Maggie1944 reading in the rest of 2013

I finished reading The Ocean at the End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman and completely enjoyed it. Gaiman has a talent for capturing the thinking of children without being sentimental or too sweet. In this book, he explores the mind of a 7 year old boy enjoying the wonders of a natural environment and some quirky neighbors. Or at least that is how I read it. I know others read it differently. Might be a bit of a horror story; or maybe it is intended to be a fantasy. It is a short read, so read it and see what you think.

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Glad you enjoyed it, maggie.

Thanks for stopping by my new thread, MrsLee. Yes, I did like it. Gaiman does seem to know how to re-enter the kids heads. Felt very much like some of my summer days in places. Other places, not so much.

I enjoyed it too!

Me, too! Glad it hit the spot for you, Karen.

Wednesday, July 31, I had my first cataract surgery. My left eye which had been near sighted is now good for far distance; my right eye which was badly near signed and with astigmatism, is still the same as it was not "fixed". It does not read very clearly. I am handicapped with reading until I get the second eye "done" and some new reading glasses prescribed. sigh.

I can read a bit, but not for any length of time. So I'll occasionally post a review but they will be ERs I feel obligated to finish first, and then maybe some one or two others. But not much chatting.

Maggie, speedy recovery, and I hope you can fix the other eye, soon.

Me, too, Janny. Me, too. I can stand a few minutes on the computer, but I have not made it through more than a page or so in any books since Wednesday. I'm quitting for tonight, right now. Seeing fuzzy is headache inducing!

Second cataract surgery scheduled for 8/13, Tuesday. If my experience is a pattern I will be happily seeing everything except books clearly by 8/15. Then I'll go get some reading glasses. I should be good to go before Labor Day. Horray!

My brother found that interval between the two eyes being done a bit frustrating. But mostly he was excited about how much he could suddenly see. He had minimal vision left before he got his cataracts removed, and he was only in his early 40s.

Yes, I am quite in a hurry. I love how clearly the first eye now sees after the surgery just last Wednesday. I am quite ready to see better, and to use my camera with both eyes seeing well. Thanks for your reassuring comments, Sylvia.

I come from a family where vision can't be taken for granted, so I take an interest in other people's eye experiences. I'm glad you don't have to stay "lopsided" too long before your next surgery.

One year ago, I had a three-month lag between cataract surgeries, and it was very difficult. After the first month I paid to have one lens in my old glasses replaced with plain glass so I could at least watch a movie. Reading was tough. I tended to read with one eye shut. When it was all over, though, and everything settled down, I was very glad of the results.

both of my parents had macular degeneration so I've always been very paranoid about my vision. I'm dreading needing cataract surgery, but I know it's coming

Sylvia, thanks for your checking in. I am so glad, too, to be able to get this second eye done. I am typing pretty blind right now as the good eye is good for distance, and I do not yet have reading glasses which help my bad eye enough.

Meredy, yes! You are right... waiting is not pleasant. I am excited for the next surgery even though I am seriously inconveniencing family and friends to "take care of me". Seriously, no taking care is necessary but the medical people, in an abundance of caution, insist.

I am also a bit paranoid about my vision as I've had problems all my life, although not of the serious nature of which you speak. I am here to say that the advances in technology has made the replacement of cloudy lens much, much smoother, simpler, and easier than historical it has been. I understand your nervousness and I just want to say do not delay speaking to a doctor who may be able to help alleviate some of these concerns.

I am so looking forward to better vision!!!!

That's coming up soon, Karen - one week. I bet you're looking forward to it!

Joe, You are so right! I am tired of fuzzy letters on whatever I read. But the good eye and the sharp landscapes do please me. Looking forward to it!

My two new eyes are healing well, and I'm back to reading some with cheap reader glasses. I love the sharpness of the outside world; and am coping with new reading habits. I've already misplaced one pair of readers, need to go home later today and hunt for them.

I finished it! I completed the reading of - Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune.

As a frequent reader of popular histories and biographes, I eagerly jumped into this book of the very eccentric Huguette Clark, heiress to a large fortune from her father's early 20th Century mining in Montana and Arizona. By the end of the 20th Century this quirky, and to some people charming woman owned several homes which she spent money on maintaining but which she never used. She collected antique dolls. She had elaborate and authentic doll houses made to illustrate fairy tales. She also was an artist, spent her considerable fortune to support illustrators in France, and took elaborate notes on her own photography.

The book started out being a healthy romp through early 20th Century American history and told of Ms. Clark's father's rise as a mining entrepreneur and a U.S. Senator. At about half way though it leaves this narrative and begins to tell Ms. Clark's own unique history, a much more personal and unusual tale. In the end, she lives several years as a hermit, living in a room in a hospital in New York City. At her death, 19 far removed relatives attempted to challenge her will in which she left her wealth to a nurse, a lawyer, an accountant, and some other close associates as well as to several charities. I'll not spoil the story by reporting whether they were successful. I can happily recommend this book to people who enjoy reading American history, and some of its more bizarre stories. This is one. In the end, I am not sure I would have liked Ms. Clark, but I have certainly have enjoyed knowing about her.

Glad you're adjusting to your changed eyes!

Thank you, Sylvia. I have started my next book, Under the Banner of Heaven, which is my book group's next book; however, I can only read for limited amounts of time at one sitting. That is frustrating but I assume it will improve.

I forgot to update the list:

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune

Now, back to Under the Banner of Heaven

>20 maggie1944:: Under the banner of heaven is on my tbr pile. I look forward to your thoughts on it. Hope that you are able to read for longer periods as your eyes adjust.

Claire, thank you for your good wishes. I am hoping that this will be true, too. The eye doctor said that the eyes will take about a month to settle down and then I can go to the optomitrist and see how the vision has become and then I can get a prescription pair of reading glasses. Meanwhile I'm working with these drug store readers which merely magnify.

So far, so good. I've not yet spent much time with the camera. That will be interesting.....

Nice review of Empty Mansions, Karen. I'm not sure it's my cuppa, but it might be Debbi's. She likes biographies and strange but true tales.

Joe, I think Debbi might enjoy it. Let me know if she does read it. BTW, I have The Language of Flowers sitting beside my bed, waiting for my "reading eyes" to be back! Let Debbi know I've not forgotten her rave review of it.

Will do, Karen, and I'll let her know about Empty Mansions.

Great. Thanks.

Finally, I have Under the Banner of Heaven on a new Kindle. My old Kindle died. It is not available on Nook. I bought a new Kindle and had a devil of a time 1. connecting to my Wi-fi here in my house; and 2. downloading a copy of the book. Dang. But I am happy now. I can enlarge the font and can read it with little effort. I just finished a bunch of pages and am taking a break. I still think I will read more slowly than I am accustomed but I will do what I can between now and the second Monday of the month (book group night).

The book is so depressing. These fringe Mormans who believe that they have the ability to speak for "God" and who think women are to be breeding cows, nothing more. They rape the girls at early ages and keep them totally subjugated, kind of like they were living in Hitler's Germany and in concentration camps. And the frustrating thing about this: it is going on right now, in more than one state in the United States of America, and in Canada, and in Mexico! These people use "freedom of religion" to justify their reprehensible behavior and have won in court more than once. So far the couple of law enforcement officers who dared to challenge this were voted out of office. Arg! Grrrrrr! and **stomping feet**.

I'm just at the beginning of the book. I should be able to read it with my in process of healing eyes, but I don't know if my stomach will allow.....

I have finished Under the Banner of Heaven and will hold off with my thoughts on it until after our book group has a chance to meet.

I started reading another Kindle book. I don't know if I will stick with it. I do have an ER book to read: Sarah Turnbull's All Good Things. But I think I have to postpone reading it until after I have some prescription reading glasses. I think for the time being, while my eyes settle down and heal from the cataracts surgery, I will need to restrict myself to Kindle and/or Nook books. I also need to look and see what is next month's RL book group's book. I am under any circumstances looking forward to the three day weekend and I can surely make a decision as to what I'll be reading...

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin

I read The Goodreads Killer in response to a review encountered here on LT, a very enthusiastic review. I agree the book is well written however not my cup of tea. Somewhere in my growing old I've decided murder and mayhem, graphically described, is just not all that interesting. This author writes well, and the book is more of a short story, and I think this is published in order to entice readers to be interested in his work. I wish him well, but probably will not read more of his work.

Hmmm. I thought that last one might be a hatchet job on a well-known competitor to LibraryThing. :)

Might be, I guess, but I have no insight into this type of thing. I think it was more of a riff on how a serious writer might feel about a particularly unpleasant, unprofessional, review of his/her work. There are such things, we know, on our wonderful world wide web.

I have to ask, which Kindle did you get and how are you liking it compared to your Nook? I know you have the Nook color tablet, so it's really not fair to compare those, but didn't you also have the previous version of the Nook, that was just for reading?

Ah, what an interesting challenge: I am quite "hooked" on the Kindle right now as Amazon often has better prices than Barnes and Noble does. I bought the 7" Kindle Fire and I like it a lot! It tells me how long it might be to finish whatever I am reading based on its having determined my reading speed. How cool is that. So I now know that I have finished 40% of Boneshaker. Once I start reading again the time estimate comes up, I think.

I did not like that the on/off button and other "controls" on the exterior are very subtle and hard for this little old lady to see, find, and use. I'm used to the damn thing now so I know if the camera lens hole is up top the controls on the right side. But more than once I'm turned it every which way hunting for the little place to push to turn it on, or off.

My Nooks ... I like them very well. Both. The kids love them! They have downloaded a few games and are quite happy to use them when we have a long car ride, or some other period of time when the TV is not a good option.

Now when I want to buy a book I compare hard back, soft back, used, and e-readers... both of them. I try to pick the cheapest. I really should not be spending a lot of money on any thing except maybe good food. I am quite set on buying into a retirement community in Seattle when the opportunity comes up (when one of the Studio apartments is vacant, which can not be predicted). I'll need a good sized chunk of change to do that so I'm prepping the house for sale, and saving money when I can, so buying stuff is a low priority. I am not good at this.

One thing I do not like about any of the e-readers is that when they sit for a while, either plugged in or not, they will lose their charge and you have to actively use them to keep them happy. That does not make me happy.

Both do well with font size, and light. I've never yet found reading in the e-reader hard to do, except of course when recovering from eye surgery.

Help!!

I've forgotten the name of the site which keeps track of my series books....

http://www.fictfact.com/

Thank you, girl friend!

I tried to add Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None which I think we read in my RL group, and I have it on my Kindle. FictFact acted like it did not exist? Don't know how to use this site very well. Any suggestions?

Like your opinion of the Amanda Knox book and of her present situation. Living in Italy it was headlines all day, every day. I think she confused people as her reactions to her imprisonment were so unlike the norm here. I know her trial will come up again soon here and she isn't planning on coming back for it. What did you surmise from the book?

And Then There Were None had another title at one time. Ten Little Indians

Hi, Miss Kate is it?

When you ask what did I surmise I think you are asking do I think she had anything to do with her roommate's murder. Obviously, I do not have the access to many, many facts and circumstances, but frankly both she and her boyfriend do not appear to me to be the types who would engage in the kind of sexual activities which were evidently the cause of the murder. I think they are both innocent and were caught up in circumstantial evidence + the perjury of the fellow who is in jail for the murder.

MerryMary, yes, I knew about the earlier title and that also does not show up on FictFact. Don't know what the story is.... thanks for trying to help.

That book won't show up on FictFact as it's not part of any series. That's all the site will include even if it has other books listed by the author.

ah, ha! Well, something I saw suggested it was a part of a series but I suppose there may be different ways of defining all that.

Thank you for explaining, Dave.

#23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

I guess this is not the first Steampunk book I've read but it definitely will stick with me as obviously earlier ones have not. I liked that some women were front and center in the story, not shrinking violets, or playthings, or harridans.

Set in Seattle, a single mother and her teenaged son struggle to survive in an environment which does not reward hard work, nor does it make going to school at all attractive. The son in a misguided impulse to investigate his father's and grandfather's deaths goes missing in a no-man's land, and the mother in a risky motherly impulse follows to rescue him. And so the adventures are on....

I laughed when the author had Seattle sitting on the edge of the ocean, which it does not. But otherwise the references to the city were enjoyable. Chief Seattle (really not named Seattle, more like Sealth) had a daughter who lived in the city longer than any others of her tribe and her name (or close to it), Princess Angeline, was used for one of the stronger and more interesting characters. The Smith Tower, which was the tallest building west of the Mississippi for a few years, was also used as an interesting landmark, as was Denny Hill (named after an early settler).

That aside, the story was clever, original and definitely held my attention. I think I read it over just 2 -3 days which is unusual for me, as I have many other fish to fry.

ETA: I will definitely put this on my list of series to pursue.

Hi maggie, Brian from FictFact here. That book doesn't seem to be part of a series. We currently only list (and track) books in series.

Oh, thank you, Brian for responding to me.

I will see if I can find where it was that I saw it as a part of a series. I understand FictFact is all about the series! and I do appreciate that.

Karen, aka maggie1944

Hi Karen. I'm glad your eyes are feeling well enough for you to read more comfortably again. Is Boneshaker set in the future? Maybe the ice caps have melted and the oceans have risen? Tadaa! Seattle now has beach front property! Hmm which probably means my part of the world is all under water.

Hi, sandragon, and no, it is not set in the future. It is set during the American Civil War! Which I often forgot because there were very few clues as to the time in history. I did like it, though.

Now, I am loving Louise Penny's A Rule Against Murder. The setting is an old lodge in the north woods, near Quebec. She does such a good job of describing the perfect vacation spot. And the murder has some interesting characteristics which make it seem quite impossible, but there are more than one reasonable suspect. I guess that's a recipe for a good book!

Ok, now! The deed is done. The youngest of my "charges" has been dropped off for Kindergarten, and my role in their family is hereby reduced to about 1.5 hours each morning of school days + helping cover school holidays and such. I'm feeling a bit blue. Such a huge part of my life is transitioning into a new chapter. I'm sad, but also glad. More time on my hands to do other things such as read. Ah ha!

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin
23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
24. A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny

Ms Penny's fourth book in the series is excellent. I am more and more in love with the environments in which she sets her mysteries. The Inspector is delightful, caring, and smart. The murderer is quite a surprise and yet it was a believable conclusion to a delightful book. I really enjoyed how she made so many of the people in the story very possible murderers, and yet in the end, all of their stories were also very understandable and human.

ETA: I think I am finished editing, although something tells me I'm forgetting some book I read in the last little bit. Hmmmmmm

Almost finished with the latest Alan Furst book: Night Soldiers. It is one of his early books and has less character development but tries to cover a greater scope. Early fascists in eastern Europe, Spanish Civil War, early communist purges in Russia. Oh, my, that was not Kansas, Toto. Looking forward to reading a recently received ER: Women of the American Circus, 1880-1940. Quite different, I expect.

Did it! Finished reading Night Soldiers by Alan Furst. Book #25!

Begins in Bulgaria and is very broad in its coverage World War II. A Bulgarian boy is sent to Russia to study to become a good communist spy, lives in Paris, and then is swept up in the war, not necessarily continuing as a communist. There are several other central characters including a competent American spy. Many of the swirling currents of ideology as well as the military fronts, and the occupying forces, and the resistance fighters are all characters in this story. And I am impressed with Furst's ability to keep such an epic under control. I loved it. I love good historical novels which make ordinary people alive, and sometimes dead, in the cross currents of these violent days. He is also excellent at sketching the atmosphere and drawing some very lively minor characters. I do recommend him to just about any one but especially to those who enjoy historical novels.

Sounds like a more balanced read on a similar theme to my current one: Berlin, the dispossessed city by Michael Simmons. I'm about halfway through -- far enough, and the book is short enough, that I'll plough on to the end. The book itself is, unfortunately, a classic case of the right story told by the wrong author at the wrong time. At the time of writing (published 1987) Simmons was East European correspondent for the Guardian, which may tell British readers all they need to know. The story is the history of Berlin from 1871 to about 1986. The viewpoint is unremittingly Communist Party; nobody else was allowed to do anything right, in the author's view. However, the writing is good enough to make me wish for a balanced history that goes on past the fall of the Wall, and maybe admits that there was a town there before 1871.

Well, thank you very much for giving me a chance to skip that one. Ha ha ha.

Furst is very partial to Paris so I find he writes about the war years there more than other places but perhaps I'll find a book of his which gives me a view of Berlin, too. Berlin during the war must have been fascinating if dangerous.

I really enjoyed Night Soldiers as well, Karen. I'm looking forward to the next of the series, which is winking at me from the TBR mountain.

I have Dark Star sitting next to me along with two ER books (All Good things and Women of the American Circus, 1880-1940), and Songs of Willow Frost. All are very inviting but as long as the glasses and my eyes are dancing and not well at that, I will be using the Nooks or the Kindle. Right now I'm into The Murder on the Orient Express on the Kindle and enjoying it.

Sadly, the RA flare in my left wrist and hand and in my right hand is making holding books tough. Even typing is a little bit of a pain. So, I'll stop, and go read my Kindle. Thank goodness for the e-readers. They are saving my book loving self today.

So book # 25 is Night Soldiers and book #26 is Murder on the Orient Express. The RA flare has quieted a bit although not enough for me to want to do yard or house work, so, really the only thing left to do is READ. Yay!

Books Finished during 2013

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin
23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
24. A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
25. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
27. Buddy: How Far Will a Boy Go for the Dog He Loves? by M. H. Herlong

Buddy was, as promised a bit of a tear jerker, and clearly a "kids book" for older elementary age children, but oh, it was perfect for me just now. I am tired and weary from prepping my house for sale and dealing with the whole "letting go" process. Part of it is, of course, that the kids are growing up. That baby I started taking care of several years ago is now happily in all day Kindergarten, and I am very proud of her. Her family does not need me for hours each day now. I just go over there in the mornings and see the kids off to school, and then I'm "free". So it makes very good sense for me to pull back and go back to the old neighborhood and the less expensive living situation.

The book also has a great deal to do with "letting go" and was cathartic for me.

In terms of a book review, well, it was an interesting story with good details appropriate for kids about Katrina and New Orleans but the writing was not stellar IMHO. If I were still teaching I'd probably pass it along to the kids but my recommendation would be less than overwhelming.

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I see you've read Night Soldiers recently. So have I. I do love the way he tells a story, without the excess emotions which helps me get through the really horrible parts which were all too prevalent at the time.

yes, I agree. I hope my real life book group choses to read his most recent book as a selection for one of the months for next year.

There is an American Authors Challenge over in the 75 Book Challenge group which is "setting up" for 2014. I'm going to try and see if I have books in my TBR piles (real life, Nook, or Kindle) which qualify. This will be a project even just to find enough titles I'll be willing to read:

January will be Willa Cather - Death Comes for the Archbishop ($2.99 for Nook; $4.39 for the Kindle)

February will be Cormac McCarthy - All The Pretty Horses (9.99 for Kindle, 11.99 for Nook)

March will be William Faulkner - I think I'll try Light in August as it seems to be more accessible than others of his books.

April will be Toni Morrison - Beloved seems like a book I've been wishing for - or maybe The Bluest Eye
May Eudora Welty - short stories perhaps as recommended by … someone
June Kurt Vonnegut - I loved Cat's Cradle and may need to read it again
July Mark Twain - I already have a copy of the Autobiography of Mark Twain on my Kindle
August - Philip Roth - I also have a copy of Exit Ghost on my Kindle
September will be James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room
October will be Edith Wharton - House of Mirth for free on Kindle
November will be John Updike - The Witches of Eastwick
December Larry Watson - Montana 1948

OK, now I'm going to go look at my Nook inventory and the Kindle's, too. I'll be back to the used book store at some point, also. Monday's real life book group meets at a store which has both used and new books, so I'll shop there, too, I think.

OK! House deal done.

Two "full price" offers were presented to me, one asking for a big amount of help with closing costs, the other offered enough over asking price so they could handle their own closing costs. So, accepted the second. And I'm moving…. I have three weeks before I leave for Hawaii to do all the packing! Wow. By the first of the year I will be out of my current house.

Yay! I will be crazy busy again. Man! the reading will be suffering, no doubt. But I do like it that I will have made a little money on this house in a time when making money on houses is not all that frequently expected.

Congratulations on getting that settled, and making a bit of money on it! Where will you be moving to?

Wow, that went really fast! Congratulations!

Thanks! I will be moving back to the community where I lived before I started taking care of the kids. They are now pretty self sufficient, and all I do is go there in the morning and make sure they are up and out the door in good order. I can drive from my other place to their place each morning, and bonus - listen to books each day - and then live in the less expensive place. Saving up for that retirement community!!!

MrsLee, it was fast because 1. I worked my butt off making the place look like it was on a TV show! and 2. the market has heated up here, and these little homes are affordable for young couples just starting out. (as long as they both have jobs); 3. I think I picked some good Real Estate professionals to help me.

Wheee! and whew!

So glad you got a good offer for your house! I hope everything continues to go well in the next few weeks.

The American Authors Challenge sounds interesting; you've picked some good books.

Congrats on the offers. Hope the deal goes smoothly for you.

Thank you, very much, Claire and Dave. I'm excited about the Am Authors Challenge for next year, and right now, I'm just excited that Next Year loooooms out there in the future!

I too hope the deal goes smoothly and the move even more smoothly! Thanks for your good wishes.

Here's the latest updated list of books read this year:

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin
23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
24. A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
25. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
27. Buddy: How Far Will a Boy Go for the Dog He Loves? by M. H. Herlong
28. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

Karen, I hope everything works out just as you want it to! And enjoy Hawaii.

Thank you, and back to you, Jean. Hawaii is perfect. Warm, comfortable, no obligations other than to feed and clothe myself, and to be nice to my traveling companion. Sweet.

I met some folks from Florida on the photography tour and they insisted we all know that Hawaii and Florida are not at all similar. I thought that was interesting; also, that they had traveled a very far pace to get to tropical sunshine. Interesting. And fun.

Somehow I can sympathise with your Floridans. The picture I posted in the weekend thread is exactly what our subtropical summer still looks like, and the weather forecast is offering another week of 90--100% rain, which means fog in this suburb.

Another fine book ended: The Hawaiian Archipelago by Isabella L. Bird. A remarkable account of visiting the Hawaiian islands in about 1872 which includes descriptions, and appreciations, of the geography, flora and fauna, volcanoes, oceans, people, food, religion, government, and climate. She loved the people she met, ate food with new to the islands Europeans and Americans, and long time inhabitants. She rode horses as well as the "cowboys" on the islands, explored the volcanoes up close and in my opinion entirely too dangerously. She does represent many of the attitudes of the European and American "settlers" however she also was willing to explore the real lives of the people who lived there before these settlers arrived. She slept in the rough with sheep herders, mountain climbers, and cattle ranchers. A remarkable woman and an interesting book even if I did skip some of the more mundane accounting of taxes, and government, and educational institutions. She did write very movingly of the lepers colony on Molokai.

I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading of unusual adventures, as well as those who love the Hawaiian islands.

So, here again the books I've finished in 2013:

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin
23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
24. A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
25. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
27. Buddy: How Far Will a Boy Go for the Dog He Loves? by M. H. Herlong
28. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
29. The Hawaiian Archipelao by Isabella L. Bird
30. Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein

Heading home tomorrow morning; right now, relaxing and working on finishing Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein. A murder/kidnapping mystery with a fair amount of silly humor. I've finished 60% according to the Kindle.

OK, #30 is Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein. An award winning first novel in a series about a seriously honest cop did please. I am not usually a crime/cops and robbers/ murder mystery kind of a reader although if someone strongly suggests there's a good book, a good story to be had, I'll give it a shot. I don't even remember who or when some fine LT buddy or buddies told me Tilt-a-Whirl was an excellent good book to read but whomever, and whenever, it was a great tip.

An amusing but realistic, and a bit dark, murder mystery does provide colorful, and even multi-dimensional characters in a few short well crafted sentences. The murder is pretty grim but the criminals are even more grim. A satisfying twist at the end gives a good denouement but even better the entire novel is salted and peppered with great humor. Hmmmm a dark, gritty murder mystery which made me laugh a good deal.

OK. Recommended.

Book # 31: The Bloodletter's Daughter (A Novel of Old Bohemia by Linda Lafferty. Ah! A surprising treat! I don't know quite where I found this book, perhaps Amazon suggested it to me for my Kindle, and I loved the picture on the cover. It accounts a true "scandalous butchery" of the bath maid Marketa Pichlerova by Bohemia's Rudolf II's son Don Julius in 1608. Don Julius was crazy, perhaps a genetic result of royal inbreeding, perhaps with schizophrenia. According to Lafferty's fictional account he was alternately "in love" with Marketa and enraged that she was a whore; he also feared witchcraft. Lafferty did extensive research into the state of science, religion (Catholic priests and nuns as well as Protestants), medicine, and folk ways, including women herbal healers who were called witches. There were times while I was reading the book that I felt irritated by her casting Marketa as a girl who wanted to learn science, and who wanted to be a doctor. The author strained my credulity quite a bit but in the end she came up with a very clever trick ending which resulted in a happy ever-after ending which was satisfying. I am pretty sure the real person was murdered but that would make a very sad, and probably unsatisfactory, novel. I liked the book and recommend it to lovers of historical fiction, and maybe those who like a little romance patina on it.

#77. First try I misread that as "a novel of old bulimia" :) -- a great invitation to go back and read your post properly!

Hope the ribs mend soon, and have a great Christmas

Thank you, Glen. And good wishes back to your for a fine Christmas, and the very best for an excellent New Year!

So, here again the books I've finished in 2013:

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin
23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
24. A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
25. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
27. Buddy: How Far Will a Boy Go for the Dog He Loves? by M. H. Herlong
28. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
29. The Hawaiian Archipelao by Isabella L. Bird
30. Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein
31. The Bloodletter's Daughter (A Novel of Old Bohemia) by Linda Lafferty
32. Nicky's Tale - The Adventure of a Lost Mini Schnauzer

A little bit of a "cheat"... a very short book, downloaded from the I Love Schnauzers FB page. A nice book to read to kids about getting lost, and finding a new home. It is a book, and I'm counting it!

Well Anna Karènina should count for at least 4 books, IMHO.
Nice list, maggie. I count the occasional shorties myself.

My Plan: finish The Good Earth and visit Barnes and Noble to find two more short books to read before the New Year hits! 36 books in 2013 seems like a goodly number, averaging 3 books per month. Hard to fathom as I also had cataract surgery, and packed up my household goods, and sold my house, and moved into a Motel. Actually, an extended stay Hotel with a full kitchen, and direct access to the outside so the dogs and I can wander around at 3 am in the parking lot if nature calls, you know what I mean?

I am up way too early Saturday morning and being silly.

Coffee is good.

So, here again the books I've finished in 2013:

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin
23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
24. A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
25. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
27. Buddy: How Far Will a Boy Go for the Dog He Loves? by M. H. Herlong
28. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
29. The Hawaiian Archipelao by Isabella L. Bird
30. Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein
31. The Bloodletter's Daughter (A Novel of Old Bohemia) by Linda Lafferty
32. Nicky's Tale - The Adventure of a Lost Mini Schnauzer
33. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
34. Mossy by Jan Brett
35. {Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow, Kenny Lipton and paintings by Eric Puybaret
36.

The Good Earth is a classic book especially since when it was published so few knew anything at all of Chinese culture, or geography, or economy. She draws a wide brush across all sorts of interesting issues - family, male and female characteristics and customs, agriculture, war, locust, children, old age, primitive houses, and not so primitive, urban and country, and so forth. At times I was detached from the characters and the book dragged. At other times, I was enjoying the characters and the book, too.

Mossy is one of Jan Brett's beautifully illustrated story books for children. There is a turtle who has a garden growing on her back, and for a brief while she is in a museum. Read it and find out what happens.

Puff the Magic Dragon is an illustration of the wonderful Peter, Paul, and Mary song. Honalee where Puff lives is based on a Kaua'i beach, Hanalei where a nearby hill looks a bit like a dragon, and there is in fact a dragon sized cave. The book illustrates the story, and describes how the song came to be. Also, it has a CD with Puff and a couple of other nice folk songs.

Now! I need book #36 so I can say I read an average of 3 books a month. I miscalculated. I must go a hunting....

Did It. I averaged reading 3 books each month, which for me is quite remarkable.

So, here again the books I've finished in 2013:

1. The Last Unicorn finished on 1/21/13
2. Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. The United States of America finished on 1/29/13
3. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi, published 2013 Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13472337/summary/93697111
4. The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan, published 2013, Harper Collins Publisher, Katherine Tegen Books
Here's the book's page: http://www.librarything.com/work/13456843/summary/93570131
I have no idea where The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry came from. How can The Truth of Me lead there?
5. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, and,
6. Anna Karènina by Leo Tolstoy
7. Dead Money by Steve O'Brien *wrong touchstone! ER book!
8. Cairns: Messengers in Stone by David B. Williams. Finished reading on 3/21/13
9. Buying the Farm: Peace and War on a Sixties Commune by Tom Fels, finished on 3/25/13
10. My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, finished on 3/29/13.
11. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope: A Novel by Rhonda Riley, finished early in May
12. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison, finished on 5/12.
13. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman, finished on 6/1.
14. Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, finished on 5/1/13.
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
16. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
17. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
18. Bend, Not Break by Ping Fu
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
21. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
22. The Goodreads Killer by Dave Franklin
23. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
24. A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
25. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
27. Buddy: How Far Will a Boy Go for the Dog He Loves? by M. H. Herlong
28. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
29. The Hawaiian Archipelao by Isabella L. Bird
30. Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein
31. The Bloodletter's Daughter (A Novel of Old Bohemia) by Linda Lafferty
32. Nicky's Tale - The Adventure of a Lost Mini Schnauzer
33. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
34. Mossy by Jan Brett
35. {Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow, Kenny Lipton and paintings by Eric Puybaret
36. The Dark Crystal Creation Myths by Brian Holguin and Brian Froud and others.

Ah...well. I picked this book because I love Brian Froud's art, only to discover on getting it home that he was only the creator of the characters, others did the writing, and others still did most or all of the illustrations. Odd. There definitely is some potential in the book for some good fantasy stuff, but it really seemed like the product of a class of sophomores in art school, with no one really insisting a story be told, from beginning through a middle and having an end. Some in the middle of this book seemed not connected to the beginning or the end. Odd.

I feel cheated. But it did provide me the short book I needed to finish before midnight 12/31/13. So I guess I got the value I was seeking.

I will start a new thread for 2014.

Love reading your reading threads, maggie, as you incorporate so much of life into them as well. Blessings to you for 2014, may you find all the BEST books!

Thank you, MrsLee. I am right now reading Death Comes for the Archbishop and on Audio.com (which I just started this morning) I have The Guns of August. I have a dead tree version of a Faulkner book winging its way to me as I type. I thought I might like a real paper book for Faulkner so I could flip back and forth when I get confused.

I'll go start a 2014 Thread as it seems as if that is what is the thing to do. Here's the link: http://www.librarything.com/topic/163989