tymfos major-league 75 book lineup -- game four!

Summertime, and the living is easy . . .

This is my 75 Challenge -- but at the very least I need 77 books to make the "minimum" goals of my 11 in 11 Category Challenge, which is found here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/97388

My Books off the Shelf Challenge is found here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/106328

My reading material is quite varied -- it's only my theme for the year for category names that is baseball-related. The BOOKS won't all be baseball-related!!!

I also have monthly themes (constantly being tweaked) to which I will try to relate at least a few of my book titles or subjects each month.







A word about my ratings system: I don't have one. It's all a knee-jerk, flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants effort. Each time I go through my library and note relative ratings of one book to another, I realize how arbitrary I am in granting stars. And if my average rating is rather high, it's because (except for more recent reads since I joined LT) I'm rating the books that are memorable -- and the good ones tend to stick with me! (Some books are memorable because they are truly awful, but I am fortunate to avoid reading many of those!)

All visitors (except spammers) are welcome; have a seat on the "bench" here to chat about books, current events, what's for supper, the meaning of life . . .

Books read in January -- Theme: The Cold, White Snow & Ice of January! (Note: not every book read this month fits the theme!)
1. The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
2. A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly (Benjamin January series)
3. Ghosts and Specters of the Old South by Nancy Roberts (off-theme)
4. Nights of Ice: true stories of Disaster and Survival on Alaska's High Seas by Spike Walker
5. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
6. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney (lots of cold and snow in this one)
7. Mary White by Caryl Ledner
8. White Nights by Ann Cleeves
9. Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason (set in Iceland)
10. So Cold the River by Michael Koryta
11. Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
12. The Ice Bowl by Ed Gruver

Books read in February -- Theme: Black History Month (Note: not every book I read this month will fit this theme.)
13. Is it Just Me? or is it nuts out there?by Whoopi Goldberg
14. My Lord, What a Morning by Marian Anderson
15. Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington
16. In the Blink of an Eye : Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything, by Michael Waltrip.
17. Fever Season by Barbara Hambly
18. Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class, and Family by Cain Hope Felder
19. Army Life in a Black Regiment by Thomas Wentworth Higginson
20. Slave Ghost Stories by Nancy Rhyne

also: Audio, Part 1 of On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Not counted because it is only a part of a work -- library audiobook is split into three parts, and was only able to check out the one part during February due to limit on number of items.

Books Read in March: Themes: Spring Training & Mystery March
21. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
22. Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye
23. A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
24. The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman
25. Summer of Shadows by Jonathan Knight (non-fiction)
26. Murder at Wrigley Field by Troy Soos (audio fiction)
27. Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball by Barbara Gregorich (non-fiction)
28. For Love of the Game by Michael Shaara
29. One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
30. Worth the Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies by Jayson Stark
31. Double Cross by James Patterson
32. Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden book #1) by Charlaine Harris (audiobook fiction)

Books Read in April Themes: Autism Awareness Month and Support Your LIbrary
33. The Wolves of Fairmount Park by Dennis Tafoya
34. Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo (re-read)
35. Up High in the Trees by Kiara Brinkman
36. God Plays Piano, Too : the spiritual lives of disabled children by Brett Webb-Mitchell
37. Blacklands by Belinda Bauer (audio fiction)
38. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
39. Look Me In the Eye by John Elder Robison
40. Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti
41. An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks
42. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
43. Developing Talents by Temple Grandin

ABANDONED:
Rest in the Storm: Self-Care Strategies for Clergy and Other Caregivers, by Kirk Byron Jones (just didn't say anything to me)
The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry (audio book) Made me want to throw it across the room -- and I can't afford to chuck my mp3 player!

Books Read in May -- Theme: May Murder & Mayhem -- and Motorsports
44. The Baptism of Billy Bean by Roger Alan Skipper
45. Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall by Eve LaPlante
46. Too Easy by Philip DePoy
47. Easy as One, Two, Three by Phillip DePoy
48. Faster Pastor by Sharyn McCrumb (audio book)
49. The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke (audio book)
50. I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey by Izzeldin Abuelaish
51. Don't Blink by James Patterson (audio book)
52. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
53. Stealing the General by Russell S. Bonds
54. Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta
55. A. J. by A.J. Foyt with William Neely
56. Sorrow's Anthem by Michael Koryta
57. The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon
58. Heaven's Prisoners by James Lee Burke (audio book -- abridged)

Books Read in June -- Theme: Justice (and injustice), Journeys, and Jazz
59. My Sweetest Victory by Alex Zanardi
60. Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum
61. Judgment Calls by Alafair Burke
62. Church Signs: Love and Laughter on the Road, photography by Donald Seitz
63. The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw
64. Traveling Light by Max Lucado
65. Only Call us Faithful: a novel of the Union underground by Marie Jakober
66. Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke (audio book)
67. The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley
68. The Right and the Power by Leon Jaworski
69. Psalms for Sojourners by James Limburg
70. One More for the Road by Ray Bradbury
71. Missing Justice by Alafair Burke (fiction)

Abandoned
The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton (e-book)

Books Read in July
72. Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
73. A Morning for Flamingos by James Lee Burke (unabridged audio book)
74. Iron Lake: A Cork O'Connor Mystery by William Kent Krueger (audio Fiction)
75. Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro by Helene LaFaro-Fernandez

Books in Progress
The Eternal Now by Paul Tillich (devotional)
Faithful by Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King (non-fiction)
Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (paperback, carry-with-me fiction)

Books read in August

These are the category names I'm working with for my 11 in 11 challenge:

1. Pregame
2. Play Ball!
3. Leadoff
4. On-deck
5. Phantom players
6. All-Stars, MVP's, & Other Awards
7. Foul Play Territory
8. Fireballers, Rainouts, Steals, & Errors!
9. Away Game Travel Day (Cars, trains, boats & planes, etc.)
10. Team Physician & Front Office (Doctor, Lawyer, Indian chief)
11. Team Chaplain
extra category: Utility Players

This year, I have decided to simply give my categories names and NOT define them, and be free to use any books that can in any way fit the category name. I did a pretty good job of staying with my categories in 2010, but I was constantly tweaking the "definition" of what was included in several of them.

My plan is to do at least 7 books in each of these 11 categories -- a 7-11 challenge -- for a total of 77 books. Thus I'll need just 2 more books than the goal for my 75 challenge, if I manage to fit all the books here that I read.

these are (evolving) "themes" for each month. (Some are pairs of themes):

January: "Cold white snow & ice of January"
February: "Black History Month"
March: "Spring Training / Mystery March"
April: "Autism Awareness Month" and "Support Your Library"
May: "May Murder & Mayhem -- & Motorsports"
June: "Justice (and injustice), Journeys, and Jazz"
July: "Big League Cities"
August: "Anything Goes"
September: "Series & Sequels"
October: "Halloween Horrors"
November: "Fill in the Blanks"
December: "Winter Holidays and (other) December Disasters"

Like my categories, a book can fit a "theme" any which way it can: by subject or by words in the title or by setting . . . if there is any even tenuous link, it "fits."

I'm going to try to provide most of the following as a heading for each book, as applicable:

Challenge Book #
Title:
Author:
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Genre:
Subject:
Setting:
Main Characters:
Series:
Dates Read:
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?:
Category for 11 in 11 challenge:
How does it fit the category?
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month:
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How?
My Rating:
Notes:

Can it be I am the first to your thread! Hello Dear One and Happy Summer.

Yes - Happy Summer!

Hi, Linda! You are indeed first -- before I even got the place all spruced up.

Welcome! Happy Summer to you, too!

Lori, I guess we cross-posted. Thanks for stopping by! A happy summer to you!

ooops! reposting from old thread.. I am 100 pages into So Cold The River and liking it !

Happy Summer, Terri. I'll be curious about your jazz titles. I just picked up a book about Chicago jazz for my Chicago category.

Terri- Nice new thread! Glad you could join us on M & M. I had a great time with it. I wish I could have squeezed in 30 more books.

12 So glad you're liking it, Kath!

13 Hi, Linda! I'm not sure what jazz-related books I'll get my hands on. We'll see.

14 Hi, Mark! I had a great time with May M & M. And I still have plenty of mysteries on my TBR list! (In fact, I believe the list has grown. ;)

I ordered a new bookshelf unit for the dining room, using my Office Depot Worklife Rewards bonus. It should be here by Friday, in time to celebrate my Thingaversary.

Challenge Book #58
Title: Heaven's Prisoners (abridged audio book)
Author: James Lee Burke
Genre: mystery/action fiction
Subject: crime
Setting: New Orleans and environs
Main Characters: Dave Robicheaux
Series: Dave Robicheaux #2
Dates Read: finished 5/31/11
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: from county library
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: On Deck
How does it fit the category? next in series
Alternate Category: foul play territory
Theme of the Month: May Murder & Mayhem
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, plenty of both
My Rating: since it was abridged, I'm not going to rate it.
Notes:

I'm reluctant to give this a rating, since it was abridged by someone other than the author. It served its purpose in my "re-read" of the Robicheaux series in order. It reminded me about key events in the chronology of the series. It was a decent mystery, too, even in its much-shortened state.

Hi Terrri, just checking in. For some reason I abandoned the Dave Robicheaux series a while back, I've been meaning to pick them back up again as I did really enjoy them.

Oh new sheves, lucky you! I need new shelves more than I need any more books - but it's just easier and cheaper to keep buying books!

Loved the book terri.. thanks.. I will be looking for more of his, but that was one delicious read!

#18 I'm in the process of downloading another dose of Robicheaux from Net Library even as I type this, Judy. As for the bookcase, I couldn't get bookshelves much cheaper than I did this time. I had over $40 dollars in "worklife rewards" that were going to expire yesterday, and I didn't need any office supplies. The bookcase was originally $69 and they gave me free delivery, so even with the tax it worked out to only about $30 bucks for a 70 inch tall by 27 inch wide cherry finish (laminate) bookcase. Hard to beat.

19. I am really glad you loved the book, Kath. Somehow, I thought it was one you'd enjoy.

Challenge Book #59
Title: My Sweetest Victory
Author: Alex Zanardi
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Genre: memoir
Subject: racing career and recovery from terrible accident
Dates Read: finished 6/1/11
Number of pages: 365 plus chronology and indix
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes. Purchased used last year
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Cars, trains . . .
How does it fit the category? Racing cars
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: left over from last month's Motorsports theme
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? YES
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

This is the story of Alex Zanardi, who nearly died in a racing accident which took both of his legs above the knees -- and recovered to race again in a race car with modified controls. Parts of this book were amazing. And then, for me, parts of it dragged. I'm a race fan and interested in Zanardi's career, but I really didn't want a blow-by-blow description of every race he ran during his championship seasons. And his ego showed through a bit. But, then, I think one needs pretty powerful self-esteem to accomplish the comeback that he did from such a serious accident. Some of the images were powerful -- the priest using motor oil spilled from his wrecked car to give him last rites; the fact that he lost so much blood, there were only two pints left in his system when he got to the hospital. His humor is sometimes delightful, as when he reports commenting to someone that he left his legs back in Berlin. I learned a lot about prosthetics (extremely difficult to fit and use when both legs are lost, and especially above the knees) and about the kind of drive it takes to thrive after such a terrible accident. I just wish the book were edited a bit more stringently.

Hey, Terri! I am a bit late checking in!

I need to get back to the Robicheaux series one of these centuries, but not in abridged form. I hate, loathe, despise and abominate abridgements :)

Fortunately, my download of the next book in the series looks to be unabridged. Hallelujah!

Challenge Book #60
Title: Don't Look Back
Author: Karin Fossum
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Genre: police procedural mystery
Subject: investigation of the death of a teenager
Setting: a small town in Norway
Main Characters: Inspector Sejir
Series: Inspector Sejir series, #1
Dates Read: finished 6/2/11
Number of pages: 295
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: NO. too new. Purchased at Penn State IAUW book sale last month.
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Leadoff
How does it fit the category? first in series
Alternate Category: foul play territory
Theme of the Month: leftover from May Murder & Mayhem; also fits June Justice
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? (if not obvious) YES
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

This was a good, solid mystery. I like Fossum's style. It's not quite as heavy as some of the other Scandinavian mystery writers whose works I've read. It's not as complex as her countryman Nesbo's books. It's just a good, solid police procedural with likeable main characters, and an interesting array of suspects. I definitely want to continue this series!

I've started Alafair Burke's Judgment Calls to start off my June Justice theme. (The main character in these mysteries is an assistant D.A.) Just to keep it in the family, my current audio book is her father James Lee Burke's novel Black Cherry Blues, #3 in the Dave Robicheaux series which I am now trying to read in order after sampling bits and pieces of the series over the years.

Now I need to decide what my next non-fiction read should be.

Oh, I abandoned The Innocence of Father Brown. It just wasn't that compelling. The word "quaint" comes to mind in describing this set of mysteries solved by a priest.

My bookshelf arrived today. It's an "assemble it yourself" deal. I carried it in piece by piece, as I couldn't lift the box -- too heavy. Now I've misplaced the bag with all the hardware. I know it was in the box, and I'm sure I brought it in, but . . . *sigh* what could I have done with it?

I think my brain is wearing out.

If I were not trying to avoid the Fossum books , I would want to read that ..

ugh! I hate it when things vanish right out of my hands.. good luck!

Thanks, Kath.

OK, my son found the hardware for me . . . in a place where I only looked 5 times. . . now I have to put the shelves together. Between now & Saturday morning (early) I also have to clean up the stuff I'm taking to the church rummage sale and bake stuff for the bake sale. Oh, and go to work tomorrow. And buy a book -- a gift for a graduate. (Our church always give an inspirational book of some sort to high school graduates who are members.)

I'm looking at my non-fiction for June. With the justice theme, I just may go back and explore some books about a defining scandal in American history -- Watergate. I have Leon Jaworski's book The Right and the Power looking at it from the prosecutor's POV, and I have Maurice Stans' book Terrors of Justice looking at it from the other side. How's that for balance? I think I'll read the prosecutor's book first. That's how it would go in court, right, the prosecution goes first?

I tell the girls all the time the safest place to hide anything is right under my nose - I will never find it!

LOL, Stasia! Isn't it funny how that works?

Today is my Thingaversary. Maybe I'll put my bookcase together if I can find a spare moment.

Right now, must run!

Happy Thingaversary, Terri! Which one is it for you? What books are you going to buy? Inquiring minds want to know!

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Terri!

Terri, happy thingaversary!!

It's your Thingaversary? Hooray! congrats on another year of LT-ing

Thanks, Stasia, Carrie, Calm, Linda, and Kath!

It's only my second Thingaversary. I haven't decided what to buy. There is an AAUW book sale a couple weeks from now in Johnstown, so I am going to wait and see what I can get there. I actually traded shifts with a co-worker so that I can be there early in the sale when the selection is good, as there are some titles I'm eager to find.

With all my pondering about what my next non-fiction read should be, today I had my mind changed. A friend brought her ILL back to the library with plenty of time to spare and told me that it's wonderful. Since it was already on my list, and it's already in my grasp, I'm reading Only Call Us Faithful: A Novel of the Union Underground by Marie Jakober. I can't remember which LT-er recommended it, but so far it looks quite good!

hmmm the Oracle thinks I will love Only Call Us Faithful....
I might have to look into it.

Terri- Happy Thingaversary! Yahoo! I'm right behind you. My 3rd is on the 10th.

Congrats Terri on your Thingaversary and the new bookshelf!!

Glad that first Fossum book Don't Look Back was good...I added the series because a certain *cough cough* Mark posted a glowing review on his thread :)

have a great weekend!

36 Kath, I don't have as strong a sense of whether you'd like it as I did with So Cold the River, but then I'm just getting started.

37 Thanks, Mark! Early congrats on your Thingaversary!

38 Thanks, Kara! One of these days, I'll get the shelf put together . . . this weekend is a busy one.

Happy Thingaversary Terri!. I will be celebrating my 3rd Thingaversay later this month, too.

Happy Thingaversary!!!

Happy Thingaversary, Terri! And thanks for the reminder; my 5 year Thingaversary is in 3 days.

41 Thanks, Sher!

42. Thanks, Darryl! Congrats and best wishes for your Thingaversary, too!

Busy weekend. Have barely read at all. The bookshelf is still waiting to be assembled, and all the stuff I removed from the unit that it is replacing in the corner of the dining room (a baker's rack) is sitting piled on the dining room table, and I'm too tired to do anything with any of it. Not sure why.

I forgot to tell you that I LOVE your opening picture!

covered bridges give me cozy feelings...weird I know :) is this one by you?

44 Thanks, Kara! Yes, I took that photo. Covered bridges give me cozy feelings, too, so I photograph them whenever I get a chance!

Some things give me not-so-cozy feelings. I'm still steaming about a young man who asked us to do a seven-page fax for him, then feigned shock that he was expected to actually PAY for the service. He walked out, refusing to pay and claiming our fax price was exhorbitant. (We are by far the cheapest public fax service in town.) He did pay for three photocopies, but not for the computer printouts he did or the fax. (The computer printout price is posted over the computers in boldface, so he couldn't have claimed ignorance on that.) As far as I'm concerned the fellow is just a thief! And I have the law to back me up -- theft of services is a crime in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately it's hard to get the police excited about such crimes.

ETA ALERT! Hey! Just got a call from a co-worker. The guy with the fax actually came in Tuesday morning, paid and apologized for his outburst. So he's not a jerk after all -- just someone who got upset.

Hi Terri, Happy Thingaversary! I need some new shelves myself after shopping at our local AAUW book sale last week. Hope you get yours put together soon.

I like the covered bridge too! Nice photo! Sorry you had to deal with such a jerk!

Happy Thingaversary! I seem to have lost your thread somewhere along the way but now you're found - love the coverd bridge photo!

Amazing how obnoxious and rude people can be sometimes, isn't it!

A belated Happy Thingaversary, Terri! So glad to see you back and reading and posting!!!
I'm sorry that you have to deal with the occasional jerk. That guy should fill your jerk quotient for a month or so.
I've loved Dave Robicheaux and have several that I need to read to catch up with the series. Maybe later this summer --- or next year ---

Hi Terri!
Good luck at the book sale and putting your shelves together.
And... Happy 2nd Thingaversary!

can you ask for the $ up front?

Once again an idiot spoils it for others.
Dislike.

But, good idea kara.

#46 Hi, Bonnie! Thanks!

#47 Thanks, Mark! Most folks we deal with are nice.

#48 Glad you found me, Joanne!

#49 Hi, Peggy! Actually, the jerk quotient at the library has been rising lately. In the past week or so, we also had a woman refuse to leave the public computers when it was closing time -- even when the assistant librarian turned the lights off on her! (I had fun telling her she'd lost her computer privileges the next time she came in. ;) And another fellow absolutely refused to sign in or show ID when he wanted to use the genealogy room on a day when it wasn't staffed -- even though that's basic operating procedure in most any archival department. But most people are nice.

50 Thanks, Claudia!

51 Great minds think alike, Kara. As of noon yesterday, the policy is that faxes are to be paid for in advance. If for some reason the fax doesn't go through, we will gladly refund the money. Notice has been prominently posted.

52. Hi, Kath!
Once again an idiot spoils it for others.
True! We had the one lady who refused to leave the computers at closing time; we had to implement a policy of shutting down the computers 15 minutes earlier each night. (Someone I know from another library says they've had patrons so stubborn about not leaving, they've actually had to go to the back and shut down their server!)

Today's my day off. Just stopped by LT long enough to say hi to y'all who have posted.

Now I have housework to do. I've told hubby and sonny that I'm going to be listening to my audio book while I work; if they want my attention, they need to give me a few seconds to stop the recording and bookmark it, as the reverse function does not work on my mp3 player. I hate to delay in-house communication, but it's darned annoying to have to go back to the beginning of an hour-plus-long segment to get to where I was. One of these days, I'll get one that works properly . . .

ALERT! Just got a call from a co-worker. The guy with the fax came in this morning and paid for the fax and apologized for his outburst. So he's not a jerk after all -- just someone who got upset when he realized he didn't have enough money with him. Now I feel bad for being so hard on him.

how were you hard on him? you didn't say anything wrong to him, right?
you just spoke your peace about him here on LT...it's OK to do that :)

guess he was just embarrassed at #1 not having enough $ and maybe #2 "acting" like a jerk.

good thing is, now he knows how much it costs :) and maybe realizing how inappropriate he acted is a personality check for him.

I give him kudos for coming back and apologizing!

what kara said :)

I don't think I said anything wrong per se to him -- I don't think it's wrong to tell someone that he is expected to pay for a service he receives or to argue that the fee isn't unreasonable, given our expenses maintaining the fax machine -- but I'm sure he was aware of my disapproval. But I say kudos to him for coming back and paying -- and apologizing, too. And he's right that the price should have been stated up front. Normally it would have been, but a co-worker was waiting on him and handed him off to me with something to the effect of "put his fax through, please." I did as I was told, assuming the details had already been discussed. Wrong!

We've posted the fee more prominently now.

My reading seems to have stalled. But I got my bookshelf assembled, and have rearranged my books to make good use of it. For the moment, I've kept the top shelf for some of the stuff that was on the old unit that stood where I've put it -- cookie jar, mugs, candles, etc.

My son says it looks cool.

:) to the bookshelf!

pictures?

OK, Kara, picture:



Two shelves hold my Civil War collection (at least the ones my son doesn't have in his room) and books about railroads. The bottom two shelves are cookbooks and recipe notebooks and boxes.

I actually have enough shelves for my books for the moment.

Challenge Book #61
Title: Judgment Calls
Author: Alafair Burke
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Genre: legal/crime mystery/thriller
Subject: prosecution of an alleged rapist
Setting: Portlande, Oregon
Main Characters: Samantha Kincaid
Series: Samantha Kincaid Mysteries #1
Dates Read: finished 6/9/11
Number of pages: 335 plus acknowledgments and excerpt from next book in series
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes. From used bookstore in Kingston, RI in 2010
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Doctor, Lawyer . . .
How does it fit the category? main character is assistant prosecutor
Alternate Category: foul play territory; leadoff
Theme of the Month: Justice, Journeys & Jazz
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? YES, deals with prosecution
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This was a pretty good little legal/crime thriller, especially since I think it was Alafair Burke's first novel. She knows her stuff, having worked in the Portland DA's office and as a law professor. It wasn't a "can't put it down" read for me, but I did keep picking it up, and toward the end I was eager to keep going. I suppose there are little things I could quibble about, but there was a lot that was good. I must warn, the descriptions of the crime were quite disturbing.

I'm stopping by to wave hi. I love the book case!

I recently finished a YA book regarding Maryland in the Civil War. I re-learned some fascinating tidbits.

I recommend Amelia's War by Ann Rinaldi

Cute bookcase Terri ... and it looks so nice and neat, nothing at all like the ones in my house. *sigh*

Is Alafair Burke anything at all like John Grisham? I used to enjoy Grisham in his first few books but they became rather formulaic and I've stopped reading his stuff.

Can I steal your bookcase? I have a perfect spot for it at my house :)

I know caro. No matter how hard I try, I have books piled on books.
Terrible feng shui ..

64 Hi, Linda! I'll keep that book in mind -- I'm sure I've seen it at the library where I work.

65. Thanks, Caroline. Haven't read any Grisham -- though I have a few somewhere, and the library has about all of them.

66. Now, Stasia, you know it's not nice to steal ;)

67. Kath, I only showed you the new shelf that hasn't had time to get messy. You should see the ones in my den . . . then again, no you shouldn't.

** moves foot, and there is a loud crash of falling books **

And when I said my books were all shelved for the moment, I forgot the pile under my desk . . .

#68: Who said I was nice?

Well,well, well, the claws come out where bookshelves are concerned!! ;)

It looks great, Terri!!!

Lovely to have a decent shelf in good order! *sigh* And I'm glad that the jerk came back and apologized too. My devotion to mysteries hasn't returned yet, so while nostalgia for Burke is pulling me toward Alafair, I don't think I'll be reading it anytime soon. Glad that it's good though.

#69 *looks at Stasia with exasperation*

#70 Thanks, Sher!

#71 Peggy, now I don't think he was a jerk. In fact, I'm feeling a bit like a jerk for assuming he wouldn't come back.

Yesterday was quite a day. After work, I went to a dinner at our church camp, followed by a meeting of a committee I'm on there. Meanwhile, my hubby and son went to Pittsburgh for the Mets-Pirates game -- my son in his new Pirates hat and shirt, hubby in his full Mets regalia. This morning they were on MLBtv.com (hubby has a subscription) watching the SNY feed of the game, and actually saw themselves in the crowd on the broadcast! They hadn't expected this, as they were up in the nosebleed seats.

Wow, that's great that they were on tv at the ballgame.

The only time I'm sure I was on was when I was in the second row behind home plate at Wrigley at a Cubs/Sox game. It seems like everyone I know called or emailed to say that they saw me that day.

They had such a good time last night, I wish I could have been with them at the ballpark.

Today I've been popping on and off the computer (and LT) between tasks. We went out to dinner tonight at the newest restaurant in town, and it was very nice. There's nothing quite as fine as well-made fresh pasta. Though it probably killed my diet. I was very good all day (small turkey sandwich, fruit, and veggie snacks) in anticipation of dinner out, so maybe not too much harm done. Maybe. I hope.

I keep losing weight, but it keeps finding me.

Speaking of food, my new Crock Pot arrived today via Fed Ex., along with a couple pair of slacks I ordered. Crock Pot was a bargain -- $19.95 for a 5 quart cooker, plus one of those cute "little dipper' warmers for hot dips. I ordered just enough to qualify for a limited-time free shipping offer. Can't believe they sent it Fed Ex. so that it arrived so fast. According to the e-mail invoice, they just shipped it out yesterday.

#72: *looks at Stasia with exasperation*

For some reason, I am all too familiar with that look!

Terri, My theory of dieting is that when I lose the pounds, they simply go to a bank in the sky and wait for me patiently, knowing they can return at any given time....with accumulated interest.

Happy Sunday. I'm glad your husband and son had such a lovely time together at the ballpark.

Hi Terri, I don't think I've said it before, but I really love the picture at the top of your thread. It looks like a lovely place to stroll to on a hot summers' day.

Hi Terri,

"I keep losing weight, but it keeps finding me." LOL
never heard that one! Hope I can remember it.

Love the new bookshelf! I just looked in my DR and realized...
I don't have 1 book in there! Not 1!
I think there's potential for that room... ;-)

Hi Terri, I'd love to get anotrher book shelf since the ones I have are loaded. Why does my hubby say don't buy any new books until you read all the ones you have. Mrrrraaaaahhhhwww!

Hello Terri - catching up with a long overdue visit to your thread. I too recognize what you are saying with "I keep losing weight, but it keeps finding me." I just got back on the scales last week after not wanting to know for 6 months, and discover I've found all that I'd lost and a bit more, so it's back to being a bit more careful again!

And I sympathise over the cough, way back in April, disrupting the leading of worship. I keep getting bad colds at present, and have had a hard time controlling symptoms enough to lead services. The folk at the early service all ask 'How's the cold' every time they see me, so I fear I have been rather too obvious in my affliction there.

New bookcase looks great!

#75 LOL, Stasia!

#76 I think I am living proof of your theory, Linda! Have a great day!

#77 Thanks, Judy!

#78 Claudia, I think I got that one from a cartoon -- either Ziggy or Garfield, I can't remember which!

#79 Bonnie, I justified the bookcase in the dining room because I needed a place for my cookbooks . . . and others just happen to fit there, too . . .

#80 Genny, I hope your health is on the upswing now. No more coughs!

I am HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY! I just came from the AAUW book sale in Johnstown. I traded shifts with a co-worker so that I could be there right at the start.

Next post I make will the the LIST of GOODIES.

THE HAUL (all for a total of $20!) Sorry, I can't get touchstones to work. I've been told it's a glitch with Windows 7 and IE 9. Whatever. . . .

(Found: item #1 on the Wishlist, next in the Dennis Lehane series I'm reading)
1. Darkness Take my Hand, by Dennis Lehane (paperback, excellent condition)

2. A signed first edition of A Welcome Grave by Micheal Koryta (hard cover, excellent condition)

3. Rocket Men: the epic story of the first men on the moon, by Craig Nelson (hard cover, excellent condition)
4. A Tale of Two Subs: an untold story of WWII, two sister ships, and extraordinary heroism, by Jonathan J. McCullough (hard cover, excellent condition)
5. Annie's Ghosts: a Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg (trade paperback, excellent condition)
6. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel (trade paperback, excellent condition)
7. Dead Connection by Alafair Burke (paperback, good condition)
8. Church Signs: Love & Laughter on the Road, photography by Donald Seitz (oversize color photograph hard cover book, excellent condition)
9. Lost Lighthouses: Stories & images of America's Vanished Lighthouses by Tim Harrison and Ray Jones (oversize paperback)
10. The Nightingale by Agnes Sligh Turnbull (aged, worn paperback, bought for a co-worker for 50 cents)

ETA from a family member's computer -- was able to set touchstones from this one!

I told hubby I got a big bag of books for $20 at the book sale, and that the top book on my wishlist was one I got. After a brief discussion of some of the books, he asked, "So how much did you spend?" "I told you, I got the bag for $20." "That's ALL you spent at the book sale????!!!!"

He seemed surprised and relieved.

Challenge Book #62
Title: Church Signs: Love and Laughter on the Road
Author: photography by Donald Seitz
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Genre: photo study
Subject: messages on church signs
Setting: all over America
Dates Read: 6/15/11
Number of pages: 128
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, purchased today AAUW book sale
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Team Chaplain
How does it fit the category? church related
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: Justice, Journeys, and Jazz
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Journeys -- signs along the road
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

I probably shouldn't count this -- there was very little reading, mostly the church signs themselves. But it is a pleasant book. Some of the signs shown are clever, a few have questionable theology, all are pieces of Americana. The surroundings are often as interesting as the signs themselves. They range from extremely rural settings to business strips where the local Waffle House sign towers over the church.

Challenge Book # 63
Title: The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey
Author: Linda Greenlaw
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1999
Genre: memoir
Subject: swordfishing
Setting: the Grand Banks
Main Characters: Captain Greenlaw, Charlie, Carl, Ringo, Kenny, Peter, owner Bob Brown
Dates Read: finished 6/15/11
Number of pages:261
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes, purchased 2010 at Pages and Light
Category for 11 in 11 challenge:Cars, trains, boats & planes
How does it fit the category? boat
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: Justice, Journeys, Jazz
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, journey
My Rating:4 stars
Notes:

Linda Greenlaw is no ordinary fisherman. For one things, she's a woman -- rather unusual in the business, especially as captain of a longline swordboat. Also, she has a degree in English and government from Colby College, so she's unusually articulate. For many years, she was also one of the most successful swordboat captains in the US fleet. And she captained the Hannah Boden, sister ship of the ill-fated Andrea Gail which was lost in The Perfect Storm as described by Sebastian Junger. She credits Junger for inspiring her and for sparking the popular interest in swordboats which made her book possible and her name recognizable. Of course, now she's featured in the TV series Swords, but this book was written long before that.

This is mainly a description of a particular swordfishing trip. It is interrupted with small chapters called "Mug up"s which generally tell old stories that relate to issues that came up on the fishing trip. She describes all the good and bad things about the trip, her crew, her boat owner, other captains, and herself. I'm making it sound boring, probably, but it is not. Some of the technical discussion of fishing was a bit more detailed than I could follow, but the bulk of the narrative was fascinating, and I enjoyed it immensely.

#82: Great haul, Terri!

#85: I already have that one in the BlackHole. I will have to get to it soon.

Great haul! Church sign books are fun. I've read one of Greenlaw's books, and I was a little disappointed in it, but I still enjoyed it. It just wasn't quite the book I thought I would be reading.

Nice list of books...
I love Linda Greenlaw!

86 It was a good one, Stasia!

87 This is the first book I've read by Greenlaw. I have another one on the shelf. We'll see how that is. I know she wrote a novel or two, and I heard they weren't as good as her non-fiction.

88 Hi, Kath! I love all kinds of books about fishermen (Greenlaw doesn't like to be called a fisher-woman!) and oceans and such.

I've logged on from a family member's computer that doesn't have Windows 7, and have been able to set/reset many of my missing touchstones. So I guess what I heard about a glitch with Windows 7 and my version of IE is true.

Terri- Good review of The Hungry Ocean. I have her latest Seaworthy in the stacks. I was a big fan of The Perfect Storm, the first place I heard about her.

Challenge Book #64
Title: Traveling Light
Author: Max Lucado
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Genre: spirituality/devotional
Subject: a devotional study of the 23rd Psalm
Dates Read: finished 6/18/11
Number of pages: 164 plus notes and study guide
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, too new; purchased at church rummage sale
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Team Chaplain
How does it fit the category? spirituality
Theme of the Month: Justice, Journeys, and Jazz
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Journeys -- about baggage on one's spiritual journey
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

Lucado takes Psalm 23 phrase by phrase and shows the reader how it can be used to help discard some of the emotional/spiritual baggage that weighs people down in life. He does not confine his commentary to that psalm, however, but draws in other scripture to fit his themes. Lucado has a great way with words, a down-to-earth expressiveness that connects a reader to his message.

This book would be categorized as popular devotional literature, not scholarly theology or biblical studies, but most of the theology here is pretty good. He uses some of the texts in ways we're taught not to use them in seminary (picking the English translation with the meaning he wants, rather than going back to the original language text; conflating the four gospel narratives into one when discussing the Resurrection and its aftermath) but there is much that is valid and helpful in this volume. There are also some great stories a preacher can use as sermon illustrations.

The book concludes with a study guide, which I did not discover until I was almost done with the main text. I think if I'd known it was there from the start, I would have used it and worked my way through the book more slowly.

#91: I have a book in the same vein, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. I ought to read the two books together. Off to see if my local library has the Lucado book. . .

Terri, Have you tried Firefox? I use it all the time.. or I hear Chrome is good. The kids put it
on Dan's laptop.. it seems fine too..

#92 Stasia, that book sounds good! I'll look that one up.

#93 Kath, we have Firefox on the public computers at the library, and I don't particularly enjoy using it. But, then, I really dislike this new version of IE. No experience with Chrome.

Funny, when it's Mothers' Day, I want to be taken out to dinner . . . but today is Fathers' Day, and my husband wanted to grill. Go figure.

I just finished an ILL that is due back at the library tomorrow. I'll try to get it posted after dinner sometime. I'm reading an ER novel that I wouldn't bother to finish if it wasn't an ER book. I've gotten some gems through the ER program, but this one doesn't seem to be one. In my non-fiction reading, I'm working on The Right and the Power: The Prosecution of Watergate by Leon Jaworski. In later years, Nixon had his image rehabilitated a bit as the "elder statesman," but this book is reminding me what an awful, Un-American crook he was.

Hi Terri, you gotta love those AAUW book sales. They are absolutely the best. Nice haul.

Challenge Book #65
Title: Only Call us Faithful: A Novel of the Union Underground
Author: Marie Jakober
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Genre: Historical fiction
Subject: Union loyalists in the Confederate States during the Civil War
Setting: Richmond, VA
Main Characters: Elizabeth Van Lew
Dates Read: finished 6/19/11
Number of pages: 381
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, Inter-Library Loan
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: still thinking about it
How does it fit the category?
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: Justice,Journeys & Jazz
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Sort of. Issues of justice, and the spy network involved some travels by members
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

Not sure what to say about this one. The ghost of Union loyalist Elizabeth Van Lew of Richmond tells the story of the Union underground. She definitlely was, according to the historical record, a central figure in a network of Union spies that even had a member working in the Confederate White House. I had the problem I have with a lot of historical fiction -- wondering what was historical and what was fiction. The author cleared some of that up in her afterword. I enjoyed most of the story of what was going on during the war with the spy network; though I normally like ghost stories, I didn't like the way she used the ghost gimmick, the parts where the story moved into the present time and the spirits were hanging around "revening." I also didn't appreciate the strident, preachy tone of the commentary about a host of issues. I agree already: slavery was horrible; secession was a bad idea; women weren't treated fairly in those days, etc., etc. I didn't need a sermon with my story. It is an interesting subject, however, one that history has mostly neglected out of necessity. (Most of these people continued to live in the South after the war, and didn't want their activity publicized.)

OK, my ER book is starting to get better. Just when the one character reached the point of being so obnoxious I couldn't stand him, he got a little depth. Just a little. And the plot is moving along a bit.

Challenge Book #66
Title: Black Cherry Blues (audio book)
Author: James Lee Burke
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1989; audio, 1993
Genre: Mystery/suspense
Setting: Southern Louisiana and Montana
Main Characters: Dave Robicheaux
Series: Dave Robicheaux #3
Dates Read: finished 6/20/11
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No. NetLibrary download
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: On Deck
How does it fit the category? Next in Series
Alternate Category: Foul Play Territory
Theme of the Month: Justice, Journeys, and Jazz
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes. Dave seeks justice, he journeys to Montana to find it. There's a blues musician, too.
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

Thankfully, this was an unabridged audio, so I got the full pleasure of Burke's writing. The man can definitely turn a phrase, immerse the reader in a scene, craft complex and compelling characters -- good guys and bad guys.

An old friend gets ex-cop Robicheaux involved with his suspicions of a possible murder. When one of the alleged perpetrators is murdered, Dave is arrested. Out on bail, he skips out to Montana to go after evidence to clear himself. Surprises abound.

This audio was narrated by Mark Hammer. I worried that I'd miss Will Patton's spot-on performance narrating as Robicheaux in the first two installments of this series, but Hammer did a fine job.

> 96 Only Call Us Faithful sounds like such a good topic, I'm considering it despite the lukewarm review. Do you have any recs on nonfiction of the Union Underground?

99 Sher, that's something I want to look into but I haven't had a chance yet. The novel definitely tweaked my interest in the subject.

Busy day, busy week. Had to take my son to Pittsburgh today for a doctor's appointment, and there's another more local appointment tomorrow after work. Working extra hours this week because a co-worker is going on vacation. Vacation Bible School is Saturday, followed by a church dinner.

I found a bargain in Books A Million's bargain books. Clemente: the Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss.

I've decided that my July theme is going to be "Big League Cities" -- sports books (mostly baseball) and books set in cities that have big league sports teams (MLB, NFL, etc). I have a bunch of books that will fit. I could probably fill a month with New Orleans and Pittsburgh.

As for this month, my June Justice, Journeys and Jazz is very short on jazz. Ah, well, it was a nice idea.

Just catching up with you! Love the bookshelf...

OOOH, baseball books. Always a good thing.

I suspect I will have no problem finishing my 11 in 11 challenge baseball category. Right now, I'm trying to think of other ways to work some in, such as The Boys of Summer fitting into my seasonal challenge category.

102 Hi, Angela! Thanks for stopping by!

103 Hi, Linda! (When I mentioned baseball, I figured I'd get a response from you! ;)

I finished my ER book. It turned out to be much better than I thought it would be at first. Need to find time to get a review together.

I misplaced my glasses again today, and had to go to work without them. Fortunately, my husband found them and brought them to me. He said they were in a pail . . . ? He says I need to get one of those chain things so the glasses hang around my neck when I take them off. I am quite resistant to that idea . . . though if I lose them many more times, I may break down and do it.

Lots of baseball ahead and not just reading about it. During my almost 2 weeks off, I think I'm going to 8 games (was 9 but sold the night game of the day/night doubleheader). Ten hours at the ballpark and vicinity would've been too much, even for me.

Oh, all that baseball sounds like fun, Linda!

Challenge Book #67
Title: The Reluctant Detective
Author: Martha Ockley
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Genre: Christian mystery fiction
Subject: An Anglican priest who is an ex-detective witnesses the murder of a priest during the Eucharist; whodunit?
Setting: Little Worthy, England
Main Characters: Rev, Faith Morgan, Detective Inspector Ben Shorter
Series: Faith Morgan mysteries #1
Dates Read: finished 6/22/11
Number of pages: 224
Off the Shelf (pre-2011 or ER)? Source?: Yes, ER book
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Pre-game
How does it fit the category? ER book
Alternate Category: Foul Play territory; Leadoff; Team Chaplain
Theme of the Month: June Justice, Journeys, and Jazz
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? well, they're trying to bring a killer to justice
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

My early reaction to this book was not very positive. It initially felt written to formula; some characters felt quite shallow and stereotyped. However, the book got much better as it went along, as the characters became more fully fleshed out. It eventually turned into a fairly decent mystery novel. . . well, crime novel, since I didn't feel that the mystery was too deep. The author gave too many clues as to whodunit to suit me. However, it took quite a while to see the how the "big picture" fit together.

The religious aspects of the novel fit into the plot pretty naturally, being as the protagonist is a priest and the whole drama centers mainly around a church and its people. It didn't feel too "preachy," avoiding a flaw I've found in much of the Christian fiction I've read. This was a decent debut of a series. I'm not eager to see the next installment, but I might consider reading it when it comes out.

Hooray! I'm all caught up on ER reviews!

Currently reading:
The Right and the Power: The Prosecution of Watergate by Leon Jaworski (non-fiction book)
One More for the Road by Ray Bradbury (fiction short stories)
A Morning for Flamingos by James Lee Burke (fiction audiobook)
Psalms for Sojourners, second edition, by James Limburg (devotional book)

I finally got fed up with IE 9 not working with touchstones and decided to try another browser on my computer. So far, Google Chrome is working and hasn't caused problems with my finicky computer . . . yet . . .

Oh, I'm still having problems with some touchstones (in my list of books at the top of the thread) with the new browser. And one of my edits didn't "take."

GRRRR. . . .

I'm finding this a lot harder to navigate . . . can't figure how things work . . . favorites (where's the list of favorites? I saved a few already, but where's the list?)

Why can't LT get it's act together to work with IE, anyway?

Hi Terri!

passing through and trying to catch up!

like kath I use firefox...haven't had a problem yet...*crosses fingers*

glad that ER book pulled through for you...I still have 1 ER reviews due and 2 to still read :( time just doesn't allow it right now for me but I will get to them eventually.

If you have to....maybe you could get a funky beaded chain for your glasses... like these http://www.libastyle.com/detail/reading-glasses-chain-kinky-93.cfm

consider it "retro-ish" not "old lady-ish" :)

Just got back from my trip last night, not able to catch up on everyone.. so I am just scanning and saying

110 Hi, Kara! Don't think that chain is my style, either.

111 Hi, Kath! Was your trip OK? I am so behind on people's threads! This week has been thoroughly hectic!

But I did get another book done. . .

Challenge Book #68
Title: The Right and the Power: The Prosecution of Watergate
Author: Leon Jaworski
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1976
Genre: Non-fiction
Subject: Jaworski's role as the Watergate Special Prosecutor, and the downfall of Pres. Richard Nixon
Dates Read: finished 6-24-11
Number of pages: 279 plus appendices and index
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes, had this forever
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Doctor, Lawyer . . .
How does it fit the category? Special Prosecutor -- lawyer
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: Judicial June
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, obviously
My Rating: 2.95 stars
Notes:

As a youth, I remember watching the proceedings of the Senate Select Committee investigating Watergate whenever I had a chance, and having my Mom tape record the hearings so I could hear what happened when I was in school-- and even during a hospital stay I had at that time. The whole business fascinated me, and I long ago read John Dean's Blind Ambition, Woodward & Bernstein's All the President's Men, and a few other books on the topic. I had never read this one, though it arrived on my bookshelf years ago.

I'm probably being a bit hard on this book, giving it less than 3 stars. Parts of it were brilliant -- most of it was quite good. My main quibble was the wholesale inclusion of long legal briefs, decisions, and memos within the text, disrupting the narrative flow. Certainly these documents were important, but I think it would have been more effective to summarize and footnote them in the narrative text and place the full texts of the documents in an appendix. As it was, he wound up summarizing them anyway to explain them for non-lawyer readers, creating redundancy.

I did learn things from this book. Jaworski provided the behind-the-scenes explanation of several developments which puzzled me. It was also helpful to hear that, even if Ford hadn't pardoned Nixon, it is likely that any conviction achieved against him would have wound up overturned because of the pretrial publicity. (Interestingly, one of the precedents for that was the Sam Shepherd murder case, which I read about recently in another book.) Publicity regarding Nixon's role in Watergate was unprecedented, including the televised Senate Select Committee hearings and televised impeachment proceeding. An extremely long delay would have been required before prosecution to try to counteract the adverse publicity, and even then an impartial jury would come from where? Mars? (My way of putting it, not his.)

Jaworski comes across as an honorable man who did his best to uphold the law in a very difficult chapter of our nation's history. In the very last chapter, Jaworski more or less took off his legal objectivity and reacted, in retrospect, to the whole scandal in a more personal way. I found this quite powerful.

A couple of years ago, I had a Watergate fest and read Blind Ambition along with these all at once: All the President's Men, Final Days, Witness to Power (Ehrlichman's book), The Ends of Power (Halderman's book). If you read All the President's Men but didn't go on immediately to Final Days, you should go back and pick it up; there is so much more information they fill out with the second book. And Ehrlichman and Halderman both put a slightly different twist on everything. Just remember when reading the latter that they are writing from self-serving motivations, as did Dean.

Mac, I have The Final Days on my shelf -- cannot for the life of me remember when/if I read it -- along with Mo (Maureen Dean's book), The Terrors of Justice (Maurice Stans), and Will: the autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy. And I agree -- books written by the Watergate participants definitely have a self-serving spin!

Thanks for dropping by, Mac!

Today was a very, very, very hectic day at work. I am really glad to finally be home, and actually have a day off tomorrow. This past week has had me going almost non-stop.

There is a meeting tonight that I should go to -- supporting the music program in our schools, which is being cut. Seems like these days one must fight like mad to preserve any tiny bit of culture in our lives . . .

Challenge Book #69
Title: Psalms for Sojourners
Author: James Limburg
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2nd edition copyright 2002 (not sure date of first edition)
Genre: Bible study / devotional
Subject: The Psalms on one's journey through life
Dates Read: finished 6/28/11
Number of pages: 128
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes. Amazon
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Team Chaplain
How does it fit the category? Bible study
Theme of the Month: June Journeys . . .
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, sojourn concept
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

I bought the first edition of this book years ago, read it several times, and used it as the basis for a Bible Study on the Psalms. My own old copy was falling apart, so I decided it was time to buy the revised edition, and now I've gotten around to reading the new edition. There aren't a lot of changes, other than expanded information on material for further study.

This is a short, basic study of the Psalms, focusing on how the Psalms accompany us on the journey of life. It identifies the basic types of Psalms and what ones fall into which categories, and meditates on their role in the life of the believer. I find it quite helpful both for personal devotional use and for teaching about the basic types of Psalms. It is not a full-fledged commentary on the Psalms by any means; it is more of an introductory work on the topic.

It should be noted that this book looks at the Psalms from a Christian point of view.

It was such a beautiful day today! Sunny, seventies, and low humidity. My son and I took a walk after supper.

When we came back, I introduced myself to our new next-door neighbor. I had heard that the person buying the place was a state trooper, and he looks like one even in civvies. You know, the crew-cut, clean-shaven semi-military look. I think there's a whole family, but I didn't meet the wife & kids yet. I hope we get along with them OK. The last neighbor's son chopped down my rhododendron.

Challenge Book #70
Title: One More for the Road
Author: Ray Bradbury
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Genre: short stories
Dates Read: finished 6/29/11
Number of pages: 350
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes, have had it for years
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: away game travel day
How does it fit the category? Title: ". . .for the road". .
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: June Journeys
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Title -- for the road
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

This took me quite a while to get through. I normally love Ray Bradbury's writing, and I feel funny only giving this book 3 stars. But this collection of stories just didn't grab me. Some were great, and the writing quality was excellent in all, but I just didn't enjoy a lot of the stories very much.

You've gotta love that cover, though . . .

What I did really enjoy was Bradbury's Afterword -- which made me understand and appreciate a few of the stories a little more, and which revealed some of how his mind works in crafting tales. I also enjoyed the tiny excerpts from several of his novels that were included at the end of the book. For me, several of them were short trips down memory lane. I might actually like to read some of those books again.

That is quite the cover!

Hi, Judy! Thanks for dropping by!

I never heard of that Bradbury!

Maybe there's a reason for that, Kath -- it is certainly not his most memorable work.

Can't believe we're halfway through the year. I'll probably do some kind of summary later today or tomorrow when I get a chance. I'm almost done another book, hope to be able to include that.

Hard times for the library staff. One co-worker is away because her daughter-in-law is on her deathbed; another is out because her mother is in the hospital. Thank heavens another staffer just got back from vacation, or we'd have major coverage issues. I am working quite a few more hours there than usual, which is fine, but I feel bad for my friends and their problems.

My internet was down for quite a while, went down last evening and was out most of the day.

This book was finished after midnight. . . but, hey, in the next time zone it was before midnight . . . and if we were on Standard Time instead of Daylight Savings Time it would have been before midnight . . . so I'm counting it for June.

Challenge Book #71
Title: Missing Justice
Author: Alafair Burke
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Genre: mystery/suspense fiction
Subject: the case of an administrative judge who goes missing
Setting: Portland, Oregon
Main Characters: Deputy D.A. Samantha Kincaid
Series: Samantha Kincaid #2
Dates Read: finished 6/30/11
Number of pages: 354
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes, bought used last year
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: Doctor, Lawyer
How does it fit the category? District Atty. is main character
Alternate Category: Foul Play Territory; Next in Series
Theme of the Month: June Justice
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, obviously
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This was a pretty good mystery. In this second book of the series, Samantha Kincaid has been promoted to prosecutor for Major Crimes Unit, and her first case deals with a judge who goes missing. There are lots of twists and turns. I didn't see the end coming at all.

Well, halfway through the year:

Total: 71 books completed
38 Fiction, 32 Non-fiction,
1 "sort of" non-fiction (novel based on life of a real person; all the other holders have it tagged as non-fiction/biography, but clearly it's a novelization and it calls itself that -- closer to historical fiction.)

This was a busy week. I worked 14 extra hours at the library. Yesterday, while I filled in for a co-worker, hubby and son went out to lunch and to the movies to see Cars 2 . I was looking forward to us all going out to brunch together today after church, but my son really didn't want to. Questioned, he said he was really tired, and that he'd had "too much of a week." (You and me both, kid!) He needed time to chill. I had to respect that, especially with him having a busy week at camp coming up starting tomorrow. We had sandwiches for lunch, and fired up the grill and made steaks for dinner.

The local fireworks display was this evening. Our house is on a hillside at the edge of town, and our upstairs back window gives an excellent view of the fireworks -- without having to contend with bugs or crowds. Plus, it feels like a safe place to watch. When I was young, a display in my home town had a number of misfires, including one which went into a crowd not too far from where I was standing, seriously injuring several people.

My son does not like fireworks, as they hurt his sensitive hearing. He just shuts himself in the front bedroom with the door and windows closed and the TV on during the fireworks.

I seem to be on the edge of a bit of a book funk. Finished what I was reading, and can't seem to get into anything right now.

I hope your son has a great week at camp. I also hope your book funk is over soon, but it sounds like a lot is going on. I have those times when too much is in my head to concentrate on one more thing. :)

back from my vacation and just scanning the threads...no way of catching up after being gone a week....so, and happy 4th!

126 Thanks, Sher. It's been odd being home for a holiday today and not having my son in the house.

I've pulled out a Dennis Lehane novel that I think may ward off my reading funk.

127 I've been doing a lot of quick scanning, even without a week away, Kara. Happy 4th!

Good choice on the Lehane...which one?

WOW! What a lot happening here since I last visited. You purchased a great stash of books for a great price and you've read a lot.

Congratulations on both events.

I hope Lehane does it for you... he would send me running for a blindfold.
I just can't read his stuff.

No town fireworks tonight.. Not sure what the neighbors have planned.
Hope camp is good for your son.

129 Darkness, Take My Hand. Mac, I was so excited when I found it at the book sale last month -- it was at the top of my wishlist, after reading A Drink Before the War. My theme-of-the-month for July is "Big League Cities." Boston, where it is set, certainly is one!

Speaking of Boston, my current non-fiction read, Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 season by Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King, is a bit disappointing so far. I love Baseball, King, O'Nan . . . but the mix isn't working for me yet.

130 Hi, Linda, and thanks! June was a pretty good book month for me -- both in reading and in acquisitions. So glad you stopped by!

`

Hi, Kath! I like Lehane, but I can see that he wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. This series of his is rather on the extreme end of my tastes, as far as grittiness/violence. But he writes so well! Also, I like that it's set in Boston, a city I know and love dearly.

Hope you have a quiet and pleasant evening, Kath.

We are getting a real downpour now. If it's doing this over at the camp, I'm sure the evening's outdoor activities will not be as planned. Fortunately, my husband finished with the grill before the rain started, so our supper at home wasn't spoiled.

I went on a book buying binge yesterday. With my son at camp, and it being my regular day off work, I took advantage of my freedom to visit book stores. Came home eager to catalog, and my internet service was down. When we called, a recording said they were working on a regional outage. When it was still out today, I called again before I went to work. This time, they thought our regional issue was solved, so I spent the better part of an hour with the automated troubleshooting, then on hold, then with a representative as they did line checks, etc. We just went through all this last week when it was out for almost a whole day, so I am getting impatient.

I hope it will be fixed by the time I get home, but I am not counting on it. So I'm posting from the library after finishing my shift. I will post my list of books when I'm back on line from home -- whenever that is.

I'm also having car troubles. What a day!

OK, back online.

My purchases yesterday:
These used paperbacks --
Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt
Design for Murder by Carolyn Hart
Night Relics by James P. Playlock
On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
and
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff ( new hard cover copy for $1 -- the only one of the books which wasn't on my wishlist)

Good haul of books, Terri. Glad to hear you're off-line troubles are over - I hate being knocked off-line!

Carolyn Hart and Lorna Barrett are two of my favorite cozy authors. Cleo Coyle isn't bad, either, though I've read only a couple of theirs.

nice haul of books Terri!

glad the on line thing got fixed :)

hope the car troubles work it self out

138 Hi, Linda! I think I added the Hart & Barrett series to my list on your recommendation.

137 & 139 Hi, Judy & Kara! The on line/off-line thing is an ongoing saga. It went down again after I posted last evening, it was down this morning and when I checked at lunch time. Another hour shot on the phone with Verizon this morning (hubby this time -- we've been alternating who makes the call with each outage). It's back for now, but I'm not assuming it will stay fixed. This makes three times in less than a week.

The car is running, for now. I'm just not trusting it too much.

Challenge Book #72
Title: Darkness, Take My Hand
Author: Dennis Lehane
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1996
Genre: PI mystery fiction / thriller
Subject: murder & mayhem
Setting: Boston
Main Characters: Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro
Series: Kenzie & Gennaro #2
Dates Read: finished 7/7/11
Number of pages: 355 plus excerpts from other books in series
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, too new; an AAUW book sale this year
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: On Deck
How does it fit the category? next in series
Alternate Category: Foul Play Territory
Theme of the Month: Big League Cities
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, set in Boston, the home of the Red Sox
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This series is on the extremely gritty end of the spectrum of books that I read, with more violence and harsh language than is my usual cuppa tea. I keep reading them for the same reason I keep reading James Lee Burke's classic and equally gritty series featuring Dave Robicheaux: the quality of the writing. Well-crafted, complex characters; descriptive writing that takes you to the setting with all your senses; plots with more twists and turns than a country mountain road; and just good, solid storytelling touching upon issues that make you think.

In this one, Kenzie & Gennaro are hired by a psychologist who believes her son is being threatened because the girlfriend of a mob henchman confided to her about a murder. But nothing is quite as it appears. As murder and mayhem break out in Kenzie's old Boston neighborhood, links are made with a series of 2-decade-old crimes, and dirty old secrets rise to the surface. And no one in Patrick Kenzie's inner circle is safe.

A monstrously good thriller!

I always forget. Are you a Pirates fan or a Phillies fan?

If the Cubs can't win, I'm kind of pulling for the Pirates this year. They are doing amazingly well for a team that hasn't had a winning record in 20 years or whatever.

I'm a Phillies fan from away back, in my heart of hearts; but I root for the Pirates when they're not playing the Phillies.

I agree -- the Pirates are much improved this year!

I can't comment on Pirates/Phillies, but I do enjoy JL Burke and Lehane......have never tried Alafair. Man, I was REALLY behind on your thread! I'm happy to have caught up with you and promise to do better in the future!

Thanks for stopping by, Peggy! I thoroughly understand getting behind on threads, as it keeps happening to me. (Our recent internet woes have not helped matters.)

I think yours is one of the threads I lost track of, Peggy. Off to find you again!

I am very behind on threads, but spending time tonight attempting to catch up some. Hopefully I will keep up with you better from here on out, Terri :)

Good morning, Stasia! Don't worry about getting behind. We all do. BTW, Stasia, I'm currently reading a book you sent me back quite a while ago, Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman.

I came downstairs this morning and tiptoed gingerly over to the desk to look at the modem/router. Lo and behold, all the appropriate lights were lit! First morning since Tuesday that our internet has been working. Hallelujah, I'm online!

That's the truth... very easy to get behind~

I hope you enjoy the Tess Monaghan series, Terri!

Good news about the internet! Let's hope it stays up for you. I hate when it is just up for a short time and then fails again.

Stasia, I had read some of the later installments in the series from the library, but never the very beginning of the series which the library didn't have. (I didn't used to be as fussy about reading series in order.) I always enjoyed them, and am glad to get to the ones I missed.

I have always been fussy about reading a series in order. Somehow, I just assume that everyone is! lol

What usually happened, I'd start a book not realizing it was part of a series . . .

Now I always check with LT!

I don't mind starting mid series and moving forward...
the only one that I went back to the beginning for is Three Pines :)

Kath, I got into the Three Pines series by receiving an ER of The Brutal Telling -- my first ER book. Then I went back to the beginning, but must say that having read that one certainly colored my reading of the earlier installments.

The next "series" book that I got as an ER was a second-in-series (Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder series), and I ordered the first one through inter-library loan and read it before I read the ER book. I'm glad I did -- I didn't care a whole lot for the one that I got as an ER, but the first one was great. I'll give the next one a chance because of the first one.

#152: Ah! Now I understand. Yes, what did we ever do without LT?!

Speaking of series, I just got an e-mail from the Sony Reader bookstore. "Discover a new author now. Start with a bargain and get hooked."

It features one of those authors/series that I've read bits and pieces of out of order and enjoyed -- Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak series -- and an author I've been thinking of trying, C.J. Box.

#156: I have read books by both Stabenow (which is how I discovered Angle of Repose, BTW - Kate Shugak was reading it in one of the books) and Box. They are worth the read IMHO.

Checked, and the lowest-priced Stabenow they're offering is the 7th in the series. The bargain Box is actually a stand alone.

Funny, I cannot for the life of me remember which of the Stabenow books I've read. I can't go by what looks familiar, because we have so many at the library that I see on a regular basis. They were all pre-LT so I don't have a record of them. I do know that I enjoyed them.

Now I really must get off this computer and get ready for work. I'm running late, and today is the first day of our Summer Reading Program!

I read one of Box's stand alones, Blue Heaven, and thought it was very good. Which one is being offered?

Whaddya know? Blue Heaven is the one! Maybe I'll get it. Let me check the library catalog first, though.

I'm outta here!

Joyce did a review of Blue Heaven that spurred me to pick it up. I hope you enjoy the book if/when you read it.

Later!

have a great weekend Terri!

hope the online thing stays where it is :)

Thanks, Kara! So far, so good . . .

My son has been at camp this week. I picked him up for the week's end today. He had such a great time, we're signing him up for another week. It's so good for him to be out in the great outdoors and having fun with other kids.

Tomorrow, though, I need to take him for some blood tests the doctor wants done. Routine, due to his meds.

Glad to see your son is enjoying camp, Terri! I hope he likes the second week as much as he did the first one.

Great! Nice break for you, good fun for him...~

The Stephen King/Red Sox book was sort of a fun read, but I'm not a big enough REd Sox fan to have appreciated it fully; I ended up loaning it to a big Sox fan who never returned it, and I'm not too disappointed.....telling.

Glad you enjoyed Darkness Take My Hand. The next few are good but not as good as the first in the series, until you get to Gone, Baby, Gone.

164, 165 Hi, Stasia and Kath. It has been a good week for both of us!

Today I took him for his blood work, and he asked me to WAIT IN THE WAITING ROOM while he went with the lab tech to have the blood drawn. I alerted the tech that he has autism, to get me if needed, but I was pretty confident that he'd be fine -- and he was. (His last two blood draws had gone well, with him cooperative and asking appropriate questions.) He must have done fine, because he emerged smiling with the blood-draw site bandaged. Talk about progress -- this is the kid who once had to be held down by at least three people when he needed a blood test.

I had promised him breakfast at Eat 'n' Park immediately after, since he'd had to fast since last night and we were a half hour from home -- and had errands to do before we went home. Bless his heart, he even reminded me that I needed to buy my calcium supplement while we were out.

He's the one with a phenomenal memory, while my memory bank seems to be shrinking daily.

166 I think I'm in the same situation, Mac -- even though I lived in Boston (within shouting distance of Fenway Park) for a while, I'm still not enough of a Red Sox fan to fully appreciate that book. I'm sure I pass it on somehow when I'm done reading it -- it's not a keeper for me.

I'm putting it aside for the moment because the non-fiction Inter-Library Loan I ordered for my June Jazz theme finally arrived, and has a short due-date. It's Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro. Darryl (kidzdoc) mentioned on his thread -- probably sometime last year -- that a biography had been written about Scott LaFaro, and I've finally got my hands on it. The albums he did with Bill Evans and Paul Motian are among my very favorites, and I always wanted to know more about his short life. The more I learn about him, the more keenly I feel the tragedy of his untimely death.

I've heard that Gone, Baby, Gone is really good -- and our library has it. I look forward to getting to it.

Challenge Book #73
Title: A Morning For Flamingos (unabridged audio book)
Author: James Lee Burke
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1990; audio book copright 1993
Genre: hard-boiled mystery fiction
Subject: murder and drug dealing and a drug sting
Setting: New Orleans and vicinity
Main Characters: Dave Robicheaux
Series: Dave Robicheaux #4
Dates Read: finished 7/8/11
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, download from Net Library
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: On Deck
How does it fit the category? Next in series
Alternate Category: Foul Play Territory
Theme of the Month: Big League Cities
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes. New Orleans, home of the NFL Saints and NBA Jazz
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes: Narrated by Mark Hammer; Recorded Books production

This series is well worth the second look I'm giving it, reading it in order including the scattered installments I'd already read. The man can just flat-out write. While the books contain all the gritty action and language and nastiness typical of the genre, Burke always manages to bring in a positive note at the end of, or even in the midst of, the turmoil. These are books that make one think; beyond the fistfights, gunshots, and plot twists, complex issues are explored. The bad guys aren't all totally bad, and the good guys -- even (especially) the protagonist -- have major flaws. And the descriptions put you right on the scene.

This fourth installment starts with Dave transporting two condemned prisoners to Angola, the tough Louisiana prison where executions take place. One of the prisoners is a long-time friend, one is evil almost beyond description. But you can't count on them reaching their destination. Add in a DEA agent trying to recruit Dave for a drug sting, a drug-dealing mobster with a disabled son, an old flame of Dave's who married into the mob, and assorted other shady characters, and you have the ingredients for a thriller only James Lee Burke could concoct.

I will need to pay attention to your jazz books. For next year's category challenge (12 in 12 or whatever we call it), I've been thinking about a music category, which would be something totally new for me.

That is great news about your son. I'm not too famililar with autism but this sounds like good progress.

Only two more books to go and you have reached the challenge goal! A Morning for Flamingos sounds great and I've added it to the tbr pile.

170 So far, Jade Visions is pretty good. I'm learning a lot that I didn't know about LaFaro.

The one drawback is that the book is written by his sister, so I can't count on it being totally objective. Sometimes it feels more like a tribute than a biography, if you know what I mean.

171 Linda, I had at one time hoped to reach 75 by June 30, but it didn't happen. June was too hectic.

I would tend to suggest that Burke's Robicheaux series is best read in order, though I didn't do that initially. There is a LOT of character development, a lot of useful back story that you miss out on by jumping in partway through. That's why I went back to start at the beginning.

These books are not for the faint of heart, those who have a rigid black-and-white sense of right and wrong, or those offended by foul language. (I grew up with parents who had a full vocabulary of four-letter words, so that part really doesn't bother me -- except to be mindful of who may be within hearing when I listen on audio!)

Please point me to the first one in the series...Thanks!

Linda, the first one is The Neon Rain. I think I have a review posted for it. (And I think this touchstone is right!)

It's not, by far, the best in the series, and Robicheaux's flaws are especially obvious in this story -- he matures as the series progresses -- but it has some crucial back story which makes things in later books more understandable.

Now I'm having second thoughts about the advice I just gave regarding the Dave Robicheaux series. I'm thinking that if I had read Neon Rain before anything else by Burke, I might not have read more of the series. It is so dark and violent, and it lacks the depth that other books in the series exhibit. As it is, I went back to it and having read other books, they probably tempered my viewpoint as a reader.

One can jump in later in the series and follow the stories quite well; Burke provides sufficient back-story details. Just be aware, they contain significant spoilers for the earlier volumes, if you decide to read those later.

You know terri, I have never had a problem jumping in mid way.To be honest, I would rather do that with a series that has a lot of books already written.

Well, I wish I hadn't read The Brutal Telling before the earlier Three Pines mysteries. That's the one I regret the most not starting at the beginning. But I might not have read them at all if I hadn't gotten Brutal Telling as an ER book!

I am watching a program on National Geographic channel about Hurricane Katrina. It is video taken by people who stayed in the area when the storm hit. It is powerful . . .

I did that, too.. and for the same reason, it was an LTER.. that was one of the times I would have rather read the series in order, but frankly.. I was basically fine with it as it was. But also, that was a short series at that time, too. Some series have 10, 16, 20 books! Even the China Bayles books I like so well.. I started about in the middle and was fine with it. I will continue it.. but for that one, or any long series I don't go back to #1. I know some are adamant about having the whole series, and that is fine.. but I don't need to ..for me ..

:)

trying to find that show, or is it almost over?

179 I've done different series different ways. Ones I really like, I do tend to try to read them all.

180 Sorry, Kath, it ended at 5 p.m. Now there's one on with video taken during the earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan. This must be disaster day on Nat Geo.

Long, long day today. Nothing worthwhile accomplished. Very frustrating.

Sorry, Terri. I hope today was a better one!

today is a better....right?

glad your son is enjoying camp :) the only camp I ever went to was with the girl scouts and I seem to remember liking it, the whole tent and cooking outside over a fire thing...it was an overnight camp tho

Hi, Stasia and Kara!

Today was somewhat better. It was supposed to be my day off, but my boss called and asked me to cover a shift for a co-worker who had family issues. It was a pretty easy shift. Not too busy, and I got a fair amount done on a big project we need to get done ASAP, which gave me a sense of productivity. We are getting ready for a catalog system change, and we need to get ISBN or LCCN numbers on records which lack them.

Actually, it was a good day to work, because the library has some air conditioning, and my house does not. Hot, hot, hot, and humid. I need to do laundry. I dread running the dryer, but it's too late to put things on the line and have them dry -- especially with this humidity.

I'm juggling quite a few books these days:

Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (paperback, carry-with-me-in-my-purse fiction) I was glad to have this with me when waiting for my car at the garage yesterday.
Jade Visions by Helene LaFaro-Fernandez (Inter-Library Loan, non-fiction)
Iron Lake: A Cork O'Connor Mystery by William Kent Krueger (audio Fiction)
The Eternal Now by Paul Tillich (devotional)
Faithful by Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King (non-fiction)

Most are good, but not one is really stellar. Or maybe it's just my mood. With the exception of the audio book, which I listen to every chance I get, I'm just nibbling at my books.

ETA to fix touchstone

Glad to hear that today was a better day for you, Terri!

Thanks, Stasia!

productivity is always good :)

and that project sounds daunting!

Hi Terri!
Stopping in to catch up and see how you are doing...
June was hectic for me too... and I missed my goal of half of 75!
July is not calming down but I have new reading glasses and hope that helps my reading progress!

Your son is doing great with his progress and growing maturity. {{{happy hugs}}} to both of you!

I have Baltimore Blues on nook.. waiting to be read..
Much nicer today. I have been taking advantage of it.

Purse books save the day often!

I call them purse books also!
my purse is big enough to carry any book I am reading and there has been may a time that I was thankful I had it while others that I was with were bored out of their skulls :)

#188 Daunting is a good word for it, Kara. Thanks for dropping by!

#189 Thanks for the happy hugs, Claudia! Good luck with those new reading glasses.

#190 I'm finding Baltimore Blues to be pretty good, Kath, especially considering it's a first-in-series.

#190, 191 Indeed, purse books are very helpful

I worked extra hours again today. Tired. I'll post my latest book after I get something to eat.

I read Baltimore Blues last year and since then I have read the second in the series as well. Must get to the third one of these days, I really like the series and find Tess a heroine that I can root for.

Get some rest, Terri!

Hi Judy & Stasia!

Quickly posting most recent book, and then off to bed . . .

Challenge Book #74
Title: Iron Lake (audio book)
Author: William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original publication: (need to look this up)
Genre: mystery/suspense fiction
Subject: Former sheriff deals with a disappearance and death on and around a reservation
Setting: the Iron Range in Minnesota
Main Characters: Cork O'Connor
Series: first in Cork O'Connor series
Dates Read: finished 7/13/11
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No. Download from NetLibrary
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: leadoff
How does it fit the category? first in series
Alternate Category: Foul Play Category
Theme of the Month: big league cities
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? No
My Rating: 3.75 stars
Notes:

Good start to a series about a former cop who is drawn into the investigation of a missing teen, a suspicious death (is it suicide or murder?), and a whole bunch of corruption. Interesting setting on and near an Indian reservation in Minnesota. I liked the use of Native American folklore, too.

I will have to see if my local library has that one. Thanks, Terri. Now, off to bed with you :)

Nothing personal, but out of self defense, I am simply
not seeing any more first in series books. Cannot!

Terri- I have a copy of Iron Lake in the stacks. Maybe I could squeeze it in during September: Series & Sequels.

I read a few William Kent Krueger books and liked them but somehow had forgotten about them. I need to see where I left off and maybe get back to these.

Series & Sequels in Sept sounds super.

William Kent Krueger is on my list of authors to try. I'll have to see if Iron Lake is available at my local library.

Hi, Terri. Just stepping out of lurk mode to say that I'm glad your summer is going well even if it has been HOT! - and it has.
I have a great number of the Burkes to read and fewer Lehanes (of course, Lehane has written fewer). I wonder if that means you read Pelecanos and Rankin and Mankell and others of that ilk.......

196 Hope you find it, Stasia!

197 I know wht you mean, Kath. I could spend the rest of my life trying to finish all the series I'm already reading, and not get done.

198 September: Series & Sequels sounds like it will fit my reading list nicely, Mark.

199 I want to read more of them, too, Linda. I hope our library continues to have access to NetLibrary, as the first five or so in the series are avaiable that way.

200. It was good, Carrie. I liked the setting -- something a bit different.

201 Hi, Peggy! I read the first Mankell and plan to go on in his series. Haven't tried Pelecanos and Rankin yet. (Oh, no. More writers/books to add to the list!)

I need to finish my Inter-Library Loan by Monday morning because it must be returned. So I guess that one will be #75.

#202: Nope, no luck unfortunately.

I've officially added "September: Series & Sequels" to my Theme of the Month list.

Part of the reason I've been so busy this week (aside from the extra hours at work) is that we've been car shopping. We brought home the "new" (or at least "newer") car yesterday. I used the Internet to find what is, literally, the car of my dreams at a dealership about 2 1/2 hours from home -- and negotiated a deal that (while more than I probably should have spent) is do-able financially. **Big sigh of relief.**

Hi Terri,
You're not gonna tell us what you bought? Or at least give us a few clues?
Good luck with your new vehicle - happy and safe driving! :)

OK, it's a 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo. Black exterior & "ebony" interior. Tinted glass, sunroof. It's a GM "certified pre-owned car," so it comes with a 12 month/12,000 miles warranty -- that's some peace of mind that I value. Thanks for the good wishes, Claudia!

Nice looking car! Very nice! ;-)

How the heck did I get 83 posts behind?? Caught up now and congratulations on the new car.

207 Thanks, Claudia!

208 How the heck did I get 83 posts behind??
I can relate to that! I am getting so far behind on so many threads.
Thanks, Bonnie!

I just finished book #75, (ta da!) but I'm to tired to post it. I'll write about it tomorrow sometime.
Good night, everyone!

I woke up and can't get back to sleep, so I may as well post this:

Challenge Book #75
Title: Jade Visions: the life and music of Scott LaFaro
Author: Helene LaFaro-Fernandez
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Genre: biography
Subject: jazz bassist Scott LaFaro
Series: Number 4 in North Texas Lives of Musicians Series (University of North Texas Press)
Dates Read: finished 6/17/11
Number of pages: 247 plus discography, endnotes, and index
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, Inter-Library Loan
Category for 11 in 11 challenge: All Stars
How does it fit the category? biography of jazz pioneer
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: big league cities
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? I can fit it in because important segments of the story take place in LA and New York
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

Back in the day, while stricken with the youthful delusion that I might be talented enough for a music career, I spent six or eight weeks in what was known as the "Summer Evaluation Program" at Berkee College of Music in Boston, taking classes and having my musical ability evaluated. Berklee is primarily a jazz school, and I got my first real introduction to that art form that summer. One of my earliest jazz music purchases was a re-issue of an album by the Bill Evans Trio. Being a pianist, I bought it to hear Bill Evans; I wound up more interested in the bassist, Scott LaFaro. I was haunted by the tragedy of his untimely death in a fiery car crash in July of 1961, just 10 days after recording the legendary sessions with Evans and drummer Paul Motian at the Village Vanguard in New York City.

I'm indebted to Darryl (kidzdoc) for making me aware that this book about LaFaro existed. I always wanted to know more about LaFaro and his music. This book made me even more impressed with his musical ability and contributions to the jazz world. Scott's sister describes his brief life and gigantic musical accomplishments. Who would have guessed that Scott didn't take up the bass until he was 18 and headed for music college to major in another instrument? Yet by age 20, he was advanced enough to be performing with some of the biggest names in jazz at the time. And by his death at age 25, he had revolutionized the use of the bass in jazz music. In addition to the biographical details, LaFaro-Fernandez includes chapters analyzing Scott's music and impact on the jazz idiom, including one written by an associate professor from the Eastman School of Music.

I am glad to have read this book. I knew little of LaFaro's life or the broad extent of the work he did during his brief professional career; this book greatly expanded my knowledge. But there were times when I wasn't sure if I was reading a biography or a tribute. I think it was meant to be both. The author is justly proud of her brother's role in the development of jazz. Sometimes it felt like she was trying to cram into the book every good thing anyone of note ever wrote or said about Scott LaFaro -- though she did occasionally include comments from a critic who was negative about aspects of LaFaro's work at the time he was playing. There were also some oddities in the punctuation and grammar in some places.

Overall, a decent but probably not totally objective book about a gifted and fascinating musician who died much too young but changed the jazz world forever.

How peculiar to hit the 75 book goal the same weekend I bought my car -- actually quite appropriate, I suppose. For the most part, I'm pretty frugal and sensible, but books and cars are definitely my major weaknesses.

One of the reasons I'm having trouble sleeping is that I'm second-guessing my car purchase. Ah, well. I do love it, and I think it will be a good car that I will be able to use for a good many years.

Congrats on reaching 75!! Yah! Good review. I remember Scott LaFaro's work with Bill Evans, in the early 60s. Great stuff.

Hooray! 75! You did it!

Congrats!

congrats on all the good stuff :)

Congrats on reaching book #75. Yay!!

Thank you, thank you, Mark, Claudia, Jim, Kath, and Linda!

I'm thinking of setting up a new thread to try for a "bonus 75."

My latest LT ER arrived today. It is Flip Flop Fly Ball: An Infographic Baseball Adventure by Craig Robinson. I may have trouble reviewing it, however, as it has caught my son's fancy. He's a serious baseball "stat rat," and this book is really his cup of tea.

From what I've seen of it, it's a pretty cool book!

#217 I saw that one but I'm not much of a stat geek.

It seems like a lot of us having been reaching 75 books in the past week or two.

I'm not a stat geek, either, but these are not your typical baseball stats, Linda. I'm getting a better look at it now, and finding it quite fun.

It does seem that a lot of us are reaching the group goal these days.

Congratulations both on hitting 75 and the new vehicle, Terri!

Congratulations on reaching 75! Also, congrats on the car!! I'm sure you will enjoy it!!!

Thanks, Stasia and Sher!

Once I hit 75, I feel like I can read anything and everything or nothing..
all according to mood. Of course, that is how I read anyway, but the pressure is off.. lol

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
A lot of us are still plugging away toward 75. You're inspiring!!!

233 I like your approach, Kath. Unfortunately, I still have that 11 in 11 challenge to deal with . . . and the monthly categories I imposed upon myself. (Why do I make things so complicated, anyway?) Though I still manage to read pretty much what I please.

224 Thanks, Peggy! I don't think I've ever been called inspiring before . . . .

Well, I finally got around to using my new Crock Pot. I thought we'd get home from my son's doctor appointment in Pittsburgh and have dinner all ready. But there seems to have been a major malfunction; part of my stew turned to something resembling charcoal . . . which should not happen when cooker is on low.

My hubby, bless his heart, has just run out to fetch Chinese food. The nearest place is a half hour or more away, so we'll be eating pretty late. (He admits to an ulterior motive, as his car is air-conditioned and the house is not. ;)

My son vehemently insisted that he liked the burned stew, and ate almost all of it that could be pried out of the cooker. Go figure.

No accounting for taste, huh Terri? Glad your son got some enjoyment out of dinner anyway :)

Thanks, Stasia! He even insisted on taking the leftovers today for lunch!

I have decided to start a new thread for my attempt at another 75 books:

THE NEW THREAD:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/120897