This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Cassastar by Cavanaugh ( #AtoZChallenge )

 

#AtoZChallenge 2023 letter C


     Circus books would be my first go to as a book category, but I never had that many in my library.  Specifically, one book about the circus seems to be missing or astray from my shelves.  A wonderful book about circus history filled with many illustrations was given to me by my parents when I was about 10.  I spent hours reading through this book and it was on my shelves up to my college years.  Now it seems to be gone, although it might be packed away in a trunk or box somewhere.  I'd love to find that treasure again.

Cook Books

        In the top shelf of one of our kitchen cabinets I have a modest collection of cookbooks.  I haven't referred to any of these for quite some time as my cooking experimentation has waned these days now that I'm only cooking for my wife and I.  She's not a very adventurous eater so I limit my forays into exotic cuisine.  If I ever do decide to start cooking more elaborately than I do now, I've got a small library of cooking books to which I can refer.  





 



Classical Civilization  from Oxford Press

        I'm bringing up this book primarily for the ideal title for the letter 'C'.   It certainly sounds interesting to me, but I've not yet tackled this tome.  Maybe someday I'll delve into it.   In the meantime it looks very nice on our bookshelf.




Colossus by Michael Hiltzik

        This book is high on my to-read list.   The Hoover Dam is a pretty amazing place to visit.  I've been there a few times and also have seen a few documentaries about the building of the dam.   The book sounds like a very interesting read.  Soon I think.




Clive Cussler  The Kingdom

         This is the only Clive Cussler book that I currently see on my bookshelves, although I believe I have a few more somewhere. In 1980, I started listening to an NPR book reading show while they were serializing one of Cussler's books.  I became a fan of Cussler's writing.  Well, at least for that particular book.  I can't say if I've read any of his other works.  I think I have, but it's been a while.  At least I have this book.  I must have bought it when our local Borders was shutting down in 2010 or so.  I bought a lot of books at that time.






CassaStaR by Alex J Cavanaugh

         Most bloggers in our blogging world know Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh and many have read one or more of the books in Alex's Cassa series.  Alex Cavanaugh was among the first A to Z bloggers even though he only was a part of the Challenge for a few years.   But we thank Alex for the support he still gives to the A to Z Challenge.  If you haven't read any of his books so far, you should check them out.  





        What did I miss for the letter 'C'?    Have you read any of my picks?  Have you been to Hoover Dam and taken the "Dam Tour"?







20 comments:

  1. Thanks for mentioning my first book!

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  2. We have a selection (4) fruit crates gotten from a flower shop, in the kitchen full of cookery books, as my darling wife was a chef and baker before going to Art College for her fine arts degree.

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    1. TWW, I am the chef and baker in our house so there isn't much in the way of a lot of cooking going on here. My cookbooks are from years ago.

      Lee

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  3. I drove over the Hoover Dam with some nieces and nephews. I implored the kids to pay attention and "take in" the site. My youngest nephew said "what's the point, I can't see anything; that stupid wall is in the way!" I've since found out about the Oroville Dam. The highest in the U.S. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroville_Dam
    Zulu

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    1. Zulu, a lot of times kids just don't seem to care about things around them. I was always looking out the window when I was a kid and I still like to look.

      Lee

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  4. That was nice of you to include Alex's book.

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    1. L.Diane, Alex has been around since my earliest blogging days and has been a great supporter.

      Lee

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  5. Great to give Alex a shoutout. He did an awful lot for the Challenge.

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    1. John H, Alex was one of the pioneers of the A to Z Challenge.

      Lee

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  6. I have about that many cookbooks too. DO you have any coloring books?

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    1. Pitch, actually I do have at least one coloring book that I can think of. Probably have a few more around the house as well. Grandkids might have some here too.

      Lee

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  7. I love leafing through cookbooks. Way more satisfying than looking up recipes on Pinterest!

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    1. Dyanne, I've resorted to my cookbooks for a number of meals. I used to use my Mexican cookbook a lot.

      Lee

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  8. I, too, have some cookbooks but have yet to make most of them. I have an interesting book about the early circuses or Freak shows as they were called back then. My brother got it for me one Christmas and talked about P.T. Barnum to some famous performers back on the day.
    I would add Agatha Christie to the mix. I love her books.
    Congrats in showcasing Alex

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    1. Birgit, I have made a small fraction of the recipes in my cookbooks. I have the time, but I hate messing with meals.

      I thought about Christie. I know I have at least one of her books--probably more.

      Lee

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  9. Cookbooks take up a couple of shelves in our small kitchen appliances cabinet. But the thick yellow one above the plastic cutlery and below the Salad Shooter (yes, it still works) by none other than America’s First Lady of Food, Betty Crocker, is my go-to for anything harder to cook than a T.V. dinner. It’s always tickled me to know that her first product was soup. Cake mixes came later. She even had one of the longest-running radio shows in US history! In 1945, Fortune named Betty Crocker one of the most recognized women in America despite the fact she never actually existed.
    Nice shout-out for Alex’s first book ;-)

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    1. Diedre, I have a small paperback version of a Betty Crocker cookbook. My mother used to have a big version that I remember seeing most of my years growing up. I think it went away when I was in college or something. Probably fell apart.

      Lee

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  10. I have never bought any cook books myself, have been gifted some and have inherited some of my mum's.
    I was on Alex's assistants' team one year when he was a co-host, I always enjoy the A-Z, but that year was extra fun.

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    1. Nilanjana, I haven't acquired any cookbooks for many years. But I don't cook much in the way of elaborate meals anymore. My wife doesn't cook very often and she doesn't like to try new recipes.

      Lee

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