Bookish Pursuits

White washing the fencefrom Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer

Welcome to Tuesday 4 kept up in honor of it's founder Toni Taddeo.   

Over 12,000 books, many once required reading in schools and including children's books have been banned.  Even Jane Eyre finds itself under scrutiny..

1.Do you think any book or series has  helped form your view on things.. life, love, etc?

  Many will say the Bible but how about more secular books that you feel have taught or influenced you?  The Little House on the Prairie series influenced me with a greater respect for pioneers and the difficulties they faced.   

The biography of  George Washington Carver made me get my nose to the grindstone in school instead of goofing off. He is one of my heroes. He was a genuinely good man.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which made a heavy impact on taking care of the poor and homeless.

"It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!"   

There was a Scottish series of books my mother's friend sent her yearly called The Friedhship Book. of Francis Gay.   My mother never read them but I did.  It was full of  inspirational stories and poems   I devoured them as a teenager and ever since too.  

 Francis Gay was the pen name of Herbert Leslie Gee (1901–1977), a prolific English writer, journalist, and ardent Methodist born in Bridlington, Yorkshire.

I've done a few posts on his articles.  Here is one very short story from his books.

Mister God, This is Anna.. heart breaking but inspirational. 

 My grandmother read the pamphlets called The Upper Room and I read them after she did.

2.  What is your favorite book or book series and why is it  a favorite?

I am a fan of the Robert B. Parker Spenser series of books and  his books based on the character of Jesse Stone.     I like them because they are fast paced, lean on words and descriptions . They get to the point!

Like Toni, I am also a fan of Agatha Christie's mysteries and have read most of them.

3. If your favorite book or book series was being cast for a TV/Movie series, who would play the main characters?

Spenser for Hire was cast with Robert Urich playing Spenser and Jesse Stone was cast with Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone .   Avory Brooks, a professor at Rutgers (where I went to university) played the part of Hawk.  

Miss Marple was best played, I believe, by Joan Hickson.

Hercule Poirot was best with David Suchet I think.

4.  Are there any books you have read many times?

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

 44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel

Early Autumn by Robert B. Parker

A White House Diary by Lady Bird Johnson

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Complete Sermons of John Wesley 

 

Getting to Know You

 It's 31°F tonight and the heat is on.

Tuesday 4 is available.   We are due for another  nor'easter by Monday.

 Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Ignore the above paragraph. This week we're going rogue with questions inspired by a website devoted to giving penpals topics for their letters.

Getting to Know You 

1) Describe yourself in three words.

Studious, exhausted, and I have no clue.

2) What's your favorite dish at your favorite restaurant?   

I really don't have a favorite. The 18oz ribeye at Delmonico's in NY is really good.

3) Did you set goals for 2026? If yes, how are you proceeding toward them?

I don't set goals anymore as I can't live up to them because of physical limitations.

4) What's something you have learned the hard way?

That many people are not trustworthy or nice.  That if there is one thing we get wrong over all in life is to weary in well doing and treating others better than we treat ourselves.

5) If you could skip one item on today's to-do list, what would it be?

Not much on the agenda at all today. I need to clean the kitchen up a bit more and I'd rather skip that.

Somewhere Over Laredo

 

Hi friends,   

Another stormy weekend ....

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every
Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Somewhere Over Laredo (2025)

   Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it HERE

1) In this song, Laney Wilson namechecks Tito's Vodka. Is there a product you you are very brand loyal to? (It doesn't have to be liquor. Maybe you always reach for Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, even if another soap is on sale.)

I am loyal to Rienzi canned  products from Italy. They are natural and extremely low sodium and healthy.

 

2) The lyrics start with her in a window seat on a flight out of Houston. Do you prefer the window or the aisle?  Aisle seat. I don't want to climb over people and I don't care what's outside.

 

3) She's dreaming of rodeo nights with the guy she loves. If you could spend this evening with anyone at all, anywhere at all, where would you go and who would be with you?

 Out to dinner with my friends and family. 

4) Lainey is from Baskin, LA, population 200. Do you prefer big cities or small towns?

Both have their place.   I live in a small coastal community now but I wouldn't mind living in New  York City at all.

5) There's a Netflix documentary about Lainey called Keepin' Country Cool. What show have you recently streamed?   I haven't streamed anything in a while but I do watch a number of things on YouTube.

 

6) This week's song borrows liberally from "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," so much so that "Rainbow" songwriters Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg receive credit. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is the most beloved song from The Wizard of Oz.    Can you name another?

If you mean from the movie it would be the songs  If I Only Had a Brain and Follow the Yellow Brick Road.  Oh.. and  We're Off to See the Wizard.

 

7) In 2025, when this song was popular, more patients took advantage of telehealth than ever before. Have you ever had a virtual doctor visit?

No.

 

8) Also in 2025, smart home technology was integrated into more new home construction. Do you use smart devices to automate your lights, thermostat, or doorbell?

No but I do have a smart device. I use it for time, weather,  information and to make hands free emergency photo calls..  

 

9) Random question – On which day are you happier: a) the day you take off on vacation or b) the day you return home from your trip? 

It's exciting to go and it's a pleasure to return home again.  I think they are about equal.