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Post by RobbyKay on Jul 23, 2017 18:57:18 GMT
We live in the 99% zone, but my parents live in the 100% path; about an hour away. I'm taking a vacation day and hauling my kids to Grandma's for a sleepover/reunion/eclipse party. Like Busy, we have multiple routes planned out and we will be patient and prepared as we make our drive.
If eclipse watching involved lengthy travel or expensive accommodations, we would not plan anything. I just want to take advantage of our fortunate situation to view something so rare, and I think I would regret it if I didn't plan anything.
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Post by RobbyKay on Jul 16, 2017 1:16:27 GMT
I completely agree. The Peas introduced me to this series, and I devoured it. Then, I enjoyed eagerly awaiting each new book. Now, I like to look forward to each book, but they no longer deliver the same punch they used to. I think J.R. Ward has to introduce new characters so quickly that we don't fall for them or root for them in their own stories, and she has violated the rules of her world enough times that they are kind of a joke. And it's almost seems silly, how at one moment a character can be murderously hateful towards another character, but then suddenly be overcome with clarity and forgiveness, and everybody loves and trusts each other.
And how many people can live in that mansion? It's starting to sound like the Black Dagger Brotherhood Dormitory. Everyone gets their own room with an en suite bathroom, meals are provided, there is a Olympic level fitness center, and laundry, housekeeping and parking are provided.
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Post by RobbyKay on Jul 3, 2017 4:23:00 GMT
Hey Readers!
Last week, I read Bryn Chancellor's Sycamore. It's about a young woman who disappears from a small Arizona town, and about the people around her who seem stuck by her disappearance. It reminds me of John Hart's Last Child and Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You.
This Week, I'm reading Taylor Jenkins Reid's newest title The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Evelyn Hugo is a rich and famous actress from the sixties, and as she nears the end of her life, she wants to tell her story. Monique is the writer Evelyn chooses to tell her story, and she has to beat down her own demons in order to write about Evelyn's life. I'm enjoying in, but I'm only up to husband no. 4.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jun 18, 2017 19:38:00 GMT
Hi Readers!
I just finished When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. It's a YA title set in San Francisco. Dimple and Rishi are Indian-American teenagers who have just graduated and are seeking their place in the world. It's a sweet little romance, and it was a pleasure to read.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jun 11, 2017 19:28:47 GMT
Hi Readers!
I just finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It's a sci-fi time travel style of novel, with lots of sciency things that went right over my head. The story was intriguing, and I love it when my heroes keep their cool in times of peril. I really liked it.
I'm also reading The Pot Likker Papers by John T Edge. It's about the history and rise of southern cooking in the United States. It's fascinating a hunger inducing all at the same time.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on May 26, 2017 2:40:33 GMT
A few months after we adopted a 6 year old male kitty, he had a blockage, and we opted for the surgery. The surgery was a success, and after we fed him a special UT Health food, and he never had the problem again.
Yes, it was expensive, and yes, we did consider euthanasia, but I was having trouble with putting a cat down who was otherwise healthy. He lived a long and luxurious life after the surgery; he passed away at 20 years old.
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Post by RobbyKay on May 15, 2017 23:35:52 GMT
Hi Readers,
I just finished American War by Omar El Akkad. It's set fifty years in the future, and the country is in the middle of a long civil war. The dividing factor is petroleum; it's been banned by the government, some regions have chosen revolt over compliance. It follows a family that is on the front lines of the war, even though they have never really chosen a side. It was an intriguing read, well-written and thought provoking.
In honor of Mother's Day, I picked up The Mothers by Brit Bennett. I'm 25% of the way through, and I'm really enjoying it. It touches on themes of suicide, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, and church families.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on May 1, 2017 3:33:33 GMT
I just finished The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. I thought it was excellent.
Last week I read the latest Black Dagger Brotherhood title, The Chosen. This is a series I used to adore, but I think I would be OK with saying good-bye.
Happy reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Feb 22, 2017 5:02:17 GMT
I have a son on the spectrum, so this isn't a problem we have had to address, but whenever we have issues with changing bodies or hygiene, we seek out social stories about the topic. Just google "social stories about periods or menstruation" and there are several options that come up.
Do you use visual cues to help your daughter achieve certain behaviors? Maybe you can work some of those into her routine. Does she carry a smart phone? Can you set a "period alarm" that tells her when to attend to her hygiene?
And since the Peas are awesome at recommending products, there was a thread about Thinx panties a few months back. They are undies designed to absorb flow without leakage.
Good luck!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jan 24, 2017 5:20:35 GMT
My Christmas present was a pair of tickets to Alton Brown's stage show, Eat Your Science. I learned a lot from Good Eats, but I don't use a lot of recipes from those shows. I like the books he published, and I use several recipes from the books. My favorite scrambled egg recipe involves cooking the eggs in a mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water; they are delicious!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jan 24, 2017 0:53:38 GMT
My husband's last donation put him at the 19 gallon mark. When I first met him, I was too squeamish to donate, but I eventually toughened up and started donating with him. In 2013, I received a letter from the Red Cross saying that I have a fabulous platelet count, so I've been donating platelets since then.
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Post by RobbyKay on Jan 9, 2017 14:01:45 GMT
Hey Readers!
It has been cold and icy here this week, so I've been inside reading. The first book was Paulette Jiles News of the World. A Civil war veteran takes on the task of delivering a little girl from her rescue from her captors back to her family. This was really good - short (less than 200 pages) but exciting and sweet.
From last week's thread, one of you mentioned the Last Policeman series. I picked up book 2 of the series; Countdown City. I enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to the third book.
I just picked up Saroo Brierley's A Long Way Home, about being separated from his family as a little boy, then being adopted, and as an adult, finding his birth mother. The movie Lion is based on this book.
Also from a suggestion on last week's thread, I'm reading Mark Woods' Lassoing the Sun. He's a journalist who spent a year traveling to various national parks. I'm enjoying it, and it's giving me wanderlust.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jan 2, 2017 4:51:53 GMT
Happy New Year Readers!
I finished 2016 with The Fate of the Tearling - it was a nice wrap up of the trilogy; and in honor of Carrie Fisher's passing, I picked up Princess Diarist. This was not the title to pick up to honor Carrie Fisher - it was really weak - I need to pick up one of her other titles.
I set a goal of 70 books last year, and I made the goal. I set a goal for 60 books this year - I have some other personal goals that I want to steer my focus towards this year.
Happy reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Dec 26, 2016 18:32:16 GMT
Happy Holidays Reader Refupeas!
I read The Couple Next Door this week. It was a fast-paced page-turner, but I thought the writing had a Dick and Jane cadence that was annoying after awhile.
Right now, I'm reading Fate of the Tearling, this book concludes Erika Johansen's trilogy. So far, so good.
Next up might be A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierly, this is the book that the new movie Lion is based upon.
Happy reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Dec 19, 2016 3:41:41 GMT
Hi Readers!
I read the latest from the Black Dagger Brotherhood Legacy series, Blood Vow. It was a nice guilty pleasure read, typical of JR Ward. It's funny, when I first started reading this series, I enjoyed the vampire porn story lines, and tolerated the world building scenes until the next vampire porn scene came up.
With this Legacy series, I'm a little bored with the vampire porn scenes, and I'm enjoying the scenes with the original Brotherhood and their families. The subplot in this one was Rhage and Mary and adopting Bitty, and those scenes were by far more interesting than the romance story line.
I'm reading Siracusa, by Delia Ephron. Two couples travel to Siracusa in Italy, and something life-altering is about to happen. It's told from the perspective of each of the four travelers, and it's a fascinating character driven story. Each character is messed up in some way (aren't we all), and they each offer their own perspective of how the events unfold. It' a page-turner for me.
I like to listen The Librarian Is In, a podcast produced by the New York Public Library. They recently recommended a book, the One In A Million Boy, by Monica Wood. A quirky eleven year old boy befriends a 104 year old woman, but the boy unexpectedly dies, and his family reaches out to the old woman to try and ease their pain. It was a beautiful story, and while it is very sad, it works itself to a hopeful end.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Nov 27, 2016 18:33:43 GMT
I'll give my furbabies an extra hug in your honor today.
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Post by RobbyKay on Nov 14, 2016 3:17:38 GMT
Hey Readers!
Two for me this week. Wangs Vs. the World by Jade Change. It's a unique take on the immigrant story. I enjoyed it.
Then I picked up The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. Lib is an English nurse, trained by Florence Nightingale, who is sent to Ireland to watch a girl who claims to have had not eaten any food for the past four months. Lib is forced to decide if proving a fraud, or supporting the "miracle" is the best thing for the girl. It started out slow, but the ending was surprising and intense!
Next up is Jodi Picoult's newest title, Small Great Things. I always say that I'm done with her and her twists, but I listened to an interview she did with Overdrive at the Cuyahoga County Library, and now I'm intrigued...
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Nov 7, 2016 3:18:24 GMT
Hey Readers!
I just finished the second book in the Illuminae Files series, Gemina. It was a can't-put-it-down YA sci-fi read. It was fun to pick up a book and have trouble putting it down. If you decide to pick it up, get the hardback version, rather than the ebook. The graphics in the book help tell the story, and the ebook version doesn't do them justice.
I'm also reading Jade Chang's Wangs vs. the World. The Wangs came to America, and found great success in manufacturing. In the 2008 recession, they lost it all, and are now finding their way back to China. It's a funny yet sad road trip across America to collect thee children and head back to China.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Aug 29, 2016 0:44:45 GMT
We just came back from a beach vacation, and the place we stayed had natural gas fire pits with sapphire blue "sparkle"rocks. They were just tossed in with the lava, or carefully placed amongst the lava; so it looked random. It would have looked strange if all the rocks were the sparkle stones.
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Post by RobbyKay on Aug 13, 2016 15:09:27 GMT
Hi Lefties!
Left-handed mom of two left-handed kids here. My right-handed husband feels outnumbered!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jul 20, 2016 23:55:42 GMT
2 competing positions is a great place to be, but...
If the county does not make an offer, then you're back at square one, right? No county position and no full time w/bennies at your current job.
Your current employer sounds nice, but if the only way to get what you need is to have an offer in hand from another employer, how will that work in the future?
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Post by RobbyKay on Jul 18, 2016 0:17:50 GMT
Hey Readers,
I finally finished Joe Hill's The Fireman. It was long, and I read other books around it, but I'm glad I finished it.
I picked up a copy of Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley. Lily is an aging dachshund, and the octopus is a tumor growing over one of her eyes. It's a love story between a man and his dog, and naturally, it's a tear jerker. In fact, I cried so hard I tossed my cookies. If you read The Art of Racing in the Rain, and you cried hard at the end, read this book if you need another cry like that.
I recently started a new job, and one of the owners is an avid reader! I was chatting with her about books one day, and the next day she handed me three brand new hardbacks to read! The first one I'm tackling is No One Knows by JT Ellison. On the fifth anniversary of her husband's disappearance, clues start to appear about what happened to him. It's a page-turner!
I enjoy Pjaye's posts about the audiobooks she enjoys, and I wanted to try working them into my own life, so I downloaded the overdrive app to my new phone, and I've been listening Fannie Flagg's The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion. Sookie Poole has a contentious relationship with her Southern Belle mama, and has never been able to live up to the family legacy Lenore insists she strive towards. Then Sookie discovers that she was adopted, and all of her past begins to unravel. I'm enjoying it so far!
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jul 5, 2016 3:39:54 GMT
Hey Peas,
My local grocery has deals on family packs of petite sirloin steaks. But when I cook them on the grill, they taste like shoe leather.
So what's the secret to a tasty petite sirloin? Wow me with your suggestions.
Thanks!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jul 4, 2016 3:52:04 GMT
Hey readers,
I'm currently trudging through Joe Hill's latest, The Fireman. It's good enough, and I want to finish it, but at 725 pages, I'm taking breaks to read other stuff in between. It's a dystopian novel about a virus that causes its victims to burst into flame. Some infected band together to weather the illness, and form a new society - which naturally leads to trouble. It's good - just long.
I read The Leaving by Tara Altebrando. After school on their first day of kindergarten, six kids vanish. Eleven years later, five of them return with no memory of where they've been or what happened to the sixth kid. The story is devoted to them trying to reclaim their memories and re-establish their identities, and solve the mystery of their disappearance. It's a YA title, and a decent read, but I found I identified more with the parents in the story, and this wasn't about them.
My book club read Southland by Nina Revoyr. It's a story about Los Angeles immigrant neighborhoods in post WWII. It was enjoyable, and it was an interesting look into that time period.
Happy reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jun 13, 2016 2:50:03 GMT
Hi Readers!
I read Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Corman. It was a totally digestable biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I loved it! It talked about her personal life, and her rise to success as a lawyer, during a time when women didn't become lawyers, especially women with young families. It also detailed her passion for equal rights, and how she tried to change the law one case at a time.
Right now, I'm reading Tracy Chevalier's latest book, At The Edge of the Orchard. It's about a family that moves from Connecticut to Ohio to farm, and try to struggle out a life as apple farmers in the Black Swamp. It's good, but bleak so far. I'm about a third of the way through. We'll see how it goes from here.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on Jun 5, 2016 22:28:39 GMT
Hey readers!
I just finished John Hart's newest, Redemption Road. I loved it! it's a dark and twisty Southern Gothic novel with lots of flawed characters who hit rock bottom and then start to dig. Hart consistently uses the theme of truthfulness, honesty and trustworthiness in his books, and this one was no exception.
This morning, I picked up Eleven Hours by Pamela Erens. It tells the stories of two women who meet in the labor and delivery ward in a NYC hospital. One woman is in labor and preparing to give birth to her first child. The other is a nurse who has lost several pregnancies, and is just past twelve weeks with a new one. We get insights into their lives, their choices, and the journey we all take to motherhood. It's good so far, but it's very short.
Happy Reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on May 30, 2016 5:24:00 GMT
Hi Readers,
I finally finished Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong. It was OK - it seemed kind of long and silly at the end. There was lots of violence - but it was all cartoonish. Read at your own risk.
I picked up Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air - a nonfiction work about a neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with cancer - he describes being a doctor, and then a patient. It's short and bittersweet. i highly recommend it - but read with tissues nearby!
I finally finished a book I have been reading in chunks for the past several months - Neurotribes by Steve Silberman - about the origins of autism and autism research and treatment. It was long, but fascinating.
Does your local public television station show the Well Read program? It airs on Sunday mornings here, and today's guest was Elizabeth Strout, and she was talking about her most recent book, My Name is Lucy Barton. I picked up a copy today. It's a short book, and I'm about a third of the way through. It's about a woman who is estranged from her rural, impoverished family. She falls ill and spends time in the hospital, and her mother comes to stay with her while she's there. For five days, her mother never leaves her side. The two women discuss many topics, and we slowly discover their secrets. It's not exciting or action packed, but I'm enjoying getting to know these women.
Have a great reading week!
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Post by RobbyKay on May 22, 2016 18:08:05 GMT
Hey Readers,
I finished A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It was a twining of tales; one of a Japanese teenager just before the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and one of a middle aged author living on a remote island in western Canada. Their stories cross unexpectedly, and the drama is in how the stories work out. It was a good read.
I just picked up Love That Boy by Ron Fournier. He is a former white house correspondent who discovers his quirky, socially awkward son has Apserger's syndrome, and the two set out to build their relationship by visiting presidential homes and libraries, a topic that his son adores. A lot of the book is devoted to discussing the expectations we have as parents, and how the ways we expect to communicate and show love when we think about raising children are really different from reality. But the parts I like best are when they visit these historical sites, and we experience the author's pride, when his son discusses the historical site with so much knowledge that he is putting the tour guide to shame, and his embarrassment when his son asks so many questions that the other tourists get annoyed, to his guilt for feeling embarrassed about hos own son. I see a lot of my own kids in this family, and it's nice to see some of my own fears and guilts addressed.
I'm still reading Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. It's quirky and interesting, I just keep having to skip it for a few days so I can read something that comes up.
Happy reading!
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Post by RobbyKay on May 20, 2016 0:02:01 GMT
I like Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children on audio. The voice actor (Jay Baruchel) is the same person who voices the Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon.
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Post by RobbyKay on May 16, 2016 4:39:43 GMT
Hi readers!
I just finished The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, about four siblings who are chomping at the bit to claim an inheritance that's been promised, but most of the money has been spent to bail one of the siblings out of trouble. It 's an interesting story about family dynamics and forgiveness. I really liked it.
I'm still working on Futuristic Weapons and Fancy Suits by David Wong. It's kind of bizarre, but in a good way, and for some reason it reminds me of The Wizard of Oz.
My book club selection this month is Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being. I'm looking forward to it.
Happy Reading!
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