lilspydermunkey's Blog

It is too bloody cold! And of course, now is the time the heat at my work goes out. I can't feel my toes! Henceforth and forthwith, you are all banned from predicting cold weather! Every time you do, it comes in spades. Same with the obscene heat waves. From now on, you can only predict weather between 70 and 85 degrees with a gentle breeze. Rain is necessary for vegetation, but nothing too damaging. This snow and cold and ice is ridiculous. If you feel otherwise, move to Alaska. I'd like to be able to feel my toes! Warm weather only from now on!

Thank you, and have a merry christmahannakwanzakah!

If you are going to be giving anyone any money this year, please keep your hands OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!!!! It's disgusting. There is a woman who comes through my line eating sunflower seeds, so there's always slobber all over everything. I don't want your germs! Yes I have hand sanitizer, but that doesn't mean I want your saliva all over everything! And I'm sure the people who get money after you, and the people who process your work feel the same way. If you must eat, use your own sanitizer! EW!

This book is a fictional story that concerns that Black Dahlia murder in Hollywood. For those of you unfamiliar with this story, the Black Dahlia, who was later identified as Elizabeth Short, was found tortured and sawed in half in Hollywood. She moved west for a shot at stardom, but fell drastically short. No one has been prosecuted for this crime. There were plenty of suspects, but no one went to jail. One of the greatest unsolved crimes of all time. This story tells of Dwight Bleichert and Lee Blanchard: two boxers turned cops. They live with a woman named Kay Lake, and both become obssessed with the Black Dahlia. The story is gruesome and gripping, and paints an interesting picture of who the Dahlia murder may be. Of course, we'll never know. 5 stars.

Today is the day for us to be thankful. I know it's hard with things in the state they are; however, I think we should at least try. Here's my list (in no particular order):

1) My health

2) I have food, shelter, clothes

3) My family (yes, even my mother)

4) My dog

5) My darling, loving boyfriend

6) My friends

7) My job

8) My books

9) My tv and movies

10) My new president

11) My country and the freedoms I have that many other citizens, even women don't even have.

Am I missing anything? What are you thankful for?

This was a great book. Because I already knew the ending (I'm pretty familiar with Henry VIII and his wives), so I would become antsy for the book to get rolling. This story tells of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife from the point of view of her sister Mary. Mary was first Henry's mistress, until she became pregnant and undesirable. She had been used, as was Anne, to advance the Boleyn family. After being pushed aside for Anne, Mary becomes the other Boleyn girl, destined to play on the sidelines and help Anne as much as possible. Mary soon runs away to be married, and the only person Anne really has on her side is their brother George. Mary was the only one I really felt any sympathy for. I was often able to skip through and read dialogue only. From what I understand, Gregory often stretched or changed facts in the story. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

Not by a long shot. Sandy Miller is much prettier. I would shop with Miller before Palin. (I'm not much of a drinker.)

This book is number fourteen in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. In this book, Anita must look for a new pomme de sang before a big meeting with visiting Vampire Masters. She has yet to learn to control the ardeur, she's still fighting with Richard, and she's even getting visits from the Mother of Darkness, the mother of all vampires. On top of everything, she must deal with her biggest problem yet: a baby. Not everything she needs to accomplish is accomplished. The grand meeting with all of the vampires falls a little flat for me. The Mother of Darkness wasn't really that impressive. A good story, sure, but a little disappointing compared to her previous novels. 3.5 stars. 

This was a pretty decent read. It's not one of my favorites of his. The night that Jimmy Tock was born, his grandfather made a series of predictions about Jimmy's life, including the time he was born, his size, and five difficult days that will occur at different times throughout his life. Jimmy is a baker and so is his father, so there are many references to food, including descriptions of food, and describing other people using food. I bet Koontz had a good time researching all of that food. :o) While this was a good read, and suspenseful at times, at other times it was a little wordy. 4 out of 5 stars for me

Another good one by an author who is not afraid of tackling the tough issues. Mariah White comes home one afternoon with her daughter Faith in tow and finds her husband Colin with another woman. Colin files for divorce, and Faith begins talking to an imaginary friend. Mariah thinks nothing of her daughter's imaginary friend, until Faith begins to call her friend God. After Mariah's mother comes back to life after a hug from Faith, people begin to think that Faith really is talking to God. Paparazzi and followers camp out on Mariah's lawn and Ian Fletcher, an tele-aetheist, comes to debunk Faith. Things get worse when Faith begins to suffer the stigmata. When Colin sees the hooplah on tv, he decides he wants custody of Faith, and begins a rough custody battle. Throw in some new love for Mariah, and you've got the makings of a good story. A little wordy, but still excellent. 5 out of 5 stars.

This book was a riveting read. In 1964, Norah Henry goes into labor.
She is helped along by her doctor husband David, and a nurse, Caroline.
Norah delivers a healthy baby boy, David. Some mere minutes later,
Norah gives another push and out comes a girl, Phoebe. David can tell
right away that Phoebe has Down's Syndrome, and will never be able to
live a normal life. David gives Phoebe to Caroline and tells her to
take the baby to an institution; he tells Norah the little girl died.
Caroline takes Phoebe to an institution, but cannot not bear to leave
the infant. A single woman, Caroline takes Phoebe off to raise as her
own. The book chronicles the lives of the separate families through the
years: Caroline raising a child with a disability and fighting for
equal rights; and the Henry family, coping the void of a dead baby.
each member dealing in their own way. Norah and Paul must grieve the
"death" of Phoebe, and David must live with the fact that he has given
away his little girl. The story was great with plots and twists, but I
felt cheated with the ending. I felt no justice was done. I can't say
much more without giving the ending away. I'm going to give it only
four stars since the ending left me feeling disappointed.

An excellent read. This book is the first in the Hannibal Lecter series, although his appearance is small. This book concerns Will Graham, who has been contacted by the FBI to help them find the Tooth Fairy killer, who has mercilessly slaughtered two families. Graham had just captured Hannibal Lecter, and must now travel to the asylum that is holding Lecter to try to get his help in capturing the killer. Harris also shows life from the point of view of the killer, Francis Dolarhyde, and what his upbringing and current life are like. Dolarhyde lives in St. Louis, and it is unnerving to read about various locations I know about, seeing them through the eyes of a serial killer. Very well written, and a good read. I can't wait to move on to Silence of the Lambs. 5 out of 5 stars.

I've taken up knitting. Which is amusing to me, since it requires an assload of patience and a most colorful vocabulary. I've got one of the two. I'm sure you can guess which. I'm working with my friend Anita. We went to UMSL together, and she has boldly offered to teach me. I also have a handbook- Stitch 'N [...]. We have our own stitch 'n [...] group consisting of three of us. Well, two, since Judi never shows up We haven't made anything yet. I'm mainly practicing while she just works on ahead. My cast-ons are getting better, but I still need to work on my knit-stitches. I love lokoing through the book to see all of the different things I can make. I like to imagine myself making scarves by Christmas, and maybe socks. But as of right now, I'm just trying to get through the first couple of rows of a dishcloth. Baby steps, people. Baby steps. I like learning something new. It helps my brain remain active, and it helps me get my creative juices flowing when I have no new ideas or supplies to make jewelry, or when my writing is stagnant. I might even have to learn to crochet for certain knitting projects. I can't wait. Who would ever have guessed that I would be a crafter?

This book was awesome. It's a memoir by Traig on her childhood with obsessive compulsive disorder. This childhood took place in 1980s California, before obsessive compulsive disorder was known and recognized as a disorder. Although some of Traig's experiences are humorous to those of us reading the story, I can't imagine how difficult this disorder was for her. She is born to a Catholic mother and Jewish father, and converts to Judaism. The strict rules for living as set out in the Torah send her compulsions into an amusing but heartwrenching tailspin. It helped me to understand what those who have this disorder go through, and it amused me as well. It wasn't written as a textbook, which was a big plus for me. 5 stars.

The three plays in this volume are Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. These plays occur during the time after Oedipus becomes king. His past catches up with him, and Oedipus learns the oracle's prophecies have come true. He must now suffer the consequences along with his wife Jocasta, his daughters Antigone and Ismene, and Creon. Although I already know the story that precedes Oedipus the King, I would have liked to have read that play. 4 stars.

This book follows young Fanny Price as she is plucked from her crowdy, poor home and sent to live with her more well of relatives at Mansfield Park. She becomes indispensible to her aunt, and falls head over heels with her cousin Edmund. However, with the arrival of Henry Crawford and his sister Mary, Fanny's life is turned around as she watches Edmund fall for Mary, and Henry pursue her for his own amusement. Because I had already seen the movie, the book moved slowly for me. However, it's a great story, so I give the book 3 1/2 stars.