Cobscook (Heidi) Second Quarter 2014

Here is my family, on Thanksgiving 2013. I have a lot to be thankful for.

2013 Year in Review

I read a total of 119 books in 2013 which is down from a total of about 144 last year. I did read quite a few long books in 2013 though.

My stats may not add up because some books are counted in more than one category.

Breakdown by genre
Non Fiction - 24
Fiction - 15
Mystery - 15
Young Adult - 14
Fantasy - 11
Classic - 9
Science Fiction - 9
Urban Fantasy - 7
Suspense - 6
Horror - 3
Romance - 3
Graphic Novels - 2
Short stories - 1

Breakdown by type of read
Paper books off my shelves - 49
Ebooks on my Kindle - 37
From the Library - 30
Borrowed from friends/family - 5
Audiobooks - 8
Rereads - 11

Top 10 Reads
In no particular order:
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Wonder by RJ Palacio
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk by Ben Fountain
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

2014 Reading Goals

American Authors Challenge:
Willa Cather- January – Death Comes for the Archbishop
William Faulkner- February - The Sound and the Fury
Cormac McCarthy- March Substitute: Arthur Miller - The Crucible
Toni Morrison- April – Substitute: Richard Wright - Native Son
Eudora Welty- May – The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June- Substitute: James Agee - A Death in the Family
Mark Twain- July - Life on the Mississippi (recommended by Richard)
Philip Roth- August – Substitute: John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath
James Baldwin- September - Go Tell It On the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October Substitute: Ernest Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls
John Updike- November Substitute: Arthur Miller - Death of a Salesman
Larry Watson- December – Montana 1948 (recommended by Mark)

For about 20 years I have been attempting to finish a college bound reading list given to me by a favorite high school teacher. I only get through a few titles on the list a year but I keep plugging away.
Remaining on The List:
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
The Crucible - Arthur Miller
Cyrano de Bergerac - Edmond Rostand
Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather
A Death in the Family - James Agee
Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
Go Tell It On the Mountain - James Baldwin
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
King Lear - William Shakespeare
Look Homeward, Angel - Thomas Wolfe
Macbeth - William Shakespeare
The Naked and the Dead - Norman Mailer
Native Son - Richard Wright
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
The Return of the Native - Thomas Hardy
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
The Stranger - Albert Camus
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

President's Challenge
I am also trying to read a biography of each of our American Presidents. I just finished Martin Van Buren.

As always, I will continue my futile efforts to reduce the massive TBR mountain.

22. Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: off my shelves
Format: hardcover

This short little biography does a good job of telling the story of Martin Van Buren's political career. Van Buren was essentially the founder of the two party system as we know it today. He was the first president born after the Revolution and the first non-English president (his family was Dutch). He was also the first president to pay attention to the growing problem of the urban poor. Unfortunately he was not able to overcome the growing division between North and South over slavery, and by trying to stay in the middle of this issue he alienated both sides. It didn't help his career that the nation's first financial crisis happened about three weeks into his presidential term.

My only problem with the book was that Van Buren's personal life was only superficially touched upon. His marriage lasted only twelve years when his wife died and very little detail was given to this event in the book. At the very end, a possible later love affair is alluded to but again, the reader is left curious. I prefer my presidential biographies to give me an idea of what the man was really like. This biography is lacking in this respect.

23. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope
Genre: Fiction
Source: my Kindle
Format: ebook

Trollope outdid himself when he wrote this book as the conclusion of his Barsetshire series. In this novel, we get to see almost all of our old Barchester friends one last time. The main plot of the story follows Mr. Crawley, a very impoverished curate who has been accused of stealing a check. Of course there are several love affair plot lines as well. The novel addresses mental illness, a woman's place in the home and in her husband's work life as well as moral issues of money and the divide between urban and rural lifestyles. My favorite part of the novel was revisiting the main character from The Warden, Mr. Septimus Harding, who is in the final stage of his life. The scenes Trollope writes about the natural end of life in a truly good person are very, very emotional and affecting. This is the first Trollope novel that has made me cry. Trollope did a very fine job of bringing his series full circle and The Last Chronicle of Barset is tied for my favorite book of the series with The Warden.

Hi Heidi! Good book, The Last Chronicle of Barset. Made me sniffle, too. But so did The Small House at Allington...tears of misery.

Van Buren wasn't an extrovert, so not many people saw a need to chat about him (compared to other presidents, that is). Leaves on wondering about who was behind the mask.

*smooch*

Hi Heidi, it's so nice to see you all!

Heidi congratulations on your new thread my dear.

Nice family shot to kick things off and I noted how the succeeding generatins in your house are bigger than the previous as in my own.

Van Buren is comparatively little known overseas - good review of a book and a man that I should try to find out more of.

Have a lovely weekend.

Wonderful family photo at the top of the thread, Heidi!

Going back to your last thread, I love the pictures of the narwhales. the Melosira look like amber beads in a silicon tubing.

I did enjoy reading The Crucible back in my high school days and I still need to get around to reading Trollope.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend.

Beautiful family shot above, Heidi!! I AM going to get around to reading Trollope eventually, I swear.

Heidi, you have such a beautiful family!

Hello to all my visitors! I will be back to answer you all individually but I am feeling less than well this evening so am off to bed.

>5 richardderus: Ha! Yes, Small House at Allington was my least favorite of the lot. Very unlikeable characters in that one, all wrapped up in their own little miseries!

>6 wilkiec: Thanks! Its not my favorite picture of myself, but we don't have many recent shots of the whole family.

>7 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Yes, I am rapidly on my way to becoming the shortest member of the family! My son has been taller than me since he was about 12, which makes it difficult to scold him effectively....the whole having to look up at him thing!!

>8 lkernagh: I am still surprised at how much I enjoyed The Crucible. It was appalling at how easily some very mean people turned the tide of public opinion in that community. I know the book was written as a sort of allegory to McCarthyism and from that perspective it is chilling as well. I think the whole metaphor could be easily applied to modern day and the hysteria over "terrorists" that erupted after 9/11. Just scary!

>9 ronincats: Everyone should read Trollope! I think I am becoming some kind of missionary for the man, LOL.

Sorry about your KU team by the way. I watched half of that game and I was rooting for them to beat Stanford. My husband was wondering why I cared if KU won, and I said because that's Roni's team of course! :)

>10 scaifea: Thanks Amber! I am kind of partial to them!

I started reading The Goldfinch over the weekend. I approached the book with some caution, because its huge for one thing, and for another I "don't like art books". So I told myself, I will give it 50 pages and then if I don't like it, I will return it to the library, no harm done. I started reading and when my husband finally pried me away from the book some time later, I had already read 130 pages. Needless to say, it will not be going back to the library unread. This book is compulsively readable....are we sure it should be classified as literary fiction???? The joke is definitely on me and my preconceived notions about "what I like"!

Heidi, I wouldn't call it literary fiction, to be honest. I thought it was definitely a thumping good read, but I wouldn't call it Great Literature (for reasons I outlined on my thread a ways back, but read that when you've finished the book, and see what you think then.)

Ostensibly it's about art, but that's really just a pretext for writing about some of the people whose lives revolve around art, and for the art scene, and for writing a vaguely satirical look at Manhattan.

Definitely a page-turner, though!

Terrific page-turner, and window-dressed with art, and if Boris doesn't remind you of Some People I'll eat my hat. *cough*Mark*cough*

>15 Chatterbox: and >16 richardderus: Its well written for sure, and is a definite page turner. I guess I thought it was going to be more of a lit fic book because it turned up on so many 'best of' lists and it is on the Maine Reader's Choice Awards long list. I am about 470 pages in and am really surprised at the turn the book has taken. I am re-evaluating my thoughts about one of the characters if you know what I mean! This might be headed in a much different direction than I thought it was going. Too bad I have to work this afternoon!!!

On the other hand, I may get a chance to read at home tomorrow because we are forecast for YET ANOTHER MAJOR SNOWSTORM! Sorry for the cyber yelling but I am so. over. it. Enough already. This one is supposed to be the worst of the winter and its landing directly on my little corner of the world. Some of you may have heard Al Roker mention Eastport, Maine this morning on the Today show in reference to this blizzard..... as I type this I am sitting in my office in Eastport! *Sigh* The National Weather Service warning about this storm actually states "roads may become impassable at times". What?!?! I guess it will be another snow day for me and the kiddos, who now will probably be going to school until the 4th of July!

I think in Maine, you're going to get some of the worst of it -- and in Cape Cod. We're supposed to get 4/6 inches here. Sigh, indeed. At this rate, I'll be happy for any kind of summer whatsoever.

Heidi...I am sending vibes to keep you all safe toorrow. (or later today). We are on the southern side of the big bomb and are forecast to get ONLY about 6". We too are so over it. We finally got our road and driveway down to bare mud (and some wicked deep ruts) today, and now we're going to have to pay for another plow. If this keeps up, our plow guy will be able to retire from lobstering and just plow roads. I know I must have paid for at least 1/2 a semester of his kids college this year alone.

We did manage to get Town Meeting done tonite, so Bob is now freed from his selectman job and can settle down and write the follow up to his first book.

I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on the goldfinch. It's been flying off the shelves here in South Thomaston and other mid coast libraries, although it didn't make the short-list. Now i'm trying to decide on my third vote for the finalists. I have two picked out, but am conflicted among 3 for that third spot. Probably going to try to re-read chunks of each before the end of April when I have to vote.

Stay safe and enjoy snow reading.

>18 Chatterbox: Even an inch of snow at this point is too much!

>19 tututhefirst: Thanks Tina! We live on a dirt road so I totally know what you are talking about with the mud and ruts....mud season is actually worse than winter in some ways. Thankfully my dad plows us out so we have avoided that bill! Probably your plow guy is making more than he does during lobster season with the price they have been getting for lobster during the last two summers!!!

I am glad Bob is done with being a selectman and can concentrate on his writing. Selectmen(people) have a particularly thankless task.

As for The Goldfinch, its still going strong but I am getting really pissed off at Theo. He is making some really bad choices and I am scared to think where it all might end up. I did have to get on the hold list at my library but only waited about a week for it. This is the quiet time of year for the Eastport library...hold lists get quite a lot longer when our summer residents return!

More snow?! A Blizzard?! YIKES! I'm so sorry. Stopping in to wish you a happy new thread and could not believe my eyes with the news of yet another snow storm for you. Sending you warm thoughts.

>21 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! I wish I could say its all a big pre-April Fool's joke but sadly it is snowing and blowing as I type this. And the barometric pressure is super low which is making my head ache. I bet it is nice in Georgia today......*starts dreaming of Georgia*.......

Poor, poor baby! It's warm in Georgia compared to what you are experiencing - right now it's 42 and going to 58 today. That's actually quite a bit colder than it has been, but it's supposed to warm up again (meaning 70s) tomorrow. I wish that you could come sit on my deck for a bit and read in the sunshine.

Me too! Sitting on the deck in the sunshine sounds PERFECT! I hope you get a chance to relax on your deck tomorrow.

Thank you - that would be wonderful!

Yup, it's the low pressure that is delivering me a wallop. The first "real" migraine that I've had in two weeks, which is a disappointment. The new meds had been helping, I think. That said, this still isn't as bad as it might have been.

All this snow and cold is going to leave behind a bumper crop of potholes, isn't it??

>26 Chatterbox: Not only potholes, but frost heaves. The frost heaves this year have been uncommonly bad. Our main highway, US Route 1, is some of the worst driving on pavement I have ever experienced.

I'm sorry the pressure is doing you in as well.....it feels like the sky is pressing down on my head right now!

I'll second that assessment of frost heave damage. One of the biggest discussions we had last night at town meeting was about the paving bill. $140K to repave less than two miles of town owned roads. The rest we have to wait and cross our fingers that the state can find the $$ to smooth them out. I think the plow guys should turn to suspension repair for the summer!

Great picture of you & the family, Heidi! I love it!!

I'm so sorry to hear your getting yet another storm! I figured it was rough elsewhere when it was back in the upper 20s here this morning and I had to turn my heat back on & pull out winter clothing again! I don't get it...

Hi, intrigued as always by your old college reading list, from yours, I have read

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Crucible - Arthur Miller
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
King Lear - William Shakespeare
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
The Stranger - Albert Camus

And I have a few on my must read soon lists. Of course. :)

Hope you end up with less snow than predicted.

^^^What she said.

>28 tututhefirst: The roads are simply ridiculous this year aren't they. In fact, this entire winter is ridiculous!! I finished The Goldfinch last night. I'm still formulating my thoughts, but I have to say I found the ending quite satisfying.

>29 TinaV95: Hi Tina! This winter is dragging on and on and on! I am happy to report it was actually above freezing this morning when I left for work....33 degrees F but it feels much warmer!

>30 LovingLit: So Megan which ones of those that you have read did you really enjoy? I am particularly intimidated by the Shakespeare and The Stranger. Next month I will be reading Native Son as my substitution for the AAC.

>31 thornton37814: and >32 richardderus: We did end up with much less snow than predicted. I would say we only got about 6 or 7 inches but the wind was something else. It howled and blew a gale so that it was white out conditions for several hours. There is a buoy off the coast of Jonesport which recorded windspeeds of 119 mph. Jonesport is about an hour from Eastport.

Sorry to see winter continues to cause chaos and confusion in your part of the world, Heidi!

>33 Cobscook: Six or seven inches of snow? {Faints}. I hate to think how long London would be out of action if that happened here! Your thread topper is lovely, Heidi. I hope you all get a chance to get outside in some warm weather soon.

>34 lkernagh: longest. Winter. Ever! I am soooooo over it!

What a lovely photo of your family! Snow coming your way? Oh, NO! What a winter.

>35 susanj67: It's funny because 6 or 7 inches doesn't seem like much here. But we are used to it and we are very rural so we don't have to deal with traffic issues, etc. It is lovely outside today, sunny and about 45 degrees. Sadly I am stuck at work!

>37 Whisper1: Thanks Linda! I think we are only forecast for freezing rain and rain tomorrow. (Only!)

24. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Genre: fiction
Source: library
Format: hardcover

This book is on the Maine Readers Choice Awards short list.

I won't bother to write a summary of the plot as it has been reviewed all over the place. As for my feelings about the book, I think it is a Very Good Read. I did not expect to like it at all, but the narrative sucked me right in from the beginning. Theo is quite the interesting character, morally ambiguous, intelligent but lazy, caring but selfish. I should not have liked him but I did. I found the ending to be very satisfying and quite philosophical. It made me think about fiction and indeed the world in a different way. It's a rare book that does that. I can definitely see why The Goldfinch has been popular with so many readers.

>39 Cobscook: ^^This. Yep. Nailed it.

>40 richardderus: thanks RDear! *smooch*

>30 LovingLit: Wow, we overlapped a lot!

I had The Crucible, Hamlet, Hemingway (both your title and Sun Also Rises) and Camus.
Also Marlowe, Koestler, DH Lawrence, Achebe, Hawthorne, Frost's poetry, medieval "miracle" plays, and other stuff that isn't at the forefront of my feeble brow right now.

Goldfinch to me, was a thumping good read, but not a Great Book. At times, it was at once overwritten and underwritten: ie, purplish prose that oddly failed to very precise in terms of the impact it had on me as a reader. In other words, I never felt an emotional impact from the word choice, simply overwhelmed by the volume of words, if that makes sense. I was happy to read it, but if I don't re-read it, I'm not going to go into mourning, if you know what I mean.

Doing my darndest to sent some Springtime weather your way Heidi. I am really looking forward to reading The Goldfinch! I am not expecting a stellar read.... a Very Good Read works just find for me!

>42 Chatterbox: I also felt The Goldfinch suffered from too many words at times. Certain scenes or bits of dialogue were terribly over the top but it didn't affect the readability for me. I also doubt that I will ever read it again, but I am glad I read it the once.

>43 lkernagh: A Very Good Read is exactly what I needed. My RL is extremely busy at the moment and it was so great to be sucked into a book. It's just what I love about reading, when a book takes you away into a reality other than your own.

What makes The Goldfinch even more special to me is that I would never have read it except that it was on the Maine Readers Choice Award short list. I love that reading the books on the list is introducing me to great reads that I would never choose if left to my own devices. Super fun!

25. Thankless in Death by JD Robb
Genre: Suspense
Source: Off my shelves
Format: Harcover

Thankless in Death is number 37 in the long running futuristic police procedural series starring Eve Dallas and her ultra rich husband Roarke. Start with book one Naked in Death. If you like it, read the rest. You're welcome! :P

>45 Cobscook: Wow, that is a LONGrunning series! I've got Naked in Death on my Kindle, but can't work up the nerve to bring it out.

>46 richardderus: I can understand the trepidation! I absolutely love the characters in this series so I am glad it's been going on for so long.

I am in the same boat really. I have the first in series awaiting my attention (seemingly perennially) and I note that Stasia seems to give them a re-read every year but it is a bit of a commitment (37 and running).

Have a lovely week, Heidi.

>48 PaulCranswick: The JD Robb books are fun fast reads. That being said, I can certainly understand the hesitation about starting such a long running series! It's the old "so many books, too little time" thing.

I will try to have a good week if only it would Just. Stop. Snowing.

Here is a picture of my undefeated basketball team. We ended the season with a 13-0 record and will be in the first round of playoffs next Monday night. I am super proud of their accomplishments and good sportsmanship.

In bookish news, I am currently reading:

Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay by John Lanchester

How Bad Are Bananas by Mike Berners-Lee

Lots of non-fiction here... another sign of my crazy busy schedule here at the end of basketball season.

>50 Cobscook: Wow, undefeated - that's wonderful!

>51 Cobscook: I was just thinking last night that I need to get around to Five Days at Memorial either this month or next since I'll be going to NOLA in June. Of course, I do have the first part of June that I could read it in also.

>50 Cobscook: HIP HIP HOORAY!! Undefeated is a record to hold on to proudly, come what may.

>50 Cobscook: - WHOOT! WHOOT! Kudos for an undefeated season so far!

>52 scaifea: >54 richardderus: >55 lkernagh: Thanks everyone! We are pretty excited about it.

>53 thornton37814: Five Days at Memorial is extremely disturbing so far? I am about 175 pages into it.

Congratulations on the great season, and good luck in the tourney!

Undefeated, wowza! That's fabulous!!! Congrats...

>57 ronincats: and >58 Chatterbox: Thanks! We are all looking forward to our first playoff game on Monday night. Its hard to go into playoffs undefeated as it puts such a nice, large target on your back!

I forgot to mention in my reading update that I am also listening to the audiobook of Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik. This is in the Temeraire series, an alternate history set during the Napoleonic War where dragons make up her Majesty's air force. This is my first time listening to a book in this series on audio and it is excellent! Simon Vance does the narration superbly. I should have listened to the entire series this way. Oh well, I will try to get the remaining installments in audio.

Basketball Update:
WooHoo! My team won their first playoff game last night! This allows us to advance to the second round on Wednesday night. I also received my first technical foul of my coaching career during the game. It was really a "technical" foul....six of my players went out on the court after a time out and I didn't notice. So if you have more than five out on the court during the game, the team receives a technical foul. Just a mistake, but I felt bad about it. It was a fairly intense game and I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have.

Reading Update: I am still working on
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink - I am on page 305 of this 500 page book.
How Bad Are Bananas - about halfway through this book on my Kindle
I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay - About three-quarters through this one.
Tongues of Serpents - My audiobook - It is fantastic!!!

>60 Cobscook: That happens at times. I've also seen it happen when a player is told to go in for someone. They think - "right then" - but they have to wait for the time out and for the ref to acknowledge the substitution. Congrats on the win!

>61 thornton37814: Thanks! Yes, and in an intense playoff game, with kids this age stuff like that is bound to happen. I was afraid the young lady who went in mistakenly would feel bad, so I spoke to her separately to reassure her it was not her fault. I knew another kid that age who had the same thing happen to her and she ended up giving up basketball because the whole thing made her feel so bad. This did not happen while I was coaching but I know girls this age can get very emotional about stuff.

>62 Cobscook: It's good that you attempted to make her feel better. I know she probably still blames herself, but at least she knows you don't.

>60 Cobscook: I read those first two sentences and thought, "Oho, this just got juicy!" I was picturing some sort of Bobby Knight hissy fit. Ha!

Congrats to you and the team on the playoff game!

Hi Heidi, traipsing through trailing congratulatory smoochings

>63 thornton37814: I really try to be careful with my girls. I feel like its a major part of my job to build their self esteem.

>64 scaifea: Ha! That would be juicy. My DH keeps the scorebook for my team and he's the one who loses his cool most of the time!

>65 richardderus: Smooches right back at ya!

Basketball Update:
We won our second playoff game tonight! We will play in the championship game next Tuesday against a team that has upset two higher seeds to get to the finals. Some of you will find this an interesting example of rural life....the team we are playing has five kids on it in total....and two of them are boys because the school is so small they don't have enough girls to make up a complete team! And this team knocked out two very tough teams that had better overall records! So I am slightly nervous but am in hopes that we can complete a perfect season.

Wow, that's excellent news! Best of luck in the championship game!
And, yes, small town sports are the best. I grew up in rural Indiana, so I essentially lived the movie Hoosiers. Ha!

>67 scaifea: I love the movie Hoosiers! It's one of my all time faves. Bobby Knight is one of those people who make a perfect movie character!

26. Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
Genre: Fantasy
Source: audiobook that I own

Tongues of Serpents is book six in the alternate history series which imagines a world where dragons comprise the Air Force of the Napoleon era. The main character in the series is Temeraire the dragon and his captain Laurence. In this installment, Temeraire and Laurence have been transported to Australia where they encounter colonial politics, and make a harrowing cross desert journey chasing a stolen dragon egg. New fantastical creatures native to Australia are introduced, and we learn what the Chinese are up to. Simon Vance does the narration most excellently and this is a super fun read.

>68 Cobscook:: He's certainly a character!

>69 Cobscook: I've never pursued the series, somewhere along the way the magic wore off for me. This entry, with the Aussie creatures, was my last (I think).

Good luck with the championship game, Heidi!

Best wishes on the game!

>70 scaifea: Yes he is!

>71 richardderus: I'm sorry you have lost that loving feeling for Temeraire and company. Have you tried them as an audio. Simon Vance is really good.

>72 ronincats: Thanks Roni!

>73 thornton37814: Thanks Lori!

27. Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover

Hurricane Katrina hit Memorial Hospital in New Orleans like a freight train, knocking out power and sending the staff into confusion. After the storm passed, the flood waters rose, filling the basement full of water and shutting down the hospital's generators. Staff and patients, including some nursing home residents who had been sent to Memorial to ride out the storm, endured hellish conditions for five days. Local, state, and federal emergency agencies could not organize themselves to mount a rescue for even the most critically ill patients. With no stable way to communicate with the outside world, without any direction from the company that owned the hospital, without any knowledge of when or if help would ever come, some of the hospital staff decided to help some of the sickest patients die.

This book explores difficult subject matter, extreme moral issues of right to life, euthanasia, and the role of health care professionals in easing suffering. There is lots of blame to go around in the breakdown of civilization as we know it which occurred in New Orleans during and after Katrina. The agencies one would expect to ride to the rescue in a catastrophe of this nature could not overcome a lack of planning, communication snafus, and lack of coordination between organizations.

I found this book alternately horrifying and thought-provoking. I did have a problem with the number of names thrown at you throughout the book, and had trouble keeping the different players separate in my mind. Overall this is an important work that gives the reader plenty of ethical issues to ponder.

>75 Cobscook: I ain't a-gonna read that book no way no how, but it does sound like a very well-done book indeed.

>74 Cobscook: I can't ear-read well. I fall asleep and/or lose interest in ~10min. Things talking to me that I can't talk back to aren't on my list of pluses in life.

>76 richardderus: I have to say there were points I almost put Five Days down because the subject matter was so difficult. It is very well written though.

I understand what you are saying about ear reading. It works for me as a distraction from exercise and because I have a 40 minute commute each day. I don't know if I could sit down and just listen though.....I might have to try that out and see what happens.

Be sure wherever you try the experiment is soft. All I'm sayin'

Congratulations on all the winnings with your team, Heidi!! I was totally on the same thinking vein as Amber in >64 scaifea: when I read the words "technical foul"! I wondered who had incurred the wrath of our Heidi!!!

Good luck with the remaining game(s)!! :)

>78 richardderus: How I wish LT had a "like" button. This made me LOL!

>79 TinaV95: Thanks Tina! I will try to keep myself under control on Tuesday so there will be no more "technical fouls"! :)

28. The Perils of Morning Coffee by Alexander McCall Smith
Genre: Mystery
Source: Kindle

This a short story released only in ebook form for the Isabel Dalhousie series. I really like these gentle, philosophical stories set in Edinburgh, Scotland.

I was a big fan of Isabel pre-Jamie. The tone of the series is so mellow and so easygoing!

I'm still a fan of Isabel! The series I'm NOT a fan of is the Corduroy Mansions stuff, and I could never get into the Botswana stories. The 44 Scotland Street stuff is OK, but it's moving at a glacial pace, and it really shouldn't. Bertie, the child in the books, is aging at about 1/4 of the speed of any normal child, and he's becoming more annoying than young Flavia of Alan Bradley's mystery novels in terms of lack of character development.

>82 richardderus: Yes, mellow and easy going is exactly it! I like that Jamie challenges Isabel on her constant need to get involved with other people's problems.

>83 Chatterbox: The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is my favorite of his, but only because I adore them in audio. I tried to read the first one, and couldn't get through it. Once I started listening I was able to fall into the rhythm of the stories. I have not yet tried the Corduroy mansions or the 44 Scotland Street series. I am afraid they will be too similar in tone to the two series I am already following.

29. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Genre: Romance
Source: my Kindle

The Rosie Project is a funny and cute romantic comedy from the male perspective. If you like the tv show The Big Bang Theory I think you will love this book. Don Tillman, the main character, is basically Sheldon Cooper. Don, who doesn't seem to realize he has Aspergers, devises a questionnaire to help him find the perfect mate. Then he meets Rosie, who fails all his requirements for a wife but who fascinates him. Hijinks ensue.

Currently reading:

Hounded by Kevin Hearne - only a little ways in but it is fun already

Native Son by Richard Wright - My substitution for the April AAC. I am 28% of the way into this ebook. Bigger is a disturbing character....in fact this entire book is extremely disturbing. The furnace scene beats out many horror books I have read.

I.O.U. by John Lancaster - only about 80 pages left in this nonfiction book about the causes of the 2008 economic crash.

Hi, Heidi. How's life in Maine? Much of what you write about living there seems familiar to me; my husband's family was very active in Gray (at that time a very small community). Dh himself sanded roads, drove voters to the polls, fought fires--all starting at about age 13. His father was a selectman, and whenever he got in a tiff with his wife would retreat to the Selectmen's Office.

I'm interested in your views on The Goldfinch as it's very much on my radar although I have yet to read it. Sounds like a good one.

>87 Matke: LOL! That sounds about right. Small towns in Maine are all very similar in lots of ways. My DH works for Maine DOT and used to sand roads.

The Goldfinch was a page turner, but I don't feel it should have won the Pulitzer Prize.

Hi Heidi! Somehow I lost you in the thread shuffle. All apologies. Glad to see you enjoyed The Rosie Project. I did too. I hope you stick with Native Son. Yes, it is very disturbing but remains one of my top books of all time.
I hope you are doing well.
ETA- I agree with you on the Goldfinch!

>89 msf59: hi Mark! I really did enjoy The Rosie Project! It was a fun book. I will stick with Native Son but I am surprised at how graphic it is. I was not expecting that from a classic.

So.........
MY TEAM WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP! It was a one point game at the end but we pulled it out. 16 - 0 baby!! I am riding high on all the excitement. What an experience and I am so darned proud of my kids!

Hurrah for your girls, Heidi! Oh, and their coach too, of course!

Brava to all the young athletes! An undefeated season is amazing!

>88 Cobscook: Totally agree about The Goldfinch. I read it, really liked it, plan to read it again, but did not think it was Pulitzer worthy. In fact, I'm hoping it doesn't make the final three of the MRCA. All said, I'd certainly encourage people to read it.

>33 Cobscook: (yes, I am that far behind) I loved The Old Man and the Sea and The Stranger the most. But I love my memories of reading the play of the Crucible at English class......"shut up Mary Warren!" hehe.

>90 Cobscook: big congrats! All that hard work paid off huh?

>91 ronincats: and >92 richardderus: Thanks Roni and Richard! I am still having a hard time believing it!

>93 tututhefirst: I haven't read enough of the MRCA shortlist to have an opinion on which should make the top three but if ripping good reads can win the Pulitzer, than Stephen King should have won long ago!!

>94 LovingLit: "shut up Mary Warren" indeed! That made me laugh cause it is so true! I am quite intimidated by The Stranger and I don't know why. I am not really sure what it's about even!

Heidi- Great news about the championship win. You must be floating a mile high. Be careful up there.

Here is a picture of me and my girls....with me acting silly! I thought you would all enjoy seeing the excitement on those faces.

>96 msf59: Yes Mark, I am still on cloud 9! I am trying to concentrate on work but I keep thinking about the game. Don't tell my boss! LOL

Sending hugs for the championship team's inspiring coach! Now, back to earth. Tend to those diatoms!

>90 Cobscook: - Wahoo!!! That is excellent news! Congratulations to you and the team. They must be over the moon with happiness!

>97 Cobscook: - That picture is awesome!

>99 richardderus: Yes, it's back to earth for sure. A long training day today at work and then parent teacher conference at my daughter's school. Sadly, no diatoms today!

>100 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! It's a big deal for the girls on my team. Every time I see the picture in >97 Cobscook: which is also on my FB page, I laugh!

WooHoo!! Congrats to you and the team - that's wonderful!

Congrats on the championship!

Happy Easter!

>102 scaifea: >103 thornton37814: Thanks Amber and Lori. The whole community is awfully proud of this group of girls!

>103 thornton37814: Awwww....look at the cute litte bunnies! Thanks Diana!

30. I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay by Jon Lanchester
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: off my shelves
Format: Trade Paperback

I picked I.O.U. up because I was looking for a clear explanation of why the 2008 financial crisis happened. This book succeeded in some ways, and failed in others. The financial world just like all industries has its own set of jargon and acronyms which are confusing to those on the outside. Lanchester did not always do a good job of explaining these. Also, some parts of the book talked about the British financial system and some parts focused on the American system. Lanchester didn't do a great ob of explaining which system he was focused on in which sections.

31. Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: My Kindle

A great many of our 75ers are already loving the Iron Druid series (thanks Richard!) of which Hounded is the first book in the series. This is a fun and funny urban fantasy with a centuries old Druid as the protagonist. I loved Atticus and his hound Oberon and will be reading the next book in the series sooner rather than later.

>106 Cobscook: 30: Ugh. I'm mad even thinking about 2008. Why these bastards aren't UNDER the jail is a mystery to me.

31: *happy dance*

Congratulations on the championship, Heidi!!!

Another Hounded convert! Yay!!

Hope you have a wonderfully

Happy Easter, Heidi! Loved catching up with you and reading about your UNDEFEATED season!!! Way to go, Coach!!

Heidi, congratulations on the championship win!

>107 richardderus: And the shenanigans are still going on. That is what blows my mind. The banks and other financial systems are still doing lots of things that ought to be regulated or least exposed to the light of day and discussed.

>108 TinaV95: Thank you Tina! I am looking forward to moving onto the next in the Iron Druid series.

>109 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie. Five of my girls are coming over for a sleepover to celebrate my daughter's upcoming 13th birthday. I'm sure the game will be a hot topic of conversation!

>110 susanj67: Thanks Susan! It still feels pretty exciting!

>111 Cobscook: The law allows what honor forbids. Since they wrote the laws, they're within them.

Makes me nauseated.

>112 richardderus: Agreed.

32. Transatlantic by Colum McCann
Genre: Fiction
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover

Transatlantic is on the Maine Readers Choice Award shortlist.

Wow. Just wow.

Transatlantic is a beautiful, lyrical, stunning novel. McCann takes actual historic events: the first transatlantic flight, Frederick Douglass's tour of Ireland, George Mitchell's work to craft peace in Ireland, and weaves them together to create a true history. Although it is the men who are the historical figures, it is the women behind them, related to their stories in unexpected ways, that give the true meaning to history, to the lives that we all live. We never imagine how the little aspects of our own lives are interwoven with history.

What goes around comes around.

My favorite section of the book is the one on George Mitchell. I have always admired Mr. Mitchell as an elder statesman, as a old style gentleman diplomat, intelligent and kind, and McCann describes him exactly how I pictured him to be.

This book is amazing and if you have not read it yet, give it a try. I think you will be glad you did.

Hi Heidi- Glad you liked Hounded. I NEED to get to book 3 soon. And I am glad you loved Transatlantic. I did too, although Let the Great World Spin is my favorite.

>113 Cobscook: So glad you enjoyed Transatlantic as much as I did. I've read and listened to it twice now, and am hoping to get our book club to do it so I have an excuse to read it again.

>113 Cobscook: YAY!! I love McCann's work. Fishing the Sloe-Black River is a terrific collection of short stories, worth hunting up.

>114 msf59: Hi Mark! I am definitely looking forward to the second book in the Iron Druid series. Now that I have read and loved Transatlantic, I will be looking for other reads by McCann. I have heard lots of good things about Let The Great World Spin so that might be a reasonable next step.

>115 tututhefirst: Hi Tina! I bet Transatlantic is fantastic on audio. I think I would like to reread it in that format.

>116 richardderus: Hi Richard! I don't always love short stories but I am willing to give anything by McCann a try at this point!

Currently reading:
Native Son by Richard Wright - only 15% more to go on my Kindle. What a story!

Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold - about five chapters in. Loving Miles's adventures as always.

Today I stopped by the library to return Transatlantic and two of my holds were in. I'm looking forward to reading Cress and The Golem and The Jinni next. I also grabbed The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty for Kay's AAC read. So many books to read!

33. Native Son by Richard Wright
Genre: Classic
Source: My Kindle

I read this book because it is a title on my Recommended Reading List for College Bound Students and because I substituted it for April's AAC.

The first part of this book is as disturbing and graphic as any horror novel. This was definitely unexpected from my perception of "classic" novels. The first third was very difficult to read. The main character, a young black man named Bigger, is a very unlikeable character.

But once the main plot line of the story is settled, you start to get the background and reasoning behind why Bigger is the way he is. That is when you begin to realize that the real horror story is American culture.

"Rather, I plead with you to see a mode of life in our midst, a mode of life stunted and distorted, but possessing its own laws and claims, an existence of men growing out of the soil prepared by the collective but blind will of a hundred million people. I beg you to recognize human life draped in a form and guise alien to ours, but springing from a soil plowed and sown by our own hands. I ask you to recognize laws and processes flowing from such a condition, understand them, seek to change them. If we do none of these, then we should not pretend horror or surprise when thwarted life expresses itself in fear and hate and crime."

This book was published in the late 1930s. The only surprise to me is that it took until the 1960s for the civil rights movement to get any traction.

There are lessons here to be learned in the current ever widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. The next uprising will probably be over economic inequality. This book has many lessons to teach us all.

My little girl is 13 years old today!


The first picture is from 2009 and the second is from September last year.

Your little girl is definitely growing up, Heidi!

I think you hit me with a book bullet for Transatlantic.

Happy Birthday to the newly-minted teen!

Thirteen! Wow, isn't that sobering. Happy birthday to the lady, and my deepest sympathy to mums and duds.

>121 ronincats: Give it a shot Roni. I think you will know very quickly if the book is for you.

>122 scaifea: and >123 richardderus: Thanks! Her dad and I are quite terrified of what the next few years will bring. She is absolutely determined and a little too smart for her own good.

I wince in sympathetic anticipation.

Hi Heidi- I also have Cress and The Golem and The Jinni waiting in the wings. I hope to get to the former soon.

I really enjoyed your thoughts on Native Son. It is one of my favorite books.

Happy Birthday to your daughter! She is a cutie!

>125 richardderus: I'm sure you will be hearing me whine about it over the years to come Rdear!

>126 msf59: I am having a hard time deciding whether to read Cress or Golem next!

Native Son was a tough one, but I am absolutely glad I read it.

>113 Cobscook: I loved TransAtlantic too!

Wow, you have a teenager! I can't imagine a world in which I live in our small house with 2 teenaged boys....

>128 LovingLit: yay! More love for Transatlantic.

I actually have TWO teenagers! My son is 16 and now my daughter. I think the daughter is going to be more stressful...good news for you with two boys! lol

Boo... I can't see the kiddo pictures!!

I refuse to read Transatlantic! For some reason, I am highly intimidated by it and just the thought of it makes me shudder... It must be a review or two I've read somewhere to make me feel like that. I have the distinct impression that it is way over my head for some reason!

Congrats on your 13 year old's b-day... maybe next time I visit I'll be on another device and will be able to see the pics. :(

Oh no Tina! I can see the pics on both my iPad and my laptop. Not sure what the problem is?

Transatlantic is not hard to follow at all. I was sure I wouldn't like it at all....I have that knee-jerk reaction to all literary fiction, however, this was a very readable book. That being said not all books are for all people and there's plenty out there to read.

34. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: SciFi
Source: off my shelves
Format: paperback

Our beloved hero Miles has to solve a mystery in quaddie space....things are not what they seem and pretty soon everything goes to shit! Super fun as always.

Currently reading:
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

I liked The GOlem and the Jinni quite well.

Nothing fascinating to add, just coming around to say hi.

>133 richardderus: Hi right back atcha! I am liking The Golem and the Jinni so far, about 140 pages in. I am surprised the golem and the jinni have not encountered each other yet.

>134 Cobscook: The pace isn't thriller-esque, I grant you, but the intertwining of the stories is wonderful when it happens.

>135 richardderus: I am 3/4 of the way through it now. I agree, the intertwining of the stories is amazing. Its such a great story...like a fairy tale almost...but the historical detail is wonderfully evocative of time and place.

I just received an email that has me all excited. The 2014 Maine Readers Choice Awards announced their finalists: Benediction by Kent Haruf, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, and TransAtlantic by Colum McCann.

The only one I haven't read is Benediction. I guess I will have to get to that next. Right now, the best of the bunch is a toss up for me between TransAtlantic and The Golem and the Jinni.....with TransAtlantic having a slight edge.

Heidi.....once you read Benediction your choice is going to get even harder.

Gaaaahhh! I knew you'd say that Tina! lol
I just finished The Golem and the Jinni this morning and I LOVED the ending. Boy, you and the committee made some great choices this year! I've liked these finalists even more than the 2013 picks.

Morning Heidi- Benediction is excellent, as all of his books are. The only one on that list I haven't read is The Golem but I do it saved on audio.
I did request Sex Criminals. Thanks! I now a big stack of GNs to read.

>90 Cobscook: & >97 Cobscook: Catching up is great fun when it results in stumbling upon a perfect season. Well done and I love that photo with the Coach having lost it completely!
I couldn't help spare a thought for the little school obviously the underdogs and with only five available players and who took you right to the wire. Would have been a great story, but you are one of ours so I like the actual ending better.

Hope Sunday is good to you, Heidi.

>140 msf59: I am looking forward to trying Benediction. I have to warn you....Sex Criminals 1 is a tad bit racier than I expected! That being said, I raced through two of them last night and 1-clicked my way to purchasing the next three issues. I think they have a lot of great things to say about women's sexuality.

>141 PaulCranswick: I am usually one to root for the underdog myself Paul. Truth be told, if we were to lose to anyone, I would be happy to have it be that particular team. They played with heart and hustle and almost knocked us out. It was a great game. I still feel on the inside how I looked in that photo when I think of the game!! :)

35. Sex Criminals 1 by Matt Fraction

36. Sex Criminals 2 by Matt Fraction
Genre: Comics
Source: My Kindle (iPad app)

I may have found my path to comics and graphic novels....
This is a wonderful comic series with a librarian who can stop time by getting to "the peak moment of sexy times" if you know what I mean. Although sex is very much a part of the story, it is not gratuitous in the least. Instead, the story gives power to a young woman who takes control of her own sexuality. When our heroine finds a lover who can also stop time when he climaxes, how will they use their shared power for good? They decide to rob banks to fund her bankrupted library! So.Much.Fun.

37. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker
Genre: Fiction
Source: My library
Format: trade paperback

This novel is a finalist for the Maine Readers Choice Award.

At once a fantasy and a historical novel, The Golem and the Jinni paints a picture of early 20th century New York city through the eyes of two unlikely immigrants: a Hebrew golem and a Syrian jinni. Both must try to blend in with their new communities without giving away their true natures....the real question is can they do this and find peace and happiness. This is a lovely story, told with a deft hand. Don't expect a fast-paced narrative, but do expect to become very invested in these characters as well the secondary characters surrounding them.

At first it is hard to see how the golem's story will intersect with the jinni's tale. Once all the threads of the story and how the different characters were connected started to come together, I was amazed at how well the author had structured this tale.

It will be very, very difficult for me to chose between The Golem and the Jinni and TransAtlantic as my favorite of the four Maine Readers Choice Award finalists. (and this is before I have read Benediction and realizing The Goldfinch was also a Very Good Read)

I haven't read any Haruf yet. I know that, among the three books I've read so far, I would find the choice of a single BEST challenging, and entirely based on my mood! What a field this is. Wow.

Tina, you and the committee are devils.

Now, you have peaked my interest in Sex Criminals, you little devil. LOL. It's interesting that this is the same guy who is doing the Hawkeye books. I love that artwork.

As far as Haruf goes, I highly highly recommend Plainsong. OMG!

>144 richardderus: What he said!

>145 msf59: Ha! Just paying you back for all the book bullets you've given me!

Haruf is getting plenty of recommendations around here!

I picked up Benediction at the library yesterday when I was dropping off The Golem and the Jinni so that's on deck next.

Currently Reading:
Cress by Marissa Meyer - about seven chapters in, so far it is a fun read

Quiet by Susan Cain - about 30% into this ebook. It's interesting so far. I have been reading it at night but I have been so tired I am not getting very far.

The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty - maybe halfway through this book for May's AAC.

Hi Heidi- I love your current reading list. I have Cress lined up on audio, but I am not sure I'll get to it this month. I did love the first 2 books. How is the Welty? Good? I plan on reading a few stories today, from the collection.

It is good Mark. It's a character driven story rather than a plot driven one, but the characters are drawn very well.

38. Cress by Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA
Source: Library
Format: hardcover

Cress is the third book in the Lunar Chronicles series....I thought it was the final book but nooooooo...this one ends on a cliff hanger boys and girls.

Each of these books is a loose retelling of a fairy tale. Cress is based on Rapunzel.

The world in these stories is a futuristic earth, where the moon is inhabited by a race called Lunars. There are cyborgs, genetically enhanced 'wolf men' and other scifi type characters. I won't talk about the plot of this book because I don't want to give anything away either in this book or the two previous ones.

My only quibble with the book, which I enjoyed overall, was that Cress felt very young for the story. She was often silly, overly romantic, and generally bubble headed. I understand where the author was going with her character, and she did grow up some by the end, but it was still irritating at times.

xoxo

Heidi - I trust that you have had a wonderful Mother's Day.

I am reading the celebrated Plainsong by Kent Haruf and if Benediction is half as good it must be close to your pick as best book.

>151 richardderus: Richard! So happy to "see" you here! I hope your hands have started to feel better. I will have to try to get over to your thread later today.

>152 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I had a lovely Mother's Day. I coerced the DH and kids into going on a hike at Quoddy Head, home of the eastern most lighthouse in the United States. Its was a beautiful sunny day and the hike was grand.

I have not yet started Benediction as I have been seduced back into the Liaden Universe, but your comments on Plainsong make me want to get to it ASAP.

So I have been MIA on my own thread these past few days. My dad's birthday is on May 10th, so that combined with Mother's Day, combined with my niece's Junior Prom have all combined into a busier than usual weekend and start to the week.

Quick update on reading:
I finished The Optimist's Daughter and needed a light read before starting Benediction. I had Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller on the TBR shelf so I picked that up knowing I would love anything set in the Liaden Universe. Finished Fledgling this morning after an early wakeup at 4:40AM and immediately one-clicked my way into ownership of Saltation the sequel. I started reading that over breakfast! I hope to write up some short comments on the last two books I finished soon.

Very big news here.....I am going to be starting a new job! Today I was offered a position with the Maine Department of Marine Resources and I accepted. This position is Marine Resource Scientist I and will allow me to be out in the field doing research and working with harvesters more than I have been in my current position. It is scary to leave a job that I've held for almost 16 years, but I am excited to embark on a new adventure as well. My actual start date is June 23rd which gives me time to transition from one place to the other. I am feeling very blessed tonight!

CONGRATULATIONS! How exciting (and scary) for you, Heidi!

>155 Cobscook: Congratulations on the new job!

Congrats on the new job, Heidi! Good for you. It sounds really interesting.

Congratulations on the new job Heidi! And, what a lovely photo of your family. This is a great way to start a thread. All good wishes as you begin a new job.

>155 Cobscook: - An 'in the field' research job.... CONGRATS! That is awesome!

>155 Cobscook: Congratulations on the new job, Heidi!

Oh, WOW! Congrats, Heidi!!

Thanks to all for your congratulations! I will be the Area Biologist for all of coastal Washington county and will primarily be working on research/management of intertidal resources like soft shell clams, marine worms, etc. It is definitely where I want to be headed in terms of being out in the field more and working more directly with resource users.

Heidi, that's great news, and the job sounds fascinating! Congratulations!

Thanks Susan! I am excited to start a new challenge.

Wicked great news! Always great when dreams match real life. Can't to hear about your adventures. Maybe there's a book waiting to be written?

Oh, congrats! I agree - there has to be a book there somewhere!

>166 tututhefirst: >167 drneutron: Someone else will have to write the book I'm afraid! LOL I am not that great of a writer. I do feel like this is where I wanted to go all along so its pretty great to have things fall into place.

In bookish news:
I finished Saltation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. It was fabulous. Instead of purchasing the next in the series immediately, which was a tremendous temptation, I have moved on to Benediction by Kent Haruf which is simply lovely. I am about halfway through it.

Congratulations, Heidi!!!!

Oh, and I'm on my laptop tonight and can see the pictures of your gorgeous girl now! :) You're so proud, I bet!!

>169 TinaV95: Thanks Tina! I'm glad you can finally see the pic. She is a piece of work that's for sure!

39. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
Genre: Classic
Source: Library
Format: paperback

I read this book for the May AAC. It was my first book by this author.

I liked The Optimist's Daughter but did not love it. The book is about a woman who get called home to help nurse her elderly father through a surgery. Her dad ends up dying in the hospital, so the daughter must deal with the silly young stepmother and all the funeral arrangements. There are many, many southern characters with very distinct personalities which I enjoyed. However, this classic left me feeling like I was missing the point....something that often happens to me with more serious novels.

40. Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Genre: SciFi
Source: Off my shelves
Format: paperback

Fledgling is part of the Liaden Universe of novels. Theo Waitley is an ugly duckling who is out of place on her academic planet. A series of events allows Theo to start growing into herself and finding her strengths. Loved this book!

41. Saltation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Genre: SciFi
Source: My Kindle
Format: ebook

Saltation is the follow up to Fledgling. Theo starts her training at a pilot academy. She is still somewhat socially awkward, but her skills as a pilot make her stand out.

42. Benediction by Kent Haruf
Genre: Literary Fiction
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover

Benediction is a finalist in this year's Maine Reader's Choice Awards.

Dad Lewis is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He and his wife call home their grown daughter to Holt, Colorado to help ease his final days. Their connection with each other and with other members of the town is explored throughout the book. An examination of love in all its many forms, Benediction is a lovely and sad book. It is not, however, a page turner. While I was reading the book, it held my interest and I found it beautiful. But after I put the book down, I was never really compelled to pick it up and start reading again. If not for the return due date on this library book, it might have languished on the shelf half-read for a long time. The dying of cancer storyline was also very difficult to read. All of us know someone who has experienced that kind of loss and it is not an easy topic to read about. Overall, this book was good but not great for me.

Hi Heidi- It looks like your reaction to The Optimist's Daughter mirrors other LTers. I am not sure anyone has been bowled over by Ms. Welty yet.

Sorry, Benediction didn't work for you a little better. I was a big fan, although Plainsong remains his masterwork.

Fabulous news -- a perfect season, a new job -- and a teenage daughter... Well, thirteen can be survived, right?? *grin*

Seriously -- congrats! (Even if Haruf's tome didn't live up to expectations...) Have you read any of his other books?

>155 Cobscook: very very cool new job! God for you for pushing the boundaries. i bet you are still on cloud nine.

>173 msf59: Hi Mark! Its not that I disliked Benediction, its more that it didn't draw me in and make that connection where you Must.Keep.Reading. It could also be my state of mind these days!!

>174 Chatterbox: I hope I survive all the "teens" with my daughter! LOL She is a good kid but extremely headstrong and opinionated. Hmmmmm....I wonder where she gets it from?

I have not read any of the other Haruf books, but I think I will give Plainsong a go one of these days. I do like the small town setting and I am curious about the others he has set in the Colorado plains.

>175 LovingLit: Thanks Megan! I am quite scatterbrained still....it still seems a little like its happening outside of myself if you know what I mean. Its been bittersweet to make the announcement to various people I've been working with for the last 15+ years.

43. Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: SciFi
Source: off my shelves
Format: paperback

I have lots of love for all Bujold's books but I gotta say....Ethan is a TWIT! I was seriously annoyed at his whiny, waffling personality throughout the entire book. Also, Miles is not in this book at all although his alter ego Admiral Naismith is referred to many times by Elli Quinn. This is my least favorite Vorkosigan series book thus far.

HAPPY THINGAVERSARY, Heidi!

Thanks Richard my dear! Its great to "see" you!

I was actually just coming on here to say that Genny had sent me a message wishing me a happy thingaversary and I didn't even realize it was today! I am so glad you and she reminded me though because that gives me an excuse to buy two books. This is fantastic because this morning I noticed that Stephen King has a new book coming out on June 3, Mr. Mercedes which I definitely want to get into my hot little hands. Since its SK I must have it in hardback for my collection. I don't want that book to get lonely, so I think I should buy the next book in the Liaden series I need to read, Ghost Ship. See how that works out! LOL

3 books, dear. it's your second thingaversary...one to grow on.

Heidi, a belated Happy Thingaversary!

I was thinking of you this morning as I watched the first week of lectures for a new Coursera course called "Ocean Solutions" (about how the resources of the oceans can help to solve key challenges to humanity) so I am posting a link below in case you're interested.
https://class.coursera.org/oceansolutions-001/wiki/Course_Overview

>180 richardderus: oh, really! Excellent to know! Lol

>181 susanj67: Thanks for the link Susan. I will check it out now.

ETA: The course sounds very interesting. You might like to know that using tidal power to generate electricity is a huge issue here in the Cobscook Bay region. A company called Ocean Renewable Power Company is developing a hydro kinetic device which generates power from ocean currents. They have the first grid connected device of this kind in the US right here in Cobscook Bay. They are also doing a lot of work with power generators that are river current driven...specifically working with communities in isolated areas to develop electricity solutions that don't depend on petroleum products. They have a demonstration project going on in an Alaskan native village. Pretty cool stuff!

>182 Cobscook: What's your opinion of the technology of generating power from ocean currents? Feasible? Environmental impact? Scaleable?

(Ignore me if I'm grilling you as if you're on Meet the Press, please... Just curious...)

It seems to me that it is feasible on a small scale. The technology ORPC is developing is never going to create power like the Hoover Dam but it can generate enough to power a small community. It makes sense to me for us to be developing these kind of decentralized solutions for our power needs especially in areas where there are strong tidal currents, or river currents in the case of the RivGen technology they are developing.

As far as environmental impact, these devices seem to be very low impact so far. The speed of the foils as they turn is slow enough for fish to avoid, marine mammals don't appear to be impacted, and unlike dams, there is no permanent support structure or blocking off of whole ecosystems. The biggest impact we struggle with in Cobscook is the loss of bottom for fishermen. But in reality, the footprint of this particular device is pretty small.

ORPC is finding that they can't yet produce power at a rate that can compete on the open electricity market except in remote areas where the cost of electricity is already prohibitively high.....but of course the way we in the US determine the costs of producing electricity really doesn't account for ALL the costs....but that is different soapbox!

Morning Heidi! Hope you had a nice holiday weekend. I finally snagged Sex Criminals and hope to crack it tonight. Have a good week.

>185 msf59: Hi Mark! I had a very relaxing holiday weekend at my folks' lakeside camp. Lots of reading was accomplished!

I am glad you tracked down Sex Criminals, I think it will be up your alley!

Morning, Heidi! Hope you're doing well!

>182 Cobscook: Heidi, tidal power is also under discussion here, and the most high-profile proposed project is the Severn Barrage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Barrage , which has failed to get started so far due to various environmental and other concerns. There may be others, and I think it's something that is going to have to be looked at further (particularly as the UK is an island, surrounded by tides!) At present there are a lot of offshore wind farms going in (or maybe up) but there must be more use that can be made of natural energy, I think.

I just read that Maya Angelou has died....what a loss to the world. Very sad.

>187 scaifea: Hiya Amber!

>188 susanj67: Yes the Severn project has come up quite a few times in discussions about tidal power here. We actually have another developer who would like to construct a tidal barrage in Cobscook Bay, the project developer is called Pennamaquan Tidal Power, but that one is much more controversial. I don't think they will be able to get a dam project permitted in Maine under our current laws and regulations. That's why the ORPC project is so interesting....it doesn't require permanent construction. The turbine hangs in the water like a giant old fashioned push lawnmower.

44. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Library
Format: ebook

Dark Harry Potter with out the joy and fun.

45. Quiet by Susan Cain
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: my Kindle
Format: ebook

Interesting look at how introverts interact with the world.

46. Bring on the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins
Genre: Romance
Source: off my shelves
Format: paperback

An easy read with a feel good ending. The actual language irritated me a bit but it was an enjoyable story.

47. My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Source: off my shelves
Format: paperback

I got this book through LT Early Reviewers program.

My Accidental Jihad is the memoir of a blonde, blue eyed surfer girl's marriage to a older Muslim man originally from Libya. I went into this book expecting it to be about the prejudice the author encountered in post-9/11 America married to a Muslim man, but instead found the book to be a very thoughtful exploration of a merging of two cultures through marriage. Bremer discusses how her marriage has challenged her beliefs about what it means to be a woman in America, and how religion/spirituality impact everyday life.

I was particularly engaged by her descriptions of visiting Libya with her husband. The differences between life under Gaddafi's rule and life in the US, both for men and for women, are unbelievable. It will really make you think before complaining about American politics.

Many of the challenges that Bremer faces in her marriage do not come from external sources, rather they come from her own preconceived notions of what a woman should be and do. I admire her willingness to learn from another culture, and to be open to different ideals of womanhood. In America, women are told that they can do it all and have it all: wife, mother, successful career, healthy lifestyle, youthful looks. This leaves us constantly chasing perfection and leaves many of us unhappy. I was impressed that Bremer is examining those ideals but not finding any perfect solutions to the problem.

48. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
Genre: graphic novel
Source: Library
Format: paperback

I went to the library to pick up my May classics read, and saw this book sitting on the shelf. I took it home, plunked myself in a lawn chair in the sun, and proceeded to read the whole thing in one sitting. It's a collection of blog posts, with very rudimentary illustrations, in which the author very sarcastically ruminates on dogs, depression, and the state of her morality. I found it an engaging and fun read for a lazy afternoon.

I would have avoided a book with the title My Accidental Jihad but your review makes it rather appealing. I hope you have a lovely weekend, Heidi!

Heidi, I cannot believe that (a) it's been so long since I've been to your thread and (b) that I missed your Thingaversary.

Belated Happy Thingaversary!!

And you captured The Magicians in a nutshell. ;-)

Heidi. ..great reading..you hit me with several BBs. like I don't have anything to read.

Hi Heidi! Good review of My Accidental Jihad. I have this title in my greedy little hands, since she will be one of the authors at Booktopia Asheville. I'll probably read it, later this month.
I have to get to the 2nd Magicians book, which I heard was better than the first. I think the 3rd one is coming out soon.

>193 lkernagh: now you have me curious Lori! Do you feel the title is sensationalistic? Is that why you would have avoided it? I have to admit the content was not what I expected, and I mean that in a good way.

>194 ronincats: Ha! I just couldn't give The Magicians much more than that. I found it to be a joy sucker.

>195 tututhefirst: It's just payback for all the bbs you have given me!!

>196 msf59: I hope you will like The Accidental Jihad Mark. And I think the third book in a The Magicians series will be out in August. My library has the second one as an ebook so I will probably give it a try but if I don't like it better than the first one I doubt I try the last one.

My weekend ended on a very sad note. As my husband, daughter and I drove up our driveway with a trailer hooked on back, our cat ran under the trailer and got hit and killed. My daughter cried for an hour straight and my husband is guilt ridden. As much as the cat drove me nuts sometimes, I can't believe how much I miss the darn thing. Pets will sure break your heart.

Sorry, to hear about the cat. How traumatic for your daughter. Bummer!

I liked the Magicians but did not love it, which is why I've been dragging my feet on the 2nd one, despite hearing that it was very good. We will see...

>197 Cobscook: - The title, for some strange reason, brings images of Eat, Pray, Love to my mind and even a co-worker who loved that book could not convince me to read it. I don't read self awareness books that smack of superficial self indulgence. My Accidental Jihad, as you have reviewed it, doesn't come across as one of those types of books.

I am so sorry to hear about the unexpected accidental death of your family pet. My heart goes out to your family... pets will do uncontrollable and unexpected things.

Sorry to hear about the cat, Heidi. Growing up on a farm, I had to deal with that a few times. Never got easier, though.

Oh, I'm so, so sorry about the cat, Heidi... They will indeed break your heart. I shall now have to give each of mine an extra head scratch this evening. This is why I keep Tigger indoors, in spite of his desperate yearning to be outdoors exploring -- I know he yearns to play in traffic and do reckless stuff. He is simply intrepid and fearless, and I can see him doing something idiotic like this. It's not your husband's fault -- cats simply don't realize the consequences of (some of) their actions.

>184 Cobscook: ah yes, the debate over externalities... I was having this discussion with a friend of mine recently -- she was talking about the virtues of electrical cars. I argued that it depends on where you're driving them. Sure, the lack of emissions is great, but if you're recharging that battery in a place where the power is generated by coal -- lots of emissions PLUS blowing the tops of mountains to get to the coal -- you're really not any further ahead of the game. Just as when we get our "cheap" t-shirts from China, if you price in externalities, they stop looking quite as cheap.

I like the Lev Grossman books -- and stood in line to snag a signed ARC of the third book at BookExpo last week -- but yes, they are darker. I see them as kind of a blend of Narnia, Harry Potter and others. I would say book #2 is different but that probably, if you didn't like #1, you're not all that likely to fall for book #2, either. It starts out in Fillory, but then progresses to the "real" world, and some rather dark "hedge" magic. I think I'm going to go back to books #1 & 2 before reading #3.

>199 msf59: Thanks Mark. It's been especially hard on Katie, but you know how 13 year old girls are....everything is the end of the world. Unfortunately I think this will be one of those pivotal memories of her childhood.

>200 lkernagh: I was not a fan of Eat, Pray, Love!! I thought EPL indulged in far too much navel gazing. My Accidental Jihad did not read like that at all. Bremer actually goes in the other direction a little, and sometimes makes her husband sound like a little bit of a saint. Overall though, I just liked the tone better and I liked the way it made me think about women's roles in our culture.

Thanks for your kind thoughts about our cat.

>201 ronincats: Thanks Roni. We have always had outside cats and normally lose them to predation. This is the first time we've lost one like this. We have had the cat, named Trouble (how appropriate), for seven years since it was a kitten so my daughter has had this one as a pet since she was six. That makes it hard for her.

>202 Chatterbox: Since we live in the country we have always had cats that go outside. Give your kitties an extra cuddle from me.

Re: externalities in determining the true costs of things....this is starting to drive me crazy in real life! You have these conversations with people about energy, or groceries, or gas for their cars and no one ever talks about the real cost of the things! It's only about how much it costs out of their pockets at that specific time. This has got to change.

I did find The Magicians very readable! I kept wanting to turn the pages, but it was so very unrelentingly dark.

49. High Noon by Nora Roberts
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Source: off my shelves
Format: paperback

Watered down Eve Dallas but still good escapist reading.

Reporting on my purchases for my two year Thingaversary (I may have gone a bit overboard):

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King - hardcover
Ham: Slices of Life Essays and Stories by Sam Harris- ebook
All Art is Propaganda: Critical Essays by George Orwell- ebook
Survivors (Stranded) by Jeff Probst - paperback for my daughter
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - for my daughter but also to put on my keeper shelf

Hmm, let me reintroduce you to the concept of "two", even as defined in thingaversary terms... *grin*

Happy Thingaversary!

LOL! I was never really great at math!

Oh, I'm so sorry about your cat! Growing up on a farm meant that my dad accidentally killed several of my pets through the years by running over them with very large farming equipment (a few cats and one dog). Back then I felt sorry for the animals and myself, but looking back, I now feel even more sorry for Dad!

>208 scaifea: I think it has been hardest on the DH....he feels so guilty! Thanks for the condolences though.

So.....today is my last day of work for the Cobscook Bay Resource Center where I have been employed for over 15 years. They are giving me some kind of send off during which I know I will cry....ugh. I've got the anxious stomach and wish it were just over with already. I think after today I will really start to get excited about the new job, but for now I just feel nervous and wonder if I have done the right thing.

>209 Cobscook: Change is always exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time! Hoping you will enjoy your new job.

Hey, it's the end of a 15-year relationship, Heidi! Not just a one-night stand. You are going to grieve a bit, no matter how exciting the new opportunity is. Change is stressful, even positive change, so just relax and go with it for now. {{{Heidi}}}

>209 Cobscook: I'll bet it was emotional and lovely in equal measure. They'll miss you, you'll miss them...and good memories will remain.

*smooch*

>210 thornton37814: Thanks Lori! I am really looking forward to digging into something new.

>211 ronincats: Very wise Roni! I keep reminding myself that I am not moving away, and I will still see all these people, just in a different role.

>212 richardderus: It was a very lovely little get together. Lots of people came, said nice things about me, and made me cry. They also presented me with a very awesome Passamaquoddy sweetgrass acorn basket which I absolutely love. I'm glad I am leaving on such good terms.

Passamaquoddy Sweetgrass Acorn basket

Wow, that is gorgeous, and what a wonderful remembrance of your time there to take with you into your new life...

How great to be leaving and venturing into something new and exciting that you're looking forward to -- that's all too rare, and I'm so pleased for you that you'll have that to look forward to this summer!!

>214 Cobscook: OOO Aaah!

>215 Chatterbox: Thanks Suz!

>215 Chatterbox: >216 richardderus: Isn't it gorgeous! The narrow braids that make up the "cap" are sweetgrass and it smells divine. Passamaquoddy sweetgrass baskets keep that smell for decades. My mom has a Passamaquoddy sewing basket that was her grandmother's and you can still smell the sweetgrass.

So book stuff....I am currently reading:

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill - just a short way into this massive hardback. His writing is very similar to his dad's, Stephen King.

A Death in the Family by James Agee - This is my substitution for the July AAC and it is another title from my classics list.

Mr. Adams Last Crusade by Joseph Wheelan - Inspired by my presidential challenge reading, this is about John Quincy Adams' post presidential career in Congress. It is super interesting so far.

The Most of Nora Ephron - a 557 page collection of Ephron's essays and other writings. It's my first time reading Ephron and I really like her style.....I'm a big fan of sarcasm! :)

Hi Heidi- I loved NOS4A2. I hope you feel the same way. I had a chance to meet him at an author signing. He is a smart, engaging guy. Have you read his other books?

And in regards to his Pop, I just snagged the audio of Mr. Mercedes. Yah, me!

I picked up NOS4A2 when it was offered at a big discount for Kindle recently, in spite of the fact it's billed as horror. Although it may be a while before I read it!

>219 msf59: Hi Mark! I hope you had fun at the book fair. I have only read one short story by Joe Hill previously, and it was the one he wrote with his dad....Throttle was the name of it. I also ordered Mr. Mercedes in hardback for my keeper shelf. It should be here this week!

>220 Chatterbox: I noticed NOS4A2 was $1.99 on the Kindle. I got brand new hardcover from Mamie in the Secret Santa swap last Christmas.

Heidi, thanks for the heads up on today's Kindle Daily Deal. That is an amazing collection of science fiction and fantasy. I gave you a fairly complete rundown on my thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/173837#4722721

Hi Heidi, just breezing by today and dropping a hi on the way :)

>223 LovingLit: Hi Megan!

50. A Death in the Family by James Agee
Genre: Classics
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover

I read this book as a substitution for the June AAC. It is on my list of classics that I am working on reading through.

A Death in the Family is exactly what it says on the cover. Closely exploring the emotions of a family after an unexpected death, I found this book to be incredibly authentic. While the subject matter is sad, of course, the book is not maudlin. Evidently, the book is based on what happened to the author as a child.

My only complaint is that the book uses italics to indicate flashbacks. The flashbacks are used fairly heavily to give us backstory and context. The italic print in the version I borrowed from the library was very difficult to read.

Morning Heidi! I hope you are using your free time wisely. Books and more books. I have never read Agee. Is this your first time?

Oh, I *love* the acorn basket!

And I thought A Death in the Family was an amazing book. Not a joyful read, but a very good one.

>225 msf59: Well I am spending a lot of time goofing off on line today...not sure that is "wise" but it is fun! Yes, this was my first read by Agee. I thought it was very well done.

>226 scaifea: I think the Agee book was pretty special. I am glad I did not read it until now though. I think its one of those books which will mean a lot more to you the older you are. I can't quite imagine getting much out of it in high school or college.

>227 Cobscook: I agree. I didn't read it until I was in grad school, and I really don't think I would have understood or appreciated it in high school.

Oh Heidi!!! I'm so sorry about your cat!!!!!

I can't imagine how bad your husband feels... I'm sure your daughter is a mess, but he is probably going through the worst of it.

I have always been a HUGE animal lover - especially cats. When I was in high school, my family was driving down a four lane highway (my father was driving). A black cat darted across the road out of nowhere and ran underneath our car. Dad tried to swerve some, but couldn't avoid the cat and hit it with the back tires.

I immediately broke into loud, racking sobs. My mom turned around and tried telling me that my dad couldn't have avoided the cat without hurting us, but I was having NONE of that. All I knew was that a defenseless animal was dead. CUT to 20 years later as I'm driving down a country road and another cat jumps out in front of me on a two lane. I have no ability to swerve because there is a car oncoming in the other lane. I hit the cat and cried for the rest of the drive home.

Your daughter will recover and forgive her dad one day. She will also apologize. Hopefully she won't wait as long as I did.

>228 scaifea: Which is why I am glad I have stuck with reading through the classics list as an adult. I have been surprised at how many I have truly liked and found incredibly meaningful.

>229 TinaV95: Thanks for sharing your story Tina. My daughter seems to have come around to believing that it was just an accident....her dad however is still feeling pretty guilty.

I am actually writing this from my resort bedroom with a wall of glass over looking the Pacific Ocean in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. We are on vacation here with my brother in law and his family until next Saturday. It is very hot and humid but soooooo beautiful. I have been doing some great reading too! Beach/pool reading is the best!! My posting on here will be pretty spotty for the next week or so. I will post pictures when I return though!

Happy vacation! And good luck with your new job when you get back. Love the basket! After your comments about it, I've decided that I'll be looking for a sweetgrass basket of some kind for my vacation memento when we get up your way come fall.

>230 Cobscook: As long as you're having fun...*shudders off imagining "fun" in heat and humidity*

>231 countrylife: I've always wanted to get one of those sweetgrass baskets, but they are so pricy. I'm going to save ahead of time so I can get one on my next trip to Charleston.

Beach & pool will help compensate for the heat and humidity, especially when combined with ice-cold tropical drinks... yum yum.

Enjoy!!!

Happy vacation! What a great place to relax and have fun before you start your new job!

Hope you are having a great time, Heidi! Enjoy, my friend.

Whew! We made it home from our vacation on Sunday afternoon. Monday morning it was off to my new job for all the paperwork signing fun. Today was my first day in my new office, trying to get the new computer up and running and learning all the systems. My brain is totally stuffed full of new information...it feels bloated! Ha!

I read several books over vacation and I will try to get to posting them soon as well as some pretty pictures.

>231 countrylife: You can't go wrong with a Passamaquoddy or Penobscot sweetgrass basket. They are amazing, plus by purchasing one, you help to support some of the poorest communities in our state.

>232 richardderus: I am afraid you would have *hated* Nuevo Vallarta at this time of year. At some points it was very hard to breath because of the humidity. There was a whole lot of sitting in the pool during this vacation!!

>233 thornton37814: You are so right, the sweetgrass baskets are extremely pricey. The good thing is they make a great heirloom because they last forever. Also, I have seen old baskets from the early part of the 1900s go for astounding sums of money at auction....so they are an investment as well!

>234 Chatterbox: Hubby and I tried out various tropical beverages at the swim up pool bar most afternoons. Can't beat drinking a delicious fruity concoction while floating in the pool!

>235 lkernagh: Both my husband and I commented that this was the first vacation we have ever taken where we didn't rush around doing things. Instead we did just relax and it was fabulous. I am definitely going to plan more time just lying by the pool/beach in any future vacation.

>236 msf59: Thanks Mark! We finally got our mail today after being gone and I found the package with the Atwood book from you amongst all the boring stuff. Thanks again for the book!

Vacation and then right into the new job - you've been busy!
Relaxing, not-a-lot-planned vacations are the best.

Oh my Heidi! Your vacation sounds lovely! Looking forward to pictures when you have time.

Good luck with your new job too. You'll be great!

Hope your first week on the new job went well, Heidi!

Heidi dear, has some epizootic plague carried you away?

Sorry to be MIA everyone. The new job is going well but I am having a hard time adjusting to my new schedule. On top of that, we were hit hard by Hurricane Arthur and have just now gotten power restored after two days. The only good news is that I got to read a lot. I NEED to update my list on here but I am away from the house right now and my book diary is at home. I hope things will settle down this week and I can get back on track with my LT peeps. I miss being on here!

I hope that, power aside, everything is OK post Arthur. No physical house damage? We just got some heavy rain, so dodged a bullet...

Good luck in your quest for a calmer week...

I was really surprised that Hurricane Arthur wasn't worse than he was. It sounds like your power outage lasted longer than the outage one of my friends experienced in New Bern, NC. His basically went off late at night and was back on the next morning in time to get up and get ready.

>243 Chatterbox: no physical house damage this time thankfully! A branch came down and just missed my car but that's about it.

>244 thornton37814: yeah eastern Maine got whacked pretty hard. A nearby town recorded over 8 inches of rain in less than 24 hours and another location recorded 100 mph winds. We still have people in the area with no power.

Looking forward to you having time to catch up here, Heidi!

>246 ronincats: Hiya Roni! I hope to get a little caught up tonight!

Oh my heck! We barely got rain and some wind! So sorry to hear it, Heidi, and at the same time pleased you're not a lot worse off.

51. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
Genre: fantasy
Source: Kindle

A traditional fantasy....maybe an influence on Harry Potter? Young wizard boy is sent off to be trained at a wizard's school, is extremely talented, and must do battle with evil!

52. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
Genre: crime/apocalyptic
Source: Kindle

This has been recommended all around LT. What to do if you are a policeman and society as you know it is ending in 6 months? A fun start to a new series.

53. Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Source:Kindle

Meh.

54. Running Blind by Lee Child
Genre: Suspense
Source: off my shelves
Format: paperback

Jack Reacher solves a case where military women who brought cases of sexual harassment against their superiors are being murdered.

55. Gulp by Mary Roach
Genre: non fiction
Source: mine
Format: audiobook

I honestly had a hard time staying focused on this one...I did not love the narrator.

56. The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
Genre: Romance
Source: Kindle

I am not a fan of romances where the "hero" finds the best thing about the heroine to be her impressive "rack". Really.

Hi Heidi! We miss seeing you around. Glad to see the books though! I also enjoyed The Last Policeman and the 2nd one too, although it's not as strong as the first.
Sorry, Gulp didn't work for you on audio. So far, they have worked great for me, in that format.

Glad to see that you enjoyed the Earthsea book - will you be reading the rest of the series?

>248 richardderus: Thanks RDear. We are thankful it was not much worse. It was mostly just a pain.

>251 msf59: hi Mark! I miss being around too! I do have the second Winters book on the Kindle. I will be checking that out soon I think. I really loved Packing for Mars which I read but just had a hard time staying focused on the story in the audio format. I will definitely try Roach again though, but probably to read myself.

>252 scaifea: hi Amber! I think I will try another of the Earthsea books. I was actually just thinking about you cause my daughter is watching a movie on Hallmark channel and the little boy in the show reminds me of Charlie!

>253 Cobscook:: Ha! Cool!