RedT Reads Randomly

"He wondered what it would be like to be broke and on the streets, and then he wondered what the history books would say about this era in American history, when the rich got richer and the middle class disappeared and the poor moved into the streets. Who was it who said that nations were judged on how they treated their least advantaged citizens?

Really, at this point the best favor the Baby Boomer generation could do for their nation was to die off as rapidly as possible."

. . . But suddenly I want to quote everything I read.

(Not putting the book up this time, since it's only a green box anyway.)

"Sleep did not come so easily in Newgate.. Barabbas stank and he knew it. Matters have come to a terrible pass when the stench and toxicity of one's own perspiration are enough to make one nauseous. "

"Ignoring a legion of forbidding notices and signs and heaving themselves over innumerable gates and fences, they eventually clambered down beside the river. Moon wrinkled his nose at the omnipresent smell of decay, treading as carefully as he could along the bank as the filth and muck of the Thames oozed over his shoes.

'Mud,'Cribb said, sounding just as he had on London Bridge . . . 'Glorious mud -- . . .

'We've passed through the city's bowels.  Now we walk the span of her intestine.'

'Charming metaphor.'

'A century from now all this will be torn down, this testament to industry, toil and sweat.  In its place great temples are built, monuments to wealth, avarice and power.'"

Page 137 of 353

(The clue for me, to remember what this is about:  giant ugly head just unearthed from strata so deep that London hadn't even existed. )

and then . . . 

Moon returns to his hotel, where he runs into an old acquaintance.

"'What are you doing here?'

'I've tracked you down,' Speight said proudly.

Moon blinked, still not entirely certain that this exchange was really happening.  'What can I do for you?'

'To be honest . . .money. . . I've had nowhere to doss down.  Things are difficult.  You were always so kind to me --'

Moon cut him off, reached into his pocket and passed the man a pound note.  'Here, spend it wisely.'

'Actually,' Speight admitted, 'I'll only spend it on drink.'

Moon pushed past him and clambered up the steps to his hotel.  'Frankly, Mr. Speight, just at the moment, I'd happily join you.'

'Something the matter?'   Speight seemed genuinely concerned.

'Have you ever had everything you ever believed in ruined in a few hours?'

'Can't say I have, sir, no.'

'Have you ever seen all logic and reason dissolve before your eyes?'

'Again, sir -- I'd have to say no.'

'Have you ever been thrust into the most acute existential crisis by the sheer impossibility of the truth?'

The beggar gave Moon an embarrassed look.  'P'raps you'd better have a lie-down, sir.  Thanks again for the cash.'

With a heavy sigh, the conjuror stepped inside."

Book quote from: The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

"'He's not an evil man.  He acts from what he believes to be honourable motives.'

The corners of Moon's mouth turned themselves up into a sneer.  'Monsters always do.'

'He's not a monster."

APHeadline :  Florida librarians create fake patron to keep books

"To keep infrequently used library books on shelves, two Florida librarians created a fictitious person to take out tomes, and now the county has since requested a system-wide audit of its libraries

The Orlando Sentinel reports Chuck Finley checked out 2,361 books at the East Lake County Library in a nine-month period.

His selections ranged from “Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck to a children’s book called “Why Do My Ears Pop?” by Ann Fullick.

The goal behind the creation of Finley was to insure that certain books stayed in the library. Books that aren’t used for a long period can be discarded and removed from the library system.

After allegations by an unidentified person in November, an investigation by the Lake County clerk of courts inspector general’s office concluded that Finley was a fake, and the county requested the audit."

so, what do you think?  Did they do a bad thing?

"'I read somewhere once that we don't see the stars,' Canby said.  'Not really.  They are out every night and we look right past them, take the sight for granted.  That if the stars came out just once in a thousand years, we would call it a miracle and record it for all time.  That we'd declare it was the city of God revealed to us.  I think there a lot of truth to that.  Do you?' 

Underwood looked up at the pinpricks of light in the velvety darkness.  'I think there is,' he said.

Canby leaned his head back, trying not to group the stars into constellations, trying not to think of them in any order imposed by man.  'Look up then, and see them.'"

Finally can do something in BL.  First time all week.  Hey everyone!  Good to see you.

. . . Because they are appropriate. And because it's his birthday -- this day in 1920.

And this is is all I'm doing for today, because sLOW,

It's been fifteen months since I've posted anything.  The most I've done is shelve my reads, and occasionally check on my groups.  

When i really checked BL out again, a few weeks ago, I discovered the site was in danger. Oh, No!  Even though I haven't been here, knowing you all were here was a comfort.  My fingers are crossed that improvements continue.

the last couple of days,  I've been reading through my feeds, and I recognize you guys.  I'm looking forward to interactions with you all again.  

All this past year, when I've run across something special in my reading, I'd think, oh, must share on BookLikes, but then I never did.  Turns out, it's apparently been hard for anyone to share anyway, so maybe I picked the best time to be gone and to return.

The reason I've been away?  I think I just needed to withdraw and get some balance back into my life.  It feels all better now.  Anyway, if you're so inclined, say hey.  If not, well . . . Maybe we will talk again in the future.

re this book I'm reading.  I've been enjoying it; it's a nonfiction "natural and supernatural history" of the coyote.

did you know if you like coyotes, you probably pronounce the word as ki - Oh - tee?  If you don't like coyotes, you probably pronounce the word as Ki - oat.  Huh, who knew.  I have a fondness for them, so . . . 

up to this point, I've been liking what I'm reading.  But now I've reached the chapter called 'A War on Wild Things.'  From the 1850s through the early 1900s, we mass-exterminated Coyotes (along with wolves, mountain lions and bears) in the hundreds of thousands.  And killing them with guns wasn't an efficient enough way to do it.  Strychnine and the introduction of sarcoptic mange into the population got the job done more thoroughly.  

Don't you sometimes hate us as a species?

Bridget had never really given much thought to what it might be like to be held prisoner with her captor's hand quite literally threatening to choke the life out of her, but she felt quite sure that she would never have imagined that the experience would primarily be tedious.

page 156 of 630

Smart, powerful and feisty women.

heroic heroes

good bad guys

action and danger

cats!

Thanks to Murder By Death for the invitation to play.  it's been great fun, and I've enjoyed all the quotes by everyone else who've been participating.

Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. (see above)

2. Publish a quote on 3 consecutive days on your blog. The quote can be one of your own, from a book, movie or from anyone who inspires.

3. Nominate 3 more bloggers each day to carry on this endeavour.

"That's the thing with handmade items. They still have the person's mark on them, and when you hold them, you feel less alone. This is why everyone who eats a Whopper leaves a little more depressed than they were when they came in. Nobody cooked that burger.”
― Aimee Bender

Like others are doing, I'm just going to say, Jump In, if you feel like participating. It's fun. 

Made To Kill Coming in December.  Looking forward to this one!

"It was just another Tuesday morning when she walked into the office—young, as I suspected they all might be, another dark brunette with some assistance and enough eye black to match up to Cleopatra. And who am I? I'm Ray, the world's last robot, famed and feared in equal measure, which suits me just fine—after all, the last place you'd expect to find a Hollywood's best hit man is in the plain light of day.

"

 "Watch the delightfully retro book trailer."

Thanks to Murder By Death for the invitation to play.

Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. (see above)

2. Publish a quote on 3 consecutive days on your blog. The quote can be one of your own, from a book, movie or from anyone who inspires.

3. Nominate 3 more bloggers each day to carry on this endeavour.

This may be bleak, but I'm sharing it anyway. because it's beautiful.  And every time I see it, it makes me think:  What can I do right now to help someone, somewhere in some small way?

"i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?
it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere.”
― Warsan Shire

"About the Author
Warsan Shire is a Kenyan-born Somali poet and writer who is based in London. Born in 1988, she is an artist and activist who uses her work to document narratives of journey and trauma. Warsan has read her work internationally, including recent readings in South Africa, Italy and Germany, and her poetry has been translated into Italian, Spanish and Portuguese." (Amazon)

 
like others are doing, I'm just going to say, Jump In, if you feel like participating. It's fun. But also, because it's nice to be invited . . . 

 Coffee2Words

Chaotic Readings

Denise

Thanks to Murder By Death for the invitation to play.

Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. (see above)

2. Publish a quote on 3 consecutive days on your blog. The quote can be one of your own, from a book, movie or from anyone who inspires.

3. Nominate 3 more bloggers each day to carry on this endeavour.

". . . Of all the sights I love in this world --
and there are plenty -- very near the top of
the list is this one: dogs without leashes."


"A dog can never tell you what she knows from the
smells of the world, but you know, watching her,
that you know almost nothing."

The YouTube video features senior dogs, and their site reminds us to consider older dogs when we are ready to adopt.

like others are doing, I'm just going to say, Jump In, if you feel like participating.  It's fun.  But also, because it's nice to be invited . . . 

Bookish Thoughts

Claire Loves to Read

 Murder She Read

 Tag, you're it.

Ophelia is looking out her office window, and feeling sad.  They're closed, but a client comes to the door.  Ophelia tells the women that they will be open tomorrow.  The woman has tears in her eyes.  She notices the ink stain on Ophelia's sleeve and offers a remedy, vinegar.

“I have no vinegar,” I said.

The afternoon seemed suddenly quite empty. Why would a lack of vinegar plunge me into a fit of melancholia?

It wasn’t the shirt, but what the stain on the white shirt represented, and that it was now permanent;

that I lacked any of the essentials to create a home;

that I was spending another Sunday afternoon alone, save for a talking bird;

and that, in my hour of need, I was denied even the consolation of sour wine, a biblical resonance that is at once absurd and indicates the depth of my sudden self-pity.

doesn't that sound desolate?  But Ophelia decides to invite the woman in to feel less lonely.  The woman explains why she came to see her.

“Your life sounds pleasant enough,” I said. “Why do you need my help?”

She hid her face with her hand, fingertips trembling on her forehead. “Because,” she said, in a voice so low that I had to lean forward to catch the words. “We are haunted by a book.”

They're being haunted by a book!  Can't wait -- reading on!

. . . Over at Closet Geeks -- 

She needs recommendations!  I'm heading on over to offer some.

looking through her first several pages of shelves, it appears that she likes fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal, among others.

I try not to plug my stuff on here too much, but it's Halloween! I guess I should make some sort of an effort.

Giggles was my first attempt at a novella. I'm usually more comfortable with short stories, so it was a fun challenge for me. And it's easily the most disturbing and creepy thing I've written as of today.

It's available as an ebook, and it's also available as a paperback.