Nittnut - Reading around New Zealand - Four

Beautiful Hawkes Bay Region


Te Mata Peak, where you can go to be first to see the sun


Napier


"the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as 'landeater’, played his flute to his loved one."

I'm Jennifer. I read in bed. Also at the pool, in restaurants, at the beach, but not in the car. I have been married 23 years to my best friend. He puts up with my reading addictions, mostly, although I am not allowed to read while watching sport. We have three children ages 17, 12 and 9 and I often find them reading in bed after lights out. Success!

We have lived in California, Oregon, Colorado, and now we live in New Zealand. We live on the Kapiti Coast about five minutes from the beach. We love the beach. This year could bring another big move, you never know, so I am going to do my best to see all that I can to see of this beautiful country.

My thread toppers will be photos of "bucket list" locations in NZ.

Reading goals (flexible, of course):

Wheel of Time series - This will be a long term effort. :)
American Author Challenge - LOVE this
ANZAC Challenge
2016 Challenge

2016 Challenge

1. Rollover Beethoven - Books I didn't get to last year
2. Fly Me Away - Books flying off the shelf/Kindle
3. Aotearoa - Books by New Zealand Authors
4. Pumped Up Kicks - I can run, but I can't hide from Book Bullets
5. American Author Challenge
6. We Didn't Start the Fire - History
7. The Way We Were - Memoir
8. The Dewey Decimal System - DeweyCAT

AAC

January- Anne Tyler - The Clock Winder
February- Richard Russo - Straight Man
March- Jane Smiley - Some Luck
April- Poetry Month - Dream Work by Mary Oliver
May- Ivan Doig - This House of Sky
June- Annie Proulx - Close Range
July- John Steinbeck
August- Joyce Carol Oates
September- John Irving
October- Michael Chabon
November- Annie Dillard
December- Don DeLillo

Nonfiction Challenge

January: Biography/Memoir/Autobiography - H is for Hawk
February: History - A Patriot's History of the United States
March: Travel - An Island To Oneself
April: Religion & Spirituality (Easter/Passover) - The Screwtape Letters
May: The Arts - Brunelleschi's Dome
June: Natural History/Environment/Health - Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate
July: Current Affairs
August: Science and Technology
September: Philosophy/History of Ideas
October: Politics/Economics & Business/Commentary - Basic Economics or The Road to Serfdom
November: Essays
December: Quirky/Who Knew?

ANZAC

New Zealand

January/February - The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick
March/April - Wulf by Hamish Clayton
May/June - Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier, Foxmask by Juliet Marillier
July/August - Tenderness: Stories by Sarah Quigley

Australia

January/February - The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally
March/April - Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks
May/June - I For Isobel by Amy Witting, Kickback by Gary Disher
July/August - Remembering Babylon by David Malouf

January/February Favorites



January

1. The Colour
2. Q's Legacy
3. The Madonnas of Leningrad
4. Amulet: The Stonekeeper
5. The Turner House
6. Amulet: The Stonekeeper's Curse
7. H is for Hawk
8. The Clock Winder
9. How to Read a Book
10. The Denniston Rose
11. The Daughters of Mars
12. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
13. Catalyst
14. If I Stay
15. Precious Time
16. Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall

February

17. A Journal of the Plague Year
18. The Cloud Searchers
19. The Last Council
20. The Prince of the Elves
21. Escape from Lucien
22. The Best Man
23. The Perfect Match
24. Among the Hidden
25. Among the Imposters
26. Among the Betrayed
27. Assassin's Apprentice
28. A Patriot's History of the United States
29. King Leopold's Ghost
30. Royal Assasin
31. Assassin's Quest

March/April Favorites



March

32. The Queen of Attolia
33. The King of Attolia
34. A Conspiracy of Kings
35. An Island to Oneself
36. Wulf
37. Steelheart
38. Foreign Correspondence
39. Some Luck
40. Firefight

April

41. The Screwtape Letters
42. The Fellowship of the Ring
43. Straight Man
44. Book Scavenger
45. Demelza
46. The Revenant
47. Amulet: Firelight
48. Underground Girls of Kabul
49. Climbing the Mango Trees
50. The Dragonbone Chair
51. Dream Work
52. The Soul of an Octopus
53. Catwings

May

54. The Raven Boys
55. The Dream Thieves
56. Blue Lily, Lily Blue
57. The Raven King
58. Wolfskin
59. Kickback
60. Brunelleschi's Dome
61. I for Isobel
62. A Respectable Girl
63. Defiant Birth
64. Deep Blue
65. Rogue Wave
66. The Inimitable Jeeves
67. The Nonesuch
68. Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
69. This House of Sky

June

70. The Sword of Summer
71. Under A Painted Sky
72. Victory
73. Ghost Hawk
74. Where Rainbows End
75. The Two Towers
76. Time's Divide
77. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
78. Close Range
79. Becoming Odyssa
80. The Siren
81. Monkeys are Made of Chocolate abandoned
82. Foxmask
83. Idiomantics

Sunset over Kapiti Island. One of our happy places.

Happy 4th of July! Shoot off some fireworks for me US friends.

Currently Reading - JULY

Pages 29272

Currently Reading: The Mother-Daughter Book Club (with my daughter), Basic Economics, The Penguin History of the World, Tenderness: Stories

Newbery Award: Moon Over Manifest

Currently Listening: Middlemarch

AAC

John Steinbeck - Cannery Row

DeweyCAT -

The Genius of Birds (598)
Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves (551.46)

Non-Fiction Challenge

Current Events - Syria Burning - completed

ANZAC

NZ
Genesis - completed

Australia
Remembering Babylon - completed

READ

84. The Genius of Birds
85. Shiloh
86. Genesis
87. Sunny Side Up
88. Remembering Babylon
89. Skellig
90. Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves
91. The God Boy
92. Cannery Row
93. The Little White Horse
94. Part of the Pride
95. Return of the King
96. Daughter of the Forest
97. Syria Burning

August Reading

Pages 31844

Currently Reading: The Mother-Daughter Book Club (with my daughter), Basic Economics, The Penguin History of the World, Harlequin Rex

Newbery Award: M. C. Higgins, The Great

Currently Listening: Middlemarch

AAC

PASS

DeweyCAT -

The Gene: An Intimate History - 616.042

Non-Fiction Challenge

Science/Medicine/Technology: The Gene: An Intimate History

ANZAC

NZ
Tenderness: Stories - completed
Harlequin Rex - dnf

Australia
Remembering Babylon - completed

READ

98. Moon Over Manifest
99. Tenderness: Stories
100. Harlequin Rex
101. Marathon
102. The Crown
103. Monuments Men
104. Dragonhaven

September Reading

105. Under Different Stars
106. Sea of Stars
107. The Girl in Times Square
108. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
109. Jeremy Poldark
110. Me Before You
111. The Quiet Gentleman
112. A Thousand Nights

I was going to indulge in a little whinge about how labor intensive it was setting up this thread with flickr not working and stuff. Then I remembered how cool it is that I'm setting up a thread on a website called LibraryThing and I forgot to be annoyed.

A Wintery welcome to all of you. It's FREEZING here tonight. Pull up a cozy chair by the fire, choose a fuzzy blanket and read as long as you like.

Jenn! I'm so sorry that I didn't see your reciplea until this morning! I suspect that I'm too late, but just in case:

Brown Rice and Lentils
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup brown rice
21 oz. chicken broth
10 oz. water
red pepper sauce, to taste
2 green peppers, chopped
Havarti cheese with herbs (or whatever kind of cheese you'd like)

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat.
Cook onion, garlic and green bell pepper in butter about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
Stir in lentils, rice, broth, water and pepper sauce.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low.
Cover and simmer 50 minutes, adding water if necessary, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Serve with cheese and your favorite crackers.

Also, I *loved* Moon over Manifest! Woot!

Bless you Amber! I am going to have it for lunch. But first I am going to sleep... *grin, yawn, zzzz*

>11 nittnut: You're most welcome!

To review in the morning. OK. Had a good sleep and now I'm back to review. Not sure why touchstones aren't working this morning...

#84 The Genius of Birds

I really enjoyed this lovely book. It's a nice blend of science and anecdote, which makes it very readable, even if you're not an ornithologist (I have a zoology degree, but I'm not an ornithologist). The shift in thinking about the bird brains since the 1990's is significant. Previous to then, it was thought that bird brains were quite primitive in comparison to mammal brains. New research shows that to be not at all the case. It also reminded me of the importance of staying current in my field. I finished my degree in the mid-1990's, and while much of the research was familiar to me, it is a very different outlook to when I was in school. Some of the experiments designed to study bird navigation were ingenious, and I think my favorite thing about the results was that it seems that birds use a combination of things including sight, smell, and geomagnetics. Studies have shown that birds who use multiple types of navigation methods have more gray matter in the rear portion of the hippocampus, as do London cab drivers. Interesting (see quote below).
On the other hand, by the end of the book, I was reflecting on the ethics of experimentation. What is the purpose of the study? Is it just to know more? Is there a vital need to know this information for the betterment of human or bird lives? How much pain or permanent damage is justified in the search for knowledge? I don't necessarily have answers for all these questions, but I think it's important to always be keeping them in mind as we seek knowledge.

I will end with a quote that is food for thought:
This raises a troubling question. If our human navigational efforts shape our hippocampus, what happens when we stop using it for this purpose - when we lean too hard on technology such as GPS, which makes navigation a brain-free endeavor? GPS replaces navigational demands with a very pure form of stimulus-response behavior (turn left, turn right). Some scientists fear that overdependence on this technology will shrink our hippocampus. Indeed, when researchers at McGill University scanned the brains of older adults who used GPS and those who didn't, they found that the people accustomed to navigating on their own had more gray matter in the hippocampus and showed less overall impairment than those who relied on GPS. As we lose the habit of forming cognitive maps, we may be losing gray matter (and along with it, if Tolman is right, our capacity for social understanding).

#85 Shiloh - Newbery

Shiloh is a classic story of boy and dog. Shiloh is a young Beagle who runs away from an abusive owner. He follows Marty home one day, and Marty wants to keep him. Marty learns a lot about the consequences of telling lies and the worth of working hard for something you want.

M: I liked that the story had a twist. It was sad and happy at the same time, and it had adventure. 5 out of 5.

E: Marty is a nice boy who wants to save a dog from a mean owner. He works really hard to get the dog, and in the end he works for the mean owner and finally got Shiloh. I loved this book and I rate it 5 out of 5.

Happy new one, Jenn!

Happy new thread, Jenn! LOVE the photos!

Happy New Thread, Jenn! Stay warm.

Happy new thread, Jenn. The photos are lovely.

Gorgeous pictures Jenn. Are you sponsored by the NZ tourist board? Thinking I'm going to add some new places to the bucket list...

Happy new thread. Cold this morning.

>14 katiekrug: Hi Katie!

>15 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie. :)

>16 ronincats: Will do my best Roni. *grin* It's my third winter here, and I am definitely cold this winter. It's not Rocky Mountains cold, but it was 2C last night, and our not insulated house with no heat in the bedrooms was pretty chilly.

>17 BLBera: Hi Beth!

>18 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. What a great idea, lol. This thread is sponsored by...

>19 avatiakh: It is sooo cold Kerry. We've got sun coming in the lounge windows now and we are making the most of it. We had 2C last night. Brrrr.

Well, we're in Auckland so our cold is probably your 'good day.' Gosh, I'm even thinking of putting on a heater, though generally we deal with the cold by throwing on another layer.

Wonderful thread toppers, Jenn. So delighted your family is loving NZ!

Happy New Thread, Jenn! LOVE that long, long name! (You could be in Wales!?!?!?)
>6 nittnut: The pic is not showing up here, but I can click and be transferred to your picture site where it is lovely, lovely, lovely.
I've been complaining about the heat. Now, thinking about your being cold, (and recalling clearly "no heat in the bedrooms"), I'm not sure that I'd trade.
You remind me that I have my *Wheel* reread that I could pick up any time. This seems to be a year for rereading, so I don't think I'll do it yet. One nice thing about rereading is that all the vocabulary comes back very quickly.

>21 avatiakh: We usually just put on another layer too, but last night was more like a couple extra blankets. Fortunately, it doesn't stay that cold for very long.

>22 lit_chick: Hi Nancy!

>23 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Isn't that the craziest? I am known in my family for legendary, random side trips, and as side trips go, that one was a doozy. We were wandering the rural, haphazardly paved (or not paved), lanes of NZ for most of a day to find it and then find our way home, but it was totally worth it. *grin*
ETA: I have not read any of *Wheel* yet this year. I think I stalled at number 4. I want to read the rest of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn ones first though. Totally sidetracked, lol.

This book totally blew my mind. I read it in almost one sitting (don't tell, but it was at hockey practice and it was cold and I was a total pansy and went inside and sat on the sofa). There was a major plot twist and I Did. Not. See. It. Coming.

#86 Genesis - ANZAC

This is a very unique book. It is very short and at first, I thought I was being subjected to a massive info-dump via an oral exam. It didn't take very long before I was sucked in to the story. Large scale political and social chaos has made the world a dangerous place. Aotearoa has isolated itself from the rest of the world, building a sea wall and placing watchtowers and guards around the coastline. They established a Republic and attempted to create the perfect society. Have they been successful? Over the years since the wall was built, the generation that remembers the chaos has grown old and passed away. The younger generation has begun to question their way of life. To maintain order, The Academy was established. Only the best and brightest are selected to join. Or are they? Highly recommended.

Happy new thread, Jenn.

^Hullo Paul. Thank you, and a happy weekend to you. :)

Rest in peace Mr. Wiesel. Thank you for your life and for your books.

Thank you for the dedication to Elie Wiesel, Jenn. I hadn't heard about his death, but I am going to cc your post on my thread.

>30 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul :)

Happy Independence Day to my US friends!



And a little music for you too:

https://youtu.be/wZYl0AThQLk

A little shameless advertising - my cousin's kids are trying to break in to the big time. Have a listen, and if it's your thing, give them some love and share it around. I know I am biased, but I think they are really good. :)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSzPNU7nVq4WL7kUhMZDqQ

I think they're really good too, Jenn........ That's probably the kiss of death, I'm sorry to say.

>34 LizzieD: Meaning you will jinx them, or the really good ones don't make it? LOL

>35 nittnut: Meaning if I like them, their target audience won't, probably because they're too good.

#87 Sunny Side Up - graphic novels

I loved this sweet story about a 10 year old girl dealing with the confusion and pain of having an older brother with a substance abuse problem. She is sent to spend the summer with her grandfather while her parents try and sort out her older brother. She makes friends there with a boy her age and he introduces her to comic books. My favorite part is when she realizes that even the superheroes have people in their lives they weren't able to save. She begins to understand that she doesn't have to save her brother and that she doesn't have to keep his problems a secret. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is dealing with a similar situation. 5 stars.

I am having a good reading trend. Every book so far this month is a 5 star read. How cool is that?

Currently reading Penguin History of the World at the rate of about 12-20 pages a day, Basic Economics at the rate of about 6-10 pages a day, and Remembering Babylon. Oh, and I started Skellig today because my 9 year old wants to read it, but it's in the teen section, so doing a quick preview. Maybe too many books... Nah. *grin*

That's pretty cool, Jenn! And Skellig is good.

Happy birthday a little late!

>39 ronincats: Good to know Roni. :)

>40 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel!

Today was library volunteer day. For a change, it was the year one class that was running amok. There was a shoving/yelling match in line and nearly fisticuffs. Then one wee boy took a big pillow and took himself to a corner with a book. Another boy decided to join him, and it got ugly. The first boy kept wailing, "I just want some alone time!" Good thing tomorrow is last day of term. Also, I got one of the year 5 kids to take Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing home to read. *grin*

#88 Remembering Babylon - ANZAC

Colonizing is not an adventure for the faint of heart. David Malouf tells the story of a small, mostly Scottish, settlement near Brisbane. Stress and fear either bring out the best or the worst in people, and this is made abundantly clear when a young man who has been living with the "blacks" wanders into the settlement. The writing is poetic, and for its size, the book packs a solid punch. My only quibbles are: One, that sometimes the sentences were awkward. For example: When she was silent she often thought she had said something - it could cause difficulties that, Leona certainly thought so - but when she had said something she was, as often as not, unaware of it. Two, that the book suddenly went to epilogue and the ending felt a little disjointed to me. Following are some of my favorite bits of writing.

Trees shook out ribbons of tattered bark, and the smooth skin under it was palest green, streaked orange like a sunset, or it had the powdery redness of blood.Glory was the word she thought of.

But what his stilled blood saw was the bird's beak drawing long silver threads out of the heart of the water, which was all a tangle of threads, bunched or running; and his boots had no weight, neither did his hand with the half-bitten lump of bread in it, nor his heart, and he was filled with the most intense and easy pleasure: in the way the air stirred the leaves overhead and each leaf had attached itself to a twig, and whirled yet kept hold; and in the layered feathers that made up the grey of the bird's head; and at how long the threads of water must be to run so easily from where they had come from to wherever it was, imaginably out of sight, that they were going - tangling, untangling, running free.

They were in a place, a continent, where it was mere naked endurance perhaps that best revealed the qualities of men. And that might be true of every place, when the fabric of pageant and the illusion of noble sentiments had been ripped away.

>42 nittnut: Oh, I want to read more Malouf. I really enjoyed The Conversations at Curlow Creek. Maybe when my reservations are a bit more under control!

>43 charl08: I understand your problem Charlotte! I organized my reading for the month with some OTS things, and then all the library reservations came in. I don't know if I really want to get things under control...

#89 Skellig

I read this as a preview for my 9 year old son. He found it on a recommended books list, but as it was in the YA section, I thought I'd have a quick look first.

I don't really want to give a plot review, so I will just give my overall impressions. Skellig is a beautiful story; atmospheric, mythical, full of magical realism, but managing somehow to be true at the same time. This is a book about family, friendship, about being aware. It is about how sometimes when we ask for help, we are given the opportunity to help. There was an innocence about the relationships between the characters that was totally refreshing. They had conflict, but it was relate-able in the context of the story, not as an overarching theme. 5 stars.

As far as whether my son can read it, I think so. It is probably a little old for him, but not in a way that will be harmful at all. I am looking forward to seeing what he gets out of it.

Whinge alert.

Just going to have a little moan here. I woke up totally stuffed up, headache, cough and wobbly tummy. Also, it's raining. I am supposed to meet the ladies (wives of husband's co-workers) for lunch today, and it's not really negotiable. They are lovely. Dosing myself with lemon ginger tea and cold medicine. Going to drag myself off to the shower now. I'd so much rather crawl back into bed. Sigh. Not even bribing myself with a stop by my favorite fabric store is motivating me at the moment.

Whinge over.

>46 nittnut: Feel better soon. You're entitled to a whinge...

Oh, so sorry to hear about the cold and the non-cancellable social engagement. Although fabric store sounds good! Hope you feel better soonest.

Hope you lunch date went ok, nothing worse than having to be social when you are under the weather.

I've got Remembering Babylon ready to read later this month or early next.

Re Skellig: all David Almond's books are worth reading, that one is the star but the others all come close.

Feel better, Jenn!

It's cold and rainy and you're sick and you have to go out and be sociable? Yuck! Feel better soon!

Thanks Suzanne, Roni, Kerry, Katie and Joanne! I appreciate the sympathy.

I survived lunch. The ladies are really lovely and I enjoyed it as much as was possible, and I think I even managed to pull off not looking/acting sick. I got home and put on my sweats and took some more meds and went to sleep on the couch. My kids very kindly watched a show quietly and left me alone. Might have been the donuts I brought them too, but whatever works. Looking forward to the end of karate - I am only going to open the doors for the kids as sensei is running late - and bed.

Speaking of karate, I am feeling pretty badass. Wednesday night we were practicing breaking boards and I split the side of my big toe breaking a board. I've really struggled with the contact/sparring aspect of karate, and sensei thought it would help me break through. You have to yell and then hit or kick. Very cathartic. I was the lowest belt in class that night, and the guys all were very cool during the sparring, giving me lots of chances to make contact and showing me how to block better. It's a very collaborative class, nice atmosphere.

Sort of a random piece of trivia, but for some reason, my Fitbit thinks I climbed 15 flights of stairs today. No. I climbed Zero flights of stairs. On normal days, it usually only counts 3-4. It's so weird.

PHW report - I'm through India and on to China and it's really getting very interesting now.

Basic Economics report - Slow going. Economics sort of fries my brain. But I persist.

Also reading Deep by James Nestor for the DeweyCat and up next is The God Boy, which Megan gave me back in January.

ETA: Meds are making me chatty. Lol

Hope you are feeling better, Jenn!

Hello Jenn - I'm starring you and will enjoy following your readings. I spent 2 years in Wellington a decade or more ago, so I can appreciate your love of the Kapiti coast!

Hope you're feeling better! Do admire you reading the economics book: No thank you from me on that one...

Thinking of you in the hope you are feeling better.

I hope the 5-star book trend continues for you, Jenn. What a trooper you are, going out to lunch when you want to be home in bed. I've had to 'power through' a few things like that, and it is no fun. Hope the crud is easing and that your cold weather is warming up. We have been having lots of rain here. It's unusual for this time of year, but I like having everything green…and not having to do much watering.

Hi Jenn! Hope you are feeling better. I have to say that you should absolutely feel badass for breaking boards. My older son did karate when he was younger, and that part always made me flinch!

>53 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, I am feeling a bit better. A combination of caffeine and Ibuprofen has left me pain free but a little spacey. I've mostly been reading and sleeping today - not a bad day. :)

>54 PrueGallagher: Hi Prue. Happy to have you around. We do love the Kapiti coast. I'm hoping for a trip to your neck of the woods soon. :)

>55 charl08: Lol Charlotte. I have this crazy idea that a better understanding of economics will be helpful. However, given the political influences on economic decisions, it may just render me totally frustrated.

>56 Whisper1: Thank you Linda - I am. Hoping you are too!

>57 Donna828: Hi Donna :). At least the people I had lunch with are a pleasure to be around. That helps. It's been cold, but lovely this last week. We had rain yesterday, but today was sunny and perfect for laundry. I'm hoping we get nice weather next week as the kids are off school.

>58 porch_reader: Hi Amy - ha! I am still learning not to flinch, but I am enjoying it. I never thought karate would be something I would do, but it's been very good for me.

Hi Jenn - Feel better soon. The Malouf sounds good.

You do sound badass.

Jenn, sorry that you have been feeling poorly. And that you had to go out and be social while you were feeling that way. Ugh. Hope you are feeling much better very soon.

>60 BLBera: Ha! Beth! Thanks. *grin* Also, the Malouf was very good. I will definitely read more.

>61 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie. I've had a good couple of lazy days and I'm feeling better. Which is good because the kids are off school for two weeks now and the husband is going out of town for most of it. Now I just have to catch up to you on steps. We are doing a big tramp on Wednesday, so that will help. Lol

Thank you everyone for your sympathy. :) I am feeling much better. Also, I was able to read a Lot. Which was nice.

#90 Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and what the ocean tells us about ourselves (551.46) DeweyCat

Only the German is coming up in touchstones. Whatever, touchstones.

Deep is a really cool book. I have known a few freedivers in my life, including a spear-fishing friend here in NZ, but I really knew nothing about freediving. It's really intense. Mr. Nestor was sent by the magazine he wrote for to attend the world freediving competition. He went, but he knew nothing about it. He went about trying to learn everything he could, and in the process met some really interesting people. The freediving competition blew his mind. People were diving deep and coming back to the surface bloody, unconscious, damaged, and the competition just continued on. These were people who were interested in pushing the limits of human capability. On the other hand, there are other freedivers who see diving without apparatus as a way to really get in touch with undersea life. They are photographers, scientists, regular people, who have found that they are able to really interact with dolphins, whales, and even sharks while freediving. Mr. Nestor was invited to come along, but first he had to learn to freedive. The book ranges from freediving to undersea life, dolphin communication, whale navigation, and home made submarines. It's riveting and entertaining. A thumping good read. 5 stars.

Currently reading The God Boy.

>63 nittnut: Great review. I'm tempted to learn to dive but given inconvenient claustrophobic tendencies, probably shouldn't! Will add this to the wishlist.

>63 nittnut: - Deep sounds like the kind of nonfiction I love. Plus, I think my husband would like it too. I've been looking for books we both enjoy for car trips. This one may fit the bill!

>64 charl08: I know - the idea of it is something, but my irrational fear of not being able to see the bottom...

>65 porch_reader: Ooh I hope you do try it. I read snippets to my husband here and there and I think he was pretty interested.

>10 scaifea: reciplea! Love it!

>52 nittnut: ack. Winter bugs, and karate-chopping boards! (now that is the kind of karate W would be interested in).
Glad to hear you are going to read The God Boy....being Wellington based, I bet there'll he places you know in there. And it gives a lot of context (I think) that explains in part how NZers are the way we are. I was interested to read how about conservative NZ was back then. What the neighbours thought really mattered!

>66 nittnut: my irrational fear with diving is not being able to get to the top (instantly.....for air).

#91 The God Boy

I received this lovely Penguin classic from Megan (ireadthereforeiam) after a meetup in January. It's taken me a while to get around to it, but when I did, I couldn't put it down.

Jimmy is thirteen and he is looking back at his eleven year old self and trying to come to terms with the domestic violence he experienced in his home. From his first consciousness that something wasn't right to acknowledging his need to hide his home life from others, and his fear that his parents' problems were somehow his fault, the reader is shown the affects of abuse on a child. While the content is disturbing and heart-breaking, the writing is compelling. It is spare and so evocative of the feelings of a young boy. While a story like this makes us uncomfortable, it has to be told. It is stories like this one that force society to acknowledge abuse and its affect on families, particularly children, and to hopefully be more aware and willing to help those who are experiencing abuse. Even though it was written in the 1950's, it still resonates today.

Cool? You read it already :)
Last night I started the one you sent me, the large font is easy on the eye, but I was too tired to get hooked in so will have to try again tonight.

>67 LovingLit: Ha! Good morning Megan. :) I expect in many places NZ is still somewhat conservative. There is especially a tendency still to hide abuse and dysfunctional family relationships. And I don't think that is confined to NZ society. We have definitely come a long way though. It really bothered me that nobody would explain to him what was happening and nobody asked him what he was thinking or feeling, and I think today's society does do a better job with that part. Mostly.

There is also the fear of not being able to get to the top for air, but I find that fear totally Rational.

>69 LovingLit: I found it unputdownable. In fact, several times people in my family spoke to me and I didn't hear them at all.

Guys. I just made the most awful recipe. It's awful good. It's got an awful lot of sugar in it. I am never making it again, but I had to share, because the sugar!

No Bake White Chocolate Nutella Bars

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
(seriously not kidding about the sugar)
1 1/4 cup Nutella (cause that's totally not sugar)

Mix until well blended and creamy. Line an 8x8 pan with foil. Press sugar mixture into pan.

Melt 175g white chocolate, 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each heating. I used Whittakers and it took 1 1/2 minutes. Spread white chocolate over the sugar mixture in the pan. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.

I highly recommend having a nice big steak with this, just to keep that blood sugar balanced.

OMG. That's sweet. I have a 5 cup recipe you might like, it's quick and tasty. I haven't made it in years but it was really handy for when you had to 'take a plate'.
Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 1 cup coconut. Bake 30mins approx.
Flour - I always used regular though I see a recipe online that uses self--raising.

eta I also loved The God Boy. I read it a couple of years back.

>73 avatiakh: That looks like a really good recipe. I love easy ones. I had a nibble of the nutella things. It's turned out a lot like fudge that has been cooked too long and gone to sugar. Not too surprising. We will have to be giving it out to friends, because I certainly won't be snacking on it. It tastes good, but it will also make your teeth hurt.

>72 nittnut: woah, I think all my teeth just fell out! But you can bet I wouldn't sneeze at it if it was offered to me on a plate ;)

Glad you loved The God Boy, I gave that one to Callia AMQS/Anne's daughter when she visited NZ, for her mother. (She got The Whale Rider.)

>75 LovingLit: I'd leave the whole plate on your doorstep if I were closer. Consider it a dodged bullet. Lol.
I love this global exchanging of books we have going. So cool. And books that deserve a wider audience are getting seen and shared. :)

I think I mentioned that my daughter was listening to Pride and Prejudice. I have now caught her listening to the last disc over again at least 3 times. *grin* Success!!

School holidays are here. Two weeks off and soooo ready for it.
Today I have my friend's twins (9 year olds) for the day. I am not an entertainer of kids, so I have left it to my kids to work it out. My 12 year old daughter dug out her Disney Princess game, and they are playing it. So hilarious. I believe later there will be archery at the park with their home made targets and maybe some swimming. I don't care, as long as I don't have to organize it.

Tomorrow we are doing a big tramp with the swim team. This is a video of the track - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2eDOOP1eHQ&feature=youtu.be

Thursday we have a meetup with Cushla and the kids in Wellington and then we take my husband to the airport. He's off to the states for work. I am taking the kids to Tauranga for 4 or 5 days. I am very much looking forward to it. We found a nice little place right on the beach and the weather is supposed to be decent. That's us for the next week or so.

I am reading Tenderness: stories and I started Cannery Row, but I started reading it to my husband and now I think we are reading it together. I'm not sure how that's going to work.
In PHW I am nearly through the Peloponnesian wars.

Catching up here. You're so busy I don't know how you find time to read!

>73 avatiakh: My mom loves apricots and coconut, so I'd like to make her a batch when I see her next. What temperature do you bake it at?

>77 mstrust: A moderate oven, about 180 C. I made it as a slice and as I said it was useful when I suddenly remembered I had to take a plate to a meeting or similar an had to rustle up something homebaked rather than picking up some biscuits at the supermarket. I always use the higher quality NZ Otago dried apricots rather than the bland looking ones in the baking aisle.
I found a few versions of the recipe online http://kitchen.nine.com.au/2016/05/13/11/41/one-cup-apricot-cake
I came across it in the Australian Family Circle magazine.

>77 mstrust: It's all about priorities Jennifer. LOLOL

>78 avatiakh: :)

Today there was a meetup/mini-meetup at the Museum of City and Sea. We museumed for awhile and then we had a lovely lunch. It's always very good catching up with Cushla.


When you have the kids take the pictures, you sort of have to take what you get. So here's me (L) starting to smirk at my daughter, and Cushla, but no photo bombers, unlike last time. Lol

And the kids: Cushla's have a glow about them.

Yesterday we did the 10k trek. There was a storm blowing in from Australia, so it was a little cold and a lot windy. The views were gorgeous. I ended the day with over 22,000 steps on my fitbit and 209 flights of stairs.

Fun pics! That trek looks impressive!

>78 avatiakh: Thanks for the recipe and link- I'll be trying this one out!

>80 nittnut: >81 nittnut: Great pics, and I'm glad you had a good meet-up! "The Museum of City and Sea" has quite a romantic sound.

Great trek pictures. Love the view, although it does look a bit fierce weather wise (you get extra points for that, surely).

Nice to see a meet up too.

At the very top, with this view,



this was on the bench. Inspiring or disturbing?

>82 katiekrug: Hi Katie. It was a pretty good trek. My legs were a bit funny when I got up this morning. The 209 flights of stairs are having their say. Lol

>83 mstrust: It's a fabulous museum, all the history of Wellington with many interactive exhibits. My kids love it.

>84 charl08: The wind was pretty fierce up on the top where we were quite exposed. But it wasn't raining. :)
Meetups are great. Especially fun when the kids have someone to chat with as well.

Love the pics, Jenn. Fabulous meeting up with Cushla, and, as Katie says, the trek looks impressive!

Wow! Quite a trek indeed. No wonder you felt it the next day.

Enjoy Tauranga.

Hi Jenn! Just catching up here, and feeling the need to brush my teeth after reading that sugary recipe a few posts back. Wow! Love your NZ photos. Even the cold looks appealing here, as we're in a heat wave. I love how much you've embraced your experience. You and Cushla look great!

>87 lit_chick: Hi Nancy :)

>88 ronincats: Lol Roni, more like two days after. Lower calf muscles are a little tight.

>89 avatiakh: Hi Kerry. :) We are loving it so far. We have a little bach on Papamoa beach and we got delicious Mexican food at Barrio Brothers in Mt. Maunganui for dinner, so a good start to our little holiday. Also, the bach has wifi!

>90 AMQS: Hi Anne! We still have most of the nutella bars in the fridge. That's kind of a big deal, because that sort of thing doesn't usually last long at our house. I guess I finally found something that is TOO sweet.

#92 Cannery Row

Cannery Row is a deceptively small book. Each chapter is like a vignette and all the chapters together make a bigger picture full of big ideas. Over the course of the book, characters develop and a picture of a neighborhood emerges. This is possibly the most character driven book I have read of Steinbeck's. Most of the characters in Cannery Row have endearing qualities and although their portraits are rather ruthlessly drawn, their flaws are shown to be redeeming rather than damning. My absolute favorite is the group at the Palace Flophouse and the "collections" of animals that they make for Doc. Fabulous book. 5 stars.

>91 nittnut: My family used to camp at Mt Maunganui every year when I was young. We went round the mountain most days and up to the top though less often. Loved it.

22,000 steps is wow and 209 levels is double wow, Jenn.

No wonder you have been climbing the posting league recently. Incidentally for July you are running in the top 10 in terms of posts.

Have a great weekend.

>52 nittnut: You are badass! I love board breaking. ; )

>80 nittnut: Thanks for the meet-up pictures. So fun! And cute kids, too.

>81 nittnut: And I will NOT compete with you on the FitBit!!

>92 nittnut: for your 92nd book! Might have to re-read Cannery Row...

Wow, you have been up to much these school hols! We didn't go anywhere! (out of the city, anyway)

I finished the book you sent me! I feel I should have given it more dedication, it ems the kind of book that deserves to be concentrated on more than I did :(
I liked it, and feel like when I reread it I will like it even more. Thank you!

>94 PaulCranswick: Funny. That's a bit unusual for me to be that chatty. :) I don't have a lot of big days like that on the Fitbit. I usually get 10,000 - 12,000, but Sundays I am more like 4000. I try not to get obsessed, but it's a good way to remember to be active.

>95 Berly: I'm not the one who is all that scary on the FitBit. It's Mamie. She's regularly getting the 20,000 step days. I like to sprinkle in the odd 22,000 step day among many 10,000 and the occasional 4,000 step day...
I hadn't read Cannery Row before, which is odd, because I've read a Lot of Steinbeck. I loved it.

>96 LovingLit: I am glad you liked it enough to consider a re-read. *grin* Success! I'm very impressed at the amount of reading you get done in the midst of acing school. :)

We got home from Tauranga tonight, and I am totally buzzed on caffeine. I don't usually drink caffeinated beverages, but needed one to get home from Rotorua. Wendys - good grief - their medium drink is like a 2 liter. I didn't even drink half of it and I am totally wired. I wouldn't normally even need it, but I've had some interrupted sleep. Mr. E has been restless and having bad dreams and getting in bed with me. One night he was having running dreams and kept kicking me. Sigh. He does Not Sleep Well when his father is away. I guess one of us should have trouble sleeping as a result. Lol

Will catch up more tomorrow, including the Pizza Library Co. and Yarn! but I will leave you with this moment from our trip:

E came and got in bed with me around 2 am this morning. He told me "Mom! That earthquake was really scary!" I was really sleepy and thought he must be dreaming, and told him "Yeah sure buddy, go back to sleep." When we woke up this morning, I told him about it, thinking it was just funny, that he'd dreamed an earthquake. He was very insistent that it was real and it shook the whole house. I looked it up. There had been a small earthquake. Miss M and I slept right through it. Haha!

#93 The Little White Horse

My daughter has been after me for ages to read this book, so I took it on vacation. If anyone has seen the film The Secret of Moonacre, this book was the inspiration for the film. I loved it purely for the costumes, but it's a great family film.

Maria is an orphan and she has been sent to live with a much older cousin at Moonacre Manor. She soon discovers there was a mysterious tragedy long ago, affecting the happiness of her new home. She is the key to bringing happiness back to Moonacre, but can she do it? A beautiful fairy tale, written with sweetness and humor. Loved it.

#94 Part of the Pride - DeweyCAT

Kevin Richardson is a guy who works with lions. He works in a lion park in South Africa and has pushed the limits of what was thought possible in interacting with lions and other predators. With the help of Tony Park, he tells the story of how he went from average kid to Lion Whisperer. It's a pretty good read, but not that well written. The story jumps about a little, and sometimes he forgets to finish a story. If you're interested in animal behavior, it's good enough from that point of view. He has some interesting insights into lion, hyena, and other predator behavior, as well as some good points about keeping animals in captivity.

Now reading Syria Burning.

>97 nittnut: good that the women of the house can get some shut-eye through a moving earth! E probably knows how well you both sleep and takes on the "someone's gotta wake up around here" role in the absence of this dad!

I thought you thought I was at acting school in your comment, saw a 't' where there was none ;) They say it helps in any endeavour to be passionate about it, looks like I have finally found my calling! Book learnin'!!!!

The Little White Horse was JK Rowling's favourite childhood book. I've read it and seen the film.

>99 LovingLit: Haha! Acting school! :) I hear you about the book learnin. I would love to go back to school. I just have to figure out the cost/benefit thing and what I would study. I am interested in animal behavioural science...

>100 avatiakh: I just loved the costumes. So fanciful.

Jenn, your thread is a delight - so full of reading and life and humor. That trek you took looks absolutely gorgeous but also hair raising to me (I have trouble with heights). I think that bridge would be a no go for me. And if I did manage to finish, I doubt I would be able to walk the next day - YIKES to over 200 stairs! I did that ONCE just to get the badge, and I can promise that it will never happen again in this lifetime.

I have The Little White Horse in the stacks, but I have never read it. Sounds like time to pull it down and get to it.

That's a great story about the earthquake! Sensitive kid....

I am jumping on the FitBit bandwagon, have ordered mine and expect to join the fun next week.

>81 nittnut: Those edges and that footbridge would have freaked me out!

>98 nittnut: I discovered The Little White Horse in my (new to me) school library in 6th grade and compulsively reread it, so much so that years later when it was culled from the library, my mom picked it up for me!

>97 nittnut: The only time I've been in an earthquake zone I slept through then too. I was young enough to be a bit upset at missing it! (Sense of self preservation had fortunately kicked in since then)

Watched a lovely doc about NZ wildlife a couple of days ago narrated by Sam Neill. I imagine the tourist agency at NZ must be delighted - so many beautiful animals (or interference the case of the kiwi, funny animals) I was almost reaching for cheapflights.com myself.

>102 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! :) I feel the same about visiting your thread. I was really proud of my E. He is 9 and he does NOT like heights at all. He did really well. Do read The Little White Horse when you get a chance. It's not very long. There are some funny bits too.

>103 EBT1002: Woohoo! We will be looking for you on the LTers who FitBit. :)

>104 ronincats: I love that story! It's like it was your book. :) Hooray for your Mom.

>105 charl08: Earthquakes - the thing about living with them most of your life, is that unless you're in a bad one, you get a little nonchalant about it or something. Which is not to say that they are not scary, because they are. But in the course of an active day, or a good nights' sleep, I don't notice them. I know they happen if my husband is around. His work involves dam safety, so earthquakes are a Thing and his phone goes Beep! if there is an earthquake.
I can't recommend a visit to NZ enough. It's a lovely place. Full of lovely people. :) I was not paid to say that...

I know I promised some photos a couple of days ago. Going to work on that now...

Waiting for Orca at the jetty at Kauri Point. We had lunch, waited, waited, bird watched, waited, it started to rain. We left. No Orca that day.


On top of the world at Moturiki Island


Climbing around at McLaren Falls


The Pizza Library Co. A quirky place with pretty good pizza.


Picking kiwi fruit at the Agrodome in Rotorua


Feeding the Alpaca - Agrodome, Rotorua


Massive splurge on wool. I'm ashamed to admit how massive. But it's lovely, lovely stuff.

Excellent photos, Jenn! I particularly love the looks of all of that glorious wool...

I love the photos, too, Jenn. My favorite is the "top of the world" one - I love the lighting and the framing in that one.

>108 scaifea: Oh Amber. It's fabulous. One is a possum/merino blend, which is so soft and warm. One is called Mithril, and even if it weren't lovely, I'd probably have bought it. *grin* I also noticed that I tend to buy wool in color schemes. I was looking at some photos of my stash, and my last splurge was reds. Must be a mood thing. *shrug*

>109 Crazymamie: I love that one too. The sun popped out just at the right moment.

Not getting a lot of reading done at the moment. I'm knitting!

All the photos are lovely Jenn but I envy you the fresh air and unspoilt landscapes.

Have a great weekend.

WHOA. You found Mithril yarn?!?! Need. WANT.

Love the photos, Jenn -- awesome!

>111 PaulCranswick: Hey Paul. You have a good weekend too.

>112 scaifea: here you go Amber - http://www.stansborough.co.nz/knitting-yarn.html

>113 AMQS: Hi Anne!

So, no surprises here.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/36878983

>107 nittnut:..What wonderful photos!

#95 The Return of the King - audio

It has been such a delight to listen to Tolkein as we drive around New Zealand. I finished this with the kids as we drove home from Tauranga. The coolest part was the total silence in the car as the quest ends, and then the kids absolute delight that the story wasn't over. They loved the end with the battle of the Shire. It's an epic story and there's just nothing like it.

#96 Daughter of the Forest

This was a re-read for me. It's a retelling of The Six Swans, and it is atmospheric and beautiful. It's not really a YA read, IMO, there is a rape scene which is graphic enough to be disturbing. Juliet Marillier created a family saga from this initial book, and it's a great series.

>116 Whisper1: Hello Linda! Thank you. :) I hope you are well. I will make it over to your thread soon, I hope. :)

I am currently reading Syria Burning, Penguin History of the World and Basic Economics. I refuse to take Economics books on holiday, so I will get caught up with my quota there soon. *grin*

The Return of the King! *sigh* I love those books!!

>119 Crazymamie: LOL Mamie. I just posted a happy sigh to your thread as well.

#97 Syria Burning Non-fiction Challenge

At less than 200 pages, the main thing this book did for me was leave me with the feeling that I know less than I did before I read it. It's well written, there's a good general historical overview and a good general synopsis of the current issues. It's a tragic situation, made even more so by the self-interested interference by other nations (specifically, the US, Russia, France, Britain, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey). I agree with the author's conclusion that a unified strategy would be more effective, but I am uncertain that it will be enough. Mostly I feel like I need to read a lot more on the subject to begin to have a coherent opinion.

Hi Jenn - My teeth are also hurting as I read your no-bake recipe. My kids, no doubt, would have loved it.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. You have a beautiful family and it seems you are taking full advantage of your life in New Zealand.

Oh, and lots of good reading as well.

>122 BLBera: Funny story about that recipe. I just tossed the leftovers. I found them in the back of the fridge. Nobody in our house could handle it. And we have a sweet tooth. Just not that sweet. :)

Guys, this has been such a week. I won't burden you with all of it, but here's a representative story.

Wednesday I had a lot to do. I was returning a bag of moldy mozzarella, returning library books and picking up some reserves, going to the gym, meeting a friend, that sort of day. So I gathered up library books, cheese, etc. and went out and got in the car. Oddly, the car wouldn't start. Because I locked my purse in the house. With my car and house keys. Fortunately my daughter has a spare key, so I just had to walk over to school and get it (and put up with some tween eye rolling) and walk home.

I'm really glad it's Friday.

I am reading Monuments Men, still working away at PHOTW, and trying to do about 10 pages a day in Basic Economics. I am also knitting myself a hat out of some of the delicious wool I bought on holiday.

Yikes, that is quite a day- sorry it's more than that! Good thing the fix was just a walk away. Hope your week improves.

Well, I second your gladness that it is Friday!! Sorry about the car key. LOVE your pictures of the family outing. And I have lived through one relatively big earthquake in California and it was enough for me thank you very much!

I'm another who is glad to see Friday, Jenn - your week sounds a bit like mine. Nothing horrible, just a whole lotta inconvenient.

Sorry you had a trying day. I did that several times back when we had cars that you opened with actual keys; I'd push the lock down, slam the door, then look through the window at my keys hanging in the ignition.
Have a good Friday!

Sorry about the sucky week. Hope your weekend is full of good things. Or failing that, cake.

>125 AMQS: I am super glad the fix was just a walk away. Particularly as the first couple of months we lived in this house, I was shamefully apt to lock myself out of the house. Only I had my car key and could drive to the management office for the spare key. Imagine how happy I was that I didn't have to call them and ask them to come over and unlock my door!

>126 Berly: Yeah, see, I've only been in "little" ones, like under 6. The scariest one was when we lived in Berkeley, CA and my husband had spent a whole year at grad school learning about how the ground under our apartment would liquefy in a big earthquake. One night in the middle of the night there was a giant jolt and I levitated out of bed and into the doorway. We were just about to move to Oregon, and all our earthly belongings were stacked to the ceiling in boxes, Lol. It wasn't a huge quake, but it was very close. Scary! Here, I've been out for morning tea near the beach and there's been a little quake and everyone sort of comments on it and carries on with tea. Here over the sand it feels a little like a waterbed. I try not to think about the liquefaction. It's all too real when you visit Christchurch.

>127 Crazymamie: Yep. Just a whole lotta inconvenient. Yesterday, my daughter commented that she was a little concerned about my lack of mindfulness. Uh, thank you Miss!

>128 mstrust: Haha! I definitely know that feeling!

>129 charl08: Cake is always a good idea. I had dinner out with the husband last night and had some sticky date pudding, which was lovely. :)

I forgot something important! It was my 7th Thingaversary in July. Here's what I bought myself. I bought 3 actual books, and the rest on Kindle.

The Gene, an Intimate History
City of Djinns
Hell's Bottom, Colorado
To Green Angel Tower



I LOVE the cover of Far From the Madding Crowd.

Congratulations on your thingaversary. Oh you got The girl with the dogs! I've seen Maori Boy in the shops but feel I should read more of his fiction first.

I just read my first Owen Marshall short story from Coming home in the dark. There are 27 short short stories in the book and I plan on reading one every day so I'll be done before the end of August.

Hi Kerry! I have read several of Witi Ihimaera's books and I really liked them. Of course Whale Rider, and then a really excellent collection of short stories called Ask the Posts of the House. I highly recommend that as a good starting place. It is a very representative collection, I think, with short stories in several different styles. I've been collecting them as they turn up in my local used book shop. I am also collecting books by Patricia Grace who I really like. It just makes my heart happy - if I hadn't lived in NZ, who knows if I would have come across some of these authors who have really struck a chord.

Fairly sure I've only read Whale Rider. I started one of his novels but put it aside. Watched the tv film of Nights in the Gardens of Spain which was rather good and I should read the book version of. He lost some of his prestige when he admitted to plagiarism about 7 or 8 years ago, the book in question, The Torwenna Sea, was pulped. I think this has been forgotten mostly and he's regained the lost ground with subsequent books.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10607651

Patricia Grace is a great writer, I've also been collecting her books.

>134 avatiakh: Yes, the plagiarism was truly unfortunate.

Morning, Jenn. I'm on a drive by here ...

Happy Thingaversary! I never remember mine. I think it's in November, though.

>136 lit_chick: Hi Nancy! Beep-beep!

>137 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel! I always remember mine. It's all about the guilt free book buying...

New adventures in store for us! We are finding it very hard to leave New Zealand, but we are looking forward to the next adventure. The first question we will need to answer is Duke or UNC? Just kidding. BYU forever. LOL

Hi Jenn -- congrats on your Thingaversary! Great haul.

Edited to add OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! North Carolina! (WHYYYYYYYYY??????) When?! WOW!

>140 AMQS: I know, right? We will know exact dates in the next week, but soon. Why? A very, very good job offer. Also there's a beach and it turns out I can't live without a beach. It's probably good I have until next year to get ready for heat and humidity.

>141 nittnut: The Asia Pacific section of the group will miss you Jenn! Good luck in North Carolina when you get the dates. xx

Moving! How exciting. Look forward to hearing about the new adventures. A beach on your doorstep sounds great. We're not far from the coast, but I'd like to be just across the street. Just love the sea and the sand (but ideally in winter when you get the space to yourself! )

>143 charl08: Ah, well, the beach is on our doorstep here. In NC, we will be farther away. But there is still a beach. *Grin*

Sounds like a great place to move to.

>130 nittnut: re: little ones (earthquakes) under 6... The one that floored our CBD was "only" a 6.3, but once you take into account the upward thrust, or peak acceleration or something.... It increases the intensity of the earthquake something chronic. I think there is another scale which accounts for this.
Clearly I am not an exit ;)

>139 nittnut: am I supposed to know that this is North Crolina from these picurres? Lol, I have no idea ;)
But if you are happy, I am happy for you. And you sound excited, so congratulations! *must google North Carolina*

>145 avatiakh: Hi Kerry. I certainly hope so. I hear the BBQ is excellent and it looks like there is a lot of great outdoor stuff and as we seem to be moving to University Central, there will be no lack of basketball, football and other sporty things to attend (sigh).

>146 LovingLit: Yeah, my husband would be the expert, but it has a lot to do with how near the epicenter you are and all that stuff, which is totally irrelevant in the moment, isn't it?

You don't need to know that it is North Carolina. :) I am excited and sad all together. My husband is very excited, which is the main thing. I am not at all excited about moving because it will be several months of unsettled before we get into a permanent or semi-permanent place and I totally remember what it was like when we did it last time... Also, it turns out to be quite painful to leave NZ. I hope we get back here someday. So, I put on my "exciting new adventure" face for the kids, and have a wee cry now and then when I need to, as you do.

Exciting news, Jenn! Though I can understand the mixed emotions. Whenever my husband talks about taking a job elsewhere and I freak out, I try to think of you and tell myself, "Well, Jenn, moved halfway across the world, surely I can move a few states over!"

And as I said on my thread, you being back in the States means a better chance of a meet-up :)

Yup, NC's not too far from DC! :)

Jenn--Congrats on your Thingaversary and the book haul! Very nice.

You are MOVING?! Well, I am excited for your hubby and the new job offer and totally understand your sadness about leaving a place you love and having a little cry by yourself. But hopefully NC will be wonderful, too. What is the timing of this move?

>139 nittnut: The first question we will need to answer is Duke or UNC? DUKE

If you are in the Raleigh area, I hope we'll be able to meet up on one of my trips to visit Jeff. If you are in the Asheville area, I'm sure we can include you in some of our upstate SC/East TN LTers meet-ups in the Asheville area.

A belated Happy Thingaversary, Jenn, and such big news about your next move! That will be quite a transition.

>148 katiekrug: Yes, Yes, Yes to meetups, and Lol about me being your example of courage for moving. I suspect you would do just fine Miss world traveler ma'am.

>149 drneutron: I am so excited to live near to US History places I have always wanted to visit. Kind of geeking out about that. I've been To DC, but I can't wait to take my kids, and it's near enough that we won't feel like we have to do everything in one trip.

>150 Berly: Sigh. I am. I do love an adventure, but the packing and shifting part is not my favorite. We are leaving NZ in early September, so it's quick. We probably won't be settled in NC until late September. We have family to visit and we have to collect our belongings that are being stored by family.

>151 thornton37814: We are nearer to Raleigh, and I would LOVE to meet up sometime. I am also not opposed to visiting Asheville, which looks absolutely lovely. LOL about the fandom. I expect that we will go to games, particularly basketball. We Westerners have a healthy respect for both Duke and UNC basketball teams. They have certainly dominated the NCAA championships over time.

>152 ronincats: Thanks Roni, it will be quite a transition. I will miss so many things about NZ, but I look forward to a few luxuries. Screens on my windows. Central heating. Mexican food (read 80 cent cans of refried beans and Tapatio in the supermarket). *grin*

In the proper spirit of we're moving and we have a LOT to do, I went to the travel agency today to organize a holiday to Rarotonga before we go. It seemed like the right thing to do. We will see if they can find something in our price range for the dates we have available.

Whoa. Big move coming! Exciting! But I get the nerve-wracking part, too.

YOWZA! That is a BIG move, Jenn! North Carolina is so beautiful - I would move there in a heartbeat. I do not envy you the actual process of moving, though. And so soon - is your head spinning?!

>153 nittnut: let us know when you visit and we'll try for a meetup!

>154 scaifea: Big move. Sigh.

>155 Crazymamie: Spinning. Not focusing well. Ah, well, goes with the territory. It will all be over in a few months. :)

>156 drneutron: Absolutely! :)

I've been reading a bit in Monuments Men and I'm loving it. I am working on finishing Tenderness: Stories. I have mixed feelings about that.

I am off to work on sorting things for the moving estimate on Friday. Lots of ship, sell, toss sorts of decisions being made around here. I am skipping the gym (shhhh) because its a horrible, nasty, windy, wet day outside and I already had to go out to the dentist where I waited 40 minutes past my scheduled appointment and then ended up having no work done. GRRRR. I had to go buy a book after to soothe my ruffled feelings. Chappy by Patricia Grace, because I know you'll want to know. :)

After school, the kids and I will stop by and review Moon Over Manifest. We finished it this morning. They loved it. How do I know? They sat quietly for a few minutes after we finished. Then they talked about the characters, like they were real, all the way to school. Happy dance.

I had to go buy a book after to soothe my ruffled feelings. Absolutely!

Looking forward to your thoughts on Moon Over Manifest. I've not read that one yet. I really miss the read aloud days.

Wow! I step away for a few days, and you are moving halfway around the world. Good luck with the move, Jenn. What do the kids say?

I loved Moon Over Manifest; I hope to read it to Scout someday. I look forward to your comments.

>159 AMQS: This was a second read for me, and it stood up very well to a repeat. I am not sure our read aloud days will end. I just need them to start taking turns. Lol

>160 BLBera: The kids are happy their dad found a job he's excited about. They are not so happy to be moving. Change is hard.

#98 Moon Over Manifest - Newbery

E: This was a happy, sad and funny book that lifted my spirits. I like Shady the best because he's nice and thoughtful about the people he's around.

M: I thought Moon Over Manifest was a really good book with a combination of sad and happy things. I am glad everything worked out in the end. My favorite character was Jinx because he was funny and came up with lots of tricks. He had a sad life, but he straightened out his life.

This was my second read of this delightful book and I loved it just as much this time around. It's a wonderful story of how a town becomes a family, and about how remembering your past can often give direction and purpose to the future.

Next Newbery: M. C. Higgins, the Great

Yay for Moon over Manifest! Such a good one.

>163 scaifea: Hi Amber! Such a good one, and I'm so happy that my kids liked it.

#99 Tenderness: Stories - ANZAC

The title for this collection of short stories is a little incongruous. Some of the stories are tender, many are not. The writing is evocative, the characters are well drawn. Sometimes the stories left me feeling content, sometimes unsettled. My favorite story was "The Marriage Mender" about a divorce lawyer who ends up helping people fix their marriages. I will definitely try a novel by this author at some point.

>158 nittnut: How wonderful to have your kids pause at the end of the book to contemplate it and then open up to discuss it. Way to go, mom!!!

>162 nittnut: Great comments by the guest reviewers. I've not even heard of this one before, (my bad) but it sounds like a winner.

>6 nittnut: I so enjoy your photos! People I know who visit New Zealand come home raving about the beauty, and your photos confirm that.

May I ask how you got to this country, ie perhaps a job? After seeing your photos, and hearing friends rave, New Zealand is on the bucket list.

Happy reading to you. Here is an illustration of Maurice Sendak, one of my favorite children's book artists:

From NZ to NC. Change is difficult but I admire you for your attitude, Jenn. You can always be glad that you go to see and do so much in New Zealand. I know I benefitted from your time there as I followed along on your adventures.

Your kids will surely pick up on all the positive things about their new area. Did I miss the dates? I assume school will have already started in NC which while throw them into a new community much quicker. How close will you be to the ocean? I am more familiar with SC but think NC is a wonderful place as well. It has some "mountains" to go along with the beach.

>166 Berly: It made me so happy. :) I love it when they connect with a book like that.

>167 charl08: Oh, I highly recommend it. It's quirky and humorous and heart-warming. A great book.

>168 Whisper1: Hi Linda! We came to NZ for work. My husband found a very interesting job (he's a geotechnical engineer) and applied, and was hired. We have loved it. It's a beautiful country, and the people are lovely and friendly. It's been such a good experience for us. I hope you get to visit sometime. Thanks for the fun Wild Things image. Love that book!

>169 Donna828: Change is so hard Donna. Lol. I am struggling more than I thought with leaving New Zealand, but I think that means we did it right. We have been able to see and do some amazing things here. We will get to see and do amazing things in NC and around that whole Eastern side of the US. We will be in Greensboro, which looks to be about 3 hours from the sea, not too bad. The kids will miss the beginning of school, but that's OK because they are about 3/4 of the way through the school year here in NZ, and will need a little break before starting the long year of school back in the US. I think we will arrive in NC in early October. We have to stop in Utah and collect our things from storage, stop in Denver to visit Jonah and then drive all the rest of the way, in no big hurry. :) I think my husband would like a bit of a holiday too.

#100 Harlequin Rex - ANZAC

This book did not turn out to be at all about what the blurb implied it was about. I expect it's about how people make choices because of, and in spite of, what is going on in the world around them, and still fail to learn from those mistakes. Sometimes. Maybe.
There's a guy, he makes some poor choices, ends up a caregiver at a treatment center. All the patients there are afflicted with a degenerative brain disease for which the cause and cure are unknown. People still make poor choices and in the end, it doesn't seem like the guy has learned much at all. The book is well written, but it just didn't grab me. Kind of depressing, really.

Working away at PHotW and Monuments Men, both of which are very good.
Library books are all finished and going back. Must try to resist getting any new ones. Trying to decide which books go in the shipment and which ones to bring in my suitcase.

I'm the last to realize you're moving to North Carolina, Jenn! Can certainly understand why you will find it difficult to leave NZ; what a wonderful adventure you and your family have had. Love that NC has a beach ... (love that it turns out you can't live without one, LOL!).

Hi Nancy. :) You're probably not last Lol . We are definitely winding things up quickly now. We fly out in less than a month. Moving is a little overwhelming in stages, but we will make it through. I am looking forward to seeing my sister. It's been over three years now, and I really miss her. My brothers too - but especially my sister.

#101 Marathon - OTS

I picked this up at a library sale last year. It was an OK story, probably could have been better with some really good editing. I am guessing I would have rated it higher if I hadn't been so distracted by the typos and grammatical errors and the incidences of "would of" instead of "would have" that absolutely littered the pages of this book. The story is about Marianna, the one female partner in a high-powered NY law firm. She is so focused on work that she didn't even go to her father's funeral. After a time, she reconnects with her "Uncle" Ion, an old friend of her parents. He leads her on a journey of self-discovery that changes her life. The writing was a little self-conscious and the story was pretty cliche, but not bad for a first book. Apparently the "Ion" of the story is a real person who was one of the author's school teachers.

#102 The Crown

Got to finish the series, right? Everyone grows up a little, learns what they need to, and Happy Endings all around. Is it all too perfect? Yes. Is it totally improbable? Totally. Is it an OK read for the teen crowd? Yes.

Back to Monuments Men. :)

Are you reading all of the Newbery books? I have an aunt who is doing that and loving it. I pick them up whenever I can, but I've got so much reading to do. However, I've never read a Newbery book that I haven't liked.

The heartless cow in me is secretly glad you will miss NZ, some perverted sort of national pride, I suppose! Maybe you can move back here once all this pesky income-earning stuff peters out!? (I know, it's a long shot about not having to earn money!)

I think the "new adventure" stuff is good to sell the kids, you can't deny it will be one. Maybe collecting adventures is a good frame of mind for right now. The burden of parenting tells me that your confident lead will assure the kids....I know you can do it. It must be hard though....

>173 nittnut: stages. Thinking in stages is good. I have trouble with getting ahead of myself and then getting overwhelmed...I did that just today when I imagined buying a house around the corner and having to tidy the garage in order to achieve this. Sheesh, I wouldn't last a second moving the family overseas!

Thinking of you, Jenn, and sending positive energy your way. I know you have your hands full...

Jenn, I admire your fortitude and positive outlook. All good wishes with your transition back to the states.

Just adding to the pile of good wishes for the move. The chance to do all that catching up with family sounds great.

>175 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel. We are reading the Newbery books. I have run across a few I didn't love, but mostly they are excellent.

>176 LovingLit: You heartless cow. LOL! Wouldn't it be cool to retire here? That, of course, would require not only pesky income earning, but income saving and bringing with... I am now working on thinking in terms of 12 hour blocks. It's working OK. ;)

>177 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie!

>178 Whisper1: Hi Linda. Thanks for your good wishes. It's nice to have people keeping my thread warm while I sort through my life. *grin*

>179 charl08: Hi Charlotte. Thanks for stopping by! It's true- I am SO excited to see my sister. And the rest of them. lol

I hope I'll have time to catch up on everyone's threads soon. I did at least finish a book, so there's that. We are still in the massive sorting phase, but it's getting better. We're selling off furniture and giving stuff away and deciding what we're taking back with us. We had a huge garage sale at the weekend and made $1300. Scary.

#103 The Monuments Men

Fabulous, fabulous book. I love it when the unsung heroes of history finally get their time in the spotlight. This is the story of a group of men and women who hunted down and rescued great works of art from the Nazis during WWII. It's well researched and well written and very interesting.

>181 nittnut: - Glad you liked that one. I haven't been interested in it because I thought the film was so terrible, but maybe someday....

>182 katiekrug: Oh no! You thought the film was terrible? Rats. I haven't watched it because I wanted to read the book first. So many big names in it too. What a shame.

Now reading The Gene: An Intimate History and PHOTW, with an occasional dip into Basic Economics. I'm going to be pretty slow over the next two months as we shift countries. Still debating whether the Econ book goes on the plane or not. It's funny because I started it just before we moved to NZ, it got packed on the boat, and I didn't pick it up again for 2 years. Now I've started it again and we are about to move again Lol. Maybe I should leave it alone?

Wow. That's some garage sale. Any fun plans for the proceeds, or is it earmarked for practical moving stuff?
Hope it's going well.

>181 nittnut: I still haven't read this one. Suzanne recommended Villa Air-Bel which is about the rescue of at risk artists rather than paintings and I haven't read that yet either.

Another good luck with all the packing and sorting. Sounds like you are off to a good start and by doing it on a tight turnaround, there's no time to procrastinate.

I didn't think the film was awful, but not worthy of the subject, Jenn.

Good luck with the BIG MOVE.

>184 charl08: Ah well, it's pretty much earmarked. We will need all the new electronic things like slow cooker and kettle and so on.

>185 avatiakh: No time at all. But, we did make time for almost a week in the Northland area before we fly out. It's the one region we really haven't seen, and I'm so looking forward to it.

>186 BLBera: Oh good. :) One sort of pro and one con, I'll watch it and provide the tie breaker. Lol

Sounds like a plan, Jenn.

Well, last week was pretty stink. Miss M came down with some kind of fever/cough thing and has been in bed since last Wednesday. Of course she did. We are moving. Sigh. After a few nights of her being up coughing and waking me up, my brain wasn't much good for the non-fiction. Still isn't, really. So I read something else.
One more week until the movers come. Lots to do, but in a hurry up and wait kind of way.

#104 Dragonhaven

I generally like Robin McKinley, but I didn't really take to this story. To be fair, I'm a little tired and my attention span is not what it could be.
The good: Dragons are cool, and the idea of humans and dragons being able to communicate on some level is also pretty cool.
The bad: It's written in teenage boy, random, sort of stream of consciousness, and I am not fond of that style. It was really hard to read.

Reading PHOTW and The Gene: an Intimate History and Basic Economics, and seriously considering something more on the brain candy level.

Oh, dang. I'm sorry you've got a sick one while trying to get ready for the move. Here's hoping she's already much better today!

Hope she feels better soon. I'm going for French detective fiction for my easy on the brain option.

Oh dear, I hope she's getting better.... and that you find just the right sort of book to read.

I hope you're all healthy in time for the move, Jenn.

Only one more week until movers, Jenn! Things are moving right along ... will you go directly to your new home in NC (or do you have a new home yet)?

Pardon the general response, but Thanks for the good wishes everyone. :) Miss M went to school today. She's tired, but she is on the mend. Nobody else gets to be sick though. Good grief!

>191 charl08: One of these days, I'm going to have to try some French detective fiction.

>194 lit_chick: We have a sort of odyssey ahead of us. We fly directly to Salt Lake City, where most of our things were stored. My husband's parents have a vacation home there and we stored furniture and paintings and things there. We need to sort through all of that, visit with family, and somewhere in there we will have a short house hunting trip to NC. They have arranged for temporary housing, but we'd like that to be as short as possible. Then we drive to Denver to visit our oldest child, and from there, on to NC. We are making a little holiday out of the trip east, taking the opportunity to show the kids (and me) some of the US we haven't seen before. We won't be officially in NC until September 30 or so. I am sure we will be very ready to be settled by then.

That's a lot of traveling, and I hope you enjoy it all. And good luck with the house hunting!

>195 nittnut: Jenn, you surely do have a sort of odyssey ahead of you. Sounds wonderful! But I agree that you'll be ready to be settled by end Sep.

Thinking of you, Jenn, and sending you positive thoughts!

>196 mstrust: I devoutly hope we enjoy most of it. Lol

>197 lit_chick: Hi Nancy :)

>198 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! I'm headed your way soon. Sort of. Generally. :)

We were packed today. I am oddly proud to say that we came with 143 boxes/furniture pieces and we are leaving with 93. There's something rather satisfying about that. We are camping out on air mattresses for five nights while we finish up donating/sharing the rest of the stuff and then we are off. I should have more reading/LT time over the next few days. Hooray!

Still reading all the non-fic, might take a break for a brain rest this week though. Just can't decide what to read...

More positive vibes from me re the packing / moving. Leaving with less than you came with sounds impressive.

I'm super impressed with your organization and packing prowess, Jenn! Enjoy the last bit of time in NZ and safe travels!

Good luck with the move and what Katie said.

Best wishes for a smooth move, Jenn!

Oh Jenn, it's here already -- wow! Good luck to you with everything. I know you'll be quite busy during your fly-by in CO, but we're here if you're up for a visit. Smooth sailing to you, my friend!

Wishing you safe travels, Jenn! And very impressive with reducing the number of boxes by 50!!!

I thought I'd have more time for LT, but as it turns out, I got bronchitis 2 days before we moved out of the house and I've pretty much been in bed for 4 days minus the day we were traveling up to Auckland. Yuck. Other than coughing up a lung, I'm mostly feeling better now. Horrible timing, and now I'm just hoping my husband doesn't get sick.

>200 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. :)

>201 katiekrug:, >202 BLBera: Hi Katie and Beth. We are on our last NZ road trip. We are staying in the Bay of Islands and heading up to the north tip of NZ in the morning. We plan to hit 90 mile beach, sand dunes and Cape Reinga. We did the Waitangi Treaty grounds today, where the British governor and Maori chiefs signed the treaty that is considered New Zealand's founding document (though not without lasting controversy). It was really cool.

>203 porch_reader: Thanks Amy!

>204 AMQS: It would be so fun to catch up Anne, but I think we are only in Denver a day and a half, which we will be spending with the emancipated teenager. ;). I am sure I'll be back before long though.

>205 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie. I know, right?

OK - next up is a bunch of quick reviews - been in bed and reading a lot of fiction for a change.

#105 Under Different Stars
#106 Sea of Stars

I had these on my kindle for some reason...
There are a lot of problems with this series. There is the alien world somehow connected with Earth through which the aliens move freely, but naturally, not the humans. There is a girl named Kricket with special attributes raised and abused in the human foster care system, but somehow able to hold her own with big strong aliens. The aliens look human and act human, but are different from humans in ways only implied. Then there is the endless loop of action sequence where Kricket is shuttled between alien abductors who want her for their own ends, but wait! Both of them fall for her, but only one truly has her best interests at heart... I've probably said enough.

#107 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

Fabulous ghost story. A quick and fun read, and well worth the time. I am looking forward to watching the film sometime soon. I love the courage of Mrs. Muir in seeking out her own life and how her strength grows as she is successful - and as her relation ship with her ghost develops as well.

#108 The Girl in Times Square

The holiday house we are staying in has 2 books. Literally. The Da Vinci Code and The Girl in Times Square. Clearly there was really one choice.

The Girl in Times Square was surprising. From the blurb on the back, I was expecting sort of a crime/thriller kind of book, and while those elements did exist, the story turned out to be more than that. Lily is an art student in New York, barely making her rent, and her boyfriend has just broken up with her. Lily's mother is an alcoholic and her other siblings are way to busy to deal with that, so very early in the book, Lily heads off to Hawaii to visit her mother and see if she can help in some way. While Lily is gone, her room mate disappears. The crime/thriller is set up, but I felt like the book was about how a person can go through life and not really know the people around them. How easy it is to be misled or just oblivious. In the midst of all the drama of the missing room mate, Lily is diagnosed with cancer, and in the process of treatment, discovers who she is and who she can rely on. She also comes to accept the imperfections of others, and learns to set her own boundaries. The book isn't perfect, probably not an award winning effort, but a solid story and a great read.

#109 Jeremy Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall

Recovering from the sorrows of the previous installment, Ross manages to avoid prison and mend some broken relationships. A new baby brings new hope and a new venture may rescue their financial situation, but only time (book 4) will tell.

That's a wrap for the reading at the moment. I continue on with The Gene: An Intimate History, Basic Economics, and PHOTW.

I know I'm probably the last person to watch The Gilmore Girls, my sister talked me into it and I'm somewhere in season 2. I don't know if I will make it through season 2. It has its moments. It does. But mostly it drives me nuts. Am I alone in this? It's taken me a year to get this far, and I really just want to watch Poldark...

Jenn, I hope you're feeling better soon. I'll miss your observations on New Zealand, which were very funny :-) I think Kata/Carter was my favourite, but I also enjoyed the "as such" discussion. However, it sounds like your new start in North Carolina will be exciting.

Re Gilmore Girls, I am in season 3 (about episode 17, I think) and I get the "drives you nuts" opinion. It is *very* cutesy. I watched series 1 about ten years ago and my sympathies were with Lorelai. Now, however, a decade later, they're mostly with her mother. And I dislike the Rory/boyfriends storyline (I'm being vague to avoid spoilers). Dean is whiny, childish and manipulative - the sort of person girls are now warned against dating because his behaviour is veering towards abusive. I find it hard to believe that someone aiming for an Ivy League college would have the time or the energy for it all. She could do better! (*reminds self that it's only a story*). However, it's also a bit addictive, and I do want to find out what happens next, and in the new series that Netflix is screening later in the year, so I'll keep going.

I hope you're feeling better. Safe travels.

Hope you are enjoying Northland and that you're feeling better. I remember there was a book exchange shelf in a telephone kiosk in Pahia down by the waterfront, I got a good crime novel there.

Forgot to add that I've been having a wonderful time in South Australia, especially great to catch up with old friends.

Oh, UGH! to being ill. That just doesn't seem fair.

Gilmore Girls never really appealed to me. It seemed very self-consciously cute/smart, like it was trying too hard. I also naturally disinclined towards shows that seem to have a vaguely cultish/slavish-seeming following (*runs and hides*). Except for Firefly :)

Oh, Jenn, what a horrible time to get sick! Take care of yourself, as much as that is possible in the middle of a move. Feel better soon!

Oh I'm a big Gilmore fan. For the remake I'm hoping they do an episode like the Dr Who one where the main characters are only in it for 5 minutes and all the mad extras get a go.

Each to their own :-)

Hope you find something you like while you're still feeling ill.

Sorry to hear about the bronchitis--that's a downer regardless of when it happens, but now is a worst time, isn't it? Best wishes for the final days and the traveling!

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by and keeping my thread warm lately. :)

>208 susanj67: So exactly what I am thinking about Dean, Susan. So manipulative. But Jess is a twit, so what do you do? One more NZ anecdote for you. Today someone told my husband they were knackered. He heard naked. *giggle-snort*

>209 BLBera: Thanks Beth, I am feeling marginally better. Going out to the Cape today wore me out, but I managed a walk involving hills without dying, so it's progress. :)

>210 avatiakh: I never did make it over to Australia, but someday, someday. Glad you're enjoying your holiday. Thanks for the tip on the book exchange. I'll have a look around the waterfront tomorrow.

>211 katiekrug: It's so not fair to be ill right now. *whinge* But, I do tell my kids often that life isn't fair so...
I certainly won't be hunting you down for not loving Gilmore Girls, Lol. You're safe here. Just hide behind this pile of books...

>212 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. I am being well looked after. My husband is doing pretty much everything. Just hoping he doesn't get sick right before he starts a new job. Fingers crossed.

>213 charl08: LOL Charlotte. I think I could live with an episode like that. Particularly if it involves Sukie and Michel (sp?)

>214 ronincats: HI Roni. I am trying to make a mental picture of everything. We have loads of actual photos, but to remember well is something else.

>215 nittnut: Jenn, that is a good one :-) I think the accent is a lot stronger than when I left (oddly, with improved TV from all over the place, plus the internet). If you want a reminder at any time, google "Lynn of Tawa" and watch the YouTube clips. My stepmother and I were once in a supermarket when the loudspeaker said "Gary to customer services please, Gary to customer services" and the voice was nearly a perfect copy. ("Gary" is Lynn's boyfriend, pronounced "Gerry" with a hard G). We couldn't stop laughing.

>207 nittnut: only two books in the holiday house. He he. That situation does force some out of comfort zone reading!

Sorry to hear about your poorly timed illness. These things are sent to try us, no? (and they succeed!)

I think that is why I am so untra prepared at uni, I know that a sick kid or an (insert any kind of drama here) will tip the scales and mean no time for getting something good handed in. This both worked and didn't for me last time I handed something in.....back to back child ear infections and resulting chaos at our place meant I handed in a draft for marking that was unfinished, and sub-par. I got an A- but was expecting more like a B.

I hope you don't get too 'knackered', not while sick ;)

Hopefully you're feeling better Jenn!

Jenn, aren't you the one who decreed that no one else was getting sick after Margo's illness? If I were reading a book, I would have to say foreshadowing! I'm glad you were able to sneak off on one more NZ trip before the Bon Voyage.

It's too bad you won't be in Denver very long. Do let me know when you plan to return for a longer visit with E.K. I'd love to be able to arrange my schedule for that meet up! Safe journeys, friend. I hope everything works out well for you in your whirlwind trip from Utah to North Carolina.

>216 susanj67: I will definitely have to Google that. Sounds funny.

>217 LovingLit: LOL Megan. And congratulations on another A :)

>218 The_Hibernator: Much better, thanks Rachel. I am still coughing. The doctor told me it takes 3 weeks to finish with bronchitis. I want to be more special than that... I'm allowing it another couple days, max. (hahaha)

>219 Donna828: My bad, right? I should have knocked on wood. I will definitely let you know when I am going to be in Denver again. I will also let you know when I'm passing through your state. *grin*

We arrived in Salt Lake City after a totally sleepless flight, rested for a day or so, took the kids to my sister and flew off again. By Sunday, I will have been in the following airports: Wellington, Auckland, Auckland, San Francisco, Salt Lake, Salt Lake, Chicago O'hare, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Greensboro, Charlotte, and back to Salt Lake. Sounds fun, right? I am typing this from the top floor of the Marriott in Penn Square. The view is amazing and I'm going out to see the city tomorrow while my husband goes to an engineering conference. Night all!

busy busy

>220 nittnut: - Well, I'm exhausted!

I'm with Katie, LOL!

Sounds completely exhausting but I hope you really enjoy your day of sightseeing. Maybe some pics for us?

>221 avatiakh: Busy! But some fun.

>222 katiekrug: Put your feet up or, do what I did this afternoon - mani/pedi :)

>223 lit_chick: Hi Nancy. Katie is funny. :)

>224 mstrust: I had such a great day. I will post photos as soon as I can get on the wifi and get them into dropbox. Promise.

I had the best day. First thing I did was get my phone service set up so I had a phone. That was good. Lol Then I went on a walking tour of Old Philadelphia. There were just two of us on the tour - both named Jennifer - which was nice for the tour guide. He is a life-long Philadelphian with a history degree and he was great. I am in Love with this city. It is a great walking city and there is so much to see. I can't wait to come back when I have more time. I've been geeking out on US history all day and I'm so happy. Then, with 13000+ steps on the Fitbit I decided I had earned a Pedi, so I did that. I also went into the biggest, fanciest department store (Macy's) I have ever seen in my life. Tonight we have some kind of work do and then tomorrow morning we are going to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and Ben Franklin's post office. I am hoping I can talk my husband into the library as well - Ben Franklin's lending library, first one ever, because Ben Franklin is so cool. A little driving around the area after lunch, and then off to NC.

Oh gosh, that does sounds like a lovely day!

Hope all is well even if hectic.

>225 nittnut: walking tours. So cool, especially seeing as they always seem to be hosted by interesting local types.

Be careful in NC....I heard there was trouble there.

Jenn, what a wonderful day in Philadelphia! And now ... off to NC! Can't wait to hear about your final destination, LOL.

>225 nittnut: I want to visit Philadelphia to do all the Ben Franklin stuff too. He was cool, and every American should be a fan. I'm glad you had a good time.

That sounds lovely, Jenn, but I am exhausted just reading about all of your travels. YIKES! Glad you are getting to also have some fun along the way.

Jenn - I hope you're close to the end of your travels.

Did you make it to the library? Off to Google...

J--Glad everyone is healthy again and that you are having so much fun exploring!! I do think you should cut down on your airport numbers though. Enough is enough...

>226 scaifea: It was - and it seems so long ago now...

>227 avatiakh: Hi Kerry :). Things are still pretty non-stop, but we are getting there.

>228 LovingLit: Thanks Anne. We have definitely been concerned, thoughI think things have calmed down, and the protests are about an hour away from where we are going.

>229 lit_chick: Hi Nancy!

>230 mstrust: I am definitely going back soon.

>231 Crazymamie: Hey Mamie! Exhausted doesn't begin to cover it, but we survive.

>232 BLBera: Very, very close.

>233 charl08: The husband had other plans, so for another visit.

>234 Berly: Stay tuned or the rest of the story Kim. LOL

Hi everyone. Thanks for keeping the thread warm while I traverse the US... Since I was last here, we completed our 11 airports in 14 days tour, picked up the kids and started driving East. We stopped in Denver to visit the "mostly" grown kid and he's doing great! We stocked him up on shoes and pants and fed him, and headed for Missouri. Kansas was forever, but pretty with all the sorghum and corn fields. We had a bad night in Missouri with our youngest spiking a fever and being very ill. Took him to the loveliest doctor ever in Independence, Missouri, who diagnosed pneumonia and gave him medicine. He is MUCH better now. We took in a little of St. Louis, including a Cardinals game (7 home runs!) where my brother who lives in Missouri met us. We are now in Knoxville via Louisville and the Louisville Slugger museum and we plan to reach Greensboro tonight. Phew! We still have a couple of months of temporary housing ahead, but it will be nice to sleep in the same bed more than 2 nights in a row. We've only seen TN in the dark so far, so we are looking forward to seeing what we can this morning. Still trying to decide if we are going through Virginia to tick off another state, or through Asheville. :)

Books to review later:

#110 Me Before You

This book has been made into a popular film, that I have not seen, and I'm not sure I will. I liked it, generally. It was well written and the characters were compelling. The content is definitely controversial and would probably make for a very interesting RL book club discussion. I liked it and I didn't, but I will remember it.

#111 The Quiet Gentleman

Classic Georgette Heyer. The unassuming but practical female captivates the gentleman. Amusing, fun, always enjoyable.

#112 A Thousand Nights

I really liked this YA riff on the Arabian Nights. It's full of magical realism and it's very unique. I have high hopes for the sequel, available in December.

My non-fiction has had to step aside. I can't concentrate well enough. In fact, it took me 3 days to read the Georgette Heyer lol.

Wow! You've been busy with all your travels. Too bad about the fever of your youngest, but I'm glad he's ok. I came down with chicken pox on a cross-country car trip once. It was awful! I was in the 7th grade, so not a good case of the pox, either.

>237 The_Hibernator: Oh Yuck! Rachel. Chicken Pox in the car sounds awful.

We are in Greensboro, in a hotel, but moving next weekend into temporary housing. The kids are getting a little bored and I think they will be glad to start school, even though they deny this. :)

We managed to buy a car - Toyota Camry - and now we can focus on house. I can't tell you how much I do Not Enjoy Car buying and House hunting. I really don't enjoy it at all. Sigh.

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday, so we are taking cake in to the office and meeting people. We are expecting rain, thank you Matthew, and hoping that any of you, and everyone else who is nearer the coast has shifted somewhere safe for the weekend.

A couple more books to review later - hopefully tonight.

After You
False Colours
The Girl With the Dogs

I have picked up The Penguin History of the World again and I am also reading Devil's Cub. We are also reading MC Higgins the Great. Next up is Chains, which I have heard good things about. Hoping it's one I can read to my kids.

Hope the house hunting is as painfree as possible. And that the birthday cake goes down well.

I haven't read any of the books you mention - except possibly the Heyer - back before records began. Will you be looking for books set in your new home or keeping up the NZ reading? (Or both I guess?!)

Good luck with the house hunting.

I also read The girl with the dogs and was happy that it was shorter than most novellas.

Hi Charlotte! I am sure the birthday cake will go down well. We sampled cupcakes and were totally satisfied :). House hunting is only a little less painful than car shopping/buying. I am not a shopper in general, and I tend to want to go knowing what I want and where to get it, get it and come home. Of course, that is not the recommended way to car or house shop. Also my husband is one to research every possible permutation of every possible option, which I find exhausting even though I am grateful he does it. It's going to be done eventually though, and I will be very happy with whatever we end up with. I usually am.
I suspect that I will continue reading the NZ books as well. I have really enjoyed the ANZAC author challenge, and I hope that continues next year.

I am going to start my October thread in a bit here. I will review the last three books I listed in >237 The_Hibernator: there. I am pretty sure it will be my last thread of the year, and I will continue with my NZ theme and show you all the last holiday photos and only cry a little. ;)

Oops - cross posted with you Kerry. Hi! I liked The Girl with the Dogs quite well, and also liked that I was able to read it in about an hour by the pool while the kids swam.

Hi, Jenn. Wow, you've been busy and on the road (and in the air) while I've been on the road and with family the last three weeks. Hope everyone is quite well now and I'm glad you've at least settled into a location if not housing. I love False Colours especially for all its side characters.

We ended up having a great car buying experience at CarMax, known for their no-haggle, no commission sales model. Not sure I will ever shop a dealership again!

I'm i the midst of "interviewing" realtors here to sell our house, and realtors up north to help us find something - probably a rental for a while until we know where we might want to be more permanently.

Fun times ;-/

>243 ronincats: Hi Roni! I get the biggest giggle out of Bonamy Ripple and Lady Denville. How nice to spend 3 weeks with family! We are mostly well, a few sniffles, but at least no bronchitis or pneumonia. I don't love living in a hotel, but it's been pretty nice to be able to send the kids down for breakfast and have someone clean the toilets for a week or so while we recuperate.

>244 katiekrug: Hi Katie! I seem to have hit the traffic hour on LT. Lol.
My husband wanted to go to CarMax, and I've heard good things, but I felt like the Camry was overpriced there. We got a good deal at a Subaru dealership who clearly wanted to sell the used Camry. It's not the most exciting car, and I'm still getting something with a third row later, but this will be the commuter car and the car the daughter will learn to drive in a couple of years (oh my). Also, we need all our cash right now to buy a house. Good luck with your move. Definitely fun times, Lol.
Finding realtors can be interesting. We had a realtor take us out when we visited Greensboro the first time. She kept talking about "riffraff" and it took my poor little western mind the whole two days to work out that she meant "not white people". Good grief! I am still blown away by that.

>241 nittnut: Good to know you want to continue with the ANZAC challenge. As there's very few of us, I was thinking of making 2017 a year long bingo challenge rather than focusing on individual writers. That way we can go back to writers we liked and want to read more of.
I'll continue to promote lesser known ANZAC writers on the thread and draw attention to awards, achievements etc.