Alcott Acre's Home, Room 6

Thanks for stopping by my sixth thread of 2022! All visitors are welcome - with the exception of spammers!

Excellent Reads from 2022 (thus far and in the order in which I read them):

5 Stars
The Writing of the Gods by Edward Dolnick
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo
The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Speigelman
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Walking with the Wind by John Lewis with Michael D'Orso

4.5 Stars
These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Square Haunting by Francesca Wade
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Özge Samancı
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
A Mortuary of Books by Elisabeth Gallas
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Speigelman
Watercress by Andrea Wang
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe
From Left to Right by Nancy Sinkoff
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Fell by Sarah Moss
Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert
Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
The Wars by Timothy Findley
The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey
Enchanters' End Game by David Eddings
The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty
The Heart of Race by Beverley Bryan, et al
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb

4.25 Stars
The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
The Fall of Light by Niall Williams
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Lenny's Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Tamra B. Orr
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Still Life by Sarah Winman
The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine
Time and Again by Jack Finney
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

2022 Goals - I am going to record the titles as I finish them:

Reading (or rereading as they case may be) all of Jane Austen’s novels this year
- Sense and Sensibility - Completed January 13, 2022
- Pride and Prejudice - Completed March 17, 2022
- Mansfield Park - Completed May 11, 2022

The St. Mary’s books
- Just One Damned Thing After Another - Completed January 14, 2022
- A Symphony of Echoes - Completed April 17, 2022

The In Death series - started in 2021
- Vengeance in Death - Completed January 9, 2022
- Abandoned in Death - Completed February 8, 2022
- Holiday in Death - Completed March 13, 2022
- Conspiracy in Death - Completed May 12, 2022

The Decker/Lazarus series - started in 2021
- Sacred and Profane - Completed January 23, 2022
- Milk and Honey -

The Outlander series
- Outlander - Completed February 12, 2022

The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series - started in 2021
- The Murder of Mary Russell - Completed February 16, 2022

The Murderbot series - started in 2021
- Artificial Condition - Completed February 20, 2022

The Three Pines series
- Still Life - Completed March 6, 2022

The Maisie Dobbs series
- Maisie Dobbs - Completed March 22, 2022

Classics - at least one a month; could be children's classics, modern classics, scifi/fantasy classics
1. Kim by Rudyard Kipling - Completed January 7, 2022
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Completed February 5, 2022
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey - Completed March 6, 2022
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Completed March 12, 2022
5. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - Completed March 28, 2022
6. The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope - Completed April 25, 2022
7. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf - Completed April 29, 2022
8. Heart of the Race by Beverley Bryan et al - Completed May 9, 2022
9. Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. - Completed May 12, 2022

Continuing my Civil Rights/ African & African American experience reading (at least one book per month)
1. How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith - Completed January 21, 2022
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Completed February 5, 2022
3. Mighty Justice by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe - Completed February 23, 2022
4. Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood by bell hooks - Completed March 5, 2022
5. The Hands of Peace by Marione Ingram - Completed March 11, 2022
6. Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert - Completed April 3, 2022
7. Walking with the Wind by John Lewis with Michael D'Orso - Completed April 28, 2022

Continuing my Holocaust/Jewish experience reading (at least one book per month)
1. We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter - Completed January 16, 2022
2. Sala's Gift by Ann Kirschner - Completed January 25, 2022
3. A Mortuary of Books by Elisabeth Gallas - Completed February 4, 2022
4. From Left to Right by Nancy Sinkoff - Completed March 10, 2022
5. The Boys: The Story of 732 Young Concentration Camp Survivors by Martin Gilbert - Completed April 26, 2022
6. While Six Million Died by Arthur D. Morse - Completed April 29, 2022

Books on Berly’s Indie List:
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - Completed February 1, 2022
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders - Completed February 6, 2022
Moonglow by Michael Chabon - Completed February 11, 2022
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan - Completed March 12, 2022
The Outlander by Gil Adamson - Completed May 4, 2022

Monthly Nonfiction Challenge:
January - The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson Wallace - Completed January 20, 2022
February - The Anthropocene reviewed : essays on a human-centered planet by John Green - Completed February 17, 2022
March - Avenue of Spies by Alex Kershaw - Completed March 30, 2022
April - Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron - Completed April 11, 2022
May - First Into Nagasaki by George Weller -

April TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a book with a title in which the middle letter is also a letter in the word APRIL
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris - Completed April 14, 2022

Challenge #2: Read a book with a tie to a book you read in the first quarter. (Note the tie, the book, and the month read.)
Gentleman of the Road by Michael Chabon - Completed April 12, 2022

Challenge #3: Read a book whose title includes a closed compound noun
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter - Completed April 5, 2022
Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov - Completed April 16, 2022

Challenge #4: The "One in a Million" Challenge: Read a book that has a number that is a million or greater in the title or subtitle
Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky - Completed April 13, 2022
While Six Million Died by Arthur D. Morse - Completed April 29, 2022

Challenge #5: Read a book whose title or author's name includes Abraham, Martin, or John
The Boys by Martin Gilbert - Completed April 26, 2022
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - Completed April 15, 2022
Walking with the Wind by John Lewis - Completed April 28, 2022

Challenge #6: Read a book recommended on Facebook or another public forum, name the forum
Search Sweet Country by Kojo Laing - DNF
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft - Completed April 24, 2022

Challenge #7: Read a book whose title includes at least three one-syllable words
Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert - Completed April 3, 2022
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa - Completed April 8, 2022
The Child from the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge Completed April 26, 2022
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk - Completed April 10, 2022
Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan - Completed April 9, 2022
In Two Minds by Alis Hawkins - Completed April 30, 2022
The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron - Completed April 11, 2022
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolfe - Completed April 29, 2022
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - Completed April 15, 2022
The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine - Completed April 13, 2022

Challenge #8: Read a book with a repeated title word
The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think by Jennifer Ackerman - Completed April 6, 2022
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan - Completed April 4, 2022

Challenge #9 : Read a book Longlisted for the Women's Prize this decade
Hamnet by Maggie Farrell - Completed April 24, 2022
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey - Completed April 30, 2022
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich - Completed April 6, 2022

Challenge #10 : Read a book with fewer than 100 members listed on LT
The Fell by Sarah Moss - Completed April 3, 2022
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi - Completed April 18, 2022
Star of the Morning: The Extraordinary Life of Lady Hester Stanhope by Kirsten Ellis - Completed April 27, 2022

Challenge #11: Read a book published in the 1970s OR aimed at the under 8s
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff - Completed April 9, 2022
Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat - Completed April 17, 2022
Time and Again by Jack Finney - Completed April 23, 2022

Challenge #12: Read a book that is set in a country that is a member of the British Commonwealth
The Outlander by Gil Adamson
The Wars by Timothy Findley - Completed April 18, 2022
White Mughals by William Dalrymple - Completed April 9, 2022

Challenge #13: Read a book with a Maritime setting
The Admirals by Walter R. Borneman - Completed April 25, 2022
The Sea Wolf by Jack London - Completed April 3, 2022

Challenge #14: Read a book where the numbers in the number of pages are in sequence
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - - Completed April 28, 2022
Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters - Completed April 1, 2022

Challenge #15: Read a book with a link to Star Trek
The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe - Completed April 10, 2022

Challenge #16: Read a book with a birthstone in the title (add the month)
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope - Completed April 25, 2022
Garnethill by Denise Mina - Completed April 6, 2022

Challenge #17 Read a book for the Twenty Questions Rolling Challenge
Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings - Completed April 29, 2022
A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor - Completed April 17, 2022

Challenge #18: Read a book where a title or subtitle or a series name includes the word “chronicles”
The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart - Completed April 26, 2022

May TIOLI Challenges:

Challenge #1: Read a book by an author for whom you have read ONLY ONE other book by that same author before
Arms of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft
From Stone Orchard by Timothy Findley
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl - Completed May 5, 2022

Challenge #2: The "My Happy Place" Challenge: Read a book with the word "library" or "libraries" in either the title or subtitle
Improbable Libraries by Alex Johnson
Library Looking Glass by David Cecil
The Library of Entertainment Handbook by John Chilton Scammell - Completed May 7, 2022
The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - Completed May 6, 2022
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles - Completed May 8, 2022
The Writer’s Library by Nancy Pearl

Challenge #3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter
Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan - Completed May 8, 2022
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy B. Tyson
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen
Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb - Completed May 12, 2022
Day After Night by Anita Diamant
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - Completed May 11, 2022
The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham
The Outlander by Gil Adamson - Completed May 4, 2022
The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty - Completed May 6, 2022
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers - Completed May 3, 2022
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini - Completed May 4, 2022
The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam
The Wish Maker by Ali Sethi

Challenge #4: Read a book first published in the 1980s or set in school/college setting (not University/post 18 educational setting)
Enchanters’ End Game by David Eddings - Completed May 5, 2022
Heart of the Race by Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie, and Suzanne Scafe - Completed May 9, 2022
The Secret Place by Tana French
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil by Reay Tannahill

Challenge #5: Read a book that was published within 10 years before or after your birth year
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym - Completed May 12, 2022

Challenge #6: Read a book with a flying animal in the title or author's name
The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell
Death Takes a Gander by Christine Goff - Completed May 6, 2022
Killing Dragons by Fergus Fleming

Challenge #7: Read a book whose title comes from a Shakespearean play, by an author who shares their first name with a Shakespearean character OR that is set during Shakespeare's lifetime
This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
The Year of Lear by James Shapiro

Challenge #8: Read a book with a word in the title implying a number
First into Nagasaki by George Weller
The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel- Completed May 7, 2022
Solo by Rana Dasgupta

Challenge #9 - Read a book by an author born in a country from where you have never read an author before
Human Acts by Han Kang

Challenge 10: Read a book of historical fiction having anything to do with the Titanic, state the connection
Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan - Completed May 8, 2022

Challenge 11: Read a book that you have owned for at least 5 years (and have not read before)
The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella

Challenge 12: Read a book with a 5-word title
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - Completed May 9, 2022

Challenge #13: Read a book with a character that is not a letter in the title
God’s Secret Agents by Alice Hogge
Love & Saffron by Kim Fay - Completed May 11, 2022
Pollak's Arm by Hans von Trotha
Writers & Lovers by Lily King

Challenge #14: Read a book from a genre you haven't read yet in 2022
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
Dark Demon by Christine Feehan

Challenge #15: In Memoriam: Read a book by an author who has died in 2021 or 2022
Amelia’s War by Ann Rinaldi
Numbering All the Bones by Ann Rinaldi - Completed May 7, 2022

Challenge #16: Read a book that has the word two or a word related to two in the title or author's name.
Two Under the Indian Sun by Jon and Rumer Godden - Completed May 10, 2022
Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. - Completed May 12, 2022

My biggest challenge this year is for the Asian Authors Challenge. I am so stoked for this one. I want to try and read at least 3 books per month toward this challenge.

Proposed Books for May:
The Wish Maker by Ali Sethi
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini - Completed May 4, 2022
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam

I am extremely limited for my April choices as my local library has few books by Iraqi authors and neither do I. My proposed reads for April are:
Zealot : the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan - Completed April 4, 2022
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - - Completed April 28, 2022
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times also by Azar Nafisi - Completed April 18, 2022

Shared/Group Reads:

Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings - Group read - Completed April 29, 2022
White Mughals by William Dalrymple - shared read with Paul - Completed April 9, 2022
Star of the Morning: The Extraordinary Life of Lady Hester Stanhope by Kirsten Ellis- Completed April 27, 2022
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - shared read with Mamie - MAY
Enchanters' End Game by David Eddings - Group read - Completed May 5, 2022
The moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham - Shared read with Paul - MAY
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Shared read with Paul - MAY
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - Shared read with Natalie - MAY
The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci by Jonathan Spence - Shared read with Peggy - MAY

On hold currently:
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene - Shared read with Paul - JUNE
Pilgrim by Timothy Findley - Shared read with Peggy - JUNE
The House of Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazan - Shared read with Paul - JUNE
Taft by Ann Patchett - shared read with Mark - JUNE
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez - shared read with Mark and several others - JUNE
Bleak House by Charles Dickens - shared read with Paul - JULY
Plainsong by Kent Haruf - shared read with Mark - JULY
Waverley by Walter Scott - shared read with Mamie - JULY
Lost Illusions by Honore de Balzac - shared read with Paul - AUGUST

Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart Postponed at Karen’s request
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon Ruiz Postponed at Karen’s request
Here I Am by Jonathan Safron Foer Postponed at Kim's request

Pick a Shelf Challenge - Goal is 2 a month - I literally just chose a shelf in my library and emptied it of books. I will mark them as I complete them - and then pick another shelf!

The Art of War in the Western World by Archer Jones*
The Nautical Chart by Arturo Perez-Reverte
The Yard by Alex Grecian
Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen
Hard Evidence by David Fisher - Completed February 27, 2022
The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise - Completed January 27, 2022
Day After Night by Anita Diamant
Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks - Completed January 9, 2022
Witness to a Century by George Seldes
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
The Maker of Heavenly Trousers by Daniele Vare
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill - Completed March 27, 2022
The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne - Completed March 31, 2022
Nursery Crimes by Ayelet Waldman - Completed February 9, 2022
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris - Completed April 14, 2022
Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov - Completed April 16, 2022
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson

*Due to the length of this volume, I will likely only read one book from this list in that particular month.

The next one is yours. . .

Happy new thread!

>9 alcottacre: Thanks, Susan. I wanted to get it done before I head to bed - and also I pretty much stay offline on Sundays.

Happy new thread, Stasia.

I like your idea of emptying a particular shelf and I have cheated somewhat by cramming in 100 books onto a shelf which covers precisely one book from each year of the last century. (of course double stacked) - I will make a start on them next month all being well.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

After picking up Castle of Wizardry, I immediatly reserved the next one. Don't want to be unsure again if I can get it in time. Will pick it up at the library later this week. Nearly halfway in CoW, will finish it today.
I hope to get to Invitation to a beheading next week.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Stasia. I left you a note on your last one...

Happy Sunday, Stasia. Happy New Thread! Of course, I will have very limited internet time, while in AZ but I will be sure to fill everyone in, on my return. Come on, birdies!!

>12 PaulCranswick: As soon as I am done with this particular shelf, I am going to pick another one, Paul. I hope you make good progress on your shelf! I feel like I am finally getting some of the books read that have been hanging around my house, patiently waiting, forever!

>13 FAMeulstee: I hope you appreciate (enjoy just does not seem to be the right word here) Invitation to a Beheading, Anita. Glda to hear that you are making good progress on CoW, which I have yet to start. Probably this next week.

>14 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>15 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. I saw a note from you yesterday, but I will double check to make sure I responded over there.

>16 msf59: Come on birdies? You mean "come on owls," right? I hope you have a wonderful trip, Mark.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate! I am off the computer until later tonight.

Happy new thread, Stasia, and happy Sunday to you.

Enjoy your internet-less Sunday, Stasia. It wasn't planned, but I was internet-less for several days last week when I visited my sister. The internet was, of course, all around us, but we couldn't crack the password necessary to give my computer access to her wi-fi. So we just sat around and talked and paged through her wonderful book collection and looked at the collages she's been making. How novel!

Enjoy! I did.

HI Stasia and happy new thread to you. It is so interesting to look through your reading goals and challenges. So organized! Such great future reading ideas!

Lots of good wishes for your new thread waiting for you when you come back, Stasia, including this one: Happy New Thread!
Hope y'all are having a wonderful day!

Happy new thread Stasia!

Happy Easter, Stasia.

Happy new one!

>18 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen!

>19 weird_O: I spend every Sunday off LT and electronic things, Bill. I read, I play games, I do other stuff. I find the break from technology, even if just only one day a week, helps me immensely.

>20 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! I take inspiration from so many people in this group. I am glad you found a little here.

>21 LizzieD: >22 humouress: >23 laytonwoman3rd: >24 drneutron: Thank you, Peggy, Nina, Linda, and Jim!

Finished today:

148 - Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat - Juvenile; This book for kids is based on Mowat's childhood. Billy and his friend Bruce want to have a baby owl and in the end get two, Wol and Weeps. After the beginning of the book explains how they obtained the owls, the remainder of the book talks of the owls' adventures, especially Wol. I think as a kid I would have loved this book; Recommended for kids and the young at heart (4 stars) Mine

149 - A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor - The second book in The Chronicles of St. Mary's finds our intrepid hero, Max, doing a bunch of Max-like stuff, including accidentally bringing Jack the Ripper into the 21st century. I continue to enjoy the adventures of Max, Farrell, Stephenson, Guthrie, et al; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Happy New Thread, Stasia!

I love all your book postings. The War That Saved My Life and The Summer Book are ones I remember with particular fondness.

>8 alcottacre: Happy new thread!
I'm going to add the 'Shelf Challenge' to my reading this year. What an intriguing idea.
Now off to pick a shelf....

Happy new thread, Stasia! I hope your week is off to an excellent start.

I am curious about the Lady Stanhope book you are reading Star of the Morning. Are you reading it with a group? How did you run into this book and her story?

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>27 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! You have good taste in books :)

>28 kaida46: Welcome, Deb! I am glad to have you here. Good luck picking a shelf - I finally resorted to "Eeny Meeny Miney Mo."

>29 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. I hope the same for you as well!

>30 benitastrnad: Benita, Roni, Peggy, Lucy and I were supposed to all be reading the same biography, but Lucy got hold of the wrong book and Roni cannot find the one that Peggy and I are reading at a reasonable price, so the four of us are reading 3 different books about Lady Stanhope :) When Peggy and I were reading Pleasure of Ruins earlier this year, Lady Stanhope's name came up repeatedly, so we decided to see if we could find a biography of the lady. Star of the Morning is the one we stumbled across.

>31 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori!

A year ago yesterday, these two fireballs came into my life. . .



Mallory, Age 1

. . .And Chalfont, his sister



We found 4 abandoned kittens in our garage and promptly adopted these two. Even my reluctant husband, Kerry, has come around to loving them. Our lives are more complete with them, I can tell you that!

Beautiful! Dare I ask where the other 2 went?

I bet your lives are also more *energetic*. Mine sure is after adopting my most recent 2.....

>35 jessibud2: We could not keep all 4, Shelley, so we put the other two in the local "no kill" animal shelter. I hope they have been adopted into wonderful homes.

Happy Gotcha Day to your kitties! Very cute fur babies.

Happy new thread! And happy anniversary to your fur babies!

Hi Stasia my dear, happy new thread.

>37 MickyFine: >38 cbl_tn: >39 johnsimpson: Thank you, Micky, Carrie, and John!

>33 alcottacre:,>34 alcottacre: They are beauties! Lucky them, lucky you.

>36 alcottacre: - Then there is hope. I adopted my Theo and Owen from just such a rescue shelter. (I even send them photos from time to time!)

>41 mdoris: Oh, definitely, Mary!

>42 jessibud2: That is so cool, Shelley!

New books in-house today:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - gratefully borrowed from Karen
The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones

Completed tonight:

150 - The Wars by Timothy Findley - Findley is a new to me author - I am not sure how I stumbled across him - but I will be reading more of his books. The Wars tells the story of 19-year-old Robert Ross, who goes to war (WWI). He is stuck in the trenches where he is seeing the men all around him die. Despite the craziness of war, Ross keeps his humanity, and that costs him dearly. The narrative is not straightforward - there is some jumping to and fro and sometimes it is hard to tell who is narrating a particular section, but this is a slight quibble in this otherwise excellent book; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

151 - Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of LIterature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi - Nonfiction; this is a book that I really wanted to like more than I did, having read and loved Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran. However, in this book, Nafisi is sending letters to her deceased father, all the while mentioning things that her father would certainly have known, had he been alive. I found what Nafisi had to say interesting, but I hated the book's execution and found it to be pretentious and pompous; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Library Book

"In a remembrance that Styron wrote for the New York Times following Baldwin's passing, he recounted that they both believed 'the writer should be free to demolish the sole barrier of color, to cross the forbidden line and write from the point of view of someone with a different skin.' "

Hello Dear Friend. I've been out of touch. Reading is challenging for me. I think all the surgeries and the anesthesia created lack of ability to concentrate. The neurosurgeon told me to do some challenging crossword puzzles. I miss the ability to concentrate. I find that I continually go back to the former page read.

My inability to focus on reading reminds me of just how important reading is, and always has been for me!

I hope you are well and that you had a special Easter holiday.

Much Love!

>45 alcottacre: Well done on 2x75 already, Stasia and brought up with a good book that I have long slated for my own reading.

>1 alcottacre: Happy new thread!

>46 Whisper1: Thank you for dropping by, lovey. I wonder if audiobooks might work better for you right now? I hope you had a wonderful Easter too!

>47 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I hope you enjoy The Wars when you get to it. I have at least one more Findley book here that I am hoping to sneak in this year.

>48 ocgreg34: Thanks, Greg!

>33 alcottacre: and >34 alcottacre: Awww, I love your two fireballs. My husband was a reluctant kitty adopter when I moved to NC in 1991 to marry him, and now he spoils our current three more than I do!

Stasia, thanks for the suggestion. I might try this mode of reading. I'm a stuck in the mud person who loves the feel of the paper as the pages are turned. But, since pages to turn have been limited, I think I will have to resort to audiobooks. I hope you are well my friend!

>45 alcottacre: - Oh, Findley is a Canadian treasure! I have read a few and have several others (as yet unread) on the shelves. One of my favourites was From Stone Orchard, which is a memoir rather than a novel.

Weird. On the right, where they touchstone should be, I see this message:
405 Not Allowed
nginx/1.21.3

Shelley is right Timothy Findley is a Canadian national treasure. I had a peek and I have read 6 of his books but so long ago. They are worthy of a re-read!

>50 karenmarie: Yeah, for all his protestation about keeping one cat let alone two, Kerry sure spoils ours too!

>51 Whisper1: I am doing fine, Linda. I hope audiobooks work for you! I cannot just sit and listen though. I have to be cooking or walking or something else though when I listen to them.

>52 jessibud2: I will add From Stone Orchard to the BlackHole, Shelley. Thank you for that recommendation. My local library does not have a single one of his books, which is such a shame!

That is weird about the 405 message. The Touchstone shows up just fine for me. May have been some kind of technical issue that is now resolved?

>53 mdoris: Mary, I have Pilgrim slated to read in June, if you are interested in a shared read? I only have a couple of his books so could not do 6, even if I knew what they were :)

Happy Kittens Anniversary! We adopted Penny from the local Humane Society in August of 2020. I decided she could share my birthday with me. Pets bring such joy into our lives, don’t they? Mallory and Chalfont are beauties…and very lucky.

No Timothy Findley books at my library, Stasia. The Friends of the library book sale is coming up. I will look there. I do tend to love books by Canadian authors.

>55 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. I remember you telling us about Penny in Joplin last year. Glad she shares your birthday too! The kittens were about 4 weeks old when we found them, so we made thier "birthday" March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. I figured that way I would never forget it.

I wish you luck at your book sale!

New books in-house today for my personal library:

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene - for a shared read with Paul
Open Season by Archer Mayor - this series was recently recommended to me by Judy

>45 alcottacre: Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75, Stasia!

Twice 75 already! You're on a roll, Stasia :)

>54 alcottacre: Thanks for thinking of me Stasia but I am such a slow reader that I rarely re-read a book. I sure will follow your enthusiasms however! I am still wanting to read more of the Niall Williams books.

>58 FAMeulstee: >59 curioussquared: Thanks, Anita and Natalie!

>60 mdoris: I am planning on getting in at least one more Niall Williams book this year, Mary, but probably not until around December. Yes - I have reads planned out that far, lol.

DNF #5 - I hate that I am not finishing Search Sweet Country, but I have tried, even reading the first chapter twice. Almost 50 pages in and I have no idea what is going on. I feel really stupid. I am sure I should understand what is going on, but it is just going over my head. *sigh*

If anyone would like my lightly read copy of the book, PM me and I will gladly send it your way. I purchased it new, so it is in good shape.

New books in-house today for my personal library:

Skeen's Leap by Jo Clayton - a recent recommendation from Lucy
Surrender None by Elizabeth Moon
In the Land of Armadillos by Helen Maryles Shankman
The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta - this will be a re-read for me, but it has been several years since I last read it
Let the Dead Bury Their Dead by Randall Kenan

Thoughts on these?

New book in-house today for my personal library:

Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan

Lest you think I am not getting any reading done these days, I am. However, all the books I am currently reading are 400-700 pages long, lol. They take a minute or two to read.

Hi Stasia!

>45 alcottacre: I completely blanked on your having reached 75 x 2. Congratulations.

>63 alcottacre: I love the title, In the Land of Armadillos, but the time period, WWII, isn't one of my favorite, so I'll pass.

I wish you a wonderful weekend!

>65 karenmarie: Hey, Karen! Thanks on the 75x2. WWII is very much one of my favorite time periods and has been since childhood, so definitely in my wheel house.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend too!

>45 alcottacre: >65 karenmarie: Congratulations. Wow.

Double-75 already! You're rocketing along, Stasia me lurve. *smooch*

>67 quondame: Thanks, Susan.

>68 richardderus: You expected no less, right? Lol

New books in-house today for my personal library:

Liar's Oath by Elizabeth Moon
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume III by Diana Wynne Jones
Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan
Lies, Damned Lies, and History by Jodi Taylor
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

All those books!!!! I'd be ---- I don't know what I'd be ---- but I know that you'll read them, unlike poor me.

I have Pilgrim as an only Timothy Findley. If I can find it, I'd love to read it with you when/if you do.

>71 LizzieD: I have Pilgrim slated for June, Peggy, so you have a while to find it!

Wow, I missed the 75x2 also! Congratulations!!

Stasia, your numbers are astounding and wonderful! Congrats!

I love your restraint, Stasia. Just idling along, mmm hmm, 150 reads in less that 4 months. Now if you'd just buckle down and apply yourself, just think what you could accomplish. On the other hand, you could take up Wordle.

>73 RebaRelishesReading: >74 jessibud2: Thank you, Reba and Shelley!

>75 weird_O: I know, Bill. It is too bad that I have other things to do rather than read. I do need to apply myself to the task more. Wordle holds no appeal for me whatsoever, lol. I have yet to play and would like to keep it that way.

New books in-house today for my personal library:

Aftershock by Kelly Easton
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

From the public library:
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan

>76 alcottacre:
When I retire I am going to devote myself to reading and make all other activities secondary.

>78 benitastrnad: - Haha. Good luck with that. Speaking from experience, all (bookish) new retirees start out with that same goal, but real life inevitably has other plans... ;-)

Happy weekend, Juana!

>78 benitastrnad: I wish you luck with that, Benita!

>79 jessibud2: That is the way it has worked out for me, Shelley.

>80 PaulCranswick: Nice to see you here, Juan. It has been a while.

Finished tonight:

152 - Time and Again by Jack Finney - Shelley recently wrote about her enjoyment of this book and after 14 years of owning it, I finally got it read. I thoroughly enjoyed this time-travel novel as we meet Si Morley, who is drafted into a secret government organization, thanks to his wonderful imagination. He gets hired to dream himself back in time, into NYC in the 1880s. What starts out as this wonderful experiment turns into an ethical dilemma for Si. This is an illustrated novel and the old photos used to highlight the text were a terrific addition to the novel; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

ETA: The more I think on this book, the more I like it, so I am upping my original rating from 4 stars to 4.25 stars.

>82 alcottacre: I got a nasty jar when I read that Stephen King wrote this was the great time-travel story...and I thought 11/22/63 was!

To my shock, this novel's never been filmed. Fifty-two years it's sat there waiting....

*smooch*

>83 richardderus: I have not read 11/22/63 and doubt I ever will since I am not a Stephen King fan. Horror is just not my thing.

I am surprised it has not been filmed too. I guess Hollywood is happy making the same movies over and over again, RD.

>82 alcottacre: If Time and Again weren’t already on my TBR, your review would put it there! Thanks!

Karen O

>85 klobrien2: I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did, Karen!

>79 jessibud2: I'm planning a little more here than just reading, which is probably why I'll only manage 75 or so in my first retirement year, not 75 times 2 (or 3, or 4, or ..)

Finished tonight:

153 - Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft - I enjoyed this trip to the Tower of Babel with Senlin in this steam punkish, fantasy novel. Interestlingly enough, there is a character in this book named Rodion, the same as in Nabokov's Invitation to a Beheading, which this novel reminds me of in some ways. Just like Cincinnatus, Thomas Senlin really does not know what is going on when, on his honeymoon trip, his wife disappears in the Tower and Senlin is determined to find her - despite his complete lack of understanding of how the Tower actually works despite his having read the guidebooks repeatedly; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

154 - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - I love historical fiction and I especially love good historical fiction, which this novel decidedly is. It is a retelling of Shakespeare's life, primarily through the eyes of his wife, Agnes, and most specifically dealing with the death of their only son, Hamnet. The grief of the family is palpable, especially that of Hamnet's twin sister, Judith. Shakespeare (who is never named as such throughout the book) buries himself in work and leaves the family for long stretches of time to work in London. Agnes tries to reach beyond death to her son. I wish I could express better how lovely this book is; Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

>88 alcottacre: I finally have Hamnet checked out. Now if I just put down the long, not yet interesting book I'm reading that's due back at the library tomorrow...

‘Morning, Stasia, and happy Monday to you.

>82 alcottacre: I’ve read this one and the sequel and enjoyed both. I rated each of them at 3.5, but don’t specifically remember why.

You may never choose to read it, but 11/22/63 is not a horror novel. It’s a time travel novel.

>88 alcottacre: Hamnet is on my shelves, I started it when I got it for Christmas in 2020, but put it down for some reason.

>89 quondame: Yikes! I hope the library book either perks up or you give it up in favor of Hamnet, Susan!

>90 karenmarie: I already have the sequel on the way too, Karen, and am looking forward to it. I believe there is at least one more book in the series after that one. I will have to check out 11/22/63 at some point.

As far as Hamnet goes, maybe the time was just not right - Christmas 2020 - to read a book about death and the plague.

Yay for good new reads! *smooch*

Finished today:

155 - The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope - Audiobook; This is the third book in Trollope's Palliser series, but you do not have to have read the previous two in order to enjoy this one. This book introduces Lady Lizzie Eustace, who married Sir Florian Eustace, bore him a son, and then Sir Florian promptly died. Unfortunately for his estate, he left diamonds worth 10,000 pounds - and Lady Eustace quickly assumed them as her own even though they should have belonged to the estate and thence to her son. The entire book is a character study of Lady Eustace, who lies throughout even when telling the truth would have been to her benefit, and she is a schemer on top of being a liar. She lies to her friends, she lies to her enemies - especially Mr Camperdown, the attorney for the estate who is attempting to recover the diamonds for it. Eventually the diamonds are stolen and everything comes to light. A quibble with the book is the antisemitism lightly sprinkled throughout - people are referred to as (insert adjective here) Jews in a derogatory manner. I guess this was a common practice at the time; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"Lizzie, in defending herself to herself, felt that though cruel magistrates and hardhearted lawyers and pigheaded jurymen might call her little fault by the name of perjury, it could not be real, wicked perjury, because the diamonds had been her own. . .It had suited her to give - an incorrect version of facts because people had troubled themselves about her affairs. . ."

>93 richardderus: Thanks, Richard!

New book in-house today:

Lost Illusions by Honore de Balzac - this one is thanks to Paul's recent recommendation

I keep hoping a Spielberg or a Ron Howard will take on filming Time and Again. It has to be someone in whose hands it can make the leap to the screen and retain it's magic and charm. So far, I still wait.... I also have the sequel but for some unfathomable reason, haven't got to it yet.

>88 alcottacre: I liked Hamnet even better than you did. It was my favorite read of 2020.

>97 jessibud2: That would be wonderful if someone like that could make a magic film out of a magic book, Shelley.

>98 thornton37814: Cool beans, Lori!

Finished tonight:

156 - The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King - The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea by Walter R. Borneman - Nonfiction; Borneman does a good job in this book of taking the admirals in question from their starts at the naval academy, following their careers, and taking them into WWII. I thought the book might concentrate on the Pacific War theatre, but Borneman does not neglect the Atlantic. This was a solid read, helped by inserted maps for people like me who are not up on their geography; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

157 - Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley - This was a recent recommendation by Mary and I very much enjoyed this graphic novel which was partly inspired by Knisley's own childhood. We meet Jen, whose parents recently divorced, and whose mother has decided to move out to the country onto a farm. Jen does not want to go. She does not want her mother living with Walter, who has 2 daughters of his own. She does not want to have to deal with chores and she especially does not want to have to deal with the geese, who hiss and chase after her. She meets her new stepsisters and does not get along with them, especially Andy, at first. By the end of the book, Jen has changed and so has her outlook on living on a farm; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>96 alcottacre: There is a distinct possibility that I will get to that one next month, Stasia, in case you fancy it. I was toying with starting a read of one European classic per month with Don Quixote but the more I think about it the more I feel I may need to build up to it.

I am thinking about a different European language original per month (in English translation) obviously to go alongside an English original classic. In terms of European language I am currently thinking:
French - Lost Illusions by Balzac
Dutch - Max Havelaar by Multatuli
German - Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
Russian - The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky
Swedish - Gosta Berling's Saga by Selma Lagerlof
Italian - The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
Spanish - The House of Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazan
Polish - Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz

I had planned to read some of my unread classics anyhow but one or two of them (Don Quixote and War and Peace) in particular are a bit daunting when I am thinking about what else I am committed to.

>101 PaulCranswick: I read War and Peace a few years ago and loved it. Many of the books that you mention, Paul, I have never even heard of: Max Havelaar, Gosta Berling's Saga, The Betrothed, and The House of Ulloa. I will see if my local library has copies of any of them. I am definitely not reading Don Quixote again - you could not pay me enough, lol.

I put Lost Illusions down for reading in August, but if you want to move it up, just let me know. My local library only owns Quo Vadis of the books on the list, so I am going to have to buy almost all of them since I only own Lost Illusions and The Brothers Karamazov at this point.

>102 alcottacre: I have shelved plans for Don Quixote as it looks incredibly formidable and I am at heart not at this moment feeling up to the test of it. All my picks are 1001 books or Nobel winners.
Joe keeps telling me that I will love Karamazov so I will start with that or Lost Illusions first to suit you.

>103 PaulCranswick: If the choice is left up to me, I will take The Brothers Karamazov and Dostoevsky every time.

BTW - I went ahead and ordered all of the books on the list, but it is obviously going to take some time to get them all here.

>104 alcottacre: You are cut from the same cloth as I am, Juana!

TBK it is then!

>101 PaulCranswick: >103 PaulCranswick: Mumble mummer, mumble mumble...I now have Don Quixote checked out and am even less motivated to read it than I was before today.... My mother went to a small liberal arts college, Reed, in Oregon which introduced it to her as Don Quick-set.

>105 PaulCranswick: We are cross posting, lol. I was just over on your thread!

So are we reading TBK in May then??

>106 quondame: I read Don Quixote here on LT as part of a group read. It is long, long, long - and the second half, as near as I could tell, did not tell me anything new from the first half of the book, Susan.

>106 quondame: Really my bad, Susan, and I apologise for leading you on so shamelessly!

>107 alcottacre: Yes and again! TBK in May confirmed.

>109 PaulCranswick: Already pulled it and set it aside for May. Thanks for the confirmation!

>109 PaulCranswick: & >110 alcottacre: Glad I caught these string of messages. I had definitely put TBK on my list for December. I might still see if I can pick up a copy of it when I go into town this week but that's not guaranteed, it's still on my list now for this year though. Enjoy the read Paul & Stasia!

Also, Paul, I'll be keeping a lookout if you keep War & Peace on your list of reads still.

Enjoy TBK!! I read it in college and loved it.

>101 PaulCranswick: >102 alcottacre: Lost Illusions is patiently waiting on the shelf.
I have read and loved Max Havelaar and Buddenbrooks, both 5 star reads to me. Wasn't fond of The Brothers Karamazov and Gosta Berling's Saga, gave them both 3.5 stars.

I can get The Betrothed and Quo Vadis from the library

>111 WhiteRaven.17: I have already read TBK, so this will be a re-read for me. The book is still on my shelves, so I must have enjoyed it - although it was so long ago now that I do not remember anything about it!

>112 Berly: Hey, Kim! Lovely to see you here!

>113 FAMeulstee: Great! Sounds like a plan, Anita!

Happy Tuesday's reads! *smooch*

New books in-house today:

From the public library:
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty - a recent recommendation from Richard

For my personal library:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I promised Caroline a couple of years ago that I would give this one a re-read
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
The Company We Keep by Frances Itani
Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan by Deborah Reed
The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente
In Search of Lost Time: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flowers Graphic Novel by Marcel Proust and Stephane Heuet

>115 richardderus: Thank you, Richard!

>116 alcottacre: - The Frances Itani title is a new one to me, Stasia, but your touchstone goes to a different book.

>118 jessibud2: Fixed! Thanks for letting me know, Shelley.

>119 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia. Now you got me with a BB!! This sounds like my kind of book. Reminds me, from the description, a bit of another book I read ages ago and loved, Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients.

>120 jessibud2: Missed me with that BB, Shelley, as I have already read it. Lol

Finished today:

158 - The Child from the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge - This is what I call "old-fashioned' historical fiction - the historical fiction that my mother read when I was growing up by the likes of Jean Plaidy, Philippa Carr, and Victoria Holt (and yes, I do realize that they were all the same person). The Child from the Sea tells the story of Lucy Walter who grew up to be the first mistress (wife? - there is some question on that) of Charles II of England. I vastly preferred the story of her childhood than I did once she and Charles were involved. She never got along with her mother or her older brother, Richard, particularly well, but she loved her father and her brothers Justus and Dewi, who she did not forget when she lived on the continent. The book is long, coming in at almost 750 pages, and towards the end, I felt that length; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

159 - The Boys: The Story of 732 Young Concentration Camp Survivors by Martin Gilbert - Nonfiction; In 1945, Great Britain started a program to take in children who were concentration camp survivors. The program was set up for 1000 children - they could only find 732 to bring over, almost all of them boys. The Boys tells the story of these survivors, the majority of whom were from Poland, although other countries such as Hungary did send some of the children over as well. It is heart-rending to read some of these stories. Most of the children lost everything and everyone that they loved, although again, there were some children who had a brother, or aunt, or father survive. The book not only tells the stories from the childhoods of the children, but follows them through to adulthood so we can see how things ended up for them; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>82 alcottacre: I like the idea of reading about an ethical dilemma, but time travel and me don't mix ;)

^ your book no. 159 sounds like it would make me cry so hard. So I'll pass on that one! I really have to be in the right frame of mind to approach books about children suffering...which is to say that I have to feel 10-feet tall and emotionally bulletproof.

>123 LovingLit: Yeah, it is not exactly an easy read, Megan. I understand about having to be in the right frame of mind.

Sorry to hear that you and time travel do not mix. Time and Again really is a terrific book.

>122 alcottacre: I read some Elizabeth Goudge at some point in the past. It was all pre-LT, and I don't remember what I've read and what I haven't. When I look at her works, some of the titles ring bells and some don't. I suspect the ones that ring bells are the ones I've read.

Congratulations on the 2 x 75, Stasia. Your reading plans for the year are ambitious! I read TBK in college, don't remember much, and may read it again. I do remember really liking it. You also mentioned in your lists Reading Lolita in Tehran, one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy both books.

>126 Oregonreader: I know I will like both books, Jan, as they are both re-reads for me :)

Glad to see you here!

>116 alcottacre: I have the great Gatsby on my shelf as well. I have been meaning to read it for a while as well.

Also, congrats zipping through your second set of 75 books. I'm still trying to make it to the first set ;)

>128 figsfromthistle: Care for a shared read, Anita? I am game if you are!

Thanks! I am sure you will get to 75 with no problem!

A City of Bells is the only Elizabeth Goudge I can recall reading. It was very soothing.

Tomorrow's review will be a Holocaust-survivor story, but more violent than is usual for those: Harry Haft. I don't know if it will suit your altitude but its film premieres on HBO Max tomorrow, too. Dark, dark stuff told by a son about his dad.

>130 richardderus: I loved A City of Bells when I read it, Richard. I really need to give that one a re-read.

I do not have HBO Max, so I will not be watching it, but I will be on the lookout for your review tomorrow.

Finished tonight:

160 - The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart - I originally read the first book in this omnibus, Bridge of Birds, several years ago and absolutely loved it, but I never read the other two books, The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen until now. I love these stories of Master Li and Number Ten Ox as they go through what I can only call a "fantasy" China - running into demons and witches and other fantastical creatures on their quests; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

New books in-house today for my personal library:
Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft - the second book of the Senlin Ascends series
The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
My Best Stories by Alice Munro
Summerwater by Sarah Moss

Finished this afternoon:

161 - Star of the Morning: The Extraordinary Life of Lady Hester Stanhope by Kirsten Ellis - Nonfiction; Peggy and I read quite a bit about Lady Hester Stanhope when we read Rose Macaulay's Pleasure of Ruins recently and decided to see if we could find a biography of LHS. Overall, I thought this biography pretty good although at points I could have wished for more detail about exactly what was going on with LHS. Also, toward the end of the book, Ellis tends to get into speculation, not fact, and I really do not like that in my biographies. Still a pretty solid read; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

"Certainly, he (General Francisco de Miranda) caused Hester to rethink much of what she believed about a great many things; and once Miranda had begun opening doors in her mind, it was hard for her to shut them."

Congratulations on reading 2 x 75, Stasia. No wonder I picked up so many BB's catching up with your threads! I'm especially looking forward to reading Stepping Stones and Gentlemen of the Road.

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. I am back and very slowly trying to catch on LT. It was a great trip. 150 species and a major highlight, you will enjoy, is a good look at my very first elf owl. I couldn't get a photo, in the darkness but a friend was able too. I hope to share it soon.

And speaking of 150- Congrats on your book totals.

>133 alcottacre: I started The Blind Assassin earlier in the year and am planning on getting back to it next Friday on my long flight to Atlanta. Let me know if you want to read along!

>135 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! I hope you enjoy both books!

>136 msf59: I know how it goes in trying to catch up. I am still not caught up from being out of town at the beginning of March, lol. An elf owl? Wonderful!!

>137 curioussquared: I am in, Natalie! I would love to read along. Next Friday, you say? Let me know how far along you are already so that I can catch up to you.

>138 alcottacre: Yay! I don't think I'm farther than 50 pages or so :)

>139 curioussquared: OK, I will read the first 50 pages before next Friday then. Thanks, Natalie!

New books in-house today:

From the public library:
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

For my personal library:
From Stone Orchard by Timothy Findley
The Hemlock Cup by Bettany Hughes

A little late to be saying "happy new thread", Stasia, but happy new thread anyways and hopefully I won't get so behind again.

I unfortunately won't get to The Bird Way this month, but I'll let you know when I do pick it up. Dogsitting cut into my reading time quite a bit this month, but I listened to a lot of podcasts while walking!

>142 bell7: No worries, Mary. I have trouble keeping up with my own thread let alone anyone else's!

I hope you enjoy The Bird Way when you get to it!

Finished tonight:

162 - Walking with the Wind by John Lewis with Michael D'Orso - Nonfiction; I read Lewis' March Trilogy several years ago and was impressed by it. Those books have nothing on this one, a well-written biography of Lewis from his beginnings on a hard scrabble farm to his becoming a US Congressman. Some authors, when writing autobiography, cannot help but name drop. In Lewis' case, I never felt like it was name dropping when he mentions Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., or Bobby Kennedy, Fannie Lou Hamer, etc. These were people with whom he was friends, that he genuinely cared about, and in some cases, loved; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

"I marveled at the fact that only in America could you have an Indian, a black man, and a member of the Kennedy family standing together to take the oath as newly elected members of the U.S. House of Representatives."

163 - Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - Nonfiction; This was a re-read for me of a book I remember enjoying when I first read it about 12 years or so ago. Nafisi, a college literature professor, invites a small cadre of students into her home so that they can discuss literature. Not only do they discuss the works of Vladimir Nabokov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Jane Austen, but they compare and contrast it to the fundamentalist Islam society in which they are living. I think the book is better when it sticks to these things, but it goes a little off-kilter for me when Nafisi adds literary criticism on top of it, especially regarding the works of Henry James, with whose books I am completely unfamiliar. I have reduced the rating down from the 4 stars that I gave it when I originally read it to 3.75 stars upon re-reading; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

"We talked about different instances in which the physical and mental abuse of women had been considered insufficient grounds for divorse. We discussed cases in which the judge not only refused the wife's request for divorce but tried to blame her for her husband's beatings, ordering her to reflect on the wrongs she committed to bring on his displeasure. . .In our case, the law really was blind; in its mistreatment of women, it knew no religion, race, or creed."

>144 alcottacre: - I also read the March trilogy and really want to get to this one. He is one of those people of high integrity that I will always turn to for wisdom.

I have started the Nafisi book for the Asian challenge but set it aside for a bit as I couldn't focus. It's not that it isn't good because it is, and it's not that it doesn't interest me because it does. It's just that I am not familiar enough with most of the books she discusses and wasn't in the right frame of mind to push through that. I will get back to it but at the moment, I am into other books.

>144 alcottacre: I enjoyed Reading Lolita in Tehran a lot too when I read it way-back-when as you did the first time.

>145 jessibud2: I cannot recommend the John Lewis book highly enough, Shelley, and I do hope that you get to soon!

I remember after the first time I read Reading Lolita in Tehran that I went on a Vladimir Nabokov kick and read several of his books. I loved both Pale Fire and Pnin. I have still not read Lolita and pretty much have no intention of doing so. It creeps me out.

>146 RebaRelishesReading: Yay, Reba!

>147 alcottacre: I have Reading Lolita in Tehran on my shelf and need to get to it at some point. Totally understand Lolita creeping you out -- I think that was Nabokov's intention and he did it masterfully. It's a book that will stick with me for a long time. If you do ever decide to take the plunge, I highly recommend the annotated version.

New books in-house today for my personal library:

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay - I have seen several recommendations of this one around the group
The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci by Jonathan D. Spence - Peggy and I are going to do a shared read of this one
Hafez in Love by Iraj Pezeshkzad - a recent recommendation from Richard
The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham - a shared read with Paul
Human Acts by Han Kang - a recent recommendation from someone, but I have no idea who

and from my LT friend fuzzi. . .
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok - The Chosen is my favorite of Potok's books, but this one runs a close second
The Little Guides: Birds by Joseph M. Forshaw - Maybe I can figure out what some of the birds outside my window actually are?
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
Exile's Valor by Mercedes Lackey
Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

>148 curioussquared: I will keep it in mind if I ever decide to read Lolita that I need the annotated version - I love those things - but do not think I will be changing my mind any time soon. Thanks for the mention, Natalie!

>141 alcottacre: Ooo! I can not wait to find out what you think of The Hemlock Cup. I'm not sure I need to read it but haven't ruled it out.

>134 alcottacre: She's an interesting soul, it's very clear.

>132 alcottacre: I did so love Bridge of Birds. Might be time to reacquaint myself with Master Li and Number Ten Ox.

>151 richardderus: Oh, I hope you do get back to Master Li and Number Ten Ox, Richard! They are such great fun!

As far as The Hemlock Cup goes, I am not sure when I will get to it. I know it will not be in May though. I have just a few reads already lined up for May (see post #5).

I am having a tea sampling day today. Thus far, I have had a cuppa of English Breakfast, Vanilla Caramel, Almond Oolong and Christmas tea. Good thing I have CFS - it pretty much means that caffeine has no effect on me whatsoever, lol.

Anyone else care for a cuppa? I have decaffeinated teas too, including a lovely Roobois Vanilla Chai.

>144 alcottacre: I just loved Walking with the Wind Stasia. He is certainly someone I would have loved to have met.

Did you see this great clip of him dancing in his office?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QchDC9FaiI

I think there was another version at a convention too.

I also enjoyed Reading Lolita in Tehran, which I read twice, the second time with my book group. Quite a while ago.

>154 Caroline_McElwee: I agree - Congressman Lewis is someone I would have loved to have met too, Caroline. Thanks for posting the clip of him dancing!

Have you read Nafisi's latest book yet, Read Dangerously? I did not care for it nearly as much as I did Reading Lolita in Tehran.

>153 alcottacre: Ooh, the Rooibos Vanilla Chai sounds tasty. I'm very sensitive to caffeine so the majority of teas in my house are caffeine free (except a few for Mr. Fine) and I still have lots of tasty flavours. Plenty of rooibos but also a few herbal mixtures. Warm weather is around the corner and I'll be making lots of watermelon mint tea, which is excellent cold.

>156 MickyFine: Oo, the watermelon mint tea sounds excellent. Where do you get it from, Micky?

Finished this afternoon:

164 - While Six Million Died by Arthur D. Morse - Nonfiction; Morse was an author and investigative journalist who specialized in social issues and it shows in this book, a well-written expose of the failure of the (Franklin) Roosevelt administration to help orchestrate the survival of the Jews of Germany and Eastern Europe when there was time to do so. The War Refugee Board was not formed until 1942, way too late to be helpful for millions of people who went to their deaths. Just as when I read Rescue Board by Rebecca Erbelding, all I kept thinking as I read is that time was ticking and no one was doing anything - bureaucracy, bureaucracy, bureaucracy. Morse's book does suffer from its age - the book was originally copyrighted in 1967 and he did not have access to the same classified information that Erbelding did when she wrote her book. Still, it is a good read with the information that Morse had at the time - and certainly an eye-opening one for those interested in what America did in WWII to help save the Jews; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

A quote from Yitzhak Katznelson, author of Vittel Diary, that is in the book: "Sure enough, the nations did not interfere, nor did they protest, nor shake their heads, nor did they warn the murderers, never a murmur. It was as if the leaders of the nations were afraid that the killings might stop."

On to something lighter. . .

Finished tonight:

165 - A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf - Nonfiction; This book is essentially one long essay as Woolf tries to get across the point that women, through the years, have been traditionally the tenders of the house and children and therefore had little time - or the means to support themselves - in order that they could write. Woolf suggests that if women had 500 pounds a year and a room of their own they could write novels and poetry as well as other genres as well as men can; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

"Intellectual freedom depends on material things. Poetry depends on intellectual freedom. And women have always been poor, not for two hundred years merely, but from the beginning of time. . .That is why I have laid so much stress on money and a room of one's own."

166 - Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings - This is the fourth book of the Belgariad series and the one in which Garion discovers his true destiny. As usual with these books, they do not take themselves over seriously and have good fun along the way; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>159 alcottacre: The Woolf is a favourite Stasia.

£500 now would be about £7,000 ($8.5,000 roughly) - wouldn't go far in our world for sure, though went further in Woolf's time.

>159 alcottacre: Yeah, it is easily a favorite of mine too, Caroline. I have read it at least twice now.

Thanks for the conversion info. It would not go far now, for sure!

Hi Stasia!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

>153 alcottacre: Your mention of Roobois reminds of me a QI snippet I watched recently: What's The Furthest You'd Go For A Cup Of Tea?

If you don’t want to watch the whole thing, just go to about 1:51. Sarah Millican is so funny.

>159 alcottacre: I’m almost tempted to read A Room of One’s Own – it’s the only Woolf still on my shelves. Almost, but not quite… perhaps next year. I bought it decades ago, realized I actively disliked her fiction ten years ago, but have kept this one. It seems like a book one should have on one's shelves.

>149 alcottacre: I love Potok's books! Other than that one and Love & Saffron (which I also love) I haven't read any of these. I'm looking forward to what you think when you've read them.

>157 alcottacre: I get the majority of my tea from David's Tea. Had a cup of their Earl Grey rooibos this morning, which was perfect as always.

I finished two books tonight, but I am too tired to review - or to respond to anyone's posts - so I will get to everything tomorrow :)

Happy Sunday, Stasia. I hope you are enjoying your weekend. We had Jack over, until 1pm yesterday and he was such a good boy.

>162 karenmarie: I agree - Sarah Millican is funny! Thanks for that link.

A Room of One's Own is not at all like Woolf's fiction to my way of thinking. I strongly suggest pulling it off your shelf and giving it a read. That way if you do not like it, you can give it away with no guilt - and you might surprise yourself by actually liking it!

>163 RebaRelishesReading: Not sure when I will be getting to them all, Reba, but keep your eyes peeled. I will be reading Love & Saffron this month for the TIOLI challenges.

>164 MickyFine: I will have to check out David's Tea. Most of mine comes from Adagio.

>166 msf59: Aww, I bet you missed that little guy while you were gone! Glad you got to be back in 'grandpa' mode so soon after coming back.

Finished last night - barely in time to sneak them into April's reads:

167 - In Two Minds by Alis Hawkins - This is the second book in the Teifi Valley Coroner's books set in Wales. Harry is standing in as the coroner as the current one is sick and his friend, John, is still helping by acting as Harry's eyes, but this book sees John wondering what his future holds. A man has been found dead in the lime kilns and the local inspector quickly makes an arrest - too quickly in Harry's opinion as the man in faceless and he needs to be identified for certain. Also in the course of the book, Harry's father suffers a stroke and Harry is coming to realize that he is not going to be able to escape all the responsibilities of being a squire. This is another solid entry into this series, which I am loving; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

168 - Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey - Fantastic historical fiction set in Nazi Germany at the Buchenwald concentration camp. Chidgey could have made the book unremittingly grim, but she did not - it is not all roses in her book either. We look at Dr Lenard Weber, who has invented this machine that supposedly helps patients who are dying of cancer get cured. It seems to work in some instances, but unfortunately for him, Dr Weber is married to a Jewish woman and has a daughter. He is also 1/4 Jewish, which was more than enough for the time in Nazi Germany. We also meet the seemingly guileless Greta Hahn, who is married to one of the officers at Buchenwald, but does not seem to realize what the purpose of the camp truly is. We also meet Greta's husband, Dieter, who tries to hide reality from his wife. These three people come together at Buchenwald under tragic circumstances. I also loved the surprise twist at the end of this one; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"It was the eighteenth century writings of John Hunter, the great Scottish surgeon, that sparked the idea for my machine: his theory that the cure as well as the disease could pass through a person by means of remote sympathy; that the energetic power produced in one part of the body could influence another part some distance away."

>168 alcottacre: Good reviews Stasia. Makes me want to read them all!

>168 alcottacre: what >169 mdoris: said!

>168 alcottacre: I am glad I have Remote Sympathy on the shelves and will try to read it in June.

Made a start on The Brothers Karamazov yesterday and hope to make a good dent in it today.

I think you are right about A Room of One's Own, Stasia, in that it is much more accessible than her difficult fiction but it has also made me want to revisit her work and give it another chance.

Just dropping by my thread to see what is up. I have not gotten as much reading done today as I had hoped as Kerry and I have been gaming and watching baseball together.

>169 mdoris: What is stopping you, Mary?

>170 richardderus: What is stopping you, Richard?

>171 PaulCranswick: I hope you enjoy Remote Sympathy when you get to it, Paul. I am going slowly with the brothers - probably about 50 pages a day is what I will average. If you revisit Woolf's fiction, let me know. I know for sure I have read Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, but I think that may be all of her fiction that I have read.

>172 alcottacre: There is nothing stopping me (except vast lists of books I want to read)!

>173 mdoris: I hear that! I figure at the rate I am going, I am never going to die. I have too many books left to read!

>174 alcottacre: According to a quick check I have 4,720 books unread in the house. 24 years of reading! I am only guessing but I reckon I will buy one or two more in coming weeks and months and years too! Another candidate for immortality surely?~!

Dropping in to wish you a wonderful start to the week!

>174 alcottacre: >175 PaulCranswick: Only 1255 unread books at home, should cover a few years ;-)
Library books go way faster.

‘Morning, Stasia! I hope you have good day.

>174 alcottacre: I have 2,431 books tagged ‘tbr’, so 24 years. That’s in the realm of doable since I’m only 69. And of course that doesn’t count acquisitions.

>175 PaulCranswick: >177 FAMeulstee: >178 karenmarie: Well, considering the number of books in the BlackHole (currently 16, 329 before I have checked any threads today), I have a good long while yet to go.

>176 figsfromthistle: Good morning, Anita! I hope you have a wonderful week too!

2,874 books on my TBR pile, about 30 years worth of reading and i want to read one million pages and have a deal with James Patterson about this.

>178 karenmarie: ...it's those acquisitions...

>174 alcottacre: 5,098 TBR books Kindled. Unless I'm a LOT luckier than most people with chronic conditions, whoever is sharing my Kindle account when I kick it is set!

>180 johnsimpson: Well, let us hope we are a long lived bunch, John!

>181 richardderus: I hope it is a long time before you kick it, RD! **smooches**

>178 karenmarie: If I were to limit myself (not going to happen) to the 1001+ book list, I'd have over 1100 titles. The spreadsheet predicts I could be able to read 1164 in my remaining years on earth, but I'm sure, based on what I think of the books I have read, there's at least 30% of overrated titles from the 20th century onward, and at least 60% from the 18th century and before that's "necessary background" but without much merit of it's own. And where is the Odyssey?

Finished this afternoon:

169 - A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers - I thoroughly enjoyed this novella by Chambers - no real surprise in that as I very much enjoyed her Wayfarers series of books. This, in what looks to be a new series, introduces us to the characters of Sibling Dex, who decides to leave his monastery one day and become a tea monk (I have decided I want to be one when I grow up!), and Mosscap, a robot. The robots have not interacted with humans for years, but Mosscap wants to change that and Dex has a yearning to explore the wild places. They meet accidentally and start to form a friendship out in the wild, discussing things like philosophy and natural history all the while. I liked the world building in this one and cannot wait to see what Chambers has in the cards for Dex and Mosscap; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

"But that's. . .that's immortality. How is that less desirable?"


"Nothing else in the world behaves that way. Everything else breaks down and is made into other things. You - you are made of molecules that originated in an unmeasurable amount of organisms. . .We robots are not natural beings; we know this. . .How could we continue to be students of the world if we don't emulate its most intrinsic cycle?"

Kerry is home sick from work today - and likely tomorrow as well - so I am not sure how much I will be online. We will see.

>185 alcottacre: I hope he gets to feeling better soon, Stasia. *smooch*

>186 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. He is off to the doctor now. As I can probably count the number of times on one hand that he has stayed home sick from work in the almost 34 years we have been married, it is always worrisome for me when he feels that badly.

Finished today:

170 - Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini - I read this one for the Asian Authors challenge as it is not one of Hosseini's books that I have read before. I have liked his other books quite a bit and this one is no exception, although it is so short that I do not think it even qualifies as a novella. However, that does not take away from the punch that the book delivers. It is a prayer for a father who wishes his son not to forget his homeland and the beauty of it despite the war that is now going on. The family is illicitly emigrating via boat to another place and the father is praying for a safe journey. The watercolor illustrations in the book, provided by Dan Williams, serve to highlight the text - the last page showing the empty sea is perhaps the most moving of all. If you have not read this small book, I encourage you to do so; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

171 - The Outlander by Gil Adamson - Mary Boulton has killed her husband, John, watching him bleed out on their cabin floor after she shot him in the leg. She is now on the run from John's two brothers. Set in the Canadian wilderness in the early 1900s, the weather and the landscape play a rather large role in Mary's escape as do the characters that she runs into along the way. The writing is uniformly good throughout the book, but some things were a bit to propitious for my liking and I find it extremely difficult to believe that the brothers would not take better precautions against Mary's escape once she is finally in jail and then abandoning the chase when she does escape.; Recommended (3.75 stars) Mine

New books in-house today:

From the public library:
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
The War I Finally War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

For my personal library:
A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan
Harry Haft by Alan Scott Haft - a recent recommendation from Richard
The House of Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazan - Paul's fault
Max Havelaar by Multatuli - Again, Paul's fault
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni - Paul again
Gosta Berling's Saga by Selma Lagerlof - There is a theme here - Paul's fault
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz - The last one I can blame on Paul (for now)
Excellent Women; Jane and Prudence; An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym

>189 alcottacre: Hey! Waitaminnit here! I deserve credit for the Pym collection, too!

Oh no! I just purchased Don Quixote because my sister in law is challenging me to complete a scratch off book poster she gave me for Christmas. Hmmmm, it may turn out to be Don Quixoskim.
Hope you're doing well.

>190 richardderus: Nope. I have already read all but one of the books in it (Jane and Prudence) and had Pym recommended to me years ago. Nice try though, RD!

>191 Carmenere: Well, you might like Don Quixote better than I did, Lynda. A lot of people do!

I hope Kerry is feeling better, Stasia.

Have a good rest of the week!

Popping in to say Hi! Hope Kerry feels better soon. : /

>193 katiekrug: >194 Berly: Unfortunately, he is still not feeling any better. They ruled out strep, COVID, and the flu yesterday and are basically attributing his feeling terrible to a sinus/upper respiratory infection. We are spending a good deal of time together and I am neglecting the threads, but hopefully I will be back to normal (or as normal as I ever get!) soon.

Thank you, Katie and Kim!

Finished today:

172 - Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl - Nonfiction; This is the second book by Reichl that I have read - the first was Garlic and Sapphires, which I thoroughly enjoyed - and I liked this one too, although not quite as much as I did the other. This book traces Reichl's love of food and food preparation from her childhood. Her mother came up with the weirdest recipes ever, I swear, and Reichl had to learn to cook almost in self defense. Throughout the book she shares recipes (none of which I could possibly eat) as well as relating how the dishes came about in her own life. She does this in a natural, not forced way; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

173 - Enchanters' End Game by David Eddings - The final chapter in Eddings' 5-game book series, The Belgariad, this book sees the culmination of everything the characters have been working towards with a couple of twists and turns along the way. I very much enjoy the entire series of books and think this one is a fitting ending to the lot; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

>195 alcottacre: My sympathies to Kerry. I had what was ultimately diagnosed as a viral nasal infection several years ago and it kicked around for a couple months. I slept way more than usual and would have occasional spikes that felt like a cold but stayed nasal. Hopefully his hits the bricks much faster.

Hope you two have a great weekend!

Oh gross! Sinus/nasal/etc infections make one feel so much worse than seems possible. *there there, pat pat* to Kerry. (better sleep to you!)

>197 MickyFine: Yeah, the biggest problem seems to be the headache and the cough. I hope that it goes away soon as he is fairly miserable at the moment.

>198 richardderus: I agree, Richard! Thank you for the pats for Kerry.

A couple of new books in-house today for my personal library:

Alex's Wake by Martin Goldsmith - I forget whose thread I saw this one mentioned on
Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said - I read one of Said's books earlier this year for the Asian Authors challenge and decided to try and get other books of his read

Finished this afternoon:

174 - The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty - This is a laugh-out-loud, roller coaster ride of a novel which must absolutely be read in one's head in a Southern accent. Richard recently recommended this one (his excellent review can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341279 at post #88) and I am so glad I took his advice and gave this one a whirl. I enjoyed my time with Grandpa, Uncle Daniel and Edna Earle and I recommend that you go hang out with them too - with a glass of sweet tea in your hand; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

"He (Grandpa) regarded getting married as a show of weakness of character in nearly every case but his own, because he was smart enough to pick a wife very nearly as smart as he was."

Finished tonight:

175 - Death Takes a Gander by Christine Goff - Ugh. I did not care for the main protagonist, there were stupid mistakes (she was going to turn over something for fingerprints, but handled the evidence with no sign of gloves in sight), the bad guy was easy to spot, Amanda (the protagonist) kept getting convenient hunches. No thanks; Not Recommended (2.5 stars) Mine

176 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - Karen loaned this book to me (thanks, Karen!) and I am glad to have read it this story of Nora, who decides to end her life, but ends up in the Midnight Library, where she gets to live life after life in order to find the one she really wants. I love the idea of parallel lives, so I was really into that premise for the book. I did not care for the book as much as I thought I would though and I cannot put my finger on just why. I think part of the problem was Nora herself. By the end, I was just hoping she would pick a life and have done with it; Recommended (3.75 stars) Borrowed

"Indeed, Nora had always had the sense that she came from a long line of regrets and crushed hopes that seemed to echo in every generation."

Happy Saturday, Stasia. I liked Tender at the Bone too, although that is not my usual fare. I was not a big fan of The Midnight Library. I am starting the second half of Cloud Cuckoo Land and enjoying it.

Have a wonderful weekend Stasia and hoping that Kerry is feeling better.

I like "food" books very much but for some reason I wasn't a fan of Tender at the Bone. Maybe it was just too self focused and not that enlightening for me. Not sure!

No I just double checked and it was Save Me The Plums that I wasn't enamored with. i had better ty Tender at the Bone some time!

>203 msf59: Yeah, I really expected to like The Midnight Library more than I did, so I was a bit disappointed with that one. Happy Saturday, Mark!

>204 mdoris: I have not read Save Me the Plums, Mary. Sounds like I do not need to, lol. I hope you enjoy Tender at the Bone when you get to it. I also recommend Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, the first book that I read by her.

Kerry is still sick and he is supposed to go back to work Monday - and then out of town on Friday - so hopefully the rest he is getting (and the meds) will kick in soon!

>202 alcottacre: Enough with the regrets, said I on page 40-whatever. Big ol' "nope" from me.

I'm so pleased The Ponder Heart pleased!

>138 alcottacre: I enjoyed both Stepping Stones and Gentlemen of the Road and I've just started The Ponder Heart (Richard got me with that one too). I guess we all influence each other's reads.

I hope that Kerry feels much better soon.

>189 alcottacre: I can see what a bad good influence I am!

Happy Sunday upcoming.

>206 richardderus: Yeah, I am kind of sorry that I finished it, but I really liked the premise. The execution could certainly have been done better IMHO.

Oh, yeah, The Ponder Heart was terrific. Now there was a courtroom scene I did not mind reading!

>207 Familyhistorian: Yes, we sure do. I am still not sure if that is a good thing or a bad one, Meg :) Thank you for the wishes for Kerry!

>208 PaulCranswick: Yes, you are and you should be ashamed of yourself! When are we starting on all those books, BTW?

Finished tonight:

177 - The Library of Entertainment Handbook by John Chilton Scammell - Nonfiction; This book was published in 1915 and, as such, has quite a few problems, not the least of which is that the authors it recommends that readers read are pretty much all white males (there is exactly 1 woman on the list, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and no people of color). In addition, when the book was written, the "science" of eugenics was a thing (and this was before Hitler and his ilk), so the chapter of the books that discusses "National Characteristics" is problematic too. All of that being said, as a handbook to help reader's dissect the literature that they read is excellent. All of the authors on the recommended list are given a brief biography and then a list of questions regarding "The Man," his "Style and Works" and then questions regarding a specific work as well as some references. The authors that Scammell chose are still, 107 years later, ones that are read, with a possible of a couple of exceptions; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

"Literature, and Literature alone, possesses the power of meeting our every mood and desire, for comfort, for excitement, for exaltation, for pathos, for laughter."

178 - Numbering All the Bones by Ann Rinaldi - Juvenile; Set during the late Civil War, Eulinda is a house slave whose father is her master and whose second wife dislikes her. Eulinda's brother Neddy ran off to the north to fight with the Union Army, but has been captured and is at Andersonville, close to where Eulinda lives. Rinaldi specialized in writing historical books for children and this one is pretty good, although I thought the introduction of Clara Barton was unnecessary - until I read Rinaldi's "Author Note;" Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

179 - The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel - I loved Mandel's Station Eleven - this one, not so much. There is a quote on the front cover from the Minneapolis Start Tribune, "An ingeniously constructed literary thriller." All I can say is that the Minnesotans must have been reading a different book from the one that I read, which as I understand it, is supposed to be some kind of noir. I never felt that way reading through the book. All I got out of it was a bunch of people who once belonged to a jazz group, The Lola Quartet, and once graduated from high school (with one major exception) made terrible life choices. The writing is rather pedestrian, I did not find any of the characters engaging, and I could have lived without reading this one; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Library Book

>209 alcottacre: Well I was planning on one European classic a month and Karamazov was for this month. Next month do you want to go to Spain and Ulloa?

>211 PaulCranswick: That works for me. I will put the book aside for then. Thanks, Paul.

Happy Mother's Day, Stasia. Have a great day.

Sunday orisons, Stasia.

>213 msf59: Thank you, Mark. I did!

>214 richardderus: Thanks, Richard.

Finished today:

180 - Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan - This is one of those historical novels that I wish had stuck with either one time period or the other and not switched back-and-forth. In this particular book, I found it annoying and I am not sure why. I do know that the first chapter, which is labeled 'Present Day' was not the present day, but 32 years earlier than that - why not just label it 1990? I think that the story of Everly who is setting up an exhibit on the Pulaski and her research into the same was strong enough to stand on its own merits; however, I am clearly in the minority here as everyone else seems to love the book more than I did; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Library Book

"Family has always possessed a gravitational force field, part love, part obligation, mixed with the usual petty irritations and the bonds of an intimately shared history."

181 - Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan - Juvenile; This book was recently recommended by foggidawn and I really enjoyed it - I think that as a kid I would have loved it. There is music and magic and almost a fairy tale quality to the book as we meet Mup and her family. Unbeknownst to Mup, her mother is the heir to a kingdom and when Mup's father is kidnapped, it is up to Mup, her toddler brother, and mother to go and see about rescuing him; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

182 - The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles - I enjoyed this historical fiction novel more than I did Surviving Savannah although it too uses the conceit of moving back-and-forth in time. Odile aspires to be a librarian at the American Library in Paris and gets hired there on the brink of WWII Paris being overrun by Nazis. She and the other librarians there do the best they can to get books to their patrons, especially the Jewish ones who are forbidden to enter the library. In the meantime, her twin brother is sent to a concentration camp and her best friend becomes romantically involved with a Nazi official. In the modern section of the book, Odile is now living in the United States and is approached by Lily, a student who wants to write a report on her; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"But seriously, why books. Because no other thing possesses that mystical faculty to make people see with other people's eyes. The Library is a bridge of books between cultures."

BTW - The American Library in Paris is a real place and still in existence to this day. During WWII, the foreign staff and subscribers of the library were considered "enemy aliens" and several of them were interned. (from the Author's Note on p 351)

>216 alcottacre: The Paris Library is now ensconced (had to look that word up!) on my TBR. Thanks, Stasia!

Karen O

Hi Stasia!

>195 alcottacre: I’m sorry Kerry is feeling so poorly, glad it’s not strep, COVID, and the flu. I hope he’s doing better today.

>202 alcottacre: Glad you liked it enough to Recommend it, glad I was able to loan it to you so you didn’t have to buy it.

210 I’ve got The Lola Quartet on my shelves but won’t bring it into the Sunroom just yet…

I hope Kerry feels better soon! Now I'm wondering why I never visited The American Library in Paris while I was there.

>217 klobrien2: I hope you like the book when you get to it, Karen!

>218 karenmarie: Kerry went back to work today, feeling better, but still not 100% well. He starts coughing and cannot stop. Hopefully that will go away soon. You might like The Lola Quartet more than I did, Karen.

>219 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie. I am wondering why you did not visit it too, lol.

Only one new book in-house today:

Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood - I picked up Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood recently, both of which I have already read, but I did not realize that there was a third book. Guess I am going to have to get to the trilogy soon.

Hi, Stasia.

I’m so glad to hear that Time and Again held up as a good read for you in 2022. Debbi and I loved that one. I also loved Hamnet, and I’m happy that you did. I’ve enjoyed a number of other Lucy Knisley books, and Now I need to take a look at Stepping Stones.

I remember enjoying reading The Chronicles of Chrestomanci with our son back in the day, and it made me smile to see your mention of that one.

Happy Tuesday when it lands there, Stasia!

>222 jnwelch: Yes, I liked Time and Again quite a bit. I also have a book of short stories of Finney's that appears to be set in that world, so I need to get that one read too. Until LT, I had never even heard of Diana Wynne Jones, so I am setting out to get more of her books read.

>223 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! It rained books here today, so it is good already.

Finished last night (too tired to write up reviews then, lol):

183 - Heart of the Race by Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie, and Suzanne Scafe - Nonfiction; This is one of the books for the "Classics by Writers of Colour" reading that I have been doing with Caroline, Paul, and a few others. Man, am I glad that I read this one! I had no idea of the history of black women in Britain and the fights and struggles that they have been through to be appreciated not only as people, but as women. I have so many Post It notes in this book, it is ridiculous. According to the back cover of the book, "it reclaims and records black women's place in that (Britain's) history, documenting their day-to-day struggles, their experiences of education, work and health care. . ." and the book does this and more. I cannot praise this book highly enough!; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"You know the phase 'A luna continua'? It's a struggle that can never be fully won, because we live in a society where racism is structural and institutional and deeply embedded. So I'm not sure we're ever going to be able to sit down and say, 'We won that struggle, what's next' " (Quote from Stella Dadzie)

184 - The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - Juvenile; I loved the first book, The War That Saved My Life, and I loved this one as well. We continue to see Ada growing and learning to accept the love that is given to her as WWII takes its toll. I appreciate the fact that neither of the books shies away from death - children need to know that death is a part of life - and offers opportunities for parents and children to discuss it. Ada still struggles with self-esteem and doubting whether she deserves love (I can relate!) and lashes out at people who are trying to help, including a Jewish German girl who comes to live with them, Ruth. No one is sure whether Ruth can be trusted or not since she is German but in the end, friendships and sisterhood is developed; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

New books in-house today:

From the public library:
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow

For my personal library:
Waverley by Sir Walter Scott
The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen edited by Edward Copeland and Juliet McMaster - I should probably have bought this one before I started reading Austen in January!
The Wicked City, The Wicked Widow, and The Wicked Redhead all by Beatriz Williams - a recent recommendation from Meg
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol
Ex Libris by Michiko Kakutani
One Station Away by Olaf Olafsson
The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith - I am reading the first book in the series this month, so I decided to go ahead and get book #2
In the Midst of Civilized Europe by Jeffrey Veidlinger
Rescue Board by Rebecca Erbelding - I have already read this one, but wanted a copy for my personal library
All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
The Black Joke by A.E. Rooks

>216 alcottacre: I withdrew the Callahan book from our leased books collection today. Even our usual Savannah story readers didn't pick it up. If I choose to read it later, I'm sure I can find it in a public library, but I don't really like dual timelines that much in the first place, so I'm unlikely to choose to read it.

>227 thornton37814: I think it is one that you can safely give a miss, Lori. I was hoping for better. However, I will point out that I am in the minority on this one.

>216 alcottacre: Hi, Stasia, I'm just trying to catch up, scanning through. I noticed your mention of the American Library in Paris. Many years ago, when my husband and I were very young, in Paris, and broke, we got a job at the Library addressing envelopes for a fundraiser. We thought how ironic it was that we were addressing invitations to royalty, millionaires, and celebrities for just enough money for our daily rent and dinner. I think the book will go on my WL.

>229 Oregonreader: Hi, Jan! It is great to see you here. I am going to have to look for your thread here in the group! I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it.

Finished this afternoon:

185 - Two Under the Indian Sun by Jon and Rumer Godden - Nonfiction; Rumer Godden wrote one of my all-time favorite books, In This House of Brede, but I did not realize that her older sister, Jon, was also a writer (and painter, for that matter); They collaborated on this book, a recollection of years that they spent in India while their father worked for a steamship company. I very much enjoy books that give me a sense of time and place and this one certainly does. There was only about 18 months between the two sisters (they also had 2 younger sisters, Nancy and Rose), and they had been sent to school in England when WWI broke out and they were sent back to India, a country they both loved and their writing reflects that love; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"Most children grow up knowing only their own world, their own kind of people, their own way of life; we were lucky: there were many different threads, coming from many places, crossing for a while with ours, often in a state of love-war, sometimes simply love. . . Our house was English streaked with Indian, or Indian streaked with English."

All caught up with you and dropping in to say hello!

>232 figsfromthistle: Hey, Anita! Thanks for dropping by. I need to return the favor. . .

New books in-house today for my personal library:

A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

>231 alcottacre: The Goddens were fascinating, weren't they? I was always amazed that they actually seemed to like each other! Sisters! Who LIKED each other!!

Unprecedented.

Humpday smoochings, dearest.

>235 richardderus: I know, right? My sister and I disliked each other intensely when we were growing up. Luckily, I have not had that problem with my own daughters.

Thanks for the humpday wishes, RD!

Finished tonight:

186 - Love & Saffron by Kim Fay - This short book has been getting a lot of love in the group and I can see why. I liken it to a "foodie" version of 84, Charing Cross Road, without Hanff's sense of humor. The book is set in the early-mid 60s as two women strike up a correspondence and before long, a friendship has sprung up between the two of them and their letters back-and-forth soon contains details of their everyday lives, not just recipes; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

"The existential crisis is one of the worst inventions in modern history."

187 - Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - Jane Austen can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes, despite the fact that the main character of this book, Fanny Price, has got to be one of the most unassuming heroines in the history of literature. That being said, Austen makes Fanny into a believable character that one grows to care about throughout the course of the book and is very hopeful that all turns out well for Fanny in the end. Even though I did not grow to love any of the characters in the book, I can still appreciate it for what it is - a well-written novel; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Many thanks to Mamie for reading this one with me!

Got me with your #186. 186!! That's more than 2 years worth of reading for me! I am a slow reader but wow. Still. it's a direct hit here, Stasia! ;-)

>238 jessibud2: I do hope you enjoy the book when you read it, Shelley! And who cares how fast you (or I) read anyhow??

>237 alcottacre: For me the cleverness of Fanny is that she does embody the unassuming, loving, upright virtues ascribed to period heroines, but even when her virtues are recognized within the world of her story she herself is not much valued by those who claim to value her qualities - nor does the reader value her for them, though the plot eventually rewards her. I see it as both a wonderful dissection of a family but as a riff on other period novels.

>240 quondame: Good points, Susan. Thanks!

Keeping current here! You are collecting a lot of books this year -- yay! I haven't read Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood yet, although I have read the other two. Hmmmm. Might have to fix that.

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. I have been meaning to get to Mansfield Park. I need to get that on the schedule. We saw four great horned owls yesterday, on our walk. Most likely a family. No pics, though.

>237 alcottacre: Glad to see you appreciated Mansfield Park, Stasia. It's my least favourite of Austen's novels but it's still an Austen novel so it sits high on my overall list of favourites. :)

>242 Berly: If you want to share the reads, Kim, I am ready to read all three whenever you say! Glad to see you here :)

>243 msf59: I had not read Mansfield Park before, Mark, so I was glad to have read it. I think that up until this year the only books of Austen's that I head read were Sense and Sensibility, Lady Susan, and Pride and Prejudice. Next up for me is Emma.

>244 MickyFine: Yep, like I said "Jane Austen can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes." I agree that this is definitely not the strongest of her books, but it is still an enjoyable one at that.

>244 MickyFine: I'd agree with you there, Micky.

HI Stasia, You sure make me want to read Jane Austen! Don't think I ever have (she said a bit shamefully).

Stasia, I recently saw an older British TV movie of Mansfield Park. In it, Fanny is presented as being extremely anti-slavery. I reread the novel to make sure I wasn't misremembering it. Of course, her uncle is in the slave trade but it is never actually discussed and the only time Fanny mentions slavery is to throw it out as a possible topic of conversation at an awkward dinner. I think this is typical of writers today trying to make older novels culturally relevant. But I enjoyed the re-read and have read all her novels. Austen is an amazing social commentator on the time in which she lived. She's one of my favorite authors.

You're reading lots of good books.

>247 mdoris: Mary, I had only read 3 of Austen's books prior to this year, so go for it! It is certainly not too late :)

>248 Oregonreader: I can see why Austen is one of your favorite authors, Jan. I am very much enjoying my travels through her books.

Finished tonight (all re-reads!):

188 - Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. - Nonfiction; I have been listening to this one while doing my daily walking. It is a re-read for me and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Dana writes about his voyage from Boston to California on a merchant ship. If you ever want to know about sailing on merchant vessels in the 19th century, this is the book for you. Thankfully for me, the print version of the book that I have gives diagrams of the ships - I do not know the poop deck from the mizzenmast - and is extremely helpful in figuring out what is where. Dana is vivid in his recounting life aboard the ship and his love of what he was doing shows in his writing; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

189 - Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb - This is my favorite of the "early" In Death books because it shows how integral being a cop is to Eve's character as she is basically framed for a murder she did not commit in order to get her off a case that she is pursuing with her typical vigor; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"You're a cop down to your bones," Mira muttered.

"Yes."

190 - Excellent Women by Barbara Pym - Pym is another of my LT discoveries. It has been several years since I read this one, but I think I enjoyed it more this time around as Pym's sly sense of humor really sang for me. Mildred, the main character, is really a wit and deals with her daily life in that frame of mind. The book is more of a character study than anything else as not much really happens, but Mildred and her humor make the book; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

"Virtue is an excellent thing and we should all strive after it, but it can sometimes be a little depressing."

New books in-house today from my personal library:

Our Riches by Kaouther Adimi - a recent recommendation from Suzanne
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - a recommendation from Micky and others in the group