Angela Law

animal lover, gardener, knitter, and gourmet cook
 
books

a is for alibi

This was the first book in Sue Grafton’s alphabet series. I read some of hers in the past, and this one was just as good as the others (maybe even better–it’s been so long I can’t remember).

While organizing my library, I realized that I have about a third of the collection and decided to purchase all of them eventually. If you’re not familiar with the series, all of the stories follow the main character, Kinsey Millhone, who is a private detective. And, the stories are always about a case she’s working on.

My rating: 4/5

gardening & landscaping

dead fish

I took a look at the pond yesterday and was pleased to see a couple of larger goldfish swimming near the surface (I don’t know how this happens, but the fish always look bigger after the winter). I noticed that the netting needed adjusted so I went out back to take care of that only to find that there were two dead fish–one small goldfish and my rather large koi. Bummer. It has been quite some time since I’ve had a dead fish, so I wonder what happened. At any rate, I don’t plan on getting another koi–they get so big and the pond is pretty small. But, depending on how many fish are in there, I might pick up a few goldfish in the spring.

movies

uncut gems

I wanted to like this movie. It starred Adam Sandler in a dramatic role and he did quite well with it. But it seemed like almost every scene had five people talking/yelling over each other and that wore thin pretty quickly.

Basically, the movie was about a NY jeweler with a gambling problem who was trying to pay off his gambling debts. Again, nothing wrong with the plot, but it was annoying to watch.

My rating: 2.5/5

do-it-yourself

bookcase update

Well, the first phase of the project is done. The window seat is complete and all of the trim is in.

Next up, I have to finish the tops. The tops have visible plywood edges, so something has to be done. One thing I’m definitely going to do is to install crown molding around the top edge and cove molding along the back edge.

As for the rest of the top, I’m thinking tile would look nice. But, I’ve read varying opinions about installing tile on plywood. The safest thing to do would be to install cement board on top of the plywood, but the thought of having to do that does not appeal to me and I’m not sure if that will make the tile too high. Some say you can install it directly on the plywood since it is not going to be walked on, but there could be wood movement and that could cause cracking, which would not be ideal. So, I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do about that.

Another option would be to buy some decorative trim and install it over the visible plywood edges. Then the whole top could be painted. This would definitely be easier and cheaper to do, but wouldn’t look as nice as the tile.

So, I’m torn. I’m going to need to make up my mind soon, though. Before you know it, gardening season will be here and I’m not going to want to be dealing with this project when that happens.

books

if it bleeds

This is a newish Stephen King book, comprised of four novellas. Three of them were totally new stories and the fourth was a spin off from the Mr. Mercedes series. I thought all four stories were great and really enjoyed reading this book.

My rating: 4/5