Books Read in 2011

Paper books, ebooks, and audiobooks enjoyed last year ... fifty-five in all. Happy 2012 everyone, and read on!

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King
Orchestrated Death by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lilian Jackson Braun
A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King
The Cat Who Played Post Office by Lilian Jackson Braun
A Lonely Death by Charles Todd
The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss
Sherlock Holmes: The Rediscovered Railway Mysteries & other stories by John Taylor
The Mushroom Man by Stuart Pawson
Game Over by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun
Doctor Who: Dead Air by James Goss
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventure of the Dancing Men by Arthur Conan Doyle
True Grit by Charles Portis
The Moor by Laurie R. King
The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley
O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King
Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson
The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes anthology edited by John Joseph Adams
Death of a Chimney Sweep by M. C. Beaton
The Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson
Past Reason Hated by Peter Robinson
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death by W. J. Burley
Justice Hall by Laurie R. King
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay Faye
Beekeeping for Beginners a novella by Laurie R. King
Almost Perfect by James Goss
The Game by Laurie R. King
Shadowfall - A novel of Sherlock Holmes by Tracy Revels
Sheer Folly - A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery by Carola Dunn
The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths
The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson
Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King
The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
Between the Thames and the Tiber by Ted Riccardi
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun
A Bitter Truth – A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
A Cold Treachery – An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
Beside a Narrow Stream by Faith Martin
God of the Hive by Laurie R. King
A Cotswold Killing by Rebecca Tope
All the Colours of Darkness by Peter Robinson
The Memoires of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
Rules of Prey by John Sandford
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

101010: Help make dreams come true.

Over the years, I've blogged about my son J and his wonderful friends at The Centre for Dreams, a day program serving adults who, like him, live with developmental disabilities. The Centre aims to help members achieve their goals and dreams by focusing on their abilities rather than their disabilities. A new and urgent challenge now faces J and his friends. Their home is being torn down for condominiums and they need YOUR help to relocate. Please watch this video, generously created by Westwind Pictures, and join in the 101010 campaign... you ask 10 friends, then they ask 10 friends... J and all his friends will thank you! (For the curious, J is the handsome young man in glasses and a blue shirt at the 35 second mark.)

For more information, please visit: www.centrefordreams.ca/101010.html

what'd ya bring me?

Find more curious cats at the Friday Ark.

remember...

Thanks, Dad.

Free Rice!

Play the FreeRice vocabulary game. For each word you get right, 20 grains of rice is donated through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.

Sam the Cat gets a job...

I've been a bad blogger, finding nothing new or interesting to write about since way back in November. I'll skip the excuses and break the long silence with a better-late-than-never "Happy New Year!" and one of my favourite photos of handsome Sam.

Sam still scores his (mostly) weekly face time as 'The Bookshelf Cat', even when things are quiet here at stillpoint...which, when you think on it, is exactly how things should be at stillpoint.

Sam goes after a real-life Grinch...

This week, Sam is giving the evil eye to a real-life Christmas Grinch. Please take a few minutes to read and find out why. Some very special people will thank you!

Readers of this blog may remember me writing about my son, J. We two have enjoyed some fun and blog-worthy times together over the years with many more to come, I'm sure. What I may not have shared, is that J. is a young man with special needs. He copes with remarkable grace and humour but I'm sure every parent reading this will understand when I say that his challenges can sometimes seem overwhelming, especially to those who love and support him. That's why we all feel truly blessed and grateful to be part of The Centre for Dreams in Markham — a day program providing education and vocational training to intellectually challenged adults, helping them lead independent, meaningful lives.

Last Sunday, November 25th, Dreams staff, clients, families, and friends got together to host a community event and fund-raiser, the Festival of Trees. It was a fun-filled day of fabulous Christmas trees, magical entertainment, culinary delights and, of course, Santa Claus. Money raised was intended to support the centre's operations and help grow the building fund — a dream that will someday give J. and other group members the chance to live independently in a safe and supportive environment.

The day was a wonderful success. Nearly $8,000 was raised for the Centre. Sadly, that hard-earned and desperately needed money was stolen by a thief or thieves — real-life Grinches — who broke a car window, grabbed the cash box, and ran. Much more than theft of money, this was literally a theft of dreams. Read the CityTV News account here.

So now you know the "why" of Sam's evil eye. He hopes you'll visit The Centre for Dreams web site, find out about the program, get to know the Dreamers, and if you're moved by the spirit of the season, click the "donate" button. Help keep the dream alive!

Join Sam and his Santa hat on board this week's Friday Ark — a guaranteed Grinch-free zone — and at Carnival of the Cats, hosted this week by This, That & The Other Thing

is that turkey I smell?

Mmmmmmmmm...yum!

Join Sam for leftover turkey gibblets on the Friday Ark, and at his other gig as The Bookshelf Cat.

Kindle ...ing (a little shameless self-promotion)

I was pleasantly suprised this morning to discover one of my books for sale in Amazon's new Kindle store. Available only in the US (for now), this nifty new e-book reader looks like it might be the one to please folks who don't like reading on-screen. Technology includes no-glare electronic paper and unlimited free wireless connection. Users won't even need to own a computer to enjoy a portable library that includes books, newspapers, and magazines. I want one!

For more about the book, visit Cheryl Cooke Harrington or go directly to the Kindle Store.

rethinking the whole basket idea...

After three weeks of stubbornly avoiding it, Sam looks pretty relaxed and comfortable in his new basket, doesn't he?

He might climb out long enough to board the Friday Ark and pay a visit to his friends at Carnival of the Cats on Sunday.