Happy Tuesday, everyone!  How are things going?  Did you do anything fun for Memorial Day?  We had a small family BBQ/swim party to celebrate the holiday and my daughter's graduation from high school last week.  Warning, proud mom bragging ahead:  The little smartie ended up 10th in her class of 730 seniors.  We're super proud of her hard work.  She'll be attending a state university on a four-year, full-ride, Arizona-based scholarship.  Anyway, having a crowd of people at my house sitting elbow-to-elbow (social distancing is tough while playing game after rousing game of Dilbert Corporate Shuffle) was a little weird, but it was also good to be around family again. 

Speaking of family, I always take a moment on Memorial Day to remember the men (we haven't had any female soldiers, although our military wives definitely deserve a shout-out) from my family who have served and sacrificed for this country.  My ancestors have served in nearly every war involving the U.S., with deaths in all, but this is the guy I've heard the most about throughout my life:


My 22-year-old Uncle Joe (the man on the left) was killed in action in Vietnam on March 5, 1967, when he saved several members of his platoon and took the most direct hit from the land mine that threatened them all.  His bravery and sacrifice deserve to be remembered and honored.  R.I.P. to my family's favorite hero.

On a lighter note, it's time for Top Ten Tuesday, my favorite bookish meme.  It's always a good time, so I definitely encourage you to participate.  Click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.  Today's topic is a fun one:  Top Ten Opening Lines.  You can talk about book openers that you love or hate; those that made you laugh, cry, think; or whatever.  I love a great opening line as much as the next reader, but my memory is terrible so the only one that comes quickly to mind is "It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times."  So, I decided to use Google to check out the first lines of ten of my all-time favorite novels.  Funny enough, most of them aren't that intriguing, profound, or memorable at all!  Some of them you will no doubt recognize; others not so much.  Hint:  half of them are from traditional American or Canadian classics, while the other half are more modern. 

How'd you do?  How about you—what are your favorite (or least favorite or whatever) first lines?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!

Well, it's another Tuesday in quarantine.  How are you all holding up?  We're doing fine over here.  Not a lot has changed since last week and the week before that and the week before that, although apparently, things are going to start opening back up here in Arizona this week and next.  My husband and sons are readying our jet skiis to hit the lake as soon as the gates open on Saturday.  I know they're ready to bust out of quarantine for good, but I'm still not sure if a grand reopening of the world is a solid idea.  It makes me nervous, I have to say.

In less controversial news, it's Tuesday again, time for my favorite bookish meme.  If you haven't joined in the fun of Top Ten Tuesday yet, you really should.  It's a great way to get involved in the book blogging community, visit favorite blogs, find new ones, discover fantastic-sounding books, and keep yourself entertained (something we all need right now).  Click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl to get all the details.

Not gonna lie, I'm not totally feeling today's topic of the Last Ten Books I've Abandoned.  I prefer to keep TTT a positive thing.  Also, there's the little problem of my faulty memory—I honestly wouldn't be able to dredge up the names of the last ten books I DNF'd if I tried!  Since I couldn't think of a creative way to spin the topic du jour, I'm just going to chatter generally about the Top Ten Reasons I Might Abandon a Book (in no particular order):

• The story is moving way too slllloooowwwwwlllllly and I'm bored with it.  I've gotta have some action to keep me awake!
• The characters have no personality or they have personalities that grate on my nerves.
• The plot is too gory, violent, graphic, or disturbing.  I DNF'd a book last night and one last week for this reason.
• The writing is unskilled, unpolished, or just downright terrible.
• My own moodiness.  Sometimes books that would otherwise grab me just don't at a certain time, for no particular reason other than my mood.
• Too much cheese!  When it comes to food, there is no such thing.  Books are different, though.  Too much corny, saccharine, or eye roll-worthy prose and/or dialogue and I'm out.
• Serial OCD.  I've abandoned (or, rather, postponed) a number of books I've randomly grabbed at the library because I later discovered they were part of a series.  I refuse to read books in a series out of order, even when other people swear up and down that they don't need to be read in order.  Yes, they do, Karen!  Yes.  They.  Do.
• I just don't care.  Have you ever been in the middle of a book only to realize you really couldn't care less what happens next?  This occurs to me fairly often, usually because the characters are unlikable or just too flat to really make me interested in what happens to them.
• Certain topics.  There are topics I just don't like to read about, either because they make my blood boil or my stomach turn or my head/heart hurt.  If I encounter these subjects in a novel, I almost always jump ship.
• Variety.  I like to read several different genres, shuffling between them to keep my reading life interesting.  If I start with a book and realize it's too similar to something else I've read lately, I'll usually abandon it, even if just for the time being.

I love Top Ten Tuesday, but I'm not always feeling the topic du jour.  Today's is Top Ten Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Talk About and ... I got nothin'.  I seriously can't even think of one book.  So, I'm going to twist the topic and chat with you about Top Ten Things I've Been Doing in Quarantine Besides Reading.

If you're bored and looking for a fun distraction, hop on the Top Ten Tuesday party bus.  It'll be a good time, I promise!  Just head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl to read a few instructions.  Then create your own list, following this week's prompt or changing it up if that works better for you.  Next, spend some happy hours clicking around the book blogosphere.  It's a great way to discover new blogs, show some love to old favorites, and, of course, add awesome new titles to old Mount TBR.  What's not to love?

Top Ten Things I've Been Doing in Quarantine Besides Reading (in no particular order):


1.  Blogging—You'd think with all of the time I have on hand I would have caught up on writing reviews by now.  Not exactly.  I have been reviewing, but I've also been reading about a book a day, so I'm still way behind.  Maybe I'll be on top of things before the quarantine ends?  Not likely ...


2.  Cross-stitching—I used to spend a lot of time cross-stitching.  These days, I can go years without picking up a needle and thread.  In the past few weeks, though, I've felt a hankering to get back to my old hobby.  I finished the project above last week and have started on a new design that celebrates the Fourth of July.  Of course, I haven't just been stitching—I've been shopping for patterns, floss, etc. online (mostly at 123Stitch); reading cross-stitching blogs; even checking out the FlossTube channel my friend and her friend created, M and M Stitchers.  The nice thing about cross-stitching is that I can stitch away while listening to an audiobook, watching t.v., or just chatting with the fam.

3.  Housework—I'll be honest, I never feel motivated to do housework.  Even less so lately.  But, needs must sometimes, right?  There are always toilets to scrub, laundry to sort, dishes to wash, etc.


4.  Words With Friends—I've always been a big Scrabble fan and WWF is a fun, online version of the game.  If you play, hit me up.  My username is sjwordnerd.

5.  Boggle With Friends—Even more than WWF, I love BWF.  It's a fun, fast-moving, addicting game that is a perfect distraction.  My username is sjwordnerd on BWF as well.


6.  Watching t.v./movies—Prior to the quarantine, I only really watched t.v. when I was folding laundry.  As I mentioned above, I've been stitching more, so I've been watching more.  Since my kids are home all day, whatever we watch has to be family-friendly.  My husband and I just finished Limitless; now we're working on Blue Bloods.  I also watched Groundhog's Day (an old favorite), Outbreak (I'd forgotten how terrifying it is, especially considering the state of things these days.  Also, it has a 90's PG-13 rating, meaning it had a lot more F-bombs than anticipated.  Oops.), 93 Days (another pandemic flick, based on a true story), and The Fighting Preacher (an interesting, uplifting movie about a couple who served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1900s in upstate New York and how they overcame the hate and prejudice they encountered there). 


7.  Sleeping—Back in the old days (you know, January), I'd get up at 6 every morning to get my kids off to school and then get on with my day, which was always full of appointments, errands, shopping, volunteering at the school, housework, projects, etc.  These days, I crawl out of bed around 9, shower somewhere around noon, and usually take a nap around 3 because why not?  I literally have nowhere else I need to be but in my nice, comfy bed!


8.  Eating—I don't know about you, but I think I've gained 20 lbs. so far this quarantine.  Although we've had some trouble finding the groceries we regularly buy, we've still managed to eat plenty of food.  Both my 18-year-old daughter and I have been baking away, both out of boredom and craving sweets.  So, yeah, I'm going to be stepping up my weight loss game once if this quarantine ever ends.


9.  Genealogy—As I've mentioned before, I'm in the middle of getting accredited as a professional genealogist through ICAPGen with a specialty in the Great Lakes area of the United States.  I was supposed to head to Salt Lake City in early May to complete my testing, but that has been postponed.  In the meantime, I'm finishing up a big project so I can certify in the Southwest U.S. region as well.

I've also been spending a lot of time indexing old records through FamilySearch.  I've done this for years and it's a fun, easy way to volunteer your time.  After these records are indexed, which makes them easily searchable, they are published online at FamilySearch.  The genealogy site is, and always will be, completely free.  Anyone can use the records found therein to research their family history.  Likewise, anyone can help index the records.  If you're looking for a way to volunteer from your home, check it out.


10.  Hanging With the Fam—Being cooped up together as a family for a month hasn't been a breeze, but it hasn't been bad either.  We've had more time than usual to eat together, chat together, laugh together, watch movies together, and basically just to enjoy each other's company.  It's been a lovely byproduct of an unpleasant time in the world.

There you go.  That's what I've been up to.  What have you been doing to keep yourself busy and sane during the quarantine?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!