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Domestic Goddess: Pollock Fillets seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper, Bush's Best Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans, Green Grapes and Chocolate Chip Cookies that my husband prepared.  Sorry about the previous type error with my last post.

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Domestic Goddess: Pollock Fillets seasoned with Mrs. Dash

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Domestic Goddess: Is this correct, if one would like to post/share a recipe, we do so here?  If so, was searching to see if there were separate recipe categories?

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Library Bookshelf

Started by Marilyne, March 29, 2016, 03:20:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

JeanneP

Good way to keep busy Mary. Clearing things out. My place is a mess. Every closet full of stuff that should be gone. I had 5 Grands and now all grown up, Married with children and I still have all their Games. Books. GI joes. Records filling up one closet. All from the 60s. Must have 3 computers stores in one. Clothes I will never wear again. Promise myself soon as it warms up everything will go. Specially Kitchen stuff. My 2 daughters want nothing and none of the rest of the Grands need a thing. I am embarrassed everytime I open a closet door.
JeanneP

maryz

Jeanne, those '60s records are probably worth a bunch of money.  Don't just throw them out.  People are really buying them right now.

Good luck to all with the down-sizing!
"When someone you love dies, you never quite get over it.  You just learn how to go on without them. But always keep them safely tucked in your heart."

Marilyne

JeanneP: Another thing - don't throw away any G.I. Joe's.  The old original "Joe's", from the 1960's and 70's are extremely hard to find, and collectors will pay quite a bit for them.  Some older kitchen items, as well as some dinnerware from the 1950's/60's are also of interest to collectors.

maryc

Last evening I found the novel Necessary Lies on my Hoopla site.  It is an audio book but that's ok.  I can listen when my eyes are tired.   It is starting off to be a good story.  Thanks for the tip.
Mary C

JeanneP

#1234
MaryC.  Now I still have the Radio/record player from 1964. Beautiful Cabinet so just could not let it go. Plays 2 sizes of records like when new. I record shop found a new needle to put on it couple years ago. Have most of the London or Broadway big shows. Was a big collector of Folk Music and Country from 50 years or so back. Surprised they still play good.
Most of the things I have I have had at least 55 years in this house. collected for years  but when my mum and aunt passed in UK I brought lots of their collections which they had owned since the 1930s and earlier. some China for 1814 and a clock for 1759. Will maybe check with our University Museum here on day and see what they would like to have.  That is why I hate parting but i will.
JeanneP

Marilyne

maryc - Let us know if you listened to Necessary Lies, on your Kindle, and if so, how you liked it?  I thought it was a very good story, based on fact. 

JeanneP - I think you would like it too. . . by author Diane Chamberlain, who wrote The Stolen Marriage.

Now I'm reading another novel by Chamberlain, titled The Silent Sister.  So far I'm liking it a lot!  Like her other books, it's hard to put down!

JeanneP

Marilyne.  Now I check the library the other day hoping tha Diane Chamberlain  had other large prints books like Stolen Marriage which I loved.  Don't see any . Lots in Small print.. Will check if any Ibooks come up and read on IPad...Been trying not to put more books on it  as have so many.
JeanneP

JeanneP

I just went into library to see what they did have by Diana Champerlain.  35 books come up but only the Stolen marriage and 2 others in small print. All the rest are on Ibooks only. Library doing that more and more now. It is a big city library and always building something but will not spend on Books it seems. They do real good buying the DVD as get a movie soon as they come out....
JeanneP

MarsGal

I've been resorting to more and more e-books and, surprisingly, Audible for relatively new books as well as the old ones. My small library branch and even the county system often no longer have hardcopy of the all the series books I have gotten interested in. Their philosophy is that if a book (regardless of whether or not it is part of a series) gets below a certain number of checkouts over a period of a year, they remove it. That leaves those of us who discover an older series we hadn't run across before scrambling to fill the gap. I had that problem with Donna Leon's Inspector Brunnetti series, and have just run up against it with Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series. Not only that, I was only able to find Shards of Honor in online streaming form and the next, Barrayar in MP3 format. I am not sure but, I will probably have to stream that online, too, when it becomes available unless I am able to download it to the Amazon music app. I doubt that Audible will see it, but I could be wrong. If all else fails, then I have to decide whether or not the series (or any book for that matter) is worth buying with my limited funds.

I think I haven't mentioned yet that I stopped volunteering at the library as of this week. My back is just not up to the bending/twisting motions for shelving and pulling books anymore. Fortunately, my branch is only five or six blocks up the street, so it isn't going to be a problem for borrowing and returning books.

At the moment I am pretty much in between books again. I am in the middle of one audiobook and am picking around at several ebooks to see what is interesting. I started L. Ron Hubbard's SciFi, Battlefield Earth because it is supposed to be a classic that changed the face of the SciFi genre. Apparently, the genre was more or less strictly technical and science focused at the expense of human characters. Hubbard changed that. And now look what we have: Hard SciFi (the original tech/science, I suppose), Military SciFi, Space Opera, Psychological, Thriller (crime/detective/techno) SciFi, Speculative Fiction (and emerging genre that Ursula le Guin and Margaret Atwood, among others, would like their works referred to as this rather than being lumped into SciFi). These days, it is hard to definitely place many of the books in one or other genre, there are so many cross-overs.

The last of the Red Sparrow trilogy is out. The movie releases at the beginning of March. I am quite interested to see what the movie people have done with it. I read a while back that it going to have a definite R rating, so maybe they won't strip too much story from the book. If you didn't know, Red Sparrow is what they call trained Russian operatives in seduction and blackmail techniques to gather information from their targets. The author and his wife are retired CIA operatives; the books in are modern day settings.


maryc

Marilyne,  I'm about finished with Hidden Lies.  It reminds me of the frustration I felt when I read The Help.  "Robert" :tickedoff: ......so concerned about his small minded friend's opinions!!    I'm hoping this ends like the Hallmark movies with the girl making an important decision before her life gets too messed up.  Now you know my view.
Mary C

Marilyne

MarsGal & maryc - I’m sorry to say that I've never listened to an audio book!  I’ll have to remedy that soon, now that I know I can listen on my Kindle.  I know I’m going to have to figure out how to get the connection to Audible, but hope to find the information online. 

Mars - Sorry that you gave up your volunteer job at the library.  I understand, as I'm sure I couldn’t bend to place books on the bottom shelf (even sitting on those low rolling trolleys).  Also lifting anything above shoulder height is almost impossible now.  I recently moved all of my dinner plates, to a rack on the counter top, because I could no longer lift the plates up, or take them down.  Some books I’ve owned for years seem extremely heavy to me now, although it never bothered me in the past.  I’m trying not to let those things depress me. :'(  I’m interested in the Red Sparrow trilogy too.  Looking forward to it!  You mentioned Margaret  Atwood .. . have you watched, A Handmaid’s Tale?  I haven’t seen it yet, but I hope to watch it soon. 

maryc - That’s one of the things that I like about Diane Chamberlain's books.  Despict all of the conflicts and struggles that are going on in the story, most things, (involving the main character),  are resolved satisfactorily in the end. 

JeanneP - You might try reading Chamberlain's books in the regular print.  All of the ones I've read so far have been good sized, easy to handle hard cover library books.  The print is nice and dark, and isn't as small as it is in paper back books.

MarsGal

Marilyne, I am very quickly getting used to listening to audio books, but only when my eyes go fuzzy on me from reading or playing on the computer. That way I am not much distracted by doing housework or other things that take any concentration. I am pleased by the number of very good Readers, but there are quite a few that seem rather flat or don't quite get the "voices" or inflections right, IMO. Fortunately, you can listen to a sample to determine if you like the book or not. The classics, especially, have several different Readers /versions that you can check out. Also, the offerings include Great Courses Lectures and Radio or Stage Plays and the like that have multiple voices (thank you, BBC). A few even include sound-effects or music.

Something my sister and her husband do is download an audiobook and then burn it to disc so they can take it with them on their trips. Sue prefers listening to them during their drives because she doesn't get distracted by things to do in the house.

I saw the 1990 movie at a small, independent theatre in Allentown.  There are some big names in the movie, but I don't think it ever got much attention by the media or a big advertising presence. I don't think the type/theme of the movie was of interest to many at that time. I read the book, too. If you haven't read it, it is written in diary form which a future anthropologist discovered and read, commenting or speculating a little (if I remember correctly) on various entries. I actually liked the movie better because it was given a smoother continuity. The TV show I have not seen.

Marilyne

MarsGal - I looked up Red Sparrow at both of my libraries, country and city, and there is a wait list at both!  It surprised me, being as the book is not new.  It must be because of the TV show, which will be starting soon.  I didn't realize that there was a movie in 1990 . . . I may see if it's available On Demand.

Tomereader1

I think "Red Sparrow" is a movie, not TV show.  I read the book last year, and it was very good if very dark and violent. It is part of a Trilogy, the newest one just coming out. Jennifer Lawrence is going to be great in it.  Did you all see 60 minutes tonight?  She was inteviewed.

MarsGal

I am anxious to see if the movie combines all three books or just follows the first, since it looks like they timed the movie release closely to the release of the last book. Not that I pay any attention to Rotten Tomato rates, but they only give it three stars. Disappointing, but it may change once the movie opens March 1 to the public.

Gave up on Hubbard's Battlefield Earth fairly quickly. It isn't a bad story, simply written, but I am not in the mood for it. It does remind my of one of Marion Bradley's Time Agent series books where the where the Time Agents went back to the stone ages.

The Audiobook I am listening to now, We Are Legion: We Are Bob (Bobiverse book 1), does have a sequence where some of the Bob's are helping a group of stone age era sentient beings to survive. Another set of Bob's are trying to help Earth evacuate before a Nuclear Winter (or asteroid hit, I forget which) exterminates the survivors. Also, the book includes Brazilian probes as the improbable antagonists in the war and space colony race. The reader, Ray Porter, is great at changing voice for his various Bob's.  He does a credible impression of the fish general in Star Wars (forget his name) in his character, Guppy. One, called Homer, sounds a lot like Homer Simpson. Another Bob, calling himself Riker, is a huge Star Trek fan and styles his "command" after him. Funny! Oh, and yes, I am having a little trouble remembering where all these Bob's are at times as they spread out into the galaxy looking for new homes for humans.             

MarsGal

Just a while ago, I found the audiobook version of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. I've had that book on my Paperwhite for quite some time but never got around to reading it. Kenneth Branagh is the reader. Branagh does a superlative job of the reading, and I am so glad I had put off reading the book. I don't think I would have had the patience to read it now without frequent pauses. Conrad is quite a word smith isn't he?

Marilyne

Mars - When I took Senior English, in high school, our second semester assignment was to write a term paper on a contemporary British Author who was born in the 19th century, but  lived on into the 20th. (It was contemporary at that time, which was 1952.)  I wanted to do my paper on Virginia Wolff, but our teacher decided which author we would have, and she gave me, A.J. Cronin - Keys of the Kingdom, and The Citadel,.  My boyfriend was in the same class and he was assigned Joseph Conrad.  We read each others books, and studied together, so besides all of Cronin's books, I also read Heart of Darkness.   I loved that novel at the time, and have not read it since. Now that you've reminded me, I plan to put it at the top of my library list to read again.  I would also like to listen to the audio book, read by Kenneth Branagh, but will reread the book first.

Interesting, when I look back over a half century ago, I can see that A.J. Cronin and his novels, have not withstood the test of time . . . whereas both Joseph Conrad and Virginia Wolff's books are still being read, and assigned in classrooms.     

MarsGal

I have just started listening to News of the World, which, I think, some of you have mentioned before. The reader is Grover Gardner. He is a fantastic reader. I looked him up and found that he has received numerous awards for his readings, has read over 800 books so far, and is much younger than I thought.

FlaJean

I really enjoyed News of the World.  I downloaded a free version of Heart of Darkness.  I sampled several audio versions but the voices were irritating to my ears.  The audio version by Kenneth Branagh cost $15.  I’ll stick with the free one.

MarsGal

FlaJean, the version I listened to is from Audible Prime. I Have Amazon Prime so Audible gives me some free books and a few other audio channels to stream for free. The choices are pretty limited and if I want to download, I would have to pay. I just listened to the free online stream instead.

Tomereader1

#1250
Speaking of "News of the World", along with three other members of my face-to-face book club, I had the privilege of seeing and hearing Paulette Jiles.  This woman is a brilliant scholar, and though this book brought her to the forefront of readers everywhere, she has written other novels, as well as poetry.  She is a deft speaker, both serious and funny.  In the Q&A afterwards, she answered all questions thoughtfully and in depth, as called for.  One of the questions was "will there be a sequel to "News of the World"? To which she thoughtfully but rapidly answered "No". Should you get an opportunity to hear her, by all means, do so.

maryc

I remember reading News of the World a while back.    It was a good story.    My problem with the audio books is that it puts me to sleep and I can't remember where I left off.   :(     I did enjoy Necessary Lies but know that I missed one part toward the end.   I had to go back and listen to a portion over to find out what had happened.

I finished The Michigan Street Children last evening.   It had quite a bit about the Civil War in the last part of the book and especially a lot of detail about Andersonville Prison.    I had read the book Andersonville many years ago but this was a sad refreshment of my memories of that.   

Mary C

Marilyne

maryc - The Michigan Street Children sounds interesting. I'm always ready to read anything that takes place during or after the Civil War, so I will place that book on my ever growing list!  The Civil War era, and the WWII era, and their aftermaths, are my two favorite time frames for novels.

Occasionally, when I go to the library, I will take a chance on a book that I find in the large print section.  Last week I got The Hollywood Daughter, by Kate Alcott. The story takes place in the 1940's and 50's, when lots of scandals were taking place in the film industry.  First came the Ingrid Bergman/Roberto Rossellini affair, and then the McCarthy hearings, accusing many Hollywood stars of being communists.  The story is told through the eyes of a young teenager, who is the daughter of a Hollywood press agent.   This is fiction, but based on fact. Interesting for it's take on the movie stars of that era.  My how things have changed! :o

I also got Heart of Darkness, by Conrad. I was hoping to read it once again after so many years, but I won't be able to read this copy.  The print is extremely small and difficult for me to see.  I think I'll wait, and listen to the audio version, read by Kenneth Branagh.

maryc

It's been quiet here for a time.


  I just finished a book called All the Winters After by Sere Prince Halverson.  This was from HOOPLA and turned out to be quite good.  It was set in Alaska and there was a good bit about a religious group called The Old Believers.  It seems that they had moved from Russia to Asia and eventually to Oregon then to Alaska.  I hadn't heard of them before so it was interesting along with the rest of the story.
Mary C

Marilyne

mary - yes, it has been very quiet in here this past week.  I think I finally burned out on Diane Chamberlain's novels.  I started out with The Stolen Marriage, then Necessary Lies, followed by The Silent Sister.  I liked all three, and figured I would just forge ahead and read a few more, so I got, Pretending to Dance.   

I started "Dance" right away, and although the characters and story sounded just as good as the others, for some reason, I just couldn't stay with it.  A recent review I read, compared Chamberlain's books with those of Jodi Picoult, and I definitely see the similarity.  I read three or four of Picoult's novels in a row, and then stopped and was never interested in reading another one.  So, I plan to take "Dance" back to the library tomorrow, along with Heart of Darkness. I'm still on a long wait list for The Red Sparrow, and something else - can't remember what - so I'm open to just about anything that catches my eye.

MarsGal

I got notice that The Kremlin's Candidate (Red Sparrow book 3) is ready for me to pick up. I will do that tomorrow.

News of the World is done, so I picked around at several e-books, deleted a few that were of little interest, and settled on Renegade (The Spiral Wars, book 1) by Joel Shepherd. It is a space opera involving political intrigue involving framing a hero then murdering him, and framing one of his subordinates for the murder just after the end of a long-running war. Long running resentments against a wealthy family that has some sympathy towards a large but politically suppressed opposition party appear to be the driving force behind the plot right now. Easy read, likable characters.

I just ran across an old Cathy cartoon I clipped out of the newspaper about 20 years ago. Cathy, on her laptop hunting down books to buy, says "Ready? Who has time to read?? I acquire!"  Cathy Guisewite created the comic which ran from 1976-2010. It was one of the few comics I tried never to miss.  Just now looked her up on Google. She must have truly retired, because there isn't anything from her since then.

JeanneP

Didn't realize that Chamberlain had written so many books. I loved Secret marriage but can't find any others in Large Print. Maybe some will come onto Book Bub for Ipad and I will buy.

It does seem to be that a author now can write a couple of good books and then they become awful. they just have to write so many now to make money.
JeanneP

Marilyne

JeanneP - The Chamberlain books that I've been reading are regular print, but the books are hard cover, and slightly larger in size than the usual library books . . . so the print doesn't seem so close together, and is easier to read because it is dark.  Don't check out any of her soft cover books!  I looked at one of her books in soft cover, but the print was too light, and too small and close together.

MarsGal - I saved a lot of "Cathy" cartoon strips also!  Some of them were so true to my life at the time - especially the ones that dealt with exchanges between Cathy and her mother.  Very much like my daughter and me. ;D

FlaJean - How did you like the audio version of "Heart of Darkness"?

FlaJean

Marilyne, I sampled a couple of audio readings of “heart of Darkness” and didn’t care for them. I have found using head phones or ear buds irritates my ears.  So I thought I could just listen thru the speaker, But didn’t care for the readers.  I ended up getting a free regular eversion from iBooks, but haven’t started it yet.

I bought the eversion of Katie Tur’s book “Unbelievable” and it was very interesting.

Marilyne

I noticed a book while I was browsing at the library, called Vanessa and Her Sister, by Prima Parmar.  The title sounded interesting, but I knew nothing else about the book, when I checked it out.  It turns out to be an historical fiction account of the young adult lives of Virginia Woolf, and her sister Vanessa Bell. The story starts in 1905, so both sisters are in their twenties, and are not yet married.

If you are a Virginia Woolf fan, or even if you are just curious about her, this is fascinating reading!  The novel is written in journal and letter form.  The journal part is written by Vanessa, and most of the letters are written by friends, lovers and other family members.  It's very well researched, and much of the writing is adapted from Vanessa's actual diaries. I am totally enthralled by the lifestyle that they lived as young women!

I’m not finished yet, but I’m so glad I happened to pick this novel.  It’s different from anything I have read in the past.  I would especially recommend it to anyone who has read or is interested in  Virginia Woolf, or who has seen the movie, The Hours.