Monday's Postcard 2014: San Antonio, TX

I've had several friends and family members visit San Antonio and send me postcards

Monday's Postcard 2014: More places I have NEVER been!

I have some great friends who got to go to some neat places in Tubingen, Germany and Vienna, Austria...hopefully one day I will follow in their footsteps

Monday's Postcard 2014: Postcards from Mom

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day yesterday and here are some postcards from my Mom when she would travel the world.

Venice and New Orleans!!

Monday's Postcard 2014: From Ryan along the PCT

Ryan sent me both of these postcards when he made his trek of the Pacific Crest trail in 2010

April Reading

Meeting an idol, this is Mildred Wirt Benson, the author of many Nancy Drew Books and a newspaper reporter well into her 80's, in fact, she was still working at the Toledo Blade until the day she died.


The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie a Miss Marple mystery and fun to read again, I had forgotten who done it!
The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek (library) yuck, hated it...maybe it was the translation, but I found it disjointed and I just did not get it. Can't believe she won a Nobel Prize for Literature
Murder in The Marketplace by Lora Roberts I really enjoyed this mystery series about a lady who is basically homeless and lives in her VW Bus. Things evolve thru the books, so they are best read in order of publication
Murder Mile High by Lora Roberts  The protagonist goes home again (and you know "you can't go home again!!" LOL)
Wool by Hugh Howey (library) Loved it and will be reading more by this author
No Man's Nightingale by Ruth Rendell  (library) Inspector Wexford, retired but still solving mysteries
Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson (library) enjoyed this one
Frog Music by Emma Donahue (library) I liked Room better, although it did have some nice 1800's SFO imagery
Bad Wolf by Nele Neuhaus (library) continuing to read this author
Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (audiobook) listened to while traveling to meet Ryan on the Arizona Trail
Agatha Christie An Autobiography  This is my flashback book this month. I did a research paper on this book and Ms. Christie back in High School and I read this book many many times.
From Scratch: Inside the Food Network by Allen Salkin (library) The story of how the food network came to be and turned chefs into rock stars
Foggy Mountain Breakdown by Sharyn McCrumb (audiobook) a collection of short stories very much enjoyed
Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie an ebook...had to read it cause I had nothing else in my suitcase!! Ack but always enjoyable.
Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson (library) reminded me of Tony Hillerman books, lots of Native American stuff in this one
Kindred by Octavia Butler (library) time travel....a black woman from 1976 travels to 1815 with slavery and everything, very good
As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson (library) Still enjoying these...it is weird that I cannot find them at most used book stores. I have had to rely on library copies only
Tampa by Alissa Nutting (library) ripped from the headlines about a teacher seducing her 14 year old students very explicit.
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth Silver  (library) I am not a huge fan of courtroom/death row type stories I can barely stand Grisham....so if you like that kind of thing, you might like this better than I did
The Remarkable Millard Fillmore by George Pendle  I got this at a used book store thinking it was a serious biography. Instead it is a comedic fictional story. Very silly
Above Suspicion by Helen MacInness (library) another WWII spy novel written in 1941!! And I quite enjoyed it. She is a forgotten gem
The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough okay, this one was real history and I enjoyed it I generally like all of McCullough's books I have read so far

22 books

Monday's Postcard 2014: State Pride

Some folks are very proud of their states!! I got these cards from friends who live in Kentucky and Georgia

Monday's Postcard 2014: Caves

Here are a couple of postcards from caves and/or caverns...what is the difference anyway? And you know what, these also count as places I have NEVER been! Thanks you guys for these cards

From Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota

This week, this post is very timely because I hope to visit Colossal Cave in Arizona!!

Monday's Postcard 2014: Zoo and Aquarium

I get lots of postcards from Zoos and Aquariums!

The North Carolina Zoo and the Monterrey Aquarium are represented here with these postcards.

Monday's Postcard 2014: Places I have not been YET

Hard to believe, such great destinations here in the USA!! And I have still not been

maybe this will be the year!!

March Reading

It started a couple of years ago as a New Year's Resolution to keep track of the books I read each month. So here I am again in 2014 with a list of the books I read each month. If you subscribe to my posts, they will come directly to your email inbox --just enter your email address into the box on the right hand side of the screen. And now for the books:

Surly Teenager Reading...(and if I am not mistaken, that is Flowers in the Attic that I am reading in this photo!!)



The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson  given to me by a passenger, this is a Longmire novel (made into a series for A and E TV) so there are more and I really liked it, so I will be getting more from this author. He has been called Louis L'Amour with attitude.
The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell (library) a crime story in a small town, the author also wrote Winter's Bone
The Martian by Andy Weir (library ebook) loved it, highly recommend!! an astronaut stranded on Mars
A Star for Mrs. Blake by April Smith (library) enjoyed it and recommend it. a mother who lost a son in WWI goes to visit his grave in France
The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus (library) loved it.  I think I liked it even better than 1,000 white women.
Scruples by Judith Krantz this is my Flashback book this month and my edition is dog-earred and was read multiple times. definitely a guilty pleasure :-)
Death Without Company by Craig Johnson (library) enjoyed it and will continue reading this author
Forgive Me Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (library) YA about suicide and I enjoyed it
Stories by O'Henry a collection of short stories by O'Henry love these!
The Wives of Los Alamos by Tarashea Nesbit (library) I really liked it but the writing style is a little gimmicky
Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson (library) another Longmire novel
Dark Horse by Craig Johnson (library) really liked this one!! recommend to my horse loving friends
The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin  thanks Suzi for letting me have this one, enjoyed it
Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus (library) I enjoyed it and I'll be looking for more by this author
Assignment in Brittany by Helen MacInnes (library).  This book as written in 1942!!! And it is a fun spy novel.  I am just discovering Helen MacInnes
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (library) A YA time travel/holocaust story
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (library) I thought this one was fun !
The Giver by Lois Lowry (library) I never read this as a kid...
Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell (library) Sad, but in a good way and it ends well
The Returned by Jason Mott (library) basis for the TV show Resurrection

20 books



For those folks who would like to read more often, the Huffington Post has an article about committing to read a book a week. This is a great goal!

Monday's Postcard 2014: Ryan in Spain

Ryan knows how much I love postcards and he always sends me some when he is away on his hiking adventures

These are both from his trip across France and Spain on the Camino de Santiago

Monday's Postcard 2014: from Dad in London

From the late 1980's through the early 90's, my Dad worked a lot of trips to London, so I have a bunch of cards from him from those years.

The airport is Gatwick, on the back Dad writes that it is a rare picture because the sun is shining!!

Monday's Postcard 2014: Happy St. Patricks Day from Ireland!!

Folks know how much I love Ireland, so when friends and family visit, I always get a postcard!

Monday's Postcard 2014: From my Grandmother Arkebauer

Last week, I posted 2 postcards from my Granny. My Grandmother Arkebauer might not have traveled as much, but she also sent me many many postcards!

These are from the Museum of Natural History in Fort Wayne, IN where she lived, and The Griswold Inn in Essex, CT, from a trip she made to visit one of my cousins in Mystic, CT

Monday's Postcard 2014: From my Granny

My Granny took tons of trips throughout her lifetime and I got many, many postcards from her

There are from Holland, Michigan and the Nacoochee Indian Mound in Georgia

February Reading

It started a couple of years ago as a New Year's Resolution to keep track of the books I read each month. So here I am again in 2014 with a list of the books I read each month. If you subscribe to my posts, they will come directly to your email inbox --just enter your email address into the box on the right hand side of the screen. And now for the books:

Reading aboard boat, we spent a lot of time in the summer on board boats and I spent most of that time reading.


Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (library) Love love loved it! Recommended!!
Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell  the hero reminded me of a Holden Caulfield type.  Modernized and set in the Ozarks, so-so
The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg (library) Enjoyed this one --I am not always a huge fan of the Fannie Flagg books. But loved Fried Green Tomatoes and Loved this one too
One Summer by Bill Bryson (library) love Bryson's books, enjoyed this one alot!!
Blue Plate Special by Kate Christensen (library) loved this memoir related to the food in her life
The Affair by Lee Child only one more Jack Reacher book to go!! (and this one was so-so, not my favorite)
American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser --This is my Flashback book this month, I must have read this a dozen times. Loved it and loved the movie A Place in the Sun with Elizabeth Taylor, based on the book.
A Wanted Man by Lee Child Hurrah, my last Jack Reacher, and I really liked this one....now just waiting for Lee Child to write some more ;-)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson I had not read this one in years
The Railway Man by Eric Lomax (library)  WWII POW story and they have made this into a movie with Colin Firth
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (library) witches and vampires and demons...recommended to me, but it was just okay, some might like it more than I did
The House Girl by Tara Conklin a slavery story, I liked the old stuff better than the modern stuff, I wanted more Josephine and less Lina
One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus (library) highly recommend. Fictional with a great historical premise. I really enjoyed it
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (library) YA Vampire thing, it was okay
Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean (library) I definitely have a reading habit :-)
Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller (library) a memoir by the daughter of hoarders, I'm cleaning the kitchen now....
Road Fever by Tim Cahill I kept recommending this one to folks, so I thought it was time to revisit it. I stick by my recommendation. Love it
The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc by Loraine Despres fun, I would read more by her
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan memoir by the daughter of a famous father and their battles with cancer

19 books read this month

Monday's Postcard 2014: Quirky Art

Some postcards are just interesting artwork!!

A Steampunk Owl and Brushwork Cat

Monday's Postcard 2014: History Lesson

Teach me about something. Show me something I have never seen before...theses postcards do that, and I love it!!

Monday's Postcard 2014: Don't be homesick!!

When I was a kid, I went to summer camp a couple of times and when I did, I would get postcards from home to keep me from being homesick. Just a note from the folks back at home to let me know that they were thinking of me. It was wonderful!

Monday's Postcards 2014: Flight Attendants

Everybody knows I love airplanes, airline memorabilia and flight attendant memorabilia, so I love to get these kinds of postcards! Thanks so much for thinking of me!!

January Reading

It started a couple of years ago as a New Year's Resolution to keep track of the books I read each month. Last year, I read 256 books, so here I am again in 2014 with a list of the books I read each month and hopefully I can do better. And as a twist, I am going to revisit an old favorite each month. Those books that I read over and over again as a teen. My paperback copies are dog-earred and falling apart, but I have not read them in years. I wonder if they are as wonderful as I remember....So each month, I will have a "classic" book that I read as a teen. My "Flashback" books.  The list includes:  The Thorn Birds, An American Tragedy, Scruples, Where the Red Fern Grows, Lace,  East of Eden, The Stand, Howard's End, Mutiny on the Bounty,Valley of the Dolls,  Cheaper by the Dozen and the Autobiography of Agatha Christie.  If you subscribe to my posts, they will come directly to your email inbox --just enter your email address into the box on the right hand side of the screen. And now for the books:

Here I am on a sailboat during college, (notice the UNC gym shorts, I wonder what ever happened to those) Of course, I would sit and read while everyone else worked. Got my "material girl" vibe going too, sunglasses and scarf tying back my hair


Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon (library) very interesting about parents who have children who are different from them....deaf, gay, etc
Writing Life: L. M. Montgomery by Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston  A biography of the author of Anne of Green Gables
American Eve by Paula Uruburu (library) The story of Evelyn Nesbit and the Murder of Stanford White. Nesbit was basically the first supermodel, the "It Girl" of 1902/1903. Her husband was convicted of murdering famous architect Stanford White. Very interesting story.
Schroder by Amity Gaige (library) about a father who abducts his daughter
Winkie by Clifford Chase (library) this has to be one of the craziest books I have read in a while. It is about a teddy bear who is arrested for terrorist activities. Seriously! That synopsis is why Ryan and I even checked it out from the library, we just had to see what the heck was going on. It's okay. Was expecting it to be funnier....
Among the Shadows by L. M. Montgomery creepy stories from the Anne of Green Gables author and you thought she was all sweetness and light
Tripwire by Lee Child another Jack Reacher novel
When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney (library)  a boy deals with the death of his mother
Sex and Violence by Carrie Mesrobian (library) quite enjoyed it, much better than When You Were Here and some of the same issues addressed...
The Dinner by Herman Koch (library) weird, but if you like weird, you'll like it. I did
This month's Flashback book is The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough Yeah, it holds up. My name and the date 1985 are inside the front cover. I just love a big sprawling saga
Never Go Back by Lee Child (library) the most recent....not the best, just okay
Poplorica by Martin J. Smith (library) Fun pop culture trivia
Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman reading it before seeing the tv show...enjoyed the book, I recommend it
Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George (library via Nook) first really big book I have read all the way through on the Nook. I think it took me longer to read via Nook than it would have if I had the real book, but I was number 100+ in line to get the real book and the e-version came up within days
Wahoo Rhapsody by Shaun Morey (library) read on vacation in Los Cabos and it is set in Los Cabos...fun very much like Carl Hiassen's Florida books
Dark Light by Randy Wayne White,  Florida mystery
Oops: 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascoes That Shaped America by Martin  J. Smith (library) like Poplorica fun trivia
The Enemy by Lee Child, yet another Jack Reacher, I think I only have two more to read...
The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber (library) true story of a nurse who was a serial killer
El Dorado Blues by Shaun Morey (library) another Los Cabos comic thriller I enjoyed these


21 books read

Monday's Postcard 2014: I'm on vacation and you're not!

Yes, I want to hear about your glamorous life!! Let me live vicariously through you....I get lots of postcards from places that I have never been to...YET Buenos Aires and Greece are still two of the many places on my "to do" list.

Monday's Postcard 2014: Wish You Were Here!

Postcards are an easy way to tell folks that you are thinking of them. Great for folks who usually only send out a card at Christmas or a  Birthday. The postcard can be a great surprise to get on an otherwise dreary day. I wish I was in The Bahamas or Orange County, CA on a wintery January day!!

Monday's Postcard 2014: You've got mail!!

It is so much fun to get mail, real mail!! Not junk mail :-) And a postcard is so easy to just pop into the mail, you barely have to write anything on the back. Just a wish you were here :-) From Up all Night in Las Vegas or Relaxing in Nantucket!!

Monday's Postcard 2014 Thank You!!

I don't just collect old postcards from antique malls, I buy them to send and I receive them too. This year I am going to post a bunch of postcards that I have received from my friends and family from all over the world. Thanks to all of you, I have a very extensive postcard collection. I love getting mail. These cards are from letterboxing friends, one is from a gathering in Grass Valley, CA that I had to miss and another is from a friend who planted a box in Moosejaw, Canada!! How cool is that??!!

December Reading

  It started a couple of years ago as a New Year's Resolution to keep track of the books I read each month. So here I am again in 2013 with a list of the books I read each month. If you subscribe to my posts, they will come directly to your email inbox --just enter your email address into the box on the right hand side of the screen. And now for the books:


Books I read in December

Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery Now, I have read Anne of Green Gables probably 20 times or more and the first 3 books in the series a dozen times at least, but Rainbow Valley is number 7 and concerns Anne and Gilbert's children, so I have only read it once before. But the stories are cute and sweet, it is an extremely enjoyable escape
Nothing to Lose by Lee Child Jack Reacher in the middle of nowwhere, kicking butt
61 Hours by Lee Child I quite enjoyed this one
Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery Now I don't remember reading this one as a kid. It concerns WWI and the Canadian involvement in that war. Downton Abbey fans might enjoy this one. The Canadian point of view of WWI had me riveted.
A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay (library) great thriller
W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton (library) homeless folks feature in this one
The Wild Duck Chase by Martin J. Smith (library) enjoyed this very much
The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon (library ebook) this is a novella, and the first "book" that I have read all the way thru on an ebook, it's a Lord John Story. Liked the story, hated the ebook experience, but several authors now have books and such that are ONLY available in the ebook format. I almost want to just download them and print them out!! LOL
The Bookman's Tale by Charles Lovett (library) fun read, it has romance and mystery and Shakespeare
Die Trying by Lee Child finally gave up waiting for a library copy when I found this at a thrift store!!
Storm Front by John Sanford (library) fun and fast read, Virgil Flowers story
The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld great coming of age story
Being Henry David by Cal Armistead (library) a kid wakes up and the only clue to his identity is a copy of Walden.
How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller (library) Another YA story, this one was a fun, fast read
Looking for Anne of Green Gables by Irene Gammel (library) another ebook and I got frustrated because there were sections that I would like to photocopy...how do you do that with an ebook? This was about the writing of Anne of Green Gables. Where Ms. Montgomery got her ideas and what was going on in her life while she was writing the book. very very interesting

Only 15 books read this month (should give you an idea of how busy I was this month!!) 

Monday's Postcard: Happy New Year

I will end this year the way I began it with some Happy New Year's Greetings cards from the early 1900's. I hope you all have enjoyed viewing my postcard collection this past year!

Monday's Postcard: Christmas

One of my most prized postcards, this is an image of Cranmere Pool in Dartmoor National Park in England. It shows the very first letterbox and a lovely Holiday Greeting as well. Also as a side note, I am already thinking about the postcards I will be posting next year, for 2014. I want to post cards that I have received from friends and family over the years. If you would like to see a postcard that you have sent me, all it takes is a stamp!! My address is Amanda Arkebauer PO BOX 16131, Seattle, WA 98116