thornton37814's 2015 Category Challenge - thread 2

After all this snow, I want beaches and warmer weather. This photo was taken in the Bahamas several years ago.

Time for a new thread. I'll begin with a review of my categories based on Board Games.

Category 1: Hi Ho! Cherry-O = Books Borrowed from a Friend. (Just to explain - I never owned this game, but my neighbors across the street did. We played it a lot.)

Category 2: Scrabble = Library Books. (These can be physical books, e-books, or audiobooks. They just have to be borrowed from the library. I just wanted something that required the use of a reference book such as the dictionary for the library category.)

Category 3: Clue = Books I Own. (These will probably mostly be books that are already in my library, but I will allow any book that I purchase and read this next year in physical form or any book gifted to me which I read to be included. Clue was my favorite game growing up, and since mystery is also my favorite genre, it just kind of fits.)

Category 4: Operation = E-books. (Operation is about as close to an electronic game as we had back then, even if it was battery-operated, I think. These will be books on my Kindle or iPad. It will also include ARC e-galleys that I read, generally on my iPad.)

Category 5: Risk = Challenge Books. (These will be books I read for challenges such as the British Author Challenge or American Author Challenge. A lot of these are authors with whom I am not familiar, so I'm definitely taking a risk by reading them.)

Abandoned Books will go in a Sorry Category. I hope it doesn't get too full.

Category 1: Hi Ho! Cherry-O - Books Borrowed from a friend



1. All the Crazy Winters by Deborah Adams - completed 21 Feb 2015
2. The Stately Home Murder by Catherine Aird - completed 3 Apr 2015
3. Chickahominy Fever by Ann McMillan - completed 1 May 2015
4. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson - completed 11 May 2015
5. Beethoven's Tenth by Brian Harvey - completed 24 Jun 2015
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Category 2: Scrabble - Library Books



1. Polish Classic Recipes by Laura Zeranski and Peter Zeranski - completed 23 Jan 2015
2. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami - completed 24 Jan 2015
3. Day of Vengeance by Jeanne M. Dams - completed 29 Jan 2015
4. In the Dead of Winter by Nancy Mehl - completed 31 Jan 2015
5. Square Meals: America's Favorite Comfort Food Cookbook by Jane Stern and Michael Stern - completed 31 Jan 2015
6. Library Lily by Gillian Shields - completed 5 Feb 2015
7. Walking a Literary Labyrinth: A Spirituality of Reading by Nancy M. Malone - completed 11 Feb 2015
8. The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude - completed 13 Feb 2015
9. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley - completed 3 Apr 2015
10. Before You Plan Your Wedding . . . Plan You're Marriage by Greg Smalley and Erin Smalley - completed 7 Apr 2015
11. The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures by Christine Kenneally - completed 9 Apr 2015
12. The Secret River by Kate Grenville - completed 25 Apr 2015
13. Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs - completed 30 May 2015
14. The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan - completed 29 Jun 2015
15. Death by the Dozen by Jenn McKinlay - completed 29 Jun 2015
16. The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar - completed 29 Jun 2015

Category 3: Clue - Books I Own



1. A Saintly Killing by Martha Ockley - completed 10 Jan 2015
2. Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More than to Make Us Happy? by Gary Thomas - completed 17 Jan 2015
3. Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass - completed 23 Jan 2015
4. Winter at the Door by Sarah Graves - completed 19 Feb 2015
5. The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook edited by Kate White - completed 9 Apr 2015
6. The Cherokee Struggle to Maintain Identity in the 17th and 18th Centuries by William R. Reynolds (touchstone unavailable) - completed 1 Jun 2015
7. Last One Home by Debbie Macomber - completed 17 Jun 2015
8. Your Sacred Yes: Trading Life-Draining Obligation for Freedom, Passion & Joy by Susie Larson - completed 20 Jun 2015
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Category 4: Operation - E-Books



1. Choosing Charleston by T. Lynn Ocean - completed 10 Jan 2015
2. The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter - completed 1 Feb 2015
3. A Lifelong Love by Gary Thomas - completed 1 Feb 2015
4. Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D. A. Carson - completed 16 Feb 2015
5. Biocode: The New Age of Genomics by Dawn Field and Neil Davies - completed 16 Feb 2015
6. The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating by Andy Stanley - completed 16 Feb 2015
7. Second Street Station by Lawrence H. Levy - completed 20 Feb 2015
8. Romancing Your Better Half by Rick Johnson - completed 21 Feb 2015
9. The Cons of Online Genealogy by Peggy Sue George - completed 27 Feb 2015
10. Under the Sheets: The Secrets to Hot Sex in Your Marriage by Kevin Leman - completed 10 Mar 2015
11. The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank - completed 20 Mar 2015
12. Let's Learn About the Lord's Prayer by Catherine DeVries - completed 11 May 2015
13. Death in Salem by Eleanor Kuhns - completed 22 May 2015
14. Free Online Resources for North Carolina Genealogy Researchers in 2015 by Rucker Bennett - completed 16 Jun 2015
15. The Hog's Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts - completed 21 Jun 2015
16. Leisure and Spirituality: Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Perspectives by Paul Heintzman - completed 22 Jun 2015
17. Lasting Love: How to Avoid Marital Failure by Alistair Begg - completed 25 Jun 2015

Category 5: Risk - Challenge Books



1. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro - completed 13 Jan 2015
2. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers - completed 13 Jan 2015
3. Family Album by Penelope Lively - completed 17 Jan 2015
4. Daisy Miller by Henry James - completed 6 Feb 2015
5. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh - completed 26 Feb 2015
6. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters - completed 10 Mar 2015
7. Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier - completed 2 Apr 2015
8. The Sportswriter by Richard Ford - completed 6 Apr 2015
9. The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich - completed 10 Apr 2015
10. The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham - completed 10 Apr 2015
11. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - completed 15 Apr 2015
12. Night Train by Martin Amis - completed 2 May 2015
13. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis - completed 7 May 2015
14. The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws by Margaret Drabble - completed 9 May 2015
15. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - completed 13 Jun 2015
16. Forever England: North and South by Beryl Bainbridge - completed 21 Jun 2015
17. The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail by Wallace Stegner - completed 24 Jun 2015

Sorry - Abandoned Books



1. Double Booked for Death by Ali Brandon - abandoned 16 Feb 2015
2. Un Lun Dun by China Mieville - abandoned 10 Mar 2015

Happy new thread! Nice picture of the beach - and with no people on it - how unusual.

Happy new thread! A beach would be nice right about now. Or at the very least a park with no snow so I can sit outside and read!

>8 dudes22: I'm not sure how I managed to get the beach photo without people, but I did.

>9 rabbitprincess: That's exactly what I was thinking, so I topped the thread with one!

Hope this month brings back your usual weather and that winter can now be a thing of the past, Lori.

>11 DeltaQueen50: That would be nice. I've heard they are predicting snow Wednesday night into Thursday. We're hoping the ground will have warmed up enough by then that it won't accumulate.

Happy new thread, Lori! Wow on your reading so far this year!

>13 lkernagh: I have managed to read more than I thought I would. I'm sure I'll slow down a bit before too long because I anticipate being really busy hosting a conference and with life in general. I'm trying to stay as much ahead of the curve as I can until then. I've got to start downsizing and then seeing if I can do a yard sale to get rid of some of the stuff.

Happy new thread! That beach look soooo inviting. I need one of those transporter thingies they had on Star Trek. (Can you tell I'm not a Trekkie....?)

>15 -Eva-: I didn't avidly watch Star Trek like a lot of people did, but I did watch it some.

Happy new thread! Keep up the good reading!

Love the beach photo. It's good to have hope.

Lori, I have two versions of Butterfly cakes that I make. From scratch and from a cake mix. Both work well.

Butterfly Cakes

Any recipe for plain cupcakes would work for this. I usually use one from my Betty Crocker cookbook called Starlight Cupcakes.

Starlight Cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup margarine or butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Mix sugar and margarine together till well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, on low speed. Then continue beating on high speed for about 3 minutes, scrapping the bowl frequently.

Place batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each a little more than half full. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool completely.

Lemon Curd

This is the recipe that I use, but any lemon curd recipe will do.

3 Large Eggs
½ cup lemon juice (usually equals juice from 3 lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoon butter or margarine

In top of double boiler, over simmering water, whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest till blended. Cook, stirring constantly till mix thickens (should be thick enough to hold marks from the whisk) , about 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add butter in small picees and stir till melted. Pour into a bowl and cool. Cover immediately so skim doesn’t form.

To Assemble Butterfly Cakes

Take a cupcake and cut a round out of the centre top, leaving a hole in the cupcake that is from ¾ to 1 inch deep, leaving an edge of 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide around the hole. Fill the hole with lemon curd. Take the piece that you cut out and cut in half. (if You need to cut a little away to make it flatter that is ok) Turn the pieces upside down and place back on the top of the filling arranged to look like wings of a butterfly.

After all the cupcakes have been filled and the tops are back on. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Lori, when I am in a hurry I sometimes just use a cake mix for the cupcakes. I have also made these with a chocolate cake mix and use whipping cream (sometimes colored) for the filling. Remember if you use whipping cream, to store the cupcakes in the fridge.

This picture gives you a good idea of how to assemble:



And the final product:



Enjoy!

>17 mamzel: Thank you!

>18 VivienneR: Definitely need that hope of spring and summer!

>19 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for the recipe! They look and sound just as amazing as they looked over on your thread!

Thanks for the instructions (with pictures), Judy! We all like lemon curd in my house, but I've only ever just bought it. We lived for a few years a few miles from a National Trust property whose gift shop sold the most amazing lime curd. It's probably best we moved, as I could have lived on it. I'll have to try to make it using your recipe, but substituting lime for lemon.

>21 RidgewayGirl: I am a huge fan of lemon curd too, Kay.

>21 RidgewayGirl: Lime curd! *Swoons*.

Sorry I've drooled all over your thread, Lori. I'll have it cleaned up in a jiffy.

>23 cbl_tn: Yes - I'm sure lime curd is every bit as good as lemon curd. That reminds me I have some key lime bars in the refrigerator here. I think I'll go grab one.

Darn it, now I want to go get some lemon AND lime curd! Good thing it's snowing right now, as it is dissuading me from going out to the store.

>25 rabbitprincess: I know what you mean! It's pouring here now.

I can't lie, I do like chocolate, but I would say my favorite flavor is lemon or anything citrus - lime, grapefruit, orange.

I bet those butterfly cakes would be excellent with a lime curd!

Lovely new thread, Lori - great beach photo topper!

Spring is coming - really.

>25 rabbitprincess: >26 thornton37814: We just got reports today that the snowpack in the Sierras is at the lowest level ever recorded! I envy your precipitation and would gladly suffer some for you.

>27 DeltaQueen50: I'm sure someone will give it a try! I'm a chocoholic too!

>28 Dejah_Thoris: You can't tell spring is coming by our forecast for tomorrow. I hope the meteorologists are wrong.

>29 mamzel: If I could redirect it, I would!

28. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Date Completed: 10 Mar 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The Ayres family lives in a crumbling mansion. Dr. Faraday visits the home to treat a servant who is really not sick but faking it. He calls her bluff and works his way into the graces of the family. One by one the family begins experiencing mental health issues which are attributed to the house. The plot drug in quite a few places but picked up toward the end. I think the book was longer than it needed to be, and I wasn't happy with the ending. Of course, I expected it to be more like an old Gothic/romantic suspense novel with a "happily ever after" ending, and this book ended up being drastically different. I didn't enjoy it enough to wade through any more 400+ page novels by the author, and the others don't really appeal to me anyway.

Abandoned Book Alert

I'm invoking the Pearl Rule for the second time this year with one of the books for the British Author Challenge in the 75 group.



Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

Date Abandoned: 10 Mar 2015

Category: Sorry

Comments: I attempted to read this book and simply could not get into it. The sentences were far too choppy for my reading tastes, and the genre of urban fantasy with odd character names did not work for me.

29. Under the Sheets: The Secrets to Hot Sex in Your Marriage by Kevin Leman

Date Completed: 10 Mar 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: I was a bit disappointed in this book which turned out to employ a mostly question and answer format with a little additional information. Each chapter was organized around a theme with some numbered points included at some point and a section wrapping it up at the end. The book would probably work best for persons who are already married but who are having problems in the area of sexual intimacy for whatever reason. He covers most of them in the course of the book. While a few engaged couples might find it useful, I think most who have not yet experienced the problems mentioned will not benefit from it.

Sorry you didn't like The Little Stranger. It certainly doesn't follow the expected path!

>34 RidgewayGirl: Not at all.

>32 thornton37814:
That's a shame - I love that one. But I am a huge Miéville-fan for his style, so that is part of it.

>36 -Eva-: I guess that genre is just not for everyone. I'm one of the ones for which it doesn't work.

>>32 thornton37814: I didn't even get this one Pearl ruled! I had it on the list and then the more I read about, the more I decided I didn't really want to read it. Glad I skipped it now.

>38 cyderry: Cheli, I think you made a wise call.

Rough week with my Dad on the very rainy coast. He fell a total of 4 times while on the trip. I prevented more falls than he took though. We decided it might be possible that he had a urinary tract infection and took him (after we got him home to my brother's house) to the emergency room before I left Mississippi. They kept him. It's not a UTI, but he's got some fluid build-up, low potassium, and they are trying to assess him more to see what may be causing the balance issues. He will probably go to a rehab facility in a few days where they can work with him to help him regain some strength. I'm home now for about 3 days.

Sorry to hear about this. You are really having a very rough winter. Hope things improve for you and your family soon.

That's difficult, Lori. I'm glad your Dad has more than you as support so that you aren't overwhelmed. I'm hoping that you have a few restful days now.

Glad to hear you are home safe and sound, Lori, but sorry to hear that your father is having some difficulties.

>41 sallylou61: Thanks. I think the rehab will be good for Dad and will give my brother and sister-in-law a much-needed break.

>42 RidgewayGirl: Yesterday was my most restful day of my spring break. I was back to normal stuff and had a busy day with church stuff, but it was still more relaxing than the rest of the break was. I'm really looking forward to this coming weekend which will be a long one for me. I'm heading to Raleigh to sing in the Passion Play at Jeff's church.

>43 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy. It has been nice to be home.

I'm heading to Raleigh to sing in the Passion Play at Jeff's church.

And that sounds like the perfect way to restore body and soul - by singing meaningful music and getting some time with your honey. Have a good trip, Lori.

Best wishes to your dad - hope they figure out what the balance issue is!

>45 RidgewayGirl: It will be wonderful. I have decided God has a sense of humor though. I normally sing tenor in the choir at our church. In the passion play they have me singing 1st soprano -- just about as opposite as you can get. What is funny is that once I have done the first performance of it, I will have sung soprano, alto, tenor, and bass at his church.

>46 -Eva-: We hope they are able to help him regain some of that strength and balance.

You can sing bass? That is so cool! In high school we did a production of The Music Man and I desperately wanted to be the bass singer in the barbershop quartet, but they got a guy to do the bass and the rest of the quartet was girls. But I did get to be one of the travelling salesmen and a random townsperson, so that was OK too. I played a guy because my vocal range, such as it is, is on the low side, and also most of the rest of the cast was girls.

Have a great time at the play, and I hope your dad is doing better soon!

>48 rabbitprincess: I even sang bass a little bit Sunday night with youth choir. I have a pretty wide range, but I'm definitely most comfortable at tenor and alto. Generally if the tenors split into first and second tenor, I am on second tenor which is the lower part. Our director likes to put Gary and I on differing parts in that scenario because we are the two who tend to "carry" the section. For awhile, I took baritone notes most of the time because we didn't have very many baritones. That has changed now so I don't do baritone as much.

As someone who can sing in tune only when standing very near someone with a strong voice, I would like to stand next to you if singing in public becomes necessary.

I feel like Charlie Brown listening to the adults talking. Obviously I'm familiar with the various words to describe the ranges, but for the life of me would not be able to identify what anybody was singing except for bass. This is a skill that just passed me by.

>50 RidgewayGirl: Well, if we are singing in the same room in public, feel free to come stand next to me.

>51 LittleTaiko: Staci, It's okay. Not everyone is a music geek!

My dad died early this morning. I will probably be mostly offline for about a week. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow, but I won't be alone so that should help.

Oh no! I am so sorry for your loss. Will be thinking of you. Take care.

I am so, so sorry to read about the sudden news regarding your father. My heartfelt condolences. Save travels. Will keep you and your family in our thoughts and prayers.

I'm sorry for your loss. I'll be thinking of you.

So sorry for your loss, Lori. Travel safely.

Lori, So sorry for the loss of your Dad. I am glad you will not be traveling alone at this time.
Prayers for you and your family.

And... I had no idea you were such a gifted singer! Maybe one trip to TN we will get a chance to hear you.

My condolences on your loss. It's good that you have someone with you to share the journey. Take care!

{{hugs}}

I'm sorry for your loss Lori, my thoughts are with you and your family.

Sorry about the loss of your father, Lori. I will be holding you in the light.

So sorry to read about the loss of your father, Lori. Glad that you won't be alone on the trip, take care of yourself.

I'm very sorry to read the sad news, Lori. I hope you arrived safely. Take care.

Condolences for you and all your family.

>54 rabbitprincess: Thanks so much.

>55 lkernagh: We appreciate the thoughts and prayers.

>56 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay.

>57 dudes22: We did have a safe trip. Construction delays made the return trip a bit long.

>58 VictoriaPL: I was glad I didn't have to travel alone too. Jeff ended up getting longer shifts than I did on the drive over.

>59 AHS-Wolfy: Indeed it was good to have someone to share the journey.

>60 mamzel: Thanks for the hug!

>61 lsh63: Thank you very much!

>62 sallylou61: I appreciate it.

>63 DeltaQueen50: It was physically and emotionally exhausting, but Jeff took care of me.

>64 Chrischi_HH: Thanks a lot.

>65 hailelib: Thank you!

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'll be thinking of you.

Just noticed on my homepage that today is your Thingaversary. Happy Thingaversary!

>70 LittleTaiko: Thanks, Stacy!

>71 cbl_tn: Thank you for the reminder. I've been so tied up with the funeral, legal stuff, trying to get stuff sorted in the house, etc. that I'd forgotten. Maybe I can look through a list later and choose some books for my Thingaversary. That might be good therapy!

In the entire 12 days I was gone, I only managed one completion. I'm afraid that I'm going to be reading most of my March challenge books in April, even though I had one with me. I'm next in line for the one that never arrived. I really just didn't have time to read when life took such a different twist than I'd envisioned. I'll try to get around to reviewing that one in a bit.

I am absolutely exhausted from the last week. There is still so much to do. I'm glad this will be a short week at work with a 4 day weekend coming up (Friday-Monday). Actually I'll probably have to go in Monday night for 3 hours since it is within the last few weeks of the semester, but I'll get to take that time off somewhere else. I'll probably save it for the weekend Jeff is coming over.

I'm really almost too tired to work, but I need to get back into the routine of things. I'm at least glad that Monday is my day to go in later.

I'm way behind on threads, but I'll try to catch up with those as I have time!

Lori,

I just popped in to check in on you and your family and saw the news about your dad. I'm so sorry. I am glad that you family and friends with whom you can share your grief and the joy of his life. You are in my prayers.

>74 cyderry: Thanks so much, Cheli.

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. I hope you will be able to take some time for yourself soon, and don't worry about doing all your March challenges in April. I rarely finish my challenges before the end of the month, and I always enjoy seeing the discussion threads continue into the following months.

So sorry to hear about your loss. My condolences to you and the rest of your family.

>76 mathgirl40: Thanks. I finished one of them tonight, but I think I haven't reviewed the book I did complete before I left for Mississippi so I'll review it and then the challenge book.

>77 -Eva-: Thank you very much.

30. The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank

Date Completed: 20 Mar 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: A cheating husband, a sleazy politician, and a case of domestic violence are at the center of this novel. The cheating husband is an investment banker who is cheating on his wife back in Charleston. Their daughter is the one being seduced by the sleazy politician. Her roommate is the one who has been abused. They all tie up in the end a little too nicely to be real-life. This is probably the most disappointing book by Frank that I have read. It took me awhile to warm to any of the characters. It was a little too easy to put the book down.

31. Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier

Date Completed: 2 Apr 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Mary Yellan's mother dies. Her final request was that Mary seek shelter with her Aunt Patience. Mary soon discovers that Jamaica Inn is not respectable and that her aunt is putting up with a despicable husband who is both an alcoholic and a smuggler. While wandering on the moors, Mary encounters an albino clergyman. She finds herself falling in love with her uncle's horse-thieving brother. The characters are well drawn. The novel is dark. It's far from my favorite DuMaurier, but it was nice to revisit this book I'd read about 35 to 40 years ago.

32. The Stately Home Murder by Catherine Aird

Date Completed: 3 Apr 2015

Category: Hi-Ho Cherry-O

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: On a tour of a stately old home, a young boy's curiosity makes him examine a piece of armor. He gets a surprise when a body stares back at him. The body is that of Mr. Meredith who is in charge of the library and muniments room. Inspector Sloan investigates the death, focusing on the residents of the home. It's a pretty stereotypical British mystery but an enjoyable read.

33. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Date Completed: 3 Apr 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Since this is not a work of fiction, it is not a graphic novel, so I suppose you might call it a work of graphic non-fiction. In it, Lucy Knisley recalls her life in New York before her parents' divorce, her life in rural New York with her mom after it, her travels with her Dad in Europe, later travels with her mom and friends to Mexico and Italy, and her years in Chicago as a student and recent graduate. It was my first experiment in reading something similar to a comic book since my teen years. The book is peppered with recipes and culinary tips in the comic fashion. I enjoyed my adventure.

Relish sounds super fun. Have you tried any of the recipes?

>83 cammykitty: No. Most are for things that I already have go-to recipes for. However, it is fun to see them in graphic style.

I love the title "The Stately Home Murder". It sounds super British. Might be a fun "pick it up if I happen to see it" book.

>85 rabbitprincess: Definitely a fun one.

I was in a passion play in Raleigh the weekend Dad died. Here is a photo of me and Jeff. He grew the beard out just for the passion play. He was clean-shaven by the time we left for the funeral in Mississippi. I think he's in his prophet costume here but he was the Apostle John for all but the first song.

I'm glad Jeff's been a strong support for you, Lori. You guys look great!

>88 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay!

34. The Sportswriter by Richard Ford

Date Completed: 6 Apr 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Three days in the life of Frank Bascombe, a man who is apathetic toward much of life. Others featured in the book are Walter whom he met at a Divorced Men's Club, his ex-wife called "X", and his girlfriend, Vicki. There's really not a lot of action. I didn't really like the characters. It's not my type of book.

Speaking of Sports - I'm quite happy that Duke won the National Championship!

35. Before You Plan Your Wedding . . . Plan You're Marriage by Greg Smalley and Erin Smalley - completed 7 Apr 2015

Date Completed: 7 Apr 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Greg Smalley and his wife Erin share from personal experience as well as Greg's work with the Center for Relationship Enrichment at John Brown University in this book. They basically examine potential causes of marital conflict that may arise. He calls this "The Dance" or the "Fear Dance." He encourages couples to think about more than the trappings of the wedding (invitations, venue, receptions, honeymoon location, etc.) by talking about and working through things with longer-lasting implications. I'm not certain that his "Fear Dance" analogy makes is the appropriate term to be used for what he is describing, but the points he makes are valid ones. He provides a list of books that provide questions engaged couples should address early in the book. It's not the best book on Christian marriage out there and alludes to several others such as Gary Chapman's well-regarded The Five Love Languages and H. Norman Wright's So You're Getting Married in the text. It is, however, a good one which has some worthwhile discussion questions for couples.

36. The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures by Christine Kenneally

Date Completed: 9 Apr 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Kenneally, an Australian journalist, has written a good introduction to genetic genealogy. She presents an overview of what can be learned through the study of DNA for genealogical purposes in an engaging manner. She talks about genealogical research in general as well in the course of her book. She talked to people such as CeCe Moore, Bennett Greenspan, Robert McLaren, David Allen Lambert, Rhonda McClure, Jay Verkler, Blaine Bettinger, and Ugo Perego in the course of her research -- names that those in the genealogical community will recognize. I was surprised that an Australian was familiar with the Melungeon community, and she seemed to have reached out to the leading historians engaged in that field of research as well. I did feel that the book was a little all over the place instead of completely focused on related objectives. I am, however, willing to forgive the author of my lack of understanding of her overall writing objective as it may encourage more persons to have their DNA tested when they see some of the studies that have been done and their results.

37. The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook edited by Kate White

Date Completed: 9 Apr 2015

Category: Clue

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: My favorite fiction genre is the mystery. My favorite non-fiction books tend to be cookbooks. When you throw the two together, it is like magic. This volume, edited by Kate White, includes recipes from many American mystery writers. I've heard of many of them; others I had not. The recipes are organized in much the same manner as a traditional cookbook, but each is prefaced with a story or comment by the author about the recipe. Each recipe also includes a short biography of the author. There are many photos in the book but not all recipes were photographed. There are many additional pages that explore things like "red herrings", tips on writing bestsellers, or a character's love of food. Most of these were written by the editor, but a few come from other writers. There are several recipes that I want to try in the pages. The binding is nice. The book has a very nice ribbon bookmark to keep your place. This is a great book for all mystery fans who like to cook and for cookbook collectors. I received the book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers with the expectation that a review would be written.

38. The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich

Date Completed: 10 Apr 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Erdrich tells the story of the Roys and Shawanos, two Ojibwa Indian families, in this well-written novel. The language is quite beautiful and much of the plot is metaphoric and/or symbolic. It's a multi-generational plot that shows the importance of family among this Native American people group. We are able to see some of the traditions that are handed down from generation to generation, including naming patterns and rituals. It's a bit hard-to-follow in places, but the writing style makes it worth the effort.

Saw this on Facebook. I want one.

That quilt is amazing!

>97 mamzel: I love it. I tagged my niece and told her that her mom (my sister-in-law who is an amazing quilter) needs to make me one!

>96 thornton37814: I tried to "like" this, but was unsuccessful.

>99 RidgewayGirl: LibraryThing does need a "like" button.

39. The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham

Date Completed: 10 Apr 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None or perhaps it fits RandomCAT?

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Maugham's novel, based on the life of Paul Gaugin, features Charles Strickland, an Englishman who leaves his wife when he is 40 years of age for France. The narrator pursues him on behalf of the wife only to discover that he had not left her for another woman but to paint. Five years later, the narrator moves to France and barely recognizes Strickland. He is told that Strickland is a great artist although he has sold nothing. The novel continues to follow Strickland's life in France and later to Tahiti. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this story in spite of some of the plot elements.

ETA: Just a note: I downloaded the Project Gutenberg edition of this book to read, but it was so full of OCR errors that it was very cumbersome to try to follow. I ended up downloading the free Kindle version instead which was much more readable.

>95 thornton37814: - I have a few of her boks on my TBR but not this one. I'm hoping to get to one this year. This one sounds good too.

>96 thornton37814: - I've seen some of these "bookshelf" quilts before. I think I should update my thread on how my quilt from last year's challenge is progressing.

>102 dudes22: You should definitely upload photos of your quilt!

St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Knoxville at GreekFest in Knoxville in September 2009:

   

   

St. George's Greek Orthodox Church after the fire this morning on their Orthodox Easter Sunday:

How terrible, Lori. Was the fire an accident?

>105 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I don't think they know yet how it started. The most badly damaged area in the photo Lori posted looks like the entrance where they burn votive prayer candles.

>105 DeltaQueen50: The leading theory that I've heard is that they may have been caused by the prayer candles that were used in the service that began last night and ran into the wee hours of the morning this morning.

>106 cbl_tn: I do hope we hear more information. One of the stations said that the sanctuary was gutted but the fact that some of those pews appear to be in tact does offer us a bit of hope. I'm concerned about the one of Jesus in the ceiling though because the roof damage from some of the photos I've seen looks like it is extensive. Hopefully we'll hear more soon.

>107 thornton37814: WATE has a photo gallery up. All of the photos of the roof look like the fire was in front of the dome. The mosaic of Jesus is on the underside of the dome so maybe it wasn't destroyed.

How sad!

Oh no! How awful!

>108 cbl_tn: Let's hope so. I'll look at WATE's gallery.

>109 dudes22: >110 rabbitprincess: Definitely!

I did find a link that does show some of the mosaics. There does appear to be some smoke and heat damage, but they may be salvageable. They apparently will have an engineer out to determine if the adhesive will hold or not. They have also been polishing objects that were saved. See this report: http://www.local8now.com/home/headlines/Greek-church-starts-to-rebuild-with-comm...

This afternoon a family history came across my desk for cataloging. I decided to look through it to see how close it came to meeting genealogical standards. I got a chuckle when I looked at the bibliography and saw a couple of "microfish" batches cited.

>113 thornton37814: That gave me a good laugh -- and a memory of headaches trying to read microfiche!

Lori, I'm finally getting caught up on several threads and just read the news of your father's death. I'm so sorry for your loss and glad that you were not alone to deal with the aftermath. Jeff seems like a great guy and I'm sensing that you've decided that he is a keeper. I'm fortunate to still have both my parents, but my husband and several close friends have lost theirs already so I know it is a difficult loss to recover from. It's good that you have a strong support network.

The quilt is great, and if your niece is successful in convincing her mother, I hope you'll post a photo of the quilt that is personalized for you. Maybe as a Christmas gift?

>114 mamzel: I was checking for sardines. ;-)

>115 sjmccreary: Jeff is a keeper! I guess I'll see if my niece even shows it to her mom. It would take her awhile to do that one because she only quilts by hand.

40. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

Date Completed: 15 Apr 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: SFFFCat - Fairy Tales and Mighty Myths

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Carter has written several short stories that are a mix of fairy tales and similar myths. There were werewolves, witches, big ugly people, and other elements you expect in a fairy tale. One of the things that separates Carter's stories from the tales you read as a child is their sexual element. While it isn't necessarily present in every story, it is in most. While I enjoyed fairy tales as a child, I've not read them as much as an adult, mainly because of occultic elements. Those were certainly the elements with which I was least comfortable. I do, however, recognize that Carter has managed to master the craft of the short story. She has packed the most vivid and poetic descriptions, particularly of natural elements, in the pages it takes to share the story that the reader becomes excited simply by her choice of words.

You may not see me much the next few days. This is the weekend of our choir's spring "Night of Praise" concert. The youth choir with which I help is also part of the program. We have an extra rehearsal on Saturday morning. Jeff is coming in tomorrow. Hopefully I'll surface again by Monday night.

Sounds like a wonderful weekend - enjoy!

As usual I'm far behind with reading threads. I just want to offer my condolences for the loss of your father, Lori. Very sad. I hope you are recovering.

>119 VictoriaPL: We had fun tonight. I had a few minutes before I needed to go to bed so I thought I would at least check my own threads. That's going to be the extent of it though. I didn't sleep much last night (too excited) so I want a decent night's sleep tonight.

>120 VivienneR: I'm not quite as numb as I was, but I'm not to the full-blown crying stage yet. Of course, I might not get to it because I know Dad was ready to go. I think it was more shock about the timing of when it happened.

Over the weekend, I had a call from the public library telling me that a book I had reserved had come in. I had to pick it up by April 25 to avoid a $1 fee. I racked my brain trying to figure out what in the world I had reserved. I went today to pick it up. About 2 years ago, I had tried to find Kate Grenville's The Secret River on the shelves, but it was missing. Since it was a Booker finalist, the librarian told someone to place an order for it. I heard her tell someone to order it. Well, two years later, I guess they finally ordered the book. It had just come arrived, and I am the first person to check out the new copy. I remember others reading it back then and raving about how good it was. Hopefully I'll have time to get to it. I probably would have chosen something different as my next book, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

Funny. My ILL requests always get canceled. I wish they would buy more of mine, LOL.

>123 VictoriaPL: The librarian just happened to be there that day they couldn't locate the book and was out front helping. She thought it sounded like a book they needed to be sure to have so she requested the replacement. I still haven't figured out why it took almost 2 years for it to arrive.

Lori, The Secret River was a five star read for me, if I remember correctly, so I sure hope you enjoy it as well.

>125 DeltaQueen50: I know that someone had rated it very highly which made me want to read it. Maybe it was you!

We had a potluck dinner on campus tonight for women faculty and staff and women spouses of male faculty members. I finally made it home from that with quite a bit of fruit salad left. I guess I know what I'll be eating the next couple of days! The food was good, but I'm glad to be home. I have a new pillow that I'm eager to try out tonight. It's one that is designed for side sleepers. I'm hoping it will help with some neck pain I've been experiencing when I sleep.

>127 thornton37814: I hope the pillow gives you some relief. I'm also a side sleeper and for years had a constant pain and "crick" in the neck. Once we went on vacation and I was disappointed to see the huge pillows on the bed. Until I realized that I felt better from sleeping on a big, firm pillow. Been on a quest ever since to find a good one for home.

>127 thornton37814: - I'm a side sleeper and had reached the point where my arm was going numb during the night. I tried one of those Swedish (?) pillows that have a hump on each side and a valley in the middle and it fixed my arm just great.

>129 dudes22: I've been curious about those pillows Betty, good to hear they worked for you. I also have experienced numbness in my arm.

>130 VictoriaPL: - I hate it now when we go on vacation and I have to sleep on a regular shape pillow. When we were away in Feb, I started having the same problem with my arm. I think the hump in the pillow supports your neck so the nerves don't get pinched.

Sounds like many of us are on a constant quest for the perfect pillow! We have an adjustable bed and I have slept more comfortably since I started raising the head a slight bit. I too worry about pillows and comfort when we go on vacation. My husband sleeps with a buckwheat pillow (which I hate) but he simply takes it with him when we leave home.

>128 sjmccreary: The kind of got was a gusseted pillow. It is firm. I did not get the super firm one. I also noticed that you can get a pillow that is more like a ring that you can hug. I saw it at Amazon, but it said "As seen on TV" so I haven't tried the "As Seen on TV" store here yet to see if I can get one. I'd try it too and see which works best. I definitely slept better and with less pain last night.

>129 dudes22: I've wondered about that kind too, but the ones I saw for side sleepers tend to be gusseted rather than of that variety.

>130 VictoriaPL: It's easy to get that numbness. That's when I switch sides.

>131 dudes22: I think the hump would help with that!

>132 DeltaQueen50: I have to agree that it is encouraging to know that I'm not alone in the pillow quest!

My brother did not get a good report from the oncologist on Thursday. His cancer has spread a little more. They are going to switch him to a more aggressive form of chemotherapy which will have more side effects. They will also do it every 2 weeks instead of every 3 weeks.

Sorry to hear the bad news about your brother. Will keep him in my prayers and hopefully the more aggressive treatment will be successful.

>135 sjmccreary: We all hope so also.

Sad to hear. Hope the new treatment works out for him.

>137 AHS-Wolfy: We all pray that it will.

41. The Secret River by Kate Grenville

Date Completed: 25 Apr 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: William Thornhill became a thief just to survive and eat in London. When he finally gets caught, he is sentenced to death, but gets a reprieve and instead is sent to New South Wales where he is bound over to his wife. At the end of that period, he is emancipated and begins to build his own legacy. The reader is treated to the landscape and hardships of that period of Australian history. There is also the issue of the white man versus the black aboriginals of the area. While modern readers will probably empathize with the plight of the aboriginals, the author does treat it with authenticity for that period. Her central character shows more compassion than many of the other settlers toward them. I enjoyed this venture into early 19th century Australia in fiction.

Lori, I'm sorry to hear about your brother, you and he are in my thoughts. I'm glad that you enjoyed The Secret River.

>140 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. I wasn't sure whether or not I'd enjoy the book, but it was good!

>134 thornton37814:
Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. Hopefully the strong stuff can kick butt for real, even if the side effects won't be fun. Sending my best wishes and good thoughts!

>143 thornton37814: Thanks for you thoughts and prayers.

>>134 thornton37814: Guess I need to step up my prayers! Could we get your brother's name? I sometimes worry when I'm praying and say Lori's brother, there could be a bunch of Loris with a brother. I know God probably knows who I mean (you think?) but I'd feel better.

>144 cyderry: Gary

Motivated by a strong desire to read a certain book of Margaret Drabble that was not available locally for next month's challenge, I finally ordered my Thingaversary Haul that I should have ordered March 30. (8 plus 1 to grow on)

1. The Pattern in the Carpet - Margaret Drabble (paperback ordered)
2. Family Plot - Sheri Cobb Smith (Kindle)
3. The Silent Touch of Shadows - Christina Courtenay (Kindle)
4. Tainted Tree - Jacquelynn Luben (Kindle)
5. Benjamin's Ghosts - Sylvia A. Nash (Kindle) - I couldn't find a touchstone quickly for this one.
6. Clammed Up - Barbara Ross (Kindle)
7. Murder at Fenway Park - Troy Soos (paperback)
8. Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness - Robert Specht & Anne Purdy (Kindle)
9. DNA USA - Bryan Sykes (Kindle)

Crossing everything crossable and hoping that your brother's treatment works out.

>147 rabbitprincess: Thanks. I talked to my other brother who had talked to him today. So far he has not been sick as they had predicted. Of course, they are still pumping some of the chemo into him and will remove the pump tomorrow. I guess we'll see how he fares.

42. Chickahominy Fever by Ann McMillan

Date Completed: 1 May 2015

Category: Hi-Ho! Cherry-O

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Ann McMillan's series featuring Nurse Narcissa Powers in the Richmond area during the U.S. Civil War continues to be one of the best American historical mystery series available. In this installment, a black baby is found in a cemetery in a quilt. Nearby a black man is found dead. Where is the mother? At the same time, Narcissa has a case of "Chickahominy Fever" (malaria). Judah Daniel searches for the mother of the child. There is much to enjoy about this novel, including some aspects of the Underground Railroad and a fictionalized version of the woman who placed her former servant in the household of Jefferson Davis as a spy. At times, there seemed to be almost too much action going on, but this was probably quite indicative of what was going on in the Richmond area at the time.

43. Night Train by Martin Amis

Date Completed:

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Female detective Mike Hoolihan investigates the suicide of the daughter of her commanding officer. There really isn't a lot of plot here. What we see instead is an examination of humanity. The work is too gritty for my tastes. There are some aspects to the novel that those who appreciate psychological examinations of life will appreciate.

I have not heard of the Narcissa Powers series before. The "Will I Like It" bar indicates that I will like it (not just "probably like it") and since there are only four books in the series I will try to hunt them down. Thanks for bringing these books to my attention!

>151 mamzel: I hope you enjoy them. If you like historical fiction and mysteries, I think you'll enjoy the series.

I really liked the Narcissa Powers books and I was disappointed that the series ended after 4 books.

>153 cbl_tn: Thanks for chiming in with the recommendation. All the best series end far too soon.

Good wishes to your brother! Glad to see you enjoyed The Secret River. I had really liked this book, but I've not yet read its sequel. It's nice to know the library eventually came through, even if it took 2 years!

>155 mathgirl40: Thanks for the well wishes for my brothers. I will have to look into the sequel to the book at some point.

44. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

Date Completed: 7 May 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Carol, from St. Paul, meets Dr. Will Kennicott who is a physician in Gopher Prairie. She goes to the town expecting to "reform it" and change it. She struggles with adapting to the life there. While aspects of the novel have applicability today, others do not. I seriously doubt that if Lewis had lived a century later that the outcome would have been the same. The book was a bit longish and tended to bog down in places. Carol and I would not have been kindred souls. Her story never resonated with me.

Outdoor graduations when the temperatures are too hot with full sun should be banned. I melted at ours today in my full academic regalia. I recoated my exposed skin (face and hands) in the middle of the ceremony with sunscreen. Some of us joked that the donor who provided the funding for the renovation of the stadium a few years ago had obviously never been to graduation. If he had, he would have funded a dome with climate control!

45. The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws by Margaret Drabble

Date Completed: 9 May 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This book is not quite what I expected from the description at the bookseller. While I expected some memoir to be interwoven, there was far more memoir than there was about jigsaw puzzles. My favorite portions of the book were those that dealt with the jigsaw puzzle's history, with the art work from which jigsaws are often taken, from the maps that were the earliest jigsaws, and from the depiction of the jigsaw puzzle in literature, particularly in the mystery genre. The memoir part focused on working jigsaws with her Aunt Phyl and then somehow trying to make the jigsaw a metaphor for her life. That particular aspect just didn't work. It tended to ramble a bit too much. Chapters, for the most part, were very short, lending to an overall choppiness in the narrative. I could tell the author was well-versed in literature, and there is a reference to her work on The Oxford Companion to English Literature in the narrative.

While I am still uncertain of why Drabble included this particular memory, I'm glad she did. As a native of Mississippi, I have seen the state depicted negatively in so much literature and non-fiction. One of Drabble's favorite tour moments occurred in my home state: "Once, years ago, on a lecture tour of Mississippi and Alabama, I was put up for a night or two in a motel just outside Hattiesburg near the University of Southern Mississippi. It was on one of those American strips, lined on both sides by gas stations and Tex-Mex diners and Baskin Robbins and small superstores. As I remember it, the motel had a wooden veranda on which were lined up some wooden rocking chairs. Sitting on one of these chairs, rocking myself gently and watching the polluting traffic pass noisily by, I was at peace. It is a surprisingly pleasant memory. I think the motel reminded me of Bryn. It is one of the best recollections I have of all those book tours and lecture tours, where time was divided between frenzied anxiety at airports and imprisoned restlessness in hotel rooms waiting for the next interview. Sitting in the slipstream, rocking, watching the world go by."

I guess I should have started reading before I started working on genealogy today. I've had the book sitting beside me pretty much all day, and it is almost 9 p.m. Maybe I'll get a little reading done before I head to bed! (It's really a good book too!)

>158 thornton37814: Oh my! Yes, a (retractable) dome would have been wonderful. That said, it IS a nice stadium!
Our graduation back in '97 was inside. Maybe the Fieldhouse?

>161 VictoriaPL: Yes. That would have been where it would have been back then. I am, however, glad we didn't have inclement weather. We would have had two separate graduations and been there all day if that had been the case.

46. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson

Date Completed: 11 May 2015

Category: Hi-Ho! Cherry-O

CAT Challenge:RandomCAT - Read a Book with a Place Name in the Title

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Nehemiah Wooten, a wealthy and influential business leader in New York, was found murdered in his office. Detective Sgt. Frank Malloy who is father to a deaf son is called upon to investigate because the man has a deaf daughter. He soon finds that the man has a lot of enemies and was involved in the eugenics movement. Malloy thinks he can keep midwife Sarah Brandt out of this investigation until the adulterous widow of the deceased goes into labor while he is questioning her. The author describers the controversy over the use of sign language versus reading lips and speaking in the education of the deaf. There are quite a few red herrings, but many of these are offset by the rather obvious clue as to the perpetrator's identity which was given earlier. In spite of this flaw, I enjoyed the book immensely. It was definitely the right book for the right time for me.

47. Let's Learn About the Lord's Prayer by Catherine DeVries

Date Completed: 11 May 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Emma, the young narrator in this picture book, takes us to her room on a play date. Her mother calls her down for a snack. When she prays, she uses and briefly talks about the Lord's Prayer that she has been learning. When returning to the room, she teaches the prayer to her stuffed animal. The illustrations by Ryan Jackson in this picture book are colorful and certain to please young audiences. My biggest problem with the book has to do with the manner in which the stuffed animal was introduced. The narrative seems to imply that a question was asked earlier for which Emma is now giving the answer so that the reader will know if he guessed correctly. It is possible this will be corrected in the final version that will be marketed. The author still fails to break down certain phrases in the Lord's prayer for the intended audience level. It is, however, a book that many Christian parents and schools will want to purchase. This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation that a review be written.

I made it back home, but I'd rather be in Raleigh.

We had a little bit of excitement in the library right around closing time today. We discovered we had a flooding problem. All 4 floors in the old wing of the library had water problems. On the main floor, there was water coming from overhead (but away from books) and from the outside wall. The biggest problem was on the lowest level where the water was coming from overhead near light fixtures and was spraying onto a few nearby books. Maintenance had arrived, and our dean of libraries was working with them to try to get some plastic wrap around the shelf in question. It was away from the books on the other two levels. What a mess!

Oh, dear! Hopefully the books that got wet weren't too important.

>167 mamzel: I suspect they were children's books.

That's even worse!!! ;-)

>169 mamzel: That's just a guess based on where I think the light fixtures were that were supposed to be in the vicinity. I really don't think that there was significant water damage. I think we caught it in time.

I sure hope it turns out that the damage wasn't significant, Lori, it makes me very sad to think of books being damaged especially while in storage in a library!

>171 DeltaQueen50: Damage is never good, but I think we are fine.

48. Death in Salem by Eleanor Kuhns

Date Completed: 22 May 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: Random CAT - Book with place name in title

Rating: 3 stars (more like 2.75)

Review: Will Rees is called upon to investigate the stabbing of a Salem shipping magnate named Boothe in this work of historical fiction. Soon other murders follow. Rees follows leads that take him into Salem's tunnels, into the shady part of town called Black Cat, and to other areas. He must also determine if smuggling had a role in the deaths. The novel is a bit conversation-heavy and did not maintain my interest well. Sentences seemed choppy instead of well-constructed, adding to the problems. I suspect that some readers will enjoy this more than I did. Persons who have read the earlier installments in the series might also appreciate it more. The review is based on an advance reader's e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Today went nothing as I had planned. I had planned to try to finish a book today. I haven't even picked it up to read. I first was distracted by a 3rd cousin DNA match. I was pulling some stuff together for the individual who really didn't know much about his line that matched mine. In the midst of that, I received a text message from my niece that a tornado had touched down in the my home town in Mississippi. She wanted to know if I'd heard from the neighbor who is keeping an eye on the house (that we have listed with a realtor). I had not, but told her I would try. I attempted to call 3 different neighbors. On a second try, I finally reached one who said she couldn't see any damage but that it was so rainy and wet she couldn't go out to really check. I happened to think that one of my friends on Facebook would have gone to check on his father's house on the same street. I contacted him. He was actually at his dad's house when it happened. He said there was no damage on the street and no downed trees. I relaxed a bit then, but I continued to follow photos being posted on Facebook and Twitter of damage in parts of town that I knew well (and some were not that far from my father's house). This evening I got distracted by a question from one of my classmates. She had gone to a jazz concert in DC and noted on the program that one of the pieces had originally been performed by an artist born in our home town. She had never heard of the lady, and it quickly became apparent that no one really knew very much about her or her family or her life in our town. I began researching and came up with a timeline. There are a few differences in what is there and what is in places like Wikipedia about the woman's life. I still need to slog my way through some city directories to try to determine when the moves occurred, but I'm well on my way to documenting a little more about her life outside the music career.

49. Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs

Date Completed: 30 May 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: A man is murdered at a function of the museum where Max works. They had just acquired a Chinese tea house, and the victim was a board member and contributor. Max loses his job, and Theodosia sets out to investigate. In the meantime, Theodosia, Haley, and Drayton are enjoying success with some themed teas at the shop. Theodosia agrees to assume the grieving widow's role as chair of an event. Tidwell is investigating the murder as well as some other related incidents, but is one step behind Theodosia, as usual. This is another fun visit to the city of Charleston. I want to try a couple of the recipes in the back of the book. I was excited to read about a new American tea plantation in the state of Mississippi in some of the back matter. Even though this is the sixteenth book in the series, it is still delightful!

I was hoping that I was going to be able to finish one more book this month. I'm so close, but I just didn't have time to read today. I guess that one will be my first June finish!

50. The Cherokee Struggle to Maintain Identity in the 17th and 18th Centuries by William R. Reynolds (touchstone unavailable)

Date Completed: 1 Jun 2015

Category: Clue

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Author William Reynolds did a masterful job documenting the Cherokee in the 17th and 18th centuries. The book shows the Cherokee's interactions with the white men who came into their region. They lost land to settlers even before removal forced many of them to lands that became Oklahoma. The historical accounts are written from a perspective providing new insights into regional history for most Southeastern States. Readers will recognize names such as John Sevier, Anthony Bledsoe, James Robertson, and Andrew Pickens as they scan the pages. We also gain insight into key Native American leaders such as Piomingo. One minor error was noted in the description of Muscle Shoals' location. Appendices include a listing without documentation of the author's Cherokee ancestry, biographical sketches, villages, and glimpses into Cherokee life. This book belongs in collections with a focus on the Cherokee or on the Southeastern Region of the United States, but it should be of interest to anyone interested in colonial American history or Native American history. The review is based on a complimentary copy received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for reviewing purposes.

>174 thornton37814:
That sounds scary - hope everything turned out OK!

>178 -Eva-: Everything was okay at Dad's.

51. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Date Completed: 13 Jun 2015

Category: Risk

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #10: Read a book by an author who shares a name with your father or grandfather (a shared read)

Rating: 1 star

Review: The Time Out blurb on the cover stating "Every generation should discover this book." I, however, did not enjoy the discovery. Burgess' book is a dystopian view of youth culture. I found it extremely cumbersome to read with non-common words such as droogs, rassoodocks, mesto, skorry, veshches, moloko, snthemesc, drencrom, and vellocet all appearing in the second paragraph. The book continued to be peppered with these types of terms. If the book had not been short, I would have abandoned it. I probably should have because it's definitely no my type of book.

Many people have been horrified when I say that I have never read A Clockwork Orange. Now I will do it proudly!

>181 cyderry: Cheli, I would have probably never picked it up if it had not been for the British Author Challenge. I can now say I've read it, but I hated it. I had never read it because its description had never appealed to me. I can say that my assessment was accurate.

I've seen the movie. That was enough for me. I can't imagine I'll ever feel the need to read that book.

>183 japaul22: Glad it isn't just me!

You can count me in here as well. I started watching the movie, but never finished. And I could not dream of starting the book...

Kudos for reading outside of your comfort zone. Even if you didn't like it at all, at least you've now read it (I'm assuming that, like me, you're planning to read All The Books).

>185 Chrischi_HH: At least I'm in good company!

>186 RidgewayGirl: I did Pearl Rule one of the selections earlier. I, at least, tried it. It was significantly longer than the Burgess book though so I don't really feel guilty abandoning it. This one was short enough I felt I could force myself to go on.

If I'm really hating a book, I'm more likely to finish it than a merely boring book. It's the impetus of being able to write a revenge review, or at least document all the problems and flaws. Of course, this mainly applies to books whose authors didn't feel inclined to take the time to do a good job, rather than established classics.

>188 RidgewayGirl: Yes. I usually have some sort of motivation to keep going on, but it wasn't working for me at the time I abandoned that one, and I never found a motivation.

52. Free Online Resources for North Carolina Genealogy Researchers in 2015 by Rucker Bennett

Date Completed: 16 Jun 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 1 star

Review: Bennett has presented in book format something that would be better as a Web page. Most of the resources Bennett uses are from Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org although a few come from various county sites. I kept expecting to see a reference to MARS, a wonderful resource designed by the State Archives, along with an explanation of how to use it. However, the author has apparently never explored this resource or learned to use it. The book was released about a week after Mocavo's announcement that they were providing 1790-1940 census images free to everyone. I suspect that if the announcement had been made earlier, those links would have been included. The author did not include many specialized links that were not part of larger collections. His description of Wilson Library Special Collections makes me wonder if he has ever visited the site. There is absolutely no mention of the fabulous Southern Historical Collection. I realize his emphasis was on the digital collections, but there are great finding aids for the Southern Historical Collection which can lead researchers to wonderful ancestral discoveries. The author ignores important religious groups such as the Moravians and Quakers and the wonderful collections that support the research of these groups available in the Moravian Archives and Friends Historical Collection at Guilford College respectively. I am glad that I did not pay for this book. I could find all of these links on my own. Too much of the easily found was included with very little of the harder-to-find resources, making me question just how experienced the author is in North Carolina research.

Maybe your next book will make up for the last two!

>191 hailelib: I probably had myself to blame for that last one. I suspected it would not be good as myself and other North Carolina researchers had never heard of the author. Since it was free yesterday, I decided to download and review it. I decided that it needed to be reviewed to prevent anyone from actually paying money for it. I had several North Carolina researchers tell me how much they enjoyed my review!

53. Last One Home by Debbie Macomber

Date Completed: 17 Jun 2015

Category: Clue

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Cassie left home to marry a man of whom her family disapproved. She ended up in an abusive relationship all the way across the country from her family. Now she's back in Washington, working as a hair stylist to support herself and her daughter. She becomes a candidate for a Habitat for Humanity home and takes a dislike to her supervisor, a widower. Of course that changes. Cassie's sisters reach out to her. Each of them is also facing a situation in their own marriage. The predicted hurdles are there in the relationship, and we're left wondering about the ultimate resolution of one of Cassie's sisters' situation which could spawn a sequel. It's well-told although somewhat formulaic. This review is based on an Advance Reader's Copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

54. Your Sacred Yes: Trading Life-Draining Obligation for Freedom, Passion & Joy by Susie Larson

Date Completed: 20 Jun 2015

Category: Clue

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Susie Larson writes about the dangers of overcommitment in this small volume intended to be used as a group study. She shares mostly from her own experience and intersperses Biblical verses in the text, concluding each chapter with a prayer and sets of questions--some for personal reflection, some for group discussion. Many of us have a tendency to stretch ourselves thin when we see something not being done in the local church that needs to be done. Susie encourages women to pray about those things in which they are involved and to get rid of those tasks for which you have not been called. She also shows the importance of recognizing God's voice when one is asked to take on another challenge. She recounts a time when she was about to say no but she heard the Lord telling her to say, "I'll pray about it." Larson has some good advice, unfortunately in attempting to make this into a quarterly group study, some of her message has lost its impact. The book would likely have been more powerful in a traditional book format. A couple of the chapters, particularly the bonus chapter, do not particularly fit the theme of the book well, which makes it look as if they were added to achieve a total of thirteen lessons. The author tends to use random Bible verses rather than keeping verses in their Biblical context. Since the message of the book seems to be to say "no" more often, perhaps a better title would have been Your Sacred No. The author also tends to use a wide variety of translations and paraphrases of the English Bible rather than sticking to one. This book should appeal to some women's Bible study groups, but it should only be used if the women are also engaged in a study which delves deeper into God's Word than this volume. This book was received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with the expectation that a review would be written.

55. Forever England: North and South by Beryl Bainbridge

Date Completed: 21 Jun 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: In a book that accompanied a television series, Bainbridge outlines the lives of six families living in England. She explains that to those living in the "North" of England, "South" means "London." There are, she acknowledges, resorts in the South as well, but she thinks of those as places tourists go. The families outlined lived in Liverpool, Hastings, Barnsley, Bentley, Northumberland, and Birmingham. My favorite sketch was probably the one that followed the Johnson family of Northumberland. They were a farm family, but primarily the older generations of the family were shepherds. Some of the younger generations had left farming, but several of the girls were married to farmers. They had other interests as well. The sketches reminded me of the some of the human interest stories one might see Tom Brokaw sharing in his "The Greatest Generation" reports without the strong tie to the military. The Birmingham story briefly explored racial attitudes as it told the story of a black family living there. Bainbridge is a good writer, and there seemed to be a thread running through the stories to tie them somewhat together, as one might expect from a television series. That thread to an extent was Bainbridge herself as she offered her own observations and "takeaways" from each vignette.

56. The Hog's Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts

Date Completed: 21 Jun 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: When a doctor and a nurse go missing, it's up to Inspector French to solve the case. It soon becomes apparent that both were likely killed, but where are the bodies? Suspicion runs to members of the doctor's household, to the doctor's partner, and to other persons connected with them. When another person goes missing, clues such as blood and dirt begin to surface. It's a complex mystery requiring the use of logic from the Golden Age of Mysteries that is certain to delight fans of the genre. An advance review copy was received from the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Lori, it has been ages since I took a look at some threads and wanted to catch up with you. I am sorry that you have had to go through so much this year. I am glad that you have some better reading since Clockwork Orange. I am amazed that you could give it one star - how generous you are!!! (I'd do a minus 15...)

>>196 thornton37814: I am have to take a look at this series eventually.

>197 mysterymax: I have given books 1/2 stars before, so I'd say I was very generous with 1 star!

>198 cyderry: I really enjoyed this book. If I've read another in the series, I don't remember it. I have read a short story by the author in a collection of short stories with an English country house theme. I'm glad that Poisoned Pen is bringing them back!

57. Leisure and Spirituality: Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Perspectives by Paul Heintzman

Date Completed: 22 Jun 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: In this well-written book based upon his doctoral dissertation, Paul Heintzman explores the concept of leisure throughout history, particularly as viewed by the Judeo-Christian community. He begins by exploring the views of leisure in today's society. He then takes a look at its history. He then explores what the Bible teaches about the concept of leisure. He then explores the changing concepts of leisure and work and the Biblical view of work. He then takes a look at how Christians have approached leisure. Finally he looks at the importance of leisure in one's spiritual life. Heintzman has done his research, yet his volume remains accessible to both the seminarian and educated laymen in the church who are interested in the subject. The volume is well-documented and well-indexed.This book is likely to be the authoritative work in this field for some time to come. Highly recommended. This review is based on an electronic copy of the book received by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

>177 thornton37814:
Hi Lori, just catching up on your thread. The Cherokee book looks interesting to me.
I've been told I have Cherokee in my tree but I've not yet been able to explore that.

>201 VictoriaPL: Unless you qualify with an ancestral name on the rolls, you'll not ever be recognized. A lot of Southerners have been told they have Cherokee (or Choctaw or Chickasaw) ancestry. Most of the time, it is just a "rumor." Sometimes (but not always) the rumor began to cover up other ethnicity. I think most of the time it is just a tall tale. You can always do a DNA test to get admixture results. It's the least reliable part of the DNA test because some of the samples of ethnic groups are not large enough for good comparison, but the admixtures are improving as the samples grow.

>202 thornton37814: Hi Lori, oh, I'm not looking to be recognized. Just wanted to look into that branch.
Based on what my Great-Grandmother looked like, I think there is some truth there.
I would like to have my DNA run in the near future.

>203 VictoriaPL: I've found the DNA results quite interesting. I've got a fairly new DNA match who is matching my father, myself, and my niece at what could easily be a second cousin twice removed level. She knows almost nothing about her paternal line so we expect that the match is on that side. Of course, the match is on my father's side, but I haven't yet figured out whether it is his father's side or mother's side. One of the things on my agenda for this week is to look at other matches along that segment to see if I can try to determine that and maybe even narrow it to a more specific line.

58. The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail by Wallace Stegner

Date Completed: 24 Jun 2015

Category: Risk

CAT Challenge: None (although they did follow some rivers such as the Missouri and Platte for a ways - they just weren't "on the water")

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Drawing largely from diaries and journals written by those who took this trail, Wallace Stegner gives us a look at the factors that led the Mormons from Kirtland, Ohio to Nauvoo, Illinois and eventually on the Mormon Trail which led to the Great Salt Lake Basin area. With a wealth of primary source materials available, he is able to give us a detailed glimpse at what life was like for persons accompanying Brigham Young westward. Stegner himself was a Presbyterian but he offers us a glimpse at their life with a balanced approach. While he did not use footnotes for reference purposes, one can often tell which account is being utilized by the context, and he does offer notes on the sources used in each chapter at the end of the book. There is an index mostly comprised of names and locations which will be useful for persons interested in specific persons or in places along the Trail.

The introduction to the Penguin edition of Angle of Repose mentions that Stegner's family lived in Salt Lake City during his teenage years, and that most of his friends were Mormon. He had a favorable view of Mormons even though he wasn't himself Mormon. I'll have to add that history to mt TBR list.

>206 cbl_tn: This was one we had at the library. I decided that I'd probably enjoy this one quite a bit. By the way, do you have a Hosea Stout anywhere in your Stout line? He's mentioned prominently in the book.

59. Beethoven's Tenth by Brian Harvey

Date Completed: 24 Jun 2015

Category: Hi-Ho! Cherry-O

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Piano technician and jazz pianist Frank Ryan comes into possession of a partial manuscript of Beethoven's Tenth symphony after rescuing a deceased dog from a 9 foot Steinway at Miss Pieczynski's home. He would have preferred financial remuneration for his work. Miss P ends up dead. One of her students is one of the first to accost Frank. It seems like everyone is out to get him. It's a comedic mystery, but I found much of the humor to be a bit course. It is part of a Rapids Reads series and will probably interested the intended audience of ESL readers. This review is based on an advance reading copy loaned to me by a friend rather than one received directly from a publisher for review purposes.

>207 thornton37814: Looks like Hosea Stout is probably a 2nd cousin about 5x removed.

>209 cbl_tn: You'll get to read all about him then!

The LDS connection probably explains why I have so many Stout DNA matches descended from Samuel Stout & Rachel Chancey!

The photo of Hosea on this page looks an awful lot like one of my mom's cousins!

>211 cbl_tn: Definitely sounds like you have found that connection with DNA.

I discovered that Hosea Stout wrote an autobiography that covers his early life up to 1844. Although it ought to be in the public domain, I didn't turn up a dgitized version so I bought a copy. His family lived in Clinton County, Ohio, for a while. My Stouts lived there for a few years too. I thought I might learn something.

>213 cbl_tn: His diary was among the sources used for the Stegner book. Perhaps he kept a diary for much of the remainder of his life as well which was used as the basis for his autobiography.

>214 thornton37814: Yes, he had both an autobiography and a diary published. The diary has a part 1 and a part 2.

>215 cbl_tn: Sounds like he enjoyed writing.

60. Lasting Love: How to Avoid Marital Failure by Alistair Begg

Date Completed: 25 Jun 2015

Category: Operation

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Alistair Begg's book on marriage has been around for about eighteen years and is being re-released by Moody Publishers in 2015. My hopes that it was a new edition were shattered when I ran across a reference to it being the 1990s. The latest works cited in the bibliography are from 1996. Much of the advice Begg provides to couples is still valid; however, it is a shame that the content has not been updated and that he has failed to draw from more recent authors such as Gary Thomas and Timothy Keller. Although the advice is sound, I feel that some of the concepts will not be heeded by today's generation without a slightly different approach to the argument. The book has a study guide written by James S. Bell, Jr. which can be used by couples or by groups studying the book. It would probably be quite helpful in many premarital counseling situations. The foreward to the book was written by Howard Hendricks. It seems a new foreward by someone who is at the forefront of today's Christian leaders would have been a good addition to the book. This review is based on an advance readers e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

61. The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan

Date Completed: 29 Jun 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: This is a great cookbook featuring recipes for many of the dishes we enjoy at Chinese restaurants. While it doesn't have quite every dish, there is usually another recipe that could be adapted for the dish you enjoy. For example, there is not a recipe for one of my favorite dishes, Mongolian Chicken, but there is a Mongolian Beef recipe. There are often tips and notes about various dishes or ingredients which add interest. The photography is well-done. Although there is a sidebar about fortune cookies, there is no actual recipe for them, although the sidebar did note that originally these were made by hand. I'm not sure if the author chose not to include it because the cookie is Japanese in origin, but regardless of its origin, it is something expected with Chinese takeout, so a recipe would have been in order. I borrowed this one from the library, and I would love to own a personal copy. Perhaps I'll hint that I want a wok and this book as a Christmas gift!

62. Death by the Dozen by Jenn McKinlay

Date Completed: 29 Jun 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: In this third installment in the Cupcake Bakery series, Mel and Angie enter a pastry contest in which her mentor is one of the judges. They hired a new unpaid intern, Oz, who resembles a thug. Oz and others are holding down the fort at the bakery while Mel and Angie participate. One of the judges is found dead in the freezer, then there's a case of poisoning that sends one of the girls to the hospital. Among their competitors is obnoxious Olivia who is determined to retain her title. Another is a young girl who is obviously enthusiastic about the competition. A bakery from Phoenix is also among the top tier of competitors. Probably my favorite part of the entire story is a tiny kitten that Angie names "Captain Jack" who shows up trying to devour one of the cupcakes and finds his forever home with Mel. This was a fun installment in the series. I picked up on the killer's identity early on, but I suspect several readers will be surprised at the outcome.

63. The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar

Date Completed: 29 Jun 2015

Category: Scrabble

CAT Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: This graphic novel tells the story of a cat, his master, a rabbi, his master's daughter living in Algeria. The cat eats a parrot and suddenly gains the ability to speak. He uses the ability to tell lies and asks to be taught in Jewish ways and to go through Bar Mitzvah. Later stories involve the rabbi's attempt to become the permanent rabbi of his synagogue and his daughter's marriage and honeymoon. I found the stories to be somewhat sacrilegious. I never warmed to the image the artist used for the cat. Some of the art work was more appealing than the primary character. The cat seemed to take a back seat in the second and third stories.

>>219 thornton37814: I enjoyed this one too!

>221 cyderry: I remember that you did! I got to match you as a shared read on the TIOLI because I was able to get it from the library in the same month!