SuziQoregon's 2015 Reading and occasional other nonsense (Part 2)

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy the view of the Oregon coast, grab a book and stay a while.

I love the Oregon coast and it's one of my favorite places to relax and read even though I get distracted by the gorgeous view. This photo is from a trip we took last month just north of Pacific City.

I'm Juli and this is my second year with the 75 Books group and I plan to be a regular for as long as the group and I are both around. I met some great folks here last year and my TBR list exploded in a wonderful way. This year I hope to get to some of the threads of folks I haven't had a chance to get to know yet.

I'm an avid reader and blogger (at Whimpulsive). I live in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon with The Hubster and two very spoiled cats.

I read a mix of audio, paper and ebooks. I tend to read mysteries and thrillers more than other genres. I also read a lot of graphic novels.

My blog is where I post reviews of all the books I read and my reviews here are pulled from that. If you want to check out the blog just click on the image below.

These images we “see” when we read are personal: What we do not see is what the author pictured when writing a particular book. That is to say: Every narrative is meant to be transposed; imaginatively translated. Associatively translated. It is ours.

Peter Mendelsund
What We See When We Read

Books read

January
1. Queen & Country Vol. 3: Operation Crystal Ball by Greg Rucka
2. Bone Vol. 1: Out of Boneville by Jeff Smith
3. Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire
4. Snowpiercer 1: The Escape by Jacques Lob
5. Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
6. Six Years by Harlan Coben
7. The Martian by Andy Weir
8. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast
9. Bossypants by Tina Fey
10. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
11. What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund

February
1. (12) Long Way Down by Michael Sears
2. (13) Dr. Mütter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
3. (14) Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages by Bill Willingham
4. (15) Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler
5. (16) Snowpiercer 2: The Explorers by Benjamin Legrand
6. (17) The Unwritten Vol. 10: War Stories by Mike Carey
7. (18) The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
8. (19) The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin
9. (20) Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

March
1. (21) Bone Vol. 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith
2. (22) March Book One by John Lewis
3. (23) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
4. (24) Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham
5. (25) Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton
6. (26) Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
7. (27) 100 Bullets Vol. 4: A Foregone Tomorrow by Brian Azzarello

April
1. (28) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
2. (29) Queen & Country Declassified by Greg Rucka
3. (30) Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From the Farm by Jeff Lemire
4. (31) Bone Vol. 3: Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith
5. (32) How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse by Cressida Cowell
6. (33) How to Twist a Dragon's Tale by Cressida Cowell
7. (34) The Monopolists by Mary Pilon
8. (35) As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
9. (36) The Broken Places by Ace Atkins
10. (37) March Book Two by John Lewis
11. (38) Krishna: A Journey Within by Abhishek Singh

May
1. (39) Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber
2. (40) Queen & Country Vol. 4: Operation Blackwall by Greg Rucka
3. (41) Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
4. (42) Girl at War by Sara Nović
5. (43) Pilgrim's Wilderness by Tom Kizzia
6. (44) Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Currently Reading



Currently Listening To

My Rating Scale

I realize that I've gotten a bit sloppy with assigning ratings over the past couple of years. This year I have resolved to make more thoughtful ratings. This has been my rating scale as posted on my blog since 2009 but I'm posting it here not only as information for others but as a reminder to myself to look at this carefully before assigning a rating to books I read.

- No stars – I couldn’t even finish it

- 1 star – I didn’t like it but I managed to finish it. I probably finished it out of some sort of misplaced sense of obligation due to having the book on a challenge list.

- 2 stars – It was OK. Not good, but seriously just OK. I probably kept reading hoping I would like it better or there was some plot point I had to know the answer to even though getting to that answer was maybe more work than pleasure.

- 3 stars - I liked it. I didn’t think it was great, but I thought it was good entertainment. Many of the series books I read are in this range – they’re enjoyable, but not great literature. These are books I might recommend, but only if I really know that your reading taste meshes with mine or if you already have an interest in the subject.

- 4 stars – I really liked it. I really think you might like it too. These are books I’d recommend but maybe with a caveat that ‘it’s not for everyone’. Many of these I pass along to The Hubster. I’m more comfortable recommending these books to a wide audience.

- 5 stars – It was amazing. I’d recommend this to just about anyone. These are the books that really made an impression and I’ll remember them for a long time. I’ve probably handed my copy to someone or said “you really should read this”.

2015 Challenges

The What's in a Name Challenge is a challenge I've participated in since the very first one 7 years ago. This year it's hosted by Charlie at The Worm Hole.

The challenge is to read a book whose title fits each of the categories during the year. These are the categories for 2015

The challenge runs from January to December. During this time you choose a book to read from each of the following categories (examples of books you could choose are in brackets):

A word including ‘ing’ in it Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
A colour - The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin
A familial relation(Daughter Of Smoke And Bone, Dombey And Son, My Cousin Rachel) By all means include in-laws, step, and halves.
A body of water - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
A city - Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
An animal Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I'm not planning on any other challenges at this point

In the interest of making some progress with the pile of books in the To Read section of my bookshelves I'm keeping a list of them here this year. I'm hoping that the public accountability will help me read them. I need to get them moved over to the Already Read section so I have room to put more in the To Read section.

Books read in 2015 from my own bookshelves

1. The Martian by Andy Weir
2. Dr. Mütter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
3. The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
4. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
5. The Broken Places by Ace Atkins
6. Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber

Related to the above list is the ever increasing number of books on my Kobo reader that I have purchased and not read yet. This is another area of my personal library where I need to read what I already have and want to read before I get distracted by the shiny and new. therefore:

Books read in 2015 from my existing ebook collection

1. Six Years by Harlan Coben

Saving this one

might need this one too

OK- that's everything I need to save.

Welcome to Part 2!

As I was copying stuff over from my other thread I noticed that I have managed to completely neglect listing books from my shelves and ebook collection. I've been reading some but haven't listed them. I hope to remedy that soon.

Today was a get all the things done kind of day for us. I'm hoping it will set up some major reading time for me tomorrow.

I'm enjoying both of the books I'm reading and want to get at least one graphic novel or comic collection read this weekend.

For now though - signing off the computer. Our Valentine's Day tradition is to watch our wedding video.

Our version of a 'romantical' evening this year is pizza and finally watching Frozen.

Happy new thread, Juli! That photo at the top is fantastic. My husband and I keep a list of vacation ideas, and one involves the Oregon coast, a wine tour through the Willamette Valley, and a full day at Powell's :)

Happy new thread, Juli. Great photo. You've done some good reading this year; I always love new threads. They make me stop and look at the books read so far.

Hey, Juli, great new thread!

Happy New Thread, Juli! Love the Oregon coast topper. I think you have been a perfect addition over here. You fit right in.

Love those current reads!

Great Picture on top, Juli. It makes me wish for the summer. Although we don't live near any coast at all we do visit the beach some time.

This is a picture from the coast near Scheveningen (The Hague)

Happy new thread, Juli. The photo in the topper is stnningly. Happy Sunday.

Happy new thread, Juli! Another stunning photo up top!

Juli Happy new thread. I loved The Gods of Gotham. The sequel, Seven for a Secret was even better. Book 3 is out in May.

Hi Juli, What We See When We Read sounds very interesting and I see that it is available at Chapters/Indigo - WTH something that is easier to get in Canada, that can't be so.

Happy New Thread, Juli!

>1 SuziQoregon: Juli, the Oregon coast looks tempting if a little windswept. Congratulations on your latest thread. xx

Unlike most of the country we're enjoying record high temperatures. I even managed to spend some time reading on the front porch yesterday while dinner was simmering.

I read The Unwritten Vol. 10: War Stories by Mike Carey. This is the penultimate volume in the series so I might finish off the series by getting the final issues from Comixology rather than waiting for the collected paperback edition to be released. It's been an interesting and sometimes challenging literary reference filled journey.

I'm continuing with and enjoying all my other current reads The Gods of Gotham, The Blue Tattoo and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

>11 katiekrug: Thanks - and that vacation plan sounds like a total winner to me!

>12 BLBera: I have had an exceptional run so far this year of wonderful reading.

>13 ronincats: Thanks!

>14 msf59: Thank you and yes all my current reads are good ones!

>15 connie53: Oh that's lovely

>16 Ameise1: Thank you - I made that one the wallpaper on my laptop too.

>17 Crazymamie: I'm really enjoying Gods of Gotham and plan on pushing The Hubster to read it when I finish. I think he'll like it too. I already have Seven for a Secret on my shelf but with a third one out soon I need to get to it.

>18 luvamystery65: I'm glad it's available - I loved that book.

>19 Familyhistorian: Thank you!

>20 scaifea: yep - windswept is a good description. It's not a warm coastline but it's gorgeous.

Happy New Thread Juli!!! I echo your hopes to shrink the TBR section of my bookshelf. We can do it!! I think. ; )

>11 katiekrug: Katie--Yes! Come visit Oregon.

>23 Berly: I'm really trying to get to at least one or two off my shelf every month. I'm hoping that some accountability with tracking it here will help.

Long Way Down by Michael Sears



Jason Stafford has served his time in prison for some shady trading tactics. He’s now working as a financial investigator and raising his autistic son. Michael Sears does a great job of keeping the financial details of the case interesting and accessible for folks who didn’t major in finance. There’s action and smart dialog but there’s also “The Kid”. Jason’s got a steep and ever changing learning curve when it comes to The Kid’s needs.

In this entry in the series Jason was on the road and away from his son more than in the previous two books. The Kid was left in the care of his nanny or Jason’s girlfriend but I did enjoy every time he re-entered the story.

This one has plenty of chase scenes and action as Jason tracks down clues and interviews those involved. Some of it is a little over the top but it’s still a fun and suspenseful read.

Did Philip Haley do what he’s accused of? Jason isn’t so sure but with every clue the case becomes more complex and generates more questions than answers. Is anyone telling Jason the truth? And can he keep his family safe until he finds out?

My preference is to read series in order but this one could easily work as a standalone if you haven’t read the first two.

Happy new(ish) thread! That is a lovely photo at the top. I've been to Oregon, but, sadly, not the coast. Some day. Although, my niece, who currently lives in Portland is moving back to Chicago, so I won't have as many opportunities to visit your lovely state.

I have The Gods of Gotham on my to-be-listened-to pile, and am looking forward to it.

>26 DorsVenabili: I'm really enjoying Gods of Gotham

>25 SuziQoregon: Sounds like a good series. I'll look into it. Yay for the Gods of Gotham enjoyment.

>28 luvamystery65: It has been a fun series. I'm looking forward to the author participating in a couple of the panels at the Left Coast Crime convention next month.

I am enjoying Gods of Gotham it's primarily my treadmill book these days. I need to finish The Blue Tattoo first because it's due back at the library and there are holds so I can't return it.

Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler narrated by Scott Brick



I continue to listen to two series by Clive Cussler. The NUMA Files series written with Paul Kemprecos and this Dirk Pitt series now co-written with Cussler’s son Dirk.

They are the Saturday afternoon black and white adventure movies of my childhood. They’re simply fun escapist adventure with over the top plots, heroes and villains.

Scott Brick’s narration is a pleasure to listen to and has cemented my continuing with these series in audio format.

The formula is always the same. A prologue features an event from years ago. Sometimes real historical events are incorporated. This time it’s the ill-fated Franklin expedition to find a Northwest Passage.

Next there is the cut to present day where a conniving, evil megalomaniac of some sort is out for money, power or both. Enter Dirk Pitt and his faithful companions (and now his children) to save the day and the world. Usually they also save the beautiful girl but that plot element got left out of this one.

It’s not great writing (overuse of the word chagrin is one irritation) but it’s escapist fun that’s completely entertaining when narrated by the talented Scott Brick.

Scott Brick is a good narrator. I can't remember what I've listened to that he's read, but I know there are a few!

My sister-in-law loves those Clive Cussler adventure books and always asks for a few from various series for Christmas, so I am somewhat familiar with them. I will have to see if my library has any on audio.

Have a great weekend, Juli!

>31 katiekrug: They're unrealistic but fun entertainment and I love listening to Scott Brick

I've been busy and away from the computer much except for work for the past few days. We had a busy weekend because the time to do some yard work and a weekend with good weather all happened at the same time for a change. We decided that we had better get while the gettin' was good and clean up some scraggly stuff in the yard. I was disappointed that The Hubster cut down the (dying) cherry tree on Saturday instead of on Washington's Birthday but it was close enough to make me laugh. Anyway that kept me away from the computer and reading much over the weekend.

My excellent reading trend continues. I finished listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane yesterday. I loved experiencing this book via audio. I think listening to Neil Gaiman narrate it himself added a lot to the story for me. Not all authors should narrate their own work but he's an exception.

Today at lunch I finished reading The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin. It was interesting. It was partly about the story of Olive's kidnapping and time with the Mojave tribe but it was also about her life after she returned to the world of the whites. Beyond Olive's story the author also explores how Olive's story was manipulated and used.

My new audiobook is Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton as much as I hated her Agatha Raisin character I thoroughly enjoy the character of Hamish Macbeth. This third in the series isn't narrated by Davina Porter who narrated the first two I listened to. This one is narrated by Shaun Grindell. So far, I'm enjoying his narration.

I'm not starting any new print books until I finish Gods of Gotham. I had to set that one aside because The Blue Tattoo was due back at the library (on Monday - oops).

I'd love to let Neil read his books to me - I need to track down some of his audios...

Hi - it's been a week that felt like it had an extra Wednesday and an extra Thursday. Finally made it to Friday though.

Enjoying Gods of Gotham not sure I'll finish it in time to count if for a February book though. Will depend on how the rest of today and tomorrow play out.

Death of an Outsider is fun light stuff and good for driving around listening.

>33 scaifea: I'm going to need to track down more myself. I'm kind of ashamed to admit that this is my first Gaiman.

Dr, Mütter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz



This book is partly a biography of Thomas Dent Mütter and partly an exploration of the advancements in medicine and medical education in the mid 1800’s.

Mütter himself was flamboyant and certainly quite different than the other established medical educators when he began teaching at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. His approach in working with patients before surgery to help them relax and understand what would happen was bizarre to his contemporaries.

Many of the medical practices described in this book seem horrific today. The description of Mütter performing surgery on a man with a severe cleft palate without any sort of anesthesia is not something you want to read over lunch.

Mütter was at the forefront of many medical innovations and at least one of his plastic surgery techniques used on burn victims is the basis of a procedure used today.

I liked that the book was not only about Mütter but also about the development of the Jefferson Medical College and the organization and advancements in medical education and practice during his lifetime. It’s fascinating and horrifying all at the same time to read about what passed for medical expertise in those days.

Snowpiercer Vol. 2: The Explorers by Benjamin Legrand with art by Jean-Marc Rochette



This second and final volume (which actually contains parts two and three) of the series was published after the death of the writer of the first volume. Jean-Marc Rochette continued as the illustrator but Benjamin Legrand picked up the writing duties.

I enjoyed the premise and the story of the first volume but my advice it stop there. The second volume is rather muddied and indistinct both in the writing and the artwork. The story kind of wanders aimlessly. The artwork is not as sharp as the first volume and is often as blurry as the plot.

Happy Friday, Juli!

>34 SuziQoregon: - I really enjoyed Gaiman's narration of Coraline and most recently, Stardust. The Graveyard Book is my favorite of his but my library doesn't have the audio of it :(

>34 SuziQoregon: Ashamed?! Nah, you should be ecstatic! You've got so much wonderfulness ahead of you!!

So no for Snow Piercer 2, huh?! I recently read March: Book One - have you read that one? It's very well done about the Civil Rights Movement. I think GNs make a perfect format for memoirs. Hoping that your weekend is filled with fabulous, Juli!

Hi Suzi--Dr. Mütter's Marvels sounds really interesting. I just read my first Gaimon last year. I have another one waiting on The Pile.

Hi Suzi. I just dropped by to see what you are reading! A lot!

Kind of stayed offline most of the weekend. It was an absolutely gorgeous one here and I managed to enjoy some time outside as well as get some good reading in.

Saturday I finished up Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye It was quite good. I'm glad I have the second in the series on my shelf. I guess that's one payoff for waiting to start the series, huh?

I wanted something quick next so I picked Bone Vol. 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith. This is such a fun graphic series. Even though it's shelved in the juvenile section at the library it's got a lot of appeal to adults too.

Yesterday I started two books. I read some of both The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and also Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I want to read Wolf Hall before the TV series. I had been warned but sheesh the warnings were correct, Her pronoun confusion is ridiculous. Multiple "He"s on a page or even in a paragraph that are difficult to decipher which of the many "He"s in the scene she's referring to. Yikes.

Anyway - they're both good so far and my excellent reading trend continues.

>37 banjo123: and a belated Thank You to you!

>38 katiekrug: Oh thanks for the recommendations. I really want to listen to more of his.

>39 scaifea: Oh I like that better!!

>40 Crazymamie: Yeah - just read the first one and call it good. I'll check out March: Book One that sounds interesting.

>41 Berly: I liked it a lot. I've passed my copy off to a friend. What Gaiman do you have waiting in the pile?

>42 connie53: Thanks - I've had a great reading year so far.

Hi Juli! I am not sure I've told you this before, but I really like following along with your reading life. Always something fun and interesting. I requested Snow-Piercer Vol. 2, from the library and I NEED to request March: Book 2.

I hope you continue to enjoy The Girl on the Train. And thanks for the reminder about Wolf Hall. I have to somehow bookhorn that one in, in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Fortunately, I have it saved on audio.

Of course, I have to leave you with a couple book bullets: Get in Trouble, which is a marvelous collection and one I just started, Find Me, which has been getting kickass buzz.

>44 msf59: Why thank you, Mark. I tend to bounce around genres and formats a bit.

I am enjoying The Girl on the Train. It's very twisty. In fact this morning I couldn't resist a photo of reading The Girl on the Train on the train



I've only read a bit of Wolf Hall so far. I'm glad I was warned about the potential pronoun confusion. I've gone with the presumption that "he" always refers to Cromwell. That seems to work.

I also started another in the Fables series last night Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages. Since the meetup at Powell's isn't happening this Saturday and The Hubster has a race I'm hoping to have a mini reading binge this weekend.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman narrated by the author



Oh this book was just a delight to listen to. Not many authors are the best choice to narrate their own work but Neil Gaiman is an exception. His narration of the audio of this book absolutely made it perfect.

This story is full of magical happenings but it’s not all rainbows and unicorns stuff. This also has plenty of the dark and foreboding fare that Grimm’s unDisneyfied Fairy Tales contained. It’s got fairy tale elements but it’s definitely for adults.

There were so many times I had to stop the audio to make note of a quote to look up later or listen to parts of it again. It took me longer than the stated length of the audiobook because it was so full of perfectly written and spoken moments.

I could fill pages with quotes I wrote down. Many of them and much of the book involve the differences in how children and adults experience and perceive things.

Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath rhododendrons, to find the spaces between fences. I was a child, which meant that I knew a dozen different ways of getting out of our property and into the lane, ways that would not involve walking down our drive.

Peas baffled me. I could not understand why grown-ups would take things that tasted so good raw, and then put them in tins, and make them revolting.

I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I took joy in the things that made me happy.

I highly recommend the audio version of this book. Gaiman manages to add to the magic of the story and his voice wraps the magic around you.

The Unwritten Vol. 10: War Stories by Mike Carey with art by Peter Gross



This is the penultimate volume in what has been a fascinating and literary reference filled journey

I don’t think I will wait for the final collected edition which will be released in May. I will probably finish out this series with the final six issues as individual issues.

This has been an utterly fascinating, challenging and mind bending journey with Tom and his friends (and enemies). The artwork has been excellent throughout and told as much of the story as the words. Peter Gross has had to tell the visual part of the story in an incredible number of different ways and the variety, depth and detail of the art is amazing.

I know that even though I am relatively well-read there are references that flew way over my head along the way. This was not always an easy series to read and I had to re-read many sections to figure out what was really going on. Nevertheless it’s been an entertaining and interesting journey. Now that it’s winding down I’m both eager and nervous about how it will all end.

I expect that this is a series that I will revisit from the beginning at some point.

Hi Juli. The Girl on the Train is getting some good love around here lately. I do need to seek out a copy as it sounds like a fun read.

Your approach to "he" in Wolf Hall should serve you well enough. It's what I ended up doing. I hear that she was less tricky about this in Bring Up the Bodies, which I hope to tackle soon (quick! before I forget too much of Wolf Hall!).

I hope you have a great weekend!

Juli, I wish you a lovely weekend.

You got me with the Unwritten series, Juli - I have not read any of those, but hey sound fascinating.

I loved both Wolf hall and Bring Up the Bodies, and Ellen is correct when she says that the second book is much less confusing with the pronoun thing.

Hoping that your weekend is filled with fabulous!

>48 EBT1002: Good to know that Bring Up the Bodies is less confusing.

>48 EBT1002: Oh that's just lovely!

>50 Crazymamie: I have really enjoyed The Unwritten series. It's got it's ups and downs but overall it's been fascinating.

Today I have made a slight change to my reading plans. I got an email from NetGalley and March Book One is available in the 'Read Now" category so I have downloaded it to my iPad. Seems like an appropriate way to mark the 50th anniversary of the events in Selma on Bloody Sunday.

I also have a lot of other reading in my plans today. A bunch of my blogger friends are doing an informal readathon this weekend and it fits perfectly into my schedule.

Today I want to get my rowing workout done. I don't think I mentioned that we bought our own indoor rowing machine and I love it!! I always loved using the rowing machine at the gym but I hate going to the gym. I gave running a valiant effort but over the past two years I have determined that I am not and will never be a runner. I hate it. No I mean I really hate it. I'm going back to walking the 5 and 10k events which I enjoy and sticking with rowing for my regular workouts. Better full body exercise and low impact too. I've got a nice setup where I can watch shows on my iPad while I row.

Oops - minor digression there. After that my plan for the day involves reading while getting the laundry done and making mac & cheese for dinner.

After I read March Book One I'm going to see if I can manage to finish up The Girl on the Train today.

>51 SuziQoregon: Interesting on the rowing machine Juli as I had been toying with the idea of buying one too.

Have a lovely workout and an even better weekend. xx

I had a good reading day yesterday. I read March Book One it was appropriate for the Selma March anniversary. I'm glad it was recommended by several folks around here. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy.

>51 SuziQoregon: I love our rowing machine. I highly recommend the Concept2 Model D. It's the same model they had at the gym and it's very highly rated.

Hi there - it's been a busy week at work but a short one. Tomorrow is the beginning of the Left Coast Crime Mystery Book Convention here in Portland. I'm ridiculously excited to be able to attend this since it's in my hometown this year. I'm also a bit anxious about attending by myself. I'm going to be battling my own introverted tendencies for the next few days.

I finished up The Girl on the Train on Sunday. It was quite the twisty turny journey. I'm still processing it.

Yesterday I finished Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages. I just love the Fables series and this one is clearly setting up a new major story arc.

Today I finished my latest audiobook, Death of an Outsider. I hate M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series but I do enjoy the occasional Hamish Macbeth book. It's partly because of the setting in the Scottish Highlands and partly becuae Hamish is essentially a nice guy (unlike Agatha Raisin).

I probably won't be getting much reading over the next few days but I'll be having all kinds of bookish fun at Left Coast Crime.

>54 SuziQoregon: Have a great time at the Left Coast Crime Mystery Book Convention. That sounds very interesting. As an introvert myself I know the mixed feelings of attending these kinds of things but I find that just being nosy helps. Ask questions about things you want to know about.

I had an amazing time at Left Coast Crime!! I won't re-type everything here but you can read my write up on my blog at this post:
Weekend Update - The Left Coast Crime Edition

The highlight for me was nabbing the last spot on the sign-up sheet for Chelsea Cain's table at the Awards Banguet. Chelsea took this photo and her selfie game is WAY better than mine.



Although I haven't read a thing in the past three days I have had a wonderful book and writer filled time.

And I'm exhausted!!!

Wow! Sounds like you had a great time, Juli! Love the selfie! I do not think I've read Cain. Bad Mark??

Mark - well thanks to you and JNWelch - I have put my name on the hold list at the library for El Deafo.
Chelsea Cain's books are thrillers but in a very twisty and disturbed way, They are also rather gruesome so if that turns you off stay away from them.

resistance is useless

So - after losing a weekend to attending a Book Convention, I have now lost the first half of this week to being insanely busy at work.

It's a conspiracy to keep me from reading I tell you.

Nevertheless I'm still reading Wolf Hall - it's slow going but that's not all the book's fault. It's due to short increments of reading time.

I am also reading the 4th collected volume of Brian Azzarello's 100 Bullets comic series. It's different but I like it.

I am LOVING listening to Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.

I am ridiculously behind on writing up reviews for here and my blog but I'm plugging away at them a bit at a time.

Hi Tribal Member! Isn't Brown Girl Dreaming wonderful on audio?

>59 msf59: oh it's so good I know I'm going to have to listen to it again. I also need to buy the book now that I've listened to it.

This morning I finished the audio of Brown Girl Dreaming

Simply lovely

I'm going to have to pick up the print copy when I'm at Powell's tomorrow.

Now I need to decide on my next audio - I think it's time for another Walt Longmire. I've got a couple of them on my iPod so I need to find out which is next in the series.

Longmire is always the perfect standby, especially on audio.
I have hit a rough patch on TC and can't seem to win. It gets frustrating but I will persevere.

Hi Juli, I've finally found some time to drop into your thread. I wish you a lovely weekend.

That's great that you had fun at the Left Coast Crime convention!

and suddenly it's five days later . . .

Sheesh

Reading update -
I started the audio of As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson. I discovered over the weekend that his short story Divorce Horse fits in the timeline before As the Crow Flies which I had just started. Luckily I was able to get it from the library and read it on Saturday. Nothing earthshattering or important in the ongoing story lines but I'm a completist when it comes to some authors and Craig Johnson is one of them.

I also finished 100 Bullets Vol. 4: A Foregone Tomorrow by Brian Azzarello this is a comic series that I have a like/dislike relationship with. I enjoy the noir feel and the bits and pieces of the larger backstory that is gradually revealed. On the other hand there are things that annoy me too - sometimes the stories aren't to my liking and minor characters from previous issues reappearing out of the blue can throw me for a loop. Just about the time I get ready to say I'm done there's a bit of a hint about the long game of the story that keeps me interested.

I'm feeling somewhat the same way about Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I'm about halfway through and I honestly still have mixed feelings about this one. I keep considering DNFing it and then I get sucked back.in for a while and then start skimming again.

>62 msf59: I am enjoying having a Longmire audio again.

It seems that TC is a lot like Words With Friends it goes in streaks.

>63 Ameise1: Oh that's just lovely!! Beautiful color.

Sorry to hear that Wolf Hall has been a chore for you but admire the fact that you are hanging in there. I am also at the halfway point. Tackling it on audio/print is really keeping it moving for me.

Doc is a Must Read, Juli! Repeat after me: Doc is a Must Read. I am hoping this works on a subliminal level too.

Hi Suzi! We know each other from Trivia Crack, but I thought a visit to your thread was in order. I confess Wolf Hall is not the sort book I'd care to read - at least not so far! I enjoyed The Girl On the Train too, not a perfect book, but quite good. I too am the left coast, but in Vancouver BC.

Hi Suzi! I am just trying to get back into running and I totally agree with you. I don't like it. BUT!! I do like how I look and feel when I do it, so I keep on. The rowing machine is a great idea and much better than getting up at 5 am to get on the river, which is what I did in college, LOL. Happy Friday!

Hi Juli, I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Happy Birthday, Juli! I know you are hunkered down with Wolf Hall, so I won't bother you for long. Grins...

>66 msf59: I'm continuing to make my way through Wolf Hall. The second half is better but my struggle lately is squeezing reading time into my day.

>67 vancouverdeb: Thanks for stopping by!

>68 Berly: I like other forms of exercise so much better than running. When the weather is nice we have a lovely network of bike paths in and near our neighborhood. I can go out for long walks with the occasional jog here and there. That and the rowing are my preference.

>69 Ameise1: Thank you - that's beautiful.

>70 msf59: Thanks my friend! We'll be heading out with friends to visit a couple of brew pubs this afternoon. So I'm not sure how much of Wolf Hall I'll get to today.

Ooh, brewpubs. Yum. I am meeting Ellen tonight for beer and eats. I am sure there will be some chatter too.

Happy Birthday! Way to celebrate!

>72 msf59: - Yay for a meetup - hope you had a blast!

> Thanks! I had a great day.

Still slogging my way through Wolf Hall. That's mostly due to being busy all weekend. I got a new laptop for my birthday so have been spending a lot of time getting files moved over and all my software and settings loaded. We also spent most of Saturday out with friends so there was very little reading time this weekend.

That said - Wolf Hall is about 200 pages too long IMHO. I'm at the point where I'm more interested in starting my next book than I am in finishing this one. The second half has been better than the first half but I just need to make the time to finish it.

I am thoroughly enjoying As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson. The audio editions of this series are just so good. I managed to get The Hubster to listen to the first one but then he got sidetracked with exploring Amazon music streaming on the new stereo in his truck so he won't be listening to any audiobooks for a while.

Still plodding through Wolf Hall mostly because I want to listen to the second one. I really should have done this one via audio.

Happy belated birthday!

Man, I was planning on reading Wold Hall, but you don't make it sound very tasty.

>77 banjo123: Thank you!

Honestly I understand why reviews of Wolf Hall are all over the map. There are elements of it I am really enjoying but there are also elements that make me want to toss it aside. I also think that my reaction to it might be different if I read it some other time. It's one of those books that folks both like and don't and I completely understand both reactions.

Hi Juli, I wish you Happy Easter.

Happy Easter, Juli! Sorry, Wolf Hall has been a struggle. I still recommend the 2nd book, if you can bookhorn it in.

Finally finished Wolf Hall - despite my issues with it I'm glad I read it. I just wish it had been about 200 pages shorter. I am definitely looking forward to the TV series.

After one that has taken me a while I'm in the mood for quick gratification. I've got several graphic novels out from the library so I think I'll head for those before I dive into another book.

>79 Ameise1: Thank you! Same to you.

>80 msf59: Eh- it happens. No big deal. I do plan on the sequel but I'm going to do that one on audio.

Yah, for finishing WH!! You hung in there! B.A.G.

I had an absolutely wonderful afternoon of reading.

After Wolf Hall I needed some quick reads so I grabbed the GNs and comic collections I have out from the library.

I read
Queen & Country Declassified - This is a flashback from the main Queen & Country timeline and gives some good background on one of the main characters.

Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From the Farm - I love everything I've read by Jeff Lemire and have been looking forward to starting this trilogy.

Bone Vol. 3: Eyes of the Storm - this is such a FUN series.

Then it was time for a ne non-fiction book. I started The Monopolists by Mary Pilon - this story of the game Monopoly was recommended by a fellow book blogger and the initial couple of chapters have been interesting.

Hi SuziQ. Happy Easter if you are into that kind of thing. : )

>84 Berly: Thanks - we're just having a mellow day today.

I started The Monopolists last night. The untold story of the origin of the game of Monopoly - I'm already intrigued.

I needed to figure out which novel to start next so I went upstairs and stared at my TBR shelf until The Broken Places by Ace Atkins decided it wanted to be read next.

I love Ace Atkins writing and I've had this one on my shelf for a long time. It just kept getting drowned out by the new and shiny. In my ongoing efforts to read stuff I already own - I'll be starting it later today.

>83 SuziQoregon: Sounds like you are on a roll, Juli.

I hope you are able to pass Go and collect 200 in your present read.

A little belated perhaps but Happy Easter. xx

>86 PaulCranswick: I have been - it's really been a great year of reading for me so far.

This week has been the week of catching up on a gazillion different things. We're also getting ready to head out for a weekend getaway right after work tomorrow. We're headed to Southern Oregon for a theater, winery and racing weekend. The Hubster has a race Saturday morning. Saturday night we're seeing Guys and Dolls at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and then Sunday afternoon we're seeing Pericles. That will put us one play away from seeing the entire canon of Shakespeare plays at OSF. The one play we're missing (All's Well That Ends Well) is not on next year's schedule so we have no idea when we'll actually complete the canon. We usually make two trips down there a year. One in the spring to see what's playing in the indoor theaters and one later in the summer when the outdoor theater opens.

I'm hoping to get organized enough to post a blitz of reviews here. Probably either tonight or tomorrow.

Juli! When we lived in Corvallis we used to go to Ashland every summer for theater and wine (we didn't do the racing part). I miss those trips. I love OSF and keep saying to P "I really want to do that again." It's a longer drive, but not *that* long!
Have a great time. :-)

>88 EBT1002: Oh you and P should go! You're right that it's not "that" much longer and it's such a lovely area. They've got a great lineup both this year and next year.

That's so cool about seeing (almost) all of Shakespeare's canon at the OSF!

Hi, Juli! Thanks for stopping by my thread and filling me in on your reading life and your TV viewing. The Monopolists sounds terrific.

Your upcoming weekend sounds wonderful. What does your husband race?

>90 katiekrug: It's been a lot of fun. Some of the plays are rarely staged (for good reason in some cases) but we've also seen quite varied productions of some of the more popular ones.

>91 msf59: I'm enjoying The Monopolists so far. The Hubster is a runner. The Pear Blossom run on Saturday is a 10 miler. I'll be staying at the hotel to read ;-)

Wow! all of the plays, except one? That's amazing.

Very impressive whittling away at THE CANON!! I haven't been down to OSF in about four years. Maybe I can fit in a trip this summer. That would be fun!

>93 banjo123: it's been mostly fun - Henry VII was a great production of a not so good play. There's a very good reason that one is rarely staged ;-)

>94 Berly: You should check out the schedule and give it a try. The 2016 season looks good too!

The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin



A tweet from Powell’s with a link to their review sparked my interest and not just for me. While I waited to get to the top of the hold list at the library I read up about Olive online. I’ve heard about other stories of women or children who for a variety of reasons lived with Native American tribes for years. Some returned willingly to the Whites, others not.

Olive’s story has some differences. She and her younger sister were taken and enslaved by the Yavapai who later traded them to the Mohave. Her sister died of starvation while they were with the Mohave.

Olive received her distinctive chin tattoos from the Mohave and while speculation as to the purpose of the tattooing was part of the legend of Olive Oatman, Mifflin falls on the side of it signifying her acceptance by and assimilation into the Mohave people.

After she was returned to the world of the whites five years after her family’s massacre, Olive became a celebrity with a story that was taken out of her control. Her story as written by a pastor she and her surviving brother met was filled with the author’s own prejudices and marketed to meet the popular opinions of day. He took her on tour giving speeches and lectures to promote the book and to promote the destruction of the Native American peoples.

Mifflin’s book is a bit dry but still interesting. There is a lot of uncertainty as to the truth of Olive’s experience and feelings but the author appears to have done a tremendous amount of research and tries to separate fact from legend where she can.

Apparently the TV show Hell on Wheels has a character based a bit on Olive. I’ve seen images from the show and she definitely has chin tattoos that look exactly like Olives. I think I’m going to have to check out the show.

The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye



I had heard such good things about this book when it was first released. Many people I trust were recommending it. I knew I’d probably enjoy it but for some reason both this and the second book in the series languished on my bookshelf. When I was in the mood to grab something that had been on the shelf for a while, this one caught my attention.

I like historical mysteries and Lyndsay Faye has done a remarkable job with this one. I reminded me a lot of the TV show Copper but 20 years earlier and the main character is not Irish.

Timothy Wilde is working as a bartender in 1845 New York when a fire takes away his home, his job, and his savings. His older brother uses his political influence to get Tim a job in the brand new New York City Police Department.

This was an interesting and well paced story. Most of the main characters are flawed but likable with a few exceptions. The time frame at the beginnings of the NYPD and the influx of Irish immigrants gives Faye a lot of fertile background for story lines and characters.

The mystery itself was rather complex and there were plenty of twists and turns along the way. I like it when I have several theories as I progress through a book and have to keep changing my mind before I get to the end.

There were plenty of interesting characters and I’m hoping that several of them will be back as I continue with the series. It took me a while to finally read this one after I bought it but I won’t wait nearly so long to read the second volume. Perhaps in time for the release of the third in May.

Bone Vol. 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith



I loved the first volume of this series and the second is just as much fun if not more. I’m plotting how I can get The Hubster to read it.

The series is written for kids but has plenty of appeal for adults. The art reminds me a bit of Walt Kelly’s Pogo comics. The characters are a hoot. The Bone cousins make me laugh. Phoney is always up to no good, Fone is head over heels in love with Thorn. Thorn’s Grandma Ben is my favorite character. She’s got some secrets and is full of surprises.

It’s a great combination of lightness and humor but there are also some darker elements. What ARE the rat creatures up to?? And will they stop for quiche first?

If you haven’t tried this series you should. I think that once I finish the volumes from the library I’ll end up buying either the series or the compiled one volume edition.

March Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin with art by Nate Powell



Even before I got the email offering a digital copy of this Graphic Memoir I had heard from several people I trust that it was a well done memoir in comic format so it was an easy choice for me to read it. The fact that I was reading it on the 50th anniversary on the events on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama made it even more impactful.

The story opens with John Lewis remembering events of that day on the bridge as he is getting ready to attend the Barack Obama’s inauguration as president. After that introduction the story shifts back to Lewis’s childhood and then follows him as he grows up and meets Dr, Martin Luther King and becomes part of the civil rights movement.

It moves back and forth with various flashbacks as told by the Congressman to visitors in his office that day. Nate Powell’s artwork is dark and fitting of a noir mystery book in many places but it vividly portrays the events of Congressman Lewis’s life.

A couple of interesting things:

I think the importance of this memoir in this format is clear when Lewis tells how part of his introduction to Martin Luther King also came in the form of a comic book.

The practice and training that the young people who staged the lunch counter sit ins went through is an important fact. The non-violent resistance was something they had to learn, teach and practice in order for it to be effective. I am in awe of the sheer guts it took.

I am eagerly anticipating the next volume in this series and I’m on the waiting list at the library.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins



This was a suspenseful psychological thriller with a cast of unlikable people. I believe that it takes a skilled author to keep me interested in what will happen (or has happened) to characters when there’s no one I’m really rooting for in the mix.

I was fortunate to get a copy through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Unfortunately before I started to read it the chat on social media ramped up and I inadvertently learned a few things I wish I hadn’t known before I started it.

For that reason I’m not going to say anything more about the story than what the publisher’s synopsis above has to say.

The story is told from multiple perspectives and I generally enjoy stories like that. I like getting different viewpoints of the same or overlapping events. Hawkins uses this method to gradually fill in pieces of the puzzle as the story progresses and takes many twists and turns.

Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham with art by Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Michael Allred and David Hahn



With the end of their war against the adversary this volume begins the next big story arc. Opening with Pinocchio giving a tour of Fabletown it sets up the fact that the former adversary may have been beaten but he’s not remorseful. Meanwhile in the leaderless parts of the former empire, dark forces are released and one of these is a seriously nasty dude.

There are some parts of this one that made me very sad. I’m curious as to where the story will go next.

I enjoyed the variety of art in this one. In addition to the parts of the story illustrated by Mark Buckingham (the primary artist of the Fables series), there are several parts illustrated by different authors. It’s fun to see familiar characters interpreted by different artists.

Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton, Narrated by Shaun Grindell



I enjoy this light series featuring small town Constable Hamish Macbeth set in Scotland. In this one Hamish leaves his hometown to cover for the vacation of their police sergeant.

Hamish hated change almost as much as he hated work.

It’s a typical setup when the outsider no one likes is murdered, and everyone in town seems to be a suspect. Not exactly probable but the books are fun and fairly short so I like them when I want something in between longer or more intense audiobooks.

The first two I listened to were narrated by Davina Porter and while I love her narration and she’s perfect for books set in Scotland I was actually quite happy with the change to Shaun Grindell as the narrator for this one. He’s equally as good with the accents and voice characterizations but for me he seemed a better fit for the series. Even though the books aren’t told from Hamish’s viewpoint I like the male narrator better for a book that is so focused around a male character.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, Narrated by the author



The "in verse" part of the descriptions of this book intimidated me a bit. I have always felt that poetry was best experienced verbally so I opted for the audio production of this book. I am so very glad I did because it was absolutely wonderful.

Now that I have heard Jacqueline Woodson tell her own story in her own voice I want to get the print version just to have. My own life in the 60's and 70's was worlds apart from hers geographically, culturally, economically and in pretty much any way you can think of. Nevertheless there were many moments as I listened to this that I could relate to.

It is the story of a world that I could never experience or fully understand yet when she talks about reading and stories and how important they were I do understand. When she talks about her sister reading under the table and oblivious to what was going on around her I could understand. When she talks about the untapped potential of her blank composition notebook I could understand. I loved this book.

The Reader

When we can't find my sister, we know
she is under the kitchen table, a book in her hand
a glass of milk and a small bowl of peanuts beside her.

We know we can call Odella's name out loud,
slap the table hard with our hands,
dance around it singing
"She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain"
so many times the song makes us sick
and the circling makes us dizzy
and still
my sister will do nothing more
than slowly turn the page.

I was that girl in our family.

Hearing this in the author's own voice only added to the beauty of the words. Her pacing and inflections made the words more powerful and allowed me to more fully experience her story. For me it will be impossible to separate the words from the authors voice. I highly recommend this book in the audio format.

100 Bullets Vol. 4: A Foregone Tomorrow by Brian Azzarello with art by Eduardo Risso



This series is an odd one for me. I like the crime fiction aspect and the gritty noir feel to the stories. At the same time I dislike the jumping around with storylines that can feel pretty random and scattered. Just about when I decide I’m going to let it go though, I get another hint of the backstory of Graves, Shepherd and the Minutemen and then I can’t let it stop.

This one had a couple of short issues and some longer multi-part stories. One used a historic event and put a bit of an interesting twist on it. For me the best part of this volume was learning more about The Minutemen and The Trust which is an organization of crime families.

I keep having to stop at the library to page through previous volumes when characters show up again after an absence of many issues.

I guess all that means that while I have a like/dislike relationship with this series, it’s one that I’m interested in enough to continue . . . at least for one more volume. But that’s also what I said after the first volume too.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel



Oh this book. I have a like/dislike relationship with this book. I alternated between wanting to put it down and never look at it again and counting the minutes until I could shut down the work computer and get back to it. I liked it but I think I would have liked it a whole lot more if it had been about 200 pages shorter.

I enjoyed the focus on Thomas Cromwell and his viewpoint and role in the events in the court of Henry VIII as he was trying to set aside Katherine and marry Anne Boleyn.

I’ve read plenty of Tudor Historical Fiction so I’m familiar with the people and the story. I’m glad because this isn’t a book for people who don’t know what’s going on around the main character. Characters are introduced and referred to with little or no background information. For someone without a pretty good knowledge of the events it could be frustrating.

Speaking of frustrating, the pronoun issue. I knew going in that Mantel had made a specific choice to use “He” when referring to Cromwell to avoid the repetition of Cromwell this, Cromwell that but it was tough at first. There were times, particularly at the beginning when I got totally lost as to who in the scene that specific “He” referred to. I took the advice of a reviewer who suggested that if I was unsure to presume that He meant Cromwell.

I liked the book but I wish I had liked the book more. I do plan to continue with the trilogy but I’m going to go with the audio format for Bring Up the Bodies. I’ve heard it’s good and I enjoy Simon Vance as a narrator.

We have watched the first episode of the television series and it was pretty darn good.

There!! Once again I am caught up with the reviews that I've posted on my blog. I'm currently ignoring the three reviews I still need to write. Next week sounds good for those.

Happy Friday, Juli! I enjoyed your little flurry of reviews. I NEED to get to the 2nd Timothy Wilde book. I did not realize the 3rd is coming out soon. Wow!

Did you ever watch the BBC show Copper? It reminded me quite a bit of this series by Faye.

>107 msf59: yes we watched Copper. The Timothy Wilde series reminds me of it quite a bit. 20 years earlier and he's not Irish but lots of similarities.

>105 SuziQoregon: I enjoyed that one when I read it two or three years ago.

Juli, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

>110 Ameise1: so pretty!

We're having a great weekend getaway. Yesterday The Hubster did wel in his run. We spent the afternoon exploring. Ended up at a wonderful winery (Red Lily) for wine tasting and lunch. We'd had a bottle of their Tempranillo before but this was our first visit to the winery. It was lovely. We'll go back again. The Hubster grew up down here so after that we went over to the old newstand/popcorn shop where he used to hang out when he was a kid. It was a fun afternoon.

Last night we saw Guys and Dolls. I'd never seen it before. It was fun. The best parrt was seeing an actress who usually plays the smart and noble heroine in the Shakespeare plays as Adelaide. She was fabulous.

This afternoon we're seeing Pericles, Prince of Tyre and then heading home.

As for reading - these road trips are a great time for us to continue with the audios of Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon series. David Tennant narrates the series and they are completely delightful. We listened to How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse on the way down and we'll listen to How to Twist a Dragon's Tail on the way home this evening.

I've read more of The Monopolists and am really enjoying it.

Hi, Juli! It sounds like you've had a wonderful weekend! I love the sound of those plays and the winery!

I know another person who was down there this past weekend with her hubby and two sons and they loved the plays! They saw the same two. I haven't been down to Ashland in about four years. I really should rectify that!

Hi - been away for a few days - busy and too much gorgeous weather to spend it looking at a computer screen.

Let's see - since I last checked in, I finished The Monopolists. I also finished listening to As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson. I just enjoy the Walt Longmire series so much.

My new audiobook which I started yesterday is Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. It's narrated by Kathleen Wilhoite. I was familiar with the narrator's distinctive voice from her television appearances and I'll admit to being a bit wary about how she'd be as a narrator but I am LOVING this book. It's fun (as a Portlander) to hear such a satirical look at Seattle.

Looking forward to an LT meetup at Powell's on Saturday. When I go to Powell's I always waver between going in with or without a list. I sometimes make my best finds there by browsing rather than on a mission.

>112 scaifea: It really was a wonderful weekend despite some less than wonderful weather. I'm looking forward to our next trip down in August.

>113 Berly: Oh how funny that you know someone who saw the same two plays we did. Glad they enjoyed them too. Yes - you need to get to Ashland. We stay on the south end of Medford - cheaper and still very close to the theaters.

Hi, Juli! I need to go on my library site and request The Monopolists. I would love to hear it on audio.
I also loved the Semple book and agree it was terrific on audio.

And hooray for Meet-Ups. I hope to make it to Portland next year.

Ha! Just ordered this - I'm trying to figure out if I should just leave it at work so I can put it on every day when I go eat lunch and read in the lunchroom . . .

>116 msf59: - I think you'd like The Monopolists.

^^ I WANT one of those T-shirts!!

It doesn't look like it comes in men's sizing ;-(

Dewey's Readathon Products at Zazzle

Boo!!

>117 SuziQoregon: Adding that to my Xmas wishlist :-)

>117 SuziQoregon: Fantastic! I would wear it, too.

Hi Juli, I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Hi Juli - What a lot of good reads. The Gods of Gotham caught my attention. I'll have to check that out. I'll also look for the audio of Brown Girl Dreaming. It sounds wonderful.

Hi Juli! It was great to see you yesterday. Did you end up with a lot more shopping at Powell's?

Howdy Juli! I have Girl on the Train in the stacks waiting. So many books! I'm glad you liked Gods of Gotham. I loved it and the sequel is better in my opinion. ;-) Can't wait for the third.

Hi Juli, It was so good to see you again on Saturday. Books and great conversation = a lovely day.

Hi Juli, just stopping in and waving!

Finally getting a chance to check in

Had a great meetup at Powell's on Saturday

I love this store!!


There was chatting. There was browsing, There was Purchasing. There was lunch. There was beer. There was me going back to Powell's after lunch because I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't through browsing.

Here's the gang -

Jan (Oregonreader), Rhonda (banjo123), Kim (Berly), me

Here's the beer (Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale)


Here's the stack I brought home.


Vanished by Joseph Finder

Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber

On the Map by Simon Garfield

City of Slaughter by Cynthia Drew

Doc by Mary Doria Russell (I've already got the eBook but I wanted a print copy too and the excellent used hardcover was cheaper than the new trade paperback.

Wow, Juli, great photo of the meet-up. It looks like you had a lot off fun. Nice book haul, enjoy Vanished, I loved it.

>121 msf59: - I know! They should make that in men's style too.

>122 charl08: I cannot wait until it arrives.

>117 SuziQoregon: I love it and thanks for the lovely photo too.

>125 BLBera: Oh I highly recommend the audio of Brown Girl Dreaming - I think you'll really like it.

>126 banjo123:
>128 Oregonreader: So nice to see both of you again and have a chance to chat. We really need to make sure we do this on a regular basis even if it's just the handful of locals.

>127 luvamystery65: Oh I'm glad to hear you liked Seven for a Secret even more. That makes me want to move it up the stack.

>129 connie53: Waving back!!

So after Saturday's meetup and busy book day we had a fun Sunday too. We went to the Oregon Children's Theater production of Schoolhouse Rock Live! What a blast. It was just a lot of fun. Some of my favorite Schoolhouse Rock songs and a few that came along after my days of Saturday morning television for myself or the kids I was babysitting. We had a great time.

I finished reading The Broken Places by Ace Atkins yesterday. I really like the Quinn Colson series. I have the next one on my shelf and the newest will be out this summer.

I started reading March Book Two and it's just as good as the first one.

I also started Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber. It's one I picked up on Saturday. I discovered this author at the Left Coast Crime convention last month. It's sounds like a fun cozy series and it'll be good for a change of pace.

I'm still listening to Where'd You Go, Bernadette? and still loving it.

Love the meet-up photos!

I love to see meet up pictures! You all look like you had a very good time.

Juli--Our meetup was so much fun!! Love your pictures of the day. Hope all the books are winners for you--let's do it again!

Love the Meet-Up photos, Juli! Books & Beer & Lovely Ladies! Sweet!

I saw this week's Wolf Hall. Wow! The scenes between Cromwell and More are amazing. TV at it's very best. Only 2 episodes left. Sad face.

I finished the Buried Giant on audio and it was a perfect fit. Keep that one in mind.

Hi there - finished March Book Two last night. So good and really an important read. I'm so glad he did this in this format.

For my next GN I started Krishna: A Journey Within by Abhishek Singh. I'd heard about this one from a friend on Twitter. I did a bit of reading online about Krishna before starting this and I'm glad I did. The text is very spare and it's one where the art tells a lot of the story. And the art . . . oh my! Just stunningly gorgeous.





I have to finish this tonight since it's due back at the library tomorrow and someone else has a hold on it.

>133 ronincats: Meetups are always fun but the wrangling random strangers to take a photo can be tricky. Luckily Kim is great at that ;-)

>134 connie53: We did have fun - but any day at Powell's is fun.

>135 Berly: Yes - great afternoon - we'll have to make a locals gathering a routine thing.

>136 msf59: I know - such tense scenes - glad I read the book though despite my issues with it. I do plan on listening to Bring Up the Bodies. Making a note of The Buried Giant.

>137 SuziQoregon: Beautiful artwork...wow! >138 SuziQoregon: I am glad a sane-looking person came along that I could ask to take the photo! It was that or ask the street band or the homeless person.

I finished Krishna: A Journey Within last night. Just a gorgeous graphic novel. I'm glad I did a bit of reading about Krishna online first though.

>139 Berly: Well the street band was busy and while sometimes a homeless person is viable option, I'm glad that the sane-looking person came along when she did ;-)

Love the meet up photos. You look like you are enjoying yourselves.

Happy Friday, Juli! I requested "Krishna"!! I have 4 GNs to pick up from the library, to go along with the current stack I already have at home. Whew!

Happy Friday - can't wait to be done with work this afternoon. Hoping for a mellow weekend with plenty of reading time.

I'm loving the audio of Where'd You Go, Bernadette! I was skeptical because I knew from her television roles that Kathleen Wilhoite has a pretty distinctive voice but I have to say I'm impressed with her narration skills for the most part. I'm not fond of the way she's voicing the psychiatrist tough. Nevertheless I'm enjoying the heck out of the book.

Today's laugh from it:

"If Bernadette doesn't Kill me, Reply All will."

Personally I think the Reply All button should require a security clearance and a password.

Anyway - on to my print book. Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber is the first in a cozy mystery series featuring a yoga instructor. Coincidentally it's also set in Seattle as is Where'd You Go Bernadette. I'm really enjoying it so far.

>144 PaulCranswick: We did - Meetups are always fun.

>142 msf59: Yay! - the artwork in Krishna is totally worth it. I am glad I did a bit of reading about Krishna's life before I started it though. I also have quite a stack of GNs out from the library. I need to finish a few before I check out any more.

A quick fly past to say hi!

>144 PaulCranswick: Heya Paul - thanks for stopping by - I know you've been pretty darn busy lately.

Now for a bit of review catch-up . . .

Bone Vol. 3: Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Lemire



This is just such a fun series. I almost want to finish it quickly so that I can read it over again from the beginning. I plan on buying the compiled one volume edition once I finish all 9 volumes.

The characters are such a fun mix of fantasy creatures. The Bone cousins look like something out of the Walt Kelly Pogo comic strips. The residents of Barrelhaven look like humans. The rat creatures are, well I’m not sure how to describe them other than rat creatures. The red dragon cracks me up.

The original black and white artwork has been redone in color for the Scholastic editions and the pages are vibrant and full of action, emotion and detail.

The series is written for kids but has plenty of appeal for adults. It light and funny but it’s also kind of dark and scary (for kids) in places.

If you haven’t tried this series you should. It’s just a whole lot of fun.

Queen & Country Declassified 1 by Greg Rucka with art by Brian Hurtt



I really enjoyed this spinoff and look back at the history of some of the main characters from the Queen & Country series. It was fun so see Paul Crocker as a young agent and to get some background on him as well; as some insights into Don Weldon’s history.

The setting at the height of the Cold War was great and made for some stressful situations. There was plenty of action and tense moments. It was nice to see the Paul Crocker character back when he was newly married and setting out on dangerous and secret missions to Berlin and Prague.

Brian Hurtt who did the art in the Operation Morningstar volume of the main Queen & Country series is back for this one. I like his style and it works well for this storyline. It’s all black and white but the action scenes are well portrayed and the bigger scenes feel right compared to what I watched on the news during the time frame in which this story is set.

As I’ve said before, the Queen & Country series should appeal to fans of the TV show Homeland and this spinoff delving into the world of espionage puts it right in the time frame for the TV show The Americans. We’re fans of both shows and I think that’s part of the reason I’m enjoying this series so much.

Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From the Farm by Jeff Lemire



Personally I think Jeff Lemire is an extremely talented genius. I am amazed at the emotion he can convey in a sparsely drawn page with no text. After reading his Sweet Tooth series and a couple of other stand alones I was eager to start this trilogy that has been so highly recommended.

Lester’s feeling of loss and being lost in a life where his uncle just doesn’t understand him just oozed off the page and drilled into me as I read it. His uncle never expected to be solo parenting a child and feels unable to build a relationship with a loner child who likes to wear his superhero cape and mask all the time. I felt for everyone in the story. I really liked the way that the black and white art was done in a lighter gray for the flashback scenes.

When Lester meets Jimmy it’s a case of two damaged people helping each other to cope with the world by living a rich fantasy life. Their unlikely friendship helps them both to move on from their losses.

Once again I’m strongly recommending another of Lemire’s books. This is clearly a trend. Every one I’ve read has been wonderful. His spare and sometimes rough artwork is so full of emotion that his characters always stick with me long after I’ve finished the books.

How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse by Cressida Cowell Narrated by David Tennant



This series has become our favorite for road trips. They are such fun they keep us entertained on even the most boring stretches of Interstate highway.

The scene where Hiccup, Camicazi and Toothless flee by riding a food tray down a snowy slope reminded me of my days in college in Texas when we stole trays from the cafeteria and used them as sleds when it snowed.

I may have started secretly nicknaming some of my co-workers with character names from this series. I’ll never admit who I think of as who but Norbert the Nutjob, Dogsbreath the Duhbrain, and The Doomfang are now my personal nicknames for a few of my co-workers.

David Tennant is simply fabulous as the narrator of this series. You can almost hear a slight smirk in his voice. The Hubster commented that he sounds like he had fun recording the series,

Let your inner 8 year old have fun and listen to this series.

How to Twist a Dragon's Tale by Cressida Cowell Narrated by David Tennant



As I said above in my review of the fourth book in this series, these are fabulous road trip audios for us. Our trip to Southern Oregon allowed us to listen to the fourth book on the way down and this on the way home. They kept us entertained the whole way.

I am never surprised see characters from previous books reappear. Sometimes they are characters who are Hiccup’s friends and sometimes they’re not. Either way I enjoy them all.

If you can get over your fear of listening to kid’s books you really should give this series a try. If you have a long boring drive ahead of you this will keep you giggling the whole way. David Tennant is absolutely delightful as the narrator of this series. He just sounds like he’s having fun and it’s infectious.

Start from the beginning because as I mentioned characters reappear and you’ll need to know the history.

The Monopolists by Mary Pilon



I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I had grown up with the story of Charles Darrow creating the game of Monopoly during the Depression. I learned a lot about not only the history of the game but also about toy companies, trademark and patent law, the legal system and the occasional side trip to completely unrelated things.

For the most part this was a fun and interesting read. There were a few of those side trips to completely unrelated things that I felt could have easily have been left out but it wasn’t enough to change my overall opinion of the book.

My inner trivia buff and collector of random useless information absolutely loved this book. I think The Hubster got tired of me and my “Did you know …?’ comments. It’s a fun little trip through history in both the early and late 20th century.

About half of the book is devoted to the history of the game Monopoly and half is about Ralph Anspach’s battle with Parker Brothers to sell his own game Anti-Monopoly in the 1970’s.

This is one that is worthy of a trip to your local library.

Wow, you've been very busy with reading and reviewing.

Nice little burst of mini-reviews, Juli! I am so glad you are loving Essex County. I am sure you will end up buying the collector's edition. It is perfect for the "keeper" shelf.

>151 SuziQoregon: Oooh, I like the sound of that one - thanks for the review!

>152 Ameise1: I was overdue to get caught up.

>153 msf59: thanks - and yes I expect to be buying much of Lemire's work.

>154 scaifea: It was interesting. I'm glad I read it.

So . . . let's see . . . where did I leave off.

I think I'm on the second to last CD of Where'd You Go, Bernadette and I'm so glad I did the audio of this. Kathleen Wilhoite is walking that fine line between having a distinctive voice for each character and overdoing that to the point it becomes a distraction. Every once in a while she veers off to the over the top range but then she pulls it back. I'm enjoying both the book and her performance. As long as she doesn't veer into the "calm it down, girl' realm that made Anne Hathaway totally ruin her audio production of Wizard of Oz, I'm good.

In print - I finished Murder Strikes a Pose - it was fine in a light cozy mystery kind of way. Not spectacular and certainly flawed but also an entertaining enough change of pace.

It was time for some non-fiction and also read something that's been on my shelf for a while so I started Pilgrim's Wilderness by Tom Kizzia. I bought this shortly after it was released but just haven't read it yet. I'm only a couple of chapters in so far but I'm liking it.

Hi Juli, I wish you a lovely weekend.

>157 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara - that's lovely.

I'm really enjoying Pilgrim's Wilderness by Tom Kizzia, I didn't know much about this before I started and was stunned to learn the connection to some famous Texas politicians and other famous folks.

Yesterday I read Queen & Country Vol. 4: Operation Blackwall by Greg Rucka. This spy thriller comic series is really good!

This morning I started Girl at War by Sara Nović It's about a young girl living in Zagreb during the civil war in Yugoslavia and also about her life ten years later when she's living in New York. It's getting good buzz and the first part that I read this morning was good. I was drawn to this book because I have a co-worker who lived in Sarajevo during the war and Seige of Sarajevo so there is a lot of this book that parallels her life.

From today through Sunday I'm participating in a low key week long readathon called the Bout of Books



This is an event that happens three times a year and I love it. I enjoy having a week when I can say to myself - "Nope can't do that thing on my To Do list this week because I have to read - it's Bout of Books week." The Hubster is very accomodating of my insistence of blocking out part of every evening for scheduled reading time. It would have been perfect if it had been last week when he was traveling for work but he's understanding of my 'reading thing'.

Hi Juli! Hope you had a nice weekend. Did you read the 1st volume of Stumptown? I just finished the second volume. I really like this crime series and it is nice to see the Portland setting. I think the 3rd volume is coming out soon.

Have fun with Bout of Books week. Sounds like a blast.

>160 msf59: - yes I've read both of the first two volumes of Stumptown it was my introduction to Greg Rucka. I'm second on the waiting list at the library for Volume 3. Looks like they're purchasing two copies so I should get it fairly quickly after they get it into circulation.

I finished listening to Where'd You Go, Bernadette? last night - loved it. I'm so glad I got talked into the audio format for this one.

My new audio is Coraline by Neil Gaiman. After listening to him narrate The Ocean at the End of the Lane as my first Gaiman book I had to listen to more.

I typically avoid author narrated books with the exception of celebrity memoirs but Gaiman is outstanding as a narrator. He narrates like a storyteller rather than a reader or performer. That sounds weird but I think you know what I mean.

I'm about halfway through Girl at War and loving it.

Wow, Juli! I sure love your book choices! I have not read Coraline yet but I did see the film, which was very good. I have it saved on audio, so I am sure you will inspire me to finally dig in.

I've heard Girl at War mentioned a few times lately. Sounds good.

>163 msf59: Thanks Mark - I've been on a good roll lately with my reading.

I'm loving the audio of Coraline.

This morning I was a few minutes late for work so that I could wind up the last few pages of Girl at War. An impressive debut novel. It's one whose characters will stick with me for a while.

After a binge read of that one I'm now back to Pilgrim's Wilderness by Tom Kizzia. That Papa Pilgrim sure is strange. I didn't really know that much about this before reading it and I was stunned to discover the connection to big names in Texas politics. It's been interesting and I'm looking forward to getting back to it.

I've read Coraline and loved it, of course (it's Neil, so yeah), and I even checked out the audio for a re-read/listen, but didn't get round to it. I need a re-check-out!

Hi Juli, I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Hi Juli! WOW! Amazing books here. I think my favorite of your latest bunch is The Monopolists--that sounds like a factoid hoot! I am in. : )

>165 scaifea: oh yes you should definitely listen to the audio of Coraline it was wonderful!

>166 Ameise1: Oh those are so pretty!!

>167 Berly: I have been on a great book streak lately. Yes The Monopolists is a factoid lovers treasure.

I was fairly disconnected last week because of the Bout of Books I was using it as an excuse to read pretty much every chance I got and I had a great reading week.

Let's see - to catch up since my last reading update . . .

I finished Pilgrim's Wilderness it was a bit Krakauer-esque. When I described it to my husband as a bit like Into the Wild and also a bit like Under the Banner of Heaven his response was "So it's about strange people in Alaska?" EXACTLY!!!

I also finished listening to Coraline and I loved it. Neil Gaiman is the rare good author/narrator. I love listening to him tell me a story.

My new audio is Very Good Jeeves I do love me some Wodehouse. I read the first couple of books in the Jeeves series but have heard good recommendations for the audio format. I decided to try the audio with this one and partway through the first story, I'm enjoying it immensely. This particular one is narrated by a new to me narrator, Jonathan Cecil. I think there are several narrators who have done the Jeeves books but I like this guy.

Speaking of audio books I found out yesterday that Wil Wheaton is definitely narrating Ernest Cline's upcoming book Armada that sealed the deal for me and I'm pre-ordering the audio. I enjoyed Ready Player One so much that I can't wait for the next Cline-Wheaton combo.

My new print book is Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. I'm glad The Hubster is traveling for work this week because that gives me plenty of time to read. It's got me hooked so far. Actually the first paragraph had me hooked:

The Moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason. It was waxing, only one day short of full. The time was 05:03:12 UTC. Later it would be designated A+0.0.0 or simply Zero.

Hi, Juli! Hope you had a nice weekend. That is good news about Armada. Looking forward to the audio. I hope Cline hits another one out of the park.

Sadly, I have never read Stephenson. I do like that opening quote.

I am thoroughly enjoying the audio of Very Good, Jeeves. Jonathan Cecil is not narrating it, he's performing it and it's absolutely delightful.

It's always good to get some useful advice from Wodehouse on the way to the park and ride lot in the morning . . .

Every young man starting life ought to know how to cope with an angry swan, so I will briefly relate the proper procedure. You begin by picking up the raincoat which somebody has dropped; and then, judging the distance to a nicety, you simply shove the raincoat over the bird's head; and taking the boathook which you have prudently brought with you, you insert it underneath the swan and heave. The swan goes into a bush and starts trying to unscramble itself; and you saunter back to your boat, taking with you any friends who may happen in the moment to be sitting on roofs in the vicinity. That was Jeeves's method, and I cannot see how it could have been improved upon.

>170 msf59: so far I'm very intrigued by Seveneves. It's a chunkster though.

>96 SuziQoregon: Sounds like a good read. You get tweets from Powell's?

>117 SuziQoregon: I want one!!! And I can't wait to hear the stories about people's reaction when you wear it in the lunchroom at work. Heh.

>130 SuziQoregon: I'm sorry I missed this Portland meet up. Next time, though.

Hi Juli, I wish you a relaxed weekend.

Pilgrim's WIlderness looks creepy. I picked it up once before, but it looked like a bit much for me. Maybe not, from your review?

Hope you are having a good weekend!

>171 SuziQoregon: I do love how we learn that Wooster is sitting on the roof in that quote. Nice.

Howdy Juli!

>172 EBT1002: Yes I follow Powells on both Twitter and Instagram. I haven't worn that shirt at work but I did get a laugh out of the checker at Trader Joe's last week.

>173 Ameise1: Beautiful as always Barbara

>174 banjo123: It was a little creepy in places but despite the bad things the kids all came out of it with a lot of support and help in moing forward with their lives.

>175 charl08: Wodehouse makes me giggle on a regular basis.

>176 luvamystery65: Heya!

OK - need to get a new thread set up. I'm due for another review catch up so I may as well open a new thread before that.