Free Books, Adina West, Conclusions, and Roadside Graves

1. Saw that Philip Noyce directed The Giver.

I didn't know that.

2. Watched the first few minutes of Animal Kingdom but without sound.  It wasn't the most exciting thing to watch without sound. There wasn't much action.

Maybe the action comes later?

Or it could be a movie lacking in action—a dialogue heavy type of thing.

3. Downloaded free Australia-related books on iBooks. I'm not sure I'll ever read them, but I'll be glad to have them.

4. Realized I will probably run out of space on my phone and will have to delete the books eventually.

5.  Read a supernatural novella by an Australian named Adina West. It's called Dark Child.  Well, actually it's labeled as being an episode. The first part is free. The next part is 99 cents, and then the other books are $1.99.

I was surprised to find that I actually liked the book.

I've grown to sort of hate supernatural romance novels. Why did I download the book then? I'm not sure.

I saw the novel when I used the search term Australian. I figured I'd read a few pages, hate it, and quit. I read a few pages. Something annoyed me and I quit. But then a few moments later, I had the mood to read it again. The next thing I knew I had finished the whole thing.

Do I like it enough to read the whole series? Probably not. I enjoyed what I read, but I'm not dying to know what happens next.

6. Wondered if I should read the next part.

7. Decided I should read the next part—at least give the author a tiny bit of money.

8. Wanted to say that although the story is written by an Australian, it takes place in South Carolina.  I wonder why. I'm guessing West has some kind of love and/or interest in South Carolina?

I tried not to be bothered that she set the novel in a place where she doesn't live.  None of my last novel took place in Fort Worth. Instead I had characters in Sydney, Gainesville, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Hawaii.

9. Wanted to mention that my birth/legal name is Adina. So maybe that's another reason why I downloaded the book. It's not often that I see someone with my name.

Actually though, I'm not a big fan of my name. So it might have been more of a deterrent than encouragement.

10. Remembered that I also read part of a lovely memoir type book called Under an Australian Sky. It's written by an English-Australian woman who grew up in England; then later visited Australia.

11. Worked on downloading part two of Dark Child. It's not been an easy task.

12. Frustrated. I paid for the book, and downloaded it.

When I click on it, nothing is there.

13. Relieved. I finally have the book!

14. Started watching the last episode of Pirate Islands: The Lost Treasure of Fiji.

15. Enjoyed the conclusion of the Pirate show.

16. Went to Random.org to pick my next show.

It's Rake, which I will have to watch on Netflix.

I'm excited!

I'll start watching that on Tuesday.

17. Started watching an episode of Neighbours.

18. Watched Matt's roadside grave scene.

I personally don't get into the whole leaving flowers thing.  To me, it seems like a waste of flowers and money.  It doesn't bring the dead person back to life.  Does it ease the pain of the grieving family and friends? Maybe, I guess it would for some people—especially those who like flowers. I think who it benefits the most is the community. I imagine it makes them feel proactive. Though feeling proactive doesn't actually mean you've truly done something to help anyone.

19. Thought that maybe it's a comfort to the mourners to see how popular their dead loved one has become.

I can't imagine it bringing me any amount of comfort. But I'm not everyone. We're all different.

20. Felt that I prefer online guestbooks, on obituaries, where people can leave a message. I especially think it's nice when people write about a specific memory they have of the deceased person.

I remember reading something about that in the book Alex the Life of a Child. His daughter died of Cystic Fibrosis, and he appreciated the people who took the time to share a memory they had of Alex.

Though if the memory is going to shame the deceased, it's probably best to keep it to yourself. You don't need to tell a grieving widow that you kissed her husband.

21. Glad that Paul (Stefan Dennis) has told Karl (Alan Fletcher) about his Leukemia diagnosis. I hope this means that Nick (Damien Fotiou) is closer to being caught. He's an evil doctor.

22. Watched Bailey (Calen Mackenzie) angrily destroy the roadside grave. I imagine I'd want to do the same if I were in his position. I'm not sure I'd go through with it, but the desire would be there.