My categories:

1. Classics To read or reread
2. Biographies To broaden my horizons.
3. Young Adult To find the perfect book for my grandson (and cuz I love ‘em)
4. Books I haven’t been able to finish far too many!
5. Pulitzer Prize Winners Only ones I haven’t read yet
6. Historical Novels Other than England . . . : )
7. Mysteries Other than cozys or comics!
8. Nonfiction Sorely lacking there!
9. Books in series I haven’t read Just for fun.

I’m changing that Historical Novels to Fantasy/Sci Fi.  I just don’t like a lot of historical novels (too much sappy stuff!)  And there will be cozys in the mysteries!

This month brought back The Closer with Kyra Sedgwick whom I’ve always enjoyed, Burn Notice, which isn’t half bad; Pysch, a silly show that I actually enjoy, and the incomparable Battlestar Galactica - which has gone unwatched so far.

What I seem to be watching most though is reruns of  Bones and NCIS, with a bunch of BBC America thrown in.  I enjoy all the stuff like Bargain Hunt, Cash in The Attic, How Clean is Your House – and of course, all of Gordon Ramey’s shows.  He’s my hero – he taught me to make real gravy!

Wow.  It sounds as though watching TV were all I do!  I will admit, it’s usually on, though I am also crafting or reading at the same time . . .

I was an X-Phile for a lot of years, so I was looking forward to this movie.  Not enough to go see it, I’m only able to go to movies like Spiderman or The Transformers (thanks, Jared), but I did ask for it for Christmas.  And got it.

Last weekend, I took a couple hours to wrap up on the sofa with a lovely fire and some hot chocolate, prepared to totally enjoy myself with Scully and Muldar.  Today I sit down to write about it, and I really can’t.  I remember Scully bringing Muldar back into an FBI case, her backing out of it because she can’t take ‘the dark’ any more, and Muldar overcoming his reluctance to become obsessed.  What was the case, you ask?  I don’t have a clue.

I’d say that’s pretty much the definition of a forgettable movie.

One of Caldwell’s better novels, Answer As A Man touches on most of her recurring themes – the conspiracy behind governments to incite wars for profit and to install taxation to create a form of slavery. She also continues to stress than man can be evil and God cruel.

This is the story of an Irish innocent, Jason Garrity, who rises from the slums of a suburb in Pennsylvania to become a wealthy landlord and hotelier. For too long he is unable to see the evil around him, and is taken advantage of by his wife, his siblings, his best friend . . .

A good read, and as always, Caldwell makes one think. Whether you agree with her or not, she presents compelling arguements.

Sometimes I like King, and sometimes I like Straub, but together they make pretty good reading. Straubs poetic imagery mixed with King’s blatant in-your-face punches really compliment each other. Black House started very slowly and didn’t really pick up until the middle – I much preferred The Talisman, but this wasn’t bad. Not as good as I remembered it the first reading, but not bad.

The story picks up Jack Sawyer’s life after forgetting his experiences in the Territories, and after a successful career as an LA cop. He retires to a small town, where he is once more required to save the world through his specialized knowledge of the Territories. There is a visit from Speedy/Parkus from The Talisman, and of course, many references to The Gunslinger series. If you like either The Talisman or The Gunslinger, this should appeal. Not nearly as horrific as many of King’s other novels . . .

I have lost all my books 3 – count ‘em – 3 times in my life.  Well, actually 4, if you count my childhood books – and I certainly do!  I’ve rebuilt each time, but this time seems harder for some reason.  Probably because many of my best loved books aren’t readily available any longer.  And perhaps because I’m more genre-lized than I used to be.  In the old days, I’d come home with 2 or 3 mysteries, a chick lit, a political novel, and action, and a couple of fantasies.  Nowadays, if I can’t find fantasy, I’m bummed for the rest of the day.  ‘Course, if I wasn’t picky, it would all be easier.  It is harder to get me to try a new author lately than it is to get the proverbial horse to drink that water he doesn’t want.

More later . . .