Stayin’ Alive

I’m still recovering from surgery. Fully intend to do a real post next week. Stay tuned…

September 2019 Book Report

Return To Love (1940) by Peggy Dern AKA Peggy Gaddis

Society girl Carey Winslow lets money flow through her hands like water, not realizing that her father is slowly going bankrupt. When she foils his attempt at suicide, her world and the real world crash together, leaving them penniless. Her fiancé dumps her, since he himself is penniless and intended on living on her father’s money. The Winslows end up in a rural town on a rundown farm that escaped the creditors. Carey’s whole life hasn’t prepared her to do anything other than marry well and spend money. She learns some very hard lessons with the help of the young local doctor.

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Rear Window (1942) by William Irish AKA Cornell Woolrich

Much longer than a short story, but far short of a book. This is what Alfred Hitchcock based the wonderful Jimmy Stewart/Grace Kelly movie on. As written, it’s a good short thriller. But Hitchcock really did a great job on fleshing it out with more characters with personal stories. For the few people who haven’t seen the movie, the book is about a man convalescing in his small apartment with nothing to do but look out his window at his neighbors through their windows. 

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The Maltese Falcon (1930) by Dashiell Hammett

Another book that led to a terrific movie. So well written that large chunks of dialog were taken right from the book and inserted into the movie. Sam Spade gets mixed up with some very unsavory characters, all looking for a fabled black bird.

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The Eleventh Little Indian (1979) by Jacquemard-Sénécal, Yves Jacquemard

During a stage production of Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” one of the actors, Paul Samson, arrives at the theater a bit late to find the entire rest of the cast dead and an unknown man in his own dressing room and wearing Paul’s makeup. Paul teams up with Superintendent Parescot to discover who the murderer is. I had gotten this book at a used book sale some time ago and just recently sat down to read it. It’s a great story that had me hooked from the beginning. Unfortunately about a third of the way through I discovered that about 30 pages were missing. I REALLY wanted to get the full story, so I found the book in the used section of Amazon. It was worth the cost. Great book!

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The Green Futures of Tycho (1981) by William Sleator

While digging to prepare a garden, 11-year-old Tycho finds a strange object. He puts it in his pocket as his older brothers and sister torment him, demanding to know what he found. As they press closer, Tycho presses the object in his pocket and instantly vanishes. He later figures out that what he found was a time device, able to take him into the past or into the future. He is constantly badgered and belittled by his siblings and goes back in time to scare them. When he returns, he finds that things have changed in his present. He goes into the future to see what his life will be like. It’s not pleasant, and his future self is not a good person. When he returns, he again finds that even the future has changed his present. He goes forward 3 times, and each time his future self is more and more unpleasant. He finally realizes what he must do to set things straight.

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Frankenstein’s Aunt (1978) by Allan Rune Pettersson

Hannah Frankenstein arrives with intent to clean up the old family castle and restore the family name after her nephew messed things up. In an homage to the old classic horror movies, you get not only The Monster and Igor, but Count Dracula and Wolfman. Written for young readers, it helps to have seen the movies or at least be familiar with the stories. Lots of humor.

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Last One?? (I make no promises!)

What's the worst haircut you ever got?

I had really long hair until about 3^rd grade. I don’t know what was going through my mom’s mind when she took me to get a pixie cut. My face was NOT made for that kind of cut. I had no idea what was in store, I was just told I was going to get a haircut. NO CLUE! I had to take my glasses off for the cut, so I couldn’t really see that clearly in the mirror. The gal seemed to be taking an awfully long time to cut my hair. When she was done, it was ALL GONE!! I was devastated! I hated it! And the kids at school let me know just how awful I looked with my fat face and no hair.

What is the first nightmare you remember?

We were living with my grandparents in their apartment above their grocery store. I was between 2-3 years old. Looking back, this must have been when my Mom had had a miscarriage and was sleeping in my little bed and I was sleeping with my dad. I woke up in the middle of the night and THERE WAS A SWARM OF BEES ON MY PILLOW! I can still see it clearly in my minds’ eye. A black mass of bees. I was screaming and my grandma came in and took me into bed with her.

What is your earliest childhood memory?

Being in the house before we went to live with my grandparents. Not a whole lot of detail, but I was in my own room, sitting on the floor and playing. I also vaguely remember my dad putting down brick for a patio in the back yard.

Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it?

From my earliest memory I had a blankie and a bunny. I could not sleep without them. When my mom had the miscarriage, I was taken to spend the night with my Aunt Bernice. No one thought to pack my blankie and bunny. When bed time came, my aunt had to call a couple of neighbors to see if they had a doll or something I could borrow.

I don’t recall how old I was when my blankie “disappeared” but I’ve always suspected my grandma decided I was too old for that and took it. Bunny I still have. Rather worn out, but still filled with love.

Longest road trip ever taken, and where did you go?

First one was when I was four and we moved from Missouri to California when my dad got a new job. My grandparents moved with us. I don’t remember much, but I do remember being parked on the side of the road for something and my baby brother had a big blowout in his diaper and the smell made me throw up all over the back seat.

Second trip was when my dad and I drove from Chico, CA to Concordia, Kansas. My Aunt Bernice had passed away and a lot of her stuff that went to us was stored at my Aunt LoLita’s place. LONG TRIP. I don’t know how many days it took but it seemed forever. I was in my late teens and had an eye infection and couldn’t wear my contacts. Light bothered my eyes so much and I couldn’t do any of the driving to spell my dad. He didn’t believe me and thought I was faking. Driving back was better because Aunt LoLita came with us for a visit.