Friday, July 10, 2009

Book Reviews from Master The Art of Reading participants Murder on K Street by Margaret Truman: An enjoyable book that held my interest. I had no idea she could write so well. It takes place in Washington, D. C. and she knows this area well plus the lawyers interaction holds one's interest. Shout down the moon by Lisa Tucker: A young single mother goes on the road with her two year old son to pursue a singing career. Interesting narrative. Things get suspenseful when the father comes back to town. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain: Better than the movie, but Hank seems far more advanced/educated than his era would allow. Great story though-better than anticipated. Audition by Barbara Walters: Very honest about her life (good and not so good). Her life before TV, her travels to countries all over the world for her TV specials. Lover Enshrined by J. R. Ward: Phury has always been the most self-less brother in the Brotherhood, but will he give up his chance at true love to fulfill his duty as Primate of the Race? Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner: Very good book. Funny. You keep wanting to see what happens. Ghosts caught on Film by Melvyn Willin: I was a bit disappointed with the book when the author stated that the majority of photos were fakes. There were only a few unexplainable photos. I feel the book was just a thrown-together jumble of other's work/photos. I would not recommend this book to others who are looking for something new or unexplainable. The photos themselves were of poor quality as well. I have seen numerous photos of this subject much better in quality. Saved: Rescued animals and the lives they transform by Karin Winegar: Wonderful stories of animals in danger and rescued and the people that have intervened for them, many of whom have also survived horrible circumstances. Highly Effective Detective by Richard Yancey: Teddy Ruzak "unlicensed" detective "for now". I love "strange" detectives and Teddy is the strangest, most normal, dull, funny, smart, unintelligent man I've ever had the privilege to read. Can't wait for more. 1:59:58 PM     Capsized Ships and Other Disasters My mom and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise. Our ship encountered some rough seas and my mom told me that a crewman said an earthquake had caused the rough water. Hey, can't earthquakes cause rogue waves? I began conjuring up images from the 'Poseidon Adventure.' Oddly enough, I had already anticipated such a scenario. Here is a little known fact about me... one of my hobbies is to think about catastrophes and create contingency plans. What can I say? Some people do needlepoint and some people collect stamps. I like to think up 'what if' scenarios and come up with solutions. One month before my cruise, I rented a huge shopping-mall Christmas tree and tied it to my roof and practiced climbing it.  That is how they saved themselves in the movie. Because of my notoriously low lung capacity, I had my 68-year-old mom practice holding her breath and swimming underwater obstacle courses in a pool at her local YMCA, just in case she needed to do a 'Shelly Winters.' I am kidding, of course. Besides, my mother would never agree to wear a swimsuit in public, but I'm not kidding about the fact that I do believe in contingency planning and being prepared. It wasn't that long ago in our nation's history that American pioneers had to stock up and plan for contingencies, because they were often isolated and on their own. If something bad happened, they had to be prepared to save themselves. Because of modern conveniences, most of us have easy access to goods, money, and even information. We hop in the car and can quickly get to what we need, but what if that all went away? How many of us have planned ahead? If you had to shelter in place, how long could you keep your family comfortable with the supplies that you have currently in your home? Our government has information available to help us participate and take some responsibility in our own preparedness. Here are a few of those informational resources: Fema's Are You Ready Guide Ready.gov Emergencies and Preparedness International Travel: Crisis Preparedness Public Health Emergencies Earthquake Hazards Program American Red Cross Flu.gov We have a well stocked home should we ever need to shelter in place. We also have a 'grab and go' kit in case we need to evacuate immediately. I occasionally get teased by friends and family about my preparedness 'eccentricity.' One time we had friends over for dinner and my husband's friend thought he would mess with me. He asked me, 'So, if you ran out of food, would you eat Doc and Daisy (our dogs)? Without skipping a beat, I said, 'Of course not. They are my family, but I have been deliberately fattening up some neighbors and friends... just in case. Would you like some more fajitas?' So, am I just an obsessive freak or do you feel that we should all try to be prepared for disasters? What have you done to be a little more prepared? - Ginger [Gov Gab: Your U.S. Government Blog] 1:37:06 PM

© Copyright 2009 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 8/3/2009; 10:35:54 AM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien