The Simplest of Acts And Other Stories by Melanie Haney

Title: The Simplest of Acts And Other Stories
Author: Melanie Haney
ISBN: 978055703590
Pages: 101/2008

Melanie asked me if I would be interested in reviewing her book of short stories. When I said yes, she was kind enough to send me the book. I am very glad I read it.

It is a thin book and there are eleven short stories. Reading those were were a revelation in itself. With fine prose and delicate use of imagery, Melanie captures the essence of story writing. The stories are insights into human failings and frailities. She has enhanced for us the necessity of human understanding by way of small gestures.

She has tackled with love, loss and those small moments which somehow act as catharsis in our lives. And she has done it with very finely and delicately. No where you feel she is preaching. She makes us connect to her stories instantly.

Along with the title story, I especially liked Milk, in which a mother finally realises the importance of letting go. I needed to assimilate the stories before I set down to review it. A must read and it is for keeps. I am not letting go of my copy anywhere.

Geeking the racists!

Weekly Geeks themes: Political and Social Issues.

Here I take Racism in books.

At the time, use of the term Negro was standard and so was nigger, a common colloquialism. In the modern reprints golliwogs were replaced with teddy bears or goblins. Enid Blyton has also been accused of being sexist.

The original illustrations by Bannerman showed a caricatured Southern Indian or Tamil child. The story may have contributed to the use of the word "sambo" as a racial slur.




Tintin in the Congo has often been criticised as having racist and colonialist views, as well as several scenes of violence against animals. The depiction of Africans was felt by some to be racist with exaggerated features and signs of very low intelligence.

Cool Jew by Lisa Alcalay Klug

Title: Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe
Author: Lisa Alcalay Klug
ISBN: 978-0-7407-7113-2
Publisher: Andrews McMeel/2008
Pages: 256 pages

It is not a fiction. It has covered everything about being a Jew. With wit and humour.

How cool it is being a part of it and what to do when. It gives tips how to behave during festive seasons..both Jewish and others.

I breezed through the book, learning many things from it.

Musing about non-blogged reviews

Do you read any non-blogging book reviews? If so, where (newspaper, library etc)? Do you have any favourites sources you'd like to share?

I do read non-blogging reviews in the newspapers and magazines mostly. It does not mean I go out and buy those books. It keeps me abreast of what is really popular. Those are not exactly reviews but are copies of book blurbs. It only enhances that the book blogging community is so much more reliable. In other words, I trust the blogging community more.

I do check online sites like the New York times and The Guardian. I do find those two, somewhat unbiased.

I know this much is true by Wally Lamb

On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother Thomas entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut Public Library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable.

Title: I Know This Much is True
Author: Wally Lamb
ISBN: 9780061097645
Publisher: HarperTorch/ReaganBooks/1998
Pages 890

When I received this novel as a gift from a friend of mine, I was daunted by the sheer size of it. I thought no way I was going to finish this book. I started it last night and finished it a while back. All 890 pages of it. I just couldn't put it down. I think it covers my whole week's reading!

Thomas Birdsey, a 40-years old, goes to a library, all the while praying and with quite deliberation cuts off his right hand from the wrist. His only explanation being: by his sacrifice he can stop the war. His twin Dominick has always taken care of his schizophrenic brother for the last twenty years.

From there starts a journey of their story backwards. Dominick is the sane identical twin. He is the narrator of the story. This book goes back and forth from present to past. With deep dark secrets, a dysfunctional family, who really is responsible for Thomas' state? Born illegitimate with an unknown father, only father they know is Ray Birdsey, who had adopted them when he married Connie, their mother. For them he always remains the step father, at least in Dominick's eye.

The deep search into Dominick's own psyche to understand his own inner being might give a clue about Thomas' state of being. That's what he believes. No matter what, Dominick has to take care of Thomas. We see him hating his identical twin, and also the deep abiding love for his other half. The question is who is the stronger twin? Dominick also gets to read his family history but he still can't know who is his real father. His mother died without letting it out. Despite his love and care for her, he hates her for it.

This novel questions our own beliefs, our life's journey, and soul searching. Reading it makes us go through a whole gamut of emotions. Despite its length, it takes us in, with beautiful prose. With wit and dark humour, reading is not as difficult as I had initially presumed. With complexities of relationships, it is not a book for those who want everything neat and hunky dory.

Weekly Geeks: Naming it!

What are some of your favorite character names?

Go to Google or a baby name site and look up a favorite character's name. What does their name mean? Do you think the meaning fits the character? Why or why not?


Here I take only two characters who are always there in my mind:

Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

It's meaning is "Sloping wasteland." I think it suits the character.

Heathcliff, is named so by his adopted father, Mr. Earnshaw. He does not have a last name and is characterised as passionate, dark, brooding, and vindictive. He is what he is because of his all-consuming but thwarted love for Catherine, his foster sister.

Howard Roark from The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Roark: Its source is a Gaelic expression meaning "Champion." Some authorities assert that this name came from an Old English expression meaning ''rock,'' and that it was given as a surname to those living close to a remarkable outcropping of stone. It totally fits the character.

The Fountainhead's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an idealistic young architect who chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. The book follows his battle to practice modern architecture, which he believes to be superior, despite an establishment centered on tradition-worship. How others in the novel relate to Roark demonstrate Rand's various archetypes of human character, all of which are variants between Roark, her ideal man of independent-mindedness and integrity, and what she described as the "second-handers."

Gautami Sujata:

I was named after the untouchable disciple of Gautama Buddha....Sujata....she was known as Gautami Sujata.

Then there is a very famous river, Gautami in the south of India.

Sujata is a sanskrit word meaning "from a good family origin". 'Su' means 'good' and 'jata' implies 'jati' or 'caste'. Thus the implied and correct meaning of the word Sujata means 'of good caste' or 'the well born'. It has to be noted here that the caste-system is the spine of Hinduism. And therefore, 'jata' has specific reference to 'jati' meaning 'caste.'

Buddha was against the caste system. And I have always followed what my name denotes. Caste is what we really are. In our thinking and not our origin of birth.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

Booking through author's blogs

Do you read any author’s blogs? If so, are you looking for information on their next project? On the author personally? Something else?

If I find a new book in the blog world, I do visit the author's blog, if any, to know more about the book. Of course, I also get to read snippets about the author.

I do have many authors on my google reader and follow their posts, even if I don't visit thier blogs. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Neil Gaiman are two the well-known authors I read. The former for her short stories, mostly.

To name just a few, the following authors, I recall following on my google reader but I hardly ever visit them:

Corey Redekop

Mathias B. Freese

*Update: I do visit and comment on the following author's blogs:

Karen Harrington

Susan Helene Gottfried

Interview with Ara 13, author of Fiction

I recently read Fiction by Ara 13. The book is unusual, as is the author with an unusual last name. I look forward to reading Drawers and Booths, which he was kind enough to send, along with Fiction. He writes metafiction, which is not in the comfort zone of most, but his writing is good, with real great prose and the story was so very different from what I had expected. That is a bonus! Do check out my review of Fiction.

I sent him a few questions for author interview. He responded with the following answers.

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As answered by Ara 13:

1) When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote a book as an Independent Project my senior year in high school, twenty years ago. It wasn’t bad for a teenager, but it certainly wasn’t a work I would be proud to put out as an adult. I’ve shelved it and four or more manuscripts since. Drawers & Booths was the first piece that continued to make me laugh, and that I found thematically sound. As with my high-school manuscript, Drawers & Booths is dialogue driven. I was always drawn to plays. Later, my writing was honed by the Defense Information Schools of the military. Journalism is a great foundation for the novel. The style forces a writer to have a point, and to get to it. Many of my favorite writers have a journalistic background.

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think that’s a deceptively intricate question; a great question, in fact. Although I wrote news for the military for years, because of the demands of having to meet a deadline, to produce a certain amount of copy, I never felt like the work was completely unfettered, (though they made little demands about my news voice), and therefore I never considered myself a genuine writer. It wasn’t until I created articles without any thought to the venue of publication, until I freelanced, that I considered myself a writer. But the consideration is not a black-and-white proposition. The feeling of being a genuine writer sinks in with each new venture. Now, with two books in hand, the moniker is becoming more indelible.

3) What inspired you to write your first book?

Drawers & Booths was written as the type of book I’d have appreciated stumbling upon as a reader—an interplay of humor, philosophy, and a nicely paced plot, along with a quirky something special. The particulars of the book came from my military background. The met fiction angle was just a natural progression of my long analyses of the narrative, the supposedly subjective voice.

4) What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The hardest part is convincing yourself that there is a marriage between the artist in you and the businessman. It is easier to be a hobbyist and write solely for yourself—and there is no difference in integrity in doing so—but to consider whether other people will be interested in reading your book, to consider the virtues of publication, can sometimes create a conflict. In the end, you have to hope you’ve taken an accurate personal inventory, and that you’ve created a high-quality piece that will forge its own market. This may be a deeper analysis of what others call “writer’s doubt.” This doubt creeps in each time you hand out a copy. But, even before that point, you must set aside that doubt long enough to get pen to paper, while being honest with yourself about which areas you need most to improve.

5) What do you see as the influences on your writing, outside, inside, whatever?

I am influenced by great documentaries. Though my novels are fiction, I do much research. My motto is If I don’t get my facts right, they will never believe my fiction. So, my news-writing background was essential in laying the groundwork for good writing habits. My other primary influence is the thought of all those voices that were squelched due to historical circumstances, people who would have made the most of my fortuitous position, of not being in a Gulag, of not being imprisoned for controversial views. They keep me honest … I hope.

6) Who are your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I usually answer that question with Graham Greene, who has this beautiful way of painting humanity, often in interesting settings (for this American), and a plot pacing that suits me. Lately, I am blown away by Cormac McCarthy (except for The Road, ironically, since he won the Pulitzer for that one). He’s humbling. There is no other way to put it. I also like Capote, and then many, many particular books, sometimes even hating others by the very same author. A perfect example of this is Ishiguro; love The Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World. Dislike most of his others. Incidentally, I read a lot of nonfiction.

7) Can you share a little of your current work with us and how do you envisage it in future?

Currently, I am finishing the edit of my third novel, which is less absurdist humor, but still has a met fictional bent. I envision it displaying my diversity, as my first two novels had a similar tone. The tone of this novel is less artificial. That being said, humor will always play a strong part in my works, and the third will be no exception. Primarily, my own diverse interests will keep me from being a one-trick pony.

8) Why did you venture out to write metafiction?

Metafiction allows me to delve into the thoughts of the author, my thoughts, and remove the uncertainty of author intent for the reader. I think those authors that gravitate toward metafiction are the ones in class who asked the teacher, “How do we know that the author really meant that?”

9) What book(s) are you reading now?

I am reading Isabel Allende’s short memoir entitled My Invented Country, and have a bookmark in Midnight’s Children, V, a history of medieval life, and I am in a Ulysses reading group, in which we tackle a chapter every two weeks. My reading bounces from textbook type reads to fiction that I think pertinent to be exposed to as a writer.

10) Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

New as in new on the scene or new to me? Since I am not hip enough to know who is new on the scene, I will have to answer this question as if it we are talking about someone I recently discovered. For me, that was Cormac McCarthy. I also discovered The Shadow-Line, by Conrad. My discoveries tend to be for particular books more so than authors. I try to spread my reading around so that I’m exposed to many styles.

11) Do you have anything that you want to say to your readers?

I realize you are taking a chance by purchasing an Indie author’s work, even though mainstream fiction is not impressing me much either, and I appreciate the vote of confidence. Please keep in mind that our marketing efforts are primarily grassroots; and if you like our work (mine particularly), then pass the word. I greatly appreciate it.

12) You have an unusual last name. Can you elaborate on that? (Feel free to ignore THIS question)

I legally changed my last name when I was in the military. I thought it was funny to have a number on my nametape. It made me laugh. It still makes me laugh when people cock their head and digest the notion of 13 being my last name. It is a good barometer to see who has a sense of humor. Plus, it has the bonus of being good marketing. People remember the name; but I changed it prior to seeking publicity, so the conceptual silliness was my first intention. Additionally, it reminds me that the superficial name is of little importance, it is the man behind the moniker that matters.

Signora Da Vinci by Robin Maxwell

A lie. I needed a fresh lie to help me escape the house this day. Call it "deceit," I corrected myself as I threw another log in the furnace, enduring its search blast on my face before shutting the iron door with a clank.


Title: Signora Da Vinci
Author: Robin Maxwell
ISBN: 9780451225801
Publisher: New American Library/2009
Pages: 422

This book is about Caterina, mother of the great maestro, Leonardo Da Vinci. She bore him illegitimatelly at the age of fifteen and he was taken from her soon after. To be with him in his initial years, she endured insults, indignity and abuses at the hands of the Da Vincis. When Leonardo was sent to Florence to apprentice under Verrocchio, Caterina devised a plan to be with him. Her scheme was filled with wrought and danger. If caught she would taken to be a heretic and burnt at stake. But she had to take that risk to be nearer him and also for her own sake. She was an outcast in her own village, Vinci.

Caterina has the ability to redefine herself. Her father Ernesto, made sure she is well read and also knows all about medicinal plants. She is a passionate woman, who deeply loves her son, Leonardo and living away from him is unendurable for her. Yet she wants him to excel in his life. He has great talent for art and imagination and he must pursue that, no matter what. While apprenticing under Verracchio, he meets other great masters like Botticelli.

This novel takes us to the richly cultured Florence, Rome and Milan. A love affair ensues between Lorenzo Medici and Caterina. We get to see the brilliance of Leonardo Da Vinci, a man of many talents. This story is about a mother and her son, who are very free to discuss anything and yet be a parent and a child.

This, according to the author, is a work of fiction as nothing much is known about Caterina. Maxwell built a story from whatever little she had access to, about Caterina. She used her imagination to build the character of a mother, who is always supporting of her son. There is so much of history and political facts in this book that the fiction becomes believable. That's what matters, doesn't it?

Letters Between Us by Linda Rader Overman

This journey could have started differently, but the fact is that it didn't.


Title: Letters Between Us
Author: Linda Rader Overman
ISBN: 978189386626
Publisher: Pain Views Press/2008
Pages: 165

Letters between us is an epistolary novel covering the lives of two friends. Katherine is found dead mysteriously and Laura, a writer is much saddened by it and tries to find why and how Katherine died. Laura starts reading the letters they sent to each other since they started their friendship. She tries to keep the letters in some chronological order so that she can make some sense into those.

From those letters, we can see their past in which they shared so much-friendship love, pain and so much more. Reading the letters and remembering the past is painful but Laura has to do it for her friend's sake. We read about secrets they shared and also about those they did not share. Katherine had kept a Journal too as had Laura. So we also get to read their innermost thoughts unknown to each other but themselves.

Everything from childhood secrets to sex and drugs, from which unexpectedly Laura comes out, the one person, who is impulsive and not expexcted to make it. The sensible Katherine turns out to be more troubled one. It is growing of age novel, with deep dark secrets and pain. Reading through the letters back and forth, Laura finally understands the strange compulsions of her friend and also about her death.

Maybe life comes full circle. Very vividly portrayed, intricately written, this short novel is powerful and very thoughtful. Not a book to breeze through. It does not cater to all readers as it a difficult read but well worth it once you begin it.

Also reviewed by
Sandra

Weekly Geeks: Covers

Weekly Geeks: Judge a Book By Its Cover!

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I like the first and the one with a crow. These describe the book well along with the cat covers.

Least I liked was the one with purple colour. It seems so loud. However, irrespective of covers, this remains one of my favourite books.

Booking through too much information

Have you ever been put off an author’s books after reading a biography of them? Or the reverse - a biography has made you love an author more?

I read the book cover and start reading the book. If there is some info given about the author, I do read it but that has not affected my reading so far. A author's personal opinion are his/her own. Anyway, that does get reflected in the book we are reading. I feel every author puts something of his/hers in the novel. Why should reading the biography affect one's reading? I like to read biographies for their own sake. Not for the sake of reading a novel.

For me the book is foremost, not the author. And if I don't like a book, I don't wish to know anything about the author. And if I do, then I try to learn more about the author. Blog interviews are one good way to know contemporary authors. Knowing about classic authors is not as important. They are well known, anyways!

Frantic by Katherine Howell

Monday 5 May, 2.21 pm

'Seventy-four to Control.' The paramedic's voice was tight. Sophie Phillips leaned forward and turned the volume of the ambulance radio.


Title: Frantic
Author: Katherine Howell
ISBN: 9781405037976
Publisher: Pan Macmillan/2007
Pages: 282

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From Kathrine Howell's site:

In one terrible moment, paramedic Sophie Phillips’ life is ripped apart – her police officer husband, Chris, is shot on their doorstep and their ten-month-old son, Lachlan, is abducted from his bed. Suspicion surrounds Chris as he is tainted with police corruption, but Sophie believes the attack is much more personal – and the perpetrator far more dangerous...

While Chris is in hospital and the police, led by Detective Ella Marconi, mobilise to find their colleague's child, Sophie's desperation compels her to search for Lachlan herself. She enlists her husband's partner, Angus Arendson, in the hunt for her son, but will the history they share prove harmful to Sophie's ability to complete her mission?

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Since 2009 started, I have been reading crime fiction. Frantic too is one such novel. We want to find Lachlan just as much as Sophie, who is beyond consoling. Can anything be worse than death? Yes, disappearance of a child comes under that category.

The whole of police force is looking out for him but Sophie has lost faith in their ability. She sets about finding him, at one point going over the edge.

For a parameduic, saving lives is so important. If someone dies, they have to face the wrath too. Sophie knows that and is frightened by what could happen to her son. Who kidnapped him and for what purpose? With Chris in hospital, she has no one but Angus to turn to. Can he help her? Does he help her? How far can they go to save that child? The line between right and wrong blurs. Are Sophie's means justified?

The novel is fast paced, keeps us on edge. It is very difficult to know who took that child and why? What is the motive? Does Chris too has something to hide? Katherine Howell has lot of potential. She does well with keeping our interest alive.

Fire at Midnight by Lisa Marie Wilkinson

Saint Mary's of Bethlehem Hospital ('Bedlam'), London, England, 1703.

"I am sane."
The sound of her own voice anchored her.


Title: Fire at Midnight
Author: Lisa Marie Wilkinson
ISBN: 9781933836546
Publisher: Medallion Press/2009
Pages: 360

Rachel Penrose is has been sent to a mental asylum by her Uncle Victor who wants to inherit her family fortune. He has her infant brother James, in his custody. He intends them both dead. Victor is involved in all sorts of criminal activities and has spread rumours that Rachel is the informer about Sebastien Falconer's smuggling/privateer activities.

A very ill Rachel somehow ecapes Bedlam only to end up in the carriage of Falconer. Sebastien is after Rachel's blood, unknowing that it is she who is in his care. Sebastien's twin brother, Jacques Falconer, a custom officer, is intent on bringing his brother to justice. He wants him hanged for all his unlawful activities.

Rachel escapes from Sebastien and everyone's lives get connected to each other in one way or the other. With distrust and double crossing from all sides, it becomes difficult to know who is good and who is evil. Rachel has to save her brother, James and also to save her love too, who is too proud to save himself.

The plot is good, relationship between various characters is interesting, Sebastien, his house keeper Mrs. Faraday, his brother Jacques Falconer, their mother Eleanor, Tarry Morgan, and his father Phillip Morgan. But it felt too long in the ending. At least to me. Falconer's capture and his trial/non-trial took up a lot of space. That could have been reduced. Still, it is an extremely readable novel and historical buffs will find it very interesting due to the England-France connection, as I did.

There is a reference of an inventer, Henry Winstanley, which kind of interested me to know more about him. Thanks Lisa Marie, for sending me this novel. I loved the cover very much. This book has got numerous awards too. Check it out here.

Musing about choosing books

How do you choose what do buy from your local bookstore? Do you have a list, or just browse? What is the selection in your book store like? Do you find what you're looking for? Do you feel pressured to buy the kind of books the store makes prominent?

Few times I do have specific choices. I look out those books. But However, most of the times, I browse, look through and pick out books that interest me. I go for books which are not very well known. There are two prominent bookstores I visit in Delhi. Both usually have book sellers, which I seldom read. Many a times, I tell them to get certain books for me a few weeks before I go there to buy. Both mostly accomodate.

Frankly I never feel any kind of pressure to buy the reccomendations of the book stores. I seldom even glance through them.

Then there is a Sunday pavement book Bazaar in one part of Delhi, which is favourite haunt for me. I spend hours, looking, browsing, searching books. All dirt cheap. I go there once a month. Doing that for the last years or so.

Short story: The Missing Statues by Simon Van Booy

Thanks to CB James, I found Fifty-Two stories. Each week a new story will come up. There are four short stories as of now. I read the first one, The Missing Statues by Simon Van Booy.

"One bright Wednesday morning in Rome, a young American diplomat collapsed onto a bench at the edge of St. Peter’s Square.

There, he began to sob."

With that beginning, this story got hold of me. It is St. Peter Square, where a young man is crying. A priest comes and hugs that young man and lets him sob on his shoulder. The young mans says that he is crying for a missing statue, which no one even knows being there in the first place. it is something the young man had remembered from long time ago. then he starts to tell the priest a story about a young woman Molly and her four years old son. They are waiting outside a Casino for Jed, Molly's Fiance. It takes a long time. The boy is hungry and tired.

An old Gondolier comes and offers food to the boy and also takes them both in his Gondola. When he sings there Molly is touched to the core and the little boy too feels something unexplained. The Gonodolier has such a voice that whenever he sings, it is with so much feeling and depth that everyone is compelled to listen and touched by it. When times comes for Molly and The boy to leave the Gondolier, they don't want to part with him.

When the narration ends, there is a complete hush in St. Peter Square, with huge lines of people listening to the young man. Maybe he is that young man revisiting his past, remembering the kind Gondolier, who had thought of Molly as his daughter Lola, even if only for a short while. The Gondolier had told that little boy about the missing statue.

While the story is being narrated by the young man, in that moment of time, the past merges with the present. The Gondolier, Molly and little boy are as vivid as the Priest, the young man and the huge crowd out there.

The ending is open for speculation. Maybe not.

Long After Midnight by Iris Johansen

Title: Long After Midnight
Author: Iris Johansen
ISBN: 0553571818
Publisher: Bantam Books/1997
Pages: 430

I had picked this book a long time ago. And had not got around reading it as I thought it was a romance like other Johansen novels I had read, although the back cover had nothing of that sort. Recently I was sorting through my books to give away a lot to the old age home. I don't know what made me pause and pick it up to read yesterday.

Kate is a doctor who is really into researching genetic engineering. She has a nine-year old son, Joshua, who is the core of her existence. Noah Smith, another genius in the same field wants her to join forces with him. To test run something called RU2, which can save people suffering from diseases like cancer, AIDS as it has ability to repair the degenerated cells. Even before she can make up her mind to join him, her ex-husband, a police officer is killed in a car explosion. It becomes apparent that she and her son were the main target.

Noah Smith's research centre had being bombed and he had been presumed to be dead. But he is alive and warns Kate about the danger on her life. She does not believe him until she is confronted by a psychopath killer, Ishmaru. Thats when Noah gets Seth, a friend of his to watch over Joshua and her mother-in law, Phyliss. They do develop RU2 but something happens that can completely stall it. The pharmaceutical giants don't want it to come out to save their big bucks.

With desperate people after her, Kate has to save her own skin along with Joshua's. And also she has secret which must not come out.

With a psychopath killer stalking Kate at every point, Seth being there to protect her, Joshua being her main concern, Kate still wants RU2 to come through. She knows it can save millions of people. She is very scared but she has to go one and push it forward.

The novel is fast paced, with a nail-biting edge. I am glad I finally read it.

Weekly Geeks: Interests other than reading

What are you passionate about besides reading and blogging?

Very timely geeks question, this! I love to do crossword puzzles, all kinds, mathematical or words, including sudoku. On Sundays, thats the first thing I do from the newspapers. I like to play scrabble on my computer and/or other word-power games. I also like to solve mathematical problems.

Music is another part but I am only a listener of it. I am crazy about Rock music-hard, acid, heavy metals- you name it, I love it. Lately I also like a lot of jazz along with African Music. I wish I could play an instrument but I can't. I like to dance to the tunes of Rock Music.

I like to cook too. Exploring new recipes. I even make up certain ones. Like to experiment. And I invite my family.....that is my brothers so that they are my guinea pigs! (Psst, don't tell them. Please!)