December's First Reads

Eight books again

1. Suspense - Unspeakable Things
2. Contemporary Fiction - Beginner's Guide to Free Fall
3. Psychological Thriller - I Choose You
4.  Crime Fiction - Lost Hills
5. Historical Fiction - Toward the Midnight Sun
6. Family Drama - This is Not How It Ends
7. Nonfiction - We Will Rise
8. Children's picture book - Naughty Ninja Takes a Bath

The suspense sounds dark and icky.  Contemporary fiction is another family drama, sounds blah.  Psych thriller is all abduction and murder.  Crime fiction also sounds abduction and murder.  Historical fiction is the Klondike gold rush, so not another WWII book. "Family drama" seems to mean a will-they/won't-they romance. The non-fiction is basically the basketball version of "We Are Marshall" but heavy on the sports information.

Looks like the historical fiction is it for this month.

November's First Reads

Eight choices again this month.

• Thriller - Nine Elms by Bryndza
• Suspense - Home Truths by Seskis
• Contemporary fiction - Holly Banks Full of Angst
• Historical fiction - Once Night Falls
• Suspense - In the Dark by White
• True crime - If You Tell by Olsen
• Picture book - This Book is Gray by Ward
• Non-fiction - That Wild Country by Kenyon

I'm not a fan of thrillers, suspense, or true crime, so that knocks my options down a lot.  Once Night Falls is about Nazi-occupied Italy, and I'm kind of over WWII historical fiction.  Holly Banks Full of Angst sounds too fluffy.  That Wild Country actually looks interesting anyway, so I guess that's the one. 

First Reads - October

Amazon's First Reads choices this month:

1. Domestic suspense - Under Lying by Janelle Harris
2. Family drama (reviews not god) - The Puzzle of You by Leah Mercer
3. Legal Thriller - An Equal Justice by Chad Zunker
4. Romantic comedy - Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas (translate)
5. Historical fiction - A Transcontinental Affair by Jody Daynard
6. Contemporary fiction - Room To Breathe by Liz Talley
7. Mystery - Broken Glass by Alexander Hartung
8. Sci Fi - The Last Dance by Martin L. Shoemaker

The drama has lousy reviews.  Not in the mood for suspense or thrillers. The mystery is the first in a new series.  The contemporary fiction sounds more like a rom-com, with a divorced woman dating her daughter's ex-boyfriend.

So, sci-fi, or historical fiction? Sci-fi is 450 pages, so too long for reading on the phone, for me.  

Tracfone, you drive me crazy

Tracfone is fine, as long as you don't expect any help, and make sure not to let your phone go inactive.  If you try to reactivate a phone that's been sitting in the cabinet for a few months, though, may the gods have mercy on you. 

The Boy has an overnight field trip this week, and was desperate for a cell phone to keep in touch.  So, we went to reactivate the phone we got him for last year's field trip.  Easy peasy, right?

NOT

At 2:00 on Sunday, I tried to add the airtime to the phone.  Yes, I should have started a few days earlier.  Anyway.  Error message - invalid SIM card.  Called the number in the error message.  After going in a few circles because the phone number wasn't in their system (more on that later), I was routed to an actual person (who I will bet is not actually named Francis, but whatever).  All I have to do is go to a retailer (Walmart, Walgreens, etc) and get a Bring Your Own Phone SIM kit, for a mere 99 cents.

Off I go at 3:30 to Walgreens.  Find one BYOP kit, with a $1 sticker on it.  Which rings up at $9.99.  Um, excuse me, the price sticker says $1.  Manager is not inclined to sell it for the sticker price, so off I go to Walmart #1.  Kits there are $9.88, but sold out.  %^&$%^& !!!  Off across town to Walmart #2.  Kits are $9.99, in stock, but locked on the peg.  And no one around to unlock it.  Husband texts me and finds 99 cent kits on Walmart.com, but store pickup isn't an option, and we don't have time for shipping.   I check Target.com (using Walmart's wi-fi) and they have 99 cent kits with in-store pickup.  Order one, go home to wait for confirmation. 

Oops.  Target email says they're out of stock.  *&^(*&^*&%   Find the SIM card from the LAST time we went through this, but it's a full-size SIM, not a micro SIM.  Ugh.  Stop at Walmart on the way to the in-law's, and buy the stupid $10 kit.  Come home, go through the online process, and again no luck.  Back to phone support.  FINALLY get things possibly lined out, but the phone still isn't showing the airtime.  Phone support says AT&T is having delays, should be okay by morning.  Call back if not. 

LUCKILY, by midnight the phone time showed up, and The Boy went off on his field trip with 120 minutes of air time (120 talk or 60 texts). 

So Tracfone shenanigans ate up a full 3 hours of my day.  I had other stuff I wanted to do, but NOPE. 

Amazon First Reads - September

September is another month when Prime members get two First Reads books instead of 1. This month's choices:

1. Thriller - Patricia Cornwell
2. Contemporary Fiction - Every Thing You Are
3. Historical Fiction The Dressmaker's Gift
4. Psychological Thriller
5. True Crime- The Man Who Played with Fire
6. Suspense
7. Fantasy - The Vine Witch
8. Childrens

So, I don't do thrillers/suspense/true crime, which means I'm down to 3 choices anyway. Although, that true-crime from Steig Larssen sounds interesting.  Maybe the library will get it later.  So, historical fiction looks like a yes, which leaves the second choice the contemporary fiction, or fantasy. 

I suggested a couple of these for the library to consider purchasing, and they're actually going to get the contemporary fiction and fantasy, so I guess I can get the true-crime as my e-book.  

Estate sales and thrift stores

Today's finds:

Estate sale - Breyers (yay!), a London knock-off Beanie Baby, and a 100% cotton sheet.  Part of the Breyers are for a friend.

Thrift store - postcards from France, corks, an ABBA cd for The Boy, and a Babylon 5 soundtrack CD.

August First Reads

Choices for August:

• Psychological Thriller - Here to Stay by Mark Edwards
• Contemporary Fiction - The Secrets of Lost Stones by Melissa Payne
• Historical Fiction - The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory
• Thriller - Black Nowhere by Reece Hirsch
• War Fiction - The First Stone by Carsten Jensen
• Non-fiction - Those Who Wander: America's Street Kids by Vivian Ho
• Literary Fiction - The Man With No Borders by Richard Morais
• Picture Book - A Tiger Like Me by Michael Engler

So, thrillers aren't my thing, and picture books are better on paper.  That takes three out of the running.  War fiction is something I'll read, but don't want to own, so two more are out (the historical fiction is also WWII related fiction).  The contemporary fiction selection doesn't sound interesting to me, either.  So now I'm down to the non-fic and lit-fic choices.  And the non-fic sounds kind of depressing, so I guess it's the lit fic this month.