna give out before you make it to the gas station. Really odd feeling .Wednesday was probably the lowest of all. WOW , I have never felt that awful. BLINKING seemed to be an all-day event.

Anyhow, I have started to gain some steam. Still frustrating when you want to do more and you are totally worn out,but I guess I can't expect much else just yet.

Thanks for asking ,and don;t worry aboutt me getting enough sleep. I'm like a 90 year old. I fall asleep about 20 times a day . Awake one minute, asleep the next .

Take care --

[Kidsmum]

Hi Julie Hope your feeling perkier today The tiredness is awful isn't it but it does pass. I felt hugely better after i had my final scan & got the all clear it was like a weight off my shoulders, so hang in there

[julie]

Hi Kidsmum

Thanks for checking in . How long did it take you to start feeling back to normal after starting the thyroid meds ? So very sluggish feeling.

It will definitely be a relief to get the test results . I'm not very patient with this feeling like this for so long . It gets very frustrating doesn't it ?

Take care ,

[julie]

Winnie & Gurley :The Best Kept Family Secret -by Robert Hewitt

 

This story is a memoir of a family and the secrets of their past. It's written by a man who grew up in a good family for the most part .His grandmother spent many years living with them,and there were some undercurrents of problems amongst the adults .but he really didnt pay a lot of attention to it all . As most young kids do they just grow up,and as long as their family conflicts don't impact their lives too severely , they ignore them .

The reason he wrote this book is that he wrote another one previously,all about growing up in the 50's . I guess he got lots of emails after that first book,asking him to please write more about his Grandma . I haven't read the first one yet,so not sure why people wanted to know so much about her,,so these will be listed backwards. I have the first one and will read it next .

Anyhow he started digging into his family's past,and learning more about the situation .He found a treasure trove at his Grandmother's childhood home ,which was a trunkful of letters, pictures,postcards, etc that helped him to piece everything together .

I didnt get to know the Grandma from the grandson's point of viewby reading the books in order,but it sounds like he was satisfied with her as a Grandmother and didnt really understand why no one else seemed to like her very much .

After reading more about her younger years, you understand why people didn't like her . She was a very demanding ,nitpicky person and was miserable with her life,so she wanted to make everyone else just as miserable .

You really don't understand why she was like that until more layers of the family are told . This story hit a nerve with me,because I have a very close relative who is EXACTLY like this grandmother : never satisfied with life, always running other people down and making us all miserable . I've always wondered why she was like that ,but never knew her as a young girl or teenager,or newlywed,so missed out on all those pieces of her life .

Anyhow without giving the story away, this guy finally tells you the "family secret" ,which isn't really anything I thought it might be .It was a surprise,but maybe the way he told the story, you really didnt get overly wrapped up with any of them to the point where this "secret" made much of an impact on you .

I'd have to say overall,to sum the book up , I enjoyed it because it had lots of pictures of the old postcards, diary pages and letters ,and I love looking at those types of things so that part was interesting . The whole family story would have probably been much more intriguing if it had been told by a writer with a little more experience under his belt but this is one of the Kindle low-cost books, so it wasn't written by a polished writer . I usually enjoy those Kindle books, because I like how some of them are told .Sometimes,when they are told by an amateur writer,they seem to be more interesting ,but this one could have used a little more polish to spice it up a bit .

I really dont want to divulge what the secret in the family is in case anyone might read this someday,but let's just say it is possibly why the grandmother was like she is. You might think that if you heard her story,you might feel more sympathetic to her,but in the end, all it did was make me dislike her even more .

The book will get 3/5 just because of all the pictures,etc ,but the writing would only give it a 2/5 . Kind of a shame, it could have been a lot more interesting if told by someone more "polished " .

Edited July 22, 2012 by julie

[poppyshake]

It's easy to say isn't it but the people to admire are the ones who rise above their situations .. not those that perpetuate misery by trying to make everyone else miserable. You'll never be happy if you don't try. I can't really talk as I haven't had the kind of experiences which would make me feel bitter towards anyone but when you read stories about holocaust survivors and see that, despite their anger and sadness, they're able to move on .. I saw a docu recently about a man who had survived Bergen-Belsen and he did everything he could to make the world a good and happy place for his family. I think when you've had experiences like that, you realise where hatred gets you ... it doesn't solve anything and it makes you even more miserable. Obviously I don't know what Grandma's issues were .. she probably needed an empty room and some things to throw at a wall (and an unprejudiced ear to listen) but she didn't need to take it out on those around her .. you are punishing yourself again when you do that because everyone hates you as a result.

 

I like looking at old postcards/diary entries etc too Julie .. it does add interest to a memoir .. it's just a pity the author wasn't able to make his text as interesting.

[julie]

Miss Poppy

Yes you are entirely right. It's always inspiring to me when you see someone on tv or read a book about an ordinary person who ends up having an extremely difficult even happen to them in their life , and they are able to take that awful event and not only overcome it , but figure out a way to use it to help others, or improve their life so they don't repeat the same mistakes that may have been made to them . Everyone faces obstacles in their lives. Some are really huge and difficult, while others are just small issues ,but you are correct in saying, it's not the EVENT that happens to them, it's how they react to it and what they DO with it that makes them or breaks them .

This book wasn't written poorly ,no spelling or punctuation type errors, More of just thinking if it would have been told in a little more of maybe a "suspenseful" way, it would have had more impact .

I think I'll go ahead and read the other one now. It really won't influence that book by reading them out of order,because they both tell of a different type story. I think the first one tells mainly about growing up in the 50's . Bill Bryson wrote one like that which was great (Thunderbolt Kid) . I think he's a few years older than me,but most of the things he mentioned ,like foods, tv shows, etcc were things I remembered too .

Hopefully this guy's other book will be more of an enjoyable read like that .

[julie]

_{No Instructions Needed -Am American Boyhood in the 1950's ----Robert Hewitt}

 

_{Wow this has got to be a first in a long time, 2 books in one day !}

_{This book was written by the same author who wrote the book I just completed this morning . This book was SO much better. It was basically a memoir about growing up in the 50's . The author must be at least 10 years older than me,because he was naming off things that happened to him in the early 50's and I wasn't born until 1958,so some of the things he mentioned , I wasn't familiar with,but most of them I was.}

_{It was a very quick read but also very interesting. Brings back a lot of the old-time favorite things I did as a kid . He starts out from the time he was a toddler and ended the story today,,as an adult, older man,explaining}

_{how much fun he had growing up and the things he did for fun in each age group he went through. A lot of it rang a bell with me as I did many of the same things he did. It was a much simpler time when you could trust people more and people were friendlier and much more trustworthy and helpful .Not as much of a dnagerous place as our world is today. Everyone,adults included,seemed to be more innocent .}

_{He talked of the tv shows, movies, candy bars, toys ,and how the kids could keep themselves entertained for hours on end ,just hanging out and using imaginations. The simple enjoyments of eating supper togther as a family every night. The dads going to work,the moms staying home, wearing aprons,and cooking home-cooked meals . The fun at school ,the teen years ,the football games ,etc .}

_{This book covered so very many really good times and great milestones in a person's life, it brought back wonderful memories ,and makes you wish you could start all over and do it again .}

_{This book will get 4/5 for bringing back so many good memories of the good old days .}

[vodkafan]

Sounds good Julie, glad you liked the second book more . Hope you have good news tomorrow

[julie]

Thanks VF

 

 

Home from the scan. They sent the results to the main Cleveland Clinic building to be read today . Sure hope to hear good news ,the sooner the better. This waiting drives you bonkers .

 

Will check back in when I have news .

[Chrissy]

Thinking of you Julie.

[chaliepud]

Hi Julie, sorry, not been around much as it's the school holidays, fingers crossed here too!

[pontalba]

Hey Julie,

Thinking of you, all fingers and toes crossed for you.

Many :friends0: sent to ya.

 

Not to mention........

[chesilbeach]

Hi Julie, hope the results don't take too long to come through. Thinking of you

[poppyshake]

Hi dear Julie

 

Hope those results come back quick smart and that it's brilliant news. Thinking of you and sending love and hugs xx

[pickle]

Hey Julie, My fingers are crossed for you hope its all good news.