Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Confession

Is it wrong that I'm more than a bit excited about the new store coming to my area when they've only cleared the land and put up a "coming soon" sign, and I've never even been inside this store?

I have seen commercials (yes, advertising works on me. Why do you think we have a Pontiac Montana? Well, cause they called it Montana and because they have cowboys in the commercials). And it just sounds like a fun place.

So what is this grand place of which I am dreaming? Not an IKEA (been there, done that, love it). . . . .

Tractor Supply Company!!!

(It's okay, I already know I'm crazy)

Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

There are currently 10 books in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. Each mystery some how involves food and Fluke includes all the recipes for the yummy stuff she describes.

This is the second Hannah mystery I've read and both have been pleasant, easy reads. The plots are easy to follow and you don't feel like the mystery was solved with some leap of logic that you weren't let it on.

The cast of characters can be a bit difficult to keep track of because the family trees in this small town often intertwine, but you can always keep track of things on a note card if you get too confused.

I have picked up another in the series and am making a list of the recipes I want to try.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz

Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz

I received this book for Christmas and read it while on vacation.

I first heard of the newest Dean Koontz novel when I saw the commercial . My first thought was, "I really hope the book is better than the commercial," followed closely by, "A commercial for a book? Not sure I've ever seen that before." (Have you?)

I was prepared for a fabulous read since Koontz's last several novels have been spectacular. I was a bit disappointed. The jacket text makes you think the main character is being haunted by the woman whose heart he received and that he fights hard to win back his girl. But in truth the plot is less suspenseful and far more tedious. At points it had the makings of a great suspense novel with a supernatural twist that at which Koontz is so masterful, but he choose the easier path and finished the book with a whimper.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Nature's Call

The weather may not be in agreement, but the cherry, pear and red bud trees, the daffodils and forsythia, and my allergies agree. . . .

Spring is very nearly upon us.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Invitation List

J is planning his birthday party. This morning he was wondering if he had to invite his siblings. I informed him he probably couldn't get around that.

He plans to invite everyone he knows and wanted to add one more . . .

John Deer . . . he makes the tractors.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

More from the Wedding Planner

As I was showing P the mother's ring the Husband gave me for Valentine's Day (big surprise, wanted this for a long time), P says . . .

"I will need one for the wedding."

"The boy who asks you to marry him will give you a ring for the wedding," I explained.

"Oh, man. I don't like that part."

"Which part?"

"The marrying."

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Library

I go through phases when it comes to buying or borrowing books. I have been in a buying phase for a very long time, which means I hadn't been to the new library in town. Since we are trying to stick to a budget, I figured an easy place to trim would be my book spending. Today I went back to the library looking for a couple of specific books.

First I wanted Jane Eyre. I have read it, but not since middle school and I remember not being very impressed, but after reading The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde (review coming soon) I felt like I should give Jane Eyre another chance. I also wanted the book that comes after The Eyre Affair as well as Great Expectations (which figures heavily in the other book I wanted and which I have never read).

I was disappointed in my efforts. Jane Eyre was checked out, and although the library does have other books by the author of The Eyre Affair, it did not have the one I wanted (must read them in order says my OCD). I did find Great Expectations.

While there, I thought I'd look for Chiefs by Stuart Woods so I could keep working on my resolution, but I couldn't find where the M-Z fiction continued and I already had a stack of five books, so maybe next time.

While checking out, I was surprised to find that I had a $15 late fee dating back to 2006 (I said it had been a while since I'd been to the library, and maybe this is the reason I started a buying phase). Thankfully the nice librarian let me check out books even though I didn't have the cash to pay the fine. If she hadn't I probably would have come right home and continued my buying phase.

Now off to start a new book.

Switches

In this house we have several places with three light switches. Next to the bed - reading light, main light, fan. In the bathroom - main light, shower light, fan. By the garage - outdoor light, garage light, hall light. In most cases, the person who wired the switches didn't put much thought into which switch worked what, so the use of the switches is not intuitive. For example, the shower light is wired to the switch closet to the door, the main light is the center switch and the fan is closet to the shower.

Since the day we moved in we (okay, maybe mainly me) have been bothered by these switches. In most cases, I still flip the wrong switch when trying to turn on lights even though we lived here for almost four years. (Yes, I know, it is not difficult to switch the wires, but take a look around you own home and see what you've been living with even though it's an easy fix.)

Finally, the Husband began working on correcting these wiring errors. He started with the bathroom switch. Finally the bank of switches is wired in a manner that is intuitive and logical.

And finally my brain completed the wiring necessary to remember which switch turns on which light . . . only a few weeks too late.

Monday, February 2, 2009

The Associate by John Grisham

From the book jacket . . .
"If you thought Mitch McDeere was in trouble in The Firm, wait until you meet Kyle McAvoy, THE ASSOCIATE.

From that one sentence I hoped we be returned to the John Grisham legal novels of old, like The Firm or The Pelican Brief. I have been a tad disappointed in his most recent legal offerings, The Appeal, The Broker, probably as far back as The Brethren (although maybe that one is okay and I'm confusing it with a Stuart Woods novel that had a similar idea). I felt like Grisham would rather be writing the other things, Skipping Christmas, The Painted House, Bleachers, Playing for Pizza - all of which I loved, and was writing the legal thrillers only to fulfill a contract or something.

The Associate has a story that could have been up there with The Firm and others, but it was a bit slow to get started and when I finally felt like it was about to get exciting, the story fizzled. It ended too easily, too cleanly with no real payoff.

Now again, I'm asking myself if I'm giving credit were maybe none is due. Because really, if I think of The Firm of The Pelican Brief, I think of the movies. So maybe the books wouldn't not stand up to my memory up them. I will have to reread a few of them. I 'll let you know what I discover.