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A Good Thriller discussion
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10 Random Facts
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It's a great topic and find it very interesting.
1. My Aunt and cousin hired a hit man and murdered my favorite uncle. My cousin got life without but the governor just recently released him after 40yrs. of incarceration.2. I was sued 13 times, once for 40 million punitive.
3. Once rescued a drowning paraplegic from the canal.
4. I was jumped one time by five suspects and another time by six but the worst fight was with one huge dude at 117th and Alabama.
5. I was pulled over by the cops six times in one night.
6. Had to sit security on 11 million in cash for three days. The money was so heavy the van we had wouldn't hold it and we had to rent a Ryder truck.
7. I was Dale Evans personal body guard at Roy Roger's funeral.
8. I have the best Halloween story, nobody can beat (one that really happened).
9. Chased murder suspects across three states.
10. Was forced to shoot a man when I was 21. He was holding a gun to a five year old child's head.
There are quite few more, several hundred I would think. ;)
Mod
David wrote: "1. My Aunt and cousin hired a hit man and murdered my favorite uncle. My cousin got life without but the governor just recently released him after 40yrs. of incarceration.2. I was sued 13 times, o..."
Man, David, those have got to be the top ten facts I've read!
David wrote: "1. My Aunt and cousin hired a hit man and murdered my favorite uncle. My cousin got life without but the governor just recently released him after 40yrs. of incarceration.2. I was sued 13 times, o..."
You've got to write a book, David... or two....or three
1. I've been married for 27 years2. I have three children, aged 26, 22, 21
3. I grew up (for the most part) in a coal mining holler of West Virginia, had an outhouse and a coal stove.
4. I am an Administrative Assistant at a synagogue, the Rabbi and Program Director's assistant, maintain our website and oversee all publicity.
5. I've run a movie/film book club at my little local library for 11 years. We meet monthly.
6. I've been going to ComicCon since 1996. From the minute the doors open for Preview Night, until the final program on Sunday.
7. I've attended WonderCon the last five years.
8. I have an aviary with about 60 assorted birds as well as a Blue and Gold Macaw named Elsie, who believes I am her mother.
9. I love not only traditional books, but audio and comics as well.
10. I modeled for a sculptor, Malcolm Moran, when I first moved to California and there is a fountain somewhere with a woman and seven children, all of whom have my body parts.
Kandice wrote: "1. I've been married for 27 years2. I have three children, aged 26, 22, 21
3. I grew up (for the most part) in a coal mining holler of West Virginia, had an outhouse and a coal stove.
4. I am a..."
You must be the only lady who has shared her body so much without harming your reputation, Kandice. What are Comicon and Wondercon? We Europeans don't know about these things.
1. I love coffee2. I have never drunk alcohol in my life.
3. I have given up chocolate,which I used to love,as it was bad for my teeth.
4.I used to love working out in the gym.
5.I used to travel a lot.
6.I like old Hollywood.
7.I am a big fan of legendary Indian singer,Lata Mangeshkar.
8.I like the game of cricket,which goes on for five days.
9.I can speak five languages,with varying degrees of proficiency.
10.Music is my greatest pleasure.
11. I have never smoked.12. I have never used drugs.
13. I have a sizeable DVD library,an audio CD library and a book library.
14. I like poetry.
15. I have visited nine countries.
16. Fruit is an essential component of my diet.
17. I have virtually stopped buying books.
18. I love birds,cats and Russian dogs.
19. I love the sea.
20. I played squash,badminton and table tennis.
ComiCon is this humongous convention for Pop Culture: https://www.comic-con.org/Over 150,000 people attend the 4 day event each year.
Nice to meet you Wsm, and Sean.
Nice to meet you too Kandice.(Although we have been friends for a while,but had never interacted).I find your posts very interesting.
You have any more random facts to share ?
Mod
One of mine has changed three times....
Now married 40 years
Kandice wrote: "ComiCon is this humongous convention for Pop Culture: https://www.comic-con.org/Over 150,000 people attend the 4 day event each year.
Nice to meet you Wsm, and Sean."
Thank you for enlightening me, Kandice. I think perhaps the greatest thing about the US is the ability of so many people to turn an ordinary thing into a massive commercial entity.
Mod
i think it's very difficult to follow David's blog; anything we say after that will sound very trivial. I wish he would give us more - and tell us if he was a cop or a security guard or whatever. Ordinary people don't get to be involved in so much extraordinary stuff. Come on, David; let's have more
I will try.1 I have visited 5 continents,missing Africa and Australia.
2 I have visited 49 US states, missing Oregon and 7 Canadian provinces, missing PEI,Nova Scotia and New foundland.
3 My wife likes covered bridges. We have visited 582 in US, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Italy.
4 I have written travelogues with pictures. See Keating trips. http://www.vermontbridges.org/covered...
More to come
5. I have accepted the UN mystery challenge--read 1 mystery from all 50 US states and at least 50 countries in the UN.I have completed 50 US states and am working on the rest. My list(scroll down to the bottom for updates):
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
6. My wife and I have been married for 50 years. We have 2 children, 3 grandchildren, 2 gran cats and 1 gran dog. Two of our children have Cystic Fibrosis. See my review of Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
7. Despite gran cats and gran dogs, I am allergic to cats and dogs. We have never had a cat or dog in our house. When we visit family, their cats climb on my lap and go to sleep! A dog belonging to my s-I-l's brother came to me and put his head on my lap like I was his best friend!. About 60 years ago, on 2 separate occasions, I was bitten by dogs, once while delivering newspapers and once while collecting. Both dogs died within 1 year, frothing at the mouth, according to witness accounts. I have not been bitten since.
Thomas wrote: "I will try.1 I have visited 5 continents,missing Africa and Australia.
2 I have visited 49 US states, missing Oregon and 7 Canadian provinces, missing PEI,Nova Scotia and New foundland.
3 My wife ..."
Oregon is offended ;)
Thomas wrote: "7. Despite gran cats and gran dogs, I am allergic to cats and dogs. We have never had a cat or dog in our house. When we visit family, their cats climb on my lap and go to sleep! A dog belonging to..."Perhaps you smell better as you got older, Thomas, or your after- shave was lethal when you were younger
Perri wrote: "Thomas wrote: "I will try.1 I have visited 5 continents,missing Africa and Australia.
2 I have visited 49 US states, missing Oregon and 7 Canadian provinces, missing PEI,Nova Scotia and New foundl..."
We booked a Columbia river cruise for Sep 2020, last year. However, Covid-19 could cancel that.
P.K. wrote: "Thomas wrote: "7. Despite gran cats and gran dogs, I am allergic to cats and dogs. We have never had a cat or dog in our house. When we visit family, their cats climb on my lap and go to sleep! A d...":-) I wasn't old enough to shave then!
Thomas wrote: "P.K. wrote: "Thomas wrote: "7. Despite gran cats and gran dogs, I am allergic to cats and dogs. We have never had a cat or dog in our house. When we visit family, their cats climb on my lap and go ..."Couldn't have been the after-shave then. Dogs like calmness, they sense hyper activity as a threat, that's why they are almost 100% ok wit h older people and not easily to be trusted with children. I have always had a dog around, there is no better companion - and they don't drink my whisky.
P.K. wrote: "I have always had a dog around, there is no better companion - and they don't drink my whisky....":-D
Kandice wrote: "P.K. wrote: "I have always had a dog around, there is no better companion - and they don't drink my whisky....":-D"
???
P.K. wrote: "Kandice wrote: "P.K. wrote: "I have always had a dog around, there is no better companion - and they don't drink my whisky....":-D"
???"
I just got a chuckle out of that!
8. I am also allergic to coffee, barley, mold, dust mites, tree pollens and grass pollens. I don' t drink whisky or beer. I drink tea in the morning and wine with dinner.9. My wife and I also like parks. We have visited 62 countries, and 221 national/state parks as follows:
US NP/NHS/NS/NL/NB 96
US FW 2(National Wildlife Refuges)
US State parks 83
Canada--10
rest of world 30
10. Most of my neighbors have dogs. One day three of their dogs(3 separate backyards- both sides and 1 diagonally behind) started barking at each other. Dueling dogs!!
Thomas wrote: "8. I am also allergic to coffee, barley, mold, dust mites, tree pollens and grass pollens. I don' t drink whisky or beer. I drink tea in the morning and wine with dinner.9. My wife and I also like..."
Dogs are like people, Thomas; they need training. Bad kids, bad parents. Bad dogs, bad owners. I sympathise with your allergy problems, my wife has a constant cough from all sorts of unknowns. We've lasted 47 years - but it was touch and go for the first two. Tolerance is a great thing
P.K. wrote: "Thomas wrote: "8. I am also allergic to coffee, barley, mold, dust mites, tree pollens and grass pollens. I don' t drink whisky or beer. I drink tea in the morning and wine with dinner.9. My wife ..."
Thanks
I'll try to add a few more random facts :1.I took a break from this group because of all the virus related discussions.
2. I may take a break again because the virus is not expected to disappear soon.
3. I read even more than usual during this period.
4. I skim and abandon a lot of books.
5. For the first time,I kept track of my reading numbers for the year.So far,176 for this year,not bad.
6. Wonder whether I'll be around for next year's reading challenge.
I guess these six,rather than ten random facts will do for now.
And Thomas,very interesting to know all this stuff about you.
W wrote: "And Thomas,very interesting to know all this stuff about you.":-)
A few more random facts :7. I grew up on mysteries and thrillers.
8. These days my favourite genres are travel and biography.
9. I keep trying new authors.
10. My early reading life was restricted by what was available locally.Now there's a lot more choice,but I feel a bit jaded.
1. I have a very limited diet due to problems with grain, especially to corn and wheat - including airborne reactions to cooking fumes. You'll be amazed at how many places corn hide.2. I've never drunk alcohol or smoked. I've never had any interest in it either.
3. Growing up, there wasn't any phone in the house...or even a phone jack. My grandparents didn't see any need for one.
4. I enjoy taking photos on my phone and many people tell me I'm good at it. Maybe because I had 4 years of photo class in high school.
5. When I was in sixth grade, I was on an eighth grade reading level.
6. I have aphantasia. I don't have a mind's eye and I can't see or create images in my head. To me it's all just words. Maybe that's why reading horror doesn't bother me. Because I can't see it.
7. There are certain kinds of books I can't read though as they make me upset. Like that one popular book called The Room. It gave me nightmares for 3 nights - it's on my 2019 book list. I don't recall the author though. Another book that I couldn't read was The Red Address Book.
8. I don't drive. Never learned how to.
9. I eat keto and interment fasting every day..I'm also doing OMAD. I'm hoping it might lessen some of my airborne reactions but I don't know. I guess it's doing something because lately my skin feels so super soft!
10. I'm double jointed..both my elbows and knees hyperextend naturally..I can put my thumb to my wrist...and my palms flat on the floor without bending my knees.. May is Ehlers-Danlos awareness month. EDS is a connective tissue disorder where your body doesn't make collagen correctly. I'm pretty sure I have EDS. It's apparently a lot more common than one thinks. I have other signs of it too like the papuls on my heels. And lots of my skin is transparent where you can see the blue veins. It's probably linked to my food issues.
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Always good to read
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Come and join in...
1. I've known my husband 54 years. He walked me home from school in the 9th grade.2. I love bird watching.
3. Getting allergy injections changed my life.
4. My youngest daughter got a full athletic scholarship to play softball in college.
5. I am taking piano lessons. Even my closest friends don't know it.
6. I don't watch the news anymore.
7. My hair is naturally curly but I've straightened it for so long that when I wear it curly people think I've had a permanent.
8. I don't drink alcohol or smoke.
9. I've recently discovered that I like cozy mysteries.
10. Although I'm in love with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, I'm a little bit sick of reading about him and can't wait for the group I'm in to move on to another series.
Hmmm.. 10 facts. I'm not that interesting but here goes anyway...1). After 30yrs of being a Coffee Addict, I recently discovered loose leaf Tea and now won't drink anything else hot, and I sound like a true Snob when I am telling my fiance about the new blend I tried.
2) There is a 16 year difference between my oldest child and my youngest (Yikes!)
3) I have literally died 2 separate times... First time I was 31 and my appendix burst after my refusal to go to an ER when experiencing crippling pain in my abdomen for 3 days (I've never really trusted hospitals after my Mother almost died after being misdiagnosed at an ER) . Second time I was 37 and I had my Twins via a scheduled C-section. 2 hours after being home after 5 days in hospital, I lost consciousness while nursing my Newborns. I had been bleeding internally since my C-section, Ambulance got me to nearest Hospital where they actually paged the priest when I stated my Religion after being asked by the Dr. And they called my Mother and Fiance to come immediately to say their goodbyes. After surviving the emergency surgery, I was like the hospital Celebrity the week I was there recovering.
4). After PTSD got really bad after my Daughter's death, I suddenly found myself taking my Skincare to an OCD type of level. I've always found that to be very strange (I've never said that it loud before). Today, I still adhere to a very extensive and consistent AM and PM skincare regimen but only because I now find it relaxing
5). Reading is my one thing that I do only for myself. I love escaping into another place and time every night before bed.
6). I genuinely believe in Miracles.
7). It took me 38 years to discover my talent... I am really good at DIY beauty. I make my own body butters/Lotions, body scrub, Mascara, lip balms, Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid Serums and even Perfumes as well as a host of other products . My Mother has me make her crusading things as well.
8). The one thing I want to do before I die is see the Northern Lights.
9). I cry like a baby every time I watch the movie 'A Walk to Remember"
10). My all time favorite movie has always been' A Few Good Men'
Malinda, I'm so sorry about your daughter-a horrific experience! Did you have any experiences in your near death? Northern Lights are on my bucket list too, and I have come frustratingly close to seeing them, but not yet
Perri... Hi! Thank you for your condolences, it will be 5 years this January and I just recently found I'm able to speak about it without breaking down. She's my little Angel and I am comforted that another child is still alive because of my sweet girl's heart.Anyway, no I didn't have any experiences near death. When I was resuscitated, it felt exactly like I'd been in a deep, dreamless sleep and woke suddenly. Though the time I was bleeding out internally I actually started to pray for death because I couldn't handle that level of pain.... Not even natural natural childbirth could compare!
I really do hope I get to them Northern Lights.. I've never been on a "Real" vacation so I would be doubly excited if I got to see them while on an Alaskan cruise!!!
malinda wrote: "Perri... Hi! Thank you for your condolences, it will be 5 years this January and I just recently found I'm able to speak about it without breaking down. She's my little Angel and I am comforted tha..."Condolences, Malinda
I'll try this again...1. The farthest I've walked at one time is 19 miles. Did that on an empty stomach and then ate a banana on the way back when I was running low on energy... And no, the walk didn't make me hungry at all. But I did see a waterfall that day.
2. I can't wear shoes with arch support or any kind of heel. They make my feet hurt and I'll walk crooked! The heel of the shoe will actually cave in and the whole shoe will be at a lopsided angle. And that's bad!! Modern athletic shoes, in my opinion, will wreck your feet. I had in years past a literal nightmare trying to find ANY shoe that I could wear, that would fit my AA width feet. That means my foot is narrow. Years ago I actually used to wear an XWide shoe but my feet got skinnier when I lost weight. And yeah, I could go into a big mall, go visit every store that sold shoes and come out empty handed! Because nothing had fit! Now I just buy xero shoes from their website. I also love to walk around in those "swim" shoes too! 😅 They do wear out super fast though! Oh...and because of the crooked shoe thing, that one summer I had to teach myself how to walk straight. Which took all spring, summer and fall. Because I wasn't using my big toe at all and it never touched the ground. Not did the area right behind the big toe ever touch the ground either..all my weight was on my baby toes. This was caused I think in part because of the arch support. EDS + arch support is bad combination...or at least for me it is. And no, my feet don't hurt. My arches support themselves via strong muscles.
3. In the last ten years or so, I've lost 100 pounds. Mostly through diet change.
4. In January I read 36 books! That's 10,780 pages. The longest book was Outlander at 627 pages.
5. I have been told that I'm a natural at working with horses. Every time I go out to a ranch into the pasture with the horses, the alpha horse comes over by me! I'm also trying to read at least one horse book a week. I can't wait for the ranch to reopen (under new management) so I can go see George and Oliver again. Weather permitting of course!
6. I'm an introvert. And thus this whole stay away from people thing doesn't really bother me too much. I also don't know anyone who has had that virus.. and ever since I went totally grain free and keto in July 2019 I don't really catch colds or flu anymore. And I don't have that annoying "slime" in my throat anymore - which was linked to my allergies / celiac. So glad I got rid of that!!
7. I'm doing the popsugar challenge and I find it great fun searching for books that fit the topics. And I think my latest addiction is putting random words into the search engine of my local library catalog to see what books come up. Sounds stupid maybe but I actually found out it's a good way to find books! I can see the covers too. I found many books that way I would have otherwise not known about.
8. I think I have discovered I am a bit competitive...with myself? 😅 I'm doing a double popsugar challenge...reading TWO books for each topic! At the moment I'm 31/100 already. Plus I'm doing other challenges too!
9. I have Asperger's. That means I see things differently than most people. And autism is known now to be an all body problem. It's not just how you think or act. It comes with a lot of other issues, like gut problems and sensitivity issues. It's common for you to be missing lots of the good gut bacteria too.
10. I'm one of the few people in the US that is metabolically healthy...
11. At the moment I'm successfully "balancing" a huge number of library books but I'm about a week ahead of the due dates! And it's very satisfying to place another book on the "read" pile so it can go back to the library. I returned 7 books today.. this shutdown thing has made me use the "order books" feature of the library a lot more! For awhile there any book you wanted to read you had to order! Because you had to pick them up outside! And then some nights I would go nutty on a "shopping spree" and order like 8 or 10 books at once! 😅 Lots of fun!
12. I have just bought my very first Kindle. Now I have to learn how to use the thing!
Mod
So enjoy getting to know are members and their stories.
Mod
Used to be one of our most popular threads.
Great to know our members and their great stories.
Liz and I have returned from our Columbia river cruise. Oregon crossed off list.
Okay, I'll toss out 10 more:10 RANDOM FACTS
1/ I’m hugely allergic to cats. I don’t even have to touch them; if they are anywhere near me, within 30 minutes, I’ve got red, itchy, puffy eyes and a nose running like a firehose.
2/ If I could go back in time and do anything over, I would be a better husband and father.
3/ I didn’t go to a doctor for 10 years. I didn’t have any health issues so I saw no point in going.
4/ I quit smoking in 2016 after almost 50 years of smoking. I did it cold turkey – no drugs, no counseling – and had no withdrawal symptoms.
5/ If I could afford it, I’d have a 10-car garage stocked with classic hotrods and muscle cars.
6/ My children have never given me a moment of doubt or worry.
7/ I love going out and clearing my driveway with my snowblower after a snowstorm.
8/ Conversely, I find mowing grass the most boring chore ever created.
9/ I live 4 miles from the house I grew up in.
10/ I published my first book in June of this year after 25 years of writing
A Good Thriller
Books mentioned in this topic
Walk in My Soul (other topics)Ghost Warrior (other topics)
Fearless: A Novel of Sarah Bowman (other topics)
Ride the Wind (other topics)
Light a Distant Fire (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lucia St. Clair Robson (other topics)Amy Tan (other topics)
Paullina Simons (other topics)
David Thorne (other topics)
2. I don’t regard myself as a picky eater, but I refuse to eat octopus - chewy tentacles, ugh.
3. Despite my wanderlust, I have never lived outside of my home state in the USA.
4. I love dogs from the herding breed groups and have had a German shepherd dog and a corgi.
5. After reading the gruesome Hannibal Lecter book #1 during what should be the merry-making Christmas period, and doing so in a slightly not safe time and place, I realized that this type of thriller was not for me.
6. Although I can say “thank you” in 15 different languages / dialects, I am fluent, sad to say, only in 1 language, which is English.
7. I canceled my satellite tv subscription a year ago, and I don’t miss it - more time for reading!
8. I am now allergic to dogs.
9. I love visiting art museums, including modern art, which tends to boggle my mind (why, oh why is this art?)
10. My reading can be inspired by or inspire my travels. After reading Jack Reacher’s stories set in South Dakota, I visited the National parks and Mt. Rushmore.