SomeGuyinVirginia and the Mysterious Tower: Cover me! I'm going in!

I challenge myself to read more challenging works.

Looking forward to seeing how it goes!

January

1) The Bette Davis Murder Case, by George Baxt (January 10)
2) Blue Labyrinth, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (January 22)
3) Jericho Falls, by Christopher Hyde (January 27)
4) Rising Sun, by Michael Crichton ( January 31)

February

5) In the Eyes of Mr Fury, by Philip Ridley (February 1)
6) The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories, by Stephen King (February 2)
7) Beyond This Point Are Monsters, by Margaret Millar (February 24)
8) Strangers on a Train, by Patricia Highsmith (February 29)

March

9) The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures, by LouisTheroux (March 5)
10) Bunny Lake is Missing, by Evelyn Piper (March 13)
11) Come Closer, by Sara Gran (March 19)
12) The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things and How To Do Them, by Peter Sagal (March 25)
13) Lullaby, by Chuck Palahniuk (March 27)
14) Naomi's Room, by Jonathan Aycliffe (March 27)

April

15) Boys Will be Boys: The Story of Sweeney Todd, Deadwood Dick, Sexton Blake, Billy Bunter, Dick Barton, et al., by E.S. Turner (April 10)
16) The Devil In Amber, by Mark Gatiss April 16
17) Stories That Go Bump in the Night, by Alfred Hitchcock, ed. (April 24)
18) The Sandman, by Miles Gibson (April 30)

May

19) One Across, Two Down, by Ruth Rendell (May 14)
20) The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle (Sometime in May)
21) Finders Keepers, by Stephen King (May 23)

June

22) The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, by John Godey (June 1)
23) End of Watch, by Stephen King (June 12)
24) Masters of Doom: How two guys created an empire and transformed pop culture (June 25)

July

25) Smoke, by Donald Westlake (July 2)
26) Murder Gone Mad, by Philip MacDonald (July 15)
27) Death by Sheer Torture, by Robert Bernard (July 17)

August

28) Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin (August 1)
29) Tap, Tap, by David Lozell Martin (August 1)
30) Carrie, by Stephen King (August 9)
31) I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections, by Nora Ephron (August 11)
32) I Am Half Sick of Shadows, by Alan Bradley (August 14)
33) The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral, by Robert Westall (August 20)
34) Antique Dust: Ghost Stories, by Robert Westall (August 27)

September

35) The Girl Who Passed for Normal, by Hugh Fleetwood (September 2)
36) The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America, by Ann Neumann (September 2)
37) The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides (September 3)
38) How Right You Are, Jeeves, by P. G. Wodehouse (September 10)
39) The Sooterkin, by Tom Gilling (September 10)
40) The Underminer: The Best Friend Who Casually Destroys Your Life, by Mike Albo (September 14)
41) Dexter in the Dark, by Jeff Lindsay (September 16)
42) The Girl With All the Gifts, by M. R. Carey (September 21)
43) The Possessors, by John Christopher (September 25)
44) Chasing the Dead, by Joe Schreiber (September 30)

October

45) House of Bones, by Graham Masterton (October 2)
46) The Guardians, by Andrew Pyper (October 6)
47) Eat the Dark, by Joe Schreiber (October 16)
48) Just After Sunset, by Stephen King (October 21)
49) The Lost Island: A Gideon Crew Novel, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (October 28)

November
50) The Gates, by John Connolly (November 2)
51) Cabal, by Clive Barker (November 8ish)
52) I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells (November 12)
53) The Killer Next Door, by Alex Marwood (November 15)
54) Hide and Seek, by Ian Rankin (November 25)
55) Breeding Ground, by Sarah Pinborough (November 27)

December

56) Devil in the Darkness, by Archie Roy (December 3)
57) Ripper, by Michael Slade (December 18)
58) Out of His Mind, by Stephen Gallagher (December 24)
59) Red Herrings, by Tim Heald (December 29)

The Bette Davis Murder Case, by George Baxt (January 10)

Entertaining, but all of Baxt's books are, with lots of shocking gothic touches. Bette Davis and Agatha Christie team up to solve the murder of Bette's host in England.

Hi Larry! Sounds fun.

I am, by choice, reading a non-fiction book Pacific: Silicon Chips by Simon Winchester, and listening to another non-fiction book, At Home, by Bill Bryson.

I'll get back to fiction soon..... meanwhile, you definitely beat me last year but I plan on reading more this year. :)

How have you fared with the Blizzard of '16?

We got 18 inches, the least in the area! The other side of Alexandria got 26 inches, a mile away. I think living on the river had something to do with it. I also hope that we have tomorrow off because I really really want to stay up late again. One place in Maryland got 40 inches. Wackiness!

Blue Labyrinth, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (January 22)

I hate how boring these books have become. My last.

I've given up on a couple of authors who bore me..... too many books, too little time to waste on crap.

Jericho Falls, by Christopher Hyde (January 27)

Well, it turned out to be more complex than I thought it would be. Read like a movie treatment, for good or for ill.

As for the Preston/Child books, I used to love them. Cabinet of Curiosities is one of my favorite thrillers. Thunderhead, Relic, Riptide. All great.

Rising Sun, by Michael Crichton ( January 31)

Still got a cold, Larry? You were whining about it (your own words) on the TPBM page..... :) .....

Ugh, it turned intro bronchitis and sinusitis. I'm home today and probably tomorrow. I'm due for my biannual security clearance update and of course made a joke to the security rep about how if i had to pee in a cup I'd rather do it as soon as possible because I had plans for the weekend, and now I'm home sick on a Monday. I made sure to get a diagnosis note from the doctor.

In the Eyes of Mr Fury, by Philip Ridley (February 1)

I've never had to get a security clearance and would be petrified of joking with the SecurityRep.

I used to get sinus infections that immediately also became bronchitis - up to 8-10 times per year for a while - then I started taking Claritin every day, then it's generic equivalent loratadine. Between the loratadine and ... whatever, perhaps getting older..... I get sick less frequently than I used to, thank goodness.

I'm sorry you're so sick - believe me, I know what you're going through. Does Parker get extra cuddly when you're sick?

Get well soon.

No, he gets extra bitey. Wants to play all the time. Still cute though. I feel a lot better, and was taking a daily Claritin but stopped after I got back from the Caribbean. I feel a lot better but will start back up!

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories, by Stephen King (February 2)

Beyond This Point Are Monsters, by Margaret Millar (February 24)

Hi Larry! wondered when you were going to post another book..... did you get weather yesterday? We certainly did, although the tornado warnings were, fortunately, only warnings, and no destruction followed.

Yeah, wow, we only got severe rain but it looked like something out of disaster movie. The drain at the sub'emway station was a fountain, shooting water a couple of feet in the air. I'm glad neither one of us got a tornado. A family was killed a few miles from here when one hit their house.

I'm getting an Open MRI this afternoon, to locate a herniated disk that gave me trouble a few weeks ago. I had no idea I was so claustrophobic until they tried to cram me in that damn little hole of scary death in a regular MRI. I was in up to my sternum when I said 'Get me out and this is over.' Except it was probably more like 'MMOOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY!!!'

I had heard of some deaths in Virginia. And there was a lot of destruction here in NC, just not near us.

I'm claustrophobic too, although I have not had an MRI so don't know how I'd do. *shudder* Yay for "MMOOOOMMYYYY" and taking care of yourself.

Strangers on a Train, by Patricia Highsmith (February 29)

The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures, by LouisTheroux (March 5)

Bunny Lake is Missing, by Evelyn Piper (March 13)

Come Closer, by Sara Gran (March 19)

Hi Larry! You are getting a lot of good reading in. Yay.

Say Hi to Parker D. Cat for me.

My kitties missed me - I can tell - they are all over me since I came back. Catman is following me around like a puppy.

The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things and How To Do Them, by Peter Sagal (March 25)

Lullaby, by Chuck Palahniuk (March 27)

Naomi's Room, by Jonathan Aycliffe (March 27)

Hi Larry! Read a few of the LT reviews of #27 - did you like it? I love NPR and Peter Sagal and am a bit surprised at his subject matter, prudish me! I'm also surprised that I hadn't heard of it before since it was published in 2007.

I'd have to say 'no I didn't like it' although it's a personable, fast read. He's so careful not to pass any negative judgement that all the people he writes about seem sunny and well adjusted. Some probably are, but there's none of the 'dark side' that tends to grind some people up into tiny bits. The only complexity he introduces is when he writes that a porn star he's been talking to seems to stare off into space when not engaged. I mean, if you have nothing bad to say about the porn industry you're either lying or willfully obtuse.

Wait, Wait is such a great show, I really love it.

I love it too - hated it at first but it grew on me gradually.

I love NPR in general, although
1. I'm sad that our local station, WUNC, turned to mostly-all-talk about 7-8 years ago.
2. I was livid over how they treated Bob Edwards.
3. I stopped donating for 3 years when they stopped accepting money from Planned Parenthood. Lots of e-mails back and forth with the general manager who thought I was stupid enough to believe that it wasn't religiously/politically motivated.
4. They got rid of Shickele Mix with Peter Shickele.

But now I'm a Sustainer - it's easier and less painful (a little bit every month instead of a lot once a year).

What did you hate about it?

Hum, some of the prevailing winds at NPR ruffle my feathers. I stopped taking NPR seriously when the guy on All Things Considered (I forget his name) said babies were racist because studies proved they felt uncomfortable around people whose ethnicity they were unfamiliar with. He wasn't belaboring a point, or even kidding, babies didn't like some people because of their skin color and they were racist.

Or the dietician who said she had issues with fruit, rather then just not liking it.

I temped at NPR headquarters for a few weeks about 20 years ago and freakin' LOVED the people who worked there. My god they were a lot of fun and I was getting invited to parties for years after. My job was to call member stations and get the carriage report- a list of what they ran and when. I called one remote station in the Alaskan wilderness and spoke to someone who said 'Well we haven't run anything for a while now because the wind blew the station antenna down. I've got my cousin here and we're going to try and get it standing upright again with a rope and his truck, but if we can't then we're going to go fishing instead.'

I hated what I perceived as the shallowness of it - my sense of humor doesn't always kick in like it should - but started loving some of the people, like Paula Poundstone and Tom Bodett. I don't go out of my way for it, but if it's on I like it.

Boys Will be Boys: The Story of Sweeney Todd, Deadwood Dick, Sexton Blake, Billy Bunter, Dick Barton, et al., by E.S. Turner (April 10)

That's it, I'm taking the cure. I'm going to purge books, my stacks are too unwieldy.

Cull time! Getting twitchy?

I've culled 75 books so far this year as a result of inventorying my shelves.

Good luck!

And how's dear Parker D. Cat doing?

Da Floof! is fine, his usual persnickety self. He was sick several weeks ago (January?) and I think it was the food I was giving him, called Whole Earth. Don't use it! Man, vet bills are as bad as doctor bills.

Yes. The books. Twitchy as hell. I hope to get rid of either 10% or enough that nothing is on top of the cases. I'm also going to the Leesburg Annual Friends of the Lie-berry sale, and I usually come out of that with a car load. That and the Arlington sale, and the State Department sale are the only three left of the behemoth sales. The Goodwill sale was an event, I even budgeted for that one. Wow, hundreds of thousands of books! I filled my parent's minivan up once. Good times.

Da Floof. Ha. A new pet store opened in our little burg and we went to the Grand Opening. They have so many varieties of canned cat food that we were gobsmacked. We bought 2 cans, "Buy 1 Get 1 Free", and Catman turned his nose up at the first one completely, something called "Bushtail" by Mauri. Wouldn't even go back when hungry and eat it. I had to throw it away. The second can, "Wild Kangaroo Entrée" is sitting here staring me in the face. I just KNOW he'll hate it.

Vet bills are hateful. Our kitties are mostly healthy until they get very old. Then we don't go to extraordinary measures.

I think I'm glad YOU'RE close to all those huge sales, otherwise I'd be in big trouble.

The Devil In Amber, by Mark Gatiss April 16

Fun, penny dreadful, Sexton Blake kind of thrilling adventure.

Stories That Go Bump in the Night, by Alfred Hitchcock, ed. (April 24)

OK, so far the 2016 Spring Purge has jetted around 89 books. So far, so good.

I'm impressed. Book sale plans or are you going to leave holes?

Thanks, I've still got another 25 or so to take out of my LT catalog, let's say 130 withdrawn. I want to leave holes, but the annual Leesburg Friends of the Lie-berry sale is in late June and I haven't missed that for years. I've made a strict rule of no more than 20 books purchased, and heartily plan to stick to it unless I hit a rich vein of cheesy mysteries.

I have 3,000 books in my apartment. That's just nuts.

Just looked at your pics, again, Larry. You've added since I visited. I love the picture of the family holding outside of Jamestown. And of course, PDC with a Harry Potter quote couldn't be better. S&M collar pic excellent, etc.

3000 in your apartment. Whew. I'm impressed.

The Sandman, by Miles Gibson (April 30)

One Across, Two Down, by Ruth Rendell (May 14)

Wow, merciless.

Hi Larry! Glad you're getting your feet wet with Rendell.

Yeah, I like her. She's a little darker than PD James and, as much as I love the odd cozy, I'm glad Rendell doesn't write them.

She was prolific, so you are in for a good ride. 24 Inspector Wexford mysteries and 28 stand-alone novels, plus short stories, novellas, 14 novels written as Barbara Vine, and uncollected short stories.

Finders Keepers, by Stephen King (May 23)

Audiobook, read while driving to Front Royal and back during an unusually cool, rainy May.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, by John Godey (June 1)

Hi Larry. I hope you and Parker had a great Memorial Day Weekend. The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 sounds like a good read.

Heya keed! Yes, I think it's pretty good, a fast cinematic read and there's some suspense, one-liners. But I don't usually encounter a fatalistic outlook like the book has outside exploitation/grindhouse movies from the same period.

The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle (Sometime in May)

This was a subway audiobook, and I didn't record the day I finished. Sometime in May, probably the second half.

End of Watch, by Stephen King (June 12)

Oooh, oooh! It showed up on June 7th - good old Amazon! I haven't started it yet, though. Is it good? Did you like it? I want to read it now but just can't put down Outlander.

It is good. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think. The first 100 pages or so are awesome. I don't think he'll ever write anything I'll like more than 'Salem's Lot, though.

Masters of Doom: How two guys created an empire and transformed pop culture (June 25)

157 books bought at the annual Friends of the Leesburg Lie-berry sale. Whoo-hoo! Some are catch and release, but they had a ton of British mysteries this year.

One hundred and fifty seven!?!? I salute you, Larry.

Still haven't started End of Watch, as I am 654 pages away from finishing the epic Outlander series.

The more I think about it, the more disgusted I become with the number. I really think a great many of those are going to be donated. Still, I always have fun at the sale and am glad I went.

Hi Larry! Buying books is a different thrill than reading them and another different thrill from keeping them on your shelves. I'm glad you enjoyed the thrill for what it was!

Smoke, by Donald Westlake (July 2)

Insomnia? Or just buried in a good book?

Hi Larry and hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Heya keed! A little of both. I collapsed around 8, dozed for an hour in my reading chair, then couldn't get back to sleep when I tried at midnight. And the book was so damn good.

I really am a Westlake fan. Have you read anything by him? Most of his books are about comic crime set in New York, but one of my favorites, Who Stole Sassi Manoon, is set in Florida. If you've never read him, give that one a shot, or one of the Dortmunder books.

I learned a long time ago that if I couldn't get back to sleep to just give up trying and read.

I have not read anything by Westlake, but just clicked "Place Your Order Now" on Amazon and will get who Stole Sassi Manoon on the 7th.

Please let me know what you think of Sassi Manoon, I'm genuinely interested in your take on it.

I just got back from the range. Shot a Sig Sauer 40mm, a .12 gauge with slugs (that goes 'boom' real good) and an AR 15. I guess we were there for two hours and man it was freakin hot in that place.

I still haven't catalogued all of my books from two weeks ago.

Hi Larry! Who Stole Sassi Manoon? is on the way, but obviously the 7th came and went. I hope to read it after I finish The Fireman.

Didn't know you were a range guy. Pistols are fun, my daughter's Ruger .22 rifle is heavy, and I've never shot a shotgun. I have time and the inclination to start re-learning my Colt Commander .45, but the freaking heat is definitely off-putting. A friend wants us to go with him to shoot clays. I've never done that, but we might make the push and go this week. How To Embarrass Yourself In New Ways!

I like cataloging my books, so waiting for the perfect time when it's enjoyable makes sense. No sense rushing it just to get it done!

Oh yeah, I've got a few guns and enjoy shooting them occasionally. I used to a lot more but time is tighter now. I don't post much about it online because it's sometimes a political lightening rod, and that's not the discussion I want to have. You should totally go shoot those clays, that would be a blast; I've never done it, either. A couple of the guys on my floor want to get together and go to a 1,000 meter range out in West Virginia, but I'd rather shoot clays than go for long distance stuff. I mean, hell, at half a mile that zombie is not your problem.

That's it!!! No more book buying! I don't have room or storage room for even another thin volume. It's just nuts. I'm going to go for 90 days with no book buying. Fingers crossed.

"Hello my name is Larry and I am a bookaholic...."

Snort, gawd please let me get through this without an intervention.

I am so seriously not appropriate as a sponsor - over 150 books acquired this year and only 86 removed.

On a happier note, I finished the Fireman by Joe Hill and have started Who Stole Sassi Manoon?. Fun stuff.

-----------------------

And I finished Who Stole Sassi Manoon?. I really enjoyed it. I kept thinking of it in terms of a movie - very vivid, funny, wanna-be criminals relying on Starnap to keep fixing the holes in the plan. The Major and Miss Rushby were a riot. I loved the bit about them having to change their methods when contract bridge died out..... 'cuz there's so much money in fraudulent contract bridge! I'm glad Kelly and Jigger got together. It was fast paced and I loved all the different accents that Frank came up with.

Murder Gone Mad, by Philip MacDonald (July 15)

Must have been shocking when first published, and still packs a wallop.

Death by Sheer Torture, by Robert Bernard (July 17)

I have 5.05 books/sq foot of living space. That seems low, doesn't it?

Hi Larry! Doesn't seem low to me. Based on the square footage of my house, I should own 20,528 books. (I know, I know.....)

OK, I made it 11 days without buying a book, and when I fell off the wagon I only bought three. That's growth, right? I'm not going to wake up tomorrow with a book hangover or anything. Wearing a different shirt and not able to remember where I parked my car. I mean, I buy books but I also purge them. Oh god, I'm a book bulimic. That's, like, WORSE, then being a hoarder. I'm going to have to join a 12 step program-- for books! Why couldn't I at least have gotten hooked on vicodin and gambling like a normal person!

11 days and then only three? That's good, Larry. It is growth. But you can practice >72 karenmarie: above.

OK, I made that meeting and after I said, "My name is Larry and I'm a bookaholic" they were all "Thanks for sharing. Freak." Apparently people hooked on stuff stronger than Phonics have no sense of humor.

Well, one I had to buy one of them because it's an English book, an anthology of classic crime stories. And it cost $1.33. Do you have a McKay Used Books where you live? There's a bunch of them throughout the Southeast. They price mysteries and crime books dirt cheap. I've seen Lee Child books for 9 cents, and 30 cents is the norm.

No, when I bought the three yesterday I knew that I was going to jet three. At worst, 1 on/1 off.

No, we don't have McKay's near us, unfortunately. There are two indie used book stores in my county and the books are mostly 1/2 of the cover price. I go there rarely. I go more to the thrift stores run by the Chatham County PTA, all profits (after retaining $10K for capital) distributed each year to the county's public schools. I donate to them and buy from them as much as I can.

So you're net 0, a good thing. The traveling bookcase gave and received.

Hi to Da Floof for me. Give him a few skritches.

I gave up on The Omen by David Seltzer when the flat writing style alerted me to the book being a novelization of the movie, something I just don't like to read. I checked it out online and, if Wikipedia can be believed, the books came out a week before the movie and Seltzer wrote both. The book coming out first was some kind of marketing thing, maybe because of The Exorcist being a book then a movie. Who know? Speculation.

I'm re-reading Tap, Tap by David Martin (sometimes David Lozell Martin) , an under-appreciated writer. Penguin or Vintage did put out one of his books, but his horror books can be ghastly and I guess that got him moved from those lofty heights to the more accessible St. Martins. The opening of Tap, Tap is perfect.

Martin wrote a book that I haven't been able to bring myself to read; Bring Me Children. Horrible things happen in his books, and I just can't read something with kids in it that will shock me. I have a copy, just haven't read it.

How to Get Rid of Books: The life changing magic of thinning the herd.

Hi Larry! Re >84 SomeGuyInVirginia:, excellent article! I've culled over 80 books this year, so far, and this article inspires me to cull more. Thanks for sharing.

After I had my daughter, I couldn't read any book that had bad things happen to a child. I still can't, 23 years later.

So what do I do, read-

Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin (August 1)

This was an audiobook, and I've read it before.

Tap, Tap, by David Lozell Martin (August 1)

Of course you had to read Rosemary's Baby. I read it in high school. *shudder* I don't remember if I saw the movie or not.

I read The Exorcist in college and when I saw the movie in 1973 and went home to my apartment at college I was so scared that I kept all the lights on and didn't sleep at all.

I read The Exorcist in junior high, and since my parents weren't keen on the idea, I read it in the shadows under the back yard deck. Which was the perfect and the absolute worst place to read it. I was both shocked and appalled. The movie that most frightened me was Halloween. Oh man, that scared the hell out of me.

I've never seen Halloween. I don't think I want to, based on IMDB.

The movie that has scared me the absolute worst in my life was The Time Machine. Going forwards in time - the 'rotting Morlock scene' as I just found it on Youtube just now - terrified me. I was only 7 years old. Why did my parents take me to the theater to see it? Did I beg them? Did they think I was old enough? Whew. And my dad was taking Maalox every night just before dinner - tablets that I had to put out on the dining room table for him - just kept it alive for me with Morlocks/Maalox. I just shuddered again.

Halloween is one of the few genuinely terrifying movies, along with Night of the Living Dead. If you don't like scary movies, stay away!

Carrie, by Stephen King (August 9)

This was an audiobook, and a re-read and re-listen, as well.

I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections, by Nora Ephron (August 11)

I Am Half Sick of Shadows, by Alan Bradley (August 14)

If I were buying books for children, and sometimes I do, I'd gladly give this to a 8-14 year old. It's fun, with a darkly humorous Ealing Studios comedy vibe, and hits a lot of cultural touchstones that may be falling out of fashion.

Not my usual fare, but it was an audio books that clocks in at just over 7 hours, and that's how long I was going to be on the road this weekend; I figured I'd be able to finish it and check another book off on my '75 or Bust' list.

>93 SomeGuyInVirginia: I have two of her books of essays (Crazy Salad and Scribble Scribble). I loved her movies, too.

You're really moving along. How many books have you read this year so far?

32 so far this year, exactly one a week. No bad, I guess, considering I'm usually wiped out when I get home from work.

Gad I loved Norah Ephron, and read all of her stuff in college, while flying for the most part. I was really bummed when I found out a few days ago that she died a couple of years back. She mentions writing When Harry Met Sally in the book, and how she didn't think it would get made and thought about just dumping it.

I haven't been to pick up packages in a few weeks. I'm sure your package is there because I got a notice in the mailbox, and I really appreciate your sending me the book. I donate almost everything I read, so please let me know if there's ever a book I mention that you'd like to read and I'll wend it on it's way.

Stopping in to say hi and join the conversation on the scary stuff. I haven't read or seen Rosemary's Baby, but I've read his Stepford Wives. A bit dated but still somewhat scary. Levin's play Veronica's Room is going to be performed at one of our bigger theater's right before Halloween and I'm hoping to see it.
I still think "The Exorcist" is the scariest movie.

I loved Nora Ephron too.... when I went to check her out this a.m. I was surprised to read that she was 71. I had thought she died young, and although 71 is youngish these days, it's still not young.

My husband tells me that I'm like Sally in restaurants. Except for breakfast, I absolutely never order things off the menu without making changes. Today was making sure the wrap didn't have onions and dressing.

>97 mstrust: I read The Stepford Wives, too, a long time ago. Ditto The Exorcist.

>97 mstrust: MS! Oh yeah, The Exorcist was scary, but it hasn't stayed with me the way Night of the Living Dead and Halloween have. Just thinking about those two still gives me the chills. The remake of Dawn of the Dead was also damn scary. Fast zombies- ack! I'd love to see Veronica's Room. I like plays, even read them. The theater scene in DC is pretty good. Do you like scary movies?

>98 karenmarie: I think she fudged the numbers somewhat. Didn't her parents die youngish, too?

I can hardly keep my eyes open. P-Bitty's birthday is soon, I have to get his records out to check. Little shithead.

I do like scary movies. though I'm picky about the kind of scary. "The Woman in Black", "The Walking Dead", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", yes. "Saw" or the other torture movies, no. I love "Night of the Living Dead", though I don't find it scary, most likely because I first saw it at about 11 years old at a slumber party. Some of the other girls had seen it before and it became just a bunch of girls talking to the screen like "Rocky Horror Picture Show". It's hard for a scary movie to come back from that.

Hehe, yeah I can imagine. I first saw it around 11 years old, too. I had been forbidden to watch it, so when it came on as a midnight movie I of course snuck downstairs and watched it in the night. In the dark. Scared the absolute bejeebus out of me.

No, I don't like torture movies, either. I walked out of the last Rambo with the village shelling scene and demanded my money back because 'that's not entertainment'. I don't know why but zombie movies just click with me. Something in my childhood, I guess.

Happy Pre-Birthday to the Little Shithead.

Aw, thanks. He is a little shithead, isn't he.

I can't keep him out of the shower, he's fixated on it. I have to let water dribble from the faucet so he can drink from it at least a few times a day. I hear this plaintive meoooow from behind the shower curtain.

One of these days I'll here the meow, pull the curtain back and there will be this big, scary clown holding a hatchet. At least, I hope so.

He's smart - he wants fresh water.

I dislike clowns. We had an oil painting of a clown given to us by husband's mother. We kept it hung up in daughter's bedroom until MiL wasn't able to visit us anymore. I looked up the artist on the internet and saw that it was probably worth about $150 and gave it to our friend Dwain. It gave me the willies and I was glad to get it out of the house. We accidentally broke a Clown Christmas Ornament when the tree fell down one year, glad that sucker was gone too. Another gift from MiL, didn't tell her it got broken. *smile*

>101 SomeGuyInVirginia: You should stop in to my Autumn/Halloween thread starting in September. It's my favorite season and every year I go way overboard, but you might enjoy it.

>104 karenmarie: He is smart and wants to do everything I do. I've never seen a cat more like a dog, he even plays fetch. Wackiness! L'il shithead.

>105 mstrust: I'm in!

I missed Black Cat Appreciation Day??!! How is that even possible?

Today is Parker The Great!'s birthday! Happy birthday little guy.

Happy Birthday to Parker D. Cat! He is a most handsome kitty. I love the color of his eyes.

Thanks Karen!

The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral, by Robert Westall (August 20)

I ordered a catnip toy from Amazon and Parker the Great! was meowing for it even before I opened the box. His first experience with nip, and he was 'pupils dilated and in his own world.' I tried to take it from his and he formed a furry ball of teeth and claws around my hand.

>111 SomeGuyInVirginia: Cats must have their catnip!

Now you've done it! Catnip. Did you get away unshredded?

We used to have a catnip plant outside, close to the house. It got huge. The kitties would roll around on it and come in drunk. I still don't know why my husband got rid of it - it provided much entertainment to both kitties and us.

>112 thornton37814: I have created a monster! ...ohmahgawd he's right behind me isn't he....

>113 karenmarie: Parker the Great! is trying really, really hard to not draw blood, but he let me know what he could have done.

I remember my parents had a plant, too. One cat would just park herself in the middle of it, but the other two couldn't be bothered. I don't do plants.

Unexpected consequence of catnip- suddenly Parker is a six month old again and wants to play all day and all night. He announced the hours last night, and he hasn't done that in a while.

Bless his furry little self! Announcing the hours so that his pet human would know what time it was.

Our 16 or 17 year old Kitty William is getting old and confused and has taken to yowling when he gets lost in the house. He also seems to yowl when in front of the water dish. I'm glad our daughter plans on coming home some time in September because he's sleeping more and more and acting like he's had a small stroke or two. He's her kitty, after all, and when she's home he's with her.

Antique Dust: Ghost Stories, by Robert Westall (August 27)

Interesting title...

Heya Doc. I thought so, too. The stories are all ok and revolve around life in an antique shop. Nothing really stands out, but there are no stinkers, either, and that's always a hooge bonus in a ghost story anthology.

The Girl Who Passed for Normal, by Hugh Fleetwood (September 2)

The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America, by Ann Neumann (September 2)

Hi Larry! >121 SomeGuyInVirginia: Not a fun subject, but I hope it was a good and/or productive read for you. I should probably read The Good Death. Since 2006 I've had 7 deaths in the family - my father and 6 of my husband's relatives.

Not fun, but a good primer on what to expect from the bureaucracy. It doesn't deal with grief management much. I'd gotten it from Early Reviewers months ago and have been sweating not reading it since. Now I can write the review and not have that feeling like I let the team down.

If you like gothic-style shockers, the book I finished before Death, The Girl Who Passed for Normal, is a nice entry.

I know how the ER guilt-stress goes. They only require 25 words, but I've never wanted to lie so haven't copped out yet. I still have three of them that I haven't read or reviewed. I took them out a while ago and put them on a shelf in prominent view, then have let them languish as I've read other books and started the GE challenge and the John Irving challenge. Guilt occasionally rears its ugly head, but not often enough for me to open one..... :)

I do like gothic-style shockers but amazing at it seems, I'm getting a bit shocked at the number of tbrs I have and am trying to scale back. Not succeeding well yet, but definitely trying.

A number of years ago I read Profits of Death, an expose of the death industry. The author had been a funeral director for many years and wrote about the many ways extra money could be manipulated out of grieving customers. The book must be about 15 years old by now so I couldn't say if things have changed in the industry.

The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides (September 9)

"It's a love story."
"No, it's a coming of age story."

I bet not much has changed. You can buy a cardboard coffin in Virginia, but you can't be buried in it.

THAT sounds like bureaucracy. Coffin Builders Local #Screw'emOver has an in with the legislature, I'm sure.

Gah, I know. The cardboard coffin is so inexpensive, too.

They must be for cremations.

38) How Right You Are, Jeeves, by P. G. Wodehouse (September 10)

Rare and refreshing fruit.

39) The Sooterkin, by Tom Gilling (September 10)

Charming and uplifting.

Hi Larry! I love Bertie and Jeeves, and The Sooterkin sounds like fun.

Happy Sunday!

This post intentionally left blank.

The Underminer: The Best Friend Who Casually Destroys Your Life, by Mike Albo (September 14)

Dexter in the Dark, by Jeff Lindsay (September 16)

Hi Larry! We loved the series and I've read the first two Dexter books. Dexter in the Dark is sitting on my shelves, waiting to be read.

Hi Karen, well it's a very weird little book. I liked it, but it was not what I was expecting, or at least it didn't play out the way that I thought that it would having only read the first book and that several years ago.

I really like anti-heroes, though.

Possible bomb scare at 13/14 and Penn.

Yikes, Larry! Keep me posted.

Nothing on the news other than 'police activity' with road closure. I must have missed it my seconds because I drove by it and didn't see anything (but the area did seem crowded). Probably someone left their lunch bag on a park bench and we have to wait for the bomb squad to blow up some potato salad.

Ha. Blow up some potato salad. You're a hoot. I supposed it's better safe than sorry but the level of hysteria and panic keeps growing and growing in this country.

No idea what the kerfuffle was yesterday. One of those weird DC things. A secret service agent was hit by a motorist outside the building last week. I hope he or she is OK. They shut 15th street down for hours over that.

The Girl With All the Gifts, by M. R. Carey (September 21)

A satisfying mind movie of the zombie apocalypse.

43) The Possessors, by John Christopher (September 25)

Good morning, Larry!

>145 SomeGuyInVirginia: sounds really creepy. Did it scare you?

Man, it's been years since a book scared me (Cul-de-Sac, David Martin), but it was creepy. I bought the book years ago because it featured a ski chalet cut off because of a snow avalanche, but have put off reading it because the book is supposed to be sci-fi, which is not my thing. But yes, it is creepy in a claustrophobic, 'good people being menaced' kind of way. I turned the a/c way up and read it under covers with Parker purring next to me. Kind of bliss.

I've been really bad about reading Great Expectations because I want to make 10 books this month and there is no chance that I'd be able to read it all. I did read it yesterday, though. It's such an amazing book.

Hi again!

I don't mind "good people being menaced" books - many of the mysteries I read fall into that category. But torture, cannibalism, and true evil usually give me too many creeps.

We were watching a TV show called Real Story and I had to tell husband I couldn't watch The Silence of the Lambs and The Exorcist. In looking back on imdb.com just now I see that for some reason we skipped The Amityville Horror, which I would have avoided too, anyway.

Comfy reading with purring kitties absolutely cannot be beat.

Chasing the Dead, by Joe Schreiber (September 30)

45) House of Bones, by Graham Masterton (October 2)

A modern penny dredful.

The Guardians, by Andrew Pyper (October 6)

Meh. NPR horror.

Eat the Dark, by Joe Schreiber (October 16)

Hi Larry! Eat the Dark sounds really creepy. *shiver*

Eh, it was really just kind of annoying and over the top. It's got a good premise, though, you're right.

Just After Sunset, by Stephen King (October 21)

This was an audiobook relisten for me.

Hi Larry! Yay Stephen King!

Can you believe that I haven't read the third in the Bill Hodges Trilogy yet? It's sitting on my shelves, at home, patiently waiting for me!

I'll be home Wednesday. Can't wait.

>156 karenmarie: Followed Karen here and dropped a late star. I just signed up for Operation Paperback. Seems like a great program and a positive way to share my books!

>157 witchyrichy: Hi witchy. I'm a yuge fan of Operation Paperback, I hope you enjoy!

The Lost Island: A Gideon Crew Novel, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (October 28)

It isn't them, it's me. No, it's them. We should break up. After Relic, Dance of Death, and my personal favorite Cabinet of Curiosities (man I loved that thrilling book), I think I only read Preston and Child for the nostalgia.

I have a love-hate relationship with some of my former-favorite authors, too. How dare they disappoint us!

Ugh. Thriller writers should just stop writing when they get tapped out. Although, if I were in their shoes, I probably wouldn't either.

The Gates, by John Connolly (November 2)

An enjoyable YA book. It was an audio listen, and Jonathan Cake absolutely made the experience for me.

I'm glad you liked The Gates, as I read it just a few weeks ago. It made me glad to see that I also had The Book of Lost Things by Connolly already on the shelf.

Hi Larry!

Cabal, by Clive Barker (November 8ish)

Ugh, no. The ending was a confusing mess. I loved The Books of Blood 1-3, they are astonishing, but Barker can really let fly with some stinkers.

I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells (November 12)

>165 SomeGuyInVirginia: yeah. I recommend avoiding Sacrament, Mister B Gone, and Galilee. I am a fan of Imajica, Weaveworld, and Damnation Game, and I have a wonderful 2-issue graphic novel crossover of Hellraiser vs Nightbreed, called Imajica. Good stuff. Still not sure what to think of The Great And Secret Show.

Thanks, I'll take your work for it. I started Damnation Game, or maybe read it through, a long time ago, before I knew who Clive Barker was. Don't remember much about it but a country house and dogs. I absolutely hated the movie Hellraiser and walked out of it; too much like torture porn.

Have you read Benighted, by J.B. Priestley? You might like it. It was the basis for the Karloff movie The Old Dark House, and pretty much started the 'stumble upon a creepy house while lost in the country' trope. It's just been reissued as a paperback and on Kindle.

I've only read one from Priestley, but enjoyed it a lot, so I'll be looking for Benighted. I never would have pegged it as a spooky story from the title.

I was surprised how much I liked it. I read it more as an exploration of life after the Great War, and how the future belongs to the hot-blooded young.

The Killer Next Door, by Alex Marwood (November 15)

My review: My god, that was just a damn fine read. Has the unsentimental compassion of John Steinbeck, with PD James's introspection and Ruth Rendell's boojums. There is also a strong element of those beautiful Ealing caper movies.

Got any exciting plans for this weekend? Are you fully recovered yet?

No! I've been living on cough syrup and sudafed for a week and I don't know how these strung-out teenagers do it. I've been going to bed at 8, and will probably read all weekend. And, of course, go see Fantastic Beasts.

Sorry you're still sickly. Books and Fantastic Beasts should help, though.

Hi to Parker!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hide and Seek, by Ian Rankin (November 25)

Seems like it's going to be a police procedural, but ends up being so much more.

>175 mstrust: Thanks ms!

Breeding Ground, by Sarah Pinborough (November 27)

Nothing new, well told.

Good morning, Larry! I hope you have fully recovered and had a great holiday weekend.

Yes, I'm back and Parker is glad that I'm out of the house. He hardly flipped out this morning at all when I left, most unusual.

Tell me, is a lighted 24" wreath tacky? If it is, does it still work?

We inherited a 36" lighted wreath, with a plasticized red velveteen bow from husband's father/step MiL and put it out every Christmas. If it's tacky, then so be it! We love it. I think you should go for it.

I did. I like it, and it's not like I'm decorating an 18th century row house in Georgetown. I'm putting it on the balcony door, so everyone can see.

Devil in the Darkness, by Archie Roy (December 3)

A mashup of Benighted and Hell House, told as an old fashioned, if malevolent, ghost story and without Matheson's grotty descent into depravity.

>182 SomeGuyInVirginia: We will be putting the 36" wreath out soon, perhaps today. I forgot to mention that ours, too, is lighted. I'm glad you went for it. I think people will take it in the spirit that it's meant.

Ripper, by Michael Slade (December 18)

I wish I hadn't.

One of the best reviews ever.

>186 mstrust: Certainly the best four word review for a goodly while, anyway.

Hi Larry.

Thanks guys, and wazzap Paul!

Trying to manage mad insomnia.

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

>188 SomeGuyInVirginia: Join the insomnia club, Larry.

Out of His Mind, by Stephen Gallagher (December 24)

A good anthology, Gallagher writes thrillers with supernatural overtones.

Thanks Paul, and Happy Holidays to you! I hope the New Year brings you every happiness.

Hi Larry! I'm venturing out into the wider LT world today. Hope you and Parker are doing well.

Merry belated Christmas! I hope you had a good time and received many books.

Karen! Swag report! I'm glad you're back. And ms! Thanks, I've been reading trashy novels so, yes, I'm happy.

Happy New Year to youse!

Red Herrings, by Tim Heald (December 29)

A Brit nasty lite (good natured?), with an improbably mystery that acts as a springboard to much snarky discussion on 1980s England. Lots of fun.

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Larry

>197 mstrust: Happy New Year, ms, you do know how to light up a room.

>198 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul, Happy New Year and the best is before us.

Kindle prototype. Madden family traveling lie-berry, 1617.