thornton37814's Adventures in 70s Music - thread 2

Welcome to my 2nd thread for 2014's "Adventures in 70s Music."

Category 1: "We've Only Just Begun" (Carpenters; 1970) - First in series or first time I've read a book by the author
Category 2: "Longer" (Dan Fogelberg; 1979) - Books over 450 pages
Category 3: "Seasons in the Sun" (Terry Jacks; 1973) - Books about the season or weather or with seasonal or weather words in the title
Category 4: "Trying to Get the Feeling Again" (Barry Manilow; 1976) - Re-reads
Category 5: "Baker Street" (Gerry Rafferty; 1978) - British Mystery
Category 6: "That's the Way (I Like It)" (K.C. and the Sunshine Band; 1975) - Mysteries
Category 7: "We Are the Champions" (Queen; 1977) - Sports
Category 8: "Rainy Days and Mondays" (Carpenters; 1971) - Comfort Reads & Children's Books
Category 9: "Hotel California" (Eagles; 1977) - Travel
Category 10: "Sharing the Night Together" (Dr. Hook; 1978) - Shared or Matched Reads
Category 11: "Old Days" (Chicago; 1975) - History
Category 12: "Because He Lives" (Gaither Trio; 1974) - Religion/Christianity
Category 13: "Cheeseburger In Paradise" (Jimmy Buffett; 1978) - Food/Culinary
Category 14: "You're the One That I Want" (John Travolta & Olivia Newton John; 1978) - What I want to read
Abandoned Reads: "Got To Give It Up" (Marvin Gaye; 1977)

I'm going to do what I did last year. No maximum in each category but a minimum of five. I suspect that the last one to be filled will be the re-reads category (just like it is this year) because I really want to read new stuff most of the time!

Category 1: "We've Only Just Begun" (Carpenters; 1970) - First in series or first time I've read a book by the author.

1. The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley - completed 4 Jan 2014

Category 2: "Longer" (Dan Fogelberg; 1979) - Books over 450 pages

1. Dear Abigail: The Intimate Lives and Revolutionary Ideas of Abigail Adams and Her Two Remarkable Sisters by Diane Jacobs - completed 10 Jan 2014

Category 3: "Seasons in the Sun" (Terry Jacks; 1973) - Books about the season or weather or with seasonal or weather words in the title.

Category 4: "Trying to Get the Feeling Again" (Barry Manilow; 1976) - Re-reads

1. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - completed 17 Feb 2014

Category 5: "Baker Street" (Gerry Rafferty; 1978) - British Mystery

1. Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear - completed 11 Jan 2014
2. Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie - completed 13 Feb 2014

Category 6: "That's the Way (I Like It)" (K.C. and the Sunshine Band; 1975) - Mysteries

1. Murder in Ancient China by Robert Van Gulik - completed 4 Jan 2014
2. Kilmoon: A County Clare Mystery by Lisa Alber - completed 20 Feb 2014
3. The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon - completed 22 Feb 2014
4. The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters - completed 28 Feb 2014
5. Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr - completed 29 Mar 2014

Category 7: "We Are the Champions" (Queen; 1977) - Sports

1. March 1939: Before the Madness - The Story of the First NCAA Basketball Tournament Champions by Terry Frei - completed 28 Jan 2014
2. The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris by Mark Kurlansky - completed 17 Mar 2014

Category 8: "Rainy Days and Mondays" (Carpenters; 1971) - Comfort Reads & Children's Books

1. Out of the Blue by Colette Makray - completed 13 Jan 2014
2. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg - completed 14 Jan 2014
3. The Mystery in the Smoky Mountains by Carole Marsh - completed 1 Mar 2014
4. The Mark on the Door by Franklin W. Dixon - completed 7 Mar 2014
5. The Mystery of Biltmore House by Carole Marsh - completed 16 Mar 2014

Category 9: "Hotel California" (Eagles; 1977) - Travel

1. Booked for Murder by Tim Myers - completed 6 Feb 2014

Category 10: "Sharing the Night Together" (Dr. Hook; 1978) - Shared or Matched Reads

1. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - completed 3 February 2014
2. Suttree by Cormac McCarthy - completed 28 Mar 2014

Category 11: "Old Days" (Chicago; 1975) - History

1. The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh - completed 9 Jan 2014
2. American Passage: The History of Ellis Island by Vincent J. Cannato - completed 18 Jan 2014

Category 12: "Because He Lives" (Gaither Trio; 1974) - Religion/Christianity

1. Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather - completed 13 Jan 2014
2. And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life by Jane Christmas - completed 21 Jan 2014
3. Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien - completed 6 Mar 2014

Category 13: "Cheeseburger In Paradise" (Jimmy Buffett; 1978) - Food/Culinary

1. The Best of Coffee: A Cookbook by Sandra Gluck - completed 4 Jan 2014
2. Murder Simply Brewed by Vannetta Chapman - completed 25 Jan 2014
3. The Land of the Five Flavors: A Cultural History of Chinese Cuisine by Thomas O. Hollmann - completed 27 Jan 2014
4. Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke - completed 30 Jan 2014
5. The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy for Cupcakes But Fed Up With Fondue by David Sax - completed 6 Feb 2014
6. Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy - completed 10 Feb 2014
7. The Homesick Texan's Family Table: Lone Star Cooking from My Kitchen to Yours by Lisa Fain - completed 14 Feb 2014
8. Small Plates: Short Fiction by Katherine Hall Page - completed 21 Feb 2014

Category 14: "You're the One That I Want" (John Travolta & Olivia Newton John; 1978) - What I want to read

1. The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett - completed 27 Jan 2014
2. Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir by Frances Mayes - completed 29 Mar 2014

Abandoned Reads: "Got To Give It Up" (Marvin Gaye; 1977)

January wrap-up:

Books read: 16
(5 library books, 2 my print books, 2 my e-books, 6 NetGalley, 1 friend's book)
Books/E-Books acquired: 36
NetGalley acquisitions: 7

I actually forgot to report the 7th NetGalley acquisition on the previous thread so I'll include it here.
7. The Homesick Texan's Family Table: Lone Star Cooking from My Kitchen to Yours by Lisa Fain

2 stars: 1
2.5 stars: 2
3 stars: 6
3.5 stars: 1
4 stars:6

Best of the month: This is a tough call, but I'm going to go with Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather.
Worst of the month: Murder Simply Brewed by Vannetta Chapman

Let's see how I'm doing with the categories. I have no maximums, but a minimum of 5 in each.

Category 1: "We've Only Just Begun" - 1
Category 2: "Longer" - 1
Category 3: "Seasons in the Sun" - 0
Category 4: "Trying to Get the Feeling Again" - 0
Category 5: "Baker Street" - 1
Category 6: "That's the Way (I Like It)" - 1
Category 7: "We Are the Champions" - 1
Category 8: "Rainy Days and Mondays" - 2
Category 9: "Hotel California" - 0
Category 10: "Sharing the Night Together" - 0
Category 11: "Old Days" - 2
Category 12: "Because He Lives" - 2
Category 13: "Cheeseburger In Paradise" - 4
Category 14: "You're the One That I Want" - 1
Abandoned Reads: "Got To Give It Up" - 0

Wow! You have one category completed already! That's quite a month's worth of reading!

Brumley was quite entertaining earlier today as we watched The Kitten Bowl on Hallmark. He enjoyed the kittens playing very much. When they took naps, he enjoyed taking naps too. He also decided that he wanted to violate the league's substance abuse policy and get high on catnip. After that he tore through the house batting every ball in sight. Then he'd decide to join the ones who were up in the stands with the fans by jumping on me and my computer. What made me really know that he enjoyed it was the protest that he made when I changed the channel when the repeat of the show was coming on. I ended up leaving it at The Kitten Bowl. I turned the TV off before I went to church this afternoon (since we had church early so folks could watch Peyton), and when I came back in, I switched to the FOX affiliate which was carrying the Super Bowl. Well, Brumley caught sight of the Kitten Bowl before I switched channels and really fussed at me again for trying to change his channel. I think Hallmark has come up with an idea to entertain cats!

Mamzel> It's not really completed yet. I set a minimum of 5, and I've only got 4 in it. It will be "completed" soon though. I've just been in a foodie mood, I guess. I think that categories 5 and 6 will pick up this month. I'll probably count my Faulkner read as a shared read. I had 20+ books in several categories last year.

I still really like your categories, Lori!

Happy new thread!

Thanks again - taco soup was just what I wanted today (it's raining...). I ended up using the slowcooker, so it was dinner rather than lunch, but very yummy indeed! Next time I'll fry my own tortilla strips as well!

Nice new thread, Lori! I'm glad Brumley had such a good time watching the Kitty Bowl. Sig napped away much of the late afternoon and evening. Now he's up and just made a run across my computer keyboard.

Julia> Thanks. I had fun coming up with songs to match some of my reads.

rabbitprincess> Yes. I decided I'd better create it while I had time to do so.

Eva> I made mine in the crock pot. It's handy for those things.

Terri> Sounds like Sig was doing his own version of participating in it too!

(I'll admit mine is just a red cover without a dust jacket, but this is what came up with the matched book using Ohiolink as the source for my edition.)

17. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Date Completed: 3 February 2014

Category: Sharing the Night Together

CAT Challenge:

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This is a very Southern take on the grieving process of one family told through alternating viewpoints of various persons. Addie has died; one of her sons constructs her coffin; they take the coffin on a journey to honor her wish to be buried in Jefferson. I won't go into all the things along the way. This was a re-read for me. I must say that I found the story more compelling and appreciated the literary devices and imagery far more this second time.

Note: This is my book for the American Author Challenge for February.

I'm not sure what it means, but when I visited NetGalley to see what looked interesting, the ones I found appealing to me were all for UK only. Does that mean I'm living in the wrong country? that my tastes in reading more closely parallel those in the UK than the US? that US publishers aren't offering things that I want to read? that US publishers are using another platform (maybe Edelweiss) now? all of the above? some of the above? none of the above?

I wish I could figure out what the source location is for my nephew's Facebook video of what all of us in the family are calling his "redneck snowplow." He attached a board to a couple of sawhorses lying on their sides and strapped those to his trailer hitch and tow hooks on the back of his minivan. He was able to clear his driveway in a couple of sweeps with his ingenuity. I simply cannot find the source location of the file to be able to include it here.

18. The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy for Cupcakes But Fed Up With Fondue by David Sax

Date Completed: 6 Feb 2014

Category: Cheeseburger in Paradise

CAT Challenge: Unofficial GastroCAT

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Have you ever wondered how food trends begin and end? Author David Sax takes a look at how some food trends began, why some of them decreased in popularity, and how some will likely continue. He also takes a look at political and economic factors in the food industry. He includes a bibliography for each chapter at the end rather than utilizing footnotes in his narrative. From cupcakes to Indian cuisine, from food trucks to fondue, he takes a look at the culture of food in American society. I found the book interesting in places but bogging down in others. The review is based on an advance e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Note: This book is due to be released 27 May 2014.

Someone posted a link on Facebook to a site that measures your reading speed and comprehension. I managed to read 999 words per minute (or 300 times faster than most) and answered all questions correctly so I guess comprehension was perfect too.

Wow! That's fantastic. Good for you. Now you can go buy a truckload of books to keep you reading until the end of this year :)

Vivienne> Time is always the problem.

I was on my iPad when I did it last night so I didn't have a good way to get the link. This is it: http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/sp....

Thank you for that link, it was fun!

19. Booked for Murder by Tim Myers

Date Completed: 6 Feb 2014

Category: Hotel California

CAT Challenge: MysteryCAT

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Alex and Elise have problems when a guard for an emerald on display at the inn is murdered and the emerald is stolen. In the meantime, we have a new restauranteur in town and a "muffin lady" who appears out of nowhere to try to snag the inn's business. I have problems with this series. I really don't get the mountain feeling that the setting should evoke, and I don't think it is just because of the lighthouse on the property. I have trouble believing that there were not federal investigators all over the property the minute that emerald went missing. This one is pretty light on the investigation and pretty strong on town life, making it somewhat enjoyable at that level. The solution to the theft and murder were pretty obvious.

MissWatson> Glad you enjoyed the link. How did you do?

338 words per minute, 38% better than average. I think that's quite okay, considering that English is not my native tongue.

MissWatson> It definitely is! My sister-in-law always comments that she doesn't see how I read so fast. I knew I read faster than most people, but I had no idea I was that fast.

We decided to do the blind date with a book display this year.



Here's the right side of the post:



Here's the left side:

That's such a fun idea!

We're just copying an idea from other libraries. We found the doilies at the Dollar Tree. 30 in a package for $1. I'll have to try to find some before next year so we can do it again! We've got an idea to involve some of our faculty members next year in the selection of books and writing of the personal ads.

I love the idea of those secret book selection things, I've seen some photos online before and it looks like such fun, but my only issue is, you have no way of knowing beforehand if you've read it before! I suppose for someone who rereads it's not a big deal, but it could wind up being something you hated, too! If there were a way to do it w/o worry over that, I'd be all over it! Hahaha.

PolymathicMonkey> A couple of our student workers had the concern about it being something they'd already read. We told them they could return it and choose something else.

I found a site that had some descriptions of some of their books using "For fun," "Favorite things," and "Seeking" as categories. For example, one of their samples was:

For Fun: Cross-country traveling
Favorite Things: Summer days, pyromania, road trips
Seeking reader who loves romance and self-discovery.

We used that format for our personal ads.

The students all really think it is a cool idea. I have a feeling that we are going to have restock on Monday as it has already been popular beyond our expectations. We have a variety of sizes of books so that students can choose one that doesn't have a huge time investment. There are some children's books in the mix as well as a few that have lots of photos to cut down on time reading. We also put a couple of chunksters out there. Believe it or not, those were the first to go, and guys were the ones who picked them up!

We will definitely have to do it again next year. One of our student workers had been leaning towards checking out one of the books for herself based on the description. Someone else brought it up to check it out. Of course, as the person checking out the book, you can see what the person is getting. She went and looked up a review of the book then. She said that it is definitely something she wants to read. I'm sure she'll look for it when it comes back. We're excited to see students making a commitment to read something outside of their required things.

Really neat idea!

I read 1327 words per minute with perfect comprehension on my first run. Likely a flawed result, though; my text was from Alice in Wonderland, and I've read that at least 100 times. I've got it almost memorized.

I tested at 921 words per minute with an excerpt from The Wizard of Oz. I've read that a fair number of times as well.

I wonder what my speed is on a technical work or something more complicated than children's fiction? Slower, to be sure.

I don't actually read every word on a page, though. Imagine that the pages of a book are divided into three equal columns, with the column lines drawn right over the text. I tend to just skim down the center column and let my brain fill in the words from the left and right columns. I never even realized that I did it until my cousin's husband mentions that that's how he reads.

Rabbitprincess> We borrowed the idea from other libraries, but it is going over well.

Casvelyn> Interesting. Either way, you are a fast reader. I didn't recognize the text I got.

I thought about trying again, but I'm watching the Olympics opening ceremonies, and I'm pretty sure my glass of wine won't help me read faster.

Casvelyn> I'm sure the test will still be around whenever you want to try again.

I'm going to pass this idea to my sister who is a children's librarian at a local library. I bet she'd like it a lot.

Ok, Casvelyn, I think you should calibrate your reading speed with the amount of wine drunk.

Lori, I would be unable to resist choosing a book blind date. It just sounds like so much fun.

I also would have a problem being able to resist choosing a book blind date.... FUN!

Betty> We included a few children's and YA books in ours. I think young kids would love the idea, but you might have to rename it for those too young to date.

Kay> I'm pretty sure some of the ones who checked things out probably had no idea we had popular reading materials.

Lori> I think most of us would have fun with it.

Interesting article on Henry VIII and a possible genetic incompatibility with his wives: http://blog.smu.edu/research/2011/03/07/blood-group-anomaly-could-explain-tudor-....

^ Can you just imagine the conversation of Henry's inner circle of advisers trying to explain that to him if they had this information? ;-)

Lori> I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that one!

Cats and reading: http://lovemeow.com/2014/02/children-read-to-shelter-cats/

That was cute. I'm thinking that the shelter has an ulterior motive -- more than one of those children has begun to long for a cat and there are sure to be a few extra adoptions as a result. I did like the girl who is scared of animals being brought to read to the cats. For the most part, when kids are nervous around animals it's because their parents are as well.

Kay> Yes. It's a worthwhile project at many levels.

20. Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy

Date Completed: 10 Feb 2014

Category: Cheeseburger in Paradise

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: With the holidays coming up, White House Executive Chef Ollie Paras and her staff are busy taking care of the food needs of all the extra celebrations. She's hired a new chef Agba from the SBA to help them keep up with the preparations. When a fake bomb sends them to the bunkers and out to the streets, the entire White House is placed on enhanced security and must attend a series of meetings designed to help them spot security threats. In the mean time, the first lady is being pressured to sell her part in a company with a philanthropic mission. There are a couple of deaths, the first one being an electrocution. There is much more to the plot, but I don't want to give it away. This is definitely an above average cozy read and one that is quite enjoyable. While some of the situations might be implausible in a different location, they work well in the context of the White House.

I am so far behind on reading LT posts. Thanks for the link to the reading/comprehension test. I'll have to try it then find out how I can improve, if only to catch up on what everybody else is reading.

The Blind Date idea is wonderful. I wouldn't be able to resist it because they look so intriguing.

I am so far behind on people's threads how can you have a second already? Love the blind date books

Vivienne> The test was interesting. The blind date continues to be popular. Faculty are enthusiastic and will help us select books and write descriptions next year.

Pete> The blind dates are fun. I checked one out to a student worker this afternoon. Since she was working, one of the other librarians and myself then got to enjoy her surprise as she discovered which book she had chosen.

Lori, stay warm and safe. I hope the snow storm ignores you.

Kay> National Weather Service is predicting 5-8 inches as of the last map I saw. Some of the models are currently giving us as much as 11.4 inches. It has begun on Clinch Mountain, but it hasn't started here yet.

Over here we've been seeing snow off and on all day and there seem to be about two inches on the ground at our house. From the map your total may be more than ours by morning. Anyway, take care .

hailelib> I have 8 inches at my house. I've seen other friends say they have anywhere from 6 to 11.5 inches here.

We're at a lower elevation and in the shadow of the mountains here. So not much more snow but a half inch of ice over the top. The temperature has been above freezing for about three hours so the melting is well underway. Are you able to stay at home today?

We received about 11 1/2 inches at our home right outside of Charlottesville, VA. The snow started around 6:00 last night, and had ended by 8:00 this morning although there is more snow predicted for this afternoon. My mammogram appointment for early next morning has been rescheduled, fortunately.

Hailelib> Yes. I'm at home today. No call on tomorrow yet. Will have to see if I can make it in or not even if we do. I dislocated my hip back in the fall. It's back in place, but I get pain sometimes from that injury, and today it has been absolutely horrible so I doubt that I'll completely get my driveway dug out. The only good thing is that it has warmed up enough today that some of it is thawing, especially the lower part where I'd dumped more salt before it ever got started than I did on the upper part.

Allison> We're not supposed to get any more until Friday night into Saturday. They are calling for 1/2 to 2 inches, I think. I can handle that small amount!

I hope it melts fast. Here in Indiana we have about 9 inches of snow on the ground with some more expected tonight. (Probably not much.) It's due to start thawing next week fortunately. I'm sick of snow. I'm so depressed about the weather it's throwing off my reading.

Beth> The sun came out and temps hit almost 40 around 3 p.m. so we've had quite a bit of melt. Still a lot of snow which could refreeze. They are calling for "freezing fog" in the morning. I'm a bit curious about that.

We're supposed to have a possibility of freezing drizzle tonight. I can hardly wait.

I think a lot of us are tired of winter.

Beth> I hope that the frozen precipitation misses you.

Hailelib> Amen.

21. Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie

Date Completed: 13 Feb 2014

Category: Baker Street

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: When a brooch that belonged to her neighbor Erika's family appears in an auction catalog, Gemma is asked to unofficially look into how it came to be in the auction. The story of the brooch begins during the Holocaust. A young woman from the auction house who took in the brooch turns up dead as do others connected to it. Duncan, Gemma, and their colleagues at the Yard and the metropolitan police find clues that keep the reader interested and involved. Gemma's mother is diagnosed with leukemia in this installment as well. Crombie is one of my favorite authors. This installment in the long-running series does not disappoint.

We had about 8 inches at my house. The official for the city nearest where I live was 7 inches, but I'm at a slightly higher elevation and can usually count on about an additional inch. I did measure it early this morning before it began melting.

Beautiful pics! Your hill looks like mine, although mine is in town and has the advantage of a hospital at the bottom!

Clue> We're actually part of a mountain. It's about 3 miles to the grocery store. It probably takes 15 minutes to get to either of the Morristown hospitals from my house. It's probably 25 minutes to the one in Jefferson City. You can see a bit of our elevation from the first photo.

It's beautiful, Lori. Enjoy it while you have it?

Kay> Apparently, we may get some more tonight. It's a mixed blessing.

Where's your sled? That looks like a perfect hill for sledding!

Who needs a sled? In college we used cafeteria trays. We got an additional inch or so of snow today.

mamzel> There were kids snowboarding behind my house in the next subdivision. There's a nice open field with a good slope.

Beth> I know a lot of people who have used cafeteria trays. We may get another couple of inches tonight. I'm not as optimistic as the meteorologists are.

22. The Homesick Texan's Family Table: Lone Star Cooking from My Kitchen to Yours by Lisa Fain

Date Completed: 14 Feb 2014

Category: Cheeseburger in Paradise

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Lisa Fain grew up in Texas but currently resides in New York. In this volume, she takes Texas cuisine, much of it from her own family, and gives it a bit of a New York twist by adding or substituting other ingredients and by using Kosher salt instead of the salt that would be most commonly used in the Southern States. She has quite a few Tex-Mex inspired dishes as well as some with hints of barbecuing. Many of the traditional Southern desserts are also included. Each sections is prefaced by a family story. The dishes themselves either give a family story, information about an ingredient and its use in Texas, or another interesting tidbit for the reader. Recipes vary in the degree of difficulty and amount of time it would take to prepare. Persons looking for a book that will provide pure Texas recipes will want to find a different cookbook. Those who like twists on family favorites will enjoy this one. This review is based on an e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of a review.

Note: Book is scheduled to be published 1 April 2014.

Thanks for the review of the Homesick Texan cookbook, Lori. I used to read her blog but kind of lost track of it a while ago. I remember liking the looks of some of her recipes but I don't think I ever tried any. Sounds like the book wasn't an overwhelming hit with you.

Julia> It was fine. It wasn't quite what I expected. I think some of the recipes are probably from her blog. I didn't really know who she was as I'd never run across it. I liked some of the recipes, but not all of them.

23. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Date Completed: 17 Feb 2014

Category: Trying to Get the Feeling Again

CAT Challenge: RandomCAT - Children's Literature

Rating: 5 stars

Review: This tale of an orphaned girl of eleven and her adoption by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert is still just as delightful now as it was when I first read it years ago. Many of the things Anne says in the course of the book would be good starting places for children of upper elementary and middle school age. Anne's imagination and love for words makes the book a wonderful read. Of course today's children might not think that names such as Bertha and Cornelia are quite as enchanting as Anne thought they were, but that also makes a great genealogical discussion for kids about naming patterns!

We had a little excitement today, beginning around 2:30 in the library. It seems that someone decided to rip the handle off the door between the library and the 24/7 study room. We narrowed the time down to a 3 hour period for security video review. The locksmith is finally here so we are happy that it will be fixed before we close. We were afraid we were going to force people out of the study area and lock down the key card access that controls it.

Hi Lori, I see you've been reading a couple of my favorite authors with L.M. Montgomery and Deborah Crombie (love that series). I am in the middle of a reread of the Anne Series but I am struggling more with the later books. I find the author a little more moralizing than she was in the earlier books.

I sure hope all that snow you are getting goes away soon and that spring is just around the corner.

Judy> There was some moralizing even in Anne of Green Gables, but it doesn't come off as preachy. There was only a tiny bit of snow left in the shadiest spots in my yard yesterday so it's probably gone by today! I hope we are done with it.

We had a huge fall of snow today. Heavy, wet snow that is so difficult for driving, just as my son and I decided to go to another town on a shopping trip. We were gone a long, long time. Stopped to buy pizza near home and thought we might have to spend the night in the parking lot :) I shovelled the yard when I got home and by the time I finished, I had to start over - it was gaining on me. Six inches twice is easier than twelve inches in one go. The cold snap is over, so I remind myself that it could be worse.

Vivienne> I'm sorry. I'm sure it could be worse. I think it is the cumulative effect that is making it so bad this year.

>87 thornton37814: Lori, I'm always amazed at what people think they can get away with in a library. I suppose in this case they wanted 24/7 access to the whole building. Glad you got a locksmith so quickly.

Vivienne> It really would have just locked down the 24/7 study area they had available because the only way to secure the main part of the library was to lock down the key card access to that area.

I'm overdue for posting some food porn. How about mahi mahi tacos?

mmmm... yes, please. :)

Judy> They were quite tasty! My tomatoes are almost hidden in the photo, but I can assure you that they were there.

24. Kilmoon: A County Clare Mystery by Lisa Alber

Date Completed: 20 Feb 2014

Category: That's the Way (I Like It)

CAT Challenge: MysteryCAT - Series

Rating: 1 star

Review: Merrit Chase travels to Ireland to try to seek resolution in her life and to meet the father she had not known. She becomes a suspect in a death in that country. This book failed to engage the reader from almost the first page. The scenario drawn by the author is far-fetched and unrealistic. The characters are poorly drawn. The scenes are not well-painted. The devices the author uses fail to work. There is entirely too much profanity. Normally, I would have "Pearl-ruled" this book after 50 pages, but I continued to force myself to read it since it was an Early Reviewer book with an obligation to write an honest review. I received the book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with the expectation that a review would be written.

I'm glad you and Carrie both read Kilmoon because it looks like something I'd have picked up. Now I'll know not to bother.

Traci> There is one other review on there and that person really liked it. However, I absolutely hated it. I toyed with the idea of only giving it 1/2 star, but I decided it wasn't quite as bad as the book to which I gave that rating a couple of years ago.

Now there's an endorsement — "not the worst book I've ever read". :-)

Hmm, I wonder if I'd like Kilmoon. Your review is so ambiguous. ; )

The cover is pretty, though. Generic, but pretty.

Julia> Just the second worst!

Kay> There were certain things that you could not talk about in the review because they would be spoilers. Carrie gave it 1.5 stars so she must have tolerated it a little better than I did. Her review is longer than mine. She and I discussed it a little last night and both of us had agreed that we'd left something out of the review for fear of it being a spoiler. Let's just say that something happens very early in the book to make you not like the main character. I think I can safely say that without giving plot away!

Finished a book of short stories that I'll report tomorrow. I seem to be coming down with a cold so I took some medicine that will probably make me drowsy tonight. Hoping I can still read another chapter or two of the Brunetti book before it knocks me out.

>101 RidgewayGirl: Kay, the cover is the best thing about the book. I'm pretty sure that the quality of the writing wouldn't live up to your usual standards. The dialogue just doesn't sound right.

Carrie> I don't really think that Kay would like it either. I'm still trying to figure out how it got a seemingly favorable review in Kirkus.

25. Small Plates: Short Fiction by Katherine Hall Page

Date Completed: 21 Feb 2014

Category: Cheeseburger in Paradise

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This collection of short stories in the mystery genre is a cut above many collections in the genre. While most feature Page's sleuth Faith Fairchild, they are from different stages in her life and catering career and set in different locations. I'm pretty sure that I've read at least one of the stories in a previous mystery collection, but these are all worthwhile reads.

"The Ghost of Winthrop" - Aunt Eliza Winthrop dies leaving a challenge for her descendants to locate her will naming the finder the chief legatee. Following a ghostly night, Prudence enlists the help of Faith and Tom to find the will and the cause of the odd noises.

"Death in the Dunes" - Faith and Tom are at a retreat on Cape Cod where he is giving a talk. They seem to be followed everywhere by the Hadleys. What is going on? Leave it up to Faith to figure it out. The solution is a bit obvious for most seasoned mystery readers.

"The Would-Be Widower" - A man goes to great lengths in his quest to become a widower.

"Across the Pond" - Faith and Hope's friend Polly is besieged by attempts to prevent her marriage to Ian.

"A Perfect Maine Day" - Myra Peters goes overboard and drowns on a fishing boat. The unnamed narrator figures out it wasn't quite the accident it seemed.

"Hiding Places" - Felicity marries Geoff. When he is gone on trips, she discovers some of his hiding places.

"The Proof Is Always in the Pudding" - Tom's normally non-superstitious mother insists that Faith must invite a 14th guest for Christmas dinner if plum pudding is to be served. She relates the story about the Fairchild family's curse to Faith who resolves to solve the mystery.

"Sliced" - At the request of her friend Pix, Faith participates in a New England version of the reality cooking show, "Sliced," as a fundraiser.

"The Two Marys" - A baby is left on Christmas Day as a gift for Mary Bethany on Sanpere Island. She enlists Faith's help to locate the mother she believes may be in danger.

I received this as an advance e-galley from the publisher through Edelweiss for review purposes.

26. The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon

Date Completed: 22 Feb 2014

Category: That's the Way (I Like It)

CAT Challenge: MysteryCAT - Series

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Brunetti is unofficially researching a religious group suspected of underhanded means of fundraising for a friend of his. His official investigation is into the death of a Romany/Gypsy girl who was drowned in a canal. The autopsy revealed she had a venereal disease at her young age. Brunetti is determined to get to the bottom of it. This is not the best in the series, but it does present a somewhat realistic, but disappointing resolution.

Thanks for warning me off from Kilmoon. Sorry the Brunetti mystery wasn't up to par. But the Page sounds good -- I enjoy the Faith Fairchild mysteries.

Terri> Definitely avoid Kilmoon. I'm not sorry I read the Brunetti, but it's just not as good as some in the series. I really enjoyed the short stories. After some experiences with short stories around Christmas, I'm glad I found a book of mystery short stories that actually worked.

I usually spend part of my Sunday afternoon reviewing new Ancestry.com DNA matches against the trees that many of them put up. I found one today that had a couple of my New England surnames--Rathbone and Fish. I was able to determine that the Rathbone line match was at the 8th cousin once removed level with some of my research that is on paper and not in my genealogical database. I had not really worked on my Fish line because it is pretty far back. I went to some other online trees and found that my line went back to the immigrant ancestor, Thomas Fish (born 1619 in Leicestershire, England). Of course, I'm not 100% certain how accurate that online tree is. The other person's match went back to a "Preserved Fish" (How would you like that for a name?) who was born in 1679. I found another tree that took it back one generation to a Thomas Fish (born 1649), but I couldn't find anything else. I posted something on Facebook about not being able to figure out how my match's Preserved Fish matched my line. Another Fish researcher chimed in and told me that most of her info came from the Settlers of the Beekman Patent books, but that Thomas (born 1649) was son of my Thomas (born 1619). That meant that my Patience Fish and this person's Preserved Fish were first cousins. Anyway the DNA match and I ended up being 8th cousins 3 times removed on that line (if everything is accurate). I found another Fish cousin in the process! Not bad.

I did manage to figure out some of my other matches as well, but that was my favorite match of the afternoon.

"Preserved Fish" (How would you like that for a name?)
Perhaps it's better than "Spoiled Fish"?

That's really interesting progress on your genealogy, Lori.

Oh, what a great find. I find that when I work on genealogy or other historical research I sometimes get caught up just reading names because they are so interesting. My favorite in my line (so far) is Mourning Sue.

Terri> It is definitely better than spoiled.

Clue> I've run across several Mournings over the years. Names can be very entertaining.

I've been in somewhat of a reading funk this week. I have the day off and am determined to finish reading my "Middle Eastern" mystery (from a series) today. Only about 100 pages to go.

In the meantime, I went to the library because they called and told me that the book that I had been looking for right before Christmas was now available. (They had to order a new copy.) It won't fit March challenges since it is set in Australia, but it should provide a little bit of a distraction from the others.

Here's what I checked out:
The Secret River by Kate Grenville - This is the one set in New South Wales.
The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza - It's a mystery set in Brazil. Oops! I was thinking South America was in the challenge, but it isn't. I may return that one and save it for later. I may just decide to go ahead and try it now and read the next installment if I like it.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - It's been on my TBR list so I thought I might as well read it while the GeoCAT is in that region.
The Mark on the Door by Franklin W. Dixon - Hardy Boys #13 set in Mexico. Fits the MysteryCAT and the GeoCAT.
The Mystery in the Smoky Mountains by Carole Marsh - This one has been on my TBR list for awhile since it is set locally. It fits the MysteryCAT.
The Mystery of Biltmore House by Carole Marsh - This one has also been on my TBR list and fits the MysteryCAT.
The Colonial Caper Mystery at Williamsburg by Carole Marsh - This one was sitting on the shelf next to the Biltmore House one. Since I'm heading to Richmond in a couple of months, I thought it would be good to read it if I like the others. It will fit the MysteryCAT.

I'll have to find a book with a bird on the cover to read too!

@ 114 -- You can always read The Silence of the Rain for the South America GeoCAT, which I think is in October!

Christina> I may go ahead and read it this month anyway. The library has other installments in the series so if I like this one, I can read one of those in October. I already have it checked out anyway.

Someone told me One Hundred Years of Solitude is set in a fictional South American country instead of in Central America as I thought. I guess that one won't fit either. It's checked out too, and I plan to start it tonight. I'm just going to read it a bit at a time though.

27. The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters

Date Completed: 28 Feb 2014

Category: That's the Way (I Like It)

CAT Challenge: MysteryCAT - Series and GeoCAT - Middle East

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Amelia and Emerson go to Egypt to take over a dig after Lord Baskerville dies, leaving their son with an uncle. More deaths occur after they arrive. Both Amelia and Emerson are trying to solve the murders which the locals blame on a curse left by a Pharaoh. Not my favorite series, but a quick read. After beginning it, I realized that I had read this book when it was fairly new. It had been dedicated to one of my favorite authors Phyllis Whitney. I remember being quite disappointed in the book at that time because to me it was nothing like a Phyllis Whitney book. I wasn't at all enthralled with the setting. I just did not enjoy it at all. I pretty much quit reading any of Peters' books with an Egyptian setting. I recently read another book in the series and enjoyed it more. I have now re-read this one. I liked it more than I did the first time. I think it helped that I knew who some of the characters were and such. I just think this is one of those series that will never become a favorite.

February Wrap-Up

Books Read: 11

Book sources:
Library - 1
e-galley - 3
borrowed from a friend - 3
mine - 3
Early Reviewers - 1

Acquisitions:
books & e-books: 5
e-galleys: 3
map: 1

Ratings of books read:
5 stars - 1
4 stars - 4
3 stars - 4
2.5 stars - 1
1 star - 1

Best of the month:
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Worst of the month:
Kilmoon by Lisa Alber

Category Progress (to date) - I set a minimum of 5 with no maximum
Category 1: "We've Only Just Begun" - 1
Category 2: "Longer" - 1
Category 3: "Seasons in the Sun" - 0
Category 4: "Trying to Get the Feeling Again" - 1
Category 5: "Baker Street" - 2
Category 6: "That's the Way (I Like It)" - 4
Category 7: "We Are the Champions" - 1
Category 8: "Rainy Days and Mondays" - 2
Category 9: "Hotel California" - 1
Category 10: "Sharing the Night Together" - 1
Category 11: "Old Days" - 2
Category 12: "Because He Lives" - 2
Category 13: "Cheeseburger In Paradise" - 8
Category 14: "You're the One That I Want" - 1
Abandoned Reads: "Got To Give It Up" - 0

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the Hardy Boys book! And I hope the reading funk clears itself up soon.

I honestly don't know if this is a Hardy Boys book I read or not as a child. I suspect that I did since it was #13 in the series. It will be fun to see how they hold up over time.

I have The Secret River on my list for one of the Cats later this year. I was going to read it last year for one of the Cats but ran out of time so pushed it into this year instead. This time I WILL get to it.

I loved many of Elizabeth Peters's books back in the day and the first of the Amelia Peabody series was very good -- humorous, romantic and full of adventure with a fantastic setting. But even my teenage self gave up on the series a few books in. Married bliss and precocious children just aren't that entertaining.

Betty> I was trying to read it in December. I guess I would feel guilty saving it for later since they special-ordered a replacement so I'd be able to read it.

Kay> I think it's a combination of the setting and the characters with it. I'm just not that enamored.

28. The Mystery in the Smoky Mountains by Carole Marsh

Date Completed: 1 Mar 2014

Category: Rainy Days and Mondays

CAT Challenge: MysteryCAT - children's/YA

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: This is a children's mystery with no murder, just clues that lead to a treasure. The mystery starts when a family heads out on their children's school break so the Mom can research a book she's writing. Their first stop is actually in the Blue Ridge Mountains at a craft school where an old friend teaches. From there, they go into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where they encounter bears and other creatures while enjoying the beauty of the park. While I probably would have enjoyed this book (and series) as a child because of the chance to learn about new places, this particular adventure fell a little flat for me as an adult. I have a couple of others in the series checked out. I'll continue to read them to see if the entire series falls flat or just this installment.

Nice selection from the library! I liked The Secret River very much. I was a fan of The Hardy Boys series as a kid, but I've not read one for over 30 years. I wonder how the series would stand up to a reread. Did you ever watch the Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew TV series in the 70's? I recently showed some Web images of the show to my teenage daughter. She thought the hairstyles were hilarious.

There was also a Hardy Boys series in the 90s, which I loved but which lasted only one season. The technology makes me laugh -- their cell phones are so huge!

Paulina> Glad that The Secret River was a good read for you. I watched the Hardy Boys segments when I could, but I didn't really care that much for Nancy Drew. I think that was because I read the Hardy Boys instead of Nancy Drew. Of course, I was much more interested in Parker Stevenson (and to a lesser extent Shaun Cassidy) as were most girls my age! Your daughter didn't like our big hair?

Rabbitprincess> I never saw the 90s version. I had one of those big cell phones once upon a time.

There was a 90's version? The one with Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson was out when I was in fourth or fifth grade and taught my friends and I that boys could be unrepulsive. It was the age of feathered hair…

It aired in 1995, to be precise: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111997/

Kay> I still think Parker is the cutest!

Rabbitprincess> It doesn't say what it aired on. I really don't remember the 90s version at all. Maybe that's why it wasn't successful. No one knew about it.

Just discovered that it was a Canadian production. That would explain the lack of promotion (and possibly lack of airing in the United States). It is available on DVD, however. I watched it a few years ago and thought it could have been served better if the show had been an hour long instead of a half-hour. They didn't really have enough time to develop a good case and solve it properly.

Rabbitprincess> Yes. Detective shows require a full hour.

29. Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien

Date Completed: 6 Mar 2014

Category: Because He Lives

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: The authors of this book challenge their readers to identify prejudices that are brought to their reading of Scripture simply because of their Western worldview. Citing numerous examples, they show how other cultures read Biblical stories differently because of cultural differences. The book is highly readable for both laity and Biblical scholars and will generate good discussion whether used in a Sunday School or in a college classroom.

30. The Mark on the Door by Franklin W. Dixon

Date Completed: 7 Mar 2014

Category: Rainy Days & Mondays

CAT Challenge: MysteryCAT - Juvenile/YA & GeoCAT - Mexico

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Frank and Joe spot a submarine off the coast of Maine. A man from the area appears to have been taken hostage by this vessel. In the meantime, Fenton Hardy is heading to Mexico to investigate an international criminal. Joe, Frank, and their friend go along, knowing that a similar submarine has been spotted off Mexican waters. They discover several area kidnappings. There's probably too much coincidence and too much access to the inner workings of crimes for the series to really be believable, but it's still a fun and adventure-filled read. I think that even today, upper elementary and younger middle school readers will find much to enjoy, even if it was written before the age of cell phones which would certainly add an entirely different twist on this read.

By the way, I apologize for the lapse in visiting threads this week. I've been so busy with getting ready for visitors and then by the meetings themselves. I've just been really tired and wanting to stay off the computer quite a bit. I'm going to try to do a bit of catching up tonight and then through the rest of the weekend.

>135 thornton37814:: No need to apologize. It's always nice to get a visit from an LT friend, but I also understand that it's hard to get to so many threads in this group. I feel bad myself when I can't visit all my favourites and even worse that there are so many new ones that I wish I could find the time to check out!

>135 thornton37814: Lori, echoing what was said in >136 mathgirl40:. I haven't had much time for threads lately, and my approach to them has been very hit-and-miss. RL takes priority. I hope you've been enjoying your visitors!

Just found and starred you. I think I'll be picking up some mystery BBs from you this year- and ha! that photo of The Hardy Boys! My room was plastered with Shaun Cassidy pictures when I was in elementary school.

Terri> I do love all my visitors. I just wish I had a little more time. I'm even neglecting reading this week too.

Jennifer> Thanks. I was more of a Parker Stevenson fan than a Shaun Cassidy fan, but I liked them both. I think I was always partial to guys with darker hair!

As you can see, we got hit by a "snowstorm" last night. Just look at our "accumulation."

>140 thornton37814:
Snowday ahead? :)

Brrrr!

>140 thornton37814: Hopefully you have a good shovel to dig yourself out of all that snow. :)

Eva> Nope. That was taken at work. The roads were clear.

Mamzel> Yes. It warmed up pretty good.

Jennifer> I wish I still had the snow pusher I had when I was in Ohio, but it eventually broke down here in Tennessee. I don't like the model I had to get here as well. It doesn't work nearly as well.

Mississippi: Home of the best catfish in the world

Yes, I'll have one of those!

Jennifer> it was quite yummy.

31. The Mystery of Biltmore House by Carole Marsh

Date Completed: 16 Mar 2014

Category: Rainy Days & Mondays

CAT Challenge: MysteryCAT - Juvenile/YA

Rating: 2 stars

Review: It's really difficult to determine whether or not I would have enjoyed this mystery as an elementary school child when that has been so long ago, but the mystery seems rather mild compared to many of the ones that I remember enjoying. In this case, the kids are accompanying their mystery-writing parents to a writers' conference at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. They learn that a chess set had been stolen. Through a series of clues, they figure out that the set is still in the house somewhere. It seems rather contrived. The plotting is not that great, and the "clues" stretch the imagination. Even the location doesn't redeem the book for me.

32. The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris by Mark Kurlansky

Date Completed: 17 Mar 2014

Category: We Are the Champions

CAT Challenge: GeoCAT - Mexico, Central America & Caribbean

Rating: 2 stars

Review: I've read some of Kurlansky's other books over the years and thought that he should be able to create a somewhat engaging story about the Dominican Republic's baseball stars, specifically for the town of San Pedro de Macoris. I felt that the author may have been rushing to meet a deadline as the book seemed to lack the focus on the town that it should have and seemed to lack the organization that a less-rushed effort would have yielded. While Kurlansky does provide a bit of a history of baseball in the Dominican and attributes the first Dominican players in the United States to the problems with Cuba in the early 1960s, he really fails to deliver on the promise of describing how the town itself was changed. The appendix provides a list of persons associated with the Dominican Republic who have played Major League Baseball. In the end, that may be the most useful part of the book.

I'm taking your review to heart and donating my copy to our library. Thanks for the heads up.

Max> My copy will probably be going into our library, in spite of my review. I still think that it may interest some of our athletes that look for sports-related books. At least I only paid $1 for it at the Dollar Tree.

I made it back into town. Taking care of Dad didn't leave me a lot of time for reading. I was too exhausted to read at the end of the day. Hopefully I'll get back on track.

I wanted to share a little "writing quiz" that is making the rounds among genealogists. We've been uploading some of our client reports or other writings to see which author we write like. What we've discovered is that depending on the nature of the report and subject matter, we get very different answers. For example, I got Gertrude Stein once and James Fenimore Cooper the second time.

Here's the link: http://iwl.me/

Hope some of you enjoy the quiz and report back on results.

>152 thornton37814: I tried it with my latest review and got David Foster Wallace.

They do seem to have quite a variety of authors from those I've seen. I should try it with a review. That would be completely different from genealogical reports!

Ok - my latest review gave me H. P. Lovecraft.

I tried it with my review of Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks and got Mary Shelley!

Rabbitprincess> That's an interesting result!

I entered three of my reviews and got, in turn, Dan Brown, Jonathan Swift and James Joyce. Go figure.

Kay> Sounds like you have a split writing personality like most of the rest of us.

I tried it several more times (the Dan Brown result stuck in my craw) and my results were all over the place. The only repeats were James Joyce and, you guessed it, Dan Brown. I call shenanigans.

Kay> We had one genealogist who kept getting Cory Doctorow. He finally got H. P. Lovecraft after several tries. Then he did another one and got Cory Doctorow again.

I put in one of my reviews and got Charles Dickens. Maybe I should start writing about the slums of my city.

I put in three different reviews of mine and they all came out as H.P. Lovecraft. Perhaps time for me to read something of his. :)

I tried a few more reviews. This time I got H.P. Lovecraft three times, David Foster Wallace one more time, Anne Rice once, and William Shakespeare once...for a review of a book called Shakespeare's Secret.

I apparently write like Cory Doctorow. Could it be that "YA lit" was mentioned in the review?

adding - my daughter put in an excerpt from a zombie novel she's writing and got Rudyard Kipling!

Jennifer> Well, it was the best of times and worst of times. Don't forget the orphans.

Eva> Lovecraft seems to be a popular pick for their algorithm.

Carrie> Interesting results. I've seen one other Shakespeare.

Mamzel> Maybe that's it. Kipling and zombies? That's a unique combination.

Fun quiz! I tried it with three different writing samples and got three different results: Lovecraft, William Gibson, and Margaret Atwood! Something tells me I should be questioning the scientific accuracy of this quiz...

Christina> It's fun, but I seriously question its accuracy as well.

I had a headache earlier today. I still had it when I went in to work, but after I took a second round of medicine, it got better. Maybe I'll have time tomorrow to find a couple more samples of writing to input and see if I get additional authors or repeat any.

That was a fun quiz. I tried it three times and got Stephen King (using an old blog post about bribing my daughter with $25 paper dolls), Chuck Palahniuk (from a review of My Sister's Keeper), and David Foster Wallace (from a review of The Unit). I've only ever read King, so I don't know whether I should feel flattered or insulted.

Traci> It's hard to know what to make of authors you have not read.

I wrote something at work today so I decided to submit it. I got H. P. Lovecraft. That's my second time to get him!

I tested my review of If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, which is written in the style of the book, and got H. P. Lovecraft. So apparently Italo Calvino writes like Lovecraft too. That's pretty august company if I do say so myself.

I submitted four samples and got H.P. Lovecraft and Kurt Vonnegut twice each. I haven't read any of them, but it sounds pretty good!

I write like Stephen King but you can't tell it by my bank account.

Jennifer> It seems quite a few folks get Lovecraft.

Henrik> Thanks for dropping by. I think Vonnegut is the American Author for June in that challenge so I guess I'll be reading something by him then.

Clue> It would be nice to have access to King's bank account. I'd just like to have at least a couple thousand so I can buy DNA tests for cousins.

Earlier this evening, I was reviewing names in some of the family trees uploaded by persons who have at least some matching DNA. I came across the surname Marple in one of them. I thought, "It would be nice to be related to "Miss Marple." Then one of my genealogy friends told me that he wouldn't want her coming to the family reunions because there's always a murder. I told him that I wouldn't necessarily want to be at the reunion, but I'd sure like to read about it!

I'm curious about the DNA tests. My Dad's cousin, the family historian of his maternal family, is 100 and she and I would both like to have a test. While she is in excellent health and sharp as ever, she probably doesn't have too many years to stew on it. I've just never been sure they were reliable, but you must think so?

>177 thornton37814: I don't know if Miss Marple is quite the harbinger of murder that Jessica Fletcher is supposed to be, but that would definitely be an interesting family reunion!

Clue> They are useful. By all means test your dad's cousin before she is gone. The admixture is the least reliable portion, but the other results tell you the likelihood percentage-wise of common ancestry. (I'm referring to autosomal testing.)

Rabbitprincess> it would be.

By the way, I finished Suttree tonight. I'll try to write the review tomorrow.

33. Suttree by Cormac McCarthy

Date Completed: 28 Mar 2014

Category: Sharing the Night Together

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: McCarthy's writing is absolutely marvelous; however, the picture he paints with his words is very bleak. The work tells the story of Cornelius Suttree who gave up his regular more affluent life to live in a houseboat on the Tennessee River in Knoxville and hang out with some shady characters. The reader is never certain why he chose to do this. McCarthy does a great job in recreating Knoxville of the 1950s. There were references to people and places included that only Knoxvillians or those very familiar with the city will completely understand. This is a masterpiece of American literature and deserves to be read by a wide audience. There are many themes in the book that would lend itself to great discussions in university literature courses as well.

Just sent an e-mail to Amazon.com asking them why they are overcharging me for sales tax. The combined state and local tax in my county is 9.75%. They were charging me 11-12%. Why? Inquiring minds want to know.

34. Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr

Date Completed: 29 Mar 2014

Category: That's the Way (I Like It)

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Anna Pigeon joins a paraplegic friend, her daughter, and an inventor as they test some equipment designed for outdoor use in Minnesota. While Anna is away from the camp, a group of thugs kidnaps the others. Anna is unarmed, outnumbered, and cannot go for help. She must rely on her own devices to take control of the situation. I didn't enjoy this installment nearly as much as others in the series. I disliked the fact that Anna was on vacation instead of in her role as park ranger. The scenario seemed implausible as well. I really felt that the author was trying to move the series into a slightly different genre with this installment, and it didn't work for me. There is a lot of profanity in the installment which I didn't particularly enjoy either. On the other hand, it is a quick read with a lot of action (and terror) packed into its pages. I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program with the expectation that a review would be written.

>184 thornton37814: Hum! I'll have to watch out for that!

Mamzel> I wasn't too happy when a 99 cent book came up as $1.11 with tax. It should have been $1.09. I noticed a similar pattern for the more pricy Kindle books I ordered too. I'm hoping they reply.

35. Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir by Frances Mayes

Date Completed: 29 Mar 2014

Category: You're the One That I Want

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Mayes recalls her childhood and youth in Georgia, her college days in Virginia and Florida, and a few moments from her recent return to the South. She has a way of describing place that is a true gift. We even see some glimpses of some of her poetry. While I prefer her works on Italy, this one does give you insights into what shaped her as a person and writer. She also draws comparisons between Italy and the Southern United States. The writing is elegant as one has come to expect in her works. This review is based on an e-galley received by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation a review would be written.

>187 thornton37814: There's definitely something wrong there. I checked a recent receipt for a book I ordered for $1.00 and I was charged $.09 tax. They probably use your zip code to calculate your tax rate. They seem to have the wrong local tax rate for your county. It looks like they've doubled it.

>188 thornton37814: I didn't know Mayes was from Georgia, and since I have a "Georgia Authors" category in my challenge this year, thanks for giving me another author to look for.

>187 thornton37814: How sweet were the days before the local governments decided they should get a cut of Amazon. Arizona was the first to demand sales tax from Amazon.

We're still not being charged tax by them but it's only a matter of time! Maybe by then they will be getting it right.

>190 mstrust: Jennifer, I had no idea she was a native Georgian either. When she moved back to the South from California, she chose North Carolina. She does mention that she discovered she had roots there. I really wish that she had written more about her ancestors.

>191 hailelib: I hope they learn to get it right.

A little food porn for your Sunday afternoon. I decided to try the oven fajita recipe that has been going around Pinterest. (Okay, so I didn't really follow the recipe exactly. I used more varieties of papers and did my seasoning differently, but I got the inspiration there.) Anyway, it was really yummy. I get so impatient waiting for the peppers to get tender enough when I use the skillet method, but this really worked well. 40 minutes, and they are done. I just put a little of the fajita veggies and chicken in a flour taco, added salsa and sour cream, and enjoyed. Here is my bowl of leftovers for future use.

For my 7th Thingaversary, I went on a Kindle shopping spree. Here are my 7 plus 1 to grow on:

42. The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes
43. Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer
44. Georgia Courthouse Disasters by Paul Graham
45. Across the Mersey by Annie Groves
46. Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman
47. The New England Soul by Harry S. Stout
48. American Jezebel by Eve LaPlante
49. The Norfolk Mystery by Ian Sansom

Happy Thingaversary, Lori! Did the fact that Eve had seven daughters affect your choice? Enjoy your books.

>194 thornton37814: Happy Thingaversary!
I had mine just a few days ago, so I'm just one year behind you. Georgia Courthouse Disasters seems oddly specific. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say about it.

>193 thornton37814: Make mine a double. Yum.

>195 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I hadn't even considered it. I actually was trying to decide whether I wanted to tackle Seven Daughters of Eve or DNA USA first. I decided to go with the one I got. I guess it was appropriate though.

>196 mstrust: Jennifer, Happy belated Thingaversary to you then. I'm terrible about checking the list, and if I'm really behind on threads, I may not notice at all. I mainly got the Georgia Courthouse Disasters book as a reference for my genealogical research. Paul Graham is one of the top Georgia experts. The fajitas were quite tasty!

Mmmmm those fajitas look delicious! I love fajitas.

>198 rabbitprincess: I love fajitas too. I purchased the bell peppers (green, yellow, orange, and red) last week thinking I'd make some. It just took me until today to make them!

Back to the Amazon tax issue, I just wanted to throw in that a lot of states are trying to get Amazon to charge state sales tax on purchases. As well as other companies that don't charge it. States feel that they are losing money that they would have received had the items been bought in a store in the state. And I can't talk to other states but, at least in RI, you are supposed to put on your state income tax return the amount you spent on internet purchases that did not have sales tax charged so it becomes a part of the calculation of how much you owe.

ETA: not that that addresses the miscalculation in any way.

>200 dudes22: Betty, Tennessee was kind of in a unique situation. Most people did not even know they were supposed to submit sales tax from Amazon purchases until the state went after Amazon to collect them. We don't have a state income tax so there was not a mechanism like that which raised awareness. Still, if Amazon tries to charge me 12% sales tax on purchases, I'll find somewhere else to make purchases online. The 9.75% is already high enough.

Update on the sales tax. Their customer service rep did not even read what I was trying to say so I gave them the lowest possible ratings on customer service and sent an e-mail saying that they didn't even read my e-mail. What I got was a form letter about having to charge sales tax. I told them that I wasn't debating that I owed 9.75% sales tax, but that what I was debating was that they had charged me 12%. Frustrated!

Oh, amazon.com is entirely unable to handle anything but the most routine issues. You'll never get a resolution. I've avoided them now for a few years after an issue that each person I talked to on the phone agreed that I did not owe amazon any money, yet the result of each call was that while the customer service person promised to take care of it, the result was always the same -- a form email from the finance department that had little to do with the problem. I've given up on using them, although I will sometimes use amazon.de or book depository (which is owned by amazon).

On the bright side, it did make me get to know my library's ebook system and given how amazon treats its employees, I'm not unhappy to not be able to buy from them because I am stubborn.

>203 RidgewayGirl: Kay, I mentioned it on Facebook, and a friend of mine who works at the Amazon distribution center in middle Tennessee was going to see if someone there might know how to take care of it. These titles (at least for the most part) were not available on my library's e-book system and some were books I want to own anyway. At least as e-books, they don't clutter the house quite as much. I guess I'll have to start ordering e-books from Barnes & Noble.

Why don't you try contacting your state representative or state senator and see if they can do something about it? They're the reason Amazon started charging sales tax to Tennessee customers.

Your email probably wasn't read by a human. I bet they've got it automated so that if you mention sales tax you'll get the form letter about the state regulation.

ETA: Lori's problem prompted me to check my own recent Amazon receipts to make sure they're not overtaxing (ha!) me. The sales tax for my recent purchases has been calculated correctly. Tennessee has both state and local sales tax. The state sales tax rate is 7%. The local sales tax rate varies. My county's rate is 2.25%. Lori's county is 2.75%. It looks like Lori's county (or zip code) may be coded wrong in Amazon's database. There isn't anything in their help FAQs to tell you how to get that corrected.

Edited again to fix spelling. It's been one of those days!

Embarrassing moment today: I had my hands full as I entered the library this afternoon, but I removed three posters that had expired from the bulletin board on the way inside. When I got even with the circulation desk, one of them fell out of my hand. I bent over to pick it up, but the bag I had on my soldier containing my laptop threw me off balance, and I fell flat on my face (landing on a knee on one side). A concerned student sitting at a nearby table as well as the student worker at the circulation desk came to my aid. I was quite embarrassed. I'm quite sore and will have some bruises and possibly a bit of a knot on my knee, but I don't think I broke anything.

>205 cbl_tn: Carrie, I've thought about that, but I'll see if we can get it resolved first. I haven't checked that email since I've been at work. I'll try to check later.

I'm headed over to the music recital hall to hear one of our student workers perform in her senior violin/viola recital.

>206 thornton37814:
Ouch - hope you didn't get any lasting hurts!

I usually just drop the most breakable thing; the last time was when I was carrying a stack of laundry and a large glass bottle of cherry juice up from the basement. Guess which one I dropped? Take care of your bruises, Lori.

Happy Thingaversary! Great list of books you acquired. The cooking-ratio one looks really interesting. I'll have to keep my eye out for that.

Sorry to hear about your fall but glad to know you didn't break anything.

Happy Thingaversary!

I hope you don't have two many bruises. Falls are never fun.

Ouch! Hope everything heals quickly.

>208 -Eva-: Eva, I hope they go away soon. I basically have bruises above my left wrist and on the lower part of my left knee. The knee is especially tender.

>209 RidgewayGirl: Kay, I had a Sonic blast in one hand. Amazingly, it survived in tact.

>210 mathgirl40: Paulina, I'm happy with them so far. Of course, I haven't started reading any of them yet. I've got to finish up my last NetGalley first.

>211 hailelib: Thanks. It could be much worse than it is.

>212 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the healing wishes.

Quick update on the sales tax issue - Amazon is trying to blame Simon & Schuster. I wrote them back and told them that I'd be contacting my legislators about being overcharged. I also told them that I'd be looking for another place to purchase e-books if they were going to overcharge me sales tax.

>215 thornton37814: Wow! Why would Simon & Schuster be calculating sales tax for Amazon? Shouldn't it be Amazon's responsibility, not Simon & Schuster's? I think contacting the state legislators is a good idea. And maybe "6 On Your Side" - the combination of Amazon and taxes might interest them enough to investigate.

*Shakes head at sales tax debacle*

I have heard about passing the buck but for Amazon the claim that the error is with the publisher is lame. I seriously doubt Amazon has given Simon and Schuster control over their online POS system. Lame, I tell you.

>216 cbl_tn: Carrie, It is frustrating.

>217 lkernagh: Lori, I didn't buy it either.

Let me just say that I'm quite impressed with my state representative. He got back with me within five minutes and asked for copies of the receipts so he could investigate!

>219 thornton37814: Great news! Keep us posted!

Update 2: The state senator contacted someone from the department of revenue. The representative has turned it over to the legislative contact with the department of revenue. I think I'll be getting a refund soon.

Wow, you get things done! Good for you!

>221 thornton37814: Wow! I kind of want to move to your state...the local government seems surprisingly efficient!

>222 mstrust: Jennifer, I actually included a chart showing item cost, tax charged, and total amount for each item in the original e-mail. I'm sure all they had to do was look at that $.99 book and see that I'd been charged 12% tax on that one.

>223 christina_reads: Christina, I live in EAST Tennessee. I don't promise the other two "states" of Tennessee are as efficient!

I've been weeding books from our collection. For this particular book, we've opted for free online digital access and to discard the print one, but I had to share a few quotes with you.

The Choice of Books by Charles F. Richardson (Philadelphia: David McKay, about 1900).

Online at HathiTrust (Full view): http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/3148916.html

p. 57 How Much to Read
The amount which it is advisable for one to read can no more be settled off-hand, in a general way, than the quantity of his food or the proper limit of his physical exercise . . .

p. 69 Luther says: "All who would study with advantage, in any art whatsoever, ought to betake himself to the reading of some sure and certain books oftentimes over; for to read many books produceth confusion, rather than learning, like as those who dwell everywhere are not anywhere at home."

p. 69 Therefore we should not attempt to read a few books constantly, to the entire or virtual neglect of others. There are too many noble volumes that we must leave untouched, at the best. Read carefully and thoughtfully, and re-read wisely; but do not lament unduly your failures of memory, nor strive to correct them by excessive devotion to one little niche in the wide cathedral of literature.

>225 thornton37814: I was wondering why I am confused so much of the time!

>226 mysterymax: Max, I think most LibraryThingers must be confused.