Category: books

Proper English or Arbitrary Pretentiousness?

Posted in book-publishing industry, books, British Empire, English, grammar, humor, language, Masters' degree, memoir, native speaker, proofreader, spellingLeave a comment

Full disclaimer, I have a masters degree in English. That, in itself, won’t get me a chicken dinner or even a pat on the back. What it does get me is anxiety over the state of the English language in the USA. All one has to do is to scroll the internet to find mistakes… Continue reading Proper English or Arbitrary Pretentiousness?

Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Posted in animal adoption, bands, books, boyfriend, California, childhood, dogs, humor, memoir, outside the box, piano, relationships1 Comment

(re-run) My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did it by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Am I an Outlier or a Weirdo?

Posted in Amazon Prime, boat, books, Disney channel, Dr. Fauci, fight, Hispanic, immigration, iphone, laundry, memoir, nonfiction, NRA, online dating, outlier, recycle, Roe v. Wade, school shooting, Starbucks, tea cups, thrift store, Walmart, Whole FoodsLeave a comment

I don’t go to Starbucks. I don’t have an iphone, not sure how to spell it. I don’t have an Amazon Prime account. I don’t shop at Whole Foods. I won’t shop at Walmart. I recycle everything, even dig through the garbage looking for things my roommate adult child chose not to recycle. I love… Continue reading Am I an Outlier or a Weirdo?

Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Posted in animal adoption, bands, books, boyfriend, California, childhood, dogs, humor, memoir, outside the box, piano, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did it by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Whatever is Meant to Be

Posted in antique, books, divorce, fate, memoir, qué será, soup, termites, truck, trucks, waitressingLeave a comment

(re-run) I’ve been on the hunt for bookcases for a while now. I have ten tubs of antique books sitting in a damp garage near the beach, and it would be good to get them into the house. I sold all my beautiful bookcases when I was getting divorced. I knew the new smaller house… Continue reading Whatever is Meant to Be

When your Subconscious Self is Screaming at You

Posted in aliens, books, chorus, church, collection, karaoke, memoir, music, ocean, pornography, Rubbermaid tubs, singing, subconscious selfLeave a comment

(re-run) I just unpacked my one-thousand-book collection. Ten years ago, I packed it up and stored it in Rubbermaid tubs in a damp garage two blocks from the ocean. I was in the middle of a divorce, and I sold all the bookcases in my divorce house so that I wouldn’t have to move them.… Continue reading When your Subconscious Self is Screaming at You

The Story of Dr. Seuss

Posted in author, biography, books, Caldecott Honor, children, children's books, Dick and Jane, divorce, Dr. Seuss, Pulitzer Prize, Random House, The Cat in the HatLeave a comment

I just finished a 430-page biography about Theodor Geisel.  You might know him better as Dr. Seuss (his mother’s maiden name). When I chose the book to review, I expected a children’s biography, not an in-depth  tome that chronicled his life year by year, from birth to death at age 87. He had two wives,… Continue reading The Story of Dr. Seuss

Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Posted in animal adoption, bands, books, boyfriend, California, childhood, dogs, humor, memoir, outside the box, piano, relationships1 Comment

(re-run) My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did this by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Deciding for your Children

Posted in artist, books, California, children, Chinese food, Chinese restaurant, daughter, donations, garage sales, Iowa, library, memoir, parents, self-fulfilling prophecy, teacher, teaching, writersLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s funny how something pops into your brain and you think, that would make a good blog post. Today I mailed 100 books to a librarian in Menlo Park. They are old kids’ books that my children read back in the day.  My librarian Facebook friend asked for books for her students to read… Continue reading Deciding for your Children