This is probably a perfect book for manufacturers, companies that make widgets. For professionals like me, an attorney, or the CFO I am reading this with, it has some real pearls that make this short read worth it. But a lot of the advice, for example, standardizing processes to make widgets, doesn‘t apply much to what we do. I do buy into his eliminating tasks that waste time. I was disgruntled with his over-eagerness and repeating, “I‘m going ⬇️

Free with Audible membership until September 16

#authoramonth @Soubhiville

I finished this short story today, a standalone free on Audible. The story recounts Rose, a college student, dreams about a mad scientist Doctor Beilstein who has the grand idea to steal the blood of famous people for nefarious reasons. The ending is a surprise about Rose, even to Rose herself. I appreciate that we are reminded all along that this is a dream. It‘s very very short and I enjoyed it. #authoramonth @Soubhiville

I‘m listening to this audiobook. OMG everybody should hear this. It‘s a collection of Vonnegut‘s graduation addresses. It starts with a wonderful biography of Vonnegut. And his speeches are humorous and deep. The first speech ends with a discussion of how politicians use hate like a drug. So meaningful now. I‘ve only just started the second one and I‘m astounded and love how he, an atheist, explains why Jesus is the prince of peace. #authoramonth

August wrapped. Not the best books this month when Paddington is the only 5-star read!

August Books Wrapped:
I read 4 books for #Bolivia #foodandlit
1 book for #authoramonth
1 book for #campLitsy
1 book for #klbr
And 1 book for #serieslove

I‘m still reading a Llosa book, Bad Girl, that I started in July for #Peru #foodandlit and Dickens‘s Little Dorrit that I started in June for #whattheDickens

My next audiobook, which I‘m buddy reading with a client‘s CFO, who I‘ve been directed to help her improve her working with her staff. Yes I‘m an employment lawyer and yes this is an odd tasking. Heck I hope it makes me a better manager of my team.

John/Jonah interviews the children of one of the fathers of the atomic bomb for a book he‘s writing. At the same time he describes his new religion, Bokononism, which began when he finds the last of the children on an island called San Lorenzo. Meanwhile, the children have “inherited” a substance from their deceased father, the use of which sets the stage for the finale of the book. It‘s a humorous book (think John Scalzi), but I can understand ⬇️

I have a black cat now but I‘ve had plenty of gingers growing up.

Chief Inspector Gamache is called yet again when a dead body is found in Olivier‘s cafe in Three Pines, which has undergone a huge change. City dwellers have purchased the old Hadley house, aiming to turn the haunted place into a luxury B&B. Olivier immediately becomes the main suspect of killing the poor old man in his cafe. It takes the detectives an immense amount of time to even discover who the man was, much less his murderer. This fifth ⬇️

Israeli Yossi, American Kevin, and Swiss Marcus are mochileros (backpackers) in Bolivia who decide they want to see a real jungle and Indian village. They hire a man, Karl, to guide them through the forest. As the title makes obvious, everything goes terribly wrong. These mochileros have no idea that their enthusiasm isn‘t enough to get them out alive. It is gruesome and harrowing. Yossi lives to write the book—so there‘s that. Yossi spends ⬇️

#HauntedShelf will be back this year, hosted by @PuddleJumper

I‘ve signed up!

Here is the sign up link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs7yHyeyWN9K9pSE-dbPvoNTyyJ9RJVSoKDzbd...

I‘ve picked this book out for my first #foodandlit book for the month. #Nicaragua @Catsandbooks

I‘ve been reading way too many books at a time that I‘ve let this one linger. So long in fact that I‘ve forgotten who Mrs General was. So I found this great web page:

https://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/novels/little-dorrit/little-dorrit-characters...

#whattheDickens @Cuilin

My next audiobook for #authoramonth for September @Soubhiville

Portland, Oregon is destroyed by a massive earthquake, catching Annie by surprise while obliviously shopping for a crib at Ikea. Everything comes crashing down and the heavily 9-months‘ pregnant Annie, escaping the rubble by the skin of her teeth, starts walking to her husband‘s work. She‘s accompanied, at time, by the Ikea worker who saved her life. This is the story of her walk through the destroyed city while talking to Bean, the baby she‘s ⬇️

I loved some of these graphic stories about women—those being about Bolivia, Vietnam, and Peru. The latter two being beautifully told stories about women‘s experiences. The Bolivian story was difficult to understand at first, lacking depth. But the rest of the story was powerful—about women becoming economically independent. I didn‘t understand the first two stories. The graphics and font made the last one hard to grasp. Still recommended. ⬇️

#campLitsy

Some new book recommendations from my travel magazine. Wayfinder is a chunkster but looks good.

Never thought I‘d be writing about our Texas grocery store HEB on litsy but I just learned this. The founders of our HEB grocery stores also founded libraries in Corpus Christi and Kerrville (story below). HEB has dedicated disaster trucks which were first on site before FEMA during the July 4th floods. We do ♥️ our HEB stores. Good kind people.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DN08SLq4uTD/?igsh=cjUxdXcwdGxraXJ0

These are the three audiobooks by Vonnegut I found free on Audible with a subscription. #authorsamonth @Soubhiville

Loving this! #foodandlit #Bolivia @Catsandbooks

A client has tasked me to coach the CFO on how to manage her accounting department. She wanted part of her professional development plan to include reading helpful books. So now I‘m doing a buddy read with a client‘s CFO of this book. This employment lawyer, me, wears many hats beyond lawyering nowadays. It‘s just crazy. But I love the trust clients have in me. It makes the bad days worth it.

Yes ladies!! Open your market stalls and don‘t let men (the government) try to control you! Economic freedom can mean self sufficiency. I love these ladies! #foodandlit #Bolivia @Catsandbooks

My book haul from Bookmans in Phoenix yesterday. This is a first for me. Can you spot the terrible typo in the title of one of these books?

Use spoilers below when you discover it. I‘d love to see who all catches it.

Two packed packages of books from the SAPL book sale a couple weeks ago went in the mail today. One for my grand-nephew, son of @freeatlast1137 and one to @TheBookHippie for her students.

Does anyone else save their bags from bookstores? These were from 3 of the 4 we visited in Arizona over the long weekend. They‘re like memories.

Next up is this graphic novel with short stories about brave indigenous women around the world. Recommended by @TheBookHippie #Bolivia #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

More than 100 girls (3+ years) and women (some +100 years old) were sexually assaulted in a Mennonite town in Bolivia in the early 2000s. This account is told by a man, the minutes taker of a fictional village‘s women deciding whether to stay (& forgive the men), stay & fight, or leave. Why a man? Because the women were not taught to read & write. They‘d been taught their only purpose was to serve men. The women debate their religion, the ⬇️

My next audiobook. Fifth in the series. #serieslove @TheSpineView @Andrew65

Funny, not funny. 😬 #campLitsy

Husband and I squeezed in one more bookstore in Phoenix before catching the plane home to San Antonio. I have never ever seen a used bookstore like this one. It‘s MASSIVE. I felt I could find any book in there. I bought A LOT of books in the little time we had there. While there they recommended The Book Gallery, but it was too late to go there. @dabbe and all yall living in Arizona, we may just have to visit just to go to all the bookstores!!

Book haul from Changing Hands. How are we bringing back so many books? I brought son‘s clothes and stuff to move him into his dorm in a huge suitcase I checked in on the plane. Now it‘s empty so I need to fill it up with something!

Book haul from the Peregrine Book Company

Book haul from The Purple Cat

Our last bookstore of the trip to Prescott, Arizona and it was awesome! 😃 We fly home tomorrow and leave son at school. 😢

We stopped at this little used bookstore today in Prescott near son‘s college. Super cute and I got some good books!

Audio coloring and thought of you @TheBookHippie 😊 Isn‘t she gorgeous?

I love the concept of these books for beginners. They get progressively harder as you read through the stories. I read the first story tonight. It‘s super easy but only because I‘ve been doing Duolingo for so long.

Loved our short stop here in Phoenix on our way to Prescott to return son to college. What a great place!!

An original post-it note review from Mom @Doll8455 plus I recently gave it to my legal secretary Nancy to read it & she gave me her review! (the blue post-it).

I struggled with this short book. A Nazi photographer moves with his family to #Bolivia, where he‘s keen on making a documentary of his trek to find a lost city in the jungle. He variously takes 1 or 2 of his 3 daughters. We hear the story from the daughters‘ points of view. Most dramatically, 1 daughter, Monica becomes a rebel supporting Che Guevara‘s cause. Her whereabouts and safety are always an issue of concern for her sisters. Unless I ⬇️

Hi everyone! My mom @Doll8455 has posted her first book review!! Remember she‘s the one who used to write the post it note reviews? Anyway, would you all give her kudos? Very happy to see her post!!

Tagging a few friends… @Cuilin @Eggs @dabbe @TheBookHippie @Butterfinger @julesG @TieDyeDude @TheSpineView @freeatlast1137

Thanks yall!! Love ya Mom! ♥️♥️♥️

My next audiobook

#foodandlit #Bolivia @Catsandbooks

Great timing. I‘ve started reading the ebook, having ditched the audiobook. And right off the bat, here‘s Bolivian food from a village in the jungle.

#foodandlit #Bolivia @Catsandbooks

I.cannot.listen.to.this.narrator.anymore.

He over-pronounces every danged consonant. The “t”s are the worst. Hard “t”s. Imagine hearing the word “titillating” with over-pronounced hard “t”s. There‘s no nuance in his narration and until I googled it, I thought it was annoying AI. And no darned pauses between sentences. Sentences are read closer together than words. I‘m so done. Splurging $2 for the ebook. #foodandlit #Bolivia @Catsandbooks

Happy Aviation Day!

My next audiobook is for #foodandlit #Bolivia. The narration is…not good…. We‘ll see how far I can make it.

@Catsandbooks

Judy Blume was an eighth grader in Elizabeth, New Jersey, when 3 airplanes crashed into her town over the course of 2 months. In this book, she tells a fictionalized version of the residents living (& some dying) in these unfathomable events. She conveys the very traumatic experience for young adults and teenagers. while told from a young teenager‘s perspective, it is an adult novel. At the end of each chapter, she includes narrative from the ⬇️

Library hold finally came in. Starting it today. #camplitsy

My next audiobook and first one for #foodandlit #Bolivia (thanks to @Dilara ) @Catsandbooks