Ellen reads 75+ in '13 - December wraps it up!

The Market in Seattle

COMPLETED IN JANUARY

1. Howl by Allen Ginsberg
2. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
3. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
4. The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz
5. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
6. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
7. 420 Characters by Lou Beach
8. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
9. The Line by Olga Grushin

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY

10. Stay Awake by Dan Chaon
11. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
12. A Grain of Truth by Zygmunt Miloszewski
13. The Hill Bachelors by William Trevor
14. Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
15. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

COMPLETED IN MARCH

16. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
17. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
18. Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs
19. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
20. Pow! by Mo Yan
21. The Door by Magda Szabo
22. Brothers and Keepers by John Edgar Wideman
23. This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski
24. The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri

COMPLETED IN APRIL

25. Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
26. Old Filth by Jane Gardam
27. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
28. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
29. Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule
30. Raj, the Bookstore Tiger by Kathleen T. Pelley
31. Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 by Joe Sacco
32. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

COMPLETED IN MAY

33. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
34. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
35. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
36. Marbles by Ellen Forney
37. Slow River by Nicola Griffith
38. Calling Dr. Laura by Nicole J. Georges
39. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

COMPLETED IN JUNE

40. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
41. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
42. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
43. The Likeness by Tana French
44. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
45. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
46. Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
47. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
48. The Waitress Was New by Dominique Fabre
49. Escape to Gold Mountain by David H.T. Wong
50. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin
51. That Mad Ache (also La Chamade) by Francoise Sagan

COMPLETED IN JULY

52. Cop Hater by Ed McBain
53. The Three-Arched Bridge by Ismail Kadare
54. The Mugger by Ed McBain
55. The Bat by Jo Nesbo
56. Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin
57. Pusher by Ed McBain
58. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
59. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
60. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

COMPLETED IN AUGUST

61. Hide & Seek by Ian Rankin
62. Among Others by Jo Walton
63. The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín
64. Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates
65. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
66. The Carter Family: Don't Forget this Song by Frank M. Young & David Lasky
67. Light in August by William Faulkner
68. The Empty Family by Colm Tóibín
69. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER

70. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
71. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (writing as Claire Morgan)
72. The Road Home by Rose Tremain (gift from Paul)
73. The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst
74. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
75. The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
76. Harvest by Jim Crace
77. Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani
78. Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger

COMPLETED IN OCTOBER

79. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
80. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
81. Ammonite by Nicola Griffith
82. Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
83. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
84. In the Convent of Little Flowers by Indu Sundaresan
85. Housekeeping vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby

COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER

86. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
87. Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel
88. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
89. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
90. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
91. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
92. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro
93. Last Night at the Lobster by Steward O'Nan
94. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

COMPLETED IN DECEMBER

95. Felicia's Journey by William Trevor
96. Ask Not by Max Allan Collins
97. Howard's End by E.M. Forster
98. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
99. The Red House by Mark Haddon
100. Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood
101. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
102. The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
103. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Currently reading:



Howard's End by E.M. Forster

Aren't I the lucky one! I'll come back tomorrow!

Hi Lucy!
Maybe I should pick up Paul's little tradition of sending a book to the first person to visit my thread each month. My plan is to keep up with about a thread-a-month in 2014.

Hi Ellen! Oh, how I love Pike Place Market. We were there 4 years ago around this time of year and had so much fun shopping for Christmas presents.

Hi Ellen - Happy new thread. I see you are close to 100!!

Happy new thread, Ellen! I want to go to that market! Looks like a lot of fun! I see that you are reading Howard's End - I read that earlier this year and really liked it.

A farmer's market at night? I love it! You have to get up at the crack of dawn for markets around here. I'm moving to Seattle!

Wait. Pat shopped there for Christmas presents? I guess they sell more than veggies? Or maybe Pat is trying to keep her friends and family healthy ;-)
lol

new thread joy, EBT. love the topper. wanna go! oooh, Howard's end. that's a good 'un.

later.

#12 Claudia, if you ever make it out to the Pacific Northwest, you must go to Seattle and the Pike Place Market. It's a huge market on multiple blocks and levels connected by ramps and stairs that twist and turn with many nooks and crannies. It has excellent food for sale as well as numerous restaurants and coffee shops and lots of crafts. You could easily and happily spend days there! It's been around for more than 100 years and I think is open every day of the year.

Let me start by apologizing to any and all who left messages on my prior thread to which I did not directly respond. I read through them and noted them and loved some of the discussion about The End of Your Life Book Club, for example, but I lost a week and I just can't get it back.

#9 - Pat, downtown Seattle and the market are really delightful this time of year. Next Wednesday, we have tickets to a play and we're going to start by wandering around to look at the lights and then have a quick dinner somewhere.

#10 - Beth, I am so close to 100 I can practically taste it. I'm rather enjoying thinking about what books I want to be sure I get to this month to round out my year. I know I won't get to all that I'm considering, but I'm enjoying the consideration nonetheless!

#11 - Mamie, my dear sister! I expect that you would enjoy the market. It's a pretty magical place at the right time of year (and the right time of day). I'm enjoying Howard's End although it's not entirely my cup of tea.

#12 - Cee, my friend, the market at Pike Place in Seattle is far more than a farmer's market! It is that, and the fruits and veggies and jams and things are quite wonderful, especially in the summer. There are a lot of booths and, inside, a lot of little shops that sell all kinds of things. Some things you might expect (scarves, tote bags, dragon figurines) and some you might not so much..... It's great fun. And they do throw fish.

#13 - Ellie, I think you should pack up and come visit! I might get the whole LT gang here before all is said and done. And Howard's End is indeed good, although outside my usual zone of enjoyment.

Hi Ellen! I was just there with the family on Friday. :-)

#14 - Pat, that is a perfect description of the market. And I echo your recommendation for Claudia (and everyone else!) to come visit and spend a few hours poking around there. :-)

#16 - Hi Lisa! One of my favorite things about the market is DeLaurenti where I get frozen pesto that is really as good as any I can make at home. This time of year, when my basil has died back and the pesto we made this summer has been consumed, it's a staple.

Hi Ellen- Congrats on the Wrap Up thread! Sorry, you didn't care for the Schwalbe memoir. It really worked for me. I hope you enjoy Howard's End. I read and enjoyed it earlier this year.

BTW- Thanks for choosing Troubles for me. It was excellent. And I look forward to reading more Farrell.

Hey there...lovely photo as always...I suspect that Collins' Ask Not was a casualty of lectus interruptus, as you said in my thread. I found the pacing darn near irresistible. Still and all, plenty of room for varying opinions in such a rich tapestry of a book. The speculation about the coincidental deaths of so many key players...the "accidental" presidency of one of the Warren Commission's report authors (Ford)...too many coincidences. Just...no.

Hi there Ellen, I visited the Pike Place Market a couple of years ago in the summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much fun I think we spent most of one day investigating all the nooks and crannies. I actually enjoyed The End of Your Life Book Club. I must have just read it at the right time in my life.

Happy new thread Ellen.

#19 - Hello there, Mark! I'm so glad you enjoyed Troubles. I thought it was excellent and I'm glad you have added to your 2013 reading enjoyment!

#20 - Hi Richard! Yep, leaving a book (in which I was indeed engrossed) with just 30 pages to go, and then returning to it a week later was, as you suggest, less than fully satisfying. Still, it was a good read and got me thinking. :-)

#21 - Hi Bonnie, I enjoyed The End of Your Life Book Club some and I completely agree that it's one of those reads that will sit differently at different times in one's life. I liked it as much as I did because I was visiting family and thinking about connection, but I agree some with Katie's rant with regard to its shortcomings. I'm feeling very good about my 2.5-star rating of it. That feels just about right.

#22 - Thanks, Roberta!!

Hi, Ellen. Waving from Kaua'i…. went on the photo tour and saw some beaches I'd not seen before. Also, stopped at a roadside stand with a honor system for buying coconuts. Had lunch at a food truck and ate pulled pork over rice, with tomatoes and hot sauce. Yummy. I know you are imagining yourself in my shoes.

I'm still picking away at The End of Your Life Book Club and probably should be reading it right now rather than catching up on threads. I also found a new book by Art Wolf, The Art of the Photograph: Essential Habits for Stronger Compositions. And more….

I know I need to take some time and think about next years books, too. Ah. So much to do. So much more fun being lazy. And on vacation. Well. Maybe I'll get to the next year's books thing….

Hope you are well, and that the cold weather is not making life miserable. Congratulations on a new thread!

Thanks for transporting me to Seattle's Farmers Market, Ellen. It looks like it would be a great place to shop and people watch. Any publike establishments nearby?

What a beautiful photo of the market! I have never been there at night or during this season.

OK, I'll stand with those who enjoyed The End of Your Life Book Club. Despite the flaws and Oprah-fodder qualities, I thought that that was one amazing lady, both career-wise and on the philanthropic front. How I'd love to be able to discuss books like that with my Mom!

There are several books that were mentioned in EOYLBC that I've put on the wishlist, but the only one I've read is the Etiquette of Illness. I agree with Schwalbe that the most memorable thing about Etiquette of Illness was asking if people wanted to discuss their illness. It was also very helpful to me in understanding the crazy things that were said to me during my cancer treatments.

I found this list of books mentioned useful: http://img1.imagesbn.com/pimages/books/pdf/scwhalbe-book-list.pdf

However, at the last meeting of my book club when next year's books were discussed, someone put forth EOYLBC and I knew I wouldn't reread it. ;-)

#24 - pulled pork over rice, with tomatoes and hot sauce. YUM.
Karen, it sounds like you're having a magical (what else?) time on Kaua'i. I love the honor system for buying coconuts (and I'll be interested in how you eat them and how it tastes). I'm glad you're having fun and only making time for reading when it suits you. That is how vacation should be! -- and you deserve this vacation!
I haven't really thought about next year's books for our RLBC at all. I guess I should do that, too.
Keep having fun and say hello to the turtles for me!

#25 - Lynda, you are certainly welcome. It's a great place to people watch, sometimes too great (and then it's a great place to people-elbow). "Any publike establishments nearby?" Oh yeah. Several restaurants, a couple of pub-like places, and a wonderful counter with the best fish sandwiches this side of... well, the best fish sandwiches.

#26 - Good morning, Janet! Good for you for standing by the group of EoYLBC-lovers (or at least likers). "How I'd love to be able to discuss books like that with my Mom!" Yeah, I think that is one of the things I liked most about it (other than the list of books I might like to read and the recommendation to ask someone if they would like to talk about how they are feeling) --- that validation that books are a way of connecting. I'm doing some personal work on the whole how-do-I-connect-with-people-I-love issue right now and this resonated for me. But a reread? No way.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm about one-third into Howard's End and it just got interesting. For the first 80+ pages, I was thinking "well, this is a nice little Austen-wannabe kind of thing" but now I'm intrigued. Yay!

This damn cold is holding on way too long. I have to admit to having itty bitty fantasy that it will turn into bronchitis just so I can stay home in bed and read all day. Kidding!! I don't really want bronchitis. Really, I don't. I don't want "walking pneumonia," either.

Time for a hot toddy! The star anise soothes the throat, the cassia bark opens the stuffiness, and the booze makes you feel *marvelous*.

^ Yum. Thank you, Richard. I haven't had a hot toddy with star anise in it.... must try.
(Mine are usually just lemon, honey, and a generous shot of Old Bushmill's with hot water to top it up.)

Ellen we are sharing throat/chest infections, hot toddy's from RD and new threads.

Your Seattle market looks more pleasing on the eye than a centre of thriving commerce.

My hot toddies have had your recipe, Ellen, so now I've got to follow up on RD's star anise idea. Hope you start feeling better. Isn't it aggravatingly ironic that we need to get sick to get time off to do things like rest and read, only that means we feel too lousy to really enjoy it? There's something wrong with this system.

Anyway, welcome back. The market photo is great; we've had tons o' fun there on our visits, and there was a really good brunch restaurant across the street from it that our son took us to. Etta's?

I have the two of the J. G. Farrell books - Singapore Grip and Siege of Krishnapur. I got Siege from my Christmas Swap last year. I will have to get to them this year. Somehow this year I got lost in Medieval England and didn't get out in time for other time periods. (That sounds somewhat like a plot from a Connie Willis novel.)

I love the Pike's Place Market anytime of the year. It is so much fun. Last winter I spent a great deal of time at the cheese mongers. Love that Washington state cheese.

Love the picture of Pikes Street Market. I don't know that I've ever seen it in winter.

I found The End of Your Life Book Club kind of icky, as well. I actually found his mother pretty annoying, (although one feels guilty to be annoyed by someone so obviously GOOD), and I hated it that she always read the end of a book first.

*sigh*

Toddy Prep 101: Heat the water *almost* to boiling with the cinnamon and star anise in it. Put a teaspoon of real sugar not some vile chemistry experiment into a sturdy mug, pour in a solid slug of whichever whiskey you're using (bourbon or rye for me, since I don't care for them as drinks), stir to dissolve the sugar, and pour in the hot water to cover. Spoon in the star anise and the cinnamon stick. Add lemon to taste.

Voila, a feel-good toddy that's not just warmed-up boozeohol!

oh, goodness, that recipe for a hot toddy is almost enough for me to break my 30+ years of abstinence. Not enough, not now, and not here; but, you never can tell…..

Had to favorite that toddy recipe and save it for a rainy day!

Hi Ellen, gorgeous picture of the market and a great sounding Hot Toddy recipe. I'm not sick (touch wood) but I am exhausted from Christmas shopping all day so I think the restorative powers of a hot toddy might be just the thing I need. Feel better soon.

#31 - Good morning, Paul. I'm sick of this cold. It's not at full strength but neither am I. I gave myself a couple of hours off this morning (and have spent them reading Howard's End) but must go in for the greater part of the work day. I hope you feel better soon!

#32 - Joe, I've not been to Etta's for brunch but have dined and drank there. It's one of my favorite restaurants in the city -- and that is saying something.

#33 - Benita, I love "I got lost in Medieval England." One hopes not to spend too much time there as life was hard for women and anyone without land, money, or (royal) blood.

Beecher's cheese is, indeed, to be savored.

#34 - Hello, Rhonda!! You cracked me up as I, too, hated that Will's mom always read the end of a book first. I mean, like I should care how she did her reading, but I found that very annoying.

#35 - Oh, my dear Richard, thank you for the recipe. Last night I settled for a mug of Cold Care PM but we'll be purchasing some star anise so I can try your recipe this weekend.
"...real sugar not some vile chemistry experiment..." Amen, brother. I never, ever touch those chemistry experiments disguising themselves as sweetener. They can't be healthy. No way. Besides, they do taste vile.

#36 - Greetings, Karen. Methinks you may not want to be so tempted. It does sound good, though. Keep enjoying Kaua'i!!

#37 - Hello Roni! Favorited literally? Is there a way to favorite an individual post?

#38 - Judy, thank you, my dear. I'm glad you're not sick but I agree that Richard's Toddy recipe sounds like it has restorative powers regardless of what it is from which one needs restoring. (whew. mouthful.) Thanks for stopping by!

I am determinedly on the mend. Rested well last night and gave myself some time off this morning. I'm in the last 100 pages of Howard's End and I'm rather enjoying it. Tonight we have an HRC event downtown; I hope I don't just cough my way through it. It's a fund-raiser and I'm not taking my checkbook.

Happy Friday, everyone, and have a great weekend!

Go Seahawks!!!!!

Use my toddy recipe before the fundraiser! Substitute a tablespoon of honey for the sugar. xo

^ Richard, there will be plenty for me to drink at the fundraiser. The last thing I need at one of these things is to be more relaxed (read: vulnerable).

Yes! The Seahawks are tops!

For those with whom I've discussed the idea of Asheville Booktopia!, it's not happening. It ends on the day (or perhaps the day before) we are scheduled to fly to Scotland. I'm not really complaining (complaining about a 3-week trip to Scotland would be sick and wrong) but I'm disappointed. I vote for trying again in 2015. It will be 2015 before we freaking know it.

Okay. I. Must. Go. To. Work.

#44 - Karen!! You're up early! :-)

Hi Ellen! Glad to read you're on the mend. Good luck with your star anise concoction. The smell of that stuff in a cooking situation causes me to nearly pass out. Go figure. Frankincense does the same thing, which has made Catholic funeral services a lifelong problem, but I digress.

Oh, and I just received The Golden Notebook in the mail yesterday. Um...how did I not get the memo that it's 640 pages long!! I suppose, I'll go for it anyway. I'm not really in the mood for Shikasta, which was my second choice.

Go Seahawks! Here's an Angry Doug for you:

>45 EBT1002:: Totally understand, Ellen. Three weeks in Scotland is pretty awesome :) I'm still hoping to get to Asheville - they announced registration will open on January 9, so I've marked it on my calendar...

Three weeks in Scotland. O o o o o o o I am en.vi.ous.

Me, too. Ellen, I am very jealous. But then, I am in Kaua'i so I'll just shut up. Beautiful sunrise today but there are quite a few clouds. Cloudy days make the photography difficult but we're doing the Hanapepe art walk tonight so I think I'll survive.

Yes, I am still getting up early, but 5:30 am here is 7:30 am your time, so I hope when I return I'll be able to have a more normal sleep pattern. We shall see.

Kauai vs 22 degrees in Seattle. Could you have planned the timing of your trip any better?

Yes, Lisa, it was a carefully thought through plan + when the time share was available. With my timeshare deal we have to sign up months in advance, as in 15-16 months, so I did not know I was booking my time to coincide with my selling my house. That was a small stress, but I survived! And am enjoying it.

Well, soak up the warmth while you can. It's an icebox here. I'm worried about the chickens. They aren't used to this.

Happy Friday, Ellen!

Congratulations on getting Coach Pete at U-Dub! Boise will miss him dearly. :-(

*hides her reading the end of the book first habit under some papers*

Yes, Ellen, you too can "favorite" an individual message. Just click on the "More" link at the bottom of the message and then click on "Add to favorites". Voila!!

#56 Morphy you and my aunt Martha! LOL If it makes you happy go for it!

#47 - Hi Kerri!! I'm laughing about your not getting the memo. You know I want to read The Golden Notebook with you --- and you know I'm obsessed with completing 100 books by midnight on 12/31. I have completed 96 books this year. Four to go (and I'm closing in on completing Howard's End) but it makes me a bit shy of anything longer than 375 pages or so...... Next year I'll be tackling all kinds of door stops!

I love the Angry Doug! Thank you! I've decided to ask for a Wilson t-shirt for Xmas. I wanted a Baldwin t-shirt (not a jersey, since I only wear those on game day and they're really not that comfortable) but they stopped making most of the t-shirts and so I'll "settle" for Wilson.

#48 - Katie!! I hope you get into the Asheville event. That town will make you want to move there (I mean, it will be your second choice, after Seattle).

#49 - Richard, will it make you less envious if I remind you that we plan to walk 96 miles in 8 days? ;-)

#50 - Oh, Karen, no envy from you. Nope. Nada.
Enjoy the Hanapepe art walk! We've wandered around that little town a few times, but not for the actual event.

#51 - Lisa, I know. She did it about perfectly, didn't she? Even if it's raining in Kaua'i, it's in the 70s. And, I mean, it's Kaua'i. And here it's just freakin' COLD!!

#52 - Karen, you know we're giving you grief --- and we totally want you to enjoy it. You definitely deserve the warmth, beauty, and relaxation!

#53 - Lisa, I remember when we had hens in Oregon and it got really cold. I worried about them, too. Next week we're supposed to drop down into the teens. Do you have a warming light in their coop?

#54 - Thank you, Joe!! Happy Friday to you, as well!

#55 - Hi Pat!! I am feeling like this is a good acquisition for the U-Dub. I know he's a coach with integrity and he has been so successful at Boise State. I don't know but I would assume that recruiting to UW would be a bit easier than to BSU, so hopefully he can continue to build on Sark's relative success. I'm less heartbroken by Sark's departure than you might think. Yes, he took us up from 0-12 (but I could have done that!!), but he couldn't win the big games.

#56 - LOL Morphy, okay fess up. Do you absolutely always read the last page of every novel you read? If so, we'll still like you. This was but one of Will's mom's annoying habits (and there was something about how she did it that was annoying, but I can't say exactly what it was).

#57 - Huh. I have now learned something today. Thank you, Roni!!

#58 - Yep, Roberta, I agree. In this neighborhood, each gets to do whatever they want. Will's mom just needed to stop acting like reading the end of the book somehow made her impervious to the impact of a well-written novel. That, I didn't buy. So, I join you in saying to Morphy -- Go for it!!

I have decided NOT to go to the HRC event this evening. Home, toddy, cat, and book are calling. Soon.

And just to note: we're in that time of year when it is full dark before I leave work. Sigh.

Good thinking!

Yes, we have lights but one chicken caught a cold. I never knew chickens could sneeze! We moved her and her sister into the garage.

*lost in imagining a chicken's sneeze*

Ok, you asked for it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zioBLEnbzk

Yes, I knew you were teasing; and back at you. I had to deal with a major traffic jam/back up/crush between Kapa'a and Hanapepe... the drive took nearly 2 hours going, and only 45 minutes (without traffic) coming home! Scheesssss! But the event was worth it. Fun, food, street music and lots of good art. And not too much of it, and not too many people. I loved it.

Yes, I read the ending (not just the final page) of absolutely every novel I read. Especially mysteries. If I didn't, I'd have to read mysteries two times. The first time, not knowing who did it. The second time, knowing who did it to see all the clues. I don't have that type of time.

I also blame it on my anxiety disorder. It happens with movies, too. I need to know what happens in the end or the anxiety gets almost unbearable and I can't enjoy the book/movie.

Heck, I've asked people here on LT about the ending of books I have no intention of reading because after reading the review, I just had to know what happened!

However, I don't ever feel as if I am "impervious to the impact of a well-written novel." Quite the contrary. Since I know the ending, the writing HAS to be good for me to give it a good rating.

The XDH also read the last page of every book first. He said that a teacher in junior high (early 1950's) had taught it in an English class and it stuck. I also vaguely remember a teacher suggesting that technique but it didn't stick with me.

Well then... not caught up, as has become usual... I will try later. I was interested in your thoughts on End of Life Book Club, something to think about.

I did notice something about hot toddies... that sounds like a great addition to any day for any reason! Good weekend to you...

Hi Ellen, glad to know you're on the mend from your cold. They are so miserable. My hot toddy is sort of like yours, only I squeeze in a half lemon, so load up up on honey and use whatever alcohol is on hand (usually Cuban rum for some reason).

I'm totally jealous of your three weeks in Scotland. That sounds wonderful!

I've been meaning to read Howard's End for a long time though it's still only on the wishlist. My latest obsession is Everyman's Library and their edition looks lovely so I may treat myself sometime.

Hi Ellen - Only two more weeks and the days start to get longer. I hate going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. I hope your cold is better, you have a great weekend, and go Seahawks.

Hi Ellen! Happy toddy-drinking weekend.

Toddy recipes and Scotland trips, oh, this is too much. I look forward to hearing about it - do you have an itinerary?

Re Richard's post; please remember caring is sharing. Have a lovely weekend.

Where are you planing on going in Scotland, Ellen? We love it there. I want to go back - tomorrow.

#63, 64, 65 - OMG, the sneezing chicken is so cute! I'm glad you moved them into the garage, Lisa, I hope that keeps them safe and well. Our furnace is running almost non-stop and we don't keep it set very high (it's at 64F now which is about as high as we go).

#66 - Hi Karen. A traffic jam on Kaua'i just sounds wrong. But I know that stretch of road and for it to take two hours is remarkable! I'm glad the event was worth it.

(-:

#67 - Morphy, that is a great description of how and why you read the end of novels first. I am one of those who never get the clues in mystery novels - I'm almost always surprised by something about the ending, even when reading less complex mystery novels - and I wonder how it would be if I read the ending first. I could see how that might actually add to my enjoyment because of the intellectual satisfaction of noticing clues and details that otherwise miss my notice. And I totally get the anxiety part, especially with movies!

#68 - Janet, as I said above, it's interesting to think of this as a technique for reading and appreciating a novel. I may actually try it with my next read to see how it affects my process.

#69 - Kath, thanks for stopping by, caught up or otherwise. I love that you noticed, in your quick skim of my thread, the reference to hot toddies. Good eye!

#70 - Ilana, I'm on the mend but today I feel like I've regressed. This is the cold that just won't let go and I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Nonetheless, today we're going out into the bitter cold of Seattle (sunny, though). Abby has to go to the vet, we want to see either the Peru exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum or the Race exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, and we're thinking about going to see "Philomena."

I think you would enjoy Howard's End. I keep going back and forth on it; the writing style is not my favorite, but the social commentary is more sophisticated than appears on the surface.

#71 - Beth, yes, the winter solstice is almost here. I love watching my sunrise/sunset app to see the days gradually start to increase in daylight. Also, I will be able to go into work a bit later and come home a bit earlier some during our winter break, which starts on 12/16.

#72 - Thank you, Richard!! Last night I settled for red wine. I still slept well. :-)

#73 - Hi Lucy! Our itinerary is still only vaguely worked out. We'll start with a couple of nights in Glasgow to get over jet lag, then we'll spend eight days hiking the 96-mile-long West Highland Way. Then a couple of nights in Fort William to recover, then we'll rent a car and spend several days touring the Speyside area, visiting distilleries and castles. Finally, we'll spend perhaps 3 nights in Edinburgh before returning to Glasgow to fly home.

#74 - Paul! I may not choose to share my hot toddy, though......

#75 - Joe, see my brief description for Lucy in this very post. We spent a couple of weeks in Scotland in 2002 and loved it. I'm excited that we're going back. We must start training for the hiking part of the trip.....

A couple of photos of the West Highland Way (from the internet):

It's one thing I don't particularly care for about ebooks. It's a lot easier to skip to the end of a dead-tree book!

Even if a book has the most obvious clues ever written I never, ever figure out a mystery before I get to the page where the killer is revealed. That could be because my reading includes very few mysteries.

Three weeks in Scotland---gobsmacked!

I actually think that Mrs. Schwalbe read the ends of books first for exactly the same reason you do, Morphy, but neither she nor her son admitted how much she was ruled by anxiety and control issues. If she'd been upfront about that, it would have probably been endearing rather than annoying to me.

The worst example of reading the end first happened when I was in the midnight line for the release of HP7, with my daughter. Someone ahead of us in line, came out of the store with her book, turned to the last page, yelled out "YES!" and punched her fist in the air. Very poor form, I thought.

Gorgeous pics of Scotland! I can't wait to hear more about the trip.

Well, this was a lovely day. After taking the cat to the vet and learning that she seems to be fairly healthy for an aging, arthritic cat, we went to our favorite wine shop. They have lockers in a large warehouse section in the back and it was burgled on Thanksgiving night, clearly be professionals who had spent months planning the break-in. We have a small locker compared to many and we don't think ours was affected but we couldn't actually get to it because another person was in our way (and we have to wheel a big weird ladder thing over to our section).

Next, we hopped on a bus and went to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Peru exhibit. It was very interesting and made me want to visit that country. P went there just before she and I met, and has always wanted me to show more interest in visiting, so now we've gotten me there. I also plan to look for books with Peru as a tag to expand my familiarity. Then we walked around the market which was very fun. Bought some cherry treats to send to the Tennessee family and a wreath for our front door. Now we are happily ensconced in the study, watching football and drinking rye Manhattans. I have no idea what we'll do about dinner.

Twenty pages to go on Howard's End.....

Ellen - What a lovely Saturday. I'll join you with a glass of wine, a reward after working very hard grading all day. Two more weeks....

I read Howard's End with my book club a couple of years ago. I'll be interested to hear your final thoughts. 100, here you come.

#83 - Haha, Morphy.

#84 - Bonnie, I'm glad not to be the only one who is not proficient at guessing whodunit.

#85 - Rhonda, I fully agree. Mrs. Schwalbe was portrayed as so perfect, there was no acknowledging the anxiety (or any other human frailties) that might have driven any number of her behavioral habits!

The trip to Scotland isn't scheduled until late August 2014 (it's what is keeping me from Booktopia! in Asheville!) so other than excited anticipation and probably some periodic updates on the training (assuming we start training), there won't be much to share for a while. But I am excited!

97. Howard's End by E.M. Forster
3.5 stars

Okay, whatever. This is a classic and it was certainly ahead of its time in dissecting class and gender in Edwardian England. At times funny, at times poignant, at times pompous, this story of Margaret and her sister Helen as they embrace independence and tolerate the sacrifices of love reads, to me, inconsistently. At it's best moments it was excellent. At its worst moments it was obtuse. Still, I get that it's an example of progressive feminism in the early 20th century, no small accomplishment.

Up next:

You know, I am not sure I have ever read Howard's End. If I have, it was a lifetime ago - before I started back to school :) One of these centuries I will have to give it a go.

#91 - Stasia!! Good to see you on the LT threads this evening!!
I have to say that I would not urge you to get to Howard's End. I mean, it's good enough but I can't say those were the best reading hours of my life.

All of your travel this year and now Scotland, sound wonderful So does your day yesterday. Keep up the good work! :)

Nice photos :)

Sorry Howard's End wasn't a winner for you. I've been meaning to get to Jane Gardam seemingly forever and if possible even more so now the third book, Last Friends is out. Guess I'll have to make it a priority in 2014.

Peru in 2015?

Happy game day, Ellen! I'm glad Abby checked out well!

#89 - Out of curiosity, what led you to read Howard's End at this particular time? It doesn't strike me as a typical Ellen selection. I've not read him yet. I'll probably start with A Passage to India.

#90 - Oh, good! I want to get to this soon, but I don't think it's going to happen this month.

Ellen - I had a similar reaction to Howard's End. I much preferred A Room with a View. I loved all the Old Filth books by Gardam. Happy reading. Have a lovely Sunday with lots of football.

I liked Howard's End more than you did, Ellen, but you make an excellent point about its being uneven. And you are reminding me that I NEED to get to Gardam - I have a lovely Europa edition of Old Filth just sitting on my shelves. Now I feel that it is glaring at me, saying,"Weren't you supposed to read me earlier this year for a group read? What happened to that, Mamie? Well?"

I know. Completely losing my marbles, and I don't have time to search for them right now. Happy Sunday, Sister! Go Seahawks!!

Go! Go! Go! Seahawks!

We even met, in a darling shop, a little ole lady, someone just like me, who insisted the 49ers had already beaten the Hawks. We shall see if she is a witch and can read the fortunes of our fine men.

So we have the end of Howard's End. It has been fun to pun while you've been on the run with that one, Ellen.

Hi Ellen, just catching up. I think it's neat that you have a wine locker! Hope it's still intact.

Like the Scotland itinerary so far, Ellen. I remember we liked the Rennie Mackintosh House in Glasgow, among other things. and of course Edinburgh is a treat.

Oops, they just switched us from the SD-Giants game, where we once again whomped Eli YAY!, to the SF-Seattle game just in time to see the interception by SF to end the game. Sorry, Ellen.

Great game though. That Russell Wilson is a good one. Sorry about them 'Hawks, Ellen.

)-:

Howards End- average, OK. I have it and I suppose should read it, but maybe need not bookhorn it in.

August 2014 seems a long way away but I bet it will come about in no time- it sounds like a fantastic trip. I am a tad jealous.

#93 - I do end up traveling a bit, don't I, Kath? The Scotland trip is all about P's next birthday.

#94 - Hi Ilana! I think Howard's End is just not my favorite kind of work. I'm enjoying the Jane Gardam. I liked the first in the series and this one is an interesting and not entirely sympathetic look at their marriage.

#95 - Thank you, Kerri! Although by now we know that game day ended up being a disappointment. Oh well. I remain hopeful for the rest of the season.

I have been meaning to read Howard's End for a while and it fit into a TIOLI challenge this month. I found a used copy at a bookstore in, of all places, Dickson, Tennessee, so I decided to go for it. Your assessment is correct that it's not my usual fare. The Man in the Wooden Hat, for Madeline's TIOLI challenge is rather more to my liking.

#96 - Beth, I appreciate the validation. I wonder if I would like A Room With a View.
It was a good Sunday with disappointing football results. Still, not a bad day all around.

#97 - Mamie, if I see your marbles, I'll be sure to tell them to come find you! I think you'd like Old Filth. They are lovely Europa Editions (yay pelican!).

#98 - Karen, I don't know if she is a witch or not but the 49ers did, indeed, beat the Seahawks today. Their defense was just a tad better than ours.

#99 - Yes, Paul. It's probably a bit harder to make good puns out of The Man in the Wooden Hat.... heh.

#100 - Hi Pat! I'm actually a bit sheepish that we have a wine locker but we do have a few wines that need to rest for a few years before we drink them. Our locker was undisturbed. I think they went for the larger ones and those on the first, more accessible level. Our is up high and hard to get to. Whew!

#101 - Joe, we'll have to investigate the Rennie Mackintosh house. P says she has read about it. We loved Edinburgh when we spent a couple of days there our first time in the country, so I want to go back.

#102 - Thanks, Roni. It was a frustrating game. The Seahawks offense just couldn't get in a rhythm and there was too much yellow laundry on the field throughout. I'm glad your Chargers won, though.

#103 - Thanks, Joe. I think Russell Wilson is the real deal. I even bought a jersey with his name and number on it. Today just wasn't our day.

#104 - Yep!

#105 - Hey there, Megan. A lot of people really like Howard's End so remember that my reaction says as much about me as it says about the novel. I get that some of these folks are famous for good reason, but I'd rather not spend my precious time reading Dickens or Jane Austen either.

August 2014 will get here very quickly and too quickly if we don't get busy with some kind of training regimen! We're talking about getting FitBits for Xmas to get us focused.....

Monday nearly over here, it wasn't so bad. That is of course assuming you have access to coffee.

I understand just how that kitty feels... lol

And Monday has us all in it's grip... sigh

Hope that this particular Monday turns out to at least doable, Ellen. So exciting about the Scotland trip! Sounds wonderful.

I liked Howard's End more than you, but it was draggy and strange in some parts. The ending surprised me.

On reading the ending first, sometimes I do, but mostly not. I like to be stunned by an author, as I have been several times. OTOH, it does take time even to skim back over the book looking for clues.

#110 - Hi Megan. I'm glad to hear it. Now that I'm up and sitting at my desk at work, I can tell my Monday won't be so bad, either. And, my dear, I always have access to coffee!!!

#111 - Hi Kath, yep, Monday is here. It always comes whether we want it to or not! :-)

#112 - Hi Gail!!! It's almost 8am and so far Monday is going just fine. :-|
"draggy and strange" are good descriptors of parts of Howard's End. I don't mind strange and I don't even mind a bit of draggy, and overall I enjoyed the story, but I won't be keeping it for a reread.

I'm going to pick a mystery novel in my future and read the ending first. I want to see what it's like. I believe I have never tried it, even once. I don't have a moral stance about it, so I might as well see how it affects my reading experience!

*waving* on my way through

hope your work life is within reasonable bounds of stress today

I'll think of you as we head off to the Botanical Gardens today. Hope to get some good photographs although it is challenging because I have to worry about keeping with the tour group and not get lost in photographing some lovely flower from 150 different sides. (-:

“It’s good to get this out of the way now,” Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin said. “We knew it would be a hard-fought battle because they are a good football team. But it’s really about us taking care of our business now. That’s all that matters.”

You say it, Angry Doug.
I still love my Seahawks.

#114 - Enjoy the Botanical Gardens, Karen!!! I think there is more than one on the island. I hope you packed your bug juice.

Hey Ellen! Love your thread topper!

Re post #35: RD's mention of "chemical experiment" sweeteners... I can't use them AT ALL anymore or I get a migraine within 30 minutes. That tells me something is NOT right!

Hope you are all better now! Sounds like you had a good weekend, even if Howard's End wasn't as good as you had hoped.

Thanks for the reminder, Ellen. We'll stop at the Safeway on our way there.

#115 - Oh, Angry Doug. So much wisdom. On a side note, it's quite difficult to find photos of Angry Doug on the internet where he actually looks angry. I wonder why that is. You need side line video footage to get the actual rants.

Monday on Mercury = Monday on Earth. *sigh* I know you're experiencing it too.

I am not the kind of person who buys football jersey's of angry football players, or jersey's of any football player for that matter. However, my sister was in Minneapolis, MN this weekend to attend a conference. She couldn't resist going to the Mall of America to the Vikings store. She wanted an Alan Page jersey but they were sold out. She had to settle for a Fran Tarkenton jersey. The guy who helped her find it told her that the smaller sizes are usually easier to get but not when it comes to Alan Page! I guess everybody wants one from a football player who is now a state supreme court judge.

#117 - I'm glad you like it, Tina. I love the public market in Seattle.
And I agree about the chemical experiments that are disguised as sweeteners. They simply can't be good for one.

#118 - So, no mosquitos for Karen! How was the garden?

#119 - Yeah, I'm still not sure why his nickname is "Angry Doug" but I think it's kinda cute. I tend to think it's just a synonym for "ferocious Doug."

#120 - Actually, my Monday hasn't been too bad, Richard. Not as good as a weekend day at home with a book, but not too bad. I'm glad I don't live on Mercury.

#121 - Benita, I don't think Doug Baldwin is really all that angry, but I like his name a lot.
Fran Tarkenton!?!? Interesting compromise......

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, I'm off to the dentist! Fun times for Ellen!

I hope you enjoy Man in the Wooden Hat, Ellen. I loved Old Filth but I have to admit I didn't enjoy this all that much. Still, I hope it works for you, especially since you didn't have a good experience with Howard's End.

Oh, Ellen, I'm sorry you had to go to the dentist. I am assuming that was one among several reasons you were not able to go to the book group meeting. I am so sorry there were only 1 - 2 people there.

The Gardens were as always beautiful. Those stands of bamboo just take my breath away, as do the Moreton Bay fig trees (the Jurassic trees). It was a beautiful, if hot and humid, afternoon. Rumor has it that the trade winds will return tomorrow and it will be a lovely day.

Go see my thread and see the books I bought at the Garden when you have time.

If only 1 or 2 people were coming to my bookclub we would definitely re-schedule. What happened?
And dentist!? Yikes, I need to go for a check up but have a long standing (and irrational) fear. I am white-knuckled during a tooth polishing session. It is the noise of the motorised fast spinning equipment, it brings back too many painful memories.

I always have access to coffee too, Ellen. These days I am sampling a triple shot (I like 'em strong!), and it is going very very (too) well.

I avoid the dentist like the plague! Yikes!

98. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
4.5 stars

Just found out my ride is off for today so I have to dash out the door, but this was a great read!
More to come......

Next up:



An advance reading copy sent to me by Kerri. I started it on the bus this morning and almost missed my stop!

By the way, it's been remarkably fun to think about what I want to be my 99th and 100th reads of the year..... Woo!

Almost missing your stop, or even missing it altogether is definitely an indication that you're reading a good book, Ellen.

Here is a nice article about Ellen Forney, author of Marbles.

KUOW article

#123 - Caro, how interesting! I enjoyed Old Filth but I loved The Man in the Wooden Hat. I thought it was a very real portrait of a marriage.

#124 - Karen, it was one of the reasons but it turned out okay. I have to go back in a couple of weeks. I don't mind it because my dentist is wonderful and she has two labrador retrievers who are exquisitely well-behaved and hang out in the office. :-)
I'll check out your thread later, for sure!

#128 - Have I really encouraged two people to read that book in the past two months?! How exciting! I hope you enjoy it.

#122 - Doug Baldwin has a certain amount of undrafted free agent bitterness and can be a tad surly in interviews (although respectful.) It's all good. Seems like a fine human anyway. It really is just a fun nickname.

#130 - Maybe I should check out Marbles. I'm vaguely aware of it. Speaking of graphic novels, my friend just told me about The Fifth Beatle, which is a graphic novel about the sad life of Brian Epstein. She says it's very good.

#125 - Megan, I'm very lucky not to have any phobias where dentists are concerned. It's not my favorite way to spend an hour, but I manage. And, as I noted above, they have two adorable dogs who come to visit while I'm "in the chair" -- and there's a bookstore right around the corner...... heh.

Coffee. Strong. Yes. Otherwise, why bother?

#126 - Stasia, just tell them to add two labrador retrievers to the staff! :-)

#129 - Caro, I fully agree. I actually had the morning from hell --- having left home in a mad rush, thinking I had no time to waste since I had to catch a bus, and then realized that I had looked at the clock that is was about 40 minutes fast and I could have, for example, written a few comments about the wonderful The Man in the Wooden Hat. Anyway, I was pleased to get so absorbed in the first pages of The Red House that I almost rode the bus too far!

#132 - So, Kerri, you have apparently encouraged two people to read The Red House and, as you can see, so far you are winning kudos.

I thought Marbles was pretty good, although I didn't like it as much as Bechdel's works or even as much as Stitches by David Small. I'll investigate The Fifth Beatle since I still love the fab four.

My book discussion group has trouble getting people to come. We have pretty much settled down to 4 who attend regularly - but one of those doesn't ever read the books. She just likes to talk about them.

I have both Old Filth and Man in the Wooden Hat so maybe I need to get busy and read them.

Coffee. Strong. Yes. Otherwise, why bother?
Mmmm, you are making it very hard for me to do all the jobs I need to do before skipping out for a coffee right now. It is after lunch and I still have not had my bought one yet.....*shakes shudders flutters*....I will quickly just change a nappy and prep the pizza bases for rising, then I am outa here!

Hi Ellen - I miss a couple of days and you've finished Man in the Wooden Hat -- glad you loved it. Lots of action on this thread!

Love the Scotland pictures. What a great way to celebrate a birthday.

Sorry about the Seahawks. They'll close strong.

I'll be anxious to hear your comments about The Red House

Well Hi there Ellen! Catching up and oooing and aaahing over the pics of Scotland. Sometimes I feel like hopping on a bus just to read, ride the whole route then jump off when it returns me where I started. Hmmm, Maybe one day. In the mean time, I'll just wish list The Redhouse. Have a good day, my friend!

#134 - Benita, having four consistent members is pretty good. Our book club is, I think, still developing momentum and it's a challenge given how spread out we all are with respect to where we live. I do recommend both Old Filth and The Man in the Wooden Hat.

#135 - How did that go, Megan?
I'm actually a bit odd in how I do coffee. We have a programable machine so I have coffee first thing when I wake in the morning. I usually sit up in bed with my first mug and whatever I'm reading. Then I have a second mug while I'm getting ready for work. I don't drink any more caffeine the rest of the day. I used to purchase a latte every day around 9am but I added up the $ and decided I'd rather spend that on wine and books. :-)

#136 - Hi Beth! I still haven't found time to write comments about The Man in the Wooden Hat but I really loved it. I found the exploration of Betty's internal world more compelling than the exploration of her husband's.

Thanks for the reassurance about my Seahawks. I splurged on two more jerseys last weekend (picked up Baldwin and Wilson) but I've been feeling anxious about the expenditure ever since. I might take them back this weekend. P is teasing me, saying I bought them before their loss in SF and now I'm giving up on them. I'm not but the jerseys are not cheap!

I read more of The Red House on my bus ride downtown last evening (I was meeting a colleague who was visiting from Arkansas) and got frustrated by the choppy narrative. But this morning I read some more with my first mug of coffee (see above note to Megan) and got absorbed again. So, the jury is still out but I'm optimistic.

#137 - Hello, Lynda! I know what you mean about hopping on a bus and reading until the end of the route! When we first moved to the city, I really struggled with the commute. I had left a situation where I could walk door-to-door from home to work (or back) in 17 minutes. But now I feel a pang of regret on days that I drive to work because I can't read while I drive. :-|
Watch here for further comments about The Red House.....

I must just say that tonight we're going to the production of Oliver! and I am so excited!!!!!! It's one of my favorite musicals of all time. Oom pah pah.

Have a wonderful time, Ellen!

Oh, that sounds like a big deal of fun! Have a great time.

I'm an Oliver! fan, too. Enjoy!

I've been wanting to read The Red House ever since Kerri's positive comments about it. I await your final verdict on it.

Hi Ellen!

I have a guess in my brain of what your star rating of The Red House will be. :-) I actually quite liked the choppy narrative from different perspectives, but that seems to be one of the things about the book that gets a lot of complaints. I'm amazed and impressed that Mark listened to it as an audiobook.

Have a lovely time at Oliver! this evening! Sounds like a hoot!

Things have moved along rather swiftly here..... I liked Howard's End all right, but I think A Room With a View might be my favourite. I always think about those teeth set in the tree. Very strange.

Regarding the football jersey's and my sister's purchase of the Fran Tarkenton jersey. You can just say that we are Old School and very much traditionalists. I like to remember when football players played every down and the Quarterback actually called the plays. Back then most coaches weren't the stars - the players were.

Ellen- I recently listened to and really enjoyed The Red House. The narrative changes come lightning fast. It keeps you on your toes. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Go Kerri! Go Kerri!

It was WONDERFUL!

#140 - Thank you, Richard! We had a wonderful time, starting with a lovely meal at our usual pre-theater restaurant where I tried one of their new specialty cocktails. Yum.

#141 - Karen, it's one of the things I most love about living in a city. I think I said that "Oliver!" is "one of my favorite musicals." P noted as we sat waiting for the start that she is pretty sure it is my absolute top favorite. I think she is correct.

#142 - Katie, I can pass this copy along to you when I finish. Kerri sent it to me so I might as well share the love.

#143 - Hi Kerri! Well, now I will have to fight my impulse to rate The Red House differently than I believe you predict I will do...... that could get complicated. Heh. Actually, so far I don't think he pulls off the choppy shifts in pov as well as some have done but I'm getting it. I wonder if listening actually made it easier for Mark to follow, depending on how well the narrator might have made distinctions in characters' voices. In any case, I'm enjoying it and look forward to my bus commute both ways today.

#144 - Lucy, oh yeah! The teeth set in the tree. Strange.
Last night at the theater I was reminded that one of the productions we'll be seeing (in January?) is A Room With a View so I may want to read that before seeing it on the stage.

#145 - Benita, Old School is good!

#146 - Hi Mark! I'm liking The Red House. One thing that might be affecting my experience is that I'm reading it during a really busy week when I haven't been able to settle in with it for an extended period of time. I've been reading it in 15- or 30-minute chunks. Most books would suffer from that kind of piecemeal engagement. SO, Kerri has made another successful recommendation!

>148 EBT1002: - Ooh, thanks Ellen! If you're sure you won't miss it (I have trouble parting with books), I will PM you my address :)

Hi there, Ellen, whisking through with my dust-cloth to see if anything needs a touch-up.

Now you've got me wanting to see Oliver!, Ellen. Sounds like a fun time.

#148 and #149 - Oh, there she goes giving away my gifts! KIDDING! It's an ARC! Quite frankly, I like the idea of LTers mailing the same ARC around the world. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

I'm glad you enjoyed Oliver! My sister used to have a very special dog named Oliver and she would always sing that main song to him. I think the song might be called "Oliver!"

So glad you enjoyed Oliver Ellen. I loved the 2007 movie of it, and can only imagine how great it must have been on stage.

hullo, E. glad you enjoyed Oliver. i myself personally enjoyed--well, sort of enjoyed--the Niners-Seahawks game. liked the outcome anyway. weird whistle-ridden game and a lot of idiotically misplaced testosterone. and, of course, JB enjoyed the Broncs and Peyton et al. not so happy about tonight but that's life.

i read Oliver Twist aeons ago. i wonder if i ought to read it again. i've forgotten most of it. maybe not. too many Gardam books to read.

hope you have a fine weekend.

>138 EBT1002: How did that go?
Very well.
I have a "home coffee" first thing, (Mocconna freeze dried Indulgence) then look forward to my bought one (which is a triple shot latte), and I used to leave it at that but now allow myself another home one right up til 4pm. Lately I have been up at least twice a night with kiddos, and then awake from 5am from the same. So I find a "late in the day" coffee affects my sleep exactly....none. When the kids are sleeping better, I would have no coffee after lunch.

What was it that Oliver asked for one more of? A coffee, I'm sure it was ;)

I have never even seen the movie version of Oliver, let alone a live version of it. One of these days, I will get to it.

#149 - Katie, I'm actually pretty good at parting with books once I've read them. I only keep a very few and this probably won't be one of them. But no need to PM me your address as I believe I still have it in my amazon account from last year's Xmas Swap (I know, you probably wish I'd accidentally click on that as the "deliver to" address now and then).

#150 - Hi Richard! Since the latter part of this week has been desperately busy, I doubt there is much to be dusted up on here on my thread, but if you'd like to come help me clean my office (December 26 is the planned date for this), I'd love the company and the assistance!

#151 - Joe, hello! This is the local production and it really was quite good. Have you ever seen "Oliver!" on stage?

#152 - Hi Kerri! "I like the idea of LTers mailing the same ARC around the world."
I'm glad you feel this way. I did worry a bit about saying I'd send Katie the ARC you'd sent me, but then I thought you'd be okay with it because (a) it's an ARC, and (b) it's Katie! So, I'm glad the thought gives you warm and fuzzy feelings. xo

"Oliver, Oliver, never before has a boy wanted more.
Oliver, Oliver, he asks us for more when he knows what's in store."

It does go on, but I'll spare you the "feeding him cockroaches served in a canister.
What will he do in this terrible stew?
He will rue the day somebody named him Oliver!"

But I didn't (spare you).

#153 - Caro, it's one of those musicals that (for me) has many catchy tunes. I've been singing Fagan's ode for the past two days.

"A man's got a heart, hasn't he?
Joking apart -- hasn't he?
And tho' I'd be the first one to say that I wasn't a saint...

I'm finding it hard to be really as black as they paint...

...

I'm reviewing the situation.
I'm a bad 'un and a bad 'un I shall stay!
You'll be seeing no transformation,
But it's wrong to be a rogue in ev'ry way."

#154 - , I would recommend not reading Oliver Twist again, my own self, and say go read those Gardam novels instead!

#155 - Megan Oliver asked for more gruel. But he'd have loved some hot sausage and mustard. Or hot peaches and cream about ten feet high...... :-)

#156 - Stasia, the movie wasn't bad but I definitely recommend seeing it on the stage if you are able.

Hi Ellen - I love musicals, and Oliver is great. "Consider yourself at home..." I like to give books to good homes once I've finished them, too. I keep ones I might read again or might want to use in a class. Still, even the ones I teach I have to weed through every now and then.

TWO MORE TO GO!

Hi, Ellen, I'm taking a minutes break from the moving tasks to "rest" and say hi around the threads. So this is yours: Hi !

Greetings from snowy Long Island!

Love the musical Oliver! Ellen and it does beat reading the book twice for sure.

I also don't have too much trouble parting with books when I've read them and I must do just that shortly to void a structural collapse at the condo.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

#158 - Yeah, just don't give away my gift book and we're good. :-) No, really, though. Sending books around the world is a lovely thing!

But I didn't (spare you). Um, no. You didn't! I'm glad Oliver! was a rewarding experience though! I've not seen it. I also haven't read the novel that inspired it. Maybe some day.

Nice Seahawks win today, although I would have preferred more touchdowns. The Giants defense did a pretty good job.

99. The Red House by Mark Haddon
4 stars

Richard and Angela, estranged siblings who have just lost their mother, bring their tense nuclear families to a cottage in the Welch countryside for a week-long holiday. Typical family discord fare, but Haddon tackles the interpersonal and intra-personal landscape with a challenging narrative technique: each new paragraph is narrated from a different character's point of view. This requires concentration as the reader is getting to know the characters and I found it rather distracting for the first third of the novel. Once I felt like I had the cast of characters straight, I found the technique interesting; it creates a choppy and disconnected pace that mirrors the dysfunction of the characters' relationships. This novel is all about relationships and only one character emerges as anyone I'd want to get to know better (Alex has promise but he also has too much teenage boy about him for me to want to spend time in his company). If you tend to like novels with likable characters, this one may not be for you, but Haddon's wry humor and his merciless depiction of people trying to establish connection and feel like their lives matter won me over in the end.

#161 - Hello, Beth. I'm glad you're helping me in my count-down.
And only one week left until you get a break, yes?

#162 - Karen, thank you for stopping by during your break. Tomorrow is a big day for you and I'll be thinking about you! I hope all the signing goes well!

#163 - Hi, Richard! I'm envious that you're getting snow. My sister, however, is scheduled to fly from NC to Maine on Wednesday, so that she and her partner of 40+ years can get legally married. I know they are watching the weather closely, so I hope the snow ends soon.

#164 - Hi Paul. P and I are doing our vaguely annual read-aloud of A Christmas Carol but other than that I would (as Kerri sometimes says) rather poke my eye out with a stick than read a work of Dickens' more than once.

I don't acquire books at quite the same rate as you, but I certainly do so at a pace that makes keeping any but the most special out of the question. Besides, I like sharing!

#165 - Hi Kerri!! You know that I won't give away any book that has special-ness attached to it.

I won't be urging you to read Oliver Twist although, for a Dickens, I did rather enjoy it.

The Seahawks game was good but I am with you. I didn't like how often we had to settle for a field goal. But having Hauschka is money when we can't get into the end zone. I believe the Saints lost today so the road to home field advantage is looking pretty smooth.

Ellen I finished The View from Castle Rock and I really loved it. She has such a natural way of telling a story. I felt as if we were having a conversation. Thanks to you and to Mark for recommending it. One of my best reads of this year.

#168 - Hi Roberta! I'm so glad you enjoyed The View from Castle Rock. Will you be reading more of Munro's short story collections?

Next up:



I've decided to read this novel by Kate Southwood for my 100th book of the year. I know I've mentioned here before that Kate and I were friends when I was in graduate school in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I liked and admired her so much at the time and I'm thrilled that she is a published novelist. I wanted my 100th book to be special in some way.

What a nice way to reach 100 Ellen.

Yes, I do plan on reading more Munro. How could I not? She drew me in. Any recommendations?

Ellen- Good review of the Red house. I think we felt the same about that one. Good stuff. Thanks to Kerri for the nudge.

Roberta- Glad you loved Castle Rock. It looks like that one made you an instant fan.

So exciting to meet your book goal!!!!!

As for Alice Munro I would recommend Lives of Girls and Women - interconnected stories so you stay with the same cast of characters. I like her earlier stuff best.

#173 sibyl thank you for the Munro recommendation. I'll look for it.

ETA: Houston Public Library has a copy.

The Red House by Mark Haddon looks really interesting :)

#171 - Roberta, I don't have any recommendations because The View from Castle Rock is the only one I've read. I own Dear Life and The Progress of Love so I'll likely be reading them in the next few weeks or months.

#172 - Hi Mark, yes, Kerri did herself proud with this recommendation. It took me a while, but he won me over.
And I'm also glad that Roberta loved The View from Castle Rock and, like her, I will be reading more Munro!!

#173 - Oh, Lucy, thank you for the Munro recommendation! I will see if the library has that one and read it before I get to the two that I own.
And I saw on your thread that you are closing in on your goal, too. Very cool beans.

#174 - Yep, Seattle Public has Lives of Girls and Women, too, and I've put it on hold. I'm number 43 in line for one of ten copies.

#175 - Kath, I think you'd like The Red House.

Now that's a different technique. Every PARAGRAPH a new narrator? Are these Jamesian/Proustian paragraphs, or 21st-century ones? Has some appeal, the way you describe it anyway.

Sending safe landings and happy wedding vibes for sister and sister-in-law!

Ellen, referencing Fran T. brought back many fond memories. It's sad that my interest in sports has taken a nosedive over the years. Still, I can follow discussions even if the Mannings are pretty much the only football names I recognize. I've cut the cable, so sports info is mostly remembered stuff now.

Loved both the Gardam books and have the final one on the kindle. Hmm...don't know that I should resist any longer. It's the story told from The Other Man's p.o.v. Sounds good, do you think?

#177 - every PARAGRAPH, Richard. They vary and some of them should have been edited out, but they are not on the whole Jamesian or Proustian. Definitely this century. Annoying at first.

Thanks for the safe landing and happy wedding vibes for sis and partner. After 40 years together and both in their 70s, this is frankly less about romance and celebration than it is about financial security. And recognition by society that they've done what many straight couples fail to do.

#178 - Gail!! Let me introduce you to a football name I think you should know: Russell Wilson. After yesterday's shutout of the Giants, Wilson is the only quarterback in NFL history to win 23 games in his first two NFL season. He also joined Dan Marino and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks ever to throw at least 50 touchdowns passes in their first two seasons. Pretty decent company.

I have the third Gardam, Last Friends, sitting on the shelf and will likely read it soon. I mean, sometime in 2014.

Hi Ellen!

#166 - Well then. Look at that. :-) I'm glad you enjoyed it...overall. Wasn't it a change in character point-of-view every chapter, rather than every paragraph? I mean, you have the book I read, so maybe I'm remembering incorrectly.

ETA: It was chapters. I feel confident. Some of the chapters are quite short.

ETA2: Ok, so I was wrong that the chapters are different characters' perspectives. I just looked at the sample of the book on Amazon. The chapters are divided into days (as you said), and there are clear sections (divided by obvious, large spaces) that represent different character perspectives. These sections range from one paragraph to 6 or 7 paragraphs. Most importantly, it's not particularly weird or difficult to follow, in my opinion.

Financial security isn't unromantic to grown-ups, I think..."I care enough about you to make sure that you'll be provided for" isn't a small statement of love! Jack, an old friend of mine, died a month ago at 88. He and Bob, his husband, were together for 52 years before Bob's death in 2009. Neither had ever married women, had children, etc etc. Their estate was ransacked and carted off by relatives they'd never met.

People are only now coming to grips with the real, and very long-term, abuse of gay/lesbian couples by the legal system. Heck, soon it won't matter anyway, the banksters are set to grab all the pension money there ever was and won't be any left for anyone anywhere who isn't in the 1%.

#181
"People are only now coming to grips with the real, and very long-term, abuse of gay/lesbian couples by the legal system." I agree.

I have long said that if the financial incentives were removed from marriage then nobody would get married - hetero or not. As a single all of my life - the financial benefits of marriage make me see red. I fail to see why the state would give married hetero couples things like tax benefits for being married and then deny them to those of us who are single - or gay. I also fail to see why a couple that has been together for years can't dispose of their worldly goods in whatever manner they want. Treat all of us the same and then see what happens.

Oh boy. Books arrived today.
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
The Grass is Singing by Dorris Lessing
Love, Again by Dorris Lessing
Stay by Nicola Griffith
The Blue Place by Nicola Griffith

I wonder if I can read all of them before the end of the year. Ha!
But I am excited.

#180 - "...Wasn't it a change in character point-of-view every chapter...?"
No, indeed, my dear. It was a change in pov every paragraph (with the exception of some dialogue, but then each paragraph is a new person speaking, so it still kind of fits). Each chapter was a new day within the week they spent at the cottage. You can ETA all you like, but it was paragraphs. Some were long, some were short. Want me to send it back to you before we forward it along to Katie? xo :-)

But, Kerri, I liked it. You saw that part, right?

#181 - You are absolutely correct, Richard. I think you know that some of my angst about getting married this past summer was wrapped up in my frustration with people talking to me (and to P) like we were "kids." I mean, I still feel romantic but this marriage was all about securing our financial future and claiming the privilege that heterosexual couples take for granted. I've worked (and contributed to Social Security) since I was 16 years old, but my SS would go down the drain if something happened to me, even though P and I have been together so long. Dear (and I love them, truly I do) straight friends would get married and instantly have access to one another's lifelong savings and security. It was damn unjust. SO, I'm thrilled to see my sister and her life partner getting married. They've been together since I was 13 years old and their relationship is a marriage any way you want to count it. They deserve to feel secure.

*steps down off soapbox*

And I'm deeply sorry that your friend Bob experienced what he experienced. Change came to late for him and his 52-year partner (I mean -- 52 years!!!!). It makes me mad and sad.

#182 - Benita, hear hear!

181... That story makes me sick, Richard! Sheesh, we have GOT to find a lawyer down here that will help us figure out how to protect each other since we can't be legally married here!

>181 richardderus: reminds me of that film A Single Man/The(?) Single Man, it was so sad that he was unwelcome at his own partner's funeral!!
I cried my guts out.

>183 EBT1002: some holiday reading- I reckon you can do it, so long as you dont have any other plans, and I mean ANY other plans :)

It made me ill, as well, y'all. But it's a fact of gay life, and has been for a long damned time.

Tina darling, go somewhere else and get legally married. The write your wills to each other. FEDERALLY you're good, but the state courts that probate wills will likely be obstreperous there in Dixie for a good long time to come.

My solution is to leave that hellhole. YMMV, of course.

Well, now, my partner and I are dragging our feet about marriage mostly because we would end up paying more taxes if we married. (since we both make about the same salaries.) The whole tax system is really weird. We do have domestic partnership and wills and powers of attornies, so I think we are pretty protected.

#186 - Tina, I'm going to agree with Richard here and suggest that you look into taking a holiday to a state with marriage equity. Of course, it's probably worth talking with someone about the financial impact, but as you start looking at late-life and end-of-life issues, the protection is worth it. My sister and her partner chose Maine because it's relatively close to them (they also live in Dixie) and it has no waiting period. I was hoping for them to come to Seattle, but WA has a 3-day waiting period for any couple opting to marry.

#187 - Megan, that is an excellent film and I think it was one for which Colin Firth deserved an Oscar. He got it the next year for "The King's English" but, well, you can imagine my thinking about why they skipped giving it to him for A Single Man. I haven't read Isherwood's novel but plan to do so one of these days.

#188 - Yep, I think getting married in a state where it's legal is important.

#189 - Hi Rhonda! I definitely understand that the tax implications can be adverse. We actually pay a bit more in taxes, too, but I figure it's worth it to make sure we have access to one another's social security and other postmortem financial considerations. The wills and power of attorney will protect estates for the most part, I think, although there may still be inheritance taxes that one would not pay if legally married. It will be interesting to see how Oregon goes in the next few years.

Whew! I went for a wonderful 29-minute run this morning, my first run since well before Thanksgiving. I am out of shape but it felt so good to move.

Also, last night I made some good progress in Falling to Earth which is quite good.

Off to work. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

>187 LovingLit:, 190: A Single Man was a very moving film. I wasn't wowed by the book, but still watched the film because I love Colin Firth. And oh ... it was so good. Pity those in charge couldn't see their way to an Oscar nomination.

For some reason, I get Falling to Earth and Guests on Earth mixed up in my mind. Hope it's a top-flight read, since you were acquainted with Southwood.

Hi P!

#192 - Laura, I'm in the same camp: love Colin Firth. Have done ever since the 6-hour production of Pride and Prejudice.

#193 - Hmm. I don't know Guests on Earth, Richard. Lee Smith. The same one who wrote mysteries set in Appalachia? In any case, so far Falling to Earth is excellent. If I had not had an evening meeting last night, plus P needing some serious support around her hostile work environment, I might have completed it last night. Perhaps tonight. :-)

Okay, having done some checking, I see that it is the same Lee Smith who wrote Oral History and other novels set in Appalachia. I also see that Guests on Earth has an "Asheville" tag and that Tina reviewed it as an ER and gave it four stars. Clearly, I'll be adding this to my wishlist.

Hi, Ellen. I noticed on a reliable news source that Social Security has begun paying survivor benefits to same-sex marriage partners. You know that will really get the ball rolling on equality all over the country.

One possible idea: we had *all* of our accounts in joint ownership, including car and home, with right of survivorship. This avoided probate and any possibility of argument from other family members. You know Dh was very protective of me, and after a bit of research, found this way to make the paperwork as painless as it could be. Just a thought.

Oh de ho de ho...I smacked her with a book bullet I did I did, even though I hadda be sneaky about it. *pats own back*

#196 - Hi Gail, so good that you and DH did the research and figured out ways to be safe. We also have everything in both names (and I do have to tell ya, getting me to give up the level of autonomy I was used to was interesting!) - house, car, bank accounts....

#197 - Richard, you did, you did. And I'm now #44 in the queue at the library for one of their six copies. So there! (I didn't buy it, which is something I really am trying to reign in just a bit!).

Who do we need to beat up to change P's hostile work environment? That is no bueno.

I have Falling to Earth - will move it up the list!

You're doing a great job at being married, Ellen. I'm very proud of you...it must be hard.

#199 - Thanks, Katie, for offering your fisticuffs. In general, I don't expect P to be happy at her work. She never has been. But this one is pretty bad. So, I'll let you know who we need to beat up. At least one guy.... grrr.

Falling to Earth is earning large stars from me so far - and I keep forgetting I "know" (really, knew) the author!

Friends of mine are getting married this spring for financial and other mundane reasons, and are considering it a "celebration of a marriage", because they consider themselves to have been married for a long time. I thought it was an interesting way to look at it.

Congrats on 100!

Ellen, congratulations on hitting your 100th book this year. It has not been a big reading year for me but big in some other ways. I like my "new" eyesight for driving and TV and I think it is good for the photography, too; however, the reading still has not settled down into thoughtlessly comfortable. That, plus the big MOVE, has made it so my numbers are down a bit, and I have books started but not finished all over the place: in books, on tables, in the Kindle and in the Nook. Sigh. Oh, well, I am sure it will be better for me in 2014.

The signing went well, and the wire deposit of the "big bucks" into my checking account worked, too. I am now officially debt free. I think every loan and credit card are paid off. Now I need to sock the money into savings like a fiend and eventually buying into the retirement community will be possible.

It has been a good year, and getting to know you and having you a regular in the RL book group, has been one of many happy parts of it. Best wishes for an excellent holiday season.

In happy gratitude that you and P are Honest Ladies At Last, since our country is at last acknowledging the reality of gay and lesbian partnerships as valid; also that you are part of my treasured world of friends, Ellen:



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

RMD

100. Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood
Five stars!

If I could give this beautiful novel six stars, I would do so. It's not that I think it will become a classic, but rarely has a novel so moved me. Set in a small Illinois town in 1925, this is the story of one family's experiences in the aftermath of a horrendous tornado. Paul and Mae, their three children, and Paul's mother Lavinia, are the only ones in town left unscathed by the storm. None of them was killed (or even injured!), their house is intact, and Paul's lumber business was completely unharmed. How the town and they themselves respond to this trick of fate provides the vehicle for Southwood's exquisite exploration of grief, mourning, and terrible rage in the face of death's incomprehensible capriciousness. Faith is lost or strengthened, homes and farms rebuilt or abandoned. And the impact of our need to blame, to scapegoat someone, is exposed in its raw humanity. Southwood's characters became real for me in the manner of the best fictional characters. And the landscape of the town, the sights and sounds and smells of the rural midwest, are integrated into the narrative with perfect pitch.

Full disclosure: Kate Southwood was a friend of mine back in the late 1980s. We drank Irish whiskey together, discussing the state of the world deep into the evening with our group of friends. So I approached her novel with some trepidation. What if I hated it? Could I be objective? I can't fully answer the second question but I can say with deep honesty that, as I read the novel, I forgot that I knew the author. I didn't hear Kate's voice in the narrative and, though I certainly knew she was intelligent and interesting, I had no idea back then that she had something like this novel inside her, waiting to come out. I can, with a firm commitment to transparency and faith to the art of reading, recommend this novel enthusiastically and without reservation.

Up next:

#202 - Hi Lisa, I think that is how many of us have looked at it. The wedding hardly felt like a giddy event given that we've shared our lives for 18+ years. I think my sister and her partner had a similar approach to it. It turns out that they did not get married, after all, but that is another story for another time having to do with fainting in the airport and winter weather in Maine and all manner of adventures. They are both safe and sound, but remain legally unhitched.

#203 - Karen, what kind words. I feel the same way! I'm glad to be getting to know you and building a RL friendship.

I'm glad the signing went well. Congrats on being debt-free! Now we just need to find you a permanent residence.....

Oh, and now you and Lisa can congratulate me on reaching 100. Falling to Earth was my 100th book for the year and it was a five-star read! How perfect is that? :-)

#204 - Thank you so much, Richard!! LT has truly enriched my reading and my sense of relational place in the world - and you are a wonderful part of that.

The days won't start getting longer for another week or so, but the sun is already setting a tiny bit later each day (yesterday was the start of that trend). Oddly, it also continues to rise a tiny bit later each day for another couple of weeks. Thank goodness for holiday lights and slightly reduced hours at work!

How perfect is that--100 and five star! Double congrats. :-)

Just spent 1/2 hour driving a mile to get my daughter to her school car pool. It may not be snowing in Seattle, but Woodinville is a nightmare.

#205 - Wow! That sounds fantastic! I will seek it out. It's a Europa too, right?

I know it's often difficult to read the novels (or to see the bands) of friends and loved ones, so I admire you for taking the plunge!

I hope you're having a lovely week and things are slowing down at work!

#210 - Lisa, we got about 2" of snow at our house and it was lovely. I drove to campus with no problem (but didn't have to leave the house until around 8:30, which was nice). Some of the sidewalks around campus are a bit slick, but not too bad. I'm surprised your daughter's school wasn't closed. At least on a delayed start?

#211 - Kerri, it is, indeed, a Europa, so it's quite lovely, inside and out. I'd offer to send it to you but this one falls into that rare category of books I plan to keep. :-)

My week has not been too bad and things are definitely slower at work (note that I'm on LT now as I sit at my desk). We were all hoping for a snow day today but we didn't get enough snow and the prediction is for it to be 38 and raining by noon. Blech. I'd much rather have 30 and snowing.

I'd much rather have 30 and snowing.

So would my daughter! ;-) Delayed start, but it was still snowing here.

It's almost the weekend and we got a bit of snow overnight. It will melt by the end of the day, but it made for a lovely Friday.

P and I plan to get our tree tomorrow, so that will be nice. I'm looking forward to putting the four presents I got from my Xmas Swap buddy (yay Stasia!) under said tree. I'm assuming they are four books. Heh.

Other than that, we plan to attend the final of the NCAA Volleyball championship, in which the Huskies will sadly not be competing (haven't gotten beat soundly by Penn State last evening), and watch the Seahawks. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend with, I hope, some time to read and some time to play on LT.

HAPPY 100TH!! And a 5 star read from a former friend-turned-novelist???? It can't get much better than that, Ellen!!

Happily wishlisted Falling to Earth and gave a BIG OL' thumbs up to your review! :)

I've taken notes from your thread above and we'll get moving on things in the new year! With my field, we've already got all the healthcare pieces taken care of; it's the financial end where I have fears. We've named each other as beneficiaries for everything, but still... The stories are just too scary. With the new job I have no time off for a full year, but after that we will be good to take some time to go somewhere for the legal "ties that bind."

Thanks to all for the advice!

Falling to Earth looks really interesting but I'm afraid it would be too dark and depressing for me.

Okay, so I ran right over here to see that review and to catch up with one of my very favorite people - you were so right about it sounding like one I would enjoy. I have added it to the giant WL, so thanks for that. I also thumbed your review - very nicely done!

And congrats on hitting 100! WahHOO for you, Sister!

Forgot to add that my fisticuffs are also at your service. So when you call Katie, give me a shout also.

This is one of those where I thought I had posted here, Ellen, but I must not have. Alluring review of Falling to Earth, and I thumbs-upped it.

Hi Ellen - Congratulations on 100. I thought you would like Falling to Earth; I read it earlier this year. While I didn't give it 5 stars, I agreed with your comments. It sucked me into these people's lives.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Hey, friends, thanks for the thumbs on my review! I really loved the book. Did I mention that?

Tina, all you can do is all you can do. You and Lisa take care of one another and maybe this summer you can take a short vacation to D.C..... or...Seattle! :-)

Morphy, Falling to Earth is not the cheeriest of books but it's not without hope, either.

Mamie! I do hope you get and read Falling to Earth; I'm quite sure you'd like it. And thanks for the offer of fisticuffs. With you and Katie on hand, I know we could take on P's employer.... or, more accurately, some of her coworkers. And thanks for the 100!

Joe, thanks for coming back to comment and thanks for the thumb on my review!

Hi Beth! Yes, the characters became quite real for me.

Thank you for the holiday wishes - and I wish you the very same!

Congrats on 100!

Wonderful review of Falling to Earth Ellen which has somehow ended up atop my teetering tower. And congratulations on reading 100 books!

Thanks, Jim!

Bonnie, I know that you have a few Europa Editions in your collection. If this one is in that stack, I encourage you to give it a go. And thank you for the congratulations. 100 is definitely the most books I've read in one year during my adult life. I'm pleased.

Hi Ellen,
I am just doing the rounds very quickly in the middle of bathing kids, packing, and prepping for hosting dinner here (why, why do I try to fit in so much?). We are away for a week, so I shall see you nearer the New Year! Happy Holidays- take care, and see you (as it were) soon x

Thanks, Megan! Happy holidays to you, too, my friend.

This image kind of appeals to me.

On LT's home page, there is a link to select your top five reads of 2013. I might point out that I'm definitely not yet done reading in 2013, but so far (based on ratings and memory, blended), my top five seem to be (in alphabetical order):

Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood,
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson,
The Road Home by Rose Tremain,
The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor, and
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann.

#214: Yes, they are 4 books, lol. I do hope you enjoy them.

#229: Great list! I have read 2 of the 5. Must get to work on the others.

#212 - Oh, darn! I was totally fishing for a free book! (Kidding). I will put it on the wishlist though.

#228 - I'm worrying about tide issues.

#229 - Oh, I'll have to put mine together, although, who knows, perhaps Martha Quest will make it and I'll have to adjust.

I am spending an unexpected night in a hotel in The Little Apple - Manhattan, KS. After fighting freezing rain and sleet all day the four inches of snow I ran into just did me in. 100 miles from home, after driving 1,000, I packed it in for the night and spent some quality time on LT instead of fighting the snow.

At least it will be a white christmas.

Dear Ellen - I was pleased and relieved that the book by your friend turned out to be such a hit. I'll look it up myself in consequence.

Saddened and often irked by some of the inconsistencies of law and life in how it deals with the choices consenting couples make. I think those that know me well understand my abhorrence of prejudices of all kinds and I am not in the least calculative where money is concerned, but I am truly at a loss as to how one's wealth and chattels cannot be passed legally to those we love and intend to. If Mrs Miggins can leave her fortune to the dog's home or cattery why can't a gay individual bequeath his/her estate where the hell he/she wants? Are we not talking here about the dangers of passing in-estate for gay couples?

I don't often disagree with Benita but I have to say that my own decision to get married had little to do with money and Hani left someone certainly wealthier than I so we could be together. There should be no such calculation in a relationship for it to last, but I would dread any state that tried to stop me passing on my wealth to her, such as it is. Islam does tend to try to interfere in these things but I have made a will with pretty precise instructions as I have no intention that cousins and other hangers-on get money needed by my wife and kids in the event that I don't live forever.

Have a lovely weekend, my dear.

Morning Ellen- I hope you have a terrific Sunday planned. I like your Best Of list. I need to start working on mine. I also loved the Atkinson, Trevor & McCann. Needless to say, it was another fantastic reading year.

Good Sunday morning, Ellen. I hope your day is relaxing, peaceful, and provides time for reading! That is what I am planning for mine. I will walk the dogs, and perhaps visit the nearby YMCA's hot tub to sooth the broken ribs, and then: read! No other chores on deck.

I think I may have to find myself a copy of Falling To Earth. I love it when we can find a good book which might otherwise be overlooked, and spread its joy around LT! Yay! I am a promoter by nature and should have spent more time spreading good news about good books. Maybe that will be one of my New Years Goals.

Go Seahawks.

Yesterday I drove by Arrowhead Stadium - the Guinness Book of World Records official loudest NFL stadium. I think the fans may be much more subdued today as it is going to be very very cold in that stadium.

But then they may do more screaming simply to keep warm.

Hi Ellen: Great list of top five. I haven't read the Tremaine or Trevor, something I want to do soon. I have to think about what my top reading will be... Of course I will wait to do that after all of my grades are turned in.

Uh oh... Pretty sad to say that I haven't read any of your top 5 yet!!! Better get busy!

....Hmmm I've read two of your five best. But I think they are all on my wishlist at least......

Great discussion on the thread about benefits etc.

It is peculiar, isn't it, to have this financial aspect to marriage which supposedly is such a spiritual thing. And that people get so hung up on it - I mean conflating the two things somehow.

I wonder what I'm missing in Life After Life. I don't think it was a *bad* book, but wasn't transported by it either. It's very odd that I, who really like the multiverse idea Atkinson uses, am not warbling and yodeling about it.

Such a mystery, this taste thing.

Taste is interesting. I didn't much like Life After Life either, and feel like kind of a grinch for saying so. But on the other hand, I ADORE Dickens.

Marriage is about more than benefits. I was surprised, for the brief time that same sex marriage was on in Portland, and my partner and I were "legally" wed, to find that the social recognition felt great and really made a difference to us. I am sure that we will tie the knot again, but I think we are waiting for it to be legal in Oregon. It shouldn't be long.

I wasn't all that thrilled with Life after Life either and felt like a grump when everyone else was praising it.

What a great weekend. Well, mostly. It turns out that I didn't make any time to check in on LT so I'll try to catch up this morning before work really starts up.

On Saturday, we went to the Cheeky Cafe where I had my favorite "onesie" -- one banana pancake, one egg over medium, and one slice of bacon, crisp. Then we went in search of a tree. We ended up getting a very Charlie Brown tree at Chubby & Tubby (don't ask) and decorated it that afternoon after I returned from my damp but delightful 34-minute run. We also tried a new recipe for ginger snaps which was a great success. We skipped the volleyball championship because who wants to watch Penn State beat Wisconsin? Not me.

Sunday started with lazy reading in bed with coffee, then I went for a challenging 28-minute run (the second run after a hiatus is always the most difficult for me), then we settled in to watch the Seahawks. Well. That did not go well. Ugh. The Seahawks lost to Arizona in terrible fashion. It was a very frustrating game for a fan to watch. Still, our house was warm and cozy, and I had good books to read. We went out to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner, did some late grocery shopping, and came home where I finished reading A Christmas Carol out loud.

Unfortunately, we were awakened around 1:30AM by a crash which was our tree falling over. Rats. A few ornaments were broken (luckily, none of our really favorite ones were in this group) and there was water everwhere. One of the books Stasia had sent me for the Xmas Swap was pretty wet so I opened it (hooray! A Little History of Philosophy) and tried to dry it as best I could. Sigh. It took us about an hour to get the tree more comfortably established. The process involved shims and such. And lots of mopping up of water.

Now it's Monday and I'm at work early, hoping to leave early, and wishing I had taken the week off. But it should be quiet.

On the reading front, I completed A Christmas Carol, which is book #101 but I won't review it. I also came close to completing A Grass is Singing (I read a good bit after getting the tree upright as we were both a bit agitated), which I think is brilliant.

#230 - Stasia, you'll see from the post above that we had a mishap and one of the books you sent me took an unexpected swim. I think it will be alright, but it has that damp wavy look about it now. Still, I'm thrilled that A Little History of Philosophy is one of the books you sent me and I very much look forward to reading it in 2014. Thank you!

#231 - Hi Kerri! Cracked me up with the comment about tide issues. :-D
And I may have put together my top-five list too soon as The Grass is Singing is potentially headed for five stars which would (if one does this mathematically rather than sentimentally, which I'm not sure I'll do) knock off one of the 4.5ers that made my list. This novel is making me want to read the Martha Quest series.

#232 - Benita, bummer! I have been to the Little Apple, in 1992 whenI helped a friend move there for her pre-doctoral internship. It struck me as less awful than I expected but not a town in which I wanted to set up housekeeping. Like so many towns of its size, the presence of a major institution of higher education makes the culture more tolerable for the likes of me. Enjoy your white Christmas, though!

#233 - Hello, Paul. I think you would appreciate Falling to Earth so I hope you find it on one of your book-buying expeditions.

I agree that marriage should not be about money and wealth, but too often (and, we know, historically) this is part of the picture. P and I chose to marry despite the fact that we will pay more in taxes. Some of our motivation was to secure our futures, but some of it was about making a statement for social justice. I want the next generation to be able to marry whomever they choose. How could I advocate for this right and then skip it so as to save a bit of cash? It's okay with me if others do that, but for P and me, it felt important to follow through on our activism.

#234 - Hi Mark, yes this was a good reading year. One of my best ever. I'm glad you were a part of it!

Nice Top 5, Ellen! I liked Life After Life a lot, too, although I wasn't as taken by Transatlantic as so many LTers were. You hit me with a bb with Falling to Earth.

HI Ellen - Happy Monday. Sorry about the tree mishap. It could have been worse... Look at you, reading more than 100 books.

#235 - Hi Karen, so good to see you. What a ride you have had lately! I hope the pain in your ribs is easing and that you had a wonderful, relaxing Sunday. You deserve it!

I hope you find a copy of Falling to Earth and enjoy it when you get it. If you have trouble finding it, let me know. I could bring mine to January book club to loan to you.

I may start on The Good Earth after I complete my current read. Need to get ready for Book Club in January! But I do have a couple of library books that I need to read..... we'll see.

Seahawks. Not so much. :-(

#236 - Hi, freezing Benita. I do believe the Seahawks exceeded the world record in noise during their home game against the 49ers earlier this season. Arrowhead will have to change their sign. Heh.

#237 - Hi Beth, I highly recommend both The Story of Lucy Gault and The Road Home. It's funny about top-fives and things. I usually don't do such lists because it's very hard for me to rank order things I've read. For example, I know I rated Life After Life very high and I meant it, but it hasn't stuck with me the way some other things have done. Rating is easier for me than ranking.

#238 - Tina, Tina, Tina..... of course, I won't put pressure on you to read my top five (especially when, as I noted above, I don't feel entirely comfortable ranking my reads) but I do recommend all five of those. I believe each and every one would be in your wheelhouse.

#239 - Oh Lucy, you are so right, about the conflating thing. I truly wish we had civil unions for everyone and that marriage, per se, were something religious institutions did separately. And that the financial implications were associated with the civil union and the marriage part, which lived in faith organizations, didn't have any financial implications. You know, separation of church and state. It's an unusual concept. :-|

I don't know which two you have read, but if you read the other three, I hope you enjoy them! Even though I'm not entirely comfortable with ranking my reads, I do think each of these five were excellent.

#240 - Well, Richard, it is true that taste is an incomprehensible thing. And, of the novels on my "top five" list, Life After Life is the one about which I feel most ambivalent. I rated it very highly (and that is what I used to create this list) but it hasn't stayed with me the way others have. So, I think I'd say the best thing about making a top-five list is that I know no one around here will hold me to anything, and it does generate some good discussions. :-)

#241 - Rhonda, you don't sound very grinchy to me. :-) I think that two of my "top five"s -- Life After Life and TransAtlantic suffered from the hype around them when they were first released. I liked them both a great deal but not everyone did. I think hype can do an injustice to a novel, just because it impacts expectations so greatly.

I completely resonate with your comment about social recognition. I think that meant more to P than it did to me, but I was still affected by it. Having my Tennessee relatives surprise me by flying out here to witness the marriage had the greatest impact on me; it was profound. I hope Oregon joins the fray soon!

#242 - Morphy, as I said above, I don't think it makes you grumpy to say you don't like a novel that lots of others love. Life After Life got so much hype; I liked it a lot but I'm not sure it deserved that much attention.

#245 - Hi Joe! I'm glad I got you with a bb with Falling to Earth. It's only fair, given how many times I have left your cafe with a new book (or two) on my wish list....

#246 - Hi Beth, the tree thing could have been so much worse! A bit of missed sleep, one soggy book, and only a few less-than-favorite broken ornaments is low on the disaster scale.

And thank you for noticing. I'm very pleased with my reading numbers this year. Even though I plan to lower my goal next year in order to make more space for a tome or two, I love that I have read more than 100 books this year. I'll set 75 as my official goal for 2014 and try really hard not to get competitive. I want to read The Luminaries and 2666 and a couple of other hefty volumes.

But Ellen! How can you not count the calamity of your 101st read being *ptooptoo* DICKENS up there with the tree-fall troubles?

Where, one would like to know, was the cat Abby at the time of this unpleasantness...

Richard, as you know, I'm no fan of mister paid-by-the-word, but this one is wonderful. It's the one exception to the rule. I mean, of first sentences, how can one not love:

"Marley was dead: to begin with."

Miss Abby has declared her innocence. She was, indeed, curled up by P's tummy at the time of the fall. Curled up by P's tummy is where Abby does the bulk of her nighttime sleeping.

If you ever say I said this, I'll swear you're a liar, but yeah that's one of literature's very best opening lines. In fact it's a good story, if a bit glurgblingled with treacle towards the end.

A guiltless cat and a tree fall. Two things I did not expect to occur together.

I am sure the cat had a paw in the going on; I just don't know which paw, and just where on the tree she pushed. Delay in falling is a very complicated feline trick, but I have seen it, sometime in my life with cats, I'm sure. Cats and Christmas Trees: a marvelous combination.

I have no cats and no Christmas trees this year. And I'm told we are having pizza for Christmas dinner. Pizza????? oh, my. Big Sigh.

#252 - Richard, your secret admiration for Mr. Dickens' brilliance in the creation of A Christmas Carol is safe with me.

#253 - Karen, i'm all in favor of nontraditional Christmas dinners, but pizza is going too far!

And Abby is complaining that dog owners can not really represent a jury of her peers.

Sorry to hear about the swim that A Little History of Philosophy took. I do hope you can still read it and that the book is not too damaged.

I hope you are as pleased with the other titles I picked out for you. Happy Christmas, Ellen!

Dear Ellen, thanks for being such a steadfast pal in the group and for contributing so much therein. Have a wonderful Christmas. xx

btw. Did I see RD say something inoffensive about Chuckles up above?!

Wishing you and P a wonderful, magnificent (official) 1st Christmas together! and a Happy 100 too!

Ellen, I woke up this morning in a brainstorming session, trying to think of ways to supplement the Niece's Christmas dinner. I thought maybe I'd bring some chicken bits to "grill" quickly on the stove so I could add them to a salad. And then, I thought maybe I'd go buy a small, carefully chosen bits of Antipasti so there were some additional choices of what I think of as real food to have. I think she could use the Italian model for food prep and have along side the pizza some salad, some excellent bread, and olives, and maybe some cold cooked veggies like asparagus. I know that probably only she, her parents, her sister, her sister's friend, and I will sample these additional choices and then, we can leave her picky eater husband and his small brood of children to enjoy their pizza. I will talk to her today and see if I can do this without making her feel badly. She is fighting an uphill battle with her husband consistently criticizing and choosing to not eat what she cooks. The kids love him dearly, and so, of course, follow his lead.

In any case, Christmas with kids is always fun. I am looking forward to sitting and watching them rip open their gifts and laughing and looking completely pleased with life. It is Moment to be Savored.

I hope your Christmas has some excellent moments, too! Tell Abby I'll have a conversation with the pups and see if we can't conjure up some cross cultural understanding. Nonetheless, she might consider leaving the tree alone for 48 hours.

I'm watching what is happening in Utah with glee. Hundreds of people are getting married! I have to admit to a bit of schadenfreude (okay, more than a bit) for the higher ups in Utah who are throwing fits trying to get a stay.

Hi Ellen,

Merry Christmas, Ellen!

oh, Corgi dogs! Didn't know they would pull sleds. Usually they are massively independent thinkers. Just goes to show: even militant independents can sometimes pull together.

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas, Ellen. I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday. I look forward to "seeing" you here in 2014.

Have a great Christmas and New Year Ellen!

Hi Ellen! I'm looking forward to your Grass is Singing comments - so glad you're "enjoying" it!

Happy Holidays to you, P, and Abby (who I believe in, despite the bad press)!

I made some notes at home, so I'm going to hold off on writing about my 102nd book for the year, The Grass is Singing, which I finished last evening. I'm deciding between 4.5 and 5 stars. And, did I mention that it was my 102nd book of the year? I stand speechless in the face of my own accomplishment. :-)

Thanks for all the holiday wishes, friends! I'll be back in a bit to acknowledge each and every one of them (and to visit some of your threads to leave similar warm wishes). But I actually have some work I need to get done!

Oh, and ---- Up Next:



I started reading this on the bus this morning (after my chilly and difficult 30-minute run) and I'm not yet sure whether it's going to be my cup of tea. But it does come recommended by lots of you folks!

Ellen, I've gotten woefully behind on LT. I seem to be following in your reading footsteps with The View from Castle Rock and The Grass is Singing. Be sure and post what you're reading next so I can keep up with you. I've already read The Good Earth so I'm good with that one! Love your Top Five. I need to think more about mine.

I hope you and P have a wonderful Christmas!

Have yourselves a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2014 ... safe travels and good running, Ellen!

Ellen have a very Merry Christmas! Thank you for helping make 2013 a little brighter.

Wishing for you a Christmas that is filled with wonder. Happy Holidays, Ellen, you have been such a great sister to me this year! Looking forward to doing it all over again in 2014.

#256- Stasia, A Little History of Philosophy sustained only minor damage and I will very much enjoy reading it soon! :-)

#257- Paul, thank you for the kind words and holiday wishes.

That wasn't Richard. I don't know who it was, but I'm sure it wasn't Richard.

Terribly behind, and have only skimmed this thread...but I wanted to drop by and wish you and P a lovely Christmas.

#258- Lynda, thank you for the merry wishes!

#259- Karen, my dear friend, whatever you end up eating, I hope you have a wonderful merry Christmas with your nieces and the rest of the family who will be gathering.

You know, I don't understand the picky eater and criticize thing. P does most of the cooking in our house (I do the clean up) and certainly I have, once or twice, suggested that a recipe with which she was experimenting could be tossed in the recycling, but I always express appreciation for the effort. Usually it's wonderful, sometimes it's fine, once or twice it has been disappointing. Why not express appreciation?

Oh, I'll get down off my soapbox. It matters not. Enjoy your holiday!!

#260- Morphy, it is fun to watch the grass roots efforts in Utah. I have a friend who lives in Salt Lake City (yes, she works at the university, so there is that) and I know she is loving it. Married to a man for 25+ years but heart in the right place.

#261- Diana, thank you for the Dutch holiday greetings!

#262- Lucy, I believe your holiday corgis may get the prize for most outrageous and most adorable greeting! I LOVE them. I love the little toy corgi in the sleigh. Thank you.

#263- Karen, I didn't know one could get corgis to pull a sleigh, either. The one in the back, on the right, might have somewhere else to go, though. :-)

#264- Beth, thank you. I will certainly be here and look forward to "seeing" more of you, too. Happy Holidays to you.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, time to head off to the BIL's and family for Christmas Eve fondue (and I've been instructed to go pick out the wine). More individual responses to come.

Cheers, everyone!!

Ellen,

I hope you and P have a terrific Christmas tomorrow however you celebrate it!

LOVE the "Star" tree topper photo, by the way! ;)

Merry Christmas to you and P, Ellen!

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!

Wishing you joy and a very special Christmas, Ellen!

Ellen- I hope you have a wonderful Christmas day and have the opportunity to curl up with your books, at least for a little while. I am looking forward to our little Meet-up, later next month. What a great way to kick-off the new year. Hugs to my pal.

Have yourself a merry little book-filled Christmas!

#265- Rhian, thank you and Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to you, as well!

#266- Kerri, thank you for the lovely Christmas fox. P and Abby send you their warm holiday wishes, as well (and Abby thanks you for your confidence).

#269- Donna, I'm reading Code Name Verity now and am quite caught up in it. It took until page 41 to grab me but grabbed I am.
Thank you for the lovely streetlamp and holiday wishes!

#270- Caro, thank you so much. I'm pleased to have run 3 days out of the last four. I think I'm "back."

#271- Roberta, thank you and thank you for making 2013 brighter for me. I'm looking forward to continued LT friendships in the new year!

#272- Mamie, that is an adorable Christmas cat (he looks like my Edgar). Thank you!

#275- Linda, thank you! So far, P and I are having a wonderful Christmas!!

279- Tina, Merry Christmas to you and Lisa, as well, my friend. Thank you for the wrinkly Christmas pooch. :-)

#280- Roni, Merry Christmas to you!

#281- Cute elf, Chelle! Thank you and Merry Christmas!

#282- Cee, I love the animals around the tree. Thank you. I'm wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a particularly happy and healthy 2014!!

#283- Mark, thank you so much. I'm very excited that we get to have another meet-up (Powell's! Brewpub!) -- the first Saturday in February, right? I am confident that 2014 will be another spectacular year of reading and camaraderie. Hugs back!

#284- Morphy, thank you! A book-filled Christmas is just the thing!

I know, I know, what am I doing on LT on Christmas day? It's called self-indulgence. :-)

I opened the rest of my books from Xmas Swap buddy Stasia this morning and was very pleased!!!!

A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano,
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, and
A Question of Power by Bessie Head.

These, along with the copy of A Little History of Philosophy, make for a very lovely Christmas book haul! Thank you, Stasia!!

Merry Christmas to you and P, Ellen!

^ Thanks, Katie! I love the book tree!

I'm working today but then I have the next six days off! And not much in the way of plans.
I'm liking the way this year is wrapping up. :-)

I'm also starting to think more about reading in 2014. I have committed to a few things and I may need a bit of help remembering who else is doing these with me -- the first two, in any case:

1. Faulkner February (I want to read Absalom! Absalom!
2. Shared read of The Bone People (but I can't remember if we set a particular month for this)

I do apologize for my poor memory, but it is what it is.

I also said I would participate in Mark's American Author Challenge, so there is that.

And I'm thinking that I'd like to make more headway on some of the nonfiction works I have in my TBR stacks. I tend never to be "in the mood" to read nonfiction even though, when I do read it, I often enjoy it and feel like it was worth my while. I'm toying with the idea of committing to completing 14 Nonfiction works in 2014. Here are some titles I have in the stacks that need my attention:

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betryal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss
Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum
My Century by Aleksander Wat
Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature and Politics by David Grossman
How Fiction Works by James Wood
A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass
Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

And there are a couple of nonfiction books in the yet-to-be-voted-on list for my RL Book Club:

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin
and
The Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan

I don't know if either of them will make the final cut.

Good morning, and happy Boxing Day, Ellen. Six days off! That is wonderful.

I am with the kids all day today, and tomorrow, and Monday. Then Tues. and Wed. off, and back for Thursday and Friday - all day. Then, I think they go back to school and I'll only need to be here for a couple of hours in the morning.

I am trying to get a last couple of books finished before midnight 12/31/13 and then, I need to start on the light up for 2014. And strengthen myself for the moving into my Bothell home on 2/1/14. Ah! plans. And schemes.

Looking forward to Feb. trip to Portland. I am thinking I should find a place to stay that will let me have my dogs with me. I'm not really excited about putting the dogs into a kennel after my experience with the Kennel Cough.

Let's find time to talk in the next few days and think out loud together.

Hi Ellen - Isn't it great to have no plans? You might be able to fit some reading in.:) Good plans for 2014. I would like to read The Bone People and, of course, will commit to Faulkner February. Other than that, the only plans I have are to read my book club books and the books for my World Lit class.

Gah! I just found out that Code Name Verity, which I'm very much enjoying, is YA lit. How did I miss this obvious detail??? Oh well, as I say, I'm enjoying it and I will try hard not to let this new knowledge adversely affect my reactions to it.

#292- Happy Boxing Day back your direction, Karen! And yes, I'm thrilled to have six consecutive days with no work and few obligations. I rarely get this kind of time off. P will be working on Monday and Tuesday, and I'm particularly looking forward to those two days of solitude. Not that I don't love her and all, but I don't get much solitude and I crave it.

I would love to touch base and do some planning for the Mark meet-up in Portland. If at all possible, I'll likely try to stay at the Inn at Northrup Station.

#293- Beth, I will definitely fit some reading into those days! And a couple of runs. And maybe one trek to Elliott Bay Books all by myself (which is terribly dangerous).

I think the Faulkner February will be a group thing (that is, I think a bunch of us said we'd do that, right?).
Is there a month in which you'd like to read The Bone People?

I'm in for The Bone People, too, Ellen, and it doesn't matter what month to me. I have been thinking about my 2014 reading plans, and the main thing is that I want to focus on reading the works of George Orwell, which I collected last year. I bought a lot of books last year, so I am thinking of making it a goal to whittle them down...I know, I Know...

^ Reading the works of George Orwell sounds like a good bit of frame to put around your 2014 reading, Mamie!

ETA: I'm chuckling at your "I know, I know..." ---- we all say it all the time, don't we? And I suppose we mean it but then a whole new year's worth of wonderful books get published and others get talked about and....

Okay, I'm starting my list of people who will be reading The Bone People in 2014. If folks want me to do it, I'll make a thread for a Group Read, but I'm not always very good about participating in those, so I'm also good with just doing a shared read.

I found out that "75 in 2014" is up! I've joined but I haven't yet started my 2014 thread.

Hi Ellen, sorry I didn't make it over here yesterday to wish you and P a Merry Christmas but it looks like I'm in time to wish you a very happy SIX DAYS OFF!

Congratulations on reading 100 books and having the 100th book be both good and significant. I bought Falling to Earth in Barnes & Noble earlier this year but haven't read it yet. If I can find out where I put it, I may read it next.

And, guess what? I'm planning to be at Mark's meet-up in Portland so I'll get to meet you and Karen as well. I'm really looking forward to it. We'll probably go out to the coast earlier in the week and then return to Portland for the weekend.

Since I saw on Richard's thread that you miss cardinals too, I'm dropping off this picture:

^ Pat! First of all: "I'm planning to be at Mark's meet-up in Portland so I'll get to meet you and Karen as well." HOORAY!! Oh boy, this is warming up to be an excellent meet-up. I'm very excited (and better go make a hotel reservation!).

Thank you so much for the cardinal. I love them.

I hope you enjoy Falling to Earth when you read it. I'm clearly on a mission to get folks to give it a try.

Influenced by a great conversation with Kerri about the nuances and complications of rating systems, I think I'm going to borrow heavily from her in implementing a new star-rating system for 2014. And, this is the real breakthrough: I'm going to pay attention to this rating scale when I rate books in the coming year! My ratings will certainly still largely be reflections of my intuitive emotional (and intellectual!) response to what I've read, but I do hope to steadily hone my consistency.

I may continue to tweak this, but here is my Ellen-ized version of Kerri's rating system:

5 = Amazing! Perfect!
4.5 = Wow, this was great, among my favorites of the year!
4 = Very good. Definitely recommended and I'll certainly read more by this author.
3.5 = Quite good, has several redeeming qualities, I'm likely to read more by this author.
3 = Pretty good, with a few things done well. If you like this kind of thing, this is probably worth reading.
2.5 = Average. This didn't kill me, but I probably won't seek out this author in the future, as life is too short to read average books.
2 = A bit below average. A waste of time.
1.5 = Nearly no redeeming qualities. Really rather bad.
1 = Among the worst books I've ever read.

Oh. I like that rating system. I may steal that. Just saying...

^ Well, since I stole it from Kerri with only a bit of personalizing, I suppose you may steal it from me. Is it still stealing if it's two degrees of separation away? We may have to consider what percentage interest Kerri is going to charge us, though.... Actually, she is quite generous and I suspect she will be fine with liberal borrowing.

#299 - 301 - Well, I'm sure I stole it from someone too! I thought it was you (Ellen), but looking at the system on your profile, I guess not. So now we're dealing with multiple degrees of separation.

Oh! I love the Inn at Northrup Station, although the last time we were in Portland, we stayed at the Mark Spencer, which is two blocks from Powells and is pretty good, as long as you ask for a bright room facing the main street.

I like the rating system! I may have to use it as a model for mine; I wouldn't want to steal it, now would I?

Oh, your fav Portland place does not accept pets. Too sad. Is it located near Powell's? Have we talked at all about where we might have the meet-up? I don't know Portland at all well so I'll take wherever we are going to meet and then hunt for a pet friendly place nearest. So if it is to be Powell's, then I'll use that as the center of my Portland universe.

I am thinking I need to go to Third Place Books and consider buying some books before our meeting....

#302 - Let's just say it was developed through conversation and sharing of ideas. How 20th century is that? :-)

And I also love the Mark Spencer, having stayed there a couple of times. I like the Northrup because it has balconies (although February might not be conducive to using said balcony) and it's an easy ride on the Max to Powell's.

All Portland places of residence, temporary or permanent, are rated by the ease of access to Powell's.

#303 - Karen, I think Kerri may have perfected the rating system. I mean, I helped (see above), but she gets full credit for articulating it. I think it's intuitively just right.

Regarding the meet-up, I have been assuming that we would (1) go to Powell's (and likely meet there?) and then (2) find a brewpub at which Mark (and I) can indulge in local brews. And pubfood. But no, Karen, we haven't actually talked about what we're going to do. Heh! There is a Silver Cloud Inn in the Pearl district at which I've stayed that might allow for the pooches.

Powell's is on Burnside between10th and 11th and I'd say yes, use that as your center of universe. I mean, it is.

Just rushing through Ellen. I look forward to our shared read of Their Eyes Were Watching God. I want to read Devil in the White City but I thought I would save it for October for a "Halloween" read. Would that work for you or were you thinking another month?

Portland Meet-up! Yay! I am in. Powell's, brew pub. All of it! My residence is 15 min from Powell's so I'd rate that pretty highly. Just saying. ; )

And Merry Day After Christmas!!

*waving* at Ellen

Happy Boxing Day!

#305- Roberta, reading Devil in the White City in October would be just fine! I definitely don't have specific plans. You know you'll have to remind me, right....? ;-)
Speaking of reminding, I'm ready for Their Eyes Were Watching God! January, right?

You know, I could just start adding my reading commitments to the calendar on the door of the kitchen pantry. That would help. Low tech, but probably effective.

#306- Kim, Hooray! I'm glad you're part of The Great January Portland Meetup. "My residence is 15 min from Powell's..." *sighs longingly* I adore Seattle, you know, but I would move to Portland in a heartbeat if only to be near Powell's. It is my favorite city block in the whole world. I'm also looking forward to some brewpub conversation.

#307- Hi Stasia! *waves back*

P and I finally made it to the Race exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. It was very interesting and it has me thinking about some reading I want to do in 2014. More about that later, when my thoughts are sorted through.

"The Great January Portland Meetup" .Does that have a great ring to it or what? Even though, it will happen on Feb 1st. LOL.

So, is there a thread? for the Meet Up? So we can send interested people to it?

#310, 311 - Oh right. LOL. The Great February Portland Meetup. Details. I'm not good at details.
No thread, Karen. But we could make one and top it with a photo of Powell's. :-)

This is tough. My thread is downloading very slowly (I think that "Race" image has lots of pixels) but I hadn't planned to start another one for this year. I had planned to start my 2014 thread on the 31st, which is a stay-cation day for me.

Dilemmas, dilemmas. It's like trying to decide what to read next. :-)

My daughter's class went to the RACE exhibit, and she loved it. She copied out the following quote and taped it to our door:

What are we? The answer is simple - HUMAN.

I hope I can join y'all in Portland!

Regarding your page: it loaded okay for me, but one trick that might help is to decrease the size of your image. Inside your tag, after "img" write "width=300" then do the src= part. You can change the number to change the size. Height will adjust and stay proportional.

ok, so I won't post here so you won't have to start a new 2013 thread, right?

oh, well.... too late now

Of course you *could* simply decide to be a modern netizen and post your 2014 thread to take the pressure off of this one.

But hey...

LOL!

Ellen - I saw the Race exhibit when it was here a few years ago. Very impressive.

Lisa, I love that quote. The exhibit did an excellent job of debunking myths about genetics and "race," pointing out that humans have more in common than they have different - and that there really is not a genetic basis for our notions of race. Biodiversity is biodiversity and we are one species. It was a good combination of history, anthropology, biology, sociology..... very cool that your daughter's class went to see it.

Karen, LOL - I think I'm going to give into Richard's suggestion....

Hi Richard. See my note to Karen above. I know when I am defeated by the numbers. Never let it be said that I will stay with a sinking ship!

Me too, Mamie.

Beth, I was wondering if this exhibit has been traveling. I would recommend it to anyone near any city where it sets up shop.

102. The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
4.5 stars

Published in 1950 and set in the harsh farm country of South Africa, this novel of isolation, loneliness, and desperation is beautifully wrought by Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing. In anti-racism discussions, we often talk about the corrosive effect of racism on the oppressor's soul, the disintegration of the bigot's humanity. Here is that corrosion and disintegration captured in beautiful literary form. We witness the horror of deep racial hatred and fear as it transports a lonely soul into madness.

103. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
3.5 stars

I ended up staying awake late into the night to complete this novel, set in England and France during WWII. Told through the voices of two young women, each of whom is vigorously fighting both the Nazis and gender stereotypes, this novel with young adults as a primary intended audience carefully walks the line between true depiction of the brutality of war and tolerable levels of violence for said audience. The action takes place behind the front lines and gives an interesting peek into the resistance movement around 1943. It's also a sweet portrait of a deep friendship between two women.

Up next:

Hope the holiday fun is continuing, Ellen!

Hi Joe! Since I'm on Day Two of a six day staycation, the holiday fun is working out well for me!

I started my 2014 thread.

Wow, Ellen. Both books sound good. You're finishing the year strong. Enjoy your time off. I'll be off to star your new thread.

You caved!

(So did I...)

I'll give a kiss on the cheek "good bye" to your fine 2013 threads. Looking forward to what you think of The Good Earth. I picked up the recently found last book written by Buck - The Eternal Wonder - and I think I'll dip into it today. But I may also have to return to B&N and buy one more children's book so I can complete the 36 books I've set for a goal for me for 2013. (How's that for a poorly written sentence?)

I hope your days off are providing you with deep relaxation and renewal. I know when I was teaching I rejoiced in those weeks when we were allowed to just be, no classes, no kids, no administrators! Whew.

Congratulations on achieving 100+ this year, Ellen. Love the rating system, which is quite similar to but better than my original scale. A tiny bit of tweaking and it will be mine as well. Very kind of you and Kerri to share!

You know my plan is to have no plan in 2014...but naturally one or two things are simmering in the back of my brain. I'll be starting my new thread later today, while my dear child can help me.

Here's to a pleasant and peaceful 2014.

Great bunch of reading for the year, and congratulations on reaching 100. I am glad that you liked the Grass is Singing. Lessing was inspirational for me in my 20's, and I am thinking about re-visiting her work soon.

Beth, Katie, Karen, Gail, Rhonda -- Thanks for your final visit to my 2013 thread!

I think 103 will be my final number for 2013.
I'm well into The Good Earth and A Cupboard Full of Coats but will probably complete each of them early in the new year.

It's been a great reading year!!

I'm doing a final little round on the 2013 to close off the year with at least one visit (though I have stopped by a few times more than that...). Wishing you a very Happy New Year and see you on the other side Ellen!

Removing the star....