Odds and Ends

It's already August 16 (Elvis Death Day) and I haven't posted at all in August. Shame on me! The usual excuse, we've been busy since returning from vacation. Lots of children's birthday parties to attend, plus I just started planning Hayley's for September. My new addiction to iTunes is taking up most of my computer time at home. I'm trying to cram in reading a few more books before my next round of classes (math and Shakespeare) start the day after Labor Day. I'm hosting a small scrapbooking workshop this Saturday. I actually went to the movies on Sunday, the first time in three years, to see Must Love Dogs. (The movie industry is right to be worried about declining attendance. On a Sunday afternoon that was pushing 100 degrees there were only about 10 of us in the theater. All women, by the way, and yet the usher felt it was necessary to walk up and down the aisle with his flashlight three or four different times.)

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September is shaping up to as busy as June was - Brad Paisley concert, scrapbooking flea market, Hayley's birthday and party, back to school, various doctors appointments (easier to schedule when my boss is on vacation) and an open house at work (the first one in seven years).

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Somehow, without even realizing it, I just read back-to-back books titled The Innocent and Innocence. They couldn't be more different. The Innocent is the latest from Harlen Coben. I've liked all of his standalones (I've never read the Myron Bolitar series), which are fast-paced and tightly written, usually with a slight twist at the end. This one wasn't one of my favorites. It required too much suspended belief on the part of the reader and you could spot the surprise ending well in advance. Innocence is the second "chick lit" book from Kathleen Tessaro, but I would say it's a little darker than most chick lit. I loved her first book, Elegance, which I thought was very creative, and her second offering didn't disappoint. Likable, well-drawn characters, with a happy ending, of course.

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I still owe you a vacation round-up with photos. It's coming.