SoldierGirl

My female cat (7 years old) goes out on the balcony most nights and yowls loudly. She is spayed, so I know it's not a mating call, and she'll stay out there yowling for several minutes unless I get up to chase her back inside. Why does she do that?

"You'll change your mind."

"You'll meet the right man (or woman) and want to have kids."

"Having kids is the greatest thing you can do in your life."

"People who choose not to have kids are selfish/self-centered."

"You haven't really loved anyone until you've had a baby. That's when I learned what TRUE love was."

What else have you been told when those around you realized that you don't have kids and have no desire to have them - EVER?

Do you use bookmarks, random scraps of paper, dog ear the corners, or turn them facedown to save your place?

I know it's still a few months away, but I can't help feeling excited about it already! (Ramadan starts the evening of 20 July and ends 20 August, inshAllah) What do you love most about Ramadan?

This question is spurred by the people who give me their evangelical tracts when I'm at work. I am genuinely curious and want to understand why so many Christians preach to people about Jesus being God and people needing to "be saved".

Why act as if you are responsible for other people's fates after death? Why can't you just respect other people's choices and faiths, whether they are believers in God or not?

I usually read the reviews on www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com -- a hilarious yet very informative romance blog. For new books, I also read the magazine RT Book Reviews to see what looks interesting and what doesn't.

... when romance novels are one of the best-selling genres in books, period?

I used to not like them. I found them vapid, the characters boring, the plot predictable... and then I realized that the one or two I'd read just weren't the right kind of romance for me. I read "Lord of Scoundrels" by Loretta Chase and "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie -- per the suggestions of the ladies at www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com -- and now I really enjoy reading romance novels.

Have you ever read a romance novel, or did you just dismiss them based on the cover art (which was actually designed to attract the predominantly MALE book buyers at large chains like Barnes and Noble, if you can believe it)?

I've read "Baby Proof" by Emily Giffin, but that book was really disappointing. I don't want to read about a heroine who is willing to compromise her own desires so much by having a baby she doesn't want just to keep her man.

Suggestions?

I've noticed people using a lot of links here for BL fan-translated scans. Do you prefer to read the hardcopy books published by June', etc, or do you prefer to read them online?

I really prefer stand alone books. If I enjoy it, then the book isn't ruined for me by later ones that are substandard (at best). *cough*AnitaBlake*cough*

And why are almost all books part of a series now? The only series I remember when I was a kid were The Babysitters Club and Nancy Drew.

I'm not really a romance novel reader. My main reasons for not reading them are:

1. The romances usually aren't convincing.

2. The sex scenes are ridiculous and set unexperienced women up for disappointment when real life experience isn't like the books say, with "fireworks" and all that foolishness, especially the first time.

What annoys you most about romance novels?

It was a picture book. I remember it being about a little girl (possibly had red hair) whose father got remarried. She went to stay with them at their house on the beach for the summer. The stepmother was washing the little girl's hair and got shampoo in her eyes, and the girl cried. The girl hated her stepmother at first, but eventually came to like her.

I read this at the library when I was a kid and would like to find it again. Googling efforts have failed.

I work in a used book store, and I see all sorts of interesting, unusual, and just plain strange books come through. The most recent one was a Japanese language copy of "The Story of O". What have you seen recently?

Now that the discounts are 30-50% off, what great books have you gotten or are you planning to get?

I bought:

"Great Ideas for Tiny Apartments"

"84, Charing Cross Road" by Helene Hanff

"French Lessons" by Ellen Sussman

"Committed" by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Dracula In Love" by Karen Essex

"The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared" by Alice Ozma

"Queen of Kings: The Immortal Story of Cleopatra" by Maria Dahvana Headley

"Ten Thousand Saints" by Eleanor Henderson

Salam aleikum. I know that Ramadan is starting in just a few days. It's my first one (I converted back in May, alhamdilullah, while I was deployed), and I wanted to ask for advice about the fast, what I should eat in the morning to help keep my energy up through the long days, etc. Thanks!

I remember they used to show a commercial where the plumber walked the lady's dog because she was going to be home late, and the woman left a really good review on this website. I think it was (lady's name)list.com, but I can't remember. Help please? :)

I know that it came out a couple of days ago. I haven't read it, but would like to see what all of you think of it. The reviews I read on Amazon were pretty dismal. Your verdict?

I love wearing hijab (or, I will when I get back to the US), going to the mosque, and reading the Qur'an.

Several things are frustrating for me, like being able to get my 3 prayers in, especially at midday, or the Afghan men here judging me and my practice of Islam by their own cultural standards.