Finish #73 – Dog

I had high hopes for finish #73, Dog by Michelle Herman. Look at the doggy on the cover. So cute. Not as cute as my Luna, the dog that should be an internet sensation but isn’t. (See photo below to compare. Photo credit to middle daughter.) But still, this little puppy had me anticipating a book full of adorable puppy antics.

There were a few antics, mainly when Phil, the dog, was on a walk, but what I got more of was a main character who seemed to drink alcohol way too much and ruminate on her life and lack of love to the point where I found myself getting depressed. I actually found it difficult to finish reading this novel. I kept hoping for something more. Page after page, I thought, “Perhaps she’ll find love. Maybe the guy that fostered the puppy will end up being the one.” But no. Spoiler alert: She doesn’t end up with him. She doesn’t end up with anyone other than Phil the dog.

I think my problem was that I was expecting something along the lines of that book by Jennifer Crusie. That one I wrote about earlier this year. The one I liked so much that I’ve read it three times. The one with Fred the dog. Anyone But You. But Dog was nothing like that. Thus, I was disappointed.

Here’s my Luna. Perhaps I should write a book with her as the star. There would be plenty of adorable antics to include.

Finish #72 – The Bachelor’s Cat

We have four cats. Yes, four. I know, it’s a shocking amount of cats. We never planned to have four. It just happened.

There was a trip to the shelter 15 years ago where we saw two brothers in a cage together, and Hubby said, “We can’t separate them.” (Or something to that effect, which was quite astonishing, as he was adamant that we would NOT be getting more than one cat that day.) So we took them both. Thus, Buster and BooBoo came to live with us.

Fast forward a few years. Hubby comes home from work with a story about how a mamma cat had kittens at “the shop.” Cat Scrooge, aka Boss, was planning to send them to the shelter. Several members of the family took to our knees to beg, “Please, please let us bring them here…or at least some of them…like two???” So two of the five came here, the other three went elsewhere, and thus Belle and Rosie became part of the family.

The early days of Belle and Rosie were filled with bottle feedings, burpings (yes, you can burp a cat), and a couple of disgruntled older boys who weren’t too fond of these tiny interlopers.

Now, 11 years later, all cats live in relative harmony, and Grandma still has trouble telling them apart. Really, it’s not as if they look alike. Sure, they are all black and white, but Buster has a black blotch on his chin, BooBoo has only one black eye, Belle has a white tip on her tail, and Rosie…well, Rosie looks almost perpetually grouchy (even when she’s happy).

So, being a cat fan, it shouldn’t be surprising that I grabbed a book with “cat” in the title off the shelf at the library.

Finish #72, The Bachelor’s Cat by L.F. Hoffman, was another quick little book. I read through this one in just over an hour.

According to a definition in the back of the book, a bachelor’s cat is “a person, pet, or preoccupation that enters a man’s life and eases his transition to commitment…” In this story, the bachelor’s cat was, indeed, a cat.

I must say that I was not a fan of the bachelor at the beginning of the book. I actually wasn’t a fan of him through most of the story. But the story turned out fine in the end, so I suppose that’s what matters!

 

Finish #71 – The Girl on the Train

I’m thrilled to share my newest completed project: a table runner. It’s difficult to see in the picture on the left, but the center of those stars have sheep in them! Yes, sheep! They are so cute. I was glad to finally have a use for them. I’ve got plenty of that adorable fabric left to use in some other project. I can’t wait to find another place to put them!

I’m a little nervous about putting this runner on the table. I’m having visions of spaghetti sauce splattered all over that white fabric. (And it would probably be me that got it on there!)

Finish #71 is The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. No, I did not just “discover” this book now that it’s a movie. I did not even realize it was going to be a movie when I first saw the book in Barnes and Noble in September. I just happened to be walking by the “suspense” section and the title caught my eye. I picked the book up, read the back cover, was intrigued, and typed a memo to myself of the title into my phone with the intention of seeing if the library had a copy.

Then I discovered that it was going to be a movie.

And I discovered that everyone else wanted to read this book at the same time as me, because they must have heard that it was going to be a movie. It took a few weeks for a copy to become available.

I enjoyed the book, but I was a bit annoyed that every character was so annoying. The main character was a drunk, her ex was a jerk, his new wife was a jerk, the missing gal had plenty of issues, AND HER husband was a jerk. Jeez, couldn’t someone be totally NORMAL? It truly was not what I was expecting. I’ll watch the movie (when I can get it either free from the library or cheap at the video store), but I wonder if I’ll be as disappointed in this movie as I was with Gone Girl when I watched it.

Finish #70 – The Deadly Dance

Where did October go?

I had grand plans of reading mysteries during October. I read one. So much for grand plans! Finish #70 is The Deadly Dance by M.C. Beaton.

The Deadly Dance is an Agatha Raisin mystery. I’m a fan of Agatha Raisin. I’ve read several mysteries by M.C. Beaton in which Agatha is the “heroine.” I’m not certain why I’m a fan of Agatha Raisin. She’s a rather prickly character, not at all possessing any characteristics that would make one fond of her. I actually think I feel quite sorry for her. Perhaps that’s why I keep coming back for more. I’m waiting for Agatha to have a “win” in life, in some part of her life that doesn’t revolve around a mystery that needs to be solved.

Now that it’s November, I need to turn my attention to the approaching holidays. The kids are already starting to drop hints about what they want for Christmas. Middle daughter has done more than drop hints. She’s created a Wish List on Amazon for us to use as a guide. How thoughtful! (Actually, I do find this to be helpful.) Son has been talking about RAM and graphics cards for some time. Yikes! I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about half the time and will need him to actually do any ordering of any of that stuff that he wants for Christmas on his own. Eldest never seems to know what she wants. I guess that’s a sign that she’s content with what she has.

But it’s not just Christmas that’s on my mind. Actually, it’s not really on my mind at all yet. I’m not ready for trees, presents, lights, or Christmas music. I’ve got to get thinking about Thanksgiving. More specifically, I’ve got to figure out how to cook a Thanksgiving dinner that will appease an almost vegan, a mostly vegetarian, and three who would probably prefer the full meaty works. It’s definitely going to be a challenge!