books — Page 187

I Confess

January 21, 2014 at 9:18 am by Claudia

I have a confession to make. I’ve been keeping a secret from you. No, not the exciting kind of “I’ve got a book deal!” or “I’ve won the lottery!” secret. How I wish! No, this secret is a little more mundane. Nevertheless, since I’m always honest with you on this blog, it’s time to ‘fess up.

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I got a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas.

I know. You’re thinking, “Ummm….Claudia? Haven’t you written many posts about books – the three-dimensional kind – and the need for libraries and bookstores? I seem to remember you saying that you don’t like eReaders. You were very clear on the subject.”

And you would be right.

Let me assure you. A book that I can hold in my hands, where I can turn the actual page, not a virtual page, will always be my preference. I love the look and feel of three-dimensional books. I love them too much to abandon them. I will always support my local independent bookstore and my local library.

Don’t worry.

Let me give you the back story. When I had just returned from Hartford at the end of September, Don said that he thought he would like a Kindle Paperwhite. I was surprised, as Don isn’t a habitual reader like I am. But we talked about it and I filed it away as a Christmas idea. As Christmas grew near, I started a little research on the Paperwhite and liked what I read about it. I asked Don about it once more. Did he really want one? (I did this because Don is known for going hot and then cold on gift ideas.) Together, we read all about the Kindle and in the end, he said yes. It would be perfect for him, not only at home, but especially on the road. Since we both travel for our jobs, lugging a lot of books along isn’t an option.

Much to my surprise, I started to think I would like one. I pondered. I felt a bit guilty. Then I took a deep breath and told Don that I would like one as my Christmas present. He was delighted.

So we gave each other Kindles.

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I have to say that I really love mine. The idea behind the Paperwhite is that it is simply an e-Reader. It’s not a device that allows you to go online or surf the web or anything like that (although you do use Wi-Fi to connect with Amazon in order to download your purchase.) We weren’t interested in that. We both have laptops. I have a Nook that my dear sister gave me about 5 years ago, so that I could have the accessibility of books to read available to me when I was on the road, but it wasn’t easy to read and I never really embraced it. However, the technology has greatly improved since my Nook came out. The Paperwhite is so clear and readable and it’s much more lightweight and easily held in your hand.

Don is crazy about his. More often than not lately, he is reading his Kindle. I’ve never seen him read this much and that makes me very happy. His taste runs to non-fiction; biographies, memoirs and history. He loves the dictionary option, where he can touch a word and the definition for that word will pop up on the screen. I cannot tell you how many times he has said, “This was the best present ever.”

As for me, I have stacks and stacks of books around here. I have them stored away in the shed. I just donated over 50 books to my local library. I only have so much space in this little cottage. And as you know, I sometimes have to work in another city for a chunk of time. I also review a lot of books. Almost always there is an option to get the book in the mail or on an eReader. I’ve always chosen the mail, but that means a lot of books stack up around here and I have nowhere to put them.

The fact is, there are just certain books that I would love to read on the Kindle but not necessarily buy in the bookstore. It gives me options. For example, I’m reading the new biography of one of my favorite actresses, Barbara Stanwyck. It’s over 900 pages long. It retails for well over $30. I can’t spend that kind of money, it’s not in my budget. If I got on the waiting list at the library and was finally able to check it out, I would be under pressure to read it all in a certain amount of time. Did I say that it’s 900 pages long? Since my taste runs to fiction, biographies are a rarer read for me and having it on the Kindle gives me the freedom to read bits and pieces of it whenever I want to. And I got it for $11.99.

I also just read the next book I am going to review on the Kindle. It is only available as an eBook. I wouldn’t have been able to experience it – and I liked it very much – if I didn’t have the Kindle. I’ve also been able to get some books for $1.99 – one by Mary Kay Andrews and another by Dennis Lehane. Can’t beat it.

So, an old dog can indeed learn new tricks. My name is Claudia and I actually like my Kindle. Who would have thought?

But to keep this in perspective, I’ve got an idea for the bookshelves I’ve been wanting in the den. I think I can do it myself; in fact, I know I can. And I will love nothing more than being able to have more of my non-virtual books here in the house instead of in the shed, to hold, to thumb through, to re-read, to treasure. Nothing will ever be better or more powerful than that.

I’m already plotting how to save up for some of Penguin’s editions of Jane Austen with their beautiful covers and lovely typefaces.

We’ve got a winter storm on the way. Oh boy. Batten down the hatches!

(By the way, this isn’t a promotion of any kind for Kindle or Amazon and I receive no compensation from Amazon.)

Happy Tuesday.

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Phase One Completed

January 10, 2014 at 8:26 am by Claudia

Yesterday was Phase One of The Adventures Of A Couple Living In A Small House Who Are About To Get A Bigger Bed.

Yes, the countdown has begun.

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When I first wrote about the California King mattress and box spring that will soon be in Mockingbird Hill Cottage, I said that I had an idea or two about rearranging the bedroom to accommodate said mattress. The one thing I knew for sure was that the IKEA Expedit bookcase that was currently on the same wall as the bed would have to be moved. The only other wall it could possibly go on was the wall where Don’s dresser is (just to the left as you enter the room.) The obvious dilemma: where to put Don’s dresser?

I gave Don his marching orders. We were to meet upstairs in the bedroom at noon and figure the whole thing out. Don, by the way, has a great eye and is very helpful in times like these. We considered moving my dresser over closer to the outside wall, closing the gap between that dresser and the sideboard that also houses the television and somehow cramming Don’s dresser in there. Or putting in on the narrow section of wall perpendicular to those pieces. With an attic-type bedroom with sloping walls, our options are limited. Very limited.

Thankfully, Don came up with an idea that I had entertained but had dismissed because I thought he might not go along with it: Why not move the dresser into the other room? The office/studio/guest bedroom? This idea seemed like a lifesaver, if it was indeed possible to somehow make space for the dresser and make it work.

And so it began. We lugged the dresser into the next room. Which led to trying to figure out why one of the drawers always stuck. Which led to me waxing the drawer slides. Which led to trying the drawers in different slots. Which led to a dresser that finally works. Which led to moving my grandmother’s trunk over on the wall so that we could move a chair into a new position. Which led to me opening the trunk and sorting through the things stored inside and dumping a lot of them. Which led to finding an old hooked rug which looks good on the floor in front of Don’s dresser.

Lunch break.

Then on to the bookcase, which I could now move. But first, I had to remove all the books and place them in piles all over the bedroom. Which led to looking at each book and making a pile of books to be donated to the library. Which led to me trucking piles of books out to the area where my sewing machine is. Which led to an upstairs that looked like a disaster zone.

Once the books were removed, I could move the bookcase to its new position. Which led to me seeing lots of dust along the wall where it previously lived. Which led to me hauling the vacuum upstairs. Which led to me vacuuming behind the bed in anticipation of the move.

Then, as I sat on the floor and/or crawled on my knees to various piles of books, I rearranged the books on the shelves. I also made a pile of magazines to be recycled. I hauled the stacks of magazines downstairs. By this time, my back was complaining loudly.

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It still needs tweaking, but Phase One is complete. Do you see why I want built-in bookshelves in the den? The books in these cubbies are doubled up – there are books behind the books you see. And remember, I made a four big piles of books to be donated. I only donate books I know I will no longer need or that I read but wasn’t thrilled with. Sometimes I donate review copies of the books I’ve reviewed on this blog. It’s all for a good cause. Our local library has a book sale once a year in order to raise money to keep the library going. That’s a cause I can enthusiastically support.

We won’t mention all the books in the shed.

That pile of magazines on the far right? Every Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine ever published. I refuse to part with them.

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And Don’s new headshot took the place of his older headshot in my frame, per his orders. I’m proud to say I was the photographer for both of them. Who knew I could take an actor’s headshot?

Today, my back is aching and I feel the effects of Phase One. But it’s done! Don and I really like doing this sort of thing because sometimes, in rethinking furniture placement, we see things with fresh eyes and come up with an even better solution. It’s a win-win.

Except for my aching back!

Happy Friday.

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Old Friends, Movies, Books & Television

December 29, 2013 at 8:35 am by Claudia

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Monty the cow is temporarily on the floor. He had to vacate his usual space on top of the lab stool so that we could put up the little white Christmas tree.

Scout has found a napping companion in Monty. My two kids are bonding.

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I’m thinking that Monty rather likes this temporary arrangement. He looks a bit surprised, but then again, he always does.

I’m having trouble remembering just what day of the week it is. That always seems to happen around the holidays. Is it Friday? Is it Monday? Oh, right, it’s Sunday. An old friend of ours who lives in Los Angeles and is visiting New York City for the holidays is taking the train up our way today to spend a few hours with us. I’m so looking forward to seeing him again. Don’s known him for years and years and I got to know him when I worked with him in a couple of productions at the Old Globe. It will be the first time he’s seen our house. (I always wish these first visits could be in the summer when the gardens are blooming instead of during the rather bleak landscape of winter. Ah, well.) The important thing is that we’re going to get to spend some time with an old friend.

Recommendations from Yours Truly

Movies: We’ve been watching lots of old movies lately. I introduced Don to The Bishop’s Wife the other night and last night we watched Gaslight. I hadn’t seen Gaslight in a long time so I didn’t remember all of the plot, which was perfect, because I was surprised. Such a great movie! Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her role and Charles Boyer is chilling in the role of her husband. Did you know that the plot of that movie (and the original play) inspired the use of the term ‘gaslighting?’

From Wikipedia: Gaslighting is a form of mental abuse in which false information is presented with the intention of making a victim doubt his or her own memory, perception and sanity. Instances may range simply from the denial by an abuser that previous incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim. The term “gaslighting” comes from the play Gas Light and its film adaptations. The term is now also used in clinical and research literature.

It’s a wonderful movie, directed by the great George Cukor, with incredible set design and lighting, with all the contrast in highlights and shadows that can only happen in a good old black and white film.

Books: I’m currently reading Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon. Have you heard of this book? It’s the true story of Dr. Alexander’s rare and almost certain to be fatal illness that resulted in his being in a coma for seven days with the part of his brain that controls thought and emotion shut down. He had a Near Death Experience (NDE) that was simply extraordinary. As a scientist who previously discounted NDE’s as fantasies the brain created while in a state of being half-in, half-out of this world, this experience completely changed his life and his beliefs. The mere fact that he came back from almost certain death to tell his story is a miracle beyond imagining.

I have to tell you, this book is life-changing. Find it. Read it.

Television: If you love the Arts, as I do, watch The Kennedy Center Honors tonight at 9 pm on CBS. Simply the best awards show ever, head and shoulders above anything else in that genre. In fact, we think it is the best show on television, hands down. You will be inspired by the accomplishments and careers of the honorees, you will be entertained, and if you think the Arts are essential to our culture as I do, you will take heart. The show is always done stylishly, with impeccable taste. I find myself, each and every year, crying with joy throughout the show.

If you’re interested in education and the benefits of going back to school, read my post about my personal story, sponsored by Kaplan and BlogHer.

Happy Sunday.

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I Confess

Phase One Completed

Old Friends, Movies, Books & Television

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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