#Pam Houston

[calamitous-magpie]

oh so im just supposed to read Pam Houston and be normal afterwards??? "I will be certain only, that this is not the world in which the word duckling belongs." IM SUPPOSED TO BE NORMAL??????

#books #writing #pam houston #yeah #tag storytime: my creative writing professor recommended me this book after giving me the most devastating soul read that anyone #including a therapist #has ever given me as part of his feedback on my writing. i burst into tears after finishing the book because holy shit he was RIGHT #in ways i can't even put into words

[horsesarecreatures]

Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country by Pam Houston

This book was really poignant and eye-opening. The author unfortunately had a horrific childhood, though she prefers to refer to it as a dark comedy rather than a tragedy. Her mother was an alcoholic actress who was anorexic and tried to make her daughter go without eating until dinner time. The father was also an alcoholic who broke her femur, sexually abused her, and tried to kill her on several drunken occasions. Between the two parents driving drunk all the time, she was in 16 totaled car crashes before she even got her learner’s permit, but someone must have been watching over her because she never had to be hospitalized because of any of them. For reasons only she knows, she kept in touch with both of her parents until their deaths, though they were never close. She didn’t really dwell that much on her childhood, but nonetheless she talks about it enough for it to be quite triggering, so just be warned.

The author escaped to college out west and majored in creative writing. The professors were pretty hopeless, banning the students from writing about supposedly cliché topics like natural scenery and female body fluids. Before she graduated, she had already published a book with no help from them called Cowboys Are My Weakness that managed to incorporate all their banned writing topics, so when a jealous faculty member refused to sign paperwork that would help her get financial aid to finish her degree, she just walked out and never went back lol.

Then she traveled around the country because she loved the wilderness, becoming a raft guide in Colorado and a dall sheep hunting guide in Alaska. She started looking for a place to settle down, eventually arriving in Creede, Colorado. She had only $21,000, so when the real estate agent insisted that she see a beautiful $400,000 ranch, she kind of distanced herself from it, thinking she could never have it. But the author was able to buy this beautiful, historic 120 acre ranch high up in the mountains of Colorado because the previous owner took a chance on her and sold it to her for only a 5% down payment and a signed copy of her book. The author never missed a payment. 

I learned a lot about ranching in the mountains of Colorado from her. For one thing, I had no idea temperatures regularly dipped to -35 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter there, and sometimes even dropped to -45. That’s even colder than Homer, Alaska. The growing season at her ranch was also only 6 weeks. She had Irish wolfhounds, chickens, sheep, a cat, 2 donkeys, and two elderly horses, so reading about how she cared for them all in the winter made me realize that I need to stop being such a sissy about not wanting to go to the barn when the temperature is in the teens. I layer, but I’m clearly not layering with the right materials. I needs to invest in a couple real wool or fleece sweaters and thermal pants. 

I never considered certain complications that come with maintaining a ranch at such a high elevation. The author decided to paint her propane tank to look like a watermelon, and was really lucky that the solar heat at 9,000 feet didn't make it explode in the summer. Additionally, all the logs of her cabin, the wood fencing, and anything else with paint, plastic, or enamel had to annually be treated with UV protector in the fall or else they would just disintegrate in no time. That ranch was a bit more work than the average large property, and was constantly being threatened by wildfires, people wanting to put up power lines, and slick people coming up with schemes to buy her out. But none of them took the ranch from her in the end, and when she dies it’s being preserved and donated to the public.

The book is mostly chapters in chronological order, with some short essays in between. The ranch is obviously the focus, but the author also discusses some trips she made with biologists to remote parts of the world, and her writing is so much like that of a naturalist that this book could also probably fall into the “nature writings” category. 

#deep creek #pam houston #memior #nature writing #book #bookblr #book review #colorado #ranch #nature writings

[travelingviabooks]

Contents May Have Shifted by Pam Houston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: fiction, contemporary, travel

Country: USA

Review:

After reading Houston’s Memoir Deep Creek all of her books feel autobiographical to me this one felt even more that way than her others. I liked this book, though not quite as much as her other books. I liked how it was broken down in a way that made it easy to find a stopping point.

Would I recommend this book?: Yes, but if you’re just getting into Pam Houston’s work, I’d recommend Cowboys Are My Weakness or Waltzing the Cat as a starting point.

#bookblr #book review #book reviews #fiction #contemporary #travel #Pam Houston #contents may have shifted

[mygrowingcollection]

Pam Houston

#pam houston #author #signed book #thrift store find

[emdroid]

I wanted very much to read something romantic today and just finished the book of the short stories I’ve been reading instead. And this story turned out to be romantic and promised magic and it also feels like what I deserved.

#“this happiness thing is like another girl’s clothes” #and then he goes look at that and points in another direction #😵‍💫 #Waltzing the Cat #Pam Houston #The Whole Weight of Me

[poetiosity]

One of my Writer Heroes - A Woman and Mountains

One of my Writer Heroes – A Woman and Mountains

 “I’m just saying, I guess, there’s another version, after this version, to look forward to. Because of wisdom or hormones or just enough years going by. If you live long enough you quit chasing things that hurt you; you eventually learn to hear the sound of your own voice.” – Pam Houston, Deep Creek Today I finished Deep Creek by one of favored authors, Pam Houston. To me her essays are…

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#Deep Creek #Pam Houston #Women Heroes

[nexttopbadbitch]

Black Women x Afros: Pt. 4

#melyssa ford #Diana Ross #lisa bonet #whitney houston #yaya dacosta #viola davis #jenifer lewis #pam grier #kerry washington #afro

[monsterhospital]

wait that book adaptation everywhere is written by CHERYL STRAYED ?!?!?

#shes friends with pam houston author of deep creek which i am reading right now #everything is connected

[evan-collins90]

Nightclub selections from the book, ‘Restaurant Design: Ninety-Five Spaces that Work’ by Susan Colgan (1987)

1 & 4. Pulsations Nightclub - Glen Mills, PA - designed by Arthur Altemose & Holly Mazzola

2. FIZZ Nightclub - Houston, TX - designed by Duncan Design Associates

3. Overtures Lounge - Birmingham, AL - designed by Joyce K. Wynn, Inc. 

5-7. Rascals - Honolulu, HI - designed by Norman & Pam Lacayo 

8 & 9. Zakie’s - York, PA - designed by Hickey/Hess Architecture & Design

10. Snuggery - Northbrook, IL - designed by Skyline Design of Chicago 

[neoyorzapoteca]

I was so sure I would write badly if I forced myself to write every day. I don’t like writing badly. Some of my good friends who are writers will write 10,000 words to get to a thousand, and I’m not like that. I like to get it in the room the first time. I do revise incessantly, but it’s kind of going from eight to 10 instead of from two to 10. And I think I always thought that going from two to 10 was just a waste of time. If I don’t have anything to say, why would I even sit down? I’m now rethinking that. Even in these 500 words a day, a lot of them suck. But there’s good ones in there that have arisen because I made myself sit down and write 500 words, which I realize is what every book on writing has said since the beginning of time. I just didn’t really believe it.

Author and teacher Pam Houston on developing a practice of noticing – The Creative Independent

[julykings]

from Cowboys Are My Weakness by Pam Houston

#such a good book….!!!!!! if u like contemplations on attraction and american masculinity and relationships.. violence and nature and aching #and loving ppl ur not sure if u should love. :-) #words #quotes

[chezzabellesworld]

Why were obsessed with these toxic

Twin flames 🔥,,,,,,water sign love ❤️🥀🌚🍄🪷💦💧☔️⭐️🌟✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨two of these women are cancers for a start ,and all of the men here have a water mars(Kurt Scorpio mars ,Bobby Scorpio mars,TOMMY AND Sid both mars in Cancer ♋️ ,,,very interesting the intensity of love it’

Gemini is coming up too with the ladies, we’re Pam is Gemini rising , Nancy is Gemini moon , Courtney is mars and Venus in the sign of Gemini ♊️, this with the water signs energy cancers Courtney and Pamela,Pisces ♓️ Nancy and Kurt , and Whitney’s rising sign ,,,,,,,this gives the dreamy love , and ultra feminine beauty,, the Gemini gives it the press or side which all these women were good at , especially Nancy and Courtney..

 Now getting to the part of this, which is inevitable to talk about with the fact of most of these relationships bar one, the man is considered the more dominant and more celebrity in these relationships and “ how dare these men love these kind of women “not not. This man could ever love one of these women. “Oh no, the men they’re all innocent in this rollercoaster.”, so what I was trying to say is that Whitney Houston, who is the woman in the relationship? Obviously is obviously the more successful one of the two, not that I think Sid Vicious is that successful. If I’m being honest, I mean I barely like this sex pistols, but Whitney Houston constantly had troubles with Bobby because of her higher elevation above him, not that I like to compare people success in measures like this, but if we’re talking career then yes he was constantly jealous. But after everything I’ve watched about these people after everything I’ve seen and by these people I don’t just mean Bobby and whitney but in this part I do, is the fact that I don’t believe Bobby introduced Whitney to cocaine, I do believe it in fact got worse when these kind of couples, including her and Courtney and Sid and Nancy I feel like maybe Whitney did give it to her Bobby. Maybe she was using a little bit and he knew the access she could get and he was like. Yeah that’s all the time let’s get this all the time and he had more of a bug, for wherever she could more control, maybe that kind of story will never know like I said with Pam and Tommy I don’t really know I feel like he was probably more of the drug addict in that relationship and this is why drugs come into it I’m not doing it is one of those stories because I have experience of one of these kind of relationships I became a heroin addict and I got with someone so I’m not using it for clout trust me. Sid and Nancy, that’s an interesting one because Sid’s mother was a heroin addict, but he would only do speed, when he gets with Nancy, he goes off the rails on heroin. I don’t know what the mum thought of Nancy I don’t really care cause, I don’t believe she was a very nice woman, and then when it comes to Kurt and Courtney , I believe the older one of the two seems to be the in the stories the one who influences more and you know that’s Courtney. I do believe Kurt did heroin, but these two energies coming together. Courtney is contacts because of how she is, that’s what I truly believe, but the same time Kurt Cobain is a Pisces and let’s not get it twisted people, I love the man 2 death.

#astro observations #astro community #astro placements #astrology #astrology observations #astro notes #pisces #water signs #cancer placements #scorpio #twin flame #toxic relationship

[moocowmoocow]

Femslash February 10 - Plush

Pam x Ellen

After Ellen received her astronaut pin but before she went to the moon, Pam convinced Ellen to come to the Texas State Fair with her. She argued that Dallas was three and half hours away from Houston and if she wore a hat and sunglasses no one would recognize Ellen. Which is how Ellen found herself in Pam’s beat up pick up, the windows down, on her way to the state fair.

Once there and she went an hour without anyone recognizing her, Ellen relaxed. She followed Pam as she enthusiastically went through the animal barns, ate delicious but horribly bad for you food, and watched a rodeo. She even let Pam hold her hand at the very top of the Ferris wheel, as long as she let go on the descent.

Near the end of the day, they were walking down the midway when Pam saw a ridiculous plush Longhorn hanging from the ring toss booth. “C’mon, this should be easy for an astronaut to win,” she said as she pulled Ellen by her arm to the booth.

After a few (many) tries, Ellen won her girl a stuffed cow.

#pam horton #ellen waverly #for all mankind #FAMslash february #femslash february #pam x ellen

[travelingviabooks]

Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you don’t take the time to adjust your vision, it doesn’t matter what the cave holds for you, you will never be able to see.

But the slow change in seasons has taught me some patience, how to spend the days in living when I could once have spent them in waiting, how to love the snow every day till it changes to rain.

Genre: Fiction, short stories

Country: USA

Review:

Another great short story collection from Pam Houston. I think this book has everything you could want from a short story collection. They all tie in together, there’s adventure, romance, heartbreak, hopefulness, and a strong female protagonist.

Would I recommend this book?: I would definitely recommend this book.

#bookblr #book review #book reviews #fiction #short stories #Pam Houston #waltzing the cat

[e-adlirez]

Seen your answer about your favorite moments for each of the thea sisters in the special editions, so how about your favorites thea sisters moments in the main series? And also which one is your favorite book from the main series?

MMMNNNHHHH

Okay so uhhh hmmm the last six books in the old artstyle are the ones I say where Thea Stilton peaked in adventure content (those being Old Castle, Blue Scarab Hunt, Prince's Emerald, Dancing Shadows, Orient Express, and Legend of the Fireflowers). Personally, I often flip back and forth between Old Castle, Blue Scarab Hunt, and Orient Express being my favorites because I have a soft spot for the first two (they were the first books I read in the series) and Orient Express is just goated in general

Orient Express is my current favorite, but expect it to change

OKAY FAVORITE MOMENTS, once again splitting it with lighthearted/dialogue moments, and important key moments in the plot

Lighthearted/dialogue moments:

Colette - Her literally becoming the embodiment of those cartoon characters yeeting their entire wardrobe over their head because they can't figure out what to wear for the occasion (Great Tulip Heist)

Nicky - That one time she made a dig at Violet because she slept in so hard that it made the girls late to their tournament day 1 (Roman Holiday)

Pam - When she called Ashvin the kid-friendly version of "a hot f#$kin' mess" (Ice Treasure)

Paulina - Her having to take a lotta copium from not having her phone or tablet with her in the jungle (Madagascar Madness)(I felt so called out ;w;)

Violet - Tie between the time she dunked on Enrico Mousetti's classist ass (Dancing Shadows) and "Well, in that case, we'd like to visit the castle while it's still standing." (Secret of the Old Castle)

Plot moments:

Colette - The time she did the classic "hot woman walks into the hallway" thing in Mystery in Paris

Nicky - THAT ONE TIME SHE CLIMBED ON TOP OF AND JUMPED OFF A SPEEDING FIRETRUCK (Big Trouble in the Big Apple)(I know she scaled a train in Orient Express, but this scene felt more badass)

Pam - Any and all chase scenes where she was driving ngl, woman carried (off the top of my head I can remember Blue Scarab Hunt and Prince's Emerald)

Paulina - Prince's Emerald, woman carried that book on her back and we love it, I hope she got a long, hot shower after that

Violet - Either the moment she figured out the giant boulder riddle in Blue Scarab Hunt, the time she big-brained the crap out of the mystery and told the girls that Fadhili was the traitor in Lion's Den, or uh the belowdeck scene in Ghost of the Shipwreck (I'm convinced that that was the moment that cemented Violet as my blorbo for second grade me), honorable mention goes to Violet tying a chess metaphor into the villain's strategy in Orient Express, said metaphor becoming the key to realizing what the villain was up to

Notice how the last six books appeared semi-frequently in my rankings? That's how goated they are :]

Honorable mention for a uh a scene in general is a scene between Vi and Paulina in Orient Express:

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod it's Zelda Mitoff :DDDDD"

"Yeah but good god her secretary's an idiot, he forgot one whole trunk in the luggage count"

".... bish you just saw the ballerina equivalent of Whitney Houston pass by and all you could think about was b o x e s ?"

I dunno if the Whitney Houston analogy makes sense but you get what I mean, that's peak fangirl right there, you love to see it

Anyway hope that answers your question, now I'm gonna wait cutely for ya'll to read the Treasure Seekers because it's really good (besides the power of friendship stuff), okay byeeeeeeee

#thea stilton #thea sisters #questions with e

[milkwithginseng]

WIP Wednesday

The season may have ended by I'm still working on this Pam/Ellen fic, although this bit is some of Dani and Ellen catching up. I finally checked out the Time Capsule, and not only did it make me miss Gordo and Tracy again but made me sympathise for Danny. But it's an amazing bit of interactive world building, it's spurring me on to write this.

Extract from: “The Greatest Journey: A Memoir” by Ellen Wilson

[I wanted to see Danielle privately before the ceremony. She may have been the first American on Mars, the first woman, but to me she will aways be the bubbly young ASCAN I first met in Houston. 

"I’m so sorry, for putting you at risk," I said.

"Risk. Risk is our business…" she said, quoting Captain Kirk from Star Trek, one of her favourite shows for obvious reasons. Then she added, in that sweet Southern drawl I adored, "…Desky."

Desky was our shared nickname for one other, from our days in astronaut training. We all worked hard, we had to but it’s fair to say that me and Danielle were the teacher’s pets of the group. Gradually it grew from a classroom term of endearment but a reminder we would invoke when either one of us was getting too fixated and instead remember to not take things too seriously.

But even with a cheeky smile from Dani Poole, I could see the pain that hid behind her eyes. We played a game of chicken with Helios and the Soviets to be the first to land on the Martian surface, a game that cost three people their lives. Sacrifices, it would later turn out, to be entirely for nothing. Four more people would lose their lives as the first pioneers remained stranded for 15 months with the barest of rations. 

My time manning Jamestown alone doesn’t even begin to compare. 

I believed then, as I do now that competition spurs us on, that sacrifice is an unfortunate consequence of progress. But looking into Danielle’s eyes, I wondered whether it truly was worth the cost. Whether we had gone too far, too fast. Maybe the Moon should’ve been enough. But once again I was taking the easy way out, not being there in the action but sitting behind a desk (even if that desk was in the White House) knowing that my lunar glory days were assured, I would be denying others their own incredible journeys into the cosmos.

The scars we carry, whether they be physical or mental mark us indelibly; they never go away but they also don’t get any bigger either. But we can grow, and change and build new experiences so that our scars can become a smaller part of us. 

And if Congress decided to gut NASA what would that mean for Danielle’s sacrifice? Of Will Tyler’s and Kelly Baldwin’s and all of the others, not just me, who have come before to provide a better future for Earth. We had come too far to stop now. It was as true then as it was in 1969. Progress is never assured, what is easily given can just as easily be taken away.]

#wip wednesday #for all mankind #I did shamelessly nick the nickname from Mel and Hugh on taskmaster #but it was cute and they're goals #nothing's gonna beat 'hi bob' though