KatieKrug's 75 in 2012 - Here We Go Again!

LINK to my introduction post.
LINK to my 12 in 12 challenge thread.

As of 1 January 2012, I have 1,702 books in my library marked as "To Read." That's just ridiculous. I will periodically update here my progress in reading books off my shelf (books that have been in my possession 6 months or longer).

Current Book
TBD
Current Audio


JANUARY
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. Property by Valerie Martin
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
5. Amagansett by Mark Mills

February
6. The Honored Dead: A Story of Friendship, Murder and the Search for Truth in the Arab World by Joseph Braude
7. The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen
8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
9. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
10. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

Welcome back!

Hi Katie, looking forward to following you and your reading in 2012!

Hi Katie, checking in! :)

dropping in to leave my star

Thanks, Doc, Anne, Micky and Chelle! Can't wait to get started!

Checking in for 2012! I can't wait for a new year of reading to begin, I always have such lofty intentions and I usually manage at least a couple of months before it all starts to fall apart! :P

knock knock! Incoming!

Hello there, Ellie and Nora!

Starred.

Hey Katie - just dropping in to mark my place!

Hi Katie, it's exciting to visit everyone's new threads!

Hi Katie! As we seem to have some common book interests, I've starred your thread.

Hi Katie! Looking forward to more great reads from you in 2012. :)

Hey, Katie! Glad to see you back for 2012!

Beth, Brit, Nancy, Kerri, Valerie and Stasia - Hello and welcome!!

Katie, I've enjoyed getting to know you on LT in 2011 and look forward to keeping up with you in the new year. Happy reading in 2012!

Hi Katie!

Katie look forward to keeping up in 2012 as one book magpie to another - Happy New Year!

Bonnie - I'll try to live up to the size of that star!!

Paul - I am hoping your resolution of limiting book purchases will influence my own habits (but I'm not confident enough to make any sort of resolution to that effect) :-)

Happy New Year to All!!!

hi katie! well, i'm all set up over here now -- there's no turning back now. thanks for the nudge! :o)

Jenny - Welcome!! It really is a great group - and you can interact as much or as little as you like...

I'll come find your thread and make sure I drop off a star :)

Hi Katie - starred you! Happy new year.

*starred*
Happy New Year! Katie

Hi Katie,
I'm starring your thread so I don't lose you in the mob scene here. This crowd is getting larger and larger each year. :-) What a wonderful group this is.

Hi Cushla, Kara and Caro (such alliteration!!) :)

Glad to have all of you along for the ride. I'm practically giddy over starting a new year - still trying to decide on the perfect book to kick things off and not a little frustrated to be limited in selection as I'm away from home :(

When will you go home to your bookshelves, Katie? There's nothing I fear more than traveling and running out of books to read. I am paranoid about checking my book list on my Kindle before a trip.

I'll be back home on Tuesday. I actually have a lot here (at my MIL's) to choose from between what I brought, what's on the Kindle and what I've purchased over the past week at the used book stores in the area :)

No matter what I do, though, I always want a book that's NOT accessible at the moment.

Happy New Year, Katie! Looking forward to another great reading year!

Hi, Katie - chiming in as another obsessive book packer for travels. I always end up taking way too many, but better safe than bookless!

Happy New Year, Katie!

Hi Katie! ***waves*** I joined this group for the first time today and happy to have located your thread while making the rounds and trying not to become overwhelmed in the process!

Starred!

Happy New Year Katie!

Happy New Year to Mark, Amber, Stasia, Lori and Joanne!

I'm enjoying my last day in beautiful sunny Florida - we leave tomorrow morning to start the drive back to Dallas. I've picked up Catching Fire - the 2nd in The Hunger Games trilogy - as my first book for the year. I'll also soon be starting Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard on audio - looks like a good piece of narrative non-fiction (one of my two preferred genres for audio - the other is YA).

enjoy your last day!
wishing safe travels for you and your book cargo :)

Happy New Year Katie! Wishing safe travels for you as you drive back home.

I read Catching Fire last year and wasn't disappointed. I hope you enjoy it as well. :)

Thanks Kara and Valerie!

Happy New Year Katie!! Hope it's a great one.

You too, Kim!

Man, you are fast! ; )

Happy New Year Katie, I can't wait to read Catching Fire myself, having really enjoyed The Hunger Games last year.

Have a safe trip home, Katie. Dropping my star and looking forward to a great reading year.

Mysteries? fiction? my kinda kindred reading spirit. Starred.

I think we have similar reading tastes, Katie. Starred to see where you take me this year.

Hi Katie, Happy New Year, and safe travels!

Safe travels, Katie! I will be interested in seeing what you think of the Millard book. I loved her River of Doubt.

Enjoy Catching Fire!

Looking forward to following along...well, and hoping I can keep up here.

Safe travels tomorrow, Katie. Enjoy the last day of vacation.... I head back to work tomorrow, so today's my last day to relax too.

Just checking in quickly (from Pensacola!) - will respond once I am home which should be after 10-12 hours on the road tomorrow :-P Traffic up through most of Florida was horrendous today - we usually make it into Louisiana before having to stop for the night!

Hi Katie - Happy New Year!

Welcome home Katie! :)

I'm back at home! Hooray! There is nothing better than sleeping in one's own bed :)

Leonie - I am finding Catching Fire to be just as good as The Hunger Games. I could have read it straight through on our last day of driving yesterday, but I feel slightly guilty if I completely ignore my husband :)

Thanks, Judy! Glad you are here!

Tina - I lurked on your thread all of last year :) Happy to have you!

Welcome, Julia!

Thank you, Anne!

Hello, Stasia - I've heard great things about the Millard book so I have high hopes :)

Brit - I'm loving it so far! Only about 100 pages or so to go...

Dan - Thanks for following me over here. I was in your old stomping grounds for the holidays in South Florida :)

Hi Caro - I'm actually taking this whole week off (a vacation from my vacation!). Already dreading Sunday when I'll be counting the hours until I have to go back to work :(

Happy New Year to you, too, Heather!

Thanks, Ellie :)

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So I should finish Catching Fire today or tomorrow. I haven't actually started Destiny of the Republic but I'm too lazy to change my top posting :) After CF, I may just go ahead and read the last in the trilogy, Mockingjay, because I love Katniss' story so much. I also want to start on Oryx and Crake which has a group read going in the 12 in 12 and conveniently fits into my speculative fiction category :)

My other big project before returning to work will be finding space for the too many books I bought on vacation. I may have to use the guest room which I've avoided doing because I'm never in there and I prefer to see and be surrounded by my books :) But needs must....

Yeah for being back home!

My solution to feeling guilty about reading and ignoring whoever is driving the car I'm in is to read out loud to them. Sometimes they like it, other times they tell me to shut up and then I don't feel bad about ignoring them.

I offered to read to him but he declined!

Then it's totally his fault if you ignore him ;-)

It seems I haven't been here yet, but Happy New Year. (I myself rushed right ahead with Mockingjay after the cover was barely closed on Catching Fire. The advantages of coming to a series late.)

Katie - I was there over the holidays too, maybe we crossed paths. :)

Okay, I wanted in on the fun, too...

Describe yourself: Breath Eyes Memory

Describe how you feel: All Shall Be Well

Describe where you currently live: Netherland

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: England, England

Your favorite form of transportation: The March

Your best friend is: Bossypants

You and your friends are: The Imperfectionists

What’s the weather like: Something Missing

You fear: Robopocalypse

What is the best advice you have to give: White is for Witching

Thought for the day: And Then There Were None

How I would like to die: Into Thin Air

My soul’s present condition: Burning Bright

I agree completely, Nora :)

Hi, Anne!!!

Dan - I was mostly holed up reading, but I did hit a few used book shops down there. And Le Tub for a cheeseburger :)

Love the answers to your meme, Katie, especially that last one.

Hi Katie. Welcome home!

welcome home!

Thanks, Stasia :)

I'm glad to be home, Pat and Kara!!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
12 in 12 Category: NEXT! (Sequels and Series)

In my review of the first book in this trilogy, I said that even if the second book was only half as good, it would still keep my attention. And I was right. Catching Fire is the middle entry of The Hunger Games series and while not quite as good as the first, it is still a compelling read and one I stayed up late to finish. I liked the glimpses into other districts that we are given, as well as hints of the coming rebellion. Katniss is a very believable teenage character – she is tortured and angsty on one hand and defiant and self-assured on the other; she is capable of great brutality but falls apart at the thought of her little sister; she is dismissive of her “weak” mother and yearns for her at the same time. All of this internal turmoil (which doesn’t even touch on her conflicting feelings over two boys) is raging at the same time she finds herself once again in the Arena fighting other tributes from other districts. The ending was a little too neat, though I expect it will be explained more fully in the final book, which I can’t wait to get to!

Rating: 4.2 / 4 ½ stars
Acquired: 19 August 2011
Format: Kindle

Katie: Good review. I thought it was the weakest of the three but still good. So, are you jumping right into Mockingjay?

Thanks, Beth. I think I will take a short break, just to make sure I give Mockingjay a fair shake. Wouldn't want to feel burned out and take it out on the poor book :)

Catching Fire is near the top of the list; when I get to it depends largely on when my daughter finishes reading the copy we are sharing!! Love the personal bio based on books. May have to borrow that...

Hope you like it, Kim! (I think you will ;-) )

I've chosen Property by Valerie Martin for my next read. It's set on a sugar plantation in Louisiana in the 1830s. It won the Orange Prize in 2003 and fits into Madeleine's TIOLI challenge this month.

ETA: I'm about an hour and a half or so into Destiny of the Republic about the shooting of President James Garfield, and it is fascinating. Haven't even gotten to the actual shooting yet, but he was an incredibly interesting figure and one I knew very little about!

Hoping you enjoy Mockingjay when you get to it, Katie! :)

Good review, can't wait to read that one now.

Welcome home, Katie ... isn't it funny how we're sometimes really tired out from a vacation and need another one to recover?

I'll be interested to see what you think of Oryx and Crake. I liked it although it wasn't my favorite Atwood book.

Thanks, Micky. I understand Mockingjay was disappointing to some so I will approach it with relaistic expectations :)

Enjoy, Leonie!

Caro - The only Atwood I have read is Alias Grace which I loved (and which I was thrilled to find is being made into a film!). I expect to get to O&C toward the end of the month... So what *is* your favorite Atwood?

I am one of those who was disappointed in Mockingjay, so I will be interested in seeing your take on the book, Katie.

I really liked Property when I read it several years ago. I just finished my book set on a LA sugar plantation. Much later time period, though.

I'm glad for your sake that you're back home. That was a long trip! It's good you had plenty of books to keep you occupied.

I'll let you know in February, Stasia!

I'm glad I'm back home for my own sanity's sake, Donna!

Awesome review of Catching Fire, Katie. I've not embarked yet on the series, but you make a compelling case!

#66 - I'm sort of afraid to read reviews of the Hunger Games books, because I'd like to read them sometime this year. I have them tentatively scheduled for a grueling work trip in June. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying them!

Hi Nancy - I hope you give it a shot!

Kerri - The books will offer a perfect escape. I am actually saving the last one for a business trip in February :)

your spot on IMO with your review of Catching Fire :)
I rated it 4.5 stars also.
I was satisfied with Mockingjay some were not so I'm curious to see what you think :)

I liked Mockingjay but not everyone does, it's true. :)

Regular visitors to my thread last year know that Friday is traditionally pizza and books night for me and the hubs, wherein we split a meatball and onion thin crust and a carafe of red wine at Grimaldi's before heading over to Half Price Books, a great secondhand book shop with many stores in the greater Dallas area and around the US.

So below I report on the first book haul of 2012 (please note I was (relatively) restrained in my purchases!):

A World Away by Stewart O'Nan (fast becoming one of my favorite authors)
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (loved her Breath Eyes Memory last summer)
The Secret River by Kate Grenville (previously bought The Lieutenant not realizing it was the sequel)
The Sleeping Beauty by Elizabeth Taylor (not THAT Elizabeth Taylor; VMC edition)
Waiting for Time by Bernice Morgan (hard to find sequel to a book I read in 2003 (?) and loved and plan to re-read this year)
Jakob von Gunten by Robert Walser (NYRB edition)
Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving (rare short fiction from a prolific author, along with a few personal essays)
The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty (just because...)
The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine (gorgeous hardcover and sounds intriguing)
Digging to America by Anne Tyler (mint condition hardcover for $1 on the clearance shelves!)

(Edited to fix touchstone)

Great haul, Katie! One of these days you and I are going to have to meet midway between Dallas and Sherman and do some serious book shopping together :)

Wow! Great haul! And I didn't know about your Pizza Fridays...but heartily approve!

Pizza and book Fridays sound awesome!
I wish I had traditions like that, but we are both shift workers so we have absolutely NO form of routine what so ever!
Nice book haul too!

I just love that Friday tradition! Do you ever shake up the pizza order, you know, maybe with some peppers instead? :)

Some good books Katie. I love Danticat.

Stasia - You name the day and I am there :) We should have a mini meet-up some time when Donna's visiting!

Thanks, Kim!

Chelle - I think I'm the only one who thinks of it as a "tradition" :) The hubster just wants pizza!

Laura - DH occasionally wants pepperoni (not my favorite) and in those cases, we get personal sizes and I usually order the white pizza because he doesn't like it. The red wine does not change ;-)

Thanks, Beth! I have a few of her books on my shelves now and look forward to reading them.

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About halfway through Property .Wow - what a not-easy read. Very twisted and often disturbing. I'd like to finish it today, but I also really need to start getting organized to go back to work on Monday and at least clear out my e-mail. I also need to do some book re-arranging, some laundry, and clean up the kitchen. The hubs will be tasked with re-organizing some kitchen cabinets, as I am determined to finally get all our wedding gifts off the living room floor and put away (we have had a stack of boxes, including a brand-new stand mixer, blender, food processor, set of dishes, spice rack, and stock pot, sitting in a corner of our never-used living room for more than 2 years *hangs head in shame*)

Katie: But it's much more important to organize books...

Katie- Nice book haul! My next read is The Secret River. You should join me, although I still have a long way to go with The Invisible Bridge. I also have The Dew Breaker waiting in the stacks.

I love your book shopping sprees!

Property I just added when I saw you say
Wow - what a not-easy read. Very twisted and often disturbing

I need to look closer at the Orange Prize list, afraid there are many that I will be adding to the TBR pile :)

#89: Now that would be cool! There is a HPB in McKinney we could meet at some time :) Donna's son and DIL live in Plano, so I think McKinney would be a good spot for meeting. What do you think?

I have Property sitting on my BOMBS pile -- I bought this book over 2 years ago based on an LT rec, and keep meaning to get to it. Right now I've got to get going on Kehinde which is our next read for our library's book group. We've been doing a series called "Opening Windows: Women's Stories from Different Cultures". Like Property, it's not a long book, but I've been warned by the program moderator that it's a difficult one, so I've been putting it off. Time to pull up the big girl panties and get on with it!!

What a great book-buying spree! I love Anne Tyler, and have read all of hers, I think. There's a new one out this year which I am looking forward to.

Katie : My favorite Atwood is still The Handmaid's Tale with The Blind Assassin a close second. I haven't yet read Alias Grace but I have it in my TBR Tower.

What a great book haul! I love the title Trying to Save Piggy Sneed ... I haven't seen this Irving book before. I'll be interested in your take when you get to it.

Look at all these messages! I am on the hubs phone as our internet went out. I'll be back to respond individually when I have a real keyboard :)

I remember Property being not an easy read but really good.

Great Friday night tradition! I loved the Secret River and hope you do too.

Beth - Amen, sister!

Mark - Not sure when I'll get to the Grenville book. I'll be interested to see what you think of it.

Kara - I like the Orange lists as they are very varied :) I think you'd like Property.

Stasia - I'd show up anywhere to meet you and Donna! I sent you a PM....

Tina - I hope you get to Property soon. It was really good!

Susan - I've read some of Tyler's older novels and liked them. I'm looking forward to reading more.

Hi Caro! You MUST read Alias Grace. It is fantastic!

Thanks, Cushla!
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I HATE not having internet at home! What a drag. So I am at work after three weeks and checking in on LT rather than tackling the mountain of work waiting for me. Oy.

"Review" of Property to come. I am struggling a bit, as it's deceptively complex and of course I want to mention everything I noticed, but I can't organize my thoughts... :(

Bit behind Katie but I like the tongue-in-cheek {relatively} restrained comment on your first splurge of the year. Be interested to see if you snap up more than a thousand again. I am behaving myself so far and haven't added to the collection yet but I am getting itchy already.

Paul - I will NOT be making that many purchases again! I blame it on my first year of LT and all the great recommendations I was getting. I think I'm a bit more discerning now - at least I hope so!
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Internet is back at home - just in time for my leaving work early due to a stomach bug. I've slept most of the afternoon away and am now attempting to drink some ginger ale. Ugh. I really don't have time for this!!

93: McKinney, Texas in March? Name the date and I'm there. ;-)

Donna, Stasia and I have been PM'ing about it, too! March works for me!

Property by Valerie Martin

I’ve been trying to write this review for a while now and it refuses to come together. So here is a quote that I think best encapsulates this story of enslavement (both literal and figurative) and the twisted relationship between men and women and slaves and masters in 1820s Louisiana:

He wishes I might die of cholera, and fears that she may instead. I wish he might be killed while shooting rebellious negroes. She wishes us both dead.” (page 63)

What Martin does most brilliantly is to depict the internalization of brutality and to create an anti-heroine and narrator so selfish and self-absorbed that she fails to comprehend the hypocrisy in which she lives. An uncomfortable read and a worthy Orange Prize winner by an author I look forward to reading more of.

Rating: 4.15 / 4 stars
Acquired: December 2010
Format: Paperback; 189 pages

Property sounds like a very interesting, if uncomfortable read. I enjoyed your comments. Thanks, Katie!

#104 I'm very curious. Avaland mentioned this one too, recently.

already added and thumbed :)

I have this book on my shelf unread. I'm glad to be forewarned that it's an uncomfortable read. I'll have to make sure I'm in the mood for it.

Katie: Sounds like a must read -- one that will give the reader a lot to think about.

#105-109: I think you ALL should read it. So there :)
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Blerg. I think I'm experiencing the dreaded book funk... I've picked up 4 or 5 books and can't seem to get interested in anything. It doesn't help that though the bug has gone away, I seem to have pulled a muscle in my back (no doubt during one of my prayer sessions to the porcelain god) and cannot get comfortable. Woe is me... What a waste of a day off from work!

Oh--that sounds miserable, Katie. I hope the book funk and stomach bug are just the 24 hour kind.

mindless TV????
forget the books for now :)
the porcelain god is never easy on the back or the knees
hope you feel better!

That isn't sounding good, hope you're feeling better now. Do you have a favorite book that you might like to reread to get you out of the book funk?

Feel better Katie! Thanks for the rec of Property. I think it sounds very good, even if it is a little tough going.

Hope your book funk ends quick! I am having a similar problem and had to try some mindless books to get back in the groove.

You guys are the best. I am starting to feel better, thanks to a strategically placed heating pad. And I finally picked up The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and so far it is holding my interest, despite some awkward phrasing which I blame on the translator. But things are looking up. My little pity parties never last long :)

Glad to hear you are feeling better.

Wonderful review of Property. Thanks for that, Katie.

Katie: Glad you're feeling better. I'll be interested in what you think of The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo.

Katie, your stomach flu and backache sound bad enough, but the dreaded book funk is a disaster. I'm glad it seems to be short-lived on all three accounts. I had trouble getting into Dragon Tattoo, gave up and substituted the film, then went on and thoroughly enjoyed the last two books in the trilogy. I think I got bogged down in all the computer talk in the first book.

I'm looking forward to seeing the American version of the movie. Will you be going on to watch the films after you read the books?

Glad to hear you are feeling better, Katie. Your reading of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo reminds me that I need to continue on with this series. I loved the first book, but just never managed to fit the next one into my reading schedule.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was one of my favorite reads a couple years ago! I hope you enjoy Katie!

Sorry to hear your back is bothering you again. Yuck. And good luck with the book funk, also yuck. Last year I pulled out of one by mixing in graphic novels, which somehow changed my perspective and all was good again in the book world.

Katie, I'm glad you are feeling better -- what a tough way to start the year!

I JUST finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo -- today! It was quite a ride, and I look forward to the other books in the series, though I will probably wait a few weeks before starting the second, if I can stand the wait.

Thanks, Lori, Nancy and Beth!

Donna, The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo has started to grow on me. There is a lot of explication at the beginning which I found kind of boring and heavy-handed. But it's starting to pick up now... I haven't seen the Swedish films yet, and I do want to see the American version. It's what prompted me to finally pick the book up.

Judy - you are Queen of the Series! I don't know how you manage to keep on top of as many as you do!

Thanks, Brit! Glad to see on your thread that you enjoyed The Family :-)

I hadn't thought of trying some GNs, Dan. I will have to remember that for next time. And thanks for coming to visit me over here!

What a coincidence, Anne! I'm glad to hear you liked the book. As I mentioned to Donna, it's really starting to get moving now. Blomkvist has just moved into the Vanger guest cottage to begin his investigations...

Hi Katie, glad to hear you're feeling better and that TGWTDT is the book that brought you out of your funk. I think it's a bit hard to get into but once you're into it it's a sweet ride.

I really enjoyed the second two books of the trilogy more than the first one and the first was really good!

Glad to see you're out of the funk! I hope it doesn't come back anytime soon!

I agree that TGWTDT was slow in the beginning but I really enjoyed it! I haven't read the third one yet but I did see the Swedish film and it was VERY good!
I'm on the fence right now about seeing the American one.......Noomi Rapace who played Lisbeth in the Swedish film was just so good I can't see anyone else playing that role. I also heard that the violence was toned way down in the American film (not surprising really).

I'm so far behind, but way back in message #83 you mentioned Stewart O'Nan fast becoming a favorite author. He's a favorite of mine, too. His books are so varied. I read A World Away years ago and loved it.

Bonnie, Brit and Kara - It's an interesting book. It moves really quickly in some parts and then seems to slow to a snail's pace in others... I may take a short break from it to read something else just to feel like I am making progress!

Joanne - O'Nan is an author I think I've read a lot of, but I've only actually gotten to Snow Angels and Last Night at the Lobster. I have several more of his on my shelves and still more on the WL. One of my unofficial goals this year is to get to more of his work.

So as I mentioned above, I am thinking of taking a little break from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I don't want to abandon it, but I find the pacing so inconsistent that it is hard to feel like I am making any progress in it. And all the talk about Cannery Row has me eager to start that sooner rather than later in the month (as was my plan). But I also fear losing whatever momentum I have with TGwaDT.... decisions, decisions. Gosh, my life is tough :)

Ugh - I am watching this Masterpiece Classic/BBC (?) production of Mansfield Park and it is God-awful. Completely different than the book and missing a lot of the point of it. What a waste.

ETA: I have now finished the film and would like to burn it. What utter crap.

Worst ever adaptation of a classic novel? The film version of Rob Roy (with Liam Neeson trying to sound scottish) and Kidnapped with Armand Assante as an extremely unlikely highlander would top my list I think.

I loved the Stieg Larsson trilogy, and am about to re-read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. The US version of book #1 is showing in St Croix, so I may try to catch a show while I'm here -- we'll see! I also loved the Swedish version (especially because the casting wasn't all glamorized -- Blomkvist and his longtime lady friend both looked their ages and like ordinary people, not Hollywood stars.)

Paul, I'd go see any Liam Neeson movie just to drool over him. Don't care about the accent.

Suz hahaha - Liam Neeson as sex symbol? There is hope for all of us then!

Crisis averted. I read about 150 pages in TGwaDT last night and am cruising through it now. Would appreciate anyone's thoughts on the next in the trilogy - does it take as long to get going? If it does, I may take a pass...

Katie: I agree with you about THwaDT. Overall, I liked it -- mostly because of Lisbeth, I think. What a great character. I too, found the pacing uneven. I thought the second book was the weakest in the trilogy -- as I often do. But I've read a lot of comments from people who loved the second and third. You'll have to be the judge...

Beth, I will likely it a try but I won't be quite as patient with the second as I have been with this first one!

>132 katiekrug: If it's the one with Billie Piper, I totally agree. I actually prefer the version with Francis O'Connor, which although it collapses the character of Fanny with Jane Austen herself (they include some of Austen's juvenilia in there among other things), it's much closer to the novel in some ways. Not a perfect adaptation by any means (Mansfield Park is a hard one to adapt apparently) but better than the other one imo.

Suzanne, I'll join you in your admiration of Liam Neeson! Perhaps not a conventional sex symbol, but so what?

Agreed on the Liam front - he's a cutie. For me it's mostly the accent, I think. Sigh.

Haven't seen the BBC adaptation of Mansfield Park and will remember to avoid it. The one I enjoyed is this one:



Suz, couldn't agree more about the Swedish films of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. They were fabulous! I've heard that the Hollywood remake is actually very good too, but on principle not sure whether I'll watch it or not. Don't think the remake was necessary, and I have a problem with the "star" crap. *end of soapbox*

While my wife and I really enjoyed the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, we actually both enjoyed the American much better. It was less violent, but we thought it stayed truer to the storyline.

>139 MickyFine: - Yup, it was the Billie Piper one, Micky! I own the Frances O'Connor movie and it is MUCH better.

>140 rosalita: & 141 - Liam Neeson never did much for me. Now, Ralph Fiennes on the other hand..... ;)

>142 lit_chick: & 143 - I've put the Swedish film version on my Netflix queue and look forward to watching it. I will probably watch the American remake when it comes out on DVD. There are very few films I am willing to buy a ticket for at $10-$12 a pop!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

In a word: underwhelming. I am a little surprised by all the hoopla surrounding this book. The pacing was incredibly uneven and none of the characters particularly likeable or compelling. Both Blomkvist and Salander seemed flat to me; perhaps they are developed more fully in the next books, but I won’t be continuing with the trilogy anytime soon. A serviceable mystery but no great shakes.

Rating: 3.12 / 3 stars
Acquired: March 2011
Format: Paperback; 640 pages

:) I keep thinking I really should read this, and then I think, no, it can't that good, and then I go back again. Anyway, you provide a fair warning to balance the raving reviews.

It was just so badly edited. And either badly written or badly translated. Or both? I don't know, but blah...

Yay! I don't have to agonize about whether to read Larsson's trilogy. I read the first 100 pages of TGwtDT and that's going to be enough. Thanks, Katie!

Glad to be of service, Pat ;-)

Uh oh - I have the Larsson trilogy sitting on my bookshelves. Possibly badly translated?!?! Anyways, I will keep in mind your thoughts Katie if and when I get around to starting it!

#145 - I saw the first two movies in the trilogy and thought they were entertaining enough, but I don't feel like I need to read the books (although I think I own the first one). It may not be my thing.

I agree with you on the Larsson books, Katie.

Lori - So many people love the books that I wouldn't discourage you from trying the first one.

Kerri - I have the Swedish films in my Netflix queue and still look forward to seeing them.

Nora - Glad it's not just me!

Just a quick update: I have about 2 hours left of the audio of Destiny of the Republic which is excellent. In print, I am reading Amagansett, a mystery set in the Hamptons a few years after WWII. I'm only about 75 pages into it but so far so good.

Oh poo!
sorry about TGwtDT but that's why LT is great ....different takes on books :)
Hope the films are better for you! I have only seen the first one.

Hi Katie! I'll just chime in on the GWTDT and say that I very much enjoyed books one and two and have book three waiting in the wings. I don't know why we have to remake perfectly good foreign movies, but I have heard the US version is actually quite good. So there! : )

Hi Kara and Kim! Thanks for your thoughts.
___________________________________



Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

Narrative non-fiction at its best. Millard weaves together the stories of three men – President James Garfield, his would-be assassin Charles Guiteau, and the inventor Alexander Graham Bell – whose lives intertwined in 1881 when Garfield was shot and lay near death for more than two months. This is a fascinating story, about which I knew nothing. Millard has done her research, and the book is chock full of wonderful details that bring the story and personalities to life. I admit to developing a small crush on President Garfield and to tearing up at his death. Really well done and highly recommended!

Rating: 4.65 / 4.5 stars
Acquired: Public Library
Format: Audio; 9 hours 47 minutes

Millard has done her research, and the book is chock full of wonderful details that bring the story and personalities to life. I admit to developing a small crush on President Garfield and to tearing up at his death. Really well done and highly recommended!

Sold! Onto the WL it goes.

Excellent review - I'm with Pat, goes straight to the wish list!

I remember hearing about this book on NPR and later watching the author giving a presentation on CSPAN BookTV (weekend programming devoted to nonfiction books). It looked fascinating, and your review piques my interest further. I always considered Garfield one of those obscure presidents with no real "story." There's much more to him than I realized!

Pat and Brit - It is SO good! I'm sure you'll enjoy!

Laura - There are a bunch of Presidents who kind of run together for me and about whom I know very little. I am thinking of trying to read more about some of them, but I'm not a heavy biography lover. Garfield was awesome; Millard includes a touching section on his relationship with his wife.

Interesting fact I didn't know: Robert Todd Lincoln - oldest son of Abraham Lincoln and the only one to survive to adulthood - was present when both President Garfield and President McKinley were shot (1881 and 1901 respectively). He was not present when his father was shot but arrived at Ford's theater shortly afterward. Poor guy must have felt jinxed.

Great trivia. Always thought of Garfield as assassinated but otherwise irrelevant. iirc, Roosevelt was made his VP as a form of exile from New York. Next you need to cover William Henry Harrison, president for 32 days.

Was WHH the one who dies from pneumonia he contracted after giving the longest inaugural address in history? Some of this stuff is so unbelievable...

Garfield's VP was Chester A. Arthur (from NY) - an ally of one of Garfield's fiercest opponents, Roscoe Conkling. CAA was so upset by Garfield's assassination, he repudiated Conkling and tried to govern and make decisions as he thought Garfield would have. The book explores some of the in-fighting in the Republican party, as it led to Garfield's nomination (Millard is great at making this stuff fascinating), and very tangentially, to his assassination.

Katie--Oh! Destiny sounds really good! I have added it to my "Buy ASAP" list, which is a much higher ranking than my Wishlist (which is just that) or my TBR pile (which means I have it and want to read it sometime). Thanks!

Oops, I flipped Garfield and McKinely in time and VP when I posted #162.

Katie what a great review! Last year I read the same author's book about Theodore Roosevelt, River of Doubt, and really enjoyed it. This one's going on the WL!

And Destiny of the Republic goes onto the wishlist--your review makes it sound very compelling.

Dan - I would not have been able to name Garfield's VP if I hadn't just read the book :)

Anne - I am looking forward to reading River of Doubt. All the library copies are checked out so I'll have to wait patiently....

Thanks, Other Anne!!

Katie: Because of your persuasive review, this goes on my wishlist. I gave this to my father for Christmas -- so I can borrow a copy when he's done.

#157 - Great review! That does sound interesting. I think I'll put it on my Audible wishlist.

Beth - I do hope you like it! And your dad does too :)

Kerri - It worked really well as an audio so I hope you enjoy!

passing through!
waving Hi!

Hi Katie- Good review of Destiny of the Republic. Fortunately, I have a copy in the stacks. I loved her River of Doubt. A top read of mine last year.

Hi Kara! Hope things have settled down a bit for you!

Mark - Destiny of the Republic has your name written all over it. I think you will like it a lot! I have River of Doubt on my WL....

#157: I loved Millard's book The River of Doubt, so I definitely need to get to that one soon.

Katie, thanks for the history lesson. I want you on my team if we ever play Trivial Pursuit on LT! After all these comments, I'm adding both River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic to my WL.

Katie- I didn't know Candice Millard knew me so well! Hmmmmmm...

I'm definitely adding Destiny of the Republic to my obese wish list, Katie. I don't know much about President Garfield and this sounds like a riveting read.

Y'all are so great to visit my thread when I have been largely absent! Warms my heart :)

Stasia - I predict you will love DotR when you manage to pull it out of the Black Hole ;)

Donna - I am a killer Trivial Pursuit player! My hubby and I got engaged in a dive bar in Dallas playing trivia on a Wednesday night :) I think you will like the Millard books...

Mark - Perhaps she is a secret admirer...?

Caro - The book has enough quirky facts to make it eminently readable and very enjoyable. Hope you like it!

_________________________-

Managed to FINALLY finish Amagansett by Mark Mills this morning. I had high hopes for this one and the first part lived up to them but it kind of fell apart in the second half and turned into a slog. More comments to come. I'm looking forward to finding the perfect palate cleanser when I get home tonight - maybe an Orange book since they rarely disappoint.

Work is crazy busy and I leave in a week and a half for a conference in Bangkok (just call me mini-Caro :) ) Looking forward to the long plane ride where work can't reach me!

Hope everyone is doing well, and please know I am lurking on LT whenever I have a moment but I rarely have enough moments strung together to have time to comment much!

Sorry to hear work has been so busy. Hopefully you will be able to get in some good reading time on your trip - at least on the plane if not in Bangkok!

Don't work too hard!

Enjoy the l-o-n-g plane ride, Katie. Hope Thailand is not ALL work!

Katie - I may be in Bangkok the following week - if we overlap perhaps we could grab a book fuelled coffee? I don't know Thailand very well but there are some new projects there I have been asked to look at. SWMBO will be travelling with me a la shopping opportunities.

Between you and Paul talking about Bangkok, now I've got one of my all-time favorite songs stuck in my hear for the day. Murray Head is completely underrated. :)

Thanks, Lori, Pat and Nancy! I'm sure I'll manage to sneak in some fun while in Bangkok. I've been there once before and absolutely loved it.

Paul, I arrive Sunday 5 Feb and leave Friday the 10th. Do let me know if we have any overlap!

Amber, I am now going to have to go look up Murray Head!

Katie will let you know but I should be there around those dates.

It would be lovely to meet you (and your better half!) if the stars align, Paul

Amber - LOL - I'll be spending more than "One Night in Bangkok" but now that will play over and over and over and over.... in my head :)

Can't wait to here the rest of your comments about Amagansett--it's been sitting here on my TBR shelf for over a year. Perhaps I should just give it tto the library book sale?

Envying your shopping opportunities in Bangkok, though Caro was kind enuf to bring back some silk for me from a trip a year or so ago... Where are you staying? If you are there on a weekend, do try to get to the flea market.

Liam Neeson -- it's the character in the face that matters. I am rather averse to pretty faces, like Brad Pitt. There's no personality there, just looks & charm. Ralph Fiennes? Not really... I find he has one constant kind of glowery deadpan expression that does absolutely nothing for me. On the other hand, I have always found Kenneth Branagh captivating. Much less attractive in conventional terms, but personality galore.

Robert Todd Lincoln must have felt like Typhoid Mary. Wonder if other presidents went out of their way to avoid being in his company?

safe travels Katie!

Hi Tina - Hopefully I'll have something posted on Amagansett this weekend. Short answer, though, is that with so many good books out there, don't bother with this one!

Suz - Nice to see you over here. I've been lurking on your (and everyone's) thread lately. I'll only be in Bangkok Sunday to Friday, so no flea market for me. But the last time I was there, I did quite a bit of shopping. Thought I was in heaven until I went to Vietnam.... beautiful stuff and embarrassingly cheap.

I'm a Kenneth Branagh fan, too, though he did wrong by Emma Thompson!

Thanks, Kara. I'm around until next Friday :)

Amagansett was different. I read it several years ago. It wasn't my cup of tea although I didn't hate it either.

Amagansett by Mark Mills

This mystery set on the Eastern tip of Long Island in the years after World War II started off very well for me – Mills built a wonderful sense of place and character, and his descriptions of the landscapes and the ocean were lovely. But it was almost as if about halfway through, he remembered he was writing a mystery and decided to cram in a bunch of plot twists, action, and one-dimensional characters. The motivation behind the murder at the heart of the story is flimsy at best, and the secondary “mystery” in the book is there solely to advance the plot and is given no real depth. This is not a terrible book, but with so many better options out there, it is a waste of time.

(Note: I think this was published in the UK as The Whaleboat House.)

Rating: 2.73 / 2.5 stars
Acquired: December 2007
Format: Paperback; 388 pages

Lori - I think I had a similar reaction...

_____________________________________

Ah, Friday, how I love thee. Especially every second Friday which I have off from work. Bliss. Got my hair cut and went to two - two! - used bookstores on my way home. I was looking for a copy of The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck for the Steinbeckathon, but couldn't find it. However, I did find:

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (because I heart Steinbeck)
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck (ditto)
The Swimmer by Roma Tearne (interesting looking novel about Sri Lankan asylum seekers in the UK)
The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller (been on my wish list FOR-ever)
Medicus by Ruth Downie (first heard of this mystery series set in the Roman Empire from Suzanne)
Bangkok: A Cultural History by Maryvelma O'Neil (who names their child Maryvelma?!?!)

Um, and BookCloseouts.com was having a big $1.99 sale, so I spent a little while (2+ hours) combing through the offerings, and placed an order. Will report on that haul when it arrives :)

I have about a million unread messages on my starred threads, so I'm off to catch up (or to make a valiant attempt to)!

Hi Katie (mini-Caro)- I have not yet read Mark Mills. I know Caro is a big fan. But I do have a copies of Amagansett & the Information Officer waiting in the stacks. I hope he connects with me better.
Sorry you couldn't find The wayward Bus, maybe the library? The G.R. Thread is now up and running.

Have you read Bangkok 8? It's an excellent crime thriller and of course one I highly recommend.

Hi Mark - I have The Information Officer in the stacks, too. I am going to give him another chance based on the strength of the first part of Amagansett.

I still have a few places to look for TWB; otherwise, I'll get it from the library.

I will look up Bangkok 8. Have not heard of that one before - thanks!

I'll be interested to hear what you think of The Swimmer by Roma Tearne when you get it it. I read her book Mosquito a couple of years ago and loved it and have wanted to read another of her books ever since but they don't seem to be readily available here (not in my library or local bookstores). I know I could order another one on Amazon but I never seem to get around to it.

Hi Pat! I have Mosquito on my TBR shelves - glad to hear you liked it. This copy of The Swimmer is a UK edition. I don't see her books very often.

Amagansett looked good to me but now I won't waste my time ;)
too bad because The Savage Garden was decent I remember, I gave it 3 1/2 stars

Hi Kara - Amagansett was his first book so he was probably still finding his footing. I am going to give him another shot (cuz I'm nice like that ;-) )

Appreciate your comments on Amagansett, Katie. You're right in that there is SO much out there to read. 2.5* just doesn't do it.

I do have Amagansett; think I got it from PBS, however. His latest, House of the Hanged, was disappointing to me but I liked The Information Officer, set in Malta during WW2. Again, very atmospheric; chilling.

Burdett writes mysteries featuring Thai characters, and I think there's a Thai writer who does, too. But here's a question: what Thai fiction is there? By which I mean not genre fiction, but interesting novels set in today's Thailand, by Thais? Is it just not getting translated?? I'd like to know. A lot of Vietnamese fiction seems to end up being translated, but nothing from Thailand that I can think of. If you get a chance to drop by a bookstore when you're there, do me a favor and ask??

ETA: Frustrated by this apparent gap, I have requested a book of short stories by Rattawut Lapcharoensap, and am mulling the purchase of Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj. Have identified another two candidates whose books appear to have only been translated into French, so may spring for one of those.

Hi Nancy - I always worry about warning people away from books since we are all different. But I guess that's why we are all here!

Suz - I look forward to The Information Officer, not least because I have a fascination for Malta; it heads the list of places I want to visit. I am hoping to visit at least one book shop while I'm there so I will try to do a little reconnaissance. Look forward to your impressions of the Lapcharoensap - did you request it from your library? (Oh, to have a better library system than the one I am stuck with!).

this is not a terrible book... That's good enough for me! Too many wonderful books out there. Hope you're having a good weekend!

Hi, Katie. I liked Mark Mills' Savage Garden, and I've been hoping he comes out with something on that level.

I join Mark in recommending Bangkok 8. It's a fun read and a fascinating glimpse of that city.

Yup, Katie, the Lapcharoensap is coming from the library. I am v. impressed with the Brooklyn system. It may not have amazing sales, like the one in Seattle, or be terribly responsive to purchase requests, but I'm often amazed at what's available. On the other hand, I recently found that it didn't have a relatively new and popular series of historical mysteries that Cushla had been reading, and some Scandicrime that someone else recommended, so there are occasional surprising gaps!

I just took all my coins to the Coinstar machine and now have nearly $50 in Amazon gift certificate purchasing power, so I may acquire Four Reigns as well as Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies, which I've been waiting for for more than a year...

Hi Anne - thanks for swinging by!

Joe - Good to see you! The Savage Garden does look interesting... I looked for Bangkok 8 at my favorite used bookstore this afternoon and didn't find it. I'll try the library next.

Suz - I guess most libraries have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. I've been pleasantly surprised by the good selection of audio and Kindle options from the Dallas Public Library. The branch nearest me isn't very big, so I don't often visit in person. I tend to frequent one of the suburban libraries close to my office when I need a physical library fix.

___________________________

I'm beginning to think about what books to bring on my trip next week. I am going to try to be somewhat sane about it. So far, the only "for sures" are the Kindle, of course, and When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson. I have a bunch on the Kindle, but I definitely plan to knock out Mockingjay, the final volume in the Hunger Games trilogy, and maybe a mystery or two... I won't have a lot of reading time other than during the actual travel, as I'll be working all day and have various dinners most evenings. The conference I'm attending is officially hosted by the Thai national oil company, and apparently they are going all out on the dinner and "cultural show" that's scheduled - traditional music, dancing, and (rumor has it) elephants!!

Katie, I'm looking forward to listening to Destiny of the Republic next month. Your comments have me eager to get started!

I read The Savage Garden about 3 years ago and was unimpressed. The setting and historical aspects of the novel were interesting, but I didn't connect with any of the characters. I thought they were fairly flat.

Have a great weekend and a safe journey. I will know my own travel plans sometime next week and will keep you abreast thereof.

Hope you have a great trip!
I always try and read light while travelling. Mockingjay sounds like a great book to bring along!

Katie: Have a great trip -- it sounds like you have some good reading for it.

Hi Carrie - DotR is so good. I need to put it on my list of books to buy. I'll try Mills' The Information Officer and if that leaves me cold, I'm done with him!

Thanks, Paul. I leave Friday evening - going via LA and Hong Kong - and arrive around noon on Sunday. Hope we can connect!

Thanks, Chelle. You are one busy girl - I appreciate the visit :)

Thanks, Beth!

Hi Katie, I do hope you get to meet Paul in Thailand. My friend who loves that whole area tell me how beautiful it is. Don't forget your camera!

Enjoy your work travels to Thailand, Katie!

Thanks, Donna and Nancy! I've been to Bangkok once before and absolutely loved it, so I am really looking forward to seeing it again. I've also been to Vietnam (HCMC) which was very different - less developed and less touristy - but maybe more interesting? In both cases, the people are warm and friendly (and the food ain't bad either!).

Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you, Kerri!
____________________________

Quick update though I don't have much progress reading-wise to report on! I have a little over 100 pages left in The Revisionists which is very good. I'm slowly making my way through The Honored Dead on audio (a non-fiction account of an American journalist's investigation into the death of a man in Casablanca). It's not bad, but not super good.

I got a new iPhone 4S (I am anti-Cult of Apple but our IT group will only support Blackberry and iPhone and since Bberry is going to be out of business soon, and I was less than impressed with my old one, I got the iPhone; I really wanted an Android, but apparently they are not as reliable or something overseas, and since I travel a lot, that's a non-starter). Anyway, I've downloaded a few free classics onto it to test it out as an emergency e-reader.

I think I've settled on When Will There Be Good News?, World War Z and Lonesome Dove to take on my trip, along with the Kindle. This should provide me plenty of options.

I've still got a lot of prep to do before my trip and the hubs seems to be coming down with a nasty cold or flu or something, so I am busy trying to avoid getting sick :)

You've reminded me that I want to get to Lonesome Dove soon. It's such a long book that I've been putting it off but from everything I've heard it's fantastic. Probably a great book for a long plane ride.

World War Z I had to put aside. I thought it was good but it was too scary for me. I do most of my reading before I go to bed and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep.

Hope you manage to avoid getting your husband's cold/flu. I always hate flying when I'm congested.

Hi Kate, I hope you have an enjoyable trip. You are taking some excellent books with you, it always good to have lots of options as who knows what kind of reading mood will strike you. Travel safely.

I loved When Will There Be Good News Katie. I listened to an audio version and could not turn it off. (It's a dead giveaway when I'm really into an audiobook because the kitchen gets really really clean.) Have a wonderful trip.

Oh my you're in for a treat with Lonesome Dove Katie. Sure it's long but you'll go through it like a freight train.

You are taking three wonderful books with you. I wish I could read Lonesome Dove again for the first time.

Safe travels!!

>202 Chatterbox: Did you read Mark Mills's latest in final or review copy? I think I just read the same book but under the title House of the Hunted via Netgalley. If it's the same book I'll combine them on the author page.

Like you, I like his books, but my reaction to this one was: dreadful.

>208 cbl_tn: cbl_tn I have to agree the characters in Savage Garden were somewhat flat, but I thought the cleverness of the story and the writing made up for it.

Hi Katie, catching up with your news and hope you have a great time in Bangkok. I once spent 3 hours at the airport while we refueled but I don't think it really counts.

Hi Pat! Yes, I'm hoping Lonesome Dove will sweep me up in the story and make the hours fly by. I'm not easily scared by books, so hopefully World War Z will work out :)

Judy, I'm terribly moody in terms of my reading, so the Kindle is a lifesaver in saving luggage space!

That's funny, Anne! I mostly listen to audios in the car, so if I am enjoying my current selection, I tend to take the long way to wherever I'm going or local roads instead of the highway :)

Here's hoping, Bonnie!

Thanks, Joanne!

Hi Marge and Joe :)

Thanks, Leonie!

Hi catching up! I hope you have a good (and safe) trip!

The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen

”Believe instead that I was tricked, that I was a dupe, that I was just another misguided idealist, that I had enough love in my heart that I dared to imagine a better world, something closer to perfect.” (page 403-404)

Zed works for the Department of Historical Integrity in the future, where he is tasked with going back in time to ensure that the events leading to the Perfect Present are not disrupted. But there are others – historical agitators or “hags” – also in the Perfect Present who go back in time to try to disrupt history. Zed’s job, essentially, is to make sure the Holocaust ravages European Jewry, or that two cities in Japan are destroyed by atomic bombs, or that a group of men are able to successfully crash airplanes into buildings. But it’s all for a good cause, since these events had to happen before the world could come to the Perfect Present.

Zed is on a fairly routine assignment in Washington, DC when things start to go wrong. What his assignment has to do with a young corporate lawyer, a diplomat’s servant, and an ex-spy and how these four storylines cross and tangle is at the heart of the novel. It’s part speculative fiction, part spy thriller, part philosophical rumination on the role of the individual in history; the first half of the book was very good, but I felt it lost something as the various narrative lines began to come together. It may just have been that I wasn’t able to read it in large enough chunks, but I kept losing the thread of the story and forgetting how certain things were connected. Mullen is obviously very talented, though, and based on the strength of his writing and good reviews of his other books, I look forward to reading more by him.

Rating: 3.85 / 4 stars
Acquired: 28 September 2011
Format: Hardcover; 435 pages

_________________________________________________



The Honored Dead: A Story of Friendship, Murder, and the Search for Truth in the Arab World by Jospeh Braude

Part memoir and part true crime narrative, this was an interesting look into modern day Morocco and life in a North African Arab country. The author helps a Moroccan man investigate the true story behind the murder of his friend. Along the way, we meet police officers, government officials, doctors, middle class citizens and denizens of Casablanca’s teeming shantytowns – all of whom experience life and society in different ways. While I found Braude as a “character” to be rather annoying at times, his insight into Arab culture (from his unique perspective as the son of an Iraqi Jew) was really interesting. He also provided a lot of good context, including brief histories of the Berbers, the relationship between Moroccan Jews and the government, and the uneasy alliances that countries in the region make among themselves and with Western nations.

Rating: 3.8 / 3.75 stars
Acquired: Public Library
Format: Audio; 11 hours 10 minutes

Safe travels to you, Katie. I'm glad you're taking a bit of Texas with you. I loved LD when I read it last year.

Added The Revisionists to my TBR list. Thanks, Katie! Hope your trip is good. :)

Both books sound great -- and I usually don't like thrillers. Onto the list they go. Safe travels, Katie.

Thanks very much, Donna! LD has been sitting on my shelves for so long, I finally took pity on it :)

Hope you like it, Micky. It's an interesting premise.

Beth, There's more to it than your average thriller so I hope it works for you!

____________________________

So if you were a passport, where would you hide? I think the hubs put it somewhere "safe" so of course I can't find it. And he is in meetings all afternoon so I can't call him and ask. Wish me luck...

underwear drawer?
locked cabinet?
good luck! pretty sure you'll need that bad boy :)

Thanks for more thoughtful reviews, Katie. The Honored Dead appeals.

I really hope you've found your passport by now - have a great trip and make sure to take pics of the elephants!

Katie- I just finished The Revisionists too! And completely agree with your assessment. An incredible start but fizzled out in the 2nd half and that's to bad.
Have a great trip.

I did find my passport and am now enjoying a 3-hour layover in Hong Kong. Managed to sleep about 6 hours on the flight from LA and started and finished Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, the last in The Hunger Games trilogy. Now to do some work while I have free wi-fi...

But first:

Hi Kara! It was neatly tucked in a desk drawer under a pile of receipts....?!?!

Nancy - It was an interesting look into a society and country I don't know that much about.

Thanks, Cushla!

Mark, It was a bit of a disappointment, though redeemed by his good writing. Just not sure what to make of it still....

Hi Katie! How neat to have a post from Hong Kong. Hope you have a great trip.

You can sleep on planes? I am so jealous.. I never sleep when my legs are cramped and my hips are stuck into a sideways position as is always the case in the ridiculously small space they give you for 'leg room' - the plight of the taller person I fear. I wish I could afford business class for every flight. .. sigh.

Hope you have a great trip, Katie!

Enjoy your trip. Interesting reviews. The Honored Dead sounds fascinating.

ETA - a fix to the title...

Hi Pat - So far so good :)

Leonie - The long leg of the trip was in business class on Cathay Pacific. They have lie-flat seats, pretty good pillows and comfy duvets so sleep wasn't too difficult!

Thanks, Anne and Dan.

Katie I am in Bangkok tomorrow from the afternoon - send me a PM if you have chance to meet up for a coffee somewhere tomorrow evening ( and if I can ditch my prospective business partners in the meanwhile)!

Paul - I'm sorry I missed you. Things were crazy and I wasn't on LT for days. So we'll have to meet up in KL at some point :)

__________________________________

So I'm back! The trip home was nice and easy and (relatively) short. Apparently, I've become a big plane sleeper so not a ton of reading got done :) I finished two books while I was gone and am 100 pages into a third. I'm looking forward to catching up on everyone's threads - several of the ones I follow are in the triple digits of unread messages, so I had better get busy!

No worries Katie - I would have been very hard pressed to meet up with you anyway on the 2 days I was there as it was particularly hectic also for me. Sure that there will be a next time.

I'm glad you're back home, Katie. Too bad about not connecting with Paul. I hope we fare better on working out arrangements for a March meetup with Stasia. I'll let you settle down after your trip before we plan anything.

I'm more of a reader than a sleeper on planes, although on those long trips a good nap helps shorten the boredom and the scrunch factor. Problem is, I can't move very well if I spend too much time in that scrunch position. That's why I prefer traveling by car when I have a choice.

Hi Katie. Welcome home! Can't wait to hear more about your trip. And you're so lucky you can sleep on planes.

Welcome home Katie. I'm anxious to hear about your trip and catch up on your reading.

Donna - Meeting up with you and Stasia somewhere in the Dallas area will likely be a lot easier than trying to do so with Paul in Thailand! I know what you mean about "scrunching" on a plane!

Thanks, Pat. I should note that the only reason I slept so much was that CathayPacific business class has lay flat seats which made it a whole lot easier!

Hello Beth. See below for some trip details :)

____________________________

This trip to Bangkok was not quite as much fun as my first one. I saw A LOT of my hotel and the convention center. The hotel was attached to the CC so I really didn't get out much... A colleague and I did sneak away for a couple of hours towards the end of the conference, as a meeting was cancelled (hooray!). As per my first experience in Thailand, the people were absolutely lovely and kind and so warm and welcoming. The food was excellent. Work was work. There were live elephants at the conference dinner and cultural show so that was cool, but photo-taking was forbidden lest the animals be startled and run amok!

Here are some photos (there are more on my profile page):


Tuk-tuks


Temple


In honor of the King


Dinner!

Great pictures, Katie. Glad you are home safe and sound.

Wow, great pictures, Katie! I love the tuk-tuks and is that a giant prawn on your dinner plate?

Thanks, Judy!

It is indeed, Pat! I ordered what was translated as "noodles with prawns", but which should have been translated as "noodles with one giant freakin' prawn"! I basically moved it to the side and ate around it, its wee beady little eyes staring at me the whole time :)

Great photos, Katie! Glad you're back.

glad your back safe and sound!

Hi Katie, getting caught up here. Glad to see you had a successful trip and you are now back home. Love the pics!

Loved the photos Katie - I had dinner at a place called Oberoi the first evening and my local partner well knew that I have a reputation for being able to eat. I was "forced" to eat a dozen of the prawns shown off so magnificently in your photo!

Thanks, Anne, Kara, Lori and Paul. I'm certainly glad to be home. I seem to have caught a cold and between that and a bit of jet lag, all I want to do is sleep. I should have a day or two off from work in comp time, but I promised my boss not to take it until after she leaves for a Board meeting on the 26th, as things are quite hectic at the office in the lead-up.

Paul - I may have almost eaten my weight in prawns over the 5 days I was there! Yummy!

Recent book acquisitions:

LT Early reviewers
The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

Asia Books in Bangkok
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (with a much nicer cover than I've seen in the States)

And my order from BookCloseouts.com (see post 194) arrived while I was gone!
A Compendium of Skirts by Phylis Moore (short stories)
Man Crazy by Joyce Carol Oates
The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin
Friendly Fire by Alaa Al Aswany
Child's Play by David Malouf
The Hill Road by Patrick O'Keefe
A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer
Signals of Distress by Jim Crace
A Blessed Child by Linn Ullmann
Small Wars by Sadie Jones
The Reserve by Russell Banks
When the Dead Cry Out by Hilary Bonner
Love's Death by Oscar van den Boogaard (can't find correct touchstone)

I think I liked The Revisionists more than you did; will certainly look out for the Honored Dead at the library, as the setting intrigues me. Marvellous loot!!! in that list of new acquisitions...

I'm due a new thread but will deal with that tomorrow.... Getting my jet-lagged self to bed now!

Ha -- there's an e-book of the Honored Dead that is now on my Kindle! (ETA: from the library....)

nice haul of books!
international and local :)

Nice to see you've reined in your purchases this year Katie!!!
How many is that so far this year?

Ooh, I hope you like it, Suz!

Thanks, Kara :)

I have been reigning it in, Paul! I swear. But I'm up to around 30, I think. Which, in a month and a half, doesn't seem so bad to me. Which just goes to show how crazy I was last year!

Okay, trying out the thread continuation thingamajig. Fingers crossed it works!