lindapanzo's 2013 reading--6th inning

Back for a 6th inning. Welcome!!




BOOKS READ IN NOVEMBER

122. Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton--finished on 11/2/13
123. Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes By by Elizabeth J. Duncan--finished on 11/4/13
124. Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 11/9/13
125. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson--finished on 11/14/13
126. Ice Cream: A Global History by Laura B. Weiss--finished on 11/16/13
127. A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry--finished on 11/17/13
128. Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 11/20/13
129. If Kennedy Lived by Jeff Greenfield--finished on 11/22/13
130. Top Down by Jim Lehrer--finished on 11/24/13
131. Lost Airports of Chicago by Nicholas C. Selig--finished on 11/24/13
132. Angel Is Airborne: JFK's Final Flight from Dallas by Garrett M. Graff--finished on 11/24/13
133. Orr: My Story by Bobby Orr--finished on 11/28/13

BOOKS READ IN JANUARY

1. One Last Strike by Tony La Russa--finished on 1/1/13
2. Studs Terkel's Chicago by Studs Terkel--finished on 1/1/13
3. Illegally Iced by Jessica Beck--finished on 1/3/13
4. Alou Makes the Catch: An Alternate History of the Chicago Cubs--finished on 1/4/13
5. Walter's Perspective: A Memoir of Fifty Years in Chicago TV News by Walter Jacobson--finished on 1/6/13
6. Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy--finished on 1/8/13
7. Cardington Crescent by Anne Perry--finished on 1/9/13
8. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich--finished on 1/12/13
9. Death Times Three by Rex Stout--finished on 1/13/13
10. Book, Line, and Sinker by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 1/15/13
11. Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin--finished on 1/18/13
12. Wins, Losses, & Empty Seats: How Baseball Outlasted the Great Depression by David George Surdam--finished on 1/20/13
13. And Then You Dye by Monica Ferris--finished on 1/23/13
14. Faith Under Fire: An Army Chaplain's Memoir by Roger Benimoff--finished on 1/25/13
15. This is My Song: A Memoir by Patti Page--finished on 1/27/13
16. Wherever I Wind Up by R.A. Dickey--finished on 1/28/13

BOOKS READ IN FEBRUARY

17. Lost and Fondue by Avery Aames--finished on 2/3/13
18. A History of Chicago's O'Hare Airport by Michael Branigan--finished on 2/5/13
19. J.R.: My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey by Jeremy Roenick--finished on 2/11/13
20. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo--finished on 2/16/13
21. 43*: When Gore Beat Bush-A Political Fable by Jeff Greenfield--finished on 2/20/13
22. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia Macneal--finished on 2/23/13

BOOKS READ IN MARCH

23. Unusual Uses of Olive Oil by Alexander McCall Smith--finished on 3/2/13
24. Long Shot by Mike Piazza--finished on 3/4/13
25. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque--finished on 3/7/13
26. Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle--finished on 3/9/13
27. A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch--finished on 3/13/13
28. Princess Elizabeth's Spy--by Susan Elia Macneal--finished on 3/16/13
29. You Were Never in Chicago by Neil Steinberg--finished on 3/21/13
30. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke--finished on 3/23/13
31. Easter Bunny Murder by Leslie Meier--finished on 3/26/13
32. Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game by John Sexton--finished on 3/28/13
33. Good Tidings by Terri Reid--finished on 3/28/13

BOOKS READ IN APRIL

34. Dresden: A Survivor's Story by Victor Gregg--finished on 4/1/13
35. A Killer Read by Erika Chase--finished on 4/2/13
36. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams--finished on 4/4/13
37. The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen--finished on 4/6/13
38. The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel--finished on 4/9/13
39. The Sinking of the Bounty by Matthew Shaer--finished on 4/13/13
40. Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer--finished on 4/15/13
41. Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown--finished on 4/18/13
42. Scrapbook of Secrets by Mollie Cox Bryan--finished on 4/21/13
43. The Last Dance: The Skywalks Disaster and a City Changed by Kevin Murphy--finished on 4/23/13
44. Faithful Unto Death by Stephanie Jaye Evans--finished on 4/26/13
45. Killer Show by John Barylick--finished on 4/28/13

BOOKS READ IN MAY

46. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein--finished on 5/1/13
47. Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert--finished on 5/6/13
48. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard--finished on 5/9/13
49. That Old Flame of Mine by J.J. Cook--finished on 5/11/13
50. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe--finished on 5/13/13
51. A Broth of Betrayal by Connie Archer--finished on 5/15/13
52. A Fete Worse Than Death by Claudia Bishop--finished on 5/16/13
53. Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb--finished on 5/18/13
54. Read and Buried by Erika Chase--finished on 5/19/13
55. Pros and Cons by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg--finished on 5/21/13
56. Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown--finished on 5/23/13
57. Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood-finished on 5/28/13

BOOKS READ IN JUNE

58. My Life in Politics by Jacques Chirac--finished on 6/1/13
59. Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs--finished on 6/3/13
60. Rationing and Revelry by Janie Hampton--finished on 6/4/13
61. The Case of the Lucky Legs by Erle Stanley Gardner--finished on 6/5/13
62. The Voyage of the Rose City by John Moynihan--finished on 6/7/13
63. Murder at the Castle by Jeanne M. Dams--finished on 6/10/13
64. Arcadia by Tom Stoppard--finished on 6/10/13
65. Hutch: Baseball's Fred Hutchinson and a Legacy of Courage by Mike Shannon--finished on 6/11/13
66. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories by Norman Maclean--finished on 6/13/13
67. My Mother's Bible by Walter Kirn--finished on 6/14/13
68. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly--finished on 6/15/13
69. Trial by Fury by Douglas Preston--finished on 6/15/13
70. Guys Read: The Sports Pages by Jon Scieszka--finished on 6/17/13
71. If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers by Jack Bowen--finished on 6/18/13
72. The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 6/19/13
73. OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word by Allan Metcalf--finished on 6/20/13
74. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon--finished on 6/21/13
75. Old New York by Edith Wharton--finished on 6/23/13
76. The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser--finished on 6/24/13
77. The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis--finished on 6/26/13
78. Shadows on a Cape Cod Wedding by Lea Wait--finished on 6/29/13

BOOKS READ IN JULY

79. A Chili Death by Jessica Beck--finished on 7/1/13
80. My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile by Isabel Allende--finished on 7/4/13
81. Seven American Deaths and Disasters by Kenneth Goldsmith--finished on 7/4/13
82. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie--finished on 7/7/13
83. Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean--finished on 7/9/13
84. His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal--finished on 7/12/13
85. Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole by Dr. Jerri Nielsen--finished on 7/14/13
86. Grant Park: The Evolution of Chicago's Front Park by Dennis H. Cremin--finished on 7/17/13
87. Lost and Found in Cedar Cove by Debbie Macomber--finished on 7/18/13
88. Brush with Death by Karen MacInerney--finished on 7/19/13
89. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill--finished on 7/23/13
90. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith--finished on 7/29/13

BOOKS READ IN AUGUST

91. Blueberry Blues by Karen MacInerney--finished on 8/2/13
92. Not the Killing Type by Lorna Barrett--finished on 8/3/13
93. The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman--finished on 8/7/13
94. Rose Harbor in Bloom by Debbie Macomber--finished on 8/9/13
95. The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel--finished on 8/11/13
96. Deadly Donuts by Jessica Beck--finished on 8/13/13
97. Early Wynn, The Go-Go White Sox and the 1959 World Series by Lew Freedman--finished on 8/18/13
98. The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café by Mary Simses--finished on 8/20/13
99. Death Rides the Sky by Angela Mason--finished on 8/23/13
100. Fire Strikes the Chicago Stock Yards by John F. Hogan and Alex A. Burkholder--finished on 8/25/13
101. A Deadly Beef by Jessica Beck--finished on 8/26/13

BOOKS READ IN SEPTEMBER

102. Cat House: Adventures of a Real Estate Madam by M.K. Sandoval--finished on 9/2/13
103. Ebbets Field: Essays and Memories of Brooklyn's Historic Ballpark, 1913-1960 by John G. Zinn and Paul G. Zinn--finished on 9/4/13
104. Everything but the Coffee by Bryant Simon--finished on 9/8/13
105. The Last Word by Ellery Adams--finished on 9/11/13
106. Baseball and the Bottom Line in World War II: Gunning for Profits on the Home Front by Jeff Obermeyer--finished on 9/16/13
107. Dead Insider by Victoria Houston--finished on 9/19/13
108. Sitting Ducks by Steve Anderson--finished on 9/22/13
109. Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather by Mike Smith--finished on 9/24/13
110. City of Scoundrels by Gary Krist--finished on 9/27/13
111. Death of an American Sniper by Anthony Swofford--finished on 9/28/13
112. Chicago: The Second City by A.J. Liebling--finished on 9/30/13

BOOKS READ IN OCTOBER

113. Written in Stone by Ellery Adams--finished on 10/3/13
114. Poisoned Prose by Ellery Adams--finished on 10/7/13
115. Silence in Hanover Close by Anne Perry--finished on 10/12/13
116. Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 10/13/13
117. Skating Around the Law by Joelle Charbonneau--finished on 10/16/13
118. From the Hood to the Hill by Barry C. Black--finished on 10/20/13
119. Willie Stargell: A Life in Baseball by Frank Garland--finished on 10/27/13
120. Assault and Batter by Jessica Beck--finished on 10/28/13
121. Wayne Gretzky: His Lessons for Success in Hockey and in Life by Jack Miller--finished on 10/28/13

I'm first, I'm first!
Great job on the author chat, informative and fun.

Now that you are over 100, what's the year goal - 150?

Cheli, you win the first visitor prize.

I want to finish my 2013 category challenge and then read (1) mysteries and (2) books from what I call my pile. The unshelved ones that keep piling up on every surface.

I don't have a number goal but 150 seems reasonable.

I'd also like to read all of my accumulated ER books and net galleys. Two ERs with another on the way plus two net galleys.

One last Cubs game for the season. For the long bus ride, I am bringing along Foul Play at the Fair by Shelley Freydont.

"150 seems reasonable" I wish I had your speed or stick-to-it-iveness or something! If I could hit 100 a year, I'd be thrilled beyond saying.
Happy Reading and Happy New Thread, Linda!

good goal - I have caught up on my ERs, but still have 8 Net Galleys and 5 ARCs to do. I'm really hoping to get a bunch of them done next month.

My own goal for the year Linda was 200 books but I am running a bit behind and RL keeps getting in the way of my targets.

Congratulations on your latest thread. xx

Morning Linda- Congrats on the 6th inning. Hope you had a nice time at the Cubs game. Once again, I didn't attend a game this year or even watch very many. Let's hope next year is a different story. Right now, it's football and then hockey.

Hi Peggy, Cheli, Paul and Mark: With the Cubs trying to make sure Atlanta didn't clinch yesterday, the 8th and 9th innings of the game had a playoff intensity. The most fun I've had at a Cubs game all year.

Mark, we do go to Hawks games but not as often. This year, four games I think. Besides the cost which goes up substantially every year, there's also the need to avoid the worst of winter. Oct, Nov, March and April for us this season. It's also tough for us to make it on time on weekdays so that further limits our game options.

I think I've mentioned how I've been known to go to the opera and then to a hockey game...my one RL friend calls me a Renaissance woman. Anyhow, for the April game, a friend and I have an Itzak Perlman concert in the afternoon followed by a Blackhawks game with a different friend. I'll likely be a bit less dressy than usual for the Civic Opera House and a bit dressier than usual for the United Center.

Book #108

Sitting Ducks by Steve Anderson--finished on 9/22/13

This is an interesting little Kindle single about the English-speaking German soldiers and sailors who, during the Battle of the Bulge, tried to impersonate American soldiers in order to get behind the American lines to relay information back to the Germans and/or do acts of sabotage.

It's short and there's some interesting information but I'd like to read more about false flag commandos and Operation Griffin.

Kindle Singles never satisfy but a good one who leave me wanting more, which this one certainly does.

Yay!! Laura B told me that sign-up is on for Murder and Mayhem in Muskego and I'll be signing up for it in the next day or two.

Julie Hyzy, William Kent Krueger, and Joelle Charbonneau are a few of the authors I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing.

Oh, I envy you that! Sounds delightful. William Kent Krueger is a special favorite of mine, and I'm reading Hyzy's White House Chef series, too.

Nice new thread, Linda!

Thanks, Terri.

Just discovered that the local independent bookstore, which sponsors a lot of author events at the local libraries all over the county, is having a session on Historical Writers. One of them is one of my favorites, Charles Finch, who writes the Charles Lennox historical mysteries. Yay. I definitely need to sign up for that one. I think it's in November, in Palatine, IL.

Congrats on a shiny new thread. 150 books - wow. If anyone can do that, I'm sure it will be you. In contrast, I'm on pace to complete 75 books this year!

You're always doing so many interesting things - I agree with your friend, "Renaissance woman" is a good description for you!

I love Itzak Perlman, and would gladly go directly to a hockey game afterwards for the chance to see him perform again. Maybe basic black pants with a nice blouse that you can swap out for a hockey jersey? That is a wardrobe puzzle, for sure!

I sent my registration in this morning for Murder & Mayhem in Muskego, a daylong mystery event in suburban Milwaukee. Will be meeting up with LauraBrook for this. Yay!!

There was a time where I'd go to either Bouchercon, the big annual mystery conference, or else Malice Domestic, the big cozy conference in the D.C. area every other year or so. It's been over 10 years since I last went to one.

Sandy, yeah, that's me, Ms Renaissance Woman. Besides family and friends, my ongoing passions are reading, baseball, and hockey, but I do tend to go off on certain strong, but brief, subject interests.

In fact, I'd considered, and still might do, a 2014 category for this. Something like a "current enthusiasm" and then read 2-3 books on a given topic. Usually, that's enough to satisfy my curiosity.

I am really enjoying my weather book by Mike Smith. He has a knack for putting things into Plain English!! Hope to finish this tonight.

That sounds like a lot of fun, Linda - a daylong mystery event in Milwaukee with Laura. I've never gone to anything like that. Look forward to hearing about it.

I am sure you will have a great time in Muskego! And with Laura, to keep you company? Sweet! Any crime, mystery authors, I would know? You know, the dark, creepy kind?

William Kent Krueger and Julie Hyzy are probably the two biggest names there.

Visiting with Laura is always a good thing, too. I haven't seen her since the last time we were at your house, Mark.

Book #109

Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather by Mike Smith--finished on 9/24/13

If I were to tell you that I read a history on the growth/improvement of tornado forecasting techniques in the 20th century, you'd probably think it sounded dull. Well, you'd be wrong.

Applied meteorologist (also a weather entrepreneur) Mike Smith has written a lively look at the the improvement in tornado forecasting tools and techniques during the past 50+ years and how they've saved lives. He's got a great writing style and a knack for explaining complicated things in a simple, straightforward manner.

I really enjoyed the book, though I thought the parts dealing with Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina weren't as good.

The anti-government rants and the, at times, self congratulatory tone, were a bit off-putting but, in the end, did not detract much from my enjoyment of the book.

Various government agencies, such as the FAA and the Weather Bureau (later, the National Weather Service) did let politics and turf wars get in the way of better serving the public, in terms of issuing warnings and disseminating information.

People who are interested in disasters, the weather, or are from Kansas, Oklahoma, or other central states will probably love this book, too.

I may add that one to my list, Linda. I'm always on the lookout for good weather-related books.

Terri, it's an excellent book. My only caution is that he has a very high sense of self worth. Ahem.

I've been meaning to get back to Krueger. I've only read his debut and really liked it. Bad Mark.

Mark, I haven't read William Kent Krueger in years. Maybe I'll get back to him sooner, rather than later.

Book #110

City of Scoundrels by Gary Krist--finished on 9/27/13

I loved this book, a top 10 favorite book for me this year, I think. Note that, apparently, I'm the only person on LT who loves it this much though. I'd give it a 4.8, just because the initial political parts were a little slow.

As a lifelong Chicagoland resident, I love reading about Chicago history and this is Chicago history at its finest. Krist looks at a 12-day stretch during the summer of 1919 where every sort of catastrophe seemed to befall Chicago.

The dirigible, Wingfoot, had mechanical problems and crashed into the skylight of a La Salle Street bank, landing on bank employees at work below, right in the heart of the Loop financial district. Then, a little girl was missing on the north side and seemingly the entire city was looking for her and her kidnapper or murderer.

The author does a great job at addressing the political feud between the Republican(!) mayor of Chicago, Willliam Hale "Big Bill" Thompson and the Republican governor of Illinois, Frank Lowden, and the catastrophic result this feud had on public safety when neither seemed capable of giving in and calling out the militia to quell a horrible race riot. I learned quite a bit about the race riot that I hadn't known before, including the fact that mobs broke into the Palmer House, a top Loop hotel, to attack the hotel staffers. Besides the South Side and the Loop, there was also rioting in the prestigious Gold Coast, as well as in the Back of the Yards and on Taylor St, in Little Italy. I had no idea that the 1919 rioting was that widespread.

To top it off, while this was all going on, there was a transit strike which crippled the city.

Interesting, Mayor Thompson, who was as corrupt as they come, also was responsible for a great many accomplishments in the city, such as the building of the Michigan Ave bridge. He was also the last Republican to hold the office of Mayor of Chicago, leaving office, ultimately, in 1931.

Besides the main historical events, Krist also tells of how poet. Carl Sandburg. took a job as a newspaper reporter, reporting on labor issues. Ring Lardner was also a Chicago newspaper reporter during these events. Both, of course, are much better known for other things.

Krist does a masterful job of putting the events of the summer of 1919 into context and providing a feel for what life was like in Chicago at that time. I had no idea, for instance, that the typical workweek ended at mid-day on Saturday, ahead of a 1.5 day weekend.

Highly recommended!!

Book #111

Death of an American Sniper by Anthony Swofford--finished on 9/28/13

This Kindle single gives basic information about the sniper, a Navy Seal, who had the most "kills" of all but who died at the hands of a fellow vet. It provides basic info about the sniper, his time in the military and a bit about his time afterwards. I think I'd like to read Chris Kyle's book, American Sniper to get the whole story there.

I loved Swofford's book, Jarhead but this single was only ok.

Book #112

Chicago: The Second City by A.J. Liebling--finished on 9/30/13

Earlier this year, I read Chicago newspaper columnist, Neil Steinberg's excellent book, You Were Never in Chicago. The title was taken from a note a Chicagoan wrote to a New York writer who'd criticized Chicago and its citizens in a 1952 essay.

This book is the essay Liebling wrote about Chicago.

Liebling and his wife lived in Chicago in the late 1940s/early 1950s. The essay is quite dated. He complains about how parochial Chicagoans are. Back then, he correctly points out that there is no theater scene here, no opera company. Both have long since changed.

His stories about gangsters, such as the well-known 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre were interesting.

If you want to know what Chicago was like in the early 1950s, this would be an interesting read for you, as long as you keep in mind that much has changed, though, sadly, not all.

One interesting part of the edition I read is that Liebling printed some of the criticisms he received and some of the complaints about factual errors and then responded to these in footnotes.

Interesting reading about the city I love, or at least how it used to be, about the time my parents were in high school.

Lots of news out of Chicago today. Some sort of mysterious Blue Line train crash. I'm still fuzzy as to details but it sounds like a train escaped a train yard and crashed into a commuter train. My prayers that the injuries are not serious. I take the Blue Line sometimes, but usually from the Loop up to the stop before O'Hare, not at the other end of the line.

The Cubs fired their manager, Dale Sveum, today, too. The GM gives him stinky players and expects miracles, apparently. Sorry to see this happen. He never had a chance.

Linda- Hope you had a good weekend. I hope you can make a future Booktopia. They hinted, that they might return to Petoskey, at some point. What would be even better, is selecting somewhere even closer. Fingers crossed. I WANT more LTers!
I am sorry to see Sveum go. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done with a better team but the record was the record.

I'd love to go to Booktopia. If it were held in Wisconsin or Illinois, for instance. I'm sure you'll let us know.

For my other main thread, the 2013 category challenge, I've now finished all of my challenge books except for my overflow category. For that one, I've got four mysteries to read. I'll enjoy kicking back and reading those for awhile.

After 9 months of the day, I'm on pace to read 149.33 books this year. Surely, I can read a few extra pages and boost it up to an even 150, can't I?

Note that, between the start of the hockey season and the start of the baseball playoffs, this is NOT prime reading time for me.

Glad I'm focusing on light mysteries for awhile.

I've never read him but I heard that author Tom Clancy has passed away. Only 66.

Book #113

Written in Stone by Ellery Adams--finished on 10/3/13

This is only the fourth book in the Ellery Adams Books by the Bay series and it has rapidly become a top 5 series for me.

Olivia Limoges, her poodle the Captain (aka Haviland), and her book group friends feel like MY friends, too.

I love how Adams ties the crime to past historical events (e.g., Native Americans, the KKK, and others), as well as to Olivia's family history. Great plot!! Great characters!! Great mystery!! An unbeatable combination.

The fifth book in the series just came out a few days ago and I plan to dive right into that one, too. After that, I'll have to hope that she writes a Kindle single or two to tide me over.

After 9 months of the day, I'm on pace to read 149.33 books this year. Surely, I can read a few extra pages and boost it up to an even 150, can't I?

You can do it, Linda!!!! :)

I just messed up my calculations. I'm a little behind your pace . . . just finished #97, I think? 96 the first 9 months. Let me see what my pace is. OK, I'm on a pace for 128. Not nearly as impressive as the double-75!

Good news!! My company just published the 2014 insurance premiums and, for the second year in a row, mine are going down!! Granted not much, but still...

The coverage looks pretty much the same, except for the prescription drug coverage.

Earlier, I'd mentioned how we had to take an onsite mini physical, as well as an online health survey...I'm glad I did that because the plan that those who didn't do these things are eligible for isn't nearly as good...and costs just as much as the one I'll sign up for.

I understand that there is a big hullabaloo over the health survey Penn State employees were asked to take. It apprently included a lot of personal questions, including (for the women) "do you plan to get pregnant in the next year?" I belive that's one of those questions employers can get in a lot of trouble for asking, in respect to gender discrimination.

We had tricky ones, such as "how fast do you drive?" but nothing that offended me.

When they did the blood draw component, it was out in the open and my co-worker was furious. I note that, today, when we had our flu shots, it was behind a curtain.

Hi Linda- Little more humid today, eh? I think more of the same tomorrow. Hey, we need the rain.
I think you can crack 150! Just get a little less sleep. I really admire the fact that you can hit that high, just in print. The only way I reach those numbers are with my trusty audios. I probably hit about 70-75 books in print.

I agree with Mark. Over a quarter of the books I've read this year were via audio.

I've thought about giving audio a try. The only time I would listen is during my 35 minute drive to and from work but I like to listen to, and sing along with, music too much.

Terri, from what I hear, the Pirates didn't look too good. Lots of errors. I got home in time to see the final out. Too bad tomorrow is a day game.

I sometimes have trouble finding audiobooks available from the library that will easily download to my iPhone. I seem to have issues with the transfer through iTunes for the ones that won't just download through the Overdrive app. I'll have a chapter or two that just refuses to transfer in the others. There just aren't enough that will transfer directly through the Overdrive app that I want to listen to.

40 Lori, I find that there aren't enough I can use with my iPhone, either. I used to have a player that would handle the WMA files easily, and there are so many more of that format. But that's the player I lost. I never found it, and I really miss it.

Audiobooks generally don't work for me either, Linda. I want to read print on the train commute, and my time in the car normally isn't enough for an audio book to make sense. The exception is when I drive us on a long car trip. Our kids still tell the story of my listening to the audio of Fagles' The Odyssey (Ian McKellen!) on a car trip, and my poor young son in the back seat turning green when some animal sacrifice was being graphically described. Oops.

Kudos to you for reading so many in print.

You'll do 150 books this year no sweat Linda.
Have a great weekend.

I had no plans whatsoever this weekend so I thought I'd get a lot of reading. Unfortunately, no. Between fall cleaning and baseball/hockey/football watching, I read about only 100 pages of my current mystery, Poisoned Prose by Ellery Adams.

I hope so, Paul. Hi Joe, Lori, and Terri. Thanks for your audiobooks comments. I think our library has the audiobooks plus the players ready to lend.

Hi Linda- Hey, as long as you had a relaxing day, that's all that matters. I watched the Bears lose and some of the Seahawks game. I wish I could have got more reading in too!

Mark, I wish I'd watched that Denver/Dallas game. 51 to 48 or some such. Incredible.

Just heard that I won an ER book this month, though not the one I thought I'd win.

I won a novel based on JFK's assassination. Top Down by Jim Lehrer.

I did watch Denver/Dallas, Linda, and it was fantastic. (Much better than the one involving them Bears). Peyton Manning is simply amazing. His rollout for a score was hilarious - who expected this old guy to hold onto the ball? Romo had the game of his life, but one good defensive play at the end for that interception meant a loss.

Joe, you just never know. I've been kind of bored with football lately. I tend to watch more when we're farther into the season.

Hockey and baseball are the name of the game these days at the Panzo household.

Book #114

Poisoned Prose by Ellery Adams--finished on 10/7/13

Step aside Laura Childs and your teashop series. Move over Jessica Beck and your donut shop series. Gulp, dare I even say it but Louise Penny, you may want to watch out for your Inspector Gamache series, at least for the moment. I’ve got a new favorite mystery series, the Books by the Bay series from Ellery Adams.

Restaurant owner and oak barrel heiress Olivia Limoges (and her poodle, Captain Haviland), Chief Rawlings, and the whole Bayside Book writers group are back on the trail in Oyster Bay, NC, in this 5th book in the Books by the Bay series, as they look into the death of an Appalachian storyteller at a storytellers’ festival.

This book is meatier than most cozies. The characters are better developed and evolve, in each book, whether for better or worse, over time, as do the relationships between the characters. The plot is more intricate than most cozies, as well, and the town is populated with memorable recurring characters.

This is one series where it is absolutely essential to start at the beginning of the series!!

For cozy lovers, I could not recommend this one more highly. If you love cozies, you owe it to yourself to try this series.

I've got the first of the Books by the Bay series in my TBR stash with tentative plans to read it next month. I'll try to make sure I get to it. Maybe it would be a good vacation read over Thanksgiving break?

I think so, Carrie. The first one was good but they get better.

Just watched the last few minutes of the Cardinals/Pirates game. The deciding game is on Wed.

I have a few of the Books by the Bay series, I read the first one a few months ago.
Guess I should be bumping those others up the list.

Sadly, it'll probably be another year til I can read another Books by the Bay book.

However, I've got one of Ellery Adams' pie shop series books.

Also, I discovered that Ellery Adams and J.B. Stanley are the same person. I think I've read all of her one series (antiques?) and NONE of her supper club books.

Linda, I wish I didn't know that about Ellery Adams and J.B. Stanley. I read on of her supper club books a couple of years ago and I really disliked it. The experience didn't make me want to look for more of her books. There are other authors with multiple series where I love one and don't like another, so I'll hope that's how it turns out for me this time.

Sorry about that, Carrie, but that's good to know about the J.B. Stanley books. I think I picked up the first one in her supper club series once and never got into it. Maybe she was just learning her craft...

There are certainly plenty of authors where I love one series but not the other. Jeanne Dams springs to mind, for instance. I love the Dorothy Martin series but not the other one (Hilda J).

I liked the other J.B. Stanley series, the antiques appraiser series.

I think that each Books by the Bay book has gotten better, as the series goes along, not only in terms of plot, setting, and character development but just overall writing.

Hmmm, Fantastic Fiction also says that she is one half of the collaborative writing duo, Lucy Arlington. I read the first one of those, Buried in a Book and liked it.

The October ER books are now up!! This is, quite likely, the single best collection of ER books, ever. Mysteries, nonfiction...plenty of books I'd love.

I think there are 6 I really want and 2 I'd definitely want, though I may skip asking for, just because there are so many good ones.

Even if I just counted the mysteries alone, it'd be a red-letter month. I'll probably be meeting one of the mystery authors at an event in November so I'm not even asking for one of those.

Linda- I did not realize the ER books were up! I never got a notice and forgot all about it. I'll have to stop by. I did not request anything last month.

Hope you are having a good week. the weather has been wonderful and yes, please read Five Days at Memorial.

Linda, I thought this was a stellar month for ER books, too! I broke down and requested 3, and there were probably that many more that I would be happy to read. Still, I may go back and pare my list down because I feel better when I only request one or two.

I would love to get the new Charles Finch but I'm going to an event next month where Finch and two other historical authors are speaking so I'm hoping to pick up a signed copy then.

I'm not acquainted with the other two. One is Melanie Benjamin, author of The Aviator's Wife and Renee Rosen, author of Dollface: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties. Both of these other two sound terrific, as well.

I asked for two. I'd be thrilled with either the new Benison mystery or the new Anne Perry Christmas one.

Linda, I got both of those through NetGalley so I requested different ones from ER. I requested the Fannie Flagg book, the Christmas reference book, the John Wooden bio, and one other that I can't remember right now. I've barely started the Charles Finch series so I'm not requesting that one.

Carrie, I got a different Wooden book via Net Galley so I skipped that one. I would love the Fannie Flagg, the Christmas encyclopedia, a religious one I spotted, and the Chicago cemetery one.

The Anne Perry is tops for me only because I haven't read the 11 Benison yet but no doubt will read that one soon and could quickly move on to the 10 book.

LT really outdid itself this time.

On Monday night, a friend and I are going to an author talk/signing at a local library. A top indie bookstore organizes library events as well as lunchtime author events.

The Monday night one is with Chicago Tribune columnist, Mary Schmich, my favorite columnist.

She'll be talking about her new book, Even the Terrible Things Seem Beautiful to Me Now: The Best of Mary Schmich. I think this includes the columns for which she won the Pulitzer Prize last year.

I just read her comments on FB about how pleased she is that Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature, her favorite author.

I was just ooh'ing and aah'ing over some of the authors who are coming to Lake County in the next month or so. I wish I had the time to go to all of them but I've added a bunch of their books to my wishlist. It'd be amazing to have afternoon tea with Elizabeth George, for instance, but it's tough to take off work to do these things.

Besides the historical writers one in mid-November, I'm thinking about the one with the author of a new book about the Chicago Bears 1985 Super Bowl-winning team.

What a slow reading month!!

I've finished only two books, though I'm finally getting into my current read, an Anne Perry from the Pitt series. The Silence in Hanover Close, the one in which Emily becomes a maid to try to find out more about a crime.

It's starting to be that time of year. Mark's Christmas Swap is getting organized now. To join the fun, go to: http://www.librarything.com/topic/160027

Linda- Did you read the 2 fine articles about Munro, in the Trib today? If not, they are worthy pieces. I know I have to read more of her.

Should we still call it Mark's Christmas Swap, even if I am not hosting it? I know I am Founding Father, but Caro will be doing all the work this time.

I still get a kick out of the fact that you were my first Secret Santa, many moons ago.

I was just thinking about that, Mark. Is it still Mark's Christmas Swap if Mark isn't running it? I say yes, because you are the Founding Father.

That first year, I bought books for you. Last year, I bought books for Caro. Funny how that works out. Does whoever I buy for have to run it next year?

I haven't read the Trib articles yet. I'll have to get to them. It was a busy day at work and then a co-worker and I went out to dinner at IHOP for some comfort food.

Should I go as Founding Father or Dear Leader? LOL.

"Last year, I bought books for Caro." How cool is that?

Who did I have my second year though? Hmmmm. I think I had Stasia. I can't remember, except that I had Terri L and Sandy and others monitoring her book purchases so I think that's right.

Book #115

Silence in Hanover Close by Anne Perry--finished on 10/12/13

This 9th book in the Pitt series is probably my favorite book in a series that keeps getting better and better.

It started out a bit slowly but, once it got going, it was excellent. A bored Emily goes undercover as a ladies maid to help solve an old murder. Pitt is imprisoned for murder. Not your usual book.

I'm eager to see what Perry has up her sleeve next for these characters. Highly recommended!!

I've got one book left til I finish my 2013 category challenge (13 categories x 10 books in each category).

Afterwards, I'd planned to read a lot of mysteries. Of course, I'm at the library now and have an armload of books, okay four of them, that are all nonfiction. Go figure...

Book #116

Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 10/13/13

I love this series and this 6th book in the 1920s Melbourne, Australia series did not disappoint. This time, wealthy Phryne Fisher goes undercover at a circus as a trick rider to investigate why odd things are happening at the circus.

The recurring characters, such as Dot, are not as visible in this book but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Phryne gets into all sorts of interesting scrapes and I enjoy reading about them. Highly recommended!!

I'm going to an author talk tonight at a local library. Mary Schmich will talk about her new book of columns, Even the Terrible Things Seem Beautiful to Me Now.

Schmich is the Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

Linda, I really enjoy reading Schmich's column. I suspect she will be an entertaining speaker.

#73 Schmich (pronounced Shhhh-meek) was very interesting. I never knew that she also wrote the Brenda Starr comic strip for 25 years.

Book #117

Skating Around the Law by Joelle Charbonneau--finished on 10/16/13

After her mother passes away, Rebecca Robbins has to return to her small Illinois hometown from Chicago to get the family's roller rink ready to be sold. However, the murder of the handyman, who drowned in the toilet bowl in a restroom at the rink makes selling the rink tough.

Though it starts slowly, this debut mystery is quite enjoyable and shows a lot of promise for future books. I liked the characters and expect to read more of these soon, as well as Charbonneau's other series, too.

Busy days and not too much reading. Boo.

Not to mention, our furnace broke. It was freezing last night. Down to 64, I think.

"It was freezing last night. Down to 64" -- in 3 more months, that will seem toasty!

Hope you can get someone out today to get it fixed - and glad it broke this week and not in 3 months!

I'm on my way to the opera right now on the train. Madama Butterfly. The new furnace is being installed thus afternoon. Should be nice and toasty at long last,

Even I was cold and I rarely am.

Brought my Willie Stargell book on the train and read next to nothing. That darn Candy Crush.

Linda, I set my furnace at 63 in the winter, so I would not have even noticed that the furnace was broken! In fact, I have yet to turn on the furnace this fall even though we have had nighttime temps down in the low 40s.

Linda....sure glad you noticed the furnace not working. We keep ours set at 60 because we are heating primarily with the wood stove when it gets colder. Our chimney sweep was just here yesterday to get us up and ready for the upcoming winter, and the furnace guy comes next week just to do the annual checkup. We do notice if it's not working tho because our hot water comes from the boiler on the furnace, so if we don't get hot water, we call the furnace guy.

We've had unusually warm weather here for October, but now that the RedSox are headed back to Boston I'm sure it will turn cold again. At least both Sox and Tigers are used to chilly nights.

Hope you enjoyed the opera. I envy you the range of cultural and recreational "big city" activities you have.

Julia, I do tend to like it cooler. Not that cool though.

Tina, we have the inspection done before the heating season and before the cooling season. Because it's been so summery, up til recently, we haven't needed the furnace. The guy probably would've spotted the problems next week.

It's nice and toasty here.

The opera was excellent, as usual. Tomorrow night, the Blackhawks/Maple Leafs hockey game.

Hi Linda- Glad you liked the opera! I've never seen one. Not sure I will. You know, I'm a beer guy.
Glad you got the new furnace installed. It's good timing. Enjoy the Hawks game! Very cool.

I'm hoping I don't have to turn my heat on for awhile yet. I'm sure that I'll inevitably have to do so eventually, but right now, the temps haven't dipped below freezing at night so my pipes are not in danger of freezing, and it warms up enough through the day to keep it comfortable. I love sleeping with blankets when it is just a little cool so this is my favorite time of year--no air conditioner or heating bills!

I guess the temps are really taking a plunge. Sleet/freezing rain tomorrow. Ugh!!

Book #118

From the Hood to the Hill by Barry C. Black--finished on 10/20/13

This is an inspirational look at the author's life from the Baltimore ghettoes through his chaplain career in the Navy, where he rose to the Chief of Chaplains and attained the rank of Admiral, through his latest position as Chaplain for the U.S. Senate.

Lots of inspirational and leadership principles and lessons to be learned.

>84 lindapanzo: Yuck! I hope you have a safe commute.

I noticed that we are supposed to dip down below freezing before the weekend here in East Tennessee too! Stay safe!

I am still among the living. Watching the World Series and the early hockey games.

Doing some reading but sort of dabbling in a number of books. At some point, I'll focus my attention on one of them and actually finish it.

Hi Linda- I am glad you are still upright. Yah! I just ran a couple errands. It's chilly out there and it looks like these temps will stick around for the next week or so. Crazy.

I've got a number of books going too now, Linda. The one that's best I'm deliberately reading slowly because it perfectly fits my two "themes" for November, so I don't want to finish it before the 1st.

Hi Mark. Hi Terri.

I wish this reading funk would end. Elsewhere, I said it was a reading funk in terms of both quality and quantity. My books earlier in October were fine but lately, I feel like I'm just drifting.

I need to crank out my informative, but dry, ER book and pick up something that grabs my interest better.

Book #119

Willie Stargell: A Life in Baseball by Frank Garland--finished on 10/27/13

At long last, I finished this ER book. For a 240-page book, it took forever.

This is an informative, though somewhat dry, look at the life of Pittsburgh Pirates slugger and Hall of Famer, Wilver "Willie" Stargell. Stargell "didn't just hit home runs, he hit conversation pieces," as the author quotes a baseball insider as saying, of Stargell's mammoth home runs.

From Stargell's early days growing up poor in Alameda, CA, to the racial discrimination he experienced in his minor league days with the Pirates organization and his early years during Spring Training (he couldn't eat or sleep with his Pirates teammates), through his Pirates career, which stretched from 1962 through 1982, through his post-career, the author seemingly provided every single detail he could find and related every comment about Stargell that he tracked down. Yes, this book could've used some editing.

Despite the occasional repetition and plodding writing style, this book was interesting. I was aware that Stargell was called Pops and was the Pirates team leader, especially during the "We Are Family" 1979 championship season, but I never knew that he got involved in the classical music world after his career was over. Or that he passed away on the day the new PNC Park opened in April of 2001.

Eye-opening and informative, this is a solid baseball book that I would recommend.

Morning Linda! How is that book funk coming? Does it look like you might be getting some relief? Fingers crossed. I hope you have a nice Sunday, whatever you do.

Hi Mark, Happy Sunday.

Mom and I ran out to McDonald's for breakfast this morning. Very cool but a Model A club met there as their jumping off point for an excursion into Wisconsin today. There were about 10 Model A's from 1928-1931. The guys loved talking about them. Top speed around 50 mph. No heaters in the car. Very interesting to see a whole procession of these. We got in line behind them and followed them as they ended up passing a few blocks from the house.

The Stargell book was ok but I just got bogged down in it for a long time. However, I happily discovered that there's a new book in one of my favorite cozy series, the Jessica Beck donut shop series so I think I'll pick that one up next. Also discovered that Jessica Beck is the pen name for a solid mystery author I like, who seems to have a dozen series going. Tim Myers. I liked his Carolina lighthouse series and his candlemaking series.

Quite an ending to the World Series game last night. Never saw that before. The third baseman tripped the Cardinals runner as he was trying to score the game-winning run. Whether it was intentional or not, and it looked intentional to me, the runner was awarded the run.

Finding an unexpected new book from a favorite cozy author, Jessica Beck, knocked out the reading funk.

Yay!!

In fact, I finished it in just a couple of sittings.

Book #120

Assault and Batter by Jessica Beck--finished on 10/28/13

One of my top 5 favorite cozy series is the Jessica Beck Donut shop series, featuring April Springs, NC donut shop owner, Suzanne Hart. This 11th book in the series is just as enjoyable as ever.

A focus of the book is the upcoming wedding of Suzanne's ex-husband. She's asked to be the Maid of Honor and, of course, she and her friend, Grace, end up investigating a murder, as usual.

I love this series and love the recurring characters and they're all present, as usual, in this entertaining new entry in the series.

Interestingly, the author included a note saying that, due to reader response, the length of the donut shop books has been cut back. Also, there'll be fewer recipes and these will be placed at the back of the book.

Also, with shorter books and fewer recipes, future books will be published more quickly. Great news for fans of this series!!

Wow! There are 11 in the donut shop series already? I think I've only read the first couple, and one of those was recently. I guess I've got a long way to catch up.

Book #121

Wayne Gretzky: His Lessons for Success in Hockey and in Life by Jack Miller--finished on 10/28/13

I've never given a book a half a star before but this one is worthy of that rating. It's the single worst "book" I've ever read in my lifetime.

I've long admired Wayne Gretzky and have believed him to be the most dominant athlete in his sport. Ever. Thus, I was eager to see what sort of leadership lessons he could impart.

Instead, I got this, a "book" that sounded like a non-native English -speaking 5th grader's book report.

I had a horrified fascination as I read through it.

At least I didn't have to pay for it as I chose it as my Amazon Prime freebie for the month. Thank goodness.

It's a shame, though, that you used your Prime freebie on such rubbish.

Very true, Lori.

I should've gone with my old school friend's son's war memoirs.

I probably should take advantage of that monthly freebie more than I do. I suppose November would be a good time to start!

Bye Bye Book Funk! Take your time getting back...

Glad to hear that book funk has packed it's bags. I am looking forward to trying a cozy or two for the MysteryCat next year and I am taking note of Jessica Beck.

Glad to hear that your book funk has departed, Linda.

Sorry to hear about the half-star read. Why do they market such rubbish?

Good-bye book funk and good riddance. That Jessica Beck series sounds just like my wife and daughter's cuppa (and their donut, too), Linda, so I've passed on your recommendation to them.

I like it a lot, Joe. For me, the donut shop series is a nice comfort read. I do admit to being hungry for Dunkin Donuts while reading these, though.

For ER this month, I did NOT get the Anne Perry Christmas book. However, I did win Ten Lords A-Leaping from C.C. Benison.

I'd better get cracking and read the eleven book from that series, asap.

For fellow Kindle fans, note that Kindle Match Book starts today.

If you've bought a physical copy from Amazon over the years, you can get a Kindle version, possibly, for no charge, or up to $2.99.

It seems that they are starting small. I've probably bought hundreds and hundreds of books over the years and, so far, I have 16 available Match Books.

One such Match Book, for me, is How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life. I have no recollection of buying it so it was probably a gift to someone else.

The others I've either read or put aside. Quite a few of my Match Books are Agatha Christie's or Elizabeth Peters books.

Linda, thanks for the reminder. It turns out none of my zillions of books purchased from Amazon over the past nearly 20 years qualify for the Kindle Match. Disappointing, but not surprising.

Linda, only one of my books is eligible for the match -- and I don't see any reason to get in in e-format.

I think they are just getting going with it.

I clicked on available match books, NOT my eligible ones, then clicked on sports and baseball.

Doing it manually gave me a whole bunch more. I bet I could do the same with mysteries or other kinds of books I often buy.

I had a few 99 cent ones but no free ones. Most were $1.99 or $2.99, and most were not things I wanted badly enough to purchase an e-copy.

@106....Linda you can breathe a bit better....the C.C. Benison Father Christmas mysteries started at Twelve and are descending. So....you are only two behind. Ten Lords A-leaping is #3 - go figah

Tina, I read #1, the Twelve one, and liked it. So I just need to read Eleven (aka book #2) soon.

I also read the Twelve one, enjoyed it, and would like to find # Eleven w/o having to buy it. Unfortunately, it's not too widely available in library land. I'm almost positive I read one of his other mysteries from the Her Majesty Investigates series, but it was years ago. Maybe when they become more available I'll try them again.

Book #122

Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton--finished on 11/2/13

This is the first in the Merry Muffin series featuring Merry Wynter, a woman who inherited a castle in upstate New York. The town in which the castle is located, Autumn Vale, is an odd place, to say the least, populated with quirky characters.

This book had about the slowest start I've ever seen. If several friends hadn't read it and liked it, I certainly would've put it aside. Fortunately, I stayed with it and I liked it, probably enough to continue with the series.

Linda- I hope you had a great weekend. We had a nice time in Milwaukee. We will have to go back and see more. They have a very nice lakefront.
It was also great to see Laura & Nancy. Can not beat those LT Meet-ups!

Glad to hear it was fun, Mark.

Next weekend, I'm going to Murder & Mayhem in Muskego. Laura B is too.

Really enjoying my current cozy, a real comfort read, which, though set in the present, has an old fashioned feel about it.

The new Elizabeth J. Duncan mystery, Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes By.

The full saying on which the title is based is "Never laugh as a hearse goes by or you'll be the next to die."

Book #123

Never Laugh as a Hearse Goes By by Elizabeth J. Duncan--finished on 11/4/13

I absolutely loved this terrific, ultra cozy fifth book in the Penny Brannigan series. Penny owns a nail salon/spa in a small Welsh village and dates a police officer, DCI Gareth Davies.

In this installment, Penny is attending a clerical conference at Gladstone’s Library in North Wales, along with Gareth. As is usual in these books, she gets involved in trying to solve the murders that take place in the book.

I loved how the author took many of the usual characters and skillfully moved them to another locale, for a change of pace, to keep the series from getting stale, yet while retaining the usual feel of the books. Besides an interesting mystery with characters I’ve grown to love, the book includes interesting details about churches and how they operate.

Though the book occurs in the present and, indeed, talks about email, the Internet, and other modern-day conveniences, it also has an old-fashioned charm to it, more so than just about any mystery series I read.

Incidentally, another favorite cozy series for me is the Dorothy Martin series by author, Jeanne Dams. As usual, Duncan manages to incorporate the lead character from this other series into her book.

The Duncan books are comfort reading at its best.

Penny made a cameo appearance in Murder at the Castle that I just read. Of course, that wasn't the first Dorothy Martin novel to feature her. I may have to go back and read more of the Penny Brannigan books. I read the first one. It was okay, but it didn't completely grab me. Now that Penny and Dorothy are acquainted, I might enjoy the series a bit more.

I read one of the Penny Brannigan series awhile ago....I remember enjoying it, so must go look up some of these.

This is the weekend for Murder & Mayhem in Muskego, a mystery fiction conference in suburban Milwaukee. All day Saturday. But first, dinner with LTer LauraBrook.

Yay!!

Linda! *waves*

Hi Tamara!!

Great conference in Muskego. More later when I have a keyboard not a phone.

Heavier on hard boiled and noir but interesting nonetheless. Worried about Laura and her dad. She had to leave because her dad took a turn for the worse.

I definitely want to come back to Muskego next year. Thirty bucks for a full interesting day of panels, lunch, and a bagful of books.

Next year, Sara Paretsky, among others.

That conference sounds interesting!

It definitely was, Tamara. I'm heading off to the hockey game tonight but, beforehand, maybe I'll be able to report on the authors talks and also the book freebies I got.

I definitely want to go again next year.

Book #124

Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 11/9/13

I love McKinlay's cozy Library Lovers series. I also enjoy her cupcake series. So, naturally, I thought I'd love the first one in her new hat shop series set in London. I didn't.

It starts out slowly and never really got going for me. At page 100, there's still no murder. It picked up just a tad once the sleuth starts investigating (to show you how much I disliked it, I finished it yesterday and already can't remember the name of the sleuth, though I do remember that she's the American cousin who heads to London to help her British cousin out at the hat shop they co-own).

There's some potential and I may read the second one, just to confirm that I don't care for it or, perhaps, be pleasantly surprised.

ETA: I had to look it up. Scarlett Parker is the American cousin who heads to England to help her cousin, Viv, run their hat shop.

Murder & Mayhem in Muskego was terrific. I've joined their Facebook page so I'll be more aware of what's going on and, hopefully, will go back up their for next year's event, which will be on Nov 9, 2014. Next year, Sara Paretsky will be there. Joe Lansdale and Steve Hamilton, too. Can't remember all the authors who've already committed.

The focus really is on more hard-boiled authors, thrillers, and noir. There were a few cozy authors but one, Joelle Charbonneau (who has a Master's in Opera) spoke more about her YA book. A favorite cozy author, Julie Hyzy, author of the White House chef series spoke more about her harder boiled books, written under the name NC Hyzy, for Not Cozy Hyzy. When asked which book someone new to her should start with, Hyzy said her first manor house book. She hardly said a word about her White House chef series. After she said something that was confusing, her husband, who was standing behind me, said that they call her Foot because, when she speaks, she tends to put her foot in her mouth.

Hmmm, William Kent Krueger, who is called Kent, btw, was said to be the nicest guy in the mystery authors field. Before he started writing, he said his job was "professional baby spit collector" referring to his research job on the psychology of baby stress.

The master of ceremonies all day was an interesting guy. He's a boxing judge and writes boxing mysteries. Tom Schreck. I may look up his books.

The first presentation by a retired police chief was most interesting, talking about misconceptions about police work. Rarely, if ever, do fingerprints or other forensics ever convict a criminal. Usually, it's stupidity.

Marcia Clark, the prosecutor in the OJ Simpson case, also spoke. She's also extremely interesting and I intend to give her first in the series a try.

One author, Megan Abbott, put an interesting twist on noir, using cheerleaders. Cheerleaders and noir don't seem to go together so I may give that one a try.

One guy, Gregg Hurwitz, NY Times bestselling author, spoke individually, as well as on a panel. Lots of great stories about research. He seems to do a lot with Hollywood so much of his talk involved that.

Besides interesting panels, a tasty lunch, and friendly fellow attendees, I picked up 5 ARCs including one featuring a sleuth who runs casino junkets.

Okay, so what ARCs did you get?

Here are the 5 ARCs I got at Muskego. The first one is the one I'm looking forward to the most.

--Murder by Chance by Pat Dennis--looks to be a series book about a casino junket tour operator in Minnesota
--Blood Orange by Karen Keskinen--a "gripping and provocative mystery" featuring P.I. Jaymie Zarlin in Santa Barbara, CA
--The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall--a Vish Puri mystery set in India
--Screams & Whispers by Randall Peffer--young Cape Cod public defender and commercial fisherman ventures to Vietnam
--Sacrifice Fly by Tim O'Mara--features an ex-cop, now a schoolteacher--based on the title, I wonder if there's a baseball connection

The Pat Dennis book looks like my cup of tea. The only one that looks unlikely for me is that Keskinen book, perhaps.

The Vish Puri series looks interesting!

Linda- Sounds like you had a great time in Muskego! You know I would have loved the hard-boiled theme. Just my cuppa. I have read Krueger but that is about it.
Nice book haul. Look forward to your thoughts.
Please let us know if you hear anything from Laura.

Looks like the first snow of the season is about to start. It's snowing at home, but not at the office yet.

I'm reading, and enjoying, the new Bill Bryson, One Summer: America 1927. Very good. A bit of humor. The focus is on Charles Lindbergh and his Trans-Atlantic flight.

We got a little snow this week, too, Linda.

I'm glad you had such a good time at M&M in M. It also pleases me to hear that William Kent Krueger seems to be a nice guy. I love his books!

Terri, one of my 2014 challenge categories is "mystery authors I haven't read in more than 3 years. He's tops on that list.

I have the new Bill Bryson book for only 2 weeks, not 3. Borrowed from the library on Kindle. Finished it an hour before they took it away.

Book #125

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson--finished on 11/14/13

Quite possibly my favorite book of the year, or at least top 5.

I understand that Bryson books typically have a lot of humor. While this one is a breezy look at America during the summer of 1927 and he included an occasional humorous fact or two about famous people of the time, it wasn't what I would call humor.

What it is was a fascinating look at the events, both big and small, of the summer of 1927. Of course, Charles Lindbergh and his trans-Atlantic flight tops the list, as does Babe Ruth and his summer of 60 home runs. Sacco and Vanzetti. Al Capone. Prohibition.

However, there are lesser-known people, such as the man who specialized in carrying out executions via the electric chair. Who knew that the condemned were fitted in leather football helmets, so that they resembled Red Grange. Or the woman who first thought up going after mobsters for unpaid taxes.

Fascinating book, one I'd highly recommend.

I've had my eye on One Summer: America, 1927, Linda, and your comments have definitely piqued by interest. I love the lesser-known stories of history.

#137 It had a lot of the well-known stories but even there, he had little known aspects of it.

I got tired of waiting for my overdue ER book from, I believe, August, so I contacted Putnam Penguin by email. I got an email response within a half hour and then, 3 days later, If Kennedy Lived showed up in my mail. Yay!!

138 Yay!

#138...maybe that's what I should do....shame the publishers myself. I am still waiting for ER books from May and June - alas both are from a small indie press (Riverhead) and I'm not sure they'd be as quick to respond as a biggie like Penguin. Besides, I think I have enough to read at the moment, and the two I won, are looking less and less appealing as they fade into the sunset.

Tina, I really wanted to read this one, an alternative history of JFK's second term. I've read a couple other Jeff Greenfield alternative political history items and loved them.

I've got a whole stack of library books checked out, including an ILL from out of state, a bio of sportscaster Mel Allen, but I want to fit some time in for the Greenfield alternate history. Oh and the Anne Perry Christmas novella.

To me, it looked like Putnam's media rep passed it to an assistant who passed it on again, but at least it got sent. She thought their mailroom might've refused to send it due to an invalid address. If you type in my zip code, my town does not pop up, though it is definitely the right zip code.

I kind of feel that somehow following up on missing ER books has gotten lost in the shuffle since Jeremy left LibraryThing. I've not seen either of the new folks comment on following up or posting in the "missing ER book" thread. They may be doing it, but they certainly are not letting folks know. I'm missing Death on Lindisfarne from the July batch.

Hi Linda- I hope you are having a good Saturday. I am just about wrapping up my day. One Summer sounds good. I like Bryson.

Book #126

Ice Cream: A Global History by Laura B. Weiss--finished on 11/16/13

This enjoyable little book from the Edible series offers an interesting, worldwide look at ice cream, from its early days through its development in the U.S.

From the soda fountain and soda jerks through the popularization of the ice cream cone at the 1904 St Louis World's Fair through Good Humor ice cream trucks, Eskimo pies, Howard Johnson's, Baskin Robbins, and super premium brands such as Ben & Jerry's, probably anything anyone would want to know about ice cream history, along with mechanical advances, is in here. Also of interest are the variants on ice cream that people outside the U.S. enjoy.

An interesting book!!

#144 Yummy!

I've been hungry for ice cream all day. On my way home from the library, I got some!!

Now you all have me craving it, but I'd either have to go out or try making it from scratch.

We got some pints from Culvers, so we are pretty stoked!

Linda, I'm hearing news of severe weather in your part of the country . . . Bears game suspended, stands emptied. I hope you are in a safe place!

Hope you're doing okay, Linda. We're A-OK, and so is Becca.

This morning, we were in the radio packing boxes to donate to YWCA tomorrow. Had the Kenosha radio station on and there were tornado warnings around there, just north of year. Nowhere near as bad as the afternoon ones south of the city. Peoria area seems especially hard hit, along with the far south and southwest suburban areas of Chicago.

We had a lot of wind and some rain. I first started writing and the sun was out. Now it's cloudy and there's more thunder.

Very odd for November.

I'm watching football (thinking of switching over to the Packers game) and reading the new Anne Perry Christmas novella.

Glad you are doing okay!

Book #127

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry--finished on 11/17/13

There's nothing like an Anne Perry Christmas novella to start getting in the holiday spirit. At first blush, you wouldn't think so, as this is a book about a Victorian era society woman, Claudine Burroughs, trapped in a loveless marriage who finds satisfaction volunteering at a women's health clinic run by Hester Monk.

Claudine attends holiday parties, the opera, and other high society events and, at one of these, a young woman, said to be a streetwalker, is murdered. Three well-to-do young men accuse a Welsh poet of the murder and he's quickly on the run. Claudine sets out to try to prove the poet's innocence, while, at the same time, trying to impart lessons learned from her life to a young woman.

As is always true of the annual Christmas novella, the holiday lesson/takeaway is timeless.

Well done, as always.

Aw, that sounds lovely Linda! I need to think about what I want to read for Christmas holiday coming up soon. I might actually enjoy that since it is set in Victorian era. :)

#154 I think I'd like to grab some of the Debbie Macomber Christmas books. I don't think I've ever read any but there are a whole bunch of them.

I've reserved the Sarah Palin book on the "war on Christmas" at the library.

I like Macomber's Christmas books. Donna VanLiere is also a popular Christmas author around here. She didn't have one this year so everyone is a bit disappointed.

My book club in December usually chooses an author with numerous holiday books rather than a single book. Last year we did Anne Perry, this year Debbie Macomber

Definitely have to give those Macomber Christmas books a try.

Enjoyed reading about Louise Penny's dinner at the Canadian High Commissioner's residence in London last night. Basically, the ambassador.

If you're on FB and like her books, check it out. Her posts are always entertaining and/or informative.

Still pondering the weatherman's advice on Sunday during the storms. Take cover and protect your head with a hardcover book. What would be optimal?

Yay!! Santa Thing is back!!

http://www.librarything.com/blogs/librarything/2013/11/santathing-2013/

Take cover and protect your head with a hardcover book. What would be optimal?

War and Peace, maybe? Or the "W" (for weather) volume of an encyclopedia?

Terri, I've actually given this a lot of thought, since it was so unexpected. I've never heard anyone suggest a hardcover book before.

Actually, when the storms were swirling around, we were in the basement boxing up donations for the YWCA. I was handling books for donation and, had a tornado come upon us at that time, I would've grabbed whatever book was closest.

Optimally, it'd be a book easy enough to grab and take with me to the basement. Nothing too cumbersome. Yet not too thin, either. The Anne Perry Christmas novella, for instance, would not offer too much protection for my head.

Our daughter heard the "protect your head with a hardcover book" comment on Sunday, Linda, and passed it on to us. (When we were listening, he said "if you have a helmet, wear it" - we don't). After she told us, I pulled down 1Q84 and Wonderstruck, both of which are chunksters.

>159 lindapanzo: Thanks for the tip! I decided to sign up again this year. My past Santas have done a pretty good job. It's always fun to see what someone else picks for me.

Oh no. Heard that my uncle, dad's younger brother, had a heart attack today. He lives in Costa Rica. I think he's ok. I hope so.

Hi Linda- Sorry to hear about your uncle. I hope he'll be fine. Hope you survived the wild weather this past weekend.

I'm also sorry to hear about your uncle, Linda. Hopefully he is fine.

I wonder if the Anne Perry books are stand-alones or are they part of one of her series?

The Anne Perry Christmas novellas are a series but they are unrelated so, in that sense, they are standalones. You can pick up any of them.

She usually uses a minor character from either the Monk series or the Pitt series. Oftentimes, Aunt Vespasia is mentioned.

In this most recent one, I think the main character is in the Monk series, working at a clinic run by Hester Monk. At some point, I want to start the Monk series. I'm a lot farther along in the Pitt series.

Thanks Linda, I have read some of the Monk and some of the Pitt series, but it was a long time ago. I am a big sucker for Victorian Christmas stories so will maybe give one of these a try. Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your uncle's heart attack. I hope he'll be OK.

Thanks, Terri. I think it was a mild one. He was home and called.

Book #128

Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 11/20/13

The farther I get into the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood, set in 1920s Australia, the more I like it.

This one, involving murder at a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's comic opera, Ruddigore, is much more cerebral and less action-packed than the previous one, in which Phryne joins the circus.

There's an element of long-ago mystery, along with a lot of background color on stagecraft and other behind-the-scenes information about the players and the technical staff at a operatic company.

Just guessing but I strongly suspect that the Chinese man Phyrne meets, Lin Chung, is going to be a recurring character. I hope so.

Loved it and am eager to read the next one, Urn Burial.

I have a 3-day weekend ahead. On Friday afternoon, I'm going to an event at the library about the JFK assassination.

I also plan to read the Jeff Greenfield alternate political history about JFK's second term (the ER book I struggled mightily to receive). I started it this morning and read a bit at lunch, too. Also hope to get to the not-well-reviewed JFK novel by Jim Lehrer, Top Down, which is also an ER book for me.

I'd also like to read one of the new nonfiction books about the assassination itself. That's a little more iffy at this point.

Good news about your uncle! I hope you enjoy your long weekend and your Kennedy reading!

Have fun reading about JFK this weekend.

Book #129

If Kennedy Lived by Jeff Greenfield--finished on 11/22/13

I love a good, plausible alternate political history and thoroughly enjoyed Greenfield's trio of novellas, Then Everything Changed, as well as his Kindle single about Al Gore beating George W. Bush. As a result, I thought I'd love his alternate history about how JFK survived the November 22, 1963 assassination attempt and lived to have a second term. Alas, I liked it, but did not love it.

The book takes a look at such key events as whether JFK would've won a second term, what we would've done in Vietnam had JFK lived, what might've happened with civil rights/voting rights, and whether the hippies and other countercultural events might've happened.

One thing I like about Greenfield's books is that they are plausible and he cites sources for the positions he takes. They are not "out there" and, with a few minor twists or turns, they could've happened.

As I say, I'd liked this book, but didn't love it. He doesn't go out on many limbs and, in fact, is awfully cautious in his predictions. This is quite a limited alternate political history. Very policy-oriented and, unfortunately, somewhat dry at times.

I think the novella or Kindle single is actually a better format for alternate political history. To me, it felt like he was stretching things to try to create an entire book. By the end of the book, by the end of JFK's second term, it seems like he was really stretching things to keep the book going. I wish he'd put his political focus aside a bit more and gone more into greater detail about how our society might be different had JFK lived.

Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting, thought-provoking book and I admit that I did not see the ending coming. I just think that he might've done more with it. It's a bit skimpier than I would've expected. Very good, but not great.

Interestingly, in the Jeff Greenfield book, he talks about newsman Jim Lehrer asking an agent whether JFK's limo would have its hardtop on, or not. My text book is a JFK novel, Top Down by Jim Lehrer.

I'm reading The Yiddish Policemen's Union and it has an alternate history background to the plot. A couple of times in passing there have been mentions of first lady Marilyn Monroe Kennedy.

When I was doing a little basement cleaning/donating the other day, I came across that book, Carrie, and "saved" it for myself. Next year, I want to read more nonmystery novels.

I'm not sure how much I would enjoy an alternate political history, Linda. I think the current state of political affairs has burned me out on all things political.

I was a political science major in college, Lori. I love to think about what might've happened if x or y had happened instead. Stephen King's 11/22/63 had, if I recall correctly, a much bleaker world if Kennedy had lived. Jeff Greenfield doesn't speculate much beyond 1968, which was a bit disappointing to me.

I get too wound up about current political events so, for the sake of my blood pressure, I prefer to read about political history.

Hi Linda- Just checking in. It's been a cold day. My cheeks feel raw. Hope you are enjoying your long weekend. You've read the Three Pines books, right? I started book 3.

I love what if scenarios for alternate history, Linda. I hope your Uncle is doing okay. *waves*

Hi Mark, hope you're home and warming up by now. Brrrr. I actually pulled out my winter coat, at long last, for this first really cold day.

I love the Louise Penny Three Pines series. Probably my favorite one. I still haven't read the most recent one yet.

The Cruelest Month was your favorite or is Three Pines your favorite series?

Favorite series, Mark. My favorite one in the series was The Brutal Telling, the one with murder at the bistro. #5, I think. Bury Your Dead, the one set in Quebec City is another favorite, though I usually prefer the ones set in Three Pines. I think that one is #6.

Book #130

Top Down: A Novel of the Kennedy Assassination by Jim Lehrer--finished on 11/24/13

About the best thing I can say about this book is that it is a quick read so I didn't waste much time with it. The author is a respected newsman and I understand that this his his 21st novel. I would've expected much better.

On that infamous day, November 22, 1963, a Dallas newsman (in real life, Jim Lehrer, the author) asked a Secret Service agent whether the top on JFK's limo would be on or off. The agent asked someone about the weather downtown and, hearing that it was good and the rain had cleared, ordered it taken off. The rest is history.

In this novel, the agent who gave the order is overwhelmed by grief and guilt, his psychological problems akin to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, just won't go away and his physical health greatly declines. Thinking that he was responsible for JFK's death, he pushes away his family, his wife starts to drink, and his 15-year old daughter seemingly loses the family she knew as both of her parents change.

Five years later, the newsman who asked the agent about whether the limo's top would be on or off gives a speech about his guilt and that now 20-year old daughter contacts him. They decide to reenact the shooting, hoping to show that, if the limo's top had been on, JFK, Jackie, and both of the Connelly's would all be dead. Doing so, they hope, will save the father.

There's not much of a plot. The characters aren't developed. It's a boring book. Not at all recommended.

At least I polished off two Early Reviewers books over my long weekend!!

I've gone from 3 ER books in hand with one more on the way to one ER book in hand and one on the way.

I'm still waiting for my C.C. Benison mystery to arrive. Then there's Wilson, the weighty Woodrow Wilson bio. I need to try to read more on this and get it done, once and for all.

You can tell it's a Sunday in winter (almost). That's about the only time I'll ever finish two books in one day.

ETA; Quite a red letter reading day!! I finished 2 books, one just after midnight, one in the evening, and then a Kindle single just before midnight.

Book #131
Lost Airports of Chicago by Nicholas C. Selig--finished on 11/24/13

When I was a kid, in the 1960s, and we were travelling from the city to our summer cottage in northern Lake County, we'd always pass by Sky Harbor Airport. I'd always wonder what was going on there and would always bring it to someone's attention "hey, there's the little airport." I was fascinated but never managed to get there. Then it closed, in about 1973, I think, and I never made it there, though one of the old hangars is a restaurant now, I believe.

I had no idea but, over the years, more than 40 small country airports in Chicagoland have closed, including Sky Harbor Airport in Northbrook, IL and Chicagoland Airport, in what was Half Day, IL but is now Lincolnshire.

The author has penned an interesting little book full of stories about the ghost airports and the people who flew from and/or worked at these little airports way back when.

Fascinating information about little-known airports of yesteryear that, sadly, have closed and are now part of subdivisions, shopping malls, office complexes, and other modern places.

Book #132

Angel Is Airborne: JFK's Final Flight from Dallas by Garrett M. Graff--finished on 11/24/13

The fascinating book is, quite possibly, the best Kindle single I've ever read. Granted, I've probably read only a dozen or so, so far, but it was outstanding.

The author takes a look at the flight back to Washington DC, from Dallas, after JFK's assassination. The whole spectrum of human emotions was on display during the 2-hour flight. Shifting loyalties, dawning realizations that things were no longer the same, unspeakable grief, anger. You name it and someone probably felt it.

First though, there was time waiting for the slain president's body, his widow, and the soon-to-be president to arrive. Interesting information about them scrambling to figure out what was needed for LBJ's swearing in onboard the plane, then waiting for Judge Sarah Hughes to arrive to administer the oath.

I just wish this was an entire book, not just a Kindle single. Highly recommended!!

Those last two sound good, Linda! I'm a nostalgia buff who likes to read about things that used to be, like your Lost Airports -- and your high praise of Angel is Airborne make me want to check it out.

Terri, I like to read about somewhat obscure things, like the Air Force One flight or long-ago airports that are no longer around.

I actually hadn't even thought about that little local airport in years. Then, a couple of years ago, I was driving around a corporate/industrial area, looking for a Fed Ex building to drop off a package, when I saw the hangar from the other side and was taken back to my memories from long ago.

Just heard that I won another ER book this month, about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. Showtime by Jeff Pearlman.

My current read is the new autobiograpy of hockey great Bobby Orr.

Still reading the Bobby Orr autobiography. I've got a few days off and no real plans so I'm hoping to get a lot of reading in.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hi Linda- Have a great Thanksgiving! An enjoy your LONG weekend. Yes, I am very jealous.

Happy Thanksgiving, Linda! Sorry to hear that the Lehrer was such a dud.

Hi Darryl, Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. I hadn't heard good things about the Lehrer book but at least it was quick. My other JFK books were very good, though.

I'm reading a whole lot more nonfiction than I would've guessed. Just over two weeks til I start my 2014 challenge (on 12/14).

Happy Thanksgiving, Linda! Hope you've been having a good, relaxing one.

Hi Joe, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

We just ran out this am to get Boston Market stuff. Mostly just watching parades, watching football, and reading. Nice and relaxing day.

Book #133

Orr: My Story by Bobby Orr--finished on 11/28/13

All-time hockey great, defenseman Bobby Orr has long been one of the athletes I most admired. With quiet grit and determination, he got the job done and revolutionized the game of hockey, making the defenseman, at times, a more offense-oriented position. So, when I heard that Orr had finally written his memoirs, I was eager to read them.

This book wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. His NHL career was only a part of this book and a far smaller part than I would've expected. In fact, Orr spent far more time talking about the people and things that have influenced his life and less about his hockey accomplishments.

Except for Alan Eagleson--his friend, lawyer, and agent--who fleeced him, Orr had little negative to say about anyone so, in that way, the book was relatively bland. Still, I liked reading about Orr's thoughts about the state of hockey. Interestingly, one rule change he encouraged, the automatic icing, has already been adopted at the NHL level.

Hockey fans, especially fans of the 1960s/1970s game, will likely love this book. Even nonfans could find plenty to enjoy in this book.

Highly recommended!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Tamara, hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.

After watching parades and football, eating, and some reading, I'm watching a hockey game now. Two Canadian teams.