"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Sunday Salon, March 8, 2020

Weather: Nice at the moment but ominous clouds look like they are threatening rain. My daughter lives close to Mt. Rainier and it snowed yesterday at her home.

Exciting news: We are expecting our second grandchild. See the photo announcement above. We are so happy for our daughter and son-in-law.

Eugene: Last weekend we were in Eugene to see the Leslie Odum, Jr. concert at the Hult Center. He sang several songs with the Eugene Symphony Orchestra. What a wonderful show. Then the next day we went to Matthew Knight Arena to watch the Univ. of Oregon Women's Basketball Team play their last regular season game. This was extra special since Mom came with us and we got to see Sabrina Ionescu play. She has broken all kinds of records and is the only player in men's and women's NCAA history to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds. It was awesome to see her live.

Today: Rita, Ian and I will be attending a mini-maestros program for young children with a focus on percussion instruments. If we get there in time, Ian can participate in the Instrument Petting Zoo, allowing him to touch the drums. We are psyched. Update: It WAS a big hit even though they canceled the petting zoo portion. Darn corona virus! Ian danced, clapped, and even conducted!

International Women's Day: is today! I presented the children's sermon today and found my inspiration here. I had the whole church chanting "Each for Equal" while making the equal sign with our arms. (and yes, I didn't know it was an equal sign and had to be told.)

Books read since my last Sunday Salon (two weeks worth):
  • East of Eden by John Steinbeck--I finally finished this classic. It only took me 10 months to do it. Ha!
  • The Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith--an odd, dreamlike quality to the writing left me mostly confused.
  • Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Smith--the second book in the Kopp Sisters series, part of this year's PierceReads! event.
  • New Kid by Jerry Kroft--The Newbery Medal winner for 2020, it is a middle grade graphic novel.
Currently reading:
  • The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman--The second book in the Book of Dust series, which is a continuation of the His Dark Materials series which was published years ago. I am having a hard time remembering details from previous books but am loving the world and details in this one. 57% complete.
  • Almost American Girl by Robin Ha--a graphic memoir by a Korean-American girl 53% complete.
  • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry--my one reading goal of the year. I have started it but I'm only one chapter in. 3% complete.
Set aside (I may or may not finish):
  •  Such a Fun Age--It ends up that I don't like books which contain explicit sex scenes. Print.
  •  The Yellow House--We started listening to this as a audiobook and had a really hard time following it because there were so many people and names. If I continue it will probably be in print form.
Remember to vote!!! 
-Anne

11 comments:

  1. Ah a percussion petting zoo would have been so cool, but I'm glad the young one had a great time anyway.

    New Kid is terrific, and my students and I were just talking about how cool it is that it won a Newbery, adding validation to graphic novels for those who still think they're junk reading.

    I read the first two Kopp Sisters novels and really enjoyed them, but haven't kept up with the series since then.

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    1. Our grandson was enthralled, especially by the conducting. So cute.

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  2. Congrats on your new grandchild, what a cute announcement.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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    1. Yes, the announcement is so cute. My daughter is a teacher so she traced it onto her white board and had Ian sit in front of it.

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  3. Congrats on the grandchildren front. That's awesome. :)

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  4. Congratulations, Grandma!! So exciting!

    And it sounds like you're having a lot of fun with Ian - what wonderful adventures you have been on lately!

    My reaction to East of Eden was ... eh. Didn't love it. I haven't read any of the others, though I would like to read Lonesome Dove and the newer additions to the His Dark Materials series. Quite a variety for you lately!

    Enjoy your books ... and that beautiful grandson!

    Sue

    Book By Book

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    1. Obviously East of Eden wasn't (isn't) high on my list either, though it sort of grew on me over the months it took to consume it. Lonesome Dove is even longer than EOE but I am determined to knock it off the list before year's end.

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  5. I'm delighted about the second grandchild, and also about my first, although my daughter doesn't want me to share it on social media. That's hard for me. She will permit the blog though, which is better than nothing!

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  6. Congrats on your next grandchild. Wonderful. & Good luck with Lonesome Dove .... I'd like to read it someday. Such a worthy goal & read.

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  7. Yay! Another grandchild and that is the cutest photo/saying! The fact that I am reading your Sunday Salon on a Friday speaks volumes about my week. And I've done NO READING. It's been a bit crazy.

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