Paper Back Rider

A few years back, I was looking for a certain book called Five Smooth Stones. I had read it long, long ago, and remembered it being a life-changer. As in, this book should be required high school reading instead of, say, Ivanhoe. So I poked around on the internet, and found a site called Alibris Company. They specialize in rare and out-of-print books. I was able to find 2 copies of my book, which I immediately loaned out and have never seen again. (I wonder if they have another copy...)

Today they sent me an email with some suggested reading they have "lovingly chosen" just for me. Let's just see what books I apparently need to read, shall we?

Here's an up-beat little book. Boy meets girl; boy loves girl; boy disappears-and-reappears unexpectedly. Cool beans! Or terribly inconvenient. What if you're in the middle of, say, flipping pancake? Or changing a diaper? To be honest, I haven't read this yet, although it's on my ipod, and I have begun listening to it. It's pretty creepy, so far. Um, do I need to read creepy literature? Maybe so; I did read The Lovely Bones, and although I loved it, the movie was a creepfest. So maybe. I'll finish this book (via audio) and see if it makes me happy.



This book was highly touted when it was first published. I read it in a couple of hours, and can't say it's a life-changer. I wanted to better understand life in the middle East, but did I? Or did I learn more from Not Without My Daughter? Or are both books misleading? Anyway, this was a downer. There was mayhem and racial conflict and abandonment. If I want to experience that, I'll watch Real Housewives of Atlanta. So I won't be buying this book. Besides, already read it. So, no thanks.

Oh, now THIS is interesting. Here's the description:

This guide offers suggestions for developing grief support groups and directions for using art to help children ages 6--12 individually or in groups cope with loss and change. Curricula are provided to use with the four workbooks in the series: When Someone Very Special Dies, When Something Terrible Happens, When Mom and Dad Separate, and When Someone Has a Very Serious Illness.

The fine folks at Alibris have lovingly discovered some traits about me that I didn't know I had. For example, apparently I lead grief support groups for children. That must be where all my free time has gone. Oh, and I'm an art instructor. Well, that part's pretty accurate. I can draw killer stick figures. Maybe that's what happened to the Someone Very Special who had died. My killer stick figures got 'em.

And here's the last book they've lovingly chosen for me. Now, I'll admit 2003 was a banner year for death & grief in our family. We lost 2 granddaughters, my mom, and my daughter's marriage in the span of 11 months. I bet this book would have been very helpful back then. But seven years later? Doing fine now, thanks Alibris. I'll pass on this suggestion, too.

I know the internets can sneak a peek at my emails and website visits, and evaluate my likes and dislikes based on the info they glean from that data. So friends, I ask you this: do you think I'm in trouble here? I thought I was fairly happy-go-lucky. I wake up with a positive attitude almost every morning, knowing I have a full complement of health points available on Treasure Madness. I look for the good in people and situations, even though that really annoys my husband. I keep a fairly clean house and person. So what is it about me that causes Alibris to send me a suggested reading list like this?