EBT1002 (Ellen) reads 75 in 2014 - Part 13

Glencoe, Scotland

A sign along the West Highland Way (you can see the Way meandering ahead through the woods)

My Rating Scale:

= Amazing! Perfect!
= Wow, this was great, among my favorites of the year!
= Very good. Definitely recommended.
= Quite good, has several redeeming qualities.
= Pretty good, with a few things done well.
= Average, and life is too short to read average works.
= A bit below average. A waste of time.
= Nearly no redeeming qualities. Really rather bad.
= Among the worst books I've ever read.

COMPLETED IN JANUARY

1. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
2. A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvvette Edwards
3. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
5. The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
6. My Ántonia by Willa Cather
7. Two or Three Things I Know For Sure by Dorothy Allison
8. Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink
9. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY

10. The Blue Place by Nicola Griffith
11. The Polish Boxer by Eduardo Halfon
12. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
13. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
14. Above Suspicion by Helen MacInnes

COMPLETED IN MARCH

15. The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
16. Charming Billy by Alice McDermott
17. Native Son by Richard Wright
18. Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh
19. Home by Toni Morrison

COMPLETED IN APRIL

20. Blonde: A Novel by Joyce Carol Oates
21. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
22. The Property by Rutu Modan
23. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
24. Someone by Alice McDermott

COMPLETED IN MAY

25. Last Train to Paris by Michele Zackheim
26. My New Gender Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World Peace by Kate Bornstein
27. Laidlaw by William McIlvanney
28. Sula by Toni Morrison
29. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
30. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
31. Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan
32. Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
33. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
34. Mission to Paris by Alan Furst

COMPLETED IN JUNE

35. Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlman & Kerascoet
36. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
37. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
38. The Two Hotel Francforts by David Leavitt
39. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
40. The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
41. Byrd by Kim Church
42. A Death in the Family by James Agee
43. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
44. Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys

COMPLETED IN JULY

45. Natural Causes by James Oswald
46. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
47. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
48. Never Go Back by Robert Goddard
49. Stay by Nicola Griffith
50. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

COMPLETED IN AUGUST

51. Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa
52. A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr
53. An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
54. Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas (Early Reviewer edition)
55. Still Midnight by Denise Mina
56. The Human Stain by Philip Roth

COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER

57. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
58. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
59. The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
60. The Furies: A Novel by Natalie Haynes
61. Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson
62. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel (Early Reviewer edition)
63. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
64. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

COMPLETED IN OCTOBER

65. Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
66. The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go
67. A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash
68. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
69. To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris
70. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
71. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
72. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER

73. Some Luck by Jane Smiley
74. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
75. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
76. The Dead of Winter by Rennie Airth
77. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
78. Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips

COMPLETED IN DECEMBER

79. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
80. The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter (Early Reviewer edition)
81. The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter
82. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
83. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga
84. How to be both by Ali Smith
85. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor

Tentative December reading plans:

Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips
Jane Eyre - a reread inspired by great discussion on Kerri's thread, likely to be audio.
Montana, 1948 for Mark's AAC, in my TBR library.
The Lives of Others because I haven't gotten to it yet.
How to Be Both because my copy came in the mail.
The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter for Early Reviewers.
All Quiet on the Western Front because I haven't really done much in the way of WWI reading this year.
Just One Damned Thing After Another because I have it, lots of people like it, and Beth says it's a "fun read."

2015 shared reads (including AAC and BAC):

January:
Nemesis by Jo Nesbø with Roberta
How It All Began by Penelope Lively
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (with Megan) (BAC)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (BAC)
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers (AAC)
Station Eleven for Real Life Book Group
Wanting by Richard Flanagan for the New Zealand/Australia author challenge (and shared read with Paul C)
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh (Global Reading Challenge)
On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman (Global Reading Challenge)

May:
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies with Ilana

August:
The Bone People by Keri Hulme with several people
Book of Illusions by Paul Auster with Kerri and Mark?

Gazing back over Loch Lomond after two days of strenuous hiking along its shores
I had to repeat this photo because it is just one of my favorites. That moment was special.

Our last day along the West Highland Way (notice the lone tree in the distance)

A friendly face along the West Highland Way

Is it safe? I've been waiting in the shadows and finally thought I better pop in.

Happy New Thread, Ellen! Love the Scottish toppers! Go Seahawks! Go Bloody Marys!

Yay Scottland! Love the pictures. So, the Seahawks pulled it out. Second half was pretty good!

Hi Ellen - I LOVE the pictures. Happy new thread. Nice to see your December plans. I know I'll read Uninvited Guests for my book club, but I don't have any other plans.

Hi, again, from Kauai. I finished the Unfamiliar Fishes book and recommend it conditionally. I hope any who read it know something of Hawaiian history. Vowell writes in a lively and subjective manner which is interesting but may offend some who know and care about the Hawaiian history. I am not sure if her attempts to be even handed succeeded. In the end, I enjoyed it but felt some nuances which matter may have been glossed over.

Tomorrow, we move out of our house and "kill time" until our almost midnight flight outta here. Arriving in Seattle Tuesday morning.

Glad the Seahawks did well. Hope you have had a great weekend!

Ellen, it may seem like I am taking advantage of your lovely new thread to stay in touch, but i faithfully promise I read every word of your last thread and just didn't comment. I love your ambitious reading plans for next year. No way am I going to commit to both the BAC and the AAC challenges. I have made a list of authors from the challenges and will read at least one book from one of the challenges per month. I'll try to read mostly books off the shelf but those British authors may require some help from the library.

Thanks for sharing highlights from your Chicago conference and the meetup with Kerri and Joe. You have been doing some excellent reading lately. Congrats on surpassing the 75 Book goal.

Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing. :)

We just finished watching the last episode in season one of Orange is the New Black. Sheesh! I desperately need a viewing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or something now.

We'll be starting season two as soon as we return from Thanksgiving in Tennessee and our brief jaunt to Oakland.
:-)

>12 msf59: It's safe, Mark, and you are the first!

>13 Berly: Hi Kim and yes, the second half of the football game was excellent. The Seahawks showed up in all three areas: offense, defense, and special teams. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

We'll be with family in Tennessee for Thanksgiving and my cousin, at whose house we'll be eating turkey and drinking wine, is a HUGE 49ers fan. The Seahawks and the 49ers play on Thanksgiving Day and the game has meaning this year. We'll see how this goes. As cuz and I like to say, family first, football second. But still.

>14 BLBera: Beth, you are doing a good job of not over-planning your 2015 reading. :-D

>15 maggie1944: Hi Karen! You're returning to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow. I know you are sad but remember that you do live in one of the most beautiful regions of the world. I see that you have an overnight flight home. I hope you're able to enjoy that last day on the island.

Unfamiliar Fishes is still of interest to me.

We fly out on a red eye Tuesday night, arriving in Tennessee early Wednesday morning. I'm hoping that I can both read and sleep some on the plane.

>16 Donna828: Hi Donna! It's absolutely fine to slip in on my thread before the posts get too cumbersome. I believe that you read every single word of my prior thread, but even if you didn't, you're welcome to chime in here.

Regarding the AAC and BAC challenges, I think your approach makes sense: "I have made a list of authors from the challenges and will read at least one book from one of the challenges per month." You're combining the challenges and planning to read twelve books in 2015 that fit into them. I think that is totally fair.

And thanks for the congratulatory words for my achievement of 75 books this year. I know that many in this crowd leave 75 in their dust but I'm still pleased that I'm reading as much as I am. Before finding this group, I had never read 75 books in a year. I'm pleased that it's now a goal I can routinely achieve.

>17 saraslibrary: Hi Sara! Welcome to my thread! I'm glad you like the Scotland photos. It's fun to choose which ones to post each time I start a new thread. I have hundreds from which to choose and not one of them fully captures the experience.

>18 EBT1002: I really need to watch Orange is the New Black. I have a coworker who just loves the show and tells me I should watch it.

>21 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen! And thank you. You are so lucky to have gone to Scotland! :) Feel free to share as many as you want. The views are breathtaking.

Happy New Thread, Ellen. I love all your photos.

Have to agree with many of our other friends, Ellen. Beautiful photos. Congratulations on your new thread my dear. xx

Happy New Thread, Ellen! Love the toppers!

Congrats on the new thread, Ellen!

Before I read your post offering to help me get The Frozen Thames off my TBR (thank you!) I thought, get it in gear, buddy, and I put it on my Kindle. So I started it on our trip, and I'm liking it very much. I certainly can recommend it based on what I've read so far.

Just swinging though to check out the new threads. I'm travelling vicariously through your pictures. Scotland is definitely a must visit for me one day....... :)

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels, Ellen. Good luck with the whole family and football thing.

Good thing I didn't post when I came through yesterday as you had two more pictures to post at that point! Lovely new thread and great to revisit those photographs!

I have been guilty of mostly lurking on your last thread, Ellen. I've enjoyed seeing you make plans for next years reading, so many great groups and choices. I am planning on participating in both the BAC and the AAC, but only when I actually already have the author in my stacks. My main plan for next year is to buy less books, and lower my TBR.

>22 saraslibrary: Sara, I highly recommend the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. My partner keeps wondering why it's categorized as a "comedy." Even though it is quite funny at times it is also poignant and super intense. I love the characters (well, most of the men are hateful or pathetic or both, but the women in the prison are delightful, even the ones you hate).

I don't think you were around when I was posting some about my trip to Scotland. Others around here know that it was not an ordinary vacation. P and I walked the West Highland Way, a 96-mile trail from Milngavie to Fort William. It was a profound 8-day experience.

>23 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara!

>24 PaulCranswick: And you, Paul. Thanks for stopping by. xo

>25 scaifea: Hi Amber and thank you!

>26 jnwelch: Hey Joe. You know, I'm going to take credit for getting you to read The Frozen Thames just because we had been conversing about it. And I'm adding it to my wish list. :-)

>27 jolerie: Valerie! I think Scotland should be a must-visit for almost anyone who is privileged enough to be able to travel. It helped that I have Scottish roots (although I know almost nothing about them), but the landscape and the people are wonderful in any case.

>28 BLBera: Beth, thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you, as well. This game between the Seahawks and the 49ers will have some energy behind it but we will all be very civil. P and I are taking Seahawks shirts to wear that day....

>29 ronincats: Hi Roni. It would have been fine if you had posted (but it did work out well this way). My last two posts were sort of a last-minute impulse. When I start a new thread I always go through and reserve the number of posts I think I'll want. That way, people can post their greetings within a few minutes.

Interesting (to me) detail about the extra two photos I posted this time. Some of you know that I struggle a bit with finding time to mess around on LT. Part of that is P's reaction: she is supportive of my engagement with this community but she doesn't understand it and I think sometimes she feels I am just distracted from paying attention to or being present with her. I involved her in the choosing of those last two photos (>10 EBT1002: and >11 EBT1002:). To the degree that I can "share" LT with her, I'm more able to spend time here without feeling guilty that I'm neglecting my partner. There are probably larger issues at play here, but we're not going down that road.... :-)

>30 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! Thanks for delurking. "My main plan for next year is to buy less books, and lower my TBR." Is this different from last year's plan? Or the year before that?
Teasing you, my dear. I just have the impression that most of us tell ourselves we are going to purchase fewer books and read the ones we already have. It's a worthy goal, and one that I have myself established from time to time. It's also incredibly difficult once the blue bullets start flying around here! :-D

I'm off to work and this evening we fly to Tennessee for family, food, and football. I'll be finishing Rabbit, Run on the plane and I'm still deciding which other books to take. Right now I have Three Day Road and A Fatal Grace sitting by my suitcase. I reserve the right to change my mind at the last minute. Hmmm, maybe The Luminaries?

Anyway, I may not be on LT too much over the holiday, so I wanted to be sure to say:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!
.
.
.
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(I still wish there were a way to change the color of the font in posts here.)

>32 EBT1002: Ha! You do deserve credit for my finally starting to read The Frozen Thames, Ellen. And I'm really liking it.

Happy Thanksgiving and have a great trip!!

>35 jnwelch: *pats self on back*

>36 SuziQoregon: Thank you, Juli!

A group of students are protesting on our campus as I write. The unbelievable failure of a grand jury to indict a white cop for shooting an unarmed 18-year-old black youth is astounding. I mean, for a trial not even to be called for -- astounding. So I'm sitting at my desk listening to a group of about 400 students peacefully (but with voices) protesting this injustice. My sentiments are with them.

Okay, about books.
I was perusing the NYRB website, thinking I might be in the mood to splurge on a subscription for the books, not the review itself. It appears that they are no longer doing this sort of thing. Anyone have information about that?

I realized that I had not transferred my still-developing AAC-II and BAC lists over to my new thread.

Mark's American Author Challenge-II:

January: Carson McCullers - The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

February: Henry James* - Washington Square

March: Richard Ford* - Rock Springs or The Sportswriter

April: Louise Erdrich - reread Tracks?

May: Sinclair Lewis* - Babbitt

June: Wallace Stegner - reread Angle of Repose or Crossing to Safety (happy sigh)

July: Ursula K. Le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea

August: Larry McMurtry - Comanche Moon

September: Flannery O' Connor -

October: Ray Bradbury - Something Wicked This Way Comes and reread The Martian Chronicles

November: Barbara Kingsolver - This will require a reread for me. I may do The Bean Trees, her first and still my fave.

December: E.L. Doctorow* - Ragtime

*An author whose works I have not yet read.

Paul's British Author Challenge:

January:
Penelope Lively* -- Moon Tiger and How It All Began
Kazuo Ishiguro -- The Remains of the Day

February:
Sarah Waters -- The Paying Guests
Evelyn Waugh* -- Men at Arms

March:
Daphne Du Maurier* --
China Mieville* -- The City & the City

April:
Angela Carter* --
W. Somerset Maugham* --

May:
Margaret Drabble* --
Martin Amis* --

June:
Beryl Bainbridge* --
Anthony Burgess* -- Nothing Like the Sun

July:
Virginia Woolf -- To the Lighthouse
B. S. Johnson* --

August:
Iris Murdoch* -- The Sea, The Sea (and The Bell?)
Graham Greene* -- The End of the Affair

September:
Andrea Levy* -- The Long Song
Salman Rushdie* -- Shame (recommended by Paul)

October:
Helen Dunmore* -- The Siege
David Mitchell -- Cloud Atlas

November:
Muriel Spark* --
William Boyd* -- Restless and/or Waiting for Sunrise

December:
Hilary Mantel -- Bring Up the Bodies
P.G. Wodehouse --

* Author whose work I have not read.

>31 EBT1002: I just put the first series of Orange is the New Black on hold at my library. But I'm #180 in line. o_0 A little bit of a wait. (I'm too cheap to use Netflix. :)

I don't think I was around either. I'm kind of newbie to your thread. 96 miles?? Oh my! That's intense! :) Good for you. No wonder you got such good shots. Eight days walking in Scotland would give you ample time to enjoy the views. I'm so glad you guys got to go. :)

>34 EBT1002: I wish you guys a safe flight to Tennessee and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :)

Happy Thanksgiving, Ellen, and a safe journey to and from family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving Ellen! Have a lovely time in Tennessee.

>38 EBT1002: Yes. It makes me scared of/for my own country (well, more so than I already was), and certainly not because of the protests, but because the result of a grand jury could be *this* decision. What?! How? My sentiments are with the those peacefully protesting, too.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a safe trip to Tennessee, my friend. I like your BAC list. I might be joining you on some of those.

>38 EBT1002: My sentiments are with them. Yep. Mine too.

>39 EBT1002: They're still doing it: https://subscribe.nybooks.info/ecom/NYB/app/live/subscriptions?&org=NYB&...

Have a lovely Tennessee Thanksgiving!

Safe travels, Ellen, and have a great Thanksgiving!

>2 EBT1002: I love that meandering forest track in the photo! I want to walk it.

>42 EBT1002: please read Moon Tiger for the BAC January author. It is fab. I just got it back from my num, who I lent it to, she liked it a lot too.

>43 saraslibrary: Sara, it will be worth the wait. We got the first season of "Orange is the New Black" from the library, too. All I'll say is: when it comes available, set aside some time for a bit of a marathon. We watched the first two episodes and then had to return it and get back in the queue. When we got it the second time, we watched one episode per night and I sucked it up and paid the fine for returning it a couple of days late. I didn't want to get in the library queue for a third time!

I thought you were a newby, Sara. WELCOME to the 75ers group. Many around here far exceed the 75 books per year mark, but we are a very social group.

Thank you, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you, as well!

>44 maggie1944: Thank you, Karen!

>45 luvamystery65: Thank you, Roberta. I'm already well on the road to having eaten too much and it's still the day before Thanksgiving!!

>46 scaifea: Amber, thanks for chiming in. I have served on a jury and I know it's complicated and that we don't have all the information but I find it hard to believe there was not enough evidence to edict him. Let the trial happen. Meanwhile, I hope for peace.

>47 msf59: Thank you, Mark, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, as well! Between the AAC-II, the BAC, and the ANZAC, I think there will be a lot of shared reads in 2015. And that doesn't take into account somewhat less formal "challenges" like Kerri's post-modern August read and other informal shared reads like the reading of Nemesis that I plan to do with Roberta. Of course, we'll see how all that unfolds!

>48 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! I thought your sentiments might be in that place too. :-)
And thanks for the link. I don't know that I really need another avenue for spending money on books but the NYRB series is tempting.... Have you enjoyed getting it this year?

And thank you -- and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you, as well!

>49 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe! I hope your Thanksgiving is likewise delightful.

>50 LovingLit: Megan, LOL, I want to walk it (again), too!!!!!

And Megan, since you asked so nicely, I will get a copy of Moon Tiger and read it in January. I already have a copy of How It All Began in the TBR library but I am hoping to do some multiples with this challenge.

Stopping in to wish you Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the new pix. Love the drover's way and the solitary ewe!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and P., Ellen!

Happy Thanksgiving, Ellen!

Happy Thanksgiving to both of you :-)

>52 EBT1002: Have you enjoyed getting it this year? I have! I wasn't going to do it in 2015 though, due to the rather high cost, but then I saw that the first selection is The Door, which I really want, and so now I'm reconsidering. :-|

RIP, P.D. James.

Ellen - I just saw the news, too! She had a long life, but darn, no more of those amazing books.

I hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving and that all is going well football wise.

It is more than a little in order, as a non-American, for me to say a little thank you today Ellen to you for your friendship during the year to me. I treasure it, believe me. xx

Have a lovely holiday.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! And hooray for OITNB!

>52 EBT1002: And Megan, since you asked so nicely, I will get a copy of Moon Tiger and read it in January
This pleases me.
:)

Ellen, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Hope you are having a fantastic trip, Ellen! And I hope you are squeezing in a little reading time. Hugs!

oh, what darling hanging lanterns.

I, too, am hoping your Thanksgiving trip is full of great times with family and relaxation.

>53 sibylline: Lucy, I love those two pics - of the Drover's Way and the lone ewe. They are perhaps less picturesque than some of the others, but they are deeply reminiscent of particular moments along the walk.

>54 kidzdoc: Thank you, Darryl!

>55 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie!

>56 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara!

>57 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! I have also been on the fence about it due to the cost but I think I'm going to sign up just for one year of NYRB (although you know they intentionally make the January selection appealing). I'm going to let the Archipelago subscription expire.

>59 BLBera: Beth, I was in the middle of Thanksgiving madness and saw the news and just had to acknowledge. I haven't been a large reader of PD James but I have friends who adore her work.

>60 PaulCranswick: Paul, how sweet! I value our connection on LT and I truly hope to get to meet you in person one of these days!

>61 banjo123: Hi Rhonda! Thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes. It has been a good visit here in Tennessee but I'm ready to get home tomorrow.

>62 LovingLit: Megan, I must remember that I said I'd read Moon Tiger with you in January!

>63 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara! Those are lovely lanterns!

>64 msf59: Hi Mark! The visit has been relaxing and fun. Not as much reading time as I would like, but lots of time chatting with family.

>65 maggie1944: Thank you, Karen! The visit has been full of food, family, and fun. Less of reading but I have the plane ride tomorrow for that. :-)

77. Rabbit, Run by John Updike




I can't say I liked any of the characters in this novel, least of all Rabbit. Every character is a caricature of the worst stereotype (of a mother-in-law, or a young mother, or a self-absorbed, impulsive 26-year-old man who doesn't yet know what he wants out of life). I can't help but believe that Mr. Updike was himself an unlikable man; I feel confident that he was a misogynist, even by 1960 standards. But the man could write. His descriptions of people, of places, and of interpersonal interactions are remarkably visual. The story is both infuriating and heartbreaking and I was glad to complete it. I don't know that I'll read more by Updike if only because there are so many other things I want to read more.

Currently reading:



Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips

So, "tomorrow"'s flight is on Sunday, right? So, I'll look forward to hearing from you what you've been able to finish.

>68 EBT1002: Good review. That's kind of how I felt, but I don't think I expressed it as well.

>66 EBT1002: ...although you know they intentionally make the January selection appealing.. Do they? And I totally fell for it! Hrmfpt.

>68 EBT1002: Very helpful comments. I'm really curious about reading this darn thing. Based on everyone's recent comments it's both what I expected and nothing at all what I expected. If that makes any sense. Probably not.

>69 EBT1002: I look forward to your comments. My niece recently gave me his The Nature of Blood, but I haven't read it yet.

Safe travels!

78. Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips




I read this on the plane today and, despite being terribly sleepy due to a very early flight, I could not put it down for more than a few moments. It is three stories. It is the story of Nash Williams, a freed slave who has been sent by his "master," Edward Williams, to Liberia to serve as a missionary and of Edward's vain effort to find him after years of silence. It is the story of Martha, a pioneer woman and former slave seeking refuge in the American West from unbearable loss and an extinguished capacity to trust. And it is the story of Joyce and Travis, a white Englishwoman and an African American GI who fall in love during WWII. And, ultimately, it is the story of the thread that binds these people, the thread that runs back to the shores of Africa where desperate and heartbroken fathers sometimes sold their children into slavery, and forward into human stories of longing, terror, grief, and hope. This is a beautiful novel with a gently shifting narrative that captivated me.

Hi Ellen - I just added Crossing the River to my list. It sounds pretty great. Safe travels.

>70 maggie1944: Yes, Karen, the travels were today. We got up at 4:30 Central Time and were home by 2:00 Pacific Time. What a lovely day in the Seattle area!

I fly to Oakland on Tuesday and return on Thursday so there will be more travels although that is a short flight so I won't get a ton of reading done.

>71 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. I had the advantage, this time, of sitting around with my sister and her partner, my aunt, and my own partner, trying to explain to them how I reacted to the novel. It helped me develop clarity about what I wanted to write.

>72 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! Of course, I don't know for sure that they intentionally select a very appealing book for the first month of the subscription, but it seems like a reasonable marketing strategy.

Regarding Rabbit, Run, "...it's both what I expected and nothing at all what I expected..." makes absolute sense! I think it somewhat mirrors my own reactions to the novel.

You can see above how I felt about Crossing the River. I am definitely interested in reading more of his work.

I'm home safely now! :-)

>74 BLBera: Beth, I hope you like Crossing the River. Early on, I was thinking "this is good, this is heading toward 4.5 stars." By the time I was done, it earned that coveted 5-star rating. :-)

We came home to a light dusting of snow on the ground and bright sunshine. Lovely!

In reading, next up for me:



For the final month of Mark's inaugural American Author Challenge.

Yah, for Montana 1948! It is such a good read. I will be starting my Watson by the end of the week.

Crossing the River sounds excellent, Ellen. I am adding it to my list.

>77 msf59: This is a reread for me, Mark. It's been eons but I know I've read it before and I recall enjoying it with gusto. That makes it a fun one with which to wrap up your AAC for 2014.

>78 katiekrug: I hope you like it as much as I did, Katie.

5:10 p.m. and it's freakin' dark outside. I mean, there is the tiniest bit of sapphire blue in the western sky, but really.

I know. I know. It's the last day of November and I live well north of the 45th parallel.
Thank goodness for books, fireplaces, candles, and wine.

>38 EBT1002: I'm still in shock over that one, Ellen. Have just been having a lengthy discussion with one of my best girlfriends from college over that one (she's black and has been trying to educate me on the black woman's experience from her point of view over the past several years...)... I'm still just so sad over the state of this country.

Oh well... I missed the holiday, but a belated happy turkey day to you and P.

Ellen, what a schedule you have. It is great that you love to read so all that flying about is not a total pain in the butt. I hope your trip Tuesday/Thursday goes smoothly, and that you'll not be so disappointed when the Pac NW is back to rainy and cloudy when you return. Somehow it is easier to adjust to the early sunsets when it is cloudy/rainy outside and you don't really want to be any where but in your reading chair.

Thanks for setting me straight about the second Monday in Dec. so that I didn't drive all the way to TPB today. Whew. I was all geared up.

Glad you had a nice Thanksgiving. My sister and Mom drove down from Kansas, but I had to work so didn't get to spend as much time with them as I wanted. Oh well. At least you got some reading time while on the plane.

It gets dark here early as well. I kinda like the dark in the evening. It makes me want to nest so the candles, wine, and warm stew for supper fit right into that picture.

>76 EBT1002: you lucky thing. Did I mention that this was my first LT BB and I still have not read it!!?? haha, talk about slow off the mark.

Oh, and I am not sure I committed to reading Moon Tiger in January. I just wanted you to commit, on account of me knowing what's good for ya.

>73 EBT1002: Five stars! I definitely have to get to him, but will probably read the one I have.

How did you like the Archipelago subscription this year, by the way? I forgot you were doing that.

Lots of good reading happening over here Ellen!

You along with several other LT peeps have convinced me that I need to give Rabbit, Run a try, but maybe not during the holidays. ;)

Not caught up, just posting so I don't lose track of your thread. Holidays and travel have put me very far behind on reading threads.

I have finally caught up with you, Ellen! I predict you will love Montana, 1948. I am reading Let Him Go, and it is truly excellent so far - so well done that the lack of quotation marks is not bothering me at all. Hoping that your Wednesday is full of fabulous, dear.

NOW I'm caught up. I will definitely add Crossing the River to my TBR list. It sounds as though it will fit in nicely with those three books I've read this year and not reviewed because I mean to relate them to each other (I DO mean to do it...when? I don't hopefully know.)

For December AAC, I'm reading Watson's Justice, which is a collection of short pieces that tell the backstory of the family in Montana 1948, which I read a couple years ago.

>81 TinaV95: Hi Tina. Thanks for swinging by!

>82 maggie1944: Hi Karen. Ironically, I am in the Bay area and they have been having a rainy few days. Much needed rain, but still.... I cracked up when the weather guy on the television news this morning was showing us a branch that fell off a tree in the storm! Near a freeway on-ramp! OMG!! (All is relative, right?)

>83 benitastrnad: Hi Benita and happy belated thanksgiving! Despite my love of candles, our gas fireplace, and cuddling on the couch with Abby, I have nothing good to say about the short daylight hours this time of year.

>84 LovingLit: Oh Meagan, I can't believe you would pull that on me. I commit. You commit. Right?
And had it not been for a crazy busy couple of days in the Bay area, I would have zoomed through Montana 1948. As it is, if I can stay awake, I'll finish it tonight.

>85 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! Yes, Caryl Phillips is one to be read (says she who has now read a total of two of his works).
You know, I have enjoyed receiving the archipelago books but I've not yet read a single one of them. So I'm not sure it was a reasonable investment. :-|

>86 jolerie: Hey Valerie! I don't think Rabbit, Run is necessarily to be avoided during the holidays although it certainly won't qualify as light reading. It's not gruesome or terribly disturbing, though. I do think it's worth reading if only to round out the authors-read list.

>87 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda. Hm, posting just to keep tabs on a thread. This is a new idea and I might have to give it a try!

>88 Crazymamie: Mamie, Mamie, Mamie. I can't believe how out of touch we've become. I have neglected your thread and I will rectify that this weekend. I am loving Montana 1948 so your prediction is spot on. :-)

>89 laytonwoman3rd: Hi again, Linda! I'm glad my little review has sparked some interest in Crossing the River. Darryl is responsible for my acquisition of it and the recent events in Ferguson motivated me to read it now (small, insignificant act of acknowledgement). I think it's excellent.
And Justice sounds interesting. I would like to know more of the back story of some of the characters in Montana 1948.

edited to fix touchstone

I am loving Montana 1948 also. I'm taking it with me this morning and will read it until the kids get out of bed. Their Dad is early to the P.O. due to holiday mail so I've got a few quiet minutes each morning. Reading!

I liked Montana 1948 a lot, and I'm about to start his Let Him Go, which Mark loved.

79. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson




This brief story of the Hayden family, told retrospectively from the POV of then-12-year-old David, is deceptively simple. The characters are not richly wrought but I have clear images of them in my mind. I can hear their voices and visualize the way they carry their bodies. In Montana 1948, David's sheriff father discovers that his only brother has been molesting Indian women via his power as a physician. As the family grapples with this knowledge and the subsequent decisions they must make, David's coming of age and his discovery of the complexities of history is both figure and ground. The novel turns the myth of the great Wild West on its end, exposing the uncomfortable truths that continue to be effectively buried by white sentimentality and arrogance. It does so without rancor or apology. It's just a story. But it's a story that is, still, too infrequently told.

Sounds like a gooder, Ellen! BB got me good. :)

Next up:



This is an Early Reviewer edition that I need to read and review.

>92 maggie1944: Hello Karen. I finished Montana 1948 this morning, sitting in my Oakland hotel room. Now I'm about to head to the airport, giving myself permission to do no work and just dig into my next novel.

>93 jnwelch: Hey Joe. I have to admit that I didn't love Montana 1948 but I liked it a lot. I think it's a worthwhile short read.

>95 jolerie: Hi Valerie. You should be able to find a used copy of Montana 1948 as it has been around for a while. At 175 pages, it's a worthwhile short read.

I am working my way through Montana 1948 and interestingly, I have The World Before Us to read, also. I'll make in next, perhaps. Although there are other books calling me, partially read books, even.

Hope your trip home is comfortable and enjoyable, and full of good reading time.

>91 EBT1002: I have enjoyed receiving the archipelago books but I've not yet read a single one of them. So I'm not sure it was a reasonable investment. :-| Was it lack of selection appeal? That's the thing about the subscription and the NYRB one too. You're not really saving much money (if any - I can't remember) and you might not be getting books you actually want to read, so the practical part of my brain says to just buy the ones I want. But then some other part of my brain likes the surprise-in-the-mail aspect of the whole thing. That's how they get you!

>94 EBT1002: I hadn't planned to read him, but that sounds very good! Perhaps I'll put it on the list.

>97 EBT1002: I didn't love Montana 1948 but I liked it a lot. Same here.

>94 EBT1002:, >97 EBT1002: I didn't love Montana 1948 either, although I thought it was quite good. But did you feel the epilogue was totally unnecessary, and even detracted from the ending of the story?

I liked it a lot; I expect that has to do with my childhood experiences in rural Idaho. The book reminded me a lot of those days. I liked the epilogue as I felt the family had more to tell, just like in real life.

Thoroughly enjoyed browsing your lists for the AAC and BAC planning. Definitely some great choices.

>94 EBT1002: I enjoyed your review of Montana 1948, Ellen. I guess this one didn't blow away everyone else, like it did me. It's been quite a few years since I read it but it made a solid impact with me.

You should share your thoughts on the Watson thread. Hope the week is going well!

Safe travels, Ellen. My feelings about Montana 1948 were similar to yours. I'm not familiar with The World Before Us, so I'll wait to see what you think of it. I just added a boatload to my wishlist after listening to the NPR Best Books of 2014 program. I posted a link on my thread.

Hi Ellen! Just catching up here. Phew! I am not an objective reviewer of Montana 1948 since I worked at Milkweed Editions and on the book. I loved it (first read), then hated it (during editing) and then came back to love (when it was finished). I was just a lowly intern back then. : )

Ellen, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Catching up - I generally don't subscribe to a 'monthly offering' book deal either - even from the best of publishers.

>106 Berly: Too cool! Did you work on any of his other books?

**Waves at Ellen as I take over her thread**

Geezer says, "Go Seahawks!" (well...in his special, chilled-out way)!

Catching up on your thread Ellen. I am going to read Let Him Go for my Larry Watson choice in the AAC but you have me curious with your review of Montana 1948.

Crossing the River goes on the wishlist.

I am just starting Montana 1948, so far I really like it. Now you have me intrigued.

>98 maggie1944: Karen, I'm very much enjoying The World Before Us. I'm not sure what I think about it, from a "critical" standpoint, but it's an interesting read. I like that it's narrated by characters who are dead but not Ceased.

>99 DorsVenabili: Kerri, I think you have perfectly described the subscription thing, whether it's Archipelago or NYRB or whatever. I don't know that one saves money, especially if one is unlikely to buy a book each month from that particular publisher. And while it's a lot of fun to get a surprise package in the mail each month, if it's not a book one is anxious to read the pleasure is short-lived. I'm interested in most of the books I got from Archipelago in 2014 but they just haven't risen to the top of the very competitive TBR list. I think I'll prioritize reading one but something else always gets my attention with more gusto. So, the upshot is that I'm undecided about NYRB for 2015. If I do it, I'll consider it a splurge.

I would be interested in your reaction to Montana 1948. I'm wavering on my four-star rating, feeling with a few days' thought that it may have been too generous.

>100 jnwelch: and >101 laytonwoman3rd: Joe and Linda, I'm interested in others' reactions of liking-but-not-loving Montana 1948. I think you have nailed it, Linda, with the comments about the epilogue. Why tie all the loose ends up like that? Why not leave it to the reader to wonder and/or decide about the trajectory of each character's life?

>102 maggie1944: Karen, it's interesting that your childhood in Idaho contributed to the resonance of Montana 1948. But doesn't every family have more to tell?

>103 SuziQoregon: Thanks, Juli. I'm looking forward to both the AAC-II and the BAC to organize my reading in the coming year!

>104 msf59: Hey Mark! I will post my comments about Montana 1948 over on the thread. I think Linda raises an interesting question about the epilogue. I keep going back and forth on the novel. I liked it but I'm unconvinced that it deserves as many accolades as it has received.

>105 BLBera: Hi Beth! I checked out the link to the NPR list about 2014's best books. It is a LONG list and there are several that I still want to read. I'm telling you, if I could retire young that would be a good thing.

>106 Berly: Hi Kim! So interesting that you loved, then hated, then loved Montana 1948. I really liked that the story exposes what was probably all too common in the middle of the 20th century, but there is something about the wrap-up that left me cold. On the other hand, it may be that I was expecting to be more emotionally moved by the story and, of course, the narrator as he is characterized would not evoke more emotion. That is, the tone was consistent with the narrator's character. Hmmm....

>107 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara!

>108 sibylline: Hi Lucy! Yeah, I'm rethinking that subscription thing.

>109 streamsong: Good question, Janet, and feel free to take over my thread any time! I like that folks post here even when I'm otherwise distracted.

>110 DorsVenabili: GEEZER!!!! I love that chillaxing attitude. And GO SEAHAWKS!

Oh wait, they already won. It was an awesome game. Our defense is BACK!

>111 luvamystery65: I'm glad you're adding Crossing the River to your wish list, Roberta. It's an excellent novel.

>112 banjo123: Hey Rhonda. It will be interesting to see how Montana 1948 lands on you. I think it's a very good novel and I can't put my finger on exactly what about it makes me uneasy with my 4-star rating.

I'll be picking up a couple dozen of these (from Top Pot Donuts) to take to the office tomorrow:

Hi Ellen! Hope you had a nice weekend! I also enjoyed your review of Montana 1948. I just wish the book would have made a stronger impression with you. It has been over 10 years since I read it, so it is hard to defend.

Ahh, doughnuts! I wonder why the UK doesn't have such a strong tradition of doughnut giving. We're far more likely to take cake or brownies in, but I'd definitely prefer doughnuts, as long as there were some plain ones in there as I'm fussy about the filling.

Now I just need Krispy Kreme to expand across the UK and I'll be happy. The closest place that does them is over an hour away, so they aren't exactly a regular treat :(

Interesting how Montana 1948 has stimulated a lot of conversation. But maybe that's just because it is a AAC book.

Go Hawks! They looked just great and our young brash quarterback just makes me smile all the time. What a fine young man, and then talented, too! I just have to break out in loud laughter and dancing when he dashes about and runs for his very own touchdown, yes, he does.

I agree with you about Montana 1948, Ellen. I gave it 3.5 stars, which is between a "good, solid read" and "very good". It may have worked better for me as a longer work - I didn't feel like the characters developed much dimension. And I didn't love the ending. But I did find it a compelling read, so that counts for something :)

And now I want a doughnut...

Hey Ellen! I just can't get enough of your Scotland photo's. Each one is simply mesmerizing. Congrats to your Seahawks! They're looking gooood. Enjoy those donuts!

>114 EBT1002: Yeah, I think I've decided to skip a subscription this year. Someone just posted a link to this wonderful NYRB sale though. I have several of these, but you might be interested, as it's a good deal.

>119 EBT1002: I want a blue/green donut!

I love all the photos on this thread! :) Especially >110 DorsVenabili:. Oh, the things dogs put with us. ;)

Donuts! With sprinkles! I looked at the NYRB sale, and I already have 1 in the groups I'm interested in. Oh well, I do have some books around here I could read.

It's been a while since I read Montana 1948, and I remember having pretty much the same reaction you did, Ellen. I wonder if it's a guy thing.

4 stars is good enough for me! (for Montana 1948). I will still get to it once day. Maybe for the AACXIV ;)

>120 msf59: Hi Mark. I gave Montana 1948 four stars, then downgraded to 3.5 but, as Katie says in >123 katiekrug:, 3.5 stars is a good solid read. I am glad I read it. Your AAC has had a positive influence on my reading this year, and you get a pat on the back for that.

>121 lunacat: Jenny, donuts are very much a thing here. Top Post (which apparently used to be "TopSpot until the S burned out -- and now there are a dozen of them all around this area but with the new name) are wonderful donuts. I grew up loving Krispy Kreme but Top Pot has them beat....

Sadly, though, they did not have the green and blue ones yesterday. I do not understand this failure to produce Seahawks donuts on any given Monday, but there it is.

>122 maggie1944: Karen, I think the discussion about Montana 1948 is partly due to the AAC in that several folks have read it around the same time. Also, it's a book with layers. And also, we just like to talk about books around here. :-)

Russel's touchdown run was SO fun to watch!! I was tense (as usual) for much of the game but our defense played beyond expectations. Holding the Eagles to 169 yards total was amazing.

>123 katiekrug: You put it exactly right, Katie: a compelling read despite some weaknesses.
And I hope you find a donut! You might not want a blue and green one, though....

Hi, Ellen, we missed you at the reading group yesterday. We decided our January book si Station Eleven and I hope you will enjoy that!

We are torn between carrying on a a very small group, or doing the Mail Book Group, or both, or what? I think I might organize the Postal Book Group, or whatever it may be called, and include the LTer who has moved to Vancouver, WA. And try to keep up with the LFB TPB's group, too, as well as the Challenges. Yikes.

Any thoughts?

>124 Carmenere: Hi Lynda! I'm glad you've been enjoying the Scotland photos. I keep trying to mentally transport myself back to that hike....

>125 DorsVenabili: Kerri, thanks for the link! I do think I will order one or two of the collections. I have one or more from a few of them but I think the Historical Fiction collection would be a good one.
It turns out that Top Pot didn't have the blue and green donuts yesterday. I was sad. But I bought a couple dozen assorted other donuts for the office anyway and I'm now the most popular boss on Earth. That will last for exactly one day. ;-)

>126 saraslibrary: Hi Sara. So a dog in a ball cap is better than a sheep in Scotland? Oh wait, he is wearing a Seahawks cap. Geezer wins! :-)
Really I am glad you enjoy the photos. I wish I had a bunch more to post. I don't know what I'll do in 2015 to follow the Scotland theme I did all this year.
Thanks for visiting my thread!

>127 BLBera: Hi Beth! If I could send you a Seahawks donut, I would do so! And note that the individual books in that NYRB sale are 25% off. Not quite as good as 40% if you're willing to buy a whole collection but still not bad.

"I wonder if it's a guy thing." Hmm, that is a good question! Anyone else have thoughts about that?

>128 LovingLit: Megan! AACXIV -- love that. I wonder if Mark will keep it going for that long!
Note that I did downgrade Montana 1948 to 3.5 stars but that is still a very solid read and very much worth spending a few hours on (it is short, too).

>130 maggie1944: I have Station Eleven on my wish list so I'm glad the group decided to read that for January. I was sorry to miss the book group last evening, too, but the drink with colleagues turned into two drinks, and then it turned into a bit of food before any of us drove home. It was good conversation and much-needed in terms of processing some things going on at work. But I would have liked to be at book group, too. Perhaps someone could make it possible to be in two places at once? Well. Perhaps not.

In any case, I do have thoughts about the book club and I'll post them over on the book club thread. I like the postal idea but I enjoy the in-person contact. So. No easy answer.

Reading update:

I'm almost done with The World Before Us and I will write a review. I'm quite enjoying it.

Huh, who knew all you need to do to be considered a good boss is feed your underlings! I'll try to remember that if I ever have a position of authority (soooooooo unlucky, I would be useless).

You'll have a good time with Station Eleven, Ellen. It's very engaging, and there's lots for a book club to discuss, seems to me.

Glad you're enjoying The World Before Us.

>131 EBT1002: Ha! No, I just love dogs. I haven't been around sheep that much. :) And even though I don't watch football, I guess I should give a half-hearted "Woo hoo" for the Seahawks since I'm from Washington. ;)

Oh, google is always full of interesting photos. You can always "borrow" them to put on your 2015 thread. :)

I belonged to a mail book group for about 5 years. It was good in that I read things that I would not have read on my own. However, the system broke down when we had one person who did not read the book in the month and then would forget to mail it to the next person on the list. Towards the end I was the organizer and I had to call and call her to get her to pass the book on. The last year we did it, one of the founding members of the group got very angry about it. It eventually broke the group up.

The publishers keep telling me that book discussion groups, along with libraries, are now the backbone of the industry, but I question this. Every book discussion group I have belonged to has struggled. My current group had an e-mail list of 35 people on it. Last month 2 of us were at the meeting. In fairness to other group discussions, I know of two groups that are now turning people away. They have 12 members that are faithful about attendance and reading the books. Both groups admit people by invitation only. If you don't come regularly the take your name off the e-mail list at the end of the year. I would like to belong to that kind of group.

I've been in a group since 2001. I think we have about fifteen on our email list right now, but we usually have five to six at any one meeting. It works really well. I think three or four of us have been with the group since it started.

I'm not familiar with a mail book group...

I finished The World Before Us this morning. I think I'm giving it 4 stars but I need to think about it a bit. I really enjoyed it (there was a slight lull in the 3rd quarter or so) and I appreciate what Aislinn Hunter was trying to do. So - review to follow later.

Up next: Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

>134 lunacat: LOL, Jenny! It might take a wee bit more than feeding to keep a group of employees happy but donuts do help. :-)

>135 jnwelch: Hello Joe! I'm glad my book group chose Station Eleven. I am, as Kerri calls me, a reluctant reader of science fiction so having folks with whom to discuss will be good for me.

I really liked The World Before Us. I think it qualifies as magical realism with some good existential musings tossed in. And some decent writing. :-)

>136 saraslibrary: Sara, I appreciate your (half-hearted?) shout out for the Seahawks.
And I'm chuckling because I have historically pulled heavily from google images for my thread decorations. I was proud to have some of my own photos to post after our trip to Scotland. Next year I'll be back to borrowing other people's images. Heh.

>137 benitastrnad: Benita, that is a danger of the postal book group that I had not considered. I am tolerant of members failing to read the book (as long as they don't distract from the conversation about the book!) but if the club is dependent on books being forwarded, that is another logistic to consider.

I think there are a subset of book clubs in the world that are absolutely successful. I have friends who are in such book clubs. They have a good core of 6 or 8 or 10 members and they reliably meet on whatever regular schedule they have chosen. But I also think there are a vast number of book clubs that struggle. I don't know what it takes to develop one of the successful ones but I can see that the publishing industry would cheer them on!

>138 BLBera: Beth, it's so cool that you are in one of the successful ones. I wonder if you have a sense of why it works.... ??

Looking forward to hearing what you think of Station Eleven next month. I don't have a good record with that author so I've been hesitant but so many people are recommending it.

Hi Ellen! I was a big fan of Three Day Road. I hope it works for you.

"AACXIV"?? ROTFL!!

Well, it sounds as if the Mail Book Group is potentially a difficult group to make work. I need to talk with Carol O and check on her. I think she is interested, but have not heard much from her recently.

Windy today, eh? I love wind through the evergreen trees. Reminds me of the description in the beginning of the book Heidi where the wind rushing through the big evergreen trees behind her grandfather's house. They roar! They sound like a lively surf. Wonderful.

I like to hear the wind blow as well. I find it comforting - just as I do the sound of rain.

>143 msf59: well, you'd be up for that wouldn't you Mark? ;)

My current book club had our Christmas dinner last night. There were only 5 of us there, and at usual meetings (every 6 weeks) we have about that many too- out of about 11). I am a faithful attendee.

We don't all read the same book- we choose a theme and read what we like that fits it. And if you don't- that is cool too. Then we just talk about what we are reading or what we have read. I like it that it is not so structured, but would prefer some more hard core readers in the group, this would be good to make me feel less a freak.

My last book club we all brought a book along and reviewed it to the group, and then drew names. The first name got to pick which one they wanted to take home and read, all down the line til the last poor person who got lumped with whatever was left. It was a fun system!

Ohhh, so pleased to see Station Eleven is a pick for your book group. I really need to rave about it on my own thread but I'm no good at cohesive (or even coherent for that matter) reviews or comments so I keep falling back on the fact I stayed up till 2.30am finishing it on a night I was actually tired and felt I could have got an early night rather than an insomnia filled night of desperately trying anything to sleep before 6am!! (Wow, that was a REALLY long sentence).

So, yeah, my review = everyone should read it. So there.

#146
That book discussion sounds like fun. And I love the idea of passing the books around like you did. What a great idea.

My book discussion group does the same thing with our biography. One year we couldn't decide on a biography that we all wanted to read, so we decided that everybody would read one they wanted and report to the group. It worked out so well that we have made it a yearly tradition for our biography read.

>140 EBT1002: Yeah, I know I should have more team spirit, but I find it pretty boring with all the ads, timeouts, etc. If they played nonstop, then it might catch my eye. Maybe. ;)

You should definitely feel proud about your photos. They're beautiful!

Ellen - Our book club meets at noons on the third Friday of the month. I think having the meeting during work is one thing that has kept it going. No one needs to clean and cook for the group... Also, we are VERY flexible. No shame if you haven't finished -- or read -- the book. However, it is understood that we will talk about it, so if someone hasn't finished it, there may be spoilers. People agree to disagree at times, and no one's feelings are hurt.

We do meet one evening, in January to choose books for the year. There is wine drunk then. I'm happy to see all the Station Eleven love. I did like it a lot.

Back to Montana 1948; I really liked the epilogue and thought it was important to the story, because it put that event into the perspective of David's life, and his parent's as well.

I have always been hesitant about book groups, but I do like the one I am in now. It's a bookstore sponsored group, so the members fluctuate quite a lot. But we have a real facilitator, which is great for the discussion, I think.

And it's hard to believe that they don't have green and blue sprinkled donuts every Monday. I am shocked.

No blue green sprinkled donuts? What kind of a fanbase is this?

Here is what I had a recent Michigan football game:

Ugh. Tough Wednesday. I won't bother with the details, but I couldn't even muster the cognitive energy to start Three Day Road. So I watched a couple of episodes from Season 1 of "Downton Abbey" and started The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter. These are the books on which the PBS "Morse" series was based. We picked up a couple of used copies for 1 British pound each at a bookstore in Huntley, Scotland. Total brain candy.

I am so sorry you had a tough day on Wednesday. It does happen from time to time; let's just hope that it is not the start of some stupid trend!

I'm working my way through The Garden of Evening Mists still with less time for reading these days. Dang. I'm going to reward my busy morning of cleaning up the house with a dedicated one hour of reading before I leave for some dedicated shopping for Christmas.

Hope today is significantly better than yesterday.

>142 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli. Station Eleven will be my first by Emily St. John Mandel. I think this is a "stretch" read for me so we'll see how it goes. I like stretches but the outcome is less predictable.

>143 msf59: Hey Mark! I will read Three Day Road after I finish my current brain-candy read. I think I will like it but Wednesday kicked my butt so I needed easy that evening.

AACXIV - How old will we be when we do that one? ;-)

>144 maggie1944: Karen, I am willing to try the postal book group but I share your trepidation (skepticism?). In any case, I plan to attend book group in January and recommit to the in-person meetings. I'll never be a 100% attendee but I will hopefully be a regular enough attendee to help keep it alive.

I hate windy weather. Wind is my least favorite weather phenomenon. But I never read Heidi so maybe that would fix it. Heh.

>145 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. See my remark above to Karen regarding wind.

>146 LovingLit: Megan, your book club sounds pretty fun. I would think a reliable attendance of 5-6 would work well enough. I think the book white elephant (yes?) that you did sounds like fun.

"...would prefer some more hard core readers in the group, this would be good to make me feel less a freak." Well. It seems that you, like many in this group, are far enough out on the bell curve that this would be hard to find. What I'm saying is that, when it comes to reading, you are a freak. You must accept it.

>147 lunacat: Jenny, your comments make me look forward to reading Station Eleven. And I will go read your review. And I realize that I don't think I've yet found your thread. I must do so!

>148 benitastrnad: Hey again, Benita. I agree that Megan's book swap sounds like fun. And I'm really struck by the variations book clubs seem to develop in the interest of sharing books, sharing reading, and keeping the book club vibrant. I love that your book club did the "theme" read for your Biography month, even though that is not the SOP. Creativity. Flexibility. These are good things. :-)

>149 saraslibrary: Hi Sara! "I find it pretty boring with all the ads, timeouts, etc." I hear ya. With some games I can use these breaks to do a bit of reading but it depends on what I'm trying to read. And with the Seahawks, I admit that I get so caught up in it that I just use the breaks to breathe deeply. Or go for a beer refill. :-)

>150 BLBera: Beth, your book group sounds wonderful! I love that you meet during the day, at work, so no one has to cook or clean. Do you all work together? Are there any work-related power differentials among the group? This makes me want to work on developing a book group at the university where I work. The U Bookstore has one that meets on Monday evenings and I keep thinking I'll give that one a try, too. I also like that your group meets in the evening once a year, for a more traditional book club kind of thing, and to select the year's books. What process do you use for selecting the books?

>151 banjo123: Rhonda, that is an interesting perspective on the epilogue in Montana 1948. One thing I'm noticing is that this novel appears to be liked by most readers, perhaps loved by a few, and that it lands on each reader very differently. I mean, all novels do that. We are affected by what we read based on who we are, but this one seems to touch each of us in an even more idiosyncratic way. I wonder what that is about. One thing that occurs to me is that it's a very simple story, in many ways, and simply told. Imbedded in the narrative are themes of race and gender, family and community, death and coming of age. But none of those themes are called out very strongly. They ride along under the surface of the story.

>152 michigantrumpet: Hmm, an M-shaped ice-cream (is that what that is?). Or M-shaped whipped cream on hot chocolate? I love the creative ways that communities find to support their local team spirit.

>154 maggie1944: Thanks for your kind words, Karen. Thursday was much better than Wednesday and I expect today to be just fine. You're right, those days happen from time to time. I feel very lucky that they are mostly few and far between for me.

I loved The Garden of Evening Mists and really want to read The Gift of Rain. I have it in the TBR library....

The Washington Huskies are hosting the Regionals (Sweet 16) in the Volleyball tournament. This evening #3 UW plays #16 Nebraska. I will be there. I hope I frequently get to say "Point Huskies" with the crowd.

Our star, Krista Vansant, is so fun to watch.

And on the reading front, I'm quickly working my way through The Dead of Jericho and looking forward to digging back into my planned December reads, especially Three Day Road and How to Be Both.

I know it's only December 12, but is anyone else finding themselves looking forward to the "75 Books Challenge for 2015"???

No review on my thread but thanks for stopping by there anyway! Still haven't managed any proper thoughts. I might just go for a statement: Read it. Maybe that's enough ;)

Yup, looking forward to 2015 thread and hoping I last the year. Normally anxiety/depression/exhaustion get the better of me and I fall off the planet for huge blocks of time. I'm going to try a whole year of being present. Not that it matters to anyone but me, but it would be nice to complete a year!

>126 saraslibrary: Awe, thanks!

>131 EBT1002: "I wonder if it's a guy thing." Hmm, that is a good question! Anyone else have thoughts about that?

Hrm. At the risk of getting yelled at, I do know that if I come across certain male-centric novels, such as a book that has a male protagonist and a predominantly male cast (and I guess I'm mostly talking about straight, white males to be honest), I sort of do an internal "ugh." However, I do recognize that this is perhaps unfair, but I'm just being honest. For me, I think a lot of this just has to do with the fact that there are so many of these stories told and I've read so many of them throughout my life, and just want to focus on other things right now. Not sure. Again, just being honest. I do think I'll read Lonesome Dove next year though, so that's breaking my pattern.

>161 EBT1002: I really want to read How to be Both too! It's on my xmas wishlist, but I'll probably buy it, if Santa fails to provide.

>162 EBT1002: I am! And I'll try not to disappear next year too! I think I have for spells during the past two years, but I will try my best in 2015.

>163 lunacat: "Not that it matters to anyone but me, but it would be nice to complete a year!"
Actually, Jenny, it probably does matter more to you than to others, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter at all to the rest of this crew to have you around for the whole year! I hope 2015 is a good one for you, with only minor forays into the anxiety/depression/exhaustion terrain!

>164 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! Geezer is a big hit. :-)

"At the risk of getting yelled at..." Well, not by me you won't. I'm glad you're willing to put yourself out there on my thread. And while I think your "ugh" reaction may be stronger than some people's "ugh" (or maybe you're just more willing to express it), it resonates for me. My dad (a straight, white male, by the way) was an English professor and I still remember getting so angry with him at his reaction to some of the women and people of color (queer folks weren't even on the radar for this conversation) on his campus who were challenging "the canon" and lobbying for more space for women writers and writers of color. Dad just could not imagine letting go of any of the authors that he believed were essential to an English major. He wasn't opposed to adding "new" writers but he wasn't willing to actually make space for them in the curriculum. My point is that your reaction makes total sense. The stories of straight white men are legitimate. And straight white men have had the opportunity to tell those stories again and again, and for centuries. I think most of us love to read because, in part, it expands our experience of the world. This can't happen if we keep reading the same story.

And I'll be interested in how you like Lonesome Dove. I do think it's a beautifully written novel.

If you don't get How to be both for Christmas, do not buy it. I will send you my copy when I finish reading it! I plan to read it around Christmas week, so you shouldn't even have to wait very long. :-)

I think disappearing spells are just part of life, right? But, like you, I am hoping to be consistent in 2015. I think some of that -- for me -- is giving myself permission to do LT at a sustainable level. I can get so absorbed in it that I have to take a break. If I just acknowledge that I can't "keep up," and I just do my best and let it stay fun, I think I can hang in there more, even when work and life get overwhelming. I do NOT want to wish away the next three weeks (yay for winter break!), but I am also really looking forward to the new year of reading challenges!

edited for what I hope is greater clarity

Ah! Winter Break. My totally unique schedule has me having my "winter break" this coming week. The Dad has decided to take this next week off from work. Which means I can avoid driving up there for a week. Still, I will probably have some Instacart shifts so I will not be work free. Nevertheless, I will feel the freedom from the kids and I do expect to get a bunch of reading done.

Yeah!

I hope your break is filled with many relaxed hours of doing just exactly what you want to do!

>165 EBT1002: Yes! This --> The stories of straight white men are legitimate. And straight white men have had the opportunity to tell those stories again and again, and for centuries. I think most of us love to read because, in part, it expands our experience of the world. This can't happen if we keep reading the same story.

And, of course, I love and do read all sorts of straight white male authors - Faulkner, Coetze, Thomas Hardy, etc. I would add Melville, but I've heard he may not have exactly fit that description. I was just expressing my gut reaction when I'm presented with certain authors and themes.

>152 michigantrumpet:, >158 EBT1002: I thought marshmallow on hot chocolate? Which sounds like such a good idea that, if my 1:30 appointment doesn't show pretty soon, I'm just going to the break room and make myself some of that.

>165 EBT1002: Oh, and thanks for the How To Be Both offer!

Kerri - I agree about the straight white men's stories. We've all read them FOREVER - maybe it's time to give some other voices a chance. I know when I choose readers for my classes, I always check to see that women and men are equally represented. I know sexual orientation, race and ethnicity are other things I would like to include more of, but it's harder to do looking at the table of contents. So, I do what I can.

Ellen - about the book club. When we started, we all worked together, but that is no longer the case, so that works well.

When we meet in January to choose books, we have food and wine. Then we go around the room and talk about books we'd like to read. During the year, I keep a list, but we don't limit ourselves to the list. Usually, each person gets at least one choice she feels strongly about.

We have been talking this year about length. One member mentioned she'd like to read Middlemarch, which is a fabulous book, but it's over 1000 pages long. So, we will not be choosing that one.

Another thing that keeps our group together is that people come without having read the book, or miss if they have meetings, etc., and there's no judgment. I think that's the advantage of meeting during the day.

Sorry for the long post.

I hereby accept my freakiness. Even if I cant make the freaky total of 75 this year, I still aim to be as freaky as possible in regards to book reading :)

Hi, Ellen. Great thread going here.

On Montana 1948, what made the book sing for me was the boy's awakening to the adult world: one day all the conversation that didn't seem to make sense suddenly does--and one is never a child again. I loved it for that alone, as well as some fine writing. In a way it reminded me of A Death in the Family.

Book Clubs: Can't find one that really works for me; like Megan, I'm way too much of a freak. And that's fine with me, having been a book freak from about age 9 or so. LT is my virtual ook club. On AAC, I've managed 7 of 12 and may get to #8 as well. It's a good way to open up the horizons, if one doesn't become...well...obsessive, not that I or anyone else would.

Scotland: Ah. Fortunate woman.

Looking forward to being more consistent with y'all next year.

>166 maggie1944: Karen, so you are still doing Instacart. How is that going?

I have been thinking that I want to order dinner from Bitesquad.com just to experience it. It's along the same lines as Instacart but they deliver dinner from various restaurants.

And thank you. I do need a restful break.

>167 DorsVenabili: Hey Kerri. Yes, good to go on record (as I will also do) as reading and enjoying a lot of work by straight white males. But the gut reaction is understandable.

>168 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Lynda. Now that you say that, it does look like an M-shaped marshmallow on hot chocolate. Yum. I mean, except for the M. :-)

>169 DorsVenabili: So does that mean you'll take me up on the How to be both offer?
I mean, assuming it doesn't show up under your tree.

>170 BLBera: Beth, please don't apologize for the "long" post. I asked about your book club because I'm genuinely interested. I'm impressed with Kerri's effort to start a book club and I'm considering following suit. I'm just considering the various approaches I might take.

>171 LovingLit: Megan, this acceptance is a good thing. And your book freakiness is shared, just a wee bit, by many around you here. So - you are not alone. Hopefully this makes the acceptance even easier.

>172 Matke: Hello Gail! I love that point about Montana 1948 and I don't think I had really thought about it. You're right: it's more than a "coming of age" story. It's also a story about awakening on a level that is hard to capture in a novel. Nice.

I must say that I agree that LT has become my virtual book club and I'm grateful for it. Since joining in January 2011 (can you say "upcoming Thingaversary"?) it has expanded my reading horizons to a wonderful degree. And I have made some great friends. I've only been able to meet a few in person (and you all know who you are) but I love the connections, and I hope to continue creating ways to meet more LTers in person.
"...if one doesn't become...well...obsessive, not that I or anyone else would."
Yes. Right.

It's midnight. What am I doing still up?
Time to read for a bit until my eyes close on me....

Happy weekend, everyone!

" it has expanded my reading horizons to a wonderful degree. And I have made some great friends." I think this fits all of us, Ellen! Sniffles a little...

Happy Saturday, my friend! I can send you a rumpled copy of The Keeper of Lost Causes, once I have it returned?

Ellen, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Yup, Ellen, your feelings in >174 EBT1002: about LT and the people here mirror mine exactly. I appreciate all two of you that I have met!

I've been a member of a RL book club for quite a few years now. It's sponsored by the library (so the fantastic adult services librarian always has book & author info and is ready to step in as a facilitator if needed). Since it's part of the library program, it's advertised on their website which brings in new visitors and members - a real plus, which could also happen if the book club was sponsored/advertised by a bookstore. Many of our libraries in the ILL system have 'bookclub kits' consisting of 8-12 copies of a book and a leaders' guide. These are popular with those who find it a hardship to buy books, and Montana has few copies of any given book in its library system. I suggested Let Him Go as a read for the upcoming year as we usually try to read at least one Montana book. LHG is available as a book club kit. I believe individuals as well as libraries can check out the kits.

The club meets from 12-1 once a month. Again, no cleaning, no hosting, no competition with evening programs. It's advertised as 'The Brown Bag Book Club' but I think I'm the only one who squeezes in eating a sandwich during the meeting.

The December meeting is a potluck and we vote on books for the upcoming year. The librarian has suggestions, and everyone interested puts forth other titles by email so we can all look over reviews during the month before voting.

Members take turns facilitating, usually on books they have suggested. I get to skip most of the facilitating, since as a technician at work, I never know when I'm going to have to do something which makes attending the meeting impossible.

I can see that having consistency of a facilitator seems to be a big help in keeping a reading group healthy. Perhaps those of us from our little, falling apart group, who wish to continue driving to LFP once a month need to explore the other groups which meet there.

>173 EBT1002: Yes, I've reactivated my Happy Shopper status. I had a crazy shift last week, and it will take a little time to polish up my shopping quickly skills, and my finding addresses in the northwest dark winter early evenings will have to improve, too. I put two additional apps on my iPhone - Google Maps and Waze. Hoping they are good back up for Siri. I like Siri but sometimes she is stumped by complicated neighborhoods which the Eastside specializes in having. Next week, I have 3 shifts in Seattle. That's a change and I hope it will help with finding places more easily as I'm very familiar with Seattle geography. Plus, I think I'll enjoy cruising my old stomping grounds.

I've gotten into The World Before Us and hope to finish it before December fades away.

>173 EBT1002: Yes! I will take it. Just out of curiosity, do you have any rules that dictate which books you keep and which ones you give away? Just wondering. I ask, because I probably wouldn't give that book away. Ha! (But, of course, I'll take it.)

Interesting to read about all the various book clubs! I'm hoping mine turns into a long-lived, good one, but, of course, we've only had one meeting so far.

Go Seahawks!

>157 EBT1002: LOL! Yes, ads/commercials are good excuse for beer runs. ;)

>164 DorsVenabili: You're welcome! :)

Hi Ellen, thought I'd more or less try to catch up and say hello. I lurk and try to hit at least a couple of threads in an "official" manner each day, and yours it it today! Wishing you well. xx

I went for a walk during halftime (and most of the third quarter, as it turns out, because I stopped to chat with some neighbors for a while) and started listening to Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming. I felt silly walking down the street laughing out loud as I listened to the bit about the AIDS benefit and Patti Smith and Mary J. Blige --- and Alan's self-deprecating consideration of the possibility that Patti Smith might take his job introducing PBS' Masterpiece Mystery.... not surprisingly, his narration of his own memoir is outstanding so far.

So, I think I have found an audiobook which will take me less than a year to complete. :-)

Go Seahawks. Russell Wilson is so much fun to watch.

But I admit SF is giving our team a run for their money, eh?

Wrapping presents, decorating trees, and cleaning house. When or when will I read?

>176 msf59: *hands Mark a clean tissue*
I'll happily take you up on the offer of a rumpled copy of The Keeper of Lost Causes, Mark! I purchased it for my sister-in-law but don't trust myself to read it before sending it to her as a Christmas present. I might rumple it too much (which is fine for a friendly book swap but not for a Christmas present for my SIL). Thank you!!

>177 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara!

My weekend has been pretty good. I've gone for a run both days and today I skipped out on visiting P's father and his wife, promising to do some housecleaning in exchange for getting to stay home. Hooray! I love P but having this whole day to myself has been a really special gift. I did a lot of housecleaning, went for a run, have gone for two (count them, two!!) walks, one with music and the other with the audio Not My Father's Son. I'm watching the Seahawks and 49ers, hoping my Hawks can pull a win out of this game. They (we) are up 10-7 in the fourth quarter.

>178 streamsong: Hi Janet! Thanks for describing your RL book club to me. I love all the book club variations! The commitment to read at least one Montana book each year.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Seahawks benefited from a personal foul call that the announcers didn't like (not that I care one iota how whiney Troy Aikman feels), and just scored to make it a 10-point game. Whew.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

>179 maggie1944: Karen, I would be up for a discussion of that idea. I know you know that I still struggle with the long drive on a Monday evening, when I still have nearly a full work-week ahead of me, but I do enjoy our book conversations when I can make it.

You know, I hadn't thought of the expectation that you shop quickly. Of course that makes sense now that I think about it. I am in that freaky minority of people who enjoy grocery shopping, but I don't know that I'd want to do it for a living.... I don't know the app Waze. I hope it helps.

>180 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! I don't have rules, per se, about which books I keep and which ones I give away. I used to keep a lot more books than I do now. Having cleaned out the house of my parents-in-law, twice, has made me a lot more picky about keeping anything, even books. I so rarely re-read books and the thought that I might do so is the closest I come to a "rule." That, and if it is just one of my all-time favorite reads like The Heart is a Lonely Hunter or if it's a classic like a couple of very old editions I have of works by Willa Cather.

>181 saraslibrary: Hi Sara!

>182 Smiler69: Hey Ilana and thanks for making an "official" stop by my thread! Having the day at home and all to myself today, I thought I would get around to some LT threads but I got caught up in housework and some good outdoor exercise (sunny and upper 40s in Seattle!).

>184 maggie1944: Hi Karen! I do enjoy watching Russell but I get so worried as he scrambles around!
It's amazing how hard it is to find time to read when one is doing so many other things, eh? I thought I would read a lot more today than I did but I'm glad I got outside for a run and two walks!

yeah! Seahawks are looking good for this one being a win! And yeah.... reading is hard to fit in sometimes. I'm feeling some pressure to get on with the decluttering and recycling of tons of paper stuff sitting around, so I've done some of that while watching the game. That's not too hard to juggle... throwing papers out, stacking up stuff to file, and watching the game. Marshawn Lynch! That man is strong.

I love what you said in >174 EBT1002: , Ellen. Lt has become a haven for so many of us book geeks, I honestly don't know what I would do without it.

Ellen, I just finished How to Be Both today. I loved it -- not sure if you're reading it yet, but I will be very interested to see your take on it.

Hi Ellen - It sounds like you have had a lovely day. Someone said to me last week, "I know how they feel in Seattle." We haven't seen the sun for about 10 days. Lots of fog. Today it was quite warm, in the forties, but overcast all day. My only outdoor exercise was taking the garbage and recycling out.

Oh well. One week left.

I'm with you about keeping books. I've started to give away more, especially if 1. I know I would never reread it or 2. I would never use it for a class. To be honest, though, I still have a lot of books that don't fit in those categories that I just haven't been able to bring myself to give away yet. I also cull a couple of times a year.

>188 maggie1944: "Marshawn Lynch! That man is strong." Yes. He is. Feed the Beast!!

>189 DeltaQueen50: Judy, LT is a wonderful thing. In the good times, in the bad. Books and LT come through.

>190 lauralkeet: Hey Laura. I will read How to be both during Christmas week (just to be in sync with Darryl) and I'm looking forward to it!

>191 BLBera: Hi Beth. Yes, we in Seattle are used to gray days and -- this time of year -- very short days! It's the dark that gets to me more than the drizzle or gray skies. But in any case, today was lovely!!!! I'm so glad that I got out for some vitamin D.

The keeping of books is an interesting dilemma. Our house is small. I have a gazillion books I have not yet read. This means limited space for books I have read. So. I try to be brutal. Ha.

*lurking through*

81. The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter




This was an average read, enjoyable because I could imagine John Thaw (Morse) and Kevin Whately (Sergeant Lewis) in their respective roles. The PBS series is better.

>193 ronincats: Hi Roni!

And, going backwards....

80. The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter






I enjoyed this novel of mystery, memory, and magical realism. It's the story of Jane Standen, a young woman who is revisiting the territory of a tragic experience: a little girl for whom she had responsibility was lost in the woods near Inglewood House (a now decrepit Victorian mansion) and The Whitmore Hospital for Convalescent Lunatics (also Victorian, also decrepit). As an archivist, Jane is interested in learning more about another girl who went missing in the same area but decades earlier. The narrators, we learn early on, are the ghosts of those who lived in the Whitmore, and their poignant efforts to remember and feel the experiences they had when living on Earth provide the most effective emotional content of the novel. Jane, as a character, is sympathetic but only two-dimensional. The story is interesting enough but it's the existential musings, the vaguely spiritual exploration of memory and matter, that kept me engaged. What it means to live, what it means to die, and what it means to exist -- in reality or in memory -- that is the real territory of this novel.

So, I've completed 81 books so far this year.

Now I'm listening (!!) to Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming and I'll start reading All Quiet on the Western Front as I go to bed now....

Reading:



Listening:

Oooh, your current reads are one that I loved and one that I can't wait to read!

Glad to see another reader of AQotWF. A book I reread about once a year when I'm feeling in a philosophical mood. Having seen Darryl read it as well has reminded me I'm due another read, so I might get to it in the next month or so.

Hi Ellen - The World Before Us sounds good. I'll look fot it. Yes, what to do with all those books...What a problem.

>94 EBT1002: I love the Inspector Lewis series on PBS. Morse is good too but a bit dated nowadays. I've never read any of the books though. It sounds like they might not live up to the TV adaptation?

I enjoyed your comments on The World Before Us. My main response so far is to be impressed how quickly the "atmosphere" of the book captures me. I'm pulled in even before I know what the plot is about, and before I become attached to any characters. Interesting writing.

I have my first Instacart shift in Seattle today. A bit of a different deal. I'll be interested to see how long it takes me to get from my house into the city during "rush" hour, and that may be a deciding factor as to whether I'll make myself available to Seattle in the future. I like the idea of being in town as I know how to find addresses there much better than I know the Eastside. Wish me luck.

I think, sadly, I'm picking up a cold bug. I woke up in the middle of the night with some of those tell-tale symptoms. I'm taking Breathe Easy with me today, and hoping it will not be too brutal. Also, The World Before Us.

Have a great Monday, young lady.

>185 EBT1002: Good girl being so busy.

Okay, I know I'm going to get some flack for this but I'm thinking (again) of changing my username.

>199 scaifea: Amber,I can't believe I'm saying this but I *strongly* recommend listening to Alan Cumming narrate his memoir. It's early yet but his voice (not just his wonderful Scottish accent, but his narrative voice!) is wonderful.

>200 lunacat: Jenny, I read quite a bit in AQotWF last evening and this morning. Whew. It's tough. Beautiful, but tough.

>201 BLBera: Beth, if you'd like, I can send you my ER copy of The World Before Us. I know the reviews are mixed, but I liked what she was trying to do.

>202 lauralkeet: Laura, I'm a huge fan of the PBS series: Morse, Inspector Lewis, andEndeavor. The novel did not live up to the tv series but it was a fun, easy read. Just not as good as so much that is out there in the mystery and police procedural world.

>203 maggie1944: Sorry you're picking up a bug, Karen! No fun. My throat is sore but I'm assuming it's leftover from cheering on the Huskies in their volleyball loss on Friday. I hope that's it, in any case.

I'll be interested to hear how doing the Instacart shift in the city compares to the suburban version.

I'll also be interested in your final thoughts about The World Before Us. I understand why some of the reviews are less than fully enthusiastic but I really liked it. I liked what she was trying to do, even though she was less than 100% successful. She was successful enough for me!

You have a great Monday, too, my friend. Hugs to Benny and Greta. :-)

>204 Ameise1: Barbara, my Sunday-to-myself ended up being such a wonderful day! I was productive but also felt like I really got some time just connecting with myself.

Have I mentioned that the audio book of Alan Cumming narrating his own memoir, Not My Father's Son, is sweeping me off my feet?

>205 EBT1002: I'm thinking (again) of changing my username.
No flak from me, but I'm curious when you last changed it? I "discovered" you under your current name and now wonder if I "knew" you before.

>209 EBT1002: I love Alan Cumming.

Hi Ellen! Hope you had a fine weekend. If I would have known ahead of time, I might have joined you on All Quiet. I have been meaning to get to that one for eons.

>210 lauralkeet: Actually, Laura, I've never changed my username. I've always been EBT1002. I thought about changing it before but never followed through. I don't even really know what is motivating me. Restlessness, I guess. A friend suggested that I make my username ellentaylor, but I want something more cryptic than that. :-)

"I love Alan Cumming." I love him, too. I get giddy watching him introduce Masterpiece on Sunday evenings. P calls him my "boyfriend." Ha.

>Mark, surely you can shoehorn All Quiet into your week. Right? I am finding it to be a pretty fast read, actually. And I think it would be right up your alley.

>186 EBT1002: I'm running out of space (well...actually, I'm completely out of space and I'm stacking books in closets at this point), so I understand the dilemma. I'm going to try to buy far fewer physical books in 2015. And I kind of do the same thing with fiction where I'll give something away if I've read it already and know I'll never read it again, unless it's a favorite author or an interesting edition, or one I collect. That sort of thing.

Glad you're enjoying the Alan Cumming! I started it this morning and just read a bit more (and read the Patti Smith part - ha!) and it's immediately engaging.

I think I read All Quiet on the Western Front in high school, but I remember nothing, so can't really contribute to that conversation.

I'm another one who hopes I can stay consistent from beginning to end in 2015. I have high hopes this time because no pregnancy is on the high horizon so that means less sleepless nights, which means I won't be a zombie for most of my days...or at least one can hope. ;)

Way to go in reaching 75 and beyond this year!

>206 EBT1002: Oh, most definitely! It's on my audiobook list and I hope that the library has it in that format. I love him, too (enough so that I want to pretend that he's in the room whispering sweet memoirs to me...)!

>208 EBT1002:. I had a great time in Seattle yesterday. My family moved back into Seattle in 1950 and I started Kindergarten at Laurelhurst Elementary School, and then stayed through graduating from Roosevelt High School, and the UW, in 1966. I fell in love with the city through those years, and then through the following 30 years of teaching.

So, up early to drive into the city through rush hour traffic means I leave my house about 30 minutes earlier than if I had an "eastside" shift. Rapid fire, I had three "batches" of shopping and delivering. All three were in neighborhoods which I know well so it was greatly less stressful than hunting for addresses on the "eastside". I think, even considering the greater amount of time used, and mileage added to the car, I will continue to ask for shifts in the city. Very comfortable place for me, even with all the changes, of which there are many, many, many. I was glad for Siri to guide me through some of the tricky changes in highways south of downtown.

Still carrying around The World Before Us and making slow progress. Holiday shopping last night with the nieces kept me out of the book. Dang.

>162 EBT1002: yes I am eagerly anticipating the "75 Books Challenge for 2015"!! My first year here has been such a wonderful experience I plan to stick around for a long time.

>213 DorsVenabili: Good luck with the effort to purchase fewer physical books in 2015, Kerri. Of course, you have an e-reader and that should help.

All Quiet on the Western Front is quite engaging but it just gets more and more brutal.

Not My Father's Son, on the other hand, is enchanting! I do love that man's accent (I know, it's so typical to love a Scottish accent, but I do!).

>214 jolerie: Yay for consistency, Valerie! But only if it is accompanied by a chill attitude and no pressure.
I think I flew under the radar when I completed my 75th book and didn't get a series of "75" gifs on my thread. So thanks for recognizing and responding to my cheap bid for a few pats on the back. :-)

>215 scaifea: Amber, we are soul mates in our adoration of Alan Cumming. I swoon when he introduces "Masterpiece" on Sunday nights. Truly.

>216 maggie1944: Karen, that is so cool that you had such a great time in the city! It sounds like you enjoyed seeing some of your old neighborhoods. P graduated from Roosevelt, although their location in the city should have sent her to Garfield. I think her parents wanted to get her into a different mix of kids as she was perhaps making some poor choices. :-|

>217 SuziQoregon: Juli, I'm glad you plan to stick around! This January I will celebrate my 4th Thingaversary and 2015 will be my 5th year in the 75-challenge group. I am certain that I never completed as many books before; this group is a good influence.

oooh, how is All Quiet on the Western Front going? More and more brutal, I know. It is so powerful and I found the messages in it subtly presented, even if they are obvious. I think I gave it 5 stars!

>219 EBT1002: "the more things change, the more they stay the same".... ha ha ha. My mother also moved us from a home on Capital hill to an apt. in the U. District so that I could go to Roosevelt. My junior high years at Meany also were peppered with less than stellar performances on my part. I did love Roosevelt though, even if I just hung out with two very good friends.

All this love for Alan Cummings....I can't get his performance as creepy Shawn Walsh (Circle of Friends) out of my head long enough to imagine "swooning" over him at all, at all! But I do think I'd enjoy listening to his memoir, and I've added it to my audio list (what is that, the tblt? or tbh?).

>220 LovingLit: Megan, I am liking (is that the right word?) All Quiet a good deal. P and I have been on a bit of a Downton Abbey re-watch binge and last evening we watched two episodes involving a fair amount of WWI front lines action. It's interesting to have those images to embellish Remarque's descriptions of the trenches and the shelling. What a horrific experience to have survived.

>221 maggie1944: Karen, "just hanging out" with two very good friends in high school sounds wonderful. I was a fairly unhappy high schooler, not that I think that makes me unique.

>222 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda! I haven't seen Circle of Friends but perhaps I will see if I can get it through Netflix.

"what is that, the tblt? or tbh?" LOL -- I would go with tblt since I conceptualize tbr as implying the active rather than the passive. But it's an interesting distinction!

By the way, I'm planning to get next year's group going sometime in the next week or so...

>222 laytonwoman3rd: - Agreed re: Shawn Walsh/Alan Cumming!

>224 drneutron: Oh, my, goodness. The beginning of the year rush is starting.... and it is only December 17

>164 DorsVenabili: and >165 EBT1002: I have to agree with you both there! After being introduced to several incredible writers of color (thank you all SOOO much) that had never crossed my radar before LT, I was having a long conversation about this very topic with a close friend of mine from college. She is African American and I was asking her (quite vehemently) why at a college so progressive as Wesleyan (a woman's college -- the first to offer degrees to women, by the way!!) wouldn't have writers of color in the curriculum?!? Her point was that she had brought up that very question to professors on staff at the college 20 years ago and was given unsatisfactory answers... Why have things not changed?!? Why did it take Library Thing to introduce me to incredible writers that should have been put in my hands as a teenager?

**Rant over**

Hi Ellen!! I was coming by to catch up and say hey, but I just had to give an opinion on this. ;)

Really? I'm dumbfounded. No writers of color in the curriculum at Wesleyan? I started reading Baldwin, etc. in the 1960s at the U. of Washington.

I join in on >227 TinaV95: rant! What the hey? I was just thinking about how hard it is, in a causal conversation, to explain institutional racism, or sexism, or ageism - those types of biases are so deep seated. Sigh. I started walking in street demonstrations in about 1964. 50 years ago.

oh, by the way, I do wish you a great Thursday/Friday and a wonderful weekend ahead. Straight ahead.

I am going over to Vashon Island today, with the dogs, to have a little meet-up of Vashon buddies. We'll probably do some winter beach walking, cold and dramatic, but good fun.

Sweet Thursday, Ellen! I am going to start All Quiet tomorrow. See, how much of a pushover I am? Hope the week is going well.

>224 drneutron: Jim, you are an awesome man. You know that we will all be rushing over to start our new threads, outline our massive reading plans for the new year, and compete for posting the cutest New Year gifs. Well, maybe not that last part. :-)

THANK YOU for the work you do maintaining this group from year to year. I hope you know how much we appreciate it, and what a meaningful pursuit it is.

>225 katiekrug: Okay, Katie, clearly I need to figure out how to stream or rent or check out the video Circle of Friends.

>226 maggie1944: Karen, I know! I am going to try to resist the rush but it will be nice to have a central place to post the various challenges and shared reads to which I have already made commitments!

>227 TinaV95: Hi Tina and thank you for your rant. I think it is an ongoing battle to get women and people of color (and queer people and people with disabilities) nudged into "the canon," even in the most liberal or progressive of schools. I do think it's better than it was 20 years ago, but it's hard to "let go" of "the classics" in order to make room for new additions, and there is a limit to how many courses one can require of any undergraduate. Those in power had a long time to establish the core curriculum; it will take a while for it to evolve.

>228 maggie1944: UW may have been a progressive IHE in the 1960s, and most institutions were experimenting with expanding the repertoire. But it's still true that marginalized groups of writers are, well, on the margins. They tend to be studied in elective, rather than required courses.

I hope you and the canines had a fun day at Vashon! It was a December day --- rainy and breezy --- so I hope the day ended with a mug of hot chocolate or tea!

>229 msf59: Mark, I believe you will enjoy (perhaps not the right word) All Quiet on the Western Front. I finished it this morning and will write comments tomorrow. It is brilliant and hard to digest.

I've decided to stray from my reading plans and start reading Our Lady of the Nile on my bus commute this morning. I received it via my archipelago subscription and I saw it on the shelf at the bookstore the other day. It seems to be getting some good attention so I thought I would dig in. I definitely still plan to read How to be both, probably next week, and I have Just One Damned Thing After Another on the bedside table. And I'm still happily listening to Not My Father's Son. Sigh. Life is good.

Ellen, it was a dark and stormy afternoon, nonetheless the doggies and I went to Vashon, and had lunch with four very good friend and we "bumped into" several other friends from years gone by. Fun, fun, fun. I want to move back over there for the months between selling my Bothell house, and moving into the retirement place. I might just do it!

Joe found a nice picture of the island in better weather.

Go check it out: http://www.librarything.com/topic/182596#4957875

>233 maggie1944: "I want to move back over there for the months between selling my Bothell house, and moving into the retirement place."
You should do it! I'll come visit!!

Yay! But, I realize I'll have to end my fun part time job, too. Well, I've got food for thought and dreams.

I'm also looking forward to creating my 2015 75er thread. I love the feel of creating a clean slate where anything and everything is possible!
The World Before Us goes on to the wishlist. Sounds like it has all the ingredients I love in a novel.
Have a great weekend!

Ellen, I wish you a lovely weekend and Merry Christmas.

>232 EBT1002: Looks like a fabulous mix of books you've got going right now. Enjoy!

I bought Our Lady of the Nile from City Lights Bookstore last week, so I look forward to your comments about it.

82. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another. I see that the keenest brains of the world invent weapons and words to make it yet more refined and enduring. And all men of my age, here and over there, throughout the whole world see these things; all my generation is experiencing these things with me.

This is a summary of Paul Bäumer's experience of war. This comes near the end of this exquisite and brutal novel of trench warfare during WWI and it illustrates Remarque's and translator A.W. Wheen's approach to the use of language. Straightforward but with layers, the anger (and other emotions) seething just below the surface of the narrative. Remarque describes what Paul sees, what he feels, what he hears, all so compellingly that the reader is transported into the trenches. We walk along the roads to abandoned and destroyed villages, and we witness the random deaths and agonizing injuries. It's all so sensual.

Certainly this novel is intended to expose the horrors and senselessness of war. The soldiers' terror, horror, rage, despair, and numbness come through with gut-wrenching power. But their love for one another is beautifully wrought, as well, and without sentimentality.

We sit opposite one another, Kat and I, two soldiers in shabby coats, cooking a goose in the middle of the night. We don't talk much, but I believe we have a more complete communion with one another than even lovers have.

There really isn't much I can write about this classic German novel. It must speak for itself. It is beautiful, painful, and well worth reading.

>235 maggie1944: Karen, food for thought and dreams are pretty good things to have. I think it's so cool that you are enjoying your part time job as much as you are!

>236 Carmenere: Yes, Lynda, that clean slate feeling is fun. And, although I determinedly reserve the right to change my mind at any moment about what I'm going to read next month, or next week, or next hour, I truly enjoy making tentative reading plans. Lists of books! What could be more fun than that?

>237 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara! I can't believe tomorrow is the winter solstice and Christmas is right behind that. Happy Christmas to you, as well!

>238 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli! You're right, my current mix of books is a good one!

>239 kidzdoc: Hey Darryl! I'm enjoying Our Lady of the Nile quite a bit so far. I'm glad my local bookstore had put it on the "recommended" shelf so I was motivated to read it now.

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!!!
(I know it's a bit early, but I'm ready for longer days!

Okay, I'm toying with that whole "Top Five Books" thing.
Here are some nominees from my 82 completed books this year.

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

I'm realizing that I need to add my star-rating to the list at the top of my thread.

^That is for nudging me into All Quiet and for writing such a lovely review. (You should post it, so I could Thumb It!) I am so glad you mentioned the translator. What a stellar job! I am not quite done with the novel but, it will not only be one of my top reads of the year but it is one of the best books I have read and that is saying a lot!!

I have to start narrowing my best books of the year down too. Not easy. Glad to see A Constellation making a few lists. It was my favorite read, last year.

What Mark said. Lovely review of All Quiet, Ellen, and if you post it, I'll thumb it.

Great list of top books, too. You've got a couple on it, like Narrow Road to the Deep North and An Unnecessary Woman, that I really want to get to.

Hope you're having an enjoyable Sunday. Go 'Hawks!

I posted this on my thread, but I think you need it here too:



>227 TinaV95: and >231 EBT1002: Thankfully, I was exposed to literature by a diverse range of authors in college, although I know that's not the typical experience, although it probably depends on where you go and which professors you take. A lot of that was during the early 90s too, when there was a big focus on re-imaging the canon.

>243 EBT1002: Ooh, I have my list ready to go for my 2015 thread. Or do we post it now? I can't remember.

>244 msf59: Mark, you are welcome. I thought you would like it, and Joe confirmed that. I'm glad we were correct. :-)
I posted my "review" as per your nudge. :-)

I was cheering for your Bears today (selfishly, I must admit, as it would benefit my Seahawks if Detroit had lost). As one of P's colleagues, a long-time, die-hard Bears fan says, "I'm used to this. I've had 40 years of practice." Sigh.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is probably turning out to be one of my all-time favorites, not just for this year. I read it at a time when the themes and the story landed on me with tremendous power. That, and it's a wonderfully wrought novel.

>Hi Joe, and thank you! I'll happily accept a thumbs up from you as well as from Mark. "Review" duly posted.

Joe, I particularly recommend The Narrow Road to the Deep North to you. I think you would also like An Unnecessary Woman but I predict that the former will be right up your alley.

>246 DorsVenabili: Kerri, thank you!!! I love that image! It's been a great day full of accomplishments (housecleaning, laundry, baking a batch of bourbon-fruit cookies, going for a run) made easier by the fact that the Hawks play this evening. It's not that I mind organizing my Sundays around 1pm games, but a 5pm game is better. :-)

I think you're right that there are a number of factors influencing one's exposure to diverse authors, especially during college. Had I not been so terrified of taking the required Shakespeare course from my father (example: he was the only one who taught Shakespeare at that small liberal arts college and he absolutely could not imagine the granting of an undergraduate degree with a major in English that did not include a course in Shakespeare -- he may have had a point but it meant less space for other writers), I might have majored in English and would certainly have been exposed more broadly than I was through my minimum requirements and occasional electives.

That is a long sentence.

"Or do we post it now? I can't remember."
Um, you know this is me, right? How likely is it that I'll remember what we usually do? ;-)
It's a miracle when I remember who sent me a book, or with whom I said I would do a shared read, or..... But I'm working on it! I'm making lists! No spreadsheets yet, but you never know. Ha.

GO SEAHAWKS!!

Go Seahawks!!

I don't think the thread is up, yet, for beginning the 2015 craziness. I hope it is not. I'm not ready.

Sigh. I have fussed and fussed, wasted nearly half an hour trying to get this photo to be upright. I just can't figure it out. I wonder if this is because I'm on a Mac?

Well, for those of you using a tablet or a laptop or a phone, you can just turn it sideways to see this cute photo of Abby and me.

>248 maggie1944: Karen, I think Jim said he had to work the beginning of this week and would try to get to it later in the week. Like you, I'm okay if he takes his time. I have January 1 off (as well as the 2nd, a rare treat) so I'll be setting up my new thread on New Year's Day in any case.

I think that is setting an excellent example. There were so many pre-new years day threads last year, drove me a little bit crazy.

I'm watching Oakland beat Buffalo just now. I don't know if it matters. I'm so ignorant.

Seahawks, now those guys I can watch and I know what I'm watching. Champions. Yeah.

I just figured out that this week I earned nearly $15 an hour with Instacart. Cool. The downside is that next week there are no shifts assigned to me. A quiet week, I guess.

I'm thinking you are a pretty happy camper right about now, Ellen. The sportscasters are being awfully complimentary about your Seahawks.

That Russell Wilson! And Lynch! Too much fun by half. I was able to watch it on my friends' TV - and it is a big one. I did not have to stand up and go stand next to the TV screen to see if Lynch's shoes stayed in bounds.

Go Hawks! All over the place!

Hmm - I've only read two of your top 'five' (make that.....ten? twelve?) list!

Congrats on the Seahawks win, Ellen! They look poised for a long playoff run, and maybe the whole enchilada.

I'm on it with Narrow Road to the Deep North; it's on the WL, and I'll try to get to it early next year.

On the way to apply thumb to your All Quiet review.

Hope it's a good one for you today.

>251 maggie1944: Hi Karen. I don't think the Buffalo-Oakland game had any bearing for us, or perhaps for anyone except those two cities. We would have appreciated it if the Bears could have defeated the Lions but I'm perfectly happy with our decisive win against the Cardinals. The Seahawks are in the driver's seat; they just have to keep steering in the right direction.

The instacart gig is turning out to be pretty good. Flexible, lucrative, and allowing for plenty of time to read. Sorry this next week is so quiet, but I suppose it makes sense with the holidays and such.

>252 ronincats: Roni, I am indeed a happy camper! If the Seahawks could get their penalties under control, they might be invincible. I don't mind the occasional penalty for aggressive defense but it makes me crazy when they get dumb penalties like lining up off-sides or delay of game. Thanks for stopping by to share my joy!

>253 maggie1944: It was an awesome game, Karen! At the start of it, I said "I want them to win in the same way they beat Jacksonville last year: big and decisively." They did just that. Marshawn's run was amazing. Even Chris Collinsworth said it was possibly the best run he had ever seen in his whole career. I know the media are now making much of his celebration at the end of the run. Sigh.

>254 sibylline: Hi Lucy. I have a very hard time designating "top five (or eight or ten)" in any year. I go back and look at my list and I note the ones that really stand out for me. I would never make it in the literary criticism business.

>255 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Thanks for stopping by to share my Seahawks love. It was a great game from my POV.
Thanks for the thumb for my review of All Quiet. I'm so glad I got to it before the end of this centenary year.
I left you a PM regarding The Narrow Road to the Deep North. And I have his Wanting on my WL for January.

83. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga
Translated from the French by Melanie L. Mauthner




Set in Rwanda in 1979, this is the story of a girls' school set high in the mountains near the supposed source of the River Nile. Written and translated beautifully, it begins as a light and amusing tale of girls from different backgrounds, all (or almost all) members of the political elite, jockeying for position among classmates, dreaming of boys, laughing at their teachers, and otherwise moving restlessly through adolescence. But the story turns dark and then it turns brutal. Mukasonga holds a mirror up to her country's history of civil strife, warfare, and genocide. That teenage girls could so completely absorb and reify their country's ethnic hatreds is not really surprising; we humans overtly and implicitly teach our children to love and hate as we do. What is surprising is how effectively a writer can use this phenomenon to tell part of a country's story. Beautiful.

I have today off. I have a few appointments (dentist and such). I will continue listening to Alan Cumming's Not My Father's Son and I'll start How to be both by Ali Smith.

>249 EBT1002: I had the same trouble trying to post a picture of my Christmas tree. I turned my camera vertical to get it all in, but after loading it on my computer I rotated it with my software, and it shows properly on the computer. Then I uploaded it Photobucket, where it also looks right, but everywhere I try to post it from there, is comes out sideways.

Burial Rites will be on my top 5 for this year as well.
I'm waiting till closer to the end of the year to make my final cuts. :)

I have Burial Rites on the bedside table because Mark liked it earlier this year, and then you and I have Constellation of Vital Phenomena also in my possession. I need to get around to reading them.

My top list isn't anything like yours. Mine is mostly YA Fantasy. No surprise - because that is what I spent most of the year reading and listening to recorded versions. I have a few more titles in that genre that I want to read and then on to other things. First up will be Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.

Ellen, Our Lady of the Nile sounds as if it is an awesome book. I think those conflicts are so primal and hard to picture that any one who can write an accounting, which captures the events realistically, is to be admired. I may have to find time to look up that book.

I agree that the penalties sometimes verged on stupid such as the unnecessary roughing of the player who caught a kick off. But in many ways the game was beautiful. I really enjoyed watching it.

>247 EBT1002: I might have majored in English and would certainly have been exposed more broadly than I was through my minimum requirements and occasional electives. Well, I think you're definitely making up for lost time now!

>249 EBT1002: Awe! Adorable!

>257 EBT1002: This sounds great! On to the wishlist. I have several Archipelago books on the shelves, but haven't read any yet for no good reason. Well, I think I started one once, but it was wacky and very experimental and I wasn't in the mood at the time, but I'll probably get back to it. It's called Blinding: Volume 1 by Mircea Cartarescu.

>240 EBT1002: oooh, yummy review :)

Merry Christmas E and P! I am getting in early, seeing as I can cos it's already Christmas Eve here. I hope you have a great one.

I'm thrilled, though admittedly not at all surprised that you're loving Not My Father's Son, Ellen. Allan Cumming is such a personable man, and I must say I found his attitude about his whole ordeal with his father and how he managed to emerge from it incredibly inspiring. Now if only I could learn from it and and be equally mature and noble about my own parents, I'd say I more than got my money's worth out of that book (even though I got the audiobook free from the library!), though I did, whatever the case may be, because it's just so darn good and I'd listen to any project he was attached to.

I've wishlisted Our Lady from the Nile. Sounds like something I might really enjoy, thanks for the recommendation!

Hope you have yourself some lovely holidays. xx

Ellen, know I am thinking of you and P this holiday season. It's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

Ellen, have a great Christmas and New Year!

Doing the rounds with a festive Connie to wish you a very Merry Christmas full of joy, love and books.

Oh, wow! Christmas Eve day. I'm making crepes with a fruit and sour cream filling for the great niece and nephew who will spend the day with me while Mom and Dad work to afford all the gifts. Ha! Then dinner with the foster daughter and her son. Nice. It is a good time of year, isn't it?

I send you my very best "have a great time wishes" for both you and yours.

Merry Christmas, Ellen. A great preliminary list: I think the Chast will make my list this year, and I also loved A Tale for the Time Being and All Quiet on the Western Front. I think it may be time for a reread on the latter.

I've added Our Lady of the Nile to my list; it sounds great.

I hope you and P have a wonderful holiday, with some time off?

Merry Christmas to you and P!

Hi Ellen, just stopping by to wish you a very merry Christmas!!

Happy Christmas, Ellen!!

Oh boy, lots of Christmas wishes. I'll respond (and make my own rounds) later, but checked in to say that
I am loving How to be both by Ali Smith. I'm glad I read the review in The Guardian as it helped me push past a bit of confusion. Now I am totally engrossed.

I also started Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor last night. I'm two chapters in and I can see why so many folks have said it's a fun read.

Still listening to Not My Father's Son but only when I'm out walking.

From our family to yours!

Merry Christmas, Ellen, and a joyful Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to you and P, Ellen! I have my fingers crossed for some mild, clear Pacific Northwest weather (and so far that's what we are getting).

I took a hit with Our Lady of the Nile.

We apologize for the inconvenience as we are experiencing technical difficulties with this photo of

Abby and me

^^I can not see #279. Big Big Hugs to my pal!!

Stopping by to wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and all the best in 2015!

Merry Christmas, Ellen!

Abby and you are not showing up on my computer!

Merry Christmas to you!

Merry Christmas to you and P., Ellen! Good luck to the Seahawks in the playoffs, even though they helped dig the Eagles' grave this year.

I'm glad that Burial Rites was one of your favorite reads of the year, as I plan to read it for Orange January next month.

Nice review of Our Lady of the Nile. As you know I bought it at City Lights Bookstore a couple of weeks ago, and I'll read it soon. I looked at the forthcoming books on the Archipelago Books web site last night, and I decided to subscribe for a full year, as nearly all of the upcoming 10 books are ones that I would like to read. Will you renew your subscription as well?

Merry Christmas!
On the eve: Do I smell turkey?
During: Worn out:

Happy Holidays! I liked your review of Our Lady of the Nile--it's now on my wish list.

Merry Christmas to you and P, Ellen! Hope you've been having a great holiday.

Merry Christmas, Ellen.

Okay, now I got it.



Abby and me: Go Hawks!

Time to try to catch up.

>259 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda, it took some doing but I think I finally got it fixed. I had to come in to work and do it on my desktop here.

>260 jolerie: Hi Valerie, I'm glad you're another fan of Burial Rites. 2014 was a good reading year even if I didn't get close to my not-so-secret goal of reading 100 books and I probably won't even try to choose my top five. Just my top however-many-deserve-it. :-)

>261 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. Yeah, I read very little YA and very little Fantasy. I did give some YA fantasy to my 11-year-old grand niece yesterday and she seemed genuinely excited. I hope you like Burial Rites and Constellation of Vital Phenomena. They are two of my all-time top reads, not just for this year.

>262 maggie1944: Hi Karen! I am happy to loan my copy of Our Lady of the Nile to you. It's one I'm considering keeping, although I don't expect to read it again. But it's an archipelago edition, too, and it's quite lovely to hold. I'll plan to bring it to our RLBG meeting in January.

Yes, the Seahawks need to clean up their unnecessary penalties -- no more false starts and delay of games. Sheesh.

>263 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! I'm glad you could see the sideways photo; I finally got it to post right side up (see above).
I think you would like Our Lady of the Nile. I'm going to loan it to Karen, but this is one that is falling into my nebulous "I think I want to keep it" category due to a combination of being a great read and being a lovely archipelago edition. They feel so good in one's hands!

>264 LovingLit: Megan, thanks for the comment about my "review" --- and thank you for the Christmas wishes!

>265 Smiler69: Hi Ilana! I agree that Alan Cumming is a personable man and a charming narrator of his own memoirs. I am impressed by his navigation of the terrain of his relationship with his father. I doubt it always looks or feels so steady in real life.

Happy holidays to you, as well, my friend! I'm at work today but you can see how productive I'm being..... heh.

>266 saraslibrary: Thank you, Sara!

>267 ronincats: Thank you, Roni! I failed to make the Christmas rounds this year but will try to do some Happy New Year greetings! Of course, at that point we'll all be drowning in new threads.... :-)

>268 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian!

>269 lunacat: Thanks, Jenny! I love the horse!

>270 maggie1944: Karen, thank you my friend. I hope you had a lovely time with the great niece and nephew. We got to see ours (I call them grandniece and nephew, but I think it's the same thing) yesterday. She is 11 (I think) and he is just about to turn 6 and they are absolutely adorable. I gave her several YA novels, including Brown Girl Dreaming and she seemed excited. I'm trying to nurture her love of reading.

>271 BLBera: Hello Beth and thank you! This was a good reading year for me (I think for many of us).
P and I aren't getting too much time off (both working today, for example), but we're saving up for nine days on Kauai in March..... :-)

>272 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda!

>273 lauralkeet: and >274 scaifea: Thank you, Laura and Amber, and Happy Christmas to both of you, as well!

>276 jolerie: Thank you for the cheerful snowpeople, Valerie, and for the Christmas wishes!

>277 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy! It's a lovely tree. Merry Christmas (a day late) to you and yours, as well!

>278 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy and best holiday wishes to you, as well! It has been living up to the predicted warmer-than-average winter so far. I wouldn't mind a bit of snow, but I know I'm in the minority. :-)

>280 msf59: Thank you, Mark and Merry Christmas to you and your family, as well!

>281 lkernagh: Lori, that is a lovely image. Thank you!

>282 ChelleBearss: Chelle!!!!! Hello!!!! And Merry Christmas to you, as well, m'dear!

>283 ronincats: Yes, Roni, I had technical difficulties. I've now fixed it so you can see us in >290 EBT1002:

>284 AMQS: Thank you, Anne!

>285 kidzdoc: Darryl, thank you for the Seahawks Christmas greeting! It's another year of enjoyment for football fans around here. The city is in full Seahawks-love mode.

I will look forward to your comments about Our Lady of the Nile. I'm undecided about renewing my archipelago subscription but I think I will renew. I didn't (yet) read enough of the ones I acquired in 2014, but they are so lovely and the upcoming year's selection does look appealing.

>286 sibylline: Lucy, what a charming montage. Thank you for sharing. And Merry Christmas (a day late) to you, as well.

>287 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda!

>288 jnwelch: And thanks to you, as well, Joe. Happy holiday season to you and your family, as well!

>289 laytonwoman3rd: Lovely dove, Lynda, and thank you for stopping by to leave your Christmas wishes.

Whew! All caught up here.

I will probably wait until the new year and the new set of threads to make my holiday wishing rounds -- but I am truly grateful for this wonderful community of friends ~~~ I love that we have this tradition of making the rounds, even when we can't keep up with one another's threads in a deep way, just to say Happy Holidays! So, for everyone who stopped by:

In preparation for January, I just went and bought five books. I got four new books yesterday, but....

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers (used copy in good condition)
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
Clock Without Hands by Carson McCullers (used copy in good condition)
Wanting by Richard Flanagan
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I can't find a copy of The Infinite Air by Fiona Kidman anywhere. I can't find anything by Fiona Kidman!

Okay. Christmas is done. I'm at work and the phone has rung once today. It was a wrong number. I just told the front desk to make a sign for the door: we're closing at 2pm. (I love being in charge!!!)

Now, with all this free time, I find myself fantasizing about what I might do with my new thread in the new 75ers group.....

It's an addiction.

Phew - I just caught up with 297 posts!! I am not even going to attempt earlier threads...
I'm too late for Christmas wishes - sounds like you're having a very nice Boxing Day though.

I've just finished Montana 1948 and enjoyed reading all the comments upthread. I really enjoyed it and gave it 4 stars. I was in the mood for a straightforward good story and that's what I feel like I got - and I loved that it was short because the book before that was long and dense, and now I'm started another long book.

I am embarrassed to report that I haven't read anything by Fiona Kidman either, but I really am going get round to it next year. She has a pretty high profile here and comes across as smart and interesting when she's quoted anywhere. I see what you mean about no books available by her...just had a look on Book Depository and there is one for about US $35!

Nice haul, Ellen. I will be interested to hear what you say about Station Eleven. McCullers is always good -- maybe time to reread one of hers?

Nice that you had a short day today.

Let the madness begin!

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2015

>298 cushlareads: Hey cushla and thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you enjoyed Montana 1948. I liked it and it definitely generated some good discussion!

I've actually removed Fiona Kidman from my January list. I wanted to read The Infinite Air but she is hard to track down around here. Still, she is on my radar now and one of these days I'll find a copy of one of her works. When I do, I'll snatch it up.

>299 BLBera: Hi Beth! I really love The Heart is a Lonely Hunter so I decided to do a bit of collecting. I don't know that I'll realistically get to more than one of here works in January, but I now have them at the ready. :-)

This was a good day. Work was quiet and short, I had delicious Tom Yum Soup at one of my favorite Thai restaurants on the Ave, and we saw "The Imitation Game" at the cinema. It's a good WWII film. I would give it 3.5 stars. Tomorrow I think we're going to go see "The Theory of Everything."

>300 drneutron: WOOT WOOT! Thank you, Jim. I'm going to wait a day or two to start my 2015 thread but I am SO excited.

What is it about a new year that is so exciting? Nothing will change, I know: I'll read as much as I can but not as much as I want to. I'll try to follow folks' threads and fall woefully behind on a regular basis. I'll get hit with a gazillion Blue Bullets and purchase far too many books (as defined by "I don't have time to read them all!"). And it will all be great fun.

Firmly entrenched as you are as a good pal, it behoves me to wish upon you the finest of festive seasons. xx

It's the weekend! Hooray!

I'm still happily reading How to be both and Just One Damned Thing After Another, listening to Not My Father's Son, and planning my January reads.
:-)

>302 PaulCranswick: We were cross-posting, Paul! I just left a brief message on your thread, my friend.

>301 EBT1002: I agree with your last paragraph. Let the craziness begin, eh? I'm planning on doing a great deal of reading and neglecting all other "chore-like" activities this weekend, and into next week. Lots of reading!!!

Happy Saturday, Ellen! Hope you are enjoying your time off. Just One Damned Thing After Another is a lot of fun, isn't it? I even got Sue to read the first 3. Go Seahawks!

Hi Ellen, I just started Just One Damned Thing After Another yesterday, which I'd planned this month so I could read it along with you. I'm still at the beginning, I think she's about to graduate, but the final results aren't in yet. FYI, I've got it listed under TIOLI #14. Hope you're enjoying the weekend.

I am looking forward to the new year in hopes that it will be better than this year. I mailed my christmas letters yesterday so many people should get them before the New Year. That will be first in a long time for me as I usually get my letters out late. I'm not getting much cooked or read this Christmas. I am spending lots of time working with my mother trying to convince her to eat or to go out with me and do something. I know that being alone is hard for her since she got married at 18 but she isn't really trying either, so this is not the best Christmas I have spent. I know that next year will be different, so I am practicing patience this year.

Ellen, I wish you a lovely weekend.

>296 EBT1002: I just reserved The Ballad of the Sad Cafe at the library! I know that one is at least a short novella, so perhaps you will get through multiple McCullers in January.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend! Go Seahawks!

Ellen, I didn't get to make the Christmas rounds this year, either. 13-month-old Hope was here along with my three older grandkids from KC. We had a rollicking good time, but somebody had to feed all those people. When my in-town son's family was here, we numbered 14!! You can see why I got behind here. I am looking forward to a fresh start in 2015 and will be following your thread as usual. Happy New Year to you and P!

Ellen - you sound giddy about the new thread. I'll be waiting with my star in hand. Go Seahawks. They're in, right?

>305 maggie1944: Hi Karen. I just re-read my last paragraph in >301 EBT1002: and it fully captures my feelings about the new year and the new thread. I said it just right. :-)

I hope your weekend of neglecting chores and reading has been great so far. We've been to two movies (more about that below) and today we plan to go for a walk in the arboretum. Right now there are blue patches in the sky; hopefully that will hold. At 1:30 we'll watch the Seahawks, of course. And I do hope to sneak in some reading and some messing about on LT.

>306 msf59: Hi Mark! Just One Damned Thing After Another is indeed great fun. I have been coincidentally reading it at the same time as How to be both and the juxtaposition is a bit odd, both having the fluidity of time as a theme or aspect (and we saw "The Theory of Everything" at the cinema yesterday, so the theme is pervasive in my life right now!). Otherwise, How to be both is a worthy literary work and JODTAA is a fun read.

>307 Smiler69: Hi Ilana! I'm about 1/3 into Just One Damned Thing After Another and I will make more headway today. It is a fun read, yes? She and her partner just got their "big" assignment and they are giddy in preparation. I have no idea where the storyline is taking me.

>308 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I hear you with regard to your mother, and I applaud your efforts to get her to dine with you or just go out and do something. Does she enjoy the cinema? I've seen two interesting films this weekend and I know my sister, who is now in her 70s, really enjoys going to the movies. I hope the new year is a good one for you and for your mum.

>309 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara! (and brr...)

>310 DorsVenabili: Oh good, we'll have a common read for Carson McCullers. All of the works I purchased are fairly short (two are incredibly short) so I think I'll read at least a couple of them. I'm doing the usual overcommitment for the month. Some things will not change regardless of the number on the calendar. :-|

Go Hawks! You can well imagine what the city of Seattle looks like these days. One cannot go anywhere without seeing people wearing Seahawks gear. It's wonderful.

>311 Donna828: Hi Donna, and thanks for stopping by. I know your family appreciated your work in the kitchen before and during Christmas! Fourteen is a big crowd --- well done, you!

I hope we are both better able to keep up in 2015. Just please know that I lurk on your thread and I always have it starred even though I can't always make time for a "real" visit.

>312 BLBera: Hi Beth! I'll try to start my new thread today so that star won't burn your hand! :-D

The Seahawks are in, yes they are. They have their final regular season game today and if they win, they will have some home field advantage. The degree of home field advantage will depend on some other games (I think). In any case, the city of Seattle is alight with blue and green and the number "12." We do love our Seahawks around here.

Yes, we do! Love our Seahawks. I love that all the other professional teams posted their intention to travel to .... where is it, now? The site of the Superbowl, I think.... too much fun, by half.

Yes, neglect of chores and reading instead is continuing today.

Go Seahawks. (I'm going to see it on a big screen)

Howdy Ellen! I hope you can still join me for Nemesis in late January. If you can't, no worries. I have given myself permission to bail on all planned reading except my Navajo mysteries/Longmire reads next year.

>315 maggie1944: It was a great game, Karen! The first half was tough but our Seahawks are a second-half team and our defense was incredible. I loved Irvin's TD. So fun. Now the road to Arizona (site of the Super Bowl) goes through Seattle. That is a good thing.

>316 luvamystery65: Roberta, I have Nemesis on hold at the library, scheduled to arrive the second week of January, I think. So I am IN for the shared read! Like you, I'm giving myself permission to bail on challenges and shared reads, but I'd like to do at least one of them 100%. Heh. But I am definitely planning to read this Nesbo with you!

84. How to be both by Ali Smith




This novel is wonderful. Divided into two equal (count the pages) parts, it's the story of Francesco del Cossa, a relatively unknown Italian painter in the 15th century, and George, a 16-year-old girl living in Cambridge in the 21st century, but having recently lost her mother. The two story lines are apparently randomly assigned an order in different editions of the book. I had the painter's story first and was glad to have read a review in The Guardian before I felt overwhelmed by the vague attachment to linear time, the poetic narrative, and the ambiguities of place, time, and character. Once I understood that Ali Smith is intentionally messing with my head, and that many of the connections would not become clear until the end, I was able to engross myself in the reading. And what gratifying reading it was.

Ali Smith is brilliant in her way of playing with a reader's mind. In How to be both she plays with time, place, gender, and --- delightfully, with words! More than once I read a passage and just had to read it again to savor the wordplay, especially while reading George's half of the novel. George's half is deceptively simple, especially in contrast to Francesco (Francesca?)'s half, wherein the narrative is reminiscent of Hilary Mantel. But as the threads of the narrative helix loop back to threads from Francesco's tale, as the metaphors and linguistic puns twist into one another, my pleasure simply escalated page by page.

I'm not one to participate in memes along the lines of "with which author would you most like to have dinner?" because I don't usually relish conversation with any author no matter how much I love her or his writing. But Ali Smith has become the author with whom I would most like to share food and conversation. I expect she would be intelligent, delightfully witty, and deceptively clever.

So, as I consider my first thread for 2015, here are my top reads for 2014:

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
How to be both by Ali Smith
Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga

If I have to narrow it down to my top five, I think it would go like this:

How to be both by Ali Smith
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

Whew. It's hard to narrow it down like that. I really want to include Our Lady of the Nile and A Tale for the Time Being in there.....

BTW, Yes, I would love it if you would bring Our Lady of the Nile to the January real life book group meeting.

Ellen - Great list of best books for 2014. I have a number of them on my TBR list. How to Be Both sounds wonderful - very nice review, by the way. I think the Chast book will make my top ten for 2014, too. I also loved A Tale for the Time Being, but I read it last year.

>313 EBT1002: I know it's very cold when it looks like >309 Ameise1: but it's so beautiful.

>318 EBT1002: Great review! I'm very much looking forward to this one.

Great review of How to be Both. I have not read Smith, although I have a couple on shelf.

Great best of list. It looks like you did some mighty fine reading this year. Nice to see All Quiet & a Constellation on there, along with the Boys in the Boat and the Chast memoir.
I NEED to get to An Unnecessary Woman!! Note to self...

>318 EBT1002: But as the threads of the narrative helix loop back to threads from Francesco's tale, as the metaphors and linguistic puns twist into one another, my pleasure simply escalated page by page.
Ooh, well said! I had the same experience reading George's story first. I loved this book too.

I'm glad to see you've purchased Station Eleven as it has been possibly my best read of the year, and the more people reading it the better.

>320 maggie1944: You may have to remind me, Karen. I'll put a reminder in my calendar, but....
I plan to start Station Eleven in the next few days so I can complete it in time for that second Monday. :-)

>321 BLBera: Hi Beth, I'm enjoying folks' top ten lists and noticing when one makes a list and I want to say "me too!" but then I remember that I read it last year or the year before. Doc is one that falls into that category for me this year.

>322 Ameise1: Agreed. (And I actually like snow and ice.)

>323 DorsVenabili: Thanks, Kerri. You know I still plan to send you a copy of How to be both, right?

>324 msf59: Hi Mark and thank you. I enjoyed How to be both tremendously.
I liked An Unnecessary Woman a great deal, as well, although it has not stuck with me as much as my rating might have indicated.

>325 lauralkeet: LOL -- as I sat up in bed this morning with my first cup of coffee (and reading Just One Damned Thing After Another), I tried to remember how I had used the word "helix" in that review. I am still not sure I used it correctly but I couldn't resist the attempt. I'm glad it landed on you well. :-)

>326 lunacat: Jenny, I will start reading Station Eleven later this week. It has been getting some serious love around here and my RL Book Group is reading it for January.

I'm ever so tempted to purchase Station Eleven from Amazon. At $5.99 seems like a good deal. Eeesh! w/all the 2015 challenges i'm in I wonder when i'll be able to read it.

>328 Carmenere: That is a very good point, Lynda. I have stacks and stacks of books in my TBR library, so many of which don't fit any of the 2015 challenges to which I'm "committed." And we all know that more books will be published in the new year!

It's a never ending downward spiral. Or upward, depending on one's perspective. :-)

And I just went to the bookstore (work is quiet again) and purchased Being Mortal and The Martian. When the heck I think I'll read them is beyond me.

I need to win the lottery.

Hey Ellen, I'm really enjoying Just One Damned Thing After Another, but I really can't say anything at all about it, except I'm about ⅔ of the way in by now, especially if you haven't read about the big project yet, and even if you have, so much happens from there on, I'm keeping mum! Pretty exciting stuff! I'm glad I picked up the book when I did, because it's providing a great diversion from Schindler's Ark, which I'm reading at bedtime—probably not the best idea, but at least we've established a habit of me calling my new best friend just before I go to sleep, since he works away on his painting all through the night, so at least I get to change my thought processes a bit before drifting off to dreamland, otherwise I'd really have to move that book to daytime reading.

I've purchased over 360 books this year already and am daily tempted to get more, and somehow telling myself I should wait just a few days till the New Year is around at least and the counter is back to zero doesn't seem to slow me down. Oh dear!

I collected my January books in a pile this morning. Sheech. Just January. And you know, Instacart has become a real job, not a chance to be paid to sit in my car and read. Really the weather is not good for sitting in the car, so it is a good thing, but reading is suffering. Awk!

*smiling*

>330 Smiler69: I am also enjoying JODTAA, Ilana. I'm about halfway through chapter 10, so the big project is done (?) and I'm into the intrigue. Very enjoyable and yes, a good counterpoint to something as intense as Schindler's Ark would be!

>331 maggie1944: I keep thinking I'd like to do what some folks do and take a photo of my planned reads for the month. However, a couple of them are still at the library and I might need a wide-angle lens. ha!

Great review of How to Be Both, Ellen. I won't get to it this year, but I'll definitely read it in 2015.

Love the photo of you and Abby - even sideways.

Good to see you're reading Just One Damned Thing After Another - such a fun book.

I'm also waiting for the new year to set up 2015 threads. Need to get the last of my 2014 reviews posted here first. That's my project for New Year's Eve.

>333 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. I hope you like it as much as I did. It spoke to me, and sometimes that is about timing and such.

>334 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli! I topped my 2015 thread with the photo of Abby and me, right-side up (I think).

Just One Damned Thing After Another is a very fun book. I just got to the section where the dinosaurs are being "sport" hunted by other time travelers. Who knew I could be so outraged on the behalf of dinosaurs??

I started my 2015 thread. It can be found here!

>335 EBT1002: Ha! Good spoiler. I gave Just One Damned Thing After Another to my sister for Christmas, telling her just that: it is a very fun book.

Off to star your 2015 thread!

Hi Ellen - Great review of "How to Be Both. I'm tempted to pick it up right away.

I'm glad you're enjoying Just One Damned Thing After Another. I am hesitant to recommend books that I think are funny, because senses of humor are so varied.

I am resisting the 2015 threads until 2015, but you will definitely be starred.

>336 jnwelch: I hope your sister enjoys the book, Joe. I don't know that I'll bother with the rest of the series but I'm enjoying it.

>337 BLBera: Hi Beth. How to be both has moved quickly into my top-reads category.
I am finding JODTAA to be both fun and funny. She has a quirky sense of humor (and you're right -- that can be a tricky thing). I look forward to continuing our connection when you are ready for the 2015 madness!

>335 EBT1002: Exactly - I was amazed at how indignant about that I was.

>339 SuziQoregon: You know, I keep being surprised by Just One Damned Thing After Another. Just as I think "well, this is fun but I can't imagine bothering with the next in the series," something happens that sucks me right in again and I feel curious about where she will take the series. I still don't know how attached to it I'll be, given the size of my TBR library and wish list, but I'm tempted.

>340 EBT1002: I know exactly what you mean. The Hubster read and pretty much said the same thing. I've got the second but haven't felt compelled yet to read it but I know that one of these days I'll feel the urge and read it.

I've especially enjoyed meeting you in this whirlwind 2014. Your commentary has been wise and insightful and your reviews full of book bullets.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

>341 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you, Lynda!

>342 SuziQoregon: I finished it late last evening (admittedly after a bit of bubbly and red wine) and I'll be giving it 3.5 stars. It's not great literature (nor is she trying to write great literature) but it's a fun novel and has enough suspense and surprises to warrant recommending. I'm going to send my copy to my sister. I think both she and her partner will enjoy it.

>Hi Marianne and thank you! I would like to think I'm accumulating some wisdom and insight as I lose my flexibility and eyesight. Ha! I have also enjoyed getting to know you and certainly have you on the list of folks I hope to meet someday.

Happy New Year to you, as well!

85. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor




This was a fun read to finish out the year! St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research does just what it says --- by going to the time and place under investigation. The usual rules apply (no changing history, no interacting with the contemporaries, no bringing back of souvenirs) but their ability to observe first-hand and solve minor mysteries of interest to modern municipalities and businesses is helpful. Was the hospital that tragically burned to the ground during WWI intentionally set afire, or was it an accident? The team from St. Mary's can go right to the time and place to answer such a question.

The novel involves time displacement more than time-travel, per se, and Taylor effectively plays with the fluidity of time and the malleability of history. Her characters are not quite three-dimensional and the interpersonal tensions are a bit stereotyped, but she writes a good action scene and the plot incorporated some interesting surprises.

Well, folks, that's a wrap! Please visit me in the "75 Books in 2015" group where I plan to spend much time in the coming year. Here is my new thread.