bell7 (Mary) reads with only a little planning in 2015

Hi everyone, and welcome to my first thread of 2015! I usually wait as last minute as possible to start a new thread for the year, but with a day off and spending it gloriously doing nothing but reading and puttering around the house, I figured it was time to set up shop.

For anyone who may not know me, I'm an adult services librarian in western Massachusetts, so I'm in reference, in charge of local history and plan (most) programs for adults. I enjoy watching sports - New York Giants football most of all, but also some baseball and tennis. I knit and will probably post pictures throughout the year of the projects I'm working on or have completed. My latest one is a baby blanket for my coming niece or nephew (the first!).

Now the books...I read an eclectic bunch of fiction and nonfiction; paper, e-book, and audio; adult, teen, and kids' books; fantasy; historical fiction; mystery; contemporary fiction; and more. My "go to" genre when I'm tired or stressed or just want a quick read is young adult fantasy. One of my friends recommends teen dystopias to me regularly, and that's become a pretty major part of my reading too. I enjoy books with great characters and inventive world-building, whether in an imaginative world or this one. I facilitate a book club for work and participate in a genre study roundtable that gets together about five times a year, so a few titles are planned out for my in advance. I have some loose goals I'll be trying to reach in 2015:

1. Read more of my own books. I believe the atrocious number last year (out of 122 to date) was somewhere around 27. I will try to read at least 3 books a month that are mine. But I work at a library surrounded by the new and pretty. It's a tough life.

2. Read more classics. See last two sentences above. No, but seriously, over half the books I read last year were published in the last five years. I don't see that changing much, but I will try to read a book in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries (2014 only saw titles from the 20th, 21st and The Odyssey), including two of the following: Great Expectations, War and Peace, Middlemarch, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and The Count of Monte Cristo.

3. Read from my "lists". I have awards lists and authors whose complete works I am working on reading as lifetime goals. I will read five Newbery Medal or Honor winners, three books by C. S. Lewis, and two of Shakespeare's plays. Related to this, I'm also going to try to continue series I've started and meant to finish but... well, I read a lot of genres that pretty much come in trilogies plus, so no promises.

4. Read globally. I hope to read books set in 12 countries and 25 states to broaden my reading geographically. Hopefully I will get to some books in translation that I've been meaning to read for awhile. I've never really kept track consistently, so this will be interesting.

5. Read picture books. I like picture books. I used to read them a lot more when I worked in children's services part-time. Now, I don't pick them up as much. BUT my library also has a long-range plan that includes a service response of early literacy, which means my director is happy with any of us reading picture books. So, I resolve to read at least two picture books a month to increase my familiarity with our collection and make it easier when someone comes in looking for a good read.

There will be some overlap on these goals - I own all the classic titles I listed, for example - and I mean there to be. I don't want to commit myself to a list of books I *have* to read because I prefer serendipity. I will be dipping into the TIOLI challenges, too, but I mainly fit in books I want to read anyways rather than seeking books out that specifically fit the challenges.

Finally, please feel free to comment, chat, etc. I love talking about books and life, and for the first time I've decided I'm also going to keep a movie/TV show watching list (not that it will be long... I just like lists). So if you have recommendations, comments, whatever, please pipe up! Working full-time unfortunately digs into the free time I would use to keep up with threads and post on them all, but if you post on mine I will star yours and try to keep up with your reading at the very least :)

The book club list:

January - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
February - Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
March - Irreplaceable by Stephen Lovely
April - Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
May - The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
June - Falconer by John Cheever
July - Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch
August - Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara
September - The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
October - The Hawley Book of the Dead by Chrysler Szarlan
November - The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
December - The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

The Genre Study Roundtable Books:
February - Literary Fiction
Everyone reads - That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Second book (my choice) - Honeydew: stories by Edith Pearlman

April - Adventure
Everyone reads - The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
Second book -

June - Fantasy
Everyone reads -
Second book -

September - Science Fiction
Everyone reads -
Second book -

Currently reading:
The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
How to do Everything. Genealogy by George G. Morgan
Collected Poems, Prose & Plays by Robert Frost - mine

Picture books read:
1. The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak - 1/6
2. The Foggy Foggy Forest by Nick Sharratt - 1/6
3. Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley - 1/7
4. Is There a Dog in This Book? by Viviane Schwarz - 1/12
5. Blackout by John Rocco - 1/14
6. The Adventures of Beekle the Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat - 2/4
7. The Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose - 2/10

Graphic novels read:
1. An Age of License by Lucy Knisley
2. El Deafo by Cece Bell
3. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

January
1. The City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
2. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley - mine
3. Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
4. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill mine and audio
5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - mine and a reread
6. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
7. Frostfire by Amanda Hocking
8. Steeple Bush by Robert Frost - mine
9. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
10. The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey - borrowed
11. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
12. The Unhappening of Genesis Lee by Shallee McArthur - mine and e-book ARC

February
13. Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan
14. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - mine
15. Honeydew: stories by Edith Pearlman
16. Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
17. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
18. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
19. H2O by Virginia Bergin
20. Cress by Marissa Meyer

March
21. Bossypants by Tina Fey - audio
22. Marked by Sarah Fine
23. Nest by Esther Ehrlich

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Original publication dates read (current through February)

2015 - 2
2014 - 8
2013 - 1
2012 - 2
2010 - 1
2009 - 1
2005 - 1

1998 - 1
1969 - 1
1947 - 1

1861 - 1

Places

United States

visited 4 states (8%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Around the Globe

visited 3 states (1.33%)
Create your own visited map of The World

Books read geographically:
Arkansas - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Massachusetts - That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Minnesota - Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
New York - City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

France - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
UK - The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
US - See states above ;)

Books I'm reading or own that are set in different places:

Alaska - Winterdance
California - Angle of Repose or The Spirit Catches You and You Fall down or The Woman Warrior
Colorado - Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
Illinois - Devil in the White City
Maine - Cabin: Two Brothers, a Dream, and Five Acres in Maine or One Man's Meat or A Midwife's Tale
Michigan - Bud, Not Buddy
Mississippi (?) - The Partner
New Hampshire - A Prayer for Owen Meany
North Carolina - Ellen Foster
Tennessee - My Own Country

Australia - The Secret River
Bosnia - Zlata's Diary
Canada - Elijah of Buxton
Chile - Daughter of Fortune or My Invented Country
China - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Egypt - Dreamers of the Day
France - The Count of Monte Cristo or A Year in Provence
Germany - The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Israel - My Promised Land
Italy - The Name of the Rose or A Thread of Grace
Malawi - The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Norway - Out Stealing Horses
Poland - The Trumpeter of Krakow
Russia - War and Peace or Notes from the Underground
South Africa - July's People or Cry, the Beloved Country
Sweden - Benny and Shrimp

TV/Movie List:

1. Early Edition (season 1) - finished 1/8/15
2. Bowfinger - 1/9/15
3. Early Edition (season 2) - finished 2/4/15
4. An Idiot Abroad (series 1) - finished 2/14/15
5. Letters to Juliet - 2/16/15
6. Boyhood - 2/26/15

Welcome back! Looks like a nice plan for the year.

Hi Mary! Stopping by to star your thread. :)

>11 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! I'm looking forward to seeing what the year holds for books and more :)

>12 The_Hibernator: Hiya, Rachel! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

*waves*

Hi, Mary!

Dropping my star, Mary.

>14 rosylibrarian: Hi, Marie, glad to see you here!

>15 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! Hope all is well with you :)

Hi Mary! Happy New Year to you! I loved both Out Stealing Horses and River of doubt. Hope you do, too!

Welcome back Mary!

>17 AMQS: Happy new year to you too, Anne! I'm really looking forward to both titles, especially the former as it's been on my TBR pile for awhile.

>18 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather! Glad you stopped in.

>1 bell7: I will try to read at least 3 books a month that are mine.
Yeah, I'm working on that very same goal. Managed 2 per month in 2014.

>20 qebo: Good luck to you, Katherine! If I manage to do it, it will be the most I've read off my own shelves since I've kept track of that sort of thing... but by limiting it to a small number per month instead of a great big total, I'm hoping I can "start fresh" each month too and not freak myself out if I don't quite manage it.

Hello Mary! Welcome Back. I look forward to following your thread this year.

All good wishes for a wonderful 2015!

Happy New Thread!

Hello there, Mary! *Hugs* :)

>22 Whisper1: Many warm wishes for a wonderful new year, Linda!

>23 lunacat: I love that image, Jenny! Happy new year to you too.

>24 foggidawn: Thanks, Misti! Glad you stopped by

>25 Ape: Hiya, Stephen *hug* back :)

Mary, lovely to see you ensconced once again in the group.



Happy New Year from your friend in Kuala Lumpur

Well, I've finished one last book and have completed my month in review so 2014 reading is officially complete! I figured I'd repeat post here my top ten reads of the year (in no order whatsoever):

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang (2 graphic novels tell one story)
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The World Split Open by various authors
The Cure at Troy by Seamus Heaney

Honorable mention goes to:
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

>27 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! Happy new year, and looking forward to following your threads again this year (at least as best I can!) :)

Happy new year Mary.

>30 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel, happy new year to you too!

>32 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! Here's to a wonderful 2015 full of memorable experiences - happy new year!

Happy New Year, Mary! Hoping that it is filled with fabulous!

Happy New Year! I'll be joining you in also trying to read what I have on my own shelves this year. I blame the amazing university book sales in Toronto for the piles of TBR books around my house :)

Happy New Year, Mary!!

Mary, I'm here, I'm here! And you are a star. ;-)

Happy weekend Mary!

Mary, I love your goals for the year!

>34 Crazymamie: Happy new year, Mamie, and the same to you!

>35 literary.feline: Welcome, Rebecca, and good luck in reading off your own shelves this year :)

>36 scaifea: Happy new year, Amber!

>37 AuntieClio: Aw, thanks, Stephanie. I'm following your reading this year as well. Happy 2015!

>38 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. It's been busy but good - hope you're having a good weekend too!

>39 LauraBrook: Thanks, Laura! Writing them down makes them more real somehow, so we'll see how I do in following through :)

And here's my first book for the year -

1. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
TIOLI: Author name with more than six letters
2015 goal: continuation of series

At the end of City of Fallen Angels, Lilith's ritual is completed and Sebastian awakens, linked to Jace. Now they've disappeared, and the Shadowhunters trying to track them are having no luck. Clary isn't about to take the loss of her boyfriend sitting down, however, and has plans of her own - with her friends Simon, Isabelle and Alec - to get Jace back, whatever the cost.

As the fifth book in the series following Clary Fray and Jace Lightwood and their friends in saving the world from demons and other evil, this title has all the pluses and minuses of the other books in the series. The action sequences are heart-pounding; the story is long (over 500 pages) yet the pages move quickly, most of the time. We're following a lot of characters now, and I thought the story suffered somewhat for being spread over so many people and places. I found myself annoyed with Clary for her "anything for Jace" attitude, and I think that's why it's the least favorite in the series for me. Recommended for fans of the series. 3.5 stars.

My current knitting project is a baby blanket for my niece-or-nephew-to-be, but I thought I'd start off my year of knitting pics with a project I actually completed last year of a hat and fingerless gloves for myself:



Not the greatest of pictures, as I took it with my Kindle camera, but you can kind of see the cable pattern on the gloves (the hat is a simple ribbing pattern) and how fuzzy the yarn is. Even the yarn I'm rather proud about, as I picked it up at a tag sale for $1.

>42 bell7: I love them! I have a nephew to be coming in May and I can't knit anything for him, so Toys R Us it is! :)

Hi, Mary. Happy New Year!

How great that you can knit your own cold weather gear. I'm sure the fingerless gloves make it easier to read books outside this time of year. :-)

Wonderful knitting project!

>43 rosylibrarian: Ooh, congrats, how exciting! Target is an excellent source of adorable and inexpensive baby clothes should you have need of more ideas for gifts ;)

>44 jnwelch: Happy New Year, Joe! I have not yet tried using them to read outdoors (and it's in the teens today, so I won't start trying!), but do like them as driving gloves.

>45 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

Hi Mary, dropping off a virtual star and good wishes for the new year. I see several of our favorites for last year coincide. Lila, Doc, and The Round House were all memorable reads for me.

>47 Donna828: Hi Donna, best wishes for 2015 to you & yours! Those were some really fantastic books, weren't they? I still read and enjoy my fair share of YA and fantasy titles, but I'm finding more and more that the slower, thoughtful character-driven novels are the ones that stick with me most.

Picture book #1:
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: picture books

As the title says, this book has no pictures but preschool and young elementary age students will love the silly things the book makes grownups say because, as we know, "you have to read every word. That's how books work." I really enjoyed the silliness (and the little asides like, "but I'm not a monkey" from the "reader" character) and the cleverness. It made me wish I still had an after school Storytime with kindergarteners, because we would have had so much fun with this book, and I'll definitely be recommending it to parents and mystery readers. I already had two of my co-workers read it, and they loved it too!

Oh yeah... I don't know if other towns do this, but ours has this program with the schools called "mystery readers," where an adult from the community - sometimes a parent or grandparent or retiree - comes in and reads to an elementary school on a planned day. They'll come in sometimes looking for recommendations.

Picture book #2:
The Foggy Foggy Forest by Nick Sharratt
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: picture books

A co-worker recommended this to me while we were discussing The Book with No Pictures. The pages are vellum and open to a mostly foggy forest with black-only illustrations - and because it's vellum, you can just see the shadows of the coming pages' illustrations. "What can this be in the foggy foggy forest?" asks the right-hand pages, and the left-hand side - with color illustrations - answer the question in rhyme and with humor. A fun way to interact with young kids, as they can guess what might be coming.

Love the gloves and hat, Mary. I crocheted a set late last year, along with a cowl. It was my first time making the gloves--it's a ribbed pattern I love.

Hi Mary thank you for poping by my thread. Have a ★.

>49 bell7: Charlie *loves* this book. LOVES it.

>51 ronincats: I modified a simple pattern that I love to add the ribbing. It took me a couple of tries to get one that fit, but I really liked how it turned out in the end.

>52 BBGirl55: Thanks for stopping in, Bryony!

>53 scaifea: I wish I had someone just that age to share the story with... it must be sooo much fun to read it with him :)

I LOVE the hat and gloves, Mary! Fabulous!

>55 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie! I enjoy using them. The hat is very stretchy, which works well with my long hair even if I have it up in a ponytail (like it is in the picture).

Picture book #3:
Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: picture books

The eponymous Hank finds an egg on the ground and does everything he can to return it to its nest. This wordless picture book is told completely through photographs of handmade items - the leaves, the trees, the animals, and more. I loved the intricacy of the illustrations that tell a sweet story.

It cracked me up that your very first "picture book" was titled The Book WIth No Pictures!

>58 Crazymamie: Hahahaha would you believe I didn't even notice the irony? :)

LOL!

>54 bell7: Oh, it's a hoot to read it with him! So many giggles!

Happy New Year! Love the knitting photo. I used to knit a little and still want to return to it.

>62 billiejean: Happy New Year, BJ! Glad you found my thread. I started knitting a couple of years ago and mostly stick to baby blankets but I'm trying to branch out a little. I'm going to try to keep a tradition my great-grandma started alive by knitting a Christmas stocking for my sister's baby (due in August) so that will be the next project I start.

Well, I stayed home sick today pretty much stayed in bed resting, reading, and watching tv. I finished watching the first season of Early Edition, a show I loved as a teenager about a guy (Kyle Chandler) who gets tomorrow's newspaper and runs around Chicago saving people. I thought I'd come into the show sometime in the second season, but while I never really remembered the outcome of the stories, I find myself remembering certain scenes and characters. I put a hold on for the second season on dvd and will probably start watching it sometime next week.

Early Edition! I remember that show! Mostly because it had a cat in it.

>65 norabelle414: yep, and actually the cat looks just a smidge like Rory :)

A couple of people had asked me on last year's thread to let them know when my article on "Reading Resolutions" ran in my local paper. It's almost word-for-word what I have in my first post, but for any interested, you can find it here (starting on page 23).

>67 bell7: How neat! That is cool that your local paper is published that way.

>68 rosylibrarian: Oh, it's in print form too, and is delivered free to anyone who wants it in the two towns it covers. It is cool to be able to find it online, though, and it's great for finding all sorts of local events and info. I wish the town I live in had something similar, but unfortunately not.

Oh, I loved Early Edition, too!

Our daughter and son were "in" Early Edition. It filmed in Chicago, and they needed kids in a playground at a neighborhood school for one scene. They got paid in candy. :-)

>71 jnwelch: Joe: COOL!!

(Sorry for shouting, Mary - I got excited.)

>70 scaifea: When I started watching, I looked up a couple other shows I remember really loving when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, Promised Land and Martial Law (remember that one? It used to be on Saturdays after Early Edition) are not on DVD/Netflix...

>71 jnwelch: That is so cool! :)

>72 scaifea: No worries, Amber, I think I can excuse exciting shouting on my thread ;)

>72 scaifea: >73 bell7: They loved it! Kyle Chandler even came over and sat down next to our son (on the edge of a sandbox) and talked to him, probably because he was the youngest there (4 or 5 years old).

2. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
TIOLI: book acquired in 2014
2015 goal: book off my own shelves

A woman wakes up in a garden, surrounded by several men in latex gloves, and with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Fortunately, Myfanwy (rhymes with "Tiffany") Thomas left her future self some notes: she is a Rook of the Checquy, a secret society who takes care of supernatural threats to Britain. The only trouble is that someone in the court is out to kill her. Can she find the traitor in time?

I almost don't want to say anything more about the book, because seeing how everything develops is more than half the fun. I found it hilarious, page-turning fun and loved the inventive premise of a whole new personality just dumped into a woman and trying to figure out how to use her supernatural powers and deal with a life already there while trying not to let anyone know she was different. I also liked the former Myfanwy, and the way her letters and meticulous notes allowed the present Myfanwy and reader to learn more details (contrived, yes, but in a good way). On the one hand, I can't believe I missed this book when it was new, but on the other it was perfect timing to read this now when the sequel comes out in a few months. 4.5 stars.

>74 jnwelch: That's really neat... it was funny watching it now realizing he was, well, my age when he was playing that character. I don't suppose you remember what episode? :)

Gosh, it's been so long, Mary. I believe it was the second season, and it was Audubon School. A girl kidnapped from a playground? I'll check with my wife; she might remember.

>77 jnwelch: I'll keep an eye out for such a plot when I get to the second season :) And yeah, I hear you... I know I watched these episodes back when they came out, but after 18-19 years, I can't for the life of me remember how things turned out. (Edited to correct my math... yeesh, I lost a decade in there somehow!)

Last summer when I was dogsitting, my youngest brother lent me a couple of movies... I only got to one of them while I was dogsitting, and I finally watched a second one tonight. I chose Bowfinger with Steve Martin as Bowfinger, a would-be director with a script and some washed up and/or wannabe actors and just needs a star (Eddie Murphy) who just happens to not know they're filming. Soon after I put it on I realized I'd seen it years ago but it's hilarious so I watched it anyways.

Wasn't The Pretender on tv around that same time? I loved that show, too.

And I remember Bowfinger being pretty hilarious, too!

>42 bell7: Those fingerless gloves look great! I have a pair I got off of etsy when I worked in a very cold office a few years ago, but yours look much warmer and more comfy.

>80 scaifea: Oh I don't know I haven't watched that. I'll have to look it up.

>81 bluesalamanders: Thanks! They are quite comfy I was really pleased with how they turned out.

>42 bell7: beautiful! My daughter just finished knitting a cowl for herself -- so glad she has the knitting bug!

And ouch -- two book bullets here: The Book With No Pictures (which I just placed on my order list for my library), and The Rook. This is a dangerous thread!

>83 AMQS: it's a great way to share interests across generations, isn't it, Anne? I started knitting when I did too be able to show my grandmother that I was carrying on a bit of a family tradition and it was so much fun to visit her and show her my latest projects. She made sure to give me and two of my cousins her unfinished projects before she died last year so I have a few of those too.

And yay I'm so glad you'll be reading The Book with no Pictures and The Rook. I hope you enjoy both!

*waving* at Mary

Since it won't be finished for some time, I thought of post the beginnings of my blanket for my coming niece or nephew:



Oops the orientation of the picture means the bottom is on the far right... but it's a decent pic of the pattern itself which incorporates lace and a neat combo of garter stitch and stockinette to make the pattern repeats really stand out nicely. It's a little more intricate than what I've done for baby blankets but not so difficult I need help.

Oooh, that's lovely! I'm working on a sea-green baby blanket right now, too!

>87 scaifea: thank you, Amber! I do love that color and am pleased that it looks like the three balls I have will be plenty for the blanket... but even so I almost picked more up the other day when I was at the craft store. I restrained myself, though, as I really have a ton of yarn to choose from still and I like mixing up both colors and patterns so I don't get bored.

>85 alcottacre: *waving* back at Stasia... sorry I missed you earlier!

I like the pattern, very nice. I have the same problem as you in that I get bored really quickly, so I've never tried a blanket. I might do one of granny squares sewn together though.

>90 lunacat: I cannot sew or if probably do something similar! When I started knitting a couple of years ago I had this brilliant idea that I'd make baby blankets for all my friends... and then wouldn't you know, everyone started getting married and having kids! So I usually have a blanket project going (I'm actually a blanket ahead as long as someone has a girl) and I have a second or third project going so I don't get too bored.

3. Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
TIOLI: I haven't figured out where this fits yet... either author with six+ letters in name or a book read to review
2015 goal: set in Minnesota

Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor is part-Ojibwe, mostly Irish is the former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota. One winter, a young boy goes missing from his paper route, and a judge is found dead in his home - was it suicide, or murder? Cork isn't part of this investigation, but can't help stick his nose it when the facts don't quite add up.

This first book in a long-running series is a bit uneven. I really enjoyed the descriptions of lake country in Minnesota and frigid winter. I liked many of the characters I was introduced to; they weren't perfect, but I could root for them, just like the many people in Three Pines in the Inspector Gamache series. But about halfway through the plot starting twisted and turning so much I felt somewhat strung along by the author's machinations rather than seeing a mystery unfold through the investigation. It's a first book and shows, but I would still continue reading and will recommend it to mystery fans who enjoy a strong sense of place. 3.5 stars.

Lovely knit pattern for your baby blanket, Mary!

>93 ronincats: Thanks, Roni!

Picture book #4:
Is There a Dog in This Book? by Viviane Schwarz
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: picture books

I really loved the interactivity of the author's previous books, There Are Cats in This Book and There Are No Cats in This Book, so I had to check out her newest one. Three cats think there might be a dog, and he may just be causing mayhem and want to chase them! There are funny instructions to readers (like not opening the closet where the cats are hiding) and lots of flaps for young children to uncover. Just as cute as the other cat books.

Charlie and I loved There Are No Cats in This Book - I'll have to see if I can find the other two...

>96 scaifea: I hope you can and you both enjoy them :)

Picture book #5:
Blackout by John Rocco
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: picture books

I think I've read this before, but I do like this story about what happened in the busy city - and with the busy family - when the lights went out. Basically, I love the illustrations:





These aren't even the best, but they do give you a bit of the flavor. I used to love blackouts as a kid, my brothers and sister and I would get out my brother's cardboard "bricks" and make a "fort" in one of our big rooms (usually the girl's room) and have our own space with whatever we wanted to play - for me it was usually books and a blanket/pillow and a flashlight - so there's definitely some nostalgia talking here.

Yesterday I went through my "To Read" collection to determine places, and it looks like I'm spoiled for choice for books set in other countries. Reading other states is going to turn out to be the more challenging assignment, surprisingly.

I put the list in the same message as the maps just for easy reference.

4. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill - mine and audio

Em and Finn go back in time to five years before to try to prevent the Doctor from ever creating his time machine, Cassandra, and causing the world to go to hell in a hand basket. Five years before this, Marina; James, the boy she loves; and his friend Finn search for answers after someone shoots James' brother, a congressman.

Time travel books are hard to do. They can be tricky when you have multiple timelines and abound in potential for paradoxes. Though we switch between the perspectives of Em and Marina, we're pretty much in the one time line of "five years before," so that makes one aspect easy. It does, however, abound in paradoxes. While I might have been able to overlook this in the paper copy being carried along by the fast pace and twists and turns of the story, the audiobook version gave me ample time to ponder them, and basically not buy into the plot in its entirety. James is the most interesting character of the bunch; even Marina felt a little flat to me. The "science" fiction part is light-nonexistent and I'd have trouble calling it a "dystopia" too. I might recommend it to reluctant readers who enjoy adventure, but probably not to most. 2 stars.

Also, there is just no way that the narrator for a teen book should use a voiceless "w". It grated on me every time.

Graphic novel #1:
An Age of License by Lucy Knisley
TIOLI: none
2015 goals: none

A comics artist living in New York, Lucy Knisley chronicles a trip to Europe - including Norway, Sweden, France... - in this visual travelogue. Most of the images are black-and-white ink drawings, but some are in color. They're very evocative, and she doesn't skimp on telling you about the food. She also has a great sense of humor even as she reflects back on a trip and her peculiar in-betweenness as a young American in her twenties - what one person calls the "Age of License" that became the title. I could relate to a lot of it and really enjoyed reading it. I'll be looking for more works by this author for sure.

>98 bell7: I have fond childhood memories of the two big east coast blackouts in the early 60s and 70s. I should look for that one!

>102 Copperskye: I hope you enjoy it, Joanne :) It's a cute picture book.

Mary! Happy Sunday!

You got me with BBs for The Rook and The Blackout. And I'm #1 on the holds list for Age of License too - I like the authors' work a lot, though she can certainly be a bit entitled at times.

That baby blanket is amazing! I can literally do two stitches in crochet, and I can finger knit, but that's it. I have major respect for anyone who can knit, read a pattern, or who knows more than two stitches! :)

I've never heard of Early Edition before - maybe because that was the year I graduated high school and started college, so Saturday nights were spent at frat parties and such? At any rate, I've requested the first DVD from Netflix and will hopefully have it soon!

>104 LauraBrook: Happy Sunday to you too, Laura! Good to know that she sometimes sends entitled... she didn't come that way to me in this one, but maybe it's because of how much she reflected on how fortunate she is and becoming as my friends and I would say a "real adult"? I can't crochet or finger knit so I think that's pretty amazing! I hope you enjoy Early Edition when you get it.

5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
TIOLI: Author died in 2014
2015 goals: My book; set in Arkansas

Maya Angelou's first of a series of memoirs focuses most on her experiences growing up in Stamps, Arkansas with her brother, grandmother, and Uncle Willie. As a Black girl in a segregated town, she learned young about injustice and hatred, but despite that much of her story illustrates the power of the human spirit.

I first read this about 5-6 years ago and this reread for my library book discussion. Reading it again now, I found to my surprise that it wasn't the perfect book I remembered - the ending seems rushed, for example. On the other hand, there were instances where I made connections that I hadn't before between her personal experiences and my knowledge of American history. I want to try some of her other memoirs now, particularly Mom & Me & Mom. 4.5 stars.

I am sick with a pretty rotten cold today, so what's normally a busy day with church and family is now a much more relaxed one filled with reading and football playoff watching (and maybe the Australian Open if I can figure out where to watch it on my computer since we don't get ESPN). I am hoping to make some progress in That Old Cape Magic for next month's genre study round table. Once I read enough to feel it justified, I'm going to spend the rest of my time reading the much lighter and funner read, Frostfire, the first in a new series by the author of the Trylle books I read last year.

6. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
TIOLI: book title is a riff on a song title
2015 goal: set in Massachusetts

Jack Griffin is on his way to the Cape again - this time, for the wedding of one of his daughter's childhood friends. Along the way, Griffin reflects on his rocky relationship with his parents, academics who came to the Cape every year in search of elusive happiness, and how he feels about his life's current direction - or lack thereof.

This book is peppered with miserable characters. Griffin is miserable, his parents were miserable (or at least, from his perspective, they certainly seemed to be), and Griffin's wife Joy would be content with their life but Griffin's misery is making her miserable, too. Maybe because I'm a naturally optimistic person, I found Griffin and his parents irritating in their ability to see the negative. I have bad days, too, but here he is with a good life, as far as I can see, and all he can do is bemoan what he doesn't have and what might have been. As the story develops, there is some understanding - particularly as Griffin comes to realize that he didn't know everything he thought he did about his parents' lives - and through that, some redemption as well. But honestly, it was a case of too little, too late for me and I only carried on because I had to read it for work. 2 stars.

This was for next month's genre study of literary fiction. I like some literary fiction that plays with conventions or genre sometimes, but I dragged my feet through this one. The second title is a free choice, and I'm hoping to read Edith Pearlman's latest short story collection Honeydew.

7. Frostfire by Amanda Hocking
TIOLI: author name 6+ letters
2015 goal: none

This first book in a new series by Amanda Hocking returns to the world of the Trylle. Bryn Aven is a tracker, which means she gets changelings from their host families and returns them to her tribe, the Kanin; as a half-Kanin, half-Skojare, she's had to work hard for her job and still isn't accepted by an elitist society. Four years ago, her father was attacked by Konstantin Black, a member of an elite guard to which Bryn herself aspires. Konstantin ran, and now it appears that he's tracking the same changelings that Bryn and her fellow trackers are after. Should she take revenge, or is something bigger going on?

Though some of the characters from the Trylle trilogy return, it is not necessary to have read those books before Frostfire. I really enjoyed seeing more of the complex troll world, especially the other tribes and the way they operated. I sometimes became a little annoyed with Bryn, but the ending made me want to continue seeing how the stories unfolds. 4 stars.

After reading a couple of harder "must read" books, this was just fun.
Next up: The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Sorry to hear you are under the weather, Mary. I hope you recover swiftly.

>110 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. Fortunately, tomorrow is a holiday for me so if I need another day to recuperate, I can take it pretty easy.

Hi Mary, I'm sorry you are feeling so poorly. You have my sympathies -- my husband and I have had the awful cold, and it's wiped us out for about 11 days now. Tonight my 15 year-old daughter is complaining of sore throat and low energy, so it appears we're not done. Like you, I have a holiday tomorrow, and I am very grateful. Hope you can get some rest and feel much, much better.

Hi Mary! I loved The Rook! Wasn't it amazing? I also really enjoyed Iron Lake when I read it, but part of that may have been the setting in a town I've been to many times. (He made up the town and used the name of a real town, really. But it was still cool.) Happy weekend!

ETA: Feel better soon!

>112 AMQS: I hope your fault feels better soon, Anne. And oh dear, I certainly hope this isn't an 11 day illness I would have another week to go... I started off coughing on Thursday and the low energy kicked in on Saturday. I really hope two days in a row of rest will be enough, but in the meantime I'm kind of enjoying keeping things low key and reading a lot.

>113 The_Hibernator: oh goody another fan of The Rook! It was great, and I'm ready looking forward to the sequel. I'd never heard of the town in Iron Lake but it would've thrown me off too if I had been familiar with a real town name used fictionally. Hope you had a good weekend!

>75 bell7: Two book bullets on the tbr pile...this one and The Foggy, Foggy Forest. It is so lovely to find another person on LT who enjoys children's illustrated books. I find this genre so soothing, so beautiful and lovely!

Happy Day To You!!!!

>115 Whisper1: thanks for stopping by, Linda! I hope you enjoy both books. It's been a couple of years since I really read picture books with any intention, and I have to say I've really enjoyed getting back into them this month. A really well put together story is enjoyable no matter what the intended age group! I hope you have a wonderful day.

8. Steeple Bush by Robert Frost - mine
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: my book

Continuing my read through Robert Frost's works, I finished the last poems in this collection this morning. I found it an interesting collection, striking me as more self-consciously clever than the others I've read so far. Frost's politics and thoughts and in one case a personal argument he had with another professor come through rather tellingly in many cases.

Here's my favorite poem of the bunch -

Iota Subscript

Seek not in me the big I capital,
Nor yet the little dotted in me seek.
If I have in me any I at all,
'Tis the iota subscript of the Greek.

So small am I as an attention beggar.
The letter you will find me subscript to
is neither alpha, eta, nor omega,
But upsilon which is the Greek for you.

9. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
TIOLI: "psychological" somewhere in the book
2015 goal: none

The third book in the Mara Dyer trilogy begins with Mara in some type of compound, drugged up and not sure what's going on. Supposedly her boyfriend, Noah, is dead, but she doesn't believe it, especially after someone - apparently Jude - helps her break out. She and her friends Jamie and Stella, make a run for it and try to figure out what's going on. What has Dr. Kells been up to, and is there a cure for their strange abilities?

I read this book practically in one sitting, which may be why I'm having a tough time reining in my impressions to form coherent thoughts. I really liked the first two books in this series, and perhaps because of this and the fact that I had to wait so long to read it, I didn't think it quite delivered on my expectations. Don't get me wrong; I wanted to see how it all played out, and I was on tenterhooks 'til very nearly the last page. I just thought after the twists and turns and surprises of the first two books that I wasn't quite as invested or blown away as I could have been. The blend of realism and fantasy was, for me, less believable in this book than in the first two, and I'm not really sure why. The references to literature - both pop and classic - amused me. I found the story arc, especially the ending, quite satisfying, and this is definitely a series I'd recommend to fans of teen romance. 4 stars.

Well, I woke up feeling just a tad better... my chest doesn't hurt and I'm coughing less, so it's back to work I go - at least, I hope so, because I have my book discussion tomorrow night! This means my reading will slow down, of course, but I'm okay with that as I was starting to get a little bored yesterday from all the sitting around. I did get a little knitting and tennis watching in to break up the day.

My current reads:
The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey - recommendation and borrowed book from a friend about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - one of the classics on my list, my own book and one that's available on Overdrive as an ebook, so I'm thinking I can read a little tonight if the reference desk is slow (we're allowed to read ebooks on the computer, plus it keeps me familiar with a service we provide).

>118 bell7: Really nice review. Those books are hard to even put into words. I was satisfied with the ending too, but I kind of thought Mara should have been killed off. I think it would have been a really dramatic ending versus the sort of "everyone wins" thing. I am looking forward to her next books though.

>120 rosylibrarian: Thanks, Marie, glad it's not just me having trouble writing up that series! I agree with you that in some ways the ending was a little too neat and I'm not quite sure what to make of Mara's saying that he needs her because of who he is and it may be enough...for now (maybe it's just me, but that seemed to be the implication). But I did love the way it looped around completely and the last words were the beginning of the first book. I suddenly remembered and realized that's how she ended up in New York! So it was neat to see how crafted it was from the very beginning. Have you heard anything about future books? I'll have to look when I get to work today.

>121 bell7: Yes, that is true about ending up in New York. I do like how that was crafted, which wouldn't have been as effective if she had been offed, ha ha.

I know that Hodkin is working on a new series because she has mentioned that the two times I have seen her at book festivals, but she's very coy and says that that is all she can say for now. Ugh...

>122 rosylibrarian: Hmmm... and I can't find anything online, so I'll have to add it to my list of books to watch for with no date :/ On the other hand, that reminds me that I wanted to add the books from the Kanin Trilogy to said list (with dates).

10. The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey
TIOLI: word that puts you in mind of the season ("winter")
2015 goals: none

Winter Olympics, 1980. The games were held at Lake Placid, NY, a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere. The hockey team was made up of amateurs, college kids who hadn't yet played pro, and wasn't expected to go far. But the pivotal game against the Soviet Union captured everyone's attention on the world stage. Starting with the first puck drop to the end of the third period, journalist Wayne Coffey gives a play-by-play account of the game known as the "Miracle on Ice," interspersed with short biographies of players and coaches loaded with interviews with the players and their families and friends.

I've read a few sports books in this format of play-by-play mixed with interviews and history. It gives a sort of edge-of-your-seat feel, and this book has this in spades, not only for where Coffey chooses to jump from one to the other but also in the way he chooses to end each paragraph with cliffhangers that rival fast-paced fiction reads. It's also very tough to "pause" a hockey game, which by its very nature has few natural stopping points. In this case, since I hadn't seen the game itself I found it very difficult to visualize and stop and start, so it had mixed results for me. I did enjoy getting the information about the players, some of whom went on to play for the pros with mixed results, and get a "where are they now" kind of update (at least as far as when the book was written in 2004). Recommended for hockey fans and anyone who enjoys this type of sports writing. 4 stars.

A friend of mine lent this to me, so while it didn't fit any 2015 goals, I wanted to keep it higher on the priority list.

Happy Saturday, everyone! I was going to hold a program at the library for National Readathon Day, but snow got in the way of that so I've been spending the unexpected time off by catching up on my filing. It sounds horrendous, but actually I the out a ton of stuff that I'd kept for far too long and reorganized what I did keep so I can find what I do need without tearing things apart.

I have been doing some reading, but I'm working on a couple of chunksters at the moment: Great Expectations, City of Heavenly Fire (clocking in at 725), and How to do Everything Genealogy which isn't so much a difficult read as a slow one because I want to take notes and start using ideas (I've been really slapdash about my research so far and definitely have to organize now that I have half my grandma's stuff too). So I'm keeping busy, just won't have much to report for awhile.

>125 bell7: Hope you are enjoying George's book as you are taking notes. It is one of the better beginner guides.

>126 thornton37814: I am, thanks! I haven't gotten very far because I want to be deliberate about it... I know some of the basics but have been haphazard about genealogical proof standards and citing sources, so I want to go back and do it right and carefully, especially now that I've inherited so much of my grandmother's notes. If I can't make sense of it now, it will never be in order. So reading that book and taking notes is part of what I want to do to start to organize myself. I'm only in the second chapter or so, but I've found it very practically useful already and extremely accessible.

The one negative is how quickly URLs get out of date: the exact links to articles he cites on Ancestry.com are out of date (3 years later, granted), though the information is still up on the website.

11. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
TIOLI: Author has same letter starting first and last name
2015 goal: none

Sebastian is still on the loose, and now he's sowing strife with Downworlders - vampires, werewolves, and the life - and the Shadowhunters, though with tensions already running high it's not hard to do. If Clary and her friends don't defeat them not only the Shadowhunters but the whole world is at stake.

This sprawling story covers a lot of ground in 725 pages, and left a few things open for future series besides. Like the other books in the series, the finale is full of one-liners in dialogue, teenagers making out, and saving the world. I shouldn't sound so flippant, as I did enjoy reading it. I'm just having a hard time finding something to say about it since it's the sixth book in the series. It also ties in characters from the Infernal Devices trilogy, and as I'd only read Clockwork Angel, I felt like I missed some of the nuances there by reading this one first. 4 stars.

Series beget series... I meant to finish reading the Clockwork books first, but didn't. Oh well. Now I have to go back and reread the first and finish that trilogy (I liked the first one better than these, actually) and also, apparently, there's going to be a new series starting in March 2016 according to the author's website. I don't love these books so much I must go out and read them all immediately, but I'm interested enough to keep them on my radar.

The baby blanket you are working on is beautiful! And I am glad that you are feeling better.

I also added The Rook to my wishlist.

>129 billiejean: Thanks, BJ! And glad to hear I could get you with a book bullet. I've been feeling a little lazy about reading only have-to and fluffy books this month, but January is kind of a rough month for me and it was really all I was up for. I've got a great stack of a variety of books (including some nonfiction and short stories) lined up for February, though!

Have you been watching the Australian Open? I enjoyed some of the early round matches, but unfortunately won't be able to watch any of the finals this weekend. I value my sleep too much to wake up at 3 a.m. to put it on the computer...

>127 bell7: It is really a shame that some sites don't use PURLs like the U.S. government does.

>131 thornton37814: Yeah, it's hard to bookmark and have things change, and unfortunately means that just about any book is out of date as soon as the website changes or gets reorganized. I don't mind googling if I have an idea what I'm looking for, though.

I might have to update this if I manage to finish one more book this afternoon - and I think I might just. Updated! :)

January in review:
1. The City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
2. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley - mine
3. Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
4. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill mine and audio
5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - mine and a reread
6. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
7. Frostfire by Amanda Hocking
8. Steeple Bush by Robert Frost - mine
9. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
10. The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey - borrowed
11. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
12. The Unhappening of Genesis Lee by Shallee McArthur - mine and e-book ARC

Books read: 11
Audiobooks listened to: 1
Graphic novels/Manga: 1
Picture books: 5
Adult/Teen/Children's: 6/6/0
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 9/2/1/0
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 6/5/1

Standouts: Even though it's a reread, I'm going to say I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; for new books, The Rook was also outstanding.

Thoughts: I did a pretty good job with my reading goals so far, reading books set in four different states and two different countries, five of my own books (four if we're not counting rereads), and five picture books. I managed a pretty good spread of publishing years, though I did not read any of my promised classics (I'm working on Great Expectations now) or the "lists" of authors and awards. I read what felt like a bunch of fluffy books and a couple for work, but there was also some nonfiction and poetry in there, so a pretty good mix really and a slightly high total for the month.

Original book publication dates read year-to-date:

2015 - 1
2014 - 3
2013 - 1
2012 - 2
2009 - 1
2005 - 1

1998 - 1
1969 - 1
1947 - 1

12. The Unhappening of Genesis Lee by Shallee McArthur - mine and e-book ARC
TIOLI: Challenge #21 Read a book for discussion or review
2015 goal: my book

*I requested this book from Edelweiss/Above the Treeline as a free e-book ARC. I receive nothing but the book, and was not in any way compensated for reviewing it.*

The year is 2084. Tensions are high between the Mementi - those whose memories are stored externally and perfectly on Links - and the Populace - those whose memories are, well, more traditional. Genesis, or Gena, and her friend Cora are just going out for a fun night at the club when they are accosted; Cora loses a Link, and Gena doesn't - but her memories don't seem to be quite right either, as she discovers when she runs into a Populace boy who clearly remembers her but whom she doesn't recall at all.

I was really impressed with this book. There were a few plot turns I thought rather convenient, but I wonder if it was just because I was reading too fast. The book unfolds almost like a movie and keeps you reading at a breakneck pace. Gena is a really great heroine with interesting traits (she has panic attacks and a pet snake). The contrast between Mementi and Populace, rich and poor, are presented through Gena's first-person narration so we get a teasing bit of history without a lot of explanation or infodumps. I enjoyed the ride immensely. 4 stars.

Possibly 4.5 stars (the way I rate, that would be a book I would reread). Definitely not a perfect book and not for everyone, but I thought it was a pretty solid teen adventure/dystopia (kind of light on details so more adventure for sure). Because I read the book so fast and on an e-reader, I'm just not sure if a reread would leave me less satisfied with the flaws or more so because I would pick up on things I didn't the first time around.

I don't usually comment on music I'm listening to, but did want to share a little bit about a CD I borrowed from the library recently. It's called "Caged Bird Songs" and it blends Maya Angelou reading/performing her poetry and hiphop styles of music. It's different from what I normally listen to, but I found it really interesting hearing her voice and listening to the arrangements, making it one of those things I could appreciate but probably wouldn't listen to over and over again. My favorites were the first and last songs, "Human Family" and "Still I Rise." If you're interested, check out the website for more.

Potential February TIOLI plans:

Challenge #4 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (library book) - Reading
Challenge #5 - Cress by Marissa Meyer (shared read, library book)
Challenge #6 - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (mine, currently reading) - READ
Challenge #7 - Honeydew: stories by Edith Pearlman (shared read, library book, genre roundtable choice) - READ
Challenge #11 - Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich (library book, book discussion) - READ
Challenge #13 - The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (shared read, mine)
Challenge #13 - How to do Everything Genealogy by George G. Morgan (library book, currently reading) - Reading
Challenge #15 - Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan (library book) - READ
Challenge #16 - Useful, Usable, Desirable by Aaron Schmidt and Amanda Etches (library book, professional development) - didn't turn out to be quite as applicable to my position as I'd hoped, so returned unread
Challenge #18 - H2O (aka The Rain) by Virginia Bergin (library book)

It's a little ambitious and only includes two of my own books, so we'll see what happens.

Not planned, also read:
El Deafo by Cece Bell
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

13. Jane Austen Cover to Cover: 200 Years of Classic Covers by Margaret C. Sullivan
TIOLI: Challenge #15 - Something in the title has to do with time ("years")
2015 goal: None

This delightful book collects images of the covers of Austen's works, from the first editions of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice to the movie-inspired covers, foreign translations, and everything in between. The descriptions of covers are equally entertaining, and I laughed out loud at some of the snarkier comments and the more, erm, overwrought romance covers. Along the way, you'll learn a bit about publishing, cover art, and quotes from Jane Austen's books and letters to and from family members for a well-rounded and truly enjoyable read. 4.5 stars.

Sadly, this was a library book and I now want my own copy. Not to mention a few nice editions of Austen's works that I've now tagged as wanting to own too (what do you mean I already own them?).

Way to go on the 12 books Mary! Happy weekend!

>138 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel! My weekend is a Sunday-Monday one this week, as I worked on Saturday and have today off. I hope you had a good weekend!

Well, I got to watch the webcast of the ALA midwinter announcements of the kids and young adult awards, and immediately my holds list at the library exploded. I hadn't heard of the Newbery winner - The Crossover at all, so it will be interesting to read when it comes in (and yes, this year's winners totally count towards my goal of reading 5 Newbery Medal and/or Honor winners). The gasp of surprise when there were 2 honor books was kinda funny, and I was really surprised that there were six Caldecott honors.

>137 bell7: You got me, Mary. That sounds like a lot of fun. It's on the WL now.

>141 jnwelch: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Joe! The book had the added bonus of being full of photos, so it was quite easy to read in one afternoon.

>140 bell7: It was a kind of collective groan when they announced the two honors, followed up by a self-conscious laugh. I think everyone likes when they name a lot of honors, because it means there's a better chance that your personal favorite will be on the list. There were a lot of cheers when they announced that there were six Caldecott honors!

>143 foggidawn: Ahhh okay, it was hard to tell just listening to the audio, but you could kind of pick up on the differing tones of surprise between the "only two?" and "yes! six!" responses. One of my fellow librarians who also works in the schools told me last week that the school librarian she works with had picked Nest as her personal pick to win the Newbery, so I was a little surprised when it didn't make the list at all (a few years ago we were all pulling for Wonder, which won the Carnegie but also no Newberys). I have been remiss in my reading of middle grade books these past few years...

Picture book #6:
The Adventures of Beekle the Unimaginary Friend written and illustrated by Dan Santat
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: picture books

This year's Caldecott Award winner is a cute story of an "unimaginary friend" who, instead of waiting on his island with the others to be chosen by a child, goes out into the real world to find his special friend himself. It's a cute story of friendship, and the contrast between the brightness of a child's world and the dark colors for adults (the scary "real world" that Beekle ventures out into) was well done. They're also large enough illustrations to read with a group for Storytime. Not my all-time favorite Caldecott, but well done overall.

>145 bell7: Charlie and I love this one! And I thought it was pretty cool that Charlie and I had just read it 2 days before the awards were announced.

>146 scaifea: It was a sweet story, and isn't it fun to discover a book before the awards? ;)

I finished Season 2 of Early Edition last night after work. I enjoyed it, but have determined that binge-watching doesn't work so well on this show. I have the same sort-of memories of small pieces of the plots, but forgot some rather major points in all of the episodes, such as the fact that Chuck moves to California, what???.

I'm now taking a break before ordering season 3 and have An Idiot Abroad ready to go next. My youngest sister introduced me to this reality show of a reluctant British tourist sent to the seven wonders of the world by his friends... I haven't decided how much is "made up"/exaggerated and his real responses, but the episode she had me watch where he goes to China is hilarious. It's available on Netflix in the US, or was as of a week ago.

14. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
TIOLI: A book available on openculture.com
2015 goal: 19th century classic, book off my shelf

I just want to take a moment and bask in the accomplishment of finishing this book. I first tried in about 15 years ago when my sister was reading it for school. I got bored and ended up asking her for a major plot point because I was curious but not enough to read the book.

So what to say about a classic that's become a major part of our culture, inspiring multiple screen adaptations, and been the bane of many a student's existence? Like David Copperfield, it's a coming of age story told in first person by Pip, a young man who has been "brought up by hand" by his sister after their parents' deaths. He lives with her and his uncle Joe, a blacksmith, and only intends to follow in that business after an apprenticeship. Then Miss Havisham, the local rich - and extremely eccentric - lady takes an interest in him, and seems to be putting him in the path of her young charge, Estella, with whom he falls hopelessly in love. A mysterious benefactor gives him money to become a gentleman, and then his life truly takes a turn.

Like many of Dickens' novels, Great Expectations is convoluted, wordy, full of memorable secondary characters (Miss Havisham, Mrs. Pocket, Wemmick, and Mr. Jaggers immediately spring to mind), somewhat maudlin, but exploring class and other serious themes at the same time. Even though I knew one of the major twists of the novel, I found myself turning pages with even more interest and a bit of a critical eye that I don't usually have on a first reading because I'm just working out the plot itself. Differences in class and what it really means to be a "gentleman" especially struck me, and I kind of wanted to bring out my undergrad English paper on the same theme in Oliver Twist for comparison's sake. I liked Pip and enjoyed seeing his progression throughout the story, though I wanted to shake him for falling for such a heartless girl who told him straight out the first time they met that she would break his heart. On the other hand, don't people do that all the time? 4 stars.

Mary, I am pleased to see that Great Expectations lived up to expectations this time around. Despite the verbosity I think Chuckles at his best is rarely dull. One of his best IMO.

Have a lovely Sunday.

>150 PaulCranswick: I agree, Paul, he sometimes gets a bit oversentimental imo, but generally more than makes up with it with his one-of-a-kind characters and entertaining stories. So far the only clunker for me has been Oliver Twist. I hope you had a good Sunday too! Mine was full of church and visiting family typed of with driving home in the snow, barely making it up the hill, and getting stuck in the driveway bad enough my landlords and ample amounts of sand were needed to give my poor little front-wheel drive car enough traction to make it into the garage. So I'm happily home and warming up now contemplating an early bedtime and sincerely hoping i do not have to drive into work tomorrow.

__Duplicate post... nothing to see here__

>149 bell7: Great review! Sadly I haven't read many of Dickens' works, but I did read Great Expectations and really enjoyed it. I was living in London at the time and did a "Dickens Walk" afterwards that went through some of the places he lived, wrote and wrote about. It really made the book come alive.

>153 rosylibrarian: Oooh, a Dickens walk sounds like fun! If I get a chance to visit London again, it's definitely on my wishlist of things to do - I bet it would make the places come alive in a neat way. That certainly seems to be the case with books I read that are about places I live or have been frequently. And no need to worry about not reading much Dickens - besides this one I've only read David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and A Christmas Carol, so I'm hardly an aficionado myself :)

Graphic novel #2:
El Deafo by Cece Bell
TIOLI: Nonfiction comic
2015 goal: Newbery Honor book (2015)

At the age of 4, Cece lost much of her hearing as a result of illness. She was mainstreamed in school and learned to lip read, having to wear a special type of hearing aid called a "phonic ear," with a microphone that her teacher wears. This microphone gives her special powers - she can hear her teacher all over the school! - and she thinks of herself as a superhero, "El Deafo." But what she really wants is a friend who will accept her for who she is, not just the weird deaf kid.

In an author's note, writer and illustrator Cece Bell says that she fictionalized her own experiences going to school (based on some of the references in the text, I'm going to say in the '60s) and with her deafness. She also writes, "I am an expert on no one's deafness but my own," and distinguishes between her experiences growing up essentially in hearing culture and the Deaf culture that primarily uses American Sign Language in communication. But her desire to find a friend and acceptance is a universal one that I think anyone can relate to. If you enjoyed Wonder, check out this story of being different as well. 4.5 stars.

>155 bell7: Sounds terrific! I will have to see if I can get my hands on a copy.

>156 alcottacre: I hope you can, Stasia! I really enjoyed it, and since it's a graphic novel it reads very quickly.

>157 bell7: I checked and the local library has a copy, so I put it on hold. Hopefully I will get it in the next few days. I need quick reads these days between schoolwork and (now) job hunting.

>158 alcottacre: I hear ya! Praying for you in your job hunt, and hope you find one soon.

>159 bell7: Thanks, Mary. All prayers are very much appreciated!

Picture book #7:
The Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: picture books

So I'm going to be honest and say that the story or writing is not why you would pick up this book. It's the amazing homemade props and photographs of squirrels. And yes, it's totally worth picking up to see it; the author/photographer showcases quite a bit of artistry, and includes tips for photographs and a q&a with the author and the end.

She has a website too.

Graphic novel #3:
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
TIOLI: none
2015 goal: none

Rose and her family have been going to Awago Beach since she was a child; this summer as a pre-teen/young teen, she starts to learn some of the challenges her parents and facing, and she and her beach friend Windy discover some issues that older teens on the beach are facing as well. I kind of expected a "summery" book, and was a bit taken aback when it had more difficult themes: not exactly heavy, but heavier than I expected. This affected how much I really liked it. BUT I will say, if the synopsis sounds good and you like graphic novels, definitely check it out. The artwork is fabulous, detailed and realistic (in contrast to El Deafo, which was a bit more cartoony). It's been getting a lot of attention, receiving both a Caldecott honor and a Printz honor from ALA this year. 3.5 stars for the story; 5 for the art.

>162 bell7: I just read this one yesterday, too, and I think we pretty much feel exactly the same about it. *smiles*

>163 scaifea: Oh good, glad it's not just me, 'cause I felt kind of bad being fair-to-middling about a book that's been getting such rave reviews :)

15. Honeydew: stories by Edith Pearlman
TIOLI: gemstone or jewelry in title/author's name
2015 goal: none

This collection of twenty stories, many of which are set in Godolphin, Massachusetts, and thematically explore a variety of secrets and confessions, showcase author Edith Pearlman's talent with the form.

It's hard to summarize a short story collection without being simplistic, and I won't do it the injustice of trying to say too much about it as a whole. The author's great strengths are her ability to portray sympathetic, realistic characters and conveying a complete story in a very short amount of space. I never once was left feeling like she should have said more. Sometimes characters reappear, and it's fun recognizing them in a different story. My two personal favorites were "Blessed Harry" and "Flowers," maybe because each had a touch of whimsy when many of the stories in the collection had a more serious tone. "Blessed Harry" tells the story of a family that seems cobbled together but is truly loving and functional, and their houseplant that somehow lives despite reflecting its family's quirks. "Flowers" is... well, hard to explain without giving it all away, because what I loved most was the ending. Highly recommended to short story lovers. 4 stars.

And only 4 stars because I wouldn't particularly read it again from cover to cover, and I loved Binocular Vision so much it was hard to top that.

Thanks for that review, Mary. I was wondering about that one, as I also loved Binocular Vision - sounds like one to get from the library for me. Hoping that your Friday was full of happy!

>166 Crazymamie: I definitely think it's worth reading, Mamie, and you may like it better than I did. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

16. Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
TIOLI: "pitch" or "catch" in the text
2015 goal: none
book discussion book

Gil and Irene America are married with three children, living in Minneapolis. Gil is an artist, made famous and successful by painting a series of Irene which ran the gamut from sexual to lovely. Now, their marriage is falling apart: Irene starts a second, hidden diary and starts using the one at home to manipulate her husband, since she knows he's secretly reading it.

This is one of those stories where the writing/themes takes center stage, the characters come next, and everything else is incidental. The dynamics of Gil and Irene's relationship are complex, and Erdrich uses them to explore this idea of a "shadow" and how the representation of a person may steal his/her soul. I found it both compelling and painful reading, and I never really loved any individual part. It was like a train wreck, knowing everything was unraveling and being unable to walk away. 3 stars.

Discussing this one with my book club will be interesting, as it's definitely the sort of story and writing that lends itself to a variety of opinions, a love-it-or-hate-it kind of reaction.

Hi Mary! >149 bell7: Great Expectations was not one of my favorite Dickens. Though I'm hard-put to say which my favorite was. Hard Times perhaps? I haven't read Dickens in a while. I should try out Bleak House next time. I think that's one that I haven't read yet.

>168 bell7: Interesting review. I loved The Round house and so went searching for her back catalogue at the library, and was really disappointed by Love Medicine. This sounds like another one that I won't rush to read!

>169 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! My favorite is A Christmas Carol - I read it every year - followed by David Copperfield. I didn't care for Oliver Twist, finding it just a little too implausible how everything came together - and actually, I thought there were quite a few convenient connections in Great Expectations too, which knocked off probably half a star, but I didn't find quite so irritating for some reason. I haven't read Hard Times - what's it about?

>170 charl08: Thanks for stopping by! So far The Round House and Shadow Tag are the only two I've read - both for book club, so I think we'll have some interesting comparisons to make between the two. Too bad Love Medicine was disappointing, as I've heard that's one that she's known for. I might try to stick with the ones with overlapping characters (not, strictly speaking, a series).

Catching up on my TV/movie watching, I finished series 1 of "An Idiot Abroad." It had me laughing at times and sometimes thinking, ohmygosh, you poor guy your friends are so mean to you. But Karl Pilkington - the eponymous "idiot" who doesn't really like to travel and whose friends send him to the seven wonders of the world and a few other side trips on his way - must have a good sense of humor, because they went on to make more. He seems to say whatever his first impression, no matter if it's pc or not, which sometimes makes for hilarious commentary like on the Great Wall of China. It's borderline my sense of humor, though, so I'm not sure if I'll continue it or not. Maybe just select episodes my sister chooses for me.

Re-watch of "Letters to Juliet" with my mom last night for a girls' night of dinner and a movie. And I realized as I updated my list that only "An Idiot Abroad" is actually new to me so far of the 2 movies and 3 TV seasons that I've watched so far this year.

Book group was tonight, discussing Shadow Tag. This title was on the list because... well, late in 2013 someone suggested it for the list of titles we would vote on for what turned out to be last year's (2014) selection. The Round House was also on the list. Both titles had enough votes to make that year's selection, but I thought it was better not to read two books by the same author in the same calendar year, so I made the executive decision to cut Shadow Tag but put it back on the list to vote on for this year (The Round House had more votes). It had enough votes to make the list again, thus one of our 2015 reading choices.

Everyone hated it. Ha!

It was the first time I finished a book discussion considering if I should lower my star rating rather than raise it by the end of the discussion. But no, I stand by my three stars because I did feel compelled to find out how the train wreck would end and truly Louise Erdrich can turn a lovely phrase of description. Also, thematically I thought it essay-worthy (yes, this is what I do as a former English major... if I'm not falling into the story, I start analyzing it). But the characters are unlikable and it's a very unpleasant story of a failing marriage. So yeah, the first ten minutes or so of discussion were excruciating, but after everyone got the "I hate it" out of their system, we did have a very good talk covering topics from marriage to art. In my reading up for the discussion, I learned that Erdrich herself had experienced a "golden" marriage with another writer, which ended in them splitting up and his suicide after allegations of child abuse. I don't think that she modeled Irene and Gil's marriage after her own, but I do think it was a sort of jumping off point for her, from which the story took its own twists and turns. But I think all of us were rather glad to leave it behind, in the end.

>173 bell7: I learned that Erdrich herself
Yeah, I wondered about that when I read your description of the book. I've never read anything by Louise Ercrich but I'd read a couple of books, fiction and non-fiction, by Michael Dorris before things fell apart.

>174 qebo: I haven't read anything by Michael Dorris, and I confess I didn't really know anything about their relationship going into the book. What is his writing like? This book review from the NY Times was what I first found, and I found it really helpful in understanding & talking about the book.

What I'm reading now...

How to Do Everything: Genealogy by George C. Morgan - yes, still. I've been not reading it most of the time, so I've been abysmally slow. Great information, I just want to have the time to absorb it. I think it's going to be a book I buy.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - my second time checking it out from the library and I'm finally reading it! I'm over halfway through and really enjoying this historical tale of Marie-Laure, a blind girl in France, and Werner, a boy with a brilliant mind for radios in Germany. The writing style is lyrical and complex, so I'm reading kind of slowly and haven't had a ton of time to spend with it. Tonight, though, I don't have any plans after work so I'm hoping to be able to relax with a cup of tea and make some progress.

17. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
TIOLI: book with a French connection
2015 goal: set in another country (I'm counting it towards France)

Marie-Laure is a blind girl living in Paris with her father, a locksmith for the Museum of Natural History. Werner is a German orphan with a talent for radios and math. Doerr weaves their stories together in short chapters, moving back and forth in time and giving a unique take on the second world war as experienced by these characters and the lives they touch.

Wow. This book is so beautifully written and carefully constructed that I really feel inadequate to say much more, and I don't want to give any of it away. I loved the characters, especially Marie-Laure's father, who's amazing in his love and care of his daughter. The story is intricate, and written in such a way that I felt compelled to read but also slow down and just take in each word. Highly recommended for historical and literary fiction fans. 5 stars.

And this book is a best seller! Not that I have anything against that - I try to keep up with current titles just so I know what to recommend to library patrons - but it's more literary? complicated? than a lot of the books I've read on the list. I can see why a lot of local book clubs have been reading it. It's been hugely popular at my library - we can't keep the book on the shelf - and only recently was eclipsed by The Girl on the Train (which I'm not planning on reading unless one of you convinced me otherwise).

So the last three books I completed could technically fit into the "literary fiction" genre roundtable that I'm participating in next week. That Old Cape Magic was the book I had to read for it, and I think my 2nd title (any book I choose) is going to be All the Light We Cannot See because I liked it by far the best of the others I read.

Next up... The Crossover, this year's Newbery Award winner. I didn't put it in any TIOLI challenges yet (the next two on my agenda for that are H2O and Cress), but it's written in verse and I'm in the mood for a fast read after a the deliberately-paced books I have been reading. I'm not surprised that my reading numbers are down quite a bit from last month, though I'll be petsitting for a couple of nights next week and will probably polish off a few more then.

18. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
TIOLI: title with a u, v or w
2015 goal: Newbery medal

Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are basketball phenoms at their middle school - and why wouldn't they be, considering their father was a pro player in a European league? Their team is undefeated and in narrative poems, Josh tells the story of one season of basketball and life.

You don't particularly have to be a fan of poetry or basketball to enjoy this year's Newbery Award winner - at least, I'm not either. The various styles of poetry are really well done, with some of them reading like you might hear at a poetry slam and mimicking the rhythm of dribbling a ball. I liked how basketball descriptions and definitions were incorporated into the text, and the family dynamics ring true. The style of writing also makes it very fast reading for those students coming in looking to read a Newbery award winner; recommended for fans of realistic and sports fiction. 4 stars.

>179 bell7: Oh, good to hear, Mary, thanks. I need a nudge on this one. That's a sport I like, too.

>180 jnwelch: hope you enjoy it, Joe! Glad I could give it a nudge for you.

I finished H2O last night and was very disappointed in it overall. I hand wrote my review to remember just how awful it was (it's not too often I stick with a terrible book and completely pan it), so I'll be typing that up one I'm in front of a computer and not trying to tap it out typoless on my kindle.

In happier news, I've started Cress and am enjoying it immensely so far.

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm working tomorrow, but still very excited that the weekend is nearly here.

I'm going into work a little later today to make up some extra time last week I was running a program. I have to write the abstract for a draft grant application due today and was so stressed about it earlier this week that I was dreaming about it... I've been reminding myself today and yesterday that this is just a draft already! Who cares if the abstract isn't perfect? I've got a month to rewrite it!

Anyway, I've been spending a lazy morning my last day petsitting, drinking coffee and catching up on threads. It's now time for me to be productive, finish packing to go home, and get myself to work.

Sorry about the disappointing book, Mary. You picked a good one to follow it with though - I loved Cress. Happy Friday to you!

>184 Crazymamie: Well, you know, they can't all be good! :)
Happy Friday to you & yours, and hope everyone's feeling better over the weekend.

Thanks for that - everyone is definitely on the mend, so it's all good!

19. H2O by Virginia Bergin
TIOLI: a title with letters/numbers but no words (my own, sadly)
2015 goal: none, because I've already read a book set in England

Fifteen years ago, an asteroid was headed to earth, but it was intercepted and blown up before it could do damage. Crisis averted - or so everyone thought, until particles infected with a superbug from outer space gets into the rain, infiltrating the water supply and killing humans on contact. Ruby, a fifteen-year-old living in Dartbridge, is one of the few survivors. This is her story.

I picked up the book because the cover is fantastic - H2O in big letters, with green/black rimmed holes in the dust jacket looking like the products of acid rain. I was intrigued by both the premise and setting, setting it apart from many of the teen dystopia/post-apocalyptic tales I've been reading over the past year. Unfortunately, the cover is the best part of the book. I found Ruby's voice extremely self-absorbed and annoying, and when there aren't very many other characters around, that's a problem. There are ALL CAPS and bold and sometimes BOTH in the text, just in case I couldn't figure out what should be emphasized - and just came across as a person trying just a little too hard to sound young and hip. Since her mom hated swearing (including "God") and to honor her memory, Ruby tells us she's going to use the image of a butterfly every time someone swears. This ended up being really clunky and distracting, because I sat there trying to figure out what the swear was supposed to be some of the time, and it would've been less jarring if the characters could just let one fly when appropriate. Then, Ruby herself makes some really stupid decisions that made me question how on earth she was one of the survivors, except by sheer dumb luck and the kindness of her stepfather. I mean, if I were one of the last people in town, why not raid a mall for some of the most impractical clothing and footwear, and then have a girls' night (with a stolen cute dog) after the electricity goes out, dying my hair red and fake-tanning myself orange? Add to this a few random plot jerks and - despite a quick read and conversational narration - almost nothing actually happening, and you have yourself a book I was looking forward to finishing just to write this review. If you want a teen/young adult post-crisis survival story, check out the Born Trilogy by Tara Brown instead. 1.5 stars.

Normally I don't finish a book I'm hating, but it was okay... slightly annoying, but moving fast enough... and I kept waiting for something to happen, and when I finally realized I wasn't going to like it any more than I did, I was past the Point of No Return (ie., about 2/3 of the way through and knew I could finish it that night) and figured I may as well review it.

>186 Crazymamie: glad to hear it! I'm coming down with a cold myself, so after I get out of work this afternoon, I think a nap is in order!

Oh, how I love a good nap! Hope that work goes quickly and that you get that nap in, Mary.

>189 Crazymamie: well, work did go quickly but it turned out to be one of those days where a nap sounds really good at the beginning but when I finally have time I don't feel tired at all. I finished Cress instead, and will post a review shortly.

20. Cress by Marissa Meyer

In the third book of the Lunar Chronicles, Cress - whom you may remember as the hacker on the satellite who contacts Cinder - makes a dash for freedom from the Lunar Thamauturge, Sybil, who has been keeping her imprisoned for years. If you thought this might sound just a tad like Rapunzel, well yes, it's supposed to. But it's also a story in its own right as Cress, who is a "shell" or a Lunar who does not have the ability to control other beings, throws in her lot with rebels Cinder aka Princess Selene the true heir to the Lunar throne, rogue Captain Carswell Thorne, Scarlet Benoit, and Wolf. Can they stop the wedding between Emperor Kai and Queen Levana before it's too late?

If you read any kind of fantasy/fairy tale retellings/futuristic young adult stories, you simply must try the first book in this series, Cinder. Basically, none of the later developments of the story will make sense otherwise, and oh is it so much fun watching how this series unfolds. Each story uses a well-known fairy tale as a starting off point, sometimes following closely, other times making references to it, and every now and then throwing in a completely unexpected turn. I really loved Scarlet, and Cress follows close behind. I'm really looking forward to seeing how everything comes together in Winter. 4.5 stars.

OH HURRAY, Winter is due out in November! *happy dance*
I've heard Fairest isn't as good, so I won't be rushing out to get that one, so this gives me a nice spread to the series.

February in review -
13. Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan
14. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - mine
15. Honeydew: stories by Edith Pearlman
16. Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
17. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
18. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
19. H2O by Virginia Bergin
20. Cress by Marissa Meyer

Books read: 8
Audiobooks listened to: 0
Graphic novels/Manga: 2
Picture books: 2
Adult/Teen/Children's: 5/2/1
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 7/1/0/0
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 7/1/0

Standouts: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Thoughts: I did not make my goal of reading 3 of my own books this month, though if I average it out with last month I'm still on target. Some books were fantasy and not really set anywhere, but the books that I did read were all set in places I'd already covered - England, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. No, I did not do that on purpose. Six out of the eight books I read were published in 2014. Huh. Eight books in February is pretty typical for me, so I'm not at all displeased with that total, and anticipate finishing my audiobook soon, so I'll have a quick start to March.

I am incredibly proud that I read Great Expectations, and that's just going to cover all my 2015 goals for the month. Oh, and I read two Newbery Award winners and honors - The Crossover and El Deafo, which were on the list this year. Still have to work on my authors, C.S. Lewis and Shakespeare, but I think the hardest goal to reach is going to turn out to be the settings of different U.S. states and countries.

Original book publication dates read year-to-date:

2015 - 2
2014 - 8
2013 - 1
2012 - 2
2010 - 1
2009 - 1
2005 - 1

1998 - 1
1969 - 1
1947 - 1

1861 - 1

>171 bell7: To be honest, I don't really remember the actual plot of Hard Times, only that I found his criticism of industrial society in the lower classes to be eye-opening.

>191 bell7: I loved Cinder, so I definitely need to read the rest of the series. Thanks for the reminder, Mary!

BTW - I read El Deafo on your recommendation recently and enjoyed it. Thank you for the recommendation!

>193 The_Hibernator: Ah okay, that's fair enough. I may try a reread of A Tale of Two Cities before tackling Hard Times, but I'll keep it on my radar. Thanks for the recommendation!

>194 alcottacre: Oh yes, I hope you do get back to the series soon, Stasia. The sequels were even better than the first, imo. Glad you enjoyed El Deafo!

21. Bossypants by Tina Fey - audio

In her hilarious memoir, Tina Fey recalls growing up in Pennsylvania, getting involved in summer theater, writing for and acting on Saturday Night Live and producing 30 Rock. In addition, we get a small glimpse into her personal life as she lets us in on her relationship with her father, her honeymoon cruise, and more all with a sense of the ridiculous and inequality.

Audiobooks read by the author are hit-or-miss, but with a comedian I think it's practically essential so that you get the delivery as well as the jokes. Having the actual audio from an SNL skit was a real bonus. The audio comes with a PDF that includes all the photos from the book - I peeked at the book on the library shelf, and can say what she decides to include is perfectly incorporated and visually funny to boot. Ms. Fey had me laughing out loud on my commute to work all week, and I'll have fun recommending it to patrons who enjoy humorous stories. 4 stars.

22. Marked by Sarah Fine

In a post-apocalyptic Boston, paramedic Cacia Ferry is the daughter of the powerful Charon, a man who helps those who have died reach their destiny of Heaven or Hell. All her siblings are in on the family business, working with beings called the Kere, who Mark those destined to die. When her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis, arrives from Pittsburgh, Cacy knows she has to keep her distance - but when her father dies, the balance between the Kere and the Ferrys is upset and she has to know what's going on. Is a rogue Ker out there, or is the lord of the Kere, Moros himself to blame? And why does Eli's sister Galena seem to be in the center of all of this?

To be honest, I picked up this book based on the fantasy/post-apocalyptic premise, and thought the emergency service work and location would put an interesting spin on things. In truth, this is much more of a romance with a bit of fantasy, so I personally could have done with a little more worldbuilding and a little less goo-goo eyes. But still, it is an interesting premise, and if I was wishing for more medical details than the patches Cacy and Eli put on patients before carting them off to the hospital, I was eventually swept into trying to figure out who was behind the unauthorized death and some details of the mythology were filled in, just later in the story than I expected. 3.5 stars.

I liked the worldbuilding in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Born of Night slightly better, and the writing itself on par with that. I haven't decided yet if I'll continue the series.

Yay for the Cinder series! Can't wait for Winter to show up (while at the same time I can't wait for winter to get lost).

I loved Bossypants, too, Mary. She is so smart and funny. I want to read Amy Poehler's at some point.

>194 alcottacre: I read Tale of Two Cities long before I was old enough to tolerate Dickens - or understand the philosophy of his books. Might re-read some day when I finish the others. It was kind of embarrassing not to remember the plot of Hard Times, but the funny thing is that when I tried to remind myself using book blurbs they didn't really say what the plot was! I'm sure if I looked hard enough, I could figure it out. But I finally decided that the point of the book must have been his message and not the plot.

>198 jnwelch: Ha! I'm totally there with you on Winter/winter. I am not sure if i want to read or listen to Yes, Please because I'm not really familiar with Amy Poehler. Maybe after I've seen some episodes of Parks and Rec?

>199 The_Hibernator: Rachel, it makes perfect sense to me that you would remember that theme over the plot. I read A Tale of Two Cities back in high school so I remember some really fuzzy things and in my mind it's very different from Dickens's other works, but at the time I hadn't really read enough of his books to compare.

23. Nest by Esther Ehrlich

Naomi, or Chirp as everyone calls her, is an eleven-year-old living on the Cape with her sister Rachel and her parents in the 1970s. She loves to dance and to watch birds, and is generally an average girl though she stands out a bit in the community for being Jewish. Her mom, a dancer, has been having some leg trouble, and Chirp is worried about her - what will happen if her mom can't dance anymore? Can she keep her mother's spirits up?

I'm having trouble thinking of exactly how to describe this story. In some ways it was very quiet and understated. Most of the "action" is the interaction between characters: Chirp and her family, Joey the neighbor kid with whom she becomes friends, her teacher at school who seems doomed to misinterpret everything she does. Chirp is a great character and her voice is genuine, not sounding too smart or too young to my ear. I loved the details about the Cape and birdwatching. Adults reading the text will recognize more than children might - like the boy with OCD or the girl who isn't great with social cues. I can't quite put my finger on what didn't make it a perfect/excellent read for me, either. Maybe it was the way that the ending didn't quite resolve some things I hoped to see change. I know it's like real life, but I like more closure than that. Maybe it's that she and her friend just had to run away to Boston towards the end, and it felt like a classic story trope of trying to escape your problems and then returning home. Maybe it's just that I read it in a day when I was sick and grumpy so no matter what I read, I was going to find something to nitpick. 4 stars.

This was not really on my radar until one of my co-workers told me that one of our town's school librarians had pegged this as a Newbery award contender. It didn't get an award or honor, but I do see the potential merit there.

>201 bell7: My opinion of that book was the same as yours: good, but not great. I agree, it felt like there was something lacking.

>202 foggidawn: Glad to know I'm not the only one who felt that way! I was talking with my co-worker today, and she had a slightly mixed reaction too. We were talking about the completely different way an adult would react to the book than a child, because there are things that are clear now that would've gone over our heads as young readers.

>200 bell7: Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are hilarious together, including being the best award show hosts ever, as far as I'm concerned (and I like Neil Patrick Harris). Amy P's excellent on Parks and Rec, and you also might try to find the two of them on Youtube. Fey as Sarah Palin and Poehler as Hilary Clinton and Katie Couric are a stitch.

>204 jnwelch: Oh good point, I'll make sure to look up the sketches on YouTube. Thanks!

Not much to report on the reading front, I'm afraid.

I'm mostly focusing on Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, and must say I'm enjoying it immensely as an interesting blend of young adult fantasy and dystopia. Sort of like The Selection, but with more meat to the world and the characters. Bonus: the author happens to be from a small town near me! I won't have a lot of reading time over the weekend, as I have a wake and funeral to go to, so probably before I finish this book I'll have to start on Irreplaceable for my book group.

I decided it's time for a new thread. Hope you'll join me over there!