What Have I Done? by Robin Janney

It started out innocent enough.

My brother, who lives at home with our mother, commented to me a few weeks ago how he's been trying to get someone, anyone, to clean off some bookshelves in the hallway so that he can lay down new carpet and have more room to travel the hallway. He wears an artificial leg and having the bookshelves in the hallway makes it a tight navigation. If it wasn't done by the time he was ready, he was just going to risk mother's ire and just throw everything out.

Can't have that now can we?

So this weekend I went through all the books on the small antique bookshelf and sorted them out. It has to be antique; we've had it since as long as I can remember and I turn 40 in a matter of weeks!

Rather busting at the seams don't you think?

Now, I ask you: does it really look like I needed to bring more books home?  My bookshelf pictured to the right does not hold all my books even though it is packed, with books stacked on top of books. I have books scattered throughout the house, some sitting on my desk, some in the bedroom. I've been saying for years that I need to weed out my books, but I keep putting it off. Someday, someday. Although I will note here, that as I was discussing this with Mr. Janney - who thinks it's all rather funny that I came home with more books - he did say that one of the things he wishes to make for me is a better bookshelf, he's just not sure where to put it yet.

The scary part is, I haven't told our mother what I've done yet. She wasn't even home as she's been away visiting her sister. I messaged my own sister and another brother to let them know that there were books at mom's that they needed to go through, I added the 'they'll be thrown out soon' threat just to motivate them. Either way, Mother will be coming home to two small stacks of books that she can go through and make her own decisions about.

Sadly, I had to throw some of the books away. There were a few that somehow had water damage to them. Not a little damage either. And some of them had been worm food (I really, really, really hope I didn't bring any of them home with me!!!) And a couple were badly outdated.  Like the computer book from 1990!! One of the pictures in it featured an old dot matrix printer!!  I'm not sure where it came from, it sort of looked like a college book but may have just been a book we picked up at a yard sale. I didn't go to college until 1994 and the book would have been outdated even by then. Part of me wanted to keep it as a conversation piece, but I honestly don't have the energy for that.

It was an interesting bit of conversation time with my brother. I came across The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and he exclaimed, 'That's a good book. The boys need to read that.' (He has 3) Whereas I - can't even remember if I've read the book in it's entirety. And The Red Badge of Courage; I know I've never read that one and he has. Apparently one of the reading classes he was placed in during middle school read a bunch of classics that year. He told me he was thinking about reading Shakespeare (and maybe Dickens since he quoted one of the lines from A Tale of Two Cities) and wanted to know if I thought it was worth it. Wellllllll, I liked Hamlet and Merchant of Venice was ok. At one point he said to me, 'How is it we've collected all these books over the years, but we don't have one copy of Moby Dick?' Another book on his wish list to read. Uhm, not sure.

Some of the books turned out to be mine anyway, which I'm not sure how I lost track of them but it happens. Like the one book I was looking for when I was clearing the shelves off; Job's Niece. I have no idea where it could have went to. And then brother tells me there are boxes of books out in the shed.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, that's a project for later.

In the meantime, I have to figure out what to do with the three little shopping bags of books I brought home. Although to be honest, it's more like two and a half since there was a small plastic box of recipe cards in the one bag. When I pulled them out and looked at them, I said, 'Hey, I think these are mine!' I collect recipes just like I collect books!

And I just got done talking with my mother about all this and she was okay with it. Whew! At least I'm not in trouble with mom or hubby then!

I might write about the different books as I read them, some of them are old. We'll see! I have to get done with the Harry Potter series first, I'm on The Half-Blood Prince.

How many of you are like me? More books than space? But it doesn't stop you from bringing home more? Have you read all the classics or like me, are you more 'hit and miss'?

Winter Blues and Books! By Robin Janney

Here it is Saturday night and I have no idea what to write.  I tried starting this post on Wednesday but became sidetracked and have since transferred it to another place for later.  Or never.

"Be Yourself." It's something I struggle with in the area of blogging.  Not always knowing what to write, because I don't want to cross the line and revert back into the venting mode I used to use when blogging.  I'm conscious of the fact that I have readers that I know in person and it's a constant thought in the back of my head.  I have never completely lost the negative trait of wondering what so-and-so will think.  Because of this, I often don't always say or write what I'm really thinking.  And that's not always a bad thing.

I'm still very down because of recent events, and there's the possibility that my thyroid medicine still isn't a high enough dosage.  It is very hard for me to write anything when depression is bad.  Even poetry.  I've always written best when the tide has turned and I'm climbing my way back out.  I know some of it is due to life events, and some of it is due to our lovely winter weather.  We have another snow and ice storm due to start sometime tomorrow - oh joy!  I can hardly contain myself.

Of all the goals I set back at the beginning of January, the one I am sticking to the most, oddly enough, is posting more on Twitter.  How weird is that?  I've been picking up new followers though, and connected with another aspiring author.  I gave her what advice I had, and we became friends on Facebook.  One thing Lisa did was start herself a blog, how exciting is that?  It should be fun to watch her grow as a blogger and writer!

I haven't forgotten my other goals, and still have faith that I'll see them to fruition.

Two things are happening in the world of books that really kinda have me pumped.  One, if you haven't heard yet, where have you been? Harper Lee is releasing a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird.  Because of pre-orders, Go Set A Watchman is already on the best sellers list; it's not due out until the middle of July!  It will be a long wait for some people.

The second isn't quite as impressive I guess, but Frank Peretti showing his face on his Facebook page made my day.  He was sharing about his latest endeavor with a group of three other authors.  A new series, each novella written by a different author and in a different character's voice.  If you're interested, you can find the first book here on Amazon.  Frank's book will be out in March.

I've always been a fan of Frank Peretti.  His writing resonates with me.  The book that won my heart for life though was The Visitation.  I reread it every so often, just to see which character I identify with at the current point in my life.  It changed how I thought about God, church, and so-called spiritual gifts.  It gave me piece about my journey in life.  And yes, it's fiction.

I'm in between books at the moment, but will soon be picking one up to read.  Maybe Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, or Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie.  I haven't decided yet.  What books have you read so far this year?  What are you looking forward to reading?

Broads of a Feather – Year in Review!! By C.P. Stringham

Top: Our first meeting. Bottom: Our talk on
being Indie Authors.

I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better blog partner than my cohort Robin Janney. We gel. We relate. We keep each other motivated—and, honestly, I wasn’t going to be able to maintain a weekly blog without her. Best relationship I have ever had. We’ve never argued or even disagreed slightly. We are “Yes!” women. Dare I even admit we finish each other’s sentences/chat statements sometimes?! Seriously! She gets a lightbulb moment and then mine turns on and vice versa. It’s writer’s kismet! On January 8^th, we will be celebrating our One Year Anniversary!!! Happy Anniversary, Robin! (Picture me flailing my arms Kermit the Frog-style and spinning around.)

It has been a great year for us at the Broads of a Feather blog. We have followers! And not just nationally, but internationally!! Hello to our readers from the UK, Poland, Germany, the Ukraine, Turkey, and Canada! I am delighted to have you join us with so much regularity. You never realize the reach of your voice online until you get a glimpse at your blog stats. Thank you for visiting with us weekly!

Not only did our blog start a year ago, but Robin and I got to finally meet each other in person at the Spalding Memorial Library on Saturday, February 1, 2014. Then we met up there again when we were invited back on April 5, 2014 to give a talk as Indie Authors. Even though we were scared to death, we managed to relax and have fun. Talking books and writing is always fun—even if it’s in front of strangers. Between the two of us, we published three books in 2014. Robin’s much-anticipated sequel to Farmer’s Daughter, Ring Of Fire – Book Two of the Country Music Collection, and books two and three of my Ellis Springs Series; A Moment’s Rest and Rest in Peace, came out.

Three books in 2014!

While Robin was hampered by health issues with her foot for several months, she managed to knock off her sequel before the year ended. Nothing like being on medical leave from your day job in order to concentrate on your work-in-progress. She’s back to work, but surgery is in her near future as well as another leave of absence. Can we expect Book Three, Robin? As for me, 2015 means I need to buckle down and finish two books, Overcoming Sarah and Objects at Rest – Ellis Spring Series Book Four. I’m finished with senior photo sessions, the holidays are over, and my daughter is finished with college tours. If I can manage to stay off of social media (Damn you, Facebook!), I just may manage to get some writing done.

News headlines ranged from triumph to tragedy. Thirty-six states now permit same sex marriage. ISIS beheaded hostage James Foley an American journalist. Two slogans rang out reminding us that America still has a long ways to go in race relations: “Black lives matter,” and “I can’t Breathe.” The entertainment world lost actor/comedian/humanitarian Robin Williams to suicide and our nation mourned as we recalled his most memorable roles for this funny man truly touched our lives. Unfortunately, tragedy seems to happen all too frequently and consumes our minds. But we persevere. It’s mankind’s nature. We take the good and the bad and hope that each experience helps to shape a positive future.

With that said (and I think this is my shortest blog post ever), cheers to you, 2014, and a hearty welcome to you, 2015! We can’t wait to see where you will take us next. Robin and I would like to wish all of our faithful readers a Happy New Year! 

We'd love to hear what your favorite memory is from 2014. Feel free to post in our comments section! 

Words of Wisdom from Mr. Koreander

Gateway to another world...

In the beginning of The Neverending Story II, the main character Bastian Bux visits the bookstore where he had found the magical book also titled The Neverending Story in the previous movie.  When the store owner Koreander catches him looking at the book, he scolds Bastian and the young boy naively protests saying that he's already read the book.  Koreander comes back with "Ahh, but have you ever read a book twice?  Books change each time you read them."

While thankfully books here in the "real world" don't change as drastically as The Neverending Story did for Bastian, there is so much truth in what Koreander said.  There are some who only read a book once, and I'm not sure whether they are wise or if they're missing out on a real treat.  I am one who likes to reread books.  Favorites are often reread several times over the course of the years.

Rereading a book is like visiting old friends.  You're already acquainted with the characters.  You know 

Scope for the imagination...

them, love them, hate them and you think you know what to expect.  For the most part.  Nothing changes about them or the plot - except for our perspective.  We see details we missed the first time, and sometimes even the second time.  A character's action that seemed almost commonplace is suddenly laden with double meanings.  A random comment foreshadows disaster.

I love to reread certain series.  Anne of Green Gables, The Wheel of Time, and the Little Women series are three good examples.  The first simply because I love Anne.  I saw the PBS mini-series first when I was a child.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I was able to read the entire series.  No doubt part of the draw is that I identify with Anne the dreamer and writer.  Part of that is why I love Jo in Little Women.  Jo March was more successful in the literary realm than Anne was, and strong-willed.  I admire her pluck!  The Wheel of Time was reread right before the last book in the series came out, so that it was fresh...as fresh as a series that big could be.  And let me tell you, trying to follow all the details in a 14 book series is no easy feet!  That is epic fantasy at its best (and worst) and I tend to look at it with a far more critical eye.  Encourages me to be more detailed, but not to much - and warns me not to drag it out foreeeeeeever!  I admire and envy his world creation skills!

Reading in bed...

Different books in the In Death series get reread from time to time as well, usually when I just want a quick 'Lt. Eve fix' and I only own a handful.  I haven't even begun to make a dent in reading all the books in the series, much to my dismay (maybe I'll borrow a couple next time I'm at the library!).  I love Lt. Eve with her no-nonsense kick-butt attitude.  The books are somewhat predictable, but that in no way takes away from the charm of the colorful cast that enlivens Lt. Eve's world.  Part science-fiction, part romance, part murder mystery, but ALL fun!

When it comes to stand alone books, the one that always comes to mind is Frank Peretti's The Visitation.  Every time that I have read it, I discover something new about myself.  In short, the book follows a disillusioned pastor (Travis) as he deals with a false Messiah (Brandon) that invades his town.  Travis is still mourning the death of his wife at the start of the novel.  While Brandon was a pretender with evil intents his arrival and all that went with it did manage to do one good thing: it eventually woke Travis out of his grief.  The book flip flops between the present and Travis' past, and in my opinion does so successfully.

Because I went to a Pentecostal/Charismatic church at one point in my life, along with some that weren't so Charismatic, I got all the inside jokes.  As I began to become disillusioned myself, I saw the book more and more from Travis' perspective.  I'm not sure how to put it without sounding blasphemous, but in many ways it's been far more influential than the Bible.  It has been one of the best books I've ever read...and re-read.

Of course, this doesn't even begin to cover all my favorite books.  And doesn't even touch on my beloved Star Trek.  Q-Squared, Imzadi...Vulcan's Heart (Best ever!)

I love reliving the best moments in a book, remembering small moments that add up.  Crying over the familiar losses.  Raging when the enemy gets the upper hand, even if for just a moment.

Do you ever reread books?  Which ones and why?




Just a reminder!  The Broads have a presentation this Saturday at 1pm!!

Hope to see you there!