Reni

it’s been a long time. Met my husband of 16 years here. Jorge Fabregas. 
 

Happy Birthday VC! My life would be so different had I not bumped into this place. 
 

love to all. 

SO good!

I love love loved The Memory Palace!

Reading has been scarce these days....but I am slowing making my way through a few:

and when I have full capacity of my normally sleep deprived brain (which isn't often):

thank you everyone! I only have one hand to type - since I have Bea in my lap - so I need to make this quick. We're relaxing, rocking, nursing and listening to Pete Seeger. This kid has me utterly blissed out. I am so in love.....as we all are. Big sister Em is sooooo smitten and loves to help with her bath and rock her in the swing.

heeeeere's Bea!!

with big sister....

I just finished Swamplandia! and it left a little to be desired. Russell is a brilliant writer and can really turn a phrase. The first 2/3 of the book are stellar. It's dark and filled with just enough magical realism to make it fantastical and interesting without going overboard. I am not a fan of magical realism for the most part, but this was just right. The last 1/3 of the book? Meh. It dragged and it really felt like the author had no idea where to take the story or the characters. It took me awhile to push through to the end. I hate when that happens.

Next....

That means they're closing the store at Michigan and Pearson (Water Tower)? That was my favorite one. I also liked the one on State Street. Bummer.

And Lou....no such thing as too much coffee or lattes/mochas.

That is a GREAT quote Maudie!

Graham WISHES I patronized the library more often....I always seem to find reasons to go to the bookstore. It's a disease. I can't help it!! I do regret it when it comes time to move. Since we're living in a transitional situation right now, all of my books are stored in boxes. I can't even tell you how many there are. I think they took up like 1/3 of our moving truck. Yes, it's a disease. Actually, I revisit my books and a lot of them are non-fiction that I return to frequently.

One of my favorite spots in St. Louis is the corner window of this one Barnes and Noble, in the cafe area. I go to the shop, browse, maybe pick up a book or two....but sometimes, I just go get a latte and sit and read whatever I have in my bag, or knit. That spot gets a lot of sunlight and it's been a godsend in these cold winter months.

I did see this analysis a long while back, but don't worry, I am not going to slam you for posting it again. Like Sir Stewart, it's nice to see some Sopranos talk. I loved that show and nothing has really taken its place for me.

p.s....that video is funny.

One of my best friends works at Borders and we have talked about why Barnes and Noble posted a quite profitable quarter at the end of 2010 and Borders is tanking. My theory is that Borders tries to be too many things. Like someone just mentioned, they have so much CRAP! I used to be a loyal Borders shopper, but about 2 years ago I switched to Barnes and Noble. I don't feel as overwhelmed when I go in there. And like people have mentioned, their prices on DVDs and CDs is ridiculous. I never bought those things there, only books. While I know how the book industry prices things, I have no idea how it works with those things. So, yeah, those feel more like markups and are outrageous.

My friend's theory is that Barnes and Noble made a savvy move by creating their own e-reader (Nook) and that Borders just sells crappy ones that don't promote a store brand loyalty. With the popularity of e-readers, Borders really missed out on this market.

Barnes and Nobles also have Starbucks' in them.....another addiction.....so for me, it's like corporate crack city.

It used to be called Amazon....it's called True Colors now. The owner is so nice and they have such a fantastic selection of books, even beyond the women/gender studies genre. I spent ages in there when I was through there about a year and half ago.

There's also a great feminist bookstore in Chicago called Women and Children First. It is one of the few things I miss about Chicago. Luckily, the indie store in my neighborhood has a great women/gender studies section. I love it.

Bookstores don't really "mark up", they charge "list price", which is to be expected in any store front bookstore, especially smaller stores. Instead of talking mark-up, it's really more about discount. I used to work for a book publisher and we sold at bulk rate, around 50% off the list price to the larger bookstores/distributors, 30-40% off list price to the smaller shops and distributors. A place like Amazon, since they buy in such HUGE numbers from publishers, can buy at a deeply discounted rate, passing along those savings to their customers. Most brick and mortar stores, because of overhead, can't do this. So, really, paying list price isn't that shocking. I really don't see it as a greedy "mark up" - it's about making money back after they've paid out. Also, keep in mind, every book that is IN a bookstore has been purchased from a publisher up front. Most publishers will take returns on unsold books if they are still in print and the latest editions, but there are no guarantees. So, I don't begrudge the stores for their prices. It's the publisher that sets the list price to begin with - though of course there are industry averages.

I will pay full list price for a book from my awesome independent shop down the street, as well as from Barnes and Noble (which is my preferred "big box" bookstore). I don't mind, especially if I am eager to get the book. I LOVE going to bookstores and wandering around for ages. It is a pleasure I will pay a little more for. I make a point to patronize my indie bookstore on a regular basis. When I travel I love to look for unique independent bookstores and have discovered some amazing feminist bookstores. The best one is in Minneapolis, and is in danger of closing. Still, I do buy the bulk of my books from Amazon.

In the last couple weeks, I read these:

and

I am now reading Franzen's Freedom - I am about 70 pages in and it hasn't grabbed me yet....I am hoping it will, soon.

I have been re-reading this:

(one of my all time favorites....and I am hoping it will help to re-charge my batteries in order to write a journal article I have had in my head for a long time)

And up next:

The perfect read for a snowy day in January.

 

Interestingly, the Kimball farm is located in Essex, New York on Lake Champlain. A tiny town whose simple beauty brought tears to my eyes upon first encountering it after ferrying across Lake Champlain, Vermont to New York.

I got this for Christmas and it's waiting patiently on my nightstand.

I am reading this right now.....

It's fantastic.

"Off with their heads!"

Haha! Thanks! I am due on March 3 (which is our Emily's 17th birthday!)

I don't think you missed anything - I am not on here much and apparently Graham hasn't really said anything.

ummm yeah....6 months gone, now (which accounts for my fried brain)

huh?

Maybe I am just tired - but I don't get it.

I started this a couple of weeks ago:

However, I have really been struggling with fiction lately. Ever since I got pregnant, I've had difficulty staying focused on novels. I have been jonesing for good feminist theory and/or socio-political analysis. So, I am now reading this. For me, it's been a page turner.

Her analysis is fantastic and her writing style is fluid and strong. She makes no secret about her own political/theoretical persuasion. However, it seems like her cultural analysis on gender, culture and the election is very fair and even handed. Palin doesn't come in for some time, but from the few mentions of her thus far, she seems able to separate her personal/political feelings for Palin from her cultural analysis on how Palin's presence operates in the larger political arena. I also really appreciate her nuanced and complex approach to examining Hillary's campaign and the difficulties many women had in supporting her - especially liberal feminists who were very disappointed with her later years as First Lady and her Senatorial voting record, where she was painted as a wishy-washy opportunist.

It's had great reviews and I am not disappointed. It's just what the doctor ordered.

I have never read the same book twice. Seems like most the people I talk to think that's weird but I have just never had a desire, too many other books to read. But having said that, I have often thought about trying the Hobbit again. I was 13 when I read it and really don't remember it at all for some reason, I remember the Lord of the rings Trilogy quite well even though I read it around the same time.

My dad read LOTR to me when I was even younger, and I have almost no recollection of the details. So, I am reading it next. I had almost no memory of The Hobbit either, so in a way it's like reading it anew and I am loving every minute of it. There are only a few books I have re-read, both read when I was much much younger - To Kill a Mockingbird and The Color Purple

Books I would re-read again? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Frankenstein

I love Under the Banner of Heaven! It got me hooked on reading books about the FLDS an other fundamentalist religious groups.

I am currently reading:

What a treat! I haven't read it since I was 11 years old. Re-discovering it, and being able to read it on levels not accessible to me at such a young age, has been one of my bookish highlights this year.

Because they're fools!

 

Perhaps they wanted raises or longer contracts. The MLB network could be a factor if they've been in contact with Miller and/or Morgan's agents. Fox should jump on them right away and dump Buck and McCarver. I can't stand either one of them.

Try sitting through even one White Sox game listening to the inane ramblings of Hawk Harrelson.....you'd quickly learn to appreciate these people that you complain about now.