Terri (tymfos) runs her 2014 Reading Race #7: Continuing summer reading

Point Iroquois Light, near Paradise, Michigan -- one of my favorite mystery series is set in this area!

Hi! Welcome to the 7th thread of my 75 Books Challenge for 2014. I consider this my primary challenge, and all the books I read are posted here. I tend to be most active in discussion in this group, too.

My name is Terri, and I work in a library in Pennsylvania. I live with my husband, teenage son, and a kitten named Sig that adopted us on the coldest day of the year. I read a wide variety of books, though I'm partial to mysteries. All visitors are welcome, and comments are encouraged. Part of the joy of reading is sharing the journey!

Summer is rolling right along, and mid-July seems a good time to start a new thread.

This time, I'm not going to transfer my long lists of series that I'm reading, and a few other assorted reading projects. I'll continue to track those on the posts on my previous thread.

COVERS OF BOOKS I'M CURRENTLY READING

NON-FICTION

E-BOOK FICTION AUDIO FICTION

FIRST QUARTER BOOKS

Books completed in JANUARY
1. Blood Land by R. S. Guthrie e-book (1-2-14)
2. A Comedy of Heirs by Rett MacPherson (1-3-14)
3. 58 Degrees North: The Mysterious Sinking of the Arctic Rose by Hugo Kugiya (1-6-14)
4. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (1-11-14)
5. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (1-13-14)
6. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (1-20-14)
7. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson e-book (1-26-14)
8. Southern Lady, Yankee Spy by Elizabeth Varon (1-26-14)
9. North of Nowhere by Steve Hamilton (1-30-14)
10. Firewall by Henning Mankell AUDIO (1-30-14)
10a Divorce Horse by Craig Johnson e-book short (1-31-14)

abandoned:
Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett. (Just not my cup of tea)
Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff (may try again later when in different mood)

Books completed in FEBRUARY
11. The Round House by Louise Erdrich (2-1-14)
12. The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill (2-3-14)
13. Blood is the Sky by Steve Hamilton (2-10-14)
14. Faith Under Fire by Roger Benimoff (2-17-14)
15. As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson e-book (2-18-14)
16. Real Men Work in the Pits by Jeff Hammond (2-22-14)
17. Ice Run by Steve Hamilton e book (2-27-14)
18. A Necessary End by Peter Robinson (2-28-14)

abandoned this month:
The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert Parker AUDIO

Books completed in MARCH
19. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear AUDIO and paper book (3-9-14)
20. I Was Right On Time by Buck O'Neil with Steve Wulf & David Conrads (3-16-14)
21. The Watcher in the Shadows By Carlos Ruiz Zafon e-book (3-16-14)
22. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (3-18-14)
23. No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews (3-21-14)
24. A Stolen Season by Steve Hamilton e-book (3-25-14)

SECOND QUARTER BOOKS:

Books finished in APRIL
25. Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism by Paul Collins (4-8-14)
26. Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriðason e-book (4-11-14)
27. Where's Your Jesus Now?: Examining How Fear Erodes Our Faith by Karen Spears Zacharias (4-15-14)
28. Jazz by Toni Morrison (American Author Challenge) (4-18-14)
29. The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries by Henning Mankell AUDIO (4-22-14)
30. Sun Storm by Asa Larsson e-book (4-22-14)
31. Not Flesh Nor Feathers by Cheri Priest (4-24-14)

Books finished in MAY
32. Embracing the Wide Sky by Daniel Tammet (5-2-14)
33. Dead Wood by Dani Amore e-book (5-3-14)
34. Foolish Undertaking by Mark de Castrique (5-5-14)
35. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler - AUDIO (5-10-14)
36. Taken by Kathleen George e-book (5-12-14)
37. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott (5-14-14)
38. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (5-18-14)
39. A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson AUDIO (5-20-14)
40. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (5-21-14)
41. The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett (5-26-14)
42. Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy (5-27-14)
43. The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams e-book (5-28-14)
44. Any Other Name by Craig Johnson AUDIO (5-29-14)

Books finished in JUNE
45. Dead Water by Ann Cleeves (6-5-14)
46. Happy Cat, Happy You by Arden Moore (6-7-14)
47. Q Road by Bonnie Jo Campbell (6-8-14)
48. Rolling Thunder by Chris Grabenstein (6-13-14)
49. Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton e-book (6-17-14)
50. Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King AUDIO (6-17-14)
51. The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill (6-18-14)
52. So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior by Curt Brown e-book (6-19-14)
53. A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy by Ann Cleeves
54. Safe From the Sea by Peter Geye (6-26-14)
55. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwod e-book (6-27-14)
56. Bone by Bone by Carroll O'Connor AUDIO (6-30-14)

THIRD QUARTER BOOKS:

Books finished in JULY
57. Dead Angler by Victoria Houston e-book and paperback fiction (7-8-14)
58. Blood on the Moon by James Ellroy AUDIO and hard-copy (7-14-14)
59. No Doors, No Windows by Joe Schreiber e-book (7-14-14)
60. Last Car to Elysian Fields by James Lee Burke (7-17-14)
61. Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet AUDIO (7-20-14)
62. Castle Cay by Lee Hanson e-book (7-25-14)
63. The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb AUDIO (7-25-14)
64. Anarchy & Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (7-27-14)

Books finished in AUGUST
65. Fun House by Chris Grabenstiem e-book (8-5-14)
66. The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (8-7-14)
67. Darkside by Belinda Bauer (8-10-14)
68. Free Fall by Chris Grabenstein e-book (8-12-14)
69. The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (mystery fiction) (8-14-14)
70. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson AUDIO (8-14-14)
71. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks (non-fiction)
72. The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth (8-19-14)
73. Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr (8-20-14)
74. Summer People by Aaron Stander (e-book) (8-23-14)
75. Triple Witch by Sarah Graves (8-26-14)
76. Dr. Mutter's Marvels by Cristin Aptowicz (8-28-14)
77. The Chardonnay Charade by Ellen Crosby AUDIO (8-28-14)

Books finished in SEPTEMBER
78. An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison (non-fiction/memoir) (9-2-14)
79. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (9-8-14)
80. This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash (9-14-14)
81. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (9-19-14)
82. Cat Talk: What Your Cat is Trying to Tell You by Carole C. Wilbourn (9-22-14)

Currently reading:
City of Dust by Anthony DePalma
The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell (AUDIO fiction)
Then Like the Blind Man by by Freddie Owens (e-book fiction)

THE STATS: I always try to keep these kinds of stats, and I always mess them up sometime in the course of the year so that the totals don't add up properly. You may note different stats dropping off the list as I find them not adding up.

total books READ 2014: 82

ROOT books -- off my (real or virtual) TBR shelf: 37
(including one that's not part of this challenge)

Paper books: 48 1/2
E-books: 22 1/2
Audio books: 11

Fiction: 66
Non-Fiction: 16

Male Author: 40
Female Author:42

US authors: 58
authors from other countries: 24
NO IDEA:

living author (as far as I know): 75
deceased author: 6
unsure:

I finished one book in the third quarter of the year before I started this thread, so I'll add it here, even though I listed it on the old thread:

75 Challenge book #57
Title: Dead Angler (read part e-book and part paperback)
Author: Victoria Houston
Genre or subject information: cozy mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Series?: Loon Lake Fishing Mysteries
Date finished: 7/8/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes (the paperback version)
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

This was a nice little cozy. (I needed something a bit on the light side to counter-balance with my noir read of Ellroy's Blood on the Moon.) The book had a nice feel for small-town life. (But did they really still have party lines in the Wisconsin woods in 2000?) The cast was fun and easy to like (except for the folks you weren't supposed to like) and the sense of place was strong. I even learned a little about fishing. I enjoyed the rather non-traditional style of the woman who was a sheriff and expert at fly fishing.

----------------------------------------------------

OK, I think that's going to do it this time. I'm going to dispense with some of my lists and info, and just put out the welcome mat.


glitter-graphics.com

ETA to add the first book of the quarter

Well, it's much too cute to wipe my feet on...

Happy new thread! I'm not sure what I enjoy more - hearing about the great books you're reading or hearing about the things Sig gets up to.

>8 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda! Thanks! You're first!

>9 cbl_tn: Hi, Carrie! Sig is a real trip sometimes. (I started a new e-book this evening, and it drew me in instantly because the protagonist's cat was tearing up her belongings . . . ;-)

I actually managed some bits and pieces of reading today to finish off the audio and e-books I was reading so far this month.

Is that a lighthouse? If so, that is a pretty big house a attached. Happy new thread.

>11 Familyhistorian: Yes, a lighthouse with a large keeper's house attached at least part of which is now a museum / gift shop. I think it actually housed a keeper's and an assistant keeper's families back in the day.

75 Challenge Book #58
Title: Blood on the Moon AUDIO combined with hard copy
Author: James Ellroy
Genre or subject information: Noir
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1984
Series?: Lloyd Hopkins #1
Date finished: 7/14/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) part of a 3-novel omnibus volume that's a ROOT -- one down, two to go.
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes: Fits MysteryCAT

It starts out disjointed, seemingly random tales of violence, and then slowly the reader sees the connections. A killer with a past. A cop with a past. A chain of murders undetected, unbelievable. Women dead, flowers sent to . . . someone. Lloyd Hopkins is on the case -- only his superiors refuse to acknowledge that there's a case, beyond one homicide he's been charged to solve. Hopkins is a cop, but he's of the "loose cannon" mode -- in this case, he could argue that he was forced into that way of operating due to the shortsightedness of those in charge.

I can't say I really enjoyed this book -- being genuine noir, it was gross, gritty, violent and the protagonist wasn't very likable. However, it did draw me in and make me want to know how it turned out.

75 Challenge Book #59
Title: No Doors, No Windows e-book
Author: Joe Schreiber
Genre or subject information: horror
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 7/14/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) no
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes: fits AlphaKIT and RandomCAT

Scott Mast returns home for the funeral of his father (who committed suicide) and finds a partially-completed novel manuscript set in a bizarre house, "Round House," built without angles -- everything is rounded. He finds the house (which actually exists in the woods nearby) and moves in seeking to complete his father's book. But there is more odd about this house than its lack of angles, and Scott's father isn't the first suicide in the Mast family. Scott's brother Owen is an alcoholic . . . and Scott is off his own much-needed medication . . . What is happening? What is real? What is the horrible secret of the Mast family?

I was surprised by this book. I got it on sale for Kindle for 99 cents, and didn't expect a lot, but it was a pretty engaging horror story. It was relatively slow and atmospheric until near the end, when things started to get frantic. I thought the author got in a really tacky plug for another book he'd written, but otherwise it was pretty good. I usually read my e-books at specific times -- when I'm out of the house and grab reading time via my phone, or at night in bed when I don't want to turn on a light and disturb my husband's sleep. But I read this pretty much whenever I got a chance.

Hi Terri. Thought I would pop in before it gets really busy over here. Happy new thread:-)

Happy New Thread, Terri!

>12 tymfos: James Ellroy certainly knows how to get you hooked and keep you reading. Any description of any of his books ought to send me screaming away, but yet... L.A. Confidential was excellent.

Happy New Thread!

Hi, Terri!

Good to know Sig maintains his shenanigans. One of mine discovered bathroom tissue last night--this could be trouble.

No Doors, No Windows sounds pretty good. I like a horror story now and then. Must look this one up.

And of course, here's Linda, trying to hit me with a bb. Not sure if she succeeded or not; will check.

Have a wonderful day.

Hi, Terri. I have also taken note of No Doors, No Windows, sounds like a perfect addition to my Halloween Reading List.

>6 tymfos: *giggles* The little guys in the graphic look like, well, little guy parts.

Sorry! *giggles again*

>19 Morphidae: LOL

Oh, sorry. Hi Terri! Nice new thread here. : )

Hi Terri,

Great lighthouse!

Here's the link to the Cleeves' interview, if you're interested.

http://www.npr.org/2014/07/08/329520153/for-one-crime-writer-peaceful-shetland-i...;

>13 brenzi: Hi, Bonnie! Thanks!

>14 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>15 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda. I'm worried about the next one in this Ellroy series, though. Apparently it's even harsher than the one I just read. Not sure I'm ready to go there.

>16 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

>17 Matke: Gail, Sig periodically discovers the bathroom tissue, and I find it all unrolled and torn up on the floor.

>18 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy!

>19 Morphidae: Sorry, Morphy, I don't see the resemblance, except maybe basic shape. Does your guy have multi-colored parts with smiley faces on?

>20 Berly: Thanks, Joanne!

>22 tymfos: Yes. I guess I just have a gutter mind. :D

Happy New thread, Terri! Hope all is going well. Blood on the Moon is currently on sale, on audio but I think I will take a pass. There are other Ellroy's to get to.

>1 tymfos: I love lighthouses. However, I think I'm glad I never lived in one. At this stage in my life, I don't have the energy (or the knees) to do all the climbing required.

>23 Morphidae: You said it, not me! ;)

>24 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I was lucky -- I listened to my audio copy via the library, and had hard-copy from a library sale book I got for a quarter.

>25 thornton37814: I've climbed a few as a tourist in my day, but I surely wouldn't want to climb all those stairs as part of my everyday routine, Lori!

I finished another book, which I'll post in a bit.

Hi Terri!
Just passing through to check out the new thread and say you are doing great with your reading (60 books!). Looking for Sig.... here, kitty!

ps... how do you know it was Sig who demolished your tp? lol

>27 -Cee-: Hi, Cee! Thanks for the kind words. I'll post another Sig photo soon, I promise.



I finally got my 5th Thingaversary books, only about 5 weeks late. I made my first visit to the bookstore in a neighboring county's library. Then I cashed in part of a credit slip at the paperback exchange. I used a 20% off coupon at Ollies, then splurged at Books a Million on one new book that was full price.

From the library bookstore for $1:
year 1: The Manger is Empty by Walter Wangerin

From the paperback exchange for credit plus $5:
year 2: A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams
year 3: Died in the Wool by Rett MacPherson
year 4: Fallen by Kathleen George

From Ollies for $3 and change:
year 5: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

From Books a Million:
and one to grow on: This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash

I had written this whole review and was ready to post it when LT went down (briefly?) this morning. Fortunately, I had opened another window to grab the book cover illustration, discovered the outage before I hit "submit" and thus avoided having the whole thing disappear on me. I copied it to a Word document to paste into a post later.

75 Challenge Book #60
Title: Last Car to Elysian Fields
Author: James Lee Burke
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Series?: Dave Robicheaux #13
Date finished: 7-17-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) No, library
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

The whole mess seems to start when Dave begins looking into the disappearance of Junior Crudup, a talented blues musician who went into Angola prison and appears to have never come out -- officially, at least. Was he one of those allegedly buried in the levee by the white "gumball" guards who placed no value on the lives of their African-American prisoners, brutally abusing them (sometimes fatally) as they went about their horrific state-sanctioned slave labor on the work gangs in the hot sun? Or was something else going on?

Or did it start even before that, with the beating of a New Orleans priest? Then under-age girls die in a horrible car crash, after being served at one of the local drive-by "daiquiri windows." Before the story is over, there are more bodies, more violence, more questions. The manager of the daiquiri window is killed; there's a hit man wandering the area; there are whispers of drugs and pornography.

I think maybe I read this one before, long ago. Or maybe it was just the familiarity of the themes which Burke so often blends in these books -- class strife, racial tensions, the privileged Old South gentry, the exploited underclasses, prison brutality, the seamy side of life, occasional glimmers of faith amid the battle between good and evil; the battle within Dave himself, as the dark side of his own nature often short-circuits his efforts to be the good man he wants to be.

Somehow, Burke always manages to blend this mix into a compelling read, and this book was no exception. His descriptive powers are, as always, marvelous, and the reader sees, hears, smells, touches, and even tastes Dave's environment in southern Louisiana.

Love your Thingaversary purchases, Lori! I recently acquired a copy of The Rosie Project and have had my eye on the Wiley Cash book.

I absolutely adored The Rosie Project. Enjoy!

>30 lkernagh: Hi, Lori!

>31 Morphidae: I look forward to it, Morphy!

I couldn't find one of my threads, and come to find out I accidentally "ignored" it. Leave it to me to x my own thread.

Luck! Today the first book in a series where I own 2 later books was offered free for Kindle. *happy dance*

I've ignored one of my own threads before. I think it happened when I was using the iPad. I noticed it pretty quickly, but still...

>33 cbl_tn: I think mine happened when using my iPhone. I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't seeing the thread, but it took me a while to think what had happened.

Oh Terri....you reminded me that my thingaversary is the end of this month. I'm going to have to start making my list! They will probably be audio books since I'm determined I'm going to do more cross-stitch work the rest of the year. I'll be getting about 25 books starting next month thru the end of the year for the next batch of Maine Reader's Choice, so I'm thinking I'll really treat myself and get audios.

An early Happy Thingaversary greeting to you, Tina! Audios sound like the way to go for you this time around.

I'm trying to pop in on at least my own threads every day, but I am so woefully behind on so many threads these days that it distresses me.

Sig has been on his worst behavior the past day or so. I hope he's not going to turn into a "My Cat From Hell" kind of critter.

Happy almost Thingaversary! Lucky that you didn't lose the review during the LT outage. Phew!

Thanks, Kim!

Internet down again. I hate posting from phone.

Dang it! Sending good vibes to your internet.

Thanks, Kim! Internet is back, at least for now. It has been very unreliable lately.

Sig got hold of my phone this afternoon, and I thought he might well have broken it, but it seems OK.

Another book:

75 Challenge Book #61
Title: Wicked Autumn AUDIO
Author: G. M. Malliet
Genre or subject information: cozy mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: Max Tudor #1
Date finished: 7/20/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) no, library download
My Rating: 3 Stars
Notes:

A pushy church lady is murdered in the middle of Fall Festival in the village of Nether Monkslip. Well, they think it's murder -- though it's not clear to me how they come to that conclusion so quickly (though one key piece of evidence will eventually emerge to definitely confirm it). There is a village full of people that the victim had antagonized, though was any of it serious enough to inspire murder?

I liked the character of Max Tudor -- former MI5 agent turned Church of England vicar in a small village. I like the grasp of personalities and politics in a church and in a small town. A few things were specifically English that I had to take on faith were accurate, but some things are pretty much universal, I think.

I wasn't that impressed with the mystery, and I was semi-dumbfounded by the solution. And I thought the backstory was worked in rather awkwardly at times -- it didn't flow. But I liked the characters and the setting enough to give the series another try.

The audio version, to which I listened, was a bit strange. There were odd pauses in places where they made no sense -- in the middle of a dialogue. Yet it would go straight from current story to memory/backstory with barely a pause for breath. I found this rather disconcerting.

Internet was out most of the day at work. Grrrrr...

I've decided to "pay a visit" to our old friend Dr. Siri, with the fourth book in that series, Anarchy & Old Dogs. Those books are so delightful.

Must read a Max Tudor book....keep seeing them, keep saying that.

>44 tututhefirst: Tina, I found the first one a bit flawed, but I really liked the setting and characters and basic premise. I prefer my cozy amateur detectives to be the sort who work with the police and behave in a reasonably sensible manner. Tudor's MI5 background and knowledge of the local people makes him a natural to work with the Inspector to sort out the crimes.

I loved Anarchy and Old Dogs. Enjoy!

Sorry I missed the transition to a new thread. I have been very busy being stressed out of my mind. my interview is tonight. ( read my mind to see what I think ofTHAT

Not caught up, just realized that you had a new thread....

I like Malliet's books :) fluff for sure, but ...easy.

>46 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne. I am loving it!

>47 mckait: No need to explain, Kath. Ridiculous, the stress they are dishing out where you work.

Stressful day, fighting with technology, but ending up OK. I made whole-grain lasagna for dinner tonight, then ventured to try a new blueberry pie recipe.

Pie always sounds good!

The pie turned out OK, Kath, as did the lasagna.

Monday is Sig's "estimated" first birthday. When we took him to the vet in January, she estimated his age at 6 months and extrapolated a D.O.B. for the record of 7/28. I'm planning a small family celebration for him. :)

A book finisned:

75 Challenge Book #62
Title: Castle Cay (e-book)
Author: Lee Hanson
Genre or subject information: mystery fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series?: Julie O'Hara #1
Date finished: 7-25-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) I thought it was, but now I see a publication date for the Kindle edition of 1/2014, so probably not
My Rating: 3.24 stars
Notes:

An artist lies dead in his Key West home -- an apparent suicide, but then questions arise. Marc had been suffering from AIDS but had shown no signs of depression to his friends. His illness was being well-controlled medically. He appeared to have loving support from his partner David. His career was going well. His friend Julie O'Hara, a body-language analyst, cannot believe the man killed himself, and starts asking questions.

When public suspicion falls upon David, Julie takes up his defense, along with friend Joe, a private eye, and a high-powered attorney Joe knows. Soon Joe draws on the expertise of a friend with the FBI. The police may suspect David because he was at home when the death occurred, but there are others who might have wanted Marc dead. Did Marc's homophobic half-brother play a role in the death? Was it a coincidence that Marc died just as a multi-million-dollar real estate transaction was going down on property he owned?

I can't find the record of when I bought Castle Cay, but I know I paid little or nothing for it. (Current Kindle price is $0.) I was drawn to it by the Key West and Boston-area settings of the novel. I see the ratings are all over the place for this book, and I'm kind of all over the place trying to decide how to rate it. There were times when it felt a little stilted, a little choppy, a little awkward. After reading it, I still don't feel like I know Julie O'Hara very well. Some aspects felt a little wooden to me (especially some scenes with the FBI) and I didn't like how the "reveal" was dealt with. There was at least one scene of remembering/explaining by one character that was rather too long. But, overall, it was a decent read, and the last paragraph packed a little surprise that I rather liked, in a macabre way. This book was certainly a much kinder portrayal of the gay community than Ellroy's Blood on the Moon which I read earlier this month. (Different era, different coast, but still . . .) Marc was a crime victim to be mourned by the reader, a man who was kindhearted, talented and successful; David was a bit more of a puzzle, but seemed quite a sympathetic character through most of the book. This appears to have been the author's first novel, and overall it was a decent effort. I might try the next one in the series.

75 Challenge Book #63
Title: The Fate of Mercy Alban AUDIO
Author: Wendy Webb
Genre or subject information: modern gothic?
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: no, not yet, anyway
Date finished: 7-25-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) NO
My Rating:
Notes:

Sole heiress returns to creepy family mansion for the first time in years, after death of her mother. Family had always tended to be secretive, and there is plenty of hidden family dirt to unearth. Strange things are happening.

I could have done without the romantic bit, and I wish there had been a bit more atmosphere. But I rather enjoyed the mystery.

Happy birthday to Sig! Adrian's assumed 3rd birthday is in September, and I've already been pondering how to celebrate the occasion. I hope there will be pictures from Sig's party!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SIG!!!

Since all of mine are rescues, always... the only ones that I have even a close estimate of birthdays for were Dirk, a dog I had many years ago. ( My son brought him home rather than see him go to a shelter) and Rosie, who was a kitten when we brought her home, and Morgan who was about 5 ish months old when she was going to be put down by her previous people, who agreed to give her to me) Many years ago we chose July 4 as a birthday for 2 kittens who were born around that time, and came home from the shelter.... and I just stick to that. So it's always a day for special dinners around here. It has the added benefit of giving them a nice treat on a day that is rough for them with loud noises and so on. Easy to remember, too.

Nothing much to say....

Did you go to work and kiss the floor lately in gratitude for not working where I do? They hired a patron with no library experience and made her children's co-ordinator or some blasted thing. ( I am adult co-ordinator or something ) and they did so knowing that she had no experience, no big deal.. but giving her this title and a list of ridiculous things to do. She has no idea. I told her to not worry about it, that we will all work as a team. My problem with her is...... her father fired her from his business for having a bad back, and being unable to work. She can't lift and I foresee that she will have a ready excuse for not shelving kids books... Just like the woman she is replacing. She also has back surgery coming up in September. I assume that she will need some recovery time....so my frustration level is still high.

There is much more to this story, but I am weary of it...
:P

>51 tymfos: You have succumbed to being owned by a furry master! It's all over now! Bwhahahaha.

>55 Morphidae: Yes, I'm Sig's pet human. I long ago figured out that he really owns the house now.

>54 mckait: Yes, I'm glad I'm at my library and not yours, Kath!

>53 cbl_tn: There will probably be a photo or two. I charged my camera battery.

75 Challenge book #64
Title: Anarchy & Old Dogs
Author: Colin Cotterill
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series?: Dr. Siri #4
Date finished: 7-27-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

A blind dentist is hit by a truck, and a strange message is found among his personal effects. Dr. Siri is on the case, one which may have major political ramifications.

I enjoyed this outing with the good doctor and his friends.

A blind DENTIST?
oy!

Happy Birthday, Sig!

>57 mckait: Actually, as I recall the story, he retired when his sight got so bad that he was pulling the wrong teeth . . .

>58 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks!

Abandoned audio book: Before the Frost by Henning Mankell. It's the first in the Linda Wallander series. Some lists count it as part of the Kurt Wallander series, but he is really rather peripheral in as far as I read into it, and the cover actually labeled it as "A Linda Wallander Mystery."

I didn't particularly like Kurt's daughter in the books in his series, and I liked her less in her own book.

Aw, happy best-guess birthday to Sig!

>59 tymfos: How sweet!

Sig Sighting! Great b'day pic! :)

>59 tymfos: Yep, you're sunk. :D

> 2 Good Morning and Happy Day to you!!!!

Will and I are addicted to the Swedish version of Wallendar. I'm going to try to read the books, in the hope that they are as good as the series.

O! O! O!
How cute is that 1 y/o boy???

Happy Birthday to SIG!

That cat is a thinker. I can imagine about 100 things he is thinking looking at that flaming birthday "cake". What a great expression - LOL

Sig meows thanks, Julia, Carrie, and Kath! Right now he's nudging my back, trying to get my attention . . .

>64 Morphidae: Don't I know it! ;)

>65 Whisper1: Good Evening, Linda! Wishing you a peaceful night. I love the Kurt Wallander books; this one featuring his daughter strikes me quite differently. I especially liked the Wallander books on audio.

>66 -Cee-: Thanks! Yes, he definitely thinks . . . BTW, right after that photo, he dived under the table and refused to emerge until the candle was removed from his "cake."

What a day today! Early appointment regarding my son's "transition" as he enters his senior year and prepares to move forward beyond that. Then, rushing to a funeral in another town, with multiple road work delays along the way. I was so distracted by the death of our friend and his funeral I completely forgot that I had an appointment for my annual mammogram this afternoon. *sigh* That's not like me, to mess up like that.

>59 tymfos: What a perfect picture!

I just had a call from one of my work-mates who is in our other office today, telling me her husband finally agreed they DO need to get another cat; she wanted to use my name as a reference at the shelter. They once had 3 cats, a sibling pair and a third one that adopted them by showing up on their doorstep like Sig. All three have now passed away, and they've been without a cat for nearly a year, because her husband thought they'd appreciate the freedom of no animals. He has seen the error of his ways, so she's very excited, and I'm happy for both of them!

>67 tymfos: In the first series of Wallendar (Swedish sub titles), Wallendar and his daughter Linda are quite a pair. After years of obsession with his work, a divorce and separation from his daughter, she returns to Ysted (spelling?) and is a detective.

As mentioned, we are hooked on this series.

Quick post from work -- internet issues at home. Again.
Grrrr . . .

Hi, Linda & Linda!

Another Linda dropping by to say hello...

I just finished the latest Victoria Houston northwoods Wisconsin mystery and, this morning, started the new Jeanne Dams mystery featuring Dorothy Martin. Day of Vengeance.

This Jeanne Dams mystery is a church-related mystery. Not sure of the exact CofE terminology, but there are a number of Deans who are up for a promotion and Dorothy's husband, Allan, the retired Chief Constable, is on the committee to choose the new whatever chief person. (I left the book out in the car...she explains all the terminology and I thought I'd remember it but I apparently don't.) Anyway, one of the four candidates for the higher-level church position is found murdered the day after a contentious committee meeting. I think it'll be interesting that Allan will be "assisting the police with their inquiries."

I'm not a linda... but thought I'd stop by anyway...sorry to buck the trend :) Happy to hear about your friend adopting a kitty. I bet another one shows up at the door now. That's the way it works. So says mom of 5 kitties. Two doorstep kitties after reaching personal limit of three. Oh well.

So I work alone today. Then with some random stranger this week coming. She is meant to be a warm body/ menial laborer etc. or I have been told. Wish me luck.
Hey, I found out that one of our local libraries is looking for part time, and they give sick days and paid vaca!!!!

Hi, Linda #3 and non-Linda! ;)

>72 lindapanzo: Linda, I can't keep CofE terminology straight, either. I get the gist of what the plot involves, and it sounds like a good mystery.

>73 mckait: Kath, given what you've gone thorough at your library, I don't know if I'd rank walking to work ahead of sick days and paid vacation in a library job. Just sayin' . . .

Internet is working for the moment. I look at all the unread posts here on LT and am inclined to just shut down the computer, as I'll never get caught up.

Hi T! (I am keeping it short so you don't have to spend too much time reading my message because I know you are behind.) : )

>75 Berly: Hi, K! :)

Weird. I just texted my own K. Fire advancing on her home in Oregon.
What a long wekk or two it has been. You have a point about Monaca.

>77 mckait: Fire? Oh, my, the wildfires out west have been devastating. I hope and pray her home will be spared and she will be safe.
Monaca? Is that where the job with benefits is?

I think our internet has been working all day today, at least when I've tried to use it. Wow.

I'm feeling frightfully nostalgic tonight for the days when my son was a wee baby.



Not sure what that's about, except sad that he's become a rather surly teen these days.

>79 tymfos: What a sweet picture! I wish I could still sleep like that!

That is a sweet picture :) Surly is no fun, I hope it passes soon ...

Yes, Monaca. I hear that Ambridge just got a new director, but that is rumor only.
There are several openings in the Beaver County district, not all of them are posted. Beaver falls has 2, one circ director and one children's librarian. Monaca will have another after the first of the year. I think CCBC has one, and there seems to be one other that is eluding me at the minute.

Surly will pass! Believe me! Been there, went through that!

But after surly teen is fine young man. All your hard work and frustration will show results. It's weird when your children become pleasant, responsible people.

>80 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie! I'd like to be able to sleep like that, too.

>81 mckait: I'm sure it will pass, Kath. Interesting about all the library jobs in your neck of the woods.

>82 connie53: Thanks, Connie!

>83 cal8769: I hope so, Carrie!

75 Challenge Book #65
Title: Fun House
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: John Ceepak #7
Date finished: 8-5-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) no, library download
My Rating:
Notes:

Another fun entry in the Ceepak series, full of Jersey Shore atmosphere. "Fun House" is the name of an attraction on the Sea Haven boardwalk; it's also the name of a reality TV series filming in town. But it's a not-so-fun house when people wind up dead. Ceepak and Boyle are on the case! A tad implausible in the end, but an enjoyable read. In some inter-agency cooperation, Sea Haven gets a visit from Special Agent Christopher Miller, from Grabenstein's Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller series.

>79 tymfos:...How special; how adorable!

How are you doing today? What are you up to?

>74 tymfos: I can relate to trying to get caught up on the threads post internet issues. My internet came up yesterday and I hope that they have now done a permanent fix (supposedly yesterday's was temporary). I am slowly trying to catch up with all the threads that I am following. I hope that your internet woes will be behind you soon. It seems like they have been affecting you for months!

Hi Terri, Surly passes...

>79 tymfos: What an adorable photo!

I'll be reading Mind Scrambler some time this month - that's the plan anyway. I'm happy that I have several books in the series still ahead of me!

I love the Ceepak series so much, Terri! There are a couple that the library doesn't have so I've committed the cardinal sin of reading some of the later books out of order. They were still good.

>85 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda!

>86 Morphidae: We've had a quiet week, Morphy

>87 Familyhistorian: The issues come and go, Meg. Frankly, it's worse when the library internet goes down -- what a mess it makes of our work!

>88 Copperskye: Enjoy your time with Ceepak & Boyle, Joanne!

>89 rosalita: Julia, I somehow managed to read mine in order except for the short story Ring Toss.

75 Challenge Book #66
Title: The Lake of Dead Languages
Author: Carol Goodman
Genre or subject information: literary mystery/neo-Gothic
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 8-7-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

Newly-separated Jane Hudson returns, as a Latin teacher, to the girls' boarding school she attended as a teen. Her time there wasn't all pleasant -- her two roommates drowned during her senior year, presumed to be suicides and superstitiously attributed by some to a curse upon the lake. Now there are signs that the past may be repeating itself.

OK, this was an odd one. It had a sort of Gothic atmosphere, set at an old boarding school on a lake with many spooky old legends. It had some mystery and suspense. It was also something of a coming-of-age story. I found it a bit tedious at times, and I frankly thought some of the customs of the girls at the school were positively bizarre. Well, I guess they were supposed to be, but it put me off a bit. I thought the final pages of the ending made it all turn out a little too pat and tidy for the mess that preceded it.

My edition came with a readers' / book discussion guide at the back.

75 Challenge Book #67
Title: Darkside
Author: Belinda Bauer
Genre or subject information: police procedural / psychological suspense thriller
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: Holly/Lamb #2
Date finished: 8/10/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes!
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

A disabled woman is murdered in her bed. The local constable, Jonas Holly, is quickly pushed aside by an obnoxious senior detective. Then Jonas stars finding notes addressed to him -- from the killer? -- as the death count rises.

Oh, what to say about this one? It kept me reading steadily, and toward the end it kept me reading compulsively. The ending was not at all what I would have expected as I was reading the early part of the book. This one left me with a lot to think about -- quite unsettling, actually.

I've put the third of the trilogy on my Ever-Expanding List.

Plumbers are here working today. I've shut Sig into his upstairs alcove for safety. It's a rather small space, but it's only for a short time, and he has "Cat TV" (a window to look out with view of a tree with lots of bird activity), his old cat tree and bed, food, water, and litter box. Lots of times he chooses to spend a whole morning or afternoon up there, and I'm currently not hearing any complaining.

You are an excellent kitty mama!

Thanks, Kath. Coming from a first-class kitty mama like you, that means a lot!

Cat TV! Lol What a great description of a window.

>95 cal8769: I can't take credit for that description, Carrie. I borrowed it from one of my favorite Animal Planet programs. The animal behaviorist on My Cat From Hell uses that phrase. I've learned a lot about cat language (position of ears and tail, eye dilation, etc.) from that show, too, as well as the needs and likes/dislikes of cats.

I had lots of time to read today while waiting for my car to get done at the garage. My son waited with me for a while, then managed to hitch a ride home with his dad. This has been one of those weeks when I feel like I'm saying goodbye to much too much money. The plumber said he'd send a bill, possibly so he would have to deal with my sticker shock face-to-face, but the garage wasn't shy about handing me their bill!

Better World Books is supposedly having another sale, but I am definitely going to have to skip that!

75 Challenge Book #68
Title: Free Fall e-book
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Genre or subject information: mystery / quirky police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: John Ceepak #8
Date finished: 8-12-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes (virtual)
My Rating: 4.3 stars
Notes:

The latest Ceepak mystery is possibly the best so far. Arnold Rosen, an elderly retired dentist, dies -- or is it murder? If so, whodunit? There is strife in the victim's family, and turmoil as John Ceepak's father shows up again to complicate life. There's also a nurse, a friend of Danny's, who has had a few patients die on her watch.

I really liked this one. And the ending, well, it was probably more realistic than a lot of mysteries, acknowledging the dilemmas and split-second decisions police officers face in tense situations. (I think that says enough without a real spoiler.)

75 Challenge Book #69
Title: The Man in the Queue
Author: Josephine Tey
Genre or subject information: police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1929
Series?: Inspector Alan Grant #1
Date finished: 8-14-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes!
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

In this first-in-a-series book, a man is stabbed in the queue for the final night of a popular London theater production. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is on the case. Before he can figure out who did it, he must identify the victim, whose pockets contain no identification and a loaded gun. The case eventually takes Grant from London to the highlands of Scotland.

I was enjoying this book quite nicely until it got to the very end, which was quite implausible and came out of left field. The writing was good enough that I won't give up on the series. I've been told that this is, by far, not Tey's best book. Given the promise that much of the book showed, I look forward to reading some of Tey's more mature work.

The Man in the Queue is the only one of Tey's mysteries that I haven't loved. I don't even remember much about it. The rest are much better, in my opinion.

>99 cbl_tn: I'm getting that same sort of comment from people on my other challenge thread, so I'll definitely read more of Tey.

It's been a good week for reading. Not only did I finish the (rather short) Tey mystery, I also finished my audio book while weeding the garden this evening. And I'm very close to finishing the non-fiction book that I've been nibbling at for several weeks -- if not tonight, I'll probably finish it tomorrow.

75 Challenge Book #70
Title: When Will There Be Good News? AUDIO
Author: Kate Atkinson
Genre or subject information: odd mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series?: Jackson Brodie #3
Date finished: 8-14-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) No, library download
My Rating: not sure, probably safe 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

Atkinson's books are always so odd and offbeat. Seemingly disconnected and disparate threads appear, then slowly weave together into a coherent story. I tend to think there's a little too much coincidence in them, but maybe that's just me.

This one involves (among other things) a train wreck, an orphan, a woman whose family was massacred when she was a child, a murderer just released from prison, and Jackson Brodie all tangled up in a fine mess. I found parts of it a bit tedious, parts LOL funny, and parts quite poignant. There are plenty of surprises, right up to the end.

That sounds uplifting :P

So how are things with you? No visiting threads time here... still working every hour we're open.
There may be some brief flash of light at the end of the month, with the holiday coming. Do you have any plans? ( I'm going to lock myself in the house and not go out. I hope

Kath, I cannot imagine having to work every hour the library is open. :( That is utterly ridiculous. We are in a quiet time at the library. Summer reading program is over, Story Hour doesn't start up again until October. Everyone (especially the reading program / story hour leader) taking a deep breath.

We got new chairs at our library and I thought of you and your one wretched chair where you work . . .

I have chair envy

Well.. I am scheduled every hour it's open again this week. I think if they follow through with extending hours I will go to pieces. I am so weary I could .. well, fall apart.

Hi Terri! I've read book 3 of the Ceepak series and look forward to the 4th. I liked the 3rd Brodie a bit more than you and I am looking forward to the next one, whenever that comes out.

>104 mckait: Kath, that scheduling is absolutely ridiculous for someone who took the job as a part-timer . . . I don't understand how they can do that to you.

>105 msf59: Hi, Mark! I didn't not like the Brodie, just found it odd -- that's her style. There's been a 4th in the Brodie series for a while, Started Early, Took My Dog, according to the series list here on LT. I do plan to read it.

Title: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
Author: Oliver Sacks
Genre or subject information: non-fiction, about music and the brain
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 8/16/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

I learned a lot about music and the brain in this book by neurologist Oliver Sacks. There were fascinating stories of people and their experiences with music. Some were distinctly odd -- the man who was struck by lightning and suddenly became obsessed with music. Some were promising, as in the stories of Alzheimers patients who respond to music and people stricken with aphasia who learn to talk again via music therapy when nothing else works.

There were times when the medical explanations got a wee bit technical for me and made it slower going, but even then the stories of the people were there to draw me along.

>79 tymfos:: Oh Terri, what a sweet picture of your son. Just look at that when his attitude turns toward the surly side and know that "this too shall pass".

>107 tymfos:: Terri, I generally like Oliver Sacks' take on the world inside our heads and bodies. I might just have to take a look at this one. I remember how my mother who had Alzheimer's related to her guitar therapist. He was a volunteer and used his talents for good. It was a relief to see the calming effect his music had on her.

I hope you and your family are having a blessed Sunday!

Judy, we laughingly dubbed that photo @ >79 tymfos: "The Road Warrior." He was all outfitted up in his traveling duds, and that's how he looked when we got home.

I, too, have seen music's healing power first-hand. We found a music therapist for our son shortly after he was diagnosed with autism. She did wonders with him, and we were very sad when she closed her practice due to family issues (she and her husband had adopted a brood of special-needs kids). We couldn't find another music therpaist in our area.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

>79 tymfos: I can just hear little baby snores from here.

Terri, I know you are an avid reader of series and I have just opened the September Series and Sequels thread for advance planning.

Here's the link: September Series and Sequels

Hope to see you there.

>110 Morphidae: LOL, Morphy! :)

>111 DeltaQueen50: Starred and I'm looking forward to it!

... so, do you have any opening there? how bad is the commute

>113 mckait: At our library? No openings now that I know of. Commute would be a bit long for you anyway. You definitely wouldn't be walking to work. :) Would be pretty cool to have you as a co-worker though, Kath.

Thank you for saying that, my friend....

You're welcome!

Hello, folks. We were away for a few days for a family vacation in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The weather wasn't very cooperative, but we still had a nice time. And I got some reading done!

75 Challenge Book #72
Title: The Ghost Writer
Author: Philip Roth
Genre or subject information: literary fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1979
Series?: Zuckerman Bound #1
Date finished: 8-19-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes
My Rating: no comment
Notes:

I’m sure this was well done, but it wasn't my cup of tea. It was divided into parts. The first part I found a bit tedious; the second started to draw my interest. Then the third part was weird and confusing. The final section made clearer what the third part had really been about, but the whole thing was odd. Too clever, and odd.

75 Challenge Book #73
Title: Track of the Cat e-book
Author: Nevada Barr
Genre or subject information: mystery featuring National Park Ranger
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1993
Series?: Anna Pigeon #1
Date finished: 8-20 -14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) No, library download
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

A ranger is found dead in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, supposedly from a cougar kill. Was a big cat really responsible? Park ranger Anna Pigeon has her suspicions, especially as further “accidents” occur on park land. As a park ranger, Anna actually has law enforcement powers but, in this first installment in the series, is so new to dealing with major crime that she came across almost like an amateur investigator. I enjoyed this, and look forward to continuing this series.

Since we were visiting a National Park this week (in our case, Shennandoah) it was especially fun learning a bit about the National Park Service while following ranger Anna's adventure.
 
75 Challenge Book #74
Title: Summer People e-book
Author: Aaron Stander
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008? There is some confusion as to date of original publication of original edition.
Series?: Ray Elkins #1 (according to Amazon & LT; FictFact has a different order for series)
Date finished: 8-23-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) No
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

Too many people are dying in Sheriff Ray Elkins’ county in Michigan. The deaths among the “summer people” – all in the same age group, all male, and some of whom clearly knew each other – draw his suspicions, even though only one is obviously a murder.

This is a book where the reader knows more than the protagonist. It’s also not a book where things are neatly tied up in a bow at the end. It does provide a bit of food for thought. I liked the character of the sheriff. He's not your stereotypical rural sheriff at all, and I think he could develop into a really interesting guy. I found some of the supporting characters shallow and stereotyped There were some hints at political commentary but it wasn't too blatant (or at least it fit the characters who had opinions).

This was a Kindle freebie. There were some typo/grammar errors (“then” for “than,” for instance) but for the most party it was decently edited. There were some parts that felt awkward for reasons I can’t quite define.

I picked up Summer People as a Kindle freebie, too. Seems like it'll be worthwhile. Than/then will make me nuts, though.

It wasn't really special, but it was an OK read. A few of the lesser characters really grated on me as too stereotyped. I liked the setting and the protagonist -- he definitely is not the stereotypical rural sheriff. There were times when the flow of the writing didn't feel quite right somehow, but the plot was rather clever.

I have a few more of the series, but am missing the next one. (Or I think it's the next one, depending on whose info you use as to series order.) I like to read series in order, but am debating skipping to the next one I have to see if the writing matures a bit later in the series.

I visited two bookstores while in Virginia. One was the Royal Oak Bookstore in Front Royal. The other was Bank Street Books in Luray. I added a few more items to my bookshelves.

Well, travel and books, too ? That makes for a nice pre school getaway. The books all look good. I keep wanting to read Nevada Barr. I even have one or maybe two sitting here, but you know how that is.

Is it first day of school there yet?

Tomorrow is the first day, Kath. My son is eager to be back, but he refused to do any but the most rudimentary school shopping. No new backpack (all the ones in the stores were made in China, and apparently he's developed an awareness of the human rights issues there) and no new clothes. What he has is fine. He bought paper and pencils and will get new notebooks after he sees what best meets the needs of his classes. Sensible boy.

Sig was so happy to have us back after our absence! We had a friend coming in to tend to him who enjoyed playing with him, but he missed us and is totally getting underfoot.

I work noon to closing at the library today.

Oh, I bought some books earlier this month, too, that I think I forgot to mention. I stumbled on a couple of library sales.

Hi Terri, I like the Library Lovers series from Jenn McKinlay, probably even more so than her cupcake mystery series. I hope you'll like it, too.

I've read a couple of Nevada Barr mysteries over the years but would like to start them in order, starting with Track of the Cat. I met her once at a signing, years ago. Quite interesting.

Your late summer get-away sounds wonderful, Terri, especially the book shopping part. I am very slowly working my way through Nevada Barr, but have only got two under my belt so far. I see you picked up a Benjamin Black whose Quirke series is another one that I have failed to return to. I should be finished my Category Challenge in October so I am hoping to dedicate November as a catch up month and then December will be for free reading.

>117 tymfos: I love books set in the National Park System, but I have to admit that I really do prefer some of Barr's books to others. Some of the places in the park system are small pieces of property in large cities. Those settings usually don't work as well for me as the ones that are "in the wild."

>124 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda! Maybe I'll read that first Library Lovers book for September's MysteryCAT. I just checked the second book of the Nevada Barr series out from the library.

>125 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I have the first of that Quirke series on my shelf, and am trusting that I'll like it enough to continue. I got the later book in the series for only $1, so it wasn't much of a gamble.

>126 thornton37814: I think I'd like the wilderness park stories more, Lori, except if they have one set in a city I've lived in.

oooo! Ghosts of Gettysburg - sounds very interesting. I loved visiting that place. It felt so sacred. I could just "feel" the spirits everywhere. I bet those books will be good.

I missed the annual book sale in town while I was vacationing last week. It's small, but I did want to go - of course. Ah well. I have to wait for next year now. I did pick up a few goodies in Canada though.

And there is no doubt in my mind that Sig missed you dearly while you were away. You truly are a terrific cat mom! Is he starting to calm down a bit?

>128 -Cee-: He's calming down a bit, Cee. He never gets very sedate . . . ;-) As I type, he's clambering into my desk wastepaper basket.

Gettysburg is a favorite place of mine.

I'm sorry you didn't have better weather for your vacation, but it looks like you got some good reading in, at least, and a trip to the bookshop!
Happy first day to your son today, too (Charlie starts a week from today)!

>130 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! Best wishes to Charlie next week!

Well, my son is off to his first day of his Senior Year. I cannot believe that he's already a Senior! How about it, I finished my 75th book the same morning.

I couldn't sleep last night, so I finished reading my latest cozy in the wee hours of this morning:

75 Challenge Book #75
Title: Triple Witch
Author: Sarah Graves
Genre or subject information: cozy set in Maine
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1999
Series?: Home Repair is Homicide (or Mainely Murder) #2
Date finished: 8-26-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) Yes!
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

First, be advised that there is NO witchcraft in Triple Witch, just as there were no deceased felines in the preceding volume in the series, Dead Cat Bounce. Both titles are actually financial terms. Triple Witch is defined on the back cover as "The expiration of three different kinds of stock options, all on the same day." And in the story, it's the name of a fancy boat.

Jacobia Tiptree was a Wall Street hotshot who got sick of that life and moved to an antique house in Eastport, Maine, which she is perpetually fixing up. Somehow, she manages to get involved in local crime fighting along the way. I like that she doesn't do too many Really Stupid Things in the process, though she does a few. She actually gets along well with the local law enforcement officer. The characters -- even minor ones -- are deftly portrayed, and the setting shines brilliantly through. (The author actually resides -- or resided at time of publication anyway -- in Eastport.)

In this installment, the town "bad boy" is found murdered, and he's only the first in the body count. It's a crime wave the likes of which Eastport has never seen before, and Jacobia and her friend Ellie are determined to help get to the bottom of it all.

When I read the first book in the series, I wasn't all that impressed, and wasn't sure I'd continue. But this book inexpensively fell into my possession a while back, and I'm glad I finally got to it. I really enjoyed this one. Oh, sure, it's not "great literature," but it was a fun, well-written cozy that had me smiling and occasionally laughing out loud with its wry humor while still gently touching on some serious issues.

Sig will settle down one day, but he will still surprise you with goofy stunts, while mostly just loving you and being a big cuddle ball of fur...

oh kitties. I wish I could just sit here in my reading chair with kitties piled on my lap 24/7.
So much better than the world on the other side of the door

>132 mckait: Sorry life out there "on the other side of the door" has been so rough lately, Kath.

Congrats on 75!!

Thanks, Amber!

Hi Terri! Congrats on reaching 75! I've read one of the Sarah Graves books, but it was years ago. I may try them again at some point.

Yay! 75 already! Congrats!

I'm wondering if I will make it this year? maybe.

>136 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie! This one was really fun.

>137 -Cee-: Thanks, Cee! You go, girl! You can do it! (But if you don't, that's OK too!)

Congrats!

Thanks, Jim!

Drat! I've managed to start two novels -- one e-book and one hard-copy -- with related subject matter. Both deal in one way or another with displaced children in Appalachia. I started reading the e-book Then Like the Blind Man while we were on vacation, and have been nibbling at it. Then I picked up my copy of Wiley Cash's This Dark Road to Mercy just to look at it, and wound up getting caught up in it. Then Like the Blind Man is about a boy whose mother and stepfather drop him off and leave him with grandparents in Kentucky as they are in the process of moving to Florida, and it at least seems ambiguous when they'll want him back. This Dark Road to Mercy is about two sisters in North Carolina whose mother has died, and whose father hasn't much been in the picture until he shows up one day at the children's home where they are residents.

I usually try to keep books I'm reading concurrently quite different from one another in style, genre, and subject matter to avoid confusion. But I'm well into the e-book, and I'm really drawn into the Cash novel. They are set in different eras, and one is about a boy and the other about two girls, and the plots look like they will develop in very different directions, so I'm going to plow ahead.

But right now, I have to finish getting ready to go to work . . .

Hi Terri, congrats on reaching

Thank you! Cool graphic!

I wish we could have a good sit down with coffee. And pie.
So much to tell.

Kath -- maybe we could work something like that out if there's a Tuesday you don't work?

hmmmmm I will check on that. I think I am off all tuesdays till the last week of Sept.
That would be great!

I have to work the first Tues. but I'm usually off work Tuesdays. But I need to get home by 3

LT meet-up! :-)

sounds like we should do this!

Let's see what we can work out.

75 Challenge Book #76
Title: Dr. Mutter's Marvels
Author: Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
Genre or subject information: biography of pioneering surgeon
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2014
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 8/28/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014 or ER book) YES (ER book)
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Notes:

In the mid-19th century, the city of Philadelphia was the great medical mecca of the United States. Dr Mutter’s Marvels is the story of Thomas Dent Mutter, a pioneering surgeon who spent most of his career in that City of Brotherly Love. Mutter was a trailblazer, expecially in the field of plastic surgery. Nowadays, we often think of that specialty in terms of nose jobs and tummy tucks, but Mutter’s expertise was in correcting the deformities of those whose appearance caused them to be labeled “monsters” by society of the day. People with congenital deformities and those (often women) hideously scarred by fire flocked to him for surgical techniques that he created and which are still in use today. He was also an early champion of the use of anesthesia and antiseptic practices.

Dr. Mutter’s Marvels is an engaging and informative account of the man’s life and career, and a fascinating look into the practice and politics of medicine in mid-19th-century Philadelphia. Author Christin O’Keefe Aptowicz skillfully portrays how Mutter helped to change the medical field forever amidst professional infighting which threatened to stall progress. She also looks at how, in his final days, Mutter made sure his personal collection of medical oddities and teaching tools would live on beyond him, through the establishment of Philadelphia’s Mutter Museum, administered by the Philadelphia College of Physicians.

This was a carefully researched and well-written book, one that I found utterly fascinating.

75 Challenge Book #77
Title: The Chardonnay Charade
Author: Ellen Crosby
Genre or subject information: cozy mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Series?: Wine Country Mysteries, #2
Date finished: 8-28-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) no, library download
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

I decided to listen to this because we were in part of Virginia's wine country on vacation. (We were on the other side of the Blue Ridge from where this book takes place.)

This was a decent mystery.

Congrats on hitting 75, Terri! Hooray! Dr. Mutter's Marvels sounds terrific. Have a great weekend.

Lets keep in touch and lets see if we can meet? The last week of the month is out for me.

Congrats on reaching and surpassing 75. Dr. Mutter's Marvels looks interesting.

Congrats on 75 (and More)!

Thanks!

Hi Terri, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

>155 Ameise1: Thank you for the lovely graphic!

Big thank you to Mark, Meg, and Lori for visiting with congrats.

I've just become aware of some stuff going on behind the scenes at our library that has me spitting mad. I should be enjoying my long weekend away from library work, but instead I'm stewing.

I've been there something like ten years, and there have been more changes in the past 2 or 3 years than in all that time put together. Perhaps I'm getting too old to accept and adapt.

Kath, about that meet-up . . . maybe we can swap horror stories?

Sounds good to me. Venting might help!

>158 tymfos: Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. It is amazing how revelations of the stuff going on behind the scenes at work can press our buttons. Venting sounds like it would be healthy.

Terri, Dr. Mutter sounds like a must-read. Someone else was recently touting its virtues…I think it was kidzdoc (Darryl). Looks like another one for the wish list. I'm glad you have other librarians on LT to talk with when things happen behind the scenes. Workplace issues are no fun. Glad you have another full day to just hang out and forget about work…if you can...

Congrats!

Hi Terri, congrats on reaching 75 books!!

Congratulations on surpassing the 75 mark, Terri!

Congrats on finishing 75 reads, Terri!

>159 mckait: Maybe, Kath.

>160 Familyhistorian: Meg, I'm not sure I quite understand what is going on, but what I've heard concerns me. I don't see a direct impact upon me at this time, except to sour my attitude.

>161 Donna828: Today was a good, quiet day, Donna. And Dr. Mutter's Marvels was really great. Now I need to write that review.

>162 drneutron: >163 lindapanzo: >164 DeltaQueen50: >165 lkernagh: Thanks, Jim, Linda, Judy and Lori!

I'm in the unusual position of having two non-fiction books in progress and wanting to start a third. I was reading Cat Talk. Then I looked at An Unquiet Mind to see if I wanted to do it for the mental health/suicide awareness thread, and wound up reading half of it already. But I also want to start my annual 9/11-related read. This year I'm planning to read City of Dust about the health issues that responders & clean-up workers at ground zero have suffered as a result of the environmental hazards to which they were exposed.

I think I may quit my audio book, The Troubled Man. It's a good enough book, but I got distracted away from it and now the library loan is up.

Hi Terri-Well, you have managed to draw me in on several of your book reviews, but the two on top are Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain and Darkside. Hope your son enjoys the start of school. My son had to buy some new clothes as he grew a bit over the summer and nothing fit, but like you, we bought the minimum paper supplies until he sees what's what. See ya!

As for my working itl 7..... she told me last week that she was not happy to be working tues and thurs. even though she said evenings and saturdays were easier for her. I was waiting for it. . . and tada!

I dare not look at blue text anywhere. I have a pile of vine books. My month was so crazy last month that I never even looked at the LTERs This month promises to ramp up.....

>168 Berly: Yes, I can see you enjoying those two books, Kim. My son is a bit moodier for the start of this year . . . a bit of senioritis? Teen hormones? I see some of his coursework really challenging him this year, but he also has plenty of Learning Support built into his schedule.

>169 mckait: Your hours sound deadly, especially for someone who only signed up for a part-time job, Kath. I owe a review for a book I finished and loved but can't seem to put words together adequately right now for a review. I'll get there. The previous three ER books I won never showed up. That is really weird.

OK, today started out rough at work, but there was a bit of air-clearing and things seem much better. I actually feel pretty good about things right now.

I am "hostess" for a women's group meeting tonight at church. I've gathered food and decorations and matching plates, and hope my preparations will be adequate.

"I owe a review for a book I finished and loved but can't seem to put words together adequately right now for a review." I'm having that problem with the last ER book I finished, and I have four more waiting in the wings to be read (well, two on board, and two more which haven't arrived yet.) Did that stop me from requesting one from the new batch that just went up? Noooo....

>171 laytonwoman3rd: The odd thing is that I wrote very quickly about the latest book I read:

75 Challenge Book #78
Title: An Unquiet Mind
Author: Kay Redfield Jamison
Genre or subject information: memoir of a Professor of Psychiatry who has manic/depression (she prefers that term to "bipolar")
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1995
Series?: na/
Date finished: 9/2/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) YES
My Rating: 4.8 stars
Notes:

Wow, what a powerful book! I haven't been doing very well with reading non-fiction this year, but I sailed through this one. Jamison recounts her struggle with full-fledged manic depression (she feels that term is more accurate than "bipolar"). After milder bouts in her youth, it hit full-force to the point of psychosis as she was beginning her career as an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA. Largely as a result of her illness, she has made moods her field of expert study. She boldly wrote this memoir at a time when people in her kind of position almost universally kept such disorders very hush-hush, for fear of losing medical practicing privileges, so this was a ground-breaking memoir.

She honestly recounts her struggle in accepting the need for medication (and her lack of compliance early in her illness, along with its disastrous results). She also tells the tragic tales of several patients who never reconciled to their need for lithium, with eventually fatal results. Compliance with medication is one of the areas on which she has especially focused in her research and practice. She believes both medication AND psychotherapy are absolutely essential to deal with the disorder and its effects on the lives of those who have it.

Honestly, reading what she's accomplished, I get tired thinking about the amount of work she's managed to do. I have a little hard time understanding how she pulled it all off while battling such a severe case of manic depression, which actually sparked a suicide attempt. But apparently she did, as she's considered an authority and still teaches and practices medicine, now at Johns Hopkins -- a pretty respectable place to work. She's obviously a very intelligent and motivated woman, and I'm very glad she was willing to pen her perspective into a riveting book.

>172 tymfos: Oh, that's always the way....either the review is composing itself before I've finished the book, or I struggle to put it together.

Oh, a piece of good news: I snagged the new Louise Penny novel as soon as it was ready to circulate, and started it on my lunch break.

>173 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, we cross-posted. Yes, that's just the way it works for me.

So I started the new Louise Penny book, and I was reading the latest Wiley Cash, and now I get a call that the new Cork O'Connor mystery that I had on hold has come back. (sigh) I told her to take the hold off and let someone else have it. I'll catch it later.

I'm just not getting into my e-book, Then Like the Blind Man. The writing just isn't singing to me. As for my Mankell audio, it looks like I may be able to renew it.

Hi Terri,
Let me recommend a 9/11 book for you - and there's a cat in it!
If you haven't already read it, try Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper.

I find some of my ER books don't make it either. There are lots of reasons I suppose, but it is disappointing.

Hooray for the Louise Penny book!

>176 tymfos: Thanks for the rec, Cee. But I have City of Dust on my shelf, so I'll probably stick with it this time around. Maybe I'll do Homer's Odyssey another year.

75 Challenge Book #79
Title: The Long Way Home
Author: Louise Penny
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2014
Series?: Inspector Gamache
Date finished: 9/8/14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) No, library book
My Rating: 4.8 stars
Notes:

Wow. This was some book. Objectively speaking, one has to note that Penny has the oddest killers, ways of killing, motives for killing. But this one really worked on an emotional level. And that was a big theme in the book, getting beyond the objective and coldly rational way of looking/doing/being and in touch with one's heart.

Clara Morrow expected her estranged husband Peter to arrive on the anniversary of his departure to decide what would become of their marriage. When he doesn't show, she eventually draws retired Inspector Gamache (who now lives in Three Pines village) into her concern. The hunt for Peter is about art and heart and madness, and takes the reader on a wild ride along the St. Lawrence River.

I love that we see a bit more of Ruth Zardo, different aspects of her personality.

Hmmmm..... I have some catching up to do!

Good review :-)

Terri...great review of a spectacular book. It's often hard to give an idea of what to expect without spoilers and you did a terrific job. I'd thumb it if the review were attached to the book (hint hint).

As I just posted (and lost) . . .

>180 -Cee-: Hi, Cee! Thanks!

>181 tututhefirst: Hi, Tina! Thanks, maybe I'll get it posted there sooner or later . . .

Every September, I remember the events of 9/11 by reading a book in some way related to the catastrophe that day. This year, it is this book about the long-term health effects upon rescue/recovery workers and others at Ground Zero.

OK, I give up. I post, the post appears then disappears, then I make another post, and the previous post shows up and the last post I made doesn't. What is going on here????????? Is anyone else finding LT to be finicky about posts tonight?

I'm reading the new Louise Penny right now. Loving it.

Hi, Linda! Glad you're loving it.

I don't know whether to delete my more-or-less duplicate posts or leave them there as a monument to modern technology. :-} I guess I'll delete them.

No reading yet today. Last month I read so much, but we're almost halfway through September and I've only finished two books. I managed to get a renewal on my audio, The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell, and now have really gotten into it, but have had limited audio-listening time. I can't seem to get into my e-book, Then Like the Blind Man. I may abandon it, or at least officially suspend reading it (since I've "unofficially" stopped already. . .)

I've made good progress on my 9/11 read, City of Dust. I'm liking my fiction (non-e) book, This Dark Road to Mercy, but put it aside for first the Louise Penny and then the 9/11 book. And I have one week to read the novel The Kitchen House for our real-life book discussion group at the library. I'm feeling rather at loose ends reading-wise.

Work was OK today. Tonight my husband took our son to the HS football game, and I stayed home and baked cookies for a church bake sale.

Terri, I wish you a lovely weekend.

<177 Thanks! How lovely!

I've finally posted my review of Dr. Mutter's Marvels, one of the best ER books I've had the pleasure to review in my time on LT.

https://www.librarything.com/work/15103744/reviews/111503305

I got my shirt out of the drawer, and Sig went diving in and made himself at home . . .

>191 tymfos: Love that Sig!

>192 cbl_tn: Sig is so much fun! He knows the little chest where we keep the toys that dangle from strings, and he's not shy about letting us know when he wants us to play with him. He also likes to lie in the sunshine. Sometimes he does both at once:

>191 tymfos: - Cats and comfy, closed in spaces.... Love it! ;-)

>193 tymfos: - What a ham! Happy and content.

>193 tymfos: Awwwwww! What a sweetheart!

Hi Terri--I really have to get back to Three Pines. I have only read the first two. The good news is I know I have some good books waiting for me!

>194 lkernagh: He's a ham, all right, Lori!

>195 thornton37814: Ah, yes, Lori!

>196 Berly: You do indeed, Kim!

I finally finished another book:

75 Challenge Book #80
Title: This Dark Road to Mercy
Author: Wiley Cash
Genre or subject information: literary suspense?
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2014
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 9-14-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014 or ER) no, newly purchased
My Rating: 3.75 stars
Notes:

After the death of their mother, Easter and Ruby are living in a home for at-risk youth when their long-absent father, an ex-minor-league baseball player, shows up. Wade had surrendered parental rights, but now that the girls' mother is dead, he is having second thoughts. When a foolish act places both his own life and his daughters' lives in danger, he decides to take drastic action.

Like Cash's previous novel, A Land More Kind Than Home, the story is told from three alternating viewpoints. This time the characters are Easter; the court-appointed guardian Brady Weller, an ex-cop with a sad history of his own; and the evil Pruitt, who is the threat to Wade and his daughters' safety. The entire story is set against the background of Mark McGwire's and Sammy Sosa's 1998 race to break the single-season home-run record.

I didn't like this as much as A Land More Kind Than Home, but it was pretty good. It took me a while to get into it; however, in the end, I was drawn along and needed to see how it all turned out.

Nice photos of Sig, Terri.
I haven't read anything by Wiley Cash and I'm not sure I'll squuze another series out of that one.

Hi, Paul! Cash has only written stand-alone novels so far. I've edited the review wording that may have misled you on this point.

>197 tymfos: Sounds like there may be a bit of the "sophomore jinx" going on with that one? I really enjoyed A Land More Kind Than Home, which I just finished last week. I hope Cash has a lot more stories in him, because I like his style a lot.

That Sig...gotta love 'im! Molly's the same way about play-time. Her string toy lives in my desk drawer, and along about 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. she starts agitating for me to get it out. We always have a little fun with it before bedtime.

Let's see, looks like I haven't posted here since Monday. It's been busy but nothing much is happening. My reading has slowed to a crawl.

>200 laytonwoman3rd: Gotta love those fur kids, Linda!

I really should get a new thread going. Maybe this weekend . . . or Tuesday for the start of Fall?

Sig's photos are adorable. It's interesting how cats follow the sun and know where and when the sunny spots are available for napping.

Popping in to say Hi! Reading is also very slow at my end. Another week of back-to-school stuff and then it should be easier. Nice review!

Love the Sig pics, especially the one in the drawer. It makes me giggle. It looks professional. The color scheme is amazing.

Arrr! I don't feel like talking like a pirate for Intl. Talke LIke a Pirate Day . . .

>202 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne! Yes, Sig can always find the sunny spots.

>203 Berly: Hi, Kim! Hope we both get more time for reading soon.

>204 Morphidae: Morphy, it was just a lucky spur-of-the-moment camera shot.

I finished my book for tomorrow's book discussion group.

75 Challenge Book #81
Title: The Kitchen House
Author: Kathleen Grissom
Genre or subject information: fiction, about life on a plantation
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 9-19-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) no
My Rating: unsure
Notes:

This story takes place on an isolated plantation in Virginia at the end of the 18th through the beginning of the 19th century. It is narrated, alternately, by two characters. Livinia is an Irish orphan whose parents perished on the ocean voyage to the U.S. She is an indentured servant of the household. Belle is a slave who is actually a daughter of the plantation owner.

This story is full of secrets and misunderstandings that help to bring about tragedy. It's also about isolation and trying to belong. Livinia is very much in an in-between world. Being white sets her apart from the household slaves; being an indentured servant sets her apart from the family she serves.

I'm not going to rate this one. I'm sure it was good, but it wasn't what I was in the mood to read right now, so I'm sure I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. There were times I felt rather manipulated, but it did eventually pull me into the story.

I only gave The Kitchen House 3 stars when I read it. Parts of the story worked for me but others didn't. I listened to an audiobook and dipping in and out of the story didn't help matters. Overall, it came across, for me, as something put together rather piecemeal, with a somewhat confusing result.

I remember that I tried The Kitchen House and Pearl-ruled it, but I don't remember why. Given that the subject matter still sounds good to me, it was probably the writing style that didn't work for me.

>207 lkernagh: Lori, I got the feeling that it wouldn't have worked for me on audio; also, the folks who read it straight through barely putting it down seemed to fare better than those of us who dipped in and out of the story.

>208 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, for me, the hardest thing was the sense of non-stop train wreck -- it just seemed like so many bad things were happening piled one on top of the other. Given the subject matter, I guess that was to be expected, but I wasn't really up to dealing with it. If it hadn't been for a book discussion, I might well have abandoned it, or at least postponed it.

75 Challenge Book #82
Title: Cat Talk
Author: Carole C. Wilbourne, Cat Therapist
Genre or subject information: non-fiction guide to domestic feline psychology!
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1979, re-issued 1991
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 9-22-14
ROOT? (owned before 2014) No, used book recently purchased
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

This relatively short (166 pages plus index) book is by a self-taught, self-declared Cat Therapist. She claims to have been the first in her field.

(I pause to chase my cat Sig off the stove, where he definitely DOESN'T belong and is NOT allowed to be.)

OK she's a cat therapist. She's had lots of cats, and her hubby was a veterinarian, and she helped him with the mental part of tending troubled kitties at The Cat Practice in NY City.

(I pause to ask my cat to please stop scratching at my butt while I'm sitting at the desk.)

Some of what she says is common sense, some seems at least plausible, some seems a bit implausible.

(I pause to watch Sig dragging a shoe over to his food dish.)

There are lots of stories about lots of felines: friendly, fiendish, fearless, fearful, fluffy, feral, you name it.

(Do you think my cat needs a therapist?)

Her advice for introducing a second kitty into the home as a companion to an only kitty seems to make sense, and I'm studying that part especially.

(Another cat? Maybe I'm the one who needs a therapist . . . ;-)

We're over 2/3 of the way through September, and I've only read five books this month. The first one was finished by the second day of the month, and the last one was pretty short. I would have read even less, but I pushed myself to finish the one novel for our discussion group.

For me, this isn't a good reading month at all, though I really enjoyed the first three books I finished for September.

Today was the first day my son had to stay after school for "remediation sessions" because he did not get a "proficient" score on his Keystone Exams, already required for graduation in our district even though (as I understand it) the state doesn't require passing them to graduate for several more years. Three days a week, he will be at school until 5:45 p.m. (that's after an 8 a.m. start to the school day) and there are Saturday sessions, too. LOOOONG days for him.

I hate all this emphasis on standardized tests.

>210 tymfos: Best. review. ever. And no...I don't think you need a therapist. I'm not sure you need another cat, either, but that's up to you!

>212 laytonwoman3rd: LOL, thanks Linda! That was a fun one to write.

I am now cooking. I have the makings of chicken stock and pizza sauce going on the stove. I was given a surplus of tomatoes, so the big pot of pizza sauce will be divided up and frozen for use on future pizzas. The stock will turn into soup -- some of that may wind up frozen, too, as I also have a surplus of spaghetti sauce to deal with . . . feast or famine . . .

I think I am going to try to get a new thread going for Fall. Wish me luck and give me a little time to get organized. I moved less stuff over onto this thread, and I missed having some of the stuff I left out, so the next thread will be a bit more complex to organize as I decide what to include.

I turned a box of tomatoes into spaghetti sauce over the weekend, and my freezer is now stocked. Of course it never lasts as long as I think it will, because it is such a temptation.

We do enjoy our spaghetti here, Linda.

OK, I've got the new thread ready and open for business:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/180810