Thursday Ketchup, Books and Prayers

First things first. I have a serious prayer request. Please click on the link. This is a "friend of a friend", not someone I know personally but literally a friend of a friend. This is the worst situation I can imagine, and I can not even begin to imagine how hard it is for the family.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/piercephillips

I finally have time to post my August book list. Of course, it's nearly mid-September... September's book list might be pretty slim, I have not had a whole lot of down time since we've been working at/on the rent house. But now maybe Froggy will quit bugging me about the book list! For the moment, anyway. But here goes:

1. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Reread x infinity. After we saw the movie of # 6, Otter and I both decided to read the book and see what was different. She actually decided on the entire series. I just was going to read 6 and this book. This one is actually the last one in the series. I think # 6 was on last month's list.

2. Christmas Letters by Debbie Macomber. OK.

3. Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman. Alright but not wonderful. Very predictable.

4. American Pie by Michael West. Michael is female in this case. This is NOT connected with the really bad movie from a few years ago. But it also wasn't very good, I got just a few pages into it and decided that it wasn't for me. I don't like to hear certain language and I try not to ever use it, so I don't like to read it either. Although if the author was very good, I might have tried longer.

5. Collectible Glassware 40s-50s-60s by Gene and Cathy Florence. I like the books this couple writes. Lots of information and very detailed pictures. They do a lot of research and it shows.

6. Return to Promise by Debbie Macomber. I read this because I like her Blossom Street series. But I discovered with this book that she also writes romance novels. Have I ever mentioned how much I despise romance novels? Well, I do. This was not very good, even by romance novel standards it was bad.

7. Oddball Texas, a Guide to Some Really Strange Places by Jerome Pohlen. Obvious liberal writer, but it was funny. And I've been to quite a few of the places in this book. I'd recommend it.

8. Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman. Sequel to # 3.

9. The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. I think I'm caught up with this series so far, I thought I was before but then I discovered a few other books. However, I read them out of order. But they have yarn, so they are books I enjoyed. They aren't romance novels, at least!

10. A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber. See # 9. I think this might have been the first book in the series.

11. 20 Wishes by Debbie Macomber. # 9 & 10!

12. Waterfalls & Fountains by Phillips Swindells. Research for something I thought about for the back yard but haven't made up my mind about.

13. Forever Liesel, a Memoir of the Sound of Music by Charmian Carr with Jean A. G. Strauss. Interesting.

14. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. Part 1. I decided (after reading 6 & 7) that I wanted to re-read the series along with Otter.

15. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets.

16. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban.

17. Batman Ego by Paul Grist, Bill Wray and Tim Sale. This was actually one that Otter checked out but of course I had to read it since it's about Batman!

18. The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys - 30 Projects Men Will Love by Drew Emborsky. I don't know about guys loving all the designs, but it had a pattern for socks and I am planning on crocheting at least one pair and then maybe more, if they turn out ok. And maybe even if they don't!

19. The Anastasia Syndrome & Other Stores by Mary Higgins Clark. I think I might have read this many years ago. Typical fluff, but it was quick and not too bad actually.

20. Getting Started: Crochet by Judith L. Swatz. Periodically, I look at beginner books because they sometimes have different patterns. This one didn't have a whole lot, but there were a few.

21. Lion Brand Just Scarves. Nothing I particularly wanted to make here.

22. The Essential Dale Chihuly by William Warmus. Chihuly is the master!

23. Eye Catching Crochet Fashion Accessories You Can Make by Janet Rehfeldt. I think that there was something I liked in this book, it seems like I copied a pattern from it but it's kind of hard to remember!

24. Marvelously Versatile Chain Free Crochet from Annie's Attic. Interesting idea, supposed to be easy and quick but after looking at this book I disagree. But I am always on the lookout for different crochet.

25. Collectible Glassware from the 40s-50s-60s, 8th Edition by Gene & Cathy Florence. More research, still haven't found exactly what I am looking for but I did find a lot in this book.

26. Chihuly Oklahoma City Museum of Art. See # 22 for comment. This one was well done, and since I've seen the exhibit featured I really enjoyed this. Lots and lots and lots of pictures.

27. Pebble Mosaics, 25 Original Step by Step Projects for the Home and Garden by Deborah Schneeben et al. I have been planning a mosaic pattern project for a while, I'm just not quite there yet.

28. 20th Century Glass by Judith Miller. Research.

Considering that August has 31 days and I read 28 books, I think maybe I had a lot of free time. Which was nice while it lasted!

Otter did have something more than an allergy but not quite a cold. She stayed home yesterday. She woke up with hardly any voice and her throat was very sore. No fever, but I sent her back to bed and she stayed there most of the day. She just got up to eat breakfast about 10:00, and then she went back to bed until about 5:00 or thereabouts. She felt much better today so she went to school and she seems to be over the worst of it. It just barely triggered her asthma.

I can't remember what else, there was something else but I forgot. I guess I'll just have to yak about it later.