Berly Wraps up the Year (6)

Winter in Portland...will it snow? Nope. Rain!! : )

So, my quick bio. I am a mother of three great kids; happily married; and live in Oregon. I have a huge TBR pile by my bedside, kinda like my security blanket. : ) I was a Neuroscience/Psych major and worked on nerve regeneration for a bit; then jumped ship and worked in advertising; served as the Community Relations Manager for the MN Timberwolves; was an editorial intern at Milkweed Editions; wrote for Portland Parent Magazine; and now am the Marketing Director and Accounting Person for our own business, cleaning industrial water and bringing it up to EPA standards. Okay. Kinda unfocused, but I prefer to think of it as multitalented! I am a TKD blackbelt, but am nursing a knee back to health, so that is on hold for a while. I also like to work in glass. Back to books. Did I mention I love books? I read lots of different genres and LT has truly opened my horizons! Welcome old friends and new.

Currently Reading
The Silkworm (Audio) by Robert Galbraith
A History of the World In 100 Objects (657 pages) by Neil MacGregor

Completed in December

October/November (440 pages; 15,484 total)
Ummmmm -- RL took over!!
53. The Uninvited (340 pages) by Cat Winters 4.0
52. The Good Lord Bird (read 100 of 458) by James McBride---pearl ruled, for now.

Completed in September (1529 pages in September; 15,044 total)
51. Best Boy (246 pages) by Eli Gottlieb 4.0
50. The Boy Who Went Away(230 pages) by Eli Gottlieb 4.5
49. Fables: Homelands (190 pages) by Bill Wingham
48. Armada (349 pages) by Ernest Cline 3.0
47. Flesh and Blood (494 pages) by Patricia Cornwell 3.5

Completed in August (1818 pages in August; 13,515 total)
46. Hild by Nicola Griffith (560 pages) 3.5
45. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (392 pages) 4.0
44. Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health and Happiness ER (205 pages) by Mark Dawidziak 3.5
43. Finders Keepers (audio) (448 pages) by Stephen King 4.5
42. The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty (213 pages) by Vendela Vida 3.5

Completed in July (928 pages in Jul;, 11,697 total)
41. Fables 5: The Mean Seasons (166 pages) by Bill Willingham 3.0
40. Moon Called (288 pages) by Patricia Briggs 4.0
39. Zombie Glass (474 pages) by Gena Showalter 3.0

Completed in June (1679 pages in June; 10,769 total)
38. The Maze (338 pages) by Catherine Coulter 3.5
37. Among Ten Thousand Things (318 pages) by Julia Pierpont 3.0
36. Riptide (355 pages) by Catherine Coulter 3.5
35. The White Tiger (read 200 pages) by Aravind Adiga -- pearl ruled
34. Saga, Vol. 1 (160 pages) GN by Brian K, Vaughan & Fiona Staples 3.0
33. The Sense of an Ending (163 pages)by Julian Barnes for my RL Book Club 4.0
32. I Take You (305 pages) ARC by Eliza Kennedy 4.0

Completed in May (1971 pages in May, 9090 total)
31. The Stranger (audio/400 pages) by Harlan Coben 4.0
30. Wonder (404 pages) by RJ Palacio 5.0
29. Sorrow Arrow (86 pages) poetry by Emily Kendal Frey 2.0
28. Fables: Of Men and Mice (144 pages) GN by Marc Andreyko 3.5
27. Fables: The Return of the Maharaja (144 pages) GN by Sean E. Williams 3.0
26. Leaving Time (audio/496 pages) by Jodi Piccoult 4.5
25. Bossy Pants (audio/297 pages)written and read by Tina Fey 3.5

Completed in April (1639 pages in April, 7119 total)
24. Our Endless Numbered Days (386 pages) by Claire Fuller 4.0
23. Death Without Company (271 pages) by Craig Johnson 3.0
22. Fables: Animal Farm (112 pages) GN by Bill Willingham 3.5
21. Fables: Legends In Exile (144 pages) GN by Bill Willingham 3.5
20. The Bird Skinner (309 pages) by Alice Greenway 4.0
19. The Husband's Secret (417 pages) by Liane Moriarty 4.0

Completed in March (1903 pages in May, 5480 total)
18. Dance Hall of the Dead (272 pages) by Tony Hillerman 2.5
17. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant (pages 228) by Roz Chast 3.0
16. Night Broken (292 pages) by Patricia Briggs 4.0
15. Fair Game (291 pages) by Patricia Briggs 4.0
14. Three Sisters (380 pages) by Susan Mallery 3.5
13. The Secret Speech (440 pages) by Tom Robb Smith 3.5

Completed In February (1520 pages in February, 3577 total)
12. Snake Oil: How Fracking's False Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future (124 pages) by Richard Heinberg 3.5
11. The Rosie Effect (352 pages) by Graeme Samson 3.0
10. Turn of the Screw (160 pages) by Henry James 3.0
9. All the Light We Cannot See (530 pages) by Anthony Doerr 4.0
8. The Cold Dish (354 pages) by Craig Johnson 4.0

Completed in January (2057 pages)
7. The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared (384 pages) by Jonas Jonasson 3.5
6. War Dances (209 pages) by Sherman Alexie 3.5
5. Invisible (399 pages) by James Patterson 4.0
4. The Girl on the Train (323 pages) ARC by Paula Hawkins 3.75
3. Station Eleven (333 pages) ebook by Emily St. John Mandel 4.0
2. Moon Tiger (208 pages) by Penelope Lively 4.0
1. The Blessing Way (201 pages) ebook by Tony Hillerman 3.0

And in my RL Book Club.



February 11th -- All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr ✔
April 8th -- The Husband's Secret - Liann Moriarty ✔
June 10th -- The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes ✔
August 12th -- Little Failure - Gary Shteyngart ✔
October 14th -- The Good Lord Bird - James McBride ✔
December -- Choose NewBooks!!

From my TKD test...board breaking!! Holding for me is my Master, Master J Kim, Olympic Gold Medalist in the Heavyweight Division and two-time World Champion (every other year). Last of my pre-tests; next April I test for 2nd degree Black Belt. Whoohoo!!

...any more?
Yay, a new thread! Looking forward to it :)

Hi Megan! Thanks for being quick on the draw--you are the first!! I am hoping to back here again on a regular basis. The office move is almost complete. Located the spot for the fire extinguisher. Moved in the filing cabinets, but still have to put all the paperwork away inside. Waiting for the kitchen floor, which should come in the beginning of December. Business cards with the new address arrived. Have to find some new artwork for the walls, which should be a fun. Sadly, there is not a chance I will make 75 this year. I kinda lost October and November, but I can still add a few to the list! : )

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy New Thread, Kimmers! And Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a great day with the family!

Happy Thanksgiving, Kim. It sounds like your live will be back to normal soon? Happy new thread - you can have the snow although I can't complain about the weather here. We've had a lovely November. Right now it's raining, but I think that is supposed to change later today.

Happy New Thread, Kim.

Happy new thread Kim and a happy Thanksgiving to you and the family my dear.

>6 Berly: Oooh, fancy new office, business cards and fire extinguisher spot!
And I join you in not reaching 75 this year. And, all my plans of getting stuck into the books since class finished have gone out the window. Darn it :/

>7 msf59: Hi Mark! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of good company and eats!!

>8 BLBera: Hi Beth. It is cold and sunny today--I'll take it! Hope your weather is loverly too. Thanks for stopping by. Life might get back to normal, except that now it is Christmas hoopla!! LOL

>9 EBT1002: Ellen--Right back at you! Hugs.

>10 Ameise1: Hi Barb--Thanks for being here. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. : )

>11 johnsimpson: John--Hello dear sir. I hope you are enjoying life and family, too.

>12 LovingLit: And Megan!! My plan for the day is to get a little caught up here and then start a new book!! I need a fresh start and hopefully I can get back into the reading thing. I have never had a dry spell like this. Woeful. Best of luck to you too. ; )

Better late then never...here are my purchases from Wordstock back in the beginning of November.

Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt
The Small Backs of Children by Lidia Yuknavitch
The Uninvited by Cat Winters

And my daughter Sarah purchased Like it Never Happened by Emily Adrian

I just got to browse the book seller section and didn't get to stay to hear anyone speak, which made me sad, but Sarah and I were off to Eugene to visit my oldest and watch a University of Oregon football game. Go Ducks!! They won and it was lots of fun. Today is the Civil War against Oregon State, so I'll be watching that one on TV.

Also, there was a very fun vendor who makes gloves and scarves with literary words all over them! Check it out.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/storiarts

Alice in Wonderland Scarf


and

The Raven Writing Gloves

Wordstock with Sarah

University of Oregon with my girls. :)

Greetings my Lady, we are both fine and the kids are doing well, still feeling a bit emotional since the wedding shedding tears or close to tears at the drop of a hat. Sending love and hugs to you my dear.

Happy new thread, and great pictures! Congrats on the TKD success!

Nice new thread, and Happy Thanksgiving Week, Kim!

Hey there, Kim. Nice photos of you and the girls (despite the UO gear -- xo)!

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

>16 Berly: I have seen those scarves before, on etsy too I think, they are very cool.

>14 Berly: even though I am part way through a hemp of books, I want to start a new one tomorrow too. I am thinking The Bean Trees... Our brand new local library opened today so I might go christen it by relieving its new shelves of a few books!

Eta and by hemp, I mean heap...

Happy weekend, Kim. I love the photos. Thanks for sharing them.

You have a beautiful family, Kim. Thanks for sharing the photos.

Nice photos!

Not make 75? Don't know how you can call yourself part of this group ;0)

>4 Berly: Respect

>18 Berly: Lovely girls (all three)

Have a lovely long Thanksgiving weekend, Kimmers. xx

Happy new thread, Kim! Love all the photos!

>19 johnsimpson: John--As long as they are happy tears!! Have you seen the married couple since the happy union?

>20 banjo123: Rhonda--Thanks for cheering me on. My knee surgery was a bigger deal than I thought and recovery grueling. I don't quite have my flexibility back, nor does my kick have the umph it used to, but I am slowly gaining and frankly just happy I can still do TKD! : )

>21 kidzdoc: Darryl--My traveling friend-- I love all the places you go! Thanks for posting all the pictures and letting me live vicariously through you. And the recipes...yum! Oh, and then there are all the books! You are a good friend to have. : )

>22 EBT1002: Ellen--Thanks for giving me a bye on the UO gear...LOL! I hope you had a lovely long weekend.

>23 LovingLit: Megan--I was wondering what a "hemp of books" was like, LOL.

>24 Ameise1: Barb--Yes, I am back. I see you have been pretty busy, too! Thanks for stopping by.

>25 BLBera: Beth--Thanks. I am partial to my family and I think they are pretty special! It is great fun to be able to spend time with them.

>26 humouress: Nina--Oh good! That makes me feel so much better--not!! LOL. Maybe I can make 60? It sucks because I was on track to make it until I hit October. Then everything came to a stand still. Sigh.

>27 PaulCranswick: Paul--Thank you for the respect and the compliment. ; )

>28 scaifea: Amber--"Happy New Thread" wishes from the lady with so many!! Thank you. : )

I'm a little late to your new thread, Kim, but Happy New Thread! GLad to hear things are (might be?) settling down a bit for you!

So. I did it. I read a book! I read a book!!!



The Uninvited by Cat Winters 4.0

A book of War, the Spanish Influenza, Family, Guilt, Jazz Music and Ghostly Apparitions. Ivy has the gift/curse of seeing ghosts: The presence of these Uninvited guests always heralds the death of someone else in her life. When Ivy recovers from the Spanish Flu in 1918, she sees the spirit of her Grandmother and learns shorty thereafter that her brother, Billy, was killed in the war. Then, to her horror, she learns that her father and brother have killed a German shop owner in town in retaliation. Unable to bear living in the same house with them, she packs her bags and heads into town. There, she learns that the pandemic has wreaked havoc and the norms of society are breaking down. People are living in the moment, because there may be no tomorrow. The apparitions begin to appear more frequently and Ivy is not sure who she will lose next. I loved how Jazz played such an important part of this book and the ending absolutely made the book for me. I guessed some of it, but not all!

>39 humouress: Hi Katie--It's never too late to pop in here!! Thanks for the visit. Yes, I think life will calm down a tad (look I actually read a book!), but Christmas is right around the corner. At least that busyness is home related and not business, so chances are it will be more fun. Hope life is treating you well. I am working on making the rounds, but I am soooooo far behind..... See ya! : )

Hi Kim - I'm not usually much for ghost stories, but this sounds good. Hmm. Off to check to see if my library has it.

Beth, the ghosts play a profound part of the story, but it isn't freaky, weird. And there is so much more than that going on. Hope your library has it!

Okay, another snippet from the History of the World tomb that I am still working through. Don't get me wrong--they are cool insights! It is just not plot driven and so easy to put down between chapters that I have to find the book again when it gets buried by other things. : )

John Searle, Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley (page 94):

"Writing is essential for the creation of what we think of as human civilization. It has a creative capacity that may not even have been intended...it's not adequate to think of writing just as a way of recording, for the future, facts about the past and present...when you write down you don't just record what already exists, you create new entities -- money, corporations, governments, complex forms of society. Writing is essential for all of them."

Very late to wish you a new thread. Lovely pictures and >35 Berly: is a great quote, thanks for sharing. Hope that the new office space is working out well.

Charlotte--Nice to see you and glad you liked the quote and pictures. The office space is working out nicely. Tomorrow's task is to unpack the boxes and boxes and boxes of paper and get them back into the file cabinets. They are split between three rooms now, so I will have to think about where everything goes. But it will definitely help make the office more useable, so I can't wait!

Congrats on finishing a book Kim! And thanks for stopping by my thread. I was almost ready to just wait until next year before posting again. But why wait? I can always start this year again, and again, and again. :)

>26 humouress: >29 Berly: I merely say that because this will be my sixth year as a 75er, and the sixth year I haven't reached 75. (I think my closest was 70 a couple of years ago.)

>31 Berly: The Uninvited looks intriguing, but sad.

>38 The_Hibernator: Exactly! Why wait? I keep starting over...why not you? : ) Glad to see you...anytime and always!

>39 humouress: Ahhhhhh! It is all clear to me now. I think I actually reached 100 my first year, in the thrall of LT's newness, and I made it one other year, but all the rest have been near misses. LOL. But I like the group here and they haven't thrown me out yet. ; )

The Uninvited is surprisingly not a tear-jerker and it was a page turner. I can't quite explain how Winters keeps it so light. There is a lot of humor sprinkled in and the happiness of the jazz music and I think the main character's personality, as well. Give it a try!

>29 Berly: well, my 'heap' of books from the new library turned out only to be 2. But as I finished one already, I can swap it for a new few, right?

Congrats on getting a book read. Isn't it wonderful? (as you know I am in the same boat)

Hi Kim, we saw the happy couple on the 21st Nov when we popped over with the wedding cake and cup cakes that were in our freezer. Amy has done her online Christmas shopping and directed it to be delivered here as her neighbours seem to change frequently and she doesn't want anything to go awol. We will see them next in the Pantomime on the 10th Dec, Amy is in the chorus and Andy is playing the part of the mirror as it is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We are having them all for Christmas lunch and I think Amy and Andy will be staying over from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day.

Great pic of you and girls at U of Oregon, Kim : ). Your endorsement of The Uninvited sounds very appealing.

Hooray for reading a book! Go Kimmers! Go Kimmers!

Wow, new thread, great photos, TKD test, and The Uninvited sounds interesting -- great review!

>31 Berly: Nicely done! And nice review, too.

It's good to have you back in LT land. :-)

>41 LovingLit: What are you waiting for? Swap it out for another ASAP! I am glad that both our "boats" are moving forward. : )

>42 johnsimpson: It sounds like you have wonderful holiday plans -- I can't wait to hear about them as they unfold.

>43 lit_chick: Nice to see you and glad you like the pics. Hope The Uninvited winds up in your library soon.

>44 msf59: Best cheerleader ever! Oh bad idea...I am now picturing you in a short skirt with pom poms. Sorry. Thanks Mark!

>45 tymfos: Hey! Thanks for stopping by here. Glad you like the review--Trying to have at least a little literary news here. ; )

>46 EBT1002: Thanks for missing me! It's good to be back.

Just started The Small Backs of Children by Lidia Yuknavitch. It has several different narrators and points of view. So far, it is a little choppy, but I don't think it has hit its rhythm yet.

I have my Holiday Book meeting next week, where we all bring our suggestions for reads in 2016. Any absolute winners I should mention? Help me out here!

Now, I can't get that image out of my mind. Thanks, Kimmers!

H is for Hawk! His for Hawk!

Kim - Two of my recent favorites that I think would be good discussion books are The Turner House and Make Your Home Among Strangers.

Mark leading a book warble.

>51 weird_O: *SNORK!*

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Kim.

>51 weird_O: That does look like me, in my younger days! LOL.

>54 msf59: you had a giant megaphone? Cool! :)

Kim, it is so good to see you back to posting again. I think 75 is just a suggestion. You certainly won't be cast out for reading less.

Our book group had a great discussion about We Are Called to Rise a few days ago. I am still thinking about what I want to comment on. Let us know what your group picks. A good discussion about a book almost always makes me appreciate it more than when I don't have anyone to talk with about it.

>54 msf59: So handsome! Even your other half looks blown away. ;0)

>49 msf59: Sorry about that Mark!! LOL Thanks for the suggestion. I will take a look...hope you had a great weekend.

>50 BLBera: Beth--thanks! I will check those out, too. : )

>51 weird_O: Bill--Oh that is so right!! LOL

>52 scaifea: Amber--Now, now. Let's not laugh at Mark. Too much.

>53 Ameise1: Barb--I had a wonderful weekend, thank you. Hope yours was great, too! I love having your pictures again. : )

>54 msf59: Handsome then, handsome now.

>55 drneutron: Doctor! Nice to see you. It is a very nice megaphone isn't it? Do you have megaphone envy? I do.

>56 Donna828: Donna, thanks for not judging my reading total. And thanks for the book suggestion. ; )

>57 humouress: Nina--Exactly!!

>58 Berly: I wasn't laughing at Mark - I was celebrating him... *grins*

>59 scaifea: Of course!!

So Kim update...
: )
--Office floor is in!! Now I just have to finish unloading paper files. It's looking good.
--The Portland Timbers soccer won the 2015 MSL Cup!!
--Got our Christmas tree yesterday in the few hours of no rain.

: (
--Today woke up to streets closed near my house due to flooding.

: )
--Rain is good for our business.

>60 Berly: Nice performance by the Timbers yesterday - that first goal at 27 seconds was a stunner - smoke hadn't ever cleared from the fireworks. Kids now want Timbers jerseys. Sorry to hear about the flooding.

Hi Kim - I hope you don't have any damage from the flooding.

Hi Kimmers! I just got off the phone with my sister and she said it has been raining buckets, up you way. Are you surviving? It hasn't affected, where you live, has it? Sure hope not, my friend.

ETA: I just saw your comments in post #60: Yikes!!

Stay dry, Kim! Isn't it crazy?

Sorry to see you have flooding. I hope you're ok.

Wow! There's flooding here in Singapore, in India and in the North of England / Scotland, too. But Ethiopia is suffering its worst drought for 50 years. Wish we could move some of this excess water there for them.

Hope your business is doing well out of it :0)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Kim.

Too bad about the floods. But I'm glad it's good for your business. :) Happy weekend!

Hi Kim, just passing by to say hi and hope you and the family are all well my dear, sending love and hugs from over the pond.

Rain = :) AND :(
Hehe, silver lining, right!?

>61 Oberon: I want a Timbers Jersey!! : )

>62 BLBera: No flood damage at home. Our office has a few window leaks--management is on it.

>63 msf59: Just a tarp out on the back deck to keep the gutter overflow away from the house--its gushing over!!!

>64 banjo123: CRAZY!!!!

>65 tymfos: Portlanders don't use umbrellas or wear raincoats...unless it is a monsoon, which it has been lately!!

>66 humouress: I am more than happy to share some of our rain with you. Just let me know how!!

>67 Ameise1: Thanks. It was a great weekend. Hope yours was, too.

>68 The_Hibernator: Business is good. Shopping in the rain is not!! ; )

>69 johnsimpson: "From over the Pond" has a whole new meaning here. Ponds are everywhere!!! Even where they are not supposed to be. : )

>70 LovingLit: Silver lining indeed!! I just got Chinese food and my Fortune Cookie said,"The clouds will rain success on to you." How perfect is that?!

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!

Happy holidays, Kim!

Barb, Roni and Terri--Thank you so much!! Happy holidays to you and yours. Check out my thread topper for how Christmas in Portland is shaping up!! LOL. Hugs. : )

Stopping by to wish you a wonderful holiday.

Have a great holiday with the family, Kimmers! Hugs to my pal!

Bookish Christmas wishes to you and your family, Kim!

>1 Berly: LOL, could just be here, too. But it's too dry so no mud around.

Hi Kim, sending Christmas greetings to you and your family my dear. Hope you all have a lovely day and sending love and hugs.

Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas, Kim!

Have a lovely holiday, Kimmers!

Warm wishes for a magical holiday season, Kim!

Merry Christmas Kim!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and lots of great books in 2016.

Wishing you and your family all the beauty of this holiday season, Kim.

Merry Christmas, Kim. I'm hoping for another Minn. trip in 2016.

Merry Day-After Christmas Everyone!!!!

*Hugs*

>76 Whisper1: Linda, Merry Christmas!! And best wishes for a wonderful New Year. I KNOW it is going to be a better, healthier one for you!

>77 msf59: Smooches, Mark. I hope you had a wonderful time with family and friends this holiday! And I just want to remind you that you are due for an Oregon visit!

>78 souloftherose: Heather--Bookish wishes are the best! Thanks and the same to you and yours. : )

>79 Ameise1: Barb, I am glad you were amused by our sad snowman in Porltand. Pathetic!! LOL. Hoping you and yours are having a wonderful holiday weekend.

>80 johnsimpson: Merry Christmas John! Big hugs to my page-counitng buddy abroad. Hope all is well with you and your family.

>81 EBT1002: Ellen--what a beautiful thing to wake up to on LT!! Thanks. Enjoy this lovely holiday weekend.

>82 lkernagh: Lori--Merry Merry to you, too!! I want to go visit that cute town!

>83 PaulCranswick: Paul, love your Christmas tree!! LOL. Thank you and best wishes to you and your family.

>84 katiekrug: Katie--Love the pop-up book! Happy holidays right back at you.

>85 The_Hibernator: Rachel--Not very snowy in MN is it? My parents said the lake has no ice! Astounding for Christmas! Happy Holidays.

>86 ffortsa: Judy-- Succinct, to the point, and oh so wonderful! Merry, Happy and books to you, too!!

>87 Donna828: Donna-Hoping you have a wonderful holiday season filled with books! And friends. ; )

>88 BLBera: Beth--Merry Crhistmas!! I do so hope you make it out to MN again--give me some advance warning so I can see if I can head out that way, too. Or you could come to the West coast....!

>90 Ape: And as many hugs to Stephen as he can stand! Merry Christmas. : )

I have my 2016 thread up here...

http://www.librarything.com/topic/209585

Sending big hugs to you my page counting lovely friend, lets see what we can do in 2016 my dear, sending love and BIG hugs.

Happy Boxing Day, Kim : ).

Thanks John and Nancy! (I want me some beach time!!!) See you on my 2016 thread. : )

>92 Berly: 2016 thread! I knew it in my heart but didn't want to admit it yet ;)

Eta. Oh, and merry Christmas!

I know, but I am ahead of the game for once and not behind!!! : )

>1 Berly: LOL So true!

Ooh, a parcel of books for me on my thread. Thanks, Kim!

Dropping by with belated Christmas wishes, but I'm still in time to wish you and your family the very best for 2016!

(As for the 2016 Group, I'll get there next year)

>98 banjo123: Hey there! Are you staying dry? LOL. Thanks for popping in. Your beach retreat sounded relaxing and fun. ; )

>99 humouress: Thanks for the 2016 wishes and I wish the very same for you! And I'll see you on the next thread, too. : )

A belated Merry Christmas, and happy new books!

Hi Kim, hope everything is well with you and the family my dear.