Sunday, June 19, 2011

1001 Uses For Duct Tape

I live 40 miles east of Orlando, Florida.  Our world these days revolves around the trial of a mother accused of murdering her daughter.  There is nothing else to watch on television but the trial.  I have to admit it's quite fascinating learning about bugs and flies and varieties of duct tape.  But I long for simpler TV like guessing the showcase on The Price is Right. 

In a week I'm going to Cleveland to visit my sister.  She's been planning with great care my every waking moment while I'm in Ohio. When I received the following email from her my mind only thought of one thing.

"Dear Linny, Too bad you will miss the duct tape festival but the gnomes are in the garden."

I replied back, "If you're talking about the Anthony trial, I'm hoping it will go to the jury before I leave."

Her reply back, " I found your response quite odd.  I wanted to go to a fashion show of things made from duct tape but it ends before you get here."

I laughed.  That explains it.  On the list of 1001 uses for a roll of duct tape, murder is at the top of the list but number 2 is make a dress to wear out to the club afterwards.  The other 999 uses hardly matter after that.  In Cleveland they make fashionable clothes from duct tape, in Florida, we've become more hardened.  And in most places they use it to fix a leaky duct. I think that' s why they call it duct tape. 
  

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Sisters of the Sari by Brenda L. Baker

Kiria is a middle aged, savvy business woman who wants to do something more meaningful with her life.  She takes a trip to southern India, and in a time of need in an unfamiliar country she becomes the recipient of unexpected kindness of a poor Indian woman, Santoshi.  Forming a tenuous bond, Kiria sets out to change Santoshi's circumstances.  Santoshi is not aware that her circumstances are in need of a change.

Ms. Baker did a wonderful job of depicting the clash of cultures.  A western woman who expects life to be clean, cool and orderly struggles to come to terms with the poverty and plight of women that they accepted as normal.  Kiria has a few skeletons in her own closet that when added to the mix help to propel her and Santoshi into new views of life. 

Sisters of the Sari is a wonderful modern story full of rich and interesting characters.  The well detailed clash of cultures make this book a page turner that you won't be able to put down. 

Sunday, June 12, 2011

My Dilemma

I'm loving my Kindle.  I'm loving it so much that  remember all those unread books I have yet to read? Now it's really going to be hard to get through them because I don't even want to read a bound book anymore. 

My Kindle is everything Amazon said it would be.  The screen really does look like ink on the printed page.  It weighs about the same as a book so my mind is tricked into thinking I'm holding a book.  But I can set the font to a size that's easy on my eyes.  Can't do that with a printed book.  I hate it when a book is set with narrow margins and tiny print.  It's too hard to read when there are too many words on the page.  Now I can read the way I like it. 

Since I no longer want to read the real book, I've been searching for Kindle versions of those still on my list.  Some of the books on my shelf are so old there is no Kindle version available.  Or maybe it's because they weren't that great to begin with, no one bothered to bring them into the 21st century.  I'm torn between paying for the Kindle version and giving away the print version for some others.  Being on a budget I probably should suck it up and read what I already own.  But what I have found is that some of the classics like David Copperfield by Dickens and The Jungle by Sinclair Upton have free Kindle versions available.  I quickly downloaded them leaving the hardbound family heirlooms preserved on the shelf.

Here is my dilemma.  Will I be able to make it through my list without rebuying a second Kindle version?  Or will I be able to read from the printed page those that don't exist as an electronic version?  Those titles may not be the most interesting or desirable in the first place.  That's probably the reason I never read them.  Or am I going to become a literary genius by reading all the free classics that are now at my fingertips?

All three of these options sound like a challenge.  And I'm always up for that.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Jesus CEO by Laurie Beth Jones

Jesus CEO is a leadership guide for the business world.  This book is a collection of principles that can be used a day at a time.  I happen to like to read an inspirational story each night before I go to bed.  I thought this would be perfect.

But I have to admit I just didn't get it.  Maybe because I'm finished trying to make my way in the business world.  Or maybe because the business world has no room for me any longer.  My search for a job has left me discouraged and frustrated.  After two and a half years I no longer see any hope for a career other than my writing.  Writing makes me extremely happy but it requires a totally different mindset than a 9 to 5 job with a steady paycheck. 

Jesus CEO is chock full of great inspiration, guidance and hope.  At this place in my life I couldn't make it click for me.  This book came to me from my sister, Martha.  Tucked inside were some daily calendar pages put there by her late husband, Tom all dated January 26th.  I have to admit I didn't understand the meaning of the saying on any of the pages or what the date might have meant to him.  So I've tucked them away until I do.  That's the same thing I'll do with Jesus CEO, tuck it away until I figure it out.  And I will. 

Splintered Silence by Susan Furlong

Splintered Silence by Susan Furlong First off I have to say I happened on this book by chance.  My sister's name is Susan Leigh Furl...