lindapanzo's 2013 reading--7th inning

Back for a 7th inning. Welcome!!




BOOKS READ IN DECEMBER

134. An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch--finished on 12/1/13
135. Soup: A Global History by Janet Clarkson--finished on 12/2/13
136. Sandwich: A Global History by Bee Wilson--finished on 12/2/13
137. Hero's Journey by J.J. Cook--finished on 12/3/13
138. Eleven Pipers Piping by C.C. Benison--finished on 12/7/13
139. Orphan Trains to Missouri by Michael D. Patrick and Evelyn Goodrich Trickel--finished on 12/7/13
140. Tinsel: A Search for America's Christmas Present by Hank Stuever--finished on 12/12/13
141. The History of the Snowman by Bob Eckstein--finished on 12/15/13
142. In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story by David McCullough--finished on 12/15/13
143. Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier--finished on 12/18/13
144. Sweet Suspects by Jessica Beck--finished on 12/21/13
145. Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson--finished on 12/22/13
146. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny--finished on 12/24/13
147. Got That Something! How the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Changed Everything by Allan Kozinn--finished on 12/26/13
148. A Dangerous Talent by Charlotte and Aaron Elkins--finished on 12/28/13
149. Farthest North by Todd Balf--finished on 12/29/13
150. Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 12/31/13

BOOKS READ IN JANUARY

1. One Last Strike by Tony La Russa--finished on 1/1/13
2. Studs Terkel's Chicago by Studs Terkel--finished on 1/1/13
3. Illegally Iced by Jessica Beck--finished on 1/3/13
4. Alou Makes the Catch: An Alternate History of the Chicago Cubs--finished on 1/4/13
5. Walter's Perspective: A Memoir of Fifty Years in Chicago TV News by Walter Jacobson--finished on 1/6/13
6. Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy--finished on 1/8/13
7. Cardington Crescent by Anne Perry--finished on 1/9/13
8. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich--finished on 1/12/13
9. Death Times Three by Rex Stout--finished on 1/13/13
10. Book, Line, and Sinker by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 1/15/13
11. Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin--finished on 1/18/13
12. Wins, Losses, & Empty Seats: How Baseball Outlasted the Great Depression by David George Surdam--finished on 1/20/13
13. And Then You Dye by Monica Ferris--finished on 1/23/13
14. Faith Under Fire: An Army Chaplain's Memoir by Roger Benimoff--finished on 1/25/13
15. This is My Song: A Memoir by Patti Page--finished on 1/27/13
16. Wherever I Wind Up by R.A. Dickey--finished on 1/28/13

BOOKS READ IN FEBRUARY

17. Lost and Fondue by Avery Aames--finished on 2/3/13
18. A History of Chicago's O'Hare Airport by Michael Branigan--finished on 2/5/13
19. J.R.: My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey by Jeremy Roenick--finished on 2/11/13
20. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo--finished on 2/16/13
21. 43*: When Gore Beat Bush-A Political Fable by Jeff Greenfield--finished on 2/20/13
22. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia Macneal--finished on 2/23/13

BOOKS READ IN MARCH

23. Unusual Uses of Olive Oil by Alexander McCall Smith--finished on 3/2/13
24. Long Shot by Mike Piazza--finished on 3/4/13
25. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque--finished on 3/7/13
26. Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle--finished on 3/9/13
27. A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch--finished on 3/13/13
28. Princess Elizabeth's Spy--by Susan Elia Macneal--finished on 3/16/13
29. You Were Never in Chicago by Neil Steinberg--finished on 3/21/13
30. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke--finished on 3/23/13
31. Easter Bunny Murder by Leslie Meier--finished on 3/26/13
32. Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game by John Sexton--finished on 3/28/13
33. Good Tidings by Terri Reid--finished on 3/28/13

BOOKS READ IN APRIL

34. Dresden: A Survivor's Story by Victor Gregg--finished on 4/1/13
35. A Killer Read by Erika Chase--finished on 4/2/13
36. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams--finished on 4/4/13
37. The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen--finished on 4/6/13
38. The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel--finished on 4/9/13
39. The Sinking of the Bounty by Matthew Shaer--finished on 4/13/13
40. Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer--finished on 4/15/13
41. Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown--finished on 4/18/13
42. Scrapbook of Secrets by Mollie Cox Bryan--finished on 4/21/13
43. The Last Dance: The Skywalks Disaster and a City Changed by Kevin Murphy--finished on 4/23/13
44. Faithful Unto Death by Stephanie Jaye Evans--finished on 4/26/13
45. Killer Show by John Barylick--finished on 4/28/13

BOOKS READ IN MAY

46. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein--finished on 5/1/13
47. Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert--finished on 5/6/13
48. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard--finished on 5/9/13
49. That Old Flame of Mine by J.J. Cook--finished on 5/11/13
50. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe--finished on 5/13/13
51. A Broth of Betrayal by Connie Archer--finished on 5/15/13
52. A Fete Worse Than Death by Claudia Bishop--finished on 5/16/13
53. Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb--finished on 5/18/13
54. Read and Buried by Erika Chase--finished on 5/19/13
55. Pros and Cons by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg--finished on 5/21/13
56. Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown--finished on 5/23/13
57. Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood-finished on 5/28/13

BOOKS READ IN JUNE

58. My Life in Politics by Jacques Chirac--finished on 6/1/13
59. Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs--finished on 6/3/13
60. Rationing and Revelry by Janie Hampton--finished on 6/4/13
61. The Case of the Lucky Legs by Erle Stanley Gardner--finished on 6/5/13
62. The Voyage of the Rose City by John Moynihan--finished on 6/7/13
63. Murder at the Castle by Jeanne M. Dams--finished on 6/10/13
64. Arcadia by Tom Stoppard--finished on 6/10/13
65. Hutch: Baseball's Fred Hutchinson and a Legacy of Courage by Mike Shannon--finished on 6/11/13
66. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories by Norman Maclean--finished on 6/13/13
67. My Mother's Bible by Walter Kirn--finished on 6/14/13
68. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly--finished on 6/15/13
69. Trial by Fury by Douglas Preston--finished on 6/15/13
70. Guys Read: The Sports Pages by Jon Scieszka--finished on 6/17/13
71. If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers by Jack Bowen--finished on 6/18/13
72. The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 6/19/13
73. OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word by Allan Metcalf--finished on 6/20/13
74. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon--finished on 6/21/13
75. Old New York by Edith Wharton--finished on 6/23/13
76. The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser--finished on 6/24/13
77. The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis--finished on 6/26/13
78. Shadows on a Cape Cod Wedding by Lea Wait--finished on 6/29/13

BOOKS READ IN JULY

79. A Chili Death by Jessica Beck--finished on 7/1/13
80. My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile by Isabel Allende--finished on 7/4/13
81. Seven American Deaths and Disasters by Kenneth Goldsmith--finished on 7/4/13
82. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie--finished on 7/7/13
83. Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean--finished on 7/9/13
84. His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal--finished on 7/12/13
85. Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole by Dr. Jerri Nielsen--finished on 7/14/13
86. Grant Park: The Evolution of Chicago's Front Park by Dennis H. Cremin--finished on 7/17/13
87. Lost and Found in Cedar Cove by Debbie Macomber--finished on 7/18/13
88. Brush with Death by Karen MacInerney--finished on 7/19/13
89. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill--finished on 7/23/13
90. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith--finished on 7/29/13

BOOKS READ IN AUGUST

91. Blueberry Blues by Karen MacInerney--finished on 8/2/13
92. Not the Killing Type by Lorna Barrett--finished on 8/3/13
93. The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman--finished on 8/7/13
94. Rose Harbor in Bloom by Debbie Macomber--finished on 8/9/13
95. The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel--finished on 8/11/13
96. Deadly Donuts by Jessica Beck--finished on 8/13/13
97. Early Wynn, The Go-Go White Sox and the 1959 World Series by Lew Freedman--finished on 8/18/13
98. The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café by Mary Simses--finished on 8/20/13
99. Death Rides the Sky by Angela Mason--finished on 8/23/13
100. Fire Strikes the Chicago Stock Yards by John F. Hogan and Alex A. Burkholder--finished on 8/25/13
101. A Deadly Beef by Jessica Beck--finished on 8/26/13

BOOKS READ IN SEPTEMBER

102. Cat House: Adventures of a Real Estate Madam by M.K. Sandoval--finished on 9/2/13
103. Ebbets Field: Essays and Memories of Brooklyn's Historic Ballpark, 1913-1960 by John G. Zinn and Paul G. Zinn--finished on 9/4/13
104. Everything but the Coffee by Bryant Simon--finished on 9/8/13
105. The Last Word by Ellery Adams--finished on 9/11/13
106. Baseball and the Bottom Line in World War II: Gunning for Profits on the Home Front by Jeff Obermeyer--finished on 9/16/13
107. Dead Insider by Victoria Houston--finished on 9/19/13
108. Sitting Ducks by Steve Anderson--finished on 9/22/13
109. Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather by Mike Smith--finished on 9/24/13
110. City of Scoundrels by Gary Krist--finished on 9/27/13
111. Death of an American Sniper by Anthony Swofford--finished on 9/28/13
112. Chicago: The Second City by A.J. Liebling--finished on 9/30/13

BOOKS READ IN OCTOBER

113. Written in Stone by Ellery Adams--finished on 10/3/13
114. Poisoned Prose by Ellery Adams--finished on 10/7/13
115. Silence in Hanover Close by Anne Perry--finished on 10/12/13
116. Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 10/13/13
117. Skating Around the Law by Joelle Charbonneau--finished on 10/16/13
118. From the Hood to the Hill by Barry C. Black--finished on 10/20/13
119. Willie Stargell: A Life in Baseball by Frank Garland--finished on 10/27/13
120. Assault and Batter by Jessica Beck--finished on 10/28/13
121. Wayne Gretzky: His Lessons for Success in Hockey and in Life by Jack Miller--finished on 10/28/13

BOOKS READ IN NOVEMBER

122. Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton--finished on 11/2/13
123. Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes By by Elizabeth J. Duncan--finished on 11/4/13
124. Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 11/9/13
125. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson--finished on 11/14/13
126. Ice Cream: A Global History by Laura B. Weiss--finished on 11/16/13
127. A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry--finished on 11/17/13
128. Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 11/20/13
129. If Kennedy Lived by Jeff Greenfield--finished on 11/22/13
130. Top Down by Jim Lehrer--finished on 11/24/13
131. Lost Airports of Chicago by Nicholas C. Selig--finished on 11/24/13
132. Angel Is Airborne: JFK's Final Flight from Dallas by Garrett M. Graff--finished on 11/24/13
133. Orr: My Story by Bobby Orr--finished on 11/28/13

After Thanksgiving fun (it was actually a pretty relaxing day), I'm heading back to reading my current mystery, the new Charles Finch book, An Old Betrayal. This is the 7th book in his Charles Lenox series.

Congrats on the new thread, Linda! Yah, you have 3 more days off. You should get LOTS of reading in.

A little late, but I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend, Linda.

Linda, I also want to join the bandwagon and wish you the loveliest of thanksgiving weekends.

Paul, thank you. I could not ask for a more relaxing weekend, which is a nice change of pace for me.

Thanks, Judy. It's nice to not have a lot of plans.

Enjoy the downtime! I wish I had enjoyed my first Charles Finch novel, but it annoyed me a lot -- for some reason, the main character spent the whole book griping about the fact his boots had holes in them and his feet were either getting wet or cold. Now, this is a guy with a household staff and presumably a bootmaker able to whip him up something on account PDQ. I remember that really bothering me ... clearly... !!!

Having fun picking for my Santa Thing Santee. Despite an initial "uh oh, we have nothing in common" it's actually fun picking for this person.

Suz, I don't remember Charles Lenox worrying about his boots. I do know that I've liked each new book in the series more than the one before. This brand new one has the feel, somewhat, of an Agatha Christie.

*waves* Nice new thread!

Hi Tamara, hope you're having a good day.

I'm watching high school football. State championship. My sister's community high school is playing. My niece and nephew were very excited when I saw them this morning.

ETA: Yay!! The Bulldogs won. Their first state championship since 1911-1912.

Happy Sunday morning to you all. I'm sitting in Starbucks this morning (had a half off coupon) and reading the phone book. Well, not exactly the phone book but an interesting little book about the phone book.

I even learned a new word. Adoxography. Good writing on a trivial subject. I like adoxography even though I didn't know what it was/is.

Book #134

An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch

I absolutely loved the 7th installment in the Charles Lenox series, set in 1875 London. Lenox's friend and former mentee, Lord John Dallington, is quite ill so Lenox helps him out by meeting an previously unmet client at a restaurant. It turns out badly and Lenox and Dallington spend much of the book trying to make things right, along with solving a murder or two, Lenox when not in Parliament and Dallington, when not ill.

Disraeli, Gladstone, and even Queen Victoria herself, play key, speaking roles in this terrifically-plotted book.

One thing I like about these Charles Finch mysteries is that Finch does not keep the action stagnant. He's not afraid to change the series up. I like where I think the series is going next.

This is a series that keeps getting better and better with each passing book.

> 13 I've enjoyed some of that series - glad to know it is continuing well.

Hi, Linda! Congrats on the new thread. I'm glad you had a relaxing Thanksgiving, and congrats to the Bulldogs on their state championship!

I read the first in that Lenox series, and have debated whether to continue. (I do remember the boots thing, though it didn't bother me much.)

#14 I like the way the series is going. At about the same time I started the Charles Lenox books, I also started the series with Abigail Adams. I doubt I'll continue with that one.

#15 Terri, you should give it another try, at some point.

I gave Net Galley another try. There was a book, by George Will, about Wrigley Field, that I really, really, really wanted and today, was pleased as punch to find out that I got it. Hurray!!

Wrigley Field turns 100 in April so I suspect there'll be a whole slew of books about the ballpark.

Congrats on landing the NetGalley book! That is really up your alley -- a clear win/win for all concerned, the publisher and you. Which is just the way it should be...

Suz, I think it is a win/win. Since 1966, I've probably been to at least 500 games at Wrigley Field so I'm thrilled to get it. They should be happy to have a fan reviewing it here and on Amazon.

Foggy day in Chicagoland, which is odd for December. The bottom falls out later in the week on temps though. First real cold snap of the season. High of 18 on Sat.

Book #135

Soup: A Global History by Janet Clarkson--finished on 12/2/13

I've read about a half dozen of the books in the Edible series, which focus on the history, the present, and the global aspects of a specified food item. This one was the worst of the bunch so far. Deadly dry. About 2/3 given over to a not-very-interesting history.

I love soup but this book just turned my stomach. Argh.

Book #136

Sandwich: A Global History by Bee Wilson--finished on 12/2/13

Whereas Soup was the worst of the Edible Series books I've read, Sandwich might perhaps be the best one I've read so far. Very interesting and informative with a lively writing style.

I have several of those "A Global History" food books in my TBR list. I'm not sure if the "soup" one is on my list or not, but I'll definitely have second thoughts about it. I'm pretty sure the "sandwich" one is on it.

Last month, on the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, I went to a lecture at the library on that topic, given by a professional historian. Tomorrow night, that same historian is giving a lecture on the 1958 Our Lady of the Angels School fire, at a library near where I work. I've read several books on this topic and am looking forward to hearing him speak. The 55th anniversary of the fire was this past Sunday.

If you're interested in disasters, one of the better books was To Sleep with the Angels.

Book #137

Hero's Journey by J.J. Cook--finished on 12/3/13

Earlier this year, J.J. Cook's first book in the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade, That Old Flame of Mine was probably my favorite "first in the series mystery" of the year. I enjoyed reading about Stella Griffin, a Chicago firefighter on medical leave who organizes and trains the Sweet Pepper, TN volunteer fire department. It was a solid cozy series debut.

This novella, which I initially thought was a Kindle single, but isn't, includes many of the same characters from the first book, including Eric, the ghost of the previous fire chief. However, it focuses on the fire brigade's missing Dalmation puppy, Hero.

As is typically true of a novella/Kindle single, there's not much room to develop the plot, but nonetheless, this one is enjoyable. It left me eager to read the second book in the series, Playing with Fire, when it comes out next month. Very nicely done.

Besides a C.C. Benison mystery, and a pair of nonfiction books, I am determined to finish the massive Woodrow Wilson bio by the end of the year.

If I just spend a half an hour before bed reading it every night, surely I can do that. Right?

Sniff. My Santa Thing Santa started picking for me but, apparently, didn't complete the job.

I feel unloved. :) or should I say :(

I can think of a dozen or more of us who would have loved to be your Santa! You're definitely not unloved!

I suspect you will have books under your tree- Maybe you were just too awesome for your original Santa to cope....

I actually filled in as a last minute Santa today. The person is in all the same groups I am so I felt like I was picking for myself.

Last year my Santa didn't bother picking for me at all, Linda, so don't feel bad! I did end up with two much-wanted books so I shouldn't have been as upset by it as I was.

Somehow the language -- "picked" and"unpicked" -- makes the process sound like choosing teams in grade school.

Maybe that's what bothered me so much, Carrie. I was always picked last in gym class.

I was usually pretty close to last, depending on the game. So far all my Santas have picked for me each year, but I'm always anxious until I see my name in the "picked" section.

Although I was a bookish sort, I was also athletic so I'd often be the one doing the picking in grade school.

I am eager to see the Carrie Underwood performance of the Sound of Music. Live tonight.

Tomorrow is a cultural doubleheader. In the afternoon, I've got La Traviata at the Lyric Opera in downtown Chicago. Then, in the evening, I'm meeting my regular friends for a local professional community theater performance of Mary Poppins. If I catch a decent train, I might be able to join them for dinner, as usual, beforehand.

Hi Linda

Happy Holidays! Congratulations on reading so many books this year.

I checked to see that I have To Sleep With the Angels on the tbr pile since 2009.

Looks like I need to start going backward and reading some of the books that have been waiting patiently.

Thank you, Linda. Enjoy your holidays as well.

I am reading Eleven Pipers Piping by C.C. Benison. The one after that is an ER book from the October batch.

How do you like Eleven Pipers Piping? It sounds like a great book to read over the holidays.

Linda, it's actually NOT a Christmas. The sleuth is Tom Christmas. I guess you'd call him a cleric.

There IS a lot of snow.

I liked the first one but this one is in serious need of an editor. They could cut a third and you probably wouldn't even notice.

It is so darn frustrating when reading a book and being distracted because of lack of editing.

It does take the joy away for sure.

Linda> I think I would have loved to pick for you. Carrie says my Santa did a good job picking for me so I'll have to trust her judgment! I probably won't see the book(s) though until I get back to Tennessee after my nephew's wedding at the very earliest since I chose Book Depository this year.

A couple of LT friends were on the case. One of them said my Santa thought today was the deadline.

Glad that Sandy, Laura, and Carrie were watching out for me!!

I hate to start anything that might fit into my 2014 challenge so I'm finishing my mystery, working on the Wilson bio, and probably read this month's Missouri Readers book. Starting my 2014 challenge on 12/14.

Book #138

Eleven Pipers Piping - C.C. Benison--finished on 12/7/13

In the second installment in C.C. Benison's Father Tom Christmas series, there's a poisoning at the annual Burns Dinner and there's suspicion that the vicar's housekeeper, Madrun, may have inadvertently killed the poor man. It happens during a blizzard so, in effect, this is a locked room mystery.

There are plenty of subplots, including a number with satisfying references to the past. Lots of undercurrents bubbling below the surface in this quiet little British village.

I enjoy how the author includes letters Madrun writes every day (on her trusty typewriter, misspellings and all) to her family. These provide additional insights into what's happening.

Lots of extraneous conversations and an overabundance of subplots but, in the end, very enjoyable. I do think that plenty could be cut from the book but, in the end, this extra material makes for a richer book.

I'm now eager to read the next one, if the ER book ever arrives, which I suspect will deal with skydiving.

Book #139

Orphan Trains to Missouri by Michael D. Patrick and Evelyn Goodrich Trickel--finished on 12/7/13

I read this one for the Missouri Readers Group.

I think of myself as fairly well-versed in American history but, before reading this book, I'd never heard of the orphan trains. After Charles Loring Brace and the Children's Aid Society could not handle the food, housing, and other needs of so many orphans in New York City in the 1850s, they started shipping the kids to the Midwest by train, to be taken in by families. This practice lasted for over 70 years and some estimates show that more than 100,000 orphans were taken in, in Missouri alone.

As I read this short, informative book, I kept having mixed feelings about whether this whole process was a good thing or not. Surely, for many kids, their lives back in New York would've been terrible. There were certainly many success stories, but there were certainly many stories of child abuse and other mistreatment. Not to mention how the kids were often paraded before the townspeople and, if unchosen by any families, might be sent back. Children from the same family often were separated. Children were sometimes put into homes with people of a different religion (and had to convert) or even were placed in homes where the family spoke a different language.

One interesting point is that, even much later, some of the Missouri towns were quite proud of what they'd done to make life better for some kids in need.

This book is part of the Missouri Heritage series and is geared towards new adult readers. Even though it tells the story of what I thought of as a little-known chapter of American history and it does so in a simple, straightforward manner, it's a thought-provoking book.

Morning Linda- Brrrrrrr...Talk about an Arctic plunge! Hey, at least we are staying dry. Many other places, including downstate are getting hit pretty badly.
Enjoy your Sunday!

Linda....I'm in the middle of Eleven Pipers Piping and am really enjoying it. I've been doing the audio version (very well done) and want to finish it before doing the next one Ten Lords a Leaping which is sitting on my NOOK. These are the perfect anecdote to all the pompously serious literary fiction I've been reading for the Maine Readers Choice panel.

Hi Mark: Really slippery drive home from my holiday breakfast get-together about 20 miles away. My ABS brakes came on a few times. Hopefully, the snow'll stop and they'll have the roads plowed for Monday morning.

Hi Tina: I bet the Benison books would be great on audio. A nice village cozy. You just have to take your time with these.

I started reading a nonfiction book about Christmas this afternoon, during the football games. Tinsel: A Search for America's Christmas Present

The e-book settlement was approved on Friday. Finally!!

It'll take effect in 30 days after that date (1/6/14 approx) and ebook sellers, such as Amazon, will likely take 15-30 days to send out the credits, which can be used for books or ebooks.

I'm not sure how much I get but, over the 2+ year period in question (April of 2010 to May of 2012, roughly), I probably bought hundreds of Kindle books. Again, not sure about publishers (it applies only to ebooks bought from specified publishers) or how many were bestsellers. I think the settlement amount is something like 73 cents per nonbestseller and $3.06 per bestseller.

I am very curious as to how much I'll get but I'm hoping to get at least a couple of books out of it.

That C.C. Benson series sounds interesting. >45 lindapanzo:, Wow- I had no idea they were doing some kind of legal action. Hmm.

I won't get very much because I haven't been ordering a lot of books at regular prices.

Linda - what was the issue with the e-books?

It was an antitrust case. Maybe price fixing? I'll have to check into it.

We go out for pizza with this one group of friends. Driving home just now, it was 5 degrees. Brrrr.

Got a new laptop at work and am frustrated trying to get things squared away (actually for the tech guy to get it squared away). So I was eager to come home and get on the Internet to see what's what. Well that doesn't work at home either. Grrrr.

At least my phone works!! I'm taking this as a sign that I should just sit and read...

I hate getting a new computer. At least when you're at work, there's a tech person to help. Enjoy your reading this evening.

The tech guy actually got most of it right. I need a unique set up to help out a woman in Atlanta whenever she has to take a day off. All the tech guys contacted their tech sources and no one could figure it out. However, the Atlanta woman noticed my pleading email (on her day off) and told me exactly what to do, which I'll try in the a.m.

Got a lot of reading in this evening, mainly on a book about the commercialization of Christmas.

I am glad someone is getting some reading done! When my Stats class is done, I plan to squeeze in as much reading as I can over my 2 week Christmas break.

I thought of you as I was reading Disaster: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Fascinating!

I was going to say that I should look for that one, Cheli, but I already read it.

Yay, my Christmas Swap books arrived today.

I waited an unbelievable entire hour after I got home, eating dinner, glancing at the paper, and looking at the other mail, before I opened my box with my Christmas Swap Books from Auntie Clio.

What an amazing collection of books!! Five books in all, each one wonderful and all of them fitting into my 2014 category challenge (and a couple fitting into my Geo CAT or Mystery CAT challenges.

In all, I received:
--the second Colin Cotterill mystery, Thirty-Three Teeth
--Sue Grafton's C is for Corpse
--Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap
--a book about the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre by Simon Reeve called One Day in September
--Anything Goes: A Biography of the Roaring Twenties by Lucy Moore

The Roaring Twenties book is the book at the very tops of my wishlist.

Thanks to my wonderful Santa!!

"I thought of you as I was reading Disaster: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906." LOL. I'm sorry, that cracked me up. Whenever, someone reads a disaster book, you magically come to mind.
And speaking of disaster, I just started the Johnstown Flood, which has Linda P all over it. This is going to be a good one.

That Johnstown Flood book was very good, Mark. However, I saw an overly melodramatic play on the flood at the Goodman Theater. Thumbs up for the book but yuck for the play.

For 2014, disasters aren't on my category challenge list but I'll probably manage to work one or two in, somehow.

I am sure you will, Disaster Queen! The one I want to get my paws on is Frozen in Time. I read his last book, Lost in Shangri-La and it was terrific.

I just picked up Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 as a Kindle Daily Deal today. If it's half as good as the title, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

That was a great book, rosalita, though I had to endure quite a bit of humorous comments thrown my way by certain local LTers. Ahem. It was truly a genuine disaster.

I need to check out the Kindle daily deals. I've gotten some good ones.

Book #140

Tinsel: A Search for America's Christmas Present by Hank Stuever--finished on 12/12/13

We may all think we know what Christmas is all about in the present day, after all, we're living it. However, the author of this entertaining book REALLY lives it, following (one might say) hounding a few Christmas practitioners in Frisco, Texas in 2006, the last "big" Christmas before hard times hit.

Everyone complains that Christmas is too commercialized. They've been saying this for a long time...remember Charlie Brown in the Peanuts Christmas special deploring the commercialization of Christmas back in 1965? The author follows three people who make Christmas special, including a Christmas decorator who decorates other people's homes for the holiday, then barely has time to do so for her family. Another focus is the guy whose extravagant home Christmas lights display is the "go to" house in the area. This guy also sets up the mall's lights display. The third person who is focused on is an ordinary woman who tries to do the best for her family and who is also an avid churchgoer. In their own ways, each of the three contributes to the special Christmas feeling in the area.

Church Christmas pageants. People who display Snow Village scenes. Donations to an Angel Tree and how these gifts for the needy are distributed. The craziness of Black Friday. When the Christmas season starts and how it ends. These are just some of the topics addressed.

I thought the book would end with the last Christmas refuse being tossed into a landfill but the author follows up. As mentioned, 2006 was probably the last of the extravagant Christmases and the author follows up a bit on those same three people during the following years to see how austerity has changed what he learned.

Very interesting book. Highly recommended!!

Your Santa did a good job, Linda!

I suppose I'm another LTer that people think of when the subject of disaster books arises. I saw the molasses flood book on the Daily Deal, and was sorely tempted -- I read it several years ago via inter-library loan, and found it absolutely fascinating -- but I'm not sure I'd read it again. Johnstown Flood is an excellent book, too -- and the subject is rather local for me. How was the speaker you mentioned about the Our Lady of the Angels fire? I recently read To Sleep With the Angels. It was so sad.

Hi Terri, the speaker on the school fire was excellent. That was the second lecture I've attended with him (on 11/22, I heard him speak on JFK's assassination). Even more interesting, perhaps, were the audience comments afterwards as many of them had a personal connection to the school.

I'm starting my 2014 category challenge today. As eager as I was to start, I haven't read at all today. I shoveled snow, watched Army/Navy pre-game, shoveled again, watched the Army/Navy game, now the Blackhawks/Maple Leafs game. When I was watching the games, I also watched the snow pile up outside. It wasn't that much, just 4 inches or snow, but I didn't really have to go anywhere and it was quite pretty.

Linda, I'm sure those audience comments were interesting, and sad, too.

We watched the Army/Navy game today, too, and have the Penguins/Red Wings game on now. I was going to go out and shovel after supper, but now we've got freezing rain. I think it's better to let that fall on the snow and then shovel, rather than have it fall on the bare sidewalk and turn it into an ice rink.

I'm not starting my 2014 category challenge until New Year's Day. For me, it's just easier to keep my statistics straight if I do it on the same calendar basis as the 75 and ROOT challenges.

You have ten books to go Linda to make the 150. Fingers crossed that you can make your goal.

Have a great weekend.

Hi Paul, thanks. While there's still hope for me reaching 150, I think I'm going to end up around 145-146 or so.

I might make it though. Only 5 working days left this year.

I'm cheering you on anyway albeit from quite a distance away. xx

Book #141

The History of the Snowman by Bob Eckstein--finished on 12/15/13

I was eager to read this tongue-in-cheek look at the history of the snowman but I was greatly disappointed.

The author goes backward in time to find the earliest references to the snowman and tries to track down the first snowman. Along the way, he talks about snowmen in advertising, snowmen in literature, snowmen in art, and other snowmen references.

It sounds like it should be interesting, doesn't it? Many reviewers have commented about how humorous it is but I was just bored. I loved the pictures though.

Book #142

In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story by David McCullough--finished on 12/15/13

Though this is probably one of the shortest books I've ever read, it was exquisite. McCullough talks about the Christmas several weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, when Winston Churchill secretly came over to the U.S. McCullough beautifully portrays the spirit of the times and includes information about the writing of two appropriate Christmas carols, an older one, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and another, newer one, I'll Be Home for Christmas. Also included are excerpts of talks by FDR and Churchill.

Absolutely beautiful, as is the accompanying DVD of McCullough with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I'm glad you enjoyed that one as much as I did!

Horrible commute home tonight. It was just an inch or two of snow but it hit right as the evening rush started. My 35 minute (or so) commute took well over 2 hours. Argh.

At least I got home safely.

I'm reading the new Leslie Meier Christmas mystery. Sort of a modern-day cozy mystery version of A Christmas Carol.

Hi Linda- Speaking of McCullough, I finished the Johnstown Flood. It was another winner by one of my favorite historians. Sorry, about your commute home. How nasty!

It was annoying because there wasn't much snow. Just too much traffic to get any plows or salt or even beet juice onto the road.

Glad you made it home safely, although very late.

This is not shaping up to be a very happy holiday season. Just found out that one of my favorite relatives, my cousin Roger, was diagnosed today with lung cancer. Not sure about the stage etc. They'd found a spot on his lung and the biopsy appeared to be ok, but they weren't positive and re-did it. He is having surgery right after the holidays.

Sorry to hear this, Linda. It's always difficult to find out about cancer right before the holidays. That happened to us in December 2009 with Mom.

Thanks, Lori. Lately, it seems like one thing after another.

Book #143

Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier--finished on 12/18/13

My interest in Christmas books continues...

This one isn't just a good cozy, it's also a clever, modern-day version of A Christmas Carol. Now Meier does not reenact the entire Dickens book but she does tie this book to the Dickens original and gives it a modern spin. For example, instead of wondering "are there no poorhouses"? the miserly character rails against entitlements. The miserly characters own a mortgage firm that seems to foreclose the minute anyone is late with a payment which, in this case, seems to be the entire town of Tinker Cove. There is certainly no shortage of suspects!!

Clever, enjoyable, and entertaining. Loved it!!

My Santa Thing books arrived today. Inside a big box from Amazon were the following:

--Anxious Decades--really looking forward to this look at America from 1920--1941
--Down & Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the Forgotten Man
--C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

Great choices!!

Adding the Leslie Meier to my wish list for next year. Hopefully our library will have a copy (or an e-book) of it by then.

Hi Linda- Hope the week is going well. Fingers crossed that this storm misses us on Sunday. Prays silently. I saw that it might be single digits on Monday. What?

I finished my Christmas shopping today. Now I just have to wrap it all.

Went to a local Madrigals singers performance at the library. Beautiful voices. I love Madrigal singing at the holidays. A late lunch at Red Lobster today. I am not a seafood lover. It was my first time there.

Started the latest Jessica Beck donut shop mystery earlier today. She (actually he) is making them shorter and publishing a new one a whole lot more often.

Now you're bringing back some memories! I was in our high school's madrigal group my junior and senior years. Christmas was our busiest season. We usually had at least 20 performances, including a half dozen dinners. Madrigal singing is even more fun than listening.

I'm not a huge sea food lover either, and I could probably count on one hand the times I've eaten at a Red Lobster. I do like their biscuits, though!

Carrie, I bet singing madrigals would be fun. They (3 women and 2 men) seemed to be having a great time.

I had soup and a great (but huge) salad. Dessert too. The biscuits were light and flavorful. I would eat there again, I think.

I'm glad I'm off for awhile. Freezing rain possible tonight. Then, Sat night and all day Sunday, heavy snow.

I need to wrap my presents but, otherwise, don't have to be anywhere til Christmas Eve, though of course I would like to get out and about.

Picked up some great books from the library/ILL today, including a bio of Renee Fleming, a book about the 1963 NFL season, and a collection of Christmas short stories from British authors. The other two were a baseball book and a 2013 notable book about women in the Third Reich (Hitler's Furies).

Just need to stock up the fridge a bit tomorrow or Sat and count me ready for the snowstorm!!

In happy hopes that 2014 will bring ever greater pleasures to your reading world, Linda:



Celebrate the return of the light with feasts, merriment, and gratitude for all the wonders of this wide green earth.

RMD

Beautiful, Richard. Thank you.

Just about an hour til the winter solstice, I believe. 11:11 am, central time. We've already gained a few minutes of daylight at the end of the day.

I'm at the library. I seem to be picking up armloads of books lately. I'm getting Five Days at Memorial, Christmas at Harrington's, and the latest C.C. Benison mystery, which I won via ER but it never arrived yet I still want to read it.

I returned Hitler's Furies unread. Mom saw it and wants it for her birthday next month so I'll borrow her copy later.

On Thurs, I finished my Christmas shopping and then, yesterday, I finished all the wrapping, which is the part I don't like. Then I watched It's a Wonderful Life.

Happy Saturday (and Winter Solstice) to all.

I just posted my top 5 favorite books of 2013 on the official LT list. So far, my top 10 list has 9 books on it. I've got one other book I've been meaning to get to, which I suspect would make the list. I really need to get to that one before year's end.

My top 9 favorites list is extremely nonfiction heavy this year.

Hi Linda- You should share your picks over here too! I need to start working on my best of the year lists.

Usually nonfiction dominates my best of lists but not this year.There just wasn't enough that blew me away, except for the Fink. I will double check though!

Here's my top 10 list, edited, to reflect my new addition to the list.

1. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
2. The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser
3. You Were Never in Chicago by Neil Steinberg
4. One Summer, America: 1927 by Bill Bryson
5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
6. Baseball as a Road to God by John Sexton
7. City of Scoundrels by Gary Krist
8. Dark Tide by Stephen Puleo (about the Great Boston Molasses Flood)
9. Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel
10. Poisoned Prose by Ellery Adams

See, sharing is caring! I've been wanting to get to City of Scoundrels forever and I have it saved on audio. Bad Mark. I would also like to get to the Bryson.

I did double-check and I did read several superior NF books. I'll probably do a top five of both.

Hands down, the worst book of the year was Wayne Gretzky: His Lessons for Success in Hockey and in Life by Jack Miller

Mark, I rate on favorite, not necessarily best. If it's in my wheelhouse, I'm more apt to think of it as a favorite. However, the Millhiser novel was a time travel book, which I don't often read. Code Name Verity isn't my usual either.

Book #144

Sweet Suspects by Jessica Beck--finished on 12/21/13

This is book #12 in the cozy donut shop series. It's one of the author's shorter books. Not bad but not quite as good as the regular ones were.

Suzanne, the donut shop owner, and her best friend, Grace Gauge, attend their high school reunion. When Grace is dancing, one of their classmates whispers something in her ear, an old secret she doesn't want revealed. In the morning, Suzanne finds the man who whispered in Grace's ear dead, speared, across from the donut shop. Apparently, Grace's secret wasn't the only one with secrets.

As usual, Suzanne and Grace investigate, while Suzanne's boyfriend, the state trooper, is off solving another case.

I love this series but this one never got going for me. It was good but not up to Jessica Beck's usual standards. It seemed hurried and events seemed glossed over.

Book #145

Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson--finished on 12/22/13

This is an inspirational book about a woman who, after being released from prison for an embezzlement crime she did not commit, starts a new life in small town Minnesota. Besides making friends in the new town, the woman becomes a department store Mrs. Santa but she's constantly on edge that her past will come back to haunt her.

A quick, nice, feel-good book, perfect for the holiday season.

93> I saw something about that book and was tempted by it. I may have to try it next year, Linda.

Lori, it was in the Christmas display near the front checkout desk at the library. I liked the cover, a Mrs Claus-looking woman who is looking in at a main street store window.

It's a quick read, just about 165 pages. Next year, I may give some of her other books a try.. I understand that she has written over 200 books.

Hi, Linda! I am so far behind on threads! So sorry to hear about your cousin.

I like your list. Dark Tide and Killer Show both captivated me. Glad to see you're getting Five Days at Memorial. (I finally posted my official review of that one, though it doesn't do it justice.) What is it that makes disaster books so interesting to us? I'm reading The Curse of the Narrows now, about the Halifax explosion in 1917.

I read a review in today's paper of the new bio of Ted Williams by Ben Bradlee, Jr. The reviewer thinks it's "surely the definitive Ted Williams book." (It just jumped onto my Ever-Expanding List.)

Dark Tide has been on my wish list for a long time. I have Five Days at Memorial on my radar as well. I have a sports category for my 2014 category challenge so maybe I'll read a few more books in one of your other favorite types of books.

Hi Lori, I try to put non-baseball books into my sports category. I'll probably focus on hockey and football, with some basketball and others.

Right now, I'm reading, and enjoying, the new Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In. Well, watching the Blackhawks/Devils game at the moment but reading it when I get a chance.

The Louise Penny is in my top 5 and most likely will stay there!

Hi Linda- Wow, did it get wicked cold today! I have the fireplace on on the Man-Cave and I am still chilly. I think it gets in these old bones. Are you off the rest of the week?

Hi Mark, I'm back to work on Thurs and Fri and then off again on Mon and Tues of next week.

It sure did get cold. We got a bit more snow overnight and I shoveled midday. Glad I did because it was about 15 then. Later, the sun came out for awhile but it's now below zero, already.

I saw somewhere that January is expected to be warmer than normal. I hope so. This snow every day and cold weather is getting old.

In our extended family, Christmas Eve is our big get-together. Christmas Day has a smaller family get-together.

Best wishes to you, Linda!


glitter-graphics.com

Merry Christmas Linda! Enjoy your family gatherings!

Linda, what a great reading year! All the TIOLIs in one month, inspired me to try and do the same. Now closing in on 150 books (fingers and toes crossed).
Have a lovely Christmas. xx

Merry Christmas to all of my LT friends.

After returning from Christmas Eve with my extended family in Chicago last night, I finished what'll end up being my favorite book of the year.

Hope you have a lovely Christmas day! Wondering what that best book of the year is...

It was a great Christmas, book wise. Besides several Amazon gift cards (yay!!), I received a book on the history of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks championship season, including a DVD). My sister gave me a book on 100 years of Wrigley Field, as well as a book on the history of the National Hockey League.

Does my family know me, or what?

Mark, my number 1 book for the year is the new Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In. Amazing book.

Book #146
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny--finished on 12/24/13

My new favorite book of the year!!

On the surface, this ninth book in the Gamache series has a focus on two cases: the murder of one of the famous quintuplets and some sort of high-level government conspiracy.

Penny does a masterful job of weaving these two stories together, as usual. There's more emphasis on cybercrime-fighting and the village of Three Pines itself plays a key role.

Absolutely loved it!!

>110 lindapanzo: That's also my #1 for the year. I know she's already working on the next book. It will be interesting to see where she takes things next.

I need to figure out how to change my LT top 5. It's not letting me add anything.

I did that early on, and I think I had to remove a book from my list before I could add one.

I need to figure out how to do that!!

I read somewhere that Jim should start the new 2014 75ers group today. I need to look for that as well.

Oh, it's around... :)

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2014

Yay!! Thanks, Jim!!

If you choose the "your list" view, there's a "remove" link on the right side of each book in your list.

I've joined the 2014 group at http://www.librarything.com/topic/162716 but I'll continue to talk about my 2013 books here.

Still a chance at reaching the 150 book goal with 6 days left in the year and only two of them workdays.

Is there still a chance you might fit in A Secret Gift this month? I started it last night and, in spite of only reading in snatches here and there today, I'm already up to p. 125. It's looking like I might have to revise my top 5 list. Even if you don't get to it this month, it would be a perfect fit for your 1920s and 30s focus for next year. It would also fit the immigrant focus for the January GeoCAT.

Edited to fix touchstone.

Carrie, maybe. But probably not. I'm already sort of looking ahead to next year. I might start a long-ish book, unless I really try to aim for the 150 for this year. I've had that one on my Kindle for forever.

Book #147

Got That Something! How the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Changed Everything by Allan Kozinn--finished on 12/26/13

I thought this Kindle single would focus mainly on the cultural phenomenon of the Beatles and their first American hit I Want to Hold Your Hand. Fifty years ago.

It was interesting, don't get me wrong, and certainly chock full of Beatles information. However, I think it was geared more towards the really die-hard fan. I like the Beatles music but much of the musical terminology went way over my head.

I will say, though, that for a Kindle single, this one was incredibly in depth.

Happy Holidays, Linda! So glad you enjoyed How the Light Gets In! The best yet in a great series.

Hi Joe, glad to hear that you liked the Louise Penny book. At first, I was more interested in the quintuplet angle but, as the book wore on, the conspiracy angle got more interesting.

The day before I was going to mark my ER book, C.C. Benison's Ten Lords a-Leaping as unreceived, it arrived. Finally!!

Book #148

A Dangerous Talent by Charlotte and Aaron Elkins--finished on 12/28/13

This is the first in the Alix London series of art-themed mysteries. Earlier, the Elkins, husband and wife, collaborated on a series of golf mysteries that I loved. I liked this one, though I liked the characters and the art world/art forgeries angle better than the murder mystery itself.

Alix London is an art restorer/art consultant in Seattle, who is hired to verify the authenticity of a Georgia O'Keefe painting in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a new friend. Making the situation more interesting is the fact that Alix is the daughter of a convicted art forger who's just been released after serving his prison sentence.

Looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

I'm reading a Kindle single right now about an Arctic rescue mission. If I can read another book in 2.5 days, I'll reach 150 books for the year!!

You can do it, Linda!

"You can do it, Linda!" Part Deux!

It looks like we have a BIG GAME to look forward to. The Pack must feel great having Rodgers back at the helm. I, at least hope the Bears make a game out of it.

We are going to see Catching Fire and then race back home for the game.

Book #149

Farthest North: America's First Arctic Hero and His Horrible, Wonderful Voyage to the Frozen Top of the World by Todd Balf--finished on 12/29/13

This is the story of Arctic explorer, Elisha Kane, who with a crew, in the 1850s, set off to try to locate a missing explorer and then himself ended up getting stranded in the ice for two winters.

It's an excellent Kindle single but one that is so informative and reads so well that it doesn't feel like a Kindle single. After reading this, I definitely want to read more on this topic.

I'm about 20 percent through book #150 for the year, 2013. It's #8 in that Australian series by Kerry Greenwood. Urn Burial.

Then, it'll be on to something more substantial, which will likely be my first book for 2014.

A heavy snowstorm is forecast for NY Eve evening and all day NY Day so, except for shoveling, I might be doing a lot of reading.

Yay!! Just finished book 150 for the year. Details to follow.

Also borrowed seasons 1 and 2 of Call the Midwife

Congrats on #150, Linda!

Congrats on doing a double for the 75 challenge.

We had a Call the Midwife-a-thon at the Panzo house this afternoon and evening. I believe that we watched season 1 in its entirety.

Wow, what a great show!!

Now I need to track down her book. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth.

Linda, did you watch the Christmas special? It's my favorite episode. And I do love Chummy!

The season 1 collection had 6 episodes. I think the Christmas special might be separate. I like Chummy and the kleptomaniac nun. Sister Maureen Joy?

Linda- Happy New Year! I am glad you binged on Call the Midwife. At least these are short seasons. I love Chummy too! DA, this Sunday! We are rolling!

ETA- I think the Christmas Special was toward the end of Season 2. I might be wrong.

Book #150

Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 12/31/13

The English country house murder is transported to Australia in this wonderful 8th mystery in the Phryne Fisher series.

Loved it, as usual. My only gripe was that I had a bit of a struggle keeping all the characters straight and had to refer to the Cast of Characters list.

The Christmas special was between seasons 1 and 2. I bought a digital copy of Season 1 from Amazon to catch up before Season 2 started, and I had to buy the Christmas special separately.

Thanks for the info, Carrie and Mark.

Was there only one Christmas special? Is that the same one that was on PBS this past Sunday?

There was a Christmas special last Sunday? I missed it! I just looked at the series page and it's different than last year's Christmas special, so there are two. I'll have to watch this year's special online. I was watching Sunday Night Football on Sunday so I probably would have planned to watch it online anyway even if I had known it was going to be on.

I see that season 3 will be on from March 30 to May 18. This'll give me time to track down those two Christmas specials, not to mention watching season 2.

Loved this show.

Congratulations on reaching 150 for the year, Linda!

Happy New Year, Linda! And congrats on reaching 150.