Here’s what I read in August:

1. KNIGHTLEY ACADEMY by Violet Haberdasher. YA book, kind of a Harry Potter wanna-be, but enjoyable enough.
2. WRITER’S BOOK OF HOPE by Ralph Keyes. How DO you get a book published, anyway?
3. GAME OF KINGS by Dorothy Dunnett
4. QUEENS’ PLAY by Dorothy Dunnett
5. DISORDERLY KNIGHTS by Dorothy Dunnett
6. PAWN IN FRANKINCENSE by Dorothy Dunnett
7. RINGED CASTLE by Dorothy Dunnett
8. CHECKMATE by Dorothy Dunnett. The Lymond Chronicles, one of my very favorite historical fiction series.
9. BELLWETHER by Connie Willis. Funny and fun. It always gets classified as sci-fi, mostly because Willis usually writes sci-fi, but this one isn’t really. It’s just a good story and fun. Always makes me chuckle. (And I already know that Targhees are sheep.)
10. EIFFEL’S TOWER by Jill Jones. A look at the 1889 Paris world’s fair, where the Eiffel Tower had its debut.
11. IT’S A BOOK by Lane Snider. Children’s picture book, so adorable.
12. CHALICE by Robin McKinley. YA fantasy.
13. SAVAGE PEACE: HOPE AND FEAR IN AMERICA 1919 by Ann Hagedorn. History about 1919–I had no idea it was such a rough year. WWI ended, but it wasn’t exactly all sunshine and light.
14. SINGLED OUT by Virginia Nicholson. After WWI, Britain had lost so many men to the war, there were two million “extra” women–practically an entire generation with no-one to marry, at a time when that was the primary goal for most women.
15. GRIFFIN & SABINE by Nick Bantock
16. SABINE’S NOTEBOOK by Nick Bantock
17. GOLDEN MEAN by Nick Bantock. The best part of this trilogy is the illustrations. The story is told via the correspondence between the two characters, but instead of just the text, you get the actual mail pieces–postcards (front and back, illustrated by the characters who are both artists) or actual letters that you remove from their envelopes to read. Very cool. The story, I confess isn’t as charming, but definite points for presentation.
18. 10 LB PENALTY by Dick Francis
19. STRAIGHT by Dick Francis. Dick Francis mysteries are always comforting and enjoyable, and, well, I need a fix every couple months!
20. WEAVER’S IDEA BOOK by Jane Patrick
21. JIL EATON’S KNITTING SCHOOL by Jil Eaton
22. GIFTED by Mags Kandis
23. VAMPIRE KNITS by Genevive Miller

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books Read in August 2010 // Add Comment »

Today in Deb’s Kitchen…

Granola. A little short on the oatmeal proportion because it scorched a bit while it was in the oven.

I was busy dealing with slimy, slippery, naked peaches. I bought a bag of them yesterday to bake with, figuring, how hard could it be? Because, of course, it’s been years since I tried peeling peaches. I’d forgotten how much I truly hate peeling them. I even tried the blanch-in-hot-water-slip-the-skins-right-off method but really, no. It worked on exactly ONE peach, but none of the others. So, I manually peeled these slippery things and then sliced them … and, seriously, as much as I love peaches, it’s going to be at least another 5 years or so before I peel any more of them. (Or at least, if I can help it.) Otherwise, they’re going to be eaten like this in our house from now on.

Well, AFTER we finish the cobbler I made today. Peaches on the bottom, biscuit on the top. Mmmm.

Then, I was in the mood to make cookies … another rare thing. I had made a batch of large, chewy oatmeal cookies the other day, to help fill in the empty places after lunch because my tooth was too sore to eat a sandwich like I usually do, and a bowl of yogurt just isn’t quite satisfying enough … but yogurt with an oatmeal cookie stuffed with dried cranberries and walnuts? Yes, definitely.

So, I baked a batch of those on Tuesday while my parents were at the movies, but I’ve been thinking about how much I’d like some soft, chewy ginger snaps (my favorite cookies, next to traditional, soft chewy Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies like my grandmother made). Except … no ginger in the house. No chocolate chips, either. I almost never want to make cookies, so it’s frustrating to be in the rare, rare mood to make them and not have the necessary ingredients.

So I made these. Hermits. Mostly because they were the first recipe I came across in the cookbook that I had everything I needed, and wasn’t chocolate. Of course, they’re jam-packed with raisins and I really don’t like raisins very much … not sure what the rationale was, there. They’re pretty good, though (despite the raisins), even though I haven’t heard from the other family members yet, to know what they thought.

We had pot roast, too.

But, you know, sometimes the simple things are the best of all. I LOVE cherries, and bought a bag of them at Whole Foods yesterday, and they’re almost gone already. It’s really a good thing that cherry season is so brief … they’re addictive, like potato chips. I can’t eat just one.

We all went to the park yesterday. A gorgeous Saturday … in fact, let me just say that as hot a summer as this has been, and as wet as last week was, August 2010 has had a FINE line in Saturdays. No matter what the rest of the week was like, every Saturday has been a gem. (And coming from a hot-weather-hater like me, that says a lot.)

Anyway, we took Chappy to the park yesterday and met a whole bunch of really nice dogs–full-grown and puppies. (A couple really cute puppies, in fact.) The only drawback, where Chappy’s concerned, was that, while trying to dip his hot, tired paws in the stream for a quick splash, he SLIPPED, and fell into one of the deep spots and got wet all over. He did NOT like that. He doesn’t care that genetically he is a water-spaniel retrieving dog, he prefers his paws firmly on the ground, thank you, and only likes water in his bowl (except for the aforementioned occasional splash).

All three of us, I’m sorry to say, laughed lovingly at his shock and disgust, even while I was helping him out of the stream. (This is where leashes attached to harnesses really come in handy. You can’t really PULL on a leash attached to a collar.) Naturally, it was right after that, while his fur was still dripping wet, that we bumped into about four more really nice dogs. How embarrassing! Though one dog didn’t even care. All he wanted to do was stand in the stream and bark at reflections. Unlike almost every other dog I know, he completely blew off the dogs standing nearby, greeting and sniffing. All he was interested in was the stream. And the barking. It was cute.

Oh, and since he was wet already AND had played with one of the puppies in the middle of the dropping-strewn horse trail, Chappy got a bath when he got home. It’s just the way it goes.

Still, all in all, a good weekend. And if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go find something to snack on!

• Tags: Baking • Permalink:Deb’s Kitchen // 2 Comments »

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Embroidery // 1 Comment »

So, back in college, my best friend Dawn had this great bag. It was a combination big purse/bookbag and I know it seems crazy, but I’ve always remembered it. Mostly because the handles were so cool. Instead of regular, you know, handles, the bag had a series of rings around the top that had a long handle threaded through. When you lifted it, the handles automatically cinched it closed, but when you put it down, the handles loosened so you could easily reach in to rummage.

Hmm. Maybe I’m not explaining it very well.

Still, the thing is, I need a new purse, and I decided that instead of trying to find one that I liked to buy … because it’s been a couple years since I found one that I liked … I’d try knitting myself one, and see what happens. So, I’m making a purse-sized bag inspired by that one. Or at least, inspired by what I can remember of it.

Of course, mine is knit, not leather, and I don’t actually remember the general shape of the bag–was it round at the base? Rectangular? Did the sides go straight up, or were they shaped?

Hmm. Let’s face it. I obviously just remember the handles (grin).

It took me a couple tries to find a stitch pattern I liked, but I’m really enjoying this one. It’s a pleasure to knit and also looks great.

I’m also planning ahead, as I like to do, which means I’m worrying about the lining. It’s a must, you understand, but will require sewing, and I don’t actually do that very often!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Dawn’s Bag // 2 Comments »

Do you know what nine years ago today was?

Chappy day!

Yes, it’s exactly nine years since we brought this fluffy little boy home.

He came from a breeder in western Pennsylvania, about a six/six-and-a-half hour’s drive from here. We were both agreed that it wasn’t really a feasible drive to do in one day (especially with a seven-week old puppy), so we drove out the day before, a Friday.

I had actually gone to work on Friday, with the plan for Mom and me to leave around 3:00 in the afternoon. I had such a hard time concentrating on my work, though! I couldn’t sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time, and kept pacing around the office on jittery legs, anxious to get my puppy.

Understand, I was nervous for a bunch of reasons. It was only three months since I’d lost Katy to a car and I wasn’t entirely ready for a new dog quite yet. I would have been happier if Chappy’s litter had been born a month later, to give me just that extra month to finish mourning for Katy. Three months just didn’t seem like quite enough time to say good-bye, but it was close enough that I was looking forward to the new puppy, too. Mostly, anyway. Part of me was still focused on Katy. (Which, incidentally, explains Chappy’s extreme sensitivity when her name comes up. Apparently I talked about her a LOT in his first weeks with us. I’ve explained to him many times that, well, I loved her, too, but still. He’s kind of got a little-brother complex there.)

I ended up leaving work around lunchtime because, hey, I wasn’t getting a lick of work done anyway. Mom and I threw our suitcases into the car, hopped on Rt 80, and headed west. We checked into the Best Western in Kittanning and tried to get some sleep … we were right next to the pool, so that was tricky, what with all the splashing and screaming going on on the other side of the wall. Not to mention the nerves. (And cramps. I had truly dreadful cramps that night, which I’ve decided were labor pains.)

The next morning, we met up with another mother and daughter who were also adopting one of Chappy’s litter that day, and then the four of us headed over to Randy’s. The puppy pile? Oh God, one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

I’ve told you about Red Ear, right? Mom and I had actually driven out to Kittanning two weeks earlier to pick out a puppy, whose ear was marked with red ink. Adoption morning, though, that puppy wanted NOTHING to do with us. He was at the bottom of the puppy pile and looked kind of tormented. I think Chappy told him horror stories about us for those two weeks so that he could have his chance with us. He had clearly set his heart on HIS being the puppy we brought home, and if Red Ear had remotely shown any interest in us, we never would have looked at the other puppies. But, Red Ear spent his time cowering in the corner and squirming whenever either of us would pick him up, so Randy said we could change our minds.

That left two puppies who really liked us. The others had been polite and friendly, but not particularly interested, but there were two who tried to win us over. Chappy and Mr. Personality. Mr. Personality threw every “cute puppy” trick in the book at us and was adorable and charming, but Chappy was smart. He paced himself so that when Mr. P conked out, he was still being winning and cute. He also focused on his Grandma and won her over first.

I was a mess, trying to make this decision. We had never had to pick out a puppy before, and with having lost Katy so recently, and Red Ear being so very much the wrong puppy for us, I was terrified that I was going to pick the wrong one. I don’t generally lose control or have hysterics or whatever, but I was so distraught trying to choose between these two puppies, at one point Mom even offered to get both of them. (When you consider we’ve never had more than one pet at a time in our house EVER, that should tell you what a wreck I was.)

Ultimately, though, Chappy’s planning and stamina paid off. He said goodbye to his four-legged parents, climbed into my lap in the car (the only time he got to ride in my lap instead of seat-buckled in the back) and promptly fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. I mean, that was quite a morning for a seven-week old puppy!

He slept soundly almost the entire drive back to New Jersey. He would blink awake when the car would go over a bump, or if a loud truck zoomed by. He woke up enough to sniff and look adorable at a couple rest stops, and when we stopped for lunch at a McDonalds. I did some of the driving, but most of it was Mom, while Chappy and I bonded.

When we got home, Dad met us in the driveway and took Chappy out of my lap. He looked particularly tiny in my tall father’s hands. We all went inside, and Chappy promptly started to explore–a big difference from Katy’s first moments in our house. (She had flown up on a plane and was still traumatized and unsure who on earth we were, and didn’t really want to do anything except cling to me.) Chappy, though, by this time was well-rested and pretty secure that we were WONDERFUL people, so he was delighted to explore. He looked like he couldn’t believe his luck, that he had toys all to himself, and his own dishes that he wouldn’t have to share with five other puppies.

Sigh.

I can’t believe it’s been nine years.

Thanks for picking us, Chappy.

(Psst. Hi, everyone, it’s Chappy. Mom doesn’t know I’m writing this. I know she thinks that I tried to scare Red Ear so that he wouldn’t want to be with them, but it’s NOT true. He was just a wimp, that’s all. He just LET the rest of us sit on top of him, he had no spunk. There’s no way he would have been the right dog for MY Mom. She needed someone with personality, and … not that other puppy. He was all show, but no real substance. I mean, he was my brother and I loved him, but still. He was way too vain for a puppy, and a show-off.

I, on the other hand, KNEW that I was the only possible puppy for Mom. I knew it the minute I saw her when she and Grandma came to visit when I was little. I was really worried that day when they didn’t pay any attention to me at all. Mom said once that was because one of us had shown some signs of hip problems when we were really little and she didn’t want to pick that puppy, so she avoided us bigger puppies on that first visit. I think that’s just silly, though. Obviously *I* was going to be perfect, but I couldn’t get her to look at me!

I did NOT tell Red Ear scary stories, but I did spend the next two weeks training, focusing my puppy cuteness until it was razor sharp to make all the people go “Awww” whenever they saw me. I knew I only had one chance, and I was determined not to miss it! And you know, I was still really little. I had a hard time concentrating on anything for more than a minute or two, so you can see how determined I was.

All my hard work paid off, though, and I got the best Mom in the whole world. But don’t tell her I said so. It’ll just go to her head. Oops. I hear her coming! Gotta go.)

Bye!

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Chappy Day // 8 Comments »

Well, not real pearls, but antique fake ones, bought at Covent Garden in London back in 1987, and jumbled with a hematite necklace and a bronze-brown woven chain. It’s the way those glass pearls catch the light, though, that looks so beautiful.

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Pearls // 1 Comment »

It would be a better picture, of course, if I had cleaned the mirror first, but beggars can’t be choosy.

This one’s not much better. The mirror is cleaner, but my camera focused on the actual mirror, not the reflection. So, you know, take your pick.

This little guy has been quiet today. I took him to the vet for his annual check-up yesterday and, $192 later, it turns out that he has an ear infection.

Not a bad one, mind you. In fact, the vet told me we’d caught it really early. The part that astounded her was that this is the FIRST ear infection my 9-year old spaniel has ever had. When I said so, her jaw dropped. “A spaniel?” So obviously we’ve been doing something right, huh?

Of course, now I get to be Chappy’s FAVORITE person because two times a day for the next two weeks, I get to put drops in his ear. You know, those cold, oozy things that tickle and itch all the way down the ear canal? Yeah, those. Chappy just loves those.

Now, here’s something you never thought you’d see here. I won a contest over at FiberFarm.com and the prize was six skeins (Six!) in one of three colors of yarn. I asked Susan which she thought would be best for me and she suggested “Catcher in the Rye,” which came yesterday. Except, um, I think this is really well named because it looks to me like the shade of orange deer hunters wear to make sure they’re not accidentally shot. (Trust me, it’s even brighter in person than it appears in the photo.) I like orange–you know that–but this is bright orange, and well, I don’t like it. Much as I adored using her yarn for my Salem Hooded Jacket (as seen above), and think her yarn and colors are generally awesome, and grateful as I am to have won a sweater’s worth of yarn … I’m sending it back with regrets. If I had any dyeing skills at all, I might have kept it and tried over-dyeing to tone the orange down to something a little rustier, but since I don’t, I figure it’s better for the farm to get the yarn back to sell than for it to sit in my stash unused and unappreciated. (Well, not unappreciated, because like I said, I’m super grateful, but under-appreciated as regards to color.) It’s great yarn and it deserves better. So … back it goes, with my thanks, because that seems the right thing to do.

I know. You’re really grateful that you were sitting down while you read this, aren’t you? That news would have made me fall over in shock, too.

One more thing–remember when I mentioned this adorable book a couple months ago? IT’S A BOOK by Lane Smith? Oh my God, it’s like the best picture book EVER.

Here’s a reminder:

The perfect children’s books for all us book lovers … because, as much as I love and appreciated computers and e-readers and smart phones and all that? A real, paper book is still something unique.

Now, wish me luck. Tomorrow I go to the ondontist for a root canal that my regular dentist doesn’t feel equipped to deal with, for a tooth that’s apparently infected and more urgent than the one that fractured a couple weeks ago and still has a little, temporary seal on it until it can be addressed. Which, likely, means it’s going to be pulled, along with my one and only wisdom tooth, just as soon as this OTHER trouble-making tooth is taken care of. Yikes. My mouth and my checkbook are neither of them looking forward to this. I’ve never had a tooth pulled before.

(Yes, I only have the one wisdom tooth, the other 3 just aren’t there, and we wonder if my having been 7 weeks premature might have had something to do with that. Anyway, it’s hung in there for decades, now, but it’s at a point where it needs more work than it’s worth and it’s better off just being pulled, and since it’s right next to the fractured tooth that would really need an implant to fix properly anyway … might as well do them both at the same time. Ouch. Not looking forward to that, either. And, did I mention that my checkbook is terrified? But, really, let’s not talk about it, huh? Tomorrow, though, is a root canal on a completely different tooth on the other side of my mouth. Sigh. Have I mentioned how much I hate my teeth?)

• Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting • Permalink:Tuesday // 6 Comments »

Hurray! At least I accomplished something today.

This is the Salem Hooded Jacket from New England Knits (a book I whole-heartedly recommend. It’s wonderful.)

Anyway, remember how I had said that one of the skeins was a different color than the other three? (As in, looking like it was from another batch, not that it was, you know, DIFFERENT.) And then when Susan had her summer sale and this color was one of the ones available for $10 a skein, so I bought a fifth skein? SO glad I did.

The 5th skein actually matched the other three much better than the 4th one I already had, so I moved it up in the rotation, and used it for the hood. In fact, I had about ONE yard left when I finished the hood. That means that, if I hadn’t ordered a new skein, the pockets would have needed to be a different yarn–and I could have lived with that.

But. if you look at that picture… the flaps at the top of the pockets look just a little … greener … than the rest of the sweater.

Since that color difference is ONLY for the two pocket flaps (and the inside of the pockets), I don’t care. It’s almost like a design element. But I’m so glad I don’t have a horizontal line going across the yoke or between the sleeves and the rest of the sweater from a skein that didn’t QUITE match.

But, it’s done, isn’t that wonderful?

Though, I’m still not sure about the snaps that hold it shut. I still think it needs buttons…

(I do love the argyle-grosgrain ribbon, though! It’s perfect.)

Otherwise, I’ve been sickeningly lazy all day. I baked a cake and watered my plants, but that’s about it. There was definitely napping involved.

Which, of course, was something that CHAPPY whole-heartedly agreed with.

Yesterday? I got my hair cut for the first time since January. I bought myself a new pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars in my favorite shade of green, (I had a DSW coupon), and generally had a nice morning out with Mom.

I’ve been watching “Homefront” on YouTube lately. Does anyone else remember this post-WWII tv series from 1991? With Kyle Chandler? (Yes, I’ve always loved Kyle Chandler, starting with his stint as Jeff on this show–that and Ginger’s hair-styles and clothes alone would have made me love it.) WHY is this show not available on DVD yet? And what’s a girl to do when YouTube starts getting stubborn and simply won’t play the episodes? (Sigh)

Tomorrow, Chappy’s got a check-up at the vet, and Wednesday, I have to go to an Ondontist to start some of this expensive, extensive dental work I need. (Much bigger sigh.) Hence the haircut and the new shoes BEFORE those bills start rolling in to depress me.

Hope your weekend was wonderful! Now, I need to go swatch for my next project…

• Tags: Finished Knitting • Permalink:Salem Hooded Jacket // 4 Comments »

Like Lorette, even though I don’t do memes very often, I couldn’t actually resist this one.

1. Favorite childhood book?
I’m terrible at picking just one, but “A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Burnett is right near the top. Her Sara taught me how to control my temper, and I’ve always been grateful. I couldn’t resist “Anne of Green Gables,” by L.M. Montgomery, either, or Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” I loved Louisa May Alcott, too, but my favorites were always “Eight Cousins” and “Jack and Jill” rather than “Little Women.” Then there was “Understanding Betsy,” “Caddie Woodlawn,” the “Little House on the Prairie” books, and the “Black Stallion” books. Let’s not forget Trixie Belden…

2. What are you reading right now?
Oh my. Um. Dorothy Dunnett’s “Disorderly Knights” (third in her series, the Lymond Chronicles). “Eiffel’s Tower” about the 1889 world’s fair in Paris that introduced it. “Singled Out” about the two million “surplus” women in Great Britain at the end of WWI (heart-breaking). “A Savage Peace” about America in 1919, just after the war had ended, but it wasn’t exactly peaceful. Oh, and a book about rhetoric and arguments whose title escapes me at the moment but which I’m too comfortable to get up and go look at for you. I think that’s everything. Unless you count the pile of WWI-ish books that I keep referring to while writing lately?

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None. I can’t remember the last time I checked a book out of the library.

4. Bad book habit?
None, really. I take very, very good care of my books.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
None (see #3).

6. Do you have an e-reader?
I do, I have a Kindle 2.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
Obviously the answer is several. About the bare minimum is one fiction and one non-fiction, but there’s usually an assortment. Almost always just one novel at a time, though, and the non-fiction is usually a mix.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Not that I can think of. I still read at every possible moment I’m not doing something else.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Under Enemy Colors by S. Thomas Russell. Not so much because it was so terrible but because, under a different name, he’s one of my favorite fantasy authors, but I thought there was no comparison between the quality and subtlety of those books and this.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Just one? Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Hard to answer because I so often read straight out of my own library, but I’ll read just about anything, though I draw the line at horror (because I need to sleep at night) or books that are too R-rated because I just don’t see the point of excessive sex/violence/language in a BOOK.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Almost any good story, interestingly told.

13. Can you read on the bus?
If I ever actually rode a bus, yes. I can read anywhere except in the shower, and that’s because the water makes it too hard to turn the pages.

14. Favorite place to read?
I will literally read just about anywhere as long as my hands are dry and I’m not risking my life, but my two favorite places are my yellow chair in the living room, preferably with Chappy curled up next to me, or in bed. I curl up on my left side, prop the book against a heaped-up corner of the quilt and just read and read and read.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
Only to VERY trust-worthy people, and that very seldom because even so, I haven’t gotten all the books I’ve lent back. My sister’s the only one who is truly reliable.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
I’d say an emphatic no, but I DO sometimes put the tiniest one on pages with quotes I want to be able to find again.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
No.

18.  Not even with text books?
Really, no. I tried it, briefly, my freshman year of college, but couldn’t bring myself to continue. If I truly need to leave a note, I use a post-it.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
Um, English. It’s the only one I speak.

20. What makes you love a book?
Captivating story, great characters, wonderful writing … what more do you need? And if it’s informative, too boot? Perfection.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
See #20.

22. Favorite genre?
All sorts, but my comfort reading is usually fantasy/sci-fi. I find that they most take me out of myself when I need to relax.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
I can’t really think of any that I don’t read that I wish I read.

Favorite biography?
Um. David McCullough’s “John Adams” and his “Truman,” I guess. I love really good historical biographies. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals” is magnificent, too.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Probably, I guess, but I can’t really think of what it might be. One on dating, maybe, back when I was in my 20s? Do business books count?

26. Favorite cookbook?
Oh, harder than you’d think! The Home Cooking books by Laurie Colwin. The King Arthur anniversary cookbook I’ve had for about 20 years. Susan Branch’s books, if only for the sake of looking at them.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Um…

28. Favorite reading snack?
I don’t usually eat while I read, though I sometimes drink a cup of tea. I sometimes sit with a piece of cake and a book, but … mostly, just the book.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I suppose there are books that people raved about that I didn’t like… Most recent? The Art of Racing in the Rain.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don’t really have an answer for this because I don’t read book reviews all that often. Maybe the ones on Amazon.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I’m in the “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” school, which is why my book reviews are almost always positive in some way.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
I really have no opinion on this.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
I’m trying to remember feeling intimidated by a book … Moby Dick, maybe? Because it was so darn huge and boring at the same time? Deadly combination.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
None that I can think of.

35. Favorite Poet?
Billy Collins.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Zero.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
When I actually used to use the library? Pretty much zero percent. I always read them.

38. Favorite fictional character?
I truly don’t have just one, but I love the young Ramses Emerson in Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody books. He’s just such a loquacious, determined, amazing character, speaking like a college professor, almost, when he’s just a few years old, and able to get in and out of trouble with a remarkable felicity. He’s extraordinary. (Mind you, he’s just fine as an adult character, but it’s his childhood antics of rescuing lions and stealing from master criminals that I adore.)

39. Favorite fictional villain?
As in, the most villainous? Gabriel in Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
I can’t choose just one, that’s for sure. I pack more books for vacation than I do clothes, almost!

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
You can count this in hours, and I can actually pinpoint the day–moving day last year, when I didn’t get to read for practically an entire day. Otherwise, usually no more than four hours.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
There really aren’t that many, but that Book of Dr. Strange and Mr. something-or-other that was all the rage a few years ago. I absolutely hated it and thought that if I heard the phrase “the thistle-haired man” one more time I would literally throw it across the room. I found myself scrubbing my bathroom rather than pick it up to read. I got 300 pages into it and then just gave up to save what was left of my sanity.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Not much. My focus isn’t quite as good when I was younger and would read in the middle of the playground at school, but I can block out most distractions.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
There are some good ones. Lord of the Rings. Sense and Sensibility (the Emma Thompson one). The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Possession (though I know a lot of people hated the movie). The Secret Garden (the one from the 1990s with the gorgeous photography).

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Howl’s Moving Castle. Most children’s books. I have yet to see a “Little Princess” that doesn’t turn Sara into a terrible brat–and don’t get me started at them making her father still be alive.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Over $100 but less than $500. Not counting college textbooks.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
I suppose I might do a quick flip-through at the bookstore, but otherwise, when I’m ready to read it, I read it.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Awful writing, awful story, extreme boredom, excessive R-rating type behavior.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Absolutely!

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
Keep, keep, keep! It pains me to give them away.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Not that I can think of, though I long for the day when fantasy writers manage to think of something other than vampires and misunderstood teenagers.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
Nothing’s coming to mind.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Dust of 100 Dogs.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
That stupid Mr. Strange book whose title I don’t even bother to try to remember. I thought I would love it and it was godawful.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Fantasy and Sci-fi. Sharon Shinn. Anne McCaffrey. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller…

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