Semi-Sunday Salon

I'm still working my way through Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. I'm actually really enjoying it, although I can see why it was one of those prescribed books in high school English classes. And maybe history classes. It's kind of making me want to become a vegetarian. And it is SO DEPRESSING. But I can't stop reading, perhaps for the same reason people stop to look at car accidents...I want to see what awful fate will befall Jurgis and Ona next.

I got a new Bookmarks magazine a couple of days ago, so I'm looking forward to getting into that. And I got a little bit of birthday cash from my husband's aunt, uncle and cousins, that I will probably spend on a new book or two.

Ricky is still not doing as well as I would hope. Our lives have changed in so many previously unfathomable ways since January. We're still waiting for the doctor to start him on a preventive medication and, while we were waiting, he had another relapse. He seems to be coming out of that now, but he's not working or driving or even walking very well. And our insurance company, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida, is trying to deny coverage of his hospital stay and subsequent bills, as a "pre-existing condition," since the ER doctor whom he saw for five minutes on the date he was admitted into the hospital coded his bill wrong. And they're denying coverage for the medication Ricky's doctor wants him on. And, yes, I named the insurance company, because if they want to play around with my husband's LIFE like that, I'm going to bitch about them by name on my blog. It's been a long three months. And, with the exception of the Read-a-Thon (well, kind of even then), reading is kind of taking a backseat to everything else. Well, everything else except cleaning, which I haven't done too much of lately, either. I'm starting to teach a class or two next month at the local college, too, so I imagine my reading time will be even MORE cut back. So. I'm trying to keep updating, but there's not that much reading-related to talk about.

On a happier note, I promised Ricky a trip to the bookstore soon, to spend some of our birthday money, so maybe I'll be updating about that next weekend.

Review: 50 Great Appetizers by Pamela Sheldon Johns

I have to confess a secret: I've never reviewed a cookbook before, and I'm not really sure how to do it. This book was sent to me through LibraryThing Early Reviewers and the publisher, Andrews McMeel. The physical book is gorgeous. It is separated into four sections of appetizers: Topped & Dipped, Grilled & Skewered, Stuffed & Rolled, and Plated & Sauced. Each section features many full-color photos of the appetizers described. The book also contains tips for preparing for a party, several sample menus for themed get-togethers, and helpful prep tips for making these treats.

There are many of the recipes I'd like to try, when I get a little extra money in my pocket and have a chance to entertain again: Marinated Mushrooms; Papaya-Avocado Salsa; Tea-Smoked Chicken Wings; Mozzarella, Basil & Cherry Tomato Skewers; Grilled Scallops Wrapped in Pancetta; Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Crumbled Stilton; Fried Spring Rolls; and Orange-Broccoli Salad. The only quibble I had with the book is that most of the foods are a tad...pretentious? Fancy? I don't know what word to use. They're quite a bit more upper-crust than my taste and my friends' tastes tend to be. We're potato skins and chicken wings people, and these recipes are for a bit more elegant a palate. However, as I noted, several of the recipes sound delicious, so I'm sure I'll find a way to sneak them in amongst the hot wings and spinach-artichoke dip at our next party.

Overall, three out of five Whatevers. A good, solid array of appetizers to try out, if they are a bit on the haughty side.

Coming Out April 27th!

The fourth book is out at the end of this month! I can't wait! Perhaps some birthday funds will be expended on this one???

More for National Poetry Month

William Shakespeare. Great playwright (or was he?) but even better poet. I love many of his sonnets, but my favorite is Sonnet 116 (right? My abilities with Roman numerals are sketchy.), which I memorized in law school, during the morning hours as I got ready for classes. I found that memorizing the sonnet was a great way to relax before the Socratic method took over, and it helped keep my mind and memory sharp for class, too.

Sonnet CXVI

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove;
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up

I'm so lame. Not very long after I posted my Hour Fourteen update during the Read-a-Thon, I found myself unable to keep my eyes open any longer. By 10:30 Saturday night, I'd given up. Not sure if it was lack of sleep, lack of caffeine, the book I was reading, or just plain ol' eyestrain, but I pooped out and went to bed. My stats aren't much greater than when I posted that last update, and I'm so dispirited by my performance that I don't even want to go back and count the few extra pages I read. I'm pretty sure I didn't beat October's stats. I still have a review to write and post of the cookbook I read through (yay for another LibraryThing review FINALLY completed!), so that should be going up later this week. Sigh. Hopefully next RAT I'll do better!

Hour Fourteen

This is the point in the Read-a-Thon where I start losing track of what hour we're on. Have I really been reading for 14 hours?!?!?!? Hubby bailed on me a while ago, but I kept on keeping on with a magazine and a cookbook, two low-attention-span choices that have helped me stick with it! I'm just about to jump into Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Not sure if this is the best pick for the Read-a-Thon, but I'm willing to give it a go.

Title of book(s) read since last update: Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry; Glamour magazine; 50 Great Appetizers
Number of books read since you started: one book, one magazine, and one cookbook
Pages read since last update: 160 (magazine and cookbook pages)
Running total of pages read since you started: 736
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 103 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 689 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Two - the intro meme and mid-point meme.
Other participants you’ve visited: Danielle at My Favoritest, Fyrefly at Fyrefly's Book Blog (Readers of the Hour - I've decided not to do as much blog-visiting until I get too tired to read).
Prize you’ve won: None, yet.
Foods I've eaten: Leftover Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef burrito (I LOVE to eat Mexican for breakfast), some Doritos, one Diet Mt. Dew (I don't like regular Mt. Dew anymore), a mini Cadbury Creme Egg, some Orbit gum, a bottle of water, Boston Market macaroni and cheese microwave meal, some Starburst jellybeans, another Diet Mt. Dew, some pretzel sticks, another bottle of water, some pepperoni and pineapple pizza, a Pepsi, another piece of the pizza, some more water.

Hour Twelve - Midpoint

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?

Glamour magazine. It's been wonderful at keeping me going, since the articles are short enough to keep my attention after twelve long hours of reading!

2. How many books have you read so far?

Finished one.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I'd LOVE it if I could get to Commanche Moon!

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

I had to tell the in-law's that we were unavailable for visiting with family.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

A guy came by to see if he could cut our grass. And our neighbors are having some sort of party. Mostly, I just ignore the noise and roll with it!

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

Ummmm, not much, to be honest. I've been doing it for a couple of years now, so I pretty much know how it goes.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Last time, they posted a dedicated list of all the bloggers participating. Maybe I missed it this time, but it sure made it easier to visit a lot of blogs during the October RAT. Because I'm lazy.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Not really anything.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

A little, but I keep drinking caffeine.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

I always pimp magazines for the Read-a-Thon. And short story collections. Good for when the attention span is waning.

***************************

Title of book(s) read since last update: Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry; working on Glamour magazine
Number of books read since you started: one
Pages read since last update: 159 (magazine pages)
Running total of pages read since you started: 576
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 110 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 586 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Is the first-hour meme a mini challenge? If so, then one.
Other participants you’ve visited: Danielle at My Favoritest, Fyrefly at Fyrefly's Book Blog (Readers of the Hour - I've decided not to do as much blog-visiting until I get too tired to read).
Prize you’ve won: None, yet.
Foods I've eaten: Leftover Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef burrito (I LOVE to eat Mexican for breakfast), some Doritos, one Diet Mt. Dew (I don't like regular Mt. Dew anymore), a mini Cadbury Creme Egg, some Orbit gum, a bottle of water, Boston Market macaroni and cheese microwave meal, some Starburst jellybeans, another Diet Mt. Dew, some pretzel sticks, another bottle of water, some pepperoni and pineapple pizza, a Pepsi, another piece of the pizza.

Hour TEN!

I haven't read as much in the last couple of hours, since I took time out to order and eat a pizza with Ricky and write up a review of the book I finished. But still going strong! We watched part of a movie while eating, but now hubby and I are back to reading.

Title of book(s) read since last update: Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry; working on Glamour magazine
Number of books read since you started: one
Pages read since last update: 81
Running total of pages read since you started: 417
Amount of time spent reading since last update: approx. 45 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 476 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Is the first-hour meme a mini challenge? If so, then one.
Other participants you’ve visited: Danielle at My Favoritest, Fyrefly at Fyrefly's Book Blog (Readers of the Hour - I've decided not to do as much blog-visiting until I get too tired to read).
Prize you’ve won: None, yet.
Foods I've eaten: Leftover Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef burrito (I LOVE to eat Mexican for breakfast), some Doritos, one Diet Mt. Dew (I don't like regular Mt. Dew anymore), a mini Cadbury Creme Egg, some Orbit gum, a bottle of water, Boston Market macaroni and cheese microwave meal, some Starburst jellybeans, another Diet Mt. Dew, some pretzel sticks, another bottle of water, some pepperoni and pineapple pizza, and a Pepsi.

Review: Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry

I really don't know what I'm going to do now that I've finished my third in the Lonesome Dove series. There's only one more left!!! Luckily, McMurtry has a long backlist, but those other titles don't have Gus McCrae in them. Sigh.

If you haven't already guessed, I loved this book as much as the other two I've read. McMurtry takes us back in time to Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call's first adventures with the Texas Rangers. In this novel, the two men join up with a party of Rangers traveling from Austin to Santa Fe, to take New Mexico for the Republic of Texas. They earn the ire of Commanche war chief Buffalo Hump and his thieving second, Kicking Wolf, as well as the Mexican army. Their party of 200 dwindles to ten before they reach Santa Fe. Can they outrun Buffalo Hump's bloodthirsty lance? Will they escape from the Mexican army with their lives?

The book was full of the Wild West adventures that I loved reading about in Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo. But with more evil Commanche and Apache action. This novel takes place before the white man has wiped out most of the Indian forces in the West, before areas like New Mexico and California were settled. Gus and Call were just what I would have imagined younger versions of themselves would be like. McMurty must know his characters well to have been able to write such consistent versions of them throughout their lives. Gus spoke just like the older Gus would, only with a hint of the teenager about him. It's great to see what the men were like as boys. I simply LOVED this book.

Five out of five Whatevers from me. Hopefully, Commanche Moon, the last of the four books about Gus and Call, will be as good as the first three have been. I have no reason to believe it won't!

And now I'm going to read a magazine for a bit of a break.

ETA: I bought this book with my own money, FTC. So there.

Hour Eight

Hubby has joined me in the Read-a-Thon, at least as long as his attention span holds out. He's reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, while I'm still trying to finish up McMurtry's Dead Man's Walk. I'm sososososo close to the end! It's almost time to start our discussion about what kind of pizza to order for dinner...YUM!

Title of book(s) read since last update: Still working on Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry - almost done!
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 82
Running total of pages read since you started: 336
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 110 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 431 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Is the first-hour meme a mini challenge? If so, then one.
Other participants you’ve visited: Danielle at My Favoritest, Fyrefly at Fyrefly's Book Blog (Readers of the Hour - I've decided not to do as much blog-visiting until I get too tired to read).
Prize you’ve won: None, yet.
Foods I've eaten: Leftover Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef burrito (I LOVE to eat Mexican for breakfast), some Doritos, one Diet Mt. Dew (I don't like regular Mt. Dew anymore), a mini Cadbury Creme Egg, some Orbit gum, a bottle of water, Boston Market macaroni and cheese microwave meal, some Starburst jellybeans, another Diet Mt. Dew, some pretzel sticks.

Hour Six!

Spent most of the last couple of hours in the bedroom. I did take a brief break to microwave myself a quick lunch and throw some dishes in the dishwasher (my work is never done!), but it's mostly been reading! I'm getting close to the end of my current read. I think I'll switch to a magazine when I'm done with this book.

Title of book(s) read since last update: Working on Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 80
Running total of pages read since you started: 254
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 112 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 321 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Is the first-hour meme a mini challenge? If so, then one.
Other participants you’ve visited: None, yet.
Prize you’ve won: None, yet.
Foods I've eaten: Leftover Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef burrito (I LOVE to eat Mexican for breakfast), some Doritos, one Diet Mt. Dew (I don't like regular Mt. Dew anymore), a mini Cadbury Creme Egg, some Orbit gum, a bottle of water, Boston Market macaroni and cheese microwave meal, some Starburst jellybeans, another Diet Mt. Dew.

Hour Four

Well, the husband is up, so reading may get a little more difficult from here on out. He lives with the TV on, so that may be a bit of a distraction for me. Luckily, I'm in the middle of a great book, and I think I may move to the bedroom for more privacy...

Title of book(s) read since last update: Working on Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 77
Running total of pages read since you started: 174
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 101 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 209 mintues
Mini-challenges completed: Is the first-hour meme a mini challenge? If so, then one.
Other participants you’ve visited: None, yet.
Prize you’ve won: None, yet.
Foods I've eaten: Leftover Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef burrito (I LOVE to eat Mexican for breakfast), some Doritos, one Diet Mt. Dew (I don't like regular Mt. Dew anymore), a mini Cadbury Creme Egg, some Orbit gum and a bottle of water.

Read-a-Thon Hours One and Two

Here's the first hour meme:

Where are you reading from today?
I'm never sure if this question means my geographic location or what part of the house. So I'll answer both: I'm reading from sunny South Florida, presently seated comfortably on my couch. I intend to also take advantage of the recliner in the living room, the papasan chair in the library, and my bed.

3 facts about me …
1. My cousin is getting married in Ohio today. I wish I could be there.
2. I have three cats who are helping me make it through the Read-a-Thon: Emaline, Picasso, and Estrella.
3. I'm currently in love with Larry McMurtry's writing.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I've pulled together four novels, a cookbook I need to review, and a magazine.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
Not really. I just want to read as much as possible, as many pages for as many hours as I can.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Take liberal breaks! Go to sleep if you need to, then wake up and read some more.

And my progress so far:

Title of book(s) read since last update: Working on Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 97
Running total of pages read since you started: 97
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 108 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 108 mintues
Mini-challenges completed: Is the first-hour meme a mini challenge? If so, then one.
Other participants you’ve visited: None, yet.
Prize you’ve won: None, yet.
Foods I've eaten: Leftover Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef burrito (I LOVE to eat Mexican for breakfast), some Doritos, one Diet Mt. Dew (I don't like regular Mt. Dew anymore).

Read-a-Thon GO!

This is, I think, my fourth Read-a-Thon? Maybe my fifth? Anyway, it's always a good time. And, with that, I'm off to immerse myself in some Larry McMurtry for the next few hours.

Happy Read-a-Thon, all!

Tomorrow's the Read-a-Thon!

Do I have books lined up to read? Yup.

Do I have snacks stockpiled in my kitchen? Yup.

Do I have caffeine chilling in the fridge? Yup.

Have I seen to it that hubby has plans for the day? Sort of.

Have I cleaned off the furniture in preparation to sit my butt on it all day long? Not so much.

But am I ready to read? HELL YEAH!

On a Non-Book-Related Note...

I won a motion to suppress today. It was kind of a big deal for me. The last couple of months have been hard on me, both personally (my husband's illness) and professionally (losing three trials in a row and seeing someone go to prison for a LOOONG time when I thought he shouldn't). So it's nice to know that I've still got it. It's nice to know that I'm keeping cops honest, and it's nice to see a client cry from joy for once, instead of from despair. Not everyone understands or agrees with what I do, but I love my job.

The Public Defender's Credo

I am a Public Defender
I am the guardian of the presumption of
innocence, due process and fair trial.
To me is entrusted the preservation
of those sacred principles.
I will promulgate them with courtesy and respect
but not with obsequiousness and not with fear.
For I am partisan; I am counsel for the defense.
Let none who oppose me forget that
With every fibre of my being I will
fight for my clients.
My clients are the indigent accused,
They are the lonely, the friendless.
My voice will be raised in their defense.
I will resolve all doubt in their favor.
This will be my credo; this and the Golden Rule.
I will seek acclaim and approval
only from my own conscience. And upon
my death, if there are a few lonely people who have benefited,
my efforts will not have been in vain.

(Stolen from the 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida Public Defender's website, but it hangs on the wall in our office, too.)

Review: The Best American Short Stories 2009 ed. by Alice Sebold

Well, another edition of one of my favorite short story collections is over and done with. I think I always talk about how long I've been collecting these volumes (about ten years now) when I review one of them. But that says something to me: consistent high quality. And, once again, the collection delivers.

It's hard to review short story collections. There's less to talk about because there's more to give away. Standouts in this book, for me, were "A Shadow Table" by Alice Fulton, set in the 1920's, with a Japanese flair; "Sagittarius" by Greg Hrbek, which was probably my favorite in the whole collection, about parents trying to come to terms with a, ahem, differently-abled child; and "One Dog Year" by Kevin Moffett, about the last days of John D. Rockefeller.

Those are very simplistic descriptions of the stories, and only descriptions of the ones I particularly liked. All of them, however, stood out in their own ways. To get too far into the details of each storyline would probably lead to me giving away spoilers and endings...I can't keep a secret. Suffice it to say, this collection was excellent, as usual. However, this time, I'm giving it four and a half out of five Whatevers, since it didn't hold my attention as well as the last collection did. Still excellent, still a great introduction to the short fiction form for those who aren't accustomed to it, just not as good as the last one.

Now I'll be starting my third in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, Dead Man's Walk. I hope it's as good as the other two I've read!

April Is National Poetry Month

I'm not a huge poetry reader (although I was in my college days), but I do have several collections by poets I love: Yeats, Auden, Dorothy Parker. Another of my favorite poets is Robert Louis Stevenson. When I was young, I owned a copy of A Child's Garden of Verses. These poems never cease to remind me of my childhood and, for that reason, they remain some of my favorite poetry to this day. My sister and I had a swingset in our backyard and we loved to repeat this poem while swinging out over the grass:

The Swing
by Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!