My game plan for the weekend

I totally caved. I went to the Friends of the Library sale today. (sigh) The good news is I spent less than $40 -- in the past, I have done much more. And I didn't even look at everything. The majority of my purchases were nonfiction, actually. Lots of books on American history, current events, political theory -- some from our side and some from theirs to better understand them.

It's been a rainy off and on day. I meant to take a nap but it didn't really happen so I'm a little tired. Steve did some scrapping then got the boys new dog beds and some stuff for himself at Cabellas. He may partake in "game night" with his gamer buddies tonight which will go until 2 or 3.

I finished THE BLOOD RED INDIAN SUMMER by Handler this morning. It was a quick, not thick, with big font read and hey, the first book I completed this month and it's only the 15th. Bah, that's terrible. Next will be PORTRAIT OF A SPY by Daniel Silva. This is 11th of 11 in series featuring Gabriel Allon, an art restorer and Israeli secret agent. Here is a summary:

For Gabriel and his wife, Chiara, it was supposed to be the start of a pleasant weekend in London—a visit to a gallery in St. James’s to authenticate a newly discovered painting by Titian, followed by a quiet lunch. But a pair of deadly bombings in Paris and Copenhagen has already marred this autumn day. And while walking toward Covent Garden, Gabriel notices a man he believes is about to carry out a third attack. Before Gabriel can draw his weapon, he is knocked to the pavement and can only watch as the nightmare unfolds. Haunted by his failure to stop the massacre of innocents, Gabriel returns to his isolated cottage on the cliffs of Cornwall, until a summons brings him to Washington and he is drawn into a confrontation with the new face of global terror. At the center of the threat is an American-born cleric in Yemen to whom Allah has granted “a beautiful and seductive tongue.” A gifted deceiver, who was once a paid CIA asset, the mastermind is plotting a new wave of attacks. Gabriel and his team devise a daring plan to destroy the network of death from the inside, a gambit fraught with risk, both personal and professional. To succeed, Gabriel must reach into his violent past. A woman waits there—a reclusive heiress and art collector who can traverse the murky divide between Islam and the West. She is the daughter of an old enemy, a woman joined to Gabriel by a trail of blood. . . .

It was published in July and has 464 pages.

I don't believe there is anything on TV for me but I do have several WSJs to catch up with and of course to read the Silva.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

A good use of one's time

I’m currently reading THE BLOOD RED INDIAN SUMMER by David Handler. This is 8^th of 8 in series featuring Mitch Berger, a New York film critic, and Desiree “Des” Mitry, a black police detective, in Dorset, Connecticut. Here is a summary:

Tyrone “Da Beast” Grantham, the famously volatile NFL superstar linebacker, has just been suspended for “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the league.” When Tyrone and his entourage decide to spend his season in exile in bucolic Dorset---much to the dismay of his early-to-bed, ultra-white neighbors---Des is put on the spot. And when Tyrone’s eighteen-year-old sister-in-law, Kinitra, washes up on Mitch’s beach one morning, bloodied and barely alive, Des is on the case. Especially when it turns out that Kinitra is eight weeks pregnant. Good thing there’s nothing else serious going on in our heroes’ lives right now. Like, say, Mitch’s parents arriving from Florida at long last to meet the new woman of color in their nice Jewish boy’s life.

This was just published and has 256 pages.

I have Say Yes to the Dress to watch tonight. Otherwise, newspapers to catch up on and reading.

I was thinking about something the other day and it’s not a new thought to me but it strikes me every once in a while. While I enjoy ensemble movies such as The Big Chill and Gosford Park, I am very much a loner personality. I have friends but I don’t collect super-close friends. There are people who I’ve known for decades and I still consider to be my friends and I usually have at least one good friend at a time through work, but I enjoy being by myself; I enjoy my own company and often prefer it. I am comfortable with my own thoughts. That is often company enough for me. I think I was this way growing up, too, though I had two close friends through junior and high school. But I’m just not the personality type to be in a group of girlfriends like you see on TV or in movies. I’m just not Sex in the City or Friends or How I Met Your Mother in a group like that.

And it’s not that I prefer books to being with people. When I am around people, I’m usually rather outgoing. And I really like stories and reading but I also really like just contemplating things with myself. And I don’t feel lonely or like I’m missing anything. An astrologer friend of mine described me as “swimming in really deep, deep waters.” Maybe that best describes it. As a famous “philosopher” once said, “I yam what I yam.”

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Or maybe I'm just tired....

I’ve decided to probably not go to the Friends of the Library sale this year. If I go at all, it will be on Saturday and perhaps I would limit my search to just history/current events books.

I won’t be going to the pre-sale tonight because I took Steve to the ER until 2AM last night and I am frankly so tired it hurts. Tomorrow, the sale is only open during business hours and I missed yesterday’s work and can’t take time off now. Plus, I actually have way more to read than I really have time for and shouldn’t be adding anything more. Books, at this point, should be going out of the house and not in.

Also, I picked up two 14-day books from the library today so now I have to put down the Hamilton and Suskind and read these: PORTRAIT OF A SPY by Daniel Silva and David Handler’s new one, THE BLOOD RED INDIAN SUMMER. Maybe I will just clean house and read this weekend. That would be a better use of my time.

Tonight, I have to go to Walmart after work, possibly walk the dogs, do dinner/clean up, blog and then I would really like to go to bed after maybe reading a little something. That could be a big maybe.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Feeling blah

Stayed home from work today. Feeling yucky. People are going to be gone on Thursday and Friday so this was my only chance this week to try to nip it in the bud. It's the same thing that was trying to take hold last week: something in my chest and feeling dizzy and headachy. I had plans to some things today but wound up sleeping most of the day and to be honest I could sleep some more.

Steve has shooting tonight. He says he feels yucky too but can't not go. Bah. I hope to maybe do some reading, we'll see how that turns out.

That's about it.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Can't pass up a Monty Python reference

A quick note tonight. I’m actually writing this from work (oh bad!). I’ve got another debate to watch at 6 tonight so it will be rushed: get home from work, walk dogs, throw dinner on some plates. J

The debate will probably take until 8 and then some commentary to view. I’ll have to do dishes and then a WSJ to read, maybe two if there is one from yesterday (no mail yesterday so no paper). I’ll probably not accomplish much else.

Busy at work, but the good news is evil person #2 has turned in notice to join evil person #1 where she went to work a month or so ago. They are best friends and will be happy to be together again. But, yay, she’ll be gone in two weeks! Evil #2 was back to being overtly snippy today now that her end is in sight. Getting better all the time, to quote the Beatles.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Post debate note: I liked this format a lot better, they were all sitting around a round table so it seemed more discussion like than speechifying from a podium. I'm afraid it's going to be Romney. I wish Santorum had some executive experience; he's got great conservative values.

See, that's why I have dogs

I dropped off four boxes of books at the used book store at noon. I had planned on donating to the library but I forgot they were closed today for the holiday. I forgot there was a holiday. So, I am building up some credit there again and I told them that whatever they didn't want to keep, they could dispose of as they'd like. Of course, you can't really tell that four boxes of books came out of my office. Ugh.

Glad the day got over with at work. I got home and Ryker, who is always so glad to you see you he jumps up at you, got me with two of his claws on the side of my face/chin area. That hurt but went away eventually. Then, while walking in the field, I found one of the few patches of mud and managed to slip as I was trying to avoid it/work my out of it and totally creamed the side of my pants. Really ugh.

Dinner was okay, no mishaps, did the dishes, no catastrophes. Printed some paperbackswap.com mailing thingys after finding the driver for the printer for the computer. I'll have to mail them at lunch tomorrow.

I think I'll be going to the Friends of the Library preview night on Thursday. You just have to renew your membership for like $10, listen to a boring meeting, then you get first shot at the books for two hours. May be worth it, especially if I'm not able to get away from work on Friday morning. It's always a madhouse both the preview night and the Friday morning but also fun and hot. I never really really find what I'm looking for -- more historical mysteries for my collection -- but I manage to find some things.

It's after 8 now. With no mail today -- damn government holiday -- I don't have a WSJ to read but I do have plenty of other things. In between calls today, I made an impromptu list of just the fiction I have to read in my next in series and upcoming new releases. At the rate I'm reading (about 5 per month and probably slower now), I'm set for the rest of the year and then some without even trying and have the majority on hand already. And in nonfiction? If I say one per month, I've got a half a year or so. And that's just the immediate, closer of the Mount TBRs. I could say I really don't need any more books but then I wouldn't be a book addict, let alone a monster, now would I?

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

Sunday

I don't think I've accomplished very much today. I think I'll choose not to care about that very much.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster