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okay----faux, i needta know the contact info for summa them gullible and naive old ladies. But yeah---that way, i can continue ta fund alla my ongoing projects. I won't be WASTING it on trips, restaurant meals, and luxury cars. Just the very important stuff I like, instead. Yup.
Well, my advice to you in chasing down the old ladies with money is to insert yourself into Instagram or Facebook fan pages. These guys seem oddly attractive to the ladies: Post Malone (!???!!!) Chase Rice, Matt Rife.Quote:
Originally Posted by littlebittybobby
I didn’t even know who these people were until I saw the Catfished videos about the scammed little old ladies.
and then, there are the perennial favorite internet boyfriends and girlfriends like Johnny Depp, the Bee Gee’s Barry Gibbs, Jennifer Aniston for the delusional old men.
Four star army generals are popular with senior ladies as well.
when you become an established member of these fan forums, you can contact the gullibles and claim you are the celebrity himself, and you want to chat with fans privately. Then you lead them into conversations about themselves, then you start flattering them, then you ask for money. Your reason for asking for money is usually that you’re getting a divorce and your manager or your spouse has tied up all of your money.
Did you give up on Kraft lady?Quote:
Originally Posted by littlebittybobby
okay---hAl, it's nunya about Kraft Lady. But yeah---since you asked, i had a phone conversation a week or so ago, in which she self-disclosed that she has a fence that needs painting. Yup. Also, her exe's wife has had a debilitating stroke at age 60. So, anyway--I informed her that i've DOUBLED my money on Carnival Cruise Lines, which was a ship in distress, ca. 2021! (CCL). Ha. So, that should help my case. Hope that helps you some. Thankk mee.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
okay---just found out about a book that was publishhed maybe 10 years ago called "Breakin The Code". But yeah--it's about a series of incidents including a fatal shooting in Ford Odge, Iwah, nowhereville, and drug-dealing MC gangers. . Not gonna spoil it for you. Got a used copy from ebay. Yup. Ford odge is also connected to the Weaver incident, a shooting by the FBI prolly 30 years ago. Yup. Also a connection to a)Paris Hilton and b)Lily Damita, 30's film actress. Prolly some others.
These were my August reads:
- Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver - I found this one pretty slow going, and I did not enjoy it as much as other books by her. It's the story of two families, one in the past and one in the present, who live in the same crumbling, structurally unsound house with themes of home and family and friendships.
- The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni - this is the third novel I've read by him, and they have all been good. It's a mystery/thriller, but with strong, well-developed characters that brings it to the top of the genre in my opinion, much like Dennis Lehane.
- The Rent Collector by Camron Wright - story of a family that lives in a dump in Cambodia, making their living picking through trash to resell items with value. It was decent read, based on truth, and another one with themes of home and family and friendships.
- The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer - this was another WW2 historical fiction novel by the author of The German Wife. I find her books to be very readable, and they prompt me to ponder what I might have done in similar circumstances.
- Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy - this is her second novel, and I really liked them both. The plot of this one involves the re-introduction of wolves to Scotland. Both of her novels have strong but flawed female protagonists, and they involve conservation, the protection of endangered species, and humanity's coexistence with other creatures.
I just finished "The River is Waiting," by Wally Lamb. Has anyone else read it? Alternatively I could not put it down or I couldn't pick it up and keep reading. But I did find it thoughtful and and provocative read.
The main character is quite flawed, but I was rooting for him nonetheless. It is written in his voice. Themes are forgiveness and how our individual perspectives can be so narrow.
A quick read book my neighbor gave me to read is “Small things like this “by Claire Keegan. it’s about an Irish father of four daughters who sells coal. He’s a nice man, a good man, and he runs into a situation where he feels he needs to act, and he does.
Dinner with King Tut - a non-fiction book about various pre-Christian cultures explained with fictionalized stories to make their times come alive. An interesting read.
That sounds interesting, PT.
That does sound interesting, PT.
Kay: that one is on my list, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
IL: I read that one and liked it very much.
I actually read Walden cover to cover last week. I'd never done that before. Thoreau really was the Robin/Dominguez and/or Mr. Money Mustache of his time. He went to visit an Irish farmer and instructed him that if he buys coffee he has to farm that much harder to pay for it. He, on the other hand, thought water was the perfect beverage and drank straight out of Walden Pond. Yet, his "experiment" on Walden Pond was not to make a permanent lifestyle out of subsistence living, but to shake up assumptions about needs and wants, and to elevate the value of just "being" and observing the natural patterns of life and the seasons.
I also found it really fun to learn more about 19th-century New England, which he writes about pretty colorfully--rosa, you in particular might appreciate that, living pretty close to Concord.
However, I must admit that the writing is stiff and archaic compared to how people write today. Still, it was refreshing in a way. The pace of the book and pace of the life he wrote about slowed me down while I read it and for a halo of time after that.
I will have to re-read Walden at some point, as I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I would be the first time I read it. While I did like the simplicity and minimalism he was demonstrating, I vaguely remember him being somewhat of a "user" and doing things a tad outside of what he preached. Again, I read it decades ago and could be remembering wrong. I will put it on my re-read list.
Yes, he didn't necessarily hold himself up to the standards outside the bounds of his "experiment. He was a man about town--living with Emerson for a while and at his own house in Concord. As a philosopher, I think he was just trying to show an example of how people can make better use of their "life energy." He never meant to be like Helen and Scott Nearing or Richard Proeneke (the guy who lived by himself off the land in Alaska).Quote:
Originally Posted by happystuff
I have Walden on my bookshelf and I did read it quite a few years ago, but it would probably have a different impact if I read it now. The problem is that I have so many books on my list that I've never read; it makes it harder for me to justify a re-read.
LOVE Richard Proeneke! Loved watching his video and have at least one of his books (think he wrote two - or his brother did a second after Richard's death??? Can't remember). Made me want to build a cabin out in the wilderness! Or actually - have someone build me a cabin. ROFLOL
Yeah, his video is amazing. Some people have such single-minded vision!Quote:
Originally Posted by happystuff
I'm not sure I could read Walden again. It was good at the time. I do think about re-reading :Loving and Leaving the Good Life about the Nearings. It was a favorite of their books. Not sure if it's accurate, but I once read that the Nearings were wealthy with family money. I think some of the early self-sufficient pioneers had some white privilege or at least a head start on things. Unlike some of the early homesteaders who went west with everything they owned in a wagon and tried to carve out a living on marginal land while maybe living in a sod house.
Walden: I had never read it. I got the ebook earlier in the summer for my Kindle, but I’ve only read bits of it yet.
Absolutely amazing when one stops to consider he was all alone and set up the camera for all those shots, etc. And watching him build his cabin alone and all the things he made - making it all look so easy!Quote:
Originally Posted by catherine
Just finished the Journey of a Thousand Li by Tao Wong series. Long Wu Ying's journey started as a farm kid who was conscripted by the Imperial Army, while recovering from an injury he is recruited by the Verdant Waters Sect to the life of a cultivator. Now as he journeys on the path of immortality while trying to navigate Sect politics, international politics, and internal struggles when all he wants to do is quietly wander the world with his found family. It's a complete 12 book series, a must read for martial arts and old school kung fu movies.
Just started this new book last night and stayed up very late reading. About halfway through.
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11.
Very highly recommended.
Will check that one out, Tradd.
Am reading a book of Ann Beattie short stories and Willa Cather's The Professor's House.
Reading “secrets of secrets” by Dan Brown. On page 121 of over 600. So far I don’t think it is up to par with DaVinci code, but I have barely scratched the surface. It involves a lot new age thinking which makes it more entertaining.
Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. Just came out earlier this year. It was referenced in an Ezra Klein podcast within the past week or two, titled "Blue Scare."
Reading Against the Machine: The Unmaking of Humanity by Paul Kingsnorth. It's in the vein of the philosophies and cautionary tales of Neil Postman and Lewis Mumford, with Wendell Berry thrown in. I sometimes get bored with books that are preaching to the choir (me) because I don't need convincing that we're on a runaway train with technology and we've lost our souls by abandoning nature.
But I'm finding it comforting to read this book and validate my quest for the simple life, particularly in these times when the news is full of stories like 90000 square foot gilded ballrooms being built and mountains being hollowed out to give birth to artificial intelligence progeny that will change our lives immeasurably, and the isolation driven by shallow virtual relationships. .
The book goes back into history about how the West came to where we are, and it challenges key assumptions about the wisdom of the structures that underpin the culture and our humanity.
As someone who has always had a buttterfly brain, I am getting some insight from a book called Taming the Molecule of More. All about dopamine and how it influences where we put our attention. We all get a little hit every time we click on "new" content on our phones/social media. Has me thinking I will take a complete news break like the author tried instead of clicking on every update about national news. It will be hard since I've always been an information junkie but there are certainly better ways to spend one's time.
These were my books for September:
- The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig - this was a decent novel about a young boy growing up in the sixties. There was a lot to like about it in the way of the characters and relationships, but it was so slow moving that I found it to be a bit of a slog. I kept waiting for it to pick up the pace, but it never did. I might be willing to try another by this author though. Important Note: the bartender drove and old Packard.
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - this was an entertaining read, pure fluff, but pretty fast and engaging. It's about a fictional famous actress and her life and loves. A lot of folks are crazy about this author, but I probably wouldn't read another by her.
- Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak - pretty decent horror novel, with a very likable female protagonist (young woman in recovery from drug addiction). Super fast read.
- Harry's Trees* by Jon Cohen - I loved this one! It was a very sweet story about a grieving widower and his efforts to assuage his guilt and build a new life, with fairytale-like elements.
*Kay, I think you would like this one if you haven't read it already.
Funny, Rosa. I answered this post The other day but it's disappeared. Thanks for the recommendation. I just ordered it thru my Libby account!
My post had disappeared too, because I posted it during the window of time that the site was having technical issues. Luckily, I had saved a copy of the post for a friend who has said that she values my book recommendations, so I was able to re-post without much effort.Quote:
Originally Posted by KayLR
I'm about 60% done with the Red Scare book. It is VERY appropriate to what we are currently going through.
Finished A Murder to Die For by Russell Cooper. Cecil and Ambrose being creatures of habit peruse the Classifieds section of The Sunday Time as they used it in their careers as Mi-6 analysts, they see a coded message from a deceased Russian spy complete with a meeting in a posh London restaurant. Turns out Boris the spy is very much alive and asking for their help solving a twenty year old murder of a teenage girl in an all girls academy.
This time a teacher was tried and convicted of her murder. Boris claims the former teacher is innocent and has proof.
Fun witty banter, cold war intrigue, and the local bake off.
I'm almost done with the nonfiction book I mentioned--Against the Machine--but I'm simultaneously listening to Lessons in Chemistry on my daily walks. I've had it on Kindle for a long time, but never really got into it after only a chapter or two. At my annual gathering with my college friends, one of them raved about it, so I started listening to it. Midway through, and I really like it. I think a lot of women my age would appreciate how well the author characterizes what it was like to be a female in the 50s. Aside from that, the story is really compelling.
It wasn't The Great American Novel or anything, but I thought it was a fun read.Quote:
Originally Posted by catherine
Midnight on the Potomac not the kind of book I am drawn to. Non fiction Civil War...but I am finding it interesting and learning some things I didn't know. One is that Sherman's march to the sea dragged along thousands of newly emancipated families who ended up helping. It is written well for non history buffs.
Hope by Jane Goodall and Place of Tides by James Rebanks.
I tried to read The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr. It got so many rave reviews, like people commenting that they had read dozens and dozens of WWII books and this was the absolute best! It started out so badly that I had to look up those reviews again to reassure myself, but yup, that seemed to be the consensus, so I continued plodding along. I threw in the towel on page 45. She lost me at "... the want in his cold nipples -- erect like twin arrowheads against a smattering of golden chest hairs." :laff::laff::laff:
It was way too reminiscent of the steamy romances I read in junior high, like a bodice ripper with Nazis, like Kathleen Woodiwiss meets Kristin Hannah. I personally have nothing against nipples, but this is just bad writing!
Omg, Rosa! LOL! Frankly I look askance at anything with "Goddess" in the title.
Just finished The Hallmarked Man (Galbraith/Rowling). I'm pretty much a fan of the series. Also read The Red Queen (Martha Grimes). While I have read and enjoyed all of her previous books, this one was terrible. I don't think she wrote it (she's 93, I think) - it certainly wasn't the voice I was expecting based on past novels. The story is bland and confusing at the same time, well-loved characters are flat, and the editing was atrocious.
Just finished Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 50th anniversary of the sinking is next month this one has interviews with family members and former crew of the Fitz who worked years before she sank.