Reread Book One: The Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston and Child

I'm a fan of the Preston & Child books and get the Pendergast File email. In one email, if you referred a new subscriber, they would send a copy of their book The Cabinet of the Curiosities. I suggested that I'd refer my brother and he could get the new book and give me a copy of his old book. Instead he gave me the new book. I picked it up to read a few lines and felt the need to completely reread the whole book (first read in 2018.)

I remembered the gist of it, though it took me a while to remember which guy was the criminal. I forgot many details. The book was still compelling, and I'm glad I have my own copy now. 

Preston & Child have a new book coming out in January The Cabinet of Dr. Leng. It's not exactly a sequel to The Cabinet of the Curiosities, but they are linked. Preston & Child shared the first chapter(s) of the new book and it's awesome. I can't wait to read it. 

Thanksgiving Weekend Thoughts

I'm trying to figure out our new Thanksgiving traditions. Looking through some old posts, I realize that it's been longer than I thought since we've had a big family get together. Those days are over.

I was proud of myself that I ordered our holiday meal back in the first week of November. Holidays always seem to sneak up on me. It doesn't really make sense, but it's true. My excuse is that the sales and marketing parts of the holidays start so much earlier than the actual holidays, that I lose track of the actual dates. How does that sound?

Anyway, I was happy--no, I should say thankful--that the weather had warmed up this week. We had some rain, but it's easier to be thankful in fifty degree weather than thirty degree weather. I've enjoyed most of my walks with Jace this week.

Our dinner from Whole Foods was delicious. There is a but. After I brought the food home, I unpacked the box and put everything in the refrigerator. I wished I had paid more attention--the foods were closer to frozen than not. The dinner took much longer to cook than expected. I had even sketched out a timeline based on the cooking time of the various dishes. Instead I kept testing dishes and moving them from the lower to the upper oven to keep them warm. Oh well.

We were supposed to be a dinner of four, but our friend got sick, so only my brother came. Jeff and I had leftovers for Friday lunch and Saturday dinner. We still have some turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. 

We went out to lunch Saturday with my brother and his girlfriend at a favorite, Sedona Taphouse. After lunch, we played Trivial Pursuit. Jeff and I each won a game. 

The rest of the weekend was lazy. I skipped the gym (sore right shoulder and leg.) In general, I was in a slow mode. (That reminds me of a description of a busboy's speeds, slow and stop--I need to remember that line.) 

I guess we're in Christmas mode now.

Homebody, Housework, and Holidays

The last week-and-a-half flew by--one day to Thanksgiving. I made sure to put my order in with Whole Foods in plenty of time: a classic meal for four: turkey breast, green beans with shallots, mashed potatoes, herb stuffing, turkey gravy, and cranberry orange sauce. We've been happy with their food for the past two years. And it's easy. 

We always buy the dinner for four. The first year the dinner for four was only $10 more than the dinner for two. Leftovers! This year we have two joining us, so I'm keeping leftover expectations low.

I've been in a homebody mode for over a week after an expensive morning at the Farmer's Market, gas station, and liquor store. I've also been in a cooking mode. I did a good job with modified trout and green bean almondine, lobster salad, lobster risotto, lobster quesadillas, curried lentil soup. I overcooked chicken on a dish I've made several times before. D'oh.

On Sunday I concentrated on housework. The kitchen, bath, and hallway are clean. The dining area and living room are cleaner. I need to focus and finish. Finishing is important.

Monday was the last day of my fall writing class before we break for the holidays. I wasn't crazy about the prompt this week, but I wrote something. It's short--about 250 words (246, I just checked.) At least it was a good exercise in writing a male first person point of view.

I've already signed up for the winter fiction class beginning January 9. I need to decide if I also want to take the personal story class. 

Time to get moving--still lots of cleaning to do. I will also do a short workout and take Jace to Oyster Shell. After a few days of unseasonal cold, we'll see the 50s today.

Book 32: Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

This book is a vast improvement over Dead as a Doornail. After much thought, I rate it higher than Dead to the World. 

In this installment, Sookie heads to New Orleans to go through things left to her by her murdered vampire cousin Hadley. She's also on hand to help Louisiana Vampire Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq whose recent marriage to the Vampire King of Arkansas is far from a love match.

I enjoyed the ectoplasmic reconstruction spell that Amelia Broadway and other witches use to discover how and why a were had been turned into a vampire at Hadley's apartment. That's the kind of spell that would come in handy. 

Sookie learns some heartbreaking news about her first lover vampire Bill Compton while dating Quinn a weretiger. Sookie and Quinn are attacked twice by weres hired by the Pelt family who (rightfully) blame Sookie for the disappearance of Debbie Pelt.  

At this point, I've read five of the Sookie Stackhouse or Southern Vampire Mysteries. I would like to read the third book because it introduced Russell Edgington, memorably played in the True Blood series by Denis O'Hare. Other than that, I'm not sure if I'll continue.

The original idea of vampires coming out of the coffin because of invention of TruBlood, a synthetic plasma, is brilliant. Not all vampires want to come out and live with humans as equal so that brings a lot of conflict. The werewolves are interesting, but not compelling. Some of the other supernaturals such as werepanthers and weretigers are just too much for me. I guess my suspension of disbelief reached its limit.

Edited to add: Another thing I like about these books is that even in a series about supernaturals, Sookie deals with practical problems as well. She's low on money, until she gets payment for letting amnesiac Eric stay with her in Dead to the World. She's relieved that she and her grandmother had managed to keep up insurance payments when her house is set on fire. Sookie also considers the benefits of marriage to werepanther Calvin Norris. After all, he has a good job with health insurance.

Congratulations Buck Showalter NL Manager of the Year

It had to be Buck. No offense to the other NL nominees Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves and Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles, but both teams had been World Series winners recently. 

The 2022 Mets had improved by 24 games over the 2021 season; the final tally is 101 wins and 61 losses. This is the second best record in franchise history; the best record of 108 wins belongs to the 1986 team. 

Buck is the Mets' first Manager of the Year winner. He had previously won the award four times with four other teams. 

Here's hoping he stays in Queens and wins more.

Congratulation also to Terry Francona of the Cleveland Guardians, AL Manager of the Year. 

Book 31: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Someone is targeting shifters including Sam--Sookie's boss and friend, Calvin Norris--a werepanther, and a young woman. Sookie is also shot based on her relationships with various shifters. After the mystery of the shooter is solved, Sookie remains in danger from someone with a vendetta against Eric. She is saved by the patrons at Merlotte's Bar and Grill.

This book is just blah. The shifter killer is a random new character. The plot against Sookie/Eric is clunky and not all that interesting.

Book 30: Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

I previously read the first two of the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mysteries. This book is the fourth of 13 novels. The main plot concerns a coven of witches who are trying to extort money and take over local vampire businesses. One witch has cast a spell on Eric giving him amnesia; he remains in hiding at Sookie's house. 

Vampires, werewolves, and wiccans team up to fight the witches. Apparently werewolves made their first appearance in the third book in the series (which I haven't read.) Sookie's participation in the battle against the witches give her standing as a friend of the pack in the werewolf community.

A subplot involves the disappearance of Sookie's brother Jason and introduces a community of werepanthers.

I enjoyed the book although the TV series amped up the threat of the witches. The main witch Marnie was possessed by the spirit of a witch tortured by a vampire centuries ago. One of Marnie's spells raised vampires during the day. I loved the scene of Maxine Fortenberry's neighbor exiting her home and bursting into flames.

Book 29: Plays By and About Women Edited by Victoria Sullivan and James Hatch

I got this book at a library sale, but not sure which one. I don't see it listed in a previous post or in my latest book list.

The book includes eight 20th century plays. I was familiar with two from screen adaptations: The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman and The Women by Clare Boothe. I haven't read any plays in a long time. It's fun to read a different format than a short story or novel.

The other plays are:

Overtones by Alice Gerstenberg

Play with a Tiger by Doris Lessing

Calm Down Mother by Megan Terry

The Advertisement by Natalia Ginzburg

Rites by Maureen Duffy

Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress

The plays give a bleak assessment of womanhood in the 20th century: men always let women down, women can be their own worst enemies, and opportunities for women are limited. 

The plays I enjoyed were The Children's Hour, The Advertisement, Rites, and Wine in the Wilderness. Wine in the Wilderness was the only play with a remotely happy ending. I'm glad the editors ended the book with that selection.

The Great Escape

Last Saturday, Jeff, Jace and I visited friends Jen and John and their dog Katie. This was Jace and Katie's second meeting. Two neighbors and their dogs joined us. All the dogs got along, although there was some barking especially when a mail carrier had the audacity to park his mail truck in full view of the dogs. 

After the neighbors left, I asked if Jace and Katie could play on the dog run. When Jen opened the gate, Jace saw his opportunity to take off. He stopped to pee at the end of the lawn, and I thought he would return. No. He ran down the street and into someone's backyard. 

I thought I had him trapped. The yard was fenced on two sides and the back was bordered in bushes. I should have remembered a saying on one of our beagle pillows: "a gifted escape artist." Jace got through a makeshift fence along the hedges to the next yard. 

He ran down the next street. I've never been much of a runner and knew I could never catch him. I went back to Jen and John's to get Jace's leash, my keys, and car. Jen was also chasing Jace.

I drove a few blocks before I started to worry about Jace. Both Jeff and I had thought he would quickly return to me. I had actually been more worried about Jen's reaction--I knew she would feel guilty. Then I heard Jen say I've got him. "Yay," I said. 

Later I realized that I had never said, "No, Jace," or "Jace, stay." He usually responds to "Stay." Maybe he thought this was just a fun romp. Luckily he was safe. I need to be more careful.

A Voice Came to Me

Note: I started this post on last Thursday night. I didn't get far before falling asleep on the couch. I thought of backdating the post to last Thursday or Friday, but that doesn't seem right. Anyway I am finishing it today with Thursday's thoughts. 

I've been thinking about my story since Monday when we got our latest assignment to write about the circus. I spent about an hour or so on Monday afternoon looking at circus photos and jotting down the names of some performers. Since then, I've been thinking about my story. After dinner, I went into the kitchen to do the dishes, when a voice came to me. It was the voice of an older woman talking about political correctness versus just trying not to hurt people in using certain language. I ran back to my laptop and wrote about 150 words. 

It was a start. It didn't even mention the circus, but I knew that would come. 

This--a voice coming to me--that doesn't happen all that often, but I love when it does. 

Riding the Wave of Unpleasant Feelings

I'm feeling overwhelmed today. Telling myself (1) that I shouldn't feel this way: I don't have it that bad; or (2) it's mostly my own fault, does not help. I just have to work through it. 

The idea (and title of this post) about riding the wave of unpleasant feelings is from a comment on The Frugal Girl. Riding the wave of feelings is more active than allowing yourself to wallow in your feelings (which I used to advocate.)

I feel like I'm living in a perfect storm of mess. (Or should it that be an imperfect storm?)

It's been a few weeks in which I've neglected general cleaning (other than the kitchen and baths.) I have books and papers piled on the coffee table. And there's the whole kitchen cabinet problem. I'm making progress but things are still scattered (i.e. glassware on the credenza and other tabletops) and partially filled donation boxes. We've had four medical appointments in the last week. Plus I've still got laundry to do. Ah, the joys of domestic life. 

Jeff will be starting new physical therapy and other treatments. Of course, I'm happy for this, but I'll have to devote some time to his appointments and treatments. I believe he needs me as his advocate.

I am spending a lot of time with Jace. I'm specifically talking about walking time which is a minimum of one hour daily, usually longer. I can't really complain, this is good for me and enjoyable in the recent great weather.  Even when the weather gets bad, walking will be good for me. 

I feel much better after writing this. Is this better as a journal entry rather than a blog post? 

Too late now.

Return to the Met

Saturday, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my brother, his girlfriend, and her son like my last visit.

I hadn't researched exhibits ahead of time and was psyched to see a Tudor exhibition.

We walked in and I immediately recognized a portrait of Henry VII. It was fascinating to see originals of portraits that I had seen in books. I especially loved the miniatures and quickly recognized Henry Fitzroy, Henry VIII's illegitimate son. 

In addition to portraits, the exhibit includes tapestries, suits of armor, furniture, cups and bowls, and beautiful Bibles and prayer books. 

My only disappointment was the lack of Anne Boleyn--there was only one drawing of her by Hans Holbein the Younger. But Henry VIII had her images destroyed, so that explains it.