TSS: 6.13.10

This has been a rather busy week for me.  I had so hoped to take part in Natasha's Bloggiesta, as it was so much fun and very productive the last time, but weekend plans prevented me from joining this go around.  I look forward to visiting all those blogs who did take part and see all the changes you have made.

On Tuesday night I was able to attend the preview for the Johnson County Friends of Library annual book sale. We had horrific storms that night which meant fewer crowds and a more leisurely environment in which to browse.  I arrived about 5:45, fifteen minutes before the official start, but discovered that some of the tables had already opened -- yippee!  The sale is held at a local shopping mall and takes up nearly ALL the interior floor space:  it is HUGE!  I shopped for three solid hours and could have stayed longer.  I left the sale having spent $26 for 26 books.....not bad!

I purchased a few DK art books - I just love the Eyewitness series and they are not always easy to find.  These books are just my speed - not too academic in their analysis of paintings, with plenty of pictures for me to actually "see" what they are trying to describe.  I will use these for my own personal pursuit of art appreciation, and I hope that future grandchildren will enjoy learning about the beauty of art through these books as well.

I found two books by Julia Cameron and I quickly snatched them up!  I only had the opportunity to read the first two chapters of the Artist's Way last fall, but really fell in love with her concept of "morning pages."  I hope to skim through both of these books this summer, and then perhaps really start to put her suggestions into practice.

I purchased three books that I have already read, but knew that I wanted copies for my own personal library:  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, and The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa.  Each of these books I enjoyed greatly and I hope to re-read them again sometime.

I also purchased several fictional books, most came highly recommended from your blog reviews, and a couple with which I was unfamiliar but the description on the back of the book made me willing to risk a dollar.  I also found several biographies and memoirs, most notably Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island, The Private World of Daphne du Maurier, Tender to the Bone by Ruth Reichl, and The Tolkien Family Album.

I realize that this is a rather eclectic collection of books, but I am really very pleased with each purchase.

I spent Thursday evening visiting with my mom - and we had such a pleasant chat.  However, when I got up to leave, she began to feel dizzy and ultimately had a difficult time just putting herself to bed.  This resulted in a trip to the ER on Friday morning and admittance to the hospital in order to stabilize her blood pressure.  This is a recurring issue with her, but it never fails to catch both of us by surprise and always adds an extra layer of stress to our lives.  This is the primary reason why I am not able to participate in the Bloggiesta.

This coming week requires me to be at school for two days out of five - so I will not have time to do as much reading, writing, and playing that I would like.  BUT....this means only one more meeting at school at the end of June and then I will have the entire month of July off.  Now that is something that I can get excited about!