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Saturday: Station Eleven, Commuting Into the City & the Garden

September 12, 2015 at 10:10 am by Claudia

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I’ve had to tear myself away from the last 10 or so pages of Station Eleven to write this post. My lord, this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time; completely realized, that rare kind of story which transports me to another place and time, where I’m lost in its pages, so much so, that I can’t re-enter my world immediately. It stays with me throughout the day. I want it to end, but I don’t want it to end.

This is one of those times that I wish I was sitting around with some of you who have already read Station Eleven, sipping coffee and talking, talking, talking about it. I cannot say enough just how much I love this book. It’s the sort of book I would have been wary of buying, afraid that it wouldn’t be my cup of tea. But, I’d heard a lot about it and I put it on reserve at the library and I’m so, so glad I did.

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I know you’d love photos from NYC when I travel into the city, but on days when I’m there on business, I simply have no time to take pictures. That kind of day in NYC becomes about driving 30 minutes to the bus station, spending an hour and a half on the bus (in this case, even longer, because traffic was so bad that we arrived 40 minutes late), which forced me to speed walk the 14 blocks or so to the rehearsal space, attend the 3 hour meeting, speed walk back to the bus station, grab some take-out for lunch that I had to eat on the bus, travel 90 minutes back to my local bus station, and drive 30 minutes back home.  A simple 3 hour meeting involves about 8 hours of time.

On days when I’m in the city with time to spare, when I travel in for fun, or am staying in the city on a job, then I have time to take photos. And I love doing that.

That’s why even an audition – which, let’s face it, takes all of 10 minutes – is a big commuting hassle for Don. It’s a trade-off, one that we made when we decided to live this far from the city. Most of the time, it’s worth every hassle. But there are times….

This coming week, Don has two auditions on two separate days and I have to go back in on Wednesday for another meeting. Feast or famine in the Hill-Sparks household! We’re grateful for the activity, though; it means we’re employed or have the chance to be employed.

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I’m pleased to say that I’ve finally noticed some flower activity on the mass of morning glories that are twining and growing all over the chicken wire fence but, up until now, have shown no sign of anything other than leaves. I spotted this little soon-to-be blossom yesterday.

And over on the side of the fence where the smaller vines have been growing:

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This is about to bloom.

I finally had a good night’s sleep last night after 4 nights of far too little sleep. I slept in a little, read  some of Station Eleven  (because you know I read first thing in the morning nowadays), and was late getting to this post.

Mowing is on the docket for today. We had a lot of much-needed rain on Thursday and the lawn in looking shaggy.

Don’t forget, I posted a book review yesterday and I’m giving away a copy of the book. Just scroll down to Friday’s post to leave a comment.

Happy Saturday.

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Filed Under: books, flowers, garden, New York City, reading 26 Comments

Book Review: Coercion by Tim Tigner

September 11, 2015 at 8:32 am by Claudia

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Today  I am reviewing Coercion  by Tim Tigner for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in return for my honest review.

About the book (from the publisher): The phone rings and an offer is made, leaving you only seconds to decide. Betray your country, or watch your family drop dead before your eyes.

After the Iron Curtain’s collapse, Russia appears to be finished as a superpower. But KGB General Vasily Karpov is secretly working to restore Russia’s status by forcing Americans into traitorous acts of espionage and sabotage with the aid of a new secret weapon. Meanwhile, his biggest target is within Russia, where Karpov is plotting to capture the Kremlin for himself.

Former US soldier and spy Alex Ferris becomes the first to fathom Karpov’s grand plans. Racing from San Francisco to Siberia, Alex must elude ambushes, assassins, and death from exposure as he wages a one-man war against a growing global threat and the resurgence of the Soviets.

My review: The secret weapon here is an injectable substance that can stay dormant until activated, whereupon it causes the injectee’s death. Using that fact as bait, Karpov is able to manipulate his targets and make them betray all sorts of secrets; secrets that they would never reveal otherwise. And I have to add that, despite what the publisher’s blurb says, Karpov used it on Russians, as well.

It seems beyond the realm of believability, but we all know that in this day and age nothing is truly impossible and that there are people out there developing biological weapons as I write this.

The premise is a very compelling one and Tigner clearly knows a whole lot about Russia and the end of the cold war – Gorbachev is in power during these events. Tigner lived there and his vast knowledge about Russia during this time period lends a historical accuracy to the pages of this thriller.

There are some plot points that strained my credulity. I’ll not reveal them here because I don’t like to give away too many details. The hero is one of those superheroes – he reminds me of Ludlum’s Jason Bourne or the onscreen character Tom Cruise plays in the Mission Impossible series – that can seemingly do it all. On the printed page, that doesn’t always hold up to any sort of real scrutiny, but one just has to go with it.

It’s a complicated plot, with many characters, and Tigner manages to juggle all of it and keep the story moving forward. I also like the fact that he doesn’t resort to the kind of writing that makes all Russians bad guys. Tigner clearly has a great deal of respect for the people of Russia.

It’s an interesting and, often, riveting read.

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About the author: Tim began his career in Soviet Counterintelligence with the U.S. Army Special Forces, the Green Berets. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, Tim switched from espionage to arbitrage. Armed with a Wharton MA rather than a Colt M16, he moved to Moscow in the midst of Perestroika. There he led prominent multinational medical companies, worked with cosmonauts on the Mir Space Station (from Earth, alas), chaired the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, and helped write Russia’s first law on healthcare.

Moving to Brussels during the formation of the EU, Tim ran Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for a Johnson & Johnson company and traveled like a character in a Robert Ludlum book. He eventually landed in Silicon Valley, where like minds with wild ideas come to congregate around the creation of (nightmares and) dreams. Now he launches new medical technologies as a startup CEO, and devises devious devices for fictional characters who aim to change the world.

Tim grew up in the Midwest and Europe, earning a BA from Hanover College and then a MBA in Finance and a MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He now lives with wife Elena and their two daughters in Northern California.

One of you will be the winner of a copy of Coercion. Just leave a comment on this post and I’ll pick a winner on Sunday evening.

Happy Friday.

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Tagged With: book review, CoercionFiled Under: TLC Book Review 14 Comments

On the Fly

September 10, 2015 at 6:07 am by Claudia

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I tried to take an early morning photo of the bookshelves (I’m running behind and have to get this post up) and much to my surprise, the clip on light is reflected above. It looks rather like a flying saucer, doesn’t it?

Who knows how many aliens are hanging out here at the cottage?

Sleep deprived. Nevertheless, I’m up and about to hop in the shower and then it’s on to NYC for a meeting at 10 am. It’s supposed to rain and storm today – not the best weather in which to walk about 14 blocks. Ah, well. That’s life.

I’ve just finished The Hanging Girl  and have started on Station Eleven  by Emily St. John Mandel. I’ve posted a review of The Hanging Girl  on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Sorry for the brevity of this post, but I’ve got to fly.

Happy Thursday.

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Filed Under: books, New York City 35 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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