lkernagh (Lori)'s 2016 Journey of Books, Food, Crafts and Walking - Part 2

"Bridge over Fish Creek", Wikipedia - no machine-readable author provided. Cszmurlo assumed (based on copyright claims) - CC BY 2.5

Hello Everyone! 2016 will be my fifth year as part of the 75 group. The picture above was chosen as the topper for this thread as my walking across Canada journey recently passed through Calgary. I could have chosen a lot of different images but I love Fish Creek Park, having spent numerous years walking, jogging and cycling the various paths that make up the park's 80 kilometers (50 miles) of trails. As a teenager, summer days included cycling from home to Sikome (officially known as "Sikome Aquatic Facility"), a man-made outdoor 'lake' that is part of the park, for a day of swimming, reading and sunbathing. ;-)

This will be another fun-filled year of reading, cooking/baking and crafting. It will also include my on-going personal walking challenge to walk, in three calendar years, the distance it would take for me to walk across Canada. If you don't want to follow my walking journey, don't worry. Those posts will be easily identifiable. ;-)

Most of my 2016 reading will focus around reading books off my TBR bookcases and for the various mini author/award challenges I have committed to, like the AAC, BAC, CAC and Pulitzer. It will also include reading books as part of my ongoing tour of Commonwealth countries with my Commonwealth Challenge.

As in previous years, I have brought back my "Luck 'O the Irish" Race to see which horse will come in first in 2016. Will it be books read "Pot of Gold" or will pages read "Lucky Shamrock" command the track? It is anybody's guess!

"Luck 'O the Irish" Race

My 2016 Category Challenge (Steps theme):

1. Big Tomes (over 800 pages long - can include anthologies and omnibuses) - 2 books
2. Oooooh.... Shiney! (2016 acquisitions or books published in 2016) - 4 books
3. Dust Collectors (any books acquired prior to 2010 that are still unread) - 6 books
4. Books with One Word Titles - 8 books
5. Spending time with my furry friends (books that fit the various CATs, DOGs and KITs) - 10 books
6. Challenges, Challenges (for all my other challenge reading - Commonwealth, AAC, BAC, CAC, ROOT, etc) - 12 books
7. Blind Date (books chosen for me by other LT members) - 14 books
8. Catchall - 16 books

My 2016 Category Challenge discussion thread can be found here.

My 2016 Clarissa Read
Clarissa - adapted from the Wikipedia listing:

Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, published in 1748. It tells the tragic story of a heroine whose quest for virtue is continually thwarted by her family, and it is regarded as the longest novel in the English language (based on estimated word count). It is generally regarded as Richardson's masterpiece.

The Doorstopper of all books. I intend to read the 9 volume story by following the dates the letters were written, but I am sure I will deviate from that plan as reading and time commitments warrant so let just say that my overall goal is to read from cover to cover all 9 volumes of Clarissa in 2016. I will report occasional status updates and, because I want to and this is my Clarissa challenge, I will count each volume as a separate book read towards my overall 2016 books read total.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

The various Author/Award mini-Challenges: AAC, BAC, CAC, Pulitzer

Books Read:

January
AAC - The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler -
BAC - The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill -
CAC - Fifth Business by Robertson Davies -

February
AAC - Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo -
BAC - The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie -

March

Books Read:

January
1. The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill -
2. Uncle Bob's Red Flannel Bible Camp: From Eden to the Ark by Steve Vernon -
3. The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World's Greatest Encyclopedia by Andrew Lih -
4. The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa -
5. The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler -
6. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies -

February
7. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy -
8. N is for Noose by Sue Grafton -
9. In the Woods by Tana French -
10. Driftmetal by J.C. Staudt -
11. God's Debris: A Thought Experiment by Scott Adams -
12. Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo -
13. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie -
14. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini -

March

Next one's yours! Welcome to my 2016 thread - Part 2, which is now open for business!

Love your topper and on with the books and walk!! So roughly how long is Clarissa in pages?

Lori, that thread topper is gorgeous! Love it!

Happy New Thread!

MMMMmmm. I agree that I love looking at that topper! I'm not 100% sure that I'd love being out in that much cold!
Best wishes to you and Clarissa! I can't quite get up my nerve to tackle her even though I own a copy and am attracted to it from time to time. I'll be cheering you on!

Happy New Thread, Lori! Already on thread #2 ! Amazing! Gorgeous topper, but I'll take warmer Vancouver area any day over Calgary. Hmm - interesting idea to have a number of pages read vs books read. I have no idea how many pages I have read so far this year. Snow is beautiful in the abstract.

Happy new thread, Lori!

What a stunning picture, Lori...and I don't even like winter all that much, but I love looking at it from inside a nice warm house. Hope all of those in the path of the killer storm are able to enjoy its beauty, even if just for a short time.

I'm now on to a part in Clarissa where her letters to Miss Howe say, "I'm including a letter I wrote to So-and-So, and his reply, and one to So-and-So, and her reply, and ..." so they do go on a bit. I'm not sure what the date on the letters is at this point, but I'm on track at the moment in my timeline.

>13 ursula: I have fallen behind in my Clarissa schedule, so I'm planning on a catch-up read in a week or so. Right now I'm on March 1.

What a beautiful scene on top of your thread, Lori. Happy new thread. I just caught up with your last thread and now I am craving cookies! Cute shoes too.

Happy new thread. What a gorgeous picture. One of those weathers that are nice if you chose to be out in it, not so nice when you have to be out in it.
I do love a bit of snow. I revert to being 43 going on 6.

Happy New Thread, Lori! And Happy weekend! Love the Fish Creek Topper!

Happy new thread, Lori! That topper is gorgeous! Hoping that your weekend is filled with fabulous!

Congrats on your shiny new thread, Lori and happy weekend. Stay safe and warm.

A collective thank you to Kim, Terri, Peggy, Deb, Katie, Kathy, Ursula, Meg, Helen, Diana, Mark and Mamie for the happy new thread and wonderful weekend wishes! Mother Nature does produce some amazing scenary for photography, doesn't she? ;-)

Woke up this morning with a bit of a scratchy throat so I am in the process of pumping my body full of vitamin C to try and stave off any cold that may be lurking.

>7 Berly: - Good question on Clarissa, Kim! The e-book copy that I am reading is 2,619 pages long, but given that page counts can vary depending on formating (font size, spacing, etc) maybe page count is not the best indicator of size. According to this Listverse.com webpage the first edition of Clarissa had a word count of 969,000 words, but future editions have climbed above 1,000,000 words. They had put Clarissa in 3rd place for the longest novel in the English language. It does make my copy of War and Peace - at a mere 1,634 pages - seem small in comparison.

>9 LizzieD: - Happy to have you here to cheer my Clarissa read on, Peggy!

>10 vancouverdeb: Snow is beautiful in the abstract. LOL,.... spoken like a true west coaster, Deb. ;-)

>12 kac522: - Uh oh.... there is a bad storm heading somewhere? I did a quick Google search and discovered that the east coast is in for a biggie. Not good.

>13 ursula: - Thank you for the warning that Clarissa shares letters written by other people with her friend, not just her own letters. I always like to get a different person's point of view on a topic. ;-)

>15 Familyhistorian: - I have run out of cookies... I think I will need to bake some this weekend. Thanks for the reminder!

>16 Helenliz: - I do love a bit of snow. I revert to being 43 going on 6. Same here!

>17 DianaNL: - Awwwwweeeeee..... what a sweet puppy!

>20 Ameise1: - Thank you Barbara! I see cookies with the tea..... YUM!

Happy new thread! Glad to see you all moved in, and that topper pic is amazing!
So when can we expect those cookies?

>24 mstrust: - Thanks Jennifer! As for the cookies, I am just checking my baking ingredients stash to see what I am running low on. ;-)

Happy new thread! What a pretty thread-topper picture.

Beautiful topper photo. No proper snow here yet (the only fall we had disappeared in about an hour). So I'm quite pleased to be getting it by book (The Wild Places).

Congrats on your second thread, Lori, with the beautiful topper. We finally got our first snow in Missouri. It is lovely today with the sun shining and blue skies, but I don't mind the gray and white days that preceded Mr. Sun! Snow is pretty in any light as long as I don't have to get out and drive in it!

I do love long books, but I will be part of your cheering section on Clarissa. Good luck!

>1 lkernagh: Gorgeous photo!

Happy new thread, Lori!

Hi Lori, happy new thread! I am too settled here on my couch, so will leave you alone already to go and do boring kitchen stuff. Boo hoo ;)

Happy New Thread, Lori! It has been a very wet January in Seattle but no snow yet (and none predicted).
Your topper photo is quite lovely.

Hi Lori! What a stunning snowy picture up top -- lovely!

Congratulations of your new thread!

Must be the fastest you have gotten to two threads Lori......finally the penny is dropping with many in the group that your thread is a pretty nifty place to hang out.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Happy new thread Lori! I hope the vitamin C holds the cold off.

>21 lkernagh: 1,000,000 words doesn't mean much to me. Never counted a book before. 2,619 pages (and I know that varies by edition) gets my adrenaline going (because that is downright daunting!), but what says it all for me is that Clarissa makes W&P look small in comparison. Lori, exactly what I needed...a frame of reference I could relate to!! Wow. So then I had to see what the top two were: #2 Marcel Proust, Lost in Time, 1,267,069 words/3,031 pages/9,609,000 characters and at #1 L. Ron Hubbard, An Alien Affair at 1,200,000 words/3,992 pages. I am not seeing these in my immediate future... ;)

The weekend was good, if a bit busier than expected. Did some baking - made rye bread and pumpkin raisin pecan muffins - and made a batch of pizza sauce for the freezer. The weather was good that I spend part of Saturday afternoon doing something I never thought I would be doing in January: I worked on my herb garden (more info below). Sunday was supposed to be an easy rest day as I am still battling a bit of a scratchy throat and a bit of a draining nose. I relaxed on the couch with a book. Unfortunately, I ended up knocking over a glass a milk on the carpet. Ended up pulling out the carpet cleaning machine to clean up the area and decided I might as well do the main traffic areas while I am at it. I think I will attempt that relaxing thing later this evening.

.... but first, responses for lovely visitors!

>26 banjo123: - Thanks Rhonda!

>27 charl08: - Sometimes the best snow is the stuff that comes, makes things all winter wonderland pretty and then disappears before it can cause diasters on the roadways! I went to go and see what The Wild Places is about, but there seem to be a couple of different books with that title. One book I loved that really made me 'experience' winter - even though I read it in the full heat of summer - is Helen Humphreys' The Frozen Thames. I can recommend reading that story during a heat wave when the air conditioning isn't working. ;-)

>28 Donna828: - Thanks Donna! Snow is wonderful to play in... but driving... NO. I no longer have my winter road skills up to snuff so I am were happy I don't see much of it here.

>29 Copperskye: - Thanks Joanne!

>30 LovingLit: - Hi Megan. Ha, ha.... can I offer you something to eat or drink on that couch? I never did get around to making the cookies... maybe tomorrow as I don't have to work.

>31 EBT1002: - Thanks Ellen! Sounds like you have had more rain than we have... or else the unusual increase in sunshine hours has confused my senses into ignoring some of the rain when it does fall. ;-)

>32 AMQS: - Hi Anne!

>33 PaulCranswick: - Thanks Paul! This is the fastest I have ever moved to a new thread, but things are usually really hopping in January. Sunday was good. I hope your weekend was a wonderful one.

>34 souloftherose: - Thanks Heather. The vitamin C has been helping. What hasn't helped is the fire alarm in the building going off and milling around outside in my sandals, sans socks. I think I am going to bump up my cold defense with a hot cup of ginger lemon and honey tea. ;-)

>35 Berly: - LOL, I admit I don't see the Proust or Hubbard books in my immediate reading future either.

Weekly Reading Update:

- Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
On hold until February 20th or until I finish my read of War and Peace.... which ever comes first.

- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
A great week for War and Peace. I am currently at Book 9/Chapter 19 (888 pages or 33 hours, 13 minutes into this 1634 page/60 hour ginormous read).... which means I now past the halfway mark in this epic story . I see a light at the end of this very, very long tunnel. ;-)

- The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler (for the AAC)
I am enjoying this story but struggling to find the 'sit down and read' time for this physical book read. I just have 50 pages to go so should be able to wrap this one up this evening

Next Up:
- Fifth Business by Robertson Davies (for the CAC)

Herb Garden Update:
For those of you new to my thread, last year I started a herb garden on my balcony. I will now admit that since late October (until yesterday), I have just abandoned the plants in their pots outside to the elements. Yes, I know it is January but living where I do, gardening doesn't always follow the calendar. Some of the plants, like the French Lavender, Rosemary and Sage in the picture below, seem perfectly happy relying on Mother Nature to send moisture in the form of rain their way:



The two Parsley plants also seem perfectly happy, once I cleared out some of the dead plant material:



These bits of greenery I could see whenever I looked out the balcony window. What did get me rather excited on Saturday was when I cleared out all of the dead plant material in some of the other pots and discovered new plants just waiting to come to life. From left to right, French Tarragon, Mojito Mint and Spearmint:



I am not quite sure what to do with the Spanish Tarragon (first picture below) and the English Thyme. Wondering if I should just leave them alone a little longer or if I need to cut them down to allow new growth to come in.



I think the Italian Oregano and the Chives are both showing little signs of life but not enough to bother taking pictures of at this point. While head down over one of the plants, I heard a whirring noise - Yes, a whirring noise - by my right ear. I looked up and found myself face-to-face with the most beautiful bird I have every seen. It took me a few seconds before I realized that I was eye-level and less than 3-feet away from a hummingbird. I then thought, "Where is my phone?", but that was indoors on my desk. The hummingbird hung around for another 4-5 seconds before flitting off. When I raced inside to tell my other half, he mentioned that he has seen the hummingbird a couple of times. Guess who is now in the market for a hummingbird feeder? This is where I would love to receive any advice any of you may have regarding hummingbird feeders, the nectar and the overall care and maintenance of the feeder. I am rather excited at the thought of a hummingbird visiting my herb garden.

... before I forget, the little guy had a wonderful iridescent pink head and green body, so I am guessing that it is an Anna's hummingbird, like the one in this picture:

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

UPDATE: WEEK 28
Kilometers walked this week: 62.3
Kilometers walked in total: 1,328.75
Current province: (AB)
My current location on the map: East of Gleichen and heading for Bassano
Points of interest along the way:Not much to report scenery-wise as this is pretty much open flat/farm land once one gets past Strathmore. The kind of roads that make dangerous driving if tired because the road is straight - for miles! - and other than the occasional livestock, there is not much happening. Also makes it hell to drive in a snowstorm because there are no hills/trees, etc to try and prevent whiteout conditions from occurring. I am super stoked that I managed to walk the KM I did this week!

It's nice to see your herbs thriving. I'm ready for some rosemary-free food though. I think every restaurant we went to seemed to put rosemary in everything. I like rosemary, but I like a little more variety in flavor.

If I could grow anything in my garden it would have to be lemongrass and basil, oh, and coriander. Those Thai flavours are hard to come by as need lots of consistent heat and water. Here this last 10 days or so we have had 4 days of very cool and rainy weather, followed by 5 of 30degC + weather. The garden doesn't know whether its coming or going!

Hi Lori, great new thread! Your herbs are doing wonderfully well!

I see you're taking the Canadian author challenge and will embark on some Robertson Davies. Good on you! Ashamed to say I've not read any of his work. That must change!

Dropping my star and will, of course, be lurking and haunting and posting and ... btw, did you move your fainting couch over from last thread?

>36 lkernagh: Sorry you were sick and then ended up working on your carpet instead of relaxing! But at least you got some reading done. :)

Happy new thread, and I hope you have a great week ahead.

The Thyme can cope with being cut to a convenient shape to allow growth where you want it. They can become a bit leggy otherwise. Mine is in the garden and is as much a floor cover as a useful plant. I just go round and cut it to shape before it starts to put on new growth.
Sage (when it gets that far) is another that responds well to a good haircut.
What a delightful little bird!

Wow! I love your balcony garden. I really love to cook with fresh herbs. It looks like you will have a bumper crop the year!

Bad news: It is official. I have a head cold.



Good thing I don't have to work today. We will see how I am feeling tomorrow. I did manage to finish the Anne Tyler book and write a quick review last night.

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

>42 thornton37814: - I am with you on variety of seasonings, Lori. I love rosemary but I usually reserve it for savory beef/lamb dishes and when I want to make a fancy bread.

>43 LovingLit: - I would love to grow lemongrass! Basil I do grow but as you say, it like the heat and I haven't started any new plant seedlings indoors yet. I must get around to that at some point. Sounds like your "end of summer/ start of fall" is like our winter right now. Crazy weather. Poor plants. They must be super confused!

>44 lit_chick: - Hi Nancy! Yes, I am finally taking the plunge and about to read my first Robertson Davies. I am only 10 pages into Fifth Business so not far enough along to make any kind of judgement.

... bugger.... I knew I had left something over on the last thread.

*Huffing, grunting and furniture moving noises ensue* Here it is!



*promptly collapses on couch*

>45 The_Hibernator: - Thanks Rachel! I hate being sick but I hate a dirty carpet even more... especially one that would emit sour milk smells. ;-(

>46 Helenliz: - Thanks Helen! I like giving plants a good pruning/haircut. Good to know I won't kill them off in the process.

>47 Berly: - Last year's crop was amazing, Kim. If I can repeat that this year, I will be one happy gardener. Pictures of last year's garden can be found by clicking this link

Book #5 - The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, AAC
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: Title uses wordplay
WomanBingoKIT: By a woman published before 2000
Source: GVPL
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1972
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 320 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the book back cover:

Mrs. Pamela Emerson as three months into widowhood, living alone far outside Baltimore, in a house full of ticking, chiming clocks - and the constant reminder of time and loss. Then she hired Elizabeth Abbott, with her rundown moccasins and "come what way" disposition, to be a handyman around the yeard. They were two opposites but would come to fit neatly together like pieces of a puzzle. But what that puzzle would make remained to be seen...

Review:
My first foray into Anne Tyler's books was Digging to America, which I gave a very generous 2 stars, and promptly decided to never read another Anne Tyler book. Thanks to a certain warbler's author challenge, I decided to give Tyler one more chance. I scoured the local library's offerings and did not like any of the story summaries until I stumbled across the one for The Clock Winder, which gave me a fleeting nostalgic reminder of another quirky family story I had read years ago, the author and title of that story alludes me at the moment. Dysfunctional families make for wonderful storytelling, provided one doesn't go overboard or leave the reading hanging half off of cliff of expectation. Tyler has created a somewhat believable family in the Emersons - although I have to admit that Andrew is one character that seems like a random wildcard thrown in to the mix of otherwise more-or-less normal family members. I felt more of a connection with Mrs. Emerson than with Elizabeth... Elizabeth as a character did strike me as too secretive (Tyler chooses to allow Elizabeth to remain a bit of an enigma) and the ending was one of those "Say what?" moments but for the most part I was intrigued by the interaction of the various characters. As one reviewer here on LT put it, "The Clock Winder is what happens when people make lasting impressions." Favorite quote from the book:

"Maybe they're right," he said. "You shouldn't hope for anything from someone that much different from your family."
"You should if your family doesn't have it," said Gillespie.

Overall, I am glad to have had the opportunity to give Tyler another chance, even if a number of Anne Tyler fans feels that this is one of her poorer works. For me, it is a rough diamond that with some polish, could be quite a gem.

>48 lkernagh: Sorry about your cold, Lori. But happy new thread! I am impressed with your herb garden - I wouldn't have a clue.

Get well soon, Lori. I love your herbs. They are doing great.

>39 lkernagh: Woo hoo for making it past the half way mark for W&P!

>48 lkernagh: Sorry to hear you have a cold. Hope you feel better soon :-(

>51 susanj67:, >52 Ameise1: and >53 souloftherose: - Thanks Susan, Barbara and Heather. I am spending the day on the couch drinking honey lemon ginger tea and eating chicken noodle soup. The brain is too fuzzy for reading.

>51 susanj67: and >52 Ameise1: - Good thing the herbs seem capable of more or less taking care of themselves when it is rainy. I did remember that proper drainage is key when I planted them and now I am really happy I did!

>53 souloftherose: - W&P is going better than I expected.... even the rather long-winded war bits have been able to keep my interest.

Sorry to hear that you have a head cold - hope you feel better soon. Honey and hot orange is the house remedy, any good?

I got the title of my book wrong (sorry!) It's The Old Ways although he (Robert MacFarlane) has written several about wilderness and mountains too. I've just got to a chapter where he's walking on a tidal path out into a bay. Rather him than me, is all I can say. I love your hummingbird. *So* jealous.

Get well soon!

Great review of the Anne Tyler, Lori. My first experience with her was A Spool of Blue Thread. I enjoyed it, but certainly not as much as many others, and did not find it prizeworthy. But our differences keep us interesting.

Oh, you made me laugh struggling to move our fainting couch! But I'm glad to see it. Having a batsh-t crazy Monday. I needed to collapse for a few minutes.

Love your thread topper picture. Gorgeous! Looks like a picture heading north on the Malahat Hwy on a snowy day.
I just checked and I have read 3 Tyler books but a very long time ago, A ladder of years, Morgan's passing and Digging to America. Should I read more?
Hope you're feeling better. The sun is trying to shine. Hurrah!

I'm sorry to hear about your head cold, Lori. I hope that you feel better soon.

Nice herb garden!

Nice review of the Anne Tyler. I'm supposed to be reading A Spool of Blue Thread this month, but I suspect that I won't get to it until February or later.

I so need a fainting couch! Either that our my husband and I need to replace our couch with an ugly Lazy -Boy double person couch. Our couch gets really crowded with me stretched out on it, the dog takes up a lot of space and my husband is forced to sit up right. We do have a love seat, but it is usually covered with clothes that need putting away. Poppy the dog took over that one chair that Dave used to use . She rules that house.

Sorry that The Clock Winder did not work out for you . I really did love A Spool of Blue Thread . Maybe?

Re the Lovegrove book on Nancy's thread - a book I loved too. As I understand it, JW's earn " points to heaven " by knocking on doors and standing out on the streets with their pamphlets. I think they like to get it over with early, and perhaps when fewer people are around to witness things. I admire their commitment, but I sure dislike it when they come to my door. I think my yappy dog has turned them off ! :)

I had a bit of a rough night with it but I am at least showing signs of being on the mend. Feeling up to dragging myself into the office this morning, if anything, to pick up and bring home my work laptop so I can work from home.

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

>55 charl08: - Thanks Charlotte. Honey and hot orange sounds good. My other half makes a spiked toddy of black tea, honey, fresh lemon slice, black pepper and a generous helping of scotch. It does help me sleep, but that is probably the scotch.

Lol on the title! I am with you.... I wouldn't be walking on a tidal path into a bay. I am no good at reading tide tables. That has 'disaster' written all over it!

>56 lit_chick: - Our differences in reading tastes are good for the variety of reviews that are produced, that is for sure, Nancy. Sure glad I managed to move over the fainting couch. Let me know if you need a cup of tea or anything.

>57 mdoris: - Hi Mary! Well, I cannot really say whether or not you should read any more Anne Tyler. I won't be racing out to pick up one of her books but if I find one lying around and I am *gasp!* someplace without a book of my own to read, I would probably pick it up. Better than nothing to read at all.

I am feeling a little better. I just need to pace myself. I figure if I can get through the morning at the office and then head home with my computer, it will all be good.

>58 kidzdoc: - Thanks Darryl. The home remedies like the hot toddy I mentioned to Charlotte above are helping. I am hopeful the herb garden will be in full swing earlier this year. I am rather excited how many of the herbs don't just last one season and then die off.

Anne Tyler continues to be a 'hit and miss' writer for me but at least with this last read, I can understand why some readers are so taken with her stories.

>59 vancouverdeb: - Well Deb, you are welcome to come on over and use the fainting couch whenever you like, provided no one else is using it already. I really need to get a nice tea table to put beside it. Must look into that. ;-)

I am not sure if you can convince me to add A Spool of Blue Thread to my reading pile, Deb. Maybe when I find myself running short of books to read..... not sure that is going to happen anytime soon.

>60 vancouverdeb: - That would explain the JW displays I keep on encountering. What is interesting about the JW is they used to approach people waiting in bus shelters - I have been approached more than once while waiting for the bus - but they stopped doing that and went for this passive display route. I prefer the passive display setup route, as I am sure Poppy would.

Lori--Sorry you are still under the weather. Hope the computer grab goes smoothly today and that you get your fair share of time on the fainting couch. I may join you later. The Prednisone kicked in and I couldn't go to sleep and then I woke up early. Only 4 hours of sleep, which in not near enough for me!

Hi Lori, sorry about the cold - get better soon!
Lovely herb garden! I'm always unlucky (read: impatient) with my herbs, the only one that has survived more than 2 years is my rosemary. Do you have any experience with cilantro/coriander? I find it here only very rarely and in a pot, but is always dies on me within days.

>64 Berly: and >65 Deern: - Thanks Kim and Nathalie! Head cold has decided to stick around for a while so I will be working from home for at least today and tomorrow. I am rather happy to have that option. I look and sound like death warmed over but nobody I correspond with via email will know that... or the fact that I am going to work in my pajamas today. ;-)

>64 Berly: - Sorry to hear that a side effect of the medication is insomnia! Poor you. Like you, I need my sleep or I am one cranky person!

>65 Deern: - The herb garden seems to be a happy garden, even when I neglect it. ;-) I have been able to grow cilantro but that is one of the herbs that frustrates me as it quickly goes to bolt and I have to start a new plant. I can keep the cilantro going for about 2 months but I think that is the longest I have kept the plant going.

Lori, I hope that you are feeling better today. Head colds are no fun. LOVED seeing your herb garden - I had one for the first time last year, and i let the basil and coriander get away from me. I didn't know I needed to keep cutting them back. I am hoping to do even better with it this year - I really loved just walking out to the container garden and collecting what I needed.

So sorry to hear about your cold, Lori, but the herbs are sure looking good!

>67 Crazymamie: - Thanks Mamie. I will take a head cold over a flu bug any day but it still makes me feel 'blah'. Yay for you having a herb garden! They are so much fun and low maintenance, or at least I find most herbs to be low maintenance. The best part of having a herb garden is the reason you gave: I really loved just walking out to the container garden and collecting what I needed. I found that the first place I would head once home from work was the herb garden to collect fresh herbs for dinner and to check all of the plants. Very therapeutic way to 'shut down' from the workday.

>68 mstrust: - Thanks Jennifer! I have my fingers crossed the worst is past and it is just a matter of sending the cold on its way.

>69 ronincats: - Thanks Roni! I wish I had a big enough space for things like snap peas and tomato plants but the balcony isn't big enough for everything I want to grow.

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

The head cold has been contained to a continually running nose and the sneezing so besides feeling a bit under the weather, my main battle is the chapped skin starting to form around my nose and my chapped lips. Working from home today was a godsend as I was able to sleep in and pretty much just rolled out of bed and powered up the laptop. Probably do the same tomorrow and then I should be healthy enough to return to the office without the risk of being chased back home again.

So nice to be able to work from home when you're sick! Hope you're feeling better!

Love your herbs. I miss my herbs in the winter. I love being able to step outside and pinch fresh herbs but will have to wait for spring. I was able to move parsley into the kitchen until it finally gave out a few weeks ago.

I'm also reading Fifth Business!

Your herbs are a lovely sight, Lori. And what a beautiful hummingbird. Our temps get too cold here to see any new growth on plants, but my lilac buds let me know that spring will be here someday. I hope you get over your cold soon!

I also hope that Robertson Davies is a new favorite author for you. I feel much the same as you about Anne Tyler. Hit and miss for me, too.

Good morning, Lori. I'm sorry you are feeling under the weather and I hope you feel better soon. As you say, a head cold isn't the worst thing but they can still be miserable.

I started reading The Manticore last night and had to force myself to put it down and turn off the light. I will be moving on to World of Wonders without delay. I think Robertson Davies might be working his way toward my "favorite authors" list!

Lori, I meant to mention when I was here before that we have several hummingbird feeders that get a lot of traffic. Craig just makes a simple syrup solution with sugar and water on the stove, let's it cool and then fills the feeders. You can drop a bit of food coloring in there if you want to be able to see the level of it easily. For the feeders, we have this fancy one, which Craig just treated himself to last summer:



We also have one that looks like this:



The birds don't care - they are perfectly happy with both.

>71 Copperskye: - I don't like to make it a habit to work from home as one can feel disconnected from the rest of your work colleagues but when sick, it is a privilege I am so, soooo happy to have available to me. It sure does make it easier to pace yourself and, my personal favorite from this week, to take a well-needed nap during the lunch-hour. I have never rebounded from a cold so fast as I have from this one.

Here is hoping that spring comes early for you Joanne so you can enjoy your fresh herbs all that much sooner! Fifth Business continues to captivate me. I am 170 pages in and will probably finish the book tonight, or tomorrow night. Robertson Davies has already been added to my 'must read' author list. ;-)

>72 Donna828: - I love lilacs! Here on the island the spring season announcements come in the following order: snow drops, cherry blossoms, lilacs and then pretty much everything else. I saw snowdrops last week.

Yes, Robertson Davies has made "The List". ;-)

>73 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen! As I mentioned to Joanne, I have rebounded faster from this cold than I have from previous colds so I am a very happy girl!

Yay for more Robertson Davies love! I am so glad he was one of the CAC January authors, otherwise I would still be none the wiser to his gift at writing.

>74 Crazymamie: - Wow... I had no idea that hummingbird feeders could look so pretty! I then had to laugh when I scrolled to the bottom of the pictures and read your comment "The birds don't care - they are perfectly happy with both." I guess for birds as pretty as hummingbirds are, what do they care about the aesthetic qualities of the feeder... they probably just care about the quality of the nectar!

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

Happy Thursday everyone! Today was a great day. I am well on the way to recovery from my cold... in fact, I should be back to 100% by Saturday. Today was also a great day in that a file that had suddenly taken a nasty side turn over the past couple of days - enough to put in jeopardy work that has been done for the past 12 months - suddenly made a wonderful course correction (orchestrated in the background by yours truly) late this afternoon and the file is now back on proper course and smooth sailing. I don't usually get demonstratively excited about things like this when I am in the office but since I was working from home, I treated myself to a little victory dance after reading the 'good news' email. ;-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Friday, Lori!

HI Lori, wishing you a wonderful weekend too! Hope you are feeling better.

Loved seeing the hummingbirds pics on your thread. We have anna and rufous hummingbirds that come to visit and slurp up the sugar water we provide. I think the anna sticks around on the coast in winter. Apparently 80% of their diet is bugs.

>76 lkernagh: Shame that video evidence does not exist of any victory dance!

Have a lovely weekend, Lori and good to see your cold disappearing. xx

Yay for beating the cold and for the file turnaround!

Hi Lori, I'm so sorry you've been battling a cold, but it sounds as though you're on the mend. We've been battling the bug as well. Hope you can enjoy your weekend. Ours *might* be a long one... we'll see!

>50 lkernagh: Nice review of The clock Winder. I forgot to mention in my review the interesting concept of changing Elizabeth's name to Gillespie when she joins the family. It's like it indicated a sea change in her character or something. But that's pretty analytical for me. Lol

Loving the herb garden photos. I only have mint and basil in my windowsill, and they keep having problems with those tiny little red bugs. And they're overgrown like crazy, my basil is something like 2 feet tall and leggy with only a few leaves at the top...I have no idea how to care for plants, so I didn't even think of cutting them back. Would that help? I feel like basil is so temperamental, I don't want to kill it but on the other hand it's getting unmanageable. The mint, however, is growing long and flexible branches like a vine, with growth all over...it's a weird plant. I thought I killed it last summer and then about a month later, it had new growth and then exploded. All the leaves are still little baby ones, though. Plants are so weird!!!

I'm glad you're feeling better, here's to a healthy weekend!

>85 Crazymamie: Faith, you have to cut that basil back! You can find videos on you-tube that are very helpful - you cut right ahead of new growth.

Morning, Lori!

Hi Lori! I'm a little envious of your hummingbird. I love birds!

I keep thinking I'm going to get some bird feeders to put outside so the kittens can enjoy watching birds. Of course, I'll need plants that would attract some of them too, but my yard is mostly rock. That's the bad part of living in the mountains.

>84 dk_phoenix: Oh gosh! Okay, I will do that today for sure! Thanks!

>77 DianaNL: - Thanks for the wonderful smiley face, Diana!

>78 Crazymamie: - Thanks Mamie! Friday was a good, if somewhat crazy day. TGF weekends, that is all I can say.

>79 mdoris: - Hi Mary, the weekend has been great. Weather sucks, but oh well, not much I can do about that. I am back to 100% from my cold, but I managed to walk up with a Charlie Horse in my left calf muscle early Saturday morning and the muscle is still not a happy camper. I feel like I am falling apart at the seems.... last month it was my shoulder, then a head cold and now this. *sighs*

>80 PaulCranswick: - Ha... trust, would make darn sure there is no video evidence of my happy/victory dance. I can say with some confidence that it did NOT look anything like the Elaine Benes dance. ;-)

>81 Berly: - Thank Kim! As I mentioned to Mary above, I see to be a magnet for ailments these past two months. Hopefully, the rule of threes also applies to health issues.

>82 AMQS: - That darn cold bug has been quite the active traveler! Sorry to read that your family has also inadvertently befriended the bug, Anne. I hope everyone is feeling better.

>83 nittnut: - Hi Jenn! That whole name change in The Clock Winder confused me at first so I like your take on it... that it indicated a sea change in her character. Like you, I prefer to enjoy a story for its story value. I was never any good when we had to get all analytical about books in school, digging for that deeper meaning the author was communicating. ;-)

>84 dk_phoenix: and >85 Crazymamie: - Happily, Mamie stepped in and provided you with a great suggestion in caring for the basil. Thanks Mamie! As for mint, glad to learn that you have it in a container. Mint will take over your garden if you let it. My mint plant has that vine/snakelike quality to it in that it looks like it is trying to find a way out of the container.... just hasn't figured out the growing upwards part yet. ;-)

>86 cbl_tn: - Hi Carrie, I am so hopeful that the hummingbird will return. I bought a hummingbird feeder yesterday and got it all set up with fresh nectar. I understand from some web research that it can take hummingbirds some time to locate a new feeder so I don't know if I will see any bird feeder attraction happening right away. I am more hopeful that when the warmer weather comes, the birds will have found the feeder and I can enjoy watching them.

>87 thornton37814: - I can see the kittens becoming fascinated with any visitors a bird feeder would attract, Lori! Do you have any potted plants that you can situate close to the feeder? Not sure if that would help attract the birds at all... I was a bit surprised that my herb garden attracted butterflies... of course, it also attracted one yellow jacket that seemed to come around whenever I was watering the herbs. Stupid bug. ;-)

--------------------------------
Happy Sunday everyone! Weekend has been the usual - too short for all that I want to pack into it. I am officially recovered from the head cold, and now dealing with a sore left calf muscle as I mentioned to Mary above. I bought a hummingbird feeder yesterday - super excited about that! The store I went to had a good selection of some really beautiful ones - with some nice price tags! - but I decided to go with the second one in Mamie's >74 Crazymamie: post.

I also decided yesterday to get started on new Basil, Cilantro(coriander) and Dill plants. Those are now germinating near the sunny window. Will probably see some greenery sprouting up in 2-4 weeks.

Other than that, this weekend is about baking as I have 5 bananas that I need to do something with. Will make my usual banana pecan muffins and will probably try a some kind of banana chocolate loaf.

Book #6 - Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, CAC
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1970
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 257 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Ramsay is a man twice born, a man who has returned from the hell of the battle-grave at Passchendaele in World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross and destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As Ramsay tells his story, it begins to seem that from boyhood, he has exerted a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious, influence on those around him. His apparently innocent involvement in such innocuous events as the throwing of a snowball or the teaching of card tricks to a small boy in the end prove neither innocent nor innocuous.

Review:
Not much I can say that hasn't already been said by others. Davies has a wonderfully accessible writing style. He brings lofty topics like religion, sainthood, philosophy and morality to his story without going all "high-brow". He also has a way with words that I found engaging... I felt as though Ramsey was laying plain his life story directly to me, like a conversation between two people sitting around a kitchen table over a cup of coffee. Don't get me wrong, though... this is anything but a simple, straightforward story. Davies knows how to write in a way that kept me wanting to read more so it came as no surprise to me that I managed to read the entire book in the course of three evenings. I love the idea of the 'Fifth Business' - that one cannot make the plot work unless there is a odd member of the cast that has no rival/partner but carries the twist of the plot as he is the one who know a secret the others do not - and can understand why Davies chose this as the title for his story.

Robertson Davies is undoubtedly one of the pillars mentioned whenever a conversation of noteworthy Canadian authors comes up and it is that reputation of lofty acclaim that always held me back from attempting to read any of his books... I was afraid his books would be filled with topics that would go over my head, making me feel inadequate as a reader. I no longer have those thoughts/fears. I now happily and excitedly look forward to reading everything Davies has written.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

UPDATE: WEEK 29
Kilometers walked this week: 16.3
Kilometers walked in total: 1,345.05
Current province: (AB)
My current location on the map: Still east of Gleichen and heading for Bassano
Points of interest along the way:Being sidelined by a head cold for most of the week means little walking occurred. Will try make up for this lax week during Week 30, unless my sore calf muscle decides otherwise.

Weekly Reading Update:

- Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
On hold until February 20th or until I finish my read of War and Peace.... which ever comes first.

- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
A great week for War and Peace. I am currently at Book 11/Chapter 12 (1139 pages or 42 hours, 19 minutes into this 1634 page/60 hour ginormous read).... At my current 'listening pace, I should be able to finish War and Peace by mid-February. ;-)

- In the Woods by Tana French
Started reading it last night... not far enough in for any analysis of like/dislike.

Next Up:
Undecided

JANUARY RE-CAP:

BOOKS READ (ranked from most to least favorite):
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies - 4.70 /
The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa - 4.40 /
The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill - 3.90 /
The Clock Winder by Anne Taylor - 3.70 /
The Wikipedia Revolution by Andrew Lih - 3.50 /
Uncle Bob's Red Flannel Bible Camp: From Eden to the Ark by Steve Vernon - 3.30 /

January STATS:
# of Books Completed: 6
# of Pages Read: 2,535 - includes the 1,139 pages I have read so far in War and Peace, but does not include the pittance (some 45 pages) I have read so far in Clarissa.
Average pages read per day: 81.77
Books still in progress at the end of the month: War and Peace, Clarissa and In the Woods.

Favorite Cover

Not only is this a wonderful, richly colourful cover, it is a perfect fit for the story, right down to capturing the image of the 'storyteller'.

Fabulous review of Fifth Business, Lori. I've yet to read any Robertson Davies, but you encourage me to start with this one.

You're doing so well on your cross-Canada trek! And 16+ km this week in spite of being so ill. Good on you!

All caught up with you, Lori! Congrats on your hummingbird feeder purchase. And hooray for basil, cilantro and dill - those are probably the herbs I use most along with parsley and thyme.

Nice review of Fifth Business - I am reading that currently and liking it very much.

Very nice progress in W&P! WahHOO for you! And I was excited to see that you have started In the Woods - I really loved that one. So good.

And nice stats!! I love seeing what people choose to keep track of for their reading journeys.

Enjoy the rest of Your Sunday evening. Hoping that Monday morning is kind to you.

42 Hours into W&P! Wow. That's audio stamina.

Your walking tour is still looking good, and fingers crossed the hummingbirds find you soon. I've been feeding regularly with a range of good bird seeds for about 12-18 months, and the ones we started with (Robins, blackbirds and the occasional great tit) have gradually been joined by chaffinches, coal tits (my favourite because they are so small) and once or twice goldfinches and long tailed tits. I read an article this week that said that some European birds are even changing their migration habits because they can rely on food in British gardens. Kind of odd, but given the problems of some species, reassuring there's some back up.

Hi Lori! I'm late to this thread, but I love the thread opener! :)

Glad you had a good weekend and your head cold is gone!

>95 lkernagh: That IS a pretty awesome cover. (:

>92 lkernagh: Lovely review, Lori. I've read some Robertson Davies and recall liking it a great deal. I hadn't read this one, but am quite intrigued. Shall have to dig around n the library and see what I find.

>96 lit_chick: - Nancy, I can highly recommend Fifth Business as a book worthy of reading! Now if only I can motivate myself to walk into work this morning... I can hear people outside scraping the frost of their car windows. ;-)

>97 Crazymamie: - I am soo excited about the hummingbird feeder, Mamie! I waffled a bit in the store but finally decided I didn't want one that could break easily if blowing in one of our high wind days - A drop from the 4th floor to the ground is a fair distance to do some damage. Fifth Business is such a great read! Glad to see you are also liking it. I am now 50 pages into In the Woods and I am starting to see why this one has so many followers here on LT. Stats are pretty pared down at the moment.... just was not sure what kind of stats I want to track this year. Sunday was good and I have my fingers crossed that Monday will also be good. I hate starting the work week off on a bad day.

>98 charl08: - Well, 48 hours over 4 weeks but still, I agree with you Charlotte... audio stamina is needed for this one! I keep staring at the hours left to go and I find myself groaning a little bit. It will be good to get this one finished! How wonderful that you have seen such a variety of birds visiting your bird feeders! Interesting about the article but I wonder if other factors also are involved... I think we can honestly say that weather conditions are not as predictable as they used to be 20 years ago.... maybe animal migratory patterns are changing due to this. I know over here they have been reporting certain types of sea life that are not usually found this far north.

>99 Ape: - Hi Stephen!

>100 The_Hibernator: - Thanks Rachel! I am super happy the cold did not hang around for very long. Great cover for a great book. ;-)

>101 michigantrumpet:- Hi Marianne, just be warned that Fifth Business is first book in a trilogy. I am already on the hunt for the other two books. ;-)

February Reading List: (subject to change)
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson - Personal year long read - ongoing
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - Three month group read - ongoing
In the Woods by Tana French - Blind date with a Book read - in progress
Straight Man by Richard Russo - AAC read
The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie - BAC read
Afterimage by Helen Humphreys - CAC read
God's Debris by Scott Adams (Yes, 'The' Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert) - DeweyCAT read

February GeoCAT (Central Asia) possibilities:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Afghanistan

February RandomCAT (It takes Two) possibilities:
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
Leon and Louise by Alex Capus

FebruarySF/SFF KIT (Published in last 5 years) / Fantasy February possibilities:
Rise of the Dragons by Morgan Rice
Driftmetal by J.C. Staudt
Einstein Must Die!: Fate of Nations by Chris Kohout
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Our library has the first in the Cornish Trilogy in audio but not the Deptford one that Fifth Business is in. The books they have in print don't sound quite as fascinating. I didn't make it to him last month so I'm not in a hurry to get to it. I might try the audio one when I have some long drives all in one month, such as in March, but I may have something that fits the March challenges I'd rather do then. I'll just have to see.

Wow Lori - Clarissa AND War and Peace! Impressive. I love the cover for The Storyteller.

I will definitely get to Davies soon.

Nice looking February list, Lori!

Hi, Lori! We may be around the same place in W & P. I am also listening to it. Hope, to finish it by the end of the week.

I hope you enjoy In the Woods. I loved it and it launched such a good series.

Morning, Lori! I can't believe I haven't visited your "new"thread before today! I am happy to see your walk is progressing nicely, your head cold is clearing up and your rocking W&P! I'm on page 1040 and can't wait finish it and get on with my life! I've put other books on hold just to dedicate all my time to it.
My eyes thank your for that little bit of green foliage. It does a heart good.

Happy Tuesday, Lori!

>103 lkernagh: Hmmm.... A trilogy you say? May have to hold off -- intriguing as it seemed --- I'm up to *here* with unfinished series at the moment.

Glad you found a copy of In the Woods. You are such an organized reader! I think I will read The Frozen Thames this month, and I have procured a second hand copy of Empire Falls. I have a couple of books out from the library and I'll decide whether I those are worthy contender for February. Bravo on War and Peace.

Great review of Fifth Business I haven't read anything by Davies, but I think I am now convinced that I should.

Hi Lori - just a quick stop to say hi. Herbs, books, walking, colds. All interesting reading.

I just bought Clarissa, Kindle Edition, for $1.99. Perhaps one of these days.....

Hi Lori! Glad you are fully recovered. We're getting there:) Loved your review of Fifth Business I'll add it to my list!

>40 lkernagh: How did I manage not to comment on your herb garden and hummingbird? I've actually looked at it several times. I wouldn't've expected a hummingbird up so high. Cool!

Morning, Lori! Good thinking with your choice of hummingbird feeder. I like your February reading possibilities. I read The Kite Runner many years ago, and while it was beautifully written, it was also hard reading in some places. Still can't get some of those images out of my head. It's one I loved but will never read again.

Happy Wednesday to you!

#116 Crazymamie - I agree about The Kite Runner - lyrical and beautiful and hard reading in some places. My RL bookclub is reading And the Mountains Echoed by the same author in April for the May bookclub, and I'm sorta dreading it. (of course, I abandon books with glee if they don't appeal.....)

We have 4 hummingbird feeders, all the same and inexpensive, that the hummers seem to love. We don't color the sugar-water mix. There is enough red and yellow on the feeders themselves to attract these fascinating birds.

>117 karenmarie: I made it halfway through A Thousand Splendid Suns and then donated it to the library. No more Khaled Hosseini for me - it gets in my head and I can't get it out again. His writing is gorgeous, though, and he has a way with a story.

We don't put color in the hummingbird feeders mix either, now that the feeders hang so close to the house, but when we did it wasn't to attract the birds - it was so that we could easily see where the level was at, so we knew when to refill it.

I'll be interested in your comments on In the Woods, Lori. I thought it was quite well done.

We have a very small, innocuous hummingbird feeder and it gets lots of traffic. If we let the liquid level go down too far, they scold us. Which reminds me, since I'm taking a sick day and that means I'm home during the daylight on a weekday, I should check the feeder!

I'm so far behind. I just try to catch up with threads. I wish you a lovely day, Lori.

Just getting caught up here, Lori! Glad you're enjoying In the Woods - it's a great series. And your February list looks excellent.

>92 lkernagh: I now happily and excitedly look forward to reading everything Davies has written. Excellent idea, Lori. I knew you would like his books. I'm currently working on your plan to read more Davies. I will also be joining you in reading The Frozen Thames this month. I've been looking forward to it for a long time now. Happy weekend to you!

Ooh, there's a group read for The Frozen Thames?

Happy weekend, Lori.

Hi, Lori! I'm glad you recovered quickly from your cold.

Fifth Business sounds like a fascinating read. I like your review of it!

I fell far behind while on vacation, Lori, but I'm glad things are going well around here.

Happy Sunday Lori! Great review of Fifth Business, and you're making great progress on W&P. I admire you for listening to it. When I see that more than 9hrs listening time I rarely buy the audio and chose eye-reading. And then I find myself once again without audio book while doing some long and boring office task and scold me for not getting this and that book as audio. :)

Thanks everyone for keeping my thread going in my absence. It was a super busy week, including a rather full day on Friday at work - why does that always happen in the lead up to a long weekend? - but a good one, so no complaints. For those of you not resident to BC, it is a three-day weekend here (Family Day holiday on Monday) so I am really looking forward to some down time and some reading time.

I will get to individual responses but first...

I FINISHED WAR AND PEACE!

Once I realized I could see the finish line in the distance, I plowed through the last 200 pages (roughly 7 hours of audio reading time). I am sooo happy to have made it through W&P. I have attempted to read this "Big Boy" at least a dozen times over the past 30 years so, abandoning the book at various early stages each time. Big check mark for this completion!

On the hummingbird feeder front, I am excited to say that I witnessed a hummingbird at the feeder yesterday afternoon, one hour after I had cleaned and replaced the feeder with fresh nectar, and again this morning. I had read online that it can takes weeks for hummingbirds to locate a new feeder in their area and being four stories up, I was wondering just how many hummingbirds the feeder would attract, but having seen one at the feeder with my own eyes, I know at least one hummingbird knows where to find the feeder. That is good enough for me. My other half did tell me that he has seen what he called sparrows around the feeder, but those could be starlings as starlings are a rather abundant species of bird found here on the island.

Superbowl Sunday means a relaxing day of reading and LT time for me.

>105 thornton37814: - The books they have in print don't sound quite as fascinating. I think you have hit the nail on the head with that sentence, Lori. Reading the book cover summaries of Robertson Davies books, the stories never appealed to me as a reader. I am also not a fan of the artwork on the majority of his books. I know, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I am a firm believer that a good cover is one that properly conveys the story or at least one aspect of the story inside. I was just reminded over on my Category Challenge thread that the Category Challenge is having a second quarter group read of Robertson Davies books, so we both might glean some further insight into his stories there.

>106 BLBera: - Thanks Beth! Now that W&P is finished, I can go back to Clarissa. I do like starting the year off with a chunkster read... something about reading classical literature in the dead of winter seems, I don't know, appropriate. ;-) When the Category Challenge group sets up the Robertson Davies (April to June) group read thread, I will post a link here for anyone interested in joining in. The more the merrier!

>107 scaifea: - Thanks Amber! The really test will be seeing just how many of those books I am able to read in this short month, even if this is a leap year.

>108 msf59: - Hi Mark, sounds like you have been flying through W&P! Good for you! Tolstoy has a way with spinning a story. I just wish he would reign in his desires for getting all philosophical.

>109 Carmenere: - Hi Lynda, glad to see you here! I hear you on placing other reading on hold while working your way through W&P. Nice to get back to 'regular' reading. ;-) Glad to see the garden pics are appreciated. I continue to be amazed at how the garden just got down to the business of growing while my mind is still stuck in winter.

>110 michigantrumpet: - Hi Marianne! Yup, a trilogy. Davies can write bit, always a challenge when the thought of enjoyment of one book can snowball into other books to read. I am scared to look at my series stats. I think I am only 'up to date' on two series.... sad, isn't it?

>111 vancouverdeb: - Hi Deb, The Frozen Thames is a goodie of a read! I think you will really enjoy it. I do recommend that you have a cup of something hot to drink at you side as you are reading. Humphreys is rather good at conveying the freezing cold in that one!

>112 banjo123: - Thanks Rhonda. Yes, do give one of Robertson Davies stories a go, if you have the chance.

>113 karenmarie: - Hi Karen, thanks for stopping by! Love those rock bottom e-book prices.... soooo tempting. At least with the e-book, you won't have to worry about lugging some great big book (and the reason why I am reading e-books and not physical books for my Clarissa read).

>114 AMQS: - Hi Anne. Glad to see your household is on the mend. It has been a rather bad flu/cold season this year. It has been making the rounds through the office something fierce.

>115 qebo: - Thanks Katherine! The herb garden is rebounding beautifully. I need to review my gardening thread. I may do that later this weekend. As for the hummingbird... I continue to be amazed every time I see the little guy. I think a number of my neighbors have flowers on their balconies so that may also provide some attraction for the hummingbirds.

>116 Crazymamie: - Hi Mamie, good to know about your experience reading The Kite Runner. Always best to read certain content with a bit of forewarning in hand. Happy Superbowl Sunday to you! I am pretty sure the game will be on in your household. ;-)

>117 karenmarie: and >118 Crazymamie: - I also don't colour the sugar water mix. I was surprised to see the feeder came with a package of nectar mix that had the red food dye colouring. I didn't use it and kind of glad I didn't.

>119 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen, In the Woods is going good so far. I like the fact that while it is still a police procedural, it doesn't have the overall dark, gritty and disturbing tone I find in other books of the same genre.

I am loving that a number of LT folks have hummingbird feeders! I had no idea that the hummingbirds could scold, but why not, considering other animals are able to display their displeasure at some of the stuff we humans do or forget to do. ;-)

>120 Ameise1: - Hi Barbara, I am so far behind with LT, it isn't even funny. Glad to see you stopping by!

>121 katiekrug: - Hi Katie! I always get a little worried when a first book in a series grabs me.... it means more books get added to the ever growing reading pile. Good thing I own two other books in the series... or do I own three? Cannot remember.

>122 Donna828: - Hi Donna. Yup, Robertson Davies is firmly on the author reading list. For the CAC I will be reading Afterimage but as I mentioned to Deb above (who will be reading The Frozen Thames, it is a great story and try and plan to have a hot drink beside you as you are reading it to keep you warm. ;-)

>123 mstrust: - I am not aware of a group read of The Frozen Thames but I think that would be a great idea.

>124 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara! Love the image!

>125 tymfos: - Hi Terri! I don't usually recover from a cold so quickly so I am also really happy about that! Thanks, Fifth Business is a great story.

>126 MickyFine: - Hi Micky, I think it is really easy to fall behind with LT but vacation.... perfect reason the fall behind! I hope your move is going well!

>127 Deern: - Hi Nathalie! I was happy to be able to download the audiobook of W&P through the library system and like you said, while it was a really long read, it is always nice to have something to listen to when doing mundane office chores. ;-)

Book #7 - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - audiobook translation by Contance Garnett, read by Frederick Davidson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Big Tomes
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: Published before you were born
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: e-book/audiobook
Original publication date: 1869
Acquisition date: October 25, 2015
Page count: 1634 pages / 60 hours of listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men. As Napoleon’s army invades, the story follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture.

Review:
I am so glad that the group read afforded me the opportunity to finally buckle down and tackle this one, which has been an albatross of sorts of my previous reading failures. If you, like me, have repeatedly struggled and abandoned reading this one in written form, may I suggest you consider attempting an audioread? Listening to the story as opposed to slogging through a physical read has made all the difference for me. Yes, the story is rather long-winded and I really found the war/battle scenes started to get to me - as did the sections where Tolstoy waxes philosophical on various topics - but I was rather surprised to discover that: 1) Tolstoy has a sense of humor; 2) he does an excellent job conveying his historical analysis of the Napoleonic Wars and where he differs from the viewpoints of historians of his era; and 3) he really knows how to present well-rounded characters for his readers. I admit that I didn't take to all of his characters - thank goodness, I had plenty of characters to develop any love/hate relationship with! - prime examples in the first half of the book being a decided dislike I developed for Natasha and Nickolei. Okay, I admit that it was their youthful idealism that grated with me so I was glad to see then transform into characters worthy of some attention. I really enjoyed witnessing the transformation of a number of characters as the story progressed. I admit there were times when I had a bit of difficulty keeping all of the characters straight in my mind - seriously, the pet names, etc just added to my overall character confusion! Tolstoy, when in story mode (not waxing philosophical or in historical analysis mode), tells a really good story, filled with romance, social status and even a tiny bit of intrigue.

... but I still don't understand why the story had to be so darn long! Seriously, by the time I had reached the epilogues, I was done. That being said, I will probably re-read it at some point, with a focus on the philosophical aspects. Tolstoy does present some interesting arguments. I just wasn't in the mood to focus on those parts on this read.

Overall, really glad to finally be able to strike this one off my reading Bucket List. I think I am now ready to consider tackling Moby Dick.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

UPDATE: WEEK 30
Kilometers walked this week: 50.1
Kilometers walked in total: 1,395.15
Current province: (AB)
My current location on the map: East of Bassano and Lathom Lake, heading for Brooks
Points of interest along the way:Nothing springs to mind. Just prairie land.

Weekly Reading Update:

- Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
On hold until next Sunday.

- In the Woods by Tana French
168 pages in... about to start Chapter 10. Really enjoying the set up, the characters and French's 'cheeky' side that crops up from time to time from Ryan. Favorite quote so far:

"It was a bizarre sensation, after reading her faded handwriting in the old file, to watch her complain about her swollen ankles ("I'm a martyr to them, so I am") and indignantly refuse to let take the tray. It was as if Tutankhamen or Miss Havisham had wandered into the pub one night and started bitching about the head on the pints."

- N is for Noose by Sue Grafton (audioread)

Next Up:
- God's Debris by Scott Adams

Just realized that I did not list an audiobook in my weekly reading update. That is no good.... I need something to listen to while out walking and doing housework! To help me with my ROOT reading, I have decided to start listening to N is for Noose, the next book (for me) in the Sue Grafton Kinsely Millhone series.

>131 lkernagh: Oh do post your hummingbird success in the garden thread!
I was at Lowe's yesterday for painting supplies and bird seed, and passed by the seeds, which always appear enticingly in February and are relatively cheap retail therapy for winter blahs. Can't do anything with them just yet, it's a month too soon even for starting seeds indoors, but I can imagine spring...

Woo Hoo, Happy dances and high fives! You did it, my friend! The group read was the trigger for me and it was a large part of the motivation to get this baby done. I question the length of W&P too. Perhaps if he had cut out his opinion but how often does an author get the chance to do so.
Looking forward to the finale of the series Monday night.

Well done on finishing W&P. I have it, and have been recording the TV adaptation. I promise myself I will get to it sooner or later...

Your hummingbird success was quick - how great. You reminded me that one of my friends who loved in a fourth floor flat in London had beautiful green parakeets visiting her window feeders. Apparently some escaped from captivity, survived in the wild and now there are hundreds in the city (better than pigeons I think, if only for the lovely colour).

>139 qebo: - Will do! I am hoping for some sunshine later today or tomorrow so I can get some good shots in. Like you, I love that the seed packets are on display. Last year, I could not find any cilantro/coriander seeds in any of the stores I frequent close to home, so I jumped on three packets last weekend when I say the display had them! I have enough seeds from last year for the other herbs, if I need to plant any, so all is good. ;-0

>140 Carmenere: - Happy dance and high fives indeed! True, what author is going to forgo the opportunity to provide their own opinion regarding matters that they find important to write about. I will have to make it over to your thread and find out what you think of the series. Not sure if I am up for reliving W&P right now, even if it is by passively watching it on TV.

>141 Helenliz: - Thanks Helen! Given the mess of characters in W&P, I can see where watching the adaptation may make it easier to keep the various characters straight in one's mind.

>142 charl08: - I am still stunned at how quick it was for the feeder to be located. My other half thinks they were attracted to the herbs to begin with. Not sure I agree with that line of reasoning, but really happy to see the hummingbirds are stopping by for a wee drinkie. ;-) Parakeets would be beautiful to see around a bird feeder! Your friend is very lucky! we have some pigeons but they tend to hang around the downtown core, where a number of members of society feed them. Seagulls and crows are the birds that we seem to have an unlimited supply of, and they are not exactly 'pretty' to look at.

Congratulations on finishing W&P! I'm just wondering what the 2nd epilogue must be like on audio. I'd probably listen to that part the same way as I eye-read it then: letting it wash over me, totally unable to focus my attention on it. (I really, really tried!)

Congrats on finishing W&P, Lori! WahHOO!! And you even reviewed it - I liked it a bit more than you, but I totally with your comments on Tolstoy waxing philosophical. Well said.

You are so right that the game will be on at the Pecan Paradisio - how did you know?!

>145 Deern: - Thanks Nathalie! Listening to the second epilogue reminded me of sitting in my old university philosophy class. A little on the dry side but Tolstoy manages to come up with some interesting suppositions, which would encourage me to listen a little more intently, and then he would start to lose me again, just like the prof used to!

>146 Crazymamie: - Thanks Mamie and special thanks for bringing Calvin and Hobbes along to help celebrate! LOL, I just had a hunch that today would be game day in the Pecan Paradisio. Since I have no idea who you are cheering for, and I have no preference as to who wins I will just say "GO TEAM!" Feel free to interpret that to represent the team you are cheering for. ;-)

Way to go in finishing War and Peace, Lori!

A very good book, but I know that feeling of relief in getting back to the ones you put off while immersed in it. I was surprised that Tolstoy showed a sense of humor, too; I don't recall that coming out in Anna Karenina.

Thanks Joe! I agree, I don't remember any humour - or any hint of humour - in Anna Karenina. I think, if I am not mistaken, that Tolstoy wrote W&P before Anna Karenina, or maybe it is just that W&P was published before Anna Karenina? I have always wondered if authors get more comfortable with their writing over time and it is that comfort that lets them open up more and expose more of themselves in their writing.

Congratulations on finishing W&P, Lori.

I need to read In the Woods; I've seen a lot of love for this series here.

I also need a hummingbird feeder, I think. I imagine Scout would like it.

Way to go on finished War and Peace, Lori. Such an accomplishment!

Love that your feeder is already attracting hummingbirds. They're so beautiful.

Congrats on finishing W&P, Lori.

>150 BLBera: - Thanks Beth! It always feels good to finally finish a book that has haunted one for a long time. I am starting to appreciate the love that is out there for the Tana French books. I still have a ways to go in my read of In The Woods but I can see myself settling back into it this evening.

I am curious to see how much 'activity' my hummingbird feeder will receive. I have read that bees and wasps can also be attracted to the nectar, which is why I made sure to hang my feeder up away from the doors. I had also read that if the feeder does attract bees/wasps, all you have to do is move it 5-6 feet. Apparently, the bees and wasps will then no longer locate to feeder, but the hummingbirds will still be able to find it. I am learning a lot about hummingbird feeders while surfing the net.

>151 lit_chick: - Thanks Nancy! Hummingbirds are beautiful, especially the males. I find it amusing that in nature the males are the ones with the vibrant colours, etc to attract a mate while humans its the females that get all 'colourful' in the hopes of attracting a mate!

>152 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara! I am up for reading more Tolstoy, but not this year.

Congratulations on finishing War and Peace!! I have stalled. I may need to switch to audio, or try a different time. It's hard to read a book that is too heavy to bring anywhere (including the bath).

My husband and I have fed hummingbirds for years and years. When we lived in San Diego we had a few regulars, including one we named Cleo who was very territorial and chased all others away. We have a narrow window for them here -- our summers can be very hot, and they tend to stay up in the mountains. They advise us not to leave our feeders out too late in the year so they delay their migration.

Yay for finishing W&P!

Congratulations on finishing War and Peace, Lori!

>154 AMQS: - Sorry to learn that your W&P reading has stalled, Anne! If I had tried to read a physical book I would have abandoned it. I did follow the audio with my e-book copy because they were two different translations (Garnett and Maude) and I was curious to see which one had a better flow to it. I think the Garnett translation (which was my audioread) worked better. I found the language in the Maude translation to be a little stilted.

I had no idea that hummingbirds can become territorial. Good to know. Thankfully our winters are pretty mild - it is rare for the temps to drop below freezing - and our summers are relatively cool with sea breezes, but I can see how it is advised to not leave the feeders out, delaying their migration. I need to read more about hummingbird migrations.

>155 The_Hibernator: and >156 kidzdoc: - Thanks Rachel and Darryl! It feels good to be done that one.

>143 lkernagh: I bought two packets of tithonia seeds yesterday because when I went looking last year they were all gone. Oh, and, congrats on W&P! Your review would've hit me with a BB if I hadn't been shielded by those 1634 pages.

Congratulations on finishing War and Peace. What an accomplishment! Enjoy your long weekend. Good to know that your hummingbird feeder is doing so well.

Congrats!

>158 qebo: - I had to go and Google tithonia seeds to find out what they were. Sounds like a wonderful plant to have in your garden, Katherine so good job in snagging the packets when you saw them at the store. Thanks! 1,634 pages is a bit much for a 'read' I will admit. It probably should count as 4 books read, given how darn long it is, and the fact that the story is separated out into smaller 'book' sections.

>159 vancouverdeb: - Thanks Deb. It felt good to add W&P to the 'books read' list. I don't to work on Tuesday so I am happily enjoying a 4-day weekend. Bliss. Now if I can just stop giving myself chores around the house to do, I may actually settle in and enjoy the holiday a bit better! ;-)

>160 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim!

Well, here you are! Found you! And only 161 posts behind on your new thread, which I somehow completely missed seeing until now. Anyway, not much to say except thank you for reading and reviewing W&P (and Clarissa) so I don't have to. :)

Seriously, though, your review made W&P sound as if I might actually want to read it. Sometime.

>92 lkernagh: I've never heard of this book or author. And I live the sound of it. You got me.

>135 lkernagh: well done, what an accomplishment! But at 1634 pages, you have not got me with a BB with this one. I'm not going near it ;)

So you have never been for ' High Tea" at the Empress! :) I went many years ago with a friend of mine who lives in Victoria. Like you, she hails from Alberta. She and I used to visit back and forth via the ferry quite often and have a great time shopping and dining in Victoria. My kids were quite young then and she is / was child free so it was a super get away for me. :) It was fun.

>162 Storeetllr: - LOL! Actually, it is pretty easy to lose individual threads with the size of the group and the flurry of thread activity, which thankfully is starting to slow down, so i am just happy you found me, Mary! W&P was actually more 'readable' than I remember from my previous attempts at it, so I suggest if you like audioreads to go that route if and when you give W&P a go. Sure did make doing housework a bit less of a chore. ;-)

>163 LovingLit: - Had to scoll up for a look. Robertson Davies. An author I can now highly recommend. Before reading Fifth Business, I could only say that he was one of Canada's great authors and wave my arms somewhat helplessly. Don't you just hate it when people know that you are an avid reader so they just assume that you have read all of the 'greats' and can provide an opinion? ;-)

Awe, come on Megan, W&P wasn't that much of a slog, even if it was long! Add it to your reading bucket list and let it sit there for a decade or two.

>164 vancouverdeb: - I know, shameful of me, isn't it Deb, considering I can go pretty much any day. ;-) The 'high tea' thing has never really appealed to me.... I think I am more of a espresso and French pastries kind of gal. Sounds like you have a wonderful memory of your Empress high tea experience. Getting away for the day (or two) for some shopping and girl talk is wonderful, isn't it?

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

Day off from work today. Lovely morning so a long walk with my current audioread is planned, as is going eyeglass shopping. My prescription has changed slightly - darn eyes! I hate eye glass shopping because I have a hard time seeing myself in the empty frames I try on. Wish me luck!

Congrats on W & P, and good luck on the eye glass shopping.

Last time I went eye glass shopping I went completely 'out of the box'. This very 'out there" sales lady with winged sparkles glasses convinced me to go "all out" giving me lots of feedback and advice. It was fun and I took her suggestions and I get people complimenting me about my glasses. So have fun and good luck Lori! My eyes are changing too....drats!
p.s. love the talk of tea, coffee visits, shopping, girl talk.....time away.

Huzzah! Congrats on finishing War and Peace! What an accomplishment! Welcome to the club! (We have a secret handshake and everything!)

I've been using those 'cheater' reading glasses you can pick up cheaply at the drugstore. It's afforded me a chance to see what frame shapes/colors I like without spending too much!

Good luck with the eyeglasses, Lori! After my cataract surgery in Dec 2014 I got a pair of computer/reading glasses and a pair of trifocals - they do help with driving and distance a bit as my distance vision is now 20/30. But now I can't see anything up close without glasses - a reversal of a lifetime of being shortsighted, now being farsighted.

>166 banjo123: - Thanks Rhonda. Unfortunately, the eyeglass shopping didn't go as well as I had hoped. The suggestion I had received over on the Category Challenge to take a selfie with my smart phone as I tried out the frames was a brilliant idea - I was able to see just how awful I looked in the frames I tried on. ;-) Suffice to say, the hunt for a new pair of glasses continues.

>167 mdoris: - I like the idea of having fun and going out of the box when trying on and possibly choosing new frames Mary but I am struggling a bit. I love my current frames, but they are 'no longer on the market'. I gravitate towards light metal styled frames - I look absolutely awful in the thicker plastic frames that seem to be the rage at the moment - so my frustration at eye glass shopping doesn't look like it will end anytime soon. *sighs* The company I like to go to for my frames does replacement lenses in existing frames but it takes a week because they have to ship the frames to Vancouver (or somewhere like that) and I cannot go for a week with an older pair of outdated prescriptions. I am going to have to break down and pick out a new frame.

>168 michigantrumpet: - Thanks Marianne! Yay for club and secret handshake! The handshake isn't one of those complicated ones that can look really silly when the parties shaking hands bungle it? I would be one of those bunglers. You are so lucky that you can use those 'cheater' eye glasses! My other half can also use those cheater glasses - he has four pairs strewn around the house - but I have progressive lenses so no go on cheaters unless I pick up one set for reading and one set for distance.

>169 karenmarie: - Thanks Karen! So far I am striking out but we do have a number of eye glasses places so I guess I will do the rounds and see what everyone has on offer. I really want to get my new eye glasses from the business I usually go to. They are a small local company and the have a half price sale on for the month of February to celebrate their 30th anniversary in business. Given the price tag for my progressives, 50% is very appealing!

Book #8 - N is for Noose by Sue Grafton - audiobook read by Mary Peiffer
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: From your "To Be Read" Pile
Source: TBR
Format: audiobook
Original publication date: 1998
Acquisition date: July 14, 2013
Page count: 342 pages / 9 hours of listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.80 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

Tom Newquist has died. A detective in the Nota Lake sheriff's office, Tom was tough, honest, and respected by all. He was also a heavy drinker and a workaholic, much to his wife Selma's distress. And now that Tom is gone, Selma can't help but wonder what it really was that was troubling him…. What made Tom so restless during the last six weeks of his life? Why was he up all night and brooding all day long? What?or who?was at the heart of his dark moods? With the coroner's report in hand, Selma decides to enlist the help of Kinsey Millhone to find the truth about what happened to her husband. But the residents of Nota Lake keep their secrets close?and their enemies closer. And the deeper Kinsey's investigation goes, the closer she comes to confronting the most dangerous outcome of all: the truth…

Review:
Another good installment in the Kinsey Millhone/Alphabet series and a perfect change of pace for me after having spent the past 4 weeks listening to War and Peace. This one pretty much picks up just two months after where M is for Malice left off. While my prime enjoyment for these stories comes from being able to 'travel back in time' to the 1980/90's with a spunky female private investigator to visit, this one had a good level of suspense built in. While this was one of those rare times where I was able to figure out the culprit before the reveal, Grafton was still able to keep my interest as Kinsey worked her way through the details to the conclusion.

Overall, a good solid mystery and a great reading palette cleanser for me.

Love a good palette cleanser, Lori, and this sounds like a good series.

#135 congratz on finishing War and Peace. I hope to start it soon.

Have a happy weekend.

>173 lit_chick: - It was, Nancy. Grafton's books are a great palette cleanser and a fun series. Grafton has created a great character in Kinsey Millhone - gutsy, a tad bit insecure, a jogger who consumes a diet consisting of peanut butter/pickle sandwiches, hard boiled egg mayonnaise sandwiches and McDonald Quarter Pounders with cheese. ;-)

>174 BBGirl55: - Thanks Bryony! once you get into W&P, it is rather surprising just how readable the story it, even the war bits.

>175 DianaNL: - Thanks Diana! Love that puppy's smile... even if he is laughing at us working folk. ;-)

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

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend! Long weekends always give the work week the appearance of just "flying by". Continuing my new found proclivity for minor injuries...I misstepped walking up the stairs last week, tripping and skinning my left knee in the process, I managed to do something to my left food Wednesday afternoon which appears to be a case of Metatarsalgia. Suffice to say, my great walking at the start of this week has completely fizzled out as I have spent yesterday and today babying the foot. On the bright side, I am looking forward to using this foot recovery as a way to get in some uninterrupted reading time as I will have most of the weekend to myself. I really need to stop injuring myself.

On the reading front, I finished In the Woods last night, book review to follow!

Book #9 - In the Woods by Tana French
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date with a Book
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: Debut Book
WomanBingoKIT: Less than 10 Years Old
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2007
Acquisition date: December 1, 2012
Page count: 429 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours. Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

Review:
I do like to read the occasional police procedural but only occasionally as I tend to find them rather grim, dark and gritty reads. Some of them can also be rather graphic in their descriptions of the crime. That doesn't sit well with me. French’s novel has all of the elements of a police procedural that I enjoy - the investigation into the crime scene, the rounding up of suspects and the questioning of witnesses/neighbours – with the grim, gritty and graphic aspects muted and not in your face every page. What makes this one even better than the average police procedural read for me is the focus French places on the relationship between the two lead detectives, Cassie and Ryan, and the sharp introspective detail of Ryan’s narrative. It is a slow-building story, another aspect I appreciated as I am not a big fan of stories that are all about adrenaline pumping action. I like my mysteries/thrillers to be sleepers, more about getting analytical and figuring out the details, not the ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ stuff. French really knows how to build the psychological profile of the character while still stringing the readers along, letting them think they have a handle on the situation. The only quibbles I have are my dislike of some choices made by Ryan and how he tries to justify those choices/decisions. Well done, but just rubs me the wrong way and lead me to dislike Ryan as a character.

Overall, I am really glad to have finally read this one and to know that I have copies of The Likeness and Broken Harbour waiting for my on my bookshelves… I just need to track down a copy of Faithful Place.

Nice comments on In the Woods, Lori. I've heard so many good things about this series and been told to read them in order. And I just found a cheap copy in my library's used bookstore! From your comments, it sounds like one I will like.

Nice review, Lori - I loved that one, but I haven't gotten to the next one yet. Happy Saturday to you, and take it easy. Give that foot time to heal.

Good review of In the Woods, Lori. I might try to read that one later this year. Enjoy your weekend with some reading and resting!

Sorry to hear you've injured yourself, Lori! But I love the silver lining: a restful weekend of reading.

Fabulous review of Into the Woods. Read this one a few summers ago and enjoyed it, but somehow never got back to French.

>128 lkernagh: Woo - congratulations on finishing War and Peace!

>177 lkernagh: I have heard good things about Tana French's books and your review has reminded me that I have been meaning to read them.

>177 lkernagh: I will start that series this year Lori. Your review has probably tipped the scales definitively in its favour.

Have a great weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day, Lori!

Yay on finishing W&P!! That one is probably not on my re-read list--just too long! And I really liked Into the Woods. Nice reviews on both of them. And...

>178 BLBera: - Thanks Beth. For a debut novel, In the Woods is a well crafted story. I now appreciate all the Tana French love that exists here on LT. I learned over on my category challenge thread that one doesn't have to read the books in publication order as they books are more or less stand alone stories but reading them in order probably helps as each successive story has as its protagonist, a minor character from an earlier book.

>179 Crazymamie: - Thanks Mamie! I did take thing easy yesterday, and plan to do so again today. The foot is much better - no more pain or discomfort - but it doesn't hurt to play it safe and spend another day taking things easy. ;-)

>180 aktakukac: - Thanks Rachel. I now consider myself in the "for French" camp and will be joining others in recommending her books to others. The weekend has been enjoyable and relaxing. I hope your weekend has been equally enjoyable.

>181 lit_chick: - Seriously, I have become such an accident-prone klutz lately its embarrassing. Good thing the fainting couch is here.... it is getting more use than expected. There is always a silver lining to be found somewhere. I am just glad my other half has been away and won't be home until later today... gave me most of the weekend just to myself, so yes, it has been a very relaxing weekend! ;-)

I don't have immediate plans to jump into the next French book but I do hope I don't find myself ignoring them for other reads as the year progresses. I might have to actively work at that.

>182 souloftherose: - Thanks Heather! W&P was a better read - less of a slog than I expected it it be - but still glad to see the back end of that book. I can happily recommend In the Woods! Great writing, especially for a debut novel!

>183 PaulCranswick: - Hi Paul, Tana French deserves all the accolades her writing has been generating here on LT. I think you will appreciate the story when you get around to reading it. I am looking forward to reading her other books.

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend.

>184 Crazymamie: - Love it! Thanks Mamie, Happy Valentine's Day!

>185 Berly: - W&P is a loooooong read, that is for sure, Kim. Thanks for the Happy Valentine's Day greeting!

This weekend the clouds came in and the skies opened up, making for a very wet Saturday, which has continued so far into Sunday. Ran some errands downtown and in the process, paid a visit to my favorite used bookstore in town. While they had a lot of tempting books on the shelves, I have been restricting my book buying this year. I still managed to come away with two gently used Europa Editions to add to my Europa Editions collection:


I Hadn't Understood by Diego De Silva
You Are Not Like Other Mothers by Angelika Schrobsdorff

Managed to read two short books on Saturday. Reviews are ready for posting.

Book #10 - Driftmetal by J.C. Staudt
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT, Fantasy February
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: Self-Published
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: e-book
Original publication date: January 2015
Acquisition date: August 15, 2015
Page count: 164 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

In a shattered world of airships and windborne cities, Captain Muller Jakes' crew betrays him when his plot to steal a fortune in gravstone goes awry. A lost city, a deadly sabotage, and a series of narrow escapes will force him to choose between his freedom and the lives of thousands. A high-flying adventure full of gadgetry, treachery and intrigue; a pleasing blend of steampunk and cyberpunk.

Review:
Part one in a serialized novel and more sci-fi/fantasy with steampunk elements than a full on steampunk read, this was a fun adventure story filled with airships, pirateers, a territorial police/militia to dodge and shady dealers in commerce. The world build is good. I like the idea of a stream universe where cities and towns are build on floating masses and where two species of humans exist: the primies who are the shunned original fully human species and the techsouls, an evolved hybrid of humanoid with blue blood, synthetic skin and mechanics as part of their makeup. Muller Jakes is your rogue, opportunist bad guy with a disdain for the law-abiding members of his world. Yes, he has an axe to grind with some people and yes, he has an unnerving knack for finding himself in the thick of trouble, but he is one of those bad guys one cannot help but like, at least a little. Staudt keeps the pace of this adventure ride notched up and throws in some interesting twists.

Overall, an enjoyable sci-fi/fantasy read that I think will appeal to readers who enjoy stories like Chris Wooding's Retribution Falls.

Book #11 - God's Debris: A Thought Experiment by Scott Adams
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Catchall
CAT(s): DeweyCAT
BingoDOG: Read a CAT
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Hard cover
Original publication date: 2001
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 128 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

Imagine that you meet a very old man who—you eventually realize—knows literally everything. Imagine that he explains for you the great mysteries of life: quantum physics, evolution, God, gravity, light psychic phenomenon, and probability—in a way so simple, so novel, and so compelling that it all fits together and makes perfect sense. What does it feel like to suddenly understand everything? You may not find the final answer to the big question, but God's Debris might provide the most compelling vision of reality you will ever read. The thought experiment is this: Try to figure out what's wrong with the old man's explanation of reality.

Review:
As per the introduction, "God's Debris doesn't fit into normal publishing cubbyholes. There is even disagreement about whether the material is fiction or nonfiction. I contend that it is fiction because the characters don't exist. Some people content that it is nonfiction because the opinions and philosophies of the characters might have lasting impact on the reader." My local library categorizes this one as nonfiction, but I can see how a fiction/nonfiction disagreement could occur. The premise is simplicity itself: A delivery man delivers a parcel to a new address, signature required. When he receives no answer at the door, but find the door unlocked, he enters the home and encounters a wizened old man wrapped in a blanket warming himself by a fire in the fireplace. The book is the conversation between the old man and the delivery man, on topics lofty and diverse enough to make my head spin. In essence, the take-away for contemplation is that the human mind is a delusion generator, not a window to truth; that science is a belief system, not unlike religion, albeit a useful one and that probability is the inevitable recombination of God's consciousness and the best way to understand the universe. A very simplistic summation of a compact little book packed full of everything from free will, reincarnation, ESP, pattern recognition, willpower and affirmations. Some of the 'conversation' tends to involve a bit of circular reasoning that goes nowhere but overall, I found this one to give me something to think about. I have already placed a hold at the library for the sequel, The Religion War.

A short, and at a times, thought-provoking read.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

UPDATE: WEEK 31
Kilometers walked this week: 43.1
Kilometers walked in total: 1,438.25
Current province: (AB)
My current location on the map: North and east of Tilley township and heading for Medicine Hat
Points of interest along the way:This week saw my virtual walking passing by or near the townships of Cassils, Brooks and Tilley as well as passing San Fransisco Lake (who knew Alberta had a lake named San Fransisco?), Lake Newell Resort (looks like a summer home lake area) and Tillebrook Provincial Park. The week started out as a strong walking week and I was hoping to make set a week best record but then I went and injured my left foot which sidelined my walking for the last three days of the week. I am still aiming to make the Saskatchewan border by the end of February. Wish me luck!

Weekly Reading Update:

- Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
Will be going back to Clarissa this afternoon.

- The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie
Started reading this one last night. So far a good read at only 35 pages in.

- O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton (audioread)
I started this one yesterday and went through the shock that any audioreader may face: After having enjoyed 14 installments of the Kinsey Millhone series read by Mary Peiffer, I was not ready for installment 15 to be read by Judy Kay, with a very different voice and one that doesn't work as well for me as Mary Peiffer's did. I know narrators can change for any number of reasons but it was still a very jarring and sad shock to discover. I am going to abandon this one and replace it with an audioread of Elsewhere by Richard Russo, which thankfully has just come available through my local library.

- Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers by Dominic Selwood (e-book)
My January LTER win.

Next Up:
- Afterimage by Helen Humphreys

For all my LT friends:

Happy Valentine's Day, Lori!

Take care of your foot, Lori. I hope you reach Sask. on schedule.

Wow! Nearly to Saskatchewan. No wonder you have a sore foot . I hope it feels better soon. Looks like you've been enjoying your reading, other than the jarring orator for O is for Outlaw . I think I mentioned that was a series I was keen on in my twenties and thirties and then I am not sure if I had just had enough or if I thought - hey - I am getting older - what is up with you, Kinsey. ;)

Deb cracked me up: Nearly to Saskatchewan. No wonder you have a sore foot . I hope your foot is feeling better, Lori. It appears you had a productive reading weekend!

>177 lkernagh: This has been on my wishlist for a very long time.

Happy Valentine's Day Lori!

You are Not Like Other Mothers - I like the sound of that! Off to check it out now, not literally, from the library, but here on LT :)

Just stopping by and wishing you a great start into the new week.

>194 Storeetllr: - Thanks Mary!

>195 BLBera: - I gave the foot a good rest over the weekend, Beth and I am happy to report that it is now back to normal. I would like to get back to walking but I hate walking in the rain when I have to go to work and the weather forecast is pretty steady for rain for this week. Doesn't look like I will reach Saskatchewan on schedule. I will probably be a week behind, which isn't too bad.

>196 vancouverdeb: - LOL! Yup, that must be why I have a sore foot. All that darn walking. ;-) Actually, you are probably bang on with that statement. I think I pushed myself a little too much and the foot decide to rebel. I can see where Grafton's Kinsey Millhone could be a bit frustrating for a younger reader. I would probably have been more impatient with Kinsey and her decisions if I read the series in my twenties. Sometimes it pays to become a bit more mellow with age. I am more forgiving of favorite character foibles.... but I still do not like suddenly having a different "voice" for my favorite character. ;-)

>197 lit_chick: - I know... pretty funny! Foot is recovered. Now if only I can do something about all this rain....

>198 The_Hibernator: - Thanks Rachel!

>199 LovingLit: - It was the title that made my take the book off the shelf. That and the cover pretty much sold me on purchasing You Are Not Like Other Mothers.

>200 Ameise1: - Hi Barbara! Week has started off pretty good and I have hopes that the week will continue to good.

--------------------
My hopes to get back into walking is being hampered by the weather. The rain we had over the weekend has continued into Monday and the weather forecast for the remainder of the week is rain, rain and rain. Oh well, I probably wasn't going to get much walking in anyways. I have family coming out to the island for a short visit starting tomorrow so my non-working hours time for the next few days will at least in part be taken up with visiting.

HI Lori, At last a reprieve from the rain today and I have been out gardening in the warmth of the sun. Glorious. (cutting back raspberry canes) But I think the reprieve is going to be short lived and hope the sun made it to Victoria today. Glad that your foot is feeling better. I am reading 4 books right now. Do you ever have several going at a time?

Glad the foot is better, even if the rain is inhibiting your walking.

Hope all is well with the foot and that the weather is cooperating and that the visitors didn't leave too much of a mess! ; )

>203 mdoris: - The reprieve in the rain was a blessing after Monday's soaking, Mary! Glad to see you were able to get out in the garden. The foot is feeling better and I have been grabbing moments of walking time when the weather and work hours accommodate it. I usually juggle 3 books at any given time - usually one print book, one e-book and one audiobook - but lately I seem to be juggling more. I think 4 is my limit at any given time unless I add a nonfiction read that is more of a reference book.

>204 ronincats: - Thanks Roni! At least it hasn't rained constantly all week as first predicted so some walking has been squeezed into the week. ;-)

>205 Berly: - Thanks Kim! Yup, foot is back to normal and raring for action. I have been able to walk home for the past three days - the rain would hold off during the rush hour, a nice surprise - and I am hoping that the forecast for sunshine for at least part of this weekend is correct so that I can really get out.

The visit has been great and I don't have to worry about messes as our place isn't big enough to accommodate a visiting party of four adults so they have been staying in a hotel in town.

>206 DianaNL: - Perfect statement - and love the fist pump! - for today. Thanks Diana! I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Happy Friday! It has been a good week. I have had a lovely visit with family and looking forward to resuming my usual routines this weekend. I seem to be more of a creature of habit than I first imagined! Thinking of making a stop at the Royal BC Museum (RBCM) today. For all you rock memorabilia fans, RBCM is the current owner of John Lennon's iconic Romany painted Rolls Royce and on Tuesday they moved the car out of warehouse storage and drove it into the museum lobby where it will remain on display until April 28th. For those interested, here is a link to the CBC news article and here is a link to a YouTube video someone shot with their smart phone as the car was being driven from the flatbed to the museum front door.

Now, if nobody minds, I have a mini rant. Like most offices, where I work we have a communal kitchen with things like a fridge, microwave, Kurig coffee maker and kettle for hot water. For some reason there seems to be some weird passive-aggressive actions going on in the office around the kettle. There appears to be a portion of the office that is suddenly no longer filling the kettle with water as a courtesy to the next user after they drain it. One person even has the gall to only put in enough water for their own use, deliberately leaving the kettle empty for the next person to fill. I have noticed this activity off and on for a couple of months now and for the most part it didn't bug me until yesterday. I ended up filling the kettle four separate times during the day. Because it takes the kettle some 5 minutes to boil, I would return to my desk to do some work. Went back to the kitchen about 7-8 minutes later to discover that the kettle was again almost empty. There was enough hot water left for my cup of tea that time but I mean really, has common courtesy gone out the window? No one seems to think that they should at least replace the water they take from the kettle so that the next person doesn't have to wait as long to heat the water for their cup of tea.

End of mini rant.

Rant is well-deserved, Lori! What is wrong with people? I mean really, has common courtesy gone out the window? ... I think to a considerable extent it has! I've also met people who seem to be completely uneducated in courtesy, which mystifies me.

>208 lkernagh: GAK! What are people thinking? Well deserved rant by my lights! Someone brought in a lunch with a leaky bag. The thing oozed allover the shelf as the day went on. After lunchtime -- you guessed it! Bag gone and eaten. soggy mess, still all over the shelf. We are not your mother, people!!

Glad to hear that the foot is up for walking, Lori! I am having an internal debate with myself today. I am so weary of walking the dog for the usual 2 miles in the pouring rain that I have encountered the past couple of days. I know I should buckle down with myself and get Poppy and me out the door in our respective rain clothes, but it is pouring rain and very windy. I just to sip a cup of tea and read a book and pretend I don't owe Poppy a walk. Bad Deborah!

Ah, sorry to read about the kitchen situation at your work place. I think the problem is rampant. I recall each week someone having to clear out rotten food from the fridge in the lunch room where I worked. How it got that way, I don't know. Finally some one would take it upon themselves to dump all the left over lunches into the garbage. I'll spare you the ran out of coffee and no one else put some on to brew. ( I don't drink coffee ).

Hi Lori! I'm glad your foot is better so that you can walk again. I haven't been able to walk much this winter and I've missed it. Yesterday and today the weather has been nice enough and it's stayed light long enough for me to walk on the cross country trail with Adrian after work. It's been great!

Hi, Lori! I'm trying to catch up. Belated congrats on finishing War and Peace.

I like the Tana French series. My least favorite was The Likeness, and my favorite was Broken Harbor.

I liked your rant, Lori. Sorry about the lack of water in the kettle. Hoping that Saturday is kind to you.

Belated congrats on finishing War and Peace, Lori. That is one big book!

I remember all kinds of distasteful things going on in kitchens I've shared with others and they usually involve rotten food! Sounds like someone at work is unhappy and making a statement…or they are just lazy. When I stay with my son in CO it seems I am the only one who can refill the ice trays. I have an ice maker at home so maybe they think it's fun for me? I haven't said a word, though, because I do have perks like spending time with 2-year-old Hope.

Hi Lori - People! Unfortunately, it seems like the people who are polite end up doing the work of others.

Stopping in to wish you a happy Sunday, Lori. How's the foot doing?

Following the discussion of the infuriating lazy folks leaving messy work to be done by others. Argh! Mayabe the people doing the work sleep better at night. Hope so.

>209 lit_chick: - Thanks Nancy. I thought at first that maybe I was expecting too much from co-workers but the more I think about it, the more the kettle behaviour baffles me.

>210 michigantrumpet: - Glad to see another like-minded visitor here, Marianne! I hate it when people don't clean up after themselves. My pet peeve is the microwave, although the thought of some liquid mess being left on the fridge shelf kind of turns my stomach. If you forget to cover your lunch and it 'explodes' - for lack of a better word - in the microwave, take two minutes and clean you mess up.

>211 vancouverdeb: - LOL Deb! Does Poppy mind that the rainy/windy day has you preferring to stay indoors with a cup of tea and a book? ;-)

>212 vancouverdeb: - Thank you for commiserating with me and the kitchen situation. I can not understand why people think it is okay to bring food to work, put it in the fridge, forget about it and then think it is someone else's problem to clean. It is not like I work in an office of young workers on their first job and maybe still living at home. It makes me wonder what their homes look like.... maybe I don't want to know.

>213 cbl_tn: - Hi Carrie, winter time is always the hardest time of the year to get outdoors for walking. Even if there isn't the freezing cold and snow drifts to contend with, the late sunrises and early sunsets makes going for a walk in the dark unappealing. Glad to see you and Adrian have managed a couple of good walks along your cross country trail! Adrian must have loved the walks as much as you did!

>214 tymfos: - Hi Terri! I try to catch up, and then I fall behind again. Glad to see you stopping by. Tana French is quite the writer, isn't she?

>215 Crazymamie: - Thanks Mamie. It was either rant or start pulling my hair out and I kind of like my hair just as it is. Weekend was fabulous! I hope yours was equally good.

>216 Donna828: - Thanks Donna! Good to be finished W&P. LOL on the ice trays at your son's house! Do they ever want ice and discover they don't have any? Spending time with Hope is a lovely perk and definitely worth the task of filling the occasional ice tray with water.

>217 BLBera: - Thanks Beth. I know I am one of those people who will pick up after people, even if it really bugs me that the person I am picking up after doesn't seem to care and probably is oblivious to the problem.

>218 Crazymamie: - Happy Sunday Mamie! The foot is one hundred percent healed and I am back to getting in my daily walking. WHOOT!

>219 mdoris: - Interesting thought, Mary, that people doing the work maybe sleeping better. One can always hope....

This past weekend has been an amazing one. The weather Saturday was fabulous! Today was a bit overcast but not a total downer. Made it to one of my favorite charity shops yesterday and did a bit of a double take when I saw the book section:



Wasn't expecting to see the books organized by colour. Not a bad touch considering the books are never organized beyond general categories like "Fiction". "Science Fiction", etc.

On the baking front, discovered that we were completely out of baked goodies in the house (including any stashes in the freezer) so I made oatmeal raisin cookies and date bran muffins. Other than that, taking things easy this weekend and getting caught up on some much needed sleep. ;-)

Book #12 - Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo - audiobook narrated by the author
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, AAC
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): RandomCAT - It Takes Two
BingoDOG: About a Writer
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: October 30, 2012
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 256 pages / 7 hours, 30 minutes listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.2 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Richard Russo turns to memoir in this hilarious and bittersweet account of his lifelong bond with his high-strung, spirited mother—and the small town she spent her life trying to escape. Anyone familiar with Russo’s novels will recognize Gloversville—once famous for producing nine out of ten dress gloves in the United States. By the time Rick was born, ladies had stopped wearing gloves and Gloversville was on its way out. Jean Russo instilled in her son her dream of a better life elsewhere, a dream that prompted her to follow him across the country when he went to college. Their adventures and tribulations on that road trip were a preview of the hold his mother would continue to have on him as she kept trying desperately to change her life. Recounted with a clear-eyed mix of regret, nostalgia, and love, Elsewhere is a stirring tribute to the tenacious grip of the past.

Review:
How to describe this one? Russo says it best with his statement that this book is “a story of intersections: of place and time, of private and public, of linked destinies and flawed devotion.”. In Elsewhere: A Memoir, Russo turns his gift for writing about the human condition into an examination of his mother, a complicated, high-spirited and needy individual utterly dependent upon everyone she knew and at odds with her all-consuming desire for total independence. While Russo says that this one is “more my mother’s story than mine”, Russo’s role as the main anchor his mother clung to makes this a story also about Russo and the familial ties that can bind and constrict. It is a sad, reflective and somewhat emotional tale that one can only hope was a cathartic one for Russo to write. While it is billed as being a hilarious and bittersweet account of this lifelong bond Russo had with his mother, I found the humour, what there was anyways, is limited to some of the dialogue Russo engaged in with his mom, and some of the comments/reactions that occur. It is not a funny tale, by any means. It is rather a bleak and honest account of a relationship that was, for Russo, akin to a millstone around his neck. That is not to say that there was no love, just that some loves are more challenging than others. The melancholy tone of this one can be summed up best by the following quote:

”I just wish you could be happy, Mom,” he says, heartbroken. “I used to be,” she responds. “I know you don’t believe that, but I was.”

On a personal level, I could not help but notice some interesting similarities in Russo’s description of his mom in her later years and my mom today, in particular the panic attacks, the overwhelming need to be in control and the fears of being alone. This hit home for me, even though I do not believe that my mom suffers from the obsessive compulsive disorder Russo thinks may have been behind the demons his mother faced. Russo’s guilt at seeing himself as his mom’s principle enabler is one that has left me with a lot to think about, especially his statement that “like alcoholics and other addicts, obsessives can’t do in on their own, As they gradually lose the control they so desperately seek, they have little choice but to ensnare loved ones.” Sadly, this is a sorrowful story filled with ‘what ifs’ and leaves the reader with no happy redemption, optimistic realism or any satisfying answers, but even with the bleakness, I still found it to be a beautiful, honest story.

Book #13 - The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, BAC
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: Published before you were born
WomanBingoKIT: from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction (1920's & 1930's)
Source: GVPL
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1931
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 288 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the book back cover:

In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: "Captain Trevelyan... dead... murder." Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snowdrifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot...

Review:
I was a bit taken in by the summary above. I was expecting some wintery race against time type of story. Considering I have watched almost every Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple movie adaptation of Christie's books, you think I would have realized that this would be more of the murder confirmed at the start, with a more relaxed pace while the investigation of the "who", "why" and "how" of the crime are the main plot focus. My only defense is that this is my very first Agatha Christie 'read'. Overall, I enjoyed this one. Christie's writing has a lovely "settle in with a cup a tea" lightness to it, even if the topic is murder. The private citizen sleuth in this particular story, the overly capable Emily, was a nice change of pace but not a very convincing sleuth IMO. The mystery was okay but not any sort of head scratcher.

Overall, a nice cozy crime read but a bit of a letdown for me. I was expecting something a little more robust in the plot and character development department. I think I will stick to watching movie adaptations of Agatha Christie's works and continue reading Margery Allingham when I am in the mood for a Golden Age detective fiction.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







Here is the link to my Google map where I am tracking my journey: http://tinyurl.com/p8vu9n3

UPDATE: WEEK 32
Kilometers walked this week: 53
Kilometers walked in total: 1,491.25
Current province: (AB)
My current location on the map: South and east of Dennis and continuing to head for Medicine Hat
Points of interest along the way:Not much to report. The journey saw me passing near some small townships, such as Alderson, Suffield and something that seems to be too small to even be a township, Dennis. While I have managed to log some good walking time, it looks like I have roughly 85 km to go to reach the Saskatchewan border by the end of February. Still do-able at my current walking rate but one or two rainy days will push the boarder crossing into the first week of March.

Weekly Reading Update:

- Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
Read up to the March 1st letter. After a month away from the story, it didn't take long to figure out what was happening. I have to agree with Clarissa, the surprise her family had in store for her is one I would not have appreciated either, or the idea of being told I am not allowed to visit or communicate with my best friend. Sheesh, the nerve of her family!

- Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers by Dominic Selwood (e-book)
I have been reading this one in installments, which works well for this book as each chapter takes on a different aspect of history. I like the fact that the chapters are progressing through history in a chronological order. Currently at Chapter 4 and about to learn more about the Vikings.

- The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini (audioread)
I needed a new audioread after I finished listening to Richard Russo reading his memoir Elsewhere. I have owned my print copy of The Kite Runner since 2009 and was planning to read it as a GeoCAT (Central Asia) read and a ROOT. When I saw that my local library had the audiobook read by the author, I decided that listening to the audio version of a book languishing on my TBR pile still counts as a ROOT read. What a great story! I am roughly 2/3 the way through and I only started reading it 3 days ago. Quite the captivating read.

Next Up:
- Afterimage by Helen Humphreys

Lori, so impressed with the book section in your fav charity shop! Something more to look forward to when you're visiting your special haunts.

Have never read Agatha Christie, seems odd, but there it is. Hmm, you give me an idea about The Kite Runner though. I've also owned a print copy since it was published, but have never listened to audio.

The charity shop is WIN (Women In Need) and they have a pretty decent book section, which is why I like to stop in there. Never saw the books organized by colour before yesterday! ;-)

Glad to see I am not the only one who has never read an Agatha Christie book (The Sittaford Mystery being my first Christie read). Hosseini does a fantastic job and I can highly recommend listening to The Kite Runner if you get a chance. I find that the cringe-worthy sections of the book are a little easier to take if I hear it being told to me as opposed to reading it. Don't know why... maybe Hosseini's tone of voice helps me over those bits.

Happy Sunday, Lori! I haven't been by in awhile, so I thought I would check in.
Glad you liked Elsewhere. I will have to see if I can find that on audio. I am also glad you are enjoying The Kite Runner. It has been quite a few years but I loved that one.

>223 lkernagh: Great review of Elsewhere! I also liked the book despite the bleakness.

The Sittaford Mystery isn't one of Christie's best. I had read most of the Poirots and Marples before I read this one, so I tend to view it as a novelty or period piece.

>229 msf59: - Hi Mark! Always lovely when you are able to stop by for a thread visit. Elsewhere is a quick read/listen if you do manage to get a hold of the audiobook version. The Kite Runner is a fascinating story. I now appreciate the high praise that one has received.

>230 cbl_tn: - Thanks Carrie! Canadian writers, or at least my favorite ones, all write stories with an overarching bleak tone and probably why I like Russo's books so much. That, and the honesty really hits home for me.

Good to know the Sittaford Mystery isn't really on par with Christie's other works. She does write in a manner that makes it easy to transition her books into movie adaptations... I like that.

Oh boy, I have a confession to make. Like Nancy, I have never read an Agatha Christie either. Wow, that's a load off my chest!

>222 lkernagh: Books organised by colour? Well that is one way I suppose!

I visited a close friend and business colleague yesterday and he has a library of well over 5,000 books which I organised for him eight years ago when he moved into his new home. My first comment yesterday was that he'd gone and mis-arranged the books!

>232 mdoris: - I think we could start a 'never read an Agatha Christie book' club, Mary. Until I read The Sittaford Mystery I had never read one of her books. I am sure the club membership would be quite extensive if we did a poll. ;-)

>233 PaulCranswick: - A novel approach, I agree... and yes, the pun was intended! I shouldn't be surprised as the charity shop in question tends to organize a lot of items based on the colour wheel from clothing items to even brick-a-bract or knickknacks.

LOL on your friend's mis-arrangement of your very thoughtful organization of his library. Did he let you fix it?

* Falls to ground in shock at the number of people who have never read an Agatha Christie * . My grandparents basement was full of them and I read LOTS of them in my teens and early 20's. I thought every one had read an Agatha Christie! : ) Read them when you are relatively a kid and then you enjoy them more, I think

>235 vancouverdeb: - Deb, did you forget we have a fainting couch on this thread? I hope the impact with the floor wasn't too hard. I think it is safe to say you were very lucky to have at your disposal a basement full of Agatha Christie books. My maternal grandfather was a reader (I have no memory of my other grandparents being readers) but he was more for the penny western novels and those did not appeal to my young reading mind.

>208 lkernagh: I hate it when people are so uncaring about other people. In my workplace, people just trash the break room even though housekeeping only goes in there once a day. I mean, gum on the floor...melted popsicles. It's terrible.

>234 lkernagh: Unfortunately yesterday was a little more business than books but I am sure that he'll let me in due course!

>223 lkernagh: Great comments on Elsewhere - we agree on the bleakness, at least!

I thought his comparison of American and British crime novels (golden age, at least): one trying to fix things back to the way they were, the other never thinking society was anything but corrupt, made a lot of sense. I'm not sure if I've ever read a Christie either.

Good to hear you're making tracks with the walking again now that the foot is better. I need to get back to the pool this week. Long way to go to meet the target still!

Charlotte, I entirely forgot about the fainting couch! It is very true that I was very fortunate to have grandparents who were avid readers, as well a parents. You know, you grow up and if your grandparent's basement is full of books, you just take it for granted. My parents were big readers too, but my grandparents on my mom's side had piles of old books in the basement and I enjoyed them very much.

Deb, did you forget we have a fainting couch on this thread? LOL! Poor Deb, so disgusted for those of us who've not read Christie. I hope, too, you didn't hurt yourself falling on the hard floor.

>223 lkernagh: : Lori, I loved this line from your review of Elsewhere: "an examination of his mother, a complicated, high-spirited and needy individual utterly dependent upon everyone she knew and at odds with her all-consuming desire for total independence."

I took a book bullet with your review and have added the audiobook read by the author to my library wishlist.

ETA: Forgot to say that I just recently finished my first Richard Russo - Empire Falls - and loved it!

Sorry about your inconsiderate co-workers. >: ( And I just want to point out that now that you have read an Agatha Christie, you can't be in the "I never read an Agatha Christie book" club. Just saying. : P

Morning, Lori! SO thrilled to hear that your foot is completely healed. Hooray!

>222 lkernagh: The books organized by color cracked me up! Somebody had a lot of time on their hands!

>223 lkernagh: Very nice review of the Russo memoir, Lori. If you posted it, I will thumb. It hits too close to home for me to even consider reading that one - my mom was a piece of work, and it took me moving away and being an adult with my own children to realize how manipulative and dramatic she was about everything. Now, with distance, I can see that she was dealing with her own demons, but also that we were allowing her to treat us with complete disrespect. I have five sisters, and two of us moved away while the others stayed and dealt with the drama. So your comments about enabling hit home because that is what they did, and now she is gone and they are all very bitter about how she treated them. SO hard to be objective when it is your parent, but I truly believe that we teach people how to treat us - it's important not just for ourselves but also for others that there is a line, and that we get to choose where that line is. This, but no more.

>224 lkernagh: Sorry that the Christie was a disappointment - I am not a fan of that one, either.

All this Christie talk has me grinning, like Deborah, I started reading her in my teens, so I have read most of them. But not quite all. Hercule Poirot is my absolute favorite - but not the first one with him. That one is one of Christie's failings, IMO, but at least we got to keep Poirot!

Glad you are loving The Kite Runner - I figured you would as it is just so beautifully written. Not one I can ever reread, but it was an excellent, if heartbreaking, story.

Hoping that your week is filled with fabulous!

>237 The_Hibernator: - gum on the floor...melted popsicles. Good grief, talk about having no respect for other people's property! A break room isn't your teenage basement 'den' mom is not supposed to enter (although she does because seriously, the home would have a pest infestation). *sheesh*.

>238 PaulCranswick: - Let me guess, your fingers are already twitching to get a hold of those books! ;-)

>239 charl08: - Hi Charlotte, Russo does write with a bleak aspect to his fiction... at least there was that feeling in Empire Falls, which I loved. I have to admit, reading Elsewhere and his take on the Anita Brookner novel, Hotel du Lac has convinced me to move my copy up the TBR pile.

With the walking, I have reached that stage where I notice if I don't go for a walk... almost as if my body is missing something. Pretty happy about that!

>240 vancouverdeb: - Seeing what books/magazines my grandparents had on hand always made the trips that much better, especially as the adults would usually sit around the dining room table talking for hours and a young kid can only stomach so much adult talk before they start to get bored. ;-)

>241 lit_chick: - I probably shouldn't have left the fainting couch over in the corner. I should give it pride of place in the center so it can't be missed. ;-)

>242 countrylife: - Thanks Cindy. It was hard to describe Russo's mom... Russo presents her as being quite the dichotomy. It really is quite an interesting memoir, especially if you like Russo's fiction stories.

So happy to see you loved Empire Falls! Such a great story, even if it is bleak, like his memoir.

>243 Berly: - Good catch, Kim on the Christie club membership. Oh well, I am still a card carrying member of the 'never read a J.K. Rowlings book" club. ;-)

>244 Crazymamie: - It feels great to be back walking, Mamie!

Good idea to stay clear of the Russo memoir. My mom has always had a controlling nature about her and every member of the family has had their fair share of confrontations with her. She has learned that she cannot control our lives but she is still very "black and white" when it comes to some of her opinions. With age we have seen an increase in my mom's panic attacks, which is becoming a drain on my dad and my siblings who live nearby.

It was a bit of a struggle to find a Christie book to read that I haven't already seen the movie adaptation of, so I am not too concerned that it wasn't a spectacular read for me.

The Kite Runner is an amazing story! One of those "I can't believe I have never gotten around to reading my copy before now" kind of reads. ;-)

----------------------
Happy Monday everyone! Today is a non-work day for me so I have been having a lazy morning getting caught up on LT and listening to the rain coming down. It is supposed to clear later so I am looking forward to walking to the grocery store for some essentials.

I usually love Brookner, but didn't particularly like Hotel du Lac (although I didn’t think it was for the reasons he mentioned his students objected.) Would be v interested to read your comments.

I did think the bits of lit crit Russo did were good reading: if he wrote a proper 'book about books', I'd read that.

#224 The Sittaford Mystery confused me until I remembered that it was published in the US under a different name. One Wikipedia look later, and it turns out that it is what I have as Murder at Hazelmoor.

I've taken a book bullet with Elsewhere, Lori; I ordered it today on Amazon. Funny, I've tried reading Russo's fiction and always put it down, but this memoir sounds good.

If you like mysteries, you might want to break down and read a J.K. Rowling mystery published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. There are three in the Cormoran Strike series, the first being The Cuckoo's Calling.

>248 charl08: - Brookner is a 'new-to-me' author in that I haven't read anything by her. I am pretty sure I acquired my copy of Hotel Du Lac at a booksale for $2 or $3 dollars. Now you have me even more curious to read it, Charlotte!

I would love to scan the books in the Russo library, including the books that were in his mother's library.

>249 karenmarie: - I hope you like the Russo memoir, Karen. I keep seeing great reviews for the Robert Galbraith books. I just cringe at the thought of adding another series to my reading pile!

My grandparents lived in Winnipeg and my family lived in Vancouver, so we would take regular flights to Winnipeg and stay for weeks at a time. So, that gave me plenty of time to dig through old books and read them. I learned how to play poker and Bridge too :) and ate a lot of junk food! Good times with my grandparents. Everyone should be so lucky!

My other grandma had Reader's Digest Condensed Books. I did not read those as much.

I think I read all Poirots as a teenager (a bit difficult to say as books don't have 1:1 translated titles and short story collections might be different) and most Miss Marples. With the exception of And then there were None I didn't like any of the others ACs I read. Neither Tommy and Tuppence, nor the neutral normal murder mysteries and least of all those with a tendency towards the paranormal, just thinking of those still makes me shudder. I don't think I read that one in >224 lkernagh:, but it doesn't sound like the best start into her works.

Oh dear, office kitchen behaviour! I asked myself the same "how do those people behave at home?" question very often. Here's my own rant:
Back in Frankfurt of course I was among those few who every single morning cleaned the espresso machine (we had collected and bought one because the coffee from the vending machine was horrible) because I started early. It had an addition for milk foam with a little tube from the milk pack to the machine and my colleagues loved opening a new pack of milk late in the evening and leaving it there. Also on Friday nights in summer, so it was much fun cleaning out the "yogurt" on Monday mornings. At least at some point it was decided that the handful of people who knew how to clean the thing got a free coffee for cleaning and 2 for descaling. And for Christmas "the machine" which we called Lizzie btw. gave me a new coffee cup and some chocolates as a present. :)

I also remember "fondly" how one guy tried to help and started the dishwasher with normal dish liquid. It took forever shovelling all the foam out of the machine.

Every 2 or 3 months I cleaned the fridge with a colleague and we threw out all the expired foods. There was cleaning staff, but they only had to clean the fridge twice a year and we were about 80 people using it. And yes, you had to stay with the kettle if you wanted hot water... always.

Something I don't miss at all. :)

I'm also eager to read Hotel du Lac after reading Elsewhere. Brookner wasn't on my radar before.

I went to check my books read and realised I read my Brookner before LT - I'm sure I've read more than two... but according to my own listing apparently not. I think I've given myself more 'to read'!! I do remember she writes beautifully though. Hope you like it.

>251 vancouverdeb: - I like the idea of staying for weeks at a time with your grandparents when you were young, Deb. Reader's Digest Condensed Books.... now that brings back some memories! Both my grandparents and even my parent collected those for a while. I don't remember anyone ever reading them, and my last trip home I don't remember seeing any on my parent's bookshelves.

>252 Deern: - Sounds like if I do decide to read more Agatha Christie, I should probably consider the Poirot mysteries, even though I have watched most of the adaptations, I am sure there must be a couple of mysteries that I wouldn't remember straight away.

Oh.... having to clean curdled milk from the espresso machine.... that probably explains why I have not seen an espresso machine with the milk attachment in any offices. At least they were prepared to 'treat' you for all of your espresso machine cleaning over the year. ;-)

I never tire of hearing about dishwasher 'accidents'. That, and laundry machines that have had way too much detergent added to the wash.

>253 cbl_tn: - Let me know you want to do a shared read of Hotel Du Lac, Carrie.

>254 charl08: - I have a terrible time remembering the books I read pre-LT. I now say "TGLT" an awful lot. ;-) I do love beautiful writing almost as much as a good story so I glad to know I have that to look forward to with the Brookner read!

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

Today was one of those coldish by otherwise smashingly beautiful days. I managed to get in an extra long walk this morning heading into work and a good walk at lunchtime, bringing my walking total for Tuesday to 14 kilometers.

On the reading front, I am almost finished my audioread of The Kite Runner. I just have 40 minutes left to listen to, so I will be finished it tomorrow. Stopped by the library on the way home this evening to pick up my reserved copy of Tell it to the Trees by Anita Rau Bandami for the March CAC. While there I browsed the shelves of current audiobooks on CD and noticed they had The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly so I now have my next audioread lined up. I have had a print copy of The Book of Lost Things languishing unread on my bookshelves since 2011 so this audioread will also count as a ROOT read.

Hey Lori, I'm glad you're enjoying The Kite Runner, I loved it and have Hosseini's follow up on my TBR stack this year. What a wonderful feeling that your body and mind are feeling the benefits of your walks.
I can't wait to get out there and revive my daily walks but unless it's at least 55f I'm not going out there. Sissy, I know.
I seriously need to shop around for a smallish and lightweight treadmill, with a book stand, that's not noisy like my old one. That would benefit me rain or shine.

Not that I want you to have to quit another "I Have Never Read" club, but the Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) is really a great series. Just saying. : )

Nicely done on the walking, Lori!! Most impressive!

Fabulous review of Elsewhere, Lori!

Agatha who?

>257 Carmenere: - Love would be the word to describe my feelings for The Kite Runner, Lynda. What an amazing story! It took a few months (6) of walking to overcome the 'blah' feeling I used to have. A very positive change, for sure! I can see why you might want it to be a little warmer before you resume your walking. For me, I like it cooler rather than warmer (but not below freezing!) when I am walking as I hate getting all hot and sweaty. A treadmill sounds like a wonderful solution! We don't have space for a treadmill, unless we got rid of one of our desks or some other piece of furniture so I guess I will be sticking with outdoor, fair weather walking. ;-)

>258 Berly: - But.... but.... but Kim, that potentially can add more than one book to my already towering TBR piles. How would I explain that to the books I still need to get around to reading? That is like queue jumping and we all know just how popular that kind of activity is when you are stuck in the checkout lineup. ;-)

>259 Crazymamie: - Thanks Mamie!

>260 kidzdoc: - Thanks Darryl and 'Yay" another reader eligible to join the formerly rather exclusive "never read an Agatha Christie book" club! One of the perks is that you can meet with other club members to talk about books - any books! - other than books written by Agatha Christie. ;-)

------------------
The weather has continued to be cool but sunny (i.e., perfect walking weather) so I have been taking advantage of the earlier sunrises (which we will lose in two weeks when we do the whole "Spring Forward" business - boohoo to that!) and managing to make up for my non-walking days earlier in the month when I bummed out my left foot. Other than that, not much to report beyond the fact that I am looking forward to the weekend and I have my review of The Kite Runner ready for posting.

Book #14 - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Dust Collectors
CAT(s): GeoCAT (Central Asia - Afghanistan)
BingoDOG: Survival Story
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2003
Acquisition date: September 27, 2009
Page count: 400 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 5.00 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the book back cover and the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, a shunned ethnic minority caste. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them, a world of increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy. When Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. But years later, an old family friend calls Amir from Pakistan and reminds him: "There is a way to be good again." And Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try and right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.

Review:
What can I say about this one that hasn’t already been said by others? This is an amazing story, tackling such broad themes of friendship/brotherhood, courage, sacrifice, betrayal and a quest for redemption set against the backdrop of pre- and post-war Afghanistan. A coming-of-age story that packs quite the punch, exposing the reader to the very soul of Amir, the story’s main character, in a brutally honest manner as Amir grows from a young child into a man who has to finally face something he has been trying to bury away for years. Hosseini’s writing is rich – dare I say provocative? – and presents the reader with a vivid image that stayed in this reader’s mind long after I had finished the story. For a debut novel, Hosseini has created a complex story of fragile relationships between fathers and sons, of the bonds between close friends, of the desire to correct a wrong and presents it to the reader with such beautiful, poignant, heart-rendering intimacy I was completely drawn into the story and even though parts of the story was painful to experience, I didn’t want it to end.

Overall, a remarkable and very memorable debut novel, worthy of all the praise that it has received and my best read so far in 2016! I can also highly recommend the audiobook version, read by the author.

Yay! 5* for The Kite Runner! Fabulous review, Lori. Remarkable debut novel, indeed. Some debut works simply defy my imagination all together!

>255 lkernagh: My father collected Readers Digest Condensed Books and I think I worked my way through most of them, but then I would read anything that wasn't nailed down. I think those books must have been left behind when my parents moved from Pointe Claire, Quebec to Ottawa because I don't remember seeing them after they were in Ontario.

Cool but sunny does sound like perfect walking weather - hope you have some good ones. I walked earlier in the week and spent most of it thinking 'why don't I do this more often?'.

Happy Friday, Lori! Great review of The Kite Runner - if you posted it, I will thumb. I knew you would love the beautiful writing - I read it when it first came out, and it still very vividly with me. So haunting,

Like you, I prefer the cold for walking because I also so not like getting all sweaty. Unfortunately, I live in southern Georgia, which is very big on the sweating. Luckily, the view is gorgeous.

>262 lkernagh: Great review of The Kite Runner. I l8ved this book.

I join in the chorus, Lori - great review of The Kite Runner. That one had a similar big impact on me when I read it.

>262 lkernagh: Definitely a tough but rewarding read. I went to a play that had been adapted from the novel a few years ago and it was also really good.

>262 lkernagh: Agree with everyone Lori - good job with the review and for doing justice to a very good novel.

Have a great weekend, Lori.

I'd love to do a shared read of Hotel du Lac with you! Would May work for you?

Great comments on The Kite Runner, Lori. I also loved it when I read it.

I enjoyed reading your compelling review of The Kite Runner, Lori. I'll have to dust off my copy and get to it this year or next.

Nice comments on The Kite Runner--another fan here.

Happy weekend!

>261 lkernagh: Embrace the TBR pile!! And hurray for a five-star read!

Wow! A 5/5 read for you, Lori! I very much enjoyed when I read it too! Great review!

>262 lkernagh: The Kite Runner was amazing, wasn't it? It was my book of the year back when I read it.

Woo Hoo! for the first 5 star read of the year! You really captured the essence of the novel in your review! Nice job!

>276 Berly: Love that photo!

Five star reads are a rare pleasure.

Lori - At our committee meeting today, I was talking to one of the English faculty members who is in our book group. I asked her if she'd ever read Clarissa. She has read it multiple times. I think her first encounter with it was in one of her college classes where it was either the entire class or a large chunk of it from the way she talked.

>222 lkernagh: love the colour coding.

That tbr pile is looking suspicusly familiar! :)

Hi Lori - Perhaps if I hadn't read Agatha Christie starting in my teens I might not like her books. I do occasionally cringe at some of the prejudices displayed (and of course the original title of And Then There Were None is horrible to our modern sensibilities). Agatha Christie was a product of her times and place and I try to remember that as I'm reading anything older that isn't PC.

We are going to be reading And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini for bookclub's May discussion; it sounds interesting too. I loved The Kite Runner. It was a hard read emotionally, but well worth it.

I plan on taking my Kindle on a trip to visit family this month. Clarissa is on it, and after I read the two books I'm taking, I'll be using my Kindle exclusively. (of course, that doesn't mean I won't buy more books on the Kindle.....)

Spies, Sadists, and Sorcerers sounds wonderful - just bought it on my Kindle too.

Drat, I need to either have more self control or stop looking at your threads. No choice really - I'm going to try to have more self control!

Hi everyone. Sorry for my lack of response. I was off-line for the past week. Last weekend was a bit of a roller coaster. I woke up Saturday morning with severe vertigo/loss of equilibrium and nausea. Any time I moved or tried to walk, it was like the whole world was spinning out of control. I thought at first that it might have been food poisoning but when the vertigo lasted off and on all weekend, with a decrease in the nausea, a trip to the doctor Monday morning was in order, with my other half in tow because he managed to injure his arm Sunday night while helping a friend. Yes, we even made going to the doctor's office a truly 'couples' thing. ;-)

It turns out that my condition was not food poisoning. My doctor's exact prognosis was "A classic case of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, also known as BPPV." I always find it reassuring when whatever I am suffering from is a "classic" case of something, because there is nothing I hate more than being a medical conundrum the doctors have difficulties diagnosing. Doc sent me away with a print out of the Epley Maneuver with instructions that I do this three times a day and if the nausea continues (which it didn't) I could take Gravel. He sent my other half to the hospital for confirmation of a possible fractured arm and treatment (because if any broken bones or casts are involved, you have to go to the hospital). One confirmed clean, straight fracture in the elbow later and we left the hospital with my other half's arm in a sling, not a cast, so yay for that!

Long story short, I have been getting progressively better each day. I worked from home for a couple of days which made a huge difference. There is no way I could have gone into the office the first part of the week. The vertigo has drastically diminished to the point where it now only seems to crop up when I hang my head down or back and I am not 100% comfortable walking down stairs. I now have a whole new appreciation and respect for individuals who suffer with attacks of vertigo.

Walking and reading pretty much ground to a halt, but I am hoping to slowly get back into both activities again.

That is pretty much my week in a nutshell. Time for some individual responses and then off to build a new thread.

>263 lit_chick: - I know! I am really looking forward to reading Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns! I always worry when a debut book is such a remarkable read for me.... next books can sometimes be a bit of a let down, even though I try to remind myself that every author can have a 'lesser' story. ;-)

>264 Familyhistorian: - I would have read my parent's RDC books too if I couldn't find anything else to read. I think RDC books are like home encyclopedias... after awhile, they loose there appeal and people end up coming up with creative ways to get rid of them.

>265 DianaNL: - Peek-a-boo, Diana! I want to reach out and give the kitty a gentle poke at the nose, only because I know that would elicit the nose being replaced with a paw to bat at me. ;-)

>266 charl08: - I did manage to get in some great walking Charlotte... right up until last Saturday morning, in fact. ;-0 Glad to see you managed to get in some wonderful walking as well!

>267 Crazymamie: - A very belated Happy Friday to you, Mamie! You really do know my reading tastes! Yup, The Kite Runner is a wonderful story. There is nothing worst than getting all sweaty when walking. The reason I prefer walking over going to the gym and working out is that I find it is just crazy to exercise and then have to shower and change before resuming my other routine activities. Are you by chance a morning walker? I am guessing the temperatures - though probably not the humidity levels - are lower and make walking more enjoyable earlier in the morning.

>268 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara. There is a lot to appreciate in Hosseini's story telling, isn't there? ;-)

>269 jnwelch: - Thanks Joe. I had you pegged as a possible lover of The Kite Runner. Glad to see I was good with my guess!

>270 MickyFine: - Wow, it has been adapted into a play? That must have been amazing to experience!

>271 PaulCranswick: - Thanks Paul. A worthy read like The Kite Runner can be a challenge to review as I always worry that I am unable to do such an amazing book justice. Thanks for the weekend wishes. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but my weekend could have been a lot worse so I thankful it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

>272 cbl_tn: - May would be a perfect time for a shared read of Hotel du Lac, Carrie!

>273 BLBera: - Hi Beth, it is so great to see everyone's love for The Kite Runner. Makes me wonder what other gems I have lurking on my TBR piles. ;-)

>274 kidzdoc: - Definitely dust off your copy, Darryl! I am still amazed that it took searching my TBR pile for a book set in Afghanistan for me to finally read my copy of The Kite Runner.

>275 banjo123: - Thanks Rhonda!

>276 Berly: - I love that TBR pile, Kim, although the idea of pulling a book out of the pile makes me think of a rather potentially dangerous game of Jenga.... ;-)

>277 vancouverdeb: - Thanks Deb! 5/5 are rare for me but Hosseini hit all the right marks for me with The Kite Runner.

>278 The_Hibernator: - The Kite Runner was an amazing read, Rachel!

>279 Carmenere: - Thanks Lynda! It is hard to do such a wonderful story proper justice.

>280 tymfos: - Rare indeed! I went back and did a quick skim of my ratings over the past 4 years and I have only had five 5-star reads: 1 in 2012, 1 in 2013, 2 in 2014 and 1 in 2015. The Kite Runner makes my sixth 5-star read.

>281 thornton37814: - She has read it multiple times. Wow.... that is impressive! I will be chuffed if I make it through one reading of Clarissa. Kudos to your book group member!

.... which reminds me, I need to get back to Clarissa.....

>282 LovingLit: - It is a different way to present the books and kind of appealing considering there usually isn't any rhyme or reason to how the books are usually organized. ;-)

>283 karenmarie: - That is one aspect of the Golden Era of detective fiction books like Agatha Christie's that I like and appreciate: the fact that they are a product of the time in which they were written. They are kind of a cultural time capsule.

I will be looking forward to finding out your book group's thoughts of And the Mountains Echoed.

Kindles and e-book readers are fantastic for traveling! There is nothing I hate more than being on vacation and discovering that I am not in the mood for any of the books I have brought along with me!

Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers is interesting. The author does a good job of presenting historical topics of interest with a bit of a modern slant. Good thing too, because I am pretty rusty on some of the history he touches on!

... all right folks, that is a wrap for this thread. Please follow me over to my new digs!