Quote of the Day-----Goodreads

The minute you become conscious that you are doing good, that's the minute you have to stop because from then on it's wrong.
Paula Fox
April 22, 1923: Happy birthday, Paula Fox! The decorated children's book author has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in her adult novels, thanks to Jonathan Franzen's championing of her Desperate Characters. Fox is also the grandmother of musician Courtney Love.


Currently reading  Jon Katz's  Running to the Mountain.

Quote of the Day----Goodreads

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
Cynthia Ozick
April 17, 1928: Happy birthday, Cynthia Ozick! A master of fiction and essay, Ozick was born in New York City, 85 years ago today.


Perhaps on this day, several days after the tragic event in Boston, we should all sit quietly for a bit and consider all that we have to be grateful for - family, friends, community and our country - let no one take these things from us.

"The Lady and the Panda" a book by Vicki Constantine Croke

"China is a country of unforgettable color, and often, quite unbidden, come vivid pictures to my mind--sometimes it is the golden roofs of the Imperial City in Peking, or again it is the yellow corn on the flat-roofed little stone houses in the country of the Tibetan border land" Ruth Harkness

February 19, 1936 William Harvest Harkness, Jr. lay dying in Shanghai, his bohemian, socialite wife, Ruth Harkness was in New York City, totally unaware of what her husband was facing. He had left for China on a quest to bring back a live Panda - at this time in our history folks such as Teddy Roosevelt had journeyed to China to hunt pandas, bringing back only their "trophies" of their hunts - so Harkness' journey was something totally unique at the time.

When Ruth learned of her husband's death, she made the decision to embark on the most unusual journey of her time. Leaving her own career in dress design, she traveled to China on the quest of a lifetime - her's and her husband's.

There are many obstacles in being a woman traveling in China at any given time, during the 1930's obstacles were even greater. Her quest to bring back a live Panda was filled with many up's and down's, the threat of World War II looming, her lack of understanding the culture and language, yet none of these obstacles prevented Ruth Harkness from completing her husband's "appointed" task.

Ruth kept going through all types of conditions, until one day ...............

You will just have to read this one for yourself to find out what happened to her expedition.


Hope you will enjoy this one.
Good reading!

Quote of the Day------Goodreads

Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.
Anne Lamott
April 10, 1954: Happy birthday, Anne Lamott! The humorous and heartfelt advice giver was born in San Francisco, California, 59 years ago today

Quote of the Day---Goodreads

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.
Mark Twain
April 9, 1859: When Samuel L. Clemens got his steamboat license, 154 years ago today, he had no idea that he'd end up taking a common boatman's call, Mark Twain, as his pen name.

Hope you are reading a good book, and have one very good and loyal friend, as do I, who will be with you on your life's journey.

The Girl With No Shadow - a novel by Joanne Harris

Well, as typical, I started reading Joanne's "Peaches for Father Francis", and realized that I needed to read this one first.

Vianne, Anouk and baby Rosette, are living in the Montmartre area of Paris, things are not going well with her current shop. However, Zozie, who happens to work across the street in a run down cafe, has her eyes on Vianne - she wants to steal her identity. Zozie is a master identity theft - she is also a witch. With her powers she not only turns Vianne's shop around, she also manages to ensnare Anouk's affections. Rosette is a very unusual child, who Vianne's current "boy-friend" cannot abide - he is constantly saying that he will send her to professionals to correct her inabilibty to speak and behave properly. Roux will make an appearence, which will set things in motion for everyone.

Will Zozie's attempt to steal Vianne's identity work?

Hope you will consider this title.  It was hard to get into, as each chapter is told from Anouk, Vianne and Zozie's point of view. Once I figured that out, I really enjoyed it.