Berly, Happily Buried in Books

Welcome old friends and new!!

That applies to people and books, LOL.

Here is this year's list of purchased books. I am really trying to read off the shelf more, but I am weak!! Also, my first few purchases don't count because I never celebrated my Thingaversary in December, so I HAVE to celebrate that. I am on the 7th Anniversary, which means one for each year, and then one for good luck, of course. So no guilt until after #8. And then still probably not much guilt. : )

Thingaversary Treats
1) Dying To Be Me, by Anita Morrjani
2) Start Where You Are, by Pema Chodron
3) Stars of Mithra, book 3
4) The Science of Discworld: The Globe, by Terry Pratchett
5) Black Man in a White Coat, by Damon Tweedy
6) Library of Souls, by Ransom Riggs
7) The Psychopath Whisperer, The Science of Those Without Conscience, by Kent A Kiehl.
8) The Silver Star, by Jeannette Walls

Now anything below this line, guilt might set it in. Notice I used "might"!!! LOL

9) The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Ron Duncan (Richard's Fault, with a second from Crazy, and a final push from Kidzdoc for the $1.99 Kindle pricing)
10) Unseemly Science, the sequel by Ron Duncan (ronincats's fault for the push and the $1.99 Kindle pricing alert)

Currently Reading
City on Fire, (944 pages) (IR) by Garth Risk Hallberg
A History of the World In 100 Objects (657 pages) by Neil MacGregor
As I Lay Dying (178 pages) (L) by Faulkner
Hell is Empty (audio) (N) by Craig Johnson




Read in January
4. Dying to be Me (186 pages) (N) by Anita Moorjani 4.0
3. Skinwalkers (282 pages) (L) by Tony Hillerman 3.75
2. The Silkworm (Audio, 464 pages) (OS) by Robert Galbraith 4.0
1. Cross Justice (420 pages) (OS) by James Patterson 4.0

L--Library
OS--Off My Shelves
N--New
G--Gift
IR--Indiespensable Readers

Plans for Reading


RL Book Club #1

February--Black Man in a White Coat, by Damon Tweedy
April--The Museum of Extraordinary Things, by Alice Hoffman
June--H is for Hawk, by Helen McDonald
August--A Man Called Ove, by Frederick Backman
October--Mrs. Poe, by Lynn Cullen
December--choose new books! ✔

And RL Book Club #2

February--I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai
March--Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir, by Carrie Brownstein

The rest of the year TBD later...

And over time, some of these...Booker Prize

1969: P. H. Newby, Something to Answer For
1970: Bernice Rubens, The Elected Member
1970: J. G. Farrell, Troubles (awarded in 2010 as the Lost Man Booker Prize)
1971: V. S. Naipaul, In a Free State
1972: John Berger, G.
1973: J. G. Farrell, The Siege of Krishnapur
1974: Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist and Stanley Middleton, Holiday
1975: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust
1976: David Storey, Saville
1977: Paul Scott, Staying On
1978: Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea
1979: Penelope Fitzgerald, Offshore
1980: William Golding, Rites of Passage
1981: Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
1982: Thomas Keneally, Schindler's Ark
1983: J. M. Coetzee, Life & Times of Michael K
1984: Anita Brookner, Hotel du Lac
1985: Keri Hulme, The Bone People √
1986: Kingsley Amis, The Old Devils
1987: Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger √
1988: Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda
1989: Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day √
1990: A. S. Byatt, Possession: A Romance
1991: Ben Okri, The Famished Road
1992: Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient √ ... and Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger
1993: Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha √
1994: James Kelman, How late it was, how late
1995: Pat Barker, The Ghost Road
1996: Graham Swift, Last Orders
1997: Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
1998: Ian McEwan, Amsterdam
1999: J. M. Coetzee, Disgrace
2000: Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin √
2001: Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang
2002: Yann Martel, Life of Pi √
2003: DBC Pierre, Vernon God Little
2004: Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty
2005: John Banville, The Sea
2006: Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss
2007: Anne Enright, The Gathering
2008: Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger √
2009: Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall
2010: Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question√
2011: Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending √
2012: Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
2013: Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
2014: Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North
2015: Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings

Favorites from last year:

The Uninvited (340 pages) by Cat Winters 4.5
The Boy Who Went Away(230 pages) by Eli Gottlieb 4.5
Finders Keepers (audio) (448 pages) by Stephen King 4.5
Wonder (404 pages) by RJ Palacio 5.0
Leaving Time (audio/496 pages) by Jodi Piccoult 4.5
All the Light We Cannot See (530 pages) by Anthony Doerr 4.0
Fables: Legends In Exile My first GN Series!! by Bill Willingham

New last year were Graphic Novels and listening to books on audio--I enjoyed them both!

Hello everyone!! I am so ready for it to be 2016!! Welcome one and all.

I am going to start entering those series I still want to follow. This list will evolve over time...

Cormoran Strike--Next is Career of Evil (3)
Alex Cross--I have read 17 and 23
Alpha and Omega--Next is Dead Heat (4)
Author Terry Pratchett, Discworld, Wyrd Sisters Souloftherose's fault ; )
Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children: The Library of Souls (3)
Longmire Series: Read 7, now on 8
The Gaslit Empire Series: own (1) The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter and (2) The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire

Hello Kim, I will be a regular visitor on your thread and will star it immediately. Hope you are gearing up for a lovely reading year in 2016 my dear.

Hi Kim, will be following your readings. Happy reading 2016.

Hi John and Barb!! Thanks for the quick star! I love seeing both of you here. : ) Best wishes for a wonderful life and great reads in 2016.

Welcome back!

Hi Kim! Starred your thread, of course!

>8 drneutron: Hi Jim!! Big thanks again for getting all us 75ers going in 2016. Best wishes for a most excellent year!!

>9 katiekrug: Hi Katie--I love that you said "of course!" : )

I spotted the annual end-of-the-year book meme on Tymofs's thread, from Lori's (lkernagh) thread, and decided to give it a go:

Describe yourself: Bossy Pants (ask my kids about cleaning their rooms!! LOL)
Describe how you feel: The Blessing Way
Describe where you currently live: Homelands
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Riptide (but I'd stay on the beach and out of the water!)
Your favorite form of transportation: I Take You
Your best friend is: The Girl on the Train
You and your friends are: Three Sisters
What’s the weather like: 1) Saga or 2) All the Light We Cannot See--because it's still raining!!
You fear: Death Without Company
What is the best advice you have to give: Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health and Happiness
Thought for the day: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
How I would like to die: Among Ten Thousand Things (preferable friends and books!)
My soul’s present condition: Wonder

Christmas gifts included: Cross Justice by James Patterson, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy, and City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg. Yay!!

What a wonderful sparkly thread to kick off 2016! Looking forward to another year of following your reading and posting, Kim!

Great meme answers!

>11 Berly:, Nice selection of books you have received.

>12 lkernagh: Hi Lori!! I kinda like the sparkles too. ; ) And I am glad you liked my meme answers--I was hard pressed to make them fit--I just didn't read the right titles this year!

>13 johnsimpson: Thanks John. My daughter gave me the Pullman series, so I will enjoy reading those with her.

Just received a book from LT: Eleanor: A Novel, by Jason Gurley. Yay!

Kimmers! Great to see you back. xx

Dropping off my star, Kim! Hoping that we both get to be here more in the New Year!

>16 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! I am always happy to be here. : )

>17 Crazymamie: Crazy--Thanks for the star and Amen to more time here in 2016!!

Dropping my star, Kim. I'll be posting the meme either December 31 or January 1.

My daughter posted this to my Facebook and I just thought I'd share, here, the most appropriate place...!

Me at the Bookstore

Me: No
Me: I can't have you
Me: Stop staring at me
Me: I have five books at home I need to read
Me: You're beautiful but I can't
Me: Don't do this to me
Me: Stop

Book: But baby I want you

Me: ....
Me: *Buys ten books*

>19 thornton37814: Another star!! Hi Lori. : ) I'm eagerly awaiting the meme!

>20 Berly:, That happens to me every time I am near books for sale, I just love this.

>20 Berly: Ha! Love it!

"But baby, I want you." Ha, that's what they all say. And you just added to the list - A History of the World in 100 Objects sounds wonderful. Luckily my library has a copy. I love the British Museum.

>22 johnsimpson: John--It is apropos, isn't it?! She knows me too well. : )

>23 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl--yes, it describes you to a T, doesn't it! Have you done your stats for 2015 yet? How many books begged their way onto your shelves? ; )

>24 catarina1: Hi Caterina! Nice to see you here. Glad I got you with a book bullet right away, LOL. I love your description of your library: "eclectic, has overrun the bookshelves, starting to take over the floors, and is heading for the stairs!!!" I agree completely. But you need to update your favorite books on your bio--it says 2009!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and working on their New Year Resolutions...ha, ha, ha!

Go Kimmers! Go Kimmers! Good luck with your reading next year, my friend. I hope to get to The Silkworm early next year. This series works very well on audio.

>26 msf59: I loved the narrator for The Silkworm--really talented. I just wish I had had longer blocks of time to listen--made for a rather choppy narrative. Not the books fault. RL kept interrupting!! I hope you enjoy it. : )

So, one of my best friends arrived for a few days. We got pedicures with the girls yesterday--my toes are very happy! Had a wonderful meal at home and then celebrated my oldest's birthday and had way too much wine, but it was lots of fun. We laughed so hard my cheeks hurt. : )

Looking forward to the long weekend!

So my first RL Bookclub chose:

February--Black Man in a White Coat, by Damon Tweedy
April--The Museum of Extraordinary Things, by Alice Hoffman
June--H is for Hawk, by Helen McDonald
August--A Man Called Ove, by Frederick Backman
October--Mrs. Poe, by Lynn Cullen
December--choose new books!

I have heard good things about three of these, so it should be a good year!

My second bookclub is brand new and we are meeting in January to plot and plan. : )

Kim, how does your book club choose books? I am starting a new one, and we meet January 10 to pick books, but I'm not sure how to go about it....

>29 katiekrug: Katie--Yay for new book clubs!!! I wish we lived closer--than you could be in mine or I could be in yours! LOL. My RL bookclub has a very informal process. Everyone brings 4-5 suggestions. Either the book itself or a short writeup. We have several prolific readers so it has to be a book no one has read before. There are usually at least 3 clear front runners, then we all informally vote on our favorites and slowly whittle it down. By vote, I mean raising hands in front of everyone with eyes open. No secret ballots. Sometimes we have to hold up two books and decide which one trumps the other. ; ) There is no guarantee that everyone will have one of their books chosen, although some clubs do try to do that. We try to get in at least one NF. All the books suggested are included on an honorable mention list so we can read them on our own if they are not chosen.

Good luck and let me know what you guys choose! Maybe I'll steal one or two for mine since we meet after you do. ; )

Thanks - that's helpful! I did ask everyone to bring some suggestions, but I have a feeling only two or three of us will do that.... We will only be meeting every other month, so at least it's only 6 to choose!

I forgot the most important part!! There has to be lots of drinking and merriment. : )

Ha! That's what got my last book group off-track. This new one will be meeting on Sunday afternoons over coffee.

Hi Kim! :)

Hi Kim, wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year my dear and sending special love and hugs from the both of us.

Dropping off my star on folks' 2016 threads now that 2015 is in its waning hours.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, KIM!!

Looking forward to another meet-up in 2016, I hope.

Present and starred!

Happiness of the new year to you and yours!
Looking forward to getting into a book tomorrow as good as the one I ended the year on. I had three out of my last 4 as 4.5 star reads!

Happy new year, Kim!

Happy New Year, Kimmers! Have a great holiday. Set aside some time for the books!

I admire your energy--2 book clubs! I'll be looking forward to following your thread to see where it leads. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year, Kim. Starred, of course. I hope for another meet up in 2016.

Happy New Year Dear Kim! I hope 2016 is healthy and happy, filled with wonderful books!

Happy New Year, Kim!

>33 katiekrug: LOL. There is that. Best of luck with the new format. ; )

>34 Ape: Stephano!! Happy New Year!

>35 johnsimpson: John--best wishes for a wonderful New Year to you and yours.

>36 Ameise1: Thank you Barb! and the same to you and your family.

>37 EBT1002: Wonderful star Ellen--I look forward to seeing lots of you in 2016. Here and in RL!

My friend from out of town is still here, so I will be more present here tomorrow...

Love you all!!

Happy new year, Kim. Wishing you a year of great reads and fun!

Wishing you a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2016!

Happy new year Kim!

Have a wonderful bookfilled 2016, Kimmers

Morning, Kim!

Hello and Happy New Year to Stephanie, Megan, Terry, Mark, Becky (welcome!), Beth, Linda (love that chair!), Crazy, Caro, Lori, Heather and Paul!! You all make it so much fun to visit my own thread. Thanks and I look forward to spending 2016 with all of you!

Starting preliminary planning for a Portland meet-up, maybe June 17 or 18....

Hi, Kim! Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year, Kim!

>54 EBT1002: A meet-up! I love the way you think. : ) I have to check when my oldest has her graduation--I'll get back to you on that.

>55 scaifea: Amber! Hello and Happy New Year!! I was caught up on your thread last night, but...that was last night...LOL!

>56 kidzdoc: Darryl--Another year of thought-provoking books, yummy food and (and-I'm-so-jealous) interesting travels!! Yes, I am talking about your thread -- I am already 100 posts behind...sigh. : )

The tree and decorations are coming down today, although I may leave the snow village up another week because it is very apropos! Why?! Because it is snowing here!! I don't think it will last long and it is only an inch or two, but it has been two years since my house had any snow. Our elevation is very low and the snow doesn't make it down here. Very happy.

I am starting City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg. It is set in NY city in 1976. It was my Indispensable Book under the Christmas Tree and it has rave reviews all over the back...but I am scared!! It is over 900 pages long!! Here goes nothing....

Go Kimmers! Go Kimmers! I have City on Fire saved on audio. I do not think I will get to it for awhile but I will watch for your thoughts.

Kim - I would be happy to send you some snow. :) I'll check back when you come up for air after 900 pages of City on Fire.

Lucky you, belonging to two RL book groups. I enjoy mine very much. It's led by the library branch manager who is a lovely person and a voracious reader. We meet at the library and have no food or drink. It's all about the book we are discussing. Wicked is Thursday night's book. I'd better get busy!

Your new year is off to a good start. Two books? I'm such a slacker.

Found you, Kim! Happy New Year!

>60 msf59: Mark--two chunksters at once--sure to slow down my reading total, although my page numbers will be just fine! I plan to balance it with some Fables and maybe some Saga GNs. : ) 50 pages in City on Fire and liking it so far.

>61 BLBera: Beth--School is now officially closed for tomorrow. Freezing rain and windy hills. Bad combo. My son is thrilled!! My middle one not so much. She is scheduled for jury duty and they never close the court house.

>62 Donna828: Donna--I am a wee bit jealous of your book group--although several of us read a lot in mine, the other half? Not so much. That leads to a wide variety of book discussion depth. I can only imagine with a library branch manager that you have sophisticated discussions with character analysis and everything. Sigh. Good thing I totally love my friends!! Loved Wicked--curious to see what your group thinks!

>63 lit_chick: Hi Nancy! We found each other. I feel so...complete! LOL. Thanks for the New Year wishes and the same to you. Be seeing you. : )

Happy New Year Kim!

Happy New Year!

Happy new year, Kim! I will try to keep up better this year... but you've already got 66 posts on here! Your book clubs sound good.

>54 EBT1002: meetup! Let's see, $20.50 + $41.....divided by the flight time......carry the....
Who am I kidding? ;) Have fun, there's nothing like planning early. It's what gets things on the schedule.

>64 Berly: I read the most out of my book club...to the extent that I get mocked for it. I wish my book club could meet all you guys!

Morning, Kim!

Happy new year Kim, and enjoy the snow day!

Popping in to say hello, and wish you a happy new year!

>65 The_Hibernator: Rachel--I absolutely love that picture! Thank you for putting it on my thread. : ) I added The Psychopath Whisperer to my wish list.

>66 ronincats: Roni--Yay! That big, beautiful star made in onto my thread! I am looking forward to more great books, pottery and jewelry on your thread...!

>67 cushlareads: Cushla--Don't worry. I post in fits and starts, so you will be able to keep up here. ; ) My second book club meets on Wednesday, so I have to get my recommendations together. I'll let you know what we choose.

>68 LovingLit: Megan--No one should ridicule anyone for reading!! I am sure the rest of your book club is just jealous. So we have established you are a great reader. But I don't know about your math...? If you take all that divided by the enjoyment of seeing us West Coasters and whoever else my visit, I think it comes out a lot cheaper. Plus I have a spare bedroom....! : )

>69 Crazymamie: Morning Crazy!! We have a snow day, or rather an ice day. No school. No jury duty for my daughter. No work for me. Which is why I can play on LT in the middle of the day!! It should melt later on.

>70 banjo123: Hi Rhonda--I am still in my PJs and plan on staying in them! I am going to read today and get caught up on my photo album. Yes, in the age of Facebook, I still print out favorites and put them in an album. I gave up scrapbooking when I went back to work, because it took too much time, but I still like to have the actual, touchable photos with captions of who, what, where and when. I can usually fit a year in an album and I have been doing this for about 6 years. The kids actually love them. Are you home today, too?

>71 London_StJ: Luxx--Happy New Year to you, too! Hope your second book is better than "Bah!" ; )

1. Cross Justice by James Patterson 4.0

Alex Cross is my new favorite detective! I think Cross is the only detective I know who has a happily-married-with-kids background. Wife, Bree, and his two kids, Jannie and Ali, and the amazing Nana Mama, his grandmother, all trek down to North Carolina where Cross must try to get his cousin off the hook for a grisly murder. I have missed a few installments and will have to go back and find them: because I like Cross and Bree so much, but it was just fine to read this out of order.

And... This is a two-for-one mystery, well, actually a three-for-one mystery! This book reveals deep, dark secrets from Cross' childhood. And while digging deeper into his past, Cross travels to Florida where he stumbles upon a mysterious ring of socialite murders. That's three mysteries! Humorous, intriguing, fast-paced with several close calls as people try to get rid of Cross and avoid getting caught. Totally recommended.

2. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith 4.0

Okay, well, Cormoran Strike is also a favorite detective. What can I say? I like these guys! In this second novel, Strike is charged by a somewhat frumpy, lonely woman to find her missing author husband. It turns out that he was gruesomely murdered after advance copies of his new, tell-all manuscript got out, insulting just about everyone. The cops figure the jealous wife did it, but Strike has several other leads. I enjoyed Strike' sidekick Susan again, and love the gimpy detective. I listened to this on audio and the narrator (Robert Glenister) was amazing! Waiting for the third to be in paperback.

>72 Berly: I was startled to read your description of Alex Cross as "happily married", Beth, but then I clicked through and see that this is one of the later titles from after I stopped reading the series. I always like the character very much, and he went through some major drama in earlier books, so I'm weirdly happy to see that he is "in a better place" now.

>75 rosalita: Julia (This is Kim BTW, not Beth, LOL) I thought I had read a bunch of these, but I think I have only read 1 or 2 at the beginning and then 17 and 23. He seemed happy in this last one! I do want to go back and read some earlier ones. Even if he isn't so happy back then. Sigh. ; )

Oh, for heaven's sake! There I go again getting people's names wrong. KIM. KIM. KIM. Such a bad habit of mine on the threads when I am posting in a rush. I'm really sorry about that, KIM.

I just checked my LT catalog and it looks like I fell off the Cross bandwagon after #5 so really early on. If I remember right (it's been a while since I read the last one) I felt like there was too many psychopaths (the same one kept popping up after it seemed he had been vanquished forever in the last book) and too much personal tragedy for the poor dear man. Knowing that it gets better might get me to start the series back up. Thanks for letting me know, KIM.

(There. Hopefully that has cemented your name in my brain, but no promises!) :-)

Beth is a nice name, too. Berly and Beth are close. :)

I like Beth, too! LOL. If it helps at all, although I am sure KIM is now firmly in your brain, Julia, Berly is the second half of my name. As in Kim Berly. See how helpful that is?! : )

Seriously though, you can call me whatever, as long as you show up here. Because I like you. And I am sure I screw up names, too! Deal?

I wonder when the Cross wagon gets more cheery? I mean he is still dealing with psychopaths in this one, but it was nicely balanced. I will have to find out how far I got in the series. I think I read them pre LT and so I haven't gone back to catalog my reads. Maybe I can cheat and read a few summaries and figure it out that way....

>78 BLBera: Well, I wasn't going to mention it, BETH, but I'm pretty sure I had just been reading and/or posting on your thread before I came over here, so really it's entirely your fault. ;-)

Ha ha ha!!

I just downloaded the LT app to my phone so I can always have my wishlist with me. Perfect timing, too, because I owe myself some books for my Thingaversary (back in December). I picked up two so far, but still have some shopping to do....

So, still plugging through A History of the World in 100 Objects--up to 700-600 BC! The discovery of a clay tablet from Mesopotamia brings into question the Christian story of Noah's ark. "What does it do to your perception of a religious text when you discover that it comes from an older society, with a very different set of beliefs?" From the clay tablet: "demolish the house, and build a boat! Abandon wealth and seek survival. Spurn property, save life. Take on board all living things' seed! The boat you will build, her dimensions all shall be equal: her length and breadth shall be the same. Cover her with a roof, like the ocean below, and he will send you a rain of plenty." (pages 98-99) There is a core event behind both Noah and the clay tablet, but the Bible retells the story in a new way, bringing morality into it, using the flood to rid the earth of violence. Hmmmm.

Another day of no school due to ice!!! My son is sleeping happily. Middle child, not so lucky--it is off to jury duty for her.

No school again!! I used to love those days - we would sit by the radio with our fingers crossed, chanting please, please, please let there be no school...and then that magic moment where they say your school's name! Yes!

Exactly! And more exciting news--Jack's soccer team is headed to Arizona for the Regional ODP (Olympic Development Program) Championships! He was second alternate and he just got the call up--he leaves tomorrow at noon. Way psyched for him. Proud Mama beam. : )

>86 Berly: Very exciting development. Congrats to Jack!

>87 Oberon: Erik--Thanks! Still doing this: : )

How is your snow and ice level out in EP? I am hoping ours melts so I can get out of my driveway...!

>88 Berly: As well you should!

Snow and ice are pretty modest to be honest. We had about 3 1/2 to 4 inches right after Christmas and it has been cold enough to keep it but Christmas itself was brown and the lake was completely free of ice (because of rain and warmer weather) as late as December 23rd. We are supposed to get another inch or two this week and it is going to be very cold (high of 5 for the weekend).

>72 Berly: lol, spare room huh? I guess I'll just move in then. Sometimes I certainly feel like skipping the country :)

>86 Berly: Awesomesauce! That is SO cool!

>90 LovingLit: Well, about half the time Hubby is up there because he likes that mattress better for his back and I sleep better without his snoring! LOL. And, yes, he already has a breathing machine, but still....I would shack up with him so you could come to the meetup. ; )

And if Trump wins, I may skip the country--then you will be out of luck!

>91 Crazymamie: : ) We just made a trip to the store to get him extra uniform socks, because I know he won't do much wash and they will reek by the time the trip is over! Boyfeet smell. Ugh!

>92 Berly: "Boyfeet smell. Ugh!" Um...YES. They do.

I knew you'd understand.

I picked up my library hold of Skinwalkers today and I have decided I get extra points for already using the library before the first week of January is even over!!

>94 Berly: Oh! Well then I get extra points as well!

>86 Berly: Berly: Congrats to Jack! Beam away!

Go Jack! Go Jack! How exciting! You have great kids, Kimmers!

Hi Kim: Congrats to Jack. Hooray for snow days.

And Julia, my fault??

>86 Berly: What great, good news!

>94 Berly: you knew you'd get support here for that sort of behaviour! Good going.

>89 Oberon: Erik--winter without snow in MN is just not okay. I hope you get a dusting at least. I actually had to shovel today!!

>95 ronincats: Roni--points for you, too. ; )

>96 London_StJ: Thanks, L. We just finished getting him all packed. We have to swing by the school early in the morning to see if he can pick up any homework and then it is off to the airport. He is super psyched!

>97 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I am pretty biased, but I think my kids are pretty great, too. Kinda like yours!

>98 BLBera: Hi Beth. Ready for snow days to be over. I want a semblance of routine back again. LOL. Scary thought--Hubby and I might be empty nesters for the weekend!! That would be very different from the hordes we normally have--did I mention we hosted Jack's friends for New Year's? That was rambunctious!

>99 Whisper1: Hi Linda! Thanks for popping in here. How are you holding up lately? I think of you often. xoxo

>100 LovingLit: Megan--I love positive reinforcement. Thank you. : )

>86 Berly: WooHoo for Jack! That *is* exciting!!

>102 scaifea: Thanks Amber. Leaving for the airport soon. : )

Many congrats on your son -- and even more congrats on being empty nesters for the weekend! Woo Hoo!

We had a few flakes the other day, but I'm glad we missed out on accumulation. I had enough last year to last for awhile. That reminds me I need to purchase a new snow pusher before we get hit with one this year.

>104 michigantrumpet: Hi Marianne! Thanks for popping in here. : ) Both the girls are back at college and my son is off having a grand time in AZ and it is very quiet around here! And very nice. Don't get me wrong--love the kids--but so different. Hubby and I went out for sushi, like on a date, midweek no less! And then we came home and the dishes were done, and there was no mess to pick up in the hallway; we got in our PJs, made a fire and we are both sitting on the couch playing on our computers with a glass of wine. Nice!

>105 thornton37814: Hi Lori--Yes, you guys did get dumped on last year! I hope this year Mr. Winter goes a little easier on you. It took me forever to find the shovel in our garage, because we just don't use it! : )

>20 Berly: Kim, Kim *shaking head sadly* - I really don't understand ...

... yeah, I do understand, and you know it.

Hi Kim! Dropping by quickly to wish you Happy New Year as I try to catch up with the group.

Happy reading Kim! Gradually hauling my way around all these excitable new threads :)

Congratulations to Jack -- and enjoy your temporarily empty nest.

>107 humouress: Nina!! I am glad to see you. And I am glad #20 spoke to you--that means I am not the only one who hears voices in the bookstore!! LOL. Hope you had a grand time during the holiday and please let me know if you have a thread going for 2016--I haven't found you yet. : )

>108 evilmoose: Megan! Hello to you, too!! I hope you are having fun perusing the threads and don't feel in any way obligated to show up or read every single post. Except on MY thread of course! And may I just add that I think you are very easily excitable? LOL ; ) I hope your 2016 is off to a great start.

>109 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda! Two nights in a row, no kids. Weird!! I am off to TKD for a bit tonight. I gotta start getting back in shape after my holiday hiatus. I have three months before 2nd degree black belt, which means many, many pushups and sit-ups in my future!

The snow has melted, I survived TKD reentry, and I am halfway through Skinwalkers and loving it. Glad tomorrow is Friday!

Enjoy!

Happy Friday, Kim! You will let us know how Jack's team is doing this weekend, won't you? How exciting for him…and quiet for you. We are expecting our first snow of the season tomorrow. We had a light dusting in November, but I don't count it if I can see spikes of grass through the snow. I have Skinwalkers queued up to read soon. Glad to hear it's a good one, but so far, I've like all of them so it's not too surprising. Have a great week end.

Happy Friday, Kim!

Wishing you a most lovely weekend, Kim.

>112 DianaNL: Diana--Thanks for dropping in tho say hi here and for the cute pic! And the weekend wishes. I wish the same for you. Please come by again. : )

>113 Donna828: Hi Donna--wishing you just the right amount of snow this weekend. : )

>114 Crazymamie: Happy Saturday Crazy!!

>115 Ameise1: Lovely picture Amber. Thank you so much. Happy weekend to you!

So, my son's soccer team is a combined 00 and 99 (2000 and 1999 birth year) mix, about 50/50. Because they have the older boys, they had to play in the older league and there were outplayed in the tournament. No wins. But all the games were close and they scored each game and only lost by one goal each game, so they didn't get annihilated. Teams were from California, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Arizona. Jack is a September birthday, playing up a year, so many of the kids were 15-19 months older than him and bigger! He had a great time though and they are staying to watch the semi's and the finals and then will be back home tomorrow night. He did have one college coach scout him! Not bad for a sophomore.

3. Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman 3.75

Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee cross paths again in this mystery, only this time Chee is one of the ones in danger! But none of the killings seem connected. Some are shot, some are knifed and none of them live nearby. A very small clue soon ties two of them together, but something is still missing. Can they figure it out before Chee's killer strikes again? Is it witchcraft and Skinwalkers? I love these books and the characters. This one had a touching side story of Leaphorn's wife, who he fears may be battling Alzheimers. And I love learning about Navajo ways, like how it is disrespectful to stare at people in the face instead of looking to the side and giving them privacy whereas we think people should look us right in the eye so that we know we have their full attention. A very good read.

>117 Berly: I read most of the Hillerman books back in the 1980s. I have occasionally picked up one since then. I think the cultural aspect is what I liked best about them also. Have you tried any of the Margaret Coel books? I've recently discovered hers. They are similar except they involve the Arapaho in Wyoming.

>117 Berly: Lori-- I am trying to read along with the Navajo Mystery(Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee)/Walt Longmire thread, which can be found here if you want to reminisce. : ) http://www.librarything.com/topic/209475

I haven't heard of Coel's books, but I will keep them in mind when I run out of Hillermans! I really do enjoy the cultural aspect, and I love mysteries, so chances are good I will enjoy them. Thanks for the suggestion.

Berly, thanks for stopping by my thread. I'm slowly making the rounds, and was so glad to see your post. Happy New Year! January 9 already. Sigh.

I'm glad Jack had a good time at the regionals and his team acquitted themselves honorably. It fosters hopes for next year.

Is it still wintry in Portland? I never think of it as really a wintry climate. On the other hand, I couldn't get my head around the high 60s for Christmas here. The world has gone mad.

Jim and I will be in San Francisco at the end of February, but I may have to detour to Texas, so no running up to Portland. However, the meetup plan is tempting. My cousin the artist is always asking when we will be out next, too. I'll keep June in mind.

>120 ffortsa: Hi Judy! Thanks for stopping by my thread. It is busy around here right now! Of course, I would be even more thrilled with and ACTUAL stop by, as in in person in Portland (crossing fingers for June), but I will happily settle for here.

Hope springs eternal in soccer! And Jack had a great time. So it is all good. : )

As to winter, there are still clumps of snow/ice from when I shoveled, but the air temp is warmer--in the 40s. The snow has been great for skiers and snowboarders--they are loving the powder up on Mt Hood! I have not been up yet. Still pondering the merits of each: I am a better skier, black level, but the knees operate independently and I worry about tweaking my knee. On the other hand, I am a blue level boarder, medium, and the knees are much more contained, except that when you fall, which I do, you land on your knees a lot. Hmmm....

I can't believe the weather you guys have had this year--crazy warm! Hope you get a little winter going.

I went shopping with daughter, Sarah, and I came home with a few books. LOL. I celebrated my 7th Aniversary on LT in December, and I have bought 7 books to date, so I figure I can still get one more for good luck, all completely guilt free. : )

The Science of Discworld: The Globe by Terry Pratchett (Souloftherose's fault),
Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy (RL Book Club #1),
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs, and
The Psychopath Whisperer, The Science of Those Without Conscience by Kent A Kiehl (The Hibernator's Fault).

Okay, I was feeling all cocky that I got these books and then ronincats tells me very nicely that I started on the wrong book. I mean how many series with Discworld by Pratchett can there be? She posted the list here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/210848#5417843
post 80

OMG! What have I gotten myself into?! LOL

Oh, Kim! You've fallen down the rabbit hole now!

I know! If you don't hear from me, could you please send a ladder?!

Thank you!!!

I'm here for you, Kim!

>116 Berly: We are familiar with playing up. The age makes a big difference in young players. Impressive that he can play with the older boys.

>128 Crazymamie: You are the best! xoxo

>129 Oberon: Eric--yeah. My oldest daughter had it really rough. Her birthday is December 30 so EVERYONE is older than her. If I had known what an advantage it was in sports, I might have tried to hold off on her delivery until January, lol! Oh well, we got the tax break.

I think it's hilarious and outrageous that Megan's Book Club teases her for reading so much. :-|

I'm glad you're enjoying Tony Hillerman's books. And best of luck with Discworld (not my thing but those who love it really love it!).

>123 Berly: if it helps, I tend to read Pratchett higgledy piggledy.

NO!!! A missed field goal in the last 20 seconds and the Vikings lose the game. Seahawks win. (I pull for Seattle except for when they play MN.)

>131 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. I am sure you are happy. About the football. Sigh.

I can't believe that anyone would get teased for reading too much, especially in a book club!! What!?
We will see what happens with Discworld, if I can find the right first book!! LOL

>132 AuntieClio: Thank you--now I am feeling less pressure!!

I am busy trying to pull together my suggested list for my new book club. We meet on Wednesday to plot and plan. I have pulled about 10 from the NYT Notable Books of 2015 (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html?_r=0) and then I have another 10 actual books from my TBR Tower in my bedroom. Can't wait to see what everyone else brings, too!

Hi Kim, hope you have had a good weekend, football aside. I hope you have a really good week my dear.

I'll be interested in seeing what your book group chooses, Kim. I feel good about our selections this year. And I already own most of them. :)

I love the Hillerman series. After all of these comments, I'm tempted to reread.

Hope you all select some great books!

>72 Berly: Hope you enjoy Psychopath Whisperer as much as I did.

Hope you had a great weekend!

>130 Berly: Ha! My oldest has a January 5th birthday. I lost the tax credit but it makes a difference for sports.

>135 johnsimpson: Thanks John. I had a very nice weekend. Headed to the airport to pick up Jack. Unfortunately his plane is delayed, so it will be a late night. Monday may be a lost cause, but the rest of the week should be good. : )

>136 BLBera: Beth--I loved your book club's selection! Aside from the ones I have already read, I am hoping to persuade my group to go for A Manual for Cleaning Women and The Secret History of Wonder Woman. It they don't want to read those, I will!!

>137 thornton37814: Hi Lori--Thanks! I'll keep you posted.

>138 The_Hibernator: Rachel--I shall enjoy The Psychopath Whisperer! I was a Neuroscience major, and I don't read too many applicable articles or books anymore, so it should be interesting.

>139 Oberon: Lucky kid! If we only we had known...I always thought teams were based on the school year.

My son's flight was delayed -- they arrived at 12:30am. He is sleeping in and missing first period. Poor guy was exhausted! Then off to work. Happy Monday! Or not.

>140 Berly: I don't know how it works in other places or sports, but for soccer in Minnesota it was based on the school year until this year when U.S. Soccer switched to calendar year. Our club is supposed to be implementing the new rules have the spring season so the parents are all talking about who has to be moved to different teams, etc. I feel bad because one of my daughter's good friends is going to be moving up to U12 and it is going to be a big adjustment for her.

>141 Berly: I bet he is exhausted. Long weekend.

Stopping by to get caught up and to wish you a lovely week, Kim!

>142 Oberon: I am sorry about your daughter losing her friend. : ( Exactly the same switch is happening here. I am not really a fan. Before, if you were on the young side for calendar years, it usually meant you got to be older during the school year, but not anymore. Tryout dates have been changed and everything. Jack's already playing up a year, so he probably won't move. I know his team will be getting a couple of good kids back down again, friends of his, which he is pretty excited about. : )

He is doing better than I am. Going to bed at 2am on a work night is not a good idea for me anymore!!

>143 lkernagh: Hi Lori! Nice to see you here. Thanks for getting caught up on all things "kim"!! LOL. I hope your week is simply marvelous!

On the book front, I got my last book for my Thingaversary: Jeanette Walls' The Silver Star. I loved The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses, so I have high hopes for this one. Yay!

Hi Kimmers! I am also a fan of both The Glass Castle & Half Broke Horses. I have not heard much LT noise over The Silver Star, since it came out. We will be waiting for you..

I am so sad he is gone.

>146 Berly: Me, too!

Hey Kim...Happy New Year! As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short, but I'm FINALLY getting around to reading threads this week, and dropping a star on you. Sounds like you have a great reading year planned. I'm anxious to stay tuned in .

From the NY Public Library--
"Though one of his songs is titled "I Can't Read", David Bowie was actually quite the voracious reader. In 2013, he posted a list of his top 100 favorite reads on his Facebook page and we're glad he did—Bowie's list of favorites is diverse and eclectic, ranging from poetry to comics to the kind of trippy reads you'd expect Ziggy Stardust to dig. In memory of one of the world's most iconic artists, put on some David Bowie tunes and crack the spine of one of the books that helped shape the legendary musician."

I have read 17 of Bowie's favorites (bold). Mostly the oldies.

David Bowie's Top 100 Reads:

Interviews With Francis Bacon by David Sylvester
Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse
Room At The Top by John Braine
On Having No Head by Douglass Harding
Kafka Was The Rage by Anatole Broyard
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
City Of Night by John Rechy
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Iliad by Homer
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner--reading with Megan (I Read Therefore I Am) soon...
Tadanori Yokoo by Tadanori Yokoo
Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin
Inside The Whale And Other Essays by George Orwell
Mr. Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood
Halls Dictionary Of Subjects And Symbols In Art by James A. Hall
David Bomberg by Richard Cork
Blast by Wyndham Lewis
Passing by Nella Larson
Beyond The Brillo Box by Arthur C. Danto
The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes
In Bluebeard’s Castle by George Steiner
Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd
The Divided Self by R. D. Laing
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Infants Of The Spring by Wallace Thurman
The Quest For Christa T by Christa Wolf
The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin
Nights At The Circus by Angela Carter
The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Herzog by Saul Bellow
Puckoon by Spike Milligan
Black Boy by Richard Wright
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima
Darkness At Noon by Arthur Koestler
The Waste Land by T.S. Elliot
McTeague by Frank Norris
Money by Martin Amis
The Outsider by Colin Wilson
Strange People by Frank Edwards
English Journey by J.B. Priestley
A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Day Of The Locust by Nathanael West
1984 by George Orwell
The Life And Times Of Little Richard by Charles White
Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock by Nik Cohn
Mystery Train by Greil Marcus
Beano (comic, ’50s)
Raw (comic, ’80s)
White Noise by Don DeLillo
Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm And Blues And The Southern Dream Of Freedom by Peter Guralnick
Silence: Lectures And Writing by John Cage
Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews edited by Malcolm Cowley
The Sound Of The City: The Rise Of Rock And Roll by Charlie Gillete
Octobriana And The Russian Underground by Peter Sadecky
The Street by Ann Petry
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
Last Exit To Brooklyn By Hubert Selby, Jr.
A People’s History Of The United States by Howard Zinn
The Age Of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
Metropolitan Life by Fran Lebowitz
The Coast Of Utopia by Tom Stoppard
The Bridge by Hart Crane
All The Emperor’s Horses by David Kidd
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess
The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos
Tales Of Beatnik Glory by Ed Saunders
The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
Nowhere To Run The Story Of Soul Music by Gerri Hirshey
Before The Deluge by Otto Friedrich
Sexual Personae: Art And Decadence From Nefertiti To Emily Dickinson by Camille Paglia
The American Way Of Death by Jessica Mitford
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Teenage by Jon Savage
Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Viz (comic, early ’80s)
Private Eye (satirical magazine, ’60s – ’80s)
Selected Poems by Frank O’Hara
The Trial Of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens
Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes
Maldoror by Comte de Lautréamont
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler
Zanoni by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Transcendental Magic, Its Doctrine and Ritual by Eliphas Lévi
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Leopard by Giusseppe Di Lampedusa
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno
The Insult by Rupert Thomson
In Between The Sheets by Ian McEwan
A People’s Tragedy by Orlando Figes
Journey Into The Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg

>145 msf59: Mark--I'll let you know as soon as I read it...dont' hold your breath though...my reading card is rather full!

>147 banjo123: Rhonda--Bowie just seemed kinda ageless. I had no idea he was 69! And that he just released an album last week. He must have held on until that happened. Can't wait to hear it.

>148 tututhefirst: Tina! Yay! You found me. : ) I hope your New Year is off to a great start and I look forward to seeing you around. Now where is your thread....?

Hi Kim - finally getting a chance to visit a few 2016 threads.

Exciting for Jack to go to the tournament and glad he had a good time despite the outcome of the games.

>122 Berly: Oh Kim, so sorry you ended up with the wrong book! Who knows though - perhaps that's a way into the Discworld series that neither Roni or I have thought of? As >132 AuntieClio: said, the order isn't really too important so don't let the diagram scare you too much!

Thanks for the list of Bowie's favorites, Kim. It doesn't surprise me that he read so widely.

>149 Berly: I printed off that list yesterday and added it to my binder of lists!

>122 Berly: Great picks! Two out of four really speak to me - especially Discworld.

>149 Berly: Thank you for sharing Bowie's list. I'm so sad, and reading with his memory (while listening to his music!) sounds like a great way to remember him.

>149 Berly: Ah, I'm so glad you posted that list, I'd heard it referenced but hadn't seen the actual list, and then had forgotten I'd meant to look it up (she says, as she sits listening to Bowie)

>149 Berly: *pinched it*
I just wrote all these down from the facebook post a friend put up yesterday, but I did it on paper :)
Love these kids of lists, and its wonderful to think of him reading all these amazing books.

>156 evilmoose: And an update, I've only read 20, but some of those 20 rate in my favourite books ever. Now I feel like I should start compiling my list of 100 books, just in case!

I love Bowie's Top 100 list. Who knew?
And yes, >158 evilmoose: Megan, time to get cracking on that list of your own. We should all have such a list (says she for whom compiling such a thing would be torture).

Hi Kim!

Always.

Have a lovely weekend!

Go that right!! LOL. What a long week. Thanks Diana--same to you. : )

>151 SuziQoregon: Thanks Suzi. I am glad you chose me as one of your threads to visit! The boys soccer ended on a high note and won their consolation game 4-1. : )

>152 souloftherose: Heather--Maybe I will just dive right into the History of Discworld, if its not too dry and it doesn't make too many allusions to events I know nothing about. History has never been my strong point. My backup plan is to save it for later and get one of the witches ones.

>153 BLBera: Beth--I know. I always thought Bowie was a very smart man, one I would have like to have known. I liked that he was accessible to the public but still was very private.

>154 scaifea: Amber--So glad I could contribute to your list collection!! LOL. I have lists everywhere: my head, night table, phone, office, etc. My Book WL is, of course, my favorite! ; )

>155 London_StJ: Hi Luxx--Glad you like Bowie's list. I hope you enjoy a few of them, and his music! Let me know if you want to read a Discworld together, since I haven't started yet.

>156 evilmoose: and 158 Megan--You are very welcome! Carrie on with the music and let me know how your top 100 list is going....I'd like to see it!

>157 LovingLit: Have fun with the list. I can't believe you wrote that down longhand?! Do you know how to take a screen shot of your computer? Then you could just print it out. I just learned this year. On an apple computer it is Command Shift 4, all three buttons at the same time, and then it lets you position the corner dot and drag the other corner dot to make a rectangle around whatever you want to capture on the screen. : )

>159 EBT1002: Ellen--Suck it up woman! You can handle literary torture...I want to see your top 100 too. ; )

So my first meeting of the new book club went really well. We have 10 people total. 8 were supposed to come and 2 cancelled last minute. So, the six of us made some basic decisions and chose the first two books (we wanted the missing people to have a say in the remaining books--wasn't that nice of us?!).

#1 We are meeting monthly, mostly because we had so much fun, not necessarily because they are all really active readers, but monthly sure made me happy!!
#2 There are enough of us to have a meeting even when some people can’t make it, so no date changes. (People's request to change the date when they couldn't come drove me nuts in one of my other book groups. A logistical nightmare!)
#3 No worries if you don’t finish the book, come to the meetings anyhow. RL just gets in the way sometimes and this is a guilt-free endeavor!
#4 It is up to the host to decide if she wants to clean house or go out to a restaurant. ; )

Surprisingly, we chose NF for our first two books: I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir by Carrie Brownstein, an actress from Portlandia, which is filmed in Portland, and one of our members might be able to get us into something or do something related to the show, so we jumped on that!!

We have about 20 other books that we will revisit when we meet with the whole group next time. SO fun!!!

Also, this building is on the corner opposite my daughter's college apartment--how cool is that? On the corner of College (!) and 5th.

>164 Berly: Nice!

Happy Saturday, Kim! I want to read both I am Malala & Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl. I have the latter saved on audio. Brownstein is such an interesting artist.

Great to have a satisfying book group meeting. I'm not familiar with Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl; I'll watch for your comments.

LOVE the building. I wonder if I could do something like that...

>163 Berly: congrats on the new RL book club. Interesting that you went with two NF titles to start. Once every five to six weeks is what works for my RL club. We have some slow readers, though.

>164 Berly: Love this!

>162 Berly: our apple computer Has a non apple keyboard so the commands are skewed. I used to be able to do a cut and grab of a screen section which was cool, just to have certain images saved. We also don't have a printer and most importantly- I like my book of handwritten lists :)
There is something therapeutic about copying text in handwriting. The one or two times I was punished at high school with "pages", I would love it. I would sit at home and write in my neatest handwriting and proudly hand in the pages the next day. Ha, some punishment!

Eta >163 Berly: new book club sounds great! I am hosting my book club here for the first time in over 2 years as I am one of those who doesn't want to clean the house ;)

Also, As I Lay Dying!? I'm keen

Kim, I wish you a relaxed weekend.

Hi Kim, hope you are having a nice weekend my dear, love and hugs.

I have successfully acquired a copy of As I Lay Dying, from the David Bowie list as you know. It is suitably titled to arouse my interest and I'm ready to start when you are :)

>165 kidzdoc: Hi Doc! : )

>166 msf59: I will let you know what I think of Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl in March, when I read it for RL Book Club...Happy Sunday!

>167 BLBera: Answers ^^ And then...Do you paint buildings??!! Are you talking about a wall in your house? What is going on in that brain of yours? : )

>168 michigantrumpet: I know. I am not sure 4 weeks is going to work for some of the slower readers. We shall see....

>169 LovingLit: So much for me being helpful!! LOL. But, I totally get it. I love my handwritten lists, too. In fact, I just switched back to a little notebook for my purse of "Things To Do' instead of using notes on my phone because I actually like writing and I remember things better when I write them than when I type them. 100 is just a long list!

What is your bookclub reading for your clean house? ; )

>170 Ameise1: Barb--Thank you and I wish you a wonderful week ahead!

>171 johnsimpson: John--hugs and kisses to you and yours. Enjoy the day.

>172 LovingLit: Off to the library today...I'll let you know. Finished one of my other books yesterday, so hopefully I can start soon.

Off to watch son's soccer game...in the rain. Joy! : )

>164 Berly: I love it!

Your new book club sounds like it's off to a successful start. It was, indeed, nice of you to let the absentee members have some say in the overall book selections.

I hope the wet soccer match goes well!

>174 EBT1002: Thanks Ellen. They won their soccer match against the year older boys 2-0 so they were pretty pumped. I stayed dry in the car for the first half and had a lovely long conversation with my brother, which we hardly ever manage to pull off with time zone changes and busy lives, so that was wonderful. Then I was a good doobie and walked the track around the field for the second half, under my umbrella. Stayed relatively dry and got my two miles in. Yay!

>172 LovingLit: Picked up my copy from the library so I am good to go with I Lay Dying from Bowie's list!

Kim - I think I've been playing with too many Legos lately. I was thinking of book blocks? Paint seems too easy.

Well, that sounds like a successful event: your son's team won, you got in a rare conversation with your brother, and you got in your walk! Excellent.

Very cool that you and Megan are tackling As I Lay Dying. Are you planning to read all 100 on Bowie's list?

>176 BLBera: Beth--Lol! Legos! Of course, what was I thinking? What are book blocks?

>177 EBT1002: Ellen--Yes, excellent morning. We then went on to replace a cracked screen on the kid's phone and find a suit for Winter Formal AND! I got to use my Christmas GC to DSW and got two new pairs of shoes. Yay! Now I am pooped and want to sit and read my book and play around on LT. : )

I have no plans to read all of Bowie's books, but definitely a few. ; )

>164 Berly: That is SO cool. I want to live there.

>179 The_Hibernator: I know! I love driving by that when I pick up my daughter from her apartment. Makes me happy every time.

So, I just started As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. It requires that I pay a bit more attention than I am used to...the language isn't fluid; the spelling is off (durn for darn, et for eat); and the narrators change every chapter-- there are 15 voices over 59 chapters! How do I know? Because I cheated and looked up info on the book. : )

So here is a little background, stolen from Wikipedia:

As I Lay Dying is a 1930 novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner said that he wrote the novel from midnight to 4:00 AM over the course of six weeks and that he did not change a word of it. Faulkner wrote it while working at a power plant, published it in 1930, and described it as a "tour de force." Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th-century literature. The title derives from Book XI of Homer's The Odyssey, wherein Agamemnon speaks to Odysseus: "As I lay dying, the woman with the dog's eyes would not close my eyes as I descended into Hades."

Also, if anyone is interested, here is an overview of all the characters; but be warned, details of the book are given away. I am horrible with names, so this helped me a lot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_I_Lay_Dying

Okay, now that I know who is who...back to the book I go!

Oh. I really hated As I Lay Dying. I mean, not just a little bit either. But I loved A Light in August. I added this last part lest you thought I was being too negative. LOL!

>164 Berly: That is VERY cool, Kim!

>182 Crazymamie: Must read A Light in August. I enjoyed As I Lay Dying, so I'll look forward to the first being even better.

Good luck, Kim, with As I lay Dying. I think that Faulkner is too much for me, but if you like it, maybe I will try again.

>183 lit_chick: Oh, it's better! LOL!

>182 Crazymamie: Crazy--So your touchstone for A Light in August took me to the Confession of St. Augustine! Imagine my confusion as I start reading the summary without first checking the title. LOL. I am glad you liked ALiA because it is reviewed as one of his most powerful and accessible works. On the flip side, I am not encouraged that you hated As I Lay Dying. : ( I am withholding judgement as I am only 50 pages in.

>183 lit_chick: Nancy--Okay, good. You enjoyed As I Lay Dying! : )

>184 banjo123: Rhonda--And Faulkner is too much for you?!

Strong reactions to this book, I must say. So far, now that I have the character names straight, it is a rather interesting read. For instance, the book title, As I Lay Dying, uses "I," implying first person, and yet the person dying, Addie, has no voice in the novel. Rather the story is told in overlapping stream of conscious narratives by family members and neighbors around her. Faulkner gives each person a slightly different voice and their personalities are revealed through this. Added dimensions come from the insights provided by the other narrators. Fascinating that the interior dialogue does not always match the outward impressions of others. I can tell already that Anse, the husband, is not my favorite character.

>134 Berly: Oh, thank you so much for the link regarding NY times notable books in 2015. There are quite a few I will add to the TBR list.

It sounds as though your book club is/will be very interesting in 2016.

Hi Kim, thanks for posting that David Bowie book list. I'd seen a reference to it but hadn't seen the list itself. He read lots of great books. Most of the ones I've read from his list were in my school days.

One book on his list I've long wanted to read is A People’s History Of The United States by Howard Zinn. Maybe I'll get to that one.

Nowadays, of course, it's more mysteries and sports books for me.

>186 Berly: LOL! I fixed the touchstone - too funny! A lot of people really like As I Lay Dying, so it could be just me. But seriously, I really hated it. Not that I feel strongly about it or anything.

>187 Whisper1: Hi Linda! Glad you found the list to your liking and that you snagged a few more titles for your TBR Tower. And I have high hopes for my book group--I'll be posting about future meetings to be sure! Wishing you a wonderful week.

>188 lindapanzo: Linda--Same. Most of the ones off his list I read a long time ago. Maybe I will try a few of his wackier sounding books, too! Good luck with the Zinn book. My hubby would love that one, but I am not a huge fan of history. Which is why I have never been able to get into the famous Mantel Wolf Hall! But I admire you! : )

>189 Crazymamie: Crazy--No. It's one of my biggest problems with you. So wishy-washy. ; )

Well, off to take my daughter to the dentist and then my son to the dermatologist. So much for a day off of work!! Fun fun fun! I am bringing my book with me. : )

Hi, Kimmers! Happy Day off! Those Gosh Durn Kids!

Congrats on tackling As I Lay Dying. I read it many years ago and remember liking it, but I also remember it not being easy. Good luck.

Hi! I see you are about where I am in As I Lay Dying. I think it is fair to say the it is fixin' to rain and that someone is fixin' to die....
I made sure to concentrate on the first 20 pages or so to let the style sink in. I find this helps with the rest of the book and now I am 50 pages in a looking forward to my next session. I agree with you on the 'chop and change' character chapters, but I have often found reference at the end of one chapter to who the next character will be in the next chapter. That kind of helped me with continuity.

>186 Berly: Anse is not the greatest person, right? But he is able to rationalise his actions, I love the complexity in that situation.

Hi Kim:
I think you do have to immerse yourself in Faulkner. Go with the flow. But it gets easier after the first few pages...At least it does for me. I did love As I Lay Dying although it's not my fav.

Re: Book blocks - I meant blocks like Lego blocks but that look like books? Have I been hanging around a two-year-old too much?

>191 msf59: Thanks Mark. I am enjoying AILD very much, but took the morning at the dentist to read some of City on Fire, which also happens to have a cast of thousands. Yeesh!

>192 LovingLit: Megan--I went back and started over when I realized I was lost at about page 20. Definitely got the rhythm and style better second time. I loved the description of Darl and how he waited for nighttime to drink water: "It would be back, the shelf black, the still surface of the water a round orifice in nothingness, where before I stirred it awake with the dipper I could see maybe a star or two in the bucket...." His narratives are much more sophisticated and he seems much more affected by his mother's illness. I am page 45....reading more tonight.

>193 BLBera: Beth--yes, going with the flow is definitely key! And as for Lego block books....

Great Lego book! Play while you write?

I agree with you about the son who cares in As I Lay Dying. I will read again tonight, and will have to lay off the early evening wines so I am in tip top reading shape :)

Hi Kim, I just put in my session with Faulkner again. And again, in the bath (what better place for guaranteed warmth and comfort?).

So have you got to the part when...the carpentry project of Cash's gets taken inside....for use? Was it really the case that he, in a fit of grief?!, drilled holes in the top (to assist in her dead breathing!!), and ended up boring into her face?! Yikes. That was dropped so casually into the text, I almost missed it.

I'll be taking a night off reading it tomorrow night as I have a date with a naan bread and a plate of palaak paneer ;)

Love the Lego book! What a cute idea! Loving all the Faulkner talk!

>196 LovingLit: Megan--I am so glad you enjoy your bath sessions with Faulkner. I am afraid if I tried that my book would be a wet mess, and since this one is from the library, I am staying dry. LOL. And, yes, I had to read that passage twice because I thought, no, that can't be right. Ew!! I think it was Vardaman, the youngest, that did it, not Cash. And I am not quite sure why he think she is a fish. Strange book, eh? Have fun on your date.

>197 michigantrumpet: : )

Home sick today. : /

Hi Kim, hope you are not too poorly my dear, sending love and hugs.

Thank you for the love and hugs, John. I'll take them! I am watching Pride and Prejudice on TV, so it is not all bad.

>199 Berly: home sick? Oh no! But hang on....(young) child free? Silver lining :)

So it was Vardaman who did 'the thing'. And she/he was the one laying prostrate in grief? These names are confusing, don't you think? It's a tough call to even guess the gender, let alone keep track. I will make sure to read that last section of that chapter again, also the short fish chapter ;)

>202 LovingLit: Megan--No, the names are not gender helpful. LOL. Dewey Dell is the only girl child and did you catch all her hints that she is pregnant? Hmmmm....

Yes, I was alone in my misery. No kids. Which helped. ; ) I watched TV from bed most of the day. Didn't even read.

How was your date? Yummy I hope.

I have City on Fire saved on audio. Have not seen much LT activity on that one. We are waiting...

City on Fire update, per Mark's request! I am 200+ pages in. There are eight or nine major characters, each well developed, each narrating their part of the story (another one just entered the picture so I am not sure how big his role will be). There has been a shooting in NY park, but who did it is a mystery. I am loving the interplay of characters and their stories and I know they are going to come together even more...somehow. The writing is awesome! In just the last chapter, David Bowie was mentioned, along with Faulkner and Truman Capote's In Cold Blood--both authors I am reading off Bowies's top 100 list. And I love NY, 1976, as the backdrop. I can't believe this is a debut novel. There's money, punk rock, immigrants, race, sex--what more could you want?

Was that helpful, Mark? Of course I will hold out on final judgement until I hit the last page....!

Oh, I have a copy of As I Lay Dying queued up as my next audiobook. I'll hopefully start it in a few days - maybe before you have both finished it!

Hi Kim. Congratulations on your son's football win. My boys (both December babies) joined a football club last term. My just-turned-12 year old has been asked to play in the U13s with his first match on Sunday, so we'll see how that goes. Last term my then-6 year old played in the U8 league.

So much to catch up on; what else was I going to say? Thanks for Bowie's list. He was obviously more widely read than me. The only one I think I've read was The Beano. I suppose I'd better get on with the other 99, then :0)

Dear Kim,

Please stop. I am already reading War and Peace and cannot possibly add another GIANT book to the stacks. If you could find something negative to touch upon the next time, or perhaps complain about the length of the novel every other sentence, or inadvertently mention that this is most definitely NOT a book for Mamie, it would be greatly appreciated.

Much love,
Mamie

>206 evilmoose: Megan--How fun! Yes, you should try and catch up on As I Lay Dying. And then you can go back and read all of IreadthereforeIam and my cryptic spoiler comments!

>207 humouress: Nina--Yay! Another soccer/football family! Both of your kids are playing up, too, and they are December babies. Very impressive! Tell your son good luck for this Sunday. : ) Perhaps you should bring a book with you to read during halftime, I mean, since yo have 99 more Bowie books to go!! ; )

Dear Mamie (You can tell this is serious, because I didn't call you Crazy)--

I am obliged to add to your reading burden with City on Fire. The good news is that it has less than 1,000 pages (100 pages less!); you will not run out of things to read in the near future; I am reading it and we could talk about it together; and it is really very good.

Sorrynotsorry,

Berly

Dear Kim,

Please be advised that the book is listed as having 944 pages. This is not 100 pages less than 1,000. Please check your math. Please also be advised that your touchstone goes to a science fiction book by the same title, which totally cracked me up. I was very sorry to note that you were disinclined to acquiesce to my request. Therefore, in light of that, and keeping in mind that you called me by my proper name, I have requested the book from the library.

Notentirelythrilled,
Mamie

>210 Berly: and >211 Crazymamie: You two are cracking me up!

Dearest Mamie--

I have fixed the erroneous touchstone (again!), although I am very glad you got a laugh out of it because that means you have no right to totally hate me for recommending this tomb. As for my math skills, my book, lying open on my lap only boasts 903 numbered pages which is pretty close to 1,000-100=900. And if you want to get really technical, page 903 is followed by a blank page and then a title postscript page and then another blank page and then four and a half pages of postscript, but still that only makes it 911 pages. So round up from 89 to 100 and then subtract from 1000 and you still get 900. And, no, I absolutely refuse to count the Acknowledgements, On Sources, the Permissions Acknowledgements, Illustration Credits, or A Note About the Author, or A Note on the Type pages or any of the blank pages in-between because no one reads those! Seriously. : )

I am glad you requested the book from the library.

Ever your friend,
Kim

(Did you notice how your salutation went from Dear to Dearest? See what I did there?!)

I tried to see my doctor today, but no openings; so I took another appt at a different facility for today and when I showed up they told me that doctor doesn't work today, the appt is for tomorrow and no they couldn't squeeze me in would I like to see the nurse practitioner who might refer me to someone today which she did but the appt is not until 2:30 so I had to come home and then I will have to go back again. And the appt with my regular guy for tomorrow is gone now and he has no openings until next Wednesday and I am not really sick as in a bug or cold, but this is GI stuff again and I am actually in a lot of pain and my GI doc can't see me until February 18th. Are you kidding me?!! *gasps for air*

Not happy. >: (

Hi Kim. Your conversation with Mamie is cracking me up! Sorry to hear you're not well though and completely agree with >214 Berly: Are you kidding me?! :-(

I hope you start to feel better before your Feb. 18 appointment, Kim.

900 pages? I'd round it up to 100. I have to check out this door stop that you are reading.

Sorry you aren't feeling well, Kim. That's the pits.

I picked up City on Fire in a bookstore recently, and it was huge! Not just long, but it felt like really heavy paper. I am on the wait list for the Kindle version from the library :)

Bummer about you not feeling well, Kimmers! I hope this is short-lived. Sending healing vibes from the Midwest!

I love your City on Fire update! That is the best endorsement I have seen.

I also loved your epistolary exchange with Mamie! Smiles...

My Dearest Kim,

I would never totally hate you. I could not even begin to manage to just be mad at you. I find you completely and utterly delightful, and I am most thankful for your presence here on LT.

My sincerest apologies for questioning your math skills. Obviously the publisher has exaggerated the number of pages in this particular tome. Who counts the pages anyway? I am very good at counting and would not mind that particular job. Of course, I would also want to read the pages as I counted, so that might impede both my accuracy and my speed. I can picture the interview now: And just how many pages per minute can you count, Miss Mamie? Um...approximately negative three per minute. So, I probably would not get the job.

I was very sorry to read about your recent visit to the doctor. What a calamity. (I worked that word in because life does not often provide the proper conditions for using it.) I am outraged on your behalf. And also deeply saddened because you should not have to suffer so - I am ever so sorry that you had to experience that. Hoping that today proves to be less frustrating and that you begin to feel better very soon. Please know that I am thinking about you and wishing you well.

Yours in friendship and in mischief,

Mamie

>214 Berly: I don't blame you for not being happy, Kim! That sounds kind of ridiculous, especially when you feel really awful.

We drove an hour the other day for my son's first appointment with his new specialist, only to learn that it will be his last appointment there, as the new doctor is moving her practice to Pittsburgh (two hours away). Can't say I'm real happy about that.

>210 Berly: lol, sorrynotsorry indeed! So, City on Fire is approximately 900 pages huh? That smacks of doorstop challenge....
And, the authors middle name is Risk? Cool!

>215 souloftherose: Heather--I am cracking myself up!! And Mamie is a stitch. Glad you are enjoying it as much as we are.

>216 BLBera: Beth--I hope I feel better WAY before the February appt! In fact, I hope I feel well enough to cancel the darn thing. : ) And I think that City on Fire makes a very attractive door stop, but not until after you read it, of course!

>217 katiekrug: Katie--So me edition of City on Fire was part of my Indispensable book club mailing (thank you Hubby!), so it is a signed hardback edition with a sleeve that it slides into and it has an interview with the author, too, so I am not complaining about how heavy it is. : ) I read it in bed with the book propped on my stomach. If it hadn't been a gift though, I might consider the Kindle version, for the sake of my wrists--it is a brick!! But then again, it will look cool on my shelf when I am done reading. I have quite an Indie collection going at this point!

>218 msf59: Ooooh! I made ark happy twice. : )

>220 tymfos: Terry--why didn't the doctor's office inform you of the move BEFORE you came for your first appointment with them? That is rude and unprofessional. So now you have to search for another Dr? I am sorry. Two hours each way is just too far for any kind of ongoing professional relationship, at least for me.

>221 LovingLit: Megan--Yes, it is Risky Doorstop Challenge material indeed!

Dearest Mamie--

Oh, I am so glad to be in your good graces and to know that you think so highly of me. The feeling is very mutual. And I must commend you on your most excellent vocabulary in your latest missive: "tome," impede," and especially "calamity"! Nicely done. And thank you also for your lovely get-well wishes. I need them.

Mischievously Yours As Soon As I Am Back Up To Snuff,

Kim

After spending about 4 hours at the doctors yesterday and having bloodwork and x-rays (all of which came back normal) I still have no idea why my abdomen was swollen and hurt so much. I took a Benadryl last night in the hopes that maybe it was a localized allergic reaction and that seems to have helped a little. Mystery ailment. If I continue to improve tomorrow, great, otherwise I am supposed to go back in. Crossing my fingers!!

Watching the Australian Tennis Open. Sharapova (RUS) vs Davis (USA). Sharapova drives me crazy because she yells everytime she strikes the ball. Surprisingly, tied one set each.

>224 Berly: Ah, another watcher of tennis! I caught the last part of the Federer-Dimitrov match. It's been hard since I've been traveling for the first part of it, but I'm looking forward to settling in and seeing more of it now.

>224 Berly: where I come from Benadryl is a cough syrup. I'm guessing it's something different for you :)
Glad there is nothing awry, but frustrating!

Chalkdust! Chalkdust! (à la McEnroe)

You are not going to believe this - that giant book that I requested has come in! They never come in that fast. Do you suppose it's a sign?! And um...it's heavy.

And agreed about watching Sharapova - I have to mute if she is playing. HAVE. TO.

>225 ursula: Ursala--Welcome and hello there! I am so glad you didn't tell me the outcome of the F-D game. I have it recorded to watch later today. I can tell you are a serious tennis fan since you list your favorite players on your home page. : ) Any predictions as to the who the winners might be? Did you travel anywhere fun? Work or pleasure?

>226 LovingLit: Megan--It is an antihistamine for allergic reactions. It comes in a liquid form but I take the pill. Seems to have helped--I am feeling okay this morning although extremely tired (a side effect and also because I am just wrung out). I am going to go into work for a few hours today. I think. ;)

>227 humouress: Nina--Another tennis fan?! I loved McEnroe! Watching tennis always reminds me of my Mom. She is a die-hard fan and still plays at the age of 75. My hero!

>228 Crazymamie: Crazy--The Tome? The Doorstop? The Wrist Wrencher? It came? How are you going to read City on Fire AND W&P at the same time?! I fear for you....

Muting Sharapova works quite well--I don't need the commentators anyhow. ; )

>229 Berly: Thanks! No problem, it didn't actually occur to me to give the results, and I'm glad of that now! I am not a predictor of tournaments - the women's side often ends up topsy-turvy, and although a Djokovic win can usually be predicted, I'm always hoping against it. I was traveling with my daughter - she came out to visit me for a couple of weeks and we did a sort of Italian tour - Rome, Naples, Florence. At the beginning and end we did a few days here in Padova and we also, of course, visited Venice. It was fun but I'm glad to be able to settle back into daily life.

Yes. Can you believe it?! Luckily, I am practically Wonder Woman, so I think I can manage both at the same time. W&P is getting very exciting - finished listening to Volume II, yesterday, so now I am off to Volume III, which puts me more than 600 pages in, so it should be all downhill from here. Ha! I crack myself up!

I also adore(d) McEnroe, so now we are BFF.

Another tennis fan! I am cheering for Serena because I suspect we'll only get to watch her for a couple more years...

On the men's side, I am a Rafa fan, so I don't really care. I would like to see a new face -- I have always liked Monfils and Tsonga... But it will probably be Djokovic.

>230 ursula: I think a lot of the top women's players are already out of this tournament. Topsy-turvy indeed! And, no, I do not like Djokovic. Still hoping for a Federer win. He is number 3 in ratings. And I WANT him to win! So, from your state postcards (Love your artwork and just want to point out that you still need to do Oregon!), I am thinking you are a transplant to Padova? I loved Rome and Venice and would take a return trip there any day! SO glad you had fun with your daughter.

>231 Crazymamie: You know, that is what I thank of you when I think of you...Wonder Woman!! And now you are my BFF. I feel so safe. And I still adore McEnroe, just off the court now. Enjoy the downhill side of W&P. : )

>232 BLBera: I wrote you a reply which should have posted up above with the other two but it vanished. Go figure.
So...take 2.

Yay! Tennis! I think you are right about Serena, so I would be happy to see her on the podium. After Federer, Rafa is next on my list of favorites, but he is already out. : ( I haven't seen Monfils play recently, but after seeing Tsonga yesterday, I don't think he is up to taking either Federer or Djokovic. We shall see!!

Happy Friday, Kimmers! Great to see all the posting! B.A.G.

Right. About McEnroe. That's why I put the d in parenthesis. I loved watching him play, but now I love hearing him commentate.

>235 msf59: Hey Mark! It's Friday!!! B.A.G.

>236 Crazymamie: I know. I saw your little parenthetical "d" and wanted you to know that I shouldn't have made mine past tense. I still like him! And Happy Friday. : )

Lots of tennis talk going on around here! I haven't been able to watch as much of the Australian Open as I'd like but I did catch Federer and Serena the other night. I'm big fans of both of them, and hope they end up winning.

Do any of you tennis fans have any thoughts about this big match-fixing scandal that's breaking out? It sounds dreadful and I hope the authorities are able to get rid of the perpetrators before the game's integrity is too damaged. Not being a gambler myself, I was astonished that it is possible to continue to place bets while the matches are going on. Is that how betting works in general? I always figured that you could only bet until the event started but apparently not. The things I learn...

>229 Berly: My dad is an armchair sports fan, so growing up I had a steady diet of a variety of sports, and I have an uncle who was a Davis Cup player and was playing senior tennis competitions until a couple of years ago. Wimbledon was huge every summer, but I've lost track since coming to Singapore; my husband isn't quite such a fanatic.

I'd say whatever Sharapova has going is definitely working for her ;0)

>181 Berly: As I Lay Dying is on my perhaps list for next month.