qebo’s 2016 books (2)

This thread’s tree is Black Cherry (Prunus serotina). It is host to a slew of caterpillars, including White Admiral, Red Spotted Purple, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Peomethea, Cecropia. I have five of them in my yard.

(Note: all images are from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, labeled as unrestricted for non-commercial use.)

January
#01: A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George -- (Jan 1) - new (e-book)
#02: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson -- (Jan 10) - ROOT
#03: Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy -- (Jan 15) - new (e-book)
#04: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates -- (Jan17) - ROOT
#05: H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald -- (Jan 23) - ROOT
#06: January magazines -- (Jan 30)

February
#07: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver -- (Feb 3) - LFL
#08: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote -- (Feb 9) - new
#09: The Big Short by Michael Lewis -- (Feb 15) - new
#10: ISIS: The State of Terror by Jessica Stern and J. M. Berger -- (Feb 16) - new
#11: In the Darkness by Karin Fossum -- (Feb 19) - new (e-book)
#12: The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White -- (Feb 29) - new (e-book)
#13: February magazines -- (Feb 29)

March
#14: The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch -- (Mar 10) - new
#15: A Year with the Eagles by Karen Lippy -- (Mar 12) - new
#16: The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff -- (Mar 14) - new
#17: 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup -- (Mar 19) - new (e-book)
#18: The Empire of Necessity by Greg Grandin -- (Mar 31) - ROOT
#19: March magazines -- (Mar 31)

April
#20: Still Alice by Lisa Genova -- (Apr 2) - new (e-book)
#21: Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson -- (Apr 5) - new
#22: Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova -- (Apr 7) - new (e-book)
#23: Left Neglected by Lisa Genova -- (Apr 10) - new (e-book)
#24: Does Altruism Exist? by David Sloan Wilson -- (Apr 10) - new
#25: Love Anthony by Lisa Genova -- (Apr 12) - new (e-book)
#26: In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan -- (Apr 22) - new (e-book)
#27: The Queen of Air and Darkness by T. H. White -- (Apr 29) - new (e-book)
#28: Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum -- (Apr 30) - new (e-book)
#29: April magazines -- (Apr 30)

May
#30: Believer by David Axelrod -- (May 10) - new
#31: Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan -- (May 17) - ROOT
#32: Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi -- (May 20) - new (e-book)
#33: Alter Egos by Mark Landler -- (May 27) - new
#34: A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren -- (May 31) - new

June
#35: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown -- (Jun 16) - ROOT

March plans

I’m about 1/3 through and expect to finish Empire of Necessity. I didn’t get to Genghis Khan last month so it’s spilling over. The RL book group selections are The Witches and The Hangman’s Daughter. The RL seminar on Does Altruism Exist? will continue into early April, and has prompted me to pull The Evolution of Cooperation off the shelf. I happened upon the movie of 12 Years a Slave on TV recently, want to read the book before memory fades. The next installment of The Once and Future King is short so I can surely slip it in somewhere. I should get back to Moby-Dick. And magazines, Atlantic and Scientific American already on hand. I doubt I’ll be able to manage more than this.

I, of course, am eager to read your review of Empire of Necessity (don't forget Crusoe: Daniel Defoe, Robert Knox, and the Creation of a Myth and Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals about the Mind!).

>6 ronincats: Oh, I'm not forgetting; they're sitting in a stack about 4' away from me at this very moment, but TMBTLT... And my first obligation is to the book groups, especially since I complained last month when other people didn't read the book.

I got notification on Friday that my bookshelves have shipped, so they should arrive this week.

Yay! I'll look forward to seeing pics of the shelves!

I hate to say it, but I have always thought that The Sword in the Stone was the best part of The Once and Future King. I'll be interested to see what you think.

>8 qebo: oh thanks, I just popped over here to see if you had an update. Waiting patiently ...

Happy new thread!

I will also be interested to see how you rate the next TH White book. Ever since reading H is for Hawk I keep meaning to get to it.

Happy new thread, Katherine and yay for new bookshelves being on-route!

Hooray for new bookshelves! Impressive March line-up!

The bookshelves have arrived. Which I noticed when I went to set out the trash after dark, because I'd been out for a walk then talking with a neighbor. They were placed by the back door, which means someone had to carry them from the street past my car in the driveway and past the front door. I then had to carry them 1/2 that distance in reverse to the front door because the back entrance is too twisty. I managed to get all the boxes into the living room, and that's it for the evening.

Now, let the fun begin. How will you shelve your books, by author? or, by alpha order of the book? or some other creative means.

>15 Whisper1: 95% of my books are non-fiction, and are organized into categories corresponding to my LT collections.

Yay for bookshelves! Good luck putting them up!

Happy new thread, Katherine, and I'm glad to hear that your bookshelves are on the way!

The bookshelves sat downstairs in the living room for two days, then my brother arrived this evening to apply musclepower to getting them upstairs to the office. 60lbs and taller than I am; I would've mangled either the staircase or myself. I need to arrange and level them, hopefully can begin transporting books this weekend.

What fun you will have placing your books on new shelves.

#14: The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch -- (Mar 10)

why now: RL book group selection for March.

The job of hangman was hereditary (somebody had to do it, but nobody else wanted the taint) and the author is a descendent of the hangman family in Bavaria that he fictionalizes, so I’d hoped for historical immersion. Which was sort of there, the author was careful to stick to historical facts aside from the core mystery, but I didn’t feel that I learned all that much about the time or place. I was reading The Witches: Salem, 1692 at the same time (coincidentally the other RL book group selection) and was perhaps expecting more psychological depth. The hangman’s daughter is not as prominent as the hangman himself and the physician’s son.

The mystery: it is 1659, a child is found dead with a witch symbol drawn on his skin, and several other children are suddenly missing. The children were orphans assigned to adoptive families, who often gathered together at the home of the village midwife/healer. The midwife is arrested. The hangman is ordered by the village burgomasters to torture the midwife until she confesses to witchcraft, but he doesn’t believe she is guilty. Meanwhile, a devil with a skeleton hand is reported, and a leprosy shelter under construction is vandalized. All the pieces tie together at the end, but not in an especially satisfying manner.

#15: A Year with the Eagles by Karen Lippy -- (Mar 12)

why now: It was mentioned on a Facebook group associated with the Hanover PA Eagle Cam, and I was curious. I began reading as a break from heftier books, and it’s a mere 75 pages.

The author is a lifelong resident of the area, and was watching the bald eagles and other birds for years before the camera was installed. This is a supplement, assumes familiarity with the events on camera and Facebook group rivalries. The eagle nest is on private property, and by law people can’t get too close, so the “Tribe” of watchers meets at a designated observation point in Codorus State Park with binoculars and cameras, or loops through the park searching for the eagles (there are other bald eagles in the vicinity, but the eagles of special interest can be identified by plumage markings). Seems a fun and knowledgeable bunch of people. I might trek over there sometime.

Oh, Katherine. I'm sorry about the pi. I ran out of steam coursing through all the threads I've got starred. So here's a late delivery.

 

>23 weird_O: Thanks! Now I can have a pi and eat one too.

21>

I had the pleasure of hearing Stacy Schiff speak at the New York Historical Society and got my copy of The Witches:Salem, 1692 autographed (hmm not finding the touchstone)

Be curious to know what you make of it.

>25 magicians_nephew: I finished a couple days ago and the book group meeting was yesterday. Comments soon...

Stopping by to wave and see what you're up to. It sounds like you must be busy, as always

>21 qebo: >25 magicians_nephew: I loved Schiff's Cleopatra and eagerly picked up The Witches, but couldn't get into it. I may try again.

>28 rebeccanyc: Only four of us at the book group meeting yesterday, all in agreement that while the information was interesting, the presentation was not engaging; lotsa trees, not much forest. I'm glad that I read it, but if I hadn't felt obligated to get it done before the meeting, I probably would've set it aside.

>29 qebo: I don't feel so bad then . . . I really looked forward to it too, alas.

Sorry to hear that The Witches was a bit of a letdown.

>7 qebo: I'm going out of my mind... TMBTLT?

>32 Morphidae: Too Many Books Too Little Time.

Hi There

I'm stopping by to see how you like spring time in your new house.

>29 qebo: Sorry to see that The Witches : Salem 1692 failed to cast its spell on you Katherine. (sorry)

#17: 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup -- (Mar 19)

why now: I happened upon the movie (which I hadn’t seen previously) on TV last month, wanted to read the book while my memory was reasonably fresh.

The movie is fairly faithful to the book, fleshing out several significant people, emphasizing dramatic incidents, simplifying legal convolutions. Solomon Northup was a free black man in Saratoga Springs NY, a farmer, carpenter, and fiddler with a wife and three children, when he was hired for a stint as a traveling fiddler, persuaded south to Washington DC, and kidnapped into slavery. On the ship to New Orleans, he met a sailor who agreed to notify his family, but he was never sure the message had reached them. It had, but his family wasn’t able to trace him further. After imprisonment in chains by a slave trader, where he learned that declaring his status as a free man was worse than futile and would result only in brutal punishment, he was sold under the name Platt, identity obscured. 9 years into this ordeal he obtained a sheet of paper to write a letter (a skill he kept secret), but the man who had promised to mail it betrayed him. 3 years later, another man came through, and he was rescued by friends. The 12 years altogether were 1841-1853.

This is a nuts and bolts account, which suited me fine. Solomon Northup doesn’t sentimentalize or polemicize. He straightforwardly describes his experience, which is harrowing enough without literary embellishment. He is distressed by the circumstances of others (a woman who was separated from her children and disintegrated from grief, a woman who was the object of lust from the master and jealousy from the mistress). He is generous in his judgment of slave owners who were kind within the constraints of their cultural assumptions, and scathing of those who were cruel. He is interested in the mechanics of planting cotton and processing sugar cane, in the logistics of transporting logs, in the construction of a fish trap. Hard to tell how much the movie influenced my perception of the book, but I’d certainly recommend the combination.

>30 rebeccanyc:, >31 swynn:, >35 PaulCranswick: I'll post proper comments about The Witches: Salem 1692 soon... I can surely manage more than a sentence.

>36 qebo: I picked that up in a Kindle deal ages ago (also after seeing the movie). I should read it one of these days.

New bookshelves are always fun and brother muscle power a big help. Enjoy filling them!

You've inspired me to read Twelve Years a Slave - it meets my ROOT and non-fiction challenges nicely. I haven't seen the movie yet but will after I read it.

29> You might try The Devil in the Shape of a Woman for another take on Salem and the Witches.

I also found Schiff's book unwelcoming though i finished it. Perhaps too many facts not enough feelings.

>39 karenmarie: Oh, you'd asked about those bookshelves in my previous thread. They're not exactly examples of precision engineering, but the aesthetic effect is pleasant if they're not scrutinized too intensely. The leveling feet are nice. Each shelf is supposed to hold 60 lbs, which should be OK for books. I'm finding that with heavy books, there's a slight sag. It's not visually glaring, but if you stretch a string across it's about 1/16" - 1/8" dip at the center. I don't know how this will play out over time, though the units seem generally sturdy enough. Several reviews showed photos of the shelves stuffed with books. I haven't yet decided whether to order more. On the one hand I'd prefer a notch up in quality and I'd be willing to pay for it. On the other hand, I haven't found anything better that'll work with my space.

>40 magicians_nephew: Added to the WL. Yeah, lots of facts, and every so often she'd insert pithy commentary but then back to the slog.

Miscellaneous RL demands: The old house will go on the market next week so I'm doing irritating cosmetic touch-ups. The community garden is populated by free spirits who do not Follow. The. Instructions. and have to be prompted and cajoled through a process that is exactly the same as last year and should occupy about ten minutes of their time but instead occupies hours of my time.

Have a wonderful Easter.

Very hectic - getting your old house on the market and also getting the community garden going.

Does your new house have the right plants to attract Monarchs? I assume you're going on with your tagging project this year - anyway I hope so, since I'm entirely fascinated by it.

>43 streamsong: No, it doesn't. It has trees that should support various caterpillars but I may never see them way up in the branches and leaves. And it has a vast field of English Ivy, which I will gradually remove and replace with... I don't yet know what. There's an area of the yard that seems to get sun but I'm not entirely sure, difficult to tell with the early spring angle and leaves not yet out. I plan to remove what's there and plant milkweed seeds that are currently getting cold stratified in the refrigerator. I also have two patches of milkweed in the community garden. I don't know whether I'll tag, but I'll definitely try to attract monarchs. I prepped half of one plot at the community garden today; the plan is plants that will get swallowtail caterpillars: carrot, dill, fennel. The milkweed doesn't show up until June. Not much will happen in my yard until late April with the first of several native plant sales. I'll start my 2016 garden thread soon.

Now, I should read... at least 2 and possibly 3 books in progress to get done by the end of the month.

>45 weird_O: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/entertainment/how-peeps-are-made-inside-the...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/peeps/

It's been some time since I ate a Peep... decades?

>41 qebo: Hm, the problem with sagging bookshelves is that they end up warping Are the shelves resting on brackets? If so, you might flip them every few months, at least the ones with the most weight on them, if that's not too burdensome. Either that, or find some books tall enough to act as mid-shelf props to minimize the sag.

I hope your sale of the old house goes smoothly and quickly, so you can turn to the pleasures of your new house and garden soon. And, of course, the books.

>47 ffortsa: The shelves are attached with welded loops and can't be flipped. I suspect that I'm going to order more and be done with it, having found no perfect alternative.

My old house is officially for sale. The sign appeared in the front yard today.

March realities (see >5 qebo: plans)

completed:


continued:


started:


neglected:


I read the two RL book group selections The Hangman’s Daughter and The Witches: Salem, 1692, coincidentally related in historical time and subject, slipping in the unplanned A Year with the Eagles while the Hanover PA eagle cam eggs were incubating (current status: one eaglet hatched and died a few days later, the other egg is behind schedule and may not be viable). I started 12 Years a Slave without high expectations but zipped along while stepping more slowly through the impressively detailed The Empire of Necessity. I read a few chapters of the second book of The Once and Future King but set it aside in end-of-month triage. I continued Does Altruism Exist? for a RL discussion group one chapter per week, and started The Evolution of Cooperation but realized it needs more focused attention. I started Atlantic and Scientific American mid month and left rather more articles than I should have until the end, but I did finish, which hopefully puts this year on a better track; last year I set March magazines aside and didn’t pick them up again until December.

Genghis Khan poor guy has just not risen to prominence in my reading agenda, and I’m not sure I want to drag him into another month. And I haven’t started Moby-Dick, but mahsdad recommended a podcast that I have bookmarked.

I’m two reviews behind...

RL must be keeping you busy. I have garden pictures and a hummingbird nest on my regular thread!

>50 ronincats: RL is seriously eating into LT time. I haven't even started a garden thread though I've been taking photos. Heading over to your thread...

No books this morning, but for anyone interested I've started my 2016 garden thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/220765 .

Heading over there now.

April plans

The RL book group selections are Still Alice and Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter. Another two chapters to go in Does Altruism Exist?, and I’ll continue the related The Evolution of Cooperation. Gardening season has begun, with a new yard to fill. Too early to plant, but not to plan. I’ve been wanting pawpaw trees, so one item on the agenda is Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit. Surely I can finish The Queen of Air and Darkness, book 2 of The Once and Future King. And let’s see if I make any progress in Moby-Dick. And magazines! April is when my reading generally slumps, as outside becomes more attractive.

#41 - How frustrating, even 1/8" to 1/4". My first thought was to put paperbacks in the center of the shelves to minimize the potential sag. I remember my college cinderblock and boards days and turning the shelves over periodically to fix the sag.

Katherine, something I did when I emptied my shelves a few years ago to finish them was to cut pieces of 1x6 the dimensions of the height between the shelves (which was different for many of them, this being a wood bookshelf and an adjustable one) before putting the books back in, and finished them at the same time. Then I "shelved" them in the middle of each shelf along with the books, which provided a low-tech and pretty sturdy brace for the shelf above. You can see them in the photo below, the dark vertical line. Even though your shelves are metal, I think something similar might work if the sag is pronounced.

>56 ronincats: That's clever!

Sigh. The boss is in one of his moods again. He discovered today that I changed his code four months ago and accused me, in a barrage of four angry emails, of doing so without permission or explanation. Actually I did so at his directive, to disentangle the parts he wants hidden for security reasons from the parts that have to be accessible to any random new hire. I'm not the one with the high paranoia level; left to my own devices I wouldn't've touched his code. I replied that perhaps the three of us (including my other boss, his friend) could discuss this. He followed up with two phone calls, which I didn't dare pick up. This sort of thing makes me too agitated to be productive, so my goal for today will spill into tomorrow.

Sigh. Seems like he just needs to have a hissy-fit every so often to clear his system. Sorry you have to bear the brunt.

>59 ronincats: I don't know what happens. From my POV it's random; the changes are old, my explanations via phone and email passed muster at the time, he's made comments since that suggest basic familiarity with the new scheme, and suddenly today a detail set him off on a rant. So my guess is he was feeling under pressure and trying to get something to work and got anxious and confused and lashed out.

The past five years I've read an average of three books in April, so this year I could quit now. :-) The RL non-fiction book group selection was shorter and more narrative than for recent months. The RL fiction book group selection was (a) mine, (b) short, and (c) so good that I immediately bought two more by the same author and read one. Highly recommended: Still Alice (early onset Alzheimer's) and Inside the O'Briens (Huntington's) by Lisa Genova (neurologist/novelist). I'm not making any promises about reviews, but I have aspirations.

I loved Still Alice.

Hi, Katherine! Although I'm late to the thread, I'll be back to see whether you get your reviews up. I'm not sure but that a book about any dementia will be too close for comfort at the moment as the husbands of two friends drift farther and farther away. Don't quit reading!!!!
Sorry that your boss is a jerk. I do remember a time when adults were expected to cope with their own frustrations without spreading them to everybody else - or maybe I'm just remembering it wrong or maybe I mean women. My first boss did a lot of that. Anyway, I'd suggest that you are too valuable to the company to have to put up with him.

I have Still Alice on my list, too! I should move it up in the queue.

No gardening hereabouts yet, although the wood frogs are out quackling off and on and it is "duck observation month" - which for me, means spring! Sugaring too, is over, which means late winter/imminent spring is also over. So progress is being made.

This morning a lone merganser, btw. The last few days a pair of Canada geese and a pair of mallards. One of my favourite things too is the robins doing what I call "Seussing" - they occupy the big meadow below, each one in its own ten yard "square" -- as far as you can see, a little robin in its little square. If any other robin comes inside, a fracas ensues.

I do like Roni's bookshelf sag remedy!

>63 LizzieD: Well apparently he doesn't understand the code, so they'll have to keep me around until he does. If only he would read the emails I send with every change... Yeah, sometimes I wonder how it got to be that men are the logical ones and women are the emotional ones.

>65 sibylline: I've never had an overview of enough space to see such a thing. Interesting.

Hey!

Hmm, been awhile. I've switched to outside mode. It's musical plots at the community garden, people departing and arriving and shrinking and expanding. The realtor for my old house keeps moving the goal posts, and I've realized that whatever I do there will always be the next worst thing on the list, perfection will never be achieved, and I doubt that someone sincerely interested in buying the house is going to reject it because the front door frame needs a fresh coat of paint.

>68 qebo: Is your house on the market now? I knew our realtor really well when we sold our house last year. She lived in the neighborhood and she had sold us the house originally 25 years ago. Nevertheless, she drove us nuts, almost to the point where she had me thinking that it must be a realtor's job to drive people crazy. I kept reminding myself that she worked for me. Despite her dire warnings about not getting the house on the market in a timely manner (between April and July, so the buyers could get their little snowflakes into school with the least amount of angst for them), we "finally" put it on the market in October. From what the realtor said, I had visions of the house languishing on the market until April with price reductions every other month. The house sold in 7 hours. Haha. So good luck to you, and keep to your own timeline.

>68 qebo: & >69 labwriter: Similar experience with realtors. Maybe if you list it and get no interest then you need to do the touch ups but in my experience it is about the price the place is listed at. If a buyer thinks it is a good deal they will paint the door frame themselves. Good luck and try to keep your chin up.

>69 labwriter: Yes, the house went on the market in late March. The realtors (husband & wife, who I know personally; it's a small world here) walked through and pointed to a few cosmetic issues that I dealt with that weekend. Then they wanted to do an open house and noted a couple other issues that I dealt with the day before. Then a full week plus after the open house, the realtor called with several more issues, and that's when I balked. I think they want to use these minor details as an excuse for why the house hasn't sold. I think it's priced too high and the kitchen needs an overhaul and people are still scouting around and comparison shopping before they really have to make a decision, and I would rather devote my limited spare time to tasks that matter such as moving the books. Across the street from my new house is a house that went on the market in early March (owners are moving to a retirement community), it's in fantastic condition in a lovely neighborhood and it hasn't sold, so I'm really not feeling that my old house is the lone outlier in crucial need of my attention.

>70 Oberon: Yeah I'm figuring that nobody who sees the house is saying "I'm fine with renovating the kitchen, but that door frame is a dealbreaker!"

I think the price is wishful thinking for that neighborhood, but the realtors are right that they can't raise it if they start too low, so they're not unreasonable to start on the high side, but they shouldn't cling to it.

Well, that sounds annoying. Of course it's fine for the realtors to focus on maximizing price, because there's no harm to them in keeping the house on the market longer or making you do extra work, but they should appreciate that the people hiring them may have other priorities.

Meanwhile, I wanted to say that I'm loving your idea of tracking progress made on books even if they aren't completed; I feel so much more productive/accomplished since I started doing it this past month.

Good luck with selling the house! Crossing fingers and toes that the right person will see it soon.

Good luck with your house! We have an old one that won't sell. The new realtor gave the spousal unit a long list, and he was moaning but I agree with every single thing that is on it. I would do more, in fact. He's really resisted. The front area just as you walk in was hopeless. I think he is finally taking care of most of those details. They are worst just as you walk in the door. Wayyyyy more than paint trim, believe me!

April realities (see >54 qebo: plans)

completed:


continued:


started:


neglected:


I started the month with the two RL book group selections Still Alice and Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter. I liked Still Alice so much that I zipped through the other three novels by the same author: Inside the O’Briens, Left Neglected, Love Anthony. I finished Does Altruism Exist? the evening before the last spring session meeting of the RL discussion group. I slowly slogged through the short but not-my-thing The Queen of Air and Darkness, 2nd book of The Once and Future King. Since it was a chore but the Nook was in hand, I switched to fluff: In the Labyrinth of Drakes and Don’t Look Back. And around mid month I began the two monthly magazines, Atlantic and Scientific American, an article or two per day. Someday perhaps I’ll write comments...

I started two gardening books: Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit and Practical Botany for Gardeners, which I’m reading in brief bits between other things.

I completely failed with The Evolution of Cooperation and Moby-Dick, both too demanding for my current state of mind.

So that's 10 books for April, surprisingly well ahead of pace since this is when I typically fall behind.

Someone made an offer on my house this afternoon. $ about what I expected, seems to be solid w/ mortgage pre-approval. I've given an informal OK, will deal with paperwork tomorrow. All sortsa ways this could fall through, but I'm optimistic. Means the next six weeks will be a frenzy of activity as I clear out the remaining items (books...), but with an infusion of cash in sight I can take time off work.

Great news, Katherine! I hope that this works out for you and the prospective buyer.

>77 qebo: Congrats! Having just done this myself last October, I know how stressed out the whole process can make a person feel. Very happy for you.

That's great news. The short term frenzy will be worth it.

Definitely hopeful news! Keeping my fingers crossed.

Oh, that would be good. More fingers crossed.

Great. Hope it all works out, Katherine.

I talked to the boss yesterday. Since the other boss (the crazy one) is off in his own private world again, thinking important thoughts, I've been reduced to clerical work, so I'm bored out of my mind which is a frustrating way to spend the day when I actually have real stuff to do. So now I have permission to take chunks of time off as needed over the next six weeks. I could've asked sooner, but I don't get paid if I don't work, so I've been waiting until I knew when there'd be an infusion of cash.

Hooray for the offer on the house!!! Hope you get what you want smoothly!
I'm sorry that you have to deal with a crazy boss; I know how debilitating that can be. Glad that you have one somebody with good sense!

Yay! An offer. I will wait in suspense!

Congrats and I hope it goes through successfully.

Glad to hear you've had an offer on the house. Wishing you a speedy closing!

>84 qebo: I hope you enjoy your chunks of time off. There are lots of people I know who simply don't know what to do with themselves when they're not working, but I love not working. There's always a book to read or LibraryThing to catch up on. Or cleaning or remodeling or whatever.

Congrats on the house offer!

I've been moving books from the old house to the new house. Turns out the simplest way to do this is with reusable grocery bags, the sturdy plastic things with handles. I can't carry "small" boxes down the stairs and up the stairs (liquor boxes are the ideal, but that'd involve another trip w/o guaranteed results), but a full grocery bag is a manageable weight and easy to maneuver. So pack, transport, unpack, repeat, shelve in the evening.

Today I moved more books and weeded the back yard of the old house, no glory whatsoever, just aiming to keep it from leaping out and attacking the neighbors or passers by, and don't want to inflict a jungle on the next owner. Started getting around to thread visitations and now I'm too tired to continue. Sometimes I just sit here and click click click and can't dredge up sufficient energy to mentally form sentences, much less move my fingers to different keys to type.

Moving books is hard work. In my Missouri house, the one we sold last year, I had to move all of my books from the second floor to shelves in the garage so that we could put in new flooring on the second floor. Moving those books out of the house was also part of the staging process. We were in a tough market and had to stage the life out of that house (it was what buyers in that area expected) in order to get it sold. I honestly think moving those books was one of the hardest things I did when we moved. It sounds like your strategy is a good one.

Grocery bags is a very good way to move books. Takes more moves, but doesn't strain the back.

Hang in there.

May plans

Now that the month is nearly halfway done... I picked up Believer at the grocery store, expecting it to languish on a shelf, but I riffled through the pages and got hooked, finished a few days ago. I began both RL book group selections Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher and Boy, Snow, Bird immediately afterward, have a daily page count to meet the deadlines next week. So Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit and Practical Botany for Gardeners are set aside for now, but I'll get back to them. And magazines. I'm not going all out this month since I'm ahead of pace for 75. So, whatever. Note that a few books on the to-do list of previous months are missing from the agenda.

Office bookshelves in March:


Office books in place today:


Note the empty spaces! Which may not be real, because I still have a bunch of strays in boxes.

I ordered more shelves of the same type, which are scheduled to arrive on Monday.

Looking good!! I've been lurking here, following the saga of your move. You've made a lot of progress!

Yay on the house offer!

It's amazing how heavy books are! Don't fret about being too tired to visit threads- we'll see you once you are on the other side of all this.

>96 qebo: That looks like a lot of books to move. I've also done a couple of book moves with jute shopping bags (to the point where I started to stash them 'in case' I had to move them again). Hope it continues to go well.

Freecycle has been on the to-do list for weeks, and has occupied much of today, posting photos, arranging appointments, two trips to the house to meet people for pickup, but now it's done aside from a couple of small items that I could bring over to the new house. Iffy weather today with a passing storm. Tomorrow is supposed to be cool but clear so I'll focus on outside tasks.

Sounds like a productive day!

Great shelves for the office! It must have been quite a series of lugs to bring all that over. It reminds me that I have a large box of books coming from my old office to home. Half of them, alas, are probably outdated, but I didn't have time to decide which ones before I was deposited outside the perimeter.

>96 qebo: They look great! I think we can all appreciate the effort it has taken to get the books on the shelves, too.

Ooo! A house offer? I must have missed that post in my skimming. Congrats!

>104 The_Hibernator: Yup. Inspection was on Friday. Appraisal is tomorrow. The crucial steps for negotiating $, and when prospective buyers can back out gracefully. I don't expect anything significant, but...

The downstairs bookshelves have arrived, and fortunately I was home so I could direct them to the living room; the last round was delivered outside the back door and I had to carry them around to the front, boxes half my weight and more than my height.

Public service announcement: Microsoft is obnoxious. I've been getting popup windows for months about Windows 10 and politely declining. This morning I arrived at my desk to find that my work computer had restarted overnight and was upgrading to Windows 10, and while I was on my personal computer scouting around on the internet it suddenly restarted and forced an upgrade to Windows 10. My personal computer is newer and faster and is done, and seems to be OK. My work computer is still in progress, an hour and a half later.

>107 qebo: Your experience was bad enough, but you're lucky that your personal computer is compatible with Windows 10. I had a terrible experience with Windows 10 after I upgraded on my personal laptop and had to buy Dell Tech Concierge $239/one year) to go back to 8.1 because my laptop model was not compatible with Windows 10. (I had no idea how to get back to 8.1 by myself.) Yup. Not compatible. The Dell technician made a snide remark that I should have checked Dell's website to make sure 10 would work on my model of laptop. But who would think to do that? We had to reinstall 8.1 TWICE over the course of a month before everything was fixed the way it needed to be.

Just because Microsoft sends out popups for Windows 10 doesn't mean your hardware will work with it. I have many more bad words to say about Microsoft than that they are obnoxious.....

>108 karenmarie: Yeah, you'd expect Microsoft to be responsible for checking compatibility.
My work computer is just completing the process. Now let's see if everything I need is back in business...

Computer crap. I was doing fine with Windows 7 on a laptop bought in 2011. Ignoring the Windows 10 popups. Then the computer crapped out, and I bought a MacBook. (Oh, and buying a new printer too, since the new Mac caused my old one to spaz into catatonia.) Learning new routines, a more limited keyboard, not much liking the structure of the filing system, not much liking Pages. And noticing the absence of recent documents. So.

Took the old laptop to "Computer Wizards" for to extract the files from its hard drive. Told old laptop only needed a new hard drive. Whilst resurrecting old device, the wizards upgraded to Windows 10 (but failed to restore other programs I'd had). Don't particularly like the replacement for MS Word.

Giving a try to Google Docs.

Ackkk!! Don't HELP me, ya damn machine. And while you're at it, get off my lawn!

I've checked the most crucial items on my work computer and so far it's OK...

>110 weird_O: Yeah, I've been doing fine with Windows 7 on my work computer. I switched from Mac to Windows a couple decades ago to be compatible with work. Work now is Windows and Linux, and really should be entirely Linux but the boss prefers his familiar world, meaning that he gets to use Windows exclusively and I get the nuisance of cross-platform development.

My computer is a little too old for Windowd 10. It's tried to update and thankfully failed. I wonder why they're pushing it so hard?

>112 The_Hibernator: Less versions to support at a minimum.

My computer at work seemed to update itself to Windows 10 much to my annoyance last week.

Have a good weekend, Katherine.

I've been noticing that the computer just decides to heck with you always saying no and upgrades itself. It is kind of creepy really. It seems that's something new.

Yeah, Microsoft has realized that people will hang on to an OS that works and resist upgrading to an OS they don't trust, not to mention the hassle, and then Microsoft is stuck supporting it for a decade.

More house stuff. No surprises in the inspection report. A few minor electrical issues, mostly in the basement, but the buyers formally asked me to fix only one. I have an appointment with an electrician tomorrow to deal with it and whatever else is feasible. The appraisal came though with no trouble. However. The buyers are getting an FHA mortgage, and the lender has decided to make it conditional on two improvements: paint the inside of a powder room door, and paint a balcony post that is shared with the neighbor. Super annoying, will occupy hours of my time, not to mention it's been raining nearly every. damn. day. this month, and why??? Of all the arbitrary things to choose for special attention.

A FitBit irritation: once mid last week, the device didn't reset overnight; it retained steps from the day before and added them to the day after. So the day after is approximately double what it should be in steps, but not, for reasons that elude me, in miles. Several rounds of communication with FitBit in which they are offering to replace the device and I am asking them to fix. the. data. Which apparently cannot be done by mere mortals such as customers or tech support. There's a way to fudge, but essentially I'd be mangling the miles in order to repair the steps.

Yes, I am in a grumpy mood.

My Little Free Library may get adopted. I put a sign on the door asking whether anyone can keep it in the neighborhood, and a couple who lives two blocks away emailed yesterday. I don't know them but I recognize the names, they're active in community activities, e.g. occasionally host house concerts, so the location is ideal. They've been thinking about a LFL for awhile, but hadn't gotten around to building/buying a box, and it didn't quite make sense with mine so close.

I have a new box for my new house, not yet painted. My only regret is the charter number. The old box is < 10,000. The new box is > 30,000.

Today's house excitement if my grumpiness hasn't driven everyone away... carting cans of paint left behind by the previous owner to the hazardous waste facility. I've been plugging away at the books, have maybe 5 trips to go, but I'm lagging behind with shelving, so I may have to do one iteration now just to get it done, then another over the winter.

I'm following along, just too lazy to post for the most part.

>117 qebo: So cool that you were able to get your old LFL adopted. Now at least you don't have to worry about tearing it out or having it go unused. That's amazing about your new high number! :D

>116 qebo: Microsoft has realized that people will hang on to an OS that works and resist upgrading to an OS they don't trust

There's a reason that people don't trust upgrades!

>120 SqueakyChu: Well I still have to dismantle the post, and it'll move two blocks. I didn't ask the new owners of the house; they're moving from out of town, have a kid and an imminent baby, so I can't imagine they'd want the burden of tending a LFL. I don't have direct contact with them, everything goes through my agent and their agent, so just explaining how it works would be a hassle.

>121 qebo: Can't the new stewards do that?

>122 SqueakyChu: Dismantle the post? The guy who installed it for me will dismantle it. The new stewards will put a post in front of their house.

Oh. Okay.

I've been noticing that the computer just decides to heck with you always saying no and upgrades itself. It is kind of creepy really.

A lot of stuff with computers is getting kind of creepy.

the lender has decided to make it conditional on two improvements: paint the inside of a powder room door, and paint a balcony post that is shared with the neighbor. . . Of all the arbitrary things to choose for special attention.

Good grief! Arbitrary is right!

It's cool that your old LFL is getting adopted.

>125 tymfos: Arbitrary
I finished painting the balcony post yesterday. The painting itself wasn't difficult, but I really don't enjoy standing on a ladder and leaning over a railing 20' up.

Tomorrow the electrician returns, and when he's done replacing the powder room light, I can get in there to paint the door.

A major milestone: as of slightly before 4pm today, I've transferred all of the books to the new house. I've shelved about 3/4 of them though the organization will need fine tuning.

Yay for having all your books in the new house!! :)

Congrats on the major milestone.

Yay! Books all transferred, garden progressing well at new house.... it must start feeling like home!

I'm impressed that you painted that post 20' up! - nope not for me!

Congrats on getting all the books moved! What a major task, and good to have everyone home.

Wow! I'm starting to think of you as Wonder Woman. Great and sincere applause for keeping on and getting it done!

I am soooo tired of that house. Yesterday, the electrician. Today, primed the door. Question about smoke detectors; I have to sign a certification form for the city that is ambiguous, which I realized yesterday in conversation with the electrician, and the realtor is away for the weekend. Chugging along step by step, motivation is that if I get through the list of nuisances, it will go away forever.

Amazingly I'm still on pace for 75 books, because reading is an escape from the mental logistical whirl. Maybe someday I'll write a sentence or so about each one.

It's feels like some sort of death march to the end. We had plans to get the house on the market in July. It actually happened at the end of October. Every single project we did, we thought "2 weeks"; most of them ended up taking 6-8 weeks. But you're right--once it's done, it's DONE. Good luck.

>133 labwriter: death march
Yes, exactly.

The smoke detector law has been clarified, and tomorrow the electrician will return to wire the one in the basement. The law was complete news to me, but familiar to the real estate agent, who IMO could've mentioned two months ago that I wasn't in compliance. Also tomorrow the final coat / touchup of paint. And the day after is re-inspection to verify that I've done everything requested / required. I've actually done more, so hopefully this'll be the end of it and the goal posts won't move again.

Keeping my fingers crossed for your re-inspection, as I know creeping goal posts are way too common.

>134 qebo: Smoke detectors! (and Realtors!). Arrrrrrgh! Because we opened up a wall when we put in a new bathroom on the second floor, we were then required--REQUIRED--to put in smoke detectors with dedicated circuits throughout the house--EIGHT of them. One in the basement, one in the dining room, one in the upstairs hallway, and one in each bedroom. But somehow our realtor couldn't figure out why things were taking so long to get the house on the market, even though she somehow "forgot" to mention the new law for smoke detectors. Thankfully the electrician who worked on the bathroom knew what he was doing. Oh, it's so much like post traumatic stress, just to think about it (apologies to those who are actually suffering from PTS, but I don't know how else to explain it). Most days, though, I don't think about it--and I LOVE my new house. Hope you do too!

>136 labwriter: When the electrician read the certification form, he understood it to mean wired everywhere, which is a major job in an old brick house, but he doesn't live or typically work in the city so he didn't really know. The real estate agent is based in the city, so I'm going with her interpretation which matches mine: basement only. The county, according to my brother who works for the city government and has to deal constantly with such things, has 60 jurisdictions with varying requirements, which is why this sort of thing is so confusing and uncertain. The house inspector doesn't want to commit. In the city, the seller is responsible for smoke detector certification. In the township where I am now, the buyer is responsible. So I've had to deal with upgrades twice. And the rules are different. And the rules change over time. I had smoke detectors in all the required areas of the old house, but with 9 volt batteries, and the standard now is 10-year lithium batteries.

Congrats in order on finding a home for the LFL and for moving all yr books.

Otherwise >125 tymfos: summed up all I can say. The smoke detector biz sounds maddening too!

I put a sign on the Little Free Library yesterday telling visitors where it will be going. The transfer will probably occur this weekend. I'm taking today off work to deal with house stuff: remaining painting and electrician and trash/recycling and removal of supplies so the inspector is greeted with a clear clean space. I should've been over there an hour ago... Procrastinating on the internet.

Good luck with what will hopefully be the last of the Old House.

The painting is done... should be dry when I return later this afternoon for the electrician.

Good grief! Hard-wired smoke detectors with dedicated circuit? Decrees as to type of batteries? All this variation in rules between jurisdictions?

Seems to me, for a single-unit house, regular batteries should be OK, with the responsibility on residents to do battery checks and replace as needed. I mean, changing a battery is not that complicated.

>142 tymfos: Each jurisdiction has its own rules, it seems. My brother and SIL bought a condo in Tiburon, and when the plans were drawn for the renovations, they discovered that if they did A or B or C, they would have to put a sprinkler system throughout the condo! They then discovered all the other things really wrong with the place, and the renovations have proven more limiting and more expensive than they could have imagined. Maybe this is why I haven't moved in 41 years.

Inspection results?

>144 ronincats: Haven't heard anything official, which is presumably good news. The buyers and their agent did a walk-through yesterday morning. Strange timing, it's normally immediately before settlement, but apparently they can't get here then (they're moving from 25 miles away). I didn't know the exact time, went over to deal with the yard around 11am hoping I'd avoided them, but they exited the house a few minutes later. So I met them, and they expressed appreciation that I'd done more than they'd formally requested, and it sure seemed that everyone's just waiting for the settlement date to be announced.

Today I zipped through dusting and vacuuming, so what remains is trash and recycling which go out on Tuesday evening, and a final pass through the kitchen where all the clutter is sitting.

May realities (see >95 qebo: plans)

completed:


continued:


I started the month with a book that I picked up at the grocery store of all places: Believer. And somehow this set me off on a political path; I read Alter Egos because it’s been getting some buzz, and A Fighting Chance because it popped up in a “people who bought this book” list and coincidentally was positively reviewed on another thread. The two RL book group selections were Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher (highly recommended) and Boy, Snow, Bird (self-consciously odd). And that was about it; I have the two gardening books in progress sitting in the sunroom and I’ve vaguely picked them up but haven’t focused attention.

Wow... selling a home sounds super-annoying. Maybe we will never move.

I am curious to hear how you like A Fighting Chance.

>147 banjo123: I no longer have the brainpower to write reviews, so go read SqueakyChu's thread. :-)

I'm never moving again in my life.

I dismantled the Little Free Library yesterday afternoon. While I was sitting on the porch waiting for my brother to arrive with a borrowed sawzall to cut the post (which is embedded in cement), two people stopped to say they were sorry to see it go. Today someone knocked on the door to say the same. I've put my next door neighbor in charge of directing people to its new location.

>147 banjo123: Wow... selling a home sounds super-annoying. Maybe we will never move.
>148 qebo: I'm never moving again in my life.

My thoughts exactly . . .

Sigh. Settlement won't be until June 17. Everything's fine, but there's a requirement (FHA?) for a 10-day window between something and something else. Which you'd think someone in a professional position would've known before today.

>151 qebo: Yeah, you'd think....

Congrats! It ain't over 'til it's over, but at least all the hard work's done.

>153 karenmarie: Yup. As of yesterday I am completely out of the house, so I'll just need to do a round of yard tending next week. And I've cleaned up the new house because I'm holding a community garden meeting here this evening. So this weekend, I can focus on the new yard with a clear conscience.

Katherine, you are a model of patience and diligence. I'll cross my fingers for you through the 17th.

I too dread the thought of moving. Not planning to, but things do happen.

I'm glad you found someone to adopt your little free library. I should get one of those in my yard. :)

Wow! You are getting very close to the finish line. Hooray. It's a bit like a second career, innit?

The finish line has been passed. I am freeeee!!! Spent the last two days at a native plant conference, so this weekend I'll be frantically getting plants into the ground at the new house.

Woo hoo! Freedom at last! Awaiting the pictures that I am sure will be forthcoming.

Congratulations!! I look forward to seeing the garden evolve at your new place.

>158 qebo: YAY!!! and CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Seems to me that you have been the exemplary home-seller. Now maybe you can relax into your new place!

Hi Katherine, at last. I've missed this whole thread and now I see you have gone from starting to selling your house to having it completely gone!! Congratulations.

Congratulations! I'm sure you're relieved at its all being over.

Congrats!

Yay! Enjoy the freedom! Happy gardening to you!

I'm assuming the final settlement went through without incident?

>166 ronincats: Yup.

Then, HURRAH! You really are free at last to concentrate solely on the new house and grounds.

Yiipeeee!

Congratulations on the house!

Were you out in Millersville at the native plant conference? My spousal unit did a sculpture for them one year - we have it hanging off the side of the house now, sans the little plants!

So glad for you that you are FREE!!!!!

>171 sibylline: Yes. You posted a photo of that sculpture a couple years ago. Free alas means I can now get to the list that has accumulated over the past few months...

You know, I had a feeling we'd been round this block before. . .

June realities (there was no plan)

completed:


Well, there was a little bit of a plan. Of my two RL book groups, the usually non-fiction group chose a fiction book but I knew well in advance that I had a schedule conflict with the meeting so I didn't read it, and the usually fiction group chose a non-fiction book The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown which I read (highly recommended). And that was that. So I have a achieved a record of only one completed book this month. No magazines either. I have a bunch of books in progress, slowly, which I should list but I'm too lazy at the moment.

>174 qebo: Hey. You were BUSY.

I'll say! Even reading one book was an achievement!

Just stopping by. I hope you're enjoying your new house and being rid of the old house!

>177 tymfos: Yes, which means most of my LTing is in the garden group: https://www.librarything.com/topic/226544 . I'd planned to start a new 75er thread but here it is mid July and I haven't managed to dredge up sufficient inspiration or energy. Soonish...

...

...

Happy gardening, Katherine!

Well this has been a pathetic excuse for a thread, with no reviews for nearly four months. I'm not making any promises for improvement, but I did manage to start a fresh thread this evening.