Shallow Thoughts Blog

I found a new blog Shallow Thoughts Blog.  She comments on books and TV shows.  We don't watch the same TV shows (The Bachelor and related shows leave me cold as do Little House On The Prairie reruns) always but I do appreciate her comments about The Real Housewives Of Washington DC.  They are hilarious as are her comments about Little Joe (Pa on the Little House show etc.)
Her book reviews are warm and funny, OK the two or three I read were warm and funny.  Anyway check it out.
What REALLY got me is her book review blog is supposedly silly and superfluous?  Mine (I thought) was all solemn and like serious....as solemn and serious as I can be anyway. 

A Long Way Down By Nick Hornby

The basic premise of A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby is  (and yes I do use stilted sentences in order to get the books title and author in here) four people have rather bad luck of their own making but fate has a part to play in it.  So far I've described about 99.99% of the world and stories huh?  Not quite sure how I missed this book before.  It's good.  It's old but it's good.  The people are in Britain which I don't always find particularly stimulating or interesting but this time it just added to the plot, I swear it did, if you've read this blog I don't blather on about things I don't think are true, I just blather on about true things.  So these four disparate souls end up contemplating suicide and through simple (OK, not so simple but not extraordinary) means the guide each other back to normalcy if not happiness.  Naturally they learn quite a bit along the way.  Although this book is entertaining I do recommend it for anyone who has ever been "down" or depressed. 
I'd give it a 7 or a B, actually if I could have 100 books on a desert island for entertainment this might be one.  BTW I got my copy @ a thrift store while I was doing laundry while away from home...Dispatch was in the motel room and I told the lady who ran the laundrymat/thrift store that I had to go back and check on my dog.  She told me if he was well behaved and small he could come back to the laundrymat with me.  I decided to take a chance on the well behaved and he was a charmer.  Loved on people who wanted loved on, looked @ the others like "whatzamatter, never seen a BEECHON before"?

Furniture Review Not A Book Review

This is not the name of a book.  This blog is a furniture review.  Actually a review of stores. 

See this bedroom vanity?  See the Cherry Bedroom Vanity?  They are both available from CSN stores.
CSN has 200+ stores.  I am like one of the cheapest people I know.  I used to not buy paper towels because they were expensive.  We won't go into any more money saving tips other than you can pour fabric softener on a wash cloth and toss it in the dryer instead of a fabric softener sheet?  BUT I do look for the best deal.  I know before I make another purchase I'm going to check out what CSN has to offer.  For example I found dog crates for a lower price than my local discount store and they have FREE shipping on many items.
Check it out if you have time or just remember the name!

This is a book about dogs.  Thus it goes on Missouri Books and Animals That Give Pause too (both my blogs, I have one called Tresa's Blog too if you want to be really bored impressed.  The Art of Racing In the Rain is by Garth Stein.  I'd give it a 9 out of 10 or maybe an 8, not the most intellectually stimulating read I've had but it's a dog talking, gimme a break.  I bought this book for like $10 @ Wally world because I had to wait an hour in KC and had NOTHING to read and NOTHING to do which is a fate worse than death if you know me.  

You can buy it from Amazon by clicking to your right in that handy dandy amazon box.  In fact you can buy anything from amazon, anything, you are getting sleepy...back to the book review.

I love dog books.  I love books on training dogs, about dogs, by dogs, (supposedly, most of them are not trained for proper grammar) I love dog books.  This one is no exception.  I'm not saying it gives particular insight into your fido's secret life but who is to say?  So what happens in the book?  Basically it follows a dog through his years with a family, through good times and bad though this family seems to have the market on bad times cornered for awhile.  If nothing else read this book for the psychologically haunting scene with the zebra........I had a stuffed zebra when I was small, not again, I didn't know they were capable of such things....

The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Probably the best book I've read since Cell by Stephen King.  Stephen also liked The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle  by the way.  I had to look like three times to get Mr Wroblewski's name right so we will call him Mr. W from now on.

I think the best testament to a book is how much you remember and how it affects your life.  I remember bits and pieces of this book constantly.  I don't want to give anything away but when Edgar goes on his great adventure I found the book especially memorable (I felt like I was actually Edgar, a young boy with my dogs and not a grandma of young boys).  Actually it's been almost a year since I've read this book and I brought it with me in the truck to reread.  I could see some parts of the plot coming from miles away such as the sinister character but others were a complete surprise which is also a testament to a great book.  If you love dogs as I do and appreciate a mystery or thriller this is a book for you or if you like Oprah's Book Club books. It is the 2008 selection of Oprah's Book Club.  Although it's about a boy and dogs readers of Chick Lit or even love stories will like The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle.

Mr. W says that we write the books that we would like to read.  He goes on to say:

I wished I could read a novel about a boy and his dog, one that integrated our contemporary knowledge of canine behavior, cognition, and origins with my experience of living with dogs; if possible, something flavored with the uncynical Midwestern sense of heart and purpose so familiar from my childhood.

Mr. W also says that this is a story of a boy and his dog and ethics and character which pretty well sums the whole thing up.  The review also said this is a modern day Hamlet which could be true.  It's a beautiful beautiful book written so you are in the world which Edgar inhabits and no other.

Stephen King said when he got close to the end he kept finding excuses to put the book down, not because he didn't like it but because he did and wanted to prolong the experience.  I know that it's the book I chose to reread although it's only been a year since my first reading.  It's a book that will transport you away from the mundane, Mr. W is a superb writer and to think this is his first novel is astounding.

A Member of the Family by Cesar Millan

You can get this book @ Amazon. Some do not agree with Cesar's dog training methods. Personally I think like children, dogs are different and may require different approaches shall we say. Now don't get all up in arms about me comparing dogs and children, we have to raise and train both so I think it's a pretty good comparison. (this is mainly for my kids who are jealous of the dog and this means all 6 of you, I don't think Christi Lynn is jealous of him, she is the 7th child) A Member of the Family is worthwhile reading to say the least and the methods Cesar promotes to pick out a new puppy work, I can attest to that from personal experience. No we didn't get a puppy but we looked @ chocolate lab puppies. More on this later. The book in general? I'd give it a 7 out of 10 in general, for a dog book probably a 9 out of 10 but I can't think of one I'd give a 10 to so this one must be pretty good.
Some may not agree @ all with Cesar's choice of a pit bull for one of his dogs but I think it proves that nurture can overcome nature. Perhaps that's putting it too simply as it's more a case of the environment promoting decent dog behavior and discouraging anything else. The pit bulls name is Daddy and he is a sweetheart of a pit bull. I've known pit bulls, one of my first grand-dogs was a dalmatian pit bull cross named Polly, sweetest dog you'd ever want to know except she would lead her puppies deep into the woods when they reached about 7 weeks. (and any other puppies she thought should leave her "pack").
There are chapters by Cesar's wife and children which makes this more than a normal "dog" book. The human touch proves invaluable for finishing this book into a totally interesting read. Also the insights into different breeds and aspects of bringing a dog into the household prove invaluable. Like I said before I don't always agree with Cesar 100% but sometimes Cesar doesn't agree with himself 100%. My dog sometimes eats before me and runs ahead of me but he is just so proud he can smell the trail we have came down I hate to burst his little white fuzzy bubble. See Animals That Give Pause for more about my bichon and other animal stories.
Now about the chocolate labs? I can't remember how many there were, I wish I'd gotten some pictures but I was too enamoured with the dogs and puppies to take pictures especially when I found they had some yellow lab younger dogs. See Mugsey's Memorial for why I am so fond of these dogs. I don't know if I can paraphrase what Cesar said about picking a puppy in the book exactly but basically the idea is look for a puppy who isn't pushy or dominant but isn't shy and fearful either. It should be respectful but want attention and should give off a feeling of calm energy. Using those guidelines I picked out a little female with a black and white collar, when the dog owner got home he told me that was the best dog and he didn't even know I'd picked it out! If I'd used my usual puppy picking methods it would have been the noisiest most obnoxious one I'd picked out or the smallest one because I felt sorry for her. Not saying those won't make good dogs with the any kind of proper raising but the one that gave off calm energy is probably going to be easier to live with and train. (Dispatch was picked out for me, the owner brought him to me early because he was hogging all the food) That's what Cesar Millan's book promotes, picking out a puppy by providing specific guidelines that aren't foolproof but could help you avoid much heartache, he also gives ways to introduce a dog to a new baby or how to blend families and their dogs. Even if you are not planning on getting a new puppy or dog this is an invaluable interesting read.
Since I've had authors actually read my book reviews I'd like to say HI CESAR!!!! and Ilusion you are a saint. ;-)

Nothing to do with books but the Apple Festival Kings for two years are brothers!

And my grandsons! Semi big deal in our county, OK it's the biggest deal besides the occasional unexpected explosion or the tourists coming in April or leaving in September. Oh yeah the fairs, demolition derbys and beer gardens are pretty big deals too.

This is the FIRST and only time that brothers have won Apple Festival King two years in a row. Of course most people don't have kids 15 1/2 months apart either.

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The first picture is the Apple Festival King for 2008 Zach and his Queen, the second picture is Marcus the Apple Festival King for 2009 and his Queen and the bottom picture is of Zach, Marcus, Jacob, and Sara who looks something like her grandma.

Story is also on my NEW animals that give pause and Tresa's Blog and my old animals blog , in other words Grandma is braggin on every site she has!

This is all the more special because in different ways this year has been tough on the whole family. I wasn't able to be there for Zach and not for Marcus either but for different reasons but they know grandma is proud of them and can probably still beat them arm wrestling or wii boxing. (just had to throw that in if they read this)