DorsVenabili (Kerri) Reads 75 in 2015 (Part 3)

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Welcome to thread 3! I think I'm having some junk drawer problems, because I can't get the images to show up. I'll wait a bit and see what happens. Weird.

Hmm.........I can see all images except the ones in the first post. Odd. There is just blank space, not even a broken picture symbol.

Happy new thread, Kerri! Like Jenny, I can see everything except the topper.

Same with me, Kerri! Perhaps I can not see it for all the snow coming down. I'll check back when you've shoveled out the topper ;0)

>5 lunacat:, >6 Crazymamie:, >7 Carmenere: It's weird. I just sent a message to an LT person (hopefully the right one). Is anyone else having trouble with their junk drawers? I can't see any of my images in the junk drawer.

I just checked, and I can see the images in my junk drawer just fine.

None of my junk drawer images are showing, either. The member gallery ones are just fine, though.

And congrats on the new thread, and another Kim Deal topper! Not that I can see it but I bet it's great. :-)

Edited to add: Although the images don't appear when I look at my junk drawer, when I went to a thread where I had posted several of them they DO show up there. So, I dunno. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

>9 Crazymamie: Hrm. That's interesting. Mine still won't show.

>10 rosalita: My member gallery is ok too. Although, I tried to add a photo to it and the photo doesn't show.

What is the correct procedure to report a problem? I sent PMs to Tim Spalding and some other guy, and haven't heard anything, but is there a thread or something?

Happy new thread, Kerri!

I think I can see all your pictures if it is only 3 pictures of Kim as your topper?

Happy New thread, Kerri!

Checking in on the new thread, Kerri!

I can see the thread topper photos now, too! I am betting your problem got fixed, Kerri!

Hi Kerri - I can see your images. Happy New Thread. We have junk drawer?

Happy new thread! Nice thread topper pictures.

Happy New Thread, Kerri! And hooray to more Kim Deal! I hope you are having a nice weekend. It was a bitter one out there today. Ugh!

Happy new thread, Kerri! Going back to your last one, the Rachel Cusk book I own but haven't read is Arlington Park. Perhaps you'll goad me into finally picking it up!

Ahh, the topper looks great! Kim was born the same year as moi. I guess she got all the cool, leaving me nada :0(
Hope you had a great day!

>11 DorsVenabili: There appears to be a related bug report here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/187918#

I can also see your Kim Deal toppers now, but the pics in my junk drawer are still MIA. Others in that thread I linked are having trouble with their member gallery pics as well, but mine are all showing OK.

Happy new thread Kerri! Going back to your last thread, I haven't read anything by Rachel Cusk or heard of her until recently but Outline just got shortlisted for the Folio Prize so someone thinks it's good. Will be interested in your thoughts.

>12 jolerie: Thanks! Yep. Problem solved!

>13 connie53: Thank you!

>14 alcottacre: Thank you!

>15 Crazymamie: Looks good up there now!

>16 BLBera: Thanks! Yes. It's where you can store photos that only you can see, but then you can link to them. If you go to your Member Gallery, there's a link to the Junk Drawer there.

>17 banjo123: Thanks! Kim through the ages!

>18 msf59: Thanks! Having a nice weekend. I was out in the cold briefly yesterday and it was brutal! Yuck.

>19 katiekrug: Thanks! I have the audiobook of Arlington Park and hope to get to it eventually, but I think I'll look into Outline first, since it's getting such high praise.

>20 Carmenere: Not true! You are cool too! :-)

>21 rosalita: Thanks for the link! I suspected I should have gone to the bug thread (makes sense!), but I wasn't sure. :-| Oh, well. Hopefully yours are back by now.

>22 souloftherose: Thanks! I saw that about the Folio Prize - very cool! I will read it this year, and keep you posted. Also, I think you'd like The Country Life. We love our middle-brow novels! Right or wrong?! :-)

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Hoping to finish up Aquamarine this morning and then to post some comments on it. I also hear that someone is making me a Greek omelet, so that's a plus! Hanging out with a friend this evening. May see a movie, but I'm not sure yet. And I'm off tomorrow for the holiday and then back to the grind on Tuesday. It's been a lovely vacation! Yay!

Have a great day, Kerri. Stay warm!

>24 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I will try, although I'll be going out in it shortly. :-(

Very Brief Book Comments:



Title: Aquamarine
Author: Carol Anshaw
Rating (Out of 5 Stars): ★★★★
Genre: Literary Fiction
Year Published: 1992
Format: Print Book
Source: Library Check-out
Commitment: BTQ Book Group

I thoroughly enjoyed this smart, well-constructed, warm, and occasionally witty novel that looks at three different versions of Olympic silver medalist Jesse Austin's life, based on three different choices made at one pivotal point.

It contains lots of sharp and insightful observations about the nature of love, attraction, regret, and obsession, while avoiding the sentimentalism that often taints projects like this. Anshaw pays close attention to detail in her construction of the three alternate life paths and does a wonderful job of showing the ways in which memories are influenced by life experiences, and vice versa. Very good! I recommend it to my LT friends, and sort of wonder why I'd never heard of it before.

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Next Up:



I plan to start Boneshaker (print book, library check-out) for my sci-fi book club that will meet on Saturday.

Also, Geezer photo that Joe took this morning. It's too cute not to share:

Geezer has a very clever look in his eyes there! Beautiful dog.

Love the carpet too!

Cute Geezer pic!

I will have to look for aquamarine.

Geezer is so cute. I'm off to look for Aquamarine - sounds great. I just finished one that I loved, as well.

I'm eager to see what you think of Boneshaker. I've heard good things about it.

Yay for more Geezer! I'm not sure what the look in his eye is ... is he plotting something?

Aquamarine sounds really interesting. Will add it to the To Borrow list.

My junk drawer photos are still not showing, but I'm not going to worry about it for now. Tim said in the bug thread that they are getting new servers in March, so hopefully that will fix it.

Ohmygoodness, that Geezer. Please to give him a squeeze for me?

>28 connie53: Clever. Hmmm. Maybe not quite. :-)

>29 banjo123: Thanks! Yes, I think you would like Aquamarine. I don't want to say that I was pleasantly surprised, because I didn't think it would be awful, but it was a very good read. I'm impressed.

>30 BLBera: I think you would like it too! I will stop by later today to see your book comments.

>31 The_Hibernator: I read a few chapters yesterday, and so far, so good!

>32 rosalita: is he plotting something?
Ha! Doubtful...but maybe I don't give him enough credit. :-)

I think you would like Aquamarine too!

That stinks regarding your junk drawer. Did you let them know? I was under the impression that the problem was temporarily solved, in addition to the new servers next month.

>33 scaifea: Isn't he something? I will do that!

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Last day of vacation, and I'm hoping to read a big chunk of Boneshaker today. Lots of pages, but a fast read, so I'm hopeful.

Happy Monday, Kerri! Good review of Aquamarine. Sounds good.

It looks like we will be both power-reading Boneshaker. I read 50 pages yesterday and I am enjoying it.

Have a great last day of vacay!

Hi Kerri - I was thinking of you when I saw that the second book in The Bone Season series is out. You like fantasy, right? Have you heard/read this one? I haven't seen much about it here. It was a strange book and I would like to see others' comments on it. I heard about it originally on NPR, which gave it a rave review.

My library does not have Aquamarine, so I will search for it elsewhere.

My diverse reading should include some science fiction soon, right? :)

>34 DorsVenabili: Well, the bug report was closed as "fixed". No one else has posted that they are still having problems so maybe it's just me. I'll wait until March and see if it gets better. It's not like I have a great need for the junk drawer, since I don't have a thread.

>35 msf59: My power-reading isn't going as well as I'd hoped. I'm feeling a bit blah and unfocused today. I think it's that last day of vacation feeling. But I will try to get back on the horse momentarily! The day is still young!

>36 BLBera: You like fantasy, right?
Well...that's an interesting question. I want to like fantasy, but I think my liking it tends to be more of the exception than the rule. So, I really like Game of Thrones, but I can't really think of anything else. I don't much like the following things that come up in fantasy a lot: elaborate quest journeys, magic, paranormal activity. I can take the bit of magic in Game of Thrones, because everything centers around political intrigue mostly, and I like that. And I guess dragons are ok. I tolerate them. And I know there are other kinds of fantasy, like urban fantasy, but I haven't explored that much. Was that more than what you asked for? :-)

Darn! If I had a copy of Aquamarine, I'd send it to you, but it was a library check-out and they probably wouldn't appreciate that.

And you could read sci-fi by authors from diverse backgrounds! I could help you with that!

>37 rosalita: If you're ok with it, than I suppose I'm ok with it. But I'll gladly yell at someone for you, if you want. :-)

>37 rosalita:, >38 DorsVenabili: - If there is any yelling to be done, I want in! I don't care at whom or about what I am yelling....

>39 katiekrug: Ha! And you're quite good at it too. :-)

I tend to excel when yelling at morons, but I do decently with just about anyone...

Kerri - I thought of you when I read The Bone Season; it sounds like it might be the kind of fantasy that you would like. No magic, although it does include people with different psychic abilities who are persecuted. It takes place in a Great Britain of the future, which is basically a police state. Maybe I'm misuing "fantasy." Anyway, the second one is out, and I was just thinking about the first again. I didn't really see comments about it around here.

Yes, the library would probably frown on your sending Aquamarine to Minnesota. I'll find a cheap copy somewhere. And it's not like I don't have anything to read.

>38 DorsVenabili: & >39 katiekrug: It's good to know I have two yelling ladies in my corner!

>41 katiekrug: Well, yes. We must do what we must do when we must do it. Right or wrong? :-)

>42 BLBera: I will keep that in mind. I saw the supernatural and paranormal tags and was frightened off a bit, but I will open my heart and mind to this idea. Also, now that I think of it, I may have been intrigued by it when you read the first one, but I can't remember.

Yes, the library would probably frown on your sending Aquamarine to Minnesota.
Right. And considering my contentious relationship with the library director (ha!), I should probably try to behave as best I can.

>43 rosalita: Always, Julia. Always. :-)

Hey Kerri - I had to look back at my comments from my 2013 thread and this is what I said about it: The Bone Season is the first in a projected series of seven novels. I've heard this compared to Harry Potter (NPR). I've also seen it described as a young adult novel, but I think this is an adult novel. Fantasy isn't usually my cup of tea, but this one kept me turning the pages. The protagonist, Paige Mahoney, is a fighter, and I was pulling for her throughout. The world Shannon has created is intricate and detailed. Yet, most of the time I could follow along.

It's 2059 and England has been under Scion rule for 200 years. Any sixth sense is illegal, and voyants, as people with any kind of special ability are called, are imprisoned or executed. Paige is a dream walker -- she can get into people's minds. She is captured and taken to a secret prison city, Oxford. There she finds that an alien race, the Rephaim is pulling the strings of the Scion government.

I didn't feel there was too much supernatural other than the sixth sense stuff. It was quite odd -- NOT Harry Potterish at all, much darker. I would like to see what fantasy aficionados think of it... Anyway, I'll try the second one. The problem with a series like this is by the time the new one comes out, I've forgotten what happened in previous ones.

Well, I did take your (implied) advice and post in the bug thread that I was still not seeing my junk-drawer pictures, although I did not re-open the bug. Tim responded pretty quickly to say that he was going to have Seth look into it further, so ... yeah. We'll see.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

How did the reading go, Kerri? Did you ever find a rhythm? I am almost halfway done with Boneshaker. It's been a good read so far, nothing mind-blowing but pretty solid.

>45 BLBera: That does sound interesting. The sixth sense stuff doesn't bother me that much - it's mostly ghosts and similar things that tend to annoy (not scare) me. I put it on my audiobook wishlist. Of course, I'm definitely not a fantasy aficionado, but it sounds more sci-fi/dystopia to me. I like the alien thing too.

>46 rosalita: Oh, good! I'm hoping you get it solved. You really never know when you'll need a silly picture from your junk drawer, you know?!

>47 msf59: Oh, good grief. My reading day yesterday was a total failure, but I did get to page 106 this morning, so I think I'll be fine. I'm liking it so far. Cool premise. And I like how the font is brown in the print edition. It's the little things. Ha!

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Back to work today! Ugh.

Other than Boneshaker, which I'm enjoying, I'm back to The Likeness again and will hopefully finish it in the next couple days.

I will hopefully visit a few threads at lunch, if possible.

And I have a Kim Deal-related GIF and video to post momentarily, so try to contain your excitement, Everybody.

This didn't make my list up there, but I do want to share. It's Kim Deal singing back-up vocals on a Sonic Youth song. Please enjoy this bizarre song and video.

And on a totally frivolous note, I want to go back to 1995 and steal that button-down orange shirt that Kim is wearing towards the middle/end.

Here you go: "Little Trouble Girl" by Sonic Youth.

Hi Kerri,
Sorry I've been so awol of late, I even got confused about your vacation. Oh well. I hope it was good.

Kim Deal is a perfect third installment in your BAWoR15 series. And >27 DorsVenabili: is indeed too cute not to post.

I'll be interested in how Boneshaker lands on you. I read it a while back and thought it was pretty fun for vaguely YA steampunk. I got irritated with the inaccuracies of the Seattle topography, but that won't bother most people. The story was enjoyable.

I read Brideshead Revisited at your (and others') encouraging. I can't give a good comparative opinion, not yet having read any of his other works, but I can say that I'm glad I read this one. Nick, my book-buying buddy at the U Bookstore, says you can tell when Waugh "became Catholic" during the writing of this one. I haven't yet read anything much about the author, but I did sense a shift in energy about 2/3 of the way through. But I love the wry irony and the not-so-subtle homoerotic theme throughout.

I hope your week is off to a good start. I'll be in Chicago Saturday, March 28, hoping to organize a meet-up. It sounds like Joe may be in NY that weekend, and I haven't yet checked in with Mark. Might you be around that weekend?

Sending you some sunshine as you go back to work. I'm "back to work" as well after a wonderful long weekend. They are never long enough. I'm sure vacation falls under the same category! ;)

>23 DorsVenabili: 'We love our middle-brow novels! Right or wrong?!'

Right! I also just realised that Rachel Cusk contributed to a short story collection I own but haven't read so I will check that out soonish.

>27 DorsVenabili: Geezer is such a cutie!

>48 DorsVenabili: 'Back to work today! Ugh.'

Ugh. Sorry.

>50 EBT1002: The vacation was relaxing, yet uneventful, which is fine! No problem on the confusion. I was just joking. You're typically a top-notch thread guest in terms of careful reading and I do understand you're busy. :-) I have not been a spectacular thread-visitor lately, but I'll drop by yours today.

Boneshaker is my first steampunk novel and so far, so good. I worry I'll grow tired of the constant action/adventure scenes, because that's not really my thing, but it's well-written and the characters are interesting. I do remember your inaccurate topography-induced angst, and I'm glad I'm less familiar, because it would probably bother me too.

Brideshead Revisited is the only Waugh I've read too. It's been a while since I've read it, but I remember experiencing it as an incredibly sincere novel. I do know about the Catholic conversion thing, and I get that that subtext doesn't always sit well with everyone. I really can't say that it was problematic for me, to be honest.

I think Saturday the 28th is good! I just have to make sure that I'm not forgetting anything, so I should know for sure by the end of the day.

>51 jolerie: Thank you for the sunshine! I'm feeling better today. I think I just had that last day of vacation blues yesterday, which I also get on typical Sundays around 4pm. Ha!

>52 souloftherose: I also just realised that Rachel Cusk contributed to a short story collection
Oh! that's interesting. I'll have to look that up. Not that I typically enjoy short stories, but it would be interesting to see who else is included with her, especially if it's a themed collection, as it might give me other author ideas.

I'll tell Geezer you said so. :-)

Happy new thread, Kerri! I join the others in looking forward to seeing what you think of Boneshaker.

re the women in rock reading - trying to come up with some more titles. Janis Ian put out a bio a while back that I wanted to get to (but this is a rather loose definition of 'rock' I'm using here!). Different for girls Louise Wener and Bedsit Disco Queen also sound interesting.

Morning Kerri! If you are working in the city, I wish you warm thoughts on your walk to the train. This is ridiculous!

I have about 100 pages left in Boneshaker. I like it...

>54 lkernagh: Thanks! I am admiring and enjoying it for being a very high-quality specimen of something I don't typically enjoy - an action-adventure novel. And I do like the steampunk and alternate history elements. Or is steampunk always alternate history? I'm not sure. I plan to look at the steampunk Wikipedia page, to get some background before bookclub, so I can avoid saying something stupid. Ha!

>55 charl08: OMG! We should totally do a theme month. Would you be interested!? May, August, or September would work for me, and I could organize it. I like your suggestions. Mine are below. You're probably going to think I'm nuts, but this was easy to compile, because I got most of them from my friend Miranda's Goodreads To-Read list. This woman loves her rock books.

• Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon (Obviously, this is the one that sparked the conversation.)
• Rat Girl by Kristin Hersh (Very high on my TBR pile!)
• Just Kids by Patti Smith
• Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD by Martin Aston (This is about a label that had several big female bands on it, so it sort of works)
• The Riot Grrrl Collection by Lisa Darms
• Women Who Dared: Trailblazing 20th Century Musicians by Susan Fleet
• Between a Heart and a Rock Place by Pat Benatar
• Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter by Randy L. Schmidt
• The Lost Women of Rock Music: Female Musicians of the Punk Era by Helen Reddington
• Drugs are Nice: A Post-Punk Memoir by Lisa Crystal Carver
• Queens of Noise: The Real Story of the Runaways by Evelyn McDonnell
• Neon Angel by Cherie Currie
• When I Grow up: A Memoir by Juliana Hatfield
• Typical Girls?: The Story of the Slits by Zoë Street Howe
• Black By Design: A 2-Tone Memoir by Pauline Black
• Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness by Ronnie Spector
• Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love by Courtney Love
• Somebody to Love?: A Rock-and-Roll Memoir by Grace Slick
• Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro by Michele Kort
• A Natural Woman: A Memoir by Carole King

>56 msf59: Yes, I had to go downtown today. Boo! They've closed the office for milder temperatures, so I'm not sure about the logic here, but I survived. I feel so sorry for you! Please avoid frostbite!

I have about 100 pages in Boneshaker too! I'll probably finish it up this evening.

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I finished up The Likeness this morning! Yay! I'll try to write some brief comments at lunch. So, now, I'm really going to start the Steve Earle novel. It will be the first time I've downloaded an audiobook from my library system. I have to use my phone, because my iPod is apparently too old. And my phone has a terrible battery life, so we'll see how this goes. I guess the other option is to use my Kindle Fire, but I know the volume is very low on it, and I don't think I'd be able to hear it when walking in traffic.

The other book news is that I dropped some of my commitments above (>3 DorsVenabili:). I think I had a bit too much going on up there. Here are the ones I dropped:
• The Virago Group theme reads - I do have Viragos in my ongoing category rotation, so I'll try to plop them in when I can, but I don't know if I'll get to all 7 in the theme read.
• A couple more AAC authors that I'm not wildly thrilled about - Louise Erdrich and Flannery O' Connor
• Postmodern August - I mean, really. I cannot see this as being popular, and I don't think I have it in me to organize this particular theme. However, I do hope to get to some of those selections this year anyway.

Of course (and this is quite funny), I'm now apparently trying to get together a Women of Rock Memoir/Biography theme month, so clearly I never learn!

More books about women musicians:

Ones I've read

Different for Girls - Louise Wener - memoir of the author's days in Sleeper - interesting and I'm not at all familiar with the music
Scars of Sweet Paradise (Janis Joplin) - Alice Echols - I think this is one of the best music bios I've read
Faithfull - Marianne Faithfull
Bloody Mary: My Story - Mary Coughlan
Bedsit Disco Queen - Tracy Thorne

One I bought last year and want to read

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys - Viv Albertine - memoir by one of the punk band the Slits

One of many I bought ages ago (8 or 9 years?) and want to read

Dream a Little Dream of Me (Mama Cass - Eddie Fiegel

I also have Music as one of my Collections - 79 books that I've added to the collection

>58 elkiedee: Wow! Thanks! Charlotte mentioned Different for Girls and Bedsit Disco Queen too. I will check out your music collection as well. Would you do a theme read, if I organized it? I really have no idea if this would be very interesting to most LT people. I'm thinking perhaps not, but you never know...

Brief Book Comments:



Title: The Likeness
Author: Tana French
Rating (Out of 5 Stars): ★★★½
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Year Published: 2008
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library Check-out
Commitment: None

I have it in my head that mysteries should be about 240 pages long (or whatever the audiobook equivalent to that is), so my first reaction when presented with a Tana French novel is to get a bit cranky about the length. But then it occurred to me this morning that the greatest strengths of her novels are the character development and the relationships she builds between the characters, and she probably couldn't do that and a solid mystery in half as many pages. And actually, I never feel like she's dragging out scenes, or unnecessarily going on and on, so I've decided I won't complain about this issue anymore (please remind me of this statement if I start doing it again.)

I know many people feel this novel's preposterous premise prevents them from completely embracing the story, and I get that (it is completely ridiculous!), but I was able to buy in and enjoy the journey. And I love detective Maddox! And I think the individuals in the house and the slightly creepy community they've built are fascinating too. I docked this one a bit though, because the actual mystery fell a little flat in the end. That being said, this is certainly the mystery series I'm most enthusiastic about right now, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Side question: Cannot Cassie find a more exciting boyfriend? (Sorry Sam.) What is up with that? I'd rather chat with a loaf of bread.

>57 DorsVenabili: >58 elkiedee: >59 DorsVenabili: This all sounds good to me. Later in the year will give me a chance to work out what my library does (and doesn't have). I'd definitely like to know more about Carole King and Janis Joplin so those ideas particularly appeal (although they all do, really :-).

I'd like to, but I'm worried about saying I'll do something and not managing it for some reason.

I'd quite like to read the Carole King bio, I've been intrigued by a programme about her which BBC 4 keeps repeating.

>57 DorsVenabili: Juliana Hatfield has a memoir!!! I need to get out more. And while I am out, I need to get this book :)

Cool new thread, loving the Kim Deal love that still abounds.

How is Boneshaker going? I tried it, but couldn't handle the otherworldliness of it all. I am a literal literature lover....unless my disbelief can be suspended that is. Which takes a lot.

Lol re Cassie & Sam!!

I'm catching up on your not-so-new thread anymore. I went through a period in the 1990s where I read a lot of books on musicians. I haven't done that so much lately.

>60 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri. Due to your comment on the Tana French books, I searched my LT lists and discovered I had read 4 of her books in 2013. All books got **** from me. And I read them in 14 days one after another.

Hello, Kerri. Happy Friday! Stopping in to catch up with you. I really liked Boneshaker, and I think that steampunk is always alternate history, at least every one that I have read has been. And glad you finally got to finish up The Likeness - I need to get to that one. I loved the first book, and I have the second and third on my shelves, but I just have not gotten to them yet. Hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous.

>61 charl08: and >62 elkiedee: Ok - Maybe I'll ask at the end of this message to see if anyone else is interested. While I probably wouldn't get to them all, my favorites from the list are, in order of interest:

• Rat Girl by Kristin Hersh
• Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon
• Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD by Martin Aston
• Neon Angel by Cherie Currie
• Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love by Courtney Love (Despite not being a huge fan of her music, I find Courtney Love somewhat fascinating and I like to think it's not just in a train-wreck kind of way, but I suppose one never knows...)

>63 LovingLit: Juliana Hatfield has a memoir!!!
Yes, she does! And I know it's in my house, because Joe LOVES her and has read it. We are actually going to see her in a couple weeks. I must admit, I'm not a huge fan, but I bought myself a ticket when it was announced that one of my favorite local bands - Frisbie - is opening up, so it should be fun.

Cool new thread, loving the Kim Deal love that still abounds.
Yep. And, dang! People are missing out by not clicking on that Sonic Youth video in >49 DorsVenabili:. :-)

I liked Boneshaker! Definitely other-worldly, so if that's not your thing, it's probably not a good fit. :-(

>64 lauralkeet: It's the truth though, right?! :-)

>65 thornton37814: I used to read more musician memoirs and biographies too. I still watch tons of documentaries, but haven't been reading as many books on the subject, but maybe that will change!

>66 connie53: Four Tana French novels in 14 days!? Wow! That's impressive! I do mysteries via audiobook, so that takes even longer, just because of available audiobook time.

>67 Crazymamie: ...I think that steampunk is always alternate history...
That would make sense, since it's always in a certain time period (Victorian or Wild West, I think), but adds all those extra elements. And I thought the Civil War storyline in Boneshaker was interesting, and wish I had a little more info on it, but maybe that is addressed in the next books in the series.

I really enjoyed The Likeness. And while I've heard more praise for the other books in that series, The Likeness actually has the highest ratings on both LT and Goodreads, so that's something, I suppose. However, I definitely liked the first book better.

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I started Far From You by Tess Sharpe (print book, library check-out) this morning for a Goodreads group read. It's YA, so outside my comfort zone, but it's good so far, I must admit. And there's a mystery/crime element as well, so that helps.

I finished Boneshaker this morning and will post some comments at lunch, if I have time.

Also, is anyone else interested in the Women of Rock Memoir/Biography theme month I talk about in >57 DorsVenabili:? Please let me know, as I'm trying to gauge interest. I'm thinking August or September.

>68 DorsVenabili:: I read Far from You a few weeks ago, one of my stack of review books - review still to be written, but I thought it was quite good.

Far From You is going on my to borrow from the library list! Thanks Kerri. :)

I loved In the Woods but even though The Likeness has been on my shelf for years I have hesitated to pick it up precisely because of the preposterous premise. I'm encouraged to hear that you were able to buy in and enjoy it.

One of these days . . . maybe . . .

>69 elkiedee: Oh, good! I look forward to your review, when you post or link to it. I read a bit more at lunch and it's very good!

>70 jolerie: I hope you like it! I'm only about 50 pages in, but I'm enjoying it so far, and it seems to be highly regarded, for the most part.

>71 SuziQoregon: I was reluctant too, for the same reason (...and the length), but it really is good! And I can be hard to convince, so if I was on board, maybe there's hope for others? Ha!

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I'm hanging out in the office for a bit, before I go to book club, where Carol Anshaw will be speaking! How exciting!

I have some book comments to post, and then I'll visit a few threads. Happy weekend!

Brief Book Comments:



Title: Boneshaker
Author: Cherie Priest
Rating (Out of 5 Stars): ★★★¾
Genre: Steampunk
Year Published: 2009
Format: Print Book
Source: Library Check-out
Commitment: Real Life Sci-Fi Book Club

This engaging steampunk novel takes place in mid-to-late 19th century Seattle after a gigantic machine called the Boneshaker ravages the underground portions of the city, resulting in a poisonous gas leak that causes both a zombie and a drug epidemic. Basically, this is a non-stop action-adventure story that has Briar Wilkes searching for her teenage son Zeke within the walled off city, as Zeke seeks the truth about his father (who happens to be Leviticus Blue, the inventor of the Boneshaker.) I'm honestly not a huge fan of action-adventure stuff and usually find it a bit nerve-racking, but this novel is oddly sweet and hopeful as well, particularly in its depiction of the dilapidated and dangerous city's residents (well...the non-evil ones), who band together and look out for each other, as well as strangers in need. I'm not sure I've ever come across so many genuinely nice, yet also believable, humans in one novel! There's a lot more going on too, but warm and fuzzy was my major takeaway for some reason, and I see that as a positive. Recommended.

>57 DorsVenabili: I like the idea of a Women in Rock Reading Month. I'll be keeping an eye out for further developments.

>60 DorsVenabili: Yay, you finished The Likeness! I think your review is excellent and touches on all the things (good and bad) that I found in the novel as well. Except for the whole "mysteries should be 240 pages" thing — that's just weird. :p

>73 DorsVenabili: I'm pretty sure I've never read any steampunk, and I have only the very vaguest idea of what that actually is (I've actually read the Wikipedia page and am still fuzzy; I think it's one of those "you'll know it when you read it" things, maybe). Boneshaker sounds pretty good, honestly. I may have to look for that one at the library.

I hope you're enjoying your RL book club and author speaking tonight, and that it's the kickoff to a great weekend!

I agree, the length of Tana French's books scare me. I'm not sure I have definite idea as to how long a mystery book should be, but most of the time when a book is much longer then say 400 pages or so , I'm afraid to commit to quickly. Thus I've not read a Tana French as yet. Must look into that! ;)

>73 DorsVenabili:, >74 rosalita: I *love* Boneshaker and the rest of the stories in that series. If you're interested in more steampunk, I can make some suggestions.

>68 DorsVenabili: It was in the summer and I just had surgery on my knee. So I was not able to move around much. And it was summer break at the school I work at. The only thing I could do was sitting in the garden and read.

Hi Kerri - I read the Carole King memoir last year, I think, and I really liked it. I also have Just Kids on my shelves. Who knew there were so many women rock bios? I might be willing to pick up one...

I reserved In the Woods, as per your instructions about starting with the first one. It should be available soon... Your description of Boneshaker sounds good, but I've never gotten into the zombie thing...Maybe it's time to branch out; I've been wanting to try steampunk.

I'll be interested in your comments on Far From You.

Big weekend plans? Have a good one.

>73 DorsVenabili: Intriguing review of Boneshaker, Kerri. I'm not much of a steam punk fan (other than liking the costumes and gear), and I've had enough zombies for a lifetime. But you make this one sound appealing.

>74 rosalita: I hope you join the women of rock thing! I think I'll do it in September, and we can branch out to all women in music too, if that expands the body of participants. Yay!

My rigid page count comment didn't make much sense, did it? Ha! (This is the problem with quickly spitting out book comments and not sitting on them for a day.) But really, I don't think mysteries should be doorstoppers. I stand by that, although I will always tolerate the Tana French stuff as long she keeps cranking out high-quality stuff. :-)

I'm not sure you'd like Boneshaker, but one never knows. You don't do tons of speculative fiction, if I'm not mistaken, right?

I'll speak a bit about last night below. There's a bit of "grrr" involved.

>75 vancouverdeb: Oh, my gosh, Deb! Nice to see you! If I remember your tastes correctly, I think you would like Tana French. Although, it's always good to keep in mind that I tend to be rather terrible when it comes to recommending the right books to the right people. Ha!

>76 drneutron: Sure - I would welcome that! Do you know of any that are a bit less action-oriented?

>77 connie53: Well, that makes sense! And sounds lovely, if not for the knee surgery bit. :-(

>78 BLBera: Very cool, regarding the Carol King memoir! I hope you join us in September! I'd like to read (or listen to) Just Kids too, even though I'm not big into Patti Smith.

Looking forward to your comments on In the Woods! And thank you for doing it correctly. :-)

Big weekend plans?
We do have sci-fi book club tonight, but that's about it. Sunday will be reading and relaxing day.

>79 jnwelch: Joe - you haven't forgotten me! :-) This was my first steampunk, and I wouldn't say I now have the steampunk bug, but I enjoyed the setting just fine.

>78 BLBera: and >79 jnwelch: Regarding zombies, I'm not a lifelong fan, or particularly into them, but I do watch The Walking Dead religiously, and enjoyed Zone One. I've also always wanted to watch the George A. Romero movies, because I've heard about the class struggle subtext, and that's always interested me.

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So, last night I went to my Bi/Trans/Queer book club. We had eight people and that's a good number and the discussion was good (I may talk about the discussion when I have more time.) However, Carol Anshaw (the author) was not there. Gah!!!! I don't know if this was a case of illness, traffic, weather, etc., or if a ball was dropped somewhere along the way by the organizer. I sort of slid in right when it started and didn't get to ask, but I'll have to find out. I have decided, however, to stop going to the group for now, for the reasons I've stated before - long trek, on Friday nights, not thrilled with the book selections, not quite as interested in reading the trans stuff on a regular basis, lack of alcohol and cupcakes, etc.

Something very good did come out of last night though. I spoke with a participant about an interesting book reviewing opportunity, so if it happens I'll link to the stuff. It depends on whether she likes my Booklist stuff, and from my end, if I can focus on the bi stuff they get. I'm pretty sure that's what she has in mind, but I'm not positive.

And tonight is Sci-Fi Book Club at my house, where we will discuss Boneshaker! Hoping for about 8 people. No one has cancelled yet, so I'm hopeful!

Off to clean the house, but may be back later to visit threads, if time allows. I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday!

>80 DorsVenabili: hmmm, looking over my books tagged steampunk... Less action may be an issue since steampunk is usually action oriented. But take a look at

Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti or The Anubis Gates

More action oriented is
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack and sequels
Leviathan and sequels
Soulless and sequels

>80 DorsVenabili: You don't do tons of speculative fiction, if I'm not mistaken, right?

I don't think I read a lot of speculative fiction, although again I'm a little iffy on definitions. Are we talking about stuff like 11/22/63, with its alternative scenario to JFK's assassination? What about His Majesty's Dragon, which is a very realistic series about the Napoleonic wars, except with dragons? Or the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (although I actually don't much like those, come to think of it).

I see our library has Boneshaker as an e-book so I may check it out one of these days and find out for myself.

>81 drneutron: Thank you! I will check into those. I think a couple of them were mentioned last night at book club.

>82 rosalita: I think all that fits. The definition from Wikipedia is "a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements." Maybe you would enjoy it then. Boneshaker does have some interesting alternative history elements going on, but I wish the author had delved into them a bit more, although I guess another book in the series focuses on the U.S. Civil War issue, which in this universe lasts for 16 years.

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Book club last night was a success and lots of fun! We had nine people! I'm not sure Boneshaker lends itself to as much deep analysis as Ancillary Justice (Ok, I'm sure it doesn't), but we had some good discussion, before going completely off-topic.

Also, I forgot to mention that I'm enjoying the audiobook of I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive by Steve Earle. I'm at the half-way point. He's a good writer. I'm impressed. And the story involves the ghost of Hank Williams I, which would typically annoy me (not fond of ghosts), but this is working for some reason. Steve Earle reads the audiobook too and does a great job.

I'm off to read and drink coffee, but will definitely visit some threads this afternoon. I know I'm terribly behind, as usual.

Happy Sunday, Kerri! Thanks for hosting the Book Club again. I had a nice time. I ended up, meeting Sue, Bree and her boyfriend afterwards. First at, Urban Legend and then the Tap House Grill. I didn't get home until after midnight, which is pretty late for me.

I might have to look into that Earle book...

Morning, Kerri! Sounds like book club was a success. Hooray for that!

Hi Kerri - Hooray for a successful book club. What are you reading next for that one? Have a wonderful Sunday. Work ahead for me today; I spent most of yesterday reading.

So glad you are enjoying the Earle book so much, Kerri. I think I've said before I have that one on the virtual shelf.

And hooray for a good book club meeting!

Glad you had a successful book club, Kerri. I can imagine Ancillary Justice would make for a deeper discussion than most. What's the next one up? The last sci-fi I read was William Gibson's The Peripheral, which I enjoyed, as per usual for me with his books.

Your RL bookgroups sound interesting. I should definitely try this again!

>84 msf59: Wow! I'm glad you made it home.

I think you might like the Earle, although I'm not done with it, so I suppose it could all go down hill at some point. The main character is very well drawn.

>85 Crazymamie: It was! At least one book club is working out for me!

>86 BLBera: We are reading The Wind-Up Girl in April - should be a good one! Have a lovely Sunday, although sorry you're doing work. :-(

>87 rosalita: I'm liking it! I thought Earle narrating might me annoying, because he has kind of a mumbly voice, but I'm really taken with it actually. He does a good job, and it really fits this particular novel.

>88 jnwelch: We're doing The Wind-Up Girl in April. You're always welcome to join! I think the next meeting will be in Downers Grove though. I may check out that particular William Gibson.

>89 charl08: Well...I'm leaving the one, but the sci-fi group seems to be going well! This was only our second meeting, but people seem committed, I think, so that's good.

I'm not familiar with The Wind-Up Girl; I will wait for your comments. My Sunday has been fine. I got a little exercise in, had a visit from Scout. My daughter says every time they get into the car, she asks, "Tita?" That's me. :)

Hi Kerri! Glad your book club was a success! :)

Oh, I really liked The Windup Girl, and I know Mr. Mark did, too. That should make for quite a discussion. I've got Bacigalupi's new one from ALA, thanks to Benita.

Nice newish thread, Kerri. I'm glad we're having Kim Deal, Part 2, so I have an excuse to listen to more of her music. I'll check out the video when I have more time. Geezer is a cutie. I love his name! I'm also glad your book club is a success. Nine is a great number for discussion. I missed my book group last time because of my Kansas City trip. I think I was in the minority of dislike for The Confabulist so maybe it is just as well.

I think your idea of a month of reading about women rock stars sounds good. I have been wanting to read the Carole King memoir ever since Beth wrote about it. She is a woman of my time! So was Karen Carpenter, but that book might be too much of a downer for me.

Carole King's memoir is waiting at the library. Unfortunately, so is another book, and I'm only likely to be able to borrow one of them by the end of the week.

>53 DorsVenabili: The collection Rachel Cusk has contributed to is The Guardian Review: Book of Short Stories. I don't think it's a themed collection but I'll let you know.

>60 DorsVenabili: At some point I must try these Tana French books...

Glad book group went well! I enjoyed The Wind-Up Girl when I read it a couple of years ago.

Hi Kerri, just dropping in and waving.

How are you doing Kerri? Just popping in to say Hi and hope you are doing well!

I am disappointed you didn't get to see Carol Anshaw. :( Totally, you should quit that group, though. Friday night? Don't they know Friday night is date night?

>83 DorsVenabili: ...but we had some good discussion, before going completely off-topic.
You go off topic at book club? hehe, we do too. All the time.

Jus dropping by to say hello Kerri and hope everything's well. Haven't seen you for a while....

Same here! Hope all is well.

Dropping in to say hello *waves* - hope your books are treating you well

Miss you, Kerri!

Hope all is well...

Gosh, almost three weeks without a Kerri sighting on her own thread...hope it doesn't mean a damned thing.

>105 laytonwoman3rd: Hoping the same thing, Linda...

Also missing you around here Rock n Roll Princess. Happy Birthday, my dear.

Happy Birthday Kerri!!

Really miss you around the threads. Hope you are ok!

Happy Birthday, Kerri! you are missed! Hoping that all is well.

Is today your birthday? Happy Day!

Happy Birthday! I hope you are fine, Kerri.

Happy Belated Birthday, Kerri. Hope you had a great one.

Ides of March. I missed it but have been thinking about you and missing your presence.

Hey Kerri! I was feeling bad that I haven't stopped in lately but I see you haven't either! What's with that?! Hope all's ok :0)

Happy Belated Birthday!

Kerrriiii, are you alright? Where are you?!

It's almost Babbitt month, Kerri. Hope you and the Mysterian are doing all right.

Hope you have a great weekend Kerri!!

Missing you, Kerri!

Hi Kerri. As I recover from neck and spine reconfiguration, I am gradually making the rounds on the threads as energy allows.

I stop by to say hello and that I hope all is well with you.