Beating a Dead Horse . . .

Following the outcry that arose after it came to light that an author(s?) has been pseudonymously* posting Amazon reviews praising their own books and panning fellow authors' work , (read story here) I heard many readers say "I'm no longer trusting reviews by strangers.  I'm relying on the opinions of book bloggers I know."

But Cynical Me can't get past wondering how well we really know the bloggers we're trusting.  Are we always getting an honest opinion?  The reason I question is because I know I've done it myself.  Forgive me bloggers, for I have sinned!  I confess - I have written reviews that may have (slightly) exaggerated the pros and (slightly) underplayed the cons of a book.  In the name of good manners, I have glossed over slothful plots and gluttonous verbosity.  Brothers and Sisters, I have prostituted my blog out of greed for a measly free book. None of this is news - I've discussed this topic before - repeatedly (*see post title) - most recently when I had a little "Come to Random House meeting" with myself, changed my book review policy (the vague one in my head since I've never actually written one down), cancelled my affiliation with the two blog-tour sponsors I have used, stopped entering contests for giveaways that come with real or implied agreements to write a review, renewed my commitment to finding my reading joy, and vowed to leave it alone.  

But here I am, flailing at this poor horse again because of a Twitter conversation and/or experience this morning.  I was scrolling through tweets, stopping to click on links to book blogs, book news, book reviews, book magazines . . .  When I had finished, I tweeted: 

• Is anyone else overwhelmed by the volume of book genres, sub-genres, discussions, analyses, explanations and reviews available?
• I used to just go to the library and pick a book. Now I have to research a Master's Thesis in Literature to decide what to read next.

That observation led to a conversation with a Twitter friend (who shall remain anonymous so she's not accused of sharing any views or sentiments expressed here) about how difficult it can be to sift through all that information, glean what is useful and toss the chaff; to not let the perceived "prestige" of reading what's trendy encourage or discourage me from reading what gives me joy.  Let's face it, the person on the train or in the doctor's office reading 1Q84 appears smarter than the person reading Wicked Business, but it doesn't mean they're having more fun.

I'm not pointing fingers or implying that any specific bloggers are deceitful in their reviews, or biased in their reading choices in order to promote their blog, gain prestige or carve out a bigger piece of the blog world for themselves.  The point to this rejuvenated attack on a defenseless deceased equine is to remind myself that the friends who visit here trust me to say what I really enjoy reading and my honest opinion of those books; to reiterate my determination to stop letting my reading choices be swayed by hype, media and book tours, and trust the book blogger I know best - me.  And now, honestly, I will let dead horses lie.

*That's really a word - I looked it up!

Coming in October: Murder, Monsters and Mayhem

Murder, Monsters and Mayhem - or Mx3 - is a celebration of all things scary, spooky and horrifying, sponsored each October by Jenn of Jenn's Bookshelves.  There will be prizes, guest posts and links to other participating bloggers.  The rules are flexible. To quote Jenn: "There are no real rules for participating, just read/watch and blog something in the horror/supernatural/thriller genres in the month of October."  Visit Jenn's Bookshelves to sign up and prepare to be scared... uh.. "snot"less.

Those of you who know me are shaking your heads, "She's a big pansy. She's not reading vintage Stephen King or watching movies with Freddie Krueger."  You're right, I'm not.  First off, I read most of King's books in high school and don't need to revisit those sleepless nights when I couldn't turn the lights off.  And I'm too wimpy for books or movies with bloodshed.  So I'm doing Mx3 Lite - with more emphasis on suspense, ghosts and magic.

My plan is to post weekly with a wrap up of one book and one movie.  I'm getting a bit of a jump-start on the books, just to ensure that I get them all done on time. (Hey, Jenn said there are no rules!).  Here are my reading choices:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley 

Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair - also the T and T Bookclub pick

Ghosts of the Missouri River by Marcia Schwartz 

(no image available - a collection of stories by a local author)

When it comes to suspense movies, who does it better than Agatha Christie and The Master of Suspsense, Alfred Hitchcock?  My choices are:

Rope - (1948) Directed by Hitchcock, starring Jimmy Stewart

Murder on the Orient Express (the 1974 version) - based on the novel by Christie, starring Lauren Bacall

Wait Until Dark - (1964) starring Audrey Hepburn

North by Northwest - (1959) Another Hitchcock classic, this time starring Cary Grant

And the grand finale':  House of Dark Shadows - The story of Barnabas Collins, the bloodsucker who made vampires cool before Stephenie Meyer and Johnny Depp were born. 

Based on the Soap Opera, Dark Shadows, which ran from 1966-1971.  The film was made in 1970, while the soap was still in production and starred Jonathan Frid, the same actor who played Barnabas on tv.  Any other children of the 60's/70's remember Barnabas?

There will also be some overlap with the October "Pin It/Do It" challenge sponsored by Trish at Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity.  Trish encourages Pinterest addicts to accomplish a few of the fabulous things they've pinned, so I'll throw in a craft project or two or maybe even a recipe with a Halloween theme.  Visit Trish and Jenn and sign up to take part in a freaky-fun October.  Or else . . .

There's a Hole in My Bucket . . .

When I joined Pinterest a few months ago, I started a "Bucket List" board to record the things I want to do "someday".  Here's what I have so far:

1. Meet Tim Gunn
2. Build a house on the farm in Kansas where my dad grew up
3. See the Rose Parade in person 
4. Travel to Italy
5. Travel to England, Scotland, Ireland
6. Take a summer vacation at Tyler Place Family Resort in Vermont with all my children/grandchildren
7. Spend a summer on the coast of Maine
8. Take a tour of lighthouses on the Atlantic Coast
9. Attend the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.
10. Tour the White House at Christmas
11. Watch 4th of July fireworks from the mall in Washington, D.C.
12. Sleep in a glass igloo in Finland to watch the Northern Lights
13. See a whale in the wild
14. Vacation on Macinack Island
15. Have a car customized by Count's Kustoms

Probably very similar to many people's lists.  But, this morning, something sparked the thought that there's a problem with this list - a "hole in my bucket", so to speak.  These are mostly big-ticket, wildest-dreams ideas.  Unless I win the lottery or inherit millions from a rich, reclusive relative I'm not aware of, most of these things aren't going to happen.  At best, a small portion of them will - given I live long enough, the stock market doesn't take another huge hit, and our children eventually graduate from college and become self-sufficient. 

So, I have been rethinking my bucket list and decided I also need to have a smaller-scale, more attainable list of things I want to accomplish, or at least try.  I'm calling it my Mason Jar LIst:

1. Camp overnight at Indian Cave State Park
2. Hike all eleven trails at Indian Cave State Park (2 done)
3. Buy/rent a camper and take a wandering vacation - no plans or itineraries
4. Make an Americana quilt for my bed
5. Read all the books in my house
6. Make a quilt for each of my children/grandchildren
7. Buy a baby doll, make a wardrobe for it, and give it to a total stranger.
8. Host a family reunion for my cousins on my Dad's side (coming in April)
9. Start a Little Free Library
10. Hike to Hanging Falls Lake in Colorado (not hike all the way to Colorado, just from the road to the lake)
11. Start a book club
12. Write a book
13. Serve a meal at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen
14. Lose 11 8 pounds
15. Have a best friend again
16. Make and keep a gratitude journal for a year
17. Decorate my kitchen in Vintage 50's decor
18. Have a different themed Christmas tree in each room of the house
19. Win a blue ribbon at the county fair (sort of, but there were only 2 entries in the category, so I'm not counting it)
20. Meet a fellow book blogger I only know on-line
21. Have an article published in a magazine

I'm sure this will be a fast-growing list, and hopefully I'll be just as quick with marking things off.  I'll update it as I go along.  What's on your list?

Last of the Summer Reads

In May, I selected eight books I wanted to read for my private summer reading program.  Below are numbers six and seven.  I've run out of summer and haven't gotten to that last book - The Uninvited Guests - but I'll tack it on my so-far-unwritten fall list.

Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank:  When her husband is killed in the line of duty, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, decide to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island.  Awaiting them is Annie Britt, the family matriarch who has kept the porch lights on to welcome them home. Thrilled to have her family back, Annie promises to make their visit perfect—even though relations between mother and daughter have never been smooth. Annie's estranged and wise husband, Buster, and her flamboyant and funny best friend, Deb, are sure to keep Annie in line. She's also got Steven Plofker—the flirtatious and tasty widowed physician next door, to keep her distracted. (from publisher's blurb)

Funny - in a "not really" sort of way - that I find myself identifying more with the matriarch in many books lately, rather than the younger heroine.  I liked Annie.  She grates on people, she's a perfectionist, she's a little bossy - at least that's what her husband and daughter see.  But when you get inside her head, she is so much more and her motives are always for the benefit of her family.  Jackie, her daughter, should be the more compassion-inducing character - young widow, war veteran, single mother - but I found her a bit self-indulgent and headstrong.  I'm sure many readers under forty will see the relationship differently.

Whichever side of that line you're on, I think you'll enjoy this story.  It's a 4-star winner on my scale.  Here are a couple of quotes I especially liked:

You want a piece of advice from a tired sixty-three-year-old waitress who has seen it all? . . . Love your momma, honey, and try to treasure every minute you spend with her.  Forgive her everything she does. She's not out to aggravate you.  I'd give every last tooth I have left in my head to have my momma back for just ten minutes.  I'm not lying either.  She was the best friend I ever had, and well, I didn't know it until she was gone.

The young people dressed as though they had no respect for the sanctity of the occasion of worship, but don't get me started on that either.  Church is no place for shorts and jeans, even if one attends the twenty-eighth splintered-off sect of some minuscule, hardly-heard-of Protestant church that holds it's services in a barn.  Sorry.  You're going to worship the Lord?  Dress for the occasion, please.

Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook:  A winning and witty novel about a woman who emerges from the shadow of her overbearing family and finds herself “dancing with the stars.”  Deirdre Griffin has a great life; it’s just not her own. She’s the round-the-clock personal assistant to her charismatic, high-maintenance, New Age guru brother, Tag. As the family wallflower, her only worth seems to be as Tag’s gatekeeper at his New England seaside compound.

Then Deirdre’s sometime boyfriend informs her that he is marrying another woman. While drowning her sorrows in expensive vodka, Deirdre decides to use her brother’s massive online following to get herself voted on as a last-minute Dancing with the Stars replacement. 

Irresistible and offbeat, Wallflower in Bloom is an original and deeply satisfying story of having the courage to take a leap into the spotlight, no matter where you land. (from publisher's blurb)

Being a big fan of Dancing With the Stars, this book caught my eye just for the potential of a behind-the-scenes glimpse.  Deirdre has shades of Bridget Jones, and similar humor.  She is a charming protagonist - so totally unaware of her own talents and value - that you want to call in and vote for her.  Also a 4-star read.

Meet Me at the Movies - x 4

I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with my own meme.  I started "Meet Me At the Movies" to take advantage of a wider variety of the 600+ channels we get on TV and I've watched quite a few - but haven't added them here.  So let's rectify that.  Here's a quick rundown of what I've been watching:

Christmas in July: (1940) An office clerk loves entering contests in the hopes of someday winning a fortune and marrying the girl he loves. His latest attempt is the Maxford House Coffee Slogan Contest. As a joke, some of his co-workers put together a fake telegram which says that he won the $25,000 grand prize. As a result, he gets a promotion, buys presents for all of his family and friends, and proposes to his girl. When the truth comes out, he's not prepared for the consequences.

Stars Dick Powell and Ellen Drew, staples in movies from the 1930's through the 1950's and on TV during the 1960's.  Cute "comedy of errors"-type story.

On The Town:  (1949)  Three sailors on a day of shore leave in New York City look for fun and romance before their twenty-four hours are up. 

Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Ann Miller with music by Leonard Bernstein - It just doesn't get much better than that.  Features the classic song "New York, New York".  As in many films of this style/era, the plot is a little thin, but the music and comedy make it so much fun that I didn't care.

Also starred Betty Garrett.  Took me a while to place her, but you might remember her better as Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family or Edna Babbish on Laverne and Shirley.

Going My Way: (1944)  Father O'Malley's (Bing Crosby) worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of kids looking for direction and handle the business details of the church-building fund and winning over his aging, conventional superior, Father Fitzgibbon. 
This was easily my favorite of my recent movie watches. The story of Father O'Malley's work with the "gang" (pretty mild-mannered gang by today's standards) is touching, but the music is still the highlight.  Bing Crosby singing Silent Night and Swingin' On a Star is a treat.

Mary Mary: (1963)  Nine months after they split up, Bob and Mary meet at his New York apartment to sort out some tax matters. He's getting married to healthy-eating Tiffany as soon as the divorce becomes final, and she is attracted by fellow tenant Dirk Winston, a Hollywood star.  Working through the tax records brings back memories and rekindles old feelings.

Debbie Reynolds is always a joy to watch. Her comedic timing is perfect.  Unfortunately, we don't get to hear her sing in this film, but the story and the writing are good.  Barry Nelson was another of those faces that I knew I should know but couldn't place, so I had to look him up.  He's another actor who guest-starred on nearly every TV show during the 60's - 80's, but I realized I recognized him most from the movie Airport.  

Grit and Glitter

I'm not a big magazine reader.  I prefer to devote reading time to books, but a couple days ago, I told you about my one exception to that rule: Grit Magazine.  Recently I received an offer for a free copy of another farm-life-oriented magazine:  Mary Jane's Farm.  I just received my first issue and I'm loving it already.  This is the "glittery, girly" side of rural living - focus is more on cooking, sewing, quilting, etc.  If I can judge a magazine by one issue, looks like I'm going to have to make a second exception to my "no magazines" rule.  Just thought you might be interested.

Happy Trails . . .

Dave and I recently visited Indian Cave State Park.  Located less than 20 miles from our house, we drove by the sign for a year-and-a-half and repeatedly said "We should go there."   After looking it up on-line and seeing the beautiful hiking trails, we finally took the plunge a couple weeks ago.  Since this is as close as we're getting to a vacation this summer, here is the obligatory slide show.  I've kept the pics relatively small to keep this as short as possible, but click to enlarge anything you would like to see more clearly. (Preferrably NOT the pic of me dripping sweat.)

Start of the trail.  After a mile or so of this view I began to have Hunger Games visions.  I swear I heard a Mockingjay.

Ran across this about a half-mile in.  Sad that it ever existed.

Sadder still - this is the only headstone we could find.  Wonder how many graves were never marked.

Our first glimpse of the Missouri River.  

The talking tree from Disney's Pocahontas?

The Missouri River Valley from the top of the trail.

Here we are at the log cabin at the end of the trail - sweaty and red-faced, but proud we made it all the way.  And yes, we're aware it looks like there's a ghost standing behind me.  "Mysterious and spooky...all together ooky."

Tip for future hikes:  Some husbands find it annoying if you sing old Girl Scout songs as you go . . . "Val-da-ri, Val-da-ra.  My knapsack on my back."  Or maybe it was just my singing that he found annoying.

We parked near here so decided to explore a little before leaving.

There are only two buildings left in St. Deroin - this one, now used for candle-making demonstrations . . .

. . . and the schoolhouse.

"Lassie, run tell Mom I've fallen down the well."

One-lane road that leads to/from hiking trails we visited.

Now that's what I call determination!

The Indian Cave for which the park is named - awesome!

One of the hieroglyphs discovered at the cave - related to Lewis and Clark's boat that traveled this area and traded with local Native Americans in 1804?

Dave, wondering about the height of the hieroglyph carver . . . ?

One of Dave's biggest pet-peeves:  littering.   This spot is too beautiful to be marred by  thoughtless people and their food-wrappers, so he climbed over the fence to fill his pockets with scattered trash . . .

. . . and deposited it in it's rightful place.

The Missouri River from ground level.
 A year ago,  this area was under 20 ft. of flood waters

While I have spent many of my adult years in Nebraska, my heart still belongs to Kansas, so I had to catch a shot of the sunflowers along the banks of the Missouri.

Our plan is to hike all eleven trails within Indian Cave State Park - ranging in length from 1/2 mile to 6 miles. Two down, nine to go.  There's even talk of hiking in and camping overnight - but no one believes I'll actually do it.  Ahh... a challenge!