* BOOKS GALORE FROM THE DOLLAR STORE *

I did it again! I went to Dollar Tree for approximately five items, and came home with twenty eight...SEVEN of those being hardcover books! (I just blogged about this same topic on February 8th)

 

I just cannot resist books. I almost walked right past the aisle, but then noticed the book section seemed to have expanded since my last visit. So,  my cart was magnetically pulled to the left. What could I do but hang on and go with it?

 

I've never been one to completely "judge a book by its cover," but if it's obvious it's something gory, zombie-like, science fiction, etc....I know I won't read it. Out of these seven books, I'm aware of two authors and their genre: Bill Geist and William Least Heat Moon, but the other five I chose for either or all of the following reasons:

 

1) I liked the title

2) I read a few of the blurbs on the back covers

3) I read the first few sentences of Chapter One

4) The cover did catch my attention

 



 

So...which book to read first?? What a decision to make...although I knew if I didn't like it, I'd try another one. I chose One For The Books, by Joe Queenan. I mean....look at that cover! A book, about the love of books, with lots of colorful books on the cover! One of the reviews on Amazon, by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, says this: "A passionate, at times hilarious, account of a life spent reading and rereading."

 

Mr. Queenan is definitely a fabulous satirist and humorist, and a true bibliophile! I've read about the first 50 pages and I'm loving it. Some of his opinions and experiences pertaining to books are laugh-out-loud funny. A few I agree with...and others I don't.

 

I'll post my final thoughts when I finish reading it.

 

~~~

 

What about you? Do you buy books very often? Where have you found some of your best buys? Did any of these random purchases make a huge difference in your life? I have one that immediately comes to  mind:

 

 

I bought this at the Army PX in a small German town in the 1970s. It changed my life! 

 

 



* BOOKS TO RECOMMEND & THOUGHTS ON WRITING *

As usual, time is flying by and I'm behind in so many projects: writing blog posts, commenting on others' blogs, replying to emails, writing and mailing snail-mail notes and letters, and most importantly writing! I am excited to say, though, that I've been writing quite a bit lately...and most of it is for a piece I'll be submitting somewhere fairly soon. AND, on top of all that, I've also been reading...a lot! Three books in about three weeks time, which is an amazing feat for me!

That may not sound very amazing to most voracious readers, but it's been years (except for a couple of books here and there) since I've come across a book(s) that I just couldn't put down! Thinking about those last three books makes me smile not only because I liked them so much, but also because I found them quite by accident at Dollar Tree! (One of my favorite stores! You can't go wrong paying one dollar for a book, sometimes hardcovers. If I don't care for it, I take it to Goodwill.)

The first one I read: The Borrower, by Rebecca Makkai.  Loved it!
A librarian, a highly intelligent young boy whose parents are attempting to "change" him, a kidnapping.....Yes, it has its fallacies, as some reviewers point out, but it's FICTION, and I just could not put it down!

The second one was: You Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos. Liked it a lot!
Interesting look at suburbia upper class, marriages, friendships, with twists and turns.

The third was: A Beautiful Blue Death, by Charles Finch. Loved it! I can almost use the word "never" when I say I never read mysteries, but this grabbed me right from the beginning, and what shocks me the most is that it's a period piece (again, not my cup of tea...so to speak!) set in England in 1865! I loved the main character and descriptions of the era, etc. It had me guessing "whodunnit" all the way.

~~~~~

I learned a long time ago that if you want to be a good writer, you also have to read a lot, and not just in the genre you prefer. Following are two quotes I came across just last night from an author, writing coach, motivational speaker, and secret ghostwriter: Roz Morris  https://rozmorris.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/hello-world/

"If they don’t read, how can they write? My impulse to write comes from reading. Once I’ve been in the grip of a good book, it gets me to go and write my own." - Roz Morris

"Reading—the good and the bad—inspires you. It develops your palate for all the tricks that writers have invented over the years. You can learn from textbooks about the writing craft, but there’s no substitute for discovering for yourself how a writer pulls off a trick. Then that becomes part of your experience." - Roz Morris

So, reading and writing, writing and reading...they go hand in hand. Although I've been moving at a very slow pace on both until now, I feel I've escaped from under the cloak of excuses:
"I don't have the time" to read or write.
 I'm having "writers block."
"I can't find anything to read that I like."
"Etc!


Have a blissful week, wherever you are! Sing like no one is listening...I do that all the time! Maybe I'll try karaoke at the local bar one of these evenings! hee hee

* FRIDAY'S FEATURES *

Happy Friday! Another week has flown by and I'm happy to say I actually accomplished quite a few items on my List of Things to Do. I also created a schedule for myself that makes more sense than any of the other ones I've attempted to follow. Instead of writing down that I would perform a particular task on a certain day, and/or at a certain time, (which, of course NEVER worked) I did it this way:

Donate ______ hours for e-mailing.
Donate ______ hours for marketing.
Donate ______ hours for actual writing
Donate ______ minutes to Facebook
ETC.          ETC.           ETC.

** I can't believe I typed "Donate" four times, or the fact that I just now - 10:15pm Sunday night - realized it!! I meant to type: DEVOTE. **

I copy the sheet every morning, write the date on it, and get to work. So far, so good!
This helps me manage my time so much better. It hasn't been a perfect system because things do interfere, but it's a great beginning.

~~~

 

I'm excited to announce another site I found online to promote my memoir. It's Writing-World which I just mentioned in my April 26th post. It has a LOT of information, so take your time browsing! There's a link very close to the top of the main page that says BOOKS BY OUR READERS. <<<< You can get there by clicking this link. Different price packages are available for promoting a book, and believe me, they're very reasonable.

 

~~~

 

Are you the type of person who can read more than one book at a time? I really can't, and it's too bad because I'm "sort of" reading four or five books right now. Don't ask how it's going!  J AND, I just happened upon a table of books yesterday when I was at Dollar Tree (my very favorite dollar store.) Well, my goodness, a person can't pass up a table of hardcover books that are only One Dollar, can she? I've purchased books there many times. Some I take to Goodwill, (especially if I don't care for them) and others I'll take to writerly events where there's a table for free books. I bought a few just to donate to a government facility that requested books. Sheesh... I'm getting off course here....Anyway, I dug through the few books that were there, kept control of myself, and bought only one. I've only read 20 pages so far but that's pretty good because the print is so tiny, I get blurry-eyed after about 3 pages! The title is:

 

The Writing Circle

by Corinne Demas

 

It's about a woman who ......guess what??...joins a writers critique group! I'll let y'all know what I thought of it when I'm finished.

 

Buying it also reminded me of a book I bought in a Borders' bargain bin way before they closed:

 Blind Submission

 by Debra Ginsberg.

It's about books and a literary agency, etc. In one of the reviews on Amazon, it says "This is the book-world version of The Devil Wears Prada." I really enjoyed it! If anyone would like to read it and pass it along, I'll be happy to send it....anywhere in the US. (Sorry other countries!) The offer is the same for The Writing Circle when I'm finished reading it, too. 
 

 ~~~

 



Oh, guess what? I actually submitted a story for an anthology, which is something I haven't done since 2012! It was for the Special Call Out from Publishing Syndicate that I mentioned on April 26th. It will be awesome if my story is accepted!

 

~~~

 

 

 



Oh my gosh! The famous Blue Angels are in town this weekend! I am always thrilled and terrified at the same time when I see them in person, which has only been once or twice...Talk about having "nerves of steel." 

 

 

 

The Ronald and I might try to find a parking lot somewhere near to watch them. (We don't like crowds, and the admission is $12.00 per person! Yikes!)  

 

 

 

* Silver and Gold....&....Snow Men *

Who remembers that song from the 1960's animated special, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?  

♫♪  Silver & Gold ... Silver & Gold  ♫♪

Those are the only words I remember from the entire song, but I certainly remember the tune, and the voice of Burl Ives singing it!

 (I thought I'd do another Christmasy post tonite! You can always click on the photos to make them larger.)

This is a large glass bowl on our mantel. I filled it with plastic silver and gold ornaments and tied a silver ribbon around it. Not too shabby, huh?!

This is that $15.00 tree I mentioned in a previous post. It's about 6' tall, and has multi-colored lights. I added a string of white lights and it was just right (light-wise!)

Every ornament on the tree is plastic and bought from either Hobby Lobby or Dollar Tree. Wow, I'm a big spender, aren't I?!

BUT, it does look like I missed a spot or two, or three! I sure didn't notice it until I looked at this picture. 

I particularly like this one. 

.. And here are the Snow Men..in the half-bath ..

Whoa...I didn't realize that sink was so ugly, until I saw it in this picture, too. 

It must actually look much better in person!

The snowman soap dispenser on the left came from Kohl's a few years ago. I was thrilled to find it because my color scheme is blue and white! To the left and behind that snowman is a glass bowl with a few blue and gold plastic ornaments and sparkly stars.The snowman on the right is plastic and from Dollar Tree. He's adorable and his hat looks like it's real yarn. 

And a white hand towel with snowmen on it!

More snowmen. Another blue and white duo, on a sled. One under a candle lamp, and a little guy on skis. 

And another hand towel 

* Please don't forget about my Kickstarter Project. Thanks so much *

*I'm dreaming of a White Christmas* because we had a dusting of snow today and some fierce winds that are still blowing. BUT, according to the weather prognosticators...it's not going to happen. :(