The House on Fortune Street

 

I am a voracious reader.  I am also well known for choosing books for their covers.  I think that is why I still prefer physical books to e-books - the covers.  A while back, while perusing the sale tables at B&N I picked up a copy of "The House on Fortune Street" by Margot Livesey.  It was put on the shelf  to wait its turn in the TBR queue.  My daughter came over one day looking for something to read and she took several books off the shelf, this one being one of them, and it resided at her home for a long while.  Recently, it came back into my possession, was thrown in the back of the car and brought out one day when I was needing something to read while waiting in the kindergarten pick up express line.

I always liked the cover so I assumed I would like the book.  For the first time in forever, that didn't happen.  It was a slow go.  It was a chore to get started and keep the momentum going.  It just didn't grab me but I was determined.  After plodding through the beginning and suffering through a story line I didn't enjoy it started to get better.  Around the middle of the book it started to grow on me -- the overlapping of the story lines was intriguing.  It was almost a mystery without actually being one.  And now -- at the end -- I found I couldn't put it down.  What clever writing it was.  What complicated characters they were.  To see the story unfold for each of the character's viewpoints was enlightening.

It is the story of Abigail and Dara -- friends from college days.  They were different yet so much alike.   They were best friends and their individual stories ran parallel to their story.  Through the whole book, through parents and families and lovers and friends, their relationship remained until the end.  And what a sad end it was.

Would I recommend this book?  I am not sure.  It was a slow start, it was a sad end, the writing was excellent, the characterization and the setting were top notch and I have really enjoyed it, surprisingly.  However, it is a sad book and a depressing read so I would have to withhold my recommendation.  A reader would have to decide for him/herself.

Wordless Wednesday

RIP Poor Dead Camera

My camera died.  I didn't realize it was on the brink of demise -- I thought it was only missing a few screws and needed a good battery charge.  I thought that replacement screws and a good while on the charger would fix everything and that we could be friends again.   Seems not to be because when I took it off the charger and walked outside to photograph the sun, it wouldn't work.  It had a brand new battery purchased just a few months ago and the front was properly secured again but it wouldn't open, it wouldn't do anything.

So, off to Best Buy I go to replace my friend of several years now.  This is the new camera I adopted.

I comes in other lovely colors but there were none left from the holidays.  I am fine with basic black, however.  Not such a change from my little Kodak whatever-it-was.  I prefer little point and shoot cameras that I can carry in my purse to the large, dramatic, impressive equipment that all the men in the family carry.  They all tote around these impossibly large cameras with larger lenses and we seem to have very few photos! I, on the other hand, happily snap away with my little camera and I like it that way.

I am not sure how this is going to go -- the relationship is too new, too untested.  Right now the camera -- I haven't even decided on a name yet -- is asleep on the desk charging.  As soon as it warms up a bit outside I will be taking her on a trial run to see what she can do.  She is WiFi enabled -- whatever that means -- not sure how that will help me.  I guess I can connect the camera directly to the computer and download the pics to the hard drive -- hmm..my netbook doesn't have a hard drive.  Ok, maybe I can download them to Shotwell.  Seems this is going to take some time spent with the manual -- I hate manuals but it least it actually came with one.  One of my other options didn't have a manual but rather you had to download it from the computer. 

So, there you go -- a new year, a new member of my purse family and a new learning curve.  Hopefully this little camera will last as long as the other one did and that we will learn to live together peaceably. 

Hope -- is that a good name for a camera?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser comes from "The House on Fortune Street" by Margot Livesey, page 199.

"For all her many visits to Abigail's house, Dara ha never seen the ground floor flat.  As she bicycled over, she pictured it as similar to the upstairs:  light, beautifully proportioned, tastefully decorated."

Hmmm..the upstairs sounds like something out of House Beautiful and it makes you wonder if the downstairs flat is somewhat of a dungeon.

This is where I am in the book at the moment.  It has been a slow read, started in November and will be the first on my Goodreads challenge list for 2016.  It is picking up and I am anxious to see how all the pieces fit together because it is truly like a puzzle.

 

Musing Mondays

I used to love to do memes but have somehow gotten away from them.  They were always useful for the blog when I didn't have much going on to talk about.  I miss doing them so I thought I would start up again and this is one of my favorites! Please join in if you feel so inclined. 

 

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What do you do when you finish a book? Do you immediately start another one?

Here are my answers:

I am currently reading "The House on Fortune Street" by Margot Livesay.

Up next I think I will read "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Jan Karon.

I bought the following book(s) in the past week -- uh, none.  I am trying to read from my own library full of unread books.

I'm really excited to tell you about the new independent bookstore that is opening here in Fort Worth.  When Borders closed up and Barnes and Noble downsized to only two stores in a vast area, we were left with only Half Price Books for a book store.  Now, not to downplay Half Price -- they are really good -- but still only one choice.  So, I am looking very forward to the opening of "The Last Word" in the downtown area.

I am really upset by -- the fact that I am not enjoying my current read but refuse to give up on it since I am so close to being done.  It was a slow start, picked up for a bit and is beginning to all come together -- which is good and holding my interest a little better -- but I don't care for the subject matter and I think that is what my problem is.

I can't wait to get a copy of -- well, nothing at the moment.  I was asking for the new Jan Karon title for Christmas and I got it so that is the most recent book I have desired.  I am sure something will catch my fancy soon.

I wish I could read more but life seems to be getting in the way at the moment.

I blogged about very little of any great importance this past week. I never have much important to say but I feel like I have let my blog slide in favor of Facebook and, while FB has it's place, I suppose, it is getting very depressing and sad and one of my goals for the new year is to concentrate on my blog more.  I can't give up FB because that is how I keep up with family and distant friends but too much time is spent THERE and too little time spent HERE.  Must. fix. that.

This week's random question --

What do you do when you finish a book? Do you immediately start another one?

Yes.  That is exactly what I do.


Have a wonderful Monday everybody!

January's Thoughts Lean Toward

Resolutions -- you thought I was going to say resolutions, didn't you?  Well, I guess that is what most people think of -- losing weight, being a better person, making more money.  No, that isn't what I am thinking about.  I am thinking about sheets and white sales.

One of the sets of sheets I have for our bed is terrible.  There is just no other way to put it.  They are thick and heavy -- some ridiculous thread count and I think their purpose would be better served as a drop cloth for painting.  So, I decided I needed to find those sheets another home (Goodwill) and procure another set for my bed so I got to thinking about the sheets of my youth.

Our sheets were always white.  They were fairly heavy but they breathed.  They were cool.  I especially remember the sheets on my grandmother's bed.  They were soft and substantial and cool.  I remember my grandmother (who could be a little snooty when she wanted to be) always said to never buy muslin sheets, they were awful -- you should always buy percale.

So, I decided to look at some nice percale sheets available online.  Coyuchi I think was the name.  They were lovely.  Then I looked at the price and they immediately lost a bit of their luster.  So I went across the street to Target to look at what they had to offer.  They had percale but the sample felt like plastic.  I just couldn't get my head around these new percale sheets feeling like the sheets of my youth.  However, I did find some "organic" sheets that felt closer to what I was looking for.  I did the brave thing and bought them.  Brought them home, washed them, put them on the bed and was very glad to discover that they were quite close to what I remember the sheets feeling like when I was a kid.  I am thrilled.  Now, if Target has a good white sale, I might buy a set of the percale to see what they feel like but right now I am really pleased with my purchase.

This is the first step in my Marie Kondo attack on my house.  My linen closets.  No more towels or sheets that are old, don't match, don't have a complete set -- whatever.  The next thing on that similar list is cup towels. I asked my husband how many cup towels a self respecting home should have and he said four -- two in use and two in the drawer.  I think that is just a tad sparse but I am going to narrow down my two drawers full of cup towels to probably just a half dozen.  It is two of us here, I don't think we need more.

It will probably take me until next New Years to accomplish this but I am going to declutter every nook and cranny in this house -- starting with the linen closets -- it looks so nice to open the door and have my sheets in nice stacks all straightened up.  I feel so accomplished.

I hope I can keep up the momentum!

Friday Fill-ins

1. Right now I'm _____.
2. _____ is my well known quirk.
3. Are you _____?
4. _____ first, then _____!
5. That's why _____.
6. _____ is one of my favorite tv shows ever!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!



1. Right now I am resting from decluttering!
2. Not being able to sleep with the closet door open is my well known quirk.
3. Are you sleepy?
4. Family first, then everything else!
5.  That's why I don't like crowds.
6.  Days of Our Lives is one of my favorite tv shows ever!
7.  And as for the weeken, tonight I am looking forward to some moving watching with my granddaughter, tomorrow my plans include seeing my son, daughter in law and grandchildren and Sunday, I want to crash!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!  I do not believe in resolutions but I do believe in goals.  Here are a few of my goals for 2016, not in any particular order.

1.  Break the sugar addiction -- starting today.  So far so good but I have only been up for an hour and half and I have to make cookies.  Yikes!

2.  Increase my step count -- I walk for exercise and I average about 5000 steps a day -- half of what I should -- so that is a goal. 

3.  Become Fort Worth's answer to Marie Kondo -- after trying to facilitate moving my mother in law to assisted living, I am adament about getting my own clutter under control -- her "stuff" is causing me great stress.

4.  Read more.

5.  Blog more.

6.  Visit Facebook less often.  Who knew that scrolling through pages and pages of peoples opinions on things could be so addictive and such a waste of time.  Apologies to my facebook friends but seriously --

7.  Sew more.  I love Irish Chain quilts and I would really like to try my hand at hand piecing one.  In blues and turquoises.

8.  Only join one reading challenge

9.  Cook at home more -- poor hubby.

10.  Take more photos -- which reminds me -- I need to buy a new camera like today!

So, folks, that is my year in a nutshell.  I will start dismantling "Christmas" today even though it is still Christmastide and I still have one more gathering but I am anxious to get on with the new year and see if I accomplish the goals I have set forward.  We will see.

Have A Wonderful New Year and see you back here much, much more often.

Rough Night in Dallas

Rough Night In Dallas -- sounds like a cw song, doesn't it?  I wish it was a song but the reality is that is was a rough night in Dallas with eleven tornadoes --one of them quite large - doing lots of damage.

There has been 11 deaths and many injuries.  Cars were tossed off the highway overpasses as the tornadoes crossed the roads.  It all began in early evening and was still a threat by 10 p.m.  This morning, in the light of day, the damage is vast and they expect the NWS to declare this a F3 or F4 tornado -- the big tornado -- I am not sure about the smaller ones.

So, for any of my readers who saw this on the news, just letting you know that we are fine.  We live in west Fort Worth and this was all on the east side of Dallas.  We got some rain, some lightening and for some reason we lost power for about 30 minutes but we didn't experience anything severe and for that I am thankful.  However, there are a lot of families that weren't so lucky and the new year will be full of trying to put lives back together.  So, so sad.

By the way, have I ever mentioned that I really don't care for the weather in North Texas?  I guess I am just a San Antonio girl at heart and always will be. If my kids didn't live here, I would move back.  The weather wasn't perfect there but at least we didn't have as much threatening weather from tornadoes to ice. 

What is up next?  Well, we are going to have more rain today - and wind -- and then tonight it is going to get cold and we might have a snowflake.  They said if there was any snow it wouldn't accumulate and it wouldn't be a problem.  When they say that, it is time to go to the grocery store and stock up for the blizzard because they ARE. ALWAYS. WRONG. 

So, just wanted to let anybody who was wondering know that we are fine and hopefully the tornado activity is over.

RAW VIDEO: Incredible Large Tornado near Rowlett, Texas | Dec 26, 2015

Merry Christmas!

The last 25 days have been spent waiting for Christmas.  There have been quiet times, candle lightings,  gospel lessons, nativity building and anticipation.  Today was the culmination of all those things as we welcomed the new born babe and celebrated with gifts and food.

I usually have a problem with depression at some point during the holiday season and this year has been no different.  There was one day a couple of weeks ago and then again today.  I don't know why, a let down perhaps.  Even though we try to emphasize the real meaning of Christmas and not dwell on the material side of it there is still that moment of realization that all the planning and working is over in the blink of an eye.  I know that "Christmas" is just beginning with twelve days to follow but being raised in America it was our tradition to celebrate on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then it was done and we readied ourselves for the New Year.

So, today, as I was making the final preparations for our dinner and final lighting of the Advent candles I was already thinking ahead toward the New Year and things I want to accomplish.  I don't believe in resolutions -- it is like they are made just to be broken.  I much prefer plans and goals.

I have a few of those for the new year -- some big, some not so big, so long term and some to bring closure.  One of my goals this year is to be a better blogger.  I have a few things I would like to incorporate here at Maison Brinkley -- both personally and for the household in general.  I am going to make a more concerted effort to actually document them here with photographs.

Photographs -- hmm...that reminds me, it seems that three of the four screws in the front of my camera have fallen out and my camera is in grave danger of just disintegrating so I might have to think about a new one.  In any event, I am hoping to do better with the blog.

I am also rethinking reading challenges.  This year I signed up for several and wasn't particularly successful with most so 2016 will find me participating in only one.  I have several series that I would have loved to have finished this year but didn't so I will continue with those this year.  I have learned that reading challenges are sort of double edged sword.  On one hand they sort of force you to read more but I wonder if, in doing that, we don't read as well and get as much out of the books as we could if we took more time.  I don't know but I do know that I am going to do only one.

I am also giving more thought to household things such as tidying, decluttering and meal planning and prepping.  I have recently read an interesting article that takes meal planning a step farther and concentrates on prepping and pre-cooking some things.  I found it fascinating and am going to give that a go and see if it can help me prepare an evening meal with limited time.  The Hubs and I both need to lose a little (haha!) weight and get more exercise so that is a huge goal of the new year. 

But, for tonight, I am taking my book, heading to my bed and going to lose myself in a good read. 

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to great weekend!