lkernagh (Lori)'s 2016 Journey of Books, Food, Crafts and Walking - Part 4

Remember this picture from the previous thread? Well, here is a similar shot (taken by another photographer) in the summer months:



... for those of you wondering, yes, the water is darn cold, even on a hot summer day! Brrrrr! ;-)

Hello Everyone! 2016 will be my fifth year as part of the 75 group. This will be another fun-filled year of reading, cooking/baking and crafting. It will also include my on-going personal walking challenge to walk, in three calendar years, the distance it would take for me to walk across Canada. If you don't want to follow my walking journey, don't worry. Those posts will be easily identifiable. ;-)

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

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

"Luck 'O the Irish" Race

My 2016 Category Challenge (Steps theme):

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

My 2016 Category Challenge discussion thread can be found here.

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

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

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

1. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 1 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -
2. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 2 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -
3. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 3 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -
4. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 4 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

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

Books Read:

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

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

March
AAC - At Paradise Gate by Jane Smiley -
BAC - There but for the by Ali Smith -
CAC - Tell It to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami -

April
AAC - Double Shadow by Carl Phillips -
BAC - Silas Marner by George Eliot -

May
AAC - This House of Sky by Ivan Doig -

Books Read:

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

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

Books Read:

March
15. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly -
16. Afterimage by Helen Humphreys -
17. Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers by Dominic Selwood -
18. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch -
19. At Paradise Gate by Jane Smiley -
20. There but for the by Ali Smith -
21. St. Peter's Bones: How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found . . . and Then Lost and Found Again by Thomas J. Craughwell -
22. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 1 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -
23. Tell It to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami -
24. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 2 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -

April

25. The Curious Profession of Dr. Craven by R. Harrison -
26. Racism Explained to My Daughter by Tahar Ben Jelloun -
27. Silas Marner by George Eliot -
28. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides -
29. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 3 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -
30. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden -
31. Double Shadow by Carl Phillips -
32. O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton -

Books Read:

May
33. This House of Sky by Ivan Doig -
34. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller -
35. Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz -
36. The Woman in White by Wilki Collins -
37. The Falconer by Elizabeth May -
38. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver -
39. Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 4 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson -
40. Wicked by Gregory Maguire -

June

Next one's yours! Welcome to my 2016 thread - Part 4, which is now open for business!

Happy New Thread, Lori! Love the summer topper! Yes, I am yearning for warm weather.

Lovely new thread, Lori!

Happy new thread, Lori! I must get back to Lake Louise at some point. So spectacularly beautiful.

Happy New Thread, Lori! Like Nancy says, I must also get back to Lake Louse as some point. So beautiful!

Happy new thread, Lori! I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

Happy new thread, Lori. Great winter/summer shots as thread toppers - I prefer the summer view, myself.

Happy new thread, Lori!

*Waves* Hi Lori!

Happy new thread, Lori!!

Happy new thread, Lori! Those thread topper photos are stunning in their contrast.

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

Happy new thread!

And happy new thread from me too!

OMG! They're walking on a lake! That picture is full of awesomeness! Happy New Thread, Lori!

Happy New Thread, Lori!

Beautiful photos up top. Hope you have a great weekend.

Happy new thread.

Another gorgeous image - not sure I'd dare try to swim with the snow still on the hills...

Happy new thread :) Love the top pictures!

Happy New Thread, Lori!

Happy new thread, Lori! Lovely photos, of both seasons!

Awe... thank you for all of the "New Thread" wishes Mark, Roni, Nancy, Deb, Micky, Meg, Heather, Stephen, Amber, Mamie, Barbara, Rhonda, Jennifer, Lynda, Joe, Charlotte, Melissa, Darryl and Terri!

>9 msf59: - I hear you on the yearning for warm weather, Mark!

>11 lit_chick: & >12 vancouverdeb: - Louise continues to revive my love for the great outdoors, Nancy and Deb. So wonderful to get away from the hustle and bustle of the crazy, technology driven world we live in and just go "Wow" at nature. A great place to bring life back into perspective. ;-)

>13 MickyFine: - The weekend has been fabulous so far, Micky. Still trying to adjust to being 'back at work' and the idea of cramming all I want to get done in two short days (before having to head back to the office) really makes me wonder why we tie ourselves to this grind... oh, because of the paycheck. That's right. Darn. ;-)

>14 Familyhistorian: - Summer does seem to be the preferred option(since we are allowing options). ;-) I must admit that the majority of my time at Lake Louise to date has been in the summer months. I do love snow (and miss it!) but I can appreciate that summer gets the larger percentage of votes. ;-)

>16 Ape: - Hi Stephen! *Waves*. Sorry, the previous thread got a little image-heavy. Glad to see you stopping by the currently 'easier to load' thread. ;-)

>18 Crazymamie: - You nailed the description of Canada with your statement "stunning in their contrast". That is pretty much what Canada is - a study in contrasts... something we Canadians have learned to accept because, quite frankly, if we didn't we would be one very messed up country, let me tell you!

>19 Ameise1: - I hope you have also been having a happy weekend, Barbara!

>22 Carmenere: - LOL! That is the fun of going to Lake Louise in the winter/early spring months - the water is so darn cold that the ice layer is thick enough to safely walk on. That being said, last month was the first time I have ever been to Lake Louise at that time of year. Walking on the lake is a rather surreal moment, especially when you encounter the odd boot gouge where some has tested the ice with some solid heel kicks.

>23 jnwelch: - I love photos that show the passing of seasons from more or less the same vantage point. Glad everyone else has been enjoying the pics!

>24 charl08: - Smart idea on your part Charlotte, especially as the lake is feed from that snow pack. ;-) The elevation of Lake Louise is roughly 1,600 meters / 5,200 feet. It never really gets 'balmy' at those heights, but it is darn pretty.

>25 Kassilem: & >27 tymfos: - Glad you enjoyed the photos!

Today started off waking up to fog horns. I thought, "Seriously, fog horns?" Looked out the window and saw the perfect London pea soup fog morning. Wasn't expecting that, but it only lasted until mid-morning and then the sun came out in full force.

I am still adjusting to recent (April 1) changes to local transit. They have done away with 90-minute transfers so if you know that at any point in time during that day you will be taking more than one bus, you now pay a double fare upfront and get a 'day pass' from the driver. Given the amount of walking to and from work that I do - and the fact that if I do take transit either to or from work it involves two buses - I was a little concerned at first about this policy change to do away with bus transfers. Now that we have been operating under this new system for almost a week, I am starting to really like this new 'day pass' system. My favorite part about this change: It is easier to 'pay it forward' use of the transit system to other riders. For example, I knew I had a lot of running around to do today so I bought a day pass first thing this morning. When I was finished at 4:30, I placed my still valid day pass in a slot in our building's elevator. I knew at 5:00 that someone had picked up the pass and it makes me feel good to know that not only did I get my money' worth out of the day pass, but someone else is now able to enjoy the surprise benefit of use of the pass this evening. That is a really good feeling to have.

On the Reading Front:



Clarissa Harlowe - vol 3(of 9) by Samuel Robertson - Yes, I admit to being completely sucked into this drama. Almost halfway through vol 3 and now that we are being exposed to a lot of the Lovelace letters, it just becomes that more convoluted an intrigue.
Silas Marner by George Eliot (for the BAC) - Passed the halfway mark in the audiobook version, and while Eliot's writing (or the reader's narration) gives this story a rather muted tone to it, still some interesting stuff going on (especially the character assassinations that seem to fly off the pages).
Double Shadow: Poems by Carl Phillips (for the AAC - Poetry Month) - Just started so no comments so far.
River Thieves by Michael Crummey (for the CAC) - On deck and plan to start tomorrow.

That is a really good feeling to have. Indeed! I like the sound of the new transit pass, Lori.

>31 lkernagh: Nice, Lori! And here we have the Compass Cards and fare gates going into effect. I don't take transit very often, but I sure hope the "fare gates don't all lock up like they did last week , for 20 minutes, capturing people inside and outside the fare gates . Not such a safe idea for those on the inside , in an emergency. I hope it all works out.

>34 vancouverdeb: Ha! That reminds me of this wonderful old song about Charlie and the MTA about a guy who gets stuck on the trolley here in Boston!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.T.A._(song)

Happy new thread. Lori.

What a splendid opening shot. xx

Great work, Lori! You're putting me to shame with Clarissa! But I'm encouraged that the story gets that good.

>35 michigantrumpet: Ha! I remember that song!

"Did he ever return?
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn'd
He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned."

Happy new thread, Lori.

>33 lit_chick: - I was mentioning over on my category challenge thread how much this reminds me of my time - way back in the mid-1990's - when I lived for a short time in metro Vancouver. At that time, people would share their transit tickets after getting off the Sky train to enable another user to make use of the still valid ticket. Nice to be able to bring that kind of tradition back. ;-)

>34 vancouverdeb: - I have been reading about the Compass Cards and I have to admit, they confuse me a bit. Are they supposed to be a "recharge" type of card in that you can add money to cover your use of the card (kind of like a Starbucks cofee card?) Is this because there are multiple zones with multiple fares? If that is the case, this kind of system was in place in Singapore back in the early 1990's and you have no idea the number of people who would pass through the fare gates, even though the gate warnings were stating that the card inserted did not cover the fare for the distance traveled. I have no idea if they have fixed that system since then but the idea that the gates could "lock up" and trap people on both sides of the gates is a very disturbing. I think TransLink needs to go back to the drawing board on that one. Calgary has a rapid transit system but it operates on the honor system (i.e., you run the risk of a transit cop catching you on the train and fining you if you do not have a valid ticket). I prefer that system and it seems to work well in Calgary (the day I took the transit, I was checked twice for a ticket) and it has the added bonus of employing more people (something we seriously need).

>35 michigantrumpet: - I know that song! Happy to see you popping in for a visit, Marianne!

>36 PaulCranswick: - Thanks Paul!

>37 kac522: - Clarissa is really starting to draw me in! Glad to see you also remember the "Charlie and the MTA" song!

>38 BLBera: - Thanks Beth!

Happy Sunday! It has been a wonderful day. Puttered around a bit with my plants - re-potting a house plant (more on that to follow), started a new batch of Spinach, Chervil and Summer Savory from seed and re-potted a Basil plant I purchased this afternoon (Basil continues to be one of the plants I just cannot seem to grow from seed).

The house plant is a Calathea. The history of this plant is a story of struggle and battle against odds in that this plant has been brought back from the brink of death not once but 4X by my other half. For those of you wondering at this statement given my herb garden, yes I kill houseplants on a regular basis. Poor little trooper was lucky to have my other half intervene each time the plant was on its last legs. At one point (3 years ago) the plant consisted of one limp leaf. Seriously. I am a poor plant mom. I have gotten much better at tending to both outside and inside plants in the last three years. Today was a bit of a celebration in that the Calathea has finally grown (under my more recent care, thank you very much) to the point where it needed to be transplanted into a bigger 9-inch pot. Here are the before and after shots of the Calathea plant:



I still need to find a new ceramic pot for the larger sized plant to fit into. For now, the basic green planter pots (that enable me to water it from the bottom) will suffice without the fancy 'housing'. This plant represents more than just my ability to learn how not to kill a house plant. It shows that anyone can learn how to care for a plant - even a brown thumb like me. ;-)

^ it lives! it lives!
Well done :)

I'm not familiar with a calthea plant, Lori, but it is lovely looking! Well done, you and your other half!

>42 LovingLit: and >43 lit_chick: - Thanks Megan and Nancy! The plant is determined to survive - against all of my unwanted attentions - so we cal it a resounding success. ;-0

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


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







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

UPDATE: WEEK 39
Kilometers walked these weeks: 49
Kilometers walked in total: 1,733.75
Current province: (SK)
My current location on the map: Just west of Swift Current.
Points of interest along the way: Back on track with my daily walking - more or less - and looking forward to seeing more progress in the coming weeks. This last week of walking saw me pass by the communities of Gull Lake, Antelope, Webb and Beverly. Swift Current, with a population of 15,000 may seem small to some folk, but after the sparsely populated farm land community, 15,000 is a rolling metropolis. ;-) I shouldn't be so cheeky.... Swift Current has a wonderful history to it and is home to Saskatchewan's oldest operating theatre (originally built in 1912 as a vaudeville theatre). Open Stage night - for all aspiring musical artists to showcase their talent - is on April 14th. ;-)

>41 lkernagh: Impressive stuff!

I have been potting out more tiny pepper plants and beans into bigger pots (that I planted in the pepper pots, only to find that the peppers were just taking their time about growing).

>46 charl08: - Thanks Charlotte! Good job with your pepper and bean plants! How typical of the pepper plants to decide to grow at their own schedule. ;-)

Book #27 - Silas Marner by George Eliot - audiobook narrated by Rosalyn Landor
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, BAC
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: Made into a Movie
Source: Hoopla
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1861
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 215 pages / 7 hours, 30 minutes of listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.80 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: From the public library catalogue listing:

Silas Marner, a gentle linen weaver, is framed by his best friend for a heinous theft. Exiled from his small community, Marner retreats into bitter and miserly reclusion, caring only for the gold he receives for his work. When his small treasure horde is stolen, Marner feels betrayed by life yet again until one fateful New Year's Eve, an abandoned golden-haired child appears mysteriously on his doorstep. Through his unselfish love for this child, Marner's heart reawakens to spiritual rebirth and true happiness.

Review:
It took me a little bit of time - and concentration - to settle into the story. I found Eliot's writing style to be a bit wordy and probably better suited for reading rather than listening to (especially if you are like me and tend to multi-task while listening to an audiobook!) Silas Marner is one of those classic tales that runs the gambit of tangible loss, disenfranchisement with society and seclusion of sorts until fate one day gently opens the door and presents a possible path towards a new beginning: A life of redemption and the re-discovery of what it means to love (and we don't mean a continuation of love of worldly possessions!) Eliot does a fantastic job playing sociologist, presenting 19th century England with its class structure (via the squire), rural/ small village life and the ever present role of religion and 'village values' in guiding the population through life.

For me, the first 1/3 of the book was pretty much 'ho-hum'. The story started to make its mark on me during the Christmas festivities and that was when I settled in and really was able to enjoy this story for the tale it is.

Yikes -- 48 posts. When did that happen?

Lori, I confess the Compass Cards and how we pay for transit is quite a mystery to me. Transit seems to a body that answers to no - one. My understanding is that there was always the plan to have fare gates, because using the honour system has been losing 5 - 7 million dollars in unpaid fees each year and they are always needing more money to further develop and maintain the transit system. As for the different fare zones, yes, there are least 3 or more in the lower mainland. On a bus in the lower mainland , they have changed it so that there is only one zone, because there was too much trouble " tapping in and out of a bus." The compass has a chip in it- like a visa card. So you can load them up at home via your computer ( don't ask me how ) or you can load them up at a station. The zones are still in place for the " sky train" , the sea bus to North Vancouver and I think that the commuter train out to errr- the Port Moody area is still part of the Compass system.

Yes, the Compass Card is rechargable and one is encouraged to register their card in your name, in case you lose it. I suppose the Great Vancouver area is a fairly large and complex system. Not only are they fare checking people , we have a dedicated transit police force, but even so, they are not able to catch many of the fare cheats.

>39 lkernagh: I have been reading about the Compass Cards and I have to admit, they confuse me a bit.

Lori, have you been to London? The Compass card is similar to their Oyster card (a system that we love for zipping around that city). They're made by the same company. New York has something similar too (although it's been a few years so I don't remember the finer points). Once people get used to it, they won't know why we didn't do this years ago.

Lake Louise! We don't seem to have any books in common so far this year, but you've highly rated a couple that I've quite enjoyed (The Kite Runner and The Lies of Locke Lamora)

>48 lkernagh: Skipped your review because I'm currently reading it, but I see you gave it a pretty good rating!

Nice job not killing you plant. LOL. And glad the day pass is working for you. ; )

Good review of Silas Marner, Lori. I'm glad you ended up enjoying it. I remember it took me a while to get into the swing of it, too, but I ended up liking it a lot.

>49 Nickelini: - LOL and welcome to my 75 group thread, Joyce!

>50 vancouverdeb: - I find the fare gates very interesting, especially as you have mentioned, they are a safety concern if they trap people on the inside when a fire or violent situation is occurring. In my mind, I continue to compare the TranLink situation to the C-train system in Calgary. Both are busy, vibrant metropolis and they have taken very different approaches to transit, keeping in mind that Calgary's rapid transit system operates predominately at ground level and they have deliberately created open platforms that would not be conducive to a 'fare gate' system... in fact, I love that for a number of their train stops, the have more than one exit option for commuters. It is starting to sound more and more like this Compass pass and fare gate system is design to maximize cash revenues, and nothing else, especially since they do have dedicated transit police (just like Calgary). Give it 5 years and people will probably just accept it... which is sad in itself.

>51 Nickelini: - Actually, I have never been to London, but I have heard mention of the Oyster card system on other threads. As you say, once people get used to it, they won't know why we didn't do this years ago, but I am still concerned about the locked fare gate system that could trap people in an unsafe environment. I think I will be staying in "sleepy Victoria" where all we have is a bus system.

>52 evilmoose: - Glad to see we see eye to eye on a couple of my reads so far this year, Megan and yup, Lake Louise! ;-)

>53 ursula: - Now I am looking forward to seeing what you think of Silas Marner!

>54 Berly: - It's these kinds of accomplishments that really deserve those big "High Five" congrats! It is pretty darn easy to kill a house plant - I sure someone could count the various ways and turn it into a book - but it is a bit more tricky and delicate to keep the plant alive, at least that is what I think. ;-)

Here is a picture taken tonight (7 days after transplant):



Look at those perky leaves!

Really loving the day pass. Was super lazy this morning and decided to wear my low heel boots to work so I took the bus this morning, caught the connection, decided to use the bus at lunch time to run some errands and then used the bus again tonight coming home, with a stop at the grocery store on the way. Loving that that I could do all of this (over the course of 10 hours) for only $4.50. I am sold on the day passes. ;-)

>55 jnwelch:- Thanks Joe. It is one of those slow starters but once you settle in, it is a good read!

Yup, it has been one of those busy weeks where I am looking forward to the "down time". A good week, and I am still riding that vacation high (which must be some kind of record since I have been back at work for two weeks now) so no complaints except for being too tired to fit in any reading time. Looking forward to 'trying' to take things easy this weekend. We shall see how that goes. ;-)

>56 lkernagh: The fare gates work well most of the time, Lori and they are like the London system - I have used both. I like my Compass card and have been using one for over a year now as I got a U-pass through college first.

Have a great weekend!

Love the plants, Lori. I sympathize. I'm not a good plant mom, either. Yours looks fabulous now.

I see you're in Sask. I just finished a book set largely there, so, in a way, I walked with you briefly. Etta walked from her home to the east coast...The books was Etta and Otto and Russell and James.

>56 lkernagh: We use a similar "Charlie Card" here in Boston. Not sure what the issue is with your locked fare gates. Here, you need to tap the card to get in , but they open easily without tapping on the way out, using a sensor. I only keep about $20 on mine at any one time, as that's about as much as I'm happy to lose if the card gets misplaced.

The monthly passes also work with the same tapping in method to get onto the subway and bus lines.

Always love to see photos of your plants, Lori. You're becoming quite a green thumb!

>61 michigantrumpet: Here we tap out so that they system knows how much to charge you for your trip (like the London Oyster card). You can register your card so if it gets lost, you're not out anything. I thought I remembered tapping out in NYC too, but not sure. Big cities all over the world use these systems, so the gate thing was just a glitch and they'll work it out. People here like to really freak out about transit issues and blow things out of all proportion. The gates are small, so really, if need be, most people could get themselves over it (or a couple of people could kick them off, in the case of a fire, earthquake or zombie apocalypse). The station that I wouldn't want to be stuck in is Russell Square in London -- it has lifts, but if they're down, you have to use the 171 step enclosed spiral staircase -- a nightmare if you have claustrophobia.

>63 Nickelini: Ooh, zombie apocalypse - that brought strange visions of zombies coming out of the transit gates!

>64 Familyhistorian: My husband and daughters talk about the zombie apocalypse a lot, so it's top of mind. I now have a vision of a filmed-in-Vancouver-but-set-somewhere-in-the-US movie with zombies marauding the Skytrain. Actually, last year, just down the block, I walked through the set of Fear the Walking Dead. And I survived to talk about it.

>59 Familyhistorian: I like my Compass card and have been using one for over a year now as I got a U-pass through college first.

I went to SFU from 2002 - 2010 (slow, but I was raising small kids, attending classes around my husband's work and daycare, house renovations, and working part time). Partway through they brought in the mandatory Upass, which at the time added $96 to my school fees. Every semester, I took transit about once, and I'd always call it my "$96 Skytrain ride". I think there was a semester I took transit thrice, making it $32 a trip. What a great deal!

>66 Nickelini: The U-pass is up to $140 per semester now. I make sure that I take the bus downtown just to use it but I don't think I get my money's worth out of it. It did come in handy while my brother was visiting last weekend as we went downtown a lot.

>63 Nickelini: NYC needs to get a contactless smart card system like the ones in London, Boston, Atlanta and many major cities. It still uses the MetroCard system, in which you have to slide your card through a reader to gain entrance through the turnstiles. The readers don't work all that well, and it's not uncommon that you have to swipe a perfectly valid card two or three times or change to another turnstile to pass through.

The station that I wouldn't want to be stuck in is Russell Square in London

Yep. That's a bad one, but there are plenty of others that only have lifts for the deep tube lines. I did take those circular stairs from the entrance to the platform level at Camden Town station several years ago when one or more of the lifts were out of service. That station only has 96 steps, so it wasn't as bad as Russell Square would have been.

Happy Sunday, Lori.

Hi Lori! I've enjoyed getting caught up here. Is that Lake Louise up top? So beautiful! I have become something of a Canadaphile. Have you done the Flyover Canada exhibit/movie/ride in Vancouver? It is truly an extraordinary country!

I like your pay-it-forward thinking about your transit system. I feel opportunities like that help the world be nicer:)

Happy weekend!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, Lori! We certainly had beautiful weather.

>68 kidzdoc: That's it! Thanks for helping my creaky memory.

Your plant looks amazing in its new pot, Lori! I have a huge Peace Lily that needs transplanting. You have inspired me.

I read Sweetland by Michael Crummey and was very pleased with it. I have also heard Galore is good. I am looking forward to your review of River Thieves. I'm always happy to "discover" a reliable new author.

Great looking house plant there. I have not had good experience with indoor plants - I blame central heating. Hope your post holiday high continues this week.

A whole week has gone by since your excitement about the last weekend, so....

Missed you around this week, Lori.

Hope your weekend will be an exceptional one. xx

Hi, Lori - I had a lovely day in your corner of the world yesterday. My husband and I had a relaxing early lunch at Spinnakers, and then I sold 3 bags of books to Russell Books ($76 in store credit - yea, me!), and then a little shopping trip to the new Red Barn in Oak Bay. I envy you living in Victoria. One of my favourite places.

Hi All. Life if just a tad bit hectic right now, what with a busy work schedule, interesting (and thankfully) minor non-life threatening family health issues that have involved visits to various hospital emergency wards, and a local woodpecker determined to build it's nest in the wall of the building near the bedroom wall have all lead to a revolving door of sleepless nights and an overall building level of crankiness in yours truly. I will try to get back and respond to messages properly when things settle down.

In the meantime, thanks to ebooks and audiobooks I am able to report that I finished volume 3 of Clarissa last weekend, and I am still (technically) a head of the curve for my read of this one based on letter dates. I have also finished what I found to be an engaging audio read of Jeffrey Eugenides Middlesex and currently 2/3 of the way through Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha.

Not much else at this point. Wishing everyone of a lovely week!

>78 lkernagh: Yay for finishing Vol. 3! How 'bout that Lovelace?!

Sounds like you have your hands full with RL issues, Lori. I hope the woodpecker has moved on and you are able to get some sleep.

Hi Lori, that's more excitement than any working person needs in a week! Hope all settles soon.

I didn't like Eugenides' Middlesex for reasons which escape me at the moment. That said, I know it was widely loved. I've read Memoirs of a Geisha, but pre LT, so my memory is hazy; I'm thinking it would make a good audiobook.

I hope that you and yours soon get your health issues sorted out . So exhausting going to various emergency rooms. Like Meg I hope that the woodpecker has moved on. Best wishes!

Sorry that it's been Just One Thing After Another. I must admit that this is the first time I've heard of a woodpecker building a nest in a building. We have woodpeckers, but they are proper woodpeckers and just come to eat the suet and sunflower seeds and don't burden us with attacking our house. I was going to write "Knock on Wood" as a charm against a woodpecker using our house as a nest, but under the circumstances, that may not be appropriate.

>78 lkernagh:, >83 karenmarie: When my husband and I were staying at his mother's house, she had a persistent woodpecker that would wake us up all the time ... after a while it feels like someone is knocking on the inside of your skull.

Oh dear, I hope life goes back to normal soon and the health issues are sorted out. Take care and I wish you nights full of sleep.

We have a woodpecker in our neighborhood, but it keeps its distance, thank heavens. I hope life gets quieter for you soon!

Wishing you a quick resolution to the health issues.

You have my sympathies on the woodpecker front. When I was still living at home there was one woodpecker who would occasionally decide to peck exterior wall of my bedroom. So annoying! I hope all calms down for you in short order. :)

You guys are the best! It has been yet again another busy work week - thankfully, not a hectic one - and I am looking forward to the weekend AND .... the annual booksale! Yes, it is booksale weekend this weekend and I am stoked for it! I won't even try to contain my excitement.

Audiobooks continue to be my reading salvation. I do have reviews - kind of slap-dash affairs - for posting, but first responses to comments posted.

----------------
>59 Familyhistorian: - Fare gates are relatively new to me, Meg, as Calgary's LRT system (the only train system I have extensive experience with) is not designed for fare gates. They have a number of open ground level platforms at numerous locations (with multiple entry/exit points) and they continue to allow traffic within the downtown corridor to be "fare free", but I am glad to see that the fare gates work well most of the time. I read somewhere that the fare gates are at the wrong height for certain handicapped travellers, so hopefully they will address that issue.

>60 BLBera: - Thanks Beth! I have slowly become a better plant "mom" and my recent success with the Calathea plant as encouraged me to purchase more house plants. Meet the Calathea's new buddy, the Kalanchoe:



Oh... I must see which Sask-based book you finished reading. Sounds like a goodie!

>61 michigantrumpet: - Love the name "Charlie Card", Marianne! Sounds like Boston has a system without too many wrinkles... I am guessing the Vancouver system is going through the usual "teething" phase of any new system. Thankfully I don't live in Vancouver because their bus drivers (not the Sky Train drivers) have just voted 98% in favour of a strike. I see some potential traffic congestion issues in the near future if the strike goes into effect.

>62 lit_chick: - Thanks Nancy! Having never been a green thumb, I do feel rather proud of my very small accomplishments to keep the plants I have alive. I have my fingers crossed that Kalanchoe (see pic above) if forgiving of my rather haphazard plant maintenance. :-)

>63 Nickelini: - Good information to know Joyce!

>64 Familyhistorian: - zombie apocalypse - that phrase made me think of my read of Boneshaker. Don't scare me like that!

>65 Nickelini: - *Nods head in agreement*

>66 Nickelini: - Every semester, I took transit about once, and I'd always call it my "$96 Skytrain ride". I think there was a semester I took transit thrice, making it $32 a trip. OUCH!

>66 Nickelini: and >67 Familyhistorian: - I am curious.... what is the current cost for a day pass? I am assuming one can still purchase day passes. Here in Victoria, with the removal of transit passes, one can only buy a day pass from the driver. Now I have learned that Shoppers Drug Mart will no longer be selling bus passes of any kind (day, books of 10 of monthly passes) because they no longer sell them on the Lower Mainland. Curious to learn more about that shift, and if what I have been told is true.

>68 kidzdoc: - Good information about NYC, Darryl!

>69 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara!

>70 AMQS: - Hi Anne, yes that is Lake Louise in the thread topper pics. I love Lake Louise... such a beautiful part of the Rockies. So happy to see you have become a Canadaphile! NO, I have not done the Flyover Canada exhibit... I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't even know about it until you mentioned it. Even though our day passes state that they are "non transferable" there is no way that anyone would know if the pass was being used by more than one person over the course of the day - which makes them ideal for a 'pay it forward' process. If and when they embed transit tokens/passes with a GPS or other form of tracking that can identify the purchaser, I will be making plans to move to a remote island that is 'off the grid'. ;-)

>71 vancouverdeb: - Thanks Deb! I seem to remember some wonderful spring-like weather but my days are a bit of a blur these days.

>72 Nickelini: - LOL!

>73 Donna828: - Thanks Donna! Wow.... I just did a Google search for peace lily and ... wow.... what a beautiful plant! I am pretty sure I would 'kill it with kindness' in no time flat. Good luck with the transplant! My rule of thumb is to only go up 1 pot size (increase of 1-2" in diameter) of the previous pot. I have to admit that I have made zero progress on my read of River Thieves. If I could locate an audiobook version, I would probably already be finished. Oh well... it is near the top of my physical books reading list, even if it means I fall behind with my CAC reading.

>74 charl08: - Thanks Charlotte! Indoor plants are more of a challenge - I find - than outdoor plants. Very tricky. Here is hoping I don't kill the new friend for the Calathea.... that would be really sad. I hope to find some time to check how your garden is doing.

>75 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen, I hate to say this but it has taken all week to recover from the stupidity of last weekend. As my other half was heading out the door and dropping a kiss on my check I reminded him that if he gets injured tonight, his buddies have to take him to the hospital. I think reality has set in for them and they won't get up to any stupid antics this evening.

Love the someecard! Mmmmm.... chocolate.

>76 PaulCranswick: - Hi Paul... crazy week has spilled into crazy week(s) but overall, things are good. Thanks for checking in!

>77 Nickelini: - You were here! How lovely! I have checked out the new Red Barn Market in Oak Bay and while the produce section seems a bit sparse, I do love their meat department! They did a good job deciding on what th focus on given the smallish storefront space they have to work with. I wish they sucess in their Oak Bay location. I know, I realy shouldn't complain about where I live. It is quite a gem of a location. ;-)

>79 ursula: - Seriously... I don't know quite what to think about Lovelace. One minute, he is 'the rake' personified and then it is as if he suddenly, and with no warning, developed the occasional "conscience". Maybe this is just me grasping at tidbits of guilt and looking for more. It has caught my attention, that is for sure.

>80 Familyhistorian: - Good old "Woody" hasn't moved on as yet but we are looking into possible avenues that will convince our persistent friend that he should be seeking other accommodations. At least the sleep has been a bit better... that or I am adjusting to less than 6 hours of sleep as a daily norm.

>81 lit_chick: - I agree with you, Nancy. A working person really doesn't need the level of excitement I have been experiencing lately. Fingers crossed things will now settle down. I found both Middlesex and Memoir of a Geisha to be wonderful audiobook reads, for different reasons. I can see where Middlesex wouldn't appeal to all readers. I find that Pulitzer Prize winners have a certain quality about their writing that probably wouldn't appeal to all readers - they seem more focused on providing that broad sweeping epic feel to the story and then throw in a curve ball. With the right reader, Memoirs of a Geisha can be a captivating read as a lot of the story is focused on one character's experiences.

>82 vancouverdeb: - Thanks Deb and LOL, between my other half and my mother, health issues will probably continue to be a family concern for some time to come. I will admit to teasing my other half the other day that he has a new job I don't know about - emergency hospital observer.

>83 karenmarie: - I have to admit Karen that if it hadn't been for a woodpecker trying the same darn thing this time last year, I would also have wondered at the idea of a woodpecker building a nest in a building. I think the cedar siding may have something to do with it, considering we don't lack for trees in the area so I am convinced me that cedar siding is probably not a smart building move. LOL, knocking on wood could have reverse connotations so maybe stick with the 'fingers crossed' method. ;-)

>84 ursula: - after a while it feels like someone is knocking on the inside of your skull. That is exactly what it feels like!

>85 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara. Life is getting back to normal and I have my fingers crossed that we are done with the health issues for now.

>86 tymfos: - Hi Terri, I wish our woodpecker would keep his distance. I am hoping he has alternate nesting plans and will stop pestering us, although he has been very good the last couple of days... which has me a bit worried as I wouldn't expect this type of behaviour from a wild bird. Fingers crossed that we are done with the health issues for now.

>87 MickyFine: - I am actually really happy te hear that others have had similar woodpecker problems, Micky. I was starting to worry that is was an isolated incident. Yes, things are on the upswing and I hope they stay that way.

Book #28 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade Paperback / Audiobook
Original publication date: 2002
Acquisition date: May 12, 2012
Page count: 544 pages / 21 hours, 21 minutes of listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.35 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: From the macmillan.com website book listing:

"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver's license...records my first name simply as Cal." So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of l967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction.

Review:
The biographical feel of this multi-generational story hit all the rights notes with me. Calliope (Callie)/Cal is a wonderful narrator and Eugenides infuses the character with the right balance of wide-eyed awe, adolescence awkwardness and comic witticism. I really appreciated the genealogy mapping of the DNA-trail towards its final destination. Eugenides has done his medical/scientific research, leading me to understand more about recessive genes than I ever thought I would learn while reading a fictional story. The historical backdrop of the Stephanides family - first in Greece and then in Detroit, Michigan - is also well drawn, with a wonderful epic quality to it, but for me, the selling point of the story are the delightful pop-culture metaphors/allusions found on the pages, like “Her belly rose like Jiffy Pop”, in relation to Callie’s pregnant mother. The narrative tone remains consistent and engaging, even when it shifts between present and past tenses. The very hermaphroditic/androgynous nature of Callie/Cal resonates in Eugenides’s use of “I” , infusing the one word with both male and female tone, filled rich with mocking cynicism while examining what one reviewer has called “the tug of war between destiny and free will” or that never ending nature/nurture battle. At its heart, this is very much a coming-of-age story and one that never gets overshadowed by the "Big Ticket" topics swirling through this story.

With Middlesex, I feel Eugenides has proven his ability as a writer to craft a story on a grand scale, while never losing sight of the details that make it such an intimate and rewarding reading experience.

Book #29 - Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 3 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: My 2016 Clarissa Read
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: e-book
Original publication date: 1748
Acquisition date: October 27, 2015
Page count: 232
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: From the LT book summary:

Based on the 18th century novel by Samuel Richardson, this is the original tale of fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons. A wealthy young heiress, famed for her virtue, is sought by a man wishing to seduce her and destroy her reputation. For the first time in his life he becomes genuinely infatuated with his prey, and sows the seeds of his own fate.

Review:
A bit of a letdown after the interesting build up in Volume 2. Yes, we now get to see some of the story from 'the rake' Lovelace's point of view, and it is fun to see how well matched Lovelace and Clarissa are when it come to a battle of wits, but still....there were some really, really boring parts here. The story has almost taken on a whole "He said, She said" approach and while there is no really easy way to introduce multiple narrations in an epistolary novel except in the manner utilized here by Richardson, I still feel let down a bit after all the excitement in Volume 2. If I had to place a bet at this point, I would say that there are 10 to 1 odds that Clarissa will slip up first, and in a bigger way than she already has as the drama has now migrated to London, even if Lovelace has made a couple of tactical errors of his own on the 'conquest' front. Really, for a seasoned 'rake' to fumble even slightly is a bit of a revelation in itself. Onwards to Volume 4....

Book #30 - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1997
Acquisition date: February 22, 2009
Page count: 448
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.00 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: Adapted from the amazon.com website book listing:

Beginning in a poor Japanese fishing village in 1929, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house in Kyoto. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it; a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion.

Review:
Yes, I am continuing to enjoy my reading journey of fiction stories disguised as memoirs or personal history retellings. I never tire of these types of stories! Memoirs of a Geisha is not your typical “rags to riches” kind of story, even if the selling into slavery is a good “rags” starting point. I grate at the idea of treating human beings as “commodities” but I couldn’t help but be captivated by the details of geisha life and the depiction of Japan of the 1930’s. Giving the story extra “oomph”, Golden surrounds our protagonist with a cast of characters that is, on its whole, just the right blending of fairy tale heroes in Mameha and the Chairman and villains in Hatsumomo, that I almost chuckled a bit at Golden’s version of the proverbial ‘glass slipper’ when it made an appearance. While the story kind of fizzles out near the end for me, Golden’s portrayal of Sayuri and her struggles in the geisha world of Gion is richly rewarding glimpse into a forbidden world, even if Sayuri comes across overly naïve at times.

Book #31 - Double Shadow by Carl Phillips
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, AAC
Category: Challenges, Challenges
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: GVPL
Format: Hardcover
Original publication date: 2011
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 58
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.20 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: From the amazon.ca website book listing:

Comparing any human life to "a restless choir" of impulses variously in conflict and at peace with one another, Carl Phillips, in his eleventh book, examines the double shadow that a life casts forth: "now risk, and now / faintheartedness." In poems that both embody and inhabit this double shadow, risk and faintheartedness prove to have the power equally to rescue us from ourselves and to destroy us. Spare, haunted, and haunting, yet not without hope, Double Shadow argues for life as a wilderness through which there's only the questing forward?with no regrets and no looking back.

Review:
I should start this review off by admitting that I don’t read an awful lot of poetry and when I do, I prefer when the poem tells a story (think Rime of the Ancient Mariner or The Cremation of Sam McGee). I have never been any good at understanding the deeper meaning that many poems contain – or what I consider the more abstract nature of many poem – so it’s not surprising that a number of the poems in Double Shadow pretty much went right over my head. I ended up having to rely on published reviews to explain to me that this collection examines “the double shadow that life casts forth” between risk and faint heartedness. The poems, written with sparse, carefully and deliberately chosen language, convey a somber quality that may be more in tune with a meditative as opposed to inspirational feeling that probably resonates more with other readers than it did for me. That being said, I did still manage to enjoy a few of the poems and can see why some refer to Carl Phillips as “one of America’s most original, influential, and productive of lyric poets”.

Book #32 - O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton - audiobook read by Judy Kaye
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Catchall
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: October 12, 1999
Acquisition date: July 14, 2013
Page count: 336
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.10 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: From the amazon.com website book listing:

Once Mickey Magruder was a cop with a wild streak. And Kinsey Millhone was a younger cop who adored and married him. Then Mickey was implicated in a fatal beating, and Kinsey walked out. Now, fourteen years later, she comes face-to-face with those tragic years and Mickey's harrowing downward spiral after he lost the job he loved--and the marriage he loved a little less. Mickey lies dying in an L.A. hospital. Trying to find out how Mickey got there, Kinsey uncovers evidence that he was innocent of the beating charge. But as she searches through the lives that swirled around Mickey's--lives gone wrong and lives gone well--Kinsey must also search the blind spots of her own life, including one that hides a killer.

Review:
Not one of Grafton’s better books in the Kinsey Millhone series, IMO, but that could be in part due to the change in reader for the audiobook. Having consistently listened to the voice of Mary Peiffer from A is for Alibi through to N is for Noose, I found it a little jarring to suddenly have to get used to a new “voice”, just like I would probably struggle if - GASP! - Grover Gardner were replaced as reader for the Inspector Montalbano books…. But I digress. What I did like about this installment is that we get to learn about Kinsey’s first husband, more about Kinsey’s childhood and the short time she spent as a rookie cop. Kinsey continues to encounter offbeat characters - in this installment a Tarot card reading granny and biker-dude with some anger management issues - and Grafton manages once again to provide an action-packed climax, but for the most part, this was just an average read for me.

>96 lkernagh: I'm glad to hear you and I had similar reactions to Middlesex. Even with it being mostly audio, looks like you're still keeping up a good reading pace.

From what I can tell on the Transit website, yes, day passes are still available $9.75 - I've forgotten. Not sure if you can purchase them from a bus driver or just at sky train fare place. Could be moot point, if the transit drivers go on strike . I managed to purchase myself a Compass Card with $20.00 loaded on it. I don't use transit a lot.

Here is a link, if that helps. http://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and-Passes/DayPass.aspx

Here is where you can purchase them - http://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and-Passes/Where-to-buy-FareDealer.aspx

Woohoo! Fabulous review, Lori! You make me want to give Middlesex another try, and that's saying something, LOL. Delighted you enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha. Clarissa sounds like a lot of work for something of a disappointment.

Wonderful that you are feeling better and back with us. Missed you 'round here : ).

>104 lit_chick: Thanks for the reviews Lori, but I want to echo what Nancy expressed so nicely - it really is great to see you back well and posting again.

Have a splendid weekend.

I couldn't get into Middlesex when I tried it---perhaps I should try again. I also really enjoyed Memoirs of a geisha--I remember it as a really good read.

I'm another one who enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha, Lori, and I'm glad to see you did, too.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

>101 MickyFine: - Hi Micky, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Middlesex! Quite the story. Audiobooks continue to be my salvation. I average approximately 2 hours of walking every work day and I am getting better at listening to the books as I make dinner. At least I try to listen to books already on my TBR pile, or my book acquisitions this weekend would be hard pressed to find any shelf space at home!

>102 vancouverdeb: and >103 vancouverdeb: - Thanks Deb! I would have been stunned it they had done away with day passes. $9.75 is not a bad deal if it gives you unlimited transit access through the greater Vancouver metropolitan area. Victoria's $5.00 day pass ($4.50 if I use two prepaid single ride tickets to get the day pass from the driver) seems to be lower for the smaller area of transit coverage - although I can get to Sidney or Sooke on the day pass. I am still surprised that Shoppers Drug Mart has taken the position to stop selling bus tickets and passes as of next month, but luckily they can still be purchased at other drug stores and grocery stores.

>104 lit_chick: - Thanks Nancy! Middlesex is a wonderful story and seems really fitting for a read these days what with all the transgender issues that have been cropping up with the school systems, etc. Clarissa did take a bit of a dip in the ratings last volume but volume 4 has started to get interesting again.

>104 lit_chick: and >105 PaulCranswick: - Thank you Nancy and Paul for the welcome back wishes! It is good to not be exhausted at the end of the day. Looking forward to finding time to get caught up with everyone's thread.

>106 banjo123: - Hi Rhonda, I found the audiobook worked really well for me.... I was able to drift around as I was listening and having the story read to me seems like a good fit given that the story is told through one voice. If you do decide to attempt Middlesex again, I would recommend listening to it, if audiobooks work for you.

>107 jnwelch: - Hi Joe, Golden did such an amazing job creating the 'voice' of Sayuri and I love the detail he provides of a geisha's life and 1930's Japan.

I hope everyone has been having an enjoyable weekend! The weather here on the island has been wonderful. Spent part of yesterday at the annual booksale. I will be heading back again this morning. I will report back on my acquisitions later. In the meantime:

Happy May Day to you to, Lori! I'm looking forward to your acquisitions post.

>111 karenmarie: - Thanks Karen! ... and here comes the book haul post(s).

Hi All - The weekend has been a good one. The temps (and sunshine) continue to be favorable. The herb garden is thriving - except for the basil (dang it all!) and I will be planting a new batch of cilantro, probably tomorrow.

.... I know.... you don't care about the minor fluff of the weekend, you want to know about the book sale. The book sale was a success for me. Even being highly selective with what I purchased, I came home over the two days with 40 books to add to the TBR pile. Here is a breakdown of that haul:

Europa Editions:
I collect Europa Editions books, to the point where I will even purchase a copy of a book I have already read (via the public library), so that I have it in my collection. Granted, 27 books - plus my recent acquisitions - isn't exactly a large collection but I do enjoy building it. Here are the Europa Editions acquisitions from the annual book sale:

....

The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky - I own a copy of her book Broken Glass Park - also a Europa Editions - which I still need to get around to reading
UTU by Caryl Ferey - I read this back in 2013 and really enjoyed the noir feel of the story and the New Zealand setting. Happy to own a copy of my own!
ZULU by Caryl Ferey - I have wanted to read this - which I believe is the book that precedes UTU.
The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam - Jane Gardam (and Europa Edition) - enough said.
First Execution by Domenico Starnone

I stumbled, completely by chance, onto pristine used copies of the first three books in the Professor Dr von Igelfeld Entertainment series, so I jumped on them:

..

What I really love about these books is that they have that wonderful slightly wider cut to them.... giving them a portfolio presentation.

Here is the laundry list of the remaining purchases, sorted in alphabetical order by author:

.............................

These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan - I purchased book 1 in Aidan's Fitwilliam Darcy - Gentleman trilogy last book sale. Now I just need to track down book 2 Duty and Desire and I have the complete trilogy.
England, England by Julian Barnes - I loved the The Sense of an Ending and the writing so anything by Julian Barnes tends to catch my eye.
The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage - loved the back cover summary.
Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke - I purchased a copy of book 2 in the Merde series so happy to now own book 1 so I can start reading.
Harvest by Jim Crace - Jim Crace is one of those authors I tend to collect even though I haven't read any of his books yet. Book summaries get me every time and I just love the cover!
The Avignon Quintet by Lawrence Durrell - I read Durrell's Justine a couple of years back and really fell in love with Durrell's plain yet descriptive writing style.
Poles Apart by Terry Fallis - I continue to collect any books written by this humour-based, Canadian politics writer.
River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh - No, I don't have book 1 in Ghosh's The Ibis Trilogy on my shelves but that is okay. I am sure I will track down a copy soon enough.
Letters from an Age of Reason by Nora Hague - Epistolary, Historical, potential gothic/family secrets theme.... sold!
All True Not a Lie in It by Alix Hawley - Canadian Giller prize longlist and a unique presentation on the story of Daniel Boone. I am intrigued.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - I LOVED The Kite Runner so this was a must purchase!
The Little Old Lady Strikes Again by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg - I own a copy of the first book so happy to purchase the sequel.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson - I have been looking forward to reading Jonasson's book The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared so I glomed onto this one.
Every Day by David Levithan - Just cause.
The Immortality Engine by George Mann - I really enjoyed book 1 in the Newbury and Hobbes series, The Affinity Bridge in all of its Victorian detective/steampunk glory so I snaffled this one when I saw it. I still need to track down book 2 but that is a minor detail.
Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel - I LOVED Wolf Hall and Mantel's characterization of Thomas Cromwell, but i have been dragging my feet to continue the series. I don't need to drag my feet anymore.
Mendel's Dwarf by Simon Mawer - the premise intrigued me.
Some Great Thing by Colin McAdam - Sounds like my kind of read.
Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell - I grabbed this one because of the back cover summary but when I got it home and discovered that they story has an original copyright date of 1938, I am really looking forward to reading it.
Falstaff by Robert Nye - Historical fiction with a somewhat ripold, bawdy side to it. Sold!
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill - I found O'Neill's earlier book, Lullabies for Little Criminals to be a wonderful read. Glad to come across another of her books!
Good Evening, Mrs. Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes - Comprising of stories originally written between 1939 and 1944and published in The New Yorker this looked like a goodie.
The Black Count by Tom Reiss - Have seen great things about this one on LT and, well, French history... I am interested.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - I had acquired book 2 in The Kingkiller Chronicle series last year, so happy to stumble across a copy of book 1 in that series.
Straight man by Richard Russo - "The" book I wanted to read for the AAC, which never happened. Now I can read it at my leisure.
Paris by Edward Rutherford - Just cause I don't own this one and haven't read it. Potential summer chunkster read.
Dominion by C.J. Sansom - Alternate reality read with a historical vibe to it that appealed to me.
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth - Yes, I have finally stumbled across a "good as new' copy so happy to finally add this one to the future reading pile.
The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons - Billed as a story for fans of Downton Abbey and Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden, I really didn't need much more incentive to add this one to my pile of books.
We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas - Family saga with an Alzheimer's angle.
Crooked Maid by Dan Vyleta - A Canadian historical fiction/mystery that caught my eye.

..... and that is the book haul.

>113 lkernagh: -- Spectacular haul at your book sale. Do tell -- who holds this magical event? If it's scheduled, I may have to pop over to the Island for it.

My daughter's elementary school used to have a massive book sale. One of the parents owned a book wholesaler, and once or twice a year he'd donate 10,000 brand new books. I always drove away with my car crammed full of books and it only cost me $20. I invited some local LTers and they took advantage. Unfortunately, he's moved on to other businesses, so those sales are history. Maybe I need to come to yours?

BTW -- basil is always a fail for me. My Italian mother in law grows it in bushes, and my neighbour has a nice crop, but mine never succeeds.

Also, book two of the Darcy Gentleman trilogy really, really sucks. You can skip it. Book one and three are good though.

Lori, what a book feast! Woohoo! Several of these are on my list too: River of Smoke, The Crooked Maid, Bring Up the Bodies. I read and very much enjoyed Harvest: stands out for me as one of its kind.

Great Book Haul, Lori! I went to the half-price Library Book Sale on Saturday and got The Queen of the Tambourine, too. I also love Europa books, although I only have six or seven of them...so far.

>115 Nickelini: - Thanks Joyce! This book sale is an annual event hosted by the local rag - the Times Colonist - in support of the Raise a Reader campaign. This was their 19th year for the book sale and yes, they do advertise it in advance... but I think I will post an announcement on my threads as I tend to conduct Google searches to track down the dates for the sale. The books are sold according to the following formula (which hasen't changed over 19 years): $3 for hardcover, $2 for trade paperback and $1 for smaller/pocket paperbacks. They sometime bundle books and they also have a 'caged' area for collectibles/first editions/rare books. All books are provided by donation by the public. Every year I am amazed at the number of gently used books that show up at this sale. If you do think about making the trip next year, let me know. I would be happy to browse the boxes of books with you. The first day of the sale is a bit of a gong show. This year the first person in the line up was there Friday night... and he was only there to reserve the space for his girlfriend as a birthday present. Is that not an "awe" moment? ;-)

As for my basil plant, I love that I am not the only one who struggles to grow basil. I am pretty sure the plant is just out to get me.

Good to know about the Darcy Gentleman trilogy! I will probably check with Russell Books to see of they have book 2.

>116 lit_chick: - Thanks Nancy! Very happy to see you enjoyed Harvest! That will probably have to be my first Crace read.

>117 Donna828: - Hi Donna, I think it is the elusiveness of the Europa Editions that make them so appealing to me... that, and the fact that I have yet to experience a bad reading experience with one of their books. I was kind of hoping that I might see the fourth book in the Ferrante series, but no such luck. Oh well, I have the first three books so if I have to splurge on the fourth, so be it.

What a book haul, Lori. I'm a bit jealous. Wishing you a great start into the new week.

Wow what a great haul. I like Barnes' short stories too. So many there that I've not read so will watch for your comments.

Awesome book haul, Lori! :)

What a great haul, Lori! I can't read the title of the one immediately above The House of Tyneford. Which one is that?

I think you'll have a good time with Name of the Wind. High quality.

Wow! What a book haul. You make me want to go book shopping, Lori. Love the Europa books.

37 books is a respectable haul by anyone's standards, Lori, and you got some great ones. I love those Europa covers don't you?

>119 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara! The work week has started off fabulously - with a high today of 25'C! Supposed to be a bit cooler tomorrow and mid-week which is perfect for me as 25'C is the max temps I enjoy without ready access to air conditioning!

>120 charl08: - Thanks Charlotte! Barnes is a wonderful writer. Not sure when I will get around to reading the new acquisitions -this year is a year of reading predominately from my pre-2016 TBR piles - but I might sneak one or two of them in. ;-)

>121 Ape: - Thanks Stephen! Book buying is such a euphoric experience. I love how, even in the cramped book aisles, everyone was polite and helpful. Book lovers are a generous group and a pleasure to be surrounded by!

>122 jnwelch: - Thanks Joe! The book you are wondering about is Good Evening, Mrs. Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes - Comprising of stories originally written between 1939 and 1944 and published in The New Yorker. I love stories written in the period that are now historical and the war years is a perspective I never tire of reading about.

I am so looking forward to diving into the Rothfuss books, now that I have the first two books! ;-) I do try to not start a series "mid-stream"... don't always succeed, but I do try.

>123 BLBera: - Thanks Beth! A perfect way to spend part of the weekend - shopping for hidden treasures in boxes of books. The Europas are fantastic and I love how more and more Europa books are cropping up at the annual sale.... makes me all giddy!

>124 PaulCranswick: - Thanks Paul! Europa does such a fantastic job with their covers! Some of my favorites covers (that I have encountered so far) are the following:

.,.

Threads of the Heart by Carole Martinez
The Pop's Daughter by Dario Fo
The Dark Holds No Terrors by Shashi Deshpande
Back to Delphi by Ioanna Karystiani

.... but all Europa Editions covers are beautiful works of art that are also very fitting for the story between the covers. ;-)

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As mentioned above, today was a glorious - and slightly hot day. All the fans in the house are working overtime to cooler the air before heading for bed. I just realized that it has been 3 weeks since I last posted a walking report, so that is now ready. I also made short work of my Ivan Doig read for this months AAC and that review is also ready for posting. I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the week.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


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







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

UPDATE: WEEKS 40, 41 and 42
Kilometers walked these weeks: 147.5 (Week 40 = 43.1; Week 41 = 54; Week 42 = 50.4)
Kilometers walked in total: 1,881.25
Current province: (SK)
My current location on the map: West of Caronport, heading for Moose Jaw.
Points of interest along the way: I am absolutely amazed at the number of small lakes on the map. My memories of Saskatchewan is flat, dry prairies but there seems to be bodies of water everywhere! Over the past three weeks my walking has taken me virtually through Swift Current, Waldeck, Rush Lake, Herbert, past Reed Lake, Morse, Enfold, Uren, Chaplin (and the large Chaplin Lake, which according to Wikipedia is the second largest saline water body in Canada and is home for shorebirds), Parkbeg, near Mortlach and finally stopping near the Besant Campground.

With some 345 KM to go before I reach the Manitoba border, I am hoping to cross the border into Manitoba by the first day of summer (June 20th).

Book #33 - This House of Sky by Ivan Doig - audiobook read by the author
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, AAC
Category: Spending Time with my Furry Friends - GeoCAT (North America)
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: Autobiography or Memoir
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: Hoopla
Format: Audiobook
Original publication date: 1979
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 314 pages / 3 hours of listening time
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.90 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: From the amazon.com website book listing:

Ivan Doig grew up in the rugged wilderness of western Montana among the sheepherders and denizens of small-town saloons and valley ranches. What he deciphers from his past with piercing clarity is not only a raw sense of land and how it shapes us but also of the ties to our mothers and fathers, to those who love us, and our inextricable connection to those who shaped our values in our search for intimacy, independence, love, and family. A powerfully told story, This House of Sky is at once especially American and universal in its ability to awaken a longing for an explicable past.

Review:
Those of you who pay attention to my reading likes/dislikes will know that I don't usually gravitate towards books that describe the toil of living in the American West. After reading This House of Sky, I think this may change. Doig's memoir of the tough ranching life of his father, the early loss of his mother (when Doig was only six), Doig's strong, determined maternal grandmother and the harsh realities of those Montana winters resonates throughout this book. As one reviewer put it, this is "a dazzling, lyrical summoning of his Montana childhood", wonderfully capturing time and place with a contemplative tone that seems to echo with Montana's rolling hills and spacious prairies. What a perfect way to experience Doig's writing style for the very first time! I am finding that authors tend to make their memoirs 'live' for the reader to experience, so I will be keeping an eye out for more author memoirs. A wonderful read.

Great book haul, Lori! I need to get to Up in the Old Hotel, as I've loved the few New Yorker stories I've read by Joseph Mitchell.

>129 kidzdoc: - Thanks Darryl! Like you, I am really looking forward to reading Up in the Old Hotel.

--------------------
So, I have been relaxing on the balcony this evening enjoying the slowly approaching dusk when the fire alarm went off at the multi-unit complex across the street. No smoke - although there did seem to be an odd smell of gas (which could have been my mind conjuring things), so I sat back and watched the tenants congregate out front and the necessary fire and police responders arrive. Whatever the cause of the alarm was it had been addressed before the first fire truck arrived, but I do have two observations that struck me as rather odd:

1. virtually every female living in the complex seemed to be wearing black tops and pants (of various styles/fabrics/etc); and
2. The fact that the fire truck went to great pains to pull a U-turn on the street when all the drama was over.

Both allude me - I don't care if black is considered a slimming colour, the absence of colour is what was so striking, watching everyone milling about. Good lord, it is spring and we had a high of 25'C today... does no one own colour in their wardrobes? Even one of the guys was in a black on black wardrobe of designer workout shirt with matching shorts. That was weird but the fire truck pulling the U-turn was an eye-roll for me. The street we live on does dead end at the waterfront, but it also has a U loop back to the main street. I don't expect the average citizen to know this, but I am a bit surprised that Victoria's finest - or at least the crew on tonight - wasn't aware of this fact, considering our street is routinely used as a turn around point when the fire department runs one of its "mock drills".

.... thought I was in for a relaxing evening reading, but front row seats to a potential and unplanned drama can always be entertaining. ;-)

(just realizing I too was wearing all black today . . . . I'm actually having a lot of trouble finding clothes right now. I like colours normally)

What drama! Your relaxing evening on the balcony reading was replaced by free entertainment (actually, you helped pay for it, LOL!).

Lori, what a great book haul! I had fun perusing your purchases. I also love those Europa editions and have a (tiny) collection of them myownself. You are right that every one of them is a work of art. Thanks so much for taking the time to post both the images and your brief explanation of why you bought it - I have added several to my WL, including The Affinity Bridge, which I had not heard of before. Most exciting!

>130 lkernagh: I have to admit a lot of my lounging around the house clothing is black. But I swear there's plenty of colour in my wardrobe.

I rarely go in public in anything other than a black t-shirt. Color is just insensible, and besides, I'm a man of taste. :P

I never wear black--well, very occasionally black jeans, but the cat hair shows up so dreadfully!

>130 lkernagh: Love the slice of life there, Lori...always fun to play the observer--rather than the one frantically running out of the building. :)

I've noticed black a lot, too. For example, it seems that EVERYONE wears a black coat in winter. OK, maybe not everyone, but try going to the store and shopping for a winter wool coat other than black. Maybe there's a few red ones, a few camel, but mostly there's just a sea of black coats and more black coats. Took me months, but I finally found a charcoal grey one this year that I could live with. Whoopee.

Now I get it that in Chicago where I live, people wear black to hide the dirt, snow, salt, etc., of winter, but you could do that with navy blue, or forest green, or dark brown, right? OK, done with today's fashion pet peeve....

Great book haul! I've read Crooked Maid and really enjoyed it. If I may suggest, The Quiet Twin by the same author, which I've also read, is the first in the pair. I don't think it's essential to read one before the other, but both books have a couple of fairly important characters in common. Just to complicate your life :)

I don't wear a black coat in winter - I try to find something in royal blue or something like that. Perhaps the place across the street is a Goth Complex ? just kidding! :)

That is quite a book haul, Lori. Maybe it is a good thing that they don't have book sales like that over here, my shelves are full enough already!

As Deb said there are day passes in the Lower Mainland transit system but, unless you are going to spend all day riding the bus, it is probably cheaper to use a compass card to get around. They charge very low prices per trip - I am not sure how they calculate them and they don't match the fares on the transit site. (They are odd amounts like $2.37 one way).

Lori--So far behind here!! How did that happen? So, I have heard Middlesex tossed around forever, but now that I have read your review, I HAVE to get it! I think Clarissa and I are not destined to be buddies, but I loved the Geisha. Your plants are looking lovely--good luck with the basil! I wore black today, but is was mixed with gray and white. ; ) And I would never want to have to drive a fire engine, let alone try and do a U-turn!! Glad everyone seems to be currently healthy and may they stay that way. Happy May!!

>137 kac522: When my daughter first started school in New York (we're from California), her winter coat was sort of an oatmeal color. When she went on an outing with a group of friends, they were all wearing black coats. After a minute, someone looked at her and said "so, you're not from New York."

What an excellent book haul, Lori! I must say I salivated all over my keyboard.
Oh yes! the absence of color in the winter months is bad enough let alone in spring!! As I walked through a parking lot yesterday, I mused at how many dark cars there were in the parking lot. Black, grey, green. Why does everyone want to own the color of winter in Cleveland all year long?! I was pleased to finally come to my bright red car :0)

>141 ursula: Ha! That made me chuckle.

My coat is purple. I feel quite pleased about that today!

142: A lot of cars are only made in black/white/grey now, sadly. I believe it is because insurance companies actually charge more for bright colorful cars. It's also why they put unnecessary, unusable back seats in sports cars. Ironically, those cars would be safer to drive if they didn't have to make them so overlarge, so mandatory insurance is actually making car design less safe, in some cases.

>141 ursula: Ha! Great story!

My winter coat is white. I brought it with me from Indiana, but the poor thing just hangs in the closet - I have not worn it since we moved almost four years ago. But if I ever visit Indiana in the winter, I'm all set. Ha!

Hi Lori -
I suffered through Clarissa in college and have no desire to ever see it again.

I have a periwinkle winter coat. We need some color in winter.

I have a great fireman story, too. There's a firehouse on the corner of the walking trail around the lake. One day I was walking about a half a block - at most - from the fire station and a young woman wiped out on her roller blades. She couldn't get up, so someone with her called the emergency number.

The firemen got into the truck and roared to the rescue, sirens blazing. Seriously, I think if one of them had walked over, he would have gotten there before the truck. It was very funny.

>131 Nickelini: - LOL.... I hear you on the trouble finding clothes right now. I am not a big fan of the current fashion trends. Very frustrating.

>132 lit_chick: - Unexpected drama does seem to have its upsides, doesn't it Nancy... even if I am paying for part of it. ;-)

>133 Crazymamie: - Hi Mamie, glad to see the book haul caught your eye! As you have pointed out, book hauls can be a bit of mixed blessing - wonderful to peruse but they usual involve the addition of yet more books being added to an already burgeoning wishlist. ;-0

>134 MickyFine: - I have been thinking more about this and I think part of the reason for the abundance of black may be in part due to the fact that a lot of yoga/exercise clothing is black (or that is the colour that some casual wearers will gravitate towards). I admit to owning black yoga pants and black denims as part of my casual wardrobe. My work/office wardrobe has more black - two skirts, one pair of pants, one suit jacket and two sweaters. Other than that, it is colours or patterns, but I don't have any pastels in my wardrobe!

>135 Ape: - Good point Stephen. A black T-shirt can be viewed as a refined taste and more of a statement piece than a basic white T-shirt. ;-)

>136 ronincats: - Makes sense to build your wardrobe around your feline companion's shedding tendencies, Roni! I have a work colleague who likes to wear a certain black suit jacket when she has meetings, which she always has to take a lint remover to because she has... you guessed it ... a white cat. ;-)

>137 kac522: - When I have a choice, my preference is to always be the observer, not the observed. One of my favorite pastimes - where I live or when traveling - is to settle in a comfy spot in town and just people watch.

Black does seem to be a staple colour for winter wardrobes in general and winter coats (when they are not navy blue). Charcoal grey sounds like a lovely colour and something to stand out against the sea of black ones out there. I admit to owning two black jackets - both rain-gear - but I offset that with two white ones - again both rain-gear - and wool oatmeal coat that I love to wear. Now that you mention it, I find it very odd that one sees few winter wool coats in colours like forest green or dark brown. Maybe we need to petition the fashion industry.

>138 vancouverdeb: - I grabbed Crooked Maid just 'cause, but know that I know you have read and enjoyed it, I am really glad I snagged it. Good to know I need to track down the first book, The Quiet Twin. I hate reading a book only to discover that it is not the first book in what may be considered a set.... kind of the Tana French books. In those instances, I like to read in publication order, so thank you for that little tidbit!

I can't pull off a royal blue coat - I am better suited to fall and jewel tone colours - but I love the idea of royal blue as a pop of color to offset the dreary overcast winters we experience here on the coast!

LOL... love the idea of a Goth complex, but no, they are too sedate and ordinary to be Goth. ;-)

>139 Familyhistorian: - Thanks Meg! The annual book sale is my splurge weekend and a lot of fun... even if I had no room on my bookshelves, I would still go just to experience it.

Wow, sounds like transit fairs are a bit complicated on the Lower Mainland. Something to keep in mind next time I am over there. Thanks for the info!

>140 Berly: - Hi Kim! Yes, you must read Middlesex! Geisha is a good read and as for Clarissa, while, let just call her that 'friend' we all know who seems stable and then out of the blue makes some rather odd and rash decisions. ;-) Black with grey and white works for me! I will admit that the driver of the fire truck did a good job pulling that U-turn like he did.... and like you, not something I would ever attempt. Fingers crossed we are finished with hospital visits for a long time to come.

>141 ursula: - Great minds think alike - about choosing an oatmeal coloured coat, that is. I love mine. Love the "so, you're not from New York." comment.

>142 Carmenere: - Thanks Lynda! A red car is a lovely pop of colour after all the black, gre and greens, isn't it? My first car was a bright yellow Ford Mustang and I admit, I had no problems locating it in a crowded parking lot... downside was that bugs seems to like the colour. That car was then replaced with a silver car... okay, I know that the colour of the car was silver but the licensing branch and the insurance companies insisted that silver is not a colour and I had to register it as being "grey". Anyways the "grey" car was harder to spot in a parking lot but attracted less bugs. For some strange reason, white currently appears to be a popular car colour (non-colour) on our street. ;-)

>143 charl08: - Purple! I love purple and never, ever see purple coats in the stores here. I saw a lady the other day walking wearing a wonderful eggplant coloured rain jacket. I wanted it so badly!

>144 Ape: - I believe it is because insurance companies actually charge more for bright colorful cars. I did not know that. What a strange thing for an insurance company to do, especially considering the black/white/grey cars are more difficult for pedestrians to see, especially during dawn/dusk hours or when it is raining.

>145 kac522: - *nods head in agreement*

>146 Crazymamie: - Yay for white winter coats! Even if it isn't being used, at least you have a coat that stands out from the norm, Mamie!

>147 BLBera: - Hi Beth, Clarissa - the character and the book - do give me more than my usual share of "eye roll" moments, I will admit, but I starting to really enjoy it.

Periwinkle is a lovely colour! As winters here on the island are more of the rain vs. snow variety, I like to own brightly coloured umbrellas. Of course, the high winds we sometimes encounter give these umbrellas a rather short life span but as you have rightly pointed out, we need some colour in winter. My current umbrella is a lovely teal color.

What a great fireman story! You are right, they probably would have been able to respond quicker if one of them had walked over. I don't know if fire departments in your area operate on the same principles that ours do - meaning, that the fire crew actually grocery shop during their on-duty hours for food for the fire hall. Where I work in town is close to both a local grocery store and one of the fire halls. It is normal to see the entire crew take the fire truck to the grocery store and shop as a group for the fire hall. One of my former supervisors is married to a fireman and she said the reason they do this is so that, if a call comes in, the crew and the truck are together and immediately respond. Makes sense, but still always funny to see the fire truck park on the street outside the grocery store and see 5 firemen get out and go grocery shopping. ;-)

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Not much to report. I am a little distracted these days. When not working I am glued to the web for updates on the wildfire raging in northern Alberta in and around Fort McMurray. I don't have family or friends directly affected by the wildfires but my heart goes out to everyone who is impacted. Sadly, Mother Nature isn't helping the crews trying to bring the fire under control.

>148 lkernagh: I hear you on the trouble finding clothes right now. I am not a big fan of the current fashion trends. Very frustrating.

Yes. Frustrating indeed! But tonight I was in Northern Reflections and they had quality basic T's (not thin, weird ones that you find everywhere). $24.99 at 40% off . . . they have about 14 colours, I brought home 6. So at least I'm stocked up on that. I find it easier to buy winter clothes than summer (I would live in my yoga pants and Lord & Taylor turtleneck every day if I could, with nice cozy socks or jeans and boots )

>147 BLBera: I have a periwinkle winter coat. We need some color in winter.

Niiiice! I had a gorgeous periwinkle winter coat in the 80s, and then I found dress pants the same colour. I was 24 and looked spectacular. Sigh.

Periwinkle is such a fabulous colour. Whenever I see anything in it, I always try to buy it. It's one of those few colours that makes blondes, brunettes and redheads all look good.

>152 lkernagh: I keep hoping for better news from Fort McMurray, Lori. Rain would help.

Hi Lori, we see pictures from the north of Alberta, here at the news. It's so terrible. My thoughts are with everybody.

>149 lkernagh: I love wearing black, I almost always do in some form. Too many colours at once discombobulate me.
Eta: spelling

Lori - After seeing the pictures of Alberta on the news, it puts things into perspective and makes me realize how lucky I am - also how life can change in a second. I hope they get it under control soon.

Yes, I'm fond of my periwinkle coat. I used to have a red one, but when I started to leak feathers, I had to retire it.

Hi Lori! Glad that you don't know anyone who's affected by the fires - they're really scary. I can't imagine what it feels like to live in an area where something like that is going on!

>152 lkernagh: Good to see you are safe. Mother Nature can be a mean old gal sometimes.

Have a lovely weekend, Lori.

>153 Nickelini: - Great find on your part! Unlike my nieces, I don't do the multiple layers of gauze-like T-shirts and tank-tops to create "the look". Sounds like you found some good staples. I had to think about whether or not we have a Northern Reflections store in Victoria, but I think there is one in Bay Centre. I will admit to scouring the Old Navy stash of T-shirts and have sometimes come away with tops that don't require the multi-layering approach to dressing.

... sadly, I don't think I can get away with yoga pants and turtle necks as a work wardrobe (except for those days when I work from home). Sounds super comfy!

>154 Nickelini: - But.... but... but... periwinkle, as lovely as it is, doesn't seem to go very well with my wardrobe colour scheme. *whimpers*

>155 Familyhistorian: - Rain would definitely help, Meg. I remember the discussions back in March when I was in back in Calgary just how tinder dry everything was. I worry that Alberta - and by extension BC - may be in for a very bad wildfire season. I noticed that the fire in BC at the BC-Alberta border has now "jumped" the border and BC firefighters have continued their fight of the fire, now in Alberta territory, to free up Alberta firefighters to tackle the Fort McMurray fires. That is pretty much unprecedented as usually control of the fire flips to the region the fire is burning in. I think we are in for a rather unsettling fire season this year. Not good.

>156 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara. So hard to be an observer too far removed to do anything but watch it unfold and send financial support to the Canadian Red Cross. Good news is that both the Canadian and Alberta governments have pledged to meet - dollar for dollar - all monies raised by the Canadian Red Cross and are providing financial assistance to displaced families/individuals.

>157 LovingLit: - Too many colours at once discombobulate me. LOL, love it! I am a bit of a colour freak in that it is rare - if ever - that I wear a black-on-black wardrobe. Black with an accent colour.... I do that all the time.

>158 BLBera: - Living where I do I admit that there is a remote-to-nil chance of having to experience what the residents of Fort McMurray have had to experience this past week. My heart goes out to them. Of course, I live in an active earthquake zone and, rather ironically, this past week has been the Emergency Preparedness Week so some timely good information has been communicated to the community and I notice that fire precautions even here have been at the forefront.

Always sad when one has to retire a favorite coat or article of clothing. Red is a lovely winter coat colour - as is the periwinkle. Embrace the fact that you stand out from to norm.

>159 The_Hibernator: - I agree Rachel, I am very thankful I don't have friends or known acquaintances impacted area Fires are so unpredictable it is amazing that there have been no losses of life, considering the fact that I as watching some dash/rear cam footage that showed just how close to the road the fires were as some residents were trying to evacuate. Im one story, it was stunning - and heartwarming - t read that one teenage girl road her horse out of the fire zone when it there wasn't a horse trailer available to transport the horse. A lot of great human interest stories have come out of this disaster and it warms one's heart to know that a lot of good really does exist in the world.

----------------------
Happy weekend everyone! I am looking forward to a 2-day downtime with, hopefully, sitting down and reading books on the agenda. The weather is looking promising, always a good thing. I do have one book review to post - a bit of a 'meh' read for me - that I will be posting shortly.

One the reading front, I am continuing my e-book reading of Clarissa. I am currently in volume 4 and about to start a letter from Lovelace to his friend John Belford dated May 9th so I am still ahead of my Clarissa reading curve. On the audiobook front, I am currently listening to Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White with a cast of readers. This is being read/listened to as a ROOT read to clear my TBR print copy and as a May RandomCAT where the theme is to choose a book with a color in the title. On the physical book reading front, I am currently reading Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz which is a LTER read.

... now for that review.

Book #34 - The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Dust Collectors
CAT(s): GeoCAT (North America)
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 2008
Acquisition date: December 5, 2009
Page count: 240 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from the book insider cover:

At 50 years of age, Pippa Lee is the devoted wife of a brilliant publisher thirty years her senior, proud mother of grown-up twins, and an adored friend and neighbour. But where once she was content with her seemingly enviable world, Pippa finds her life beginning to unravel. Amid the buzzing lawnmowers and suburban coffee mornings in the retirement community of Marigold Village - and away from the stimulation and distraction that had consumed her life in New York City - she starts to wonder, how did she find herself in this place?

Review:
My first comment upon finishing this one is I find the choice of title a bit…. Odd. If by “private lives” the author means the growing inner turmoil Pippa experiences, then I still struggle with the “private lives” bit. Maybe it is in reference to the fact that Pippa’s life with Herb, her husband, is a polished veneer and very different from her intense and psychologically damaging childhood years where her Dexedrine-addicted mother’s manic behaviour is a catalyst for Pippa’s own wild and unhinged youth. Either way, the title is a strange one, but maybe fitting for what is a rather odd story. The story dissects Pippa’s life into sections in a manner that one reviewer refers to as being “like opening a series of Russian Dolls, each intricately wrought, self-contained and self-revealing”. Sadly, I have to agree with the reviewer when they go on to say that each section is just as empty as the last. There is a lot of show, but not a whole lot of substance in this one. The supporting characters seem to come across as slightly exaggerated personalities but even then, there is still an overall flatness of tone to the story. Miller may have done this on purpose to enhance the rather dreamy, sedate aspect of Pippa’s personality (making me think of a Stepford Wife on suppressants), and if so, I am not sure that it works in the way Miller intended. Even when there are what are probably supposed to be shocking scenes - thinking of when the younger Pippa is a participant in an amateur S&M movie - the whole reading experience is a bit surreal.

Overall, a different kind of story of self-examination and discovery but one that didn’t really work for me. Maybe it works better as a movie... I don't know. The fact that it was immediately made into a movie shortly after being published tells me that someone somewhere thought it had potential.

>160 PaulCranswick: *Sobs* Don't forget me!

>160 PaulCranswick: - Good God, how the *bleep!* did that happen!?! I am going to apologize profusely and promise to never miss you again, Paul. I must have been typing responses and didn't reset to see if I had missed anyone. Mother Nature does have a mean/nasty streak which seems to run counter to all that she is supposed to represent... or maybe I am wrong in hoping that she has a soft spot for use homo sapiens. Ya, I know, I am wrong. She would never have a soft spot for us over other creatures.... but dang it all, this crazy uncontrollable fire business is not good.

On the home front, no wildfires but we don't seem to be able to shake the hospital emergency room grasp. This time, we (in the form of my other half) is - thankfully! - just a visitor/observer for his friend who collapsed at work today. The friend is still going through diagnosis but it looks like our health links to the hospital emergency wards haven't be fully severed.

>166 lkernagh: Kidding Lori.....I have missed that last post that just snuck in dozens of times.

Just stopping by to say hello. Great haul from the book sale!

>167 PaulCranswick: - Love it! I so get the 'missed last post' bit. ;-)

>168 tymfos: -Hi Terri! Lovely to see you stopping by!

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

Hi everyone. Today has been a wonderful day, both weather-wise and activity-wise. Ran errands this morning and have had a relaxing afternoon futzing around in the kitchen prepping homemade Tzatziki sauce, baking a loaf of Kamut bread and baking a batch of cranberry coconut pecan muffins. For the muffins I used this recipe with the following changes:

- added 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar
- replaced buttermilk/sour cream with 6% milk fat probiotic Balkan style plain yogurt
- amped up the dried cranberries, shredded coconut (by about 1/4 cup)
- included 1/4 cup of pecan pieces

The recipe worked a treat as per the picture below:


I always like it when a recipe produces "one of my favorite food combinations". ;-)

Not much else to report except that I am super hungry and the other half has said he will be late coming home. I think I am off to find some "take out".

Lori, muffins look divine! Love the mix of cranberries, coconut, and pecans: yes, to favourite food combinations.

Oh, the fire situation in Alberta is awful! So much more than the terrible fires we had here in 2003, the Cedar fires. Those burned 3200 square kilometers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Fire) but these are so much worse!

>169 lkernagh: Mmm, those muffins look tempting.

Muffins look gorgeous. Love coconut flavoured baking.

I've watched some of the dash cam footage of people escaping the fires and it's terrifying.

Edit: These are the ones I watched. The video repeats from the front and rear dash cams, so 1 and 2 are the same section of road from different perspectives, along with 3/4 and 5/6.

Those muffins, on the other hand, look amazing! :)

Hi Lori - Even we are seeing smoke here. Yesterday was hazy, with much itching of eyes, and today it looks much the same. I hope rain falls on Alberta soon.

Your muffins look fantastic.

>170 lit_chick: - Thanks Nancy! They are Yum!

>171 ronincats: - It is a nasty fire Roni. I remember 2003 being a very bad fire season in a number of places - BC was hit pretty bad that year with wild fires threatening Kelowna. I feel for everyone impacted. It's a double blow on top of the downturn in the oil and gas industry for the last 16 months.

>172 Familyhistorian: - Feel free to help yourself to one, Meg!

>173 charl08: - Thanks Charlotte! Coconut in baking is the best.

>174 Ape: - I was watching the very same dash cam footage on Friday morning at work. I don't know what stunned me more... seeing the flames just feet away from the vehicles, the shower of burning ash falling around the vehicles, the darkness created by the smoke, or the image of the motorcyclist. I cannot even imagine being on a motorcycle in that heat and smoke. I read a story of a 16 year old girl who rode her horse 15 kilometers out of the fire zone when her family could only get two of their three horses loaded into the horse trailer for evacuation.

>175 BLBera: - They have been reporting that the smoke is reaching as far away as Florida. Alberta needs rain so badly. They had such a dry winter.

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



Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! It is a colder, overcast day today so I am getting some laundry done and trying to make it through some of my huge backlog of unread threads.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


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







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

UPDATE: WEEK 43
Kilometers walked this week: 60.6
Kilometers walked in total: 1,941.85
Current province: (SK)
My current location on the map: At Belle Plaine.
Points of interest along the way: I am enjoying the earlier mornings and extending my walk to work by meandering my way to the office. Always fun to find different side streets to walk up and notice all the gardens in bloom in the various yards. I am hoping to start averaging 70 kilometers a week, but we will see. On the map, have travelled through the city of Moose Jaw with a population of 33,000 which is similar to the population of Victoria proper (not the Capital Region District as a whole). ... and before anyone asks, yes, they do have a moose monument:



One of Moose Jaw's claims to fame is Moose Jaw is home base for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the aeronautical demonstration flight team that puts on wonderful air acrobatics displays:

Good job with your walking. I'm trying to walk more as well, but I need incentives to really get out there and do it, because I can't walk to work.

Hi Lori! I can't tell you how many times I opened your thread just to be called away to do something else. Wow! you're half way through your third province! Thanks for stopping at Moose Jaw for pics!
The muffins look yummy but I just can't do coconut. Could you put in a double measure of cranberries instead?

A moose monument? Sounds great. I'm swimming again but taking it very gently... I'm certainly finding it much more tempting to walk on the beautiful weather we're having - and I like looking at the neighbourhood gardens too.

>178 The_Hibernator: - Thanks Micky! I am feeling good about the walking and even better as I continue to increase my daily walking totals. Not being able to walk to work would be a problem for me as well. Are you able to go out for walks during your breaks? I guess, it also depends on how long your breaks are. A short 15-minute break makes it hard to get in any decent walking time. It is flexible where I work in that I can combine my lunch hour with my coffee breaks and get a solid 1.5 hours off in the middle of the day (of course, that means eating my lunch at my desk, which isn't frowned upon).

>179 Carmenere: - LOL... the curse of my thread. Glad to see you finally managed to open it and stay long enough to post a comment, Lynda! No coconut, double cranberries. got it. ;-)

>180 charl08: - I have a soft spot for places that have an "iconic" reference they identify with and they go and erect a statue/monument to bring attention to it. They are proud to be "Moose Javians". ;-) Glad to see you are taking it easy with the swimming. I find it fascinating the variations on a garden theme one can encounter.

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

Monday has started the work week off with warmer than anticipated weather and a lovely forecast for the entire week. On the walking front, I am happy to report that with my morning, lunch-hour and evening walks, I logged 13.7 KM today! Feels good and I have absolutely no guilt sitting back with a glass of wine and a large chunk of Lindt milk chocolate with hazelnuts. ;-)

One book review - for an LTER - coming up.

Book #35 - Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Oooooh.... Shiny!
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: LTER
Format: ARC trade paperback
Original publication date: May 17, 2016
Acquisition date: April 27, 2016
Page count: 282 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.com book listing webpage:

Gena and Finn would have never met but for their mutual love for the popular show Up Below. Regardless of their differences—Gena is a recent high school graduate whose social life largely takes place online, while Finn is in her early twenties, job hunting and contemplating marriage with her longtime boyfriend—the two girls realize that the bond between them transcends fanfiction. When disaster strikes and Gena's world turns upside down, only Finn can save her, and that, too, comes with a price. Told through emails, text messages, journal entries, and blog posts, Gena/Finn is a story of friendship and love in the digital age.

Review:
Even though I did not grow up in the digital age, and even though I have very limited knowledge of fanfiction/fandom and Cons in general - although, I have heard of Comic Con, so I am not totally living under a rock! – I do love epistolary novels. The idea of writing a story using a combination of written formats works well here. Of course, the instant messaging conversations flow better than the email conversations, but that is to be expected. Even so, it was easy to train my mind to skim over the sender receiver date/time info of the emails and focus on the messages, keeping the flow of the story going. I am not sure what to think about the fanfiction blog posts except to appreciate that there exists an online world that I don’t know much about and we will leave it at that. One thing I really like about written communications and the different formats/forums is that there is a freedom on the part of the writer to be as reserved or expressive as one chooses to be. Gena and Finn’s unique personalities comes through in their correspondence. One is able to feel the happiness, sadness, confusion, uneasiness and concern without a description being provided. I should add that this story isn’t some light piece of fluff. The story contains some real hard hitting messages concerning love, friendship, sacrifice, difficult decisions and the responsibility one has to care for others. By the end of the story, I felt a connection with Gena and Finn and feel that this is a solid and interesting piece of story-telling, once one gets past the very hocky/cheesy cop drama show that is the focus of the fanfiction/fandom that brings the two girls together. You really do have to dispel belief when reading the Up Down show/Con bits… or at least I had to as Up Down would never be the kind of show I would ever get all “fandom” over.

Hi Lori! I'm slowly getting caught up....

Random comments:

What a great book haul from the sale! And I hope you love Straight Man, as it's a favorite of mine :)

So terrible about the fires in Alberta. One of our staff members in our Calgary office is from there and still had family living there. They've all moved in with her for the moment...

My winter coat (which doesn't get much use here in Dallas) is crimson wool, and I love it :)

>182 lkernagh: That one sounds like a read right up my alley. I'll have to keep it in mind.

If you like epistolary-esque novels you should try Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. It's on the fluffier side but I really liked it.

>183 katiekrug: - Hi Katie! I was so unhappy when I discovered that my local library's copy of Straight Man has gone AWOL, and they only had/have the one copy!

A unusually dry winter + El Nino = wildfire season. A formula for disaster, if ever I saw one. I continue to have my fingers crossed that rain/snow - yes, it is not unusual for snow to occur at this time of year - will fall on the area.

Oooohhhh... crimson wool. What a wonderful colour (and fabric) for a winter coat!

>184 MickyFine: - I do believe that you would enjoy Gena/Finn. I have Rainbow Rowell's books on my radar list. Glad to see you recommend Attachments!

Have survived the first half of the work week and looking forward to the second half, which will close off with a work-related barbecue on Friday and the weather forecast looks promising.

On the reading front, I am making fantastic headway with The Woman in White. I have now reached the third epoch and the 'reveals' that occur. There were times earlier in the book where I felt Collins was just dragging his feet in telling the story - not as bad as Richardson has done with Clarissa, but I will get to that - but that has now changed and I can understand some of Collins painstaking minor details and just how important those minor details are to the story as a whole.

.... as for Clarissa, I continue my read of Volume 4 and just came across this statement that is such a perfect 'slap' from a woman to a man, even by today's standards:

"This you may depend upon: I will never marry any other man. I have seen enough of your sex: at least of you. A single life shall ever be my choice: while I will leave you at liberty to pursue your own."

Keep in mind.... this is only volume 4, anything can still happen.

.... just saying.... ;-)

I thought I'd read The Woman I white but it turns out, no, I've read The Moonsyone. Did read a great history book looking at the real stories of people being imprisoned against their will in private madhouses - interesting stuff.

Woohoo, go Clarissa! Perfect slap indeed.

>169 lkernagh: wow, thore muffins look great. I think I usually make the mistake of taking muffins out too early, yours look nicely browned.

And good for you getting the ER review done!

Judging half the human population based on a bad experience with one person? Seems legit.

Happy weekend, Lori.

>187 charl08: - Well, you are one up on me, Charlotte. The Woman in White is my first Wilkie Collins read. I have to admit, the only reason Wilkie Collins has hit my radar is thanks to Dan Simmons' Drood. An okay read but the whole comparisons between Charles Dickens (who drives me to stages of pulling at my hair) and his favorable emphasis on Wilkie Collins really got me to add Collins to my future reading list, and I am so glad I did! People being imprisoned against their will in private madhouses is interesting and scary.

>188 lit_chick: - LOL, Love that even back then, they knew how to throw the proverbial "take that!". Makes me have a whole new respect for some writers of the period when women had no rights. ;-)

>189 LovingLit: - Thanks Megan, they were wonderful and even better, the second batch of muffins are in the freezer for future enjoyment. I find that most recipes don't allow for enough time in the oven. Always tricky if baking at higher elevations - I live at sea level so my rule of thumb is to reduce the baking temp by 25' and to monitor things carefully until I am comfortable with the recipe. My parents in Calgary are at an elevation of just over 1,000 meters and I have to admit baking there is a challenge for me... my tried and true recipes at sea level don't work the same when I am visiting them... sooooo frustrating!

>191 Ape: - Judging half the human population based on a bad experience with one person? Seems legit. Not sure about the legit aspect but I am pretty sure Clarissa wasn't the only female (even as a fictitious character) to have these thoughts. Sad, isn't it? The female race can be fickle and despicable race when the fancy takes us there. Sad but true.

>192 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara! Love the ducky!

What all has happened since I last posted? Well, the weather continued to be lovely until later this afternoon so I managed to log some fantastic walking this past week. Today, with all the running around I did, I managed to finish the last 6 hours of The Woman in White. Great read! Review to follow. While I was busy listening to good old Wilkie, I was out shopping for shoes, clothes and pretty much anything else that was on sale that struck my eye.

Now I don't know about everyone else here on LT, but I tend to very particular about my footwear. If it doesn't fit right - regardless of brand reputation - I don't buy it. This had placed me earlier this year in a bit of a quandary: Given the walking that I do, and given that I like to let me feet 'breath' in the warmer months, finding good quality walking sandals was a bit of a challenge for me. I know, there are shoe aficionados that swear by brands like Keen, Teva, etc, but my overall experience trying on every sandal I stumbled across is that Keen is too 'clunky' for my tastes and Teva doesn't have the comfort or sole support I expect - especially as I tend to be a bit of a heel walker and blow through footwear like crazy for that very reason. Thankfully, I stumbled upon the following pair of sandals by Columbia:



... I know, they look pretty basic and they are... and they are also darn comfortable! So, imagine my excitement when I can across another pair at a bargain price. I grabbed them and they are now waiting for when I blow through this pair. My happy dance #1 of today. Happy dance #2 of today was to see the noticeable drop in temps and the incoming cloud cover this afternoon. The island is not tinder dry like Fort McMurray was for a number of weeks prior to the wild fire that tore through that part of Alberta, but we have been issued formal "no open fire' prohibitions for the island as of late Thursday, so yes, rain will be welcomed. Besides, it is the perfect excuse to curl up on the couch for the day with a good book or two. ;-)

At least I have my weekly walking update completed.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


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







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

UPDATE: WEEK 44
Kilometers walked this week: 75.1 - Best week total so far!*WOOT!*
Kilometers walked in total: 2,016.95
Current province: (SK)
My current location on the map: East of Balgonie and heading for McLean.
Points of interest along the way: Took advantage of wonderful weather this week to log some serious walking. On the map, my virtual walking took me through Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan (and a beautiful city, IMO), through Emerald Park, White City and Balgonie. Interesting information about Regina is that it was originally the seat of government of the North-West Territories, back when Saskatchewan and Alberta were part of the territory and not separate provinces in their own right. in 1912 most of Regina was destroyed by a tornado that to this day remains the deadliest tornado in Canadian history with 28 fatalities in a then population of just over 30,000 residents. Here are some archival images of 1912 Regina, post tornado:



Today, Regina is the 24th largest city in Canada based on population and a very beautiful city to visit, with the Wascana Lake providing wonderful waterfront parks and properties:



Since 1885, Regina has been home for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy training facilities for the national police force, so it comes as no surprise that a RCMP officer is part of the "Welcome to Regina" signs located at the city limits:



On a personal level, Regina is where I, one summer as a young girl, learned that: 1) geese 'hiss' when threatened/angry, and 2) they can be very territorial and vicious! No injuries were sustained, just a really good lesson learning to respect wild animals (even in an urban park setting) which has served me well over multiple decades of unplanned encountered with various wildlife. I continue to shake my head when I read reports like one just this past week where part of the Canadian highway system (Highway 93 north in Banff National Park) had to be turned into a "no stopping zone' because people were stopping to feed bears at the side of the road...Seriously!

Yay for reaching Regina, Lori. Interesting before and after photos. My current research is about the Regina Cyclone and I brought Storm of the Century: the Regina Tornado of 1912 down from the shelf to find out more.

Woohoo, you're in Regina! Big hello to another of our prairie capitals!

I so understand your footwear dilemma when it comes to summer walking. I'm also something of a heel pounder. I've used these Chaco sandals now for several years and love them. They've been replaced once, and I'm working my way through the next pair. Love the orthodic footbed.

The female race can be fickle and despicable race when the fancy takes us there. Sad but true.

I would argue that applies to humanity in general, regardless of gender. But I can be a little misanthropic sometimes. :P

I don't wear sandals, but if I did, I'd wear socks with them. >:D

De - lurking to say hi. Not that I really lurk on your thread - I mostly come and visit. So cool that you are in Regina. I've thought that a pretty city, when we have traveled through on our way to Winnipeg. Wascana is a lovely place, yes! My husband is has always been less keen on Regina. When we stopped there overnight, I always insisted we drive around - look at the RCMP training area etc. I must admit that last time we booked a Motel 6 or something dreadful like that to spend the night. That will never happen again. It was so filthy I could not step on the carpet without shoes and the bathroom scared me. LOL! ;)

Ah, Nancy's sandals look a lot like mine. I need to replace my current pair. Since I am mainly walking the dog, my sandals are completely comfort / walking oriented.

I'm really particular about my footwear too. But I just wear running shoes when I walk. I find they breathe well enough for me. But the sandals look very comfortable.

>196 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg. I love Regina as a city... Big enough to attract attention and yet compact enough to make it relatively easy to get around. Sadly, our local library does not have a copy of the Bingaman book - I think it would make for very interesting reading.

>197 lit_chick: - Well, those look comfy! I admit I have never seen the Chaco sandals in my searching by I am now on the hunt to see if I can track down any here in the shops on the island.

>198 Ape: - Stephen, I believe you are right about the potential global aspect of humanity and gender characteristics - which is sad because why are we , as a human race, here if we actively choose to disagree on fundamental issues? Kind of sounds like a weird take on Alien vs Predator and will only be to the final detriment of humans a race.

.... Well, now I am really depressed because, knowing human nature, we are not going to fix this problem anytime soon. I really need to think about purchasing an island to live on, and figure out how to stop other people from trying to come ashore.

Good sandals practice (In theory since you don't wear them) and be assured you are not alone.... I swear half of Victoria roams around (at least in the winter months) wearing socks with there sandals.

>199 vancouverdeb: - Hi Deb! Visits, lurks, all are good. I agree with you. Regina is a pretty city. I totally get the no use of Motel 6 or anything else that of the same type/nature.

Now I really do need to look into these Chaco sandals.

>200 The_Hibernator: - I tend to sweat in running shoes - even those wonderful ventilated kinds - so I have opted for sandals as the best plan.

Wow... we are already approaching the end to the weekend. Darn it, but time really flies by when it isn't work related". :-) Today was spend puttzing around getting four loads of laundry done, some herb garden maintenance work and starting the following six new plants from seed: Sweet Genovese Basil (yes, I continue to try and grow basil from seed), Spinach (my first batch is going wonderfully so seems like a good time to get batch 2 started, I still struggle to figure out the proper cilantro/coriander growing period but as it has been 4 weeks sice my last batch of cilantro was put to see, now seems like a good time for batch #2, Parsley only because I know that my current batch of parsley (from last year) will be bolting soon so time to get the new batch in the works, and yes, I am trying, yet again, to grow Red Rubin Basil from seed.

On the reading front, I will get around to compiling and posting my thoughts regarding Wilki Collins' The Woman in White in the coming days, I just need to mull it over a bit first. In the meantime, I am currently reading Elizabeth May's The Falconer, book one in a planned trilogy, because I won book two, The Vanishing Throne from the April LTER. So far, a darn good alternate reality/fantasy/steampunk read and really glad that I placed the request for a middle book in a trilogy!

>203 lkernagh: I think the weekends are getting shorter, Lori.

201: I believe is comes to a fundamental lack of intelligence. It's too difficult for the average person to understand the concept of variability, so most people live with broad prejudices to simplify things. It's like comparing the idea of "luck" with "random chance." The idea of calculating the math of random chance and understand how it varies is very complex, so simpletons (and by "simpletons" I mean the majority of the human race") simplify it by calling it "luck."

That's why it's so rare to find an intellectual racist. Sexism is still rampant, even among intellectual men and women, but sooner or later they'll wise up to that too. One step at a time, I guess! I have faith in you all. ;)

Lori, I have a pair of ancient Birkenstocks that I still love. I mostly wear New Balance running shoes when I walk because our dog likes to go off trail sometimes and I want something sturdier than sandals. We have snakes and ticks around here! It sounds like your put your too-short weekend to good use. Have a good week now!

>206 Donna828: Hani was excited this weekend as she and Yasmyne noted that a new Birkenstock store had opened in their favourite mall. I was disappointed when I realised it was something I couldn't read. xx

Hi Lori!

Catch up comments: We watched a wildfire "across the street" when I was about 15 in 1968 and had the wind changed, it would have engulfed our house. Mom ran stop lights and should have acquired speeding tickets getting home from work when we, the kidlets, called her at her job. It was beyond scary - you are hopeless in that situation and have absolutely no control on what's going to happen. I am so sorry for the Fort McMurray folks whose lives have been so terribly disrupted.

The muffins look wonderful. My problem is that even if some of them make it to the freezer, they tend to come out one or two at a time quickly and none are left within a couple of days. Perhaps I need to put them in the freezer in the garage instead of the one in the kitchen so they require effort to retrieve them.

I have a black winter coat, and mostly wear jewel tones and black most seasons. I look somewhat out of place in the spring and summer here in central NC, USA, where most folks go with white and pastels and have official summer and winter wardrobes.

Your book haul was fantastic, congratulations! I've bought books mid-series if they sound interesting, knowing I'll get the first book eventually too.

I adore epistolary novels. Griffin & Sabine, The Documents in the Case, A Woman of Independent Means, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and We Need to Talk About Kevin are among the favorites on my shelves. I've started Clarissa Harlowe, Or the History of a Young Lady but am not making much headway since I'm totally immersed in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon right now.

Good luck with the basil. I've never tried from seed, but always have decent luck with seedlings from the local Farm & Garden. I can understand its being a matter of a challenge and pride, though.

My husband would like to live on an island or in the middle or nowhere. I'm happy to live on 8 rural acres, about 10 miles from the closest town. We can find people when we want them and be on our own when we don't. I realize that most people prefer towns and cities, but this works just fine for us so far.

You were going to hit me with a book bullet for The Falconer, but the touchstone led to The Hobbit instead.

Hi, Lori! I had some catching up to do. Whew!

Loved your review of This House of Sky. Big Thumb! I also loved the book, which I just finished. I will also be reading more Doig.

Hope all is well.

Hi Lori - Thanks for the sandal recommendations; I've been looking for some comfortable ones.

Great progress on your walk. I can't believe you're in Regina already. Some friends used to live in Moose Jaw, so I am even familiar with that part of the world.

>204 Familyhistorian: - I think you are right, Meg. They are getting shorter! Augh!

>205 Ape: - Good point and I am so glad that you have faith in all of us, Stephen, because I still have my doubts. ;-)

>206 Donna828: - With snakes and ticks to contend with, I would be all for closed shoes too, even if the sandals are the most comfortable footwear going! Thankfully, I have seen very few snakes here in Victoria - except for what I think was a harmless garden snake that passed in front of my on the pathway 4 years ago - so I am pretty comfortable wearing sandal, weather permitting.

>207 PaulCranswick: - LOL and a bit jealous. Victoria, the capital of an island of inhabitants known to the rest of Canadians as being "earthy tree huggers" and probably the Birkenstock wearing capital of Canadian based on population, does not have a Birkenstock store. We have to rely on other stores that carry the Birkenstock brand. Sorry to see they didn't factor in a book section when they built the store. These retailers... they really need to figure out how best to capitalize on the opening the consumers wallets... and keep the paying customer happy while waiting for decisions to be made. ;-)

>208 karenmarie: - Holy cow on the wildfire experience of your youth! As for the muffins, I am getting good about only taking them into the office (so I don't feel enticed by the coffee shop muffins). I can usually find other things when I am at home to snack on, mainly because I tend towards salt/savory snacks. My latest addiction is corn chips with flax seed. Good idea to "hide" the muffins in the freezer that is not as readily accessible. Jewel tones and black look great together. Pastels and I don't do well. Easter egg blue is a colour that I just can't do... that and bubble gum pink. I do wear white and lighter colours in the spring/summer months but their are still more of the muted earth tone colours of dusty rose rather than bright pink, etc.

OMG, Love your epistolary novels list! Ha, I can see how Gabaldan's Outlander series is more appealing than Clarissa! Great series and hope you enjoy it. I burned out before I completed it, but I still want to go back to book one and start over following the adventures of Jamie and Claire.

It is interesting how we each have our own unique "happy" places on the seclusion spectrum. My other half finds this small city we live in too noise for his tastes... but then he grew up on a farm in the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland, so I can appreciate that city noises like the drunks coming home at 2:00 am from the bar or the emergency responder sirens - which are just white noise for me - are grating in comparison to the quiet solitude he was surrounded by as he grew up. Suffice to say, we have continued conversations about where we could 'ideally' both live as I do like the conveniences of city living and would only give it up if compelled to.

>209 ronincats: - Seriously, touchstones for The Falconer went to The Hobbit? Well, that is a bit of a mind blow. Touchstone has been fixed. I did finish reading The Falconer this evening and my very quick summation of the book is that it is a good read. Not as strong of an alternate reality world build like Westerfeld's Leviathan series but a solid alternate reality piece focused on 1844 Edinburgh, Scotland. Probably more geared as a transition read between the Leviathan books and Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, because of the age of the characters (lead is 18 years old and ready for marriage) and that story take more of a PG/less bawdy version of the Carriger books, replacing the wolves and vampires of Carriger's books with fae (faeries). I can and will be recommending it.

>210 msf59: - The House of Sky was a great read! Glad to see you also enjoyed it! All is good... just a little on the crazy busy side. Thank god a long weekend is in the works for this weekend. Sanity - and reading - will prevail. ;-)

>211 BLBera: - Happy to help. I tried on so many sandals I was starting to get concerned I would never find a sandal with comfortable straps, solid cushion base, didn't feel like I was walking out of them because of loose fit and didn't rub or pinch the skin during wear.

"Lower Saskatchewan" as I like to call it, is a wonderful place. Why "Lower Saskatchewan"? My paternal grandparents lived in Saskatoon, my maternal grandparents lived in Prince Albert and family events tended to happen at my great uncle's cabin at Emma Lake so our visits to Saskatchewan were usually in the mid-regions of the province.

Well, we finally lost that wonderful early summer weather we had been basking in for weeks over April and May. The clouds have returned, along with a rather cold wind off the water.... all perfectly time in the lead up to the Canadian May long weekend. Even my brother, a die hard camper, has cancelled his planned weekend camping trip. Oh well, shouldn't complain... it could be worse.

As it is full on cruise season for our otherwise sleepy waterfront town, I did get a chance to see the Royal Caribbean International's resort-style cruise ship Explorer of the Seas when it made its inaugural call to Victoria this week. My thought: That is one big ship! Apparently it is so tall that it physically cannot fit under the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver. Obviously, there is BIG money to be had in the cruise industry, but I still worry about boats that seem taller than wider.... considering even the non-engineering minded individuals can appreciate that stability is easier to achieve if width is greater than height. What do I know... it good for the local economy so I will continue to not be bothered if I have to weave my way through tourists wielding cameras (well, more iPads than cameras these days) as I wind my way through town. ;-0

On the reading front, I have just finished my read of The Falconer and darn it all, they had to end it with a cliff-hanger so happy to have book two read for reading in bed this evening! Book review for The Woman in White was quickly slapped together and will be posted.

Book #36 - The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Spending Time with my Furry Friends
CAT(s): RandomCAT (Colour Your World)
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1859
Acquisition date: May 12, 2012
Page count: 645 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.60 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: adapted from multiple sources:

Marian and her sister Laura live a quiet life under their uncle's guardianship until Laura's marriage to Sir Percival Glyde, who is a man of many secrets. Could he be connected to the strange appearances of a young woman dressed all in white? And what does his charismatic friend, Count Fosco--whose white pet mice enjoy running in and out of his waistcoat--have to do with it all? From the hero’s foreboding before his arrival at Limmeridge House to the nefarious plot concerning the beautiful Laura, this is a story of secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and an unorthodox villain, all of which lead drawing master Walter Hartright to turn detective in order to uncover the truth.

Review:
Reading the classics can sometimes be a bit of a “hit-or-miss” adventure for me, especially if I encounter an author who’s writing style leaves me rolling my eyes in frustration. It was my read of Dan Simmons Drood and his in-depth portrayal of the interesting friendship between Collins and Charles Dickens that lead me to acquire a copy of Collins’ The Woman in White.

There is a lot to like in this story. I found the use of multiple narrators works really well, especially as each narrator has their own distinct “voice”. I like the idea of the story being revealed slowly, one character’s point of view at a time. And what a cast of characters! As described by one reviewer, Collins invented a “mannish, eloquent Marian Halcombe; a faithful and angelic Laura Fairlie; a sinister, secretive Percival Glyde and a seductive and cunning Count Fosco”. The characters are complex and the dance they engage in is one of filled with mistrust… perfect fodder to drive the suspenseful plot forward.

I will admit that Hartright’s encounter on the highway to London at the start of the story had me hoping for a gothic ghost story. No such luck on the ghost story front but I was still satisfied with the devious plot that unfolded before my eyes and the secrets to be gleaned and teased into the open. As a psychological mystery thriller, it is a goodie and well worth the read.

>216 lkernagh: Hi Lori, my local library has this book as an audio drama. I will have a look for it the next time I'm there.

>217 Ameise1: - Well I cannot speak to the audio drama your library has available, the audiobook version I listened to was a... what did they call it.... can't remember so I will just call it a cast of various readers, with a different reader for each character's section of the story. It worked really well to exemplify the different characters. Wonderful story.

The Woman in White sounds like a great read--thanks for the review!! And I love when you post photos of the towns you "pass through" on your walk. Hope the new shoes are a perfect fit!! I am due for a new pair myself, although I finally started up TKD again, so I see more barefoot in my future. ; )

>212 lkernagh: Victoria, the capital of an island of inhabitants known to the rest of Canadians as being "earthy tree huggers" and probably the Birkenstock wearing capital of Canadian based on population,

How true! Last summer I had to buy my daughter a pair after her first year at UVic. She found her own plaid shirts in thrift stores. This summer she's home and has a proper office job, so I had to take her to Le Chateau and buy her a whole work wardrobe. The plaid shirts and Birkenstocks just weren't going to cut it.

I always joke about Victoria chic being a flowing cotton skirt and a Gortex jacket.

>213 lkernagh: It is interesting how we each have our own unique "happy" places on the seclusion spectrum. My other half finds this small city we live in too noise for his tastes... but then he grew up on a farm in the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland, so I can appreciate that city noises like the drunks coming home at 2:00 am from the bar or the emergency responder sirens - which are just white noise for me - are grating in comparison to the quiet solitude he was surrounded by as he grew up. Suffice to say, we have continued conversations about where we could 'ideally' both live as I do like the conveniences of city living and would only give it up if compelled to.

Sigh. That's a tough one, isn't it! I'm with your husband on not liking the noises of people at night. Years ago I wanted to move to Saltspring Island, which I definitely don't anymore. I'd move to Victoria in a heart beat. I always say to my family that there is no point in me running away because chances are they'd find me in Victoria (unless I had a bank full of money, and then all bets are off). My husband never wants to live anywhere but Vancouver, and he wants to be close to the Skytrain when he gets older. At least he's changed his mind about moving to Yaletown.

>216 lkernagh: The Woman in White is a surprisingly fun read for how long ago it was written. I loved the twists and turns the story took and the multiple narrators. You're right that they each had a distinct voice.

happy Friday to you Lori! Seems like I'm always playing catch up on your busy busy thread! Lovely new walking sandals! Thanks for the info regarding Regina. I have seen the RCMP march, a few times, in the Police Memorial Parade held in Ottawa as my husband was a police officer in Ohio. They are so impressive and kind. Our son, Will, was just about 7 at the time and when the RCMP guys saw him looking at them before the parade they called us over and took pictures with him. So nice!

I own WiW and will likely put it in my personal challenge next year as it's been sitting on the shelf for waaaaaay tooooo long!

Have a lovely weekend!

>194 lkernagh: a comfy pair of shoes is worth their weight in gold :) I am a huge fan of sneakers and wear them with everything, for that reason.

I feel my nerves grating with city noise, ironically, if there is enough noise it can feel calming (for a while), like white noise, but isolated sirens or voices/ cars hooning about I can't stand.

>216 lkernagh: Oh good, Lori. I really liked A Woman in White, too. Nice review.

My mystery-loving daughter didn't take to it for some reason - like you, she likes gothic ghost stories, including Susan Hill's A Woman in Black, so maybe she never got over it not being that.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Sorry your beautiful weather's gone away. We're doing pretty good on that front in MN. I actually took off my sweatshirt while on my walk.

>219 Berly: - Hi Kim! I am looking forward to more Wilkie Collins reads... I do prefer his writing style to good old Charles Dickens. Collins writing style isn't filled with extraneous verbiage and he does know how to build suspense and atmosphere! I kind of like adding the photos to my walking journey, so fingers crossed I will continue to have interesting places to post about. Glad to see you have started up TKD again! The vertigo must finally be gone. Excellent news!

>220 Nickelini: - I always joke about Victoria chic being a flowing cotton skirt and a Gortex jacket. LOL! ... and so true! Building and maintaining an office wardrobe here on the island (without looking like a 20-something wearing "work-to-clubbing" attire or a frumpy 50's-60's something) is a challenge, and part of the reason I do make regular trips home to Calgary to visit family. Just don't tell the family that... although they probably have already guessed my ulterior motive. ;-)

Congrats on your daughter's summer office job! My niece in Calgary is finding the job situation there to be challenging for recent Uni-grads, but she has managed to line up a 6-month temporary position that relates to her field of study so family is happy about that.

>221 Nickelini: - your husband on not liking the noises of people at night. That is one of our bigger challenges in the warmer weather months. I like to sleep with the window open and... well... that brings in the noise. I would move to a quieter, more secluded location, except I wouldn't do well living on an acreage in Central Saanich when he is away on business and my closest neighbour is a couple hundred meters as the crow flies. Even living at my parents home in Calgary when I was taking care of the house for them, I would end up triple checking all ground floor windows and doors to make sure they were locked before retiring, which would amuse the cats to no end as they followed me around the house.

I can see the attraction of living close the the Skytrain, especially as your husband gets older (you of course, will not be aging at all!), but sad that he doesn't see Victoria as an option. ;-(

>222 ursula: - I agree, Ursula. The Woman in White is one of those great stories that is so well written, it doesn't become easily dated. I could totally see someone writing a similar story today and call it historical fiction!

>223 Carmenere: - Happy Friday, Lynda! I love all of you wonderful visitors who find the time to visit other people's threads! I am so far behind with my thread visiting it is embarrassing. I am hoping to take advantage of the long weekend to read some threads and contribute back, as it were.

I remember waaaay back when graduating from high school, I was flabbergasted when one of my male friends announced that he had applied to and had been accepted to the RCMP training academy. Upon reflection, he really knew what he wanted to do and to this day I know he made the right career choice... very rare for a teenager to just "know" what they want to do, make it happen and excel at it. Now part of me wonders if Rob had been one of those RCMP officers to make note of Will's interest and invite photos. That is totally what Rob would do. ;-)

>224 LovingLit: - Tell me about it! That, and if the shoes have heels higher than 1 inch, the heel has to be stable. I find that a number of high heeled shoes that look absolutely lovely should come with a warning label about pinched toes, cramped feet and potential to 'tip over' because the heels are wobbly when you walk. I love sneakers but my feet tend to perspire, even in canvas, so open sandals on hot days are my go-to must-have!

I think you have hit on my other half's noise concern. He cannot stand the repetitive, monosyllable 'chirp' of a bird, which is repetitive, any more than he can stand the sirens, horns and other distractions. I think like you said, it all comes down to what is a constant noise that can equate to "white noise" and a repetitive noise interspersed with silence. Ironically, this is the same person who will press the cross button (and listen to the resulting "beep") repeatedly, as if it will make the light change faster. We all have our foibles and I do love him dearly. ;-)

>225 jnwelch: - Hi Joe, Thanks! Sorry to see your mystery-loving daughter wasn't as infatuated with the Collins story like we were but I will happily take a BB for the The Woman in Black if that is a story she enjoyed.

>226 The_Hibernator: - The good weather comes and then goes, Rachel. Thankfully, it usually comes back and the sun and blue sky do appear to be returning... and just in time for the long weekend. I love it when the weather accommodates the weekend schedule! ;-)

--------------------
Happy Friday everyone and happy long weekend for my Canadian visitors! After a busy and some what disastrous week at the office - a pipe sprang a leak so there was "green water" - probably coolant for the air conditioner - rapidly filling up garbage cans placed below the leak on Wednesday - so I decided to work from home today as a nice lead into the long weekend. Today became one of those 'technology nightmare' days I dread: Outlook and other programs kept giving me the "not responding" milky white appearance and I found trying to send/receive emails was painful to the point where by mid-afternoon I was ready to spit bullets. What a gong show!

... anyways, the weekend is now here... because I refuse to deal with anything else if I have to face issues like lost emails, etc. On the good news front, the other half has agreed that we both have earned a night out on the town.

Before heading out for fun/food/frolic, I do have the review for The Falconer ready for posting.

Book #37 - The Falconer by Elizabeth May
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category
Category: Catchall
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: You Want the Protagonist's Job or Hobby
WomanBingoKIT: Women in Non-Traditional Roles
Source: GVPL
Format: Hardcover
Original publication date: 2013
Acquisition date: N/A
Page count: 378 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.00 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the amazon.ca book listing webpage:

Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated.

Review:
First thing, I love the Edinburgh, Scotland setting. May has reproduced the historical parts of Old Town/New Town Edinburgh such that any visitor to the city will recognize the location. May has also given it a wonderful fantasy/steampunk appearance with the introduction of a faery race (pulled pretty much from Scottish fae lore) and introduced enough steampunk/mechanical elements to satisfy the steampunk junkie in me. The fact that Aileana loves to tinker with mechanics and makes her own weapons/airship is also a nice nod towards women as engineers/builders of devices. The world build may not be quite as inventive as the alternate reality of Westerfeld's Leviathan series, IMO, but still well-crafted. I find the pixie Derrick to be a great character. He brings charm and levity to this action-packed story and is a nice counter to Kiaran, the warrior faerie training Aileana. For me, this comes across as a wonderful transition read between the Westerfeld's Leviathan series and Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. Aileana is 18 years old (not a younger teen like in Westerfeld's story) and the story comes across as a more PG/less bawdy paranormal in comparison with the Carriger books. Great never-ending action, good characters and a wonderful setting. Only downside for me is what I tend to find in a number of debut novels - which this happens to be - in that the story does too much "showing". We are continually informed of what Aileana is feeling and it can get a bit repetitive from that perspective but that is really my only quibble with this one, that and the fact that the ending is, of course, perfectly written as a set up for the next book in the trilogy.

Good stuff!

>228 lkernagh: I can see the attraction of living close the the Skytrain, especially as your husband gets older (you of course, will not be aging at all!), but sad that he doesn't see Victoria as an option.

The part that makes me laugh is that he thinks he wants to stay in Vancouver because "everyone" is here. Except as we age, people die and move away, so I'm not sure who is all going to be left for him here.

So funny, our impressions of Victoria vs Vancouver area LOL! I love Victoria and have a good friend who lives there, though I have not been over to Victoria in many years. I thought Vancouver was the land of Birkenstocks worn with socks and gortex. perhaps because my brother wore knee high socks with their Birkenstocks and I wear more or less Birkenstocks to this day, sans socks. :) I think of Victoria as city with retirement people and witches covens . Quite a mix! :)

http://www.nexusnewspaper.com/2012/10/23/it%E2%80%99s-always-the-season-of-the-w...

http://www.paganspace.net/forum/topics/pagans-and-witches-in-victoria-bc

Please don't laugh too hard, but I guess somewhere along the line I read about witches ( or they think they witches) in Victoria and it really stuck in my mind. My friend is not in a witches coven, nor are her friends, and it has never crossed my mind that you are either, but it just a silly stereotype that has stuck with me and makes me chuckle to myself.

Uh oh! Are you reading about the paranormal! The penny just dropped, Lori! :-)

>231 lkernagh: As someone who has spent plenty of time in Scotland's beautiful capital, I agree that it is a wonderful setting for fiction, especially with a historical bent.
Never read anything that could be described as "steam punk", but I may one day try!

Have a lovely weekend, Lori.

>232 Nickelini: - Good point.

>233 vancouverdeb: - I think of Victoria as city with retirement people and witches covens. LOL! That did make me laugh, Deb! The stories aren't completely off base. I had friends who used to own a bakery in Fairfield, in the plaza opposite Ross Bay Cemetery. The husband, who did the early morning bread baking said that it was not unusual to see people wearing full capes with hoods going into the cemetry at 2 in the morning, especially around Halloween. I don't even want to know what those people were up to!

I know, Victoria's reputation of being the "land of the newlyweds and the nearly deads" is a hard one to shake off, but it is happening. I admit, I was quite happy to see This short article in the April issue of Vogue magazine. It paints a pretty accurate picture of Victoria today.

>234 vancouverdeb: - Ha, yes, I am now looking for fae, Deb, but I don't think we have any here on the island! ;-)

>235 PaulCranswick: - Hi Paul. You are in for a treat if you venture into steampunk stories! Let me entice you with the following movie trailers:

Wild Wild West is a prefect example of steampunk set in the American West. There is even a steampunk adaptation of The Three Musketeers that, IMO, was quite well done. ... and, course, I would be remiss if I didn't include one of my favorite movies, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Happy Saturday everyone! Last night the weather held. We had a lovely meal in town and then walked along Government Street and then the wharf front, checking out some new shops and watching the sunset over the harbour. Today we are back to grey, overcast skies so I am going to relax at home and probably do some baking and reading. I have a craving for zucchini carrot muffins.

Happy Saturday to you, too, Lori! Our weather has turned from gorgeous to typical-May-long-weekend-weather: rain, gray, cool! No worries from here: I've got good books, Netflix, and some knitting on the go. So glad for a break from the year-end crazy, that I'll enjoy the quiet in spite of not being able to do it on the patio.

>236 lkernagh: What a lovely article from Vogue! Nice to see. Victoria has been our home-away-from-home for the past 20 years and I'm always very happy to visit. Especially if I get to go to Munro Books or Russel Books!

>231 lkernagh: Great review, Lori. Even for a none reading SF person like me this book sounds interesting.

I hope you have a great weekend full of R&R.

Hi Lori! Your Friday night dinner/stroll sounds wonderful. Hope the rest of your weekend is good. And zucchini carrot muffins sound heavenly.

>237 lkernagh: Your dinner sounds lovely. Had a lovely dinner out last night as my brother was visiting. The sky as we came out was just lovely, slightly pink and full of clouds. I am so glad the lighter evenings are back again. Hope you have a relaxing Sunday.

ETA: off to look up synonyms for 'lovely'. Sorry about that!

Hi Lori - You remind me that I've had The Woman in White on my list for ages. I must push it to the top of the pile. It sounds like it would be a great summer read.

Hope you got lots of reading done on your "bad" weather weekend! Happy new week!

>238 lit_chick: - Hi Nancy! Looks like you have the perfect long weekend activities lined up! The weather remained pretty much 'blah' over here on the island as well but I still managed to find things to keep me busy.

>239 Nickelini: - I was quite happy to see the article, Joyce, which did get a mention in the local newspaper. The books stores do entice, don't they? ;-)

>240 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara! The Falconer isn't heavy on the SF - reads more like a historical fiction with a bit of a twist - and would make a good transition book for readers who tend to steer clear of SF.

>241 karenmarie: - The weekend has been wonderful, Karen. The muffins worked out well. I had half of a zucchini in the crisper in the fridge to use up and figured, why not? I ended up adding finely chopped apple to the mix as well as we had an apple that was starting to get that wrinkled skin look. Really good!

>242 charl08: - Hi Charlotte. I love when family is visiting. Sounds like you dinner and evening was just as perfect as ours was!

>243 BLBera: - The Woman in White would make a wonderful summer read!

>244 The_Hibernator: - Hi Rachel, I got some reading done. I also did some beading, some baking, and some putzing around with my garden. Overall, everything was relaxing so the weekend has been a good one!

Today is the Victoria Day holiday in Canada. I do love a long weekend. ;-) The weather has been pretty much overcast all day. Not the best weather for the annual parade but at least no rain has fallen and no heatwave for parade attendees to collapse in, so we will call it a good day. I spent a couple of hours puttering around in my garden. Both my spearmint and mojito mint plants are hold overs from last year and were suffering from being root bound. Given that both plants grow like the dickens, I took a young clipping from each plant and potted them in separate smaller seedlings pots to see if they will take root. I then dumped out the two big planter pots - and sure enough, they were all root - and sterilized the pots for future use. I then did either a brave or dumb thing and divided my spinach plants into two pots as they were taking over their one pot. Time will tell if I goofed that.

On the reading front, I have spent the past week listening to an audiobook version of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. I never in my wildest imaginations thought I would be so captivated by the story. I just have two more hours to go and I will be finished that one (and get another ROOT read in the process). On the Clarissa front, I am currently at Letter XLVI, and pretty much right on track with this one as the letters are focused around this point and time on the calendar. 72 pages left to complete Volume 4. For my physical read, I have started my LTER read The Vanishing Throne, book two in the Falconer trilogy by Elizabeth May. Only 18 pages in so no comment for now.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


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







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

UPDATE: WEEK 45
Kilometers walked this week: 34.0 - Yes, it was a slow walking week.
Kilometers walked in total: 2,050.95
Current province: (SK)
My current location on the map: West of Indian Head.
Points of interest along the way: My virtual walking saw me pass by a community on the map with no name... I know, you are thinking "What?". It may be the east end of Saint Joseph's but it looks strange on the map to just see an isolated road that suddenly joins up with a grouping of roads, but no name displaying on the map. Passed through the tiny village of McLean (Population 304) which is known for being the highest point along the Canadian Pacific Railway east of the Rocky Mountains. Not sure what they mean by "highest point" since Saskatchewan is pretty flat:



Proceeding then along the southern edge of Qu'Appelle, a township that historically was the terminus of the railway for the district when it was still part of the North-West Territories. You have to like a place that has a gas station/convenience store called "Who-oo Calls Gas Bar & Convenience Store".

I read The Poisonwood Bible many years ago. It was recommended to me by a friend and I remember thinking that it didn't really sound like my thing. And then I picked it up, and sped read the entirety! (much like my experience with Larsson's Millennium Triology). Love when that happens!

The weather this weekend turned out better than predicted, I think. We even had some warm sunny periods today. Like you, I was out in the garden. Earlier this weekend we stained our new fence. All this busy activity outside meant no walking though.

I love The Poisonwood Bible when I read it a about 8 years ago. Previously, I'd really liked Prodigal Summer too. For some reason, I haven't thought to pick up any of her other novels.

Is it a gas bar because people buy gas or because people came to chat? Great name. I like seeing where your journey virtually takes you each week.

Your comments on the community with no name reminded me that Google invented a town in Lancashire on their maps. Theories vary as to why it happened but it seems to have been some kind of testing area that someone forgot to delete. Cue confusion.

I join the crowd who loved The Poisonwood Bible and would have never read it except that it was for my RL bookclub. 13 years later we read Flight Behavior, and I found it absolutely stunning. I never pick up Kingsolver on my own, but am always glad when I'm "forced" to.

>249 lit_chick: - I totally get that "I don't know..." response when a book is thrust into your hands.... makes it all that special when it turns out to be a page turner. Like you, I also avoided Larsson's Millennium Trilogy and finally buckled down just a couple of years ago.... boy, did I make short work of that trilogy!

I have to admit, I like coming to a trilogy or series late. I don't know how readers survive when they have to wait for the next installment (George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones books immediately come to mind).

>250 Nickelini: - Walking has really taken a downturn with me over the past few weeks, Joyce. Glad to see I am not alone in being distracted by other outdoor chores. ;-)

I will be keeping an eye out for more Kingsolver books when I tour through my usual used book haunts. Great writing! Making note of Prodigal Summer. Love that title!

>251 charl08: - Is it a gas bar because people buy gas or because people came to chat? Good question! I had to do some on-line research because "gas bar" is not an uncommon phrase in Canada to refer to a petrol fill-up station. Discovered they have a Facebook page - love the advent of social media, it makes it so much easier to find out details on some businesses, although sometimes you can learn just a little too much information. It is probably the local communities one-stop shop to put gasoline in the car, pick up a six-pack of beer (looks like back in March they had 6-packs of Captain Morgan Spiked Root Beer and Spiked Coke... the coke I can see since Captain Morgan is a rum but spiked Root Beer???) and you can even get a freshly made sub sandwich. There you go.... thanks to social media, probably too much information. ;-)

As for the unnamed community, I did try to see if Google street views would offer some insight. No such luck. It is just a mass of roads that looks like a community but Google has no information about the area.... maybe this is the Canadian version of Area 51. You may be on to something that it is a testing area that Google forgot to delete. We will never know unless I or someone else decides to embark on a road trip to investigate.

>252 karenmarie: - Happy to see the love for The Poisonwood Bible is going strong. Sometimes it is good to be "forced" to read something. ;-) Making note of Flight Behaviour, a book I have never heard of before.

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Survived the first day back to the office after a long weekend by... well... working from home. One needs to transition back into the work pace after a break from it, even if it was only three days. The weather is trying to perk up so maybe we will be in luck for some sunshine and warmer weather by the weekend.

One the reading front, I managed to finish my reads of both The Poisonwood Bible and Volume 4 of Clarissa. Reviews to follow. Current audiobook read is Wicked by Gregory Maguire - time for a bit of a change of pace, I think! - and Volume 5 of Clarissa is lined up as my e-book read. About to dive back into my physical read - The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May - this evening.

Book #38 - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Blind Date
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1998
Acquisition date: February 22, 2009
Page count: 560 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 4.70 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the author's book webpage:

"The Poisonwood Bible" is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

Review:
I have avoiding reading this book for a number of years now. Why? Well, I don't really know... I just felt as though I had to be in the right frame of mind for what I saw as just another missionary family heading to Africa to spread the Christian word. I have never been a big fan of 'converting' individuals to a different belief system, so I was expecting a bit of heavy handed scripture preaching of the fire and brimstone kind. Well that is in there, in the form of Nathan's bullying personality, I discovered instead a sharp, poignantly written story from the point of view of the Price women... and what a story it is! You know this isn't going to be a typical story when it starts off with the family figuring out how to get all their "essential" belongings (including cake mixes and pinking shears - I had to refresh my memory as to what pinking shears are) to the Congo when each passenger is restricted to forty-four pounds of luggage, "and not one iota more.". Set against a backdrop of dramatic political events - and the hostility of villagers to Nathan's fiery brand of Christianity - this story has it all: sin, redemption, social injustice... pretty much everything but salvation, unless salvation comes in the form of understanding and accepting moral risk, personal responsibility and the ways in which private lives can be shaped and shattered by the events we find ourselves exposed to. There is probably a lot more symbolism to be found in this story, but for me, it is the attention to detail and the wonderful unique voices Kingsolver has given to the five Price women that made this a spellbinding read for me, even if we never get to find out what is going on in Nathan's mind... I guess we are just to assume that Nathan is the person described by the women of his family.

A captivating read for anyone interested in Congolese political history or life in an equatorial rainforest, sans luxuries of indoor plumbing, clean drinking water and electricity.

Book #39 - Clarissa Harlowe or the history of a young lady - Volume 4 (of 9) by Samuel Richardson
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: My 2016 Clarissa Read
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: e-book
Original publication date: 1748
Acquisition date: October 27, 2015
Page count: 240 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 3.40 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the LT book summary:

Based on the 18th century novel by Samuel Richardson, this is the original tale of fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons. A wealthy young heiress, famed for her virtue, is sought by a man wishing to seduce her and destroy her reputation. For the first time in his life he becomes genuinely infatuated with his prey, and sows the seeds of his own fate.

Review:
I am starting to get frustrated with Lovelace, Clarissa and Clarissa's friend Anna Howe. For starters, Clarissa has now been gone from her family home for well over a month in the company of a known rake and she still thinks there is a chance that her family will welcome her back into the family and consider her virtuous. Really?!? We are talking about a time when all a woman had was her virtue, and once that was gone... well,... life just gets nasty. As for Lovelace, I have decided the man is the human equivalent of a cat, playfully batting a small mouse between its paws, not hurting the mouse but still capable at any moment to tire of the game and finish the poor rodent off. At least Clarissa is proving to be a bit more wily and resilient than the average mouse young woman, and even manages to lead Lovelace (albeit temporarily) down paths of action he doesn't expect to find himself embarking upon. As for Clarissa pen pal and only confident, Anna is about as helpful as a dish rag most times but I still do not understand why Clarissa did what she did with Anna's offer of assistance, especially if the assistance could have availed Clarissa as a means to escape Lovelace. We also now have a clearer picture of the opinions of various members of Lovelace's family and his closer friends, like Belford.

I can only wonder where Lovelace and his scheming plots will lead to next. If it is going to be anything like what he alluded to in the last letter to Belford, I will be thoroughly disgusted with him.

>254 lkernagh: Loved that book.

>254 lkernagh: If that's not already on my TBR list it's going on there now :) Thanks

>254 lkernagh: Another fan here. Due for a reread I think.

>255 lkernagh: You are just about level with me now! I was kind of wondering if the dates would get ahead of my method of reading at some point, and it looks like we might be getting near that point! I was anxious to see your reaction to Lovelace's suggested plot to Belford. I know times were different, but ... uh.

>256 Oberon:, >257 Kassilem: and >258 charl08: - Happy to see the love/interest in The Poisonwood Bible!

>259 ursula: - Glad to see your reading method has managed to keep you ahead, but as you say, I am starting to wonder if the letters are going to pile up. I don't want to spend the month of June predominantly reading Clarissa!

Glad to see I am not the only one to react against Lovelace's plot! That man is despicable.

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

Happy Saturday, everyone and happy Memorial Day long weekend to all of my U.S. based visitors! It is going to be a busy weekend here in Victoria as it is Swiftsure weekend. For those of you wondering what Swiftsure is, it is an international yacht race, held every year here. 2016 is the 73rd year of Swiftsure, so there is some history to this event. Currently the forecast is for light rain and I have my fingers crossed that the wind conditions are good - don't want another "Driftsure" or any high winds that would make sailing treacherous. As you can see by this picture I took yesterday afternoon, there isn't a single empty mooring berth to be had in the Inner Harbour:

Attention brain teaser puzzle lovers: I cannot remember if I have mentioned that where I work there is usually a jigsaw puzzle in progress on a table for anyone to work on during breaks. A work colleague has also started to post "word puzzles". A fun way to stretch the brain cells. I have been stumped by the following puzzle for the past two days and I am wondering if anyone knows the answer to it. Here is the puzzle:

ME11

My guess of "Me too" (1+1=2, converting two into too) is apparently wrong.

I was in town for Swiftsure one year -- had never seen the marina so packed, and then they left and there wasn't a single boat remaining. The empty marina looked so odd.

It's pouring rain here, so I hope the weather is better over your way.

>261 lkernagh: Not a clue!

Hope the sailing event gets good weather and that you have a lovely weekend.

Happy weekend! I will think on the ME11

>254 lkernagh: I heard the author say that she wrote this book 4 (or more!?!) times, from the perspectives of each of the main characters. Wow, that must have taken an absolute age! I liked reading it too, like like you did.

I can't believe how far you've walked, Lori.

Great comments on The Poisonwood Bible; I started it years ago, couldn't get into it, and put it down. I love most of Kingsolver's work, and have been meaning to try again. Maybe it's time.

Wow, I seriously want one of those boats. One of my retirement dreams to learn to sail!

Hi Lori! Catching up here. Woodpecker situation any better? They have turned my mom's house into swiss cheese :(

>236 lkernagh:, >260 lkernagh:, So want to visit Victoria just now!

>91 lkernagh: Well, Flyover Canada would involve a trip to Vancouver, a fairly expensive ticket, and about 10 minutes worth of Canadian awesomeness:) I can see why you haven't done it!

Jane Gardam (and Europa Edition) - enough said. Yes!!

>262 Nickelini: - Swiftsure is fun - and you are right, the marina empties out and looks rather desolate at first when all the boats head home. For me, I like Swiftsure but I really loved when the tall ships came to town. I am a sucker for those grand boats. I wish they would come back to Victoria! On Saturday the weather was that usual one again off again drizzle that we are so used to here on the coast. Sunday improved to warmer and sunnier weather and today... well today was just plain lovely!

>263 charl08: - I am still drawing a blank on the brain teaser. I will ask my colleague tomorrow for the answer and will post here. It is driving me nuts!

As for the weather, it was good for the sailing. Good wind conditions and a lot of the boats were crossing the finish line Sunday morning which was fun to watch.

>264 banjo123: - Thanks Rhonda! I hope you weekend has been a goodie. I am still stumped by the word puzzle.

>265 LovingLit: - Hi Megan, that would explain how she managed to nail the characters and their individual perspectives so well! I am not up to putting in that much work to write a book but I love that there are authors who do. The end result is well worth it, from this reader's perspective anyways.

>266 BLBera: - I keep plugging away at it Beth and the results do show. Still an awful lot of country to cross but I am having fun "mapping" my walking.

>267 drneutron: - I hear you, Jim! My other half grew up sailing locs in Scotland and has even done his fair bit of open ocean sailing but the land lubber that I am still needs to develop sailing legs/skills. Walking around on the lower causeway and getting a good look at some of the boats is quite the "wow" experience, especially as most of the boat owners are more than happy to welcome you on board if they happen to be around as you walk by. I would love a boat but I don't think I am ready just yet to take on something that requires the level of upkeep these wonderful vessels need.

>268 AMQS: - Hi Anne! The woodpeckers have made a home - thankfully, just the one, and they are proving to be wonderfully quiet neighbors - who knew! I will take woodpeckers over rowdy party goers any day of the week! ;-0

Sorry to read that the woodpeckers have turned you mom's house into swiss cheese.... I am considering this a good lesson that it may be best to avoid wood when building structures. My other half's Scottish side comes through when he questions why buildings aren't made of stone, and with the woodpecker incident, I can see his point. Could you imagine Woody the woodpecker (or any of his friends) trying to chip into a stone house? ;-)

I have to admit that May to the end of August are the best times to be in Victoria. There is an event of some kind on every weekend. We usually stay local during those months for that very reason. That, and the the summers are getting better and better weather wise, so I don't feel as though I need to get away.

I will keep the Flyover in mind the next time we happen to be in Vancouver, but you are right, I won't make a trip over to the mainland just to experience it.

My Trans Canada Walking Journey


The goal: To walk - in three calendar years (1,095 days) - the distance that it would take me to walk the Trans Canada Highway from

the Mile Zero marker located here in Victoria BC to its end point in St. John's, NL, a distance of 7,821K (4,860 miles).







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

UPDATE: WEEK 46
Kilometers walked this week: 40.2 - Getting back on track.
Kilometers walked in total: 2,091.15
Current province: (SK)
My current location on the map: East of Wolseley, heading for Falcon and Summerberry.
Points of interest along the way: As you may have guessed, a number of the communities along the Trans Canada Highway were founded as the railway made its way across the country. Indian Head has an interesting haunted aspect to it for anyone interested: the Indian Head Screaming House is considered to be a haunted location. As per the blog post accessed through the link above, local legend has it that the family who built this house in the 1800's suffered a loss with a railroad connection. As the story goes, the mother, while looking out one of the windows, witnessed her child being struck and killed by a passing train. The traumatic event drove her husband to board up the railway facing windows. Legend has it that to this day, if you are standing in the downstairs room in the evening when a train goes by, you can hear her screams. Whether this - the ability to experience her screams - is true or not, the house continues to attract visitors. I do love a good ghost story, especially if it can get the hairs on the back of my neck to rise up!

From there, I proceeded through Redfox Creek, passed Sintaluta and Wolseley. Wolseley's Provincial Court House building was constructed in 1893, and is the oldest surviving court house building in the province:



Personally, I prefer the look of this building, built in 1907 and originally Wolseley's headquarters for the town fire brigade. it is now a registered historic building and Wolseley's Town Hall/Opera House:

Book #40 - Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Challenge(s): 75 Group, 2016 Category, ROOT
Category: Books with One Word Titles
CAT(s): N/A
BingoDOG: N/A
WomanBingoKIT: N/A
Source: TBR
Format: Trade paperback
Original publication date: 1995
Acquisition date: May 12, 2012
Page count: 406 pages
Decimal/ Star rating: 2.80 out of 5 /
Book description/summary: from the barnesandnoble.com website book listing:

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil? Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

Review:
I don't know.... maybe it's because I was never taken with the original Wizard of Oz story, but this one really just fell flat for me. I love Maguire's character development for Elphaba... I never in a million years expected the "Wicked Witch of the West" to be a political/religious/animal activist with a deadpan outlook on all that occurs giving it a slightly unintentional satirical bent, and I really love Nanny... she is a hoot! The world build is okay but the plot... OMG, the plot is a plodder, IMO. It just kind of drags along. I am decidedly not a fan of the plot. Even the outcome left me feeling just "meh".

So much potential with a wonderful character that resonates with me, but .... well.... I just felt the plot was spinning its wheels in the mud and going nowhere. Oh well, can't love them all.

That is me pretty much wrapped up with my May reading. I think I will do a mini Year-to-date re-cap and then see about a new thread.

Jan-May RE-CAP:

# of Books Read: 40
. . . Largest book read: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy at 1,634 pages (not a big surprise)
. . . Smallest book read: Double Shadow: Poems by Carl Phillips at 58 pages
. . . Male vs. Female Authors: 26 vs. 14 - Not the greatest of balancing act but if I factor in Clarissa as a single author read, the stats then become 22 vs. 14 - better but still not fantastic. I still need to work on balancing my male/female author reading.

Original Publication Year Range: 1748 to 2016
. . . by century (and decade)
. . . . . . 1700 - 4 - volumes 1-4 of Clarissa
. . . . . . 1800 - 3 - The Woman in White, Silas Marner and War and Peace
. . . . . . 1900 - 13
. . . . . . . . . 1930 - 1
. . . . . . . . . 1970 - 3
. . . . . . . . . 1980 - 2
. . . . . . . . . 1990 - 7
. . . . . . 2000 - 20
. . . . . . . . . 2000 to 2010 - 9
. . . . . . . . . 2011 to 2016 - 11

# of Pages Read: 13,246
Average pages read per day: 87.14
Average book size based on overall page count: 331 pages
Best Reading Month:
. . . . . Pages Read: May (3,065 pages)
. . . . . Books Read: March (10 books read)

Top 5 Reads:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - 5.00 /
Racism Explained by Ben Jelloun Tahar - 5.00 /
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - 4.85 /
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies - 4.70 /
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - 4.60 /

My Various Challenges - Update:
CLARISSA: -> on track
. . . 4 volumes (out of 9) completed

ROOT: -> ahead of the curve
. . . 21/40 read

CATEGORY: -> more or less on track
. . . Big Tomes (1/2 read)
. . . Ooooooh...Shiny! (3/4 read)
. . . Dust Collectors (2/6 read)
. . . Books with One Word Titles (4/8 read)
. . . Spending Time with my Furry Friends (6/10 read)
. . . Challenges, Challenges (11/12 read)
. . . Blind Date (6/14 read)
. . . Catchall (3/16 read)

DEWEYCAT: -> slightly behind
. . . Jan - Apr read (May still pending completion)

AAC: -> on track
. . . Jan to May read

BAC: -> slightly behind
. . . Jan - Apr read (May still pending completion)

CAC: -> definitely behind
. . . Jan - Mar read (Apr and May still pending completion)

The bottom line is that I have taken on too many reading challenges for this year and it is starting to show. I don't want to scale back my author challenge reading - I am only reading one book per month per author challenge - so I will probably play catch up for a while until one of my other challenges is completed.

.... of course, it would help if I read smaller books. 331 pages as the average book read so far this year is pretty good in my books, and that is factoring in each volume in Clarissa as a separate book, bringing down the average page count!

>269 lkernagh: On Saturday the weather was that usual one again off again drizzle that we are so used to here on the coast.

I'm so happy to hear that! I saw your post before I headed out for the day in the hugest rainstorm. I was worried about them. They said it was our biggest day of rain this year in Vancouver. We had the annual Hyaak parade here in New Westmister, which I'm sure turned out to be a sad affair. I had to drive around the city for 3 hours, and a couple of times I splashed 6 ft splooshes onto the sidewalk (no pedestrians, I did check), and looking at the pick up truck stopped in the puddle just before I drove through, at least 18 " deep. Crazy, crazy rain for hours. And I spent the afternoon in a theatre, watching the new Jane Austen movie "Love and Friendship," which is a very good version of Lady Susan.

>275 Nickelini: - Wow, were you guys slammed with rain on the weekend? Thankfully didn't transpire here. Not good weather for a parade so I feel for everyone who took part in the Hyaak parade. That sounds like the flash rainstorms I remember from the prairies. Brutal!

On the plus side, glad to see you managed to duck into a theatre and enjoyed "Love and Friendship"! That one is totally on my radar screen! I wonder if I can convince the other half to see it with me.... ;-)

New thread is up and I invite everyone to come on over! Follow the linky thingee at the bottom of this thread or click here.

See you on the new thread!