The Library

[bellamarie]

Barb, we took our great grandson to the library today for Storytime hour and I was browsing the shelves while he played with the trainset there with my hubby and guess what was sitting on the shelf... the book you are reading The Ride of Her Life. I decided to check it out so I can see if I like it.  I like the quote you mentioned, sometimes we just need a book to relax and enjoy and not depict and expect so much more than just the journey it takes us on. 

Once we got home driving through the rain and it's so chilly here today, I decided to snuggle up on the couch with my favorite throw blanket and read the afternoon away. 

Ciao~ Bellamarie

[BarbStAubrey]

Hope you enjoy it as much as I am - it never turns boring - she is quite a character but yet with dignity and sense of who she is - interesting how the closer she is to big cities the more people have opinions they openly share judging her and her journey...

[BarbStAubrey]

Well I wondered where she was going to cross the Mississippi - still in Tennessee and there it is... "And now, in the last week in March, at last the weather had warmed up—no rain and sunny skies, as the four companions left Jackson behind and headed down the road toward Memphis."

I recognized all that in Kentucky - we lived in Lexington for 13 years in the 50s into the 60s only we arrived in early '56 a few years after Annie traveled through the area however during that time there were many who walked into  and through Lexington from the Appalachians with their hickory walking stick, jean overalls, and if a man usually a flowing beard - some were walking to Louisville that butted up against the Great Mississippi and so I cannot imagine Annie was considered that unusual except that she traveled a great distance on horseback where as those often seen walking along at a good clip had no animals sharing their expedition.

The only quibble I had is yes, on the Versailles road there were two farms with rock walls however, 90% of all horse farms had either split rail or white three rail fences surrounding the property and separating pastures and paddocks.  When we lived in Lexington for 9 years we lived one street away from Ashland, the Henry Clay estate and later we lived 4 years south of the Versailles road in an area called Stonewall just south of the Harrodsburg Road. 

We went to Louisville every Thanksgiving weekend where the department store had a Christmas shop just for Children as well as Santa and all the holiday decoration - Lexington at the time had only 2 floor department stores that decorated but nothing special for children - also to attend a movie with a large screen it meant a trip to Louisville as well to see the trotters race and of course thoroughbred races.

I used to work at the Girl Scout camp deep in the mountains of eastern Kentucky bringing Paul from the time he was 4 along with my laundry to wash (by hand in a metal tub) and my iron with me going home every other weekend. Katha was at the camp and Peter was at Boy Scout Camp. A dear man from the mountains who helped at the camp gifted me a handmade dulcimer and I learned to play many of the old mountain songs that some go back to the 14th Century originally from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Peter had just graduated from Grade School and Paul would start the first grade when we moved that summer to Texas.   

Reading how Annie traveled through Kentucky brought back so many memories for me - appears she missed Bardstown, (Stephen Foster's home) as well as the Shaker village,  Shakertown both west of Lexington according the road you take on the way to Elizabethtown - back in the 50s there was a place to cross the river north of Louisville however since Annie travels through the area in winter I can see why she did not want to go north but continue south and the next crossing would have been Memphis into Little Rock.

[ginny]

Wonderful article this morning by 20 Librarians about how to get back to reading: The experts: librarians on 20 easy, enjoyable ways to read more brilliant books. And how about ALL kinds of books are important, it doesn't matter  your genre choice.


https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/apr/25/the-experts-librarians-on-20-easy-enjoyable-ways-to-read-more-brilliant-books?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

It contains some interesting theories, like...how many pages should you read before deciding to discard the book?  One theory here is subtract your age from 100 and that's how many pages you should read before giving up on any book.

Here's an interesting statement from it:

“If you take 10 minutes a day to sink into a book, newspaper or read anything, it is very good for your mental health,” says Middleton. “There is lots of medical evidence of that being the case. Reading a book for 10 minutes is better for you than listening to your favourite record.”

Morrish makes a final impassioned plea: “It has been scientifically proven that reading increases your powers of empathy, social skills and ability to relate to other people. It relaxes you, it lowers your cortisol levels and blood pressure. It increases your vocabulary, your knowledge, creativity and imagination. If you read for pleasure, your grades will be better. To read from a book gives you time off the screen, which is hugely beneficial for your mental health.”

Well worth reading, I thought.

[bellamarie]

Ginny, thank you for this article I shared it on my Facebook.

Barb, once again your life stories about growing up and where you have lived amazes me. Think about writing that book.  I have traveled through Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and into Florida.  I felt like we were never going to get out of the state of Georgia.  I can't begin to imagine traveling it on horseback in the 50s.  Haven't begun the book but love hearing your thoughts. 

Ciao~  Bellamarie

[Tomereader1]

Oh, Ginny.  That was wonderful.  I feel that reading increases all those skills and abilities.  No one would have had to "scientifically prove" any of that for me!  Thank you for posting this.

[Frybabe]

As I looked at a list of books Marilyne over on Seniors and Friends posted in the Library Shelf discussion, Edna Ferber caught my eye. I do not believe I have ever read her books. This one, when I looked into it, caught my eye - Cimarron. I looked into it and found this synopsis.  https://masshumanities.org/ph_rediscovering-middlebrow-edna-ferbers-cimarron/ Has anyone read it? Also, in the article, the writer calls Ferber a "middlebrow" writer. ?? I don't recall that term applied to writers. Do you? I'd like to see a list of "middlebrow" writers. Is the article writer referring to the readers or to the economic situation of the characters in these books (as in middle class society)? Anyone care to comment? I might just find me a copy of the book.

[BarbStAubrey]

Middlebrow is not kind as I understand the word...

Googled it and these are some descriptions ---

"relating to or intended for people who are interested in art, literature, etc., that is not very serious and that is easy to understand."

"The term middlebrow describes middlebrow art, which is easily accessible art, usually popular literature, and middlebrow people who use the arts to acquire the social capital of "culture and class" and thus a good reputation. First used in the British satire magazine Punch in 1925, the term middlebrow is the intellectual, intermediary brow between the highbrow and the lowbrow forms of culture..."

From Virginia Woolf, "As a social critic, Woolf criticizes middlebrows as petty purveyors of highbrow culture for their own shallow benefit. Rather than select and read books for their intrinsic cultural value, middlebrow people select and read books they are told are the best books to read: "We highbrows read what we like and do what we like and praise what we like." Middlebrows are concerned with appearances, with how their social activities make them appear to the community, unlike the highbrows, the avant-garde men and women who act according to their commitment to the beauty and forms of art, and to values and integrity. Likewise, a lowbrow person is devoted to a singular interest, a person "of thoroughbred vitality who rides his body in pursuit of a living at a gallop across life"; and, therefore, the lowbrow are equally worthy of reverence, as they, too, are living for what they intrinsically know as valuable."

Middlebrow or not years back, in the '40s and '50s into the '60s and early '70s at least one of Edna Ferber's books was studied in High School English Lit. along with Shakespeare, Voltaire, von Strassburg (13th century poet, Tristram and Isolde) and Chaucer.  Cimarron was one of the books or So Big - not so much Show Boat or Giant - she was before her time writing in characters that in the US were separate because of 'race, color or creed' - many of us enjoy a movie using a Shakespeare play as much as we enjoyed movies that the script was from a book including the writings of Feber and so if the definition of Middlebrow includes that an author's work became a box office ticket selling movie then we have to include a few authors considered Highbrow.

Frankly cannot believe in this day and age anyone much less a critic would stoop to using this terminology but then I'm finding humans are always a surprise...

[Frybabe]

Thanks Barb, very interesting. BTW, My online library has only two of Ferber's books, Giant and So Big. Cimarron is in my to buy wish list.

[BarbStAubrey]

OK a new one... what in the world is "Comixology store" on Amazon kindle??? Evidently a new release from Kazuo Ishiguro is available on Comixology

Oh yes, frybabe there is an old movie of Cimarron - most of the story takes place in the wild cat fields of mostly Oklahoma - so far can only find the Glenn Ford 1960s version - lots of clips but cannot find a free version of the movie = this later version highlights the passion between Glenn Ford and Maria Schell there is a 1930s version black and white.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bcaz-Gp688

[BarbStAubrey]

Ok going through a bout of sleeping at strange hours again - anyhow got to finding out where Annie crossed the Mississippi and knew the journey would take a different approach since towns would be further and further apart and so took a break and became fascinated coming across Secrets of Italian Self Care which prompted me to flip back and forth between it and Fiona Ferris' How to Live Well and in an hour finished Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are - Not that I'm interested in sketching just now but lots of tips how to squeeze in time to in small bits actively pursue a new interest - never thought of breaking it down to ways to do something in a minute while waiting for the kettle to boil for morning coffee or actually do something while enjoying your morning coffee.

My big question is after starting or finishing books that describe the wonders of Italian Dolce Vita - sweet life - or French Joie de Vivre - Joy of life - as it relates to home, family, cooking, slowing down, dressing, gardening etc. with my German background thought I would find something that expresses the good things experienced by the Germans - Well was I wrong - about the best you can find is lots of German Cookbooks but other than a book written back in 1855 Elizabeth and Her German Garden notta...!

But what really shocked me is that there are books galore about German life however EVERY ONE has something to do with WWII - getting past it - those few who did something brave - being caught up in it and how they survived - German guilt - German shame - it is as if nothing else has happened and all German family life or home life stopped before WWI and for sure completed the stop during WWII - The Nuremberg Trails were over in October of 1946 and so 78 years later Germany is frozen in time - no sweet life or joy of life only guilt and shame and memories of horrors and fear with escape stories to hold on to... Can you imagine a kid growing up in the last say 40 years with that over their head - I'm even wondering if any new music or art originated in Germany for the last 70 years - do German families get together for fun anymore and if so why is there nothing about that side of life shared - is it Germany who is reluctant to share or is it the rest of us that does not want to read much less think of Germans enjoying themselves or having a backyard garden or a summer family gathering under the trees or a vacation in the mountains or on a river or near a lake - most disconcerting...   

[Frybabe]

Barb, I forgot to answer your question about comixology. I believe it covers comics, manga, graphic novels, and such. The "ology" at the end makes is sound like the study of such, but is most likely the invention of some advertising or marketing group to do, what else, make it easier for fans to find their favorite "reading" material and encourage more sales. Oh, and here it is: ComiXology.com a website launched to provide comics, etc. fans a place to discover up and coming releases, stores selling such, and read columns, news and podcasts launched in 2007. I think they even had an app that would let people read their comics on their   mobile phones. Not unsurprisingly, Amazon, always sniffing around for ways to expand their wealth and reduce competition, bought them out. My browser summary claims that the founders, for a while, continued with the company. However, just recently, Amazon fully "absorbed" the company and fired its founders and staff. It recently discontinued their Comixology app and blended comics bought through Comixlogy into the Kindle platform. There are a lot of comics fans out there that believe Amazon ruined the platform, and they are very unhappy (aka: livid) about it.

[BarbStAubrey]

thanks frybabe - another new to me way of connecting on the internet - I just never thought of the author, Kazuo Ishiguro as a comic or graphic novelist, however, who knows, today nothing can be off the mark.

What a day and a half - thunderstorms beyond belief - of course lost electricity for a few hours - rain and rain so that it appears it washed much of the backyard soil down the side of the house to the storm ditch that runs across the front of all our properties... Joanne did you also have these storms roll through your area?

[bellamarie]

Happy May!!!  So far, this month has been days of rain and storms.  Thinking maybe it got mixed up with April somehow.  Last night my dog barked all night at the storms and this moring the air conditioning guys were here bright & early to install a whole new unit.  We have been lucky to get by the past few years with them adding freon but knew after 17 years it was time for a new one.  So, it's going to take a lot of coffee to keep me going today.   

I finished The House Maid and boy was it a book that had me rooting for the torture of a character who tortured others secretly.  Well worth the read.  Didn't see the ending coming. I hear this is a series: #New York Times and USA Today bestseller psychological thriller Books collection set By Freida McFadden - The Housemaid, The Housemaid's Secret, The Locked Door & The Inmate  Not sure I am ready for the next one, but I will read the rest of them at another time.

Tomereader, when I posted that article link on my Facebook all the comments were about audio vs holding a book to read.  I'm not sure any of them actually read the full article.  lol

[BarbStAubrey]

Bellamarie you also had the rain! Had no idea it was in the north - thought it was coming from both west of us as well as up from the Gulf -

AC is a must with all this damp from all this rain - so glad your getting a new one to help rid your home of all the moisture from this heavy spring rain. and Kudos -  I do not think I could read a thriller at this time with all that is happening in our world... I'm even having a difficult time staying with the Baseball game if it is a tight game.

I'm thinking this is a time to watch an online Wizard of Oz where the iconic song ...Over the Rainbow starts Somewhere jumping an entire octave as if a musical rainbow... Well no rainbow with these storms. With the sky so gray and heavy I think I'll just let the clocks all blink for the rest of the day since more thunder storms are predicted which means we can bet on loosing electricity yet again. 

[BarbStAubrey]

[Tomereader1]

The rain/storms have been somewhat sporadic here in Dallas.  Outlying areas to the South, East, West. and Northeast are getting storms, heavy rain, lightning, hail and a couple of tornadoes to boot.  Can never really tell when it's going to hit, the weather apps on my phone will say something either moderately or completely different that the TV weather persons.  It will cloud up, dark, dark, thunder will roll, it will sprinkle or rain heavily for a few minutes, and then stop for here, but move on to the areas East of Dallas.  Right now it is getting cloudier.  Seems a bit cooler out side, but I don't go out much, because there must be a lot of dust/pollen or something. I went to the porch to get my mail, and came back in the house sneezing like crazy, nose and eyes running.  Then it calms down till I go out again.  Allergies are awful.  Born and raised in Dallas, never had allergies until I was about 40 or so.  I could do nicely without them!

[Frybabe]

Love that balloon adaptation for the painting, Barb, which brings me back to Kazuo Ishiguro. I never thought of him as a comic writer/artist, but who knows. He has written lyrics for songs mostly pairing with Jim Tomlinson for Stacey Kent's albums. Back to comics (aka: graphic novels), a lot of writers are collaborating or allowing their works to be adapted to comics, etc. these days. As far as I can tell, only one of Ishiguro's novels, Remains of the Day, has officially been adapted by Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti.  So, I wouldn't put Ishiguro in as a comic artist any more than I would Jane Austen, Olivia Butler, or Harper Lee, whose works apparently have suffered the same fate and they had no say in the matter.

It isn't a surprise that many books have been adapted to graphic novels although some of the titles surprise me. These days, I often see book (print and audio) adaptations of computer games. The HALO and Warhammer series are an example.  We also see movies that release book and game adaptations in conjunction with or shortly after their release. All ways to make more money, but also wonderful new ways to see or read some of your favorite characters and stories, many of which get expanded well beyond the originals in scope and characters. I hate to think about how many Star Trek books have been and are still being published, for example.

Okay, enough of that for a while.  I finished The Far Pavilions. My next audio listen is Prince of Fools: The Red Queen's War, Book 1 by Mark Lawrence. It is a fantasy read by one of my favorite narrators, Tim Gerard Reynolds. It has the feel (sound?) of a medieval setting, but it apparently it is a follow on of a previous series set in a post-apocalyptic world. Well, it is a free borrow. We'll see how long it lasts.

Meanwhile, I started reading a sci-fi called "The Last Librarian: A Booker Thriller (The Justar Journal Book 1)" by Brandt Legg. The story is, so far, moderately interesting. It starts out with the last physical library on earth (which happens to be housed in what was once Powell's Book Store in Portland, WA) about to be shut down. Of course I have to read it!

[bellamarie]

Frybabe, this sounds really interesting,

sci-fi called "The Last Librarian: A Booker Thriller (The Justar Journal Book 1)" by Brandt Legg. The story is, so far, moderately interesting. It starts out with the last physical library on earth (which happens to be housed in what was once Powell's Book Store in Portland, WA) about to be shut down.

Tomereader, I'm with you it seems the weather apps on my phone vs the weather forecast on my local channels on tv are never in sync with each other.  Yesterday I felt like it was going to rain for certain and my hubby kept saying, "No rain is on my app or radar for our area."  Well, we got out to go to this cute little shop that is open once a month Thurs-Sunday called Baycreek & Co.  We are on our way home which is only 10-15 minutes from the shop and lo and behold we drove directly into a down pour to the point we couldn't see the road or cars coming.  One thing I have learned over the years is my instincts tell me when it is going to rain regardless of what any forecast says.

Speaking of allergies, mine have been miserable.  I get up in the morning and go out to weed my flower gardens while the earth is still damp and in no time, I am sneezing, and my eyes are itchy.  I never had allergies until I was diagnosed in my 40s as well.  My daughter in law is experiencing allergies now that she turned 40.  My doctor told me years ago it is common to happen in your 40s, he said take an over-the-counter allergy pill non drowsy from the beginning of April til the first frost and it will help.  I began doing that and it really makes my life more comfortable because I live outside gardening from May - Nov.

Barb, I can understand you not wanting to tackle psychological thrillers with all the unrest going on in our world today.  I did begin The Ride of Her Life and so far, I am enjoying it.  I'm to the point where she has lost everything after her uncle dies and she had been in the hospital.  She sure was lucky to have neighbors who checked in on her who probably saved her life.  I also began another thriller called The Perfect Son another book my granddaughter gave to me to read.  I'm getting the feeling I have read this book already so I will continue to see if indeed I did. 

Did anyone watch the Kentucky Derby yesterday?  This yearly event holds a special place in my heart since it is the last time my hubby and I spent with his Dad dying of cancer.  We sat and watched the Derby with him in 1972 and I remember him lying in his bed so excited, rooting on the horses that Saturday and days later we were told he passed on.  We decided to go to the casino to watch it on the enormous tv screens there this year.  It was indeed exciting to see #3 Mystic Dan with 16-1 favored beat out Sierra Leone and Forever Young.  He now has a chance at the Triple Crown in the Preakness.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10119879-kentucky-derby-results-2024-final-race-chart-finishing-times-and-purse

Well, my CCD classes have ended for the year, and I am lazing around this morning not having to rush out the door to teach.  We will go to a later mass, and it feels good to have my Sunday mornings back.  It is cloudy outside so who knows, it may rain some more today but I did want to go to our state park and see the flowers in bloom.  My daffodils, phlox, tulips, periwinkle, Shasta daisies, peonies, lily of the valley, irises, clematis, hydrangeas and Asiatic lilies are all full of buds and just about ready to bloom!  I love this time of year!   

Ciao~ Bellamarie

[Frybabe]

Sorry, Portland is in ORegon. I knew that.

[BarbStAubrey]

so many great tidbits everyone is sharing - yep, rain and rain and more rain it appears for all of us and the allergies - my take is the wind is blowing in from many miles away allergens that are now a part of the spraying done on crops with various preservatives - I've noticed for several years I've been reacting to foods that never bothered me - even washing the grapes is no longer doing it - guaranteeing shelf life is all that matters.

Interesting frybabe hearing about all the additional storytelling portals - reminds me of when as a Kid reading or having read to me certain traditional tales and I always daydreamed what would happen next till finally, I was probably about 8 and a book came out with a couple of chapters of at least 10 of these stories of what happened next - loved it - ha my initial reaction to comics used (to replace reading) traditional lit reminds me more of how it was considered a lazy way of reading and we were told - whether it was true or not - that taking the tests the nuns could tell if we read the book or used a comic - I'm afraid that concept is so ingrained that to this day I think it is not only lazy but a mark of little education when comic are used to tell stories more than those typical of what used to be a comic book or the Sunday paper - good thing I'm no longer the typical buyer. Oh dear...

Frybabe are you serious that Powell's is shuttering or is that the story - best thing about visiting my son and family when he was transferred to Portland and lived in Beaverton a suburb back when his boys were just started school. They were there for 2 and a half years and except for the magic land the boys walked through a small forest to get to school each day it was not their favorite place to live however, I used to take that long flight and visit about 4 times a year - only visited the main store once but Powell's had a great store inside the airport - I always came home with 4 to 6 books and would have one half read on the trip back home.

What surprised me was the main store had aisles and aisles of resale books as well and the section typical of any book store selling new books. That was a special time when nearly all of the larger bookstores, at least in Austin had a cafe and on the weekend there would be a musical venue so that it was a great place to hang out - lots of memories taking my grandboys on a Friday evening and then when the Harry Potter books were released oh oh oh - all these kids immediately would drop to the ground to start reading their book that families had secured their place on the list for that first release - there would be kids sitting all over the floor of the bookstore and on the steps coming in or going up to the second level and outside they would be sitting on the sidewalk leaning up against the store front and then later they would arrive in costume for release night - all that is gone and so many of even the big bookstore chains are gone. 

I looked up on Amazon The Last Librarian and shocked to find 3 authors using that exact name for their published book - Legg that you mentioned and then a Debbie De Louise and a James Quinn both published since Brandt Legg - giggle see no imagination left because of reading comics rather than books hahaha

Missed the Derby this year Bellamarie - with the storms the electricity was out again - didn't recognize any of the horses and the Derby has changed so over the years from the year when there was a unified gasp that a horse from California not only ran but won - that was the start and for years the traditions surrounding the Derby held but slowly like so much in life it has all changed - we all used to wear our best and have a late breakfast either on the covered porch or in the backyard using our best and always serving mint julep - many a company in Kentucky honored particularly successful employees or those with the company for 25 year an engraved silver julep cup and so the silver cups came out for the day - then the excitement that TV offered so we could all watch both when we lived in Lexington and later when we moved to Austin - found a small group in Austin from Kentucky and we always watched together only instead of a late breakfast we usually did a lunch. Slowly that all passed as well - I think as the race became more about horses from stables across America instead of focused on local Kentucky bred horses the tenor of the day changed as well.

While writing this a call came in from an friend in Austin - so nice to hear from her - she is writing a second addition to a book on Breast Feeding that was so successful it is used in most nursing schools - she had a co-author who lived in England and now that co-author has moved here to the states and lives in Florida then they found another who lives in Mexico and they all three got together this past winter to outline who was re-writing what chapters etc. and what new information was being added - and now my sister, who has been writing has her book accepted by a publisher - never in a million years as the expression goes did I ever imagine I would personally know or that a family member would be published writers.

Finished reading Secrets of Italian Self Care and everything he promotes was my memory of how life was back before WWII with the exception of using Olive Oil rather than butter - but the way of life he describes when walking was usual along with an evening stroll or strolling with friends - here during those years it was always taking the dog for a walk after supper and if company visited, usually family, everyone always went for a walk as their visit but as he said, he found in Italy it is still a patriarchal society with strong families all living close by - that all changed here in the States during and after WWII - IBM used to be nicknamed 'I've Been Moved' which created lots of isolation for women with little support if the family was going through difficult times along with a lot of overtime hours expected leaving kids without nearby family to stop in when riding their bikes or just out playing -

I do not see this switch from success measured by your education, job title, and income changing back to a family centered relaxed lifestyle unless, you are fortunate enough to have a comfortable income without the hours devoted to assure that achievement and even that is not taking into consideration families seldom can find individualized employment in the same town unless the entire family is behind the success of a family company or farm or ranch and that happens less and less - even several generations working for the same large manufacturing company is history and so where some of what he wrote I can see as a happy adaption I think his idea that we could live the relaxed life he admires is not currently a possibility. 

Looked at an old list of books I wanted to read and found on the list Waverly by Sir Walter Scott - looking into it I was struck and never realized that Scott's stories were mostly about the Borderland, as it is called with its great history - the border between Scotland and Britain - had only downloaded a book by Moffat about the history of the Borderland called The Borders and so I downloaded Waverly for all of 89 cents would you believe and also learned Scott's first two books were legends retold from the Borderland. Need to get back to Annie and her ride across the nation back in the 1950s but all this about Scott has me eager to read more...

[Frybabe]

It's the story, Barb. Happily, Powell's is still there and doing business.

In the story what was once Powell's became the last library in the world, all the others being shuttered after a pandemic wiped out about half the world's population, one global government came into being and digital forms of communication, etc. almost completely replaced (as encouraged by said world government) replaced paper in the name of restoring and saving the environment.

The book is shades of 1984 and Fahrenheit 450 although not nearly in the same literary category. The first few chapters (I am only on the third or fourth) is filled with angst, hand-wringing, and defeatist attitude. Only now I am seeing some kind of plan of action emerge. While not a literary masterpiece, the story does convey the current fears that artists, craftsmen and other creative people (not to mention us consumers of such) have about their creations and all those that came before will either disappear or be distorted to suit the government's agenda or means of control. I think most of us are at least a little worried about this.

Used bookstores thrive around here, but Barnes and Nobles is the only brick and mortar bookstore selling new books in the area now. Well, not quite true. There are some used booksellers who include a few new books. Cupboardmaker Books, the used bookstore that was nearest me when I was living in Enola, sells a few new fantasy books generally tied to her monthly book club gathering. When I first visited the store, she sold new Dresden Files (author, Jim Butcher) series books in conjunction with her book club and she supports local writers by holding an occasional book lecture/signing. I think Midtown Scholar in Harrisburg and the Mystery Lover's Bookstore in Mechanicsburg, do the same thing now and again.

[Frybabe]

What great news about you sister's book, Barb.

I am a bit perturbed to discover that my downloads of several of Walter Scott's books, including Waverly, never made the transfer over to my Kobo e-reader. I am positive I had downloaded it, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe years ago from Project Gutenberg. I don't recall reading any of them though. My sister read Ivanhoe some years back and greatly enjoyed it. I have yet to tackle it or Rob Roy. I may have read Waverly, but forgot it. I did read Guy Mannering, and his short story Phantasmagoria so long ago that I do not remember what they were about. those two have also disappeared from my e-collection. I am not surprised because some of these books made moves more than once and may have been missed or wouldn't transfer to a newer e-reader. Okay, off to Project Gutenberg to redownload them. I'll have to see if they have any of his essays, or his two volume History of Scotland.

[BarbStAubrey]

Yep Frybabe,  Barnes and Noble it is - back when I was in High School all they were noted for was selling the texts we needed in High School - back then there were no free text books and we paid a fee to borrow the texts we used in grade school - Barnes and Noble carried high school used and new textbooks for High Schools and Collages - almost like the university book store back in the 60s and 70s before they also branched out and carried current publications of novels etc.

I should not even open my mouth but the rain appears to have stopped - hope you are OK Joanne - the news is showing the flooding in the Dallas Fort Worth area - here all the rivers and bayous are severely over their banks however the major highways are clear - from what the news is saying some of the flooding is because they had to release water on some of the rivers and lakes to prevent embankments from disintegration. I'm thinking I'm lucky only having the rain take out soil in the back - no house or porch flooding - I sure hope you too Joanne came through without damage...