Monday, January 25, 2016

Monday Malarkey - Close to normality

Back to malarkey with a little pile of ARCs I got off a library cart when I got my hair cut in our former town and dropped by the library:


Top to Bottom:


  • The Heart by Maylis de Kerangal
  • Front Lines by Michael Grant
  • What Remains of Me by Alison Gaylin
  • A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin


Other books that walked in:


  • A Latin primer I ordered (not handy)
  • Ghettoside by Jill Leovy (purchased)
  • A duplicate of an ARC I already had, which I'll either drop off at my local Tiny Library or pass on to a friend.


Currently reading:


  • Dispatches from Pluto by Richard Grant - My F2F group's January selection. I missed the meeting because I couldn't sleep the night before (it's a 30-mile drive and it was raining; I don't take chances if I don't feel up to driving) but I hear the discussion was good. I confess I've considered ditching it because it's kind of a downer reading about the kind of things that irritate me about the general area in which I live but there are some interesting anecdotes, as well. I'm 1/3 of the way in and I'll probably go ahead and finish. We shall see.
  • Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian - Just started reading this one last night. 


Recently finished:

I can't recall what I've mentioned and what I haven't (and I'm in a hurry, so I'm not going to go back to look at previous posts) but I don't think I'd finished any of these, the last time I did a malarkey post. However, there may be some duplication.


  • Don't Even Think About It by George Marshall
  • My Story That I Like Best, ed. by Ray Long
  • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
  • Front Lines by Michael Grant


I started posts on a couple of these before my friend's death sent me into a brief tailspin, so hopefully this will be a decent reviewing week. 

You'll have to forgive me if I mention Tammy, now and then, for a while. It was such a sudden loss that I feel like it's going to take me a while to fully process it. She had been feeling bad for a while but just finally went to the doctor about 3 weeks before her death. That was followed by a large number of tests and, finally, the diagnosis literally a week before she slipped away. It makes me want to call up everyone I know to say, "Hey, you know those routine preventive tests we all tend to put off? Don't put them off.  Just don't. Go in, now." And, I'm guilty, as well, so I suppose there will be upcoming doctor visits for things I regularly avoid. 

This was the best day ever:


The cat fights are over! Our breakthrough came on a day that it was cold outside and both cats were eager to get close to the fire. They moved nearer and nearer each other until they were maybe a foot apart. At the time, they'd both been free (nobody locked into the bedroom or gazebo) for about 7 hours together without fighting but they did end up having a tiff a couple hours after we put out the fire.

A couple days later, we were able to leave the bedroom doors open all day and night and nobody had to go into the gazebo. I went to sleep with one cat on the bed, the other on a nearby piece of furniture that has a folded blanket on it. In the morning, I woke up to find that both cats were sleeping on the bed. The kitties have only had to be separated twice, since then. I can't tell you how happy I am that the cats have returned to living together harmoniously. Once they realized, "Hey, she's okay," they almost immediately went back to happily chasing each other and they're even back to occasionally following each other or walking side-by-side, although they haven't cuddled yet. Hopefully, that will come soon. It's so exciting to be so close to normality.

How has your week been?

©2016 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

2 comments:

  1. Good news about your kitties. Bet that was a major pain. Mention your friend, Tammy, all you want. Such a sad situation and unfortunately, we probably all have heard of this happening - a doctor visit, a diagnosis, and a very short time later, the person passes away. Sigh.

    So, is Front Lines the book that has the girls on the battlefield of WWII? I think I read about that one. Have a good rest of the week! Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kay. Yes, Tammy isn't the first friend who has died very quickly after a diagnosis. One of my author buddies (we both had stories in the same anthology) was diagnosed with cancer and died 4 days later. It's always awful when someone dies so unexpectedly, regardless of the cause.

      Yes, Front Lines is the alternative history in which women go to war in WWII. It was on my wish list, so you can imagine how excited I was to find an ARC (sitting on a cart labeled, "FREE BOOKS"). I thought it was very good. I'll try to review it ASAP, so I don't forget anything. It's the first in a series.

      Thanks! Hugs to you, too!

      Delete

Thank you for visiting my blog! I use comment moderation because apparently my blog is a spam magnet. Don't worry. If you're not a robot, your comment will eventually show up and I will respond, with a few exceptions. If a comment smacks of advertising, contains a dubious link or is offensive, it will be deleted. I love to hear from real people! I'm a really chatty gal and I love your comments!