Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Book, Movie & Podcast Reviews my own book page

His work may be a bit shallow for some, almost as though it's written for a young readers market. I don't require a great deal of depth and just want to be entertained for a little while. I just finished Philip Pullmans "His Dark Materials" series and found it to be quite lovely, that was definitely marketed for young and shallow readers.

Alhough I'm not young I'm very shallow.

In Speak, author Laurie Halse Anderson, takes the reader through the emotional breakdown of Melinda, her heroine, who has been raped prior to her first year of high school. I really got caught up in this one. I'm not sure that was true based on the book itself, the author's writing, or the curious mind-disconnect I find myself while reading and writing these days. But we'll look at least one specific and one word.

Specific:

1) "Before the suffragettes came along, women were treated like dogs….
"They were dolls, with no thoughts, or opinions, or voices of their own. Then those suffragettes marched in, full of loud, in-your-face ideas. They got arrested and thrown in jail, but nothing shut them up. They fought and fought until they earned the rights they should have had all along." (page 155)


Word usage that amused me:

1) feednote? "I write the best report ever. Anything I copied from a book, quotes and footnotes (feetnote?)" (page 155) Why not? It sounds as logical as anything else in English. Even if www.dictionary.com doesn't acknowledge its existence.

Overall? Recommend highly. Particularly for those who don't look down on YA reading material.

I just got the message that our own Martha is nearing the end of her struggle with MS. If anyone wants to send her a message, I can have someone read it to her. I understand that she sleeps a great deal now. Please send good thoughts her way.

From a non reader... but a great admirer from afar...

What a joy you have provided, here, and on the other site. Though not reading the books, it is always an experience to read your opinions and insights.
It has been fun reading about the latest from authors that I enjoyed back when I could read books, and the personal insights that made literature so real.
You probably never realized that you were being followed, but many of those "hits" on your posts, came from moi and others...

Kindest regards...

God be with you, Martha. We will miss you!

You bet we will miss her Scout. Her courage shown through the years will be with us all. Let her sleep and even dream if she can.

Love you Martha.....

Sandy Price

Dear Ranters,

Martha passed peacefully in her sleep early this morning. There are no funeral plans, but you may memorialize Martha by making donations to her alma mater, Hiram College. I know that she loved posting here with us, and we will miss her. And gratefully, her struggle with multiple sclerosis is over.

Love you, Martha-Rest In Peace

Friends, you might like to know some of our are going to celebrate the life of Martha on the date of her birth, September 24th. We will share her favorite foods and observe the day.

This Sunday a much smaller group will gather for tea. As for myself, I'm bringing wine (I feel like whinning my own personal loss.)

This is the e-mail I sent last night:

My dear friend, Martha Humphreys, died today as a result of complications of MS. I took this picture of her. It is one she especially liked. Please feel free to forward to any friends. It is impossible to have all the e-mail contacts of those throughout the world whom she loved and those who loved her.

I will miss my very special friend. There was not one fake bone in her body. She said what she thought. We had a great visit late last week. She was radiant. She was at peace and on her journey. I told her I was continuing to do the things in which she believed. She told me she liked that. I told her of all the people all over the world who had sent e-mail messages that I had forwarded to Tessa.

I visited her the very next day. It was after a very tiring day of constant visitors, Dhe whispered to me when dear, dear Joan wanted to change her sheets, she said to me, "I think that is a hint (for me to leave.)"

I love that is the last conversation I had with her. I laughed and told her I how much I loved her and I was indeed going to "get out and let her have some peace."

That was Martha. She lived on her own terms and she died on those same terms.

We loved our Friday lunch and movies. We loved talking about politics and theater. She tolerated my inability to load her in her handicapped van and the fact that I seldom came to gradual stops. She said the arms of her wheel chair were scratched by her fingernails gripping the handles and we rounded the corners of Jones Valley on the way to the Rave Theater.

She tolerated me. I loved her.

She thought that all should have dignity; all should have the ability to scale the pinacles to reach the American "dream."

If it were not for Matha, in fact, I would never have gone to the desert. I would not be the person I have become. I like the person I have become..

THANK YOU MARTHA!

Respectuflly,

Kathy

Kathy, I wish I could be with you but I know she died, as she lived, with great dignity.

Thank you for your loving care. Martha and I shared many emails on many subjects and I will miss her greatly,

Sandy