KatieKrug Reads Spontaneously - At Least That's the Plan - Part 13

Les Bouquinistes of Paris - rare and used booksellers with stalls along the Seine.

Hi All! I'm Katie, mid-30s, transplanted Northerner currently living in Dallas, Texas. Things I like: wine, traveling, the New York Yankees, Chinese food delivery, my dog Louis, cold weather, and books. Sometimes I'm afraid I like books more than reading - witness the ridiculous amount of unread books currently in my possession. Oh, yeah, and my husband - I like him too.

I read mostly fiction - literary fiction, mysteries, thrillers, smart romances (they do exist), and a bit of fantasy and some YA. I also enjoy non-fiction of the non-dry, non-boring sort.

I am trying very hard not to plan too much of my reading in 2014. I over-planned this past year and ended up with a sub-par year - too many books that were just okay and not enough standouts. So while I may have some general themes or categories I want to explore this year, I won't be signing up for a bunch of group reads or year-long challenges. I will continue to slot my reads into the monthly TIOLI challenges as they fit, and each month I will consider reading the designated American author for Mark's AAC, but I make no promises!

Themes/categories I will be informally tracking:

World War I (to mark the centennial of the start of the war)
Non-fiction (because when I do read it, I usually really enjoy it!)
Kindle (e-books I've bought pre-2014)
Off the Shelf (physical books I've bought pre-2014)
Non-Western setting/focus (I have a lot of this kind of fiction on the shelves...)
19th and 20th c. Classics (because I tend to ignore them)

And each month, I will use the "Folly" feature on LT to pick a book off my shelves - just to ensure at least 12 completely random reads.

Oh! And I almost forgot - to ensure I don't eschew longer books in a subconscious effort to read more, I will also be tracking my page read count.

Okay - I think that's it. Happy Reading!

BOOKS COMPLETED in AUGUST
56. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
57. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
58. A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
59. My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer
60. Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen
61. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
-- I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson (DNF)
62. Ruby by Cynthia Bond

Pages Read This Month: 1282
Hours Listened This Month: 31:39

Pages Read This Year: 13,132
Hours Listened This Year: 174:00

BOOKS COMPLETED in JULY
48. The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
49. Afterimage by Helen Humphreys
50. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
51. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
-- The Shooting Party by Isabel Colegate (DNF)
52. The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon
53. Butter by Erin Jade Lange
54. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
55. The Likeness by Tana French

Pages Read This Month: 1,932
Hours Listened This Month: 23:53

BOOKS COMPLETED in JUNE
40. Byrd by Kim Church
41. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
42. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
43. This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
44. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
45. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
46. Strangers by Antonia White
47. The Farm by Tom Rob Smith

Pages Read This Month: 2187
Hours Listened This Month: 17:41

BOOKS COMPLETED in MAY
32. Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
33. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
34. The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
35. The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty
36. The Rescuer by Joyce Carol Oates
37. Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley
38. Endless Night by Agatha Christie
39. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Pages Read This Month: 1603
Hours Listened This Month: 30:26

BOOKS COMPLETED in APRIL
24. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (audio)
25. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
26. Sula by Toni Morrison
27. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
-- The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer (DNF)
28. Tampa by Alissa Nutting
29. Want Not by Jonathan Miles
30. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
31. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Pages Read This Month: 1800
Hours Listened This Month: 18:35

BOOKS COMPLETED in MARCH
15. Unequal Affections by Lara S. Ormiston
16. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
17. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (audio)
-- Confesstions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (DNF)
18. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
19. The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Beston
20. You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes
21. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (audio)
22. The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths
23. The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace

Pages Read This Month: 1821
Hours Listened This Month: 12:44

BOOKS COMPLETED in FEBRUARY
8. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
9. The Great War by Joe Sacco
10. Newtown: An American Tragedy
11. More Baths, Less Talking by Nick Hornby
12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (audio)
-- As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (DNF)
13. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
14. The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane

Pages Read This Month: 1268
Hours Listened This Month: 16:24

BOOKS COMPLETED in JANUARY
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (audio)
-- Rumor Has It by Charles Dickinson (DNF)
2. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
3. Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb
4. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (audio)
5. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
-- Death of the Black-Haired Girl by Robert Stone (DNF)
6. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
7. Unlocked by Courtney Milan

Pages Read This Month: 1414
Hours Listened This Month: 18:08

More than 500 pages:
Forgotten Classic: The Outermost House
Book that became a movie: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Published this year: Unequal Affections
Number in the title: 84, Charing Cross Road
Written by someone under 30: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Book with non-human characters: War Horse
Funny Book: More Baths, Less Talking
Female Author: The Flight of Gemma Hardy
Book with a mystery: The Outcast Dead
One-Word Title: Unlocked
Book of short stories: Strangers
Set on a different continent: The Farm
Non-Fiction: Newtown: An American Tragedy
First book by a favourite author: A Land More Kind Than Home
Heard about online: The Night Guest
Best-selling book: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Based on a true story: The Blind Contessa's New Machine
Book at the bottom of TBR pile: The Rescuer
Book my friend loves: The Leftovers
Book that scares me:
More than 10 years old: Midnight in Death
Second book in a series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Blue cover: Speaking from Among the Bones



Book with female heroine: Sula
Book set in a high school: Butter
Last of a trilogy:
Book with 'color' in the title: Orange is the New Black
First book in series:
Book set in the future: The Road
Book with a break-up: Attachments
Book without a love triangle: You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye
Book that became a movie: Coraline
Book set in Paris:
Book set in the past: TransAtlantic
Book with magic: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Book set in summer: The Body in the Library
Book with a dragon: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Book that made you cry: Ruby
Graphic novel: The Great War: July 1, 1916
Book based on a myth:
Classic YA:
Book with a Lion, Witch or Wardrobe: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Book with an incredible fight scene: The Girl Who Played with Fire
Book heard about online: Fangirl
Book set in another world: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Book with epic love story: Unequal Affections
Book with music: Byrd

(I'm not restricting this to only YA books, just stealing the categories...)

Woot! I think this thread is so brand new that so far you've only numbered your reserved posts! Marking my spot, Katie : ).

Hi Katie - Can't wait to see what you fill in the slots with.

Work in progress I see! Morning KAK! Happy New thread. I started We Were Liars...

>9 lit_chick: - Nancy is in first!! Hey there, my friend :)

>10 BLBera: - Hiya Beth! just the usual lists - though I do rather like my topper photo...

>11 msf59: - I can't wait to hear what you think of We Were Liars, Mark...

Edited to fix numbering.

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon

This was a debut novel by an author who will be in Asheville for Booktopia! this month. I might have picked it up regardless because it's set in an interesting era (the 1920s) in a fascinating place (New York City) and deals with an interesting subject (the real life disappearance of a New York State judge). Lawhon imagines what might have happened and gives us the story of three women connected to the case. She invokes the time and place very well; the book would have gotten a higher rating from me except for a few holes in the plot that I now can't remember the specifics of....

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

This could have been much better than it was. It's an important story about bullying and acceptance and friendship, but Lange overly relies on cliches and much of the book became repetitive. Also, I found the main character to be annoying and, at times, unbelievable.

Hiya Katie!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Much has already been written about this one, so I will just say that I think Gaiman is a genius at evoking the simultaneous wonder and terror of childhood. This tale of a child trying to make sense of an adult world he can't understand is both sad and beautiful.

Hi Katie, love the thread topper!

>15 luvamystery65: - Hiya, Ro!! I owe your thread a visit. Hope things are settling down a bit for you.... xo

>17 Thebookdiva: - Thanks, Abby!! Wish I could claim credit for the photo but I stole it from the interwebz :)

The Likeness by Tana French

Wowee! That was a good one. Yes, you have to be able to buy into the whole doppelganger concept, but French makes it work and delivers a creepy, atmospheric mystery that works on many levels. And the "mystery" is almost secondary to the character development and fine writing.

"Most dead people are the only thing in the room. Murder victims are different; they don't come alone. The silence rises up to a deafening shout and the air is streaked and hand-printed, the body smokes with the brand of that other person grabbing you just as hard: the killer." (page 17)

"I don't think about my parents much. I've only got a handful of memories, and I don't want them wearing away, textures rubbing smooth, colors fading from overexposure. When I take them out, once in a blue moon, I need them bright enough to catch my breath and sharp enough to cut. That night, though, I spread them all on the windowsill like frail pictures cut from tissue paper and went through them one by one." (page 437)

Happy new thread, Katie! I also love your thread topper - so perfect! And your review of The Ocean at the End of the Lane is so succinct but so spot on - how DO you do that?!

I need to get to The Likeness - I keep picking it up and then putting it back down again.

Hi Kaite--Congrats on the new thread and I love the topper--ooh la la! I just picked up The Ocean at the End of the Lane and love that it got another thumbs up from you. Enjoy the weekend and happy reading!

Happy new thread, Katie! Great batch of reviews!

Happy new thread, Katie!

>20 katiekrug: - I'm glad this was a winner! I loved the first in the series and have The Likeness on audio. It's just freakishly long, so I've been avoiding it, but I know I shouldn't.

Happy new thread, Katie, and I'm glad you liked The Likeness.

Glad to see you enjoyed The Likeness. I read In the Woods ages ago, and would like to return to this series sometime soonish.

Happy New Thread, Katie!
And Yay for Gaiman!!

>21 Crazymamie: - Hi Mamie! I wish all of my reviews could be short and pithy but it's usually a mixed bag :) I was able to consolidate my thoughts on the Gaiman because it was a book club book and I already felt like I had talked it to death :) I found The Likeness to be a slow start, but if you can stick it out, it's a great read!

>22 Berly: - Thanks, Kim! Hope you enjoy the Gaiman. And your weekend!

>23 lkernagh: - Thanks, Lori :)

>24 DorsVenabili: - Kerri, I'm not so good with long audios. I tend to get bored, even if it's a great story. I know it has to do with how little listening time I have, so it feels like a long book lasts for-freaking-ever! I'm having that issue with the 4th Harry Potter right now. Five hours left, and I am enjoying it, but I want it to be done - ha!

>25 susanj67: - Thanks, Susan. Have you read these books by Tana French? I feel like I should know, but I can't recall...

>26 lauralkeet: - Laura, they are so well-written and developed. Like In the Woods, this one was so much more than a murder mystery. I hope to read the next one sooner rather than later...

>27 scaifea: - Yay for Gaiman, indeed, Amber!

Yep, KAK called it! We Were Liars is heading down the road to DUDVILE. If this was just a failed read, so be it but a failed Booktopia read, adds some unfortunate weight. Maybe, it will pull together for me in the 2nd half...appears skeptical.

Nice little flurry of books there, Katie! I also enjoyed The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress and loved the Gaiman and the French. Nice roll.

>30 msf59: - How much did you know about the book going in, Mark? I am trying not to be spoiler-y here... I will just wait until you have finished. I'm so patient :)

Nice new thread, Katie. Thank you for reading books I've already read and thus not contributing to my overflowing wishlist. I really loved the Gaiman and the French as well.

Hi Katie! Nice new digs ya got here. I'm ignoring all blue text in order to try and save my TBR tower - but I am going to see Deborah Harkness at my favorite book store tonight, so, you know... ;)

>32 rosalita: - Glad I could help, Julia!

>33 LauraBrook: - Hope you have fun at the Harkness event, Laura. A good friend of mine has been trying to get me to start that trilogy. I have the first ready and waiting on my Kindle, so it's just a matter of time....

Hi Katie! Oh yes, I'd love to browse through Les Bouquinistes!

I tend to look for shorter audios as well, though if I fall in love with the story I don't care how long it is. I do look at the length when I'm at the library -- I've probably passed up some great reads, but I just think 18 hours??? I don't think so!

>35 AMQS: - Hi Anne! Thanks for stopping in. I totally get what you mean about the audios - "I don't think so!" I'm loving Goblet of Fire but have already determined to read the next HP book on my Kindle because the audio is 30 hours or something ridiculous and that would probably take me two months!

I love it when a bunch of my Amazon WLed books drop dramatically in price and I can snap them up super cheap :)

I just got several of the John Shakespeare mysteries (recommended by Suz) for $0.99 and Strumpet City which Paul recommended for under $4.

>37 katiekrug: Katie, I do hope you'll enjoy Strumpet City when it finds its way to the top of your teetering TBR tower. Good old fashioned ripping yarn.

Finally caught up with you with you on the cusp of 3000 posts this year. You have 1200 post more than last year at the same stage. xx

>13 katiekrug: Have been intrigued by this book for a while. I see It's available through the local library, so might just put a hold on it.

I'm a huge fan of the comedienne, Ruth Draper. I have some recordings of monologues she did, consecutively inhabiting the personas of a mogul's secretary, wife and mistress.

"..."Three Women and Mr. Clifford"

One of Draper's most imaginatively constructed monologues, "Three Women and Mr. Clifford" paints a pellucid portrait of Anthony Clifford, a 1920s captain of industry, through the eyes of the three most significant women in his life: his secretary, his wife and his mistress. It is a particular favorite of the actor and director Simon Callow. "In seeing the women," says Callow, "you experience the most vivid realization of Mr. Clifford himself. You know that man inside out by the time it's over."

Written in 1929, when Draper was in the throes of a passionate affair with the Italian poet and anti-Fascist Lauro de Bosis, "Three Women and Mr. Clifford"—particularly the depiction of the mistress, Mrs. Mallory—offers a glimpse into Draper's own feelings on affairs of the heart and whether they can survive "the challenge of everyday life." De Bosis, who was 26 to Draper's 43 when he first met the actress in 1928, was killed in a daring anti-Fascist maneuver in Italy in 1931.

http://www.drapermonologues.com/index.cfm/product/2_1/selected-monologues.cfm

Hi Katie - I agree about the Tana French books - the mysteries seem unimportant compared to the characters, the description of the state of Ireland post-boom, and the terrific writing. I also think she paces the books really well - I was always eager to get back to reading and never felt there were slow parts. I heard she has a new one which will be released beginning of September The Secret Place. Definitely on my TBR pile!

>38 PaulCranswick: - Thanks, Paul.

>39 michigantrumpet: - Ooh, that sounds good, Marianne! And I hope you like TWtMatM when you get to it :)

>40 vivians: - I knew she had a new one coming out, Vivian. It helped motivate me to get to the second one, so now I'll only be three behind!

Hi Katie, just stopping by and waving!

Happy New Thread!

I'm a bit late to the party, Katie, but happy new thread!

>42 connie53: - Hi Connie! *waving back*

>43 MickyFine: - It's a pretty low-key party around here lately, Micky. I wonder if I need to spice things up?

In actual book-related news, I finished The Plot Against America which I liked overall but had a few issues with the last quarter or so of the book. I'm glad I read it, though, and now I can cross Roth off my list of authors to try :)

I'll be starting A Land More Kind Than Home today. Wiley Cash will be at Booktopia, and I read his latest, which was good but not great. It seems most people who have read both say his first - ALMKTH - is the better novel, so i'm looking forward to that.

And I am still plugging away at Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on audio - I only have about 6 more chapters to go, I think...

>1 katiekrug:..Oh, how lovely!

"...now I can cross Roth off my list of authors to try :)"
I was planning to do the same this month but I'm not feeling terribly motivated. There are so many books I want to read! Still, I'll keep American Pastoral and The Human Stain out where I can see them. Ha.

I'm looking forward to your thoughts on ALMKTH. I like the title.
I had never heard of any of the Booktopia authors who were at Bellingham last year and now a couple of them have started to make a showing on bookstore "recommended" shelves, at least around here.

I'm back home again and doing the rounds this evening. So far I have liked every Tana French book that I have read, putting Faithful Place at the top. Another author that I need to get back to.

Senior Board Relations Manager has a very nice ring to it, Katie. Hearing how eager you are to go to work is great news. :)

Happy new thread Katie! Those Tana French books are on my list for whenever I feel like starting a new mystery series.

>29 katiekrug: Katie, yes, I have read all the Tana French books so far (thrilled to see she's got a new one coming out!) and, like Judy, my favourite was Faithful Place, which is number 3.

>44 katiekrug: If you need to spice things up, get Roberta to send you a shirtless cowboy. She sent me one and he is really cute!

Happy Friday, KAK! Time is a tickin', my friend! Looking forward to the trip.

We sure seem to be on the same biblio-wavelength lately. My next audio will be A Land More Kind Than Home and my next print book will be A Plot Against America. I am glad you liked the Roth.
This will leave me with 2 Booktopia books, to get to: The Lee Smith & Byrd.

>46 Whisper1: - Isn't it, Linda? Nice to see you!

>47 EBT1002: - Ellen, I almost gave up on the Roth because I found the beginning very slow, and his style can be ponderous. I'm glad I stuck it out, and I put Nemesis on my "maybe someday" list...

>48 DeltaQueen50: - Yay! Judy's back! I'm so glad to have that endorsement for the third Tana French book. I expect I will get to it before the end of the year. And thanks for the good wishes about the new job - I was at the office past 7pm last night and could have kept going if it weren't for a hungry husband waiting at home ;-)

>49 souloftherose: - Heather, I think you would really like the Tana French books. They are well-plotted, well-paced, and the characters are fascinating.

>50 susanj67: - Susan - another thumbs up for Faithful Place - good to hear! I am glad I have three more ahead of me... Maybe I could get one of Roberta's cowboys and borrow a library cart from Judy, and then I'd be all set.... IS it getting hot in here?

>51 msf59: - Hiya Mark! I think I am going to conveniently forget about the Lee Smith book for Asheville. I still want to get to My Accidental Jihad and time's a-wasting! Plus, I committed to read Book 1 of The Stand and my RL book group chose The Goldfinch for our earl September meeting, so..... yeah. I'm a busy girl :)

Stealing a page from Amber.....

On the agenda for today (it's my Friday off):
Pedicure, dry cleaners, a bit of laundry to get ready for my trip, stops at the bank and library, call to the vet about boarding the dog, pack, dinner out, and a birthday party tonight for my cousin. And maybe I'll read a bit.

I leave tomorrow to go to a conference in Nashville until Wednesday. I hate trips that start on Saturdays....

Yay for agendas (it's Latin, you know, which makes it even better)!

Pedicure and birthday party... so that means cake? Doesn't sound half bad for a Friday! At least you'll have pretty toes for the conference...

Hi Katie - Have a good trip and weekend. I hope you find something fun to do in Nashville over the weekend. Your book club is ambitious -- The Goldfinch! It is a pretty fast read, but still...

>54 scaifea: - Latin makes everything better. Kind of like bacon.

>55 dk_phoenix: - Hi Faith! The two glasses of wine with lunch made for an excellent Friday ;-) My toes are a lovely purple, now, too, so I can where some fun peep-toe shoes!

>56 BLBera: - Hi Beth! Well, The Goldfinch was picked at the end of July, so technically we had 6 weeks to read it. I just haven't started it yet.... Hope you have a great weekend, too!

Glad you liked The Likeness! I love the richness of French's writing and imagery, and that is a novel that is going to stay with me for sheer inventiveness. Yes, the doppelganger thing is a stretch, but somehow, she made it work for me...

I liked the third book, too, and am about to start #4, Broken Harbor. Hopefully sometime next week.

Shall be eager to hear what you think of the John Shakespeare books. They aren't in the same league, but are good, fast-paced dramatic yarns. I have the most recent in that series on my UK Kindle, waiting for me.

I should see if I can locate that Roth book. I know I own it. It's somewhere. I think. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.

Hi Katie, just catching up after our family reunion trip. I hope you find time to visit Ann Patchett's bookstore while you are in Nashville. Is this your last trip before Asheville? Lucky you with two Booktopias in one year!

I jumped on the Daily Deal for Broken Harbor. I have been trying to space out the Tana French books. They are so good. And now a new one is coming out next month. So many books… but I'm not complaining!

Morning KAK! Hope the Nashville trip is going well. I am really enjoying A Land More Kind. He has a simple but hypnotic style. The first 1/3 of the last one, was like that too. Your thoughts?

Hi Katie -- catching up and waving *hi*

>58 Chatterbox: - Fully agree about The Likeness, Suz. She definitely made it work for me, too. As for the Shakespeare books, I promised myself not to start any new series this year, but that hasn't stopped me from buying new series! I am looking forward to this one... next year. And I'd love to hear your take on the Roth. His style was occasionally annoying - I felt like he wrote around things and used long, roundabout sentences; I tend to like more direct writing better, but the story really carried this one for me.

>59 Donna828: - Donna, I don't think I'm going to make it to Patchett's bookstore this trip, but I might finagle a stop on our way home from Asheville! I know what you mean about spacing books in a good series to make it last, but I wish I had read In the Woods and The Likeness closer together because I didn't remember some of the details from the first that are referenced in the second.

>60 msf59: - I've got just under 100 pages left, Mark, and I am really liking it. I do think it's stronger than This Dark Road to Mercy, but there are some interesting similarities. It will be interesting to hear him speak at Booktopia -- in just over a week!!

>61 RebaRelishesReading: - *Waving madly* Hi Reba!! I've been lurking on your thread - need to announce my presence more often. A bit jealous of your week with Ken Burns!

This conference is going well, but I hate how they schedule the days. For instance, today the schedule started at 7:15am with an awards breakfast (which I skipped because, well, 7:15), and then an education session from 9:00-10:00am, followed by 4 hours of NOTHING (you're supposed to use the time to walk the exhibit floor - which I did yesterday during the four-hour block - and eat lunch), followed by more education sessions from 2:00-4:30pm. So I basically skipped the whole morning because the 9am session I was going to go to wasn't all that compelling to me, and I didn't feel like wandering around for that long afterwards until the next session. So I slept in a bit and then got breakfast from room service and did a bunch of work. I'll head over to the conference around 1:30 or so. Went out last night with some colleagues to a touristy honky tonk and then on to dinner (where I had an amazing green curry chicken meat pie with cucumber salad), so I think I'll have a quiet evening tonight with my book and the Food Network :)

Katie - It sounds like the conference planners need your expertise on programming. :) It has to be hard, but it seems like every time I attend a conference all the sessions I want to attend are at the same time.

Your dinner sounds great.

Hey there KAK! And since it's been awhile since my last visit, a hearty CONGRATULATIONS on your job news!

Oh, and happy new thread too. :)

And I agree with the sentiments in >64 BLBera:. That conference planning sounds like it leaves a lot to be desired.

Hi Katie, catching up from a couple of threads ago so have to add my congratulations on your new/old job. I think I'll have to put Tara French on my must read soon list, I've had Into the Woods kicking around here for a long while. I read A plot against America earlier this year and enjoyed it too, Dominion is a UK version of similar alternate WW2 history that I read a few weeks before that one.

>64 BLBera: - I've got no expertise, Beth, but I think four hours with no programming is too long. I get that the exhibition is where the profit is, but it's hard to justify attending a conference that offers much less education content than it could. And I know what you mean about all the interesting sessions being clustered in the same time slot! It's happening to me tomorrow morning!

>65 TinaV95: - Hello, Tina! It's lovely to "see" you :) Thanks for the good wishes!

Random thoughts:

- Very sorry to hear about Robin Williams' suicide. I always preferred his quieter roles to the zany, over-the-top ones, with my favorite film of his being "The World According to Garp." It's a great adaptation of the John Irving novel and showcases his humor, intelligence, and real acting "chops."

- I just saw a trailer for the new Stephen Hawking biopic - "A History of Everything" (or something like that). It made me cry - possibly due to the wine I've had this evening coupled with missing my husband, but it also looks like a wonderful story of him and his wife. I look forward to seeing it when it comes out in November.

- If you are ever in Nashville, do yourself a favor and go to Kitchen Notes, one of the restaurants in the Omni Hotel next to the Music City Center. I had the most amazing meat loaf there, with a raisin ketchup I was rather suspicious of, but which was delicious. The black-eyed pea and Tennessee ham soup was also excellent, as were the fresh biscuits and jam they served :)

- Nashville has the friendliest cab drivers I have ever encountered. Wonderful people with interesting stories to share, clean vehicles, and they don't bat an eye when you want to pay for a $4 ride with a credit card!

ETA: I almost forgot! I *finally* finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire* on audio. It only took me a month and two days....

>66 avatiakh: - Oops, I missed you, Kerry! Thanks for the good wishes on the job, and yes! Do add Tana French to the list - she is very, very good.

I think I have a copy of Dominion on my Kindle, and I'm also wanting to read the Jo Walton alternate histories about Britain and WWII, starting with Farthing. Have you read those?

No I haven't, just read her Among Others. I read something about Farthing the other day that made me want to get hold of it so thanks for reminding me. Alternate histories I'm also looking at reading are Fatherland and the one that Richard suggested years ago Severed Wing.

Hi Katie, I had a similar reaction as you did when I read The Plot Against America. I felt it fell apart toward the end. I also kept getting distracted by his sentences. I actually had to go back sometimes and use my finger to figure out how the end of a sentence related to the beginning :) Not motivated to pick up any of his books since then.

Morning KAK! Hope the conference isn't to stressful. I want you to be at full capacity next week. Smiles. I am really enjoying The Plot Against America. Strong, no- nonsense prose, coupled with a clever look at alt-history. I especially enjoyed the D.C. trip.

>68 katiekrug: I finished my reread of Goblet of Fire this past weekend! It took me a long time because I kept getting sidetracked by books that had to be returned to the library :-/

>70 avatiakh: - I have Fatherland on my radar, too, but had not heard of Severed Wing. Will have to investigate!

>71 AMQS: - Anne, yes! I had to re-read some sentences very carefully. They were so convoluted....

>72 msf59: - Morning, Mark! I will be in tip-top form for Asheville, don't you worry! It's funny you think the Roth has "no nonsense prose," as I found some of the writing a bit fussy (see what Anne and I had to say above...) To each their own, my friend! I'm just glad that overall, the book worked for me and I was able to continue my "purist" run at the AAC ;-)

>73 norabelle414: - Nora, I saw your review and was so excited that I actually could read and understand your spoilers ;-) As you noted, there were some pretty big holes in the story, but I like that it is getting much darker.... And The Wayne is thrilled I finally finished it so we can watch the film when I get home :-P

>74 katiekrug: I usually try not to have spoilers in my reviews, since I post them to facebook and the "spoiler tags" don't work there. But rereads of favorite books deserve a little more dissection and insight, I think. I did think of you when I posted it, because I think you're my only friend who hasn't read the books before but still intends to.
To be honest, it's the spell that makes his wand point north that bothers me the most. Every time he uses the spell I'm like "how does that help??? HOW???". But it just goes to show how much the series means to me that I get mad at Harry for using a stupid spell, not mad at the author for writing him using a stupid spell.

>75 norabelle414: - It's interesting that a lot of those little things passed me by, because I often get hung up on them when I read. In this case, it's probably due to being invested so strongly in the story and because I was listening to it....

Another book finished! A Land More Kind Than Home was very good, and Wiley Cash is kind of a cutie, so I'm doubly excited to meet him in Asheville :)



I've now started on The Goldfinch for my RL book group, but it will be interrupted this weekend by My Accidental Jihad, the last of my Booktopia reads.

>76 katiekrug: Yeah, I'm sure I didn't notice them at all until the 3rd or 4th time I read it. It's just too exciting.

^I absolutely LOVED A Land More Kind, Katie! It felt much more cohesive than his second book. I don't think he is as adept at the thriller aspects of a novel, but he is sure a mesmerizing storyteller. I hope Cash is a beer-drinker. I would like to buy him a cold one.

Hey Katie, hope you have a great rest of the week.

OK, why do they serve Moscow Mules in copper mugs??

I've always wondered about the copper mugs, myself.

>78 norabelle414: - I hope the movie does it at least a bit of justice!

>79 msf59: - I agree with your assessment, Mark. I gave the book 4 stars, but it's really closer to 4.5, I think. Maybe we could go halfsies on that beer for Mr. Cash :)

>80 GeezLouise: - Thanks, Rae, you too!

>81 Chatterbox: and >82 michigantrumpet: - Apparently, the copper mugs are just part of the legend. The drink was invented in the 1940s by a frustrated maker of ginger beer and a frustrated distributor of vodka (neither product was very popular apparently), and there conversation was overheard by someone with an excess of copper mugs. And voila! Probably somewhere in there is some truth ;-) (BTW, I got all of this from a quick Google search - there's probably more in-depth information available!)

I always thought it was due to the copper keeping the drink nice and cold, but The Wayne pointed out that copper is a very efficient heat conductor so that wouldn't really make much sense. I just think they're snazzy, and that's good enough for me, because I'm shallow like that - ha!

I just think they're snazzy, and that's good enough for me, because I'm shallow like that … me, too, LOL! Makes me think of the Hugh Grant line in About a Boy when his friends tell him that they really thought he had more depth than he pretends to have; he replies, "No, no, you've always had that wrong. I really AM this shallow." hehe

>63 katiekrug: Burns and Fareed Zakaria have been the highlights for me this year.

>68 katiekrug: Saw the Hawkings biopic last night -- amazing. I never knew what his health problem was and was amazed to learn it's ALS. I had no idea you could live so long with that. I've had three family members die of that and none of them lived more than a 3 or 4 years after diagnosis.

>85 RebaRelishesReading: Is it ALS "proper"? I thought it was something related but not actual ALS. Living as long as he has with is is incredible. I've never heard of anyone living longer than a few years - my grandmother only made it two years after her diagnosis.

>84 lit_chick: - I need to watch "About a Boy" again soon, Nancy! I haven't seen it in years, and I remember loving it! Thanks for the reminder!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/178647#
>85 RebaRelishesReading: and >86 PawsforThought: - Either way, what a terrible affliction and what an incredible story. I can't wait to see the film.

Reba, you are in on all the latest hapenings! Was the film screened at Chatauqua or did you see it somewhere else?

One more day of work, and then I'm off for 10! I think I can, I think I can...

I love "About a Boy". I've probably seen it a dozen times. It's on TV more often than you'd think.

Heavens, it's been a while. *smooch*

Hi Katie! Nothing particularly interesting to say, but I'm looking forward to the upcoming Booktopia updates.

Hi Laura, Richard, and Kerri!

>89 lauralkeet: - I ditched my cable, Laura, so all I get are the broadcast channels (NBC, ABC, etc.) I will see if it's available on Netflix streaming or Amazon Prime....

>90 richardderus: - Smooch right back! I've been a bad correspondent.....

>91 DorsVenabili: - No worries, Kerri! It's always nice to see your smiling (you are smiling, right?) face.

>87 katiekrug: I saw it on TV here in our Chautauqua condo

>93 RebaRelishesReading: - I thought the movie wasn't coming out until November! Or did you mean you saw the trailer for the film?

(Brain not working...)

>94 katiekrug: There was a 2004 BBC biopic called "Hawking", starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

^ I know you can! I know you can!

Had a good time with Kerri and her husband last night. Getting warmed up for next week. They really know their beer. Grins...

Did you get today's email from Ann & Michael?

>95 norabelle414: - Ohhhhhh. Okay. Now it makes sense!

>96 msf59: - I did get the email - thanks for checking! Kerri and Joe no doubt know beer much better than I do. The Wayne knows some and likes to learn. Hope we don't disappoint!

Found a few random titles for Kindle on sale:

The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer - $2.99
The Talisman ring by Georgette Heyer - $2.99
King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild - $2.99

Oh dadgumit! Quit telling me about Heyer books on sale, Katie. I'm going to end up with the whole dang collection at this rate.

/fake rant

>99 rosalita: - I was thinking the same thing. I have *a lot* of Heyers on my Kindle and have read exactly one of them!

ETA: I just checked and there are 18 unread Heyers on my Kindle :) Good reading ahead! Eventually....

>100 katiekrug: I must have between a half dozen and a dozen, and I've read them all! They are great brain candy when I don't want to think too hard.

Also, for anyone else reading this, the sale price is also at Barnes and Noble for the Nook edition. Handy, since I happen to have a gift card there burning a hole in my pocket.

>100 katiekrug: - Crossposted while I was editing mine... I've got 18...*gulp*

>102 katiekrug: Ha! Now I'm afraid to look and see how many I have!

OK, assuming I have catalogued them all, I have 9 now that I've bought these two. I remember there was a huge e-sale a year or so ago that I missed because I had not at that time been introduced to the glories of Regency romances. Now they seem to be putting a couple on sale every month or two, so I suppose eventually I'll catch up with you.

>103 rosalita: - As if my number of unread books is something worth emulating - ha!

You got ME purely as collateral damage with the Hochschild book. I thought I had a tree copy but apparently not.

Boom goes the dynamite!

As my go-to expert on all things Moscow Mule, what do you think of this?

"Midwest Moscow Mule - @Boulevard_Beer Ginger-Lemon Radler, @TempletonRye Whiskey, fresh lemon juice. Available tomorrow only! Bikes & Brews"

>107 rosalita: - Personally, I think I'd pass. A couple of issues: (1) It's a Moscow mule because of the vodka. I've heard of them being made with whiskey, but then it's just some other kind of mule, IMHO. (2) I looked up Boulevard Beer's Ginger-Lemon Radler and it appears to be some kind of malt beverage. Barf.

I'm a purist at heart :)

>108 katiekrug: Totally understandable! I realized I didn't know enough about what is supposed to be in a MM to know whether this was a tasty variation or an abomination to civilized drinkers everywhere. :-)

>97 katiekrug: I do not think there will be any disappointments, Katie! Yes, I am psychic.

>107 rosalita: I am not much on mixed drinks but I love Templeton Rye.

>110 msf59: Templeton Rye made right here in Iowa, of course. :-)

>110 msf59: and >111 rosalita: - Note to self: Try Templeton Rye :)

"I am not much on mixed drinks.." That sounds like a challenge to me! I bet there are places in Asheville that make a mean Moscow mule.....

I wonder if I am going to even remember this Booktopia...

>111 rosalita: How cool, Julia! I did not know that.

Oy. I just turned the Wi-fi on on my Kindle and had 12 books download. Umm, I don't remember ordering some of these.... Oh dear.

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran
Broken Harbor by Tana French
Strumpet City by James Plunkett
Prince by Rory Clements
Traitor by Rory Clements
The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer
The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer
King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
The Captain's Daughter by Leah Fleming
News From Heaven by Jennifer Haigh

>113 msf59: - Oh, you'll have some hazy memories, I'm sure. We'll take pictures to jog your noggin'!

>114 katiekrug: Oh dear...the dreaded book hangover.

>116 richardderus: - Books? Who said anything about books?

Aaaack! Worse, drunk Kindleing! Oh Katie Katie Katie...so sad...

Oh, I'm an idiot. I didn't look at what you were referencing and thought you were commenting on Mark's concern about not remembering Booktopia...

Which is not to say I haven't ever drunk Kindled :)

I ended up with a startling collection of bad gay erotica when drunk Kindleing with the Gentleman Caller. We swore not to do that again.

>120 richardderus: - *snort*

(And yes, I'm just following you around between my thread and Suz's...)

ETA: My drunk Kindleing isn't nearly as interesting. It's usually a healthy cookbook or some such ridiculousness because this time, I'm really going to follow through!

And then I sober up and realize I hate to cook and am not all that into self-discipline in general.

UGH! DIET is DIE with a T!

(Obligatory Garfield reference.)

You do realize Garfield is a cat, right? Is he an exception to your zero cat tolerance policy?

Garfield is a lasagna-based lifeform, and they are all my brethren.

Understood.

Katie - It looks like you have some reading to do on your Kindle! The Sara Gran is very entertaining. I'm off to see if there are some Nook sales I may have missed. :)

realize I hate to cook and am not all that into self-discipline in general. Ah, yes, such is life, non? I can SO relate!

Nice ebook haul, Katie! I loved Broken Harbor and I enjoyed Claire Dewitt. I also have her follow-up saved on audio.

Guests on Earth is a bit underwhelming. You made the right call, skipping it. I start Byrd tomorrow.

*Wave! RL is very real at the moment, so I'm just popping in and out.

>102 katiekrug: - Oh to have 18 unread Heyers again... how delightful.

>126 BLBera: -Those Kindle books have a way of accumulating and not getting read, Beth. I think I have about 600 total just sitting there, waiting, staring at me.....

>127 lit_chick: - I'm in good company, then, Nancy! Hooray!

>128 msf59: - Mark, I'm glad I didn't try to bookhorn the Lee Smith in, given your thoughts on it. She has written some good stuff - that premise just didn't appeal. Can't wait for your reaction to Byrd. Don't forget to bring my copy with you to Asheville - I want to get it signed!

>129 nittnut: - Hi Jenn! Too. Many. Books. But I'm not complaining!

We are having a big ol' thunderstorm at the moment. It actually woke me up from my doze nap sleep slumber and scared the dog. I do love a good storm, though, so no complaints.

Today we had plans to go over to Fort Worth to see an exhibit at the Kimball Art Museum that the hubs was interested in (Samurai armor) but his company is balls to the wall on a project and since we are leaving Monday for a week, he decided to go in to the office. I did a little shopping and had lunch and came home to start laundry and make a packing list. And then I sat down to read and promptly fell asleep :) I love lazy Saturdays.

My current reads are The Goldfinch which is okay so far (only about 50 pages in) but which I am putting aside to focus on My Accidental Jihad which is a Booktopia book. It's pretty meh so far. I'm not sure I'll finish it... As for audio books, I've downloaded three potential ones for the drive to and from NC that I think the hubs will like. One is I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson, and I can't remember the other two at the moment...

"Addie believes in books. They are more interesting than real life and easier to understand."

^I am 60 pages into Byrd and I am really enjoying it. Just like a great song, we've heard the subject matter many times but in the right hands, it blossoms anew. And don't worry, I will not forget to bring it. I will most likely be buying my own copy.

Skip Guests on Earth. It's a DUD, IMHO. I might pop in to the Group Read, just to see some folks but otherwise...I did get this an E.R. selection, otherwise I might have abandoned it.

>132 msf59: - Oh, i'm so pleased you are enjoying Byrd, too. I just thought Addie was such an endearing character, and her voice rang very true to me. You are right, it's not an original story but Church really made it feel fresh.

I added some of the Rory Clements books to my Kindle, too, thus giving me a reason to dispose of my hardcover copies (despite their pretty covers...) Now I just have to bring myself to do it -- and find a place to rehome them!

I am trying Outlander on audio and not enjoying it much. May have to give it up. Don't think I can return it; think it has been lurking on my audible book list too long now. Piffle. But I think it was a deal, so I can' t complain. Used credits to get a new book by Liane Moriarty and The English Patient.

>134 Chatterbox: - That's disapointing about Outlander. Is it the narrator or do you not like the story? I read it ages ago and enjoyed it for what it was. I've never continued hte series, though I do have the second one around here somewhere...

Howdy Katie. Popping in to play a little catch up.

Hola, my friend!

Safe travels, Katie. You know the drill about posting lots of pics, right?

Yes, indeedy, Donna!

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

This is a case of the power of a story being able to carry the reader along through some rather strangled, overbearing prose. That's not to say it's badly written, just that Roth seems to enjoy crafting sentences in as oblique a way as possible. But his creation of an alternate history, one in which Charles Lindbergh, isolationist and Nazi sympathizer, defeats FDR to become President in 1940 and what that means for America and especially its Jewish population, is fascinating. From the personal (a family trip to Washington, DC being overshadowed by hints of anti-Semitism) to the sweeping (a Federal program designed, essentially, to break up Jewish centers of activity in urban areas), Roth explores the consequences of what could have been. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it's riveting.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

So there I was, listening along, for hour after hour after hour, perfectly content to find myself in this familiar world. Sure, it was a bit darker and there were many ominous happenings, but in the end, all would be well. And then BAM! Cedric Diggory is dead. And just like that, I realize this really is going to get pretty dark and maybe a tad scary. But I'm ready. Bring it on, Ms. Rowling.

PS: The movie was pretty good, too, especially due to the young, non-sparkly, non-blood-sucking Robert Pattinson. Dream boat!

>141 katiekrug: Oh, it's only getting worse from now on! GoF is a picnic in the park compared to the rest of them.

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

"...{H}er sadness would work itself into the core of my being and leave a hollowed-out place that couldn't ever be filled. I knew that real loss isn't something you feel after watching a child once a week while his mama sings hymns. It takes a lifetime to build equity in loss. There ain't nothing before that." (page 233)

In this, his debut novel, Wiley Cash captures the rhythms of life, the hardscrabble nature of survival, and the heartbreak of loss in Appalachia. The mountains and hollers of western North Carolina are as much a character as Jess, his brother Stump, wise old Adelaide, and Clem, the sheriff. Populated with the good and the evil, and those somewhere in between, Cash's world is just as real as my own and just as able to induce sadness, tears, and hope. Ultimately, this is a story of lies told, truths untold, and the meaning of vengeance and redemption. It's an old story but Cash imbues it with a humanity and grace all the more impressive for it being a debut.

I'm looking forward to meeting the author at Booktopia next week and hope Mark will let me go halfsies with him in buying Mr. Cash a beer!

My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer

Meh. Ms. Bremer grated on my nerves, as did her trite reflections on faith, culture, and marriage. I get it - you are a vain, shallow, surfer girl from California forced to confront all your assumptions about what life is about when you fall in love with a Muslim Libyan immigrant. How agonizing! I'm sorry, but to me, love shouldn't be this tortuous. And I wonder how much she exaggerates for the purposes of stretching what was, apparently, an essay into an almost-300 page book. There is some interesting insight in here, and her love for her husband and the life they build together is genuine and touching in places, but why is it worthy of a whole book? She's done what millions of other men and women have done, so my final reaction is really no more than a shrug.

This is another Booktopia book and it's almost inconceivable to me that she gets to share a stage, and her book gets to share a spotlight, with some of the others - especially Anthony Marra and Wiley Cash, as well as the unknown but deserving of more attention Kim Church.

>142 PawsforThought: - So I understand, Paws! I like dark, so it's all good :)

>145 katiekrug: Just be prepared for (serious) heartbreak.

Hi Katie! I enjoyed your little burst of reviews. I liked the Roth a bit more than you. It bogged down a few times but his writing was solid and his alternate history was clever and creative.
Of course, I completely agree with your thoughts on the Cash. That was a bona fide GEM! I also liked My Accidental Jihad more than you did, although it did not pay off as well I hoped. I might skip that author talk too. We can "ditch" together.

You take off in the morning, right?

Stopping by and after struggling to catch up, all i have breath for is to say "enjoy your time off and safe travels!"

>146 PawsforThought: - Duly noted, Paws.

>147 msf59: - Thanks, Mark. I wasn't going to do a review of the Cash, but just kind of felt moved to. Not that it's really a review, but whatever.... I was looking at the schedule of author sessions earlier and may rearrange mine a bit. I'm not sure I want to go to the E. Lockhart one since I thought We Were Liars was lame and predictable, and I just imagine a room full of people gushing over it. If I do go, I'll have to bite my tongue!

Yep, we leave tomorrow morning. We are only going as far as Tupelo, MS (about 8 hours, I think) so not bad and we don't have to get up at the crack of dawn - hooray!

>148 lkernagh: - Thanks, Lori! So did you get your cardio workout for the day? ;-)

>144 katiekrug: Yes, that's my problem with a lot of memoirs -- it's like, whatever. That's life. Unless you are an exceptionally good writer, truly astonishingly insightful, or the experience was out of this world extraordinary, I'm just not interested. And even then, not always.

Re Outlander, the narrator is getting deeply on my nerves, so I'm going to switch to the Kindle version, which I picked up in one of those Kindle special sales. It's marginally better, but what is really annoying me are all the opportunities she squanders to do something better. Not to mention the lack of historical context. 1715? The ties between France and Scotland, historically? Why the redcoats are nasty evil brutes? Nope, none of that. I suppose we're just supposed to know, or not to care. So the stuff that is interesting, versus the not-terribly-convincing-to-me love story/bodice ripper (frankly, it's tedious and not persuasive; Claire is like, oh, well, it's been a while since I've had some sex, so, OK, why not, I'll marry this bloke, forget about the fact that I HAVE a husband in 1945...) Annoying on multiple levels. I may have liked it when I was 20, and was reading books like Angelique, but not now.

>146 PawsforThought: What she said. Hoo, boy.

Have a great trip, Katie! I'm looking forward to following your adventures.

Katie - Have a great time at Booktopia. Drink a beer on me. :) I liked the Roth more than you, will check out the Cash at some future time and skip the Bremer. Nice comments, by the way.

Have a safe drive to Tupelo, KAK. Is there an Elvis birthplace spot you can visit? I've been doing some Asheville research this A.M.

Safe and enjoyable travels, Katie : ).

Hope you have a great week and safe travels Katie. Sounds like you will have a wonderful time, I hope it goes well.

I guess you are on the road now, Katie. Have a wonderful time. I just gotta say, Tupelo is a name that always makes me smile. I hope the town lives up to its' name.

I'm no good with waiting patiently for Booktopia.

*foot tapping anxiously*

Are you there yet?

>150 Chatterbox: - Memoirs are definitely not my favorite genre, Suz, though the rare excellent one can really be outstanding. Bummer about Outlander, but I can see why it isn't working for you.

>151 scaifea: - :-)

>152 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura! I will try to report back faithfully :-)

>153 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth - I will raise a mug in your honor ;-) And do try the Cash - it's very much worth it.

>154 msf59: - Mark, we've arrived in Tupelo, but I don't think an Elvis- themed visit is in our future. We did enjoy the scenic drive along the Natchez Trace from just outside Jackson, MS to Tupelo. No commercial vehicles and the speed limit is 50MPH... Very pretty scenery.

>155 lit_chick: - Thank you, Nancy!

>156 GeezLouise: - We have definitely been looking forward to this break, Rae. Thanks for those good wishes :-)

>157 DeltaQueen50: - Well, Judy, we got into Tupelo after dark, and our hotel is outside of town, so I'm not sure I can make a judgment about the town, other than to say the pizza we got for dinner was pretty good!

>158 michigantrumpet: - Patience, Marianne, patience. We get in tomorrow evening, but Booktopia doesn't start until Friday :)

Booktopia time again? I'm jealous that you get to meet Mr Mark - have a great time!

I can't hear "Tupelo" without hearing Van Morrison sing. I'll be humming all evening now. :)

>144 katiekrug: I think I will give My Accidental Jihad a miss. Probably made the Booktopia cut because it's "current" with political stuff. I felt the same exact way about Eat, Pray, Love. I really had no sympathy for the author, given she got into her situation through her own choices. Some parts were interesting, but mostly it was meh.

>150 Chatterbox: I didn't really get into Outlander either, for the same reasons. Well, not the narrator, but just the flexible morality and historical context and missed opportunity - generally missed for random make-up type sex...

Hope your Booktopia is FABULOUS!

*mournful envious sigh*

What RD said.

Hi Katie
Glad to see you are enjoying the Harry Potter books! They do get a tad dark but they really are wonderful

Hi Katie! Glad you are enjoying the HP books :-) Enjoy your trip!

Enjoy your time in Asheville, Katie! Say hi to my sister if you see her!
(I tried to convince her to attend Booktopia but she resisted my influence.)

>160 Copperskye: - Hi, Joanne! It *is* Booktopia time again. This round I get to meet Mark rather than five fabulous women, so hopefully he can fill the void! Ha!

>161 nittnut: - Thanks, Jenn. I didn't read EPL, but I did see the movie and it was vomitous. I think I might have actually committed murder had I read it ;-)

>162 richardderus: - A special smooch for you, dear. I'll have a drink in your honor....

>163 luvamystery65: - And one for you, too, Ro!

>164 ChelleBearss: - Hellllooooo, Mama Chelle! Great to see you :)

>165 souloftherose: - Thank you, Heather. I'm glad to have finally jumped on the HP bandwagon with so many lovely people...

>166 EBT1002: - Ellen, I have printed a sign for around my neck that says, "Are you Ellen's sister?" So far, all I've gotten are a few curious glances, but I shall persevere... ;-)

Had a lovely day today: slept until 9am, got coffee and bagels, and then drove north on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which, for anyone not familiar, is maintained by the National Park Service and winds through the mountains of western North Carolina and Virginia (I think it goes into other states but those are the two places I've been on it). It's absolutely stunning with a bunch of overlooks to take in the scenery, trails for hiking if one is so inclines, and steep and windy roads. I took some photos which I will share when I get on my laptop (you can always friend me on FB, too, since I post a lot over there). We eventually got off the BRP and took another steep and windy road towards civilization. The hubs and I love meandering drives, so I fully realize this probably sounds totally boring, but it's fun to us :) We then got a late lunch when we got back to Asheville at a nice tavern with an excellent beer selection. I had a local Brown Bear ale, which I didn't love, so drank the hubs' local Highland Gaelic which reminded me of Killians. He got a burger with chopped barbecue short ribs on top, and I got a "BLT" with cheddar and fried green tomatoes. It was delish! Tonight, we have a reservation at Curate, which Ellen recommended. It's a tapas place and when we walked by it last night, it was packed, with people waiting outside, so I'm glad I took her advice and made a reservation!

Tomorrow, we are meeting up with Mark for lunch and some beer tasting - can't wait!

Katie, your break sounds delightful. I also love long, meandering drives; and there is never too much mountainous scenery in my books. Lunch sounds delish, and dinner will apparently be more of the same. Enjoy, enjoy : ).

Have great fun with Mark at the meet up! I love the Blue ridge Parkway. I once saw a mamma bear and her two little cubs meandering along the road.

WooHoo for the Mark & Katie Meet-Up!

I loved the Blue Ridge Parkway when I've visited NC. Absolutely gorgeous!

So far, your trip sounds great, Katie. Thanks for sharing. I'll wait for the pictures.

Stopping in to wish you a wonderful Booktopia, KaK!!! I know you are having a blast!

Enjoy Booktopia.

Quick check-in just to say I'm alive and had a FANTASTIC time here in Asheville. Of course, meeting Mark was the highlight! I will report more fully when I get home, as well as respond individually.

14 hours on the road today - wish us luck!!!!

Wishing you good luck and safe travels, Katie! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Happy journeying! *smooch*

Safe travels, Katie!

Katie, I loved the on-the-scene reports from you and Mark. It looked like The Wayne was having fun in the picture with Mark. I'm not sure who posted what, but there were an awful lot of drink pictures on FB! No wonder you guys had such a good time!

Glad to learn Booktopia was a success! Have a safe trip home!

Safe trip home, Katie. We'll expect pictures and details.

So will you be having Cash's baby or Marra's? If this was a soap opera you could have both! Twins by different fathers. Bwahahaha!

Safe and enjoyable road trip, Katie : ). Can't wait to see pics and hear about your adventures!

>177 Crazymamie: - Holy crap! It's the mythical Mamie! Hi Mamie!!!

>178 richardderus: - Thank you, sweets! Smooch right back xo

>179 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, Judy - we made it!

>180 Donna828: - LOL Donna! I guess between Mark's and Wayne's beers and my cocktails, there were a lot of beverage photos being posted ;)

>181 DorsVenabili: - Thank you, Kerri. It was great!

>182 BLBera: - I'm working on it, Beth ;-)

>183 luvamystery65: - Oh, Ro, you made me snort right out loud! They were both quite easy on the eyes - and so funny and smart to listen to!

>184 lit_chick: - thanks, Nancy!

Okay, as intimated to Beth and Nancy, I'm working on my full report. I don't want to type it directly into LT because with my luck, one of those hiccups will occur and I'll lose everything before I have a chance to post. So patience, my friends.... ;-)

>187 richardderus: - SNORT!

____________________

I did make my FB album publicly viewable, if anyone wants to browse the photos. I won't be including all of them with my report...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152649557912287.1073741829.642842286...

MONDAY and TUESDAY
We drove to Asheville, via the “Southern Route” - I-20 out of Dallas, across East Texas and Louisiana, and into Mississippi at Vicksburg. Just before getting to Jackson, MS, we left the Interstate and got on the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a road maintained b the National Park Service and is closed to commercial traffic. It follow an old footpath used by Native Americans and early settlers in the region, and was quite scenic, especially compared to the highway. The speed limit on the Trace is only 50 MPH, so we only got to Tupelo, MS, before calling it a day. All in all, it was about a 9 hour day on the road.


Along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi

Tuesday, we left Tupelo and headed to Asheville via Huntsville, Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee. We took a US Highway from Chattanooga into the mountains, and it was lovely. We did run into some near-blinding rain storms that left me a little white-knuckled on the steep and winding roads, but we got through unscathed. We arrived at our final destination Tuesday afternoon, about 5:30pm, I think.

After checking in to the hotel, we headed out to find something to eat and get oriented. We walked around a bit, and finally settled in for dinner at Southern Kitchen & Bar, where we sat outside, and I had the best chicken salad I’ve ever tasted, and two glasses of sauvignon blanc :) The Wayne had a “Sloppy Joe” and local beer, but I can’t remember which one….

(I should also mention, that during our two days on the road, we listened to the audio of Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen and enjoyed it very much.)

WEDNESDAY
Wednesday morning, after a bit of a sleep-in, we went to City Bakery and got coffee and bagels, then headed out for a drive. (Shout-out to my awesome husband for doing so much driving in the span of 3 days!) We drove north on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it was stunning. I’d been along the Parkway in western Virginia, but I think the scenery in North Carolina is even better. We were heading for Linville Falls, north of Asheville, because I had read that there was a nice mile long walk from the visitor center to the waterfalls, and I wanted to do it. What I didn’t realize was how far away it actually was, especially given the fact that the speed limit on the BRP is 45 MPH and in a lot of places, you really can’t even go that fast. So we decided not to go all the way to the Falls, but had a nice 40 mile drive before we got off and took an even scarier (in terms of twists and turns and incline) little county road. We sort of followed that and other roads as the whim took us, and saw some little hollers and towns and scenery very much off the beaten path.


Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, north of Asheville

We returned to Asheville for a late lunch at Pack’s Tavern, where I had a BLT made with fried green tomatoes and a Highland Gaelic red ale, and The Wayne had a barbecue short rib sandwich and Catawba Brewery Brown Bear Ale. Then we walked around some more, before heading back to the hotel for a short nap and to get cleaned up for dinner at Curate, the tapas place that Ellen (EBT1002) recommended. I had called for a reservation a few weeks ago (at Ellen’s urging because the place is so popular) and am glad I did. It was packed, with people waiting on the sidewalk outside, even on a Wednesday night. We had an amazing dinner. I can’t stress enough how delicious everything was, how wonderful the service was, what a great ambiance they’ve created, etc. If you ever find yourself in Asheville, do yourself a favor and go. Now, the important stuff - we enjoyed:

Tomato and cucumber gazpacho with fried garlic, sherry, and olive oil
Fried marcona almonds with sea salt
Smoked lardo from the acorn-fed iberico pigs, sliced thin and served on toast with sea salt and smoked Spanish paprika
Spicy chorizo wrapped in potato chips
Meatballs with cured Iberico de bellota ham in tomato sauce
White asparagus tossed in lemon vinaigrette and served with housemade “light as air” mayonnaise
Espuma de Chocolate - chocolate mousse with raspberry sorbet and hazelnut praline

Bobal de San Juan (we were not familiar with the bobal, but it’s a wonderful red wine, and one I hope I can find around here…)


Gazpacho - perfect on a warm evening.

After dinner, I wanted a refreshing cocktail, so we ended up at The Blackbird, a lovely restaurant that we had passed earlier and which had also been packed. By now, it had cleared out, and we sat at the bar, and I discovered the joys of the Ginny Hendricks, made with Hendrick’s small batch gin, rosemary, and housemade cucumber tonic. I may or may not have had three of those… We sat talking to the bartender for over an hour. He was a fascinating guy - local to Asheville, with lots of opinions about the changes he’d seen in the city over the years. I love serendipitous stops and conversations like that. We closed the place down and kept walking, ending up at the Social Lounge and Tapas Bar, which, lo and behold!, had a Pimm’s Cup on the menu. I may or may not have had more than one of those, too…. another great place with interesting people to talk to, and the next thing I knew it was after midnight, and The Wayne was ordering a slice of pizza, which we shared, and which was delicious. Then we finally went back to the hotel and fell into a coma deep sleep.


The Ginny Hendrick's at Blackbird Restaurant

Still to come: Meeting Mark! And drinking beer! And books!

(Stay tuned…. I have to go deal with some laundry)

THURSDAY
We woke up Thursday a bit worse for wear but ready to go. We got coffee at a little shop on Pack Square and then wandered over to meet Mark (msf59) at the Lexington Avenue Brewery at noon, as we had arranged. Now, I don’t know how many of you have been lucky enough to meet other LTers, but it never fails to amaze me what a great experience it is. Something that could be kind of awkward and uncomfortable is instead like meeting an old friend for the first time. Mark is just as enthusiastic and nice in person as he is here on the threads! He and The Wayne talked about beer a lot (I think Mark outdid my poor husband in his knowledge!) and then he and I chatted happily about books, LT, and Booktopia. After a rather forgettable lunch at the LAB, we went to Wicked Weed Brewery and had more beer. I could not keep up, but they seemed to be enjoying the different beers on offer. Lots more chit chat and chin-wagging, before we left and Mark kindly drove us back to our hotel where we were able to give him our small token of esteem - a mixed six-pack of beers from Dallas-area craft breweries :) We arranged to meet later for dinner before heading to the Booktopia pre-party “Books and Wine at Nine.”


Mark and The Wayne enjoying a beverage at Wicked Weed.

We had dinner at Carmel’s (shrimp and grits for me, pizza for Mark, and fried chicken and waffle for Wayne) which was just okay. I think I had been spoiled by the previous days excellent dining… We were at a table outside, and at one point, I looked up and saw Ann Kingman, one of the hosts of Books on the Nightstand and Booktopia, walking toward us, so I called out, and she came over and chatted with us for a bit. She was on her way to get set for the event later, so we let her go, and eventually wandered over. It was a meet and greet at the Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar, which is a twisty, windy, crowded space full of well-selected used books, a coffee bar and a wine bar. It was really crowded, even without the Booktopia event, so we didn’t stay all that long. Plus, I think both Mark and I wanted to be fresh for the next day!


Shrimp and grits at Carmel’s.

FRIDAY
The hubs and I drove across the river (the French Broad - what a name!) to West Asheville for breakfast at a place I wanted to try called Biscuit Head. It was in a funky little neighborhood, and pretty busy for mid-morning on a weekday - always a good sign. I had a biscuit with pork sausage gravy and hoo-boy! was it yummy. The biscuits were huge, the gravy was creamy and delicious, and the sausage very flavorful. I could not finish my plate but enjoyed the effort :-) Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. Suffice it to say, the biscuits and gravy are served in what is basically a pie tin….

Registration for Booktopia began at noon, so Mark and I met up then, and chatted with other Booktopians. Ann and Michael, the hosts, mae some announcements, and then the group split up to go to various sessions. Mark and I did the Book Lovers Speed Chat, where the larger group is broken into several smaller ones, and Michael asks a book-related question. The group discusses it for around 10 minutes, then everyone moves to a different group and discusses a new question. It’s a good way to meet a lot of other people; I did the Speed Chat in Boulder so knew what to expect, even more so since Michael asked the same dang questions - ha!

Next up was the individual author session with Kim Church who wrote the wonderful novel Byrd, which I really urge everyone to read if you have not. It’s a lovely little book. Mark was the “moderator” for the session and got the ball rolling with questions. He claimed he was a little nervous but seemed like a total natural to me! Church is a practicing attorney in Raleigh, NC, and Byrd is her first novel. She talked about how the idea of the story developed, how she eventually resigned her law partnership so she could write more, what the process is like for her, etc. She was very down to earth and a little shy, but seemed so happy to be there with such an appreciative audience. There were about 20-25 people in the session, and everyone who had a question got a chance to ask it and have her respond. This is why Booktopia rocks - the close interaction and small group size allows for a really unique experience.


Kim Church, author of Byrd

After that, I “ditched” Mark (his words; I knew he wasn’t doing the next event, and I didn’t want to be late!) and went back to the hotel (from the bookstore) for the Yankee Book Swap. This is where you bring a wrapped book and draw numbers, and you can either choose a new wrapped book or steal one that someone has already claimed. It’s good fun and another way to meet new people - the book you end up with is almost secondary. I was pleased to end up with a book I neither have read nor own (Loving Frank by Nancy Horan); the big winners in my group were the two people who ended up with brand spanking new copies of the new Murakami book. They were over the moon!

Following the swap, I went up to my room for a little rest before venturing back down at 6pm for the Welcome Reception, which was held on the hotel patio. I ended up sitting with some lovely people, including a woman I met in Boulder and her husband, and then another very nice couple from Atlanta. Mark joined us for a bit and then Ann and Michael took the floor to introduce the authors. I got a picture of Mark with Wiley Cash and Kim Church which I think he has over on his thread… It was a nice evening despite the crappy wine. Wayne had surprised me with a dinner reservation at Blackbird (the place we had drinks on Wednesday) so we rushed over there to make our 8pm seating. Well worth it! We shared the butcher board for two which included salmon jerky, tasso ham, and chicken liver pate, and then I got a NY sirloin au poivre with asparagus and a Vidalia onion, potato, and buttermilk smash while the hubs got a bone-in ribeye the size of his head (or so it seemed) with green beans and the same smash. I had another Ginny Hendrick’s before our dinners came, and then switched to a nice pinot noir from Oregon… Then The Wayne rolled me home and I went to sleep :-)


The butcher board at Blackbird

Still to come: Authors! Book signings!

This is great, Katie. Can't wait for the next chapter!

SATURDAY
I attended four author sessions on Saturday, and each one was fantastic. Booktopia rocks!

1. E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars and other YA titles
I gave WWL three stars and was pretty lukewarm about it when I read it in May. There was a ton of buzz about it, and I knew there was a shocking twist to the story, so I went in with pretty high expectations. I was disappointed in the book and not so enthusiastic about going to a session with the author (I had to sign up for sessions before I’d read any of the books). I was pleasantly surprised by Lockhart - she was kind of funky and a little “out there” but obviously sharp and really interested to interact with her readers. She talked about the personal influences in her story and her own background which informed some of it. In response to various questions, she talked about writing for young adults, what YA even means (the most interesting thing she mentioned was an article I now want to find online that defines YA as a genre rather than a target reading group, so that one can speak in terms of general themes and concerns of it that may appeal to certain readers regardless of age, just as mysteries or sci-fi or whatever does). Given my own experience of her book, I asked her if she felt like knowing there was a big twist or surprise in a book kind of constitutes a spoiler and how that affects the experience of a reader. She said she did think it was like a spoiler and that her publisher was intent on not giving anything away but once people started reviewing the book, the cat was kind of out of the bag. She said once you know there is a twist, you start looking for it and that informs how you read the book, rather than just experiencing it as a story unfolding. I liked her answer because the spoiler bit was part of why I didn’t like her book so much (but I didn’t tell her that!).


E. Lockhart (at A Celebration of Authors, not the small group session I attended)

2. Krista Bremer, author of My Accidental Jihad
This is the session that might have surprised me the most. While reading her book, I had the feeling I would not like this woman in person and was worried about attending the session. But while I don’t think we’ll ever be best friends, she spoke so beautifully and eloquently about her memoir and her husband and her marriage that I couldn’t help but be drawn in. She started by talking about the title of the book, which her publisher was wary of using, given all the negative connotations associated with the word “jihad.” But Bremer talked about how in Arabic, the word simply means struggle, and that the Prophet Mohammed believed that the greatest jihad in our lives occurs in our hearts as we struggle with notions of love and faith and kindness and to reject our own prejudices and hatreds. She also talked about wanting to “reclaim” the word to its original meaning from the perversions of violent extremists. Obviously the publisher eventually went along with the original title, but Bremer pointed out how clever they were with the cover picture of a very all-American image of a girl in a bathing suit with a surf board….

I asked her how she shared her writing with her husband and what his reaction was, given how deeply personal it is. She responded that he is her greatest support and that given his background (growing up in Libya under Qaddafi), he is almost slavish in his devotion to the right of self-expression. Also, that she felt like she was hardest on herself in the book and that he understood what she was trying to work through. As an extension of that, she talked later about how in some of the vignettes in the book, she was trying to put herself in a bad light and then show how her head and her heart were transformed. I think part of my problem with the book was that she didn’t do this well enough, and so she came across as kind of naive and annoying. The growth and transformation did not come through strongly enough for me. But in person, she was very impressive and wonderful to listen to.

A small story she told later that night at A Celebration of Authors: she touched on the title and her publisher’s concern and then told how her 13-year old daughter was stopped at school last spring by a teacher who asked her the title of her mother’s book. The daughter told her, and the teacher, looking a little aghast, asked what it was about, and her daughter responded, “My family’s adventures with terrorism” and walked away. I love snarky 13-year olds.


Krista Bremer (at A Celebration of Authors, not the small group session I attended)

3. Anthony Marra, author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
I think Mark and I were both worried about whether Marra would come off as a jerk and very impressed with himself given all the acclaim he has received (rightly so IMO), but we needn’t have worried. He was funny and shy and self-effacing. He talked a lot about how he got interested in writing a book about Chechnya (in short, he wanted to read a novel about Chechnya and couldn’t find one so thought maybe he could write something). he told some great stories about when he was an exchange student in Russia and then his one and only trip to Chechnya when he was finishingg up the book. There were a lot of questions about details of the book and whether they were based in fact or came from his imagination. Most of them, it seemed, were based on real things he had read about in relation to the conflict but weren’t necessarily things that actually happened (for those who read the book, things like inscribing names in the pit, the toilet bowls in the road, etc.). I asked him how he kept all his threads separate, given the non-linear narrative and how there are so many details that crop up at one point and seem minor and then all of a sudden you see where it came from as the story moves on. I can’t remember exactly what he said (I’ll blame Mark’s cell phone starting to ring rather than the fact that I was staring at Marra dreamily…) but I’m pretty sure he said he didn’t work from an outline. I followed up and said that in so many books with similarly complex structures, it can feel really forced but his novel just read very naturally and organically which is one of the reasons I liked it so much. He thanked me but did not offer to buy me a drink or marry me *sigh*.

Note to fans: he just turned in a collection of short stories to his publisher, so that should appear some time next year, and he is just beginning work on a new novel.


Anthony Marra at our small group session.

4. Wiley Cash, author of A Land More Kind Than Home and This Dark Road to Mercy
Another dreamboat! Okay, sorry for the objectification, but he was delightful! I read his second (and latest) book (TDRTM) first and liked it well enough, but then loved his debut, ALMKTH. I was a little concerned he’d only talk about the most recent book, but he talked about both - where the ideas came from, why he thinks he’ll only ever write about North Carolina, what his influences were, etc. He was very, very funny, too, which I always appreciate… I wish I could remember more specifics from his session, but details are escaping me. I think I asked him a question but I can’t even remember that much!

Note to fans: his second book came out so quickly after the first, because he’d been trying to get the first published for a while and when he finally sold it, he also sold a synopsis of the second. his next novel will be about a mill worker’s strike in western NC in 1930 but he said not to look for it for a t least a couple of years. Bummer.


Wiley Cash at our small group session

Saturday evening, A Celebration of Authors gave Booktopians and members of the public the chance to hear from all seven authors. Some of it was a little repetitive from earlier sessions in the stories that were told, but Kim Church read from Byrd and it was neat to hear part of the story in her voice, and Wiley Cash read from the novel he’s working on and it was fantastic. It was also nice ot hear from the authors I didn’t get to spend time with in smaller sessions:


Ariel Lawhon, author of The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress, who told a story about hearing from the granddaughter of one of the people fictionalized in the novel.


Denise Kiernan, author of The Girls of Atomic City (the only author I did not read prior to Booktopia), spoke about meeting and learning from these women who had helped build the atomic bomb during World War II but didn’t even know it at the time.

Following the presentations, the authors stuck around to sign books. I’d already gotten Cash’s and Marra’s after those sessions, but here they all are together:


Then I went back to the hotel and packed.

SUNDAY
We drove 15 hours to get home.

The End.

(Please forgive any typos. I'm tired and don't feel like reading back over this!)

>190 katiekrug: A terrific day, capped by a meal from which to DIE!

>193 richardderus: - Indeed it was!

I forgot to list the other books I purchased at the wonderful Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville:

The World Made Straight by Ron Rash (North Carolina author)
Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson (Wiley Cash said he should get the Pulitzer for it)
In a Dark Wood by Marcel Moring (it was 50% off)
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash (I read it on my Kindle but wanted him to sign it; unfortunately, the store only had it in paperback...)

What a wonderful recap, Katie! You did a terrific job. I did the speedy, lazy version. LOL. One thing is for sure, we shared a very special event and I was glad I had a LT pal like you, by my side.

Looking forward to doing it again...

Oooooohhhhh...Fourth of July Creek! I am so stinking jealous.

Woot! Love the adventure diary! So tickled you had a fabulous time, Katie : ).

Nice pics!

Thanks for sharing Katie. Love it all! I gained 10 pounds just reading about the food.

Oh my goodness I loved your recap and I miss gazpacho! I had it in Spain all the time while I was there. Living in Texas I don't know why I don't make this. (See how I talk about food first!) Wow, I think I know whose baby you would have first if forced to pick one. Kick Ass Cash sound like an awesome name. Hee!

What a nice recap my friend. When are you coming to Houston? I need Italian food and books. ;-)

Thank you so much for giving us such a great picture of Booktopia, Katie. It looks and sounds like both you and Mark enjoyed it, did your husband attend any of the events or did he find other cool stuff to do?

Thanks for the great recap and pictures! Sounds like you had a fabulous time!

>196 msf59: - Mark, I don't know what possessed me to go on and on and on like that, but there it is. I'm feeling a little sheepish about it...

>197 lit_chick: - Thanks, Nancy. It really was a wonderful few days!

>198 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim!

>199 BLBera: - Well, Beth, I probably gained more than 10 eating the food - ha! Though I also did a lot of walking, so.....?

>200 luvamystery65: - Aw, thanks, Ro! Kick Ass Cash is a great name ;-) Probably won't be in Houston any time soon, I'm sorry to say :( At least not for work... maybe I can find a different reason to come down....

>201 DeltaQueen50: - Hi Judy! Nope, the hubs didn't do any of the Booktopia stuff. His focus was on exploring the many craft beers made locally ;-)

>202 Copperskye: - Thanks, Joanne, glad you liked the re-cap. It was a fabulous time, though would have been made better by more 75ers!

Looks like a wonderful trip. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, food, drinks and other fun details with great descriptions and photos.

Katie, it sounds like your second Booktopian experience was wonderful. I think your detailed summary will get more LTers interested in attending future events. I hope so. I enjoyed my time in Boulder. It's a great way to meet some authors and interact with other people who love to read as much as we do. Thank you for sharing your good time with us.

Katie, I loved your trip report, and thank you for the photo of the shrimp and grits :-) It sounds like you had a fabulous time, and how great to have all those signed books to remember it.

Wow, thanks for the amazing description of your trip! Sounds like a wonderful time.

That was a fabulous description of your trip to Asheville and Booktopia, Katie!

What a scintillating recap you've put together there, Katie!

Thanks for all the detail on Booktopia, Katie. All the pics, too. So glad you got to meet Mark. He's a great guy, isn't he?

Great recaps Katie! Sounds like you had a good time and hooray for LT meetups :-)

I echo what everyone else is saying, Katie. Great recaps and photos. Sounds like a really worthwhile experience. My wife and I are going to see whether we can schedule in a Booktopia trip next year.

>204 RebaRelishesReading: - It was great fun, Reba! Both the experience and the sharing :)

>205 Donna828: - Donna, I also hope more LTers will consider looking into attending one of these events. As much fun as I had in Boulder with our relatively large group of 75ers, this time it helped that I was actually excited about more of the authors and liked more of the books!

>206 susanj67: - Susan, I did think of you when I was deciding whether or not to include the shrimp and grits photo :)

>207 scaifea: - It's nice to be able to share such a great experience with my friends here, Amber. So many were almost excited about me going as i was!

>208 kidzdoc: - Thanks, Darryl.

>209 DorsVenabili: - I obviously have way too much time on my hands, Kerri!

>210 lindapanzo: - He sure is a great guy, Linda! Thanks for stopping by!

>211 souloftherose: - I had a great time, Heather, and yes, can't go wrong with LT meet-ups!

>212 jnwelch: - Joe, I think you and your wife would really enjoy the experience. I hope you can make it work next year! I can't wait to find out the dates and locations myself....

Hi Katie - I'm just catching up on threads and wanted to thank you for making me so jealous with your Booktopia experiences! What a treat to meet all of those authors. I'd love to get to one of those at some point.

Loved reading through your recap of Booktopia and all those wonderful foodie adventures as well.

>215 vivians: - I think you would love Booktopia, Vivian. I plan to let everyone know the dates and locations for next year's events, so watch this space!

>216 avatiakh: - Thank you, Kerry. I may have gone a bit overboard, but it was fun to do and now I have a good record of "What I did on my summer vacation" :)

Okay, so way back up in >168 katiekrug:, I told y'all you could friend me on FB to follow my adventures. I think somebody took me up on the offer, but I don't know this person apart from their LT "name." So please PM me if you sent me a friend request, so I can accept it! I just didn't want to accept one when I wasn't sure who it was :)

Thanks!

Hi Katie! Are you back to work? I am putting the final touches on my mini-review of Byrd. I hope it inspires a few more folks to track it down. I should have picked up a couple more gift copies. Duh!

ETA- Do you remember the book Wiley Cash recommended, early in his talk? Something "forever"?

>219 msf59: - Yep, frist day back today, Mark. And it was a doozy :) Good idea about giving Byrd as a gift - I know a few discriminating readers who would enjoy it. I believe the book Wiley mentioned was I am One of You Forever by Fred Chappell. It looks very good.

Yes, I am One of You Forever was the title and I have added it to the WL. Thank you. Have you read John Hart? I like his books and he is compared to Cash. I meant to ask him that, while we were there.

I haven't but I have a couple of his on my TBR shelves.

Ooh, Fred Chappell! Don't overlook Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You either. If this Wiley Cash is recommending Chappell's work I'll have to look into his books.

I think you'd like Cash, Richard, but I'm not always so good at predicting these things. If you do try him, start with his debut which is much stronger than the follow-up.

I owe your thread a visit but the several dozen unread messages are overwhelming at the moment!

*smooch*

Just scroll to the bottom and leave a hi. My Gentleman Caller agreed that I should tell "Kickass Katie" hello from him.

Hi Katie! Your Booktopia updates were so fun to read, thanks for sharing the experience with all of us. I saw your comment on my thread about The Paying Guests and I hope to have a review posted later today. I still have thoughts rattling around, trying to figure out what to say without revealing too much, and feeling the pressure of it being an ER book so I want to do it justice. Oh, and I'm at work. So, there's that. :)

>225 richardderus: - I will do a drive-by today, I promise. And tell your GC "hello" right back!

>226 lauralkeet: - Just that little bit has me intrigued, Laura! And I do some of my best non-work-related work at work :)

>227 katiekrug: sometimes I do too, Katie, but I forgot about a certain avalanche that hit today. Might have to write the review during off hours. Oh the horror !!!

:-)

>228 lauralkeet: >229 katiekrug: I survived the avalanche and posted my review ...

So looking forward to that one!

Welcome home and love the trip/Booktopia/food log!

>190 katiekrug: - Grits are alien to the Canadian that I am but the grits in the picture kind of looks like lumpy seasoned mashed potatoes. Most curious..... what do grits taste like?

>232 lkernagh: - To be honest, Lori, grits themselves don't have much flavor, at least to me. I've only ever had cheese grits, which taste.... cheesy (usually cheddar). The grits in my picture were supposedly cheese grits but they were pretty bland. A lot of people just put butter and salt and pepper on plain grits. I think it's one of those dishes that just takes on whatever flavor you give it. They are "looser" and wetter than mashed potatoes, but similar in being like a blank slate :)

And in case anyone is wondering if I've completely stopped reading....

CURRENT READ

(This was an ER win from waaay back...*hangs head in shame*)

CURRENT LISTEN

(My reading equivalent of comfort food like mac 'n' cheese)

SET ASIDE FOR NOW

(My RL book club pick; I don't hate it but it's not engaging me at the moment)

>232 lkernagh: Grits = runny polenta or cornbread. Hominy, aka lye-soaked maize kernels, dried and powdered, then reconstituted with boiling salt water. Like KAK said, they taste like what you put on/in them. Plain grits are as blah as plain rice.

I think it's one of those dishes that just takes on whatever flavor you give it..

Oh, like cauliflower. *cheeky grin*

Grits = runny polenta or cornbread.

Okay. Not quite like cauliflower, but still really bland without some assistance from the herb garden, the cheese cellar or any other food items to give it some life.

Good to know, thank you Katie and RD!

Happy Friday, Katie! Curious to hear your thoughts on Ruby. I've seen that title pop up, here and there, over the past few months.

>236 lkernagh: - Any time, Lori :)

>237 msf59: - Mark, I'm not super far into Ruby yet, but it's pretty good. A bit over-done in places, but some of the language is beautiful. She just needs to rein it in a little...

I passed the UK citizenship test! Only got three wrong *pats self on back*

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/can-you-pass-a-uk-citizenship-test-most-yo...

>239 katiekrug: I got them all right, but I guessed on the first two so I give myself 22/24.

One of the ones I got wrong was a total brain fart on my part that I almost feel I should give myself credit because *of course* I knew that, but whatever. I got the question about magistrates wrong, as well as the one about Arkwright.

I passed! 22/24. I got the magistrates wrong, too, and the political parties looking for members (brain freeze). I read an article about Arkwright just last week so was sure about that one. :)

Good job, Paws!

I too got 22/24! I didn't know that UK parties sought members and had no concept of language variations there.

>244 richardderus: - On the languages, my educated guess was based on the fact that Rhian (sanddune) has mentioned people still speaking Welsh. Not sure if that's what the question was getting at, but it worked out :)

And now between me, you, Nora, and Paws, we can rent a house in London and have crazy adventures. It's got the making of an 80s sitcom all over it...

I thought that the question was talking about the vastly different dialects within English throughout the UK.

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen

Listened to on audio during a two day drive from Dallas to Asheville, this was a fun diversion that I ended up liking more than the only other Hiassen I've read listened to (Star Island). The secondary stories and characters were almost better and more interesting than the main ones, which makes for a fun experience. And my enjoyment was increased by listening with my husband who is very easily amused and kept chortling out loud. Plus, we both enjoyed the setting of Miami and the Florida Keys, being rather familiar with it ourselves.



Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

You may be surprised to learn that I respond well to intelligent and snarky people. Anthony Bourdain is my kind of guy. My husband and I started watching his old series "No Reservations" on one of our streaming services last winter, and adore the mixture of travel, culture, and food discovery. This is the book that made him "A Name," so to speak, in the culinary world. He demystifies a lot about the restaurant and food industries, sometimes to a horrifying degree. I loved his take-down of Emeril and the whole idea of celebrity chefs (though I guess now he kind of is one). The mixture of memoir and insider/behind-the-scenes stuff was fascinating. The chapter "A Day in the Life" was particularly good, and hearing it read by Bourdain provided that extra bit of urgency and authenticity. If you have a weak stomach, object to foul language, or don't appreciate "warts and all" type stories, stay away from this one. Otherwise, I highly recommend it, especially on audio read by the author.



I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson (Did Not Finish)

Had I been paying more attention, I never would have picked this one up. Skimming the description, I thought it was a memoir of returning to live in the US after 20 years in Britain, and I expected to gain some good insight on both places from an author I have not read before but whom I know by reputation. Instead, this is a collection of weekly columns Bryson wrote for a UK paper upon his return to the States. As such, the short pieces hang on small vignettes about life in a small town in New Hampshire, with a lot of superficial comparisons to living in Yorkshire, not-very-interesting contrasts between the US and the UK (most of which elicited a "Well, duh, of course they're different. They're different countries!" reaction), and a kind of annoying "golly gee" tone that grated no end. The reader wasn't great either. I stopped listening about 2.5 hours in. I will give Bryson another try but will be more careful in my next choice.

>246 norabelle414: - That probably was the case, Nora. If I had read it that way, I still think I would have gotten it right because I know the accents and such range widely.

Well, I knew there are people who speak (besides English) Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish Gaelic. Not sure if Cornish has been officially declared dead yet or not. And Manx.

>245 katiekrug: Sounds great! You think it'll be a little influenced be Black Books, what with us crazy book lovers...?

>246 norabelle414: Ah, don't get me started on the similarities and differences of dialects vs languages. I could go on all day.

>249 PawsforThought: - There would definitely be books involved, somehow....

__________________________________

I posted this on Facebook but thought I'd troll for more comments over here :)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/candacelowry/books-parents-should-read-to-their-kids-bef...

This is my commentary:
Not surprisingly, I have some opinions on this list: (1) "The Giving Tree" is awful. Period. (2) "Goodnight Moon" is boring. I don't get why people love it. (3) "The Monster at the End of This Book" is fan-freaking-tastic. (4) "The Little Prince" is one of the most highly over-rated books of all time. In English AND French. (5) Love me some "Harold and the Purple Crayon." (6) "Where the Sidewalk Ends" almost makes up for "The Giving Tree." Almost. (7) I can't talk about "Charlotte's Web" without crying, so... *sob* (8) Ditto "Where the Red Fern Grows." (9) "Danny the Champion of the World" is the most under-rated Roald Dahl book and an all-time favorite.

I have no opinion on the rest. I've read some of them but they don't arouse strong feelings either way...

What would you add or remove?

I've only read (or have read to me) 7 on that list. So I'd remove all the others (except the Roald Dahl one, I'm sure it's excellent as I love all the other books of his I've read).

I initially just skimmed through the list to make sure that Where the Wild Things Are was on it. If it hadn't been, I would've had to dismiss the list entirely. The same for Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh, really.
There are a lot of books I'd add but perhaps most of all Spotty. To this day, I still cry every time I read it.

Also, on my personal list (books to read to my own children someday) there are, for obviously reasons, a lot more Nordic authors.

>251 PawsforThought: - It's definitely a US-centric list. I would add one of my all-time favorites, The Poky Little Puppy. That one got very worn out from all the re-reads, and The Little Golden Books weren't the best quality to begin with, if I remember correctly...

>252 katiekrug: My copy of Grimm's Fairytales has duct tape instead of a spine. And has had so for a good 25 years...

>239 katiekrug: Well I got all the questions right! I've done a similar one on FB recently and I'm not surprised that people get some of the history ones wrong, to be honest. And I don't quite see why you should know British history to be a British citizen - I would have thought it was more important to understand contemporary British culture.

The language question would definitely have been referring to languages rather than dialects. About 570,000 people claim to speak Welsh, although the numbers of those speaking it on a day to day basis is less. A lot fewer people speak Scots Gaelic (despite being in supposedly Gaelic speaking strongholds several times I've never heard anyone speak it whereas you will hear people speaking Welsh every day if you're in the right area). Manx and Cornish died out as living languages some time ago, although people are always trying to reintroduce them.

Here's today BBC Welsh news, in Welsh:

http://m.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw

>253 PawsforThought: - Wish I had a "Like" button for that!

>254 SandDune: - Rhian, I am almost afraid to take a US citizenship test. Too much potantial embarrassment, though I think I'd do fine - what if it's really hard?!?!

Thanks for the language information. I had never heard of Manx, so had a fun few minutes on Wikipedia learning something about that. And I love the Welsh BBC site. Now I am going to go find some audio, I think....

>254 SandDune: Ah, so they were dead. I was unsure if they both were or just one of them. I should pick up my old textbooks from uni and study up.
I'm guessing Scottish Gaelic is more spoken in the home, so people visiting wouldn't get to hear it often. Why that is, I don't know.

>255 katiekrug: I loved that book. Still do. And it's a fairly "uncensored" version with quite a few bloody (literally) details.

Hi Katie - Thinking about my kids' favorite books, I would add The Cat in the Hat; they loved that one, as well as most Seuss, but that was a favorite. Frog and Toad were also favorites. Lists like this are personal; instead of saying all parents should read these, it might be more productive to say, "These were my favorites." Ah well, a good conversation starter.

>250 katiekrug: You are an asshat and you know why! Bwahaha!!! I miss you EFF.

>256 PawsforThought: - Well, a little blood never hurt anyone ;-)

>257 BLBera: - Beth, I love debating lists. Everything is subjective. I posted this on FB and a "friend" got a little bent out of shape, saying all patronizingly, "I'm sorry you hate so many of them." There are 27 on the list and I expressed dislike for about 3. Geez.

>258 luvamystery65: - Listen, you pusillanimous pussyfooter, I'll take no guff from you! xoxo

>259 katiekrug: Your FB friend was a pussyfooter and I'm not talking about me. I'm the evil one. ;-)

>260 luvamystery65: - Yes you are, and I love you for it!

Today, the hubs and I went to see the exhibit of Samurai armor at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. He was really excited to go, and I was just along for the ride, but it ended up being really interesting. It was a pretty small exhibit, but well worth seeing and included full sets of armor, some different weapons, and many different styles of helmets. I even shelled out for the catalog so that I could read more about the history of the samurai.

Some pictures from the website:

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the Booktopia journal / photos you've included for us. I am swooning right now!! :)

The Samurai armour looks fascinating! I would have been like you: along for the ride, and pleasantly surprised.

Katie, some of the most interesting exhibitions I've been to were those where I was just along for the ride :-) My heart sank when a friend of my mother's wanted to go to the tennis museum at Wimbledon but it was surprisingly good, and there was a lot about the social history of tennis and not just stats about the game. Similarly a Stars Wars one years ago, which I attended with a friend who was a huuuuuuge fan. She didn't think it was that great, but I had no expectations so I enjoyed it a lot.

Morning Katie! You'll have to stop by my thread. I had a surprise visitor. Smiles. I have tried 2 of the Texas beers. Not bad, my friend. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend.

>263 TinaV95: - Thanks, Tina! You would love the whole experience. Think about it for next year!

>264 lit_chick: and >265 susanj67: - Nancy and Susan, it really was fascinating. The intricacy of the construction, the materials used, the gorgeous embellishments - just awesome. i'm so glad I went :)

>266 msf59: - Remember, Mark, if you don't like the beers, it's The Wayne's fault ;-)

Quiet day here. Just doing some laundry and reading a lot. I'd like to finish Ruby before the end of the month. I've only got about 100 pages to go, so definitely doable. It has really grown on me - interesting cross between Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, I think, with a bit of Zora Neale Hurston added, as well. I can't decide if it's a little *too* derivative, though....

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

"Monday morning broke through, rubbing Sunday out of its eyes. All across town, coffee had been brewed and cups emptied. The crusts of toast and hardened grits had already been scraped into slop jars. And by 9:00 a.m. Ephram Jennings's sin had already been stirred, baked and left to cool, its scent filling the air of Liberty." (page 209)

Ephram Jennings' sin was to show kindness and love to Ruby Bell, commonly believed to be a whore, and crazy to boot. He had loved Ruby since first encountering her when they were children. What he couldn't know was how Ruby had been beaten down and abused and made to feel less than whole since she was six years old. Through a narrative that moves back and forth in time, we learn the brutal details of life in Liberty, Texas - details of pain and murder, incest and rape, religious faith and supernatural belief. Ruby can't escape what everyone believes to be her fate, not even by fleeing to New York City. Her past calls her back to Liberty, and her past informs her present and her future. No room is left for hope or expectation, until Ephram braves the ridicule of the town to help Ruby find her worth.

"Like a blast of heat burning through her, it was suddenly too much, this constant, unrelenting kindness, the gentle in the center of his eyes that never slipped and fell. His attention had long since filled the shallow bowl she'd set aside for joy. In that moment it cracked." (page 214)

As this one damaged soul calls out to another, and tries to overcome the distrust and anger, the tension builds, and the reader knows that yet more tragedy and horror is in store.

Cynthia Bond is a fine writer. The first 50 or so pages were perhaps a bit over done, but she eventually settled into a rhythm with language that evoked both the supernatural and the prosaic, ghosts and haints along side the very real piney woods of East Texas. In a place where not so long ago, James Byrd, a black man, was tied to the back of a truck by two white men and dragged along the road until he died, the evils of which she writes are not hard to imagine as real. And while some elements of her story require a strong suspension of disbelief, the passion that limns each sentence and every element of this story shines through and makes for an indelible read. Not a perfect one, but certainly a powerful one. I am still picking up the pieces of my broken heart, only partly mollified by the faint glimmer of hope at the end of the book, almost undone by the darkness.