I'm still here. 2/28/14 Go Away Winter!!

I haven't posted in a week!.

I 'm still reading the same 3 books as last week, so no need to post to It's Monday!What Are You Reading!
sorry Sheila .

 I didn't start a new book, so no need to post to :

Sorry Diane.

And I was in a winter doldrums slump, so I didn't even jot down any new words. So no need to post to:

Sorry Kathy 

OK, next week will be better.  We picked up two audio books at the library, and I ordered two books from Amazon. Plus I have the 3 to finish. I did get some sewing projects done and it is going to be cold again this weekend so I should get some reading accomplished. 

Wish me luck, 

Until next time

Saturday Snapshot 2-22-1

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at  West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky (at West Metro Mommy). Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

This is my birthday present from my sister and her husband. I'm not sure of the medium but it is by an artist named Mark Zimmerman who lives and paints in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I am so excited to have it. And the best part is that it pairs well with the painting we received for Christmas from our granddaughter. 

This is an original that Kylie painted for us. She is an RN and has extraordinary talent with color and oil paints. She painted a scene from Italy for our daughter and her husband that they have hanging in their dining room. 

Until next time 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Wondrous Words Wednesday in Audio!!

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy at  BermudaOnion's Weblog. It is a chance to share and celebrate words we find in our daily reading. Want to play along, hop on over to Kathy's blog and link your post to Mr Linky. See you there!







I am still listening to the audible version of The Goldfinch. Listening to audio books is great, but hard to make note of words that sound unfamiliar to me, or to check on a word that I am not sure of the definition. Usually I am doing some other task while listening, without pen and paper at hand,  and then I am not sure of the spelling.

Such is the case with the word desultory.  When I heard it, I knew is was a wondrous word example, but  I did not know how to spell it. I took a chance and went to YourDictionary . I typed in deseltory, not sure of the spelling. Finally the definition appeared with the correct spelling, desultory.

adjective

1. The definition of desultory is something, someone or a conversation with no plan or purpose that wanders from one thing to the next.
   1. An example of desultory is wandering around and not knowing where you are going.
   2. An example of desultory is a conversation that doesn't flow well.

I haven't been able to find the exact sentence in the backtracking in the audio, but Theo was remarking about the desultory standards of the new school he was attending in Las Vegas.

I'll try to keep a pen and paper at hand as I continue, to note other words as they come up. I am enjoying listening to this story, though I am hearing and reading lots of negative.

Hope you all had a wondrous week finding lots of wondrous words to share. I am going to visit all the blogs listed on the Mr Linky page.


Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Sixth Man

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph or maybe two of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph (or2) of the current book you are reading.

This week I am still reading (listening to) all the same books that I posted about last Tuesday.  The Goldfinch, Quiet: the Power of the Introvert in a World That Can't Stop Talking, The Land of Painted Caves. I am not making much progress. I could blame the weather, but actually it doesn't matter to me. I could blame my husband, he has been really attentive lately and always in the same room as me. But I could get up and move too I guess. I could blame the Olympics for focusing my attention to the television instead of books, probably the closest to the truth. I have also been sewing quite a bit, and while I did that, Mr Busy and I both listened to The Sixth Man by David Baldacci. So I will share the first 2 paragraphs of the prologue of this audio book.

"Make It Stop!"

The man hunched over the cold metal table, his body curled tight, eyes screwed shut, his voice cracking. He sucked in each breath and let it out like it would be his last. Through headphones a fast blast of words filled his ear canals and then flooded his brain. An array of sensors was strapped into a heavy cloth harness that was buckled over  his torso. He also wore a cap with electrodes attached that measured his brain waves. The room was brightly lit. 

This first bit of audio almost had me screaming to "make it stop". I do not like this kind of image. But as I found out, it was essential in understanding the story, and it was short lived, only used in the prologue.  So would you read or listen on?  I am glad I did, though at first listen I may not have.  Maybe sometimes we need to give a book a chance. Of course, I love David Baldacci's writing so that may have urged me on.

 Until next time,
Stay Happy and Stay Busy

It's Monday! What Are You Reading! More of the same and a new one!

     It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  As she says, it’s “a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!”


These Monday posts are beginning to be a bit redundant!. I have been having a slow week in the reading venue. I have been sort of glued to the tube and watching the Olympics. I have enjoyed them a lot. 

I am still listening to The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. 

There has been lot of negative on the internet regarding this book, but I am enjoying the story. I guess I don't care if Theo is a whinner, maybe he has a right to be. I don't really care if Mrs Barbour is a social butterfly. She has a kind heart. Now, granted, I am only 33% into this book, but it is an interesting and thought provoking read for me. 

I am also still reading Quiet:.

This one too has me thinking about what kind of a personality I put out there to the rest of my world. Am I shy and quiet? Am I anxious and wanting to hide?  Something to think about, for sure. 

And I have started to read. The Land of  Painted Caves    Jean M. Auel. This is the 6th book in the series and I have been waiting to corral a copy for awhile. It is loaned to me by a friend so I feel the need to read it and return it in a reasonable amount of time. 

Mr Busy and I finished listening to The Sixth Man by David Baldacci as we each worked in our respective hobby rooms. I was cutting fabric for a Spring wall hanging and he was working on building a balsa wood radio controlled airplane. 

I know this looks like a lot of reading, but they are different genres and different editions. I can often juggle more than one book, if listening to one, reading one on my Kindle and reading one in print edition. As I said last week, the listening of the audible version of The Goldfinch is a challenge because I need to be by myself with no other audio going on. That is hard to come by lately. 

Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Stupefied, Amazed and Bewildered.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by BermudaOnion each week. It's an opportunity to share new words you've encountered in your reading, or highlight words that you particularly enjoy.

Now, I don't think I am stupid, but when I heard this word while listening to The Goldfinch, I had to make note of it. I have never before heard this form of the word . This is the only definition I can find anywhere. I am stupefied, amazed and bewildered. 

"Was this who my dad had left us for? In stupefaction I looked back at Mrs Barbour again."

Chapter 36 at 7:30:25  of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.  

definition of STUPEFACTION

:  the act of stupefying :  the state of being stupefied

Related to STUPEFACTION

Synonyms

amazement, astonishment, shock, startlement, surprise

Related Words

awe, wonder, wonderment; startle; bewilderment,confusion, consternation, discomfiture, dismay

Do you use this word often? I wonder if I will be able to include it in my daily vocabulary?

Until next time

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros Jean M. Auel's 6th

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph or maybe two of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph (or2) of the current book you are reading

The band of travelers walked along the path between the clear sparkling water of Grass River and the black-streaked white limestone cliff,  following the trail that paralleled the right bank. They went single file around the bend where the stone wall jutted out closer to the water's edge. Ahead a smaller path split off at an angle toward the crossing place, where the flowing water spread out and became shallower. bubbling around exposed rock. 

This is the first paragraph of the 6th in the series of the Earth's Children by Jean M. Auel.  I fell in love with Ayla in Clan of the Cave Bear back in the late 1980s.  Jean Auel tells an amazing story of a world none of us know except through her extensively researched writing. Have you read Earth's Children?  Would you read on?

I wanted to read this when it first was published, but could only find the hardcover and couldn't afford it then. This is a paperback edition loaned to me by a friend. I am so excited to revisit Alya and Jondalar and their baby daughter.

Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy