Well, what did I expect?

You know what they say: hindsight is 20/20.

The Delta Zeta Collegiate ladies had the grandly marvelous idea to have a book group, and we are getting started in January. Molly, lead book group instigator, chose "Where'd You Go Bernadette" by Maria Semple as our first book.

I had already read this one, but it was the summer of 2014. I remembered how clever and witty it was, so I looked forward to a re-read. I usually take books off of my iPad when I finish them, to avoid cluttering the library, so I sat down to reload it. Once it was reloaded, I went straight to the highlights and notes to refresh my memory.

There were none.

Egad!

I sat and thought for a moment. Well, of course there were none. I had deleted the copy that contained my additions. When I reloaded the book, I reloaded the unread version and not the one I had marked. Without copying the file from my iPad to the computer, they would never be there. All of the notes on all of the books I had read on my iPad were gone.

Oddly, I wasn't that upset. After all, what was I thinking? My notes would "ghost" to the hard drive? What a cotton-headed-ninny-muggings! So, now I am hedging my bets and writing them in pen on paper.

Live and learn!

2017 Reading List of the Edgewater Ladies Book Club

My friend Ashley belongs to a book group which sets their entire year's reading list at once.  There are pros and cons to this, for sure, but I love that she shares the list with me. Here is the 2017 planned reading list:

JAN      Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

FEB      The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg 

MAR    America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

APR      The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

MAY     Stoned: Jewelry Obsession & How Desire Shapes the World by Aja Raden

JUN     One Second After by William Forstchen

JUL      The Lady in Gold by Anne Marie O’Connor

AUG     The Doll House by Fiona Davis

SEP      Girl at War by Sara Novic

OCT      A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

NOV     Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

DEC     Great American Eccentrics by C. Sifakis  

Overall, it's a little heavy on non-fiction for my taste, but a very good list. I have added a few of these to my TBR. Let me know what you think of the list, and what you think of creating an entire year's list at once.

Foiled Again: Public Library Board Appointment

While I am not surprised, I am very disappointed.

I asked the executive assistant to Arab's mayor to send me a list of the City Council-appointed public library board members. I expected a vacancy toward the end of the year, and made my interest known to all city council members, as well as the mayor, in June. I received a reply from one of the members, letting me know that others had also shown interest.

While I find that highly unlikely, I did not question him.

When I received the list, I was shocked to find that a young man had been appointed just yesterday, to fill a seat left vacant by a resignation.

Very interesting, since this young man ran for city council in the last election and lost. This looks awfully like a concession prize.

I wrote an email to each council member, asking what their criteria for appointment was, considering there were several interested parties. I know that I was never contacted.