Tuesday, September 05, 2017

SEPTEMBER READING GROUP UPDATE









Well, I have been through a disaster incident and survived with only a three day absence from my normal life. Last Friday a fire broke out along the freeway nearest to my home and within hours was a raging brush fire that burned over 4000 acres of brush land in an area that had not had a fire for over 60 years. Amazingly only 4 homes burned down, all in remote regions. No one died. Only 8 were injured.

But the fire came within only yards of our house. We were ordered to evacuate on Saturday afternoon and just returned home yesterday, after staying with a friend. Our home was not damaged in any way and by yesterday when we came home the fires at the perimeter were out. Seeing flames raging over a ridge and down a mountainside that close to us was terrifying but now the skies are blue again, the smoke is gone and except for some scorched earth patches, my neighborhood looks like it usually does.
 
In my 25 years of living in the Los Angeles area, I have experienced two earthquakes and one fire close enough to see the flames and smoke but not near enough to endanger my home. I have been so fortunate. There is nothing like going through something like this to give one the sense of what it is actually like for people who experience extreme events. 
 
During the four days I read not a page. Fortunately my reading group schedule is light this month though I will not have finished the book for Laura's Group by the time we meet tomorrow.

Here is the line-up:


Laura's Group:
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One Book At A Time:
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Bookie Babes:
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If you are a reading group member, what are you discussing this month? Do you have any suggestions for good books to discuss? 
 
 

12 comments:

  1. That must have been frightening for you! I'm so glad you're okay and your home hasn't been damaged. I think it's understandable that you haven't had time to finish your book for tomorrow!

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    1. It was so scary! We are so glad also. I think my reading group will understand!

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  2. Oh my goodness! What a traumatic few days you've had. I've been following the course of the wildfires in California and throughout the West but had not realized that they had gotten so close to you. Thank goodness you and your house survived without damage. My heart goes out to your neighbors who lost their houses. I think losing one's home to a fire must be among the most tragic things that can happen to a family.

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    1. Yes it was. While I was preparing this post, I could feel that my mind was not working very fast. We are so lucky. The fire department protected all the numerous residential areas at the perimeter of the fire. It was truly impressive. I don't know any of the people who lost their homes but coming as close as we did to that scenario makes me feel for them even more. Of course, I was trying to start planning for that loss myself during the time we were evacuated (I am sure you can relate) and it was almost too awful to think about. But just now I saw the Trump/DACA decision and that it more awful!

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  3. Oh gosh Judy, I just tuned in to your terrible news! Ugh how very scary! Fire there is the ultimate fear, so fast & awful. So glad your home was spared & no one died. Take a breather. These disasters are scary and unsettling. I hope your area will remain fire-free from now on. There's a ton of smoke in our area from all the wildfires this summer; luckily we've been far enough from the flames. I'm guessing you have already read that Pachett book so hopefully that might help you catch up. take care

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    1. It was quite horrific. I have been in a sort of post-adrenaline state for a few days. It is hard to realize that it all started just a week ago today. You guessed right, I have read the Patchett book, in fact it is one of my favorites of hers. I got within 26 pages of finishing Nero last night. Rome hasn't burned yet but it will be fitting when it does.

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  4. I'm glad that you are OK and your home was spared. What a tragic few days!

    It's understandable that you didn't complete your book assignment for the club meeting. BTW, did you know even the basics about Nero before reading this book? I didn't, and had this book scheduled to read at the start of this month, that's why I decided to switch my reading it for The Twelve Caesars by Gaius Suetonius Tranquilus, a Roman classic that is giving me some background info on the Caesars before I tackle this book next year.

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    1. I managed to get within 200 pages of the end and finished it the day after the meeting. I have quite a backlog of reviews to post so it will be a couple weeks before I review the Nero book. I had some basics from reading Will Durant's Caesar and Christ volume of his Story of Civilization series. And I did some research on the internet. According to Margaret George, Nero got a warped reputation due to the surviving histories written within the first 100 years after his death and she wanted to correct some of that. How are you finding The Twelve Caesars?

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    2. Easy to read and very juicy. ;-)

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    3. Oh really? I am checking it out right now!

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  5. The fire sounds terrible, I'm so glad to hear that you're okay.

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