booking through thursday

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Which non-series book would you most like to read the sequel to? Do you have any wishes for what might happen in it? From the archives.

In 2010 I read one of my favorites of the year called The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti that I would like to know more about what happened after it ended.

finished reading

I am not quite sure what to say about this book. Early on, you find out that Eva, the mother, regularly visits her son, Kevin, in prison--after a school massacre. Although the book builds up to the event, it's not just about Thursday. It's a study of motherhood and an unconventional family dynamic.


From the publisher:

Eva never really wanted to be a mother—and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage, in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.

w.w.w. wednesday

MizB at A Daily Rhythm has made some changes to her weekly meme line up and W.W.W. Wednesdays is no longer a weekly meme. But I love this meme and am going to continue it on my own.

• What are you currently reading? I'm reading The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness and I'm listening to As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes.

• What did you recently finish reading? I finished We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, it took a longer time to get into it than I would normally give a book but in the end I couldn't put it down.

• What do you think you’ll read next? Imagine, I'm procrastinating reading this book... The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizingby Marie Kondo. I really will read it!tee hee

ten things tuesday

Ten songs that just popped up on my iTunes playlist.

1) Zach Heckendorf: All The Right Places

2) Paul McCartney: My Very Good Friend The Milkman

3) KT Tunstall: Silent Sea

4) Paul Simon: The Obvious Child

5) Robbie Williams: Angels

6) Doves: There Goes The Fear

7) Linda Ronstadt & Ann Savoy: I Can't Get Over You

8) Gavin DeGraw: Not Over You

9) Maroon 5: Wipe Your Eyes

10) Jason Mraz: 93 Million Miles

musing mondays

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Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

This week’s random question: Do you prefer Hardcover, Trade Paperback, or Mass Market Paperback? Why?

I read exclusively on my Nook now. I did like hardcovers or trade paperbacks.

Up next I need to read my book group's May selection: The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness. I know nothing about it. Sometimes those are the most fun books.

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

sunday stealing

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Sunday Stealing: The Funky Twenty-Five Meme

1. Most unflattering hairstyle you ever had? What made it so unflattering? probably my mohawk 80s experiment

2. Favorite movie(s) that were made in the 90's? Four Weddings And A Funeral and City of Angels

3. Do you rent movies? If so, from where? Netflix

4. Do you like cookies better when they're just out of the oven or after they've cooled? warm

5. Do you still talk to the person who gave you your first kiss? we occasionally have Facebook chats

6. Did you go to pre-school? If so, what was the name of it? no preschool

7. How do you take your coffee? iced, with cream and liquid sugar

8. Do you like fuzzy things? yes, I'm a real texture person

9. Favorite kind of chocolate? milk

10. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic? realist

11. What about peopleofwalmart.com? Do you think the site is mean, funny, or both? both

12. Do you like fat sandwiches? If so, what does your favorite one have on it? I don't know what this is

13. One restaurant you'd never been to but would like to go to? the Palms

14. Last time you got a haircut? Do you need one? last Monday

15. What's your favorite pattern for clothing (stripes, plaid, etc.)? paisley

16. What's your age backwards? 94

17. When you see typos in a survey, do you correct them? sometimes

18. When was your last vacation? Did you go someplace special? it was a staycation and today's the last day!

19. What's your favorite kind of pancakes? multigrain from IHOP

20. Do you like movies with computer graphics, like Avatar? I've never seen Avatar, so I don't know

21. Do you know how to sew? buttons, basic seams

22. Are you good at wrapping gifts? yes!

23. Do you like flavored yogurt? some, if it's not too sweet

24. How old will you be in December of 2015? 50

25. What's the age difference between you and your siblings? we are all 2 years apart

laughter

I spent hours with my Dad laughing our heads off over the most trivial stuff. I'm so lucky to have my dad.

saturday 9

Hawaii Five-O

1) This is the theme from the TV show that originally ran from 1968 to 1980 and is on now again with a new cast. Were you/are you a fan? I was, although I didn't really understand much of what was going on

2) On both shows, Five-O is an elite police task force led by Det. Lt. Steve McGarrett. Who is your favorite TV cop? Detective Ed Green from Law & Order

3) On both shows, the part of Danny "Danno" Williams was played by a second generation performer. (James MacArthur was the son of Broadway legend Helen Hayes; Scott Caan is the son of movie actor James Caan.) If you followed one of your parents into their chosen profession, what would you be doing? I would be a teacher. ;-)

4) Both shows are filmed in Hawaii, the boyhood home of President Obama. Have any of our 44 Presidents hailed from your state? not president but Vice President

5) Kona coffee is made from beans cultivated on the Big Island of Hawaii. Are you a big coffee drinker? I love coffee, especially Dunkin' Donuts iced

6) This week's song was written by the late Morton Stevens. In addition to composing for TV shows, he was the musical director for a group of entertainers known in the 60s as "The Rat Pack." Can you name any "Rat Pack" members? Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, and I can't remember the last name of Joey...

7) This week's featured band, The Ventures, began when Don Wilson purchased a used car from Bob Bogle. During negotiations, they discovered a shared passion for playing guitar. Did you buy your current ride new or used? Did the negotiations go smoothly? I bought it online and it went smoothly

8) The year this song was popular, 1969, is when Donald and Doris Fisher opened a San Francisco clothing store called The Gap. Today there are more than 3,200 Gap locations. Do you shop at The Gap or gap.com? I do not

9) Random question: What's on your Saturday to-do list? I've accomplished everything on my list! Manicure, lunch, shopping...

friday 5

Interview

1. In what way is all your world a stage?
I'd say because I'm a teacher it's like I perform several times each day
2. What is something wicked which this way comes?
This weather! Holy moly, it is April 24 and it's snowing!
3. Is the fault in us, in our stars, or in something else?
In us
4. What will you be doing tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow?
Enjoying the end of vacation
5. What’s your most recent pound of flesh made of?
hmmm...nothing really

bragtastic

My friend the actor was on the Today Show this morning. He is starring in Something Rotten on Broadway. He has also been nominated for the 2015 Outer Critic's Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical.

busy day

A pedi followed by laundry day! Phew! I need a nap. It is vacation, after all.

w.w.w. wednesday

MizB at A Daily Rhythm has made some changes to her weekly meme line up and W.W.W. Wednesdays is no longer a weekly meme. But I love this meme and am going to continue it on my own.

• What are you currently reading? I'm reading We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver and I'm listening to As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes.

• What did you recently finish reading? I finished a couple of books I was reading for school.

• What do you think you’ll read next? Imagine, I'm procrastinating reading this book... The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizingby Marie Kondo. tee hee

ten things tuesday

Since I'm on staycation, here are ten things going on this week:

1) I knit this hat for a student

2) A visit with my hair goddess!

3) Lunch at my favorite cafe, with my favorite people.

4) Pedicure time.

5) Swapping winter clothes for spring/summer clothes.

6) Binge watching Once Upon A Time

7) Clearing out my DVR.

8) Savoring some ice cream: The Tonight Dough

9) I have to do laundry. I'm totally procrastinating.

10) Reading.

musing mondays

Click here to play along.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

This week’s random question: Do you use your local library? What do you like (or dislike) most about it?

In honor of National Library Week last week, I wrote a post about my local library's influence on me.

So my musing this week is about the book I'm currently reading: We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I'm not really far enough into the book to know if I'll stick with it. The ratings on GoodReads are enough to push me in that direction. What I've noticed so far is that it's repetitive. And, to be honest, I'm not hooked. But I'm on vacation so I will keep working at it.

sunday stealing

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Sunday Stealing: The Book Preference Meme

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? horror

Hardback or Trade paperback or Mass market paperback? trade

Amazon or Brick and Mortar? amazon

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes & Noble

Bookmark or Dog-ear? bookmark

Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction? neither

Alphabetize by author, Alphabetize by title, or Random? random

Keep, Throw away or Sell? give away

Keep dust-jacket or Toss it? keep

Read with dustjacket or Remove it? read with it

Short story or Novel? novel

Stop reading when tired or at Chapter breaks? usually chapter breaks

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time?” both

Buy or Borrow? mostly buy

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse? reviews and recommendations

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)? either

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger? hmmm... tidy ending

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading? all of them

Standalone or Series? I like both

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? The Poet of Tolstoy Park by Sonny Brewer

Favorite genre series? Harry Potter

Currently Reading? We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

saturday 9

Neon Lights

1) Think of a neon sign you pass by often. What does it say? Open

2) In the video for this song, Demi Lovato spends a great deal of time in the water. When is the last time you swam? it must have been ten or so years ago

3) The song encourages us to "look up at the sky." OK, we will. How does the sky look where you are today? it's partly cloudy but the sun is shining!

4) Demi is a contributing editor for Seventeen magazine. When she was in junior high school, Crazy Sam eagerly awaited each new issue of Seventeen. When you were younger, what magazine(s) did you read regularly? I loved YM, Teen, and Seventeen

5) Demi is an investor in the company that makes Texas Tea, a bottled beverage available at Whole Foods. Do you have any tea in your kitchen right now? no

6) Demi is currently on tour, performing halfway around the world in Australia and New Zealand. Have you ever had a job that required travel? sometimes I have to take classes or attend workshops in Central Maine, which is generally an overnight trip

7) Demi had a recurring role on the show Glee. That show's series finale aired last month. Is there a show that's no longer on that you miss? Seinfeld and Freinds

8) Fast-growing fast food chain Chipotle reports that their top sellers include a burrito bowl with steak or chicken, salad with chili-corn salsa, and a soft taco. Which of these would you order? probably a burrito bowl

9) What beverage would you like to enjoy with your burrito bowl, taco or salad? a glass of water with lemon

friday 5

Interview

1. How well do you think you handle being interviewed for jobs?
I actually blank out because of nerves during interviews, I can't remember what is asked or how I answer
2. In what other contexts have you been interviewed?
a few times I've been interviewed by former students for their college classes regarding becoming a teacher
3. What are the strangest questions you’ve been asked in interviews?
for my current job, I was asked the same question multiple times, I knew there had to be a story about it
4. What are your greatest strengths on the job, and what are your greatest shortcomings?
I work well with others, I work well under deadlines, and my shortcomings include a dislike of multitasking
5. When has a mistake at work resulted in something positive for you?
the best laid plans can sometimes lead to the best experiences

tick tock

I admit I'm watching the clock today. It's the Friday before vacation. With slightly more than an hour until we are released. My students are finishing up a project or playing on the laptops or talking quietly. Not malicious gossip but excited vacation plans and upcoming prom plans and senioritis stuff.