Library Loot, not Wordless Wednesday

I have not done a library loot in a long time. This is because I have been trying to change my reading habits and I think I now have it. I was getting 6 or more books out at a time, and just having three weeks to read them in was not enough time. So, I have limited myself to one or two books from the library at a time. I am trying to work it so that I have one book half finished or ready to go back when  I pick up the next book.This way I will have read something that I want to while not tying up books that others want to read.

 So this week I have gotten the book Downpour A Graywalker novel by Kat Richardson. This is the sixth book in the set so far. I have read a few others and like them very much, one reason is that they take place in Seattle or the surrounding area. And as I live in the Northwest I have been to many of the neighborhoods, and touristy places that she talks about.

I also know that today's post should be a Wordless Wednesday one. However, today we had a meeting at work that did not get out until 9am. That may not seem bad to a lot of people but, 9am is my bed time so while the is going up at the end of Wednesday for many people. I have slept and think it is a day a head of where the rest of the world is at. This does happen to be common among the other night nurses I work with as well. So next week there will be a Wordless Wednesday post, and hopefully a Library Loot one too.

The Haunting of Hill House

I have now tried to write this review three times. Each one I deleted. This time I am not going to, I am going to leave it up and see what happens.

For this R.I.P I did something a little different. I watched The Haunting (1963), The Haunting (1999) and read the book. I liked both the movies, and I think in the 1999 version the cast was wonderful. That being said the book was much much better.

In the book the house had been written as a character. That is very difficult to produce in a film version, unless it is animated. Hill House is described as having everything in its proper place. It is also in the first paragraph described as not sane.

In the 1963 version of the film Theo's home life is alluded at. In the book it states she lives with a "friend" with whom she exchanges gifts that are most special. In the 1999 version Theo, is as a bisexual on the prowl. I liked Catherine Zeta-Jones as Theo, she seemed more in line with what Mrs. Jackson had wanted.

Eleanor Vance, the protagonist is in all media forms a woman who needs to grow a pair. Now, when I was 12 and first read this. I could so relate to not being allowed to have freedom, and a life. Always unwanted, always the doormat. Until she gets to Hill House, there things change. At 12 the ending of the book confused me, it still does. I am not sure if Nell is being haunted, created a poltergeist, or is just crazy.

Quotes:
page 23 " She shivered and thought, the words coming freely to her mind, Hill House is vile, it is diseased; get away from here at once."

page 149 "Now we are going to have a new noise, Eleanor thought, listening to the inside of her head; it is changing."

Wordless Wednesday

(The Near Past)

      On Saturday Honey and I went to Santa Rosa. We were going there to see the Handcar Regatta a steampunk, handcar race. When we got there it was the wrong day. The Regatta was set for Sunday, so we walked around the town and got a cup of coffee. Then on Sunday we went back. We left early to get a good parking place, and it was a good one. Covered just a few blocks away, and people were there in costume. However, we had gotten there almost 45 min early so what to do with nothing open. We walked to the mall and got a coffee.

     The first booth we saw in the gated area was the doll booth. My doll was there and she was the most beautiful one there. The man had made day of the dead dolls, vampire, and a few that were dismembered. We left the dolls and wandered about the Regatta. There were food booths, jewelry booths, hat booths, and clothes.

     The innovation of the costumes was truly amazing. There was one man there who had taken an old canister vacuum and was using it as a back pack. One woman whose husband designed and built her a mechanical owl who's head turned. The thing about this event that I found the most interesting was the ages of the people. The ones in costume ranged from little kids up to people whom I assume were in their 70's.

     The handcars were not just simple handcars. I think one of the events was design, oh and there were some neat ones. A swan, an inch worm, the time machine, and many others. Each team had an outfit that matched their car, or matching tee-shirts. It was such a fun day.

    As we were leaving my doll was still on at the booth. I debated and debated about getting here. I was going to get one that was less than half her price. Honey, got the doll for me for my birthday. So now she sits on the table next to my fountain. I am going to have to put her in a glass cabinet soon. I don't want her to get to dusty.



Wordless Wednesday

My new doll

National Coming Out Day.

Today is National Coming Out Day. I had another post planned here for today but that will have to wait until a later date. Laine, HI Laine reminded me of what today happens to be. So for all of you who are in the closet, today is a good day to show who you are. Now, I know that if you have to stay in the closet for whatever reason, hopefully for you there will one day be a coming out day.

I so need to get this made into a t-shirt.

Watcher in the Woods

Watched for R.I.P on the Screen. When I first saw this it was on TV and it scared the crap out of me. I re watch it every once in a while, when I can get someone to watch it with me.

Mrs. Aylwood (Davis) owns the manor house that Jan's  (Johnson) family is renting. Jan who is 17 looks like Karen, Mrs. Aylwood's daughter who disappeared thirty years ago. Through the course of the movie Jan and her sister Ellie try to find out what happened to Karen, and who or what are is in the woods. There are strange camera angles of trees, a strange man who lives in the woods, and odd occurrences that have no reality based meaning.

This movie was made by Walt Disney, and is now out on DVD. This movie still scares me, even all these years later. I do love this movie for that creep factory. In fact, I let a friend of mine borrow it for her children to watch. Her children watch horror movies all the time and are never scared by anything. Watcher in the Woods, had all 4 of them sleeping in the parents room for the next two nights. I am not the only one who is freaked out by this movie, my sister will not watch it at all. I do not know why this movie scares me the way it does but it does.

If you have not seen this and have kids that are about 12, get it and watch it. It is well worth it.

Quotes. "I didn't want you Nerak did."

             "Ring around the rosies it was."

Graveminder for R.I.P

I read this book for the R.I.P challenge. I first saw this book this cover at the bookstore reading the back of it made me want to read more of the story. I went to the library to see if they had a copy and they had several however I would have been number 200 in the hold queue. Wanting to read it more than wait for it I bought a copy for my Nook. Having read the book I wish I would have waited to get it from the library.

I read a lot of other reviews that said the book was wonderful, that it was a great read. It was easy to read, it was easy to follow, and to stick with. I liked the premise of the book, a person to tend the graves to make sure all was taken care of and not forgotten. I liked the roll of the Undertaker as a protector. I liked the idea that if the dead were not cared for, the dead would not be happy.

What I did not like was the focus on the relationship of the Undertaker and the Graveminder. I know that their relationship had to be defined but all of the lovey dovey stuff could have been skipped over. I know this is just me, I do not like to read romance disguised as something else. If I want to read a romance I will pick a romance. I was very disappointed in that aspect of it. If she had kept the book focused on the story of the dead, and their ilk. I would have enjoyed it more.

For this book I have no quotes as nothing seems to have struck a cord with me.

Wordless Wednesday

I think this looks like a rabbit.

OMG, Day 2

On my second day Honey and I went to Anderson Woods. There were huge redwoods there that I did not get pictures of. I like the tow here. One is of up turned roots, the other are a pair of banana slugs. The walk through the woods was peaceful, and much needed after the flight.

We left the woods and had lunch in the car on a cliff over looking the Russian River, and a sand bar with seals basking in the sun. After watching the seals, I have a new appreciation for wildlife photographers. They must shoot hours and hours of footage to get amazing photos. All the seals did when we were there was lift a head, or roll over.