November & December 2021 Books

•November•

* Storyteller ¹ by Dave Grohl - The first three-quarters of this book were so good, then it got to the part where he was talking about celeb pals like Paul McCartney and he went overboard with how cool they are and how grateful he is to have them in his life. I had to skip it. Then it got to the Daddy-Daughter dance chapter and about what a great dad he is (which I'm sure he is, don't get me wrong, I genuinely believe that Dave Grohl is a really good guy) and it just irked me. Yeah, yeah, we get it, Dave, you are perfect and adore your kids. It just annoyed me because honestly, most fathers I know don't relish the idea of spending time with their kids, let alone their daughter. Going for car rides with them for no reason, get dressed up for dances, talking with them, etc. I don't disbelieve him, it just annoyed me. I guess cause it would have been nice if I had a Dad that wanted to hang out with me for no reason other than to just chat and be friends.

The Beauty of Living Twice ¹ by Sharon Stone - Clearly I love memoirs. I'm not even a fan of Sharon Stone but ever since seeing her years ago on Inside the Actor's Studio I found her to be kind of interesting and not a typical starlet. Plus I like that she rocked out in a pixie cut. I've always admired beautiful women that don't hang their looks solely on the length of their tresses. The best part about this book was when Ms. Stone narrated she did so with emotion and feeling, as opposed to someone just reading the words on the page. I was hooked on this until halfway through where I grew tired of name dropping and just became utterly bored and annoyed. 

This Much Is True ¹ by Miriam Margolyes - Miriam is an absolute riot and her book was good but it was mostly stories that I had already heard from her appearances on The Graham Norton Show.

♥ Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio & brilliantly illustrated by Will Staehle - after three disappointing memoirs I was grateful to crack open this book and follow Warren on his duties around the Warren Hotel and watch him on his quest to locate the All-Seeing Eye. I'm hoping to pick up the second book in this series when I take myself out on a date on Valentine's Day.

♥ The Black Stallion ¹ by Walter Farley - The film version of this novel was in heavy rotation during my childhood and fueled my fantasy of one day owning a gorgeous horse like The Black. The film and the book don't follow eachother exactly, but I was not disappointed at all and simply adored the book. 

♥ The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene - I am hooked on the Nancy Drew novels that were written by Mildred Wirt Benson. This one was fantastic and I looked forward to every time I could soak into a hot tub and crack it open. 

♥  Life and Laughing ¹ by Michael McIntyre - This man is an absolute hoot and his memoir was utterly fantastic. His narration was perfection and I will definitely be listening to this again.

♥ Dropped Names ¹ by Frank Langella - I had a long, long drive ahead of me from Jersey to Ohio and I wanted to listen to something that would keep me awake, alert, intrigued, and that I knew would not disappoint. Dropped Names was the perfect choice for a seven hour drive halfway-ish across the country.

•December•

♥ Santaland Diaries ¹ by David Sedaris - I really only like this part from Sedaris' Holidays on Ice as it talks about his time as an elf at Macy's Santaland in New York. So funny it brings tears to my eyes.

A Christmas Carol ¹ by Charles Dickens - read by Simon Prebble - I had put the Jim Dale version on hold through Libby but whoever had it out was taking fucking forever to listen to a three hour audiobook and I was worried I wouldn't get it before Christmas. I went to YouTube, typed in A Christmas Carol read by Jim Dale and a result popped up! I listened to it and was not loving it like I had Tim Curry's version and was going to stop but figured I'd see it through. Then I got to the end where it said "read to you by Simon Prebble". What??! Talk about a disappointment

* How Did All This Happen? ¹ by John Bishop - I had such a good time listening to Michael McIntyre's book that I decided to give John Bishop's a try. Oh it was really good! Loved his stories about cycling and of course about his wife and family. Just a really cool, cool cat.

♥ Windswept and Interesting ¹ by Billy Connolly - As soon as I learned that Billy Connolly had an autobiography and he narrated it I was dashing to Audible to buy it. He's a fascinating fella and the book flew by so quickly. He's really inspiring in so many ways.

* A Christmas Carol ¹ by Charles Dickens - read by Jim Dale - So it finally became available a day or so before Christmas and sadly, I still prefer Tim Curry's narration. Note to self: December of 2022, don't try anything new, stick with the Curry version.

♥ Around the World in 80 Days ¹ by Jules Verne - One of my absolute favourite audiobooks. I've listened to it at least four or five times and it's still so fresh and exciting when I hit play again. 

*Note: there is no hot air balloon anywhere in this story and it annoys the hell out of me that it's on nearly every cover of every version of the book!

¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.

What I Love About Xavier

• we make great travel pals and our trips to California in 2014 and abroad in 2019 were an absolute blast

• when we fight/disagree we are able to move on and get over it

• laughs at my silly quips and jokes

• he's got a great, big heart

• always super fun to be around

• can be crass, but always with a twinkle in his eye

• that rare father who likes spending time with his kids and doesn't make it seem like a chore

• willing to try new food

• supportive during all of my mental health mini-meltdowns

• understanding

• open-minded

• forgiving

• thoughtful, like the time when I thought I was gluten intolerant and he sent me a care package of yummy GF snickety-snacks

• genuinely caring

• we have a similar sense of humour

• loving husband to his ideal partner

• brilliant, with a mind like a steel trap, especially for movie lines

• stays in touch - our friendship isn't just one sided

• great taste in music

• has a sweet tooth that matches mine

• my all-time favourite mechanic

• some of the best times I've ever had in my life were with him:

 - Ted Lasso night

 - finally seeing the Winchester House plus Jaws on the big screen in San Francisco back in 2014

 - hanging out and watching movies when we were younger

 - showing him Antwerp in 2019

• he made me vegan brownies for my bday in 2015! (they were dee-lish!)

• tolerates my near incessant taking of selfies together

• gives the best bear hugs

• doesn't hesitate to end a call or any goodbye with an I love you

• always willing to help anyone in need

• even though he's eight years younger than me, we've been pals since the moment we met and will continue to be until we depart from this mortal coil

Boxcars and Bottle Caps

This was David's book from 1982 that I inherited along with Twirling Parallels. Boxcars was given to Dave by Sister Jane Catherine, who I'm guessing was his second grade teacher. I wonder if kids today have textbooks like this, full of short stories old and new, by the famous and the lesser-known. I kinda think they don't. Isn't that just a bit sad? Kids need their own library in their room where they can escape into a story whenever they need to or want to.

Real Values

My Little Golden Book About

Betty White! Mama Rosie bought this for me and it's really a cute book with excellent illustrations. Definitely a keeper that I hope to share with some of the youngsters in my life.

The English Countryside

I recently started to follow CountryLook on Instagram and their photos feed my daydreams. This one photo in particular, by Liam Pearson from his lundonlens page, is truly like something out of a Thomas Hardy novel. Imagine being lucky enough to live in a place this awe-inspiring.

Mr. Sheffield and Nanny Fine

Look at this stinkin' adorable silhouette of two of TVs sassiest characters!

(photo kidnapped from sealhouette)

Greetings from the Grand Canyon!

I picked this up with Autumn when we were shopping in Westerville.

The Young Gemini Twins

Get a load of wee little Star and Lady Natalia back when we was a coupla cutie pies.

Lapland

I was texting back and forth with Michel and he told me that he and his mother recently returned from a trip to Finland. He said it was so beautiful and then threw me a boatload of fab photos. Here are the best of the batch.

What's in My Bag?

I did a post like this back in 2010 and thought I'd do an updated version. I carry way too much stuff. It's the fear of not having something that I might need that causes me to overpack for everything in life. But there's a big comfort in having a whole lot of "may needs" on hand for a "just-in-case" moment.

Library Stamp Tote by Out of Print

Letter to post to Helen, Ghastlies pouch, paper napkins and two Pecan Pie Larabars, Ipsy tie dye bag, light blue Paperchase foldaway bag with bears, Alice in Wonderland pouch, Zenni glasses, Ipsy galaxy bag, Ipsy black and white ladies bag, 60s style Clinique bag from Stacey, Vespa pouch, Edie Sedgwick wallet, Nat Sherman Natural Yellows smokes, my dogtags, two pens, Roark's car keys, Klean Kanteen water bottle, fun coloured magic glovies. 

Zenni Round Glasses 4411912 with grey tint for night driving (those damn LED headlights are blinding!)

Plastic tick removers from Amy plus Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Hand Sanitizer Spray.

Alice in Wonderland pouch from Out of Print holds my collection of masks - Pigeon from Out of Print (I carry this one for Jax and it came in handy on Monday when he didn't have a mask!), Alexander Henry Ghastlies moth print from BonniBsCutenCrafty on Etsy, black star and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas both from PiperDeeNaturals, then there's the stupid disposable one that the place where I got my booster shot made me take off my mask for that one (WASTEFUL AND DUMB!), and then my Doctors Without Borders mask which I love.

Ghastlies pouch from MarfDaze with extra vax card sleeves in case someone needs one, Zenni rulers to measure ones pupillary distance to ensure getting the right fit for lenses ordered, random pen from a hotel in Colorado, AGC passport for the gardens of Philadelphia, two year pocket calendar, hand wipes from BlueQ, list of places in Dublin to check out, and a note from Kayla.

Zipper pouch from Kaylah7 that holds odds and ends: old Burt's Bees glass container which now has Vaseline, Elle nail clippers, Elle tweezers, tiny nail file, tampon, ear plugs, hair tie, Stall Mates, Hurraw! coffee lip balm, twistie, mini clip, mini carabiner, Spruce & Co screen wipes, matches, Renegade Handmade pocket mirror, Cocofloss Pure Strawberry floss, Random Band Aids and Aveeno hand lotion.

Nat Sherman Black & Gold cigarettes, Newman's peppermints, Kiipr pouch for cigarette butts, Djeep lighters, Tinder Box matches.

My Andy Warhol Edie Sedgwick wallet that I bought 17 years ago is finally being put to use. It holds my lil' wallet from BlueQ, Old Navy super cash, vax card, list of Nancy Drew books I need to buy, Ground for Sculpture membership card, car insurance card, New York subway map, scissors.

Credit cards, AAA card, license, registration, health insurance cards, punch cards for Occasionette and Atomic Books and fourteen bucks.

Tissues, car charger for my phone x2, black Sharpie, Velamints, phone case with magnet for when I'm on long drives when I need my GPS up, lil pouch from Xavier and Mary that holds my headphone splitter tree and headphones.

Vinnie's Tampon Case, business card holder, more Stall Mates and Spruce & Co. screen wipes, pouch in a pouch, the Final Straw, tape measure, Pocket Pizza Journal, Chet Gecko notepads, and hairspray.

Vinnie's Tampon Case, period chart (outdated), tamps, old Aleve container with new painkillers.

The little pouch within a pouch holds more random stuff: toothbrush, pen, nail scraper-thing, rubber bands, twisties, hair tie, paperclips, bobby pins, tampons, Lush Karma solid perfume, black container with Vaseline, and plastic bag holding Band Aids and two more clips on either side.