Nittnut - Birds of a Feather Read Together - Six Morepork

Morepork

Welcome to my sixth thread of 2015! I feel pretty lucky to belong to the best book club in the world.

A little about me - I grew up in Southern California. I have been married nearly 22 years to the best guy in the world who kindly puts up with my reading addictions. We have three children ages 16, 11 and 8 and I am doing my utmost to instill an addiction to reading in all three. We have lived in California, Oregon, Colorado, and now we live in New Zealand. We just moved from Wellington north up the Kapiti coast and we now live about five minutes from the beach. The first thing I did after we got the keys to the house was take the kids to the library for library cards.

I thought this year I would top my threads with native NZ birds. My daughter and I are working on seeing as many native bird species as we can - just for fun.

Reading goals (flexible, of course):

Wheel of Time series - enough of you have recommended it and so I will begin
American Author Challenge
ANZAC Challenge
TIOLI
2015 Challenge

2015 Challenge

Rollover - books from my 2014 challenge (and maybe one from 2013)
Off The Shelf
Fantasy
New Zealand
Animal Sciences
TIOLI - it's been awhile since I participated here
Book Bullets
Reading Aloud With the Family
Award Winners
American Author Challenge
US History
YA - always
Mystery
Memoir
Next in a Series

American Authors Challenge

January - Carson McCullers - The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (audio)
February - Henry James- The Wings of the Dove
March - Richard Ford - Wildlife
April - Louise Erdrich- The Roundhouse
May - Sinclair Lewis- Main Street
June - Wallace Stegner- American Places OTS
July - Ursula K. Le Guin - Lavinia
August - Larry McMurtry- Lonesome Dove OTS
September - Flannery O' Connor- A Good Man is Hard To Find - started but never finished
October - Ray Bradbury- Green Shadows, White Whale
November - Barbara Kingsolver- The Poisonwood Bible - this is a re-read
December - E.L. Doctorow- Ragtime

ANZAC Challenge

Australia

January- Richard Flanagan - The Narrow Road to the Deep North
February-Cate Kennedy - The World Beneath
March-Michelle De Kretser - The Hamilton Case
April- Roger McDonald - Mr. Darwin's Shooter
May- Christina Stead - Pass
June- Kim Scott - That Deadman Dance
July- Peter Carey - The Chemistry of Tears
August- Helen Garner
September- Ruth Park
October- Robert Hughes
November- Kerry Greenwood
December- Matthew Reilly

New Zealand

January- Fiona Kidman - Captive Wife
February- Maurice Shadbolt - The House of Strife
March- Elizabeth Knox - Mortal Fire
April- Alan Duff - Once Were Warriors
May- Katherine Mansfield - In A German Pension
June- Witi Ihimaera - Ask the Posts of the House, The Whale Rider
July- Lloyd Jones - Mister Pip
August- Keri Hulme
September- Michael King
October- Patricia Grace
November- Ngaio Marsh
December- Paul Cleave

January Reading

Change of Heart
Countdown
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories
The Way of Kings
Eight Cousins
The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry
The Captive Wife
Now That I've Found You
Sea of Poppies
River of Smoke
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
An Appetite for Wonder
Gilead

January Favorites



February Reading

Words of Radiance
The Long Way Home
The Alloy of Law
The World Beneath
Warbreaker
Awesome Forces: Natural Hazards that Threaten New Zealand
Tales of Waikanae Estuary
Delicacy
The Kingdom of This World
Wreckage
The House of Strife
Letters From Father Christmas
The Wings of the Dove

February favorites - in honor of Fantasy February



March Reading

Labyrinth
Above All Things
Mortal Fire
Foundling
The Dark Mirror
Blade of Fortriu
The Well of Shades
Wildlife
The Mermaid's Sister
Who Moved My Cheese
Lamplighter
The Beekeeper's Lament
A God In Every Stone
How To Betray A Dragon's Hero
Station Eleven
The Hamilton Case
The Silver Pigs
I, Putin
Knucklehead
Bitter Greens
The Convenient Marriage
The Coroner's Lunch

March Favorites



April Reading

The Eye of the World
Fortunately, the Milk
The Bees
Distant Shores
The Love of Her Life
New Spring
The Camel Who Crossed Australia
Factotum
The Great Hunt
Mr. Darwin's Shooter
Sylvester, Or the Wicked Uncle
The Pirate's Mixed-up Voyage
The Round House
Magyk
Once Were Warriors
Animals In Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior

April Favorites

May Reading

The Rosie Project
Trail of Broken Wings
West With the Night
The Blood and Thunder Adventure on Hurricane Peak
Odd and the Frost Giants
The Dragon Reborn
Elizabeth is Missing
Wolf Winter
It Was Me All Along
In A German Pension
I've Got Your Number
Flyte
Main Street

May Favorites



June Reading

Shadow Scale
The Tempest
The Whale Rider
I Hate You. Don't Leave Me
A Spear of Summer Grass
The Cold Dish
Watership Down
That Deadman Dance
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Dunger
American Places
Terror in Black September
A French Affair

June Favorites



July Reading

Miramont's Ghost
Physik
Last Train From Cuernavaca
Ask the Posts of the House
Chestnut Street
Lavinia
Mister Pip
Agenda 21
The Einstein Prophecy
Women, Food and God
As You Like It
Claire of the Sea Light
Uprooted
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Chemistry of Tears
Thornspell

July Favorites

August Reading

Pages: 42321

Currently Reading: A Patriot's History of the United States, The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, Empire of Ivory, The Last Battle

Currently Listening: Brideshead Revisited, Tom's Midnight Garden

ACC

Larry McMurty - Lonesome Dove - OTS - completed

ANZAC

New Zealand - Keri Hulme - The Windeater - abandoned

Australia - Helen Garner - The Spare Room

TIOLI

#1 Tongues of Serpents
#6 Lonesome Dove, The Spare Room
#19 The Price of Silence: A Mom's Perspective on Mental Illness

Read

Temeraire
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Loot
Three Willows
Lonesome Dove
The Price of Silence: A Mom's Perspective on Mental Illness
The Silver Chair
The Spare Room
Dreamer's Pool
The Signature of All Things

September Reading

Pages 47741

Currently Reading: A Patriot's History of the United States, The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt,
The Nature of the Beast

Currently Listening: Wise Blood

AAC - A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor

ANZAC

NZ - Michael King - Being Pakeha

Australia - Ruth Park - A Fence Around the Cuckoo

TIOLI

#5 A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush - completed
#6 The Nature of the Beast - completed
#8 Justinian's Flea - completed
#16 Cotillion - completed
#20 - Queste - completed

Read

Empire of Ivory
Tongues of Serpents
Being Pakeha
Kissing Mr. Right
The Hangman
A Good Man is Hard to Find
Justinian's Flea
A Fence Around the Cuckoo
Tom's Midnight Garden
Brideshead Revisited
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
Cotillion
Nightbird
The Boy in the Olive Grove
Queste
The Last Battle
The Nature of the Beast

Sunset at Hawkes Bay

The owls are cute!

Hi Jenn!

>1 nittnut: Oh, the most wonderful owls! Love them. We have a family of Great Horned Owls living near us -- we see them when we walk the dog if we go at the right time of day. Last night one swooped right over Marina's head. I always feel some kind of enchantment when I see them.

Happy belated Thingaversary to you! We're meeting on Sunday at the (new) Tattered Cover at Aspen Grove. I wish you could be there, too.

Back to your last thread: I love The Voyage of the Dawn Treader also. I think it's my favorite Narnia book after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Happy New Thread, Jenn!!

Happy new thread, Jenn. I love the owls and the sunset!

And what a lot of books you've read so far this year -- and good ones too.

Happy new thread!

Love that sunset (and the owls too of course).

>8 thornton37814: Hi Lori! They are cute, aren't they? :)

>9 AMQS: Hi Anne. Have fun at TC. I will look forward to some meetup photos. :) I love owls. They are special.
Margo is reading Loot. I will let you know what she thinks.

>10 scaifea: Hi Amber!

>11 BLBera: Hi Beth. :) It's been such a good year for reading so far. I've had a couple good BB's from you as well.

>12 katiekrug: Hi Katie!

>13 charl08: NZ is so beautiful. I never get tired of the scenery. Or the animals.

I am reading Temeraire by Naomi Novik - the author of Uprooted. So far it's great. I am also listening to Brideshead Revisited and enjoying Jeremy Irons' narration.

Hey Jenn. Lovely new thread (I love owls!).

I've not followed you much in the past but I'm starring your thread and hope to follow your wonderfully diverse reading adventures!

Hi There! It's been too long since I visited here. I really like the way you set up your opening thread. Do you mind if I copy your idea? Listing the books, and then posting the covers of what you are reading is a wonderful way to keep track.

Stasia loves owls too. I spoke to her this morning. She misses LT, but is studying for her degree and also holding a full-time job.

Awwww. I love the Morepork! I also love how they really do seem to say "more.pork".

Happy new thread, Jenn and I absolutely adore your thread topper 'friend'! What an inquisitive cutie! I love owls, along with the whole raptor family. Such amazing birds.

>15 EBT1002: Hello Ellen :) Welcome. Thanks to LT, my reading is much more diverse than it used to be. Lol. I have to say, I have had an exceptionally good reading year this year. Luck? Good BB's? I don't know. Not complaining.

>16 Whisper1: Hi Linda! I haven't got a copyright on the set up. I've just copied from the threads of others whose organization I liked. I've been following Stasia on FB and keeping up with her adventures at school. She continues to be amazing.
I hope you are well and having a great summer.

>17 LovingLit: They are pretty cute. :) It's pouring rain here today and I've got laundry hanging around the heat pump. Kids are out of undies and that could be dangerous. Eli has already mentioned Fred's (Big Hero 6) strategy. Front, back, inside out, front, back. Oh the horror. ;)

>18 lkernagh: Hi Lori. I'm a big fan of raptors too. They are so powerful but we rarely get to be up close to them, so they seem to be equally mysterious. Owls are my favorites though.

#109 Temeraire

This is a fun sort of fantasy meets historical fiction book. Set during the Napoleonic wars, the armies both have dragons as their aerial force. Interestingly, having a dragon is not a generally desirable thing among the upper classes. When Laurence, a naval captain and younger son of an English lord, inadvertently acquires a dragon, his life is turned upside down. It was an entertaining read, very creatively written. I will definitely read the next one in the series.

>19 nittnut: Lol re the undies suggestion. I just caught that film last week and was surprised how dark it was (conveniently forgetting all the deaths in Disney at this point).

>21 charl08: Lol. I know. If we actually added up everyone who dies in a Disney movie we'd be horrified, I'm sure. Lalalalala
lalala. We did, however, really like Big Hero 6. It was interesting what the kids made of it. More than I expected, actually. My 8 year old told me it was about forgiving instead of getting revenge. Out of the mouths of babes.

I've just started Wayfaring Stranger, but since I really must wash my windows today (while it isn't raining), I am trying to ignore it. I am doing a double whammy. It's not supposed to rain until 8pm, so I'm doing laundry and washing windows. If I add washing the car, I could probably bring on a typhoon.

>20 nittnut: I haven't heard much of late but I think Peter Jackson signed up for the film rights for Temeraire a few years back.

Also just brought home from the library, a colourful NZ picturebook The Squishy squashy birds. I love the premise, Sam carries his favourite book, Endangered Birds of NZ, around in his backpack all week, only brings it out for the weekly show and tell. The birds are all squashed & squished inside the book and then 'released' for the show & tell.
I just visited the website and I think I have to buy one of their tote bags - https://society6.com/vanwijk/bags

>23 avatiakh: I love the sound of that book. I will have to see if my library has it. The tote bags are sooo cool! I think I will have to have one as well. I may have found a Christmas gift for my MIL. Or rather, you found it... Love the kiwi one.

I think they'd make great gifts. I'm in love with a few of them, the kiwi, the kakapo in flight, the toroa.

Sadly, I don't think the hoodies turned out as cool as they could have. I kind of wish they had splashed the bird images big all over the back and not in the rectangle. Know what I mean?

Yes, I looked at the t-shirts and thought they were fairly bland. The totes are great because the image covers every square inch.

We just had a girls night with Margo and her friend and her friend's mum. We did facials and soaked our feet and then we played a game of spin the nail polish. We all now have 10 different colors on our fingernails. Good fun. And yes, there were nearly that many different colors between the four of us. Scary.

I am abandoning Wayfaring Stranger I am not loving it and I have heaps of other books from the library, plus Lonesome Dove. I have started the second in the Temeraire series and I think I will like it.

Hope you all have a great weekend. :)

>23 avatiakh: and >24 nittnut: Those tote bags are delightful! I am going to order one for myself and one for my sister, whose birthday is in September. Thanks for sharing the link!

>28 nittnut: I love it when one of us abandons a read that is not holding our attention. There are too many wonderful books out there to waste one's time! But, I know for me it takes a wee bit of courage to bail in the middle of a novel.

Is this your first time reading Lonesome Dove, Jenn? I read it many moons ago and remember being pleasantly surprised. I think I'm going to read The Last Picture Show, recommended by Mark as a short and enjoyable McMurtry.

Hi Jenn - Love the bags. Also, your owls make me smile every time I visit your thread.

Hi Jenn! I'm sorry Wayfaring Stranger didn't do it for you- I was sure it wouldn't be my thing either and told myself at the outset I would only give it 50 pages. Famous last words:)

Lonesome Dove was by far my favorite read last year- hope this one's a hit for you!

>29 EBT1002: They are pretty cool. I am considering who to give them to as well.
>30 EBT1002: Sometimes it's hard to abandon a book, but I know when I'm happy to put it down and not that excited to pick it up again, I should be reading something else. It will be my first read of Lonesome Dove, and I am really looking forward to it. It's had good reviews around here from lots of people whose opinions I trust. :)

>31 BLBera: Hi Beth. So glad the owls make you smile. I found them irresistible. I suppose it's probably just one owl, but plural cuteness anyway.

>32 AMQS: Hi Anne - it's rare one of your recommendations is a miss for me. It might work another time. I just wasn't connecting, and I gave it way more than 50 pages. I am really looking forward to Lonesome Dove. :)

#110 Throne of Jade

Laurence and Temeraire are sent to China where they have many adventures of a surprising nature. Their bond is tested and they make new alliances. There was an interesting mix of fact and fiction in this one, including slight references to the Opium wars and a combination of real and fictional characters.

#111 Black Powder War

Sent from China on a journey to Istanbul to recover some dragon eggs meant for the British, Laurence and Temeraire get involved with the Prussian Army as it retreats from Napoleon's army.

I am generally enjoying this series, although I feel they are a bit heavy on battle and strategy and so on. These bits don't interest me much.

I have succumbed to the temptation of library books when I have Lonesome Dove to read this month. It's a good problem - so many books to be excited about.

I can relate (I think most of us around here can relate) to the experience of having a book all set to go and then suddenly there is a stack of books from the library. It is, as you say, a good problem to have!

Oh you are racing through the Temeraire books. I've been sidetracked by other reading but want to continue the series. Last night I started a Canadian YA, The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim, which is quite fun so far.

>35 EBT1002: Don't you love LT? People here understand the struggles we face. Lol

>36 avatiakh: I am finding the Temeraire books quick reads. I have also started Lonesome Dove and will probably take a break before reading the next Temeraire. I don't want to get tired of them. I will have to take a look at The Story of Owen I do love dragon books, and it might be a good one for Miss M.

Here's something for the sewists. My sister sent me this - it's funny - and it's true.

>19 nittnut: Front, back, inside out, front, back. Oh the horror. ;)
Lol!
Its either that or....nothing.

>37 nittnut: Or, as I can attest, an example from my house: show me the fool who used the paper scissors for cutting wire. *sigh*

WIRE? Oh my. We probably need a Schwarzenegger meme for that one.

^ haha, they got thrown out this morning. What is the point of scissors that don't cut....ggrrrr. ;)

Okay, I don't even sew and I hate scissors that don't cut! Throwing them out, though. Hmm. That's an idea. It would probably reduce eliminate the frustration of repeatedly pulling a pair of scissors out of a drawer to wrap a present, and have the scissors manifest as useless.

*hops up to throw about three pairs of scissors in the waste*

I'm glad you're joining in for a late-September read of Cotillion, Jenn!

By the way, is scissors singular or plural? And does "pair of scissors" really make sense?

Um, it's bedtime.

>40 LovingLit: *Knuckles*

>41 EBT1002: LOLOL. Ah the vagaries of the English language. Scissors. Pants. Sheep. You can have a sheep, or some sheep. But you can't have a scissor. Or a pant. Now see what you've done?!?

#112 Loot: How to Steal A Fortune - recommended by AMQS, read by my daughter and passed on to me.

Loot is a riot, but be prepared to suspend belief. March's father is a thief. He dies during a job and leaves March with a mystery to solve, but not a lot of clues. With the help of some friends and a lot of luck, March solves the mystery, lifts a curse and finds a family of his own.

#113 Three Willows OTS

Meh. This is probably meant to draw a new generation in to the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, but it didn't really work that well for me. It felt a bit formulaic. Three girls, friends since primary school, have begun to go their separate ways. They face challenges and ups and downs and in the end, realize their friendships mean more than popularity or grades or anything else. I had a few problems with it. First, the setting was poorly done. There was no real sense of place. If I hadn't read The Sisterhood, I'd have had no idea where I was. There were also sort of random references to The Sisterhood, but in a way that led me to believe they would have something to do with the story. Nope. The worst was when one of the three girls stops eating, loses lots of weight and is definitely flirting with anorexia, finds her mother drunk and can't wake her up, calls 911. Mum goes to hospital, diagnosed alcoholic, admits self to rehab, while daughter goes to stay with her friends. No discussion of getting help for the girl with anorexia. In fact, more of a sense that she can just decide to start eating again and can solve this all herself. Very disturbing. Some mature themes, boys, making out, sexual references. It has its moments, but overall, not really that impressive.

ETA: I just noticed that I had marked this as read on Goodreads - in 2011. If that's the case, it was completely UN-memorable.

I really am reading Lonesome Dove, and I hope to get a chunk of it read this weekend. I'm going on a road trip to Auckland with a friend's teenage daughter. Wish me luck. Lol.

Just in case anyone was worried, I survived. The teenager with her Learners drove about 14 hours of the 16 hour trip. It's a slight comfort that she needed more toilet breaks than I did...
She only almost killed us once turning left in the rain and not seeing the oncoming vehicle. Thank goodness for the very alert driver in the Toyota pick up who went around us. I didn't yell. I remained calm, but my second "Stop." was a bit more intense than my first one. Lol
I can probably go a good week without listening to the radio.

Auckland is beautiful. I wish I had been able to see more of it. We were just there for a Saturday women's conference, and the TPPA protest, incidentally. I am so looking forward to going back in October for a long weekend.

Still working on Lonesome Dove. I am loving his style.

Jenn - My sympathies with the teen driver -- that was the worst part of being a parent, from my perspective. And both my kids tell me I am a terrible backseat driver.

Glad to hear you're loving Lonesome Dove. I just came from Katie's thread and between the two of you I think I'm going to give it a try. I've only owned the book for four or so years so it's time.

>44 nittnut: I was interested in how the trip nt actually! Um, what can I say....it sounds like it played out as expected!? ;)
I shudder to think of the near misses I had being driven about by teenagers, as a teenager. Most of is are probably only here thanks to the near misses being just that. (not that that phrase even makes sense, but you know what I mean)

Congrats for making it back sane and alive!

>45 BLBera: Actually, I preferred her to be driving. When I was driving, she was constantly reminding me to indicate (when merging even) and generally being an annoying back seat driver. Just so you know, I do indicate lane changes and such, I don't always indicate my exit from a roundabout or that I'm merging in an obvious highway merging end of passing lane kind of place. Sigh. So great to have your driving lazinesses pointed out relentlessly.

>46 phebj: I will look forward to seeing what you think. :)

>47 LovingLit: Haha. Yes it did. I am the same. So many near misses. Especially when I reflect that we didn't have a restricted license. It was just learners to full license. No limits on who we could drive or a time we had to stop driving or anything. Amazing that we live. Lol

I'm eager to hear your comments on Lonesome Dove, Jenn. I recently finished Dead Man's Walk which didn't compare, but it was fun seeing a younger version of Gus and Call in their Texas Ranger days. That is a gorgeous sunset picture upthread and, like everyone else, I'm a big fan of owls, especially when they turn their heads and look so darn cute.

Hi Jenn! Glad you and Margo enjoyed Loot! Sounds like an interesting trip. Callia has her own car now (or as we're careful to call it, a family car that she may use). School started Monday, and it was the first first day of school that I didn't take them:( Most parents say it is terrifying at first, and then is awesome. I haven't reached awesome yet, but I will say she is a better and more confident driver every day. I guess we all have to learn somehow.

Hope you're loving Lonesome Dove!

>50 AMQS: Hi Anne! Scary letting the kids go, but Callia is a good girl and smart, and she'll take good care of her sister.

>49 Donna828: I am loving Lonesome Dove, Donna, but it's taking me ages to read it. It rained all day yesterday - the complete opposite of the forecast, which was no rain until afternoon - and I spent the day dozing on the couch and reading bits of the book. I wasn't bored, just sleepy on a dreary day. I am hoping to get more read this afternoon. I'm still just shy of 50% of the way through. August is flying by and I haven't hardly read a thing! I am working on a couple of chunksters, but still. It's been a slow month for reading. Today, however, is lovely. I'm sitting in a ray of sunshine and thinking about reading my book...

I am giving up on the NZ author of the month for the ANZAC challenge (Keri Hulme). I've read one short story and one poem, so I've given it a go, but I am finding it very difficult to read.

Hi Jenn,

All this Lonesome Dove love is making me want to reread it! It's such a great story.

>51 nittnut: some of her short stories are kooky as heck, and the one novel is a tough subject matter. Not to everyone's tastes. My dad had to try 3 times to read it, (The Bone People) and once he succeeded in finishing it reckoned it was a frame of mind thing. I was so apprehensive reading it that I made sure to concentrate and to dedicate big enough blocks of time, and that gave me a superb reading experience.

Bad news about the takahe today, that we're mistaken for your pukeko.

>52 Copperskye: I finished it last night. Going to get around to a review soon, I hope.

>53 LovingLit: I guess it's not to my taste, or I'm not in the frame of mind. I will try again someday, most likely. The short story I read was kooky as heck for sure. I kind of liked the poem I read though.
Terrible news about the takahe. Who are they sending out to do this shooting? You'd think they'd send someone who could ID the birds properly.

#114 Lonesome Dove AAC, OTS

No doubt about it, this is an epic Western. The outline of the story is deceptively simple. Call, a former Ranger who is bored hanging around in Lonesome Dove decides to gather a herd and drive it from Texas to Montana. He assembles a crew, most of them not very experienced, and along the way they pick up some others. A woman, a couple of Irishmen, a Mexican cook. It's a long shot, but the determination of Call carries them a long. I loved the language, the dry wit, the complexity of the characters. I also loved the setting. Being a westerner myself, I could quite literally picture the country they were traveling through and McMurty did a masterful job with the sense of place. The ending wasn't totally satisfactory, but it was realistic. McMurty deals out death to his characters without respect to the feelings of the reader, but with great respect to his characters. Well worth the read.

...on a quiet spring evening in Lonesome Dove, a shot could cause complications.

But once in a while, even if nobody mentioned one, the thought of women entered his head all on its own, and once it came it usually tended to stay for several hours, filling his noggin like a cloud of gnats. Of course, a cloud of gnats was nothing in comparison to a cloud of Gulf coast mosquitoes, so the thought of women was not that bothersome, but it was a thought Pea would rather not have in his head.

"If I'd have wanted civilization I'd have stayed in Tennessee and wrote poetry for a living." Augustus said. "Me and you done our work too well. We killed off most of the people that made the country interesting to begin with."

"Don't be trying to give back pain for pain," he said. You can't get even measures in business like this..."

Yay! You liked it, too. I agree with your comments. I've been pondering the title, since most of the book doesn't take place in Lonesome Dove, and my thoughts about that have enriched the book for me in a way. If that makes any sense :-P

>56 katiekrug: What have you been thinking about it? I've been thinking that the book began and ended there... with two of the most contrary characters ever.

>57 nittnut: - Yes, that, and how it served as something of a touchstone. And how we bring ideas of home with us when we leave, and how "you can't go home again"....

How cool that you and Katie can talk about a book you've both recently finished. And I liked both of your thoughts about it. Lonesome Dove is indeed a truly epic Western.

I've had a rather slow reading month, too, Jenn. August is supposed to be too hot to do anything but stay inside and read. Instead, we've had some nice temperate weather that gets me outside to do some much-needed yard work. The books will be there next month for both of us.

Hi Jenn! So glad you liked Lonesome Dove. A favorite of mine form last year. I thought it was so perfect just as it was, I've not really been interested in the other books in the series.

#115 The Price of Silence: A Mom's Perspective on Mental Illness by Liza Long

I am aware that there may be some controversy around this book. Part of the issue is that nobody who deals with mental illness has the same experience, part of the issue is the stigma and political conflict around care of those with mental illness. However, I found it fascinating. I am particularly interested in the state of mental health services available to children and adolescents, and that is mainly what this book is about. It is primarily an advocacy book, but she uses her personal experience and the experiences of others to illustrate the main problems faced by families that cope daily with mental illness. The main and most important points as I see them:

1. The social stigma attached to mental illness and an obsession with what Long calls "toxic perfectionism" prevent an open discussion of issues, needs and solutions. Discussion of this sensitive topic can lead to social ostracism and painful criticism of already burdened families.
2. Most medical insurance does not really cover mental illness, even if it says it does. And the costs of care for a child with a mental illness are prohibitive.
3. Diagnosis is very difficult to obtain, misdiagnosis is common. Which leads to experimental application of medication with uncertain outcomes. This also goes back to the issue of medical insurance not covering the costs of obtaining a reliable diagnosis.
4. Once a diagnosis is made, treatment can be difficult to obtain. Not only will cost be an issue, but equally problematic is the lack of qualified therapists. Long states that the projected number of therapists needed to serve the population of mentally ill children in the US by the year 2000 was 20,000. The actual number of qualified providers in the year 2012 was 8,300. This is to serve 1 out of every 5 children in the US population.
5. Schools are not equipped to deal with students who have mental health issues and often refer difficult students to the penal system. Thus, the way to get help for a child with a mental illness is to get them arrested and into the judicial system, where a diagnosis and therapy program can be mandated and subsidized. This can also lead to removal of the child with the mental illness from their home, or possible removal of the other children in the family due to concerns for their safety. This becomes a terrible catch-22 for parents.
6. While trying to remain employed (insurance) and care for the other children in the family, parents also must become experts in family law, educational law, medical insurance and prescription medication. They must become experts in whatever their child is diagnosed with so that they can find the best treatment options available and know if their child is on the right medications. They must be able to evaluate whether medications are helping or hurting, when the child is escalating and whether it will be possible to de-escalate or if they are going to make a trip to the hospital or a residential treatment facility (even though it is unlikely a bed will be available). They must have a safety plan in place for the other children in the family.

It's a very sobering review of the chronic lack of resources for families struggling to find care for a child with mental illness. Long states several times that before we can find a solution to the problem, we have to be willing to talk about it. I agree, but it's not really that simple. For parents to share their stories, some level of violation of the mentally ill child's privacy occurs. Due to the social stigma surrounding mental illness and the inability to control the response of others, particularly those who do not understand mental illness, this should not be a step lightly taken.

This book is worth a read. For those who have a child who struggles with mental illness, it may confirm what you already know or remind you you're not alone. For those who don't have personal experience with this difficult struggle, perhaps it will give you some insight and greater compassion.

>58 katiekrug: Ah yes. The old "you can't go home..." and now I have a song in my head about that.

>59 Donna828: The books are always there, which is nice, but I do have one more book to read for the anzac challenge, so I'd better get to it lol. How nice that you've had a relatively cool August. My parents are in Oregon, and they say it's been so hot. Not usual for their neck of the woods. Here, on the other hand, we are looking greatly forward to spring (read Summer!) and warmer weather.

>60 AMQS: Hi Anne. I feel the same way. I'm not sure I want to read any of the others. I don't know that I want my experience with LD to change.

I'm off to fix dinner. I have two kids with stuffed heads to tuck in to bed early, so I believe it will be chicken noodle soup, baths and bed. Probably I will have both darlings home with me tomorrow. We'll see. I plan on resisting this head cold as hard as I can. I feel I've made my quota for the year. No New Colds! I've got The Spare Room to read, which I am both looking forward to and dreading. It's a tough subject, but I have heard really good reviews of it.

#116 The Silver Chair

This is not my favorite of the series, but it was fun to read it with my son. Narnia is in danger, and Eustace and a friend from school are swept off to Narnia to rescue a missing prince and save the day. One more to go!

Here's hoping both kids are feeling better today and that the cold passes you right by!

Hi Jenn, far behind here … just caught this thread now! You are certainly making your way through the Narnia chronicles!

Hope both kids are feeling much better, and that you don't catch it!

>64 scaifea: Thanks Amber. I'm ingesting maximum Vitamin C and immune system boosters. And reading books. :)

>65 lit_chick: Hi Nancy. :) Luckily my thread is easier to catch up on than some people's. Lol.
Kids are both home again today - one with a sore neck - so we'll have a visit to the doctor. They are in pretty good spirits, just stuffed up.

I've been cuddling on the couch with the kids and finished a book. It was a quick read, but not painless.

#117 The Spare Room - ANZAC

This is the fictional account of two friends. Niccola has cancer and has come to stay with Helen for three weeks for alternative treatment. It quickly becomes clear to Helen that Niccola is not going to be an easy guest and she begins to navigate the treacherous waters of care-giving while trying to maintain their friendship. I have not been a full-time care-giver to a terminally ill person, but I have supported a friend who was going through the process of accepting that she was going to die. It's a struggle to give up the fight to live. It's painful. I thought that Helen Garner captured the feelings of helplessness and anger and pain that family and friends experience when someone close to them is dying. One quote that really stood out to me was: Death will not be denied. To try is grandiose. It drives madness into the soul. It leaches out virtue. It injects poison into friendship, and makes a mockery of love. It's a difficult but beautiful book.

Geting caught up here.

>55 nittnut: - YAY, you enjoyed Lonesome Dove!

>62 nittnut: - oooohhhh... sorry to see the kids have stuffed heads. I love chicken noodle soup when I am sick. I hope they are feeling better soon.

Hi Lori :)

SOOOOOO EXCITED! I got my Fitbit today. Off to go get it set up.

Yay for Fitbit! I love mine.

Fitbits are great. I had my highest ever step count on Sunday and I am very pleased with myself.

I tried the sleep monitor thing last night. It was interesting. apparently I was restless. Lol
I'm interested to see how it counts steps/calories for the karate class I'm going to tonight.

I'm hearing a lot of positive things about the Fitbit. I wonder if I should be depressed if I got one and found out how little I'm moving around.

Welcome to the Fitbit club, Jenn. I love mine; I'm so much more conscious of steps.

>72 cameling: I think you'd be surprised. Just doing normal activity around the house, laundry, dishes, ironing, I'm well on my way to 10,000 steps today.

>73 BLBera: Thanks! I am looking forward to seeing how it works for me. I'm hoping for some motivation to be more active.

With that said, I'm off for a wee nap. I just realized (halfway through the book) that I've skipped book four of the Temeraire series. It does explain why I've been somewhat confused. Lol
I think I will set it aside until book 4 comes in at the library. Instead, I will read Dreamer's Pool.

>61 nittnut: that book looks like a great resource for those in need of it. I read a lot of mental health related books when I was working in that field (as an employment consultant for people with a mental illness), and the one book that stated with me the most was a mothers account of her sons schizophrenia. It was just heartbreaking to read. I'll have to think /look back and see if I can dredge up a title for you. She wrote another one called Resilience as well.

Eta: Tell me I'm Here was the name of it.

>72 cameling: Today I think I've surpassed the 10,000 steps because I've been out for a run, did 3 loads of laundry and went to the store for groceries ....twice because I forgot something the first time.

>75 LovingLit: Thanks for that. I will have a look. Not sure I want to read a book about schizophrenia, but I might.

>76 cameling: See what I mean? All in a day's work. Lol

I am really enjoying seeing how many steps I get for different activities. Zumba, for example is about 3,000. Karate was around 2,000. My normal activities, laundry, dinner prep, tidying up, taking out the rubbish, seem to add up nicely over the day so if I add a walk or some other exercise, I'll get to 10,000 easily. All you guys with FitBit already know this, but it's fun to see it all add up. I am also intrigued by the sleep info. Number one thing I've learned is that I am restless a lot at night. I didn't know that.

Now, back to Dreamer's Pool. I pretty much know what's going to happen, but I still like it.

>77 nittnut: I was quite shocked by how few steps I do on a normal day if I don't take any action to so more. If I'm in work and don't do any particular activity in the evening I can do as few as 3,500, although I'll do more if it's me that's walking Daisy. On a normal work day I find I have to walk for about 65-70 minutes on top to reach 10,000.

^ I can see how it would be hard, in a normal day at the office, to get very many steps in. You'd really have to plan. I took a long nap today, trying to kick this latest head cold. I am not going to get 10,000 steps today. Oh well.

#118 Dreamer's Pool

To avoid being murdered in prison, a woman makes a bargain with a stranger. She must help those who ask her, use her gifts for good, and refrain from avenging herself on the man who put her in prison until 7 years have passed. She agrees and is freed from prison. She finds that there are many who need her help.
In a peaceful land near a mysterious wood, a young prince awaits the lady he is to marry. When she arrives, there is something strange about her. What happened to her on the journey, and will the prince be able to discover the truth in time?
As always, I am captivated by Juliet Marillier's ability to weave a fairy tale.

With all this talk on Fitbit, I've been more conscious about my activity level and how sedantary I've become since I work in front of a computer most of the time. I'm considering setting a timer or an alarm on my phone to remind myself to get up and walk around every half an hour or so.

I walked up 8 flights of stairs the other day, was feeling the urge...I wonder if that was 10,000 as it sure felt like it! ;)

>81 cameling: Good idea!

>82 LovingLit: At least. :)

We were thinking of heading in to Wellington for LUX, but it's raining. Slightly more than a drizzle. Not sure I want to try and see a light show in wind and rain. Sigh.

So, the big day has come and gone, and we all need a long rest, but it was totally worth it. Margo had her ArtSplash performance in Wellington last night. She participated in the Wearable Art portion. I'm trying not to go all Pageant Mum about it, but there were a few snafus that will need to be dealt with. The Choir (which comes on stage and stays put for the whole performance) practiced for 90 minutes, and then our girls were "allowed" 10 minutes to do a quick run through of their walk onto the stage, parade around and exit. At performance time, it became clear that only about half the performers had actually been at the rehearsal and that a 10 minute run through was totally insufficient. 4 girls with HUGE costumes made their way to the front of the stage and stayed there, and the rest sort of milled around in the back. Margo did come forward for one rotation, which was good, but we mums were pretty annoyed in the end. The lead teacher from our school said she would give "feedback." Lol

Also - for the FitBit-ers out there - 46 Floors. Lots of hills in Wellington, as well as staircases in the performance center. My calves are killing me. Lol Redwood Badge, thank you very much. :)

Here's a photo of my girl in her creation. Her theme was Kiwiana. You'll see koru, a tui bird, the Maori moko tattoo, and of course, flax.

Last book for August:

#119 The Signature of All Things

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I am pleased to be able to agree with the rest of you who've read this - Elizabeth Gilbert actually can write.
Alma Whittaker is born in America in 1800, into wealth and privilege. Her father built his wealth through the collection and sale of rare and exotic plants and medicines from around the world. Alma was encouraged to learn and study and became a scientist herself. I loved the idea of a female scientist discovering the same principles as Charles Darwin and nearly publishing first. I loved the depiction of dinner table conversation in their home - the young girls expected to contribute intelligently along with the adults. While I appreciated the attempt to show the inner woman, that her passions were not just for science and study, turning her into a 19th Century porn addict was a little over the top. For me, it felt like Gilbert had written herself into a dark room, and it took her a while to make her way back out again. Because the end - when Alma writes her theory and then works at perfecting it and the connection is made between Alma, Darwin, and Wallace - was my favorite part. In the end, this book was just Ok for me. I wish I could have liked it a little more.

Now off to make a Pavlova, catch up on threads, read a bit, maybe take a nap. I think home made pizza for dinner.

Margo's project is so cool! I hope overall it was a positive experience for her. I'm so impressed with her creativity.

Thanks Katie! I think it was a very good experience for her. It's got to feel good to design and develop and idea, indenture your whole family into the creation process (lol) and see it all come together. My favorite was that after she got her Moko tattoo and makeup on, she said, "I feel so pretty!" Love that. Just hope she doesn't connect feeling pretty with having a tattoo on her chin. Lol.

>84 nittnut: Wow! That's an elegant and spectacular outfit and your daughter looks beautiful in it. Bravo on a job well done, Margo. So, was this event something the girls were being judged on and the basis for an award? It's too bad there were a few hitches but the important thing in the work itself and it turned out fantastic. I'm not sure Margo's age but I'm thinking early teens and that seems like a major accomplishment for a young teen. Very impressive!

I actually have Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things home from the library but haven't gotten to it because I've just started Lonesome Dove. It will probably end up going back to the library unread. Katherine (qebo) liked it quite a bit and after reading a few pages it seemed like something I would like so I hope to give it a fair chance.

I can't believe you did 46 floors on your fitbit. The most I ever did was 29 and that was mostly because of riding up and down a ton of small hills in a van getting to Monet's gardens at Giverny last year. I hope your calves recover soon!

Hi Pat! Nice to see you around here. :) Margo is 11, and I agree. It was a major accomplishment.

I hope you will like The Elizabeth Gilbert book.It's worth a fair chance. I had just the one quibble with her detour into old school porn, but other than that, there were really lovely bits to the book. Lonesome Dove took me ages to read. I loved it. :)

I can't believe I got 46 floors either. Never again. Lol. The most I've ever had before was 4.

LOVE your daughter's wearable art, Jenn! Fabulous! My complements to her : ).

Good point on the Gilbert: turning her into a 19th Century porn addict was a little over the top

Love the ArtSplash Pageant and your daughter's wardrobe/wearable art! Sad to think that some groups received more practice time than others but it sounds like it all worked out.

Love her wearable art.
Since you live in NZ you can vote on The Women's Bookshop's latest Top 50 Women Writers of the last 50 years list. The main reason to enter is to win the 50 books that end up on the list. I made use of their 2010 Top 50 list many times thanks to the bookmarks I picked up from their shop.
http://www.womensbookshop.co.nz/pages/208-FiftyFiftyWomen

>90 lit_chick:, >91 lkernagh: Hi Nancy and Lori! She did a great job, didn't she? The main thing is that she was happy with the outcome.

>92 avatiakh: Very cool. Thanks Kerry! I'm off to have a look. Who doesn't want 50 books?

Fascinating list. I've not come across The Bronze Horseman before.

Hi Charlotte. Me neither. It looks to be part of a trilogy, and I'm pretty lukewarm about it myself.

I went to my second karate class last night. It was pretty fun. I'm totally uncoordinated about the hand/foot movements, but I'll get it figured out in a month or so.

I'm off shortly to pick up my car. It's had routine maintenance done. I've got to take the bus, and thankfully, it seems to have stopped raining for a little while. Phew! Hoping for some reading time (besides on the bus) this afternoon. I've got two books going that I'd like to finish in the next few days.

So I went and picked up my car, but first I popped in to the Mary Potter Hospice shop next door. I have a mini book haul to report. $1 each!

Persuasion (Penguin edition) - because you can't have too many copies of Persuasion, obviously.

The Story of An African Farm - I was intrigued by the blurb. When The Story of an African Farm first appeared in 1838, the author was an unknown Mr. Ralph Iron; later it emerged that the author was in fact a woman, still in her twenties, named Olive Schreiner. The book created a violent stir of controversy in its Victorian audience but it did not take long for it to be acclaimed as a masterpiece of South African literature. Interesting, no?

Frenchman's Creek - because Daphne Du Maurier.
The Secrets of a Fire King - I liked The Memory Keeper's Daughter, so I thought, why not?

That's my mini book haul happiness.

Stopping by and waving hi. I hope your day is a good one Jenn.

>96 nittnut: Congrats on the book haul!

Nice haul! I have a copy of The Story of an AFrican Farm around here somewhere....

Nice haul. I picked up a copy of the African Farm recently too, part because of cheapness. But also because Liz Stanley feminist sociology prof at the uni I was at, got funding to digitise her letters, and despite hearing talk about it, have still not read it!!

https://www.oliveschreiner.org

Lovely costume Margo created. Well done!

Nice book haul too. And you're right.. who could have too many copies of Persuasion .. or any Austen book for that matter.

Love Margo's costume - too bad about the lack of planning at the performance. The kids deserve better.

>97 Whisper1: Hi Linda! We are having a nice day. The kids are off school and we've just Skyped with their big brother who is away at school. I have to run my daughter to the doctor to have a look at her ears. She's complaining about ear ache. May as well get that sorted before the weekend. But still a nice day. :)

>98 thornton37814: Hi Lori! I haven't bought RL books for a while. I've been increasing my Kindle collection apace, but it was nice to find some good ones for $1.

>99 katiekrug: Hmmm. Somewhere... lol

>100 charl08: Thanks for the link. I will definitely take a look at the letters. I think projects like that are so valuable - gives people an opportunity to know so much more about a person. I am really looking forward to reading her book.

>101 cameling: Thanks Caro! I will pass the compliment along. :)

>102 BLBera: Thanks Beth. :) I do hope they are a little better organized next year. My daughter is already planning the next costume... a joy and a pain. Lol

#120 Empire of Ivory
#121 Tongues of Serpents

I read about half of Tongues of Serpents and was feeling rather confused. Then I realized I had skipped a book. I got hold of Empire of Ivory and read that, then finished up Tongues of Serpents. Less confused. Then I realized I had actually skipped two books. Victory of Eagles comes after Empire of Ivory. Oh well. Lol

This historical fiction/fantasy series imagines the world basically as we know it, except with dragons. It is creative and entertaining, although at times it felt a little repetitive. It has all the makings of an epic series, if only more of the characters were more thoroughly developed. Other than the main characters (Laurence and Temeraire) and some of the other dragons, the character development was a little flat. Perhaps that is because the author's intent was to spend more time imagining how the Napoleonic wars might have gone if dragons were part of the equation. She is definitely in her element describing battles and strategy and the political maneuvering between nations. Overall, I enjoyed this series very much. Looking forward to more from Naomi Novik.

>103 nittnut: I'm also purchasing fewer and fewer real books simply because of space issues.

>105 thornton37814: Absolutely. Space is definitely an issue, and (not that I'm planning on moving anytime soon) I have to consider how many books I think I might be willing to transport across the Pacific at some point.

#122 Being Pakeha - ANZAC

Being Pakeha is an autobiographical discussion of Michael King's interactions with the Maori people and how that informed his perception of what it means to be Pakeha and to live in a dual culture society. Because the book was written in the 1980's, it felt dated. I think some of the issues he raises have been addressed, or are being addressed. As he points out, fairly, it takes time to right wrongs without doing new wrongs, and a thoughtful approach to reparations and societal adjustment is the best way to go. I was happy to note that there is an updated version - Being Pakeha Now, published in 2004. I probably would have preferred to read a more up to date version, but I don't think the basic premise will have changed. Maori and Pakeha exist together, and they are the cultures of New Zealand. Being conscious of the differences and respectful will go a long way to improving relations and society as a whole.
My only quibble with this book was that I was hoping for more social commentary than personal anecdote. I understand why he wrote it the way he did though.

#123 Kissing Mr. Right

The free Kindle book - why did I choose it? Meh. It could have been a good one. The author has the bones of a neat little mystery/suspense story with romance included, but instead she opted for romance. Sigh. Alright for a sick day, I suppose.

#124 The Hangman

I'm not sure it's completely fair to count this, but I'm going to anyway. This is more of a short story, with a tidy little mystery solved by Gamache and Beauvoir. I definitely prefer the full books, and I'm looking forward to the newest one.

I didn't know she had any short stories/novelettes...hm...maybe I should look it up. I pre-ordered her new one and it should be waiting for me when I get home...nice welcome home treat to myself :)

Hi Jenn! Just passing through.....

Your Anzac list is looking impressive lately, I just flicked back to an earlier one and decided I need to read The Spare Room by Helen Garner. I have read essays of hers before and really liked her style....and the Michael King one, Being Pakeha looks like good reading too.

>109 katiekrug: Hi Katie!

>110 LovingLit: The Spare Room was excellent. I also think you'd like Being Paheha, but I recommend going with Being Pakeha Now as it's the updated version. I'd really like your take on it. It's really just a bit of fascinating sociology for me, so I'd like the POV of a "white native" Lol.

I had a day in the car, so I've been listening to Brideshead Revisited some more. I've got about 5 hours left. It's quite a book.

#125 A Good Man is Hard to Find - AAC

How does O' Connor create a character that the reader can know completely in just a few pages? Her sense of place is flawless and the stories are darkly humorous and bitingly critical of human nature. Her sense of timing was perfect, occasionally startling a laugh out of me, even in the bleakest moment of a story. "Good Country People" is a great example of O'Connor's dark humor taking advantage of one of her characters in a vulnerable moment. I was also occasionally baffled, but all of it together made a great read. I will try Wise Blood next.

I love O'Connor, Jenn, and surprisingly, my students do, too. I think they are amazed at how unexpected she is.

Hi Beth. I just came across this today - while browsing around and reading more about O'Connor.

The stories are hard but they are hard because there is nothing harder or less sentimental than Christian realism. I believe that there are many rough beasts now slouching toward Bethlehem to be born and that I have reported the progress of a few of them, and when I see these stories described as horror stories I am always amused because the reviewer always has hold of the wrong horror.

Wow, right?
Yes. I have just bought The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor. I am completely intrigued. I need to know more. I want a RL book club to discuss her. Lol

>84 nittnut: I'm glad you kind of let yourself go all pageant mum!

I've been going back and forth on digging into Wise Blood which is my selection for Mark's AAC-II. That comment in >114 nittnut: kind of helps. I can handle "hard" as long as I can make sense of it!

Hi Jenn. I'm catching up at last (and am already clicking on the Women's Bookshop list in another tab... thanks Kerry!).

M looks wonderful in her costume and I'm so impressed that she created it. Sorry to hear about the issues with the lack of rehearsal.

Yet again you're doing Kiwi better than I am - pavlova *and* Michael King!

>115 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. Lol - I guess we have to let it all out now and then. I've got Wise Blood on my Kindle, and I think I will read it this month. Let me know when you start!
I'm just finishing a non-fiction read and trying to get to the end of Brideshead Revisited, which I am not enjoying as much as others did. Might explain why it's taking a while. I do like Jeremy Irons as the narrator though.

>116 cushlareads: Hi Cushla! Kerry has the best lists, doesn't she? Here's hoping one of us wins those books! Your house is sure coming along. I am so excited to see it all come together. You make me laugh about doing Kiwi better than you. Ha! It's the curiosity of the visitor. Michael King was the selection for the ANZAC challenge this month. I mostly chose the shortest thing my library had since I've already read The Penguin History of New Zealand.
And my pav was a total fail. I think I baked it too hot or something. It tasted good, but it was all cracked. It probably isn't fair to blame Margo - even though she did open the oven... I'll have to try again sometime.

Lots of great reading here as always, Jenn.

Must say how well you have all settled into life in NZ.

Have a lovely remainder of your weekend. xx

#126 Justinian's Flea

*Heaves a big sigh* Well. I've learnt some things from this book. More than I bargained for, perhaps. I didn't hate this book. It's just not at all what it was advertised to be.

I will begin by adjusting the title of the book somewhat. Perhaps A History of 5th and 6th Century Rome: Empire and the Birth of Europe with a dash of Plague. I picked this book up several years ago, intrigued by the idea, as set out in the introduction, that an outbreak of Plague could have been the thing that tipped the Roman Empire over the edge. It's macabre, true, but I do enjoy a good pandemic story. This is not a good pandemic story. There are 162 pages of the history of events leading to the reign of Justinian and then events of the reign of Justinian. Battles, intrigue, the building of the Hagia Sophia, the Huns, the Visigoths and the Ostragoths (and the difference between the two), generals of great skill, or less skill, betrayal, jealous wives, doctrinal conflict among the Christians... I finally had to come up for air for a while. Way too much information for the scope of this book. Not to mention, I really just wanted to read about the plague. Finally, at page 165, we arrive. Not exactly at the plague, but to a discussion of the evolutionary history of bacteria. This is dealt with rather exhaustively and repetitively and with no doubt left in the mind of the reader that the author is totally convinced of the accuracy of the current evolutionary theories (already in some doubt just 8 years later). Then, a measly 40 pages or so that actually talk about the plague and suddenly, the author reverts back to political history and the possible meeting of China and Rome and we're reading about the Silk Road. So, lots of interesting stuff, if a bit random and jumpy in its organization at times, but not a book about the Plague.

>119 nittnut: Well. I can skip that one!

Hi Jenn - Our book club discussed The Habit of Being, which has been sitting next to my bed for two years, waiting for me to finish. It's just that 800 pages of letter -- or however many there are -- are so hard to read. I can usually only get through 3 or 4 pages at a sitting. Do the math.

I'm glad you liked your O'Connor book, Jenn. I am still extra busy with little time for reading these days. I might consider reading the title story and cheat just a little on this month's American Author. I hope Mark isn't peeking over my shoulder!

Oh Jenn... I feel your pain. I too was frustrated and disappointed when I read Justinian's Flea. I thought it was going to be all about the Plague. I felt so short changed by the author. I was expecting a study of fleas, how they were responsible for spreading the Plague that killed so many people. Bah!

>120 EBT1002: Indeed you can.

>121 BLBera: Well, I am rather fond of the epistolary style, so it might not be too bad for me. ;)

>122 Donna828: Ooh - the title story is stunning, but I liked "Good Country People" the best...

>123 cameling: Sigh. The old bait and switch. I will have to find myself a different plague book. Meanwhile, I've got a copy of A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, which is making me happy.

#127 A Fence Around the Cuckoo ANZAC

Ruth Park's autobiography reads like a novel. She begins with her earliest memories - the illness of her mother and how scary and confusing it was to her - then continues on through her school years, the Great Depression and on to her marriage. She is able to convey both a sense of place and a sense of the magical as she describes her early life in the bush of the Waikato. For her, life was not easy, but it was full of wonder. Her memories of her Irish grandmother and her aunties are hilarious, and the story of how she and her husband met and married is funny and sweet. I will definitely be reading more of her stories.

I cannot emphasize sufficiently the importance of my early life as a forest creature. The mindset it gave me has dominated my physical and spiritual being. The unitive eye with which all children are born was never taken away from me by the frauds of civilization; I always did know that one is all and all is one.

We lived together for twenty-five years less five weeks. We had many fiery disagreements but no quarrels, a great deal of shared and companionable literary work, and much love and constancy. Most of all I like to remember the laughter.

#128 Tom's Midnight Garden

Tom's brother has the measles, so Tom has to go be quarantined with his aunt and uncle. At first he is bored, but then he discovers a magical garden.

We listened to the dramatization and the kids and I really enjoyed it.

#129 Brideshead Revisited

This is a beautifully written story. I was a little worried it would end up the British version of The Great Gatsby, but it was not at all. The bonds of faith, friendship and family are tested and tried, and in the end faith wins. I am sure that there is a lot of symbolism that escaped me, but I really enjoyed the audio read by Jeremy Irons. The only part that dragged a little for me was the relationship between Charles and Julia. It was all a bit over-dramatic and impossible for my taste.

>118 PaulCranswick: You seem to have missed me above, Jenn.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

>126 nittnut: Oh, I *love* that one! It's waiting for Charlie on his shelves and I can't wait for him to discover it.

Hi Jenn - I want to read both Brideshead Revisited and Tom's Midnight Garden - the latter for a future Scout book of course. What a lot of good reading you've done lately.

>126 nittnut: That one sounds fun! I see Amber gave it her seal of approval!

I listened to the dramatization of Tom's Midnight Garden earlier this year and also thoroughly enjoyed it, Jenn.

>128 PaulCranswick: Oops! Apologies Paul. I hope you are all well! :) We've had a wet weekend, which is fine, if you don't need to do any washing. We are definitely ready for summer here.

>129 scaifea: I love the idea of Charlie just browsing his shelves and "discovering" things. So much fun..

>130 BLBera: Hi Beth. I'm having quite a good reading year. I've had very few duds, and a lot of really excellent reads. I must credit the AAC and the ANZAC challenges for much of it. I won't get too excited yet - kids are too young - but I really look forward to filling bookshelves for grandkids.

>131 thornton37814: Hello Lori. It was fun. My kids loved it. I think Anne (AMQS) recommended it on her thread and that's where I picked it up.

>132 lit_chick: Hi Nancy :) It was really well done. I can't think why I haven't read more of her books. We will work our way through them sometime.

So. A little moaning is going to happen now. My husband is having all the fun lately, and messing up my fun. He's in Samoa this week. He'll be back for a week and then he's off to Fiji, which work trip coincides with the Maroon 5 concert and our trip to Auckland. So now there's not going to be a concert and trip to Auckland and I can't go to Fiji with him either. Then he'll be back for a couple of weeks and then gone again, less exotically, to a conference in Christchurch. I must put my foot down and as soon as I figure out what I'm putting it down about, I will do that... at the very least, I think we will have to join him in Christchurch at the end of the conference. That could be manageable.

Still reading A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush which is charming, funny and horrifying all in one.
Off to make some Spaghetti Carbonara for dinner and then back to the book.

A warble for Paper Airplanes, if you want a warm fuzzy family movie. I watched it with the kids today. Really nice.

Our hearts are breaking. The parents of my brother's best friend, and my brother's second family were killed in a flash flood in Zions last week. Steve mentored my brother into the Sheriff's department, he officiated at my brother's wedding. Our whole family is devastated by this tragedy. But even in this awful situation, I am so inspired by the support they have received from other members of law enforcement in Utah and all the way home. There is comfort and beauty in the midst of great sorrow.

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/local/2015/09/21/zion-national-park-flood-...

So sorry for for your family's loss, Jenn. Those flash floods are scary. I saw the pictures on the news and my heart was in my mouth watching the vehicles being washed away.

My husband travels a lot, too, so I feel your pain even though I haven't missed out on a trip to Fiji!

I'm so sorry, Jenn. What a terrible thing.

Oh, Jenn, I'm so sorry to hear of your family's great loss. Thoughts and prayers to you.

How sad, Jenn. I am so sorry.

What a tragedy that was in Zion. I'm so sorry for your loss.

>135 nittnut: So sorry about your family's loss. We've been traveling ourselves and I didn't realize there had been a flood in Zion. Condolences.

Jenn, I'm so sorry.

Sorry to hear about your loss. I saw the news reports and it was all very sad and so sudden.

Also your lost weekend in Auckland, I think your hubby will have to come up with some sort of family treat to make up for all those work trips. Still you live in a beautiful part of NZ and summer is coming.

I've been lagging in the ANZAC challenge having spent so much time on the Christina Stead book. I noted your impressions of Ruth Park, I've only read her YA time slip Playing Beatie Bow which was excellent and I have most of her other work so must get round to reading one.

So sorry for your and your family's loss.

Sorry to hear of your family's loss. What a moving tribute.

Thanks Donna, Katie, Nancy, Beth, Joanne, Reba, Cushla, Kerry, Jim and Charlotte. I appreciate all of your kind words. It's been a rough week, but we are finding some happy things too. The memorial service is tomorrow and while I am sad that I can't be there, I am happy seeing the family and friends gather around and share happy memories on FB and by email.

#130 A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

I can see why this continues to be a popular read. It is both horrifying and hilarious, with a heavy dose of English understatement. Read the whole thing, from the Forward, written by Evelyn Waugh, to the Epilogue by Hank Carless. Finish grateful you've never done anything that crazy, or, if you have, that you survived to tell the tale.

Now for some lighter fare.

#131 Cotillion

A re-read, but this time a listen. I enjoyed the audio very much, although I did fall asleep one night and the book finished without me. I went back to where I thought I left off, and finished. I will save my review until Katie and Ellen are finished. :)

I am reading Nightbird, occasionally listening to Wise Blood, and The Nature of the Beast is in the queue.

My husband returned safely from Samoa. He brought Samoan Cocoa, which I can smell from here, and some very cool rocks. Not much else, other than some mosquito bites, good photos of our son who is at school there, and reports of a healthy and fairly happy kid. All good.

#132 Nightbird

A sweet and magical story of family, acceptance and love. A long time ago, Twig's family was cursed. Can Twig and her new friend lift the curse and make it so Twig's family can be together? A great book for 10 and up.

Dear Jenn, I am so sorry to hear of your family's loss at Zion. Those floods were terrifying and violent. It's always sad to read about tragedy, but hearing your story reminds me that they are always loved ones. I'm so sorry. How is your brother doing?

Sounds like good news from Samoa -- that's wonderful.

Sorry your pav didn't turn out, though I imagine it still tasted wonderful. I have had success with mini-pavs, which may be cheating, but not being Kiwi I blithely continue to make:)

Love Margo's wearable art!

And at least one BB -- Dreamer's Pond caught my eye. Glad you enjoyed Brideshead Revisited! I was just wondering if it might be time for a re-listen.

Hi Anne :) My brother is doing OK, thanks for asking. He's had a bit of a mixed bag of a week. Memorial services, and the wedding of a close friend. It's probably helpful to have some good mixed in.

#133 The Boy in the Olive Grove

I realized this one was due at the library, so I squeezed it in. It was pretty good. I would consider it an older YA book because of the themes.

On the surface, this is a bit of a cheesy teen romance, and a bit far-fetched at that. However, it also deals with themes of divorce, personality disorder, the life threatening illness of a parent, and the idea of reincarnation. This book would definitely prompt a good discussion of some serious topics.

#134 Queste

My daughter is keeping me going on this series. It's not that I don't like it, I do. There are just so many books...

These are clever and entertaining, and even though I struggle to start each one (so many books to read), once I start, I am transported to the world that Angie Sage has crafted so beautifully. Each book has a unique twist and I particularly like how the characters are growing and developing. A very enjoyable series for 10 and up (some scary bits though).

#135 The Last Battle

I finished reading the final book of the Narnia series with my son tonight. I have so enjoyed reading them with him.

This is the most obviously religious in tone, with the end of the world events and the warning against blindly following false leaders. It also has some odd bits - racist sounding comments about the Calormenes, negativity toward Susan's interest in worldly pursuits, and the whole Tash/Tashlan thing. However, the ending is lovely and my son and I had an interesting discussion about whether we agreed with C.S. Lewis's view of the afterlife.

Today is the first day of term break. The kids wanted to go to the beach, so we did. I read a book and they happily dug up pipis for an hour and a half. I didn't bring a bucket, so they had to put them back, but they had a great time. So did I. :) At one point, a backpacker wandered by, looked over at me happily reading in my hoodie (13C and breezy) and said, "Ah. Life is hell, isn't it?" We shared a happy grin and off he went on his tramp and I went back to my book.

>152 nittnut: Looks like you have a great book to read! I haven't gotten around to that one yet. Soon!

Stopping by to get caught up after a couple of weeks and very sorry to read about the loss your family has experienced due to the flash floods. Glad to see you were able to enjoy time at the beach with a good book. 13C is a bit chilly for me but it does look like you had sunny skies.

>153 thornton37814: Hi Lori. It was a good book :) I stayed up late to finish it last night.

>154 lkernagh: Hello Lori - it's a Lori morning... Thanks - it's been especially hard on my brother. He took on all the arrangements and the business of talking to the media, etc. and he's awesome, but it's very hard.
13C is a bit chilly, but I put up my hoodie and set my back to the wind, and it was all good.

Just a teaser. I have a story about a chicken and how we spent the morning. But I have to go somewhere, so I'll tell you later.

Well, darn. Colour me curious to learn more about this 'chicken' story.

>135 nittnut: Jenn, I am so sorry for your loss.

>158 Whisper1: Hello Linda - Thank you. :) I hope you are well.

>157 lkernagh: Haha Lori. OK. Here it is.

Last night, my husband went to see some friends. They are a bit older and they are getting ready to sell their farm and move into something a bit more manageable. They have been cleaning up their garden and getting things ready. Well, a free range chicken from up the hill keeps coming down and messing up the garden. So they gave it to my husband in a box and asked him to re-home it. It slept in the box in our back yard last night. I was planning to pass it on to some friends with a big piece of land.

This morning, my daughter, who loves and adores animals so much she has 2 pet snails, opened the box to let it out and feed and water it. She missed the memo that it's wings were not clipped. So we spent a good 2 hours this morning chasing that damn chicken from garden to garden up and down our street - while our neighbors just watched and laughed until they cried. My daughter has now watched a video on how to clip the wings and is ready to operate. Have I mentioned she wants to be a vet? I'm going to let her do it, but I think I'll encourage her to wait until her father is home and I'm off to karate. I feel I've spent enough time with the chicken today.

Here's a photo taken before the festivities.

LOL! Love the chicken story and Margo's sweet heart:)

And what a perfect way to way to spend the first day of term break.

#136 The Nature of the Beast

*Spoiler Alert* - mild spoilers, but still, be warned.

Of course I'm a huge fan of this series - you'd have to be to be this far along. The Nature of the Beast was no disappointment, but it was definitely different. Every now and then, Louise Penny likes to do something just a little different. It keeps things interesting for all of us, I suppose. The last one I read that really felt different was The Beautiful Mystery, which takes place entirely in a monastery.
Perhaps because it was based on a true story, The Nature of the Beast had a heavier feel to it. The people of Three Pines, particularly our old and familiar friends, seemed a bit more oppressed than usual. There was less banter and more suspicion. Gamache is trying to figure out what he wants to do and trying to banish the demons of the past. Beauvoir has matured and feels things more deeply than he did before. I like seeing the relationship of Beauvoir and Gamache deepen as well. Olivier was almost non-existent in this story. I missed him. There were a lot of seemingly random and unrelated threads that needed to be gathered and connected. It was fascinating to see how Penny took all the various threads and connected them plausibly in the end. I wasn't really surprised by the reveal of the murderer though of course I stayed up late to be sure.

I am happy to see this series continue. I am also hearing good things about the new narrator. I suppose I will have a listen and see what I think.

Up next: The Bone Clocks, which I am struggling to get into, and then The Martian.

>160 AMQS: Hi Anne! Margo is just desperate for a pet. I'd get her a dog if I thought we were more permanently settled. As it is... Pet snails are fun, but I guess a chicken could be more fun. The poos get to me. It won't be free ranging in my yard, that's for sure. We don't even know if the landlord will let us keep it here, so it's still uncertain. I was hoping the long chase this morning would give her pause, but no. We will keep you all posted. Lol

Today we went to a really neat nature reserve called Staglands. I will have to get more photos off my other camera, but it was gorgeous and we had so much fun. The drive there was scary. 17 km of basically a single lane road, hairpin turns all the way, and a posted speed limit of 50 kph. No freaking way was I going 50 kph. Maybe 25 Lol. Felt like the Xgames version of driving. Here's a photo of part of the drive:



Maybe more photos of birds and baby animals, etc. later.

And pardon the Mom-bragging, but here's Margo getting the Ninja belt at karate for the second time. *huge Grin*

Oh, Jenn, thanks for the morning laugh, LOL! So we spent a good 2 hours this morning chasing that damn chicken from garden to garden up and down our street - while our neighbors just watched and laughed until they cried.

Way to go, Margo, on getting the Ninja belt!

Thanks for the chicken story. Always nice to start the day with a chuckle :)

>159 nittnut: - That story was worth waiting for! I don't blame you for wanting to be off to karate when your daughter clipped the chicken's wings. ;-)

Congrats to Margo on getting Ninja belt X2!

>163 lit_chick: Hi Nancy. :) It was pretty funny. The epic moment, and of course I was holding a broom and not a camera, was when it landed on the neighbor's window sill and my daughter just got fed up and grabbed its feet and held on. We popped it right back in the box, gave it some water, and left it.

>164 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. Happy to help out. :)

>165 lkernagh: I thought so too Lori, imagine my feelings when I got home and it hadn't been done?

So, after all the drama and comic entertainment, the landlord said Nope to chickens. So we took it out to the farm of another friend today. She was happy to take it, and my daughter can visit it when she likes. Honestly, I'm relieved. Lol.

On the subject of books... I am about 80 pp in to The Bone Clocks and I don't like it. Anybody read it and liked it? Does it get better? I'm about to abandon it, RL book club or no.

Some photos from Staglands:





One of the best thing about this place is how much space there is for the kids to just run. E is up on the goat paths, running with the sheep and deer.