qebo’s 2015 books (4)

Hamilton Park is a neighborhood barely outside Lancaster city limits that includes two parks. It was created by Hamilton Watch Company in the 1920s for employee housing. Across the street is the clock tower complex, originally the factory and now condominiums.

Currently Reading

Read But Not Yet Reviewed


Marketplace of the Marvelous by Erika Janik - ER


A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - ER

January
#01: The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan -- (Jan 3) - new (e-book)
#02: Mendel in the Kitchen by Nina V. Fedoroff and Nancy Marie Brown -- (Jan 11) - ROOT
#03: March by Geraldine Brooks -- (Jan 14) - ROOT
#04: The Bird Market of Paris by Nikki Moustaki -- (Jan 18) - ER
#05: Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges -- (Jan 24) - ROOT
#06: Culture Shock! Korea by Sonja Vegdahl Hur and Ben Seunghwa Hur -- (Jan 26) new (used)
#07: January magazines -- (Jan 30)

February
#08: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke -- (Feb 7) - ROOT (e-book)
#09: Cycle of Fire by Hal Clement -- (Feb 14) - ROOT
#10: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston -- (Feb 18) - new (e-book)
#11: Food, Inc. by Peter Pringle -- (Feb 19) - ROOT
#12: Headstrong by Rachel Swaby -- (Feb 27) - ER
#13: February magazines -- (Feb 28)

March
#14: The Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan -- (Mar 3) - borrowed
#15: Soldier Girls by Helen Thorpe -- (Mar 10) - new (used)
#16: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert -- (Mar 19) - ROOT
#17: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman -- (Mar 24) - ROOT
#18: Blood of the Tiger by J. A. Mills -- (Mar 29) - ER

April
#19: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande -- (Apr 4) - new
#20: Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne -- (Apr 5) - re-read
#21: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee -- (Apr 17) - new (e-book)

May
#22: The Theft of Memory by Jonathan Kozol -- (May 1) - ER
#23: An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance -- (May 4) - new (e-book)
#24: On Writing by Stephen King -- (May 8) - new
#25: Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey -- (May 10) - new (e-book)
#26: Conundrum by Jan Morris -- (May 16) - new
#27: Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan -- (May 20) - new (e-book)
#28: Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George -- (May 28) - new (e-book)

June
#29: Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George -- (Jun 5) - new (e-book)
#30: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr -- (Jun 17) - new (e-book)

July
#31: Welcome to Shirley by Kelly McMasters -- (Jul 11) - new (used)
#32: Middlemarch by George Eliot -- (Jul 12) - new (e-book)
#33: Feed by Mira Grant -- (Jul 16) - new (e-book)
#34: I Wonder What a Rainforest Is by Annabelle Donati -- (Jul 17) - LFL
#35: Marketplace of the Marvelous by Erika Janik -- (Jul 18) - ER
#36: Among Chimpanzees by Nancy J. Merrick -- (Jul 25) - ER
#37: Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams -- (Jul 27) - borrowed
#38: Brush Back by Sara Paretsky -- (Jul 30) - new (e-book)

August
#39: The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin -- (Aug 5) - new
#40: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee -- (Aug 9) -new (e-book)
#41: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel -- (Aug 16) -new (e-book)
#42: The Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf -- (Aug 16) - ROOT
#43: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie -- (Aug 22) - new (e-book)
#44: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer -- (Aug 28) - ROOT
#45: X by Sue Grafton -- (Aug 30) - new (e-book)
#46: On Looking by Alexandra Horowitz -- (Aug 30) - new

September
#47: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce -- (Sep 1) - new (e-book)
#48: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson -- (Sep 6) - ER
#49: Tomorrow's Table by Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak -- (Sep 13) - new
#50: The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein -- (Sep 15) - new (e-book)
#51: Armada by Ernest Cline -- (Sep 21) - new (e-book)
#52: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert -- (Sep 30) - new

October
#53: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan -- (Oct 2) - new (e-book)
#54: Midnight in Siberia by David Greene -- (Oct 16) - new
#55: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor -- (Oct 18) - ROOT
#56: The Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein -- (Oct 22) - new
#57: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith -- (Oct 26) - new (e-book)
#58: The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner -- (Oct 29) - ROOT

November
#59: Dissolution by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 5) - new (e-book)
#60: Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 11) - new (e-book)
#61: Sovereign by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 16) - new (e-book)
#62: Revelation by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 22) - new (e-book)
#63: Heartstone by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 26) - new (e-book)
#64: Lamentation by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 30) - new (e-book)

December
#65: Gone Feral by Novella Carpenter -- (Dec 2) - new
#66: March magazines -- (Dec 2)
#67: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins -- (Dec 7) - re-read
#68: The Just City by Jo Walton -- (Dec 8) - new (e-book)
#69: The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton -- (Dec 11) - new (e-book)
#70: Why Read Moby Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick -- (Dec 13) - new
#71: Bartleby / Benito Cereno by Herman Melville -- (Dec 15) - ROOT
#72: Sleep, Creep, Leap by Benjamin Vogt -- (Dec 17) - ROOT
#73: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad -- (Dec 20) - ROOT (e-book)
#74: Cod by Mark Kurlansky -- (Dec 25) - ROOT
#75: Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott -- (Dec 30) - ROOT

Happy new thread, Katherine! Love the thread topper picture.

Fourth quarter and fourth thread. A good reading year! I hope you don't get discouraged by the number of unreviewed books on your list. I would be tempted to review one or two and cut the others loose. I liked The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and wish I hadn't given it away (I thought I was lending it at the time). I'm curious to know what you thought of the Harper Lee. I have been reluctant to tarnish my memories of Scout and Atticus Finch by reading this sequel. What would you suggest?

Ooooo. Shiny new thread.

I remember the Hamilton Watch factory, or at least remember seeing it out the car window. Can't tell you where it is. Somewhere along Route 30, I'd guess. Or Business Route 30. Or what used to be Route 30.

Seeing your stack of unreviewed books, Katherine, makes me feel a lot better about the ones that are stuck on the sole of my shoe. Dragging along everywhere I go, hampering.

>8 labfs39: If you are attached to your memories, then I'd suggest avoiding Go Set a Watchman.
>9 weird_O: Route 462, which branches off Route 30 and goes through the city.

Nice new thread, Katherine! I also like the photo of the Hamilton Watch building.

Ooh, I'm curious to hear your opinion about several of those unreviewed books!

>12 _Zoe_: Maybe I'll tell you someday. :-) Mini-reviews aren't too time consuming if I can just get myself to start.

Lovely new thread. That's a beautiful building.

You read some mighty fine books. Thanks for the wonderful opening image!

The neighborhood is where I'll be moving (countdown to settlement: 12 days). The clock tower is somewhat closer to where I live now. Oddly, I've never been inside.

>1 qebo: neat to see the old factory repurposed. I am a big fan of such things.

>17 Oberon: Lotsa tobacco warehouses here too.

What a saga about yr. books. The kids should have known by the heft that it was books!

I am looking forward to those reviews too - many books in there that I have either read or wanna read.

>9 weird_O: Tried spraying "bookrapel" on yr. shoes? Very advisable to spray all over self before entering a bookshop or library.

Happy new thread, Katherine. I love the photo of the clock tower building!

The National Book Festival meetup started out well. The usual suspects, minus a few who couldn't be there this year, met for breakfast. I left early to plop myself in the Science room, where I saw Andrea Wulf (I read The Brother Gardeners just last month, and I bought The Invention of Nature based on her presentation), Rachel Swaby (I read Headstrong as an ER early this year), David Quammen interviewed by Steve Inskeep (I have Spillover, haven't read it, but am now inspired to get to it). All talks were well attended but not packed full. Then a regrouping break with LibraryThingers and BookCrossers, then I headed back to Science to see E. O. Wilson. Along with 1,000,000 other people. Staff was trying to get the crowd into a line (not with full success; I thought I was at the end of it a couple times and was informed by other occupants that I'd cut into the middle) but was encouraging everyone a few layers beyond the door to go find another program. Eventually I conceded defeat and went to the other side of the building to see Evan Osnos, who was fine. Along the way I passed a staff member in walkie-talkie conversation about safety issues in the Science room. I heard later that the line for the talk before E. O. Wilson had also been long, and staff tried to clear the room in between but 3/4 the audience refused to leave; they'd gone to the previous talk specifically to secure seats for E. O. Wilson. I exited the conference center for a bit of sunshine and fresh air, then scanned the schedule, decided Contemporary Life looked pretty good, and returned to... a closed room with a line forming. I wasn't sure where else to go, anything else of interest involved a trek to another part of the building with no guarantee of anything, so I got in line for the next talk and waited a half hour to see Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn. And then dinner and that was that.

So. The National Book Festival seriously needs to get its act together. When it was at the mall, all events were under open tents in a row, so it was possible to hover around the edges or wander back and forth. Now the pieces are split apart and you're either in or out, no middle ground. And somebody decided that science isn't in high demand so it could be put in one of the smaller rooms.

>21 qebo: Bummer about organizational snarls at the NBF. Still, David Quammen: I read Spillover a couple of years ago, and thinking about it still gives me the creeps.

Looking back at my notes, I was surprised to see how I reacted negatively to his style ... I'd forgotten all about that, and only the good bits remained.

Too bad that the organization was such a snafu. I hope it didn't stress you too much. That sort of things drives me nuts.

>22 swynn: I went in search of your notes, will keep them in mind. He mentioned the fictional story of the AIDS guy during the NBF interview, but the other stylistic issues weren't apparent.

>23 labfs39: Well, I had to adjust my mind to disappointing circumstances but as a practical matter the E. O. Wilson talk will be available online eventually. I got to see SqueakyChu's pawpaw tree, and I got to see my niece in her new abode.

>24 qebo: Ah, some plusses after all. Q, I was not paying very much attention this past month and missed your whole new house search. Glad you've found something you want and that it wasn't too difficult to close the deal. I know there's a lot of work ahead to get both houses ready for their new destinies - wish I lived close enough to pitch in. Good luck!

>25 ffortsa: Countdown to settlement: 8 days. A few bureaucratic details pending that didn't get dealt with last week because people were exiting for an extended weekend. It's all routine to them, and things seem to be under control, but I realize how stressed I am when I snap at someone for no justifiable reason.

That's so exciting about the new house! Those things are easy to stress about, though.

Wish I could have been at the meetup. Glad it was good, but not so glad the Fest was so disorganized.

Agreed about the difficulties at the National Book festival. I was turned away from seeing Ha Jin because the room was full. I didn't wait for Stephan Pastis because his presentation was at 9pm at night! The best presentation for me was the one by Walter Isaacson. I do hope to read his new book The Innovators.

It was fun having you here Katherine. Meetup weekends are always fun because I look forward to seeing everyone. When you left, Barbara and I hung out with friends at an ale house in Olney. Today we attended an Irish music festival and tried out a new ice cream parlor. I hope you had a nice visit with your niece. I look forward to your next visit.

Countdown to settlement: 2 days. Yesterday was pouring rain, and I should've focused on review catchup, but instead I rescued caterpillars and ran nonessential errands, and read scattered bits of three books without really concentrating on any. Then last night I had a dream that I forgot to go to the bank and missed the settlement.

Moving is indeed stressful. Hang in there! Soon, you will be in your new abode and taking time to settle in.

Good luck with your big move. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Tomorrow is the day?

Yup. And now today is the day. But not until late afternoon.

>34 qebo: Good luck. Hope your reading doesn't crater as much as mine did.

Whew! I slipped in at the right time. May the move go smoothly! And may you be very happy in your new place!!! AND may you make it into that clock tower sometime soon!
I don't want to put any pressure on you, but I'm eager to see what you think of several of your unreviewed books. You don't need to say much to make me happy (which, no doubt, is your primary reason for writing reviews), but I'd love to know just a bit of what you think.
I'm sorry something as potentially wonderful as the NBF was botched. I keep thinking about people who made a distinct effort to come from faraway places who then didn't get to hear their idols.
I can tell you right now that having read the first review here of Spillover, I'm not likely to read more. Horrors!

Mine. :-)

Not obvious from the photos, but the front yard is about the size of my current back yard, and the back yard is several times that. So large enough to play with, small enough to be manageable.

Congratulations! And it looks cozy and great!

Oh this looks like such a marvelous house!! I am so happy for you! Happy Moving Day! Will be interested in reports on how cats manage too.

>37 qebo: Wonderful! Congratulations, and I'm glad to hear it was fairly smooth sailing signing all the papers and such.

What a fabulous house and garden! Congratulations, and enjoy it all!

How cute! Congrats!

Moving won't occur for awhile. I have to remove wallpaper and carpet, find out what's underneath, maybe get floors refinished before I can set up office space which is the critical path; I need to be able to work without interruption. Construction people in general are backlogged, scheduling about two months out. Limits to what I want to do myself; been there done that, better uses of my time. But at least now I can make appointments and get estimates and commitments.

I love the style of the house, not at all what I imagined (I was thinking it was more of a city brownstone). And the gardens ... ooh la la! You'll have fun with that. It looks like they are already in pretty nice shape so you could just watch what happens over the next growing season and then decide what to keep and/or change.

It's good you have time to do the interior improvements before moving in.

>37 qebo: Looks wonderful!

>44 lauralkeet: The house is in the neighborhood of my thread topper >1 qebo:. It's just a few blocks outside city limits; I can still walk downtown. The houses that border the city look like the city, the houses in the far reaches look like the suburbs, and many of the houses in between are smallish (1000-1500 sf) on largish lots (1/8 - 1/4 acre). All other things equal, I would've preferred to remain within city limits, but in the city large yards generally come with large houses. The succinct description of my goal was "a cottage in the city", and this house comes remarkably close, especially considering that my target neighborhoods are extremely stable; people stay put for decades so houses are not popping up for sale with great frequency. The previous owner moved about a mile away to an attractive street with renovated/reconfigured old townhouses; his goal was to get closer to downtown and reduce maintenance.

The yard is in decent shape so I can modify in patches, don't have to overhaul the entire thing at once. Tomorrow is a consultation with an arborist, who will identify the trees and advise on maintenance.

Ah - that sounds very sensible indeed. I think I read something higher up that seemed to imply you were moving.

Have fun with the arborist, few things more pleasurable than discussing trees.

>46 qebo: "a cottage in the city" I like that! You definitely found it.

Back yard very similar to my friend's cottage in Millersville. She put some raised beds in the sunniest area for her garden, rather than digging beds.

Looks very nice, Katherine. That you have the time to sort out repairs and renovations you want to do before moving in is a luxury. Mature trees, I luv 'em. I am happy for you.

Congrats on the new digs, and good luck on the renovations!

Lovely house!!! Congratulations! I love the look of it.

A hobbit hole for qebo (meant in the very best way): cozy, snug, and with lots of growing things. I'm so happy for you and can't wait to see what wonders will turn up in your gardens. It's lovely.

What a lovely house and lot! Can't wait to see what you do with it!

It's a bit overwhelming. I'll be around LT even less than I have been. I'm beginning to piece together the various tasks that need to be done, some by me, some by other people, some in specific order, some whenever... I'd hoped to get more done this weekend, but now it's shot and I'm exhausted without much to show for it.

Stopping by after spending some time offline and love the pictures of your new home. Congratulations!

That's a real charmer from the outside. Can't wait to see what the inside will turn out to be!

Catherine, Your new home looks so lovely and cozy. I hope you find it to be perfect for your needs. I am a person who likes to nest. I like to settle in and stay and make my abode comfortable. Yours is a house that looks to be perfect. It certainly has curb appeal.

I wish you all good things as you and your house grow to appreciate each other.

>57 ffortsa: The inside needs bookshelves... The pitched roof limits the wall space, so shelves will be scattered here and there. Tentative appointment with a carpenter later this week.

>58 Whisper1: My current house was the best I could do for cash when I returned to Lancaster and wasn't sure I'd remain. The new house is intended for the duration until I'm too decrepit to manage. It's not perfect inside, though fortunately the expensive things, e.g. kitchen and bathroom, are in good shape. I pulled up some carpet last weekend to see what's underneath, and as expected it's old wood floors, which will need to be refinished. And this is turning out to be the key to scheduling everything else, because the most recommended floor refinisher is backlogged until mid November, and I haven't yet found an alternative.

Though if you're doing carpentry and painting, that would probably go better _before_ you do the floors...at least the painting, and anything else likely to make a mess on the floor/carpet.

>60 jjmcgaffey: That's what I would've supposed too if I hadn't tried it in my current house. The floor sanding leaves a film of wood dust over everything, even in a "dust-free" system, even if the refinishers are careful. Removing occasional splotches of paint from a refinished floor is easy. Obviously the walls have to be cleaned regardless, but fresh paint when scrubbed down ceases to look so fresh. Order of operations is: floor refinishing, painting, bookshelves. Which means this weekend the focus will be on carpet removal. I now have three appointments lined up with floor refinishers.

Met with a carpenter yesterday, walked through the house and he got measurements of feasible shelf locations, and after discussing the relative merits of bookcases vs standards and brackets, came up with a possible compromise that we're both going to think about. I prefer the flexibility of standards and brackets, but want a more upscale appearance. The structural problem is that the wall studs are not necessarily in ideal locations.

Hmmm - a possibility, if you have mostly paperbacks, is an in-wall bookshelf. My parents did this and it works beautifully (on drywall with studs - not sure what the construction of your house is). Take out one side of the drywall, put in thin wood/plywood in the back of the cavity and around the wall studs, drill holes all up and down the studs. Shelves cut to the space between the studs and the width of a paperback, adjustable with pegs in those holes. And a simple miter frame around the whole space. It looks great - my parents used light oak plywood, so it looks like an oak bookcase; the shelves stick out a little bit, but the depth of the wall contains most of the depth of a MMPB. If you have mostly hardbacks or trade paperbacks, it doesn't work - they stick out too far and fall.

I really need to get a picture of my parents' bookcase - I keep recommending it, but I don't have an image to show how it works. It's something I want to do in my house too, but I can't currently afford a carpenter to make it look good; I've considered doing it myself but I want it to look good and I'm not sure I can. The difficult part, aside from looks, would be dealing with wires etc behind the walls - as I recall, my parents had some of them moved down and their bookshelf doesn't extend to the last foot before the floor.

And about the floors - ah, I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, good point. Who's on first...

>62 jjmcgaffey: I saw your description of that bookcase elsewhere, maybe your thread, and it's a cool idea, but this is an old house, built pre-drywall. I don't have the expertise or tools to do carpentry myself either. I had a handyman install a standards and brackets system in my current house, and he cut shelves and shaped the edges so they're a step up from basic, but he's more pragmatic carpenter than craftsman, and with this house I'm aiming a bit higher. Also the shelves will be more visible to visitors. I'll see what the cost is...

>63 qebo: I lived with standards and boards for decades. If I were to do it again, I think I'd have someone 'bullet-nose' the shelves for a more finished look. I still like their open feel, but as you know I've gone a little upscale in the living room. In the bedroom, I'm planning to put those presspoles to work again.

>64 ffortsa: Your shelves look great! Ready-made shelves won't be feasible in my house because I don't have long stretches of wall space, and standard sizes are either too big or too small.

It'll be all house all the time for awhile... Yesterday evening and this morning I removed all the carpet, which is now rolled and folded on the dining room floor awaiting trash day. Then began prying off and pulling out the tack strips and staples. I was going to hire someone to do this, but there's nobody obvious and I had to get started because I've lined up appointments with three floor refinishers, and the carpet actually went quickly. The prying is tedious and my hand is already blistered, so I trekked home for a lunch and coffee break and a couple of tools that might help. Now heading back for the afternoon shift...

>62 jjmcgaffey: We did this in our old house, worked beautifully!!!!! I wish we had those bookcases in this house!

*waves cast--6 more days*

>62 jjmcgaffey: I have one little in-wall shelf too, and I love it!
Katherine, I'm loving all the house plans, but I'm afraid that when you get going, you really won't have time to come keep us updated. We'll be cheering you on anyway!

>68 LizzieD: Seems to me: no books, no traffic. My Decision on Deck Stain Color and How Many Carpet Staples Were in the Office? and What the Floor Refinisher Said Yesterday don't make for compelling reading.

Book catchup hasn't happened this month, though I haven't fallen further behind either; I'll finish another today, and I'm partly through two more, so 75 remains possible. I have Aspirations to post mini-reviews, and this'll be the first weekend in awhile that I have no major obligations other than the house, so maybe...

>69 qebo: You may be surprised how many of us would be interested in deck stain & flooring, I see potential for a house renovation thread a la your garden thread ...

*waves cast--only 5 more days!*

Today was Comparing Roof Estimates. And Yet Another Floor Refinisher. I made appointments with two unknowns because the known and trusted is backlogged until mid November. Turns out the unknowns are too though they're less forthcoming about it. Also, renewing car registration after an email exchange with the board of elections clerk about How to Avoid Triggering an Address Change for Voting Purposes, the essence of which is don't tell PennDOT I'm moving until after the October 5 deadline for voter registration, so I can vote for a city candidate.

>70 lauralkeet: Maybe when there's something to show.

Isn't it peculiar how all sorts of citizenship stuff hinges on "license and registration, please"? We live in Lehigh County, but the post office that serves us is in Berks County. I've been called for jury duty in Berks several times, but never in Lehigh. Why? The county government apparently doesn't have its own data base of residents. They get that info from PennDOT. It ain't a jury of your peers, it's a jury of registered drivers only.

Watched the two hour PBS program on E. O. Wilson... so finishing book #6 for the month is gonna be a squeaker... I think I can do it.

>74 qebo: I did too. I thought it was a little too much 'and then I wrote this' - I would have appreciated more discussion of the science and theory and less of the man, however likable he is. What was your take?

>75 ffortsa: I actually kinda liked that aspect, with him reading, a legacy. The controversial stuff, sociobiology and group selection, would merit separate programs. Though I would've been happy with more ants. I kinda faded out toward the end in the Alabama football segment.

Got me interested in watching the Gorongosa Park series, which I'd been unaware of.

We recorded that show ... Looking forward to it.

*waves cast --4 more days!*

Saw the first hour--realized we had read his book for the science-history group, and then realized I hadn't seen the group this year. Did I miss the thread or did it not continue?

>78 ronincats: Didn't continue. No explicit decision, but it had kinda faded away last year and nobody revived it this year. I was actively interested in several books that I didn't read, or read but didn't discuss in the designated thread. Too many RL intrusions. And scanning last year's thread, it was a small group at its peak, and several participants haven't been around much this year.

In retrospect, I think doing two books per quarter, and choosing them in advance, were both probably bad for the group. There weren't enough participants to support two different reads, and choosing books at regular intervals at least kept some sort of discussion going, even if just meta-discussion. I know I'm better at talking about books to read than I am at actually reading them ;)

>80 _Zoe_: I'm a better judge of what I actually will read when the target date is within weeks rather than months.

I want to see The Martian, but not enough to trek a mile through the rain to a theater that's 3/4 full.

I'll probably read The Martian before I watch it - but I'm really eager for an excuse to fit it into my immediate reading queue. My boyfriend won't go to a movie if there's a chance of his wanting to read the book, and I'm sure he'll never have time to read the book - so I'll have to find a companion-watcher of my own. :)

#33: Feed by Mira Grant -- (Jul 16)

why now: Curiosity. An acquaintance who is more inclined toward non-fiction mentioned it as fun.

Zombies and politics. Not really my thing, and this book didn’t change my attitude, but the sibling relationship kept me reading.

#38: Brush Back by Sara Paretsky -- (Jul 30)

why now: In the mood for a mystery and this one was just released.

Comfort read; familiar characters and plot.

#40: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee -- (Aug 9)

why now: Lotsa buzz, figured I’d better read it before I forgot To Kill a Mockingbird.

Consider it a draft of TKaM. The strongest parts are childhood reminiscences of brother Jem (who died in his 20s) and friend Dill (who moved away). Atticus Finch is not a saint. Scout’s attitudes are none too enlightened either.

#41: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel -- (Aug 16)

why now: Curiosity. Kept seeing positive reviews on the threads.

A troupe of actors and musicians roams around the Great Lakes in a post-apocalyptic world. Told from the POV of several people associated with an actor who died suddenly during a performance of Shakespeare shortly before a flu virus wreaked havoc: an EMT who tried to save him, his ex-wife, a child actress. The strands eventually merge with some loose ends. Station 11 is a graphic novel with echoes of past and present. Fairly absorbing but I cared more about some people than others.

#43: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie -- (Aug 22)

why now: RL book group member praised it.

A Nigerian immigrant to the US, student then academic commentator, decides to return home. Unfolds through a series of romantic relationships that illuminate themes of culture and race. The most interesting bits were the excerpts from her blog posts.

#45: X by Sue Grafton -- (Aug 30)

why now: In the mood for a mystery and this one was just released.

Comfort read; familiar characters and plot.

#47: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce -- (Sep 1)

why now: RL book group selection.

Howard gets a letter from former colleague Queenie telling that she is near death from cancer. He sets off to mail a generic card, and keeps on going. Initially he’s not sure why, then a chance conversation with a store clerk inspires a belief that Queenie won’t die until he reaches her, 500 miles away. As he walks, he remembers the past... and it emerges that Something Happened 20 years ago, disintegrating his family of wife and son, and causing Queenie to leave the company. I would’ve ditched this book after 50 pages if I hadn’t felt obligated to finish. The passivity was more exasperating than meaningful. Other book group members were taken by the Atonement and Suffering of the journey (a whopping 5-10 miles per day along paved roads) and the blisters on his feet (change your damn shoes). Yeah, I’m too literal.

#50: The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein -- (Sep 15)

why now: Sitting on the Nook, downloaded awhile back when someone mentioned an e-book deal and described the series as exemplifying the scientific method.

Steerswoman Rowan is investigating the origin of jewelstones, traveling to question people who have found them, plotting scattered locations, graphing possible trajectories. At one stop she meets Outskirter Bel, who asks to join her in order to learn about the inland. As they continue onward, they are attacked by a group of men and a group of dragons. Sent by wizards? Academy mentors suggest a disguise so as not to attract attention. Now as traveling merchants, Rowan and Bel encounter Will, who has discovered that he can perform spells and aspires to become a wizard. Are wizard spells magic? Much remains unclear by the end of the book, so I got the next three books of the series. Which, alas, remains incomplete.

#51: Armada by Ernest Cline -- (Sep 21)

why now: It’s new, and I loved Ready Player One.

The similarities of video games and smart-ass vulnerable characters are there. But... pages and pages and tens of pages of battle scenes. I’d zone out and skim through and discover a bit later that somebody had died and I missed the excitement. A disappointment.

#53: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan -- (Oct 2)

why now: Curiosity.

A “riff” (author’s term) off The Scarlet Letter, which I read 40+ years ago and only vaguely recall so I read a summary of the plot. (Maybe I’ll read it again.) This book begins with an analogue in a near-future theocratic Texas: A young woman from a fundamentalist Christian family has an affair with a married megachurch preacher, gets pregnant, goes to a secret clinic for an illegal abortion, and is caught. The punishment is melachroming. Her skin is turned red (different colors for different crimes) with a virus that will be maintained by booster shots for her 16-year sentence. She is imprisoned for a month and put on public display via webcams, then released to her own devices. Awakening adventures include a home for wayward women, encounters with vigilantes, rescue by abortion advocates, friendship with people whose religious views are less rigid, lesbian sex. Engaging enough but a tad too stereotyping and kinda went off the rails.

:) I felt the same way about Harold Fry. I 've heard really good things about Station Eleven. I own Americanah but haven't read it yet.

That takes care of the fiction and gets the backlog down to a manageable number. A rainy Saturday morning. The radar map sez this is the the end, though it's still gray and chilly. So I should dredge up the energy to walk over to the new house and pry up more carpet tack strips. The joys of home ownership.

>83 The_Hibernator:, >94 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel!

*waves cast--2 more days!*

Congratulations on your new house, Katherine! It looks lovely.

I've been lurking but haven't yet said that I love your new house and yard. Is that a bay window under the little cone shaped roof? I'm not sure I remember you saying much about indoor plants, but mine has quite a few. :-)

Will you know if any of your tagged butterflies are observed somewhere out in the wilds?

>98 streamsong: The cone-shaped awning is over the front door. No bay window. The back is a sunroom with, I discovered after I bought the house, a heated tile floor. I'm hesitant about indoor plants though. One, the cats eat them. Two, I'm erratic about watering; best to leave the plants to nature.

If someone finds a tagged butterfly and reports it to MonarchWatch, I'll be informed (also there's a spreadsheet posted in the spring). But the chances are something like 1/1000.

Carpet removal is DONE! This includes carpet, tack strips, staples, in two rooms and staircase, so I'm ready for the floor refinishers whenever the floor refinishers are ready for me. Also carpet in the basement (I want to use the basement for storage and get rid of a humongous ugly tool shed that blocks the view in the yard).

Yay!!!!!

Yay! Congrats on finishing a big job. One step closer to moving in!

>99 qebo: Ah, I get it - that must make a very nice front entry.

I've tried to grow fresh herbs inside during the winter, but never had much luck. It has such a nice sound to it that I keep trying.

>102 streamsong: Yeah, the front entry has potential. I'm planning to remove the bushes so it's more visible to the street. Behind the bushes and tree is a patio. The previous owner oriented everything toward the back, and closed off the front.

By February, I'm desperate to grow anything... so I start more plants than I have space for outside. These too have to be kept from the cats.

Yesterday I got a third floor refinishing assessment and estimate. This was a known entity and the most recommended company, with a schedule backlogged accordingly, so initially I'd skipped over them and tried a couple of unfamiliar alternatives. Well, I wasn't wild about the alternatives, their assessments didn't seem as thorough, and anyway the alternatives are also backlogged though not quite as much, so I decided to go for my preference and deal with the wait. Well this morning the company owner called to say they finished a job ahead of schedule, and have a couple days free to start sanding my floors if I'm ready. Now I'm really glad that I spent the weekend prying and pulling carpet tack strips and staples or I would've had to say no. Sanding's the significant time consuming step that has to be scheduled for full days. Staining and polyurethaning can be done in mere hours with an overnight wait between coats, so they're going to try to squeeze me in here and there. No guarantee, but it's possible that it'll be done this month.

A sad thing though. For years on evening walks I've passed by a woman from the house across the street, with her elderly dog, mutual recognition so we'd say hello but that's it. As my house was wending through bureaucracy, we crossed paths one day and I said hi, I'm going to be your neighbor soon. We struck up a conversation, turned out she'd grown up in her house, and knew the history of my house going back 70 years. I saw her several times over the next few weeks, and she was always friendly and interested in how things were progressing. Then I didn't see her. I vaguely wondered whether she was away, then shortly after settlement a neighbor told me she was sick but didn't want people to know or to fuss, had a set of people helping out. Well today I met another neighbor, who told me she died two weeks ago. She wasn't that old, early 70s, and in conversation she'd hinted at health issues but expressed optimism that she'd be able to live independently and maintain the house for some years longer. A year or so ago I watched her roll a large stone across the yard to place along the border, not speedy but persistent. Her housecleaner adopted the dog.

I'm glad to hear about your floors but oh my what a sad story about the neighbor woman. I'm glad the dog was adopted, I worry about that with elderly people and their pets.

I've been wondering what to do about the Little Free Library. I want to put one at the new house, but I don't want to leave my street bereft, because the LFL is quite active and appreciated. So I've been thinking I'd get a new box for the new house immediately, leave the old box at the old house until it sells some months from now, and maybe the next owner will want it, but this isn't something I can remotely count on. A woman who lives less than a block up the street mentioned awhile back that she'd been considering a LFL, maybe exclusively for kid's books so we wouldn't be redundant. This evening I asked whether she'd be interested in my box, gets her over one obstacle to starting up because the boxes are pricey, especially for a young couple with several children. Turns out that she and her husband are planning to move too, but have decided to stay for another two years, and she thinks a LFL will help anchor them with a purpose. So we're going to discuss the transition.

Too bad about your neighbor, Katherine. It's sad to lose someone who is familiar, even when you don't know her very well. :( And it's always a bit humbling when the person isn't very old.

The floor refinishers got most of the heavy sanding done on Friday, will presumably complete it today and move on to fine tuning. I arrived at the house on Friday evening to see what had been accomplished, and prominently displayed on the living room windowsill was an array of stain samples. Yikes. Sooooo many to choose from. For both better and worse, I'm not operating in a vacuum. Whatever I choose has to be compatible with things that can't be changed. I went round and round in my head, then asked my sisters-in-law if they'd drop by to help. They have different tastes, one is more country, one is more artsy, but both have a strong sense of aesthetics. So we narrowed the options to a manageable number, and I trekked out to Lowe's for a few small cans of stain and oak and pine boards, recognizing that the real test will be the floor itself. Also figured out a reasonable location for the Little Free Library (if any of my neighbors are watching, they may be wondering why I keep walking across the street in various directions and staring at my house).

On Saturday I did yard work. And found several black swallowtail caterpillars; I thought they'd gone weeks ago.

So, reading. Well, not much. The two RL book groups meet on October 17 and 21, so I had to get started on Midnight in Siberia by David Greene and My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor.

>108 qebo: both have a strong sense of aesthetics
It's great you have people you can turn to for this. When we built our house my husband was the primary one working with the builder. I was in high control mode at first but quickly realized his sense of design and color was far, far better than mine. It felt good to let go and the results were beyond anything I could have envisioned.

>109 lauralkeet: The house is sort of a blank slate, with nothing of mine in it. But also sort of a collection of historical artifacts from previous owners that don't mesh well, notably a floor that can't be refinished again because the boards are too thin, kitchen cabinets that are too expensive to replace in the foreseeable future, woodwork in an addition that is on a different planet from anything else in the house. I am kinda forced to go for "eclectic" but need ways to pull things together. When faced with lots of options, I tend to get obsessive about details, and worried that I'll make an unrevokable error. The SILs are both more intuitive and more relaxed.

I finished Midnight in Siberia in time for the book group meeting yesterday, and I have about 125 pages to go of My Beloved World so should finish in time for the book group meeting on Wednesday. Yes, the review backlog is increasing. I have two other books in progress that I haven't bothered to display above, set aside for book group obligations. Coincidentally, both book groups have chosen books I have already read for November, so I get a break. 75 is going to be iffy.

In house news, because I know you all are waiting anxiously, I committed to a floor stain color, and it has been applied. Still have three coats of polyurethane to go. Which wants heat to dry as the outdoor temperature drops, so a task of late last week was to get oil delivered and figure out how to get the furnace going. Simple, you might think, but actually this involved distinguishing between two thermostats that control the heating and cooling systems, both of which have settings for heating and cooling, flipping a switch on the furnace, flipping a switch on the ceiling above the furnace, and turning on water flow in a pipe behind the furnace. Then it made scary loud noises, which my father, who is more familiar with old oil furnaces, assured me are normal. I let it do its thing overnight, and when I arrived this morning the house was warm and the thermostat had shut off the furnace at the appropriate temperature, and nothing had exploded. So I guess it's OK.

Yay for progress! Especially since the process of getting the furnace going sounds downright scary!

Kudos for getting the furnace going!

#56: The Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein -- (Oct 22)

why now: Continuing the series begun in >91 qebo:.

Steerswoman Rowan and Outskirter Bel embark on a journey through the Outskirts toward the calculated location of the fallen guidestar, suspected source of the mysterious gemstones. The land and its denizens can be hostile, so they seek temporary protection from a nomadic tribe. This is the bulk of the book, as Rowan encounters Outskirter customs, learns about the guidestar through oral history, and considers the far-reaching effects of the Inland wizards. The book requires patience, of both author and reader; it is more immersion than action. I am curious enough to continue with the series.

The floor refinishing is done! I left a bunch of messages with cleaning services, and have gotten only one return call so far. And they turned me down; they don't wash walls. Which needs to be done between the floor refinishing and the painting. So guess what I'll be devoting the weekend to, oh joy. Next week is the roof, which doesn't affect the house interior but does affect my general feeling of discombobulation, not to mention my bank account.

>115 qebo: Great word "discombobulation", Katherine and a feeling I am increasing familiar with!

Have a lovely weekend.

>112 ronincats:, >113 lkernagh:, >116 PaulCranswick: Thanks!

Today I did not get started with the wall & trim washing, but instead cleaned the kitchen cabinets, then moved and put away most of the kitchen stuff from the old house, leaving only items I use frequently. Also more garden stuff, which went to either the deck or the basement. The result, FitBit fans may appreciate, is approaching 15,000 steps and I didn't even take a walk. I do not actually have to do everything myself, plenty of people have offered to help, but mostly I'm decluttering and organizing, and incorporating other people into the process would make it more difficult.

Now I am done for the day, and settling in with Career of Evil.

Oh, I saw The Martian last night. It's good but not as good as the book, loses lotsa detail.

It's always good to hear of progress being made. I wish I could get some housework done; maybe I can draw inspiration from you, Katherine. :-)

Ooh Career of Evil! I've just passed the halfway point ...

>118 weird_O: I'm poor inspiration. The old house is a mess as I apply energy to the new house.
>119 lauralkeet: I hit the halfway point this morning. Now I need to resume physical labor.

>120 qebo: resume physical labor.
Hard to do when a good book is calling your name. I hope you are successful!

>121 lauralkeet: Yup, done, wiped down dining room, living room, vestibule walls and trim so the painter won't encounter loose grunge and cobwebs. The house is essentially well maintained and clean, but grunge builds up over a decade behind furniture and inside closets. The 2nd floor will be worse because that's what got sanded and refinished, but I'm staying off the floors for a few days. Now I can resume reading for the evening.

Grump. 62 pages to go and I have to meet the roofers early tomorrow morning so I can't stay up late.

Grumpiness here too. I have 50 pages to go and went to bed because I needed to be in the office early for a meeting with someone in India. I woke up to an email saying they need to reschedule. I briefly thought about reading now, but I'm not sure how long it will actually take for me to read those 50 pages so guess I will just catch up on LT and read later.

Finished! I read like a crazy person over lunch.

Done. Now what? Also (s)he better be working on the next installment.

Sounds like you've been exceedingly productive, and I hope you reap the rewards fully!

>126 qebo: I agree! She has released one per year so far so ... same time, next year? *fingers crossed*

Oh I am enjoying catching up! In my misguided youth I actually finished some floors myself - such hard work, it is, and then the washing of everything afterwards. Anyway, I am so glad you got that done and that the furnace works and you've even been able to sort of keep up on your reading. Also it's great that someone wants to take over your old LFL.

I always think of houses as having personalities. I bet your new place is smiling with all the hard work and love being lavished on it.

Any idea when you might be moving in?

>129 sibylline: When I moved into my current house, among the initial tasks was to pull up the carpet from the living room. As I was working around the edges, I wondered why the floor had been covered up, and then I got to the middle. Where a couple of zigzaggy gouges extended several feet. If I'd needed convincing, that would've done it. Not a job for amateurs.

This week's anxiety is the roof. Shingles selected on the basis of a small sample. Company selected on the basis that the office is within walking distance and the lead roofer and his wife have plots at the community garden and are pleasant and responsible. I woke up around 4am, in knots about various what ifs... walked over at 8am and... it looks fine. I've been walking around the neighborhood gazing at other roofs while considering mine, but I'll probably cease to notice within weeks, and move on to other issues.

>130 streamsong: Next up is painting. The painter has seen the house and semi-assessed, and we're now emailing about more specific arrangements. I still have some decisions to make about colors, and I don't yet know whether he'll want to deal with one room at a time, or one task type at a time or what, and this is a side job for him (he's a professional painter, a friend of someone in my book group). That's the last overall messy disruption; everything else, e.g. bookshelves, can occur while I'm living there. After painting I'll get connected to the internet so I can work, and then I can move. I'm hoping by Thanksgiving when I'll have a few days off.

I see the new house has been occupying your time, Katherine. How rewarding it will be when it is all done and you can move in!

Fun times. I expressed reservations about a task, would be a major effort for dubious results, and the boss threatened to fire me if I don't hop to it. I guess I spit on his baby. Well, I already have the house, and a cushion in the bank, and I've always been able to generate an income. Could be an opportunity. :-) The other boss will try to get him calmed down. (They've been friends for 40 years.) Meanwhile, not sure what to do today...

So... 17 books to go for 75. Possible but difficult. I have been unable to achieve my goal of one book extra per month to catch up, which doesn't bode well for the remainder of the year.

I ordered a Little Free Library box for the new house. Still not sure what's happening with the old box; the person who expressed interest hasn't pursued. Have a couple alternatives in mind.

Heading out to the paint store, now committed to colors (well, neutrals). The painter starts tomorrow.

Hi Catherine. I'm stopping by to see how you like your new abode, and I see lots of projects going on. Good for you! When it is all finished, imagine the sense of accomplishment you will have!

Hope the situation at work settles down--hard to deal with multiple dislocations at once!

>137 ronincats: The boss gets into moods. He spends a lot of time in his own head, builds up layers of elaborate theory without a reality check, convinces himself that he has unilaterally solved the world's problems, and gets offended when I suggest perhaps not. He used to go into berating rants about how I was failing to understand his grand vision. These days he tends to be more cautious, so I don't know what was up last week. He's feeling under pressure to produce results.

The roof is done. If I stare at it, I can see flaws. (Not the roofer's fault. It's an old house, and nothing is square or level or plumb, so any new construction has to be fudged here and there.) If I merely look, it's fine. I doubt anyone else will do more than glance.
The painter started yesterday. Ceilings first, so not much excitement to report.

It's an old house, and nothing is square or level or plumb, so any new construction has to be fudged here and there.)

I think you just described my house . . . the kitchen is a full 8 inches wider at one end than at the other, as there's an extra block in each row of the wall at that end; the floor rises to a peak in the middle because that floor joist was placed higher, for no apparent reason. Go figure.

>140 tymfos: Charming one day, annoying the next...

#57: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith -- (Oct 26)

why now: It appeared.

The previous installment was more fun, but this develops the Cormoran / Robin relationship... to a cliffhanger.

#59: Dissolution by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 5)

why now: In the mood for a mystery, and this series has been intriguing for awhile.

Well, I started the next installment immediately after finishing this, for the characters and the history.

#37: Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams -- (Jul 27)

why now: RL book group member brought a few books to vote on for the next month. This wasn’t chosen, but I was interested enough to borrow it.

Douglas Adams accompanies a wildlife photographer to see creatures on the verge of extinction. Sad but funny.

#39: The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin -- (Aug 5)

why now: RL book group selection.

Charles Dickens met the youngest daughter of the Ternan family of traveling actors, and ditched his wife. Less is known about Nelly Ternan than about her sisters and parents, because she was 18 at the time and never developed a career, but Claire Tomalin fleshes her out with circumstance and context.

#42: The Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf -- (Aug 16)

why now: Sitting on a shelf for ages, and I was vaguely looking for something about gardening.

The cross-pollination of American and European plants, as John Bartram of Philadelphia and Peter Collinson of London correspond for decades in the mid 1700s, collecting and mailing seeds and advice across the ocean. Also making notable appearances are Philip Miller of Chelsea Physic Garden and Carl Linnaeus.

Andrea Wulf gave a presentation at the National Book Festival about her new book The Invention of Nature about Alexander von Humboldt and I promptly bought it.

#44: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer -- (Aug 28)

why now: Sitting on the shelf for ages.

During a drought and famine in Malawi, William Kamkwamba had to leave school because his family’s crops were failing and they couldn’t afford the tuition. Aspiring to continue his education, he borrowed science books from the library, and was inspired: a windmill could generate electricity and pump water for his family and village. He began searching for parts in the junkyard, piece by piece learning principles of physics and developing skills of engineering. This is an as-told-to book, but an earnestness and sense of humor come though, even in matter-of-fact descriptions of starvation and occasional mentions of government corruption. TED talks here: https://www.ted.com/speakers/william_kamkwamba .

#46: On Looking by Alexandra Horowitz -- (Aug 30)

why now: Found while sifting through books on the floor.

Alexandra Horowitz takes walks, mostly in New York City, with various experts (among them a geologist, a typographer, an entomologist, a physician, a sound designer) to learn what they notice that most of us wouldn’t. Alas, rather sparse and less interesting than expected.

>143 qebo: Ain't Sansom great?

The Douglas Adams sounds interesting. I've added it to my list of books that I'm going to read. Next year. After I get caught up with my sadly-behind ROOTS challenge and the LTER books. (Sigh) Your thread is always a danger to me for adding more to read.

I'm impressed with how your house is coming!

I've just returned from the house. I've been mulling over where to put cat litter and such. Decided that since the basement has a separate room for the furnace and water heater, and closets for storage, I can allow the cats to be there. The door from kitchen to basement was removed by the previous owner, so I'll keep it that way. But, this meant pulling up the carpet from the basement stairs now, so I can paint before the cats arrive. The carpet was attached with a truly impressive number of staples. Which are now gone.

The refinished floors look good. The staircase has attractive wood graininess, and the floors show the history of closets; old house charm.

The painting of ceilings and walls is in progress, and the painter is doing a decent job. I've been cleaning rooms to keep ahead of him, and I'm now done with my part.

The roof was completed this week. Alas, I am quite unhappy with it. I chose this company because its office is in the city, I've hired them previously for other smaller jobs, they've always been pleasant and competent, and the lead roofer is involved in the community garden, a good guy who talks with expertise and interest about his work. I don't question the structural soundness of the roof. However, insufficient attention was given to precision, and the result is aesthetically troubling. Construction 101: establish horizontal and vertical reference lines so things don't get wobbly. So. I have an appointment with the customer rep next week to discuss the situation. I have composed a letter to the president of the company, but not yet sent it. I paid 1/3 down for materials, but haven't yet paid the remainder. I am not sure what can be done. Really, I'd want to start from scratch with another company and ask a whole ton o' questions before construction begins. I've been monitoring daily, but not in depth; I drop by briefly during my lunch break. I had expressed concerns about precision a couple days into the job, to both the roofer and the rep, and the roofer talked through how he goes about things. He sounded plausible, and I figured he has a method, and I don't know enough to mess with it, and perhaps I'm being overly anxious. But I've been walking around looking at other roofs, and I checked online for roof installation instructions, and over the weekend I've had time to assess more carefully, and the results indicate his method was not sufficient. If anyone has advice to offer on how to handle this situation, I'd welcome it.

Oh, not good. I don't have any advice that I can offer so instead I will keep my fingers crossed that your meeting with the customer service rep goes well and you are able to resolve the situation.

>152 lkernagh: Thanks. I'm aiming for polite but firm. I hope that I have some leverage since I haven't yet paid in full. This could turn out to be a very expensive mistake. I'm unhappy about the social aspect also; I've been on casually friendly terms with the roofer and his wife.

Good luck with the roofer--and with the community garden stuff!

How absolutely frustrating! Sending good wishes that it goes well.

>155 streamsong: Thanks. Talking to people about options. Won't take any action until after the meeting tomorrow. Completely possible that the rep will conveniently fail to see the problem. I am hoping to hire another roofer to assess the situation.

Oh dear, sorry to hear about the roof work. "Polite but firm" seems the best approach, as is withholding final payment. Hopefully those tactics will get you somewhere.

It has been suggested that I talk to a lawyer also, not to take action but to map out possible scenarios in my mind. So, message in to a local firm...

Oh, and my heat went out. I noticed the house was getting chilly, checked the thermostat figuring I'd never turned it up again after the recent heat wave, and the thermostat is blank. Fortunately I won't freeze to death. Heat repair person will be here this afternoon.

Maybe I should've rented an apartment.

I just caught upon your house thread...just as things seems to be going downhill. Hopefully all your issues will soon be resolved. I agree about withholding payment with the initial roofer until your issues are cleared up or you get another roofer. Firm but polite. Stick to facts. Use another professional roofer who comes recommended, please (and is license and insured).

I hope the thermostat issue turns out to be small potatoes. Well, not really potatoes. I'm eager to have you finish with the preparation and see what it's like to live in your new home. It looks so darling. I'm also following your LFL story closely!

As you know, I've hardly had any time to read due to babysitting, playing on my smart phone, and house guests (4 Israeli cousins were here spanning a 10 day period in October). I'll read when I get a chance. I'm also culling some of my ROOT books. I just have too many of them. I probably will not live long enough to read all of them since I'm still adding books I would like to read.

My dogwood tree is now completely dead, but I won't let Jose chop it down because it attracts woodpeckers. I can't wait to follow the trees in your garden after you move into your house.

Good luck with your house issues. May they soon resolve! :)

>159 SqueakyChu: I was just giving the grand tour of my yard to a neighbor / community garden member who is a botanist, and he really really really wants to murder my Norway maple. He said I could leave the dead tree there for woodpeckers and learn to distinguish species by the rhythm of the pecking. Dunno whether I want to take him up on this offer. It's a big tree and visible from the street.

I've somewhat calmed down about the roof over the course of the day. I will see what the company rep sez tomorrow. I have some ideas for possible remedies that are not drastic, which I could ask this company to fund. I can probably consult with the roofer I should've hired in the first place, get an assessment and recommendations. People I've showed the roof to have reacted typically with "I can see what you mean if I really look, but it's not so bad and I wouldn't've noticed if you hadn't mentioned".

Heat issue resolved, and as a bonus got a furnace check which I'd delayed scheduling.

I have one dead tree, but I've seen five different species of woodpeckers around my house this year (not all on that dogwood tree snag). It was pretty cool seeing them all.

ETA: Now all I seem to have is an ever-growing flock of house sparrows. :(

ETA2: Big dead trees can be dangerous due to falling branches. I've already pulled down lots of large branches from the dead dogwood.

ETA3: Excellent about the heating issue.

>161 SqueakyChu: Yeah, if the Norway maple falls in a storm, it could take out my house or the neighbor's. I'm going to do FeederWatch at the new house as soon as I can get things set up; will be interesting to compare to the old house. Where I too was getting hordes of house sparrows.

>160 qebo: I get the idea of leaving up a dead tree for woodpeckers, I am leaving up several that have obvious signs that the woodpeckers have used them, but is your neighbor really proposing to prematurely kill off a big tree in your yard?

>163 Oberon: Norway maple is evil invasive non-native. He's sort of joking. Though not entirely...

>164 qebo: Hmm, just googled it and Minnesota classifies it as an invasive species too. Prettier than most invasive species I will say. I have a great deal of buckthorn on my property so I am starting to appreciate the problem of some of these invasive plants.

Sorry to hear about the roof issues, but hopeful that one of the remedies will work out.

>162 qebo: You might even convince me to do Feeder Watch this year...especially if you do a LT thread about it. :D

I think the house sparrow frenzy is that the other species have migrated and the winter species (I saw a junco yesterday) are just moving in.

>167 SqueakyChu: especially if you do a LT thread about it
Hmm, maybe that can be my winter garden thread. FeederWatch starts this weekend, so maybe I should get my feeders set up. I don't yet have a chair at the new house.

I looked over the website and decided not to do Feeder Watch because it is too restrictive in where I can watch birds and puts a requirement on me for something that I "must do". I'd rather just use the Cornell website to record my bird lists (which I started doing anyway since Geobirds sadly and suddenly went off the internet). I'll follow your winter gardening thread, though. since I do walks at least weekly with my grandson. I now get to see much more of nature in my neighborhood than I have in precious recent years. I saw this year's first junco in a neighbor's yard yesterday! :)

Obviously, a chair is the first thing you need to move into your new house. :)

>37 qebo: love, love, love your cozy home.

>169 SqueakyChu: Geobirds sadly and suddenly went off the internet
Oh no! But that's because you had the one expert all to yourself. :-)
Yes, I need a birdwatching chair. At the moment, the sunroom is the repository for clutter removed from other rooms while painting is in progress so I'm not sure I want to add furniture, but maybe I can do something temporary.

Meeting with roofer rep this morning went OK. He did not deny my concerns, and the company is willing to discuss resolution. Next step is a meeting with the company president. Everybody is being nice so far.

>171 qebo:

Oh no! But that's because you had the one expert all to yourself. :-)

Yes...and I totally miss Jim MacGregor. I tried to locate him online but had no success. I am devastated at this loss of bird support. I now started a brand new life list (for the third time and at age 67) on the Cornell website. That site is not going anywhere, but it's rather impersonal. I also cannot permanently delete incorrect entries there. It was more fun to share a birding website with, at most, four other birders, all of them experts except for me. *sigh*

Keep up the open communication and tactfulness with the roofing company. I hope both of you get to a good resolution to this problem.

I should be scrambling to achieve 75, but instead I've begun #3 of the increasingly lengthy C. J. Sansom / Matthew Shardlake series, and Steve Jobs after seeing the movie last week. Too many things going on, I'm decisioned-out, and it's more relaxing to stick with the known than to start something different.

>173 qebo: Definitely stick with Steve Jobs which is such an excellent book.

Roof problem resolved. Sort of. I’m going to leave it as is. The company president came to the house to see it, and talked me through the process and the consideration that had gone into arranging the shingles. Where the roofer had seemed to suggest that I was overly particular for expecting reference lines, and seemed to suggest that discovering the roof was not square was an oops at the end of the job, the president described measuring in advance and adjusting for discrepancies as best they could given manufacture variations. So maybe the roofer didn’t understand what I was worried about, or maybe the president is spinning things toward what I want to hear. I don’t know. I am not 100% convinced this was the best of all possible jobs, but I don’t see how to remedy it without going back in time and asking more questions and hiring someone who is super sensitive to alignment, or pouring more $ into the cause that I’d rather devote to other things. So I’ll chalk it up to a learning experience, and in all likelihood it’ll fade to the background of my mind as I move on to other concerns.

Sounds reasonable. Live and learn, *sigh*

>175 qebo: in all likelihood it’ll fade to the background of my mind as I move on to other concerns.
I bet you're right about that! Hope you are able to wrap up the improvements and get settled soon.

This weekend will be devoted to setting up bird feeders (and a winter garden thread for SqueakyChu!), and a retail therapy session in search of furniture; I've been making do with the same items for a decade or more, the new house is inspiring me to upscale.

You do have a warranty on the roof, right? So if it starts leaking in a year or so, they will come out and fix it properly? If so, yeah, I'd say you could let it slide. If they're not willing to give you a warranty on their work, I'd say the president was trying to spin.

That aside - new furniture is always fun. And gardening!

>178 qebo:
and a winter garden thread for SqueakyChu!),

Hurray!!

>179 jjmcgaffey: The issue is aesthetics, not structure, and yes there is a warranty. I'm not worried about leaks. The roofer is conscientious about materials and nails and flashing and such, but he's not a precision guy. I still suspect it could've been done better by someone else, but in order to know this for sure I'd have to crawl around on other people's roofs. I can't turn back the clock and reconsider what needs to be done now and what can wait, and interrogate another set of roofers with my new awareness, and devote more time to monitoring the process. So, moving on. Maybe someday I'll get a slate roof and this will all be irrelevant.

I had a couple hours unexpectedly free this afternoon, so I went to the two major furniture showrooms, and... nothing. The furniture is gigantic, intended for much larger houses than my little cottage.

Oh. Remember when the boss threatened to fire me in >134 qebo: because I balked at a convoluted task? Seems he was having a really bad day. The thing I'd whipped together in an hour and asked him to look at as a possible alternative path to a solution... turns out to be fine. I'd expected additional sophistication would be necessary, but he's OK with it as is. Not that he'd ever apologize.

Ikea, Pottery Barn, Living Spaces and Macy's all advertise having furniture for small spaces, if any of those are available around you.

Way to handle the boss, Katherine! Results are what matters.

There's a Pottery Barn outlet. Pier 1 is a possibility too.

Seems like the roof issue has worked out. Yay for that. I continue to marvel at how you stay sane working for what I can only categorize as two very divergent and unforgiving bosses. What a hassle.

... Oh, furniture shopping. No suggestions but a comment that we have a Pier 1 - in fact I walked past it this evening - and I have never once set foot in that store in the some 15 years it has been at that location. Curious to learn if they offer anything that strikes your fancy.

When we bought a new couch last year, pretty much our only criterion was that it would fit in the door. And that didn't leave us with a lot of options.

>180 SqueakyChu: As promised.

Hi Q - Catching up on your highs and lows here - I can relate, believe you me. We bought a very humble house in Florida five or six years ago, just up the street from my godfather's widow and a tenant has been living there -- supposedly taking care of the house. I never liked him, never trusted him, but the spousal unit convinced himself it was better to have someone in the house than not since we really don't spend much time there. (The deal was he would move out for as long as a month if we wanted to come down. I don't think we ever used more than three weeks.) Welllll. I was right. I usually am about these matters and the guy is gone and the damage, which was mostly invisible (leaks and mould) is extensive and expensive. (He did leave the house that kind of weird filthy--hard to describe - looks sort of dingy on the surface, the gross becoming apparent as you go deeper), but I'd become aware in the last year or so that he had stopped doing more than the occasional sweep and counter-wipe. We got this house for nothing, really, it was in bankruptcy, so I guess we are paying for it now. (My spousal unit has pretty bad SADD so the idea was this would help--but, uh, I would say his last visit there dealing with all this stuff was kind of the opposite!)

>187 sibylline: Yeah, I've been through the deeply embedded grunge cleanup, in a house that had been a rental for college students.

This morning I primed the steps to the basement, from the bottom up (which is as awkward as it sounds) because there's no other way out. I'm over the roof. I've begun thinking of it not as committed-for-the-rest-of-my-functional-lifespan, but better-than-it-was and good-enough-for-now.

I am glad things are coming together with your house. We had a lot of stress with our new roof recently. I think that the end product is good, but it took way longer than it should have.

Exterior painters at the old house, arriving at 7am, up on ladders where they can peer into windows. Interior painter at the new house, arriving as I passed by on my afternoon walk. There is no escape. I have two houses and neither is truly mine. I will be sooooo glad when this is over. I had aspirations to plow through the backlog of magazines this month but instead I am mentally escaping, about to begin Shardlake #4.

>190 qebo: Sympathizing with your two kind-of-homes. Just keep reminding yourself it is temporary.

>186 qebo: Thanks!

Oh yay, today the painters are working on my office windows. Well this should be productive.

So efficient! Would you come manage my apartment chaos when you're done with your house setup? i haven't even had the time to repaint the bathroom after the ceiling was fixed. and that was in the summer! Sigh.

>194 ffortsa: I won't have any money left when I'm done with my house setup... This exterior painting is completely no-glory, eaves and window frames and such, exchanging white paint in bad shape with white paint in good shape so the next owner isn't stuck with the problem. I should've done this several years ago, but it didn't really register until I assessed the house over the summer with an eye toward selling, and the most trustworthy painting company had a ten week schedule backlog. They can paint outside until about Thanksgiving, give or take depending on weather, so I'm lucky they were able to squeeze me in. Once I move, I'll have to do interior no-glory spiff-up that's difficult to get at with clutter and cats. My advice is hire someone. :-) It's expensive and annoying but it gets the job done.

>195 qebo: We repainted the interior of the old house in order to sell it. My wife and I had several fights over the wisdom of doing so. I will say that when it was done I was amazed at how many marks and drip marks I was able to mentally ignore that a prospective buyer would not have overlooked. I remain convinced that it was a necessary cost and I expect my wife will be holding the "wasted" money over my head for years to come.

>196 Oberon: I'll leave the house in much better condition than I found it, some to make it aesthetically acceptable for myself, some I'm considering a charitable contribution to the city to keep its housing stock from deteriorating. This is not a neighborhood awash with excess $. I haven't dealt with everything, but what remains is both more entertaining and more within the reach of mere mortals. The exterior painting requires ladders and muscles, and I'm getting it done as right as can be, with a highly reputable company. The money is wasted in the sense that I won't get it back, but probably the house will sell more quickly, and I'll feel better about what I'm handing over to the next owner.

qebo, I thought of you when I saw this article about a little free library. http://video-660.viralstories.tv/told-cut-old-tree-decides-make-instead-amazing#

I also started to feed her watch last weekend so we could compare notes if you get yours going. So far nothing where are exciting than usual finches and Sparrows but I do have titmice which I did not have last year.

>198 Helenoel: Oh, wow, a LFL sculpture!

You've seen more birds than I have. I set up feeders, but I'm not yet living at the new house and in my sporadic glances while I'm there cleaning and painting and such, I've seen only squirrels. Someone suggested that I move the feeders to a tree so the birds have more cover, because there are hawks in the neighborhood and the deck is too exposed. Doubt I'll have time before next weekend.

>198 Helenoel: I was so charmed by the video I forgot to come back and post here, Q.

Re painting etc. to sell a house -- I have finally convinced the spousal unit that he will only sell our old house (in the village here in Vermont) (it is a duplex, we have tenants in half of it) when he jazzes up the barn interior. He bought the place because of the barn, but has perversely not emptied or painted or tidied it properly even when the house was on the market for awhile. (No interest at all, duh.) He bought the place in the mid 70's FOR THE BARN-- not for the house which has some serious flaws--and I have kept on reminding him about this since we built our new house and moved into it. We had great tenants on both sides for many years, but then we had a disaster here too. Real estate in Vermont is difficult and people don't want fixer-uppers or big and complicated old houses. But there are many people hoping to have their own home businesses, so he has finally seen that he has to spend the money and do the inside of the barn properly. Anyway, I had better be right or I'll be in terrible trouble as it will be a lot of work and not an inconsiderable investment - money we will likely lose as it probably won't change what we can ask for the house.

OK sorry, way too much info.

>200 sibylline: Yeah, where people will and will not sink $ and time into fixer-uppers is quirky. Is the spousal unit using the barn?

The painters almost finished at the old house on Friday, still have maybe not quite a full day of work remaining, but tomorrow will probably be too cold. Alas I won't be sure until I set the alarm for 6:30am and make myself and the house presentable for a possible 7am arrival. I hope they can fit in a few hours each of the next two days, get it over with before Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile the basement steps of the new house were a three-weekend task: remove carpet and tack strips and staples, two coats of primer, two coats of paint. Now done, aside from touchup of spots I missed or stumbled into. Next up is cleaning the sunroom, for which I need a ladder, then need to move all the supplies and debris that have collected there while floors and walls elsewhere were in progress. The interior painting is nowhere near done, and I'm worried about it; the painter is doing a decent job but hasn't had as many spare hours as he'd anticipated, and his current task of removing wallpaper in the kitchen is disrupting everything around. At this rate, I won't be able to move until Christmas.

I'm stopping by to see how you like your cottage, and note the roof problems. Drat! Hopefully, soon, it will feel like home for you and the worries will be gone.

All the best.

Happy Thanksgiving in your new home.

>202 Whisper1: Thanks. I'm not there yet... but things are looking up.

The painters at the old house are finishing up today. I'll still have touch-up tasks to do before it goes on the market, but this is the last of workers tromping through, aside from the movers. The painter at the new house will have a block of time this weekend to finish the first floor, and is getting a friend to help with wallpaper scraping on the second floor next week, so he expects to be done in early December, which should allow me to schedule movers before Christmas. Which won't be the end of it, but will get me past all the major worrying hurdles.

My new Little Free Library box arrived yesterday. I need to paint it, and I haven't completely decided where I want to put it, and I'll need a post, so getting it in place before winter may be too much pressure.

My new Little Free Library box arrived yesterday

Hurray!!! I can't wait to feature it on my LFL's FB page. Let me know when it's done. :D

>204 SqueakyChu: Sheesh, I haven't chosen paint colors yet!

LOL! Need help in choosing? ;)

Thanksgiving weekend is nearly gone, but was about as productive as I had any reason to expect. The holiday itself was the usual family thing, but I spent a couple hours in the morning on data entry, updating my catalog in preparation for the 75er Xmas Swap. (Not doing SantaThing this year; not enough time to scout around for books.) Friday was yard clean-up at the old house, probably the last 60+ degree weather of the year. Saturday was miscellaneous errands, all slowed down by hordes of shoppers everywhere. Sunday was sunroom clean-up at the new house, now ready for a few items of furniture. The painter is done with the 1st floor aside from touchup in the kitchen, so next weekend I can set up appliances and stock food and, more importantly, coffee + accessories.

Reading-wise, I've spent the month with Matthew Shardlake, hope to finish the last installment tomorrow, which'll force me to move on. 75 is a stretch, but I'd set aside a few books more than halfway through, so it's still a possibility, especially if I take the last week of the year as vacation.

Glad things are moving along.

I'm realizing I know nothing about the Xmas swap which sounds like something that might work .... have to go check that out.

I have the next Shardlake waiting in the wings, Dissolution. If I ever finish Gravity's Rainbow! about 20 hours left to go.

>208 sibylline: Xmas swap
Thread is here, but signup has ended.

I met with the bookshelf guy today; that's been on hold for awhile, too much else going on, but now has some semblance of a plan.

You may not make it to 75, but your accomplishments in RL are huge - I'm so impressed with all that you are doing to your new house.

'The bookshelf guy' -- ooh that sounds intriguing. Hope you'll share more!

>210 streamsong: The bookshelf guy is a carpenter / cabinetmaker, and we've been discussing options. The house has few stretches of wall, mostly 4'-5' by a window or door. Standard bookcases are too narrow alone and too wide in multiples, aren't high enough, would have to be positioned around baseboards. Built-ins would be difficult to arrange in the space. I generally prefer standards and brackets anyway, more flexible and open, but the wall studs are not conveniently located. So it's probably going to be a system of plywood panels anchored to the wall studs, with standards attached in grooves, but we're going through iterations of details about how to make this both structurally stable and aesthetically pleasant. What with his distractions from a small construction business and my distractions with other house issues, progress has been scattered. The expense is alarming, but when I look for alternatives on the internet, I see $ plus the cost and hassle of hiring someone with the appropriate skills and tools to install securely. In my current house, I hired a handyman to install standards and brackets in the office, but the walls were more cooperative and I wasn't as concerned about aesthetics.

In house news, the kitchen painting is completely done, so I can put appliances in order today. The office wallpaper has been removed. The walls behind it are kinda funky, evidence of bright paint and star appliques and such, but sanding and a few coats of primer and paint should smooth out the flaws and about 3/4 of the wall space will be covered with bookshelves. Should be straightforward from here, on target to finish by mid December so I can move before Christmas.

>210 streamsong: "bookshelf guy" sounds sexy. But I've got myself a librarian (with bunnies).

Yay for the bookshelf guy! Someday I'd like to have a less haphazard shelving system. Fortunately, we have a bunch of spots (scattered all over the house) that are perfect for single a standard bookcase.

It sounds like the house is really coming along.

Hey, Katherine, I hadn't been keeping up during the last two weeks while we were traveling but I'm checking in now that I'm home. Having the kitchen ready for moving into is HUGE!

>212 The_Hibernator: Oh, the bunny guy is a librarian? I'd missed that tidbit.
>213 tymfos: I wouldn't be so systematic if I didn't have to be.
>214 ronincats: Welcome back. I've been lurking on your thread in your absence.

The kitchen is somewhat further behind than I'd hoped, because I had to dismantle the refrigerator innards to clean it. Really should replace it but that's too much of a hassle at the moment. Then today I went into Philadelphia for this: https://www.fi.edu/exhibit/genghis-khan and this: http://www.ftsociety.org/2015/11/15/join-us-for-10th-anniversary-of-the-intellig... , detouring through the http://www.aiabookstore.com/ and Reading Terminal Market in between The morning was frazzled because I couldn't find my FitBit, last seen when I woke up so where could it have gone, found it by retracing what path my pre-caffeinated brain could recall, in the laundry basket. Phew! Would've been a shame not to count today's 18000 steps.

I'm too far behind to catch up, but I've been reliving the roof problem and all the painting. You certainly have energy!
Also, I'm happy to see another Shardlake fan. I thought a minute about trying Station Eleven, but it's just not calling me yet.
18000 steps!!!! I guess you are energetic!

So how was the Genghis Khan exhibit? I read a very good history last year Jack Weatherford The Making of Genghis Khan. Fascinating. He was one of the expeditions that was allowed inside the "zone" near the original city, put off-limits by the Russians for an eon.

>218 sibylline: The exhibit is at the Franklin Institute, so aimed at about a middle-high school level, not detailed history, but since I know next to nothing (and it was not crowded) I walked through slowly and read all the blurbs and watched all the videos (e.g. one about the construction of the bow, one of a geneticist who tests Y chromosomes for probable descent from Genghis Khan, one about modern Mongolians and horses). The artifacts are cool. I was quite fascinated. Now I want to read the book (oddly, a small shop at the end of the exhibit had no books, and the main museum store had no Genghis Khan items, so far as I noticed), which I have, probably because of your enthusiastic review.

I've completed the books that were in progress when the month began. So... 7 books and 23 days to go. I have a stack of short books on my desk. It's still possible...

Oh, and a ton o' reviews.

18000 steps?!

*faints*

>221 SqueakyChu: That's cuz I wimped out and took a taxi home from the train station. Either the city has become less safe or social media has increased the perception of danger, so I've become more hesitant to walk alone after dark. And if I do, I need energy not only for the walking but for extra vigilant attention.

I've had a couple 18000+ step days...but I was doing AIDSWalk those days! So walking to the event, walking 5k, then walking back to where the car was parked. And I'd usually be flat out the next day or two. It's an impressive number.

6 books and 20 days to go...

#60: Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 11)



#61: Sovereign by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 16)



#62: Revelation by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 22)



#63: Heartstone by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 26)



#64: Lamentation by C. J. Sansom -- (Nov 30)

why now: Inertia.

So I can see why people are so fascinated by the era. Current politics pale in comparison.

>225 qebo: Wow, you blitzed through the Sansom series! I really enjoyed them, too.

Can I infer you haven't read Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies? They are both excellent, especially if you appetite for Tudor politics has been whetted.

>226 lauralkeet: I haven't read them, but you're exactly right, appetite whetted, so I got both recently on an e-book deal day. If I start, I won't get to 75, so I'll wait until next year.

>227 qebo: I understand the year end push! I just hit 70 and am about to start a chunkster (Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety), but it's one I really want to read and I doubt I would hit 75 even if I read something else.

I look forward to your thoughts on Wolf Hall etc whenever you get to it. The BBC/PBS Masterpiece dramatization is also outstanding.

Good luck -- I hope you make it to 75!

>228 lauralkeet: I'll hit 70 this evening. This is my 5th year in the 75ers, and I don't want it to be the 1st year that I fall short of 75, so I'm gonna get there with short books. These are actual books that I actually want to read and happen to have on hand, not fakes, just strategically chosen.

>215 qebo: Well, bunny guy is a part-time librarian. He works another full-time job which pays a bit more. :)

#49: Tomorrow's Table by Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak – (Sep 13)

why now: RL book group selection for September, my suggestion.

The authors are a married couple; Pamela Ronald and is a plant geneticist, Raoul Adamchak is an organic farmer. They teach and research at UC Davis, and envision a future where food incorporates the best of both practices. This is the third GM food book I read this year, and the best of the bunch IMO, acknowledging concerns while advocating for GM as a tool with potential, in crunchy California style, with recipes.

#52: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert – (Sep 30)

why now: Plucked it out of the stacks on the floor to read after Last Chance to See, and then didn’t get around to it for awhile.

Once upon a time we didn’t believe extinction was possible; species were fixed for all eternity. Elizabeth Kolbert recounts the history of dawning realization, and visits scientists in the field researching specific cases of past and present, extrapolating to future. We have distorted the planet on which life evolved: anything can get anywhere with rapid global travel, but habitat is all chopped up. Not exactly upbeat, but not utterly bleak either.

5 books and 18 days to go.

Done with "reviews" through September except for two ERs. I have another two ERs unread, won before I stopped requesting them, on hold until January.

In house news, as of this evening the kitchen is functional. Now that I've done a round of thorough cleaning, its flaws are glaring and I aspire to renovate, but I can live with it as is for awhile. I crossed paths with the painter, who expects to finish by mid week. So, three months into ownership, the house will finally be free of other people tromping through, and I should be able to move before Christmas.

Good news indeed, Katherine!

Exciting house news! And I totally understand your strategic book choices. I fell short of 75 last year after a few years in the 80s. I'm closer this year so at least that's an improvement.

>233 qebo: Great news about the house. I have 6 books to go, but I have no doubt I'll finish them as I have a lot of audiobook time coming up this week. I read Sixth Extinction a couple months ago - still need to write a review.

>231 qebo: Got me with a book bullet on that one. Great news on the house too! Hope you're able to move soon and with few headaches.

C.J. Sansom hasn't been on my radar. I guess maybe he should be.

I was planning to read The Sixth Extinction earlier this year before my science reading fell off a cliff. Maybe in 2016.

This year, I think I'm doomed to fall short again; I think I have 14 books left and 17 days, some of which will be taken up with WORK. Oh well, more for next year

Great news about the house.

>237 bell7:, >238 swynn: Both books deserve better reviews, but alas, they are victim to faded memory and lack of time.
>239 ffortsa: Bah, work!

The painter is DONE! 3 months to the hour after I bought the house, I am the only person with a key, and I am not preparing for yet another major disruption. The rooms are clear of debris and supplies, and the closets are available for storage, so I can move stuff any time. Now all I need is an internet connection to really truly live there.

And now I have a cable/internet appointment on Friday afternoon. The previous owner switched to a satellite dish a couple years ago, so the cable wiring is uncertain.

4 books and 16 days to go.

Good luck with the cable wiring. . .

I've just caught up on a ton of book reviews here and even more house progress - wow! Great that you are free of tradesmen and big projects for a while.

I loved the Shardlake series and it's cool that you read them in one big blitz. Good luck with the last four books to get to 75.

Have just had a look in our library catalogue and The Boy who harnessed the wind is there. We haven't been to the library for 2 months, which is crazy, because usually some subset of the family would go every weekend. But we didn't want to lose books in the house move and were trying to reduce stuff to move. I'm looking forward to a big session there this weekend!

I've been following your house adventures, and I'm so glad it's finally coming to a successful conclusion for you. Hope you do actually get to move in before the Holidays.

I read The Sixth Extinction a few months ago and loved it (can't remember if I've reviewed it yet; I'm still a few months behind). Another really good science book I recently read was Spillover--have you read that one?

And speaking of birds, I just completed The Thing With Feathers, and absolutely fascinating look at a number of bird species which I highly recommend.

>246 arubabookwoman: I have several other books by David Quammen, but not that one. I do have Ebola though, which I think is a chapter of it. I saw him interviewed (by Steve Inskeep of NPR) at the National Book Festival, video here: http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7014 .

I read The Thing With Feathers as an ER last year.

3 books and 14 days to go.

Good for you! I think I'm 6 books and 14 days to go, but I'll finish one tomorrow and one Saturday, so with short, easy stuff, I think I'm good.
Love Shardlake, but I'm not sure I could have read them all back to back to back.

>249 LizzieD: I didn't have the energy to switch gears in November. And with a few clicks on the computer, the next e-book was in hand. But I was relieved that the series ended with the month.

The Hanover PA bald eagle cam is back, this year with sound and night vision.
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1592549&mo...

I am now posting from the new house, successfully connected to the internet. I'm still living at the old house, so things'll be a bit discombobulated for awhile, but this was the key to setting up office space and moving. Now the question is, when should I tell the cats?

Many of us are in the short book boat! Nothing over 250 and preferably under 200! I have seven or eight more to go and it is looking iffy unless I sequester myself the minute the official xmas festivities are over!

Smiling about your cat quandary. They won't believe anything you say until you let them out of their crates in a new enviro.

>252 qebo: Internet is a big step forward. Good luck with the cats.

Hi, Katherine, have you heard of Sex at Dawn? I'm about halfway through and finding it interesting. it might be up your alley.

>253 sibylline: You'll have the distraction of the LD too.
>254 Oberon: I'm thinking maybe Sunday...
>255 karspeak: I added it as item #751 to the Amazon wishlist. So in a decade... Well, ya never know, I pluck things out of the wishlist on whim.

Congratulations on Internet in the new house. You'll be settled in no time.

No cats in the new house yet. Various details to be put in place or off limits, plus out running Christmas-related errands and I'll want to monitor them. However, now that the office is functional, it's difficult to return to my disconnected house. Except that's where the comfortable reading chair is. Monday? Tuesday? We'll see...

2 books and 11 days to go. A normal reading pace.

I'm at exactly the same point. If I finish the two books I'm midway through, I've got it.

>259 qebo: Yay! I have one book to go, I'm pretty sure I'll make it too. :) Happy Sunday!

The new group's up: http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2016 . Per my usual strategy of Talk organization, I won't officially join. And I won't create a thread until 2016. One year at a time.

I'm with you. I did join, as always, but no new thread until New Year's Eve!

Sounds good. I was tempted to announce the group with a shout of "Release the Kracken!". Let the madness begin... :)

The cats have been transferred. So this makes the it official; I have moved to the new house.

Yay! Congratulations on a successful cat transfer operation and being properly moved in.

Well, I'm not _properly_ moved in; the furniture and the books and miscellaneous other stuff remains at the old house. However, the crucial items are in place, and it's more motivating to bring stuff to where I am, than to take stuff to where I am not.

Hmm. The smallest cat can squeeze under the door to the furnace room.

>268 qebo: Oops, time for plan B.

>269 ronincats: Quick trip to Lowe's for craft board and tacks, and an expedient carpentry job. Not pretty, but should be functional. Funny, she could squeeze in but apparently didn't realize that she could squeeze out too, so she was whining to be let free. Now schizzing around in the kitchen, where I've put food and treats.

Wishing you and your cats a wonderful Christmas in your new house.

The necessities - cats and internet! Everything else is just stuff!!

>272 streamsong: I'd kinda like to have the books here too.

Books? Did you say books? ;)

For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

Congratulations on settling into the new abide by Christmas!! Hope the kitties adjust well to the new surroundings.

And the smallest cat can fit behind the false wall in the basement. Which I didn't realize had an opening until I went searching for the cat this morning and the other cats helpfully peered into it. A similar solution should be possible.

There is no chance that I will manage to get caught up with the threads but I did want to at least stop by your thread Katherine, with warm holidays wishes for you!

Hi Katherine. Merry Christmas! Congrats on your move. It seems as if your cats are having a wonderful time exploring their new digs. :)

Merry Christmas Katherine!

Have a lovely holiday, Katherine

#58: The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner -- (Oct 29)

why now: Looking for a ROOT.

Peter and Rosemary Grant have been studying Darwin’s finches on the Galapagos islands for 20 years (at the time of publication in 1994), tediously tagging and measuring individual birds, tracing descendants, recording environmental data. The hope is to see evolution in action: What size and shape of beak is effective for which variety of seeds? Who survives extreme weather events? When do the species remain separate and when do they hybridize? It’s reams and reams of numbers in spreadsheets, informed by and contributing to theory.

#67: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins -- (Dec 7)

why now: RL discussion group selection.

I read and reviewed this last year. This was a more thorough reread, a chapter per week.

#70: Why Read Moby Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick -- (Dec 13)

why now: Picked up this year because I aspire to read Moby Dick. Read now because it’s short.

A useful introduction to history, themes, characters. Contains spoilers.

#71: Bartleby / Benito Cereno by Herman Melville -- (Dec 15)

why now: Continuing with Melville. Moby Dick is for January optimism, not December reality, but I had this book on hand too. It’s short.

I was quite taken with Bartleby in high school, when “I would prefer not to.” resonated. Now, I identify more with the employer’s dilemma. Re Benito Cereno, yikes, if this is the style of Moby Dick, I may never get through it.

#72: Sleep, Creep, Leap by Benjamin Vogt -- (Dec 17)

why now: Picked up at the local Native Plants in the Landscape conference where the author was a speaker last year. It’s short. I thought it might be inspirational for the new house.

Well, not inspirational. Short essays without much context (the author is a poet by profession), though there’s a useful section describing attributes of various native plants. The author erects a high fence to seal off his garden from the surrounding suburban lawns, and complains about his neighbors. An invisible neighbor is tossing a ball to an invisible dog and it escapes over the fence. The neighbor calls out an apology. The author rants about intrusion into his pristine space.

#73: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad -- (Dec 20)

why now: Downloaded a few years ago after reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, which is partially based on the story. And it’s short.

Well, I can sure see why it is criticized for its racial attitudes. However, the focus is on the Company, which obtains ivory from Africa to sell in Europe, with employees stationed along a river (supposed to be the Congo River, though it is not named specifically). The actual process of acquiring ivory is not described, which may be just as well, because the employees are a rather unsavory bunch already and in no position whatsoever to be disparaging of others. Which I gather is the point.

Merry Christmas, Katherine, and a very happy 2016 too!

(Why read now? Because it's short That's my theme through December.)

This evening I opened the smaller of the two boxes marked LT Xmas Swap, which contained... The Empire of Necessity from my wishlist. And oh! I'd added it to my wishlist a year ago, don't remember why, and I just now read the back cover blurb; it's the true story behind Herman Melville's Benito Cerano. What absolutely perfect timing. I still don't know the identity of my Secret Santa; I'm hoping the larger box, which I won't open until tomorrow morning, will reveal.

How very, very...serendipitous!!

>290 ronincats: Oh cool. Now I really want to open the second box. But I will resist until tomorrow.

ETA: Haha, saw it before you edited, Secret Santa.

That was fast! I went and read your message on the Christmas Swap thread and came right back here to take it down. Here it is again, then.

The second box won't reveal, as I had both sent directly to you from Amazon, but I don't think there's any harm now, on Christmas eve, in letting you know that I had the pleasure of selecting your books as your Secret Santa. Of course, I picked the ones that sounded most interesting to me!

Hi Katherine - Happy Christmas for tomorrow and that is a ton of reviews you've just posted! Sounds like a really good Secret Santa present.

Enjoyed catching up with your reading, and congratulations on moving into your new home!

Wow. Santa went seriously overboard.
Crusoe: Daniel Defoe, Robert Knox, and the Creation of a Myth by Katherine Frank
Talking Hands by Margalit Fox

So the new house now has book #74 in progress, book #75 waiting in the queue, and 3 new books which will count as ROOTs by next week.

Thank you, Santa!

And may you have a lovely New Year filled with books, a lot of joy in your new house, and all your favorite things!

>273 qebo: (Yes, I will allow you to bring your books. Comfy chairs for you and your friends. And a good light. And something yummy to eat. And a kitty treat or two!)

1 book and 6 days to go.

Hi Katherine and many thanks thanks for your wonderful Christmas Swap selections! You were so thoughtful to check my library for Prodigal Summer - it is one Kingsolver I haven't yet read! And I'm eager to read the Sarah Vowell too. Best wishes for a very merry Christmas and happy New Year!

So - did the Moby Dick intro convince you you have to read it????

Meanwhile

Merry Merry from the newest member of the clan!

Tenzing Norcat investigates the tree:

>282 qebo: Huh. I read The Beak of the Finch a few years ago, and I don't remember numbers or spreadsheets at all - found it a fascinating discussion of evolution, and an interesting story of their investigations. Did you like the book?

>300 jjmcgaffey: Yes, I'd had the book around for awhile and kept bypassing it because of the number crunchy aspect, but was pleasantly surprised at how well it entwined with theory. Really I should've known; this seems to be the author's interest, grand theory with day-to-day scutwork. I read Time, Love, Memory several years ago and loved it, but what I most loved was the experimental apparatus constructed for tiny creatures.

Two more books came into my possession yesterday:
The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach
Trowel and Error by Sharon Lovejoy

Appreciate the Christmas greetings. I'd hoped to make the rounds of threads with an e-image, but inspiration didn't strike in the limited time available, so I conceded defeat and will instead apply effort to 2016... when it is actually here. The goal for the week is to haul stuff from the old house to the new house, and get it organized so I'm not camping out and not living in chaos.

\

One more Christmas greeting, late. Best wishes for the continued settling into your new house!

This weekend I dismantled 3 large shelf units and removed drawers from 8 small cabinets, transported the components, and reassembled. Also transported 6 small shelf units. So now a whole buncha stuff can be put in place, and aside from a few items of furniture which won't fit in a Honda Civic, and the books which are a special category, moving consists mostly of circuits between the houses, filling and empyting a set of cardboard boxes.

Sounds like a lot of progress is being made! Are the cats starting to settle?

>305 ronincats: The cats have discovered that they can lounge on the floor of the sunroom and watch squirrels on the deck. Didn't have anything like this in the old house. And I haven't even turned on the heated floor tiles yet.

Ooh, can you say "contented puddy cats"?

Way to go Santa! You've got some interesting reading going on. Esp >282 qebo:, >283 qebo:, and >284 qebo:. I'd also like to read Heart of Darkness sometime, but it won't happen this year.

Happy new week!

Decision time for magazines. I kept on track for two months this year, then finally got through March issues in December. Do I carry the rest into next year? I arranged a location for recycling at the old house today, and moved various piles of magazines that I'd been saving for... what? And where would I put them in the new house? Too many to sort through and decide yes or no individually, so I cut my losses. I will start fresh in January.

I'm keeping an eye on the 2016 group, have been starring threads so I don't have to sift through the frenzy to find people on January 1, but I'm kinda maxxed out dealing with 2015 so I won't be commenting or creating my own thread until it's done.

#54: Midnight in Siberia by David Greene --(Oct 16)

why now: RL book group selection for October, chosen in part because David Greene has a local connection.

David Greene is a journalist for NPR. After he narrated a radio series on the Trans-Siberian railway, an agent encouraged him to take the trip again for a book. Chapter titles are the names of people he met along the way, sometimes on the train and sometimes in city stopovers. The idea was man-on-the-street character sketches and perspectives on politics. Because his Russian language ability is OK but not up to rapid dense nuance, he is always accompanied by a translator who has become a friend during his years in Russia. Engaging and mildly enlightening. Can’t say I’d want to take the trip myself.

#55: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor -- (Oct 18)

why now: RL book group selection for October.

A pleasure to read; its strength is childhood and family, but it’s interesting to see watch the intense focus mature and settle on the law as a way to make a difference in people’s lives.

#65: Gone Feral by Novella Carpenter -- (Dec 2)

why now: Heard it was out in paperback, and I’d read the author’s previous book Farm City about urban farming. Also it’s short.

Novella Carpenter’s parents split when she was a child, and her father was only sporadically in contact. Then he went missing. Only briefly, turned out he’d simply neglected to mention where he was going, but the worry had occurred while she was considering whether to have a child, and motivated her to reconnect. The result is an unprofound but affecting memoir of an idyllic but unstable childhood in a hippie encampment, and continuities through the generations.

#74: Cod by Mark Kurlansky -- (Dec 25)

why now: Another tale of boats and water. And it’s short.

The rise and fall of international cod fishing, culture and science entwined, about my favorite thing. Dunno why it took me so long to get around to this book. Written 20 years ago; I wonder how things have been going since?

Catching up. Congratulations on progress on the house & the cats' approval.

Re: Bartleby. I first read that for an undergraduate survey course and bounced strongly off it, for the reason you mention: I identified with the employer while the instructor insisted we identify with Bartleby. I've read it a few times since, and can see both sides, but it's not my favorite Melville.

And re: the style of Benito Cereno vs. Moby Dick. If you're worried that MB might be verbose and meandering I'm afraid your concerns are justified. In different frames of mind, I have both loved and despised it. I haven't read Philbrick's book, though, and really should.

I too am avoiding the 2016 thread til Friday. It'll come soon enough, dangit.

#75: Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott -- (Dec 30)

why now: Intended to read this along with Little Women and March early in the year. And it’s short.

Chirpy tone makes harrowing anecdotes palatable in letters home, during a stint as nurse in Washington DC during the Civil War. As the title indicates, it is sketches, not story, glimpses of a place and time.

I am DONE for 2015. I have another book in progress, a mystery that I could finish tomorrow without difficulty, but it would be wasted on this year's count and contribute helpfully to next year's, so I will pace my reading accordingly.

Congrats!

>318 drneutron: Well that didn't take long. :-)

Congratulations on 75! See you next year!

Congratulations on 75 in good time!!!! (Me too.) I look forward to browsing and choosing tomorrow although I am already committed in my heart to some heavy tomes.

Congratulations on making 75, Katherine!
Chirpy tone makes harrowing anecdotes palatable reminds me of that six-word book review meme. Short and to the point!

>322 lauralkeet: six-word book review meme
Hah! That's what I should do next year.

>323 qebo: Would it make it easier, I wonder? Or more difficult because of the "pressure" to come up with something pithy every time?

>324 lauralkeet: Yeah, that's the classic problem: editing takes time.

Congratulations, and Happy New Year, Katherine!

Congratulations! Now you can relax and choose whatever book catches your fancy!

>327 ronincats: That's how I got myself into trouble this year...

Congrats on 75! Happy New Year!

>328 qebo: But you have those wonderful books from your Secret Santa! It'll be worth it!

>330 ronincats: At the moment, they're about the only books in the house, so their chances are good. However, I have two RL book group obligations that I'd better start soon.

Congratulations on 75, and on the house, and everything. Happy New Year1

2016 thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/210775 .

Congratulations on 75 books read, Katherine! Now off to follow you to your 2016 thread!