Monday's Postcard: Costa Rica

Another postcard from Ryan while he was learning Spanish in Central America.

Monday's Postcard: Chester

In April 2010, I got stuck in Manchester, UK for 9 days while the Icelandic volcano erupted. One of those days, I took a day trip to Chester, a walled city and did the usual touristy things.

Wild Card: La Jolla

This postcard was sent to me in 2004 from my stepmom while she was on a Quilting Cruise, they were leaving out of San Diego and she sent me this postcard before she left while she was visiting La Jolla, CA

Monday's Postcard: Stockholm

One of my all time favorite places to layover. Had a fantastic time in this city and can't wait to go back!

Monday's Postcard: Grand Teton

Grand Teton

Monday's Postcard: Cats

The Alfred Mainzer Company has published these cards for 50-60 years. These funny cats are drawn by European artist Eugen Hurtung. The images were popular and used on postcards which are still sold today. They are usually called Mainzer Cats after the name of the publisher. I received this postcard from my Grandmother Arkebauer, who lived in Fort Wayne, IN. She often sent Mainzer cards to me and my sister.

Books I read in March 2012

From Powell's bookstore in Portland, OR comes this image of a "tattoo"...

There but for the... by Ali Smith (library) enjoyed it
I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley this is the latest Flavia de Luce Novel and I think she is an EXCELLENT successor to Nancy Drew. These books have been so much fun to read and I absolutely LOVE Flavia as a heroine.

Red Ruby Heart in A Cold Blue Sea By Morgan Callan Rogers (library) coming of age in Maine-liked it
Sybil Exposed The Extraordinary Story behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case By Debbie Nathan (library)
Finding Everett Ruess The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of A Legendary Wilderness Explorer By David Roberts (library)-liked it If you liked "Into The Wild" you might try this one too.

Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon by Mark di Vincenzo

Why We Broke up By Daniel Handler (library)

Trixie Belden and the Sasquatch Mystery by Kathryn Kenny

The Good Thief's Guide to Paris by Chris Ewan another by this author and I am enjoying them immensely!
Her Fork in the Road edited by Lisa Bach (short stories) gift from a friend
The Neon Jungle by John D. MacDonald
The Invisible Line by Daniel J. Sharfstein (library) very interesting about African Americans and mixed race African Americans passing as white in America.

Man in the Woods by Scott Spencer (library) mystery

Haunted Hikes by Andrea Lankford, serendipity, one of the hikes in this book concerns the disappearance of Everett Ruess that I read about earlier this month!

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (library) yeah, my excuse is that Ryan had it laying around the house. Like a pint of Ben and Jerry's, I couldn't resist

We bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee (library) the book that the movie is based on
Murder for the Bride by John D. MacDonald

When in Germany, do as the Germans do by Hyde Flippo

The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey--getting tips about growing veggies on my deck

20 books read this month

Monday's Postcard: Indianapolis

This postcard is from a layover in Indianapolis in 1991.

Wild Card: Nancy Drew

Today's wild card is from Applewood Books. They published reprints of the original Nancy Drew books, and I always loved getting their postcards! A great addition to my Nancy Drew collection. And appropriate because of the Nancy Drew convention going on in Phoenix, AZ this coming weekend!!

Monday's Postcard: Tikal

I visited Tikal in 2002 and sent this postcard to my Granny.

Monday's Postcard: Newport Beach, CA

A postcard from my family visiting Newport Beach, CA. Thanks so much!!

Monday's Postcard: Plymouth Rock

Plymouth Rock, yes there is an actual rock and here is photographic proof!!

Books I read in February 2012

The Children's section of the Camarillo, CA public library! I just love those columns that look like stacks of books.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz--fun if you like Evanovitch, try these

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (library) and incredibly sad, I have to make sure I don't read stuff like these around Ryan. He hates it when I cry and I do cry while I read. I also cannot watch sad movies around him. In fact, he has already forbidden me to watch this movie. And I don't know if I can watch it after reading the book. --might have to wait a year or so.

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors (library) YA Romance/literary fun read it for valentine's day

Pauline Kael A Life in the Dark by Brian Kellow (library) Bio of New Yorker film critic

Sister by Rosamund Lupton (library)

Talk Talk by T. C. Boyle (library)-thriller with a deaf protagonist who is a victim of identity theft enjoyed it

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton (library) love these, unlike Evanovitch, Grafton seems to grow with each book, her mysteries are unique and not the same old same old

Shine by Lauren Myracle (library)

The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock (library)-wonderful!

Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer (library)-YA dystopian fiction--good

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler (library) Fun YA timetravel

20 Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak (library) book was the basis of the movie "what's your number"

Feng Shui for Beginners by Richard Webster -wanted a little info while decorating the new condo :-)

Barry Manilow The Biography by Patricia Butler -yeah, I'm a fan

Unwind by Neal Shusterman (library)-YA really good

The Children of Men by PD James (library)--a bit different from the movie of course

Adverbs by Daniel Handler--Handler is Lemony Snicket and I love those books. These are short stories

Bad Haircut by Tom Perrotta (short stories)Perrotta wrote Election which was made into the movie with Reese Witherspoon. So I love his stuff. If In Zanesville was teenage girl angst, this is teenage boy angst. Great

The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan-fun reminded me of the Donald Westlake novels about Dortmunder (a thief) and very good in their own right.

The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen (library)-Thumbs Up, Spanish Flu in small town in 1918

I'm Not the New Me by Wendy McClure -very cute memoir about weight loss and life of a single gal in Chicago

Favorite quote from a book this month: From Mad Love, they are talking about romances that have happy endings:

"'Bella and Edward have a happy ending', I said...'Bella ends up an undead, married teenage mom. If that sounds like a happy ending to you then you've got issues,' Realm said."

Part of what makes it funny to me is that the Realm character is such a dark, goth character and number two, I feel the same way about the Twilight books!!

21 books read

abandoned books:

A Small Hotel by Robert Olen Butler (library) too sappy romantic for my taste at the moment
Swan Song by Robert Mc Cammon (library) got tired of post-apocalyptic fiction but might give this one another go at another time.

Monday's Postcard: Mono Lake

Happy Birthday to my sister and this postcard is from her! She visited here in 2008 on a photography field trip. The crazy rock formations are called tufa towers, they are made of limestone.

Monday's Postcard: Malaysia

A postcard of some palaces in Penang, from my Dad in 1993. Penang has a huge expatriate population from many other Asian countries and the UK. Many folks from other countries retire to Penang, they promote this through a special visa program that allows people to stay for 10 years at a time.

Monday's Postcard: Casares

A postcard from the Costa del Sol in Spain.

Burts Bees Shimmer equals puffed up Lips!!

I love Burts Bees lip balm. I use it all the time. And the other night I could not find a single tube in the house, so instead, I used what I thought was the next best thing, the Burts Bees Shimmer.

The one on the left in this photo that has some red color to it. Well, I walk back into the living room and Ryan asks me what's wrong with my lips. "They look all puffed up," he says. "It's just chapstick," I say. "I don't like it," Ryan says. "Looks like Clown Lips," he says. Seriously, I thought that puffed up lips was what guys wanted. After all, why do all the movie stars get their lips pumped up? Why is Angelina Jolie so popular? Supposedly, it is all about the pouty lips. But not in my house. My boyfriend likes plain old chapstick lips. :-) Good, cause that is what I like too!

Monday's Postcard: Peabody Ducks

The Peabody Hotel in Memphis is famous for it's ducks who live on the roof and march through the hotel to frolic in the fountain in the lobby.

Books I read in January 2012

I know you guys were wondering if you would see this again this year!
I really wanted to quit posting my reading list, but I had emails from so many people asking me to continue.

Writing the little "reviews" of each book was so much work and that was what I was resisting, so this year, I am not going to review EVERY book that I read. I will give you the list and perhaps write a bit about the books that were my favorites each month.

Also, I want to add the books that I abandon. These are books that I start that I never finish. There were many every month last year. Often I get a recommendation and I start the book and I don't like it, so I don't bother to finish it. So this year, you will get that list too.

Photo is from Kansas City, KS public library.

Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben

The Cutie by Donald Westlake
First Cases ed. by Robert J. Randisi (short stories)
Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese (library) ***great, I recommend to my foodie friends!!
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol (library) dark thriller

Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee (library) romance with a literary twist very cute
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (library)
The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch (library)-time travel thriller
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot (library)
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee (library)-- set in Hong Kong, if you like Empire of the Sun/Lisa See etc.
The Faculty Club by Danny Tobey (library) fantasy
Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan (library)-short stories
The Exile by Diana Gabaldon (graphic novel)--cartoons for adults :-)

Nancy Drew The Legend at Miner's Creek by Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew The Legend of The Emerald Lady by Carolyn Keene
Three Day Town by Margaret Maron (library) one of my favorite authors, but I prefer when her protagonist is in NC. In this one, they visit NYC.
What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz
Swamplandia by Karen Russell
Clemmie by John D MacDonald

The Total Tragedy of a Girl named Hamlet by Erin Dionne (library)-YA fun

Murder One by Robert Dugoni (library)

Abandoned:

Veracity by Laura Bynum (library)--scifi fantasy and I just got tired of this stuff too, couldn't finish and got other books from the library that I wanted to read more!
Smoking Poppy by Graham Joyce--just got tired of this author

21 books, Hard to pick a favorite.

Wild Card: Yosemite

Today's wild card is from my good friends, Diane and John Steele. They were visiting Yosemite last year and sent me this gorgeous card. I just love these retro advertising posters for the National Parks!!