qebo's 2012 books (3)

January
#01: Scientific American - July 2011 -- (Jan 11)
#02: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson -- (Jan 15)
#03: Cannery Row by John Steinbeck -- (Jan 21)
#04: The Devil in Dover by Lauri Lebo -- (Jan 23)
#05: New Yorker - January 2012 (5 issues) -- (Jan 29)
#06: The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan -- (Jan 29)

February
#07: Doc by Mary Doria Russell -- (Feb 4)
#08: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder -- (Feb 9)
#09: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder -- (Feb 11)
#10: Scientific American - August 2011 -- (Feb 18)
#11: The Creation by E. O. Wilson -- (Feb 22)
#12: Universalism 101 by Richard Trudeau -- (Feb 26)
#13: New Yorker - February 2012 (3 issues) -- (Feb 29)
#14: Scientific American - September 2011 -- (Feb 29)

March
#15: Bios by Robert Charles Wilson -- (Mar 7)
#16: God's Philosophers by James Hannam -- (Mar 9)
#17: Scientific American - October 2011 -- (Mar 18)
#18: The Riddle of Amish Culture by Donald Kraybill -- (Mar 26)
#19: New Yorker - March 2012 (4 issues) -- (Mar 27)
#20: The Leafcutter Ants by Bert Hölldobler and E. O. Wilson -- (Mar 30)

April
#21: Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy -- (Apr 8)
#22: Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick -- (Apr 21)
#23: New Yorker - April 2012 (5 issues) -- (Apr 29)
#24: Scientific American - November 2011 -- (Apr 30)

May
#25: James Tiptree, Jr. by Julie Phillips -- (May 2)
#26: Suburban Safari by Hannah Holmes -- (May 19)
#27: The Tree of Life by Peter Sis -- (May 20)
#28: Starry Messenger by Peter Sis -- (May 20)
#29: White Bread by Aaron Bobrow-Strain -- (May 24)
#30: The Man Who Planted Trees by Jim Robbins -- (May 29)
#31: New Yorker - May 2012 (4 issues) -- (May 31)

June
#32: Scientific American - December 2011 -- (Jun 5)
#33: Drawing from Memory by Allen Say -- (Jun 7)
#34: Plants: A Very Short Introduction by Timothy Walker -- (Jun 8)
#35: Scientific American - January 2012 -- (Jun 15)
#36: The Wall by Peter Sis -- (Jun 20)
#37: New Yorker - June 2012 (3 issues) -- (Jun 26)
#38: Scientific American - February 2012 -- (Jun 30)

July
#39: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl -- (Jul 2)
#40: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey -- (Jul 7)
#41: Scientific American - March 2012 -- (Jul 9)
#42: Scientific American - April 2012 -- (Jul 16)
#43: Noah's Garden by Sara Stein -- (Jul 17)
#44: Scientific American - May 2012 -- (Jul 20)

August
#45: The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell -- (Aug 10)
#46: New Yorker - July 2012 (4 issues) -- (Aug 12)
#47: Stokes Butterfly Book by Donald Stokes and Lillian Stokes and Ernest Williams – (Aug 25)
#48: Super Cooperators by Martin Nowak and Roger Highfield -- (Aug 27)
#49: New Yorker - August 2012 (3 issues) -- (Aug 28)
#50: The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto -- (Aug 31)

September
#51: Scientific American - June 2012 -- (Sep 6)
#52: Scientific American - July 2012 -- (Sep ?)
#53: Gamble by Felix Francis -- (Sep ?)
#54: Darwin's Ghosts by Rebecca Stott -- (Sep 24)
#55: New Yorker - September 2012 (4 issues) -- (Sep 26)
#56: The Mystery of Metamorphosis by Frank Ryan -- (Sep 30)

October
#57: Fifty Acres and a Poodle by Jeanne Marie Laskas -- (Oct 13)
#58: Scientific American - August 2012 -- (Oct 15)
#59: The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain by Barbara Strauch -- (Oct 19)
#60: Milkweed, Monarchs, and More by Ba Rea and Karen Oberhauser and Michael Quinn -- (Oct 19)
#61: Scientific American - September 2012 -- (Oct 20)
#62: New Yorker - October 2012 (4 issues) -- (Oct 25)
#63: The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili -- (Oct 26)

A shiny new thread-and green this time! Happy July!

Oh how I love a new thread!

I love the picture starting off your new thread, Kathrine. Splitting cells?

Nice image for your new thread, Katherine. What is it?

Happy July!

7,8: Same idea as the previous thread.

#39: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl -- (Jul 2)

It is 1868, and Boston is hit with a series of catastrophes: compasses of ships in the harbor go awry simultaneously, glass in the business district suddenly melts. Suspicion falls on science. The fledgeling Massachusetts Institute of Technology is vulnerable, to fears of the public and sneers of Harvard. Three MIT students vow to save the reputation of their school, meeting as The Technologists in a basement laboratory, conducting experiments to uncover the physics and chemistry behind the catastrophes. They are soon joined by the sole female student, who has been consigned to the laboratory next door, prohibited from attending classes. Meanwhile the police have put their faith in Louis Agassiz of Harvard.

I expected to be caught up in the story, but 100 or so pages along the characters remained more cardboard stock than human, going through the right motions and uttering the right words to sketch the historical context, but not quite fully living within it. I stuck through the entire 468 pages because of all the positive reviews, and, well, there were moments: cameo appearances, romance, geekiness. Not science fiction; the science stays within the bounds of the time. Sort of historical fiction, but with significant non-historical events. The template seemed more Harry Potter, without the magic.

Eeh, I'll pass. Thanks for vetting this one for us.

12: It's gotten generally positive and some rave reviews, so could be the heat wave has made me cranky.

An interesting attempt, it sounds like, but not quite successful - I trust your judgment! One of the great things here at LT is getting to know other readers well enough to have that sense. I'm remembering Pauline Kael at the NYer suddenly and how, after a time, I knew I would LOVE a movie she didn't like, just by the way she described it. But I also knew when I really wouldn't like it too.

Oops, I just found the new thread! I think I'll give The Technologists a miss.

The Technologists is one I don't know what to do about -- people whose reading tastes often mesh with my own have widely divergent opinions about it. I'll probably wind up not reading it unless I practically fall over a copy.

I probably liked it because it was more historical fiction than science fiction.

Same here, Lori. I really liked The Technologists - all that historical stuff about the city and the way the university came into being, the rivalries, and the different studies. The science fiction part didn't feel intrusive into the historical part, but rather provided emphasis on everything learned about MIT and Boston.

I love reading your thread, qebo! When we read the same books, I'm always wondering whether this one is going to be one we agree on or one on which we diverge! Ya never know!

17,18: I liked the historical bits, especially since I lived in Boston for a decade and recognized the locations. And the sciency bits too. All the right pieces were there, but the characters never grabbed me. I'm fairly simple-minded in my reading of fiction; I need to care what will happen to somebody. The author is not lacking in fans, so I doubt he'll be harmed by my one little opinion.

I hadn't dropped by in a while, so thought I'd jump into the new thread to say hello. You've got some pretty serious reading matter on the go right now—yikes! And that's you summer reading?? Just semi-joking because I don't really base myself on seasons to choose my reading matter, or not most of the time anyway. I too will give The Technologists as pass.

#40: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey -- (Jul 7)

Reviews of this book intrigued me last year, so I noticed it in a publisher e-book promotion this week. The author, after several years of gradual recuperation from a mysterious disease, relapsed, and was confined to bed away from home, barely able to move. A friend brought her a pot of violets with a snail spontaneously plucked from the woods. The snail was Neohelix albolabris, a fact not stated until the end, but the image may enhance the reading. What does one do with a snail? Its slow pace and limited range turned out to be just the thing for watching from bed, caring for and caring about, as friends assist with appropriate habitat and food (FYI: snails like mushrooms). Who thinks about snails? Well, Darwin for one. From the acknowledgements: "I am also indebted to the nineteenth-century naturalists whose words enrich these pages. They observed every nuance of snail behavior, and their lyrical writings are unconstrained by today's more technical scientific language." The eating? Well, it has a crunchy sound, and produces squares in paper. Snails have a radula, a ribbon of teeth, thousands of teeth. The slime is quite something too. The debilitating disease is in the background but always present, a worry that somehow intensifies concern about the welfare of this insignificant creature, no moment to be cavalierly dismissed. Highly recommended.

That book has been sounding incredibly fascinating since I first heard about it but it's one of those I just haven't gotten around to yet. I'm all the more encouraged to seek it out now thanks to your review, but that hasn't stopped me from not reading it in the past. :P

22: It's short. You like that. :-)

I do like that in my nonfiction, and I do plan to 'cheat' a little since I'm behind on the challenge this year... :)

Lovely review, Q, I am on fire to read it now.

That's a title that been on my list for a while - and you make it sound quite delicious.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is such a great title, and I've been meaning to look for it. Your review just moved it up a notch on the wishlist!

I have The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating on my Kindle (probably downloaded it in the same promotion) so I should probably get to it. And I'm very behind with non-fiction reading this year!

I've heard so many great things about The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, your review just pushed it onto my wishlist. Looking forward to it.

I had been eyeing The Technologists on the Amazon site - it sounds like a book I would enjoy - but your vetting pushed it down on the list. Thank you (I think)

Well, I cared more about the snail than about any of the people in The Technologists, but y'know, maybe that's just me...

:-)

I can't find anything to read. Objectively, this is ridiculous.

LOL! I know exactly what you mean.

It's utterly nonsensical and I know exactly what you mean. :)

That's why I'm in two book groups. When I get stalled, I always have the next assignment, which I usually wait until the very last minute to read anyway!

But yes, I know what you mean. I have 570 or so unread physical books IN MY APARTMENT. But I've been downloading mysteries from the library. And now I have two books to read for August meetings, and they are both on my Kindle.

so, 570 and holding.

I hate that feeling. Books, books, everywhere; and nary a book to read. Or something like that. :-p

I sometimes feel that way about food too...... especially when I'm at the market deciding what to have for dinner..... Too many choices?

I have 570 or so unread physical books IN MY APARTMENT. But I've been downloading mysteries from the library.

LOL! Oh, that sounds so much like me!

#41: Scientific American - March 2012 -- (Jul 9)

If my vast audience wonders what's become of me... The computer gets shut down in a few hours, and I'm heading to California for a week. Smart phone access only, so I may see posts, but I'm unlikely to respond.

And yes, one of the items on my list of preparations was documenting an issue of Scientific American so I don't have to do it when I return.

Have a great trip!

Hope you have a nice time in CA. See you when you return!

You are long gone, so I should probably say Welcome Home rather than Have a Great Trip. How about Both, in reverse order!

Thanks! Dallas / Ft Worth airport for three hours... Prime seating next to an electrical outlet.

Happy travels to you!

Have fun on your trip!

And well do I know the DFW airport, as I have changed many times there myself. Still can't quite get used to that driverless transport between terminals, but here's one terminal that has some good restaurants. I've only managed to be in that one once, though.

Have a great time in California!

Rebecca, a lot of airports use automated people movers, which are generally unmanned. Atlanta has had one for years, which connects the terminals to one another, and a new one started operating a few years ago to take passengers to hotels and the rental car center. SFO (San Francisco) has one, as does EWR (Newark), DTW (Detroit), LHR (London Heathrow), LGW (London Gatwick), and JFK (the APM that goes from the airport to Jamaica Station, which is the longest one I've ridden on). I think that the DLR, the Docklands Light Railway system in London, is also automated.

Interesting, Darryl, but I still find it creepy. Are they all elevated, like the one at DFW? I find that adds to my uneasiness, although I suppose being in a tunnel would be worse.

>49 The APMs at JFK, EWR, SFO, LHR, LGW, and ATL (the SkyTrain, not the PlaneTrain) definitely are, as is the DLR in London. The one at DTW is a bit diiferent, as it travels inside of one of the terminals for at least part of the journey, but it travels above the main level of the terminal.



I've ridden the APM at ATL over a hundred times since I moved to Atlanta 15 years ago, and I've never experienced a problem riding the APMs or heard of any delays or accidents on them, or any of the other APMs that I've ridden in other cities.

Adding my voice to hopes for happy travels!

And yes, one of the items on my list of preparations was documenting an issue of Scientific American so I don't have to do it when I return.

I fail to see the strangeness in this. Before I left for Workcamp last week, one of the to-dos on my list was cataloging the books that I'd bought at the DC meetup... :)

Have a great trip!

>52 Is that counting or not counting the ones you had to leave at your sister's house??

>53 Counting them - my other sister went down for a visit over July 4th, so I'd just got the whole set to catalog at once. :)

I have returned, with a backlog of reviews to write, after another episode of "too late for the last train to Lancaster", which I suppose is what I get for making plans that depend on it. In this case, the flight from Chicago to Philadelphia was an hour and a half late because weather bollixed up the system. So I spent a cozy night on a bench at 30th St station waiting for the first train to Lancaster this morning.

Oh, dear. That can't have been a very pleasant night!

Hmm. I know 30th Street station well, and it's probably my favorite train station, particularly since its overhaul. However, I don't think I'd describe its benches as "cozy". I'm sorry to hear that you were stuck there. Was there enough of a police presence that you felt safe there?

I had about an hour to make the decision whether to stay overnight at the airport or the train station. The airport was a vast shadowy emptiness, with no flights due in or out for several hours, and no obvious place to settle with other people around. I checked that the train station was open 24 hours, and took a chance that it'd be OK. And it was. A smaller space, well lit, security people at the information desk in the center, maintenance people roaming around, and about a dozen people with luggage stretched out on benches, with a gap of three hours between the last train of the night and the first train of the morning. I like 30th St station too. So now you know, if you're ever stuck overnight in Philadelphia, it's not a bad place to be.

I'm a fan of 30th Street Station, too. And it is much nicer since the redo. Still not sure I'd want an overnight there, but glad it worked for you!

I have fond memories of being in the 30th Street station as a child (of course I've been there many times since) with my father and sister. There was a machine that made "sheriff's badges" and we each got one with our name on it. Can't remember why we were there.

I was just in the vicinity today, but not actually in the station. My daughter and I took the Bolt Bus to New York, and it picks up & drops off about a block away.

I've been reading... but what with traveling, the butterfly competition, weeding, preparing to host a family event this evening (next step: clean the house... note what I'm actually doing...), I have no energy left for reviewing.

Glad you got home. I know 30th St. well - it went through a terrible seedy period but now it is well lit, well policed and pleasant. Even has a small bookshop. What more could you ask for??

cushions?

64: That would've been nice. My bag stuffed with books was not so comfortable.

Another ER book on its way: Future Perfect by Steven Johnson.

I am immersed in computer hell, primary work/personal computer went kerflooey a few days ago, and after unsuccessful efforts at revival I'm reconstructing everything on a newer better computer, which fortunately I already had, but the process is tee.dee.us. So July will end as it is, number on target for 75, a few reviews behind.

That is a downside of traveling with a lot of books, not much of a pillow in a pinch.

Oh, I hate when that happens. Glad you could reconstruct what you need on the new computer, but it's always a pain to have to do that. My latest excursion into computer hell was relatively painless, and I didn't lose anything, but being without my machine for even a few days made me feel stranded.

Any work I do from home is actually done through a secure connection to the mother ship, so at least I don't have any work artifacts or sofware on the home machine. I'd be much more of a wreck if I had actual work stuff at home.

Enjoy the new machine, once it's set up. I hope it's faster, prettier, and more cooperative than the old one! And no more kerflooeys!

Fortunately I'd made a full backup before I went on vacation, and I made a backup of current work stuff at the first sign of trouble, so no data is lost, but I had tons of tools installed, and they all have to be reinstalled and reconnected to remote servers. On the plus side, this is opportunity for reorganization, and once the old computer is reformatted, I can dedicate it to the voluminous researching and downloading that accompanies my employers' indecisions du jour, and keep the clutter (and vulnerability) off my primary computer.

I've been miserable about visiting threads, apologies all around, I hope to be up for air and more sociable this weekend...

Oh, no fun with the computer. Don't know if this is in the cards for you, but I've been very happy since I switched to a Mac; in fact, I'm eager to convert my sweetie's very old laptop to a Mac (especially since I'm the IT person in the house!).

My first computer was a Mac, but I switched to Windows to be compatible with work (computer programming) in the mid 1990s, and I'm pretty much stuck there, plus recent addition of Linux. I've occasionally thought of Mac for personal stuff, but there's really too much overlap of personal and work applications for feasibility.

That's too bad - that you can't use Mac.

I have fallen miserably behind on threads too - but I'm trying to get back into it!

The last time we needed a laptop, I looked long and hard at the MacBooks. I ended up with a Toshiba, the same size as the MacBook Pro. The Toshiba had a significantly larger hard drive (640 vs 128 GB, if I remember correctly) and more memory, but was 2/3 the price. I just couldn't justify buying less engine for more money. Have you struggled with that issue?

I wouldn't have bought my Mac if my brother-in-law, the computer network geek, hadn't told me about about a program (VMWare) that allows you to create a virtual Windows desktop on your Mac (I had to get a copy of Windows too) because there are a couple of programs I use that run only on Windows. You can switch back and forth between the Windows desktop and the main Mac screen (Mac has their own program that allows this, but as I understand it you have to log out of one to go into the other).

I have to say, Lisa, the price difference is significant, but the fact that I don't have to spend hours updating things is such a relief, and the fact that I can go to the lovely people at the Mac Genius Bar if I have a problem and don't have to deal with the (expletive deleted) support staff at Dell makes it worth it. Maybe the Toshiba guys are better.

I haven't had to deal with Toshiba customer service yet, as it's working just fine, but our desktop HP is a whole different ball of wax. It's never worked right and I've sent it back, had the motherboard replaced, had in-home service, etc., all to no avail. I've given up. I've never heard of a Mac Genius Bar. We live in the heart of Microsoft country, so we are surrounded by hardcore PC users. I do have an iPhone though. :-)

I too had a grim experience with HP. Mine was a laptop, and when I brought it in to my favorite repair shop for the 4th time, the owner begged me not to ask him to fix it. He had the same advice for all HP laptop owners - as far as he was concerned, it was no better than a paperweight. That's when I got a great deal on a Lenovo and never looked back.

And incidentally, for those who live in or work in NYC, I strongly recommend 'The Little Laptop Shop' on Clinton Street. They are reasonably priced, honest, open, friendly, and have always solved whatever issue I had or Jim had with our numerous machines. When I wanted to buy a gift for my friend in the Peace Corps, I bought a renovated laptop from them (they refurbish laptops that have come off-lease from corporations); the price was great, and she hasn't had a problem. All in all, the nicest and most helpful I've found.

Just piling on: I've bought Compaq, Dell, and HP laptops for my kids over the years and every single one has been a pain. And it's not like my kids are super rough with them. The computers don't go anywhere beyond the four walls of our house. I bought my older daughter a Mac to take to college (1 year in, it's doing great) and am about to replace my younger daughter's crap HP laptop with a Mac.

Oh, don't talk to me about Dell - they nearly gave my husband a heart attack last year when we tried to order a computer from them, it was such a stressful experience. Eventually we cancelled the order with them completely, but they still tried to threaten us with debt collectors to pay for the computer that we'd never had.

Sorry, SandDune, but I'm going to talk about Dell! I had Dells for years in the 90s and into the 2000's (both desktops and laptops) and they were great . . . until the last one. My brother-in-law told me it was because they stopped making them themselves and outsourced too much, but not sure if he knew. Just to give a flavor of their idiotic customer "service," after endless online chats about my laptop plus a visit from a technician, they said I'd have to send the laptop to them (which made me nervous enough) and then sent me a box and told me to enclose a note explaining my problem! Didn't they have a record of my conversations? Didn't they have a record of my problem? Shouldn't they have sent me a mailing label that was coded to refer back to all that info they already had? Needless to say, I didn't send the laptop to them.

My sympathies for the computer issues. Computers drive me crazy when they don't behave -- as mine didn't last night.

I saw Dell's product and service deteriorate over the years, until I simply gave up on them. My hubby was a Mac man for years, and finally switched over to a Dell, just as they were starting to fade. I think he may go back to Mac the next time he needs a computer.

Gardening and science interlude... I'll get back to books eventually.

A milkweed in a pot...


gets put in the ground...


grows and blooms and attracts a Monarch butterfly...


which produces a Monarch caterpillar...


which leaves home and travels 30 feet across the yard and hangs upside down...



awaiting transformation...

Oh Katherine, what a delight for you!

Oh how cool is that. I'm sure you're watching it every day.

Yesterday I was obsessed because I'd LOST MY BABY, the caterpillar I'd been watching on the milkweed for several days. I went all around the yard peering under things, expected it to be on the fence or the bins near the garden, then happened to glance across as I went down the deck steps into the yard. I am amazed and impressed with what must've been quite a trip to get to the perfect spot.

Wow! Great pictures and story.

I think this will be a great unfolding drama, very exciting for all of us and you. It's about two weeks, right?

The saga is mostly over in the garden group:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/140411

I’ll post a photo here if anything significant happens. (Yeah, it’s supposed to be two weeks.) The caterpillar traveled overnight, and became a chrysalis overnight, so I may not see the butterfly emerge.

83: I'm sure you're watching it every day.
More like every hour.

I am trying to read a book, but what with caterpillars and Olympics, I'm not making much progress.

Oh, how wonderful! When my daughter comes back from camp, I'll be sure to show her the journey. She has two caterpillars that formed Chrysalises, but nothing has happened. I'm afraid they have both died. Do you know how to tell?

>80 Love it!

87: Caterpillars and chrysalises are new to me, so I resort to Google for every question. Time frame is different for different species. Do you know what she has?

Katie knows, but she is at camp, so I had to dig to find out what kind they are: silver spotted tiger moth. Come to find out they pupate from June to August, so perhaps they will still hatch out. Thanks for inspiring me to solve this mystery!

Love the pictures of the butterfly. Keep us posted!

Hey! I thought this was a books and reading thread!! ;)

92: Real life activities inspired by reading. :-)

Well, I'm reading Blue Angel, a book about a college creative writing professor who was attracted to one of his students. It reminds me of my college days and having crushes on one professor or another. I think the story is pretty amusing. It's quite like real life.

That's a Francine Prose, no?

It is, Lucy. She really gets to the heart of the main character. I love her writing so far. This is the first of hers I've read.

I love your documentation of the caterpillar.

#42: Scientific American - April 2012 -- (Jul 16)

#43: Noah's Garden by Sarah Stein – (Jul 17)

This book occupies similar ground to Suburban Safari and Bringing Nature Home, less anecdotal than the former, less academic than the latter, engagingly and informatively combining personal experience and scientific research. The author bought a multi-acre plot of land, cleaned and tamed it into a garden, then realized the wildlife had disappeared. The process of restoration wasn’t a matter of returning it to a disrupted nature, but of strategically ungardening. ”I spent the following months studying awesomely complicated and almost incredible tales of how plants and animals run these entities we call ecosystems. Over the winter, I tried to translate this research into garden plans. I’ll save you the time and trouble: it doesn’t work. ... The Master Plan is too complicated for me or you – or, frankly, for the ecologists whose flashlights of observation tease me on – to write out, draw up, or even ever to comprehend fully. But, paradoxically, the Plan may not be so hard to follow. The general outlines are before us in the woodlands, thickets, meadows, marshes, and other ecosystems still to be found. ... As to the broad brush strokes of the Plan, we can certainly draw up lists of plant species that grow in these habitats. As for the fine details, I think we needn’t worry. This is a picture that, well started, will fill in itself.”

#44: Scientific American - May2012 -- (Jul 20)

#45: The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell -- (Aug 10)

I got this for airplane reading, and it served well for the Olympics too. I've read all the previous installments, obviously with enough engagement to continue. The recurring characters may be getting a little stale.

I'm behind in reviewing, behind in reading, behind in the threads, but now caught up on bureaucratic placeholders. Sort of like sorting the mail is the first step to paying bills. Which I did today too.

And how is the caterpillar doing?

103: Well that's what's important. :-) As of this morning, I would've said the same, but I noticed a dark patch this afternoon, and checking in before dark, sure looks like things are happening:

I totally see some wing there! That chrysalis is so breathtakingly beautiful. It looks like it's made of porcelain, with gold accents. Only so much cooler because, you know, nature and stuff.

Oh wow! What an excellent photo. I see the wing too! I'm so excited.

I'm going to make you all go over here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/140411#3538702 so I don't have to post everything twice. Status: waiting. I got up at 6am to check.

Status: transformation complete as of noon.

Ah -- thanks for sharing such a beautiful event.

Thanks for sharing that link. Nice photography, and kudos for multitasking your way into being there for all the shots! How exciting to see the pictures all the way through to the butterfly!

Just catching up, and I also am totally entranced by the great metamorphosis. Thank you, Katherine!!!

Wow! Really neat! Kudos for capturing the entire process!

#46: New Yorker - July 2012 (4 issues) -- (Aug 12)

#47: Stokes Butterfly Book by Donald Stokes and Lillian Stokes and Ernest Williams – (Aug 25)

This spring I began a native plant garden, and less than two months after getting everything in the ground, I’d acquired a monarch caterpillar on the milkweed. In a patch of weeds I removed everything that wasn’t a violet, the violets happily expanded to fill the space, and fritillary caterpillars appeared. I’ve gotten hooked on watching the caterpillars, and am contemplating how to expand the repertoire next year. This book is maybe not the “complete guide” it claims to be, but it covers the basics nicely, not for every butterfly in existence, but for the dozens that are typically around in the US. It has a section of life size butterfly photos for identification, a section of caterpillar photos, example plans of small and large butterfly gardens, a list of nectar plants and their bloom times, a list of caterpillar host plants, and a chapter on butterfly behavior. I mostly wanted it for the section on each butterfly family, which includes details about its behavior and preferences, a map of species range, and a table noting habitat, food, and time frame for life cycle stages. For the novice, a useful reference.

What with earlier sunsets and avoiding TV for the sake of mental health this week, I've managed to finish two books in progress and hit the target of 50, on track for 75. So what if I'm five reviews behind? It's a holiday weekend and on Friday evening I'm always optimistic about the stretch of time before me.

Good for you! I'm four behind, so I feel your pain...

I had planned to focus on American history this year. Things are not working out this way.

2/3 through the holiday weekend, and 1/5 done with reviews.

I wrote a review of Sugar Street but then finished Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, so I'm still four reviews behind.

Hmm, been awhile.

Remember this?


As of last Saturday, it is this.


Highly discombobulating, the entire house was vibrating from the sanding, the cats were freaked out, also got the dining room floor refinished so for a week I had to walk out the front door and in the back door to get to the kitchen.

Now all I need is a comfortable chair, and this will be the reading room.

Beautiful! I'm sure the cats will settle in when offered a comfy chair or a lap.

120: Instead, they've been offered... a new cat, adopted from an allergic relative. Currently there's a barrier in the hallway until the hissing and poofy tails subside.

How lovely!!

Don't you secretly adore the poofy tails?
Good luck with the cats, the reviews, the next 25 - and congratulations on the beautiful, beautiful floors!

Wonderful beautiful results of all your hard work!

All that renovation and a new cat too! Not to mention the caterpillars. You're a busy woman.

Looks beautiful!

The room looks very inviting. And I'm so glad you are giving your cats the ultimate in entertainment, something to get huffy and poofy about.

Wow! Good job with the room!

Well I didn't DO the floor refinishing, I merely survived while professionals did it. (Shortly after I bought the house, I removed the cheap carpeting. I’d peeked under the edges, and wondered why anyone would slap carpet over the beautiful wood floor in the living room, until rolling up the carpet revealed a long gouge where someone had lost control of a sander. Not a job for amateurs.)

123: Don't you secretly adore the poofy tails?
Well, I know from experience that cats can do real damage to each other in this state, but it’s kind of entertaining that my cats get all intense and agitated when they see the alien cat, go twiny and purry when I sit with them, and don’t know what to do if I’m there and the alien cat is visible simultaneously (turn this way, purr, turn that way, hiss).

Good luck finding the perfect comfy chair for your lovely reading room!

Love the description of the confused cats not sure whether to purr or hiss. I hope they grow used to the interloper soon - and what a beautiful space that is, just asking to be filled with bookcases, books and somewhere comfortable to read the books!

The cats are still separated but they're calming down, can watch each other quietly from a few feet apart. The back yard is a disaster and a higher priority than the reading room. I finished reading an ER book but I've made no progress whatsoever on reviews. I have an actual physical stack of books and magazines awaiting reviews, and it is daunting. I'm pathetically behind on the threads, and won't have enough posts on this thread to continue to another for 4th quarter. I'm on LT and lurking more than is apparent, but without the focus necessary to compose comments.

I finished reading an ER book but I've made no progress whatsoever on reviews. I have an actual physical stack of books and magazines awaiting reviews, and it is daunting. I'm pathetically behind on the threads, and won't have enough posts on this thread to continue to another for 4th quarter. I'm on LT and lurking more than is apparent, but without the focus necessary to compose comments.

Me too...

>132 won't have enough posts on this thread to continue to another for 4th quarter.
If you want, I can post here a bunch of times until the continuation link is available ;-)

134: Thanks :-) If I were at 175 maybe, but I'm OK with letting this go for another month. Completely my own fault, for gardening instead of reading. A 100-post continuation option would be nice, but multiple requests (http://www.librarything.com/topic/126131#3336624) have not yielded results... or even acknowledgement...

Are

You

Sure

?

LOL! Yes, really. As I've aged, I've become more tolerant of asymmetry. This will be a test...

>140: this will be fun to watch. :)

Why is your garden hopeless?

I sometimes just don't write reviews or I just write tiny lame ones ...... of course, I don't know what's in your pile, maybe they all deserve real attention. Esp if a book has been reviewed a lot, I often don't worry.

I'm just trying to help by spreading things out for you.

142: The garden is suffering from weeds encouraged by rain and neglect, death and decay of autumn, decisions to be made, and too little time.
143: I'm still working on a balance between reading and reviewing. I don't mind skimping on books I read for entertainment / escape, but if I read a science book, for example, I want to record enough to remember the essentials.
144: Appreciate it.

The garden is suffering from weeds encouraged by rain and neglect, death and decay of autumn, decisions to be made, and too little time.

Boy, can I relate to all that. Gardens! My garden is hopeless. The "flower bed" by the side of the garage has been taken over by horseradish, which is impossible to get rid of. The one in front of the garage seems to have been systematically invaded and conquered by some other hardy perrenial weed species. The rest of my gardening space is just suffering from good old neglect and lack of time -- and a sore back which limits my ability to work at ground level. And now there are falling leaves to rake.

I sincerely wish you better luck than mine with your yard.

You have to consider that a lot of your energy has been diverted over to your garden thread, too! And then the time you spend photographing caterpillars...

>147: And then the time you spend photographing caterpillars...
Ha! I was thinking the same thing!

#48: Super Cooperators by Martin Nowak and Roger Highfield -- (Aug 27)

I read this because Martin Nowak is working with E. O. Wilson on modeling the evolution of ants and other eusocial insects, a project that occupies one chapter. He got hooked by the prisoner’s dilemma early in his career, and has been elaborating ever since, to illuminate social organization and behavior. The presentation is chronological with personal anecdotes. Alas, not as gripping as I’d hoped, maybe a consequence of coauthor Roger Highfield, a journalist and editor, whose role presumably was to nudge in the direction of popular science. Which is fine and the level I was seeking, but it seemed both technical specifics and individual voice were watered down.

More eventually...

And two months later... No more. Memory has faded, my page flags aren't triggering either insight or enthusiasm. Sorry, I'm not doing justice to the book; it's pretty good, but my mind is elsewhere.

#49: New Yorker – August 2012 (3 issues) -- (Aug 28)

#50: The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto -- (Aug 31)

Read as something of a companion to Mayflower, because this is about Manhattan during the same time period. Also I have ancestry from the place and time. The thesis is that the Dutch colony of New Netherland introduced a strand of business-oriented multi-culturalism to America. Based on documents translated by the New Netherland Project.

More eventually...

#51: Scientific American – June 2012 – (Sep 6)

Not yet documented...

#52: Scientific American – July 2012 – (Sep ?)

Not yet documented...

#53: Gamble by Felix Francis -- (Sep ?)

Picked up at the grocery store for light reading, somewhat out of curiosity because the author is son of Dick Francis. Essentially the same formula, but either my memory is rose-colored or the son is a lesser talent. I would’ve ditched it midway through for the dumbness of the relationship (she is an artist, he thinks her art has a psychologically dark component but oh well it’s her thing and whatever, she is inaccessible by cell phone and is she with another man? no she is making the rounds of doctors getting diagnosed with cancer but she didn’t want to worry him) but it was quick and adds to the count.

#54: Darwin's Ghosts by Rebecca Stott -- (Sep 24)

An ER book that didn’t quite live up to expectations. Tries too hard to add local and period color with contrived scenes, more about philosophical speculations than scientific developments. Introduces a few people I'd not heard of.

Deserves a more thorough review...

And nearly two months later, here it is:

Soon after the On the Origin of Species was published, Darwin received a letter that praised the book but accused him of failing to acknowledge predecessors and taking credit for ideas put forth by others. In response and agreement, Darwin composed an Historical Sketch of men “who believe in the modification of species, or at least disbelieve in separate acts of creation”, which accumulated more names with each subsequent edition, but it was indeed a sketch, based on notes and memory, not exhaustive research. This book adds biographical detail, in chronological order beginning with Aristotle and ending with Wallace, but the correlation is loose; it does not include everyone who was on Darwin’s list, and does include others who were not (a comparison table would’ve been handy). Aristotle, for example, was an error, mentioned because a town clerk had sent Darwin a passage that was actually a protoevolutionary quote from Empedocles, refuted by Aristotle who believed species were fixed and eternal. al-Jahiz, while fascinating, was not in Darwin’s scope, which focused on the 18th and 19th century Europe. Stott is connecting ideas through a longer span of history. I am currently reading On the Origin of Species, and names abound; Darwin read and corresponded widely, and describes the experiments and observations of others with appreciation and respect, but I would suppose him to be not so keen on philosophical speculation untethered to evidence. Stott includes a chapter on Robert Chambers, author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, a compilation of transmutationist ideas from geology and botany and zoology published anonymously in 1844 and denounced as scandalous and heretical. Darwin devotes a paragraph for its “excellent service ... in calling attention to the subject, in removing prejudice, and in thus preparing the ground for the reception of analogous views”, but with reservations: “The author apparently believes that organisation progresses by sudden leaps, but that the effects produced by the conditions of life are gradual. He argues with much force on general grounds that species are not immutable productions. But I cannot see how the two supposed ‘impulses’ account in a scientific sense for the numerous and beautiful co-adaptations which we see throughout nature; I cannot see that we thus gain any insight how, for instance, a woodpecker has become adapted to its peculiar habits of life.”

I was expecting more emphasis on biology, and I’m not so entranced by colorful biographical accessories, so I perked up with the chapters on Abraham Tremblay’s polyps and Robert Grant’s sponges, and was mildly disappointed otherwise. I can see though that the task was not simple, to organize Darwin’s list of significant thinkers and bit players into a narrative strand. And the history really was a combination of tangible discoveries and speculative ideas floating in the air, each influencing the other. If the book is approached as inspired by, rather than as a complete account of, Darwin’s list, it is an engaging introduction.

For the record, a bibliography of works cited in On the Origin of Species Historical Sketch: http://until-darwin.blogspot.com/2012/09/digital-bibliography-for-works-cited-in... .

#55: New Yorker – September 2012 (4 issues) – (Sep 26)

Adding a buncha placeholders as a step toward catching up... Mostly I should be outside dealing with the yard though. The garden plants are decaying messily, while the weeds are happily spreading.

Good for you for the placeholders! I read The Island at the Center of the World years ago and loved it (of course, I love books that make NYC sound good!).

De-lurking to say I agree with you about Felix Francis - he's not nearly as good an author as his father!

Oh. I am so envious. You are CAUGHT UP on the NYers.

160: In reading, but I haven't documented September. And I'm catching up on reading Scientific American, but I'm three behind in documenting, and those take HOURS apiece.

158: It did make NYC sound good, a worthy contribution to the nation.
159: An unknown lurker! Hello. Off to find your thread...

Too bad Darwin's Ghost didn't stand up to expectations. I have been waiting for more reviews of it.

> 135

Completely my own fault, for gardening instead of reading

Heh! Me, too.

I think you've made exactly the right choices -- we've all gotten so much out of your photographs, or I should say, I have.

Plus cats... The two old cats and the one new cat have been separated by a baby gate / cardboard contraption for nearly a month. One old cat is fine with the new cat; I’ve put them in the same room for hours with no trouble. The other old cat paces, lunges, swats through the gate. Agitated more than hostile, it seems. The new cat initially hissed in return, but has taken to sitting calmly just beyond reach. Well, it’s time for the next step. I opened the gate this morning, and... old cat cornered new cat, new cat hissed and growled, old cat backed off and flopped on the floor across the room, new cat ventured out of the corner, old cat lunged... nobody got hurt, but I’m not completely convinced that nobody will get hurt, so I’m monitoring, difficult to concentrate on anything else though I had hoped to devote time to review catchup this morning.

Always a bit touchy integrating new with old, isn't it? All of ours have settled down fairly quickly when push comes to shove, so hopefully yours will too. I agree though--you do have to monitor.

Am de-lurking to say hi, and your new reading room looks fantastic!! (Oh, and I lurked over to your gardening thread too).

Hi! More visitors than I deserve...

My new reading room now has chairs! Even though I still need to paint the baseboards, because I can paint over the winter. Enough chairs for me and the cats because otherwise I will lose. I was all set to make it a real thing last week, and then I found a monarch chrysalis on the ground in the yard and was advised to bring it inside, and what with the new cat living in the attic, the reading room is the only room that can be closed off from the cats, who would enjoy batting a chrysalis around. The monarch chrysalis is showing signs of progress today, and I am hopeful because peak migration was in late September and this week has been chilly, but tomorrow and the next several days are supposed to be warmer.

Tomorrow will be yard work. Today, I am monitoring cats and READING. (What about those reviews? Um.)

The monarch has emerged (http://www.librarything.com/topic/141676#3642614) so the reading room is mine.

Congrats on the chairs for the reading room! I bet the room will be just wonderful for you - and the cats.

Hooray for the chairs! And for the emergence of the monarch.

Enjoy your reading room.

I bet you didn't get a thank you from the monarch for the generous loan of your reading room!

Another cliffhanger. Wow.

I'd intended to get things organized for the month this weekend, but instead I've been dealing with cleanup from a fence installation and preparation for a hurricane. The reading room now holds a mesh cylinder of black swallowtail caterpillars (http://www.librarything.com/topic/141676#3664494) that I’ve moved indoors until the weather subsides, so is once again closed to cats. I am amazingly still on target for 75 this year, but I now have two stacks of unreviewed books and magazines on my desk. I will not admit defeat until the end of the year. If I still have electricity tomorrow, I aspire to post placeholders at least. (Oh, and, I'd kinda like to get to 200 posts by the end of the month. Not that I deserve to. But if anyone is feeling generous.)

Congrats on remaining on track for 75!

As for your 200 posts, we can always talk about how basic, uncontroversial RSIs are sadly neglected ;)

Oh, are we aiming for 200 posts to move to a new thread? Happy to delurk for this as I love following your thread but never find anything to add to the conversation.

176: Heh. So we could. Sigh.
177: Thanks! I’ve been lurking on your category thread, though I seen now that I’ve fallen behind.

I think it wouldn't be that hard to get to 200 posts by the end of the month. That's about 21 posts in the next 73ish hours.

179: At that rate, this thread would have 840 posts by now...

180: Perhaps, but in my experience posting rates dramatically increase when there's a goal to achieve.

Let's move this along a bit! Maybe you could just list the next 15 books finished, but not reviewed, one per message with, of course, the intention of coming back and commenting on each...just saying.

Rats. I've typed this three times on my tablet and lost them all. Not adept yet at avoiding unwanted brushes with dangerous locations.

Looking at the map, I see you and the cats and caterpillars are definitely in harms' way. Stay indoors, and dry these next two days! Jim and I have been ordered to work from home, if there's power, and not - I guess - if there's not. We'll probably have power, as there's no chance tree limbs will bring down power lines here in Manhattan. But it's amazing how two stay-at-homes can get cabin fever the minute we're told to stay at home!

Our preparation consisted of buying a manually operated can opener and some cheese and cold cuts, and bickering. Health club is closed, food markets are closed, but if the power is on, we'll be ok. Grumpy, but ok. Hope you and your strange menagerie are ok too!

delurking to wish you, the caterpillars and cats make it through the hurricane safely

My hurricane prep consisted of cooking and baking. I made brownies on Saturday and black bean soup and popovers yesterday!*

*Jose finished the last popover last night. Now we have none for the hurricane lest I make more. :(

I'm tickled by the can-opener purchase, Judy. Supposedly we're going to get some fierce winds, but it is very hard to believe right now - the day is so still. But we did have a very unusual sunrise today - incredible vivid red that colored everything in a fiery way. I tried to take a photo of it, but you need a real camera for that sort of thing.

I'm on the same track as you, Q, vis a vis reaching 200, so I'll keep an eye on things here and help out as needed and hope you can do the same for me as long as you have some power.

I'm also glad you brought in your caterpillars.

Well, the saying is 'red sky at morning, sailors take warning', so a red sunrise sounds just right. The wind, by the way, has just hit, along with what sounds like thunder and fierce rain. Stay dry, everyone. I'm hoping the power holds until tomorrow, at least.

Thanks everyone! I should be fine now, once I add placeholders for the books that I intend to review... Not this evening though. The rain and wind don't seem so ominous, and my house is holding up fine, no roof leaks or basement puddles, but reports abound of flooding and fallen trees, and they're still threatening power outages, and I don't want any surprises as I'm typing away on the computer that holds my entire personal and work life so I'm shutting down for the night.

Well the wind last night was quite something, and it jiggled loose a small interior storm window, which fell and shattered onto the cat litter box in the powder room around 2am. Fortunately I heard it and went downstairs, where the cats were on the far side of the kitchen afraid to approach the loud noise. I closed the door, set up an alternative litter box, went back to sleep, cleaned up this morning, and that was the extent of the storm damage. No power outage. Guess this means I have to work today.

Glad to hear you had minimal damage.

#56: The Mystery of Metamorphosis by Frank Ryan -- (Sep 30)

Mostly alternates between the (highly controversial) "larval transfer" theory of marine biologist Donald Williamson, and experiments in insect metamorphosis in the 1930s by Vincent Wigglesworth. Quite fascinating, and deserves a proper summary and review.

OK, another month gone by, and here it is:

I read this book because I got hooked by caterpillars over the summer, googled for information about metamorphosis into butterflies, and ... OMG, the process is incredible! This book is about the scientific investigation of metamorphosis, focused on two men: Vincent Wigglesworth in the 1930s and Don Williamson in the 1980s. It is neither a comprehensive history nor a comprehensive account of current knowledge, but it combines elements of both into a fascinating narrative story. (Note: I have no educational background in biology, I am merely a casually interested layperson, so please assume that any errors in this summary are my misinterpretation, not the author’s.)

Vincent Wigglesworth, an entomologist whose career began with investigating relationships between the physiology of insects and the spread of tropical diseases, wondered about the evolution from incomplete to complete metamorphosis. The fossil record shows that insect metamorphosis did not evolve from marine arthropod metamorphosis. The protective exoskeleton of insects is composed of chitin, which is derived from mucoproteins (such as the slime of slugs), and strengthened by the protein sclerotin. Growth occurs by molting. The more primitive insects change size but not form, and do not have wings. Among the most ancient insects with wings, dragonflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with buds on the outer surface of nymphs developing into wings on adults, and no larval or pupal stage. In the complete metamorphosis of beetles, bees, butterflies, etc, the wings develop internally. Complete metamorphosis had been associated with imaginal disks, discovered in mid 1700s and investigated in the mid 1800s, determined to be active in the pupal stage when the larva is liquified and reconstructed into an adult. Wigglesworth was aware of variations and exceptions, and not convinced of the unique role of imaginal disks. What if the key mechanisms of metamorphosis were an extension of molting? What if the pupa had evolved to fill the gap between increasingly divergent stages of larva and adult? His experimental subject was the kissing bug (Rhodnius prolixus), which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis in five nymphal stages, with the most significant changes occurring throughout the body in the final molt. Sudden universal changes implied a signal, and the most likely candidate was a hormone. In a series of gruesome experiments involving beheadings and surgical conjoinings, he determined that the corpus allatum gland produced an inhibiting hormone in the first four stages (this is now known as the juvenile hormone, and is found across insect families); the molting hormone came from... where? This question was answered by Carroll Williams, who was studying diapause in silkworm moths (Hyalophora cecropia). As soon as the caterpillar spins a cocoon, cell activity ceases. When spring arrives, metamorphosis begins. Another series of gruesome experiments, with chilled brains transplanted to parts of severed bodies, established three components to metamorphosis: a hormone secreted by the prothoractic gland, a master hormone secreted by the brain, the absence of a hormone secreted by the corpus allatum gland. The molting process is now known to be this: neurosecretory cells in the brain send signals along nerves to the neurohaemal organs / corpora cardiaca (located near the corpora allata), which release prothoracicotropic hormone, which is carried by the bloodstream to the prothoracic gland, and stimulates production of the ecdysone, which triggers molting. This is the simplified version. I’m including scientific jargon because I want search terms. The jargon is peripheral and not a concern; I ignored it while I was reading. What comes through are people keenly curious about nature.

Don Williamson, a marine biologist who specialized in plankton, was intrigued by anomalies. In classic evolutionary theory, each developmental stage of the life cycle (egg, embryo, larva, adult) is modified by natural selection. A starfish, for example, swims as a larva at the ocean surface for wide dispersion, but settles as an adult on the ocean floor for predation. The developmental stages, though, do not always flow nicely from one to another; for example, the symmetry of an animal may change from bilateral to radial. He constructed and compared evolutionary trees based on larval forms and adult forms, and they did not precisely coincide; larval forms of one lineage sometimes appeared in another, as if somehow transferred. Nonsense, he thought for years, and then he decided to take the idea seriously, as a hypothesis of “larval transfer”. This though was not an explanation; he needed a mechanism and experimental evidence. The only plausible mechanism was hybridization, producing offspring by mating different species. He chose animals even more distantly related, from different phyla: crustaceans and echinoderms, eggs from shrimp (Gammarus dubeni), which are bilaterally symmetrical, and sperm from sea urchins (Echinus esculentus), which are radially symmetrical. He could see development through a microscope, but most of the hybrid eggs did not survive beyond a few days, and none hatched. Recognizing difficulties, he reconsidered, and focused on sea squirts (Ascidia mentula), in the phylum of urochordates. Sea squirts are bilaterally symmetrical at all stages, but the larva does not gradually transform into the adult; instead, the adult grows inside a tadpole larva, with two nervous systems and two brains coexisting until one is destroyed. Sea urchins develop similarly; the adult grows inside a pluteus larva. Williamson fertilized eggs from sea squirts with sperm from sea urchins. Some larvae developed to the radially symmetrical pluteus stage, remarkable because sea squirt eggs would normally develop into bilaterally symmetrical tadpoles, but no further. In 1985, he wrote a paper proposing that anomalies in the evolutionary tree might be explained by the transfer of genetic material from one branch to another, and submitted it to several journals, but it was too much at odds with standard theory for publication. In 1987, it was accepted to a journal on oceanography, whose editor had also been puzzled by larval forms and the assignment of taxonomic relationships. In 1988, it found its way to Lynn Margulis, whose theory of endosymbiosis had initially been rejected by established forces, and whose sympathies as a consequence were with iconoclasts. Doors opened. Over the years, a smattering of biologists have been interested enough to give the idea a public airing and considered response, and to attempt repeat experiments. The theory of larval transfer is quite possibly (probably?) wrong. And yet, much about metamorphosis remains unexplained. The story is compellingly told, with the twists and turns of a struggle for understanding, and the appropriate caution.

#57: Fifty Acres and a Poodle by Jeanne Marie Laskas -- (Oct 13)

Urbanites buy a scenic farm. Sweet and funny.

#58: Scientific American – August 2012 – (Oct 15)

Not yet documented...

#59: The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain by Barbara Strauch

For those of us who don’t remember what we went down to the basement for... optimism about middle age, defined here as 40-68.

#60: Milkweed, Monarchs, and More by Ba Rea and Karen Oberhauser and Michael Quinn -- (Oct 19)

A field guide to the milkweed patch and the critters who reside there or pass through, aimed at the classroom level, with bugs organized by classification order and family, identifying photos, brief descriptions of notable features and life cycles, and tags indicating roles of predator, parasite, herbivore, nectivore, scavenger. A helpful place to start, focused on one context rather than a catalogue of everything.

#61: Scientific American – September 2012 – (Oct 20)

Not yet documented...

#62: New Yorker – October 2012 (4 issues) – (Oct 25)

#63: The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili -- (Oct 26)

Group read: http://www.librarything.com/topic/139678

Placeholders and this arrive at 200.

Yay! You finished House of Wisdom. I've just barely started.

I have Fifty Acres and a Poodle waiting to be read, so it's nice to know you enjoyed it.

So, have the caterpillars migrated back outside?

Funny story about the window and the litter box--glad no one was using it at the time!

Hooray, you made it to 200 posts!

Glad the only damage was the one window, and that the cats are OK.

Glad you're ok!

>195: I've occasionally skipped "can't remember what I went down to the basement for" and passed right to "can't remember where the basement is." I'd better put that one on my TBR ... if I can remember where I put it.

Glad to hear the storm damage was minor by you.