In A Stack...Report # 2

Been in a reading frenzy of late...hope you don't mind the reports. :)

No One Cares What You Had For Lunch gives the reader 100 ideas for your blog. The author, Margaret Mason, has covered all the blog writing bases by categorizing her ideas by chapters based upon how much time you would need to write about that given entry. Chapter 1 begins with Fifteen Minutes to Fame and Chapter 5 ends with Think Like a Writer. Each idea is given a succinct, often "quippy" title, a short description and wraps up with an example or two. She has ideas for personal blogs, professional blogs and group blogs. Some of the ideas seem to closely resemble each other (how many times does she say to look back at old photos or journal entries!), but she tries to have a unique point-of-view for each idea. Based upon idea # 82 I began a notebook and came up with 42 of my own ideas to blog about so I would say the book was a worthwhile read. If you need inspiration for posts this is a fun place to start.

What a treat it was to read Agatha Christie's Miss Marple The Complete Short Stories! I am a big fan of Agatha Christie and have probably read a majority of her books. I picked this book up at the library for reading before bedtime. You see, I have a problem...If I am reading a book I haven't read before and it's compelling (many are) I have a tendency to stay up very late (ahem...3am) to finish the book. This does not work well in my life. So...I have had to restrict my "before bed" reading to books that encapsulate subjects or short stories a chapter at a time. Then I can put the book down and sleep at a normal bedtime. (My husband is saying, "yeah, right!") I digress - back to the review:

Miss Marple is one of my favorite characters - someone I wish I knew in person. She mixes an elderly female innocence with a sharp wit that just makes me smile. I can never solve the crime, but when she reveals the solution I am often amazed at how simple and obvious the mystery was. As the Chicago Sun-Times quotes on the face of the book Miss Marple is "one of the greatest female sleuths of all time!" This book was a relaxing read that I could pick up and put down at my leisure. If you only have time for short stories, and enjoy mysteries, I highly recommend this book.