cameling's reading slumber room - Couch #2

January Reads
Told in the Coffee House - Cyrus Adler
Journal of an Ordinary Grief - Mahmoud Darwish
When the Devil Holds the Candle - Karin Fossum
Sanchez Across the Street - Barbara Mujica
The Three Evangelists - Fred Vargas
The Nonesuch - Georgette Heyer
There Came Both Mist and Snow - Michael Innes
Along Came Trouble - Sherryl Woods
French Milk - Lucy Knisley
The Draining Lake - Arnaldur Indridason
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
The Grand Inquisitor's Manual - Jonathan Kirsch
The Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Dogs - Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
Dust - Martha Grimes
Death in the Stocks - Georgette Heyer
Solo - Rana Dasgupta

February Reads
Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand - Fred Vargas
Avempartha - Michael J. Sullivan
A Paramedic's Story : Life, Death and Everything In Between- Steven "Kelly" Grayson

They Found Him Dead - Georgette Heyer
Dangerous Waters : Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas - John S. Burnett
Indulgence in Death - J.D. Robb
Dark Road to Darjeeling - Deanna Raybourn
Chips, Clones and Living Beyond 100 - Paul Schoemaker
Stealing Lumby - Gail Fraser
Waiting - Ha Jin

March Reads
Twelve Bar Blues - Patrick Neate
Arctic Chill - Arnaldur Indridason
The Savage Garden - Mark Mills
Apple Turnover Murder - Joanne Fluke
Don't Look Back - Karin Fossum
The Passion of Artemisia - Susan Vreeland
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe
Look Again - Lisa Scottoline

My 1st thread is here

I really don't know why the touchstones stopped working! :-(

Continuing on a couple of discussions from my previous thread ....

Richard : Monkey Magic : The Great Wall Mystery sounds like a fun read so thanks for the recommendation... and thanks for pointing me to Monsoon Books. I love that there's an online bookstore for books with predominantly Asian focus. Definitely seen books on the website that I've seen only here in the Singapore bookstores, but not in Barnes & Nobel at home. Oh dear ..... I see my book fund very quickly being depleted.

Thanks to Suz and Jenn for pointing me to the first Georgette Heyer book that didn't make me gag. The Grand Sophy (hmm...touchstone not working?) has redeemed Heyer in my eyes. Her recipe for this successful story?

Find one household with a jovial but irresponsible father with a penchant for gambling, a kindly but easily flustered mother, a daughter engaged to be married but who deems herself in love instead with a poet, a rag tag assortment of other younger siblings, and a grim eldest son, betrothed to an ultra-conservative puritan,and on whose shoulders lie the responsibility of keeping the family in line. Add one independent, intelligent and well-meaning niece into the household and watch the carefully constructed house of cards tumble.

A wonderfully humorous caper that will leave you gasping at the audacity of Sophy, smirking when the cold fiancee gets her comeuppance more times than can be counted, laughing at the various shenanigans of the siblings, and in awe of the Grand Sophy.

Simply delightful! Had me laughing in so many places and it broke my book funk. The bits with the monkey, the parrot, and the ducklings were just priceless. And nary a mincing fop in sight!

So thank you, ladies for convincing me that there may be some Heyer books I may enjoy after all.

Caro- Hope you are having a nice trip and getting some relaxing in! It looks like you been doing some reading! Very cold here!

I'd forgotten I had this on my bookshelf here at my mom's house. Ok, so Christmas is over, but I couldn't resist this YA.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Dogs by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott is a potty little book about an 18 year old girl, Flame, who is just nuts about Christmas and animals, dogs in particular. She spies 4 dogs and a creaky old gentleman moving into an old house next door and goes over to introduce herself. The gentleman is a butler who's made to live in the house with the dogs because his employer is traveling, having had an unfortunate year.

Before you know it, Flame has convinced him to let her look after the dogs on Christmas Day so that he can go visit his nephew who has casks of cider down the cellar. She's also had to persuade her parents, who are rushing off to the bedside of an ill uncle, that she'll be ok on her own, and that she's going over next door to spend Christmas with Miss Flora, a very distinguished old lady .. really a dog, but in the way she describes Miss Flora, her parents think she's an elderly very respectable lady who happens to have a butler and 3 dogs. Oh but she has to promise not to set her eyes on the Lay Reader from her father's parish because he has 'amorous eyes'.

Flame prepares a turkey and fixings, and plum pudding and carts them all over next door, and starts to sing Christmas Carols to the dogs and her cat. Well, that's the last of normalcy because what happens next is utter chaos. The Lay Reader comes over, Flame is blindfolded so she can keep her promise to her parents and not see him, the animals are masked and made to sit up at the table, a burglary takes place next door, the owner of the house makes an unexpected appearance, police are involved, animals go beserk, and oh, her parents return.

This is guaranteed to put a big smile on your face!
3.9 stars

Hey Marky-Mark, thank you yes. it's been wonderfully relaxing and warm so far, but then it's the weekend. I head out to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morning and will thereafter face 4 long days of meetings and late night web conferences. Those will, I know, result in sleep deprivation and not much of a chance to do any reading.

On the plus side .... there's no ice, snow or shoveling to have to contend with. :-)

OOO good, another book funk bites the dust! And it was HEYER who did the trick! Shall file and retain for future "resistance is futile" use.

Whoo hoo! We did it, we did it. The Grand Sophy really is one of the best.

Hurrah, thank you for giving me the chance to say "I TOLD YOU SO!" No mincing fops required...

Try Lady of Quality or The Nonesuch for your next Heyer. I think both have dapper heroes, but they are men of wit and discernment... OK, not quite up to Sophy standards, but damn nearly.

My MIL is addicted to Barbara Cartland and Heyer. So that alone would turn me off to The Grand Sophy but your review sounds like it's worth looking into. Have a great trip.

Hi Caro! *waves*

This made me think of you for some reason...

Oddly enough, Suzanne, she didn't like The Nonesuch. Perhaps the dandy cousin - what's his name - was too much.

I would suggest Frederica for another unusual heroine and funny escapades.

Hooray! Glad you enjoyed The Grand Sophy. :)

*waves at Caro* And so I shall be reading your new thread. :)

Hi Caro!
Your thread gifs of camel and flowers (above) - oh so cute!
Someday you'll have to tell me where "cameling" comes from...
Hope you are enjoying your trip! Sounds it. :)

Hi Caroline! I love the camel.

Hi Caroline.

Just waving as I head through the threads, Caro :)

drive-by hug

I'm glad you found a Heyer you liked! I have to try that one...

I'm glad you've had a spate of funny books Caro. I'm reading Major Pettigrew right now and thoroughly enjoying his droll sense of humor. And now I'm anxious to get to The Grand Sophy, too, which is languishing on my shelf.

Doncha just hate it when Caro is too busy for LT :(

Miss ya caro!

I miss her too!! :-}

Just saying "hello!"

Don't be silly, y'all, she's not too busy for LT...she doesn't love us anymore, and has gone over to Goodreads. I know she *says* their interface with her smartphone is better and easier than LT's, but the *real* reason is simple: Her heart is elsewhere. *sniff*snivel*

I'm baackk.... I MISSED you all sooooooooo much!

*ignoring Richard's melodramatically lying prostrate on his couch*

I was in Kuala Lumpur for 3 days with crazy work hours, and getting only about 3 hours sleep every night. This week has been horrendous so far, but now that I'm back in Singapore, (got in last night and slept a solid 8 hours!) the rest of the week should ease up just a little.

#11 : Kath.. LOL ... love that kitty on the bubble wrap. I love bubble wrap and everyone at the office (except new employees) know now to let me anywhere near any bubble wrap.

#12 : You're right, Jenn... I did not like The Nonesuch. The guys all seemed like absolute prats to me and way too narcissistic. Since you and Suz did such a great job with The Grand Sophy, I'll add Frederica to my wish list. I am at present reading Death in the Stocks and I'm enjoying it thus far. I didn't know she wrote mysteries.

#13 : Wow .. looks like The Grand Sophy has a legion of fans. I will say one thing about it though ... I loved it except how it ended. (don't know how to create the strikethrough, otherwise I would be specific, but I didn't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet read the book)

#14 : Hey there Tam ... good seeing you here.

#15 : Claudia, 'cameling' is a nickname I was given in high school by some friends because I drink a lot of water and like walking long distances. My brother, on the other hand, says I look like a camel in photographs... *sigh*

I did manage to read Dust by Martha Grimes while I was in KL and all I can say is .... Oh no.. she's done it again...another Inspector Jury with a cliff hanger for an ending. Really, these should come with a warning that a) they should be read in sequence, and b) you're not going to find out who did the dastardly deed until you get hold of the next in the series.

So in 'Dust' Inspector Jury is trying to tie up the loose ends from a previous case, referenced sporadically in this book, when he's called into the scene of a murdered man in a hotel. All evidence seem to point to the killer interrupting him during his dinner and killing him. But the killer inconveniently leaves no fingerprints or clues as to his identity behind.

Inspector Jury also finds himself in unfamiliar territory with the delectable Detective Inspector Lu Aguilar. There's more attention given to sex in this book rather than laying out paths to solving the murder. The way the various links to the murdered man unfolds keeps this a very engaging book though, which makes it all the more frustrating to get to the end of the book only to find not just that you still don't know who did it, but that there now seems to be a new mystery to solve... in the next book.

So it's good enough for a 3.2 star rating in my books, but..... if you need to read books with a clear ending, don't read this one until you've got the previous one in this series Old Wine Shades and the one after this ..The Black Cat.

Caro- Good to hear from you! Sorry your week was so murderous. I read and enjoyed several Richard Jury mysteries back in the 80s! Hugs!

#4 Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Dogs sounds bizarre! ...also fun though...

Sorry you've had such a hard work week, but I suppose they do have the benefit of making you feel like you've achieved things! Fingers crossed for things easing up...

#27 Ooooh I hate cliffhanger endings unless you can have the next book ready at hand - it makes it nearly impossible to return to real life!

*waves hello* Glad the crazy hours have eased off a little.

Cliffhangers irritate me: too often they feel like they're there solely to make you buy the next book in the series as well.

Caro! You have deigned to grace us again! *wild happy dance*

OMG, I was so hooked on Grimes's books in the 80s. I will not go back, no no no, it was too harrowing!

Hello - welcome back to Singapore.

Like Richard, I have not read Grimes books for a good long while. I think I will just stick to that path :)

I hope work slows down for you a bit soon!

At first I thought you were home...
Did your hubby get there?

I hope that things calm down a bit and that you get some sleep... !

#28 : hugs to you too, Marky-Mark .. thanks for continuing to visit this thread even though I've been absent for the most part of the week. Work is a menace sometimes .. grrr

#29 : Oh fliss, it was a loopy and really fun book. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face if not a chuckle or three.

#30 : I'm with you on the cliffhanger endings .. that's one of the reasons too why I don't read some fantasy books until I've got the entire series on my bookshelf. It's too frustrating not know what happened and having to wait sometimes a whole year before the next in the series is out

#31 : 'lo Richard.... I have you to thank for Death in the Stocks. I got the Kindle version and read it the other day. I loved it! I think she writes mysteries better than she does romance .. or maybe I just like her mysteries better? This one had me in stitches and at the same guessing who did the dastardly deed. I'm off to look for more of her mysteries.

#32 : Hi Jenn... thanks. It's nice being back ... especially since I love my mom's dog!

#33 : Hi Stas ... I hope work slows down for me soon too! ;-)

#34 : No such luck .. I won't be home until Feb 17. Hubby's flight was cancelled because of the blizzard but he was put on another flight. He gets here tomorrow night! whoopeeee!

sleep? still trying to catch up on that. I've been feeling very very tired and lackluster this week because of sleep deprivation.

Read an ER book I received last month. Solo by Rana Dasgupta. I wasn't sure I was going to like it when I first started it but ....

What would we like our lives to be like if we had a choice and control in situations? This book is divided into 2 parts. The first covers the life of Ulrich, 100 years old, now blind due to an accident with a jar of acid in his workshop after he retired, as he sits and listens to the world outside his apartment. His memories from his childhood in Bulgaria, his relationship with his parents, his friends through his youth, his passion for chemistry and jazz music in Berlin, and later on his life in Bulgaria under Soviet rule. His memories provide vivid descriptions of a century's worth of experiences, but what strikes the reader most is the deep loneliness that governs his life.

But he is really lonely? For Ulrich spends a fair portion of his time living in his daydreams. In his daydreams, he has a different life. In his daydreams, his best friend fulfills his destiny as a famous musician instead of being executed for being a revolutionary. In his daydreams, he has a loving family and is successful. His life in daydreams covers the 2nd part of this book.

Should we feel sorry for Ulrich because his fantasy life is a complete polar opposite to the harsh and drab loneliness of reality? Or do we sympathize and feel glad that he has a form of escape that is colorful and rich?
Whatever the decision, what's clear is the author's ability to deliver detailed scenes and the thoughts and emotions of his characters vividly and lyrically.

4 stars

#36: I have seen a couple of good reviews of that one. I will have to see if my local library ever gets a copy.

oh my.. Solo sounds so sad..

Glad your hubby got sorted for his trip. Did he end up staying in New York, or was he stuck at home?

Caro- Glad you were able to check in and give us a shout-out. Are you ready for "Fantasy February"? You've starred the link, right?

Hi Caroline. Glad to hear your husband survived that drive to the airport in the blizzard! I was worried about that.

Solo sounds good. I think Bonnie (brenzi) is reading that now too and I think Darryl liked it. Off to thumb your review. Enjoy your time in Singapore.

#37 : Stas, I had just loaned Solo to a friend in Singapore. If he finishes it before I leave, I'll bring it back and send it out to you ... if you haven't yet gotten a copy from your library, that is.

#38 : Kath, it is a pretty sad book and you feel really sorry for Ulrich. But at the same time, it's so beautifully written too. Dasgupta is an author I'm going to keep an eye out for now. I see that he has one other book published Tokyo Cancelled, which sounds quite interesting.

I'm a bit bummed because I received a notice from the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA that Dasgupta is going to be doing a reading from his book there next week and I'll still be out here in Asia. :-( I'd have loved to hear him read this.

#39 : Need you have asked, Marky-Mark? Does rain fall to the ground? Of course I starred the "Fantasy February' thread! *rolls eyes*

#40 : Err... actually he didn't drive to the airport in the blizzard, Pat. He drove from Boston all the way to NEW YORK in the blizzard!!!! I alternated being really worried about him and wanting to strangle him. He had decided to go down to NY to visit his folks for a day or 2 before his trip, and so he changed his flight to leave from JFK in NY instead of Boston's airport. But then our washing machine broke or something and spewed water all over, turning the laundry room in our house into a mini skating pond and his computer died on him, so what with trying to fix stuff .. he didn't manage to get out until about 12 hours before his flight.

Grrr.... and when he got to NY 10 hours later (usually it takes us only 3.5 hours to drive down to NY), his flight was canceled because of the weather conditions ... so the airline put him onto another flight that left yesterday.

Pat's right Caro, I am reading Solo and am finding the writing stunningly beautiful. I got it as an ER book. You?

Yes, I received it as an ER book too, Bonnie. I know I'm silly but after reading Solo, I searched for Dasgupta and found a little web bio of him ... and in his photograph, he looks so sensitive and poetic I could just see him writing these words. You know how some authors look nothing like the work they produce? I have Tokyo Cancelled now in my obese wish list and will look to see if my library has it when I get home .... if I can last that long! If I 'accidentally' find myself in a bookstore here in Singapore and a copy happens to fall into the basket that miraculously appears in my hand, well .... far be it from me to insult the Fates, hey?

I love being indoors when there's a monsoon outside. Rain falling by the bathtubs-full, jagged brilliant lightning and occasional thunder. Perfect weather to stay in, munch on delicious coconut pizzelles and spiced cakes, and catch up on LT.... before lunch.

Hi There!

Sorry to be so late in posting on your thread. I find the mention of the book Solo throughout many threads. I'm adding it to the tbr pile.

I'm also adding Peace on Earth Goodwill to Dogs.

I hope you are warm tonight. It is cold, snowy and winter like here in NE PA

Nice review of Solo, Caroline; I'm glad that you also liked it. I bought a copy of Tokyo Cancelled in London last year, and I'd be happy to send it to you when I'm finished with it.

Thanks for the link, Caroline, so I could find you. Looks like January was a good month for you. I'm a big Georgette Heyer fan--for something of hers that is a little different you might try The Tollgate (a Regency romance with a bit of a mystery) or Venetia (a very spunky heroine with a mind of her own!) if you haven't read them yet.

Enjoyed checking out the mysteries you read--unfortunately I've read most of them already. I usually get new mystery ideas from you so I will keep checking!

Caroline, I did know he was driving down to NY to get to the airport. That's why I was so worried. That's a long drive in a blizzard!

#41: As my local library does not have it catalogued as 'in processing' right now, it will not have the book any time soon. If your friend finishes it, I would love to borrow your copy, Caro.

#44 : Hi Linda ... I'm very nice and warm thank you ... because I'm in Singapore right now. Even with the monsoon rain chucking it down outside, it's still nice and warm.

#45 : Far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth, the ears or the eyes, Darryl, so yes, please .. thank you kindly.

#46 : I've only just discovered Georgette Heyer because I've seen so many references to her here on LT. I gave her a try and hated the first 2 books that I read. But Suz, Jenn and Richard persuaded me to give her one more shot and recommended The Grand Sophy which I did like, although I had issues with the ending. Hmm... does Tollgate or Venetia have bewigged characters, and mincing dandies with pointed buckled shoes, Carolyn? Because if so, I'm running far away from them.

#47 : Thank you for your sharing my concern, Pat. Yes it was a looong drive in a blizzard, and there were many sections where he couldn't tell if he was driving on the road or perhaps on the shoulder! For most of Connecticut, he drove behind one of those large trucks and just followed him hoping that the trucker had better visibility and was driving on the road. I was ever so relieved when he finally arrived at his parents' house. The stubbornness of males is not to be underestimated!

#48 : OK. I'll let him know he has to start reading it sooner rather than later, Stas. :-)

Peeve ... I took my mom's dog to the vet this morning because he was looking very sorry for himself and seemed to be limping. She gave him the once and twice over and said that she thinks he may have sprained a ligament in his back leg and that he really is "frightfully fat" !
I mean, really! Could she have been more insensitive? Poor Prince was so insulted he glared at her, and turned himself around (while he was sitting, a task I found most impressive) and pointed his backside at her. If she wanted to let us know he was fat, she could have pulled us aside or told us out of his hearing.

My mom's now under strict instructions to put him on a major diet and we all have to harden our hearts and desist giving him little treats or snacks during the day, no matter how pathetically he looks at us.

Caro.. as for the dog.. try finding a mostly carb free food for him.
That way he can still eat well and not have to worry as much ..
I find that it makes a huge difference ...

As for the rest...

I still think your life should be a reality show. Seriously, I can imagine watching all of this on tv..I would even get a DVR to record it!

Hi Caro- Hope your trip is going well! When do you return home? Sorry to hear about Poor Prince, the tubby little guy!

Hi Caro! Seems like you have made it thru a horrendous work week and able to relax a little now. Would love to be in a monsoon as you describe it... in a safe place, of course. I just love storms!

Solo going on my WL... sigh can't resist.

Caro darling, I hope you're still enojying your time in the Safe Zone...away from my vengeful imagination from being struck by book bullets! Solo looks great.

A monsoon sounds positively refreshing right now. They've changed our mid-week forecast from lots of snow (which I wouldn't mind) to lots of freezing rain (which I cannot stand).

Prince is certainly a lot better today, he's actually walking, albeit a little stiffly, and he actually ran in the garden when he saw 2 birds pecking away at some fallen fruit under one of the trees.

I think he's taken the vet's disparaging remarks about his girth to heart. He's not begging for treats as much today, and when he's seen me snack on a couple of cookies, he seems to have taken my 'no' quite well. He just sort of snuffled a resigned sign, placed his head in my lap and angled it for a good scratch behind his ears.

#50 : Kath .. that's what my mom's started to do. The poor dog ate his dinner last night and looked up at her as if to say, "So where's the rest of my meal?"

#51 : *don't listen to the mean Letter Carrier, Prince ... that's right, just bare your teeth .. oh wait, no, don't eat his book* If all goes according to plan, I should arrive home on Feb 17. Please do what you can to appease the weather gods because I don't want to come home in a blizzard!

#52 : Resistance is futile, Claudia. :-) I wish I had a good camera with me to take pictures of the storm yesterday. I tried with my phone camera but the photos just looked like messy gray blurs.

#53 : You'd hurl bbs at me?!!

#54 : Ugh! I hear you, Tad. I love the snow, even if there's tons of it, but I hate freezing rain and the ice that forms after. Be careful ... do the old lady shuffle if you have to go outside.

It's a good thing there weren't any cameras following me around today though. I had a meeting in the morning and rushed out of the car into the building just so I wouldn't be late and realized when I got out of the meeting that i had forgotten to take note of where I parked my car. I did remember that I had managed to get a spot around the corner from the elevator lobby ... but as for which floor it was on? Oh dear .. major blank! So I ended up having to take the elevator to each and every floor, get off, walk around the corner to see if my car was parked, and if not, walk back to the elevator lobby, take the elevator to the next floor .. repeat process until car was found. My car was on the 12th floor !

LOL, Caro! I can just see you wandering around the parking garage looking for your car :)

Took this while I was out for a run by the beach a couple of mornings ago, just before the crack of dawn

I like that!

I've added Solo to my wishlist thanks to your lovely review!

Nice photo...

Beautiful pic, Carol! Glad to hear that you are now liking Georgette Heyer. I've got 4 of hers on my shelf here but haven't read anything by her yet. Maybe this year?

Hope you're having a nice time and enjoying the yummy food! *jealous*

pretty pic... what are you doing out running in the dark?
You fall over large objects in the daylight. AND who knows what sorts of
crazies are lurking in the shadowy shruberries ??

Aside from running in the dark - how do you run with a camera?

#58 : Thanks, Stas. I'd just missed a bird flying out of the tree when I took that picture.

#59 : I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Angela.

#60 : Which GH books do you have, Laura? I'm still a little on the fence with her. I've now got Frederica and They Found Him Dead in my TBR Tower, so we'll see how I go with these before I form a final verdict.

The yummy food, seeing some of my family and friends again is definitely adding major plus points to my trip and balances the long work hours and tedious meetings.

#61 : Madam Kath, I'll have you it's the daylight that so blinds me I can't see where I'm going. I'm like a bat ...I avoid tree roots better in semi-darkness... not total of course because that would just be tempting Fate. Crazies? this is Singapore .. no crazies allowed .. at least no gun or bomb toting ones, and for the others the beach that I run on is part of a very large park with bike paths and jogging paths, so it's pretty well light and patrolled by the park police on bicycles.

#62 : Didn't, Jenn. I had my phone in the car, so after my run, I took my phone out and snapped that.

Well, that's a relief. I was picturing you running along with a camera flying about your head...

Ooh, pretty picture!

64 I was picturing you running along with a camera flying about your head...

LOL! I hate to think of the damage you could do to yourself in that scenario!

The daylight blinds me too, so I believe you.

No crazies in Singapore?! Are you sure?

#64 : LOL .. you crack me up, Jenn.

#65 : I do enough damage to myself under normal conditions.

#66 : Case proven, Kath! I went out running this morning after the sun had come up .....didn't go more than 2 miles and took a tumble. I now have a sprained left ankle.

my point exactly.......

heal quickly :(

hi Caro!
Sprained ankle? ouch. Maybe that will slow you down a bit - but, I doubt it!

re crazies in Singapore - if they are smart they will all avoid Caro! LOL

Oh dear. Take care.

Caro- Hope it wasn't to bad of a injury. Let us know!

63: I have Death in the Stocks, April Lady, The Nonesuch and The Foundling. From what I hear about her, I should adore Georgette Heyer... however, I'm a little afraid that I'll have expectations that are too high and I will be disappointed in the end. I'll let you know how it goes once I get around to her!

Take care of yourself, dearie!

Hope the ankle heals quickly, Caro!

Wait -- we BOTH have ankle injuries? Yours on the left, mine on the right?? This is scary...

I'm dithering about Solo. Could get it on Kindle, but... and the library doesn't have it. Oh, what to do, what to do, what to do...

*sticks it on the Kindle Wish List*

see Suz? What did I tell you..

Thank you all for your concern and well wishes for my ankle. It's actually healing quite nicely. I eschewed the icing (tried it for about an hour and found my ankle stiffening up) for a heat pad instead, and I've been wrapping it with a medicated sticky bandage-thing. Much better today, I can walk with barely a limp .. going down the stairs is still tricky though so I'm hopping down it on my right foot instead.

I'm hoping it will be completely healed by Sunday since I have a flight out to Tokyo on Monday morning.

Suz : Hey if I were in NY, we could lean on each other as we walked down the street since we'd have a good right and left leg. :-)

A friend of mine just returned Solo and he loved the writing, but was disturbed with all the tragedies that the main character suffered.

drive-by smooch, dear Caro

Started Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand by Fred Vargas the day before yesterday and it reaffirms my opinion that Ms Vargas is a genius.

There are memories that are sometimes embedded so deeply in one's subconscious that a chance glance at a picture leaves one with such a feeling of disquiet. Without quite being able to put his finger on his unease and restlessness, Inspector Adamsberg finds himself staring at a poster, unable to understand why he finds it quite so compelling and frightful.

When his subconscious gives up the memories he had kept buried for more than 16 years, he knows he's facing an old enemy, a serial killer cloaked in invisibility and protected by a patina of respectability. Only he knows him for the evil that he is ... except the man is dead and it appears his ghost has taken up where his body left off, and has started killing again, leaving his trademark wounds.

But how do you convince your colleagues and superiors of your suspicions without them thinking you insane? And what happens when you're facing a personal crisis and make a few unwise choices? What if you got blinding drunk one night and woke up without remembering a large part of the evening? What if you're now under suspicion for having murdered someone you knew?

These are the events that befall Inspector Adamsberg and he finds himself having to seek refuge among different friends, using unique resources to not only find the real killer, but also the evidence to prove to himself that he did not kill the latest victim.

A thrilling ride, this is a difficult book to put down once you get started on it.
4 stars

#78: You are tempting me to fall of the book-buying ban bandwagon with all the good reviews you are giving Vargas' work, Caro. Now, stop it! :)

#79 : Tit for tat, Stas ... you tempt me with all the books you keep adding willy nilly to my obese wish list. :-) But I do think you will enjoy Vargas. By the way, my friend's finished with Solo so I'll bring it back with me and mail it to you when I get home.

Finished my first book for Fantasy February - Avempartha by Michael Sullivan. 2nd in the Riyria Revelations. The village of Dahlgren is being terrorized by a winged beast who attacks in the night, killing the villages, sometimes whole families at a time. Royce and Hadrian are sought out by a desperate young woman who hires them to save her father from certain death. But things are not what they seem. Esrahaddon the wizard, rescued after a 900 year imprisonment, having lost his hands, appears to have sought refuge in this village waiting for their arrival. In the meantime, the Church has been keeping an eye on Arista through her maid, Bernice and Bishop Saulder. Is she being used as a pawn by the Church to search out Esrahaddon, or was the Church responsible for the death of her father?

The characters are much better developed in this 2nd book compared to the first and this is shaping up to be a fantasy series worth following.
3.8 stars

#80: And, of course, my local library does not have the Sullivan books either. *sigh*

Thanks for sending Solo my way, Caro.

Hi Caro,
I saw Wintertide also by Michael Sullivan recently. It looked interesting and was tempted to buy it. Then I noticed it was part of a series, so I got The Crown Conspiracy to get started.

Not really commited to FF, but I do love fantasy and hope I get a chance to join in the fun.

Glad to hear you are doing well - but please be careful with that hopping down stairs thing! :{

Caro- Thanks for the update! I'm glad your ankle has recovered. Boy, you are really knocking out the Vargas books! I turned you on to the 1st and now you have left me in the dust. Cough cough!
I'm not familiar with Michael Sullivan. I take it the 1st book was very good?

#80 : Sorry to hear that Stas .. if it makes you feel any better, I'm dying to get my hands on the rest in the series and the bookstore I went to this morning only has the 1st, 5th and 6th. *sigh* I'll have to wait till I get home.

#82 : Claudia, The Crown Conspiracy was ok but not fantastic. The characters were definitely more fleshed out in Avempartha so hang in there and don't give up if you don't quite like the first book.

My joust with FF has come to an abrupt hiatus because I don't have anymore fantasy books with me. Oh well, I'll just have to resume fantasy reading when I get home in a week and a half's time.

The stair hopping is quite the skill I've sort of mastered over the years since I've a tendency to sprain my ankles... how I could have developed such weak ones is just annoying.

#83 : Marky-Mark ..... see how dangerous your recommendations can be? I'm so completely hooked on Vargas now. I've got 2 others in my TBR Tower but I'm trying to space out the reads so that I don't OD on her 'voice'.

The Crown Conspiracy was Michael Sullivan's first in the Riyria Revelations series. I thought it was ok, but not as fantastic as say Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay or Tolkien's LOTR and The Hobbit. But it interested me well enough to give the 2nd in the series a shot and this one I liked more than the first because the characters had more depth and things have started to get more interesting.

I have had a few bad sprains myself. Now I often have some pretty severe pain in my ankles after a day on the cement floor of work. Old age I guess... and arthritis. So be careful!

I am loving my FF choice, Weaveworld. This is the third Barker I have read.. the first, Imajica, was a long time ago.. and then Galilee recently. I have really enjoyed each one of them. I will be looking at more of his books..

Love your review of Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand. (Thumb!) But I see that it's the sixth book in the series. (Sigh.) Oh, dear . . .

Thanks, Kath .. my ankle's getting better, but still not ready for any running on. I tried it out at the gym this morning and didn't get more than 2 steps when I felt a sharp pain .. so I moved off the treadmill and onto a stationary bike instead. Oh well ...

Probably not helping that I'm walking a fair bit in Tokyo this week getting to meetings and train stations.

I love Barker's Weaveworld. Have you read his Books of Blood and Abarat yet?

#86 : Yes it is, but you don't have to read them in order because they stand on their own very well.

Been going through a crazy schedule here in Tokyo and I haven't had much time to read. :-( I've discovered that while I can read dead tree books well on subway trains, it's not been comfortable reading the Kindle on the ones I've been on here. I've ended up with a slight headache when I tried over the last 2 days going to meetings, and yesterday evening on my way back to the hotel, I felt a little nauseated. Today I'll bring a dead tree book with me.

I did manage to finish A Paramedic's Story : Life, Death and Everything In Between by Steven "Kelly" Grayson ... hmmm.. touchstone not working.

Responding to 911 calls, paramedics deal with things from heart attacks, potentially fatal wounds in victims of violent crimes, to people trapped in cars after an accident. They have to keep their heads in some gruesome situations, and to keep their humor in check during some hilarious situations. This one paramedic shares what he went through not just with the people he helped save, or sadly had to watch slip away, but also with the doctors and nurses he sometimes had to work with.

There are some funny stories and some heart-wrenching stories, but they all showcase humans at the very best and their worst.
3.5 stars .... and a great book for when you don't have the time nor the brain capacity to concentrate on anything too deep.

Caro- Good to hear from you! Hope things start to slow down a bit for you!

Konnichi wa, Caro-san!
Yes, be careful of walking in Tokyo; dangerous at the best of times; lethal with a bad ankle.

enjoy the rest of your travels...

Tokyo... my son's favorite city in the world.. and he has been in enough of them to be pretty sure. I am glad he isn't there any more.

oh yeah!

Glad you are finally back. I wondered where you had been and started wondering about man holes..

ah..I'm so darn far behind on the threads....

I agree with Suz, please be careful out there.

And, Happy Almost Birthday to you my dear!

I hope Sunday is a very special day for you!

Have you learned how to say Happy Birthday in Japanese?
Happy Birthday!

#88 : Hey ho, Marky-Mark .... and I thought things were slowing down too .... wrong! haha... have had a busy couple of days here in Beijing after I left Tokyo and I leave for Singapore later this evening.

#89 : Suz - it's not too bad in the city itself, since I've gotten pretty good at not bumping into too many people, but in the outskirts, such as Fuchu where I had to train out for a meeting, I'm always in danger of getting run over by the bicyclists on the sidewalk. I wish they had bike lanes on their roads like they do over in Europe. Much safer for pedestrians.

#90 : Not quite yet back, Kath. I'm in Beijing now .. Ni Hao! ... I'll be home next Thursday night though! yaaaaay. Can't wait. Being away for a month is longer than I like. I'm a little scared of what I'll find when I get back though with all the blizzards we'd been getting in MA ... visions of leaking roof and dead plants swim before my eyes....

#91 : Hi Linda .. don't feel too bad ... I've been terribly behind in the last 3 weeks because of my crazy schedule. Thank you for stopping in and for the almost birthday wishes. ;-) You're so sweet to take the time to come visit. I hope you have a restful weekend. No jumping on the trampoline now!

#92 :Hey there mamzel, yes I have. 誕生日おめでとう O tanjō-bi omedetō gozaimasu :-) Thanks for the birthday wishes

They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer turned out to be a pretty bland murder mystery. Certainly not as good as Death In the Stocks and I thought she tried to add confusion by adding too many inconsequential characters in this book. It wasn't bad, and while I did correctly suspect who the murderer was, I didn't know what the motive was for the murder or how it was done.
2.8 stars

Caro- Thanks for checking in on us! I have my New Thread up, stop by when you have a chance. We miss you! Hugs!

**drive by waves Caro**

ditto :)

Hi Caroline. So will you be with your family for your birthday? I hope so.

*waving* I hope you get home soon, Caro! You are missed around these parts.

So how often do you meet yourself on your way back to where you have been?

>100 mckait: LOLOL! I bet it happens a lot to Caro! Maybe that time travel game is how she stays so youthful and pretty.

So, I'm not sure just what day is actually your birthday (cuz you are a day ahead of us)...but I do want to send you happy greetings and wishes for another fun year! Stay healthy!


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Birthday greetings from me too, Caro, wherever you are!

Happy Birthday ! Hope you are spending it with friends and family!

Happy glittery shiny sparkly festive confetti-laden Birthday!

Until Claudia mentioned it, I hadn't thought about whether your birthday had actually arrived where you are now. Just in case--HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I think her birthday is Sunday, but it's close enough! :-}

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Happy Birthday Caroline!! Hope you have a great day, wherever you are! Hugs!

Happy Birthday! :)

Happy birthday Caro!

Happy, happy birthday, Caro, and safe travels back to sunny Boston!

Happy Birthday Caro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And many more to come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Hope you had a Great Day !

Happy Birthday!

A possibly belated Happy Birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday!


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Another belated but heartfelt Happy Birthday, Caro, and I hope today was a good day...not sure about Valentine's Day in Asia.

A late Happy Birthday and a Happy Valentine's Day to you, Caroline!

ARGHHHHH. I'm late. Again.

Happy belated b-day -- hope it was wonderful.

hmmm our Caro must be celebrating a Birthday week?
Or working though it :(

I'm late, too. So far behind on threads!

Belated happy birthday!

I was completely swamped this week with work and meetings that I had no time to log into LT so it was soooo wonderful to come in and see all your birthday wishes. I'm so touched you all remembered ... I almost forgot it was my birthday myself at one point. haha

Birthday was delightful. Lunch with the family, cooked by mom, then hubster and i went and met some friends for tea, and then movie (The King's Speech ---- EXCELLENT is all I can say) and dinner.

Valentine's Day started off with an extremely tedious day-long meeting with a very unpleasant couple of executives who probably thought they created not just the world but the Milky Way.
Thankfully ended well because I met the hubster for dinner and originally thought we'd just go somewhere quiet and simple, but he surprised me with a nice browse through an art exhibition in town, couple of drinks at my favorite martini bar in Singapore and then dinner in a little restaurant where the food was wonderful but more importantly, it was well away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and I didn't have to think of work for a few hours.

I'm very glad though that my current trip is winding down ...well, even if my days are being packed with back to back meetings and late night conference calls, at least I'll be on a plane tomorrow and starting my journey back home! yaaay ... i don't care if i have to deal with tons of snow. I'm sooo wanting to be back in my own house and more importantly, getting back to my usual routine. 4 weeks of travel is rather hard.

Glad you had a good birthday.

Safe travels, Caroline!

I am very happy for you, that you will be home soon. I hope that the weather will be a pleasant surprise for you :)

Safe journey.

Happy Belated! I'm a bit behind this week... glad it was a good one!

I'm happy to hear that you had a nice birthday with your husband, and that your trip is coming to an end. Fortunately the weather is warming up in the eastern half of the US (50s-60s in the Northeast, 60s-70s in the South), so it should be much nicer when you return to Boston than when you left.

Hi Caroline. I'm glad you're coming home. Hope you have some good books for the trip and some warm weather waiting for you.

Belated Happy Birthday to you. Singapore must have been a good place to celebrate it for you, with your family there, and it was nice your husband got to be there too! After my 2 month trip last fall, I know how hard it is to be away for such a long time though!

I am soooo late to the party. Maybe I should wish you an early Happy Birthday for next year? It sounds like you had a fun time...even without my good wishes and birthday hugs. The King's Speech was awesome.

Four weeks is a long time to travel. Your routine is at home waiting for you!

Safe travels, Caro! I hope you are home soon.

Whooooohoooo... I'm baaack! Fantastic being home again, even if my first things were to do laundry, check out the house (ugh... roof definitely had a bad leak in one of the rooms) and turn up the heat. Ok, so I have to clean off the car tomorrow and do a bit of shoveling in the driveway before I can head out to work tomorrow (provided the car will start after not having been started for more than 3 weeks) but that's still not putting a damper on my relief at being home again. :-) Neighbor's son did a fabulous job keeping our front walk cleared of snow while we were away.

Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas by John S. Burnett, made for really interesting reading about piracy, the ships who found themselves under attack and the captains who managed to either fight off the pirates, or unfortunately became victims. Some ships could have avoided pirate attacks if they had only complied with certain well advised practices, and some of the attacks resulted in fatalities and stolen ships. With valuable cargo on board, pirates today, especially in SouthEast Asia, have better modern weapons and technology available to them.
3.5 stars

Hi Caroline. Welcome home! I'm glad you're back.

still enough snow to shovel? I was hoping that it had melted away...
Glad you are home.

Caro- Great to have you back! Hope you have a few days off before returning to work!

Hi Caro! Nice to see you made it back safe & sound.

Even if your lifestyle does not slow down much, at least you are in familiar, cozy surroundings now. Welcome back!

Welcome Home, Caro!

Welcome home. Sorry about the roof leak.

Hey Caroline! Good to see you back.

Welcome back, Caroline!

Bad luck with the roof. :( But the pirate book sounds interesting. :)

It's good to be back, my peeps ... even if I found even more things to contend with. *sigh*

My neighbor's son did a great job shoveling my front walk, but he forgot about the driveway and clearing the car. A friend yesterday drove his jeep over and broke that ice wall and helped shovel the driveway in front and around my car .... and discovered that all that all the frozen snow had gotten so heavy, it broke the sunroof of my car.

So today was spent clearing off all the broken glass and taping a couple of trash bags over the hole, and going the rounds with my insurance company and then trying to find someone to replace my sunroof. Good news - I have a comprehensive, so there's a 0 deductible. Semi-good news - my dealership can provide me with a loaner while they fix my car and replace my sunroof and the sunroof cover. Bad news - they can't take my car until next Monday.

At least I got to finish off Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb today. This one is only for Inspector Eve Dallas fans. It's shorter than her usual books in the series and not quite as complex, but I still enjoyed it.
3.3 stars

Caro- Sorry to hear about your troubles! It would be nice if you could come home after such a grueling trip and just kick back. Ahhhh, that would be to easy.
You don't have a garage? If not, major bummer.

Marky-Mark - given the weather, I suppose it would have been too much of a miracle if nothing at all had gone wrong while our house stood empty all these weeks. We do have a detached garage, but it's more used for extra storage for stuff that the hubster was supposed to have gotten rid of but..... *sigh*

If the car had been in the garage, I wouldn't have been able to have driven it anyway because of the thick ice in the driveway leading up to it.

I am glad to hear your insurance is going to cover the costs for you, Caro. That, at least, is a bit of a relief.

Oh yeah! Garage as storage for husbands unused farb.
We have one of those too!

This year, my stepdad told me about this miracle stuff called HEET. You spray it on the ice on your windshield and the ice vanishes. Love it!

If you figure out how to get your garage cleared out, maybe you could give me a few tips?

Was there much damage inside the car from being wet?

Hi Caroline, a belated Happy Birthday to you (I'm way behind reading posts!).

I didn't realize that your trips to Asia were that long! Mine are much shorter and I always wish they were longer. Just proves that we are never happy with what we have.

Good that you are back and glad to be home again.

#149 : Yes it is, Stas. So now we only have to wait for Spring and get the roof (and potentially one ceiling) replaced. So things could be worse, I suppose. Not looking forward to another potential storm coming up at the end of next week though .... hope my trash bags hold up until I can bring the car in next Monday.

#150 : Ha! Kath, I'm looking for tips on how to clear out a garage of the stuff myself. I'm thinking perhaps a bulldozer just coming in and sweeping the whole structure and contents away?

I need to look for HEET. Thanks for the tip!

Thankfully not much damage in the car .. just wet carpet. The seats are leather, so that dried off without a problem. But with the ice sliding off, there are some new scratches on the hood of the car .. making it look very sorry indeed.

#151 : Thank you, Manuel ... I'm very behind reading posts too. ;-) My trips aren't usually as long as the one I've just come home from. Usually I don't need to be away for more than 2 weeks. My next trip looks to be about 3 weeks long though, but at least I don't have to leave until the end of March, so I get at least a month at home.

Started reading Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn yesterday and finished it this morning. Part of the Lady Julia Grey mystery series, I quite liked this one.

Newly married to her half Gypsy detective husband, Lady Julia Grey's honeymoon is interrupted with a visit from her sister and brother, who persuade her to accompany them to India, on a quest to rescue her sister's ex-lover whose husband may or may not have been murdered. If her husband was murdered, was it because his brother or mother want the title to the tea estate, a title that, should she give birth to a son, would be his, potentially putting their lives in danger?

Lady Grey's enthusiastic penchant to solve the mystery surrounding the death of one Freddie Cavendish soon leads her to meet with the English community in the little village, and she is presented with an inebriated doctor, a theologian and his American artistic wife, a sulky teen, a nature-mad boy, a kind and elderly recluse, and a couple of cousins from England who left under a suspicious cloud. As she gets to know the neighbors, she finds she is not short of suspects or motives, but suffers from a lack of evidence.

The relationship between Lady Grey and her husband, Brisbane, is further developed in this book and even as she grapples with the intricacies of her investigation, so too does she grapple with the complexities of marriage.
3.5 stars

I find HEET next to the windshield washer fluid at the hardware store...
:)

garage? a cleansing fire? I have hoped many times for something in there to just .. spontaneously erupt! A new garage would be nice!

Caro- Hope you have a nice day and get caught up on a few things. When do you go back to work?

#153 : Cleansing fire ... I like that thought, Kath... the rebirth of the garage! Ooh I could live with that.. and a new garage with an electronic inventory sensor that tells us what is in the garage .. oh and while I'm fantasizing, how about a robot that puts everything away neatly on shelves, and zaps the hubster if he even attempts to put anything in the garage that isn't on the list of garage acceptable items.

#154 : I went back to work on Friday, Marky-Mark .. the morning after I arrived back from Asia. No rest for the wicked! I plan on making the most of the long weekend.

I started Chips, Clones and Living Beyond 100: How Far Will the Biosciences Take Us by Paul Schoemaker a few days ago and found it a fascinating read.

With increased understanding of hygiene, medicine and nutrition in addition to improvements in bioscience technology, a life expectancy in the triple digits isn't quite as high a leap in imagination as it would have been a couple of centuries ago.

Starting off with a concise science and medical history through the ages, the authors take us through the discovery of germs, viruses and how antibiotics and vaccines were developed. The discovery of the DNA human genome has led to more genetic studies and gene testing that have changed our understanding of diseases, and the development of biotechnology that could prevent or cure them.

But unlike the development of robotic and computer technology which seeks to improve our lifestyles and work, the development in biosciences sometimes come with moral and ethical consideration, especially in the field of cloning. Should we be able to genetically modify embryos and if so, to what extent? Do we have the right to play God? And if we were to continue extending the lifespan of man, what impact will that have on healthcare services and costs? What are the social impacts?

Written succinctly, this made for a very interesting and thought provoking read. Not heavy on medical terminology or detail, it did provide enough information to provide at least a basic understanding in this growing field.
3.8 stars

Oh, I didn't know about the next Lady Julia book. I will have to check it out.

I am with you on the husband zapper. I want one for my kids too. Just a little teensy zap! every time they drop something on the floor or on the island in the kitchen...

>152 cameling:: I read the first two of Raybourns but never got around to the third. The second didn't grab me as much as the first one did. How would you compare #3 and #4 to #1 and #2?

#157 : Your brain hat is getting a lot of wear, Jenn .. just so you know... it made an appearance at the supermarket this morning. My warm head continues to thank you for the delightful gift. :-)

#158 : I liked the first and second, but I didn't like the 3rd at all. I was hesitant reading the 4th, but once I got into it, I happily devoured it. I still think Silent in the Sanctuary remains the best of the series thus far, though.

I like the cold, I like snow ....but ... I'm ready for Spring. At least the snow today was fluffy and so cleaning it off was easy. Am not looking forward to the icy freeze forecasted for the next couple of days.

I, like you, am surrounded by snow, but spring is very close, very close indeed. The crocus are up. :)

#159: Icy freeze? Ick. Stay warm, Caro!

I like the cold, I like snow ....but ... I'm ready for Spring

ditto........ugh!

Hi Caro, I need to look for HEET too. Why have I never heard of this product?

I'm finally caught up with you again, Caro! Your life is never dull, is it? Glad to see you've been reading some good or at least okay books. Hope the ankle is completely healed soon.

I got the word on HEET from my step day just a few weeks ago.. I had never heard of it either..

How is the car holding up?

waiting for squirrel story to appear....

well it's a little warmer today, so some of the ice is melting. yaay. Car seems to be holding up .. or rather my trash bag patch job seems to be holding up .... double yaay!

#160 : Wish I could see crocuses appear over here, Ren.

#161 : I have my snuggly socks on and am wrapped up in a fleece throw .... taking your advice to heart, Stas. Oh and I've drinking mugs of the delicious Catey tea you sent me. :-)

#163 : I'd not heard of it until Kath recommended it. But I'm not surprised that I haven't heard of it before... I'm a complete car bimbo. ;-p

#164 : Hey ho, Angela ... gee, I think my life is kinda mundane to say the least. The ankle gets tested tomorrow at the gym when I hit the treadmill to see if I can start running a little again. *fingers crossed*

#165 : Step day, Kath? That's a new one. LOL

#167 : I didn't think to spill my squirrel story here, but since you mentioned it, Kath, I suppose I have to, otherwise I'll have the others asking what squirrel story.

So I was driving home from work today, taking back roads because of my car, when a squirrel dive bombs onto my windscreen and bounces off. Freaked me a little and I skidded on some ice on the road. Pulled over to the side and found the squirrel lying on the side of the road... he was breathing but not moving, so I assumed concussion. So I wrapped him in my coat and drove to the animal clinic, and had the vet take a look at him. He (vet said it was a boy squirrel) had a broken leg and the vet set it and said he'll keep him until his leg heals... since i wasn't too keen on taking Bomber Squirrel home with me. Needless to say, the critter didn't have any insurance, so I ended up paying for his treatment and care.

Caro- I love the squirrel story! I even got a bit of a lump in my throat, as I read it. Just like we already figured, you are an amazing individual!

Marky-Mark.. .I'm only too thankful that he didn't fall onto the trash bag patch job because he probably would have fallen through the bags and maybe even through the sunroof slider, landing in my car. And if he didn't suffer a concussion, who knows.. I may have crashed the car if he careened hysterically around inside it. I'm going to go visit tomorrow ..... just to see if he's getting along ok, but also to make sure the vet wasn't lying when he said he'll keep Bomber until his leg heals.

#159
So glad you're wearing it!

I agree on the Raybourn books. The third was a disappointment. I am looking forward to 4 - since you liked it better.

"Bomber" LOL!

>169 cameling:: What a heartwarming story for a cold night. Bomber is lucky he hit the right car!

Will you take him home to live near your house so you and your neighbors can feed him peanut butter sandwiches?

Bomber.. lol

Great story. Sounds like a lucky, unlucky squirrel.

*Searches online thesaurus for the antonym of mundane. Let's see; extraordinary, that fits.*

You're an angel, Caroline! I doubt that many people would have taken the effort to check on the squirrel, and even fewer would have bothered to take him to a vet. Thanks for sharing that story with us, and please keep us updated on Bomber's recovery.

You are such a sweetie to take the squirrel to the vet - I hope he's ok. And I groaned about the snow breaking your car sunroof... puts the Basel snow (more this morning but not enough to stick) into perspective.

Caroline, I loved your squirrel story too and his name. I'm eagerly awaiting updates!

I told your squrrell story to the other aide in the room.. she said
"she sounds as crazy as you". Since I was extolling your virtue..
I choose to take it as a compliment for both of us..

Awwwwww!!!! The poor squirrel!!! I would have done the same thing. I hope he's on the mend, and I'll look forward to your updates. I really do love squirrels.

Yep, you're my kind of person. :) Love the story. Let us know if you have any more Bomber updates!

Now some poor fox is going hungry. See, Caro? See?! Your "goodness" caused harm, possibly even death, to another beautiful living thing!

;-P

rd PffffffffffffffffffffT

#172 : Check your PM, Jenn.

#180 : Definitely a compliment, Kath. ;-)

How nice that my pals on LT think it was a nice thing that I rescued Bomber. My work colleagues have almost all either made fun of me (there's a Wanted Poster on my door with a 25 cent reward for assaulting the squirrel) or chastised me for picking up a potentially (no, not potentially, they claim it's a given) rabid rodent. I think they missed the point that Bomber was unconscious and unlikely to bite me, plus I wrapped him up in my coat so he couldn't have gotten out to bite me in the car, and he did bounce off my car.

So since you all asked, here's a Bomber update. I drove to the clinic after work today without calling ahead and was thrilled that he was still there! *big ppfft to the coworkers who were insistent the vet would have thrown him out or fed him to a snake*
He was in a cage next to a sneezing rabbit (squirrel allergies?) and I think he was looking rather happy, even if he did keep sniffing at his cast, and hobbled. But he's warm, has a water bottle and the nurse was just refilling his bowl of mixed seeds to munch on. *Bomber apparently eats lots under stress*

so despite the bad raw weather outside, I left with a warm glow.... then again, it could also have been due to the surprising invitation to dinner from a cute vet who liked that I was Bomber's rescuer.

So I'm happy knowing that Bomber's indoors in this weather ...but I wonder if he has another squirrel worried about him.

#183 : If I see the hungry fox, I'll just give him your address, and you can feed him, Ricardo! ;-)

I've been in a book funk all week. Couldn't get my teeth into anything at all, so now I have a pile of books on the floor next to my bed that I've started but not been able to get past pg 10.

Finally picked up Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser, and wouldn't you know it ... it broke my book funk. The quiet and quirky village continued to enchant and delight. This is my second favorite village next to Three Pines. The main difference here is that no murders take place in Lumby.
3.5 stars

You are such a sweetheart to take care of the injured squirrel.

Caro- Thanks for the "Bomber" update and good to hear you snapped out of your book funk! Hope you have a great weekend!

185 Now you have given me the warm glow.
You are wonderful Caro..
hugs

Awww... and a dinner date to boot! So happy to hear Bomber is doing well :)

Thanks for the bomber update! It is such a sweet image of him in his cast munching on his little treats.

#187 : I hope the squirrel didn't mind waking up with a cast and a sneezing bunny next to him, Linda. ;-)

#188 : Thanks, Marky-Mark. I popped in for a Bomber visit this morning on the way to church and the nurse said he's clearly getting better because he has taken to trying to chew off his cast. I think he hates his bunny neighbor.

#189 : Aww shucks, Kath. Thanks ... hugs back.

#190 : Well, the invitation was flattering, Faith, but since I'm married, I had to turn it down since he wasn't inviting my husband as well. ;-)

#191 : I tried to take his photo and post it, but he wouldn't keep still enough and all the pics came out so blurry.

I fell in love with Waiting by Ha Jin.

China's cultural revolutionary years took their toll not only on the country's industrial and economic development, but also the her people's lives. Hunger and famine struck, and many families were separated with members being assigned to rural farms to work. Ha Jin's beautifully written novel takes place during this era in China's history.

Lin, a doctor in the People's Liberation Army lives his life according to what he believes to be his duty. He goes through an arranged marriage to a woman in a village but does not love her. He is even embarrassed by her because she has bound feet. His wife stays in the village to raise their daughter and look after his ailing mother. The army does not allow him a divorce except with his wife's consent or unless he has waited for 18 years. He visits his village once a year, and each time, asks his wife for a divorce and each time leaves denied his freedom.

Lin has a girlfriend, Manna, at the hospital he works in but they suffer an unconsummated relationship because of his marital status and she enters the waiting game as well, stoically, hopefully, and frustratingly for him to be truly free to love her.

The prose is deliberate throughout, and you get the sense of Lin's frustration with and resignation to his situation. When he finally does obtain his divorce, the political landscape in China also goes through fevered changes, and the pace picks up quite forcefully.

I found this a moving story of love and missed opportunities as a result of a man's duty to his family and then the army.

4 stars

Caro- Good review! I read and enjoyed Waiting several years ago. I really enjoyed his recent short story collection and I have War Trash sitting in the stacks.
"I think he hates his bunny neighbor" LOL!

Good review of Waiting. I've been looking at that one. I suppose I will just add it to the pile. Of course I'm going to read it.

Great review of Waiting Caroline. I have that one sitting on my shelf waiting (ha!) to be read. I didn't like War Trash that much (thought the writing was great but it was a slow read) so I've been putting Waiting off. Glad you liked it.

I continue to love the Bomber stories and I just saw your post on the Kitchen thread about your day of eating yesterday. I swear I would be 400 pounds if I tried this. I want to know your secret for staying thin!

I also enjoyed your review of Waiting, Caroline. I read that years ago, after he was awarded the National Book Award for Fiction while he was teaching at Emory, where I was finishing my residency. I need to make time to read his latest novel, A Free Life.

I also loved Waiting when I read it a few years ago Caro. I need to push up War Trash and evidentlt the Lumby books. I picked up the first two at the local used book store a few months ago.

Caro...what about Elizabeth George and her Lynley mysteries? I read A Great Deliverance for the second time, and liked it a lot. I'd forgotten about the first read, done with my sister Winter in the 90s...but this lady's got the chops. Wonderful, and a nice contrast to Ha Jin's carved-jade stories.

just passing though .. looking for new news :)

I am finally caught up with your thread and I love Bomber! Your stories make me smile.

#194 : Thanks, Marky-Mark. I read War Trash but haven't been able to finish it and have placed it aside to try again another time. So far though, that's the only one that I've read from him that I hadn't been able to get into. The other ones I've read that I've enjoyed were A Good Fall, The Bridegroom Stories and I'm looking forward to reading A Free Life which I have in my TBR Tower after my cousin recommended it.

#195 : Jenn ... ahhh.. my job is done. ;-)

#196 : Pat, I found War Trash slow going as well, and haven't yet finished it. But I did like the writing for Waiting although it was the writing that really kept me going because the pace in the first half is rather slow, but it does pick up later. I just really liked too the subtle political reflections too. He does this well by weaving it through the story rather than bashing you over the head with a cudgel.

I also don't eat like that everyday, and on Sunday I worked out a little, and ate really light, with lots of fruit and drank copious mugs of tea. Having said that, I don't think thin is an adjective that could be applied to me. haha

#197 : Thanks, Darryl ... I've got A Free Life to read later as well.

#198 : Oh good, I'm glad you've got some of the Lumby books at last, Bonnie. They have definitely become my go-tos for feel good reads.

#199 : I love EG's Linley mysteries. I've also got the DVDs and I think Nathaniel Parker plays the Inspector Linley to a tee. Her books are definitely re-readers.

#200 : Hey ho, Kath. Only news for today is I get my car back tomorrow with a repaired sunroof ... but I will have to bring it to another mechanic for them to take a look at the rear exhaust pipe which is apparently hanging off the bottom of the car. My dealership very 'kindly' offered to replace the whole thing for me for $1200 ! Considering the car's 11 years old, I'm going to take it to see if these other guys can just weld the hole or maybe just replace the rotted piece rather than replacing the entire thing. If I have to replace the whole thing, then this car is at the point when it's just not worth doing more work on it, and we'll sell it for parts and get a new car.

#201 : I'm going to miss Bomber when they let him go, Carrie Lee. I went to visit him again today ... and am yet again unsuccessful with photos... he's learned to hop around with what's left of his cast very well. (didn't know squirrel teeth could be that sharp). His bunny neighbor's gone home and he has a cute kitty and a budgie for new neighbors now.

Had to give up on A Spanish Lover by Joanne Trollope because it's just a really blah read.

I did finish Twelve Bar Blues by Patrick Neate which I did enjoy although it wasn't quite I thought it would be. There were teasing references to some of the jazz greats and it was a nice musical journey from Africa to New Orleans. While the story starts with 2 best friends and a woman they both loved in 18th century Africa, the journeys their descendants take introduce us to the budding jazz movement and beyond. Unfolding the branches of the family trees through the generations and unraveling how they each descended from the 3 original Africans in the midst of all the music and tribal magic kept me turning the pages.

I would have liked more details rather than passing references to Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, King Oliver, and Fate Marable, but that would be my only criticism of this book.
4 stars

edited to fix touchstones

hey caro.. thanks for visiting me so faithfully and making me smile..

Happy almost month after your birthday day, Caro! I'm sure wherever you were there was a great party with fun and delicious food. Now, must scroll back up to see what you've been reading.

Caro... how long do they think Bomber will be in jail? He is meeting lots of new friends(??). Wonder what he is learning/thinking?
Kinda funny to think about. lol

>203 cameling:: I tried A Spanish Lover but just could not stick to it, so no arguments against dropping it here. Your review of Waiting had me shove it onto my monstrous TBR pile right away.

LOL about Bomber's cast. I used to volunteer for Fish and Wildlife - wild animal rescue. The two animals I flat refused to transport in my car were squirrels and raccoons. You could almost do a squirrel if you had a sturdy box, but those two animals are capable of some serious destruction in a very short period of time. I knew someone whose entire back seat was ripped up by a raccoon who woke up mid-transport (in a wire cage) and ferociously objected to his situation.

I love the image you paint of Bomber hoping around in a raggle taggle cast.

Last Bomber update ...... he chewed his whole cast off and was clearly unhappy being in his cage, so they let him out this morning in the woods behind their clinic. I guess his leg was better? According to the volunteer, he didn't even say goodbye ... just zoomed out when the door of his cage was opened. And to think i brought some nutbread this morning on my way in to work .... oh well, I'm sure the staff will enjoy it.

#204 : thanks for not finding my visits depressing, Kath. ;-)

#205 : Hey ho Lynda .. thanks for dropping in and for the unique wishes. LOL.

#206 : Cee .. Bomber has flown the coop ... literally. I hope he's learned not to fall out of trees and that he didn't catch anything from Sneezy the bunny. I wonder if the budgie and kitty will miss him? Or maybe they're glad he's gone .. I hear he wasn't a very pleasant neighbor.

#207 : Oh good, Tad .. at least it's not just me who couldn't stick with A Spanish Lover. Your monstrous TBR pile welcomes their new neighbor. ;-)

#208 : Yeah, Jenn. Bomber apparently made a mess of his cast, then proceeded to try and chew his way out of his cage and may have terrorized the slightly blind budgie by jumping around his cage somewhat dementedly. I think that's a sign that he's better. I suppose this is why nobody keeps squirrels as pets?

#209 : Ahh Linda, raggle taggle cast is no more and Bomber is free to roam the icy woods again ... silly squirrel. I would have preferred to stay in the warm indoors with regular feedings myself. But then I'm not a squirrel, so who knows how they think.

I just finished Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason for Mystery March. Loved it!

Iceland, harmoniously multicultural ... or is it? When a mixed Icelandic Thai boy is found murdered, hidden prejudices against the immigrant community surfaces against the investigation that ensues. Without any apparent clues as to motive or even suspects, Inspector Erlendur's team find themselves floundering. It doesn't help that the mother has spirited her other son away ostensibly to protect him, before they can interview him. He starts to receive strange phone calls from a woman and mistakes the identity of the caller for a missing woman in another mystery he's working on.

We learn more about the pain that Inspector Erlendur still carries around with him, although in this book, it appears that his relationship with his son is making positive progress, although the one with his daughter remains fraught with peril.

What's enjoyable about the series is not only is there a mystery to solve, but in each book, we are introduced to yet another aspect of Icelandic society and culture.
4 stars

TGIF !!!

TGIF indeed!

xo

Hi there Caroline, you're making this Icelandic series sound pretty irresistable; pushing it up the pile. And yes, here here to TGIF!

I don't believe you'll regret it, Bonnie .... I've really enjoyed each one I've read so far.

aww! godspeed Bomber! Enjoy!

yes.. TGIF for sure.

Caro- Thanks for the Bomber update! The little guy is back in the game, huh? Good for him. Nice review of Arctic Chill. I will be continuing this series, that's for sure.

Kath : Can you believe I was supposed to have the day off?! I ended up working until 4pm, had a break and I've just come off an hour long conference call. Grrr....

Having said that, I am, finally getting to relax! Whoohoooooo.... let the good times roll ... with a fun book.

Marky-Mark, I do really enjoy this series. It's not the usual feel-good crime solver, and I think that's one of the reasons why I like it. It's a little dark, the central crime solving team have their own personal challenges and pain that they have to deal with even as they try to find murderers in the frozen tundra of Iceland.

I did manage (barely) to finish The Savage Garden today. I don't think Mark Mills could write a bad book, but having said that, this, in my opinion, is the weakest he has produced thus far.

Adam, graduate student, is sent off to a friend of his professor's in Italy to research the architecture and history of a garden in the villa. There he finds that all is not as they appear, and before long, he is swept up by feelings of unease. What is it about the sculptures in the garden and the way the garden is laid out that draws him to the library to read Dante's Inferno? Is the villa or the family Docci who lived there cursed? Are there really sinister reasons for the deaths that have occurred there and what were they?

Even as Adam uncovers hidden secrets, so too does he start to fall in love. I thought Mr Mills could have delivered a much shorter book that packed a greater punch. At times, I found my attention wavering as he seemed to ramble tediously over (as I was later to realize) some really unimportant details and scenes.

If this was the first book of his that I'd read, I may not have been eager to read his other, much better written books, Amagansett and The Information Officer.
2.7 stars

Just finished my 3rd mystery book for Mystery March ... Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke is yet another cozy mystery with our eager baker-bar-none Hannah Swensen. Good fun first-thing-in-the-morning read, no major surprises, but lots of food mentions and cookie recipes which has me craving something sweet and has also given me a hankering to make cookies tomorrow.
3 stars

Oh well, off to look for a substantial breakfast. I'm thinking pancakes with lashings of maple syrup (the real kind!) and butter, a side of crisp bacon and farmer's sausage and a chocolate peanut butter milkshake.... and a book to keep me company while I eat it. I know the perfect place for it too ... there's a cute little cafe by the river 10 mins from my house. Toodle-ooo till later, folks

I've been wanting to make some fried apple pies. I may just have to break down and make a few today!

Caro, I've so enjoyed all of your Bomber updates. I would've saved him too! (I once rescued a seagull who had gotten clipped by a car on the 6-lane highway by my house. He was flapping around, couldn't stand, didn't know what was going on ... I picked him up and placed him under a neighbor's bush so he would be safe from any predators or cars and called animal rescue when I got to work. When I called after lunch to check on him they said they looked around and didn't find him - here's hoping he rested and got better on his own!) It's so heartwarming to hear that there are other people out there who help out wild animals!

My Mom had a pet squirrel while she was a teen. Apparently they found her when she was teeny-weeny (no parents around, and I think she was injured as well) and they had her for a few years. Noodle was a little crazy (there are still scratch marks on the inside of my basement door) and they made her a "hamster ball" out of mesh screen so she could run around. I'll try and post a picture later, I've got one around here somewhere...

Hope you had a yummy breakfast and enjoy your Saturday!

#219 : How do you make fried apple pies, Lori? I've never had one but it certainly sounds interesting.

#220 : LOL.... I love it... why was your mom's pet squirrel named Noodle? There must be a story in the name itself! Picture indeed, if you can find one. And how sweet of you to pick up the seagull and call animal rescue. I'm sure the seagull was thanking its human guardian angel from certain death since he would probably have been run over in his dazed state by another car coming down the road.

I'm loving the readathon this weekend. I'm actually getting to do a whole one for a change and I'm having such a great time.

I've just finished Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum and what can I say? I'm addicted to her Inspecter Sejer series ... and I love that I don't have to read it in order.

This one is an exciting page turner that I just couldn't put down. A teenage girl is found naked and dead at the edge of a lake just outside a quiet Norwegian village. By all accounts, she was a healthy and well-liked girl. With no signs of struggle and no apparent evidence of a crime having taken place if not for the body, the investigative team go house to house interviewing all the neighbors and in the process, find that even in a little village, everyone has a secret.
4 stars

Time for dinner.

Caro- I don't do cozies! Character flaw of mine, but I loved Don't Look Back and hope to get to her 2nd book in the very near future.

Just here to say hi, Caro. *waves*

*smooch* No Scandinavians after that horrible girl with the ____ book that gave me the screaming meemees. Oh, and those Icelandic grim-fests. And the Wallender three-hankies-and-a-bottle-of-Seconal series. I'll stick to the Murrikins and the Brits, thanks.

#222 : Well, you wouldn't be human if you didn't have a wee flaw, Marky-Mark.

And don't beat yourself up too much over the cozies .. I'm not a fan of some cozies myself, but I like the Joanne Fluke ones because of all the food mentioned, and her amateur sleuth has a cat I'd love to have. There is an aspect in the series, that I don't find enchanting, which is the on/off romance with a dentist and the policeman, but I've managed to ignore the annoyance thus far.

#223 : Hi Stefano .. *waves back* thanks for dropping in.

#224 : No, no, dear Ricardo .. Karin Fossum's books are a far far far cry from Larsson's girl and Wallender. It's not even as grim as Indridason's Erlendur series. I think you'll like this Norwegian series. Try one ...

Taking a break from Mystery March, I finished The Passion of Artemisia this morning.

A fine historical fiction following the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman in 1600s Italy to be accepted to the Academy of the Arts of Drawing in Rome. Her works, of which her series of the Judith story is the most famous, portray strong females with attention to their natural form, rather than the more commonly idealized version of the female form by male painters of the time.

Her life as a painter was almost destroyed when she stood a public and humiliating court trial after her father accused her painting teacher of raping her. She was subjected to a public gynecological examination and tortured with thumbscrews during her interrogation. The belief at the time, was that, if a person could tell the same story under torture, then it must be true. She bore the physical scars of the thumbscrews for the rest of her life on her hands.

To escape from the jeers and slurs in Rome slung at her, her father arranged her marriage to a Florentine artist and she left Rome. While being a wife and mother, her artistic career started to take flight in Florence, where she gained the protection of the Granduke Cosimo de Medici. She became friends with Galileo, and she was favored by Michaelangelo Buonarroti the younger, (nephew of the great Michaelangelo).

But an artist's survival depends on patrons who commission works from them, and that meant sometimes that the artist had to move to new cities to find new commissions. Artemisia took her family with her as she moved from Florence to Rome, Venice, Naples and briefly England.

The fictitious take on Artemisia's life, while changing some of her conditions and certainly the make up of her family as a child, and her family after marriage, doesn't detract from showcasing a woman who lived for painting, a woman who didn't allow her past to turn her into a meek and apologetic woman, a woman curious about the world and a woman who sought to make those who look at her works think of the people in them, as opposed to looking at them as flat figures. In a way, I'd say she sought to challenge their opinions of familiar subjects.
4 stars .... well worth my putting aside cleaning the house and eating breakfast for.

but now I'm starving ... so I'm off to make something to eat before I keel over.

Nice review, Caro! Sounds interesting. You have to admire "a woman who didn't allow her past to turn her into a meek and apologetic woman"

But was it a 3.5 or a 4? Low blood sugar? What's for brunch?

Have a nice day today! :)

I wonder if I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't already read The Artemisia Files by Mieke Bal which is a collection of essays, Cee. That's why I upped the rating to a 4 after I posted it here ... and have gone back to correct the 3.5 rating I gave before. It is a good story.

Hmm.. good defence... low blood sugar. I'll have to remember that for next time I post conflicting ratings. ;-)

Had an artichoke, blue cheese and sausage thin crust pizza for lunch .. mmmm.... and then an ice cream sundae. I was contemplating getting a frozen pizza but then thought... why the heck should I when I have a really good pizza place down the road? I've never had frozen pizza before .... something my friends still refuse to believe, and I considered maybe trying one out today.... silly me! I love freshly made crisp thin crust pizza.

Got goulash in the slow cooker for dinner. I love simple days. ;-)

Loved your review of The Passion of Artemisia. You earned a hearty thumb! You always get my mouth watering, when you mention your delectable meals.

Glad you found my thread, Caroline! As usual, I am salivating over your lunch--yum!

With the kind of pizzas available to you - fresh & exotic - trust me, you don't want to go for frozen pizza!

Yeah. Frozen pizza is not worth it. Really. Extraspecially if you can go down the street for artichoke and blue cheese pizza...

I read Artemisia: A Novel by Alexandra Lapierre, which has color plates of some of her work. I'd be interested in Vreeland's take on her story, as I like her writing. I'll have to check it out.

Hi Caro, you got me with The Passion of Artemisia; it sounds very good. Thumb!

I don't suppose that you practice law in Pa, huh?
I know that is one of your many ..many..things..

>221 cameling:: I had a nice relaxing week end, too, Caroline, with my books and fellow readathonners. I'll have to pay for my "sloth" this week, though, as I put off some things I should have been doing.

>226 cameling:: I enjoy Vreeland's books and how she brings an artist to life through words. It's one way to slip a little culture into my life. I liked the Artemesia book when I read it a few years ago, but the one I'm sure I'll love is Clara and Mr. Tiffany. I even considered buying this one new (most of my books are the used variety), but a friend beat me to it. I hope she reads it quickly so I can borrow her copy.

It looks like Karin Fossum has to go on my list. Both of my grandparents came from Norway and I enjoy reading about that gorgeous country.

#236: I think I need more coffee. When I read Donna's post about her grandparents I thought it was written by Caroline, who doesn't look Norwegian to me. Swedish, maybe.

#232 : I'm on a pizza roll, Jenn. Went for a pizza lunch with some colleagues today. Gorgonzola and steak marguerita pizza, and a pesto, chicken and olives pizza. Yummy!!!

#233 : Tanglewood, I've got Mary Garrard's Artemisia Gentileschi in my obese wish list. I've heard it's one of the better autobiographies of this amazing woman. I think I'm next on the list at the library. Can't wait.

#234 : Thanks, Bonnie

#235 : No, sorry Kath. I can practice only in Commonwealth countries because I took the Bar in the UK. In order for me to practice anywhere here in the US, I'd need to take the state's bar exams.... and I think my noggin's gotten cloudy with age. Do you need a recommendation though? PM me if you do.

#236 : *sigh* ... I hear you, Donna. I'm in the same boat. I've got a mountain of laundry to do, dry cleaning to drop off, and a house to clean. Oh and a job to go to. ;-)

I haven't read Clara and Mr Tiffany and I've got Luncheon of the Boating Party in my TBR Tower. I have read Girl in Hyacinth Blue and that was another good one by Vreeland which I really enjoyed.

#237 : LOL...You slay me, Darryl .... thanks for that big laugh today. I needed it. It's been one of those days!

I managed to read Look Again by Lisa Scottoline in one go the other night. Thank you, Kath.

A woman sees a missing child flyer, and notices that the child looks remarkably similar to her 3 year old adopted son. She can't get the picture of the child out of her mind, and starts to do some research, if only to confirm for herself, that her child is not the child that was abducted as a baby 2 years ago. What would you do, as a mother, if the child you legally adopted, a child you've loved and cared for, a child who has recognized you for his mother as a baby, is discovered to be another couple's child, a child who was abducted when he was a baby? Would you keep the child and pretend you never saw the flyer? Or would you return him to his biological parents, both of whom have not given up hope that their child is alive somewhere, knowing that his return is going to bring you nothing but certain heart-wrenching grief?

This book had such great potential, dealing with this issue, and I thought the author did an excellent job in describing the adopted mother's mental torture, wanting to do the right thing and at the same time, not wanting to have to give up her child. Being brutally honest with oneself, trying to do not just the right thing, but more importantly, the right thing for the child is an agonizing process.

But that's where the book then, I thought, went a little pear shaped. The author decided to add a bit of mystery into the story, about the woman who gave her child up for adoption. Or did she? And what really happened during the abduction? I liked the way the adopted mother went about doing all she could to find out the true identity of her child. But just when I thought the author was about to dive into a defining moment, instead of crafting this with a more poignant but more realistic ending, she threw in some unbelievable action stunts and patted it down with a fairy tale ending. The wicked witch and her goblin destroyed, her prince comes to the rescue and all is sunny under the rainbow.

I was disappointed with the last third of the book. It could have been so much better if the author hadn't caved to those who need happy endings.
3 stars ... although I think I'm in the minority among other reviewers who rated it much higher.

I ended up actually finishing The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe on Sunday night. There have been so many reviews of this book already that I'm not going to add my piddly little one to the pile ... sheer laziness on my part, and also because I don't have much to say about this book. Many have raved over this book, and I thought it was just somewhat mediocre .... long, but mediocre. Perhaps it's because I am very familiar with other stories of the Salem witches, seen documentaries about the period of the witch hunt and the Salem Panic.

I did enjoy the book though, don't get me wrong. I think maybe I was expecting something more because of all the other rave reviews I'd read.

>241 TadAD:: That's a problem that has caused me to change reading habits. A book might be perfectly fine for me but, because it received so many rave reviews, I end up thinking it's going to be absolutely stupendous. And then it isn't. It's so not fair to the book and I end up with less enjoyment than I would have if I had approached it fresh. Now, once a book reaches some not-quite-defined threshold hold of hype, I put it aside for a year or so. It means I'm often the last one to read it but that's OK.

Hi Caro- I've seen Lisa Scottoline name mentioned many times but I have never read her. I'm not sure I will either. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane does not sound appealing either. Hey, I got away Scot-free!

I was so excited when I started to read your description of Look Again. Too bad it fizzled out at the end.

I agree with Tad. Sometimes my expectations are probably raised to an unrealistic level when alot of people recommend a book to me and then I'm disappointed.

I didn't know you were a lawyer too, Caroline. When I moved to Idaho, some people encouraged me to take the state bar exam just in case I wanted to practice law again. Luckily, I had no desire to do that because that is a pain in the ass exam to study for.

Hey, Caroline!
I was at the library used bookstore today and saw The Passion of Artemisia for $4 and remembered your 4 star review. So, I got it! Came home happy. :)

And she cooks like a chef!

so does Cee.. and rd..
I am way outta my league with this gang..

#242 : Actually I think you would enjoy The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Marky-Mark. While there is some historical facts in the book, there are also elements of fantasy and magic in there. Just sayin.... ;-)

#243 : Don't let me stop you, Pat ... I know many people who prefer candy floss sweet happy endings to their stories.
I was a barrister in London and practiced for a couple of years but got really bored. So I ditched it and tried a few different things until I finally found something I'm really enjoying.

#244 : Yaay Cee. This is the type of happy ending I like. lol

#245 : yeah, you're right ... i make a mean pb&banana sandwich. haha

Kinda how I feel after my day at work today! *groan* I need a vacation ...

YES you do, Caro! You need a relaxing vacation!

Cute gif!

I have said it before.. I don't know how you do it!

>249 mckait: Crack. Lots of crack.

oh! I see...

Hi, Caroline!

I have to agree with your review of Look Again -- great promise in the premise, but I found the ending quite contrived. (And I only gave it 2 1/2 stars.)

I am guessing that you are really busy again?

I am so bad...I've been neglecting your thread for too long....had to read the "Bomber" stories late...!!!

anyway, I am in Cyberspace today...

........Deliverance Dane i read as an ARC...and, well, it didn't set my world on fire. I have read several books on the Salem Witches/Panic...one of my favorites being In the Devil's Snare.....this novel just wasn't all that memorable.

Any who...i'll try to stay in touch here...

;-)

#248 : I can, but dream about a vacation for the time being, Cee. I am thinking, perhaps of surprising my husband with a few days in Aruba in July for his birthday. I'll have to to find out if he'd like to go there without letting him know what I'm planning.

#250 : Crack...ling, Richard. Crackling! and plenty of potato chips, Kath.

#252 : Yes, it was a bit of a shame, Terri. I was really enjoying the first 2/3s of the book.

#253 : *sigh* you guessed right, Kath. BUT it's Friday! And I'm so tired, I begged off going to dinner with some friends and will just stay in for a quiet night.

#254 : Was In the Devil's Snare good, Jude? I saw it at the bookstore yesterday

I'm worried today. I have friends in Japan I can't get a hold of. And this following the photos I saw yesterday of damage caused by the tornado in AL. Awful! Just awful.

I had all this and some work issues on my mind this evening, so I stopped in at the bookstore, since it usually always calms me, but I found myself a stalker there. Saw a guy across a table of books who smiled, so I smiled back just to be friendly .... and bumped into him again 5 mins later in the store by another table of books. He introduced himself, chatted a little about himself, and then asked me out for a drink or something. I made some polite chit chat, said no politely and goodbye firmly ... and went on to look for some books I wanted to get ..... and realized about 15 mins later that he was following me around the store. Creepy, so I fled the store. I'm now definitely feeling a little overwhelmed by everything this evening ..... :-(

>255 cameling:: Creepy indeed!

I hope everything is okay with your friends.

Ugh, terrible to be harassed when you want to quietly browse for books. Hope the rest of your weekend picks up (or slows down).

(((((caro))))

#255 YES, In the Devil's Snare is very good..I read it in 2004...way before I joined LT...so, have no review

Bookstore Stalkers can be sooo creepy...but, i'm not as good looking as your Caro-ness... me, i'm not above a rude confrontation.....never have been...I'm shopping for books, for crikey's sake.....glad you escaped the weirdo....i would have probably side-tracked the guy..and knocked him to his knees

I have AGE on my side.....

*maniacal laughter ensues****

;-)

Hi Carol! Just making my way around the threads. So sorry to hear about your friends in Japan. I actually have relatives over in Taiwan right now and was a bit worried when we couldn't get a hold of them, but big relief when they sent us an email just a bit ago saying the tsunami warning has been lifted. I guess stalker didn't help things either....but hopefully you will feel better soon and get some good news even sooner!

Caroline, I hope your friends turn out to be OK and that your weekend makes up for today.

Caro - hope you have a very restful weekend and much good news about your friends!

Hi Caroline, prayers for your friends and everyone in Japan being affected by the disaster. Terrible.

Aw man, Caro, you almost had a stalker and you let him get away! :(

I hope your friends in Japan are okay. *Hugs*

Stopping by to say hello!

#259 : I'm adding The Devil's Snare to my obese wish list on your recommendation, Jude. I wish you had been with me at the bookstore where the creepy stalker lurked. He quite ruined my visit. Bah!

#260 : I'm very glad that your Taiwanese friends contacted you to let you know that they're ok.

#261 - 263 : Unfortunately we still have not heard from our friends, and I am trying to remain positive, but given the magnitude of both the quake and the tsunami, in addition to the silence both on the email and phone front from them, I fear the worst. Trying not to think of it, and keeping busy all weekend.

#264 : You're a nut, Stefano... lol .... I'll be sure to capture the next stalker and send him to you in a little box, if you like.

#265 : Hi there Tam. Thanks for visiting.

Visited another bookstore today .... it's amazing how that place soothes me. No stalker this time, but I did accidentally step on a small crawling child. Why parents allow their toddlers to crawl around the aisles confounds me.

So sorry you are still wondering/worrying about your friends. It does look like things are far worse than I can comprehend. It's so hard - not knowing.
{{{{Caro}}}}

Oh no, a male stalker is no good at all. If you attract any crazy ladies though, I'll be happy to take them. :D

I'm sorry to hear you still haven't been in contact with your friends. I'll continue to hope for the best. *hugs*

There are so many whose lives have been totally disrupted, I'll also continue to hope for the best.

Caroline, waiting for news is horrible - I really hope you hear from them soon. It is terrible enough watching what's happening without knowing anyone there.

And ugh to the stalker, just what you needed. Hope today is better.

Yuck, Weirdos! If life wasn't busy enough without someone intruding on your down time.

I have been sending prayers and positive thoughts to Japan and all the areas having problems. My heart hurts when I look at the pictures. How do they handle it?

Caro, I feel the need to administer a sunshine enema just now: Japan's in a world of hurt, including being without power and/or cable-line-dependent services, plus many cell phones are competing for few available snippets of bandwidth...your friends are, I devoutly hope and sincerely expect, simply unable to let anyone know their status!

Fear is natural and normal. The horrors are real, and truly awful to contemplate--and to think of people we know and love personally suffering--! But remember, no news is just no news, not bad news in waiting.

{/sunshine enema}

Thank you for all the hugs and support, my peeps.... it's hard to watch the news, and harder to watch some of the videos, so why do I? I have no frickin' idea ...except that it makes me feel so undeservedly lucky.

Good news today .... 2 friends are ok... one was in Hokkaido when the quake hit, and the other was in another part of Sendai and only sustained a broken collarbone, leg and 3 ribs when the building he was in collapsed. All my friends in Tokyo are ok. So now there's only 3 that are still unaccounted for, and Richard is right ... no news is just no news. Thank you for that calming sunshine enema. Consider me squeaky clean with sunshine pouring out of my you-know-where! ;-)

#268 : Stefano, if I attract crazy ladies, I'm definitely going to sign myself up as a subject for a medical study. Being an accident prone, stalker and bug magnet is bad enough.

I've moved my thread to a new home here

Stop by for a visit ... ;-)