The Coolest Blog

I am such a history nerd.

It is a deep-seated, ingrained nerdiness, and while I enjoy reading novels and biographies of nearly any era, I find the medieval Dark Ages to be near and dear to my nerdy heart. (I still hold out hope that someday there will be a Dark Ages Trivial Pursuit game.)

A few months ago I purchased a Kindle, and have been regularly downloading free books when they are available. One of my recent favorites was The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbothom. After I read the novel, I went back to Amazon to see what other titles she has so I can add them to my "have to read" someday list. That is when I discovered Susan's blog. It is chock-full of historical tidbits and links to other medieval treats. I cannot wait to read through it all.

I am experiencing a variety of technical difficulties lately that have seriously imposed on my online time, and it has hampered my ability to get photos edited and posted. That is all changing this week, though, and then I will be back to posting, browsing and feeding my inner nerd by adding this blog to my list of regular reads.

I can't wait. I'm sure all my fellow Plantagenet groupies out there can understand!

The Fire

I spent the first couple of days of the ice storm re-reading one of my favorite books, The Eight. This was in anticipation of reading the new book, The Fire. The library was open while the power was down, so the kids and I picked up some books to occupy our time. Although I had planned on buying this book, I couldn't resist it when I saw it on the New Release shelf.

I am glad I didn't buy it.

It isn't a horrible book, but it isn't a great book either, and it certainly doesn't do justice to the first one. It provides a ton of historical references and trivia that I always love to read, but that really was its only redeeming feature for me. In The Eight, everything tied together so well that it was easy to wonder whether there might be truth to the story. In The Fire, the storyline makes very little sense and the characters lack any real depth. Even the characters based on REAL people seem lifeless.

So if you are looking for a great book to read, I recommend The Eight. However, I would advise you just pretend it doesn't have a sequel.

The Fire

One of my favorite books, ever ... (and I have read a LOT of books) was The Eight by Katherine Neville. I have been waiting FOREVER for her to write another one, and at long last she has. I cannot wait to get my hands on The Fire!

Sigh.... I miss having bookstores around me. My wallet is better for it, but my booklover's heart is lonely for a warehouse of new crisp books calling my name! If you have a Barnes & Noble or a Borders near you, say hello for me. Tell them I miss them. I will end up ordering the book online, but it really isn't the same as being surrounded by stacks of books. Not the same at all. If you love (shopping for) books like I love (hoarding) books I am sure you will understand.

Catch Up Post #5... Dog Training

Chet received The Dangerous Book for Boys for his birthday last year, and has really enjoyed digging into it the last few weeks. He has been tying knots, practicing magic tricks, and an assortment of other compellingly fun and dangerous things.

One of the things the book delves into is training your dogs. Chet found a rawhide bone, and rounded up Sammy and Beagle to begin their edumacation. They weren't particularly interested in the rawhide bone, but Sammy did enjoy sticking his nose in the book and nudging Chet's hand for some lovin.
Everytime Chet told them to do something, Beagle would scratch her ears and Sammy would nudge his hand. They weren't being very cooperative. Then CryBabyGirl came over to see what the boy and dogs and were up to. Chet asked Kyle to come help him by standing at the trampoline and calling the dogs to him.

The dogs didn't feel like getting up, but CryBabyGirl came running over when Kyle called for the dogs.
Then she rolled over and played dead. Apparently, The Dangerous Book for Boys isn't the master authority on how to train your dog, but we really recommend it if you need an obedient cat.