The Liar's Club by Mary Karr

The Liars' Club by Mary Karr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Liar’s Club is an honest, gritty memoir written by Mary Karr. Parts of this book were hard to read, parts of it were funny and silly. My book club was divided. Three of them did not even finish it, 3 of us finished it, but only two of us liked it. I think it boils down to the life experiences of each of us. We did agree that the writing was superb. The subject matter is not unheard of, but when this book was first published in 1995 it was unique. Ms. Karr does not sugar coat her childhood experiences. She does not place blame or make us hate her parents. She just tells it like it was. And it was heartbreaking. How interesting that The Liar’s Club is such a rare, honest telling of her story.
Mary and her sister, Lecia ( pronounced Lisa) endured a childhood filled with emotional pain and unbridled expectation. Their mother, Charlie Marie, struggled to find her place in the world. Southeast Texas in a slumping economy was not where she thought her future lay. So she searched for the perfect place and the perfect person to share her future with. Their father, Pete, or J.P. was a hard working ordinary kind of guy, not really up to the standards of Charlie’s expected life. He was a sort of town celebrity as he wove stories of his past and the past of the area, for the enjoyment of his friends at the American Legion.
Do not read this memoir if you are expecting a rose garden. There are only thorns in this story. Well, maybe a few daisies and a bit of green grass, but mostly a tangle of briars and bushes.
I will read the other memoirs written by Mary Karr and I want to experience her poetry also. What a talented writer.




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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/14/16

IMWAYR is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. Share what you are reading, what you read recently or what you hope to get to in the coming week and then link up with Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great place to see what is going on in the blogosphere and to add to your reading lists or piles of titles to be read.

On my Kindle:    

I am still reading this one. I have had a bit of difficulty finding some reading time lately.  We have had company on Friday, Saturday we were away from home, and Sunday we had company again for several hours. Then, of course, there is laundry, food prep and trying to get my steps in. 

I did visit our library this week and got some direction on loading Overdrive and One Click Digital on that device. I finally got One Click loaded so now am able to listen to Emma while reading along. It is much better for me. 

I have the audio version for 10 more days, so I will give this my full attention. I also have been sewing some. I just about finished a table runner for my daughter's new-to-her house. She will move the end of May. I hope she likes it. I am putting together a placemat too. She is by herself now, so this is a sort of celebration. Her long fought divorce is finally (20 months) over. We are not celebrating the divorce necessarily, cause no one won. But the end of the stress of the negotiations  is a reason for a celebratory gift. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

And for all of you in the US whose states participate, Happy Spring Forward to Daylight Savings Time. 

Saturday Snapshots - Road Trip 3-12-16

Every Saturday, Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads hosts Saturday Snapshots. It is a place to share photos taken by you or a family member or friend. Please do not use random photos from the web. All photos must be appropriate for all eyes and that is all there is to it. Post your photos, link up to Melinda's blog and enjoy what others have posted.

I am late to the party today. I had nothing to share and then we went on a road trip. A short trip, but we haven't been away from home for months. Our local quilt store closed last year, and then next nearest one (25 miles) closed shortly after. We do have a JoAnn's, so that helps a lot, But sometimes you need really great quality fabric. So when I saw that the weekend was going to be sunny, and nearly 70 degrees, I asked Mr Busy if we could travel to Buffalo WY to the quilt store. He agreed. So this morning after breakfast and chores, we loaded the dog, her water and bowl, our coffee cups and off we went. Buffalo is 69 miles on the interstate from our house. We got there, I purchased the fabric I was in need of and a Pat Sloan applique book ( that I really did not need, but wanted) and then had lunch at a local sub sandwich shop and then drove home. A short but welcome time away from the house.

This first photo is my attempt at another proof of Spring. We walked the dog before we left home and there were a couple of tiny buds on the wild rose bush on the corner near the Retirement Community in our neighborhood.

On our way to Buffalo, we could see the Big Horn Mountains in the distance. Still snow covered and barely visible here as the snow looks like clouds or maybe the other way around.

And here is the book I bought. Several friends are doing a BOM from the book and although I will not make a complete quilt, some of the blocks make great pillow tops or purses as the cover photo shows.

Hope you had a great Saturday. Is Spring making an appearance in your neighborhood?



Stay Busy and Stay Happy

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3-7-16

IMWAYR is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. Share what you are reading, what you read recently or what you hope to get to in the coming week and then link up with Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great place to see what is going on in the blogosphere and to add to your reading lists or piles of titles to be read.



On my Kindle:

This is going pretty well. There is a love story brewing and a bit of intrigue is happening too. I am not at the halfway point yet, so there must be much ahead. I like the main character of Imogene, but my is she stubborn!

My attempt at getting the MP3 CD to pay in any of my players was a fail. Mr. Busy took it back to the library when he returned his book. He told the librarian that I had trouble and she was going to look into a different solution. I will check back there this week.


I am not sure what is up next. It is toss up between several titles. This one is a print book. And the next selection for my book club. We won't discuss until April. If I read it too soon I'll forget some things. I am a terrible note taker while reading.

 These are on my kindle and will meet the TBR Triple Dog Dare I am doing until the end of March.
Are you doing the TDD?

Have a great reading week.


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Saturday Snapshots March 4th Spring is Coming?

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads. After reading the few rules, post your photos and link them on Melinda's blog. Then visit other bloggers to see their snapshots.



I am sorry about the quality of the photos today. It is dreary and early here. And the camera on my phone is not as good as some.

I usually change out these small stitchery blocks at the beginning of each month. A group of ladies that I stitch and quilt with all joined this Block of the Month from Shabby Fabrics several years ago. There are 12, so each month a different one goes on the metal stand and it sits on top of our entertainment center in our living room.

  I also have this small space between the front "coat closet" by our front door and the opening to go downstairs. I have several seasonal banners, more than one for each month!  They are from a company called Patch Abilities. Of course, this is the one for March.

And I am bound and determined that Spring is coming, so I took down a small winter scene and hung up my stitched Spring wall hanging. The colors for this one are outside my usual selections. Lots of pink and pastels. I have one stitched and completed for Fall. I am in the process of finishing one for Summer and the Winter one is still has not even been stitched.

It is hard to see the detail. This photo is from the camera on my phone. It is all stitched with embroidery floss. There are several spring flowers, apple blossoms, lily of the valley, jonquils, tulips, grape hyacinth and  bleeding hearts. It is further embellished with wool leaves and beads.  This pattern is from Crabapple Hill. You can view a close -up of the pattern on their website.

I am not affiliated with any of these companies, I just want to give credit where credit is due. They are not my original designs.

Lastly, to confirm that Spring is coming and has made an appearance here in NE Wyoming, these are a few of the crocus in my friend's yard. On the sheltered south side of her home, but they are blooming and that makes me happy.

taken by my friend

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Wondrous Words Wednesday 3/2/16

1. 
   

 Kathy at Bermuda Onion hosts Wondrous Words Wednesday. It is a place to share new and wondrous words you found while reading or listening. Or maybe just words you want to highlight. 

1. 
   
2. These words were found while reading The Liar's Club by Mary Karr. There were lots of unusual probably regional words. Ms. Karr writes from her heart and from her gut. I read the phrase while reading in bed one night, and did not make note of the page number. I cannot find the exact quote now. I had heard the word "pernicious anemia" but that did not really help me define it. 

1. pernicious fruit
2. causing great harm or damage often in a way that is not easily seen or noticed
3. highly injurious or destructive :  deadly
4. 2archaic :  wicked

axiomatically - adverb                             pg 311   The Liar's club

"Few born liars ever intentionally embark in truth's direction, even those who believe that such a journey might axiomatically set them free." 

obviously true

1. taken for granted:  self-evident axiomatic (an axiomatic truth)

2:  based on or involving an axiom or system of axioms (an axiomatic set theory)

ax·i·om·at·i·cal·ly       adverb



Did you find any wondrous words lately?




Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - 3-1-16 Fannie Flagg

Every Tuesday Diane hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where she shares the first paragraph sometimes two from a book she is reading or thinking about reading soon. Share a book you are interested in reading and link up at Diane's blog, Bibliophile by the Sea. 

The All-girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

Fannie Flagg

Randon House Trade Paperback 2014

A Most Unusual Week
Point Clear, Alabama
Monday, June 6, 2005
76 and Sunny

Mrs. Earle Poole Jr, better known to friends and family as Sookie, was driving home from the Birds-R-Us store out on highway 98 with one ten-pound bag of sunflower seed and one ten-pound bag of wild bird seed and not her usual weekly purchase for the past fifteen years of one twenty-pound bag of Pretty Boy Wild Bird Seed and Sunflower Mix. As she had explained to Mr. Nadleshaft, she was worried that the smaller birds were not getting enough to eat. Every morning lately, the minute she filled her feeders, the larger, more aggressive blue jays would swoop in and scare the little birds all away. 

This is an upcoming read for my book club. Would you read on?  Have you read this one?  It has been on my TBR list since 2013 and on my actual shelf since November last year.


Stay Happy and Stay Busy