Denise's Book Bag: First in a Series

Because So Many of You Have Asked For It!


I have a lot of recommendable books, but I don't want to dump on them on the blog all at once. Maybe I can manage a weekly posting and link them. I know, that's demanding a lot from my blogging powers. I'm the kind of gal who hates everytime Facebook changes things because THEN I CAN'T FIND what I looking for. Same way at the grocery store.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time  Mark Maddon. A wonderfully insightful little story. I won't ruin it for you by telling you anything about it.

Kite Runner By Khaled Hossenini. Pretty good but had some weak points, particularly a scene where the protagonist gets away from his enemy. The pretty good must have outweighed that stupid scene in order for the book to make my very judgemental list.

The Known World By Edward Jones. Amazing. I thought the author had done loads of historical research and based each little detail of the story on primary documents. As in saying, "You can so tell that he researched this county and has all these documents. I know because that's the kind of work I used to do. Historical research. Blah, blah, blah..."  He hadn’t. He had made up the people, the place, the documents, the statistics, then sprinkled in a tiny smidgen of real people and places. I fell for it, that’s how good he was.

Reading Lolita in Terhan by Azar Nafisi. Women are amazing. Many of us anyway. Then's there's always Phyllis Schlafly, Total Woman Marabel Morgan, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Bachman. They are terrifying. Here's a wonderful detail from Reading Lolita in Tehran --- women wear tight jeans and nail polish under their burqas. I'm always for female rebellion against overbearing men!

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams. Whacky but wonderful satire on life. Jody and I have loved Adams since early in our relationship. Travis loves his stories too, absoloute proof that our son is very intelligent. 

Miss Wanettey Finds a New Home

I do need to be more attentive to my blog. I blog in my head all the live-long day. I just don't bother to write it down. Just to indicate my inattentiveness . . .  I wrote most of this in early April 2011! It's October and I'm posting it.

from April 2011:
I'm in Snangelo (San Angelo, TX) this week. Moved my little momma to assisted living. It's not just a change for her. It's a big change for me, too. It's a realization that my sister and I are now her mother. Deciding things for her, taking care of things for her, letting her just be, letting people take care of her. Turning her over to Myrtlewood felt like taking my baby to child care. She cried the day before, but at least she didn't cry the day of. She knows I'm coming back.

When Travis was learning to talk, I kept a list of his words and odd phrases: fingernail moon, taco moon, ball moon; paralophus sock, ith, extercize, labtop; I love Daddy from the sidewalk up to the moon. Now I keep a dictionary of Miss Wanettey: light bub, skeered, April fibulation, sleep acne, wooooo chester shire sauce. My most recent favorite, heard by Miss Wanettey's first-born grandson visiting her from Texas A&M: diarrhea-tickle-itis. That is funny on so many levels.

I wouldn't want to see what was in the drinking fountain if . . . .

they hadn't posted this sign.

Posted at the Montrose County (Colorado) Courthouse. Really. It's still the wild, wild west out here. But then again Montrose has a lovely tea and bagel shop.

I'm Trying NOT To Imagine

This sign was posted in the hospital room restroom. What sort of incident must have happened to get the lawyers to tell the hospital to post a weight limit for the toilet?

Where in the World Was Denise?

I had to fly out to visit someone recently. This tag was hanging on the rear view mirror of my rental car. Where do you think I could possibly have been that anyone would need to tell customers not to bump open a gate with the car?