Katie's Reading Retreat - Chapter 6

Nuala is outraged that Leonard has taken her spot.

_________________________________________

For anyone new to my thread, I’m Katie: reader, wine drinker, food appreciator, shenanigan-ator, and non-sufferer of fools. I live outside New York City with my husband, "The" Wayne, our cat, Leonard, and our dog, Nuala/Noodles.

My reading varies widely - I love genre fiction (romance and crime), contemporary and historical fiction, and narrative nonfiction. I try to balance my reading in all these areas. I also use my thread as a bit of a life journal, which mostly means I talk about what I’m cooking, eating, drinking, watching, doing, and avoiding doing.

Thanks for being here!

Currently Reading
(Kindle) (Audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED

Books Off My Shelf: 16
Books Off My Kindle: 11
Books from Audible/Chirp: 1
Library Loans (print/e-books/audios): 40
Friend Loan:

APRIL
68. Rape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates (3.75 stars)
67. The Appeal by Janice Hallett (4 stars)
66. Funny Feelings by Tarah Dewitt (audio) (3.5 stars)
65. Unfollow Me by Jill Louise Busby (audio) (3.5 stars)
64. Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie (3.75 stars)
63. The Red Car by Marcy Dermansky (audio) (2.5 stars)
62. The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn (4 stars)
61. The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell (audio) (3 stars)
60. Talking to the Dead by Helen Dunmore (4.25 stars)
59. Starting from Happy by Patricia Marx (3.5 stars)
58. The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash (4 stars)
57. Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper (audio) (4 stars)
56. Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson (4 stars)
55. The Intimate City: Walking New York by Michael Kimmelman (audio) (5 stars)
54. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren (4.5 stars)
53. Piglet by Lottie Hazell (audio) (3.75 stars)
52. How To Be a Girl in the World by Caela Carter (4.25 stars)

Did Not Finish (YTD)
01. Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen
02. The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton
03. The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis (will try this one again at some point)
04. This Is My America by Kim Johnson (might try in print; did not enjoy audio narrator)
05. The Evidence of Things Not Seen by James Baldwin
06. Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon

Q1 COMPLETIONS

MARCH
Favorite:

51. The Boys in the Trees by Mary Swan (4 stars)
50. Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter (audio) (4 stars)
49. Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Corwin (audio) (4 stars)
48. Trash: A Poor White Journey by Cedar Monroe (3.75 stars)
47. Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan (5 stars)
46. Charm City by Monica McCallan (audio) (3 stars)
45. Wednesday Walks & Wags by Melissa Storm (2 stars)
44. Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart (audio) (3.5 stars)
43. The All-Night Sun by Diane Zinna (audio) (3 stars)
42. Kala by Colin Walsh (4.25 stars)
41. Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles (audio) (3.5 stars)
40. Alias Emma by Ava Glass (3 stars)
39. Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle (audio) (2.5 stars)
38. Sky Burial by Xinran (3.5 stars)
37. The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney (audio) (4 stars)
36. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (4.25 stars)
35. The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell (3.25 stars)
34. Days of Awe by Lauren Fox (audio) (4 stars)
33. The Cactus League by Emily Nemens (4.5 stars)
32. A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde (audio) (3.5 stars)
31. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham (3.75 stars)
30. Scoreless by Skye McDonald (3.5 stars)

FEBRUARY
Favorites:

29. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (audio) (5 stars)
28. Looker by Laura Sims (audio) (4.5 stars)
27. The Body in the Dales by J.R. Ellis (2.5 stars)
26. You Say It First by Katie Cotugno (audio) (3.5 stars)
25. At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier (4 stars)
24. Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley (audio) (4 stars)
23. Broken Harbor by Tana French (4.25 stars)
22. No Baggage by Clara Bensen (audio) (2.5 stars)
21. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton (audio) (4.5 stars)
20. A Day at the Office by Matt Dunn (4 stars)
19. Tar Baby by Toni Morrison (3.5 stars)
18. Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris (3.75 stars)
17. Perennials by Julie Cantrell (audio) (2.5 stars)
16. Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous (4 stars)
15. Just a Heartbeat Away by Cara Bastone (audio) (3.75 stars)

JANUARY

Favorite:

14. Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay (audio) (3 stars)
13. Intercepted by Alexa Martin (3.5 stars)
12. Go Back to Where You Came From by Wajahat Ali (audio) (3.5 stars)
11. Ruined by Sarah Vaughn et. al. (3 stars)
10. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (4.25 stars)
09. Day by Michael Cunningham (audio) (4.5 stars)
08. The Birdcage by Marcia Willett (2.5 stars)
07. London't Number One Dog Walking Agency by Kate MacDougall (audio) (4 stars)
06. The Summer of Katya by Trevanian (2.5 stars)
05. Let's Be Just Friends by Camilla Isley (audio) (2 stars)
04. Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty (audio) (4.5 stars)
03. The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis (audio) (4.25 stars)
02. The Adults by Caroline Hulse (4 stars)
01. Shady Hollow by Juneau Black (audio) (3 stars)

My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

5 stars = Perfect, for me
4.5 stars = Excellent read
4 stars = Good read
3.5 stars = Not a waste of time
3 stars = Some redeeming qualities, but I wish I’d read something else
2.5 stars = Didn’t work for me
2 stars = Why didn’t I DNF it?

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)

Welcome!

I’m first! Is there a prize? 😂

Happy new thread, Katie!

Happy new thread!

>1 katiekrug: Cats are so unconcerned...

New 🧵 orisons, Katie!

Thank you all!

>6 lauralkeet: - Here you go, because I first read your comment as "Is there pizza?"

OMG I loooove that!

Happy New Thread, Katie!

>12 lauralkeet: - What's not to love? Puppy and pizza!

>13 msf59: - Thanks, Mark!

Happy new one, Amber!

I'm Katie, Jim 😂

Doh! Wrong thread!😂

>17 drneutron: - You are forgiven. There's way worse people to be mistaken for than Amber :D

Happy new thread, Katie. You've had a streak of good reads lately.

Happy new thread, Katie!!

Happy New Thread, Katie! That pizza looks delicious! We went out for pizza last week and you are making me hungry.

Happy new thread, Katie.
It's not quite lunch time, I'm hungry and >11 katiekrug: has not helped one iota! Nor is my tuna salad looking terribly appealing right now either>;-)

>19 BLBera: - I have ahd a good streak, Beth. But when I hit a dud, it's usually a big one...

>20 curioussquared: - Thanks, Natalie!

>21 vancouverdeb: - Sorry for making you hungry, Deborah :)

>22 Helenliz: - And apologies to you as well, Helen :)

Pizza > tuna.

>23 katiekrug: Pizza > tuna
That's exactly what I was thinking, Katie!

>24 lauralkeet: - And I like tuna, but there's no contest!

Good morning from a grey and rainy Northern NJ... It's supposed to rain for the next few days, but light enough over that period that we shouldn't have any flooding concerns.

Yesterday was a good day - I got some stuff done and had plenty of chill time. Today, I am planning to tidy up for Maribel, who is coming tomorrow instead of Thursday. I also need to do some dusting and vacuuming in the areas she doesn't clean. Friends are picking me up tonight to go to trivia, so I won't be solo.

Books:
I finished How To Be a Girl in the World yesterday and started The True Love Experiment (recommended by Micky yesterday and my library had the Kindle book available so I snatched it up). On audio, I started Piglet (no, it's not a Winnie the Pooh story).

Viewing:
I had grand plans for lots of TV watching, but I got sucked into the Iowa-LSU wbb game.

Happy new thread, Katie!

>27 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia!

I'm really enjoying watching women's college basketball. We've had it on as much as the men's tournament this year.

I'm glad the rain hasn't been nutso, and doesn't look like it will be. That should make the trivia trip less stressful for you.

Happy new thread! That puppy/pizza picture brightened my day!

New thread happiness, Katie.

>29 japaul22: - There are some great players and teams, aren't there? Of course, there usually are, and it's nice to see them getting attention/air time!

>30 richardderus: - I'm going back and forth about trivia. I can now see the river from the deck, though it's still well below flood stage. I'll just keep my eye on the radar and make a decision closer to the time.

>31 foggidawn: - Thanks, foggi!

>32 weird_O: - Thank you, Bill!

>33 katiekrug: It is so nice to see women getting more equal coverage and air time. I have been saying to my husband for a decade that no one can say "but no one watches women's sports" when they aren't even on tv regularly or getting equal coverage. With that starting to change, most visibly here with the U.S. national soccer team and NCAA basketball, we can see that there is a market for women's sports. My eleven year old son asked this year why we didn't do a bracket for women's basketball. I was embarrassed that we hadn't and assured him that we will next year!

How To Be a Girl in the World by Caela Carter

This is a very good and important read, and I'm thinking of sending it as a gift to my cousin, Abby, who is 10, but I probably won't because I am tired of sending gifts and not having them acknowledged. But that's another story!

In this one, Lydia is a 12 year old who feels out of step with her friends because she doesn't like the obnoxious attention she gets from her male classmates. She also feels out of step with her family because she seems to be the only one to feel creeped out by her mother's boyfriend. She knows she must be the "weirdo" but she can't help how she feels, and the ultimate lesson of the book is about validating feelings and having agency over one's body.

I found this got a little repetitive, but I am also not a big reader of middle school books, so it might be par for the course to drive some points home like that. I did love the ending and how Lydia learned from her mother's defense of her. And I really wanted Jeremy to get punched in the nuts but I guess that wouldn't be age approproate. Amber recommended this and wrote an excellent review, so you should read what she had to say, if the book sounds at all like your thing.

4.25 stars

>35 katiekrug: You (and Amber) got me with a BB for How to Be a Girl in the World. Thanks!

Karen O

>35 katiekrug: I already have this one checked out thanks to Amber's review and am glad you liked it too!

>36 klobrien2: - Great! I hope you like it.

>37 curioussquared: - That Amber is such an influencer.... :)

Crossing my fingers that the river behaves itself.

Also, I think that's the fastest turnaround I've had from BB to someone reading it. Hope you enjoy it!

>40 MickyFine: - Thanks for the crossed fingers, Micky!

Yeah, it sounded like exactly what I was in the mood for, so I'm glad it was available.

>24 lauralkeet:/>25 katiekrug: you're not wrong, but tuna salad was what I had for lunch.
Having said that, I'm wfh today and there is pizza in the freezer...

Hope the river behaved/behaves and that trivia was fun.

>42 Helenliz: - Yay for pizza!

River is okay right now, but the rain is supposed to get heavier so I'm trying not to stress. After a certain point, there is nothing I can do, so.... *shrug* (That's what I tell myself but it doesn't help much.)

Good morning, friends. We came in 6th of 17 teams last night, so not too bad. I had NE clam chowder and half a grilled cheese.

We got a break from the rain for a few hours, which is good. Continued crossed fingers, though, please... It's going to rain all day. What really annoys me is that this stress is preventing me from enjoying my solo time!

I'll be taking Nuala to day care this morning and then hanging out in my office while Maribel does her thing. The afternoon will be reserved for books and puzzles to keep me distracted. Not sure what's for dinner but there are options in the freezer...

Books:
I'm really enjoying The True Love Experiment, about a quarter of the way in. On audio, I am not loving Piglet but it's not terrible.

Viewing:
This week's University Challenge which was a doozy!

Hope the rain/water situation passes without incident Katie.
"Doozy" is right!

>45 lauralkeet: - Thank you, Laura!

What a match that was. Looking forward to next week...

>44 katiekrug: Happy Maribel Day! The sodden air is depressing for me, but that's all...I hope you don't have any excitement whatsoever today.

>35 katiekrug: I will have to see if I can track down a copy of that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Katie - and Amber!

>44 katiekrug: Yay for the trivia - and the break from the rain. I hope the break helps the river calm down somewhat.

I hope the rain isn't too bad! I am also currently in my office hiding from our cleaners :)

>47 richardderus: - Thanks, RD. No excitement here :D

>48 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia. We escaped!

>49 curioussquared: - Thank you, Natalie!

I'm so glad the evening/overnight passed without incident, Katie. I hope this helps you enjoy your remaining solo time.

Well, I think I can finally enjoy my solo time, as the storm(s) have passed and we only got some minor flooding in the backyard. Hooray! It did get very windy, so then I was worried about falling trees/branches, but all was well. Nuala doesn't like wind, so she insisted on sleeping in bed with me and even allowed Leonard to, too. So we were nice and cozy all night :-P

Not sure what I'll do today other than not obsessively check the radar and river gauge. Heh. I have some errands I could run but I could also do those tomorrow, so I'll play it by ear...

Books:
I finished Piglet on audio and will start The Intimate City today. Still enjoying The True Love Experiement on Kindle.

Viewing:
A couple of episodes of 'Sex Education.'

>51 lauralkeet: - Cross-posted, Laura!

Yes, I'm looking forward to not walking around with a ball of anxiety in my stomach :)

Relieved you didn't have flooding or wind damage, Katie. It was pretty wicked here, and our power went out, but falling limbs and trees managed to miss us.

>53 katiekrug: I hope that anxiety-ball stays gone. I'm dealing with the physiological aftermath of the improving weather, but it's worth it.

>54 laytonwoman3rd: - I'm relieved, too, Linda. I was a bit worried about the power going out (no power = no sump pump) but it didn't even flicker.

>55 richardderus: - The anxiety is definitely gone. I've stocked up the wine rack, had lunch from a local deli, and am looking forward to an afternoon of reading and puzzling/listening.

Sorry you're still in pain.

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

Piglet (we don't learn her real name until the very end of the book) is a product of middle class parents from the hinterlands of England, who has created a successful life for herself in London as an assistant cookbook editor. She has a well-to-do fiance, a nice circle of friends, a beautiful new house, and an opulent wedding in two weeks. But what happens when the life one has created is essentially hollow and its fragility is revealed in one crushing blow?

I had trouble connecting with Piglet as a character. I found her exasperating. And since it's a very internal novel, not having that connection hindered my enjoyment of it. That said, the essential themes Hazlett is addressing are interesting ones, and I appreciated her approach to them. Also, the descriptions of food were marvelous and evocative and never failed to make me hungry.

At heart, this is a sad story. I think I was expecting something a bit more light-hearted. Jennifer Weiner, writing in The New York Times, said it should be classified as horror, if only for one particular scene that was excruciating to read. It wasn't a bad book, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it. It just didn't fully work for me.

3.75 stars

Hope you are making the best of your solo time now that the rainy weather has passed, Katie. Happy newish thread!

Happy Friday, Katie!

>52 katiekrug: Glad the storm has passed and you are able to relax.

>58 Familyhistorian: and >59 figsfromthistle: - Thank you, Meg and Anita!

I hope you have a great start to the weekend.

Such a gorgeous day! Carys Davies got me through the uglies, and to this perfect day. Hoping your reads do the same for you.

Happy Friday! The Wayne will be home late-ish tonight, and I'm looking forward to seeing him :)

Until he arrives, I'll be doing not much of anything. I have to run to CVS to pick up a prescription, and I might stop at the diner for pancakes. TW isn't a big breakfast guy, but I love me a diner breakfast. Other than that, I have some tidying up to do and some books to read and some puzzles to work on. I ordered Chinese last night, so I'll have leftovers for dinner (Singapore mei fun).

Books:
I'm almost done with The True Love Experiment and will definitely finish it today. Not sure what's next. On audio, I started The Intimate City and it is fabulous. I'm learning a lot about a city I love.

Viewing:
I binged a bunch of episodes of 'Physical: 100,' a Korean reality show about tests of strength. I heard about it from an NPR newletter and it's completely mindless entertainment. Good for watching while stuffing one's face with noodles and wine.

>61 richardderus: - It's gone overcast here, but I am hoping the sun that greeted me when I woke up will return soon :)

Yay for Carys Davies!

Ooh I love a nice breakfast out, at a diner or anywhere that makes a hot breakfast. You should def treat yourself today!

>64 lauralkeet: - The problem is, I am not very hungry :-P

_______________________________

Earthquake! I thought a big gust of wind had hit the house, but looking out the window, the tree branches weren't moving. The shaking lasted about 20 seconds. Nuala did not like it.

Crazy...

>65 katiekrug: Magnitude 1.7 quake was felt here, too...really really weird!

>66 richardderus: - It was centered not too far from me, I believe. Jersey rocks the world!

Checking in 'cause I saw that NJ/NY was in the center of the quake. One of my friends texted a group text not long ago to ask if we were all okay and I, noticing nothing, had no idea what she was talking about. But apparently it could be felt in MA as well.

>65 katiekrug: The problem is, I'm not very hungry
Breakfast for lunch is pretty nice too.

>66 richardderus:, >67 katiekrug:, >68 bell7: I didn't know about the earthquake until receiving this from Kate:
In case u hear about an earthquake in NY we’re fine and I totally missed it bc I had AirPods in

>68 bell7: - All good here! Thanks for checking :)

>69 lauralkeet: - Yeah, but now I don't want to go out, because I'd rather die in the rubble of my own home ;-)

There was distinct shaking here, so I would have felt it even without hearing anything. I know it was minor compared to other places, but it was a really weird feeling! As my bff said, "I would never survive in California."

Hope that's a one and done event, Katie.

We felt the earthquake here, too. Lots of shaking.

>71 laytonwoman3rd: - I hope so, too!

Did you feel it up where you are?

>72 vivians: - So weird, right?

>Too bad TW missed it! Unless it went far north?

>69 lauralkeet:,>70 katiekrug:,>71 laytonwoman3rd: The preliminary epicenter magnitude of between 4.8 and 5.5 is a pretty hefty shake! It felt a lot lower here. The only thing I'd worry about here on our sandbar is gas pipeline leaks...where you are, Katie, since it's not sandy, that is not a significant worry. Neil deGrasse Tyson was tweeting about it just now.

>74 vivians: - He's so mad he missed it. I told him I'd rock his world when he gets home, LOL!

>75 richardderus: - I saw that NJ transit has halted trains while inspecting for track/bridge/tunnel damage. And the Holland tunnel is closed for inspection (I would assume the Lincoln, too)... Better clear up in time for TWs arrival home!

>65 katiekrug: >:-0 Glad you're not all shook up!

I love a good breakfast, but not until lunch. Can't possibly face breakfast at breakfast time! I've taken to having dippy egg & soldiers for lunch occasionally on wfh days, which was my favorite Saturday breakfast as a child.

Just saw about the earthquake, Katie, and immediately thought of you. I'm glad you're okay, sorry Nuala Didn't Like It.

>73 katiekrug: No, not a tremor, Katie. I don't know if others in the general area did or not. Will put on the local news in a few minutes.
ETA: Appparently there was a bit of shaking in the vicinity. We must be sitting on a big ol' rock.

Happy Earthquake Day, Katie. When I saw the news, I immediately wondered if you felt it.

>77 Helenliz: - Your dippy egg and soldiers is similar to a chidhood favorite of mine - buttered toast with a fried egg (over easy) on top!

>78 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen. Nuala recovered quickly, as did I :)

>79 laytonwoman3rd: - The epicenter was out west of here, and given how far away it was felt, I would have been surprised if no one in your area felt anything!

>80 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth! I don't mind a little excitement to liven up my day.

I hope the earthquake didn't delay the Wayne's return, Katie. We're on a fault so feel them periodically. Strange to have one in your neck of the woods.

Like Meg, I live on a fault, so we do feel them every now and then. Knock on wood, they are usually quite mild, though we are told " The Big One " could hit at any time. Glad you are fine.

>82 Familyhistorian: and >83 vancouverdeb: - Thank you, Meg and Deborah! I have learned there are three faults in New Jersey, and yesterday's quake was caused by the Ramapo Fault which is reasonably active, just usually not a 4.8. Apparently there was a decent aftershock around 6pm, but I didn't feel anything.

The Wayne arrived home right on time last night - I picked him up at our local station at 10:15. We are going to the Yankees game tonight, so Nuala will be staying overnight at her day care/boarding place. I'll take her later this morning and then run a few errands. We'll get the train around 4:30 and have dinner in the city before heading uptown.

Books:
I finished The True Love Experiment yesterday and started Queen Lucia, my Julia Memorial Read for April. On audio, I'm still really enjoying The Intimate City.

Viewing:
I finished season 1 of 'Physical: 100' and watched a couple of episodes of 'Sex Education.'

>85 katiekrug: glad he's back on schedule.

I'll post this on a couple of threads, I'm looking for ideas of poetry,readings etc that feature bells &/or bellringing.
Any ideas, throw them my way.
Thanks

Pleased to hear TW got back without delays. Have a grand time in the city!

>86 Helenliz: - Hi Helen! I searched my LT catalgue (and brain) and the only thing I came up with is The Bells by Richard Harvell. I haven't read it yet, so can't recommend it but you might give it a look.

And, of course, there is The Hunchback of Notre Dame (which I also have not read).

And Edgar Allan Poe wrote a poem called "The Bells" which I vaguely remember from school.

>87 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky!

Happy Sunday! We had a great time at the baseball game, though it was COLD. I ended up buying a blanket about halfway through. Best over-priced merch I've ever bought! It was an exciting game with lots of offense, and the Yankees won :)

This morning, I will pick up Nuala from her sleep-over. The rest of the day will be quiet, as I'm pretty tired. We didn't get home until 1am or so. Grocery shopping and laundry can wait until tomorrow, and I've already told TW I'm not cooking, so we'll either go out or order in.

Books:
Not much book time yesterday, but I managed a little bit of Queen Lucia and one chaper of The Intimate City on audio.

Viewing:
Just the game.

>89 katiekrug: Glad they won the home opener. Queen Lucia worked its magic on you yet?

Enjoy the gorgeous day with The Wayne.

>90 richardderus: - Technically, they lost the home opener (it was Friday) but a win is a win!

QL is proving to be a fun read.

Hope you are also enjoying the lovely day!

...yesterday wasn't Friday...? Oh dear, I'm coming unmoored in time. That will be fine with me, if it means I get to look like twenty-years-younger Eric Bana....

I walked around enough to make my gout hurt because it is so gorgeous!

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Many thanks to Micky for immediately putting this on my wish list; and to my library for having a Kindle copy instantly available.

What a delightful read! From the start, I loved both Fizzy and Connor and the humor throughout the book. The premise was interesting (a writer's-blocked romance author agrees to star on a dating show) and allowed for lots of discussion of romance as a genre, the disdain some people have for it, various tropes, and what finding a Happily Ever After means.

This was my first book by Christina Lauren (a best-friend writing duo), and I look forward to more.

4.5 stars

>92 richardderus: - I'm sorry you had to be in pain to enjoy it.

Happy Sunday! >93 katiekrug: I enjoyed this one too :)

>88 katiekrug: thanks, any additions to the list welcomed.
Weekend gone quite well, thanks. Same to you.

Happy Sunday, Katie. Thanks for your film recs over on Laura's thread. I requested both. I am a film nut, along with being a book nut and it is rare to find someone to discuss foreign film with.

Hi Katie, I was surprised that you felt an earthquake as I didn't know that your part of the continent was affected by them. We often get small shakes but actually haven't had anything for some time. Apparently it's a good thing to feel the small ones, they keep the pressure from building up into a large one.

>95 curioussquared: - ARe you a Lauren fan, Natalie? Any others you'd particularly recommend? There are A LOT....

>96 Helenliz: - Happy to help!

>97 msf59: - TBH, Mark, most of my viewing of foreign films came through that college course I referenced. I should make more of an effort... You would have loved that class and the professor. I took it to fulfill an Arts requirement, and it was fantastic. IF you're interested, I'll try to remember others we watched. My bff took it with me and she has a better memory than I do, so we could probably remember most of them...

>98 DeltaQueen50: - Hi Judy! Are you back to being connected to the outside world?!?!

The earthquake was a bit of a surprise to me, too, but it's not unheard of around here. Just rare and usually super minor.

Speaking of The Great New Jersey Earthquake of 2024, please enjoy this clip from Saturday Night Live:

https://youtu.be/ixkww7puZ_I

>99 katiekrug: I am a medium Christina Lauren fan. I have liked most of their stuff, loved a few, and disliked one or two. The only one I really don't recommend is The Unhoneymooners. My favorites include Something Wilder, The Soulmate Equation, and In a Holidaze. Love and Other Words, Twice in a Blue Moon, and Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating are all somewhere in the middle of the pack.

>101 curioussquared: - Thanks for that, Natalie!

Welcome to a new week, friends. I've got boring stuff to do today like grocery shopping and laundry. And I need to get back on the cooking train. I'm starting off easy with chopped chicken salad for dinner tonight.

Yesterday was very chill, and we went out for an early dinner before coming home and watching TV. Exciting stuff...

Books:
Still enjoying Queen Lucia and still loving The Intimate City.

Viewing:
The women's basketball final, last week's 'Top Chef' and 'Last Chance Kitchen' and s2e1 of 'Physical: 100' which The Wayne is now hooked on too.

Morning, Katie! Enjoy the eclipse later on this abosolutely gorgeous day.

Oh, for crying out loud!

Wordle 1,024 6/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>104 richardderus: - No plans to actually look at it but I'm looking forward to the weird darkening :)

>105 katiekrug: ack. that's no fun!

Have fun with your "boring stuff" today and a return to cooking. Chicken salad sounds pretty good!

>57 katiekrug: I think I will give that one a pass. I am sorry it was not a better read for you.

>65 katiekrug: I do not think I would like it any more than Nuala did. Glad that the earthquake did not cause any issues for you.

Have a marvelous Monday!

>107 lauralkeet: - Super frustrating!

And thanks :)

>108 alcottacre: - They can't all be winners!

Thanks, Stasia.

>105 katiekrug: Wordle took me all six tries today, as well -- same issue as you, guessing at that first letter!

>105 katiekrug: >110 foggidawn: I got it in 5, but I did the same thing as you two! Pfui!

Karen O

>110 foggidawn: and >111 klobrien2: - I was so optimistic after my second guess!

UC Final tonight Katie!
Despite being a Purdue alum, I'm more excited about this than the men's hoops!

>113 lauralkeet: - Yes! I made a note of it on my calendar so I wouldn't forget to watch tonight :)

I have a vague interest in the basketball game because I picked Purdue to win the whole thing.

>112 katiekrug: Same! I was thinking, "Oh, I'm going to get this one in three!"

not to brag* but I did get the Wordle in 3 today

______________

*yes to brag

>105 katiekrug: At least you got it!! LOL

>115 foggidawn: - Glad I wasn't alone :)

>116 norabelle414: - *snort* Brag away!

>117 Berly: - Yeah, but.......

>99 katiekrug: I am now connected to my new internet server, and I think our landline is good so now we are just waiting for them to come and connect the tv's. I am happy that I can almost see an end to this!

>119 DeltaQueen50: - Yay for progress!

Not much to report from yesterday, as things went pretty much as expected. I skipped the laundry so that's on tap for today. We also have a video call with our financial guy (boring), and I should make a couple of calls myself (gross). It's going to be in the 70s here (also gross), which reminds me I need to see about getting someone out to do a spring clean-up of the front and back yards. Trivia tonight!

Books:
I finished The Intimate City: Walking New York yesterday, and it was fabulous. Taking its place in the audio rotation is Our Homesick Songs. I should finish up Queen Lucia today.

Viewing:
The 'University Challenge' final which was disappointingly lopsided and an episode of 'Sex Education.'

Agree about the UC final, although we still enjoyed it.

>122 lauralkeet: - I'm thinking of watching some of the season with the guy highlighted in the NYT article...

The Intimate City: Walking New York by Michael Kimmelman

I loved this book. Kimmelman is The New York Times' architecture critic, and as COVID largely shut down the city, he invited architects, engineers, urban planners, landscape architects, and others to take walks with him through various neighborhoods of New York. The resulting conversations cover natural history, cultural and social history, land use issues, public vs. private space, among other things. It was fascinating. I learned so much from the journey(s) - whether about the natural history of the Bronx, the development of Rockefeller Center, the use of green space in Forest Hills.... I could go on. Every single entry was eye-opening. My only quibble, as the best friend of a Staten Islander, is that the Forgotten Borough was once again ignored - not a single walk covered it.

For anyone who loves New York, this is a must read. It would also be a great guide for visitors to the city to move beyond the usual tourist areas.

I listened to this on audio and I think the format worked well with the conversational style of the book. That said, I plan to get a hardcover edition for my permanent library.

5 stars

>125 katiekrug: oh hell

*trudges off to Ammy*

>122 lauralkeet: that would be a good way to pass the time until next season!

This past season started in mid-July. I'm now following Amol Rajan on Insta, which is probably the best way for me to find out when the new season starts.

>125 katiekrug: The Intimate City looks like a great read! I’ve got it requested. And I am someone who has never visited the city in real life, but I feel as if I know certain areas from TV shows and movies! Looking forward to this read.

Karen O

>126 richardderus: - I think you'll like it! Fascinating stuff.

>127 lauralkeet: - I will rely on you to let me know when the new season starts :D

>128 klobrien2: - It'd be a good read for anyone who likes history in all its forms. I especially love social and cultural history myself.

>125 katiekrug: Sounds like a must-have, all right. If I ever get to NYC again, I'm afraid I won't be doing much walking (my feet just can't take it these days), but I really want to read that anyway. I just requested that my library purchase a copy.

>130 laytonwoman3rd: - I realized after going to the baseball game on Saturday that I need to go into training for when my nephew(ish) comes to visit in June, or I'm not going to be able to keep up!

And the good news is, if you come back, a lot of the walks had certain highlights that one could visit via public transportation or car/cab/Lyft/etc. :) I found the section on Rockefeller Center especially interesting and need to go visit (not at Christmas!) so I can see some of the details discussed - like an emblem of Fascist Italy on one of the buildings!

>125 katiekrug: that does sound fascinating.

>132 Helenliz: - Perhaps it would entice you to a visit? :D

Happy Hump Day! We came in FIRST at trivia last night, out of 23 teams. We were super surprised but pleased. I had shrimp tacos.

Today, I will be making a quick run to the store to get a few things for the dinners I have planned the rest of the week. I'll also swing by the wine store. Chicken sausage and peppers for dinner tonight.

Books:
I finished Queen Lucia and started The Last Ballad. On audio, I'm enjoying Our Homesick Songs.

Viewing:
Nada

Congrats on the big trivia win Katie! You guys are a force to be reckoned with.

>135 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura!

>134 katiekrug: Hurrah on the win!

>134 katiekrug: Trivia ROYALTY! Excellent result. I'm more than a little envious of your sausage and peppers when I'm staring down the barrel of dry chicken roasted to death served on plain noodles. *sigh*

>137 Helenliz: - It was very satisfying. We won by 4 points - would have been even more if he'd listened to me about Beyonce and I'd listened to him about 'Back to the Future' and if we'd listened to each other about 'The Office' :-P

>138 richardderus: - The (new) bartender was so impressed that we won, despite it just being the two of us since most teams have at least 4 people, that he gave us a round of drinks on him :)

Sorry about your dinner. That does not sound nice...

>134 katiekrug: Happy mid week!

Congrats on your first place finish.

Congrats on the trivia win! Shrimp tacos sound most excellent.

Good Show! to you and The Wayne. And thanks for the BookBullet. :-) (The Kimmelman)

>93 katiekrug: Yay! I'm glad it was a hit with you.

Have fun exploring their catalogue! All the titles Natalie recommended, I second (although I haven't read The Unhoneymooners so I can't say whether that would be a dislike for me).

>141 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

>142 bell7: - They were quite tasty :)

>143 weird_O: - You're welcome!

>144 MickyFine: - I'll probably start with two I have on my Kindle - In a Holidaze and Josh and Hazel's Guide To Not Dating....

The drinks were well earned!! Congrats to the team of two!

Congrats on the trivia win, Katie.

Hooray for the trivia win!! I'm also impressed you guys won with just the two of you. All of our wins always come when we have a full team of 6 😂 true group efforts!

>146 Berly: - Thanks, Kim!

>147 BLBera: - Thank you, Beth!

>148 curioussquared: - Yeah, we tend to do better when we play with friends (but don't tell them, we prefer playing by ourselves because they are all sort of... chaotic...), so this was an unexpected outcome.

Yesterday was about what I expected, with the addition of a visit from a landscape guy to give us a quote on a spring clean-up. The Wayne insists he'll do the regular mowing and edging, but it will be nice to have someone else get it to a clean slate. Other than that, I ran errands and futzed around the house and worked on my puzzle, which I finished. I ended up doing the sausage and peppers as a sheet pan dinner, and it was really good. At the recommendation of one recipe, I added a bit of red wine vinegar which made for a great flavor, along with the herbs.

Today is day care day for Nuala, so I'll take her in a little bit and then swing by CVS to pick up a prescription. It's supposed to be a bit rainy here, so I might claim some couch time with my book. And I'll certainly start a new puzzle :) Chicken and asparagus for dinner tonight.

Books:
I've got The Last Ballad going on my Kindle, which is fine but not as good as his other books. On audio, I'm enjoying Our Homesick Songs, which has an air of folk lore about it.

Viewing:
Yankees game and an episode of 'Sex Education.'

The completed puzzle:



(LT is doing that weird inset thing again....)

Sweet Thursday, Katie. I agree, The Last Ballad isn't as strong as his first two but then again those were terrific reads. I liked the book. I haven't been keeping up with him. Not sure when he had his last book out.

>152 msf59: - I'm enjoying it well enough.

Cash's last book was When Ghosts Come Home.

>152 msf59:, 153 I think Mark introduced me to Cash, and I've really enjoyed all three. Thanks for letting me know about When Ghosts Come Home - I've added it.

Have a good Nuala-less Thursday, Katie.

>154 vivians: - Happy to help, Vivian!

>155 richardderus: - Thanks, RD!

>151 katiekrug: What a fun puzzle!

Karen O

>157 klobrien2: - It was a fun one :)

Morning, all. It's grey and damp here, and if I didn't have a hair cut appointment later, I wouldn't be leaving the house :) As it is, once I've been snipped, I'll scurry back home for a relaxed afternoon. Pasta fagioli soup and cheesy bread on tap for dinner. I like to do easy comfort dinners on Friday.

Books:
I finished Our Homesick Songs yesterday and will start a new audio today. Still have The Last Ballad going on my Kindle.

Viewing:
An episode of 'Physical: 100' and the first episode of 'Fallout,' which was pretty good. The Fallout games are some of TW's favorites, so he's been really excited for the TV adaptation.

Congrats on the trivia win! I definitely felt the disadvantage the couple of times Morgan and I went and played together, but I still preferred it to bringing in more people. :)

I love the bright colors on the puzzles you do! That latest one is particularly fun.

Sorry I haven't been keeping up very well with LT, things have been weirdly chaotic at home. (Everything is fine, just lots of one-offs etc making it all kind of a mess.)

Hi Katie! It's been gray and damp here too. I think the rain has moved on but it looks like it will still be really cloudy and gray. I hope you enjoy your relaxed afternoon.

>160 ursula: - Thanks, Ursula! It's nice to "see" you whenever you can stop by.

That brand of puzzle (eeBoo) has lots of colorful and bright options. They are among my favorites.

>161 lauralkeet: - I think we're supposed to get a bit more rain today but nothing terrible, so I'm looking forward to a cozy afternoon :)

I rewarded myself for going out in the rain with a falafel pita from a nearby restaurant for lunch :D

>163 katiekrug: We've transitioned to wind and a gale warning with sunshine galore...so weird...

>164 richardderus: - Ah, life at the beach!

Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson

Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas is the self-appointed leader of her small English village. She views herself as a leading light, bringing art and culture into the darkness. What she really is is a pretentious dilettante, a fact that becomes obvious over the course of this comic novel during a series of events that shake up Riseholme and its residents.

I found Queen Lucia a bit slow to get into, but once I did, I very much enjoyed the send-up of provincial life. There is no one really worth rooting for in the story, but it's fun to watch them flail around. The episode with the Italian composer was especially funny.

4 stars

>166 katiekrug: Your review was very Hightum. Your Scrub friend noticed.

>166 katiekrug: I've read all 6 of the Mapp and Lucia books and found them entertaining. You just prompted me to read over some of my reviews. If you read the next book you will meet another formidable character, Miss Mapp. And just wait until these two ladies meet one another ...

I read all of the Mapp and Lucia books also and found them a fun diversion. I remember them fondly.

>167 richardderus: - :)

>168 lauralkeet: and >169 japaul22: - I'm going to look for the next one on audio, I think.

Happy Weekend!

The only thing we have on the agenda today is a little drive over to Staten Island to attend my BFF's parents' 50th wedding anniversary lunch. I adore her parents and am excited to celebrate with them. Also, it's at a very good Italian restaurant so win-win :)

Other than that, I have a couple of bits and bobs to attend to, but nothing major. I expect a quiet evening at home.

Books:
I should finish up The Last Ballad today. I started Upstate on audio yesterday.

Viewing:
This week's episode of 'Top Chef.' Then TW watched some 'Shogun' while I read.

Sounds like a fun day, Katie. Enjoy!

TW watched some 'Shogun' while I read.
Good call. We only watched one episode and despite the rave reviews it wasn't our thing. But if Chris wanted to watch I would absolutely grab a book.

Enjoy the anniversary lunch!

>171 katiekrug: Have a great time this afternoon. Especially the drive, which ought to be pretty clear and easy.

Hi Katie, I hope you are enjoying your weekend. First of all congrats on your first place trivia win - you and The Wayne make an awesome team!

What a great name for an author - Wiley Cash - it just makes me want to read him! That said, I don't know why I haven't gotten to The Last Ballad yet but I am going to read When Ghosts Come Home next month. I am pretty sure that Mark first brought this author to my attention as well.

>174 richardderus: As another great fan of Wiley Cash's work, I would discourage you from reading When Ghosts Come Home as your introduction to him. It's not his best, by far. I loved The Last Ballad.

Queen Lucia does sound entertaining. I will keep it in mind when I am in the mood for something light.

>151 katiekrug: Is that a puzzle by Eeboo, Katie? I think I recognize it as such, but I've not done it . I do lot of puzzles by Eeboo, and I not long ago finished off Parisian Book Seller. I am another big fan of Wiley Cash

>172 lauralkeet: - He's really enjoying the show, but it's not really my thing :)

>173 curioussquared: and >174 richardderus: - Thanks! We had a great time.

>175 DeltaQueen50: - I'm surprised you haven't read Cash yet, Judy. His two earlier books - A Land More Kind Than Home and This Dark Road to Mercy seem like your cuppa. Beautifully written but dark and intense.

>176 laytonwoman3rd: - I haven't read When Ghosts Come Home (yet), and I still have about 25 pages left in The Last Ballad, but so far I prefer Cash's two earlier books.

>177 BLBera: - I think you'd like it, Beth.

>178 vancouverdeb: - It is an eeBoo, Deborah. I'm a fan of their puzzles.

Nice to see more love for Cash!

Sunny Sunday! It's going to be a beautiful day here, and I anticipate some deck reading :) I also need to do some meal planning and maybe some grocery shopping, though I expect that will probably happen tomorrow. We're thinking of ordering in tonight.

Yesterday was a fun day. Before we left for the anniversary lunch, I coordinated some puzzle swapping (we have a local group on Facebook for swapping puzzles) and cleared out 5, while adding 4 new ones to my collection. We got to the lunch right on time, and I was surprised to find that it was all family - both celebrants came from big families with lots of siblings, so there were about 30 people from 3 generations (would have been 4 but "Aunt Jenny" who is 96, had COVID) of the sprawling Italian-Polish family. I was really touched that we had been included, though Mr. M reminded me that he always called me his 4th daughter. It was a huge meal - hot and cold antipasti, salad, pasta, an entree (there were 3 options and I had the filet of sole oreganata), three family-style sides, and then cake and cookies for dessert. Plus an open bar. The whole thing lasted 4 hours, and I practically had to be rolled out of there :) The Wayne and I made it home and then vegged in front of the TV for the evening. No dinner needed!

Books:
I didn't quite finish The Last Ballad yesterday - I have about 25 pages left so I'll definitely finish it today. Not sure what's next. No audio time yesterday.

Viewing:
A favorite movie of my childhood even though I was way too young to see it - Ruthless People. TW had never seen it before, and I quote it pretty often, so it was time to loop him in. Then some 'Physical: 100.' TW decided to re-watch Godzilla for the 3rd (?) time, but I was tired and went to bed.

It's a beautiful sunny day here, too! I'd like to get some deck reading in but need to finish assembling our new outdoor sofa first.

That sounds like a pretty great party, Katie, and so nice to be included as family.

>181 curioussquared: - Our deck is partially covered, which is good, because it got overcast and drizzly!

Good luck with the sofa-putting-together.

>182 lauralkeet: - It really was nice. I was so touched.

Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper

The Connor family lives in a small fishing village in Newfoundland. It's the early 1990s and the fish have disappeared; slowly, the village empties of its residents, who move to find work elsewhere. Aidan and Martha eventually have to compromise and so one of them leaves for a month to go work in the oil industry in Alberta while the other stays home with their children, Cora and Finn. Each month they switch off. Meanwhile, Finn is convinced he can lure the fish back and make his family and community whole again. Interspersed with this narrative is the story of how Aidan and Martha met and fell in love.

I wasn't sure about this book at first - it took some time to settle into, it but I ended up really enjoying the experience. There is something folkloric about it that I loved. I listened to the audio, and the narrator's Canadian accent and ability to sing really enhanced the story.

4 stars

>184 katiekrug: What a great cover image! Really speaks to the subject well. The book sounds really interesting.

>185 richardderus: - I'm glad I gave it a go!

Happy new week!

Yesterday was mostly very chill. I did the laundry and TW built trellises for the garden. That was the sum total of our accomplishments :)

Today, I need to do some grocery shopping and dust and vaccum my dressing room. And remind The Wayne to submit our taxes... It's supposed to be warm and sunny, so I'll probably do some reading on the deck. I'm making Sazon chicken for dinner, with sauteed peppers and cilantro-lime rice.

Books:
I started and am almost finished with the very odd but fun Starting from Happy. I should be able to finish it up today. I decided I just wasn't feeling Upstate on audio, so I started The Other Typist and liking it more.

Viewing:
An episode of 'Physical: 100' and a terrible Netflix movie (TW's pick) called 'Damsel.' I only half paid attention to it.

Morning, Katie. Sounds like you had a nice weekend. You got me with Our Homesick Songs. I love reading stories set in Newfoundland.

What a lovely celebration lunch.
We've had bright sunshine, rain, hail, thunder & lightning this morning. So I'm somewhat jealous of the deck reading. It was dry at the weekend, so i got to mow the lawn then.

I've not read any of the Mapp & Lucia books, although I have visited the house he lived and wrote the books in, in Rye.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/lamb-house

>189 Helenliz: We stayed in Rye for a few days in summer 2022. We were in the area mostly to visit gardens (Great Dixter, Sissinghurst). I had hoped to visit Lamb House as well but their opening schedule didn't mesh well with our plans.

>190 lauralkeet:. That's a shame. It is a lovely part of the country.

>188 msf59:- I'd love to hear what you think of it, Mark! Keep the audio in mind, for sure.

>189 Helenliz: / >190 lauralkeet: / >191 Helenliz: - I'll have to keep Rye and its environs in mind for our next UK trip :)

>191 Helenliz: It was a great trip, Helen. We started out in Oxfordshire (Hidcote, Kiftsgate, Highgrove) before heading east, and then visited RHS Wisley on our way back towards Heathrow.

>192 katiekrug: London is fab, but there's so much lovely countryside to see, Katie!

>193 lauralkeet: - I know, I know. Of course, I'm not much of an outdoorsy type ;-)

There are also a lot of other countries to visit. TW has a lot of catching up to do...

Oh for sure Katie. I totally get it! And when visiting a new country I always feel I should visit a major city first. And yet, there’s always so many possibilities beyond that. We always say we’ll go back but …

>195 lauralkeet: - All of my best trips involved being based in a city but venturing out to see other stuff. Ghana, Italy, and Egypt stand out for me in that respect, but there were several others.

The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash

Cash is such a good storyteller that even when he makes some mis-steps, I still enjoy the journey. In this novel, he tells the story of Ella May (a real person), a poor young woman from the mountains of Tennessee who finds herself leading efforts to organize an integrated labor union in North Carolina. In his Afterword, Cash notes the various connections he had to this little known piece of history but that he didn't learn about it until he was in graduate school. I admire Cash's desire to tell this story.

Much of the book is very good, but a few things didn't work for me. He includes a number of perspectives, so that the story is not just Ella's but also that of others involved. This works to good effect in some cases, but a couple of the perspectives were not full enough to move beyond the superfluous. He also, especially in the beginning, does a lot of "telling" and not enough "showing" about the mills and workers and their situation.

All in all, though, this was a good read.

4 stars

Ooops. I just posted my review on the book page and apparently, I won a copy of this from the Early Reviewers program a few years ago...

Our Homesick Songs and the Cash both sound good, Kate. Noted. I LOVE "Ruthless People." Is is streaming? It is one of the funniest movies ever.

>198 katiekrug: Oops indeed.

Happy Tuesday!

>180 katiekrug: Sounds like you a fun lunch. Nice to be included in such a family affair.

>184 katiekrug: BB for me.

>199 BLBera: - We "rented" it from Amazon for $3. Well worth it! I'm so glad to know of someone else who loves it :)

>200 figsfromthistle: - Happy Tuesday to you, Anita!

It's going to be another gorgeous day here, though slightly cooler (so low 70s instead of high 70s which is fine with me). I had a nice day yesterday - a good combination of productive and relaxed. The chicken I made for dinner came out great (it was the NYT Cooking "Sazon Chicken Breast" - I cooked it in the air fryer instead of on the stove top...). Afterwards, TW went to review our taxes and submit them (talk about waiting until the last minute!) and I watched TV.

Today I plan to tackle my dressing room and reading nook - they both need a good dusting and vacuuming, but first I need to organize them a bit. Since they are mostly out of sight, they tend to get stuff dumped in them. I also keep my puzzle horde in my reading space, and it is slowly taking over so I may do an inventory and be ruthless in what I decide to get rid of (I tend to hold onto puzzles I enjoy putting together and do them again but only after at least a year has passed).

Trivia tonight!

Books:
I finished Starting from Happy yesterday and started Talking to the Dead, which I am enjoying. Still listening to The Other Typist on audio.

Viewing:
2 episodes of 'Sex Education.' What a great show.

Starting from Happy by Patricia Marx

A quirky and off little book about the relationship between two eccentric people who somehow form a lasting relationship. It's told in *very* short chapters (the author calls them "chaplettes"), sometimes only one sentence long. There is a lot of humor and despite the snappy style, some universal truths. That said, the format and length don't allow for much depth or connection to the characters. It was a fun read but not one I am likely to remember.

3.5 stars

Woot!

Wordle 1,033 2/6

🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

TRIED, TITHE

Good morning!

We came in 6th of 20 teams at trivia. I had a cheeseburger for dinner.

Today, I am going to get a pedicure and then to the store to get things for the next few days' dinners. We are having tacos tonight. Other than that, I'll tidy up for Maribel and maybe vacuum my dressing room. I did all the dusting yesterday, but got distracted by culling some books and ran out of steam to do the vacuuming.

Books:
I should finish up Talking to the Dead today. And I should get another chunk of The Other Typist listened to.

Viewing:
Nothing

I had an almost-2 on today's Wordle, Katie. The word came to mind and then I decided on a different word rather than using a repeat letter. Darn it!

I always run out of steam on my house cleaning. Dusting really isn't that much effort but once I'm finished it's like, I think I'll vacuum tomorrow.

>206 lauralkeet: - I almost went with TITLE for the second choice. WordleBot said there were only 3 possible answers after my first guess.

That vacuuming still hasn't been done *sigh*

>207 katiekrug: I didn't do any vacuuming yesteday, either. I just wasn't feeling it. Ha.

Sweet Thursday, Katie. Glad you ended up liking The Last Ballad. Thanks to you, I watched The Children are Watching. A great, heart-breaking film. He is a masterful director, who also made the classic Bicycle Thieves.

>208 lauralkeet: - Here's hoping we both feel it today :)

>209 msf59: - Cool - glad you liked the film, Mark. I don't remember much, just being devastated by it.

It's grey and damp here, but I don't mind. Other than taking Nuala to day care and picking her up later, I've got nothing much on the agenda. Maribel had to cancel today due to a death in her family and needing to go out of town, so I might do some cleaning myself. That pesky vacuuming! I'm trying a new recipe for dinner - air fried honey mustard pork chops. I never have much luck making pork chops but since I was the same with chicken breast before the AF, I'm hoping this method will prevent them from getting too dry. I picked up a quinoa/brown rice blend to have with them.

Books:
I finished Talking to the Dead yesterday and started The Other Side of Disappearing. Still listening to The Other Typist on audio, but I will probably finish it up today.

Viewing:
An episode of 'Fallout.'

Happy Friday, Katie. I also just watched Forbidden Games. I have seen this film before but it has been decades. Another powerful film, with a heart-breaking ending. Thanks for putting both of these back on my radar. Have a good weekend.

Good morning, Mark! I'm so pleased to have made two good recommendations to a film guy like you :) I need to re-watch Forbidden Games soon - I have it on DVD... somewhere....

TGIF! This week has felt long. I kept thinking yesterday was Friday.

Plans today include a swing by the wine shop and some house chores. Nothing very taxing. Dinner will be Nigella Lawson's spaghetti with lemon and breadcrumbs, which I've made before and is easy but very tasty.

The pork chops turned out great last night! Go me :) I love the air fryer...

Books:
I finished The Other Typist on audio and started The Red Car. Still enjoying The Other Side of Disappearing in (e-)print.

Viewing:
This week's 'Top Chef.'

Talking to the Dead by Helen Dunmore

At the height of a heat wave, Nina arrives at her sister's house in the country to assist after the sister, Isabel, has given birth. From the first pages, the reader knows something tragic happens, but it's not entirely clear what. The heat and isolation of the house make for a claustrophobic setting, and Dunmore creates an unsettling atmosphere almost from the first. The reader slowly learns more about these two sisters and their relationship, with some flashbacks to their childhood. But Nina is an unreliable narrator and as time goes on, the narrative becomes even more disturbing and unsettled.

This was a great novel - a bit Gothic, gorgeously written, and with a compelling pace. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen.

4.25 stars

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell

This story of an unassuming young woman in Jazz Age New York City started off well enough. It's a time period and setting I love to read about, and Rose's life as a working woman (a typist at a police precinct) was interesting. When a new woman joins the typing pool, Rose quickly falls under her spell, desperate for friendship and connection. The relationship upends Rose's carefully constructed, quiet life.

Ultimately, this novel didn't hang together well for me. It got a bit more ludicrous with every chapter and the denouement beggared belief. My experience was not helped by a very pedestrian narration of the audio book by the actress Gretchen Mol.

3 stars

>215 katiekrug: Ooh that's intriguing. I've enjoyed Helen Dunmore's work in the past, especially The Siege.

>217 lauralkeet: - I haven't read The Siege yet, but I own it. I enjoyed her A Spell of Winter years ago (pre-LT) and The Greatcoat a bit less so. I have a few others on my shelf still to read.

>184 katiekrug: Homesick Songs sounds interesting, Katie. I'll have to check out the Canadian accent in audio. Newfoundlander's usually have what I think of as a distinct accent, but to my ear, the rest of Canadians speak the same as Americans in the West, like the states of Washington, Oregon and California and many other of the States, I think. I am sorry that The Last Ballad didn't work better for you, but still, you gave it 4 stars.

I just listened to a sample of Our Homesick Songs on audible, just to see if it sounded like the narrator has an a Canadian or Newfoundland accent. To my ear, she doesn't - definitely not what I think of as Newfoundland accent,but she speaks a bit differently than am used to hearing. She has a bit of Scottish lilt, to my ear. Just a bit. Interesting. The book does sound more and more interesting .

I'm a Dunmore fan, loved The Siege. I think I have a couple others on my shelves. One of these days... Happy Friday, Katie.

>219 vancouverdeb: / >220 vancouverdeb: - Interesting about the accent, Deborah. I heard some Irish in it on occasion. I used to work with a lot of people in Calgary, and I thought they had a bit of an accent.

Anyway, I think you might like the book!

>221 BLBera: - I really need to get to The Siege. It's the one everyone seems to love. I know I bought it thanks to LT recommendations, but it's languished on my shelf for years...

Yesterday was good. I didn't do much other than restock the wine and tidy up a bit. I flaked out on cooking dinner and we ordered in instead.

Today, we are going out to lunch and to see the new Godzilla/King Kong movie, at The Wayne's request. I actually rather enjoy monster movies, so it's not much of a hardship :) I'll make the pasta I was planning for yesterday tonight. Other than that, nothing on the agenda.

Books:
I'll finish up The Other Side of Disappearing today. Still listening to The Red Car on audio - not loving it but it's not quite bad enough to abandon.

Viewing:
Some 'Physical: 100' and then TW watched an episode of 'Sho-gun.'

Hiya Katie, I hope you managed some good reading during Sho-gun. Ha. Enjoy the monster movie!

>224 lauralkeet: - I did get some good reading in, thanks :)

And the movie was ridiculous and fun. The last battle went on too long and I may have dozed off... (The heated recliner didn't help!)

Just for fun , I listened to this you tube comparison between a Canadian Accent and an American accent. I could not really hear any difference at all. For the record, I don't say " mickey" or " double , double " either, but I have heard of them. Can you hear much of difference in the speaking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vvfRsf-Os

I did also enjoy The Siege. Glad you enjoy the movie!

>226 vancouverdeb: - I watched part of it and didn't hear much of a difference. Of course, the woman says she has a southern drawl, and I didn't hear that either.

I think this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YTGeIq4pSI) shows better what I often think of as a Canadian accent. Apparently, it's really only certain sounds that are different, as opposed to all words :)

Morning, all! We had a nice day yesterday with lunch and the movie and then relaxing at home. Neither of us was hungry for dinner, so we skipped that. We decided to play Ticket to Ride and had some snacks then.

Today should be a pretty typical Sunday. The weather is good, and I think The Wayne is planning to do some weeding and other clean-up in his garden. This evening, we are going to a charcuterie and wine-tasting event at our favorite wine shop. If that's not enough for dinner, we'll pop into one of our regular haunts which is located nearby and get a bite.

Books:
I started Garden of Lamentations yesterday, the next-for-me entry in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series. I should finish up the audio of The Red Car today.

Viewing:
After the game, I watched an episode of 'Sex Education' before heading into bed to read a bit.

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

I love Kate Clayborn. She writes contemporary romances with good depth and well-developed relationships both between the main characters and the secondary ones. This latest novel is almost as much about familial relationships as about the romantic one, and it's very well done.

Jess has spent the last 10 years raising her half-sister after their mom takes off. As it happens, the mother left with a notorious con man, and a famous podcaster has appeared, wanting to tell the story. What ensues is a road trip, a love story, and a journey to healing. Clayborn is adept at writing fully believable female AND male characters, and at walking the line in developing conflict and angst without pushing it too much. This might not be my favorite of hers, but it was a good read.

4 stars

The Red Car by Marcy Dermansky

Novels about dissatisfied woman who re-discover themselves and what they want are pretty common. There are much better ones than this, which involves a frustrating protagonist, a possibly possessed car, and dumb choices. I'm glad it was short.

2.5 stars

I have flagged the last two three messages.

Authors are kindly requested to limit the promotion of their own books to the appropriate spaces on LT.

Hi Katie. I love Deborah Crombie! She should have a new one out soon.

>235 BLBera: - I love her, too, Beth! I think I am 2 or 3 books behind...

Happy new week! We had a nice time at the wine-tasting last night - it was for a small Italian vineyard and a rep for their US import company was there to talk about the wines and their process. It was pretty interesting. There was also a nice discount available if you wanted to buy some, so of course we had to take advantage of that :) And there was a raffle and we won a pizza kit, which was actually nice because our pizza stone broke a few months ago and I hadn't replaced it yet. Win!

Today's plans include laundry, maybe a short trip tot he grocery store, and taking Leonard to the vet for his annual check-up. My prediction is that he'll be fine, could stand to lost a pound or two, and needs his teeth cleaned. That's usually how it goes...

Dinner tonight is the lemon spaghetti pasta I've been intending to cook for a few days now - ha!

Books:
I'm enjoying Garden of Lamentations. On audio, I started Funny Feelings which is fine so far.

Viewing:
Nada.

Piping up on the Canadian accent issue. Newfoundlanders and Maritimers definitely have distinct accents (Newfoundlanders in particular) but asking anyone from out east to say words like harbour or bar, results in a lovely, burr-y 'r'. Of course, there's the French accent of Quebecois, which is quite different from a France French accent. Torontonians and southern Ontario folk do tend to have a bit of an accent as well. One of my great-grandmothers was from the Ottawa Valley area and her accent was something else. From Manitoba west to the coast, everyone else sounds the same to me. But I can hear a minor difference between my accent and a Midwestern US accent. To my ear, American vowels sound flatter. Thus ends the unasked for opinion, lol.

Glad to hear the Sunday evening plans were good and I hope Leonard's vet visit went smoothly.

>238 MickyFine: - Your contributions are always welcome, Micky!

I went to boarding school with a girl from Newfoundland and don't remember her having a very strong accent, though there were certain words she said differently.

Leonard's vet visit went fine, thanks!

Blerg.

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Morning, all! Another gorgeous day here. I can't believe April is almost over...

Yesterday's visit to the vet went fine. Leonard's weight was basically the same as last year, and I need to try to clean his teeth. But no mention of having him come in and go under sedation for a cleaning, which has happened the last two years, so that's $1000+ saved :D

I got all the clothes laundry done - just have linens and towels to do. I'll also make a grocery run today. We are playing trivia with another couple tonight, so that should be fun.

Last night's dinner was excellent. I've made it before, and it's so easy and full of flavor (especially if you double the garlic like I do :) ). https://www.nigella.com/recipes/spaghetti-with-lemon-and-garlic-breadcrumbs

Books:
I should be able to finish Garden of LAmentations today, but we'll see. Still have Funny Feelings going on audio.

Viewing:
An episode of 'Physical: 100,' which The Wayne likes better than I do. I find it mildly entertaining.

>241 katiekrug: It really is gorgeous out there...April flew by. It feels so good to see sunshine all day long!

Reminder that 6/6 beats X/6 all hollow.

>240 katiekrug: ditto.

>241 katiekrug: You've mentioned that pasta dish before and it does sound mighty tasty. I would use more garlic, too. Do you make breadcrumbs from actual bread, Nigella style, or use something like panko?

>242 richardderus: - I'm loving the weather. I wish it would stay like this for longer... Summer is coming... Gross.

You are, of course, correct about 6 being better than a skunk.

>243 lauralkeet: - I just used store-bought breadcrumbs, Laura. I think the first time I made it, I used the panko ones but this time I just used regular plain 4C brand.

Not even trying to catch up, Katie, just checking in.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

>243 lauralkeet: Thanks Katie!

>245 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia - you too!

>246 lauralkeet: - You're welcome! Also, I didn't have fresh parsley, so I just through some dried herbs in at the end, after the pasta was drained and back in it's pot.

>240 katiekrug: At least you got it! I got skunked :( Usually in these many possibilities situations I'll do an unrelated word to try to rule out as many letters as possible, but I figured out what was going on too late this time :(

>239 katiekrug: If she was from St. John's, the accent there is typically milder/non-existent. Outside of St. John's, accents tend to get stronger. The man in this video sounds pretty similar to my father-in-law.

>248 curioussquared: - Sorry about the skunking. So frustrating!

>249 MickyFine: - Ah, that explains it. She was from St. John's.

That's a great accent. Definitely a lot of Irish in it, I think.

Not sure if you ever do Geeks Who Drink pub trivia, Katie, but they have a new daily online trivia game that I've been enjoying for the past week or so that I thought you might like too :)

https://thrice.geekswhodrink.com/

>251 curioussquared: - Oh, fun! Thanks!

We used to do GWD at a place in Dallas, but they don't seem to do it anywhere locally up here.

We came in 2nd of 19 teams at trivia last night - woot! We played with another couple and a friend and had a great time. I had a grilled cheese with onion and bacon :)

Today, I'll finally go to the grocery store - that's my major agenda item. The rest of the day will be spent with minor household chores and the books. I didn't work at all on my puzzle yesterday (very unusual for me!), so I'll probably devote a chunk of time to it this afternoon.

New recipe for dinner: spicy skillet ground turkey and snap peas from NYT Cooking.

Books:
I finished Garden of Lamentations yesterday and started Unfollow Me. Still have Funny Feelings going on audio.

Viewing:
Nada

You guys are a trivia powerhouse, Katie!
That recipe sounds interesting -- will await your report on it tomorrow. No pressure!

>254 lauralkeet: - We would not have done as well had we been playing solo! And our point total would have been higher, though not high enough to overtake the 1st place team, if PEOPLE HAD LISTENED TO ME WHEN I SAID I-90 WAS THE LONGEST INTERSTATE IN THE COUNTRY. But I'm not bitter about it.

I will report back on dinner!

>253 katiekrug: Congratulations on coming in second for the trivia last night!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>256 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia!

>255 katiekrug: But I'm not bitter about it.

Lol, I can tell. Good luck with the errands today!

>258 MickyFine: - LOL, thanks Micky!

>255 katiekrug: Be bitter! My team lost a civics trivia contest in middle school because the other members didn't listen to me and I'm *still* bitter about it.

>255 katiekrug: Imagine how annoyed she'd be if it would have made a difference...
Well done on the quizzing.

>260 norabelle414: - Middle school bitterness is a special kind of bitterness. Also, grudges.

>261 Helenliz: - Ha! Best not to imagine that scenario :)

>255 katiekrug: I-90 WAS THE LONGEST INTERSTATE IN THE COUNTRY

...is...is that not, like, utterly self-evident...? What did they think *was* the longest.

Please, please don't say I-35.

>263 richardderus: - They thought it ended in Chicago *eye roll*

The Wayne made a case for I-10, which is the 4th longest, IIRC (we looked it up afterwards). I tried to explain that it went across the narrowest part of the country but no one listened to me. Heavy sigh.

>264 katiekrug: It is at least plausible. It's coast-to-coast, so a bit more understandable than a north-south would've been. Still *heavy sigh* indeed.

Hooray for 2nd place at trivia! We haven't gone in a few weeks but I think we're getting the gang back together next week and I'm excited :D

>237 katiekrug: Wine tasting sounds like a wonderful way to start the week! Extra bonus for winning the pizza kit!

>253 katiekrug: Great trivia results! What a great team. My local library has a trivia night hosted at the pub....I may give it a shot. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Happy rest of the week.

>179 katiekrug: I have read Wiley Cash, Katie, both A Land More Kind Than Home and This Dark Road to Mercy were very good. I am going to read When Ghosts Come Home in May. You are so right - he is exactly the kind of author that I love!

>265 richardderus: - Yeah, we knew for sure it was an E-w one and not a N-S one.

>266 curioussquared: - Sweet! Hope it works out for next week.

>267 figsfromthistle: - You should definitely try out the trivia. Even when we don't do well, we have a great time.

>268 DeltaQueen50: - Ah, I see. I misunderstood :)

Yet another beautiful morning here. I'll be taking Nuala to day care in a little bit (gotta wait for the school traffic to abate!) and then I might treat myself to pancakes. I've had a craving for weeks now... It will probably depend on if I can find a parking spot or not. Other than that, not much going on here. I have some bits and pieces to take care of around the house and at my desk. I need to see if we need to file an amended state tax return because f*cking Twitter f*cked up a form and sent a revised one, after the tax filing date. Sigh. I hold Elon Musk personally responsible.

Anyway, air fried cilantro-lime chicken with sauteed bell peppers for dinner tonight.

NB (mostly for Laura): last night's dinner was just okay. The sauce needs a lot of work, as it was pretty flat, despite a mountain of aromatics. And I realized after making it that the recipe didn't call for any garlic, which seems weird to me, garlic addict that I am :)

Books:
I'm almost done with Unfollow Me and need to choose my next read. I did get a chunk of listening time yesterday and made good progress on Funny Feelings.

Viewing:
The last episode of 'Physical: 100.'

>270 katiekrug: Recipe feedback noted. Thanks Katie. I've had a couple "meh" cooking experiences recently and don't need another one!

Enjoy your gorgeous day. And the pancakes.

>270 katiekrug: Pancake-parking mojo *whammy*

>271 lauralkeet: / >272 richardderus: - I decided to skip the pancakes this morning. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I am sure to over-indulge all weekend :)

Happy birthday Katie!

Cake for everyone!

Happy birthday Katie, I hope you have a fun-filled day ahead.

Happy Birthday, Katie! Share your indulgences, willya?

>274 norabelle414: - Thank you, Nora!

>275 lauralkeet: - Cake for everyone?!?! Not if I smash my face in it first :) Thanks, Laura!

>276 laytonwoman3rd: - Thank you, Linda! Let's see... indulgences...

- I slept in until 8am
- I might go get pancakes for brunch
- We are going out to dinner here because I love their fig toast.
- Seeing a play in the city tomorrow, followed by an early dinner
- Lunch and a movie on Sunday

Birthdays that fall on Fridays are The Best because you get to claim the whole weekend :D

It's ANOTHER gorgeous day here, and I plan to do very little, though I'm sure there will be some deck reading. As noted above, it's my birthday so I'll just do whatever I feel like (though I kind of do that most days, heh). We have dinner reservations tonight, and I'm looking forward to that.

Books:
I finished Unfollow Me yesterday and started The Appeal which is very entertaining. It took me a while to settle on what I wanted to read next, and this one is perfect for my mood right now. I might finish Funny Feelings on audio today, depending on how much I puzzle.

Viewing:
Some of the NFL draft, and then The Wayne put on an episode of 'Fallout' but despite watching the first two episodes with him, I couldn't gin up much interest last night. It might become a TW solo show...

Many happy returns, Katie! Enjoy the fig toast.

Sounds like a perfect day. Wish we had a "classic American pub" nearby.

>279 richardderus: - Thanks, RD!

>280 laytonwoman3rd: - I'm rethinking the pancakes, as I don't want to be full for dinner. Instead, I might walk down to the bakery/coffee bar and get an iced latte and read outside in the sun. Decisions, decisions....

Happy birthday, Katie.

>281 katiekrug: Pancakes are, by definition, stick-to-your-ribsy. Y'all's dinner sounds so much more exciting~I'm now thinking how far it is to Stop'n'Shop to get some Bonne Maman fig preserves....

>282 PaulCranswick: - Thanks, Paul.

>283 richardderus: - I had some fruit instead of pancakes *shines halo*.

I adore fig and goat cheese...

Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie

This remains one of my favorite mystery series, but this entry is not a favorite. I don't like it when Gemma and Duncan are not communicating. And my memory isn't good enough for multi-book story arcs. This one seems to have resolved some of the police corruption issues, and I hope the next will be back to form.

Still, Crombie writes wonderfully about London. Finishing her books, I always want to hop on a plane for a quick visit.

3.75 stars

Unfollow Me: Essays on Complicity by Jill Louise Busby

Busby went viral several years ago for her social media takes on race and white liberal "allies." In this collection of autobiographical essays, she tackles issues of identity - race, gender, queerness - and the conflict she feels in maintaining the persona that got her to the place where she is given the chance to write a book and how authentic she can actually be. Some of her opinions are discomfiting, but I think that's important. And also the point. I am glad I read this, despite having a difficult time engaging with it. Likely a "me" problem...

3.5 stars

Happy, happy birthday (weekend), Katie! You’ve got some good times coming your way!

Karen O

Happy cake day Katie!

Happy birthday Katie! I hope it is an excellent one 😊

>287 klobrien2: - Thank you, Karen! I am looking forward to a fun weekend :)

>288 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen!

>289 curioussquared: - Thank you, Natalie!

Happy birthday, Katie! Hope it was a lovely day and the you have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Katie! That chocolate cake from Laura is making my mouth water.

>291 bell7: - Thank you, Mary!

>292 vancouverdeb: - Chocolate cake is my favorite :)

Happy weekend!

I had a lovely, lazy day yesterday with lots of reading and puzzling/listening. Our dinner was excellent, especially the fig toast, the second piece of which will be my breakfast in a bit.

Later the morning, we're taking the train into the city and going to see 'Patriots,' a play about the rise of Putin in Russia. I pick my birthday play, and I am an international relations nerd at heart, so here we are :) We'll probably stop for a bite to eat before training home.

Books:
Still really enjoying The Appeal. I finished up Funny Feelings on audio and started The Detective Up Late.

Viewing:
After dinner, we watched this week's episode of 'Top Chef.'

Happy birthday, Katie. Enjoy your birthday weekend.

Sounds like a fabulous birthday weekend thus far. I hope the play is... enjoyable? (Or whatever a play on that subject is when it's good 😊).

Sorry I missed your birthday, Katie. From what I've read here, it seems to have been happily observed.

Enjoy your birthday weekend, Katie.

Happy birthday weekend, Katie! Isn't The Appeal fun? I read it last fall and followed it up with the seasonally appropriate, The Christmas Appeal.

>295 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth. I am!

>296 MickyFine: - The play was terrific :)

>297 weird_O: - No worries, Bill. Thanks!

>298 DeltaQueen50: - Thank you, Judy!

>299 Copperskye: - Thanks, Joanne. I think you put The Appeal on my radar :)

Happy Sunday! We had a lovely day yesterday. The play was fantastic - really smart script, terrific acting, and excellent staging. It's on a limited engagement, but if you're in New York any time soon, I highly recommend it. After we left the theater, we walked over to 9th Avenue and did a bit of a pib crawl south to the train station. Came home, fed the animals, made a frozen pizza and watched a movie. We originally put on Gosford Park but I'd had one too many glasses of red wine to follow it properly, so we switched to the original Ghostbusters, which I kept falling asleep to :-P

Birthday festivities will conclude today with lunch and a movie ('Civil War'). It's been a great weekend!

Books:
Very little book time yesterday - same two still going.

Viewing:
See above.

>301 katiekrug: Ooohhh, Civil War! I can't wait to hear what you think about that one. And am very glad the play was a success for you. I can't imagine a birthday much better suited to your personal interests than this one has been...plus fig toast for breakfast!

Sounds like a fab birthday weekend. >:-)

>285 katiekrug: You and Linda are both reading this series and I need to dig into it. I love your comment about finishing one of the installments and wanting to hop on a plane for a quick visit to London. It's cool when a book does that!

>286 katiekrug: Adding Unfollow Me to the wish list. Sigh.

Happy birthday weekend!

A belated happy birthday Katie!

>302 richardderus: - The movie was just okay. I felt like it couldn't figure out what it wanted to be, if that makes sense.

It certainly was a fabulous weekend!

>303 Helenliz: - Most definitely it was.

>304 EBT1002: - It's a great series, Ellen, and only gets better as it goes along.

Thanks for the birthday weekend greeting!

>305 SandDune: - Thank you, Rhian!

Back to the regular grind today. I think I milked my birthday enough :)

Today will be laundry and grocery shopping and some tidying up. I also need to clean the ceiling fans since it's gotten rather warm but not warm enough for the a/c. I haven't done much puzzling over the past few days, so I'll probably dedicate some time in the afternoon to that. For dinner, I'm making a chicken and shredded Brussels sprouts stir fry.

Books:
I finished The Appeal and started Rape: A Love Story. My current audio is The Detective Up Late.

Viewing:
'Civil War' at the theater.

Funny Feelings by Tarah Dewitt

Farley is a struggling stand-up comic when she meets Meyer, a former stand-up star now more focused on raising his daughter. Meyer becomes Farley's manager, and as her career begins to take off, so do his feelings for her. And hers for him. But neither of them wants to ruin a good friendship and successful partnership.

I had a bit of trouble getting into this one, and I blame the audio narrators (the female narrator was terrible at men's voices and vice versa). Once I got past that, I enjoyed this fun rom-com which was not weighed down by overdone angst and conflict (there was some but it wasn't stupidly drawn out). Farley and Meyer were easy to root for. I think I would have liked it even more in print without the distraction of annoying narrators.

3.5 stars

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

I had a lot of fun with this whodunnit, told exclusively through emails, text messages, transcripts, and other documents. Hallett does a great job developing her characters and giving the reader a real sense of them without relying on standard descriptions and interactions.

The story is slightly convoluted and I had a bit of an issue in the beginning keeping track of who was who, but it didn't take long to get it all sorted in my head. The novel focuses on a community theater group in a small English village; the leader of the group has a granddaughter recently diagnosed with cancer, and the community rallies around to raise money for a life-saving treatment. But something isn't right... And then one of the actors is killed... dun dun DUN! I won't say more because you deserve to experience the fun for yourself.

4 stars

Many thanks to Joanne for putting this one on my radar!

Some of you may remember that I started a Substack back in 2022. It lasted a whole 3 months before I lost motivation, but I am going to try to resuscitate it. Feel free to check it out!

https://thepresentperfect.substack.com/

>310 katiekrug: You got me with The Appeal. I’ve got it requested at my lib. Thanks!

Karen O

>311 katiekrug: Got mine this morning!

>312 klobrien2: - Hope you enjoy it, Karen!

>313 richardderus: - :)

Glad the birthday weekend was a success! The Appeal is on my nightstand to hopefully get to soon!

>301 katiekrug: Happy belated birthday, Katie. Glad the birthday weekend was a good one!

I somehow missed reading what play you went to see.....glad it was fantastic :)

>315 curioussquared: - I hope you can get to it soon, Natalie!

>316 figsfromthistle: - The play was 'Patriots,' about the rise of the oligarchs in Russia and the ascension of Putin.

>311 katiekrug: I am still subscribed from last time. I got a notice this morning. :)

You can never have too much birthday.

The Hallett sounds good.

>318 BLBera: - I think you'd enjoy the Hallett when you want something a bit lighter, Beth.

I got all my to-dos done yesterday, which was a nice feeling. And I had plenty of time for reading and puzzling. Today, I am going to Costco, possibly with a stop at HomeGoods first. I'd also like to clear off my desk a bit as it's gotten out of control. Again. We're playing trivia tonight with friends - hoping to defend our title from last week :)

Books:
I finished Rape: A Love Story and am starting The Lost Man, which is my Julia Memorial Read for May. Still listening to The Detective Up Late.

Viewing:
Nope

Looks like we both had very productive days yesterday, Katie.
And you're listening to the Sean Duffy! Hooray!!
I liked The Lost Man, too.

Happy Belated Birthday, Katie. I haven't been online much and my reading is currently at a snail's pace. I hope to remedy both soon.

>321 lauralkeet: - I think your to-do list was longer, though, Laura!

I didn't mean to have two crime novels going at the same time - I usually try to avoid that, but I think I'll be able to keep them straight. I am liking both.

>322 msf59: - Thanks, Mark. Your reading might be slow but you're doing plenty of fun stuff :)

So Tuesday morning Costco doesn't seem much different from Saturday morning Costco. Don't these people have jobs?!?! LOL. I managed to get everything on my not-very-long-list and lots of stuff that just felt right. Like a 6-pack of Ghiardelli triple chocolate brownie mix. Heh. I also got a cookbook for $19 off list price - Milk Street 365. I love the MS World in a Skillet cookbook I have, and this one looks pretty useful, too. And I got our nephew a book, which I'll send to him in a few weeks as a Happy Summer Vacation gift.

I also went to HomeGoods and got some odds and ends I needed for the kitchen, plus a small bookshelf that will be great for mass market paperbacks. Now to find a place for it.....

Happy Hump Day! Our regular trivia place cancelled on us last night in favor of devoting itself to the Knicks game, but the same trivia company puts on a game at a different place nearby at 8pm so we went to that instead. And we won! There were only seven teams, including two others from our regular place. It was good times :)

Not much on the agenda today. We are having our a/c tuned up for the season sometime between 11:30 and 1:30, I have an errand to run, and I need to tidy up for Maribel. I also need to go to the grocery store. Southwestern beef soup for dinner.

Books:
Very much enjoying both The Lost Man and The Detective Up Late.

Viewing:
Nothing

WOOT!

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>326 katiekrug:, >325 katiekrug: You are clearly The Goddess just now. Yay for all these wins!

>324 katiekrug: I have noticed that about Costco, too, Katie. Now that I'm retired, I think, oh, I'll go on a weekday morning, but there are always tons of people!

Sounds like you found some good stuff.

>327 richardderus: - Thanks, RD :)

>328 BLBera: - So. Many. People.

New thread!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/360454#