Storeetllr's (Mary) Reading Life Q2

April already! Saw my first robin today! I think it was the daddy checking out places to build his nest. I scattered a bit of seed on the back patio to help him decide this is the place! It's been so wonderful having robins nesting under the eaves of the upper deck, right outside my door, where I can hear and see the babies grow.


From Spring 2015


From Spring 2014

This month my reading theme is Enchanted April and will feature books about love, romance and relationships, in honor of spring and new beginnings and love is in the air and all that. Happy Spring!

Books Read in April

44. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. 4 stars.
45. SPQR by Mary Beard. 3 stars. Audio
46. Staked by Kevin Hearne. 3.5 stars. Audio
47. Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop. 4 stars. Audio. Reread.

Books Read in May

48. Night Shift by Charlaine Harris. 4 stars. Third in the Midnight, Texas series. What is causing people to come to Midnight and kill themselves in the middle of the crossroads? And who or what is the seductive voice inside the town's witch's head. Will Lemuel the vampire get the ancient book written in the Etruscan language translated in time to save the town? And will Bobo and Fiji ever get together, or is it a lost cause, as Quinn (yes, the weretiger from the Sookie Stackhouse series) hopes? I'm enjoying this series a lot.
49. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Hariri. 4.5 stars. Audio. Read by Derek Perkins. Pretty damn amazing anthropological and historical survey of homo sapiens, from our relatively obscure beginnings thru our unexpected and often bloody rise to the top of the food chain and how we managed it. Theories mostly but all based on the evidence and making a lot of sense. I'd have thought this would be dry and hard to get thru, but it wasn't. I want to buy this in print and reread it. Highly recommended.
50. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz. 4 stars. Audio, read by Simon Vance. Not bad for a series continuation. There were a couple of things that bothered me, but not enough to stop listening. Vance did okay except for the voices of the NSA folks. He shouldn't have tried to make them sound like they were from New England. Just a plain American accent would have sufficed. I loved Salander in this one, though there wasn't enough of her. Blomqvist's "I'm too sexy for myself-ness" was toned down a bit, and therefore he was more likeable.
51. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. 4 stars. Audio. The reader whose name I forgot to note down was wonderful. I enjoyed the title essay but the two short short stories and the excerpt from Mrs. Dalloway (a scene where a woman in a yellow dress attends one of Mrs. Dalloway's parties and obsessed about being a fly in a saucer) were not to my taste, tho well written. I think I'll need to read the full novel to appreciate that.
52. Dictator by Robert Harris. 4 stars. The latter days of Cicero and of the Roman Republic. No surprises, but well written if a bit melancholic.
53. The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemison. 4.5 stars. Literate fantasy set on a world that is almost too unstable for life. Nice world building, good characters. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Jemison.
54. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs. 4 stars. Latest Mercy Thompson has her journeying into Underhill. I don't like the fae in Mercy's world. They sure aren't of the Legolas variety.
55. Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara. 3.75 stars. First in the Elantra series, recommended by Roni. While I enjoyed the story, I found the main female protagonist a bit too whiny and disingenuous for my taste, though, as you will see, I continued with the series because Roni is usually spot on and first books are often difficult, and I like the world and many of the other characters.
56. Cast in Courtlight by Michelle Sagara. 3.75 stars. Second in the series, Private Kaylin Neya remains an odd mixture of annoyingly whiny and irritatingly brash who never seems to grow from all her weird experiences and, in this one anyway, becomes a bit of a Mary Sue, in that she gains powers as needed through little or no effort of her own. I'm continuing to enjoy the story, world building and characters so long as I can ignore these issues.
57. Cast in Secrets by Michelle Sagara. 4 stars. Third in series. At last! Kaylin starts to grow up! I think I may continue on with the series, at least the next book, to see if it's a trend or just a fluke.

Books Read in June

58. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. 4.5 Okay, she might just have one of the most annoying voice in the universe, second only to mine, on a par with Stephen King's, but it is perfect for her slightly wonky, sometimes lol funny, always fascinating retelling of history. If more history teachers taught like she writes, more people would love history and be more sensible in their political ideologies. Anyway, the title is all you need to know about the books subject, so all I'll say is, if you haven't already read it, do it now.
59. In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan. 4 stars. Audio, read by Kate Reading. Fourth of a projected 5 Lady Trent novels. Isabella Cameron, with long-time friend Tom Wilker, are chosen to continue a military-research program to breed dragons in the desert kingdom of Akhia.
60. Slade House by David Mitchell. 4.5 stars. Audio, read by Thomas Judd and Tania Rodrigues. Scary ghost story where the scary ones are not the ghosts. Really enjoyed it enough to want to read more Mitchell.
61. American Ghost by Hannah Nordhaus. 3.75 stars. Audio. Not so much a ghost story as a genealogical detective story of one woman searching for her family's lost past. An historical odyssey, moving from present day Santa Fe, where the unnamed narrator's great-grandmother's ghost is said to haunt the hotel which used to be her home, to the Santa Fe of the 1800s and back in time to Germany and the family's roots there, and moving to many points in between. It was not an exciting book, but it was interesting to see how the historical characters were fleshed out and many myths and stories were resolved, and I enjoyed it.
62. Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh. 3.75. Silence has fallen, and this book is the story of how various characters are getting along. Not much action moving the story forward, this is more like an epilogue.
63. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye. 4 stars. Audio. Recommended by Mark. Fun historical mystery romance. I liked the character of Jane Steele, whose life parallels Jane Eyre's, to an extent. Except for the killings. Eyre didn't kill anyone, while Steele... Narrator Susan Riddell was wonderful.
64. Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay. 4 stars. Sarantium fell to the Asharites 25 years earlier, and now the Grand Caliph is sending his armies to conquer the empire of the Jaddites in the West. This is a lovely story with a bit of paranormal and a lot of intrigue and even more fighting. I really enjoyed it, though it isn't on the scale of Tigana or Lions of al-Rassan or even the latest duology River of Stars and Under Heaven. One thing it's made me decide to do is read the Sarantine Mosaic, which I have not yet done but just put on hold from the library.
65. Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. 4 stars. Audio. I listened to this before going to sleep. It took me over a week because I kept falling asleep while listening and having to go back to the last place I remembered. Not sure I didn't miss bits of it, but I think I got most of it. My ex-mil who passed away 3 years ago this spring gave me a print copy many years ago, and I read portions of it over the years until I lost it sometime in the past couple of years, probably during one of my moves. It's a bit dated - a lot of references to Vietnam and the 70s and 80s - but there are surprisingly relevant-to-current-events gems to be found. It relaxed me and that's what I wanted, but I also got some good ideas out of it.

Books Read in July

66. Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee. 4 stars. Audio. In this adventure in the Liaden Universe, Theo falls headlong into several dangerous adventures, gets to know her Korval family (including the Tree), meets Bechimo and is accepted as First Pilot of the ship, all set against the backdrop of Clan Korval's removal to Surebleak. Another great story in the series. Can't wait to get to the next in the series.

67. Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley. 4 stars. Audio. Another good entry in the Easy Rawlins series. In this one, it's the late 60s, and Easy's psychokiller friend Mouse hires him to get a young black man off a charge of murdering two white men. Evidence doesn't support the young man being the killer, but the cops need to charge someone, and why not a black boy. So what if he's a brilliant science scholar? Of course, nothing is simple in Easy's world, and suddenly he's being threatened by mobsters who want the money the two dead white men were planning to steal, so he must hide his daughter at Jackson Blue's house and, after he manages to get him out on bail, the accused man at Fearless Jones' house to keep them safe.

68. Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee. 4 stars. Another good strong entry in the Korval Clan series. In this one, Theo comes into her own.

69. Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay. 4.5 stars.
and
70. Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay. 4.5 stars. Both on Kindle.
I love Kay's writing and his alternate universe historical fantasies, but for some reason I resisted reading this duology for years. SO HAPPY I finally broke down and read them! What a great story, set in a world that mirrors the Byzantine Empire of Justinian and Theodosia. In Sailing, Caius Crispus, a mosiacist from Rhodium (Italy) is summoned to Sarantium (Constantinople) by the Emperor Valerius II (Justinian I) to create a mosaic on the dome of the new sanctuary (Hagia Sophia). Along the way, he has amazing, sometimes terrifying, adventures. Once in Sarantium, Crispin is in the thick of the political and social upheavals. So satisfying. Although of course Kay killed off some characters I liked so I had to cry. So worth it!

70. Lamb by Christopher Moore. 4.5 stars. Audio. The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood friend. I read it in print ages ago and loved it. Loved it as much on this re-listen, though I took 1/2 star off because the narrator was annoying at times. Even so, what a wonderful novel! So reverently irreverent.

71. Lost Light by Michael Connelly. 4 stars. Audio. One of the mid-range books in the series, after Harry retired from the force (at age 51) and one I thought I'd read before but, as I was listening, didn't remember anything about except the ambush at Harry's house toward the end. I wish I could reread the entire series on audio, but the first books haven't been made into audiobooks.

72. Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold. 4 stars. Audio. Sweet story of a boy and his demon set in the World of Five Gods.

73. Necessity's Child by Sharon Lee. 4 stars. Hardcover. Wavered between 3.5 and 4, but overall the book earned a 4 for enjoyment. Not one of my favorites in the Liaden series. In this one, set on Surebleak, Nova's son goes to town school and befriends a strange girl of the kompani and her dog; a Liaden who is terrified of dragons is beaten, left for dead at a hidden door to the kompani's lair, and taken in by their healer.

Books Read in August

74. Crystal Soldier and
75. Crystal Dragon by Sharon Lee. 4.5 stars. Part of one very large & heavy paperback entitled The Crystal Variation. How it all began. So good! I'm glad I read the first two arcs before these "histories," but it was so cool learning how Clan Korval came to be, where the Tree came from and what it is, how Korval came to be known as Tree and Dragon, and why Korval's home planet is named Liaden, the city is named Solcintra, and the House is named Jelaza Kazone. Well, Jelaza, anyway. Also, toward the end of Crystal Dragon, I cried. Hard.

76. Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee. 4 stars. Hardcover. Okay, so I can't stop reading them. ("Jay's Potato Chips" jingle plays annoyingly in the background of my mind.) More of Surebleak and how Clan Korval is settling in. More of the kompani and Rys. Cliffhanger! (No surprise there.)

77. Cast in Fury by Michelle Sagara. 4 stars. Trade Paperback. So glad I stuck with this series! (Thank you, Roni. My faith in you is undiminished.) In this one, Kaylin is coming into her own as she faces the Outcast Dragon with the aid of her friends, speaks the story that allows a lost, confuse woman her choice, and faces down those who would kill the innocent. Already started on the next in the series.

78. Cast in Silence (Book 5) and
79. Cast in Chaos (Book 6) by Michelle Sagara. 4 stars each. Moving right along...

80. The Dead House by Harry Bingham. 5 stars. Fifth in the Fiona Griffiths mystery/thriller series, and one of the best. I won't say too much about the plot for fear of giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say that Fiona continues to be brilliant in her uniquely obstreperous way as she tries to figure out what happened to a young woman whose body is found in a village church's "dead room," without a mark on it and laid out in a white dress. I can say that one part of the story had me literally breathless. Bingham is absolutely astonishing in the way he gets into Fiona's head. Want to note that The Dead House is the first book I have EVER pre-ordered from Amazon. I'm going to be pre-ordering the next in the series, which Bingham thinks will be titled "The Deepest Grave."

81. 'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick. 3.75. A fun, light and fast-reading gothic Victorian romance, this one features Lucinda, a shrewd businesswoman who runs an exclusive introduction agency and who is being stalked by someone leaving memento mori trinkets for her inside her very home, and Trent, a famous mystery novel writer whose sister is a client of Lucinda and whose face has been scarred by a vicious attack some years earlier.

82. I Shot The Buddha by Colin Cotterill. 4 stars. Strangest Dr. Siri mystery so far. In this one, Buddhas and Buddhist monks feature prominently, along with sinister goings-on in a deserted town, shadowy ninjas, and lots and lots of spirits. Kind of an abrupt ending, though, notwithstanding two epilogues. Can't wait for the next.

83. Imprudence by Gail Carriger. 4 stars. Audio. Latest in the Custard Protocol series, this one features Lady Captain Rue and her crew of ideosyncratic friends, along with other recurring characters such as Lord Akeldama, Queen Victoria, and Rue's parents. After transporting an ailing supernatural to Egypt, the Spotted Custard is attacked, and Rue is afraid hunters have learned of the existence of a species of were that was previously thought to be extinct, one of which is part of her crew. Though I enjoyed the Parasol Protectorate series and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Finishing School series, I think I'm enjoying the Custard Protocol series even more. Warning: romance is in the air, and there are a few sex scenes, though I personally did not find them annoying but instead more-or-less enjoyed them.

84. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu. 4.5 stars. Audio. Mind-bending and intelligent scifi/fantasy. Some stories were troubling, others delightful.

85. Dark Hollow by John Connolly. 4 stars. Second in the Charlie "Birdman" Parker mystery/thriller series. Dark indeed. And creepy. Loved it.

86. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. 4.5 stars. Audio. Delightful.

87. The Killing Kind by John Connolly. 4 stars. Creepy and dark, with evil religious nutcases running amok. Need a break from all the gruesomeness and horror of this series, though I'm feeling compelled to pick up #4 (The White Road) right away.

88. Cast in Ruin by Michelle Sagara. 4 stars. Book 7 of the Elantra Chronicles. "Seven corpses are discovered in the streets of a Dragon’s fief. All identical, down to their clothing. Kaylin Neya is assigned to discover who they were, who killed them–and why."

89. Cast in Peril by Michelle Sagara. 3.75 stars. Book 8 of the Elantra Chronicles. Kayla travels to The West March with the Consort and other Lords of the Barrani High Court.

Books Read in September

90. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. 4.75 stars. Hated this book. Seriously. It grabbed me by the throat and kept me up all night reading, robbing me of much-needed sleep! Basically, it's the story of a man whose life was stolen from him and his quest to get it back. Not really going to be good for any other fiction until I can get this one out of my head, so am reading nonfiction to clear it. Thanks a lot, Mark. Why I gave it a less than 5 star rating? There were a few times I stopped reading and said, "Wait! What?" because one or more of the characters did something so strange (even for this world) or something happened that was just not realistic (within this world). Not enough to stop me from getting right back to it, but still.

91. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. 4 stars. Audio. A great refresher on critical reading. Discussions on how to identify archetypes, how to figure out symbolism, etc. in fiction and poetry. Now I want to read his other book, How to Read Novels Like a Professor.

92. Cast in Sorrow by Michelle Sagara. 3.75 stars. Book 9 of the Chronicles of Elantra. After a journey fraught with peril, Kaylin has arrived in the West March, where she should be safe, but there is no safety for her there. As I read, my one burning question was: What is she going to name the small dragon? Still waiting to find out.

93. Cast in Flame by Michelle Sagara. 3.75 stars. Book 10. I enjoyed it like the rest when I was reading it, but I just finished it last night and couldn't recall what it was about. (Kaylin returns from the West March with a couple of lost boys, and now Castle Nightshade is waking up, with dire results.)

94. Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara. 3.5 stars. Audio. Book 11 of the Elantra Chronicles. All caught up with the series! Yay! In this one, Kaylin tangles with a Shadow from Ravellon in a bid to rescue Nightshade, Bellusdeo, and Teela, keep The Keeper from drowning in his own shop, and save Elantra and especially the race of Tha'alani, all while her superiors snipe at her in irritation &/or exasperation ("Kaylin! WHAT are you DOING?") and she whines that she doesn't know what she is doing or acts all submissive. I like the series as a whole, but it's time for Kaylin to grow the heck up, stop being a wimp, and demand a modicum of respect from her superiors (true superiors as well as those who simply believe they are superior).

95. The White Road by John Connolly. 4 stars. Audio. Beyond noir. Includes scenes of gruesome violence. This one featured the whacko cult leader, crows or ravens who might just have been dark angels, terrible violence against blacks stemming from slavery and Jim Crow, horribly twisted evil characters, revenge and betrayal, and what people must do sometimes to end the evil. Not for the squeamish. I had to stop for a day because the suspense got too intense.

96. Illusion Town by Jayne Castle. 4 stars. Light and fun read set on Harmony. Tho there were evil villains and nefarious goings-on, it was a relief from the darkness of the Charlie Parker story.

97. The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry. 4.5 stars. LTER. This has some of the same characters and setting as The Lace Reader, but you don't have to read that one to enjoy The Fifth Petal. Past, distant past, and present are interwoven in this tale of murder, revenge, paranoia, and redemption, with the recurring theme of how the past colors and informs the present. I've seen some reviews that complain the novel is too long, that parts seem like fillers, but I didn't find it so. In fact, I was wishing the story would go on and felt it ended too soon. I did kind of guess the villain early on, though I wasn't sure - it could have been one of two - and I wasn't sure just what the story was or why the murderer did what they did. Recommended for those who enjoy stories of the paranormal, history, and mystery/thrillers.

98. The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne Valente. 3.75 stars. Audio. Another adventure in Fairyland. A little ho-hum at first but picked up about 1/3 of the way through and the rest was a lot of fun. Love the Combat Wombat and the Grammaphone.

99. Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb. 4 stars. I liked this installment in the ongoing saga of Dallas and Roarke. The apprentice character was a bit over the top, but it worked.

100. Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr. 3 stars. Audio. This sure isn't The Alienist. In this contemporary mystery, a disgraced but brilliant profiler, formerly of the NYPD, has exiled himself (and his equally brilliant forensic "CSI") to upstate NY where they live on his aunt's farm and teach in tandem an online college course in forensics. They are called in by the local sheriff to help investigate a series of what looks like serial killings of "throwaway" kids disguised as suicides. The main forensic profiler was often pedantic, his partner was more like a sounding board than a well-rounded character, the boy who became their apprentice was mostly annoying, the romantic interest was meh, and the big twist at the end didn't surprise me much at all. Still, it was interesting enough to keep me listening to the end.

Books Read in October

101. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. 4 stars. Audio. I mostly enjoyed this - especially the parts about Susan and Oliver - after I got used to the narrator, their grandson, who could be a bit much at times, right up until the end when something really shocking happened and it turned out to be a dream. Still, I'm glad I finally read this classic novel. Thanks, Joanne, for the reccie.

102. Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee. 4 stars. One of the Liaden Universe scifi space opera novels. This one was one of my favorites, except no Val Con and Miri. :( Still, Shan shows his stuff, Padi shows what she's actually made of, the Tree meddles some more, and Theo's little escapade with Admiral Bunter ends up resulting in some pretty serious consequences.

103. Who Buries the Dead by C.S. Harris. 3 stars. Audio. A Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery. I'm not sure why, but it took me FOREVER to get into this story, and I never really warmed to it. It seemed dry, a lot of talking, characters I couldn't like, even the relationship between St. Cyr and Hero seemed boring. I persevered because I have enjoyed the series and plan to read the next, but this one was not my favorite.

104. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. 5 stars. Audio. Relisten. Just felt the need for a comfort read, and being close to Halloween, this seemed like a good one. And it didn't disappoint, except I didn't want it to end.

105. Chains of Folly by Roberta Gellis. 3.75 stars. Audio. Historical mystery in the Magdalene La Batard series set during the war between Stephen and Maud.

106. The Madness of Angels: The Resurrection of Matthew Swift by Sharon Lee. 4.75 stars. First in the Blue Electric Angels series. I liked it even better the second time around.

107. Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh. 3.5 stars. Audio. Short stories in the Psi/Changling world.

108. Proto Zoa Lois McMaster Bujold. Audio. 3.5 stars. Five short stories/novelettes.

Books Read in November

109. Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler. 4 stars. Second in the Exogenesis Trilogy.

110. The Detective's Daughter by Lesley Thomson. 3.5 stars. Audio. So disjointed I kept getting lost and almost gave up. Not sure what the author was hoping to achieve with the sudden scene changes, back-and-forth in time, and stream-of-consciousness thoughts of various characters at random moments, but it didn't make for an easy book to read, especially as an audiobook.

111. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. 4 stars. Audio. Tavia Gilbert, Reader. First in Night Huntress series. Saved my sanity after the horror of the election. Cat (a half-vamp) and Bones (a vampire bounty hunter) meet and part. There were a few sex scenes, which are not my favorite things, but these weren't as bad as some. There was some snarky humor that sometimes had me LOLing, and some of what I took to be fond nods to earlier fangfic (Bones reminded me of Spike with just a bit of Lestat tossed in, tho Cat did not remind me of Buffy). I adored Bones' cockney accent, though Tavia made his voice a bit too high and even squeaky sometimes. Still, ever after, I will hear that voice in my mind whenever I read (or reread) any of these books in print.

112. One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. 3.5 stars. Audio. Second in series. Cat and Bones get back together after 4 years when Cat works as an agent of a secret branch of Homeland Security that polices supernaturals. A little slow in places but still fun, esp. the ending.
113. At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost. 3.75 stars. Audio. Third in series. Cat finally meets her dad. And Drac.
114. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost. 3.5 stars. Audio. Fourth in series. Paris and Gregor.
115. This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. 3.75 stars. Audio. Fifth in series. >Apollyon and the ghouls.
116. One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost. 3.5 stars. Audio. Sixth in series. Ghostly witch hunter.
117. Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. 3.5 stars. Audio. Seventh in series. Katie, the genetically altered hybrid.
118. First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost. 3.75 stars. Story of Spade and Denise.
119. Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost. 4 stars. Audio. Story of Mencheres and Kira. I really liked Kira, a no-nonsense private eye in Chicago.
120. Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. 3.5 stars. Audio. First in Night Prince series. The story of Vlad and Leila. Can't really understand what he sees in her.
121. Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost. 3 stars. Audio. Second in series. Still can't see what Vlad sees in Leila.

11/14/16-Currently reading the Night Huntress series and The Night Hunters World series by Jeaniene Frost in an effort to get through the worst of my post-election horror. So far, since November 8, I've torn through the first four of the original series and the first two in the spin-off series. Pretty good vampire romance/urban fantasy, even for novels featuring sexy vampires with lots of graphic sex scenes, not my favorite part of any book. At least nobody sparkles, though the green glowing eyes are a bit much. They've even made me laugh a few times with their snarky humor, though they aren't exactly lighthearted comedies. I've read all but one as audiobooks and I like the reader Tavia Gilbert. I think I enjoyed the first one - Halfway to the Grave - best, but both series have held up well so far.
11/18/16-One more book in the Night Prince series, another spin-off, and then I can get back to other reading until Feb. 2017 when the fourth book in that series comes out. Perhaps I'll be ready to face reality after this one. On second thought, probably not. I'll have to find something else to keep my mind occupied

SHORT STORIES READ:

Pier Falls by Mark Haddon (only read the title story)
Eidolon by Sharon Lee, includes Shadow Partner and "Persistence"
Dragon Tide by Sharon Lee
With Stars Underfoot by Sharon Lee, including "Lord of the Dance" and "This House"

DID NOT FINISH:

Grace of Kings by Ken Liu - After having read his book of short stories, which was brilliant, this was a disappointment. Read a good hundred pages, hoping it would get more interesting, but nope.

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy - I got about 3/4 of the way thru and just could not bear it any longer. An unrelentingly hopeless story with unlikeable characters filled with dark desires doing senselessly crude and stupid thing

My Q1 Favorites

This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham. 5 stars. Mystery thriller. 4th in Fiona Griffith series.
Small Victories by Anne Lamott. 4.5 stars. Audio. Nonfiction.
Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. 4.5 stars. Audio. Read excellently well by Katherine Kellgren. Fantasy.
Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop. 4.25 stars. 4th in The Courtyard of The Others series.

My Q2 Favorites

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. 4.5 stars. Audio. Nonfiction.
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemison. 4.5 stars. Fantasy.
Slade House by David Mitchell. 4.5 stars. Creepy fantasy.
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. 4.5 stars. Audio. History/Humor

My Q3 Favorites

The Dead House by Harry Bingham. 5 stars. Mystery
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. 4.75 stars. Scifi/Thriller
The Paper Menagerie by Ken Lie. 4.5 stars. Audio. Specfi/Scifi Short Stories.
The Sarantine Mosiac by Guy Gavriel Kay. 4.5 stars. Both novels in the fantasy duology
The Crystal Variation by Sharon Lee. 4.5 stars. Both novels in the scifi duology
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. 4.5 stars. Audio. Oscar Wilde. What more does one need to say?

My Q4 Favorites

First book of the second quarter of the year!

44. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. 4 stars. How best to save humanity from the mess it's gotten itself into? And do the ends ever justify the means? Those are the basic question posed here, and the author thankfully avoids most of the cliches and tired old tropes of most of this kind of disaster fiction. It is very well written, with two protags who seem at first glance to be complete opposites in most ways except that they are geeks and misfits. Their relationship is well developed, and what little sex and romance is in the book seemed neither mushy nor squicky to me but instead more realistic than most fictive depictions of same. The ending was a bit abrupt, and there were a few loose ends left dangling. I don't see quite how the ending can be used to springboard the story to a second book but hope I'm wrong about that because Peregrine & The Tree! The system of magic wasn't as well defined as I'd have liked; bullying played a big part, especially in the early chapters and was difficult for me; there was a lot of scientific and technical jargon tossed around which went right over my head. Happy to report that none of that took away my enjoyment of the story. I recommend this to scifi geeks and just about anyone who enjoys well-written scifi and/or fantasy.

45. SPQR by Mary Beard. 3 stars. Audio. I shouldn't have listened to this. First, it was soporific. Second, not much new in here, at least for anyone who's read much on ancient Rome. Third, the reader was pretty awful, though she had a nice British accent. She'd be going along, come to a full stop as if she'd reached the end of the sentence, and then start reading the rest of the sentence. I admit, I shouldn't even consider this a completed book, because I can't tell you how many times my mind drifted off while listening, but I think I got at least 90% of it so am claiming it.

Happy Sunday, Mary! Happy New Thread! Come on Springtime!

Good review of All the Birds in the Sky. I have that one saved on audio. I will try to bookhorn it in.

Thanks, Mark! I think it will be good as an audiobook. Yay for spring. Just hope we don't have to cope with too much of this:

LOL! I am with you on that one, Mary. Enough all ready!

Hi Mary. Right now I am reading The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig, the 8th in a historical romance series so I would fit right into your April theme.

>6 Storeetllr: As long as I'm sitting in the sun, I'm OK with that!

Happy new thread! Love your robins! They are all over the place now.

>7 msf59: :)

>8 DeltaQueen50: Yes, it does, Judy! I've never read the Willig books though I've had them in the back of my mind for years. I guess you must like them, you're on the 8th one.

>9 Copperskye: Totally! It can be 45F here, but in the sun I'm burning. LOL Thanks, Jo! The little guy today was the first I've seen this year. Can you believe it's the second quarter of 2016 already? Yikes!!!

Happy new thread, Mary! Those robins are so sweet!

Hi Mary! Love your review of the birds in the sky book. Also the robin pics.

The nest pictures are lovely. Hope you have as much success this year.

Happy new thread, Mary.
Your opener is topical for me as I have just returned to the nest for a few days to visit my mum!

>10 Storeetllr: To tell the truth, Mary, I fear that the Pink Carnation series has run out of steam. This last entry felt very much like it was written by the numbers. If you ever decide to read them, I would stick to the first few and forget about the later ones. I'm being a completist in trying to finish the series.

Happy new thread, Mary!!

Just checking in on your new thread, Mary, to see if spring has finally decided to stay. Hooray for a robin sighting. I have mixed feeling about the birds who like to nest around here. Our Lab is getting old but might be tempted to play too roughly with a baby bird. I loved the year we had baby owls in the yard. I have no idea how to tempt them to come back. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

Happy new thread Mary! Love the nesting bird pictures. We have a woodpecker in the neighborhood. Last year the bird started to drill a hole into the side of the building - obviously thinking the wood frame building would be easier to peck a nesting hole into than a tree (which actually makes sense to me). The building owners had to get contractors in to displace the bird and fill in the holes. Guess who is back again this week? Suffice to say, the building owner is getting a bit peeved with the bird. ;-)

>6 Storeetllr: - LOL! Reminds me of the Canadian May long-weekend, which is a traditional time to start the camping season off - even if the campsite is buried under 2 feet of snow. Fun times!

Glad to see you are getting some sunshine, even if it is still on the cool side.

Hey, where've you been? Out buying groceries before our weekend storm? Ah, Colorado..... :)

Hi Mary! Love your robins! Can't believe you have baby robins already1

Oh! So many visitors! I apologize for being AWOL for so long.

First, news, then I'll respond to everyone's posts. As I may have mentioned (a few dozen times at least), I've been volunteering at The Gabriel Foundation, a parrot rescue and sanctuary organization since January 2014, doing things like husbandry (which is a fancy way of saying changing papers in the cages, washing food and water dishes, sweeping and mopping, etc.) and doing outreach events. This past January, I started helping out in the office because there hasn't been anyone doing office work for awhile. Well, last week, the director asked me if I wanted to work for them part-time as an employee, and I accepted. It's not much pay and I'll be working only 20-25 hours a week (though even that short amount of time wears me out), but I think it's the right thing for me just now. It certainly has given me a new feeling of purpose that was lacking in the past couple of years since I retired. So, I'll be going in pretty much every day for awhile until I get a handle on things, then cutting back to 20-25 hours a week.

>11 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I don't think they're going to be nesting in the eaves, but the fat and very pregnant mama robin has been visiting my back patio, perhaps to get out of the snow but also maybe because I scatter seed out there just for her. :)

>12 augustau: Hi, Kris! Missed you last month! Thanks, I did enjoy the Birds in the Sky book and also the baby robins the past couple of springs.

>13 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Me too, though I don't think it's in the cards for this year.

>14 PaulCranswick: Hey, Paul ~ I saw on your thread about your visit back to the nest. Glad to know your mom's cancer was caught at Stage 1. That's a huge deal, I'm told, to get it early. Cross my fingers and saying a prayer for her complete recovery.

>15 DeltaQueen50: That's a bummer, Judy. I hate it when a great series runs out of steam for me.

>16 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>17 Donna828: No, Donna, spring did not decide to stay. In fact, though it was nice enough to grace us with some warm sunny days the week before, it scarpered off and left us in the grip of winter for the past few days. :) Turns out we got about 2' of snow over the course of the weekendstorm. My poor lilacs and pear tree were in bud too. I went out right in the middle of the storm to knock snow off the branches with a broom and sank to just below my knees in the snow. Colorado.

Speaking of which, here's a shot of what I woke up to on Saturday morning before I went out with my broom and knocked snow off the branches of the pear tree (the one to the left of the photo) and lilacs in front.

>18 lkernagh: Hey, Lori! Aren't they just so cute? Woodpeckers aren't my favorite bird. In fact, they come right after mockingbirds on my list of birds I would rather did NOT visit. But that's a fun story. Silly birdie.

>19 Copperskye: Hi, Jo. Yeah, I was out of touch for awhile. Working even part time seems to be too much for me, delicate flower that I am. My circadian rhythm seems to be off by about 4 hours from the rest of the working worlds. It's hard getting up at 7 or 8am. Harder is getting to sleep by 11pm. My body wants to stay up till 2am, no matter how tired it was at 6pm when I got home from work. lol

>20 augustau: Hi, again, Kris! No baby robins yet. Those pics were from the past two Junes. I'm seeing a fat pregnant mama robin around, so there'll be babies soon, but unfortunately not under my eaves this year. :(

I took these pics today:

First is a selfie of Feisty on my shoulder. Feisty is a lovebird with a growth on her beak from an old injury who came to us the other day after her (the vet thinks it's female) previous owner called and threatened to throw it in the garbage if someone didn't come right then and there and take it. We went of course and picked her up that evening. After a trip to the vet, Feisty came to our Denver facility and, after just a couple of days, is completely recovered and so cute and active and funny and friendly. Today, she tried to destroy my keyboard. If it had been Nickel, that keyboard would have been toast, but no matter how hard Feisty tried to kill it, she just couldn't budge it. She also likes to sit on shoulders.



This is Snowbird, so named because a kind soul found it in a snowbank during our last big storm and brought it to us. Didn't she strike a great pose there? She's very interested in my cellphone.



Next are Petey the Cockatiel and Honey the Budgie, both of whom came to us a few weeks ago after Animal Control confiscated them from a neglectful situation. Petey isn't sure about me, and REALLY isn't sure about the cellphone. (Check out the stink-eye he's giving me.) Honey's a bit more sanguine and couldn't be bothered to worry about it.



And what, you may ask, does Nickel think of all these other birdies?

Oh, darn, Mary. Your volunteer work took you too much away from us already! Yes, I'm sure the sense of purpose and some pocket cash are good. But if you go to work, you have to get OUT IN THE WEATHER, and boy, have you been having weather! I miss you. You haven't even been by to see my baby humming bird...but I love your bird pictures.

I'm so happy for you - congratulations on your new job! And now you have extra money for books! :)

Love all your photos. I especially like that one of Nickel.

It's good you went out and beat up your trees and shrubs overnight. We did the same. It's sad to see all the tree damage, especially the crabs which were all in bloom.

>21 Storeetllr: A part time job at a place you believe in sounds like a great way to put back some structure in your life. I hope a more permanent spring thaw comes to you soon.

Congrats on the job, Mary! It sounds just about perfect and that's pretty wonderful.

Hi, Mary! Hooray for the new job! It is always extra special doing something you love. Love the birdy photos.

But BOO to snow. Aren't we done with all that?

The new job sounds great - they are lucky to have such a committed member of staff. Hope the snow melts soon.

We will miss you around here, Mary, but I can certainly understand your need for a sense of purpose and activity. Have fun with the birds, but don't forget to check in here and let us know how things are going.

I am another who will miss you for the periods when you are not here but thankful in the knowledge that you have something great to be filling your time with.

Have a great weekend, Mary.

This morning, I went to our monthly volunteer orientation training session out in Elizabeth CO at the Aviary. I'd already attended an orientation as a volunteer a year or so ago, but I wanted to see it being run from the standpoint of one who may have to facilitate one sometime in the future. Unfortunately, I brought Nickel along, and it was distracting when she'd call out to me and do cute tricks and stuff. Of course, all the new volunteers (and the old ones too) were enchanted by her antics. She went to everyone who wanted to hold her and gave kisses indiscriminately. She was also very interested in some of the birds we visited on the mini-tour we took as part of the orientation. Maybe she is ready to include another bird in her "flock" (which currently consists of me and her).

I'll post a pic of her taken by the young woman from Germany who is interning at The Gabriel Foundation for a month as soon as she sends it to me.

>25 ronincats: Aw, thanks, Roni. I miss visiting with all my LT friends, but honestly I'm so tired after work and then my days off are spent frantically getting stuff done so don't get online as much. Funny you should say that about the weather. My first day on the job was day one of our last snowstorm so I couldn't make it in. Hahahaha. Way to start a new job, huh? I did get over to your thread and saw the baby and that it has flown the nest. Sad but happy, both at the same time.

>26 Copperskye: Thanks, Jo. Yes, I'm glad too. The pear tree and lilacs seem to be none the worse for the storm, but I was sorry to see other blossoming things injured by the snow. And it's not over yet, if last year is any measure. Didn't we have a snowstorm on Mother's Day and again the beginning of June in 2015?

>27 Familyhistorian: It's the only kind of job I'd consider, Meg, after retiring from 40 years' worth of jobs I more or less disliked in a profession I had little respect for. Thanks, I'm hoping for no more winter too but not too sanguine about the chances of that.

>28 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! It's a lot of work but quite satisfying.

Edited to correct a typo.

>29 msf59: Hey, Mark! Thanks! I WISH we were done with the snow, but I'm pretty sure there's more to come. You know, Colorado.

>30 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Snow's almost all gone. Only took a few days of our blazing sun, which is hot even on days that are otherwise on the cold side. It's being at such a high altitude, I think.

>31 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy. I actually check in every day or so, but not for long and usually don't say anything. I'm trying to make it a habit to participate at least once a week, otherwise I feel too cut off. I am enjoying the birdies, and my job duties, for the most part, though there is so much to learn and do and even more to catch up on.

>32 PaulCranswick: Aw, thanks, Paul. It is a good thing, working for the thousands of unwanted pet birds and makes all the effort (even having to get up early-ish) worthwhile. You have a great weekend too!

And now I'll try to visit as many threads as I can before I run out of steam. If I don't get to yours tonight, I'm off tomorrow and will do so then.

Thanks to all my visitors, those who posted and those who just lurk. :)

Sounds like Nickel loved being the star!

I hear there is more snow heading your way, Mary.

She did, Roni. I swear she glows when she gets lots of good attention. Today, she kibbitzed while Julie was making the presentation and even started clapping for herself (making a clapping sound), which cracked everyone up.

As far as more snow heading our way, I'm not listening. *plugs ears & sings to self* LaLaLaLaLaaaa!

Your new job sounds perfect, Mary. I hope your stamina builds up so you can enjoy it. Helping an organization you believe in and being surrounded by bird friends sounds like a good way to spend your time. Spring snow -- Boo! Hiss!

Thanks, Donna. I hope so too. I don't currently have two consecutive days off, but I'm going to rearrange my schedule so I do. I think that will help. One day to recover and the other day to do chores and errands and get ready for work.

Happy Sunday, Mary! Hope you are enjoying the weekend. Getting any reading in?

Go Cubbies!

Thanks, Mark. As a matter of fact, I'm listening to Staked and (when I'm trying to get to sleep) Sapiens, which is interesting but for some reason tends to put me to sleep after about 30 minutes. I think it's the reader's voice, very soothing.

Happy Sunday to you too!

Just stopping by to say Hello, Mary!

Thanks for stopping by, Amber.

Mary, I trust that your weekend is a good one my dear.

Thanks, Paul! I worked today (Saturday) but have tomorrow off. Which may be why I feel comfortable still being up after midnight. So lovely not to have to get up before 8 a.m. Hope you're having a lovely weekend too!

Hope you had a nice lie in this morning, Mary. Enjoy the 1st of May!

Thanks, Judy. One of my nieces texted me at 8:45, so it wasn't a long lie-in but I was happy to not have to wake up before 8 and that I could snuggle in bed for a bit before getting up and dressing. Happy May Day to you too!

Speaking of May Day, I went to the grocery story and, at the checkout, said "Happy May Day" to the guy at the register. He said, "Thanks, but what's the deal with May Day?" I told him it was an international day of honoring workers and that I thought, being a worker, he'd appreciate the greeting. He got the biggest grin on his face and said, "Yes, I do!" He also gave me extra Monopoly tix. LOL

Your new job sounds hugely gratifying. I hope you continue to just thrive there! Hope to hear more about it.

>47 Storeetllr: It's interesting to see the generational differences in viewpoint. And I think a sign of how our collective mindset has changed that younger workers take as normal the gains people in the past worked for. The son and I have talked many times about this sort of thing.

Missing you, Mary, even though I know you are busy and making a difference at the parrot rescue place. Hope the weather has warmed up there and your trees and flowers have recovered.

>50 ronincats: What Roni said.

Have a great weekend! Stay warm and dry!

Happy Sunday, Mary! Just checking in on my pal. We miss you and I hope all is well.

Getting any reading in?

Hi, all - First real day off in a week. I'm dying. lol

>48 augustau: Hi, Kris! Nice to hear from you! How have you been? About the job: love being around the birds and knowing I'm making a difference in their lives, but the job itself is consuming. And exhausting.

>49 drneutron: Oh, yes, Jim. So true. 5-day work weeks, overtime and the like, are relatively new gains in the workplace. The enfranchisement of women is also relatively new. People tend to forget that, take it for granted, don't bother to vote. I'm sure the pioneers in the labor and women's voting rights movements of the 19th centuries would be astonished and infuriated.

>50 ronincats: Aw, thanks, Roni. Miss you guys too. I sometimes get on LT in the evening before bed and read some of the threads, but I don't usually post because by that time I can't think straight and am afraid I'll post nonsense. :)

>51 Copperskye: Thanks, Jo. You too! Let's plan to get together for lunch sometime? I'm off Thurs. & Fri. & Sunday.

>52 msf59: Hey, Mark! Thanks for checking in. I've been reading on your thread about your dream (though slightly soggy) trip to Booktopia and need to get back there to see the pics you have posted. Yes, I am reading: I recently finished Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, which was amazing, and am now listening to A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz; and reading my Early Reviewers copy of Necropolis by Avtar Singh. Also (rather desultorily) doing Pimsleur's Latin American Spanish Short Language Course.

Good to see that that you are deeply immersed into the books. I have to get to the Spider's Web. I have been meaning to fit that into the rotation for months.

Morning, Mary! You are keeping very busy, I see. Please know that you are missed. Hoping that your week is filled with fabulous!

Mary, I hope you can get away for a meet up the second week in June. I'll be out babysitting for Hope during the day. My evenings will be free as Rebecca didn't want to go to Las Vegas and watch Mike play poker! If it's any consolation, I will probably be more tired than you are after I keep up with a 2-year-old all day.

>53 Storeetllr: I'd love to meet you for lunch when you have the time. Thursday, this Thursday or most any Thursday, would be fabulous!

>55 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie!

>56 Donna828: Oh, fun! I look forward to seeing you all then. I'll probably be good for a late afternoon meetup on Mon., Tues., Wed., and Saturday. I'm off Thurs., Fri. & Sunday so can meet anytime.

>57 Copperskye: Yay! Not sure about this Thursday but I'll give you a call and we can plan.

Nice to see you busy and happy, if a little tired, Mary.

Have a good rest and a lovely weekend.

I am like so far behind so bear with me as I provide the following comments:

>21 Storeetllr: - Kudos on the part time job! Sounds perfect.... I am assuming you were not in the market for full-time employment.

>24 Storeetllr: - Love the bird pics! Reminds me of my university days. One year I shared a basement suite apartment with my sister's friend and she had a lovebird... just the sweetest animal going. He had clipped wings so we could always hear him when he followed us along the linoleum flooring. It took a bit of time for me to get used to the idea that I could be taking a shower, look down and see the bird had joined me, but other than that, a really laid back bird who liked to spend his afternoon perched in one of the basement windows at eye level with all the cats that lived in the neighbourhood.

Glad to see that Nickel is basking in some attention of her own!

Thanks, Paul. Hope you are having a lovely weekend. We here in the States celebrate Memorial Day on Monday so have the day off. No one can be more grateful for that than me.

Hi, Lori! Thanks for the visit! No, not in the market for a full time job. I'm no longer in the market for even a part time job, tho I'm sticking with it for the time being. Great story! I'd be a little startled if Nickel ever followed me into the shower, tho we often shower together. She needs the moisture and I'm too lazy to spritz her as often as she needs, so... Anyway, what a cool bird that must have been!

Hi Mary, I hope they aren't working you too hard and that you were able to enjoy your Memorial Day.

The lovebird also liked to perch on your shoulder and have the blow dryer dry him.... on the cold/no heat setting. It never occurred to me that birds would need moisture but now that you mention it, that explains the birds I see "bathing" in puddles, etc.

Hi, Mary! Just checking in with my long lost pal! I hope you are doing well. How is the reading coming? Kicking butt?

You might like my current read The Girls. Unsettling and very well-written.

Knock, knock?!

Hope the storm clouds missed you these past few days. Speaking of missed you....hope all is well!

Hi, Judy! Thanks, I think I enjoyed Memorial Day. It seems so long ago. :) As for working too hard...I really have no idea how I managed a full-time high-pressure job at a law firm with a 2-3 hour/day commute for all those years. It's amazing I'm still sane, much less alive.

Aw, that's so sweet about the lovebird, Lori. Nickel cringes when I use the blow dryer around her. One of the volunteers has a bird that enjoys having her feathers vacuumed. It's a big bird, I think a macaw. A little lovebird would be sucked right up if you tried to vacuum it. :) Yes, birds do need showers and baths and being spritzed regularly. I have a humidifier on 24/7 here in dry dry dry Colorado or Nickel would be featherless and my skin would be impossibly cracked and itchy. And I'd have nosebleeds. (Sorry if TMI.)

Hi, Mark! Thanks for stopping by. I know I've been MIA lately. Sorry about that. Still trying to find my way with the new job. I've been so exhausted I've even neglected to list the books I've read over the past week or so. Bad Mary. I haven't been reading as much as I'd like, to tell the truth, but at least the dry spell (which lasted a horrifyingly long week and a half) is over. I just finished Slade House, my first Mitchell, and all I can say is "Wow." Now I want to read The Bone Clocks. I'll check out The Girls, see what it's all about. Thanks for the tip!

Hi, Jo! Yes, I know I've been very bad about not keeping in touch, especially after I asked if you wanted to meet me for lunch. Sorry. That first Thursday I wasn't feeling well, then I had to work last Thursday (because on Wed. my car got stuck in the garage when the garage door broke and fell and we couldn't get it up so I couldn't get to work) and now I'm working again tomorrow so I can take off Saturday to hang out with my niece who's flying in from San Diego for a work conference on Monday & Tuesday in Denver and spending the weekend with us. Shall we try for next Thursday? Text me?

So, the job continues to take a lot out of me, and now it turns out that we will be moving from downtown Denver to a ranch in Elizabeth, which is a small town on the Eastern plain about a half hour southeast of me. We already have a facility there that houses twice as many birds as the Denver facility has. (Once we move, it will house all the birds, probably about 750.) It will be better, I think, especially for the birds because they will be able to go outside in the nice weather and enjoy the sunshine in the flights that have been built on the property, but also because then at least I won't have to drive in rush hour traffic with all the nutjobs on the road (and I include myself in that category). But the amount of work it's going to take to get all packed up BY MID-JULY is staggering. After we move, I will be reassessing whether I want to continue working 4 days/week or go back to volunteering 1-2 days a week.

Great to hear you, Mary, sounds like you are very busy but happily so.

I don't like this job that keeps you away from us and from reading! But it sound like the move will take some of the stress of getting to and from work away, which is good.

>66 Storeetllr: A ranch in Elizabeth sounds better than downtown Denver, but I know you will choose which level of commitment makes you happiest - and rightly so.

Have a lovely weekend, Mary.

>67 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Yes, busy and then exhausted mentally as well as physically when I get home and so not feeling able to do much online. But I do visit the threads, just don't do much commenting.

>68 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. I am not thrilled either - I didn't even plant a garden this year, and I haven't been having breakfast outside with Nickel either which was my great pleasure of last summer.

>69 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Not sure if I'm going to continue as an employee or go back to volunteering. I'll wait to decide until after the move. Leaning toward quitting and just volunteering. I'm too old for all the drama and stress.

Hi, Mary! thanks for checking in. I did not realize you were busy with a new job. Good luck, my friend.

So glad you loved Slade House. You are in for a treat with Mr. Mitchell. I see that you started Jane Steele. That one should also take your mind off work.

Mark! I was just over on your thread and posted congrats on your hitting the 75-book mark!

Just stopping by to say hi!

Sounds like things are busy... and in a good way, especially if the move means a shorter commute time for you!

Hi, Lori. Nah, same commute, maybe 5 minutes longer. Just that it's going to be going away from downtown into the country and opposite the bulk of the traffic. How are you doing?

Thank you for taking the time to make my first LibraryThing meetup such a great time! It's true that book lovers will always have something to talk about! I walked back to the hotel with a big smile on my face!

Oh, Karen! It was wonderful meeting you! I had so much fun. I'm so glad we all were able to get together! Glad you had a good time too!

But, but, where are the pictures?!!

Yeah, I thought about pictures when I was getting back in my car for the ride home. Bad Mary.

Bad Mary!!

>79 Storeetllr: About the same time I thought of it, too... And we all had our phones out at one point. Dang!

I also thought about photos but it was too late! At least we have our memories ;-)

>80 ronincats: :)
>81 Copperskye: I know! We were having so much fun talking that pics just never entered my mind.
>82 witchyrichy: Yes, sometimes memories are even better than photos. Tho it is nice to document an important event like our meetup!

So, Q2 is over. I read only 22 books in the quarter, which is way below my usual quota. At this rate, I won't even get to 100 books this year.

One thing that was interesting is that quite a few of them were nonfiction, and two of those ended up on my favorites for the quarter. The other two were fantasy, which is my favorite genre. Here are my Q2 favorites (not in any particular order):

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. 4.5 stars. Audio. Nonfiction/Anthropology/Philosophy.
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemison. 4.5 stars. Fantasy.
Slade House by David Mitchell. 4.5 stars. Creepy fantasy.
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. 4.5 stars. Audio. History/Humor

Thanks, Paul.

I'm reading the latest Easy Rawlins mystery, Charcoal Joe, and it's interesting that the way black people were treated in the late 1960s and the way they are treated today has not much changed. Easy Rawlins is a strong black man, courageous and smart, but he feels unease and often downright fear when confronted by police for doing nothing but walking or driving down a street or sitting down to order a sandwich and a bowl of chicken noodle soup at a coffee shop in a "white" neighborhood.

>85 Storeetllr: Timely read tonight, Mary. It's all so sad.

I loved Slade House, too, and Assassination Vacation was great. I read it and then listened to the audio. I loved Vowell's reading of it.

Glad to see you are able to get some reading in!

It is, Jo. Timely and sad. And now Dallas, which reminds me of Little Scarlet, 9th in the Easy Rawlins series, which is set during the Watts riots, and that reminds me of the riots on the west side of Chicago in '68 after Dr. King was assassinated. I was there - in Chicago - and living on the southwest side at the time. So much racism, hatred, fear, all begetting violence. Scary then. Scary now. Thank you for your recommendation of Assassination Vacation! I tried to read it once but couldn't get into it, but then you said to try it again, that it was really good. I took you at your word and have since enjoyed a number of Vowell's books, finally getting back to that one.

Thanks, Roni. Reading (and coloring in my stress-releasing adult coloring books) seem to be the only things I can do these days that help me relax. :) BTW, finished Ghost Ship and loved it! Dragon Ship is waiting for me at the library. So glad I listened to you about the Liaden series!

Just learned that Etched in Bone, the 5th in the really addictive (no pun intended) series of The Others by Anne Bishop, is coming out - NEXT MARCH. Waaaah. I don't want to have to wait that long!

Well, I'll just have to reread the series starting in January to be all up to date when the new novel comes out.

Hey, I'm headed to Denver on July 25, will be available for a meetup that day or the 26th/27th. Wanna try to get together?

Oh, that would be great, Jim! I may have something on July 26, but how about I try to put something together for the evening of the 25th or 27th? I'll PM you.

Dear Mary, I am all caught up, I think. Why didn't we take pictures when we met up with Karen? Too involved in connecting I guess- and that's what it's all about! Take care. Let me know what you and Jim decide- I might join you if that's okay.

Oh, yes, Anne! Definitely! I'll find out where Jim's staying and figure out where to meet. Hope it's a little closer to me than usual. (I have to work both days out in Elizabeth, so driving across town after driving to & from Elizabeth would be a bit more than I think I could handle.)

>93 Storeetllr: *quietly whispers* Sahara...... (I was just there yesterday-yum!)

Have a great time you guys!

I get in about 2 on the 25th, so I'm happy to go anywhere in the Denver area to meet - just send an address and I'll follow the phone map!

>94 Copperskye: Yes! I love that place. Only problem, no bookstores (that I know of) nearby.

>95 drneutron: Great! I PMd you and will send address as soon as I get a consensus of those who will be meeting up with us.

So, I brought home a new bird today for a "weekend" sleepover (I'm off on Thurs. & Fri.) just to see how it goes. I met Rosie - a Mexican Red-Head Amazon - about a month ago, and we seemed to hit it off right away. All she wants to do is sit on my shoulder, preen me, and get head skritches. I've been thinking about her a lot and really want to adopt her, but I have to think of how she'll fit in with Nickel and my housemate (sister). Here's a pic of me, Rosie and Nickel that I took today.



Nickel seems okay with Rosie - though she DID try to dive bomb her once since we got home. I just hope they at least learn tolerate each other.

Oh, what an interesting couple of days you are going to have! I think it would be great if the two of them could learn to be companions for each other. And that's a great picture, Mary! (And I responded to your question on my thread.)

Thanks, Roni! Heading on over now.

What a lovely trio! I hope it works out for you three! I wish I could be at the Jim meetup. I will have to time my next visit better.

I was glad to hear you liked Assassination Vacation. I picked that one up along with another Vowell book last time I was in Denver. I may be repeating myself. It is so hot here I can't think. I hear you've had your own summer heat to deal with.

All caught up with you, Mary! Sorry that life has been a bit busier than you would like lately. But it's lovely that you are getting some reading in. I think you should aim for having breakfast outside with Nickel next.

I just recently started the Easy Rawlins series - read and then watched Devil in a Blue Dress and loved it. I have the second book out from the library, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

Hoping life gets a little more fun and a lot less stressful for you very soon.

Lovely picture. Rosie is beautiful (no offence to Nickel! ). Hope the home stay goes well.

>96 Storeetllr: To be honest Mary I have never been overly comfortable with birds of the feathered kind although in my time the de-feathered variety have been invited to sleep over. Now that Hani has the nest well and truly roosted, I will simply look on in admiration and wish you a wonderful weekend.

>99 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. I enjoyed Rosie's stayover, and Rosie seemed content to be here, but Nickel was not pleased to have another bird in her house. She dive-bombed Rosie twice, attacked her once on the ground, and tried to attack her a couple of other times. I was there each time and kept it from getting out of control, but I'm not sure I could handle a jealous bird and the constant vigilance. I did like Assassination Vacation, though I have enjoyed all the Vowell books I've read. I thought Lafayette in the Somewhat United States was really good, as was Partly Cloudy Patriot.

>100 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! Nice to see you. Sorry I haven't been over to your thread much lately. I do try to stop by everyone's threads once a week and see what's going on, but I don't always comment. I'd love to have breakfast with Nickel out on the patio again, but she's fully flighted now and a very strong flyer, so unless I can restrain her somehow, that's off the table. So to speak. Glad you enjoyed Devil in a Blue Dress. I absolutely love the Easy Rawlins series(though I haven't seen the film adaptation of the first one yet--I need to remedy that oversight) and hope you get around to the rest of the books. Some are better than others, but I read them as much for the social commentary as the mystery. And, of course, for the characters.

>101 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! She is a beautiful bird, and it was so hard to leave her at the sanctuary today. But I have some hard thinking to do to decide whether it's going to work with Miss Jealous Nickel.

>102 PaulCranswick: *snerk* Shameless man! Love it! Not everyone is a bird person, but I seem to have an affinity for the feathered kind. I'd also love to have a dog and a cat. I tend to like animals more than most people. It's a failing of mine.

>96 Storeetllr: LOVE that picture of you! Your smile says it all! I've been away from my doggies for a week and it was wonderful to be welcomed home. But, you are smart to think it through.

>103 Storeetllr: And I laughed out loud at your comment about liking animals more than people...that is NOT a failing in my book!

Aw, thanks, Karen! I'm going to try again to see if Nickel and Rosie can't find a way to get along. We'll see.

Had a great meetup tonight with Jim (DrNeutron) and Anne (AMQS)! Jim posted a couple of pics on his thread at http://www.librarything.com/topic/226726#5667193.

I wonder if there is anu truth in the rumour that today is your birthday, Mary?

If so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! xxx

Happy birthday Mary! I hope you have a great day!

I feel for you trying to introduce a new bird to Nickel. Rosie is a cutie and I hope they can work it out. Are there certain methods that are used to introduce birds? Would Nickel maybe be more receptive if they met somewhere besides "her" house?

So glad the meetup worked out, I'm off to check out the photos...

Happy birthday! Glad to hear the meet up went well.

Happy Birthday, Mary! I didn't realize you followed me, the very next day. Hugs, to my pal.

Hooray for a Meet-Up! Glad you met up with Jim, aka The Creator!

Happy Birthday, Mary!! Have a great one.

Best wishes to you today and every day, Mary!

Thanks for the birthday greetings, Paul, Jo, Charlotte, Mark (I hope I wished you happy yesterday; I meant to), Roni, and Anne! Had a perfect day: took the day off work, slept in, had Thai from my favorite place with my sister, and watched Hillary win the nomination. Now off to bed to start my next book, which will be Necessity's Child. Life is good.

You share my daughter's birthday, Mary. I second my FB wish for a Happy Birthday. I'm glad you had somebody take meetup pictures. That food at Sahara looked scrumptious. I'm glad you finally got to meet closer to your house. Too bad about Nickel and Rosie. They looked so cute together.

Glad your birthday was full of happy, Mary! Sorry I missed it. Your meet-up sounds lovely, and the food looks amazing.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, Donna and Mamie!

Not sure yet about taking or not taking Rosie, Donna. I'm that torn. Nickel and I have been together for more than 8 years, and she is and will always be "First Bird," but there's just something about Rosie that makes me want her to live with us. I'll be talking to the head of the shelter tomorrow, and I hope she will give me some guidance on the best course for all of us. And yeah, glad we remembered to take pics of the meetup. We had a really nice waiter who was happy to take our pics. (Jim took the one of the food.) Maybe one of your visits we can do a meetup there.

The meetup was a lot of fun, Mamie. Jim and Anne are both such lovely people, with a lot of interesting things to say! Though we all missed Jo and Donna. And yes, the food was incredible. Best hummus I've ever had, and the lamb! Wish you could come out for a meetup sometime too.

Hi Mary, and a belated Happy Birthday to you. I love the picture you posted at >96 Storeetllr:. My grandson has just got a cockatiel so we are all learning about the care and feeding of them. He's a male bird and he seems to prefer the company of other guys. He hisses at most women so far, I've kept my distance!

>115 Storeetllr: Hummus, Jim and Anne - a splendid troika indeed.

>116 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! Aw, so sweet that your grandson has a cockatiel friend! Be sure to post a pic. Slow and patient approach to him - always with a preferred treat in hand (they love millet sprays; try offering a 1" piece on an open hand, just barely inside the cage) - might work wonders. Eventually. It may take awhile. Sometimes they never warm up, though it's so worth the effort when they do!

BTW, I'll be bringing Rosie home next week. I've been assured that Nickel will learn to tolerate if never befriend her and given advice on how to make that happen.

>117 PaulCranswick: You've got that right, Paul!

Hey, I thought you were going to come to the U.S. at one point - was it last year or this? I hope that plan is just on the back-burner and one of these days we'll have a meetup with you!

Happy Sunday, Mary! Rosie is a cutie! Hope you are enjoying a nice weekend. It is pleasant here for a change. Whew!

I hope you snagged The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. This is just your cuppa.

Thanks, Mark! Glad you had a good weekend! I've been away a few days - busy with work and READING! I've got The Paper Menagerie on my TBR list, and it sounds really good, but am currently buried in books.

Got caught up in the Liaden Universe - have read 3 in just the past 5 days, and am working on another. Plus Angle of Repose on audio, The Dead House, 5th in my current favorite mystery series featuring DS Fiona Griffiths of Cardiff on Kindle. And on the waiting pile from the library is Endurance by Jay Lake, an author that Richard Derus highly recommended, which I now see is the second in a series, so I'll be going to the library to pick up the first, adding yet another book to the pile...sigh. Also Mouse and Dragon, another set in the Liaden Universe, Cast in Fury from another series Roni got me hooked on, and Graveyard of the Hesperides by Lindsey Davis, featuring Falco's daughter Flavia Albia, who has taken up her father's investigator mantle now that he's retired.

Rosie is a cutie and, unless something goes wrong in the next few days, will become a permanent member of my and Nickel's flock.

A lot of excitement around here, between birds and books!

Yes, it sounds like you're buried in books! I picked up Talking to the Dead recently. It sounds just like my cuppa!

I'm also trying to read too many books at once. I love The Last Policeman and The Black Ice. I also happened to pick up Gov Hick's autobiography, The Opposite of Woe, and am finding it to be surprisingly entertaining.

I hope Rosie and Nickel become great friends!

Hi, Jo! Oh! You're in for a treat with Fiona! The Last Policeman trilogy was so good, and of course the Bosch series is one of my longest running favorite mystery series. I can't imagine what I'll do if (when) Michael Connelly ends it.

Huh, I'll have to get Hick's autobiography! I admit to liking him, though Gov. Moonbeam has to be tops in my list of favorite governors. :)

Not sure Nickel is ever going to warm to Rosie (or vice versa), but at least Nickel hasn't been divebombing her this visit. I brought Rosie's cage home today, and she seems to be a lot happier now that she has her own familiar space. Of course, Nickel is VERY interested in Rosie's cage. I took them both to an event at a preschool this morning where they did really well. Rosie just sat on my shoulder, her back to the audience. Nickel was so sweet with the kids, letting them hold her so they could get their pics taken, giving her treats and then giving them "thank you" kisses.

So, I found three Early Review books that I requested this month (as opposed to nothing last month): The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry, apparently a sequel to The Lace Reader which I liked a lot; Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, the story of the African-American women who helped win the space race using slide rules and adding machines(!); and Homeward Bound by Peter Ames Carlin, a biography of one of my favorite singer/songwriters of all time, Paul Simon (Graceland being in my opinion probably the most amazing album ever, though I love all of his work). There were a few more I thought about requesting, but these three are the ones I want most.

It would help my odds, I'm sure, if I reviewed three of the books I've won in the past year months but haven't yet finished. One is a Christmas novelette by Anne Perry, which I requested last November but didn't receive until long after Christmas, and my wish to read it, were long over; one is a magical realism mystery set in India that is well written but which I lost interest in halfway through; and one is a lengthy political-history tome about relations between Arabs and Jews. I was really excited to get it, but then I started working and just don't have the energy to continue - it's easier to read fun light fiction than work at so heavy a book. Also, the text is really small, and my eyes are really tired.

Aww! That must have been fun!

Are birds like dogs at all in that they might start to get along quicker on neutral ground rather than at Nickel's house? I know Nickel is possessive of you, but does he feel the same about his space (beyond his cage)? I know so little about feathered critters.... But yay for no dive bombing! Good boy Nickel!

Never a dull moment.

>123 Storeetllr: Mary, I totally agree with you about this month's Early Reviewer selection. I also didn't request anything last month, and also have three I'd like this month, including the new Margaret Atwood as well as two of yours, Homeword Bound and Hidden Figures. Plus there were a number that have been getting a lot of buzz around LT already, so it's a rich selection overall.

Here's to getting Rosie settled in and keeping Nickel happy. We're doing the same with a new kitten right now--I know how it is!

>124 Copperskye: Yes! You are exactly right, Jo. Birds do learn to get along better if on neutral territory! I was also advised to take them together (in separate cages) for rides in the car, even if only down to the corner and back again - to get them used to doing things together. So far, so good!

>125 ronincats: Hi, Roni - I saw the Atwood and thought about it, but she's hit-and-miss for me so didn't ask for it. As for Rosie and Nickel - they went to work with me today, and now they're sitting (on separate perches) napping. What? They worked hard today! :) Good luck with your new kitten! I'll have to stop by your thread and see if you've posted any pics.

Hope you have been having a great weekend, Mary.

Happy Sunday, Mary! Hope you got some R & R in this weekend. Those current reads treating you well?

Thanks, Paul! Actually, my work week is turned completely around these days. Friday is my Monday and Monday my Friday. It's a bit disconcerting to dread Fridays and look forward to Mondays.

Not a lot of R&R, Mark, but I have gotten a lot of reading done. In fact, I just now finished the latest Fiona Griffiths mystery - The Dead House - and absolutely loved it! It was the best of the series so far, and I think I've mentioned that it's my current favorite mystery/thriller series. I literally felt breathless a couple of times. Still plugging away at Angle of Repose, which is due back to the library in a few days, after which I'll get back to The Paper Menagerie, which has a week or so before I have to return it. So hard when you have too many books to read in a short period of time. Wait, did I just say "too many books?" o_0

Good to hear that the latest Fiona Griffiths is a good one. I have to get back to that series.

I saw that today is your tenth anniversary with LT, Mary. Happy Thingaversary!

Oh! Oh! I totally forgot about my Thingaversary! Thanks, Judy!

Wow. Ten years! Hard to imagine life before LT.

So...what 11 books am I going to buy? *rubs hands together gleefully*

>130 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg! Oh, yes, isn't it good! How far along in the series are you?

Happy Thingaversary, Mary! Looking forward to seeing your haul.

>132 Storeetllr: I have read a grand total of one, Mary. I have four others starring at me from my shelves, though.

>133 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! They are going to be e-books and audiobooks, at least mostly, as I'm trying not to add to the physical books I have on my shelves.

>134 Familyhistorian: I love the first one so much that I actually bought a copy after I read it so I could always have it on hand for when I decide to reread the series. I hope you like the rest as much as I have, though I admit some are better than others.

Ten years! Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Mary! I know - I am late to the party. Can't wait to hear what you treat yourself to!

>129 Storeetllr: Did you call me, Paul? Really?

Happy Friday, Mary! Happy Thingaversary, my friend.

Hi Mary! And Happy Thingaversary! Can't wait to see what you get:) How's it going with Nickel and Rodie?

>129 Storeetllr: >138 msf59: No, of course not! I was responding to Paul's comment just above yours. I learned my lesson the hard way, John.

;)

(Thanks, Mark! Happy Saturday!)

>139 AMQS: Hi, Anne! Nickel and Rosie are still not friends. Not sure they ever will be.

Funny story (and missed video opportunity): I had Nickel in the office yesterday, sitting on a perch next to my desk. My coworker brought in a lively little cockatiel who was flying around, landing on shoulders, heads, and other birds' cages. At one point, little Oswald flew onto Nickel's back and perched there, as if he was riding her like a horse. I never saw such a surprised look on a bird's face before! I told her, "Now you know how Rosie feels." LOL

Happy Thingaversary! I missed my 10th so made sure my 11th in on the calendar!

I love picturing you driving the birds around in the car!

Hi, Karen! Congrats to you on your 10th Thingaversary! It's easy to forget our own special milestones in the frenzy of real life. I thought about my 10th anniversary coming up a month or so ago, then completely forgot about it until reminded. :) I should take a pic of the two birds in their cages in the back seat of my two seater sportscar. LOL They are all snug back there. Rosie sits on her perch with her back to us all, while Nickel holds onto the cage bars and looks out through the space in the bucket seats so she doesn't miss one moment of driving excitement.

Just saw that the ebook version of Spider Woman's Daughter is on sale today for $1.99. It's the first in the continuation of the Leaphorn & Chee Navaho mystery series by Anne Hillerman, the original author's daughter, and I thought it was pretty good. The second in the continuation wasn't quite as good, but I'm hoping the next is better. Anyway, here's the link to the Kindle version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BATNMLO/ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=bookperk-20

Thinking of poetry after visiting Mark's thread and seeing comments by him and Joe. I realize I don't read enough poetry these days, maybe because, unlike most novels, it's not something you can race through if you want to get the most out of it. Anyway, thinking back to my 20s when I was a romantic and seemed to have more time to savor. My then-husband gave me a collected works of "Great Poetry." One of my favorites, which still makes me a bit weepy:

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
E. E. Cummings, 1894 - 1962

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me,i and
my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility:whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

From Complete Poems: 1904-1962 by E. E. Cummings

One of my favorite authors on one of my favorite novels. And astronomy.

http://marydoriarussell.net/2016/08/26/proxima-b-a-real-rakhat/

>140 Storeetllr: Lol! Poor Nickel. :)

I have to get to The Sparrow one of these days!

Hope all is well! Have a great week!

Hey, lady, long time, no talk. I love reading about Rosie and Nickel learning to get along. And I'm going to give the "Cast in..." series another chance. I read Cast in Shadow but wasn't impressed - like you. I'll have to try the next couple (after re-reading the first, it's been awhile.)

Are you still working the part-time job or have you quit and changed to volunteering?

Hi, Jo! The Sparrow is a reread-often book for me. I hope you enjoy it half as much when you get round to reading it. As for Poor Nickel, she gets the same amount of attention she's always got, and she's never been one for sitting on my shoulder nuzzling my neck, which is all Rosie wants to do. She usually wants to climb down and shred the book I'm reading or bite off the keys of my laptop if I'm online. (In other words, a very active bird.) Rosie, on the other hand, thinks there's nothing better than just sitting on my shoulder. I call her my little couch potato. We're supposed to take a drive up to see some fall color, which is supposedly at its peak this week.

Hi, Morphy! It has been a long time! How have you been doing? I'm still working part-time, which is as strenuous as my full-time job used to be, or so it seems. I do mean to go back to volunteering 1-2 days a week but haven't done it yet. I have just changed from 4 days at the office to 3 and 1 working at home. That should make it easier, but who knows. One of the problems is the managing style of the boss. I've had plenty too many hypercritical, under-appreciative, can't-see-my-own-mistakes-but-have-microscopic-vision-when-it-comes-to-yours bosses in my long career, and in retirement don't want to have to deal with another one. But I do love working for the birds! I had mixed feelings about the Cast In books, and often I'd get annoyed halfway through because of the repetition or how stupid one or another of the characters was acting or the plot holes or the obfuscation of the author as to what was going on and considered just stopping reading but when I finished I'd be happy I did. Then, after I'd read 4 or 5 of the books, I felt compelled to finish the series and see what happened next. There was some growth of the main character, but not enough, and the same old tropes kept coming up, so I hope the next book, which hasn't been published yet, shows some real change and also loses some of the irritating personality tics of some of the characters.

>147 Storeetllr: Perhaps if I read the Cast in... books farther apart the annoyances won't be so noticeable?

If it's just the birds keeping you there, what's preventing you from changing to volunteering only?

>148 Morphidae: They are short-staffed just now, so I agreed to try the 3-days a week in the office for awhile, see how it works out. Also, it's really nice to have a few extra dollars to spend on, like, a new pair of shoes or a nice dinner out once in awhile.

Not sure that spacing out the Elantra books would work, but it's worth a try. I found the annoyance factor varied a lot from book to book, though it could have been my mood. Anyway, I read the 1st through the 3rd books in quick succession, then waited a month before starting book 4. Books 1 and 2 annoyed me, but I liked books 3 and 4 more.

>149 Storeetllr: *whispers* ... and books...

Haha, that goes without saying! I'd sooner skip lunch than books. :)

So, my sis and I drove up to see the aspens yesterday. We went from Georgetown over the Guanella Pass to 285 and west to Como, a colorful "ghost" town settled by Italian railroad workers back in the late 1800s. Then back along 285 to Denver. Here's one striking image I took along the way:



Here are images of a few of the building in Como.




(The First Catholic Church of Como, 1882)




(Tre Colore)

Oh, how I miss the Aspen! Thank you for posting that gorgeous photo. I'm glad you have a snuggly bird in Rosie. Now you can have Nickel entertain you and get some Rosie cuddles at the same time. I've missed your posts, Mary, but know you are super busy!

Beautiful photos, Mary! The colors are all so vibrant. I love that drive over Guanella - it's one of my very favorites. The Boreas Pass Road, from Como to Breckenridge, is a great drive, too (unpaved, but well graded).

Beautiful trees - thanks for sharing those.

Love the aspens pic.

Hi, Donna! Glad you like the pic. Aspens in the autumn are one of the best things about Colorado! Yeah, Rosie's quite the cuddler. Almost like having a cat. lol I've been trying to get on LT more but keep falling short. Soon...

Thanks, Jo. It was my first drive over Guanella Pass but def. not my last! If there isn't a bad storm between now and next Tuesday, I may just drive up there again next week.

Thanks, Charlotte! So glad you enjoyed the aspens pic.

Thanks, Morphy! I was thinking of Ansel Adams when I took it - hoping to capture even a tiny smidgen of the magic of his photograph of aspens.


Aspens, Northern New Mexico by Ansel Adams, 1958

Loving all the photos here, Mary! Gorgeous! Sorry to hear that you are still so busy - hoping life slows down for you soon. Happy Friday to you, my friend.

Hi, Mamie! Thanks. Glad you like them. Little beats autumn in the Rockies, though I heard there's been a dusting of snow on the western slopes today. Waaah! So not ready for that! I'm looking forward to more time to spend on LT. Soon...or so I keep promising myself. Happy weekend!

Hi Mary, what gorgeous pictures! I love the aspens at this time of the year, seeing that pictures makes me want to jump in the car and head to the mountains!

Hi Mary! Your pictures of the aspens and the ghost town are beautiful. Looks like you had a great time. And a great big BOO to snow!

>151 Storeetllr: What striking colored buildings. Many thanks for spreading cheer. It sounds like your trip with your sister was marvelous.

Happy Sunday, Mary. I LOVE the Como photos. Simply gorgeous. I hope you are doing well. I miss seeing you around. Sad face...

>159 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Glad you like the pics. My sis and I were talking about going back up to the mountains today for another round of leaf-peeping, but we got a late start so not going to happen. :(

>160 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! Yes, it was a lovely day, very refreshing to get out of the city and into the beauty of nature. Hard not to boo when snow is arriving much too soon.

>161 Whisper1: Aren't those colorful buildings fun, Linda! Glad you were cheered by them too. So many cool places around Colorado - I don't get out to see nearly enough of them.

>162 msf59: Thanks, Mark. So glad you like the Como photos! When you come out to visit Colorado (soon I hope), maybe we could do a meetup there. LOL

So, last day of September, and last day of the Third Quarter of 2016. I don't think I'll be finishing another book before midnight, so...

I finished my 100th book this month!

Here are the books I read in Q3 that I enjoyed the most:

The Dead House by Harry Bingham. 5 stars. Mystery
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. 4.75 stars. Scifi/Thriller
The Paper Menagerie by Ken Lie. 4.5 stars. Audio. Specfi/Scifi Short Stories.
The Sarantine Mosiac by Guy Gavriel Kay. 4.5 stars. Both novels in the fantasy duology
The Crystal Variation by Sharon Lee. 4.5 stars. Both novels in the scifi duology
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. 4.5 stars. Audio. Oscar Wilde. What more does one need to say?

>151 Storeetllr: Love the photos. My husband and I escaped to the mountains in Virginia for a few days and it was wonderful be out in nature.

Congratulations on finishing your 100th book!

Mostly stopping by to say happy weekend. I've been busy and neglecting Library Thing. Doesn't mean I'm not thinking of you.

Well done on 100 books already, Mary.

Have a splendid Sunday.

>164 Storeetllr: Congrats on finishing 100!

Congrats on 100! I'm not there yet.

Go Mary! Congratulations on reading 100 books! I may get there next year! :)

Congrats on 100 books read. Hoping to get my hands on Dark Matter soonish.

Thanks Karen, Paul, Lori, Roni, Jo and Charlotte for your kind words on my hitting my 100th book of the year.

>165 witchyrichy: Hey, Karen! Nice of you to drop by! Isn't it great to take a break from humdrum and get into nature for a day! I've been busy and neglectful of my LT friends too. It's been a rough year, but I hope to get back on track soon, since I can't drive into work when it snows, and they aren't going to want me to work from home all the time. So this is a perfect time to give my notice as soon as I can get around to it.

>170 charl08: I really enjoyed Dark Matter, Charlotte! Mark recommended it, and I'm so glad he did! Hope you enjoy it when you get around to it!

Dear Boss,

I'm giving my two weeks notice because snow.

Love & Kisses,
Sun Worshipper

Hahahaha! Yes, that should work perfectly!

>171 Storeetllr: Not sure I could deal with a Colorado winter! I would be happy if we finally got autumn here. It's been in the mid-80s for the last two days!

My work has been crazy with travel but I'm back from last trip for at least a few weeks and am looking forward to some reading time. Bought lots of books it seems in September...hmmm, should I read them or some of the ROOTS?

I can deal with a Kuala Lumpur winter easily because there isn't one. Does get a tad tiresome though.

Have a lovely weekend, Mary.

Beautiful colour photos up thread, Mary. Snow already? Looking at the colourful leaves beats snow and cold IMO but then, I'm not a skier.

Not really resignations - they always say it is not about the money but more often than not in KL it is! - but excuses for not being in work. One of the ones used to be attending a funeral for so and so. Malaysian firms, believe it or not, often request a copy of the Death Certificate to justify paid leave! There was an instance where one employee (not mine I hasten to add) was sacked for forging the Certificate!

>174 witchyrichy: Haha, Karen. I'm definitely not a snowbird. I'm happiest when the weather's hot, even if it leaches all the energy from me.

>175 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! The idea o endless summer is quite appealing to me these days.

>176 Familyhistorian: Thanks! No snow yet down here on the Front Range, thank goodnes, though I heard Arapahoe Basin's open already - only one lift running, but it's still October! We could use some rain, though. We're heading into a drought if we don't get something soon.

>177 PaulCranswick: Hey, Paul - Sounds dire! Although I worked for a place once that required a doctor's note if you were absent due to sickness for more than a couple of days and another that wanted advance notice if you were going to call out sick. SO happy I'm retired and don't have to put up with that kind of crap any more.

Speaking of which, I gave my notice yesterday so will only be volunteering after October 31. What a relief! I'll miss the extra spending money, but it wasn't enough to tempt me to stay. Thanks to Morphy for the encouragement!

Hi Mary, I'm just passing through. We just got back from a short road trip and now I really feel that winter is coming as we experienced snow on the side of the road as we were driving through the mountains close to Whistler, B.C. I have my fingers crossed that the snow stays in the mountains and doesn't come down here by the seaside!

Woo hoo! Hopefully that means we will be able to see more of you around here, Mary!

I don't know that I gave all that much encouragement, but you're welcome!

Look at you giving your notice - good for you, Mary! And congrats on reaching 100 books read! Hoping that the week is being kind to you.

I'm working with a school in North Dakota and they have already had snow!

I'm just happy to be able to open the windows at night.

>178 Storeetllr: Good for you, Mary! No sense putting up with work bs when you don't have to.

>183 witchyrichy: it's so weirdly warm here....we took the dog swimming today. It was 80 degrees. The weather is really perfect.

It's been unseasonably warm here in Missouri. We haven't even had a frost yet! The trees are just now getting their fall color. It is supposed to be 83 degrees tomorrow for the trick-or-treaters!

Congrats on reaching 100 books, Mary…and also on giving notice. You will have just as much fun volunterring and can set your own hours. Think of all the gas money you'll save. And now you might be able to squeeze in a meetup with me whenever I make it out your way again. Hope and family were just here for a week!

Checking in. :(

1st time I've been online since Tuesday night. I just can't.

Yeah, I know.

((Hugs))

Hi, all, and thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented but who didn't get a personal reply from me. I've been a bit under the weather lately, but please know that I appreciate your visits so much!

I like mysteries, and a couple of years ago discovered a series that was new to me. Talking to the Dead is the first in the Fiona Griffiths series, and I loved it! It's set in Wales, featuring a female protagonist with a different take on things, and so far I've enjoyed all five books in the series very much. Anyway, the author - Harry Bingham - is offering ebook downloads of the first 3 novels in the series for free. http://dl.bookfunnel.com/d3v4bxy1iy

Howdy, Mary! I hope you are feeling better soon — being sick is no fun especially when the weather turns cold. Thanks for the tip on the Harry Bingham series. I've downloaded the free books to my Kobo, and I'm looking forward to checking them out. I always joke that the last thing I ever need is the recommendation of a new series, but the truth is I'm a sucker for them and I have found some very good ones through LT in the past year or so.

Thanks, Julia. My "under the weather" feeling is more mental and emotional than physical, though my body has been affected. Mostly inability to sleep, disinterest in food, slight nausea, exhaustion. It's getting better, most of the time.

I hope you enjoy the Fiona Griffiths mysteries. The protagonist is just distinctive enough to make her really interesting without causing me to roll my eyes like I do at some authorial over-the-top reaching for "something different," and I love the setting of Wales. A refreshing change. Anyway, new series can be both pleasure and bane of my existence too. LT can be a dangerous place. :)

I know there's only a little over a month to go in 2016, but I made a new thread anyway. Hope you'll come by to say hi.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/240815