Smiler's Balancing Act - Second Page

  
From my ever-expanding "Reading Love" Pinterest board: Two illustrations by Sophie Blackall.

Hi, I'm Ilana, living in Montreal with my furkids, cats Mimi and Ezra. I just lost my beloved toy poodle Coco, who was considered by many (including myself) to be the cutest dog in the world. I usually have several books going at any one time; a print book, an ebook, an audiobook and several books I like to browse through slowly. When I'm not reading, I like to work on my art: I've started what I call the Metro Series—photorealistic pencil portraits of people I see on the metro, which I share on FB and occasionally on my threads here on LT. I completed just over 200 books in 2015, Mostly thanks to the fact that I can spend quite a few daytime hours listening to audiobooks, as I do chores and my artwork. I've been known to be very active in the group in the past, but since I entered into a relationship last year with a fellow artist after long years of being on my own, I am less present on the threads though I have taken up the Canadian Author Challenge this year (which can be found here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/209622). This group is definitely part of my daily life, hence... the balancing act of trying to fit in everything I love into each and every day.



Table of Contents:
• Favourites of 2015
• Reading Plans for March
• Books Completed in January, February & March
• Reading Plans for 2016 (CAC, BAC, AAC, group reads, etc)
• Picked for Me! 2016 Challenge
• Booker Prize Books
• Pulitzer Prize challenge
• A Century of Books!
• Reading Bingo
• Ongoing Series

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:
✔ All the World's Birds: Buffon's Illustrated Natural History General and Particular of Birds by Georges-Louis Leclerc
✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 47: Curiouser and Curiouser by Gail Pirkis, Hazel Wood (Editors)
✔ The Penguin Book of Stephen Leacock by Stephen Leacock
♫ The Narrow Corner by W. Somerset Maugham

      



Favourites of 2016: (★★★★½ and up, by reading order)
Carry On, Jeeves P. G. Wodehouse
Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé
Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth
H is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald
Le grand cahier / The Notebook by Agota Kristof (review)
Heap House: Book One (The Iremonger Trilogy) by Edward Carey ★★★★★ (review)
The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys ★★★★★
♫ Carmilla: a Vampyre Tale by Sheridan Le Fanu (radio drama) ★★★★★
From The Holy Mountain William Dalrymple
The Road Home by Rose Tremain (review)
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - picked by Mary/@mdoris
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowat - picked by @Deern
Plumdog by Emma Chichester Clark
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
♫ Cold Comfort Farm (Dramatised) By Stella Gibbons
Venice by Jan Morris
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat ★★★★★
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami
The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff




My rating system:
★ - Hated it (May or may not have finished it)
★★ - Has some redeeming qualities (Just ok)
★★★ - Enjoyed it well enough (Good)
★★★★ - Loved it! (Very good)
★★★★½ - Favourites of the year (Want to read it again!)
★★★★★ - All-time favourite (Would read again, and again... and again!)

⅛ ¼ ⅓ ½ ¾ ⅞

* = Picked for Me
♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook



Reserving first dozen or so posts for organizational and planning needs.

Favourites of 2015:
4.5 & 5 star reads can be found here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/210705#5395370

More books I really loved: (coming up)

March Reading Plans:
✔ The Penguin Book of Stephen Leacock by Stephen Leacock - CAC, TIOLI #9: author's first or last name starts with the letter "L" - Reading
✪✔ The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowat - CAC, TIOLI #6 - COMPLETED
✪♫ Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat - CAC, TILOI #13: Read a book of ethology - COMPLETED
✪✔ The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami- CAC, TIOLI #3: a book with an embedded word in the title - COMPLETED
✪❉ How to Be Both by Ali Smith - BAC, TIOLI #14: author whose initials form a word
✪♫ The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy - BAC, TIOLI #3 - COMPLETED
❉ A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley - AAC, TIOLI #1: a book with 'me' in the title
✭✔ Venice by Jan Morris - NF Challenge: Travel, TIOLI #10: a title in which each word can be anagrammed - COMPLETED
✪*♫ Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - TIOLI #2: Read a book you're a bit panicky over - COMPLETED
✭♫ The Collector by John Fowles - TIOLI #6, ACoB! (1963) - COMPLETED
✭♫ Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, Book 1 by Jonathan Stroud - TIOLI #6 - COMPLETED
✭❉ The Sailor Who Fell from Grace from the Sea by Yukio Mishima - ACoB! (1963), TIOLI #12: Read a book whose title could be an essay question
✭♫ On the Road by Jack Kerouac - NF Travel challenge, TIOLI #12 - COMPLETED
✪❉ The Bird Artist by Howard Norman - TIOLI
✭♫ H'apenny by Jo Walton - TIOLI #15 : Read a book by a writer born in Wales
✪✔ The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff - NF Travel Challenge, TIOLI #7: Read a book with yellow on the cover (matched read), Reading Bingo - COMPLETED

More Options for Coco's TIOLI Challenge #6:
Read a book with a title word or author name beginning with the letters "Co" or the word "Dog" or synonym, or a book with a dog as the main protagonist
✭✔ Astonishing Splashes Of Colour by Clare Morrall - TIOLI #6, Booker Prize Challenge
✭♫ We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler - TIOLI #6, Booker Prize Challenge - COMPLETED
✭❉♫ In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith - TIOLI #6
✭❉ Plumdog by Emma Chichester Clarke - COMPLETED
♫ La Divine Comédie by Dante Alighieri
♫ The Confessions of Saint Augustine
♫ La Cousine Bette by Honoré de Balzac
♫ Constellation by Adrien Bosc
♫ Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
♫ A Dog's Heart by Mikhail Bulgakov
♫ Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
♫ Cold Comfort Farm (Dramatised) - COMPLETED
♫ Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World by Claire Harman
♫ Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
♫ The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson
✭♫ Company of Liars by Karen Maitland - COMPLETED
✭♫ The Narrow Corner by W. Somerset Maugham - Listening
♫ Contes du jour et de la nuit by Guy de Maupassant
♫ The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty
♫ Coming up for Air by George Orwell
♫ L'extraordinaire voyage du fakir qui était resté coincé dans une armoire Ikea by Romain Puértolas
♫ Don't Get Too Comfortable by David Rakoff
♫ Le grand Coeur by Jean-Christophe Rufin
♫ Réglez-lui son compte ! by San-Antonio
♫ Tommo and Hawk: The Australian Trilogy, Book 2 by Bryce Courtenay

Spur of the moment:
✪♫ Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer - TIOLI #2: Read a book you're a bit panicky over (shared read) - COMPLETED
✭♫ The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge - TIOLI #2 - COMPLETED
✭♫ Cold Comfort Farm (Dramatised) By Stella Gibbons - TIOLI #6 - COMPLETED
✭♫ The Trilogy of Two by Juman Malouf - TIOLI #3 - COMPLETED
✪♫ Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit - TIOLI #3 - COMPLETED
✭♫ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - TIOLI #11: Read a stand-alone book, or a book from a series, that has inspired a video game - COMPLETED
✭❉ Maigret Returns by Georges Simenon - TIOLI #10 - COMPLETED

***

April Reading Plans:
♫ The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (CAC)
♫ Galore by Michael Crummey (CAC)
♫ The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (BAC)
❉ The Buddha of Suburbia Hanif Kureishi (BAC)
✔ Emma by Jane Austen (reread) - Tutored read with Liz
♫ Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant by Tracy Borman (NF Challenge - Religion & Spirituality)
✭ⓔ In Praise of Folly by Erasmus - NFC: Religion & Spirituality, TIOLI 2: Read a book of that starts with APRIL
♫ Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl - NFC: Religion & Spirituality
Poetry Month (AAC)
✪✔ Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - Picked for me by Charlotte/@Fourpawz2, TIOLI #3: author with a triple-barrelled name
✭✔ Good Evening, Mrs Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes - picked by Heather/@souloftherose, TIOLI #3
✪❉ Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 1 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa - TIOLI #1: Read a book of manga
✪♫ Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - TIOLI #4: a flower in the title or author's name
✪♫ The Great Leader by Jim Harrison - TIOLI #6: honours the writing of Jim Harrison
✭♫ Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison - TIOLI #6



***

* = Picked for Me challenge
** = Picked for Me challenge extra picks
♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook
✭ = TIOLI
✪ = Shared TIOLI

- Listening
- Reading
- COMPLETED

Books completed in March
46. ♫ Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud ★★★★
47. ♫ Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - picked by Mary/@mdoris ★★★★½
48. ✔ The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowat - picked by @Deern (in 2015) ★★★★½
49. ♫ Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer ★★★★
50. ❉ Plumdog by Emma Chichester Clark ★★★★½
51. ♫ The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy ★★★★⅓
52. ♫ On the Road by Jack Kerouac ★★★★
53. ♫ The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge ★★★★½
54. ♫ Cold Comfort Farm (Dramatised) By Stella Gibbons ★★★★½
55. ♫ The Trilogy of Two by Juman Malouf ★★½
56. ✔ Venice by Jan Morris ★★★★½
57. ♫ Company of Liars by Karen Maitland ★★★★⅓
58. ♫ Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat ★★★★★
59. ♫ The Collector by John Fowles ★★★★
60. ♫ Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit ★★★★½
61. ✔ The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami ★★★★¾
62. ♫ We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler ★★★
63. ✔ The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff ★★★★½
64. ♫ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling ★★★★½
65. ❉ Maigret Returns by Georges Simenon ★★★★
66.
67.
68.

February
25. ❉ⓔ Heap House: Book One (The Iremonger Trilogy) by Edward Carey ★★★★★ (review)
26. ❉ⓔ Mr. Wilson's Cabinet Of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler ★★★★½
27. ♫ A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin ★★★½
28. ❉ⓔ Foulsham: Book Two (The Iremonger Trilogy) by Edward Carey ★★★★⅓
29. ♫ One Corpse too Many by Ellis Peters ★★★★
30. ♫ The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli ★★★
31. ♫ Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf ★★★
32. ♫ Uprooted by Naomi Novik ★★★★
33. ✔ The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys ★★★★★
34. ♫ The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu ★★½
35. ♫ The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes ★★★★
36. ❉ⓔ A Celtic Temperament: Robertson Davies as Diarist by Robertson Davies ★★★★
37. ♫ Poirot Investigates by Agatha Chrisite ★★★½
38. ♫ The Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett ★★★★ (review)
39. ❉ Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh ★★★★⅓
40. ♫ The Colour by Rose Tremain ★★★★½
41. ♫ Carmilla: a Vampyre Tale by Sheridan Le Fanu ★★★★★
42. ✔ War and Peace by Leo Tolstloy ★★★★⅓
43. ✔ From The Holy Mountain William Dalrymple ★★★★½
44. ♫ The Road Home by Rose Tremain - picked by Peggy/@LizzieD ★★★★½ (review)
45. ❉ⓔ Lungdon: Book Three (The Iremonger Trilogy) by Edward Carey ★★★★⅓

January
1. ♫ Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff ★★★★⅓
2. ♫ Le Spleen de Paris by Charles Baudelaire ★★★★
3. ✔ Carry On, Jeeves P. G. Wodehouse ★★★★½
4. ✔ Ru by Kim Thúy ★★★½
5. ♫ Funny Girl by Nick Hornby ★★★★⅓
6. ♫ Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell ★★★★
7. ♫ Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé ★★★★½
8. ♫ Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett ★★★★⅓
9. ♫ Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert ★★★★⅓
10. ✔ Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler ★★½ (review)
11. ✔ The Manticore by Robertson Davies ★★★★⅓
12. ♫ Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth ★★★★½
13. ♫ Le dernier ami / The Last Friend by Tahar Ben Jelloun ★★★★½
14. ♫ Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri ★★★
15. ✔ World of Wonders by Robertson Davies ★★★★
16. ♫ H is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald ★★★★½
17. ♫ La femme qui attendait / The Woman Who Waited by Andreï Makine ★★★⅓
18. ♫ A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters ★★★★
19. ♫ Le grand cahier / The Notebook by Agota Kristof ★★★★½ (review)
20. ❉ⓔ Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes ★★★★⅓
21. ♫ The Songs of the Kings by Barry Unsworth ★★★★⅓
22. ♫ A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman ★★★½
23. ♫ La promesse de l'aube / Promise at Dawn by Romain Gary ★★★½
24. ♫ The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman ★★★¾

Unfinished
♫ Le vice-consul by Marguerite Duras

2016 Plans

March:
see http://www.librarything.com/topic/210705#5395371

April:
♫ The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (CAC)
♫ Galore by Michael Crummey (CAC)
♫ The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (BAC)
❉ The Buddha of Suburbia Hanif Kureishi (BAC)
✔ Emma by Jane Austen (reread) - Tutored read with Liz
♫ Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant by Tracy Borman (NF Challenge - Religion & Spirituality)
ⓔ In Praise of Folly by Erasmus (NFC - Religion & Spirituality)
♫ Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (NFC - Religion & Spirituality)
Poetry Month (AAC)

May:
❉ C't'à ton tour Laura Cadieux by Michel Tremblay (CAC)
❉ Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel (CAC)
❉ The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam (BAC)
♫ The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard (BAC)
♫ English Creek by Ivan Doig (AAC)
ⓔ Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund - shared read with Ellen/@EBT1002

June:
✔ The Piano Man's Daughter by Timothy Findley (CAC)
✔ Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (CAC)
♫ Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser (BAC)
♫ Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (BAC)
♫ The Shipping News Annie Proulx - reread (AAC)

July:
❉ Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (CAC)
❉ Klondike : the last great gold rush, 1896-1899 by Pierre Berton (CAC)
✔ Mr Wakefield's Crusade Bernice Rubens (BAC)
♫ The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (BAC)
♫ Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (AAC)

August:
♫ The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordechai Richler (CAC)
❉ Bonheur d'occasion by Gabrielle Roy (CAC)
❉♫ Sweet Tooth Ian McEwan (BAC)
♫ Lovely, Dark, Deep by Joyce Carol Oates (AAC)

September:
✔ A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (CAC)
♫ L'énigme du retour Dany Laferrière (CAC)
♫ The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (BAC)
✔ Cider with Rosie Laurie Lee (BAC)
♫ A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (AAC)

October:
✔ The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (CAC)
❉ The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart (CAC)
✔ When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (BAC)
♫ The Spire by William Golding (BAC)
✔ The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (AAC)

November:
✔ In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje (CAC)
❉ The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence (CAC)
✔ The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West (BAC)
♫ Berlin Game by Len Deighton (BAC)
✔ Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard (AAC), (NFC - Essays)

December:
ⓔ The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro (CAC)
❉♫ De Niro's Game by Rawi Hage (CAC)
♫ The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë (BAC)
Don DeLillo (AAC)

***

Weird_O's Doorstopper Challenge

Dead Weight:
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1296 pages) - January/Febuary - COMPLETED
Camilla by Fanny Burney (992 pages)
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (832 pages)
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (944 pages)
Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (640 pages) - COMPLETED
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess (656 pages/)
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (1184 pages)
The Stonecutter by Camilla Läckberg (830 pages/16h)
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber (824 pages/41h36)
The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss (736 pages/27h58)
Skippy Dies by Patrick Murray (672 pages/23h41)
Birds Without Wings by Louis De Bernieres (640 pages)

Also
Possession by A.S. Byatt (528 pages)
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (448 pages)
Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault (448 pages)

Wedge:
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh (128 pages)
C't'à ton tour Laura Cadieux by Tremblay Michel (144 pages) - CAC
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (146 pages/3h00) - BAC
The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden (160 pages) - BAC
The Elements of Style Illustrated by William J. Strunk and Maira Kalman (176 pages)
Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell (178 pages)
Maigret Returns by Georges Simenon (160 pages)
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat (183 pages/3h45) - CAC
Madame Sousatzka by Bernice Rubens (187) pages - BAC
Mr Wakefield's Crusade by Bernice Rubens (190 pages)
The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys (192 pages) - CAC - COMPLETED
The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden (192 pages) - BAC
Crete by Barry Unsworth (192 pages) - BAC
All Shot Up by Chester Himes (192 pages/4h30)
Deceived With Kindness by Angelica Garnett (192)
*Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (182 pages/6 hours) - PfM!
Timbuktu by Paul Auster (193 pages)
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (193 pages)
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (198 pages) - Pulitzer Prize
*Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes (200 pages) - PfM!

***



* = Picked for Me challenge
** = Picked for Me challenge extra picks
♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook
✭ = TIOLI
✪ = Shared TIOLI

eta: Touchstones not working

Picked for Me 2016:
My fifth year with this personal challenge. I love having fellow book-lovers look through my "to be read" section and pick out their favourites. This year I limited it to twelve selections as there are so many other challenges I want to participate in, plus I want to completed books that are left over from the 2015 list.

1. ✔ Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Thurston - picked by Charlotte/@Fourpawz2
2. ♫ Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell - picked by Kerry/@avatiakh - COMPLETED / January
3. ♫ H is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald - picked by Mark/@msf59 - COMPLETED / January
4. ✔ As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee - picked by Paul/@PaulCranswick - COMPLETED 2015
5. ♫ Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - picked by Mary/@mdoris - COMPLETED / March
6. ✔ Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund - picked by Ellen/@EBT1002
7. ♫ Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - picked by Jim/@drneutron
8. ♫ The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezani - picked by Judy/@DeltaQueen50
9. ✔ The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru - picked by Deborah/@Cariola
10. ✔ Good Evening, Mrs Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes - picked by Heather/@souloftherose
11. ⓔ History of the Rain by Niall Williams - picked by Charlotte/@charl08
12. ♫ The Road Home by Rose Tremain - picked by Peggy/@LizzieD - COMPLETED / February

Left over from 2015 (aka the list of shame)
✔+♫ Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - picked by @lunacat
ⓔ The Midnight Bell by Francis Lathom - picked by @lyzard (tutored read)
✔ The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher - picked by @LauraBrook
✔+♫ A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - picked by @kidzdoc
✔ The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowat - picked by @Deern - COMPLETED / March

Booker Prize Books
I try to read as many Booker books on the tbr as possible each year. I also keep track of those books I've already read to see how complete I can make this list over time.

Read in 2016: (in reading order)
Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (Booker Prize 1992)
Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes (Shortlist 1984)
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (Shortlist 2014)




On my TBR (and previously read)
Bruno's Dream by Iris Murdoch (Shortlist 1970)
*Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault (Shortlist 1970)
¹⁴The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (Booker Prize 1970)
¹⁴Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor (Shortlist 1971)
¹⁴The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell (Booker Prize 1973)
*The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer (Booker Prize 1974)
¹⁵The Children Of Dynmouth by William Trevor (Shortlist 1976)
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (Shortlist 1977)
¹⁵Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood (Shortlist 1977)
¹⁴A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens (Shortlist 1978)
*The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (Shortlist 1978)
¹³The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch (Booker Prize 1978)
¹⁴A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr (Shortlist 1980)
*Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess (Shortlist 1980)
¹³Good Behaviour by Molly Keane (Shortlist 1981)
¹⁵Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (Booker Prize 1981)
¹⁵An Ice-cream War by William Boyd (Shortlist 1982)
¹⁵Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally (Booker Prize 1982)
*Waterland by Graham Swift (Shortlist 1983)
*Small World by David Lodge (Shortlist 1984)
¹²Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner (Booker Prize 1984)
The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch (Shortlist 1985)
The Bone People by Keri Hulme (Booker Prize 1985)
¹³The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Shortlist 1986)
¹⁵An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (Shortlist 1986)
⁸⁷The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies (Shortlist 1986)
⁸⁷What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies (Shortlist 1986)
¹⁵Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (Booker Prize 1987)
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Shortlist 1988)
*Nice Work by David Lodge (Shortlist 1988)
¹⁵Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey (Booker Prize 1988)
¹⁴Restoration by Rose Tremain(Shortlist 1989)
The Book of Evidence by John Banville (Shortlist 1989)
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (Shortlist 1989)
¹³The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro(Booker Prize 1989)
Possession by A.S. Byatt (Booker Prize 1990)
*Two Lives by William Trevor (Shortlist 1991)
¹⁴The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje(Booker Prize 1992)
Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer (Shortlist 1993)
¹³Morality Play by Barry Unsworth (Shortlist 1995)
¹¹The Ghost Road by Pat Barker (Booker Prize 1995)
¹⁰Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Shortlist 1996)
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (Shortlist 1996)
*Last Orders by Graham Swift (Booker Prize 1996)
⁰⁸The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (Booker Prize 1997)
¹⁵Master Georgie by Beryl Bainbridge (Shortlist 1998)
¹⁴Amsterdam by Ian Mcewan (Booker Prize 1998)
¹³Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee (Booker Prize 1999)
⁰⁸The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Booker Prize 2000)
Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri (Longlist 2001)
¹²Atonement by Ian McEwan (Shortlist 2001)
⁰⁹True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (Booker Prize 2001)
¹⁰Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (Shortlist 2002)
*Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry (Shortlist 2002)
⁰⁵Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Booker Prize 2002)
Astonishing Splashes Of Colour by Clare Morrall (Shortlist 2003)
Brick Lane by Monica Ali (Shortlist 2003)
¹³What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller (Shortlist 2003)
¹⁵Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Shortlist 2003)
The Master by Colm Toibin (Shortlist 2004)
⁰⁸The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (Booker Prize 2004)
¹⁵Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel (Longlist 2005)
¹⁰Arthur & George by Julian Barnes (Shortlist 2005)
⁰⁸Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Shortlist 2005)
⁰⁶On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Shortlist 2005)
⁰⁸Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Shortlist 2005)
The Accidental by Ali Smith (Shortlist 2005)
⁰⁹The Sea by John Banville (Booker Prize 2005)
¹⁴The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth (Longlist 2006)
¹⁵Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (Longlist 2006)
¹²The Secret River by Kate Grenville (Shortlist 2006)
Mother's Milk by Edward St. Aubyn (Shortlist 2006)
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Booker Prize 2006)
¹⁵The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (Longlist 2007)
¹⁴Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (Shortlist 2007)
⁰⁹On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Shortlist 2007)
¹⁵Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Longlist 2008)
¹³The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (Shortlist 2008)
¹²Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (Shortlist 2008)
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (Shortlist 2008)
⁰⁸The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (Booker Prize 2008) (to reread)
Heliopolis by James Scudamore (Longlist 2009)
¹¹The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt (Shortlist 2009)
¹²The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (Shortlist 2009)
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Shortlist 2009)
¹²Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Booker Prize 2009) (to reread)
Trespass by Rose Tremain (Longlist 2010)
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray (Longlist 2010)
¹⁴Room by Emma Donoghue (Shortlist 2010)
¹¹The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (Shortlist 2011)
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch (Shortlist 2011)
¹¹The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (Booker Prize 2011)
¹⁴The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (Shortlist 2012)
¹²Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (Booker Prize 2012)
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Longlist 2013)
Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson (Longlist 2013)
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (Shortlist 2013)
¹³The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin (Shortlist 2013)
¹³Harvest by Jim Crace (Shortlist 2013)
¹³The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (Booker Prize 2013)
*Orfeo by Richard Powers (Longlist 2014)
*The Blazing World by Siri Hustdvedt (Longlist 2014)
*History of the Rain by Niall Williams (Longlist 2014)
¹⁴The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (Booker Prize 2014)
*The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma (Shortlist 2015)
*A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (Booker Prize 2015)

¹⁵ = read in 2015
¹⁴ = read in 2014
¹³ = read in 2013
& etc.
* = recent additions to the tbr

(Much more on the wishlist of course!)

Pulitzer Prize Challenge: Possibilities from my tbr:

1923: One of Ours by Willa Sibert Cather
1928: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
1937: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
1941: For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
1947: All the Kings Men by Robert Penn Warren
1965: The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau
1975: The Killer Angels by Michard Shaara
1977: Roots by Alex Haley (Special Citation)
1981: Peter the Great by Peter K. Massie (Biography/Autobriography)
1983: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
1989: Breathing Lessons Anne Tyler - COMPLETED
1989: Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann (Biography/Autobriography)
1997: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
1998: American Pastoral by Philip Roth
2000: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
2003: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
2004: The Known World by Edward P. Jones
2005: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2006: Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky (History)
2010: The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt T. J. Stiles (Biography/Autobriography)
2011: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee (General Nonfiction)
2014: The Goldfinch Donna Tartt

A Century of Books! 1900-1999
I originally stole this challenge idea from Heather/@souloftherose. I'm trying to read a book published in every year of the 20th century. I've been at this one for a few years now, and hope to complete it in 2016 so I can move on to the 19th century!

1900
1901
1902
1903
1904 The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
1905
1906
1907 Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther by Elizabeth von Arnim
1908 The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913 O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
1914
1915 Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
1916
1917
1918 The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
1919
1920 In Chancery by John Galsworthy
1921
1922 Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
1923 Murder on the Links by Agatha Chrisite
1924 Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
1925 The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
1926 These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
1927
1928 Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayer
1929 Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig
1930 Le Bal by Irène Némirovsky
1931 Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett by Georges Simenon
1932 Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
1933 High Rising by Angela Thirkell
1934 Miss Buncle's Book bu D. E. Stevenson
1935
1936 The Dark Frontier by Eric Ambler
1937
1938 Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler
1939 Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
1940 Native Son by Richard Wright
1941 Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers
1942 Le joueur d'échecs / Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
1943 Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
1944 Dragonwyck by Anya Seton
1945 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
1946 Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
1947 Wolf Story by William Mccleery
1948 A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck and Robert Capa
1949
1950 Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert
1951 My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
1952 A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
1953 The Unstrung Harp: Or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel by Edward Gorey
1954 Bonjour tristesse by Françoise Sagan
1955
1956 The Accursed Kings: The Poisoned Crown (Part 3) by Maurice Druon
1957 The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier
1958 10146::The Leopard by Guisepe Di Lampedusa
1959
1960 The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning
1961 Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
1962 Cover Her Face by P. D. James
1963 The Collector by John Fowles
1964 Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
1965 Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin
1966 The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott
1967
1968 A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
1969 The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
1970 Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
1971 Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
1972 All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
1973 The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
1974 Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
1975 Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
1976 The Children Of Dynmouth by William Trevor
1977 Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood
1978 A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens
1979 The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
1980 A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr
1981 Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini
1982 Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally
1983 The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
1984 Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
1985
1986 An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
1987 Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
1988 Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
1989 Restoration by Rose Tremain
1990 The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard
1991 The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
1992 All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
1993 A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess
1994 The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
1995 Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
1996 The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri
1997 Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
1998 Amsterdam Ian McEwan
1999 Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Touchstones not working.

Reading Bingo (still editing)
Since I obviously don't have enough challenges going already, I got this card from the 2016 Catergory challenge, where there are two designs to choose from. I'll fill it in with whatever books I've picked up along the way and not worry about completing it: it's just for fun!

Here is the General Category Card:



✭1. Less than 200 pages: Le dernier ami / The Last Friend by Tahar Ben Jelloun
✭2. Senior citizen as the protagonist: Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
3. Survival Story:
4. About an airplane flight:
✭5. About a writer: The Woman Who Waited by Andreï Makine

6. About the environment:
✭7. Author born in 1916: The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
✭8. Autobiography or memoir: La promesse de l'aube / Promise at Dawn by Romain Gary
✭9. Adventure: Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
✭10. One-word title: Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé

11. Title has a musical reference:
✭12. Title uses wordlplay: Foulsham: Book Two (The Iremonger Trilogy) by Edward Carey
✭13. Category Challenge - FREE Space!
14. A body of water in the title:
15. About/by an indigenous person:

✭16. Food is important: Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri
✭17. Published before you were born: Le Spleen de Paris by Charles Baudelaire
✭18. Features a theatre: World of Wonders by Robertson Davies
✭19. Debut book: Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
✭20. In translation: Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri

21. Focus on art:
✭22. Coming of age story: The Manticore by Robertson Davies
✭23. Comics, graphic novel, manga, etc: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
24. Self-published:
✭25. You want the protagonist's job or hobby: A Celtic Temperament: Robertson Davies as Diarist by Robertson Davies




And here is one centred on Women Authors (found here):



✭1. A "new-to-you" author: Ru by Kim Thúy
✭2. Author over 60 years old: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
3. African author:
✭4. Male pseudonym: One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
5. Author from the Middle East:

✭6. Set in Latin America or Asia: The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli
✭7. Made into a movie: Le grand cahier / The Notebook by Agota Kristof
✭8. About a female critter: H is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald
✭9. Published before 2000: Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer
✭10. Set in Europe, Australia, or NZ: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

✭11. Different genre by same author: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (self-help)
✭12. Award winner: Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
✭13. By or about a woman The Road Home by Rose Tremain
✭14. 1920-30s detective fiction: Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
15. Poetry or Play:

16. Women in non-traditional roles:
✭17. Less than 10 years old: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
✭18. From tbr pile: Venice by Jan Morris
19. Autobiography, memoir or correspondence:
20. About a spy:

✭21. Short story collection: The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys
✭22. Women in science: The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
23. Women in combat:
24. About a female ruler:
25. African-American author:

✭ = completed

Ongoing Series
Series I have in my TBR but haven't started on yet are covered in the second list.

❉ African Trilogy - Next up: No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe (2/3)
ⓔ Alan Grant Mysteries - Next up: The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (1/6 - read out of order)
*♫ All Creatures Great and Small" - Next up: All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot (2/5)
♫ The Australian Trilogy - Next up: Tommo and Hawk by Bryce Courtenay (⅔)
ⓔ The Balkan Trilogy - Next up: The Spoilt City by Olivia Manning (2 of 3)
*♫ Barsetshire Books - Next up: August Folly by Angela Thirkell (4/29)
♫ Bartimaeus Trilogy - Next up: The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud (Prequel)
Bernie Gunther - Next up: A German Requiem by Philip Kerr (3/9)
♫ Bloody Jack Adventures - Next up: Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer (2/12)
✔ Border Trilogy - Next up: The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy (⅔)
*♫ Brother Cadfael: Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters (3/20)
❉ Cannery Row - Next up: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (2/2)
♫ Cazalet Chronicles - Next up: Marking Time by Elizabeth Jane Howard (2/5)
♫ The Cemetery of Forgotten Books - Next up: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (2/3)
❉ Chief Inspector Armand Gamache - Next up: A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (2/10)
Chocolat - Next up: The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris (2/3)
♫ The Chronicles of Barsetshire - Next up: Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope (2/6)
♫ The Chronicles of St Mary's - Next up: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor (2/4)
✔ Claudius - Next up: Claudius the God by Robert Graves (2/2)
♫ La Comédie Humaine - Next up: Le curé de Tours by Honoré de Balzac (31/88 - read out of order)
✔ Commissario Brunetti - Next up: Acqua Alta by Donna Leon (5/23 - read out of order)
*✔ Commissario Montalbano - Next up: The Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri (16/19)
❉ Corfu Trilogy: The Garden of the Gods by Gerald Durrell (3/3)
*♫ Cormoran >: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (3/3)
♫ The Cousins' War: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (2/6)
✔ The Dark is Rising Sequence - Next up: The Grey King by Susan Cooper (4/5)
♫ Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Next up: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor (2/3)
❉ De Luca Trilogy - Next up: The Damned Season by Carlo Lucarelli (2/3)
* The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies - COMPLETED
♫ The Dresden Files: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (3/15)
❉ Dr. Siri Paiboun - Next up: Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (5/10)
*♫ Dublin Murder Squad - Next up: Faithful Place by Tana French (3/5)
*❉ The Earthsea Cycle - Next up: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (3/6)
♫ Easy Rawlins Mystery - Next up: White Butterfly by Walter Mosley (3/11)
ⓔ Elizabeth and her German Garden - Next up: The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim (2/2)
✔ Empire Trilogy - Next up: The Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell (3/3)
*❉♫ Erica Falck and Patrik Hedström - Next up: The Stonecutter by Camilla Läckberg (3/9)
❉♫ Flavia de Luce - Next up: A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (3/7)
♫ Forsyte Saga - Next up: To Let by John Galsworthy (3/3)
❉ Green Town - Next up: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (2/2)
❉ The Harlem Cycle - Next up: All Shot Up by Chester Himes (4/8)
♫ Harry Potter - Next up: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (reread) (5/7)
*♫ Hercule Poirot - Next up: Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (2/39 - read out of order)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Dramatization - Next up: Tertiary Phase (BBC Radio Collection) by Douglas Adams (3/5)
♫ The House of Earth Trilogy - Next up: Sons by Pearl S. Buck (2/3)
❉ The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place - Next up: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood (3/4)
Inspector Yashim Togalu - Next up: The Snake Stone by Jason Goodwin (2/5)
♫ Isabel Dalhousie Mysteries - Next up: The Right Attitude to Rain by Alexander McCall Smith (3/10)
♫ Jack Reacher - Next up: The Enemy by Lee Child (8/20)
✔ Jackson Brodie - Next up: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (3/4)
♫ John Russell - Next up: Lehrter Station by David Downing (5/6)
*♫Joseph O'Loughlin - Next up: Shatter by Michael Robotham (3/7)
♫ Kenzie & Gennaro - Next up: Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane (2/6 - read out of order)
♫ Kurt Wallander - Next up: The White Lioness by Henning Mankell (3/11)
*♫❉ Lady Trent's Memoirs - Next up: The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan (2/4)
The Last Lion - Next up: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940 by William Manchester (2 of 3)
* Leo Demidov - Next up: The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith (2 of 3)
♫ Leviathan - Next up: Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (2/3)
♫ The Lord of the Rings - Next up: The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien (3/4)
✔ Lord Peter Wimsey - Next up: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers (5/15)
♫❉ MaddAddam Trilogy: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (2 of 3)
*❉ Maigret - Next up: Maigret Returns by Georges Simenon (19/76)
ⓔ Mapp and Lucia - Next up: Lucia in London by E. F. Benson (3 of 8)
*♫ Marcus Didius Falco - Next up: Shadows in Bronze by Lyndsey David (2/20)
♫ Matthew Shardlake by C. J. Samson - Next up: Awaiting publication (7/7)
Miss Marple - Next up: The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (2/12)
*♫ Neapolitan Novels: The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferranted (2 of 4)
❉ Night Soldiers - Next up: Dark Star by Alan Furst (2/13)
❉ The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Next up: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (6/15)
♫ The Obelisk Trilogy - Next up: Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller (2/3)
Oxford Time Travel series - Next up: Blackout by Connie Willis (3/4)
Parker - Next up: The Mourner by Richard Stark (4/24)
✔ Philip Marlowe - Next up: The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (6/9 - read out of order)
*♫ Phryne Fisher Mysteries - Next up: The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood (5/20)
*✔ The Power Of One - Next up: Tandia by Bryce Courtenay (2/2)
The Prairie Trilogy - Next up: The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (⅔)
✔ The Raj Quartet - Next up: The Towers Of Silence by Paul Scott (3/4)
♫ Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land by John Flanagan (3/12)
❉♫ The Raven Cycle Next up: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (2/4)
✔ Richard Hannay - Next up: Greenmantle by John Buchan (2/5)
❉♫ Les Rois Maudits - Next up: Quand un roi perd la France (7/7)
❉ Les Rougon-Macquart - Next up: La joie de vivre by Émile Zola (12/20)
♫ Ruby Trilogy - Next up: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (⅔)
*♫ Sacred Hunger: The Quality of Mercy by Barry Unsworth (2 of 2)
✔ Sally Lockhart Mysteries - Next up: The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (2/4)
*♫ Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (5/9)
*♫ Small Change - Next up: Ha'penny by Jo Walton (2/3)
*♫ A Song of Ice and Fire - Up to date
❉ Sookie Stackhouse - Next up: Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (3/14)
❉ The Spiderwick Chronicles - Next up: The Nixie's Song by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi (6/8)
♫ Tales of the City - Next up: Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (3/6)
♫ Tales of the Otori - Next up: Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn (3/4+prequel)
*♫ Thomas De Quincey - Next up: Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell (2/2)
❉ Three Men in a Boat - Next up: Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome (2/2)
♫ Tom Ripley - Next up: The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (4/5)
* Victor Legris - Next up: La disparue du Père-Lachaise by Claude Izner (2/11)
Wolf Hall Trilogy - Next up: The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (awaiting publication) (3/3) - Up to date
Wolves Chronicles - Next up: Nightbirds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken (3/11)
❉ Wyoming Stories: Bad Dirt by Annie Proulx (2/3)

***

First in Series on my TBR
♫ Albert Campion: The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham (1/19)
✔ The American Trilogy: American Pastoral by Philip Roth (1/3)
✔ Aristide Ravel Mysteries : The Cavalier of the Apocalypse by Susanne Alleyn (1/4)
✔ The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson (½)
♫ Aubrey-Maturin: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian (1/21)
♫ Avalon: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1/7)
*♫ Bernard Samson Novels: Berlin Game by Len Deighton (1/9)
✔ The Book of Lies - Twins Trilogy: The Notebook by Ágota Kristóf (1/3)
✔ The Borrible Trilogy: The Borribles by Michael De Larrabeiti (1 of 3)
*♫ Captain Gregor Reinhardt : The Man from Berlin by Luke McCallin (1 of 3)
✔ Carl Webster: The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard (1/3)
♫ Chief Inspector Adamsberg: The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas (1/9)
♫ Cicero: Imperium by Robert Harris (1/2)
♫ A Dance to the Music of Time: A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement, Spring by Anthony Powell (1/4)
✔ Danzig Trilogy: The Tin Drum by Günter Grass (1/3)
✔ Empress Orchid: Empress Orchid by Anchee Min (1 of 2)
✔ Eustace and Hilda: The Shrimp and the Anemone by L. P. Hartley (1 of 3)
*♫ Hank Thompson: Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston (1/3)
✔ Haroun: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (1/2)
♫ Harry Hole: The Bat by Jo Nesbø (1/10)
✔ Henrietta's War: Henrietta's War: News from the Home Front 1939-1942 by Joyce Dennys (1/2)
✔ The Hummingbird's Daughter: The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea (1/2)
♫ The Inheritance Cycle: Eragon by Christopher Paolini (1 of 4)
♫ In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (1/8)
♫ James Bond: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (1/14)
*♫ James Maxted: The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard (First in series)
♫ Joona Linna: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (1 of 3)
*♫ Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (1 of 2)
*♫ The Kingkiller Chronicle : The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (1/3)
✔ Latin American Trilogy: The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières (1/3)
♫ Leonid McGill: The Long Fall by Walter Mosley (1 of 4)
*iii The Magicians: The Magicians by Lev Grossman (1/3)
♫ McCaskill Trilogy: English Creek by Ivan Doig (1/3)
✔ Micah Dalton: The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone (1/4)
♫ Michael Forsythe: Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty (1/3)
✔ Mistress of the Art of Death: Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (1/5)
*♫ On Foot to Constantinople: A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor (1/3)
♫ Outlander: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (1/9)
♫+ⓔ Patrick Melrose: Never Mind by Edward St. Aubyn (1/5)
✔ The Psammead Trilogy: Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (1/3)
♫+✔ Quirke: Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (1/6)
♫ Revelation Space: Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds (1/7)
*♫ Rumpole of the Bailey: The Trials of Rumpole by John Mortimer (2/20)
*✔ The Salterton Trilogy: Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies (1 of 3)
*♫ San-Anonio: Réglez-lui son compte! by San-Antonio (1/175)
*♫ Sean Duffy: The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty (1/4)
♫ Shanghai Girls: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (1 of 2)
*♫ Ship Breaker: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (1 of 2)
♫ Sprawl: Neuromancer by William Gibson (1 of 3)
*♫ Starcatchers: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry (1/5)
♫ Swallows and Amazons: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (1/12)
♫ Sword of Honour: Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh (1 of 3)
*♫ The Vampire Chronicles: Interview with the Vampire (reread) by Anne Rice (1/10)
*♫ The Wolves of Mercy Falls: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (1/4)
♫ World War II Saga: The Winds of War by Herman Wouk (1/2)



✔ = in my TBR
♫ = audiobook (in my TBR)
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook
* = recent changes

Review here!

Next one is free... Welcome visitors!

That is a prodigious number of posts. I am looking forward to your thoughts on From the Holy Mountain. It has been on my wish list for awhile,

>13 Smiler69: Welcome Erik! It's always been my way to use up quite a few initial posts to set up my threads, because they act as working tools for me to keep track of various aspects of my reading and I refer to many of them on a daily basis.

I've wanted to read William Dalrymple for a long time, so looking forward to my fist foray into his work. I'll most probably make comments on From the Holy Mountain when I get to it.

I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Heap House! I just finished the Iremonger books, and I think the first one was my favorite.

I loved his City of Djinns and want to try more of his work.

>16 MarissaKings: Hi Marissa, so excited to come across someone who's read the Edward Carey books. I'll try to get my thoughts down on Heap House tomorrow. Tonight a migraine is plaguing me and making my thoughts difficult to get a hold on.

>17 Oberon: I have City of Djinns on the tbr and had originally planned to start with that one, but then Suzanne/@Chatterbox highly recommended Holy Mountain as being rather on topic given the ongoing war in Syria, which is what made up my mind to start with that one.

Hello Dear One

Just stopping by and waving hi. Here is an image for you. I've copied so many from your pin trest!

Happy new thread, Ilana! I am always amazed by your thread organization. I am thinking I might steal using those little symbols before the books as a way of designating the medium and where they are from. It would certainly save me time in the long run as I also like to keep track of those things.

Eagerly awaiting your review of Heap House. Hoping that Thursday is kind to you, dear!

Also a happy new thread(s) from me too my dear. I see you have another 2nd thread with 13 posts - I take it this is the one we should be following?

Happy New Thread, Ilana. Love the Blackall Toppers! I picked up Ru from the library. Many people were impressed with this author, so I thought I better see for myself...plus it's a shorty.

Happy New Thread, Ilana! I have Heap House in transit for me at the library and I'm looking forward to it. It may be outside my usual reading territory but your reactions (I know, no review yet but you loved it and gave it five stars!) and the illustrations are too tempting.

Happy New Thread, Ilana!

Nice to see the Sophie Blackall illustrations up top. She's so good.

I've requested Heap House from the library, too. Kudos to you for getting this one on LTers' radar.

Hi Ilana, I am looking forward to your review of Heap House it looks like a book that I would like.

I guess it's still good time to say 'Happy New Thread," so --- "Happy New Thread!"
I have only one Dalrymple (Nine Lives), and it's sitting there mostly unread. You make we want to get to it and to have more!

Been out of touch these past few days... nothing terrible, just the monthly pains making themselves particularly felt. Sleeping loads, taking it extra easy and popping Advils like they're going out of style. Lots of reading, quite a bit of drawing. My latest piece is almost one-quarter done (as below). Not feeling terribly sociable or communicative, but thanks friends for keeping my thread warm.

Happy New Thread, Ilana! I'm starting to cross crossables for the end-Feb injections! If nothing else so far has worked, then why shouldn't you be among those 10%?

Re. cutting out sugar: might not show within a week (sorry!), it might even get worse in the first days. I did that last December for other reasons, but kept eating fruit, cutting out added sugar only. In the first week I ate lots of sweet fruits like bananas and kaki apples to get over the general sugar craving and to prevent withdrawal effects and in the second week I didn't need them anymore and felt much better.
Giving it a try can't hurt - if nothing else, taste buds will be readjusted for a while. :)

I'm in love with Romeo and Juliet!

Feeling like a human being again, or close to it. I'll finally be finishing A Dance with Dragons, probably today as I have less than 3 hours left to listen to. Reading Foulsham, the second book in the Iremonger trilogy. Not quite as good as Heap House, but it's a fun world to explore all the same. Nowhere near finishing War and Peace, but then I didn't plan on finishing it before the end of the month. Sitting on my beloved heating blanket right now, which is probably the best gift Pierre has ever given me, as I am certain it alone has prevented lumbago flareups. Want to write my Heap House review asap, so will reply to comments and then set to.

>19 Whisper1: Hi Dear Linda, thanks so much for sharing that lovely image here. I didn't hesitate to add it to my "reading love" board as soon as I saw it. I noticed it was done by an artist called Jessica Mauskin, and looked up her work which is very lovely. I was hoping to find books illustrated by her at the library, but no such luck. However there's this I thought was too cute not to share here:



>20 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, I will see it as an honour if you decide to steal my symbol system. It's proved very useful for me to convey information at a glance. I'm getting nervous about this Heap House review. I've talked so much about it... will I do it justice without having to spend an entire day on it?

>21 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, and thanks for the visit, you busy man you! Yes, you're right, I did start another post, but then realised I'd forgotten to link it to my previous post, which would have made it hard to find for some people, so decided to start over. This is indeed the one to follow.

>22 msf59: Hi Mark, thanks for visiting my new thread. I'm thrilled the CAC is making its influence felt across the group. I'll probably be picking up Kim Thúy's second book Mãn sometime this year. Looking forward to seeing your comments on Ru.

>23 EBT1002: Oooh... Ellen I hope you end up enjoying Heap House. I'm amazed I've managed to get people interested in it just by mentioning it. Once again, not sure how the review will turn out, but I'm about to give it a go and NOT wanting to spend more than a few minutes on it, so hopefully it'll be good enough to make others want to pick it up too...

>24 jnwelch: Woop! I must have done something right if you've decided to look into Heap House too, Joe. Hope you enjoy and share the joy!

>25 DeltaQueen50: I think anyone who enjoys fantasy will love Heap House Judy. Definitely one of my favourite books so far this year.

>26 LizzieD: Peggy, William Dalrymple got on my radar on a visit to a bookstore many years ago, where I saw a few of his books displayed, which editions were illustrated and had very appealing covers. I made sure the two books I ordered by him were those same editions. Looking forward to discovering him this month; I'm glad Paul decided to include him on this year's BAC to encourage us all to pick him up.

>28 Deern: I like your logistics on why the next botox injections should work for me, Nathalie! I was making the same calculations too, which I should hope doesn't prove to be mere wishful thinking!
I'm not sure I'm ready to cut out sugar yet. It took me a long time to decide to try cutting out milk, and I did it for close to two weeks and glad it wasn't conclusive. Have you permanently cut out added sugar from your diet, or was it for a specific period of time? I enjoy sweets and desserts so much, I'd really feel I was being deprived of something I truly love if I had to cut it out for good. Hopefully it won't come to that.

It just occurred to me when I saw your comment that I had ordered Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet from the Book Depo last year when they had a promo on romantic books, and have yet to read it. Perhaps should fit it into my reading in coming days... added inspiration for my drawing too!

Book #25: ❉ⓔ Heap House: Book One (The Iremonger Trilogy) by Edward Carey ★★★★★
Source: National Library OverDrive collection
Edition: Overlook Juvenile (2015), eBook, 416 pages
Read for: Fantasy February, TIOLI #2: Read a book where a word in the title suggests damage
Original publication ldate: 2014

How it started

It all really began, all the terrible business that followed, on the day Aunt Rosamud's door handle went missing. It was my aunt's particular door handle, a brass one.
[...]
There hadn't been such a fuss since my Great Uncle Pitter lost his safety pin. On that occasion there was searching all the way up and down the building only for it to be discovered that poor old Uncle had had it all along, it had fallen through the ripped lining of his jacket pocket.
I was the one that found it.
They looked at me queerly afterwards, my family did, or I should say more queerly, because I was never absolutely trusted and was often shooed from place to place. After the safety pin was found it seemed to confirm something more in my family, and some of my aunts and cousins would steer clear of me, not even speaking to me,
[...]
'But how could you tell Clod?' my relations wondered. 'How could you know the safety pin was there?'
'I heard it,' I said, 'calling out.'

From the publisher's summary: 'The extensive Iremonger family of Filching (“kings of mildew, moguls of mould”) has made a fortune from junk, building a dark and sprawling mansion from salvage scrap. Heap House is surrounded by the dangerous, noxious, shifting Heaps that stretch beyond its bounds, while within its walls, certain objects begin to display strange signs of life.'

I simply loved this book which is beyond a doubt Dickensian in some of its themes; we've got orphans and dirt heaps (taken directly from Dickens's Our Mutual Friend) as the main protagonists of the story, and though each book isn't especially long, I suppose the trilogy as a whole might be considered Dickensian in length as well, if it ever gets published in one tome. Clod Iremonger is a descendant of a family dynasty which was literally built out of garbage. The family home, commonly referred to as Heap House is composed of sections of former London dwellings and places of business and it stands in the midst of The Heaps; mounds of discarded objects from the big city which unfortunate workers spend their days sorting through. Unfortunate because it seems the heaps have their own laws of physics and are constantly in motion, and anyone can go under and disappear for good if they aren't properly tethered and dressed in full protective gear before approaching them.

The story takes place in an alternative 19th century England. The year is 1875, during which times common folk are known to suffer from a terrible disease which literally 'objectifies' them: one day cracks start appearing on a person's body, and the next they are transformed into an object—anything from a bathtub to a teapot to a box of matches or nose tweezers. The Iremongers, who lord it over everyone, live by one strict rule, which is that each family member is given a "birth object" from early infancy, and they are instructed to keep this object about their person at all times. This can be easily done when the object is portable, such as Clod's universal plug, but less so when it takes the form of a marble fireplace, such as his venerable grandmother has been saddled with, which has always prevented her from leaving her rooms, though it hasn't stopped her from ruling with an iron fist (she is the one who assigns the birth objects, which are thought to be highly personal and indicative of an individual's personality). Clod's peculiar gift for "hearing" the objects has gotten him in trouble with the family. Already shunned by his grandmother who holds him responsible for the death of her daughter, who died giving him birth, he is considered strange and unstable. Most of the objects in the house call out names to Clod, and the one he hears most often is his own universal plug, which continually calls out 'James Henry Hayward' in a young pleasant voice. Other than specific names, which they repeat whenever they are within hearing distance, they seem to have nothing else to say however... but surely there is a deeper significance here?! and of course there is, as we discover with the unfolding of events.

As any proper Victorian household, the family live 'upstairs' and the servants live 'downstairs'. The lower orders must never be seen by the family, although they themselves are considered as family too. In fact each person who works in Heap House is called 'Iremonger' and has forgotten whatever her or his name was before entering the house. We meet Lucy Pennant in the third chapter; she like Clod is another orphan, who lost both her parents to the strange disease (we learn what objects they've become in the second book). She has just been brought to the house and is assigned the task of looking after the house's fire grates. Lucy Pennant is a redhead with a strong personality, who is 'freckled and spotted and moled' and has teeth which are 'not quite white' and one tooth which is crooked... she has no intention of letting anyone letting her forget her own name. She also has no intention of blindly following the rules, which forbid her from exploring around the house, which is how she comes to meet Clod Iremonger. Inevitably, a friendship develops between them, which will turn Heap House inside out and be the cause of incredible events.

An exciting adventure story with great themes: 'Delightful, eccentric, heartfelt, surprising, philosophical.' is what Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton had to say about this trilogy, and I must say I wholeheartedly agree with her. I'm more than halfway through Foulsham, book 2 in the trilogy, and will no doubt tackle Lungdon, which came to my attention via NPR's praise in their 2015 roundup, very soon too.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I truly don't want to add another trilogy to my wish list. I think I have to.
Thank you, I guess, for the review of Heap House, Ilana.
Joining Nathalie in crossing crossables for the next injections.

I am taking advantage of Superbowl Sunday to try and catch up with some threads. Happy new thread, Ilana! You are making wonderful progress with your reading Bingo. Heap House looks good. Adding that one to the library list.

I think I said earlier on that I had added Heap House to my to read list, even more convinced by the review. Rather bemused that I haven't come across it before.

Finished A Dance with Dragons this evening—Yay! It's very late for me now, need to get myself to bed asap. Thanks for comments. Will be back tomorrow to respond. 'Night everyone and happy week ahead!

Nice review, Ilana! Thumb from me. I had already requested it from the library when you mentioned before, so it's on its way to me. In transit. Which means it could be here today or next month. When ever it comes, I shall read it!

And HOORAY for finishing A Dance With Dragons - most impressive! I have only read the first in that series, but I loved it. I need to brave up and go back in there for round two.

Happy Monday to you, dear!

Nice review of Heap House, Ilana. I'm looking forward to it arriving at the library. I'm glad the others are already out and sound good, too.

>32 LizzieD: Peggy, at least it's a series limited to three books and not twenty of them, for instance. A finite quantity, if you like. And each book is rather short too. Thanks for the good wishes for the next injections round. That'll be coming at the end of the month. I'm hopeful, but won't completely count on it either.

>33 lkernagh: Hi Lori, good for you for catching up... I don't usually have the energy to tackle more than a very few threads at any one time, maybe because I always like to catch up with everything I've missed, so it tends to be a lengthy process, and then too often I end up lurking because don't have anything to add. All this to say thanks for leaving a note!

>34 avatiakh: Yes Kerry, I was really pleased when you mentioned you'd already reserved Heap House from the library. I really hope you enjoy it, but in any case will look forward to your comments on it.

>36 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Thanks so much for that thumb! I noticed this morning that it had made the "hot reviews" section because of that single thumb, so each one does make a difference! I should really post that review on my much-neglected blog too, as I do want to do my bit to get the word around about this series. Who knows? Maybe it'll eventually become a classic...

I started reading the Game of Thrones series after watching the first season on HBO, which really got me hooked on it. Now I'm not sure how they'll fill up the upcoming season, since it seems to me they've already covered everything in the books, and out of sequence too, which was really apparent when I got to this latest instalment in the series, because suddenly I understood where they'd taken a bunch of material I hadn't seen in the books up till this one. In other words, they seriously played around with the sequence of events, which I'd heard a lot of comments about, but until now had just assumed that the tv script writers had just added in a bunch of stuff that wasn't in the books. Am I making sense? I think someone who has read the books and kept up with the HBO series will know what I'm talking about, so sorry if this is all confusing to you.

Head not as good as I would like... might take some Fiorinal now to help make it a better Monday. Wishing you a great week ahead!

>37 jnwelch: Joe, I'm almost done with book 2, Foulsham and you've just reminded me I need to reserve book 3 right away, as I'd like to read it asap. It is indeed nice when the whole series is out when you set out to tackle a trilogy, isn't it?

>31 Smiler69: You have definitely sold me on Heap House, Ilana so I've added my thumb to Mamie's!

>27 Smiler69: so you work down the page with this one? Is that your usual method? It's wonderful, really. You should photocopy it and do a series on other people finishing (attempting to finish) your work...kids, adults, talented, not. It would be really fun to see how different they would be!

Ack to the aches.

>31 Smiler69: I REALLY tried to ignore this one, despite the mentions here and the repeated cover postings. Well, can't help it, guess I caught a fat BB now. :)

>30 Smiler69: I did it mainly because of my bad sleep. I slept badly at night, woke up way too early and then "needed" sugar to get through the afternoon. I often almost fell asleep during work. After the sugar high, the level fell so quickly that at home I fell into a comatose sleep for 1-2 hrs, with my boots still on, as early as 7pm. And my own headaches got worse. Not to speak of belly fat which I never had before.

I eat sweets again, but far, far less. No Christmas cookies at all this year and no industry cakes. And that was easy because the good thing about cutting sugar out for some weeks is that you'll like the old favorites less, they seem unbearably sweet.

As far as I heard and read, there are definitely side-effects from bad headaches to nausea and very bad humor when you cut it out completely from one day to the next, that's why I ate all the sweet and stomach friendly fruit in the mornings in week 1. It was a smooth transition that way. One thing: when my brain noticed it wouldn't get simple sugar, it wanted more mature cheese at first. So it got another banana and in week 2 everything was fine. I now eat my 2-3 fruits a day (as before, usually a banana and 2 apples) and haven't used white sugar as an ingredient since and coconut or cane sugar only sparingly to help the baking soda when making otherwise sugar-free oats biscuits.

Ilana, I have watched only the very first episode of season one of Game of Thrones, and just in that one I noticed that they were changing the timeline a bit. Your post actually made complete sense to me, so well done!

Hoping that the head is better today and that Tuesday is kind to you.

>39 DeltaQueen50: I'm so glad I'm creating interest in Heap House Judy! One thing I didn't mention is the writing style, which is really appealing to me and makes the reading even more fun. Just thought I'd throw that out there. ;-)

>40 LovingLit: Good observation Megan! I am indeed working down the page with this one, working on horizontal strips. So far, I've approached each drawing differently, as part of a learning process and to keep things interesting. I like your idea of inviting people to complete the image, that would yield neat results for sure! Feel free to do so and share!

>41 Deern: Yes! Very glad to have hit you with that particular BB Nathalie! :-)

I'm a bit worried reading about your experience on and off sugar. Sounds like I'm showing many signs of addiction too, which is all the more reason to try to wean myself off it. I'm not quite ready to do so yet, but soon, I think I will have to.

>42 Crazymamie: Ah! Glad my twisted explanation made sense to you Mamie. I'm sure I could have described it in a much simpler way, but sometimes my brain refuses to cooperate in making things simpler. Had to keep taking Fiorinal yesterday and honestly, I'd take some today if it weren't for the fact that I'm really watchful about not taking it too often. But I've gotten some things I'd been putting off for months accomplished finally in the last couple of days, and that makes me feel good about myself, so that's something. Among other things, finally filled out a form to participate in group retirement fun with my employer, which I learned some months back I was eligible for. I always put off administrative stuff and try to conveniently 'forget it', because I hate taking care of that kind of thing so much, but then I always feel so much better when I get it done... I hadn't realised I was still considered an employee since I spoke to HR last year about participating in the pension plan, so that's a pretty good thing!

Finished Foulsham last night, which got really exciting in the end. Not as enamoured with ts as I was with the first book, but still pretty great stuff. I can totally see myself re-reading those two eventually. I've gotten the third book, Lungdon from OverDrive and will be reading it soon. In the meantime though, I thought I'd do some BAC reading and picked up From The Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple and was simply blown away from the first pages. What an amazing writer!

Need to take care of my doggie now and take him for a walk.

    

Talking about books and sort of kinda reviewing them:

Really enjoying Uprooted, my first, and definitely not my last book by Naomi Novik, since I've had His Majesty's Dragon on the listening tbr for some time. I see now why Heather, among other readers made much of it and I'm glad I followed up on the suggestion. This story about a young woman who learns about magic and tries to save her village from the evil forces coming from their Polish forest is a truly fantastic modern fairy tale.

This comes following two short works which I guess I'm glad I read, but can't say I loved: The Story of My Teeth, which is very inventive and rather surprising, and will probably stay with me because of what ends up being one of the main topics—you guessed it: teeth. Before I'd even considered picking up this book I thought I couldn't possibly enjoy a novel, however short, about a topic which is featured in so many nightmares (not my own, but I've heard this is a recurrent one for many people). Of course teeth are only part of the whole, but they really are important here, as the protagonist is a man who has become an auctioneer and has a huge private collection of teeth which have supposedly belonged to famous people in history and goes as far as buying Marilyn Monroe's teeth and has them implanted into his mouth. Yuck, right? I'm glad I can make room for this kind of weirdness in my reading life, but that's about it.

Second came Our Souls at Night, my first book by Kent Haruf. I found parts of it charming, it being the story of widowers who decide they will start sleeping together at night, not to have sex, but to keep each other company. But then family and community intervenes and makes their perfectly lovely relationship a big taboo, and I guess I wouldn't have minded that part if the novel had taken place anytime before the 1960's and preferably in the 19th century, but it doesn't and I just couldn't understand why two mature adults would give in to this kind of social pressure when they'd decided from the start they wouldn't pay attention to any of that nonsense. But then family and social pressure being what it is... Anyway, the ending does leave things hanging, and yes, this is a very good novel and I can see why it's well-loved by many, but maybe the timing wasn't right, or maybe I have aversion to stories of contemporary American couples struggling with their relationship and presented in a hyper realistic kind of way. Anne Tyler comes to mind here with her Breathing Lessons. And just... ugh, no thanks.

Anyway, nothing like that kind of realistic cold shower to make me truly appreciate a good dollop of fantasy writing.

Shame the Kent Haruf book didn't do it for you, is this his most recent one? I like the premise of it, maybe my reading if it will work....I'm sure I'll find out one day :)

Loads and loads of audiobooks have come into my possession in the last few days. The library provides plenty, then there was an Audible "first in series" sale at $4.95 each (MORE series to follow, just what we all need, right?), and right now there is a 50% on romance books, which at first I thought of as "eesh, not for me thanks", but it turns out it's not just the Shades of Grey-type junk, but many books with any kind of romance theme are also included, and as Pierre had offered to buy me another lovely book for Valentine's, I got several love-themed audiobooks for the same budget instead. Kind of a nice valentine's gift, no?

Here's what I got:

First in series:
♫ The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - thought I'd give this one a second try.
Started on it a couple of years ago and no go, but then fantasy is really a question of timing for me.
♫ The Yard by Alex Grecian - about Scotland Yard in the 19th century.
♫ The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell - I've yet to read anything by him.
This one features Anglo-Saxons and Vikings.
♫ The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - the first Tommy & Tuppence book
♫ The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter - a non-Discworld book
♫ Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold - soooo many people are in love with the Vorkosigan series!
♫ The King's Gambit: SPQR I by John Maddox Roberts - Ancient Roman murder mystery

Romance theme:
♫ Catalina by W. Somerset Maugham - I want to read everything he's written
♫ Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet - by an author who died last year who is
worth discovering. Cuban Missiles and first love across the social divide in the UK.
♫ The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu - found out this one
is translated from French after the fact, but Jim Dale narrates and sounds lovely.
♫ Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer - another one to add to my groaning GH virtual shelf...
♫ Carmilla: A Vampyre Tale by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu - an all-star audio adaptation

Other Audible books:
♫ Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie - library copy is too old and yucky and tiny font.
♫ The Leper of St. Giles by Ellis Peters - have I mentioned I'm a big fan of Patrick Tull's narration?
♫ Metamorphoses by Ovid - this was mentioned in a fascinating book I read this month
from David Bowie's 100: Mr. Wilson's Cabinet Of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler which I should
write a few lines about... Also, read by a British actor I can't get enough of: David Horrovitch.
♫ Wyrd Sisters: Discworld #6 by Terry Pratchett - ready for more Discworld weirdness soon,
this one highly recommended by Heather.
♫ Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut - narrated by John Malkovitch and a cheap Daily Deal

Free from library CDs and OverDrive MP3s:
♫ The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
♫ The Trilogy of Two by Juman Malouf - purchased by special request
♫ The Suicide of Claire Bishop by Carmiel Banasky - purchased by special request
♫ Billy Bathgate by E. L. Doctorow - audio version by special request
♫ Kit's Wilderness by David Almond - by special request
♫ Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
♫ In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donvan and Caren Zucker
♫ Métaphysique des tubes / The Character of Rain by Amélie Nothomb
♫ The Past by Tessa Hadley
♫ American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis
♫ A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucie Berlin
♫ The Old Man Who Read Love Stories by Luis Sepúlveda


I might be forgetting one or four, but that's my list for now.

>46 LovingLit: I definitely think you should try Our Souls at Night, Megan. I hadn't read Haruf before, and yes, it's his last book published last year (he passed away last year, in case you don't know). A very short one, and beautifully written, highly sensitive and all that wonderful kind of thing. As I said, I had my own reasons for not falling in love with it, but it'll probably stay with me all the same.

>48 Smiler69: ooh, goodie. All isn't lost then :)
I bought Benediction from book Depo relatively cheaply last year, and still haven't read that, so that might be first for me. Unless that is, I happen to see anything else which takes my fancy between now and then ;) I am so fickle.

>49 LovingLit: I take it you've read Plainsong and Eventide then? Just asking because the book you mention is a third in that trilogy, unless you don't mind reading books out of publishing order... I do plan on reading Plainsong eventually, if only because it's gotten so much praise in this group and in the world at large...

>47 Smiler69: You are going to be kept busy with all those. I came across The boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart because of the translator. It's quite a sweet strange story. The author, Mathias Malzieu, is a musician and there is a really lovely youtube clip of the theme song from the animated movie that was made.
https://youtu.be/5IuQRrPYzIw

>51 avatiakh: That was beautiful!

Hi, Ilana! Good review of Heap House: Book One. I will have to add that one to the list. I have Uprooted saved on audio and it would be perfect for FF but I do not think I'll be able to bookhorn it in.

Congrats on all the audio acquisitions. Looks like some mighty fine titles.

I just started Ru. I like her writing. I better savor it though, since it is such a quick read.

>51 avatiakh: Thanks for that link Kerry. I didn't know the book had been adapted as an animated movie, and watching the trailer made me very much want to watch it. Pierre says he's not into animation, but I might persuade him to watch it with me, he says, if I end up enjoying the book... so I'll give The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart a listen very soon.

>53 msf59: I'm glad you enjoyed my review Mark. Heap House is definitely one of my favourites so far this year. I'm really looking forward to tackling the last book in the trilogy, Lungdon soon too.

I have so many options for audiobooks to pick from, I'm always happy that to have various challenges that help me choose among those huge virtual piles!

***

Incredibly cold out there today... It's around -23 to -31 C with the wind factor (-10 to -24 F) and I'm not looking forward to having to brave the elements to let Coco do his thing. This is when I wish I'd managed to train him to use a pee pad, which Ezra uses all the time because he refuses to pee in the litterbox. But every time I've shown Coco where he should go, he's just sat on it and looked at me expectantly, asking, so what do we do now? Saying "Pee here, pee HERE, PEE here! over and over again emphasising the words differently hasn't worked up till now, so I'll just have to put on forty layers to make sure I don't turn into a block of ice.

Will be finishing Uprooted this afternoon. What a fun adventure! I'm not sure I'll be ready to settle down to anything serious right afterwards, such as Napoleon's biography for instance, which I would like to get to as it fits so well with my War and Peace reading (which I should be done with in a week to ten days or so)... perhaps will tackle a Harry Potter I haven't read yet, or something equally whimsical to fit in to our Fantasy February theme.

My "Books Live Here" collection on Pinterest grows ever huger... some 1.6K pins so far (https://www.pinterest.com/smiler69/books-live-here/). It's become a real compulsion, finding beautiful pictures of spaces with books in them... eye candy to a book lover, as I'm sure you'll all agree. Here are a few highlights from today's finds:

 

 

 



You can zoom in to catch some of the titles.

Finished The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys this evening. Another five-star read; a glittering jewel I already look forward to cradling in my hands again. ★★★★★

***

It's around -32C or -25F with the wind factor here in Montreal right now, which I couldn't avoid tonight as I had to walk my little Coco. However he never seems to get enough of the cold and prances around happily like a little puppy! When I took this photo the other day, he didn't seem so happy about his snow boots however...

You seem to be on a real reading roll just at the moment dear lady.

I am struggling to find anything by Stephen Leacock at the moment. I think that I will order it and send the book to a friend I know is coming out.

Have a lovely Sunday - from the look of Coco's adventures you will need to wrap up warm. xx

Happy Valentine's Day, Ilana! I'll be back to catch up with your thread!

>31 Smiler69: A thumb for your review of Heap House and it definitely appeals to me. The first book is part of the half term kindle sale in the UK so I may well download it.

>45 Smiler69: So pleased you enjoyed Uprooted. I did like her Temeraire series but stalled midway through it and have never got round to going back to that series. I may try rereading them one day.

>56 Smiler69: The Frozen Thames is something I'd definitely like to read but I don't seem to be doing well at reading things in the right month for all the author challenges. Perhaps later this year.

>57 PaulCranswick: You're right Paul, I'm reading a lot, and enjoying most of it greatly. Don't know if I've ever had quite so many books on the go at one and the same time. I almost feel like I'm trying to imitate Amber, though she'd be a tough act to follow!

It is indeed another freeeeeezing day over here. Not looking forward to braving the elements, but at least we have beautiful sunshine, though the rays don't seem to be warming anything. xx

>58 Crazymamie: Aw, thanks Mamie, sweet of you to think of me. xo

>59 souloftherose: I say you should definitely get Heap House Heather! I would be quite surprised if you didn't end up loving it. And if you do, I'll reimburse you the price of the book, AND send you another book of your choice, how's that?

Please don't worry about reading the various authors during their 'given' month. That really doesn't matter at all. As you may know, I try to follow the BAC quite closely because so many authors on it are already on the tbr, but just putting them on the radar and reading them at some point in the year is good enough, I think. I'll probably be reading more Robertson Davies throughout the year, and am often inspired to read highlighted authors the same way over the months.

Glad you loved The Frozen Thames!

Hope you're having a good weekend, Ilana.

Here I was moaning and groaning about the wet rain we had all weekend and you were suffering through freezing temps! I hope the thermometer starts to head more towards the plus temps for you Ilana. I am sure even Coco doesn't like the idea of venturing out in that weather to do his business. Kind of makes one really appreciate that outhouses are a thing of the past! Brrrr!!!

>61 jnwelch: Hi Joe, can't believe it's Tuesday already! How time flies. Weekends or week days... all pretty much the same for me given I'm a stay-at-home something or other. I've lurked on your thread to keep up with you and loving that you're continuing to show street art. Really LOVED The Frozen Thames. I really need to spend some time writing reviews, and that's one that deserves being talked about as much as possible! Five-star read for me for sure!

>62 lkernagh: Hi Lori! Lucky for us, we just have a few days or really arctic weather, and now we're back to a tolerable range, though it seems to be raining and drizzly out there now, which I'm not too keen on... but will have to brave whatever the weather gods have brewed for us to take out my little Coco very shortly.

I don't write nearly enough reviews, especially as so much of what I read is interesting, so having just sat down to finish Robertson Davies's first published diaries A Celtic Temperament, covering the years 1959-1963, which he had requested would only see the light of day 20 years after his death, I thought it best to sit myself down and at the very least write the very first things that popped in my mind about it. Only thing is, I started to write what I thought would be a very brief review, only to find I had more to say than I had time for right now. So... coming up soon!

After seeing so many positive reviews of The Frozen Thames, I'm definitely going to have to get my hands on that one.

>65 thornton37814: Great news Lori! I hope you end up loving it too. It has certainly been a great addition to my reading life.

***

I should be completing War and Peace at some point this week, and I must say I'm rather looking forward to it! I've enjoyed the book, but also felt bogged down with it during the prolonged wartime descriptions, which, whoever fascinating they are, as seen from the points of view of a varying cast of characters, don't take my fancy much.



Started on Hyperbole and a Half, which I know many people in this group enjoyed, and I can see why. Brosh's naïve illustrations seem like they were drawn by someone who doesn't have the first notion about drawing basics, yet she manages to convey so much with her characters: Great stuff.

I'll be finishing up Poirot Investigates tonight or first thing tomorrow, and while I've enjoyed a romp with Poirot and Hastings, I must say I much prefer the full-length novels to the short stories, since most of the time I can't really make heads or tails of the resolutions to the mysteries so the story and characters is really where it's at for me with Dame Agatha.

Off to get ready for bed and a bit of Stephen Leacock and hopefully a good dose of From the Holy Mountain, which continues to entertain and fascinate.

Tomorrow getting together with my (literally) old friend Liselotte, who'll be going on 97 this spring. She sounded bright and cheery on the phone and reminded me recently that as her adoptive granddaughter, she is keen on keeping in touch with me. So sweet!

I loved the Frozen Thames. It is so well written. I still think of it when I see it mentioned.

Thanks for yet another pin board Ilana!!! I am hooked on pintrest and find so many great illustrations. I've add many, many illustrated books to my tbr pile. I read a wonderful book today that you might enjoy. I highly recommend Dream Animals A Bedtime Journey by Emily Winfield Martin. It is soooo lovely.



Have you thought of applying your wonderful art to this genre? I thought of you the other day when I was reading a beautifully illustrated book by Jim LaMarche. His images are so crisp and clear and reminded me of your talent.

Hugs!!!

>67 Whisper1: Thanks you so much for sharing that lovely book cover Linda. I went straight to the municipal library web site and reserved Dream Animals, another one of many many illustrated books you inspired me to look at and enjoy. Many illustrators apply their talents to children's books and it has occurred to me to do the same, but since I am mostly engaged in realistic and almost photorealistic imagery at this time in my artistic development, I can't really see how I would apply it to this sort of endeavour, especially as those illustrated books I tend to enjoy the most are those illustrated most imaginatively. I'll have to look up Jim LaMarche too of course!

>69 jessibud2: - Ilana, are you familiar with the wonderful illustrations of Schim Schimmel, or Rob Gonsalves? Gonsolves illustrated 3 children's books I own, called Imagine a Day, Imagine A Night, Imagine A Place. Really lovely and creative works, all of them. And, as a Canadian, you must know the work of Robert Bateman, one of my favourites....

>69 jessibud2: Thanks so much for bringing those new-to-me artists to my attention, Shelley. I'll definitely look into their work. Not sure whether I know Robert Bateman's work, as I'm hopeless at remembering names, but as soon as I see his work I'll remember him... or will discover him!

eta: I've just reserved all three Rob Gonsalves books your recommended from the library. Thanks for the tip!

>70 Smiler69: I am sure you will recognize his work if you see it. He is a national treasure. I have had the pleasure of hearing him speak and meeting him a few times. I went on a walk with him (and a group) in the ravines behind his childhood home here in Toronto a few years ago. I even played hookey from work, claiming an *appointment* (no one had to know with whom!) to do this. It was covered by the media and I hid behind people so that I would not accidentally appear on tv, when I was supposed to be at an appointment, lol!

http://robertbateman.ca/

The man is almost 86 years old and still drop-dead gorgeous, too...just saying...

I'm finding it scary how much I can identify with Allie Brosh's dysfunctional life, as she describes it in Hyperbole and a Half. The subtitle Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, is telling enough, isn't it? Her comments on depression are very apt, and I think anyone who has dealt with serious bouts of what is called 'clinical depression' will be able to identify to some degree. I also love her descriptions of 'Simple Dog' and 'Helper Dog', who are both basket cases and don't seem to make her life any easier to be sure. Having my very own Neurotic Dog, in the form of the Cutest Dog in the World, aka Coco, it's comforting somehow to see other people coping with creatures you both love and are incredibly annoyed with at the one and same time.

Cannot WAIT to finish War and Peace. I'm in the home stretch as have reached the epilogue and have less than 100 pages to go. So much war! Which of course you'd expect, given that is half the title... as annoyed with it as I am right now, I know I'll still want to revisit it now I know what to expect so I can appreciate whatever I've missed because there's just so much to this novel. All the philosophising is at once fascinating and incredibly wearisome, as he does tend to drive the same points home over and over again, doesn't he? Ah well, being a novel I always felt MUST be part of my reading life, I'm very glad to have finally tackled it, and a group reading situation was certainly a strong and effective motivator.





Book #38: ♫ The Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
Source: Audible.com
Edition: Isis Audio Books (1999), Unabridged MP3; 10h33
Read for: Fantasy February, TIOLI #14: Read a book with a "leap" in the title or text
Original publication ldate: 1988

Just finished The Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett last night. This one came highly recommended by Heather/@souloftherose as a possible starting point in the series (there are many, as the series need not at all be read in order, save for a few cases). This is a fantastic take on Shakespeare's Macbeth, and if you've actually read or seen the play, you'll get a lot out of the various jokes and insides made about that specific play and Shakespeare's approach to speech and playwriting in general. If you haven't, it's a jolly good story about three witches who decide to form a covenant to help the true heir to the throne take up his post, after a mad new king has done away with his predecessor to take power. The witches would have left well enough alone had the new king and his duchess been decent rulers, but the king is showing sings of advanced bipolar activity and his queen is a power-hungry sadist, which puts the whole kingdom on edge.

One of my favourite quotes is the following:

There are thousands of good reasons why magic doesn't rule the world. They're called witches and wizards. It was probably some wonderful organization on the part of Nature to protect itself. It saw to it that anyone with magical talent was about as ready to co-operate as a she-bear with a toothache so all that dangerous power was safely dissipated as random bickering and rivalry. There were differences in style of course. Wizards assassinated each other in draughty corridors, witches just cut one another dead in the street. And they were all as self-centred as a spinning top. Even when they help other people, they're secretly doing it for themselves."

Pratchett's humour is priceless in that he obviously has a vast classical culture which he blends with contemporary and timeless themes which result in a very clever commentary on our modern and very screwed up world, but all this done in with very British-humour, which I simply can't resist. I can now be counted among the many Terry Pratchett fans and there will be a lot more Discworld in my future, and probably other non-Discworld books too. Strongly recommended, and yes, a good place to start with the Discworld, along with Small Gods (which is where I actually started) and Guards! Guards!, both excellent and very funny. ★★★★⅓

 


Coco news (as posted on FB yesterday):
Coco looks like the cutest dog in the world in these pictures, right? I took them because his fur/wool is at an all-time length and he looks more teddy-bearish than ever: I will eventually use one of these three as a reference for an oil painting of him. He hates having a camera pointed at him and usually turns away or squints at the lens, so I tricked him by holding treats next to the iPhone so he'd smile for the camera. Worked!

Not so fun news came when I had to take him to the vet on Thursday for a persistent eye-infection which is resisting treatment... and turns out to be glaucoma, apparently a painful condition which might explain all the random screeching lately. Poor thing only has one setting as a reaction to any kind of unexpected/unwanted stimulus, and high-pitched/heartbreaking/migraine-inducing screeching is it. I do love him to bits, but wish I could find the mute button sometimes, so the rest of Thursday was pretty rough going well into the night. Thankfully, he seems to have recovered from the ordeal of the vet visit itself and the meds must be making a difference, what between the anti-inflamatory and the two different eyedrops, as he's been an angel since Friday. Going for a follow-up visit on Monday to see whether the drop to reduce the eye pressure are working, and if not, will get a prescription for another kind of medication for that purpose.

Happy Saturday, Ilana! Sorry to hear about Coco's condition. Poor little guy. He does take great photos though.

I think I have Uprooted saved on audio. I need to check...

I am loving The Lost Garden. This woman Can Write!!

>74 msf59: Hi Mark... you need to listen to Uprooted pronto! Really great book and story. The narrator uses a slight Polish accent throughout, which bugged me a bit at first, but then it sort of made sense and wasn't very noticeable as I got used to it. Just thought I'd mention it.

The Lost Garden is most definitely on my radar as it came recommended by a few people already, but I'll try to fit it in this year, especially as I think it's quite a short book. Thanks for the feedback!

Book #39: ❉ Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
Source: Municipal library
Edition: Touchstone (2013), Paperback, 384 pages
Read for: TIOLI #19: a book that was completed during a previous February TIOLI
Original publication ldate: 2013

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh is so clever that it might have ended up as one of my favourite books this year, but I can identify with it too closely, and this is deeply disturbing, so I've knocked back the rating. Not fair I know, but life isn't fair, and then much like Brosh, I'm really not as nice a person as I'd like to think I am and it's time I own up to it in public. And this is my sh#tty review of it. Really great book by the way, you should get it! ★★★★⅓

Oh yeah, and there's dogs in it too. Totally awesome.

Coco certainly is a very cute dog. Just too cute. I hope that you and the vet have diagnosed his screeching problem and the meds treat the eye disorder and he continues to be happy. Only if they could talk to us and tell us what is actually ailing them. I picked up a copy of HaaH at the library today, a result of your previous recommendation. Thanks for that.

Poor Coco! Hope the meds continue to work.

Hi Ilana - Here to cheer you to the W&P finish line and to send healthy vibes for sweet little Coco and his glaucoma condition.

 

Coco is gone. Coco is gone. Rest in peace my lovely boy.

Saying goodbye.

{{{Hugs}}} - so sorry. He will be missed.

Oh, Ilana! So so sorry to hear this.

{{gentle hugs}}

>82 calm: Thank you so much calm. He is very much missed already. I feel like a part of me is missing today. xo

>83 jessibud2: Thanks for the hugs Shelley.

***

I am in shock and unable to sleep. It was all very sudden. Coco was unwell last night and after some very worrisome moaning, collapsed completely. He came back to life after a few minutes, but unable to support himself, and I rushed him to the veterinary emergency. They discovered he had a (tiny) tumour on his (tiny) heart which couldn't have been easily detected, and this had caused heavy internal bleeding. Whatever we could have done to save him would have only meant to prolong the inevitable at huge expense, with little quality of life for either him or me. The vet was very kind and very empathetic, but she made it clear that he was in a terminal state and any hope of recovery could only be very temporary.

He was playful and puppy-like until his penultimate day, cavorting in the snow and making us laugh with his antics. I am utterly heartbroken, goes without saying. He was a huge ray of joy in my life and I will eternally be grateful I got to be his special person for almost six years. I was proud and happy to share him with the world, and he brought smiles to countless friends and strangers. A loving spirit is gone, but will never be forgotten.

Holding him in your embrace in his last moments was the kindest and most loving thing you could do, both for him and for you. I speak from experience, with my own late great pets (a dog and 2 cats, over the years). It is an important transition and please know that Coco KNEW he was very loved. Know also that your other pets will grieve, too. Be gentle, all of you, in these new and early days.

{{Ilana}}

I'm so, so sorry, Ilana. I know my sadness can not in any way compare to yours but I miss him too. He was special. Thank you for sharing him with us.

Oh, I'm so sorry about Coco, Ilana. How unexpected. He was a great pal to you, I know. Sending lots of positive thoughts your way.

Oh no, I am so very sorry for your loss of Coco. It's just heartbreaking to lose one of our most special pets. And, that little cutie looks like he had a wonderful life with you and brought you much joy in your years together.

I am delurking to add my condolences about your huge loss, Ilana. I read about it on FB and couldn't believe he is truly gone. He has been brightening our lives with your pictures and stories about him for years now. Good Boy, Coco. You are missed.

>80 Smiler69: So so sorry to hear this Ilana. Sending long-distance hugs. He had a very special six years with you.

Oh no oh no. Dear Ilana, I am sorry beyond words. Take care of yourself. We love you.

WHAT??? OH NO! OMG, I'm SO SO SO very sorry, Ilana! I wish I could do something! Was just scrolling through all the missed posts, wanting to write how cute he is in the snow, in the basket, and now...

He was loved by people all around the world, such a very special little guy. We're all going to miss him very much, and we're here for you. Sending love and {{{hugs}}} your way!

Ilana, I also saw the news on Facebook and couldn't believe it! I am so sorry for your loss, and know the unexpectedness of it is a huge shock. Please take care of yourself.

Oh no.... So sorry to read about your loss of dear sweet Coco, Ilana. {{{Hugs}}}

Ilana - just to repeat my post on FB that I am so sorry to hear about Coco. So sudden, and so unexpected. He seemed such a sweet little dog.

Oh Ilana, I am terribly sorry to hear about Coco. He was such a close and loving companion to you and we here on LT loved to read about him. Take care of yourself, remember grieving is a process that one must go through and there will come a day when you can think of Coco and smile.

Oh my word, Ilana! I am so sorry about dear, sweet Coco. What a shock. How horrible to lose him like this. I am stunned.

Words fail me...

Me too.

^My condolences, Ilana! Coco has been our precious little mascot, for a few years now. We will also miss him.

Heartbreaking news my dear Ilana. Coco has been with you throughout your time in the group and he became a part of the furniture too. I suppose the small consolation is that his period of suffering was mercifully very short.

I will always remember the pictures of him accompanying you through the snows of a Montreal winter with his little coat and his intrepid vigour. xxx

Thank you friends. Thank you for all your loving support. It helps during this very sad time for me.

Delurking to say how terribly sorry and shocked I am over the loss of Coco. I know how important he was in your life and how important he was to you, and I can only imagine how you must be feeling. My deepest sympathy to you.

Hi Ilana, you must be devastated by Coco's death. What a shock for you, you will feel his absence for a long time.
(((hugs)))

So sorry about Coco. It is so hard to say goodbye to our beloved pets.

Oh, dear, dear one. My heart is just breaking for you. I know you loved Coco ever so much. The loss brings indescribable pain. Please know you are loved and thought of. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything ok.

Much Love!!!!

I've been thinking about you this evening, Ilana. Hemangiosarcoma is especially cruel since it gives no warning. Coco didn't suffer but you have to bear the pain of the shockingly sudden loss. Coco was so lucky to have been such a well loved little pup.

Sending a hug.

Delurking to say thanks for sharing him with us .... we'll miss him, too. It makes those last pictures of him all the more amazing, doesn't it?

Hugs.

I'm so, so, sorry about this, and the suddenness must make it especially shocking. Coco felt like part of our 75 group, with his own personality and joie de vivre. I know it's hard to feel this now, but it's a kind of blessing that he was able to relish his universe -- including his snow exploits -- right up until his last days, with you at his side. And you were with him right until the end, giving him the comfort and security and love that he would have needed and love. And now you'll have to rely on the other animals and humans in your life to get you through this. *hugs*

>108 Chatterbox: What marvelous thoughts expressed so very well. Ilana, I think we all feel what Suzanne wrote with such depth of feeling and expression.

I'm thinking of you this morning.

Ilana, I just finished catching up with your thread, and I am so very sorry to learn about your dear Coco. We had to say goodbye to our sweet Biscotti just last October, so I know how devastating it is to lose such a close companion. Keeping you in my thoughts and sending you all of my love.

Thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support. It is much appreciated and I hate to say it—needed right now. I haven't the strength and energy to answer each of you individually right now, but please know that I've read your messages more than once and each and every one of them makes an impact. I take consolation from the fact that Coco's condition left me no choice as I will not be left with a niggling wonder of: did I do the right thing? He had fun and remained a puppy right up to his last day, and that is precious. Pierre is being wonderfully supportive and incredibly understanding for a person who isn't 'into' animals to begin with. But he and Coco had formed a solid bond and I know he misses the little guy too in his way, and willingly participates in a constant dialogue I keep going about my beloved little lamb.

I'm having a hard time sitting down to draw, so took a break today. Coco always liked to lie down in the chair next to mine and never ever complained or showed any signs of anxiety from that position, as if he felt he was exactly where he needed to be. I'll get back into it tomorrow... I haven't taken a break a single day in many weeks, and I'll be all the more motivated to get back into it tomorrow, with or without Coco. Though of course I wish more than anything he could be by my side again as I work on my drawing projects.

I listened to a radio play of Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu last night, which was just the ticket for my current mood. One of the first ever vampire tales, wonderfully acted by a great cast of comedians. A pure gothic delight and as macabre as you might wish, with a soupçon of girlie girl erotica. There will be more Le Fanu in my future.

Finally set myself down and forced myself to finish the last 30 pages of War and Peace today. It was rough going, most of it going right over my head. Tolstoy going on at length about the nature of historical events, on free will and obligation, on how events are created, with many many repetitions which was most definitely NOT my favourite part of this awesome novel.

I'll probably take on Lungdon next, as I've been so much looking forward to it, and macabre/gothic fantasy seems like a perfect place to inhabit while I mourn Coco's passing.

I am very sorry for your very big loss of your sweet little guy Coco. I know how hard it is. Thinking of you.

>111 Smiler69: {{{{{Ilana}}}}}

Good for Pierre, and good for you for handling this so gracefully, Ilana. Coco was well-loved, something we all hope for in life.

I'm enjoying Heap House, and I can understand why you're ready to take on Lungdon.

Took two sleeping pills last night, with my doctor's blessing as one alone didn't help me get a full night's rest, so I've had my first decent rest since Saturday night and feeling physically better. Having trouble eating, but not overly worried about that as I can certainly stand to lose more than just a couple of pounds, and eating fruit and taking my multivitamin as usual in the mornings. Whether it's good for me to do so or not, I keep picturing Coco everywhere, since he always made sure to be near me as I moved around the apartment. Even just looking at him resting made my heart go pitter patter because he was such as sight for sore eyes. Whenever I miss him too much, I look at the recent photos I took of him and moon at his gorgeous little face.

I will eventually get another small dog—I got used to and loved the fact I could take tiny Coco everywhere with me. But I'll take my time to properly mourn Coco; he's irreplaceable and would not have appreciated another creature taking his place in a short time. Could be a couple of months, could be a year, we'll see, but I know I will definitely adopt and he or she will have to be very special and call to my heart... and be extra cuddly of course. Right now I'm basking in all the wonderful memories I have of my adorable little lamb.

On audio, I picked up The Road Home by Rose Tremain. I really loved The Colour, which I finished just a couple of days ago, and hadn't yet read any of her contemporary fiction. Peggy picked this one out for me and I figured since I love Tremain's writing so much whatever setting she wrote about probably made for exquisite writing. So far so good.

Started on Lungdon: Book Three (The Iremonger Trilogy) by Edward Carey too, and that will be just perfect. It's a great story and the timing couldn't be better; good fun, rather spooky and weird diversion.

>115 Smiler69: The only thing that got me through the pain of losing my dogs was the thought of all the joy they gave me throughout their lives. When I lost my Charlie, our bichon, there was a sense of him around us for quite awhile. While there was no thought of getting another Bichon, one morning, our Jeffrey showed up on the adoption group homepage where we had adopted our miniature Schnauzer, Amelia. He looked so much like Charlie, that I was sure it was an incarnation. We adopted Jeffrey and he is nothing like Charlie but such a little wacky personality all his own that while I will never recover from missing Charlie, Jeffrey has helped to heal our hearts and makes us laugh every day.

Your little Coco's spirit will stay with you as long as you need him to. He is irreplaceable. But, because he was such a wonderful dog, he will make it possible for another little dog to be rescued by someone as special as you. Again, my sincere condolences...

>85 jessibud2: Holding him in your embrace in his last moments was the kindest and most loving thing you could do, both for him and for you.

Thanks for the Shelley. It's not something I had to think about... I had this urgent NEED to hold him through it all. Just being separated from his while they were doing the checkup and tests was unbearable. I held him for a long time before we started the final procedure, and I was hoping he'd pass away on his own, but of course while they gave us plenty of time, we couldn't wait indefinitely. Holding him till the very last, and even when his spirit had left his little body felt like the most natural thing in the world. He remained a gorgeous adorable little thing even in death and I'm glad his passing was so peaceful.

>86 catarina1: Thank you Catarina, it gives me joy to know that others enjoyed him so much too.

>87 jnwelch: Thank you Joe. Coco made me feel like I was his entire universe. I'm grateful I'm left with two incredibly affectionate cats, and I'm sure they are glad for the extra attention.

>88 Dianekeenoy: Diane, Coco was my private ray of sunshine. He was a sweetie with plenty of personality. I miss him like crazy.

>89 Donna828: Thank you Donna. As you can imagine, I was in complete shock on Sunday night, and probably a good part of Monday too. Didn't help that I hardly got any sleep. Monday night, Pierre and I went for a walk as we've decided to keep up the walks to get some air and I have to say that the first time going out at night without him... especially since that night walk was really only for his benefit was absolutely gut-wrenching. I cried the whole way, and Pierre was wonderfully understanding. It was already better last night, but I keep imagining him by my side everywhere, and like to think that he still wants to keep me company in spirit to help me through the separation.

>90 souloftherose: You know Heather, from the very first, when Animatch decided I was a good option to give a home to Coco, I felt like I'd won at the lottery, and that feeling never went away; I felt incredibly lucky to be the one allowed to take care of him, as I know he would have made so many other people happy to have him in their home. I was always paranoid about leaving him alone, and never did so, absolutely certain that if I left him unattended for even a few seconds, somebody was bound to steal him away, since he was so irresistibly cute. He was, and will remain, extremely precious to me.

>91 LizzieD: Thank you so much Peggy. Incredibly sudden and unexpected, right? I was sure I'd have a good 2-3 more years with him and was prepared to see him through whatever challenges old age brought along. I guess he wanted to leave while the going was good. Can't fault him for that. xx

>92 Deern: He was loved by people all around the world, such a very special little guy.

Yes he was, wasn't he? He brought smiles to strangers on the street every time I took him out and about with me. A very special little guy and very fondly remembered. Time will do the healing I guess. I'll take whatever time I need to mourn him properly and though I'm sure I'll never get over his loss, I know it'll get easier eventually.

>93 ronincats: Yes Roni, it really was a tremendous shock. I let myself cry whenever I need to. I'm glad the sleeping pills allowed me to get a decent night's sleep, because sleep deprivation makes it that much harder to cope with emotional difficulties. I'm calmer today. Still very sad, but calmer at least. Thank you for caring. xx

>94 lkernagh: Thank you Lori, the hugs are appreciated.

>95 SandDune: He seemed such a sweet little dog.

And he was Rhian. Not a mean bone in his body. He definitely had personality and was no pushover, but also a very gentle and loving soul and I always felt I must have done something right to deserve him.

>96 DeltaQueen50: remember grieving is a process that one must go through and there will come a day when you can think of Coco and smile.

Thank you Judy. I guess the years of therapy I went through have taught me that grieving is natural and a necessary part of the separation process, and I'm lucky to have such a wonderful support network, with so many understanding friends. It helps a lot. Also helps that I can just be myself and not feel like I have to put up a 'happy face' on things. That being said, my many memories of Coco already make me smile. He was so delightful and leaves behind a huge store of wonderful moments.

>97 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, I completely understand. It was all so unexpected and so shocking. One day, happy cheerful, cutest puppy in the world, and the next... gone. At least he suffered very little. That is a consolation. But he leaves behind a great huge void.

>98 drneutron: Thank you Jim, your sympathy is much appreciated. xx

>99 msf59: Coco has been our precious little mascot for a few years now. We will also miss him.

Thank you so much Mark, that is very sweet of you to say. He was my personal cheerleader and security blanket rolled into one. I'm lucky to have Pierre by my side so willing to help and support me through this time, and such a bunch of wonderful and compassionate friends here on LT. Definitely helps through this rough transition.

>100 PaulCranswick: Thank you so much Paul. I got Coco at a very hard part of my life, just as I was slowly, ever so slowly emerging for the deepest, longest, and worst bout of depression of my life. I hardly ever went out of the house and didn't make many efforts to connect with anyone. Then Coco came and opened up the world for me, his presence made it safe for me to venture out a little. I don't know which of the two of us was more dependent on the other, to be honest, but as hard as it is to lose him now, I know I'm much stronger and stable now than I was six years ago. Maybe he felt I would be able to deal with his departure at this stage in my life and not risk sinking into another dangerous bout of depression.

>102 arubabookwoman: Thank you so much... your sympathy and understanding are very much appreciated. I've just added you to my 'interesting libraries'; seems we have a whole lot of books in common!

>103 LovingLit: Hi Megan. 'Devastated' just about sums it up, yes. He was a tiny thing, but made up a huge part of my world.

>104 thornton37814: Lori, hard to say goodbye indeed. Did not see this one coming at all, but a great support network is helping me weather the storm.

>105 Whisper1: I wish your magic wand could bring Coco back hail and sound, Linda! Now that kind of miracle would definitely make me an ardent believer... and freak me out more than a little, probably! He is missed, almost every second of the day.

>106 Copperskye: 'Hemangiosarcoma': thank you so much for that Joanne. I don't think the vet at the emergency hospital had used that word, but going to visit the wikipedia article after I saw you post the name for what felled Coco confirmed everything this vet had said on Sunday night, and also reassured me I made the right decision without a doubt when I chose not to attempt to treat him for what is essentially completely incurable. Doesn't take away the pain of losing him to know the exact cause of his collapse, but it does confirm I made the right choice so I'll never be left with that niggling and maddening thought of 'what if?'

>107 streamsong: It makes those last pictures of him all the more amazing, doesn't it?

Yes, it really does. I've stared at them countless times since Sunday night. They are a great source of comfort when I start missing his cute little being too much. I posted a great little video of him playing around in the snow on FB too... I'll post it on YouTube so people who aren't on FB can see it too. Thanks for delurking and your kind words. xx

>108 Chatterbox: Coco felt like part of our 75 group, with his own personality and joie de vivre.

Made me smile to see you say that, Suzanne. Thank you. I really do cherish the fact that he was playful and having fun till the last. It would have been too hard to see him slowly lose his faculties and fun-loving nature.

And now you'll have to rely on the other animals and humans in your life to get you through this.

I'm incredibly grateful for all the support I'm getting, to help me through this difficult time. I know you had a very tough time of it last year with a huge loss of your own, so I doubly appreciate your words of comfort.

>109 Whisper1: Thank you Linda. You are a very generous and very sweet woman.

>110 Crazymamie: Oh Mamie, I'm so sorry to hear about Biscotti, albeit so belatedly. I can imagine it must have been heart-wrenching to lose that little cutie. Are you considering getting another little one? I'm certainly not ready for another dog, but when I am, it'll be difficult to match Coco for cuteness and good nature for sure...

>116 Dianekeenoy: Diane, I was just telling Pierre yesterday that I wish I could clone Coco. I kept a swath of his wooly pompadour, which was the softest part of him, and he joked that we probably had enough DNA for a cloning procedure eventually. The whole time I had him, I wished he hadn't been fixed so I could have had a litter of his puppies to keep a young one... but then I also perfectly understand why adoption agencies insist on sterilizing their animals... so many unwanted critters out there.

Thank you for your thoughtful message. It expresses my own feelings well. I will eventually be glad to open my home to another special little one in need of a loving home. For now, I'm basking in Coco's constant presence... I really do feel like he's still with me, and given how he hated to be separated from me, even by a mere wall or door, I guess it isn't so surprising he's hanging around still. :-)

I lurk every day, Ilana, and it seems to me you're being exactly yourself as you deal with this. Good! Who knows whether a sudden loss or a long decline is easier? Certainly, sudden is better for the one who goes.
And I'm happy that you're reading The Road Home now. I hope that you find it even half as life-affirming as I did. It really took off for me when we got into the kitchen in London.

I'm happy to see that you plan to let another puppy into your life - eventually. I caved really, really soon after Willie's death. Those first days I kept catching glimpses of him everywhere, but it only increased my grief and loneliness for him. I couldn't hold out for even two weeks before I was at the animal shelter set upon walking away with another cat.

Last night I went back to my thread of November of 2014 to re-read all the wonderful supportive things that were written there after Willie's death - including the many helpful and true things that you wrote, Ilana - because I was thinking about your sweet boy and your loss of him. I know you will get through this, but he'll always have a piece of your heart, just the way Willie still has a chunk of mine.

Thinking of you today, Ilana, and sending you all of my love.

To answer your question about Biscotti - she was our very first dog. We got her as a puppy for Rae's 11th birthday, so she would have been 13 this past January. We miss her every day. She was just so funny and sweet. We have no plans to get another little one because we still have three toy poodles - two of them are just a few months younger than Biscotti was, and they have health issues, as we all do when we age. And one of them, our Bella, is nine. I cannot imagine not having a dog because they add so much to our lives, but we have no plans to add another into the mix at this time. If Biscotti had been our only dog, then I would not hesitate to get another little one when the time felt right, as I just cannot imagine not having a dog. They just bring so much to our lives. I was so happy to hear that you plan on eventually getting another dog - you have so much love to share and Coco would want you to have that kind of unconditional love that only dogs can give. Dogs are just so generous that way - they want us to be happy.

Dear Ilana

I continue to think of you and I'm glad you have the support of our group. Coco was a part of our LT lives. We all knew how much you loved him. When I saw your post on facebook, I immediately thought of how very difficult this would be. Most of us have experience with the loss of a beloved pet. I know when I lost Sheltie Simon, it was a kick in the stomach. I cried and cried and cried. Will was so upset when we had to transition him that he could not stay in the room. He was crying so hard that Simon, in his weakened state, lifted his head with concern for Will.

It takes time, and the first days, weeks are hardest. I understand that everywhere you look, it is natural to see him there. We added Lilly (another Sheltie) three months later. Will thought it was too early, yet it seems that Lilly is most attached to him.

How I wish I was nearby to visit and hold your hand during this very difficult period.

MUCH love to you.

Peggy, Charlotte, Mamie, Linda thank you so much for your kind and so very thoughtful messages. I'll be back later to answer each of you individually.

I've spend most of the day staring at photos of Coco. Then talking to Pierre on the phone and looking at various photos of different dogs, not in view of adopting, but he'd told me he'd seen a dog who looked like my little love and we spent some time surfing around the net, taking heart from the fact that there are so many great no-kill shelters out there taking care of unwanted animals.

I'm off for my second botox treatment today, and keeping fingers and toes crossed that it'll work this time. In any case, I will ask the neurologist for a referral to the Montreal General Pain Clinic, which comes highly recommended from people in the know. A very long waiting list to get in, but the sooner I sign up, the better. Off to work on my Romeo & Juliet drawing before I set off for my 39 injections!

Ilana, 39 injections..ouch. I hope they help with your migraines.

Thinking of you again this evening. Hang in there my friend.

Delurking to send you lots of hugs and to wish you good luck with the botox injections!!!!

Very glad that no-kill shelters are the law in Germany and here in South Tyrol. There are many private donators as well. You can also visit and take dogs for a walk. I don't - I would end up taking it home and then I wouldn't know what to do with it during the day. Might adopt a cat after my move as it's a quiet street with apple orchards on one side, so I could let it outside.

I was thinking about Peggy's question last night, because my parents had both cases. One dog died suddenly aged about 13 after a stroke (on Christmas morning of all days) and one just got old and older, could hardly walk so we got her a stroller, she couldn't see in the end, but we waited with the injection until she couldn't keep her food down anymore, she was about 20 then. The vet came to our home for that so she was in her usual surroundings and it was all very peaceful. Both were abandoned dogs from a shelter, so we only knew the approximate age.
I personally cried much more over that first dog, it was so unexpected and she was so happy the night before, playing with the wrapping paper like a younger dog. When we do dog talk, we always mainly remember the first dog active and happy (and then miss her terribly) and the second dog as old and weak. The memories of her are less painful because we had so much time to get used to the thought of losing her.

Called the emergency vet hospital today to make arrangements for Coco. They said I could take all the time I want, and I thought I could deal with it today. I've decided to keep his ashes in one of the urns they include in their package, and chose the one shown above. I still need to provide them with a short text I want on the plaque. Something about 'my sweet little lamb' most probably*. That photo of him above was taken two years ago, on January 3rd 2014, when I thought I'd still have quite a long time to spend with him, but I'm grateful I took time to cherish every moment... knowing he was already a mature dog, and very possibly older than what they had estimated him to be, I always kept in mind that he could be taken from me at any moment. Doesn't make it any easier now that time has come though, somehow.

Again, Pierre is being amazing, and I consider myself lucky to be receiving moral support from so many friends. Still, I'd give almost anything to have him back. :-|

* With a limit of 60 characters over 3 lines, Have decided on:

Coco
my sweet little lamb,
forever cherished.

>122 LizzieD: Peggy, I couldn't say either which would have been easier between sudden and a prolonged departure. I did sometimes think about and dread seeing him inevitably declining and losing his faculties bit by bit, so in a way this way is better, but it certainly made for a great shock. I do take consolation in the fact he left us when he was still having fun and being a happy puppy. I just hope he didn't suffer too much while this disease was silently growing inside him, since animals WILL suffer in silence, won't they?

The Road Home is perfect listening for me right now. Rather contemplative, and Rose Tremain is such a beautiful writer that her prose grabbed me from the first. The narrator is doing the text perfect justice too.

>123 Fourpawz2: Hi Charlotte, I'm glad I was able to give you words of comfort when Willie left you. I'm very lucky to be left with two amazingly affectionate cats, and they take turns and make sure to more or less never leave me alone. Pierre and I yesterday saw that many shelters now offer small critters for adoption, including hedgehogs, and he was asking me whether this is something I would like. Not to any way take the place of a dog of course, but we've looked at informational videos about them, and I will consider it. I haven't seen any available for adoption right now, and I can't imagine they are often available. I know I certainly wouldn't go out and buy one outright, but would definitely consider taking one in need of a home into my household. As for dogs... I think I need that special companionship they so eagerly offer, not to mention the exercise those obligatory daily walks involve. We've been making sure to get at least two short walks in a day all week to at the very least get fresh air, but it is very very strange not having Coco at the end of his leash along with us.

>124 Crazymamie: Dogs are just so generous that way - they want us to be happy.

I'll always smile at the memory of Coco leaping around and jumping up circles in the air, very much wanting to make me laugh, and it never failed. I never did manage to catch him on video doing those twists he was so good at: always too caught up in the moment and not wanting to miss a single second of it, or interrupt his inspiration by pulling up the phone. I can understand you have quite a large brood still and they are all needing special care. I don't know how long I'll wait to get another dog. I may decide to take a good break, or I may find the dog that pulls at my heartstrings sooner than later, only time will tell.

>125 Whisper1: Thank you so much for your kind message Linda. When I was holding Coco in the end, he was in such a weak state that he couldn't support himself and was completely limp, yet after some minutes, he still tried to rally round and move around a little. I don't know how conscious he was of anything around him at that point, because his system had suffered a terrible shock, and he had possibly lacked oxygen to his brain when he went into shock and all systems went down here at home before I got him to the emergency. I remember well when you lost Simon, and you mentioning how hard it had been on Will too. I'm glad you have Lilly in your life now, and she is certainly lucky to have such a loving mom as you are.

>127 Whisper1: In a strange way Linda, feeling the pinprick of that needle go in offers a bit of relief from the migraine pain. Every time I show up at the clinic, I don't know if it's the strong lighting or what, but my pain level always goes surging way up, and so any kind of distraction from that particular pain is welcome indeed. The first time I was given 'only' 31 injections, and I must say though that those extra 8 seemed more particularly painful. I'm really hoping the treatment works this time. That would be something for sure.

>128 Deern: Hi Nathalie, thanks for delurking and your thoughtful message. Sounds like your new place would indeed be ideal for a cat. I couldn't have dogs for a long time because I worked such crazy hours, and so was very happy with my Ezra for a companion. I know some people leave their cats out all day while they are at work, and some cats are fine with that, while others are happier at home.

Pierre's mom passed away in November (I think it was). She had just turned 95 a week before and had been very very ill for a long time, in and out of hospital, unable to eat much of the time, on morphine and generally wanting everything to be over with. She had a DNR (do not resuscitate) status, but still she lingered on and on, and Pierre often told me he wished she'd pass away while this was going on, because he knew she was no longer enjoying life and that his sisters who were taking care of her full time were completely exhausted. I know he is sad now she has passed, but he is glad she is no longer suffering, and I guess it would be the very same with a dog... seeing him become more and more disabled with age, at one point one must feel one is doing the animal a big favour by letting him finally go.

Dear Ilana, still thinking of you. Your chosen urn and the wording are perfect. Bless you!
Oh dear, Pierre's mother's death sounds like my aunt. My mother said at the time, "Poor Flora just can't die." She did eventually, but it was long and hard. I guess it's a good thing that we mainly don't get to choose for ourselves or those that we love, 2 or 4-footed.
I am so hoping that the injections will give you relief! Take care of yourself! And enjoy Tremain's Lev!

Praying that the injections will help with your physical pain. The loss of Coco, however, is emotional, severe emotional pain, and that takes time. I am so glad that you have Pierre. Please know I think of you often during the day. I re-read a special book once again, and it had the same impact.

It was time to re-read The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye . As I read the lovely written text and saw the incredible soft gentle illustrations of Jim LaMarche, I thought of your loss, of my loss of Simon, of Suzanne and Katherrine's loss of their beloved cats, of Kath who lost Duncan, of Joanne who lost Cooper. And, I realized how strongly bonded this group is to one another.

Our furry kids are part of the group. We celebrate them and we embrace each other when loss occurs. Much love to you. You are indeed a very strong woman! Coco lives on in our hearts as well as yours.

Love you lots!

Glad that The Road Home meets with approval and suits your mood.

Hope you have a relaxing and pain free weekend. xx

Hi friends. This business of grieving does take up a lot of time and energy, doesn't it? I think I must be in the Rage (as opposed to Anger) stage of grief at this point: yesterday some skinny university kid decided I wasn't walking fast enough getting out of the metro station and purposely shuffled into my feet while I was walking through the turnstile to express his disapproval. The fact that there was another free turnstile right next to mine apparently wasn't nearly as appealing as bothering a middle-aged overweight woman, and I responded by giving him a piece of my mind and badly wanting to beat him to a pulp. My only deep regret now is I wasn't fast enough and didn't react to the first contact by administering a swift and killing blow to his knees or his shins, and then proceed to beat him to a bloody and very dead pulp. I had a very bad night and slept in this morning, and then spent the time I've been taking to daydream about Coco just before opening my eyes... fantasizing about the many ways I could have inflicted this young man intensive damage and made him as limp as Coco was at the very end. Ah, I do feel the love, don't I?

Book #44: ♫ The Road Home by Rose Tremain - picked by Peggy/LizzieD ★★★★½
Source: Audible.com
Edition: AudioGO (2008), Unabridged MP3; 14h47
Read for: Picked for Me! Challenge, TIOLI #10: 'extraordinary' or a synonym of this word somewhere on the front or back cover
Original publication ldate: 2007

On another note, I finished listening to The Road Home by Rose Tremain yesterday. Thanks so much to Peggy for having picked it out for me. Impossible not to get attached to the protagonist, Lev, who leaves his hometown, young daughter and mother in his East European village where no work is to be found since the local mill has closed down to make his way to London and hopes for prosperity of some form. He finds work in the restaurant business and having made a new friend and a new lover in this big city, dreams up ways to save his loved ones back home. I was worried I wouldn't fall in love with Tremain's contemporary novels the way I've passionately loved her historical fiction (most especially Restoration and Merivel), but needn't have worried: she is a master of prose and has such a deep and special understanding of humanity and its many frailties, that whatever time period she chooses to write about ends up making for timeless stories somehow. 4.5 stars. I would have given it the full 5, only I do strongly favour historical fiction for taking me outside our current world.

Should give a special mention to Steven Pacey, who narrates the audio version. His reading was beautifully modulated and he successfully rendered a range of accents and gave each character a marked and fitting personality. Really wonderful when voice narration adds so much to the reading experience.

Strange day. Strange mood. One week since Coco's passing and keep thinking of our last moments together. Wonder if I would have done anything differently had I known what was coming, but then, nothing I could have done, really. Will read and draw and nap. Thanks for your messages friends: Peggy, Linda, Paul I will respond to you soon. xx

Just stopping by to say you are still in my thoughts, Ilana. Sorry you had such an angrifying encounter yesterday on the metro (grrr) but glad you are still managing to enjoy some good books. I don't know really know what else to say except that we're here for you.

>139 souloftherose: :-xox

Your drawing amazes! Thank you so much for sharing.

>133 LizzieD: I really did enjoy The Road Home Peggy, thanks again for suggesting it. That makes two Rose Tremain books for me this month, and though this one was very different from The Colour, they both share a similar sensibility which I appreciate very much.

>134 Whisper1: Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts, Linda. Hard processing my feelings today, as I seem to relive what was happening at the same time last week. Coco was still alive and well at this hour, but refused to touch his food, which worried me somewhat, but not overly so, as he is known to be really picky sometimes. Oops, just switched to present tense, didn't I? I seem to do that a lot when talking about Coco.

I think you'll be glad to know that I brought back Dream Animals from the library on Friday. Will bring it to my night table tonight for bedtime reading.

I also brought back three books Shelley recommended recently, Imagine a Day, Imagine A Night, Imagine A Place.

>135 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, I really did enjoy The Road Home quite a lot. It made for soothing reading somehow, perhaps because of the slow-ish pace of the story, and listening to Steven Pacey was very pleasurable as well.

>142 mdoris: Thank you Mary... of to work on it again in a few minutes, after I've updated my reading status.

***

Finished Lungdon this evening, and very glad I discovered the Iremonger Trilogy and that the library was so quick to respond to my purchase request. It was a very entertaining journey, and I'll definitely be looking out for whatever else Edward Carey comes up with in future. What a fertile imagination he has! I should definitely write more about the last two books in the trilogy... will try to do so this week.

Now have started listening to Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. A ghost story is somehow fitting right now, and I loved his Bartimaeus series.

>141 Smiler69: - WOW! Just wow...

:-)

{{hugs}}

>141 Smiler69: I didn't know that she was going to end up sitting on his lap. What a wonderful drawing.

Over this past week I've often thought of that video you made of Coco playing in the snow. Such a wonderful little dog. You gave him so much love. He was so happy.

>144 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley.

>145 catarina1: I just watched that video again just now actually. Amazing that he was so vibrant and full of life till the end. It's been really hard this evening, can't help myself from remembering the sequence of events at this time last week. I know it'll get better over time. He was such a huge ray of joy and he lives on in my memory: today I kept picturing him running around in the fresh snow we got earlier when I took walks with Pierre. I know he would have had a blast.

>141 Smiler69: Love it!

I finished Heap House and enjoyed it. Thanks for the tip, Ilana.

>147 jnwelch: Thrilled you enjoyed Heap House Joe! As I mentioned on your thread, I very much look forward to reading your further impressions on it soon!

***

Off to visit my friend Liselotte in a short while. She'll be turning 97 on March 15th, and I consider myself very lucky to have such a special lady in my life. We should all age as well as she does. She needs a walker to get around now, but otherwise she's still sharp as a tack and filled with interesting stories and anecdotes about the many people in her life. We both acknowledge each other as adoptive grandma/granddaughter, even though she already has great-grandchildren of her own. I lost both my grandmothers at a young age, so cherish this special connection dearly. Sadly, last time I visited her (Sunday the 21st of Feb.) was also Coco's last day on this earth, and it'll be the very first time I visit my friend unaccompanied by his cherished little presence. I guess it'll take time to adjust to life without him. In some ways, I don't think I want to get used to his being gone, because he is still very much vibrant and alive in my mind and I picture him with me all the time. I like to think he's decided to watch over me and accompany me in a special way.

I had the pleasure to leaf through a picture book Linda recently recommended to me, Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey by Emily Winfield Martin



Just now as I found this image, I've learned there is a downloadable version which I must look into asap. The illustrations are simply gorgeous and it's the perfect soothing kind of experience I feel in need of at this time, and certainly the kind of book I can't imagine anyone would easily tire of looking at.


Just finished Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud last night, the first book in a new series published in 2013. I really enjoyed this tale told from the perspective of young Lucy Carlyle, a new recruit in the Lockwood & Co. Psychic Detection Agency, who are on hand for the essential task of putting ghosts to rest, as they have been plaguing the country (of England) recently and become a real menace. During one of their inspections, they discover the body of a young woman who had disappeared in what had been an unsolved mystery some 50 years earlier and set out to find out who the killer was, especially as he might still be among the living and up to no good. Very fun adventure and I'm looking forward to the second audiobook, The Whispering Skull which is already on my listening stack. The national library was good enough to purchase the first two books in this series when I recommended them recently, and now I'll see if they'll also add Book 3, The Hollow Boy to their OverDrive offerings. I've loved Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy and still have the prequel, The Ring of Solomon to look forward to. This is a completely different kind of story, but comes from the same highly imaginative and talented mind who brought us that fun genie.

For a completely different kind of experience, I started listening to Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. I know many of our friends here on LT absolutely adored this book, but I was feeling rather apprehensive about it, until recent circumstances, which have somehow made me more willing to read about mortality and related topics. Understandable I guess. My verdict so far is that it makes for excellent reading/listening, and I can certainly see why so many readers have declared it should be required reading.

Brief note just to say that I finished Atul Gawande's Being Mortal today and absolutely loved it. I'm glad I waited for the timing to feel right for this book, as the topic would have seemed too depressing for me had the timing not been perfect. Coco's passing has put me in a mood which is just right for reflecting on the frailty of human life and the difficulties facing people who are losing their faculties, be it through the process of aging or due to terminal illnesses, yet want the rest of their lives be fulfilling and what it takes to help people achieve that. A wonderfully well written book, and I loved Gawande's sharing of his personal experiences as a doctor and of having to deal with these issues with his close family members. I'm so glad I've read this book, and can fully understand why so many here consider it to be must-read material; I fully agree! My thanks go out to Mary/@mdoris who picked it out for me and thus encouraged me to pick it up sooner than later.

I should take one or two more minutes to mention something which will please some of my visitors (including you dad, as I know you like to keep up with me here.) I woke up today to a light-filled room on a sunny morning, feeling refreshed and in a good mood, something that rarely ever happens first thing in the morning, let alone in the last ten or so days since Coco's passing. After a little while, I noticed that I was completely pain-free, for the first time in over two years. My forehead is well immobilized, so it seems there's a chance that the botox treatment might be working this time. Unfortunately, the neighbours were playing their music rather loudly, and so the constant sounds of the bass eventually wore me down and brought on pain again, and a short but stressful exchange with a saleswoman later on in the day made the pain rather more acute, but I still choose to see this as a good sign.

I was in a great mood today, even though Coco is never far from my mind, but somehow felt upbeat and optimistic. Pierre and I went for a rather lengthy shopping excursion, as among other things, I had a large credit owing me at a local designer boutique (called Harricana by Mariouche: http://www.harricana.qc.ca) which offers clothing items made from recycled fur. I took advantage of their current sale and managed to get three wonderful pieces, including a lovely sweater, some comfy house slippers and a very becoming little hat. Pierre, like most men, enjoys shopping as much as he probably enjoys having teeth extracted, but we managed to spend a very pleasant afternoon together nonetheless. Am in pain now, which the Fiorinal can't seem to overcome this time, but am feeling rather good emotionally all the same. I'll take that feeling whenever it passes, certainly! Off to do a long bout of drawing now. 'Romeo & Juliet' is progressing at a nice clip for such a complex subject and I'm getting a lot of satisfaction out of it.

Today started listening to Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer, and once again, I'm very much enjoying the complete change of pace from the book I've just completed. Loving, loving, loving my reading life for the past couple of months. May I wake up tomorrow feeling just as bright, or somewhere near to it... now that would be a wonderful blessing.

It's wonderful that you are feeling so upbeat, Ilana. I'll keep my fingers crossed that this is a good sign that the botox treatment is working and pain free days are on the horizon.

Ilana, I'm happy to see that you are having some positive times now too. May they increase! May the botox be truly working!! May you remember more and more of Coco's warmth in your heart and less and less of the trauma of his dying until that too is a holy memory. (I don't use that word lightly.)
Read and Draw! I'm thrilled that after a disaster of a pick for you last year, you really loved The Road Home. Vindication!
And Romeo and Juliet grow sweeter and happier. I love the contrast in their moods.

I am so very pleased that you found Being Mortal a good read. If you get a chance watch some of his interviews. He seems like such a genuine, thoughtful and multi-talented person. There are many and I believe the one I liked was....
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/being-mortal/
I am also very glad that you had a pain free morning, the first in two years and am hopeful that this is a new beginning for you.

>136 Smiler69: grieving is a hard road. I just love that there kindness and support for you here; as another who has taken solace from words left in love on the threads, I agree that it is appreciated. The hard part, I guess, is that the feelings of sadness and anger and loss have to be work themselves out. And it just takes do durn long! (((hugs)))

>149 Smiler69: you got to it! I just loved it too, and now I must go back and see about raising my rating to 5-stars. I think I only gave it 4.5 initially. But I still tank about it a lot, and really want to red it again, so I think it qualifies for an upgrade.

>150 Smiler69: take those good days! I hope they add up to more then today :)

Hi Dear One

I'm stopping by to say I've been thinking of you. I understand all the range of emotions you are feeling. It does seem so unfair to lose Coco. Your anger is justified. I wish I lived closer, I could listen to you.

Take care. Time doesn't heal, but it does lesson the pain a tad.

Another day feeling rather good. So far the migraine is mostly keeping at bay, with just a little persistent twinge to remind me I'm not completely out of the woods. Still, this continues to be an encouraging sign. The doctor said I couldn't expect the pain to go away completely if the treatment works as it should, but that I should have a marked reduction in the pain index, and even experience some completely pain-free days. Sounds just wonderful and would be more than neat if it happened to me.

Finishing off Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer in a few minutes as I go back to the drawing board. Only 20 minutes or so left, and undecided as yet as to what I'll follow it up with. Not my favourite story ever, but definitely fills the wish for something light and bubbly and fun with a self-willed heroine that makes our hero fall in love with her despite himself. Started reading from my gorgeous Folio Society edition of Venice by Jan Morris last night for the non-fiction travel challenge and it is very promising indeed from the first couple of chapters I managed to fit in very late at night.

Missing Coco, but that feeling has somehow slowly morphed into a soft melancholy as opposed to unbearable sadness and a painful feeling of absence, as if a limb were missing from my own body. Just got a call a bit earlier from the DMV emergency clinic that his urn and paw print are ready to pick up whenever I like, and as the clinic is quite out of the way, but near to my friend's Kim who lives in Lachine, she'll drive me over sometime next week or soon in any case.



Pierre sent me some pictures of a new "designer breed" called a Cavachon, which is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and a Bichon. A similar designer dog is the Cavapoo, this time crossed with a—you guessed it—poodle (as shown above). Very teady-bear like and irresistible looking, but no question of me going to a breeder to get one. Not actively looking yet by any means, but I'll take the time it requires to find a dog up for adoption who pulls at my heartstrings, and he'll have to be darn cute for me not to feel short-changed after Coco. Tiny paw prints he may have had, but mighty big shoes to fill all the same, somehow.

Up top, a pic of Coco wearing his fab sneakers, taken in June 2010, about a month after I'd adopted him.

>151 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy—very much agree that it's a mighty relief that I'm feeling upbeat despite sad circumstances. I very much feel that Coco's passing happened in the best possible way, that is that he suffered little at the end, or at least for a very short time, and that he left us when he was still vibrant and able to enjoy life, instead of suffering through a long debilitating decline. I would have willingly accompanied him through the latter, but think it would have been difficult and sad to witness. I also feel like I 'bought' myself five great months of extra time with him when I refused to get a battery of test for him back in September when he had what I decided was a very bad 24-hour bout of flu. I knew something could be very wrong with him, but as he rallied so beautifully by the next day, I chose not to look further into it. Had we done so and managed to detect the hemangiosarcoma then, I would have been faced with the option of putting him down before a major crisis occurred, or putting through a long series of treatments which would have made him very miserable, considering how much he hated going to the vet and being handled by people other than me.

>152 LizzieD: Peggy, I have a feeling your wishes for me may all be coming true. Still keeping my fingers crossed as far as the botox goes, but as far as being filled with wonderful memories of Coco, I can assure you that is definitely the case. I'm glad I took all the time I could to be with him and very rarely left him alone at home, insisting to bring him along with me whenever I could. I knew when I first adopted him, presumed to be six years old (but possibly older), that my time with him would be more finite than it would have with a puppy, and was determined to get as much out of his presence as I possible could, and very glad I consciously absorbed as much of his little self as I could while he was still with me. That's the best one can aim for I guess, considering we are all mortal, and we are bound to outlive our beloved pets (god willing), isn't it?

>153 mdoris: Mary, I got the impression just from listening to the book (read by a professional narrator) that Gawande was indeed a very empathetic kind of person, and was glad that they had included a short interview with the author at the end of the audiobook. I'll definitely look up his YouTube interviews, and thanks for providing a link to your favourite one.

So far my head is behaving rather well. It's hard to judge if this is a benefit of the botox from this alone though, because in general the earlier part of the day tends to be relatively pain-free, discounting those times I wake up with a pounding migraine to start the day with (always a wonderful gift, that—NOT!). Of course I'm hoping for the best... and time will tell!

>154 LovingLit: You know Megan, I've been so blessed with wonderful support both here on LT and on Facebook, and especially from Pierre's constant patience and understanding as I talk about Coco so much with him... and from the fact he's insisted on keeping up our beneficial daily walks, and his being encouraging of me getting another dog whenever the time is right... I honestly don't know how I would have managed without him, but I do know that I'm at a good place in my life and more emotionally solid than I've ever been, because there were other times when this loss might have plunged me into the deepest sort of depression, and I'm grateful this is not the case at this time. Coco leaves me with a huge store of wonderful memories, and I'm deeply grateful to him for that. My two cats Mimi and Ezra are all too happy to benefit from the extra attention they are getting now there is one less furpaw taking up my attention as well!

>155 Whisper1: Bless your kind heart Linda! As I mentioned to you in the PM I sent you last night, I am very lucky to have my dear Pierre giving me all the his moral support, who is happy to listen to me whenever I feel the need to talk, whether in person or on the phone, even if it means me calling him ten times a day (something I rarely ever do, but felt the need for a few times in the first week after Coco's passing). I'm blessed to have wonderful friends like you, and a great partner like Pierre is certainly doing all he can to minimize the pain as much as possible. What more can I ask for really??

He just called me a few seconds ago in fact, and I told him I'd call him right back after I was done answering to you, so that's what I'm off to do right this minute!

Ilana, I'm so glad for you that the migraines are being held at bay finally. And Coco is mighty cute in those little shoes. And you are fortunate to have Mimi and Ezra and Pierre to help you through this time.

>117 Smiler69: Ilana, I am so glad you have Pierre in your life to give you comfort. As I've said before, he's a keeper!

>129 Smiler69: What a lovely epitaph for Coco. He was lamb-like in both appearance and demeanor. I know I wanted to cuddle him every time you posted a picture.

How wonderful that you are getting some relief from those nasty migraines. I hope the trend continues and that you also get relief from the grieving process. You will continue to get my support and healing thoughts as long as you need them.

>148 Smiler69: I think the library has the Lockwood & Co books by Stroud so I may try that series too. I forgot to tell you that I did buy Heap House so may read that later this month.

>150 Smiler69: That is fantastic news about the pain although I also felt quite sad reflecting on the fact that a pain-free period is so unusual for you. Hopefully this is something that will be repeated.

Another beautiful sunny day here in Montreal, and woke up today virtually pain-free. It seems the migraine activity increases in the early evening, which isn't surprising as I always tend to have increased levels of pain late in the day. I'll certainly take almost pain free half-days, if that's what's being handed out! Two weeks today since Coco's passing. I think I'm doing well on the whole, still staring at his photos many times each day and feeling sad he's gone so soon, but at the same time taking comfort from the fact he went in the best possible way (I guess), with little pain and leaving me with amazing memories. Am I repeating myself? Probably, I do tend to talk about him a lot, and will inevitably go over the same ground.

Started on The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy for the BAC yesterday. Have the audio version narrated by Alan Rickman, which is very good, but must admit that so far I'm not really loving it. Perhaps the timing isn't ideal for a story which promises to be a very sad drama indeed, with a female protagonist which has nothing of the likeable qualities about her.

>158 catarina1: Thank you so much. Less pain is definitely a welcome break! And yes, I'm blessed to have such affectionate feline companions and a partner who is filled with patience and understanding. He really goes out of his way to try to smooth the path for me as I mourn Coco's passing.

>159 Donna828: Yes, a keeper for sure, have to agree with you there, Donna!

I know I wanted to cuddle him every time you posted a picture.
That makes me smile. I look at his photos and cuddle him in my mind all the time now he's gone.

I'm really hoping the migraine relief I've been experiencing is due to the botox injections and not just because we've had clear skies these last few days. Either way, I'm happy for getting any kind of relief, goes without saying, but would be nice to have found a workable solution for continued pain alleviation, goes without saying! I'm feeling more and more hopeful that the treatment is working at this point.

>160 souloftherose: I definitely think you'd enjoy the first Lockwood & Co book, Heather. I'll be listening to the second book soon, as looking forward to seeing how Stroud develops the story and can definitely see potential for a series there.

I must say having four days in a row waking up with barely registering pain, and having a good half day virtually pain-free is already a vast improvement. Even more pain-free time would be great, but I hardly dare expect too much, so I'll take whatever I can get... that being said, the effect of the botox may increase in the next couple of weeks, so I look forward to seeing how things evolve.

>161 Smiler69: Thomas Hardy my dear not Robert. Robert Hardy is himself a fine actor and I remember him best as Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. He was also Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter films. Then there is Tom Hardy chased all over the wilderness by Leo. All very confusing I suppose. xx

Have a lovely Sunday in sunny Montreal dear lady.

>162 PaulCranswick: Bah! Me and names... always been a lost cause!

Hope you're having a restful time Peter.

...

I mean Paul of course! :-)

eta: I know Robert Hardy as a narrator, and absolutely adore his work on Vile Bodies, simply hilarious!

>163 Smiler69: Hahaha touche!
He was also a BAFTA winner for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "The Wilderness Years" - he did the speech bits gloriously.

Ilana, my dear, I have been gone so long and I just saw over on the CAC thread for this month the comment about Coco's passing. I am SO sorry, my friend!!!! I came right over here and started skimming through and have shed a few years as I read through your posts and looked at the photos of the very dear boy and you saying goodbye to him. I'm glad the grief has started morphing into melancholy rather than piercing pain, but I also know that you will continue to miss him and mourn his presence in your life. Know that, despite my absence (from FB as well as from LT), our connection thrives and my thoughts are absolutely with you as you continue to travel the grief path.

In books, I ended up returning Heap House before reading it (ran out of time) but I will put it on hold again. I also have the Alan Rickman* narration of The Return of the Native which I hope to start this month, after I finish my audio of Destiny of the Republic (which is excellent).

Keep taking good care of you, Ilana. xo

*I think I remember us once agreeing that we'd listen to him narrate the phone book if it came to that.

Oh, Ilana, I am so behind on threads and now I am weeks behind on this huge thing in your life. And this is so sad. It must have been such a shock for you. So good that Coco was happy to the end, that will comfort you. And I had the privilege of meeting him!

>165 EBT1002: - yes, Ellen. I know I would have listened to Rickman read just about anything.

Ilana, it says a great deal about your circumstances and your courage that your friends are sad for you but not fearful for you. I had no idea that Coco was not a younger dog - he certainly looked and acted like a carefree young gent.
I'm also delighted about the botox. May it do more and more good! I came by to say that my mama had a fierce bout of vertigo Saturday night and yesterday. Today she's back to normal. My DH researched and found that Saturday and Sunday were listed as high likelihood-of-migraine days. I know that yours have not been any respecter of air pressure, but I do believe there's something in it.

ETA: Rob Hardy is a friend over in the Virago Group! ;-)

My latest drawing is coming along, day by day, hour by hour...

  

>162 PaulCranswick: Paul, I just looked up 'The Wilderness Years' on iTunes, hoping it might be available for rental, but unfortunately it isn't listed at all. Will keep an eye out for it online. Have only seen a couple of the Harry Potter movies when they came out in the cinema seemingly another century ago, so unfortunately can't remember him on the screen.

Checking in as I'm catching up. I'm sure you must miss Coco. I still miss Brumley even with my three kittens!

>170 thornton37814: I'm missing Coco like crazy today. Haven't felt this depressed in a while actually. Dragging myself about and exhausted, but can't sleep because sad thoughts are plaguing me, even though I try really hard to remember all the good times we had together. The few days after he passed don't qualify because I think I was more in shock than depressed.



Book #50: ❉ Plumdog by Emma Chichester Clark ★★★★½
Source: Municipal Library
Edition: APotter Style (2015), 160 pages
Read for: Coco's TIOLI Challenge #6
Original publication ldate: 2014

Missing Coco so much, I thought picking up Plumdog might do me some good this evening. I know Ellen loved it, and I believe Joe mentioned liking it too. It's about the author, Emma Chichester Clark's dog Plum, self-described as a 'whoosell': whippet mixed with Jack Russell and poodle. She keeps a journal of her days with 'words by Plum' and 'illustrations by Emma'. It's really very sweet and I'll have to look up the blog it is based on (here: http://emmachichesterclark.blogspot.ca). Of course I kept imagining how Coco would have described his days throughout.

>165 EBT1002: Thank you for your kind words, Ellen. I remember well how hard it was for you to lose Edgar. I really did think I'd have at least another good couple of years with Coco... today was sad to think about times we spent together last summer as being his last summer season. One just never knows what is waiting around the corner. He really became part of my identity somehow... Does that make any sense? He was in my mind all the time and being apart from him even for just an hour at a time was difficult for me. Hard to deal with the fact that I'll never see him again, other than in photos, though I'm glad I have plenty of those to keep forever.

Alan Rickman is wonderful to listen to. Doesn't help that he's just passed, in terms of relieving the current sadness I feel over Coco, however.

>166 sibylline: I'm glad you got to meet Coco, Lucy. I understand being behind on threads. I'm being even less active in the group than I have been lately, as not venturing about much since Coco's passing... he somehow helped me connect with the rest of the world. Now I have to figure out how to do it without him.

>167 LizzieD: Peggy, today has been the hardest day yet since Coco left me, maybe after the Monday following the actual visit to the emergency vet hospital where I ended up having to put him down. I'm really grateful my cats are such affectionate critters, but today the feelings of forced separation from my beloved pup are rather overwhelming. Helps to know that grief and life don't go in a straight line, since I was doing so well just a few days ago, even feeling upbeat.

I'm not sure what you mean about 'Rob Hardy' being part of the Virago group... do you literally mean the actor Robert Hardy participates in that group??

Hi, Ilana! Just checking in. Good job on the drawing. Plumdog sounds so good. I need to add it to the list.

I was also interested in listening to Rickman's version of The Return of the Native, but haven't decided if I want to spend the bucks, to purchase it.

Meet Marley... soon to be rebatised 'Charley' because of his little black moustache. He's two-and-a-half years old, and found his way to a local rescue because his owners couldn't take him to their new home (no pets allowed, presumably). Their loss, my gain. I'll be driving a rental car with Pierre as my co-pilot 65 km/50 mins outside Montreal to go pick him up at the shelter of the faculty of veterinarians of the Université de Montreal. They run a tiny shelter, but obviously care very much about finding good homes for their pets, and was told today that after consultation among all the participants of the shelter who have reviewed my application with care, I was deemed to be 'an ideal family for dog adoption'. Thank you very much! I found this little cutie on Facebook yesterday, and lost no time to get in touch with them, as he's gained over 100 'likes' and close to 40 'shares' already. They did tell me they did NOT use a 'first come first serve' policy, but based their decision on what homes were the best option for their animals, but I think I did well to act fast all the same.

This was certainly NOT planned, and I was willing to wait as long as it took before bringing a new dog home, but his little face just called to me. Isn't hard to see why, right??



In the meantime, I've finished listening to On the Road by Jack Kerouac, which had 'only' been on my listening stacks since 2011, and which I'd been meaning to read since my teens... the narration by Will Patton is outstanding and warmly recommended... he really made the book for me. I can certainly see why it's become such a huge classic and a favourite among young adults, and how it spawned the huge movement which started out as the Beat Generation and evolved into the Beatniks and Hippies.



Have now started on a just released book (as of today, actually, at least here in Canada) called The Lie Tree which is a young adult title which won the Costa Award of 2015 in ALL categories, i.e. fiction in general, not restricted to the YA category. So far, I'm really loving this story about the daughter of a naturalist in the 19th century who is trying to make sense of the accusations of falsification her father has suffered for presenting fossil samples which are found to be of questionable origins. Narrated by Emilia Fox, who is a very good actress and outstanding as a reader.

More book news, but getting late and I'd like to draw while listening to a bit more of the above-mentioned, so off to it now.

>173 msf59: Hey Mark! Plumdog is really great fun. You can check out the blog, too. I have several Thomas Hardy titles on the tbr, and had only read Tess of the d'Urbevilles so far, which I simply adored, so glad I've got another one under my belt finally! Return of the Native is a difficult story about adultery, but an excellent example of the effect of naturalism as set against a backdrop of Victorian society.

Congrats on your new family member, Ilana! *Timing* isn't something that can be planned It happens when it's *right*. When will he join you? This weekend (here in Toronto) is going to be just the BEST weather so if this is your weekend, it will be lovely for you, too.

Big smiles!

Congratulations on Charley, for both you and him. He is a cutie. When will you be able to get him? I'm excited to see more photos.

Oops! Thanks for the reminder ladies; in my excitement, I forgot to mention when I wrote my post about Charley that we were picking him up on Tuesday afternoon.

>176 jessibud2: I was willing to drive over as soon as yesterday to go visit him, Shelley, and can in fact go over to see him any time I want to, only I don't have a car, so it's not so easily done... but for an adoption process, it's by appointment only... so I'll have to be patient and wait till Tuesday. I'm really eager to see 'the whole package' so to speak, as have only seen that photo of him you see above, and can't wait to see the full version and see what he feels like in my arms. We've been getting lovely weather here the last few days, springlike, really, so hopefully it'll continue into next week too.

>177 catarina1: I promise you there will be more photos as soon as I can take them and get them posted!

Congratulations on Marley/Charley, the new member of your family, Ilana! He looks like a charmer.

On the Road - I like your comment that you can see why it's a favourite among young adults. It had a big impact on me when I was that age. Once I was old enough, I ended up hitchhiking back and forth across the country, coast to coast, for a good while, "looking for adventure", as Steppenwolf would sing.

You bb'd me with The Lie Tree. The only Costa Prize winner I've read, as far as I can remember, is The Shock of the Fall, and I liked that one very much. Off to learn more about The Lie Tree.

>174 Smiler69: Wonderful news about Marley/Charley!

Charley, you are a lucky, lucky dog! You couldn't have ended up in a better home if you'd planned it.

I am so happy that you have found your new little guy, Ilana. Coco was the cutest thing on four paws and I am hoping that the C-man is a worthy successor.

And how lovely that your nasty headache decided to let up on you a little. Hoping this is a trend.

Congratulations on finding such a cutie as Charlie. He obviously called out to you!
I just read Jennie by Paul Galico, while it's about cats rather than a dog, it's a very sweet story.

I read The Lie Tree last month and really enjoyed it.

Wonderful news that you have found a sweet little companion. Charlie looks adorable and how lovely for him to have found such a great home. I'm looking forward to seeing lots more Charlie photos.

>174 Smiler69: Oh, that little Charley is certainly the one. Congratulations to both you and Charley! It's wonderful that Coco was such a perfect little dog that he makes another adoption possible. He's responsible for this little guy getting a great home. Can't wait to see more pictures.

I will have to get "On The Road" based on Will Patton reading it. I have partially read it but I love love Will Patton as a reader. I listened to him reading several James Lee Burke books. He was perfectly cast for those books certainly. That dog is absolutely adorable! My very first dog was named Charlie, for Charlie Brown though.

I am so very pleased for you that you found such a cutie pie who wil become part of your family on Tuesday. It will be wonderful to see pictures of Charley. Very pleased for you! I did the same to find "my Maggie" 10 years ago after a crazy internet search (hurricane Katrina pup) and she has been the best dog ever. She needed a bit of time at first, as she had bonded elsewhere, but she soon bonded with us. Such happy memories.

Loved loved LOVED The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge. Will most definitely write a review for it, as this is a novel that many people will enjoy once it arrives on their radar. A wonderful mix of historical fiction and mystery and natural science, skillfully blended with a touch of fantasy too, and also perfectly fitting for women's history month, with a strong-willed young heroine who is not afraid to rub up against the restrictions of Victorian society to fight for what she cares most about. I'll definitely look out for more books by Hardinge, and have already added her Fly by Night and Cuckoo Song to the wishlist.

Now I've started on another new arrival, The Trilogy of Two by Juman Malouf. A first novel from a very creative woman who also happens to be Wes Anderson's partner.

Also very much enjoying my armchair (or in this case, bedtime) travels to Venice thanks to Jan Morris's wonderful prose and the lovely Folio Society edition I have of this book. I keep the iPad on hand to look up various artworks and places mentioned in the text which aren't featured in the many lovely images included in this edition. Perhaps I'll be able to enjoy this beloved city of hers firsthand someday, but if not, I'll definitely be left feeling as though part of me has indeed roamed the Venice canals and palaces, taken in its many wonders of art and historic sights and rubbed shoulders with its idiosyncratic residents and awed (and often fagged out) tourists as well.

Just posted the following on FB:

Botox Benefit #6: Yesterday I had a pretty much pain-free day all day long, and I was able to enjoy cuddling close with my Mimi in nap mode for almost an hour while appreciating her loud purring as a soothing feeling, as opposed to it adding to pain and discomfort. A truly wonderful experience.

VERY fun to log into such a message-filled thread! Thanks for delurking to add to the conversation!

>179 jnwelch: I dearly hope things work out with Marley/Charley, Joe. I have a good feeling about him, but of course the adoption process isn't finalized yet, so that a small part of me doesn't dare wholly commit to the idea that he's 'mine' yet. Very much looking forward to Tuesday... it'll be an exciting little road trip for sure, especially when factoring in the fact I haven't driven a car in years now! But I've made sure to keep my driver's license up-to-date, and I did have my own car for a few years, so I'm sure once I've driven the rental around the block a couple of times it'll all come back to me, like riding a bicycle. In any case, Pierre is willing to take his chances with me in the driver's seat being fully cognizant of the facts!

Wanting to get off the computer soon, which is the only reason I haven't typed out a proper review for The Lie Tree yet, but I feel certain beyond a doubt that you would love it too. I can see why reading On the Road as a teenager or young adult would inspire many to get out there and hitchhike their way around America. I doubt it would have inspired me to do the same even if I had read it around sixteen or so... at which time I would have enjoyed it very much I'm sure, but since both my parents were born wanderers, I've always been all too happy to know well in advance exactly where I would be resting my head at night...

>180 souloftherose: Agreed, Heather! A bit apprehensive as well as excited as I'm about to leap into new territory, but I'll be sure to share what is to follow from here...

>181 Fourpawz2: Hi Charlotte, as I mentioned to Joe above, I'm not quite ready to consider Charley as being 'my' pet yet until I've met him and actually brought him home, as I'm sure you understand. All the same, can't stop thinking about him and trying to anticipate what he might be like here at home with us. A very exciting prospect indeed!

>182 avatiakh: Will have to look for Jennie, thanks for the tip Kerry. I do recall you mentioning The Lie Tree recently too, and I think it might have been the factor that made me decide it on Audible, something I rarely do, combined with the fact that Emilia Fox narrates, as I like her quite a lot as well.

>183 DeltaQueen50: You can be sure there will be lots of Charley photos on view soon Judy. Are you on Facebook? I tend to share a lot more photos there, if only because I need to post them somewhere before being able to post them here. If you are, you are more than welcome to friend me there: Ilana Shamir (in Montreal).

This applies to anyone visitor to my thread who wishes to see what I post there (regular updates on my artwork, among other things)

>184 Dianekeenoy: I'm sure you're right that Coco somehow led me to Charley, Diane. Couldn't resist that adorable little face!

>185 mmignano11: I love Will Patton as a reader too. So far, I've listened to him reading Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry as well (book 3 in the Lonesome Dove series) and he also narrates the Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater, of which I've only listened to the first book so far, but now am reminded I really need to get to the other books in the series too!

>186 mdoris: I feel very lucky that the shelter thought I would be 'an ideal family' for Charley, Mary. I've always felt like I won the lottery when I got Coco, and very hopeful this will be the case with Charley too.

Ilana I'm so sorry to hear of Coco's passing. I'm also so happy that you have given a beautiful rescue dog a home. I still miss my Freddy, but I do believe he sent me Nova. She is such a cuddle bug like he was. My other two are not cuddle bugs at all.

Oh I think this is very good indeed. We've waited and not waited and I've come to the conclusion that the connection with each one, in the present, as they are, is the thing. I am much much happier with a dog in my life than without. (And a cat or two). We did not wait after Simon died, I started looking for a kitten, who turned out to be Tenzing, in short time, it just took awhile for him to turn up. We think he was born basically the same day (definitely the same week) Simon died, which gives me shivers!

Ilana, I am sure that Coco would approve of you giving love to another dog not as a replacement of him but to heal you and allow you to focus on something positive in lieu of the sadness.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Stopping by to say I hope your meeting with Marley/Charley goes well today.

>187 Smiler69: For some reason I wasn't as enamoured with The Lie Tree as I was with the other Hardinge I read, Cuckoo Song, but I can't remember anything in particular that bothered me. I think I will try it again at some point because I still feel I should have liked it a lot more than I did. Anyway, I am very keen to read through her backlist in due course.

And excellent news on the Botox.

  

Meet Charley! Just adopted today from a wonderful shelter. He's six pounds of big personality. He's had a bath and is trying to make friends with Mimi and Ezra (good luck on that!). We found out that his previous owners called him Charlot, which is French for Charlie (Chaplin). I called him Charley because I didn't like 'Marley', and thinking that was his former name (but turns out to be just a temporary shelter name), tried to give him a name which rhymed. Go figure.... I've loaned him Coco's collar, but obviously we need to get him his own medal...

Welcome home, Charley! So sweet. What kind of dog is he, Ilana? He sure looks happy!

>190 luvamystery65: Hi Roberta, I've yet to figure out if Charley likes to cuddle or not. Right now he's understandably somewhat disoriented, and seems to have picked Coco's kennel as his favourite spot to hang out it. It's always been a cozy spot, with lots of blankets and hidden under my large desk, and the cats love hanging out there too. It's all very very new for all of us, but so far he seems like a quiet and very friendly little guy.

>191 sibylline: For some reason Lucy, I'd made up my mind long ago that when I lose one of my cats, I will immediately go and get another one. This is because I would have many more than just my two were I living in a larger house/and or in the country, and sooooo many of them out there in the shelters that I always feel badly I'm not giving more of them a cozy home. But three pets seems to be my max if I want to be able to give each of them the attention they deserve. Charley seems like a special little guy, and Pierre encouraged me to get a dog as soon as possible, saying he felt I'm a happier person with a dog to care for. I think he must be right. I still miss Coco like crazy, but somehow feel my household is more complete now.

>192 PaulCranswick: Thank you so much Paul. In any case, Charley has sought out all of Coco's spots and has rubbed himself and rolled around on them thoroughly, so I take it as a sign that the two would have liked each other. Probably also Charley's way of leaving his own scent, but I like my first interpretation best!

>193 souloftherose: I'm glad you enjoyed The Cuckoo Song, and if you did so more than The Lie Tree, then I definitely need to get my hands on it!

It's been an exciting day with a ride out of the city (I rented what ended up being a Volkswagen Golf, which I was very happy driving and was sad to part with), we met Charley who, poor dear, seemed more confused than anything else, leaving the very animated/agitated shelter and riding home, then us going to drop off the car and bringing him back with us on the metro. He handled himself beautifully, trembling throughout, poor dear, but very quietly.

>195 jessibud2: Shelley, Pierre and I decided to call him by a 'designer breed' name: a Biwawa, since he's a mix of Chihuahua and Bichon. I've seen them called Chi-Chon online just now, but I prefer our nomenclature.

In reading news, I finished Jan Morris's Venice last night for the Non-Fiction Travel challenge, and a wonderful voyage it was! She has written many many books, and I will definitely look out for more. This insider's view of Venice from someone who apparently lived there a long time and appreciates this ancient city for all kinds of reasons was a fantastic read and the author made me feel like I was roaming the streets and canals and looking at all the magnificent architecture and artworks right by her side.

Biwawa! I love it. I've been thinking about you and him all day, wondering how it all went. I'm glad to see that he is now home. I think Coco is smiling. Congratulations.

I'm SO HAPPY that you have Charley with you now!!!! He is also a darling, and I'm sure that he will make his own place in your heart forthwith. Congratulations to you both! Encouraging words for the cats!!!

>199 catarina1: Thanks so much. I was pretty excited all day. Am pretty excited now too, come to think of it.

>200 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy. I'm not sure about him making friends with the cats though... Charley keeps chasing them and trying to convince them to play with him, and they aren't taking to his methods with much grace or stoicism. I would SO love them all to be friends, but they'll figure things out for themselves.

Thanks for letting us know. I too have been thinking of you today getting your new precious guy. So glad that you had a good day! Charley is a cutie and I love the Biwawa word. He is a lucky guy!

Had to come see if Charley was home. What a fascinating coincidence with his name! Biwawa! Wonderful.

Aw, Charley looks very cute in the little jumper and sitting other steps! Is he quite little under that fur?
I hope he gets on with the felines of the house!

>194 Smiler69: He looks a real cutie. I am sure that he will bring you lots of happiness.

>198 Smiler69: I read his/her first book earlier this year Coast to Coast and thought its descriptive power immense. I wasn't being sarcastic in being ambivalent about Jan Morris' sexuality in that when Coast to Coast was written it was as James Morris.
Frankly I don't care about the sexuality as the writer is a wonderful weaver of words in any event.

>194 Smiler69: - What a funny little, cartoon of a doggy, Charley is. I'm afraid I laughed when I saw his dual pictures. He looks so cute, Ilana! I wish I knew what Ezra and Mimi are saying to each other about him. I certainly hope they come around soon. Looking forward to more Charley stories and pictures.

I think he and Coco would have been buddies.....

>202 mdoris: Mary, Charley is lying in my arms right now as I type this, quietly resting and for once ignoring Ezra who is just a foot away on my desk, purring and getting scritches and petting. Usually as soon as he hears one of the cats make a noise of any kind, he rushes over to investigate and bully the cat into playing with him. So far, his tactics haven't been too successful, needless to say. Right now I think he's just too comfortable to bother. :-)

>203 sibylline: I thought the coincidence was pretty incredible, Lucy. I mean... what were the odds I'd give him almost exactly the same name? Especially since I'm always playing around with my pets names and calling Ezra 'Ziggy' or Mimi 'Moomoo', etc, so that I was bound to call Charley 'Charlot' soon enough. Was meant to be I guess.

>204 LovingLit: He's really tiny, Megan. His head is the biggest part of him, but only because his fur is longer there. I find him really skinny, but the shelter gals (all vet students) said he was at his ideal weight and I shouldn't try to fatten him up too much. He's got the body of a Chihuahua when they're at their ideal size. I might let him gain a half pound or so, just so his spine doesn't jut out so much.

>205 PaulCranswick: So far so good on the Charley front, Paul. I've not been thinking less of Coco, and if anything, can't help making comparisons and thinking what Coco would be doing at any moment, but Charley is rather delightful. We spent a good night together and he let me sleep in all I wanted before asking for the door, which I thought was mighty gentlemanly of him.

I'm not nearly as easygoing about sex reassignment as is currently expected of the mainstream public, and struggle a lot with accepting it as a cultural norm. But I didn't have any problem whatsoever with Jan Morrison's wonderful writing. She wrote Venice when she was known as James Morris also, and mentions that in the intro. I didn't realise what a prolific writer she was till I looked at her partial bibliography on wikipedia; Amazing! I remember well your positive review of Coast to Coast and will add it to the wishlist, as I definitely intend to read more of her work, whether she wrote it as a man or a woman. I'll also look out for some of her biographical work as am interested in her private journey.

>206 Fourpawz2: You know Charlotte, I was thinking exactly the same thing when I was looking at Charley this morning: how cartoon-like he is, with his shaggy mane and skinny skinny little short-haired body. I was really hoping he'd turn out to be a cuddly little bug and couldn't determine that yesterday, as he was (very understandably) quite nervous and not keen on being held. He had no idea who he was dealing with after all. But now we've spent a night together snuggled up close, I think he's figured out I'm a pretty ok human to get close to, and he's been laying in my arms while I'm at the computer for a good hour now, which is just lovely. None of my pets want to stay there quietly for any amount of time, so this is a real treat for me.

I do keep wondering how he and Coco would have gotten along. Coco didn't tolerate young energetic dogs very well and was quite grumpy and snappy with them, but in his quiet mode, I think Charley would have charmed my beloved little lamb and they'd have had a great time playing together.

Sitting at the computer with this tiny love bug on my lap.


Life is pretty okay right now...

Love the pics of Charlot, he seems to be settling in.

Something about the pic of him on your lap makes me think how it must feel for rescue dogs to come into a home where there is a warm lap or pair of arms to reassure and comfort after the din and sensory overload of the shelter. God bless those places for saving them but they need to find homes asap as they all crave a pack to feel complete. Cats may not crave a pack but they certainly want a secure place to curl up and access to their human for rubbing against when they wish. Some rescues can be difficult because they have had such bad past lives but most,I think, know they are in a good place and act accordingly. He seems to be appreciating it in that picture, no doubt. Somehow making you both complete.

>208 Smiler69: That's pretty wonderful for both of you!
ETA: Mary Beth has it exactly right.

Charley is adorable, Ilana. I think you both are very lucky to have found each other. He looks very contented.

Our first day together has been pretty great for Charley and I. For Mimi and Ezra, less so, but they'll get over it eventually; Charley seems convinced he'll make friends with them if he chases at them often enough, and they strongly disagree with him. Otherwise, he seems willing to listen to simple commands like 'don't pull', 'sit', 'stay', 'go away', but somehow not so much 'come here', even when treats are being offered. It's a learning curve for us both. Just got him his own name tag this afternoon at the pet supply store, along with two bag of treats and chewy stuff he won't get through in less than five minutes, but he's not keen on the treats nor those particular chewies. Ah well. On the other hand, he loved the new dog food I put him on, which is high grade holistic human-grade type dog food. We deliberately went out to do a short errand and left him at home this evening, leaving the iPhone behind to make a sound recording to find out whether he will bark when we are away, and the test came out positive, with mostly some whining, lots of skitter-skitter-skitters of tiny toenails on hardwood, and three meek single barks thrown into the mix. Very encouraging. Good boy Charley!

>209 avatiakh: I took a series of lovely photos of him today, as he lay in my reading chair looking out the window. Beautiful lighting. I'll post them tomorrow as I don't want to flood the internet with Charley photos all in the same day!

>210 mmignano11: Agree with Peggy you've got it exactly right, Mary Beth. The shelter is staffed by obviously caring young vet students, but also quite hectic and loud with dog barks and cats in crates all over the place. Charley apparently barked quite a bit when he was left in his crate, and when we got there, I was very much looking forward to seeing how he'd take to living in a quiet environment, and so far, he seems to be liking it just fine. I was a bit strict with him this evening, because he won't let me give attention to either of the cats without trying to rush in, and Pierre approved strongly of me disciplining him a bit (very gently, I must say), and then said I was too much of a softie when I went to pick him up after seeing him go off in a sulk after I raised my voice a bit. I reminded him that Charley has been through some very traumatizing times in the last week or so and there is no such thing as too much affection at this time in his life. To think his owners wanted to have him euthanized! Just boggles the mind how some people can treat animals as mere disposable objects. He certainly is his own little person to me.

What a smart way, to monitor him! Do you separate him from the cats when you are not at home?

My 2 cats were also rescues (well, from the Humane Society). They are not related but I adopted them at the same time so they entered my house together, as neutral territory, easier than one at a time. It took one week of careful monitoring before they adjusted and stopped hissing at one another, and also in that time, I was able to reduce 2 separate litter boxes down to the one they have shared ever since. I adopted them in 2003, when they were 2 and 3 years old (approximately). I love that you adopted Charley from a rescue.

>211 LizzieD: I must say he is quite a charmer, Peggy. Today as I was walking him on main street, a woman came rushing at us and saying she couldn't believe how cute he was. She wanted to know what mix he was, as she'd never seen a dog that looked like him before, then said she's quite an expert on the subject since she's a dog groomer and I should take it as quite a compliment that she finds him so irresistible. Or words to that effect. Of course I was pleased. I don't know about Charley. He seemed to take it all in his stride; business as usual, basically.

>212 DeltaQueen50: I'd say we both are very contented and feeling pretty lucky today, Judy. I'm so glad he's a cuddle-bug too! He's laying on me and totally laid back as I write this.

>215 jessibud2: Shelley, I mostly let the 'kids' figure things out among themselves. I kept an eye out last night to make sure nobody was being maimed or quartered, but the cats just hiss and put out a warning pawfull of (trimmed) claws, and he doesn't seem to be too bothered, but does back off some. I left them all together for 10 minutes this evening, and when I came back, Charley was sitting on the left side of the door, and Mimi on the right, and as soon as he saw me, Charley seemed to suddenly remember that he's supposed to chase the cats, and ran after her.

I got Ezra in 2003 and then Mimi in 2009, and Ezra was NOT pleased with the new addition, but Mimi showed she was perfectly able to hold her own and he stopped hissing like a wild banshee after a while. Coco mostly ignored them when I got him in 2010, and within a day or two, Mimi and him could be seen lying side by side. Ezra took a good 18 months before he'd stop jumping two feet into the air whenever Coco entered the same room. I just make sure to try and give them more or less equal amounts of individual attention and let them know they are loved. There are so many unwanted animals out there in need of good homes... I bought Ezra for all kinds of complicated reasons, even though I knew better, but he turned out to be a handful-and-a-half at some point, and even my cat-loving therapist was saying perhaps I should consider giving him away, but I had decided from day one he'd be with me till his dying day, so he is a rescue in a manner of sorts, I guess. Mimi and Coco were adopted, and I intend to adopt all the future animals who come into my house and strongly encourage anyone considering getting a pet to do the same. I like the idea that by adopting, a person is a part of the solution instead of being a part of the problem.

Charley's definitely a cute little guy! Glad you found a new furfriend.

>218 drneutron: Thanks Jim! He's a surprisingly hardy little thing for such a tiny creature! The cats seem terrified of him, which is rather hilarious if I weren't also sad to see them so disturbed. It'll all settle down soon enough I should hope.

Here's the latest Charley photo session:







Couldn't resist the perfect lighting. Surely there's a Renaissance painting in the making there?

Thanks for the photos, Ilana. Charley certainly is cute. And it seems that he has settled in very well. He looks quite happy.

I have two cats who were "rescues". About 18 mo ago Isabella came to me through a friend who found her, as a kitten, on the side of the road. She had been hit by a car. My friend took her immediately to the vet who her found her to have just a couple small cuts that were sutured but all of the fur and skin had been stripped off her tail and it unfortunately had to be amputated. My other cat came to me through another friend here in Baltimore. This friend is involved with community cats, i.e. feral cats, the TNR program (trap-neuter-release) and she found this cat near Pimlico race track (where the Preakness is run), in a very dysfunctional household (drug use, meth lab, etc). I've had the second cat for about 8 months and I am still working on getting them "together". It is turned out to be quite a job. But I'm determined to make it work. I don't think she was abused in her former home but was neglected and had to fend for herself.

I'm glad that all three of your furrkids are making their peace.

Boy, this is one stinking cute dog! Please keep posting pictures, they absolutely make my day! He is just too adorable!

Ilana, first of all, I am glad you enjoyed Plumdog. You may recall that I purchased it, a rarity in the Graphic territory. I rarely feel a need to own them. This one, I needed to own.

And secondly and most importantly, welcome to Charley!! I saw on Joe's new thread that you had gotten a new canine family member and I came rushing over here to see photos of him. (I knew there would be photos.) He is adorable. I know that he will never, ever "replace" Coco; that really isn't the point. There is a slice of your heart that is permanently occupied by the dear, darling Coco. But, as I am learning, love doesn't compete for the same space, it makes new space. Love is expansive and multiplicative. So, welcoming Charley is probably easy even as you continue to miss Coco.

Charley is a lucky little guy to have been rescued by you. I hope Ezra and Mimi can tolerate his presence.

xo

>221 catarina1: Sounds like you have an interesting challenge on your hands, and two cats who are very lucky to have found you and such a loving home. I hope things work out for the best for you all. I wish I could take in more cats without compromising quality of life for my other pets, but I find three little critters is a limit for a) living in a medium-sized apartment with no courtyard, and b) a right amount of critters I am able to give individual attention to. I hope to keep Ezra and Mimi healthy and happy for many more years (Ezra is 12ish, Mimi 8ish), but as I reminded Pierre this evening, as soon as one of them goes, I'll be at a local shelter the very same (or next) day to bring another one home, because they are so many countless kitties in need of good homes. If I ever move into a large house, there'll be more cats added to the mix, though I can't promise I'll be able to give them all the cuddles they individually require on a daily basis. Some rotation system might be in order.

>222 Dianekeenoy: I'm so glad you're enjoying my Charley pics Diane! There'll be more to come for certain!

>223 EBT1002: Ellen, I remember very well reading your impressions about Plumdog, which is how it got on my radar to begin with. It came in at just the right time for me too. I'd reserved it at the library when Coco was still around, and then reading it after he was gone was comforting, though I kept trying to imagine throughout how Coco would have described his days instead of Plum.

You're right about the heart being expansive, and there's certainly plenty of room in my own heart for Charley and whatever other animals make their way into my home over the coming years, but it's also true that Coco is irreplaceable and I miss him dearly. I found myself fantasizing as I was taking a nap this afternoon that Coco might suddenly reappear by some incredible miracle, even though he's now been cremated and is gone for good, and somehow this seemed like a real and desirable possibility and not even a little bit freaky. Obviously my mind was well adrift at that point.

Charley seems to have calmed down with the cats, though I've also been trying to check him from giving chase, and he seems to dislike being reprimanded so isn't so eager now he's getting used to their presence too. I would so so love for them all to be friends, but of course it isn't up to me.

On reading!

Yes, throughout this whole new life with a new dog, I've also been making time for reading and listening. I'll be finishing Never Cry Wolf shortly as I go off to start on the finishing touches of my Romeo & Juliet drawing. This book has been a sheer delight, and the audio version is very good. I hadn't expected it to be as humorous as it is, and it's been wonderful. I wish I'd read it as a child, so I could have lived with it in my spirit for all these decades, but it's never too late, and I will certainly think of it and the wolves often and look forward to revisiting these wonderful creatures.

Also started on The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami, also for the Canadian Author Challenge, and though I'm just a few chapters in, I'm well hooked into this novel peopled with fascinating characters already.

Have no lack of options on the tbr as far as other books to get started on when I finish Never Cry Wolf (with just 20 minutes remaining), but somehow am tempted to spend an Audible credit on another Karen Maitland audiobook, as I really loved her Company of Liars, a novel set during a 14th century great plague about a band of travellers facing incredible difficulties, with the plague only representing an additional challenge. Loved the narration by David Thorpe, who reads all the other audiobooks by Maitland available here in Canada.

"...but of course it isn't up to me." So true. :-)

I am still planning to read at least a work by Farley Mowat this month, probably won't get to Anita Rau Badami, but now I have her on my radar, always a good thing. Even though I am taking a looser approach to this year's challenges, I'm pleased with the usual introductions to new (to me) authors. It's one of the very best things about LT.

Isn't it great to decide how to spend one's Audible "credits"?

Have a great Friday, my friend.

Woke up with v v bad head today. Started during the night, so Fiorinal likely won't help, though I've taken a couple just in case. Woe is me. But I shouldn't complain really, because this hasn't happened in a few weeks now, and life on the whole is rather marvellous. Still, pain-free life is much better, yes?

>226 EBT1002: Dear Ellen, I LOOOOOOVED Never Cry Wolf another 5-star read for me this year, and I just wish, as I've said before, I'd read it as a child and had it among my cherished memories. Still, never too late. I'm glad Anita Rau Badami is on your radar. I think Hero's Walk is simply marvellous. Amazing cast of characters and a story you want to keep reading. That's as smart as I can get today with headache. eek.

Have you been following the Plumdog blog?

I'm TOTALLY addicted to Audible. Have been since I signed up in 2011. Can't help visiting the site several times a day, any reason is good enough for me.

>227 Smiler69: I should have said that Never Cry Wolf holds personal significance for me! DH and I dated a year and then split up. A couple of years later, he sent me a copy of *NCW* as something I should read, and that led us to get back together, a place we've been since.
Also --- pain-free life IS such a joy! Hope the headache has eased.

Ilana, I'm late catching up with the news about Charley on your thread but have been very happy to see the pictures you shared on facebook during the week. I hope Charley and the cats settle into their new relationship soon.

Also sorry to hear you've woken up with a very bad headache today :-(

>227 Smiler69: Hope that your head pain subsides quickly my dear. Anything to do with Audible addiction?!

Have a wonderful weekend, nevertheless.

Book #59: ♫ The Collector by John Fowles ★★★★
Source: Audible.com
Edition: AudioGO (2011), Unabridged MP3; 9h01
Read for: Coco's TIOLI Challenge #6, A Century of Books
Original publication ldate: 1963

Just finished listening to The Collector by John Fowles. I don't know if it's due to the fact that he's an excellent writer, but I should have been deeply creeped out by this story told by two separate narrators, about a young man obsessed with a beautiful girl from his town. He arranges to kidnap her and keeps her hidden away in a secluded house and is obviously missing some essential human components, such as compassion and any feeling of any kind. He narrates most of the story, but we also get to hear Miranda's side of the tale, which is rather fascinating as she is a well educated art student who evidently surrounded herself with interesting people, which contrasts grotesquely with her captor Ferdinand, whose only interest until he 'fell in love with her' (as he claims repeatedly) was collecting butterflies, but was bland and boring in every other way, with a huge complex about class on top of it all (the novel is set in England, sometime in the 50s or early 60s). As I say, this sort of situation normally freaks me out, and I dislike reading about sociopaths in general but I found the novel very good and also very interesting. Guess I was in the right head-space for it. Also, being in a healthy relationship with a caring man helps... perhaps I'd felt differently about it if I were still single and living alone. Also, Ferdinand's matter-of-fact retelling of events puts the reader at a similar remove from the awfulness of his act as he is throughout. Recommended... if you're up for it.

>228 LizzieD: What a lovely story about how significant Never Cry Wolf is for your DH and you, Peggy! Head is much better today. Still have pain, but in the tolerable range, so that's something.

>229 souloftherose: Hi dear Heather. Charlie quickly found his way into my heart. We took him out at the mall today to pick up some things at the art store, and he behaved like a real angel; completely quiet and not at all agitated. At one point when we took the escalator among a huge crowd he seemed somewhat distressed and held on to me very tightly, but that was the extent of his 'acting out', so he's well and truly put my worries to rest about being a barker and it looks like I'll probably be able to take him with me pretty much everywhere, as I was able to do with Coco. Am very pleased by that. What you can't see so well on the photos is he has rather sparse and very silky hair, with incredibly soft skin under it all, so that petting him is rather divine. He lay by me last night and let me stroke him as much as I liked whenever I woke up, something Coco would never have tolerated. Of course I know I shouldn't, but can't help making comparisons between the two. It'll be exactly a month tomorrow (Sunday) since Coco's passing. How time flies. He is dearly missed, but leaves me with amazing memories.

>230 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, you have a point about the Audible addiction... after all, the permanent migraine started AFTER I'd become a member... hmmm, will have to investigate the matter. ;-)

All joking aside, I've gotten some amazing audiobooks from them at very reasonable prices, so I won't be stopping my membership anytime soon if I can help it!

I'm happy that Charley is turning out to be a wonderful dog in addition to being a cutie.

>229 souloftherose: There is a movie "Never Cry Wolf" which I remember as being very good, very funny at times. I'm planning to read the book as soon as it comes in at my library, and I might have to revisit the movie too. Thanks for the "heads up"!

Karen O.

>231 Smiler69: I felt the same way about The Collector. Years ago, I was stalked by a local prominent politician. I felt helpless. He stopped stalking me when he found a new target. Still, over the years, I would periodically receive phone calls letting me know he was keeping tabs on my life. I had such a viseral reaction to The Collector, and it brought back a lot of terrible memories..Post traumatic stress is no fun!

Now, on the happy front, I am sooooo glad you found such a wonderful little fellow to love. What a lucky little boy he is!

I'm sorry that you struggle so with nasty migraines. I am very aware if barometric pressure. I hope that soon the nastiness goes away.

Much love to you.

This is a portrait commissioned by my friend L at this time last year. She felt uncomfortable about me sharing it online, so I wasn't able to show till now, which I was sorry about, because I feel it's my best drawing yet. She finally decided she was ok with me sharing it after all, so here it is now. You can enlarge it to see more fine details. The original drawing is approximately 8x10".

This is Charley making himself totally at home at my friend Liselotte's today. We're going to see 'The Lady in the Van' together this week, which I'm greatly looking forward to. Love Maggie Smith!



I'll be finishing Anna and the Swallow Man, probably this evening as I start on a new drawing, a commission this time. I'm not sure I can reveal details yet, but I'll be sure to share the progress if I'm given permission to. I've absolutely loved this book, about a little girl wandering around Eastern Europe during WWII and the special relationship they develop. Gorgeous writing and characters you can't help but get attached to.

>233 catarina1: I'm growing fonder of Charley every day, as he is showing himself to be an absolute pearl. I can never get over how soft he is and can't seem to get enough of stroking his silky little body.

>234 klobrien2: Pierre and I will be watching the movie version of Never Cry Wolf very soon. I absolutely adored the book, and have heard good things about the movie, so looking forward to it.

>235 Whisper1: Hi Linda, sorry to hear about your stalking troubles. I had a couple of stalkers, the first of which I had to alert the police to and take up court proceedings for. I think that scared him off and he probably transferred his obsession to the next girl. The second is just an ex-boyfriend whom I should never have taken up with to begin with, as he was a hopeless alcoholic and a complete dreamer who was sure I was the woman of his life, although I completely disagreed with him. He was altogether harmless however, so I found just ignoring him was the best course of action. He still sends me little messages once in a while, almost ten years later; I'm guessing between girlfriends, to let me know he still would like to be my 'friend'. No thanks, says I to myself every time.

For some reason though, The Collector never did creep me out as much as it should have. Again, I think it has a lot to do with the fact the narrator is so detached from his actions that it seems to keep the reader at an emotional remove as well somehow. In any case, that's what it did for me.



I got your recommendation of Day Dreamers: A Journey of Imagination and wanted to tell you I had reserved it and was supposed to go pick it up at the library today, but had forgotten my visit to Liselotte's and didn't have time to drop by the library, so will probably have to reserve it again. As soon as I saw Emily Winfield Martin had done another book on a similar theme, I just had to see it—such lovely artwork!

I also loved Anna and the Swallow Man. Have just finished Someone to run with by David Grossman which was pretty exciting, features the dog in almost every scene but she's not the main character so doesn't make your TIOLI challenge.

Finished Anna and the Swallow Man this morning, and it joins the list of this year's favourite reads. A story I think is filled with magic, with a mysterious character, The Swallow Man, who is destined to forever remain a mystery. Gorgeous story, although it is necessarily filled with horrors and difficulties, being set during WWII in Eastern Europe, but so beautifully told and with such powerful relationships that it simply must be read!

>239 avatiakh: I think I came across Anna and the Swallow Man when I saw it as an upcoming release on Audible. The cover art and the fact that Allan Corduner was narrating it told me it was a title to look out for (as some audio listeners might now, he also narrated The Book Thief. I was really pleased when my library purchased it shortly after it was released following my request for it. Still haven't read anything by David Grossman, but Someone to Run With sounds like another book of his I need to add to the wishlist. From what I've read of the story, I think it would be fine to include it in my challenge, Kerry.

I came across Anna and the Swallow Man on the Jewish Book Council website. Their annual book award shortlists are generally worth checking out as are their interviews with younger writers. Here's the one with Savit - http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/_blog/The_ProsenPeople/post/interview-gavriel-s...
I was also very taken with the cover art.

I ended up putting Someone to run with in Madeline's challenge. This would be a good one to start reading Grossman with as some of his later work is quite difficult. See Under: Love was the first of his I tried, a modernist masterpiece and an extremely challenging reading project. I'm going to try his Be my knife next. One of my goals this year is to read more of his work.

>241 avatiakh: Loved the interview! Thanks for sharing that Kerry. As I said somewhere, this book deserves to become a modern classic, the way The Book Thief is. Savit obviously was inspired by it, but spun his very own tale, and a very compelling one it is too.

>237 Smiler69: Charley is certainly a very happy dog. And I love L's sofa. I'll be picking up Never Cry Wolf tomorrow at the library. Thanks for the heads-up.

The haven't been here since post #169, so I'm probably the last one to congratulate you on the new family member and to tell you how happy I am for you! :D
He's incredibly cute and surely even cuter in RL! While reading I was a bit worried about the cats' reactions, but it all sounds so good, he was meant to be yours!

Thank you (and Lieselotte of course) for sharing her beautiful drawing here. This has clearly been created with love, and her love for you shines through her eyes.

The Collector... I expected to be freaked out more by Ferdinand, too. The worst part for me was Miranda's side and strangely her "love" for that other man who I felt wasn't good for her at all and was terribly manipulative and just as creepy in a different way. I won't reread!

Adorable photo of Charley taking a nap at your friend's house.

I will be interested in how you like Lady in the Van. My sister, who also loves Maggie Smith (as do I!) was slightly disappointed but I think she may have gone in with unrealistic expectations. I still very much want to see it.

Your comments about Never Cry Wolf, along with Peggy's sweet story, have me convinced on that one. I will return The Dog Who Wouldn't Be to the library and see if they have NCW available. It sounds like my cuppa, as Mark would say.

I hope you have a pain-free and wonderful Wednesday.
Hugs for Charley and Mimi and Ezra (and you!).

Sth completely different - I just checked your last 2015 thread for your new wall in the hallway, but you the pics arent's there anymore. Do you have a pantone number or a name of that paint? When I saw it I decided I wanted it for one of the kitchen walls in my new place, and the current tenant has offerend to paint the fronts (which are now blue, originally they were a nice wood) a color I like, which should of course go with the future wall color. Thanks in advance!!

Stopping by to get caught up and spent a few minutes "aweing" all of the Charley photos. Looks like the two of you found each other at the right time. I probably won't make it back in the next couple of days so I will wish you a Happy Easter, Ilana!

Have a wonderful Easter.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead, Ilana!

Have a lovely Easter weekend, Ilana!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Thanks for all the Easter/weekend wishes, Lori, Paul, Diana, Ellen, Judy and Mary! As I'll be posting shortly on my soon-to-come new thread, we enjoyed lovely weather yesterday and had a lovely time. Just finished two books last night: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was a first read for me, as I'd never read past the 4th book till now, and very eager to finish the series now. Loved the story, all the details that make up Rowling's imaginary world of Hogwarts and Quidditch and He Who Must Not Be Named. Also like the way she's making the characters evolve as they mature into their teens. I can see myself wanting to revisit this series once I'm done with it, because it's such a fun world to inhabit. Had fun listening to the Stephen Fry version of the audiobook, which is normally only available to UK readers, so that was an extra treat.

Also read Maigret Returns, which is the 19th book of the series. I like Simenon's descriptive writing, and Maigret always remain somewhat of a mystery, which I can see is reason enough to want to keep reading these books. I fully intend to get through all 76 of them in due time. Now started listening to Somerset W. Maugham's The Narrow Corner, published in 1932 and featuring one of the characters from The Moon and Sixpence, which Maugham wanted to explore further. He's become one of my favourite authors over time, and especially since last year thanks to him having been featured on the BAC, which encouraged me to read quite a few of his books.

eta: touchstones not working

>243 catarina1: I hope you enjoy loving Never Cry Wolf catarina. Everyone responds quite differently to Mowat's writing, but it certainly worked for me and I look forward to your comments, either on my thread or the CAC thread, where other participants will be able to read them too.

>244 Deern: Nathalie, you're absolutely right about Charley being even better in RL. For us humans that is. He's a charming boy and so very soft to the touch that I never tire of stroking him. However, we now call him 'Charley la terreur', because he can't seem to get over the cats and chases after them countless times each day and night. I find they're being much too kind to him, hissing and showing a paw and running away, but not much beyond that. I bet if he got a swipe on the nose just once, he'd learn to respect them more. Thankfully he tires of chasing them and is able to lie close to them for long stretches of time in quiet. He's also obviously not been socialized with other dogs and generally reacts very aggressively toward them, having even bitten the hindquarter of one of our neighbourhood pitbulls. This sounds worse than it might have been, because the dog in question happens to be the calmest and most easygoing big dogs around, but I think the fact he's not fixed and is so obviously ALPHA drives Charley completely mad. We're taking matters in hand and have brought him to a dog park a couple of times do a local dog park so he can get used to being around other dogs, and we'll keep going as much as weather permits to hopefully correct this unacceptable behaviour. After 10 minutes or so being around several large dogs, he stops growling and is able to relax to a certain degree, which is an ecouraging sign.

Good observation about The Collector. I hadn't thought of JP (?) in a negative light so much, I guess being influenced by Miranda's perspective of him, but now you make me think of it, I guess John Fowles purposely contrasted the two men to show just how manipulative they were each being in their own very different ways. For that alone, I might eventually be tempted to reread the book, though I can't imagine that happening anytime soon...

Will come back to fix touchstones when they are working again.

>245 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, thanks for such a wonderful (and long) message! I can't quite recall Wednesday anymore, but I can tell you that most of the week was okay as far as pain goes, save for two wretched days with 9 out of 10 on the pain scale, when I had to lie down and take Fiorinal to cope. So the botox is certainly helpful, but by no means a miracle cure. The Russians are coming any day now (a euphemism Pierre and I like employing) and this month PMS translates into utter exhaustion and very little ability to get much of anything done on a daily basis.

However, I was able to attend an information session at the Pain Clinic of our Montreal General hospital, which is highly reputable, but also notorious for the length of the waiting list. I should be getting a letter in a week or so letting me know how long I can expect to wait, from 1 to 12 months—they determine the wait time based on several factors, including the severity of the condition obviously. We'll find out how 'severe' they consider my case to be soon enough I guess.

I really really loved The Dog Who Wouldn't Be and will definitely revisit it in future. The first chapters didn't do that much for me, but it kept growing on me past a certain point to become one of my favourite dog books, something I really felt the need for with Coco's passing.

We ended up not going to The Lady in the Van, as I was feeling quite badly that day and didn't want to wander very far away from home. Unfortunately, that day was the last of the afternoon showtimes, and I dislike going to the cinema in the evenings, so I don't know if I'll see it on a large screen, but will make sure to watch it sooner or later at home probably.

>246 Deern: Nathalie, first of all, I feel badly that I can't help you very much in regards to a name or code for my hallway pink colour. The reason is that I couldn't find a single sampler at the store that was vivid/saturated enough for my liking, so I got it from one of my art books, which is the Taschen edition of Kandinsky (edited by Ulrike Backs-Malorny and printed in 2007), and had them scan the inner cover flap. I suppose you could get close enough if you were to ask for a magenta. I looked everywhere for my Pantone charts to help me choose the colour originally and couldn't find them (goodness knows where they've gone), otherwise I would gladly have given you a more precise way or reproducing this colour.

For the pics, not sure why they aren't appearing on my thread any longer, but they are still on my picture gallery. Here is one of my favourites again so you don't have to search too far:

>247 lkernagh: Lori, as far as Charley goes, I'd say he's quite a gem and I'm very pleased that I decided to bring him home and hope we have many many happy years together, however, I do very much hope he goes through a big attitude adjustment as far as his behaviour with other animals. I'm very encouraged though that he seems able to calm down for long periods of time without bothering the cats. Doubt they'll manage to actually become friends, but one never knows... :-)