fuzzi's Annual 75 Books Read or Bust Thread...Reading Beyond the Destination (Part 3)

I've met my goal of 75 books read with five months to go...how much farther can I go?

Here is my reading journal:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/162424#4416800

And my ticker:

#76 Firmin by Sam Savage

For me, Firmin was uneven. It started well, but got bogged down with never-ending soliloquies, picked up some with Firmin's change of residence, and finally slid down a maudlin slope.

Happy New Thread!

Woo! >4 scaifea: gets the 'FIRST POST' ribbon!

Ooh - can I get one for being second? ;0)

Congrats on meeting your 75!

>6 humouress: sure!

>7 countrylife: thank you! :)

:0D thanks

#77 Dial V.E.T. by Joyce Stranger

The weather has caused terrific troubles as we begin the fifth book of the Dr. Tim Yorke series. Aunt Dora is back, and with grandiose plans that will not be constrained. Even Dr. Fitz is infected by the prevalent enthusiasm.

I'm sorry this is the last book in the "Tim Yorke, Vet" series. I was hoping a couple loose ends might have been tied...

Congrats on 75!

>5 fuzzi: WooHoo!! Blue's my favorite, too!

That bait looks awfully tempting; maybe I will go and search out some Joyce Stranger. Maybe.

>14 humouress: if you want one, I will give you a recommendation: The Running Foxes.

The Running Foxes is a novel about the people and animal inhabitants of a fictional English community. You come to know the individuals from the Cumbrian fells area, their trials and successes, their families and their stock, but mostly about the relationship between the men and their hounds.

Think of this as sort of "All Creatures Great and Small", but from the perspective of the farmers, innkeepers and small holders of 1950s rural England.

This is a delightful book and was a joy to reread, as I had read it many years ago, shortly after it was published in the 1960s.

#78 The Flaxy Mare by Glenn Balch

First off, let me say that I've yet to read anything by this author that was sub-par or that I didn't want to finish. Glenn Balch knew horses, wild animals, and the environment in which they lived, and it shows in his writing. Nothing is unbelievable, everything is realistic without being graphic or gory. Balch's works are suitable for all ages.

Like other books by this author, The Flaxy Mare is about Idaho, cowboys, and horses, including the subject of the story, a wild horse. Flaxy is born in the wild, offspring of a wild mare with obvious Thoroughbred ancestry. At an early age the filly is cared for by a young cowboy, but soon finds herself on her own in the wilderness.

I enjoyed this book, although it's not the best book I've read by this author. It's entertaining, and possibly will be reread in the future, but I am not rushing out to buy the book. Recommended, especially for horse lovers and Glenn Balch aficionados .

#79 Frightful's Daughter by Jean Craighead George

I ordered this online, but did not realize it was a picture book until it arrived.

But a very nice picture book it is, aimed at young readers, but also enjoyable for adults who don't have issues with reading children's books. I'll keep it until I can regift it to an appropriate child...or adult.

#80 Those Who Love by Irving Stone

Superb.

The author notes that it took 4 1/2 years of research and writing to complete this biography of John and Abigail Adams, and it shows. But this story is never dry, stuffy, or boring. The Adams are real, fleshed-out, living and breathing people. Their love story is beautiful, enviable, not sappy, nor overly sweet.

If you want to read about true courage, determination, and drive...if you want to see true friendship, love, and lifelong commitment, find a copy of Those Who Love and a place to hide, until you're done reading. You won't want to put it down...I didn't!

Wow! That's a biography? Sounds really good.

#81 The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean

I have enjoyed watching the movie The Guns of Navarone on numerous occasions, but never read the original book, not until now.

And as much as I like the movie, I equally like the book, which is different from the film in many areas.

The author drew me into the story, immersed me deep within the players, and kept me turning page after page, even though technically I already knew the ending. I got lost, for a time, on a small island, some 70 years ago.

I am definitely going to try other books by this author.

#82 Wolf Brother by Jim Kjelgaard

This is the story of a young Apache, raised in the east, but driven to return to the West, to his people and their ways. I thought that the author did a good job portraying both sides of the Apache vs. US Army conflicts.

This is definitely worth a reread.

#83 The Enforcer by Jack Burbridge

Jack has a violent temper and a desire to "go his own way", and has been like that since he was a child.

As an adult "Happy Jack" becomes an "Enforcer", a thug who collects protection money for an organized crime syndicate. He takes pleasure in hurting people, stealing, and generally breaking every law on the books.

But then one day Jack meets a cop with a difference, and this Enforcer's life will never be the same.

I appreciated this story of the bad guy who has it all, yet one day realizes that he needs something more than life can give him...and turns from crime to God. The story wasn't contrived, but came across as honest and sincere.

#84 Henry and the Clubhouse by Beverly Cleary

Henry is excited at the prospect of building a clubhouse in his backyard. With the money he earns from his paper route, he hopes to buy a sleeping bag, and be able to stay overnight in the clubhouse once it is finished. However, Ramona the 5 year old who lives nearby keeps interfering with his plans, what can he do to keep her from bothering him?

Another fun read by Beverly Cleary.

#85 Stolen Pony by Glen Rounds

Last night I read this book. It is a simple story that lovers of horses, dogs, cowboys, and the like, should also enjoy. It is about a pretty pony that is stolen by horse thieves, but abandoned once it is discovered that the pony is blind. Assisted by his friend, a dog, the pony tries to find his way home. Cute story, I liked it.

#86 The High Divide by Lin Enger

With fifteen reviews already posted here on LibraryThing, I don't think another rehash of the plot of The High Divide is necessary.

So what else can I say about it?

I liked it.

It was actually a pretty good book, with a story that was interesting enough for me to want to finish, to see how everything turned out. It reminded me of other westerns that I have enjoyed reading.

#87 Duel for the Crown by Linda Carroll and David Rosner

I'm almost finished with this book, so I'll go ahead and review it.

This non-fiction work, about the rivalry between Affirmed and Alydar during their short racing careers, has been interesting and full of information about not only those two thoroughbreds, but the people surrounding them. As done with another recent read of mine, Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand, this story would pause for a flashback of information about a trainer, or a jockey, or owner. While the authors used this similar literary device to complete gaps in the narrative, I did not feel myself drawn in to the story, nor did I care about the characters as much as with the book about Seabiscuit. In the latter book, I wanted Red Pollard to overcome, but in this story I felt entirely neutral about Steve Cauthen. Too bad.

If you like sports history or horse racing, this book will give you a tremendous amount of information in a non-boring method. I do recommend it, but will probably not read it again.

Addendum: I figured out what is missing from this book...heart!!

#88 Living Beyond Terrorism by Zieva Lynn Dauber Konvisser

I did appreciate the testimonies by survivors of terrorist acts, but found the writing style uncomfortable: it does not flow like a literary book. As another reviewer pointed out, this is a dissertation, and reads much like one. It is still worth reading.

#89 Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary

We're back with Henry Huggins, Beezus, her little sister Ramona, and Ribsy. Henry wants a bicycle, and keeps trying different schemes to earn enough money to buy one. Beezus tries to help, but surprisingly, it's 4 year old Ramona the Pest that helps the most!

Fun read, good for all ages.

#90 Coyote Song by Jim Kjelgaard

This is one of the author's "swan songs", completed and/or published after his early death in 1959. While much of his later works don't appeal to me as much as his earlier Big Red series, this stand-alone book was enjoyable to read.

Hairy Gunston is the head guard at the Coyotito Prison Camp, somewhere in the middle of the desert in the southwestern US. With his two dogs, Turkey the bloodhound, and Diablo, a vicious crossbreed, he keeps most of the prisoners from even thinking about escape attempts. Living nearby in his adobe hut is Joe Watson, a native American. Joe lives off the precious gems he collects to sell to tourists, but when Joe comes across a small pocket of gold, Hairy finds out about it and plans to make it his own, getting rid of Joe in the process.

Interwoven with this story is the lives of two coyotes in the vicinity, Dusty and his mate, Nan. It's not a heavy-handed account, nor as brutally honest as other authors such as Rutherford Montgomery or Thomas C. Hinkle, but it isn't fluff either. I liked the more "adult" theme in this story, with the humans and their desires contrasting with the wildlife that kills only to eat, not for monetary gain.

Good read, will be a reread in the future for me, I am sure.

#91 Fanny Crosby: the Hymn Writer by Bernard Ruffin

An uneven but informative biography about a woman who, though blind from infancy, wrote thousands of poems, many of which were put to music. She is still beloved for her tireless contributions to Christian and secular music. This work is not a bad read, but it could have used some more editing.

#92 Maggie By My Side by Beverly Butler

This was a pleasant little book about the author's experiences with a new guide dog, Maggie.

#93 A Nose for Trouble by Jim Kjelgaard

After a five year absence, Tom arrives back in his old mountain town, intent on just catching up, not staying long. After acquiring a horse, and being adopted by a half Bloodhound named Smokey, things get interesting...

Someone is decimating wildlife populations, and it's up to Tom and Smokey to "read the signs" in order to catch the perpetrators. Good, above average read by this author.

#94 The Baron's Honourable Daughter by Lynn Morris (An Early Reviewer book)

I've not read anything from this author, before, although I've ready many Regency romance-type books. Some were good, some were awful, but this book is in the first category.

Valeria is the step-daughter of an inattentive man. When he dies suddenly, her mother is unable to cope, and Valeria has to take charge of the affairs of the household, despite being only eighteen. A distant cousin of her step-father arrives to assist in any way he can, and sparks of dislike and attraction fly.

I wasn't sure if I would like this story, as I'm rather choosy when it comes to Regency, preferring Marion Chesney's works to those of most other authors. However, after I "got into" this book, I found myself enjoying it. The author gives enough information about the times, the settings, the furniture, etc. but without overdoing it: she appears to understand the period very well but doesn't overwhelm the reader with her knowledge. The characters were fairly well developed, and I found myself appreciating them for their individual characteristics.

Definitely worth a read, and possibly a reread.

Third quarter best reads:

Those Who Love by Irving Stone

QB VII by Leon Uris

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card

The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean

Maggie By My Side by Beverly Butler

Mikis and the Donkey by Bibi Dumon Tak (Early Reviewer book)

This one will make the fourth quarter's best books....

#95 A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

This is a superb account of the last hours of the Titanic. The author doesn't overwhelm the reader with facts, but succinctly tells of this tragedy through the eyes of the survivors. I found myself turning the pages eagerly, wanting to see how it ended, and who would survive. The stories of courage and self-sacrifice touched me. Excellent read, sobering.

#96 Little Vic by Doris Gates

This is the engaging story of Pony Rivers, a young man who wants to spend his life with horses, and the misunderstood racehorse that he follows from one owner to the next, across the country.

I loved this when I first read it, at age 10 or so, and enjoyed it again on a reread yesterday. This story of love, redemption, and acceptance is suitable for all ages. Recommended.

#97 Belles on Their Toes by Frank Gilbreth

This is a highly enjoyable continuation of Cheaper by the Dozen. It is the 1920's: the children are growing up, often without parental oversight, but yet managing to handle the family finances, as well as their siblings' defense from over-amorous boyfriends and schoolyard bullies.

The stories of the Gilbreth family brings to remembrance our own special holidays, squabbles with brothers or sisters, and situations when we joined ranks against outsiders.

Warning: this book may bring a certain wetness to the eye upon reflections of times past. It is fun and poignant, and a good read.

#98 Mrs. Coverlet's Magicians by Mary Nash

Housekeeper/nanny Mrs. Coverlet needs to leave her charges again, but she isn't going to allow Malcomb, Molly, and Theobold ("Toad") to be by themselves, so she asks nosy neighbor Miss Eva to watch the children for a week. But Miss Eva's ideas of diet and living conditions are opposite of what the children are used to, and when the Toad's cats are locked in the basement, something's gotta give.

I loved this book as a child, and it holds up well for an adult reading. Some of the aspects of the story are dated or totally unrealistic, but it's still all good fun in this "Home Alone" type story from 1961.

Hi fuzzi! Some interesting ones there.

*waving* at fuzzi

>39 humouress: >40 alcottacre: ::waves back::

What can I say? I like stories, good stories, whether aimed at adult, youth, children, ancestral, or modern readers. :)

#99 The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour, Volume 2: Frontier Stories

While I appreciate and enjoy the full-length novels by this author, in my opinion where he excelled was in the realm of short story writing. This collection contains many of his better tales, including those about Texas Ranger, Chick Bowdrie. If you're new to L'Amour's works, checking out this collection might be a good way to familiarize yourself with his brand of storytelling.

#100 The Black Fawn by Jim Kjelgaard

Bud arrives at the Bennett's farm scared, unsure, and worried for his future. What could this elderly couple want from him, and if he isn't able to work hard enough, will they send him back to the orphanage?

But then Bud stumbles upon a newborn black fawn, apparently motherless like himself, and draws courage for his uncertain future. As the months and years go by, it seems to Bud that whenever he is upset, he sees his black fawn, black stag, and derives peace from knowing it still lives.

This story had a sweetness not typical of other books by this author, and I enjoyed reading about Bud and his relationship with Gram and Gramps, his adoptive family.

I'm home today, recovering from an apparent URI/virus, so...

#101 Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein

This Early Reviewer book is the screenplay for my most favorite musical, one I have seen both in the 1972 movie version and once on stage. If you've enjoyed any production of Fiddler on the Roof, you should also enjoy reading this version of the screenplay.

I heard the music in my mind as I read the words, and found it much like seeing again this wonderful production of screen and stage. It was fun to read some of the dialogue that my ears never had deciphered, and even coming upon a musical number that I had not seen before.

Even if you are unfamiliar with the Broadway/Hollywood versions, you might appreciate reading a witty yet poignant story of tradition, change, loss, and gain. A keeper for my shelves!

#102 Red Fox by Charles G. D. Roberts

A thoroughly engaging story of a red fox in the Canadian wilds. Well-written, realistic, without being overly sentimental, this story should please lovers of nature. As ever in the wilds, death and danger are present in the lives of animals, but this author does not glorify the harsh reality of the north woods.

Tamer and kinder than similar books of its era (such as those written by Jack London), it is appropriate for youth or adult reading. Recommended.

#103 War Party by Louis L'Amour

War Party continues to be one of my favorite collections of short stories by this author. The story that gave this book its name was later expanded into Bendigo Shafter, in which one of the key characters is a strong and resourceful widow. "The Gift of Cochise" was eventually expanded into a full length story, Hondo, which is a good novel in itself but I prefer the simplicity of the shorter version. Even virtually unknown stories such as "One for the Pot", about a mail-order bride's role in a land war, remain my favorite "comfort reads", to be read and enjoyed over and over. If you want to see why some of us enjoy Louis L'Amour's books so much, this would be a good place to start reading.

#104 The Lone Winter by Anne Bosworth Greene

This was a delightful read, a journal by a woman who chose to spend an entire winter alone on her farm, set in the mountains of Vermont.

While I generally don't particularly enjoy "descriptive" literature (James Fenimore Cooper comes to mind), this work was fun to read, as the author described not only the beauty of the seasons, but the wildlife, the farm animals, and the mundane issues of her home as well.

She was an artist with her choice of words. Recommended.

#105 Bird Children: the Little Playmates of the Flower Children by Elizabeth Gordon and M.T. Ross

This is an amusing and quaint book of birds, or is it children dressed as birds? Each page has an illustration of a bird, with a short rhyme about it. For the young, or young-at-heart.

Thanks to @MarthaJeanne for the recommendation.

#106 Force 10 From Navarone by Alistair MacLean

This is a sequel to The Guns of Navarone, and includes part of the sabotage team in a new endeavor, on the Yugoslavian battlefront.

I enjoyed this follow-up, although not quite as much as I did the previous book. However, there's still plenty of action and plot twists to engage and entertain. Recommended.

*waving*

::waving back at @humouress::

#107 Wyoming Summer by Mary O'Hara

The author of perennial favorite My Friend Flicka tells us of one summer at her Wyoming ranch.

While the author relates events during this particular summer, it is not formatted as a daily journal. Amongst the routine of ranch life she interjects passages of her thoughts and dreams, of memories from times past, of childhood illnesses and visits to foreign places. Through it all, we read of her passion for music, her drive to create compositions worthy of publication. And we meet and grow fond of those in her life: the boys who spend time at the ranch for riding camp, the indigent men who are willing to labor until their need for liquor is too strong to resist, her military husband who has a soft spot for nature's beauty, and the non-human characters who live, and sometimes die, in the wilds of the American West.

I really liked this book, but need to meditate upon it some more before I read anything else.

#108 Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

On July 2, 2014, a World War II veteran died. On November 22, 2014 I finished reading about that veteran, Louis Zamperini, in Unbroken:, a wonderfully written story by Laura Hillenbrand (author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend). It was engrossing, riveting, enthralling, and more similar adjectives than I can recall here.

As I read this book, I was surprised, not necessarily by the thoroughness of the author's research, nor by the fantastic way she drew me in to this man's story, but by the detail of what Louis and other veterans endured during those days of infamy. I knew much of WWII, but not to the degree that was displayed here.

I can state with certainty that this will be one of the best reads for me in 2014. Well done Laura...and Louis!

#109 The Strong Shall Live by Louis L'Amour

This book is an above average collection of Louis L'Amour's short stories, each one an example of the will to survive against the odds. In one tale, an actor faces certain death in order to protect innocents, while in another story Jim Bostwick realizes that he can't possibly survive an encounter with a gunfighter, an encounter he can't find a way to avoid. Each story has a different scenario, without predictable results or typical characters.

This collection contains ten stories of people facing danger and death, with courage and determination, without backing down. I liked each and every one of these narratives.

#110 A Family of Foxes by Eilis Dillon

This is a charming story about a group of boys whose home is a small island off the coast of Ireland. The local population is fixated on superstition and myths, with an especial hatred and animosity aimed at foxes, mainly for the supposed magical powers the animals wield.

When the four young friends come across a pair of silver-furred foxes in the surf, survivors of an accident at sea, they plan to keep the foxes as long as they can, without breathing a word to anyone else. But how can they house, feed, and water the animals? And how long can they keep the foxes' existence a secret from those who would kill them?

An enjoyable book, with enough detail about the island and its inhabitants to make it sound authentic. Recommended for all ages.

#111 The Crossing by Gary Paulsen

An intriguing and intense short book about a young Mexican orphan surviving on the streets of Juarez. The story includes a Vietnam vet who crosses into Mexico nightly, to drink away the ghosts of his past. And one night, the two meet, and both their lives are changed, for better...or worse.

The Crossing was different from other works by this author, partly in how the veteran's rambling and drunken thoughts were described. It is not a "feel good" story, but definitely riveting, and worth reading.

Happy Thanksgiving, fuzzi! You've turned me into a Gary Paulsen fan, and that sounds like another interesting one. I think I have two more to go of the Brian books.

>57 jnwelch: happy Thanksgiving back atcha, Joe.

I think you're ahead of me on the Brian books, I've only read the first two so far. However, I am working on some non-Brian books by Gary Paulsen that have been sitting on my shelves, unread, for over a year.

#112 Valley of the Sun by Louis L'Amour

I believe that the short story was the best area to showcase Louis L'Amour's writing talents, and this collection is a good example of what he could write in a couple dozen pages. As I read each tale, I again saw the author's sense of humor displayed, as is not always evident in the Western genre. In one example from this collection, a gambler is caught cheating, and reaches for his gun just as the victim of the crime starts shooting. To quote: "Lead, received in those proportions and with that emphasis and range, is reliably reported to be indigestible."

As usual, these are entertaining stories, with believable characters, and definitely worth a read. Recommended.

#113 The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, even though it had been recommended. It is the story of Daniel, a youth in Israel during the Roman occupation, and as it progressed, I found myself enjoying how the characters were developed. I also had vivid pictures in my mind of the people, the settings, as if I were watching a movie. Well done!

If you've read Ben Hur, it is similar in some ways, but not as if the author borrowed from Lew Wallace's classic tale. Good read.

>60 fuzzi: I've read that book, manymany years ago, and have it mentally shelved in "good books". Glad to hear it stands up. I may have to find it again (actually, I think I own it. Which does not obviate the necessity of finding it...does make the field smaller, though).

>61 jjmcgaffey: thanks for stopping by. I have books in my memory about which I can't recall anything but the title and "good book".

Oh, yes. And so many times on LT someone has raved about a book (or just mentioned it, sometimes in passing) and I say, oh yes, I've read that - what do you mean it's not in my catalog? I haven't even tried to catalog the books I'd read before I joined LT - owned books yes, anything I borrowed and read since I joined LT yes, but I never kept a reading list, or at least not one that lasted more than a summer. No hope of listing everything. But there are those books that it really surprises me that I last read them a decade (or two, or three) ago...

I've been reading your thread all along, just haven't had much to say.

Aha, a lurker... ;)

Once I added all the books in my house (I think!) to my LT account, I started adding those I remembered reading. And yes, like you, I will see something, and it reminds me of a book I've read in the past, so I add it. "My Library" is just the books in my house, or on my iPad.

I'm big into organizing, so LT is like a drug to me... :D

#114 Lonigan by Louis L'Amour

Good, solid set of stories about people and situations in the west.

>64 fuzzi: Yes - Your Library is books I actually physically own. Ebooks are in my ebooks collection. And books I no longer own, or never did, are all over the place - Read but Unowned, Borrowed, Discarded, Wishlist... I like organizing, but right now I'm struggling with organizing my physical books. I'm pretty sure I could not catalog my pre-LT books (I owned, personally, approximately 1000 books when I was 9 years old...and lost them all but one). And I'm obsessive enough that cataloging _some_ of my pre-LT books feels wrong. At least, that's what I tell myself - if I ever get my entire LT catalog perfect (with proper covers on everything, and so on) and my physical books under control, I may turn to my previous books. Or Tim may create a new feature and I'll have to go through and update all my books...

LOLOL...

Organize as you wish.

I, too, lost a lot of my childhood books, but not as many as yours (they were stored where it was too damp, and they turned green with mold ::sob::).

One job I am slowly working on is to remove all Amazon covers and replace them with other members' uploaded covers or my own.

We were in Iran (Foreign Service - my dad was the Consul in Isfahan) in 1979 - evacuated out. I had to inventory all my possessions, and came up with 1000 books (didn't count them, I measured a foot of shelf in two places and multiplied). We never did get any of those things back, so I only have the one book I brought with me when we were evacuated.

Yeah, that's my project - well, actually, I already got rid of all my Amazon covers; now I'm a) checking to make sure the cover I picked is the right one (it isn't always, I've owned multiple editions of a lot of books) and that it's good enough quality (a lot aren't, it was just the best one that was available at the time). If a) isn't true and there's no good-quality correct cover, or if b) isn't true, I scan a new cover. Also scanning all the books I acquire as I catalog them, so it's not a rolling backlog (ideally) - number of uncompleted covers should keep going down. But I have a lot still to scan...

Sounds like you have everything well in hand, there.

Thanks for sharing about the reason you lost your library. How frustrating it must have been to leave all those books. I had to donate the majority of my personal library when we moved from Connecticut to South Carolina, but I was an adult.

It's an interesting story - I was only 911, so at this point (nearly 40 years later) it's not much more. I don't remember my feelings so much, only the events. I'd think it would be more frustrating to have to give up a big chunk of your library if you'd actually built it yourself, as an adult. Though you probably could choose which to give up...which might be even more frustrating (this favorite, or this one? No room for both. Or I could get rid of those and keep both of these...).

Heh. And this is one reason I don't post much on other's threads - I tend to take them over for a bit...

Hijack away! I don't mind a bit, in fact, I enjoy other members' comments. :)

And now, the latest read...

#115 The True Gift by Patricia MacLachlan

I have fallen in love with this story about Liam and Lily, who make one Christmas a happier time for a lonely individual. It's written for "young readers" age 7 and up, but was a delightful tale for all ages. As an added bonus, the illustrations are superb!

Addendum: if the name of the author sounds familiar, you might recall her books about Sarah Plain and Tall.

>71 fuzzi: I enjoyed that one when I read it not too long ago - glad to see that you did, too! Have you read The Angel Tree? If you liked the MacLachlan, I predict that you'll *loved* this one...

>72 scaifea: thanks for the recommendation, I'll look for it.

One of the delights in reading The True Gift: A Christmas Story was finding wonderful illustrations like this one:



and this one:

Thanks for sharing! I especially like the top one! Part of my allowance each week went into a piggy bank made from a bleach bottle (remember those? mine was a Girl Scout craft) saving up for the next book in The Black Stallion series.

That Patricia MacLachlan sounds wonderful, and the illustrations look great.

*snork!* Here's how ridiculous my memory capacity is: I just typed up a nearly-identical post about The True Gift and The Angel Tree on Joe's thread, oblivious that I'd already done so yesterday here. *sigh*

>76 scaifea: there, there... ::pats @scaifea on back::

#116 Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

The youngest of Anne's children, Rilla, is almost 15, and ready for the gaiety of more grown-up activities such as parties, and dances, and having a beau. But suddenly conflict overseas in Europe flares into war, dragging all the young men into military service; Rilla finds herself growing up quickly as her brothers and friends become soldiers for England and Canada's cause in World War I.

The final book in the Anne of Green Gables series is a little darker than the preceding books, but that is to be understood, due to the setting. It had been years since I'd read the previous books in this series, so relationships for some of the characters remained a dim memory, but I still enjoyed this story of irrepressible "Anne-with-an-E".

I'd never paid much attention to Anne of Green Gables for some reason, fuzzi, and then I watched that terrific PBS series with Megan Follows. That got me to read the first book in the series, which was great fun, but I've yet to read the others. Got to make time for that, somehow. One featuring her daughter sounds intriguing - the PBS series never got that far.

>79 jnwelch: the first two series are based upon the first four books, but the third series was a total departure from the series (they placed Gilbert in WWI, have him MIA, and Anne going to Europe to find him). I recommend that Anne fans avoid it like the plague.

Anne's House of Dreams and the books that follow are about Anne as a married woman, and mother...and in the last two books especially, her children. They're all good, although none are quite as good as the first book, imo.

#117 More Perfect Than the Moon by Patricia MacLachlan

We're back with the Witting family, but the narrator's job has been passed from Caleb to his little sister, Cassie. Cassie is now eight years old, with an imagination as large as the prairie where they live. There is change in the air, and Cassie's world is rocked from its routine; she doesn't like it, and expresses her feelings in her journal.

I adore Cassie and her imagination. This is a lovely addition to the Sarah Plain and Tall saga.

#118 Grandfather's Dance by Patricia MacLachlan

This book is a sweet conclusion to the Sarah Plain and Tall series. Company is coming from far away for a special event, while Grandfather has his hands full with little Jack.

Looks like it's been awhile since I've caught myself up on your thread. Glad you loved Unbroken, too. It was also a five-star read for me. Having recently enjoyed Bendigo Shafter, I've put War Party on my wishlist at my library, thanks to your review. Your comments about the later entries in the Sarah, Plain and Tall series reminds me that I need to continue with those.

Like you and Jennifer, I also get those "aha" moments when I run across a mention of a book read in my youth that I'd forgotten about, and have to quit what I'm doing to quick catalog it. I was chuckling through your conversation about cataloging and covers. It's an LT-member obsession, isn't it?! I identify with everything you two said! I'm obsessive about the covers for my physical library, gradually paring out the Amazon covers. Wishlist books, I don't care about. But once they become read, I make sure they have either (a) a mostly-correct cover borrowed from a member, if the book's borrowed, or (b) the exact right cover if I end up owning it. If it hasn't been added by a member, and I can't find it online to upload, then I have to scan it. My husband thinks we're all just a bunch of OCD nuts.

>83 countrylife: LOL!

We're not OCD, we have ATDS: "Attention To Detail Syndrome" (feel free to snitch reference my name for us).

I like people with ATDS in positions such as airplane pilot, pharmacist, etc. Without such as we, there would be a lot of confusion or chaos. :)

And I am pleased that you liked the Louis L'Amour book. I think there were only two of his books I did not like, but that was due to occult themes.

One cover workaround that I use a lot is to find the correct cover on Amazon and pull it's image url and grab that from the LT page. That way I'm able to find the correct cover in a nice file size quickly but since it's not technically an Amazon provided image it doesn't change whenever they get a whim to mess things up.

#119 The Island by Gary Paulsen

The Island is a tale of discovery, of a young teen spending his days on a small island, observing and meditating upon what he sees, and how it makes him feel. Wil writes and paints, while his family and the locals try to figure out what is "wrong" with him. An interesting and thoughtful read.

>85 leahbird: You can do the same thing from the LT page, if it shows up there - right-click on the Amazon cover and Copy image location, then clean out the junk between the number and the .jpg and you'll get a nice clean cover that's normally at least 500 px high and often larger. Though that doesn't help with the "Copyrighted Material" watermarks. It does get rid of stuff like Look Inside, and makes a bigger image.

I'll use the Amazon covers that way as a stopgap, but mostly I don't like the way they look. One exception is foil covers - those scan horribly, and I'll grab a cover from Amazon or anywhere else I can find it and settle for that.

Yeah, I forgot to mention you had to clean out the crap in the url. ;)

I have just been downloading the images, cropping out the "Look Inside", and then uploading them.

Last night I got either 30 or 40 covers from my books checked, and changed. Woo!

Yes, but if you take out the mess, you get a nice clean copy without the Look Inside, and often bigger. It's easier than cropping. I do do the download thing (after cleaning the URL) if it's got the watermark, and clean that up, but for those that aren't watermarked I'll do a straight grab of the clean URL.

Nice work! I've been going through my stacks of books to be discarded - some I read and don't like, some I read and like OK but I don't need to own them, and far too many duplicates - though some of these are hardbacks I'm getting rid of because I now have the paperback (which fits much better on the shelf!). Have to make sure I've got good covers for all of them, though, since I'm letting them out of the house. Today I took a Xerox box full to the library - only one box left, now. That I've put aside for discarding - there will be more, as I sort through books.

I'll try your method, wasn't aware of that technique.

You got rid of a boxful, I received two more in the mail...definitely wanted, but I need to cull some more.

Right now there are three culled books on the kitchen table that need to be dropped off at the used book store, for credit...

#120 End of the Drive by Louis l'Amour

An excellent series of short stories that remained in a box for years, undiscovered, until after the author's death. Included are tales that were the basis or inspiration for novels to come such as Fallon, Kiowa Trail, Tucker, Kid Rodelo, The Lonesome Gods, and the superb Last of the Breed...time for a reread of that one! For fans of the Sackett series, there's another installment about Tell included as well. Highly recommended.

#121 Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King (an Early Reviewer choice)

Russell and Holmes are back, on their previously-mentioned trip to Japan that takes place in the timeframe between Locked Rooms and The Game. There seems to be less sleuthing and more cultural learning in this latest installment of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes universe. However, I read it straight through, enjoyed it, and suspect that fans of this series will probably not be disappointed.

#122 Saving Simon by Jon Katz

Having already read another of Jon Katz' books (The Second-chance Dog) and being a regular reader of his blog, I knew, pretty much, that I would appreciate this book.

Katz is not a sappy sweet author as far as his works go, but is practical, informative, and just a little bit mystic about his subjects. Saving Simon was no exception, and the author's journalism background showed in his writing as well.

I liked how the author's thoughts on compassion was explored, and it made me contemplate some on how I (and all of us) define compassion, and apply it in our own lives.

Note: if you don't handle death and animal cruelty well, you might not like reading this work. It is not graphic or gratuitous about sensitive issues, but some might not be comfortable with Jon Katz' practical thoughts on animals' suffering.

#123 Law of the Desert Born by Louis L'Amour.

This is an above-average collection of short stories by that iconic Western author. Included are two stories about Mathurin "Matt" Sabre, and one with Kim Sartain, familiar to those who have read stories of Ward McQueen from the Tumbling K ranch. Included, too, is the gripping "Trap of Gold", also in the War Party collection. Not a lame steer in this bunch, recommended to any who just like a good short story.

Fourth Quarter Best Reads!!

I had a bunch of books this quarter, but I am listing the best of those, and better reads, here:

The True Gift by Patricia MacLachlan

Wyoming Summer by Mary O'Hara

The Lone Winter by Anne Bosworth Greene

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

War Party by Louis L'Amour

But the best, by far, this quarter is Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, a solid . I plan to go see the movie version, later today.

>97 PaulCranswick: thank you, it's cute!

#124 The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant

I recall the news stories about NFL star Michael Vick's criminal charges leading to his prison term, but do not recall anything about the dogs involved in the dog-fighting case. This book is the story about where the dogs came from, their "rehabilitation", and where they are now. It is mainly a neutral work, but condemnation for the horrific cruelty these dogs experienced can't help but come through the printed page.

The author writes in a realistic manner, which might be hard for the more tender-hearted to handle. However, the descriptions of the dogs' living (and in some cases, dying) conditions are not gratuitously added, but serve a purpose: to show what the dogs survived, and why they deserved a chance at a normal life.

I especially loved the later chapters, where the foster families and rehabilitation personnel's efforts were documented. Expect to shed tears of sorrow and joy as you read. Recommended.

#125 The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys

This is an entertaining little book, full of short essays about each time the Thames River froze, all throughout English history.

2014 Wrap-up...

Despite reading until I fell asleep last night, I did not add to my 2014 total of 125 books read, but perhaps I can do as well in 2015.

In 2014 I also read 40 books that had been "unread on my shelves" (ROOT) for a year or more, culling many that I probably will not reread.

Now, for my best reads of 2014...all :

1. Those Who Love by Irving Stone

2. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (reread)

4. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Choosing an actual order was not easy, these were all excellent reads!

On to 2015, here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/184858#4960286