Chelle's (Gogs81) 75 in 2012 Challenge

Welcome to my 75 books for 2012 challenge thread! This will be my second year participating and I'm very excited to continue with such a great group of people!

My reading is very random. I read a lot of mainstream fiction (crime, horror, mysteries) with a little literary fiction mixed in. I'm hoping to expand into a bit of non-fiction this year.

I'll also be participating in 12 in 2012 challenge, you can find my thread here

Thanks for visiting!!

Currently Reading:
Print________eBook__________



My Threads:
12 in 2012
Orange January/July
1001 Books to Read Before I Die




Books Read in 2012
1) Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon (novella, 73 pages)
2) The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht (338 pages)
3) Hurricane Story by Jennifer Shaw (92 Pages) (ER book)
4) The Drop by Michael Connelly (388 pages)
5) Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson (364 pages)

Pages Read in 2012



Wedding Countdown :)

I don't have a fancy graphical star like you do, but I did star your thread!

Hi Chelle! You are starred.

Yello! Checking in for another bounteous year of reading (and wishlisting)...

Welcome back!

Hello Chelle!

starred!!!
I LOVE the frog!!
frogs are my favorite :)

Such a cute frog!!!

Welcome back, Chelle

Great to see you here Chelle - looking forward to seeing what 2012 brings:)

Chelle, that is the *cutest* illo ever!

Welcome Chelle, Good luck with your move and weddin planning. I am also a dispatcher, however I dispatch police (primarily) but dispatch Fire, EMS and do calltaking as well in Rural Pennsylvania. I have your thread starred. :)

Love the picture!have you starred!

Lovely frog et. al. You have a huge year - hope to hear from you as your adventures continue.

Wait, wait -- it's still December and there are already 15 posts?? This doesn't augur well for keeping up with your thread...

Hi Chelle! Passing through to leave a star:)

*STARRED*

Hi Chelle! Looking forward to sharing in your eventful year.

found and starred

Leaving a star, Chelle. And add me to the list of fans of your froggy. :)

*******

Found you! And this year I am keeping up with you (well, for at least the first month...)

Another hello, another star on your new thread. :-)

Good Morning Chelle! Just marking my place before the New Year!

Great picture!

Hahaha! I saw that picture at the top of your thread and was tempted to use it as well. Great minds really do think a like. :)

STARRED!

Glad to see you back with us for 2012, Chelle!

Hi Brit, thanks for visiting!

Thanks Zoe, I found it on a cool website that had a ton of new years pictures

Yay, Valerie is back!! You can use the picture too if you want, I'll share :)

Thanks Stasia! Hope you are doing well!

I am doing fine and anxiously waiting for 2012 to begin!

Cute frog, Chelle. I'll be eagerly following your reads in 2012. Happy New Year!

Chelle- Looking forward to sharing another great reading year with you! It's been a real pleasure having you on the 75!

Happy New Year!!

Chelle--Happy New Year! May 2012 be a good one for you.

New thread: is here

Chelle happy new year to Nate and yourself. Look forward to sharing in your special year in 2012!

Hey there Chelle. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Chelle!

**Starred** and Happy New Year!

Hi Chelle! Scurrying about finding threads for our 2012 adventure!

Starred for a special year - 2012!

Thanks everyone!! I am working nightshift tonight and it's super busy! I've been popping on LT when I can

Hoping you all have a safe New Year!!

Happy new year Chelle - hope your night calms down a bit!

Hi Chelle, Happy New Year to you too! Hope you get a day of respite tomorrow, or real soon anyway!

Hi Chelle .. looking forward to another great year of reads with you. I'm not a fan of frogs, but I have to say that I really like your froggy pic.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, dear Chelle!
I"m bringing a star and a hope that 2012 bests 2011 in wonderful books and conversation!

Happy New Year, Chelle!

Happy New Year, Chelle!

Happy New Year, Chelle and Nate! Wishing you all the best in 2012!

Happy New Year Chelle!
I'm baking my first ever cake today and I thought of you and that AMAZING cake you baked last year. Send some good baker vibes my way please. :)

Dropping by to wish you a Happy New Year, Chelle!

There you are, Chelle! *'d. Happy 2012!

Thanks for the New Years wishes Cushla, Ilana, Peggy, Stasia, Darryl, Lynda, Valerie, Roni & Joe!!

I'm at work tonight, last nightshift, and it's a stat day. Love me some double time!!

#48 Valerie I am sending you oodles of good cake vibes!! Hope it turns out well for you, I'm sure it will be delicious!

Chelle, Happy New Year!! Can't wait to see what you read this year.

Thanks Kim! I think this is going to be a good year, I can feel it ;)

Happy New Year, Chelle!!

Valerie: There will be pictures of the cake, no? :)

Cake pics!!! Show us!!! ...no pressure or anything ;)

Happy New Year, Chelle! I have you starred.

Happy New Year Chelle! Got you starred and looking forward to a great 2012.

Thanks Amber, Happy New Year to you as well!

Valerie, I agree with Amber and Faith, we need pics of your cake!

Happy New Year Terri!
***

In keeping with what I am seeing on other threads, here is my favorites from 2011:
(In alphabetical order from my finished books list)

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
The Passage by Justin Cronin
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Still Life by Louise Penny
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro

Happy New Year Leonie! Hope you have a great 2012!

Chelle - I'm glad to see your list of favorites as it includes several books I am hoping to get to this year!!

Have to admit that I was thrilled to see two of my favourite pieces of Can Lit at the top of your list. :D

Oh! We share many 2011 favorites either ones I have already read or that I also read last year. : ) I knew I liked you.

I love many of your favourites, Chelle. Wow, I read The Thirteenth Tale several years ago, and am thinking it might merit a reread!

Happy New Year, Chelle. I am looking forward to following you in what promises to be a very special year for you and Nate.

Hi Katie! Hope you love them all when you get to them!

Mickey, I really need to read more CanLit! Those books were great! Have you read the second book by Boyden?

Aww Shucks, thanks Kim! :)

Hi Nancy! The Thirteenth Tale was a random library book selection for me, so glad I picked it up!

Hi Judy! Glad to have you along for the ride! Should be a good year :)
***

So I already know I have a book addiction, and Nate knows this as well. He keeps saying he is putting me on a "book budget" when we move and I leave my job .... So my way around it ... buy extra books now while I still have a job (sneaky sneaky eh!)

I placed yet another chapters order tonight and bought all the rest of the Louise Penny books. Cause obviously I need to own them all ....

Still Life even though I just read it, I need to have the set
A Fatal Grace
The Brutal Telling I already got for Christmas :)
The Cruellest Month
The Murder Stone
Bury Your Dead
A Trick of the Light
and I bought The Hangman on eBook earlier this week (short story)

Sooo I should be set for books for a while

I still have Still Life on my tbr shelf. I think I'd like it if I'd ever get around to reading it....

I like how you are handling your book addiction. (Sorry Nate!) Stasia was my Secret Santa in Mark's Swap this year and she sent me Still Life. I enjoyed it a lot and she said that she thinks that is one of the weakest ones! Sigh. Another series I am hooked on. And you just got the whole set? Jealousy setting in here...

Ellen, I just read Still Life from the library after seeing Three Pines talked about sooo much here on LT. I just loved it so I knew I should continue with the rest. Give it a shot, you'll probably become addicted too!

Kim, I don't think Nate realizes my trick yet ... but since he goes back to base on Wednesday he most likely won't notice my book delivery ;)
Caro (cameling) bought me The Brutal Telling for Christmas and since I can't read that until I get the second book ... well you see where I'm going lol

I can't even think of how many series I have going, some of which are completely written and some of which I am tapping my foot about, silently urging the author to hurry up with the next installment!! But I think you may be just as bad! (Don't worry. I won't tell Nate...)

Maybe this is the year I finally get to The Help. . .

found!

Kim, I am actually afraid to try and tally up how many series that I have on the go ... the number could be scary!

Stasia The Help was quite good, and a pretty quick read. You could probably knock it out in no time :)

Hi Kath!
***

I'm home from nightshift now YAY! 4 glorious days off now and today is my last day with Nate. Tomorrow evening he heads back to base to finish his course. I think he will probably still be home on weekends, but since we are now actually getting winter weather he may choose to not drive the 3 hours in it. Today we have a weather warning with the possibility of 40 cm of snow. I'm hoping we get MUCH less!

Off to catch some zzzzzzz's now.

I hope you have a wonderful day with Nate today!

What Amber said!

Morning Chelle- I really like your favorite list! Some very good titles on there. I plan on getting to the Stephen King book in the next couple months and I would like to also squeeze in Alias Grace.
Enjoy your time off!

I have waited so long that I doubt I will ever get to The Help now. It's been so talked about, I've lost interest.

Is there a time limit on this book budget of Nate's, like only until he's better established etc.? I've learned to get all the details on such important matters. :}

Have a great day with Nate today!

Love your 'best of 2011' list. It's fun, isn't it, to go back over the pile to see what stands out.

Hello Chelle, I found you and starred you. Happy New Year!

Alan

Chelle - you can see details on all your series reads on your statistics/memes page. I checked for you and it was 139. Click on series and it will give you complete details of all of em.
Wish Nate all the best in his undertaking - you must be proud of him. Enjoy some quality time together without books or LT'ers for a short while!

Enjoy your day with Nate, Chelle, and your four days off work. I go back to work tomorrow, so my presence on LT will decline for a while. :-(

>65 ChelleBearss: Oh I'm hideously bad at keeping up with CanLit, I'll be the first to admit. I usually try to squeeze in at least a couple of the Canada Reads books though every year so I feel less guilty. As for Boyden's second novel, I tried reading it when it first came out but it didn't really pique my fancy at the time. I should probably give it a second try.

Hope you have a delightful four days off. :D

Thanks Amber and Stasia! We actually spent the day tackling our crazy house! Tree down, rooms rearranged and cleaned out. I still have a TON of work left to before we can sell it in a couple months

Thanks Mark! I think you would like both those books! King's is a door stopper though so you'll probably need a good chunk of time for it, but it's worth it!

Hi Lynda. I really enjoyed The Help even though it's not normally the type I would read.
I think Nate's silly budget plan would be until I started to work again, I don't see that working out well though, that's why I'm stocking up ahead of time lol

Thanks Brit! I'll be sad to see him go tomorrow, but he should be back on Friday.

It actually was kind of fun Lucy! I had forgotten about some of the books I had read earlier in the year.

Welcome Alan! Happy New Year

Thanks for checking Paul, I figured the number would be scary! How can I possibly be reading 139 series? That seems rather insane
I am very proud of him, even if he is choosing to watch some silly war movie right now. Oh well, quality time near each other on the couch. Is this what married life is like? ;)

Thanks Ellen! Hope your working days go by fast for you

Thanks Micky! I should probably check out the Canada Reads for some ideas. I have the second Boyden books but I haven't gotten around to it yet, hopefully this year!

I think that I have found (and left a comment) on all the post for people I was active with last year. If anyone has commented here and noticed that I have not left them a comment, please feel free to let me know and I'll run out and find your thread :)

Happy reading everyone!

Chelle, don't feel too overwhelmed, according the LT I am currently following 872 series!!!

Chelle - As to the essence of married life - each to their own! I have made numerous comments on my thread and others about my "interesting" domestic arrangements! Patently though and all joking aside for a rare moment it works for us, three children and 16 years later. There are days when we look at each other and smile and say in a surprised and tremulous voice - "hey today we didn't fight, yet!". Sometimes just curling up on the sofa watching a movie can be as blissful as a cruise to, let's say, the West Indies! When you can enjoy those moments together, and you seem to be able to do do Chelle, you've made it already!

Argh, another thread I'm going to have trouble keeping up with!!!

Hoping to get to Toronto in March or April; we should arrange an LT meetup & get tiffin/Tui down from Peterborough areaa...

wow Judy, 872 is quite a lot! I don't think I even have than many books lol!!

Aww thanks Paul. Sounds you and Hani have a great relationship. 16 years is quite an accomplishment! I think Nate and I fought at least 3 times today, but it was a loving bicker during furniture re-arranging time and that can't ever go well for us "move it here, no there, ok back there looked better"....

Hi Suzanne! The threads have been hard to keep up with so far!
If I'm still in this area when you come down then I would love to meet up in TO. However, I should know next week where we are moving too ... I might not be here by March. At this point it's still anyone's guess.

You're reminded me that I should have included The Help among my favourites too Chelle. It especially stood out to me as one of my favourite audiobooks, but then, I'm not quite finished with my "best of" lists, because I also want to list the "worst of".

Glad you're getting some much-needed down-time.

I read Still Life (well, listened to, actually) in September and had mixed feelings about it. But got so much encouragement that it gets better that I will read the other books. Just don't know when. They have most of the series at the library, but unfortunately, no book 2. What a drag.

As for the amount of series you have going, don't forget that the series stat also takes into account anything that is on your wishlist, or that you own, not necessarily that you've actually read from...

Hi Chelle!

Hi Chelle, am very pleased you rated the new Stephen King book so highly as my daughter gave it to me for Christms and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Hi Chelle - Happy New Year! I love the froggy image in msg 1.

Happily, a lot of your favourites of 2011 are sitting on my TBR pile AS WE SPEAK. Good to know I'm in for some good reading in 2012! :)

Now, having wasted about four hours on LT already this morning, perhaps I should go and actually, y'know, read something...

We've been married 21 years. I can't remember the last time we fought about something though occasionally we'll get snippy. There are all types of relationships out there!

HI Ilana! We are enjoying our last couple days together. He leaves after dinner tonight and he wants to brave the mall for a haircut in all this snow. That gives me an excuse to go shopping with him, yay!
Did Montreal get any snow from this storm? We woke up to 43cm of snow today, the crazy dog is loving it!
Hopefully your library gets book #2 soon so you can follow the rest of the series

Hi Richard!

That was a nice present from your daughter, Leonie. She has good taste! I hope you enjoy it, I quite like King and this one was pretty good.

Thanks Heather! I love frogs, used to collect anything with frogs on them when I was young. Now that I have grown out of having nicknacks around the house I don't collect anymore but still enjoy cute pictures.

I know how you feel Ellie, I've been on LT so much I haven't even finished a book yet in 2012! I have two half done and hopefully will finish one tonight after Nate leaves.

wow Morphy, 21 years eh! Good job!
We don't fight too often actually, yesterday was snippy-ness about my lack of decision making skills while moving heavy furniture. We laughed later once the heavy furniture was in place ;)
***

Well today should be interesting. We got 43 cm of snow here overnight (about 17 inches) and we have some of our local highways shut down because of no visibility. We could get a bit more snow, but I hope not since Nate has to drive 3 hours tonight to go back to base.
Hope everyone is enjoying their Tuesday!

enjoy your time with Nate today :)
wishing him safe travels back to the base!

Mrs. Tortoise and I hardly ever argue -

between the hours of 12.00 and 6.00am! :)

Alan

We put on our winter tires last week and haven't even seen a fleck of snow since then!

Hope you guys stay warm and safe with all the new snow.

Hahaha, I just realized that I wrote Happy MONDAY on my thread and realized now that it's Tuesday. Sigh, can you tell I'm still on holiday mode?? :)

Although every marriage is different, I can say we fougt some in the first 7 years, after 27 years of marriage it has gone down to one quarrel every other month or so. Laughing together is, for us, the best glue ;-)

Oh, happy Tuesday, Chelle. I do wish we'd get some snow this winter.

Winter has finally come to southwestern Ontario ... about 2 months late! It's very cold today, -16c and the dog doesn't want to stay outside for more than 5 minutes

***

Thanks Kara! It has finally stopped snowing so hopefully his drive back will be uneventful. He looks like a lobster right now, all red in the face from shovelling snow lol

haha Alan, that's cute.

Val, maybe I should have put winter tires on! We had now snow until a couple days ago, now we have a whole winters worth! Everything looks so pretty though.
I had to run out and buy a winter jacket though, I accidently left mine in the airport when we went on our cruise. Thankfully I got a good deal at the mall, stores still have boxing day sales.

Anita, I must admit that Nate has a wonderful sense of humor and manages to make me laugh when I am grumpy. That should help over the years

-16 deg!? Woah, that sounds colder than any cold Ive felt. I can barely imagine it. Does your dog have doggie shoes to put on?

Nate has a wonderful sense of humor and manages to make me laugh when I am grumpy. That should help over the years That is a good thing, I have benefitted from being made to laugh off a grump before, it works a treat!

Megan I guess it doesn't even get too cold over on your side of the world eh! -16c is rather cold, but unfortunately it can get quite a bit colder here!
***



1) Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon
Read only for 75 books in 2012.

Author stats: Female/American
Pages: 73
Genre: fiction, historical, novella
Medium: eBook
Acquisition: January 2012
Date Completed: January 3, 2012
Rating: ***

There are 2 more short stories in this book that are set in between the novels, and I will be just adding them with this story to count as book #1.

A novella prequel to the Lord John series. Lord John is introduced to Robert Gerald who is a cousin of a close friend. During the initial meeting Gerald asks John to meet him later to discuss something of importance but before they can arrange a meet Gerald is killed. John sets out to discover to killer and the information that Gerald wanted to share with John.

I'm not a big fan of short stories or novellas but since I want to read the Lord John novels I felt I should start at the beginning. At only 73 pages it was a quick and enjoyable read.
3*

eta: Changed format, copied with thanks from Luxx.

#101 - Adorable dog photo! Geezer is apparently not a fan of extreme cold either.

Chelle, I can't remember if I've read that particular Lord John book or not. I've read several, but all out of order and willy-nilly. They were OK, but I missed Jamie. :)

> 101: my dogs are the other way around, today we have a rainy day (+5c) and we walked VERY short rounds, last year we had snow and cold weather, they were out ALL day ;-)

Thanks Kerri! He knows he is adorable too though lol

Julia, this novella was in the Lord John and the Hand of Devils collection. It came first before the first novel Lord John and the Private Matter. I'm not sure if it is just an eBook or if it was published in print form. It was ok, but the Outlander series is much better!

Anita, Jax loves the snow but his paws get too cold when the weather is this chilly. He will play outside up to about -10 and then he wants in. If it is decent out and snowing he will stay outside all day. He loves the dog park when there is snow and about -5. He won't want to leave. Meanwhile it is -anything then I want to stay inside! ;0

Glad you're using the Kobo! I'm not much of a reader of short stories either, to be honest.

Whoa, southern ON certainly did get some snow! I'm with you - once Christmas has gone, it's too late! I'm waiting on July now!

LOVE. DOG. PHOTO.

>107 ChelleBearss: Ah, then I did read it. I remember that collection. One of the stories was about graverobbers or zombies or something similar, I think. I guess it wasn't very memorable in the long run!

Lord John's okay...I liked the books fine, but...something indefinable missing for me. Oh, I know...sex!

HI Nancy. I actually ended up liking the kobo quite a bit. I can't use it at work or in the tub (my favorite place to read) but it's great for bedtime. I find it's way too easy to buy cheap books on it though, I feel like I might end up with too many (not surprised though considering my book buying addiction)
I would have loved to have snow for christmas, but we had rain instead. Now the snow if not welcome lol

Thanks Ellen!

Yes Julia, the second novella is about a succubus (had to look that term up, weird!) For "historical" novels they seem to be involving some weird topics

Did you like the Outlander books Richard? Lack of sex means they will probably be pretty boring, at least the Outlander novels had a bit of sex in them

>112 ChelleBearss: I thought they were okay, but honestly they broke such new ground that I was more excited by their mere existence than their content. The sheer audacity of the whole time-travel trope...!

I gave up somewhere around Dragonfly in Amber. Just too much work to keep up, and I wasn't a stay-at-home then.

*waving* at Chelle as I head through the threads

Kerry and I have been married for almost 23 years now and I swear that the single biggest thing that keeps us together is his sense of humor. He can get me even at my snippiest.

2) The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
Read for 75 books in 2012, Orange January/July, 12 in 2012:Category #6) Who?: Authors I have not read before

Author stats: Female/Serbian-American
Pages: 338
Genre: fiction, historical, mystery
Medium: trade paperback
Acquisition: January 2012
Date Completed: January 4, 2012
Rating: 4.5

Natalia had a special relationship with her grandfather; friend, confidant, conspirator. Many years they spent together taking walks to the local zoo to spend time at the tiger enclosure, or spending hours reading out of The Jungle Book that he always had in his pocket throughout his life.

Natalia becomes a doctor, like her grandfather, in an unnamed Balkan country that has seen many years of war. While on a mission to help orphans in a neighbouring country she finds out that her grandfather has died, supposedly while enroute to visit her. While on her way to try and find out what happened to him and get his personally belongings back, the reader is treated to flashback stories from his youth and throughout his amazing life.

"Everything necessary to understand my grandfather lies between two stories: the story of the tiger's wife, and the story of the deathless man. These stories run like secret rivers through all the other stories of his life --- of my grandfather's days in the army; his great love for my grandmother; the years he spent as a surgeon and a tyrant of the University. One, which I learned after his death, is the story of how my grandfather became a man; the other, which he told to me, is of how he became a child again."

The story jumps from present day to flashbacks without defined lines and without any difficulty to follow the route Obreht was taking. She writes an almost magical tale of love and mystery, but while there is graphic content that had me wincing she still had me entranced. I loved how she left many things open for the reader to draw their own conclusions. I was amazed to read the author bio afterwards and find out this was her debut novel at the young age of 26! Amazing work for such a young author.

Richard, I think I got most of the way through - maybe 2 more left to read. They are huge though so I really need to make time for them.

Hi Stasia! I think Nate's sense of humor will help us stay strong in life, and the fact that he can stay chatty even when I am not feeling very loquacious and he can bring me out of my shell.
23 years is great, congrats to you and Kerry!

Lake effect snow is having a fab effect on your reading, I see! We're getting freezing temps but no snow; I do like it when it first falls, as the ordinary sounds become muffled. That is, until I realize I can't just loll around, but have to go & shovel the sidewalk.

Love the picture of your dog! I've been meaning to The Tiger's Wife for a while now.

Morning Chelle- Good review of The Tiger's Wife. Like Brit, I've had this one on the WL forever. Maybe sometime this year?

Great review of Tiger's Wife and an amazing doggy picture - love it!

Wow Chelle, you make The Tiger's Wife sound much better than I imagined. I think I'll need to read this one.
Hope Nate arrived safe and sound at the base and I hope it won't be long before you're together again.

I go back and forth on The Tiger's Wife. One of these days I am just going to have to try it for myself. I am glad to see you liked it so much, Chelle!

>122 alcottacre:: I'm in the same boat! Some days I want to try it, other days I don't... maybe I'll give in? Who knows! The review above certainly makes it sound worthwhile...

122/123: I'm with Stasia and Faith on this one. Though your review has made me swing over to the "maybe I will try it" camp. :)

>115 ChelleBearss: I found the review of The Tiger's Wife really helpful, Chelle. I've been wondering about this book and your review helped me understand what it's about and why I'd want to read it. Once I get clear of the stack of holiday/library books I managed to build up, I'll look for it.

Found and starred!

#115 - Great review, Chelle. I agree that you make the novel sound more intriguing than I had imagined it to be.

Hello. Starring you!

Excellent review of The Tiger's Wife. Think I've already said this - on your Orange thread? Anyway, thanks for that, Chelle. It's on my list - sooner than later.

Great review of The Tiger's Wife, Chelle. It is sitting patiently on my shelf waiting for its turn to be read, but when that will be, I have no idea. :)

117 Suzanne Cold weather and stress levels through the roof have caused me to go into hiding, stay in my jammies and read, read, read!
Although I do need to shower and dress for dinner tonight as I have a date to visit my new "niece". One of my oldest friends had a baby in December but with our schedules, cruise and Christmas I still have not met her! Tonight with be Christmas presents and cuddles with the new baby.

118 Thanks Brit! It's worth adding to your list!

119 Hi Mark! You should bump it up on your list, it's worth it

120 Thanks Calm! It took 5 shots to get that picture, he kept jumping around all nimbly bimbly and I couldn't get him fully in the picture

121 Thanks Lynda! You definitely should add it to your list!
He made is back last night safe and sound. Class started this morning and they found out posting messages won't be out until next week. Great, more waiting ;)

122, 123, 124 Stasia, Faith & Marie I don't think the description blurb on the back of it does it enough justice. I was quite happy with it. I just loved the story about her grandfather and the deathless man.

125 Glad I could help Joe. Sometimes I find writing reviews to be a pain, it's time I could spend reading, but then I come across a book like this that I think people would love and then I don't mind taking the time to write up a little something about it.

126 Hi Nathan!

127 Thanks Kerri. Sometimes the book blurb on the back doesn't do it enough justice.

128 Thanks for the star Jenn!

129 Thanks Nancy! And thanks for visiting me on the other thread too :)

130 Thanks Valerie! I'm sure you will love it!

Nice review of The Tiger's Wife. I hadn't realized that the author was of Serbian descent, or that she was so young. I am of Serbian descent on my father's side, so this makes the book doubly interesting to me.

Sandy K

I just ordered the Tiger's Wife looking forward to it even more after your review!

Adding The Tiger's Wife to my wishlist - thanks for the good review!

Great review, Chelle! I have The Tiger's Wife on my January list and I really want to get to it. Your 4.5-star review only strengthened my resolve......

eta: and I gave you a thumb!!

Echoing all the others, Chelle, an excellent review that has put The Tiger's Wife back on my Wishlist. I guess it's one of those books that one needs to try for oneself, given the varied reviews I have read.

Oh goodie you liked it!!
we seem to like the same books :)
I have that one (Cee sent it to Florida gladly ;) )

I got The Tiger's Wife for Christmas so it's coming up soon on the pile. So glad to read that you liked it, Chelle. And Happy New Year!

Chelle good positive review for The Tiger's Wife. Good start to the reading year and I hope Nate is settling into his new setting and scouting around for somewhere great for both of you.

I'll echo Chelle--The Tiger's Wife was a great read! I think I gave it a 4.5 or 5.

Hi Sandy! The bio for Obreht on the Orange prize said she was Serbian/American. I'm not great with world geography though, her bio on her own webpage said she was born in the former Yugoslavia. I really need to touch up on my geography skills .... Maybe I should try the reading globally challenge lol

Hope you enjoy it Susie!

Thanks Amber Always happy to help grow those wishlists! ;)

Thanks for the thumb Ellen! I'll keep an eye out for your thoughts on it!

Thanks Judy That's one thing I noticed with LT, so many different people with different reading levels and preferences, I hope I don't lead anyone a stray with my reviews!

wow Kara We do seem to have similar tastes with over 200 books in common :)
That was nice of Cee to send you such a good book! Hope you enjoy it!

Happy New Year Tiffin! Hope you love it when you get around to reading it!

Hi Paul! Nate is good, back to normal on base. His Sgt said we could find out early next where we are being posted to, cross your fingers and toes for me please and thanks!! :)
***

I had a lovely night tonight visiting with a dear friend and her new born baby girl. Mallory is almost 2 months old now and I finally got to meet her tonight! Such a cutie! It was great to be able to catch up on life and talk about the wedding plans (she is one of my bridesmaids) without being in a rush. I love the holidays but it is so hard to visit during Christmas.

Now I am back in my jammies, hot bubble bath ahead of me and then an evening of reading!

Happy Reading everyone! :)

Hi Kim, I missed you there - guess we posted at the same time!
I'm glad you agree with my star rating :) I can't wait to find my next great read!

Great review of The Tiger's Wife Chelle, and congrats on the Hot Review! I'll go add my thumb too for good measure. It was one of my favourite books of 2011 with all of five stars. I listened to the audiobook and then even went as far as purchasing the physical book so I'd have a hardcover version to keep. Never done that before or since (yet).

Wish we'd gotten some of that storm here.... we just have a 2 inch-thick layer of ice with a fine dusting of powdery snow, making for some mighty slippery surface to kill oneself on while taking the dog to the end of the block. Yech.

>115 ChelleBearss: That was an excellent review, Chelle! I Pearl Ruled the book at p55, but your review makes it sound so delectable....

Chelle consider fingers and toes duly crossed... Do you have any particular preference and I'll get SWMBO to start working on the magic medicine!

Thanks Ilana! Wow audio book and print eh, you really did like it! I'm glad I purchased it instead of using the library, I'm happy to have a copy of it
Please be careful taking Coco out, this crazy weather makes everything so slippery! Nate shovelled our lane way but it's still quite slippery. Sidewalk sand is on my list of things to get tomorrow!

Richard I must be dense, but I'm not sure what I Pearl Ruled the book at p55 means ... enlighten me dear one!

Paul we put in our request to the military last fall asking for Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have a feeling that it is full and we will get someplace that has an open posting ... If Hani has any magic that can get me Halifax then I would be forever in her (and your) debt! :)

Sorry, I assumed Pearl Rule was part of the instruction kit issued to every LT member even in this degenerate day.

Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust and its sequels, propounded the Rule of Fifty as a measure of whether you've given a book a fair shot before putting it down forever. It says that, until you're 50 years old, you should read 50pp of a book to make a fair judgment; after that age, subtract one page from 50 for each year you're older than 50. I'm 51, so I read 49pp.

I call it the Pearl Rule in her honor.

Oh dear, I had not heard of such a rule! I fear my instruction kit maybe have gotten lost in the mail!
I'm sorry to hear that you did not enjoy it ... but I understand the concept of too many books and so little time!

3) Hurricane Story by Jennifer Shaw
Read for 75 books in 2012 & 12 in 2012: Category #3 The Real Deal: Non-Fiction/Biography

Author stats: Female/American
Pages: 92
Genre: non-fiction/memoir
Medium: hard cover
Acquisition: December 2011
Date Completed: January 5, 2012
Rating: 3.5

A touching tale of exile of epic proportions. Shaw tells of fleeing New Orleans during the Katrina hurricane at nine months pregnant and of giving birth the day the storm touched down. Told with 46 out of focus artistic photographs and one sentence descriptions, Shaw portrays her journey with her husband and new born son. Touching and sad she makes the reader feel her sorrow without actually showing any shots of the devastation in New Orleans.

Hi Chelle, the Hurricane book sounds pretty good. Ever since I saw Capa's war photos, out of focus images have so much more meaning for me now. I'm sorry to say that I thought The Tiger's Wife was only average and almost gave up at many times throughout the read. I am definitely in the minority here though and I like it when I see a completely different viewpoint on the same book. I also like the Pearl Rule of 50. I've been doing this the whole time but now I can call it something!

Hi Chelle - I got way behind here but am now all caught up :) I hope to get to The Tiger's Wife sometime this year. The mixed reviews put me off for a bit last year but I figure I should just pick it up and see what side of the fence I come down on.

Hi Chelle, I hope you are dug out from your snowfall by now. Lovely picture upthread. Brrrrr! At least you can find Jackson in the snow. Our Lucky blends in except for his pink nose and brown eyes!

I enjoyed The Tiger's Wife and look forward to more books by a promising new author. Can't do the Pearl Rule. I'll quit a book if it's offensive to me, but usually I keep plugging along and find something to redeem it. It's helpful that I get such good recommendations here on LT.

Hi Chelle!
Finally catching up here!
I just want to say, I actually loved The Tiger's Wife and gave it 4 stars. (I'm thinking I should have given it 4.5 stars too.) I do remember there was a lot of negative talk when I was reading it (ER book) and couldn't figure why??? She wrote so beautifully and there was some real depth in the stories.

I think Kara is mixing this up with a book I DID send her VERY gladly - which was Blindness by Saramago. ICK! While I will admit this guy can write! the topic is yuck in this book. Creative - but yuck. Not my thing. :{

Crossing all crossables for you to be assigned to a place that will be heavenly, romantic and exciting for you and Nate.

Great photo of "Jax in Snow"!

Hi, Chelle! Hurrican Story looks interesting.

UGH! What a horrible day! I just spent the last few hours with my best friend who has been informed by her husband (of only a year) that he wants a divorce. She is devastated and did not see that coming at all! It appears that he may have started using drugs and has had a complete change of attitude. She saw the change coming, but thought it was because of his recent loss of his grandfather who he was quite close with.

I took her out for lunch so she could vent and I couldn't believe the way she is being treated right now. She may have to leave as he has started to be very verbally abusive towards her. So I may get a house guest in the next little while if he doesn't leave first!

So stressful! I don't understand people, why get married if you are going to freak out and leave after a year! And it's not like they rushed into marriage, they have been together for 10 years!
Arg, vent over!

On a bright note, I stopped by David's tea while we were at the mall and got a package of "Forever Nuts" and it smells so heavenly! Even the dog keeps coming up to the coffee table and sniffing around

***
Hi Leonie! I figured there were people out there who would not care for the book. I wasn't sure if I would at first but I ended up loving it.
Were Capa's war photos the same out of focus type pictures? I think I would have been impressed with Hurricane Story more if they were actual pictures of her experience in New Orleans or on her travels, instead of toys that represented what happened.

Hi Katie! I know it's so hard to keep up right now! Hopefully you enjoy it, let me know what side of the fence you are on when you finish it

Hi Donna! Thankfully Nate did all the shovelling before he left, as I DON'T shovel ;) We haven't gotten anymore snow since so it's just pretty now and not overwhelming. Last year we had crazy amounts of snow and it was ridiculous to try and drive anywhere
I've done the Pearl Rule before ... just didn't know that it had a name! But a book has to be pretty bad for me to give up on it completely, usually I'll try to come back and try it again later ... although I still haven't re-picked up Girl with the dragon tattoo yet ...

Hi Cee! I didn't realize that book had gone out as an ER book. I guess there is the potential to get some pretty good books through that program eh!
I thought I had not heard of Blindness, but I just checked and it's already on my wishlist .. but I don't remember putting it there! Looks like yours was not the only negative opinion on it, someone have it only half a star!

Thanks for crossing your fingers, toes and anything else that is crossable! I feel like if I don't find out soon that I could possibly explode ... but I'm probably being slightly dramatic lol

Hi Terry! It was ok, but I'm glad that I got it through the ER Program and didn't pay for it. I don't really have an artistic part of me that could really appreciate it.

Hi Chelle, he was an amazing photographer who was involved in five wars and documented them all. The book I read is Slightly Out of Focus and is very good. If you have a look at his page on Wikipedia, you can see a couple of his fuzzier shots from the D-Day landings during WW2 which I think add movement, atmosphere and a touch of reality to the images. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Capa

Ah Chelle! I'm finally catching up! Like you, I am doing my Orange reading and loving it! For me it's The Siege by Helen Dunmore. Glad you enjoyed The Tiger's Wife!

Hi! Sorry it is so awfully cold up there. Just saw on the news today that we are having aridiculously warm winter in the U.S. Something like 104 cities in the U.S. were above normal temps today. It has been cold the last few days in D.C. though. I think it is supposed to get warmer tomorrow though. By the way, your puppy is super-cute. (I adore dogs.)

Anyway, you are starred now. Just getting around to the 2012 threads.

Adding Hurricane Story to the BlackHole. Thanks for that review and recommendation, Chelle.

Chelle - what an awful story about your poor friend. People say that love is blind and that marriage is an institution but I am still very much on the principle that therefore a loving marriage is an institution for the blind!
As half (probably less than half if truth be know) of a successful marriage of 16 years we need love, understanding, humour, compromise and the basic intention that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. I have a SoulMate in SWMBO for all my bleating and you sound like you have a great guy in Nate (nose hair notwithstanding), it is a sad fact that not all are as lucky as we. Your friend will need her mates coming soon and I'm sure you'll be there. Beating a woman what a coward! I get a clip from SWMBO most days and tried to alert the authorities to the plight of a battered husband. From the mirth my complaints occasioned I decided to drop the matter!!

Hi Leonie Those pictures look quite interesting, I bet my dad would like to check those out, thanks!

Welcome back Deb! Hope life has calmed down for you!

Hi Jennifer!Thanks, I think he is cute too!
It has actually warmed up quite a bit since early last week, it was only +2c when I left for work this morning - much better than the -15c that we had last week, ew!

Thanks Stasia! Glad I could help your wishlist grow!

Hi Paul! Don't get me wrong, he isn't beating her with his fists, just his words! I've known him for 7 years and I've never heard his raise his voice and now all of a sudden he has completely changed. I don't understand and neither does she.
It takes two people who are willing to work at a relationship to keep it going, and I guess it's just not worth his energy any longer. Which is so sad because my friend is one of the kindest and sweetest people out there, she does not deserve to be treated this way.
Thanks for your kind words, even with his nose hair Nate is super and I can't see him ever acting in this manner. He is a military man, too level headed for that B/S!
***

I'm back at work now for 5 looooong shifts! Sounds like it could be a slow weekend so maybe I can get some reading in!
Off to make my rounds of the threads :) Happy Friday!

50 degrees just south of Lake Erie and our little bit of snow is melting quickly. Weirdest winter weather I've seen, but I'm liking it. Although, the pessimist side of me thinks the real winter will come with a vengence at any moment. But for know, I'll bask in it.

*starring*

I hope you get your posting wish - I'm in Halifax (about ten minutes' drive from Shearwater base) and it would be fun to have another 75 books person in the city :-)

HI Lynd! This winter has been super odd!! I'm also hoping that we don't get any crazy winter storms to make up for what we missed!

Hi Archerygirl! You live in my dream area! Nice!
Hopefully I'll get to come meet you someday if we get our posting

Oh Cee is right! She hated Blindness and sent it packing to Florida! My bad ;)

My copy of The Tiger's Wife is a traveling book....Maine, Penn. now Florida :)

!!!!!Nate got our posting message today!!!!!
We did not get any of our choices BUT we got something awesome.

Drum roll please ........

We are moving to Greenwood, Nova Scotia!!
Beautiful, close to the ocean and only 1.5 hours from Halifax!

SO EXCITED!!!!

Congrats on your orders! It sounds wonderful.

Woot Woot!!!!!
so happy for you :)

Happy that you're happy!

OMG, my sister lives in Greenwood, NS, Chelle! I think you will LOVE it. The Annapolis Valley, as you probably already know, is beautiful. And Blomidon Beach and the Bay of Fundy are spectacular! There was recently a global competition to name a new 7 Wonders of the World, and Bay of Fundy was one of the nominees! (unfortunately, not a winner). Next time I visit my sister, guess who's going to be on your case about an LT meet up!

Woot! Congratulations on your posting!

Nova Scotia IS awesome, Chelle, and it is so beautiful around Greenwood. You are so close to the Bay of Fundy and really not all that far from Halifax. When do you leave?

Congratulations on your assignment, Chelle!!
My husband loves the area. NS, PEI and especially Newfoundland are his favorites and vacationed there often before we were married. He'd love to take us there sometime in the future and always talks about the ferry which takes you to Newfoundland and the dense fog. Sounds great!

Chelle- Congrats on your new destination! How exciting! When do you leave?

I'll add my congratuations to all the others, Chelle. Annapolis Valley is where my grandfather was from, and as I remember, very beautiful. Lots of restaurants and Bed & Breakfasts, etc. When does the big move happen?

YAY! You got Nova Scotia!
(and I can uncross fingers, toes and eyes)

SO very excited for you both!

Awesome! So glad for you and Nate!! How much time do you have to pack?

Ahhhhh, God's country!!! It's so beautiful... I grew up in Canning, Nova Scotia (in the Annapolis Valley) and while it's been a few years since I've had a chance to visit, I have family all around that area (and piles more in New Brunswick). I'm a Maritime girl at heart... how fantastic, I'm thrilled for you!

Hurrah on your new destination, Chelle!

And sorry about your friend. Unfortunately, for some people, drug usage can result in major personality changes--they literally aren't the same person.

Great news Chelle! Glad that you both got pretty much what you wanted.

Congrats on the great news. I'm happy for you! :-)

It sounds like your next life adventure is off to a good start, Chelle! Congratulations!

Wonderful, wonderful news for you, Chelle! Congratulations!

Congratulations on Nate's posting, Chelle! Sounds lovely, and I'm so happy for you.

That sounds wonderful Chelle. Hope you have a wonderful time and it already sounds like you are going to have a lot of 75ers turn up on your doorstep:)

Thanks Marie, Kara, Katie, Nancy, Tiffin, Lynda, Mark, Judy, Claudia, Kim, Faith, Roni, Paul, Ilana, Julia, Stasia, Deb & Calm! And thanks to anyone who had body parts crossed for me, looks like it worked!

We are very excited! Looks like he will be moving to start his job in early February and then I can move as soon as we have our housing situation figured out. Our house should be on the market in the next couple weeks and we need to find a house there before I can move. Potentially I could be moving in late February or March.

#170 Nancy that is so cool that your sister lives there! I've heard it's a beautiful area and we love Nova Scotia already so I'm sure it will be a lovely place to live! We will for sure have to have an LT meetup when you visit her!

#177 Faith I have background in the maritimes as well. My father grew up in Moncton and my grandmother still lives there. It will be nice to be closer to her

184 posts... how am I ever going to keep up... However, I like your book-choice a lot so I'll do my best. I'm happy for you that you'll be moving to Nova Scotia. I don't know why but I've always thought of it as a place I'd like to visit. Lucky you going to live there!

I'm a little late to the "Nova Scotia: woo hoo!" party but another "woo hoo" can't hurt, can it? It sounds wonderful. The sum total of my experience comes from a visit to Halifax in high school, but I thought it was just lovely.

#166 - Yay! Congrats on Nova Scotia!! I'm jealous, even though I've never been there.

Congrats on your new assignment sounds like exciting things coming up for you!

RE: Your friend ,as someone who has been through it bruises heal mental abuse stays with you for so much longer hope she gets out with her self-esteem intact!

YAY!! So excited for you and Nate!

Add my congrats to the pile, Chelle. Hope figuring out the housing situation goes smoothly. :D

Me too, congratulations, Chelle! Here's hoping your move and house selling/buying happens quickly!

Wonderful, Chelle! I've never been to Nova Scotia, but it sounds like a beautiful place!

Sandy K

So happy for you and Nate, that you're headed to a place that sounds so lovely.

Very sorry about your friend. Something similar happened to a friend of mine some time back, after about 6 months of marriage. Truly awful.

Chiming in with my regrets about your friend's terrible time right now, and with (odd contrast) hearty congratulations to you and Nate for getting a posting that makes you "SO EXCITED." Very cool.

So excited for you and Nate! I'm so glad that you are happy! I'm sorry to hear about your friend. That is no good. Marriage is no walk in the park and even though I love my wife, there are days (sometimes weeks) that are harder than others. I hope your friend makes it through with her held high. Sounds like you she has a great friend in you!

Trying to get caught up on threads and wanted to add my congrats on the posting to Greenwood!

More late congratulations from me Chelle, and a yee haaaaa! am going to google maps now to see where you'll be.

Cushla: Ha! I just did that myself!

I'm here trying to catch up all the 51 missed messages on your thread, Chelle!

Congrats on getting a posting that isn't in the middle of nowhere, although I know you wouldn't have minded a bit of adventure to kick off your marriage. :)

Just wanted to say that I'm sad to hear about your friend and her marriage. It is strange, but I have a couple of friends who also dated for over 10 years, got married, and divorced within a year. I find myself scratching my head and wondering what they didn't realize in the 10 years of dating that they found they couldn't live with in the one year that they were married. So sad and perplexing at the same time!

I dated my first husband for 4.5 years and we signed our divorce papers on our 2nd anniversary. We simply couldn't live together. There are things like finances and chore sharing that don't come up until you are living in the same house. You really don't know someone until you live with them.

WOW Thanks everyone! It's so nice of everyone to be happy for us! We have officially told all the family members and everyone is happy for us! Even my parents are looking forward to vacationing there in the summer!

Thanks to Monica, Laura, Kerri, Susie, Amber, Micky, Laura, Sandy, Terri, Ellen, Brit, Lori, Cushla, Val & Morphy!

As for my friend and her messy situation, I think she will be just fine. She is a strong person and something like this will make her sad but won't break her. She is planning on taking a loooooong vacation in Nova Scotia with me when I move out there. A little mental health break will do her well!

Terri, Val, Brit and Morphy My first husband did the exact same thing to me. We dated for 4 years and after a year of marriage he freaked out and said he made a mistake. While my friends husband turned to drugs, my ex turned to another woman. I will never understand why people get married when they aren't actually sure they want to. Especially since it is THE GUY that proposes! If you don't want to get married than don't ask!

For anyone who wanted to see the quilt that we received from Nate's Gramma as a wedding present, I have added a picture into my gallery on my profile.

Lordylou, that's a beautiful quilt!!

**delurking **

I can't stop by here often or you will throw me off my reading schedule BIG TIME! Great start for the year.

** scurrying back into the mist**

Hi Chelle, a little late to the party but congratulations to the posting in Nova Scotia. Once you get there and start to appreciate the natural beauty of the area you may want to visit the Cape Breton area and THEN I've got a book for you, one of my favorites from last year No Great Mischief by Alistair McLean.

*smooch* for being posted in such an ***awesome*** place! The Bay of Fundy!! In easy driving distance!! ::envyenvyenvy::

Hi Chelle. i caught you remark on Darryl's thread, and thought to stop by to commiserate on your TMJ attack. I've had more than my share in the past, but luckily was able to solve the problem with dental work and a clever chiropractor. It's a miserable kind of pain - I hope your current situation resolves quickly.

And yay for the posting. It sounds like a beautiful place to live.

Oh, what a beautiful quilt, Chelle! Lucky you!

I second Brenzi's recommendation for No Great Mischief. I absolutely loved that book. May I also suggest Latitudes of Melt by Joan Clark which has a similar feel though set in Newfoundland?

Gorgeous quilt, Chelle. Will you sleep under it or hang in on a wall? (I vote for sleeping under it, myself, because I love the idea of something so beautiful also serving a centuries-old purpose, but I understand that will add to the wear-and-tear.....).

So much to catch up on - that is a beautiful quilt!

Hi Chelle!
The quilt is amazingly gorgeous! Love the pattern AND the colors... a beautiful and thoughtful gift!

No Great Mischief - me too! I loved it too. I love all Canadian books with a strong sense of place... I wish we were moving to the Maritimes! Many of my ancestors are from that region and Quebec. O Canada!

Well, Maine is heavenly too! ;-)

Nova Scotia is great! Close to urban places, but not so close that you won't be able to get out and roam and discover new cool stuff. I've been to Halifax twice (both times for weddings) and really liked what I saw of it.

Re your friend -- that's heartbreaking for her. A friend of mine went through something similar; her husband literally just vanished one day. Turned up somewhere in Latin America. Some kind of psychological problem that causes him not to really grasp who he is. She was working on book #4 at the time, and it was a bit of a nightmare. They tried again (with psychiatric help) but he was adamant that all of a sudden he no longer wanted to be married to her. It was a complete, overnight personality change. Who knows whether drugs, or booze or some other event, or a psychological break with reality triggered what your friend is going through, but it does sound as if it was utterly unexpected & perhaps not the normal kind of marital problems that grow & escalate over time.

At least you'll have a new place/new home to look forward to as you help your friend through this!!

Thanks Amber! We are quite taken with it as well!

Hi Chéli! Hope you visit again sometime!

Hi Bonnie! I hope that we can take a weekend trip to Cape Breton sometime this summer! I've never had a chance to go there yet. I'll keep your book suggestion on hold until I visit :)

Smooches Richard!!

Hi Judy! Sorry to read that you are a TMJ sufferer too. Mine has come on strong over the last year, mostly caused by stress which causes me to grind my teeth. It's been bad over the last couple weeks but yesterday and today has been the worst ever. I need to visit my chiropractor this week. Hopefully once my stress level goes down this will ease up.

Thanks Stasia! We feel lucky! :)

Thanks for the book recommendation Monica! I'll check that one out

Hi Ellen! I would LOVE to sleep under it, unfortunately we have a rather large beast of a dog who sleeps with us. I think I'll probably hang it in the guest room and let sleepover guests use it when they visit. I'm afraid of dog nails wrecking it

Thanks Heather!

Thanks Cee!
I'm trying to read more CanLit too so I'll have to check out those two books!
I've never been to Maine, but I think we will be closer now if we decide to take a trip there :)

Hi Suzanne! I think we will be about 1.5 hours from Halifax which will be great for some day trips. I can't wait to live near the ocean, it's been a dream of mine!
I spoke to my friend today and she is hanging in there. It's tense but they are talking. Dunno what's in store for them. It's amazing how quick people can change though

***
Well I am just exhausted! A full day of house improvements and then a full night of helping my parents with their new business. They just bought a stamp company. (stamps for crafts, greeting card making etc) 4 hours of packing orders and printing off labels and now I am pooped!!
Early to bed for me!

Following the discussion on east coast writers. I second Alistair MacLeod's No Great Mischief. Nova Scotia's storytellers are some of the best in the world, IMO; their gift seems to be innate, and all their own. Beatrice MacNeil's Where White Horses Gallop is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

we have a rather large beast of a dog who sleeps with us ---- aaawwwrr. We have a tuxedo cat who sleeps with us and I know the havoc it can wreak with bedding. Still, I wouldn't have it any other way.

It sounds like your parents bought themselves and you a stamp company! :-)
And it sounds like fun to help them with it.

Where White Horses Gallop was an excellent read, Chelle. One writer that I would caution you about is the author of Mercy Among Children by David Adams Richards. He's an Atlantic writer, and while I was glad that I read his book -and he has written many other, David Adams Richards is one long -winded depressing writer. ;) Just my opinion. I did give the book 4 stars at least , but man it was a slog of a read!!!

Random Passage (book 1) and Waiting for Time (book 2) both written by Bernice Morgan are historical novels about Newfoundland. Loved them both! In fact they are favorites of mine. Would recommend them in your Canadian reading.

ETA: It appears from the LT ratings that book 2 did not reach the heights of the first one... but it answered a lot of questions and was still quite good imo. :)

Claudia, I had no idea there was a sequel to Random Passage! I really enjoyed that book. I will have to try to find Waiting for Time.

Hi Chelle, I'm starting the new year just the way I ended the last year -- behind on threads. I enjoyed your comments on The Tiger's Wife and on Hurricane Story.

So excited for your move! Congrats to you and your husband. Can't wait to hear more about it.

Charles Bruce is another author I read during a brief flirtation with Maritime Provinces Lit, eons ago.

216 Thanks Nancy! I'll add that one to my list too! I could potentially have extra time to read this summer so I'll remember that one :)

217 haha Ellen I was helping them in return for painting assistance this week! ;)

218 Thanks for the heads up Deb! I'll skip that author for now because I don't need anything drepressing while I'm this stressed out! Maybe I'll save him for the summer so I can read it in the sun! Hard to get depressed while laying on the beach in the sun!

219 Thanks for the suggestion Cee! Those will go well in my 12 in 2012 Canadian Category!

221 Thanks! Anne! LT is moving at the speed of light these days so don't feel bad about being behind! I can barely keep up with my own some days!

222 Thanks Suzanne! I've got a great list of Canadian writers to check out now!
***

Sooooo Hi friends! As you can probably see not a lot of reading has been done lately by me. I'm in a bit of a book funk, sad to say. I've been trying to make my way through World War Z but it hasn't really been able to grab my attention since I have about a billion things going through my head right now. I think I will switch to something fluffy and easier to read until I move and I can get back to normal reading levels!

Chelle just stopping by to say hi and advise you to dump the clunkster and read something more to your taste; life is too short and you'll be busy enough shortly!

Chelle- Maybe you might need something fluffy at this point but make sure you return to World War Z. It's a hell of a book. No zombie book like it.

Hi Paul! Glad to have the kiddies back to school now?
I have a couple fluffy books that I might pick up ... I'm currently wasting time at work staring at my resume (but not actually doing anything to it) and house hunting. I probably should read but meh ...

HI Mark! I will for sure come back to it, even Nate liked that one and it's hard for me to get him to read sometimes! he stole it from me on our cruise or else I would have finished it in december!

>215 ChelleBearss: re TMJ, it was a real and many-years-long struggle to diagnose and then treat. And yes, I too grind my teeth - in fact, I'm getting a night guard within the week. It's much less icky than the one I remember from my teen years.

Before we ascertained the cause of all my muscle spasms, etc., I'd broken two teeth just with the muscle tension! It turned out my lower teeth had actually tipped in, and were no longer supporting my bite, which was what the orthodontia corrected. That permanently solved a lot of the problem (or as permanently as we can hope for in our lives).

So good luck keeping your tension low (ha, with a move, of course).

wow, that's quite the ordeal Judy! Hopefully you are better now and pain free.

I'm starting to have pain in certain teeth and in the jaw joint that I can feel in my cheeks. It started being really bad last fall and getting worse by the day. I'm going to have to visit the dentist before we move. I tried to see my doctor but he is already booking into March! (Oy, don't get me started on health care ;)

4) The Drop by Michael Connelly
Read for 75 books in 2012, 12 in 2012:Category #5) Oooh something shiny!: Books I randomly pick up

For the first 200 pages I was sure I had read this book already. I started checking online to see when it was published and since it just came out I could not have read it. Yet I felt like I knew too much of what was starting to happen, how could that be possible? Well once I looked at a couple reviews it clicked, the book flap! There is way too much information in the publishers blurb! I had read the blurb a couple times online before I bought it and then by the time I read the book I knew what the first few chapters would be about! Note to self: don't read the book flap on books that I already plan to buy!

Once I got over my déjà vu I continued to read the book and it's a classic Bosch story: first class officer with a partner that he tends to leave out of the loop, tension between Bosch and the "higher powers", amazing police work catching criminals that otherwise might have gotten away.
While the books are not terribly hard to read and are pretty much mind candy for me, I will continue to read them and love them as long as Connelly continues to write them!
3.5*

Just stopping by to say hi and I hope you have a good day Chelle!

I wish I'd put a "Something shiny" category in my 12 in 12 as well!

I love the quilt - what a great gift.

Awesome quilt, Chelle, and awesome orders to move to Nova Scotia. I wish someone would order me to move there. Lol. Maybe if you planned an LT meetup I would have an excuse to visit. Hint, hint! My passport is in the renewal process so I can be ready to go anywhere on short notice.

I'm already looking forward to the pictures. Good luck with your move.

I totally agree with Paul in >224 PaulCranswick:. I see no point in continuing books that are not working for you.
I just failed to follow my own advice and just ended up resenting the time I spent on the book
that I did not enjoy.. move on and let go.. do it for you :)

>228 ChelleBearss: Yes, I think you should get to your dentist soon. Facial pain is really difficult to get your mind off. Sorry this is acting up, but it's not like you have no stress right now, is it?

Hi Brit!

Thanks Susan! I think that category is going to help me with my overflow of books that don't fit anywhere else!

Hi Donna! I officially order you to move to Nova Scotia! (Did it work?)
Thanks for the quilt comment, I am rather fond of it and wish it wasn't sitting in it's fancy quilt bag. Hopefully I can put it out when we move.
Glad you have that passport ready, Halifax would be a great place for an LT meetup!

Hi Kath! The thing is, I really want to read that book! lol I just can't get my head into it right now. Once my brain is not bogged down with 50 million other things I will come back to it.

Thanks for the suggestions Judy! I'm going to see about some appointments for my days off. Hopefully this goes away soon
****

Soooo Nate and I have been talking about what I should do when we move. I'm entitled to unemployment for a bit but at some point I should start looking for a new job. The only problem is I don't know what I want to be when I grow up!! I could stay in my current profession (police dispatch) but it's shift work and he is a shift worker and we want to have kids at some point. So I think I am going to maybe take some courses and try and find something else. Nate thinks I should try and find a library job somewhere, which is actually kind of a good idea.

What do YOU want to be when you grow up??

Well, Chelle, when I grow up, I want to be a professional reader, but if nobody wants to pay me for that, I'd try to work in a library or a book-shop.
ETA I'm actually all grown-up already and quite happy with my profession.

I've already done what I wanted to do when I grew up and left it for Charlie. But a close second for me was always to be a florist, which is nuts, since I don't like growing things and I'm not fond of arranging them. Really, I want to be a flower delivery girl. I mean, think about it; you'd get to spend all day delivering lovely surprises to people, brightening their day, or, at the very worst, delivering sympathetic comfort in the form of beautiful bouquets. Sounds fantastic to me.
Also, a librarian, of course. But again, not really. I don't want a library science degree at all. I just want to re-shelve books all day. Seriously. Just re-shelving books, all day, lost in the stacks, putting books in their proper places. Sigh. Heaven.

Monica, is there such a thing as a professional reader?! How can I sign up to do that!! :)

Amber, I don't want to work towards a degree (I really really hated school) but I think a librarian's assistant or something like that would be decent. I could be that person that does story time or wanders are the library straightening up and putting books away

I actually found out that the Nova Scotia library system has a book mobile! They deliver books to institutions like daycares and seniors centres. That would be a cool job, driving around all day delivering books to people that can't get to a library.

What do YOU want to be when you grow up??

I love being a nurse but I would also like to do something with animals.........zoo, vet tech. Even something with horses, working at a stable -grooming, exercise etc.

#239

You don't want to go down the horse route. Pain in the neck, they are ;) nothing but trouble (says she who works with, and owns one).

Firstly, congrats on the posting, it sounds very exciting.

When I was a kid I wanted to be the obligatory teacher (don't we all at some point?) but then for years it was audio engineer. I would still love that job I think but my dream job is painter (I only do it in my spare time currently) and my other dream job would be to own my own 2nd-hand bookshelf/cafe/gallery - one day...

#240 Oh I know, had an appaloosa she was a real trip! Exercised a Quarter :) all upstate NY.........
love being around them....hard work, pain in the neck and all.
Wouldn't own one now but spending time or helping out would make me happy. :)

Grow up? Why?

For library stuff, I'd think about a degree -- even if you hate school, you'd be doing this for a purpose, not just because it's the next logical step. And it would give you much more flexibility and job security... You might also try bookstore work?

Chelle, that's fun that there is a bookmobile in your new home to be area. I could totally see you in that job. When I was still in school, I worked p/t in a bookstore. I really enjoyed it then and I bet that I would now. However, I don't think it pays that much. And like Lit Chick aka Nancy says - why grow up? ;)

5) Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
Read for 75 books in 2012, 12 in 2012:Category #5) Oooh something shiny!: Books I randomly pick up

What can I say about this book other than it's pure mind candy! I just love the Alex Cross novels and this one was as good as some of his earlier Cross novels. Eighteen books strong and this series is still one of my favorites!
4*

Hi Kara! Doing something with animals would be so great, but I would always want to take them home with me at the end of every shift. I doubt Nate would approve of the zoo I would create in our house!

Thanks Leonie! We are getting excited for the move!
I wanted to be a teacher at one time too, then I realized I really don't enjoy other peoples kids enough to do that!

Nancy, I have made it to 30 years without growing up... I guess I shouldn't bother to start now eh? ;)

Suzanne I wish I had the dedication to go to university but since I am getting married this year and plan on starting to try for a baby in a little over a year, I really don't think I could give the dedication that it would require. I would like to go take some short course though, maybe a computer course or something.

Hi Deb! I would love to work in a small book store or maybe even own one some day! It saddens me to think of the difference in paycheque, but I also need to account for the difference in lifestyle as well. I'm sure there is a difference in stress level between a police dispatcher and a book store employee! ;)

Hi Chelle, I did the 75 Challenge last year but didn't get around too much on the threads as I have to use the computer at the local library and we are down one vehicle. I have promised myself I am going to be on LT often this year though, why? cuz it makes me happy! so I am trying to go through every thread and re-aquaint or acquaint myself with everybody. I agree with scaifea, I could re-shelve books all day and never get tired of it. I would need time to read the back or fly-leaf though so I would know if I needed to add it to my TBR pile. Since I just raised a litter of nine American Bulldog puppies and gave one away that I shouldn't have, I should have kept him, but we have two adults already and two mini-dachsunds (I am still crying every day and he's been gone for almost two weeks)I no longer want to work with animals. When and if I get past this sadness I will volunteer again at our local animal shelter to walk the dogs there as they wait for forever homes. But isn't there something I can do that involves reading books of my own choosing? I know, probably not.

Thanks for the message Mary Beth.
You can find my new thread here
http://www.librarything.com/topic/130813