Joanne's (coppers') Chap 4 - Shorter Days...

Welcome!! I started my last thread on a snowy day in May. This one I'm starting on a rainy night in September. After days and days of 90 degree temps, now we're having heavy rain, with flash flooding and closed schools.

I'm already missing summer, so here are some fair weather photos from August in Granby, CO:


Sunrise from Snow Mountain Ranch, with mist in the valley


Lake Granby, the shoreline was a blanket of daisies


My two water bugs, Skye in front, Copper behind

January 2013
1. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote (Looking back at boyhood. Heartwarming reread.) 5 stars
2. My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force and Jane Mount Creative people and the books they love.) 5 stars
3. Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott (Thoughts on spirituality and prayer) 4 stars, audio
4. Rutherford (Images of America) by Billy Neumann (My little town) 4 stars, OFS #1
5. Under the Dome by Stephen King (Stephen King's take on Lord of the Flies) 4 1/2 stars, OTS #2
6. The Drowning House by Elizabeth Black (Family secrets on Galveston Island.) 3.25 stars
7. When We Were the Kennedys by Monica Wood (Charming memoir) 5 stars

February 2013
8. Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Obed (Ode to ice and winter fun) 4 stars
9. The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig (Coming of age in 1960s Montana) 3.5 stars, OTS #3
10 Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green (audio) 3.2 stars
11.The Paris Wife by Paula McLain 4 stars, OTS #4
12.My Brother's Book by Maurice Sendak poetry and art, 4.5 stars
13.The Deep Blue Good-By by John D MacDonald 4 stars
14. Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman 3 stars

March 2013
15. A Purple Place for Dying by John D. MacDonald 4 stars
16. My beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor (audio) 5 stars
17. The Dinner by Herman Koch 3.8 stars
18. News from Heaven by Jennifer Haigh 4.5 stars
19. Nightmare in Pink by John D MacDonald 4 stars
20. Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell (short stories) 3.75 stars
21. The Quick Red Fox by John D MacDonald 3.75 stars

April 2013
22. The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner 5 stars, OTS #5
23. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny 3.2 stars (audio) OTS #6
24. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala 4 stars
25. I Could Pee on This by Francesco Marciuliano 3 stars
26. Benediction by Kent Haruf 5 stars OTS #7
27. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 4.5 stars, OTS #8

May 2013
28. A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths 4 stars
29. Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss 4.5 stars

June 2013
30. Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen 4 stars, OTS #9
31. Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz 4 stars, OTS #10
32. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson 5 stars, OTS #11
33. More Mouse Tales by David Koenig, 4-5 stars OTS #12

July 2013
34. Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen 4 stars
35. 50 Rules for Sons by Tim Hoch 3.5 stars LTER
36. Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole 4.25 stars
37. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
38. Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford OTS #13
39. Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell 4.5 stars

August 2013
40. Bright Orange for the Shroud by John D MacDonald 4 stars
41. Tilt A Whirl by Chris Grabenstein 4.2 stars, OTS #14
42. Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner

Sept 2013
43. The Longest Road by Philip Caputo 4.25 (print/audio)
44. Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein 4.5 stars OTS #15
45. The Endangered Species Road Trip by Cameron MacDonald 4 stars
46. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 4 stars (audio)

Oct 2013
47. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny 5 stars OTS #16
48. Lost Cat by Caroline Paul OTS #17
49. Midnight Assassin by Patricia Bryan OTS #18
50. Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean
51. Whack A Mole by Chris Grabenstein OTS #19
52. The Ghost and Mrs Muir by R. A. Dick 4.5 stars
53. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King 5 stars OTS #20
54. Let Him Go by Larry Watson 5 stars

Nov 2013
55. Snapper by Brian Kimberling 4.25 stars
56. One For the Books by Joe Queenan 4 stars
57. Still Foolin' 'Em by Billy Crystal (audio) 4 stars
58. Deceived by Randy Wayne White LTER, OTS #21 3.25 stars
59. Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman 4 stars
60. Someone by Alice McDermott OTS #22, 4.5 stars

Dec 2103
61. Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich (audio)
62. The Given Day by Dennis Lehane 4.5 stars OTS #23
63. Beautiful Old Dogs
64. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
65. Wallflower at the Orgy

What gorgeous photos! They are unwinding my rev'd up brain and bringing me a sense of calm. Thanks for the beauty.

And looking at your book list - yowser! How did I miss #5 in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths? Sorry....bye... off to find it....one of my favorite series.

Hi Tina - thanks! A Dying Fall is a good one! I liked it much better than A Room Full of Bones. That one fell a little flat for me. Enjoy!!

GORGEOUS pics...

I'm glad you liked the Phillip Caputo road trip book -- that was a fabulous book, IMO, too. Even though I had been reading a lot about the Pacific NW already, his take on it was witty and interesting enough -- and the trip through Alaska a big bonus -- that I had a lot of fun reading it. Some people griped that he never really answers the question he asks about America today, but I think that was unanswerable anyway, and it didn't spoil my pleasure in the book.

Following up on the Doig chatter, I just requested an ARC of his upcoming book, which will be my introduction to his writing -- Sweet Thunder. I confess I nabbed it because it's about journalism, and set in Montana, which is a place I want to go to. (the mountains....)

Thanks Suz!

I read complaints, too, that he hadn't answered the question and agree that there really is no answer. I thought he did a very nice wrap up on that subject in the epilogue and feel he answered as well as he could. It was quite an amazing journey!

I keep trying to read Sweet Thunder and the library keeps wanting my copy back before I can get to it!

Love the gorgeous new thread! The Caputo book did look interesting, after I read a review. I snagged Tilt A Whirl audio from a place online. Sssh, don't tell anyone.

I haven't read Sweet Thunder yet because it just arrived yesterday, and I opted to check out Louise Penny instead, but if it is anything like his other books, you are in for a treat!

Beautiful Dogs !! Squoooshies!

Thanks Mark, it was an interesting travel book, but I have mixed feelings about the audio version.

Hi Lori, Today, I once again picked up a copy of Sweet Thunder from the library. I hope to get to it!

Hi Kath, Thank you!

I have been sitting here transfixed by our local news. The flooding in Greeley, Boulder, Longmont, Lyons, Estes...well, I could go on and on.... it's just unbelievable and very, very sad. Some areas had a year's worth of rain in just a few days. The sun actually came out for a few hours this afternoon, but more rain is expected and the flooding will worsen.

And on top of that, the news of the fire in Seaside Park - my remaining boardwalk memories of the carousel and Kohr's and Funtown Pier, poor Seaside, so sad for the people down there.

Joanne, my heart also goes out to the people in the flood plains of CO and those affected by the fire in NJ. This is a dangerous world we live in.

On a happier note, thanks for posting those lovely pictures. Skye and Copper look so doggone (!) delighted. Lol.

43. The Longest Road: Overland in search of America, from Key West to Deadhorse by Philip Caputo

Caputo, along with his wife, Leslie, and two English setters, Sage and Skye, traveled with Fred and Ethel (Fred being a pickup, Ethel a small, vintage Airstream camper) from Key West, Fl to Deadhorse, AK searching for what holds the US together. This was an engaging travel book (Caputo is an author and Pulitzer winning journalist) and I wanted nothing more than to hit the back roads myself while reading it (but the road atlas had to suffice). It was entertaining, informative, and a lot of fun to travel along and share their adventures.

I had read a little more than half the book when it had to go back to the library. Luckily (or so I thought), I had the audio version waiting for me. This is normally the type of book I just love to listen to rather than read. But in this case, I liked the print version better. The narrator wasn't bad but he did different voices for the people Caputo met and oftentimes they just seemed a little too, I don't know, folksy to me. And a Native American sounded like a movie indian. It just bugged me.

But I wholeheartedly recommend the print version. Take a trip across the US from your armchair - this one was quite an adventure! 4.25 stars

Hi Donna, I almost feel guilty, sitting here all dry and comfortable...

And yes, my two girls keep me smiling - give them a lake and they are easy to please!

So glad, Joanne, that you are safe and dry. I've never seen anything like this. So heartbreaking. My school was one of those that closed today. I was glad to stay inside. I wasn't worried about flooding on my commute, but I did worry about rocks falling on 285. Hope you have a great weekend.

I hope your school isn't experiencing any flooding, Anne.

I just saw video of street flooding in Ft Collins just a few blocks from where Chris lives but he assures me they are ok.

More rain in the forecast just doesn't seem fair at this point. Who would have thought just a few months ago that we'd be hoping it doesn't rain...

Hi Joanne - I hope you are not affected by the flooding. It looks awful. Beautiful pics at the top of your new thread. I'm wishing hard for sunny days.

Hi, Joanne ~ So glad to know you weren't flooded out! I was offline for a couple of days ~ power was out ALL DAY on Thursday, and then I couldn't get the wifi to work yesterday, so I wasn't able to get online until today. Needless to say, I did a lot of reading while the light lasted on Thursday. Also yesterday, since I wasn't about to chance driving through possible flooding in my little CRZ (Little Red), and my sister used the SUV (Big Red) to get to work. I'm inside today too, except for a brief time outside in the sun (which has now been hidden some pretty threateningly dark clouds coming in from the north, I think it is) with the bird so she could get some sunlight on her poor feathers. It reminds me that I need to buy a full-spectrum sun lamp for her for this winter when it's too cold to take her outside for her daily dose.

Joanne.
Lovely photos.
Lovely new thread.
Lovely review of Caputo (must seek out)
Lovely weekend wished for.
Lovely four seasons missed in Malaysia.

Hi Beth, No, thank goodness, we are not affected by the flooding. It is an unbelievable disaster, affecting so many people, and more rain is on the way. I'm worried about some people I know in Northern Colorado who live very close (it borders and runs through their property) to the Poudre, one of the rivers that's overflowing its banks and causing a lot of destruction. And no sunshine 'til Monday...

Mary! I'm glad to hear you're ok! That was a long time to be without power. Looking at the time you posted, I know there was a severe hail storm on your side of town later in the day. I hope you didn't have any damage. More rain tomorrow so I hope you can hunker down with a good book (hopefully with power!).

Hi Paul, Lovely post from a lovely man. What a sweet post - thanks for that! I hope you are enjoying a warm and wonderful weekend.

Awwww... Copper and Skye are both gorgeous girls!!!

:)

Awwww... thanks Tina! I'll pass along the compliment to them! :)

Thanks, Joanne! All my family is safe and well, but I had flooding during and after the hailstorm today, and am still doing some mopping up. Glad to know you're high and dry!

The Longest Road sounds like a book I would enjoy.

Hi Joanne- I am so glad the flooding didn't affect you! What a disaster. I feel so bad for all those people. Hope you are making the best of your weekend. Breaking Bad...2Nite! Yippee...Yah!

Hi Joanne, I think my school should be fine, but the roads used by probably 2/3 of the students and staff to get there were/are closed/damaged. That was the case for all those Jeffco mountain schools that were closed -- the buildings are probably fine, but no one could get there. We'll see what happens next week.

It is grey and rainy again -- a good day to stay inside and read. Hope you're having a good weekend. Glad Chris is okay, too.

Mary, I really hope the rain is over for a while. I'm looking forward to sunny skies and 80 degrees next week. It will help with all the cleanup, too. An unbelievable amount of cleanup.

The Longest Road was a good book, Lori. It made me want to travel where they were and see what they saw - the sign of a good travel book, imo!

It is truly devastating, Mark. What we see on our news here is so sad and there are many areas that no one has been able to get to yet. The good news is that it is supposed to be sunny this week and the rain will finally stop! I'm kinda' dreading Breaking Bad tonight. I fear for my favorite character... :(

I saw there was quite a list of mountain schools closed tomorrow, Anne. It poured here again this afternoon. Who would have thought - a rain day.

Hi Joanne, I'm glad to hear you are high and dry because the pictures on TV look absolutely devastating. Keep safe.

Yes, my school is closed again tomorrow. Two rain days for me, and a couple of weeks ago Marina's school was closed because it was too hot. What strange, strange weather.

Joanne, your thread-topping photos are absolutely stunning! I'm so glad that you're safe from the flooding.

The Longest Road just may wind up on my Ever-Expanding List, thanks to your review.

Joanne- I noticed you asked a question about reading Broken Harbor before A Faithful Place. I see no problem with it, since they are only very loosely connected. I liked BH more than Faithful Place.
I am listening to one you might like, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb. It's very entertaining historical fiction.

I'm almost halfway through The Men Who United the States by Simon Winchester, and it struck me that it would be an interesting companion read to the Caputo book. It's history, rather than travel/memoir, but the emphasis is on the same -- on what brought the country together. Winchester is exploring this by focusing on the five elements -- wood, water, fire, earth, metal -- and the explorers and builders and innovators whose work somehow linked the country and made it more than the sum of its parts. He dealt with Lewis & Clark, and has lots of anecdotes about people I've never heard of -- scientists, explorers, etc. Book comes out next month.

Hi Bonnie, Thanks. I think some areas may actually be worse than the pictures, unfortunately. But at least the sun is shining again (for the most part)!

Hi Anne, I hope this isn't indicative of the winter in front of us. :(

Hi Terri, Thanks! I hope you like The Longest Road if and when you get to it!

Hi Mark, Thanks for that. I really disliked The Likeness and so I didn't even try Faithful Place. I keep hearing good things about Broken Harbor and came across a good used copy so I bought it. And I really, really liked In the Woods until the end... Thanks for the audio rec! My current audio is The Fault in Our Stars.

Hi Suz, Oh that sounds very good! I'm on the hold list now - thank you! I need to stop by your thread and see your final thoughts. I seem to be a road trip kick lately.

Joanne

I love your opening photos!!! incredible.

Fall is here and I'm leaving for work today. It would be a good day to stay home and read. Alas, there is too much to do.

Thinking of you, and sending an image of summer, taken from my garden:

Hi Joanne- I hope you are enjoying The Fault in Our Stars. I was a huge fan and it was a perfect audio too.

Hi Linda, So nice to have you stop by and say hello! I love your garden picture - is that a lilac? It's beautiful whether or not! I love the color.

I do like The Fault in Our Stars, Mark. I'm up to around Ch 6. I put off reading it for a long time knowing that so many people loved it. Kids and cancer is not a subject I necessarily want to read about. But the audio is really very good and that was my criteria for listening to it - if the narration was good, I'd stick with it. So, I'm sticking with it.

In addition to the audio above, finished the second John Ceepak book, Mad Mouse, and am still reading The Endangered Species Road Trip. I think I'll start on the new Louise Penny book next.

Joanne
My garden contains six butterfly bushes.
The flower is exceedingly sweet smelling and it does indeed draw butterflies and during very hot afternoons, if I stop and watch, most likely I can find hummingbirds.

The first time I saw a hummingbird, I thought it was a bee, then looking closer, I observed the rapid wing movement and the colors were florescent and beautiful.

Butterfly bushes spread. I began with two and over the years, they rooted and spread.

Nice, Linda! Not only does it have pretty flowers that smell nice, it also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Your story of hummingbird or bee was similar to my confusion recently. Something was hovering nearby in my flowerbed that looked a bit like a hummingbird but wasn't - I had to look it up - it was a "hummingbird moth".

Hummingbird



"Hummingbird moth" (Whitelined Sphinx, photo from colorado birder)

44. Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein

Book #2 in the John Ceepak series. I liked this one even more than the first one (and I liked the first one a great deal). Great character development, interesting mystery, and a lot of fun. A series that doesn't take itself too seriously but doesn't talk down to the reader, either. I wanted nothing more than to just start the next in the series, but Louise Penny calls...

It was kind of sad to be reading this while the boardwalk in Seaside Park burned last week. For me, the books' fictional town of Sea Haven is Beach Haven (no doubt about it, really), but the boardwalk is all Seaside Park/Heights. 4.5 stars

A short commercial note - shortly after I posted here tonight, my laptop froze and then refused to get through start-up. Since I bought it at Costco (3 yrs ago now), I made a quick call to Costco's concierge service and they soon had it back in working order. I'm basically a computer hardware dummy, so having handy (and free) assistance is worth its weight in gold. :)

Joanne, I'm just checking in on your new thread. I love (this will be no surprise) the picture of Skye and Copper at the water's edge.

I tried to read Bad Monkey earlier this month and just couldn't get into it, though I usually enjoy Hiassen's wry humor. I guess I just wasn't in the mood.

I'm glad the Costco folks came through in getting your laptop running again!

It's interesting that you saw a hummingbird moth in Colorado - I hadn't known such a thing existed until I saw one in Germany. Funny to realize I could have seen one at home. They are cool, but also sort of seriously strange the first time you see them.

Funny coincidence... I'd never heard of a hummingbird moth until someone mentioned it yesterday on Facebook. And here it is again! They look really cool.

Tempting review of Mad Mouse. I assume I should read Tilt-A-Whirl first?

Oh, my ~ I've never seen a hummingbird moth (at least to my knowledge). How strange and wonderful nature is!

Am almost finished with Hell Hole, #4 in the John Ceepak mystery series, and I have to say that they just keep getting better and better. I'm in serious danger of finishing the series before a new one comes out, and then what will I do? :) Also agree with you about not taking themselves too seriously yet not talking down to or disappointing the reader with a less-than-satisfying mystery, and I will add that I love the character development that goes on with the two main characters over the course of the first 6 books (which is what I've read so far).

Joanne it is welcoming news that customer service somewhere in the world at least finally satisfies the customer.

Glad that your computer woes are behind you.

Another computer dummy wishing you a lovely weekend.

I have to seriously consider butterfly bushes for my hillside. Are they slow or fast growers?

Ours haven't been super fast growers, but there are different varieties that may grow at different rates. Our bushes are a dwarf variety, so don't get that tall. I've seen some that are six feet or so!

Hooray for Costco and a working laptop! I saw a hummingbird today at one of my 3 butterfly bushes. All of mine get pretty big - more like 8 feet tall - despite getting cut back to around waist high each year. I have two purple and one white bush. The butterflies prefer the white one for some reason.

I'm glad your heavy rains are over, Joanne. Scary times.

Hi Ellen, Bad Monkey is one of those books that you need to be in the right mood for...maybe some other time! I'm glad Costco came through, too. I hate that feeling of panic...

Hi Ursula, So they are in Germany, too, who knew! They are like weird mutant creatures.

Hi Carol - Oh that is a funny coincidence! I wouldn't think they come up that often. You could read Mad Mouse without reading Tilt A Whirl first, but Tilt A Whirl is really good, too. :)

Hi Mary, Lucky for you, there are still a few more Ceepak books waiting in the wings! And I'm very glad to hear that the series continues to be good. I'm looking forward to #3!

Hi Paul, Yes, good customer service is unfortunately, very rare. Companies need to work on that. The weekend is almost over...back to work soon. Hope you have a good one!

Hi Kath, They are pretty!

Hi Jim!

Hi Donna, I'm glad the rains are over too. They left quite a mess. I don't know how people cope with it all, quite frankly.

My current reads are How the Light Gets In and Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe. Also The Fault in Our Stars on audio.

45. The Endangered Species Road Trip: A Summer's Worth of Dingy Motels, Poison Oak, Ravenous Insects, and the Rarest Species in North America by Cameron MacDonald 4 stars

While lecturing on endangered species in his college classroom, MacDonald realizes he has little field experience on the subject and soon sets out to rectify the situation. He sets out with his wife, their two small children (a two year old and 7 month old - can you image??), and dog, in a minivan from British Columbia with a list of species they hope to encounter. They travel through the US to Florida and back up the eastern seaboard to Canada again and home - 4 months and 16,000 miles. There's lots of information on various endangered flora and fauna. MacDonald has an engaging style and writes with humor and honesty. This was a road trip book with the added twist of a treasure hunt. Good fun!

51> (a two year old and 7 month old - can you image??)
Oh, my!
That sounds like a fun book, Joanne. Nice review.

I really like the John Ceepak series, too. I've gone through the first five in the past year and enjoyed them all, though some more than others. Having grown up in New Jersey, I must say that they've really nailed the atmosphere of a Jersey Shore town. I must say Hurricane Sandy last year made some of them feel like "tribute" reads for me, just in my own mind as I read -- the fire will surely flavor my reading of the next.

As for the Tana French books, I really disliked The Likeness, too -- it just seemed totally implausible to me. But I liked Faithful Place and I loved Broken Harbor. I agree that those books are loosely connected enough that the reading order doesn't matter much.

The Endangered Species Road Trip is going on my wish list. Are there many pictures? If yes, I may prefer paper rather than Kindle.

Thanks Terri, I'm finding that the Ceepak books make me a little homesick! Good to know about the other French books. I thought The Likeness was terribly implausible. I kept thinking "are you kidding me?".

Hi Carol, I can't speak to the physical book. I read an ebook loan from the library, but there were some black and white photos included. I saw a review somewhere, Goodreads maybe, that mentioned something about the look and feel of the book being very nice. I loved the cover art which is what drew me to it in the first place. I'm hoping to see it at the Tattered Cover next time I wander over there. They had one on the shelf last I checked.

Hi Joanne- Hope the week is going well for you. What did you think of BB? It was a quiet(er) episode but superbly crafted and probably a perfect set-up for Sunday. Question: How much more can happen to Jesse? OMG!

Oh, I do love butterfly bushes!!! I had them at my first house, but haven't had them since. :(

On my wish list!

I've never even heard of a hummingbird moth - let alone seen one! Really interesting.

Thumbs up for your review of Endangered Species Road Trip (I remembered when I just glanced at what I'd missed from your last thread).

Hi Mark! I agree that this week's BB was rather quiet, especially when compared against the last few. They have a LOT to cover in the last episode! I wish it was spread out into two or three. I was devastated when **spoiler alert** Hank died but what is happening to Jessie now is truly (almost) unwatchable. I don't know what else he can go through. I know what I hope happens but really this could go anywhere. He's been through so much, he has to have a happy outcome, right?? But then, when asked "What is a good ending for Jessie?", I am frankly, flummoxed. I'm so glad we watched the entire series again in preparation for the final season. I'm not sure if I could watch it again now.

Hi Tina, Nice to see you! I'd never heard of butterfly bushes before and I wonder if they grow here. And thank you for the thumb!

Joanne- Jesse is the walking dead at this point! Even if he can kill Walt, (I am hoping for this) but I don't think it would solve anything and he will remain adrift. Walt has destroyed many lives on this show but I think Jesse is the most tragic.

Oh Joanne, you hit the nail on the head when you said what's happening to Jesse is "unwatchable.' I almost jumped out of my seat when they had him watch while they killed...well, you know who. OMG.

I still don't see him killing Walt as much as he deserves to, but I know that's certainly a possibility. Maybe accidentally when Walt goes after the psycho brotherhood? I just can't think of a satisfying ending for him...he's just so sad and terribly tragic...

Um, I know I should know this, but what is "BB"? It sounds like y'all are enjoying watching it!

The Endangered Species Road Trip sounds like a hoot!

Nice review of The Endangered Species Road Trip, Joanne. It does sound good. Woo, that's bravery, taking on a road trip with kids that young.

I'd never heard of butterfly bushes before we got one in our back yard. It has thrived, and yes, butterflies love it.

I've got a butterfly bush in a pot that I schlepped with me from Pasadena in a hot car, but it seems to have recovered nicely. I am wondering if I can leave it outside this winter (under a layer of straw?) or if I should bring it into the parrot/plant room to keep it from freezing.

I'm down to the last two Ceepak mysteries and would be starting to jones a bit if I hadn't been introduced by some LTers to a new series: The Rivers of London.

Hi Bonnie, Oh, wasn't that awful.... We both yelled "NO...." to no avail, obviously. OMG is right.

Hi Ellen, I thought Endangered Species was a lot of fun. It seems like it would be a fun thing to do (sans young children). "BB" would be Breaking Bad. The best thing on TV. Ever. IMO. :)

Hi Joe, "Brave", that's one word to describe it. LOL. I thought it was nuts, but they made it. I can't imagine...

Hi Mary, Wow, lots of butterfly bushes around! I'm not sure if I'd know it if I saw one. You could always call a nursery and ask about it. Yay for having a new series to start! I see it tagged with "fantasy" so I'm not sure it'd be for me, but I'll see what you think of it! I think I have one or two other series lurking... :)

Speaking of series, I'm so enjoying How the Light Gets In! I remember how I struggled to read Still Life and this one just flows.....it's a delight!

Hi Joanne- You liked Safe From the Sea more than The Lighthouse Road, correct? If so, it is still worth reading, right? We have bookstore gift cards, that we will be given, upon arrival at Booktopia and of course we have to buy some books and it would be nice to support the authors that will be there.

Hi Joanne!
I want to read it! I want to read it! (How the Light Gets in)
But first I have to read the one before it and no one seemed too impressed with it. Maybe I'll see if the library has it so I won't spend any money on it.
You have some great reading going on here...

Good grief! Is this the first time I've written anything on this thread? I've been sooo lurking! sorry
Well - I HAVE to say how very much I love those girls in #1! You certainly have 2 beautiful (even dripping wet) and happy water bugs!
I'm not too sure about the hummingbird moth though... interesting...

Hi Mark, I did like Safe From the Sea more than The Lighthouse Road but The Lighthouse Road is still very good. No sophomore slump here and it's absolutely worth reading (and buying). I have them both although The Lighthouse Road came from the publisher - I had won it as a LTER but it never arrived so I contacted Unbridled Books and they happily sent me a copy. A nice publisher too! ...But wait...you get to meet these wonderful authors AND they give you a gift card to buy books??? Does it get any better? No, no, don't tell me....*sigh*... Have fun!!

Hi Cee, Good to see you!! Yeah, The Beautiful Mystery was a little rough to get through but important for the back story. And hey, you might like it way more than I did! My two girls say thank you! They sure do love the water. They'd be thrilled if they lived where you do, with the sand and the ocean. Oh, what a mess that would be! But it would be fun for me too!

Joanne- The gift card is not really free. The registration is a 100 bucks but that comes with a 50 gift card, to be spent at that local bookstore. So between, me and my wife, we will have a $100 to spend on books. Honestly, the DW does not want any more books coming into the house, unless the equal number leave. She's a wicked task-master, but I love her.

Loki loves to run/walk on the beach... but he stays far away from the waves. And he hasn't even found out how very COLD it is... it just scares him, I guess. Thank goodness - cuz he has a LOT of fur! That would sure be a mess! And takes soooo long to dry. I would NOT be having any fun there.

Mark - Well, $100 to spend in a bookstore is a $100 you have to spend in a bookstore. I'll stop by to see what you chose!

Cee - I wonder what Copper and Skye would think of waves? Copper is much braver but Skye is a diver and seems to like getting her head in the water (her mother likes to "herd" the fish in their pond). The cold wouldn't bother them. I bet the salt would though....but, we'll never know!

46. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 4 stars

Most everyone else, it seems, has already read this YA novel about teens and friendship and young love and cancer. The book is narrated by Hazel, a 16 year old cancer patient, who meets Augustus, the future love of her life, at a cancer support group. The story of their friendship and love is irreverent and funny and necessarily sad. The dialogue was great and I thought the ending, in particular, was very well done. The teens seemed a little too together – too mature, too witty, too verbose - to be completely realistic, but as a YA novel intended for older teens, I think it’s a wonderful book. I listened to the audio version which was nicely narrated by Kate Rudd. The interview with the author at the end was well worth a listen.

I love these little banned book trading cards! This is one, front and back, from the Lawrence Public Library. They sell them in sets of 7. The Chapel Hill Library sells their own, too. And they are designed by local artists and support the libraries. I bought a set from each library. My son has last year's set from the Lawrence Library posted on his cork board at school.

Very cool! What a great idea for library fundraising. I know I'd by a set of them if my library sold them!

I have seen those banned book cards, too. They wouldn't sell where I work. . . but I think they're pretty cute!

I would like to have a contest by local artists / students to paint our book drop ( which Laura hates) so we could have something cool. Winners to be chosen by? me? sigh... no, patron vote. But the board is quite stodgy and wouldn't like that, I'm sure. I picture things like a lion or a dragon or? and the mouth opens and swallows the books :)

Hi Joanne- Glad you liked The Fault in Our Stars. I agree with your observations but I got swept up in it anyway. I also loved the audio.
Did you say, you have seen Peter Heller? If not, check him out, when he is in your area. He's a good guy and his new book comes out in the Spring.

What do we do now, Breaking Bad is over? Not to many shows come around, of that caliber.

Hi Joanne. I've never seen the Banned Books trading cards either but I'd buy them if I did.

Hi Mary, I think they're a great! I wish my library did them, too.

Hi Kath, Oh that's a wonderful idea for the bookdrop! I would love to see the ideas local artists would come up with. Much cheerier than the big steel boxes. Boo to the stodgy board!

Hi Mark - I have not seen Peter Heller even though he lives in Denver and has been at the Tattered Cover. The timing wasn't right for me, as usual, it seems. Good to know about his new book. Ah, Breaking Bad, I will miss it.... I don't think there has ever been a show of that caliber. I was so happy with the ending! Lost and Battlestar Galactica's endings were disappointing. The Sopranos was just ok....

Hi Pat, I wonder how they sell? I guess well if there are enough bookish geeks like me out there. :)

My current reads are How the Light Gets In and Stuart McLean's Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe.

I've already determined that I'll never make 75 this year. Again. Oh well. Pressure's off! I should go back to the 50 book challenge so I can actual make it.

Hi Joanne - I loved your banned book cards. I wish we had them at my library. I might recommend that they get on that. I would buy them.

Who's counting?

Hi Beth - I bet more and more libraries start making them for banned book week. I hope so, anyway.

Who's counting? Me! And only me. The neglected books on my shelves are all whispering "me, pick me next, you're sooooo slow".

I only have about 20 pages to go in How the Light Gets In and I could hardly put it down this afternoon/evening. I had a tooth implant seated and another tooth pulled today and it has made sitting at home with a ice pack much, much more bearable!

Hi Joanne - Ouch! I hope your mouth is recovering. I wonder where Penny will take us after How the Light Gets In? Or maybe she'll focus on different characters in future books? I'll be interested in hearing what you think of it when you've finished.

I saw an interview with Penny somewhere on the Internet the other day. The interviewer asked her if she'd like to give any details of the next book, and she said, "No." I guess we'll just have to wait until she starts making a few.

Louise Penny has a monthly newsletter in which she often says that she makes a deal with her readers....she won't disclose the details if they don't. She does not want to give spoilers. I definitely agree with her on this one ... I detest people telling me what happens in a story...I want to read it and be surprised for myself.

47. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny 8 stars

I can't get over how good this latest was. The last 200 pages just ripped along - I didn't want to put it down. Thank goodness I didn't have to! Now I'm waiting my turn with the audio version.

Hi Beth - Oh I LOVED How the Light gets In! It was perfect. I'm hoping we get some background on Ruth. And Clara and Peter will be due to reconcile, or not. I'm feeling better, tonight, thanks, although I probably should have worked just a half day today. I came home and took a nap - unheard of for me!

Hi Lori, I was just happy to read that she was working on another book! :)

Hi Tina, I love her newsletter and FB posts. And I'm glad she's done with her book tour so she can get back to her book!

I'm with you on How the Light Gets In, Joanne. I actually was late getting home because I was in the last 100 pages when I got off the train and sat right down on a bench to finish. No way I was stopping.

I'm glad to see that you liked How the Light Gets in as well as I did!

Hi Joanne - I'm glad you liked How the Light Gets In -- my only worry is, how will she top this? You're going to listen to the audio, too?

Have a wonderful weekend.

What's next on the reading list?

Hi Joe, I may have done the same thing if it had come down to that! I think my husband thought I was napping all afternoon when I was actually sitting on the bed in the spare bedroom, blissfully engrossed. Quite a page-turner!

Hi Kath, Oh it was SO good!!

Hi Beth, I don't know. Her books always seem to get better and better but this one will be tough to beat. I LOVE listening to Ralph Cosham narrate the Three Pines books. It's a different experience. And he'll pronounce all the French correctly! :) A year or so ago I listened to Cosham narrate Watership Down. It took me a while to get used to Hazel (a rabbit) sounding quite a bit like Gamache.

I think I may start Doctor Sleep. In the interim, I'm nearly finished with an absolute little gem of a book called Lost Cat. Cat lovers will love it. And anyone who has ever had a cat disappear for a period of time will relate.

Okay, please don't ban me, but I was not able to "get into" the first Three Pines book. I just didn't care for it, so I "Pearl-ruled" it somewhere around page 50. From your comments, I'm thinking maybe I should try again. Or maybe I can start with #2?

Oh, never Mary! Here's a not so secret secret - I too tried and tried to read Still Life because everyone was raving about it and I couldn't understand the praise. I just didn't get it. And then I tried the audio. Ralph Cosham is a wonderful narrator and he got me through the next few books in the series. I won Bury Your Dead as an LTER and so I knew I'd have to read it and I did and loved it and haven't looked back. I still enjoy listening to the audios.

And that's why, as much as I love the series, I hesitate to recommend it. Do you listen to audio books? I know they're not for everyone.

You could start with the second one...

eta - And isn't today a beautiful day? After the cold and grey and rain, we have our brilliant blue skies and the warm fall sunshine!

Hah! I did try it on audio, and it still didn't appeal. Maybe I will start with #2 and see how that goes. And yes, it is a glorious day! I took the bird out on the patio and sat in the sun for awhile. Since we came inside, she keeps asking to go back outside. The breeze is just a bit too cool for her, I'm afraid. Honestly, it's so sunny and bright today, you'd never believe that yesterday it snowed if you didn't live through it.

Hi Joanne, oic 8 stars for the new Penny. Interesting. So I guess you liked it. Huh. How odd. Well you can now join the rest of us lying in wait for next August and the next book. **sigh**

Joanne- I managed to snag the audio of Doctor Sleep, read by Will Patton. I've heard very good things about King's latest. I might not get to it, for a few weeks but I WILL get to it.

Hi Joanne!

Start with Book #2 of Three Pines. 1 was not the best... but they get better and better!

Well! It sure sounds like Penny's last book is a winner for many. It'll take me awhile to get to it though... which will help get me to next August (which I don't care to think about right now - ugg - want winter).

Sorry to hear you had all that dental work and discomfort - but it seems to have served a good purpose for you reading-wise. Oh. I'm guessing your teeth are happier now, too. You are so brave!
I needed some dental work a year ago - with all my unexpected physical woes, I am just getting to go next Tuesday to get that filling. Still not looking forward to it... just a small filling but I am a BIG WIMP at the dentist's office.

Mary - I also couldn't finish Still Life and thought that there was perhaps a smallish part of my brain missing since everyone else seems to adore the series so. I now feel mightily better.

Joanne, wishing you a lovely weekend. xx

Joanne, I can't catch up, but maybe I can keep up. I'm glad that you and yours stayed safe through the floods. Maybe Ma Nature will give you guys a break this winter. Meanwhile, take care of your mouth!
I'm another who likes Penny O.K., but I've read only the first 3. I have some more, so I'll get to them eventually.
I've sort of tried to reread The Shining so that I could possibly, maybe get Doctor Sleep for the Kindle. Probably won't though.

I have Still Life on audio waiting on me at my library when I return from this week's business trip. Y'all are scaring me now! ;) I should just keep trucking though if it doesn't resonate immediately though... That's the message I'm getting.

Joanne, It looks like I will be waiting with you, Bonnie, and others for the new Louise Penny to come out next August. I am kind of tempted to begin with the first one and go through the series in audio. You have made the narrator sound very appealing...and I have another cross-stitch baby sampler to do for my Colorado granddaughter!

Wow, lots of visitors - thanks for stopping by!

Mary, LOL, well, maybe it's not for you? But try the second one, you never know! Isn't Fall in Colorado glorious?!

Bonnie, Yes, 8 stars. I'd of went for 10 but that seemed like overkill somehow. :) Funny thing, I didn't read your review until after I finished it but I did see the first line of it where you said something about it being the last book...I was a little concerned about that all through the book but I didn't picture her ending the series! Now I'm eagerly awaiting the next one.

Hi Mark, Doctor Sleep has been delayed but I still plan to get to it shortly!

Hi Kath, I can't hardly wait for the next one!

Hi Cee, You have some good reading ahead of you! I'm NOT brave - I put off having this done for quite a while! Fillings are no fun either - good luck to you!

Hi Paul - Not everyone enjoys the series...just like all books...Makes me think of ones I didn't like that everyone seems to love. Cheryl Strayed's Wild comes immediately to mind. Weekend, was there a weekend....alas, too short!

Hi Peggy! Nice to see you! I have both The Shining and Doctor Sleep on my nook and I thought briefly of reading The Shining again but at over 1,000 pages, decided against it.

Hi Tina, Well, I hope you like Ralph Cosham's narration as much as I do!

Hi Donna, I was thinking of going through the series again too, but this time reading them. I probably won't though. Obviously, I love the audio versions so I enthusiastically recommend them. Another sampler? You are busy! Can you stitch and listen to books? Are they counted cross stitch? I'm not sure I could do that but it would be a nice way to get back into stitching. I have some Christmas ornaments I never got to, maybe I could start them for Christmas 2014.

48. Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology by Caroline Paul

I first heard of this book on the website BrainPickings and immediately bought a copy. They recently posted about it again on their FB page which reminded me that since I had bought a copy last spring, maybe I should read it.

My story - Almost 12 years ago now, the neighborhood stray cat that we had adopted two years earlier, slipped out on a cold January night and disappeared. For weeks we searched and called, wondered where he was, and shed some tears. But as we passed through the stages of grief, we finally accepted that he was gone. We wondered, though, just what had happened. The not knowing was especially hard. I hoped he hadn't suffered. I felt like I had somehow failed him.

One evening the next August, we let our new dog Copper out in the back. She ran to a shrub and started barking. Much meowing ensued. And there was our Smokey. Tangled in the bush with baling twine figure-eighted around him. Was he catnapped? We'll never know what happened, but will always wonder. He never said and was just happy to be home. He never wandered very far from the yard after that and lived to a ripe old age.

Which brings me back to the book, Lost Cat. While Caroline Paul was recovering from an experimental plane crash, her cat disappeared for 5 weeks. When he returned, he wouldn't eat the food they gave him and seemed to dine elsewhere. Her story of this time and her desire to find out where he had been, using GPS, kitty cams, and consulting with pet detectives and pet psychics, is heartwarming and funny and altogether charming.

Her partner, Wendy MacNaughton's watercolor illustrations are whimsical and add greatly to the book.

This is a little book not just about a cat, but about loss and love and relationships and the trust we need to have in those we love. Highly recommended for any and all cat lovers! And if you've ever had one disappear for any length of time, you'll see yourself here. 4.5 stars

Lost Cat sounds lovely! I'm going to look for it. We lost a cat that way ~ my absolutely favorite ever, Spooky aka Pancake (for spreading out over your lap like pancake batter poured into a hot skillet), Mink (for happily riding over your shoulders as you walked around the house), and Goofus (for one clumsy leap onto a tree branch that didn't end well for his injured pride). He left one day and never returned, and, 3 cats and a dog and numerous birds later, I still miss him.

Just a drop in hello!

It was a sweet book, Mary. I love all of Spooky's alias! I'm sure it's so hard not knowing what happened...

Feel free to drop by anytime, Kath!



49. Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland by Patrica Bryan and Thomas Wolf 4 stars

I didn't mean to read this now but as I was looking around in my nook library for a spooky book I may have forgotten about, I came across this one that I didn't remember anything about. I read the first few pages and was quickly hooked.

It's a true crime mystery that began in 1900 when an Iowa farmer is murdered in his bed while his wife sleeps beside him and his children are asleep in the house. His wife quickly becomes the prime suspect and the book covers both of her murder trials. It's very well researched and I liked how the authors began each chapter with quotes from the local papers of the day. Susan Glaspell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, was one of the journalists reporting on the story and her play, Trifles, was based on the case.

Not just a taut courtroom drama but also a fascinating study of rural life and that society's attitude toward women at the turn of the century. And quite a page-turner!

I wonder how well known this case remains in Iowa today?

Sounds like a good one, Joanne. I didn't know Glaspell had written a play based on it, but her short story "A Jury of Her Peers" (also based on the case) is one I remember well from high school English class.

I just got caught up on your thread! Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures and book reviews. I hope you like how the Breaking Bad finale turned out. I was very happy with the ending. Take care!

Hi Joanne - Nice review of Midnight Assassin. I didn't know that Trifles was based on a true story. It sounds like a winner. Is it very spooky?

A friend and I were just discussing our vivid imaginations and how we really shouldn't have read In Cold Blood while home alone...

Hi Katie, If I remember correctly, A Jury of her Peers was adapted from Trifles. I read A Jury of Her Peers in HS, too, but I'm not sure if I would have made the connection if they had mentioned it in Midnight Assassin.

Hi Pirate! Thank you! Oh, I LOVED the finale of BB, too! I was a little nervous about it because I've been disappointed by some recent series endings (BG, Lost). I thought is was perfect. Hope your school year is going well!

Hi Beth, No, I don't think it fit the spooky bill at all even though it was kind of similar to In Cold Blood (which I agree is VERY creepy and unnerving!). But it was still a very compelling story.

#64 - Breaking Bad. The best thing on TV. Ever.
Duh! I should have known that.

Lost Cat looks like a wonderful book.

Interesting that folks are suggesting one start with #2 in the Lost Pines series. I read Still Life and thought it was meh, haven't read the next one even though I own it. Maybe I should do that.

I hope you have a good weekend just around the corner, Joanne!

Hi Ellen,

I didn't really care for Still Life either, and that's why I always hesitate to recommend the series. Since you own the second, maybe you should try from there. Or not....there are plenty of other books to read. :)

I think you'd really enjoy Lost Cat!

Hope you have a great weekend! It's kind of cloudy here this am.

Two pictures from a couple of weeks ago. We've had some wintery weather so there's less gold and more snow in the mountains now than there was then. The second photo is Mt Bierstadt and the Sawtooth.

Beautiful pictures!

Add me to the list of people who thought Still Life was "meh". I accidentally read the fourth book first, though, and really enjoyed it, but then Still Life turned me off the series. Now there is so much enthusiasm for the later books, I do plan to start the series again, starting with book 2.

Beautiful pictures, Joanne. I'm still not ready for the "S" word...

Hi Carol, Thanks! A Rule Against Murder was the first one I read that I really liked - I say move forward from there! :)

Hi Beth - Thank you! I'm not ready for snow either. We've had some cloudy, blustery days lately and frankly, I'd love to have 80s and sunshine again! Soon enough, I guess.

Beautiful photos, Joanne! It is such a lovely time of year.

I am getting caught up here -- I LOVE the banned books trading cards -- what a great idea! I had never seen them before either, but would definitely buy them if I had.

I love your story about Smokey -- glad he made his way back to you, but where did he go?

Glad you enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars and the new Three Pines book. I can't remember where I am in that series.

Hi Anne, I liked The Fault in Our Stars much more than I thought I would and I'm glad that I finally read, or listened, to it!

Beautiful pictures, Joanne. You live in a lovely place.

Hi Ellen, You live in a lovely place. said the woman who lives in a beautiful place. :)

Wild weather here today, an early morning thunder storm (rare this time of year) and hail. There was a couple inches of hail on the ground when I finally got to work. Luckily our early morning outdoor plans at the lake had ended and we just missed the storm.

Summer's over.

But yesterday was lovely.


A beautiful and quiet time of year. The water birds are all flocking. Various ducks, mergansers, pelicans, etc (and gulls). There was a huge flock of pelicans just out of range.

I'm not sure where Business Insider got their info on what constitutes "the most famous book", but this was pretty interesting. I guessed the author of my home state (NJ), but not the book. My current state (CO) was an easy guess and it's probably true. Sorry WA... And I'm sorry I can't get the image any clearer. I bet someone else posted it.

HELP! I've somehow resized LT on my screen (windows, chrome) and I can't figure out how to get it back to 100%. Other web pages are fine... Anybody? I know it should be easy to figure out but I'm at a loss. I'm blaming the cat who is squeezing herself unto my lap along with the laptop...

eta - Yay, I figured it out! Duh.

RE 119: Sorry WA

Well, they did say most famous, not best. :) I am satisfied with Oregon's book.

Here's a link for anyone who hasn't seen it yet: http://www.businessinsider.com/most-famous-book-set-in-every-state-map-2013-10

Hi Joanne- Hope all is well in colorful Colorado! I saw that book state list. That is pretty cool. Your photo is a bit fuzzy, maybe post the link too?

Love the photos ! I heard rd mentioning the state / books thing, so I'm off to investigate the link :)

Hope your day is a good one :)

Can't quite see Rhode Island but it looks like a Jodi Picoult book -- oh dear.

Add me to the list of those left underwhelmed by the Louise Penny phenom. The Big Conspiracy stuff of the last few books is a turnoff for me, and I'm not a fan of her staccato style, with its short/incomplete sentences and repetitions. Not sure I'd take the time to do the audiobook route, although that worked for another series that initially didn't grab me -- the Alan Bradley mysteries. (Flavia de Luce annoys me; if she were my sister, I might well be tempted to strangle her.)

Fabulous pics. In my new home here, all I can see from my desk are trees, just starting to turn (vs all I could see in Brooklyn were peoples' legs, the pavement and the railings...)

Lovely end of summer photos Joanne.

Carol, Thanks for posting the link! Duh, why didn't I think of that! Lack of sleep, I believe...

Mark, Sorry, I know. But Carol did!

Hi Kath, Thanks, day was ok, hope you're having a good week!

Suz - My Sister's Keeper. I'm not a fan either, but I guess a lot of people are. Trees are better than legs, imo. I keep meaning to try the Alan Bradley series, maybe I should try the audio,

Thank you, Bonnie.

50. Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean 4.25 stars

I love visiting with Dave and Morley! Canadian humorist Stuart McLean's stories are often laugh out loud funny and usually heartwarming. All of these stories seemed to have something to do with fears so it fit in as a good October read - not that they are scary, far from it. Some of the stories were familiar because I think I heard them on the Vinyl Cafe podcasts. No matter, they were still fun to read. And isn't that a great cover?!

Thanks again to vancouverdeb who introduced me to McLean's books a while ago.

>118 Copperskye: Beautiful, Joanne? Which lake is that? That was crazy weather we had Monday morning. It was thundering and pelting with hail at the exact moment we were walking through Marina's school parking lot! Yesterday it snowed all day at my school, but there was no accumulation.

>124 Chatterbox: Suzanne, I like but can't quite say that I love the Louise Penny books. They are enjoyable, for sure, and I have listened to or read most of them, but I can't even remember where I am. Having said that, I hoped very much to "find" Three Pines when we visited Quebec this summer:)

Hi Anne, It's Chatfield. I think it's at its prettiest in the Fall. Your weather timing didn't work out quite as perfectly as mine happened to. I hate starting off the day soaking wet. It snowed all day yesterday over at the DTC, too. Nice today, though!

51. Whack A Mole by Chris Grabenstein

Number 3 in the John Ceepak mystery series. I guessed the killer very early on (and I never guess the killer) but it didn't make this book any less enjoyable. It's more about the characters and the humor for me anyway. Three Pines has nothing on Sea Haven as to murder rates.

I should get back to Doctor Sleep now.

Lots of good reading here, Joanne, along with lovely photos! I enjoy the John Ceepak series, too.

I read Midnight Assassin a few years back. I picked it up because of the reference to the Susan Glaspell story -- I had vivid memories of A Jury of Her Peers from a community college English course.

Yes, the Ceepak mysteries are simply wonderful, even when you can guess the murderer early-on (which I was able to do with about half of them). It's the characters and humor, as you said, that make them so addictive. I've finished the series, though (devoured them like a starving woman), and now must wait for his next, which I hope won't take too long to come out. Can't wait to get back to the Jersey shore!

Beautiful day today! Warm in the sun but not too hot. I took the parrot out on the patio for a morning sunbath and a nice head skritch, which she loved, and now am getting ready to go out and run some errands. Enjoy your day!

Hi Terri, I discovered the Ceepak series on your thread - thanks again for that! Come to think of it, that may be where I heard of Midnight Assassin. It's been sitting on my nook for a couple of years, and I know I bought it cheap for some reason - maybe it was your rec, too!

Hi Mary, I still have quite a few Ceepak books to look forward to. Yay! Speaking of the Jersey shore, my sister just sent me a picture from the Mantoloking Bridge that she took over the weekend. You can see the ocean and beach very clearly which is nice but not if you know that there used to be houses there blocking the view. A lot of them. And it was a lovely day today, wasn't it? I went to the library at lunch time just to get out.

52. The Ghost and Mrs Muir by R.A. Dick 4.5 stars

This book was mentioned on the Halloween thread and I couldn't resist. It was a little hard to find (ILL loan), but well worth it. As a kid I loved the TV show, and of course I've seen the movie, but I never read the book. The book (unsurprisingly) was better.

The (to me) familiar story is of a young widow who, seeking to escape the repression of her husband's mother and sisters, buys an isolated home along the coast. The realtor tries to dissuade her from moving in but she'll have none of it. As it turns out, Gull Cottage is haunted by the ghost of its former owner, a crusty sea captain, who is angered that his accidental death was labeled a suicide. He is obviously immediately smitten with her. She learns to live her own life and raise her two children with the help of her ghostly captain.

Romantic fantasies are not usually my thing, but I thought it was sweet and endearing and fun, and it had more depth than I was anticipating. A real charmer!

Oh dear, was it something I said? I seem to be talking to myself... :(

Anyway -



53. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King 5 stars

An excellent sequel to The Shining. Sometimes King's books seem to go on too long. This one was just right. Tense, but not overly scary. It kept me up at night only because I didn't want to stop reading. I feel the mad urge to reread The Shining now.

Current books are Let Him Go and One for the Books.

I'm here! Just don't have much to say...

Hi Katie! I know, I have that same problem! :)

Good grief. I haven't said "Hi!" in a long time.
sorry, sorry...
I've been lurking. *hangs head in shame*

Great pictures... all of them - especially the birds and snow ;-)

I love the Vinyl Café and when I get a chance will look for "Revenge".
Glad to see Doctor Sleep rated so high. I'm getting that for Ron for Christmas... if he is a good boy. Otherwise, dunno. We'll see.

Have a beautiful and fun weekend...

Hi Cee, Oh no, no hanging heads. I oftentimes have nothing to say and so I don't.

I love the Vinyl Cafe books and especially love to listen to the podcasts. McLean is a hoot!

Hope Ron is good and gets his book! :) I'm sure he will.

Happy weekend to you, too!

I'm still number 5 on the waiting list for Dr Sleep at my library...I can't wait!

Hopefully you won't have to wait much longer, Jim. It's a good one!

Hi Joanne- As usual, you are always reading something interesting. That is great news on Doctor Sleep. I have it saved on audio, earmarked for next month? Did you read it in print?
I am currently listening to the terrific MaddAddam. I have become a very big fan of Atwood.
I hope you are enjoying Let Him go. It's an excellent read.

Good morning, Mark! I read Doctor Sleep. It will be fun on audio, I'll bet. As much as I love Margaret Atwood, I was never able to get into Oryx and Crake and so I haven't moved on to her latest. I'll try again (eventually) with O&C.

I had no idea what Let Him Go was about and I love now how the story is unfolding.

Have a great Sunday all! I'll be off to meet with Donna, Anne, and Mary soon!

Yay! It's almost meetup time. ;-)

Hi Joanne, have fun at your meetup. I absolutely loved Let Him Go.

Have fun at your meet up. We expect pictures.

Hi Donna, Bonnie, and Beth!

We had a very nice LT meet-up this afternoon and we even found a very kind book seller to take our picture!

I have to walk the dogs and I have a feeling someone might beat me to the picture posting, but I will when I get back. Although I left Donna still browsing in the TC, so she may be there for a while... :)

Bonnie - I really do love Let Him Go so far!

So nice to see you today, Joanne! I think I beat you, but as is often true with cell phone photos, it looks better when smaller, so I encourage you to post whenever!

Hi Anne! What a nice get together we had! It was so good to see you again.



Here we are, on the couch in the Psychology Section of the Tattered Cover. There is a sign on the wall but just out of photo range, unfortunately. Mary, Donna, me, and Anne. We had lunch and then a great time browsing the shelves.

I bought After This by Alice McDermott, which I've read but didn't own and I love her books so I will reread it and plus it was signed, and also Denis Johnson's Train Dreams. And as I was going to the register, I picked up a box of "Emergency Moustaches" to tuck in my son's Halloween Box that I'll be mailing out tomorrow. They'll come in handy, I'm sure. Also included in his eclectic box was a copy of Junot Diaz's Drown that I picked up in the Friends shop last week.

Oh! Great picture!

Glad you all had a good time ;-)

Great photo of some great-looking LTers! Yah, for Meet-ups!

Today's meet-up was such fun! It was great getting to know you and Anne and Donna, and I'm so happy to have been introduced to the Tattered Cover. I really like that bookstore. I especially enjoyed its sense of humor. I mean, I've never been in a bookstore that had a shrink's couch in the Psych section. Sounds like you brought home a haul. Me? I just picked up a cookbook for parrots (fixing food FOR parrots, not cooking parrots for dinner) and two board books for my niece (9 mos.) who already loves to "read."

Thanks for sharing, Joanne. It sounds like a fun day.

Hi Cee, We really did have a very nice time!

Hi Mark, Yay for this wonderful website that gets us together!

Hi Mary, It was wonderful to meet you! We'll have to get together again soon. The Tattered Cover has a lot of author events, too, and it'd be fun to meet at one of them. LOL, parrot food v food for parrots...

Hi Beth, It was a lot of fun!

I am thoroughly wrapped up in Let Him Go. I went into the book knowing nothing about it other than it was written by an author I like. Watson has established such a sense of foreboding, I can hardly stand it.

"Watson has established such a sense of foreboding, I can hardly stand it."

And now I can't wait to read it, Joanne. I had such a good time at our meetup. I finally got all the books looked at and chose a book of essays by David Foster Wallace to buy. Decisions, decisions. I didn't make it to IKEA this trip. The KC store opens in the spring so I don't have to wait too long.

>154 Copperskye: Watson has established such a sense of foreboding, I can hardly stand it.

Oh yeah, it will knock your socks off Joanne. I found it to be unexpectedly powerful.

Lovely meetup picture!!! Yay!!!

Lost Cat now sits atop a huge and wobbling wish list!

I had to take Still Life on audio back to the library after the job ended ~ no travel / commute time any more. Wondering if I should try to check out the print version since everyone seems to be raving about the later books still. Thoughts folks?

Hi Donna, I hope your return road trip was uneventful! It was so nice, as always, to see you! I only go to Ikea when I absolutely need to which means I've only been a few times. We bought a dresser and desk there for Chris to take to Fort Collins. I think it's more tiring than shopping at Costco, but they do have some really cute children's furniture. And I like their bookshelves. You'll really like Let Him Go...

Hi Bonnie, I finished it last night. Wow.

Hi Tina, Thanks! It was fun! I think you'll like Lost Cat. Personally, I liked the audio version for the first few Three Pines books. The books get progressively better as the series goes on. Lots of people did like reading them so try, you never know, but keep in mind they get better!

54. Let Him Go by Larry Watson 4.75 stars

The premise is simple. Seemingly. It's 1951, in Montana and across the Badlands in North Dakota, a husband and wife, still grieving the sudden death of their only son, attempt to reconnect with their only grandson after his mother leaves with another man. George and Margaret are likable characters and their motivations are, even while this reader was silently imploring with them to do otherwise, easy to understand. Larry Watson's language is spare and the story is relentlessly tense. The conflicts are gripping.

Having just finished a Stephen King book, it was easy to compare the bad guys in that book to the bad guys in this one. These were more real and more scary.

Larry Watson is fast becoming a favorite author for me.

Hi Joanne- Great review of Let Him Go. I loved the book too. I have to read more of his work. I have 2 more in the stacks. I'll try to get to another one, in the next few months.
Glad you are enjoying the Billy Crystal. I have his memoir saved on audio.
It was nice to have Queen Ann stop by my thread. It made an average day, much brighter. Let's hope they pick Colorado!!

Hi Mark, I don't have high hopes for Denver but my fingers are crossed.

I've read Justice and White Crosses and of course, Montana 1948, my favorite. I didn't like American Boy as much as the others. Let Him Go may be my new favorite, time will tell.

Well, I have very high hopes for Denver! OMG, you guys would have a blast.

It looks like you have read a few Watson books. Montana 1948 remains my favorite too. I have White Crosses & Orchard in the stacks.

Maybe I need a more positive frame of mind! LOL! We'll see.

158: Joanne, my trip home was up eventful - just the way I like to travel. Wouldn't it be cool if Booktopia took place in Denver next year? I would sign up in a heartbeat.

I loved your review of Let Him Go. I think I've been saving it for a rainy day. Hey, it's raining today. Too bad I have some big library books (including The Luminaries) to get through first. Your "little" books are looking better and better to me!

Hi Donna, I'm glad you didn't catch any bad weather on your drive. Go Booktopia Denver! We'll see. I gave Ann an earworm (and myself one in the process). "Please come to Denver...." :) I'm looking forward to The Luminaries myself but lately small books have greater appeal.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ALL!



BOO!

I liked that review of Let Him Go, too, Joanne. I just read my first Watson recently, Montana 1948, and now I've got this one on the radar.

Drum Roll please....Just got the Booktopia email:

April 11-13, 2014: Manchester, Vermont in partnership with Northshire Bookstore Registration opens on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 12 noon Eastern Time

May 16-18, 2014: Boulder, Colorado in partnership with Boulder Book Store Registration opens on Friday, November 22, 2013 at 12 noon Eastern Time

August 22-24, 2014: Asheville, North Carolina in partnership with Malaprop's Bookstore Registration date has not yet been announced; it will likely be January 2014.

Yah, Joanne!!

Malaprop's might be doable if it doesn't conflict with some of our start of the new academic year meetings.

Happy Halloween, Joanne! Those are some mighty cute trick-or-treaters in post 165.

>167 msf59: Booktopia in Boulder is a great choice, and the Boulder Book Store is a terrific bookstore! Not sure I can make it at that time of year. May is as busy as December!

Don't know whether I will be able to make one of those Booktopia events as I am planning to get stateside by hook or by crook next year either in the Easter or the Summer holidays.

Have a lovely weekend Joanne.

Hi Joanne - I love the dog ghosts!

Hi Joe, It's been years, at least 10, since I've read Montana 1948 and so it's hard for me to compare it to Let Him Go but I think I liked this one as much if not better. Enjoy when you get to it!

Hi mark - Yay! Boulder is a great choice!! Now I have to see if I can get that weekend to work!

Hi Lori!

Hi Anne, It will be a fun weekend. I haven't been to the Boulder Bookstore in years - probably because I haven't been to Boulder for years. I need to work on that!

Hi Paul, I had a lovely weekend and hope you did too! Easter or the summer holidays? I'm thinking you're going to need to start your trip around Easter and finish it during the summer holidays in order to see all the LT folks who are waiting to meet you! :)

Hi Beth, I thought they were pretty doggone cute!

This week I had started Peter May's The Blackhouse, and although I love the setting and the flashback portions of the story, I put it down after about 50 pages because it was just too bleak for me right now. Anyone have an opinion on it?

So I picked up a lighter book (I hope), Snapper by Brian Kimberling.

I'm also continuing with One for the Books and the audio of Still Foolin' 'Em.

I love the meet-up picture. Such a happy group of LT'ers!

Let Him Go is now on Wish List, thanks to you. :)

Hi Carol, We had a great time, and we were in a bookstore, so really, how could we not be happy? :) I will happily take the blame/credit for you adding Let Him Go to your wish list! It was quite a story.

I'm so happy that I dumped The Blackhouse for Snapper. Snapper is a delight!!

Hi Joanne, I have to say your photos in #1 are also stunning! I love living in the mountains.

Delighted you enjoyed Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe so much. Stuart McLean is an author I keep meaning to get to, but haven't managed yet.

Hi Joanne. I had Snapper out of the library briefly but had to return it before getting a chance to read it. I should be getting Let Him Go shortly. Your review and Bonnie's led me to put it on hold and it came up sooner than I thought.

I'm hoping I might be able to make the Boulder Booktopia work too. My problem is I won't know for sure if I can go until much closer to May and I'm not sure I want to forfeit a $75 fee if I register now and can't go.

Thanks Nancy! Have you listened to the Vinyl Cafe at all? I guess it's on the CBC. I listen to the podcast on iTunes. His books are a riot and so far my favorites are Home from the Vinyl Cafe and Vinyl Cafe Unplugged. If nothing else, try to read or listen to Dave Cooks the Turkey. It's hysterical.

Hi Pat, I checked Snapper out of the library three or four times and just never got to it until now. I'll be looking for your thoughts on Let Him Go and hope you like it as much as I did. I'm having the same problem with making plans for Booktopia. If it was April, I know I could do it, but May is trickier. We still have a few weeks to mull it over.

55. Snapper by Brian Kimberling

Snapper is a wryly funny debut novel. It’s a coming of age story – more linked shorts than a novel – narrated by a very likable Nathan, a grad student supplementing his income by working as a field researcher, counting song birds in southern Indiana. Thoroughly charming and I’m looking forward to more from this author.

Hi Joanne- I heard about Snapper on a podcast, earlier in the year and it sounded very good. Glad you liked it. It looks like my cuppa.
Thanks to you, I was able to record the TV series "The Returned". Actually, I have episode 2 and 3 recorded, but I was able to track down and watch the first one and it was terrific. Perfectly creepy, in an almost David Lynch way. It also reminded me of the Swedish version of "Let the Right One In". Have you ever seen that? It is outstanding.

Hi Mark,

Snapper was a treat! I'm so glad I finally read it.

I haven't had a chance to watch "The Returned" beyond the first episode but I'm looking forward to watching #2 tomorrow (I hope!). I'm glad you like it! Very David Lynch-ish, I agree. I didn't see "Let the Right One In". I'll look for it. Did you watch "Top of the Lake"? That was pretty good, too. Back to Walking Dead...commercial's over...

Have a great week!

Hi Joanne - I got to see Brian Kimberling read from Snapper at the Iowa Book Festival. The section he read was hilarious, and my mom bought a copy. After reading your thoughts, I can't wait to borrow it from her.

Hi Amy, Oh, lucky you! I hope you and your mom like Snapper at least as much as I did. I'm still missing Nathan, the main character. He was such a likable guy.

Hi Joanne, Snapper sounds like something I would like so just like that it is now atop the teetering tower.

56. One For the Books by Joe Queenan

Three things I now know about Joe Queenan - 1) He likes to read, and reads at least 100 books per year. A super reader by most Americans' standards. A bit of a slacker around this group. 2) He's very, very opinionated. 3) He's not planning on reading Middlemarch. Ever.

He's also very funny, smart, honest, and entertaining and this book about books was often laugh out loud funny. Even when he was talking about books and authors I've never heard of much less read, or when his opinions didn't necessarily mesh with mine, it was nice spending time with a fellow book lover. 4 stars

Hi Bonnie, I think you'd like it as a nice break between some of your meatier reads!

One For The Books sounds good!

Just popping in to say hello :)

One for the Books does sound good, Joanne. Onto the WL it goes.

Hi Kath!

Hi Joe!



57. Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? by Billy Crystal

I listened to the audio version which was read by Billy himself. It was laugh out loud funny and fun to hear stories of making When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers, hosting the Oscars, SNL, his long term friendships with Micky Mantle and Muhummad Ali, and just growing old. The stories of his family were heartwarming. Some of the chapters were performed before a live audience. Highly recommended. 4 stars

58. Deceived by Randy Wayne White (LTER)

This is the first book I’ve read by Randy Wayne White who is the author of the long running, and apparently popular, Doc Ford series. I’ve been tempted to try the Doc Ford books mostly because I have a soft spot for the locale which is the southwest coast of Florida, and more specifically, Sanibel Island. Hannah Smith is the main character in this second book of a new series that takes place in the same general location. Doc Ford makes an appearance here as a love interest for Hannah.

Hannah grew up in the area and works as a fishing guide and a part time investigator. When some of her family’s antiques go missing as part of a possible scam, and then her mother’s friend is found dead, Hannah finds herself involved in the investigations.

The sense of place was very good, but some of the writing and dialogue was very choppy. Oftentimes I had to reread a sentence or paragraph to make sense of it. And it could easily have been about 50 pages shorter. Since it was written in the first person, I think it suffered a bit due to a male writer being unused to writing from a woman’s point of view. For instance, at least a dozen times (it was so glaring, I started marking them) Hannah’s new friend was referred to as “the redhead”. Now Travis McGee might think of a woman in terms of her hair color, but I don’t think that’s something a woman would ordinarily do. If the author wanted to make a point of her hair color (but why?), nickname her “Red” and be done with it. Or better yet, use her name or even “the deputy”.

On the plus side, it was a fast read and the second half of the book flew by. I think the writing also seemed to tighten up in the second half. I would recommend it as a good beach read and maybe for fans of the Doc Ford books who are all caught up on that series and are waiting for more. I may give the author another try and read the next one. A Library Thing ER book. 3.25 stars

Like a lot of us, I grew up with Little Golden Books and had quite a collection (most handed down from sibs). I saw this on the TC's FB page - just adorable! And it's a real book.

Awww, I loved The Pokey Little Puppy and so many other Little Golden Books. I just wish I had kept them. There may be a few in the kid's books downstairs but most of them were loved to death!

Joanne, are you at all considering going to Booktopia Boulder? I may give it a shot if I remember to register on Friday. Haley and I go to Story Time at 10:00 and I would have to push it to get home by 11:00 to register. I may take my iPad to the library with me as a backup plan. I would love it if you, Anne, and Mary could join me since it is nearby.

One for the Books sounds entertaining! I'll check if the library has it for after I finish ... Middlemarch. ;)

Hi Donna, I left you a PM regarding Booktopia. That date is a problem for me... :( I have a few of my old Golden Books but not The Pokey Little Puppy for some reason. I also had a 45 record with someone reading it and now I'm humming "Oh, the pokeeey, little puppppy..." Since a lot of my books were hand me downs, they were also well loved.

Hi Ursula, LOL, I have Middlemarch on my nook but I've yet to read it. One for the Book added a couple of books to my tbr pile, but certainly didn't encourage me to get to Middlemarch anytime soon! (Not that he really had anything bad to say about it.)

59. Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman 5 stars

This is the book Alice Hoffman was looking for but couldn't find when she was diagnosed with cancer 15 years ago. A lovely, charming, practical guide to surviving tough times.

Joanne, I lost your thread somewhere along the way and only just found it again. You've done some great reading. I enjoyed reading your comments on the John Ceepak series, since I got into that one because of you. And I've added 'Midnight Assassin' to my wish list; that one sounds really good!

It sounds like you don't think you'll be able to make Booktopia in Boulder? That would be a shame. I'm hoping I can get registered today, but I'll be at an all-day wrestling meet and will have to try registering on my iPad. Not sure how that will work.

Booktopia Boulder!! I'm going!!!! I'm going!!!!! I'm so excited!!

And I'll get to meet you, Julia!! Yay!! (And I'm glad you found me again!) :)

Joanne, I'm so happy you're coming to Boulder! There is going to be a good LT crowd there: you, me, Katie, Donna, Karen are the ones I know of for sure. Now I can't wait until May.

It'll be so much fun! And lots of new LTers to meet!!

Time to start pondering who the authors will be...

I'm thrilled you are going, too, Joanne! This just gets better and better! I am now anxiously awaiting the author list....

Joanne- I am so happy for you! You will have a great time. I wish I could join the gang. This might be the biggest LT attendance for a Booktopia. We need to take this thing over!!

See what happens when I skip coming on LT for a couple of days?!? Booktopia's sold out. I put myself on the waiting list, but it seems to be a hugely popular event so...

Hope you're keeping warm too, Joanne! Actually, I'm enjoying it! (Down coat, Ugg boots, heavy gloves, hat, scarf help. ;)

Hi Katie, I'm so looking forward to it AND meeting some more LTers!

Hi Mark - It was a VERY last minute - oh, what the hell, you know you want to - decision for me and I'm pretty sure I'll be day tripping, but I'm very happy to be signed up!

Hi Mary, Oh no! But you never know about wait lists - I hope you get to come! I prefer my cold weather with sunshine. Sounds like you were well prepared!

Joanne, I'm finally all caught up. I'm laughing that WA gets Twilight as its most famous book but this is probably accurate. I mean, if you lined up 100 average citizens of the US in 2013 and asked them to name a book set in the state of Washington, that's what they'd come up with, right? Maybe a few would come up with Snow Falling on Cedars. Sigh.

I am happy and admittedly a bit jealous that you're going to Booktopia! in Boulder. I know Katie and several others are planning to be there, too. LT is on the verge of taking over Booktopia! events. Ha!

I love the picture of your meet-up at The Tattered Cover. I visited that bookstore back in the early 90s when I was visiting a friend (she lived in Fort Collins) and I recall that it was wonderful.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hi Ellen, So good to see you! I actually had no idea that Twilight took place in Washington. Duh me! My most recent WA book, and one that I could have named for the state, was Where'd You Go, Bernadette?. And of course, Snow Falling on Cedars.

I'm so happy that I signed up for Booktopia! I wish even more LTers were going (YOU included!!) (LT should sponsor something like it!) I'm so curious about the authors. And it has been years and years since I visited The Boulder Bookstore and it looks like a great place.

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!!!

Joanne, Co was the source of lots of good news recently. First, Booktopia, and then on Saturday night, the birth of Hope Alexandra! I'm itching to get out there to see her.

Like you, I am very curious to see what authors join us. I'm hoping for Sandra Dallas.

Oh Donna!!! Congratulations!!! And what a beautiful name. Now I'm heading to your thread because I'm pretty sure she was due more towards the end of the year...

Congratulations on getting in to Booktopia! I'm only a little bit jealous! ;)

Thanks Tina. I know how you feel - I was very jealous when Mark got to see not one, but two (!!) authors I really like at the Petoskey Booktopia.



To All: Have a Happy Thanksgiving (or a great Thursday)!! I'm grateful for you all.

Booktopia? Good news :) have a blast!

Joanne, I know I am thankful that I've gotten to know you through LT, and even more thankful that we will meet in person next year!

Happy Thanksgiving, Joanne.

Hi, Joanne, and Happy Thanksgiving! May you and your family have a blessed day!

Lots to be thankful for! Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving, Joanne! Hope you have a great day with your family.

Happy Thanksgiving, Joanne!

As the year has gone on I have found it harder to keep up the pace, Joanne, and I have been a laggard fairly recently but I am indeed thankful for all my LT pals. Happy Thanksgiving.

Hi Kath - I'm really looking forward to it!

Hi Julia - Me too! And I can't wait to meet you in person!

Hi to Beth, Mary, Cee, Mark, Joe and Paul - Thank you all for the Thanksgiving wishes and I hope you had a great day! I was thankful to spend time with family and get to visit a beach (albeit a chilly one). I'm the only one who rolled up their jeans and kicked off their shoes.

Booktopia is going to be in Boulder?? Wow, I'm tempted. An old friend and former colleague from the WSJ is now a reference librarian there, and I haven't seen her in, oh, a decade or so...

Hi Joanne, looks like you had a great Thanksgivig with your family. And lucky you, going to Booktopia. I'm fairly green here.

Hi Suz - Get on that waitlist!!

Hi Bonnie - We did have a great week and I hope you did as well! Booktopia should be fun - I can hardly believe it myself!



60. Someone: A Novel by Alice McDermott

Alice McDermott is a joy to read. No character is ordinary in her graceful hands. 4.5 stars

61. Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich, Audio

Interesting analysis of the pop-positive thinking culture/industry. I'm not sure it's positive thinking that's undermining anything as much as delusion or greed or ignorance but she does have a certain point. The audio is well read by the aptly named Kate Reading. 3.75 stars

Brrr. It's down to 12F degrees.

Joanne, I love that sign! We have been having a little spell of warmish weather here in Iowa, with highs in the 40s and lots of fog, but that is about to come to an end, I hear.

>222 Copperskye: Love that sign, Joanne. I'm going to send it to my book-loving goddaughter.

Great sign, Joanne. We're having a cold snap too but I don't think it's quite as bad as yours. I'm so glad you decided to go to the Boulder Booktopia. I didn't sign up since I'm pretty sure it will be too close to moving time for us but next year I'm going to make it a priority.

I loved the beach photograph!

Hi Julia, It's moving your way. We had been enjoying some wonderful weather here too. Tonight it was -7 when I got to my car after our office Christmas party. Squeaky snow underfoot and frozen nose hairs! It was so pretty this morning though, as I drove to work - sunny blue skies and snowy mountains - it makes it hard to complain.

Hi Joe, Glad you liked it!

Hi Pat, It should be fun - but would have been more so if you were coming, too!

My current book is Dennis Lehane's The Given Day and I love it! It's a good book to get lost in.

Hi Joanne! I love your succinct comment about Alice McDermott. Makes me want to read her.

And I love #222. :-)

Hi Ellen! Have you not read any Alice McDermott? I highly recommend giving her a try. Her writing is truly exquisite.

Alice McDermott is a joy to read I agree. I just gave 2 of her books to my friend Jo... I will have to look at that one... Thanks for the tip :) I hadn't heard about it. So are you having winter today, too?

Joanne, something tells me that beach is not in Colorado! New Jersey? Good for you testing the waters. I love the picture.

I also loved The Given Day by Dennis Lehane. I can't believe I read one of his books before you did. We have snow and cold temperatures, too, although not quite in your range...yet. We are expected to dip below zero tomorrow morning. Brrrrr!

Oh, Joanne, you were so right. It was 9 degrees this morning when I came to work, and it's now 8 degrees (-13C) which seems like it's going in the wrong direction! Supposed to be subzero tonight. Brrrr! No snow yet, though, for which I am very grateful.

On the other hand, cold nights make it much more cozy to just stay home and read, so there's a silver lining in every frosty cloud.

Hi Kath - I hope Jo enjoys Alice McDermott as much as we do! I have That Night, which I've never read, and a couple others of hers that I'm looking forward to rereading. Yes, winter and then some! It's 3 degrees right now. We might actually make it to the double digits tomorrow. It's been a few days since it's been that warm!

Hi Donna, How I wish it was Colorado! :) Actually Florida, in the Jacksonville/St Augustine area. I love The Given Day. I've been meaning to read it since I read Live By Night last year. (Live By Night follows Joe Coughlin, the youngest brother in the Coughlin family who had been just a boy in The Given Day.) I'm about 400 pages in and I'm actually happy that I still have 300 or so to go! What a great story! I still have Mystic River and Shutter Island to read.

Hi Julia, Ugh, same here still, as well. I'll take below zero temps any day over ice storms, though. Hunkering down when it's so cold outside is my favorite sport! It's going to be a cold Bronco game tomorrow.

Silver lining in every frosty cloud. LOL!

I've had Charming Billy by Alice McDermott on my tbr pile for awhile. Maybe it's time to pull it off!

We have somehow missed this nasty weather although it is in the 20s today Joanne. Still not as bad as some of the weather I've been hearing about. And lucky me, I already have The Given Day on my shelf:)

Hi Pirate! I absolutely loved Charming Billy. It was a 5 star read for me (and one I want to reread). There seems to be a mixed reaction to it here on LT, though, and I have no idea why. Of course, I think you'd like it!

Hi Bonnie! 20s is cold when you add in your higher humidity levels! Have you had much snow yet? The Given Day is great. Lehane is certainly one of my favorite authors and one I only started reading a couple of years ago.

Stay warm and safe out there everyone! And have a great Sunday!

Hi Joanne. All this talk about The Given Day reminded me that I had a copy and when I checked my LT entry it said I bought it after reading Donna's comments about it.

This cold weather is great for reading but I'm spending most of my time on the computer. I've gotten into reading only after my husband goes to bed and the house is quiet.

Right now it's about 8 degrees here and was actually -4 when we got up. We've also got about 3 inches of snow on the ground and since they don't believe in plowing here, the sidewalks and roads are a combination of snowy and icy which is keeping me and the dog inside.

Hi, Joanne! I can't keep up with LT very well anymore. But I really love your sign in post 222!

Re: The Given Day: add me to the list of recommenders. Read it now!

Hi Pat! What are you waiting for?? It's a good one! Your weather sounds a lot like our weather this past week. It actually got above freezing today for the first time in a week. Mid 40s today, with the sun shining, felt pretty good!

Hi Terri! I can't keep up either. It's always nice to see you when you do stop by!

Hi Jim! Yes "Read it now" - I could not agree more! Have you read Live By Night yet? Same recommendation for that one!

Hi Joanne- How are you? Miss seeing my old buddy around. I also enjoyed the Given Day, which I finally got to this year. Have not read the follow-up though.
Did you read Billy Lynn? If you haven't, do so. It will be perfect for you. I am just over a third done but it is so good!
I am also reading Night Film, which I think you will also like. That one has to be read in print, though.

Hey, Mark, old buddy!

I try to keep up with your thread but it's difficult. And then I never feel like I have anything new (much less exciting) to add, so I don't. I need to fix that (not commenting, that is). I bought an ecopy of Billy Lynn last week, or at least recently, when it was just a couple $$. I'm happy to hear you like it! I still have Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics waiting on the shelf to be read so I feel I should get to it before her latest. I've heard mixed things about it, though. Did you read Special Topics?

I was very happy to see that NPR's non-list of 2013 favorites included Snapper...just sayin'... It's a good one!

eta - I'm well, thanks! :)

Hi, Joanne! It was almost balmy today ~ in the mid-40s! Yay! (How odd this all is. When I lived in SoCal, mid-40s happened only occasionally, maybe every few years, and then I thought it was unbearably cold.)

It's the lack of humidity that helps to make the cold more tolerable. But today felt good! Even when it gets cold here, it doesn't stay that way for long (well, usually...)!

No, I have not read Special Topics. I am so glad you snagged a copy of Billy Lynn. You will not be disappointed. I like the way Snapper sounds.

I haven't read Live by Night yet! but it's definitely on my list!

Hi Joanne - I liked Special Topics a lot - very original. It certainly kept me on my toes, but I did like it. I can see, though, why it would get mixed reviews. I see you are staring an Alice McDermott fan club. I have Someone on reserve at the library and I know I have a copy of Charming Billy around somewhere. I'll have to get it out and move it up the list.

I agree that Special Topics was very original, and I enjoyed it a lot! I haven't read The Given Day yet because I only recently finished the Kenzie / Gennaro series and wanted to let it fade from memory a bit before tackling something so completely unlike his crime novels.

Mark, I plan on reading Billy Lynn sometime next year. I hope you like it!

Oh Jim, Get to it - you're going to love Live By Night!

Hi Beth, Your endorsement of Special Topics means a lot - I'll have to reconsider it and give it another look. Alice McDermott is one of my favorite authors and Someone didn't disappoint. I just wish she'd write faster!

Hi Mary - Another endorsement of Special Topics! It definitely will get dusted off. I LOVED the Kenzie/Gennaro series! The Given Day is very different.

I've got about 150 pages to go in The Given Day. I have Longbourn checked out from the library and want to get to it so I have to pick up the pace a bit.

On audio, I'm enjoying Wallflower at the Orgy, a collection of Nora Ephron essays from the late 60s. Dated, but good.

I'm at a loss tonight. Such madness. The latest school shooting was at my son's high school, the school he graduated from in 2011.

Please send out a prayer and some good thoughts for the little 15 year old girl who is in critical condition at Littleton Hosp....

A little shudder as I read your post about the school shooting. This is a far too oft occurrence in your wonderful country for it not to coerce action from the government.

Hope that you are still able to enjoy a lovely weekend, Joanne.

Thanks Paul. Two CO state senators recently lost their seats in a recall election after supporting gun control measures. Another recently resigned so as not to face a recall election. Not to get all political, but something's got to change...

Hi Joanne! You will LOVE Billy Lynn. It is such an excellent read. Try to read it sooner than later. I just started Mrs. Somebody somebody. Finally! You were a big fan, right? It grabbed me immediately.

Oh Joanne, that's so awful! You are so right that something has to change, but I'm beginning to despair that it ever will. How many children have to die?

Mark - I really did like Mrs Somebody Somebody. I'll move Billy Lynn up in the pile.

Julia - It's seems the best we can do is learn how to react when it happens. Current protocols are at least saving lives.

Copper and I spent the morning at the hospital. It's easy to forget how this affects med staff.

I am sorry, Joanne, I didn't see your post about the recent Colorado shooting. Wow! That is scary. Our current political system in regards to guns & gun control is abhorrent. We should be ashamed.

Horrifying, Joanne. Arapahoe is just down the street from my niece's house in Littleton. Here's what Channel 9 News posted on FB about the student who was shot: "...Claire Davis, the 17-year-old senior at Arapahoe High School who was shot point blank by the gunman at ‪#‎ArapahoeHigh‬ Friday. Her family says she has suffered severe head trauma and thanks the community for the support and prayers. They ask for continued prayers."

Joanne - I was so saddened by the news of the shooting at Arapahoe. How scary when it hits that close to home. I no longer know how to respond to these tragedies with anything but prayers.

I'm so sorry about this latest nightmare... Gun people baffle me. If you are a responsible individual who is law abiding and mature, then you should know that better laws are just that, better ..

Oh my Joanne. That is awful. I don't really know what has to happen to change things. I mean really, if those sweet little innocents in Sandy Hook didn't do it I don't know what will. It's the craziest thing ever. There are those who are even opposed to background checks! Outrageous. I think here in NY we have the strictest gun laws in the country thanks to Gov. Cuomo.

Mark, I agree. No worries about a missed post - I'd rather talk about books anyway.

Mary, Thanks for posting that. It's heartbreaking.

Amy, It's all very numbing. Even Columbine, as tragic and as close as it was, can't seem to compare when it happens in your own neighborhood.

Kath, I couldn't agree more. I honestly feel that an 18 year old high school student should not be able to walk into a store and buy a shotgun. Just, no.

Bonnie, I wish there were some easy answers. The circumstances here are just so very sad.

What an awful weekend. But I'm very proud of our kids and their teachers and know they are strong and will get through this. Warriors take care of one another is a motto that is truer today than ever.

Pray for Claire.

My sympathy on the local high school shooting, Joanne. Awful. Pulling for Claire . . .

>263 jnwelch: Thanks for your kind words Joe.



62. *sigh* The Given Day by Dennis Lehane 4.5 stars OTS #23

The setting is Boston, MA after WWI. Lehane gives us three stories - the Coughlin family of Irish Amer cops, Luther, an African American man from Tulsa and Babe Ruth - a seemingly disparate group who come together to create a wonderfully entertaining work of historical fiction. I was unaware of the Boston Police Riots of 1919 and always appreciate an education with my fiction reads. This book was followed up by Live By Night, which was another great read, and I read recently that they are part of a planned trilogy. I'm looking forward to the third.

I hadn't heard of that particular Lehane novel, Joanne, but it sounds like a good one!

63. Beautiful Old Dogs: A Loving Tribute to Our Senior Best Friends by David Tabatsky

A collection of essays, poems, and photographs and is, as the title states, a loving tribute to our senior best friends. If you've ever loved an old dog, loved a young dog, loved any dog, admired a dog from afar, are a dog, or whatever, odds are you'll enjoy this. My favorite old dog essay, one that I read in Bark magazine a year or so ago, is included - "Be Gentle, I Know My Dog is Old" by Susan Seligson.

Have a box of tissues handy - the older your own dog, the larger the box.

>265 rosalita: It's a good one, Julia, historical fiction with a Lehane kick!

I'm heading back to hide under the covers....

What a terrifying looking book... !

Just checking in to say hello :)

Hi Joanne! Glad you liked The Given Day. I liked it too and now I NEED to get to the 2nd one.

Yup, me too.

Your comic reminds me of the time we took the National Union Catalogs and built a fort guarding the library director's office in a previous library in which I worked. We had a video camera in one of the gun slots to capture his reaction when he discovered the new fort in his office. I actually came in on the tail end of the action since the secretary at that time was the instigator. I am not sure why I arrived so late on the scene unless it was done when I was attending an off-campus meeting. I was there when he arrived though.

Hi Kath - Always nice to have you stop by! Hope all is well.

Hi Mark, Yes, you really do need to get Live By Night on your short list!

Hi Jim - Yeah, you know! :)

Hi Lori - Oh, a fort at work - what a wonderful idea! I can almost picture it...

In high hopes that 2014 will bring many joyful reads to you, my friend Joanne:



Celebrate the return of the light with feasts, merriment, and gratitude for all the wonders of this wide green earth.

RMD

I was so sorry to hear of another school shooting in your area. I hate them all... why? why? We humans are so messed up :(
Get rid of the guns. Please!

The Given Day and Beautiful Old Dogs both look good to me. *sigh*
You have way too much blue in this thread. Where did I put those blue filtering glasses?

And that book fort? so cool - it has all the necessaries... I'm gonna start designing one for myself!

Hi Joanne- I started Doctor sleep today. OMG! It is so good. King's writing just keeps getting better. Will Patton is narrating my audio. He is becoming one of my top readers. He did a portion of the Son too and did an excellent job.
Did you ever get to NOS4A2?

Joanne - Hope this weekend is a bit calmer in your neck of the woods than the last. xx

Hi Richard! Thank you so much for that! What a beautiful greeting! Like a lot of us, I am very much looking forward to a return of the light. I'm hoping it will help lift me out of my funk.

Hello Cee! Lovely to see you as well! Yes, another shooting and very, very close to home. It's very sad. I pass the school and the memorial the kids set up twice a day and each time brings tears. When Chris gets home tomorrow (finally!), we will add another candle. I think you'd like both The Given Day and Beautiful Old Dogs. I'm glad you misplaced those glasses! :)

Hi Mark - I LOVED Doctor Sleep! I'm not sure I would have had the patience to listen to it as my drive time is just short of an hour a day but I'm glad to hear that the reader is good. I know you have more time to listen throughout the day! I still haven't read NOS4A2 but I see it on a few best of the year lists. Maybe I'll make it a Christmas present to myself.

Hi Paul, Thanks for the well wishes. Our mood around here remains somber but the kids are strong. We're off this afternoon to see a performance of Sedaris's Santaland Diaries (alas, not performed by Sedaris himself, but he's supposed to be good) and much more importantly, my son comes home from college tomorrow for his winter break. It will be good to have him and his friends around for a while. I hope your weekend is a good one!!

So sad about the school shooting. I just have no words.

Beautiful Old Dogs looks wonderful, but very sad.

Hi Tina, I know...it has been terrible. So very sad.

Beautiful Old Dogs is sad in a happy sad way, if that makes any sense. Most of the essays are very sweet.

64. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson OTS #24, 4 stars

I'm pretty sure I would have liked this a lot more if I hadn't already read (and loved) Winterson's memoir Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal. Oranges is a coming of age, coming out novel of a girl growing up in an evangelical home with a mother who is not quite altogether. It won the Whitbread Prize for Best First Fiction when published back in the mid 80s.

65. Wallflower at the Orgy by Nora Ephron audio 4 stars

This is a collection of magazine articles written in the late 60s - early 70s. Some people might find the subject matter dated but Ephron's writing is clear and witty and insightful and good writing can make any subject relevant. Topics included Helen Gurley Brown, Ayn Rand, Richard Bach, Mike Nichols, makeovers, and beach wives. The audio was excellent - read by Kathe Mazur. Really, my only complaint is that it was too short.

Merry Christmas to All!

Hello Joanne, oh boy, am I behind! I see that my last post was on Halloween -- yikes! And getting caught up, I added three books to my wish list by mid-November (Snapper, One for the Books, and Still Foolin' Em).

I am just heartbroken by the Arapahoe shooting, and I cried when Claire passed away. I don't suppose there's ever a time you don't worry about your kids, but school shootings are especially hard to bear, and even more so when they're so close to home. Just awful. I simply can't understand the gun culture.

Despite the tragedy, I'm glad you got out to have some holiday fun. I have seen The Santaland Diaries twice, and both times laughed helplessly. I hope you enjoyed the show.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Joanne, I really love Nora Ephron's writing, so I will have to look for that one at the library.

I hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas, indeed! I hope you know you're one of my favorite people on LT. I really hope we get a chance to meet at Booktopia in Boulder.

Couldn't imagine this group without you in it, Joanne. Happy Christmas. xx

Merry Christmas, Joanne! I hope you have a fantastic holiday with the family. Glad you enjoyed the Winterson but I wonder if I'll also feel the same after reading that terrific memoir.
Doctor Sleep has been AMAZING! If you have not read NOS4A2, I would suggest you squeeze that one in too. They make nice companion pieces.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Joanne.

Best wishes to you, Joanne!


glitter-graphics.com

Merry Christmas, Joanne. I share your grief at the events at Arapahoe High School. What a sad Christmas for Claire's family.

Merry Christmas Joanne!! I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Joanne, and warm wishes for a wonderful New Year filled with good books. good friends and good times!

Wishing you and all your family (incl Copper and Skye!) a very Happy Christmas! Still need snow???

I hope you get as much booty as you can carry today!

Merry Christmas, Joanne!

To Anne, Julia, Paul, Mark, Beth, Terri, Donna, Tina, Chelle, Mary, Cee, Pirate, and Katie - Thanks you so much for your kind words and beautiful Christmas wishes! It was like a gift just to see all your posts and great gifs!! You guys are the best! I hope Santa was good to you and left lots of books under the tree.

Hi Joanne,
I missed wishing you a Merry Christmas, so now I'll wish you a wonderful new year full of lovely reading!

And, no, I haven't yet read any of Alice McDermott's works, but I will do so in 2014. :-)

Hello Ellen! Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you as well! I missed sending greeting to many people and I feel bad about that. On the other hand, I'm sure no one really noticed....

You won't be sorry to take some time out for Alice McDermott. :)

I know I should wander over to the 2014 group and join but I noticed that I'm already 100s of posts behind and so am already discouraged and out of touch. :/ Such a problem. Not. I need to just dive in.

But I'm currently very happily engrossed in Sandra Gulland's The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B..

Happy New year all!

Hi, Joanne ~ Happy Almost New Year's Eve! Did you get any snow? We have about 2 inches here (at least there's about 2 inches on the top of the fence that I can see out the window from where I'm sitting in the recliner under a blanket. :) It's a great day to stay indoors reading a good book!

Hi Joanne, and Happy New Year to you too!

Hi Mary, Happy New Year! We got about the same. Such a beautiful day with the sun shining! You sound very comfortable!

Hi Pat! Happy New Year to you - and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Happy New Year to you, Joanne. I know, it's discouraging to see how many people have already started their 2014 threads. I plan to do mine on New Year's Day.

I'm with you, Beth.

Hi Joanne :-)
I love your dog of Christmas presents!

Joanne, I did finally start my 2014 thread today, but I am happy to hang out here in 2013 with you until you are ready to move along. I truly wish everyone wouldn't start so early but I guess we can hardly dictate what other people decide to do, can we? Just hold on tight and enjoy the ride, I guess.

^ What Julia said!

Hi Beth, Happy New Year to you, too! I might start a 2014 thread tomorrow - just slightly early. I also have to think of my best of 2013 list. Oh, the pressure!

Hi Cee - I love silly wordplay.

Hi Julia, Yes, buckle up for the new year frenzy! I'll be ready to join you all soon!

Hi Katie, Thanks for hanging out in good old '13!

Hi Joanne,
I was so determined to hold off and start my new thread today or tomorrow but my old thread was getting bogged down and slow to open. How is that for an excuse? Ha ha.

In any case, I look forward to following you (and Copper and Skye) in the new year and I hope 2014 brings many wonderful things your way.

Hi Ellen, Happy New Year to you!! I finally started my new thread for 2014!

Happy New Year, Joanne! See you in the 2014 Group!

Hi Mary! Happy New Year to you, too! I'm so looking forward to the new year!

And I'm working on my new 2014 thread.... :)

A very happy New Year to you and your family, Joanne! See you over in the new place soon. :-)

Happy New Year, Joanne!