Quote of the Day-----Goodreads

A man's mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. The author of Autocrat of the Breakfast Table was born on this day in 1809.

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day, seen in Everett Daily Herald on August 23,2012

"A wise man without a book is like a workman without tools."     Moroccan proverb


So keep reading!  Happy Day

How It All Began, a novel by Penelope Lively

How It All Began,  a novel by Penelope Lively


You have heard of the "ripple effect", Penelope begins her latest novel with just that.

Charlotte Rainsford is merely walking down the street when she is assaulted by a petty thief, this seemingly unusual event in Charlotte's life reaches out to her family, acquaintances, and even back to the petty thief himself.  Charlotte's daughter, Rose, is notified of her mother's assault, at the hospital where Charlotte is being attended to, Rose phones her employer, Henry, who must deal with the fact that Rose needs to attend to her mother, but Henry is in dire need of assistance to attend a conference, he being the "key note" speaker, Henry enlists the assistance of his niece, Marion.  Marion is a very successful interior designer, having an affair with Jeremy, whose wife picks up his cell phone message......  So you see the ripple effect has already spread beyond Charlotte's wildest imagination.  Henry's speech is an absolute "flop" thanks to Marion's inept ability to help her uncle, Henry's professorial reputation is about to come crashing down, and in walks Mark, out to make his "mark" on the world, which of course leads to Henry's further demise, and so it goes ......

The writing was really wonderful, the story enjoyable and at times humorous, at times sad, was worth every minute spent away from doing my chores.

Happy reading.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Having heard the author on NPR, I decided to read this.




As the title is very close to the "50 Shades of Gray" series, her book has been getting hits and interest. Although this story is about as far away from what the other series of books is about I am from the South Pole.



Nazis vs Stalin's army - which would you rather be a prisoner of? USSR annexed several countries and took away many people just as the Nazis did - one didn't even need to be of a certain ethnic/religous background. This is a story that really tears one's inner being apart. The author's family had "suffered" many of what the story tells.



Told from the point of view of a 16 year old, who with her mother and brother are transported to the Arctic circle and enforced labor camps.

Been off the air