Liz's Book Buzz

when the words won't come

2008-08-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

I opened the YA wip I started last year and began to edit. I hoped that through a few tweaks, nips and tucks I could get the words flowing. Good plan, but it didn't work. I didn't come up with much new stuff to write and in fact, I got so stuck I sat and stared at the blinking cursor for more than a few minutes.

I've hit a wall with the Lani story in only 40 short pages. Last night I decided the story is starting in the wrong place. When I return to work on this piece, I will write a new beginning and see if that doesn't jump start my efforts.

I didn't anticipate this. Ick.

how bad is that

2008-08-20T04:53:00.000-07:00

I opened up the Maddy wip yesterday and the file marker noting the last time it was 'touched' said April. APRIL!!

Good grief. I couldn't believe it. How bad is that?

Needless to say, I got down to work and edited, tweaked and wrote my way through the first four chapters. Today I'm opening up the Lani wip and am prepared to wince yet again at the date listed after the file name.

I can't do anything about what I haven't done except to start doing something. Which I am.

budget cuts

2008-08-19T04:03:00.000-07:00

I'm an avid newspaper reader. After I get up in the morning and make a pot of coffee, I let the dog out to fetch the paper. He collects it from the end of the driveway and carries it back to the house. His fee for such work is one doggie biscuit during the week and on Sundays he gets a half a slice of american cheese.

Cup of coffee in hand, I sit down and read. Lots of articles in the newspaper these days on ways to tighten the household budgets. I read those with a keen eye. When you are a one income house with three kids, any tip helps. What I've come to realize is that the tips these articles mention are so far removed from my reality that I just laugh.

The sage advice offered in the last article I read centered on eating. Don't eat out...check. Cook from scratch...check. Meal plan...check. Buy in bulk when it makes sense...check. Eat less meat...check. Buy produce in season...check.

Come on people, are today's adults so inept that they need to have it put out there in black and white that eating out is more expensive that making spaghetti and meatballs at home?

I've seen other suggestions ranging from cutting back on your manicures and pedicures. Oh please, is that the best you can do? How about grouping your errands and not running out for just one thing? Again, are people stupid?

I have to believe I'm not the only person who reads these articles and smirks. I've got to think a large number of us are ahead of the curve on this one. If I contemplate the alternative, well, it is a good thing I haven't had my breakfast yet. You know, the breakfast where you actually break eggs and not nuke up a prepackaged sandwich.

what I'm going to attempt to do

2008-08-18T03:22:00.000-07:00

After noodling over my at home schedule for this school year, I've decided to give the following a whirl in my attempt to really finish and put to bed the completed wip, complete the started wip, and move on from there.

Monday is going to be clean the house day. It is a fact of life that a family needs to live in a clean house.

Tuesday is at the library day. I have my bookstore commitment for another 14 months.

Wednesday is write my butt off day.

Thursday is write my butt off day.

Friday is errand day as it also coincides with music lessons.

Now, I do intend on writing besides just on Wednesday and Thursday, but it won't be the marathon sessions I plan. I can do marathon sessions, I have done them before. What I'm not good at is squeezing in an hour or less at the keyboard on other days.

We will see how this goes....of course, laundry has to be done every day. Kids have to be hauled, fed, advised etc. Off to rattle the oldest out of bed, the bus comes in an hour.

friday recap

2008-08-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't expect to work on any of my projects this week. The last four days have been consumed with getting back into the school year routine. I hope next week will start productive weeks to come.

Today is the big pantry stock day. I need to make a few lists. Make sure I get all the good lunch box packing treats.

Off to do that. Have a good weekend.

ink exchange

2008-08-14T03:04:00.000-07:00

The library finally received their copy of Melissa Marr's, "Ink Exchange." Why it took so darn long is the topic of another rant and I'm not awake enough to tackle that issue this morning.

But a short book review, I can do that! I really liked Marr's first book, "Wicked Lovely." Killer title, great dark faery story. I devoured it and was excited when I learned her second effort would include some of the same characters.

Hats off to Marr. She isn't afraid to hurt her characters. She makes them suffer and often the story starts with them already wounded. Which of course attracts all sorts of the wrong types of fey folk. Our heroine, Leslie, is running from a horrific family situation and in an attempt to reclaim herself she gets a tattoo. The tattoo scene, for someone who will never get one, was fascinating. The concept of linking her to the Dark King via the tattoo was genius. Nothing is ever simple in Marr's stories, and even though the stories deal with faeries, the resolutions are always grounded in hard truths. In this case, Leslie must truly reclaim herself and make hard choices to find even a chance at happiness. These books don't have the classic happy ending motif, but they end well in the sense you are left with a sense of completion.

I really like Marr's characters, her writing voice and the themes she picks to explore. What a refreshing read after the slogging through the last YA title I picked.

high school reading lists

2008-08-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

I worked my first regular shift in the bookstore yesterday. As soon as we unlocked the doors, moms of various ages rushed in with required reading lists in hand. They made a beeline for our classic section and began the hunt. Nothing beats a determined effort to save a few bucks when it comes to buying school supplies. Fifty cents a book versus ten bucks a book; with that sort of incentive it got intense quick. And who cares about condition? Torn covers, no biggie. Spaghetti stains, no problem.

For the most part, we were able to put at least two to three titles in each lady's hands. Some books we just don't see in our donations. Some, we see so many we end of boxing half of them.

In an effort to keep our eyes peeled for the hot authors and the hot books, I compiled a list of our local high school required reading titles. It took a full page single spaced to get all of them down. But now we have a guide. We didn't experience this rush for classics last year as the store opened two months into the school year. Folks already had to purchase their student's three to ten titles.

It was a busy morning and the early birds got the best deals. I will spend Thursday going through the library's withdrawal closet to look for more books to add to the store. They pull them from the collection based on condition. The local moms don't care about condition, for them it is all about price.

first week day two

2008-08-12T03:25:00.000-07:00

The kids all made it through their first day of school. They arrived home with stacks of papers needing my signature and of course an accompanying check. Public education is not free.

Yesterday two other ladies and I worked on the store stocking closet. We boxed up books and made some room for ourselves to work. Let's hope our thought process was sound and we left enough inventory to replenish the store. Today I work my first regular shift. Should be fun.

While at the store I picked up the oldest kid's required reading books for high school. On the list: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Bean Trees, The Hiding Place, Heroes Gods and Monsters, A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Animal Farm.

Let day two begin.

school buses and new crayons

2008-08-11T03:14:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of the new school year. All the supplies are sorted and packed. Brown bag lunch items are on the counter. First day outfits have been selected. Over the next three hours each of my kids will head out the front door.

The start of the school year means I have goals to set and things to achieve. So far the list includes repainting the window trim on three windows and repainting the baseboard trim in the kitchen. I also want to finish the final edits on Maddy Blue. I intend on writing the first draft of the Lani story. I want to revisit the short story I did last year and rework that concept. I will be working in the bookstore every other Tuesday and helping to stock the store on a more regular basis.

August through May are busy months and I've set quite a few goals for myself. Wish me luck.

lots of reading

2008-08-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

The day I borrowed "Breaking Dawn" from a friend at the library I had checked out two other books. Of course, I set those books aside and spent a day reading the YA vampire romance. The other two books were "An Ice Cold Grave" by Charlaine Harris and "The Observations" by Jane Harris. I was looking for the first title when I stumbled across the second.

Miss Charlaine is one of my favorite writers. I love the Sookie books and have the debut date for the HBO series based on these books circled on my calendar. I also enjoy her more recent series about the very talented Harper Connelly. Harper finds dead people due to being struck by lightning as a child. These are solid mysteries with a neat paranormal twist. Miss Charlaine is a master at developing characters. This time Harper is smack dab in the middle of a small town looking for a missing teenager when she stumbles across a serial killer. Major thumbs up for "An Ice Cold Grave."

The second book, "The Observations" is a historical set in the lowlands of Scotland during the late 1800s. Told from the point of view of an Irish domestic, the story is an engaging look into a very structured world from the perspective of a very endearing heroine, Bessy Buckley. I just loved Bessy's voice and the wonderful pace of the story. Again, thumbs up for this historical tale.

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-07T04:51:00.001-07:00

When I was at the library yesterday for our monthly Friends meeting, one of the members had brought her own copy of Breaking Dawn to see if anyone wanted to borrow it. I jumped at the chance and brought it home with me. I managed to finish it last night.

Yes, I am a quick reader, however I admit that in this case I scanned many pages and didn't even bother to read them. I'm not even sure where to start in this review, never a good sign. Meyer wraps up the series in a very predictable way. The only twist in the story, Jacob's imprinting and the object of this event, gave me a major 'ewww' moment. It was not the only 'ewww' moment for me. If you read my blog you know I read some pretty hard core urban fantasy complete with all sorts of things that make you go 'ewww.' This book taps into a different level of discomfort because it is aimed at teen aged girls who are still forming their thoughts and opinions. Yes, it is fiction, and YA fiction does tackle tough topics, but this series tends to romanticize behaviours that are not healthy in my opinion.

Spoilers are now going to follow......

I just don't know how the teen set is going to deal with the themes in this book. It isn't the romance. It is the treatment of sex, marriage, pregnancy and parenthood. The oldest will read the book and I can't wait to hear her take on it. She told me yesterday after she got home from soccer practice and saw how far along I was that she loved the first one in the series, but the rest were just so-so. This reaction was mainly because she couldn't relate to Bella.

Not sure how much relating will happen as our heroine is now an 18 year old pregnant newlywed, the baby came along post marriage of course, carrying a vampire human hybrid.

The Twilight saga is done and my recommendation is to borrow the book. Don't spend the money on it if you have to read it.

the buzz on Breaking Dawn

2008-08-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

I was surfing around yesterday and stumbled across a movement encouraging readers to return the latest big YA book "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer to the bookstore where they purchased it. I guess folks are not too happy about how the series concludes. Of course my curiosity got the better of me and I read the articles in the NY Times and LA Times about the hub-bub. If the articles were accurate I now know the basic plot outline.

Can't say I'm suprised at all by how Meyer chose to wrap up the series given the major hints in the first three books and the author's background. Readers could see it coming if they paid attention. My teenaged neighbor read the book already and when asked what she thought she said it was totally predictable and not as good as the first three.

My oldest and I are waiting for the neighbor's mom to finish it so we can take our turns. I'm not a big fan of the direction the storyline has taken, but I'm also not one to spout off opinions unless I have read the book for myself.

One article contemplated whether or not the negative reaction to Breaking Dawn would translate into poor ticket sales for the movie of Twilight set to arrive on screens this fall. I sort of doubt it. Most of these young girls are pretty forgiving and they long to see Bella, Edward and Jacob on the big screen. I'll most likely go see the movie just to see if the director 'fixes' a few of the problems I had with the characters. Characters do change when they are translated from book to film and I wouldn't be suprised to see Bella get some much needed backbone.

I will post again after I've read the book.

a week from today

2008-08-04T04:27:00.001-07:00

School starts next Monday. Even though the Summer season lasts into September, for all real purposes, it is over on that day.

This summer was different. We were incredibly busy. In the past I've always guarded against over scheduling the kids. This summer, the schedule filled up before I even got the calendar and red pen out. It just happened, sort of like the sun rising in the morning. I had no control.

And as the oldest enters high school, my control over her schedule is evaporating. Soccer controls all for her right now. The other two kids' schedules are a bit more in hand still. But, the days are coming for them as well. The middle kid has soccer and the teen board at the library. The youngest has cub scouts and trying to stay on the straight and narrow path at school.

So, what do we do to squeeze the last bit of summer fun out of the next 7 days? The kids have been begging for a McDonald's run. I figure a movie is in line as well. Maybe a swim or two. Some evening strolls sound good. Simple things. Slow things.

Because come August 11, I need to put my running shoes on and gas up the van.

changing times

2008-08-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

The library director forwarded an email from our state library association. The email discussed the trend to include video games in the collection as a way to reach out to the YA crowd. Now, when I was the YA person, we'd had video games at a few events, I think they were Harry Potter games and tied into the event's theme which was Harry Potter! I never planned an event based solely around gaming, but articles in the journals I read started to suggest this as a way to get the teens in the door besides when they had a required reading assignment.

My successor held a guitar hero contest last spring. Best attended YA event the library ever had. She stopped counting at 140 kids. Amazing turnout and we both realized that the vast majority of kids neither of us had ever seen before. It brought them out in droves.

Spurred on by this huge success she applied for a local grant to purchase games, a system and a flat screen tv. The grant request was denied. First time a library request was given the thumbs down by this group.

I hope her next move is to approach the Friends about giving her the money for this. Now we just have to convince them it is a good idea. Hard to change minds sometimes about the evolving nature of a public/community library. Long gone are the quiet days of scowling librarians 'shushing' everyone in sight.

What follows is a brief bit of the email the director sent me.

"To our surprise, the video game trend is endorsed by the Chicago-based American Library Association, which recently got a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation to develop a national model for library gaming. Eighty percent of public libraries allow video games on their computers, according to a 2007 Syracuse University study, and 13 percent have separate game stations such as Nintendo, Wii or Xbox.Libraries are no longer just about literacy, if they ever were. They've evolved into social and recreational centers that mirror the communities they serve. Large- type and audio books for aging Boomers. Computer literacy lessons for seniors. Free wi-fi for students. Multi-lingual resources for immigrants. Cultural enrichment courses for everyone. The video games are targeted at the hard-to-reach young adult demographic that is too busy or distracted (temporarily, we hope) for things like books and newspapers."

On another front, one of the blogs I visited on a very regular basis has gone dark. Dwight Wannabe has hung up the blogging towel. Dwight is a talented blogger and writer. I don't attempt to make my blog anything like what he served up on a daily basis. His presence will be missed.

some reading habits are hard to break

2008-07-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

I've always been a book series fan. From Little House on the Prairie to The Chronicles of Narnia, give me a series of books and I'm totally happy.

However, a downside exists to the beloved series addiction. Some series go on a few books too many. I started to experience that feeling as I finished Laurell Hamilton's latest Anita Blake novel, "Blood Noir." When I first discovered this series I jumped for joy right there in the library.

Now I read the books because, well, because I've read all the other ones. I feel obligated to read them even though the joy is gone. The stories are buried under so much personal/character internal motivation examination (I'm at a loss for words here) that the conflict is out of balance. For me, the stories lost their appeal when the sex life of Anita took precedence over her life as a federal marshal solving crimes. But, I kept reading. I'm glad I didn't purchase the last two books and borrowed them instead.

Jean Claude makes cameo appearances in this book. I'm sick of Richard and his issues. I'm pretty tired of the revolving bedroom door theme. I'm intrigued by Marmee Noir and wish she would take front and center, but that story line is being smothered by all the men in Anita's life and bed.

It isn't that the writing is bad. The last couple of books do contain some interesting and fun to read plot lines. I just wish the action and mystery element in the earlier books would find their way home again.

mid week political update

2008-07-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for all things political. Yep, even on the local front the yard signs are plentiful, the hot air more so. My town is no exception and the race for mayor should prove interesting. We sort of have four candidates running at this point. Our current mayor is possibly going to run for a 3rd term, but may decide not to. That explains the sort of four candidates issue. The hubby and I have decided to back one individual and attended a catfish fry last night for this person.

Met some very nice people and heard some very interesting stories. We both knew quite a few folks already, but ever pushing our comfort zone boundaries, we ate dinner with people we didn't know.

Other than it was hotter than hell outside, we had good time and left with our checkbook a bit lighter. I'd have liked to have stayed a bit longer, but we had to scoot over to the soccer complex and pick the middle kid up from camp.

On a different front, I talked with my 87 year old grandmother yesterday and she told me that she is voting for Obama. Go granny, go. She said McCain is too old and if anyone would know, she would. I roared!

I need to go and do the whole early voting thing for our congressional race and some county level offices. I may have to declare a different party than I usually do so I can vote against our current congresswoman. Can't stand her....and she needs to be booted.

Politics aside, I've almost finished Laurell Hamilton's latest Anita Blake book, "Blood Noir." I will let my thoughts be known on this effort tomorrow.

Try and stay cool....

the big trip

2008-07-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

My lack of a blog entry since last week isn't because I haven't been online. On the contrary, I've been living online at a variety of travel sites. Yep, after saving for over 2 years we are about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. The whole fam damily is headed across the pond to Germany for the holidays. My brother and his family are stationed there and we vowed to make the trip before they returned to the states. It is now or never. Their current tour will end a year from now, so we are just sneaking in under the wire with this trip.

I booked our flights today. Of course, traveling at Christmas isn't the cheapest time to fly, but I think after doing hours and hours worth of price checking, flight checking etc, we came up with a viable plan.

Besides Germany we will also be seeing a bit of Belgium and Paris, France. We had planned a visit to Prague as well, but decided to cancel that jaunt due to the budget we'd set. I've already been checking museum times, Notre Dame's mass schedule etc. I'm relying heavily on my sister in law for guidance in the nuts and bolts of the trip. They've been in Europe for 5 years now and she is a pro at navigating the whole tourist thing.

So, the big trip is now officially underway. Passports in hand, credit card bill on the way, and a few months to figure out how to pack for 5 and still meet the airline baggage requirements!

lady macbeth

2008-07-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

If I'm not mistaken, I saw an advert for this book in the New Yorker a few months back. It caught my attention because I'd done some basic research on the real Lady MacBeth for the first book I wrote. That book, which is well hidden in my desk drawer to this day, was a time travel historical romance and Gruach had a nice role in it.

I spied "Lady MacBeth" on the new release shelf at the library last week and had to check it out. After paranormal/urban fantasy books, historicals are my next favorite thing to read. Susan Fraser King's book didn't disappoint. Old Billy Shakespeare didn't do the MacBeth's any favors. They were actually fairly successful rulers of Scotland and she had quite the royal claim to the throne. Time has erased many of the true details of their lives, but King manages to create a viable history for Gruach and her second husband, MacBeth.

The only aspect of the novel that caught me a bit off guard was that she chose to tell the story in first person. Although more and more historicals are being told in this POV, I'm still not quite used to it. I've grown to expect it in urban fantasy, but I've not grown accustomed to it in a historical. It worked as Gruach is a strong character and in many ways the first person pov allows the reader to see the men in her world in a more 'realistic' way. We seem them through her eyes and her experiences.

Hats off to Susan Fraser King.....she's brought a different version of this Scottish queen to life.

stop in the name of pants

2008-07-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

Louise Rennison channels teen girls like nobodies business. Doesn't matter the girls are from across the pond, some things just 'are.' Oldest kid and I knew the latest book from Louise Rennison was due out this month. I stumbled across said book while surfing the new YA offerings on the B&N website. Needless to say, middle kid and I made a quick trip to the bookstore and purchased the latest Georgia Nicholson adventure, "Stop in the Name of Pants."

I talked with the oldest kid after she got on the bus to head home from Ohio. When I informed her I had the coveted book here at home, she issued strict orders to finish the book before she arrived. Her plan upon getting home is to shower, crawl into bed and read about Gee and the ace gang's latest adventures in the land of luuurve...

Now, to back track a bit, I fully credit Louise Rennison and her books for turning my oldest from a reluctant reader to an avid reader. She can do no wrong in my eyes. What years of badgering from me didn't accomplish, Rennison delivered in her first Georgia book.

"Pants" isn't the best of the series, but it is solid. It delivers what the reader wants. Georgia's crazy teen world is served up with plenty of thwarted romance, jammie dodgers, dithering spazzes and such. Yep, these books are pure fluff...and I love them.

for what it is worth

2008-07-21T04:23:00.000-07:00

Took the middle kid to see The Dark Knight yesterday. What a treat for us, a true summer blockbuster movie with a brain. We both loved it and talked about it all the way home. From the cool gadgets to the neat special effects to the amazing dialogue, it was just really good. Worth the price of admission and must be seen on the big screen.

Ledger's Joker is incredible. I can see why the studio is whipping up some Oscar buzz. He has a few speeches that crawl under your skin and take up residence. Of course, I always enjoy seeing Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine on the screen. Too bad they couldn't have a scene together...such wonderful actors. Christian Bale channels a stoic Batman so well that when his buttons are finally pushed the emotion he unleashes blows you away.

When the kid and I were at the mall earlier in the week I picked up Lilith Saintcrow's latest book. I'd read a few reviews and figured with my B&N discount and an additional coupon, I'd treat myself. Our library, sad to say, has a crappy paranormal or urban fantasy collection and we rarely get those types of books donated for the book store. So, if I want them I have to buy them and I've become a bit more judicious in purchasing books of late. Only so much money to go around.

"Night Shift" is the tale of Jill Kismet, a hunter here to protect humans from the things that go bump in the night...demons and such. I really wanted to love this book. Can't say that it reached that level for me. Lots of world creating going in the story and in many places I felt that the elements weren't explored deeply enough. I also didn't feel like I totally tuned into Jill. That was disappointing. I stopped and started the book several times, did other things, came back and read some more to only stop again. I could put the book down. Not a good sign.

It is not that the book is bad, because it isn't. Saintcrow is a talented writer with an big and vivid imagination. But, and that is a big but, this book just didn't grab me like her other books have.

Bottom line, I will buy the next one because I have a huge respect for Saintcrow and will hope that the next story fills in some of the gaps I felt were missing in this story.

Hubby and son arrive home tonight and the soccer girl arrives home tomorrow. The quick slide towards the first day of school is underway.

freaky friday

2008-07-18T04:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not even going to try and attempt the weekly recap today. I just don't remember what I did Monday-Thursday except juggle all the bits and pieces of my life. Let's just say it was busy and leave it at that.

Today I'm off to shop with the middle kid and possibly one of her friends. We will do lunch as well. Tomorrow she has soccer practice in the morning and after that, well, the house does need to be cleaned. We have a canine guest with us this week and while he is a delightful dog, between him and our mutt, the hair balls are taking over.

Sunday will bring church, a quick stop at the donut shop and I think a trip to the movies. We had debated on seeing Wanted, but now that The Dark Knight is out, I don't think we can resist seeing Heath Ledger as the Joker. Christian Bale isn't rough on the eyes either. We've already bought candy to smuggle in the theater!

I finished two Lee Child books this week. Both "Running Blind" and "Without Fail" were excellent. I just love Jack Reacher. The plan is to return them to the bookstore and see if I can find any others. Right now I'm reading a debut novel from a British author. "Brethren" was written by Robyn Young and is about the Knights Templar. She juxtaposes a young knight's story with that of a Muslim warrior....so far so good.

On a totally decadent front, the middle kid and I watched a marathon session of Project Runway this week. It was a rerun of season 4. How totally fun is that show?! Loved it. Quirky personalities, people with some serious talent, fabu clothes and cool looking hair styles. I think I've found my new guilty pleasure.

the big question

2008-07-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

I spent a portion of my Saturday morning reading last week's blog entries on a variety of writing and book review sites. Themes tend to be cyclical in nature and last week brought discussions on why writers write and how they do it. Once you move past the pontificating, most reasonable folks admit that there is no correct way to get the story out on 'paper' and that people write because they have a story to tell. Now, the tricky part comes when the discussion turns to what a writer wants to get out of the finished product. Publication? Money? Fame? What motivates a person to write is a whole different thing.

Within the last five years my reason for writing has changed. I started to write novel length fiction nine years ago after my third child was born. I needed a creative outlet and something in my life that was just mine. After we moved to our current location, I found a writer's group and started to toy with the idea of publication. I'd had a magazine article/essay published and loved getting that check in the mail. It was a whole $75.00. I loved more seeing my words and my name in print.

Once I started my library job, I saw my words and name in print every week as I was responsible for all the public relations work in addition to my YA duties. Now that I'm a volunteer with the Friends, I still get that printed pat on the head every so often.

Enough recognition that in many ways the need to write fiction has waned. I still have ideas. I still toy with the WIPs on occasion, but the 'fire in the belly' isn't burning too hot right now. Family dynamics also play into this as we are in a big transitional year with the kids. I don't do well trying to balance my needs with the need to be the family cruise director. Something always gives and it is the writing.

The beautiful thing is that the writing will be there for me when I'm ready to return to it. I don't sweat it too much anymore. Things are cyclical and I guess I've lived long enough to know that everything comes back around.

stick a fork in it

2008-07-10T04:21:00.000-07:00

I'm done with all of the Stephanie Plum number books. Finished number 14 a couple of days ago, and because I've read the entire series in a two week span, I can say the last one wasn't her best. It was okay. No belly laughs, an okay mystery and no visit to Stiva's.

Yesterday I started another Lee Child book. It is one of the older Reacher stories and as usual it grabs you by the throat on page one.

I've morphed into a chauffeur over the last few days with no end in sight for my new vocation. Dwight, you are correct, the gas gauge on the mini van is heading towards empty at an alarming rate.

No writing or editing as I've become consumed with high school soccer and all the laundry it generates.

That is it, I'm done.

wowsa

2008-07-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

She made the team.....oh boy...we are all in shock and contemplating what the next few months will bring.

transitions

2008-07-07T06:14:00.001-07:00

I just dropped off my oldest to her first high school event: soccer tryouts. What a bittersweet moment that was. Maybe I'm just being too emotional today, but driving home after signing her in was an odd experience. It hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. One of the strings that ties her to me has been snipped. Not that strings haven't been snipped over the past 14 years, but starting high school begins the major string cutting. Wow.

I just can't dwell on it for too long. The really weird urge to applaud, fist pump and sob all at the same time keeps rolling through me.

Hubby and I watched 10,000 BC last night. Pretty lame in some spots and pretty fun in others. What is not to love about seeing mammoths building a pyramid or stampeding?? On the agenda for today is a quick stop in at the bookstore to pick up #14 of the Plum books for my personal reading pleasure. The weekend went by in a flash, but it turned out rather well. Ate way too much, as I usually do on holidays. I'll have to be a good girl for the rest of the week.