November 30th, 2011

Is it already the end of November, wow 2011 flew by at a record pace.  That being said, it was a busy and eventful year and with that comes the time flying.  Lets see... in 2010 I graduated college, I went to England, I started the grad school process... visited various places, and pretty much had a great year.  We got our lovely Lizzie, who has graced this blog so many times...she needs no introduction.  So yea, its flown by...wow.


Blogger is being a pain and it wont upload my pic for my book of the day.  Which is a bargain basement gem that I picked up at another booksale somewhere at some point in time lol for a whopping 50 cents.  


A History of Urban America 
by Charles N. Glaab and A. Theodore Brown
published in : 1967  from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee


Its last chapter, the Emergence of a Metropolis... interesting in the perspective of what we see as big cities now.  But, well worth the 50 cents.  :)


Sorry folks, no pictures of it today... it wont upload.  Blogger hates me.

THERE WE GO... GOT IT

November 29th 2011

As I stated last time, I have a past with literature. My literature obsession is so huge that I actually had a professor who would pick on me for my adoration of the Romantics, who I still adore by the way.    Now before I was lured to the dark side of studying history, when I had that brief affair with literature (secretly... we still see each other, please don't tell the wars that, they get jealous), I had a particular love for poetry.  
So... for my book of the day, which is book number 5 or so on the closest of my 9 bookshelves is a little more artsy.

This is one of multiple collections of Eliot's poetry in my possession.  I usually HATE modern poetry... I will spare you my diatribe against The Red Wheelbarrow because if you know me... you've heard it.  That being said, I adore Eliot completely.  He was a modernist, but his words tinged on the Romantic now and again and his imagery, especially after 1920, when the entire world had changed, just amazing.   This particular edition, I picked up in Dublin, Ireland in an old bookshop.  What I adored about that shop, right off the main street of Dublin which is bricked and covered with old buildings and flower vendors galore (yes I was in heaven), was the fact that along with this small paperback version of Eliot's poetry.... they also had first editions of Eliot and Wilde and Joyce...you can imagine, I had a small heart attack before purchasing this as a little reminder of the wonderful shop where I was able to see such beautiful things.




"In this decayed hole among the mountains
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
Over the tumbled graves, about the chapel
There is the empty chapel, only the wind's home."


-What the Thunder Said p.66

November 24th, 2011

Another book sale find

Before I fell in love with history, I had an affair with literature.  To be honest, I always loved history and literature.  There was a time when I was a literature major and I immersed myself in Byron and Shelley on a daily basis, now its more like Grant and Napoleon but hey...

I believe, I am not sure, but I believe I have this entire set.

Materworks of World Literature Volume One

I picked this up for a whopping 75 cents, its a 1970 printing.

It includes The Odyssey, The Aaneid, Poetry by Sappho, The Song of Roland, part of the bible, and a selection from Don Quixote....vast.

"Ah, race of mortal men, 

How as a thing of nought

I count ye, though ye live;

     For who is there of men

That more of blessing knows,

Than just a little while

To seem to prosper well,"

-Sophocles

November 22nd 2011

This book has seen better days.

My book of the day has seen better days I know, but as a student who read this book from cover to cover in a 20th century Europe class I took a few years ago, It spent a great deal of time at the bottom of a bookbag or purse, and endured a lot of travel and wear.  This is a very broad cover of the 20th century, but its a good book, I liked it...even if it was for class.




The End of the European Era: 1890 to the Present


By Felix Gilbert and David Clay Large




2009 edition / 6th

November 20th 2011

Look who is feeling so much better.  She's adorable and just a joy.  Had to post it.

Here is my book of the day.... I'm sort of liking this feature, reminding myself of what books I have lol.  Today's book, "Leningrad: State of Siege" by Michael Jones.
Let me just say, I like WWI a lot better than WWII when it comes to study of course...I don't like any war.  BUT...if I had to choose something about WWII that I loved to read about, it would be the Eastern Front and Russia.  This book is pretty good, not the best, but good.


"Voroshilov claimed that he had improved the efficiency of the Red Army through a series of much needed reforms.  He had certainly instituted a startling career-advancement system in the wake of the purges: henceforth a commander's technical training and organisational abilities would be discounted in favour of his class background and participation in the ritual denunciation of colleagues."

-p 69  Book was published in 2008

Book of the Day

One of the many text books I have picked up over the years.

I have a love of history books, now I know that isn't really a shock, but when I go to old sales or when I am trolling about online, I tend to pick up history books that catch my fancy.  One of those fancies is Text books.  This one, I picked up at the Macon Friends of the Library Book Sale.  It is a pretty old text book for history standards, 1983, but it has some good generalized information and such.  




"British America was overwhelmingly rural.  The colonial farm, not the bustling seaport, sprawling plantation, or picturesque town, was the center and symbol of colonial life." -p.113


I have tons of these types of books laying around, we will probably get to them all.

Book of the day

The Second book on my closest shelf, Y The Last Man Volume One.  When people say Comics cannot be a s good as a novel...this is where I can trump them.  One of the best stories I ever had the pleasure of reading and also one of the reasons I refuse to read comics anymore... they just dont make them like they used to.




Read IT!


Y The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan

Sooo...

I have a lot of books, and when I say a lot... I mean over 2000 of them.  So, I am going to start featuring books I own.

First one UP....  is the first on the closest of my 8 bookshelves...

I ordered this book back in February used and it was because John Keegan recommended it.  It is a great overview of the war, nothing too in depth, but for a popular history it is an amazing look at the war that most people just do not know enough about.  What makes this book great?  I love the photographs inside of it, really nice.


Random Passage:

"On 31 May 1917 Bandsman Poitou wrote home to his wife that he had seen a train bringing soldiers back from leave in Paris to Chateau Thierry: 'the poilus were singing the Internationale, crying down with the war, long live the revolution.  I believe it is the portent of an imminent revolt.'  it was not, but that was not evident at the time, and it worried more significant players than Poitou.  On 8 May Petain was appointed to succeed Nivelle as commander in chief."
-page 242

The Love of a Dog

I have not had the time to post a blog in a while, it has been a bit busy, hectic, insane around the Wilson estate, but its time to get back to blogging and my first blog is something that is very important to me.  

Not 100% but feeling better

This amazing creature came into our lives in May of 2011.  We had just come home from England and both of us discussed getting a bigger dog and the opportunity came about.  When I saw Lizzie I fell in love.  Back in May, when we picked her up from to take her home, I could carry her to the car, that was a loooong time ago.  Now, She can stand up and almost look me in the eye and shes a bit big for me to pick up, though over the last few days... I have.  

Not everyone understand the devotion and love that some people have with a pet.  I have heard, many times... its just a dog.  No, its not just a dog... its a loving creature who shares its life with you, is there for when you are happy and sad....loves you no matter what and can tell when you are having a good day or bad and tries with everything in them to be there.  Lizzie is a part of our family and we love her just as much as if she was a person.   Adam and I don't have children, we made that choice, and instead we have this adorable and loving little puppy.

Lizzie has a sensitive tummy, so last week when she threw up once or twice I was immediately like...what did she get into?  We have taken away trash, pot holders, toys, shoes, you name it, this vibrant 7 month old has somehow reached it and carried around in her mouth like a prized trophy.  But, when she was still sick late in the night, I knew something was wrong.  After one of the most nervous days at work in my life... I rushed home last Wednesday and found Lizzie not herself, she was very sick and I knew it... and in a panic I took her to the only vet that was still open.  After a while there, we found out she had parvo.  

For people who don't have dogs, Parvo is a devastating dog virus that erodes the lining of a dogs stomach and kills them by pretty much dehydrating them.  It is dangerous, it is horrible, and for puppies... sort of easy to catch.  Parvo can stay in the ground for up to 7 months... so a dog could wander across your front lawn and have it, your dog could lick an area where they did their business (as dogs do) and boom.... have it.  Somehow Lizzie had contracted Parvo and for three days she stayed in the doggy hospital with very very worried and anxious parents, but by last Saturday...she had perked up, the vet (who is an amazing and wonderful person) was really hopeful and said we could take her home.  

It's now Tuesday, almost a week since she started showing signs of the illness and now...instead of having to try to beg her to eat or drink anything... she wants to eat all the dog food in the house, which means she is going to be alright!  She's lost a lot of weight and she's not as hyper as she was, but she is on the mend and our little Lizzie is going to be just fine.  I am not embarrassed or ashamed that most of last weekend I cried my eyes out in worry.  A lot of people have no clue how dear a pet is and there are even some that do understand and refrain from having one because of the heartache that comes when you lose one....and I understand that.

After these past months with Lizzie though and with the adoration and love of our other dogs, I realize how very lucky Adam and I are to have these amazing creatures in our lives.  Dogs love you unconditionally, even when you make a mistake, even when you are in a horrible mood, even when no one else seems to and we need that kind of love sometimes, especially in a world where a lot of people just refuse to understand the wonders of grace and love anymore.