rainpebble / belva's reads 2010 #2

St. Richard has requested a new thread so..........here you go. Anything for you Richard. I certainly do not wish to be back in the "drips & drizzles". ;-)

Welcome one and all. Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy your stay here. Tea & crumpets on the corner table for those who wish.
Whiskey & Schnapps on the other corner table for those who imbibe.
Please come again soon.
belva

First thread here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/80775

Well! At LAST!

Yes and just for you my sir. (curtsying deeply)

LOL!~!
Richard;
You literally made me giggle out loud with that other post. Well done!~! Glad there was no one here to hear me. Miss you!~!
luvs & hugs,
belva

Well, here we are in 2010. And I have chosen to do something different this year. More reading, less chatter. I spent the majority of my time on the 50 book gig last year and I just feel like I need to be more challenged. I am very happy to be here at Club Read 2010 and looking forward to a good year of reading and learning.

My top 10% of books read in 2009 were:
My absolute favorite read of the year was Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson;

Then my top 10% of the remainder of books I read:
Dina's Book by H. Wassmo
The Overlanders by Dora Birtles
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
The Loving Spirit by Daphne Du Maurier
The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham
Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim
Minotaur by Benjamin Tammuz
Frost in May by Antonia White
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
One Extra*Ordinary Day by Harold Myra
All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West
Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke
Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
The Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Myself When Young by Daphne Du Maurier
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou
For One Sweet Grape or That Lady by Kate O'Brien
Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg

I think I sneaked in an extra one there; no biggie!~!
My favorite two new authors culled in 2009 are Kate O'Brien and Vita Sackville-West.
Happy reading in 2010 everyone.
belva

I will post my reads here:

January: (a total of 9)
1. The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden (independent group read for t/g's blog)
2. Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaneal West (Le Salon group read)
3. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (Group Read Literature group read)
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1010 Category group read)
5. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (Monthly Author Theme read)
6. The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig (Annual Author Theme read)
7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (1010 Category group read)
8. Light in August by William Faulkner (Le Salon de Faulkner group read)
9. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (Monthly Author Theme read)

February: (a total of 12)
10. In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes (1010 Category group read for Jan)
11. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (75 gig group read The Chronicles of Pyrdain series for Jan & I loved, loved, loved this first of the series.) {drneutron}
12. World Without End by Ken Follett (75 gig group read) {hosted by Mark}
13. The Tale of the 1002nd Night by Joseph Roth (Monthly Author Theme read)
14. The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner (VMC)
15. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (Le Salon "Tome" group read)
16. Twilight by Stefan Zweig (Annual Author Theme read)
17. Moonbeam Alley byStefan Zweig (Annual Author Theme read)
18. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Monthly Author Theme read)
19. 2666 by Roberto Bolano (Group Read-Literature group read)
20. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander (75 gig group read The Chronicles of Pyrdain series for Feb {drneutron})
21. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (Le Salon group read)

March: (a total of 9)
22. The Privileges by Jonathan Dee (ARC/ER)
23. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (Highly Rated Book Group; hosted by St. Richard)
24. A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen (Monthly Author Theme Read)
25. Job: The Story of a Simple Man by Joseph Roth (Mini Author Theme Read)
26. Carrington: A Life by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina (from my non-fiction/bio category)
27. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (from the 75 book gig's list of G/Rs.)
28. Pepita by Vita Sackville-West (from my Virago category)
29. Three Houses by Angela Thirkell (no category. I just wanted to read it.)
30. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (from the 10/10 category G/R)

First Quarter Reads Total 30 in number.

and here:

APRIL: (a total of 10)
31. Journey into the Past by Stefan Zweig (from the category of "Annual Author Theme Reads")
32. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (from the 1010 Category G/Rs)
33. Farewell Spain, (a Beacon/Virago Traveler) by Kate O'Brien (from my Non-fiction & Virago Cagegories)
34. The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander (from the 75 book gig G/R The Chronicles of Pyrdain hosted by {drneutron})
35. The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth (from the Mini-Author Theme Read cagegory)
36. Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander (from the 75 book gig G/R The Chronicles of Pyrdain hosted by {drneutron})
37. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (from the Le Salon de Faulkner category)
38. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
39. Ankle Deep by Angela Thirkell
40. The Plague by Albert Camus

MAY: (a total of 5)
41. Norwegian Wood by murakami Haruki Murakami
42. A Separate Country by Robert Hicks
43. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
44. High Rising by Angela Thirkell
45. My Abandonment by Peter Rock

JUNE: (a total of 3)
46. All Other Nights by Dara Horn
47. Trooper to the Southern Cross by Angela Thirkell
48. John Adams by David McCullough

and here:

JULY: (a total of 5)
49. About my Sisters by Debra Ginsberg
50. Tinkers by Paul Harding
51. Last Vanities by Fleur Jaeggy
52. The Emperor's Tomb by Joseph Roth
53. Home by Marilynne Robinson (for Orange July)

AUGUST: (a total of 5)
(ALL VIRAGO/ALL AUGUST)
54. Frost in May by Antonia White
55. The Lost Traveler by Antonia White
56. The Sugar House by Antonia White
57. Beyond the Glass by Antonia White
58. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird

SEPTEMBER: (a total of 1)
59. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (for my R/L B/C

and here:

OCTOBER: (a total of 4)
60. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
61. The Hours by Michael Cunningham
62. A Woman of My Age by Nina Bawden
63. A Nice Change by Nina Bawden

NOVEMBER: (a total of 4)
64. The Witch's House by Charlotte Armstrong
65. Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong
66. The Dream Walker by Charlotte Armstrong
67. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird (a Traveler; oh how I love them)

DECEMBER: (a total of )
68. The Willow Cabin by Pamela Frankau
69. Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons
70. Sisters by a River by Barbara Comyns

Hi Belva- What no beer? C'mon, I don't do whiskey & crumpets, whatever those are!

Okay, okay!~! Miller Light & Budweiser on the table in the 3rd corner. ;-) For my bestest buddy; the Markster!~! hee hee

Am watching Julie and Julia for the third time this week.................just really loving this movie. And have my TIVO all set to record the later showing so I can watch any time my little heart desires!~!

Still reading Wives and Daughters. I guess I am still a little weak because I keep falling asleep and believe me; the book is not a bit boring. Only Mr. Preston is boring & the new Mrs. Gibson; both so selfish and self-serving & thinking they cover it up so well. NOT!~!
I have a feeling that at some point we will be finding out something dastardly regarding the new Mrs. Gibson, Mr. Preston & perhaps Cynthia, whom I happen to like a lot.
Well, back to my movie. Cheers all.
hugs,
belva

Belva- Thanks for the beer! Those are domestics but that's a start..haha! I posted a link for the Murakami Group Read. Hop on over!

Belva! Those two villains are wonderful! If you're interested, I briefly mention them and others in this post from last year: http://www.librarything.com/topic/61077#1475136

>#12:
CM;
I loved that whole post. And you nailed them so very well. Thank you, thank you for taking the time to lead me there.
xoxo
hugs,

Oooooh, crumpets... Nope, must focus on not eating more stuff! I overdosed somewhat on mini chocolate-topped donuts yesterday (they used to fit nicely into two days off but now we're down to one it's all too much!) and the resulting sickliness made me vow to try very hard not to stuff my face quite so enthusiastically for a while. I've bought some lovely new clothes and then put weight back on! Nooooo!

ANYWAY, I'm trying to catch up on the threads, slowly but surely (I've been flitting in and out without reading much, or indeed doing much of anything, for weeks!) so here I am, finding you, sweet Belva, on your shiny new crumpety thread. *mwah* xxx

mmm donuts...*Homer drool*

Good reading!

Hi guys;
Nice to see you here.
Check out my new profile pic. Another granddaughter.
So tired, but feeling much better. Didn't realize pneumonia took so much out of you. Just no strength nor stamina.
But I am still here...........a little.
Hugs all round.
belva

Hi Belva- I really missed seeing you around! I hope you are feeling much better! Remember the G.R. of Norwegian Wood starts today!

LOL, I was expecting a baby picture, but instead got a "babe" picture! How nice to have that closeness with your granddaughter (who looks like she should be on a magazine cover!).

Get to feeling better so you can add your zippy remarks to the Norwegian Wood group read. I've "cleared the deck" so I can get busy on my first Murakami.

Hugs right back atcha!

Belva,
Take care of yourself!!! God bless.
--BJ

Hey guys, I am all better now & have begun my first Murakami as well. I am loving Norwegian Wood; I, who didn't want to read it. Ha!~! Even when some of us feel like we are being truly honest, we are so full of B.S. (speaking of self, of course.)
Thank you for the comment on Haley. She is a babe; my babe. This is the middle one of three & spent at least half of her growing up years with me. This is the one who was always having the ear infections and strep throat when she was just teeny & my daughter-in-law would frequently call me in the middle of the night and tell me to: "Come get this little bitch before I kill her." And I worked full time & she didn't work out of the home. But nanny would always go & get that child. If she was sick & uncomfortable, nanny could rock her all night & take her back to mommy in the morning on my way to work, sometimes picking her up again after work. Mommy just could not handle a chronically ill child. That is how we bonded so closely. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to be so close with my grandchild. I am close with all of them but especially this one.
My goodness, perhaps it is a good thing I am back in therapy. LOL!~! I certainly carry on. Are all of you enjoying Norwegian Wood?
hugs,
belva

Belva, you are a kind and loving person.
--BJ

As are you my dear --BJ.
hugs,
belva

Hi Belva--Trying to get back in to the swing of things here on LT. I have missed you. And since you are about the fifth person to be extolling the virtues of Norwegian Wood, looks like I will bow to pressure and add it to my mountain.

I am sorry about the circumstances that led you to have so much time with your grandchild, but seems like you got the best out of the situation.

Hugs.

#23:
Berly;
Indeed.
Please do yourself a favor & read Norwegian Wood. This is one of the few G/Rs I was not going to do but then I accidentally ordered the book. It is a wonderful book. Absolutely!~! I don't think you will be sorry.
belva

I just finished Her Fearful Symmetry and like I said before I enjoyed it greatly ..........................
......................until the last few chapters. The book had, I guess, what I would consider a cheap ending; like the author just came up with the easiest & most convenient ending. So I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. Niffenegger is a much more capable author than those last few chapters exemplify.
There was a unique description in the book that fits me to a T. "I think Dad is always kind of confused, you know, sometimes Mom seems like she's just visiting, she's super detached, and then she'll be, like, really fun and sort of more present, you know?"
And that's all I have to say about that. Please pass the chocolates.
belva

Next up: Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs by Wallace Stegner.

I finally got the book All Other Nights from the library but have 3 to go before I can begin so I will just peek in as I can. It sounds really good although some of the reviewers panned it. I am looking forward to reading it.
Haven't had time to even start John Adams; I am very far behind in my G/Rs. I guess that's what I get for trying to do all of them this year. I have yet to finish Moby Dick, which is huge for me as I have tried many times & never finished it, but I will this time. I am probably 5/8 through the book. I also have yet to read (& this is just to catch up) Soldier's Pay, an Atwood, Woman in White, The Dwarf, The Emperor's Tomb & like I said John Adams, which I am hot to read.
I am also trying to read through Angela Thirkell this year so I have 2 of those awaiting me from the library & must not get them back late.
Well, happy reading one & all.
belva

Belva dear, I have finally abandoned the idea of most group reads. My recent reading rhythms don't seem to work well with them. I'm soon to start Moby Dick, having been inspired by watching the recent Ric Burns documentary, "In the Deep: America, Whaling and the World." Did you happen to catch it? I thought, John Adams, by the way, was excellent.

Dear theaelizabet;
I did not catch the Burns documentary. I would have loved it though. I love studying about whales & find them to be wonderful, almost mystical creatures.
I am so glad you liked John Adams. I have really been wanting to read this one. So...soon.

Baby picture of the great grand on my profile page.

Oh Belva, How very, very adorable!! Congratulations to you!!

I watched "In the Deep" and thought it was excellent - try to keep an eye out for a repeat on your PBS station.

Hey Belva- Good to see you! Miss you, my friend!

Will Do that Coppers. We love PBS here at our house so I am surprised that I missed that. But we don't get a guide any longer & I miss that. It helped. They used to always send a monthly guide out if you pledged beyond a certain amount & we definitely do that so they must have just cut it off. Will have to begin checking the website.
And yes, our Mady is very adorable. & so loved.

Hey Mark;
my bestest buddy & pal;
How are you? When & what is the next read after Norwegian Wood and did everyone love it as I did? I thought it so beautufully done.
xoxo

Darling rainpebble...what a wonderful treasure you are. Just thought you should know.

Belva, What a lovely, lovely baby!

Thank you both for wonderfully different comments & compliments.
You warm my heart.
hugs,

Yesterday with great joy & quite gleefully I completed Angela Thirkell's High Rising. I am finding that I absolutely & whole heartedly enjoy her writing. There is a lot of humor in her books, a teense mystery, usually a mild love focus and a lot of living. Her books are always a comfy, cozy place for me to go. And I would have to rate every one I have read thus far at least a 4, if not a 5.
Last evening I began for my R/L B/C My Abandonment by Peter Rock. This is my first by him & it is very good thus far. (not very far into it, but it has me hooked)
I hope all of you are reading some really good stuff.
hugs all round,
belva

Gorgeous baby, Belva!

Thank you dear Jane. We all think so. She is pretty precious. Has found her hands & feet & is in absolute awe of them, wondering what they are for & how to get them to do what she wants. She has begun to belly-laugh which is hysterical. She can get the whole family going and in on the act. We think she is a keeper.
hugs,
belva

I finished My Abandonment by Peter Rock this afternoon while sitting in the dentist's office waiting for my husband. Again, another excellent book. This one is about the homeless, but not the typically thought of homeless; about a father & daughter & the system & personal fulfillment. I really liked it.
So moving on to my next read, (apparently my brain needs & requires a break from G/Rs), I grabbed Willa Cather's The Professor's House off my bookshelf and am finding it rather on the order of an Elizabeth von Arnim thus far, which is a good thing as I adore von Arnim. Has anyone else read this one? I am hoping it continues to be as good as it's beginning.
hugs,
belva

I've wishlisted My Abandonment and can only whoop and holler at your affection for The Professor's House as it's one of my all-time favorite Cathers!!

She is great isn't she Richard.?.

That beautiful baby is definitely a keeper. And who is the marvelous photographer? The capture of this precious soul is wonderful.

I'm a big fan of Cather and was delighted to "discover" The Professor's House several years ago. Yup, it's good from beginning to end.

Hi, Belva!
Love the baby pic! :) I read John Adams, and I thought it was a terrific read. I started The Professor's House and misplaced it. I need to find it so I can finish it. I am also finishing up Moby Dick. Take care and God bless.
--BJ

Donna828;
Her Auntie Haley is the fabulous photographer who takes all the pictures of the baby. Usually she just takes them with her phone. But she is pretty good.

Yeah, I am loving Willa Cather. The second half of the book reminded me of some of Steinbeck's work.

Hello --BJ;
Oh yes, you will have to find The Professor's House so you can finish it. It's wonderful.
I am looking forward to reading John Adams even though I am so far behind. I should be reading Proust's In Search of Lost Time by now. But I just needed a G/R break, ya know?
And I can't believe that I am still reading Moby Dick, but at least I am still reading it & haven't quit it. Whoo Hoo!~!~!

Getting ready to finish All Other Nights by Dara Horn which for me has just been okay. Just good enough to hold my interest. Then I think I am going to read another Angela Thirkell. Loving her.

Hey Belva!

I just started Moby-Dick this morning!

theaelizabet;
Chances are that you will finish before myself but I do think I will be able to read it to the end this time. I probably have about an eighth of the book to go. I just keep getting side-tracked by bigger & better things. Yes, for those readers to whom this book is as the Bible, I do believe there are much bigger & better books out there.
thanx for popping over. It is nice to "see" real people again. I am going to have to have a real thread next year again. I am just missing a lot of the whole L.T. experience by not having one.
b

Having finished another Thirkell, I am now on to John Adams & truly enjoying this one as well.
Almost all of the Group Reads have been wonderful this year. And I can't believe that by the end of this month I will have read an entire Y.A. series.
b

Hi Belva- Speaking of Group Reads! I'm kicking off another one July 1st and this one is The Once and Future King. It's a wonderful book about King Arthur! Hope you can make it!

Hey, Belva!
I think you may be ahead of me on Moby Dick, but I am definitely going to finish it this month. Yea! I have wanted to read it for years, and it is much better than I expected.

I wish I could read as fast as you can, because now that I check books out of the library more often, I am always worried about finishing before the renewals run out. (Sometimes I don't!)

Hope you are having a wonderful summer and I will see you at Mark's group read! :)
--BJ

Yep, I will be there at Mark's G/R. I have never read The Once and Future King and am very much looking forward to it. Excited, even. Whoo Hoo!~!~!
Regarding Moby Dick; I know I will finish it (this year) just don't know when. LOL!~!
hugs,
belva

Belva and Billiejean, I'm reading Moby Dick now, too. Agreed, BJ, it's much better than I was anticipating.

It is taking me forever because I keep reading other books in between the chapters/pages/whatever. But I must say...........that this is the first time it has held my interest at all.
Thank you for popping by theaelizabet. Good to "see" you.
hugs,
belva

Belva, my feeling is that Moby-Dick is best savored, as you're doing now. Gulping it down means so much of its nuance is lost.

I agree with Richard that it is a book to savor. However, the ending required gulping it down. It was quite the page-turner.
--BJ

Not getting too much reading in at the moment.

Spending most of my time monitoring Roger. The results of all the last week's test are:
His lower heart chamber (the back part) is getting no blood. This last test was to find out why. He only has one artery getting blood to his heart. The other three are completely blocked. Two of them in multiple places. He is still having the symptoms. Upper arm pain and chest pain. They sent him home with his blood pressure meds doubled and with nitro patches. Also when the pains begin, he uses a nitro pill. Five minutes later i the pain has not dissipated, he takes another. Five minutes later the same thing. If that doesn't work I have to rush him to the E.R. because he will then be having a heart attack. They are trying really hard to keep him from having that heart attack because this came on so fast that his heart muscle has no damage at all thus far & they want to keep it that way. The foremost cardiac surgeon in the N.W. will be doing his 3-way bi-pass as soon as they can get an Operating Room at St. Pete's in Olympia freed up. We are probably looking at Wednesday but won't know until tomorrow or the next day for sure.
He (without saying a word to me) gave up chewing, Diet Pepsi & is drinking water & gave up his cigars. I know we will be making a lot of changes down the road, but we are both prepared for that.
His spirits are wonderful. He has accepted this and is prepared to go through it. (He watched his mother go through 2 open heart surgeries.) He is happy and pleased to be waiting it out at home. They debated keeping him in the hospital until the surgery but the insurance put the kabash on that. He is to do NOTHING & lift nothing heavier than a coffee cup, but he doesn't drink coffee. hee hee.
So that is my husband & best friend.

Now then my mother. While we were at the hospital in Olympia and he was having the heart cath, my mother fell and it was almost 6 hours before she was found and of all people to find her; my sister-in-law. So a call to 911, an ambulance ride to the hospital, a transport to another hospital 50 miles away; a broken hip & surgery scheduled. My daughter sat with her at the local hospital while Roger and I were on our way home and then she spent the night with her dad monitoring him & I turned around and followed the ambulance back out to Providence Hospital in Centralia. My much beloved sister-in-law went with me and we stayed the night with mother. Then in the morning the surgeon came in about 9:00 and wanted to take one more X-Ray before he started the surgery. The only X-Ray was the one that came with her from the Morton hospital. Long story a bit shorter.............no broken hip. Yea!~! But they wanted to keep her for a couple of days anyway. She was dehydrated & undernourished. So finally I came home to hubby & hearth. Daughter went home to her hubby & children. And we are all now doing what we are supposed to be doing now.
Mother is home and I think my older single brother is going to move in with mother. It will be good. His health is not the greatest but at least they can call 911 for each other. LOL!~! And that takes a lot of pressure off me.
My daughter, prior to going to the hospital was with her husband and his entire family at his grandfather's bedside awaiting his imminent death. He passed quietly and comfortable at 3:17, but while Sarah was here with her dad. Thank goodness she has an understanding husband who loves his in-laws also and has the utmost respect for his father-in-law (my husband).
Well, I am sure the Hull-Pendergrass saga has held your rapt attention for 2 minutes. Will keep you posted after his surgery.
Now, all of you, BACK TO YOUR BOOKS. I want full reports.
hugs & luvs,
belva

Hi, Belva!
I am so sorry about all the medical problems. I am praying for your family. God bless!
--BJ

Oh Belva, it is so awful that bad news is often followed by more of the same. I'm praying for strength for you, your husband, and your mother. The books will be waiting for you when your family gets healthy again.

Blimey heck Belva - if I was there right now I'd be giving you THE BIGGEST HUG... Well, here's the best I can do: ((((((EVEN BIGGER BIGGEST HUG))))))

Belva my love...it's been a week...please update us on Roger and momma! I am sure it's only good news!!!

My niece put up a picture of my family (sibs, etc) on the computer. I don't know how to do any of that stuff yet. Anyway, it is about 25 years old but gives you some kind of an idea of what rainpebble/belva looks/looked like. I am on the far left.

I love looking at family pictures. Hey, look at all those books in the background! And those are some serious boots you have on!

Hope all is well in your world these days, Belva.

Good morning, Belva! Glad you're still thinking of us here on LT. I totally get the caregiver busy-ness, but want you to know that I miss seeing you around...it always makes me smile to see your thread activated.

xoxo

Thank you Donna & St. Richard. I am slowly coming back to the land of the living as hubby makes his recovery from his 5-way bi-pass.
____________________________________

It is not quite August but I am already deep into ALL VIRAGO/ALL AUGUST and loving it. I chose for my first one Frost in May by Antonia White, which was the first Virago published in 1933. This one was a re-read for me and is a wonderful story. I have begun her next one, The Lost Traveler which I am not enjoying quite as much.
I love August for the reading of the Viragos, not for the Dog-Days of Summer. I am really quite too old and fat to enjoy that heat. LOL!~!
hugs all round,
belva

Hi, Belva!
It is wonderful to hear from you. Praying for a speedy (or as speedy as possible) recovery for your husband. God bless.
--BJ

Belva - Crazy stuff you've been dealing with this month. Hope your husband and mother are recovering well.

Hey, you two!~! Thanx for popping over. We are all doing as well as can be expected. My husband is an amazing patient to care for. His first serious illness and never a word of complaint out of him and he is never cranky. He puts me to shame. We have started little walks now and hopefully he will be able to slowly build his strength back up. He is still weak as a kitten.
Mother is doing great.
Thanx again for stopping by. I have decided I must have a regular thread next year. I have been lonely without all of you this year.
hugs to both,
belva

Hi, Belva -

Just stopping in to say hello and at the same time send you loving and supportive thoughts. I hope that your beloveds continue to heal well.

Turn your care-giving thoughts to your own self when you can and give yourself some special rest and restoration when you are able to do so.

With love, R

Just dropping by to say hello, Belva! I miss your sweet presence around LT, so I like to pop in from time to time to see you... Hope things are continuing to level out for you, and happy reading until next time! :-)

Hello ladies. Sorry that I have so unsociable this summer. Just too much R/L involved at my house. But things are better and settling down. Roger will be able to go back to work next month and while there are still a myriad of things that he should not do, he is well healed and just gaining strength and is feeling better than he has in years which really helps my outlook on life.
I have spent the better part of the day attempting to catch up on my reads listings both here and on the 10/10/10 challenge thread. Man, when you get this far behind, it takes some doing. Good thing I haven't been too tidy this summer and all the books I read just got stacked to the side of the bed or chair and have yet to be reshelved. I just mainly had to get them in the proper order read and listed but it has taken hours and I am still not done.
But with things getting back to normal, I am beginning to find myself eager to get on with the business of living. And Autumn is here! My favorite time of the year. The leaves turning, the smell of the last fruits in the air, the last of the blueberries on the bushes, apples and the making of apple butter, sauce and cider. And the best of all: FOOTBALL!~!~! Whoo Hoo!~!
hugs to all and a big thank you to those who took the time to think, pray, hope and wish for my husband's return to health. May God bless you all.
love,
belva

How wonderful to hear from you, Belva! And I am so glad that your husband is doing much better. I am sure that your love and support have helped him immeasurably.

Autumn is my favorite time of year, too. :)
--BJ

Belva- Thanks for the update, my friend and we are looking forward to having you back in the fold. So good to hear your husband is doing well! BTW- You missed an amazing G.R. of Blindness! Hugs!!

Hi Belva! Glad to hear things are improving!

Hi Ya Belva! Great hearing the good news! I'm so glad that things are improving. I'm looking forward to you hanging around more with us here on LT.

Hugs,
Joanne

It's good to hear from you Belva. I have gone through a little of what Roger had to deal with and I had faith that everything would turn out fine. That doesn't mean I didn't add some prayer to make sure. I look forward to your reading list. We finally got some cool weather in Atlanta and it feels good and of course SEC football is the best college football there is, in my opinion.

Drive-by hug, Small Wet Rock, my love!

Just finished a wonderful book; The Lace Reader. I have heard it bandied about on L.T. for quite some time now and my R/L B/C just happened to choose it over Gilead for our read for October. I loved Gilead, but I am so happy that we chose this one because I hadn't read it yet and now am so happy I did. I found it quite different but really liked it and liked how the book's parts were presented. Also the first time I have read this author.
I have now begun The Hours, which I am love, love, loving.
Take care all and hugs all round.
Thanks to all who took the time and trouble to stop by. I am very excited to be having a regular thread on (I think) the 75 gig for 2011.
belva

Yay! I can't wait to have you back for the New Year Belva - there's been a little piece of LT missing without you around this year... Enjoy the autumn leaves and fruit and bluster - and the football! :-)

Belva- Great to see you! I have The Lace Reader waiting on the shelf! Looking forward to seeing you around more often.

Hi, Belva!
I am interested in The Lace Reader, especially now that I see you are enjoying it. I still have Gilead to read, too. And after reading Mrs. Dalloway, I want to read The Hours, too! So you are bolstering my wishlist!

Have a wonderful weekend. God bless.
--BJ

I've missed you, too, Belva. I'm glad to see that you are enjoying your latest reads. The Hours is a favorite of mine; have you read Mrs. Dalloway? They go together like cake and ice cream!

Thank you all so much for coming by. I have missed all of you.

@ Donna,: I have read Mrs. Dalloway a couple of times. V.W. is a great favorite of mine.

The Hours was wonderful beyond words. I do, however, think that there will and are those who are not/will not be taken by it. But I loved it so much. This one will remain on my shelf as I know I will read it again and again. I loved how the parts and personalities of the book were presented. The book pretty much got right in my head and remained there until I finished. When I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it.

@ --BJ; so happy that I am helping you secure your TBR listing. LOL!~!

@ my bestest (but often ignored buddy), it will be great to back with all of you again. I have missed you and your little notes so much. It's lonely out in this great big world.

@ miss ellie; I love you, I miss you, I hope you are doing well, I think of you, mum & the shop so often. C'mon January...........

hugs all round,
belva

P.S. Hello wildbill. I have thought of you throughout the year and hoped all things were going well for you. I will be catching you on the thread come January. hugs,

Stopping by to wish you well and looking forward to seeing your posts here again, come the new year. Take care.

Love, R

Hello woofie (as St. Richard would say). Thank you for popping over. Good to 'see' you. Hope things are going well for you and that you are feeling well. I am looking forward to sharing in the B.S. of a regular thread myself.
hugs,
belva

Having just finished several Viragos, including the two most recent ones; A Woman of My Age & A Nice Change, both by Nina Bawden, (the first I was so not taken with, the second I enjoyed), I have decided to move on to The Witch's House by Charlotte Armstrong. I have not read her before nor do I often do mysteries so I am hoping to have found a new author, (I have read some really good things about her from other authors), and that I will enjoy a little mystery. Thus far, @ about 80 pages in), I am spell bound. No wonder some of you call mysteries cozy reads.
Hope all of you are reading 'Good Reads'.
hugs,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELVA!

Forty at last. Amazing how time flies, ain't it? Who was it said, "The twenty-five years between forty and fifty are the best of a woman's life"?

Happy Happy Birthday!

Have a very special Birthday today, Belva. Hope you get some of that cake and ice cream I mentioned upthread. ;-)

Happy, happy , happy birthda-a-a-a-a-a-ay!!!! to YOU ..

here too :)

Happy Birthday, Belva!! I hope you have a wonderful day and year!

Happy Birthday, Belva, the Birthday Woman!

Hope this is a day with some fun and relaxation in it for you.

Many, many happy returns of the day, too.

Looking forward to January 2010 and hearing more from you about good books that you have read along with any other good things in your life you want to share.

Warm wishes, Ruth

Happy Birthday, Belva! Miss you! We all miss you!

Happy Birthday, Belva ... hope you're enjoying a wonderful birthday weekend!

Hope you had a great day. Happy Birthday !

Happy Birthday Belva!! hope you had a great day!!

I am sorry that I missed your birthday. I hope you had a great one! God bless!
--BJ

Hi belva - Just popping in to wish you all the best for the Holiday season.

Oh, I just thank all of you for popping in. I haven't been here for ever so long and it means so much to me. Thank you kindly for all of the wonderful birthday wishes. I did have a great 63rd birthday. The children and grands were all here except for the one in Texas. And I do so miss each and every one of you.
Too much R/L going on in my world for much reading. Family illnesses, family needing help moving, day-caring the grands and great grand, caring for mother..............you all know the grind, I am sure.

I did, however, just finish, (and didn't want it to ever end), The Willow Cabin by Pamela Frankau. This is fairly nearly the 'perfect' book for me. I loved the entire book. I loved the characters, the building/development of them, the inter-action of them, the plot and storyline, the very air about the my head as I was reading this one.

"Then on my tongue the taste is sour
Of all I ever did."

"What will they give me when journey's done?
Your own room to be quiet in, Son!"

Andrew, I can never thank you enough for sending this particular book to this poor old woman. It has replaced so many others in my mind and heart. Oh, that all of you should feel about a book the way that I feel and felt as reading The Willow Cabin. It is definitely a 10/(5) for me.

Tonight I will begin my next Virago for the Virago week that bigpinkmarshmallow is co-hosting on a blog and also for my R/L B/C next week. It is Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons. I would really like to just ponder and revel upon The Willow Cabin for a few days but Tuesday is B/C and the Virago group weekly read is only for one week so no time to linger.
hugs,
belva

*smooch*

Belva- Good to hear from you! You have been seriously missed! We are wrapping up another group read. This one on Jane Eyre. You would have loved it.

Right back at you Sir Richard.

Mark; I know I would have loved that one. Watch out in January because I shall be back.
hugs to both of you.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have the ability, Belva, to have me looking forward to January. :)

Merry Christmas to you, Belva, and God bless.
--BJ

Thank you coppers. I am truly looking forward. I figure on setting up my thread on New Years Day, (along with watching football).

Thank you --BJ and to you as well.
God bless us one and all.

hugs,

I finished Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons and must say it is a keeper. We will have our R/L Book Club discussion on it tomorrow evening. I found it to be a wonderful book.
Then I was going to read Aleta Day and changed my mind after reading the backs of several books and decided to go with my first reading of Barbara Comyns by reading Sisters by a River. I am almost finished with it and have loved every page. I can't believe the luck I am having. I haven't hit a dud in ever so long. The characters in this last one are truly characters and to think that the book is non-fiction. WOW!~! Pretty bizarre! I can't wait to read more by her.
The sentence that I can't get out of my head from this one........it's a real ear-worm.......... is: "Next to Mary in our family was a child I shall never mention in this book, because I know they would hate to appear in it." The sentence goes on, but that's where it ended for me. For if this book were about my family and we seven sibling's growing years, I would have been that child of whom she spoke.

Books, books, books, and more books for Christmas. Happy, happy, joy, joy.................
From my husband: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by the esteemable Julia Child and the one and only biography of Julia also. Also from the hubby: Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan, a new author for me, and A Darcy Christmas, (A Holiday Tribute to Jane Austin) by Amanda Grange, another new author to me.
From my Virago Secret Santa I received Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, which I have been wanting for eons, and a VMC of The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim, one of my very favorite authors. I think I am only missing one of hers now. Whoo Hoo!~! Marensr is a ROCK STAR!~!
I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas as much as we did. We had our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve afternoon with my hubby's family and then spent the remainder of the evening quietly at home with two granddaughters who came to spend the rest of Christmas vacation with us. (Our son, Dad, joined us late Christmas morn. On Christmas morn, we got up late, opened our stockings (everyone got one this year....we must have all been very good for Santa to treat us so), and sat with the girls just quietly having our coffee and tea. By 11:30 my daughter and her family had arrived bearing not gifts, but brunch. It was ever so wonderful. We had little piggy sausages, an egg, sausage & chilies casserole and a blueberry french toast casserole with blueberry sauce. She also brought fruit and Orange Juice. Nummy.
Then the gift opening; not a lot this year, but it was very nice. Then to the table for games; all sorts. What fun!~! We had football on for those who wanted to watch but most of us, adults and kids alike, were at the table playing games until well after dark. I do believe that a new tradition has been struck at the hull-pendergrass home. It was a lovely Christmas beyond words.
hugs all round,
belva

Merry Christmas, Belva! I am so glad that you had a nice one. :)
--BJ

Hi Belva!! I'm glad to here you enjoyed Christmas with your family. Sending you Best Wishes for the New year!!

Thank you both for popping by with your warm wishes; I send them right back your way.
I will have my own thread on the 75 gig for 2011. Can't wait to set it up and make my first post.
hugs all round,
belva

The Shutter of Snow by Emily Holmes Coleman;
My thoughts and reflections:

It felt as if it had been two years. Snow and ice a constant out beyond the windows and doors; when I came and still yet now as I am leaving. So I think it has been more like 2 months. Was there ever really a baby? They tell me I am mad, but all of these others are mad and I am Jesus Christ. They will know one day. One of them is just a skeleton. And one of them is just a loooooooooong face. They are all so peculiar. I don't remember the baby but I think there was one. Where is my baby? And why won't my husband let me touch him and hug him and kiss him? He doesn't seem comfortable with me. I want to go home. They tell me I cannot yet; that I must be good for a time. But they don't know the Power I have. They put me in the tubs but I can get out of the wrap and slide my head down under the cover and into the warm water. That frightens them and they cut me out of the tub so fast because they fear me drowning. They are weaklings and I am Jesus Christ.

Belva- It's great to see you! We've missed your indomitable presence, this past year! It sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas!

yep... what mark said.. hope to see more of you in the year to come.

Thank you both. I, likewise, have missed all of you. I am setting up a thread for 2011 on the 75 book gig. Hope that is home for the both of you and I am greatly looking forward to the friendly banter and bookish chatter.
hugs,
belva