Thoughts for Thursday

Well, it is 12:05 am which means any more thoughts I have to share have to be done on Thursday…such drama man.

Baxter and Bennie are driving me nuts – they are both sitting here staring at me as I write this – feel like they are reading over my shoulder or something.  I tell them to go lay down but they won’t budge.  I know it isn’t me they are interested in but the half slice of cold pizza on my plate.  If I move they start jumping around thinking that I’m giving them the leftovers.  Normally it is kind of cute but tonight it is irritating.  I don’t want to be taken for granted like this.

Sure they usually get the leftovers but I don’t want them to assume they do.  I want to feel like they appreciate the extra little treat of human food – a dessert to their nuitrious dog food. 

Let’s see, thoughts for Thursday are going to be difficult because I don’t know yet what this day will bring.  I was suppose to go over to a friend’s house tonight for supper, drinks and games but she had to cancel due to being required to work a basketball game.  I’m glad I never sign up for those.

She wanted to reschedule to Friday night but I already have plans for then so had to decline.  Now we’ll have to put it off for a month or so until the evening gal takes another evening off so the three of us can meet.  We don’t invite the other dispatchers – not that we don’t like them but someone has to stay and work, right? Why make them feel like they are being left out or resent having to work by telling them we are getting together? I know I would rather not know than be stuck at work wondering if the others were having fun.

I had no plans to leave the house today but am almost out of soda so will have to go out either today or tomorrow for more.  I’ve got to quit drinking the stuff – it is hard though when my sleeping pattern isn’t allowed to stay consistent.  I drink lemonade, ice tea, hot tea and water too but none of that keeps me alert like soda.  I could take stay awake pills but those make my heart race and give me a headache.

My son called earlier to chat but then got busy.  He said he’d call back but, of course, he didn’t.  I assume he got even busier or he simply forgot.  We didn’t really have anything to discuss but often that is when we converse the most as random stuff becomes issues to debate.  We love debating though I have to admit, if we were scored on our presentations like they do in school – my son would win just about every time.  It is rather humbling when the student becomes smarter than the teacher.

I imagine I will take the dogs on a short walk sometime today, probably do some cleaning and then maybe read.  I have two books from the library yet to read – Dean Koontz’s “Your Heart Belongs to Me” and a book by Nora Roberts called “High Noon” – of course I will read Koontz first.  Well, I guess saying “of course” isn’t a good idea because, frankly, I’m getting kind of sick of him – however, between these two authors, I will read his first.

My taste in movies and books is starting to change.  Funny how that  happens over time.  Crime dramas and sci-fi are losing their luster for me so am not sure what will become more of a focus…not romances, that is for sure.  I’m thinking biographies might become my favorite topic for books and adventures more for movies.

I read Barack Obama’s book recently and really enjoyed it.  I have a list going of other famous people’s biographies I would like to read so might start with that shortly.  Yes, I will still read some crime dramas – Alex Kava and Navada Barr are still favorites of mine as well as a few others.

Well, that is it for Thursday’s thoughts thus far.  Hope everyone has a great day!

Exposed

Started and finished the book “Exposed” by Alex Kava yesterday. It was one I was waiting to read for quite some time so it was nice to get it done. I wouldn’t say it is one of Kava’s best Maggie O’Dell book but I suppose part of that is that I’m not a big chemical weapons person.

The story starts with Maggie and her commanding officer being exposed to a deadly strain of the Ebola Zaire virus that a maniac is using to settle scores from his/her path. I figured it out very early on in the book which was disappointing but the book was still good. The Colonel that debuts in it (hopefully he is in many more) sounds very sexy which, of course, is the point. Why can’t men like that really exist?

I hope Kava’s fans don’t have to wait as long as we did last time – it has been over a year without a book from her. I do enjoy the Maggie O’Dell series as much as I enjoy the Anna Pigeon chain from Navada Barr.

Say Goodbye

I started and finished this book today by Lisa Gardner.  I had gotten it from the library last week so figured I best get it read before it became overdue.

Say Goodbye is about a pregnant agent who is trying to balance being a wife, agent and soon a new mom.  There is a killer loose who likes to kill prostitutes and molest young boys.  She works with a partner from another bureau to track down this person.

The book is soooo predictable that I’m beginning to think it isn’t the books anymore, it is me.  I read so many books that the plots seem obvious.  Each character in the book has a part to play – once you establish that, the rest is easy.  I’m so rarely surprised anymore.  Maybe I need to change genre for awhile.

Honestly, I’d say the 355 pages could have been cut by 75 pages or so – it would have made the story more fast paced.  By the end of it, my eyes were so tired they couldn’t even focus. 

Well, off to work I go.

Heat Lightning

I read this book by John Saul the other night.  I have to say, I found it kind of boring.  The killers were easy to figure out and I couldn’t care less about the victims so had no interest in who was killed or not. 

Now, I could start in on how books have been a real disappointment to me lately but I am currently reading one that is fascinating.  It is over 600 pages long so it will take me awhile to read through it.  I’m not going to say what the title is until I have it done.

Tomorrow it is back to work – ugh.  I am thinking about changing my shift at work to 11am-7pm, Wed-Sun.  Of course, I can’t change until we have more people hired.  But I’m kind of sick of working third shift so will have to see.

The dogs are driving me nuts today – constantly running around barking at each other.  It is getting to me, I must say.  They jump on the furniture and run throughout the rooms bumping into me and knocking stuff over. 

Man, I’m rather bored tonight.  Have done my chores for the week so that means I don’t have a lot left to do but read, write or watch tv.  I couldn’t find anything to watch on tv so I’m watching Columbo on Netflix.  I spent hours reading so am tired of that and can’t write anything of any substance at all – not even a Christmas letter to go with the cards I will mail after Thanksgiving.

Faces of Fear

I must admit I’ve been in a slump lately when it comes to reading.  Several times I have tried to read a book but could never engage in the storyline enough to finish it.  It has been frustrating as I am an avid reader.

This morning at 4am I started the above book by John Saul.  The book is due back to the library on Saturday so I needed to read it before the time slipped away from me.  I just finished it at 10am.

The book centers around a family who has its share of problems.  The mother marries a rich doctor after her first marriage ended in divorce and his wife died.  All seems good for awhile.  Of course it wouldn’t be John Saul if there wasn’t a crazed killer out slicing and dicing women so that part of the story slowly entwines with the family.  Though the killer is obvious right away – I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be able to figure it out practically immediately just from reading the flaps on the book – the story was good. 

The main character is a teenage girl who has to deal with the problems of moving from a normal neighborhood to Bel Air where the rich and beautiful people live.  Saul did such a good job creating her that I bonded to her character almost immediately.  One can see a bit of themselves in her which made her quite likable.

The new husband is a plastic surgeon so there is some talk about procedures they do which was rather fascinating.  For example, they have a way now of doing breast implants with just small incisions under the arm which leaves virtually no scars and looks more natural.

I recommend the book if you are looking for something interesting without a lot of gore or suspense.  It is a relaxing read that flows smoothly.

The Keepsake

I realize I rarely have bad things to say about Tess Gerritsen’s writing and tonight is no different.  Just finished the book “Keepsake” and must say, it was excellent.  The information about Egypt, a place I would love to visit, brought archeology and history to life for me.  The lessons on different forms of mummification was a bit more than I ever wanted to know but they came early on in the book so once that unpleasantness was past, the reader is able to concentrate on other areas.

The book centers around a woman who works in a museum where a mummy is found in the basement amidst the rest of the collection.  There is no record of the mummy being purchased by the museum nor any record of it being donated.  A quick x-ray of the mummy reveals that it isn’t from the Egyptian era when mummification was popular, though it was mummified in much the same way.  Nope, the mummy is about 25 years old.

Soon other torrid things are also discovered in the museum.  While the police sort through the archaic symbols left by the killer, this woman knows the whole thing is connected to her for she is not who they think she is. 

It is easy to get caught up in the storyline and with this woman’s struggle to elude a stalker who has been a part of her life since her birth.  Yes, one does figure out most of the answers before the end but not all of them.  It isn’t a fast paced book but held my interest the entire six hours it took to read it.  I barely wanted to put it down long enough to run to the bathroom.

Egypt has always fascinated me – though not to the extent it does archaeologists, I’m sure.  The ability of the sculptors and builders back then was fantastic.  While I don’t think I’ll ever make it there to see these wonders in my lifetime, I don’t need to see them to appreciate them.  The Discovery and History channels do a great series on Egypt and the artifacts there.

I would recommend this book but would say if it is your first with Tess Gerritsen, you might want to start at the beginning so you better know the main characters: Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles and Barry Frost.

Play Dirty

Read this book by Sandra Brown yesterday.  The book is entertaining but predictable which I find a lot of her books to be lately.  Actually, her best book so far was “Envy” and it boggles my mind that she can’t seem to rise to that level again. 

I can’t really say that each author has a “best” book either because I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite for many of the authors I read.  Some authors just piss me off – Alex Kava are you listening? – because they take so damn long to write a new book.  As many best sellers as they have, I find it hard to believe they have to hold down a second job and therefore can’t find time to write.  Bastards.

Brave One

Well, I finally decided to check the damage on my personal library.  I knew most of my books were gone but didn’t want to find out exactly how bad the damage was because I knew it would upset me.

Today, after writing the post on the libraries, I decided I was finally feeling brave enough to take stock of my loss and see where I need to go from here.  Here are the final statistics:

Of the 278 books I’ve read in the past five or so years, I owned 115 when I lived in Florida.  Of the 115 I owned, 22 made it to Iowa – leaving me with a deficit of 93 books.

When I moved from Iowa to Florida, I lost quite a bit more than that because I had the complete set of Dean Koontz, James Patterson and John Saul’s works.  In Florida I had started buying the titles that were my favorites from each author rather then buying each book again. 

I keep a detailed list of all the books I read, alphabetised by author.  I have a box next to the author’s name to check once I own the book.  I also rate the books for my own use later when evaluating an author overall.  It is sad to have so few checks in the “Own” column now.

Often I wish I had kept a list of books I have read since childhood but I didn’t.  I know I read the Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew series but there were other books in there as well.  My son, since becoming more of an avid reader in the past two years, also keeps a list of all the books he reads.  He doesn’t own any because he doesn’t have enough space to keep them – he uses the library a lot.  I can only imagine how many books would be on my list if I had kept one since childhood.  {sigh}

Libraries

Earlier I went to the Coralville Public Library to pick up a book (“The Keepsake” by Tess Gerritsen) they had reserved for me.  I ended up with a second one that was in the “new release” section – Patricia Cornwell’s “Book of the Dead.”  

I really like Coralville’s library.  I like how it is set up, I like that it has a separate area for loafing around in the front so a person could sit out there and write or whatever.  It also has a few easy chairs – not as many as the Iowa City Public Library of course, but a few.  IC’s library will always be my favorite here in this area.  I must say though that Sarasota had them beat by a long shot.

The Coralville library has a large fountain in the middle of the lobby that extends from the bottom story up to the main one.  I like this fountain though I can’t say why exactly.  It isn’t a fountain that is ornate or anything, maybe I like the clean lines of it or that it extends up like trees so it gives that earthy feeling.  IC should get one or at least a large fish tank or something.

The problem with the IC library is that it is downtown which constitutes fighting for parking or parking in a ramp just to run in to pick up books.  I love libraries and feel that they should be easily accessible to everyone – not just the people walking around downtown.  I heard a lot of grumbles about it as I sat in the shade in front of it one day so I know I’m not alone in this feeling.

On my way back home, I decided it was time to get a library card at the North Liberty library as well.  I strongly feel that anyone living in a town or city should support their library by having a library card and checking out a book a couple times a year.  Some of the funding, at least when I worked at the library it was this way, came from how many people had cards and how many books were checked out.  Libraries are always underfunded yet so very important.  I would never settle in a city that didn’t have or didn’t care to have a good library system – it is too vital to the community.

The North Liberty Library is housed in the Community & Rec Building on Hwy 965.  I practically wept when I went inside – I’ve never, ever, ever been in a library so tiny in my entire life.  Even WL’s library is three times the size of NL’s.  What a sad commentary about the things of importance in this town. 

I got my library card – which they don’t issue cards actually, you are in the computer so they need your last name when you check out.  They take your picture and have that with your record so you don’t have to worry about a card or even bringing in your driver’s license.  Heck, you wouldn’t even need to bring in your purse if you would rather not.  I do like this feature.

They had books on top of the six foot bookcases, that is how cramped they are.  In one of the isles is a little foot stool for climbing on to get up to grab a book.  Now, I’m quite positive this is against OSHA regulations but I would never complain as the library was so pitiful. 

In support of my new library, I checked out three books: “Bone Factory” by Steven Sidor; “Buried At Sea” by Paul Garrison; and “Entombed” by Linda Fairstein.  The last one I might have already read but I can’t remember so grabbed it too.

It’s smallness endeared it to me right away so I spoke to the librarian about what plans were being laid for a new building.  She said they have to come up with a lot of their own money before the City will give them funding to have their own building and expand.  Well, I’m all for a bigger building so left my name with her in case they had any fundraisers I could volunteer at.  I found myself wishing, once again, that I was rich because this is definitely something I would donate a few million into.

Libraries, to me, have always been sacred places.  I can’t explain it.  I have loved libraries since I was a child and Mom would let us go to the storybook reading by Hazel at the IC library.  I worked with Hazel years later - she had the same feeling about libraries as I do.  It is such a magical place brimming with so much knowledge that none of us could ever learn it all in our lifetimes.  I would make a great librarian but the field is practically impossible to get into.

Books have always been an important part of my life.  I love owning my favorite titles and dream about having a home big enough to house my own mini-library.  Of all the things I can picture about my dream house, the library and kitchen are rooms that are always the most vivid. 

I can’t wait until I have enough extra money each month to start building my library again.  The thing that also always excites me about this prospect is buying the used books from the library – thus getting books I love and contributing money to the library at the same time.  It is a win-win situation.

So folks, if you don’t have a library card at your local library, I implore you to go get one.  Check out a book or movie or something a couple times a year; explore the stacks for new authors and new subjects of interest.  Libraries have virtually every topic of study known to man and librarians who can help you find the answers to so many questions.  Check it out!

Stalked

The book “Stalked” by Brian Freeman was one that I admit, had me stumped until almost the end.  I had most of it figured out and knew who the bad guy was as it is an old story of cheating, power and image but some of the pieces didn’t fit the puzzle.  Towards the end I figured it out and have to admit, it was a nice twist.

The story surrounds a couple of police officers who try to solve the murder of one of their fellow officer’s husband while the officer was upstairs sleeping.  Whoever did the killing framed the officer perfectly and it doesn’t help that she seems to have a very dark secret that she isn’t willing to share with anyone. 

Amidst several other crimes, one begins to have the feeling that there is more going on than the simple killing but it is difficult to sort them out as they are all related in some fashion or another.  The story is not scary by any means though according to Nelson DeMille’s recommendation it is.  It is entertaining and gives one a few bad thoughts along the way.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological thrillers.