tymfos sails through even more books in 2012 -- Voyage 6 -- Zooming through summer!

Time for another thread, as we're ZOOMING through summer!



Several summers ago, I did the Thunder Road tour of the Watkins Glen International road course, and took this photo of my car (then) at the Start-Finish line. I hope to go back someday with the car I have now!




Welcome to my space! This is part six of my 75 Challenge thread. All books I read in their entirety in 2012 will be listed on this challenge! I count all forms of books here -- paper and ink, e-books, and audio books. I've expanded my number of books read dramatically since I've started listening to audios while doing housework, walking, exercising, or driving. (And my house is cleaner, and I get more exercise!)

glitter-graphics.com
Books finished in January

1 Think of a Number by John Verdon (AUDIO)
2 Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter
3 Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke
4 Iron House by John Hart (AUDIO)
5 Graveyard Dust: a Benjamin January mystery, by Barbara Hambly
6 Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace by Cathleen Falsani
7. Winter Blues by Norman E. Rosenthal
8. The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney
9. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
10 The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (AUDIO)
11 The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill

abandoned

Books finished in February
12 He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum (E-BOOK)
13 The Fitzgerald Ruse by Mark de Castrique (AUDIO)
14 Drowning in Oil by Loren C. Steffy (non-fiction / current events)
15 Birds of a Feather By Jacquiline Winspear (fiction)
16 The Cypress House by Michael Koryta
17 Dead to You by Lisa McMann
18 Between Heaven and Mirth Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life, by James Martin (E-BOOK)
19 The Great American Gamble: How the 1979 Daytona 500 Gave Birth to a NASCAR Nation, by Joe Menzer ("Speed Weeks" read!)
20 At the Altar of Speed: the Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt, by Leigh Montville
21 The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote


glitter-graphics.com
Books finished in March
22 Appalachia: a Self-Portrait ed. by Wendy Ewald
23 Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger (fiction -- 2nd in Cork O'Connor series)
24 Red Bones by Ann Cleves (3rd in Shetland Quartet)
25 Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
26 He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado (devotional)
27 When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum
28 Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin (non-fiction -- Spring Training read)
29 The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner (AUDIO)
30 The Gods of Gotham by Lindsay Faye
31 And the Angels Were Silent by Max Lucado (devotional, E-BOOK)
32 The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (AUDIO)
33 Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger


glitter-graphics.com
Books finished in April
34. Sherman's March by Burke Davis
35. Miracles & Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories from Doctors by Nancy Kennedy
36. The Likeness by Tana French
37. Bag of Bones by Stephen King (AUDIO, mostly with hard-copy backup!)
38. Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger (AUDIO mostly, with hard- copy backup to finish in time)
39. Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines


glitter-graphics.com
Books finished in May

40. Gone, Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane
41. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet
42. Burning Angel by James Lee Burke (AUDIO and paper)
43. Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger (AUDIO)
44. State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
45. The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin (YA)
46. We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews
47. Under a Flaming Sky by Daniel James Brown
48. Waterproof: a novel of the Johnstown Flood by Judith Redline Coopey


glitter-graphics.com
Books finished in June

49. Cadillac Jukebox by James Lee Burke (AUDIO and paper)
50. The Ridge by Michael Koryta (fiction)
51. Behind the Smile: My journey out of postpartum depression by Marie Osmond
52. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
53. The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (AUDIO)
54. Haunted Foothills by M.A. Mogus & Ed Kelemen (no touchstone)
55. The Devil's Tea Tables: West Virginia Ghost Stories and Other Tales by Mack Samples
56. Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill
57. Doc by Mary Doria Russell (AUDIO)

glitter-graphics.com
Books finished in July
58. The Kindness of Strangers by Julie Smith
59. A Corpse's Nightmare by Phillip DePoy
60. Cujo by Stephen King AUDIO
61. Hurting With God by Glenn Pemberton (devotional)
62. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
63. Roadwork by Stephen King (AUDIO)
64. Sunset Limited by James Lee Burke
65. Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (AUDIO)
66. The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins
67. Three Months in the Southern States by Arthur J. L. Frematle (E-BOOK)


Books finished in August
68. Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham (E-book)
69. The Body in the Bog by Katherine Hall Page
70. Copper River by William Kent Krueger (AUDIO)
71. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (non-fiction)
72. To bless the space between us by John O'Donohue (e-book)

currently reading:
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
Light in August by William Faulkner (e-book literature)
The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt (E-Book mystery fiction)
Burning Rubber by Charles Jennings (E-Book non-fiction)
I Sing the Body Electric by Ray Bradbury (AUDIO, short stories)

abandoned (temporarily?)
Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock 'n' Roll by Marc Dolan (non-fiction)
A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller (devotional)

I'm also doing the 12 in 12 category Challenge. running from 12/12/2011 through the end of 2012.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/127962#t

Here are my 12 in 12 Challenge Golden Oldies Hit Parade Categories and some ideas as to kinds of books that might fit each category.


1. American Pie - Don McLean (for all things USA)
2. Color My World - Chicago (world literature, world history, and books with colors in titles)
3. Jambalaya (On the Bayou) - Jo Stafford (James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux books will fit here, along with other books set around New Orleans or other bayou areas)
4. What's Goin' On? - Marvin Gaye (Current events and mysteries)
5. Help! -- The Beatles (disaster-related, and maybe some crime-related, books)
6. King of the Road - Roger Miller (Stephen King books would fit here; travel books might work, too; anything about royalty)
7. Spooky - Classics IV (self-explanatory)
8. On and On - Stephen Bishop (for series)
9. Doctor, Doctor - Thompson Twins (for books with a doctor in the house!)
10. Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles (for more assorted mysteries)
11. The Winner Takes it All - Abba (sports & award-winning books)
12. Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum (religion/spirituality)
and also a catchall for things that don't fit:
Anything at All - The Beatles (miscellaneous)

I've decided to do the "side challenge" on the 12 in 12 category challenge: one book for each month that includes the name (or maybe number) of the month in the title or author (and, in at least one case, I'm probably using a series name).

I'll probably also continue to have monthly themes, or at least give special emphasis to certain topics in certain months. However, I'm incorporating the above-mentioned side challenge into these for variety:

I'm almost certain of these ones:

January -- First things First!
February -- Terrible Two's -- and special February occasions!
Marvelous Mystery March (Three M's) Mysteries, March-related books, and 3rd in series. Also Blackdogbooks Spring Training read!
Amazing Autism Awareness April (Four A's) Autism-related reads, April-themed books, and 4th in series
Mark's May Murder and Mayhem -- Marvelous! (5 M's) Mysteries, May-theme books, and 5th in series
June: Fill in the Blanks up to number 6 (12 in 12 Challenge) -- trying to get each category in my 12 in 12 challenge filled up to 6 books read!
July: Finish filling in the blanks!
August: Anything Goes! A vacation from categories and other externally-imposed limits on my reading
September Series & Sequels
Halloween Read for October

These are possible:
November by the Numbers (books with numbers in titles)
December: Holiday Dinners and other Disaster

glitter-graphics.com

I'm also doing the BOMBS (Books Off My Book Shelves) challenge for 2012, with a goal of reading AT LEAST 53 books from my shelves this year.




Books acquired this year, with an attempted limit of 53, and an even more sincere attempt to not get more than I actually read off the shelf this year:


(note the serpent and apple, symbolizing temptation, as in the 3rd chapter of the book of Genesis),

Books acquired total does NOT include four Thingaversary books. I've been assured that they do NOT count. ;-) "Books Acquired" also doesn't include free e-book downloads; it does include e-books that I pay for.

SOME STATS:

Books Off My (TBR) Book Shelf (BOMBS): 36

regular? 35
e-books? 1
audios?

pre-2012? 26
ER? 5
others? 5

Books Acquired 2012: 62

Ratio BOMBS read/total books acquired: 36/62

-------------------------------------------------​

more stats

Borrowed Books Read: 36

Library 35
Friends 1

regular:13
e-books: 6
audios: 17

-------------------------------------------------​

Total books read: 72

-------------------------------------------------​

Fiction: 48
Non-Fiction: 24

US authors: 56
non-US authors: 16

male authors: 42
female authors: 29
male/female co-authors: 1


glitter-graphics.com

I plan to include most of this info on my book posts:

Title:
Author:
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject:
Setting:
Series:
Dates Read:
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?:
Category for 12 in 12 challenge:
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now?
My Rating:
Notes:

I'm going to try and keep the covers of what I'm currently reading here in this space, as I've seen others do. I don't know if I'll keep it up.

Downloads from the library:
E-book FictionAudio book, short stories

From my solid bookshelf:
Fiction

From my virtual bookshelf:
iPhone Kindle book: Non-fiction iPhone Nook book: Fiction

I think I saved too many spaces . . . or I forgot to transfer over something I meant to have here from my last thread. So a graphic:


glitter-graphics.com

The last book on my last thread was Wolf Hall, which I finished last night. I'm almost done with the audio of Roadwork by Stephen King, and just started the hard-copy book Sunset Limited by James Lee Burke. I'm also reading Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock and Roll as my non-fiction read.

I'm first!?!


glitter-graphics.com

You're first, Kara! I love the gif!

I kept refreshing waiting for you to finish LOL
I was afraid to post it before you were done :)
I thought he was cute- glad you like

Did you rate Wolf Hall? yet or are you still pondering it?

Still pondering Wolf Hall, Kara. Thanks for your patience while I got set up. BTW, I'm still doing some decorative additions to the top of the thread, so be sure to peek back for surprises.

I saw the car!
you go racer girl ;)
and I like the posting of current books reading :) I have seen others do that- maybe I will next thread time. I'm a visual person and I'm more apt to check the book out if I like the cover!

When you do that tour at Watkins Glen, you have to stay in line behind a pace car . . . they say below 55 mph, but there are times on the straightaways it was faster . . . I thought it was great fun. Definitely worth doing if you're ever in that area on a summer Saturday.

A book arrived today from Amazon. Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein. Don't know when I'll get around to reading it.

Hi Terri! Nice new thread - congrats! I loved Wolf Hall and am currently reading Bring Up the Bodies which is easier to follow and shorter - only 407 pages. It's very good so far.

Terri - you pull out a racing car of your own to whizzpast 20 posts in a fifth-gear new thread - well done.
What car do you have now so that I can picture you tearing around Watkins Glen?

20 I look forward to Bring Up the Bodies, Mamie.

21 Paul, it's another, newer, Monte Carlo -- but this time it's black, a 2007 (last year model year the Monte Carlo was manufactured). I plan to hang onto it a loooong time, if I can avoid it getting wrecked. (I've had a couple of close calls lately, with deer running across the road in front of me!)

Hi Terri- Colorful new thread! Way to go! Hope all is well.

Hi Terri, just checking out your new thread, lots of interesting information and, yes, you do go girl! I can picture you whizzing around the track in your black Monte Carlo!

23 Hi, Mark! Thanks for stopping by. All is well.

24 Hi, Judy! Always glad to have you drop by my thread.

75 Challenge Book # 63
Title: Roadwork (AUDIO)
Author: Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1981
Subject: angry man whose house and job site are being taken by eminent domain for highway construction
Setting: A small town in New England
Dates Read: finished 7/17/12 (early a.m.)
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? Author named King
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? available from library, fits slot in 12/12 challenge
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes: this audio edition contains introduction written by King in 1986 for his "Bachman Books"

As I mentioned in a post on my previous thread, when a book starts out with a man buying high-powered guns for an imaginary cousin while the voices in his head argue with one another . . . well, you know bad things are going to happen. In Roadwork, Stephen King (writing as his alter-ego, Richard Bachman) delves into the mind of a man descending into madness. Already somewhat unstable from grief over the loss of his son to a brain tumor, Dawes now must deal with having his home and work site condemned for highway construction. To say he is upset is a tremendous understatement.

It's fascinating how complex this character is, how confused. So sad, the scenes where he remembers his son's illness and death. So suspenseful wondering what he's finally going to do, and whether he's going to harm himself or others . . . and if so, who . . .

This is a very dark book, typical of King's Bachman books. It's very well done, but it's not a pleasant tale -- which makes it hard to give it a rating.

Perhaps part of the reason this book made me uneasy is that I know too many people who work in road construction!

I'm just beginning to realize that King doesn't just write horror. I haven't actually read any of his books yet, but there are a couple of titles on my shelf, The Dome, The Stand, that I'm excited to try out.

Oh, yes, King is more versatile than simply writing horror.

And I thought The Stand was amazing!

Nice new thread here! And I love all the graphics you have for each month of reading. I am a BIG King fan, although I don' think I have read a Bachman book in quite a while.

Thanks, Kim! I just added a couple more book graphics to my opening posts. I love decorating my thread!

I think Roadwork was the first of King's Bachman books that I've read. Probably not the last, though I'll space them out. Currently, I've started listening to an audio download of Shawshank Redemption, something a little different from King.

Yeah, I think another LT member was saying it's on her all time favourite list and based on the description on the back, it sounds like it would be right up my alley. Now to find the time to squeeze that book is really the tricky question. :)

Wow fancy new thread you've got here Terri and I love the thought of you racing around the Watkins Glen speedway in your Malibu. And although I never read The Shawshank Redemption I will never forget Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in the movie. Amazing!

Stopping by to say hi.

No way to catch up... pls forgive?
I read 4 Fever books. I adore them. sigh.
Thanks !

30 Valerie, "squeezing" The Stand in could be a challenge, as it's a looong one!

31 Thanks, Bonnie!

32 Hi, Linda! thanks for stopping by!

33 I'm glad you liked the Fever books, Kath. I thought DePoy might be your style!

Squeezing might be the wrong approach. Clearing the deck might work better. :)

75 Challenge Book #64
Title: Sunset Limited
Author: James Lee Burke
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998
Subject: crime and secrets, both old and new
Setting: New Iberia, Louisiana; New Orleans, Louisiana
Series: Dave Robicheaux #10
Dates Read: finished 7/18/12
Number of pages: 309
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, public library book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Jambalaya (on the bayou)
How does it fit the category? set in bayou country
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Why did I read this book now? next in series; also, fit slot in 12 in 12 challenge
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

Another winner from James Lee Burke's series about Dave Robicheaux. There are killers and victims, both in the story's present, and in the distant past -- and they appear to be connected somehow. There are a bunch of California movie people moving about in New Iberia (including some locals-made-good coming home); and some out-of-town criminal talent, too. And maybe some of the visitors are in both camps. And don't discount the possibility of some home-grown hoodlums, too.

This one kept me turning pages at every opportunity to read. As usual, there are issues of justice/injustice regarding race, class, wealth, etc. And Burke doesn't sugar coat or tie up a nice, neat ending where everyone gets what they ought to if real-life practice matched the rhetoric of everyone being equal under the law.

Stephen King is amazing! And though not all his books might be strictly horror, I do think they all have a similar sort of 'uncomfortable' feeling about them; maybe not quite horror, but never quite non-horror either, in a way.
I've read all Bachman books as well, and though they are somewhat different, they also have a pretty king-esque feel to them, I really liked those as well :)

Just saying hi:)

35 Valerie, I missed your last post until now -- we cross posted.
Clearing the deck might work better. :)
LOL!

37 Yes. Britt, King has a way of "pushing people's buttons," as my Mom would have said, even in his non-horror writings.

38 Hi, calm! *waves*

I'm in the middle of an ER book, The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins, that's not quite doing it for me. It's not bad, it's just not . . . I don't know . . .

Hi Terri! Just keeping up with you! I have got to get to that Burke series - I think it would be just the thing for me as I love mysteries/thrillers and especially enjoy when they are set in the south. Hope all is well with you and that you are headed towards a relaxing weekend.

I think crime/thrillers is probably the genre that I neglect the most, along with mysteries. I think it's just finding a starting point. Although, I am hesitant to dive into a new genre and find out that I love it... My bookshelves are already groaning with the thought... :)

I think I better stop reading your reviews..
you always make such tempting choices.. sigh..
* covers eyes and wanders off*

40 Hi, Mamie! I highly recommend Burke, as long as you don't mind violence, some bad language, and a little sex (not too explicit, and some beautiful portrayals of married love). You can read Burke's series on several levels. They're mysteries, and they have a fair amount of action and violence in them. But I find there's more. He makes me think about issues -- racism, class-ism, poverty, exploitation, basic justice issues. Also the nature of addiction, Vietnam . . .lots of stuff. What Britt said above about King -- how he taps into something that makes us uncomfortable -- in a way, Burke does that, too, because he reminds us now and then that WE are part of the problems of the world, and that none of us are totally good and innocent. (And most of the "baddies" are more complex than just being evil, too.) One paragraph in one of his books even made me re-think my theology a bit, and what I pray about (and I have a Masters degree in theology). The writing is just first-rate -- the descriptions and sense of place, the complexity of the characters. But I will warn you -- the first book in the series might have turned me off if I'd read it first -- too heavy on gratuitous violence for me. But it does allow for Dave's character to grow and mature -- this last book, he "lost it" only once!

41 Valerie, I know what you mean. The broader my reading habits get, the more my poor bookshelves bend and groan.

42 Sorry, Kath. I can tell you right now, the ER I'm currently reading is absolutely NOT NOT NOT for you. The one mess in it took multiple animal welfare organizations to deal with.

I think I read one James Lee Burke book once and pretty much liked it. Something about confederates perhaps.

Is it important to read these in order, do you think, Terri?

Linda, might it have been In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead? That's a favorite of mine.

I initially read some of the series out of order and liked them. But I decided to go back and read the series in order. There is a fair amount of character development, and changes in characters' situations, which make more sense read in order. I'm enjoying seeing Dave's character develop, in particular. (But as of Book #10, Clete Purcell looks like he'll never grow up.) And if you start with book #1, don't judge the series based on that one. I didn't much like that one -- but it helped in more fully understanding what followed.

It's worth noting Burke has written other series, and some stand-alone novels. I haven't read those yet, though I plan to try them.

Thanks for the info. Yes, that's the one. Apparently, I also read his The Tin Roof Blowdown but have absolutely no recollection of that one.

Sometimes, you really need to read the first two, to get a feel for whether you'll really like a series.

I actually noticed his because I was trying to stock my reading list for what I call my "$9.95 book club" and his latest kept popping up. (It's actually BOMC2.)

Terri- Was the Lost Ones an ER selection? I snagged one too. I've been hearing very good things about Atkins over the years, but have not tried him out.
I NEED to get back to the Robicheaux series. I really enjoyed the couple that I've read.

46 Linda, Tin Roof Blowdown was the 16th in the Robicheaux series. I think that was sort of the Hurricane Katrina installment of the series. I haven't read it yet.

47 Yes, I got The Lost Ones as an ER selection. You might like it, Mark. I'm reserving judgment for the moment, until I get through it. I'm waiting to see how the different threads and characters come together.

I made a grocery run tonight over the mountain to Martin's. FOG! and rain. Not pleasant driving. Glad to be home, safe and dry. But while I was out, I finished listening to my current audio.

75 Challenge book #65
Title: Shawshank Redemption (AUDIO novella)
Author: Stephen King
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: prison life and the power of hope
Setting: Shawshank prison in Maine
Dates Read: 7/20/12
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: NO, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? Author named King
Why did I read this book now? fill slot in 12/12 challenge
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

OK, this is only a novella -- just over four hours of audio. But I'm counting it now because I need it to finish off the first level of my 12 in 12 category challenge. I hope to get hold of the collection which contains it, and when I read it I'll combine it with this one and count it as #65 B or something.

This is the story upon which the marvelous movie with Morgan Freeman was based. I really enjoyed it.

Do you have Giant Eagle up there? They are having a giant sea food sale :)
I'm glad that you made it safe home, too.

have a good weekend !

Good morning, Kath! I can't believe it! It's 60 degrees here this morning! I actually have on sweatpants and a flannel shirt . . . how long has it been since I could wear those comfies?

Thanks for the heads-up about the seafood sale at Giant Eagle. I'll have to think on that, and maybe make another shopping trip . . . Yes, we do have a Giant Eagle, about a half-hour to the north of us. It's actually closer than the Martins, which is about 40-45 minutes to the southeast of us, but the roads to get there are not as good. We used to shop there most of the time, and still do some of the time.

I kind of got in the habit of shopping at Martins
1) it's right down the street from where I bowl, so during my bowling league season, I'm in the neighborhood every Thursday
2) Our public schools participate in their A+ for Education fundraiser program
3) Our church participates in their "Cash for Causes" fundraising program for non-profits (I had a gift card I'd bought, and I spent it last night.)
4) They have a few store-brand products that have become "regulars" on our shopping list.
5) They have a nice selection of environmentally-friendly products, and a better health food section than our Giant Eagle, which is one of the smaller ones.

TMI, right? ;)

Plus, last night I'd hoped to make a stop at Ollie's, which is right up the road from Martins, as I had a discount coupon. But I got delayed, and didn't have time. (OK, so now you know the real scoop of why I headed in that direction!)

Have a good weekend, Kath!

Last night when I got home, I went searching my various library sources for a new audio download to start. Alas, nothing on my wishlist that was available really appealed to me . . . I put a hold on a Ray Bradbury collection of short stories (I'm 14th on the list) . . .

I need to look again.

It got down to 60 deegrees here last night, too, Terri. It felt so good. Hot again today, close to 90, I think, but very little humidity so it doesn't seem too bad.

Linda, we're only up to 67 degrees, at 3:44 p.m.! I am loving this . . . but it's not going to last.

I re-visited the library sites, and downloaded Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, a collection of horror stories by Richard Matheson. I think I had the title story mixed up with another story . . . must continue listening. . .

ETA to add No, I was right. Remember the Twilight Zone episode with William Shatner on an airplane? Classic! The original short story is a little different in the details (it takes a little longer building up to the meat of the tale) but that's the story!

I love this quote I found as I was browsing a library website:

"Read, read, read. Read everything--trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out the window." --William Faulkner

A weekend wave hello!!

A weekend wave back, Kim!

*waving* at Terri

Hooray! A visit from Stasia! Hello, and how are you?

*waves back at Stasia*

49: Oh yeah, the movie adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption was awesome...as was The green Mile...and Stand By Me.

Hey Terri, when you get tired of the cool weather, please send it to Missouri. We're gasping down here!

I love the Faulkner quote, although I'm not so sure about the trash! LOL.

I love the quote, too :)
Hope all is good in your neighborhood..

Hi Terri! Catching up over here. I love the Faulkner quote, too! Hope your week is off to a great start!

glitter-graphics.com


glitter-graphics.com



My day at work today. Any questions?

Yikes! It doesn't like you're having the typical Monday blues..but something a tad more stressful. I hope it gets better? If not then I hope time at least goes by faster so you can get home and forget all about the craziness!

Hello to Donna, Mark, Kath, and Mamie!

60 Donna, our cool weather seems to be departing -- don't know where it's headed.

61 Mark, I like it trash and all.

62 Not so good today, Kath

63 I think I"ll start the week over now that I"m home from work, Mamie!

Hi, Valerie! We are just having an awful time with this new computer system at work. And it doesn't seem to be getting better with time. Another library that's had the system up and running a month longer than our library is still having problems, so we are not alone. And thank heavens I have a very nice boss who is sympathetic to all the hassle the situation is causing for us!

But now I'm home, and I plan to spend some time with a book! I just needed to vent a bit.

Ah, life is better already. A nice glass of peach iced tea . . . and I put on Pandora, and the first song to come on is the Doobie Brothers singing "Listen to the Music." That's feel-good music to me.

Stopping by for a belated "hello".....

Hello to you, too, Jude! Thanks for stopping by.

Sure thing! You reminded me....i have Pandora, too...just haven't done anything there in so long...i forget what i have....Duh!

Hi Terri, oh boy, another reminder of The Shawshank Redemption; I caught the last 10 minutes of it the other day. I wish I had known it was on and I could've recorded it; such a great movie.

Jude, I have fun with Pandora. I find it very good for some kinds of music, not so good for others. I tried to create a classical piano station and their selections . . . well, half of it wasn't even classical, just easy listening music on piano. But I've developed a really good "Baby Boomer Oldies" station!

Hi, Bonnie! I need to see that movie . . .

I've made another step into the 21st century with the acquisition of my first smartphone. Now, if the dummy using it was half as smart as the phone . . . ;)

*waves*

I've been lurking so much lately. I love the Faulkner quote.

Great quote from Faulkner!

Must get back to J. L. Burke. I read a couple of his some time ( a lifetime?) ago and thought they were pretty darned good. And then Mr. King; sigh. Lots of his stuff I've just loved; some few I've not liked. But I do enjoy a good shiver, especially if the Dh is conveniently placed to wrap myself around in case it gets too shivery...

Waving hello ~ Sorry to hear about your computer problems at work; new systems are a bear!

Yay for smartphones! I just got mine late last year and it's been a lot of fun. But there are definitely frustrating moments where the thing seems to have a mind of its own! >.

Terri.. it is smart, that is what makes it easy. You will be a pro in no time....

Hi, Ardene! (waving hello back at you!)

there are definitely frustrating moments where the thing seems to have a mind of its own!
Yes, Valerie, and I've had a few of them already!

Kath, I'm making headway. I just wish I had smaller fingers for typing on that itty-bitty keyboard screen. And my hands are pretty small -- I don't know how guys with big hands manage to type on these things! Believe me, I'll LT with the iPhone only as a last resort! (I did already test to see that I can check my library and wishlist, though . . .)

My LT comments when I'm using a pc are much longer than they are when I'm use my Iphone. I tend to have to go back and fix typos more often with the smart phone, too.

I like reading LT on my phone though.

Linda, I find typing on the phone very taxing to my patience. But having the phone access to LT will save me dragging printed wishlists to book sales and bookstores.

I bought my first Nook and Kindle books with my iPhone today. The Nook book was a daily deal kind of thing -- a Scandinavian suspense novel for $1.99, The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt. The Kindle book was Burning Rubber by Charles Jennings, about the history of Formula 1 racing, and offered at what I considered to be a reasonable price.

I also downloaded a free audio book, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James.

When my old Kindle died this year, I got a Kindle Fire. I like to read on it but I find I don't like lugging it around. So, anyway, when I go to work, I tend to read on my Kindle app for Iphone. Then, when I get home, I synch up.

This works especially well when I'm taking the bus to a Cubs game as I don't need to bring an extra bag for my book or my Kindle.

Linda, I'm really impressed with how nice it is to read on the iPhone. I actually think I like it better than reading on my Sony Reader, which is an older model. The text is much clearer, the contrast better, so I don't have to enlarge the print like I do on the Sony. And a phone is something I'd normally carry with my anyway!

Anyway, with the addition of my two new e-books, which I've already started (checking out this new device of mine!), I now have 7 books going at once. Fortunately, they are all quite different from one another, so I doubt I'll get them confused.

I hear that there are storms headed this way with quarter-size hail and 60 mph winds. According to the scanner chatter, our county is "going into storm mode," with emergency personnel activated for the eventual calls that will come in. Oh, goody. :(

Oh Terri, be careful if you get that. That storm we had a while back had 60-90 mph winds and it was SCARY. Trees were down all over the place and lists of power outages.

Mamie, I HATE bad storms. We had a bad one this morning, and this one will be worse.

Saying a little prayer for you right now that you will be safe and sound.

Check in when you can okay?

I am now officially terrified of your thread. Too many options now..
It's bad enough when it is just paper books.. :-/

I may have to boycott

Hi, Mamie and Kath! So far so good. Lost internet for a while, but the electric only flickered a bit. The worst of the storms so far seemed to skim past us up till now, though I do hear thunder kicking up again. But hubby went out on an emergency hospital visit an hour away (a church member is suffering complications after open heart surgery) so I am worried about him traveling, as well as about our friend from church.

Kath, if you have to, just disregard the blue letters . . .

All is well. Hubby made it home safely last night, and our friend from church is doing better.

Busy, busy, busy day today. I stayed late at work -- it was just so hectic. Then I came home and finished putting dinner together. For a main dish, I used a slow-cooker recipe I found on an iPhone app, Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin. I just needed to tend to the glaze when I got home, plus some side dishes. (And my husband made rosemary bread today to go with it!)

I looked it up on my computer using the web to share it.

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/11517038/brown-sugar-balsamic-glazed-pork-l...

It was good, but needed some extra water added for my cooker, which is one of the newer ones that cook a bit hotter. Fortunately, it was hubby's day off, so he could keep tabs on it. If I make it again, I'll probably put it on a bed of quartered potatoes and add extra water. Since it uses a rub, I don't want to drown it in water; but I don't want the cooker to completely cook dry, either. I can cover the potatoes with water, and have the roast partly immersed, but still keep the rub intact on the top.

After a busy day at the end of a busy week, I've been trying to catch up here, but . . . I think I'd better sign off and maybe . . . read a book or something?

Another busy day on tap tomorrow.

. . . anyway I finished a book, at 11:56 p.m. Good way to end the day.

75 Challenge Book #66
Title: The Lost Ones (Early Reviewer Copy)
Author: Ace Atkins
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: ex-Army-Ranger-turned-sheriff deals with gun runners & troubled friends & family
Setting: Tibbehah, Mississippi
Series: Quinn Colson #2
Dates Read: finished 7/27/12
Number of pages: 339 (in ARC)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: ER, from LT ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: still deciding
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? needed to review
My Rating: 3.35 stars
Notes:

Quinn Colson comes home from service as an Army Ranger, and winds up elected to his late uncle's old office, as Sheriff of Tebbehah County, Mississippi. Several of his friends are ex-military, too, and suffered damage of various kinds in the war. Then there's his family: a recovering alcoholic mother who still mourns over Elvis Presley's death; and his sister Caddie the Prodigal Daughter, welcomed back by Mom, who has found religion and is intent on pushing it onto her brother. (I can't quote from this copy because it's uncorrected proofs, but there was one exchange between brother and sister I wish I could quote, because it is priceless.)

Quinn is dealing with serious child and animal abuse, gun runners and federal agents, while coming to terms with incidents from his and Caddie's childhood. In the process, there are lots of shots fired.

This book is second in a series. There were references to the previous book (and some were likely spoilers) but the book was easy to follow without having read the first book.

I need to think on this one. I had some style issues with it, POV issues. It was written in third person, but the author would still often write for a spell rather like he was in the character's head (not always Standard English, ya know) and then throw in a line that was clearly not reflecting the POV character's attitude at all, IMO. I don't know. It was a good enough story, but it felt choppy at times. There were some sections that were in the past, and I didn't feel that the transition to those sections was effective at times.

It was a decent read, but it didn't really grab my attention and hold me until a little too close to the end. It took a long time for me to warm up to any of the characters, but I eventually did. I think my luke-warm reception may have simply been a matter of taste.

uh huh. Disregard blue text is fine... but then you put up all of those irresistible covers...

I'm glad you came through the storms safely.

Well, you definitely won't want to read this last one, Kath.

Have a good day!

whew, good! I appreciate the heads up you always give me.. for and against my reading.
I am dying to read the next DePoy.......I am holding out..

Terri - Did you read the first one in that series, and if so, how did you like it?

No. I didn't realize it was a series when I requested it. I had no trouble understanding what was going on or who was who, though. There were some references to Colson's past that were probably spoilers for the first book, I would imagine. I really don't think I'll run out and get the first one, either.

64: LOL! Describes many of my days at work, but they pay me money...

Hi Terri, I'm glad you weathered the storms OK (Oh I just noticed that Play on words;-) I'm not as enamored with reading on my iPad as you seem to be with your iPhone (something I've never been tempted to do). I really do prefer regular old books but that doesn't stop me from loading up my iPad haha. What an addiction!

Bonnie, I have to confess that there are times when the ease of reading electronically
makes me long for a book that I'm reading to be on my iPad or nook. * hangs head in shame. *

I don't mind missing one or two in a series either Terri, especially when the one being read
brings you up to date, and most do, I think?

99 If it were just money, I'd look for a different job, though, that paid more than minimum wage and maybe offered some benefits. I do it because I love working with all those lovely books and other people who love them . . .

100 Bonnie, I'm going to be radical and, when we go on vacation, haul very few paper books with me. (Of course, as a security blanket, I know there are some good bookstores along the way . . .)

101 Kath, on the one hand, most series books do give you what you need to follow the story you're reading. The issue for me is spoilers. This was a big issue for me with Louise Penney -- having gotten The Brutal Telling as an ER before reading any of the others probably altered my reading of the first 4 books in the series when I got to them. And I enjoy seeing the character development that can go with following a good series in order.

But for this last book, none of that is an issue. I really don't feel drawn to read any more of that series. It was OK, maybe even a good story, but it just didn't capture my fancy.

See, the same thing happened to me.... Brutal Telling was first. No issue for me..
*shrug* just differences I guess.

Probably just me being obsessive compulsive? ;)

nah... we all see these things differently....

Okay, fess up. You are off playing with your new phone, right?
Actually, the phone is why I stopped by. You have probably already done this.. but, I
wanted to mention how much I love using the Notes app to keep my grocery list and
other shopping reminders. I always take my phone, so I always have my lists. Very helpful
if I remember to look at it :)

Are you joining the group read for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?

Yes, Kath, much time playing with phone. The practicality of always having my grocery list with me has already occurred to me. Actually, I've been playing with a variety of ways to do my shopping lists -- the "Notes" app, a grocery list app, apps from my favorite supermarkets. I do most of my playing at home or at the library (on breaks or after working hours) so I can connect with wifi instead of my limited data plan.

I don't think I"ll join the group read. My August "theme" is "Anything Goes." After just completing my initial goal on my category challenge, I plan to read with reckless abandon anything and everything I want to read, with no constraints or commitments. :)

75 Challenge Book #67
Title: Three Months in the Southern States
Author: Col. Arthur James Lyon Fremantle
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1863
Subject: British officer spends time as an observer of the Confedrate States of America, 1863
Setting: Throughout the Southern States, and also Gettysburg, PA
Dates Read: April through July, 2012
Number of pages: n/a (e-book -- different pagination on different devices)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES downloaded pre-2012 from Project Gutenberg
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Not sure yet
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Started in April because that month was in the sub-title, for monthly challenge. Didn't finish in time.
My Rating: hard to rate
Notes:

This is a fascinating perspective on the Civil War. Colonel Arthur Fremantle of Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Cold Stream Guards spent time as an observer of the Confederate armies. He traveled with major officers, even Robert E. Lee himself. At times his observations are offensive to modern sensibilities, as he took on the views of his hosts. He thinks slaves are quite happy serving their masters and views the white southerners as the ones being oppressed by Northern armies of aggression. What I found most interesting was seeing his view of Gettysburg; most accounts I've read are overviews, but here we have one person telling it from where he sits, and not knowing what else is going on except what he's told by his hosts. Thus it is much less the Northern victory to him. As far as liking what he says, I have trouble giving it a high rating; for its historical value, it's good stuff.

" I plan to read with reckless abandon anything and everything I want to read, with no constraints or commitments. "

A worthy goal!!

Mamie, I've been looking forward to my Anything Goes August for a while now. But today I already kind of bent that goal by deciding (at this late date) to at least begin a July book for my 12 in 12 challenge's monthly sub-challenge. (Plus there are all the other books I have started . . .) I picked a 7th-in-series for the 7th month, The Body in the Bog by Katherine Hall Page, a Faith Fairchild mystery. This is a series I've read bits and pieces of over the years, totally out of order, but a paperback copy of the 7th installment was sitting on my shelf unread, so I took it along for my son's medical appointment this morning. (I figured I couldn't read the book I had downloaded to my cell phone, because they want phones turned off in the medical office.)

We got back home as a big thunderstorm descended -- just made it under the back porch roof before it started to pour! I needed to do laundry and some other cleaning, but it wasn't weather conducive to wanting to use running water, nor electrical appliances connected to electricity or water pipes -- nor computer equipment, for that matter. So after fixing some sandwiches for lunch, I took some time to read. My newly-started cozy was just the ticket -- I'd forgotten how much I enjoy that series! Cozy and a cup of coffee. A nice way to spend an hour or so on my day off from work.

Now, as the weather has passed, back to housework . . .

From iPhone: my computer crashed while using iTunes preparing music to transfer to my phone. I did a restore to the pre i tunes restore point, but it is still useless. aaaaaagh!

I may not be around much for a while.

I finally catch up with your thread and you're not going to be around???? Oy!

Smart phone - crashing computer
So much excitement over here... hope you push the right key to get your computer back :}

I love your "Anything Goes August" theme. That's what I do all year long ;-)

I love your August theme too! After being mainly on iPhone last week and this, I really empathize with you. I'll probably spend a week catching up on threads!

Great August theme Terri! I think that is my theme for every month this year. I am so OCD about how I read my books and when I read my books that it got to the point where reading was actually stressful! Well, no more! I want to actually enjoy the experience so trying to let go more and just do as I please. It's not like someone is watching over my back anyways. :)

111: Oh, my sympathies! My smartphone and primary computer went kaput, independently, a week apart, no manner of troubleshooting efforts restored functionality, and although I'm back in business with no data lost, I'm still reconstructing. No warning with either one. Everything fine, fine, fine, and then it seems some little thing throws it into the abyss.

Everything seems to be working now. I did have to plug in a different mouse. The old one would point, and even scroll -- but not click! It took me a while to figure out that the mouse was part of the problem, because the pointer still moved, it didn't just totally quit. But it seemed like the screen was frozen because I couldn't click on anything. Dumb!

I also think that when the mouse clicker went blooey, it upset the system somewhat. But after a bunch of diagnostics and maintenance tasks, all seems relatively well!

116: Phew!

Hello to Cee, Lori, Valerie, and qebo!

112 Cee, I could use a little less excitement here.

113 Lori, I never get caught up, no matter what!

114 Valerie, I know all about getting to that point where reading ceases to be fun. I was just about there last month!

115 Oh, dear, Smartphone and primary computer within a week? Sure there's no connection? Anyway, glad you didn't lose data.

So glad you got it all figured out and are ready to rock and roll again. When you said Anything goes for August, you probably didn't mean your computer!

LOL! Yeah, not exactly what I had in mind, Mamie!

Computers are tricksy beasts... glad yours is working properly again

Well, not sure if it is quite proper, but I'm managing. I'm making sure all my data is backed up!

I've decided to abandon Bruce Springsteen and the promise of rock 'n' roll, at least for now. Not bad, just a bit of a slog. Appears very thoroughly researched. More data than I was looking for about his music. Oh, and I'm out of renewals, and still have over half the book to read. Maybe some other time.

I'm abandoning my devotional book, A Praying Life, too. The first part had a couple of tremendous "aha!" moments, but then I got bogged down in the second part.

This is "Anything goes" August. I'm only going to read what I want to read.

Good for you! I like your Anything Goes August!

Well, I've been playing with my iPhone and the library download services. It's working very well. I've now checked out some material which will probably displace more of my current reads for a while.

Copper River by William Kent Krueger (AUDIO). I've been wanting to read this next-in-series book. The OneClick library download service that has it didn't work for my old mp3 player, but it works with my iPhone just fine. In this installment, Cork O'Connor actually lands in Michigan for a while. Being as that state is the destination for a few days of our upcoming vacation, it sounds like just the ticket.

Wicked River by Lee Sandlin (AUDIO)

To Bless the Space Between Us (e-book) by John O'Donohue. An Irish writer's book of blessings for various occasions and transitions.

I'm not sure if I'm going to finish the audio Nightmare at 20,000 Feet right now. I've been listening to it off and on for about a week and while I appreciate Matheson's role as a pioneer in horror writing, several of the narrators used in this audio collection of short stories just don't work for me.

Hi Terri, Anything Goes for August sounds like great fun.

I am very weird about my iPhone. I have only one book there ( for emergencies) and tend to take nook with me instead, if I need more extensive reading :P I have a few apps.. one is a scanner.. one is a fitness app.. words with friends and a drawing game which are on their way out... lost interest.

I am a John O'Donohue fan, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom has been a favorite for years. I had to to throw it away recently, as it ( paperback) literally fell to pieces in my hands. I will probably replace it one day.

Hi Terri, I hope you are up for a September Series and Sequels again this year. I am already pawing through my books deciding which ones to tackle. Any Goes August sounds like fun, between the TIOLI challenges and the 12 in 12 Challenge, my reading is pretty much 100 percent planned. I would love some time to just pick up whatever caught my fancy at that moment.

126 Hi, Bonnie! I think it will be fun, too.

127 Kath, so far I am liking the O'Donohue book I'm reading. And I don't mind reading it on the phone.

128 Hi, Judy!
between the TIOLI challenges and the 12 in 12 Challenge, my reading is pretty much 100 percent planned.
That's why I've pretty much avoided TIOLI challenges. It's called "take it or leave it" but once I got started, I'd find it too hard to leave it. I am doing that monthly challenge on the 12 in 12. I tried skipping it in July, but then felt compelled to pick up a 7th in series, though I'll be finishing it late. I'm next on the waiting list for Light in August, so that will probably work for this month.

2:06 a.m.? I should give you my sister's phone number so you have someone to talk to when you aren't sleeping ...

No thanks, Kath. It was just one of those nights when I stayed up late listening to some music.

128 I hope you are up for a September Series and Sequels again this year.

Forgot to say earlier, Judy, I'm looking forward to September Series & Sequels. I put a mention on the Monthly Themes main thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/130098

ETA to add and I seem to have caused a bit of controversy, as another theme was announced on the Hot August Author thread. I think a group as large as ours can handle more than one theme in a month, don't you?

I do think we can handle more than one theme next month, I was just over at the monthly themes thread and I think these two themes could dovetail quite nicely.

I've already got books picked out that will work for both themes. I'm already started with:
Cheri Priest's Eden Moore series
Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series

and I want to try Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

And there are other possibilities. . .

Insomnia! Too much going on . . . I had to stay up late waiting for the cake I baked for a benefit tomorrow to cool. (Yes, I baked in this heat.) Now, after a brief nap while the cake was cooling (or as cool as anything is going to get in this heat, anyway), I am WIIIDE AWAAAAKE!

I've been enjoying my audio download of Copper River by William Kent Krueger. But I'm glad I'm reading this series in order; this one is full of spoilers for the previous volume! Actually, it is more or less a true continuation of the previous book in the series; I recall being quite annoyed at the cliff-hanger aspect of Mercy Falls ending.

I have had to use the oven a few times lately.. not fun. I would never bake for a pot luck or ... ?
My baking skills are not stellar. Things often end up tasting fine, but looking.. odd. I have a marinated vegie salad I use for must take something ... but I bet more people eat cake than vegies!

Hi Terri, I can commiserate with your computer woes. I finally replaced my ancient (in tech years) laptop this week. My daughter set it up for me, and now I just have to get used to the newness of it. It is so nice to use a computer that doesn't whirr and groan in the background. Not to mention that my keys have letters on them -- I had worn most of my letters away on the old one!

I congratulate you on your Anything Goes August. I sometimes feels locked into my book choices. I can give up on library books easily but if I bought it, I feel that I must read it! Have a great Sunday!

Hi Terri! Just checking in. Agree with both you and Judy that two themes on September will work just fine. Really looking forward to the sequels and series one. Practically giddy about that one. Sorry that you are having trouble sleeping - that happens to me all the time, and I hate it because I know I will be SO tired later.

136 Kath, I'm not much of a baker, either, and I rarely do baked goods for potlucks. In this case, I didn't have a choice -- it was a community-based fundraiser for a premature infant's medical expenses, and our church was asked to contribute the cakes and pies. (Heaven forbit that I should attempt a pie, so it was cake for me!) I used a mix and prayed a lot. I hope it was edible.

137 Hooray for the new computer, Donna! Enjoy!

138 Hi, Mamie! I'm starting a series now that, if I like it, will probably flow nicely right into surreal and series September! Ghost Shadow is the first in Heather Graham's Bone Island Trilogy. I haven't read anything by her before, but I understand this one is spooky and set in Key West.

Glory hallelujah! It's cooling down! *big sigh of relief*

Oh! I liked that one :)

Cooler here too. I think it's supposed to get down to 56 tonight. Nice cool fresh air.

Kath, I saw your review. :)

Linda, we won't get that cool tonight. Looks like a low of 64, around 6 a.m. tomorrow. At least it's out of the 70's, and the dewpoint has dropped into the 60's, and looks like it will continue to drop overnight.

Door open for now.. not hot, but not cool and definitely muggy. Blah..

It is going to be 100 again here today *sigh*

Good morning, Kath. Still rather muggy here, too, but a little bit better.

Howdy, Stasia! 100 again? Good grief!

#146: Yeah, temps in three digits get old fast!

I personally don't know how people live in three digit temps! I know I am a big baby, but we are having a mini heatwave, which means temps in the 80's. It's not that bad outside in the shade but the house gets so hot! What do you people do about cooking? I've been BBQing and and making salads, anything to not use the oven.

hmmm When it gets hot.. and things need to be done, like cooking, mostly you just sweat.
Sweat, drink liquids and sweat some more.

At least, that's how it is here.. at my house :)

Fortunately, we don't get three-digit temps often, Judy. I tend to avoid baking whenever possible in the really hot weather. If I need to bake or use the clothes dryer, I do it late at night when it's marginally cooler.

And, of course, sweat, drink liquids, and sweat some more. :)

I have actually been spending some time reading books. More books, less LT. Odd, huh?

75 Challenge Book #68
Title: Ghost Shadow
Author: Heather Graham
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Subject: ghosts and murder in Key West
Setting: Key West, Florida, USA (or The Conch Republic, if you're a local there)
Series: Bone Island Trilogy #1
Dates Read: 8/4/12 - 8/7/12
Number of pages: e-book -- varied with reader setting
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, public library e-book download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? lots of ghosts
Alternate categoryany mystery or series category
Why did I read this book now? wanted a light read; I came up in the hold queue for this one.
My Rating:2.9 stars
Notes:

Katie sees dead people. She talks to them, too. There's Bartholomew the Friendly Ghost Pirate, er Privateer. There's a lady in white. And with the goings on in Key West during this story, there's a whole bunch of fresh ghosts trying to get her attention.

Tanya was the victim of a bizarre murder 10 years ago. Her ex-fiance David was suspected, but never charged, and he moved away. Now he's back in town -- as are a number of folks who were interrogated after the murder. And now there's another murder. And sparks are flying between ghost-seeing Katie and David.

I'm not really one for reading romances, so there was a little too much of that for me. And I had some issues with the mystery here. Being as David was an obvious person-of-interest in the first killing, it seemed the police gave him a little too much access and information on the case, even if his cousin is a cop. And the conversations between Ghostie Bart and Katie seemed a little long-winded, considering that to those around her, she was talking to thin air, and trying not to look crazy. But it was a fun read.

Yeah... not great literature by any means, but good fun. Will you read the next one?

Terri - All caught up. I'm another on salivating at the prospect of a month of sequels and series,
Thanks for the review of Ghost Shadow - it looks like one I'll be able to avoid.

Hi Terri!
What a kind soul you are to bake a cake in the summer for a good cause. A true sacrifice.

Sounds like you are having fun calling the shots for your August reading. Love it!
Actually, that's what I used to do ALL the time before LT. Now there is just too, too much I need to read. Haven't come up with a disciplined plan that works yet but I am trying.

Ghost Shadow does sound like a fun read - but #1 of a trilogy? I'll pass ;-)

Hi Terri! Just catching up over here. Baking a cake in the heat - bonus points for that!

152 I may read it, Kath.

153 Yes, Paul, the prospect of a month of series & sequels is delightful. And I just bought the first books in two more series.

154 Cee, given my (lack of) talent for baking, it may be the buyers/eaters of the cake who are really to be commended . . .

155 Hi, Mamie!

75 Challenge Book #69
Title: The Body in the Bog
Author: Katherine Hall Page
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1996
Subject: threats & death surrounding the development of a local wetland into housing development
Setting: Aleford, Massachusetts
Series: Faith Fairchild #7
Dates Read: 7-30-12 through 8-10-12
Number of pages: 262
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, purchased used several years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: What's goin' On
How does it fit the category? Mystery
Alternate category any series or mystery category
Why did I read this book now? 7th in series started in 7th month for sub-challenge
My Rating:3.76 stars
Notes:

I always enjoy these cozy mysteries (with recipes) featuring minister's wife (and professional caterer) Faith Fairchild. In this outing, a local developer is threatening the local bog, and the local citizenry is threatening the developer's plans, and someone is sending threatening letters, and someone (else?) is making threatening phone calls. With all these threats, sure as rain there will be bodies showing up in Aleford. Can Faith help the police solve this mystery? Or will her goose be cooked in the attempt?

That one sounds good... ( so what's new in this thread? Most of your books sound good to me )

Kath, I'm reading some good stuff lately. I love the audio I'm listening to, Copper River by William Kent Krueger.

Three "new" (used) books purchased this week:

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Frederick Stonehouse
I already started reading that one.
also
A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (#1 in Brother Cadfael mysteries)
Crimson Snow by William Kritlow (#1 in Lake Champlain mysteries)

Like I wasn't already reading enough series . . .

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ...Love that song, especially on the fiddle....book looks good...drat

It's a favorite song of mine, too, Kath.

Now that I've caught up the necessary book posts and a few of the many threads I'm behind on . . .

We're back from a couple of days in the Finger Lakes region of NY while hubby's parents watched our son. It was a peaceful time with relatively good weather -- some rain, but they badly need it in the area. One of our stops was at Taughannock Falls, the highest waterfall in NY state (even higher than Niagara, they say, though not nearly the width or the volume). It was dry. There was more or less a tremendously tall, damp cliff with a puddle at the bottom of it.

We visited a couple of estate wineries. The one, Three Brothers, also contained the War Horse microbrewery. Very interesting.

I finished this audio book this evening; had to know how it turned out!

75 Challenge Book #70
Title: Copper River (AUDIO)
Author:William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: a wounded Cork O'Connor flees to his cousin Jewel to avoid hit man; stumbles into another murder
Setting: Upper Penninsula of Michigan
Series: Cork O'Connor
Dates Read: finished 8/10/12
Number of pages: n/a (AUDIO)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: On and on
How does it fit the category? part of series I'm reading in order
Alternate category any mystery category
Why did I read this book now? next in series, was able to get from library
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

Nursing a gunshot wound, Cork O'Connor is on the run for his life, as there is a contract out on him. He retreats to hide out the home of his cousin Jewel in Michigan. There he encounters family stress, murder and mayhem a plenty, as well as a wounded cougar. The local crimes turn out to be much more than initially meets the eye; a very sobering story.

This was a good outing in the Cork O'Connor series. It's a continuation of the storyline begun in Mercy Falls, as Cork is fleeing the wrath of an angry and powerful man; but it also contains a new, totally unrelated mystery. It was so suspenseful, some sections had me literally on the edge of my seat. This book contains major spoilers for the previous volume; best to read these in order!

#163: I need to get to that series one of these centuries!

Looks like you've been doing a lot of reading in all the heat, Terri. :)
I'm not much of a baker, but did manage to whip up some banana bread tonight.

I am really hooked on this series, Stasia!

Hi, Valerie. Yum! Banana bread!

Oh good, finally a book that doesn't reach out, grab me and drag me into itself...

Have a good weekend Terri :)

I think I'll have another one soon to not grab you -- if I bother to finish it. The Nook book I'm reading is very meh. In fact, barring future developments later in the book, I'll dis-recommend it now. The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt just isn't doing much for me. The writing feels kind of amateurish and the characters just aren't making an impression.

You have a good weekend, too, Kath!

Thanks for the tip. I am reading a good one, but not my usual taste Scary Dead Things, book 2 of the Tome of Bill. Funny, but some bad language.. overall enjoyable. Started reading it because I like the author.. lol

Bad language rarely bothers me, unless it's really overdone. I must say I'm a bit overwhelmed by the constant use of the "n-word" in Light in August, which I'm reading now. It's my first Faulkner. I realize it's authentic to the time, place, and characters, but it kind of makes me shudder.

#168: Adding that book to the 'Do Not Read' portion of the BlackHole! Thanks for the dis-recommendation, Terri :)

You're welcome, Stasia!

The language is bad.. but sort of in clumps.. so most of the book is good, and it's really funny and quirky so ..

Hi Terri!
Hooray for a little get-away - sounds nice.
Love your description of the waterfall - LOL

I am reading a streak of light books lately and loving it. It's almost impossible to read anything these days w/o getting involved in a series. But in the case of Dr Siri series - it's a fun thing!

I'm starting to get itchy for a chunkster - but not yet. Gonna hold off to whet my appetite even more.

Hi Terri, you've gotten so far ahead of me with the William Kent Krueger series! I still need to read number 3. I was wondering if I could fit one of his next month for the Series & Sequels but I already have quite a few books I am planning to read for that.

Adding the William Kent Krueger series to my WL - you got me!

I've read Iron Lake, but I really need to read more books in that William Kent Krueger series. I really enjoyed that one.

174 Love your description of the waterfall - LOL

Here's two photos (taken from different angles) of the waterfall -- one from a spring visit several years ago, and one from our recent visit:



175 Oh, I have so many I could read for September, Judy!!

176 I think you'll like it, Mamie.

177 I've truly enjoyed them all so far, Lori. I was a little upset when Mercy Falls ended with a "cliffhanger" but this one gave me a satisfactory ending.

75 Challenge Book #71
Title: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Author: Frederick Stonehouse
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: the famous sinking of a Great Lakes iron ore transport ship
Setting: Lake Superior, November 1975
Dates Read: finished 8-11-12
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Barely hit the shelf, but mine (not pre-2012, though)
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? disaster
Alternate category American Pie (US history)
Why did I read this book now? why not?
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

This book is a nuts-and-bolts account of what happened to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized in song. It is NOT a complete history of the Fitzgerald from boatyard to its sinking, or a riveting work of narrative history, nor a reconstruction of what the crew must have been through, a la The Perfect Storm. It IS a fairly straightforward organizing of such facts as are known about the sinking of the steamer, a presentation of some opinions (clearly labeled as opinions), a gathering of some pertinent documents. The Coast Guard investigation report (abbreviated) is included, as is the shipping industry group's rebuttal, and info about the NTSB investigation. My 25th-anniversary edition includes updates on later expeditions to the wreck. There are photos of the Fitzgerald in her prime and underwater, as well as photos of other Great Lakes steamers that came to unpleasant ends, and of rescue vessels (who were not able to resuce anyone this time). It also includes the lyrics of the song Gordon Lightfoot wrote about the wreck, which has helped to keep the ship's name and legend large in popular consciousness.

For what it sets out to do, it does the job. It's informative, a little repetitive, but clear.

#179: I will give that one a shot if I can get my hands on a copy. I like to read disaster books - I know, terrible of me, but there you go.

I like to read them, too, Stasia. I think there are lessons to be learned from past disasters to lessen future disasters, if we pay attention.

According to this book, reaction to the wreck of the Fitzgerald temporarily improved Coast Guard readiness in the Great Lakes region, but as soon as she began to fade from memory, the lifesaving stations -- locations, equipment, and manpower -- began to be cut again.

#181: It is a shame that the lifesaving stations were cut again because I know that the Great Lakes are very dangerous waters.

oh no... another one. I felt that one coming though...

I may have yet another one for you, Kath . . .

I can only handle so much Faulkner at a go, and my mystery novel is meh, so I started a horror novel, Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. So far, so good. Not moving quickly -- taking lots of time to get the atmosphere, make sure the reader knows the characters, but very well-written and very creepy.

I probably should have saved this for Surreal September (and apparently there's a sequel, so it would have worked for September Series & Sequels, too) but hey, it's called Summer of Night, so I want to read it in summer! Actually, it's long enough that I might drag it out until September, with all the different things I'm reading; but I have a feeling there will come a point when I won't be able to put it down.

Hi Terri, Safe from the Sea would dovetail nicely with The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which also sounds interesting.

Hi Terri, It's been ages since I was at Taughannock Falls but we used to go there quite frequently when I was a child. Just lovely! I'm glad you were able to get away.

Hello Terri, I've had a quick dash through to catch up.

Glad to see you've got Ellis Peter's first Brother Cadfael lined up there. That's a series I first read many years ago, and go back to occasionally for a comfort read. I was thinking of this particular book earlier this week, when I visited the town and shrine of Holywell in North Wales, which is connected to the legend of St Winifred who features (or at least her bones do) in this story.

As for the Edmund Fitzgerald, I only recently became aware of that awful disaster, by the roundabout means of catching an old episode (Mountie on the Bounty) of the TV show 'Due South' which features the Great Lakes and references the Fitzgerald story. Apparently Paul Goss wanted to use the Gordon Lightfoot song on the soundtrack of the episode, but there was concern about causing pain to the families, so Goss wrote a new song about a fictional wreck instead. I hadn't ever heard the Lightfoot song or known about this episode at all until following up these references.

I may have yet another one for you, Kath . . .

Grumble grumble... are you kidding? This is a dangerous thread for me, you ALWAYS have another one for me. sigh.

185 I have Safe from the Sea on my wishlist, Joanne!

186 Bonnie, quite lovely when there's water; a bit sad when there's not. I hope the area soon gets enough rain for the falls to fall again!

187 Hi, Genny! I look forward to "meeting" Brother Cadfael.

188 I pick up plenty of blue text for my wishlist from your thread, too, Kath!

Lovely photos of such a beautiful waterfall.

And, congratulations...you are near the goal of reaching 75 books.

Hugs to you dear one!

Love the waterfall - thanks for the pics!

Now I have to find out about the Edmund Fitzgerald. *heavy sigh*
And I always love the books Joanne recs.
Two more for the WL!

190 Hugs right back at you, Linda! I am praying that your upcoming surgery goes well.

191 Cee, here's Wikipedia's article on the Edmund Fitzgerald:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Fitzgerald

It looks reasonably accurate, as far as I can tell.

Thanks, Terri. :)

Anyway, greetings from Detroit! We are ON VACATION and making our first trip to the great state of Michigan. Plans include a visit to the Henry Ford Museum (which currently is hosting the RMS Titanic exhibition) and lots of lighthouse photography along the Great Lakes. And my most recent read (talk about timely!) has convinced us to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum up on Whitefish Point; the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank 17 miles from that harbor, and there is an official memorial to her there; her ship's bell is in the museum, having been recovered by divers at the request of the families and replaced with an inscribed replica bearing the names of the 29 who perished aboard her. I also hope we can attend the Thursday noon Mass at the Mariners Church in Detroit where the original memorial service for the Fitzgerald was held, and where the bell rang 29 times the day after the sinking (as described in Lightfoot's famous ballad). The background and history of that church is fascinating in and of itself.

It was a long drive today. We just had dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant. Now settling in for the night and maybe some reading.

193 You're welcome, Cee!

Wow!! have fun :)

Thanks, Kath. I'm so glad to be away; I always worry that some emergency will put the brakes on vacation plans, so I kinda take a wait-and-see attitude until we actually hit the road. Lots of road today. Unfortunately, there is a regional gasoline shortage affecting Michigan gas prices that will make this a more expensive trip than we'd planned, but what can you do?

178: What a sad waterfall. :-(
194: Detroit! We are ON VACATION
I've never been there. Looking forward to the report.

198 I must say, it was a shock to see it with virtually no water going over. I knew they were having a dry spell, but that really made it clear how dry things were.

I'll try to keep you all updated about our adventures!

ETA TO ADD I know I'm about at the 200 message point, but I think a new thread will have to wait for when we get home. I'd hate to try to organize it on my laptop without my good auxilliary keyboard and mouse.

Have a great vacation Terri! Eat lots of good food, enjoy lots of beautiful sites and of course read lots of excellent books, if you have the time. :)

Waiting for adventure updates..

Terri I trust that you will have a wonderful holiday in the motor city by the great lakes. Scary to think that waterfalls can almost run dry - when I was skidding all over the roads here at the weekend I remember thinking that the rain ought to be shared out in a little more of an egalitarian mode.

Hi Terri, hope you and the family are having a great vacation.

Hi Valerie, Kath, Paul, and Judy!

Adventure update: Long, fun day. Visited the Henry Ford Museum, which is marvelous. Went through the special RMS Titanic artifact exhibition. Then ate at the Weinermobile Cafe in the Ford museum. (It has the famous Oscar Meyer Weinermobile parked out front -- which, by the way, is a Dodge. . .) We also visited 4 lovely lighthouses on Lake Huron, and had fish and chips for supper in a great little place near the lake shore. Long drive back to hotel. No reading today.

May do a train excursion tomorrow.

Sounds like you're having fun, Terri! Keep up the good work!

YAY! Fun vacation, Terri!
I love lighthouses and fish and chips... which makes living where I am nice.

I have never been up close to a "Great Lake". Will have to remedy that someday :D

>206 I'm up close to a Great Lake everyday Cee. Come and visit me:)

It sounds like a wonderful vacation Terri. I know you're having a great time just from your enthusiastic descriptions.

Hi, Mamie, Cee & Bonnie!

Another good, long day. We took a long drive to a short train. Seriously, we drove all the way over to the western side of the state. We rode the Coopersville & Marne excursion train. Not the most scenic excursion train I've been on, but it was relaxing and the people were nice. We did some lighthouse hunting, with mixed results. I don't mind paying to go to a lighthouse if the money is going to the historical society or whatever for the preservation of the lighthouse; in fact I'll make a freewill donation. And a few quarters in a parking meter is no problem. But I'm finding more and more localities that control parking/access to lighthouse grounds as a cash cow for their town coffers. And it's such a contrast with other localities that build free park land around lighthouses and encourage access by everyone. Today I photographed one of each type of setup, and drove away from another one with a truly ridiculous parking fee before I got within sight of the lighthouse. (Am I becoming a curmudgeon?)

We had a nice fish dinner at a place called Fish x 2. They had the most incredible corn bread!

Tomorrow: a 4-story warehouse that is a massive used bookstore. 1,000,000 volumes!!!!!

Nope, the whole pay and arm and a leg for parking irks me as well! Our zoo used to be free parking and that was nice since the admission wasn't cheap. Then they built a new science centre right across the lot and now share a PAID parking lot. So now admission is expensive AND I have to pay to park my car. Not very happy about that.

I know what you mean about parking charges. In the UK what really annoys me is expensive parking at hospitals.We are so fortunate to have free healthcare including free hospitals for everyone, but when you have a sick relative who you are visiting everyday you have to spend a small fortune.

Cash cow is a good way to describe the overpriced parking that we are subjected to so often these days. I am so very jealous of your destination tomorrow, a 4 story warehouse full of books - I would be lost for days in it! Enjoy.

Parking is ridiculously expensive in so many places.

OK, I've been to book heaven, four huge floors crammed with used books . . . and the parking was free in the store's own lot! ;)

I left with quite a haul of books. Will post list later.

I'd love to go back, but we've moved on to the northern Michigan leg of our trip. It is very cool and rainy, but weather should clear out for a cool, clear day tomorrow. LOTS of lighthouses planned for tomorrow.

OK, "the haul" from John K. King Rare & Used Books of Detroit, the largest used bookstore in Michigan:

Shipwrecks of the Lakes by Dana Thomas Bown
A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
A Prayer for the Dying by Stewart O'Nan
Sherman: a Soldier's Passion for Order by John F. Marszalek
Crippen by John Boyne
Down River by John Hart
Heaven's Keep by William Kent Krueger
Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer

This last one is a "family" purchase, and doesn't count toward my "books purchased" limit/goal for the year:
Western Great Lakes Lighthouses by Bruce Roberts & Ray Jones

Sounds like a mostly good time :) ... I guess there are glitches here and there during any trip?
Stay safe and have fun, then share pictures!! :)

Definitely a mostly good time, Kath! :-D I'll probably wait to post pictures when we get back home.

We had a great dinner at the Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse in Gaylord, Michigan. Our son had steak, but hubby had ale-battered shrimp and I had a honey mustard chicken. Hubby said their Big Buck Beer was good; they are also a winery, so I went for the Peach Apricot Chardonnay.

I don't think I've heard of a single book on that list but you sound like you had a blast shopping there. :)

Valerie, they were actually all on my wishlist except for the lighthouse book; that one's meant to be a "navigation aid" on our vacation travels! A Prayer for the Dying was actually at the top of my wishlist!

I did finish a book today while riding in the car:

75 Challenge Book #72
Title: To Bless the Space Between Us (E book)
Author: John O'Donohue
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: blessings for times of transition / "thresholds" of life
Setting: n/a
Series:n/a
Dates Read: finished 8/16/12
Number of pages: n/a (e-book -- varies with format)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? spirituality
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? it sounded interesting, and it was available
My Rating: not sure/still thinking
Notes:

This book was part a collection of blessings, and part thoughts about blessing. I liked some of it more than other parts. Some of the blessings didn't resonate with me at all. Others did. It gave me some food for thought.

A Ray Bradbury story collection that I had on hold has become available in audiobook and I've checked it out: I Sing the Body Electric.

Nice book haul, Terri! That warehouse sounds like a lot of fun. I have only read one of the books that you bought - Down River by John Hart. I really liked it, so I hope you do, too. That reminds me that I have several others by him waiting patiently for me to get to. Take care and have fun with the rest of your vacation. And think of me, sitting at home, and waiting for the plumber to show up.

I knew you would enjoy the book warehouse, Terri! Great haul of books. And mmmm, your dinner sounded yummy, I could really go for a glass of chilled Peach Apricot Chardonnay, sounds so light and summery.

Mamie, I read Hart's Iron House, and thought it was great. Still waiting for that darn plumber? Good grief!

Judy, the bookstore was fantastic! And had such friendly, knowledgable workers. But with those books and the two I bought today at Point Iroquois, I'm now over my "limit" as to the number of books I wanted to buy this year.

Wonderful day! We drove to the Upper Peninsula and visited three lighthouses there: Point Iroquois, Whitefish Point, and Seul Choix Point Light. Each had grounds that were open with free parking, and some sort of museum. The Whitefish Point light hosts the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. That does have a significant charge to enter, but it is worthwhile. I saw the bell recovered from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

We had great fish meals for lunch and dinner.

On the way back to the hotel, we crossed the MacKinac Bridge just as the sun was ready to set. I spotted the lighthouse there (which I'd somehow missed when planning our day's outing) and we stopped and got some great photos.

This was probably the best day of our vacation. I love the Upper Peninsula. And we hadn't even originally planned to go that far north. Two books influenced our change of plans; The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and William Kent Krueger's Copper River, which strays from his series' usual setting in Minnesota to spend some time on the UP. I'm so glad we went there!

The two books I bought today continue my tradition of collecting spooky folklore from places I visit:

A Ghostly Road Tour of Michigan's Upper Peninsula by Jan Langley (no touchstone)
Haunted Lakes by Frederick Stonehouse

Oh, an interesting note: Before I left on vacation, I put holds on two audio books from two different libraries, with very different lengths of waiting lists, thinking they'd become available at very different times. They both became available within a day of each other. Go figure. So I'm doing some listening as I sightsee, and when I can't sleep. In addition to the Bradbury I mentioned above that I downloaded last night, The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (first in the Inspector Montalbano series) is waiting for me to check it out within the next 48 hours or I lose my place in the queue.

I apologize that I'm not getting around to people's threads. I'm barely finding time to tend to my own thread as we travel.

Sounds like a wonderful vacation Terri with a book haul thrown in for good measure. I have Iron House on my shelf but have no idea when I might get to it.

Terri - well done for finding book heaven and then capitalising on it. Free parkingwould be an advantage too - I rack up a fair amount of charges when I hit the stores here. Hope your holidays continue to delight!

224 Bonnie, I'm trying to remember, were you one of the people here who admire the work of writer Bonnie Jo Campbell? She is doing a reading at a bookstore in Traverse City tomorrow afternoon. My husband just proposed spending the day in the Traverse City area tomorrow. He says I'm welcome to go for it. The stars have aligned! What a treat that will be!

225 Thanks, Paul!

One photo for the thread: the Old Mackinac Point Light, this evening near sunset:

GLORIOUS Photo!!! The Great Lakes region is the one area of the country hubs and I have missed. It is on our bucket list to be sure. Your snap is inspiring us to move that trip further up the list.

Terri what a lovely photo and such a clear sky. How will I ever get to see enough of your beautiful country even with a month to play with next year?

I could live in that house.. yes I could :)

Still not home? Fabulous, hope you're having a wonderful time!

Terri- Sounds like you are having a great time. I LOVED American Salvage and have been trying to read more of her work. I'm glad the stars aligned for you. Enjoy!
Love the shot of the lighthouse. Michigan has some great ones. The one on my profile page is from there too.

Tina, definitely move it up the bucket list. It's beautiful here!

Paul, even I -- in the US all my life -- will probably never see more than a fraction of what I want to see in this country. But I hope whatever you see on your visit next year will be good!

Me too, Kath! A few more days, and then back to the daily grind. But having a grand time in the meantime!

Is that Little Sable Point Light, Mark? Didn't get to that one, but I recognize it from my lighthouse book. There are so many lighthouses; I believe I read that Michigan has more than any other state.

*doing the happy dance* because you found A Prayer For the Dying!!!! (know you have been searching for it)
can't wait to see if you like/love it as much as I did :)

have a wonderful vacation and the lighthouse picture is beautiful!

Terri- I'm not sure! I have some friends coming over later and I'll ask them.

What a great photo, Terri! Sounds like you're having such a fabulous time - we toured a bunch of those light houses years ago, and it was a lot of fun. That is such a pretty area. Thanks for sharing!

Gorgeous photo, Terri!

Hi Kara, Mark, Mamie and Joanne! Thanks for kind words about the photo.

Traverse City is beautiful -- and it has four independent bookstores in a two-block area of Front Street! Horizon Books is huge, a marvelous bookstore. The event with Bonnie Jo Campbell was there. It was a dramatic reading of a scene from Once Upon a River -- she read the narration, and three actors from the local theatre company read the dialogue of the characters. Bonnie also brought some of her homemade elderberry wine and cherry tomatoes from her garden to share with us! I bought Once Upon a River and Q Road and she autographed them. I told her I "discovered" her first via LT, and so she inscribed Once Upon a River to me, and added the phrase "Up with Library Thing!"

While there I browsed the Budget Books, and added these titles to my TBR pile:
Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews
Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson... by David O. Stewart
The Woman Who Named God: Abraham's Dilemma and the Birth of Three Faiths by Charlotte Gordon
to go along with the aforementioned
Once Upon a River and
Q Road

We also visited the Old Mission Point Lighthouse which was nearby. Ended the day with a nice dinner at The Sugar House in Gaylord.

Love seeing all your photos, Terri. Also love hearing about the books you're buying. Around here, used bookstores seem to have disappeared. Seems like just a few left, Just Half Price Books, of course.

What I miss are all the great mystery bookstores we had. Now there's just one Chicagoland store that I know of, though the ones in Milwaukee and Madison are still open, I think.

Oh, my a visit to a bookstore containing all those books reminds me of a visit to The Strand in NYC a few years ago when a group of LT members attended Richard's 50th bd party. Truly, it was an incredible experience -- both the meet up and the strand.

What a lovely lighthouse photo!

All the best to you dear one!

Beautiful picture, Terri! Looks like a great way to cap off the summer. :) Hope you are having a great trip.

I never knew there were all those lighthouses around the Great lakes though of course it makes sense that there would be. Glad you are having a good holiday.

Terri- Thanks for sharing your experience with Bonnie Jo! Cool. I also have Q Road in the stacks but I have not grabbed a copy of her latest.

Oh Terri I love the pic of the lighthouse. You're right, I am a fan of Bonnie Jo Campbell but have only read American Salvage although I own both Q Road and Once Upon a River. I'd love to have seen her. Lucky you.

Thinking of you, watching a program about rogue waves, and they mentioned the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Safe trip home!

Hello to Linda, Linda, Valerie, Genny, Mark, Bonnie, and Kath! Love having so many visitors to my thread!

Winding down our midwest vacation, had a delightful visit with Linda of the Chicago area (lindapanzo) at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago. My first RL meet-up with an LTer! Ate lunch at The Artists' Cafe, then browsed the used bookstore upstairs. The bookstore had a marvelous cat who spent much time at a window vainly trying to bat at the yellow jackets buzzing about just outside. I bought one hard-cover book, To Sleep with the Angels by David Cowan, and a couple of paperback mysteries, Play it Again, Spam by Tamar Myers, and The Man in the Queue, first of Josephine Tey's Inspector Alan Grant mysteries. After we were headed out of town, I realized that I'd found one other book and put it aside, and then left it behind -- an early Ann Cleeves (not one of the Shetland Quartet).

I enjoyed meeting Linda very much. I thought Chicago was neat, though it left me with a bit of sticker shock. Was I complaining about parking fees in Michigan? We paid $28 for a few hours in a Chicago lot today. Yowza! But we had a neat ride in an old-fashioned manually-operated elevator with an elevator operator on duty. I can't remember the last time I had that experience. Probably way back when I was a child?

What a grand vacation! It all sounds so fabulous... lighthouses (love the picture), bookstores, yummy dinners, author meet, LTer meet, and spending money! Hope you have a day to rest when you get home ;-)

So nice to meet you, at long last, Terri. As a kid, mom would take me shopping to Goldblatts dept store in Chicago. They had manually-operated elevators. Nowadays, at the opera and symphony, they've got people manning the buttons on the elevators and directing people to the right floor. Not quite the same though.

Cee, we've changed our plans a bit, and I'll have tomorrow to rest up . . . or at least to try to get the laundry done . . .

Linda, I think that when I was a young child, they had one of those old-fashioned elevators at the Childrens' Hospital of Philadelphia, at their old location. It may have been in one of the medical office buildings, rather than the hospital proper. I saw a specialist there when I was very young, and have this vague memory of an ancient elevator thereabouts. I think they've moved to totally new facilities in the years since then.

Home! And a day early. We were able to cancel out the last day on the road -- I hadn't planned well, places we wanted to go were not open on Monday, and we were ready to sleep in our own beds again.

We were greeted with unhappy news on the answering machine; a dear friend passed away this morning. He has been in seriously declining health for some time, and I know he is in a better place now. . . but we'll miss him.

Got our stuff in the house, put a frozen pizza in the oven, threw a load of laundry in the washer and chilled a bottle of wine in the fridge.

I need to start a new thread. Soon!

OK, I've managed to get a new thread started. Join me there!

This thread is