It's Almost That Time!

It's almost that time!

Santa is getting ready to load his sleigh with all the toys

his friendly elves have made. 

Both of these postcards are reproductions.

There is no artist, publisher or date listed for either one.

Santa is also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and just plain Santa. Many cultures believe Santa brings gifts to the home of good children during late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve. The modern figure is a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of Clement Moore's 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast. 

Wishing YOU well and a JOY filled weekend.

Thanks to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

Christmas Tea

I've been out shopping again!

My latest adventure took me to Cornelius Nursery.

I wanted a poinsettia and a Christmas cactus

and while I was there I enjoyed all the decorations ...

especially this table filled with sugarplums of all kinds and a tea canister!

I love the handle on this tea cup
and the wonderful red and green of the holly and the ivy pattern.

 There is no decoration on the interior of the cup.

The bottom of the cup and saucer read:

Bella Lux

Gracie Bone China

by Coastline Imports.

This tea cup reminded me of the book:

A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg and illustrated by Warren Hanson.

It is the story of a young man's reluctant visit to an elderly aunt at Christmastime 

and the unexpected joy it brings.

One year the book came as a set with a teacup.

I remember gifting the set to a friend who often talked about her Aunt

and the joy they shared over a cup of tea. 

Thanks to our tea party hostesses.

These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Tea Party Tuesday

Tuesday Tea For Two

Wishing YOU well and a wonderful cup of tea! 

Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday is hosted each week by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each a story to tell.

You'll enjoy visiting. I promise!

"Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house." ~Henry Ward Beecher

We love books.

We have art books (including the Dictionary of Art -- all volumes).

Books on Buddhism, Hinduism, novels, mysteries, biographies, physics, crafts,

knitting and crocheting, mythology, fantasy.

We have two book cases filled with cookbooks.

In fact, if you are interested in a book, you might try here before you go to the library!
There are books stacked everywhere.
I've quit trying to put the books in their place because I'm not sure that place exists!

But the books I love the most are old children's books.

The library has a book sale every year. We don't always make it as it seems to be scheduled when the Rice University Baseball team has a game.

We hit the jackpot the year we did attend.

We came home with this 10 volume set of books: Journeys Through Bookland by Charles H. Sylvester. The beautiful leather bindings with the words: Imagination, Wisdom, Character, Truth, and Beauty written around the edge.

In the words of Mr. Sylvester, "This series of books is the result of earnest efforts to present to boys and girls the best literature in such a way that it will appeal to their imagination, interest them, and lead them to read for information, enjoyment and inspiration.

It is reading outside of school hours that really fixes the taste of a young person, and if he is left wholly to his own resources, nothing is more natural than that he should read merely for his present enjoyment and for the excitement that the short-lived, modern stories furnish so abundantly. A youthful reader loves to learn, and it is necessary merely to suggest new lines of interest to lead him to follow them joyfully."

The first copyright date is 1909 and the last, 1939.

Then there are the amazing illustrations!

Jackpot!

So, as we enter August and temps of 100 or greater (or as a local television anchor woman says UGHust), my plan is to sit down every day and starting with volume one, read a little to see what I missed in my childhood! Reading Cinderella, Hansel and Grethel, Jack the Giant-Killer, The Lion and The Mouse, Nursery Rhymes, The Wind and The Sun and on and on and on.

I hope you have plans for how to spend dog days of summer!

Joy to You!

Reading

The Open Road: The Global Journey of the XIVth Dalai Lama by Pico Iyer



I don't know where to start! I mentioned several times to Mr. Dragon that I never write in books ... just one of my *laws*, but I sure wanted to write in this one. Finally, after hearing me say this daily, Mr. D looked at me and said "write in the book"!!! So I did. There is just so much in it that I want to remember and look at again. Pico Iyer in this book "tried to be a general reader speaking to other general readers, and bringing little more than the curiosity and interest of a journalist who has never practiced Buddhism and knows little about it but is intrigued to see how it might expand the thinking of anyone, Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike." He looks at the paradoxes of the Dalai Lama's position -- religious leader, monk and the head of state of a government in exile. He looks at the Dalai Lama's work and ideas as a politician, scientist, philosopher and the idea of globalism. There's just to much to talk about and review. One of the delights of this book comes at the end under the section READING ... book after book on Tibet, Buddhism, the life of the Dalai Lama ... a lifetime of reading. Iyer first met the Dalai Lama through his father some 30 years ago and has published five books on modern globalism.

Mail Call!

I won a book from the folks at Craftside. All I had to do was post an answer to a question.

Simple.

Look what arrived in the mail!

The purrrrfect book for a cat lover: Cat Lover's Daily Companion:
365 Days of Insight and Guidance for Living a Joyful Life with Your Cat
by Kristen Hampshire, Iris Bass and Lori Paximadis

Monday listings provide practical information, from welcoming a cat home to understanding his basic needs.

Tuesdays (like the one below) contain engaging tales of cats in history and literature.

Wednesday (like the one below) explore feline health and wellness topics, from acupuncture to the zodiac.

To find out about Thursdays, Fridays and the weekends -- you'll need to find your own copy! I can't share everything! I'm going to enjoy every single page and so will my kitties.

And, last but not least, gorgeous photos of cats.

If you don't regularly follow Craftside, you should. They have almost daily reviews of books on all kinds of crafty subjects -- you name it, they've done it. Try it. Leave a post and win a book! Books are good for you. You can never have too many books!

(Special thank you to Lindsey at the Quayside Publishing Group. Lindsey, the book arrived!)

They Keep Me Company ....

They all keep me company. They've been especially helpful during the last few months, when Mr. Dragon was first diagnosed, through his chemotherapy and radiation, through his surgery. All the long days of sitting and waiting.

Some were old friends like Miss Julia (Ann B. Ross author). Miss Julia on a motorcycle is something I'll not soon forget! Bookplate Special by Lorna Barrett -- the street of my dreams -- a street devoted to books and (wait for it) .... FOOD! Or going on an adventure with Lyn Hamilton to find the Orkney Scroll (one of the last mysteries she wrote before her death). Knitting and crocheting with the gang at Lambspun in beautiful Colorado - thank you Maggie Sefton.

I made a few new friends like C. J. Samson and his historical mysteries with Matthew Shardlake. I'm in the middle of the third in the series and am still entranced by the time period (Henry VIII) and the wonderful writing. (Do any of you watch the Tudors on television? The new season is about to start. But that's a whole other post!)

Another new friend, Henning Mankell. I really like Inspector Wallendar. Thanks to a blogging buddy for the introduction. Mr. Dragon and I are both hooked! And, along came a baseball friend delivering some odds and ends like Brian Haig and Secret Sanction. Mr. Dragon is the military/spy guy, but we both enjoyed Secret Sanction so much, we will put Mr. Haig on our list.

That's a very short introduction to some of my friends -- old and new. I have my ever present cup or glass of tea and the pink scarf in the background is knitted. No pattern ... just fun yarns ... an experiment. I'll add some beads to the tail when it is done.

Reading For Pleasure

Now I ask you. How could I resist sharing this email from the Daily OM about one of my favorite subjects -- Reading For Pleasure? I've even included a couple of reviews at the end!


February 22, 2010
Reading For Pleasure
A Whole New World When reading we remove ourselves from the confines of reality to immerse ourselves in the intrigue of the unfamiliar.

Every book has the potential to touch the human soul deeply, arousing patterns of thought that might otherwise have lain dormant. The pleasure we derive from the written word is unique in that we must labor for it. Other forms of art provide us with stimulus and ask nothing more than our emotional response. Reading is an active pastime that requires an investment of emotion as well as our concentration and imagination. The words we read are merely a starting point for a process that takes place largely within our minds and hearts.

There are few activities as comforting, relaxing, and healthy as perusing the pages of a good piece of fiction or nonfiction. Curling up with a book and a cup of tea is one of the simplest ways we can remove ourselves from the confines of reality in order to immerse ourselves in the drama and intrigue of the unfamiliar. The pleasure of transcending reality is only one aspect of the reading experience, however. Each time we read for enjoyment, whether we prefer the fantastic nature of fiction, the empathy awakened within us by memoir, or the instructive passion of nonfiction, we create entire landscapes in our mind’s eye. The books we choose provide us with the inspiration we need to accomplish such a feat, but it is our own creative reserves that empower us to use our imaginations for this unique and beautiful purpose.

The tales you lose yourself in can lead you on paths of discovery that take you out of your own life and help you see that existence can unfold in an infinite number of ways. You can learn so much from the characters and mentors who guide you from page to page. Your emotions are awakened each time you read, allowing you to become vessels of the passion that pours forth from line after line of print. Ultimately, the books you absorb—those that touch you deeply—will become a part of who you are, providing you with a rich and thrilling world within that you can revisit anytime you wish by simply closing your eyes. If you haven’t read a book for pleasure lately, try and allow yourself the time—you deserve it.

A couple of reviews for you from my Goodreads list. The first a non-fiction book and the second a cozy mystery. There's a book out there, somewhere for you -- no matter what your interests. Go for it!

Play by Play: Baseball, Radio and Life in the Last Chance League by Neal Conan



Most of you know how crazy we are about college baseball. We've just recently started reading baseball books. Play by Play was one we found at Half-Price Books. It is about Neal Conan (of NPR and Talk of the Nation fame) and the year he took off from NPR to follow his dream of being a baseball play-by-play announcer.

From the book jacket: " Following nearly twenty-five years as a prominent voice at National Public Radio, after being shelled, rocketed, bombed and held captive in the desert as one of their top foreign correspondents, Neal Conan decided to pursue a lifelong dream -- to become, of all things, a baseball announcer. And, that's what he did, specifically with the Aberdeen Arsenal, a franchise of the independent Atlantic League. Not the majors, alas, but it afforded him a rue opportunity to use the surge of conflicting emotions that we refer to as midlife crisis to rethink what he'd done and what he was doing. It also allowed Neal to marry his two lifelong passions - radio and baseball - and gave him the chance to return to the grassroots of each. He decided to put the fun and challenge back into things he had become bored with."

Lot's of fun baseball trivia in Play by Play. For instance: " One of Tyrone Horne's bats is in Cooperstown. In 1998 Tyrone did something unprecedented: he homered for the cycle. Hitting for the cycle is unusual, once a year or so, somebody will get a single,double, triple and home run in the same game. Four homers in a game is much rarer, and, so far as anyone knows, Tyrone is the only professional ballplayer every to hit a solo shot, a two-run job, a three-run homer and a grand slam in the same game." Conan shares other stories throughout the book.

If you are baseball fan or a fan of Conan's from NPR, I believe you'll enjoy this book.


Dropped Dead Stitch by Maggie Sefton



Kelly's friend Jennifer is a top notch knitter and a bit of a party girl. But she's always stayed one step ahead of trouble, until the night a stranger follows her home. As Jennifer recovers from the dangerous encounter, she looks to Kelly and their other close-knit friends for comfort and support. A retreat in the mountains, stitching and talking seems to be just what the doctor ordered. Surprise! The owner of the ranch turns out to be Jennifer's attacker and when he ends up dead - Jennifer is at the top of the suspect list.

All the usual characters return in this cozy mystery. Sefton gets 5 stars for the banter between the characters in this novel. She gets two stars for the story itself and the way it was written. I haven't quite put my finger on it, but I didn't think this one was written as well as the previous novels in the series. Perhaps Sefton has reached the *too many books in the series* itis! I enjoy visiting with the characters and love the knitting/weaving/crochet shop - Lambspun.

Why Did It Take Me So Long?

Why did it take me so long to finally read a mystery by Peter Lovesey? I keep shaking my head wondering! Now that I've finally picked up a couple to read, I'm hooked. It's a good thing I don't mind reading out of order! I have lots of good reading ahead of me.



The first one that I tried was The Secret Hangman: An Inspector Peter Diamond Investigation by Peter Lovesey. I started reading and I didn't want to put it down. It flew. Well written. Charming characters. Wonderful editing. Good story. Lots of red herrings. Wit. Plot twists that will please the most picky mystery reader. Suspense.

Condensed from the book flap: "Peter Diamond is being pursued by a secret admirer even as he pursues a serial killer. First, Delia Williams, a waitress with two young daughters, is reported missing by her mother. She is found dead in a park, hanging from the crossbar of a swing set. Looks like a suicide, but it isn't. Other deaths by hanging follow with Mrs. William's ex-husband among the victims. The search for the secret hangman begins."



The second Lovesey that I read was The Circle: An Inspector Henrietta Mallin Investigation (with a cameo appearance by Peter Diamond). This one had a different feel to it -- wittier, laid back, but with three murders by fire.

Condensed from the book flap: "The members of the literary circle come from all walks of life and practice many forms of writing, from fantasy to torrid romance to household hints. Yet there sems to be nothing about any of them to incite a serial killer. But it becomes clear that there is an arsonist in their midst who is determined to burn his victims to death. Detective Chief Inspector Hen (Henrietta) Mallin is in charge of the investigation of the Chichester murders by fire."

Getting to know the members of the literary circle is key to solving the crimes. This is an old-fashioned whodunit written with style and deviousness. More red herrings, plot twists, digs at writers of the unpublishable and at publishers. Black humor. Another good one.



And, finally, Literary Feasts: Inspired Eating from Classic Fiction by Sean Brand. This is a delightful little book that I think readers and food lovers would enjoy.

From the flap: "While Leopold Bloom fortified himself for his rambles through Dublin with a hearty breakfast of grilled kidneys with pepper, thinly sliced bread and butter, and a large pot of tea, James Bond started his days off with a half pint of chilled OJ, three scrambled eggs, two cups of black coffee, and a pack of Chesterfields. The lucky revelers invited to Jay Gatsby's mansion feasted on baked hams, pastry pigs,and turkeys bewitched to dark gold, all washed down with champagne served in glasses the size of finger bowls. And of course P.G. Wodehouse made sure that Bertie Wooster always dined in style."

The book is divided into Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, Dinner, Eating Outdoors, Children's Meals, and Special Occasions with visits to literary treats like Dickens, Fielding, Melville, Shakespeare, Austen, Twain, Fitzgerald and others. This is when cooks really cooked. No prepared, in the box foods here!

Happy Reading!

From One Extreme to Another

From one extreme to another -- a book I really enjoyed and a series mystery I won't read again. So where to start? How about with the one series I'm finished with?

I enjoy brain candy - cozy mysteries written around subjects I'm interested in like needlework. I hadn't read a Monica Ferris mystery in awhile (having forgotten why I gave them up once before). When I saw Thai Die, I was intrigued -- by the cover and the subject -- Thailand. This is number 12 in the needlework series by Ferris and that is probably the problem. By the time you get to number 12 there just isn't anything new. The characters that I enjoyed in the past were even blah. The editing was horrible and I just plain didn't enjoy this read that took me one day. At least, I spent only one day.

**

Now Dark Fire: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery by C.J. Sansom is a completely different matter. This historical mystery, set in 1540 was superb, beautiful prose, excellent editing (nothing jumped out at me), an interesting story with interesting characters. YeeeeeeHaaaaaw! A real winner. So good, in fact, that I ordered the others in the series. Mr. Dragon enjoyed it so much, he is currently reading Sansom's stand alone about Spain.

From the back cover: "In 1540 Henry VIII has been on the throne for thirty-one years. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake has been called to help a young girl accused of murder who refuses to speak in her own defense even when threatened with torture. On the verge of losing his case, Shardlake is suddenly granted a reprieve. His benefactor is Thomas Cromwell, the kings' feared vicar general, who offers him two more weeks to investigate further. In exchange, Shardlake must find a lost cache of "Dark Fire", an ancient weapon of mass destruction. What ensues is a page-turning adventure filled with period detail and wonderful characters."

This book won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award for good reason!

Mail Call!

I just LOVE Mail Call! This week, the book I won over at the Craftside Blog's Holiday Goodness Giveaway arrived. I won The Crafter's Devotional by Barbara R. Call and I'm thrilled! I want to thank all the wonderful folks at Craftside (Lindsey, this means you) for their generosity.




From the back of the book: " Crafters dabble, collaborate, muse, and make, all in their own way on their own timeline. For all crafts, there are established techniques ... and innumerable ways to experiment.

No matter your craft of choice, you'll find daily inspiration in the pages of this book. Author and crafter Barbara R. Call understands there is something elemental shared among artists and crafters, regardless of their chosen medium: creative energy. For each crafter looking to hone a favorite skill, there is a dozen who are waiting for that certain spark of inspiration or sinuous root of an idea to take hold.

The Crafter's Devotional uses interdisplinary exercises, nuggets of wisdom, brainstorming triggers, and how-to techniques to inspire, enhance, and motivate you to create."




"Inside you'll find the following categories:

• Monday/journaling
• Tuesday/recycle,reuse, or revive
• Wednesday/collection,stash, and materials
• Thursday/personal history
• Friday/noncraft inspiration
• Saturday and Sunday/collaborate, gather, and experiment

I'm going to have lots of good reading, inspiration and fun ahead!

Thanks again to Craftside.

Genteel Your Cup of Tea?

Is genteel your cup of tea? Then you'd probably enjoy novels by Georgette Heyer. Heyer wrote over fifty novels, including Regency romances, mysteries and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy and her extraordinary plots and characterizations. She also had a wry and well-developed sense of humor. Her books are being reissued.

Spending so much time at M. D. Anderson, we are getting a lot of reading done. The Talisman Ring was the first Heyer that I read. "When spirited Eustacie stumbles into a band of smugglers, she is delighted to be having an adventure at last. Their leader, young heir Ludovic Lavenham, is in hiding falsely accused of murder. Pursued by the law, Eustacie and Ludovic find refuge at an unassuming country inn. And the delightfully sensible couple who try to keep them out of trouble -- the resourceful Miss Sarah Thane and the clear-thinking Sir Tristram Shield, gamely endeavor to prevent Ludovic's arrest and Eustacie's ruin as the four conspire to recover the missing talisman ring that will clear Ludovic's name."

Totally entertaining in a very *old-fashioned* way -- "a story in the manner of Jane Austen, of domestic comedy and love affairs."

Why Shoot a Butler is one of Heyer's detective novels. Her barrister husband, Ronald Rougier, provided many of the plots for her detective novels, which are classic English country-house mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie. "On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley believes her - at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up."

"In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth."

I read 108 pages of Why Shoot a Butler and wondered why I was continuing to read. And then, suddenly, on page 109 -- the book took off and was a race to the end. I guess it just took 108 pages to get all the characters and background in place!

***

I have a couple of Blog Shout Outs for you. First, visit with Calamity Kim. She is celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas with a crafty pattern a day. Fun! I also found, thanks to Calamity Kim, Freebies for Crafters -- a blog full of free craft patterns and blog links. That should keep you crafters busy for awhile!

***

A big THANK YOU to all of you who are sending good thoughts, prayers, vibes, juju et al, to Mr. Dragon. We spend every day at M. D. Anderson, some days much longer than others, and I'm happy to report that he is handling his chemo and radiation very well. Thank you for your emails, telephone calls. Know we appreciate all of you. I don't have much computer time (or crafty time) right now, but try to at least check in with all of you and read what you are up to. I may not comment, but I've been by to visit. Keep blogging. I love visiting! It is fun therapy for me!

Who Says A Dollar Isn't Worth Much?

Who says a dollar isn't worth much? I picked up The Yoga Teacher by Alexandra Gray at Half-Price books for one dollar. It is filled with quirky characters, was the right price and I loved the cover!

"Dissatisfied with her job as a pharmaceutical rep and struggling with the decline of her long-term relationship, Grace, a well-heeled Londoner, uses yoga class to unwind, reflect, and momentarily transcend her earthly dilemmas. While pitching her company’s latest antidepressant to the disarming Dr. James, she is inspired by his plan to study Eastern medicine in Vietnam and decides to quit her job to become a yoga teacher.

After studying at the eccentric White Lotus Foundation in California, Grace returns to London, ready for her new life. But nothing could have prepared her for the motley crew of students she amasses--from the octogenarian industrialist desperate for distraction, the supermodel who indulges yogic aspirations when she tires of kabbalah, to the American film star who uses yoga classes to conceal a scandalous affair. Overwhelmed, Grace soon finds herself relying on her bi-continental correspondence with Dr. James for solace and inspiration, his words hovering above her London life like a sweet promise.

With an eye for the absurdity in every encounter, Alexandra Gray gently skewers our society’s preference for a quick-fix nirvana in this chronicle of one woman’s quest for love and meaning in a world numbed by materialism and psychotropic drugs."

Each chapter starts with a picture and written description of a yoga pose. It is a tale of starting over. Funny. Honest. And the price was more than right!

There's a Mystery for Every Interest

(From fotosearch.com)

There are mysteries of all kinds, covering all sorts of interests, for all different readers. There are hard-boiled mysteries, Noir, urban fantasy, cozy mysteries and all sorts of combinations. There are mysteries for readers who like to cook, who like to read, who like scrap booking, tea drinking, falconry, needlepoint, collecting antiques. You get the idea. How about for collectors of teddy bears and knitters? You bet!

DIED IN THE WOOL: A Knitting Mystery by Mary Kruger is the first in a series of cozy myteries. Ariadne Evans is the proud owner of her very own knitting shop. She enters her store one day to find longtime customer Edith Perry strangled to death with homespun yarn. Now Edith wasn’t the easiest person to get along with so there is a long list of suspects. Detective Joshua Pierce, may or may not have designs on Ariadne (a little romance never hurts in a cozy mystery). Ariadne decides to do some sleuthing of her own. Hopefully, the killer isn’t as crafty as she.

I’m behind the times as this book was first published as a paperback in 2007. I thought it was well done and I like the characters -- something that is very important in cozy mysteries -- and I’d like to visit Ariadne in her shop. I do love yarn and the description of the purple heather hand spun, hand dyed yarn used to kill Edith really sounds lovely! There are several more books in this series and I’m looking forward to getting to know Ariadne and her friends better.

THE CRAFTY TEDDY: A Bear Collector’s Mystery by John J. Lamb is the third book in this “sort of cozy” police procedural. I say sort of because Mr. Lamb is a retired homicide detective and hostage negotiator. He has all the police procedural part of the books down to a science. He and his wife collect teddy bears (at last count had over 600), so he also knows the teddy bear business. Definitely an interesting combination and one I have really enjoyed.

From the back of the book:

“Retired San Francisco cop Brad Lyon is settling into a quieter life with his wife, Ashleigh, in Virginia’s mountain country, where they collect and create teddy bears. But even here, stuff happens...

The peace of the Shenandoah Valley is shattered when an intruder breaks into the Lyon home and makes off with the antique Farnell Alpha teddy bear -- one of the most celebrated stuffed animals in history, and also Brad’s gift to Ash on their twentieth wedding anniversary.

Afterward, life seems to be getting back to normal -- until a trio of Japanese gangsters inexplicably shows up in town, and then the local museum director is found dead. Even though it all seems a bit fur-fetched, Brad knows he’s got a 187 on his hands -- that’s California penal code for murder ...”

These are fun books. Well written and fast paced. Not too cozy or too hard-boiled. Brad and Ash, Tina Barron the County Sheriff and Sergei Zubatov (Brad’s best friend and the owner of Pinckney’s Brick Pit barbecue restaurant and former Soviet military attache -- or, in other words, spy) are all wonderful characters. Add the great information about bears (there are always ideas about where to buy bears and usually a bear artist or two are featured in the books) and a well written mystery -- well -- it’s the perfect brain candy for a rainy afternoon. I’m glad I have two more in my stack!

Even a rainy day brings JOY!

So, Where IS the Memory Card?

Mr. Dragon and I went to a book signing last night at Murder By The Book, one of the few remaining independent booksellers here in Houston. One of our favorite authors, Louise Penny was signing her latest Inspector Gamache book, The Brutal Telling. I grabbed the camera and out the door we went. Well, when I started to take a photo of Ms. Penny --- my beloved camera said *no memory card*. What? That can't be! I looked at Mr. Dragon. He looked at me. Shrugged. But it was true. So, here I am, borrowing a photo of Louise Penny from her website.



I've borrowed a bit more from her website:

"Here is a bit of what the book is about…

Chaos is coming, old son. 

With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and children say goodbye to summer, a stranger is found murdered in the village bistro. Once again, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in to strip back layers of lies, exposing both treasures and rancid secrets buried in the wilderness. 

No one admits to knowing the murdered man, but as secrets are revealed, chaos begins to close in on the beloved bistro owner, Olivier. How did he make such a spectacular success of his business? What past did he leave behind and why has he buried himself in this tiny village? And why does every lead in the investigation find its way back to him? 

As Olivier grows more frantic, a trail of clues and treasures- from first editions of Charlotte's Web and Jane Eyre to a spider web with the word "WOE" woven in it-lead the Chief Inspector deep into the woods and across the continent in search of the truth, and finally back to Three Pines as the little village braces for the truth and the final, brutal telling.



 There is a scene in THE BRUTAL TELLING where a new agent, Paul Morin, plays a priceless violin. Here is part of that scene:

What came out surprised them all. A Celtic lament left the bow, left the violin, left the agent. It filled the cabin, filled the rafters. Almost into the corners. The simple tune swirled around them like colors and delicious meals and conversation. And it lodged in their chests. Not their ears, not their heads, but their hearts. Slow, dignified, but buoyant. Agent Morin had changed….His eyes were closed and he looked the way Gamache felt. Filled with joy. Rapture even. Such was the power of this music. Of this instrument."

Interesting, yes?!!! I loved meeting Ms. Penny. She is witty, fun, lovely, intelligent. She told us wonderful stories. Said the first Gamache novel took her 45 years to write. The second one, three months -- after spending a year on it and throwing the manuscript away and starting over. Her books are *classical* mysteries. Just one murder per book. Each book filled with characters -- some you want to meet in real life -- others, no thanks, but each interesting, with feelings, problems, histories -- just like all of us. And, compassion ... Gamache is amazing .. he has been through much in his life -- you can just tell, even though, so far, we don't know a lot about his past. These are not cozy mysteries. Psychological police procedurals would be a better category for them. I can't recommend this series enough. You Canadians are lucky to have her! Thanks for sharing her with the rest of us. Get ye to a library or bookstore and look for her books ... read them in order (Still Life is the first) and enjoy!

(Did I mention she also has a blog?!!! And, I found the memory card ... not in the camera.)

Do You Remember?

Do you remember Bookcrossing?
It seems like years ago when I first heard.
Here was a place where you registered a book and
then sent it adrift, out into to the world looking for a new home.

Did you ever find one?

Guess what? I found one. It was sent to me by a friend in California -- another mystery lover. It started its voyage around the world first in Seoul, South Korea. I went to Book Crossing to see where this book had been and only the original releasor and I had made any comments about the book. I wonder where it's been? The book, you ask? The Thai Amulet: An Archaeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton.

One other thing. Book Cross was added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in August 2004 as a noun with the definition: n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.

***

Is it something about getting older? Turning 60? You begin to fall apart? I'm very good about getting yearly exams. I saw the ophthalmologist to have my pressure check. Glaucoma runs in the family and my pressure runs high normal so I'm living on the edge. This visit -- I'm developing cataracts in both eyes, but (says the doc) no worries -- it will be years before they bother me (then why tell me?) !!!!! Oh, and I need to get new glasses. There's a reason I've been complaining to Mr. Dragon about not being able to see with glasses on! Off to the dermatologist. I'm very fair. This year he decides (after 10 years talking about it) that my rosacea should be treated. I guess it bothered the doc! We won't talk about what the little tube of goop cost. Then off to the internist who is very dismayed at my continuing battle with sciatica. He calls me a minimalist ... a person who doesn't like taking medication. So convincing me to try this new drug that may help with the nerve pain wasn't an easy chore for him. It is a drug that was first developed to help with the pain of shingles, found to help people with epilepsy and folks with diabetic neuropathy (how's that for a lot of medical jargon). I got the prescription filled. Got the drug home and started reading how to take it (you work up to full dose) and the possible side-effects. (I'm good at side effects!) Now, I have to talk myself into giving it a try! Perhaps the sciatica is the better choice? As you can tell, I'm still deciding! Meanwhile, I hope all of you are taking care of yourself -- having your annual exams. Don't forget your mammograms, ladies! (Mine is due in February ... my valentine present to myself!)

***

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I'd leave you with a little wisdom from one of my favorite characters, Maxine. This was in an email sent to me. Enjoy!

Joy to You!
Hope your week gets off to a good start.

Postcard Friendship Friday

When we go to Texas Art Supply, I always stop and check out the books on sale in the cart at the front of the store. I found this copy of Dulac's Illustrations for Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales by Dover Publications during our last visit. The same visit when I took the photos of the murals on the building.



"One of the greatest book illustrators of his time, Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) was also one of the most prolific and impressive artists of the early twentieth century. Covering a wide range of themes and styles, his work is characterized by the strong personalities of his figures and the elaborate backgrounds and shading of his scenes. He remains, today, among the most popular of recent illustrators." (Taken from the back of the book.) This collection of 24 lovely cards features reproductions of Dulac's fine artwork for tales by Hans Christian Andersen. Reproduced from a rare 1911 edition, they include images from: The Snow Queen, The Real Princess, The Garden of Paradise, The Nightingale, The Mermaid, The Wind's Tale and The Emperor's New Clothes.

Here are two of the cards from the book:



The back of the card reads: "Edmund Dulac (1182-1953). "I have hardly closed my eyes the whole night! Heaven knows what was in the bed. I seemed to be lying upon some hard thing, and my whole body is black and blue this morning. It is terrible!" Illustration for "The Real Princess." Stories from Hans Andersen, 1911. From Dulac's Illustrations for Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, c. 2004 by Dover Publications, Inc.


On the back of the card, this one reads: "Edmund Dulac (1882-1911). "Many a winter's night she flies through the streets and peeps in at the windows, and then the ice freezes on the panes into wonderful patterns like flowers." Illustration for "The Snow Queen", Stories from Hans Andersen, 1911. From Dulac's Illustrations for Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, c 2004 by Dover Publications, Inc.

The other 22 cards are just as wonderful as these. They make me want to pick up my copy of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales and revisit some of these wonderful places. I hope none of you gets excited about receiving one of these lovely cards. I think they'll stay in the book for quite awhile! Have to say though, that you'd be lucky if one arrived in your post!

Please visit our Postmistress Marie to see other participants of Postcard Friendship Friday.

Falconry and Murder

(Image from the British School of Falconry and google pictures)

I bet "Falconry and Murder" got your attention! Today is book review day and I have a favorite of mine for you. Andy Straka is back. He lost his publisher several years ago. Cold Quarry, his last book published, won the Shamus Award for best paperback original private eye novel in 2004. I'm happy to say he's found another publisher. Kitty Hitter: A Frank Pavlicek Mystery was just released.

You know that I read mysteries. I used to read a lot of P.I. mysteries. Then I got tired of them. They were too dark, too formulaic. Then I discovered Andy Straka. His "hero" is Frank Pavlicek, an ex NYC cop, now retired and living in Virginia. He has a tough guy sidekick, Jake Toronto, who comes with the requisite shady background. There the formula stops. You see, Frank has a daughter, who he gets along with (shock), who has become a P.I. All three, Frank, Nicole, and Jake are falconers -- something I've been interested in for what seems like forever.

In Kitty Hitter (the fourth mystery featuring Frank Pavlicek), Frank returns to New York City to help an old friend with an unusual case. He is asked to help find a physician/animal rights activist's missing cat. The doctor believes her cat was stolen and then hunted down by a bird of prey. Other pets are missing from the apartment complex, too. The case becomes more unusual as Frank and Nicole dig deeper into the case. The doctor leaves out some important information about herself. Is there really an owl in Central Park feeding on pets? Illegal immigrants show up along with secretive developers. Gang wars are going on. Straka successfully weaves it all together and includes some interesting information on falconry.

Easy reading and recommended! Welcome back to Frank, Nicole, Jake and Andy!

(Andy Straka is a licensed falconer, a native of upstate New York and lives with his family in Virginia.)

Food...

Shame on me for enticing you with the word Food. There are no recipes here today, just a review of one book - The Best Thing I Ever Tasted:The Secret of Food by Sallie Tisdale.

This book is used in an English class at a nearby community college. For a number of years I have given a tour on Food and Feasting at the museum for this class. I decided it was about time I read one of the books that the students were reading. Better late than never.

Maybe I’m still channeling Julia, but I found this book very interesting and easy to read. Her style is casual. It is part memoir, part culinary history, part sociology. She ties together history, folklore, personal anecdote and analysis. She talks about the medieval kitchen, the classic French kitchen, Betty Crocker’s test kitchen (General Mills), her childhood kitchen, her kitchen today.

Here’s a little something from the book:

“What did you eat for breakfast? For lunch, for last night’s supper, as an afternoon, snack? What did you eat, and why? We think we choose food consciously, deliberately, rationally. We think about calories, price, time, convenience, cholesterol and fat and protein and other people’s opinions, even as we mull over our desire. But what we choose to eat, even what we want to eat, is dictated by forces far beyond our reach, by tiny tides we do not see. Whether we want to believe it or not, we eat what we eat for a thousand reasons. We eat to settle our nerves, in joy and despair, in boredom and lust. We comfort ourselves, make ritual, find delight. What we choose makes us naughty or good. Food fills many empty spaces. It can be symbolic, mythic, even archetypal - and nothing special. How we feel about food is how we feel about our own lives ...”

I keep a scrap piece of paper in the books I read, especially the non-fiction, and take notes as I go along. This piece of paper is covered, front and back, up and down, where ever there was an empty space to take a note. Tisdale talks about whole grains and the change to milled white flour being the modern way to eat because it was farther from the soil. Betty Crocker being the idea General Mills had to answer all those cooking questions being asked by women who had never learned how to cook and the desire to keep things quick and easy with the use of processed foods.

Interesting partial quotes (because I didn’t write the whole thing down) like this one from Wendell Berry, “It is impossible to mechanize production without mechanizing consumption.” ...”impossible to make machines of soil, plants, and animals without making machines also of people.”

Or, the quote from Belasco and his Appetite For Change: “Avoid processed food.” “Awakening to the joy of cooking and eating, especially together...” I had just returned from a wonderful afternoon at the Path of Tea and came home, picked up this book and read the last quote. I thought how wonderful it was to spend time with people I enjoy, drinking tea, eating cake, laughing, talking. Wow! Just like we were *real* people!

Lots of wonderful things in this book. Lots to think about. I'm going to set the table tonight for sandwiches and enjoy every minute talking to Mr. Dragon about his class today. Maybe a beer to go with the sandwich in a nice, tall sparkly glass?! A candle or two?!

I guess you get the idea. I did like this book and recommend it highly.

I've Been Reading...

I have three books to tell you about. All of them brain candy for me, one more than the others and I’ll start with the most candy!

***

Night Huntress by Yasmine Galenorn is the fifth book in the Otherworld Series. It is urban fantasy and Berkley calls it paranormal romance. Each book features one of the the D’Artigo sisters: sexy, savvy operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Being half-human, half-Fae means their supernatural talents always go haywire at the wrong time. Camille is a wicked-good witch who attracts men like honey attracts flies. She has three husbands. Menolly’s a vampire who’s still getting the hang of being undead. Delilah, is a werecat who’s been marked by the Autumn Lord as one of his Death Maidens.

Night Huntress features Delilah. Her boyfriend, the human Chase, mutters another woman’s name in his sleep. Then the Autumn Lord has very special plans for her. Karvanak - the Raksasa and really, really bad guy returns. In order to get his greedy hands on both the fourth spirit seal and his former associate, Vanzir, he kidnaps Chase.

Did I mention one of Camille’s husbands is a dragon?

If you are at all interested in this book, start at the beginning of the series to keep all the characters and ins and outs straight. First book is Witchling and features Camille. Galenorn has several other urban fantasy series.

***

Next is the novel Turning Angel by Greg Iles. The first Iles book I read was Quiet Game. We read it in preparation for the trip to Natchez that we made last year. Both books, Quiet Game and Turning Angel are set in Natchez and Iles really does justice to Natchez as a place. The turning angel really is an angel in the cemetery that looks as if she turns to watch you. Iles is from Natchez and he gets it right -- even the folks living there say so!

“After winning the most dangerous case of his career, prosecutor Penn Cage decides to remain in his Southern hometown to raise his young daughter in a safe haven. But nowhere is truly safe - not from long-buried secrets, or murder. When the nude body of prep school student Kate Townsend is found near the Mississippi River, Penn’s best friend, Drew Elliott, is desperate for his counsel. An esteemed family physician, Drew makes a shocking confession that could put him on death row. Penn will do all he can to exonerate Drew, but in a town where the gaze of a landmark cemetery statue - the Turning Angel - never looks away, Penn finds himself caught on the jagged edge of blackmail, betrayal, and deadly violence.”

Mr. Dragon and I both enjoyed Quiet Game and The Turning Angel. Set in Natchez, Penn Cage is in both novels.

***

Lastly, another book in a mystery series I finished last night: the sixth Jane Austen Mystery, Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House by Stephanie Barron.

“On a raw February morning, Jane Austen first learns of the case of Captain Tom Seagrave, who faces execution for a murder he swears he didn’t commit. Together, she and her brother Frank, a post captain in the Royal Navy, set out to uncover the truth.

It is a journey that leads from the troubled heart of Seagrave’s family, through the seaport’s worst sinkholes, and finally to the prison of Wool House. Risking contagion or worse, Jane comes away with more questions than answers. Did one of Seagrave’s jealous colleagues frame the unpopular captain? Was a veiled political foe at work? And what of the sealed orders under which Seagrave embarked that fateful night on his ship, the Stella Maris?”

All of Barron’s Austen novels are filled with history and written in the style of Miss Austen. This one is set in 1807. Lots of naval history. I admit that this is not my favorite in the series, but I must have enjoyed it as I finished it in two days! If you like historical mysteries set in England, you should try one. Again, it’s probably best if you start with the first one in the series: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor. There are some repeating characters and you don’t want to miss any of Jane’s relatives!

***

Joy To You on This Thursday!

Read a Book.

Any Book!

Horizontal Surfaces

How many horizontal surfaces in your home? Just count them. Tables (kitchen, dining room, library, coffee, end), the floor, beds, kitchen and bathroom counter tops, bookshelves. You get the idea. Now, how many of them collect things? More things than they should have. I really think you are getting the idea now!

Remember Hurricane Ike? We had to take everything off the walls downstairs, unload all the shelves, move furniture in order to repair our water soaked walls. Remember me telling you that we moved a lot of *stuff* into the guest bedroom. Well, some of that stuff is still on that bed and covered with plastic (we started to paint in that room -- got one wall finished and stopped, but the plastic is still there).

When Mr. Dragon was working I didn’t say much about where he dropped his *stuff* when he came in the door. I was just glad he was home and I understood how stressful his job was. I wasn’t going to pick on where stuff was dropped. I also knew what his office looked liked. Most of the time you couldn’t get in the door. His most important filing was done on the floor.

So, in walks retirement and WOW. I’m not a clean freak. I’m not particularly neat. But I’m learning fast! I do admit that I love that we LOVE living in our home and I guess it looks like it!

So, what about horizontal surfaces? Just this .... when you have folks over for a meal -- it is nice if you remove the fancy new putter from the dining room table.

***

We went to an Astros baseball game on Friday. They won. Then the roof at Minute Maid Stadium opened up for the Friday night fireworks display. Did I have my camera? NO! You can take my word for it -- the fireworks were beautiful.

***

You just knew I couldn't get away from Julie or Julia. Amazing isn't it? Maybe I'm channeling Julia or something! I was looking at the NYTimes and found an article that you can read here.
Here is a quote from the first part:

"Almost 48 years after it was first published, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child is finally topping the best-seller list, bringing with it all the butter, salt and goose fat that home chefs had largely abandoned in the age of Lipitor.

The book, given a huge lift from the recently released movie “Julie & Julia,” sold 22,000 copies in the most recent week tracked, according to Nielsen BookScan, which follows book sales. That is more copies than were sold in any full year since the book’s appearance, according to Alfred A. Knopf, which published it."

***

I’m posting this late Sunday evening for Monday morning. I’m off early on Monday for a session with my trainer. Yep. You read that right. I’m doing everything I can to put off the neurosurgeons knife as long as possible. My trainer is great. She knows me well and we are working on core strength and balance.

***

I'm thinking I might need a little of this before Monday is over!

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I am thankful for another day on beautiful Mother Earth.

Joy to You!