Betty's (dudes22's) 2015 Bookshelf Bonanza

Between the KITS, the CATS, the Bingo Dog, the BBs from LT, the series I'm behind on, and my TBR pile in general, I couldn't find a theme I liked for this year. So I'm going to read from bookshelves - mine, the library, the bookstore, and here on LT. I'm setting my goal for 100 books and my categories as the months of the year. I've also decided to just do the Random Cat and the Bingo Dog so I don't get too bored and to give me a little push each month.

Tickers and stats:

2015 Books Read



2015 Books From My TBR Shelves



TBR added in:
2014 - 8
2013 - 2
2012 - 1
2011 - 2
2010 - 5
2009 -

January Snowflake Shelf Reads:

1. Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert
2. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
3. Split Second by David Baldacci
4. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith
5. The Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini
6. Hour Game by David Baldacci
7. An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor
8. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

February Heart Shelf Reads:

9. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
10. April Undercover by Evan Katy
11. The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
12. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
13. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
14. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
15. Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
16. We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee
17. Hearts on a String by Kris Radish
18. The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

March Winds Shelf Reads:

19. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
20. Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett
21. Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert
22. Norwegian by Night by Derek Miller
23. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
24. Shades of Earl Grey by Laura Childs
25. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
26. Simple Genius by David Baldacci
27. 9th Judgment by James Patterson

April Easter Egg Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

May Flowers Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

June Father's Day Necktie Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

July Flag Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

August Shell Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

September Leaf Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

October Bat Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

November Cornucopia Shelf Reads:

1.
2.

December Tree Reads:

1.
2.

Random CAT Shelf Reads:

January - Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert (character names based on Olympus Has Fallen)
February - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee
(Books made into movies)
March - Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (Cool Kids books)
April - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (Aperire - open)
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

BINGO DOG



Some of my possible reads are:

*1...Set in a country other than your own - In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith
2....Genre bender - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
3....Reminds you of your childhood -
4....Chosen by Someone Else -
*5....Animal is of importance - We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee
*6...Correspondence/letters/epistolary - The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
*7...Owned for more than 1 year - The Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini
*8...Translated from a language you don't speak/read - Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
9....Major Historical Event - Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
10...Published in 1915 - Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
11...Prophecy, signs, or portents are important
12...About/with Scientists
*13..Read A CAT -Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert
14...Author has same name as your mother/grandmother - Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
15...Natural Disaster - Dark Water by Robert Clark
16...Mythical creature - Soulless by Gail Carrier ? Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith
*17..LGBTQ main character - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
*18...By an LT Author - {The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
19...About Languages - Double Negative by David Carkeet
20...Outside your comfort zone - audio book The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett or Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast graphic novel
21...Autism - 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster
22...Inspired by another piece of fiction - The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
23...Subject you're unfamiliar with - The Error World by Simon Garfield
24...Based on fairy tale/myth - The Big Over Easy by Jasper FForde
*25...Protagonist of the opposite gender - Norwegian by Night by Derek Miller

OK - that seems to be my plan for next year. My thread is now open.

Decided that I might participate occasionally in the SFFF CAT so I'll stick that here.

SFFF CAT:

Jan - (Steampunk) - Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
Feb - (Classics) - The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
Mar - (Apocalyptic) - Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
Apr -
May -
Jun -
Jul -
Aug -
Sep -
Oct -
Nov -
Dec -

Great plan, Betty! I love how you matched the shelves to the months.

nice shelves! (I mean that in a nice way ;) )

Amazing collection of shelves! It is clear you are going to have fun with this! Looking forward!

Awwww I want the bookshelf full of kitties!! Adorable! Great idea for a theme, too. :)

Love your theme this year, Betty! I've got a few more categories to figure out for myself, and I'll hopefully have my thread set up soon. I'm getting anxious that it's not already done!

What fun shelves!!

Love those different shelves. It's amazing what some people think up. And the kittens are adorable. Enjoy the books!

Thank you all for stopping in. I'm looking forward to a rather unstructured reading year and catching up on a lot of my series. (And probably starting a few new ones)

I like your relaxed approach this year with a nice splash of creative bookshelves. I haven't seen most of them before.

Great plan! I did that one year and it was so liberating to be able to fit everything! And the pics are lovely, particularly the cat-shelf, of course! :)

I love your "unstructured reading year" plan! And the cute shelf pictures that go with.

WOW! I am truly impressed by the shelves that you will be reading.

Love the shelves pics!

>15 dudes22: I'm partial to the cats sitting on the shelf. I was tempted to do months this year, but I wanted to use 15 in some way.

Great categories, great pics, and adorable cats.

I love bookshelf pics! Good luck this year!

I had no idea such amazing bookshelves were out there! I really like the one for March, although I have to admit I would need to see the bookshelves up close to see how 'functional' it really is but my favorite it the Random cat shelves.... especially if it comes with its own litter of kittens!

For those that have been following my quilting adventure this year, I've posted my Dec block and also the completed (?) quilt.

Everyone seems to like the cats on the shelf although that was an afterthought. (more of a dog person) But somehow appropriate. There are some great ideas for challenges here this year. Not sure how I'll keep up and still have time to read.

>36 dudes22: I know what you mean. Keeping up with LT is practically a full-time job! :)

Good luck on your challenge!

Wow! You make me want to go out and buy shelves. I have enough trouble resisting buying books and chocolate, now you're going to make me buy shelves too!

Thanks everyone for stopping by. My "categories" are so uninteresting, I thought I'd at least find some fun pictures. I have one more book I'm trying to finish before the new year starts, but I'm getting excited to start 2015.

I just went over to see your finished squares and WOW! Very impressive. Congratulations!

>41 mamzel: - Thanks!

Finished my last book for 2014 and ready to start 2015 later today. Think I'll be starting with my Random Cat book Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert.

I was originally thinking I'd try to follow every thread as it's posted each day, but have already fallen behind. So as each one pops up over the next few days, I'll decide which ones I'll star and which ones I'll just pop into occasionally as my reading interests coincide with others. I'm just so afraid I'll miss a good BB or a good discussion.

Book 1: Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert
Random Cat
Bingo Card: Read a Cat

Well, first read of the year done. Another in the China Bayles series about an herb shop owner and prior defense attorney who gets involved in another mystery death while she's also trying to figure out why her boyfriend seems to be having secrets from her.

Dropping by to star your thread. LOVE the bookcase pictures, especially the cats and bat. And you did end up with 15 categories!

21>A book shelf full of kitties isn't always a good thing. I leave 1/2 the bottom shelf empty for them, but the orange one has been after the Christmas decorations on the top shelf. My friend bought me a cat nativity set, so I've been joking that orange boy has "found religion."

Betty, those are the coolest shelves you've got for your categories!

I don't have any cats, only a dog, so that's not a problem for me. I was just looking for a picture that went with the theme. Multi-colored cats on a shelf seemed a good choice.

>45 tymfos: - thanks Terri.

Happy New Year, Betty!

I love your monthly shelves! Although I wouldn't want most of those in my house - when I get book shelves, I want them big and functional, not cute!

Can't wait to see the quilt after you get it all put together. It looks great so far! And you've helped to encourage me to get back to quilting - I started a new block-of-the-month program at the quilt shop near here. The model in the shop is beautiful. I've got the first block finished, and it felt great to be back at the sewing machine. So thanks for that.

Oh Sandi - how great! I really enjoyed just doing one block each month. I didn't feel the pressure of rushing to get something finished. My husband and I are leaving tommorrow to drive to Alabama to visit family for a month (although it's supposed to be 18 there on Thurs which isn't much different from here). But I'm thinking of doing another quilt with a block each month when I get back. I'm hoping you'll post a picture of your quilt too.

BTW - I wouldn't want those shelves either. Obviously they're more for show than practicality.

Happy Thingaversary!

Is it today? I thought it was tomorrow. Thanks for the wishes. No book buying for me at this time because of our trip, but maybe later this year.

And here's my meme from 2014:

Describe yourself: The Seamstress ( how could I not use this?)

Describe how you feel: Home Safe

Describe where you currently live: 1225 Christmas Tree Lane

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: A Walk in the Woods

Your favorite form of transportation: The Camel Bookmobile

Your best friend is: The Girl Who Remembered Snow

You and your friends are: Climbing the Stairs

What’s the weather like: Heat Wave (not really)

You fear: Shadows in the Vineyard

What is the best advice you have to give: Quilt As Desired

Thought for the day: If I Stay

How I would like to die: In the Woods

My soul’s present condition: A Time to Dance

>52 dudes22: Your favorite form of transportation: The Camel Bookmobile This one seems so interesting ...

I would love a heatwave right about now. Even single digits below zero (Celsius) would be nice.

>52 dudes22: Eerie that your answer to "If you could go anywhere, where would you go" is quite similar to "How would you like to die".

>52 dudes22: - I'd like to at least try it. And the book was pretty good too.

>53 electrice: - we're in Pennsylvania right now on our way to Alabama and, although not as cold as where you are (I have trouble with Celsius conversion, but I do know 0 =our 32, right?) - with the wind blowing it's really cold. I think back in RI, with wind chill, it was supposed to feel like -25 F this am. Walking around last night trying to get the dog to do her business when all she was was curious was not pleasant. I'm going to try and get my husband to do it this am.

>54 rabbitprincess: - I know - they seemed to be the best choices from the books I had.

Love your shelves pictures!

Book 2: Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
BINGO Block: Translated from a language you don't speak

Second in the Harry Hole series. Once again, his superiors send him out of the country to Thailand to investigate the murder of the ambassador. Mostly because they think he will not investigate too much and sort of sweep everything under the rug. But he refuses to do that. I followed this one a little bit better than the last one although this one was somewhat convoluted too. And even though I don't mind a flawed hero, Harry is very flawed.

Hubby and I are here in Alabama visiting relatives (his) for a month, but no Wifi, so probably not much time on LT. I'll try to check in and at least list the books I've read as often as I can.

59> No library you can go to for free Wifi?

Enjoy your visit. Hope it's warmer down there.

>59 dudes22: Before my brother finally got wifi at his house, I used to make frequent trips to McDonalds and the public library to access Internet (as did all of his kids when they came to visit).

Have a great trip, Betty.

Actually, my husband's cousin who lives next door said we could piggyback off theirs, but it doesn't reach this far. So I just have to go next door. I did add a data plan to my iPad ( mostly so we'd have Maps) which seems to be working ok without using too much of the data plan, so I'm just using that now.

Book 3: Split Second by David Baldacci

First book in his King and Maxwell series about 2 disgraced Secret Service agents. Eight years ago, Sean King lost a presidential candidate when he was distracted. Now he's a lawyer in a small town doing wills, divorces, and estates. Michelle Maxwell's presidential candidate has been kidnapped. She hears about King in the news reports about her kidnapping and decides to learn more about him and asks him to helps her find her protectee. Could the events be related. Of course they are..

If I had one problem with this book, it was that these highly trained agents never caught in that they were being followed as they interviewed people who might help them. People who quickly became dead. This series was actually made into a TV show which I enjoyed even though it only lasted one season. The series only has six books and I've brought 3 of them to Alabama with me as I aim to complete it this year.

I can't decide which bookshelf I want more!

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Harry Hole sounds like a bit like Maxwell Smart on crack. Do I have it about right? Just curious, what language was Cockroaches written in. I don't know much about Nesbo.

He was originally written in Norwegian.

Book 4: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

This is number 6 in the Ladies Detective series and follows pretty much the same formula as the others. Pleasant little "mysteries" which are solved to everyone's satisfaction.

Book 5: The Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini

In this book in the Elm Creek Quilts series, Sylvia is trying to find out about the quilts her mother had made. The story alternates with the telling of her mother's history.

Book 6: Hour Game by David Baldacci

Another book read in an effort to make some headway with some series this year. This is book 2 in the King and Maxwell series. I brought three of them with me to Alabama. I think one of the few problems I have with this series is the same problem I had with the first book; for former Secret Service agents, they seem to be unaware that they are being followed. BTW - it wasn't the person I thought it was.

Betty, I see on the Weather Channel that RI is getting pounded by the winter storm. I hope you are safe and warm!

>71 tymfos: Ditto! Hope you've got a good stockpile of books, too.

Just realized that I had not yet seen this thread - I missed some absolutely lovely bookshelf pictures! They fit perfectly. And you open challenge should bring a lot of fun.
And I'm always happy to see Jo Nesbo on the lists. I really like his books, although Harry Hole is very special indeed. I have read the first four, and hope to have the chance to buy no. five this week.

>71 tymfos: >72 rabbitprincess: I could send you some 0°C from here. We had even clear blue sky today for a change. Usually it's just grey and not really winter-like. ("here" is northern Germany)

Hope you are warm, dry and safe, Betty.

I'm actually in Alabama so no snow for me. We left RI on Jan 7 to spend the month here with my husband's uncle who is 92 and not well health-wise. He has a stomach aneurism but they won't operate because of his age and health. Although it's a bit chilly here today, the weather has been good generally; my husband even has had shorts on a few days. We're planning to leave next Tues and hope to be home by Thurs. I've been talking to my family and although there's a lot of snow, no one lost electricity and according to the paper this am, the new governor did a good job by closing all the roads and restricting travel so the plows could do their job. So thank you all for the good wishes - they say Feb is supposed to be bad too.

>73 Chrischi_HH: - thanks for visiting. I'm quite enjoying the Jo Nesbo books and plan to get to a couple more at least later this year. I will say that some of those bookshelves are obviously not for people who read. Not enough space for books.

Glad to hear that you avoided this one, hope the balance of the winter isn't too bad for you.

75> Glad you were able to avoid the storm. Don't worry, the snow will still be here when you get back.

>77 BookLizard: - I'm sure it will

>75 dudes22: I noticed they are expecting more snow on Monday, at least in the Boston area. I hope your travel plans aren't negatively impacted.

I hope not!

Book 8: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

I had this in my Book Bullet collection from Christina's 2013 challenge and this month's Steampunk SFFF Cat seemed a good time to try it after I saw it in one of the posts over on that thead. And I liked it quite a bit. This is my first try of steampunk, and I could see reading a few more - I'll probably continue with this series at least. I think Sephronia reminds me of Flavia in some ways. Very... Oh why can't I think of the word I want? Not imaginative, (although she is that). You know ... She figures things out and takes advantage of the situation. You know what I mean.

>81 dudes22: Yay, glad you liked the book! You've reminded me that I still need to read book #3 in the series, Waistcoats and Weaponry.

I have made a promise to myself that I will not start reading Carriger's Finishing School series until I finish reading her Parasol Protectorate series..... darn these authors and their enticing books! :-)

I read the Parasol Protectorate series, but I haven't read the Finishing School series because I'm afraid it will be a letdown. What do y'all think?

I haven't read the Parasol series, so I won't be any help.

I don't think the Finishing School books are as good as the Parasol Protectorate, but I seem to keep reading them anyway.

They appear to be aimed at a younger audience but I do intend to try them eventually since I liked Carriger's first series a lot.

JANUARY RECAP:

Books Read: 8
TBR Pile: 7
Books Added: 1

BINGO Squares:
Read a CAT: Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert (Random Cat)
Set in country other than your own: In The Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)
Translated from language you don't speak: Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
Owned more than 1 year: The Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini

CAT Books:
Random: Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert
SFFF: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

Thanks for the info on the Finishing School series.

Betty, I hope you'll get around to reading the Parasol Protectorate.

I've finished one book that I carried over from Jan and after a couple of long days on the road heading home, I've finished a couple more. In Pennsylvania tonight and should be in RI by tomorrow night. We we kind of worried about the weather, but it looks like we might luck out and get home without to much driving in the snow.

Book 9: Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith

Another one in his Ladies Detective Agency series, this one follows the same formula of minor problems solved. Nothing to deep and no violence, these are still books I enjoy when I need a light read.

Book 10: April Undercover by Evan Katy

This series is (I think) supposed to be similar to Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum series. Sort of off-the-wall inept girl who ends up solving mysteries and somehow never quite getting the guy. I'm losing patience with this series and find I was rather annoyed in various places with this next one in the series. I'm thinking I'll probably not continue.

Book 11: The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
Bingo Block: Books with correspondence/letters/epistolary

When Luke Spenser asks Mattie to marry him and move to the Colorado Territory, she is surprised as she thought he would be marrying Persia. Only a month later she is married and traveling across the prairies on her way to the homestead that Luke has claimed in Colorado. She starts a journal which tells of her life - the hardships, the Indians, the friendships formed and lost.

92> Sorry to hear you didn't like April Undercover. I got January Kills Me for Christmas.

I actually liked the first few. It's just that this one annoyed me. So don't let that stop you from trying it.

95> Thanks, good to know. It is supposed to be like Stephanie Plum - that's how I found out about the series on Amazon.

And it is. I think maybe it just tries a little to hard. I'll be waiting to see what you think.

Well, sounds like we're in for another snow event. Had some brief flurries yesterday, and a little bit overnight, but now it sounds like it's going to snow from now to Tuesday. But not blizzard-like, thank goodness. We're right at the edge of 8-12". We get less because we're fairly close to the coast. Quite a change from Alabama. So some shoveling, some reading, and I think some sewing.

We had to buy another storage tote to bring home the material I bought while we were away, so I'll see if I can fit it somewhere on my shelves and then do some sewing.

We're expecting "close to 5 cm" of snow today, but at the rate it's falling I would not be surprised if we get more. Environment Canada has not done a good job of predicting snow accumulation lately.

>98 dudes22: That's a lot of snow.
And were having a week of 80 degrees, which cheats us of the little bit of cool weather we get in the year.

Wow, sounds like the east coast is still entrenched in winter. Spring seems to have come rather early here on the west coast, so part of me worries that we will be in for an unseasonably cold May-June.... not great for gardens.

Right now we're in the 20-24" range in Boston, but that's for the whole storm. What we need to know is will the kids have school on Monday & how much are we going to have to shovel to get to work.

You know even the weather forecasters are getting sick of it when this is in the forecast:

"Wednesday: No snow! Cold, with highs in the low 20s.

Thursday: Maybe more snow... ugh! 20s. "

I know - we missed the "big" storm because we were in Alabama. But I'm weary of it already and there's more on the way. I heard the other day that the official total at the airport in RI (which is how they measure) is 41.6" so far. And they were talking about the 1995-1996 winter where we got 106.1" of snow. I remember that one because my husband left in Jan for business in Spain for 2 months and I felt I did nothing but shovel. After he got back, we bought a snow blower.

Book 12: A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

He stepped into the beyond, and found the monsters hidden deep inside all the reasonable, gentle, laughing people. He went to where even they were afraid to go. Armand Gamache followed slimy trails, deep into a person's psyche, and there, huddled and barely human, he found the murderer.

Insp Gamache and his wife are celebrating their anniversary staying at the Manior Bellechasse. There is also a family named Finney having a family reunion. One of the sons turns out to be Peter Morrow who comes from Three Pines where most of Ms Penny's books in this series take place. One of the daughters ends up dead and Insp Gamache gets involved to solve the mystery.

This is by far my favorite book of the series so far. (of course this is only book 4.) I like the focus of the book being the Inspector. And I liked learning more about him.

A Rule Against Murder was a good one! It's my second favourite of the series; my favourite is the sixth.

Something to look forward to.

103> That winter was hellish. Not just snowy, but cold. Glad you have a snow blower. And I'm glad I live in a condo now. I just have to shovel out my car.

Book 13: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
Random CAT: Feb - Books into Movies
BINGO Block: Book with a LGBTQ main character

Evelyn Couch spends Sundays at the nursing home with her husband, visiting her mother-in-law. One day she meets Mrs. Threadgoode in the lounge and as they start talking, Mrs Threadgoode relates the story of two women who ran The Whistle Stop Café back in the 1930s and what happened to them and to others in Whistle Stop. The chapters jump around quite a bit through the years so you need to pay attention to the chapter headings. I could even hear the actors from the movie as I read the book sometimes.

Book 14: Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evaovich

Looking for a light-hearted read on a snowy weekend, I picked this off the TBR pile. Typical Stephanie Plum fare with exploding cars, fires, Grandma, Lula, and a couple of missing people. Just what I needed.

Loved the last three books you've read. All excellent!

Have you read anything else by Fannie Flagg? I've just read Fried Green (probably 15-20 years ago) and have been curious about her other works.

That's the only one I've read so far, but I have one more in my TBR -

That's the only one I've read so far, but I do have another one on my TBR pile. Not sure when I'll get to it.

There's been lots in the news lately about roofs collapsing, so hubby and I spent most of yesterday clearing paths in the front and back of the house so he could try and pull some of the snow off our roof with a snow rake. (The snow was so deep he didn't feel comfortable just standing in it.) He took the snowblower and I took a shovel and a metal edger to break up the icy packed-down snow. And there's still quite a bit at the peak that couldn't be reached. We're off next week to Mexico on vacation and I think that's weighing on his mind. Had another inch last night and I think I heard there's more coming this weekend. I am SO over this.

Smart of you to clear a path first. Did you hear about the man in Cambridge buried by an avalanche that fell off the roof of a rink? Scary. The snow was cleared off the roof of my condo building yesterday, too.

Do you have icicles? You also need to worry about ice dams. It's never-ending.

Good luck with your flights in and out. Enjoy the weather in Mexico. Can you bring some of it back with you? Pretty please?

More snow?! Holy smokes! I can understand wanting to get away! This has been quite a winter.

>114 BookLizard: - I didn't hear about that. On the news tonight they were telling people not to get up on their roofs and shovel the snow off. But more roofs are collapsing. Not too many icicles so far - a little melting today and they're talking about rain this weekend. And with storm drains blocked mostly, that will mean flooding. Not where I am since there are no sewers, but still.... I wish I could bring good weather back.

>115 rabbitprincess: - I feel bad complaining when Boston is so much worse off than we are. My nephew says his car is buried. Luckily neither he nor his girlfriend need it to get to work. They're hoping to get it shoveled out this weekend.

>116 dudes22: I saw a friend of mine who lives in Colorado Springs who posted the forecast for the next couple of days. The forecast consisted of ranges of accumulation for each section of the day. When you added them up, he could be getting 16 to 28 inches of snow. I teased him that Boston was sending him some of its snow.

Somehow though, I think Colorado should have snow!

They are welcome to send some snow to the Sierras. They have NONE!

Alaska had to reroute their famous dog sled race since some places didn't have enough snow.

Now that's bad!

>120 BookLizard: - The Iditarod had to change its course? I did not know that. I just know that south of them - okay a fair distance south of them - we have been experiencing April weather and its only February.

Betty, what color are your toes? Hopefully not blue with frostbite! In the past, I'd get a pedi for my birthday in May, but then it would usually be too cold and/or rainy for sandals, so last year I waited until the middle of June. This year it will probably be the middle of July.

122> Yep. The news probably didn't get much attention outside of Alaska and New England! ;-)

Hot pink!

I hadn't heard about the Iditarod, but I had heard that it was warmer there than it is here. -7 when I got up and I think I heard our normal temps during the day should be around 40 and we have been way below that. Supposed to go up to 30 today and some snow this afternoon changing to rain overnight and tomorrow.

Looks like we're 6 now. Think they said Providence broke the record low for the day with -5 and Hartford was -17! Aren't you glad we live near the coast so we stay "warmer"?

Hot pink sounds like fun. Perfect for a vacation. Enjoy yourself.

I hope you have a good vacation, Betty!

Just started snowing again with 2-4 predicted before changing to rain @ midnight.

>125 BookLizard: - heard someone interviewed on TV this am who said that Boston is so close to breaking their winter snow record that they hope it snows some more.

>126 tymfos: - Thanks. Not leaving til Tues, but looking forward to it.

>104 dudes22: >105 rabbitprincess: The sixth and ninth books in the Gamache series are my favourites. I hope you'll enjoy them when you get to them.

Book 15: Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg

When Lainey's husband is hit on the head by falling ice and ends up ion a coma, only she believes that he will eventually wake up. I like Elizabeth Berg's books. This was one of her earlier ones and could have used a bit more in the story line, but I still liked it. Except for the fact that my husband was clearing snow from the roof while I was reading it.

129> Except for the fact that my husband was clearing snow from the roof while I was reading it. I was thinking it sounded a little bit like a horror story this winter.

I didn't realize when I picked it up how the story started, but, yes, it kind of does.

Book 16: We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee
BINGO block: Book where an animal is important
Random Cat: Book made into movie

The story of a man who, with his family including mother, sister and a couple of brothers, take the inheritance their father left them and buy a zoo. Most of the story is about the work they had to do to bring it back into compliance so they can reopen it. Quite a bit in it about animal conservation.

>132 dudes22: I wonder how different the movie is from the book. . . and of course which one is better!

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

I've seen the movie a couple of times and I thought the book was a lot more (I think I'd say) pragmatic than the movie. More about the complexities of reestablishing the zoo (financial, animal, construction) and less about the emotions. Without giving anything away - the event that triggers them buying the zoo in the movie is different than the actual reason they decided to buy one in the book. That event actually happens at a different time. And there's at least one scene I remember from the movie that's not in the book. The book actually stresses the conservation efforts - the movie has Matt Damon.

I've got a question for some of you who listen to audio books. I thought this might be the year when I try one. Unless the conversations in the book say "said John", how do you keep track of who's talking? And does the same reader do both male and female voices? As I've been reading this year, I've been trying to imagine listening instead which has prompted these questions.

Usually the narrator does different voices for the different characters. I'm presently listening to a story by Kathy Reichs that takes place in Quebec so she gives several of her characters a French accent. I don't know if the print version spells out the accent or not.

There are some audios that have a multiple cast, but usually, as Mamzel says, it's one reader doing different voices and/or accents. That's why the narrator is so important. I've come across some books where the reader, when doing voices of the opposite sex, gets it so wrong that it's impossible to listen to the story. But I have also listened to others that get it right and actually enhance the book.

It came later to me that I listened to a book last year, Eleanor and Park, in which chapters were told from alternating viewpoints, one a girl and one a boy. There were two narrators for that book, a man and a woman

The book I'm listening to now has a terrible narrator. It's hard to tell the boy's voice from the girl's and the accents seem to come and go. The book itself is not well written either.

I use a lot of audiobooks for "rereads" - especially for previous books in a series.

Well thank you all for that info. Maybe I'll try to find a short book for my first try. My sister-in-law does books on CD when she travels for business in the car and she might have some suggestions for me. I'll check with her when we get back from vacation.

The wifi here is sporadic at best. 5-6 am seems to be the best time to catch up with LT.

Book 17: Hearts on a String by Kris Radish

Although some people might call her books "chick lit", I think they're at least one step above that. She writes books that are about women relating to other women and the differences and sameness that makes us us.

This time the story starts with 5 women in an airport bathroom in Fla. One of the women drops her phone in the toilet. The others try to help. Meanwhile there's a country-wide storm which closes the airport. So the 5 women end up at the hotel that the "phone woman" was at in the suite she had. Oh yeah - they're strangers to each other. What they discover about themselves and each other made for an interesting read.

First you read a book about a guy getting hit on the head with a block of ice, now you read a book about an airport being closed by a storm.

I'm starting to see a pattern here. What's next? The Long Winter? The Children's Blizzard? Snowbound?

LOL! I never even thought of that. I don't think any of my next planned reads are weather related.

Book 18: The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

In March, 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts was robbed and 13 pieces of art were stolen and have never been recovered. This is a fact and the basis of this story. Many of the artists, pieces of art mentioned, and artistic techniques are also fact/factual. The rest of the story is fiction.

Claire is asked to create a copy of one of the pictures which was supposedly stolen as part of the art heist in 1990. While painting and hoping to one day have her own show, making copies of famous paintings for a company called Reproductions.com is how Claire makes her livelihood. But while making a copy of the stolen painting, Claire begins to suspect that it is actually a forgery. Is it possible that a painting which hung for years in a museum is not actually authentic. And when the man who asked her to paint the copy is arrested, she feels she needs to discover the truth.

The book is extremely readable and I learned some interesting facts about painting and forgery along the way.

Getting caught up here, Betty. Great reading. In answer to your audiobook question, I find it really helpful to listen to the samples tracks that my local library has with the downloadable audiobooks. Those can give you an indication of whether or not you will find the narrator's main voice something you will enjoy listening to.

Book 19: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
SFFF for Feb - Classics

Written in 1897, I guess this is one of the oldest in the SciFi genre. Although quite a prolific writer, apparently this and his other three famous books were all written in the 1895-1900 time frame. Obviously the story of a man who figures out how to make himself invisible.

I have a book around somewhere about the Gardner Heist. I should pull it out and read it.

Because we're so close to Boston, an article will pop up in the paper occasionally. I really hope that some day before I die, they discover what happened ( or rather who). One thing that was mentioned in the book that I found rather interesting is how stolen merchandise is used as collateral by drug dealers. If it wasn't based on fact, it sure sounded logical.

>104 dudes22: - glad you enjoyed A Rule Against Murder. It's my favorite in the series so far.

>143 BookLizard:, >144 dudes22: - LOL. I've also been reading "cold" books during this recent horrible weather - Snow Falling on Cedars and Smila's Sense of Snow. My co-workers have made comments. This winter is tiring me out. We're expecting more snow any minute now.
BTW -- I highly recommend The Children's Blizzard. It's an amazing book.

150 - the funny thing is I read them both while here in Mexico in a bathing suit with warm weather.

I may put The Children's Blizzard on my maybe list for the Bingo block for natural disasters.

>150 VioletBramble: I am tired of this winter too. As much as I prefer the cold of an Ottawa winter to the heat and humidity of an Ottawa summer, this year I am very much ready for spring to arrive.

Book 20: Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett

This is a non-fiction book by Ann Patchett and tells the story of her many-year friendship with Lucy Grealy, the author of Autobiography of a Face. They met in college in 1981 and were close friends until Lucy died in 2002. Although probably best known for her book Bel Canto, Ms Patchett writes about the writing of her books a little bit and how her life progressed through various writing venues. I found some of this book heartbreaking as she struggled to help and encourage her friend over and over again. Now I'm ready to read some of her fiction.

Book 21: Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert

Seventh in the China Bayles herbal shop owner/amateur detective cozy series. I didn't think I'd like this one when it started, but ended up liking it. Man killed at a chili cook-off contest by peanuts in the chili. Which don't belong in chili, but I remember back home a number of years ago is happened when a restaurant added peanut butter to their chili to thicken it. I don't think someone died, but they got real sick.

>153 dudes22: Oh I loved this book. I picked it up thinking it was fiction because I'd read something else by her, and found it a lovely surprise. Sad though, as you say.

>153 dudes22: I've been interested in that book since reading This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Patchett as she talks about Lucy quite a bit during one of the stories. Thanks for reminding me about the book n

What a day! Left sunny Cancun this afternoon for Baltimore where our connecting flight to Providence got cancelled because of snow. They rebooked us for late tomorrow night so hubby and I decided we'd try and take the train. Caught the shuttle to the train station only to find out no seats available there either. So back to the airport. Thank goodness there's a USO there where we could hang out. Hubby went online and found a flight early tomorrow morning - not sure why the girl that rebooked us didn't put us on that one. So we bought tickets for that one. Now we'll have to wait and see - a) If we can really get on that flight and b) if we can get any refund.

The joys of travel..... here is hoping all goes well with your early morning flight home.

Home to 8-9 more inches of snow. Really, really tired of the weather. Our daughter and son-in-law came over and did the driveway at least which was super of them.

Oh man, what a welcome home! Glad to hear you were at least able to get the early morning flight. Sending warm thoughts of spring!

Sorry to hear about your delay, but glad to hear you made it home finally - should have stayed in Cancún.... :)

157> Glad you made it home safely. It could have been worse, you could have been stuck on that Acela train in Connecticut for 3 hours.

160-162: thanks for your kind thoughts. I'd don't know if it was lack of sleep, or change in air pressure or change in temperature, but I've had a wicked sinus pain since we got back and have been in bed or asleep on the couch for most of the past two days. Finally feeling almost normal.

BookLizard- I hadn't heard about that train. Yes glad I wasn't on it.

Glad you are home safely. Take care of yourself today, maybe pop a decongestant, and take lots of naps too.

The joys of winter travel! I hope Cancun made it worthwhile.

>164 LauraBrook: - I've finally figured out that it was probably that it was so dry back here compared to the humidity of Cancun that caused my discomfort. I finally feel back to normal today. And will stop whining here.

>165 VivienneR: - it was worth it. We've gotten friendly with a group of people from all over and we all plan to be there at the same time every year which is great.

Book 22: Norwegian by Night by Derek Miller
BINGO Cat: With protagonist of the opposite gender

"Sheldon Horowitz - 82 years old, impatient and unreasonable - is staying with his granddaughter's family in Norway when he disappears with a stranger's child. To Norway's cops, he is just an old man who is coming undone. But Sheldon is an ex-marine, had heard the boy's eastern European mother being murdered, and is determined to protect the child from the killer and his Balkan gang -- "

This description of Norwegian by Night does not do the book justice. It implies a thriller with the police and the Balkan gang trying to find the old man and the boy as they try to evade them. And although that is true, the story is so much more than that. The larger part of the book is the musings of an old man over many of the historical events that have taken place during his life. To young to enlist in WW II, Sheldon joined up and was a Marine sniper in the Korean War, even though he told everyone he was just a clerk. Then his only son is killed in Vietnam and his granddaughter's mother drops her off to be raised by Sheldon and his wife. He has just moved to Norway with his granddaughter and her husband because his wife has died 6 months ago. In the book he ruminates on all these events - the Holocaust, Korea, Vietnam, losing a son, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and more.

This book was chosen by the RI Center for the Book Council for Humanities as the "Reading Across RI" book for 2015. The selection is a collaboration from librarians, teachers, book group leaders, and recommendations from the public. I wasn't sure about the book at the beginning and it starts off slowly. I was almost ready to give up on it (around page 50) when it began to grow on me. I cant say I found the ending as satisfactory as I would have liked as some things were implied rather than spelled out. I just like confirmation that what I'm assuming is what the author is intending you to think.

Norwegian By Night sounds really good, Betty, and it's being added to my wishlist.

I hope you enjoy it, Judy.

>167 dudes22: That one sounds interesting, Betty. Good review!

Thanks Terri - I'm not as comfortable writing reviews as some here. I'm more of a 'plot review' type than an 'analyze the writing' type and hope that gives people an idea of what the books is about.

I've decided that I need to purge some of the books in my TBR pile. I have almost 1,000 books around here and I realize that, at the rate I read, it would be a long time before I finished them. Even if I don't add any more. And I've become more selective in what I want to read. So even though some were "it would be nice to read that", I need to decide if they are " I'm going to read that", knowing that if I change my mind, I could probably get them from the library. It seems like I never feel I can read a mostly current book because I'm always aware of my TBR pile lurking in the background.

ETA: This is going to be harder than I thought.

>172 dudes22: 1,000 books, wow! I have only about 30 TBR books here, plus maybe 100 on the wishlist. I like it like that, then the choice is not too big (which makes it easier) and there is still room for something new. And I also realized that my taste changes from time to time, some books I put on my wishlist a few years back are not appealing anymore, while others seem to appear out of nowhere. So with a small TBR I don't have to "through out" that much.

You're right. But over the years, those dang library sales just suck me right in. And a good cover doesn't hurt. And there are so many series that I want to read. But I realized that if the only book I have in my TBR is #16, I might as well get rid of it. If and when I start the series, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find it when I want it. So far, 57 in two big bags to go off to the library for their next sale.

>174 dudes22: That's a good start, then! And I agree, it is just so easy to buy more and more books, resisting can be a challenge in itself...

>174 dudes22: - Wonderful start! It is hard to cull out the books that have been living on our shelves for way too long that we may have lost interest in.

Excellent review for Norwegian by Night, I've added it to my wishlist.

Regarding your tbr books, I don't envy the job of deciding what to weed. I can't bear to part with any unread books until I've at least tried them. Combine that with my reluctance to Pearl rule or abandon a book and you will see my problem. I admire my husband who borrows or buys a book and reads it immediately before acquiring another. I don't have that kind of self-control.

>175 Chrischi_HH: - yes it is. And one of my favorite library sales is next month.

>176 LittleTaiko: - what frequently happened is that I bought a bok thinking I'd put it in Bookmooch, and then I'd read the back cover and decide it sounded good enough to keep and read first.

>177 VivienneR: - 🙀 - Oh my! what will he do when the book famine happens???

Betty I admire your resolve in your book weeding. I know for a fact that I have picked up books over the years which I thought I would read at the time but now I am not interested in them at all. I've been purposely staying away from the library so that I don't go picking things on the sale shelves and I've been staying away from the sales also.

I too, have quite a few books that are 5th or 10th in a series that I bought hoping to find the others and years later they're still sitting there. I am finding though, that some series are ok for me to read out of order.

Nice review of Norwegian by Night, it sounded familiar to me and lo and behold it's hiding on my Nook. Oh did I mention I accumulate series on the Nook also hoping that the rest of the series will go down in price at some point?

Beg for scraps from his wife's TBR?

Good job on the book weeding! I attempted to weed my books a couple of years ago and managed to get rid of one armful. Now that I am getting near to maxing out my bookshelf space, once again, I will have to either be very selective of my future purchases or engage in another book clean. ;-)

Book 23: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
Mar Random - All the Cool Kids Are Reading
Mar SFFF - It's the End of the World

I really enjoyed this book even though there were a few too many coincidences for me in the number of people who were loosely connected that survived. I did like the writing style and way the story moved back and forth in time and among the characters. I haven't read a lot of post-apocalyptic novels so maybe this isn't a valid observation, but I would have expected by 2 decades later that civilization would have been a little further along than depicted in the novel. It seems like everyone spent 20 years just sitting around waiting. So maybe not a five star read, but still very good.

>172 dudes22:
Good luck purging! I do that every couple of years or so - I too am addicted to library (and other) sales and end up with more books than I can finish in three lifetimes.

Book 24: Shades of Earl Grey by Laura Childs

Next book in one of my favorite series. Wish this was a real tearoom. And I'd love to live in Charleston.

Book 25: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
April Random - Aperire
BINGO Block - LT Author



Story of a bookstore owner who finds a baby in the stacks and decides to adopt her. I liked the subtle connections between the characters and the secrets never told in their relationships with each over.

I had picked this up at the library intending to wait until next week to start it for the April Random Cat. But when I got it home, I realized it was only a 1-week book so I started and finished it today.

I am encouraged by the fact that A.J. Fikry was a same day read for you. I do want to read this one... it is more a matter of finding the time and making other books wait.

186> It's a quick read because it's a good read.

>186 lkernagh: - yes, Lori - it did read fast. Sometimes I wonder if it's the font. I started another book yesterday (Simple Genius by David Baldacci) which is over 500 pages in oversized paperback. And I'm already through more than 100 pages. I sometimes wish there was a word count on books. It would be better than page count for comparing I would think.

>187 BookLizard: - True!

188> I sometimes wish there was a word count on books. It would be better than page count for comparing I would think.

True. That's one thing I like about the Kindle - it estimates how much longer you have in the book, and with most books, you could also set it to see how much longer in each chapter. I use the chapters, although it's dangerous when I have to be somewhere (like work). "Only 3 more minutes? That's nothing!" It usually takes a double-digit chapter length to get me to stop.

I love real books though - especially for children. Nice big font and beautiful pictures. The experience just isn't the same on a screen.

Amazon used to give word counts but stopped for some reason. Now our students have to estimate - count the words on a random page and multiply that by the number of pages in the book.

>189 BookLizard: - don't have a Kindle although Overdrive will tell you # of pages left. It just seems odd to me that books wth the same # of pages will take different amounts of time to read. And I'm saying relatively the same kind of book. All I can think of is that the font size makes a difference.

>190 mamzel: - I never thought of that. I'm going to try that with a couple of books just to see.

191> Font size and font type - some fonts are wider than other ones. (I have fond memories of Courier New from my college days.)

Book 26: Simple Genius by David Balducci

Trying to make my way through some of my series this year, I decided to continue with this King and Maxwell series with book #3. This one was very faced paced and I raced through it. Two story lines - one involving the death of a physicist which Sean King is asked to investigate. The other involves the "breakdown" of Michelle Maxwell and what happened to her that is causing her to spiral out of control. Quantum computers, mathematics, the CIA, drugs - lots of intersecting parts to this story.

Book 27: 9th Judgment by James Patterson

Another book in the Women's Murder Club series. Two simultaneous story lines - a murder who is killing women and children and a cat burglar stealing jewels who is presumed to have murdered one of her victims. Part way through I was thinking that this series was becoming rather formulaic and that I might stop reading the series, but then there was a twist at the end, so maybe I'll continue on.

ETA: Since I already have 10 and 11 in the TBR pile.

Quarterly Review:

Total Books Read: 27
TBR Pile: 21
Library & Overdrive: 6

Best Reads of the Quarter:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Norwegian by Night by Derek Miller
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
Hearts on a String by Kris Radish

Least Favorite Books of the Quarter: (Although both of these were still 3 stars, so not really any bad reads.)
The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
April Undercover by Evan Katy

CATS Completed:
Jan Random: Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert (character name based on Olympus has Fallen)
Jan SFFF: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (steampunk)
Feb Random: We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg (books made into movies)
Feb SFFF: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (Classics)
Mar Random: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (Cool Kids)
Mar SFFF: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (Apocalyptic)

BINGO Blocks Marked: 9