Bahzah/ Cee's Comfy Corner Series - Book 15

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2011 Books read:

JANUARY
#1 Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (3.5 stars)
#2 Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (4 stars)
#3 Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (5 stars)
#4 The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller (4.5 stars)
#5 A Lonely Death by Charles Todd (3.5 stars)
#6 Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (5 stars)
FEBRUARY
#7 The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (4 stars)
#8 Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss (4.5 stars)
#9 The Crown Conspiracy by Michael Sullivan (4 stars)
#10 Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien (4stars)
#11 My Own Country by Abraham Verghese (4 stars)
#12 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (4.25 stars)
#13 Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (4 stars)
MARCH
#14 I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey by Izzeldin Abuelaish (4.5 stars)
#15 Room by Emma Donoghue (3.5 stars)
#16 Winter's Bone: A Novel by Daniel Woodrell (4 stars)
#17 On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers (4 stars)
#18 A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (3.5 stars)
#19 Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography by Alexandra Popoff (4.5 stars)
#20 The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys (4.25 stars)
APRIL
#21 The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (4.75 stars)
#22 The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S Lovell (3.75 stars)
#23 The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (4 stars)
MAY
#24 Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (5 stars)
#25 Lavender Lies by Susan Whittig Albert (3 stars)
#26 In Earshot of Water: Notes from the Columbia Plateau by Paul Lindholdt (4.25 stars)
#27 Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss (5 stars)
#28 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (4.5 stars)
#29 Cogslea Revisited by M Juanita Taylor (3.5 stars)
#30 Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm (4 stars)
#31 Gandhi The Man How One Man Changed Himself to Change the World by Eknath Easwaran (4.5 stars)
#32 Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell (5 stars)
JUNE
#33 No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod (4.5 stars)
#34 Cleopatra VII by Kristiana Gregory (3.5 stars)
#35 The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White (4.5 stars)
JULY
#36 Blueberry Chowder by Rose Whitney Smith (4 stars)
#37 The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (4.5 stars)
#38 Still Alice by Lisa Genova (4 stars)
#39 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (5 stars)
#40 White Heat; The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson by Brenda Wineapple (4.5 stars)
AUGUST
#41 The Wild Blueberry Book by Virginia Wright (4 stars)
#42 Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (3.8 stars)
#43 Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die by Jon Katz (4.5 stars)
#44 The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (5 stars)
#45 Flush: A Biography bu Virginia Woolf (4.25 stars)
#46 Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (4 stars)
#47 The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead by Paul Elwork (3.5 stars)
#48 The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley (4 stars)
SEPTEMBER
#49 Three Day Road by Joesph Boyden (4.5 stars)
#50 Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (4 stars)
#51 The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (4 stars)
#52 Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres (3 stars)
#53 Hinges: Meditations on the Portals of the Imagination by Grace Dane Mazur (4.5 stars)
#54 Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (2.5 stars)
#55 I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn (4.5 stars)
#56 Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame (4 stars)
#57 Stitches by David Small (4 stars)
#58 Every Man in This VIllage is a Liar by Megan Stack (5 stars)
#59 Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli (4 stars)
OCTOBER
#60 A Month in the Country by JL Carr (4 star)
#61 Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King (4 stars)
#62 A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron (4.5 stars)
#63 Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (4.5 stars)
#64 The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (4 stars)
#65 The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (4 stars)
#66 The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (3.5 stars)
#67 Inside New England by Judson Hale (4 stars)
#68 Stories From the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean (4.25 stars)
#69 The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudger (5 stars)
NOVEMBER
#70 The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (4 stars)
#71 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose (4.25 stars)
#72 The Road Washes Out in Spring by Baron Wormser (5 stars)
#73 A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (4 stars)
#74 Questions About Angels by BIlly Collins (4 stars)
#75 Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (4.25 stars)
#76 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (5 stars)
#77 In A Dog's Heart by Jennifer Arnold (3.75 stars)
DECEMBER
#78 The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (4 stars)
#79 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (4 stars)
#80 Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster (3.8 stars)
#81 The Adulterous Woman by Albert Camus (4 stars)
#82 A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote (4.5 stars)
#83 Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean (4.5 stars)
#84 The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (3.5 stars)
#85 A Small Furry Prayer by Steven Kolter (4.5 stars)

Am I really THE FIRST ONE HERE???? ZOUNDS! (Sorry, that was in a book I'm reading -- the Isaac Newton 'mystery' (which is wonderful).

I went to college in NYC (just outside) and always struggled with the city. I developed my little pathways -- to the cinema at MOMA, to the Strand and various bookstores no longer in existence, but overall I found the city overwhelming. Riding the train back out to my school I would always feel like I had been holding my breath for however many hours. Such a relief. I don't think of myself as a country girl, but in some basic way I must be.

we have a friend who 'tamed' some flying squirrels so he could photograph them (basically they arent afraid of him, unmoving, five feet away snapping photos as they eat seeds etc. off his porch railing) -- they are notoriously shy and incredibly fast. But he has gotten, over the years, some breathtaking photos. They are amazing aren't they?

Morning!!
Loved your last post! Flying squirrels and talking dogs, oh my!
Enjoy your new stove!!

Hi Lucy! You ARE first!
If I ever get my PHD, I want to get it from Columbia (NYC). They have pretty light blue robes!
That flying squirrel WAS incredibly fast! I thought I was crazy. Well, I am... but ya know....

Hi Chelle - Morning!! Yes it is...
Well, the dog didn't actually talk - I think I still am in touch with a figment of reality. I think.
Ah yes... the new stove. Is it possible to enjoy cooking a little more with a new stove? Stay tuned...

Hi Cee, I love these wraparound threads and your new picture. A Flying Squirrel, huh? The only flying squirrel I've seen was in the talons of a hawk as Lucky chased it away. We did see a beautiful red fox on the trail this morning. It's probably been a year since we've seen one.

I don't think I liked The Cat's Table quite as much as you did, but I'll give Ondaatje one more shot. I did love the boys' shenanigans on the ocean liner.

I'm looking forward to seeing what delicacies are prepared on the new stove. I would love a warming drawer, especially for holiday meals.

Claudia, I loved your descriptions of seeing the flying squirrel and of your new stove! And that's a great picture. So pretty and seasonal.

I made it!

I have never seen a flying squirrel..
Did you name it Rocky?

Ne stove sounds cool...
Griddle is good.. Convection is the same but faster, if I understand my niece
correctly. She has a stove with a convection oven and then an oven that is built it and regular.
Or the other way around. Whichever, she loves them both because she is very happy in the kitchen/

Oh and I love the picture too...
your driveway?

LOL ..good one Kath... maybe Cee has Bulwinkle in her back yard.

I don't know how to use convection ovens .. what's the difference between that and a reguar?

Hi Claudia- I like the nice new seasonal thread! And seeing a flying squirrel. Very cool. What's up next for your reading?

ahhh reading... knew I was forgetting something. I had a 3 hour phone call with my cousin
who lost her mom last week. It was not fun, nor was it what you would expect ...gotta try this reading thing again.

Hi Claudia! Like Donna, I was not too keen on The Cat's Table but I'm in the minority there. Glad that you enjoyed it! I didn't mind it too much - gave it 3. 5 stars....I've got a huge line up of books to read. I had a great haul at the library, but you know the trouble with that... due dates!

Sister visiting - v little chance to get to LT

Hi Donna, Pat, Kath, Caro, Mark and Deb!
... and anyone else who is lurking in the shadows ;-)

I can understand why some may not love The Cat's Table. I thought the second half (when the focus switches to the adult years) kinda breaks up the fun of the mischievous boys and gets quite a bit more introspective. That's why I want to read it again. I think I need to be more aware of the shift from the adventures forming a strong childhood bond to the impact this had on adulthood and the subsequent failures in relationships.

Hahahaha - Rocky and Bullwinkle... well that may be what I have here. Flying squirrels and meese! See them both on this property. They must be related somehow?

I have very little knowledge of convection cooking. I see this as something akin to texting. I can live w/o it. But you never know, someday I might take the leap. I just want a stove that WORKS! :)

Hope everyone has a great day. I'll be busy but will try to sneak away to check in here occasionally.

Happy newd thread day, Cee! I await your review of the new stove as I will most definately be in the market for a new one in the not too distant futute.

Enjoy your sister's visit.

Hi Claudia!! Glad you had a good time in New York!! The pictures are great!!

>10 cameling:. A convection oven has a fan in it to circulate the heat, so everything bakes faster.

#79 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley



The star of Alan Bradley's show is an 11 y/o feisty and precocious girl who loves her chemistry lab, solving crimes, and antagonizing her older two sisters. Flavia is motherless. Her father is too preoccupied to give her attention. Her sisters have no use for her and resent her presence. So Flavia forges her own dubious paths through life experiences and the narration through her eyes is quite humorous at times.

Flavia's life is populated with adults and she pits her crime solving skills against theirs. She's sneaky. She's determined. She's fearless. She's a whippersnapper. You have to admire her pluckiness and hope she finds affection to temper her very earnest existence because Flavia is a sweetheart underneath it all, albeit a little too confident and needfully pushy at times.

Such a strong character demands a following. What trouble will she get into next? What new adventures will delight the reader? Oh yes, there were a couple murders and a challenge to figure out who dunnit. A mystery lover's plate is full, but Flavia's personality and capers steal the show.

Loved this fun and funny book. My first impressions were that this might be a good YA book for my granddaughter... but I changed my mind. I recommend this book as a light read for grownups!
(4 stars)

I haven't read the next one yet. Are you planning on reading the other two?

Hi Tammy! Yup gonna read them all! :)

Enjoy your visit with your sister!

I just got Sweetness from the ER program - kinda weird to think of it as an *advance* copy at his point. :) but it looks like I'm going to be joining the Flavianistas soon!

Can't wait to read your review, Cee ... I'm on the fence with this book because I know some folks don't like it, and some do... .so nothing yet has compelled me to get a copy of it.

Hope all is going well with the sister... fingers crossed..
I don't think I would be able to survive a day or more in the house with my sister. My head
would likely explode.

I will probably be logging off for the night.. I am feeling sorry for myself...
and I think I will just wallow in it.. can't think of anything else to do :P
Hang in there!

Has she left yet?

#80 Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster 3.8 stars



This is a Christmas story with huge potential. However, it didn't get developed quite enough to be satisfying or edifying. It's a graphic story with not enough graphics or a storybook with not enough text. In other words, it's too skimpy.

That being said, this was a powerful reminder of the importance of taking time to really see and respond to what is around you. To assess the everyday and mundane in small timeframes.
"You're going too fast. You'll never get it if you don't slow down."
This I understand.

As the tale unfolds you may wonder what is the point of the story? Seriously I had to read this book twice. Still I didn't get it until I read on the back cover these questions:
"What's stealing? What's giving?
What's a lie? What's the truth?"

So now, I have to think a little differently about this:
"As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true."

I get that last quote, Cee .... isn't that sort of like relative reality?

Sorry this book didn't really work for you. I think it's especially disappointing when Christmas stories fall short. Somehow I expect all Christmas stories to contain the magic of the season and publishers should be shot for putting out stories that don't shower the reader with all that Christmas embodies.

Hope your next read is better.

Hi there Chelle!
"Enjoying" a visit with my sister is not an easy task. But she was actually a help with Mom this time - and I really appreciated that. :)

Jim and Caro - I just inserted a review above #16 of The Bottom of the Pie. (How I hate those stupid titles. But the book was quite good)

Thanks for your steadfast loyalty and keeping my thread active, Kath. Sister is gone now... Our visit was okay this weekend. Sarah helped Mom with her messed up quilt - which meant I didn't have to... :)

Oh dear, Caro! I must have messed up that review on Auggie Wren. I didn't hate it. But I needed it to be more. There was a wee bit of magic in it, but it was intentionally meant to be an unsentimental Christmas story. You know how emotional I am. ;-} I like that Christmas spirit "shower" you mention above. I'm hopeless.

Relative reality... yeah. hmmmm....

Yay! You are here !!! Glad it worked out with your sister ... whew!

Hi Claudia- Hope your weekend went well! I liked Sweetness too and the 2nd book but I'm not sure I'll continue, but you never know!
I have several Paul Auster books in the stacks. I NEED to get to him.

Hi Claudia, I'm hoping to get Sweetness from PBS in the next few weeks (as my name rises to the top). I'm glad you liked it. I think most people liked it actually.

Hi Cee, I saw you gave Auggie Wren 3.5 stars but now see it's actually 3.8! Sorry you didn't like it more but it's a good thing, right, that you wanted more of the story, and not less? :) I agree that I wanted more too. It was originally written as an op-ed piece in the NYT so I guess it was necessarily short.

The movie "Smoke" is actually an extention of the story. Harvey Keitel plays Auggie, the owner of a smoke shop, and tells his story within the movie. I liked it but it's not for everyone.

*waves* hope you have a stress free day, with no compny. Gunny....I was thinking of bows yesterday when I was sticking a cheapy premade bow on a package, I hate them :P I used to spend much more time on wrapping once upon a time......

When is wreath day? I must have missed that....

Hey! I couldn't get on LT earlier. Whot hoppened???
Thank goodness all is well again :o !

Hi Mark,
Kinda surprised you liked Sweetness as there was nothing horrible about it (lol)... only kidding. I am now wondering about other Paul Auster books... could be worth looking at. :)

Hi Bonnie,
I think you will like it. It's got spirit!

Hi Joanne,
I didn't know about Auggie Wren being an op-ed piece. That makes sense now. It was just too dang short! I feel like I liked it a lot as far as it went. :)

Hi Kath,
Wreath Day for the kids is tomorrow. They always have a lot of fun with that. Glad I got a chance to make them some bows. It's the first Christmas thing I've done.

Great review, Cee. Although you're recommending it as a light read for grownups, do you think it appropriate for a 12 year old too? From your review, I'm thinking perhaps my niece might enjoy it. ... and if i bought it for her, well .... she's so sweet, I'm sure she'd loan it to her auntie too. :-)

I read Auggie Wren's Christmas last year. I had the same thoughts as you did.

By the way, I love the opening photo on this thread.

Do you feel more christmassy after the bowing?

Busy day.. long time at the vet as always..
saw my Jo.. whom I dearly love..
and listened to Diane tell me ugly things about the practice manager..
most of which I have heard before..

sad sad sad

Stopping by --- I never know quite what to make of Paul Auster. I don't even know what to say to follow up that sentence!

Caro - I am struggling with Sweetness as a book appropriate for young girls or boys - and here's why... There's nothing re sex/violence/graphic gore/foul language/etc. So in that sense it's a good read for a 12 y/o.
BUT - there is a sense that it's ok to be mean to siblings, take off on your own w/o telling anyone, and do things that have an inherent amount of danger not usually foreseen by a youth.

It's all funny to adults who know better - but it might give the wrong idea to kids. Of course, I am old-fashioned and serious about teaching strong positive values to children and allowing freedom/responsibility as they understand and earn it. So - I'm not sure how others would feel about this.

I think auntie ought to read it first :)

Linda - Thanks for photo compliment. From last year when we actually HAD snow!

When I finished reading Augie Wren the first time I thought I completely missed whatever was supposed to make this book great. So, I immediately read it again - more slowly. Then I scoured every picture, the covers, everything! I was starting to get the drift, but felt cheated. It needs to be expanded. Ha! I sound like my old English teacher! "Needs more detail, etc..."

Kath, I don't feel christmassy at all. But I do feel good about knowing how to make a knockout bow! I imagine Dunkers is so much more handsome for Christmas now - hey! I should send him a big bow! ;-)

Lucy ! Don't do this to me. Are we talking PA good or bad or weird or profound??? I've never seen you speechless before???!! Well, thanks for stopping by... :)

I truly don't know! Hmmm. I don't know how to say it. He's a 'good' 'serious' writer but he leaves me unmoved.

ok Lucy - that's something. You said it!
Perhaps that is what happened to me. I'll probably try a bit more of his writing... later.

Hi Claudia! So glad that your you enjoyed The Sweetness. It's fun and well written book, I think!

I don't feel christmassy either.. not at all.
I didn't even really decorate yet... I refuse to drag the lights
down and do it myself, and I am not getting any help..so honestly,
as far as I am concerned, it can just stay as is, with only the outside done,
and the tree standing unadorned in a corner.

humbug!

Hey! I couldn't get on LT earlier. Whot hoppened?
Sorry, Cee, I broke it trying to get caught up with threads!

Your wreath experience gives new meaning to the new buzzword, "tebowing"!

I have to admit, I only skimmed after your review of Sweetness, but it sounds like a great up-with-the-baby book, so I'm going to check it out for the Kindle. Thanks!

Thanks to YOU, Deb, for being so excited and recommending Sweetness.

Kath - I think we do Christmas for others (mostly our kids) not ourselves. Neither of us are having company this year - nor do we want to shop and spend money. Bah, humbug is right!

Donna - LOL! That made me laugh. "...I broke it..."

Hi Luxx - that would be a good up-with-the-baby book. Hope you like it!

Note to Kindle owners:
The Kindle deal ($1.99) today only is by Lisa See, the same author that wrote Snow Flower and the Secret Fan which I liked a lot. The Kindle offer is called On Gold Mountain and is about her Chinese-American family experience. I think it might be good so I bought it.

Finished The Adulterous Woman by Albert Camus. Now to try to figure it out!

Hope everyone has a surprisingly great day! :)

I loved Snow Flower, too. I gave it, and a few similar ones to Sal..
She has a daughter she adopted from China... and she is careful to teach
Mya about her heritage. I had 2-3 non-fiction and 2-3 fiction that I passed
on... thinking Sal might like them now, and maybe someday Mya who is now 11.

Actually, I am going to have company.. I am humbuggy anyway.
Adam is coming in one week from today. He goes home on the first
day of the new year. Cory is planning to be home sometime during the holidays and
Amy and tom may come up the first weekend in January.. and Cory will watch the grand-dogs.

From where I am sitting I can see 8 red ribbon balls from off the tree.. sigh.
I have noodles cooking for Dunkers..
and when they are done, so am I!

Oh good, Kath! Glad you are having company. That explains why you are not totally down-in-the-dumps. :) I know visits from your kids mean a lot to you. ;-)

I think my kids are visiting sometime after - but no special celebration for Christmas Day here. I guess I am just showing my Scrooge face this year. Maybe I'll perk up when it gets closer. :P

I would drink to Christmas cheer, but have had too many headaches lately. Can one find holiday happiness w/o spiked egg nog and cider???

#81 The Adulterous Woman by Albert Camus



Three seemingly unrelated short stories dealing with separate moral dilemmas. Camus writes beautifully about the courage to deal with moral issues, the struggle, and imperfect choices.

Descriptive writing, thought-provoking, clear and challenging... I am not going to tell you the stories. Don't want to spoil or influence interpretations which will be personal for everyone.

4 stars

ETA: Thanks to Megan (ireadthereforeiam)for recommending!

Good points about Sweetness and it's appropriateness for YA, Cee. Thanks. Based on your comments, I would have reservations too, although my niece is a very level-headed girl, loves and always watches out for her younger sister. Still, it doesn't hurt not to put negative thoughts into her head as what is acceptable behavior. Auntie will just have to bite the bullet and get a copy of her own to read. *sigh*

Grrr.... intriguing review of The Adulterous Woman .... how to refuse.... ?

46: How have 50 posts piled up? I got On Gold Mountain recently, recommended by someone on LT I'm sure, hope to read it in 2012...

qebo ...you have to watch some of these garrulous threads .... blink and you're at the bottom of an elephant's weight in posts.

Well, here I am literally under Caro's elephant... BUT am all caught up with you, on this thread, in any case.

Christmas spirit... well, I'm going through some of the motions, and will do a bit of decorating this week, but it's hard to get into, living on one's own with only a non-Christian, non-believer complicated father around to celebrate with, but am doing my best to keep a positive outlook on it all.

Enjoyed your reviews. The Flavia book has been on my tbr since this time last year. Maybe 2012 will be it's year for me? I have mixed feelings about Paul Auster too, but I keep accumulating and reading his books, so I guess he does something for me, though I'm with Lucy—am hard pressed to find words for what it is about him I find appealing, exactly. Maybe it's that very detachment I can relate too? When I'm not being overly emotional, I get that way too, maybe to compensate? I read The Stranger in French class in high school and mean to read it again along with The Fall, which are both on my tbr. Though I wouldn't even attempt to read any of his work at this time of year... Camus and Christmas spirit are miles apart in my mind!

Claudia- I enjoyed your thoughts on The Adulterous Woman. I have read a couple of books by Camus but have not heard of this one. You have corrected that oversight, my friend.

Caro -
Guess you should read Sweetness first, judge it for yourself, and save it for your niece if you think waiting would be best.
The Adulterous Woman is a quick read ;-)
Love that cute elephant gif!

Katherine -
Perhaps we can compare notes on Gold Mountain next year... I won't be reading it right away but couldn't pass up a $1.99 deal. Most of the Kindle deals are not appealing, but every so often one sounds good.

Oh! Poor Ilana! "Under the elephant" oof!
Adding The Stranger and The Fall to my WL. Need to read more by him. I just love his writing. Wish I could read French! Oh, well, I should say I can read it... but I wish I could understand it! lol

Hi Mark - Do you have any favorite Camus books?

I am here to report I felt a teeny surge of holiday spirit about an hour ago... I think it might have found me at last... gotta get it into a higher gear. :)

Sending you holiday cheer!

So... what did you use the holiday spirit for yesterday?
Cut out cookies with red sugar?

Bow making for the masses?

Reading a holiday book?

Curious minds...

Awww, thanks Chelle - that's very cute. Looks a lot like my Woolly! (except she doesn't have any white on her face)

So Kath, I checked out back for a little tree to bring in. Can't decide if I want to cut it down or dig it up with roots for re-planting. I have re-arranged trees in the yard by re-planting but I am running out of room. Ack! HUGE decision! save me!

I need to take my Mom out shopping today. What can I eat for stamina? Don't say spinach :PPP~~~

Started reading Vinyl Cafe Unplugged - verrrry funny! :)

Leave it out there! lol

If you bring it in it will expect to be decorated and then chaos ensues..
well.. it does here, anyway..

mmmm spinach! I like it :)

I am surprised to see you here so early.. are you making an early start?

I have a new agreement with Ron. We are alternating weeks of getting up with Loki so we can each have planned sleep-in time. Neither one of us are early birds - we're night owls. So - I have to be quiet till he gets up... which should be soon now.

Just wish we could teach the dog to sleep later - but he puts himself to bed early... so...
Crazy boy!

OIC

I am ROFLMAO at the thought of Dan getting up to take Duncan out..

:) I imagine Duncan would be startled too! hehehe

Morning Claudia- Nice to see you joining the early-riser crew! I thought I had read The Stranger but apparently I haven't. LOL. But I have read The Plague twice and thought it was terrific.
Enjoy your day!

Thanks Mark - will keep The Plague in mind also!

Do you have today off? ;-)

Loki would like me because I want to get in bed and go to sleep three hours after it turns dark -- which around here right now is about 8:30 (Probably 8:00 or even earlier out yr. way, Cee) so I always do morning dog duty..... since I tend to get up quite early as a result!

The Plague is really good. Maybe I missed it, but what got you reading the short stories? Serendipity? Another thread? Miss Nosy, here.

Just a thought for you, Cee. The Plague reminded me of both The Trial and your nemesis, Blindness. Just saying!

Lucky is a good sleeper in the morning. It's my husband that begins his day around 5:00 a.m.! He's a little too cheerful in the morning for me, too! He's happy with his Wall Street Journal until I get up between 6:30 and 7:00 to go on our walk.

Good luck with the shopping!

Dunno, Lucy. I guess there have been a bunch of shorties in my reading lately. I would say serendipity this time around. I've just been picking up books that strike my fancy and was not even aware that a few were short stories till I got to reading them.

Auster book was too short but Camus book was just right. Vinyl Cafe Unplugged is just too funny - but I knew that after reading his first book and was ready to read this one. I'm pleased to see it even contains Christmas stories - a bonus!

Yup, it gets really dark here about 4:30... so you'd be going to bed around 7:30??? We're just finishing our dinner at that time ;-) But it IS pretty special being up so early you catch sight of flying squirrels just before sunrise when they scoot to bed for the day. Or hear the lobster boats heading out in the summer.

Uh oh, Donna. Thanks for the warning - I will approach The Plague with caution.

Early risers - there seems to be one in every house! Does Mr Donna make your coffee for you?

I too, go to bed earlier.. and I am a morning person.. however, since I am not working..
I go to bed later and still get up early... not always good. So I don't mind Dunkers duty...
but sometimes it would be nice to have someone else get up feed the furries and start the coffe..

uh oh.. ROFL again :P

>68 -Cee-: bahzah, I hardly ever get up before 5.00am!

I am glad to see I am not the only bah humbug on this thread. The first Mrs. Tortoise used to practically bankrupt me every Christmas, but she sure knew how to put on a great spread for the family.

The current Mrs. Tortoise and I retreat into our shells until it is all over!

Alan/TT

Back from visiting the nephlet and seeing Owens cute little room :)

Ohhhh I really loved appreciated The Plague. I've wanted to get to The Stranger which would be only my second Camus. I finally got into the holiday spirit today by going to..... shriek.... the Mall and finding the absolutely perfect gift for someone. I normally avoid the Mall at all costs so this was a rare visit, occasioned by the failure of my being able to use my coupon on the Macy's website grrrrr.

NOT a morning person. Thank heavens Coco is in no hurry to go out when I eventually do wake up so I can slowly get my head together. Grumble grumble in the mornings. Night owls unite!

Hey ho Cee,
knowing tomorrow's my last day at work for the rest of the year has definitely put me in the Christmas spirit. Will probably do some at home and while we're in FL next week, but knowing I don't have to makes a big difference.

So........Christmas garb for Woolly n Loki?

NOOOOOO! clothes for pets?!?!?

eeek!

So whatcha doing this morning ??

Hi Kath, You get up sooo early with tons of energy. No one could beat you to getting things done at your house! It's all yours...
Owen's room is all ready and waiting? Cool. It won't be long now. *Happy sigh* - a newborn baby! :)
And, no. No pet clothes for my two.
I love them just the way they are - though I DO have a picture of Loki w/Santa hat.
Cute - but he was none too pleased.

Hi Alan - Everyone approaches Christmas differently - and I think the older we get (and no little kids around) it becomes a quiet time. Which is not a bad thing imho.

Hey Bonnie - Congrats on the successful Mall trip! That qualifies as a minor miracle of the season :)

Wow, Ilana! You are a lucky one! Give that Coco an extra hug today and thank him profusely for his morning gift to you. oh, you can give that cutie a hug from me too!

Hey Caro - a nice long time off for you - and just at the right time of the year. Less stress... it'll be grand! I remember those days around Christmas and every day off was a treasure.
If I ever find a little, teeny cat-sized santa hat, I might try it on Woolly... but I'm not looking too hard. I doubt she will be amused :(

*********************************
Today - I think we are going out and about - including an early dinner. :)
Tonight - Can't give Loki any eats after 7 - teeth being extracted tomorrow morning. Not sure how I am going to explain this to him... especially tomorrow morning (no breakfast). poor, trusting, innocent boy... he's gonna hate me when he wakes up with a painful mouth :(

ETA: Forgot to mention. I am reading Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and loving it! I think it is better than the first Vinyl Cafe I read.

I suspect that they will give him pain meds post surgery..
and then he will have the treat of canned food for a while, right?
Or mashed potatoes and gravy?? :)

Out to dinner sounds rather blissful to me..
it has been a while.

Glad you have a good read.. Something is holding me back ..again..
I have to search out something I really WANT to read..

I am looking forward to finding out how things are going to turn out with the tree.....
AND nope.. Santa hats do not qualify as clothes.. just short term ornaments.. :)

No surgery for Loki today! He managed to elevate the level of his liver enzyme. Liver processes anesthesia and since this is elective surgery, doc did not want to do it today. Will check again in a month and hope level is back to normal. So. $70 later - nothing done!

I'm thinking Loki did this on purpose to get out of it. Wily boy!

New stove delivered - waiting for gas man to hook up anytime now. If I want to cook with the convection feature, do I need a new cookbook? I have no idea on times. Will have to look this up. MUST be a BOOK on it. ;-)

Still no firm decision on the tree. I looked at the prices of very small artificial w/lights already on... crazy expensive! So, still pondering. By the time I make up my mind, they'll be gone and it will be a moot point.

Crazy, sunny, messed up day... gotta turn things around :)

I think you're right, Cee ... Loki knew what was in store for him ..who wants a teeth extraction?

Get a Charlie Brown tree. :-)

It appears that Loki got an early Christmas present! The procedure will probably be harder on you than him when it happens, Cee. We have to put Lucky in the kennel for two days after Christmas. We usually get a petsitter when we're gone, but we're staying home. Weird, I know, but due to allergies and crankiness with grandkids, that's the way it's going to be this year. :-(

Glad to know that you did the presx bwork.. does your dog use isoflurane?
it leaves the system quickly... is good for older dogs for that reason....
Sorry that you couldn't get it over with today.. I would hate that!

Oh dear, lucky Loki, no poor Loki, no lucky Loki... gee I don't know what to say. We don't have a tree yet either Claudia.

Caro -
I did see those Charlie Brown trees, but we have lots of those for real on our property - baby pines. Now that the surgical day is over (never happened) and the new stove is operational, maybe I can seriously think of a tree. To tell you the truth, I would be much more interested in buying big round lighted globes - all colors - to hang in the woods. Wouldn't that be too cool?

Donna -
I totally understand! Sometimes the easiest and safest thing to do is board the dog - one less thing to worry about!
pssst! It's called the Doggie Motel!

Kath -
Loki doesn't take anything but Heartgard and Frontline. What is isoflurane? Loki is only 4 - well almost 5.
I DID hate that we didn't get this done today.
We all went thru the hard part (nothing to eat, worries, early nervous ride to vet, etc.)
Was looking forward to quiet healing tonight. Oh well... it is quiet finally!

Bonnie -
You're starting to sound like me! Sorry for you, but glad I am not alone here. :)

Claudia- I'm glad Loki is doing well! Yah! Hope you had a good day and have a fun weekend planned!

isoflurane is an anesthesia... when used properly it is in and out of the body really quickly and
theoretically easier on the organs than some others...

I have to say that I am * close to taking the tree down. Twice in two days I have found
where one of the kitties has thrown up bits of it.. it worries me and I am not in the mood for more
veterinary emergencies :(

Just so not feelin' the holiday.. I am going to bake something today and see if that helps.
doubtful ..
Monday morning I will do a big shopping .. again.. and get the main food.. which has somehwo been neglected in the shopping for baking, cheese balls and punch and gifts and .. blah blah blah
sigh

SNOW! Where did it come from???? I don't know - but a big thanks to whoever sent it my way! *smooch and hugs*

It was not in the forecast at all... it's only a dusting so far and easing up. I'll take whatever I can get...
oh! it's soooo pretty. :)

Hi Mark! Thanks for the weekend fun wish - no real plans as of yet. I just want you to know that I do try to keep up with your thread but it's so daunting. So much to read - so many messages. Sometimes I just lurk. At any rate, I'm with you in spirit! ;-)

So Kath - Ron had a thought. We applied Frontline to Loki a day or two before his blood test. Does that get absorbed and possibly affect the liver enzyme levels? It is poison, n'est ce pas? If that is the case, I'm going out in the woods and shooting my foot for wasting $70! :P

Also - sounds like it's time for an artificial tree? Would the kitties eat that too? Here in Maine we would solve that problem (and any others) with duct tape. Wrap around kitties mouths securely!!! lol

86: SNOW! Where did it come from????
Please, keep it all for yourself!

Normally I like to share, Katherine. However, I do firmly intend to keep all the snow I can! :)

Claudia - catching up on all the threads after a week of skimming the surface due to the painful dictates of trying to run a business! Nice to see you have a dusting of snow - we have had a couple of dry days here and we just have the dust and not the dusting!

Hey Claudia!!! Regarding the convection oven. I haven't used one in a long time, but my ex has one in the restaurant he owns. There is probably info in the manual about the time conversion. Roasting meats works really well and the baking time is less. Baking bread and rolls and casseroles works really well, just watch the bread and rolls more closely. Cover casseroles until the last ten minutes or so. The things I've had trouble with are cakes and pies. They get done on the outside too fast and are not done in the middle. The best thing to do is lower the temp, which makes the baking time the same as what a recipe calls for. We baked pies about 325 degrees. Covering the edge of the crust with foil helps too. And maybe bake only one cake at a time, setting it in the middle of the oven. When I tried to bake more than one cake, they often raised uneven and were lopsided. Hope that helps and have fun.

And please put up a snow fence, not sure how that will work since the weather usually travels west to east. We have not had much snow and not any that has stayed. Yay!!

#82 A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote



A very sweet, insightful, and autobiographical story of friends. Seven year old "Buddy" and his 60-something lady cousin find companionship and caring for each other not available from the rest of their world. As all friendship stories go - there are ups and downs, sadness and joy, and strong underlying love and support. This is a touching Christmas story for any and all ages. Beautiful illustrations by Beth Pack. Sure to become traditional holiday reading in this house. 4.5 stars

Ok... it's really, really short. But I'm counting it anyway. Doesn't matter. I've reached 75 and am happy. ;-)

I am way to old to even consider learning to cook with a different sort of oven.
Or at least, way too disinterested or something...

Good luck with the stove thing.....

I am making cookies.. and remembering why I don't like making cookie///
:PPP

eta

it is an artificial tree..
they are eating it anyway

sigh

humbug

Thanks for stopping by Paul! We all have busy lives. I know most are busier than I.
Don't know how I get any reading done myself. I'm lucky I don't have a business to run - or I wouldn't have found LT at all!

Tammy - You inspired me to read the User's Manual for my new stove. hmmm... wonder if I can count that as a book LOL It's pretty thick.
Anywho - Apparently what happens here is when I hit the "convection" setting, I set the oven to whatever temp is called for in the recipe and the stove calculates how much to lower the heat and turns some fans on to make heat more even thru-out the oven? So, it cooks in same period of time - just at a lower temp? Doesn't sound right now that I write it out. Back to the drawing board. :PPP

Geeze! I even have a "sabbath" setting that shuts down all but the actual oven flame. Like the lights and features - incl clock - shut down. What? The stove needs to rest too? hmmm - can't set the timer? I'd better read that again, too. :{

Haven't used this stove yet. But I don't think I can avoid it much longer.
*heavy I'm-too-old-for-new-contraptions sigh*

Oh... poor, poor Kath!
That does it! I was thinking of making cookies but your rating of this activity has led me to re-consider. The ones at the store are good!

I wasn't necessarily in the market for a fancy stove. Just wanted one that works! Now... I dunno. Think I might be in over my head. I guess it's like smart cell phones. You can just use the telephoning feature and skip the rest. :{

ETA Ron wants to know if the cats are eating artificial tree, does that mean you are dealing with artificial puke? Doesn't smell? Would we also be expecting artificial poop?

Halfway through this batch of trail mix cookies.. I ordered some
thumbprint cookies from the store. I can barely turn around in my kitchen, and so trying to make cookies while standing on an ice cold floor and fighting off curious cats..less fun than I remembered!

Then I decided I need a cup of tea.. so I boiled water, put a bag in a mug .. poured in the water and the mug cracked in half.

weep

Claudia, I'm so happy you loved Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory. I read that for the first time last December and loved it too.

I hope you end up liking your convection oven. When we bought our house 4 years ago, that's what came with it and I must say I think it cooks certain foods much better. My husband is the cook and the chicken and turkey he makes in the convection oven consistently comes out so tender and delicious. In NY, when we had a regular oven, it seemed to be hit or miss.

Congrats on reaching 75!

Maybe you did understand the manual right and don't worry it's not that hard.

huh.. I missed the artificial puke / stove post. sorry
Tell ron it is very real puke.. I knew it was the
instant I stepped in it barefoot this morning at 5 am.

I did the same thing when got a stove..
just got one that worked.. and that seemed better than the one
that was in the kitchen at the time. I got lucky..
my stove is not smart in any way... but it is black. A grain of salt makes
it look messy. At the minute it has cookie crumbs on it.. and there is no way I am going to clean it until later.

Ah Kath, cookie crumbs are like pet fur... makes a house a home! No crumbs on my stove yet... but I predict it will be a mess shortly.

Pat and Tammy, I will try the convection part of the stove. Maybe in February - after the holidays when I can screw things up and it won't matter. By then, Ron and Mom will eat anything. :}

I gave Mom the Truman Capote book to read.

ETA: We finally got a 4.5 ft tree w/lights. Now - is it for the floor, tabletop or ??? It's kinda cute.

Congrats on the mini-tree. Does sound cute. I got a bunch of branches which I stole from the tree merchants. Not really, they were throwing them in a container, so I just helped myself instead of paying for the same branches, albeit in a neater bundle. I've got them in great big flower pots now. Next step is the actual decorating while listening to A Christmas Carol. That'll be the Christmassiest moment I'll have had in many, many years.

Loki got away with murder this time. They took out a bunch of Coco's teeth before I got him. Poodles are notorious for having bad teeth. Now I brush them and use this miracle product called Petzlife which literally melts the tartar away. Costs and arm and a leg, but seems to work. Good thing too, otherwise the poor thing'll have to start eating with a straw!

Good morning ~

*carefully checks spelling*

Sounds like the perfect little tree!

Morning Claudia- I hope I can convince you to come back to my thread! Coffee & cookies, perhaps? I could try to tell my visitors to cut back a little but I don't want to be rude or anything, especially with Christmas right around the corner.
Plus, I want you to drop by and see if you would like to join us on any of the Steinbeck titles, we will be presenting, throughout '12.

We had that same surprise dusting -- it made me happy too as both the field beside our house and the bigger one below are drenched in cow poop and look and smell so much better covered up! I'm happy, of course, that the farmer takes such good care of his field, but man, it is intense! Also watched our pond slowly go still again yesterday. The surface is closed up now and quiet. I miss the moving water. It was 0 F. here this morning! Yoicks!

What I noticed about the convection oven I used in Florida was how quickly it spreads the smell of whatever is baking or roasting around the house! And the nice little hum of the air being moved around.

Huh.... dusting missed us completely. Still no snow. Am bummed.

Huge colored globes on the outdoor trees sound very very cool, Cee. What a great idea .... going to do it? Take pics if you do.

Hi Ilana,
In past years I would be all over your idea for free evergreen branches stuffed in pots, etc. Sounds so artistically creative and beauteous! This year I am struggling to find my Christmas spirit - but I think I can feel it opening up a bit today. Must be my magic little mini-tree! Will work on fluffing and decorating today. I'm even considering baking cookies! :O

Poor Coco! I didn't know other dogs had so many dental problems till I started yapping about Loki's. He may have dodged the bullet this month - but January could be another story! :{

Cut it out, Kath ! You know I LOVE your typos! ;-) It's a unique gift you have to keep me smiling :D
btw, Woolly started chewing on the branches of my little tree as soon as we stood it up... oh woe! She seems to be leaving it alone for the moment tho.

Hi Brit! I'm beginning to think there is a wee bit of magic in this mini-tree. Gotta find (or make) some small non-breakable, non-toxic ornaments - just in case!

Oh Mark... you know I can't stay away from your thread. It's too much like fun.
I am interested in joining the 'Beckathon. He is a fav of mine and I do want to read more. So, I checked Amazon last night and his books are still pricey as the copyright has been renewed by Penguin (looks like). :P Oh well, there's always the library. I was hoping for free Steinbeck Kindle books. LOL

Hi Lucy -
Good thing it is quite cold there as your country aroma would be a lot stronger if it was warmer. See? Cold is definitely good!
I might try making cookies with the convection feature today. eeekkk! How brave is that? :}

********************
So, today I'm gonna try to make some Christmas around here.

Our ski resorts around here are officially worrying. We haven't really had anything but a dusting here and then the temps have been usually in the 40s and 50s so everything melts pretty quickly. It's cold enough at night to make snow but it doesn't stay long. If they don't get a good Christmas crowd, they usually lose money. It hasn't happened in 15 years but it's looking like that's what's going to happen this year.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth!
We NEED a miracle!
We MUST have snow!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow .....

Well, I almost made cookies today.
Fluffed and decorated our new 4 ft tree and
got Christmas burnout.
All is not lost. There's still time...

Poor Woolly! I think she might have a cold? Her little nose was drippy this afternoon. No sneezes tho - and don't know where she would have picked it up??? Maybe she's allergic to the tree. :-\

Think I'll go to bed early, read some, and lights out early. Gonna try to get out and about early tomorrow. Have shopping (gifts and groceries) to do. *All by myself!*

Thanks, Caro. If it ever gets started, I will certainly let it snow! :)

Seriously? All by yourself? You're not just singing the song, are you, Cee? I was getting grumpy with Christmas shopping this weekend and at least I did it with the hubster! *hmmm.....wonders if .....no, couldn't be HIM that caused the grumpiness.....lol*

I have the day off tomorrow and major house clean up planned because after the weekend shopping, the entire, and I mean, entire house looks like a hoarder's crib.

Any snow today?
Did you read last night? I didn't..
I ended up on the phone with Amy for a while and with a friend, too..
well.. and with Craig and Sonia too...so not much reading in the evening for me.
I was glad to give it up for family and friend though!

Hey there, Caro -
My guess is - your sweet hubster (who actually went shopping with you) was not the cause of your grumpiness. Could it be the struggle and stress of getting just the right thing for everyone, fighting the crowds in the stores, or perhaps not spending your time doing what you really wanted to do? Ah, Christmas :} Soon you will be taking off for vacation days in FL and having fun again... I would kill for a real vacation right now. Oh gross - that expression is just not right. No killing. But you know what I mean?
Have a wonderful day cleaning (she says with tongue in cheek) :P

Hi Kath - No new snow today... but there is a lingering frosted look from last dusting. It's pretty cold. Nine degrees this AM. :D
I stayed up later than I meant to last night. I'm almost finished with Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, and am really loving it. It's pretty funny.
Going out in a little while to shop. Oh joy.

I would like to say that I worked my butt off today, but I looked
and it's still there. :(

What are you up to?

LOL Kath! I'm sure it's a cute butt! :)

I would like to say I had a successful day - but no.
Only got about half of what I wanted - will need to go out again. :P

So now I'm about to put 2 suppers in the oven - meat lasagna and a scallop/shrimp casserole. If I had 3 wishes, my second one would be for a full time cook. It would be my first wish if I hadn't already made it. Just can't remember now what it was. All I know is it was for someone else so it's taken.

I would love to have a cook!!!

We're supposed to get some sort of ghastly snow mix on Wednesday -- I'm crossing my fingers that it will be colder than they think and just be snow........

I would love to have a full time housekeeper to clean this place everyday. I don't know how it happens but the day after I've cleaned it, armies of dust bunnies, fleets of papers and books and what seems to be Staple's entire inventory of pens and highlighters sneak out in the night and settle around the place all over again.

We're supposed to get a snow mix on Christmas day ....but only a maybe. :-(

Glad to hear that you have the tree up! I'm sad when I read that there is a lack of Christmas spirit going around...I've been listening to my Christmas music for weeks now, but I'm a crazy Christmas music fanatic.

We had snow all day on Saturday, but it is warmer now and it's all melted. I don't think we're going to have a white Christmas in Cleveland this year. Oh, well...

Sandy K

Just a quick hello. Time to get busy again. I am ging to mix cookie dough to bake later.
or tomorrow ( choc chip) and get some things ready for bread baking. Nothing else much
to do, except pick Adam up from the airport.. it will be a good day ..
Hope yours is too !

#83 Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean



What happens when the woman of the house wants an electrical outlet near the table for plugging in the toaster – and man of the house decides to surprise her by doing it himself?

Is the school Christmas pageant a smashing success when a new director (experienced in this sort of thing) takes over – with help from her trusty husband?

How do you determine if the elderly couple next door is dead or alive throughout the winter when (unbeknown to you) they hibernate in their basement? And how do you address your concerns to their son whom you do not know very well?

What happens to a valuable/collectible record album that turns up unexpectedly and the new owner must keep it hidden until it subsequently becomes lost to him?

Oh, so many funny and poignant stories about pets, relationships, personal insecurity, and much more are to be found in this book by a wonderful Canadian writer. The award winning series of the Vinyl Cafe, taken from CBC radio programs, is delightful, absolutely hilarious, and at times even touching. It matters not in what order you read them. This is the second book I have read in this series. It does not disappoint! I'd say even better than the last...

4.5 stars

No snow here either. I live in a part of town that is quite grimy, especially since they don't come by to actually clean the streets, so I don't know what they do with our tax money, those mofos. Sorry, 'bit of a rant there. But when it snows, for the first day or two, everything looks so wonderful and clean. Even if it's only an illusion, I'm willing to suspend disbelief while it's there. And Coco LOVES running around in the snow. I'll ask Santa for snow, if only for Coco's sake.

I'm not here by the way Claudia, so you haven't seen me. I'm just lurking around. I'm burned out from stuffing envelopes and actually having to do all that handwriting. It's incredibly tiring! How did we manage before computers? Better hand muscles?

I'm off to... do something. Am grumpy. But hi anyway. :-P

Hi All!
Have not been home much today. Haven't even visited my own thread!

So - I finished a book. But not the review. It was good and funny, but I'm not in the mood to concentrate right now. I think my mind went on vacation and left my body behind! Hate when that happens!

Lucy -
If anyone gets snow for Christmas it will be you. Is there an inn or B&B in your town? Maybe we can stay there for Christmas. Or maybe you can post a picture???

Caro -
I hear ya on the housecleaner. My standards have relaxed some in the past few years to the point it is now getting out of hand. Someone has to clean up around here! Who can I bribe? ;-)

Sandy -
Perhaps I need to start the Christmas music earlier next year. My granddaughter listens to it all year long (another "crazy Christmas music fanatic") - much to the dismay of her brother. It's gonna be real quiet here this year - no kiddos. But we'll see them after :)

Kath -
I saw that Adam came in safely today :) Hope you can take a break from all that cooking now? You must have enough for an army!

Ilana -
OH! I never thought of asking Santa for snow. Good idea! I've been praying to the weather angel - what a waste! Apparently she only listens to my brother. I think she's getting old and senile - sending snow in the craziest places! :(

How nice that you are doing things the old-fashioned way :) You will have awesome hand muscles. lol

Claudia finished a book! Claudia finished a book! Hooray! And it sounds like a good one. Will have to wait for your review. If you are in the mood, there's always House of Holes...hee hee. No, forget it, you might never talk to me again.

Hi Mark -
I went to the detail page for the House of Holes and asked the LT Oracle if I would like it. LOL
It said I probably would like it - high confidence! How do they determine these things? Oracle needs reprogramming. :}
Don't worry - I'll talk to you when I can get a word in edgewise. Your thread is very hot! Can't keep up.

Funny, as I'm listening to House of Holes, I keep glancing around, to make sure no one can hear what I'm listening to. I'm not kidding, it's downright filthy, but in an amusing, light-hearted way.

Yep! Adam is safe and sound and snoozing away...
He is good to have around, even though he can be a bit
on the grumpy side...

Why do I still have so much to do? what the heck!??

I did not even open a book yesterday.. maybe later today.. I also have a review that I need to do. sigh

What is your plan for today?
I am not sure of mine.. post cookies anyway.. lol
I should get those going :P

Yikes! Roads were a mess at 8 am. Had a dr appt - and wondered if I would make it.
ICE! :PPPP
Fine drizzle frozen on the road - no sanding. Very treacherous.
It was just starting right before I left.
Anywho - I did make it there and back w/o incident. Saw many cars off the road. School was cancelled. Temp was 26 - but now is 32 and roads are treated. Mostly.

Yeah Mark, I can see why you would feel self-conscious listening to that book in public! lol

Kath - STOP. You just have to stop.
And the best way to do that is procrastination.
Don't bake all your cookies today. Cuz if you do, your mind will just race on to - "Now what can I do?"
You have to decide to take a rest before you complete your self-imposed tasks. Comprendez? Try it.

Now that I am home, I'm staying here today. Have got laundry up to my ears. It's not pretty! :{

Wishing everyone a time to read today :)

cookies done..
ready to start spaghetti sauce

But basically I am done ... just regular tasks like cooking lie ahead.

glad you made your trip safely!

Claudia, I'm sorry that your weather angel got the order for snow and ice mixed up. It looks like the roads will be clear in our area for Christmas weekend, which is a good thing because MY GRANDKIDS are coming!!! I've made a bajillion cookies that I am counting on them to eat. Alas, no Russian Teacakes on my horizon. They're my daughter's favorites... I wonder if I can fool her with the Archway brand?

Have a Merry Christmas, Cee. I hope Santa comes through with some snow just for you!

OK, Mark -
I did a bit of a review for Vinyl Cafe Unplugged above - if you still want to read it.

Well Kath,
I imagine you will be going to bed with a smile on your face tonight :) I'm drooling over all your cookies...

Donna,
I'd say "I give up!" but that would be a lie. I'm still wishing for a pretty white snow to arrive someday soon. In the meantime, I will take anything under 50 degrees.

There's no fooling around with Russian Teacakes... homemade are best! But with all the cookies you have made, who could want anything more? Hope your Christmas is the best ever with those Grands! ;-)

Time to celebrate! Break out the eggnog w/ amaretto!

I finally decided what to have for Christmas dinner. :)

Spiral sliced ham, sweet potatoes, and pineapple stuffing! Easy... everyone can eat it. And the price is right.
I wanted a beef roast, but at $50-$60 for the roast AND I would have to make something else for Mom - so - forget that!
What a relief to have that decision made.
I know. I'm nuts. But now I'm a happy nut!

Merry Christmas! Bring it on!
Out to Christmas luncheon with my former co-workers tomorrow! Looking forward to a good time. I may have to take a taxi home ;-)

One of the presents I asked for was to get my camera working again or get me a new one -- I'm hopeless, really, with cameras, have been since I got my first Brownie, so I don't know why I'm bothering, but I can usually keep one working for about a year at a time. If that happens and there IS snow I will take a picture of it and do my best to post it, although I gather I have to join something? Like one of these photobucket things??? AIEEEEEE.

Deep breath. I'll do what I can. Right now it is raining hard. Gee seven degrees less and this would be a blizzard, I think.

Ooo, pineapple stuffing sounds amazing.

In our house we deep fry turkey (sounds horrible, doesn't it?) that has been stuffed with jalapenos. I'm not a fan of most meats, but I eat those blackened peppers like they're potato chips. Yum!

133 - I'm a fan of flickr.com... ;)

Lucy -
Honestly, I don't understand photobucket - no matter how many people say it is easy.
I gave up on that after waging an honorable battle.

I just save my pictures to my hard drive and move them over to LT from there.
No pressure. If it's too much - forget it! (my 2011 mantra... but I'm hoping next year will bring more joy and energy)

I am a lousy photographer and don't like watching things happen through the lens of a camera. I want to see things with my own eyes. Luckily Ron has a nice (and easy) camera and has taken a mild interest in taking pictures.

"Gee seven degrees less and this would be a blizzard..."
so - maybe it qualifies as a monsoon?

Claudia - struggling to keep up during my hectic pre-holiday schedule.

115/118 Be careful what you wish for I have both! SWMBO is a fantastic cook but runs a tight ship (too tight for me and my three juvenile partners in crime at home who often feel the sharp-end of her tongue!) and my maid who is to house keeping what Mr. Bean is to christmas decorating but no less lovable as a result. Erni (for it is she who is apparently my paid maid) makes a mean cup of coffee and food so spicy it makes your hair curl but give her a vacuum cleaner or an iron and disaster is sure to ensue. I have now stopped giving her shirts to iron as clients thought that the iron imprint on all my clothes was part of a new designer label and she merely ensures between herself and my driver that they don't lose anymore shirts between the house and the laundry (this is also not a given!).

Claudia- Good review of Vinyl Cafe Unplugged. It sounds like a fun read. I'll have to keep that in mind.
The Christmas dinner sounds wonderful.

Hi Cee - Wasn't Vinyl Cafe Unplugged a hoot?! I still laugh just thinking about it.

I'm serving spiral sliced ham for Christmas dinner too. Nice and easy. Great minds think alike...

By the way, I think your snow got misdelivered here...not that I mind. It's very pretty.

Hey Cee, re: Sweetness BUT - there is a sense that it's ok to be mean to siblings, take off on your own w/o telling anyone, and do things that have an inherent amount of danger not usually foreseen by a youth.

That was my feeling about Wonderstruck .
An otherwise very good book but contains children making poor choices.

While I'm visiting let me wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and all the best in 2012!

Hi Paul -
My Christmas gift to you is no pressure checking in on my thread. You've got enough on your plate... you can skip me for a week! I love to hear from you, but don't stress. I'll be lurking on your thread :)
Now, about a cook and housecleaner... I want them to come, do their thing, and leave! No live ins! Of course in your case living in is a big part of it - and you know you love it! lol

Mark - Christmas dinner has evolved from my original idea of leftovers. So, in that respect, yeah - wonderful. I want to go on a cruise and be served every imaginable yummy delicacy and get my bed made by someone else!

Hi Joanne - I'm glad you at least appreciate the snow you got. Do you think it will still be around for Christmas? I know in Denver snow tends to evaporate quickly... so dry. And, yes. I'll be looking for more Vinyl Cafe books. ;-)

Hi there Lynda,
So, yes. Sweetness is a really good book for an adult. I think we realize that the environment and culture are somewhat different and can find humor - even admiration - in the actions of Flavia. I'm just not sure how kids would perceive her motives and consequences. Also I kept thinking there was stuff in there that would go right over the heads of younger readers. I have Wonderstruck but have not read it yet! What's up with that?

Thank you for the holiday wishes. I hope when all is said and done, all my LT friends have a happy and loving weekend. And we all hope for something in 2012... hope we get our hopes! :)

Hope you are having a nice lunch with your friends..
a little tipsy goes good with lunch..
( They have cabs in the back woods in Maine? well huh!)

I too, have read books where I cringe at choices made by and for kids..
glad to know it isn't just me.

Hi Claudia!! Just stopping by to wish you Merry Christmas and I hope you get snow!!! No more freezing rain.

Kath it is NOT true that we have cabS around here - no, no.
We have ONE cab... in Bath, I think. Dunno. Maybe it's in Brunswick. Well, I KNOW there is one someplace. I have no idea what it would cost to drive to my house.

Lunch was great - but I came home to find out Mom had gone out the front door and locked herself out. (While Ron was on an ambulance call.) He swears he won't go on calls anymore if I am not home. Thank goodness it was 50 degrees and she had a sweater (heavy) on.

She's never gone out front before. And WHY did she go out? To get a package UPS dropped off on the porch! She thought it might rain and the package would get wet. Clear blue skies here today. Porch is covered.

She said the dog locked the door on her! I am very distressed.
She sat on the rocking chair and waited for Ron to get home. But - yikes! I knew there would be a first time for her to leave the house. Just thought it would be much later. We were lucky. No more reliance on luck...

Needless to say - my good lunch vibes went down the toilet.

Tammy!
Thanks for stopping by - and Merry, Merry Christmas to you! If we get snow - I will think of you!

Sorry i've been remiss in my postings

no excuse

forgive me?

What happened to my message? Try again...

No need for forgiveness, Jude!
I still loves you. :)
Come when you can. If I miss you too much... I'll go to your thread. :)

Tonight we had carollers come to the house for Mom (specifically)... oh, I guess us too (by default).
Seems there is at least one advantage to living with an elderly lady.
This is a great town! Mom was very excited :)

Hi Claudia, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged sounds hysterical and just the kind of uplifting read I will look forward to. Thanks for an excellent and enticing review.

We're in our third straight day of non-stop RAIN. It's December for heaven's sake. They're saying we may get a dusting on Christmas Eve.

Claudia - regrettably unable to receive your very kind christmas gift! No problem keeping up with your thread in normal times and always a pleasure in any event.

Oh dear, thank goodness it was a warm, sunny day. How very stressful, though.

I think our snow will stick around but it is supposed to be in the 50s on Sunday so it will be melting fast by then

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Cee!

Awe, I'm sorry to read of your mom's porch experience, Cee. Story's like yours really touch my heart not only because of what happened to your mom but how one little episode changes your lives as well. Be strong!

A tip of my Bailey's to you for deciding on Christmas dinner. I've done quite the same thing. The price of the usual beef tenderloin in astronomical and was not going to happen at my house so my husband found a nice looking recipe in Bon Appetit while at the dentist's office. Spiral sliced ham with a ground mustard, Reisling baste. It's worth a try since, if I wanted to, I could be 5 spiral sliced hams for one tenderloin.
The ham will accompany a small party tray with roast beef, turkey etc for non ham lovers and stuffed cabbage for the traditional minded.

Cee... my neighbor locks herself out of her house all the time.
I think it is a hazard in homes where the door is typically kept locked.
This is one of the reasons I keep telling Kim she should give me a key..
your mom's incident was not necessarily related to anything but an oops..
like anyone might have. She stayed put, which is most important...
Do not stress over it too much yet.. she has not shown any indication of
making it a habit to leave the house. I locked myself out of the house once
Margie's son got in through my window. I gave her a key when that happened,
but she lost it. I plan to give one to Kimmy now that the locks are all changed with the
new doors.

My sister doesn't have a porch. She puts a rubbermaid storage trunk out
next to her front door.. she has the word DELIVERIES on the top and front
of the trunk. Something like this might put your moms mind at ease if you get
deliveries regularly?

Anyway...

I am so sorry that your good lunch vibes were lost.. that stinks..

So none of your family will be here this weekend?
I am sorry :(

Hope things are much better today.

I think yesterday was just a star crossed day. After cleaning the floor on my hands and
knees 3 days prior.. yesterday, all day, I dropped, spilled and dropped more things on my floor.
Seriously. Anything I touched, I got some of it on the floor. Sometimes I would clean something up
just to get more on the floor minutes later. I will have to do the floor again today.. not pleased.

one foot in front of the other...

Hi Bonnie,
Interestingly, the LT Oracle says I probably will NOT like Vinyl Cafe Unplugged - high confidence. And I gave it 4.5 stars! I hope they never take that feature away as it does provide a few giggles for me :D
It's looking like you'd better ask for an ark from Santa!

Ah, Paul. I did my best. I'm glad you did not listen to me after all! Always nice to have you here and now the gift is mine.

Thanks, Joanne. Hope you have a white Christmas for awhile. It's been snowing lightly here this am - enough to frost the landscape. I think it is changing over to rain tho and that will frost my butt! :-/ Ah, December.

Lynda -
"...one little episode changes your lives..."
How well you understand my life. I probably over-reacted yesterday. When I think of what could have happened, I truly shudder. It could have been way worse. It was a wake-up call. I know I can't protect her every minute of every day, but I need to be more vigilant.
Your ham sounds yummy. I'm thinking of starting a Christmas Club account at the bank so I can buy a tenderloin beef roast next year!

Life goes on. Another day to try again...

Hi Kath - We cross-posted. I am such a slow typist.

I don't see this incident w/ Mom as an oops. She has never used the front door before. And while her intentions were honorable, she would do it all over again. If the weather was nasty she would probably feel more compelled to go get the package - well, you get the picture.

The dog did not lock her out. There was no threat of rain. She never has answered the phone or door before... which was a good thing. She walked all around the outside of the house to try to find a way in. Our yard is very rough, hilly, bumpy, and hard to walk. She has a balance problem did not have her walker of course. She could easily have fallen - and might have for all I know. Anyway, she is now convinced no one can get into this house when it is locked.
Personally, I would prefer NOT to lock the doors at all.

Anyway, we had a talk about it (though I know it is useless). I tried to impress upon her I didn't care if a package got wet or ruined. I wanted her to be safe. Waste of breath, but I can't help it. OK. Enough of my stressing. It won't happen again.

Sorry about your floor... but here's the thing... if the stuff on the floor is less than a day old, leave it there, show the spill to Dunkers, and clean it once and done at the end of the day. Or in your case, the beginning of the next day. Geesh. You need lessons in UNhousecleaning 101!

Have fun with family today! :)

Hi Claudia!
I'm home now and after a week away I am terribly behind on all the threads!
Glad to see you got some snow, has it stayed or melted? I was sad to get off the plane and not see snow. I fear it will be a green Christmas here

Sorry to hear your mom got locked out. Hopefully that doesn't happen again!

Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas!

Hey Chelle-Bride-to-Be!
Welcome home! Hope your trip was fantastic :)
You're not perchance already married are you? hehehe

Have a wonderful Christmas!
Wishing for a white miracle ;-) I'm hopeless.

Loved your review of Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, Cee ... off to the obese wish list it goes.

I think we need an intervention here .... to stop Kath from wearing herself out. That woman is a crazy busy dynamo.

Your mom sounds like an aunt of mine. It's been useless anyone talking to her about locking doors. She's locked herself out upteen times ...but she does leave one of the kitchen windows unlatched (only because the latch has been too stiff for her to move it) and so she just climbs back into the house that way .....and she's 97. She says it's perfectly safe because she's never fallen back out of the window and when she does climb in, the window's just above the kitchen sink, so when she gets in, she just puts her feet into the sink and therefore she's in no danger of a long topple onto the ground. She also drives to church every Sunday ... picking up 3 other ladies and a man along the way .... all of them are much younger than she is!!

Merry Christmas Cee!
80 degrees here *sigh*

Good Goddess, Caro!
a) I don't think Kath would take you seriously (look in mirror - CBD!) lol
b) Your aunt is NUTS! But the kitchen sink seems to work for her and I bet she is tickled to be so independent.
c) Thanks for the warning - I will stay off the roads on Sunday morning!

I'm sorry, Kara. But, it's probably a very nice 80 degrees :)

no it's not :(

I want snow...no such thing as Christmas with this temp.
I think I'm gonna jack the air conditioner down to 60 :)
and walk around wearing thick socks :)

oops! forgot to say -
I am reading A Small Furry Prayer (ER book) and actually liking it quite a lot. It seems to be getting ratings all over the place. I think I'm about halfway thru.

Also reading The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag - another Flavia de Luce book. Once again fun to read and though she is a a fiesty brat my heart is going out to her. She needs a Mom!

Oh, Kara... That's exactly what I would do if I was caught in your state on Christmas! Go for it! :D

Merry Christmas Claudia!

I had a feeling something wasn't quite right... I wanted to get offline badly because I'm zzzzzzz zzzzz zzz zzzzz tired, but this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right...

Will have to come back to catch up on the last 35 I missed, but wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and say it's been delightful getting to know you. I have Mark to thank for that, because if he hadn't revealed your identity to me, then we might not have been in touch yet! Wouldn't that be a shame? I think so.

Sending you warm hugs and wishing you a wonderful holiday Claudia!

Claudia. Have a wonderful Christmas and new year. Hope that 2012 brings all your heart desires for you and your family.

Merry Christmas Claudia! I think we've only known each other for less than a year but what an LT friendship we've had! It's been great. Let's do it again next year!

Merry Christmas Claudia!!

mistletoe smooches!

Merry Christmas, Claudia!

Wishing you all the very best Claudia!

(I'm off to open your gifts now... can't wait any longer!)

:-)

Merry Christmas, Claudia!

Merry merry wishes are being sent your way -- along route 2! And hopefully a few snowflakes!

A very Merry Christmas to you all -
and many thanks for the array of holiday greetings and gifs Kara, Bonnie, Ilana, Paul, Mark, Chelle,Richard, Pat, Darryl,a nd Lucy!

A special thanks to Mark for organizing the Christmas Swap and opening the path for a new friendship with Ilana! and an introduction to Kim! This has been fun - again :)

*Happy sigh* For some very strange and miraculous reason - there is the tiniest bit of itsy, bitsy frozen SNOW flying through the air! Not much in the way of clouds - just a little overcast. Supposed to get something later in the day. Anyway - it's all pretty and white. I'll take it! Maybe the ocean effect? Or... maybe Santa managed to sprinkle it around as he was leaving? ;-)

Not a creature is stirring around here right now - not even a mouse (which I do think we have one scooting around in our bedroom wall :P). So... I pounced on my box from the Christmas Swap. It's from Kim(Berly)! And what a very awesome pick she made. Thanks SO MUCH, Kim!

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant
AND -
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley

And get THIS! They are all Brand New! I've gotten so used to getting used books lately. This is a real treat :) I thought I had my January reading pretty well lined up but now I'll have to make some changes.

I was very naughty - Ron told me to wait. But come on! I needed a treat for getting up with Loki this morning.
Oh! What fun it is to be naughty and it won't affect the gifts Santa already brought LOL

Morning Claudia- My, you are up early, my friend! Happy Christmas morning! I love your Swap books. The Ishiguro is a great read and "The Tiger" was another excellent NF, that I read this year. I read a couple Mosley books, years ago but I'm not familiar with this one.

Hey there, Mark!
It's funny. My WL gets too long, really, cuz I forget some of the books I put on there... then LO! The Christmas Swap! and some excellent choices by Kim. :)

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is "...a beautifully wrought story ... of the subtle links between memory and identity." according to the back cover. Rec by Stasia. About a 91 y/o man with dementia and a 17 y/o girl who befriends him. An issue I struggle with - with my Mom. Instead of a manual or how-to-cope book, this promises to be more. I think I am ready for this one now.

Merry Christmas!

It's snowing!!!! Merry Christmas, Cee to you and your family.

Aha! Brand new books are something to celebrate for sure :)

Claudia... ♥

You're one of the people who make this place so very special for me. (((BIG HUG)))

I made a comment on Mark's Swap thread about the books you got, so won't repeat it here... or ok, I will: I read The Tiger this year based on Mark's recommendation and thought it was excellent. I also have the other two books on my tbr. Got The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey from the library on audio quite recently, along with a few others by Mosley, who'll be a new author to me, but found this story particularly intriguing... maybe I'll read it along with you when you get there. Sorry to hear you have personal struggles with dementia, can't be easy watching someone you love lose their memory. Reading fiction about it will give you an insight in a sort of voyeuristic way (and I mean that in the best sense possible), as you'll be able to watch how other 'people' deal with those issues and hopefully give you a different way at looking at your own struggles with your mom. I guess that's what many of us appreciate fiction for.

Happy Boxing Day!

Good morning! This is my favorite day of the holiday season.
it has always been a day of downtime and just enjoying the family, no pressure :)

I hope it is a calm and relaxing day for you, too!

Is it snowing? They are mumbling about possible snow coming here..hope it holds off until Cory is back safe .

So, which of your new books will you be reading first?

Hey Cee! Hope you had a merry Christmas! Sounds like you got some good books!

Sandy K

Terrific book haul, Claudia! Happy way to spend a holiday...anticipating new reading joys in a snowy environment. *happy shared sigh*

A quick hello to you~
As has become the norm for now, I have a busy day ahead..
What are you reading now? Did I miss that?
So busy here lately! Lots of action and posts to keep up with..

How have things been with your mom?? good I hope?
and how about with you ??

I think Cee is still asleep and recuperating from the holiday weekend ..... or hungover! *tiptoes out*

*waves*

182> ahhh! I was wondering..

Hi Claudia- Just checking in with you! Hope all is well! And hope you are deeply immersed in a good book!

Hi All! Sorry to have been away so long. RL. I've popped in and out a few times - here and there. Will try to catch up now.

>174 qebo: Thanks, Katherine! Hope you had a nice day. The quilt gif reminds me there was a year - quite awhile ago - that a sheet of US Christmas stamps (all together) looked like a quilt. I collect stamps and always kicked myself I did not buy a sheet and frame it. But, those were the days I could barely afford the stamps I needed - nevermind for framing!

>175 cameling: Thanks, Caro! It was so very nice to see snow on Christmas Day. I'm glad you got some too. :)

>176 mckait: (and several others) Hi Kath -
I've got a bunch of new books now to start the year.
It's something like getting all new books at the beginning of a semester and just can't wait to get into them :}
You certainly have your hands full -even with only half your kids home. And all the birthdays! Hope you did not have to take out a second mortgage to feed the boys!

Mom had a tough week - even though it was generally quiet.
Way too much to get into on that front. :P

I am currently finishing up the same two books I've been working on for it seems like weeks! One is due at the library tomorrow - I think I'll make it.

>177 Smiler69: Hi Ilana!
Thanks :)
We could do Ptolemy Grey together sometime, but I have to tell you I am a slow reader. I'm hoping to get something positive out of it - something other than more depressed.
Think I may start with The Tiger...

>179 sandykaypax: Hey Sandy! Christmas was ok - it was quiet. I liked it that way. I'm happy for the books I got. Some very good choices - thanks to Kim!

>180 richardderus: Hi Richard! Nice to see you here. I know you've been busy on your own projects - and I've missed your witty verbiage. Hope your Christmas was great. I'm definitely gonna hit the NYC meetup thread to see how you all made out. ;-)

>182 cameling:, 183 & 185 Big waves to Caro, Kara and Mark!
Thanks for keeping my thread warm. Had a bunch of things to do today - in town. Tomorrow I hope to relax some and read more.

Now to jump into threads...

Just checked out the NYC meetup thread - how cool was that!?!
Having finally been to The Strand, I can better imagine the fun and frenzy. Wish I could have been there to meet some of the LT stars! Ah... someday...

Wild and windy last night! Lost power for awhile. Beautiful day today - but WAY too warm! 48 degrees? I've been promised colder temps are coming :) Crazy winter :P

With any luck, I will finish the 2 of the books I am currently reading today. I'm seriously considering an experiment... reading one book at a time. Have no idea what that is like??? Might prove interesting...

Hope everyone has a great day!

There is a thread? I have to try to find it.

I think it will get colder soon.. it is getting that way here..
they said snow, but nope. No snow.

Glad your power wasn't out for too long..

Hey, how is the new stove treating you?

I usually only read one book. I have one that I need to add to my thread
before the year is over.. I have a little bit of it to go. Reading time has been
nearly impossible to fine.

sorry your mom had a rough week.. how are you holding up?

New stove... yeah, it works. It looks good. But - it involves cooking! :P Can't seem to get too excited about it. I do feel it is safer than the other piece of junk I had. Well, I call it a piece of junk, but Ron said the guys that took it away were quite interested in it and he figures it never made it to recycling. One man's trash, another man's treasure - so they say.

Me, myownself... I am holding up nothing. I am being held up by friends and professionals. Finally allowing a few others to pour their strength into my empty vessel. I'm calling that progress. :)

I call it progress too~

Keep up the good work :)

trash / treasure.. so true!

Hi Claudia, Just stopping by to check out your thread. You say you're a slow reader (I say the same about myself) but you certainly seem to have done some great reading this year. I also have The Tiger on my TBR list but I'm not sure when I'll get to it. Did you ever read The Elephant's Journey and, if so, how did you like it?
~Ellen

Hi Ellen!
You found me before I found you! Happy to see you here! :)

We probably read about the same speed as we have both read about 80 books this year. I'm thinking we feel we are slow readers because we compare ourselves to the black belt readers of LT. Though I do like to take my time with some books. :)

I did read some great books this year - thanks to LT and all the wonderful recs!

Haven't read The Elephant's Journey yet - only just got it a couple weeks ago! But that is definitely one I'll be getting to soon. Very curious myself.

Love your kitties! Did I tell you that yet?

#84 The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley



Book 2 of the Flavia De Luce mysteries. Another entertaining romp thru "Bishop's Lacey & Environs" with a clever 11 y/o sleuth who has no trouble wiggling out of the trouble she is always finding. With a cast of colorful characters, two deaths, and a plethora of clues we hop on Gladys to solve a cold case and a startling new murder along with Flavia.

I did think the first book was a bit better. I will definitely read the next book since it is still good fun :)

3.5 stars

I'm seriously considering an experiment... reading one book at a time. Have no idea what that is like??? Might prove interesting...

I think I'd go completely baNAnas if I ever tried that. Keep a journal of your experiences, so the ladies with the butterfly nets who come to get you down off the weathervane will understand what happened....

193> Love your kitties! Did I tell you that yet? No, but thank you. They are embarrassingly central to my life. Actually, just the one now since we lost Edgar (stripey cat) last May. Now it's just Abby (tuxedo) who is curled up next to me in bed as I write.

I read and enjoyed Alan Bradley's first in the series last summer -- it was a perfect vacation read. I'm not sure whether I'll make time for the rest in the series.

LOL @ richard

ladies with butterfly nets should have already come for me!
I have always read one book at a time :P
but maybe they will come for different reasons ;)

One book at a time? Isn't that against the LT 'rules'?

It sounds like you had a pretty good Christmas, Cee, despite the worries about your mother. I remember my dad sleeping on an air mattress in front of the door to keep my mother from wandering the neighborhood at night. ;-(. I hope it doesn't get that bad for you.

I'm a life-long one-book-at-a-timer. Every once in a while, I decide to try to read two very different sorts of books at the same time. I think it's worked twice. I hate to think what that says about me......

Stopping by! Really, I have to agree with Donna! I have somehow managed to get 3 novels going at once, which, yeah, is a bit much. But so ..... challenging!

So we have a big Wind Chill Hazard up -- down to minus 15-20 wind chills (I think around 5 above, but a nasty wind) lots more snow than I expected -- we could get up to seven inches and I believe it. What a contrast to last night where it was 40 and pouring rain, just buckets of it.

I'm entering the home stretch with The Help and it's picking up steam. I like the Celia/Minnie story the best.

Just stopping to say hello Cee!

I'm a one book at a time person, Cee... unless the 2nd book is pure brain fluff. But I prefer immersing myself in a single book at a time, especially if they're beautifully written and allow me to live in the characters' dimension. If it's non-fiction though, I usually will read brain fluff at the same time.

>195 richardderus: Good idea, Richard ! That just might happen! We don't have a weathervane - but the PO has a nice one!

>196 EBT1002: Oh dear - only one cat now. Poor Edgar :( Poor Ellen :(
I bet Abby is getting extra love - and probably needs it.
The Flavia De Luce mysteries turned out to be easy end of the year reading... and a good amount of humor. You could easily stop with one - you get the idea.

>197 curlysue: You can only hope, Kara. If the net ladies come around here - I'll send them to FL!

>198 Donna828: Hi Donna! I don't know about LT rules - but I thought I would give it a try so I'll know what it's like. ;-)
As far as my Mom and the future - my mind won't go there :(
Your poor, poor Dad! How do people do things like that? How much love do you need?

>199 EBT1002: Ellen - I would say you are a focused person :)
I was wondering if the reading would go faster one book at a time? But maybe not, as we both have the same slow reading complaint. :P

>200 sibylline: Hi Lucy - I can start by saying you have waaaay more energy than I - and probably better eyes! You burn through your books at a good clip. I'm jealous ;-)
I see the cold is coming. Temp dropped like a rock in the past couple hours - about 20 degrees. We are expecting a similar wind chill (about -10) yippee! 'Course I'll be snug under a down comforter. Just hope the power stays on.

>201 weejane: Hi there, Brit! I'm excited you and your partner are expecting another little one :-) Does Will have any idea?

**************
OK... med rounds and off to bed to read!
I love my bed, cat and books! Yes, I do! :)

OOPS! ETA
HI CARO! ***our posts crossed in the night***
You might have a good plan there! Fiction - one at a time; Non-fiction add a fluff to ease the seriousness - unless it's a NNF! Oh. This is getting complicated. :-o

I love my bed, cat and books! Yes, I do! :)

I can so relate.

I am almost always a one book at a time person too Claudia. The main reason is with more than one going each book seems to drag out toooooo long for my taste.

If it weren't for audiobooks and kid lit, I don't think I'd have made 75 books.

Actually, I just checked with my tags and all, and if I leave out audiobooks, picture books and graphic novels, I'm just slightly above 75 books, which is about 25 more books than I've ever read in a year. But as far as I'm concerned, everything counts. After all, it's 75 books we're supposed to read, but doesn't say what kind of books, right? ;-)

I fluctuate with my capacity for reading one or several books at a time. Earlier this year, I couldn't NOT read more than 3-4 books at a time, or I'd get bored, and now I have trouble concentrating I think, because I'm down to one. One meaning one traditional print book, because I've always got an audiobook going on top of that plus innumerable children's books and whatnot, so I guess it's all relative.

Hey Cee - Will does know! We had an unplanned ultrasound on Monday and he was there so he saw the baby. It was really cool for him to see it. He only wants a baby sister!

#206 - Ilana, I'm pretty sure I'll be adding all the children's books I read for Will in 2012. I know I'll hit 75 then! :)

Just a visit to say good morning ... Adam got up..
so I am going to have to get off in a few minutes..
I promise to do better once it is lonely here again....

Hi Ellen! And I don't think it's just us two that love that end of the day peace and comfort...
;-)

Hi Bonnie - That's why I'm thinking of trying one book at a time... to see if the reading goes faster - or if I at least get the sense that it does. I have sooo many books I want to read now!

Ilana,
You may have just solved my mystery. The number of books I'm reading at a time is probably related to my capacity for concentration at a given time. Maybe that's why I'm a mood reader, too. I tend to choose books I can handle... sometimes deep, sometimes fluff. They're all good and all count!
I only wish I was a better listener - I just can't seem to click with audiobooks.

Hi Brit - This ultrasound thing is one of the best new things about being pregnant, imo. I didn't have that - and would have loved to see my real baby in utero. I was so impatient with 9 months of not knowing/not seeing what was going on. I'm not a patient person. Ron said if I could have had a 5 minute pregnancy, I would have been happy! Very true.

Hi Kath!
You need a vacation! Come on up... it's pretty quiet here :)
*******************
So today we take another crack at fixing the washer. It's not completely broken - just tempermental! And I'M the only one allowed to be tempermental around here :P

Almost finished with A Small Furry Prayer which I'm enjoying a lot. The title could have left out the words "dog rescue" so as not to mislead the reader of where this book is going. This is more philosophical re the meaning of life and the connection of dogs, humans, and the entire natural world. :)

Warm hugs for everyone - it's cold today! :D

#85 A Small Furry Prayer by Steven Kolter



This is a terrific book on dog-human connections contemplated in deep thoughtfulness, questioning, and research by the author. Building his case, Kolter includes evolutionary theories and scientific facts, as well as experimental and spiritual insights. Living and having intimate relationships with rescue dogs Steven Kolter exposes his emotions and discoveries of the many primary similarities between canines and humans and why they co-exist so well.

This nonfiction narrative relates how Kolter became involved with dog rescue and how it impacted his life and beliefs. The rescue aspect of his story is primarily the context in which he garners emotional strength, spiritual insight, and connection to the natural world. This is not a comprehensive how-to or insider information on dog rescue. The title itself is somewhat misleading. This becomes a hard look at our sensitivities to animals/nature and trying to understand how it all fits together.

We don't know all the answers yet, but Kolter makes an honest effort to understand his world. The philosophy, psychology, and biological evidence he has incorporated is interesting and informative to me. No topic was taboo in this book. The reader explores a myriad of issues from animals' use of hallucinogenic substances - to dog homosexuality - to mimicing human facial expressions and emotions. Kolter is a man who examines every aspect of being and belonging.

A combination of humor, surprise, and deep examination of life this book may not appeal to everyone. I found it fascinating.

4.5 stars

Great review, Cee. This sounds like a really interesting book ... I might just have to add this to my obese wish list ;-)

On the fifth day of Christmas... I bring festive greetings and hope you are enjoying this holiday time.

I got far behind this past month, so have just sprinted through your last one and a half threads to get here. Nice book haul for Christmas, and interesting to hear your positive review of the most recent book - I just read a less enthusiastic view on vancouverdeb's thread so clearly it does not appeal to everyone, but I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Hi Caro!
Thanks! I think you just might like this one.

Hi Genny,
Happy 5 Golden Rings Day!

I think I might have liked this book because it was sooo right up my alley. I majored in psychology, minored in philosophy, and earlier had graduated from a nursing school (lots of biology)... so I had some background for almost everything this guy wrote about. I love animals, nature, spiritual ideas and being connected. And... if I haven't bored you completely yet, I love creative thinking and the scientific process. This book just couldn't miss with me! :)

My husband, on the other hand, could barely tolerate the passages I HAD to read to him! lol

And best of all - I get to choose a new book tonight!!!

new book? What's the new book? *hopping up and down in anticipation*

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
by John Vaillant

One of my new Christmas books from Kim(berly)!

:D

Ooh, ooh, The Tiger -- cool beans. It's on my list for early in 2012. I'll be interested to hear how you like it.

Morning Claudia- I hope you have a good day today and enjoy that book. It's a winner all the way!

End of the year greetings to you Cee! A Small Furry Prayer sounds like an interesting little book. Although I'm bound to read only from my Tipping Tower in the new year this one sounds too good to pace up.

ETA: Nope, nothing by Kolter yet, I'll keep checking

Good Morning Claudia! We got a little bit more of your snow yesterday. The weather man isn't listening to me.
Sorry to hear you've been having so many hard days with your mom. I wish I could come to help and sit with her when you need to go out.
Congrats on hitting 85! That is alot of books.
Wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

My eyes do get sore though, Cee -- I have to be more careful than of yore...... sometimes I have to take a whole day 'off' to let them rest..... print really matters too, these days.

>216 EBT1002: Ellen -
I think this Tiger book will be a good one. Everything I have heard or read about it sounds intriguing. Just started and got to page 21 - too early to say. I was too tired to keep reading last night. :(

>217 msf59: Mark - Thanks! If you say that, knowing me somewhat, then I feel encouraged. I don't know how it can miss - cold, snow, mountains, tigers... ahhh Yes, the first few pages are a bit graphic - but we're talking tigers here! Right?

>218 Carmenere: Hi Lynda! Not everyone likes A Small Furry Prayer. It was an ER book and the write-up may have been misleading as well as the title. The author is all about connections between humans, dogs (or all animals), the natural world, how we have so much in common, and can find balance. As Kolter gets deeper into his research and ruminations it may get to be too much for some. He admits the questions he begins asking are beyond what he would ever have expected, eg., do dogs believe in God? Of course he doesn't answer this particular question - but he does think about the possibility of canine spirituality... which I thought was interesting.

>219 tjblue: Thanks for trying Tammy! I appreciate the thought. Tons of snow will come someday, I just know it!
You are so sweet - we are working on what to do about Mom and our own needs.
I am very pleased I have been able to reach my reading goal. I think in some ways it gave me focus and the needed distraction from RL so I could cope overall. And that doesn't even count all the great support I have found in LTers! I'm a lucky gal.

>220 sibylline: I know what you mean, Lucy. :(
My eyes are my biggest problem and print size is a huge consideration when I get books now. The Kindle is good in that respect... being able to adjust print size. Still I like real books :)

************
I wish everyone a wonderfully healthy and prosperous year in 2012 - full of happiness and let us not forget fun!

*settles into a comfy beanbag with fleece slipper socks and mug of tea to wait for Cee's review of The Tiger*

I fell behind, but now am all caught up again. A Small Furry Prayer sounds really interesting. It seems like a blend of elements which might appeal to me a whole lot too, though of course I don't have your background, so some of it might go over my head. And you say you're not intelligent?!?!

I think you'll enjoy The Tiger. I found it was structured almost like a mystery or suspense novel and apart from the fact that I was interesting in the tiger first and foremost, it kept my interest up throughout.

Happy New Year my dear Claudia! I haven't created a thread, no visited *the other side*, i.e. 2012 group yet, but will probably start migrating over tomorrow, if I can hold on that long!

Hi Ilana!
I don't think A Small Furry Prayer takes intelligence as much as engrossment. One can certainly understand what he is talking about but some - like my husband - are just not interested in this stuff (like I am not interested in insurance :P).

I have not created a thread for 2012 yet either. I'll probably go there tomorrow... not worried about losing anybody. There's a certain magnetism here......
;-)

Magnetism is a good way of putting it.

And who is actually interested in insurance, save for insurance salesmen, I wonder? Yuck!

I'm so glad to see you liked A Small Furry Prayer! It didn't work well for me but if I had been in a slightly different mood when I read it, I might have enjoyed it more. It seems to be one of those books that just clicks for some but not for others.

I used to read one book at a time and then I found LT...

Have a happy and safe New Years!!

Hi C

long time, no see...all that

I wondered what Stevie Nicks was doing, way up top, dressed like an angel...had me confused...

Just stopped by for Hello and to give you a {{Hug}}

J

Hi Claudia, I thought of the issue your having with your mom when I saw this story on the CBS evening news tonight (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500165_162-57350114/gps-shoes-help-alzheimers-patients-caretakers/). It's about shoes for Alzheimer's patients that have GPS in them. They do seem to be pricey (about $300 plus a monthly fee for a tracking plan) but it's a great idea.

I'm also interested in what you think of The Tiger since I own an unread copy that I bought after Mark recommended it so highly.

Hope you have a wonderful New Year!

I promise that I will catch up with you soon... Have you begun your 2012 thread yet??
I don't have the time to venture in..

I haven't read, I am not keeping up with the posts here... and I am generally just
hanging out with Adam and cooking till I drop. ( I honestly do not understand why til has 2 ll's)
anyway..

Things will be back to normal soon.. Amy and Tom will be visiting in a week or so but only
for one or two nights.

I hope all is well with your family and that your mom has been doing okay?

hugs

Claudia, I wish you a very Happy New Year! See you in 2012!

Well, Ilana, believe it or not - my hubby has a degree in insurance :P He loves it! A very Happy, Healthy, and Fun New Year to YOU!

Hi Joanne! Happy New Year to you too!

Jude - sigh - you are so easily confused. That's my "Peace on Earth" angel :) Hugs make it all better - {{{Jude}}}

Pat - that's a great idea. A little pricey for sure, but worth considering if needed. Hope your health returns to you in full force for 2012!

Kath,
All is well here. So, in your next life.... how many kids are ya gonna have??????

***********
To everyone who has been a part of my life here on LT, thanks so much for your cheer, support, book recommendations, literary conversations, fun, and new ideas! It's been a good year.




Join me here for 2012: http://www.librarything.com/topic/129709

Happy New Year, Cee! Thanks so much for your friendship and kindness. It means a lot.

See you in 2012!

Sandy K

You are so welcome, Sandy - it's been my pleasure..

Wishing you a great 2012!