Bear Chick Reads - The Hanged Man by P.N. Elrod

The Hanged Man combines the best of science fiction, Steampunk and mystery together in one action packed story.  Alex is a young woman serving as a crime scene reader in Her Majesty’s Psychic Service.  A Christmas Eve hanging drops Alex into the middle of a governmental crisis, in which she battles traitors, monsters and her own broken family.  With the aid of a reluctant new member of the service, Lt. Brooks, and other reliable accomplices whose descriptions might give away plot points, Alex leads us on an intense adventure through the heart and underground of London.  I loved Pat Elrod’s Vampire File series (if you haven’t read those, get ye to Amazon!) and I‘m hoping HM Psychic Service has many more fine installments on the way.

Mare’s Scale of Literary Wickedness

Wicked Boring         Yawn-don’t bother   

Wicked Good           Don’t run any red lights getting to the library but worth reading

Wicked Cool            Good enough to spend 50 cents for a library hold so you can be the next to read it

Wicked Awesome    So damn good, if your library doesn’t have it, get it from Amazon

Mode of reading: Hard cover book

C’est La Vie! Do What You Love!

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How A Compulsive Reader Rolls

My name is Mare and I’m a compulsive reader.  When there are none of the below outlets for me to peruse, I read posters in the doctors office, signs in the windows of fast food places, those little A-frame advertisements on restaurant tables for seasonal drinks and desserts.  And I’ll read them over and over again until the doctor or the traffic signal or the meal arriving interrupts my obsession.  I’m not looking for a way to cure myself.  Far from it!  I’m embracing all the ways to read!

Books will never go the way of the dinosaur.  There will always be people like me and Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise who will have a soft spot for paper in this increasing age of technological libris. 

Or the people of Milton Keynes, who staged a campaign to empty their library of books, to show the evil town council the need for the Stony Stratford branch library (read story:   http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jan/14/stony-stratford-library-shelves-protest).

Our house is filled with shelves of books and piles of magazines.  I have a standing Saturday morning date at my local library, dropping off what I’ve finished that week and picking up new material.  It thrills me to be the first to put a Newly Acquired book on hold. Sometimes I stop into the bookstore on the ground level and a few times a year they hold book sales, too!  And still, this is not enough for me, the compulsive reader. 

I love the Kindle app on my phone, because even if I’ve found myself in a situation where I don’t have a real book (??!!), I always have something to read (yes, I always have my phone with me…).  I buy books for my Kindle that aren’t in the catalog of my local library.  What my library does have, though, are e-books you can download through Amazon to the Kindle app, which I’ve done several times.  Also, there’s a trend recently for authors to write short stories or novella’s exclusively as e-book content.  They usually run from .99 cents to around $5.99 and serve as welcome little treats between full books.  Read my latest Old School Mare blog post to see how I’m using my actual Kindle device for school: http://oldschoolmare.blogspot.com/2013/07/bonjour-mes-ami.html

  

I have a problem with magazines.  I find them a great temptation and, as stated, have heaping piles of them wherever I sit for more than 10 minutes…  When I bought the Kindle, I was hoping to use that for magazine subscriptions.  What I didn’t realize is that the black and white Kindles don’t support magazines…  Someday I will get a Kindle Fire but for now, my local library has a subscription to Zinio, an online magazine system.  Their selection is limited at this point but I have been able to access issues to read the one or two articles I was interested in without having to pay the $4 or $5 to do so.  Awesome!

The other thing I’ve been doing lately is getting books on CD’s at the library.  I download them to my phone and listen when I’m walking or at other times when I can pay them most of my attention (making jewelry, washing dishes, shaving my legs).  Usually, the books I find on CD’s are things I may not have noticed in my usual sections of the library (mystery and non-fiction/travel), like The Girls of Murder City about the women who the play and movie Chicago are based on and Then Again, Diane Keaton’s autobiography read with good humor and emotion by Keaton herself.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve gone to the Dark Side by embracing alternative reading methods.  My father ran a printing press for most of his working life (it was at a box factory, but a pressman is a pressman…) plus my Day Job is doing payroll for a local shoppers publication that has seen a sharp downturn in recent years.  But I think as the world changes, some things diminish and other things expand in a natural progression.  Writers still write and readers still read and the variety of ways we can partake of words and sentences and paragraphs will always keep the Force strong within us.

Do What You Love!

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Soldered Collage Pendant Class

In our warm, dry classroom at Brea Bead Works today, we watched the chilly rain come down while we assembled tiny collages and soldered them between two pieces of glass. When I first signed up, I didn’t know why it was such a long class (noon to 5) but now I realize that to build thoughtful collages and have the time to learn the construction of the pendant, you need to take your time.

Here’s my work space:

 

Packages of glass on the upper left, cutting board, glue stick, scissors, papers and a copy of a Paris postcard I cut up.

Front of collages:

Back of collages:

Our fabulous teacher, Jennifer Soltero. She’s holding an awesome shadowbox necklace she created! All the BBW teachers are so talented! Marie, who I found out late in the class time, is from my old stomping grounds of Boston, took this picture of us because Jennifer is kinda shy and didn’t want to pose alone :-)

And here are the finished pendants, front:

When I was trying to come up with themes for my collages, reading and Paris came to mind immediately. For the Read project, I printed out the names of my four favorite books and staggered them from line to line for the background. And as I said, I copied a French postcard, both front and back, for the Paris one.

And back:

Jennifer generously brought papers, glitter glue, paints, stamps and stamp pads for us to use. When I saw the dragonflies, I knew that was my third project!

I love the idea of telling stories in such a small format. The real challenge is getting the hang of burnishing the copper tape correctly and soldering. Just like getting to Carnegie Hall, it takes practice, practice, practice. And a new soldering gun, apparently, since mine just wouldn’t work today… Grrrrr… Oh, well, it’s already on order!

So, next up, another metals class just after Christmas. What classes have you all got lined up?

Do What You Love!

 

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Entertainment Saturday (Belated)

Earlene Fowler’s Love Mercy--An appeal for another adventure

I read this book when it first came out and I loved it. The paperback is coming out this Tuesday and in her recent newsletter (view that HERE), Earlene said the publisher hasn’t requested a sequel but I think if you read this book, you’ll want to take another trip with these characters.

Love Mercy is still grieving the loss of her husband when her long lost granddaughter sweeps into town with a stolen banjo and an attitude. (see the entire review on my other blog HERE) The book revolves around 3 women, all with stories to tell and hearts to mend, but it’s not a romance by any stretch of the imagination.

My first brush with Earlene’s work was the Benni Harper quilting mysteries, which take place in Central California and features museum director and rancher Benni, her husband, Gabe, the chief of police and assorted friends and relatives, including her spitfire grandma, Dove. The newest Benni book, State Fair, is also coming out this Tuesday! Hooray! I’ve missed that girl. The Saddlesmakers’ Wife, a stand alone book, was also a good story with a strong heroine.

So, give Love Mercy a read, if you will. Then maybe Earlene’s publisher will beg her for another tale of strong women on the California coast! Here’s where to find it on Amazon.

Do What You Love!

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What to Read Saturday

I’m still catching up on some of my favorite mystery series, so I thought I’d write about a reading resource.

At my fave library, I sometimes pick up a publication called Book Pages, with reviews and columns about, what else, books. I always go through it as soon as I get home, to find new things to read and authors to love. And recently, I found out that they also have a website. So even if your library doesn’t offer Book Pages or, heaven forbid, you don’t get to the library that often, you can log on and keep up to date on new books, authors and even book clubs. Do you enjoy writing and want to pursue it? There’s a column for newbie writers. Love book clubs? Contests? Blogs? They’ve got it all!

My favorite features are Meet the Author and Meet the Illustrator, where the artists tell you in their own words about themselves and what they do. As an example:

So, when you’re looking for something new to read, log onto Book Page and have fun browsing and, of course, reading!

Do What You Love!

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Saturday Book Review-My Life in France

I loved Julie and Julia, both the book and the movie. But when I saw in the end credits that the movie was based not only on Julie Powell’s book but also Julia’s My Life in France, I had to reserve it at the library. Published posthumously, Julia’s nephew, accomplished writer Alex Prud’Homme, had helped her sift through letters from her husband, Paul, to his twin brother Charlie and other ephemera from their time in Europe.

Julia and Paul met while working in the Foreign Service and were thrilled to be stationed in Paris. Even non-foodies, like myself, will enjoy her descriptions of their quirky apartment and the friends they make in the City of Light. Naturally, a lot of the book is about food: her studying at the Cordon Bleu, eating at restaurants all over France and preparing recipes for Mastering the Art of French Cooking. As I said, I’m not much of a foodie but I was interested in the story of her collaboration with two French women and the long road to being published.

I also found her husband, Paul, fascinating-he not only worked at his diplomatic job, he was a talented photographer and artist. In fact, the book is full of his photographs--check out the full 2 page spread of their Valentines Day cards throughout the years. And he wholeheartedly supported anything Julia wanted to do--reminds me of my own husband!

The latter part of the book has the Childs traveling back and forth from their Cambridge home to a house they built in Provence. When Paul retired, they made the Cambridge house their main residence and fell into the WGBH show that would make Julia Child a household name in the US--The French Chef.

Even though she collaborated with her nephew, the book is written completely from her perspective. You can hear her voice in every sentence. This book made me yearn to meet her… I guess I’ll just have to settle for watching a few of her French Chef episodes. Or maybe I’ll just buy a DVD of Julie and Julia!

Do What You Love!

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Eight Things Thursday

...I want to do when I retire

1 Teach adults to read

2 Finally learn Tai Chi

3 Read three hours a day, minimum

Dogs for the Deaf parade

4 Have a dog or two (shhhh, don't tell the cats)

5 Piano lessons

6 Learn bead weaving

7 Wear whatever I feel like

8 Stay up late and sleep late

Do What You Love!

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Eight Things…

I’ve been seeing this on folk’s blogs this morning. You’re supposed to tag people to do it on their blogs but I’m not much of a tagger. Please feel free to do your Eight lists. It’s actually pretty interesting!

Eight Things I’m Looking Forward to:

1. The Orange County Fair (haven’t been in 2 or 3 years)
2. Several books coming out this fall: Dark Road Rising, PN Elrod, Scary Stuff, Sharon Fiffer and Treacherous Teddy, John Lamb, among others
3. Cool weather
4. Paris (someday…)
5. Fitting back into my skinny clothes (see my other blog, www.maresjourney.blogspot.com)
6. Pancakes on my birthday
7. Cold Stone on my birthday (ok, so the skinny clothes will have to wait a day or two more…)
8. Retiring (someday…)

Eight Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Made an anklet
2. Read
3. Yard saled with The Husband in the morning and blogged about it (see previous post)
4. Caught up on Royal Pains
5. Checked out a sale at Stein Mart (didn’t buy anything)
6. Cheated a little on my weight loss plan (Cheez-its called to me)
7. Bought turkey cutlets at Trader Joe’s to christen the new George Foreman grill
8. Played with the cats and their new catnip mice

Eight Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Write a book (it’s harder than you would think…)
2. Live to 150
3. Go into outer space
4. Speak other languages
5. Either not sleep or have 8 more hours every day
6. Speak well in public
7. Travel extensively through Europe
8. Transport (as in Beam Me Up Scotty)

Eight Shows I Watch on TV:

1. Royal Pains
2. The Closer
3. Leverage
4. NCIS
5. CSI:NY
6. Numb3rs
7. Criminal Intent
8. Castle

If you decide to do your own Eight Lists, jot a comment here so we can all share!

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Bio of a Jewelry Fanatic

I'm Bear Chick and I'm a jewelry addict. I love to buy it and I love to create it. Be kind to me!

As if you didn't already know that, if you've been reading my blog for more than an entry or two. But I joined Blogfire, a guild for blogging ArtFire members, and I need to write a little introduction and bio for the latest Blog Carnival. It occurred to me that I probably haven't actually done anything like that on my blog, so here goes.

As long as I can remember, my mother and grandmother were jewelry fanatics. My grandmother's last gift to me was a shirt box full of her old jewerly. So, the adornment obsession comes naturally.

I came to jewelry making late in life, not believing I could craft anything people would like. But I took one adult ed jewelry class and I was hooked. I've always loved pattern-I can pick out a pattern in the most mundane things-a tile roof, shadows, polka dots. When I first started beading, making patterns of colors and shapes and materials fascinated me. I'd stay up late into the night, stringing, stringing, stringing. Now I've branched out into other things, like chain making, which is Pattern Nirvana! But I've also been doing a Charm N Bead series of necklaces and bracelets that are as random as I'll ever get-I admit, I place the charms in somewhat of a design, but the beads are totally random!

I sell my creations on ArtFire (chains and a Charm N Bead or two) and Etsy (beaded jewelry and artwork). This spring I'm planning on upgrading my show booth to go out into the world and do some shows again in the summer/fall. I love to do custom work because it's like a puzzle, especially when someone comes to me with the materials to make something--that's my kind of challenge.

In my life outside of jewelry, I work full time for a Shoppers Guide publisher, where I just celebrated my 20th anniversary. I've been in payroll most of that time, first doing actual payroll checks and now more into the auditing side of the department. 20 years is a long time and I'm happy to say the people I work with have made that time fly by.

I've been married for 28 1/2 years to the nicest guy on the planet. The Husband works at a SoCal amusement park, playing banjo and robbing trains and he's my biggest supporter. We have two crazy cats, who enjoy keeping us up at night. We love to travel and can occasionally agree on what to watch on TV.

Reading is one of my biggest pleasures. Books, magazines, blogs. If it's got words, I'll read 'em, even backwards and upside down!

So, that's my story. I'm looking forward to reading all my fellow BlogFire members' bio's now!

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Just a Quick One!

I wanted to show you I wasn't a total slug on my vacation. I did work on some artwork and ATC's this week. They're still Works in Progress but here's one that only needs the Certificate of Authenticity adhered to the back:

It's an ATC titled, The Story of My Life. Reading, writing and creating have always been important elements for me, since I can remember. I'd drive my parents crazy reading billboards when I was learning the alphabet. I can't remember not having a library card. And I've always created things, from dolls clothes to flowers made of plastic and tissue paper and fabric to my ATC's and jewelry. For this one, I started with three Inchies (1" x 1" artwork) that I doodled with colored pencils. Then I punched out some stars and did the words on computer.

Soon to be finished, artwork with themes from Paris, The Little Prince and a black and white challenge for Somerset Magazine.

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Vacation!

Yippee! Time for a vacation. I'm going to be working with polymer clay, reading, building a lightbox, posting on Etsy, going to San Diego to see Vesuvius artifacts, decluttering and preparing for a rummage sale we're having at the end of the month, checking out the Irvine Farmer's Market, walking around Balboa Island and celebrating our 28th anniversary. I'll need a vacation after my vacation!

Here's something else I'll be doing:

I found this on Angela Cartwright's blog, she of Lost in Space and Sound of Music fame, who is now a talented artist. I'm planning to do some drawing and also make my dad's Father's Day card. What will you draw??

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