My kids like their names. Me not as much. In the maternal side of my family all the women were named Sarah Jane for five generations(first born daughters) but my mother broke tradition and I would rather have been named Sarah than what she chose. But my husbands mother really screwed up. She named him after both grandfathers which is fine. BUT they started calling him his middle name, a rather sissified version of it. So when someone calls him Charles, he never looks although that's officially his name. He always did the initial and then the rest of his name. Very confusing. I named my son a great name which has a good nickname too.

On the last library visit I picked up Books Baguettes & Bedbugs by Jeremy Mercer. I have ploughed though the first 100 pages and can take no more of it! I was looking forward to reading about the famous Paris Left Bank 'Shakespeare & Co' shop but found little about books and way too much about Mercer who is/was a sleazy reporter with a Canadian paper who was forced to leave the country in a hurry and finds a bed at the shop. Perhaps he is still paid by the number of words he produces but I found the style sloppy with too much American slang, and way too many 'characters' unappealing . . . how many drunken/druggie old hippies do I want to read about . .. and if I ever read the word authored (meaning written) again, it will be too soon.

Back in town again, hate those one hour notice trips, just because I am the only physically mobile older family member. Mt favorite Darwin quote: Man is an eating animal..............

Oakley, yes I read it when I was eight(which kinda excuses me for stealing that bun lol)..didn't understand half of it properly, all these chapters on monasteries, and sewage system, and Battle of Waterloo, and whatnot. It just somehow didn't bother me-if I didn't understand sometthing back then I'd just read around and through. Didn't prevent me from becoming crazy about the book. I read many books in this manner when I was little. I do remember trying to understand why Milady was half-naked in the scene where D'Artagnan discovers she has this fleur-de-lis..okay, they kiss, okay, he sees her shoulder..still, why half-naked? I was six. Well "Three Muskeeteers" is really, really easier to understand nevertheless. Than "Les Miserables". Even though I didn't quite get all the theological disputes Aramis would get into..)) I re-read a lot. Each time you understand some more. oh. to add to that list. Entertaining, more like Dumas style. "Captain Fracasse". "Captain Blood: His Odyssey" (hmm. Lots of captains. lol) Carol, I was very happy to see your definition because I thought about it myself and wasn't sure I'm on the same page as others?..