Snow Books
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (15)
Related Discussions
Best book-club books of the recent past
Comments (7)I just posted our selections on the 2011 Book Club choices thread. (I tried to post the list earlier, but my Firefox browser crashed just as I was finishing, so I turned off my computer in frustration.) Since you've asked in this thread, I'll repeat the list: Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah Biography Night (individual choice) Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor Our community One Read book (title as yet unknown) Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick Shanghai Girls by Lisa See My group has already read several of the the suggestions that were offered in this thread, and generally we liked all of them, so I think we'd like the others as well. I will keep this list handy for future selections. Thanks again! -- Kathy...See MoreNovember: what are you reading?
Comments (65)PAM, when I was at Palmyra in 2012, I didn't notice any of the boats (4 already there) moored in the west lagoon until we were nearly through the channel, the only ingress, parallel to Sand Island. I don't remember whether that was because I was too nervous watching for the reef or they weren't visible. It was probably the former because I do recall that from where we moored just off the west end of Cooper Island, boats were clearly visible outside the reef, looking southwest toward the channel. Nowadays, although there are no permanent occupants on Palmyra Atoll, there are temporary residents, employees of the Nature Conservancy and other U.S. government staff, year round. Any boats making a call at Palmyra have to seek permission to visit, and what with radios and other electronics, the staff at the station have to be contacted so they expect any boat's arrival. I don't know what the protocol is for refusing moorage to unauthorized visitors. From what I understand, in 1974 when the Sea Wind and the Iola were there, the atoll, although it was technically private property and permission was supposed to have been sought from the owners in Honolulu, in reality it was hard to keep tabs on what boats came and went. There were no permanent residents since the U.S. military abandoned it after WWII, but Palmyra was a crossroads of sorts for sailing from Hawai'i down to Pago Pago and other South Sea islands and back. Many boats probably stopped over for a few days just out of curiosity and to take a break. Some stayed for a few days and sometimes a few weeks. Apparently it wasn't unusual for several boats to congregate in the west lagoon for short periods, although there were spells when it was completely deserted. What both couples -- Mac and Muff Graham, Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns - didn't realize was that Palmyra was frequented fairly often, though intermittently. They had expected it to be deserted except for each of the couples alone. Evidently, this caused resentment for those who wanted solitude and complete run of the place themselves. I don't think it would be particularly unusual these days to call in at any island or atoll of any size to find one or two boats already there or, if it was deserted, to be joined by other boats after a day or maybe just a few hours. Of course there's no way of knowing whether the occupants of those boats are good sorts or bad, but from my experience (limited to only half a dozen runs south of the equator) and the experiences of my DH and sons, the sailors seem to be mostly good, friendly sorts. The Grahams had the misfortune to meet up with Buck Walker, though. When you have finished the book, PAM, I would like to know what you think of Stephanie Stearns (Jennifer Jenkins in the book)....See MoreDecember: What are you reading?
Comments (78)I have been reading a couple of OOP mysteries from Betterworld and also bought a copy of "Gimme More" by Lisa Cody to read again as I enjoyed it some years ago. It has been very hot, over 100F so I was bunkered indoors with the air-conditioning on, reading and eating Christmas chocolates. I came to a part where a character remembers floating in a swimming pool which sounded enticing and then I thought "Why am I not doing that?" so instead of reading about it, I grabbed my bathing suit and walked for a full minute to the one in our Village. Sometimes I let fantasy get in the way of reality. Has anyone else ever done that?...See MoreAlong came pretty little May
Comments (106)You probably know that a BS or BA takes four years in the US, and sometimes five if the college is overcrowded and classes are hard to get, but that is because you must take a certain number of classes outside your major - liberal arts if you are a tech/science major, or math and science if you are a liberal arts person. It is considered that this will help to make you a well-rounded member of society. To some extent, I think it is true. We are also seeing the rise of the master's degree as the standard of a well educated person. My husband, one daughter, and I all have one, as does my brother. It has become fairly common. My other daughter has two bachelor's degrees (career change), and my non-academic son completed a certificate program at a community college. It is unusual for anyone to stop at high school and expect much of a career, very different from a generation ago. And a generation before that, my grandfather stopped at eighth grade, which was considered perfectly adequate. He was educated in Canada where he grew up, but the same was true in the United States. (I do want to add a side comment here. It is my personal belief that a person who did not go beyond high school but continues to read all his life long is apt to be a far better educated person than someone who gets a degree but never opens another book for the rest of his life.) Equal pay is an iffy thing, addressed differently in different places. In areas where the cost of living is higher, pay also tends to be higher, the Boston-NYC-Washington corridor being one region with a notoriously high cost of living. Hawaii is also a very expensive place to live, and Los Angeles and the Bay Area (including Silicon Valley) is just as expensive. Government job pay scales are mandated by regulation, and union jobs by contract. The business sector is free to pay what the market will bear. There is a set federal minimum wage, though some areas have set their own higher minimum wage, much disputed by business which says that it will mean higher unemployment or the failure of small businesses. As for pay for women, in my area the pay ranges can be different for two reasons (at least). One is that pay is generally negotiated, and women tend to be less assertive in asking for more money, more inclined to wait until their value is recognized and spontaneously rewarded. The other is that if there are children involved, mothers are employed full time are more likely to work only 40-50 hours a week (I did) while fathers feel free to stay at the office 50-60 or more hours. Long hours are highly valued here in Silicon Valley, and they do tend to be financially rewarded. Then there is the fact, still true, that many women choose traditional female careers (teaching, nursing, library work) where pay lags unless there is a union to increase it. Stop me before I go on even longer! I keep coming back to edit typos and explain more and more....See More
10 years ago
10 years ago- 10 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESGet a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
Reviewing what you grew last year now will pay off when it’s time to head outside
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESBackyard Birds: Northern Cardinals in the Snow, and Other Red Birds
Brilliant crimson feathers make these friends stand out in a crowd
Full Story
BOOKS11 Great Children’s Books About Home (and 2 Honorable Mentions)
Homes come in many different shapes and sizes, and these kids’ books highlight the tallest, the smallest, the oldest and the silliest
Full Story
DENS AND LIBRARIES20 Book Lover’s Spaces That Will Make You Want to Read
Borrow these ideas from spaces designed around a love of books
Full Story
HOMES AROUND THE WORLDWorld of Design: 11 Book Lovers and Where They Like to Read
Bibliophiles across the globe reveal their top books and favorite reading spots, from a 2-story library to an artfully curated book nook
Full Story
FEEL-GOOD HOME15 Cozy Book Nooks and What They Want You to Read
Put the beach reads away; these comfy spaces are creating a fall reading list. What books do they suggest to you?
Full Story
BOOKSBooks: Tom Kundig's Houses 2
Expansive new release captures Seattle architect's beautiful, highly-crafted, often kinetic home designs
Full Story
LIFESimple Pleasures: Get a Book Club Going
Kick back with friends and a thought-provoking read for an event that’s entertaining and educational all at once
Full Story
EVENTSSee the Vermont House Where Rudyard Kipling Wrote ‘The Jungle Book’
The author penned many works here, including his children’s classic, which Disney has remade into a movie
Full Story
LIFEIs Cabin Fever Real? Share Your Story
Are snow piles across the U.S. leading to masses of irritability and boredom? We want to hear your experience
Full Story
vee_new